[Vergil gives a mildly scrutinizing look to his brother, still uncertain about why the sudden curiosity in the subject.]
[In general, the two of them continue avoiding talk of their demonic heritage as much as they can. Their opposition may not be as diametric as it once was what with Vergil allowing for his own humanity and Dante not abstaining from obtaining power when the situation calls for it, but it still feels a fraught topic. Dante likely anticipated (or perhaps still anticipates) a lecture from Vergil even if, truth be told, Vergil is disinterested in the argument. For one, he isn't as invested in gaining more power after everything. For another, he just wants his brother back. There is no point nor need to driving such a wedge between them by belaboring a point that no longer needs to be made.]
[Dante also knows it's not really Vergil's tendency to discuss much when it comes to his private affairs both literal and figurative. Vergil hasn't said much on the matter of Nero's mother, and even now he remains reticent on details about her and leaves it to implication. There was likely more chance that Vergil would say nothing on the matter than there was he would provide a response, and Dante had to have known that. Hell, if he hadn't looked actually serious about the topic, Dante absolutely would have been on the receiving end of a curt, likely unkind response to his questions.]
[So, why the curiosity? Why chance a lecture or mean remark for this information?]
[...Is there someone Dante has coupled with?]
[It's not likely that he's simply curious about Vergil's sex life. Much like Vergil would much rather never know details about Dante's sex life, he's certain the same is true in reverse. So, it must be some sort of self-interest driving the questions, and that would imply there is someone Dante has a vested interest in sharing some form of intimacy with that he would be willing to trudge through whatever awkwardness or uncomfortable information might come about in asking Vergil. It isn't as though there's a wealth of options for Dante to ask either considering the uniqueness of their existence even within their own world, never mind in Folkmore. Vergil frowns at the tomato skin he sets aside as that doesn't seem to satisfy as the reason for asking enough.]
[It's true that he doesn't know much about Dante's life back home beyond what he observed during his very brief glimpse into it as V, but... The only real viable option he can think of off the top of his head for a partner that Dante would likely demonstrate some interest in isn't here. Not to Vergil's knowledge, anyway. Although he's quite certain if Lady were here, he would know one way or another about her presence. Most likely in his refrigerator emptying all the more quickly if Dante (or Nero) somehow failed to tell him. But that doesn't explain it either. Why wouldn't he just talk with Lady about it? They have not just kept in touch after all these years, but she's clearly remained close to him. And she likely knows more about the ins and outs of Dante than most would be privy to just from her proximity to Temen-ni-gru and everything that transpired all those years ago. Plus, she may be human, but she's also stayed involved in the demon hunting business above and beyond what another human might be able to keep up with. All of that should account for something, and some kind of trust between the two of them that Dante could freely express something like this to her directly. And frankly, even if it's not Lady and there is someone else, surely, there should be enough built between Dante and this other person by now that they could talk about this.]
[So, why come to his otherwise estranged brother for potential guidance about intimacy with someone that isn't here regardless of whether it is Lady or not?]
[But beyond the look, Vergil ultimately ends up saying nothing to Dante. His focus remains on his current culinary efforts rather than asking a question he knows he won't get an answer for regardless of how many inventive ways he finds to ask it. So, he leaves it be and allows for Dante to determine if his questions have been answered sufficiently.]
( The silence from his brother is a little on the unsettling side if only because of his worry he might end up getting told off in one way or another. They've never quite had a conversation like this before β haven't had many to begin with that were more on the neutral end of things, so. He can understand the suspicion β the confusion his brother might be feeling with all of this.
Still, Vergil is his big brother and with no one else to turn to about this, it's why he's here. Regardless of how awkward or uncomfortable it might be. Granted, it's not as if he's going into extreme details here nor does he want them from Vergil, but. A conversation still steeped in awkwardness to some extent.
With the yo-yo pulled up into his palm, he looks over to Vergil then, expression a little more sympathetic. )
Trust, huh? ( Huff on his lips, he shakes his head, bringing his yo-yo up to look at it, turning it around back and forth between his fingers. ) Guess that's something to consider.
I would hope that would be a consideration regardless, [Vergil says with a slightly raised eyebrow as he glances over at Dante. Even with as questionable as Vergil's judgment could likely be called when it comes to relationships with others, even he knows trust is a necessary piece of the foundation for anything to last.]
