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silverstream2 · 9 months

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Other flirty Book Incident things:

-Vergil cutting Abbie's red dress into something easier to move around with using Yamato. It's not a quick thing either, because he needs to make sure he gets both sides of what he cuts (the front and back of the dress, and around the holes for the arms, potentially). He makes it clear beforehand that he's not going to cut it into anything lewd or use this as an opportunity to be a creep, "because I'm not some juvenile scum- I can be professional. Just tell me what you need.", even tho Abbie blushes quite a bit while he does this. Both because she finds it hot having a pretty guy cut her out of (some of) her dress, but mostly because she finds he actually is being a gentleman about it. The former is dependent on the latter, honestly, my brain is just kinda soup rn. She can actually trust him, which is what makes it so hot.

And... he's surprisingly gentle and careful with her. Professional, but gentle. From his perspective: Even with him trying to keep a professional mindset, he finds himself wanting to touch her more than he needs to, to let his touches linger on her skin. He manages to keep himself from leering at her, to his credit, because he still has his pride, damn it, and its rude to leer at a lady, but every professional touch just makes him crave more contact. Because her skin is so nice, and warm, and soft, and even when he's only touching fabric, his fingers still itch for more.

Just. Some Victorian romance/Jane Austen levels of "physical touch is a Big Deal"/"longing, romantic touches". Like, Vergil's rubbing or itching at his hand(s) after he touches her or helps her with the tailoring project, because his mind keeps going back to that and running around in stupidly happy circles, replaying the warmth and feel of her skin on his over and over and over again, hungry for more. Like, he ends up accidentally holding her hand after the tailoring is done, and after they both awkwardly realize it and let go, he ends up having to quickly turn himself away from her and walk a few steps away, because damn him, he's actually blushing. He can feel his face heating up and his ears burning, and KNOWS he's blushing, and just kinda has to hope like hell that he's far enough away that Abbie doesn't notice it too.

It's just because he took his gloves off at the start of the tailoring, he tells himself. "It helps if I can feel what I'm doing." And it does, because you need to feel how the fabric moves and tears when you cut it, especially if its a fabric you're unfamiliar with, so you don't accidently cut too much or rip something accidentally where the fabric is worn thin. That and holding pins and trying to manipulate a pair of scissors while wearing fingerless gloves just feels awkward. (Or it does to me, anyway.) So having the gloves off DID help him tailor her dress better. But it also meant that he could feel more than he usually could whenever he touched her. The texture of the fabric, sure, but also the warmth and softness of her skin under his hands, and-

Foolishness. Utter foolishness. And unprofessional. And he damn well knows that. So he just sorta shoves his gloves back on and buries those thoughts in a drawer somewhere in the back of his mind, because damn it, they do not matter right now. They could still be attacked by demons at any moment. He should be Concentrating, not getting soppy over some girl. Even if she is... interesting. And clever. And nice. And he's being stupid again, damn it.

Back to practical tailoring matters: Vergil uses small Summoned Swords (knives, really) to cut smaller areas that would be harder to reach with his sword, like if Abbie needed him to cut the sleeves off and maybe widen the armpit holes so she could move her arms more freely. Maybe Summoned Scissors and Summoned Sewing Pins, too, idk. I'd imagine that just a regular Summoned Knife from him could cut through just about any fabric, even leather, but this is a messy sort of tailoring, so that might make things more complicated.

She keeps the scraps he cut off, just in case they turn out to be useful later. "Because demons track by scent, right? So maybe I can leave a false trail with this?" She'd also try tossing/pouring a whole bottle of perfume she had in her purse at a demon, in the hopes that the smell would make it harder for the demon to track her by scent. It's no peppermint or aniseed oil, but it's better than nothing, right? Vergil appreciates her ingenuity.

Speaking of Abbie's clothes: I'm so tempted to have the red dress she wore at the start (I'm going with the theory that she's the woman in red that we see in Vergil's opening cutscene in DMC4 SE) be just the outfit she wore to walk around sight seeing after initially dropping it off at the Fortuna library, with plans to come back either later that day/night, or in a few days, to see if they have any new information about the book for her. Or at least until they can see that yes, it really does drip a tub full (maybe more) of blood every full moon, and no, Abbie wasn't just making that up because its written in an old, possibly dead language and constantly reeks of sulfur. Mostly because I feel like if she was going to go back to deal with a potentially evil demonic book, she'd wear something more practical than a dress. Pants, for one thing. Stuff thats sturdy and easy to move around in. She'd be wearing leggings and boots with her dress, but I'm not sure if that would be enough.

