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, then. Appreciate the patronage.

[As he gets up, her foot slowly moves to nudge the bags, drawing them closer in to herself, where she can easily grab them when the opportunity presents itself.]

...Be well, monsieur.

I am already on that path thanks to you.

[The lemonade does get delivered though, and then Alucard departs. In all of his considerations as he went about the work of finding Sypha again, he decided that for now, it would be better to stay in the townhouse his father held in the city itself rather then the castle. There were fewer memories there. Fewer ghosts. His father was less likely to return there and react to Alucard's presence.

So that is where he returns to so that he can continue to rest.

Within the blue fabric put into the bag, there is a note tucked into the folds. The handwriting is all too neat. Precise. Perfect.]

Miss Belnades,

Should you wish to check your handiwork before you and your people depart, you may find me at this address within the city. It is a townhouse that my family has used before.

[The address follows, and there are several fine bone needles that pin the note to the fabric.]

[Blue fabric, and supplies, and food. The latter are for her people, she knows, but the fabric must be solely for her; he'd wanted to replace her robes, she remembers, and they'd had blood and dirt on them, so she hadn't taken them back. Payment in kind, except that this fabric is thicker and softer than what hers used to be — more expensive, more luxurious. Never something she would splurge on for herself; she would never be able to justify it.

But this is hers, now. It's hers, and she lifts it out of its bag to rub her cheek against it, and that's when she spots the note attached to the fabric.

A townhouse.

Well, she'll have to get going if she's going to make the walk all the way back to camp and to the townhouse again before the afternoon is through. And it's not like she needs to hustle anymore, anyway, with these bags of supplies already at her disposal.

So she returns to the camp, hiding the food and supplies back amongst their proper places and dropping the majority of the money with the collectors of it, but she keeps the fabric for herself as she returns back into town, wandering until she finds the townhouse address.

Once there, she stops outside the gates, not yet entering the property outright, but getting the lay of the land from her vantage point near the street.]

[The house is...ordinary. The end unit, so there's more windows to it, but otherwise ordinary. Built some time at the tail end of the Victorian era, the detail is enough to prove it. There are three stories, but no real room for a garden. Just a few patches of grass and a dead hydrangea bush that will see new life come spring.

There are lights on though, Alucard's made it back. All he's doing at the moment is dozing on the sofa, the bulk of the day's actions having exhausted his reserves. Maybe he'll sleep for another full day, see if that helps speed things along.]

[Ah, good. Someone's home. That's a good enough sign that she double-checks the address on her note and heads up to the door, looking around for a bell to ring before pressing it to herald her arrival.]

[The doorbell, is, not omnious chimes. It's a rather cheerful noise, something Alucard's mother insisted on because she needed an actual address and she couldn't scare people off with an entire organ bellowing someone's arrival.

Alucard sits up slowly at the bell. He has to, up and down are the quickest way to see Sypha's work come undone. Once he's steady though, he goes to the door. No point in fussing about who it may be. Only one new person has this address, and that's why when Alucard opens the door, Sypha is given the greeting of:]

I didn't expect you so soon.

You said "before my people depart". It is before they depart; you just did not specify how long before.

[Naturally, the instant he lets her in, she'll be looking around in awestruck delight, taking in all the sights and furnishings of the townhouse.]

Besides, I wanted to see your home. Or one of them, at least: I assume you have more than one.

In fairness, I am ignorant of how long Speakers stay in a given place.

[He's...surprised at the quickness, but glad for it as well. Alucard closes the door behind them both, and lingers there as Sypha heads down the small hallway. The stairs are before her, living room to the right, kitchen in back. The space is compact, but it's much cozier for it.

Home decorating for this one had been his mother's domain. The only nods to greater wealth and his father's age are the pieces of art that hang on the walls. Impressionist sketches, and Alucard's still not sure how his father obtained them.]

You assume correctly. This one's...easier, right now.

In fairness, we try to make sure most people are. We go where we are needed, as needed.

[She glances around, taking it all in, before returning to Alucard's side and motioning toward the front of his shirt with an idle wave of one hand.]

You were walking better today. How is it feeling?

It is amazingly painful. Which is a great improvement from before.

[Alucard shuffles to the living room. It's a warm, well lit place. Bookshelves everywhere, a ceiling fan to fight the heat when it becomes unbearable. An eye out to the street. He's slow as he sits down.]

There have been new layers of skin falling into place. Resting for more than 24 hours seems to speed it along.

So something about the wound you received slowed down your fast healing, but did not do away with it altogether.

[She follows him, letting out a little cry of delight at the pleasant sight and furnishings of the living room, and casts around a minute before finding her own chair. There's an end table with a drawer in it near the armrest of her chair, and she can't help but open the drawer a crack and push it closed again, delighted.]

That is at least optimistic, I think. You're healing. Have you been changing the bandages regularly?

