cryptsleeper | 20s AU Post

20s AU Post

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.

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Very well. [ She says with a long intake of breath. ] But you must be quick about it. If that matter is not dealt with in good time, I will take matters into my own hands.

[ She rests her hands upon her lap delicately. ]

Now. What cooperation would you ask of me, my Lord? You will have it, as soon as I have your word that blame for this- [ And she raises a hand to her lips, pretending at searching for the words. ] -dreadful situation will not fall upon my back, regardless of how loudly certain dogs might bark.

In the matter of this turning, it is known to Us that you are not culpable.

[The words are exacting because they both know that the other is an enemy. There's no denying it, there has been no denying it for some months now. There are too many murmurs for it to ever be denied.

Alucard rises, every bit the prince and regent he pretends to be these days, hands resting flat upon the table. There's another bonus in having Carmilla's blood, having it be given freely, but that is for Trevor to make use of and make use of well.]

I need a small sample of blood, and that requires I fetch the safe and appropriate equipment to do so, if you will forgive my temporary absence from this room.

[What it really is is asking if Trevor can handle this, all without even looking at the Belmont.]

I should have thought there blood aplenty in the city, to cause this mess. But very well.

[ Trevor lets Carmilla speak first, and then just takes his seat. He doesn't speak, but it's a signal that he's content to remain here while Alucard leaves and a promise that he won't do anything stupid. ]

[Alucard takes his leave with no more words. He wants away from Carmilla as quickly as he can, and he trusts Trevor entirely. Part of him hopes that she'll make a wrong move. Do something stupid. Give them cause to end her here and now, because one thing is clear to them both: she's playing politics because she isn't powerful enough to take Alucard in a fight.

So much the worse for the city.

He goes upstairs, finds the right equipment, and returns with a needle, a rubbing pad, a tube and a hose that goes right into it. The tube is small on purpose, but it'll give them both more than enough.

But Alucard knows better than to get started. He lets Carmilla inspect the tube first, to ensure that there's no trickery in it.]

It's as small as we have, I'm afraid.

[ Carmilla turns the tube over in her hands, tutting softly under her breath (slowly, humanity's grasp on technology is catching up with its elders. It isn't there yet, but Carmilla isn't the only one among the older vampires who dislikes every reminder). Eventually she is satisfied that there is no trick here. Or at least that whatever trick is here, it is not in the equipment. ]

Your word, my lord, before you do this. I give you my blood to find your enemy. You will use it only for this. Swear it.

[Exact words. Well, what a time to be versed in them.

Alucard is quiet as Carmilla gives the bottle a look over, trying not to relish that soft tut. It's childish, taking delight in anything she seems to dislike, but he's allowed a little childishness at an enemy.

He takes the bottle back, holding it carefully.]

The House of Dracul will only use this blood to track the enemies that pose a threat to the city's stability. I am afraid that We must deploy the plural here, as there could be more than one individual involved in this disgusting enterprise.

[ She closes her eyes in thought, letting breath out as a snort. ]

You will dispose of it. Once this is done, you will keep nothing of mine. Something within this city makes war upon me already, and I shall not suffer a weapon to be left out of my sight.

[Once this is done. That is a window, one they can try to take advantage of. Alucard nods to show that yes, he agrees.]

Then that is how it shall be. I will work through the actual withdrawing process quickly, if you do not object to beginning the work.

Very well.

[ Carmilla extends a long, pale arm. Trevor stands as she does, moving to be stood behind Alucard as he works. It’s unlikely that she’ll try anything, but he doesn’t trust her at all. ]

[Alucard doesn't doubt Treevor's movements for a moment. It is a thing of confidence to have him there, because he remembers that awful September with the silver. He still wakes from dreams about it some nights, and he burrows into Trevor's arms whenever he does.

