[Vergil's gaze does not deviate from his brother as he mulls over his answer, studying him closely in the event he tries to convince Vergil of something that can be proven to be untrue through such observation. But Dante doesn't brush him off. He doesn't elaborate on what's specifically wrong, but he doesn't try to act as though nothing at all has happened. He nods, agreeing to stay. Walking over to Dante's bed, Vergil sits near the foot, resting the Yamato beside him.]
[He does not push for Dante to talk right now about what happened or what's going on in his head. Nor does he try to engage in conversation in general, not even a comment about some bit of clutter he may find aggravating or critique on how he's made his bed. The most Vergil does is nod to the space beside him for Dante to also sit.]
( Smile lazy, he joins his brother there on the bed β drops himself down to it and just... leans against him. Shoulder to shoulder. Head dropping a little also. Blue eyes fall shut, breathing soft, and he swallows after a moment before he lets his eyes gently open, trailing his gaze across his brother's leg there. Ordinarily, he'd swing his own over Vergil's, but. He doesn't have it in him, too. Instead, he just sits there with him. Quiet. Until, finally, when he speaks, it's softly. )
You've always been better at it. ( He pauses, clarifies then. ) Being more devil than man. I mean... I like to think I'm ok at it. But sometimes...
( Licking over his lips, he sighs β gives a slow shake of his head. )
I got overwhelmed. Felt like I was slipping away from myself. When I came out of it, I thought of when we were kids. You know. When I'd get a nightmare and you'd chase them away because you're not scared of any monster?
( Another sigh, he leans against his brother a little more, gaze staring across his room. )
[Dante comes to rest against him, and Vergil remains an upright support for Dante to lean on. It's only once Dante leans more of his weight that Vergil shifts to wrap an arm around his brother. His hand comes up to run his fingers through Dante's hair in slow gentle strokes. He thinks it's better that than commenting on anything right away. It's a sensitive topic, and whether Dante would believe it or not, Vergil does not have the desire to provide an I told you so over something like this. So, he just strokes his brother's hair in silence for a few moments.]
I brought you home, but you're the one who pulled yourself back, Dante.
( Really, all he needs is his bear and this is just like when they were kids. Figures his brother canβt really take the compliment. Or at least doesnβt acknowledge it outright, but. He hopes he knows the truth behind it. That he needs him and always has.
The gentle strokes to his hair are appreciated though and they help in calming him down further. In having him feel more outside of his head and not so hyper focused on what he may or may not still be feeling. Heβs usually a lot better at it. At not letting himself slip up like that, but. Getting overwhelmed happens sometimes and, when it does, heβs always left feeling tired after. )
Doesn't matter even if you did, [Vergil says with a slight shake of his head.] You asked me to come get you. I wasn't going to leave you on your own or ignore that.
( Thereβs a sort of comfort in knowing his brother more or less put everything down and searched him out when he called for him. Again, heβs surprised he even saw the message to begin with, but. Heβs glad that he did. Glad that his brother was able to come find him and portal him back to his room here. Even to just be sitting here with him like he isβ¦ it means a lot and he feels more content. Safe. )
Hey. Youβre a pretty ok brother.
( Eyes falling shut again, he sighs as he lets himself relax there against Vergil. )
[Vergil smiles faintly at being told he's he's not half-bad at being a brother. Frankly, it's not an area that Vergil possesses a lot of confidence in. Even being a father sometimes feels easier than it is to be a brother, but that may be easily chalked up to just how similar Nero is to him. Dante, on the other hand, seems so different at times, it's almost a small wonder they're twins in the first place. So, Vergil often finds himself on the back foot, or otherwise stumbling about blindly.]
[But it has gotten a little easier as of late. Vergil's instincts don't feel as though they're running in such direct opposition to his brother as they once did.]
Are you hungry at all, or would you rather just rest?
[He doesn't suggest sleep directly. Not that Vergil doesn't believe if Dante were to let himself sleep right now, he wouldn't benefit from it, but Vergil also knows there's probably too much rattling around in his brother's mind on the whole to be too terribly receptive to it. He isn't entirely clueless when it comes to Dante's habits after all. Living in such tight quarters as they had initially had helped in that regard, at least.]
