VIRGILIUS HILDEGARD
Time: Evening hours during the Summer vacation (Flashback)
Interaction: Bunch of NPCs and Shiori Matsushita -
@Sailor Arti
Location: Ancestral seat of Hildegard Family
He had to agree with the little one. The room was nothing like the area he could see the child enjoy herself in. He had his doubts that his sister enjoyed it either. It was the first time he had re-entered her room since she left. What she was versus what she showed the world back then was unimaginable ways apart.
"And I've heard that some unicorn plushies do wonders to keep the Boogeyman away, so we definitely need to get at least one of those," Virgil proceeded to discuss room adaptation with Shiori by his side, slowly descending the staircase.
"The best is the only thing that is good enough for ohimesama. So said the queen of the house, and I fully agree."
While he was fully prepared to accommodate Shiori, a note of importance that Virgil added to his words was meant to encourage. Indeed nothing the child would have asked far was off-limits.
He had opened his mouth to add to it, but it was lost in a gradual slowdown of Shiori's steps. Quickly after, she stopped, and he followed the lead.
"Everything alright, Peanut?"
It still managed to both impress and scare him to realize how relaxed she had made him. The nickname came as natural as any other word, which was always a point of identification for Virgil. In front of others, he only spoke when he was confident of things to say, with only the exact words needed to express it.
Shiori did not need to respond. A strong smell of the old-class tobacco reached him from the lounge, rising from Orpheus' ancient pipe as he sat facing the courtyard window. For all of them, the estate was a safe haven where even their unswayable patriarch could allow himself moments of weakness. Isolation and vice were coping mechanisms, but intimidation was a side-effect of insecurity. Orpheus Hildegard's strictness towards his family vanished with Scarlet, just to re-emerge as an inferior remake after Alaric's departure.
And now. Another change, another trigger.
With each challenge presented, the little one kept impressing him more. Shiori's intent was clear, although she had hesitated. Rightfully so. But just as Virgil accepted the fact that the girl wants nothing to do with any more stressful situations, Shiori's grip on his hand loosened. This time around, there was no doubt in his mind. Virgil allowed her to detach from him, resting his eyes on her all the way into the lounge.
"Yes. Go on," he encouraged the child confidently when he sensed all her bravery was about to leave her, but it was necessary only once. The children were fascinating. They were able to openly admit and bravely face their fears and insecurities. Something many adults never reached.
"Virgilius?" Ambrosia's voice sounded wary next to him.
"He is a bit tense," she expressed her concern with a whisper.
"Perhaps it isn't the best idea."
"She is giving him a fair chance," Virgil responded with a smirk.
"I am sure he still knows how to appreciate trust."
Even though soft and careful, Shiori's steps against the hard wooden floor did not escape Orpheus. Once her small frame appeared in his peripheral, it occupied the man's attention only briefly, acknowledgment of her presence expressed in a quick dart of eyes as he proceeded to fixate ahead.
"Ē to... (Um...)," the girl spoke, but Orpheus did not pay it much mind until he could feel a pair of small hands grasping insecurely at his. Instead of pulling away - which was indicated by his wife's quiet gasp - his face settled into a confused frown. Then, he reached up, removing the pipe from his mouth as his head slowly turned towards Shiori.
"It's alright. Let her handle it," Virgilius reassured his mother when, once again, she felt the urge to intervene. Her son's confidence in his father's fragile patience made her slightly anxious. Granted, there was no real danger or harm, but Shiori was undoubtedly too young to understand that Orpheus' lack of tolerance wasn't her fault. The last thing she wanted was for the child to believe such a thing. Reluctantly, she complied, albeit still wary.
The patriarch's squinted eyes were now locked with Shiori's big innocent ones.
"I breathe in slowly," she proceeded bravely regardless, making sure she makes the process as understandable as possible.
"I breathe out slowly."
Although well-controlled, Orpheus' expression softened into subtle curiousness, his eyebrow rising with many questions.
Instead of clarification, Shiori proceeded to dictate the words.
"My breath is a pathway to peace, moving softly through me."
Surprisingly, the man humored her. While effortlessly, his hand still played along with the girl's. If he hadn't, a small wave that he was now doing wouldn't have happened. Even with no evident sign of acceptance on his face, such gesture was a hint enough. He didn't mind.
"Each day I can breathe and be." With three taps, Shiori completed her little mantra.
Observing her husband's perplexed but docile reaction to the child simply invading his personal space left Ambrosia in rather non-lady-like awe. She had composed herself as soon as she became aware of her son rudely trying not to mock it with a chuckle, treating him with a scolding glare. But it lasted only for a moment as her soul couldn't help but rejoice at the sight of Virgil's bright grin. He was lucky that she had missed it so.
"You are becoming too cheeky for my liking, love," she mumbled with a restrained chuckle.
"N-now you don't have to be nervous anymore," Shiori rushed to clarify her reasoning for disturbing the patriarch while she still had his attention. After processing the situation, Orpheus responded with a nod.