The actual procedure is something Alucard does with ease. Disinfect the skin, even for the undead, find the vein, and withdraw the blood as quickly as possible. Alucard is careful as he watches the blood fill the tube, but it's after the tube is filled that he is at his most careful. The needle is withdrawn, and placed into a small disposal tub that he had on the desk. He clamps the lid for it on as Carmilla's skin heals instantly, and it is already labeled: VAMPIRE BLOOD, DISPOSE OF PROPERLY.

Satisfied, Alucard carries the tube of blood with him back behind the desk.]

Thank you. We will begin to work on this matter presently, and I assure you we will get to the bottom of this immediately.

[You are dismissed.]

You will.

[ It's a threat, not a statement of confidence. The light flickers, and Carmilla is gone.

Trevor's shoulders sink. After a moment, he lets out a breath. He's limited, by himself and nothing else, in what he can do while they're in a place of work, but he raises one hand slowly to place it upon Alucard's shoulder. Not squeezing, just letting the weight of it settle there.

He's here. They have the rest of the night to go before he can offer anything more in the way of comfort, but he's here. ]

Well. We survived that.

We did.

[Alucard's voice is calm, which is the opposite of how he feels at the moment. The hand on his shoulder is a steadying presence to be sure, but it does not immediately fix everything. There's a long exhale, and Alucard gingerly pats the hand that is on his shoulder.]

If there's anything else you can make use of in tracking, we have a narrow opening for it.

I'll work with Sypha. Carmilla'll be able to tell if I'm using the blood for anything it oughtn't be used for if I'm doing it alone, she might be able to disguise it somehow.

[ He sighs, squeezing Alucard's shoulder before letting his hand drop. ]

We're going to need to work quickly. I don't believe that Carmilla's doesn't know who did this. Can't think how someone would have taken her blood without her consent.

Whatever you can use, do it.

[Anything to use this horror show to their advantage and get rid of Carmilla as well.]

That is exactly my concern. How anyone could take a vampire's blood without knowledge, never mind consent, sounds impossible. And yet if she is telling the truth here, what are we to do to put safe guards in until we find who is responsible?

I think she's telling the truth about not expecting this. Doing anything directly seems unlike her, especially breaking the laws so completely. Which means if the blood was taken willingly we have good news - whatever her ranks are, there's a betrayal in them.

And the bad news is that she'll know who did it, and I can't imagine there's going to be that much of them left to find if we don't hurry.

[The vampire only nods as Trevor speaks, listening carefully and weighing all possible options. Carmilla might well have an idea of who is responsible, and if she goes after them herself, it's a catch-22. He didn't act fast enough, but she's flaunted the laws and their own agreement. In theory, he could retaliate for that, but it'd be a poor choice.]

I don't want to wait on this. [So, an easier decision.]

We're concluding office hours for tonight. I'll leave a note, and whatever the problem is, it can wait until this matter is solved. Reasonable?

Very well.

[ 'Until this matter is solved'. Those words stick with him, and he can't quite put his finger on why. He turns them over in his mind, until- ]

-she's closing our window. [ Fuck. ] We have the blood until the matter is resolved. And if she kills her ally, it's resolved at that point.

[ Which means, vampires moving with the speed that they do, that they could have very little time at all. The time they have to use the blood could be over already. He'd prefer to have Sypha here, for safety's sake, but- ]

Paper. I need paper.

Yes.

[Alucard reaches into the desk, taking out a clean sheet of paper and placing it on the desk. He has a second for himself, along with a pen as he writes a note to indicate that the office is closed for now.]

Do what you can, then we'll get to the car. I'm afraid that means speeding this time around.

[ He takes a lighter from his pocket and one sheet of the paper from the drawer, burning a hole through it and using the charred paper to write something onto it in shorthand before handing it up to Alucard, grabbing for another sheet of paper, the pen and the blood. ]

Look through this. Be ready for shit to get weird.

Look th-...

[He's confused, but Alucard takes the burnt paper all the same. He raises it up, focusing on the second sheet of paper.]

