Iwas barely able to keep up with Vergil. When i did, he had stopped at the end of the hall, right as we came into another large circular room where several of the larger art halls met. christ, no wonder they had to build a new museum. What kind of sadist madethat many identical conjoining hallways outside of a cornfieldmaze? I looked around, but I didn't see the searcher lightanywhere. However, I did see the couple from the club waiting for us.
"Oh Christ," I grumbled, "not again." No way I was that unlucky. Was I?
"You know them?" Vergil was looking at me with the mild business-pissed look again. I raised an eyebrow before lighting a cigarette. Let's see how he likes it for a change. His hand snapped out and threw it to the ground. Slowly he crushed it with his boot heel, eyeing me with razor blue eyes. I eyed the squished cigarette on the ground.Man he's freaking sadistic. What did that poor cigarette ever do to him?
"Kind of," I said annoyed, "I thought he was you. He acts like you." WHich is to say his personality isboarderlineasshole. Vergil hissed under his breath. His sword out and raised.
"Distant relations?" I guessed.Vergil flashed a smile at me like he wanted to tear my head off.
"What kind of question is that Lauren?" he asked. I shrugged smirking slightly.
"One that obviously annoyed you." I really want another cigarette. The not-Vergil-Vergil slowly walked towards us. He had his big sword shouldered and a smirk on his face. Behind him the blond held back, she wasn't smiling as she hefted her own sword. What is with these people and swords?
"Vergil," the guy called in a playful voice, "long time no see. I mean hell, you're like an infestation that just won't fucking die, although that seems to be a good thing for you." Vergil said nothing, but I could practically feel the air around us tightening. The back of my neck tingled like electric static. Now that was a familiar. No matter how you dressed it up, Vergil was half a demon. He gave off the same feeling a demon did. All three of them did. Nice company to be keeping at three in the morning.
"Who's your little friend?" the guy asked.
"You're the jerk from the club,"I replied.I pulled out my lighter and started playing with it. More of Vergil's hell buddies, he's a lair.
"Dante," Vergil replied in his flat voice.
"My name's Lor," I added. The woman stepped out from the shadows, her skin milky pale in the moon light. Her hair was about a good half a foot longer than mine. Now there's some dedication for you. How the hell did she manage to go to the bathroom with hair that long?
"Trish," Vergil eyed her.
"Nero," she greeted him coldly, sword gripped loosely in her hand. Oh look, another woman Vergil's pissed off. Now why am I not surprised? She even has a pet name for him, how cute.
"Fun name game," I commented. Wonder why she called him Nero.
"Come on Vergil." Dante played with his sword, whirling it around one handed. Trish, on the other hand was more cautious, remaining where she was, not taking her eyes off Vergil. "Tell me, where've you been? Death a little too grand for you?" He stopped playing with his sword, shouldering it. He eyed Vergil. "Maybe you should have stayed that way." Again Vergil said nothing. I studied the two of them, I was learning something here. I wasn't sure what though. Vergil had been dead once? Had been near dead? Whatever.
"Do we really have to do this the hard way, big brother?" Dante had a playful smirk on his face that would have been friendly if he wasn't playing with one of his guns now.
"I think gonna go have a smoke while you guys sort this out." Vergil looked over his shoulder like he was considering ways of maimingme. "I'm addicted," I said with a shrug. "And you did say there would be no demons," I pointed out, smiling sweetly. I flicked the lighter open and closed, lit and unlit, making the flame dance in my hand. "And, they both have really big swords. Even I can count."
"Shut it," he told me, glaring. I gave him a look.
"I'm not sitting here and watch you slice and dice with your hell buddies," I informed him.
"Coward."
"Bite me," I replied flatly. This wasn't my problem. Not yet anyways.
"I believe I've already warned you about making such careless offers, Lauren." He replied carelessly. He started walking forward.
"That wasn't an offer!" The jerk.
"You're losing your touch, Vergil," the other guy replied, "I'm not even bleeding yet." He acknowledged me for the first time then, taking me in with a single glance. Who had I seen do that before? No way were these two not related. He did a double take and stared at me, blinking.
"Human? She's a human?" I rubbed my temples, these people were not good for my head. He was studying me like I was a bug in a jar. God I need a cigarette. It would keep me from possibly doing something really stupid.
"Yes I'm human Einstein," I snapped.
"Pathetic," the woman said softly. She sounded amused, but her eyes were trying to dissect me. After a moment she glanced away, uninterested. So I was inferior to her too huh? Why was I wasting my time again? I wanted to sleep and this headache wasn't a good indicator. I cann't believe I let Vergil pull me away from sleep like this.
"Fuck you people," I snapped flatly. I spun on my heel and stalked off. Hell if I was sticking around for verbal abuse. I flicked out a cig and my lighter. Mmm… Cigarettes. No one made a move to stop me. They were rather busy talking amongst themselves. Not surprisingly it sounded like an old argument.
