1 February 10:40am
While Vergil and Dante chased after Amelia, Cyra finally took advantage of the opportunity to find the nurse. Cyra made a quick stop at home to pack some unholy waters and a baseball bat in a backpack and she made her way to the broken down Cathedral. She had to be quick, but she couldn't help but go down memory lane.
Cyra stood in front of the angelic statue, a flash of memories washing over her. The statue had one arm clutching her chest, while the other hand was held out, as if inviting who was standing before it. She was so happy here… Spending time with Amelia, learning from her, developing her own medical skills. Turns out it was all a lie, anyway. What angers her is that she fell for it. Maybe she really did trust people too easily. At least she got most of her guesses correctly.
Still, Cyra believed Amelia had good intentions at the start. She did help people, even if she was just hoarding their energy for an eventual revenge plot. Ugh, no, Cyra, you can't make excuses for her! She wouldn't defend someone who had that intense of ulterior motives.
This fucking statue… She had to look at it everyday believing that it was a symbol of good, only for it to be just a decoration for something so hateful. The hand wasn't inviting… It was infuriating. Cyra's mood flipped. She was half tempted to go on a rampage and destroy everything that still remained standing in this rubble.
Snapping her eyes away from the statue, she marched over to the back room where she and Amelia had their first meeting in recent times. There had to be something signaling a hint as to where Amelia was hiding. A sign, some writing, a picture... Anything! There were sheets of papers strewn about. There was no time to look through them all so she had to skim them quickly, but she could miss something - even if it's something small. She had to take these with her and be thorough, even if it ended up being a waste of time. She was scrambling through fallen bricks, wiping her hand along walls for anything suspicious.
Cyra slammed her hands down on the empty table and groaned. There had to be a reason that the nurse woman was here, whatever her name was. Maybe she took something that was left here? Maybe she had her own messenger or delivery boy that dropped something off for her? Cyra dropped down to sit on the ground, back against the brick wall, feeling oddly cold. The only other option is to camp the area and wait to see if that nurse will come back again. Why is she always inadvertently stalking this woman? At least it sounded a lot more fun than sitting around reading random nonsense on sheets of paper for hours.
Cyra just stared. Things just kept happening. A month ago, she was just lonely, working on unholy waters. Dante came back and she met Vergil. Cyra chuckled remembering she only thought he was attractive. She never expected it to get worse, especially in such a short amount of time. Weeks was all it took for her to gain a liking to someone new only for fate to decide differently. She wished she could go back in time, heal him sooner with what she knew, and find a way to truly live peacefully. With him? Maybe, she hoped. Vergil only had all these second thoughts because of her safety, but if she could convince him her safety wouldn't be an issue, then perhaps he could get used to living in the human world.
Her mind drifted to her first meeting with Vergil, when she asked him if there was anything he liked about the human world. He claimed not to have many pleasant memories here. No matter what happened after all this was over, she wanted to at least be a pleasant memory.
Gods, Cyra, it sounds like you're giving up… She thought to herself. But she was NOT giving up. Cyra pushed herself back up and grabbed the pieces of paper she'd think about reading, shoving them into her backpack.
Standing up, she noticed the bricks on the ground below her were uneven, and somewhat odd looking. The gaps between these particular bricks were unlike the other bricks surrounding her. She took a step back and looked around. How come she never noticed this? Then again, she wasn't exactly in the back room a lot. Amelia made sure of it. Now Cyra understood why, if there was something hidden here.
Wait… the statue… Cyra walked close to it. The arm clutching her chest looked odd. The part where the arm met the body looked like it had a crack on one side, and the fist wasn't even connecting to the chest. Cyra may have been going on a limb here, but she stood up on the frame behind it and pulled down the arm, finding that it moved with her. Just like that, something behind the wall started rumbling. Was something moving? Cyra quickly pulled out her baseball bat and walked around the wall, ready to attack if anyone came up. The bricks of the floor dipped to make a stairwell. No way… Cyra thought, relaxing a bit with the bat in her hands. This is where she was sitting just earlier, almost giving up.
This was dangerous. Who knew what was down there? Should she get Dante or even Nero? No, no, she didn't need them. This was fine. Everything was going to be fine… Cyra took a deep breath and gripped her bat, descending the stairs. She carefully mader her way down, happy to know that whatever was down there was lit up so she wouldn't be fumbling around in the dark.
Downstairs was a whole other setting. It was much bigger than she imagined. It wasn't just some small room, it was as big as the cathedral. Any sort of science equipment you could probably ask for, was here. Beakers, serums, medic stations, medical equipment, demon parts? Books lined some of the walls, Cyra recognizing them to be alchemy books. What was this? This wasn't here when Cyra almost lived at the cathedral. Or was it? Amelia must have kept it a secret. Though she kept the backroom in general locked most of the time.
Something rattled in the distance behind a table. Cyra held up the bat, "Who's there!?" She called out, but no response, "Come out right now!"
"C-Cyra…?" A voice meekly called out.
"Show yourself!" Cyra shouted.
A figure slowly reached up over the table, revealing herself to be the nurse in white. So she was here! Oh, thank you, Victor, you wonderful ally, you! She walked out from behind the table, "It's me, Eileen! I take it your friend relayed my message?"
"Message?" Cyra asked her. So her name was Eileen.
"That I want to help!" Eileen said.
Cyra shook her head, but still didn't lower the bat, "N-no, no one told me anything. Who did you talk to?"
"Um, white hair, long black coat," Eileen described.
VERGIL? She talked to Vergil? Meanwhile he got mad that Cyra was working with Victor? Okay, maybe not the same thing, but Vergil didn't even mention this girl. Cyra dropped her arms down, "No, he didn't say anything."
"Oh…" Eileen said.
"What are you doing here?" Cyra asked.
"Hiding. Amelia will not be returning here, so I feel safe for once," Eileen said.
"How do you know that?" Cyra asked.
"No stored energy nearby, no tethers, no barrier. Amelia would die here very quickly," Eileen said.
"Then where is she!" Cyra demanded.
Eileen flinched. She understood why she'd be apprehensive, but it still made her nervous, "I do not know! I haven't seen her since the barrier here was disrupted."
Cyra wasn't sure she could trust Eileen. Vergil didn't mention her, but he also didn't say to stay away from her. He did say he didn't sense demonic energy from her, though. Cyra may be rusty with her self defense, but she stood a bit above average height at 5'7", meanwhile Eileen was a very small 5'2". She could take her, no problem, "You said you wanted to help?"
"Yes," Eileen nodded, "But first... I have a confession to make."
Cyra looked at her, scanning her face. She finally lowered the baseball bat, but still kept her guard up just in case. She urged her to continue, "Lady Amelia… She… She made me hate you. I don't know if you figured it out or not, but I was the one that asked Amelia to send demons to attack you after you started giving away holy waters. I was jealous. I wanted to be Panacea. I wanted to be a savior."
A savior? My god, Amelia really had her brainwashed, "You could have still done it! It's not about a status, it's about helping people."
"I know that now, but at the time, I was blinded by rage. Amelia always told me how much better you were than I was. I thought if you were out of the picture, then my mind would be calmed and Amelia would stop comparing the two of us. I'm so sorry, Cyra. I offer you my help and everything I have here as an apology," Eileen pressed her folded hands to her forehead, in a praying manner, as if she were praying for her forgiveness.
Cyra was taken aback. One, Eileen was rather forward, but someone in this much of a religious lifestyle is probably really upfront with their sins. But why did that make Cyra seem like a deity? "You really don't have to do that. The, uh, prayer thing."
Eileen looked up, "Oh, of course…" She lowered her hands, unfolding as they went down back in front of her, clasping at her robe.
Cyra felt bad for her, "Amelia has a way of manipulating people. I forgive you, okay?"
Eileen's face scrunched together as she tried not to cry. She nodded, "Thank you…Please let me show you what I have."