I'm looking. I'm ready for weird.

[ Once Alucard is looking through the burned hole, Trevor sets to work. He pours a little of the blood onto the paper, dipping the pen into it and dragging it across in patters, more shorthand coming off each line. The charred edges of the hole catch again. ]

Shit- fire. Should have warned you.

[ Trevor doesn't say anything more (he can apologise after), resuming his desperate scrawling until the burning hole becomes a lens to- something else. A lot of something elses at first, Carmilla's blood being spread through the city as it is. He's looking through the eyes of every one of Carmilla's fledglings at once. One by one, the extra visions fall away as Trevor adds more to the spell and it grows more and more specific.

And there is their necromancer.

And he looks terrified. His pince-nez are broken, broken glass from their lenses in one cheek, the bridge of his nose bleeding from where the metal of them has been driven into it with some force. There is a hand in his hair, long and slender, pulling his head back at an unnatural angle while his hands fumble with the spark wheel of a lighter and a piece of that incense. Another of those long, slender hands plucks the incense from his and tosses it away, then disappears and reappears with a bottle of the tonic.

There's no sound, but something happens out of sight and the man's mouth opens in a scream before the tonic is poured down his throat, bubbling and dribbling from his mouth as he struggles to breathe through the liquid. ]

It's fine.

[Fire's nothing in the face of whatever it is they're dealing with. Alucard keeps his hands steady, not questioning the logic of what he is seeing or the mechanics of how this all works. What matters is that this works, and that it feels like they're narrowing in, in, in, and....]

Fuck.

[Of course it's the necromancer. He's been found, and Alucard can't even take delight in the fact that someone has managed to injure him. What he's seeing is...

....oh fuck.]

Belmont, can you get me an address of where this is happening?

[Alucard's voice is a mix of real alarm and the calm persona he has to put on.]

She's narrowed in on the culprit and taken justice upon herself. Turning someone as well with the tonic. If we catch her in the act, then we've taken care of two problems.

We'll need a road map, to compare this to.

[ That's what he suspects the lines are, anyway. A sequence of lines, branching out from the larger pool of blood at the centre. He knows that what he's drawn here is a map, but he doesn't use this spell. He barely understands it. They're too branching and uneven to be ley lines. Too clearly man-made to be rivers. Too-

-shit. His hand moves, and he didn't do that. The risks of using someone's blood. They know. They have access to you. If they're powerful enough-

-he really ought to have brought Sypha. ]

Get back. Don't say-

[ Don't say anything. Assume that Carmilla can see anything he sees, hear anything he hears, and use his hands to wield the Vampire Killer at his hip. ]

Mmm.

[There's a map in the glove compartment. That much Alucard knows, but then Trevor's hand moves and he goes as still as he ever has.

Blood magic. This is always the risk of it. The connection going both ways, the person on the other end knowing it and manipulating the matter.

He doesn't speak. He moves back as instructed, now in the door frame. Gold eyes on his Belmont, ready to find some way to severe the connection the moment he's told to.]

[ Carmilla looks down at her hands, wide and rough and scarred, and sighs with disappointment. She'd rather been hoping for control of the other person in the room.

(How precious that would have been, to make the prince put down his own pets. As it is, she can't just kill him. There's very little that she can do with the Belmont. Snatch up the last of the blood and drink it, perhaps, but she has just used her one legal turning of the decade. She considers the window for a moment, but it's the ground floor. Even if it weren't, no doubt the little prince would catch his pet.) ]

The matter is resolved. You need only collect and interrogate your nasty little troublemaker at your leisure. He will do nothing, the poor dear. He isn't immune to his own toys any more.

[ The chuckle that follows isn't entirely alien to Trevor's voice. But it's been a while since he's engaged in humour dark enough to warrant it, knowing how Alucard dislikes such things. ]

You have no further use for my blood. I will hold the Belmont as collateral until it is destroyed. That seems fair, does it not?

20s AU Post

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