Look to the Sky

[Silver Eyes]

When my mind was weary or troubled by something I found solace in star gazing. They never changed--they were always beautiful and I knew every time I returned they'd still be there. But with the universes collapsing and the Arashi's appearance, they were being snuffed. Orion's belt was gone, The Big and Little Dipper have vanished from the sky and other constellations I'm familiar with are missing portions. New patters have been deciphered from the old but something was made painfully clear to me: nothing remains the same.

It's a sad but true fact that I've started to accept. Nothing will be the same again and something tells me things are only going to get worse from here on out. Peace only lasts for a short period of time in my life with or without everyone. Still, even with so much familiarity vacant from the sky, I still have my patch of Eden. For that I am grateful; there will always be beauty to gaze at.

The Night Angel lowered her quill and blew on what she had written to make sure the parchment won't be smeared. This town lacked pens and regular lined paper so she had to rely on older means to put her thoughts on something other than her mind. After the incident with Maya, and those stubborn memories entailing certain two vampires, she had been more reclusive from the others. It wouldn't be a permanent state and she hoped they would understand her desire to be alone until she got over the initial shock of it all.

Amoura gingerly folded the paper, opened a ringed notebook and placed it inside--the thing was practically bulging; it contained her written thoughts from years past. She had gotten lucky back on Mortis when her and her sibling were raiding stores to get supplies for the refugees. While assisting, she came across a few notebooks, a stash of pens and couldn't resist the urge to log important events that took place. It was something that helped maintain her thin strand of sanity.

Now here she was on the outskirts of Hallowton, away from the lights that washed out the stars and felt herself gradually calming.

[Sparda]

In a city such as this, in such proximity to so many friends and allies, very little about a person's whereabouts remained secret if one made an effort to find them. Such was the case with Amoura. The rest of Devil May Cry knew of her habit of brooding in solitude when events such as the battle with Maya befell her, yet there was one among their number who, it seemed, had more success than the others in approaching her at these times.

It was this person to whom the footsteps that echoed flatly across the grassland to the Night Angel belonged.

"You look lonely out here," Sparda called to his companion, hands in his pockets, his gait slow and implacable. There was a small yet heartfelt smile upon his lips, which he wore whenever trying to coax a conversation out of the vampiress in these situations.

"Personally, I really don't think it suits you."

He crossed the distance and sat down next to Amoura, hoping she wasn't too bleak of disposition after what had happened to want his company.

[Silver Eyes]

Amoura knew The Dark Knight, no, her friend would find her eventually but was also aware of her need for space after unpleasant situations arise. Seems her time for brooding had run out on his watch. At Sparda's words, she audibly chuckled and mustered a smile. Loneliness suited her perfectly after all that transpired at Mortis; she really wasn't the same after all that had to be endured for twenty-five years. Tonight, the company was welcomed.

"I'm not always alone." Amoura scooped her hands under all that she's written for almost twenty years and dropped it onto her lap, "I had the paper and pen to write my thoughts down but that wasn't always enough." The vampire looked to him and prodded her temple with her forefinger, "What I had of the good days kept me from being truly alone."

The point was made, so she put the notebook aside so she could settle in a more relaxed posture by Sparda. The Night Angel had chosen to, once more, not have her hood or mask cover her features; her violet locks were free to rest against her back. "I always liked the stars because they never changed, even when I did," Amoura frowned, "but now everything that remained consistent is changing."

[Sparda]

Sparda looked down at the bulging notebook as Amoura answered him, then at her finger as she tapped her temple with it. She was right, he supposed; the memories of the good times would stay with her, and she had those for company even if everyone around her was gone.

He turned his azure gaze to the heavens with the topic of conversation. Indeed, some of the common constellations were absent, component stars snuffed out above them as if they represented the many worlds dragged into this chaos along with their disparate new home. Amoura sounded quite distressed by the changing of the skies...

"Turn your attention from the stars, my dear," he responded, a practiced reassurance in his tone. "Consistency is all around you. Sazan, Michael, Clash and I are still with you, and we still stand against darkness as unbowed as we ever have. Those bonds of comradeship, of friendship, will only change for the better."

Smiling at his friend, the demon laid a gloved hand upon her shoulder and squeezed comfortingly.

[Silver Eyes]

The vampire pried her eyes from the stars and rested her silver gaze onto Sparda, paying attention to what he had to say. Comfort could be found in those words but it wasn't enough; Amoura wasn't remaining consistent like the others--it was an unsettling thought. The Night Angel uttered a soft sigh. Among other things, she knew she was trying too hard to be like a certain someone. "Things aren't going to remain the same for long. A lot has transpired after running from the Arashi's supernova. It has to be told."

She looked down to the notebook, opened it up towards the end, scanned it briefly for details that she had momentarily forgotten and gently closed it, "...Maricul visited me in a dream. She taunted me, rubbed in my face the fact that Aper was woken by me and..." Amoura shook her head, growled to herself and got to her feet. It was difficult to stay still with this on her mind, "The prophecy has changed: The Three Siblings will be reunited as the mortal world trembles before their might. And so it was foretold that the Three, once reunited, would be shattered again. And the last of them would set his sights on the expanse. The warnings held that. Their defeat would be illusory—that the final gambit had yet to be played..."

