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skvaderarts · 26 days

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Petrichor Chapter 69: Unpunctual

Chapter 69: Unpunctual

Note: A shorter one this week, but I still hope you enjoy!

(-~-)

The rain had forced their hand, causing them to remain at the station for about an hour before it had finally let up.

Pouring in an angry, writhing torrent, the maelstrom had battered the train station for what seemed like ages before it had paused, at least initially. People had rushed from the station, attempting to reach waiting vehicles or to make mad dashes to their hotel rooms and homes only to be tangled in the second wave of the storm that arrived not ten minutes later. A sight that the twins found humorous, even if a person or two did slip on the way to their destination. But a bit of freezing rain had never hurt anyone. Right?

Making their way down the street through the puddles and past the racing waters that coursed the storm drains at the curbside, the two of them initially walked along in silence with only the sound of dripping water and boots making contact with the pavement between them. Dante didn’t need to ask if Vergil’s thoughts were preoccupied. He wasn’t stupid. Well, he knew some people who might argue otherwise, but still. He wasn’t oblivious to his older brother’s silent reflection on the situation and the underlying sense of anxiety that radiated off of him even if he didn’t visually give it away in almost any way. It was subtle just as it had been before, but its intensity hadn’t died down at all, either. The devil hunter in the red coat wondered if Vergil would even be able to speak if they finally located her.

No, not if. When. They had to find her. They would find her.

“So what will you say to her when you see her again?” Dante opted to break the silence. It was probably a good idea to distract Vergil from the task at hand, even if only for a moment. Letting him dwell on the past was rarely ever a very good idea.

Vergil didn’t initially respond, lingering on the question in silence as they continued forward. That was a hard question to answer. They both knew that. In fact, that had been the reason that Dante had asked in the first place. It would force Vergil to think about something else for the time being because the younger of the two knew that he hadn’t come up with a script or a stilted response of any sort. That just wasn’t how he worked. As a general rule, he didn’t say things that he didn’t mean. And Dante was willing to bet that that aspect of his personality certainly applied in this case. He wasn’t going to half-ass a response to the woman whom he’d shared such an important part of his life with. He’d decided to have a child with her, for crying out loud. She was important to him. Or at least she had been at one time.

Dante looked over at him as they continued to walk. No. She was still important to him. He couldn’t hide that even if he tried. That hadn’t changed in all these years. Perhaps some of the struggle born of this situation was having to face the reality that she might not feel that way about him anymore. It was a realistic expectation. There was no reality where she had forgotten about him, but she most certainly hadn’t sat around all these years and pined wistfully over him like a lovestruck child. At least he hoped.

Maybe Vergil was just afraid that the love she’d once had for him had turned to hate, something that Dante knew his older twin felt he deserved for his actions, intended or not. And facing that was going to be difficult. Exceedingly so.

“I’ve been asking myself that since we left the office.” Vergil finally said, breaking the lingering silence. He didn’t elaborate any further, proving that Dante’s assumption was correct. Vergil was just going to go in and tell her the truth. He wasn’t working off of a plan of any sort here.

Opting to probe just a little harder at the risk of sparking ire between the two of them under such circumstances, Dante continued, working under the assumption that Vergil was more or less beyond the stage in their relationship where he would attempt to murder him on the spot for digging at a sore spot. Vergil had claimed to be trying a new approach, after all. “And did that get you anywhere or are you still…?”

Looking at him in an almost curious maner, Vergil shook his head before turning his attention forward again. From what he could tell, they were almost at the desired location. “Hmmm. It would appear it did not.”

“Yeah, I figured that,” Dante said with a slight huff. This was going to be one awkward conversation; perhaps the most awkward he’d ever seen. The idea of seeing Vergil attempt to walk to a woman he liked this much would be entertaining if not slightly cringeworthy under any other circumstances, but this? No, this was going to be rough, to say the least. I think I get it, though. In theory, anyway.”

Vergil gave him a skeptical look, silently indicating that he was in the right jurisdiction but perhaps not the right precinct in regards to being 100% sure what his younger twin meant by that. Vergil could make some guesses, though. Or at least he normally could. He was preoccupied. And Dante noticed this, opting not to let him wonder and to elaborate instead.

“You probably won’t admit it, but you care what she thinks about you. And you don’t want to know how much her opinion has changed since you’ve been gone.” Dante made the executive decision to not dance around the topic any longer and to just dive head-first into it instead. Maybe it was better to just rip the bandaid off now and get it over with. “That’s what I’m thinking, anyway.”

“Since I vanished into thin air and seemingly abandoned her when she needed me most, you mean,” Vergil said, his tone noticeably more morose than it had been a moment ago. He wasn’t going to say yes, but he wasn’t going to disagree, either. Both of them knew that was essentially the same as direct confirmation as far as their personal standards were concerned, anyway.

“Yeah. Something like that.” Dante almost wanted to laugh at how bad that sounded, but he didn’t want to seem like he wasn’t taking his brother seriously. He absolutely was. This entire situation sucked and they both knew it. But there was no running from it. That wasn’t what they did. And it never had been unless there was literally no other choice. And even then sometimes they stood their ground like the fools that they were, refusing to back down and retreat. Surrender just didn’t run in their blood. “I think this is it. Pretty sure this is the right street.”

“Mhmm.” Vergil nodded a single time in agreement as they stepped around the corner onto a quiet street. His brow furrowed slightly as they scanned the addresses, taking in the block in front of them. It was a street shaded by old, established trees. It was tidy, shady, and peaceful with rows of duplexes lining either side of the street and parking spaces on either side of each unit with small fences dividing the individual properties. Shaded porches and landscaped yards were a staple of the area. All in all, an unassuming, quiet little neighborhood.

But as they searched for the address, the two of them noticed something that neither of them had expected to find. A moving van. And it was at the address that they’d been looking for.

“Well… That’s not good.” Dante said, somewhat stating the obvious but not really thinking about it at the time. Vergil heard him but didn’t acknowledge him, instead heading over towards his previous destination just that little bit quicker. Dante followed closely behind, unsure as to what his older twin was about to do, but certain that he didn’t want to lag behind. Oh no. This wasn’t good…

… This was a problem. Had they just caught her in the process of moving out, or were these new people moving in?

Were they too late?

(-~-)

Ah yes, this cliffhanger is pure evil. I apologize. But you will find out soon enough! I’ll see you in the comment section and next Friday on 4/12/2024! Take care and I’ll see you all soon! Bye bye!

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whatyouneedisthis · 5 years

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Here's some more 😃 when Nero and V are at the end of there journey and make it back to the tree and one were Nero first finds Dante but is confused . More fun stuff to draw lol

#devil may cry #devil may cry 5 #dmc dante #dmc nero #dmc5 v #dmcv #dante #dmc urizen #captured au #my post #my art

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skvaderarts · 7 months

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Petrichor Chapter 54: Referral

Chapter 54: Referral

Note: Hello everyone! I hope you’ve been having a good week! Enjoy and thanks! And sorry the update was a few hours late. I lost track of time!

(-~-)

Sirrus hung up the phone in his living room by pressing a button on the receiver, his conversation with his contact now over. They’d spent the last little while discussing the details of where they would meet, when, where they would go, and what would happen after that. The itinerary was more or less concrete now. But he needed to make one final phone call. Then he would be content for now.

Taking a moment to close his eyes and relax his mind a little, he took a deep breath before exhaling slowly and steadily. He was relieved that things had not taken a turn for the worst. But he knew a woman who was not privy to that fact who had probably spent the last few hours pacing about her flat, stressed and riddled with read and anxiety as she wondered what had become of the young hybrid that she’d cared for on so many occasions and had genuinely come to adore. Magnolia deserved to know how V was doing.

After composing himself, Sirrus took inventory of all the numbers he knew by heart and managed to recall hers as he had the night before, dialing it before initiating the call, hopeful that she would pick up quickly. And that assumption was not incorrect. She picked up on the third ring, the tone of her voice giving away a tentative sense of hopeful caution that told him that she desperately needed to hear some good news.

“Oh, good to hear from you, dear. Anything to report?” She said softly, clearly expecting the worst but still hoping for the best. She sounded like a parent who had just received a sudden call from their child’s school, hoping it was to tell them how wonderful of a job they were doing in class and how good their grades were, and not to inform them that their precious child had fallen ill at lunch or gotten into a fight with another student.

Sirrus smiled softly to himself, thankful that he had been afforded the opportunity to be the bearer of good news for once. He was happy to know that he had no misfortune to report on. Not this time, at least.

“Thankfully, no. I just wanted to keep you in the loop. He’s doing much better now.” His smile brightened as he heard her sigh in relief, probably overwhelmed by worry that was hopefully starting to dissipate now. “We have to go and meet someone shortly. If anything changes during that time, I will update you. You have my word. And my phone number.”

Despite everything, Magnolia found the energy and vitality required to chuckle at the comment. Sirrus was nothing if not disarming and charming, two of his better qualities. He was uniquely talented when it came to putting her at ease when she needed it most. They were both happy to hear that V was doing better, that much was certainly true.

“Good, good. So he isn’t exhibiting any additional symptoms, then? He’s more or less fine?”

He shook his head at her inquiry before it occurred to him that they were having a phone call and she couldn’t see him. He knew that, obviously, but it was still a matter of reflex. It responded twice in many situations, but he didn’t mind. At least he was capable of formulating a response at all.

“Aside from some general bewilderment and a bit of disorientation, no. He says that he feels different but fine. I will keep a close eye on him, of course, but I do believe him, even if I am confused about how that could be the case. He recovered at an impossibly rapid rate, even by inhuman standards. He’s normally so slow to heal… ”

Sirrus glanced over at the door to V’s room. The water had just turned off. He was willing to bet that V would be out of the room shortly, but for his friend’s sake, he wouldn’t go to the door. He’d been embarrassed enough in the last forty-eight hours or so to last him a good, long while. He would spare him that indignity. Or he would knock, at least.

Magnolia picked up on the subtle tinge of concern and disquietment in this voice. That was something to be concerned about. And he was correct, it was strange. But perhaps that was a good thing in this circumstance? Perhaps something was happening to him that would result in positive change? As far as she was concerned, V was already something of a late bloomer. Perhaps this was the bloom that they’d all imagined might occur but had quietly decided might not ever come to pass?

“His bloodline is just exceptional like that. And incredibly unpredictable to boot. I’m not surprised to hear about this turn of events. And something tells me there is more to come.” She said with a sigh, again wishing that there was more that she could do to offer guidance. She could contact Vergil, but she didn’t want him to worry or work himself up as she knew that he would unless she had a reason to. And at the moment, the situation seemed to be under control. “As is your prerogative, I would second your desire to keep a close eye on him. I will hold off on notifying his father for now.”

“Very well, then. I thank you again for your consol. Your guidance is much appreciated, Magnolia.” Sirrus said as he checked the time. They would need to leave soon. He wanted to give V as much time as possible to get to their destination in the event that he became winded and needed to stop and catch his breath. That was a distinct possibility. “I hope to speak with you again soon. Under better circumstances.”

“I do, too, love. Take care. The both of you. Come home safe.” Magnolia said softly as she prepared to hang up the phone. Sirrus might be over twice her age, but his demeanor was still so much that of the young man he visually appeared to be. She was always happy to lend him an ear and offer him her assistance. The three of them had been through so very much together recently. In truth, V’s health wasn’t the only source of medical concern for her. She wondered about his well-being as well. He was still recovering in his own way. She was willing to bet that he hadn’t fully recharged just yet.

Sirrus politely bid her adieu and then returned the phone to its rightful place on the receiver, turning his attention to V’s door. Perhaps it was time to politely check in on him and make sure that he was alright.

Heading over towards V’s door, he stopped in front of it for a moment and then knocked softly, unwilling to startle V should he be in the middle of getting dressed again. He heard a quick shuffle from the other side of the door as the young summoner beckoned him to open the door, the fact that he had probably just been putting his pants on when he came to the door apparent by how he was only now putting on his shirt and the look of slight embarrassment on his face denoted by the pale tinge of pink on his cheeks.

“Do you require any assistance with getting ready?” Sirrus asked softly, noting that V was still in the process of putting on a shirt. Another turtle neck or something similar although made of different material, by the looks of it; this one a dark green that matched his eyes nearly perfectly. A detail that he certainly noticed. V had an eye for color, something that they had in common. Perhaps he would show V his tailoring space at some point. One thing at a time.

V glanced up at him once he got the neck of the garment over his head, a look of weary calm in his eyes. He didn’t need help. Sirrus could tell his answer just by looking at him. “I think I’ll manage, but thank you.”

V stood up and held out his hand, calling his cane to it. He did so with such a casual air to him that Sirrus could only chuckle to himself. It would never cease to amuse him that V had skipped all the practical applications that his powers could be used for, only to take on much more advanced material with a degree of natural proficiency that most would envy. All except for that very practical and simple recall trick. It was perhaps the most practical thing he’d seen him demonstrate knowing how to do. He imagined he was very pleased to know how to do it at a time like this. He knew from personal experience that it was certainly a useful skill to possess. It always seemed to come in handy under the most unexpected circumstances.

“You're ready, then?” Sirrus said somewhat playfully, holding the door to the bedroom open for him.

“I am, yes.” With a slight smirk and a single nod of his head. He couldn’t think of anything else he needed to bring with him or that he might be leaving behind. He was ready to meet this mystery individual that Sirrus had arranged a sit down with. He was eager -if not cautiously so- to see what they might be able to accomplish. “Please, lead the way.”

Sirrus stepped back and out of V’s way, gesturing out of the door and towards the front entrance, nodding politely as the same small smile that adorned his lips spread to the rest of his face. He was happy to see V doing better. He wasn’t sure how long it would last, but that was a bridge that they would cross if they arrived at it. They were in this together, after all. Neither of them were alone. And there was much that could be accomplished today should they keep their wits about them. An exciting time, indeed. So long as they didn’t miss the meeting for a second time. That would be… impolite.

“After you.”

(-~-)

Not the longest chapter, but the real fun starts next week LOL! I have some fun planned for all of you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I’ll see you next Friday, September 29th. I think I have an appointment this week, but I’m determined to show you the next chapter. I’m just so excited for it! Spooky month is upon us. How fitting considering what I have planned for you *evil laugh*. See you in the comment section, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Bye bye!

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skvaderarts · 2 years

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Petrichor chapter 28: Benefaction

Chapter 28: Benefaction

Note: So I made V in Elden Ring. Might write some little funny story about that and post it on here if some point if any of you are interested in reading that. Just for shits and giggles. LMK if you’d like to check that out. I’m only doing it because a few of you thought it would be cool on Tumblr. Anyway, on to the chapter!

(-~-)

The station had been crowded and exceedingly noisy, an unfortunate but expected result of holiday travel. It seemed that everyone in the region was heading elsewhere, tickets leaving the area being something of a commodity at the moment, and they had prices to match. Scalpers had bought tickets to lines they did not plan to ride reselling them for egregious prices, and every phone booth had a line. Simply getting to the concession stands was an impossibility at this point. And the help desk? A distant memory. The diluted ideas of a madman who knew only Insanity.

But unfortunately, due to the fact that he was going to have to ride a public train in order to get to his destination, climbing on the top or in one of the cargo compartments wasn't in the cards this time around. He was going to have to pay his way on or find another route, so begrudgingly he paid the money for a somewhat overpriced ticket as he cursed himself under his breath and made his way onto the old locomotive, Capulet nothing more than a distant glimmer upon the horizon of his mind's eye.

It was fortunate indeed that he had managed to find his cloak exactly where he'd left it before leaving the library and the town for good. There were far too many people around to potentially recognize him for his liking. It wasn't as though any of these people were actively searching for him or probably even paying attention to him but the fewer people who could possibly recognize him, the better. He liked to be something of a ghost, unnoticed, or at the very least, unidentifiable. Unmemorable.

There was simply no good to be had with being remembered, and aside from being able to say that he was the strange man who wore a coat with a cloak over it everywhere, he didn't want anyone to be able to identify him. And at least the cloak gave him plausible deniability. It was easy enough to hide should he need to, but after the train attendant had checked his ticket, he couldn't see any further reason why anyone would wish to speak with him or ask any further questions. It should just be smooth sailing unless something unsavory were to happen, and he was hoping that for once nothing would. He had his mind set on a goal, and he was not interested in compromising on it we're adding anything to his itinerary.

No, he would attempt to make himself as comfortable as possible and by his time until he reached his stop. It would be several hours, but he should be able to make it there by the end of the day.

As he settled in, he watched a menagerie of travelers make small talk on the train and eat snacks, children traveling with their parents and grandparents, completely oblivious to the horrors of loneliness and abandonment. To the demons that haunted every step that he took. A strange part of him envied them, another equally strong part of himself loathing the notion and proclaiming himself a pathetic sycophant, too stuck in the past to accomplish his goals. Undeserving of the love he saw displayed.

Perhaps this was why his father had disappeared in the first place? To escape him and the disappointment he was probably shaping up to be? And why his mother had not come to his aid that day? Had she taken notice of this quality within him and found it undesirable? No. He would not go down this road again. It led to nothing but suffering and listlessness in the face of the answers he would never receive firsthand. It was a distraction. The manifestation of an idle mind gripped by suffering. Nothing more. And suffering was a weakness. He was not weak. He refused to wallow. To grieve. To think of these offenses any longer. He would push them down again until they inevitably resurfaced, his denial never allowing them to fully surface.

Besides, neither his brother nor his mother had escaped that fire. He had lost them both that day. He was the only survivor. He had to carry on for both of them. For his entire family. For his family's legacy. He was all there was left of his bloodline, especially if he couldn't find his father. He was alone now, and that's all he was ever going to be.

… Or perhaps not?

He was getting ahead of himself again. What was he thinking? He knew nothing. That was why he sought answers in the first place!

He forced those thoughts from his mind. A part of him knew that they were simply toxic portions of the subconscious making themself known, but although he would never admit it, there was a tiny part of him that wondered if there was truth to it all. And the fact that he could never get a concrete answer ate away at him, poisoning every aspect of his life. It was all so very much to cope with, especially when none of the fruit causes were ever addressed, but he needed to be strong. He was strong. He would become stronger. No one would ever do this to him again. But that was a matter for another day. He had affairs to attend to.

As his thoughts returned to something less catastrophic, he pondered something. When he looked at those children, what did he see that they had that he was so uncomfortable with? What could a child have to offer that he did not possess? He did not seek to take something from them, but perhaps a small part of himself wished he was them? That his own blissful ignorance and innocence could be returned to him as suddenly as it had been stolen away? Or perhaps he was simply tired. Tired of all this traveling and tired of all the searching. Perhaps he needed a break, and perhaps this trip would provide that for him. One could only hope, not that he was prone to doing that. But perhaps he could humor himself just this once and allow the luxury of hope to seep into his impenetrable facade?

Or perhaps his solitude was making him brash and susceptible to foolishness. He would find out soon enough either way. It was too early to say in either case. For now, he needed to focus on the task at hand. He was not normally prone to a wandering mind, but it seemed that might be the case on this specific occasion. Try as he might, his mind simply didn’t work in the same way when he was around him. He’d been utterly bewitched, and he felt helpless to amend it.

Oh no.

(-~-)

The sun was nearly down by the time the train finally reached the station, several delays causing their locomotive to be pushed further back in the queue. He had disembarked as soon as the doors had opened, leaving the station with a speed that would probably alarm the average passerby, perhaps invoking thoughts of a missed appointment or something similar. And they would not be incorrect, but they would also not be entirely on the money, either. After all, he was neither late nor early. You could be neither when you were not expected in the first place.

He could not imagine that she expected him to track her down at her new address. Something told him that the young woman from the shop probably hadn't even told her yet that he'd called, things at the shop taking precedence over the act of making small talk with her boss during business hours. And even still, she had no way of knowing that he had made the decision to head to Capulet that very day. She probably assumed she had a bit more leeway than that. How fortunate for him. Perhaps he could maintain some element of surprise.

As he rounded the corner and turned onto the block that bore the cross streets given to him by the young woman who had spoken with him on the phone, he felt a strange uneasiness settle into the pit of his stomach. He did not doubt that Kat had given him the correct address, but there was just something that made him apprehensive despite everything. His pace slowed slightly as he approached the residence directly next to hers, his mind still lingering on how strange this turn of events was for him. He didn’t do this sort of thing. Why was he here? What did he hope to gain by disturbing this young woman at her new home? Why did he feel so utterly compelled to be around her? There was only one idea that came to mind, but it was too outlandish to possibly be the truth.

But as he pondered this notion and attempted to face something that he once thought impossible as a reality, he came to a sudden stop just a few feet shy of her doorstep. The front door had just opened.

She managed to push the door shut as she made her way down a few of the front steps that led from her front stoop down to the street, a large stack of boxes carried in her outstretched arms. They were empty and didn’t look very heavy, but they were certainly awkward, and the windy weather was doing quite literally nothing in regards to helping her keep her balance. This was apparent in how slow and infrequent her steps were, the young woman attempting to keep her balance on the slippery steps. And without giving it much thought, Vergil sighed and took a few steps forward. She was going to end up laying on her back on the sidewalk if she kept this up. He’d made a similar mistake himself once before. It was humiliating.

“You seem to have your hands full at the moment. Should I come back later?”

With a speed that Vergil actually found somewhat surprising, she snapped her head around to see who was talking to her and looked directly at him, taking a few moments to realize that he was actually standing there due to an anemic little tree blocking her direct line of sight. And the second she realized it was actually him, her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open, her arms going limp as the stack of boxes tumbled down the steps and landed in the gutter with a wet thud. And although he did his level best not to show it, something about how genuinely flabbergasted she now seemed was actually quite funny to him. He hadn’t been sure how she would react to seeing him again, but that certainly hadn’t been on his list.

At least she didn’t seem upset. People normally were when he came calling.

"Oh my- you actually came!" She said, clearly excited to see him. She looked as though she was on the verge of tears, her eyes glossy as she blinked more than she usually did. The cold winter air stung them as she looked at him, but her resolve was more than enough to withstand the discomfort. The young woman stumbled down the stairs towards him as she navigated the icy environment she was presented with. It seemed that regardless of how eager she was to get closer to him, she hadn’t managed to overlook the fact that the entire street was coated in a thick layer of black ice. "I remember leaving that note with my new address on it but… I didn't think you were going to come back. I hoped that you would, but I wasn't optimistic. You didn’t have a reason to."

Reaching the bottom of the steps, she rushed over, the slight heal in her boots causing her to slip slightly. She managed to recover almost instantly before hurrying over to stand before him, her intent to hug him evident. But before she threw her arms around him, the ever so subtly alarmed look on his face seemed to signal to her that perhaps it was not the best idea for her to do that. So instead she came to a stop and wrapped her arms around herself. It seemed that she was trying to appear colder than she probably was despite the very cold weather. Or maybe she actually was that cold and hadn’t noticed until that moment as a result of her excitement.

Without a word, he stepped forward and handed her the record, his pathetic attempt at concealing it inside of the bag that he had received from the store he purchased it from only serving to make it that much more obvious what might actually be inside. An oversight on his part that he’d only noticed after it was far too late to stop and attempt to find a store that was selling gift bags that didn’t cost stupid amounts of money and didn’t have lines out the door.

“I did,” he said simply, waiting for her long fingers to wrap around the bag and gain a firm grip on it before he released it. The last thing he wanted her to do was to drop it. Not after the trouble he’d gone through to procure it for her. She held it for a moment, clearly about to open the bag before stopping. She seemed perplexed, thinking better of her decision to go snooping through his belongings. He simply looked at her, unsure as to what to do now. “I… had a reason to return.”

"What is this?” She asked with a small smile, her eyes still burning from the air. There was curiosity within them, that same welcoming softness returning that he’d come to miss during his time away from her. She glanced over at the boxes she’d accidentally dropped in the street, cringing slightly as she realized that they’d landed next to the trash can but obviously not in it. It was probably best that she take care of that sooner rather than later. No one wanted to be fined by the city council for littering.

"A gift. Something I thought you might appreciate." Vergil said as he followed her eyes over to the boxes, realizing quickly that she was probably considering putting them away. Some part of himself found that amusing as he took a few steps closer to them before grabbing them and opening the lid of the streetside trashcan, tossing them inside. Now he could hopefully maintain her undivided attention. And as he turned his attention back to her, he was met with a look of wonderment. She seemed genuinely shocked by something.

"You got me a gift? Oh, you didn't have to do that!" She exclaimed with an excited smile, a wide-eyed joy encompassing her entire tiny frame that reminded him of holidays with his own family as a small child. His parents had to practically fend Dante off with a broom when they were children, his desire to peek at their holiday gifts exceedingly powerful. It was like trying to keep a feral beast away from prime rib.

"I also cannot return it. And I won't tell you where I purchased it." Vergil said, admittedly somewhat amused with himself. There would be no returning this gift. Not if he had anything to say about it. And he did since he’d just given it to her and… well, it was rather self-explanatory, wasn’t it?

Clearly eager to see what he’d found for her, she opened the bag and stuck her hand inside, the cold plastic making contact with her now red and freezing hands. She’d clearly only planned to be outside for a few minutes, so her lack of gloves had been an unfortunate oversight. But as she pulled the record from the bag and took a look at it, a look of utterly overwhelmed joy came across her face as she realized in an instant that he’d remembered their conversation and had taken the time out of his day to track down this song for her. She held her hand up to her face to cover her mouth as a few stray tears ran down her now red cheeks, her eyes blinking away silent tears as she felt her breaths become deep and uneven. She was in utter disbelief. To see him again and to now have this…

"But this is… where in the world did you manage to…” She stopped as she saw the strange look that came across her companion’s face, the man with the white hair taking a moment to realize that she was crying from joy and not despair. In truth, Vergil wasn’t sure he’d even done that before. It was not something he could say he’d ever experienced. “Thank you. It's wonderful… Though I think getting to see you again might be an even better gift. So now I have two amazing presents!"

Vergil watched as she turned an even darker shade of red, clearly embarrassed to some degree by the fact that she’d just said that out loud. And perhaps out of second-hand embarrassment or simply being charmed by her bashfulness, he felt himself grow ever so slightly red in the face, something that was amplified considerably the second that he realized that he’d done this. Neither of them could even look at one another until after what felt like a lifetime but was, in reality, only a few seconds, she broke the ice again.

"It's the middle of winter… Aren't you cold?"

"... Somewhat." He replied awkwardly, unsure as to what else he could say. It was the truth, after all. He wasn’t freezing by any means, but the type of clothing he was wearing was not exactly warm. But upon saying this, he glanced up at her and she pointed towards her front door. Perhaps she had something in mind.

“You know what would fix that? A cup of hot chocolate.” She said softly, taking her hands and sticking them in her coat pockets. There was a small smile on her face. And in that instant, they both knew he was going to say yet. “Let’s go inside. It’s been too long since I shared a warm drink with you and had a nice conversation.”

(-~-)

IDKW but this chapter put a big smile on my face hehe! Poor teenage Vergil. You'll understand one day. I hope you liked it, too! I’ll see you in the comment section, and hopefully on Friday. I have some stuff going on this week, so if I’m busy on Friday, I’ll leave you all a note and continue next week on Wednesday. But I’m not sure yet so I’ll keep you posted. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and that you’ve had a wonderful week so far! Talk to you soon!

#Petrichor #Vergil #Vergil Sparda #Post Devil May Cry 5 Au #DMC5 #DMC #DMCV #AU #Devil May Cry #Devil May Cry 5 #Devil May Cry V #DMCAU #My Post DMC5 AU #My Post DMCV AU #My Post Devil May Cry 5 AU #My Post Devil May Cry V AU #Post DMC5 #Post DMCV #Post DMC AU

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skvaderarts · 2 years

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Petrichor Chapter 2: Headquarters

I’ll be posting a new Masterlist soon!

Chapter Two: Headquarters

Note: Hoping to finally get to your comments on the last chapters of Hiraeth later this week! Enjoy the chapter, and again, welcome back!

(-~-)

Coming to a stop in front of the door to what he'd been told was Nero and Kyrie's temporary room, V panted slightly. He hadn't realized that he was out of breath until he'd stopped in front of the door and reached to open it only to start to feel slightly dizzy. He hadn't exactly forgotten that he had just awoken from an extended period of unconsciousness, but he had certainly underestimated how long it would take for him to fully recover. And that was to say nothing of his little display in the basement. Taking it easy for a little while longer was obviously advisable.

