red grave city au with alastor

[carvemyname]

 

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[superstylishsquid]

[He doesn't even bother trying to hide his amusement at the bit of sibling squabbling. There's something a little wistful to it though...it's times like these that he does kind of envy humans.]

In joke, I take it?

[wholelyconsumed]

Something Dante has said all of his life. I'm surprised you haven't heard it yet.

[ Dante mumbles something but it's indiscernible through the food. ]

[superstylishsquid]

Probably just missed it while I was stuck here...

[It's still...a little bit of a sore spot, but Dante's apologized, so he lets it go with a shrug. He'd much rather pay attention to the cake, and how delicious and moist it is.

When he's done, he leaves Dante to the dishes, and heads off to find somewhere he can properly lounge while he writes in his diary...]

[wholelyconsumed]

[ Vergil supervises Dante doing the dishes, because he doesn't trust him to do it right. At least, he does until he's chased out by soap and used water being flung his way in repetitive succession. Disgusting.

Wiping the soap off his cheek as he wanders out, he stands there in silence when he finds Alastor. For a moment, he considers walking away - but he does have things to talk to this demon about. Alone would be better. ]

Ah. You're still here.

[superstylishsquid]

[He's lounging on the couch, shoes off and taking the whole thing up, when Vergil finds him. He's writing in a plain looking journal, but closes it around his pen when addressed.]

Well yeah, not like I have anywhere urgent to be.

[wholelyconsumed]

So you're not looking for the first chance to flee, then. [ Vergil takes in how relaxed Alastor looks; it serves to do nothing but increase his stressed feelings about all of this. ] Or maybe you just haven't gotten what you want?

[ Oh boy he's coming into this on the offensive. ]

[superstylishsquid]

If I hadn't gotten what I wanted, I wouldn't be making myself so comfortable.

[He gestures at the way he's laying on the couch, feet propped up on one armrest and using the other as a pillow.]

I already bailed for a while, when I thought Dante didn't want me around anyway. I came back by choice.

[wholelyconsumed]

So you're here for attention? I suppose that fits the way you currently look like a cat.

[ Vergil is observing him closely, looking for any signs of deception. He hasn't found any so far. ]

Then you realize you'll get a lot of that from him. But don't abuse it.

[superstylishsquid]

Meow.

[He flicks his tail in the manner of a lounging cat.]

But seriously, what I wanted was really just...a place where I'm wanted. I'm an enemy of Mundus myself, and I don't have the luxury of being even part human. So yeah, I'm enjoying having Dante's attention...just don't tell him I said as much. Don't want him getting a big head.

[wholelyconsumed]

I'd never tell him anything his ego would enjoy. [ Vergil can promise that. ]

There's a difference now, though. You're more willing to accept his attention than when I left. Did he find the magic word?

[ Why does he get the feeling he'll regret asking? ]

[superstylishsquid]

Something like that. [He rubs his head awkwardly.] I didn't want to accept it because I didn't want him to know how much I actually like him. He's so embarrassing sometimes, you know? Especially when he's full of himself.

But I obviously wasn't fooling anyone, least of all him. And I didn't count on him actually seeming so...genuinely happy.

[wholelyconsumed]

He does that. He accepts attention and love when he gets it, because he gets it so rarely. He'll return it with all that he can give in return. It's why I... [ Vergil pauses, and struggles over the next few words. It's rough, pushing them out. ] ...worry about him.

[superstylishsquid]

Honestly, I can feel where he's coming from. A demon who prefers to live like a human...well. I'm not exactly greeted with open arms on either side of the Hellgates.

I can see where you worry, though. People like us can't afford to trust too easily, not when there are humans and demons both that would want to see us hurt. I'll keep an eye out for him, just like I did on Mallet.

[wholelyconsumed]

[ Vergil sighs. The next words he has to say are even worse, are impossible to force out, practically like a birth - ]

Thank you.

[ He rubs a hand across his reddened face. ]

[superstylishsquid]

[He offers a faint smile, his own face tinged violet over his own admissions.]

Don't worry about it. He's a doofus, but...even when I was mad at him, I didn't want to see him seriously hurt, you know? Taught a lesson, maybe, but not the kind of thing the sort that's unscrupulous enough to take advantage of someone's trust would do to him.

[wholelyconsumed]

[ Has Vergil ever done such a thing to Dante? Betrayed his trust, taken advantage of it? His memories are still foggy, despite having been put together. Of Hell, especially - it mostly came back in his nightmares.

Maybe he was the one who needed protecting from. ]

Good.

[ A pause. ]

Why are you branded a traitor?

[superstylishsquid]

I refused Mundus when he tried to draft me into his army. He didn't like that...liked it even less when I drew my sword in the face of his idea of punishment.

[He rolls over onto his side, facing away from the back of the couch and letting one of his wings drape over him like a blanket.]

Didn't admit at the time that it was for the humans' sake that I refused, but it doesn't really matter. As far as that sort is concerned, if you're not with them, you're against them.

[wholelyconsumed]

I've gotten that idea, yes. Especially considering how they reacted to my father.

I probably know far more about that than Dante does.

[ As he has done his research. ]

[superstylishsquid]

Yeah...wish I could've met the guy. I owe him a big thanks for doing what I couldn't. Don't wanna imagine where I'd be if Mundus hadn't been sealed away soon after I was.

What...happened to him, anyway? All I know is the stuff recorded in history books. His last known home was Red Grave City, but after that...

[wholelyconsumed]

Nobody knows. [ Vergil looks immensely frustrated at that. ] I've searched all over the world for information, but found none.

If he's not dead, he's done a fine job abandoning his children.

[superstylishsquid]

I'm pretty sure he's gone...or at least, as gone as I was for a couple thousand years. The sword Sparda had too much of his power to be an empty Arm. Not sure if it has all of him, but even if it doesn't...well, I doubt the rest of him is going for a walk, if you know what I mean.

Kinda worrying to think about, though. That something could take out a guy like Sparda without causing something akin to a natural disaster in the process.

[wholelyconsumed]

There's been plenty of natural disasters in that time. It could have been one of them.

[ Vergil wonders why he feels comforted by the idea Sparda could be dead and not have chosen to leave them alone. Was it similar to what Nero felt, all those years, thinking he himself was dead? How did Nero feel now?

... but that wasn't the topic at hand, nor would he mention any of it out loud. ]

[superstylishsquid]

Maybe. And maybe it wasn't even in this world...if something drew him back to the underworld and he never made it back, no one on this side would've seen a thing.

[His tail flicks, agitated by all the possibilities.]

[wholelyconsumed]

...

[ Vergil doesn't like thinking about his father, and now his mind is overrun by thinking about him. This wasn't what he sought out to make this conversation about. ]

I see.

[superstylishsquid]

Sorry I couldn't offer any hopeful ideas. The best I have is that I'm fairly confident his soul wasn't completely destroyed.

[Of course, that doesn't mean crucial amounts of it weren't eaten...without knowing exactly what happened, there's no way to be sure there's enough of him left to pull off a revival.]