Amoura faced him, and it's evident by the look she held in her eyes that there was more to this and it carried a hint that said for him to not tell anyone, "Something's happening to me. While in that dream, Maricul and I went mad, we fought each other and what you saw in that fight was my Devil Trigger gone corrupt. That wasn't the first time I used it, Sparda. I ran into someone while I tried to take a vacation..." Amoura swallowed, almost unable to tell him this but someone had to know. But was it worth mentioning? It was a Council Member, after all. With a resigned sigh, she finally spilled the story:

"...Validus." Saying that name made her cringe, "We fought and when I accessed that side of me I was consumed by rage. You know what happened? We destroyed a planet. An. Entire. Fucking. Planet. Both of us had to make a getaway or we would have died on what remained of the battlefield."

The vampire snorted and started pacing. "That's not the worst of it. I ran into The Genius on my way back, we unearthed an old god hellbent on taking over and I saw the Third Arashi. A woman. When I fell into that vision I nearly died. Oh, and Kyal's son consumed him--yes, he has a son--and he's dead. Gone. Never returning."

Recalling that sent discomforting chills down her spine and she hugged herself. "That Arashi is the end of all things, She destroys everything: emotion, feeling, power--it just vanishes and you simply pass on from her presence alone."

Instead of calming, like she hoped would happen after getting that out of her system, she found herself growing more and more frustrated, "Why me? That's something I've been asking myself for most of my life. Why do I have to carry the Nightmare, why am I always present when something horrible happens, why am I always attacked or why does peace never last; what did I do to deserve all this?" Amoura faced Sparda, "Could anyone even answer me that? Could you?"

[Sparda]

For the longest time as Amoura spoke, the only expression upon Sparda's face was a darkening mixture of surprise and dread. It seemed like for every inkling of good news, there were ten of bad news waiting to swallow it up in their collective shadow. And these pieces couldn't be much worse; the emergence of the third - and final, thank whatever god was listening - Arashi, and the survival of Validus Recubo, whom he had perhaps fortunately never faced in combat himself.

It was the rant she directed specifically at him that finally drew the Dark Knight's gaze towards his friend. He couldn't keep it there for long, though; because she was right. He couldn't answer her question. To tell her that the calamities that had defined her whole life were simply down to fate - to being nothing more than the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time - would only anger her further.

"...I simply don't know," the demon finally answered, shaking his head apologetically. He hated vindicating people who posed such excruciating questions. "But..." He rose from the ground with sudden speed and crossed the distance towards Amoura, a hard stare of resolve upon his face. "I don't intend to let it happen any more."

He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts and choosing his words. "I've asked myself the same question, time and again, and I could never come to a satisfactory answer. All I know is that you never deserved any of it, and if there was anything at all I could do to keep more such misfortune from befalling you, I would give it my all."

His expression softened and he gently cupped Amoura's cheek with a gloved hand. "Ranka did his best to protect you when he could. I feel it my duty to do the same."

[Silver Eyes]

Amoura didn’t show anger or frustration at Sparda’s response. It was expected for him, or anyone else for that matter, to not know why all of this had befallen her. Only the Arashi held the answers and they only spoke of their prophecies and did what they were meant to. To say it was irritating was putting it mildly and still she was obtaining more questions than answers. It had to be more than “wrong place at the wrong time” or being their messenger.

"I don't intend to let it happen anymore."

Amoura had to suppress the urge to chuckle. Sparda’s desire to shield her from the world’s dangers and upcoming tragedies was admirable at best but no one could keep that up forever. Ranka couldn’t protect her from the Nightmare; he held her hand through it all and it was the best he could do. Even still, the betrayal was meant to give her the “will and the means” to survive without him. While she could fend for herself, it wasn’t enough—she needed more than those two things.

His hand rested against her cheek and Amoura’s eyes began to shut. The warmth that permeated through his glove was soothing as were the last of his words. He might not be able to prevent all things evil from stepping into her path but she had family to stand with her. At this, she smiled, opened her eyes and nodded at her friend, ”Thank you.” The Night Angel stepped forward, wrapped her arms around him and hugged tightly. Surprisingly enough, she didn’t pull back right away; she remained there.

[Sparda]

Sparda knew his friend well enough to know that displays of emotion from her were few and far between, and it made him appreciate them all the more when they came along. He smiled warmly and wrapped his arms around Amoura, holding her protectively - as he would continue to do as long as he drew breath.

"What are friends for?" he answered, hugging the Night Angel comfortingly. Almost a minute passed before he finally pulled away, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Now, let's get back into the city and rest, shall we?" He turned towards Hallowton, gentlemanly offering an arm for Amoura to link to.

