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mooshs-crack-headcanons · 2 years

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Vergil's campaign in pinnacle/peak of combat

Okay, since this game is #1 a mobile game (though it is coming to pc eventually too!) #2 doesn't have a global release, and #3 convoluted if this game is canon or not it doesn't surprise me that fandom doesn't talk about this game that much. However, there is some things I do want to talk about with this game and I want to talk about Vergil (act shocked the Vergil simp wants to talk about Vergil)

I've heard it that's this game is supposed to be a "retelling" of dmc 3, from everything I've seen of this games story I belive (in my opinion since I think there's going to be more chapters added once the global release happens) this is false. I think most people think this because of the cgi trailer showing Dante and Vergil's first encounter once the tower in 3 "with a twist" - I'm sorry to break it to you but that cgi trailer is misleading on what the story actually is but it definitely was cool though. It makes much more sense that think game takes place in between dmc 3 and dmc 1 given Dante's started his business and already knows Lady.

However I can hear some of you saying: "But Vergil's mentioned in the story wanted to meet up with Dante!" I might make a more detailed post about this but the tldr is given some context shown in the story I don't think who sent the "note" was actually Vergil and if we do see/fight Vergil in game it's actually going to be like the retconned version of the Gilver situation all over again with this "Vergil" being a clone, except he's a more "accurate" clone given Mundus has his hands on the real deal in hell at this time.

Though if poC is non canon or a "retelling" of dmc 3 (which is ehhhh doesn't make sense given what the games story itself gives us) I'll treat this and the following more like headcanon because I rather like this approach.

Okay anyway, Vergil's campaign:

"Vergil has a campaign in this game?" Yes, yes he does and it's actually not an SE version of a campaign where basically you replay the games main missions with Vergil and it not being canon (but I think you still can do that with Vergil in this game, Vergil mains eating well as always) its a unique though straightforward campaign, think of dmC's Vergil's downfall dlc (but not too hard or you might hurt yourself with the poor quality of said dlc) it doesn't though have much story to it so what I'm about to say is extremely headcanony about what I'm about to add to it and includes context given from visions of V but I think given context/setup of the campaign could make sense.

So where does Vergil's poC campaign start?

Doesn't this scenery seem familiar to you?

That's right awfully familiar to the spot of hell we see in dmc 3 where Vergil falls and sights Mundus. Now, this is dmc 3 Vergil obviously, in hell. Are you putting the dots together? This campaign is Vergil's traversing hell.

"But Moosh in the cutscene we see Vergil running straight to go fight Mundus, he wouldn't have time to fight a campaign!!"

You might be right, but think about it this way: he might appear close here and not that far away but this is the form he takes when he's watching/observing things - ex: the form he watches then kills OG Griffon with, the form over Trish's shoulder when he tells her she's failed him - yes he might be able to communicate and attack in this form but this isn't his true form, and here in this scene in one of Sparda's children fallen right in his domain - you know, son of his biggest rival he's going to want to see him while in true form.

Now this is also Mundus we're talking about, the Demon emporer, without a doubt I imagine just by just looking at Vergil he can tell how weak and exhausted he is after just getting his shit wrecked by Dante on top of all of the other battles he's had in just one day on that tower. Vergil in this moment I see being on 15% strength, extremely weak but strong enough to pull a Vergil and not back down from a fight when he sees one - especially against his mother's killer. Mundus is of course going to taken advantage of this situation, not because he's worries Sparda's son might defeat him (if Vergil was on 100% honestly that might be another story) but because this is Sparda's son. He wants him to go through as much pain and torture as possible BECAUSE he's Sparda's son for his own sick amusement and way as revenge.

And Vergil? Vergil throws away Yamato's scabbard fully ready ride or die in this fight before charging at him - charging at his own demise.