"And what the hell do you think you're doing?" Dante asked Vergil. By then his and Vergil's swords were crossed. I watched them, sucking on my cancer stick. It was kind of interesting in a way. I was half way through my cig when the ground shook. Literally.
Dust trickled down from the ceiling. What the heck was that? The tingle feeling was back at the base of my neck again, hell the hairs on my arms were standing on end. The ground shook again and this time I had trouble keeping my balance. I stumbled backward, off balance for a moment. That was one big demon. I looked over to the half-demons, apparently they had felt it too. Good. So I wasn't going insane.
"What is that?" I asked. The ground shook again and this time I landed on my ass. "Oww," I moaned, rubbing my tender rump. Vergil and the other guy separated as quickly as they had clashed.
"What did you do Vergil?" the other guy growled, banishing his sword. They glanced at the far wall, the only entrance that remained unused. A three headed dog, twenty feet high enter through the door. It was a demon, there was no other name for it. I never knew demons could be that big. I think I can safely rule out Order member…they didn't summon demon dogs.
"That is a really big dog." I stared at it. Gross, it was drooling…
"Never had a pet of your own sweetheart?"Trish asked me sarcastically. She was wearing a long sweeping black trench coat over her itty-bitty miniskirt and halter top. It went well with the giant gnarled steel beam she was lugging around.
"You know what? One of you was bad enough," I snapped, pushing myself up. "I never asked to have three of you on my ass." She smirked at me. The dog was striding towards us. It sniffed, growling. The three heads looked in my directions.
"Lauren," Vergil said quietly, "put out the cigarette." The other two half demons stared at me.
"You're all antismoking too," I grumbled, grinding out the cig.
"Well, I've heard of déjà vu, but I didn't think it was quite so literal at the time," Dante commented in a casual voice.
"Enough Dante," Vergil lowered his steel, but he didn't put it away I noticed. Hm…Dante and Vergil. Where had I heard those two particular names before? SomethingI had readI think, were these guys for real?"We can finish this latter. You're not going to stop me this time."
"Right, and you want me to what? Stand around and let you sacrifice your little bitch or something just as pathetic? And then come for me after that? The same old routine? Maybe you'd like to fuck up the rest of my life while you're at it." Dante stood still, the tip of his sword resting on the ground. I pulled myself up to my feet. Vergil's bitch? Excuse me?
"If I meant to do anything that drastic, you would've heard from me before now," Vergil replied. He looked to the demon. The small white light was dancing byit's head, annoying it. The blond chic shouldered her sword, and casually walked up behind Dante.
"His bitch?" I asked annoyed. They all ignored me as the demon began to growl.
"You never change, you know that?" Dante smirked, still staring at Vergil. Who smiles when they're looking at a three headed demon dog? "Fine Verg, we'll do this your way, but maybe this time you won't end up dead or killing someone important. If you're lucky that is." They both relaxed somewhat, like they had reached a consensus. What the hell was that about?
"You want the left one or the right one?" Dante asked Vergil, scratching his chin. Hmm…Vergil the twin, peachy. Nicething to know thatthey both evaluated large demons like they were picking out ice-cream at the candy store. With what I had seen Verigl do, I could understand their attitudes. That didn't stop it from bugging the hell out of me. What's the fun of fighting if you're never challenged?
"Does it matter?" he asked Dante annoyed. "Don't kill Cerberus."
"What?" Dante asked him incredulous.
"It's called restraint," Vergil replied. He turned to me, "Lauren."
"Hell no," I cut him off taking a step back. "I don't walk dogs, and for the love of god, stop calling me that."
"Would you prefer the spiders?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking. I looked over my shoulder and shuddered. At least five or six different spider demons were creeping into the room on six hairy legs. I think I need to join arachnophobia anonymous. Some days you're the windshield and some days you're the bug…and those where really, really big bugs…
"What?" I asked defeated.
"The spiders…" he started, in the stupid monkey voice he seems to reserve just for me.
"No shit, Vergil. What do you want me to do?" I snapped.
"The chalice," he nodded his head over in the general vicinity of the three headed dog, still smirking.
"What?" I asked him flatly. I was hoping that didn't mean what I thought it meant.
"It's behind Cerberus." If he didn't stop smirking at me soon I was going to wipe that smile off his face.
"I got out of bed for this?" Dante chuckled, smirking at me.
"You're definitely human," Trish said mildly amused. I don't see what's so funny. I can't kill demons that big.
"I thought we established that," I muttered. The woman smiled at me still amused.
"So sad you're just human," she replied, "otherwise I'd enjoy sparing against you. It would be interesting to see if you could move as fast as your tongue does." The inferiority complex strikes again.
"Let's do this," Dante replied, swinging his giant sword around. The blond woman smiled, her own sword at ready.
"Try not to forget the Chalice, Lauren," Vergil replied unconcerned. I felt the muscles twitch under my eye. Vergil, you filthy lair. First he gropes me and now I'm his bitch. God must hate me.