V hadn't that much experience with human emotions, considering his brief existence during the Qliphoth incident a year ago. Even so, he could recall the warmth his original self had felt during the short period he spent in Fortuna, leading to the short yet sweet relationship he'd had there. So it was odd to have similar feelings pop up again for this silver-haired girl beside him. Talking to her felt natural, her laughter was sweet to his ears. The sensation in his chest was odd, but nice, in a sense.
Unfortunately, this feeling would be overpowered as hours of searching the city passed by. While making their way around, the sheer size of the capital became apparent, with the time between investigating various pawn shops and jewelry stores seeming to grow ever longer. The party eventually found themselves at a high balcony overlooking the streets, with V covered in sweat once again.
"Funny. You really can't get a grasp of how enormous this place is without a proper view like this." V commented as he leaned against a railing, holding a conjured piece of ice against his cheek. He noticed the girl looking at him. "Ah, right. Thank you for the ice, Miss… um…?"
"Hey, that's right! None of us introduced ourselves." Puck realized. Urgh, of course! He knew he'd forgotten something!
"I kept thinking about how to bring it up, but we were busy looking for the thief, so…" The girl added. V set the ice down.
"No, it's fine. I'll start." It then occured to him: what should he call himself? Should he make up a name? He mulled it over before remembering an alias his brother used. Might as well put his own spin on it. "My name is… William. William Redgrave."
"I see. As for me…" The girl seemed hesitant at first before finally introducing herself. "I'm Satella. Just Satella. I have no family name." The raven-haired man noticed the floating cat giving her a questioning look.
"Satella." The silver-haired girl's face was filled with apprehension as V rolled the name over his tongue. "How fitting. A lovely name for a lovely lady." He replied, causing the elf girl to go bug eyed.
"E-excuse me?! You heard what my name was, right?" She asked. V looked at her quizzically.
"Of course I did. Why do you ask?" He retorted. She stared in disbelief before sighing.
"You really are a strange one." She said as her feline companion floated close to the girl's ear, whispering how she had "terrible taste" while also calling her Lia. Was she also using an alias? The gray cat then came up to V.
"And I'm her ever adorable companion, Puck! Though I guess you already knew that." The cat placed his paw out, with the young man shaking it in response.
"A pleasure." He replied. Satella came up to the raven-haired man.
"Say, William, are you a noble, perhaps?" She suddenly asked. V thought the question was odd, yet he couldn't help mulling it over. Flashes of memory played in his head, ones of his- Vergil's family home. He had lived in a mansion during his childhood, so it made sense that they had to have been aristocratic. Even so, he never really cared what the status of his lineage was, save for his father's demonic heritage. He shook his head.
"Once upon a time, maybe. Why do you ask?" He was taken off guard as Satella gently clasped one of his hands.
"It's just, you seem like a frail man. Your thin build, your weakness to temperature and these hands…" She explained. "They're too smooth to have seen any real work." V felt his pride crack a little.
"Believe me, I've had to fend for myself plenty throughout my life." He replied as he took back his hand.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" The young man quickly realized how his tone must have sounded.
"No, no, it's fine. No offense taken." V gave her a reassuring smile as Puck went back towards the girl.
"Well, I'd say Will's managed to cool off enough. Let's get back on the hunt, shall we?" He suggested before disappearing into Satella's hair.
"Puck's right. The longer we take, the harder the search will become. We'd best hurry." The girl said. V nodded in agreement with the silver-haired beauty's words as the pair started back on their investigation. The two made their way around the city once more, making more small talk all the while.
It wasn't too long afterwards that they spotted a small girl standing to the side of the market street. She looked around, seemingly unable to find a familiar face as tears started welling up in her eyes. The two stared at her for a bit.
"William, do you think we have time to help her? She looks lost." Satella wondered. As V looked onward at the little girl, images of a scared boy with white hair covered in blood flashed through his mind. He gritted his teeth.
"We'll make time." He declared as he walked up to the lone child. The silver-haired elf quickly followed him, then knelt down along with him to meet the girl's eyes.
"Hello there. What's your name?" She asked the green-haired girl. The child's eyes widened as tears streamed down her face. "Oh, um, no, it's okay! I'm not-" A hand curled into an upward fist suddenly appeared between the two, as both Satella and the girl looked towards V.