[Silver Eyes]

"Right." Amoura scooped up her bulging notebook, looked at his arm, at Sparda, snickered, shook her head, smiled and linked her arm with his. "Resting sounds great. I haven't had much sleep for a while." The vampire began the long trek back to the city but gave pause to her steps. There was one more thing she hadn't said out there.

"Sparda. When Aircano is rebuilt, or if little help is needed, I'm going to find Ranka or at least know of what happened to him." The thought of him being dead wasn't a pleasant thought so she did her best to not dwell on that, "I feel I won't ever be at rest until I find the truth."

[Sparda]

The Dark Knight smiled to see Amoura take his invitation and he began the long walk back to the city in her company; but slowed as she did, noting her thoughtful hesitance.

Then the topic of Ranka was raised.

The fate of the Silver Bullet had, of course, also been on Sparda's mind, but he didn't doubt it had been much closer to the front of Amoura's than his.

"We'll have to go back to Dominion to investigate," he responded, "but I know as well as you do that Ranka leaves no trace of his very existence when he doesn't want to be found. If that's the case, though, why would he want to keep his distance anyway? There's nothing left for any of us back there, and we'd find out soon enough if he was here on Genesis..."

The demon shrugged and gave it no more thought. "I'll never understand the workings of that man's mind."

[Silver Eyes]

"You forget one thing." Amoura pointed at her head, or tried to with the notebook she held, "I drank his blood and I have his memories. I know of his methods, what he hides, where he has a tendency to hide them and he definitely shouldn't have given me the methods to recover erased files." The vampire grinned. Even if the search proved fruitless it was good to know she has so much knowledge ready to be used.

"We'll talk about this later. I'm tempted to go for a drink or two at Michael's. It's better than staying at a hotel since he has so many rooms. What do you say?"

[Sparda]

Amoura raised a very valid point. Sparda knew she had partaken of Ranka's blood - that was how he had fully explained his "betrayal", among other occasions - and it hadn't occurred to him that she'd know his methods and tricks.

But she was right about discussing it another time; such as when it was actually pertinent and they didn't have a time of peace on their hands.
"Sounds like a plan," the Dark Knight answered with a smile, and continued walking. He needed a decent drink sometimes to relax, and even days after the stress of a high-stakes battle, the notion was very much welcome.

[Silver Eyes]

"Let me see if I've got this down." Amoura slipped her hand from his arm and blue flushed along her exposed skin, which soon took on the form of scales. Talons spread out and became parallel to the ground--this opened a portal large enough for both to go inside. Without waiting for Sparda, she rushed inside to see if the casting was successful.

The sight of the living room answered it.

"Well, looks like I get an A for the day." Amoura dropped her notebook onto the couch, removed her cloak, her mask and placed them on the coat rack by the door. "Drinks are right here." The vampire disappeared into the next room and stood in front of quite the collection of alcoholic beverages. Amoura went for the cliched and poured herself a glass of red wine; it was the only booze she could tolerate.

"I'm afraid I'm no good at mixing drinks since I rarely touch this." From the corner of her eye, she caught a familiar looking vial containing a clear liquid and snatched it up. Nearly a decade before meeting everyone he said the contents made any kind of drink taste a lot better but always refused. May as well try it out tonight. She pulled off the cork and poured half into her glass before offering it to Sparda.

"Michael told me it makes booze much more enjoyable. Don't know why."

[Sparda]

A portal. Why didn't he think of that?

Appreciating the gesture, and noting with amusement that Amoura couldn't do so on a whim as he could, he briskly followed her through. He didn't recognise the room they stepped into, but it came to mind that Michael and Sazan had come here separately and owned a house; this must be it. Pulling off his coat and stowing it with Amoura's cloak and mask, the demon followed her into the next room.

An impressed whistle left his lips as he cast his eye across the well-stocked drinks cabinet.

"Your brother has quite the appreciation for good alcohol," he noted with a laugh, reaching for a bottle of whiskey and a small tumbler. He'd just finished pouring himself a double measure when Amoura topped up her wine with some mystery liquid from a glass vial and handed the rest to him.

His brow furrowing, he took the half-full vial and raised it to his nose, sniffing apprehensively. Whatever was inside was almost completely odourless, but he caught the very faint scent of honey. A second or so passed before, with a carefree shrug, he poured the rest into his tumbler and set the empty vial down.

"To peace," he toasted, raising his glass to Amoura's. "It may be fleeting, but may we enjoy it when graced with its presence." Smiling, he raised the tumbler to his lips and tilted his head back, emptying its contents into his mouth. The warmth of a good shot of whiskey was always a comforting feeling.

[Silver Eyes]

"Oh, tell me about it." Amoura raised her glass to Sparda and took a sip. She was always partial to Merlot and in small amounts at that; this substance Michael used made it taste sweeter. Even so her tolerance for alcohol was minimal so she stopped at this one serving.

The vampire sniffed at her glass for any strange chemicals her brother might have put in the booze but she wasn't picking anything up. If there was nothing in the first place then why did she feel off? Amoura placed the red-tinted wine glass back onto the counter.