So imagine this; Vergil's campaign doesn't really have a "story" to it - its just basically fighting hoard after hoard of demons. Imagine this is exactly Vergil's charging towards, running towards Mundus but is ambushed hoard. After hoard. After hoard. After hoard of demons coming to Mundus' service just to further and further wind Vergil down, that 15% strength percentage goes down with each encounter but he toughs himself through it just to get closer and closer to Mundus - unknowingly this is the demon emporer's plan to weaken him down further and further, yet, he is Sparda's spawn afterall so Mundus knows he will make it to him in time: each hoard leads the son of Sparda further and further towards Mundus' court where the emporer waits patiently for him.

Of course Vergil's has his trademark three weapons in game of course strictly for gameplay purposes but in this hypothetical canon he only has Yamato on him, no need of a scabbard because there is never a still moment as he goes through the hoard, but unknowingly the blade actually grows weaker and weaker the closer he draws towards Mundus but he holds onto it tight with every attack he makes, it was his savior during the attack when he was a child as evidence by vov and deep in his heart Vergil tells - no promises himself it will be what cuts out and destroys the one responsible for the destruction of his family.

Eventually, the last hoard falls and there Vergil stands in Mundus' "court" staring down the demon emporer's true blasphemous angelic form. He didn't get his father's power as planned, he failed... but that was okay now he faced his true enemy.

His father did it. He can too.

Bloodied, beaten, and barely on his feet the son of Sparda points out his blade - his back stand tall. Right now he's at 3% but he doesn't care, he refuses to show this repugnant filth any weakness. He's waited elven years for this exact moment. Imagine the wicked smile across his face, no matter how bloodied and bruised and on the verge of collapse he might be. He will have this. He will have this victory.

Mundus one shots him.

You know those red eye lasers that he shot at Dante and Trish in dmc 1? It only takes one.

Yamato shatters.

Only left at the hilt as Vergil watches in actual terror - his sword, his protector, for eleven years. But he doesn't let go of it. It never leaves his hands once, in fact he only grabs onto it tighter from his place on the ground. It looks pathetic in its current form - blade as small as a kitchen knife - but he refuses to let go. Even as his body, numb yet highly aware, limp yet stiff, and nearly lifeless as it currently is, is suddenly impaled and sprawled up from off the ground.

The demon emporer's words ring:

He refuses. He refuses. He refuses. He refuses. He refuses...

It's all helpless. Vergil feels like a child again. The fear. He can't move. He can't do anything. What came and saved him as a child; the Yamato - broken and only a fraction of it's previous self only minutes prior - no matter how much he tries to use the mere thread of demonic power flowing through him to summon it back to him, he can't. His hand reaches outspread towards where the sword stabs the wet ground below, begging for it to come save him once again.

It doesn't.

As everything grows dark.

#devil may cry #vergil sparda #devil may cry pinnacle of combat #my headcanons #devil may cry headcanons #dmc mundus #devil may cry 3 #non request related

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fabdante · 3 years

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Not to keep on with this but right so I made a post about Vergil and Bernini and in that post I mentioned what art works and pieces I think represent the other parts of the DmC trio, Kat and Dante. And I just wanted to follow up on that with more focused posts because yall have no idea, I’m very into this whole thing.

First up: Dante

So Dante I go into a good deal in the Baroque essay already so some of this is a rehashing but I just wanted to go more in depth about Dante and Caravaggio’s Davids.

(David and Goliath, 1599)

(David with the Head of Goliath, 1607)

(David with the Head of Goliath, 1610)

More about Dante, Caravaggio, and especially that last David under the cut! This one got a little long.

Ok so first things first, like discussed in the Baroque essay, Dante is Baroque and the game is based around Caravaggio’s Baroque to a point where many of his paintings are directly referenced. That last David in particular is referenced directly in the game. See below:

so I’m not really saying anything the game hasn’t really done itself here. Dante is the main character, he is represented by Baroque and Caravaggio. That’s his vibe, that’s the parallel. And it’s a very intentional one I mean in Talexi’s art book he discusses picking Caravaggio as an influence and the overlap between Dante’s whole deal and Caravaggio’s own. But I’m like really into Caravaggio’s David’s and want to talk about that and the neat way this plays with Dante’s whole deal so, let’s do it.

