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[combust]

Who: Dante (combust and Asellus (roseimbroglio)
What: Dante drops Sellz a note, because he's being - gasp - a little more observant than usual, and has noticed she hasn't said a word to him. Plus, he told Vergil he'd get info out of her.
When: Fast-forwarding to after he teaches Orihime to play pool and after he crawls into Vergil's room and decides his brother

Comments

[combust]

If she thought he couldn't understand how living alone was hard, then she hadn't known this 'other' him very well. And he caught the look on her face, and for a moment kicked himself for even thinking of doing this in the first place, for two reasons: One, it was keeping a promise to Vergil, if not in the way Vergil probably wanted him to. Two, despite the fact that, as far as he knew, she could be out to get him, she was still somebody, and somebody who, apparently, had deep connections to someone like him. And was it a bit fair, that he'd pushed himself on her?

Probably not, but then...Well, as harsh as it was, life wasn't fair.

He stuck the chopsticks he'd been using in the box and placed it on the floor in front of him, wondering if he shouldn't just leave. Hell, it wasn't like he couldn't, and quick, fast, and in a hurry, too. But then...That wasn't the Dante way, and he'd never forgive himself for being that big of a coward.

"Hey." His voice sounded amazingly calm and level, to himself, and he reached out, pushing the bottle of Al Bhed booze in her direction with the tips of his fingers. "Delivered as promised. Don't say I never did anything for you."

[roseimbroglio]

She took the bottle, and for a moment her face shifted into a grateful smile-- a true one, though a bit shadowed. It had been a rough while, and was promising to be rougher, but even if things were bad, he was still making overtures of friendship, and she really didn't have the right to take this suddenly bitter mood out on him. He had done something for her, after all. "Thanks," she offered, her tone meek and apologetic. She knew she wasn't fooling him before, but she should have known he probably would have seen through it anyway; she'd never been good at hiding her feelings.

"Smells good," she offered, tossing three heavy texts-- Al Bhed Animism, The Way of Yevon, and Nexus Theory (a girl could hope for another answer)-- onto her bed. "Lot of food. You sure we can finish all this?" She sat on the floor, a distance from him, and eyed it before picking up a few cartons and inspecting them. She found a few saucy beef dishes and ended up picking up some sort of chicken with peppers. Not bad.

"So," she began after a few bites. "What can I tell you?" She put down her chopsticks, looking at him a bit warily while she unscrewed the top off of the Al Bhed stuff.

[combust]

"I figured if nothing else, the leftovers tend to be better the second time around." He shrugged, picking up his carton of fried rice once more. "Besides, I had no idea what you liked."

That was honest, wasn't it? He thought so. He hadn't known. So it had just made sense to get, well, some of everything and hope for the best.

He fell silent a moment, poking around in his own container. What could she tell him? What, exactly, was it that he needed to know? She'd been vague about the blood thing, in his opinion, but he didn't figure that was something normal (at least...somewhat normal-acting) people talked about over dinner. They weren't like he and Vergil, after all.

Finally, after several long moments, he sighed, tossing the chopsticks back in and pushing the carton away, before leaning foward, one elbow on his knee to prop his chin in his hand. "I should be level with you. I...Didn't totally come here out of the goodness of my heart, or some shit."

Big surprise.

"I...Well, I talked to my brother about you. The other day. You said you knew another Vergil, but...He didn't really sound like mine. And one thing I can tell you is that mine thinks...Well." He paused, looking away. "He thinks you're something sent as some kind of trick."

[roseimbroglio]

She was silent for a long time, before she picked up the bottle and threw back a long draught of it. "...I can't say I'm too surprised." Or that she hadn't figured as much. It was another little bit before she put the bottle down, and sighed, looking at him. "Listen, if I tell you I'm not a trick, I don't think it's gonna do too much to convince you, is it?" She picked up her chopsticks and began pushing a piece of chicken around. "You can believe me or not. But I'm not out to get anyone. Your brother isn't the Vergil I know. You're not the Dante I know. We've been over that."

"But I'm telling the truth. I swear it on... on whatever it is you want me to swear it on."

[combust]

"He thinks you're a vamp. He...Well, never figured it to be so, but he's got as much a dislike for 'em as I do. Funny, in a way." He shook his head, sitting up and resting his hands against his knees. He almost blurted that he'd been sent forth, on a mission to pump her for information, but he bit that back, instead settling for watching her a moment, face uncharacteristically solemn.

