The fuck do you want me to say? That he did it because he was a piece of shit who'd turn on them for no good reason? That he was after power? Something that would actually justify four hundred years of stupid fucking sacrifices?
[ The dog whines at the raised voice. He sighs through gritted teeth, because snapping back at Alucard isn't helpful. He looks completely defeated as is. ]
Spell's broken now. We can search without you, just let you know what we find. Fuck off.
[That last question is the one that stings most. There's a visible flinch, because that one feels the most true in the moment. Never mind the dog, and Alucard's nearly at never mind the head injury.
Maybe space is best right now.]
I'll be in the kitchen then, making sure our food is separate from what's here.
[There are other things to unpack too, like the mirror, but that can wait now. Alucard's gone before Sypha can protest that splitting up is not a good idea at all, his boots echoing through the main hall.]
[ With Alucard gone and Sypha too busy being annoyed at them for arguing to be annoyed at him for getting up out of the chair, he does just that.
It's a little while before Trevor and Sypha finally emerge from the room, a thin book in Trevor's hand. He presses his other hand up against the wall as he walks to steady himself while the dog does its absolute best to trip Sypha, rushing around her feet as she walks. ]
You done being an asshole?
[ It's still a little more confrontational than is right, and certainly far too confrontational for Sypha's tastes. There's a brief squabble. He means are you feeling better? and No, I mean is he done being an asshole. ]
Here. [ He holds out the book as he crumples on the three stone steps that lead from the kitchen into the rest of the house, sitting on them and keeping a hand on the doorframe. ] Most relevant shit we could find. His notes on that fucking stone.
[The space is good. The space means that the kitchen is safe to use, the space means that the mirror is unpacked and put in front of the storage room where all the food they can't eat is. Shown in the reflection is the exterior of the castle, beautifully hidden as nothing more but a crop of tall trees that have totally and always been there, what is anyone on about?
There's a fire in the hearth when the two return, a black cast iron pot sitting beside the fire with something boiling in it. On the big counter, there's a few parsnips, and Alucard is using a normal sized knife to cut through it all instead of being extra by using his sword to do it.
The asshole comment gets ignored.]
Let me wash my hands off before I touch it.
[....Shit there's no sink with running water here. There's a deeply annoyed noise from Alucard as he's forced to wipe the dirt from the parsnips onto his trousers instead, then walks over to take the book.
Fuck the book. He frowns, and grabs Trevor's wrist instead.]
Sit down.
[The kitchen table here is just a long table meant for servants with a bench on either side, but it'll have to do.]
Worse than I've had recently. Usually- Usually I have the good sense not to land on my head.
[ He grumbles a little at being moved around. He was sitting down already! Uncomfortably and in a precarious position and liable to slide ungracefully down the steps, but sitting down. ]
'm fine. [ There's a slight slur to his speech there, but he frowns and corrects it. This is too much like drunkenness for comfort. ] I'm fine. I'll just have a bastard of a headache tomorrow. Are you- [ he can feel Sypha's glare on him. ] -feeling less shit?
[That had not been a good noise. But Trevor's sitting at least, and Alucard's going to take that victory for what it is. The sudden slur, however, gets pursed lips and a very uneasy noise. Fuck. Fuck, and in a place where they need to be alert.]
We may be best off staying in the kitchen tonight. If that dizziness hasn't lifted, I don't like the idea of going deeper into this place and dealing with something happening in the middle of the night with no easy escape route.
[This he can focus on. Everything else is just. It's fine.]
[Alucard catches Sypha's eye over Trevor's shoulder. He nods once, the universal this is actually really bad sign. Then Sypha's off into one of the trunks, because of course they packed a book of medical notes. Alucard compiled them early on, meant to take care of these exact troubles for when the two were on the road.]
This isn't fussing.
[But Alucard does sit, and he puts his arm over Trevor's to prevent the man from putting his head there.]
This is, in fact, fussing. I'm a fucking Belmont, I'm not going to get done in by a door.
[ He puts his head on Alucard's arm instead. This is, in fact, becoming a problem. In the immediate aftermath, fueled by adrenaline as he was, it had just been a little dizziness, but on the walk back from Mathias' study he could barely keep himself upright. ]
We don't have to go back in there, now we know what it is.