"Okay," Cyra said, cautiously.
Eileen walked over to a station where green oval crystals were splayed over the counter, "I made vital stars, well… ovals."
Vital stars? Those were rare, just like holy waters. Cyra even tried to make them, but her methods kept turning out to be failures. That's when she decided to focus on holy waters since they worked and were more helpful to humans protecting themselves. Eileen's weren't in the shape of stars, probably annoying to recreate, but being just crystals didn't matter if they worked the same, "You made them?" Eileen nodded. "Wow... I couldn't even make them!"
Eileen blushed, "I failed a lot. Took me over 100 attempts and I spent months reading alchemy books."
"Well, even after 100 attempts, you didn't give up. How do you know they work?" Cyra asked.
"I suppose I don't know for sure, but I followed the alchemy books perfectly. They didn't fall apart after casting, so I'm fairly confident they work," Eileen explained.
Cyra hummed, "Last time I took something from here, it turned out to be holy water that Amelia wanted me to use to kill someone very important to me. If I take these vital stars from you, I won't have to come back with a revenge plan, would I?" She asked coyly.
"N-no! I just want to help, please! I told your friend this, but I feel trapped like this. I don't want to work with Amelia anymore, but if I disobey, she'll kill me. Whether it's herself, or her demons, or that man, I'm not safe until it's all gone. I want to live a normal life again!" Eileen pleaded.
Damn… Cyra really was far too trusting. This could be one that'd bite her in the ass. She wanted to believe Eileen. Her voice seemed so genuine. Eileen could win awards if this were acting. These vital stars would help! Vergil could use one just today… "What does she have you do?"
"She uses me as a tether between others. Being a nurse, it's easy for me to come into contact with people…" Eileen explained. Made sense, Cyra thought, but why would Amelia target possibly sick or injured people to feed off their energy?
"Does that mean you've seen memories of all those people?" Cyra asked.
Eileen's face hardened, "Not always, but I wish to forget the ones I've seen."
Cyra nodded, understanding. Having dealt with seeing horrible things, she couldn't imagine how many more Eileen must have succumbed to. It would certainly explain her monotone and almost robotic voice. After being mentally and emotionally tormented, it would start to wear thin. Poor girl, "I'm sorry… I've only had to see two horrible things, I can't imagine the toll it's taken on you."
"I've seen so much from other people, it's hard to tell which memories are my own," Eileen said.
"Well when this is all over, we can make new memories. You'll teach me how to make vital stars, right?" Cyra asked with a smile.
Eileen's face perked up, threatening to shed happy tears, "Of course!" Without another word, she rummaged through the bookshelf to the left of her. Cyra watched her carefully. Eileen's demeanor went from scared to melancholy to happy in such a short period of time. Before Cyra could let her thoughts spiral further, Eileen spoke up again, "I can help you understand it better, but if you wanted a head start to give you an idea, this alchemy book helped me with vital stars," Eileen said, handing her a red leather bound book, which Cyra gladly took. An alchemy book! Amelia never cared much to teach her alchemy, claiming medicine was what Cyra specialized in, although she tried and failed at it many times before. Unholy waters just happened to be what she stuck with, but not forever.
Cyra tore her eyes from the book to Eileen, "How old are you?"
"Sixteen," Eileen answered neutrally.
"You're sixteen!?" Cyra repeated, eye widening.
Eileen blushed and looked down, "...and a half."
Was she trying to appear older? "Sorry, that's just amazing how smart you are for being so young. And well… makes me feel even worse that you're caught in this mess."
Eileen didn't look back up at Cyra, "Don't be."
Cyra felt she struck a nerve. Was she self conscious about her age? Cyra knew being a woman in the medical field was quite the struggle, especially since she started young as well. Eighteen was old enough for people to see you were interested in the field, but still too young for anyone to take you seriously. There were more factors that went into Eileen's apprehension, but Cyra would learn that later, "Don't worry, Eileen. We'll both get out of this. I promise," Cyra smiled. Eileen finally looked back up and smiled, a short nod following.
1 February 11:20am
Cyra walked back up the stairs, watching as they moved back up, leveling the ground. Must be a switch down there that Eileen could control. Cyra felt good about that encounter. Turns out it was worth it in the end anyway. Victor led her to yet another ally, a useful one at that, even if it didn't lead her to Amelia directly. It was probably still a long road for that, though.
With these vital stars, maybe she could use them as an excuse to see Vergil? Or at least tell Dante about them! Cyra walked back past the rubble, through the useless door, exiting the remains of the cathedral.
"So this is the Cathedral that demons attacked, huh?" Cyra jumped at the sound of the voice, holding her hand over her heart when she realized it was just Nero leaning against the pillar. He continued, "Heard this on the news, but Nico convinced me Lady and Trish had this part of town."
"Why did you follow me?" Cyra asked, relaxing.
"Dante told me to watch you. Would look pretty bad just letting you run off. You always do what you're not supposed to?" Nero asked.
"I guess so…" Cyra trailed off, and started walking back to Devil May Cry, "Let's get back before they yell at me?"
"So you do. Respect, but what was the hurry?" Nero asked, following her.
"The sorceress, Amelia, is also targeting me, but I had to talk to a friend while Dante and Vergil were being distracted, so kind of my best chance," Cyra said.
"Friend, huh?" Nero said. It wasn't the weirdest thing to do business underneath a cathedral, but he didn't know Cyra and she was a human.
"Yeah," Cyra pointed at her backpack with her thumb, "Got some nice vital stars if you're interested."
"Ahhh, that kind of friend," Nero grinned. Cyra smiled. Felt nice being able to talk to him normally. Of course he was just frustrated being kept in the dark, but it felt good to have a new friend that was familiar with demons, as strange as it was for herself to be that familiar with them.
"Vergil is supposed to be resting while he fully recovers, but he still likes to get himself beat up, so hopefully these will help him," Cyra said.
Nero's face twitched at the mention of Vergil's name, "So what's been going on anyway?" Nero asked, hoping she'd just tell him.
Cyra glanced over to Nero for a moment, not knowing how to respond, "Look, Nero, I feel like this isn't really my place to talk about it. Dante will tell you."
"Yeah well, we have some time to kill and I want to know now," Nero forced a smile.
"Are you always this difficult?" Cyra asked.
"You don't know anything about me," Nero said in a low voice.
Cyra softened her face. He was right. They may not have started off on the right foot, but Nero was still the person that helped Vergil, or V at the time, whatever. He deserved her time. Plus she wanted their friendship to start off strong. If Dante and Vergil came back, at least being with Nero wouldn't make them upset with her, so she was in the clear, "Follow me," Cyra said and led Nero to her bookstore. It'd be better to drop her new alchemy book off without others seeing it and trying to talk her out of it, anyway.
It was a short walk, thankfully. The silence felt awkward, but she wasn't entirely worried or afraid of Nero. Brash and annoying as he was, he was still a good guy.
Cyra opened the bookstore and led Nero through. She took a baseball bat from the corner of the room to bar the door, out of habit at this point.
"Nice place," Nero said and noticed the medical and science equipment she had in the back, behind some bookshelves.
Cyra was relieved he didn't ask what everyone asked. You live here? You live in a bookstore? "Thanks." Maybe she misjudged Nero at first. He was just frustrated because his friends kept him in the dark for so long. She'd be angry, too. She was about to apologize for her behavior until he spoke up.
"So you gonna start explaining or read me a story?" Nero taunted, pulling a book from the shelf just enough to look at the cover.
Cyra aggressively sighed, "I'll give you the short version to shut you up. It's Dante's fault you don't know the whole story so i'll give him the burden of the long version."
"Deal," Nero said.
"There was a problem in the demon world-"
"What kind of problem?" Nero asked.
"No interrupting. Questions later," Cyra said.
"Sorry, sorry," Nero said quietly, letting her continue.
