[ He does, eventually, mumbling more romanian and swearing a little more and eventually falling limp and sinking in to his big coat. From here, it is too big on him. It wasn't a few weeks ago. ]
[A very poisoned chalice. But Trevor having no sense of himself is useful, it means that the Belmont can be dumped into a spare room that has just enough of a sofa in it that the Belmont can be put on hold.
Transfusion first. There's O- in the castle, it's just a matter of going to the right place, getting it out, and then finding the equipment. The wonders of having a doctor of a mother and vampire of a father means that the equipment is easily located and known to be in working order.
Once Alucard has all of that, he returns to the room where Trevor has been dumped, and at this point, he has to remove Trevor's now too big coat. What he sees is about what he expected, a neck bruised to Hell and back, and it's a wonder the Belmont's alive at all. Damien is European, so it's personal.
Idiot didn't feed the Belmont either, that much is clear just from how the clothing hangs off of Trevor's bones. Also fixed. More iron heavy foods, and then figuring out what the hell to do with this problem. (He cannot release Trevor at this point. Alucard also refuses to become a jailer.)
It is a problem he contemplates as he performs the transfusion. Both bags of blood he grabbed are used, and when the needles come out of Trevor's arms Alucard just bandages everything up, moves the equipment aside, and throws Trevor over his shoulder.
There's a few spare bedrooms that have precious little furniture. So Trevor goes into one of those, gets tossed onto the bed, and all the other furniture is removed to avoid quickly improvised stakes.
Whenever Trevor comes to, there is a carafe of water along with a plate of cold meats and bread. No note.
[ The neck is bruised. Mostly, on inspection, by the chain, though there is evidence of feeding. The wrist of his right hand is healed in the wrong position, and the removal of the gloves reveals that the fingers of it are broken as well in a very calculated manner. His left ankle is swollen so much that his boot won't come off, and it's hard to tell if it's broken or sprained.
The rest seems to just be more minor bruises, at a brief glance. The only very noteworthy thing is that the little marks that those needles make are already present on one arm. He's had blood taken from him in that manner, as well as the more traditional feeding. This absolutely will not come up later. ]
mphfuck.
[ He grumbles as he blinks awake. A hospital room? The smell is right- antiseptic and just a little blood. But hospitals tend not to leave food on the floor, unless that's a fucking bizarre American hospital thing.
The first step of solving this mystery is getting out of bed. And possibly- eating the food? It seems like a stupid thing to do, to trust random food from the floor. But fuck, it feels like he's not eaten in weeks. So he ought to get out of the bed.
Which he completely fails at.
There's a loud thump, and Trevor can be found sprawled on the floor. But also determinedly gnawing on a slice of bread, because he's not going to let being unable to stand stop him from BREAD. ]
[Sypha is home by the time Trevor returns to the waking world. Sypha is also pretty damn angry about the whole thing, which Alucard can't blame her for but neither one of them have gotten into the what the fuck are we going to do? part of the discussion. Much of it has been why did you go along with this?! and then a complete sidestep to deal with bullshit supernatural politics which are exhausting in and of themselves.
All of that is to say that Alucard actually misses the noises that Trevor is awake, and he walks in about five minutes later instead. (Sypha's only holding back because there's a very good chance that needing to have the element of surprise will help. Trevor's in no shape to fight, but that's not stopped him from trying before.)
The door's lock clicks open, and Alucard opens it slowly. No creaking or groaning of hinges, just wary and weary caution. He's down to a shirt and his usual trousers, nothing else, no fanciness to him. The scar is visible through the fabric if it sits on him just the right way, and the imperial haughtiness is gone. It has been replaced with a very weary twenty something who would like nothing more than to just curl up in bed with his girlfriend and read.]
Belmont.
[No ill intent. Just acknowledgement. Just breaking the silence first.]
[ He's starting to get his bearings. The priest. He went to the priest for holy water. And then the man asked him to take confession before going out to do his work, in case he didn't have another chance and- it had been a good enough point, and he'd stepped into the booth and-
Things get fuzzy after that. Something pressing down on his mind. He remembers being stripped and bathed, and a quip about not wanting contaminated food. He remembers teeth against his neck. He remembers being asked questions, and the tiny jeweler's hammer coming down on his hands when he stumbled over the answers. He remembers- chains. There was a chain. Talk of a way to demonstrate the son's unsuitability.
He's tearing at the bread determinedly but with tiny bites - this isn't the first time he's had to slowly become re-accustomed to eating. And there are footsteps. One set of them, as best he can hear. A woman's or a child's, barefoot.