"Thank you. I appreciate it." Although cold and flat, it still held a lot of meaning. Getting such attention in any form was a challenge. He remained fixated on his hand for a while longer after Shiori rushed to Virgil's side for comfort, resuming his ponderings soon after.
"You are such a good girl!" Ambrosia praised her fondly, lowering herself to stroke her hair.
"Brave and beautiful. Well, you are just perfect!"
"And I am very proud of you," Virgil added, wrapping his arm protectively around Shiori's shoulders. Even though all of it was still fresh, her progress in such a short period was admirable, making all of the effort worth it. She deserved to feel safe, but even more so, she deserved to be seen and appreciated.
"And you know what good girls deserve? A lot of delicious food!" Ambrosia asked and answered her own question with excitement as she straightened back up, fixing her dress.
"You two must be famished, poor things."
"Well, so am I, but nobody gives a damn apparently!"
Ambrosia's grin soured into disapproval, while Virgil's initial surprise turned into a knowing nod.
"And there he is," he commented with a scoff.
"Get in here so I can eat finally," the voice demanded again, coming from the dining room.
"Yes, your royal annoyance. We'll be right there!" Virgilius responded cheekily, much to his mother's dismay.
"You do know you're just encouraging him, don't you?" she asked, heading towards the dining room.
"You'd like to tell me that there was a moment where Cass needed permission to be a pain?" he asked in a heightened tone, meant to be heard across the distance.
"It comes naturally, thank you very much," the voice fired back, much to Virgil's amusement.
"Unlike that stick up your-"
"Language, Cassius! For goodness sake!" Ambrosia ordered in mild panic. There was a child in the house, and profanities had no place being thrown around, especially at the dining table.
"Wh- What is so funny, pray tell, Virgilius?"
Instead of a response, Virgil weathered through the urge to burst into laughter. He waved it off as unimportant as he quickly composed himself. Mother's glare pierced through him briefly before she sighed and rubbed her temple, looking down at Shiori apologetically.
"You don't know it yet, love. But you are a blessing."
************
With its rich decorations, the dining room did not come behind other rooms. A large fireplace and massive wooden accessories made it feel formidable, while a row of large windows looking out into the garden relieved some of the heaviness of its walls, decorated with large family portraits.
Typically a table that could host an entire party was magically reduced and adjusted for a more intimate family gathering with fewer seats. It sat right in the middle, under the impressive crystal chandelier. With its size reduced, the size of the entire room seemed to have enhanced.
"What do you think?" Virgilius asked, gently laying his hand on Shiori's hair as he allowed her to observe the space.
"Seems a bit small, doesn't it?" he jested.
"Oh, come on, man," came the groan from the end of the table, where a young vampire rocked on a leaned chair back and forth, impatiently waiting for the feast.
"And that chatterer there would be Cassius," Virgil verified the identity of the man. When he had prepared Shiori the best he could, describing his family members, Cassius was undoubtedly the hardest to define. Barely an adult in an average life span, the rowdy vampire turned a different corner from all of his older siblings. Albeit harmless, Cassius tended to, time and time again, prove himself too hard to handle. Giving Shiori some heads up beforehand felt like the only remotely appropriate thing to do.
"You see how he doesn't greet his older, more handsome brother?"
"You wish," Cassius laughed out, bringing his chair back into an upright position.
Being the black sheep of the family wasn't necessarily a negative experience for Cassius. His siblings learned to appreciate his way of keeping everyone's mind occupied with more Cassius and less with other burning problems. And Virgil was constantly reminded of how much it meant to him every time Cassius willingly played the jester.
Consipratiorially, Virgil leaned closer to Shiori.
"Anata wa kare ni kurō o ataeru koto ga yurusa rete imasu. Watashitachi wa mina-sō shimasu. (You are allowed to give him a hard time. We all do)." Dealing with so many different ends of the spectrum in a single visit was intimidating as is. Some push in the right direction couldn't hurt.
"I have no idea what the hell you just said, but I don't like the sound of it," Cassius responded with a mischievous smirk, his eyes curiously darting towards Shiori's petite figure.
"Hm..." he sounded out curiously as his entire body seemed to be suddenly engulfed into a thick cloud of smoke. Swiftly, it occupied the whole seat, then rose up in the air, making its way towards Virgil and Shiori.
"That's bloody anticlimactic," the young vampire spoke as he materialized in front of them, eyeing the girl.
"I kinda expected her to be at least taller than this. This is ridiculous."
Aware that his brother was referring to the circumstance under which Shiori arrived in Britain but arranging his priorities in front of Shiori, Virgil offered a witty response.
"What he meant to say, Shiori, is ' Welcome.'"
With a mumble, Cassius shrugged and extended his fist towards the girl.
"Come on. Throw one up here, kiddo. Welcome to the family. Hope you last longer than a week-"
"Cassius! I swear, child," came another impatient warning from Ambrosia.