"Vergil got sick so Dante pulled them back here. I'm a doctor and they trusted me to cure him, which I did, but since then, Vergil hasn't been able to fully recover, because the sorceress, Amelia, does this thing called tethering to absorb energy to make herself stronger. Their stay was supposed to be temporary, but now there's a bigger problem. Amelia, who also used to be my mentor, wants Vergil dead. He killed her human husband a long time ago and she's finally getting her revenge. She's been difficult to track down which is why she's still alive, and she's been absorbing energy for the last 25 years so she's a lot stronger and… resourceful than anyone expected," Cyra finished.
"So something else Vergil did came back to bite us all in the ass," Nero commented under his breath, but loud enough so Cyra heard him.
"Why don't you like him?" Cyra decided to ask.
Nero stared at her. Did she really not know? "He really didn't tell you?" He looked back down at his hand, which Cyra noticed.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot about that… Dante said he ripped off your arm." Cyra said, embarrassed, assuming he was talking about his arm.
Nero wasn't talking about his arm, but he let it slide, getting his real answer anyway, "Something like that. Don't ask me about this one, though. I don't know too much myself. What's your deal with him, anyway?" Nero was sort of dreading an answer.
"With Dante?" Cyra asked.
"Vergil," Nero corrected.
"Just his doctor, I guess. Er, was. That's… a longer story irrelevant to the bigger picture," Cyra said, trying to sound professional and not let her sadness show through, but failed.
Nero eyed her and could tell she was just putting up a front, "You okay?"
Cyra nodded, "Just worried about him, is all."
"Worried about Vergil?" Nero asked incredulously.
"I know I don't have to be, but I can't help it…" Cyra said and scoffed, "Jeez, I just met you, don't mean to talk about that right now!" She forced a smile.
"Heh, well at least you can sleep peacefully knowing he brought this on himself," Nero said.
"Maybe…" Cyra said.
Nero couldn't explain why he was angry. He didn't know what to make of Cyra, yet. She seemed relatively nice, well, in comparison to the people around him, but her being involved with Vergil is what bugged him. Maybe it was because he didn't think Vergil was allowed to have a nice woman care about him - not after he abandoned Nero and his mom. Or maybe it was because this stranger, someone he's never even heard of, gets to know Vergil more than him - his own son. Maybe both. None of it was really her fault, though, he tried to reason. Still, he wasn't about to be a saint towards her, "Appreciate you telling me," He said and looked off to the side.
"No problem…" Cyra said, unsure if she should tell him more or not, or if she should say anything else. Would he just leave?
There was so much Nero wanted to say and ask. About Vergil, about why the hell Cyra didn't know about him… It wasn't her fault. The questions he had weren't directed at her. He decided to wait till tomorrow, but at least he had a broad idea of what was going on. Nero turned to remove the baseball bat barricade, "See you around, I guess."
"W-wait!" Cyra called out. Nero turned around, baseball bat still in hand, waiting for her to continue, "Dante explained a lot to me about the last big mission. I, um…" Crap, she shouldn't have said anything, but she wanted to thank him for saving Vergil, or V, whoever Nero knew more, "I just wanted to retroactively thank you for helping... him," She didn't elaborate. Nero would know who she meant.
Nero just gave her a hard stare. She was thanking him? She didn't even know what she was thanking him for. She really didn't get it. Nero tossed the baseball bat aggressively at her feet, having it bounce around, startling her. He pushed the doors open and stormed out. Cyra stood there, doors slowly closing again, wondering what she said wrong.
1 February 11:30am
-Well everything you worked for ended up going to shit, Verge. Your white knight moment is backfiring and now you're gonna look like a dumbass in front of your girl!-
That voice… That squawking voice… Why could he be heard? None of his nightmares were supposed to return.
-Ohohoho, you can't get rid of me that easily. Turns out you need me.-
I don't need you. I left you behind for a reason. Vergil thought.
-If you didn't need me, then why are you imaging my voice?... Yeah that's what I thought. Now get up, you got some crazy witch trying to kill your girlfriend. We don't have all day!-
Vergil woke up to the feeling of something lightly pushing him. His eye lids slowly started to open, frustrated at how difficult that was. When they were open enough, he saw Dante hovering over him. Dante must have been nudging him with his foot, "Finally decided to show up," Vergil said in a hoarse voice.
"Yeah, well, took a bit to find you. What happened?" Dante asked.
"Nnnnggghhh….." Vergil groaned, not moving a muscle. There was so much to say, but he frankly didn't have the energy to speak all of it. He could just stare at the cave ceiling above him.
Dante sighed, "You alright?"
"What part of nnnnghhhh don't you understand?" Vergil groaned out.
Vergil sure had a sense of humor to him when he was half beaten into the ground, Dante thought, "So I take that as a yes?"
"Never felt better," Vergil lied, voice low as he spoke through his teeth.
Dante stepped over Vergil and crouched down over his body, "Good," A grin stretched wide across his face before he punched Vergil across the face, causing him to somewhat flinch. Turning his body, he tried to sooth his now injured face with a hand that reflexively reached up. Aching muscles reverberated through his body due to the sudden movement. Dante stood up and away from him, and Vergil rolled back onto his back, still holding his face, "You know, you're lucky you're still in one piece! You trying to get yourself killed?"
Vergil darkly chuckled, wiping blood away from his mouth, "You know she can't kill me."
"No, but I can," Dante said.
"You've failed three times now," Vergil said.
"Talking an awful lot for a guy who can't even sit up," Dante challenged.
"Give me a moment and I'll put you in the same condition," Vergil threatened, even if it was empty. They both knew it, but Vergil couldn't help himself. He took Dante's bait and tried his hardest to sit up, even if his arms threatened to give out multiple times. He managed to sit up enough to lean back against the wall. The adrenaline numbing his body must have been wearing off because his movements reminded him he had a painful gaping hole in his side. Damned sorceress….
Dante smirked and sat down next to Vergil, "Trish stopped by a bit ago. She destroyed all the sacs of energy around here, said she was looking for more."
Of course there's more… Vergil groaned an unintelligible response that Dante thought sounded like a "of course," but didn't think much of it. Vergil hoped the amount she did find was substantial enough to help him recover quickly, let alone give him more of his strength. He was so sick of being weak and now he was injured, again.
"So what happened?" Dante asked.
"She got away. Again," Vergil said angrily, tired of playing this cat and mouse game.
"I see what she did to you, but I'm hoping you did worse to her," Dante said.
"She won't be bothering us for a bit," Vergil struggled to say. There was no way Amelia would recover quickly enough from her wounds and maintain enough energy to enact any of her plans. Unless they were horribly underestimating her power. Twenty five years was a long time, "How long was I out?"
"You ran off like half an hour ago, so not long," Dante said.
Vergil was relieved he wasn't out for too long. He was honestly excited to go back to Devil May Cry and pass out in his bed for days, but then he remembered Nero was there. And Cyra… He hung his head low and brought up his other hand to rub his eyes, "Go on ahead, I'll return shortly," Vergil said.
"Would rather not leave you here in pieces. Cyra's safe with Nero, if that's what you're worried about," Dante said.
"Hm," Vergil attempted to hum a response, but it turned out to be like a grunt, "I just want to be alone."
Dante considered fulfilling his request for a moment, "You sure you don't want to talk about it?"
Did he want to talk about it? Dante wouldn't judge him and the whole point of his asking is because Dante wanted to help. Maybe Vergil should let him, but even he knows his pride wouldn't let his baby brother give him a pep talk. He had too many of those as it is. He had to remind himself that this was more than just about him. It was about Cyra and now Nero? It didn't take long to realize that he was truly lost on his own. During his time as V, he realized receiving help wasn't necessarily bad or made him weak. It was how people got by and that was a human's strength. This was all still new to him. How was he supposed to live a normal human life if he wasn't even used to being human? "I… don't know what to do," He finally admitted.