Knocking on the door lightly in the hopes that he would not accidentally awaken anyone that was asleep, the eldest of Vergil's children was slightly surprised when just a split second later Kyrie practically snatched the door open, a pleasant smile spreading across her face the moment she saw who was at their door. He was certain that she hadn't expected to see him just yet, but she obviously didn't mind.

"Oh, that's right, Nero told me you were awake. I just didn't expect to see you so soon!" She said with obvious joy, her excitement evident. She could barely hold back the relief that she obviously felt at the sight of him, exhaling before continuing to speak, that kind sparkle in her eyes as she reached out to gently hug him, doing so slowly enough for him to wave her off if desired. He did not and instead gently wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to squeeze him tightly. It occurred to him that this was the first time that she'd ever attempted to do so with him, but he honestly didn't mind. There were not many people that he would ever willingly allow to touch him, but she certainly made that very short list.

Taking notice of who was at their door, Nero glanced over at them both, standing up from his stop on their shared bed to come over and see V. It was a safe bet to assume that his brother was here to see him, so why not check just to be sure?

"Hey, V. Wasn't expecting to see you again until later. Everything okay?" He asked calmly, not detecting any concern or disillusionment from his older sibling. Despite the fact that V wasn't the sort to show how he felt in exceedingly obvious ways, that didn't mean that his emotions didn't radiate off of him in droves at times.

"Yes, everything is fine. But I have come to request something from you, should you be willing." V said as he was ushered into the room by Kyrie, the young lady closing the door behind him and going to go and look out of the window. The room had a lovely view of the central garden, and it was clear that Kyrie absolutely adored that. "Sirrus is headed… somewhere. I didn't ask. But you're welcome to tag along should you desire to do so."

Nero gave V a funny look, seemingly surprised that he didn't know where he was going. Normally his brother was the one with all the answers, or at least the majority of them, so seeing him be this out of the loop was somewhat entertaining, if only in a small way.

"Oh, really? Hmm… I could probably tag along. Will you be okay here on your own for a few hours?" Nero asked, glancing over his shoulder towards Kyrie. The last thing that he wanted to do was to just walk out of the room and leave her here alone with the kids, especially without so much as asking first. He never wanted to take her for granted.

The young woman with the red hair seemed to be sidetracked by what she saw out of the window, her face pressed against her open palm as she gazed quietly out at the yard. It genuinely took her a moment to realize that she was being spoken to by Nero, and as such, she didn't respond until quite a bit later than she normally would have.

"You should go, Nero. He's right, getting some fresh air does seem like a wonderful idea." "I think I'll go out in the garden and read one of those lovely books. The children can go play with the others." She said pleasantly, turning around and leaving her place at the window to come and place a kiss on his cheek. Nero attempted to hide his blush, rubbing the back of his neck as he hugged her gently before turning his attention back towards V. Yea, he'd go. If that's what they both wanted then that's what he'd do.

"Alright, I'll tag along," Nero said with an embarrassed shrug, going over to the door and opening it again as V turned to follow him out of the door. He honestly hadn't expected him to agree to come along, so this was actually a pleasant surprise. "And I'd ask before you grab one of those books. Make sure it's not cursed first."

Kyrie shook her head and practically pushed Nero out of the door. She was at her wit's end with these two. Every time she turned around one of them was up to something, and she could never have a moment's peace. "Enjoy your road trip! I'll let Dante know and someone will get in contact if we need you!"

V shook his head and chuckled under his breath as she closed the door behind them, Nero staring in surprise at how quickly she'd managed to close the door after pushing them through it. All he could do was laugh to himself as he turned and walked away with V. Kyrie truly was one of a kind, and he had no idea what he'd done to deserve her.

(-~-)

The drive there was further than either V or Nero had bargained for, neither of them expecting to spend over two hours in the vehicle just to make the journey there. To be fair, neither of them had asked how far away this headquarters of theirs was, either, but it had still been a surprise, to say the least as the minutes came and went and onward they traveled, no end to the journey in sight. And yet, time passed quickly all the same; one of those strange drives that went quickly despite the distance but felt as though it took a lifetime. They couldn't make heads or tails of it, but either way, it was an interesting trip.

But as the black car pulled to a stop out front of a building in a more urban area and they exited the vehicle, V was slightly taken aback by the building they were standing in front of. It wasn't that he hadn't seen a tall building before. During his travels, he'd gone past plenty of them. But this particular building was just… huge. He'd never felt so short in his entire life, but what else were you supposed to feel when the doorway to the lobby of the structure was easily three stories tall?!

"... How many stories is this building… " V said breathlessly, clearly in awe of the structure. It might have simply been a matter of perspective, but this place genuinely just seemed enormous.

Kayro glanced over his shoulder at V as the quartet moved up the stony front steps of the modern building, inching ever closer to the door. Nero's facial expression spoke volumes in regards to his level of familiarity with places like this, and although he knew that buildings this big existed since he'd seen them before, he had never had the opportunity to get this close to one, let alone go inside of one.

"Oh, it's actually only thirty stories. It's just the ceiling height that makes it seem that way." The man with the black hair said casually as they approached the front door. He then held it open for them and stepped back, doing his best to not obstruct the flow of traffic. They weren't the only ones going into the building of course. And as Nero and Sirrus entered the building, Kayro turned his attention back to V, giving him a more sympathetic look.

"I apologize if I made you uncomfortable before. Back at the manor. I subconsciously project the way that I feel onto others, so it was not intentional. Not exactly a power. I suppose it's just that I radiate discomfort. In fact, the effect is generally quite a bit more visceral. It's part of the reason I'm so privileged to know Sirrus. Virtually no one else would interact with me. But you are both resistant to this aspect of my being, so perhaps there is some comfort to be derived from that fact."

He said nothing else. Instead, he simply walked through the front door of the building and allowed it to close behind them as they headed over to the front counter just behind Sirrus and Nero. Once there they caught the attention of the young woman who worked at the counter. She gestured towards a check-in list on the counter in front of her with one hand as she appeared to try and assist someone else on the phone, unable to give either party her full attention.

Reaching towards the list to do just that, Nero was supprised when Sirrus waived him away from the pen pad and gestured with his head towards the elevators on the other side of the room, the young Adjudicator writing his own name before handing the check-in list off to his darker haired partner. Neither of the two young descendants of Sparda had the foggiest idea of what might be going on, but they could tell that whatever it was probably wasn't something that could be easily explained, and that there was probably a good reason that he didn't want them on the record.

"Forgive me since I can tell that you are quite busy Analicia but could you let them know we're coming if you get the chance. Thank you." Sirrus said calmly as they turned and headed towards the elevators. It was clear that he didn't expect her to answer. And how could she anyway, even if she wanted to? The young blond woman nodded and waved them on with a slight smile, still talking to whoever was on the phone and not seeming to be the least bit entertained by whatever was going on. She was writing something down in quite a hurry and shaking her head the entire time. The young summoner quietly hoped that no one was giving her a hard time.

The elevator door opened and they boarded, the doors closing behind them a moment later. Sirrus then pressed one of the buttons, his body blocking the control panel, unintentionally leaving both Nero and V wondering in regards to which floor they were headed to. One could only hope that they were not going to the very top, but as they ascended the floors and the lift simply kept going in perpetuity, one could not be blamed for coming to that conclusion.

"So… I've gotta ask… Where the hell are we going?" Nero said in an almost exasperated tone. He wasn't frustrated. After all, what reason would he have to be? But he was starting to wonder just what the hell was going on and why they were here.

Laughing slightly, Sirrus stepped forward as the elevator finally came to a stop on the desired floor, a quiet ding permeating the air as they all disembarked onto what seemed to be one of the top floors of the building. Dark grey stone covered the floor as a glass wall separated them from what appeared to be some sort of hybrid work and lounge space on the other side. Barely gray paint adorned the walls, a much darker gray border covering the bottom third and giving a nice contrast to the space. The entire area was filled with leafy green plants and the lighting was cool and not overly bright, precisely the sort of place that you would be more likely to take a nap in than do work.

And on the far end of the room was a large black door, as ominous as it was tall, its contents unseen and obscured by solid walls unlike the rest of the mostly open space. And even without knowing what was over there, a sort of uneasiness fell over the four of them as Kayro took a deep breath before exhaling and pushed the doors open, allowing the four of them to pass through. They walked through the common area, several sets of eyes lingering on them as they passed. And as they headed towards the large black doors at the back of the room they couldn't help but feel the way that everyone stared at them. They stood out among the rest of the office, and it was becoming painfully obvious that this was a situation that they didn't want to be in. It didn't feel dangerous, but it most certainly felt unpleasant. Every second that they spent in that room the judgment they were receiving from these total strangers became more apparent, and despite the fact that they shouldn't care, it was hard not to feel uncomfortable.

Coming to a full stop in front of the large black doors, Sirrus turned to Nero and V, more than ready to answer their question, a strange sort of obvious discomfort apparent in his demeanor. He didn't want to be here, either, and that was enough to unsettle V just on principle. "To see the head of the beast. And I have a lot of explaining to do."

(-~-)

I'd love to know what you think so far XD! I'm excited about where this is going, and I have an announcement soon that I think you will all enjoy! I'll keep you in the loop! See you in the comment section and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! See you on Wednesday! Bye Bye!

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skvaderarts · 2 years

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Petrichor Chapter 32: Prognosis

Chapter 32: Prognosis

Note: Here’s another late-night chapter! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful week and that you’ve liked the recent few chapters. Were very nearly done with this ark, but don’t worry. If you’ve still got any questions or requests, I’m here XD

(-~-)

The leftovers of what little food they had ordered had gone cold long before now, the twins looking at one another from opposite sides of the table as the conversation halted for the first time since it had begun. Vergil seemed to be hung up on something, perhaps a past memory that was too painful to speak of or even think about. There was a certain look in his eyes that told a story, even if it was one that he only vaguely understood. But he recognized it nonetheless. Something had surfaced and was causing him grief, his sudden lack of eye contact making that much clear.

Dante looked at his older twin in silence initially, unsure as to whether or not he should say anything. He clearly needed a little while alone with his thoughts. But after about 5 minutes, he decided that perhaps it was best that he reassessed whether or not his brother was going to finish the story. The only thing keeping them here for the time being was the retelling of events that he had taken the time out of their schedule to elaborate on. If the story was over, then it was time for them to move on, but Dante was positive that it probably wasn’t. "Is story time over already? Dang. And just when it was starting to get interesting…"

Vergil looked up at him, clearly knowing that despite the humorous tone he had spoken in that he did not mean that as a joke. He was clearly trying to break the ice that was forming between them, unsure as to what else he could say to something like that. It seemed that they both knew that this was the part of the story where things changed, for better or for worse. And Dante was willing to bet that he knew which type of turn this might take, considering what had led them to being in this old diner in an unfamiliar city discussing this in the first place.

"Hardly," Vergil answered with a resigned chuckle, a deep sadness in his eyes that Dante rarely saw. It was a melancholy sort of look, the kind that only came from a potent combination of grief, nostalgia, and the loss of something utterly precious. The kind of sad smile that didn't show in his eyes in the slightest. And for him to feel such profound loss, there had to be something to it, didn't there? He truly had cared about her once upon a time, hadn't he?

"So what did you do?" Dante asked earnestly, clearly quite invested in his older twin’s answer. He had no idea how his older twin would react in this kind of situation. And the last time he’d tried to get him to stay, well… that was a different situation altogether. Perhaps by that point in his life he’d been utterly done with trust. It had hurt him too deeply already for him to feel comfortable giving it another go.

"I stayed, of course," Vergil said, giving his younger twin an odd look that made it clear that he didn’t fully understand the context or wording of the question. He seemed simultaneously confused as to why his brother would ask him a question with such an obvious answer and why he was even bothering to answer it. "V would not exist otherwise."

Dante shook his head and leaned forward slightly, realizing that perhaps he should have worded that differently. Perhaps he should clarify. Vergil probably thought that he was missing a few brain cells right about now. "Well yea, of course I know that. I mean what happened after that?"

Vergil paused for a moment before nodding a singular time; whether to acknowledge Dante’s response or to confirm something to himself was unclear. But either way, that seemed to have cleared things up for him. After all, to say that they’d struggled with communication in the past would be a comical understatement. They still did. That was something that would probably never change or fully go away. One of the major differences now was that they were actually trying. That much couldn’t be said a lot of the time in the past.

"Several small occurrences that are not worth mentioning in detail. A few instances of us making our shared home our own and settling in together. Doing mundane things that I found impossibly pointless and droll at the time but now long for in retrospect. But… " Something seemed to pop into his mind very suddenly, a certain light returning to his eyes that had fled him during the breadth of their conversation. Something akin to a soft smile spread across his face as he seemed to recall a bittersweet memory. Dante could practically see the waves of emotions that overcame him as he spoke, lingering in the past. ''There is one occasion that comes to mind."

Leaning forward and placing both of his hands on the table, Dante nodded, his interest piqued and his attention fixed upon this topic. Vergil was obviously recalling something very personal, something that they'd probably never shared with another soul in his entire life. And Dante wanted to be the one that he felt he could talk to. Ever since they’d started talking things out, it was something that Dante desperately wanted to maintain. A little scrap here and there was fun, but when it came to the important things, Dante just wanted his brother to know that he wasn’t alone in the darkness stabbing uselessly at shadows anymore.

"All right then. Now you've got my attention. Let's hear it."

The Darkslayer turned slowly to look out of the window. The glass had fogged up and a light rain was hitting the pavement just beyond that barrier that kept them dry inside of this musty old diner. But it was letting up significantly. They would soon leave. It was time that they got down to brass tacks.

"I suppose you could call it the beginning of the end considering how things turned out. Though in hindsight, that was far from clear. Neither of us could have guessed it would go the way it did. It was the least of our concerns." Vergil said softly as he glanced back over at Dante, his mind obviously a thousand heartbroken miles away.

"Trouble in Paradise, hu?" Dante mused sympathetically, a somewhat bittersweet smirk upon his face. He figured that probably wasn’t the case, but it hopefully didn’t hurt to ask. His brother didn’t seem bothered by the inquiry either way.

"Far from it. You'll see what I mean once I elaborate further." Was all that Vergil said, sighing softly as he allowed himself to slide down into something of a slump as the side of his face pressed against the cold, damp glass. His posture was looser than normal, but he was still clearly very alert and cognizant. Even in this state, nothing was going to escape his notice.

Dante leaned back in his seat again, nodding in confirmation. Perhaps it was best to simply let his brother tell the story and not ask any further questions for the time being. Making guesses wasn't getting him anywhere, it seemed. And besides, if his brother's retelling of events up until now was anything to go by, this was going to be an interesting, if not possibly quite upsetting, story. He was in no hurry to have it end.

"Whenever you're ready, Vergil. I’m not going anywhere."

Vergil looked up at him, his eyes filled with a level of pain and sadness that actually stole his brother’s breath away upon beholding it. His own breathing was shallow and infrequent, his focus clearly on what he was about to say. And Dante knew in that instant that whatever that something was would tell him more than he’d probably ever expected. They were getting to the root of something very important. What that something was, he couldn’t say just yet. But this was important. I defining moment in his brother’s life. This was the moment when something in him had changed forever.

(-~-)

The forecast predicted light breezes and warm weather, mid-October bringing with it a manager of colors and smells. Everywhere around town there were signs advertising upcoming apple-picking opportunities at orchards and pumpkin patches that were ready to yield large batches of orange gourds that would be wasted on jack lanterns instead of delicious pie. The smell of pumpkin spice and cinnamon was everywhere, and opportunities for fall clothing had made themselves apparent. And here they were, enjoying perhaps the last warm days of the season in the comfort of one another's presence, the better part of a year having elapsed since they'd met one another.

Vivienne had insisted upon coming out here today by the lake just outside of town so that she could make him drink apple cider and they could enjoy the weather together while it still held out. They’d even seen a few deer as they'd made their way down to the waterside, few people bothering to venture towards the shoreline of a lake when it was growing chillier outside. But to be fair, both of them had dressed for the occasion. Vivienne had worn her favorite faux fur boots with a loose sweater dress and knit leggings, never passing up on the opportunity to cover her entire body in knitted fabrics. She simply loved the feel of soft, warm fabric, and it was her time to shine.

Vergil has simply settled on a turtle neck and black pants, the fact that the garment was navy blue surprising quite literally no one. Vivienne had actually started to buy him garments in that color, finding that she quite liked the hue on him. She herself wore predominantly gray and black with a smattering of green and burnt orange. Some people thought that those colors were only in style once a year and should only be worn during the fall, but then again, she didn’t like those people so…

But as they’d made themselves comfortable by the waterside and Vergil sipped on the apple cider that she’d insisted upon making out of some of the apples she’d taken him to pick last week at a local orchard (and that he begrudgingly had to admit that he actually really liked, even if he wasn’t sure why) she turned to him and blew him a little kiss, the man in blue giving her an amused but curious glance. Despite having been together now for about 6 months, they rarely showed anything in the way of physical affection to one another. Vergil didn’t exactly cuddle, and Vivienne wasn’t clingy. They were more or less content to just enjoy one another’s company and have polite, if not thoroughly nerdy conversations about various niche topics with the occasional hug thrown in for flavor. But Vivienne had slowly developed a habit of blowing him kisses when she wanted his undivided attention. And with almost guaranteed predictability she usually got exactly what she wanted. Vergil was always willing to humor her.

She was certainly the more extroverted of the two of them, even if what that truly meant wasn’t fully clear. They were both happy to stay within the walls of their home, among warmth and quietude. Introversion suited them mutually. Vivienne enjoyed greeting people and making sure that they were comfortable, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be surrounded by people at all times.

“I think I speak for us both when I say that honesty is important between us.” She said as she looked at Vergil, a barely concealed look of excitement upon her face. This was enough in itself to pique Vergil’s attention. She was rarely visibly excited, her childlike excitement evident. She couldn’t hide the fact that she was building up to something if she tried, and she clearly was.

“You would be correct, yes.” He said, his tone perhaps giving away his own amusement. He knew that she was up to something, and he got the impression that she was starting to figure out that he probably knew that she was up to something. And as a result, they both sat there and just looked at one another, the eldest Son of Sparda quietly eager to find out what she was about to tell him and her obviously excited that get to that part of the conversation. “What are you up to? What well-crafted scheme of yours have I stumbled into?”

Vivienne giggled, shaking her head. She seemed somewhat nervous, perhaps even anxious, and her laughter only highlighted this. But she was clearly more excited than anything else. Perhaps she was hopeful that he was going to like whatever it was that she was about to say. “I have news, Vergil.“

“And this news would be… ?” He was certain that she was going to tell him that she was planning to open another branch of her bakery or something of the sort. Her business had actually been doing quite well, and her involvement was mostly hands-off, though she still helped out when she could. She’d told him that baking was only one of her passions, and being able to spend time pursuing her other interests instead of getting up early and working late constantly had been an exhilarating change of pace. She’d taken a long while to adjust, but she couldn’t be more pleased by the results so far.

She looked around as though she were checking to see if they were alone before continuing to speak, her expression not unlike a teenager telling her best friend a deep, dark secret that she couldn’t trust with anyone else. He secured the lid to his now empty thermos before setting it aside and leaning closer to her, the young woman with the vibrant red hair adjusting her loose camel-colored peacoat as she waved for him to come close. She then gently grasped both of his hands and turned bright red as she looked him in the eyes, the Darkslayer noticing for the first time that something was different about her. Something that he couldn’t quite place. Her aura was just… off. Just as pleasant as it had ever been but noticeably different.

Perhaps he should ask if something was wrong when they returned home. She’d been rather fragile lately, her energy reserves seemingly depleted. He’d initiated upon carrying the blanket they were sitting on down here for her for that very reason, reasoning that if she was in charge of the picnic basket that he had to do something to make himself feel less useless. She’d been sleeping a bit later than she normally did, and she’d told him that she’d made a doctor's appointment to find out if perhaps she needed more vitamins or something of the sort. But to his knowledge, that appointment was later the same week. She hadn’t told him she’d gone yet, at the very least.

“I wanted to thank you for telling me before we decided to enter a relationship with one another that you weren’t entirely human. You didn’t have to, but I can’t say that I would’ve thought any less of you if you hadn’t. Some things are very personal and hard or dangerous to discuss, so I can never thank you enough for trusting me with something so personal and giving me the benefit of the doubt. For being so vulnerable with me.”

Vergil gave her a slightly softer look, a slight blush covering his cheeks. He’d been hesitant to talk about it initially, not out of shame, but out of an overabundance of caution. But over time he’d managed to find ways to approach the topic with her, and as such, she probably knew more about him than anyone else. It was something he struggled with at times, but he didn’t regret it. “I… Thank you for understanding that.”

She looked more anxious then, her eyes averting. But after a few heavy, deep breaths she managed to compose herself, closing her eyes and exhaling slowly as she shook slightly. She then locked eyes with him again, her grip on his hands a little tighter as though she were afraid that he’d abandon her. “I… have something very important to tell you.”

“Have I done something wrong again?” He asked, expecting her to tell him that he’d forgotten to do something important or overlooked a deadline of some sort that he was supposed to remember. He was normally quite proficient at such tasks, but they did still manage to slip his mind, especially when he was around her. He lost hours at a time just watching her sit by the window, reading a book or sketching whatever took her fancy. He could absolutely believe that he’d completely forgotten to do something important.

“That depends on how you take what I’m about to tell you. I certainly don’t think you have.” She giggled again, this time in a way that made it clear that she was making a joke that had clearly gone over his head. She giggled harder when she saw how confused he truly was. “And the process of how we arrived here was certainly enjoyable, at least it was for me.”

“What’s going on?” Vergil said calmly, obviously still perplexed but not in the mood to guess. In his experience, it was better to just ask than to make assumptions.

“Vergil… I went to the doctor yesterday… ” She started, clearly nervous to say what she was about to say. And the look in his eyes and the immediate shift in his demeanor told her that this particular prediction was not incorrect. She’d assumed he might be concerned, and it seemed that she wasn’t mistaken after all. And she wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

“Are you ill?” Was that what was so different about her today? How had he possibly missed that she might be under the weather? And did that explain the sudden dizziness and lethargy she’d been suffering from? His brow furrowed, his own grip on her small hands tightening slightly. Now he was worried. This could be dreadful news and he didn’t know how to even begin to process that. “What can we do?”

She released one of his hands and raised hers to his face, gently brushing it across his cheek before allowing it to fall to his shoulder. She then cleared her throat of the horseness that had suddenly settled in it and gave him a serious but excited look.

“I’m not sick, actually. I’m pregnant.”

Every brain cell and gear in his head died and locked up all at once. He didn’t even notice the light sprinkle that was starting to pick up, dampening the blanket that they sat on. She’d genuinely just said the last thing that he ever imagined he’d hear someone say to him. Well, at least in a way that directly affected him. He… he could hardly believe it.

“You’re… What?” He was looking at her as though she were speaking a foreign language that he'd never heard before.

“Pregnant, Vergil. Preg-” Before she could finish speaking, Vergil gently pushed her onto her back on the top of the blanket, embracing her and, for the first time that she could ever recall, instigating a kiss. She was genuinely so shocked that she didn’t know what to do initially until he pulled away, perhaps thinking that he might have harmed her or overstepped. He’d never done that before, after all.

“I apologize if I’ve-” It was her turn to interrupt him, the woman with the fiery red hair pulling him into a tight embrace where words were not needed. They stayed that way for several minutes, heedless of the way that the wind and rain were picking up until they came up for air, both of them drenched and cold. It had been fun while it lasted.

“Is this something that you… “ Vergil started, perhaps unsure as to how to even bring up this topic. But he could see by the excitement on her face that he probably hadn’t needed to inquire. She nodded, smiling and nodding furiously as he pulled her into his arms, tucking his head onto the back of her shoulder. He then held her close, utterly in disbelief as to what he’d just been told. He would have never considered that he of all people would be…

“Then I am happy. If not in shock. I… ” He shook his head, chuckling breathlessly. He honestly didn’t know if he was dreaming or not. It just didn’t seem real. Was this really happening? He could hardly believe it. “I’m not sure how to process this. This will be… Interesting, to say the least. But I welcome the challenge.”

She giggled deep in her chest, nodding as she pulled back and kissed him again, both of them soaked through to the bone now. It was probably time to get going. “I do, too! We’ve… we’ve got so much to talk about. Neither of us expected this to happen, but I think It’s going to be wonderful! But let's do it at home, hm? I’m a little cold. And wet.”

Vergil looked up at the rain, finally taking in just how rapid of a turn this was taking. Yes, it was probably best that they go. He nodded and then the two of them began gathering up everything, Vergil insisting upon carrying some of the heavier items before being dissuaded by Vivienne. She wasn’t helpless. Far from it.

“Don’t start. I’ll let you know when I need your help. You’ll get you’re moment. I promise.” She said softly, as she held the picnic basket. She didn’t really even mind that they were both soaked through and freezing. She didn’t mind the mud on her favorite boots or the grass covering the blanket that would be a pain to get up. She was just happy that he wanted to do this with her. And she was so excited. They both were.

He looked at her, opening a portal with Yamato to expedite their departure. There was no way that they were taking the long way back. Not soaking wet with a heavy, wet blanket. And most certainly not with a storm approaching. “And I shall be there when you do. That is a promise.”

(-~-)

I don’t know about you all, but I love rainy weather so today had been great! I also had a major personal breakthrough about something extremely important, so there's that. But I have a big bowl of soup, some hot tea, and a warm blanket, so I couldn’t be happier either way. Enjoy your day and this chapter. Wishing you all a great weekend!

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skvaderarts · 2 years

Text

Petrichor Chapter 17: Evening

Chapter 17: Evening

Note: Sorry for any mistakes. My editing software probably didn't catch them all, and I wrote this on my phone and it loves to willfully ignore what I just typed and automatically change words I’ve already typed as “editing” or even change words all together. Or I click on a word to change it and it doesn't change but removes itself from the list of errors. It’s madness. So yea, just a heads up for any obvious issues. I’m sorry!

(-~-)

Next to nothing had changed in the few minutes since the adjudicator had offered to answer his companions' questions.

Remaining at the table, the duo looked at each other in silence for a few minutes, continuing to eat their meals as they seemed to linger in a state of limbo. Sirrus seemed to consider everything that might be brought up, a palpable sense of discomfort radiating off of him at the very idea. He had volunteered, but that didn't mean that he was entirely comfortable with the notion. He simply realized that it was something that needed to be done in order to have any hope of things returning to normalcy between them. And V? Well, he wasn't even entirely sure where to start. He had so many questions that he could ask that he wasn't sure which ones were worth actually delving into. Which ones could be seen as offensive? Which ones might burn bridges between them. But after a few minutes of eating in awkward silence with nothing but the clicking of utensils against ceramic dishes and the quiet chugging of the train to keep them company, he decided to start small. That was the wisest thing he could do given the litany and breadth of the options presented to him.

"Well, we can start with last night." V said, finishing the remainder of his food before speaking. He might indulge in a bagel and perhaps a second cup of tea at some point in the future, but for now he had finished everything on his plate. "What happened to you? I remember you telling me that the moon had a strange effect on you, but what I saw last time was nothing like the first time."

"You're quite right. Normally it doesn't affect me as severely as it did last night. I'm still weak from the injuries I sustained against Agreus. I may seem physically fine, but as you can tell, I'm only now regaining certain facets of my power." Sirrus raised a few locks of his long locks out of his left eye to illustrate his point, obviously pointing out the shift in the color. V had noticed this previously and had been working under the assumption that his powers had at least mostly recovered since he had told him that overuse of his abilities had drained the pigment from his hair in the first place, but now he knew definitively that that was the case. But that in of itself raised a different question for the young summoner.

"Are you alright?" V said softly, the concern in his eyes prevalent. He made no attempt to conceal the fact that this entire situation had been a stressful ordeal for him, but at the same time, he wanted to make sure that his companion was all right. He had never feared for his life, but he had feared for Sirrus's well-being. He knew that his friend would not willingly put him in danger, especially without telling him. That had been something he had never doubted. But coming to the realization that he was still operating in a weekend state was something that came as something of a surprise to him. He himself was still not in the best shape, but he was confident that should he need to, he could hold his own in a fight at the moment. And while he was certain that Sirrus could, too, he got the impression that it would take a larger toll on him.

Why did his friend's power take so much longer to restore itself than his own did?