To quickly summarize Caravaggio and the background of his last David: Caravaggio was an angry guy who worked in Rome during the Baroque period until he killed a guy for Reasons (probably a bet, possibly a woman, possibly a tennis match or something, probably the bet). He gets kicked out of Rome, does some stuff (joins a knighthood? at some point then leaves the knighthood?), gets word that the pope wants to pardon him. He goes back to Rome with some art but dies on the way at the ripe age of 38. One of the paintings with him that makes it on this trip is the last David.

What I like about Caravaggio’s David’s is how different they are then other David’s that come up in the art history canon. Just for comparison I’ll share the famous David but also Bernini’s David from the same time period.

(The David, Michelangelo)

(David, Benini. Pain to get a photo of s2g)

The first key difference is I mean, all three of Caravaggio’s David’s are wearing clothes which I think is neat in that I imagine he would be wearing those given the situation. But beyond that, what strikes me about Caravaggio’s David’s is their youth. In the biblical story, David is more the age Caravaggio consistently depicts him at. Which is about approximately preteen or teenage. The second thing that strikes me is the confidence and power displayed in Bernini and Michelangelo’s David’s evoke. But Caravaggio’s are not confident, not the way these one’s are. And especially that last one.

Caravaggio’s David is unsure. He’s just done this thing, killed this man, but he doesn’t seem to have quite processed it in the first two. But in the third, he is processing it. And he’s not processing it well. This is a David who is unsure. This is a David who seems to pity the man who’s head he now holds by the hair. This is a David who is not strong and unwavering and confident and elegant, this is a child who just killed a man. This echo’s in the games interpretation of the scene, that same worry echoing in Dante’s brow that’s in Caravaggio’s. It’s a sympathetic David in that he seems to be unsure if this choice was worth the personal toll but also in the sense that the viewer is sympathetic to him, they feel bad for this child who has just been forced to make this choice.

Reboot Dante’s life is not one about choice, it’s not really something he seems to be able to do often. Sparda put him into the orphanage and the orphanage put Dante into the foster care system. And ever since then Dante has had to fight. Not by choice, but by necessity. It show’s in his combat style, in his clearly untrained movements focused on power and strength rather then tactics. Vergil, if you watch him fight, he’s much more elegant, his style reflecting practice and technique. Dante, though, throws everything into his movements to kill as fast as possible. That if he just swings hard enough, this’ll all be over faster. He even stumbles in his combat because he’s put so much power into his swings, it’s my favorite little detail.

In the game, it’s mentioned that Dante’s first recorded demon kill was when he was eight years old. It was one of the ‘caretakers’ at the facility he was in. I often wonder if that’s the moment that they were trying to depict in this image, the moment after that. I'm not really sold that he looks eight here but I mean you be the judge of that but bare with me. It’s the mood, that moment right after he’s been forced to enter his new reality for the first time. That he is going to have to fight like this the rest of his life. That bewilderment and regret and just general disbelief that he’s done this, that he’s just killed something. That sorrow for the Dante he was before, like that sorrow that David must be feeling for who he was before as well.

But there’s a second layer here I haven’t gotten to yet. And that’s how Caravaggio’s David is also thought to be a self portrait. No, he’s not David. Caravaggio has painted himself as Goliath. A portrait of Caravaggio for reference:

(Caravaggio as depicted by Ottavio Leoni in 1621)

Usually this is read as a tongue and cheek thing to the pope, like Caravaggio is offering himself in the ultimate repentance for his crimes. He’s sorry, here’s his head on a platter. But there’s something about it being a self portrait coupled with David’s pity for this Goliath that feels kinda...sad in a way.

Further context to this is Caravaggio, on the run or not, did not have a studio. He was a solo artist, which is a bit odd for the period at his level. He did not take students, so his techniques died with him. No one else worked on his paintings, they’re all by his hand. This in particular David was not commissioned either, it was done as a gift. So this was a deliberate thing entirely thought through by him, painting himself as Golith, painting David so full of pity and grief.

