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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[They had been horrible arguments. Ones that had the same refrain: I will not be my father. Because that was a return to the European style of things, and with a Belmont in the Americas, no one needed that. Because Alucard's mother had started to tug his father away from so many parts of the old ways, and he had been raised to live those principles. Those thoughts are undercurrents in many arguments now, but...

...there's really no clever way out of this. That's the worst of it.

Alucard nods as Trevor talks about traditions. They're details. Distractions. Good ones. Needed ones.]

Neither of you will ever see me do these things, unless it is in your defense.

[He decided that a long time ago.]

Ad- Alucard-

[ There are new traditions starting, too. Ones he’s feeling out as he goes. Alucard cannot be Adrian in this room. He cannot touch him in this room. He cannot offer comfort. He cannot bring anything into this room that he is not willing to see profaned. ]

-the desk.

[ It probably won’t appreciate the claws. ]

We’ll seek you out if you aren’t back by sunset the next day. And- I’ll go through the old newspapers. See if I can find any records of a different method.

[Ugh. Fuck, the desk. Alucard retracts his claws only because he must. It's a nice desk. It doesn't deserve his anger and fear. That's for later. He'll channel all of it into the grim work set before him, then deal with everything else as it comes.

This was one of the great fears he had when he accepted the things that ruling in his father's stead was required of him. It was never a question of if an execution would have to be carried out. Only when.]

Don't waste your time.

[Alucard knows this is being helpful. But all the same.]

If all I am doing is maintaining what has been put in place until he returns, then I cannot deviate in the moments when following his lead matters most of all. Minimizing witnesses is already going to be too much for some. This balance cannot be upset further.

Very well.

[ He doesn't care about the desk half as much as he cares about the impression that it'll give. Were it Dracula, they would see the marks and be afraid. With Alucard, they'll see the truth immediately. They'll see weakness. ]

I'll do what I can to find the pattern between the executions with only a few witnesses, then. Make sure that it can apply to this.

[ Sneak a new rule into the books to allow it, if necessary. Sypha's good enough with forging handwriting. She could copy Dracula's, if necessary. ]

That will have to do.

[There's no justification that Alucard can think of that would excuse the matter being private. This act isn't a small matter of aggression or something to be done away from prying eyes. The matter isn't so urgent as to not have the time to summon every vampire to watch this death. No one will be ignorant of the fact that this is the first execution under new leadership.

He moves the blotter on the desk down a little further, covering the claw marks in the wood.]

Are there any other key points in the records I must be aware of?

[What else is demanded?]

Both parties are young enough that their sires may well choose to get involved. The culprit's sire has the right to accept punishment in his place, though I think it's unlikely that they well. They seem to be trying to remove themselves from the situation entirely. The victim's sire may choose to demand reparations, likely from the sire of the culprit, the one who has something worthwhile to give, rather than from the culprit themselves. It would be unusual after more than ten years since turning, but not unheard of if they can make a case that the loss of the victim was a terrible blow to them. It doesn't seem that the victim was particularly valuable to or beloved by their sire, but that doesn't mean that they won't claim that they were. It doesn't seem like a situation in which Dracula would have granted whatever reparations were demanded, but you need to be ready to argue that. They may also argue, as an injured party, for the execution to be made public. You can deny this, but I'll need to go through the old execution records again to find a good reason for it.

[ It's all more minor, it pales in comparison to the terrible thing that must be done, but every detail is something that Alucard will need to be ready for. There is no official code of law for dealing with this situation, only a century and a quarter of Dracula's decisions. They're lucky that he was apparently incredibly consistent in those decisions. ]

Dracula didn't take kindly to sires using squabbles between the younger vampires to gain influence. If all else fails, you can remind them of this. And-

[ Fuck, this is a lot of shit to expect him to remember and be ready to tell potentially confrontational shitbags about on demand. ]

-I'll have Sypha help me make notes of all this shit for you, too. Once a date's been chosen, we'll take the day before it to go through all of this in detail, make sure you're prepared.

[It's a lot. But details like this, they're the only thing that matters. Do one thing out of step and that means the mistake is the one thing anyone will ever cling to. The red hot minute Trevor starts delving into the particulars is when Alucard starts writing, vampire speed being terribly useful at taking notes in real time.

The sires are further abroad if he remembers right. That means summoning them tonight, getting everything together and...it strikes him that this is all a terribly long process, whereas his father was nothing if not quick to do what he thought was best or right.

So that there's another question to ask, one that they're both going to hate.]

What is the average time for all of this to be done? I presume it cannot be more than a day or two at the most.

[Some wheels of justice turn quickly, if only due to the hand turning those wheels.]

And where is to be done, for that matter. I know such events never took place near this home.

