"Okay, we're good!" Dante slammed the trunk of the black sedan before walking around to open the front passenger door; Sliding in, he closed it with a thud as Trish gave him a slightly critical eye.

"And you're sure you brought everything you need?"

Dante waved dismissively, "Yeah babe, we're ready to rock and roll."

Trish raised a brow; She hoped Dante had not been hasty in double-checking. She knew he had a tendency to sometimes overlook minor things that, in the end, would cause a major inconvenience. She shuddered as she recalled a time when they left town for business and Dante forgot his...shampoo.

Now, normally this wouldn't be a big deal; Forget your shampoo, simply buy another one from a local shop right? Except Dante couldn't use just any shampoo; In fact he couldn't use most, if any, commercial shampoos so they had to periodically make bottles of the stuff themselves. Aside from his odd hair color to begin with, they surmised it just had to be something in his genetic make-up that triggered a strange reaction to any shampoo that was not specially made to exclude most chemicals found in the majority of them.

After many experiments gone wrong and several failures to try to identify what specific chemicals he reacted to, they concluded that his head needed only the absolute basics. Considering all of the gunk that could get into his hair when on a job and cause him no issue, this was quite the mystery but they had no choice but to accept it.

Trish stared silently at Dante a little longer as he gazed back at her expectantly.

He was scratching like a madman for two weeks. His scalp had turned red with irritation and his tresses were bone dry after he tried using the 15 dollar shampoo he had bought on that trip. It had taken extremely careful and delicate pampering, thanks to her, to get his hair re-hydrated and his scalp back to normal...

"What?" Dante questioned, raising a brow.

"Shampoo?" she had to know.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it babe." Dante shook his head, no doubt catching on to what was on her mind, "I looked in the bag before I put it in the back."

"Okay." Trish sighed, glancing into the rear view mirror, "You two settled in back there?"

"Yep, all good." Ari carefully peeled open a folded road map while giving Trish a nod.

"Wait, we're not using the GPS?" Dante had turned in his seat to look back when he heard the sound of shuffling paper.

"Only if we get hopelessly lost." Ari smirked and Dante furrowed his brows. "We figured it will be more fun to navigate the old-fashioned way. Plus, it's good to know how to not depend on tech all the time." Her voice trailed as her eyes scanned the paper.

Dante took a deep breath and glanced at Vergil who was staring out the window, "You hear that? We're probably gonna end up in the woods or somethin' man. Like those people from that movie...uh..." He snapped his fingers in thought, "Wrong Turn! Remember that?"

Trish and Ari shook their heads.

"Whatever." Ari circled something on the map as Dante turned to face forward in his seat again.

"I'm just sayin', don't take any detours, stick to the scenic routes."

"Blah, blah, blah." Ari sing-songed.

"So...first stop, breakfast. Where are we going?" Trish slid on her sunglasses and turned the key in the ignition.

"I don't care, just as long as they have hash browns or those little tots." Dante began unfolding a blanket he pulled from his duffel bag.

He could hear them chattering away about food, but that was the last thing on his mind at the moment. Vergil had been silently gazing out the window at nothing in particular since he got in the car, wrecking his brains trying to figure out what he was going to do about his current dilemma. Just based off of the way she reacted to him, he had no doubt in his mind that his appearance would cause major issues; He knew it was only a matter of time before he really began to feel the heat from it.

He idly ran his tongue over one of his canines.

There had to be some way he could remedy this without breaking the agreement and letting Dante get any kind of one-up on him, he just had to think. Knowing Dante and his competitive nature whenever it came to him, it was possible that there was a loophole that he overlooked in selecting this punishment when they made the deal.

But what is it...? He said I had to dress like him, talk like him and act like him...

Vergil shuddered. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes.

Dress...talk...act...dress...talk...act...Why would he want anyone to...

Vergil's eyes slowly opened as an idea began to formulate in his mind.

Surely when Dante came up with the idea, he was doing it to get under his skin. He knows that the differences between them are like night and day, so he undoubtedly he felt that the inevitable discomfort it would cause Vergil would be entertaining. Not only that, but it would be a major stroke to his ego to have his older brother imitating him.

But there is one thing he forgot to consider in his haste to annoy me...

A smile slid onto Vergil's face as he cut his eyes to the back of Dante's head before refocusing out the window.

For a week, my foolish little brother...no identity theft needed to operate under your name and image. You have freely given me your permission.

