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October-November 2024 Test Drive Meme
October-November 2024 Test Drive
Introduction
Welcome to Folkmore's monthly Test Drive Meme! Please feel free to test drive any and all characters regardless of your intent to apply or whether you have an invite or not. All TDMs are game canon and work like "mini-events". For new players and characters, you can choose to have your TDM thread be your introduction thread upon acceptance or start fresh. Current players are also allowed to have in-game characters post to the TDM so long as they mark their top levels ‘Current Character.’
TDM threads can be used for spoon spending at any time by characters accepted into the game.
Playing and interacting with the TDMs will allow characters to immediately obtain canon items from homes especially weapons or other things they may have had on their person when they were pulled from their worlds! There will always be a prompt that provides some sort of "reward" to characters who complete certain tasks.
🦊 New Star Children meet the Fox still in their worlds, and she brings them into the new realm of Folkmore. As you follow her, your body begins to change and new characteristics emerge. These may stay for a while, or perhaps they will hide away after. And during all of this, the Fox explains to you where you will be going: to Folkmore. Then you fall like a shooting star, falling to the land in a burst of starlight.
🦊 Experienced Star Children are already familiar with this time of the month. There are shooting stars all across the sky, and some fall to the land, which means the Fox has brought new arrivals. These newly arrived Star Children will face some tests, but Thirteen wants the more seasoned residents to participate as well.
Content Warnings: Natural Disaster/Natural Disaster Relief
It seems as if the Star Children will be restricted to Amrita Academy forever, when nothing changes at the one month mark. Yet, after another week has stretched endlessly past, a morning dawns to show that the moat of Lorasses has vanished. The way is clear to discover what the chaotic storms have left behind.
Most of Folkmore's resident spirits return. Good thing Catbus is among them because the train is not operating. Debris litters the tracks throughout the land. Someone's going to have to work to clean all of that up before normal schedules can resume... within the first week or so, everyone fervently hopes.
That is far from the only wreckage from those storms. As Star Children have seen, even Amrita Academy hasn't really been spared; between the Lorasses moat and the various structures built to weather the storms, the past weeks have left a mark on the school.
The rest of Willow shows signs of extreme growth and age, as if decades, not weeks, have passed. Epiphany and Tides suffer major flood damage, and Exile is entirely soggy and saturated with a sense of sorrow. Avalanche debris covers Wintermute, and the mountains aren't in the same place. Cruel Summer is even dryer, cracked, and in part of it littered with exploded, partially melted robot parts. Never Fade may be the best off; the ground has leveled off, and only the unsecured outdoor items have crashed around or dropped off the island. In general, all regions show signs of warping.
Talaria has been outright knocked down (once again) and will need to be rebuilt (once again). The contents of Talarian homes have been thriftily saved by Thirteen (yet again). They'll be back as soon as the homes are ready to be redecorated! There's also a new elevator connecting Tides to a platform in the ocean at surface level, making it a little bit easier to get in or out of the neighborhood. Fly, swim, or use a boat from Nereid marina to reach it.
Many of the buildings throughout Folkmore, businesses and residences alike, have been damaged, some past the point of habitability. For better or worse, some residences will wait unclaimed, as their resident spirits have not returned from wherever they went while gone from Folkmore. Newly arriving Star Children (or those interested in relocating) just might find those residences awfully appealing. As with all unoccupied homes in Folkmore, they're free real estate.
Each neighborhood has a new (and structurally-sound) building near its center: a hospitality station of sorts, stocked with basic foods (to suit a variety of dietary needs, relevant to the known local residents), clean water, personal protective equipment, basic tool kits, fresh clothing, and clean linens. For those ill equipped to cook for themselves for whatever reason, there's also a canteen/soup kitchen area. The canteen tends to collect idle spirits and Star Children who might be willing to assist with any cleanup tasks too big or too complex for one person to tackle on their own.
Working with the neighbors has an additional benefit, of course: sooner or later, whether while helping clear the train tracks or fixing up someone's home or business (including a Star Child's own), shifting the debris will reveal a weathered container of some sort, locked up tight, that will only fall open at a touch if and when the right Star Child finds it. There is only one chest per Star Child. Inside, is an item from home, either that of the resident whose house/business it's found in or the one keyed to the lock. It may even be a magical item or weapon.