It varies. Normally, you would be right. But this is the first, and there is a way that this ought to look. Too quickly, especially with only a few witnesses, and it seems like something is being hidden.

[ They can't just get this shit over with as quickly as possible. It's going to have to haunt every fucking moment for at least a while longer. But this whole thing is far more about telling a story than it is about the punishment itself. ]

You have- a week, I'd say. Just under. Two days to let news of the incident spread to those who don't keep as up to date on everything, and three more to let everyone get antsy about what your decision will be. That way when it happens there's less suspicion that something's being hidden, and they'll be quick to spread the word that Dracula's rules are still being enforced in the same manner.

[ As for the location- ]

There's a building in the French Quarter that's been used for this since the 1830s. You've probably seen it before - the one with all the ironwork, at Dauphine Street. Everything happens there.

[Of course quick isn't an option available in this moment. Damn himself for thinking otherwise. Alucard tries not to show how much he hates this fact in particular, but...

...it's a reasonable timetable. Vampires are predictable, as is news like this. Trevor's right in everything he says, terrible and dreadful and accurate. Yet Alucard is selfish, because the longer he must wait, the more likely he is to falter. To channel his anger into something else instead of the act of execution.

He'll sleep in here for a time. He doesn't want to bring these problems to bed.]

A week it shall have to be.

[Fuck. Everything.]

I'll become familiar with the building this evening then. Best to ensure there's no escape routes and the like.

The keys are in the record room, but they're warded. Hopefully you'll be able to touch them, I couldn't.

[ There are a few things like that here, that he and Sypha can't touch. ]

I'd like to come with you to see it, if possible, at least while it's empty.

[ It's. Partially true. He should probably see it, it's the site of one of the biggest vampire attacks in America according to the records. Mostly, though, it's just a bad place to be leaving Alucard alone if he doesn't have to. ]

If I can't, we'll need a new location and quickly. Away from eyes and ears, but centralized.

[Because if this is going to be public, then there are so many additional considerations to deal with.

There's a pause at the offer. It is probably a good idea to not go at this alone. But it still feels so wrong to involve either of them with any part of this. They're his cabinet. They run this city as much as he does. They're his, and they shouldn't be exposed to the worst parts of this and what it demands he become. Better to be the person who lives on the other side of this castle.

He closes his eyes again.]

We can't be seen entering it together, it'll give away everything.

[ This would be easier if he could touch the fucking keys. There are all kinds of ways for Alucard to enter unseen, and none that he can do. The whole place is drowning in almost as many enchantments as the castle itself. There's no way for someone not of Dracula's blood to enter the true building stealthily.

But since he can't touch the fucking keys- ]

Drop me off a half-hour's walk away. I'll catch up by foot and enter after you. It- isn't the kind of place I want you to go alone, not for the first time.

[ Trust him on this he knows his vampire bullshit and the Gardette-Laprete House is BAD vampire bullshit. ]

[This isn't an argument Alucard can win. Trevor's tone of voice makes that much clear. Even without words, that's clear.]

Very well. We can go now, while it's still light out.

[That means even fewer eyes to see them approach.]

Assuming I can get the keys, of course.

Hopefully you can. This is going to get really fucking awkward if we can't use the execution site.

[ He stands. ]

Room where he keeps all the records, on a hook inside the cabinet. There must be something like seven fucking hundred spells keeping my grubby Belmont hands off them.

[Alucard dismisses the viewing mirror first. It now reflects his face back at him, scared and pale and so very unhappy. He hisses at the sight, then stands as well.]

I'll meet you back here when I have them.

[He needs a few moments alone anyway. Just to breath out. Processing this will not happen until the deed is done, because to do it before would be to wear his heart on his sleeve in public. In here, this office, it can see his face when forced to deal with the worst choices.

Alucard departs, leaving Trevor to wait.

And wait.

And wait ten minutes more.

When Alucard does return, his expression is mostly annoyed. In his hand are the keys, and his hand itself looks a bit red. There was some kind of fight with the protections around the keys, and it is only just healing.]

Have I mentioned lately that I loathe my father?

I'm going to suggest we just keep those in the desk drawer from now on.

[ He winces in sympathy just a little at the injured hand, even if it is healing quickly. But he doesn't touch Alucard. He doesn't offer comfort by putting a hand on his shoulder. It'll heal. Alucard would have mentioned if it wouldn't. And so it won't affect anything. And so right now, it can't matter. ]

I'll explain the enchantments on the place in the car. At least from reading about them, they sound pretty fucking impressive.

I'll let you take care of their security.

[Trevor's better than Alucard is at certain things, and that's one of them. Alucard's other hand has his car keys.]

Let's go then. I'm whatever the opposite of enthused about learning the nature of these enchantments.