Exactly so.

[Probably just because of who it was thata attacked him in the first place.

A horrible thought that Alucard is quick to shove aside, slightly baffled by how Sypha's entertained by...a drawer?

(She's a Speaker, she doesn't have furniture. Duh.)]

I...slept for three days straight, so I didn't attend to the matter until today.

You...slept. For three days.

[Is this just a vampire thing or is it an Alucard thing or is it a something else entirely thing? The world may never know.]

Well. So long as they had not gone bad-smelling and disgusting you are probably all right. Or maybe you will be all right anyway, because things affect you differently. I've never been a medic to...ah, someone like you before.

Nothing had gone off, of that I assure you.

[But at the words someone like you, there's a noise that in better times might be a laugh. As it stands, it's probably the closest to a happy noise that Alucard's made since this all began.]

In fairness, no one else has either. My situation is...complicated, and often matters like healing are anyone's best guess.

[No one ever really tried to hurt Alucard in his youth though, given who his father was. Any injury was from simply being a child. Crashing a bike or slamming into something too hard, too many swats taken from fencing.

There is then a realization on Alucard's face. An embarrassed one.]

I'm sorry, you've been in this house for more than a few minutes and I've failed to ask if you want anything to eat or drink.

If it makes you feel better, I thought about doing the same when you came to our camp, but I didn't know if you would find the offer rude.

[She folds her hands over her knees, sitting a little forward toward him with undisguised interest.]

Do you really keep human food in this house? I didn't know if...

I wouldn't offer otherwise.

[Alucard frowns. That's a hell of a lean, but he'll respect it for now.]

Would it help if I told you I also know how to cook?

So you do eat like that. Well, now I feel bad, I'd brought some with me the other night when I patched you up but I didn't know if you could eat it. I would've given it to you if I'd known, but it's not as though anybody ever talks about those things where you're concerned.

[Nobody gossips about Dracula's son — at least, not to strangers. Maybe they do it behind closed doors to trusted ears, but everyone keeps their lips tightly sealed in public, and probably for very good reason.]

I...would not refuse something small to eat. I skipped dinner to come here instead, and by the time I get back, it will be long since over.

[That gossip is about to change in the coming weeks. For now, Alucard is grateful for the silence. He rises slowly to his feet, bracing against the arms of the chair he is in, then motions for Sypha to follow him.]

The other night did not truly permit clear thinking. There's no need to feel anything about the matter, and I doubt I had the stomach for food regardless.

[Nothing would have stayed down, he suspects.]

The kitchen is this way. I've hardly restocked, but I can improvise.

[...Oh. Right, he has to get up to do that. He should be resting and she just made him get up to wait on her — damn.]

Are you sure you're up to it? You don't have to cook. Actually — I'm sure I would be fine, if you don't want to...

You are a guest.

[He has also done nothing but be miserable for what feels like an eternity now. Alucard shuffles down the hallway, aware that he'll be followed.

The kitchen, while small, is brightly lit by the evening's sunset. Within it are inventions that are yet to be, all stainless steel and imposing. The microwave sits perched on one of the counters, the refrigerator has the freezer on the bottom rather than the top, and all along the window sills are herbs. Alucard goes to the fridge first, careful as he opens it.]

What is that...

[The refrigerator and freezer are rarities for her, but she's at least seen them in passing enough to be aware of them. The microwave on the counter, on the other hand, is an unheard-of thing and she's immediately drawn to it, nosy as she bends to peer at it and try to work out what its purpose could possibly be.]

You keep a safe in your kitchen? It's not very useful, with a window in the front so that you can see whether it's empty or not.

[It's not such a bad guess, really. There's a door and numbers, and not much else to go on.]

Open it.

[Alucard can't gesture at the handle, his hands are full of a carton of eggs and milk. There's no protein or anything that hasn't gone off, and these two things are about to. There are enough staples to make passable pancakes, so that is what he shall do.

He places everything down on the counter.]

...Like this?

[It doesn't seem like there's a button or switch, so she just experimentally tugs on the handle and — oh. That opened pretty easily, actually.

SHOULD SHE STICK HER HEAD INSIDE]

Mm. It's used for applying heat to food. So...

[Alucard reaches for a small dish, then a knife. A small pad of butter goes into the dish, and then he simply microwaves it.]

It's lit, so keep an eye on it.

[She's watching...watching...and at first she almost thinks he's making fun of her, because nothing is really happening and she's standing here staring at a bit of butter in a dish in a box in a kitchen in a townhouse in a city that isn't her own —

And then it starts going soft around the edges and losing that firm, chilled look to it, and she lets out a startled squeak of surprise without really meaning to.]

It's melting!

[Suspicious, she holds her hand up to the box.]

...But there's no heat coming out of it...

[WITCHCRAFT]

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