( Ordinarily, he'd never say no to a chance to get some pizza into him, but. Considering all of what had happened and how he currently feels, he's going to have a take a pass on the eating suggestion. )
Think I'm gonna have to go with the resting option. Might just spill my food all over me.
( Super unattractive for anyone to see. At that, however, he slowly lets himself ease back against the bed and just lays there, as he is, legs hung over the bed there while he remains there next to his brother. Arm draping itself across his eyes, he sighs and it's an emotionally tired one β lets himself gently find his breathing again. Even as he does, his other hand, the one closes to Vergil, gently holds to his brother, as if a lifeline or a means to reassure himself that his brother is here with him. )
Maybe I'm just getting old. Taking so much out of me.
[Vergil moves his arm out of the way when he feels Dante beginning to lean back towards the bed. He leans forward a little, resting his arms on his legs, giving Dante a bit of privacy as he just breathes even as he keeps a hand on Vergil still.]
That form is more powerful than what you're used to, [he says, resting his palms against one another.] And you spend the entire time you're in it fighting it, don't you?
[He lightly wraps his fingers around the back of his hands to fully clasp them together. Vergil can't necessarily speak to how the other, lesser form felt for Dante. For Vergil, it never felt any different to him than when he is in his human form, much as the same is true of his newer, stronger demonic form. One is the exact same as the other with no distinction between them. It is as much Vergil's true self if perhaps not still arguably more than as he is right now. But Dante's always held the devil within him to be something different, something separate. A combatant within him. So, Vergil would imagine fending off whatever it is about his demonic forms that he feels he must fight is likely easier in the lesser of the two forms. He's had more practice at it, but it's not nearly as much demonic power.]
You're not old, you're just pushing past your limits. [Over his shoulder, he looks at Dante. His expression is not soft, nor tender, but neither is it the angry, confused look he gave Dante again and again throughout their time in and atop Temen-ni-gru.] I'm not going to tell you what to do.
[While he doesn't know the exact reasoning why given the potential list of reasons, Vergil knows Dante won't listen to him regardless of what he says. It will just be a brush off or an argument, and possibly both if Vergil pushes just a little too hard.]
But what you're doing now isn't going to work forever. [Arguably, it's starting to fail now, but Vergil is not about to pile it on. Dante will surely do enough of that later if he's not already doing so now. Vergil puts a hand on Dante's knee beside him.] Take it from someone who already knows the consequences of denying what you are.
( Well leave it to big brother to clock it so easily. Thatβs how theyβve always been with each other though. A twin thing, maybe. Dante being able to read his brother like an open book just as much as Vergil can read him. Itβs infuriating sometimes but also appreciative others when neither really want to speak about whatβs troubling them. They can more or less take a stab in the dark and get it right every time. Even now. Some things donβt ever really seem to change.
He rolls on his side towards his brother. Lays there in silence, hand still there holding to his brother where he normally would his bear when he was little. When he finally comes to speak, itβs soft β vulnerable and almost as if itβs meant for no one else but Vergil to hear. )
Iβm scared, Verge. Scared of what could happen if I lost control.
( Maybe he wouldnβt really be able to hurt his brother much. But Nero? Anyone else? If he ever did, heβd never forgive himself and already has a lot he doesnβt necessarily forgive himself for as it is, regardless of whether or not it was really his fault.
He tells his brother this not because heβs looking for a lecture or a reason to brush him off. But because heβs his brother and heβs scared. )
[As Dante rolls onto his side, Vergil takes his hand back from his knee and rests it on the edge of the bed instead.]
[Reasonably, Vergil cannot tell him to be unafraid. In that form, while Dante is likely to fatigue himself quickly and return to his human form if he were to truly unleash the extent of his power, that would result in a significant amount of harm. Vergil doesn't think Dante could ever walk away from something like that unscathed. Even in a place like this where death never takes and counts even less to the most callous among them, it would change him deeply. His heart is simply too soft, too human.]
I know, I know... [It's said without any sort of blame or accusation behind it, just understanding for Dante's nature.] But you can never hope to truly possess control so long as you remain in fear of it, Dante. You know that...