It’s sort of this idea of pity for the monster when you yourself are the monster as well as a sort of self hatred. Which reboot Dante is familiar with. Either Dante, preboot or reboot, kind of has this arc about trying to cope with being half demon while hating being half demon. It’s not a part of himself that he likes. The reboot goes further with this though because he doesn’t even have the solace of being half human, he’s also half angel. Reboot Dante goes from seeing himself as a human being to being told no, your not, your the things that you hate and it’s your job to protect people anyway. You are both the out of control monster and a threat, but also their protector.

In either reboot or preboot this isn’t like the most explicit character beat, though it does come up. In the reboot we see it peak through in moments like Dante’s interactions with Phineas. The ‘my father was a demon and I’m nothing like him’ mentality. The reboot makes this more pressing to in that like, the reboot makes it clear that demons are not a hive mind. While they seem to vary in intelligence and free will and all that, the game does not imply that Phineas and Sparda are alone in their grievances where as the preboot paints demons like Sparda and Trish as complete oddities. But part of either Dante’s rejection of Sparda is always rooted in ‘Sparda is a demon, and I’m nothing like the demons.’

This is interesting in the reboot because, unlike Vergil, reboot Dante is always visually contrasted with demon imagery. His world is very red. His color is red. The colors on him, even the blacks and grays, are warm tones. His devil trigger is designed in such a way that the abundance of reds in it are even more prominent then his initial design. The only time he’s not is the scene with the graffiti where he’s positioned on the side with the angels. But visually it’s still made clear. Dante is the demonic twin, Vergil more angelic. On top of that, characters in the reboot love to point out how Dante reminds them of Sparda. Phineas does it and Mundus really does it (the ‘just like your father, too big for your fucking boots’ line). Which further puts Dante at odds with his identity. As much as he thinks he is nothing like Sparda, he’s his fathers son. He’s the demon half of this twin relationship.

I think to like Caravaggio’s David’s just...they don’t want to do this. They’re just kids. They don’t want to kill their Goliaths. But they have to. Which is the spot we see reboot Dante in. He doesn’t want to save the world. He doesn’t want to fight for his life as often as he does. He doesn’t want this. But he has to do it. He might say he doesn’t give a shit, but what’s his choice? When has he ever had a choice? He’s the unwilling savior.

This runs through the game to. Dante doesn’t really want to be here. He makes that clear a lot. And his bravado is constantly a cover to keep him from being too vulnerable, too exposed. But it’s that last fight with Vergil where it all falls apart. He did this because Vergil asked him to, and Vergil didn’t even tell him the truth. And just like everything else, Dante doesn’t want to kill Vergil. He doesn’t want to fight him. But he’s provoked him anyway and got himself in this fight and he can’t let Vergil take the throne. David can’t just let Goliath go.

It’s the end of the game where we finally have Dante completely free of his walls and completely bare and entirely unaware of who he is and what he’s supposed to do next. It’s the same sort of vulnerability that I feel is abundant in that last David. Who is he now after all of this? Does he like this person? What’s he to do now that he knows what he’s capable of, knows what he’s done?

What makes him any different then this head in his hands?

#dmc devil may cry #dmc reboot #devil may cry reboot #dmc reboot dante #devil may cry reboot dante #reboot dante #fab talks meta

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skvaderarts · 4 years

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Apocrypha Chapter Nineteen: Parlay

Masterlist can be found Here! Thanks!

Chapter Nineteen: Parlay

(-~-)

The lights in the hallway had brightened slightly as the sun faded below the horizon. The windows grew dark as the light they had once provided fell from view and revealed the darkness from beyond them, signaling to anyone who possessed a view of them that it was now dusk and probably a good time to turn in for the night. The music that had played in the halls reflected this shift into night, switching off as to not disturb the occupants of the building. While it hadn't been very loud in the first place, it was still a help to those with hyper-keen hearing or simply an aversion to Chopin and Bach, if such people truly existed.

With the change in scenery came a change in mood overall, both from the beauty of the night itself and from the arrival of the Sons of Sparda as they made their way down the hallway towards their room. Vergil's face betrayed his desire to be further from his younger twin in that moment. He possessed no further desire to dwell on the matter at hand, and his younger twin knew precisely every detail of what he'd discussed with Nero in the lobby. It was beyond him to have a meaningful conversation with all three members of his immediate family tonight, owing to the fact that he intended to say something to V once they arrived, and he'd already reached an impasse with Nero for the time being.