There's some good news as well, in the midst of all the chaos: most Star Children will find that their homes are wholly unharmed; their pets, companions, Pokémon, etc. are all hale and hearty, having spent the entire time cozily asleep in their boxfoxes — which can be reused if kept, and just as easily abandoned now that they've released their occupants.
It seems as if the Star Children will be restricted to Amrita Academy forever, when nothing changes at the one month mark. Yet, after another week has stretched endlessly past, a morning dawns to show that the moat of Lorasses has vanished. The way is clear to discover what the chaotic storms have left behind.
Most of Folkmore's resident spirits return. Good thing Catbus is among them because the train is not operating. Debris litters the tracks throughout the land. Someone's going to have to work to clean all of that up before normal schedules can resume... within the first week or so, everyone fervently hopes.
That is far from the only wreckage from those storms. As Star Children have seen, even Amrita Academy hasn't really been spared; between the Lorasses moat and the various structures built to weather the storms, the past weeks have left a mark on the school.
Other regions show clear signs of the warping they have endured similarly.
- Wintermute alternated between blinding light and pitch blackness, with mountains growing and crumbling away alike. Cabins were transformed into igloos.
- Willow experienced all the seasons in a matter of days multiple times, growing crops and new trees, losing old ones, and its buildings weathered as though through decades.
- In Epiphany, the streets ran with water so high it was difficult to walk, and the buildings shifted to reflect related settings.
- Cruel Summer grew hotter and more oppressive, so that survival away from the Selkie River was impossible. On the 13th, there was an explosion, and it rained robot parts.
- Exile was swallowed entirely by the Swamp of Sorrows, leaving no dry land.
- Tides filled with water, dark deep water that could not readily be seen through.
- Never Fade became even more purple, with a thick haze that erased visibilty of borders. It also became steeper, so there was no flat ground.
The rest of Willow shows signs of extreme growth and age, as if decades, not weeks, have passed. Epiphany and Tides suffer major flood damage, and Exile is entirely soggy and saturated with a sense of sorrow. Avalanche debris covers Wintermute, and the mountains aren't in the same place. Cruel Summer is even dryer, cracked, and in part of it littered with exploded, partially melted robot parts. Never Fade may be the best off; the ground has leveled off, and only the unsecured outdoor items have crashed around or dropped off the island. In general, all regions show signs of warping.
Talaria has been outright knocked down (once again) and will need to be rebuilt (once again). The contents of Talarian homes have been thriftily saved by Thirteen (yet again). They'll be back as soon as the homes are ready to be redecorated! There's also a new elevator connecting Tides to a platform in the ocean at surface level, making it a little bit easier to get in or out of the neighborhood. Fly, swim, or use a boat from Nereid marina to reach it.
Many of the buildings throughout Folkmore, businesses and residences alike, have been damaged, some past the point of habitability. For better or worse, some residences will wait unclaimed, as their resident spirits have not returned from wherever they went while gone from Folkmore. Newly arriving Star Children (or those interested in relocating) just might find those residences awfully appealing. As with all unoccupied homes in Folkmore, they're free real estate.
Each neighborhood has a new (and structurally-sound) building near its center: a hospitality station of sorts, stocked with basic foods (to suit a variety of dietary needs, relevant to the known local residents), clean water, personal protective equipment, basic tool kits, fresh clothing, and clean linens. For those ill equipped to cook for themselves for whatever reason, there's also a canteen/soup kitchen area. The canteen tends to collect idle spirits and Star Children who might be willing to assist with any cleanup tasks too big or too complex for one person to tackle on their own.
Working with the neighbors has an additional benefit, of course: sooner or later, whether while helping clear the train tracks or fixing up someone's home or business (including a Star Child's own), shifting the debris will reveal a weathered container of some sort, locked up tight, that will only fall open at a touch if and when the right Star Child finds it. There is only one chest per Star Child. Inside, is an item from home, either that of the resident whose house/business it's found in or the one keyed to the lock. It may even be a magical item or weapon.
