20s AU Post

[cryptsleeper]

"Land of the Dead" (Watch on YouTube)

Current Carmilla plot outline
--Post-fire, Carmilla and Mr. Peanut team up mostly to use each other. Carmilla's spent the past several months (since November, it is now February 1925) networking, and it's clear to her that Alucard's not suited for the position and that the other two are the obvious weakness. Mr Peanut needs something back, so this is perfect on her end. Mr Peanut can only imagine the joys of vampire blood in his work, and he'd like an army of vampires for his own ends.
--Shit stirring from Mr Peanut (all of March?)
--Mr Peanut also begins to sell mis Miracle Serum, which has vampire blood in it.
--Gang is very much trying to murder Mr Peanut during this.
--Start of April, vampire gets a call from one of the blood bank contacts that 3 patients have come in and are displaying some bizarre signs. Investigation yields the fact that they're in process of turning, and they've all taken the same serum.
--Additional investigation reveals O FUCK IT MR PEANUT
--Meanwhile Carmilla's been made aware of a familiar she didn't sire, so she knows something's up. Big fight with Mr. Peanut and thus Mr. Peanut is left depowered
--Gang commits a murder
--Carmilla's well sured up on her contacts now, and it's time for open rebellion (mid-April)
--In a more subtle attempt to let Alucard just step aside, she cuts the breaks on demon car and shows up to gloat/suggest he not pull a dad and go to deal with his grief quietly while she runs the city. The how he wants to do it is up to him (black widow joke goes here.) Treffy and Sypha walk in.
--1 week of straight up rebellion; feedings, no help from allies, need to do damage control instead of fight carmilla, every dracula rule is
--MEANWHILE IN GRAVITY FALLS, triangle shows Vlad what's up to try and psyche him out, somehow this finalyl snaps Vlad out of his depression and he heads home
--Just in time for Alucard and Carmilla to be tearing each other to bits in one of the bayous, it's not going well
--Vlad coming in means the king of vampires is accosted by a belmont with a pair of blessed knitting needles and a speaker with a fucking gun and he's just like what the shit happened to the world while i was gone
--Wards around the fight means that only demon car can break the wards, everyone has to pile in.
--Carmilla gets her ass kicked AND SENT TO THE JUSTICE DIMENSION

THEN THERE WERE FAERIES.
--Prior to all of this the vampire and Sypha have done a shit ton of research on how to get their Belmont back
--Sypha has also been practicing debating with dad, which leaves everyone Very Tired.
--When Trevor is actually snatched up (1 year after marriage, it takes fae effort. Taking Arn's shape fails, so it's a lot more kidnapping by force), Sypha and Alucard go into Faerie
--But they're playing this as politics, not as heroes rescuing their damsel, so that means the faeries are just "wait what now excuse u?"
--There are 3 gates and 3 trials (the particulars we're still bullshitting.) Each is asked to sacrifice 3 things. (Alucard: voice, his titles as bestowed upon by his father and his people, i forget the third; Sypha: her human form (she's a birb), fuck what were the other two)
--They enter the court at the end of the third trial. After LITERALLY ALL THE TITLES Sypha declares she Speaks for Trevor Belmont
--Claim debate over Trevor, turns out that the rules are in Sypha's favor.
--But that means debating to leave Fae without giving up what they've chosen.
--Sypha lawyers it all out, Alucard is a safety deposit and hangs out with Fae!Trevor
--In the end, safe passage out of Faerie consists of Sypha giving up her memory of the necromancer (billed as a great mage she studied under), the vampire gives up his immortality, and Trevor is replaced with Carmilla (dad was aware of this option and OK with it), but Trevor has his ability to swear taken. He now soundslike a rubber ducky when he tries
--Everyone gets home okay, except for the AU of this AU where the gang fails, but Trevor's on their doorstep like a bat out of Hell because time doesn't work right and he's been in Hell for a WHILE.

Comments

[cryptsleeper]

Even if hermiting is an excuse to kiss you both for very long, uninterrupted periods of time?

[Which is really to say like we're doing now.]

I suppose we had best figure out where we intend to make a home before anything else is arranged.

[willpowerful]

You still have to dress up, though.

[So Sypha puts in, helpfully, as she first tilts her head to press a firm kiss against whatever part of Alucard's hair she's able to reach without moving, and then tips back to nuzzle a similar one against Trevor's chest before pillowing her head on it again.]

Undressing you was fun. [Hmmm.] So was stepping on you.

[Oh, yes, dark sexy vampire queen is a game they're going to have to revisit again, yes yes yes.]