Sirrus gave him a soft look, nodding as he blinked slowly. That tiredness that he had carried with him since he had awoken after his extended state of unconsciousness lingered in his eyes, but he was willing to believe his friend's nonverbal confirmation. He might not be in the best condition at the moment, but that didn't mean he wasn't all right. It just meant that he needed more time to fully recover. "I am. Thank you. Your concern is flattering, but I will manage. And I'm sure you have other questions."

"I do. A few, in fact. The first of which being why your powers seem to take so long to return to you in full. I cannot be fully certain that I've recovered just yet, but you seem to be a bit behind me." Realizing that that might come off as passive-aggressive, the young summoner took a moment to reassure his friend that that wasn't what he meant. He knew that he wouldn't be offended by it more than likely since they had just gone over that fact, but he still felt the instinctive need to clarify. It was simply who he was. "No offense meant. I'm simply baffled."

Sirrus took a sip of his tea, his eyes betraying the state of deep thought that he was in. He seemed to be considering the best way to word something, or perhaps weighing the merits of what all he should reveal. But after making direct eye contact with the V for a long lingering moment, he closed his eyes and swallowed his drink, setting the cup aside. There was no getting around it, and no compelling reason as to why he shouldn't just say what he knew he needed to say. He trusted V. Implicitly. There was no point in keeping it a secret anymore. It was time to explain things in a bit more depth.

"Can you keep a secret?" He said, his tone clearly serious despite the obvious answer to that question. Both he and V knew that the young devil-hunting summoner with the white hair could indeed keep a secret. He'd kept several of his own and quite literally taken them to the grave. No one was getting anything out of him until he decided they should know it. But perhaps Sirrus just needed to hear him say it one more time to ease his own nerves. It was clear that whatever he was about to reveal was deeply personal, and V saw no reason as to why he should be surprised by the inquiry.

"Yes. It's one of the few things I am confident I can do." V said, the humor in his tone at odds with the seriousness of his facial expression. He meant every word that he had said, even if he had said it in a more humorous tone than he might have normally. But keeping this conversation somewhat lighthearted was the only thing that made it bearable.

"Good. In truth, I already know that. I suppose I just needed to be more than 100% sure. I shouldn't project my insecurities onto you. You've done nothing to earn them." He sat back in his seat and cleared his throat, closing his eyes as he leaned his head against the window and took in a breath slowly. He then exhaled equally as slowly before opening his eyes again and making eye contact with V, not moving any other part of his body aside from his continued breathing causing his chest to raise and lower ever so slightly. He was clearly in a state of turmoil.

V took notice of his friend's silent but obvious anxiety, putting up his hand slowly to indicate that he'd like to interrupt. He didn't want to force him to reveal anything that he felt he shouldn't. That was not how they should go about this. This is a conversation that had to be had under the pretense of willingness and mutual understanding of their limits. Otherwise, it simply felt like he was blackmailing him or holding something against him as ransom, and he didn't like that any more than he was sure that Sirrus liked the idea of divulging personal information.

"Then I would also hope that you know you don't have to tell me anything, Sirrus. While an explanation would be preferable, it is not a prerequisite to our continued friendship. And I certainly don't want it to be at your expense." His tone was firm but compassionate, making it known that he was serious about what he had just said. The last thing he wanted was to make his friend divulge information that he felt shouldn't be known by others just for his sake. He didn't want him to live in constant fear that this information would somehow be spread to the wider world. He didn't want him to have to worry that people who shouldn't know would. V understood what it was like to be afraid of the judgment of others, and he didn't want him to go through that.

"I do." He said softly, his tone full of sincerity and his eyes full of appreciation. It was clear that he held much adoration for V and his propensity towards honesty. His willingness to put his friend before his own desires were genuinely touching to him. It wasn't something that he was used to. "All the more reason that now I wish to tell you of my own accord.

"Then I am curious to see what you have to say. Genuine." V said, folding his arms as he leaned forward, nothing to distract him. He wanted to make it clear that Sirrus had his full attention.

Seemingly catching note of this fact, the adjudicator nodded his head, seemingly thinking for a moment before speaking. This wouldn't need to be a long conversation, but it would certainly be comprehensive. After all, every answer he gave would probably lead to more questions. That was simply the nature of who and what he was. And although he didn't mind giving him the answers at this point, it was still a whole other thing entirely to physically move his lips and make the syllables required to form the words that would convey the message. It just felt wrong, physically and mentally.

"Part of the reason my powers seem to be taking so long to return to me is because half of my nature is suppressing the other half at the moment, fighting fruitlessly for control it will never have. One half of who I am has an affinity towards the moon, the other toward the sun. My own body treats portions of itself as cancer to be cut out. A weakness to be removed. It tries to eradicate itself, but it cannot change its own DNA. For how can I soul gain purchase upon itself? How can fire and ice commingle in the same form?" He said, turning his eyes away for a moment as he glanced out across the expanse of open land on this side of the train. They were passing through a gap in the forest. No doubt the trees would return shortly.

V seemed to consider his friend's words for a moment. That was a fair point if the young summoner had ever heard one. How was one supposed to reach homeostasis and exist in a state of balance if the two halves of their nature were fighting one another? But for the two halves of their nature to be at odds with one another then that meant that they had to be opposites, did they not? Or at least somewhat opposed. Otherwise, there would be no state of conflict. But then that meant…

… What in the world was he?

Nodding in confirmation, V quietly waited for his friend to continue speaking. He had nothing to interject just yet, but he was sure that he would have something to ask soon enough. He was considering what he should ask at the moment, fully listening but still lost in his thoughts to a certain degree. It was like trying to fish a piece of paper out of an ever-shifting river, and the only questions worth asking were on that paper. But the further you waded out into the river, the more overwhelmed you became simply by the act of considering what could go wrong. The tide was rising after all. But he knew that this perceived pressure was in his own mind, more than likely the product of too many questions raising through his mind all at once. He needed to slow down and take this one at a time. But where to start when there was such a long list? That was the real issue that he was struggling with. How did one discern quality when presented with so much quantity?

Perhaps it was best that he simply go with the most obvious and pressing question of all.

"If your two natures are at odds with one another, then I suppose that raises one significant question for me," V said as he unfolded his arms, trying to appear casual but unsure as to how to do so. It wasn't every day that he got to practically interrogate someone like this. He simply hoped that he wasn't completely overstepping. It felt a little rude even to mentally comprehend the question he was about to ask. "... What are you, Sirrus? I remember you telling my father and uncle once that you were like them but different. If they are half human and half demon alike, and you are like them but unlike them in kind, then what does that make you?"

"The product of a union that should have never been. Of a bitterness that still remains between two houses. Of two opposing elements that should have never been combined." The sorrow was palpable in his tone as he looked down at the table for a moment, his eyes lingering on his mostly empty cup. He paused for a moment to slowly lift it and take a sip before swallowing it and sitting the cup aside, now empty. He then looked up again at V, clearly ready to get something off of his chest. And the young summoner was eager to help in any way that he could. "I'm a product of turmoil and dare I say eugenics… and I embody that same turmoil, dysfunction, and fundamental wrongdoing in every way that I wish I didn't."

V remained silent, I'm sure as to what he could say in response to a statement like that. He didn't personally feel that anything was wrong with Sirrus, but he didn't feel what he felt on a day-to-day basis. He didn't know what it was like to be him. To have experienced everything that he had experienced and to live the life that he lived. And so he believed that it was best, for now, to wait and hear what he had to say about himself first before jumping to any conclusions. But that still didn't stop him from reaching across the small table and resting his hand gently upon the forearm of his companion, his long sleeves thin and his cold skin radiating its chilliness through the fabric. But he did not recoil. How could he even dare think of doing so at a time like this? His friend needed him, and he wanted him to know that he was here for him.

For better or for worse. Regardless of what he was. It didn't matter to him now, and it never had. If meeting his family had taught him one thing it was that who you are was a part of what you were, but what you were born as did not determine who you would become. His own existence was evidence of this, and Sirrus's continued defiance only served to further embellish that belief. And to embolden him.

He gave Sirrus a sincere look, nodding quietly to show that he was still listening and that he could continue when he was ready. And with a soft sigh, the adjudicator closed his eyes and exhaled heavily after taking a deep breath to study himself. He then opened his eyes and made direct eye contact with the young summoner, his expression difficult to quantify.

"My mother who I derive my last name from was born of a dark bloodline. My father, sullied and tainted beyond the scope of the limitations of his kind, quite literally fell from grace into a darkness of his own, but his blood maintained the light that he was born into. Banishment cannot alter genetics. And of that union, I was their only child. A being of half dark and half light that Hell will not welcome and Heaven can only shun." He suddenly stopped talking, clearly lost in thoughts of his past and the pain that lay within it. There was clearly a lot of trauma there, but V got the impression that even if he asked, Sirrus wouldn't tell him about that. Some things were too personal. That was something they both shared, but he genuinely wished that wasn't the case. He didn't wish a broken childhood on anyone. "There is a word for what I am, but I am not sure due to my lineage that I even fit within those limitations. But it’s the best thing I have to work with. I’m unique, for better or for worse. And in my countless years of existence, I have only met one other who was even remotely like me, and that sense of alienation is something that I have carried with me my entire life. I never felt as though I fit in anywhere when even a fraction of what I am became known to others…"

He paused and blinked slowly, his eyes lingering shut for a moment as he took in another deep breath and exhaled heavily before opening his eyes again, a single tear running down his cheek and making contact with the table. And as it did, they broke the tree line and the once distant lake became all-encompassing, the locomotive they rode upon crossing a low bridge and allowing water to become the only thing that could be seen for miles in any direction. A low fog obscured the distant mountains on the other side of the water in the direction they were headed to. It was just the two of them and the vastness of the water. And the gravity of the words that had just been spoken.

"Until I meet you, V. I think that reintroductions are in order." His posture straightened from the slumped position that he had slowly slid into during their conversation. He then placed his hand atop of V's, just allowing it to lay there as his friend's hand rested upon his arm. He appreciated this small bit of comfort. It was an anchor in a vast storm that he had suddenly steered herself into. But then again, V always had been that for him, even if he had known him for too small of a fraction of his own lifetime to even attempt to quantify. But that didn't matter to him. The only thing that he cared about right now is this moment but how much relief he felt to finally be able to talk to someone about this without even the slightest bit of fear that he could not trust them. "My name is Sirrus Sanguine, formerly Sangusaint at the time of my birth before it was shortened for more modern times. And to answer your question, I believe the closest thing to what I actually am that has a name would be a Nephilim."

(-~-)

I know this will probably be quite the revelation to some of you, and some of you are probably going to be like "I KNEW IT" so I would absolutely LOVE to know what you think. It truly is the closest thing to naming what he is. I actually checked online and what he truly is in the book I've been meaning to write (which isn't what he is in this book) doesn't even have a name! That kind of excites me, honestly!

As for the other being that he said is kind of like him, she's a half-demon. She just comes from a different branch of his unique bloodline, but their parentages couldn't be more different. Just wanted to clear that up in case anyone was confused. I'll see you guys on Friday! Take care! It's been a little cooler this last week where I live, so I'm hoping that it's cooling down for all of you guys, too!

#Petrichor #V #Sirrus #OC #DMC #DMC5 #DMCV #Devil May Cry #Devil May Cry 5 #Devil May Cry V #Post DMC5 #Post DMCV #Post DMC AU #My Post DMC5 AU #My Post DMCV AU #My Post Devil May Cry 5 AU #My Post Devil May Cry V AU #DMC AU #My DMC AU

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skvaderarts · 2 years

Text

Petrichor Chapter 15: Compulsion

Chapter 15: Compulsion

Note: Okay, so I had an unreasonable amount of fun writing this chapter lol. Can't wait to see the comments on this one…

(-~-)

Dante couldn't say he was even slightly surprised when he returned from the bathroom to find his brother laying face down asleep in the middle of the bed.

Morrison had surprised them by going to the trouble of booking them a room with two different beds, probably rightfully assuming that they would desire individual sleeping spaces. But even so, the devil hunter in red couldn't help but laugh to himself as he looked at his brother laying there in the middle of the mattress, completely worn out from their marathon of a trek of the stairs. They have been forced to give up the ghost and walk up all seven flights of stairs when the elevator had gotten stuck on the main floor, unable to move any further to assist them. The lobby boy and one of the other employees had to force the doors open with a crowbar when they got jammed shut and wouldn't budge, resulting in quite the scene when another guest was walking into the building to presumably check-in.

One could only imagine she had experienced instantaneous buyer's remorse and knew how to recognize a red flag when she saw one because she turned around and slipped back out of the door, shaking her head as she hurried off into the night. He just hoped she hadn't already made reservations and paid for her room. But even then, some things just weren't worth it. The only reason they were still there was that Vergil was far too done with the whole situation for one night for suggesting that they relocate to even be even a remotely good idea. Besides, they were checking out in the morning anyway. Unless the building caught fire, they could make it that long.

But even still, It was hilarious to him that Vergil hadn't even bothered to turn back the blankets before falling into the bed for the remainder of the night. His boots were lying at the foot of the bed as though he had simply stepped out of them and fallen flat on his face on the bed. He was still in the rest of his clothes aside from his coat which was draped somewhat neatly over the back of a chair next to the desk nearest to the bed. It seemed that he maintained certain standards that no amount of exhaustion would upend.

The luggage they'd bought along was in the middle of the floor, semi-stacked but clearly abandoned halfway through the effort. He couldn't say that he blamed his brother in that regard at all. He had simply set his own bags down by the door and called it a night. He wasn't even going to bother unpacking. Probably best not to, given this place's standards. Who knew what might be crawling about the place…

If not for the fact that he would probably wake him up if he laughed, he would have broken down into hysterics. But he knew better and he had more self-control than that. He would just allow his brother to rest for the time being, and he would do the same. They were going to have a busy day ahead of them, after all. As difficult as it was for Vergil to fall asleep most of the time, he wasn't going to ruin this for him. None of this was ideal, but then again, were things ever ideal in their family? Turning in for the night was probably the best idea he could come up with at this point. He wasn't hungry enough to bother getting anything to eat. It could wait until the morning.

As the devil hunter in the red coat made his way over to the bed and flopped down in it back first, he was pleasantly surprised to find the mattress was actually quite plush, the covers clearly quite old and perhaps a little overwashed but more than serviceable and quite texturally pleasing. At least this place had one thing going for it. He had most certainly stayed in worse places than this during his work in the past, so the faculty wasn't going to hear any complaints from him. Vergil might be a difficult story though, but he highly doubted it. He could be petty, but he wasn't that particular variety of petty.

Hitting the switch on the light next to his bed, he was plunged into darkness, save for the dim moonlight that shone through the partially open curtain on the far side of the room above Vergil's bed. They were on adjacent walls, so while his brother was facing the window having laid with his head towards the head of the bed, he was laying sideways, perpendicular to it with the head of his bed against the wall, the two beds making a sort of l shape with a desk in the middle and a TV on the wall.

Dante couldn't imagine that this would keep him from being able to sleep, but the moonlight was quite bright, something he made a mental note of as he glanced over at his brother one more time before closing his eyes and putting his arms back above his head. It wouldn't be long until dawn. It was probably best that he get as much rest as he could. Something told him tomorrow was going to be a long day.

"Get some sleep, Vergil. Sleep in if you have to. This is going to be hard for you. I just know it."

(-~-)

As the lights had been dimmed to the point of near uselessness on the whole of the train, a sort of eerie atmosphere took over the cars as everyone settled in and attempted to make as little noise as possible. It was strange how little sound there was. Not a single baby crying or child laughing. Not a single radio or TV turned up just that little bit too loud. Not even the click of shoes on the hardwood floors or the squeak of a door. Either the insulation on these trains was impeccable, or they weren't getting around with their volume policy. Or perhaps it was simply their car that was the culprit? Who was to say? The dead of night was always seemingly quieter than anything else, and the contemplation that came with that silence was always the most profound.

And to his own quiet curiosity, the young summoner discovered that his companion did, in fact, possess a quirk that he had seen a glimpse of previously, but was now able to confirm was consistent. And to say that it was a bit unsettling would be like saying that the snowy weather that they now found themselves enveloped by was a bit chilly. A vast understatement, indeed.

Sirrus had been sitting in the middle of the room on top of a small coffee table for what had to be close to 2 hours now, staring out of the large back window directly at the full moon overhead, transfixed. All of the lights in the room had been turned off by this point except for one near the bed due to V's insistence upon reading as he fell asleep, and he was glad that he had left one on because should he have had to sit in the room in the pitch black while experiencing this sort of power he would have probably actively sought out the sweet release of the ice-covered train tracks by now and simply walked to their destination because whatever was happening was deeply unsettling.

His friend's back was facing him, but he hadn't made a sound or provided any compelling evidence that he was still among the living for quite some time now. Well, aside from the fact that he was visibly breathing quite deeply, and the confirmation that V had received upon making the decision to get a bottle of water out of the small mini fridge. After grabbing it he'd glanced over to see Sirrus looking at him… If you could call whatever he had been doing at the time looking, exactly. And he wasn't sure that he could. It felt more as though the adjudicator was looking through him, and to say that it was one of the most immensely creepy things that he had ever experienced would be an understatement.

But it wasn't the sort of "looking through him" that people did when they stared blankly. No, this wasn't a thousand-yard stare by any measure. There was consciousness in his eyes. Intent, though he was unsure as to what that intent was. The same pure black darkness lingered in his eyes that had been there the night they had spent on the porch when he had startled him unintentionally, but it was much more prevalent this time, the veins in his face sharing the same hue as his pale skin and red hair created a terrifying contrast. And despite the fact that he had considered addressing him directly for a moment, he was glad in hindsight even if he currently wasn't out of the woods just yet that he hadn't attempted to because he wasn't sure that what remained of his sanity at the moment could have handled hearing him speak. He just knew in the depths of his being that he wasn't going to respond normally if spoken to. It was just something that he knew factually.

The young summoner had genuinely frozen in place from fright for a few moments before remembering that his friend would no sooner harm him than himself. He couldn't say that he felt as though he were in danger, but he did feel deeply unnerved in a way that he hadn't in what felt like a lifetime. It reminded him of their time in the illusionary grocery store that his enemy had conjured up to ensnare them. When they had stepped through the doors that were supposed to lead to the frozen meat storage section of the store only to discover that the hallway had turned into a non-euclidean nightmare and then a giant hand had snatched his friend away into the inky blackness, the possibility of ever seeing him again slim.

He knew without a shadow of a doubt that his friend was still in there, but the fact that his sentience had seemingly taken a backseat for the time being was what made him the most uncomfortable. It was as though he were astral projecting or something, having temporarily abandoned his body and allowed something else to occupy it. He didn't think that he was possessed or anything of the sort, but he was acutely aware of the fact that Sirrus was allowing (or perhaps unwillingly playing host to) a more primeval aspect of his being. It felt like he was witnessing a side effect of something that he had little knowledge of, and he certainly did have a mounting list of questions for his companion come morning.

His gaze put the sort of abstract fear in the young summoner that contemplating the deepest depths of the ocean or the infinite yet finite vastness of the cosmos did. A sort of uncomfortable chill that settled at the base of his spine and refused to thaw even in the presence of extreme heat. He felt no danger, but the aura of unknowable, primeval presence was there, nonetheless. He was quite clear now on why his companion had been so sure that he might reconsider their proximity to one another as the night dragged onward, but he couldn't say that even with that taken into consideration that he felt as though he were in danger.

He knew in his very soul that Sirrus but never intentionally hurt him or put him in a situation where he thought he could accidentally be harmed. At least physically. This was most certainly an abstract form of mental damage if he'd ever experienced one. He just hoped that his friend would be back to normal come sunrise when he told him that this would all be water under the bridge. Apparently, sunup triggered a shift of sorts with him on nights like these, and he had to say that he was looking forward to it.

It had been explained to him by Sirrus before any of this had even started that around midnight he might experience some sort of unnerving dissociative episode, and that come morning, he would provide any explanations required for his peculiarity during the evening. V recalled chuckling at the very idea internally of being uncomfortable around Sirrus at the time, completely at a loss as to what his friend could possibly do to unnerve him so deeply. He assumed that Sirrus was probably just setting him up for some sort of practical joke or being his normal, overly worried self, vexed by the young summoner's complete trust in him… but then he had seen all of whatever this was, and he couldn't say that it hadn't been quite the experience to witness so far.

Something told him that this wasn't going to be the sort of night where he got a deep, restful sleep…

The aura his friend radiated was so strong that it was practically visible; tangible to the touch. There was no way he could simply overlook it, and he was amazed that it was possible for the other humans on this train to not sense it, either. Perhaps that's why it was so quiet on the train? Was everyone too simultaneously creeped out to leave their rooms and realized that the feeling was mutual among the other passengers? Only time would tell. And he genuinely wished that time would move a bit faster because even considering his own inhuman heritage, he felt a tiny bit out of his depth on this specific occasion.

But as he stole a glance over at the clock on the side of the bed, he closed his book and said it aside. It was 3:00 a.m. now. He'd actually even been sitting there staring at the back of his friend's head in total silence for 3 hours now, wondering what he might do. He didn't seem to be physically struggling or in a state of distress, but the young summoner simply hadn't felt comfortable going to sleep. But as tiredness fully settled in, he felt the call of the void beckoning him, convincing him that all would be well and that sleep was inevitable. Perhaps it was best that he indulge himself, even if only for a little while?

"... Griffon, do you mind keeping vigil for a little while until I doze off? I think it would put me at ease."

The bird didn't respond initially, something that made his master increasingly uncomfortable for a short while. But just as V was about to address him a second time, the bird chimed in, materializing in his now outstretched hand, but not speaking out loud. It seemed that he was wary of drawing Sirrus's attention, something that V found morbidly fascinating. Was Griffon afraid of him? That in of itself held fascinating connotations to V personally. There was only one other time that he had ever seen his avian companion actively uncomfortable at the prospect of possibly having to interact with something, and he had been right on the money back then…

"No worries, V. Me and Shirley can keep an eye on your pal here. He's acting a little strange tonight, isn't he?" The bird said in a hushed tone, almost as though if he spoke too loudly within the confines of V's mind that he might be heard aloud. That wasn't the case by any measure, but it was still curious to V nonetheless. "It's kinda hard to explain, but I'm getting a weird vibe from him. He's not dangerous to us but… there is something weird. I can't put my finger on it. Something that's always kind of been there in bits and pieces even before we went to the underworld, but right now it's really obvious. It's overwhelming. It's been more noticeable since he woke up at that mansion, and it's been building for a while, but I didn't think anything of it until now. But whatever this is… It's feral. Is barely under control. It's like an instinct or something. I don't know. But it's wigging me out, you know?"

V concurred with his avian companion, unsure as to how to put it into words, but feeling much the same. There hadn't been a shift in his friend's personality since he had returned from the underworld, but there was most certainly a shift in his aura. Something dark but not necessarily malevolent had become noticeable, and he hoped that it would phase out by the time morning came. But for now, all he could do was sleep. He imagined he would struggle to do so given the circumstances, but he would attempt to regardless.

Sirrus was dangerous, no doubt about it. But he wasn't dangerous to V. He didn't need to fear him, and he didn't, but he did fear for him. Whatever this was was something that he was going to have to address sooner or later, and he got the impression that his friend knew that and probably had done so in the past, but he just hoped that he would be alright in the end. He was clearly struggling in some way, and the fact that V had no way of helping him took a toll on him personally. It was probably more distressing than anything else, honestly. He didn't want to see the adjudicator suffer. He deserved to be okay after everything he'd done recently. They both did.

Laying down on his side, he pulled the cover up around his neck and closed his eyes before reaching up with his right hand to pull the cord on the lamp and turn it off. The sooner he went to sleep, the sooner he could awaken to the answers he now desperately sought. He just hoped that Sirrus knew by now that if he needed him, he was there. And that should he need that help, he would be able to communicate with him. The sun would rise in 3 hours or so. He wouldn't have to stay like this much longer.

… Tomorrow was going to be a fascinating day…

"Thank you, Griffon. Let me know if anything changes. He may very well need our help."

(-~-)

Hehehe… I'm curious to see what you guys think about this one. You'll get your answers soon enough, but I'm just curious to see what your theories are until Friday. I hope you've had a great week so far! See you at the end of the week, and take care! It cooled down quite a bit where I am due to a bunch of rain, but it's heating right back up. Crap.

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skvaderarts · 2 years

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Petrichor Chapter 29: Invitation

Chapter 29: Invitation

Note: Gosh, this is an interesting chapter. It turned out twice as long as I was expecting. I hope you enjoy it. And again, sorry for the slow response speed in regard to comments. I’m getting to them… slowly. I’ve seen them and love them. The procrastination is astounding. The executive dysfunction has been a real struggle this year, smh. I think I need professional help!

(-~-)

The door to the residence opened and in stepped the young red-haired woman and her new companion, the cozy warmth of the residence enveloping them in comfort and security. It was particularly tricky to heat a space like this, the home split over several floors. But for now, they would reside primarily on the lower floor, not having to pay much mind to whether or not the upper floors were warm or not.

She showed him around her new residence, the narrow space longer than it was wide with no windows on either side, only the back and front of the home. Rather typical of a home that was connected on two sides by walls. But this came with the added benefit of fewer spaces for the warm air in the home to leek out. And considering the climate here, that was probably a good thing.

It was a two-bedroom residence, much the same as her last one. The only major difference was that this one was bigger and a bit more spread out. Additional spaces in the bottom and top of the home provided the potential for activity spaces or storage if need be, but regardless, it was a modest townhouse, perfect for someone like her. And its proximity to the train station had been rather helpful to the Darkslayer, something he imagined she herself found convenient considering the fact that he didn’t believe she owned a vehicle and so the easiest way for her to visit her main shop was via public transit. He was willing to wager that she’d taken that into consideration when home hunting.

Finally, they returned to the central living space, the living room situated just off of the kitchen on the main floor just off of the residence. There was a tiny fenced-in backyard space, barely big enough to fit a few potted plants and some furniture and probably no bigger than four times the average balcony space on a conventional apartment, but it was serviceable. And it seemed that the previous owners had left a few plants out back when they’d left. A welcome bonus, to say the least.

“I’d ask if you’d like to sit but…” She gestured towards the sparse lower floor of her townhome, the narrow space stacked to the brim with boxes, most of which were still taped closed. It was clear to anyone who entered the space that she hadn’t exactly brought most of her furniture with her. Actually, perhaps “most” was a vast overstatement. She’d brought precisely none of it, her new home more than a little bare at the moment. But she didn’t seem to mind. “I was renting most of the furniture at my old flat. It came furnished, and I loved the style. I have a few things on the way, but I’ll need to take a trip to the local home goods store soon.”

Vergil glanced at the boxes casually, unable to overlook the fact that she seemingly hadn’t labeled any of them. She came off to him as the sort of person who would probably be rather meticulous with her organization, her previous apartment being the definition of well-organized and systematic. It had pleased his orderly sensibilities just to behold the place, and despite the neat and tidy space that he now found himself in, he couldn’t help but wonder how she’d ever be able to get everything put up in any sort of timely fashion. She was going to have to take everything out of all of the boxes before she could put anything away.

“How exactly are you going to find anything?” He inquired with a nod, wondering for a moment if she’d just taken all of her things and stuck them into whatever she could fit them into. She’d moved rather quickly from what he understood. It wasn’t hard to believe that she might have just chucked everything into storage containers and practically sprinted out of the door.

“Oh, you're referring to the lack of labels, aren’t you?” She followed his gaze to the stack of boxes that were leaned against the wall closest to her front door. Her’s was a modest-sized dwelling, technically four stories if you counted the tiny attic and the basement with a very low ceiling height as floors. But finding anything even remotely this big in the city was next to impossible, so she wasn’t complaining. In fact, it was clear that she was quite pleased. Too bad it was full of boxes at the moment. Well, at least the main floor was. “Worry not, I have a system. The tape colors.”

Vergil looked at the boxes again, noticing for the first time that there were several different colors of tape. Clear packing tape, yellow, blue, and what appeared to be masking tape. He wasn’t sure that he knew the contents of any of the boxes, but he was willing to bet that he probably understood how her system worked. “Ah yes. So it seems.”

Walking over to the corner of the room between two windows, the young woman with the long red hair pulled a sheet off of the top of something that was wedged in the corner. Once it was moved, the record player from her apartment was revealed, all of its records back where they had been the last time he had seen them, for the most part. He didn't exactly have an encyclopedic knowledge of what she had there, but it looked mostly the same. She took the record he’d gifted her out of the bag and gave it a once over before opening the plastic and gently removing it from its sleeve, a happy smile on her face. She then placed the record on the player and gently moved the needle into position, turning it on. And moments later, the entire room was filled with the soft melody of his gift to her, her eyes closing as a wide smile spread across her face. She was in utter bliss.