This quickly got Dante's attention. Vergil? His brother? Didn't know what to do for once? "About what?"
Everything, really. Should he just answer that? "Everything," He nearly shrugged.
Dante raised both eyebrows, "Uh, well how about we start from the top?"
The top? What's the top? Everything was equally miserable. He supposed he could just start with the most recent, "That sorceress said she plans to make me suffer by hurting Cyra. I predicted something like this happening, so I ended things with her to try to prevent this, but it's far too late. She knows everything about us. Somehow, she knows our last conversation where I… admitted a few things."
"Wait, you ended things?" Dante asked first. Vergil wasn't about to repeat himself so he let Dante speak again, "Figured something was up. Mentioned you were MIA and she seemed sad."
Sad? "When?"
"Like an hour ago. Then Nero showed up, and you know the rest," Dante said, "Anyway, what'd you admit? That you looooo-"
Vergil was NOT going to let Dante finish that thought, "I told her," He interrupted with an emphasis, with Dante just smirking, "The closer she and I are, the closer to danger she is. I'd prefer she stay alive, so I had to end whatever we had. I can't help feeling she's angry with me because of it, but she's still just as much a target. And now Nero…"
Dante didn't realize how overwhelmed he was with everything. Overwhelmed to the point of being self-destructive. Dante had plenty of those moments. Distancing himself from Cyra was a good idea, as Dante has done a similar thing before, but Vergil was in too deep. Dante could tell. Vergil needed her and pushing her away would only send him on a downward spiral. Vergil did not need something sending him on a downward spiral. Baiting him with the topic of Nero would have been fun, but Dante could read a room, "Don't worry," he said optimistically.
Vergil scoffed, "Don't worry, he says..."
"I mean it. Don't worry about having to deal with everything at once. When we get back, I'll handle Cyra and Nero, and you focus on healing. I got your back," He said, reaching over to punch him lightly so as to not topple him over.
Vergil threw him a side glance and sighed. He wasn't sure what he had planned, but Dante did have a way with words, he supposed, "Thank you," He muttered.
"On two conditions," Dante began. Vergil knew there would be a catch, "One: Stop fighting demons when you're not even fully recovered. You're making it worse! Trish even confirmed it. The more energy you use, whatever is tethering you just absorbs that much more making you weaker and Amelia stronger."
"This demon infest is partially my responsibility. I can't just stand by," Vergil said.
"And how is going into the demon world by yourself gonna help?" Dante asked.
He knew, of course… "I'd be impressed if her tethers reach through the portal," Vergil actually never thought of that. Is that why he lasted so long in the demon world? Maybe that's the place to recover after all…
"Lady and Trish have been working overtime clearing out demons while you heal. The least you can do is actually take care of yourself," Dante said.
"Hm," Vergil would have continued if Dante didn't go first.
"Which brings me to my next request… Talk to Cyra," Dante said.
"About?" Vergil asked.
"Look, I know you think disassociating with her will keep her safe, which obviously it isn't because Amelia knows, but it's only going to make it worse. I think we both know Cyra enough by now. She'll get herself into even more trouble trying to do stuff on her own. If you're there with her through this whole thing, she'll be a lot safer," Dante said.
Yeah, Vergil knew Cyra, and there's no chance she'd stay put even if he were with her, "This isn't just about now, Dante. I may be able to handle any demon, but the next one that wants me dead will just target her. You know how this goes," Vergil explained.
Of course, Dante knew. It happened to his mother. Mundus killed her out of revenge. Dante sighed, "I guess I do…"
There was a silence between the two, unsure if it was comfortable or not. On one hand, it was uncomfortable leaving the conversation the way it did, without a proper resolution. However, it was comfortable because the twin brothers understood each other. Dante looked down at the ground, but he glanced his eyes over to Vergil, who was slouched against the wall of the cave, holding his hand over the gaping wound that was still bleeding. It was his lack of power that was making him second guess himself. The Vergil he knew would realize that someone as powerful as him had the capability of protecting anyone he wanted. For once, Vergil was worried about the possibility of failing, and he did what most people would do - Abandon anything scary so that he would not set himself up for failure, even if it meant being miserable. Just another human trait, Dante thought fondly. It was cowardly, sure, but a much safer strategy.
Dante could have brought this all up to Vergil, but maybe coming to terms on his own would benefit him more. Dante wasn't always going to be around to give him a pep talk and make sure his head was screwed on right. Yet there was still a chance Vergil would never come to the realization himself. Sure he was weak now, but would everything change once he gets all of his energy and power back? Dante was at a loss deciding what would help his brother more, "Alright, you want to hear my honest opinion on this or you want to be left alone?" Dante asked.
Vergil smirked and laid his head back against the cave wall, looking at Dante, "So you disagree."
Ah to have a brother that knew him so well, "Just never figured you to be a coward."
"Coward?" Vergil repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Hell's strongest demon thinks he won't be able to take care of someone. Yeah, it is Cyra, who'll end up inviting demons to attack her, but I thought you liked a challenge," Dante taunted.
Vergil tore his eyes away from Dante's in favor of staring at the ground.
Dante pushed himself up and held out his hand to Vergil, "C'mon, we gotta take care of that wound."
Vergil snapped out of his own thoughts and looked up at Dante reaching out to him. Vergil grabbed Dante's forearm with his free hand, and braced himself as he was lifted up into a standing position. He flinched from the pain in his side, but hid it well. Having a hole in his side was going to make moving around difficult for the time being, until his healing factor kicked in. Being tethered meant it was uncertain when or how well it'll work. Bleeding out may very well be in the cards.
"Remember, just relax when we get back, I'll handle Cyra and Nero," Dante reminded.
1 February 12:02pm
Cyra walked back to Devil May Cry, slowly and awkwardly. She didn't want to be alone with Nero, but she didn't want Dante and Vergil to question why she was by herself.
She saw Nico sitting outside the steps, smoking. Cyra slowly made her way towards the doors, but Nico spoke up, "Yer laaaaaate," She taunted, taking a drag.
Cyra's heart sank for a moment, but still busted through the doors, only to see Nero looking around the shop before he turned his attention to Cyra. Cyra turned back to Nico who only gave her a smirk, "Gotcha."
Cyra pursed her lips and walked in, hoping that Nero wouldn't say anything. She couldn't leave, just hope that Dante and Vergil would return soon. It started worrying her that it was taking so long. They've been gone an hour! Cyra was half tempted to run back out and look for them, despite how stupid that'd be. Cyra glanced her eyes over to Nero who was just inspecting Dante's weapons. Don't say anything, don't say anything, you'll make him hate you more, "Did I say something wrong?"
Nero threw a glance over his shoulder, "Forget it."
Giving up wasn't really her style, but did she want to annoy him? Making a friend out of Nero turned out to be harder than she thought, much harder. Stories of him had her believing they'd get along. Cyra would have pressed on, but the sounds of muffled voices from outside became noticeable with how eerily quiet it was between her and Nero. The voices distracted her.
The doors opened, letting the sound of Nico's voice filter through the opening, "The hell happen to you? Ya got eaten and shat out by a demon or somethin?"
Nero and Cyra turned to the doors. Dante walked in first, confidently with his sword strapped over his shoulder. Vergil on the other hand, looked as badly as Nico so bluntly described. His face and clothes were torn and stained with dirt and blood, hopefully not his own, but those tears say otherwise. He was walking with a slight limp, a hand covering his side that was drenched in blood. Vergil didn't look at anyone as he headed straight towards the bathroom to wash off the layers of grime he collected all day. Especially not Cyra. She followed him to the door, hoping to grab his arm before he made it, but Vergil shut the door behind his back, almost slamming it into Cyra's face, stopping her. Vergil couldn't stand the feeling of their eyes on him. Their concern, their pity… He wanted none of that.