Yeah, but... ( Pushing away from the counter, he swings his arms at his side β slowly walks in a circle there in the kitchen. ) ...maybe it's more you don't trust yourself as much as you do them. You know?
[Vergil glances at Dante as he begins his slow circle, but otherwise remains focused on finishing up with the tomatoes.]
That rarely is a concern of mine. [It isn't a brag. He's far too matter-of-fact in the statement for it to be a reflection of Vergil's long-standing superiority complex over Dante. For all the ways in which Vergil has historically possessed blindspots when it comes to his decisions that could likely call into question the validity of his insight, he's never been one to doubt himself.] If I did not possess any trust in myself whatsoever, I would not have agreed to it.
( That silence settles over him again and, for a moment, the youngest son of Sparda almost seems deflated. Not necessarily with what it is Vergil says, but. More about what it means for him. Not wanting to let himself settle there in that feeling though, he sighs as he approaches his brother. )
Well. Then I guess I wonβt agree to it.
( Clap of his hand on his brotherβs shoulder, he smiles softly while giving a nod. )
[Vergil's eyebrows draw together in visible confusion as Dante thanks him and claps him on the shoulder, feeling distinctly like he's missed a step within this conversation somewhere along the way and having no reasonable idea for how to find it again. Especially not when Dante appears to be so neatly tying it up. He studies Dante's face for a moment as if there answer might manifest right there on his forehead, but it, of course, does not. Was Dante looking for advice this entire time? Vergil wasn't even aware that was...]
[He sighs, an impatient noise as he shakes his head in mild frustration. If there is one thing Vergil doesn't particularly like, it's feeling a step or two behind. But Dante isn't liable to do him any favors in helping him catch up. If anything, he'll only wind up more frustrated when Dante inevitably abandons this more serious tone for something else, something a little more familiar.]
[He slides the bowl of tomatoes a little further down the counter from where he has it placed.]
...If you're going to be over here, make yourself useful and crush these.
( Hand dropping away from his brotherβs shoulder, he stares to him for a long moment β catches the way brows knit and his expression shifts ever so gently. He recalls the moment back at Amrita Academy when his dear big brother had decided to make him privy to his whatever with Mizu and how he didnβt really need to tell him that, especially when it wasnβt the topic of conversation at the time. He really didnβt have to. But, he also knows his brother and some things are simply better left unsaid.
Dropping his gaze down in thought for a moment, he turns then to press his back against Vergilβs back and leans against him, dropping the yo-yo down. )
But you do it so much better than me.
( An almost typical response from a younger sibling looking to get himself out of work. )
[Vergil huffs an agitated sigh as Dante quite literally swerves out of the way of any potential work. He drags the bowl back over in front of himself instead of trying to hassle or physically corral Dante into doing the work. With his back pressed against Vergil's, Dante will know the exact moment Vergil's hand is in the bowl and crushing up the tomatoes and likely be able to envision the exact face he's making as there's a little shudder. The texture and temperature of the tomatoes in his hand is beyond unpleasant, but in all his research, it was said repeatedly that hand-crushed provides the best texture for the sauce.]
[...Dante and Nero just had better really like this sauce to make it worth it.]
[It's after a moment or two of silence between them that Vergil gently taps the back of their heads together.]
Have you thought of learning here?
[He knows the question is a loaded one. The last time Vergil brought it up was when they were still in Amrita, and it only led to an argument that left both brothers parting in anger. But he tries to ask it in a gentler manner than before. Less I told you so and superior older brother, and more... Well, concern isn't really the right word for it. But he's considering the degree of intimacy and trust involved with coupling the act with that form, and that would mean it's important. Especially if he's pushing through the inherent awkwardness of talking about it with his older brother first. So, it's more Vergil recognizes its importance and Dante's vulnerability in bringing any of this up in the first place, and he tries to be gentler in his approach this time.]
There are plenty of places in Folkmore where there's nothing around if you're concerned about collateral damage. The most you would hurt in some parts of Wintermute are trees, and Cruel Summer would only have the concern of beasts that are liable to attack you first regardless. [He glances over his shoulder.] I wouldn't let you do anything you'd regret later, Dante. I'd stop you before you lost control.
( Part of him wonders what it might have been like... for the two of them to grow up side by side regardless of the circumstance. Be it at home with their mother still alive, or just the two of them after that traumatic day and they hadn't been separated from each other. What it would have been like for them to have each other to learn from and with when it came to their father's blood in their veins. Maybe he'd been a lot better at it β maybe he'd have tapped into it all much sooner with Vergil there at his side. Things he'll never know what with his having to have figure it all out on his own over the years. Things he still, to this day, finds he figures out here and there.