“My record player was the first thing I unpacked. I think watching the movers unload it from their truck took a few years off of my total life expectancy.” She said with a soft chuckle, her eyes still closed as she basked in the ambiance of her new record. It had a lovely tone, the song sounding as beautiful to her now as it had the first time she'd listened to it. It had been so long since she had been able to enjoy this one, and she couldn't be happier. "What a lovely housewarming present this is. I think I'll frame it. I can’t thank you enough."

“One can only imagine.”The Darkslayer said, imagining the anxiety that she’d probably experienced watching them unload what had to be her most prized possession from the back of a moving truck. It was difficult to let other people touch things that meant something to you. He wasn't capable of doing it at all, for the most part. The fear that they would damage or destroy it was overwhelming. It was a good thing that it had arrived in one piece. His gift would be rather useless without it, and he imagined that her disappointment would have been immeasurable should he have gifted her the record while she had no way of playing. “Don’t thank me. I didn’t do this for gratitude.”

In truth, there was a part of him that still didn't understand why he had done this. Perhaps he was simply in denial? Maybe he was lonely. It could even be the warmth her smile brought to his heart. He had yet to figure out fully why she had this effect on him. It was an emotion that he was not familiar with the slightest, and while he didn't loathe it or wish that it would disappear, he wasn't sure how to feel about it at all. Vergil wasn't accustomed to feeling… sentimental. Not unless it was about family.

He just didn’t know how to put it into words… but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that maybe he did know. Or, at least a part of him did.

“Come join me. You can hear it much better over here.” She said as she just turned towards him, doing a little twirl as if to mimic a ballet dance of some sort. She stumbled slightly but made a quick recovery, clearly slightly red in the face from embarrassment. He approached her before pausing, a realization suddenly donning upon him. It had taken him a moment to realize what she was inviting him to do, and now that he understood, he was ready to rescind his participation.

“I do not dance,” Vergil said calmly but firmly, folding his arms around himself. There were a great many things that he had done over the years, and although he couldn't say he found much wrong with the craft he couldn't say that it was something he had ever participated in, either. He didn't possess the slightest idea as to how to even begin to attempt to dance, let alone actually trying to do so. And with another person? Madness.

“Sure you do! Well, you will soon, at least. But fret not! You might not know just yet, but instantaneous perfection isn’t required to enjoy something new.” She said, opening her arms outward as if to embrace him and gesturing with a few waves towards herself. She could tell by the skeptical look on his face that he was going to be hard to convince, but she was up for the challenge. She hadn't assumed from the start that he was a man who danced, but that was part of what made her want to get him to try.

Vergil was willing to disagree, but perhaps that was his dogged perfectionism speaking more than anything else. He didn't know if he was capable of doing anything halfway. It had to be done properly and with precision and perfection, or he couldn't do it at all. Perhaps that was the reason that he had never attempted to dance previously, aside from his disinterest in it. His mother and father had done so with one another when he had been younger, their steps elegant and studied. He’d seen the motions and knew many of the steps, but he had never actually tried them.

“No. I mean that. Genuinely.” He said, watching as she put one hand on her hip, a sly smirk on her face. She didn't seem upset in the slightest. No, she actually seemed more amused than anything else, perhaps a result of her self-assurance that her willpower would be able to overtake his own. He stood there for a moment, just looking at her. He had to admire her refusal to give up in the face of impossible odds, even if it was slightly insane. A slight chuckle escaped his chest and slipped through his lips, something he hadn't meant to do. He simply shook his head, his disbelief evident. She was truly something else, wasn't she? He… he liked that. More than he’d like to admit.

An immovable object staring down another immovable object. And it seemed that one of them was going to have to budge. And something told him he knew who it was going to be.

“Do you waltz then? Surely that’s more your style.” She asked, seemingly looking for a middle ground. Perhaps he didn't dance but he was willing to join her in a more formal setting. He seemed like the sort of person who would enjoy that. Or at the very least, tolerate it. It was a proposition with a higher probability of success than her first one. She was willing to take no for an answer, but perhaps meeting in the middle would be preferable.

“I… have witnessed such a thing previously, but I have never attempted it.” He confessed honestly, seeing no reason to deceive her. It was the truth, after all. He had watched his parents do so on several occasions, but neither he nor his younger town had ever understood the appeal. Dante had poked fun at him a few times as a child by attempting to mimic their parents in a bid to gross him out, but he had almost always found something to trip over or had given up quickly. Vergil had never been the sort of child who was squeamish about romance, simply not caring enough to feel one way or another about it. This was probably the first time he thought about it in nearly a decade.

“And I’m willing to wager that you’re not one to give up before you try. You made it all the way here, after all. So why not join me?” She said softly, the blush returning to her cheeks. She waited for a moment to see if he would humor her, willing to understand that perhaps this was simply something that he was not comfortable with. She didn’t want to push him. If he genuinely refused, she would drop it, no questions asked and no hard feelings attached. “But if you don’t want to, I understand. It’s okay. Really.”

They looked at one another for a silent moment, just standing on opposite sides of the small room, thinking. And after what felt like a lifetime, Vergil yielded. He was positive that this was something he’d never tell anyone he’d done, and even if he did, they’d never believe him. But he would humor her. Just for a few seconds this one time and then never again.

And although neither of them knew any of the steps to any particular dance, and that a lot of space didn't exactly give them much room to work with, Vergil hesitantly took her hand and they struggled gracelessly through what few steps they both seemed to know until they transitioned slowly into what he was more familiar with, the Darkslayer not initially realizing that he was now guiding her instead of the other way around. But upon realizing this, he did nothing to change it. They simply continued, dancing slowly through the small room as the music continued to play, a beautiful backdrop to the snowy brightness outside that was now fading into evening bloom, the snow bringing the sort of bright night that only it could.

He was not focused on the music any longer, and neither was she. Only one another.

They ended with the demon slayer in the blue coat twirling her slowly, her arm up above her head as the song came to an end. It wasn’t the sort of song one danced to, honestly. It didn’t have that sort of rhythm. But as she came to a stop her legs got tangled around one another and she stumbled forward, catching herself with her open palms as she fell face-first against his chest. She lingered there for a moment, seemingly enjoying his warmth before realizing how uncomfortable she was probably making him and thinking better of herself, standing up again and looking directly up at him. There was something new in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before, and should she have asked him, he probably would have said the same, but neither of them moved to say or do anything, no thoughts that stable taking form in their minds.

He just looked at her, blinking slowly, both of them suddenly out of breath dispute their lack of exertion. Neither of them had experienced this before, and their bewilderment was only matched by their sudden desire to be closer to one another. To stay like this and perhaps never move again. They didn’t even initially realize that the music had stopped, the only thing that finally broke their silent moment of heavy eyelid-addled staring being the sound of a heavy truck outside breaking the abject silence that had formed between them. And as they both realized this they turned undeniably more red than they ever had before, too embarrassed to move to even try and hide it.

… What on Earth were they doing?

His mind returned to a time and his youth when he had seen his parents dance together in their living room. It had been a stormy day, and the lights in the house have been dim, the large windows providing most of the visibility. She had turned on her record player and their father had come downstairs as if she'd summoned him. And without speaking they simply joined arms and danced around the room for a little while, his mother giggling and smiling the entire time. He recalled the fondness and his father's eyes and the way he'd looked at her. At the time, he'd been too young to understand. But now he was positive that he had some idea.

Now he understood why he'd tracked her down. Why he'd been wholly unable to move on. He dared not speak the word, but he felt it in his gut. And while part of him was genuinely horrified and unsure, peeling the scabs off of the wounds of his past and all that he had lost, he could deny it no longer. Not to himself, and especially not to her. What was he going to do?

“Never speak of this to anyone.” He said, his voice caring a tone far more intimate than he’d intended, his tone lower than he’d meant for it to be. But it seemed that his body had reached maximum embarrassment saturation because he lacked the ability to become any more visibly ashamed than he already was. He’d never acted like this around anyone before. He wasn’t sure he was even supposed to.

“Who am I going to tell?” She asked with an embarrassed little giggle, her face even redder now than it had been a second ago. She scrunched her neck into her shoulder, turning her head slightly to hide behind her long red hair. She was genuinely amused by his silent horror at what he’d just done, but there was more to it than that for both of them. He seemed mortified by his own actions, and she’d never seen anyone look so disappointed in themselves for having a bit of fun or indulging their emotions. She was starting to get the impression that he didn’t do that very often. And there was undeniable chemistry between them. She’d noticed a little bit of this before he’d left but now… “I don’t even know your name… ”

“... Vergil.”

“Come again?” She looked at him as though he’d just grown a second head. The longing in her eyes was instantly converted into abject confusion as she seemed to genuinely have missed what he was saying or not understand it.

“My name is Vergil.” The Darkslayer repeated, not sure how that had been misconstrued but realizing rather quickly that it might have been his blunt and sudden delivery, especially considering what they’d been doing just before that. She probably hadn’t realized that he’d been talking about himself. To be fair, that revelation had come somewhat out of nowhere. It had been a heat-of-the-moment revelation, much like everything else for the last little while.

“Oh. Ohhhh…” She paused for a moment to ruminate on this fact, her eyes slightly wide. It was overwhelmingly apparent that she truly had not expected him to say that or for that to be the answer to that particular question. She hadn’t exactly had a list of possible names, but still. She’d never met anyone with that name before. “I quite like that.”

“No, you don’t.” He said, his tone a bit more playful than she was used to. It was subtle and easily missable, but she realized rather quickly that he was toying with her. Perhaps it was something her eyes or the fact that they were both still standing there practically inhaling one another’s carbon monoxide, but the blunt, heavy-eyed, low-pitched way that he’d spoken those words had carried a much different effect. And she couldn’t honestly say that she was complaining. She… She liked this side of him quite a bit more than she would have ever guessed, not that she’d had any indication that it had existed before now.

“You’re wrong, I really do! You have a lovely name. I simply wasn’t expecting you to say that.” She carified, not sure as to whether or not he was actually offended and was playing it off as amusement just yet. She hoped that she hadn’t been rude. In truth, she just hadn’t expected him to say that in the slightest. She didn’t know what she did expect him to say that his name was, but Vergil wasn’t on that list. Color her surprised.

“Mhh-hmm.” His amusement was palpable, a very faint smirk spreading across his face. She picked up on this quickly and gave him a small head shake in amusement, batting her long eyelashes as she closed her eyes and smiled, only one side of her face really moving. He was just going to keep messing with her, wasn’t he? At least she hadn’t offended him.

“Hehe… so I finally know your name… I never thought you’d tell me. I’m Vivienne, by the way. Vivienne Beaumont. A pleasure you make your acquaintance, mister Vergil.” She spoke softly, her eyes beaming with fondness for him. She was genuinely happy that he’d decided to come and visit her, and it showed. Even if it was just this once and ever again, she was thrilled to have had the opportunity to share this moment with him.

“... The pleasure is all mine.” He said after a long moment, seemingly unsure as to what to say to that. She really did have a way of stealing the breath from his body, didn’t she? The longer he stood here, the more he was pleased that he’d ignored his intuition and reintroduced himself to her life, even if only for a short while. But at the same time, he knew this wouldn’t be the end of it. It couldn’t be. Not anymore. He wasn’t sure what the future held for him, but one thing he did know now was that she would have something to do with it to some capacity. This had been a fateful decision, and he had made his choice. He just hoped that he wouldn’t come to regret this.

“Why don't you stay the night? It’s cold out there.” She said shyly, realizing mid-sentence that she probably should have phrased that differently. She hoped that her intentions hadn’t been misconstrued. Well, at least partially. There was no use in lying to herself. “Maybe we can have that dinner together that I offered a while back?”

He seemed to consider her offer for a moment, glancing out the window at the stormy weather just beyond the glass. What use was there in leaving? One way or another, he was going to need to find a place to sleep tonight. Hotels were expensive and unavailable this time of year. He would be a fool not to accept this offer, for more reasons than one. And if he was willing to be a bit less cynical, he would also have to admit that part of his reason for staying was to be closer to her. He was a no hurry to leave, at least for the time being. She would get her wish.

“... I think I would like that. Yes. I will stay.”

(-~-)

I apologize in advance for how cringe this probably is lol! I don't think I'm probably very good at writing romance scenes, what with my lack of romantic experience or interest IRL. But I do like to read that sort of stuff, so I hope that gave me some sort of viewpoint and that this wasn't super boring or anything to read. Slow down, you two! You might make -I mean do- something you might regret XD! I hope this was a fun chapter for you guys despite my lack of experience with this sort of thing. See you on Friday! I’m determined to get both uploads finished this week, even if the next one is a little shorter.

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skvaderarts · 2 years

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Petrichor Chapter 12: Pledge

Chapter 12: Pledge

Note: Another late-night chapter! But hey, that’s what happens when you take a nap at 2 pm and wake up at 6:30 pm smh! Enjoy the chapter everyone!

(-~-)

Sitting up and finding himself instantly wide awake, Vergil yawned quietly, using his right hand to rub his tired eyes. A cursory glance at the clock on his bedside table displayed the time. 9:23 am. It seemed that for once he had managed to make it through the night without waking up several times. More than likely a product of his extended exhaustion, something that he felt today perhaps more than he had yesterday. It would not impede him, however. He had things to do today and places to be. But in a strange way, he was simply relieved that he had managed to get a full night's rest for once.

Standing up and making his way to the bathroom across from his bedroom, he took a little while to splash some cold water on his face as he attended to his morning hygiene routine before getting dressed and reluctantly making his way out to the main lobby of the office. He wasn't sleepy. Far from it especially after the shower he had just taken. In fact, he felt quite refreshed as a result. But he did find himself lacking the motivation and energy reserves required to actually desire to leave his room and do anything. In fact, he didn't know what he was going out to the lobby for, but he felt compelled to do so nonetheless.

But as he opened the door to the main office and stepped out into it, he realized two things instantaneously. One, that his younger twin was still asleep or at least in his room at the moment, and two, that they had a guest in the office.

V was there. And he was in the process of cleaning up all the broken glass in the front office.

The Darkslayer was willing to bet that his eldest child had been at it for quite some time now, two garbage bags filled with glass sitting on one side of the door, that section of the room seemingly devoid of the shiny sharp material. He'd been using a push broom the entire time, and the floor looked surprisingly wet, lending to the idea that he may have put water on the floor to make the glass easier to locate. But regardless, he seemed a bit lost in his thoughts, a sort of quiet serenity to his actions that belied the fact that he was standing in an area littered with sharp glass.

"What are you doing?"

The Young summoner glanced up at him as he continued to sweep the glass, seemingly aware that he had been in the room but surprised to be directly addressed. It seemed that he had sensed his father's approach, but had been so focused on his task that he hadn't taken the time to greet him.

"Sweeping up the glass." He had to pause mentally, unsure as to why his father had just asked him that. He had perfectly functional eyes last time he checked, so inquiring into something so obvious seemed strange to him. But then it occurred to him that this might just be his father’s awkward method of attempting to start small talk. This could easily be his father’s equivalent of inquiring as to his opinion of the weather despite experiencing it himself. "I've noticed that the neighborhood isn't in the best shape right now. Most of the windows in the vicinity are broken in one form or another. But I don't mind helping. I actually find mopping to be quite enjoyable. It's strangely satisfying to me."

Vergil nodded in recognition of his eldest son's statement. He couldn't say that he related entirely, but he thought he understood the general concept. Perhaps he simply liked to see order returned to things that had fallen into disarray. Perhaps V simply liked the clean lines that the broom made on the wet wooden floors. What was that a mop? The push handle nature of it made him unsure. He couldn't say.

"Nero headed back to Fortuna early this morning due to time restrictions. He requested that I pass on his best wishes." V said, continuing the conversation that his father had started. He was perfectly capable of cleaning and speaking at the same time, and he didn't mind talking to his father and the slightest. "I have things I must attend to shortly myself, but I gave you my assurance yesterday that I would come and check on you, and I like to keep my promises. Have you been well?"

"Lunch plans?" The Darkslayer said almost sarcastically with a tint of humor to his tone, not bothered by his son's honesty in the slightest. He appreciated the fact that he was upfront about the fact that he had somewhere else to be, and the fact that either of them had come to check on him despite everything that was going on was more than enough for him to be satisfied. It seemed that everyone had prior engagements to attend to, and that was to be expected. "And yes, for the most part."

A small smile spread across V's face, if only momentarily. There was a soft light that returned to his eyes that hadn't been there seconds prior, and it was something that the older devil hunter immediately noticed but did not feel the need to comment on. He was clearly looking forward to this meeting. "As a matter of fact, you're not far from the truth. I have to be at a bistro just outside of town in a few hours, although it is not with Lucia, as you might suspect. She and Dante's other two companions left town yesterday according to Nico. I'm in the dark as to the specifics."

"Then it appears that we may all be leaving town today despite our lack of a full recovery." The eldest son of the Dark Knight Sparda said, folding his arms around his torso. He did hope that his son was not overexerting himself. He'd seen the state he had been in yesterday in the van on the way over, and although he seemed more rested now, there was still an air of exhaustion to his demeanor that made him worry for his son's overall well-being.

"Is that so? Then I shall have to inquire once you return. I wouldn't want to keep you. I'm sure it's urgent if you're leaving so soon." V said, his tone of voice giving away the fact that he was clearly surprised to hear that his father was leaving town for any period of time. One can only imagine that Dante would probably be tagging along. "I shall be finished with this shortly and then I must depart. Do take care."

Something between a smile and a smirk spread across Vergil's face for a moment as He turned his attention towards the kitchen. He needed to eat something for breakfast before he began to pack. He would be in the next room. If his son needed him, then he would be there, and he knew him well enough by now to know that if he offered to assist him that he would be turned down. "Likewise. Pace yourself. I do not wish to receive a call informing me that you have over-exerted yourself."

And with that he exited the room, leaving his son to the task that he had not assigned him but he had taken up of his own kind volition. He would humor his brother by making them both breakfast today. There was no point in continuing the lesson from last night at this point in time. They had more pressing matters to attend to and time constraints to work within. Cooking lessons could wait for now.

(-~-)

11 pm, on the outskirts of town.

It hadn't taken the young summoner very long to locate the establishment that his companion had requested that they meet at after finishing up at the office. Sitting on the corner of an affluent shopping center adjacent to a small park, the small coffee shop and bistro seemed to be quite popular in the local area. There wasn't exactly a line out of the door and up the block, but he had been seated when he arrived by a hostess in an effort to keep things orderly in the building.

The inside of the building smelled of high-quality coffee and equally high-quality deli meats and breads, more than likely fresh baked and roasted. Soft contemporary jazz played through the speakers and the dim mood lighting courtesy of several Edison bulbs gave the place a warm and cozy vibe amidst the snowy winter weather. It was the sort of place that made you salivate just by walking past the door, and to say that he wasn't eager to sample some of the sandwiches here would be a blatant lie. The hardest part was waiting for Sirrus to arrive. He didn't want to eat without him, even if his friend probably wasn't going to order food to start with.

After about 10 minutes, the door opened and a figure in a long black silken winter coat with a hood entered the door, his head nearly touching the top of the frame. He slotted his red umbrella into the umbrella stand by the door, securing the buckle on it to make sure that it didn't open up by accident in the store and get everything wet. There was no rain at the moment, but a sort of wet snow was pelting the entire town and coating the roads and sidewalks in sleet and black ice.

There was no mistaking it. His stature and frame were quite distinct, and that was to say nothing of his style of dress. The Adjudicator had finally arrived, and not a moment too late. He was just on time. And as he approached the table and waved at him in polite greeting, Sirrus removed his hood and the young summoner became privy to something that he had not expected.

"The pigment is returning to your hair." It was as unmistakable as it was unexpected. When he had seen his friend yesterday, his hair had been bleached white, almost as white as his own. But today was a bit different. He wondered silently what had occurred between now and then to lead to this drastic change. Headed attempted to dye it a more publicly suitable color?

"Quite right. It will continue to do so for the next week or two, I suspect." He said with a sort of calm frivolity as he pulled the chair out and sat down in one swift, graceful movement, his long hair draping over his shoulders as his coat fell to one side of the chair. He was clearly happy to see V. True to his companions' observation, the very tips of his hair had turned red again, lending his long locks a sort of ombre appearance where they remained entirely white down to the roots but maintained a dull red at the tips. The hair closest to the white portion had an almost pink hue to it, a natural blending of the white and red more than likely. Anyone who passed by him probably thought he was the victim of a very unfortunate hair mishap, and they were only half wrong. "Once it has fully regained its luster I should be able to use my powers again. But until then I'm essentially mortal."

"Essentially mortal." V pondered to himself in silence as he looked over the small card on the table that listed different kinds of coffees that the shop offered. In truth, he didn't recognize any of them. He was more of a tea man himself, though he did not dislike coffee by any means. He was simply ignorant to it, and the litany of brewing methods and mixes perplexed him. He was the kind of person who needed someone else to order for him should he be dragged to a coffee shop like this. But delicious hot beverages aside, he couldn't say that he could recall ever hearing his friend refer to himself as anything but mortal before. While he did get the impression from time to time that he was perhaps older than he appeared to be visually, he had never deeply pondered his mortality before. Was Sirrus implying that he might be…

"My apologies for not being able to meet with you all last night. I was… indisposed." There was a distant look in his eyes for a moment as he seemed to consider something that V knew nothing about. Or at the very least he had no way of knowing if he knew anything about it. He couldn't read minds, after all. But he was relatively adept at reading faces, and from what he could tell, his friend was shaken by something. He would have to keep an eye on him. "I've been rather unwell since I reawakened, and I believe it might be catching up with me."

"Don't apologize. We were able to make do in the meantime, and your health is more important regardless." V said with a gentle firmness. There was no denying the truth in that statement. He was a grown adult and he was able to take care of himself, and although him coming over the night before and having dinner with the rest of the group would have been nice, a snowstorm and other more pressing matters had prevented that. There was no point in holding it against him. He wasn't nearly that petty.

"And on that note, how have you been since I last saw you? I recall you doing rather poorly yourself yesterday." The man with the multicolored hair said with a soft smile, his eyes betraying the worry he actually felt towards his friend. Neither of them had exactly been in tip-top condition before they had parted ways, and he was glad that V had agreed to return home and get some rest without much persuasion. Though he had been concerned as to whether or not he had arrived safely up until the point when he had called him and asked him to swing by and grab a couple of groceries along the way so that they might make dinner together. He was actually quite sad he missed the opportunity, but he was sure they would have time later.

"... Weak." He said simply, seeing no point in lying or downplaying how he actually felt. In truth, he wasn't entirely sure what was going on with him. His powers were regenerating at a rate he would consider normal, and he felt more or less all right, but there was just a certain weakness to him that he couldn't place, almost as though something within him simply wasn't right. "It comes and goes. I would almost describe it as an ebb and flow of sorts, like waves lapping at a shoreline at various states of tide. But I haven't felt fully myself since I returned. I suspect it may be a result of injuries I sustained during our battle against Belial. Or perhaps I simply haven't given myself enough time just yet. It has only been a little over 12 hours, after all. I may simply be overzealous."

"That would make logical sense. Did you sustain some sort of internal injury that resulted in massive blood loss or something of the like?" He inquired, clearly quite concerned by the very idea. He knew that he had been injured during the course of the battle considering that much like himself he had spent several days unconscious, but that didn't mean that he had to be happy about it or that he knew any of the details. He was just glad that his friend was still alive, all things considered.

"... He bit me. And then he tried to possess me. I barely managed to resist." The Young summoner admitted, allowing the reality of what occurred to actually sink in for him for what felt like the first time. He obviously knew that it had happened, but when he said it out loud, it really made things feel more real. "As a final effort to forestall his encroachment I willingly imbibed poison to halt his progress, something that managed to weaken him enough for us to kill him."

Sirrus simply blinked in visible confusion, his pupils dilating as though he had just been spoken to in a language he couldn't comprehend. His blank expression was intermixed with a slight tilting of his head from one side to the other in a slow and exceedingly methodical manner, almost as though he needed to view his friend from a different angle in order to comprehend him. But after a torturous forty seconds of silence, he finally spoke.

"... You did what?" He said breathlessly, almost at a volume too low to understand. Surely he hadn’t heard that correctly…

"I sincerely doubt you misheard me," V said gently, unsure as to whether or not this conversation was a good idea right now. His friend seemed genuinely horrified, the nauseated sadness in his eyes impossible to miss. He looked as though he wanted to reach over the table and seize him, throwing his arms around him in a bid to protect him from his own questionable decisions.

"As do I. That is what concerns me." It was genuinely difficult to overstate just how concerned the man with the now white hair looked. He leaned across the table and closely examined V, almost as though he were trying to look through him instead of at him. He couldn't fully wrap his mind around the gravity of the situation that they both found themselves in. There was no denying that there had to be some sort of residual effect at play here. Something like that didn't occur without a consequence, and normally a long-term one. This was something he needed to look into. Post haste. Generally, things like this could be treated, but they needed to be diagnosed early, much the same as any affliction. It seemed that both of them were more than willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save those they loved.

"This sounds like something out of the pay grade of the Ludwig family, all respect to them. At least the majority of them. You need to see a professional. Someone who specializes in this sort of thing."

V took note of the way his friend seemed to almost physically flinch at the notion. He got the impression that he had someone in mind but did not particularly wish to speak with them. He wasn't entirely sure how much he could glean in regards to accuracy from a simple glance, but that was the impression he had garnered.

"Am I to assume you have someone in mind?" V asked knowingly, already mostly certain that his friend had something planned. He could tell by the anguish in his face that he had come to an ultimatum already, and although he didn't exactly expect him to elaborate, he did expect him to tell him whether or not they should be doing what he probably had planned. The look on his face alone was enough to unsettle him and make him wonder if everything would be alright.

"Yes. And perhaps there is nothing for it. I was going to venture there myself in a short while, but perhaps it is best I extend an invitation to you as well." He seemed almost reluctant, his obvious hesitation unsettling to the young summoner. He knew that Sirrus would never take him somewhere he wasn't safe, but he didn't seem thrilled about the prospect of going wherever he had in mind. "It is as good a time as any to risk unmasking the whole charade, especially since Flora has requested that we speak to her at our earliest convenience."

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat as he considered the offer, V exhaled heavily. He already knew that he was going to say yes. Both of them did. Perhaps it was best that he just ask what was going on up front as opposed to finding out later on in the worst way possible. "Where would we be going?"

The man with the multi-colored hair seemed to search for the proper words to express what he was thinking for a long time, his level of eagerness not having changed for the better during his silence. There was an obvious reluctance to his demeanor now, but after a few minutes, he did come to a conclusion that was satisfactory. "We need to see someone I have not seen in what feels like a lifetime. They may be able to help you. I only hope we don't encounter… interference."

V wasn't going to ask what that "interference" was just yet. That was clearly what had his friend in such a state. He didn't seem scared, but there was a potent undertone of dread to everything he had said in the last little while. Perhaps it was a better idea to attempt to console him as opposed to asking more questions that might only serve to further upset him.

"... You have the look of a small child who has to ask someone who killed their beloved pet for assistance." He sends softly, aware of how awful that sounded but unable to word it any better without compromising its accuracy. His friend truly didn't seem alright. There was a sort of paleness to him that he'd only seen once before, and he wasn't sure how to interpret it as anything other than genuine worry and anxiety. To say that it was unsettling to see someone with such confidence in such an unraveled state would be one of the larger understatements of his lifetime.

Despite the rather morbid nature of his metaphor, Sirius surprised him by actually laughing at the statement, shaking his head side to side as he rested his palm against his face and closing his eyes before nodding in agreement. His friend was not aware of how close to the truth that statement actually was. Not in a literal sense, but still.

"You're not as wrong as I might like, but all I can say for now is that you shall see when we get there. There's no danger to your well-being involved. Only my sanity." He said with a small chuckle, continuing to shake his head at how ridiculous this entire situation was. Why oh why did this have to happen to his beloved friend? He was overjoyed that Belial was dead, but his suffering cut him deeply. It was simply unjust. “... Have you ever had Affogato before?”

V blinked, the sudden change of subject catching him off guard. He didn’t have the slightest idea what that was, but considering that they were inside of a coffee shop, he was willing to bet that he knew at least one of the ingredients. “I can’t say that I have. Why do you ask?”