Same goes for her playing tourist, honestly, because if you're going to spend hours walking around a town looking at statues and such, you want something that's easy to move around in. A dress doesn't strike me as that- but then, I've never really been one for dresses, so maybe a dress WOULD fit that criteria, Idk. If it doesn't, I could see her stealing some clothes off of any people that might of gotten killed in the first demon attack from the book. I also want to give her like, a backpack or a big purse to lug around, either as something she brought with her to play tourist/be prepared to deal with weird book shit, or as something she found in the Fortuna library. Or the library break room, or whatever. I've never actually been in any sections of a library that were "staff only", mostly I've just stayed where all the bookshelves are, so I don't really know what all Abbie would be able to find. I know people leave all sorts of things in the library, tho, especially if they work there. So maybe she'd be able to find a backpack or something like that there? And food and water, she'd go scrounging for those too, after the demons first attacked.

-I'm going with the idea that silver works against demons (largely from the novels and manga, but Lucia's throwing knives in DMC2 are stated to be silver), and Abbie wore some silver jewelry to Fortuna because she wanted to look nice on her business trip. It's not anything fancy, really, no diamonds or anything, just in case she lost it or had it stolen, but it's nice enough to look pretty- and its actual silver.

Side note: Silver doesn't really do anything to Vergil, btw. The most it'll do is give him a mild rash, and that's only if it's been touching his skin for an hour or more. Holy Water still burns like acid, tho. It won't make his skin dissolve on contact, like Holy Water will with lesser demons, but it still HURTS. It still makes his skin blister and bleed, and it slows down his healing factor. The damage from the Holy Water still heals to like a bad sunburn within an hour or so, normally. Faster if he uses his Devil Trigger, especially if he's somewhere close to the Underworld.

Back on topic: I could see Abbie trying to figure out a way to use the silver to defend herself. The thing I think she might settle on using would be a baseball bat or a broom handle wrapped in the silver chain of her necklace. Not sure how much good that would actually do her as a weapon, but she'd want something to whack the demons with if they got too close. Or maybe her wrapping the silver chain around her knuckles as an improved knuckle duster. Still not great, and punching a normal person hurts no matter what you do, but she's determined, damn it. Also, maybe Vergil wrapping her hands with long strips from what they cut off of her dress? To help keep her from hurting her hands through their little demonic adventure. (Also because more hand touches 👀)

Anyway, Vergil and Abbie are having a... lets call it "sparring match", but really its just Abbie brainstorming and Vergil letting her touch him, mostly so he can show her how fast demons can move. All he really does is dodge or gently tap her to let her know how easily she could be hit. He's got his jacket off to make moving around easier, and he doesn't miss the way she blushes as he slides it off, or the way she stares at the muscles on his arms. Beyond smirking at the attention and maybe teasing her, tho, I don't think he'd really do anything. (He really is having fun flirting with her, to his suprise. Largely because she doesn't push him for anything more. Although he's starting to wonder if he'd mind if she did... It'd have to depend on how she did it. Not "demanding" more, but just... asking. Just asking might be alright.)

She tries wrapping the silver necklace around Vergil's wrists as a way to restrain him, with his hands bound either in front of him or behind him. I'm tempted to go with in front of him, just so Abbie can practice whatever knot she needs to use to bind his hands. Assuming the silver chain of a necklace is even long enough to bind someone's hands with. Depends on the length of the chain, I guess, I'm just not sure what the minimum length would need to be. Hmmm. *makes a note to research later*

Anyway. Vergil holding his "bound" wrists up in front of her as a way of showing her how thin the silver chain is on his wrists, and telling her how easily he could snap it.

Vergil: "This wouldn't work. One, because the chain is too thin and flimsy. Look at this." [holds his wrists up for her to see] "I could snap this like a bit of old string. And two -" [And here, Vergil puts his bound wrists behind her head, trapping her neck between his lower arms, pulling her towards him] "-you're too close.* If you let a demon get this close to you, they can rip you to shreds before you can get away."

Abbie, flustered by trying to focus and think: "So... stick with throwing knives and polearms, then?"

Vergil: "And running for your life."

Abbie, shrugging: "Well, yeah, obviously."

Put a little * there to indicate where these thoughts would be, but didn't want to break the flow of the text. Those thoughts are: Vergil's pretending to be professional here, is trying to KEEP himself professional, but he can't stop staring at her blushing face and admiring how she's still trying to take in what he says and come up with a solution even through her own flustered feelings. He tries to ignore the fact that he can feel how her pace quickens from where the skin of his lower arms is pressed against her throat, can feel her slight gasp when he pulls her closer to him, can feel how warm her skin feels against his. How he can smell her scent, even through the stink of the demons they've been fighting. Can't stop thinking about how close they are, how easy it would be to move his bound hands lower, behind her, down her back, and pull her just a bit closer to him. To bend down until their foreheads touched and he could, if she let him, just lean down and kiss her.

He can still taste her blood on the back of his throat, even past the foul, bitter taste of the demon blood he licked off her hand (or arm), to keep the demon's blood from hurting her any further. That taste and her scent, so close, is enough to make his mouth water with an entirely different - and for Vergil, largely unfamiliar - hunger.

What would kissing her taste like? What would it feel like? What would it feel like if he slipped his tongue into her mouth, sliding it against hers and breathing in her moans? He's read romance novels where the characters talk about that like it's the best thing in the world, and before now he's never seen the appeal. Would it really feel that good, if he tried it now, here, with her?