Back still pressed to his brother's, he drops the yo-yo down once again and lets it spin there for as long as he can, staring to it in silence. Somber. Snapping the yo-yo back up, he forces a smile and knocks his head back against his brother's playfully. )
You know who needs to learn some of that? Your kid.
( A truth and something he's noticed. )
He's sort of there. Can't really keep the control for very long, but I think he can do it. Just needs a little more practice and to not think so much about it. Also think his old man would be the best to learn from as far as all that goes. Real father-son bonding moment, don't you think? You're welcome for that idea.
( Chuckle soft, he rolls the yo-yo over between his palms. )
I'm good though. Like I said, was just a dumb thought.
[Vergil hums his light agreement as he continues crushing the tomatoes in the bowl, but he hesitates to say more right away. Dante's response at first doesn't feel like an actual answer considering the focus on Nero instead. But deflection from Dante is usually the first bit of warning to leave something alone, and by the time he finishes talking, he's said no. It's just a no that sits with a little less certainty for Vergil given the discussion of Nero and especially given the dismissal of it being unimportant in the end. Nothing about how Dante has been approaching this has felt like a dumb thought. He frowns down at the increasing mush that hasn't yet taken the form of a sauce in the bowl as though it is withholding the answer of whether or not to push the question.]
Well, if you change your mind...
[He waves vaguely with his free, non-tomato-y hand before returning it to keeping the bowl stable.]
[Vergil chooses to leave it alone in the end. Even if Dante is pretending it isn't all that important and attempts to use Nero as a distraction, the answer is still no to some degree or another.]
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[In general, the two of them continue avoiding talk of their demonic heritage as much as they can. Their opposition may not be as diametric as it once was what with Vergil allowing for his own humanity and Dante not abstaining from obtaining power when the situation calls for it, but it still feels a fraught topic. Dante likely anticipated (or perhaps still anticipates) a lecture from Vergil even if, truth be told, Vergil is disinterested in the argument. For one, he isn't as invested in gaining more power after everything. For another, he just wants his brother back. There is no point nor need to driving such a wedge between them by belaboring a point that no longer needs to be made.]
[Dante also knows it's not really Vergil's tendency to discuss much when it comes to his private affairs both literal and figurative. Vergil hasn't said much on the matter of Nero's mother, and even now he remains reticent on details about her and leaves it to implication. There was likely more chance that Vergil would say nothing on the matter than there was he would provide a response, and Dante had to have known that. Hell, if he hadn't looked actually serious about the topic, Dante absolutely would have been on the receiving end of a curt, likely unkind response to his questions.]
[So, why the curiosity? Why chance a lecture or mean remark for this information?]
[...Is there someone Dante has coupled with?]
[It's not likely that he's simply curious about Vergil's sex life. Much like Vergil would much rather never know details about Dante's sex life, he's certain the same is true in reverse. So, it must be some sort of self-interest driving the questions, and that would imply there is someone Dante has a vested interest in sharing some form of intimacy with that he would be willing to trudge through whatever awkwardness or uncomfortable information might come about in asking Vergil. It isn't as though there's a wealth of options for Dante to ask either considering the uniqueness of their existence even within their own world, never mind in Folkmore. Vergil frowns at the tomato skin he sets aside as that doesn't seem to satisfy as the reason for asking enough.]
[It's true that he doesn't know much about Dante's life back home beyond what he observed during his very brief glimpse into it as V, but... The only real viable option he can think of off the top of his head for a partner that Dante would likely demonstrate some interest in isn't here. Not to Vergil's knowledge, anyway. Although he's quite certain if Lady were here, he would know one way or another about her presence. Most likely in his refrigerator emptying all the more quickly if Dante (or Nero) somehow failed to tell him. But that doesn't explain it either. Why wouldn't he just talk with Lady about it? They have not just kept in touch after all these years, but she's clearly remained close to him. And she likely knows more about the ins and outs of Dante than most would be privy to just from her proximity to Temen-ni-gru and everything that transpired all those years ago. Plus, she may be human, but she's also stayed involved in the demon hunting business above and beyond what another human might be able to keep up with. All of that should account for something, and some kind of trust between the two of them that Dante could freely express something like this to her directly. And frankly, even if it's not Lady and there is someone else, surely, there should be enough built between Dante and this other person by now that they could talk about this.]