As long as you're fine with me needing to use the fire tongs to put them there.

[ He keeps an eye on the hand, watching it heal. Once they're in the car, setting off, he starts to talk. ]

The trick to the place is that it seems like there are two houses, depending on how you get in. If you break the door in, go in through the windows- anything like that, you get into an old fucking mansion that, by all accounts, is in a pretty shitty state of repair. If you use that key to go through the front door, or you follow someone who has, you get into the-

[ -how to put this? Execution hall? Execution hall and also torture rooms (thankfully unused, there only as a threat). ]

-the other place.

[ nailed it. ]

Whatever you need.

[The hand is healed by the time Alucard is in the car. He has driving gloves on because he is a proper gentleman about some things, but it also helps to cover the still too pink flesh. With them backed out of the garage and out of the gates to the house, Alucard listens.

The air carries coldness with it, even if late autumn in the south is still not truly cold. It's the time of year were things are dead, waiting.

It feels right.]

That makes sense. The first way in means that there's protection for tourists that break in, ensuring that drunk revelers and would be ghost chasers are given exactly what they expect upon entering. A clever safety measure.

[He sounds nearly fond.]

Sypha would call it misdirection, after a fact.

It was a necessity, at the time. Not the largest incident here, I don't think, but one of the first nasty ones. There was a man staying at the house - claimed to be the brother of a prince, but there's no way of knowing for sure. He'd apparently been on bad terms with a vampire from his homeland.

[ He's been doing his reading since he first arrived here with absolutely no clue what was going on. ]

Your father claimed the house afterward. The enchantment was to throw off the police investigation, but the house ended up being a symbol of just how furious he'd been. Good kind of place for inspiring fear.

[ It's also pale pink, but that doesn't make it any less scary to the vampire population. ]

They were from the Ottoman Empire, correct? [There's a flinch there, remembering the disgusting glee his father had at the fall of the Sick Old Man of Europe finally dying.] My father's biases exist, and several of them are laid at the feet of the Ottomans.

[Another reason to claim the house, at the very least. The world goes by the car windows, bringing them ever closer to the city itself.]

But I see why he used the place.

[He hates it, but Alucard can see the logic. He speeds up the car, and settles into silence until they reach the agreed upon point for dropping Trevor off. Half an hour's walk from the place. When Trevor is out of the car, Alucard is off again, careful to park the car a few blocks away.

When he approaches the house, he feels the key in the pocket of his coat start to grow warm. Carefully, once at the gate, Alucard takes out the key, and uses the first to open it. When he closes the gate behind him, he doesn't throw the bolt. It'll be unlocked for Trevor.

At the front door, he hesitates. Swears softly, then enters.]

[ It's not a pleasant place.

Entering the house, it's close to what the fake probably looks like. Better maintained. The walls are soft pastel colours, the floor is carpeted. The lights turn on as Alucard enters. And there need to be lights, despite the daylight outside, because there are no windows. The door is the only way out, and if it's not opened with the key-

-best not to think about where it leads if it's not opened with the key.

The ground floor is dedicated to holding cells. There's a lot of silver, for something created by vampires, with all of the moving parts controlled by machines so there is no need to touch them.

The floor below is a great hall, a stage at one end and a large empty space in front of it with a few seats at the sides of the room. It hasn't been cleaned - in fact, the opposite is true. The bloodstains haven't discolored even after months, still bright red.

And the upper floors, the upper floors are unpleasant places full of unpleasant instruments.

Trevor enters a little over half an hour later, closing the door behind him quietly. ]

Alucard?

[Alucard kept his driving gloves on, for no particular reason at the time. Walking through the house alone made it feel like the right decision, as he wanted no actual contact with any part of the house. Having a barrier made it easier to walk past the holding cells. (There was so much silver.) He dreaded to think of how it was all put in place.

The upper floor had been next, and he wanted to be sick. Then he had descended below, and at that point he had simply walked out, no words left in him, and waited for Trevor at the front door.

His father's European reputation was always well earned. Alucard had seen it in fits and starts over his lifetime, but until his father attacked him, it was all hidden away. Part of his father's past, something he didn't want to show to his wife or his son. This was...

...No. This is a part of his legacy, and he hates every horrible inch of it.

Alucard's only a few feet from the door when Trevor enters.]

I'm here.

It's- more pink and baby blue than I expected. I was thinking it would be a little more- gray stone and big wood and iron doors. You know?

[ Even the entranceway (innocent-looking enough, if a little old fashioned and tacky in its decoration) feels wrong somehow. Like it's possible to know the contents of the rest of the building just from being here. ]

Horrible fucking place, huh?

Contrasts, I suppose. Home is already that.

[He's tried to burrow into his own coat. It isn't going great.]

I hate every inch of it.

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