Vow of Unity [Vergil/Jaden]

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[IN WHICH MAGIC WEAPONS ARE APPARENTLY SENT BY CARRIER PIGEON]

It was kind of a grey day out - not bad, not outright raining, but it had drizzled a bit earlier and there was still a sort of dampness to the air that years of cross-country traveling had taught the duo generally signaled bad things for the day's weather. Neither really wanted to be caught in a murderous downpour, so Vergil and Jaden had stayed in for the day... relatively speaking. They weren't anywhere near the inn they were staying at, obviously, but rather at the latest in a succession of weapon stores, poring over gleaming steel and ornately decorated silver as they had been for much of the day.

This particular store seemed a little higher class than some of the others they had been to already, larger in size and stock alike, with a certain sheen to many of the weapons that belied their prices. Not that they looked cheap, but these prices were WAY out of even their pooled price range, and while Vergil didn't have the cojones to say as much, he didn't really see why a fancier-looking weapon had to cost like fifty times more than the same (ish) sword in plain iron. Were appearances and trim that important? Maybe he was just a rube, but as long as his sword didn't break and made some token effort to do sword-ish things, like cutting stuff, he was satisfied with just keeping it cared for.

He had the unfortunate feeling that his attitude had been noticed. That, or the shopkeeper was rightfully guessing that they had nowhere near enough money to buy anything. He carefully avoided the man's glance, nudging the nearby Jaden in the shoulder while glancing over at what his bro was looking at rather than the ornately golden spear he had been inspecting. "This place is pretty fancy, huh?"

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Not a shabby place at all. There were weapons everywhere...literally. Most weapon shops he casually strolled into didn't look as clean and organized like this. It just went to show how much people valued sharp objects meant to stab people. That, and merchants never really cared for a big place to store all their weapons or put them on display much. A lot of the time, armories were somewhat small. This was actually pretty spacious. He really wanted some new fancy sword, but seeing how these swords costed thousands and thousands of gold just made him cringe a bit. Sure, the common ones would be the affordable ones for kids like them, but it was expected. With how super this place is, it was bound to be somewhere that the two couldn't possibly dream of buying something. Not right now. All they could do is stare in awe and window shop, even though they're inside now.

He was staring at a pretty silvery sword lined up with more of it's kind until Vergil nudged at his shoulder. "You're right about that. I've never seen a weapon shop like this before!" He whistled a bit silently, deciding to look around and seeing the weapons other than swords. There were axes about as big, or almost bigger than his body combined. It must have taken a skilled hand and a titan of a man to wield something like that. But it was depressing at the same time. They were so far off from being able to use something like these super awesome swords even if they DID have the money for them. But it didn't hurt to dream, right?

He imagined holding one of those fancy looking Killing Edges in hand. The curved blade looked weird at first, but it had it's own beauty to it in it's own way. "I guess whenever this mercenary thing starts working out better, we'd be able to afford stuff like this."

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"Yeah, you're right." Aria had taken them to get their slim swords once, but it had been to a blacksmith that she apparently knew personally, and he'd forged both blades to her exact specifications. She hadn't bothered going through a weapon store at all, and truthfully, outside of being a little curious on the window shopping side of things, Vergil had been so happy about getting a real sword of his own that he hadn't actually even considered getting a new one until pretty recently. But he was old enough and big enough now that his old sword was starting to get a little too small and light for him, and his discussion with Jaden the other day about magic weapons had actually gotten him fire enough to drag a complaining Jaden out of bed this morning to go sword-hunting.

AND HOW WELL THAT HAD WORKED OUT. Ugh, he hadn't realized everything was so... expensive. "Yanno... I don't regret not asking for rewards most of the time, but we'd probably have enough money to buy some of this stuff if we did." Maybe it sounded a little plaintive, and Vergil felt bad for even saying it, it sounded SO greedy and demanding and totally ruined his trying to be a good guy in not asking for rewards... but he sure as heck wished that weapons could be free or something. "Sorry, that probably came out a little greedy sounding. It's just, I didn't think the world revolved around money that much. It's be so much nicer if favors and niceness were currency, heh."

