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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I do not need you to.

[She collects the plates and takes them over to the sink; she suspects he'll protest if she tries to wash them outright, but she can at least fill the dishpan and set them in to soak so the syrup doesn't stick later.]

I was meaning to ask you. Did you enjoy my performance today? When you saw me at work.

[Oh. Wait.]

Not the fortune. Just the performance.

But...

[Sypha, it's rude. But she's making dishes easier, so Alucard is going to stop before he even starts. He simply watches her for a moment or two, grateful for the gesture and the help.]

It was quite good. But I felt as if I was in on the trick since we had spoken before.

Mm, perhaps. But there was less trick than you might think, actually.

[She smiles to herself, even though her back is still to him as she gets the dishes arranged.]

I didn't manipulate any of it. You didn't let me chat with you long enough to get what I would've needed, really, and I decided not to try to rig the cards. I wanted to see what you pulled yourself, since it was an act that did not really make a difference.

I meant the street patter and set up. Not the rest.

[Alucard shifts a little in his seat, turning just enough so that his face is in Sypha's direction so he can be better heard.]

Since we had spoken, I trusted you would not manipulate the spread. But are any of the cards I drew ones you would have reached for in other circumstances?

Hmmm.

[That's a good question, actually. She hums a little tune to herself, finishing up, and then finds a towel to dry her hands on and turns around at the sink, watching him from across the room.]

The only one I might've considered would've been the Tower, and I don't think I would have reversed it. Reversed, the Tower is about inner conflict. Upright, it's about external forces imposing change upon you — which, if I were cheating, I would know is more accurate to your situation.

[She shrugs a little.]

I could've done much better than the Ace of Pentacles in your future — I doubt you are thinking much of career or of money right now, so that was a bit useless, and I absolutely would not have thrown you the Four of Wands at a time like this, when it is thoughtless at best and tasteless at worse to tell you "happiness and family are right in front of you, waiting".

[...Oh. So, well. Actually.]

I did twist the meanings a bit, when I told you what they meant. But that's just a part of every story, is tailoring it to the person. I left out the parts that I thought would make you sad.

My situation.

[He repeats the phrase and it sounds so dark when he does. The first reminder in about an hour of reality. Alucard doesn't like it, but it's perhaps too much to ask Sypha to be his escape from reality. Instead, he shuts up and listens.

Inner conflict? That applies to mourning, probably, but not in a way that feels right. Everything right now is shaped by external forces, not internal ones. The Four of Wands is cruel fucking irony though, and it's fascinating to hear the actual process behind what was said earlier today.

More than that...sad. A pained look crosses his face.]

Thank you for doing that. This is the first time in some days that I've felt truly distracted from that emotion.

I don't think I deserve much thanks, when I've made you sad again anyway.

[She walks back over to the table, resuming her seat again, and holds out her hand with her knuckles against the tabletop, motioning to him.]

Give me your hand. Palm-up; I'm going to read your palm.

Again: you took charge of my care when no one else would.

[So that gratitude is eternal. Deal with it.

He humors her. Holds out his hand as instructed, not certain how this will contradict anything that has already been discussed.]

A double blind study?

Shhhhh. I'm concentrating.

[She leans over his hand, examining it carefully, holding it from beneath with one hand while her other index finger traces the lines and creases of his palm there.

Eventually she draws to a close, nodding her satisfaction, and rests her other hand over top of his, while the one still remains below it.]

Mmhmm. It's just as I thought.

[She glances up, and winks.]

You can be tricked into letting me hold your hand.

[He's not sure what will be learned from this venture. Things like a long lifespan go without saying for himself and his kind. Any other detail, it's easier to guess. She's been in this house for a little while and...

...and Sypha may not be trained to detect vampire blushing yet, but it is happening. Right here, right now, all over Alucard's face.]

...!!!

There. That's a much better look for you, than sad.

[Flustered is a new one, but it's a triumph she'll cheerfully accept nevertheless. Especially considering she's not actually letting go of his hand yet.]

And that is how it feels to not be in on the trick, if you were so curious.

[Does he let go does he let this keep happening what does he....

...well. No, he knows how to respond to this. Alucard's had flirtations before. He closes his hand around hers. Carefully. Lets fingers intertwine.]

But is it a trick, Miss Belnades?

[...OH SHIT HOW THE TURNTABLES HAVE]

...It was.

[But just like that, something has shifted, and —]

Now, I am not so sure.

Mm. Real magic runs on intent, as I understand it?

[HE'S JUST ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION.]

Yes. Imposing your intent on the world, and changing it accordingly.

[She is utterly, acutely cognizant of the fact that they are still, in fact, holding hands.]

Why do you ask?

Idle thoughts.

[Bullshit.

But it's nice to know she just wanted to hold his hand.]

In lieu of me not having anything to offer, we could walk and get dessert.

Keeping secrets, more like.

[But regardless.]

Will it be all right, in the dark? The sun is almost set.

Would you rather me straight up ask if you wanted an excuse to hold my hand?

[HE'S JUST SAYING.]

I don't think anyone will mind much at the moment.

If it was a question you wanted an answer to, then yes, I would hope you would outright ask.

[She pauses a minute, before continuing in a slightly softer tone.]

What I wanted was to surprise you, and to cheer you up. To try to make you smile if I could. Because it's as you said — you haven't, in several days. Smiled.

[She's quiet again.]

What I mean is, I wasn't thinking of myself. It was not my intent to try to make myself happy. The fact that it did was...a pleasant side effect.

I thinkI already have the answer.

[He's not sure how he feels about the answer, but there's a warmth to that knowledge. (He's assigning the side effect, he must be. That's the logical explanation, is it not?

Sypha keeps talking though. He's so quiet, and there's such a soft look on his face when she's done. The knowledge that whatever's happening is mutual is...that feels like as much a blessing as her words are every time they have parted ways so far.]

Sometimes intentions are not known until the thing is done.

[He's thoughtful about too much of this.]

And I'm glad that this won't be the last I see of you.

You have only seen me twice.

[...Wait.]

Well, three — no, four.

[In the forest, then that next morning, then earlier today, and now here. Four. Hmm; that's more often than she'd actually thought it had been. Strange.]

Is there someplace to go for dessert that will not mind serving us? Both of us?

You're the only one counting.

[Strange as it is, she's the person he's seen the most of lately, outside of his father.

That's absolutely a thought for later though. For now, dessert.]

Mm. There's a small ice cream place down the street that doesn't close for another few hours.

[And speaking of counting, this will be the third time this evening that Alucard has been treated to this particular expression on Sypha's face — the same flash of sudden, eager interest she'd worn when playing with his end table drawer, and when he'd introduced her to his microwave.]

Really?

[Evidently, he's picked a winner.]

...Can we go like this?

We can go right now if you'd like.

[That face is...it's something. It's alight with curiosity and eagerness, and it looks so right on her. That's not a commentary about magic or intent, just a gut feeling.

He wonders how many times he can be the cause of it in a single evening.]

No, I meant —

[She lifts their hands a little, bringing his up with hers, fingers still entwined as she shows the way that they're still linked to him.]

Like this. Because if not, then we will have a conundrum of who is going to let go first.

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