A soft smile spread across Sirrus’s now tired face, unsure as to how to process everything that had just happened. “I was hoping to treat us both. I think we could use it. We can make further plans from there.”

Despite the fact that he had no idea what he was being offered, he trusted his friend’s judgment and tastes. He wasn’t wrong about them both probably needing a break from all of this for a few minutes, especially if they had a trip to plan. He hoped that he didn’t have to pack for warm weather. The last thing he wanted right now was to be hot.

“... I would very much like that… I think.” Honestly, V wasn’t sure. How could he be?

Chuckling softly, Sirrus blinked slowly and gave his friend a gentle smile. He really didn’t have a way of being sure since he had just admitted to not knowing, but most people enjoyed an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast. “I’ll put in the order. I think you’ll enjoy it. Trust me.”

V nodded in agreement. It wasn’t as though his friend was going to poison him or anything. It was worth a try. “I never stopped doing that, to begin with.”

Sirrus paused for a moment, seemingly surprised by his companion’s honesty and kindness. He didn’t doubt him, not for a second, and it seemed that that feeling was mutual. Perhaps this trip wouldn’t be as horrific as he had originally assumed…

“Neither did I. Pardon me for a moment, my friend. I shall return shortly.” He said gently, walking past V towards the counter and giving him a gentle shoulder pat as he passed by, a sort of warm fuzzy feeling fluttering in his chest. Trust wasn’t something he had with many people, especially mutually. He was glad to know that was something he had with V. He had never doubted that, but being reminded always brought him happiness. It was reassuring. “Make yourself comfortable. We might be here for a little while.”

(-~-)

Sorry for any mistakes again! I just gave it another look over but I’m sure I missed something! I have one hell of a work schedule next week, so this is going to be fun. Hopefully, they’ve fixed that air conditioner… See you all in the comments and on Wednesday next week! Take care and try to stay out of this awful heat!

#Petrichor #Vergil #V #Vitale #Nero #Sirrus #OCs #DMC #DMC5 #DMCV #My Post DMC5 AU #My Post DMCV AU #My Post Devil May Cry 5 AU #Post DMC5 #Post DMCV #Post DMC AU #My Post Devil May Cry V AU #DMC AU

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skvaderarts · 2 years

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Petrichor Chapter 1: Reunion

Thanks for coming back for Book 4 of the Soliloquy Saga!

Chapter One: Reunion

Note: Wow, It’s weird to be typing up chapter one again… And on book four, no less. Book four… How on earth did we make it to book four?! Existential crises aside, welcome back everyone! I hope the recess between Hiraeth and Petchichor wasn’t too painful. And if you are a returning reader who has come back after the nearly two hundred chapters before this… Thank you. It’s lovely to have you still. I know I’ve lost a few of you along the way for numerous reasons, and there is nothing wrong with that, but still. I’m glad your still here reading the story!

(-~-)

Cool morning light cascaded over the treetops, enveloping the entire backside of the property in neutral color tones. The clouds had yet to fully part, and as such, only the faintest glimmers of the morning sun were able to shine through. The faint warmth that it provided was scarce and infrequent, but if one thing was certain it was the fact that it signified the coming of a new day, and everyone present was eager to embrace that.

The Ludwig manor remained silent. Even with breakfast service set to begin shortly, there was a sort of stillness that only came with the wee hours of the morning. The dew from overnight rain had settled on every outdoor surface, fogging up the rear windows and allowing a cool breeze to waft through the house through any windows that had been left open during the previous day. The majority of the house's residents had not awoken yet, and those who had made the decision to stay in their rooms for the time being. After all, there were over two dozen injured people in the house at the moment. It was only right to allow them the rest that they required to make a full recovery. Anything less would simply be willful cruelty.

But as the majority of the house slumbered away wrapped in the comforting morning glow, a particular summoner and his red-haired companion made their way down the hallway that overlooked the stairwell, simply taking the opportunity to stretch their stiff legs after a prolonged period of stillness before retiring to the adjudicator's sleeping quarters to simply… think. So very much had happened, and neither of them knew every detail. They had much to fill the other in on, and even more to process. The foreseeable future was going to be challenging, and that was without taking into account the fact that there was going to be a recovery period for every single one of them. They were vulnerable right now, more so perhaps than they had ever been. And none of them liked that. Not even slightly.

"Well then… what happens now," V asked simply, his voice piercing the silence that enveloped them. The hallway was so quiet that his words almost seemed to startle his friend, the man with the red hair coming to a stop near a window that overlooked the front entrance. He seemed to think; to take in his companion's words. But it didn't seem as though he had an answer.

It was less of a question on V's part and more of a declaration. He knew that neither of them actually had an answer to that, especially with so many of the variables involved directly out of their control. But one thing was certain: All of them were going to process the removal of Belial's presence in different ways. It was strange to breathe the free air again. There hadn't been a second since he'd returned where he hadn't been hunted, whether he'd known that or not, and it was strange to have to come to terms with that realization.

"For now it is probably best that we… " Sirrus started before drifting off, his eyes catching sight of something through the window as he turned. He stopped before hurrying over to get a better view, not seemingly alarmed but still genuinely surprised and seemingly almost taken aback by something. V didn't speak but did opt to join him, curious to see what might have drawn his friend's attention. And what he saw was absolutely intriguing, especially when the response it had garnered was taken into consideration.

The pair watched from above the front entrance through the overhead window as a shiny black car pulled up to the entrance, its dark paint gleaming in the dim light. The tinted windows reflected any light directed at them like mirrors, clean and utterly clear. One of the ushers approached the driver's side of the vehicle and opened the door, holding it open so that the driver could exit. And despite only seeing the pants leg and shoe of the individual who had presumably driven it to the manor, Sirrus turned and headed towards the stairs. And as V hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow after his companion paused to wait for him in the midst of his hasty but not hurried journey towards the manor's central staircase, he got the undeniable impression that his red-haired companion knew this individual.

Just as the pair reached the top of the stairs, the front door opened and the usher invited the individual inside, stepping backward and out of their way as they crossed the threshold and made their way inside. V's keen ears caught the distinct sound of gravel crunching under their feet followed by the click of hard-bottomed dress shoes as they transitioned from the front walkway to the porch with its stone paving before finally making contact with the hard patterned wood of the front hall. And considering the shift he was now observing in Sirrus's demeanor, he knew that the individual who stood before them held some level of importance. He didn't have to ask.

The man who stepped through the door wore a deep yellow vest with a medium gray dress shirt underneath. A chain hung from the clasp on the waist of their navy blue pants that ended at their pocket, what lay within was unknown to anyone but him. He wore a black and white striped bow tie and a pair of black and silver wide-brimmed square glasses, the thick frames rounded off on the ends. His deep black hair was slicked back, reaching the collar of his shirt in the center third of his head while the lower sides of his head grew shorter as they went lower and longer towards the back than the front. All of this was covered by a matching black coat with white stitching, collar, cuffs, and pockets that stopped just below his knees, the gusts from outside whipping his coat around him as it attempted to usher him back outside by force.

All in all, a well-put-together if not somewhat imposing individual whose purpose there carried a certain air of authority without him needing to speak a single word. He paused for a moment, adjusting his glasses before tending to the collar of his shirt, the ride over seemingly putting him somewhat out of sorts. But as the door was closed behind him, he shrugged out of his coat and adjusted the cufflinks on his wrists after doing so, the white accessories contrasting his garments in a visually appealing manner. And despite his very formal appearance, he seemed to be at ease, clearly focused on something else but not visibly anxious despite the fact that V simply knew without needing to even ask that he didn't live there. The way that he was being welcomed into the house was enough to tell him that. It reminded him of the first time he'd ever been to the house. It didn't seem that they were welcoming him back so much as it seemed that they were inviting him in after a long ride over.

Stopping as they entered the building, the individual took what appeared to be an umbrella from the man who had just taken his coat, the owner of which was as unknown as it was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. But regardless, they took it and then nodded in appreciation before looking around the room, seemingly searching for something. But then, only a few seconds later, they caught sight of something. And that "something" was coming down the stairs behind him.

Waiting in silence as Sirrus approached, the individual folded their arms around themself, their gaze lingering on him as the redhead slowly made his way down the stairs. It seemed as though he might be mildly uncomfortable with doing so, his sore body not appreciating the downward jolts required to make his way towards the front door. He stopped at the third stair from the bottom, gripping the railing slightly as he made the decision to just stay there for the time being. He didn't need to get any closer.

"Ah, there you are. I thought I might find you here." There was a barely perceptible note of expectant amusement to his tone, his voice carrying what seemed to be a very faint accent of some sort that the young summoner couldn't place. He just couldn't make heads or tails of this individual at first glance, and that fascinated him. Normally he was pretty adept at reading people, or so he liked to think. He didn't exactly feel threatened by this individual, but the fact that he couldn't be sure was still interesting nonetheless.

Clearing his throat, the red-haired adjudicator released the railing and folded his arms around himself, virtually no amusement to his demeanor. He definitely knew who this was, and it was starting to become apparent that he had expected him to turn up, but might not be pleased to see him either way. "Yes. And I'm surprised that you didn't turn up sooner to berate me. I thought you didn't like fieldwork."

There was silence again for a moment as the individual stepped forward, his black dress shoes clicking on the floor as he took a few steps and then stopped. He barely seemed to consider the words, obviously hearing them but making no visible change to indicate that he might care about what was being said.

"I don't." He said almost dismissively, his tone cold but exceedingly clear. There was no mistaking what he was saying. It was obvious that he wanted that to be clear. "But this isn't business. It's pleasure."

Silence fell over the room for a long moment as the doorman and the small group of maids and other house attendants looked at one another in obvious worry, seemingly unsure as to what they should do. V looked between this stranger and his friend, feeling no fury from Sirrus and garnering a mixed reaction from his uninvited guest. He wasn't sure as to whether or not they were in danger, or if he should interfere, but one thing he did know was that he didn't like staying silent on this issue, even if he didn't know what the issue was exactly. And if there was danger, then he knew that Sirrus knew he had his back. But as he took a single step forward to say something to try and deescalate the situation and make it clear that no one was going to cause trouble for anyone he cared about while he was standing there, something happened that took him utterly by surprise.

Both of them started laughing.

Much to the collective surprise of literally everyone present who wasn't either Sirrus or this new individual, the two of them both seemed to be utterly amused by… whatever was going on here. It was actually very hard to tell now considering how things had been going just a moment before.

Sirrus shook his head and chuckled deeply, resting his face on the palm of his left hand, his right returning to the railing as he stepped down towards the main floor with his eyes closed. He seemed to be in a state of disbelief as he came to a stop a few feet from the edge of the staircase, a look of surprise humor on his face as he scoffed in amusement.

Conversely, the man in the yellow was genuinely laughing. He took his glasses off for a moment as he used the back of his right hand to wipe his eyes, tears forming in them. It took him nearly a minute to compose himself, but with some effort, he managed to do so. He then coughed, gagging slightly before clearing his throat and putting his glasses back on. He stepped forward and gave Sirrus a shoulder hug, releasing him before grasping him by the shoulders so that he could more easily shake some sense into him.

"You're something else, you know that? I genuinely thought that you'd lost your mind for a moment. What's gotten into you?" Sirrus said as his acquaintance released him, a devious look on his face. The man in the suit was fond of these kinds of little games, and a part of him was kicking himself for not once thinking that perhaps something like this might occur the next time that he saw him, especially considering their last conversation. "So, what brings you all the way out here to the sticks? In all seriousness, it's my understanding that you'd rather pull your own probably well-manicured nails out before venturing out of the office."

V watched the both of them for a moment, more than willing to give them some space. He didn't want to seem as though he might be eavesdropping on their conversation despite the fact that he could clearly hear them from where he stood. It was simply the polite thing to do, even if he didn't have the foggiest idea as to what was going on here.

"Much to our superiors' dismay, you've yet to check in with them." The man with the black hair said calmly, shaking his head. His tone was considerably more serious this time around, but in an approachable and diplomatic way and not in so much of an "I'd like to slit your throat at the dinner table tonight" sort of tone. "It's been nearly a month, Sirrus. Do you have any idea how big of a mess you've caused me back at HQ?!"

"Well, going as far as to call them our superiors is going a bit far, but I see your point. My sincerest apologies for the secrecy. But regardless, I was preoccupied." Sirrus seemed genuinely surprised by some aspect of this revelation, but he didn't say as much. To be fair, he didn't need to, either. But regardless, he wasn't sure where to even begin with this.

"Doing what, if I might be so bold as to ask? I understand the concept of privacy and the need to maintain confidentiality, but I've had no idea what to say to them for a suspicious amount of time at this point, and I think they have grown tired of me." He looked genuinely tired for a moment, a sort of somber silence overtaking him as he seemed to linger on something unknown.

"Being nearly dead," Sirrus said plainly. He wasn't trying to be cold, and a part of him felt as though his words might have been misconstrued, but it was the truth. And as a result of that, he was very much in the dark on many things himself, especially in regards to what was going on back at the office. That was always the least of his worries, but it was very much the brunt of their visitor's focus. That was how they had come to know one another, after all. "I've been unconscious for about a week, from what I understand. I have no way of knowing what went on during that period of time since I was… never mind."

He said nothing for a moment, obviously horrified to hear that but barely showing it. V was actually surprised to see him give away so very little. He'd previously thought that Sirrus was adept at self-concealment, but this man was almost giving him a run for his money. It was impressively disconcerting.

"I'm glad that you're alive." Without even asking, the young summoner knew that they had reached the end of this subject of conversation. He'd seemingly lost all interest in the opinion of their bosses at work. He simply seemed relieved that Sirrus was alive. His eyes then shifted past him slightly, lingering on V. The white-haired man could very literally feel his eyes linger upon him, and it made every inch of his skin crawl in a way that he'd ever experienced before. The man in the suit squinted slightly, seemingly almost straining for a moment before looking back over at Sirrus, genuine wonderment visible on his face. "Is this the one you mentioned to me before?"

Sirrus nodded, a small smile overtaking his face as he gestured towards V. "Yes. And in my experience, he doesn't bite. The majority of the time."

With a pleasant look on his face, the man with the dark hair shook his head at Sirrus's statement and stepped forward, extending his hand to V politely. It was only then that V realized that this young man shared a trait with another devil hunter that he knew. He possessed two different colored eyes, his left eye being a soft gray and his right an equally light green. Heterochromia perhaps?

"A privilege to meet you. I'm Kayro. House Reneer. And you don't need to shake my hand if you don't want to. I get the impression that is not something you enjoy." His demeanor was quite relaxed, all things considered, and that was something that put V at ease somewhat. He still had no idea why making incidental eye contact with him had made him acquire the desire to intake less oxygen, but even still, he would put it aside for now. "Sirrus mentioned that he was working with someone, but unfortunately, and probably by design, I know next to nothing about you. I hope that is something that will change in the future."

"You can call me V." The young summoner said amicably, realizing that his friend had taken steps to conceal his identity even from his other acquaintances. He found that curious, but a part of him was genuinely appreciative regardless of his foreknowledge. He noticed that Kayro seemed slightly perplexed by his answer, but his curiosity did not prompt him to dig further. Perhaps they would get along after all.

Sirrus waited for them both to finish their greetings before approaching, his arms folded around his waist as he did so. The excitement had settled at this point, and now he just looked tired. Probably not as tired as he actually was, but still. They both turned to look at him, seemingly expecting him to say something that he hadn't just yet.

"I will explain my absence to them directly. I have a request to make, in any case." He then looked over at V, clearly considering something deeply. V wondered for a moment just what was going through his head, but he knew that if it was important or it involved him, he would find out soon enough. "Tag along with us? I have much to show you."

V considered the offer for a minute or so in silence. The odds of something happening while he was gone that he would regret missing were low, and something told him that this may not be something that he would get the opportunity to experience again, at least not for a long while. Perhaps leaving the house for a few minutes might be a good thing? "... I shall. But I will need to inform Nero first."

Nodding in agreement, Sirrus started back down the stairs towards the door before remembering that his room, and therefore his coat, was upstairs. It would be repaired and back from being cleaned by now, no doubt. "I second this. Invite him to tag along if you wish. We will wait here in the lobby."

With a nod of conformation, V stepped down the stairs and headed off in the direction that Nero had gone towards the last time he'd seen him. If nothing else, he could ask Magnolia or one of the members of staff. He couldn't imagine that this would take long. They would be on their way in no time. On their way towards what he couldn't say, but they would be going just the same. And perhaps it would do them all well to ride in a vehicle that wasn't being driven by Nico. It would put them all at ease, anyway.

(-~-)

I've decided to try something a little different this time! I won't be counting word counts. I've decided that stressing over whether or not something is too short or too long takes away from the most important aspect of the story: telling it and making it satisfying. If it needs to be long, then it will be long. If it's simply a short little chapter due to the fact that it doesn't need to be that long, then why drag it out? It's about staying what needs to be said, not hitting an arbitrary page count! I hope you'll all agree! If you object, let me know, but I think it's a good middle ground for all of us given the feedback I received and it will be a big quality of life update. I won't rush anything, but I'm going to try and pace things a little bit better! Just a heads up in case you notice the occasional chapter that's shorter than the others. But either way, thank you for your wonderful feedback, and I hope you liked the chapter! Welcome back!

#Petrichor #V #Nero #Kyrie #My OCs #DMC #DMC5 #DMCV #Post DMC5 #Post DMCV #Post Devil May Cry 5 #Post Devil May Cry V #My Post DMC5 AU #My Post DMCV AU #Devil May Cry #Devil May Cry 5 #Devil May Cry V #Vitale

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skvaderarts · 2 years

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Petrichor Chapter 21: Consideration

Chapter 21: Consideration

Note: Sorry that the chapter is a little bit late. I know that this went up a little after 3 am on Thursday morning and I meant to have it up at about 8-10 pm on Wednesday. I had to cook dinner and I ran into some complications that made editing take longer than I planned. Also, I ended up adding 2900 words because I’m crazy and like to suffer hehe… Enjoy!

(-~-)

The young woman was clearly cornered at the back of the alley, unable to pass her opponent but unable to defeat it, either. And whether from pure fear or other determination, she did not back down, her hopeless situation not depriving her of whatever amount of fight she still had in her. It would be admirable if not for how utterly hopeless it was. But at the same time, he couldn't exactly call it foolishness, either. She had no other options available to her. She had to stand and fight, or sit down and die, and it was obvious which she had chosen.

Perhaps he could spare a few minutes…

Strutting down the alleyway towards her, he surveyed the demon from behind. It was some sort of bipedal goat monstrosity, reddish in tone, flaming, and utterly unfamiliar to him. That last aspect wasn't entirely surprising to him considering that he didn't have an encyclopedic knowledge of every demon in the underworld, but it was always interesting when he came upon an opponent he wasn't familiar with. This might be fun.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, obviously unsure as to whether or not this stranger in the blue coat was on her side or not. But as Vergil stood his ground and slowly drew his blade, facing down his opponent, she seemed to understand, keeping her guard up and not moving, but also doing her level best to stay out of his way. This was her only chance. There was no way she could kill a demon like this on her own, especially with what little weaponry she currently possessed. It wasn't like she would rate her chances normally, but she was realistic about her options as things currently stood.

The demon turned and looked at him, clearly not thinking much of him but aware of the fact that he might interrupt its dinner. Or at least that was what he assumed it had planned for her. It might just be planning to kill her, honestly. He hadn't exactly asked it, and he didn't plan to. Bloodshed simply for the sake of it. And as the demon snarled and took a defensive stance, it opened its mouth, the distant glow of flame in its throat. Oh, so this was going to be one of those demons, was it?

As the demon unleashed its flame breath in the narrow alley, Vergil jumped up into the air, dodging the flames as he ran down the side of the wall and jumped down on top of the demon's shoulders, stabbing it in the back with a downward thrust before front flipping and spinning to face the demons back to dodge its upward grasp, coming down behind it and slicing it down the back as he landed. The young woman slammed against the back wall in an attempt to give him extra space as the standing room became limited, clearly not wanting to get in the way of the man who was attempting to save her life even if she wasn't, to begin with.

"A civilian who understands the concept of staying out of the fight? A rarity." He thought to himself for a moment as the demon pivoted and attempted to grab him. He stepped to the side, only to find that it had anticipated this to some degree, swinging around the opposite direction in a rapid pivot to gouge at him with its claws. It missed his body, the obvious location that it had been aiming for with its claws, but it did manage to grasp him instead, an outcome that he had obviously hoped to avoid. The narrow alleyway provided little in the way of dodging space, and although he had known that, he was beginning to feel the effects.

The demon lifted him up, snarling in his face as it attempted to squeeze him, finding that he was not going to go down without a considerable fight. He stabbed it in its hand, the demon roaring and ceasing to tighten his grasp, but not releasing him. And as it opened its mouth to attempt to seemingly bite his head off, something flew across up from seemingly nowhere and hit the demon square in the mouth, causing it to real backward and roar and pain, throwing him to the side in what appeared to be reflex so that it could grab its face with both hands.

The demon managed to snag his cloak, pulling it off of him as it swung him around and he made contact with the brick wall to the right of him. He quickly regained his footing, never hitting the ground in the way that he imagined his opponent hoped. And as the demon pivoted to bear down on him with the obvious intent of ending him here and now, he unleashed a volley of rapid slashes into his chest, spinning and nearly cutting his opponent in half with his final strike. The demon reached down to attempt to grab him, but he jumped back quickly, quickly unsheathing his blade as a barrage of black slashes cleaved into his opponent, knocking him off of his feet and onto the pavement behind him, dead. The demon let out a bellowing roar as it failed to stand again, Yamato's blade ringing as the Darkslayer clicked the blade back into its rightful place, finishing the fight then and there.

For a moment, everything was still. Silence settled over the alleyway, the only sound coming from the young woman's breathing who stood at the other end of the alley, still clutching the last brick that she had access to. Without much warning, she took the brick and chucked it at the dissolving demon, managing to smack it in the head just as it faded into nothingness. A final move to assert that she had outlasted it. And as pointless as that retaliatory action might have been, he couldn't help but find that mildly amusing. They both knew that there was no point to what she had just done, but he imagined it brought her some semblance of satisfaction. It was a sentiment that he understood. Vengeance. But he wouldn't indulge in the same behavior. He had to be better than that; to hold himself to a higher standard. It was the least that he could do.

It had been brave of her to throw that brick at that demon in the first place, but after realizing that it could breathe fire, and knowing that she could not do battle against it even if she wanted to save either of them? She seemed to be good at picking her battles. And although he would have managed to get loose without her intervention, he appreciated her efforts, meager as they might be. But it was time for him to go. He had lingered here long enough, especially without his hood to conceal his identity. He didn't need any of these people to recognize him. Word of mouth traveled, and he loathed that. He couldn't control gossip.

Panting heavily, the young woman faced down towards the ground, utterly overwhelmed and suddenly very winded. She couldn’t believe that she was still alive. It genuinely didn’t even feel real. She opened her eyes and looked upward, her heart set on thanking the man who had just saved her life. But to her shocked horror, when her eyes fell upon the place where her savior had been standing just a few moments prior, there was no one there. She hadn’t seen or heard him depart, and she had only glanced away for a split second. But her eyes didn’t deceive her. He was no longer there.

She hadn't even had a chance to thank him…

(-~-)

Finding a place to spend the previous night had been easier than he was accustomed to. He had ventured to a local hotel only to find the front desk unattended and the building seemingly abandoned. A logical course of action when demons swarmed your city, especially when a large swath of the population had fled for the hills for the time being. He'd simply snagged a set of keys and picked a room. He wouldn't be staying long anyway.

The next morning, however, he vacated the building only to find that people were slowly trickling back into town, the local authorities seemingly attempting to persuade them that everything would be all right. He failed to see how that was a course of action that they actually thought would work, but it wasn't his business anyway. He didn't live here. They were going to have to figure out what to do of their own accord. This was simply their life now, and they couldn't change that, but they could adapt. Theoretically, at least.

But as he watched them assess the damage done to their property, livelihoods, and loved ones, he headed down the street in the direction of the alley he had battled in the night before. He had been able to smell the bakery directly next to it the second that he had left the hotel, and he would be lying if he said that he wasn't somewhat hungry. In fact, he couldn't genuinely recall the last time he'd eaten something. He knew it had been in the last few days, but he hadn't been paying attention to his eating habits very much amidst the pursuit of knowledge that he had embarked upon.

That, and he was running low on funds.

A bakery seemed like something in his price point for the time being. And although he wasn't keen to start the day with empty carbs and sugar, needs be what needs must. Hunger was hunger, and he didn't plan to tolerate it any longer than he needed to.

As he rounded the corner, he glanced into the alley where he had fought the night before. That demon had been stronger than the run-of-the-mill rabble that he generally encountered in situations like this. Not strong enough to pose a significant threat to him, but intelligent enough to put up a decent fight, nonetheless. He wondered what those demons had been after in this town yet again, wondering if it might be worth his time to stick around for a little while longer and do some investigating.

Perhaps this town possessed a library or a public archive of some sort that he could pilfer in his spare time before leaving? He was going to have to check the train schedule anyway. His traveling was done at the whims of the freight industry. He couldn't just charter a ride out of town, so it was best that he'd do something constructive with his downtime. Hell forbid that he relax for 5 minutes. Rest was for the dead and dying. It went against his entire work ethic. No, his lifestyle. It was beyond the scope of simple work at this point. It was a calling. His entire life's work.

As he reached the front of the establishment, he caught sight of something that made quite a bit of sense to him in retrospect: The front window was shattered. The building was narrow and possessed one large glass display in the front, and it seemed that the struggle the night before had rendered it quite useless. Now the strength of the scent that he had caught wind of made a bit more sense. There was no meaningful obstacle to block the smell from wafting down the road. Perhaps at least for the time being this was a benefit rather than a purse. It was free advertising of a sort.

… Not really. That was just wishful thinking.

Pushing open the door to the small boutique bakery, he was greeted by the pleasant smell of breakfast food and baked goods, the aroma of tea and coffee reigniting a latent desire in him to consume more than he planned to eat initially. He liked to think that he possessed self-control, but places like this tested that hypothesis. Intensely.

Much to his surprise, however, it seemed that he had missed the morning rush as a young woman hurrying out the door with her food was the last customer to vacate the building. He had seen other patrons leaving as he was approached the building, but it seemed that most people were not in the mood for eating out at a time like this.

Approaching the front counter He took in the selection. It was mostly slices of pie, macaroons, and cakes. Daintily decorated and clearly made by hand in small batches, he was surprised at how consistent the quality was. The selection of actual breakfast food was rather small and heavily depleted after the morning rush, but it all seemed rather tasty at first glance. A small variety of breakfast breads stuffed with things like ham and cheese along with what appeared to be a quiche of some sort. Perhaps a mushroom and spinach? And next to it was what remained of a pre-sliced frittata, seemingly a popular item at the moment. Perhaps he would go with that…

As he looked at the available selection, he suddenly felt the presence of eyes upon him, coming to the conclusion quickly that whoever was behind the counter was probably waiting for him to order or attempting to predict what he might pick out. Vergil looked up at them, not entirely what he planned to say, but perhaps hoping that they would take the hint and give him some space, but all plans even remotely related to that idea quickly fled him as he made eye contact with the individual in question.

The young woman behind the counter made her way down to the other end of the display, clearly trying to eliminate any obstacles between her and her new customer so that she could speak with him face to face. And as she did so the Darkslayer stood upright, no longer leaning over to view the products on offer. And he incidentally got a better look at her.

And his brain hauled all of its current processes instantaneously as he very literally did a massive doubletake.

Before him stood a young woman who had to be close to his own age, her somewhat frizzy deep red hair reaching down to just barely over the top of her waste. It was pulled back behind her ear and thrown over her right shoulder, bound together very loosely with a series of gray bands that were about two to three inches apart. He imagined that this was probably to keep it out of the way so that she could do her work, but it was also a nice match to the soft gray puff shoulder blouse with wrist-length lace secured by elastic wristbands attached to both cuffs, the fitted pleats in the waist hugging her petite frame. The white polka dots on the gray garment accented the black pants she wore along with her gray boots, the top of which stopped halfway to her knee. The fuzzy trim on the top of the boots tied everything together, making it an elegant but still functional outfit, if not one that he was sure wasn’t probably the standard issue for the establishment. But in truth, he barely noticed these things in comparison to something else about her.

Her eyes.

