Vergil Gets the D(ave), Broship Abounds - DM 14

[10:27:57 PM EDT] * Nitro Dante was hungry again. This, of course, meant the now commonplace journey to scavenge food from the Manor's apparently only refrigerator ensued again. The second step of the bottom flight of stairs gave a familiar creak as one Vergil Redgrave reached the first floor, only to be bombarded -- and sickened, faintly -- by the unexpected smell of...someone cooking, most likely. Great. Maybe he could at least swipe some of it.
[10:28:14 PM EDT] * Nitro Dreadingly, he peered into the kitchen, to behold... "Dave?"
[10:28:43 PM EDT] * Nitro Vergil reflected belatedly that he shouldn't be surprised by this. Dave did like to cook, after all.
[10:33:15 PM EDT] ZZ: Dave didn't look back, concentraiting deeply on his roux. It was going to be the perfect base for this soup. The Handyman had brought in quite a large crop of broccoli and so Dave took it upon himself to make as many delightful broccoli based dishes as possible. After all, it was hard to get most people to eat broccoli, but Dave knew for a fact that if made right broccoli could be delicious. At the moment he was making a broccoli cheddar soup. Biting down on his tongue, which was poking out his mouth slightly, he whisked the roux into proper texture. Perfect.
[10:33:49 PM EDT] * ZZ sets the bowl down and looks back to Vergil. "hey man hows it going?" Oh, and please let it be mentioned he was wearing a pink apron, true men wear pink after all.
[10:47:35 PM EDT] * Nitro Uh. "...Getting food," Vergil answered slowly, after a pause. He entered the kitchen fully and, ignoring the burning urge to vomit that had become so well-known to him, peered at the bowl. "What are you making?" He could tell by the smell what it was, almost immediately after he finished the question. Broccoli cheddar. Not something they ate often, as kids.
[10:58:15 PM EDT] ZZ: "soup... hey since youre getting food anyway you wanna try some things for me? ive been updating my recipes and of course im gonna think anything i make tastes good so i need an outside opionion no worries though its all vegetarian friendly," he assured before adding the roux to the mix for the soup.
[11:11:14 PM EDT] * Nitro Vergil's head jerked up at the suggestion, going pale. Paler than he had been, anyway. "I..." No, he didn't. The very thought of eating made him want to throw up. But pride stopped him short of saying as much: he had made a point of not advertising his eating habits, or lack thereof -- no one asked, and he rarely saw anyone who wasn't Dante, so it wasn't hard. Somehow, the idea of anyone knowing left a faint feeling of dread, like if they knew, they'd try to change something.
[11:11:38 PM EDT] * Nitro He didn't need anything changed. He was /fine/. Had been fine not eating and could go on doing so.
[11:16:05 PM EDT] * Nitro "I don't like broccoli," he responded, a little stiffly. It was true enough, now. He didn't like /any/ food. But he'd never minded broccoli before.
[11:20:41 PM EDT] ZZ: "come on man just try it what did broccoli ever do to you?" Dave asked. "well alright its not ready now but i have some other things that i need someone to try like these broccoli spinache puffs with ricotta cheese on a light pastry dough... i think theyre pretty good but i cant eat too much anymore not like i used to anyway..." Trailing off Dave looked to the cooling rack of "puffs" he had mentioned earlier.
[11:21:11 PM EDT] * ZZ it would probably interest Vergil to know that Dave had gone on a food strike for a long time too.
[11:27:01 PM EDT] * Nitro Most people probably wouldn't think all /that/ much of it, but for Dave's slightly odd tone. But Vergil was keen on details, and did indeed catch the implications of his last words. Curiosity prompted him to pursue the subject. "...Used to?" he echoed, after a pause. What situation would make Dave, chef extraordinaire, lose an interest in food?
[11:30:22 PM EDT] ZZ: "yeah man if you met me when i first got here youd know like fuck i could eat forever if i wanted" The memory brings a brief smile to his face, but the one following it allowed a frown to crawl out. "but that shitfaced terror ruined everything... it was months before i could even stand to be in the same room with someone else when they were eating... i finally grew a pair and decided i shouldnt hide from something i liked so much just because of some ass hat... unfortunately because of what happened and the grand fasting that happened afterward i can only eat so much before feeling sick..."