"Excuse me, young lady. Have you ever seen a coin like this before?" He asked the girl, twirling his hand before showing a penny between his fingers. She hesitantly shook her head. "I see. What about… these?" He circled his wrist again, and suddenly had three different coins in his hand, surprising the young girl. He then took the coins, rolled them along his fingers, into his palm before bringing both hands together. He then held out both palms, showing they were empty.
"Hm, seems I've lost my money. Do you know where it went?" V asked as he feigned looking around, getting a curious shake of the head from the girl. "Are you sure? Maybe… over here?" He reached behind her ear, pulling one of the coins out. "There's one. And then…two." He continued from behind the other ear, causing the girl to giggle. "And finally, if you'll just hold out your hand. Closed, please." She held out her fist as the young man placed his hand on hers. "There we are." The girl opened her hand, beaming at the coin on her palm. "A gift, for your assistance."
Before long, the girl was walking between the pair, holding on to their hands as they all made their way along the market street. Satella smiled at V.
"That was great, William! Where did you learn to do that?" She beamed. He returned the smile with his own.
"A relative of mine helps run an orphanage with his beloved. They let me stay there for a while, and I wound up becoming a caretaker of sorts. You learn pretty quickly how to entertain children if you want to survive in such a place." He explained. Satella nodded.
"Ah! It's Mommy!" The girl cried out. She let go of the duo's hands and raced up to a chestnut-haired woman, embracing her. As V watched the tender scene, thoughts of his own- Vergil's mother popped into his head. What sort of family could they have been if things had been different? He let out a sigh.
"Is something wrong?" Satella asked. V shook his head.
"It's nothing."
After the mother and child thanked them, the duo went on their way before stopping near a bridge over a fountain. V sat on one of the stone railings, once again cooling himself with a piece of ice as Satella stood nearby, leaning back on the bridge's rail.
"I'm amazed you're not affected by this heat." He commented. The girl thought about his statement.
"Well, I guess part of it is my contract with Puck. He is a great spirit of fire, after all." She explained. V nodded. That made sense. He probably helped regulate her body temperature or something similar. "Though, I have to say, your choice of clothing probably isn't helping things." She giggled.
"Heh, you may be right. Well, at least I look good while I'm roasting." He joked, prompting another chuckle from her. The two then sat in silence a bit before Satella spoke up.
"Say, um… You know, I was really surprised at how eager you were to help that girl. It really seemed to mean a lot to you." The young man stayed quiet for a bit.
"I just know what it's like. Being lost and scared at that age with no one to turn to. It's something no child should have to go through." V explained before chuckling. "My apologies. I feel like I've been sharing a lot with you despite having just met."
"It's okay. I don't really mind. To be honest, I don't get to talk to a lot of people besides Puck. Most people take one look at me and…" Satella trailed off as her eyes dimmed.
"Yes, I did notice we were getting some odd looks. I figured it was because of my dress and tattoos." V joked again, but was met with silence this time. "I was honestly surprised that the girl was more scared of you than she was me."
"That's just the way it is. After all…" The girl hesitated to speak before turning away from V. "I'm a half-elf." The air hung heavily for a time.
"...I see." He replied. That one sentence of hers was explanation enough and served as a reminder of the prejudice he'd experienced himself from the demon realm throughout his own life. How long had he been hunted for being the "half-breed son of a traitor?" For simply existing? His hands started wringing his makeshift cane as he imagined what she must have gone through. "Satella."
"Uh, yes?" She responded in surprise, turning to see V with a serious expression as he suddenly stood up.
"I know this might not mean much, coming from a stranger, but…" He started, trying to find the words. He wanted to reassure her that things would be better, that she was someone amazing for enduring all the cruelty she'd surely been through, but everything he thought of saying just seemed like flowery prose without meaning, especially since they'd just met. Satella seemed confused at his hesitation, before he finally took a deep breath. "You're just you. That's all you need to be." He blurted out. The girl stood silently before a smile started creeping up on her face and tears welled up in her eyes. She turned her back towards him, unable to hold in her emotions.