But for the brief moment that his mind wandered towards other possible means of escaping his fate, he remembered his time in the underworld and the absolute shit show that everything had to be at the moment. With no acting ruler, the possibilities were endless. The only sensible explanation as to why no one had made an attempt to come after him just yet had to be that internal and external warfare had to be the primary concern of most residents of the underworld. Well, at least the ones with the mental capacity to actually worry about such things.

While the darker side of the Trinity tended to be populous and grand in it's scale and variety, it wasn't exactly packed to the brim with intellectual minds. For all her other shortcomings and disadvantages, Malphas had actually been one of the smarter denizens of Mundus's court. Though he despised quite literally everything about her, especially when it came to things like her appearance, scent, and general existence, he'd be remiss to glance over the fact that she was a powerful sorceress, the likes of which most mortals could only dream of emulating. But from what he understood, she was no longer alive. At least that was a positive outcome of his little "misadventure" in Redgrave City. If he knew who had taken care of her, he'd probably thank them before he eliminated them himself. One couldn't have a demon that powerful just wandering around to do as they pleased. Unless of course his younger twin had taken care of her on his way to fight him…

Nah, he'd still punch Dante in the face.

That had been his fight. How dare he strike her down before he got the chance.

"So are you gonna say sorry or not, Vergil?" Dante asked casually as he followed behind his older twin. It was slightly harder for Vergil to stab him from behind, and that slight logistical advantage might prove handy if the conversation continued on as it had up until this point." Because if you do, I wanna be there for that. Can't miss a once in a lifetime experience like that, ya know? Might even take a few pictures."

Vergil shot his snickering twin a livid glance over his shoulder, not at all appreciating the topic of conversation they were currently stuck on. While they were leaving to return to the office with the others in two days' time, this particular trip was starting to feel like it had already lasted a week. While that could easily be a result of Vergil's sense of time being slightly askew due to his prolonged stay in the underworld, or simply as result of the events that had unfolded that day, he honestly didn't care to think about it or discern a concrete reason. All he knew was that he honestly wanted to stab Dante right now and he was making an effort not to do so. There was a camera in the hallway, one of the few pieces of technology he actually recognized at this point.

Everything pertaining to electronics that had come into existence before his departure into the underworld (and some that had existed before that…) might as well be written in another language as far as he was concerned. But unless surveillance equipment had undergone a fundamental overhaul in the time he'd been away, he understood that whipping out Yamato and cutting slabs of jerky out of his younger sibling wasn't something he could get away with. Their hotel room was another story. Dante would do best to remember that.

"You would like that, wouldn't you? I'd say that I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that would be dishonest and I'm trying to improve certain aspects of my personality." Vergil said almost smugly as they rounded the corner and descended the second to last flight of stairs that led up to their room. They had been up there earlier in the day, but he still despised the idiosyncratic layout of the establishment they were boarding in for the time being. Everything else about it was… fine. He didn't feel one way or another about it. But the stairs and the small hallways were positively claustrophobic and he wanted to snap the neck of the person who had designed them. Maybe he'd toss them down their own stairs while he was at it…

Vergil needed something to kill. There had to be demons in this city somewhere.

The younger of the two sighed as he continued to snicker to himself, graduating to actual laughter. "Oh brother, you're just so damn funny, you know that? Tell me, how do you go through life day after day with a stick that far up your-"

"Dante. Don't start. I'm not cleaning your blood off of these stairs. They have carpet."

The twins casually glanced in Nero's direction as they approached him. He was headed in their direction and had caught the tail end of their little discussion. While he was sure that whatever they were going on about was more than likely Vergil's fault, he wasn't in the mood for this kind of shit tonight. They would have to do this another time, preferable when he and the rest of the general public weren't in the line of fire.

"Oh, come on, Nero! What else is housekeeping going to do to keep themselves busy this time of day? They could use a little excitement." Dante spoke in a manner so straight to the point and sarcastic that Nero actually couldn't tell if he was just screwing with them both or if he was actually serious. It could be hard to tell at times. Regardless, his answer was still the same.