There's some good news as well, in the midst of all the chaos: most Star Children will find that their homes are wholly unharmed; their pets, companions, Pokémon, etc. are all hale and hearty, having spent the entire time cozily asleep in their boxfoxes — which can be reused if kept, and just as easily abandoned now that they've released their occupants.
- The moat is gone! Freeeeeedom!
- The train is not operating for one week until October 27th due to debris over the tracks.
- Every region of Folkmore shows scars from the past month's extreme disturbances. Things have not reverted to before.
- Most spirits have returned; some remain absent. Claim the free real estate, if quick or bold enough.
- Hospitality stations have appeared in each neighborhood stocked with food, water, clothing, and linens.
- The canteens serve as a social hub and place to ask for/volunteer assistance.
- One time only, cleaning up or moving debris will reveal a container holding an item from home: yours or the person's you're helping.
- Most Star Children's homes will be unharmed; any damage should match the region's damage flavor. The level of destruction is up to you.
- Creatures in boxfoxes are out, fine and dandy! Boxfoxes can be kept/used again.
Offshore near Agrona Academy, there's something new. Something bewildering, maybe. Something growing. There's also something swimming up to any Star Children near the coast: a very large sea turtle, not willing to come far ashore. She's singing and chirping to get attention, in case being big enough to have a six-foot-long shell isn't quite good enough for some reason. (Or the way she has a blue-green bioluminescent glow when underwater, as becomes quite visible around dusk.)
She's happy to explain that she needs a place to lay her eggs. She doesn't have eggs to lay, just yet, but she wants to have her place all ready anyway. To that end she's busily building a brand-new island not very far from shore. It's just over there, visible once she indicates it with a flipper, barely any higher than the waves cresting around it. Here's the sad part: while she's used a great deal of cleverness in building it, from rocks and sand and bits of broken reef, she's all out of construction materials that she can reach! So she needs help: more construction material for the island.
It seems she's got a very loose definition, though, so pretty much anything that can later be covered in sand or dirt is fair game. Lucky that she wants it now. There's a perfect place todump all that debris in the ocean recycle all the debris, anything not structurally sound enough for a repair-in-place job. Bigger is probably better, too. Work together with other Star Children to haul up the big stuff. It brings more and more joy to her songs as she finds the exact place for each and every item, making her island grow bigger and bigger.
Anyone who actively participates will be rewarded five (5) spoons by the turtle directly, as a thank you for helping her to keep her eggs safe. (If anyone asks, she'll explain that it's the number of limbs she has, so she thought it was perfect!) In addition, she gives each person a smooth and shiny sea rock that fits in their palm perfectly! If the island gets big enough to be more than a sandbar, anyone who helped with the construction will find it far more welcoming than those who didn't. She isn't expecting to use anything but the beach.
She's happy to explain that she needs a place to lay her eggs. She doesn't have eggs to lay, just yet, but she wants to have her place all ready anyway. To that end she's busily building a brand-new island not very far from shore. It's just over there, visible once she indicates it with a flipper, barely any higher than the waves cresting around it. Here's the sad part: while she's used a great deal of cleverness in building it, from rocks and sand and bits of broken reef, she's all out of construction materials that she can reach! So she needs help: more construction material for the island.
It seems she's got a very loose definition, though, so pretty much anything that can later be covered in sand or dirt is fair game. Lucky that she wants it now. There's a perfect place to
Anyone who actively participates will be rewarded five (5) spoons by the turtle directly, as a thank you for helping her to keep her eggs safe. (If anyone asks, she'll explain that it's the number of limbs she has, so she thought it was perfect!) In addition, she gives each person a smooth and shiny sea rock that fits in their palm perfectly! If the island gets big enough to be more than a sandbar, anyone who helped with the construction will find it far more welcoming than those who didn't. She isn't expecting to use anything but the beach.
- A large sea turtle—with a 6 foot in diameter shell and about 3 feet tall at the shoulder—starts building an island off Cruel Summer.
- She needs help getting more building supplies. Bring your debris, bigger the better, here!
- All Star Children who help will be rewarded five (5) spoons and a shiny and smooth rock from underwater that fits in their recipients' palms just so.
- Star Children who help find the island more welcoming than those who didn't.