Yeah, that was kinda silly even by his standards, probably, but it still sounded nice. "...And we still haven't found any magic weapons. I guess they really aren't sold at weapon stores like this?"

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Jaden shook his head, taking another glance at the Killing Edge before turning back to Vergil. "Nah. Even though money can be a complicated thing to deal with, it's true that without it, life would be harder. And mercenaries have to sustain their livelihood somehow..." Yeah. At the moment, they were still charity workers. That alone was a big difference in their jobs. Or what they were supposed to be doing anyway. He wasn't really sure about taking money from people, even if they deserve a reward for their efforts. He felt the same as Verg there. "But we can still do free work when we feel like it. As a merc, we can live by our own rules, right? But we do need money every once in a while. Not just to have gear to keep us alive, but food and stuff, too. I don't think it's greedy if we think of it that way."

When Vergil mentioned doing favors to get things, he wished it could be that easy. If they could do something for the arms dealer here that could give them something cool in return, that'd make his day. They could certainly make a job out of that. Going around and doing favors for people. Though everyone in the world was so concerned about money that they wouldn't give free stuff away a lot. Sometimes life could be a bummer.

"Maybe our secret shop idea is starting to come true...those things are nowhere in sight." Damn it, there needed to be a secret teller around here that could tell them where to find these blasted things. Though...whose to say those magic weapons were even more pricey than the stuff here?

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"I'd rather do it without taking anyone from anyone... it feels almost like being a nice version of a bandit, honestly. We help people... then demand a reward. Only difference is that they don't bother asking." Maybe he was being a little harsh, but Vergil was feeling a little argumentative today. And honestly, while he knew that objectively speaking what he was saying was stupid, that was probably what was annoying him the most; he KNEW that the world didn't work like that, that it couldn't, and yet he couldn't get rid of the feeling that it should. But there was nothing he could ever do to cause that, so... he just had to adapt.

"You're right, though. We have to adapt. Now that we're on our own... we have to do what it takes to survive, even if we don't alwas like it. Not... bad stuff, obviously," he amended hastily - that had come out WAY worse sounding than he had planned. "But... I guess if we're ever gonna save up enough for magic weapons, for food, for lodgings and everything else, we do have to take money sometimes. But only from people who can spare it, I think. If we save people from bandits then expect their life savings, we're no better than them."

"...You kids are on the market for magic weapons, eh?"

The husky voice came out of nowhere. Vergil visibly started, looking first at Jaden as if his voice had dropped about 30 octaves, then to his left, starting again as he realized a cloaked man whose face was obscured entirely by his hood was standing right next to him, staring down at the lance he had been looking at himself a few moments before.

It took a few seconds of surprise for Vergil to even think of a response before he stammered a "y-yes," relying on Jaden to fill in the gaps in his woefully embarrassing performance.

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"I guess we can make our own rules based on our feelings, then. After all, I don't think there's a right or wrong way to be a mercenary." ...Even though most of them ARE money-grubbers, that's just a stereotype. Jaden didn't want to be thrown into that bunch, either. Being a freelance worker seemed to be a lot more complicated than it should, but at the same time, he assumed it was only difficult when they decide to make it hard. Or if they're forced into a position they don't like. But Vergil was right about the adaption. Guess that was a part of being an adult. "We could have our money come from rich or decently wealthy people. I don't like the idea of taking money from someone poor, either."

...His train of thought was then interrupted by the weirdo that just appeared next to Vergil. He...didn't even see the guy until he spoke eerily. For some reason, Jaden didn't like how this guy's style worked. Creeping up on kids when they least expect it...creeper was a good way to describe him. Walking closer while switching the side he was standing next to Vergil, the young boy crossed his arms as he had an obvious look of annoyance on his face. "Hm! And what if we are?" The guy didn't seem to pull out any weapons...but why would he attack them, anyway? He wasn't sure if the guy's question was out of trying to start a normal conversation or what.