"Look, just shut and go back downstairs before someone remembers that they can move faster than the old ass cameras in this place can keep up with. We're supposed to be getting dinner in a half hour, remember?" Nero said humorously. They had to make it to at least the end of day one before swords started getting put through people.

Dante shrugged constantly at the "suggestion" and turned to face the other end of the hall. "Hey, why not. There has to be a pizza place around here somewhere. And besides, I wasn't coming up here for anything anyways."

Vergil stopped dead in his tracks, slowly turning around to face his twin brother with a semi confused and semi livid expression on his face. The sideways look he gave him spoke volumes as to his state of mind. He blinked for a moment before seemingly coming to some sort of internal conclusion. He was clearly skirting the precipice of his mental reserves. "You… then what did you bother coming up here in the first place, Dante? What could you possibly stand to gain from it?"

Again, Dante shrugged nebulously. Nero gave him a half knowing half warning look, preparing himself for whatever innate stupidity was about to unfold. He'd been around Dante long enough to be able to tell when he was just shooting the shit for the sake of it, and that wasn't quite what this was. But it didn't take a mental giant to see that that was exactly what this line of conversation was going to accomplish. Maybe he just liked to fan the flames from time to time? Or maybe it was an annoying younger brother thing?

"Honestly nothing. I just have nothing better to do. Don't you have a kid to be talking to?"

Before Nero could even blink, a blue spectral sword pierced the security camera that was mounted above the top of the staircase, filming the adjoining hallway. It was a good thing that there was only one present as it made things much easier to disable. Way back when, Vergil probably wouldn't have bothered, citing his generally lack of interest in other people seeing what he was doing. Most cameras didn't really pick up anything that quickly at the time. But this was the dawn of a new age, and he didn't feel like breaking into the security office and stabbing the control box or whatever it was to pieces after he was done making mincemeat out of Dante. That was too much effort for a fight that would be over with so quickly.

As the flimsy piece of optical equipment toppled over uselessly, Dante and Vergil practically launched at one another. The lights flickered on and off for a moment, allowing just enough time for Nero to move towards them to try and block the oncoming assault they were preparing to launch at one another. Where on earth had they even produced those swords from so quickly?! There was no way that either of them had simply stuck them down the backs of their pants. Did Dante's new blade come with a few notable upgrades? And did Yamato have its own pocket dimension?

To be honest, that made more sense than it should've given the context under which both of the weapons had been produced and forged in the first place. After all, they weren't exactly normal blades. Still though, he couldn't make Yamato do that during the short time he'd claimed ownership over it.

Just as the lights blinked back on, everything came to an unexpected stop. Nero did a massive double take at the scene before him as both Dante and Vergil blinked in apparent confusion at the sight before them. Standing with a look of what could only be described as unamused disapproval on his face between them was V. The young summoner was leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, nowhere near foolish enough to extend any of his valuable extremities to span the space between the two blades in an attempt to halt their progress. They were almost as tall as he was, after all. He had enough problems to deal with on a day to day basis. A missing limb wasn't going to be one if he had anything to say about it.

Both of the twins stared at him with a certain level of surprised trepidation and perplexed annoyance as they tried to piece together the exact moment he'd arrived, but neither of them came to a worthwhile conclusion. Nero, having more experience with the things that V was capable of was still somewhat surprised, but was honestly more relieved than anything else. It was good to see him out of the bed at the very least. Given the tone of the conversation they'd just participated in, he'd been under the impression that V was just going to turn in for the night. Had they accidentally woken him up or something? Maybe he had a stupidity detector built into Shadow? It wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

"... Would you not?" He said flatly, clearly unamused.

The three of them all looked at him as though he'd grown a second head. He'd said that in a tone of voice so close to telling them to fuck off that they actually had to double check who they were talking to for a moment. V had clearly had enough of their bullshit for one day, and Nero was honestly almost ready to laugh at how much he looked like he wanted to tell them to go to their rooms like the five-year-olds they were behaving like. Dante and Vergil glanced at him and then back at one another before collectively sighing under their breath and sheathing their weapons, allowing them to vanish back into the void they'd acquired them from. They then shared another look of pissed off annoyance at the fact that they had done so in unison, clearly not entertained by the twinly synchronization they had just indulged in.

