[At the indication he isn't interested in any sugar or milk, Vergil picks up the kettle and brings it to the teapot to pour it. Maruki is getting settled into his seat as Vergil places the lid on the teapot. There isn't a spared glance in the other man's direction when Vergil takes the couple of steps necessary to set the kettle back on the stove, but he is listening as Maruki makes his claim of not wanting to hurt Vergil.]
[Were he decades younger, it's no doubt that would have sparked some kind of reaction in Vergil. He had so much to prove back then and any insinuation of weakness was always met with a swift, efficient show of force to prove otherwise. But as it is, Vergil finds it faintly amusing that Maruki of all people could somehow hurt him in any significant way when others with more overt strength and power haven't been able to break him, but it doesn't show anywhere in his expression. He just picks up the tray and brings it to the table, setting it in the middle. Vergil pulls out the other chair, turning it so the back rests against the wall before he takes a seat.]
[He leaves the tea alone to steep in the pot, folding his arms across his chest. Vergil doesn't look over at Maruki, instead looking out the balcony that he's positioned the table across from. Vergil hasn't closed the blinds yet for the evening, allowing a view of Epiphany to still be visible beyond the slight glare from the apartment lights.]
And yet, you would find enough comfort to train with me. Someone you don't truly know both in motivation and intention, but seem to think you do after a few minutes of being around them. For all you know, I could kill you where you sit before you could even draw your next breath.
[He hums in his quiet, faint amusement. There's almost a smile.]
[It's curious, he thinks. This man seems so entirely unassuming, but he's bold enough to try and claim he possesses within him a great power. He's almost blind in his trust with a near-stranger and yet he's skeptical of the being that brought them both here. It's a curious dichotomy. But it is also terribly human, Vergil thinks. Maruki doesn't know Vergil to be anything other than human. There's nothing about Vergil that would lead him to conclude otherwise without any sort of supernatural or heightened senses, which he clearly does not possess. But he knows Thirteen isn't human. He knows she operates on rules that are unconventional to humans. Perhaps even, at times, antithetical. And he probably knows well enough fox spirits tend to be tricksters in most folklore. He wonders if Maruki would think differently if he knew. If Vergil were to claim his heritage right here and now, how quickly would his perspective shift and change?]
[Vergil doesn't experiment with it and lets it be. He turns his head to look at Maruki.]
Regardless, my answer remains the same. You'll need to find someone else among the...Star Children. [He finds the term silly, and that much is likely clear by the way he hesitates before saying it never mind the tone. Vergil looks back out at the world outside his apartment.] I'm sure there are plenty that would be eager. And you wouldn't need to rely upon Thirteen for any of it.
[Something Vergil privately approves of Maruki doing even if he won't say as much directly. His power is his own, he said. Hopefully he shall be able to stick to it, Vergil thinks as his gaze darts briefly to the katana he had been practicing with earlier. Vergil wasn't left with much choice in that particular matter when it comes to his weapons.]
no subject
[Were he decades younger, it's no doubt that would have sparked some kind of reaction in Vergil. He had so much to prove back then and any insinuation of weakness was always met with a swift, efficient show of force to prove otherwise. But as it is, Vergil finds it faintly amusing that Maruki of all people could somehow hurt him in any significant way when others with more overt strength and power haven't been able to break him, but it doesn't show anywhere in his expression. He just picks up the tray and brings it to the table, setting it in the middle. Vergil pulls out the other chair, turning it so the back rests against the wall before he takes a seat.]
[He leaves the tea alone to steep in the pot, folding his arms across his chest. Vergil doesn't look over at Maruki, instead looking out the balcony that he's positioned the table across from. Vergil hasn't closed the blinds yet for the evening, allowing a view of Epiphany to still be visible beyond the slight glare from the apartment lights.]
And yet, you would find enough comfort to train with me. Someone you don't truly know both in motivation and intention, but seem to think you do after a few minutes of being around them. For all you know, I could kill you where you sit before you could even draw your next breath.
[He hums in his quiet, faint amusement. There's almost a smile.]
[It's curious, he thinks. This man seems so entirely unassuming, but he's bold enough to try and claim he possesses within him a great power. He's almost blind in his trust with a near-stranger and yet he's skeptical of the being that brought them both here. It's a curious dichotomy. But it is also terribly human, Vergil thinks. Maruki doesn't know Vergil to be anything other than human. There's nothing about Vergil that would lead him to conclude otherwise without any sort of supernatural or heightened senses, which he clearly does not possess. But he knows Thirteen isn't human. He knows she operates on rules that are unconventional to humans. Perhaps even, at times, antithetical. And he probably knows well enough fox spirits tend to be tricksters in most folklore. He wonders if Maruki would think differently if he knew. If Vergil were to claim his heritage right here and now, how quickly would his perspective shift and change?]
[Vergil doesn't experiment with it and lets it be. He turns his head to look at Maruki.]
Regardless, my answer remains the same. You'll need to find someone else among the...Star Children. [He finds the term silly, and that much is likely clear by the way he hesitates before saying it never mind the tone. Vergil looks back out at the world outside his apartment.] I'm sure there are plenty that would be eager. And you wouldn't need to rely upon Thirteen for any of it.
[Something Vergil privately approves of Maruki doing even if he won't say as much directly. His power is his own, he said. Hopefully he shall be able to stick to it, Vergil thinks as his gaze darts briefly to the katana he had been practicing with earlier. Vergil wasn't left with much choice in that particular matter when it comes to his weapons.]