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"Heh." The myserious man snorted at an unknown joke, moving his head just enough that his hood shook - was he shaking his head? It was hard to tell. He didn't actually turn to look at Jaden or Vergil, completely casual and unperturbed despite Jaden's aggressive reaction. Confidence, Vergil thought. He seemed supremely and absolutely confident, as if neither he nor Jaden were even enough of a threat, or of interest, to actually pay attention to. It wasn't insulting exactly, like the guy was pointedly ignoring them, he just didn't seem to even consider the possibility of either of them being any trouble for him.

"I'll be damned. She really did know." The same quiet yet vaguely intimidating voice, thoughtful and bemused. Vergil didn't know who 'she' was, but he didn't like not knowing what people were talking about. "I should be asking you two some questions... but I owe her a favor, so you two get off scot free. It's your lucky day. Today... I'm just the mailman."

A dry chuckle, one so parched of humor that it almost seemed to suck the joy out of the shop by its mere existence. "Here. Christmas came early this year." A blur of motion within the voluminous robes, and a lumpy package was suddenly flying at Vergil - he almost panicked before he realized it wasn't hurled at him so much as just gently arcing through the air, and that it didn't look too much like a fireball or a brace of knives coming at his face Also, it was gonna fall if he didn't catch it. With a grunt of surprise, Vergil moved to catch it, taking his eyes off the man for just long enough to focus on the prize.

"One word of advice, kids... do what she says. For your sake."

Vergil looked up, but sometime in the half-second he had his eyes off the man, the cloaked stranger had, possibly literally, disappeared into thin air. What the- he looked down at the package in his hands, surprisingly heavy, and his heart stopped as he saw the name on the tag. "...Aria." He looked up again, wide eyed, the mumbled name still fresh on his lips. "Jaden! After him! He knows Aria!" Without waiting for a response or confirmation, the blonde novice booked it for the front door like he'd stolen everything in the place.

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"Man...what are you mumbling about?" Just more signs of a creeper there. He didn't know about how Vergil felt about it, but Jaden was certainly even more annoyed that the guy was ignoring them before saying stuff he didn't understand. And it was quite rude too considering he was the one who talked to them first. Even he thought that was bad manners, the boy that barely had any good ones. But then Jaden raised an eyebrow when Vergil was thrown a package and became even more confused...before his bro read the tag. "...What?!" Well, today just got weird. While he was very curious as to what was in the package, Vergil storming off after the seemingly disappeared man was more important. He wanted to know about this too, following after his friend so he could keep up.

...How could someone disappear like that? They both only looked down for a couple of seconds. No one could move that fast, unless there was some other secret to combat that he didn't know about. But what he wanted to know was how this guy knew Aria. What he a friend or foe of hers? Gah, he didn't have time to think. He just needed to make sure Vergil didn't get too far ahead or else he'll lose him, too. But look on the bright side...at least they're getting some good exercise out of all of this running around and traveling Bern stuff. They should have some wicked stamina by now.

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Vergil skidded out the door like he was floating on air, looking one way and then the other to find - nothing. Absolutely nothing. No sign whatsoever of their hooded friend, no one even paying attention to any hasty departures, save a few kids who took minor notice of his and then went back to talking among themselves. Not even any obvious paths of escape; while the streets of town were never empty, it was a relatively quiet day on account of the grey skies and imminent rain, so there wasn't even enough of a crowd for the tall cloaked man to hide amongst.

His shoulders drooped a little as he paused, realizing that it was a waste of time to even try to chase. He had no idea where to look, no clues, and it was pretty obvious that the man was a lot faster, or at least sneakier, than Vergil was likely to be anytime soon. "Well... so much for that idea." It was kind of a lame attempt at humor, but he couldn't really think of any better way to phrase it, and the disappointment seeped into his voice anyways. He had gotten so excited when he realized the guy knew Aria, when all his vague references to 'her' clicked, but now he was stuck with no answers and no way of finding them.

...Exceeeeeeeeeeeept for whatever was in the package, holy crap he was dumb, had he seriously forgotten about the giant lump of heavy in his hands? Not quite possessed of the courage to do it immediately, Vergil looked up at Jaden silently, not sure if he was waiting for his bro to tell him what to do or react or... what. After the burst of excitement he was having trouble getting his brain working properly again.