Simply put, they were stunning. Large and vibrant, they were a lighter medium green that seemed even lighter in this environment than they probably actually were. They held a brilliant light to them that captivated him in a way he couldn’t quite understand. They held so much… emotion. It felt as though she were looking into his very soul instead of at him, although he knew that wasn’t the case. She was an ordinary human with no power or magic, that much he knew for sure. He didn’t sense anything extraordinary about her. Well, perhaps those statements were slightly untrue. She was most certainly special in some way, shape, or form. He just hadn't figured out what that way was just yet. And considering that he hadn't expected to be taken aback like this in the first place, that made perfect sense to him. It was rare that something took him by surprise. It was even rarer that he was utterly stunned.

Her face was somewhat oval-shaped, her chin pointed and her lips full and round, glossy candy apple red lipstick covering them. Aside from a touch of eyeliner to add depth to her large, brilliant doe eyes, that appeared to be the only makeup that she was wearing. She definitely wasn’t wearing any type of full-face concealer, her cheeks covered in small, dark freckles that drew further attention to her high cheekbones and long eyelashes. Perhaps she just wasn’t into that sort of thing. There was no way of knowing, and it wasn’t genuinely that notable regardless. And when she smiled and her lips parted the gap between her two front teeth became evident, something that he normally wouldn’t notice at all but did this time around.

She was probably- no, most certainly- the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in person. In truth, he didn’t spend much time around other people, so that might not be saying much, but he was genuinely stunned by her. He didn’t know what it was. Perhaps it was the way she batted her long eyelashes when she plinked or the pleasant little smile on her face that was more a smirk than anything else as she leaned across the counter and rested her elbow on the counter, resting her face on her palm. He couldn’t pinpoint it, in truth. Any perceived flaws that she might have in the eyes of conventional beauty standards just made her stand out more to him in the best way possible. But regardless, despite his best efforts, he found himself at a loss for words, utterly unsure as to what he’d been about to say before he’d made the mistake of making eye contact with her. He needed to compose himself. He refused to be the fool who became gobsmacked and stupefied just because he was in the presence of someone he found attractive. Very attractive. Undeniably so. Oh, damn it all, he’d already done that, hadn’t he?

"I was hoping I'd see you again, but I wasn't expecting you so soon." Her voice was silky and low, not in volume but in pitch. There was a sort of confidence and certainty to the way that she said those words. This wasn’t a question. She knew factually that they’d encountered one another before, and her delivery of that statement alone was enough to make him second guess his immediate gut reaction to deny this and perhaps ponder her words a little longer.

"You believe that you recognize me from somewhere?" He mentally kicked himself for wasting the breath required to ask a question with an answer that obvious. If she hadn’t thought that she’d seen him somewhere she wouldn’t have said that, now would she? He already knew the answer that she would give, although he wasn’t sure that he knew where he might have seen her before. But as the milliseconds ticked by and he thought about it, he realized that he most certainly did know where they might have run into one another previously.

What were the odds of that…

"Well, I would certainly hope so. There aren't many people walking around town with a hood on carrying a Katana. The white hair is a surprise, however." She said, a small chuckle emanating from deep in her chest. She seemed to be in a state of amused disbelief as she shook her head, closing her eyes before opening them again. “Very fortunate for me, indeed. You left so soon. I never had the chance to properly thank you.”

"What are you getting at?" Vergil said, now considerably more defensive and on guard than he had been a moment ago. He wasn’t sure whether or not that was a threat, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. As lovely as she was, if she possessed or demonstrated any sort of ill intent against him, he would show her no mercy.

Seemingly picking up on his shift in demeanor and how guarded the formerly calm man had been just moments ago, she stood up all the way, pulling away and no longer lingering near him. She wasn’t sure what was going through his head, and she got the impression that she didn’t want to know, her worry betrayed by her eyes, and her brow furrowed and dipped in the center of her face ever so slightly, anxiety threatening to cause her to panic.

“I’m sorry if I… I just meant to insinuate that it was good to see you again. I probably wouldn’t be alive right now if not for your intervention. At best I’d be on life support. That thing… it said that it planned to gut me and make me watch… “ She seemed to shrink somewhat, her discomfort at having to even repeat that obvious and genuine. Vergil relaxed his stance somewhat, not out of pity or remorse but from the simple understanding that he had probably misunderstood her intentions and grossly misjudged her. He would keep his guard up as always, but he no longer thought that she posed a threat to him. She never truly had expectations for last night when she’d smashed him in the head with that brick. For someone with such a delicate frame, she had one hell of a throwing arm. Impressive.

It seemed that his suspicion had been confirmed. She was indeed the young woman from the alleyway that he’d saved during the attack the night before. The same one who had hit a demon in the mouth after it had tried to bite his head clean off of his shoulders. That made sense in retrospect considering the fact that this building shared a wall with it. She’d probably been taking out the trash, locking up, or been chased out there when the attack had happened. Probably a part of why the window was broken and the tables had been tossed into the street if he was willing to hazard a guess.

"I'd love to know the name of the man who rescued me last night. I think I was in over my head." She said softly, giving him a friendly if not awkward smile. He got the impression she hadn’t meant for things to take such a serious turn.

"No." The Darkslayer said plainly, probably more firmly than he needed to. He didn’t introduce himself by name. Not to anyone. That wasn’t something that anyone needed to know unless he decided otherwise. Better to be safe than sorry.

"Oh? You must not have one then." She put her left hand on her and on her hip, her eyebrow raised slightly. It was clear that she was not amused by the bluntness of his statement, but she wasn't going to press the matter. She probably felt that she didn't have the standing to. Her desire to not come off as rude or pushy put her at a slight disadvantage, however. The eldest of the Dark Knight Sparda's twin sons did not possess this particular qualm.

"You will have no need to use it. I am simply passing through this town as I do any other." Vergil said simply, not so much annoyed as he was just over having to explain anything to her. He hadn’t come here to do that. True, she wasn’t asking him anything unreasonable, but he just didn’t like small talk.

"You're a drifter of sorts, then? Then I suppose I'm extraordinarily lucky that you happened to arrive when you did, then." The young woman with the dark red hair said, seemingly intrigued by this revelation. She had assumed that he was from out of town due to the fact that she'd never seen him before, but to meet someone who traveled frequently and didn't settle down at any location? That was fascinating to her. He had probably seen so much that she never had despite being a very similar age. “I would ask you about your travels, but I get the impression you don’t indulge in small talk. Understandable.”

"This entire backwoods little township is lucky I arrived when I did. Though I can't say they wouldn't have survived without me. Last night they seemed…" he spared a glance at her, recalling their little incident with the brick. She truly did have quite the throwing arm for one so petite. A part of him was still shocked by how hard shed hit him. "Capable… of defending themselves. Or, at least she would have been if not for the opponent she'd been up against. She has potential, at the very least. She's not afraid…"

"I wouldn't say as much."

"Well, I would have to politely disagree. You saved my life." She said softly, perhaps wondering if he regretted stepping in to save her. She genuinely hoped that she wasn’t annoying him by having this conversation. Maybe it was best she changed the conversation? She sincerely did care, even if she couldn’t even say that she barely knew him. "I have to pay you back. It's the least I can do."

"No, you do not," Vergil said, folding his arms around himself, Yamato tucked into the inside of his coat but still in his grip. He never put it down if he could help it, probably part of why she’d noticed it and mentioned recognizing the sword in the first place. She probably couldn’t pick it out specifically if asked to do so, but as she’d said, there were very few people who walked around carrying a weapon like this.

She seemed almost sad to hear this, a twinkle of something resembling pain in her eyes. From what Vergil could tell, she seemed genuinely hurt that he would not allow her to compensate him for what he’d done. But that simply wasn’t why he’d done it. He was not available for hire. He either did it because he wanted to or didn’t do it at all, and despite the fact that he wasn’t going to explain that, he did begrudgingly admit internally that perhaps he was being unnecessarily cold to someone who genuinely just seemed to want to be nice to him. Perhaps just a smidge mean. Maybe he could…

"... I do not require compensation for my actions, financial or otherwise." Vergil rephrased, presuming that clarifying might make his intentions more clear and less of a metaphorical slap in the face. Perhaps this would feel less like he was slamming an open door in her face right after walking through it when he knew she was right behind him. “I did not expect or desire for you to thank me when I liberated you. It isn’t necessary. Think of it no longer.”

She seemed to think on this, nodding to herself quietly, her expression much less pained, but she was clearly considering something other than his words. He sincerely hoped that she wasn’t going to insist. It was a wonder to him that he hadn’t simply walked out of the establishment by now. He wasn’t nearly hungry enough for all of this. Some people had low social interaction thresholds. He didn’t have one at all.

"Come on. Humor me for a moment before you go. Let me make you dinner at least. You said you were a drifter, right? When's the last time you've had a nice home-cooked meal?" She said, mustering a pleasant smile, clearly trying to appeal to some sort of latent desire she hoped he possessed. It was a long shot, and she knew that, but she had to do something. After all, who didn't like food? This was clearly something that she didn’t typically offer, but then again, this wasn’t a typical situation. “I promise I won’t lace your food with arsenic like a dissatisfied Victorian housewife.”

He was about to refuse her answer out of pure reflex alone when he actually took in the words she had asked him. A dinner proposal. It had been… Now that he thought about it, he genuinely couldn't recall the last time he'd had a meal cooked in the home of another person, especially not one made specifically for him. Probably not since his mother had… She had a valid point, whether she knew it or not. She had no way of knowing his past to that extent, but still. She’d touched on something deep within him that he hadn’t expected her to. He’d gone from mildly annoyed by her persistence to… something else in the blink of an eye. This was… curious.

Vergil looked up at her, noting that there was a certain softness to her demeanor. He was willing to bet that he was making her very uncomfortable with his silence and overall behavior, but that wasn't what her facial expression registered. It wasn't quite a look of pity, but she seemed to pick up on the fact that perhaps she had struck a nerve, and not in the way that she had wanted to. No, this was sympathy. Empathy. He got the impression all at once that she might be able to relate to how he felt, even if she didn't know it. Perhaps it was something he had said or done? Perhaps she was simply just that perceptive. And then, of course, there was always the possibility that he might be reading too much into things, but that was rarely the case.

"Um… please forgive me if I overstepped. I didn't mean anything by-" She started, but she did not get a chance to finish. Vergil slowly held his left hand up to silence her, not willing to hear anything further. He was still thinning, as embarrassing as that was to admit. He was going to need really think about this, as simple and benign of a request as it might seem at a glance.

"... I will consider it." He said simply, not looking at her. He hadn't expected to be offered payment for his actions, and he knew that he would never accept it… but perhaps dinner was something that he would entertain. He was going to need to develop the capacity for small talk, however… That would be a steep learning curve.

"Well, that's a start. I really hope you end up saying yes. In the meantime, here. Have this." Before he could say anything to the contrary she stepped over to the side, sliding open the glass door to the front display that held some of the baked goods in front of her. She then grabbed a small light blue wedge-shaped box off of the top of the case and folded it into the properly completed shape, a contrast from its flattened form a moment prior. She then used a wedge scoop to select a slice of pie from the display, slipping it into the box carefully before stepping back and closing the glass door to the display. The young woman then secured the container with some sort of rubber band, looping a ribbon around it from the pre-cut sections that sat on the counter behind her, intended for the macaroons if the display on the wall behind her was anything to go by. She then walked around the side counter and stood in front of him, taking long strides with her proportionally long legs, a pleasant smile on her face that her eyes mirrored. She held the tiny box with both hands, presenting it to him as though she were offering the demon slayer in blue something precious beyond compare. She seemed genuinely pleased to give this to him. Quietly excited, even. Eager. Was she attempting to poison him?

The Darkslayer was clearly taken aback by the suddenness of the gesture, and in an effort to simply reclaim his upper hand and not utterly crush her spirits out of pure petty cruelty, he nodded and took the box from her. He would be lying if he said that he didn't actually want to slice up that blueberry pie. It looked delectable. "I'm going to make a fresh batch of them shortly, so you don't have to worry about it, if that’s what you're thinking. It's on the house. I pegged you as a blueberry sort."

Vergil simply nodded as he usually did, receiving the pastry and then turning his attention towards the door. He could feel how giddy she was to have finally convinced him to take something from her. But as he took a few steps to leave the building, he paused, his steps halting. He then turned and slowly looked over his shoulder partially, her eyes raising to meet his glance after a few prolonged moments of silence. And she smiled ear to ear, a simple joy in her face that left him strangely breathless. A simple nod would not do in this case. "... Thank you. I will return later."

Still glowing with happiness, she leaned forward onto one foot, her leg up behind her as she waved at him, hopeful and nearly losing her balance in the process. He vacated the premises, sighing as he noticed that the sun was now bright in the sky above him, his eyes straining as they adjusted. And as he closed the door behind him and stood out in front of the small bakery taking in the sites of the half-wrecked city block in front of him, he wondered for a second if he would actually humor her. He would certainly return as he’d promised as he wasn’t one to lie, but he wasn't sure just yet. It was something he would have to think about. But the fact that he had to think about it all told him that the endeavor might be worthwhile after all.

… A home-cooked meal did sound nice.

Sitting down and opening the box, he took a tentative bite out of the pie, pleasantly surprised by the fact that it was actually very good. Most blueberry pies that he ate were far too sweet but this… he wasn’t sure he’d ever admit it, but it was very good and he actually liked it. And as he took a second bite, he caught a glimpse of her leaning against the door on the inside of her shop, barely containing her excitement upon witnessing him take a second bite. He resisted the urge to shake his head, amused. Perhaps he would humor her after all.

(-~-)

Okay, so this was really fun to write. I used to write SO many stories about teenage Vergil back when I was like 14-15 before I took my decade-long break from writing and came back to write Soliloquy… weird to say it was that long omfg. But anyway, this was a return to something I used to love to do, and I hope that his more fickle personality is a good but still in character contrast to how I normally depict him in the story. He had a lot of growing to do hahaha! But anyway, I’ll see you in the comments and on Friday. Take care, everyone! Thanks for all the feedback on the last few chapters!

#Petrichor #Vergil #Fic #AU #DMC AU #DMC #DMC5 #DMCV #Post DMC5 #Devil May Cry #Devil May Cry 5 #Devil May Cry V #My DMC AU #Post DMC AU #My Post DMC5 AU #My Post DMCV AU #My Post Devil May Cry 5 AU #My Post Devil May Cry V AU #Post DMCV

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skvaderarts · 2 years

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Petrichor Chapter 5: Reminiscing

I didn’t forget about that master list. Just been busy. Hoping to have it done Friday!

Chapter 5: Reminiscing

Note: Okay, so this is kind of funny but kind of not at the same time. I went to upload the chapter today, and I realized that I had forgotten to upload the chapter on Wednesday of last week 6/29. This is Wednesday's chapter. In the chapter notes for the chapter on Wednesday, I had left a note mentioning that Friday was my mother's birthday (7/1) so I wouldn't be uploading. But because I forgot to upload this chapter on Wednesday, you guys have just been sitting here for a week probably wondering if I'm dead or not Or if I had given up on writing the story. I'M SO SORRY!!!! I'm just fine! I'm just very forgetful! I hope this chapter makes up for it a little, but I will have a chapter on Friday and we're still continuing forward! This is in fact the 3 year anniversary of the saga now, which is crazy to even think about, so I wanted to thank you all for being here with me! Sorry again for any confusion or worry I caused! My bad!

(-~-)

The room was cool and full of dim light, the curtains pulled shut to block the majority of it so as to not disturb those sleeping within the room. An unused radiator adorned one of the nearby walls, pristine in condition but otherwise unnecessary at the moment. A building of this age almost certainly lacked double paint glass, and as such, the insulation being as good as it was had to be down to some sort of sorcery. It was just after noon now, but a combination of winter weather and an overcast sky meant that it still looked considerably earlier than that, closer to 8:00 a.m. or so.

Leaned against the wall with his eyes closed was Dante, not even slightly asleep, but simply quietly taking in the ambiance of the room he inhabited. The quiet sound of breathing and his brother laying still and undisturbed. He had physically recovered from his injuries by this point, but he seemed to insist upon not waking up. Perhaps there was something internal that prohibited it? Or perhaps his body had simply decided that he needed time to recover the energy he had spent on the task.

It was understandable. Even someone like him only had so much that they could give.

During the quiet time that he'd been allotted since the fight, he had spent a considerable amount of time going over everything that had happened recently in his mind. Things had gone so bad so fast that it was horrifying. In the blink of an eye, they had all almost lost their lives, and if not for some quick thinking, it was very possible that none of them would be here right now. His brother had been willing to lay down his life to protect his sons, much as any of them had been willing to lay down their lives for one another. There was no surprise there as far as he was concerned. Vergil was a lot of things, but a coward who was willing to let those loyal to him die so that he could achieve victory was not one of them. It was something that, in theory, didn't need to be said, but when he had watched his older twin actually jump in front of a blade to his almost certain death to try and save him from an impossibly powerful appointment, that had been a completely different story. Truly a wake-up call in the worst possible way.

Vergil was willing to die for him. Without hesitation. And that was something he struggled to fully process. It made sense in principle. They were identical twins. Brothers. Two pieces dyed different hues but cut from the very same cloth. No one had the privilege of harming them but the other, and despite their often ceaseless bickering and brawling, they would fight side by side without a second thought at least than a moment's notice. It was a relationship of contradictions, and they didn't know how to have it any other way.

And at this point, so long as they were cordial, he wasn't sure that they should try and change it. After all, things between them had been relatively positive since they had returned from the underworld a few months back. They had gone through their momentary spats, but Vergil had only stabbed him once in the few months he had been here, so that was genuine progress. And above all else, it showed that his brother had the capacity for restraint and to change his behaviors. To learn from his mistakes. He had not completely lost the capacity to give a shit, and Dante would be lying to say he wasn't excited about that prospect. And he was more than willing to help him continue down that road… But first, he had to wake up. And Dante was going to stay here as long as it took for him to do that. He refused to not be here when he opened his eyes again, and he knew that at some point he would. His older brother had been through war and literal hell, and although the wounds he had suffered at the hands of the devil Prince were egregious indeed, they would not stop him. He had been through far worse, unfortunately. He just had to come kicking out the gate this one last time.

"No rush or anything, but everybody's waiting for you. I know you don't like to be late." Dante thought to himself, cracking his eyes slightly as he felt the morning sun on the top of his forehead. The windows were pitched at a certain angle on this part of the building, and they were higher up the wall than most of the rest of the building, perhaps to not disturb those sleeping within. He was willing to bet that this wing of the manor had been built specifically for this purpose. It was times like this that he wondered just how old the place was and how long the Ludwig family had been presiding over it. Had they built it in the first place? Questions for another time, and products of an idle mind with nothing better to think about. There was a certain finality to the situation he found himself in right now, so it was natural that he would send his mind down other avenues of thought. That he would focus on things that he could actually ask questions and get answers on.

Just a few moments later, a soft knock came from the other side of the door. Dante turned his head slightly to face the door, nodding as a familiar face stuck her head through the door and quietly mouthed a request to enter. Magnolia stepped through the doorway, brushing her hair out of her face with her elbow as she let out a soft yawn. She blinked slowly and heavily as her eyes drifted over to her long-time friend, unmoved from his previous position since she had last seen him. She's been there a little while ago to inform him that V and Nero had gone somewhere temporarily and would return later. She shook her head slightly and made her way over towards Dante with the tray of food she was carrying, seemingly aware of the fact that he had no intentions of leaving or even moving from this room unless he needed to. She wasn't going to argue that position or even ask why he would do such a thing. It was quite obvious, after all. But she was, however, going to make sure that he actually ate something today. She didn't need two sick twins in the house.

"I thought that you might be hungry and perhaps desire some company. Both of those assumptions remain merely that, but perhaps I was at least somewhat on the right path?" She said softly as she approached, sitting the trade down on the table next to Dante, he's over at the food, his nose catching no particular smell, but his stomach reacting nonetheless. He hadn't thought about food for at least 2 days. She might have a point there.

"... Yeah, why not? I got some questions you might be able to answer anyway, and you probably have some, too, hu?" He said with a shrug as he extended his arms over his head and stretched, his back making a loud pop as he gritted his teeth and winced slightly, unprepared for that reaction from his stiff body. He was getting old, wasn't he? It was something that he had been teasing Vergil about for some time now, but the more he thought about it himself, the more he wondered how they were actually going to age. In ways, Dante felt younger than he ever had, and in others, he felt considerably older. Did the demonic part of him age slower than the human body that he found himself inhabiting? Did his demonic blood strengthen his body beyond just raw power? Did it improve his longevity? It seemed as though it did, but would the two parts of his soul ever reach equilibrium at some point or another? Had they reached that equilibrium already and he just hadn't noticed? Was that something he would even be able to measure in any quantifiable way? More nebulous questions that would only send him down a spiraling path of existential dread. This wasn't the time to face his own mortality.

"That's fair. I have nothing better to do at the moment anyway, especially this early in the morning. And it occurred to me that we've never really just talked." She said with a soft smile, cluing into some sort of turmoil going on within him that she couldn't pinpoint. She had plenty of assumptions to work off of, but nothing concrete. There was too much going on there. "I was going to ask you if there had been any change with him, but I don't think I need to. It's evident that there hasn't been. And that's a good and a bad thing, I suppose. But I guess we take our hope where we can get it these days, don't we?"

With a sigh, Dante nodded in agreement. She was right on the money with that one. It was bad that nothing had changed in the sense that he had not woken up yet, but it was better than him declining by a country mile. That was the last thing he wanted to see happen. They had just gotten on the topic, but perhaps it was time to change it?

"You've got that right." He cleared his throat slightly as he continued to think, a question popping into his head that he thought might make a good segue into another topic since it was both a genuine question and something that didn't entirely relate to this. "So I've got to ask… What made you decide to befriend my cranky, cold, and generally completely disagreeable twin? Because I can't see why anybody would choose to be friends with him based on the way he was back then. Or maybe he wasn't always like that? I don't know. I'm still trying to figure out how he has two kids. Honestly, I don't know why anybody would want to talk to either one of us when we were teenagers. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my own problems that I needed to work on back then… "

Laughing at his self-evaluation, Magnolia picked up a cup of tea from the tray she brought into the room. She cleared her throat for a moment before taking a sip, swallowing it as she shook her head. She seemed to be struggling to get it down without laughing, holding her hand over her mouth as she lowered the cup so as to not accidentally spit out her drink. It had been a bad idea to try and take a sip before she had calmed all the way down, and on top of that, she was about to burn her mouth.

"A fair question! And one that I didn't expect you to ask me but it probably should have." She cleared her throat again before inhaling deeply and then exhaling, closing her eyes as she settled back into her previous state of calm. She then shook her head slowly as she turned to face Dante again, a very faint blush on her cheeks that he hadn't expected to be there. "I most certainly didn't think I could fix him, if that's what you're wondering. My actual reasons were far more embarrassing If not a bit more complex, at least at the time."

"What, did you have a super obvious crush on him or something?" Dante said with a low chuckle, his mind altogether rejecting the possibility of that even being the case. Magnolia was far too intelligent and bright to ever fall for someone as moody and emotionally unavailable as his older brother, even if it had been for something as silly as a hormone-fueled teenage crush. But as he looked at the increasingly reddening look on her face, he stopped chuckling and his eyes wide and slightly as his pupils dilated. There was no way… was he actually on to something?! "... You're kidding me. Why?!"

Sign deeply, Magnolia rubbed the side of her neck in embarrassment, obviously having a hard time explaining herself. Perhaps she should just say exactly what was on her mind? "... Well for starters, after I got over the fact that he had broken into our house and that I had almost killed him the first time we had met and got to know him a bit, I found him incredibly attractive. I would be lying to say that I still don't. It's a large part of the reason I'm probably still single now. I believe he may have set my standards too high too young and as such I was never able to overcome them."

It was Dante's turn to laugh at her statement. She was doing so as well, but he hoped that he didn't come off as passive-aggressively rude as he thought he might be. This was all something of a surprise to him, but now that he thought about it, that did make a bit of sense. As hard of a time as he gave his brother for most things, he knew that he would be lying completely if he was to say that he found Vergil completely unattractive. That would be self-sabotage. They might have both picked on one another for their looks over the years, but it was mostly in good fun more than anything else. Even still, Magnolia's revelation was somewhat hilarious to him.

"So you're telling me that you thought my brother was so attractive that he ruined all future dating prospects for you? I mean, he's not that attractive is he? And wait, if we're identical twins then does that mean-"

At that point, she broke down into hysterical laughter, holding her hand up to stop him and finish saying anything further. She was going to rupture her lung if she kept going like this. She simply hadn't been ready for him to segue into that topic. How on earth had she gotten herself into this mess?!

"Perhaps I should clarify. I don't simply mean that I find him visually attractive. Although I do. I would be lying to say I don't. That is absolutely the case. In fact, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I probably find him more attractive now than I did then. He is aged remarkably well. Like Chardonnay." She grumbled to herself under her breath, folding her arms around her chest and shaking her head. Her entire face was red now, but she was forcing herself to resist the urge to hide her entire head in her shirt or bury her face in her hands. She was not an ostrich. This hadn't been how she had expected her morning to go. And yet, she couldn't say that she was upset about it. This was the funniest conversation she'd had in quite a while, And I was actually somewhat of a relief to talk to somebody about it, even if that person happened to be the identical twin of the person in question which did complicate things. "And yes, that does mean that by extension I do find you quite cute in your own regard, but despite the fact that your twins you do have a different style that makes you individually appealing. Though I suppose you may have better luck with one of my sisters… I believe one of them fancies you. It's… I suppose it's a bit more difficult to explain what it was that I saw on your brother specifically and what, to some extent, I still do."

Dante blinked away his confusion, taking note of the change in her tone. She was being entirely serious now, and as such, he found it patently inappropriate to continue laughing about it. Now he was genuinely curious as to what she meant when she said that it was difficult to explain. There was some depth to this, wasn't there? Quite a bit of it, it seemed.

"Setting aside the fact that I think I know which sister you might be talking about… do you think you could explain? Because I think you might have known a side of my brother that I never have." Dante glanced over at his older twin, detecting no indication that he could hear or understand them. His breathing hadn't changed and neither had his demeanor. He wondered if he was suffering for a moment, but none of his displayed vital signs indicated that that might be the case. Still, he hoped he wasn't. He'd been through enough as it was for one lifetime. "We didn't talk for years growing up. After what happened with our parents, specifically our mother's death… We went our separate ways. I didn't see Vergil for about 10 years, and his whole life happened between that gap. And then we clashed for about a year on and off until he stayed behind in the underworld and I'm only now getting to know him again. I only met him once between that time and… well you would have to ask him about that. I can't tell you. Not my place to, I guess. But he probably won't talk about it. It's painful for him whether he wants to admit it or not."

A look of visible sympathy spread across her face as she reached her hand out and placed it on Dante's shoulder, hoping that he wouldn't mind. He didn't flinch away from her like she would have expected his brother to, but he did look just as surprised in his own way. He let out a heavy sigh, glancing back over at Vergil again. She could feel how much he wanted his older twin to be okay. And she felt nothing but sympathy for him in that regard. She couldn't imagine what it was like to be a twin and to see your twin in such a state, worrying that he may not survive. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to elaborate after all. Well, at least not as bad as it was for him to not know.

"... Vergil has a certain sort of deeply sarcastic likeability once he lets his garden down. A sort of uniquely bitter somber humor that is actually genuinely enjoyable If you understand it, even if it does indicate that it comes from a place of deep pain that he is still working through. And he can be deeply passionate and inspiring even if it is at the cost of any semblance of a personality outside of his pre-established goals from time to time. His single-mindedness is one of his greatest strengths and weaknesses simultaneously. He possessed a deep drive to achieve his goals and a focus that I could only envy. Or at least he used to." A look of sadness overtook her face as she looked over at him, clearly seeing something that he did not. From what he understood, they had spent a few years in direct contact with one another, so she had probably seen a metamorphosis of sorts occur. He wondered what that had been like. He wished they had talked more and that things have been different in retrospect. He still kicked himself a lifetime later for some of the things he said and did back at the tower, especially after their reunion on Malet island. "I still see glimmers of it from time to time, but more than anything I can see the damage that was done to him over the years. It's incalculable. There's something that's missing from his eyes that used to be there. A light that they used to have. I can see the fire and the spark that he lost. And I know from what you and your companions have said that he has been through hell, though I don't know the specifics and I'm not sure that I ever want to. But I do know that it must have been terrible to strip down the sense of pride and self that he once possessed. And at times it breaks my heart to look at him. He is still finding a sense of purpose now. A new one. And I think a large part of that comes from Nero and V and his desire to protect them and be better for their sake, but I don't know if he possesses the desire to do anything for himself simply for his own satisfaction anymore. Perhaps he gains satisfaction from seeing them happy? But more than anything, I can see somebody that needs someone… and I'm glad he has you, Dante. For better or for worse. I'm glad that he has all of you… But especially you."