[Such is the nature of devils. Strength and power are what matter most to them. A devil arm would never submit itself to a creature it viewed as lesser than it, which is what makes them impossible for humans to wield. The same holds true for Dante's demonic side. So long as Dante refuses to accept it and fears it down to his core like that, it shall rule over him one way or another. And it becomes a matter of when and not if it shall take more control for itself.]
[Vergil turns his gaze forward again as he mulls something over for a moment, uncertain if he should speak of it or not. In the end, he decides to say nothing. The less their father is involved in this conversation perhaps the better.]
( He's quiet as he lays there β as he listens to his brother speak and, after a moment, he shifts. Closer. Wraps his arms there around his brother's waist and buries himself against him from behind, much like he'd do when they were kids. Never mind Vergil is sitting up. He makes it work.
It's only after a moment that he thinks to speak. Soft. )
[Vergil places a hand on his brother's shoulder as Dante curls up closer to Vergil. He doesn't answer Dante right away, although with as close as his brother is, he no doubt feels Vergil draw the breath to answer. It's not that he wishes to deny the responsibility. Vergil does not carry doubts about his commitment to his family. His resolve remains firm. But there is something a bit different about having one of them so blatantly looking to him for protection like this that he doesn't know how Sparda did it, how Nero and Dante do it now. Because it's not a matter of lacking resolve or desire to fulfill that duty: it's that fear of what happens if he fails. Foolish as it is, he does wish Sparda was there to ask since it's not exactly a question he can pose to Dante (right now, at least) and certainly never to Nero. Vergil lets the breath go.]
I won't let it happen. So long as there's breath in my body, [he says, giving Dante's shoulder a light squeeze,] I won't let it happen.
[He can do nothing about the matter of Dante's sense of control over himself. Not without Dante accepting a degree of tutelage from him, and even that still remains up to Dante to do it. But he can at least pose as an obstacle to prevent the worst from happening should Dante lose control.]
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[He does not push for Dante to talk right now about what happened or what's going on in his head. Nor does he try to engage in conversation in general, not even a comment about some bit of clutter he may find aggravating or critique on how he's made his bed. The most Vergil does is nod to the space beside him for Dante to also sit.]
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You've always been better at it. ( He pauses, clarifies then. ) Being more devil than man. I mean... I like to think I'm ok at it. But sometimes...
( Licking over his lips, he sighs β gives a slow shake of his head. )
I got overwhelmed. Felt like I was slipping away from myself. When I came out of it, I thought of when we were kids. You know. When I'd get a nightmare and you'd chase them away because you're not scared of any monster?
( Another sigh, he leans against his brother a little more, gaze staring across his room. )
I need you, too. Always have.
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I brought you home, but you're the one who pulled yourself back, Dante.
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The gentle strokes to his hair are appreciated though and they help in calming him down further. In having him feel more outside of his head and not so hyper focused on what he may or may not still be feeling. Heβs usually a lot better at it. At not letting himself slip up like that, but. Getting overwhelmed happens sometimes and, when it does, heβs always left feeling tired after. )
I didnβt pull you away from anything, did I?
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[He is going to have to bring something with him though the next time he goes to the CatfΓ©. No doubt that cat is going to hold a bit of a grudge of him abruptly disturbing her sleep in his lap. But it doesn't merit mentioning. For one, how much time he spends at the CatfΓ© is his business. For another, he's also not wrong about it not mattering what he was doing. Dante reached out to him for help, and there was nothing that could have kept Vergil from him afterward.]
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Hey. Youβre a pretty ok brother.
( Eyes falling shut again, he sighs as he lets himself relax there against Vergil. )
I feel wiped.
( Emotionally drained mostly. )
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[But it has gotten a little easier as of late. Vergil's instincts don't feel as though they're running in such direct opposition to his brother as they once did.]
Are you hungry at all, or would you rather just rest?
[He doesn't suggest sleep directly. Not that Vergil doesn't believe if Dante were to let himself sleep right now, he wouldn't benefit from it, but Vergil also knows there's probably too much rattling around in his brother's mind on the whole to be too terribly receptive to it. He isn't entirely clueless when it comes to Dante's habits after all. Living in such tight quarters as they had initially had helped in that regard, at least.]
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Think I'm gonna have to go with the resting option. Might just spill my food all over me.