You're not going to be done in by the door, you're going to be done in by a head injury and--
[Well, Sypha's found it. A concussion, which makes total sense and brings a wearier look to Alucard's face than there already is. He sighs, the talk of going back into anywhere no longer as important as looking after this is.]
We're sticking in here for the rest of the day. You're staying seated and alert until we give the say so, because the damage is harder to assess since it's an internal matter.
no subject
[That came out tenser and snappier than it should have. Alucard catches himself for it, arms unfolding and hanging at his side. This isn't about him.]
Sorry.
[He gives up at glaring at every single bottle and walks back over to where Trevor is. Better to let Sypha go through this right now.]
no subject
[ The dog whines at the raised voice. He sighs through gritted teeth, because snapping back at Alucard isn't helpful. He looks completely defeated as is. ]
Spell's broken now. We can search without you, just let you know what we find. Fuck off.
no subject
Maybe space is best right now.]
I'll be in the kitchen then, making sure our food is separate from what's here.
[There are other things to unpack too, like the mirror, but that can wait now. Alucard's gone before Sypha can protest that splitting up is not a good idea at all, his boots echoing through the main hall.]
no subject
It's a little while before Trevor and Sypha finally emerge from the room, a thin book in Trevor's hand. He presses his other hand up against the wall as he walks to steady himself while the dog does its absolute best to trip Sypha, rushing around her feet as she walks. ]
You done being an asshole?
[ It's still a little more confrontational than is right, and certainly far too confrontational for Sypha's tastes. There's a brief squabble. He means are you feeling better? and No, I mean is he done being an asshole. ]
Here. [ He holds out the book as he crumples on the three stone steps that lead from the kitchen into the rest of the house, sitting on them and keeping a hand on the doorframe. ] Most relevant shit we could find. His notes on that fucking stone.
no subject
There's a fire in the hearth when the two return, a black cast iron pot sitting beside the fire with something boiling in it. On the big counter, there's a few parsnips, and Alucard is using a normal sized knife to cut through it all instead of being extra by using his sword to do it.
The asshole comment gets ignored.]
Let me wash my hands off before I touch it.
[....Shit there's no sink with running water here. There's a deeply annoyed noise from Alucard as he's forced to wipe the dirt from the parsnips onto his trousers instead, then walks over to take the book.
Fuck the book. He frowns, and grabs Trevor's wrist instead.]
Sit down.
[The kitchen table here is just a long table meant for servants with a bench on either side, but it'll have to do.]
That fall was much worse than you've had before.
no subject
[ He grumbles a little at being moved around. He was sitting down already! Uncomfortably and in a precarious position and liable to slide ungracefully down the steps, but sitting down. ]
'm fine. [ There's a slight slur to his speech there, but he frowns and corrects it. This is too much like drunkenness for comfort. ] I'm fine. I'll just have a bastard of a headache tomorrow. Are you- [ he can feel Sypha's glare on him. ] -feeling less shit?
no subject
[That had not been a good noise. But Trevor's sitting at least, and Alucard's going to take that victory for what it is. The sudden slur, however, gets pursed lips and a very uneasy noise. Fuck. Fuck, and in a place where they need to be alert.]
We may be best off staying in the kitchen tonight. If that dizziness hasn't lifted, I don't like the idea of going deeper into this place and dealing with something happening in the middle of the night with no easy escape route.
[This he can focus on. Everything else is just. It's fine.]
Yes.
[He's about as less shit as it can be.]
no subject
[ He says this, but he's making his arms into a makeshift pillow and resting his head against them to keep the room in the right order. ]
If you must fuss, at least sit with me for it.
[ So that he can fuss back. It's only fair. ]
no subject
This isn't fussing.
[But Alucard does sit, and he puts his arm over Trevor's to prevent the man from putting his head there.]
no subject
[ He puts his head on Alucard's arm instead. This is, in fact, becoming a problem. In the immediate aftermath, fueled by adrenaline as he was, it had just been a little dizziness, but on the walk back from Mathias' study he could barely keep himself upright. ]
We don't have to go back in there, now we know what it is.
no subject
[Well, Sypha's found it. A concussion, which makes total sense and brings a wearier look to Alucard's face than there already is. He sighs, the talk of going back into anywhere no longer as important as looking after this is.]
We're sticking in here for the rest of the day. You're staying seated and alert until we give the say so, because the damage is harder to assess since it's an internal matter.