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Nero zones back in at the mention of sparring. With a... friend? Vergil has friends? Wow, good for him. A friendship based on sparring is pretty predictable. It's the ruleset that makes Nero raise an eyebrow.
"That should go without saying." Maybe his friend's a glutton for punishment. (After all... he's friends with Vergil, isn't he?) "People duel to the death around here often?" And yet the Sparda twins have managed to refrain? Now he's really proud of them.
"There a lot of other people like... well. Like us around?" Nero gestures vaguely. "Demons and shit?"
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"I would hazard a guess that is part of the reason why the fighting pits are so popular in Cruel Summer. As long as one does not possess a fear of pain, there is nothing to fear for some."
And those already callous enough not to care nor fear death remain as they ever were.
"Like us? No," he says with a slight shake of his head. Which is not even a matter of Vergil's pride as a son of Sparda setting them firmly apart even from other demons of their world. There haven't been any demons that Vergil has sensed since arriving in Folkmore nearly a year ago. Even those with features that could be considered demonic, those are a consequence of being in Folkmore and not something reflective of their species. "But there are others that are not human. There is at least a small group of vampires that I've been made aware of, and there are others with abilities beyond what human could otherwise do."
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Or, well. At least try to be dangerous. Maybe it's naive but there's very few people who can pose much of a threat to a Son of Sparda (or a Grandson of Sparda). Vampires, superhuman abilities... He's interested to see what's out there, but he's not particularly worried about any of it.
He'd be even less worried if he was reunited with one of his weapons.
"Sick of me asking you questions yet?"
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Nero is, after all, new to this realm whereas Vergil is not. Ignoring for a moment their shared blood, it is a good plan of action to take the time to ask his questions about Folkmore and hear what Vergil has to say. It's entirely up to him whether or not he feels Vergil is providing him with the truth or a thorough enough answer—both of which Vergil believes he is doing—but it is important that Nero listens to even begin to make that determination regardless of what he decides.
"That's the station," he says, nodding in the direction of it as it comes more clearly into view. "The train reaches most places in Folkmore, and typically runs all hours of the day every day. So, you needn't worry about missing the final train for the day if you happen to be out late."
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He really can't help but subtly roll his eyes at the praise for asking. Not sure if that's an attempt to be Wise Father Figure or an impression of a fortune cookie. He feels a little bad about it a moment later. Guy's trying, which is more than he might have expected.
The station appears up ahead. He's pretty much memorized the route they took here, keeping an eye on landmarks and street signs. Now if only he knew where he'd be departing from-- though that will come soon enough whenever Vergil shows him the apartment.
"Good to know." He'd make a joke about curfews, but he's still feeling guilty about his inner snark and decides it would be more acidic than he intends, even to himself. "I smell... something cooking. Is this where all the food places are?"
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Vergil thinks it's something to remember moving forward. They barely know one another, and Nero may not be entirely receptive to remarks that could come across as potentially critical. He tries not to kick himself for mistaking comfort in the conversation at present with there being comfort between them just yet. They are, after all, talking about a much safer topic of learning what there is to know about Folkmore as a place, hence Nero's questions about places Vergil has discovered for himself and wanting to know about the sort of people Thirteen has brought here. This has little to do with either of them or their relationship even if it at least is talking to one another.
Nero pulls Vergil from his thoughts with his follow up question, and Vergil quietly clears his throat.
"Most of them in Epiphany, yes," Vergil says with a slight nod. "There are some not along this road, and not every place here sells food. There are clothing boutiques and other sorts of shops around here as well. But I believe the idea is that it is mostly food you can bring with you on your travels or as you shop."
Hence why this isn't a terrible place to find a decent burger. Something easy to grab and take along wherever it is you need to go.
"There are also normally food trucks outside the apartment building that might appeal to you," he says, continuing in his answer. "You'll find other regions have their own cuisines, but I believe what Epiphany has to offer will be among the closest things to what you and Dante are used to."
Vergil brings them to a stop and looks up at the second floor of the building to see any signs that things are open given that the downstairs appears to be closed. There's the smell of a grill wafting down if nothing else.
"It appears fortune may favor us today," he says, glancing at Nero as he heads over to the stairs at the side of the building leading up. "Come."