[11:36:49 PM EDT] * Nitro ...Oh.
[11:36:55 PM EDT] * Nitro That. Was familiar.
[11:41:43 PM EDT] * Nitro If Vergil had been expecting anything, it was certainly not that. He frowned sharply, about to question angrily what had /happened/ that the shitfaced terror did, but stopped himself short, uncertain. He didn't know how Dave would respond to that, and Vergil had no great faith in his own ability to handle emotions delicately. He had little desire to do so, as a rule, but...even when he wanted to, he seemed to fall short.
[11:42:30 PM EDT] * Nitro After everything, he was in no hurry to upset Dave. Not when he knew the feeling so well, certainly.
[11:44:11 PM EDT] * Nitro But that left him with little to say -- so he merely gripped the back of a chair and...uh, was that a growl?
[11:44:14 PM EDT] * Nitro That was a growl.
[11:48:01 PM EDT] ZZ: Turning back to the soup Dave spoke up again. Vergil need not ask what had happened, Dave was more than willing to share apparently. "yeah being constantly tortured and eaten alive is pretty high on my list of things to avoid doing completely ever again ever but hey i can sleep at night again so im not gonna be too pissy about it anymore" A pause. "just glad being away from food so long didnt kill my ability to cook man that would have sucked"
[11:58:32 PM EDT] * Nitro The growl faded, leaving in its wake only Vergil's tense, agitated expression and the faint scent of brimstone. He said nothing for a while, though grunted in agreement -- it would indeed have sucked if Dave had lost the ability or interest in doing something he loved as a result of some sick creature.
Monday, December 24, 2012
[12:02:24 AM EDT] * Nitro He leaned back against the table, glaring at the ground, and wondered who had done it -- but the answer came quickly enough. Alpha, wasn't it? The one he'd been warned away from. And now he understood, if vaguely, why.
[12:03:23 AM EDT] ZZ: "anyway thats enough of my sob story now you gonna try some puffs or not?" Lifting a hand to adjust his shades Dave turned his head to look over to Vergil. A slight smile played on his face, knowing that he probably dampened the mood, trying ti bring it back to a neutral tone.
[12:06:09 AM EDT] * Nitro Vergil looked up, as though startled from deep thought. He looked first at Dave, then at the pot of soup even though they had nothing to do with the puffs in question (the fact that both were /food/ was enough). His brow furrowed, and he didn't put very much thought into his next words. "...I haven't eaten," he admitted, abruptly, quietly, and in a tone one might use when remarking about the weather, "since..." The sentence trailed off, uncertain how to fill in the blank.
[12:06:23 AM EDT] * Nitro ...Yeah, so much for getting away from sob stories.
[12:13:12 AM EDT] ZZ: "ah yeah sorry should have figured yeah foods pretty gross huh? i must be some kind of masochist liking to make it so much" he joked as he slowly stirred the soup. "i dunno it was just one of the things that i could always do to make things better... if bro was feeling down id just make his favorite dessert... and once the game started i could just make some cheesy twists and john would be smiling in seconds flat man he could eat those things forever rose preffered the fruit tarts never apple though since apparently apples are a bitch to alchemize but like with berries and shit so i guess thats not bad and jade was like the biggest fan of my pancakes man and the trolls were always easy to please since im like a fuckin gourmet rachel ray would pay so many damn boonies just to taste my dishes man... man you got me rambling how the fuck you do that?"
[12:23:54 AM EDT] * Nitro Listening to the rambling words was strangely calming -- maybe it was the easy-going drawl, the same kind Dante used on calm days. He didn't know. Either way, it eased him until his expression was smooth, brow no longer furrowed to the point where he looked like he might freeze the next person he looked at. The rhetorical question was met with a snort. "You hardly need any help in rambling," he remarked, mildly, though his mind was hardly on that. Instead he was remembering earlier, happier days -- much earlier. He tilted back his head with a pensive expression.