"Cyra," Dante called out. Cyra turned her attention to him, "Not now," He said quietly, shaking his head. Vergil was horribly overwhelmed. The shower was immediately heard turning on, assumingly to drown out any unwanted noise- Much like he's done before.
Nero even noticed, "What happened?"
"What happened to him?" Cyra walked in front of Nero and demanded an answer.
"We'll explain everything," Dante said to Nero and turned to Cyra, "He'll be fine, don't worry," He answered softly.
"I know he will be, but I want to know what did that to him…" Cyra said, clenching her fists. Nero eyed Cyra's blatant concern over him. He had his suspicions about her already. Just how close was she to Vergil? Who was she to him? It didn't sit well for Nero.
"Hey I've been waiting 8 months for you to come back, and you just show up without saying a word, okay? I think I deserve an explanation now!" Nero said.
"I said, later, Nero," Dante repeated, calmly, "There's too much going on."
"Well then explain it to me!" Nero yelled.
"Damn!" Nico's voice called out, "I wanna know just as much as y'all, but this is giving me a headache!"
"Then wait outside!" Nero said to her.
"Maybe you should wait outside!" Cyra said to him.
"Me!?" Nero asked, offended, "Who even are you!?"
Cyra was taken aback and would have yelled back if Dante didn't interrupt them. He sandwiched himself in between Nero and Cyra, throwing his arms over their shoulders, guiding them out, "Alright, alright, you two need a time out."
"Let go of me!" Nero yelled.
"No, I want to see him!" Cyra yelled at the same time.
"Everyone just sit tight, okay? We have a bit until crazy attacks again and you're not helping. So both of you, just go home and reconvene back here tomorrow at noon, capiche?" Dante asked. Nero aggressively shrugged Dante's arm off his shoulder, meanwhile Cyra glared at Dante as he removed his arm himself.
"If you called me when you first got here, this problem would have already been taken care of!" Nero said.
"Yeah, well, if it means anything, I agree with you," Dante said.
"Oh, so it was douchebag's idea to keep me in the dark?" Nero asked.
Cyra scowled, knowing he was talking about Vergil, "Don't call him that!"
"Okay okay okay!" Dante interrupted again. He looked at Nero, "Go" and turned to Cyra, "HOME."
Cyra glared at Nero as she turned around and marched back to her own bookstore. Nico followed suit, walking next to Nero, looking like she wanted to say something. Dante looked over at Nero, "Tomorrow, Nero. Promise," Dante said. He tried his hardest to make everyone leave so that Vergil could be alone and hoped that'd be the end of it since he immediately walked back into the Devil May Cry.
Nero glared at Dante closing the door after him and shifted his eyes to see Cyra still walking back inside. He felt eyes on him and turned to look to his side, seeing Nico pursing her lips. She definitely wanted to say something, "What?" Nero breathed out.
"I think ya should be nicer to yer new mom," Nico said, feigning sincerity.
"Gross! What the hell!" Nero exclaimed, taking a step back, "She barely even looks older than I am!" Nero said.
Nico grinned, "Yer daddy seemed to nab himself a young-"
"I swear Nico if you finish that sentence, I'll-!" Nero started, but Nico interrupted.
"What, hey everyone needs some lovin'!" Nico defended.
"You're impossible," Nero grumbled and headed back to the van.
When Cyra went back inside Devil May Cry, she let the straps of her backpack fall off her shoulders. Dante turned back to her, "Cyra, I said-"
Cyra took the baseball bat out, afterwards using her free hand to shove the backpack into Dante's chest, forcefully, "There're vital stars in there," She sternly said. Dante reached up his hands to hold the backpack so Cyra could let go of it. Without another word, she stormed out. If Vergil didn't want to talk to her and let her help him, then she wasn't going to beg. Maybe that was the hint she needed.
Nero and Nico were standing around their van. Nero leaning against it, eyes on Devil May Cry, while Nico went around to get to the driver's side, "May as well come back tomorrow. I told ya showin' up unannounced was gonna be rude."
"If I didn't run off, there's no way I'd convince you to come…" Nero trailed off when he saw Cyra walk back out of Devil May Cry angrily, without her backpack. Nero wondered what she went back in to say. Nico shifted in her seat, "You think she knows about him being your dad?"
Nero shook his head lightly, "Nah, she doesn't know."
"You gonna be the one to tell her?" Nico asked.
"I don't care if she knows or not," Nero said honestly. It didn't matter. He didn't know Cyra nor cared if she was around, but he felt a bit hollow thinking his own father was too ashamed of him to admit that to someone he may or may not have been close with. He still didn't really understand the deal between Vergil and Cyra. From his point of view, it looked one sided. Cyra obviously cared a lot about Vergil, but he didn't know the other half of it.
Meanwhile, Vergil spent the next 10 minutes slowly undressing himself in the bathroom. He managed to take his coat and vest off, letting them fall on the floor. Being beaten by demons and Amelia was one thing, but the gaping hole in his side wouldn't heal fast enough. Vergil was struggling to keep himself up, using the sink as an aid. Damn, he really could use someone's help, but after making such a big fuss about being alone, he couldn't ask now. He hated Cyra's pity, but on the other hand, having her take care of him made him feel warm and loved. Useless feeling, he tried to reason. He didn't want her to see him so weak. He was tired of her being the one to take care of him when he believed it should be the other way around.
There was a knock on the door, "Yes?" He asked hoping whoever it was wouldn't annoy him. Luckily enough, Dante was the one to open it, and he was holding up a green crystal.
"Cyra brought us some homemade vital stars," Dante said.
Cyra? Vital Stars? Homemade? Vergil's head was spinning already from the pain, but also from not knowing what to ask first, or if he should even bother, "Where in the world did she get them?"
"Well, Cyra and Nero started fighting so I sent them both home but she left this without another word, soooo I have no idea, but it looks and feels legit," Dante said, "Maybe our favorite doctor knows an alchemist."
"I think she would have mentioned that before," Vergil said.
"Yeah, well, a lot can happen in a few hours," Dante said, "So you want to try it out or not?"
"Not until I know the source. I've already had enough demons trying to steal my power," Vergil said.
"Suit yourself," Dante shrugged, "She also had some of these in her backpack in case you needed them," Dante handed over some gauze and wraps that Vergil grabbed reluctantly. He wasn't entirely sure how to use them properly. Stick them over the wounds and wrap them up, right? That's how he saw Cyra do it before. Seemed easy.
"You said Nero and Cyra were arguing?" Vergil asked before Dante could leave.
Dante chuckled, "Worried about them not getting along? Don't worry, they'll get over it."
"Not quite worried," Vergil corrected.
"Hah, well Nero's just pissed we didn't tell him we came back - I told you, by the way. And Cyra just wanted to know what got you so beaten up. Some yelling happened, but I told them to leave. Nero's coming back tomorrow and I gotta explain everything to him," Dante said.
"Feel free not to wake me up for that conversation," Vergil said.
"You got it... As long as you talk to Cyra," Dante said.
"This again… I already said-"
"Yeah, I know what you said, but it's bullshit. You're scared because you don't have your power back, but you know damn well if you did, you wouldn't be having any of these excuses. You'd never leave her side," Dante said.
Where did all this come from? Scared? Sure, he was scared of Cyra getting hurt, but it had nothing to do with his current power status… Did it? Vergil kicked the door closed, shutting the conversation and his own thoughts.
"I'll take that as a 'Yes, I'll talk to her!'" Dante yelled through the door.
-You aaare scared.-
That damned bird's voice again. Why was it tormenting him? Why now?
-You realize what's going on here, right? You're just going crazy. I'm not real, otherwise you could see me.-
"Get out of my head…" Vergil muttered through his teeth.
-Then stop running like you always do.-
Running? Vergil wasn't running.
-Hah! If only I was real so I could smack you upside the head. You're running from a life you dreamed of. With a woman who's somehow willing to tolerate your miserable ass.-
Dreamed of? Maybe he was going crazy. I don't need her or whatever kind of future you're implying.