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Great. Now what?

He was just as clueless as Vergil was when the man left no trace of his tracks. Up until now, he thought magic tricks were completely phony, as no one could actually disappear or pull a bunny out of their hat. Now that he's seen living proof of a disappearing act, he's waiting for the guy to come back and pull out sharks instead of bunnies. Jaden crossed his arms, tapping his foot out of annoyance. There was nothing they could do. Even if they searched all over town, it'd be a waste of time. Man, and he really thought they had the chance to speak to someone who knows Aria. That would have made their journey less difficult compared to just searching for her blind. But that did sort of defeat the purpose of them growing up on their own. He should have known it wouldn't have been that easy.

...But his attention finally went towards the said "gift" that was given to them. He turned to Vergil quickly, even he having a look of uncertainty on his face. For all he could know, they were probably opening up a trap. But the name tag had Aria's handwriting on it. "...If it's from her, I think we can trust opening it. Maybe there's a good reason for all this?" He was at least trying to sound grown up. There was no way they were catching that guy now.

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"Huh?" He stared at Jaden blankly for a second before his bro's words made sense. "Oh. Right!" RIGHT. Package. ...From Aria. Vergil hesitated again, feeling like if he opened this things would never be the same, but he knew damn well he was gonna open it sooner or later, he couldn't bear to not know. It still took a moment to summon the courage to actually do it, though, much like with everything else he did... something he had to fix. He couldn't keep hesitating forever.

The novice carefully unwrapped the gift, the rough texture of the wrappings turning away to reveal a pair of swords, both sheathed so he couldn't actually see what they looked like. A small note fell out of the package as well, fluttering to the ground between the two, though Vergil did not notice it. "Swords, huh?"

That hadn't been what he was expecting, honestly, though... at the same time, weapon shop, swords, him and Jaden being swordsmen, it actually kinda fit really well. So well it almost seemed planned. "...I shoulda guessed. It's been a while since she got us new swords though."

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"What a coincidence, too! Now we don't have to worry about buying new ones. Quite the awesome gift, eh?" Even though he couldn't see the blade of the swords, it was already obvious they were amazing from the way the sheathes appeared. Even though they both were still trying to recollect themselves, Jaden couldn't help but feel nostalgic all of a sudden. His past with Aria and Vergil was a life much better than the one with his blood-related family, and receiving a gift like this just reminded him of how the first half of his childhood was able to be looked behind to enjoy the other half that gradually became amazing. Their teacher and mother figure showed him kindness, something he never experienced before.

...But then something caught his eye that jerked him out of his reminiscing. Looked like a piece of paper fell when Vergil opened up the package. He bent down to retrieve and examine the folded up paper, curious if it was just some junk Aria accidentally left in the package or what. But he noticed her signature again and it was addressed to the both of them. Guess he'd have to drool over the swords a bit later, stepping closer to Vergil as he held the paper out in front of them both. "Hey, check this out. This fell when you opened it. I think it's a note from her, too." For some reason, he scanned his surroundings one more time before turning his attention back to the note to open it, hoping that the hoody guy wasn't stalking them or if no one nosy was trying to see what they were doing.

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"...I wonder how he knew to find us?"

It was sort of an obvious question, but Vergil didn't know what else to say. Now that his brain was working again, he was starting to realize just how strange it was that the cloaked guy had known EXACTLY where to find them, right then and there, to deliver the package. Maybe he had been looking for a while, but he just seemed so... casual about it. No 'I looked everywhere for you,' just a few comments about actually meeting them and handing it over, like it was a routine delivery by his standards.

Vergil didn't know enough of the world to really make any informed guesses on the how and the why, but he knew damn well that being able to find two random unimportant kids in all of Bern, and do it without any issue whatsoever, was not exactly normal. Who exactly did Aria know...? It didn't really matter though, he figured. If she knew and trusted the guy to deliver the stuff, he couldn't be that bad. Aria's note seemed interesting too. "Why dontcha read it then? I got my hands full of sword," he responded to Jaden's comment with a grin. It was a little heady. Felt like old times, actually, as if Aria was gonna come out of the shop next door and wave them over.

