Flow State

[joke_o]

WHO: Kyoko & Anyone at Devil May Cry
WHEN: Backdated to last Tuesday
WHERE: Devil May Cry office
WHAT: Vergil wanted to talk to Kyoko but she showed up a bit early
NOTES\WARNINGS: Alcohol mention

Kyoko had been in something of a funk for the last week. Even with the plans to put on a party, the feeling of being isolated from her friends and family over the course of a holiday so close to her heart and personality was weighing on her. So of course when she got a message from Vergil asking her help with something, she was eager to help however she could. Anything to distract her from the encroaching loneliness. She didn't know how long it would take to walk to the building Vergil had specified, even with directions, so she figured she may as well start earlier then she would realistically need. Better to show up early rather than annoy Vergil by showing up late.

She'd grabbed a bottle of beer - the favorite brand of Riki's gang back home - for the walk, but when she arrived at the office, it was still unopened. She wasn't sure what to expect of someplace called "Devil May Cry" but, when she stepped in the atmosphere reminded her of the pool halls and bars she was technically too young to be in, but nobody questioned her on given her own reputation and usually being flanked by a dozen or so delinquents. When she saw nobody seemed to be there - or at least the main room was empty - she pulled the bottle of beer from where it stuck out of her jacket pocket and popped the cap off, taking a sip. Vergil had said to let herself in, so hopefully nobody minded if she passed the time with the pool table. She quickly racked the balls up, plucked a cue off the shelf and hit the cue ball, the clacking of the other balls announcing her presence to anyone that might be in the building.

Comments

[antimetabole]

Vergil hears the front door open and close, and thinks little of it. He assumes it to be Nero given the relative quiet that follows, and continues folding and putting away his laundry. He anticipates not long after, he will likely hear the television come on, or there will soon be noises from Nero's tinkering. Vergil has the thought to check and see if Nero has eaten lunch already, and prepare something for the two of them if he has not eaten yet. Vergil frowns over at the doorway of his bedroom, however, when there is the sound of the cue ball striking the others from the pool table. That seems more like Dante, but the jukebox hasn't been turned on. Putting away the small stack of clothes in his hands, Vergil pushes the drawer closed and abandons the chore for the moment to investigate who has entered the shop. He peers down from the mezzanine rather than going down the stairs just in case it is someone waiting for Nero or Dante only to spy Kyoko playing a game of pool by herself.

He told her a specific time to arrive by with the intention of having taken care of his chores and having relative privacy to speak with her. But early is certainly better than late. Vergil rests his hands on the railing before announcing his presence.

"You're early."

[joke_o]

Kyoko glances up, just now realizing there were living quarters up there. She pauses as she lifts the beer bottle to her lips, glancing between Vergil and the bottle before shrugging and taking a sip. Once she swallows, she just gives a shrug, setting the bottle on the pool table.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Didn't know how long it'd take to get here on foot so I figure I'd get an early start. I can go kill time somewhere else if you want."

[antimetabole]

"No, it is fine," he says with a slight shake of his head. "We may conduct our business now."

It is a disruption to his planned order of things, but the timing of the discussion hardly matters. They have as much privacy now as they would have possessed later had she arrived at the identified time. He may as well take advantage of it.

"I intend to take Mizu on a date for Valentine's Day," he says, getting straight to the point as he walks down the stairs. "But I could use your help in some of the preparations. Namely in getting Mizu ready for it."

[joke_o]

Kyoko cocks her head as she sits the butt of the pool cue on the ground, leaning it against her shoulder as she listens. At the prospect of helping Mizu prepare for a date she arches an eyebrow.

"Really? I'm guessing you're talking about something a bit extra for a special date? Mizu seemed really put together with stuff like that. What did you have in mind?" She takes another sip from the bottle, mind racing with what Vergil could be talking about, but the mental image in her head came complete with letterboxing and roses in the corners of said mental image.

[antimetabole]

Vergil is momentarily surprised by Kyoko's assertion that Mizu appeared to have such matters already under control, but a little further thought quells that surprise. For the length of time that Mizu and Vergil have been together, they have no real need for dates such as this. The foundations of their relationship have already been built up, and they spend meaningful quality time together to a plentiful, satisfying amount as it is. But such time together is less oriented towards a date and more towards mutually liked activities like sparring or reading together, or something a bit more...domestic, for lack of a better term.

"Mizu and I do not go on dates with one another," he explains, walking around to the opposite side of the pool table from Kyoko. "Not in the traditional sense, in any case. We've never had the need."

And they still do not, although Vergil leaves that to implication. He folds his arms loosely in front of himself as he draws a deep breath. Vergil is not reticent with his affection for Mizu, but he rarely discusses it with another. The deep breath is necessary for steeling himself with his own personal discomfort that he must push past to ensure that this date goes well. Even if he is slightly pinker by the time he is done speaking than when he started.

"This will not be the first Valentine's Day we have been together, but it will be the first we have chosen to celebrate, and I would like to mark the occasion by taking him on a traditional date." There is a small beat before Vergil adds, "Provided that Mizu agrees to celebrating the holiday, of course."

Vergil holds little doubt that Mizu would refuse time spent with Vergil, but he still leaves the possibility in his mind that Mizu may not be keen on celebrating a foreign holiday. Or participating in what amounts to modern courting rituals. She may find the whole thing ultimately to be quite tedious at worse and unnecessary at best i nthat scenario. Vergil intends to respect that decision if that is the outcome, but he still hopes it will not be.

"He will suspect something if I suggest to him that he needs to have an outfit for the day," he continues. "But he may not suspect as much if it comes from you and your...insistence."