( Super unattractive for anyone to see. At that, however, he slowly lets himself ease back against the bed and just lays there, as he is, legs hung over the bed there while he remains there next to his brother. Arm draping itself across his eyes, he sighs and it's an emotionally tired one β lets himself gently find his breathing again. Even as he does, his other hand, the one closes to Vergil, gently holds to his brother, as if a lifeline or a means to reassure himself that his brother is here with him. )
Maybe I'm just getting old. Taking so much out of me.
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That form is more powerful than what you're used to, [he says, resting his palms against one another.] And you spend the entire time you're in it fighting it, don't you?
[He lightly wraps his fingers around the back of his hands to fully clasp them together. Vergil can't necessarily speak to how the other, lesser form felt for Dante. For Vergil, it never felt any different to him than when he is in his human form, much as the same is true of his newer, stronger demonic form. One is the exact same as the other with no distinction between them. It is as much Vergil's true self if perhaps not still arguably more than as he is right now. But Dante's always held the devil within him to be something different, something separate. A combatant within him. So, Vergil would imagine fending off whatever it is about his demonic forms that he feels he must fight is likely easier in the lesser of the two forms. He's had more practice at it, but it's not nearly as much demonic power.]
You're not old, you're just pushing past your limits. [Over his shoulder, he looks at Dante. His expression is not soft, nor tender, but neither is it the angry, confused look he gave Dante again and again throughout their time in and atop Temen-ni-gru.] I'm not going to tell you what to do.
[While he doesn't know the exact reasoning why given the potential list of reasons, Vergil knows Dante won't listen to him regardless of what he says. It will just be a brush off or an argument, and possibly both if Vergil pushes just a little too hard.]
But what you're doing now isn't going to work forever. [Arguably, it's starting to fail now, but Vergil is not about to pile it on. Dante will surely do enough of that later if he's not already doing so now. Vergil puts a hand on Dante's knee beside him.] Take it from someone who already knows the consequences of denying what you are.
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He rolls on his side towards his brother. Lays there in silence, hand still there holding to his brother where he normally would his bear when he was little. When he finally comes to speak, itβs soft β vulnerable and almost as if itβs meant for no one else but Vergil to hear. )
Iβm scared, Verge. Scared of what could happen if I lost control.
( Maybe he wouldnβt really be able to hurt his brother much. But Nero? Anyone else? If he ever did, heβd never forgive himself and already has a lot he doesnβt necessarily forgive himself for as it is, regardless of whether or not it was really his fault.
He tells his brother this not because heβs looking for a lecture or a reason to brush him off. But because heβs his brother and heβs scared. )
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[Reasonably, Vergil cannot tell him to be unafraid. In that form, while Dante is likely to fatigue himself quickly and return to his human form if he were to truly unleash the extent of his power, that would result in a significant amount of harm. Vergil doesn't think Dante could ever walk away from something like that unscathed. Even in a place like this where death never takes and counts even less to the most callous among them, it would change him deeply. His heart is simply too soft, too human.]
I know, I know... [It's said without any sort of blame or accusation behind it, just understanding for Dante's nature.] But you can never hope to truly possess control so long as you remain in fear of it, Dante. You know that...
[Such is the nature of devils. Strength and power are what matter most to them. A devil arm would never submit itself to a creature it viewed as lesser than it, which is what makes them impossible for humans to wield. The same holds true for Dante's demonic side. So long as Dante refuses to accept it and fears it down to his core like that, it shall rule over him one way or another. And it becomes a matter of when and not if it shall take more control for itself.]
[Vergil turns his gaze forward again as he mulls something over for a moment, uncertain if he should speak of it or not. In the end, he decides to say nothing. The less their father is involved in this conversation perhaps the better.]
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It's only after a moment that he thinks to speak. Soft. )
You won't let that happen. Right?
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I won't let it happen. So long as there's breath in my body, [he says, giving Dante's shoulder a light squeeze,] I won't let it happen.
[He can do nothing about the matter of Dante's sense of control over himself. Not without Dante accepting a degree of tutelage from him, and even that still remains up to Dante to do it. But he can at least pose as an obstacle to prevent the worst from happening should Dante lose control.]