-Yeah, I'd believe that if you weren't always thinking about her. Not a lot of room in here for me!-
Vergil rubbed his hands over his face, forcing Griffon's voice out. Amelia must have done something. The sorceress's abilities rely on stealing energies through memories, she could have messed him up by making him remember Griffon. It was all in his head, he had to convince himself. All in his head. The newfound silence was welcoming. The white noise from the shower certainly helped calm him as well. He was always around noise to prevent the silence from making him remember things he didn't want to, but turns out his memories find him, anyway.
Vergil used the sink and the walls to help him move to the bathtub, struggling as he went to stand in it. His pants were still on, but he didn't care, he just wanted the blood and grime washed off himself. He'd worry about uncomfortable wet pants later. However the stream from the water hitting his open wound made him flinch. He pushed a hand up to cover the shower head and moved it so it mainly hit the side of the bathtub. He lowered himself into the bathtub and let the droplets wash over him, much more manageable than the shower stream itself.
Running…He mentall scoffed. He wasn't running. And a life he dreamed of? The only dream he had was to obtain power, which he did. His life was fulfilled and there was certainly no dream of settling down. Running from Cyra was to protect her but it certainly wasn't out of fear. Why would he be afraid?
-Amelia called you weak. You won't admit it, but it bothers you. Because you know that right now, you are. It won't always be like this. You didn't dedicate your whole life the way you did just to end up some powerless nobody. You can protect her, Vergil.-
Vergil wasn't sure how long he fell asleep for, but he woke up to Dante banging on the bathroom door, "Hey, you alive in there!? I don't wanna walk in on you with your pants down, but you're wasting all the water!" Dante yelled.
Vergil groaned quietly to himself and used his foot to push the bath's faucet, shutting the shower off. Dante walked away, satisfied with the action. Vergil's hair was wet and threatening to push forward to cover his eyes, and he welcomed it. Eyes glanced down back to his wound to see it was still bleeding, but the area around it was clean. Must have been asleep long enough for the water droplets to do its job. Now the struggle was to cover the wound and make the trek upstairs. Although there was something oddly comfortable about the bathtub, and that's when Vergil knew it was time to get up. However, his muscles strained as he lifted himself up. For a brief moment, Griffon's laughter was heard, but it was so faint, Vergil assumed it didn't happen, not even in his own head. Add something else to the list, Vergil confirmed.
Low power
The sorceress
Cyra
Nero
...and now Griffon?
Now he was extra relieved he didn't have the energy to worry about Trish looking like his mother. When will it end? Would he have to be face to face with Mundus next before Vergil is convinced he's still trapped in a nightmare?
1 February 4:05pm
Cyra was feeling restless. Vergil wouldn't talk to her and he was injured, Dante wouldn't tell her what happened, Nero was an asshole… Sort of. Cyra could only spend so much time letting her eyes gloss over trying to comprehend what was in the alchemy book. Ugh, she needed a drink. Her first thought was to go to Dante's since he always had alcohol lying around, but immediately shoved that idea down feeling she wouldn't be welcomed. Where the hell was Trish and Lady? Had they really been killing demons on patrols this whole time? Where were they when Cyra needed them for personal, selfish reasons? She couldn't drink alone. Or rather, she wouldn't let herself.
Dante? Not happening
Vergil? Over his dead body
Nero? Over my dead body
Trish? MIA
Lady? Also MIA
Victor? ….Maybe
Eileen? Not even old enough!
Suppose she could just go to a bar and mingle with strangers… Okay she was more likely to convince Vergil to drink with her. Cyra dramatically exhaled and pushed the curtains aside, staring into the outdoors. The sun just set. Might be too dangerous to go and walk off some of her frustrations. It made her laugh that Victor would be her only option to get a drink with, but it wasn't like she had his phone number to just ring him for a night out.
Realization hit her. She may not have Victor's phone number, but friends show themselves in odd places, and she just happened to rekindle an old friendship with Nathan. Was it a good idea? That look in his eye suggested he expected something more than what Cyra was willing to offer. There was just history between them, she reasoned. Nathan was Gabriel's best friend and partner, it was just a familiarity between them - surely Nathan would understand that. Cyra picked up the phone.
1 February 5:42pm
It didn't take long for Cyra to loosen up. Sure it felt like asking someone out on a date, but it also didn't. Nathan was her friend, and he certainly made her feel relaxed from the beginning. He already had a patio table ready with a drink waiting for her. Somehow he remembered what Cyra's favorite drink was - the cosmopolitan. Nathan remembered because he always used to make fun of her for it. That and he'd ordered it before when Gabriel wouldn't.
Cyra had to wonder if she was overdressed for the part. Nathan was still wearing his work clothes since he'd just came from the office, but had a hoodie over his shirt. Cyra decided to wear a leather dark green jacket, cut right at her waist. Though not to give him the wrong idea, she wore a black sweater underneath, even though it was rather tight - though not quite as tight as her jeans were.
When Nathan asked Cyra what the problem was, she insisted she'd rather talk about anything else and luckily Nathan obliged. Nathan rambled on about his cop buddies, his partners, comparing them all to the best partner he had - Gabriel, though he didn't explicitly mention that part to her. He still felt awkward bringing him up around her. Along with his workplace ramblings, he had to bring up all the work he's been doing off the clock. Investigating cult sites, demon attacks, interviewing victims and witnesses... The list truly went on and on. Between being busy with work, and busy with thinking about work, he realized he also never had much of an opportunity to talk about his problems. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months and the next thing he knew he was nearing a promotion. That news just led him to work even harder to the point where he could not remember the last time he could just relax. It may as well have felt like 3 years ago, the last time he'd seen Cyra.
"Wow, didn't mean to ramble that long there. You're already on your second drink," Nathan chuckled.
"You needed this night out just as much as me, apparently," Cyra grinned.
"Yeah, but it's making me realize how much of my life passed by while I was busy working," Nathan said.
"I guess I could say the same. Doctor life is rather…lonely?" Cyra wondered what the best word was.
Lonely, huh? Nathan nodded and downed the rest of his beer, "Want another?"
She shouldn't, "Sure."
Nathan walked off back inside the bar to reorder the drinks. Cyra watched him walk off and sighed. She missed having a friend and a normal life. Sadly, a normal life seemed to be behind her. It felt like once you associate yourself with demons, you'll never go back. But Nathan was a nice distraction, or act, she supposed. With the whole Amelia threat, dealing with Vergil and her friends, she felt deserving of at least a distraction. Someone slammed on the table, snapping Cyra out of her daze. She jumped and noticed it was Lady next to her, hands still on the table.
"Jesus, Lady! What are you doing?"
"Haven't seen ya in a week! Couldn't help myself," Lady said and sat in an extra chair at her table.
"Awfully nice running into you here. How'd the demon hunts go?" Cyra asked.
"Not as bad as you'd think, but Dante called me back. You here with Vergil?" Lady asked, even though she already saw Cyra wasn't with him. Lady was watching their date for a bit, but she wanted to tease her.
Cyra blushed and started feeling awkward. There was too much to explain, and the idea of Lady seeing anyone but Vergil started making her heart race, "No…" She said quietly.
Lady raised a brow. Nathan came back to the table, "I'd have gotten another drink if I knew we'd have company," He said sitting down, sliding Cyra's drink over to her.
"Um, Lady, this is my friend Nathan. Nathan, Lady," Cyra said quietly, already taking a sip of her drink, eyes averted.
"Would you like anything to drink, Lady?" Nathan asked with a smile.
Lady returned a fake smile back to him, "No thanks," She said with sass and turned back to Cyra, "Meet me at your place? We need to catch up."
Cyra reluctantly glanced at Lady out of fear. Was Lady going to judge her, question her? Was her catching up going to just be about Amelia? Lady has been gone on missions for a few days - there had to be something important to share, "Um… right now?" Cyra asked.