While he probably should've waited to open them entirely, Vergil's curiosity got the better of him as he stroked the sheath of the slightly larger of the two swords. There was a... tingle to it, sort of like a static charge, but not... quite. Even in his own mind that was a horrible comparison, but he couldn't quite make sense of it. It was intriguing though, and made him want to know more...

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"Maybe that hood guy has something to do about her knowing...? Too bad finding him is out of the question now." Once he thought about it that way, maybe the guy really was just a delivery boy and nothing more. If that was the case, then it didn't matter if they saw him again. Just wish the guy didn't have to play games with them like that, but who cares about that now? When Vergil asked him to read it, he gave a little smirk as he completely unfolded the paper. "Sorry. Don't know how to read." Well, that was a bad joke. "...Yeah. Aaaanyway..."

"How's my two swordsmen been doing? Knowing you boys, you've probably been going through a lot on your own. The blades in your package aren't a joke...these were made just for the both of you. I'll leave it up to you to learn how to master them, as they're not ordinary weapons. They're special. Use these blades to cut open the path you've made for yourselves. I'm sorry that I'm not there by your sides anymore, but I'll always be with you in spirit. Walk forward with your own two feet and live your lives as men. This is why you should not seek me out any further. You boys don't need me anymore. I'm proud of you both and the potential you hold. Continue to stand by each other's side and never allow your strength to be torn in half. A family fights as one, so please do not forget that."

...So much for a "note". No wonder the paper's kinda big. When thought about it, Aria did sorta make BIG notes that should have been small instead. But Jaden wasn't really focusing on that. After reading the note aloud, he was glad with both the length and the contents of it. He couldn't really imagine just dropping the search, but...it was he who said he wanted to embark on the journey to become his own man, and if Aria felt the same, he couldn't really disobey. He looked at the swords again for a second before happening to feel his eyes welling up and catching a single tear before Vergil could see it. He wasn't too sure yet on why he felt like shedding tears, and even if it was appropriate, it wasn't like he was going to show them anyway. He didn't really know what to say to Vergil either, and instead just awaiting his friend's response.

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"A... family, huh?"

Vergil's voice cracked partway through, and he didn't say anything immediately after that single comment. He wasn't gonna cry or anything, dammit he WASN'T, but he had been so excited to hear from Aria that having her tell them to not look for her anymore drove an unseen blade into his heart. How were you even supposed to respond to that? They couldn't. She had given them any way to respond to her message... and this was all they would get of her?

Hugging the two swords to his chest, Vergil took a stumbling step to the side and sort of fell against the outer wall of the shop, feeling like he needed some sort of physical support; the wall sure didn't do much in the wise of emotional support on its own, but the reassuring firmness helped clear his mind in its own way. But it was no miracle worker. While it gave him the brace he needed... he still had to sort things out himself.

Jaden didn't look to be doing a whole lot better himself, though, which made Vergil feel even worse. It wasn't like him being a wuss about everything was new, but Jaden was always the strong one who could keep going no matter the situation. If even he was falling apart, a bit, then Vergil had no business feeling sorry for himself. He didn't know what he could do to sort things out inside his own mind, but he could at least try to help Jaden.

"...Maybe we should open the packages," he quietly said, trying to pick up steam as he went but having to take a break after the first sentence to compose himself and pull his voice together. "The swords, I mean. We should - look at them and stuff." The novice held out the two weapons mutely, one in each hand. But how did they know who got which? It wasn't like one was a lance and the other was an axe, and there wasn't THAT much information to be gleaned from the hilts.

But... the one that had felt like static... Vergil hesitated for a second, then did what seemed... right. He wasn't sure if it was pure selfishness or an innate understanding of the answer, but somehow he knew that the one in his right hand was - his. Despite not knowing what it looked like or what it did, there had been a strange sort of familiar warmth to it, while he didn't feel anything from the other. He extended his left hand, with the other sword, towards Jaden. "Here."