revengeisalie | IC CONTACT

"And how exactly am I meant to be careful when I'm not the one recklessly swinging the door open?"

It's a flat look that she's earned herself for her comment, and a question that lacks venom or altogether much irritability. Vergil takes a moment to look down at her arms to see if she has a proper hold on her own stack of books. So long as she doesn't appear to be in danger of dropping them, Vergil takes a step back, pulling the door open wider with him as he does. If she needs a moment to adjust her grip first, Vergil's patient enough to wait for her to do as much.

Well, she... doesn't really have a retort to that, so she simply pouts. She sees him hold open the door for her, though. A blush appears on her cheeks, purely out of the slight awkwardness of the situation. She hastily scurries through the door, muttering: "Thanks."

Then she stops and turns to look at him, unsure whether she should say anything else. Her eyes fall on his arms full of books.

Ah, crap. She should probably return the favor. "Uhm, should I hold the door for you?"

Vergil's stack of books is likely smaller than her own. He has a tendency to limit himself to only two or three books at a time. Arguably, he could bring more home with how voraciously he reads, but it encourages him to be more thoughtful on what he chooses. Today, he carries two anthologies of poems—Keats and Wordsworth—with a third and thicker tome about London. The poetry is for him. The information about London is for Mizu. Vergil agreed to help him with his research months ago now, and while that has the tendency to be keeping Mizu company in the library, Vergil occasionally has been taking the initiative to do some reading on his own time.

His brow furrows a little at her question, finding it initially a bit odd given that he stopped the door and opened it wider without any sort of difficulty. But after that moment of consideration, he couples the question with her muttered word of thanks, and concludes she's likely attempting to be polite. Vergil's frown lessens as he shakes his head.

"I can manage."

Indeed, Rin was trying to be polite. If someone does something for her, she feels compelled to give something back, even if it's just about little things. But if he says he doesn't need it, well, that's good too.

"Alright, then."

She's about to leave, but her gaze lands upon the books he's carrying. One tome stands out to her in particular. Just like that, she mutters: "London..."

What was it about London? Ah, that was the place Mizu wanted to go to, wasn't it? Rin looks up to meet Vergil's eye. "Uhm, have you read that book already?"

With her out of the way, Vergil begins to side step his way around the door to head inside, but only gets so far as in front of the door itself when she stops him. He lets the door rest against his back.

"Hm?" Vergil looks from her to his books, frowning slightly before he connects her muttered comment to her question. He adjusts his hold on his small stack slightly. It's not exactly a defensive maneuver since he doesn't exactly anticipate she will make an attempt to snatch it away. (She isn't Dante, after all. Vergil would be even willing wager that despite her minor outburst upon almost striking him with the door, she's probably a touch more mature than Dante.) It's more a natural sort of wariness that he now holds them considering he had not exactly anticipated any of his books to spark conversation.

"Not yet," he says. "Is it of interest to you?"

She notices the way he clutches his books tighter, and her face reddens just a touch. "Not exactly. It's just... I know someone who might be interested." Except Mizu hasn't exactly asked for help with his research. He seems very proud of his ability to handle himself. Maybe he'd only be mad if she tried to meddle.

Her face scrunches up weirdly for a second, then she waves a dismissive hand. "But it's not important! Please, forget I said anything."

Rin's expression makes it apparent that she's gone on a bit of an emotional journey although Vergil couldn't exactly say what said journey is or why it was sparked by Vergil's question in return. Before he can begin to try and parse it out for himself, she's already quickly attempting to dismiss the topic of conversation altogether.

"You know Mizu as well then," he concludes aloud as it seems quite unlikely to Vergil that there are two people among the Star Children that have taken such an intense interest in London. At the very least, Mizu would have likely mentioned that other person by now or Vergil would have seen them the handful of times he's joined the other swordsman in the library. Still, it is not as though it's a closely guarded secret that Mizu has such an interest. Mizu does not work under the cover of night nor does he exactly hesitate from asking others for information on the chance they might possess useful knowledge. Studying her carefully for a moment, he asks, "Did he ask you not to involve yourself?"

Mizu's fierce independence aside, Vergil doesn't think Mizu would want to involve someone as young as Rin looks to be in such business. Especially when not when she seems so prone to reactions as the one she just had. It would add an unnecessary complication to what is otherwise straightforward business.

Oh, damn. Busted. Rin rubs her neck in embarrassment. "That obvious, huh?" Her face scrunches up a bit. "He didn't ask me anything, but I just thought he might not like it. I can just hear him, telling me to mind my own business." Mizu is certainly the type of guy who abhors admitting to weakness. To needing help, even.

Even though he had come actively looking for Rin's help that one time -- to the point of knocking at her door at a pretty late hour. Finally, she puts two and two together. "If you know Mizu, you must be Vergil-san, right?" Sorry, Vergil, she's liberal with the honorifics. "I remember that he was looking for you one time. He asked me if I'd seen you."

There'd been too much going on for Rin to really follow up on that incident, but she's kind of glad Vergil appears to be alright. If Mizu cares about him, that must mean something.