And then the door opens. Not a woman or a child, but the vampire from before - footsteps too quiet to hear. There's someone else there. Does he have a partner, or a hostage, or-
-Shit. This is a feeding cell, isn't it? The nicest feeding cell he's been locked in, certainly, but a feeding cell nonetheless. The second set of footsteps must be another prisoner, and that complicates things. On the one hand, this is fucking fantastic please drain him to nothing and let him die. On the other, he can hardly allow someone else to be kept prisoner in Dracula's Fucking Demon Castle. ]
...seem to not be fucking dead yet. You're really, really shitty at this.
You are terrible at understanding intention, aren't you? If I wanted you dead, you would be. [There's no softness in that voice. Just barebones facts.] The transfusion equipment has a filter for bites to prevent turnings, my mother invented it. I expect having two pints of O- in your bloodstream will assist recovery to a certain extent.
[He stops at that for now. There's no reason to overload the Belmont with additional information, not yet. His eyes to to Trevor's hand, and there's an internal cringe. Lovely. Probably the least of all injuries anyway.]
Forgive the lack of additional furniture here. Even in your state, I assume your natural instinct would be to improvise a stake.
You assume right. And you did a shitty job of that, too. Left the fucking curtain pole.
[ Not that he can stand up and reach to wrench it off the wall right now. The rest, the rest he is bewildered by. Vampires don't put blood into humans. What the fuck. ]
Don't care about turning. [ And right now, that's true. This is going to be over long before it should be a problem. This should have been over weeks ago. ] Where the fuck is Dracula and why the fuck is there a willowy golden mosquito in his house refusing to kill Belmonts?
[ What the fuck. He doesn't move, except to tear into the bread in a way that is probably intended to be defiant and threatening but that's actually just entirely consistent with being hungry. ]
There's a woman outside the door. Is she here by choice, or am I going to need the curtain pole?
[So, no. Alucard's features cross into a deep frown, because God, the Belmont is not up on the times and he hates explaining it.]
And yes, my father. My mother was murdered, and you can imagine how well a man like that handles his grief. Dracula has been absent for some time, and a power vaccuum now rules this city. To say that you could potentially ignite a fire here would be a gross understatement.
You know as well as I fucking do that that isn't an answer that means shit where vampires are concerned. Is she here by choice?
[ Excuse him, he was kind of busy!!! It probably wouldn't occur to Alucard, at least not yet perhaps, how evasive his words with regard to Sypha are coming off to a vampire hunter. Any phrase that calls someone their anything in response to a yes or no question is- suspect.
The bread is abandoned. He's trying to push himself to his feet. ]
Yes. And at this rate, she's going to be the one to reset every broken bone in that hand of yours, and it will take a lot longer than if I do it.
[Sypha, he's sorry. He really is!
There's no sudden movements, no attempt to get Trevor to sit. It would come off as an attack, that much Alucard can guess without putting any effort into it.]
Let me get this right. You're meant to be Dracula's fucking successor, and the best threat that you can manage is that I might get slightly less gentle medical treatment.
[ No wonder there's a power vacuum? God. And also shit, now he has at least the vampire's word that the other human is here by choice he has to deal with. The rest of that information. There's a power vacuum. And he's- basically the ultimate trophy.
There's not a single vampire in the city that's going to fucking kill him, is there? Not when keeping a Belmont trapped but alive is the best symbol of authority there is short of Dracula's stone.
(Which leaves the question of why Alucard threw him out? Because 'is not evil' isn't an explanation he's willing to accept yet. Stupid, maybe. Spoiled and woefully unprepared for the task he's been left with.) ]
That hasn't been a settled matter yet. Do you want to be the man in charge when he returns? Even if you are family?
[Everyone is still holding their breath. There seems to be an unsaid agreement, with precious few exceptions, that at least another month of patience is required. After six have passed, then things must be attended to, or else something will burst.
The answer really lies in total exhaustion, enough anger to fuel Alucard but not enough brain to think everything through as he ought to have.]
My mother was a doctor. To not help would be to forsake what she stood for, even with the attempted staking.
[There is a long pause as Alucard searches for the right words to explain this all and do it concisely.]
There are several options, most will bring stability but a slightly different change to the rules of how this part of the world operates. I would change nothing, and for that there is debate.
More than that, it is a crown no one desires. So it will likely fall to me due to blood.
Less rules, you mean. Dracula always did run a tight fucking ship.
[ Less rules is bad. Dracula is an evil fucking asshole, but the Belmonts have known for a long time that he holds the vampires to at least some standards. Europe was a mess for a few decades after he left - the measures that had to be taken by his family are a large part of why so many other vampires followed him. ]
Do you think you can keep this shit under control?
[There's maybe one or two people that Alucard would trust with the city. Theodora's name was put forth and she's entertained the notion, but confided him already that she would not wish for it. A shame because he'd give her that support without question.