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"Nice." Nero follows him up the stairs, and will open and hold the door for him, too. "I'm starved. I hope they're not low on inventory." He's about to make a dent. But he's not at all a picky eater, and if they don't have everything available he'll go for whatever they do have.
"You're getting something too, right?"
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If Nero finds there to be a mismatch between Vergil and this place, he would not be inherently wrong. The wood paneling all generally matches in color, but it's obvious that it's not even remotely the same cut of wood from booth to booth, table to table, or even wall to wall. The walls themselves are also quite busy. While there are a few framed posters that sell the vibe of some dreamy Americana, the majority of what lines the wall are doodles and scribbles from previous patrons, and even the occasional sticker. But despite all this, Vergil is not perturbed by it.
"I will have something, I suppose," he says, his appetite not nearly as voracious as Nero implies his own to be. Not that Vergil shall be eating like a bird. If he's going to have a burger, he's going to have a burger. But he allows Nero to go first with ordering. Vergil nods to the kitchen window. "Order as much as you like."
no subject
So that'll be a double cheeseburger (medium rare) with extra cheese and an obscene amount of mustard and pickles, half fries and half onion rings with yet more condiments on the side in paper cups ("please and thanks," he tells the raccoon), and a large chocolate malt. Then he perches outside the pickup window and folds his arms, getting comfortable leaning on the wall beside the counter.
"I'll grab it. You pick the booth."
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At Nero's offer to bring the food to the table, he hesitates for a moment before nodding and leaves Nero to wait for the food. He picks the booth furthest from the kitchen window, which may not come as a particular surprise to Nero. The Yamato is set down, resting against the end cap before Vergil himself sits. He does not sit far into the seat, sitting near the edge instead of towards the middle or its extreme alternative of being against the wall, and folds his hands on the table. His back is to Nero, and he looks over the opposite seat to out the window facing the street. It helps alleviate the need to find somewhere else to look besides at Nero, and overall gives Vergil a bit of time to figuratively catch his breath.
This isn't going...poorly, he thinks. They are conversing with one another about topics that matter but don't particularly carry much weight, of course, but there is no overt animosity between the two of them. Nero has even expressed interest in learning further mastery over his demonic abilities under Vergil's guidance. That is certainly a positive if the boy wishes to spend more time with him beyond what necessity dictates. Granted, that could change after they have been under the same roof for a time, but... Perhaps not. Barring his misstep a few moments ago, yes, Vergil thinks, this is actually going better than he would have anticipated. Despite knowing that not every conversation with Nero shall be as easy as this—and this has not felt entirely easy either—and there is so much they really need to discuss with one another, to mend from, Vergil does feel a small, burgeoning sense of hope that brings a small smile to his face.
Perhaps there is a chance here after all.
He lifts his gaze back up from the table where it had drifted to without his knowledge and goes back to looking out the window.
no subject
This has gone better than he expected. Granted, with as little as he knows of Vergil and how volatile their encounters have been so far, he expected to be bleeding by now. Maybe the guy's got a massive stick up his ass, and maybe he's awkward as hell, but he's being cordial, if not friendly. He seems to want to try. And that may have been what Nero was most nervous about seeing him again, even more than the possibility of violence. He knows how to handle it if some maladjusted half-demon asswipe comes at him with a sword. He would absolutely not know how to handle a father with no interest in him, dismissing him as weak and not worth his while.
Neither of them have a clue how to handle this. Vergil's probably just as nervous as Nero is, but he's trying. They're both trying.
The order comes up, and Nero takes one tray in each hand. As he passes by the napkin dispenser on the counter, one of his wings appears and snatches a small stack to bring with him.
"Looks good," he says, sliding Vergil's tray in front of him, then passing up the napkins from his wing. Damn, that thing is handy. He slides into the booth across from him and snatches a napkin, placing it politely in his lap before he starts mixing the little paper cups of condiments together into a strange beige-pink concoction. "Thanks for paying."
no subject
"You're welcome..." he says, the slow tempo of his words stemming from the culinary horror he's watching unfold before him rather than because he possesses doubts of Nero's gratitude. He takes a sip of his water and almost decides to let it be, but as he's setting his glass down, he can't help but ask, "What are you doing?"