"Haha! Honestly, William! You're such a dunderhead!" She exclaimed while laughing and choking back tears. Oh god, why was she crying? Why was she laughing?! Did he say something wrong? Who even uses dunderhead anymore? Suddenly, Puck flew out of her hair and delivered a swift, ineffective punch to V's cheek.
"Uh, um…" The young man stammered as the small floating cat flashed him a grin.
"Don't worry, Will. You're not in trouble. Just getting some pent up energy out, that's all." Puck explained. V sighed in relief.
"I see. That's… good. It's just…" V paused. "I can sort of understand what she's going through. Any sort of prejudice is hard to live with." Puck looked at him with a quizzical expression.
"Similar experience?" He asked. V nodded. "I gotcha. Well, I hope things get better for the both of you some day."
"As do I." He replied. He approached Satella as her sobs and laughter slowed down. "Feeling any better?"
"Hehe, yes." She replied, wiping away her tears. "Sorry about that." V shook his head.
"Don't apologize. There's nothing wrong with letting emotions show when you need to." He said. Satella grinned.
"I suppose. In any case, we should probably get back to the search. I just wish we had more to go off of." She mused. The elf girl was right. They weren't really any closer to finding the thief than when they had first started.
"Started." V murmured. "Yes, of course."
"What's up?" Puck asked.
"It just occurred to me; we never investigated the crime scene itself. Perhaps if we return to where the robbery occurred..." V started. Satella's eyes lit up.
"Then we might find a clue or even a witness! Of course!" She exclaimed.
"Sounds like a plan to me. Let's get moving." Puck said. The trio made their way through the city streets before eventually arriving back at a familiar locale: the street where the fruit vendor's stall was located.
"Ah, how nostalgic." V said jokingly as the vendor spotted them.
"Well, well, look who it is! Got any actual money this time?" The vendor asked. V shrugged.
"Unfortunately, my coffers are still bare." He replied. "But that's beside the point: we're here for some information."
"Is that right? Well, I still have a business to run, so if you want any info, then you better have something worth trading, or better yet, some real money." The green-haired man looked at V's companion. "I don't suppose she's got any coin on her, at least?" V looked to Satella, who simply blushed while scratching her cheek. "Yeah, that figures. Look, I don't have time for-"
"Papa!" A familar voice rang out as the green-haired little girl ran up to the group with her mother not far behind. The vendor's stern expression softened instantly.
"Hey there, kiddo!" He exclaimed as he scooped her up into his arms before turning to the mother. "Hey, hon. What's up?"
"Just checking in on you, dear. Oh!" The brown-haired woman looked surprised when she saw V and Satella.
"Hey, it's the nice lady and the silly man!" The girl exclaimed. Silly man?
"You know these broke losers?" The vendor asked.
"Yes, actually. Plum got separated from me earlier. When I finally found her, she was with these two. They were real lifesavers." The wife explained. The little girl rummaged through her clothes before pulling out a small flower.
"For you! Thank you, pretty lady!" Plum said excitedly. Satella gratefully placed the flower onto her dress.
"Of course!" The silver-haired girl beamed. V smiled at the scene, remembering the few times he- Vergil managed to make one of the orphans smile. He suddenly heard a cough from the vendor.
"Hey, uh…" The man rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry for being a jerk earlier. I appreciate you helping my daughter out. So, what did you want to know?" Satella looked to V with pride. She was cute when she was smug, he thought.
"Did you happen to see a robbery happen here earlier today? My friend here was the victim of one and we're trying to recover what was stolen." V inquired. The vendor leaned back in thought.
"Eh, I didn't see anything like that happen directly, but…" He then leaned forward towards the young duo. "There was someone who passed by here earlier in a big hurry. Young girl by the name of Felt. She's pretty well known for being a thief."
"Does she have blonde hair? And, um… oh right, a red scarf!" Satella asked. The vendor nodded.
"Yep, that'd be her. From what I hear, she mostly hangs around the slums. That's probably your best bet on where to look." He explained.
"Odd. We looked all around, but never found any area like that." V admitted.
"It's not an easy place to find, especially if you were sticking to this side of the city. Here, I'll give you some directions. Just be careful around there, you hear? It's not exactly a nice neighborhood." The vendor warned. The duo nodded.