"It's...Not easy. With you knowing, and this other weird shit, you know? He's...Like me, in the fact that we've got to be careful." He paused again, the fingers of one hand toying with the frayed pieces at the knee of his jeans. "And it's not just you. I mean...There's other stuff here that's kind of hinky, and so when it all comes together..."

He trailed off, giving her a look that was halfway defiant, and halfway pleading. "Things look funny."

[roseimbroglio]

There was a parade of emotions across her face before she settled on exasperation. "Oh, yes. A vampire. That's me, alright, what with my inability to feed on anything that hasn't been cooked first." She didn't mean to sound so frustrated, but it had been a long day, she was tired, and she was hurt that he hadn't listened to her when she'd tried to explain this to him in the first place. "Why is it-- Jesus, of all people, I thought you'd understand, even if you're not him. Understand what it's like, to be not enough of one or the other, but enough to not be either at all."

She let out a heavy, exasperated sigh, and picked up the bottle again, gulping again and then just looking at him, past pleading and just resigned and aching. "I haven't done anything but come back where I don't need to be and share information I would've been better off keeping to myself. I understand careful. I just should have been so, too, instead of a sentimental idiot."

"So, have you changed your mind about killing me? Has your brother decided he'll get in on this one? Should I be running or getting ready to fight or what? Or is this all leading up to an 'if you can prove it's not you' thing? Because I've been trying." She was surprised she hadn't come across as blaming until she realized that she was putting most of it on herself, anyway. She'd been right. She really shouldn't be here.

[combust]

"Why do you think...I mean..." He broke off, making a noise of frustration. "Look, I never said every word that came out of Vergil's mouth was the gospel fucking truth. I think we can both agree here that he lies, and he takes the low blows when it suits him, and that his tongue's just as bad as any weapon he decides to use. So don't you think I'm swallowing what he's saying hook, line, and sinker."

Did she honestly think him that stupid?

"But it's not just you that's got his fucking feathers ruffled, okay? Hell, he was almost ready to brush you off as a non-issue. Still is, as long as I'm handling it, 'cause I knew how he'd be. But it's not just you."

Once his mouth got started, it was hard to stop it, and he knew that, but he was already letting so much slip out, the rest came right along with it. "There's a fucking strong demon here. Running around as the dean. And? Get this, because this shit's just fucking hilarious, he claims he's our old man."

[roseimbroglio]

Full stop. All other trains of thought were derailed.

"He what." She stared. "I haven't..." She stopped. She hadn't felt the Sparda she'd known. The power of that man-- demon-- was something she'd grown accustomed to before, and that power wasn't here. But that didn't mean much; after all, Dante and Vergil didn't feel like the ones she'd known, either. But even so...

"If it isn't him, that's suicide," she muttered, "If it is him, it's a whole 'nother issue." Against what her own stomach was telling her, she reached out and snagged a piece of chicken, popping it into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully, her own frustration forgotten as she turned this new information over in your head. "Though his sense of humor's pretty similar..." It was almost as if she were talking to herself. "What's he calling himself? la Spada? It's pretty similar..."

"...What are you planning to do?" Her curiosity was double-sided; on the one hand, if she knew what his plan was she could help (and help she did want to do; Sparda-- the true one-- had been among her allies before and she wasn't particularly happy at someone impersonating him). On the other, if it was him, perhaps he remembered. Maybe she wasn't alone here in those memories. She doubted the last, though.

[combust]

"I don't know." And that was the truth. "Verg...He got summoned to the dean's office - told me it was none of my business why, of course - and said that there, plain as day, was this demon wearin' our old man's face. Said..." He paused, giving a helpless little shrug. "Said he wore glasses instead of that stupid little monocle now."

"Fed Verg some bullshit story about bad humans and consecrated ground. Sounds iffy on a good day. But he told Verg that he's coming to see me next. Way I figure it," and here he reached for his container again, angrily jabbing the chopsticks into the rice, "even if he's not our old man - especially if he's not - he's still strong as hell. Vergil practically ran him through, and he just pulled the blade out."

"But if he's that strong, I can't keep out of his way for long. And I guarantee I'd try to do a lot more than stab his ass."

[roseimbroglio]

"But," she said after a moment of thought, "what if it is him?" She thought back to how Sparda had surprised the Other Twins and had to admit it might not be that far off. "For the sake of argument, what if?"