He's wary of it, that much is likely unmistakably certain. But it's more from a lack of understanding than anything close to disgust or disdain.
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Until he realizes he's talking about the condiments. Then Nero cracks a smile.
"Fry sauce." He tips the cup with the concoction towards Vergil to show him. The sickly orange-pink color is not doing it any favors. "It's good. Here..."
He grabs one fry and gives it a dip, taste-testing the mixture. Shakes his head, adds a little more mustard, then tries it again. "Yeah, there we go. Try it!"
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He could decline. It would not likely be that significant of an affront if Vergil said he didn't want to try it, and he could perhaps salvage the moment by changing the subject to something else. But on the other hand, if he tries it, the worst possible outcome is that he does not like it and Nero is not likely to be offended by that because he at least tried it. Provided that Vergil can keep any criticisms to himself if he's unable to soften them. Glance from Nero the sauce again, Vergil makes his decision.
"...Alright."
Picking up one of his own fries, Vergil dips it in this so-called "fry sauce." He's not delicate about it by trying to take the least amount of sauce possible, nor is he too enthusiastic and dunking it in there. It's enough on the fry that he is certainly giving it a fair enough try. And then there is nothing else to do, but to try it.
Oh... Vergil's nose wrinkles almost immediately. Oh, that is tangy and with such an odd texture for that flavor. It's not necessarily bad, but...
"That is...strange," he concludes. "Do you always make this when you have fries?"
no subject
He chuckles, not remotely affronted by the reaction. "If I've got all the ingredients, sure. At a restaurant where they got all this on hand is the perfect place to make it. And honestly? If you put mayo, mustard, and ketchup on your burger, you're already eating it anyway."
With a muted smile at Vergil, he picks up his burger and somehow does not have to unhinge his jaw to take a few bites. It does involve a lot of work with angles.
Man. Here he is. Going out for burgers with his father.
no subject
He has another sip of water to cleanse his palate before picking up a few of his fries and dipping them in his chosen honey mustard. He continues as he does so and before eating them, "Unless you also mean to claim if I were to eat bread, meat, and cheese separately from one another and without arranging them in layers with one another that I have eaten a sandwich. Then in that case, you're still incorrect, but at least maintaining the same logic."
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He's not all that dedicated to it, though, not when there's a delicious burger in his hands. Vergil can at least rest assured that Nero has good table manners. That may or may not make up for the fact that he annihilates that burger within five minutes.
He swaps over to his fries then, slowing down just a bit. There's a few moments where he just looks at Vergil, looking him over the way one might examine a museum exhibit with intrigue and curiosity. Before it can become too terribly unnerving, he makes a decision and speaks.
"So." Vergil would be right to fear another incredibly blunt statement, but Nero has mercy this time. "I asked you a lot of questions. Only fair if you get to ask me some. If you want."
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Nero's not the least bit subtle in the way he's staring at Vergil. It would likely be off-putting were their circumstances different, but Vergil tolerates it without commenting upon it. This is the most time they have spent with one another at one time even when accounting for Vergil's time as V (and Urizen), and it is significantly different from those circumstances. There also simply must be a lot on the boy's mind that he isn't saying given that this isn't exactly the most private of settings. So, Vergil just occasionally looks at Nero in return, almost expectantly in waiting for him to say something else all the while not particularly rushing him to speak.
He pauses in his last bite of his burger when Nero finally does speak, lifting his gaze back up to Nero, and braces himself for what follows from that so given that it's often a herald of some matter that is not easily brought up in conversation. Nero does not, however, tread into such territory. Instead, he places an invitation. Vergil mulls it over as he resumes chewing and swallowing, letting that last bite provide him with a natural buffer before he can speak. There's a great deal that he wants to ask Nero about himself. Dante told Vergil how he came across Nero and generally what's transpired since then, but that's all and Vergil hadn't felt the courage at the time to ask for more than that, nor that it would have been right to ask Dante rather than Nero himself. This is, however, neither the time nor place for the majority of those questions, and so they must be set aside for now.
Vergil wipes his mouth with a napkin once he's swallowed.