[12:27:24 AM EDT] ZZ: "hey i am not some old rambling hag alright? i just happen to get talkative when debbie downers like yourself come around you and your lack of imagination just makes me have to be all the more creative and shit to make up for that like anti creativity block youve got going on up here" With the word here Dave poked Vergil in the forehead before turning back to the soup. "but i gotta say when you put your mind to it you do make an excellent rapper"
[12:37:38 AM EDT] Nitro: [Whoops I accidentally]
[12:37:39 AM EDT] Nitro: [Drawing]
[12:42:00 AM EDT] * Nitro "Hmph." The sound was more a laugh than anything. "Rapping hardly requires much brain power." In hindsight, that was probably incredibly insulting and out of line, but Vergil found he didn't care -- not because he wanted to offend Dave, though. The mockery rolled off his tongue easily, as though he was dealing with his brother. It wasn't malicious, and he doubted Dave would take it as such.
[12:42:32 AM EDT] * Nitro ...Though, it really /had/ been very easy. Words were never troublesome for him.
[12:46:02 AM EDT] ZZ: "man you did not just say that you know how hard i work on my sick rhymes its like making my finest of chocolate cremes and you have no damn idea how hard it is to make that either because let me tell you its totally hard man" he warned, playful smile on his face.
[1:08:34 AM EDT] ZZ: (:? You still there??)
[1:08:42 AM EDT] * Nitro Another huff and an exaggerated eyeroll were the response. "I'm well aware of the difficulties of making fine food and desserts," he rebutted, crossing his arms. "I am familiar with the culinary arts." ...Sort of.
[1:08:47 AM EDT] Nitro: [Yes -- sorry, I]
[1:08:54 AM EDT] ZZ: (Got distracted?)
[1:08:58 AM EDT] Nitro: [Keep being terrible and getting distracted aaah]
[1:09:04 AM EDT] ZZ: (FFF It's fine. :B)
[1:09:09 AM EDT] Nitro: [I am really enjoying this though. o:]
[1:09:15 AM EDT] Nitro: [Like wow perf]
[1:09:20 AM EDT] ZZ: (;w; You think so?)
[1:09:24 AM EDT] Nitro: [Yes 8w8]
[1:10:20 AM EDT] ZZ: "oh?" This piqued Dave's interests. He was so used to be the person cooking for everyone else he hardly experienced another's food. "i know youre not eating but mind showing me your craft?" he asked, stepping aside from the pot of soup with a grin.
[1:10:44 AM EDT] ZZ: (Did you see my post in the horn pile?)
[1:10:52 AM EDT] ZZ: (I made more artzz)
[1:11:06 AM EDT] ZZ: (WHICH IS WHAT I'M OFFICIALLY CALLING ANY AND ALL PICTURES OF ZEDZUI.)
[1:26:45 AM EDT] * Nitro Oh, uh. Vergil's mock-haughtiness faded into faint discomfort. "I haven't cooked very much in a long time," he admitted. "Save for some fairly simple things." Nevertheless, he stepped up to the pot, stirring at it idly and picking up an herb from the spice rack on the counter to examine. "It would probably be safer in your hands," he confessed reluctantly. He remembered a lot of things, sure, but the way he'd learned -- through experimentation and estimation -- was not conducive to making consistently good meals.
[1:31:14 AM EDT] ZZ: "nah man come on man if you can rap you can do this shit if you can rap you can do anything because rapping? hard stuff man hard stuff" With a sagely nod Dave took hold of Vergil's arm and guided his hand to hang over the pot of soup, encouraging him to drop in the herb.
[1:39:20 AM EDT] * Nitro "Hardly," he scoffed, obeying Dave's urging despite rolling his eyes at it. A light sprinkling was sufficient for the strong-smelling herb's scent to waft up with the smell of cheese-and-broccoli. He stirred it in with quick motions, glancing up at the spice rack for further inspiration. He added in a second herb while he spoke. "It's your own fault if this soup is ruined. I haven't cooked like this for six years." Er. "As of my death. It's hard to tell how long it's been with the way time is in these bubbles." Whatever. The point remained.