She wiped her face with her hand as her chest shifted slightly, it becoming more and more obvious that she was attempting to compose herself and failing at that endeavor to a degree. It wasn't so much that she was afraid to cry in front of Dante. It was mostly that she just didn't have it in her to start down that path right now. Sometimes when you started, it was hard to dig yourself back up, and it could drag you down for a while. But it was even harder to know when you should just let go and allow yourself the time that you needed. The obvious answer was moderation, but learning the patterns to that moderation was an entirely different skill that took a lifetime to learn, and she couldn't say that she was there quite yet.

The youngest son of the Dark Knight Sparda watched her quietly for a moment, tentatively patting her on the shoulder. He wasn't sure that he should hug her. That might be overstepping, and it wasn't something he was sure either of them would be comfortable with. It did make him wish that V and Nero were back from wherever they had gone earlier. He was willing to bet that they would be better at comforting her, especially V. They just seemed to mesh well.

"... Thank you. Now I feel bad I laughed at what you were saying earlier."

She shook her head and shrugged, gesturing with her head towards him as she wiped her damp hand on her pants. It was a good thing she didn't bother to wear makeup or else they would probably be a mess. "Oh, don't worry about it. It does seem kind of ridiculous in a way. And besides, I got plenty of fun poked at me about it from my sisters and cousins when I was younger. I wasn't very good at hiding it from anyone but him, apparently. I probably wasn't even good at hiding it from him. He was just kind of lost in his own world. Always has been since I've known him. But I was never officially falling head over heels for him in the first place, so perhaps that contributed to it."

Dante shrugged but nodded in agreement. That made sense. It was highly probable, in fact. But as the two of them sat there and took in the conversation they had just had, something out of the corner of both their eyes caught their attention. A slight shift in the covers.

Vergil had just moved.

And as they both seem to be visibly taken aback by this, the sound of two familiar voices could be heard coming down the hall. It was Nero and V. It seemed that despite their decision to leave earlier, they had arrived with perfect timing nonetheless. Fortunate indeed. It wasn't as though he could go and get them. After all, he had no idea where they were, and the last person on Earth that Yamato was going to answer to was him.

Dante shook his head and leaned over closer to his brother, a mixture of disbelief and relief in his eyes. "Welcome back, Vergil. Looks like you overslept."

(-~-)

Well, this chapter was a roller coaster of emotions! I'm excited about the next chapter! I have some fun stuff planned for you guys! I hope you've all been having a good week. It's been rough for a lot of us. Well, actually all of us in one way or another. I hope that just like during the pandemic my little silly story can give you all some hope, because I know it's rough out there right now we're all a little short on it these days. I'll be going back through and checking for mistakes again, so if you see anything blatant, let me know. My editing software doesn't catch some of the little silly things sometimes, and using voice to text doesn't help. I think my phone is getting progressively stupider lol! I'll see you all on Wednesday, and again, sorry about last week!

#Petrichor #Dante #Vergil #DMC5 #DMCV #DMC #My Post Devil May Cry 5 AU #My Post Devil May Cry 5 Fan Fic #Post DMC5 #Post DMCV #My Post DMC AU #My Post DMCV AU #DMC OCs #Post DMC AU #Devil May Cry #Devil May Cry V #Devil May Cry 5

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skvaderarts · 2 years

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Petrichor Chapter 16: Morning

Chapter 16: Morning

Note: Hi everyone! Welcome back! Hope you like this chapter! This one was pretty fun to write, and I'm curious to see what you think! This story ark is going to be one hell of a ride!

(-~-)

As soon as consciousness began to form its first glimmers in the deepest depths of his subconscious, the young summoner could already sense the difference in the room around him, the crushing, pervasive aura that had permeated every discernible inch of the cabin the night before as you got closer and closer to where the adjudicator lingered. Everything was as it had been the night that they had arrived before everything had shifted into disarray. The only thing that he could sense that was even remotely out of place was a strange sense that something unseen had changed, but he was fully aware of the fact that he wouldn't be able to see what that something was until he opened his eyes.

Blinking slowly and heavily, the young white-haired summoner shifted under the covers, yawning soundlessly as he stretched his left arm over his head, his eyes seeing very little aside from the pervasive light that shined in through the windows. The curtains were partially drawn, but he could still vaguely make out the snowy winter weather just beyond the windows. It was probably the speed of the train that made the snow move at such high velocity since he was willing to bet that they would have stopped the locomotive should a blizzard have truly begun. Still, it seemed that they were passing through a forest of some sort, The cloudy sky above them providing a beautiful contrast in the form of overcast weather. A far cry from the rolling fields of mid-harvest farmland that he had witnessed the night before when they had departed the station. He was sure that the local farmers didn't appreciate the early snow. He quietly wished them luck.

But as he set up to slowly take in the rest of the room, he recalled everything that had happened the previous night, his eyes quickly darting around the room in a bid to locate his traveling companion. And to his visibly startled surprise, he located his friend rather quickly. It seemed that he had been standing just barely off to the side the entire time, leaning against the post that the curtain connected to on the left side of the room that closed the bed off and the rest of the room. And the curtain was drawn, unlike the night before. V knew for a fact that he hadn't pulled it shut, preferring to be able to maintain a line of sight with his friend considering how strange and unnerving his behavior had suddenly become. But now he could only vaguely see his outline from just beyond the gray curtain, and he could tell that the adjudicator knew that he was awake. He had more than likely pulled it shut himself in order to provide his friend with privacy.

"... Good morning… " Sirrus said softly, his tone seemingly strained in comparison to his normal way of speaking. It was hard to read his emotions from this side of the curtain since his face could not be made out, but V got the impression that he might be tired or otherwise worn out. He would see for himself soon enough, he decided. He was more than ready to get out of bed. Despite the evening's revelations, he had actually managed to sleep relatively well. The bed was plush and the silken sheets had been very cool to the touch throughout the night, at the very least. He hated to sleep hot. He hated being hot.

Sitting up and making a mental inventory of the fact that he had fallen asleep in the same thing that he had worn to the station minus a shirt despite the cold weather, he stood up and made the executive decision to simply grab something warmer from his travel bag. He stretched, nearly losing his balance as he put his arms up over his head. It wasn't something that was uncommon, but it was always a bit disconcerting when it occurred. And as he approached the edge of the curtain and pulled it back, he made eye contact with his companion for the first time since he had begun to zone out last night, his attention turned towards the windows at the back of the car. Before he had fallen under the full moon's spell.

"Hello, Sirrus… Good morning." V said, his voice slightly hoarse. For reasons that were beyond him, he was at a total loss as to what to say to his friend at the moment. He didn't feel uncomfortable in his presence in the slightest despite everything that had happened the night before, but he did seem to be suffering from a bad case of mental block that prevented him from coming up with any reasonable or expedient responses to his companion's simple statement. He only hoped that Sirrus could overlook it. "Forgive me… I don't believe I'm fully awake just yet."

He wasn't entirely sure what he had expected to see when he pulled the curtains back, but V couldn't count the return of the vast majority of the pigment in his friend's hair on that list. From what he could tell, streaks of deep red had returned to his hair, the formerly white locks that he had seen the day before now serving as a sort of highlight instead of being the majority color. Most of the red had returned, but it was almost pink or even a dark ginger brown in certain spots, perhaps a side effect of the underlying white or a failure on behalf of his hair to fully regain its natural color. Regardless, most of his hair was now red again, if not omitting its previously healthy vibrant sheen, and considering that he had been told previously that it would take a bit longer than this, he was perplexed. It was the only notable change from how he had looked the day before, but it was notable indeed.

It seemed that he now had more questions to ask…

Aside from that, he seemed unchanged, perhaps aside from the visible tiredness in his eyes that he couldn't recall having seen previously, even when he had awoken from being in a coma. It was the first time he could ever say that Sirrus had actually looked sleepy to him, and it was a strange thing to behold. Regardless, his friend seemed pleased to see him awake, and he was equally, If not even more so, happy to see him seemingly recovered and back to his normal self. At least at a glance.

"Understandable. It's barely 9:30, after all." The adjudicator seemed to silently take note of the fact that he was missing his shirt, looking him up and down slightly, but not in a judgmental way. If anything, he seemed almost amused by his lack of upper body clothing. The young summoner noted that this was probably the first time that he'd actually seen him with his shirt off despite the fact that he had tailored clothing for him previously. But to be fair, that had been a coat, and coats were generally worn with a shirt underneath, although there was at least one member of his family that he was willing to believe would dispute that claim, and his own previous attire was a direct conflict with his own logic. He hadn't exactly chosen that outfit, though. "I assume that you might not be dressed. It seems I was half correct."

"You thought I might sleep without my clothes on in a shared room with no door?" V asked, seemingly surprised by his companion's statement. He couldn't say that he fully understood why his friend might think that to begin with, but he wasn't going to linger on it, either. He recognized that this was probably more of an attempt to break the ice between them than anything else. He generally did sleep with a shirt on, but the covers had felt so good that he had chosen not to, instead opting to be swaddled by their silken embrace. That was not to say he didn't see the appeal of sleeping with less clothing on in general as he did so occasionally himself, but he most certainly would never do so in the room with someone else. He didn't want to run the risk of making them uncomfortable. Though by the way that his friend had made that statement, he got the impression that he wouldn't have been bothered by it, something that didn't exactly surprise him, but he did find curious.

"Your proclivities and preferences are not something I will pretend I fully comprehend. I wasn't exactly going to pull back the covers and check." Sirrus chuckled softly, a faint smile on his face. Trace amounts of the light that normally gleamed in his eyes returned as he seemed to enjoy being in his now awake companion's presence. He was clearly glad to see that he had not dissuaded V from speaking with him. In fact, he almost looked relieved that he was speaking to him at all. V got the faintest impression that his companion might have been harshly judged for something similar in the past. "And I assume that after last night you would not be pleasantly surprised to awaken to me leaning over you pulling the covers back to expose your potentially nude body to the cold air."

… That… was a very fair point. And the mental image of it alone was enough to make him turn faintly red in the face. He… honestly had no idea how he would react to that. He would probably be so shocked that he wouldn't be able to. Although a small part of him found the concept more amusing than frightening, perhaps a testament in of itself to his level of comfort in his friend's presence. He trusted him enough that he wouldn't immediately think the worst and jump to any unsavory conclusions, but couldn't say that he was going to volunteer to be in that sort of situation anytime soon. He didn't exactly like people seeing him undressed.

Perhaps in retrospect, it was a small mercy that when he had returned from his state of undeath that Nero had seen him while he was unconscious because if he'd had to make eye contact with him, he might have instantaneously died again. And then he had almost stood up in front of Kyrie… utterly mortifying.

"Honestly, I think I would have been more surprised to see you asleep when I woke up than anything else. Did you… get any rest last night?" V said softly, remembering for the first time that he had not checked in with Griffon since he had given him the task of keeping watch during the night. But considering that his avian companion hadn't spoken up at any point during the night or since he had woken up this morning to give him any sort of warning or update, he was willing to bet that the night had been mostly uneventful. He would have to remember to ask him later. He hoped that the answer wasn't simply that his summon had dozed off, but he couldn't say that he blamed him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. Perched from the ceiling hanging by my talons upside down like a bat with my wings draped around my body like a chrysalis." Sirrus said completely straight-faced, his tone and body language stumping V almost instantly and causing him to stop dead in his tracks as he turned back to face him. He had been scanning the room trying to remember where he had put his bag the day before, but that statement had come so far out of left field that it had nearly ran him over and left him for dead. He genuinely couldn't tell if that was a joke or not, and after last night, he wasn't going to rule it out as a possibility. After all, he had no way of knowing what had happened when he was asleep, aside from taking the assurances and accounts of others as fact.

Obviously realizing that something was amiss, Sirrus's demeanor softened, his eyes carrying a faint trace of concern as he realized that V wasn't entirely sure as to whether or not he was messing with him or not. It had occurred to him before he'd made that statement that the joke might be in poor taste, all things considered, but he'd simply hoped that he hadn't utterly traumatized his young traveling companion the prior evening. That was the last thing he'd ever wanted to do. There were few things in the entire world that Sirrus wanted less than for V to be afraid of him. He didn't like to inspire fear in those he loved. He knew what that was like…

"I jest… but perhaps I shouldn't have," Sirrus said softly, obviously trying to quietly confirm that he had not upset him, but not sure as to the best way of going about that. They both paused for a moment, looking at one another as V leaned over his now unzipped luggage bag in search of a shirt to wear. The two of them seem to be walking on eggshells for the time being, something that they both mutually noticed but hadn't verbally addressed, a growing sense of discomfort seemingly preventing them from doing so. Neither of them wanted to risk upsetting or hurting the other, not out of fear of the other's ire, but courtesy and a lack of willingness to risk jeopardizing was otherwise a flawless friendship. But if asked, both of them would quickly be willing to state that it would take considerably more than that to put their friendship at risk. Their bond had been forged in flame, and it was not easily broken or damaged. They were both overthinking it, and they were mutually aware of that, but still lacked the mental agency to act upon it, something that frustrated them both equally. Yet another thing that they weren't expressing in the way that they would have liked.

V particularly took issue with the awkward air that was growing between him and opted to attempt to eliminate it altogether, waving off his companion's concern that he might have upset him. He didn't want to allow a lack of communication between them to make things more uncomfortable than they had accidentally already become. Now that he had a clear answer as to whether or not that had been a joke, he couldn't say that he minded it in the slightest. He was used to his friend having a quirky sense of humor by now. It was just his timing that had thrown him for a loop this time around. "Think nothing of it. Generally, I'm a fan of morbid humor. I'm not sure what's wrong with me this morning."

Sirrus's piercing gray eyes betrayed the relief that confirmation had It delivered upon him, but held his more serious air regardless. He wanted me to know that he was serious about what he was going to say but thankful for his confirmation either way. "Experiencing what I suspect you went through last night tends to do that."

Before V could say anything further, there was a soft knock at the door followed by a voice informing them that their room service order had arrived. Sirrus held up a single finger to V to indicate that he wished for him to hold whatever thought he currently possessed, heading to the door and opening it before politely greeting the person on the other side and nodding in confirmation as he exchanged pleasantries and pulled a cart through the doorway, bowing slightly in thanks to the young man at the door before the employee thanked him for his time and pulled the door closed, dismissing himself. The adjudicator then pulled the small trolly further into the room, parking it next to the end of the counter just opposite of where V stood. He filed through several containers, quickly locating what he seemed to be after before throwing something together quickly and turning his attention back to his friend, gesturing silently with a head tilt towards the cart as he took a sizable bite out of something in his hand. It seems that food had just been delivered.

"I ordered breakfast a short while ago." Sirrus I said quietly as he looked at him, an almost somber tone to his voice. He was clearly fully aware of the fact that he had made his companion quite uncomfortable the previous night, and he seemed to sincerely regret that. "I was willing to assume that you didn't order anything to eat last night, so I thought that you might be hungry when you awakened. Please, help yourself. They're going to bring more later. One of the benefits of this particular railway."

V glanced over at the cart again, his nose catching the scent of breakfast food. Sausages, eggs, cheese, bread, and a variety of other pleasant smells permeated his senses. He hadn't even taken the lids off the metal containers yet and he already knew that he was probably going to eat most of what was over there. As if in response to his thoughts and in an effort to betray him, his stomach growled quite loudly, causing Sirrus to practically choke on his food as he attempted to stifle a laugh. It seemed that his digestive system also possessed comedic timing.

"Thank you. I think I shall." He said softly as he turned his attention to the containers, clearly eager to eat something. He hadn't felt especially hungry when he had woken up a few minutes ago, but now that the food had arrived, there was no way that he was going to wait any longer to eat it. He took one of the provided plates from underneath the cart and filled it with a few different items, noticing that several of them were upgraded versions of what he typically expected. The sausage for example was some sort of bratwurst, and instead of plain scrambled eggs, he was met with eggs Benedict, something that he'd only had on rare occasions previously. He also noticed that there was tea for the first time, something that he planned to help himself to shortly.

As he sat down in one of the small living chairs that faced the right-side windows, he took a moment to look out and take in the view. Off from the distance, he could see what almost appeared to be water, but he couldn't be sure from this distance. The trees blocked his line of sight, the last vestiges of fall leaves being decorated with a soft layer of fluffy snow. It was rare that he saw the two together, and it is something that he planned to enjoy, much like the frankly delicious food that he was now enjoying. Sometimes it was the quiet moments of basic frivolity that kept him sane. He was determined to enjoy this.

Joining him only a moment later with a stainless steel tea kettle and two cups that sat on a tray along with a few different optional additives, Sirrus gestured towards several of the items on offer to indicate whether or not V wanted them. The young summoner was too busy eating to answer verbally, but he did nod and shake his head to indicate what he did want and how much. And before he could finish his next bite, his friend had prepared the tea and set it in front of him, earning him a muffled thank you from the summoner. But as he took a sip and found that it was very much to his liking, something occurred to him for the first time.

"... You rarely eat food," V observed, watching as his friend munched on something that he couldn't quite define. It looked like a bagel or something at least adjacent, but he couldn't be sure. It didn't have a hole down the middle, so it was more than likely some sort of toast, but he wasn't entirely sure. It reminded him vaguely of the bread that his egg sat on, but the name of what that item was escaped him for the moment. He was going to blame the delicious tea he was eating for that.

"True. Today is a rare occasion. For once I'm quite hungry." Sirrus said, standing up to go and retrieve a plate that he had seemingly set aside in favor of bringing the tea over. He then placed it down before joining V at the window. This table actually folded out from the wall, a nice touch considering there was a small table at the back of the car as well. But that one was bolted down to the floor for understandable reasons, so they weren't exactly going to be moving it to a more preferable spot."This is the first time I can recall eating on this train. I won't pretend to be the best judge of food considering how rarely I eat it, but I know what I like, and this is actually quite good."

V nodded in agreement. It wasn't as good as the food he had been eating at the Ludwig estate in recent memory, but it was easily better than he had assumed it would be considering that they were on a train and public transportation was not known for its delectable hors d'oeuvres. And that was to say nothing of the fact that he wasn't a picky eater to begin with. Though if he had to pick a favorite… Kyrie had spoiled him. Utterly and truly. "Agreed. This is nice."

"It is. But aside from that, I'm sure you have questions you'd like me to ask me, and I promised you answers last night." Sirrus said softly, taking a sip of his tea as he glanced out of the window. It really was a magnificent view, wasn't it? The trees were simply gorgeous, and the snow didn't obscure the view so much as it highlighted points of interest. He could stand to see it like this more often. "So let's get started. What would you like to know?"

(-~-)

Well, writing the next chapter is going to be fun lol! I'd love to hear what you think about this chapter, especially after reading the last one! I want to see what your guesses are before I reveal anything. That's always fun! But either way, I hope you had a good week and that I see you in the comments! Take care and see you next week! Same time, same place.

#Petrichor #V #Sirrus #Vitale #DMC #DMCV #DMC5 #Devil May Cry #Devil May Cry 5 #Devil May Cry V #DMC AU #My DMC AU #Post DMC AU #My Post DMC5 AU #My Post DMCV AU #My Post Devil May Cry 5 AU #My Post Devil May Cry V AU

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skvaderarts · 2 years

Text

Petrichor Chapter 13: Stations

Chapter 13: Stations

Note: My brain must still be fried from my trip to the hospital last week because I could have sworn I uploaded this on Friday. Sorry about that, everyone. Hope you’ve had a good week so far!

(-~-)

Later that same evening

“So, your leaving town? And nobody is at the office? Did Dante and Vergil leave, too?”

V stood in front of the waiting section at the train station, the chilly station air causing frost to come out of his mouth. The station was functioning, but some of the windows were broken in the glass atrium above them, and as such, there was a terrible draft considering how cold it was outside. The heaters were working overtime, but they were fighting a losing battle. All the better that they would be departing soon.

But before they could do that, he’d seen fit to call Nero and notify him as to his departure. He didn’t want anyone looking for him out of fear that he’d gone missing or been kidnapped… again… And as such, the payphone in the station nearest to the part of the boarding area they were currently occupying had been an obvious choice. He was just glad that the phone lines were working here. He’d heard that it could be relatively hit or miss depending on what part of town you were in right now.

“Correct on both accounts. I haven’t the faintest idea of when I shall return, but I will attempt to stay in correspondence. Please pass my best wishes on to the others, especially Kyrie and Magnolia when you next see them.” V said, clutching the payphone just a little bit tighter. He would tell them himself if not for the fact that he didn’t know the number and that he genuinely did need to leave soon. He couldn’t miss their train while he was calling a long list of acquaintances in the station.

“Alright, I can do that. What do you want me to tell them if they get back before you do?” Nero inquired causally, not really concerned as to what his uncle or father thought about it if he was being totally honest. At the end of the day, V was simply being courteous so as to not worry any of them. He could leave town without announcing as much, but given recent events, he was sure he knew why he had made the effort to do so.

“I… Have no idea. I will inform you should I come up with a satisfactory answer. Otherwise, tell them what best suits you.” V genuinely hadn't made any plans for that eventuality. It was a good point, but one that he couldn’t say he’d given any thought to during their sudden plans to leave town. It had been a spur-of-the-moment thing, and although he’d mentioned his lunch plans to his father, they hadn’t made these plans to leave the region until much later. Vergil and Dante had departed the station already. He had no idea where they were, and neither of them carried a phone. Everyone was shooting in the dark now.

V could practically feel Nero shrug through the phone line. He had no idea what to tell them, either. Anything that wouldn’t worry them, he supposed. But then again, that could be a wide range of things. It was one of those situations where they were probably better off just dealing with it when the time came. “Yea, I can do that. You be safe, alright? Tell me if you need my help. I don’t care how far away you are or what’s going on. You hear me, V?”

A soft smile spread across V’s face as he shook his head gently from side to side. He didn’t what Nero to worry about him, but it seemed that it was inevitable in one form or another. But that wasn’t something he found bothersome. It simply confirmed for the young summoner that his younger sibling did indeed care for him as much as he cared for him. “I do and I shall. Likewise. If I can be of assistance do not hesitate to contact me.”

Seemingly satisfied with his older brother’s unwavering sincerity, Nero cleared his throat before nodding to himself on the other end of the phone line. It wasn’t something that V could see, but he simply knew what that pause meant. He knew it probably wasn’t an ideal time to leave Nero alone in town, but they were all a phone call away, and the girls were still around. Nero had handled worse by himself before. He was going to be alright. “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. Don’t miss your train.”

V couldn’t help but chuckle at that statement. They had plenty of time before the train departed, but boarding was indeed underway. It was almost as though Nero knew by heart that he’d waited until the last minute to contact him. It hadn't been an afterthought, but it had most certainly been an oversight on his part. He would simply blame it on the suddenness of the trip and call it a day.

“Oh, and one last thing,” V said just as he detected that his younger sibling might be about to dismiss himself and hang up the phone. He couldn’t exactly hang up and send him a text message about it later, so it needed to be said now. “Should you be unable to return to Fortuna but wish to leave the Ludwig estate or simply wish to go somewhere else, for the time being, I left a spare key in the lantern to the left of my front door. Feel free to make use of it.”

With everything going on, he could only imagen that they all needed somewhere quiet and out of the way to decompress and truly take in everything that had happened in the last little while. Kyrie and the children were seemingly enjoying their stay at the manor, but that could understandably change at a moment's notice, and they might desire somewhere more private to call home for the time being. He wasn’t going to be there for a little while, and as such, he was happy to give them that. It was the least he could do considering everything that they had done for him.

Nero seemed genuinely surprised, his tone betraying how touched he was by the gesture. He knew they were welcome there, but to allow someone full access to your house while you left town for an extended period of time was another matter entirely. “Wow, I… thanks, V. We might have to take you up on that offer. Your sure you don’t mind?”

V smirked to himself, pleased that his offer had been received well. He hoped that Nero would consider his offer, and it seemed as though he genuinely might be. “Of course. You all are always welcome. Take care. I will be in contact sometime in the near future. Take care.”

“You too, V. You, too. Tell Sirrus I said hi.” Nero said with a low chuckle, seemingly amused by this turn of events. What else could he even say to something like that? He hoped his brother had a safe trip. He knew that he was in good hands, and although he had not explained the nature of his sudden departure and he knew that it wasn’t going to be a vacation simply by the spur-of-the-moment unplanned nature of it, he wasn't going to ask. He was just going to choose to trust him. He knew what he was doing.

“I will. Take care.” V said simply. And with that, he hung the payphone back up on its receiver and turned his attention back to Sirrus. The other man had hung back, not wanting to appear to be eavesdropping on his conversation despite the fact that they both knew he could still hear him, background noise at the train station or not.

He approached slowly, pulling two large rolling luggage bags behind him as he approached, a duffle bag over his shoulder. They weren’t overpacked, but it was still a substantial amount of weight that he was simply hefting around like they weighed nothing. It didn’t seem to draw any attention to them, but it certainly was impressive.

They had made a quick stop by V’s home to pack, Sirrus grabbing a few things from a shop along the way to round out his nonexistent local closet. As a result, most of the luggage belonged to V, but he had managed to show up to their lunch in a long black coat with a red scarf to match his vibrant red umbrella, and V got the distinct impression that he was probably getting tired of it tangling in the strap of the duffle bag.

Without really thinking about it, V approached him and, without saying anything at all, reached over to adjust it for him. He reached around the back of his neck and loosened it slightly so that when he then reached forward and pulled the hanging segment of the scarf he could do so without unintentionally choking him. If he was going to strangle Sirrus with his own clothing, it was going to be on purpose.

“What do you think you're doing, exactly?” Sirrus said with a crooked smile, one eyebrow slightly higher than the other. The amusement in the deeper tone of his voice was impossible to miss, and it was enough to cause V to pause in the middle of his actions, holding his cane under his arm and the front of Sirrus’s scarf in his left hand, his right hand still gripping the back of the scarf that rested at the back of his neck. He seemed to consider his actions for a moment, his friend clearly not bothered but something that he’d done was obviously out of the ordinary.

And then he thought about what he was doing in a broader sense and turned beet red.

He was most certainly quite far into Sirrus’s personal space. In fact, they were practically touching chests and breathing in one another’s dispelled carbon monoxide at this point. It probably looked to any causal passer-by like he was about to grab him by the collar and…

He released him immediately, probably too roughly in retrospect since he wasn’t trying to push him away and was only trying to back out of his personal space, but the awkwardness of the encounter only bade him turn reader, the young summoner raising his left hand to rub his neck in obvious embarrassment. He genuinely didn’t know what to say. The was very awkward and he couldn’t entirely place why. Perhaps it was how unbothered Sirrus was. It made him feel like he was overreacting in comparison.

“Wow, now this is so embarrassing. You're a mess.” A familiar avian voice said from within the deepest recesses of his mind. He wasn’t even attempting to hide the fact that he found this funny. In fact, he was cracking up. Nothing he’d done was particularly egregious. It was simply the wordless suddenness of it and how automatically he’d done it. It was like a grandparent seeing a child with a snotty nose and walking over to clean them up with a tissue only to realize that the child in question wasn’t related to them and that they were at a school event. The gesture was harmless, but the awkwardness was still palpable. “Break the silence or something already. I can’t take it anymore!”

“Yes, I hadn’t noticed. Thank you for pointing that out. Your insight is invaluable.” V quipped back, chastizing his companion’s playful mockery. He was thankful that it wasn’t possible for his face to turn any more read than it already was. He was only barely resisting the urge to completely hide inside of his sweater like a turtle. Actually, that might not be a bad idea.

“You have no idea how sorry I am,” V said as he attempted to covertly hide the bottom of his face inside of his own turtleneck collar only to realize how tricky that was in practice. His cold breath chilled his hands as he struggled to figure out what to do with either of his hands since he couldn’t get a reliable grip on his collar due to its tight fit. “Forgive me, I did not mean to impose upon you. I should have asked first.”

Sirrus stared at him and then burst into hysterical laughter, leaning over to rest his hands on his thighs as he struggled to breathe. Now, this was funny. He’d couldn’t recall ever previously seeing V this flustered before. After a minute or so he stood back up and gently pulled V into a firm hug, holding him gently until he finally exhaled. It seemed that he got the point. Good. he didn’t want him to be embarrassed. He’d done nothing wrong, as far as he was concerned.

