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[antimetabole]

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[fieldtrip]

Hey. Are you a grumpy book nerd with a son that's a precious overbearing worrywart?

[ She's savvy enough not to say his name out loud, which means Vergil gets this as a greeting from a tiny girl with bare, dirty feet and a storm cloud of an expression. Nero had made it seem like he wouldn't take her seriously, which means obviously she has something to prove.

But she has to make sure she has the right target first. The heartbeat is weird, and he's in the Aestus area of the castle accommodations, so it could be him. ]

[antimetabole]

[Vergil looks his short interloper over, from her dirty feet to that cantankerous expression that belongs more on the face of an old woman than a child this young. He had been on his way out of his lodging, off to make some vague effort of socialization when he was stopped in his path by her standing before him. He cannot say he recognizes anything about her features, but that comes as little surprise to Vergil. He has hardly met anyone in Etraya. (And he knows without question that she is from Etraya. No true Fae would speak to him that way.) Vergil heaves a sigh already regretting the decision to emerge into any public space even if it is just the hallways.]

[She must know Nero. He frowns deeper.]

[Grumpy book nerd?]

[He does not know what he finds more aggravating: that Nero clearly spoke to this child to put her in his vicinity or that Nero opted to describe his father in such an uncharitable manner. What wrong has Vergil committed upon Nero as of late to deserve such treatment in return? Is he feeling neglected and ignored? Is he attempting to instigate something?]

Why are you wasting my time with questions you do not care to hear my answer for? [Because Vergil holds his doubts that even if he were to lie and say that she has him confused for someone else, she would simply allow him to leave without any further delay. Really, he must figure out what it is about him that keeps attracting those of a smaller stature with incredibly persistent, irritating temperaments so this will cease happening.] What do you want, girl? Speak.

[fieldtrip]

Wow, okay, I do care about the answer.

[ Toph points at him aggressively, facing something off to the side and not even trying to fake eye contact. ]

I heard you were this big scary badass who can wipe the floor with most people, and I'm getting bored.

[ As in, she's not looking to have a smackdown with any old random person: she wants Nero's dad, both because he's apparently super powerful and because she promised Nero she'd look out for him. If he has a son worrying about him, he can't be that bad of a guy, in Toph's opinion. Which means he's probably a good training adversary and not just an annoying jerk.

Though that really does remain to be seen. ]

[antimetabole]

[Vergil's instinctive response is a scoff, but he says nothing further immediately. He looks this child up and down silently, scrutinizing her as best he can. Looks are, after all, deceiving, and that is doubly so with what he assumes to be a glamour. It's difficult to ascertain what she exactly she is, but she's managed to mildly pique Vergil's curiosity. Only mildly so though. There is still a great chance that her confidence in approaching him for a match is unearned arrogance.]

You have heard wrong then, [he says smoothly after that moment of assessing her.] The only person who stands a true chance against me is my brother. I find sparring with most others to be deeply unsatisfying.

[A beat.]

I do not imagine you shall be any different, girl. You are perhaps better off seeking out toys to play with to rid you of your boredom. But if you are so eager for a demonstration of my strength, I will oblige you. I shall, however, only say this once: the fact you are a child means nothing to me. I will put you down.

So, if you fear injury or your ego is too precious to accept the reality of your inevitable defeat then I suggest you walk away right now.

Christmas gift

[pullit]

[Just to be funny, Nero wraps the gifts all together in a manner that's clearly meant to be mildly irritating more than it is practical. They take the form of a gigantic round lump of paper on Vergil's bed that at first glance could be a garbage bag.

It's not though!! Nero just wrapped one of the gifts, a weighted blanket, around the others. In its center is a couple of books-- another Romantic poet treasury (since he didn't take the other with him,) A Christmas Carol, and a brick of Shakespearean sonnets.

Tucked in the middle is a card that he's written on and signed, in unusually careful handwriting (with unusually careful spelling, too.)

These heavy blankets are supposed to be relaxing, so give it a try!

Thanks for being my dad

Love, Nero]

text; un: jMan93

[critpei]

[ It's been several days after everyone's arrived back in Etraya before Vergil has the misfortune of receiving this text. ]

yoooo, vergil my dude
guess who made back to etraya????

give ya a hint:

🧚‍♂️🥶🔥🍄‍🟫💪💪💪

(3 times jacked arms cuz you are a total badass!!!)

text | un: vergil

[antimetabole]

[Vergil's inbox is largely comprised of messages from Nero. Sometimes it is a sincere message that Vergil has taken the time to respond to, or it is a picture of something Nero found that he felt was neat and wanted to show his father. Most often though it is "memes" as Nero refers to them. Images meant to be found amusing to some degree or another. Vergil does not often understand the humor behind them, and even less often responds to those messages.]

[But the jMan93 stands out in stark contrast amid all the XxBlackKnightxX that occupies his inbox. Vergil frowns and almost thinks to delete it without reading it, assuming there to have been some mistake in messaging him. Just in case, however, Vergil chooses to read it.]

[His frown deepens.]

[Vergil has regrets.]

[So many regrets.]

[Vergil considers whether or not he should just ignore the message altogether. That would perhaps be the easiest choice to make. But upon further consideration, Vergil acknowledges there's a likelihood more messages will ensue. Ugh...]

Junpei,

Was there something you wanted?

- Vergil

[critpei]

🤩 and he even remembers the names of us peons

i actually still got your cloak
thought maybe you might want it back?

[antimetabole]

No. It did not belong to me in the first place. What you do with it is of no concern to me.