[1:52:03 AM EDT] ZZ: "what? you havent kept track? lame man ive been dead for seven years" Dave spoke as if he was proud of this fact. Sure it hurt some times to think about, but he actually was kind of proud to be dead for so long without having any issues... Well, aside form ones caused by horror terrors.
[2:15:34 AM EDT] * Nitro Vergil grunted, continuing to fiddle with the concoction. "No, I... I didn't realize I was dead for a long time. I don't know how long." He paused, tapping the spoon on the side of the pot and then setting it aside to let the soup simmer. "...I didn't acknowledge it consciously, at least." It had been a lot easier to remember the good, early days than it had been to acknowledge that he was dead. Maybe he was a coward for sheltering in those memories, pretending they were real, for so long.
[2:17:27 AM EDT] ZZ: "ah i died slow the first thing i thought when i woke up in dream bubble land was the pain cus its what i remembered last heros death you know aint fun" Giving a frown Dave leaned against the counter. "i probably could have made it but nobody found me until it was too late"
[2:36:35 AM EDT] * Nitro Vergil flinched, visibly. "I died quickly, but it was painful. Everyone else in my session was dead and I wasn't Godtier, so there was no hope of survival." He narrowed his eyes at the ground, hoisting himself up onto the counter to let his legs dangle. "I suppose, even if I did remember subconsciously, I wanted to hide from it and relive other memories instead."
[2:40:35 AM EDT] ZZ: "eh nah dying kinda really sucks you know? but its something you can learn from you know?" he added, taking up the soup spoon so as to stir the brew a bit before tasting it. "ah fuck man you did good!"
[2:59:47 AM EDT] * Nitro Startled by the change in topic, Vergil glanced at the pot, then to Dave, then to the floor. The smell seemed less unappealing now, though the queasiness remained, faintly. "...When I was younger," he began, pensively, welcoming this memory in place of the ones that talk of death was dredging up, "I used to help our father cook. Our mother could set pasta on fire if she tried to cook, whereas my father was an excellent cook despite..." He trailed off almost sadly, uncertain of how to finish the sentence.
[3:05:26 AM EDT] ZZ: "hah man that sounds like my bro you know i had so much fucking take out and pizza? thats why i started cooking in the first place if i didnt know any better i bet bro actually thought the fridge really was for shitty sword storage instead of keeping food"
[3:18:39 AM EDT] * Nitro That drew a thin smile. "Dante takes after our mother as cooking abilities go. He'd sooner store his weapons in the refrigerator than use it for food, unless he's storing leftover pizza."
[3:19:57 AM EDT] ZZ: "man him and pizza how the hell did that even start? did he like, have a bite and see the messiah or something?" Smiling Dave put a lid on the soup, allowing it to simmer and settle.
[3:36:56 AM EDT] * Nitro Vergil snorted and shrugged. "That may as well be the case. It's always been his favorite food. Our mother always took advantage of it and bribed him with pizza. Though, she didn't usually /need/ to use pizza. She was very persuasive, especially to Dante." He admitted reluctantly to himself that she probably had the same kind of hold over him. Not even probably.
[3:37:18 AM EDT] Nitro: [I'm so sorry these are taking so long and being so short, ffff]
[3:38:16 AM EDT] Nitro: [I'm having a semi-serious conversation with someone so I keep getting side-tracked by that -- probably won't last much longer though. o:]
[3:39:34 AM EDT] ZZ: "man i always kinda wondered what it was like to have a mom it was always just me and bro you know? he raised me from a meteor baby and all that noise you know?" Walking over to the fridge Dave grabbed a glass, and upon reaching his destination he grabbed some ginger ale. "want any?"
[3:39:40 AM EDT] ZZ: (Alright. :B Take your time.)
[3:49:10 AM EDT] * Nitro "No, thank you," Vergil declined promptly, but slid off the counter and turned to open one of the upper cabinets. Then another. And another. "We had a wonderful mother," he acknowledged, sounding pained, as he shut the fourth cabinet, then continued quickly as though not to dwell on the topic, "Though it sounds like you love your brother immensely."