“That wasn’t a complaint, V. I simply found it peculiar, but not at all unpleasant. In fact… ” Sirrus released him and reached up to slide the duffle bag off of his shoulder, allowing it to flop down on the pavement. They needed to board the train, but they had time enough for this. He unwrapped his loosely looped scarf from around his neck and gripped either end of it, tossing it over V’s head and wrapping it around his neck. He then secured it in place and reached over to pick the bag back up, gesturing in the direction of the train. “I thought you might be cold. Let’s get on the train. Wouldn’t want them to leave us behind, now would we?”

V simply stared at him blankly before chuckling to himself. He’d probably just totally overthought that whole situation. Sirrus was right, they needed to board the train so that they wouldn’t have to rush. He could continue to make things unintentionally awkward between them after they got comfortable. It was going to be a long train ride, after all.

Taking his cane from under his arm, he used it to gesture towards the boarding platform for the train. The time slot above them indicated that they would be leaving within the next ten minutes or so. Sirrus was right. It was high time they hit the road. But since he was the one with the bags and he was the one with the tickets, Sirrus was probably looking to follow him. And he didn’t mind leading the way. “Your right, we should go. Should I go first or…”

Sirrus nodded in agreement. One way or another these bags and them were going to the same place. He hadn’t mentioned it, but he had booked something a little special for them. “That sounds like a plan. Lead the way and I’ll follow.”

(-~-)

Earlier that same day

They had been on the train now for quite some time, their journey long and the stops along the route numerous. Passengers had boarded from numerous stations, all par for the course but something that the Darkslayer did make a mental note of. He enjoyed the quiet that this trip had afforded them so far. One could only hope that things wouldn’t become too crowded.

Not long into their trip, perhaps an hour or so after they’d left the county, the conductor announced that they would be taking a detour through another station due to damage sustained to that location a while back during what appeared to be some sort of structural failure. Apparently, repairs were still underway so a transfer shuttle was available should they desire its services at another station. Dante and Vergil had not spoken for the better part of the trip, but they did share a knowing glance simultaneously at the mention of that specific station, something that seemed to both surprise and alarm them. It was always strange when they found themselves in sync like that, both of their minds on the same path. And be it expressed verbally or otherwise, it was always a strange mutual experience.

Unbeknownst to the Darkslayer, his eldest son and his companion had also chartered a trip that day, but for another destination entirely and at a much later time. They weren’t even going to the same general location, but they would be departing from the same station. One could only hope that neither party ran into significant delays. Trains were a wonderful means of transportation, but they could feel a bit like a cage hurtling down the tracks if trapped inside of them for long enough.

“I feel like we're going to be doing some train hopping,” Dante said suddenly, disturbing his brother’s idle daydreaming. He had simply been staring out of the window next to their seat this entire time, seemingly captivated by the winter landscape. The younger of the two could only imagine that his older brother probably had much on his mind. They would be arriving in the evening and then heading to their lodgings. They had much to do tomorrow. Actually, for the foreseeable future. There was no knowing how long this might take. How many journeys it might require. But Dante dared hope that his ill-fated twin might find something worthwhile just this once as a result of his relentless searching. He needed that. Some sort of worthwhile result after all this time.

“As do I,” Vergil said softly, not looking over at Dante but clearly addressing him directly. This would no doubt be one of many leads they would have to follow. If locating her had been this easy all along, Vergil would have found her decades ago. He had so many questions to ask her, and he imagined that the feeling was mutual, but with the age of their first lead, he wondered momentarily if this would amount to anything. He pushed the thought aside, concerned that it might pollute his mind. He had used much more tenuous leads to find things in the past. He owed it to himself and to V to see this through to the end. Not that he had ever thought of backing down. It took a lot for the Eldest Son of Sparda to give up on something, and his renewed determination was a thing to behold. “I suspect that she did not stay in one place. I would have found her when I initially looked, otherwise.”

Dante detected a tinge of sorrow in that statement, something that caused him to set aside the magazine that he’d been buried in for the past hour to give his twin his full attention for a moment. He gave him a sincere look, one that seemed to draw his brother’s gaze after a while. Vergil could most definitely tell when he was being stared at, that was something that Dante knew as a fact. And sometimes simply looking at him was enough to get his attention.

“... You looked everywhere for her.” It wasn’t a question so much as it was a statement.

“I did,” Vergil said with a barely perceptible nod, pulling his face away from the cold glass that the window was comprised of. He was surprised that his cheek hadn’t stuck to it, honestly. The temperature difference was significant between the inside and the outside of the train car. “She hid quite well, it seems. I can only imagine why, but I do possess an immense desire to find out.”

The younger of the two fell silent for a little while after that, nodding in understanding. He imagined that his brother did have several questions that he needed answered. But that simply made him wonder why she would have left in the first place. Was there tension between them? Had they had some sort of argument or fight that had led to her untimely departure? It didn’t seem like that was what had happened, but nothing in particular came to mind as a possibility.

And then it clicked.

“... Do you think she was running from something?”

Vergil looked up at his brother again, having sense closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. It didn’t seem as though he had been planning to go to sleep, but perhaps resting his eyes had been on the agenda. He seemed to consider this for a few seconds before giving a few shallow, contemplative nods, though whether they were for the Darkslayer or him was unknown to Dante.

“That seems likely. I found blood when I returned to check in on her. A considerable amount of it.” He seemed to pause as he recalled this memory, its existence and the painful reality that it painted clearly an unwelcome and unpleasant memory. Vergil seemed to dwell on this for a minute or so before letting out a long, low sigh, no longer dwelling on it as he had been moments ago. “I searched every medical center I could find within a hundred-mile radius. Perhaps two hundred miles. It’s unclear to me now. It took the better part of two weeks and I was in a sleepless, agonized state of worry and grief the majority of the time, trying my very best to forestall the growing certainty in my mind that they had been taken by my enemies. And at some point, I found myself at the end of the road and still had no idea where they had gone. I accepted that I would never find them. And that simply became… Hopelessness. Bottomless grief. Then hatred towards what had been dealt. Then defiance. A dogged refusal to ever lose anyone else as I had lost them and everyone else I had ever cared about. I would not fail again. I would never be without the strength to protect those who mattered to me. Never again.”

Dante took in his brother’s words, experiencing a sudden clarity that he had never expected to experience. It came over him in a sudden wave, nearly drowning him as he considered the ramifications of that statement and the significance of what that had just revealed to him. This was more than likely the driving force that had sent him down the path that had led to the tower. Their mother’s death as a child had sent him searching for any information he could find about their father, and that had presumably led him to Vivienne… and it was her apparent death and that of their child that had sent him hurdling over the edge. It had been the final straw that had sent him down a road into obsession; that had ignited a self-destructive hunger for power in him that had nearly consumed everything around him. He’d tried to fill that void, but no amount of power could quench the fire those losses had left in their wake. They couldn’t fill that hole. They couldn’t dispel that loneliness.

His brother’s words on that stormy night on top of Temin Ni Gru rang true to him and a chill crawled its way up his back. “Might controls everything. And without strength, you cannot protect anything. Let alone yourself.”

Dante’s breath stilled as he saw his brother in an entirely new light. The layers of anger, bitterness, and resentment folded back in retrospect to reveal someone who had been so crushed by his pain, so nearsighted in his goals that he had not looked towards the future, perhaps because he had been afraid to even consider one for himself. He imagined that he would have found the same conclusion that he’d discovered after raising the Qliphoth should he have succeeded when they were younger. A throne that felt like nothing but a hallow shell. It didn’t replace them. How could he ever realistically expect to replace every one that he’d lost?

In the time since they had been children, Vergil had lost everyone. Everyone but him. And at times he was sure he had thought that he’d lost him, too. It now made more sense than ever to him now that his brother would have grasped onto what little hope he could provide him during his time under Mundus’s regime. He’d literally been the only thing he could have hoped to still find comfort in. To find belonging in. To love. He had probably fallen out of love with himself a long time ago, disgusted and ashamed of his perceived failings and shortcomings, his chattered pride and sense of self disintegrating before him every time he’d been forced to serve that monster. And it brought into perspective his reason for fearing it on such a deep, carnal level that Nightmare had been able to exploit it, crippling him with an illusion of Dante falling from grace in a similar fashion and rendering him unable to function. It had probably been his brother’s worst nightmare to wish the level of suffering that he’d personally experienced upon his brother.

No wonder Vergil had wrongfully assumed that Dante had never lost anything…

“Well, when we find her, you can ask her. Hopefully.” Dante said softly, a reevaluation of everything that had happened giving him a more personal reason than ever to wish his brother success. He needed to know the reason she had disappeared. He needed closure for all those years of not knowing. He needed her to be okay.

Vergil performed a gesture somewhere between a shrug and a nod. “If we manage to locate her. What if… she does not wish to be found?”

Dante leaned over the small table between them, a look of determination in his eyes as he met his brother’s gaze. He held him there in mutual silence for a moment, making sure that his brother truly comprehend and understood what it was that he was trying to impart upon him. He wanted to believe what he had to say.

“We're going to find her, Vergil. However we find her. Whatever we find out. For best or for absolute worse, you're going to find out what happened. It’s the only way forward. You need that much if you're ever going to be okay again, and after everything, I think you’ve earned that much.”

Vergil simply stared at him, his eyes meeting him but his mind a thousand miles or more away. Still, he did comprehend his words, even if he wasn’t sure he had the strength in him to agree entirely. It wasn’t that he thought that he was wrong, it was that he wasn’t sure he remembered what it felt like to be okay. It had been so long. How could he even try to recall what that felt like? It seemed like a myth told to the hopeless and downtrodden to keep them going. This idea of hope. Of normality. He dared allow himself this once last chance to feel it, but he wasn’t sure he could ever muster that willpower again. It became harder and harder every time. He would give it his all just this one time… and after that… he wasn’t sure.

“... Then let us hope she left a trail brother. And that she is happy to see us.”

(-~-)

Off-topic, but I almost burnt my tomato basil soup tonight! The damn pot burnt on low heat, but I was thankfully able to salvage it. GAH! Anyway, I’d love to know what you thought about this chapter, and thank you for all your lovely comments! I’m still answering some of them, but they made me smile. Don’t worry, despise having to go to the hospital last week, I’m fine. Just an injured floor and some heat stress from our broken air conditioner at work SMH! Take care and see you Friday! And again, sorry for the mix-up last week! I’m just forgetful, I guess!

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skvaderarts · 2 years

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Petrichor Chapter 3: Primagen

Sorrt for the huge two week delay! Family issues. My cousin was the victim of a hit and run and a bunch of other stuff happened so I had to take a break. She’s alive, don’t worry. But still.

Chapter Three: Primagen

Note: My best friend asked me today if he would read "the story I spend all my time writing" because he wanted to see if he liked it. I almost died from a combination of horror and shock. No man. Never. Not going to happen.

(-~-)

Looming over them like a foreboding shadow stood the door, its wide, tall rectangular shape quite detailed despite the fact that black was its only visible color. The door looked as though it belonged inside of a crip or a tomb instead of a modern office building, its carved surface covered in symbols and what almost seemed to be hieroglyphics of some sort. And although the young summoner tried, he couldn't quite make these out unlike the other languages that he'd been able to stumble his way through back at the Ludwig Estate. It was comprised of what seemed to either be a very high-end metal with a stone-like texture or genuine slate, it's heft apparent without even needing to push on it.

Whatever was behind this door was important. There was no mistaking it.

"I have a recommendation, if the both of you will humor me for a moment," Sirrus said nonchalantly, glancing over at both V and Nero before returning his attention to the door. The two siblings looked at one another before quietly regarding each other, turning their attention back to Sirrus. Nero then nodded, quietly making their shared agreement known. The man with the red hair glanced at them and smiled softly before turning his attention fully back to the door. It was nice dealing with people who cooperated from time to time. "Do not volunteer information that is not requested, and give as little of the information requested as possible. There are no foreseeable consequences, but in some instances, it is best to keep yourself an enigma. They can not compel you to say anything."

Sirrus stepped forward and put both of his hands on the door, the symbols lighting up as a haunting red glow emitted from the slit in the center. And as he pushed the doors lightly they yielded to his command, opening slowly and allowing them entrance. A low rumble echoed through the entire office space, shaking everything around them. It was the kind of sound that you could feel deep in your bones, rattling your resolve and causing a strange sensation in your teeth. But before the door opened all the way, the man with the black hair turned and looked at the set of siblings, nodding in agreement with what his long-time friend had just said to them.

"Also, don't be surprised if they attempt to recruit you. Their methods can be esoteric and even archaic at the best of times, but their judgment is sound." Kayro said simply, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes before exhaling and reopening them. And then he stepped forward, the air in front of the doorway rippling like water in much the same way as the Ludwig manor the first time that they had visited. This took Nero and V by surprise, but neither of them were particularly scared to step through. After all, they had no stakes in any of this. What possible concern was there?

The man with the red hair took a moment to roll his shoulders and adjust his back before stepping through the doorway behind Kayro, the doorway rippling around him as he vanished into the darkness on the other side. Nero shrugged and sighed slightly, more or less content to just head in after them. He couldn't say that he was exactly worried, but there was something about this place that just made his skin crawl a little bit. Still, he was willing to follow them, and as he glanced over at V, his older brother nodded, more or less content to follow behind him.

"See you in there," Nero said before stepping through, happy to go before his older brother. He needed to scope the place out and make sure it was safe, not that he could probably communicate with V from within the confines of this strange room. If it blocked light then it more than likely blocked sound, but at least he would know what they were getting themselves into. And as much as he trusted Sirrus, he had to know first hand. It was just the way that he was.

V watched as Nero stepped forward and disappeared through the doorway, the strange barrier that spanned its distance rippling like water. He looked around the room behind them, noting that most of the desk clerks had seemingly returned to their posts with only a few exceptions. A few sets of eyes watched him, but whether this was due to his hesitation or his very presence was a mystery to him. But regardless, he was admittedly curious as to what sort of work they were doing. Perhaps he could ask Sirrus once he rejoined them.

"Okay, so is it just me, or is this place just creepy." A quiet voice said from within the confines of his mind. V was actually surprised to hear Griffon vocalize his concern, or actually talk at all. He'd been very quiet since they had returned from the underworld, so it was a welcome change to hear him speak again. Shadow sturred from deep within him, almost as though she concurred with the vibrant bird's assessment of their environment.

Approaching the door, V internally agreed with them. The entire building simply didn't have a welcoming environment. Well, perhaps that was an overstatement. The lobby had been somewhat welcoming. But perhaps there was nothing supernatural going on at all. It might simply be the fact that he wasn't used to being in an environment this formal and stuffy, despite his rather formal previous profession. But regardless, it was time that he joined the others. "I will take your assessments to heart. I will not allow my guard to falter."

Taking a moment to inhale deeply, V exhaled slowly before closing his eyes and stepping forward. The cold tingle of the strangely moist barrier hit him like a tidal wave, a sort of floating feeling overtaking him. He held his breath as he pressed forward, positive that he couldn't draw breath in a place like this. But just as his lungs began to strain from the effort that it took to step forward, the heavy vertical liquid peeled away and he emerged into the very last place that he'd expected.

Surrounding them on all sides was a strange sort of cave. The nearly black stone that covered every wall around them was overgrown, large tropical plants growing out of the ground around them. Vines climbed the moist walls and water pooled on the ground surrounding what seemed to be a light gray stone platform in the middle of the room, white stone squares forming a purposefully misaligned path towards the center of the room. Moss grew between the stones, what had to be millions of small black pebbles lining the floor but more visible between the larger stones. The entire space was surprisingly chilly, the cool mist that rose from the water invisible but pleasantly tangible. The moisture rose upwards towards the large natural skylight at the top of the cave, the vast crack allowing light to cascade in from an unseen source due to the slanted angle. It was impossible to see how far above sea level they were, but the young summoner got the impression that they were very far above the ground, perhaps at the top of a mountain. It was hard to say what gave him that impression, but that was what he thought either way.

And in the middle of the room sat a desk, a hooded individual sitting at it, their entire face invisible to him. They were clearly in charge of this area, and it seemed that they would be heading over towards them.

Without a word, he followed along closely behind the rest of his group, the three of them having made an understandable amount of progress in the time that it had taken him to enter the room. But the cave was vast, and as such, it would take them all a minute to two to actually reach the door. But as he stepped forward, he couldn't help but feel that something had changed. It was almost as though his head were foggy. He felt… weaker, almost as though he'd lost some of his strength when they'd stepped through the doorway. His mind was muddled and although he could still sense Griffon and Shadow, they felt miles away. A security measure, perhaps?

But as they reached what seemed to be an admissions desk of sorts, the figure manning it came into focus. They were busy scribbling away frantically, recording something unknown, and looking down at the desk, seemingly not noticing them. But as Kayro's foot touched the edge of the top step, they suddenly halted, clicking their ink pin. The sound echoed throughout the entire cave, causing them to halt in surprise. They still didn't look up, but they did address them, their voice hardly a whisper despite the acoustics of the cave.

"State your intentions." They said plainly, their voice genuinely difficult to listen to. It was hard to place, but each time they spoke, it made the young summoner's ears sting, almost as though he was listening to static or an extraordinarily high-pitched noise. he winced, glancing over at Nero who made a facial expression that indicated that he might be attempting to hide the very same feeling but had failed. The short-haired man reached up and rubbed the underside of his left ear while Sirrus and Kayro seemed to be mildly uncomfortable with what had just happened but it seemed that both of them had possibly expected that to happen.

"We seek an audience with the Primogen. Sirrus has returned from his absence." Kayro said calmly, nodding respectfully. The person in the hooded robe moved their head ever so slightly, almost as though they were viewing the rest of them. They then ran their finger along the edge of the thick book that they'd been writing in, flipping through the pages like a deck of cards before suddenly stopping and allowing the book cover to slam onto the table, running their finger down the page before stopping and nodding once, seemingly having found whatever they were looking for despite the dim light.

"Proceed." They said simply, clearly watching them as they stepped forward, but not commenting further. They walked past the admissions desk and down to another set of walking stones, a large archway in front of them. And all the while as they left, despite the fact that he was no longer directly looking at them, they could still feel his eyes upon them. Looking through them. V was certain that he had never experienced anything quite like that before. Sure, everyone had experienced the sensation of being watched or even stared at, but this was the only time he was sure it was actually happening and that it wasn't just a figment of his imagination.

"The door goes to several locations. Most people don't have direct access to the Primagen, hence our reception back in the main office. Everyone knows what that particular color means." Kayro said as they continued forward. He shuttered slightly as he said it, clearly a bit unnerved by what they were about to do. "Even I cannot directly access them without prior authorization or without being accompanied by someone like Sirrus. For security purposes, of course. Though I doubt they need to bother."

V was going to ask what he meant by that, but as they stepped through the archway and into a secondary section of the cave, his attention was drawn elsewhere. On either side of him were three doors, each identical aside from a nameplate on them. He couldn't read any of them, but he did recognize the language as they were written in. If he was going to guess, perhaps they belonged to people of different nationalities? Or perhaps they went to different locations like the door he had just been through, and the labels displayed their destinations? He couldn't be sure, especially not without seeing them, but it was curious that there was no translation below them. Perhaps they didn't need one considering how rare it was for people to visit? He had no way of truly knowing, but that wasn't honestly what he found the most interesting in the first place.

Ahead of them was a large glass door, the frame of which had clearly been custom cut into the side of the mountain. It was frosted a soft gray, and it perfectly aligned with a metal frame that seemed to be cut into the stone of the cave around them. And on the other side of that door was what appeared to be a table or a long bench of some sort, raised up on the same sort of stone that they currently walked upon as though it were a stage of some sort; a viewing platform for them to look down from.

Kayro paused the door for a moment before inhaling deeply and then exhaling slowly, putting his hand on the door handle and pulling it open slowly. They walked inside, a sort of suction when the door handle was pulled that reminded V of an airlock. His ears popped for a moment as they went from the moist coolness of the cave to an almost cozy warmth, the sort that you would experience from standing near a fire. And as the door closed behind them, he got a better feel of the room. It was indeed large, something that the doorway alluded to, but the shape of the room was more akin to that of an oval as opposed to the more rectangular shape of the cave they had just been in.

There was a pair of doorways on either side of the room, leading to a total of four, but only three individuals sat before them. And as they look down upon the group, the young Sumner couldn't help but feel an absolute vice grip him. It was as if their gaze held physical weight. And behind them stood another glass section, this one looking out upon what seemed to be the treetops of a snow-covered slope, wind whipping the tops of the trees. But They were so distant that it made it clear that they had to be very high above them. How is the water running, then? Was there an internal heating structure somewhere on this structure? This presented a few questions.

It simply wasn't possible for it to be snowing outside while being naturally tropical inside of the cave that they occupied. Only two options came to mind: either this was an artificial window or it was a gateway to another place entirely. It seemed that finding the actual location of this cave would be next to impossible, not that he'd planned to. A fascinating decision that he couldn't help but wonder about. Had they done that for security or purely ambiance. He was sure he would likely never know, and he most certainly wasn't going to ask them.

"Sirrus… it has been some time." The woman in black in the middle spoke calmly, clearly relaxed and her intentions unclear. She regarded everyone in the room in equal silence, leaned back casually in her chair as she unfolded her arms and intertwined her fingers, seemingly examining them all to some extent. "You are here to request something."

"Indeed. I am." The red hair adjudicator said calmly, stepping forward slightly as she gestured for him to do so. The two men on either side of her had yet to speak, seemingly listening before making any comment. It was unlike him to ask for things, so this was a curious occasion. "Two things. But the first is more pressing than the last. There is someone being held at the Ludwig estate. They need to be placed under executive hold."

The woman nodded, her long nails drumming on the table as she leaned forward slightly, a curious look in her eye. She didn't seem surprised by this request, but she did seem marginally more intrigued than she had been a moment ago. "I expect the paperwork in due time. And the second?"

Exhaling deeply, the young adjudicator adjusted his posture, a tired look on his face that had not been their moments before. It seemed that much like V, his discomfort and tiredness came in waves, and it was catching up to him just as much as it had been catching up to the young summoner for the better part of the entire day. They'd had a rough few weeks, hadn't they? All of them. "I am formally requesting a leave of absence. For how long, I have not decided."

Her eyes widened slightly as she raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised this time around. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs and unclasping her hands so that she might rest them in her lap. She then looked between the other two members of the Permagen on either side of her, one of which seemed to be more or less disillusioned with this decision.

"We cannot in good conscience uphold that." The man to her left said, seemingly annoyed that he would even ask. There was a certain degree of genuine malice in his tone, almost as though he and Sirruz had previous bad blood. That much was actually quite likely, now that V thought about it. After all, he knew next to nothing about his companion's work relations. "You've been on an extended period of fieldwork as it is, and now you wish to leave the office for an undetermined amount of time? Preposterous."

Sighing heavily, Sirrus closed his eyes for a moment as though he were considering something. He had expected some degree of resistance, and he had half expected it from this specific member of the council, but that still didn't mean he wanted to deal with it. Quite the opposite, actually.

"This is the first leave of absence that I have requested in nearly two decades. The amount of paid personal time that I have amassed is practically incalculable, and I have only waited this long due to a genuine desire to fulfill my obligations here. But no longer." Sirrus said calmly but firmly, his displeasure obvious. He wasn't asking, he was informing.

“We are short on inquisitors at the moment.” The man on the left said, seemingly looking for a reason to make Sirrus stay. It wasn’t clear as to whether or not this was actually true, but if the look on the council woman’s face in the middle was anything to go by, there was a good chance that he had just pulled that excuse out of his ass to give the red haired man a hard time. “You would be causing us a great inconvenience.”

Sirrus barely resisted the urge to scoff at that statement. Be that as it may, he failed to see how he alone was supposed to make up that deficit. “Then would you prefer I put in my formal resignation? It is not my responsibility to make up for the shortcomings in the staffing practices of the counsel. One way or another I am taking the time off that I am owed, and if that is in the form of my numerous off days being cashed out into a sizable check, then so be it.”

The counselor on the left leaned forward, clearly incensed. But before he could speak, the man on the right held his hand up, stopping him. He didn't seem nearly as annoyed by the request as his contemporary did, and the councilwoman seemed to actually find his statement amusing, nodding in silent agreement. "I will dissent from this. I have no objection, and that is my final decision."

"I concur. I see no reason that he should not be able to enjoy his sabbatical. He has more than earned it." The woman who sat in the middle of the two men said, her tone pleasant and understanding. "Surely this should not-"

"And perhaps Minerva if you were willing to stop catering to his every whim and desire you would see that-" The man to her left began, making not even the faintest effort to conceal his condescending tone. But before he could continue, the woman with the dark hair eyes lit up a bright red, any humor dropping from her demeanor.

"Choose your next words carefully, Andros." She said, lowering her voice, her anger physically present in the room around them. The man to her left stopped speaking instantly, physically pulling away from her. He'd made an incalculable misstep and he knew it. "Take the time you need, Sirrus. I invite you to do the same, Kayro. You are dismissed."

Kayro seemed genuinely surprised to be directly addressed by the councilwoman, but he nodded respectfully, gesturing for the rest of the group to follow him as he backed away and attempted not to hurry towards the exit. He didn't want to seem unprofessional even if he could feel the toll that this situation was starting to take on him. Conflict caused him a great deal of anxiety. "Best wishes, your grace. Thank you for your time."

"Are you not going to apologize?" The man to her right said, only now seemingly becoming annoyed. It seemed that he wasn't going to sit there and let this slide. They did not hear his response as they vacated the room, eager to not witness his murder. But as they exited the space and headed back down the hall towards the admission desk, Sirrus took note of his companion's obvious discomfort. He seemed to be slightly pale and his skin was moist. He looked exhausted.

"You have to develop the ability to tell them these things yourself," Sirrus said softly, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder. He could see the anguish and unneeded stress that his absence had caused Kayro, and he was only making that worse with the announcement of his sudden departure. Their superiors were going to eat him alive back in the office should he not take a break himself. And that was to say nothing of what had just happened. He was on edge. "You have a right to not be sent over the edge at work."

"I don't have the privilege or standing that you do with them, not that I would ever imply that that is your only reason for continued employment despite your defiance. I’m only still here because of you… " He exhaled heavily, looking down at the floor in obvious dismay. He really didn't know how to say what he was thinking, and he was certain it showed. Maybe it was best that he just stopped digging down before he couldn't see the sky anymore. "Perhaps I simply envy your self-confidence. I'm afraid to push them, even for my own sake. Forgive me, Sirrus. I didn't mean to-"

Sirrus held his hand up to stop his friend from speaking. He'd heard more than enough to be satisfied. They had known one another for what felt like a lifetime. There was no need for him to clarify. "Just don't let them beat you down while I'm gone should you choose to stay. Remind them who you are and why they need you. What you offer them is invaluable. They cannot replace you and it is time that they started to act like it."

As they approached the main door, Kayro nodded towards the figure at the desk, receiving a single nod in confirmation. And as they turned their attention back to the large door in front of them, Kayro nodded in agreement, turning to look at the rest of his group. "A fair point. So… where to next?"

Nero shrugged, not really sure where else they should go, all things considered. "My votes on heading back. Something I need to check on."

V nodded in agreement. It seemed that he and his younger brother had the same inclination, even if they didn't know what it was. "... And perhaps lunch on the way."

Sirrus stared at V for a moment before bursting out laughing. He was surprised that he was hungry after that awkward ordeal. And as Nero nodded in agreement, he couldn't help but smile. They were truly something else. "Yes, that sounds like a good plan. I believe I know just the spot."

(-~-)

Sorry for the super long delay between chapters this time around. My wifi was acting stupid again (thanks spectrum SMH!) the chapter is a few hours late today. A lot has happened in the last few weeks. But I’m as okay as I’ll ever be right now, so I wanted to thank you for your time and patience! I hope to get to your wonderful comments soon! I’ve seen them all and I greatly appreciate your support! Now then… back to the Ludwig manor. I believe that it’s time for things to advance. See you on Wednesday! Bye-bye and thanks again!

#Petrichor #V #Nero #MY OCs #Devil May Cry #Devil May Cry 5 #Devil May Cry V #My Post DMC5 AU #My Post DMCV AU #Post DMC5 AU OCs #My Post Devil May Cry 5 AU #My Post Devil May Cry V AU #my fanfiction #A03

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