"Don't really have time to waste now do we?" Lady asked, standing up. Cyra sighed. She was right, Amelia was busy plotting, no one had time to just hang around.
"I'll finish this drink and head over," Cyra confirmed. Lady nodded and walked off, not saying another word to Nathan.
"She seemed nice," Nathan chuckled.
Hopefully Lady wouldn't ask Dante or Vergil. Oh god, what if word gets back to Vergil that she was having a drink with Nathan. For a moment, Cyra thought about stopping Lady and asking her not to tell them about this evening, but that'd seem even more suspicious, "What?" Cyra wasn't sure what Nathan even said, but felt it was too long without a response.
"It's nothing. Uh, you okay?" He asked.
Cyra pinched the bridge of her nose, "Yeah, just… business stuff, I guess."
"Ah, is she a doctor too? Doesn't look it," Nathan said.
"Not quite," Cyra said.
"Well, don't feel bad about not finishing that drink if you gotta go," Nathan said.
Cyra sighed and drank it all in one gulp. She exhaled, throat burning with the liquor, "I'm gonna need it," She said, her voice coarse.
Nathan chuckled, "That bad?"
Cyra shook her head, "It's just complicated. I was really enjoying forgetting everything, ya know?"
"You still haven't told me what's wrong," Nathan said.
"And I won't. The point of this is to forget troubles, right?" Cyra suggested with a coy grin.
Nathan, don't be stupid, you had a few too many drinks, don't hit on her, "I know another way to forget about our troubles," Shit shit shit.
"What?" Cyra asked innocently.
Nathan mentally slapped himself. He wished he could slam his head onto the table, but it played it off, "Uh, nevermind!" He forced a smile.
Cyra raised a brow at his reaction but realized what the innuendo was, "O-oh…"
"Yeah, forget I said anything, I'm sorry! Drank a bit more than I should have," Nathan said quickly. Cyra started laughing. Wait, what? She was laughing?
"Oh my god! I'm sorry, it just reminded me of old times for a second," Cyra relaxed, still chuckling, "I forgot how many times you used to hit on me just to get a rise out of Gabriel!"
"Yeahhh it just happened. Old habits are hard to break, but it feels different when he's not really in the picture," Nathan said.
Cyra smiled, "Walk me home?"
Nathan obliged. Their walk to Cyra's home was rather calm, Nathan talking about what he had coming up for work in the next few days. Cyra settled into shorter responses the closer they got to her home, which Nathan didn't fail to notice, "So who's ass do I gotta kick, huh? What's his name?" He asked.
"What makes you think it's about a guy?" Cyra asked.
"Nine times out of ten when a girl wants to go out drinking, it's always because of a guy. Plus, I'm not almost a detective for nothing," Nathan said.
Cyra chuckled, "Well, you'd be half right, but it's still not anything I want to talk about. It's just really complicated," Complicated wasn't even scratching the surface.
"I'll send you a basket of sweets and roses - That'll make him jealous," Nathan said.
A jealous Vergil would lead to a dead Nathan. Cyra cringed, "For your own safety, please don't do that."
1 February 8:03pm
Cyra opened the door to her bookstore, expecting to see Lady, but she wasn't expecting her to go through her things. Lady turned when Cyra walked in, "About time. Hope I didn't ruin your night too much," Lady winked.
"Not at all," Cyra was slightly annoyed at Lady's suggestion, "So what's new? Did you learn anything about Amelia?" Cyra asked.
Lady pursed her lips, "No, but I did learn that you have a new friend. He's cute."
"He's just a-" Cyra began.
"Was it a date? Things didn't work out with Vergil? Bummer," Lady smiled, a sarcastic edge to her voice.
"It's not like-" Cyra tried.
"Better off anyway, if you ask me," Lady said.
"Well, I didn't," Cyra said quickly, not letting Lady interrupt her again, "And I don't see how this is any of your business."
"Just happy to see you with a decent guy instead of someone who can snap any minute," Lady said.
"What do you mean by that?" Cyra asked.
"You know what he's done, Cyra…" Lady said.
"I know Vergil who he is now and that's all that matters," Cyra defended.
Lady crossed her arms and turned her body away slightly, "My father was also obsessed with power… You know what he did?" Lady paused and Cyra remained silent, knowing the answer, "He sacrificed his wife, who loved him, to gain the devil's power."
"Whatever it is you're implying, isn't true…" Cyra warned.
"Well he's done it twice before, hasn't he? I'd just hate to see you get hurt or… sacrificed," Lady said.
When she saw the hurt look on Lady's face, Cyra's edge softened, "I'm really sorry about your mother, but Vergil wouldn't do that."
Lady scoffed, "You're only saying that because you're sleeping with him."
Cyra blushed and looked down at the ground for a moment, "We haven't slept together..."
Lady raised a brow and wondered why, considering their attachment to each other, "Oh."
"Yeah, so back off," Cyra said.
"Well, Vergil does seem a bit shy in that department," Lady trailed off.
"He's not shy," Cyra said.
"And how do you know that?" Lady asked.
"Didn't I tell you it's none of your business?" Cyra asked.
Lady's eyes twitched, "God, you're even starting to sound like him!"
"Maybe you should take the hint then," Cyra said angrily.
"I'm trying to protect you, Cyra! Don't be mad at me when you're too blinded to see what's going on," Lady said.
"You don't know anything about him," Cyra warned.
"God, why are you defending him!" Lady almost laughed.
"He's shown plenty of times to me that he's not the man you knew. Maybe if you talked to him even once you'd see that!" Cyra said.
Lady spoke with Vergil twice? Once when everyone was mocking Vergil over relationship advice. Second was when she interrupted the two on their day out - Vergil ended up carrying Cyra home after she passed out. Which only led her to realize she spoke to V exactly one time, and that was supposed to be Vergil's humanity. He wished her well, which in retrospect was a strange thing to hear from Vergil. Nero and Trish only had decent things to say about V as well, but considering Urizen was dwelling in Vergil as well, Lady wasn't about to be friends with him, "No thanks."
"Do you think Dante is wrong for trusting him, too?" Cyra asked.
"Please, Dante would do anything for him but still kill him again if he had to. You can't exactly capable of that," Lady said.
The door opened behind Cyra, revealing Trish, "Think you two can catch up without me?" Her smile faltered when she read the tone in the room, "Bad time?"
Cyra finally learned how Lady felt about Vergil. It would have probably made more sense to kick Lady out of her own home, but with both her and Trish there, she felt outnumbered, "No," Cyra simply said and stormed out passed Trish.
"Wait, Cyra!" Lady called out.
"Fuck off!" Cyra yelled back
"Nero, too? Just one big happy fami-oww!" Lady was interrupted by Trish elbowing her.
Though Cyra didn't stop her steps she glanced back, trying to register if she heard Lady correctly even if she did get interrupted. Was she going to say family?
Was Lady right? Was she putting too much faith into Vergil? Did it really matter what other people thought? Cyra was convinced no one knew Vergil the way she and Dante knew him. It was the current Vergil that mattered - it wasn't fair to compare him to his old self. Hell, even Cyra felt like a completely different person than she was when she was married to Gabriel, and that was only three years ago!
There was nowhere else to go, so she headed to Devil May Cry, despite Dante telling her not to arrive until the next day. Her own home felt unwelcoming. Finding some excuse to walk over there, she remembered her backpack was still in Dante's possession. Maybe the walk to his shop would clear her mind at least, however short it may be. The streets were dark and empty, even being late in the evening. Many humans must have been staying indoors to avoid demon attacks, or the January weather. Unfortunately for Cyra, the short walk did not clear her mind and once she entered Devil May Cry, it just reminded her of her fight to defend Vergil.
Cyra was still angry. Sitting down would have kept her too anxious and continuing to pace was preventing her from calming down. The faucet in the kitchen was running water, but soon shut off.