[So, why come to his otherwise estranged brother for potential guidance about intimacy with someone that isn't here regardless of whether it is Lady or not?]
[But beyond the look, Vergil ultimately ends up saying nothing to Dante. His focus remains on his current culinary efforts rather than asking a question he knows he won't get an answer for regardless of how many inventive ways he finds to ask it. So, he leaves it be and allows for Dante to determine if his questions have been answered sufficiently.]
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Still, Vergil is his big brother and with no one else to turn to about this, it's why he's here. Regardless of how awkward or uncomfortable it might be. Granted, it's not as if he's going into extreme details here nor does he want them from Vergil, but. A conversation still steeped in awkwardness to some extent.
With the yo-yo pulled up into his palm, he looks over to Vergil then, expression a little more sympathetic. )
Trust, huh? ( Huff on his lips, he shakes his head, bringing his yo-yo up to look at it, turning it around back and forth between his fingers. ) Guess that's something to consider.
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That rarely is a concern of mine. [It isn't a brag. He's far too matter-of-fact in the statement for it to be a reflection of Vergil's long-standing superiority complex over Dante. For all the ways in which Vergil has historically possessed blindspots when it comes to his decisions that could likely call into question the validity of his insight, he's never been one to doubt himself.] If I did not possess any trust in myself whatsoever, I would not have agreed to it.
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Well. Then I guess I wonβt agree to it.
( Clap of his hand on his brotherβs shoulder, he smiles softly while giving a nod. )
Thanks, bro. Good talk.
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[He sighs, an impatient noise as he shakes his head in mild frustration. If there is one thing Vergil doesn't particularly like, it's feeling a step or two behind. But Dante isn't liable to do him any favors in helping him catch up. If anything, he'll only wind up more frustrated when Dante inevitably abandons this more serious tone for something else, something a little more familiar.]
[He slides the bowl of tomatoes a little further down the counter from where he has it placed.]
...If you're going to be over here, make yourself useful and crush these.
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Dropping his gaze down in thought for a moment, he turns then to press his back against Vergilβs back and leans against him, dropping the yo-yo down. )
But you do it so much better than me.
( An almost typical response from a younger sibling looking to get himself out of work. )
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[...Dante and Nero just had better really like this sauce to make it worth it.]
[It's after a moment or two of silence between them that Vergil gently taps the back of their heads together.]
Have you thought of learning here?
[He knows the question is a loaded one. The last time Vergil brought it up was when they were still in Amrita, and it only led to an argument that left both brothers parting in anger. But he tries to ask it in a gentler manner than before. Less I told you so and superior older brother, and more... Well, concern isn't really the right word for it. But he's considering the degree of intimacy and trust involved with coupling the act with that form, and that would mean it's important. Especially if he's pushing through the inherent awkwardness of talking about it with his older brother first. So, it's more Vergil recognizes its importance and Dante's vulnerability in bringing any of this up in the first place, and he tries to be gentler in his approach this time.]
There are plenty of places in Folkmore where there's nothing around if you're concerned about collateral damage. The most you would hurt in some parts of Wintermute are trees, and Cruel Summer would only have the concern of beasts that are liable to attack you first regardless. [He glances over his shoulder.] I wouldn't let you do anything you'd regret later, Dante. I'd stop you before you lost control.
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Back still pressed to his brother's, he drops the yo-yo down once again and lets it spin there for as long as he can, staring to it in silence. Somber. Snapping the yo-yo back up, he forces a smile and knocks his head back against his brother's playfully. )
You know who needs to learn some of that? Your kid.
( A truth and something he's noticed. )
He's sort of there. Can't really keep the control for very long, but I think he can do it. Just needs a little more practice and to not think so much about it. Also think his old man would be the best to learn from as far as all that goes. Real father-son bonding moment, don't you think? You're welcome for that idea.
( Chuckle soft, he rolls the yo-yo over between his palms. )
I'm good though. Like I said, was just a dumb thought.
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Well, if you change your mind...
[He waves vaguely with his free, non-tomato-y hand before returning it to keeping the bowl stable.]
[Vergil chooses to leave it alone in the end. Even if Dante is pretending it isn't all that important and attempts to use Nero as a distraction, the answer is still no to some degree or another.]