After saying their goodbyes, V and Satella made their way to the slums district. Once there, they noticed the sun starting to go down.
"Seems we're running low on daylight." V commented. Puck let out a yawn.
"Yeah, and unfortunately, I'm running out of energy." He replied. Satella held up her hands as the small spirit plopped down on her palms. "You two gonna be alright without me?"
"I think we can manage. Sorry for keeping you out so much today." Satella apologized.
"It's fine. Today was fun. I just wish I could maintain my form longer. The folks here don't exactly look friendly." The spirit replied, yawning again. V agreed. He doubted most of the people here would be so forthcoming about information on their own kind. He looked around the dilapidated buildings, noticing occasional activity from the hiding populace.
"Well, don't worry, Puck. Just remember; she has a very capable meat shield close by." V joked as the kitty's form started to fade. The cat chuckled.
"Right. I'm counting on you, Will." He said before finally disappearing in a small burst of light. Now, the two of them were alone, save for the prying eyes around them.
"Alone together in a dilapidated neighborhood. How romantic." The young man said, trying to ease the tension. Satella gave him a deadpan look.
"Very funny. Come on, let's keep looking." She replied dryly. The two wandered through the ruins for a while before coming to an open area. "Hm, this place is huge, too. Maybe I should ask the spirits for help finding her."
"You have contracts with other spirits?" V asked. Satella shook her head.
"Oh, no. I mean the lesser spirits around here. They still haven't become powerful or aware enough to take a form like Puck has, but they should still be able to give us some information." She explained. The elf girl closed her eyes as her body became covered in a soft glow. Before long, several smaller orbs of light appeared all around them, small whispers seeming to emanate from the wayward spirits. V stood in awe at the sight.
"How beautiful." He heard himself say. Satella briefly glanced his way at the remark, causing him to have a slight blush on his face. Just what was it about this girl that made him feel like this? It just didn't feel natural. He thought he knew himself fairly well; that it'd take time for him to open up to anyone, if at all. Yet he'd been talking to her like there was nothing to it, as if he couldn't help himself. He chuckled quietly. Truly an odd sensation.
The duo eventually made their way along a lonely road, the daylight long since passed. Various trees, a good lot of them dead, were strewn along the street as they walked the eerie path. A stranger walking by, a disheveled man that looked to be in his 30s, caught V's attention. He looked a little friendlier compared to everyone else they'd run into here.
"Pardon, friend. Do you happen to know a girl named Felt? We're looking to do some business with her." He asked. The man flashed them a grin.
"Oh, her, huh? Let me guess, this business has to do with some stuff she stole from you, yeah?" He replied. The duo nodded, causing him to chuckle. "Thought so. Well, last I saw, she was headed off to Old Man Rom's loot house." He pointed down the street at a large house in the distance. "She seemed pretty happy to sell something off. Guessing it was yours, huh." He clasped V's shoulder before walking off. "Welp, good luck with the negotiations, pal. Live strong."
"Right." Before long, the pair were in front of the old loot house. The large structure gave off an ominous air, especially within the darkness of night. The two stopped a few yards away from the structure. "Something's not right here."
"You feel it too?" The girl asked. V nodded. "Why is it so dark? There should be at least a little light, right?"
"Indeed. I'm sure a black market place like this keeps business hours long into the night." He replied. He could feel it in the air; someone or something was inside, and every fiber of his being was telling him to run. "Listen, maybe it'd be best if we come back tomorrow when it's daylight? I doubt whoever owns this place could sell your insignia right away." V tried to reason. Satella shook her head.
"I can't do that. It's just too important for me to wait until morning, especially when it feels so close." She explained. The girl had a point; it would be foolish to let an opportunity like this slip away. Even so, it didn't change the overwhelming dread the young man felt.
"I know. It's just… something about this place, this situation. I don't like it one bit." V replied. He noticed the elf girl giving him a concerned look.
"William…" Satella then put on a sad smile. "It's okay, I understand. You've done more than enough to help me. I'll do the rest on my own." The young man was taken aback as she started towards the loot house. He grabbed her arm.
