Chapter Three: Dilemma
As Dante walked through the city towards the pizza parlor, a cardboard box under his arm, it began to rain. The rain began, lightly at first, becoming heavier and heavier with each step Dante took.
Rain fell on the empty streets; water running off rooftops and filling the gutters, flooding them so that water pooled on the roads and the sidewalks.
Vergil huddled in the little cardboard box and shivered. If this went on much longer, Vergil was sure he would die, humiliatingly, of exposure to extreme conditions.
Vergil decided that this was the time to use mind over matter. It had to work, and it sounded very impressive. So he waited, calculated, planned his escape. Vergil also came up with a couple of possible ideas for revenge. It did not hurt to plan ahead. There was that old jukebox Dante seemed to be fond of…
It wasn't until Dante was standing in front of the pizza parlor, the cardboard box nearly torn to ribbons, and Vergil, very close to liberation, that something seemed to occur to Dante.
Dante suddenly stopped and stood in front of the door. Rain continued to fall, water dripped down Dante's hair and coat, and the soggy cardboard box became even soggier. Alarmed, Vergil stopped trying to claw his way out of the cardboard box and watched Dantes every move. Or rather, Dante's lack of movement. Was it possible that Dante noticed his progress?
Well, with Dante, it was just wild guessing, but there was a good chance that something had just been processed in that thick skull of his.
Vergil decided to disregard the thought that Dante could have intelligent thought and went back to his mission. He marveled at how well his little furry paws were suited to the task of ripping through damp cardboard. This infernally furry body was useful after all.
"Hey Verge," Dante said, slowly, "Did you bring your wallet?"
Vergil halted his escape and proceeded to stare at Dante. How much longer was Dante going to persist in this idiocy? How many more times could Dante possibly make Vergil stare at him? Wait, that was a bad question. It was the last thing Vergil wanted to know at this point.
For once in his life, Vergil felt a strong desire to be completely and utterly human, to escape from the nightmare also known as his brother, Dante. If Dante was a normal human, Vergil could have at least put him in some sort of institution, and there Dante would have stayed there for the rest of his life. But it was not meant to be. Vergil already tried that once. No mere human dwelling could imprison Dante.
No! Now is not the time to be distracted! With considerable effort, Vergil drew his mind from the traumatizing events of the past, and focused on the most recent and equally traumatizing events.
Verbal communication was out, and Vergil could not wield Yamamoto in his current state. None of his demonic powers had transferred over to the pitifully weak body either. Nor was intimidation an option, something that usually worked well for Vergil, but there were certain…handicaps that needed to be remedied. Dante had said Vergil looked cute. That was not something Vergil could forgive.
Vergil was running out of options. If only he had his human form!
Something occurred to Vergil them. If these claws could rip through wet card board, then what could they do to unprotected human flesh? It certainly was a good theory…
Dante yelped in pain, and then noticed the blood running down his face.
"If you wanted to tell me that you don't have your wallet, there are nicer ways to." Dante seemed a little upset, his voice quivering.
There were nicer ways, but Vergil certainly was not in the mood to use them. And the nerve! There certainly were nicer ways to get people to buy pizza for you.
"Maybe this whole…bunny thing…was a bad idea…" Dante said, his voice still quivering, punctuated by the occasional hiccup.
Finally! Logic!