"I have many questions," he acknowledges first, alluding to the fact that there are indeed some he won't ask now. At least, Vergil hopes Nero takes that from it, and that his interest in Nero is not a shallow one. "But I would like to know your interests."
He pauses before adding, "Beyond your work with Dante."
Although Vergil imagines that the work Nero does for Devil May Cry takes up a significant chunk of his time, Vergil assumes Nero must have other things. At least, that's what he hopes for Nero. Regardless of his skill or whatever calling he feels to that particular work, Vergil knows he would not want for it to consume Nero's life. And neither does Dante from what he told Vergil. So, he would like to believe that there's other things that Nero fills his life with. Things that make the work he does feel more meaningful and worth it when the choice isn't there.
no subject
It's still hard to summarize yourself to explain to someone who knows barely anything about you, but Nero makes a crack at it anyway.
"Well... I do a lot of recovery stuff in Fortuna right now. Kyrie and I run a soup kitchen. And we took in a few kids from the orphanage, after it got trashed by the Order. So that keeps me pretty busy when I'm home."
He taps his fingers idly on the tabletop, trying to figure out what else to say. "I... like music. Movies. And fixing things. Cars and gadgets and stuff." There's a pause, where he really wishes he could say something like reading thick novels or slam poetry or something. Instead, he adds, "... and wrestling."
no subject
Vergil glances down at his fries that are going untouched at present, briefly pushing aside the thought of how quickly he'd spurned that kindness even if there was really no alternative to Vergil at the time. He was dying, and while the time he had left was indeterminate, it was still barreling towards him faster than anyone could do anything about. There was no part of him that could suffer the weakness of humanity and live. That much was certain to him then.
But not now. Now isn't the time for that. He lifts his gaze again.
Music and movies don't particularly stand out to Vergil—Nero is young after all, and it'd be a rare sort of twenty-something that doesn't have a fondness for those things—but the tinkering and futzing around with gadgets and the like stand out a little more. Vergil's immediately curious then what sparked the interest and just how far he's pursued it, but he hasn't the time to ask before Nero adds wrestling to his list of interests.
"Wrestling...?"
no subject
"Yeah. Pro wrestling. Like on TV?" No need to guess whether Vergil has any familiarity with it at all. He almost certainly doesn't. "It's really theatrical and there's lots of stunts... the storylines get pretty goofy but I've been watching since I was a kid. It's fun. And taught me a bunch of moves to use on demons, as a bonus." And on you, Vergil, the once.
"I'd be surprised if they have it here but... maybe."
no subject
...It does not occur to Vergil that any of it was applied in their bout. Something else occurs to him, instead.
"You could always check on the Relic," he says. Vergil never uses the thing himself, but that doesn't mean he's ignored everything about it. "It is my understanding some use it to watch television and movies on it. Perhaps there is wrestling there, too."
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There's a brief glance at Vergil when he says that, as though gauging his reaction to the idea. Of watching wrestling with Nero, or perhaps just the idea of seeking him out later for any reason at all. Beyond the fact he'll be staying at his apartment, anyway.
"You, um... you want to know anything else? Casual icebreaker buddy-buddy small talk, I mean."
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"I am not one for small talk," he says, more as acknowledgment that conversation is far from his forte, and to perhaps temper some of Nero's expectations. In other words, Vergil's lack of pelting him with questions as Nero had to Vergil on the way over to this place was not a reflection of a lack of interest. And indeed, there is a small pause before he tentatively asks, "Kyrie? She is your...?"
Far be it from Vergil to be interested in the gory details of his son's love life, but he would like to know the important people in his life all the same.
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Vergil does give him the favor of a much, much easier topic to talk about.
"Kyrie." There's very obvious reverence in the way he says her name, if the suddenly soft look in his eyes and dust of pink across his nose don't give it away. "She's my... my girlfriend, yeah." As though his claim to the title is brand new and not almost five years running now. As though he's even worthy of it.
"We grew up together in the Order. She was my best friend as long as I can remember and." Oh, boy. He really gets all kinds of gooey just talking about her. "We have an apartment together in Fortuna. She holds down the fort and I go work outside the city. And she's... so amazing. Like an angel on earth. I'm really lucky to have her."
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cw: blood/injury mention
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