"Must you pace?" Vergil's voice called out to Cyra, startling her.
Cyra stopped dead in her tracks and whipped her whole body in Vergil's direction. He was leaning against the door frame to the kitchen, wearing a casual black t-shirt and pants, "S-sorry! I'm not here to bother you, I swear. Lady just annoyed me and I didn't really have anywhere to go…"
"Lady annoying someone? Color me surprised," Vergil said.
Cyra let out a chuckle, "Yeah, well…" Her eyes scanned down to notice his hand was resting over his side. Even though his shirt was dark, there was a faint wet mark under his hand. He was bleeding and covering his wound with his hand, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Vergil said.
Cyra noticed her backpack was sitting atop Dante's desk, "Sit down," She commanded softly as she walked to it.
"And you said you weren't here to bother me," Vergil said, struggling to maintain his upright form. His hand on the side started twitching.
"Well you're not fine," She said matter of factly, "And you know I'm not going anywhere until you let me help you, so don't bother. I won't ask you anything."
"You're inebriated," Vergil eyed her cautiously.
"You can tell?" Cyra asked.
"I can smell the alcohol," Vergil said.
"It was only a few drinks. It won't affect my patching you up. Sit," Cyra demanded again.
Vergil walked over to the couch and gripped the side closest to him, helping him sit down, but on the far end. His wound was on his left side, so Cyra needed the room to work on the injury.
Cyra was digging through the backpack. She still had supplies when she had to dress his wounds from fighting the projections and Dante. A bottle of cleaning solution, butterfly stripes, and bandages was all she needed last time, and it'll probably do today.
Vergil eyed her attire while her back was turned to him. It was less casual than what she normally wore and certainly no lab coat which he'd sometimes see her in. Combined with the alcohol, he was concerned and a bit curious what she spent the last few hours doing. His eyes landed on her backside since it was exposed with how short her leather jacket was. Did she always wear jeans that tight? His eyes tore away just as quickly as his thought was fleeting, feeling embarrassed at his own inappropriate thought.
You animal.
"Can you lift your shirt?" She asked, sitting down and knocking Vergil out of his thoughts. She was now facing him with bandages in her hands. Taking it off would be easier for her, but the wound looked low enough for her to work with just a lift. That and she didn't want to overstep the boundaries Vergil laid out last night.
Vergil removed the hand covering the wound and rested it behind them on the back of the couch while the other hand moved to pull the shirt up as far as he could. Cyra's stomach tightened at the sight of Vergil's injury. It looked like a fist sized hole went right through the side of his stomach, and although it started healing from the inside already, the process wasn't nearly done. No wonder he was bleeding through his clothes and in so much pain, "What the hell-"
"You said you wouldn't ask," He groaned out.
"That was before I knew what I was looking at!" Cyra retorted. He was right though. Maybe he'd tell her when he was in a better mood or in less pain? Is his healing factor really that weak still? "Did Dante show you I brought vital stars?"
Vergil forgot, "I wasn't going to use one without knowing where it came from."
Cyra remembered Eileen mentioning Vergil, "Actually, they were from a mutual of ours… Apparently. Said she gave you a message to give to me?" She asked.
Vergil had to think for a moment, but he remembered the nurse, "Slipped my mind."
"Well, she made vital stars, so would have been nice to know earlier," Cyra said.
"All she had for me was that she wanted to be your ally. Had I know she had something so valuable, I'd have passed on the message," Vergil explained. Was she really going to grill him right now? Gah, he deserved it, he thought.
"Where did Dante put them?" Cyra asked, standing up. She asked rhetorically, not assuming Vergil to really know, but Cyra checked Dante's desk anyway. Luckily they were at the top drawer. The green glowed bright even in the dimly lit shop. Vergil wouldn't dare look at her while she was turned away from him. Cyra's face softened as she handed one to him, "Here. I can't fix your wound the way it is now. Either risk a homemade version that Eileen made or let your healing factor kick in," She explained solemnly, wishing to give him better options.
Vergil's hand on the back of the couch moved up to grab the vital star and observed the strange shape. Certainly not a star. Sure, he could suffer waiting, especially since there wasn't an immediate rush to find Amelia. Although she had to heal, too. If Vergil healed faster, they had a better chance to find her. There wasn't time to overthink. For once, he thought about what Dante would do. Vergil crushed the green vital star in his hand, watching as the outer shell shattered, releasing the green mist that would absorb into his skin. He reached back down to the hem of his shirt to lift and even though he didn't have to see it, he felt his tendons tighten, stretch and heal, causing it to itch slightly for a moment. Cyra sat down, fascinated by increasing healing regeneration. It was like watching a video of a wound heal, but at 30 times speed and in person! The wound wasn't completely closed, but it was much better off. Vergil was certainly feeling much better.
Cyra smiled and brought out her minimal supplies into her lap. She poured some rubbing alcohol on a pad and looked up at Vergil warning him, watching as he turned his head away, before she placed the pad onto his skin, around the wound, careful not to touch the wound itself. The contact from the pad made his skin retract a bit.
"Sorry, it'll sting," Cyra muttered as she addressed his wound, covering it perfectly with a pad.
It did sting, but Vergil wasn't complaining. The vital star already made him feel twice as better as he was before, and having her skin touch his would certainly do the same. He missed that feeling.
"Turn a bit so I can get your back?" She asked.
Vergil obliged. This was familiar. Wasn't it only last week when she had to stitch him up? Twice she had to fix him, and he couldn't even protect her. He remembered when she claimed he was good at protecting her, yet here they were, Cyra endangered, yet again. He was pleading in his mind that she'd keep her word and not ask anything because he couldn't bring himself to tell her how much he failed again. Even potentially breaking her heart in order to keep her safe would have been worth it, but it felt pointless since Amelia knew everything. Would he have to tell her that? Would warning her help? He wasn't sure how long he was zoned out for, but it was long enough for Cyra to finish fixing the wound on his back
"I just have to bandage you up now," She said, knocking him out of his thoughts.
Cyra wrapped a couple bandages around his waist to keep everything secure. She let her fingers linger on his skin after she was finished, not wanting to leave just then.
Vergil didn't want her to leave either. Her hands resting on his skin did the same for him as it did for her. Not wanting to lose that feeling, he reached across his waist to grab her hand that was resting along his side. He could feel Cyra's eyes on him, but he didn't look back at her, staring straight ahead at Dante's desk. Nerves prevented him from turning around, but he still spoke, "You didn't have to," He said, caressing her knuckles with his thumb.
Cyra leaned forward and rested her head against his clothed back, "I know," Was all she said. They sat in silence for a while, unsure of what to say next.
They were unintentionally starting a game of chicken, waiting to see who would be the first one to speak. Vergil was beating himself up over succumbing to his need to be around her, still believing it was a bad idea. Cyra was just confused about his behavior considering his words from last night, but she thought she'd enjoy the tender moment while it lasted - fully knowing he'd be cold to her any minute.
Dante told him to talk to her. Talk about what? He's laid out the deal to her and he still meant it. Staying away from her would be the only way to protect her. Would it? Tell her about the sorceress! Enforce the idea! He thought. Vergil opened his mouth to say something, but Cyra ended up removing her hand from his. Strolling over to Dante's desk, she grabbed her backpack, throwing it over one shoulder, and turned to look down at the seated Vergil, "Rest up."
A faint smile graced her lips for a moment, and before she could even wait for Vergil's response, Cyra headed towards the door to leave.
The game of chicken continued. The moment of truth. Would Cyra ask questions? Of course she would. His Cyra was inquisitive, worried, meddlesome in the best way possible, she'd of course want to know what happened.
Then there was Vergil. Of course he wouldn't say anything else, but part of Cyra felt he would. Her own silence and not asking him any questions would drive him crazy, so he'd be the one to speak up first!
And yet, no one said a word as Cyra left Devil May Cry.