To her comment about Mikio, Vergil is not surprised by does not say as much. Not that he believes Mikio provided the mare with substandard care. Herd animals are easier to maintain if they are provided with equal treatment, and that perspective alone was likely enough to ensure she was well cared for while she remained with him. But there may be something to this horse in her ability to judge character from all that Vergil knows of Mizu's late husband if she still had a low tolerance for him, but was willing for Mizu.
"Perhaps that's part of why Kai took to you, but not to him," he says. "She knew you cared for her, not what she would do for you."
Much in the way that Mikio never really mistreated Mizu. Until the end, he kept to his word of keeping her safe from the outside world in exchange for her contributions to the household. It was only when she stepped out of line, bruised his fragile ego that he demonstrated cruelty towards Mizu and her surrogate mother. For as little as Vergil knows of horses, he can tell Kai is of good stock. She's visibly strong and maintains an elegant form even if only for Mizu. She would be akin to a jewel amongst mere coins likely compared to the rest of the herd. Perhaps that's why Mikio gifted her to Mizu, Vergil thinks. It was not just out of respect for the bond Mizu made with the mare, but he saw it as sacrificing something for her. To say the bond they were developing meant something to him. But then Mizu did not serve the correct purpose when she so thoroughly defeated him in swordplay, and she lost her value. Kai had not.
Vergil chooses not to dwell on his cruel decisions any further.
"But I suppose when you've chosen to make it your business and you reek of horse most days, I imagine you just have to be grateful for whoever is willing to tolerate it to do business. How fortunate it is for you that I am willing to tolerate it for your sake alone and without expectation you are going to sell something to me." He's teasing her lightly, again. He does not mind the change to her scent since Kai's arrival all that much beyond a mild lack of recognition at first. It is no more overbearing or particularly unpleasant to him than the scents left upon her by work in the forge. Its only crime for a time was being novel, but he now expects the scent of straw and Kai to linger upon her just as earth and heat and metal normally do, and it would seem odd without them. More seriously, he says, "I agree that the business would not likely suit you, but the work certainly does. Or at the very least, you are quite good at charming creatures that so often refuse and tolerate little when it comes to the company of others."
no subject
"Perhaps that's part of why Kai took to you, but not to him," he says. "She knew you cared for her, not what she would do for you."
Much in the way that Mikio never really mistreated Mizu. Until the end, he kept to his word of keeping her safe from the outside world in exchange for her contributions to the household. It was only when she stepped out of line, bruised his fragile ego that he demonstrated cruelty towards Mizu and her surrogate mother. For as little as Vergil knows of horses, he can tell Kai is of good stock. She's visibly strong and maintains an elegant form even if only for Mizu. She would be akin to a jewel amongst mere coins likely compared to the rest of the herd. Perhaps that's why Mikio gifted her to Mizu, Vergil thinks. It was not just out of respect for the bond Mizu made with the mare, but he saw it as sacrificing something for her. To say the bond they were developing meant something to him. But then Mizu did not serve the correct purpose when she so thoroughly defeated him in swordplay, and she lost her value. Kai had not.
Vergil chooses not to dwell on his cruel decisions any further.
"But I suppose when you've chosen to make it your business and you reek of horse most days, I imagine you just have to be grateful for whoever is willing to tolerate it to do business. How fortunate it is for you that I am willing to tolerate it for your sake alone and without expectation you are going to sell something to me." He's teasing her lightly, again. He does not mind the change to her scent since Kai's arrival all that much beyond a mild lack of recognition at first. It is no more overbearing or particularly unpleasant to him than the scents left upon her by work in the forge. Its only crime for a time was being novel, but he now expects the scent of straw and Kai to linger upon her just as earth and heat and metal normally do, and it would seem odd without them. More seriously, he says, "I agree that the business would not likely suit you, but the work certainly does. Or at the very least, you are quite good at charming creatures that so often refuse and tolerate little when it comes to the company of others."