Vergil nods ever so slightly when she says Mizu would likely ask her to mind her own business. Which is less a reflection of anything to do with her and all to do with Mizu himself. Vergil and Mizu get along well because they both respect the other's privacy, after all. Even when there's an inherent expectation that they should pry during a trial, both seem to consciously do the least amount to satisfy the requirements of the trial and nothing further. He can't imagine Mizu would be particularly thrilled about the prospect of a potential stranger being informed of his interests without his consent or knowledge, which is why she wisely attempted to cut it short before Vergil might ask any questions.

He finds it more difficult to know what to do with the information that Mizu was looking for him. Vergil's brow furrows slightly when Rin correctly identifies him, but the furrow deepens at Mizu asking around for him. What reason would Mizu have— ...Oh. Oh, yes. That's right. After their first spar, Vergil had promised to provide Mizu with tools to repair his equipment that was broken during the fight, but he had also told Mizu to find him once his wounds healed so they could fight again. Vergil hadn't been specific enough to share his exact unit in the building, but Mizu knew Vergil lived in Satori Hills. It makes sense then that Mizu would come to this girl who would have seen him around even if she didn't know Vergil personally to learn where exactly he lived.

Vergil doesn't bother with elaborating on why Mizu was looking for him. The reason doesn't exactly have relevance now if it ever did.

"He hasn't mentioned you to me," he says, placing no value or judgment on it. There had been a pragmatic reason for mentioning Vergil to her. There was no such reason for the reverse. He states it only as an indication that she knows more about Vergil than he does her. Vergil pulls the book on London out from his stack, leaving himself with only his poetry books as he offers it to Rin. "You're free to read it yourself, or deliver it to Mizu if you'd prefer."

The purpose of having the book wasn't for his own knowledge after all. He only has it for Mizu's sake. So, it matters little how its contents make its way to Mizu, only that it does. Vergil has no issue in allowing Rin to take it from him. For all he cares, she could even tell Mizu she was the one to find the book in the first place. Because if Mizu trusted Rin enough to ask about Vergil, she could likely be entrusted with the book.

Being offered the book surprises Rin, and accordingly, she raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I mean, if you were the one to get it for him, shouldn't you be the one to give it to him?" Of course, Vergil could simply be trying to foist the task off on her and go about his business. Were she more familiar with him, she might have voiced this suspicion, but as they literally just met, she thinks it wise to hold her tongue. You never know how a stranger is going to react. Will they brush it off? Be annoyed? Draw a weapon on her?

At least he seems to be someone Mizu trusts enough to actively seek him out, and that speaks for him. Oh, she knows Mizu himself is a killer -- but not the sort who kills without good reason, incendiary accidents notwithstanding. That's plenty enough for Rin to place her trust in him. He hasn't yet disappointed her.

Still, some basic caution is hardly ill-advised in the current situation.

"I'm sure." Without being more directly asked, Vergil does not offer Rin any further explanation than that for why he is willing to pass the book off to her rather than reading it for himself or being the one to deliver it to Mizu. It doesn't seem particularly relevant to mention. "I do not say nor do things I do not mean or that I hold doubts over."

Even something as trivial as passing along a book.

"If you feel concern or something like that about taking credit for something, you're not. Mizu and I occasionally read in the library, and there have been a few times I chose to read something pertaining to his interests rather than mine when we have been there at the same time. He has not asked me to do anything."

Which is technically true. Mizu has not asked Vergil to take part in his research. That was more Vergil's decision to make certain that the time they spent together was not merely out of Vergil's desire to reclaim the Yamato. He wanted there to be some other benefit for Mizu than that in order for it to feel a fair exchange and not like a favor.

Okay, strange man. That's a lot of words for 'I don't mind'. "Uhm... guess I'll take it, then?" She scrunches up her face a little. It's not like she has a pressing need to do so. Not like she even asked for it.

But, hey, it would be a chance to check up on Mizu. See how he's doing out there. After all, even the strongest kenshi needs help sometimes. Or just someone to do minimal fussing about them, perhaps. Even if they hate it, which Rin knows Mizu absolutely would.

Oh, well. It's a good connection to keep.

Upon her agreement in taking it, Vergil wordlessly holds the book out for Rin to take. He doesn't know what to make of her expression, but if she's willing to take the book, it doesn't likely matter what it might mean. Once she has the book firmly in her hands, he takes his hand back.

Well. That was that, it looks like. Rin takes the book and adds it to her own stack, then indicates a slight bow. "Pleased to make your acquaintance," she says out of sheer force of habit and politeness. If this guy is Mizu's friend, Rin sees no reason not to play nice, even if he does have an attitude problem.

Huh. That's a thing those two would have in common. Rin wonders if that means that they get along or that they're fighting all the time. Getting along enough for Vergil to be thinking of Mizu, for sure.

Interesting. She files it away in her mind with all the other observations she makes in her daily life and inclines her head away. "Well, then... see you around, I guess."

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