[3:52:43 AM EDT] ZZ: "fuck yeah... i just wish i was a better one to him you know? like... my entire life i was a fucking brat... and then jack killed him before i could even make up for all the dumb kid shit i pulled..." The last bit sounded wistful, the blond recalling the memory of finding his brother stabbed and dead.
[4:02:40 AM EDT] * Nitro Oh. Vergil thought he sounded very emotional. He wasn't very good at emotions. "...Parents and siblings have a way of preemptively forgiving whatever shit you may do," he said slowly, carefully. It was the best he could offer. Brow pinched, he continued his quest through the cabinets until finally pulling a round canister, and then quickly grabbing a mug from another cabinet and a spoon from a drawer.
[4:16:12 AM EDT] ZZ: (Sorry, I got caught up in something, you still there?)
[4:16:34 AM EDT] Nitro: [Yes. uwu]
[4:16:59 AM EDT] ZZ: (Wooo!)
[4:18:40 AM EDT] ZZ: "yeah i know... you know when i first got here i ran my self crazy trying to find him?" A wry smile slid onto his face. "man i was so tired from working all those stable loops just so I could get as many clones out there as possible though now ive got the loops to summon hundreds of clones in one go so i guess i got something out of it" Studying the mug and spoon Dave spoke up again. "whatre those for?"
[4:30:01 AM EDT] * Nitro Vergil ignored the question in favor of hiding what he was doing with his torso. After a minute, his hands paused their hidden movement. "...I can't imagine being unable to find Dante," he admitted softly, sounding nervous at the very prospect. "...Then again, I couldn't have imagined finding him again until I did, after everything that happened..." His hands started moving again, opening the refrigerator briefly.
[4:31:22 AM EDT] ZZ: "yeah but you found him so thats something a good something too" Dave added, peering at Vergil, trying to see what he was up to. "hey vergil hey you know what you should do? show me what youre doing thats what you should do great idea i think"
[4:43:05 AM EDT] * Nitro "I'm making something." As though that wasn't an infuriatingly vague answer, he continued quickly, "I...don't know if it's a good thing that I found him. He seemed fairly well-off before." Save for a few things, from what Dante had described, he was mostly happy here -- had a few good friends and the freedom to do whatever his mind could conjure with few consequences. A paradise of escapism. And though it wasn't much, Vergil bitterly thought he'd rather see his brother still in his right mind and in a perpetual state of fleetingly happy escapism than the traumatized, broken mess that he was now. Even if it meant Vergil wouldn't see him at all.
[4:52:50 AM EDT] ZZ: "yeah thats fine caring for him you know but you gotta care for yourself too cus if you cant care for yourself how the hell do you expect to care for someone else? i know it sounds like something a therapist would say but thats because it is bro and i as demanded by the state of texas were to go to counseling once a month until i was ten so they could make sure he wasnt like beating me or some shit you know? i over heard them talking alone so i know you know that he really fucking cared but like it meant he was not caring for himself which of course made me feel like a total ass because it was like i was hurting my brother" As he spoke Dave continued to try and see what Vergil was doing, but to no avail.
[5:19:05 AM EDT] * Nitro Finally, Vergil moved to the microwave and put the mug in, setting the timer. He leaned heavily on the counter, frowning at the ground. "...I know," he admitted, "but..." He paused. "I don't.../care/ what happens, as long as he's okay," he tried to explain. "My own well-being is far less important, but depends on it all the same. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I failed in that." He glanced up, directly at Dave, then away again, looking bitter. "I have already, many times, to the point of being the reason he died."
[5:19:19 AM EDT] Nitro: [Whoops I am slow because how do I phrasing]
[5:19:40 AM EDT] ZZ: (FFF)
[5:22:52 AM EDT] ZZ: "dude dont beat yourself up so much i think thats dantes job look your well being is super important alright man were bros and the well being of my broseph is way important okay? even if we werent bros itd still be importan i mean like what makes him better than you youve still got your feelings and shit and like just because hes gone through some nasty shit doesnt make your feelings any less" Walking over to the microwave Dave squinted, it was hard to tell what was inside what with his shades and the protective shit that made it hard to see inside microwaves.