"Fine by me." Dante said straight-faced, raising his hands in defeat, pirouetting dramatically in the direction of the stairs as he headed towards them." I was just leaving."

He clearly had no intention of getting into a disagreement with V. His melodramatic nephew clearly had a few tricks up his sleeve, and the sudden realization that he could teleport immediately moved him a few notches up his "nope" list. There was no way in hell he was going to take on two people who could teleport. That was the kind of psychotic death wish material that masochists reveled in.

Vergil glanced in the opposite direction, discomfort falling over him like a heavy fog. If he didn't know any better, he'd almost swear that he was embarrassed or something akin to it. Fighting with his twin in the hallway of a random hotel after busting a security camera instead of coming to speak with him wasn't a very good look, and he was fully aware of that fact. Everyone present was.

"As you wish, then." Vergil said, still not quite looking at his son." I was just on my way to speak with you."

V didn't really care to acknowledge that, instead opting to stare at him in silence, fully aware of the fact that Vergil was going to get tired of him doing so sooner or later and face him. People had been doing that to him for his entire life, and he knew how effective it was at making his skin crawl. Why not apply it in this particular case?

"I imagine you were." V spoke softly as though he was making an effort not to startle him away." I was starting wondering if you were ever going to approach me after you pulled me from the water and followed me here from the beach. And here you are."

There was a clear level of questioning dissonance to his statement, a certain level of silent anticipation that he carried himself with that was apparent to all who saw him. Perhaps it was the way he'd crossed his arms and leaned back as if to say that he was still waiting, or the way his gaze softened slightly as he looked at his father, but V clearly expected him to say something he wasn't saying. And Vergil had a feeling that he knew exactly what it was. The problem was that his brain and his mouth were not communicating at the moment in time.

"Nearly drowning you today wasn't my intention." Vergil paused for a moment, taking the opportunity to look up at him and actually make meaningful eye contact. He immediately drew V's attention, the younger of the two clearly taking him more seriously as a result." I suppose what I'm trying to impart upon you is that I regret doing so. Are you capable of forgiving my… misstep?

As V suspected, the word "sorry" wasn't strictly a part of Vergil's vocabulary. But still, he wasn't completely incapable of seeing that his father was indeed trying to apologize to him. A part of him actually found it tragically funny that he was so god awful at this, not at all surprised that this inability to properly express their repressed emotions despite a desire to seemingly running in the family. It was painful but touching to him all at once, his level of satisfaction with its level of implementation notwithstanding. V was more than willing to take this as one of those "it's the thought that counts" scenarios, especially after the conversation they'd had that morning.

"That isn't an unreasonable request. But I have a condition." V said, glancing in Nero's general direction," Have you ever apologized to Nero for what you've done?"

Vergil gave him a curious look, not so much confused as he was unsure where he was going with this line of questioning. He more than understood where he was going with this, he just didn't comprehend how they had arrived at this junction. What was it about today that made him wonder what the weather was like in hell this time of year?

Hot.

The answer was hot, with the exception of the few areas that were permanently frozen.

They were both. And it sucked.

"No, I don't suppose I have. For what in particular?"

The white haired summoner raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly wondering where to begin. "... Everything."

A moment of self awareness seemed to hit Vergil as he glanced over at Nero. The shorter haired devil hunter stared at them blankly, internally questioning how he'd ended up in this conversation in the first place. All he wanted to do was go and eat dinner with everyone else and go to bed. It was still Nero's responsibility to get the children to actually sleep tonight.

Vergil closed his eyes for a moment, coming to terms with the fact that he wasn't getting out of there without saying something. While he knew that he was long overdue to do so, he genuinely wanted to just drop this and revisit it another time. But V had made a valid point, and perhaps it was best to just get it over with. It seemed that V was willing to take two half apologies in the place of one full one. How in keeping with his mostly reasonable persona.