"Now, hold on a second! I'm not trying to get out of helping you. It's just…" He looked towards the loot house again. "This whole thing… It almost feels like we're walking into a trap." The two stood in silence for a time, neither of them budging. Despite the lack of words, V could feel himself losing this "argument," especially when he considered all the times Satella had stated the urgency of retrieving the insignia. He scratched his hair in frustration as he released her arm. "I don't suppose there's any talking you out of this, is there?" She simply gave him a resolute stare in response, causing him to rub his temple and sigh. "Fine, fine. Just… be on your guard, alright?"
"William, it's fine, you don't have to-" Satella stopped abruptly as V simply looked at her and grinned nervously before turning back to the loot house.
"Let's just get going." He said. The girl nodded, a warm yet concerned smile on her face.
The two walked up to the imposing residence until they reached the front door. V noticed its position; not even closed properly. Now he was certain there was something off here. The young man slowly pushed the door open as he brought out his cell phone and flipped it open, turning on its flashlight.
"Oh, I didn't know you had a metia." Satella remarked quietly.
"Metia?" He whispered back. The girl nodded.
"You don't know? They're pieces of old technology made from magic. They're really rare nowadays since they're hard to make." The girl explained. Interesting. Then his cell phone might be worth quite a bit here in this world. Speaking of worth, the young man noticed the various items and weapons on display.
"I knew something was wrong. All this merchandise, and not a single person here to guard-"
SQUELCH.
The sound of a footstep made in liquid froze the both of them. V slowly focused his light on Satella's foot.
Blood. A sea of blood.
"W-William?"
He moved the flashlight down the large trail of crimson until it landed on a gruesome sight:
A huge, giant of a man was slumped over, blood pooling from his neck and mouth, as well as a stump where an arm should have been. Said arm was lying on the floor, balled in a fist as it lay in a crimson pool. His midsection was cut open as a trail of sanguine liquid and entrails had poured from it. What an awful sight, V thought to himself. The young man then noticed something in front of the old man's corpse, causing him to move the light over.
There, he saw a familiar face: the blonde girl from earlier, her visage twisted in an expression of horror, her arms reaching towards the old man. Blood had seeped from her mouth, and it was no wonder why; she'd been bisected, the lower half of her torso mere feet away. Not even a child was safe from whatever-
"Oh my. I wasn't expecting more company." A cold, sultry voice suddenly chimed in. V's eyes widened as he grabbed Satella and pulled her to himself, diving back as a sudden SCHWING echoed, followed by floorboards cracking and shattering. As he lay on the ground with his companion on top of him, the young man managed to fish his phone from beneath the silver-haired girl and shine its light in the attack's direction. For a brief moment, he caught sight of the assailant:
A young woman with black hair was staring at them with dark eyes, a smile etched across her pale face. Her curvaceous body was covered by an equally dark dress with a very exposed midsection and a cloak sitting atop her shoulders. She flipped the large knife in her hand before suddenly reappearing right in front of the pair as Satella let out a yelp.
"Sorry, you two. Can't have any witnesses." The woman remarked. V soon felt a burning sensation filling his midsection as he looked down to see the assassin's knife driven straight through both Satella and himself. "Yes, none at all."
"William…" Satella struggled to speak as the two lay on the ground, the woman's blade pinning them down. V felt himself gurgling as he coughed up blood while trying to force himself up.
"Damn it!" The young man choked out as he swung the walking stick in his other hand towards the black-haired woman, only to watch as his arm was blocked and cut into by another of her daggers, though not completely sliced off. No, he had to get up! They couldn't just die like this!
"Well, now. You're sturdier than you look." The assailant commented. Her surprised look at his arm turned into one of glee as she turned to face him. "It's a shame. I'd love to play more, but I have my contract to think of."
"You-" But before he could speak another word, the woman pulled the knife from both their torsos and plunged it between his eyes. Blood poured from his skull as he sank back onto the floor. It was as if time had slowed, the pain barely existed any more. His last thoughts as he collapsed to the ground:
So much for small miracles.
It wasn't long before the light left his eyes and all sensation stopped.
V had died.
There was nothing left but darkness.
And then…
"Hey buddy, you interested in the appas there?"