So were the looks on your faces when I made Trevor do saucy things.

[willpowerful]

I would have that no matter where we go.

[She laughs.]

In fact, I think I will make a list. All the places I intend to have your kisses. On trains and steamboats and in cars, and in every state in the nation, for starters.

[cryptsleeper]

If I have to dress up, Trevor's shirt needs to be removed next time.

[Is he pouting? Yes. Yes he is. Because apparently this is a sticking point. He's pouting through being kissed, which means the vampire is very serious about this.]

I still don't understand how I'm the one with the least amount of clothes on.

[None of this protesting undercuts the little noises of approval being made at Sypha's list. It's a Good List, and to maybe drive the point home on the last one, the vampire reaches up so he can ruffle Sypha's hair.]

[cryptsleeper]

You've forgotten in the air. On the ocean. Egypt, of course.

[His voice is all warmth as he adds to the list, the silences not so much silence as thoughtful rumbles of what else to add.]

Maybe it's just easier to say everywhere.

[willpowerful]

You could kiss me in the air right now, if you wanted to.

[She murmurs, as she settles back just enough to get her arms up and around his shoulders, up on her toes like standing on a dance floor together, and she can't put her feet on top of his when they're both wearing blades on their skates, but the implication is still sort of there anyway.]

You could lift us both. You could do it right now.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard knows a request when he hears it. He can also see that trying to stand on tip-toes with ice skates is a losing proposition for them both, as he's already starting to move backwards by accident.

So with arms secure around his shoulders, Alucard's own arms make sure they're snug around Sypha's waist before there's any upward lift. The ascent is gentle, controlled, and the look on his face is entirely focused on Sypha and not on how they're moving.

Said look is stupidly besotted, all soft smile and adoration in his eyes. This is ridiculous. They're bundled for winter chill, ice skates on their feet, and they're floating for no reason other than she asked and he can oblige.]

Higher?

[A foot off the ground is plenty safe.]

[miraclewhip]

Not Herself. Debt reminders are't exactly a matter worthy of a Queen's attention. One of her servants, more than likely. But yes- she'll know.

[ Cold is good. He's been curled up against Sypha basically constantly for the last few days, cold is fucking wonderful. But he chuckles, stroking Alucard's cheek finally. ]

Yeah, kind of a shitty message.

[cryptsleeper]

Ugh. Well, that removes the element of surprise, unfortunately. She's [Alucard's eyes move down to Sypha] going to be unhappy with me for that.

[There are so many problems when your girlfriend's a furnace.

Alucard's eyes flutter closed when he feels that motion, and he breathes out so much anxiety as well.]

Our imaginations should never be allowed in the same dream.

[miraclewhip]

Unfortunately, we do need them.

[ It's slow going. Even if he weren't following behind Sypha it would be slow going. The stairs are narrow, and he has to turn sideways slightly to carry Alucard up them. He has to be careful, so careful, because Alucard has never been fragile (even now, even now, he isn't fragile) but he's precious.

He was, for once, right to trust himself. He doesn't stumble. He's weary, by the top of the staircase, but no more than he can manage. ]

Try to open the door.

[ Fuck, he hopes it opens. ]

[willpowerful]

[Truly this is the fun of having a vampire husband, along with all of the other perks that come with it. One minute there's slippery ice underneath her skates, and the next there's nothing at all, dangling from her arms and the hold of Alucard's around her as they float up into the air.]

If you can manage.

[One foot was fun. Two would be delightful, though three might be pushing it.]

Skating can't compare to dancing on air, can it?

[miraclewhip]

Yeah, sorry. Consequence of that fucking spell. It'll stop soon.

[ Hopefully.

He sighs. ]

Just- don't beat yourself up over it, if the worst happens. I- am happy, that you love me. And if you can find a way out of this, I'll be grateful, but I don't expect it of you. Never have. End of the day, I already got my side of the deal. And I'd rather this than Europe be teeming with fae-vampires.

[willpowerful]

[They're going to be in trouble if it doesn't open. It's possible it won't; Dracula seems to have influence over this house, of course, and so who knows what he might have done or not done in the course of commanding it.

She sets her hand on the handle, then pulls it back in a flash when an unexpected heat sears against her palm, like touching the knob of a door with fire behind it.]

Ouch!

[So, then, there are two possibilities here. Either there's an actual fire outside of this door, or someone is jacking around with the spells on this bizarre two-houses-in-one-house, and it's resulting in...this.

The sad thing is, either is a likely possibility.]

It burns, to the touch...

[cryptsleeper]

As you wish.