The answer to Trevor's question depends on one thing only: time. How long his father is away. If it is short, then there will be no problem. But if not then...then it becomes dicey.
And what would you ask of me, other than presumably not stabbing you? I'm not going to be leaving a city that's on the verge of vampire bullshit in any way other than posthumously.
[ He's picked up the bread again by now, tearing his way through it again. ]
Which is still an option I'm considering, just to keep you aware.
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[A very poisoned chalice. But Trevor having no sense of himself is useful, it means that the Belmont can be dumped into a spare room that has just enough of a sofa in it that the Belmont can be put on hold.
Transfusion first. There's O- in the castle, it's just a matter of going to the right place, getting it out, and then finding the equipment. The wonders of having a doctor of a mother and vampire of a father means that the equipment is easily located and known to be in working order.
Once Alucard has all of that, he returns to the room where Trevor has been dumped, and at this point, he has to remove Trevor's now too big coat. What he sees is about what he expected, a neck bruised to Hell and back, and it's a wonder the Belmont's alive at all. Damien is European, so it's personal.
Idiot didn't feed the Belmont either, that much is clear just from how the clothing hangs off of Trevor's bones. Also fixed. More iron heavy foods, and then figuring out what the hell to do with this problem. (He cannot release Trevor at this point. Alucard also refuses to become a jailer.)
It is a problem he contemplates as he performs the transfusion. Both bags of blood he grabbed are used, and when the needles come out of Trevor's arms Alucard just bandages everything up, moves the equipment aside, and throws Trevor over his shoulder.
There's a few spare bedrooms that have precious little furniture. So Trevor goes into one of those, gets tossed onto the bed, and all the other furniture is removed to avoid quickly improvised stakes.
Whenever Trevor comes to, there is a carafe of water along with a plate of cold meats and bread. No note.
And he is locked in.]
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The rest seems to just be more minor bruises, at a brief glance. The only very noteworthy thing is that the little marks that those needles make are already present on one arm. He's had blood taken from him in that manner, as well as the more traditional feeding. This absolutely will not come up later. ]
mphfuck.
[ He grumbles as he blinks awake. A hospital room? The smell is right- antiseptic and just a little blood. But hospitals tend not to leave food on the floor, unless that's a fucking bizarre American hospital thing.
The first step of solving this mystery is getting out of bed. And possibly- eating the food? It seems like a stupid thing to do, to trust random food from the floor. But fuck, it feels like he's not eaten in weeks. So he ought to get out of the bed.
Which he completely fails at.
There's a loud thump, and Trevor can be found sprawled on the floor. But also determinedly gnawing on a slice of bread, because he's not going to let being unable to stand stop him from BREAD. ]
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All of that is to say that Alucard actually misses the noises that Trevor is awake, and he walks in about five minutes later instead. (Sypha's only holding back because there's a very good chance that needing to have the element of surprise will help. Trevor's in no shape to fight, but that's not stopped him from trying before.)
The door's lock clicks open, and Alucard opens it slowly. No creaking or groaning of hinges, just wary and weary caution. He's down to a shirt and his usual trousers, nothing else, no fanciness to him. The scar is visible through the fabric if it sits on him just the right way, and the imperial haughtiness is gone. It has been replaced with a very weary twenty something who would like nothing more than to just curl up in bed with his girlfriend and read.]
Belmont.
[No ill intent. Just acknowledgement. Just breaking the silence first.]
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Things get fuzzy after that. Something pressing down on his mind. He remembers being stripped and bathed, and a quip about not wanting contaminated food. He remembers teeth against his neck. He remembers being asked questions, and the tiny jeweler's hammer coming down on his hands when he stumbled over the answers. He remembers- chains. There was a chain. Talk of a way to demonstrate the son's unsuitability.
He's tearing at the bread determinedly but with tiny bites - this isn't the first time he's had to slowly become re-accustomed to eating. And there are footsteps. One set of them, as best he can hear. A woman's or a child's, barefoot.
And then the door opens. Not a woman or a child, but the vampire from before - footsteps too quiet to hear. There's someone else there. Does he have a partner, or a hostage, or-
-Shit. This is a feeding cell, isn't it? The nicest feeding cell he's been locked in, certainly, but a feeding cell nonetheless. The second set of footsteps must be another prisoner, and that complicates things. On the one hand, this is fucking fantastic please drain him to nothing and let him die. On the other, he can hardly allow someone else to be kept prisoner in Dracula's Fucking Demon Castle. ]
...seem to not be fucking dead yet. You're really, really shitty at this.
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[He stops at that for now. There's no reason to overload the Belmont with additional information, not yet. His eyes to to Trevor's hand, and there's an internal cringe. Lovely. Probably the least of all injuries anyway.]