"And it's a stupid fucking idea, to fight him. Especially if he's as strong as that implies." She grabbed the bottle again, this time sipping. Al Bhed stuff was sour; she'd forgotten. She tossed the thought of saying something around in her head before finally deciding to just go with it.

"...He's not the Sparda I knew, I don't think," she offered hesitantly. "I don't feel the same energy. But he could be skilled at hiding it, too. Shit, I didn't even feel anything off about him when I spoke to him. Didn't even suspect."

And something occurred to her. "...I have nothing to do with him," she added, somewhat defensively.

[combust]

"You think I don't know this? Vergil and his 'kill him if you want' shit. What makes him think if he couldn't, I could?"

He let out a breath, more a blowing of air than a sigh, and ran and hand through his hair."Besides, it can't be our old man. Every legend ever about his ass says he's dead. Except that one. True, I have no faith in any of 'em, considering they all mention the one son of Sparda, and he had two, but it stands to reason...There's no way he's alive. And if he's alive, there's no way he's topside. Either they got him and killed him or they got him and dragged him off a long time ago, and that's that."

"But listen." He scooted forward a bit, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, eyes wide. "Don't...Just, if he pops up again on the network, watch him. It stands to reason if it is our old man (and it's not, 'cause it's not possible), they'll be something...Recognizable about him, right? You keep an eye out for that."

He paused, looking to a point over her shoulder and frowning, more to himself than anything. "That might be a way I can keep my neck and yours off the guillotine."

[roseimbroglio]

She chewed on her lower lip a moment, thinking back. "Well, I can do that," she conceded. "His sense of humor's pretty close, if it comes to it, but that's easy to copy." Another sip off of the bottle-- a third gone, already. "I'll see what I can do?" To be honest, if this WAS the real Sparda, she wouldn't be able to do much that wasn't just observation; he'd been very good with computers and their security, moreso than she. She wasn't too positive about the whole thing, but she couldn't deny him this.

"But I wouldn't be so quick to choose what's possible and impossible around here. The nexus fucks with a lotta things." More chicken, more alcohol, more not looking directly at him.

[combust]

"You're telling me." With that he reached up and ruffled his hair, before giving a large, aggravated sigh. "You know, I knew better than to come here. And not just because I blew nearly all my savings paying for the goddamn tuition. I just had a gut feeling if I did, everything would just...Freak the fuck out."

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling, shaking his head. "One day I'm gonna learn to listen to my gut better. I really, really will. Because this shit's getting old. Brother stalking my ass here, demon claiming he's my old man...It's ridiculous. Can't a guy get a shoddy education in peace anymore?"

[roseimbroglio]

"Obviously not," she quipped, expression vaguely amused. "But trouble likes handsome devils, it seems, just about as much as it likes charming girls." She speared another piece of chicken and smirked around it as she ate. "But it's not too shoddy, I guess-- have you seen the selection in the Paranormal library? I went there hunting for some information on the nexus, and I think part of my brain exploded."

"Besides, didn't you look at scholarships? I'm sure there's a ton that'd pay for a chunk of this for you."

[combust]

"It's...Okay." He'd allow the paranormal library that much. He had found a few things he hadn't known about, and then there had been that text Vergil had pointed him the direction of. "I mean...There are places back home that'd probably put it to shame. But, like, since the kind of people that tend to keep those kinds of libraries tend to hate me? Yeah, I don't get a chance to go digging."

"And maybe I could get a scholarship...Next semester or something. It's...Kind of hard when you have very little in the way of...Grades? Back when I was actually in school, there was no age that you couldn't drop out in. I think..." He paused, eyes roaming as he thought back. "I think I've got the equivalent of a seventh grade education. Had to get a start on...Hunting, you know? And being booksmart there..." He shrugged, reaching for one of the unopened containers.

"Not that it's a big deal. So we'll see. Maybe I'll actually study and have decent grades or something so I can. Doubt it, but you never know."

[roseimbroglio]

"You started out a bit below what I did, then. I was... around 10th grade?" She couldn't quite remember. "It's not that hard to keep up, since the stuff they teach isn't quite as technical. Who's gonna need to know trig in real life, and all that-- is this noodles? Fuck yes." She opened another container, the chicken mostly gone.

"Besides," she added around a mouthful before swallowing. "You're pretty quick. Shouldn't be difficult, except for your chicken-scratch handwriting." She grinned.