"... Cutting your arm off instead of simply explaining my motivations was not a good decision. That hasn't escaped me. I'm glad it grew back." Vergil said simply, giving Nero a thoughtful but much more composed look than he'd had a few moments ago." Neither was missing out on the majority of your life. Or any of my actions this afternoon. I trust you've recovered and that we can come to some sort of compromise. "

Nero shrugged slightly, unsure of what to say. He appreciated that. At least he thought he did. The young hunter had spent so much time expecting to never receive any sort of apology for his father's actions that he was just now realizing that he didn't know how to process one. That had to be unhealthy.

Wait a moment…

"Tell you what, I have a condition too." Nero said as he folded his arms, reveling in the power he held over his father as the older hunter seemed to physically die inside. Now this he could get used to. Was this what it was like to be V?" You take care of the kids tonight and we can call it even on the whole back sanding thing. I'll get back to you on the rest of that."

Vergil sighed heavily at the prospect of babysitting. There was absolutely no way in the nine circles of hell that he would've ever considered spending the night alone with Nero's three children. While they seemed well behaved, all things considered, he just didn't want to. But it was only for one evening and then he could force Nero to regain custody of them…

"... Just this once, and never again. I don't fraternize with children."

While Nero should've considered his father's description of his children a red flag, his mind was perfectly willing to consider this an acceptable solution to a mounting problem he'd been facing for the last hour or so. After seeing Kyrie in that bathing suite, he simply had to have a little alone time with her. He wasn't sure where they were going yet, but it would only be for an hour or so…

"Deal. Now let's go get something to eat. All this forgiveness is making me hungry." He said with a nod, more than certain that the others had probably left without them by now.

V stood up straight, no longer leaning against the wall. He turned and walked in the direction of the stairs, passing them as he went. The young summoner seemingly needing no further convincing. "While I doubt that any of the establishments in this town will compare to Kyrie's cooking, I'm inclined to agree. We should leave. I'm sure management will be up sometime soon to inspect the camera."

Nero turned in the direction of the stairs to follow him, nodding in agreement. He was willing to bet that his older brother was correct in that assessment. Both V and Kyrie seemed to be able to handle themselves in a kitchen. Vergil simply watched them both leave for a moment, thinking quietly to himself. Noticing their lack of company, they both stopped and glanced over their shoulders, more or less trying to assess what the problem was. "... Were you not coming, then?" V said quietly, his eyes betraying a hint of disappointment at the prospect.

The younger of the two mirrored him, though clearly more confused than disappointed. He got the impression that Vergil didn't eat very much. "Yea, are you staying?"

After a moment, Vergil shook his head, quietly admitting defeat. He'd considered staying behind to think and mentally prepare himself for the task at hand, but he decided against it in that instant. Turning them both down seemed like a bit of a lateral step backwards.

"I'll come."

With that he started after them, the two seemingly pleased as they nodded and turned back towards the stairs. V lingered a bit longer, opting to wait for Vergil as he had done for him on several occasions leading up to this. As Vergil approached, V spoke quietly under his breath, so much so that Nero couldn't hear him despite the fact that he was only a few yards away.

"I apologize, but it seems I have nothing for you to carry this time. You'll have to contain your disappointment."

Vergil repressed the urge to show how entertained he was by V's little quip and followed after him. So he possessed a sense of humor after all. And as for the bag… there would be another time. They then headed towards the stairs, content that the matter at hand had been resolved for the time being and completely unaware that Dante had heard every moment of their exchange from the bottom of the stairs, simply choosing not to ruin what would otherwise be an important and positive moment for them. At the end of the day, that was all Dante really wanted for his twin anyway. He couldn't think of a better prospect than what had just unfolded, and he hadn't even needed to threaten to shoot Vergil.

Perhaps there was some hope for him after all.

(-~-)

#DMC #Apocrypha #V #Vergil #Vitale #Nero #Dante #DMC5 #Post DMC 5 #DMCV #Devil May Cry #Devil May Cry 5 #Devil May Cry V #A03 #a03 fanfic

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