[5:49:15 AM EDT] * Nitro "He matters more to me," Vergil snapped, sharp, looking the part of a bristling cat. He glared at the ground for a moment and then the tension just seemed to...drain quietly out of him. "If you're really that concerned, I don't simply neglect myself to take care of him. I'm fine. I'm as well as I need to be."
[5:52:25 AM EDT] ZZ: "man of course he does i never said he doesnt matter you both matter you know but like one doesnt matter more than the other cus like your both really sweet so like stop bullshitting me because its kinda pissing me off" Leaning back against the counter by the microwave Dave adjusted his shades. "how the hell am i supposed to help you if you wont even tell me what the problem is? like fuck yeah i get it youre not so great with emotions that wasnt that hard to pick up but like just say it whatever the fuck it is holding shit in like that is not going to help believe me ive tried"
[6:05:12 AM EDT] Nitro: [OK I AM]
[6:05:15 AM EDT] Nitro: [writing now]
[6:28:24 AM EDT] * Nitro "...The /problem/," Vergil ground out intensely, moving to the microwave and removing the mug before it could beep, "is that my b-brother upstairs re-refusing to acknowledge anything th-that /matters/, and all I can do is wait for his a-arms to g-grow back and hope he can l-look me in the eye ev-eventually." He stirred at the mug vigorously, anger in the motion, and added sharply, "I d-didn't /ask/ for your help, Str-Strider. There's n-nothing you can /do/."
[6:28:35 AM EDT] Nitro: [Why was that hard tho]
[6:42:47 AM EDT] ZZ: "probably not," Dave admitted, pushing himself off the counter as he tried to peek into the mug to see what Vergil had made. "doesnt mean im not going to try though because i will you know try anything i fucking can cus hell something might work" Pulling away from Vergil he took up his ginger ale again and nursed it away.
[6:42:50 AM EDT] ZZ: (Shooort.)
[6:44:58 AM EDT] Nitro: [That is ok uwu]
[6:57:52 AM EDT] ZZ: (:B Are you drawing again?)
[7:12:03 AM EDT] * Nitro Vergil was silent, cradling the warm mug and fuming. He didn't know what to do -- knew in his head that Dave was trying to help, no matter if he could or not. He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a heavy, huffing sigh, as though his irrational anger was being forced out of his lungs. He said nothing still, electing instead to take a sip from whatever was in the mug without so much as thinking. He managed to swallow before gagging and whirling to face the sink, coughing hard, putting most of his weight on the sink as though the rest of his body was too busy fighting against what little he'd swallowed.
[7:12:42 AM EDT] * Nitro He somehow managed to set down his mug of what appeared to be hot chocolate without knocking it clear across the room. Priorities.
[7:20:52 AM EDT] ZZ: Dave frowned, walking over to Vergil's side and patting him on the back as he made sweet dry heaving love to the sink. "dont push yourself when it comes to food man its just gonna make it worse trust me i tried eating after the first time just one bite and i was on the floor vomiting not fun not fun at all let some time pass wait until you can look at food without flinching thats what i had to do"
[9:32:38 AM EDT] * Nitro Vergil shook his head, held his breath and tried not to shudder while fighting down the urge to vomit. When his shoulders were acceptably still and the acidic burn wasn't at the back of his throat, he rasped out, "I wa-wasn't even th-thinking about it. I d-didn't..." He shivered, tried to swallow and resisted the urge to gag against the motion. Rested his forehead on the cool edge of the counter. When he spoke again, unsteadily, it was a low mumble. "O-our mo-mother used to make this...this ho-hot cocoa. She co-couldn't cook any-- anything else to s-save her life but no-nothing...nothing compares t-to her hot cocoa." He took a breath. "So after sh--" Shiver. "I used t-to ma-make it for Da-Dante and I when he g-got sick but I can't...I c-can't make it the way she did."