Forgive the lack of additional furniture here. Even in your state, I assume your natural instinct would be to improvise a stake.
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[ Not that he can stand up and reach to wrench it off the wall right now. The rest, the rest he is bewildered by. Vampires don't put blood into humans. What the fuck. ]
Don't care about turning. [ And right now, that's true. This is going to be over long before it should be a problem. This should have been over weeks ago. ] Where the fuck is Dracula and why the fuck is there a willowy golden mosquito in his house refusing to kill Belmonts?
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(The rest is tiresome. Alucard walks into the room cautiously.)
My father has been gone from this city for months. No one knows where he is, and for that you seem to have become the victim of the city's politics.
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[ What the fuck. He doesn't move, except to tear into the bread in a way that is probably intended to be defiant and threatening but that's actually just entirely consistent with being hungry. ]
There's a woman outside the door. Is she here by choice, or am I going to need the curtain pole?
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sir that is his emotional support sypha]Sypha is my partner.
[So, no. Alucard's features cross into a deep frown, because God, the Belmont is not up on the times and he hates explaining it.]
And yes, my father. My mother was murdered, and you can imagine how well a man like that handles his grief. Dracula has been absent for some time, and a power vaccuum now rules this city. To say that you could potentially ignite a fire here would be a gross understatement.
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[ Excuse him, he was kind of busy!!! It probably wouldn't occur to Alucard, at least not yet perhaps, how evasive his words with regard to Sypha are coming off to a vampire hunter. Any phrase that calls someone their anything in response to a yes or no question is- suspect.
The bread is abandoned. He's trying to push himself to his feet. ]
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[Sypha, he's sorry. He really is!
There's no sudden movements, no attempt to get Trevor to sit. It would come off as an attack, that much Alucard can guess without putting any effort into it.]
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[ No wonder there's a power vacuum? God. And also shit, now he has at least the vampire's word that the other human is here by choice he has to deal with. The rest of that information. There's a power vacuum. And he's- basically the ultimate trophy.
There's not a single vampire in the city that's going to fucking kill him, is there? Not when keeping a Belmont trapped but alive is the best symbol of authority there is short of Dracula's stone.
(Which leaves the question of why Alucard threw him out? Because 'is not evil' isn't an explanation he's willing to accept yet. Stupid, maybe. Spoiled and woefully unprepared for the task he's been left with.) ]
That's just kind of sad.
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[Everyone is still holding their breath. There seems to be an unsaid agreement, with precious few exceptions, that at least another month of patience is required. After six have passed, then things must be attended to, or else something will burst.
The answer really lies in total exhaustion, enough anger to fuel Alucard but not enough brain to think everything through as he ought to have.]
My mother was a doctor. To not help would be to forsake what she stood for, even with the attempted staking.
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[ Fuck. Fuck. Dracula's gone. His family had a plan for this, but it was a plan that involved- significantly more than one Belmont.
His tone is too serious, too calm. ]
Do you mean to act as his successor?
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[He's also serious.]
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[There is a long pause as Alucard searches for the right words to explain this all and do it concisely.]
There are several options, most will bring stability but a slightly different change to the rules of how this part of the world operates. I would change nothing, and for that there is debate.
More than that, it is a crown no one desires. So it will likely fall to me due to blood.
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[ Less rules is bad. Dracula is an evil fucking asshole, but the Belmonts have known for a long time that he holds the vampires to at least some standards. Europe was a mess for a few decades after he left - the measures that had to be taken by his family are a large part of why so many other vampires followed him. ]
Do you think you can keep this shit under control?
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[There's maybe one or two people that Alucard would trust with the city. Theodora's name was put forth and she's entertained the notion, but confided him already that she would not wish for it. A shame because he'd give her that support without question.
The answer to Trevor's question depends on one thing only: time. How long his father is away. If it is short, then there will be no problem. But if not then...then it becomes dicey.
So he lies:]
Yes.
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[ He's picked up the bread again by now, tearing his way through it again. ]
Which is still an option I'm considering, just to keep you aware.
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[He's firm about that. That much is so very certain.]
Hm. I'd wonder why you haven't done the act yourself, but I presume you're religious enough to not consider that option.
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[ His voice lowers into a snarl at that. ]
Fuck off with that shit. I meant I was considering the option of stabbing you. And you're not doing much to change my fucking mind.
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[Bite him, Belmont.]
You are not the only hunter in this city, never mind the country. [But he'll take the point.]
Hand out. I'm getting sick of looking at how askew your hand is. That's the first thing I'm going to ask of you.
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[ But he does hold out his hand, mangled into a rather unpleasant shape. ]
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