Christmas morning

[nowfeaturing]

[On Christmas morning, Vergil will find a couple of packages wrapped surprisingly neatly in red paper.

The smaller package contains a katana servicing kit. Not that Yamato needs such a thing, but Vergil's a stickler for tradition.

There is a slightly larger, flatter package, containing a framed ukiyo-ē print with three samurai battling a demon.

Beneath it, there is an envelope, containing this letter:

Vergil,
I know I drive you up the wall and I've not always been the best brother to you. I've made a lot of mistakes and I don't expect you to forgive me for the things I've messed up between us in the past. I know I can't forgive myself. I'm not good at explaining myself. Probably worse than you, actually.
You keep telling me I'm never serious so I guess my Christmas gift to you is the gift of sincerity.
When Mother died and I lost you, I lost a part of me. I've spent my whole life trying to find it again and when I met Nero, it almost felt like having you back but it wasn't the same. I promised myself I'd do better by him than I'd done by you and I take that promise seriously, even if he's more than capable of kicking my ass. Seriously Verge, that kid's the greatest thing you've ever done and seeing you two together makes me so freaking happy and sad because we never got a Dad as good as the one you're turning out to be.
So what I'm saying is I'm glad you're back because I missed the shit out of you. I'm proud of you because you're so damn brave and I can't believe how far you've come.
Merry Christmas, brother.

The last, largest package, labelled TO VERGIL FROM SANTA, contains this.]

sSs.H0T-D4MNT3.sSs

[nowfeaturing]

Hey so we need to talk about valentines

[antimetabole]

For what reason?

[nowfeaturing]

Im guessing youve got plans with mizu

[antimetabole]

I do. I shall be away for the night.

valentine's day delivery

[catscratching]

( A bot brings Vergil a small set of tea-infused chocolates and a tin of tin of sencha tea.

Instead of an actual card, there's only a small white note signed, Selina. )

text | un: s.kyle | private

[catscratching]

Are you busy?

un: vergil | private

[antimetabole]

[Color Vergil surprised. Most of the messages that come through to him are from Nero. The child sends one at least once per day. Rarely is it anyone else.]

That depends on your next question.

[Congrats, he didn't leave you on read in spite of his better instincts.]

private 4ever

[catscratching]

( Messaging him and getting a response was a gamble. But she feels like she's been winning with him lately. )

I need help.

( In lieu of a written explanation, what he gets is a picture of what appears to be 7 kittens climbing all over one another in what appears to be a laundry basket with a blanket in it. Given the tile in the picture and what looks to be towels piled nearby, they're in the bathroom.

It's bath time.)

[antimetabole]

[...He cannot help regarding this with a little bit of suspicion. One step forward, two steps back as they say. But he is still talking at the very least.]

And there was no one else to ask?

@justsophie moving to here because she went private

[sophielicious]

define alone.

[antimetabole]

Why?

[He's not being hostile or even particularly defensive about it, but. That is an odd question to ask.]

[sophielicious]

i'm literally just making conversation.

you said you had dante growing up, and then that you were alone. not particularly matching.

Post-Mission 14

[pullit]

[Nero is out all night that night, watching over the little shadow of Vergil until he fades away as he sleeps. Then he has a good ugly cry and makes his way back to the shop, intending to crash on his bed for the rest of the day. But somehow, he doesn't even make it up the stairs, collapsing onto the couch and deciding to try and nap here.

Only, he can't sleep. He's inflicted by a deep ache, a sadness that he can hardly define much less chase away. It's a sense of profound unfairness, helplessness, anger that there isn't more he could do to help Vergil. To help Dante. To do anything for his family, who led such harsh and sorrowful lives at such a young age. It's entirely irrational, given the bare facts of reality and that Nero was literally not even born when such hardships befell his family. But it doesn't have to be rational to be painful, and it doesn't have to make sense for Nero to beat himself up about it.

There's also the awareness that on some level, Nero wouldn't exist if not for the tragedy that tore apart Dante and Vergil when they were children. Having his own existence tied to such cruel circumstances is not a good feeling.

He's lying on the couch glaring at the ceiling, looking exhausted whenever his father walks through. There's a little bit of urgency when he sits up and calls out to Vergil.]

Dad?

[antimetabole]

[It's the sound of his name that causes Vergil to stop walking, but it's the tone Nero uses to say it, the way he suddenly sits up from the couch that causes him to change directions. He'd barely made it a few paces from the stairs in the direction of the kitchen before Nero called out to him, drawing him back over.]

Yes?

[Vergil stands near to Dante's desk as he studies Nero for a moment. He can see the telltale signs that Nero has not yet slept. (Or if he has slept, it has not been particularly restful or prolonged.) Vergil steps down and walks over closer to the couch with a slight furrow of concern in his brow. He wants to ask what's wrong, but that feels immediately redundant, and seems a potentially good way to get Nero to clam up. Nero may be more prone to sharing his internal experiences and not keeping much to himself, but Vergil knows Nero still possesses a bit of a pride and vulnerability is not always a guarantee because of it. Better to keep the invitation to speak small and allow him to take it from there than potentially insinuate something that would injure or otherwise wound his pride right out of the gate.]

[pullit]

Do you remember anything from last night?

[The tired tone in his voice, the dark circles under his eyes, generally looking like a wreck... it all lends very well to the conclusion that Nero is incredibly hungover from a night of blackout drinking.

He seems to realize this after a moment, scoffs, and sits up to kneel on the couch, looking over the back of it towards Vergil.]

I mean. Some really weird shit happened yesterday. I was at that amusement park, and...