And then he chides himself for getting distracted again while there's still demons to worry about, and lets her go and tries to get his mind back to business.

Basically just demisexual demiromantic Vergil go brrr. He's used to his usually low libido being distractingly Annoying when it does act up, but he's not used to actually looking at a person and feeling sexual attraction to them. At this point in his life, he doesn't really have the words to label his own sexuality and romantic inclinations, or lack thereof, so this is all kinda new and confusing to him. What's even stranger to him is that he actually does enjoy flirting with her. Its actually kind of fun! And he actually does like being with her. Which- he usually just avoids people by default, so that's kinda a novelty for him.

-Abbie being good at throwing knives because her aunt and uncle-in-law are traveling carnies and she learned how to throw knives from the knife throwers there. She can throw knives while wearing roller skates, too, even, tho probably only if the targets are stationary balloons filled with glitter. As for why she went with being a librarian rather than a carnie:

Abbie: "Just think of it as sort of like... growing up in the theater, but with more glitter and clowns and Ferris wheels. I just found I liked the stories more than the performing. I kept the knives, though. I always liked being able to do that. Very useful. Even against demons, apparently."

I'm not sure if she'd of been able to bring throwing knives with her, since she came to Fortuna on a business trip, or if she'd of been able to find any on anyone after the first demon attack. I could see Vergil giving her her own set of Summoned Throwing Knives, tho- kinda like Mirage Edge, but as throwing knives instead of a greatsword. I could see Abbie handling them and throwing them and being shocked at how light they are, and how easily and how deep in they go into a target once she throws them. Her throwing one for the first time and putting way more strength into it than she needs to, because it was so light in her hands she thought it was going to be like trying to throw a piece of paper at someone, with the Summoned Throwing Knife just gently, uselessly fluttering to the ground in the vague direction she threw it in. But it doesn't! It flies straight and true and buries itself so deeply in that she can't even see the hilt sticking out anymore.

Cue Abbie giving a delighted little gasp and clapping (happy stimming!), saying she loves them. And maybe hugging Vergil while thanking him, because, well. Because it's been a very weird time, and she's just so relieved and happy to actually have a decent weapon that she can use, and actually knows HOW to use. And because she loves a good set of throwing knives. Vergil lets her hug him, but is kinda awkward about it. They're both awkward about it, honestly, once Abbie realizes what she's doing (hugging him). Cue various amounts of blushing from both of them, and Abbie letting go and them both awkwardly trying to pretend that didn't happen. Abbie still thanks him again for the throwing knives, tho, because she really does appreciate it. Abbie, admiring her new knives and grinning: "They're beautiful."

-Might nix this one later, but: Abbie seeing Vergil's DT form and, after a brief flinch and a check that its still him, her telling him it looks pretty and her being fascinated by it. She tries not to pry, because he's a person, damn it, not an experiment or a new book to study... but he just looks so cool! So pretty! And she has so many questions! But she holds back, because this is a more... personal topic for him than just general info on demons. Vergil doesn't stay in DT form for long, tho, even so.

-Idea for the Boss Battle from the book: Gonna be unoriginal and go with it being some sort of demon made of blood, like the Blood-goyles from DMC3. Just because I can't imagine anything more annoying than trying to cute what is essentially a giant blob of liquid/blood. Might change it to something cooler later on, because that feels kinda lame, especially as a boss for Vergil.

-I'm also toying with the idea of Vergil and Abbie getting sucked into a demiplane (think like a fucked up Escher painting, but with bookcases, sorta like Hermaeus Mora's Apocrypha) within the book and having to kill the demon (the giant blood blob) sealed within the book to get out again. Mostly because it lets me fuck around with time more, since maybe time could move differently within the book, compared to outside it. Three days inside the book, three minutes or three hours outside of it, that kind of thing. I guess it depends on how much bonding time they'd need.

-Vergil giving Abbie a Summoned Knife (not a throwing knife, something bigger- a dagger?) and Abbie using it to kill a demon. She'd of made sure that this demon's blood wasn't acidic/toxic to humans first, but:

Her falling to the floor at just the right moment to be under a demon while it was leaping at her in midair, and her taking that opportunity to use one of her Summoned Knives to slit its belly open. She had to close her eyes and mouth tight and turn her face away as soon as she felt the knife make contact, so she didn't get warm, disgusting demon blood and viscera all in her mouth and eyes, and she still got covered in so much of it she couldn't talk until Vergil had helped her scrape the blood off her face, but it worked. Hurray!

Also, maybe Vergil helping her kill the demon (if Abbie slitting it open like that wasn't enough to fully kill it, or if she couldn't cut deep enough with just a knife) by turning her Summoned Knife into a Summoned Sword mid-slice? Just because it'd cool to see that.

#fic stuff #I feel like I need to research carnival life more for this #but idk where to start

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