#future tag.

     “ What’s this? You’re snooping around here again? Maybe you’re feeling a little nostalgic from the past, just like me? Oh it was truly fun, don’t you think? Ya know, before you turned on your brother and nearly sliced me in half? ” The flirtatious voice crooned throughout the giant hall of the now dilapidated HQ of the former resistance group: The Order; it’s intimidating structure had long since been ripped apart by now freed demons swarming the streets. A new world had blossomed from the chaos the former group had caused within the city, enough that society could no longer go on believing humanity was the only species on this planet... and that they no longer were at the top of the food chain. Cascading consequences seemed to be felt throughout the years as this new age on Earth attempted to reform and adapt to the new dangers that plagued all mortal life -- perhaps a necessary cost for pure freedom? Since Mundus’ fall all those years ago the two nephilim, standing in the middle of Vergil’s former study, had long since gotten older in very different ways: though Rosalina had retained her youthful vigor, a sort of maturity had settled in her ancient bones; her figure was far more voluptuous than previous to their meeting -- signs that motherhood had certainly reached her. 

                              Still pretty short, though. Even with her wings                               and horns attempting to add some height. 

  "--Hey, sweet cheeks, wanna hear a joke?"

“–The punchline is……..MY LIFE. Get it? Because I wanna die.” 

              “ You must be quite the delight at dinner parties~ ” She chuckles.

"--Also, is your daughter single? Asking for a friend. A handsome friend, I might add."

          “ Goodness me, what’s that queer scent about? ”

     Cutely the older woman pointed her nose out and gave a few hard whiffs with a crinkle: her expression wasn’t really of disgust as it was more out of curiosity; salt, sand and something a bit fishy. Rosa could feel that familiar tingling warmth growing in the back of her skull, drifting in and out of the past as she recalled a vast ocean in her distant thoughts; filled with the corpses of Nephilim and Demon alike stretched out as far as the eye could see with it’s aquatic creatures enjoying this newfound smorgasbord of food. How strange a thought that was: food for bottom feeders as much as they were food for the land dwellers, a circle of a life. How beautiful and disgusting to think on it all at once, Rosalina could feel all the nostalgia filling her with a sort of quiet rage that did not translate to her expression, instead, her rosewood lips puckered into giving a teasing air kiss to her newest guest -- another looking to hear her songs? He couldn’t of bathed first? 

           “ мати, можу я мати деякі гроші? ”

                “ І чому вам це потрібно? ”

        “ Nothing too extravagant, I assure you, just so I can have some fun today~           Tato won’t mind, don’t you think? He knows I work very hard for my allowance. ”

     “ As hard as your brother? ” Rosa couldn’t help the tinge of sarcasm that tainted her inquiry, and no doubt her daughter had picked up on this in kind for her cute nose all but reddened and crinkled. 

         “ Mama, that’s not fair. I do a lot more than Nero does! All he’s good at is working tato’s nerves into a frenzy, then hiding behind you so he won’t get in too much trouble for it! You know I’ve done my homework and my chores! Eliza will vouch for me, too! ”

    “ You are so much like me it’s... a bit disorienting at times. You really think I’ll believe Eliza, whom has a vested interest in not upsetting you? Hardly fair, Alecto~ But also it’s very curious that you would come asking me when I know how much you adore bothering your father for things, could it be you’re afraid he’s going to ask questions on where it is going? And you know that I don’t much care and if I was lazy enough would merely agree? ”

       “ Hahaha! Oh mama, don’t you think you’re being a little paranoid? You know that if I didn’t think he was busy I would go and ask him myself, I just thought I would come and ask you instead because--- well, you’re... not as busy as he is? ”

      “ You’re too young to try and slip one past me, Alecto. A few more century’s and perhaps you’ll get a leg up, but your blustering and false confidence will not help you weaseling out of this. But if I am wrong -- as I am willing to admit -- perhaps I will say yes and then inform your father? As a precaution~ ”

     “ O-Oh, yes that could... work as well. But you know what, mama, I’ve decided that you truly are correct and instead I will wait for father to return home and then ask if I may have more money. We wouldn’t want tato thinking I’m up to something, not at all, instead I would like him to have full confidence in knowing I can approach him and be open and honest~ Thank you, mama, I’ll talk to you later! ” Nervously the eldest daughter shimmied from the room with a strained grin on her face, eager to be out of her mother’s sight. 

     “ It’s good to see you, Ms. Ariela. How may I be of assistance? ”

     “ Oh, just checking in on you and Connor, that’s all.        But since you asked -- have you seen my mother? ”

     “ Your mother stopped by earlier to see if your father’s been in the lab, I directed her to the upper floor as he’s not been down here since early this morning. There is a request I’d like to make, however, it’s paramount we discuss it this minute -- if available. ”

     “ Of course, White! You know I don’t really do much anyway, you don’t have to talk to me like you’re a servant or a slave -- we’re friends, remember? I’m not going to shut you down just because you don’t say pretty please with a strawberry on top. ”

     “ Please remove Connor from the lab. ” The tall blonde hadn’t even acknowledged the friendly gesture made by her creator, instead, keeping that same stone-cold steely glare: emotionless and determined, almost like lava frozen in a sheet of ice. “ He’s impeding on my research. ”

     “ W-what? Impeding on-- I don’t want to.. accuse you of anything, White, but his function is to assist you in the lab. He’s equipped with state of the art software and modules that I didn’t install in your design. Okay, okay he’s a prototype so he’ll make some mistakes but I don’t think that’s grounds for expelling him from the lab completely. You know you’d make him so sad! ”

     “ With all due respect, Ms. Ariela, Connor disrupts my research far more often than he contributes to my findings: around eleven o’clock the previous day I acquired 35 demon genetic samples ranging from a decapitated head: courtesy of your mother, to claws, fangs, blood and puss excreted from the bubbling mass of a lesser stygian, all sealed away in various contamination chambers. I leave to take the 3 samples I found promising, only to return several hours later to all of my specimens being not only contaminated by Connor, but also having been removed from their respective units and not even returned, decontaminated and cleaned -- well, however much you can decontaminate something already tainted by his fingers. His response: him being equipped with the latest medical software in the stomach region of his design, essentially making him a walking laboratory, and that my results would be immediate if I utilized his abilities and strengths to limit expenditures on the many tests I run in the deeper parts of the lab, with the expensive equipment and chemicals that I work with regularly to help in the creation of my pathogen. I politely informed him that I would not be needing any of his expertise as I -- too -- was created to not only theorize on the behaviors of these creatures, but to also discover their genetic weaknesses in hopes of more easily culling the more rambunctious of the horde, that he is not the only one designed to accomplish a task. ”

     Ariela couldn’t help the smug expression melting through her stiff lipped facade, gently cradling either side of her face in girlish wonder of the taller woman, “ alright, I’ll let him know that you enjoy playing with the expensive equipment in the basement and to not hound you about it anymore. But you know he’s probably bored and he’s not entirely wrong, so why don’t you give him things to do instead of making him do it on his own? Connors personality just so happens to enjoy working with others, he doesn’t like being alone for very long, so I think the both of you could come to a sort of compromise -- don’t you? ”

     “ As much as it pains me to relent, I concede to your point. Thank you for understanding, Ms. Ariela, and you will no longer hear of complaints from me regarding Connor: I have plenty of things for him to do, now that I think about it. May I have expressed permission to order him to accomplish tasks, so that authority protocol is not violated or misunderstood? ”

     “ So long as you don’t go abusing your privileges, and as long as it makes it easier for both Connor and you to work alongside each other, I don’t see it as a problem. But I mean it, White, I know how bossy you can be sometimes. ”