The fatal flaw. Suddenly Vergil began to feel a little better. He would still need to figure out what he would do in his dealings with his wife, but he at least had a way to make Dante regret his choice...and possibly even cave in. He still had to be strategic about this though, they were twins after all...

"Vergil!"

Vergil blinked twice before coming out of his thoughts and turning to look at Ari who was gazing at him with a concerned look, taking note that Dante and Trish had turned to gaze at him also.

"I told you, you gotta call him DJ, Ari. 'Vergil' won't work this weekend." Dante had a smug smirk on his face.

Ari frowned and waved dismissively, "Vergil, are you okay?"

"I am, darling..."

Dante coughed and cleared his throat, gazing at Vergil from under his hair.

Vergil retained his composure, "What's going on?"

"We were trying to decide on where to go for breakfast. Got a taste for anything?" Ari reached over and tenderly pushed his hair back from his face.

Vergil began to feel a knot forming in his core; He knew why she was doing that. "Not really. I'm cool with wherever."

Ari twisted her mouth, and Vergil could see the concern still swirling in her eyes. The more he saw her like this, the more he began to think of ways to carry out his retribution against his twin.

"So...Coco Diner then? " Trish looked around at everyone as they agreed. "Well alright, we're off!"

As the car began to roll, Vergil made up in his mind that he would begin to set his plans into motion as soon as possible. There was no need to drag it out, the sooner the better. He could see Dante staring at him through the rear view mirror and shook his head to make his hair fall back over his face. Dante nodded and looked away.

You have no idea what you have done. Soon you'll be begging me to shed your persona, my naive sibling...

Ari's stare was blank, not at all reflective of what was going on internally. So many thoughts were floating through her mind, but none of them were helpful in the slightest in her quest to decipher what was happening. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment before sliding over to the bystanders who gawked as they closed the car doors and turned to make their way towards the diner.

Her eyes narrowed and her upper lip hitched as she watched the red head bat her eyelashes and flip her hair as he passed by...

"The curse of being the wife of a son of Sparda. Just try not to look too hard or you might be ready to rip some hair out. Trust me." Trish's tone was light but the venom didn't slip by unnoticed.

Ari acknowledged her with a quick glance as she stood beside her, staring at the same group of girls loitering next to a van in the parking lot.

"What is going on Trish?"

"I don't know what they're up to either girlie." she shook her head.

Ari's shoulders slumped a little, "I know one thing, it had better be absolutely phenomenal."

"Oh c'mon, you don't like the whole 'punk rocker' look on Verg?" Trish smirked and nudged Ari's shoulder, "Oh, my bad, I meant DJ."

Ari swatted at her but missed as she leaned out of reach with a quiet giggle, "Please don't encourage this." She looked up as Vergil and Dante approached where they waited.

Glancing over his shoulder, she turned and slid her hand in Vergil's back pocket as his arm slid around her waist. Throwing a smirk over her shoulder, she could see the red head still staring in their direction as they walked into the diner.

She didn't realize exactly how hungry she was until the mixture of delightful smells coming from the open kitchen behind the counter flooded into her nostrils. The atmosphere was pretty retro and she appreciated the simplicity of the decor. The wood paneled walls were mostly bare, save for a few windows with fake plants sitting in the sills. Although not many, the brown square tables seemed to be in pretty good condition despite their worn appearance and the black leather on the booth style seating seemed to be freshly cleaned. There weren't many people in the place at the moment, but judging by the cars pulling in outside, that would soon be a thing of the past.

Ari gazed up at the menu hanging above their heads and was thoughtful for a few moments before looking at Vergil standing next to her. She glanced away awkwardly as he caught her stare and slowly slid her hand from his pocket, to tap a slender finger to her lips.

It's scary how much he looks like Dante...

Looking back up, she noticed Vergil look down briefly before crossing his arms and staring up at the menu again. Ari suddenly felt a wave of sadness wash over her at the look she caught in his eyes. She didn't want to make him feel bad about whatever surprise they had planned. But on the other hand, she didn't understand why he had to behave so differently, or, to put it plainly, why it seemed like he was acting like Dante in order to pull it off. Whatever it was.

What kind of thing are they planning and for how long?

Ari could hear the waiter extend a greeting and Vergil giving his order soon after.

She wanted to give it a chance but she admitted to herself that it was quite difficult for her to deal with this sudden makeover. She glanced at him again, silently shuddering at how quickly the younger twin crept into her mind despite her ernest attempt to keep seeing the elder before her. She wanted her Vergil back.