[He dares only an extra six inches up for the time being. Over dry land and without blades on their feet, the vampire would go higher. Such as it is, this is safe, and his hold on her remains just the same.]

It's much easier than skating too.

[Every time there was a slower dance at one of those parties, Alucard was so happy when Sypha was on his feet, letting him guide the both of them. They can't do that right now, and he has something more important to do anyway: obliging her with a kiss. He nudges her gently, hoping that Sypha will know to tilt her head just a little.]

[cryptsleeper]

We've both probably been too exhausted for it to kick in earlier.

[They were running on fumes for a week before Sypha was even back with them. Now...now they're just using sheer willpower to make sure she has every need met, aren't they?]

You know that the first part is an impossible request, right?

[miraclewhip]

Hey, you're the one who was in charge of disrobing me. It's hardly my fault that you did a shitty job.

[ YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO REMOVE THE SHIRT, VAMPIRE. YOU FUCKED UP. He lifts a hand to join Alucard's in Sypha's hair. ]

I'm not hearing any nice comments on my acting. [ Spoken with mock-offense that's no better acted than anything else during this whole thing. ]

[willpowerful]

Mmhmm. I like being in your arms.

[She tips her chin up, gravitating to the proper angle like a flower seeking the sun, and lets him kiss her as long and as much as he likes. It's quiet out here, and the chill in the air has the world soft and still, and everything tactile seems all the more amplified because of it.]

So sweet to me.

[miraclewhip]

Shit.

[ The house is furnished now, at least. He can lay Alucard down on a couch in the entrance hall. It's hard to say what's happening, from the inside. It could be Dracula playing with his spells, it could be Dracula having trapped the three of them here. ]

Are you burned? Let me see.

[ If it's the former, they can only wait. If it's the latter, they have time. Either way, Sypha can take priority. ]

[miraclewhip]

Yeah. Not been doing a whole lot of thinking in general these days, awake or otherwise.

[ That's a big fucking lie, but it's an easy one. ]

Just fucking try to mope about over it. I'll claw my way back just to snap you out of it with the fucking Vampire Killer.

[cryptsleeper]

[How many times have they embraced over the years with the intention of not just closeness, but of kissing like this? The vampire is sure that it is in the hundreds of thousands now, and yet every time feels like the first because of some little changed detail. The angle. The intent. Who's looking,

His mouth is soft and careful at first, but then at the promise of so much warmth, the gesture gains intensity. There is the ever-present undercurrent of mine but it is tempered with the sheer joy of just kissing her like this.

Where would he be without her? Either of them?

When Alucard does pull away, he can only smile.]

My hearthfire.

[cryptsleeper]

I think that's the first time anyone in this house has ever been happy to be threatened with that whip.

[He's serious as he says it, but it belies a more important fact: he's taking that as a promise.]

If anyone could manage it, it'd be you.

[willpowerful]

It just stings. I can still move it.

[She turns her hand over, palm-up to show the reddening line across it, and the identical one up near her knuckles. She'd pulled it away fast enough that not much damage was done, but the kiss of a spell or a ward is still there nevertheless.]

Could whatever he's doing in — in the other one, could that be affecting the one we're in here?

[miraclewhip]

What can I say? I make good fucking threats.

[ Sypha stirs, just a little, and all attention has to be on her for a few moments. His hand leaves Alucard, moving back to comb through her hair, and he doesn't speak more until she's still again. When he does it's with more gravity than he was discussing the fae bullshit. This is Actually Important. ]

I'll be teaching her to use a gun, once she's back on her feet.

[ He doesn't really know if Alucard will grasp what a big deal that is, but he ought to know anyway. ]

[willpowerful]

The ravaged does not get to object to how he has been ravaged.

[She mumbles, agreeably, more focused on the hands petting through her hair than she is on anything else. Sleepy contentment is making her eyelids heavy, and she's pleasantly drowsing just enough to hold onto it while still paying attention to what's going on around her.]

And if we compliment you too much, you'll just get excited again.

[Just gonna lay that right out there, huh, Sypha. Just gonna do that, huh.]

[cryptsleeper]

[She's the force that brought them together, so there's no surprise that the moment Sypha makes a noise, Trevor's hand goes right to her. The vampire's does too, rubbing her side softly like that'll actually help.

The change of subject is...not welcome, but it is important.]

For the best. No mage is going to expect to fight someone with a firearm when it's known she uses magic.

[He gets it. Speakers are non-violent, but he won't voice the obvious.]

I can clear out an area in the backyard for a proper shooting range.