She saw him toss a big bill on the counter and tell the waiter to pay for her order also before turning to walk across the diner. With furrowed brows, she watched him curiously until he walked into the small foyer where the restrooms were and sadly refocused on deciding what to order.

He all but pounded his fists into the counter as he leaned onto it, gazing at his reflection. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath as his shoulders fell slightly. He began to have doubts about his ability to survive the next few days. The sting of rejection that he felt as she moved away from him made him feel extremely uncomfortable and part of him didn't know how to handle it; He needed to get away for a moment.

His eyes opened slowly as the door behind him flew open, a blur rushing into one of the stalls. He could hear the man's feet shuffling wildly and what almost sounded like an intense struggle. The man let out a deep growl as the stall door flew open and he stomped out.

"I need the key."

Vergil lifted a silver brow.

"C'mon man, I gotta take a whiz. Please?"

"You don't need it." His tone was calm but a bit condescending.

Dante pursed his lips and Vergil could tell he was getting impatient. As much as he would have loved a sparring session at that moment, he knew it wasn't the time or the place. Not yet at least...

"On the front and the back, you will find two spring-loaded pins," Vergil began cooly, his eyes not wavering once, "press the pins located on the sides and small hatches will pop open to allow what you need."

Dante's eyes glazed over, "And how exactly am I supposed to hold my..."

"You'd better position yourself strategically because I will not release you until the week is up." Vergil stood to his full height before turning to come nose to nose with his twin, "Unless you're ready to call everything off..."

They silently challenged each other with hard stares, neither one showing any signs of backing down. Vergil could see the tension in Dante's jaw and smirked inwardly. Dante suddenly turned on his heel and walked back into the stall, slamming the door so hard the mirror shook.

Vergil strode out of the bathroom, a triumphant smirk on his face as he enjoyed a silent victory.

Surely he must be realizing that there is no escape besides admitting defeat. Did he truly expect me to purchase a device that would require me to free him every time he needs to relieve himself? Laughable. I thought your punishment through and planned it to a tee, little brother, and there is no way for you to get around it. I doubt he even needs to truly use the restroom...

What's this? It seems the women are no longer at the counter. Have they gotten the food and returned to the car already? ...It would seem so. Well that was fast.

...Hm? Who is this cretin? Out of my way.

"U-um...excuse me?"

The ginger girl from outside earlier. What does she want? I hope she isn't trying to...

"Not to be weird or anything..."

Too late. You are.

"But me and my friends noticed that you look kind of familiar. Are you in a band?"

This dreadful wardrobe...surely if I was, I would not choose anything as tasteless as this. And furthermore, i'm not interested in being bothered by any of you testosterone radars. You're not truly interested in knowing if I am in a band, you're interested in knowing if you can have what's in my...

Wait...

Actually...I am in a band. Yes, of course.

Vergil tiltled his head slightly at the red-haired woman in front of him, blue eyes peeking from under his hair. He gave a charming smile, taking note of the group who was with her standing far off across the diner, gazing expectantly in their direction.

"Yeah. Yeah I am." he answered smoothly and could see her eyes light up.

"I knew it! You're Max. Max Torrum, the lead singer from Howler Moon?" she squealed.

Vergil wanted to roll his eyes at the obnoxious name. He knew who she was talking about, only because Dante blasted their music on the jukebox back home occasionally. What an insult. They weren't even that good. The lead singer was some try hard who very obviously didn't care about degrading himself for fame; not to mention, he desperately needed someone to show him how to do scream-o properly...

Wait...I digress.

"Nah, I'm not him. Sorry."

"Oh...but you seem so familiar. What's your name? What's your band called?" she seemed to be desperately trying to make conversation with him.

"Band of Thieves."

"Band of Thieves?" the red head echoed in thought, "I havent heard of you guys. But i'd love to come see you play sometime?" she twirled a finger in her hair, looking into his eyes with what he assumed was supposed to be a flirty gaze.

Vergil wanted to sneer but knew he had to keep his composure, so he supressed the urge.

"Oh, we don't play. We steal."

"Huh?" she blinked twice.

"We steal stuff; In fact, we just robbed a place last week. We're a band of thieves, that's what we do." he began to head towards the door, leaving the red head with a slight look of horror on her face.

Looking back over his shoulder, he started to walk out the door, "And the name's Dante. Don't forget it."