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Hardly as your ancestors would have seen.
[That's all Alucard says before walking through the door. It is good, seeing the castle again even if it is ailing. It is home, far better than the masks it wore. And as it is home, the entrance is a little grander. A little warmer. A wing has manifested, and it has a kitchen.
So the kitchen is where Alucard carries Trevor to, knowing that it's the only operating theatre available to them now.]
I'll have to get supplies before I try to remove the bullet. What I'll do is place you down on the kitchen table, and then go get what's needed. Promise me that you'll stay awake.
[That's all Alucard says before walking through the door. It is good, seeing the castle again even if it is ailing. It is home, far better than the masks it wore. And as it is home, the entrance is a little grander. A little warmer. A wing has manifested, and it has a kitchen.
So the kitchen is where Alucard carries Trevor to, knowing that it's the only operating theatre available to them now.]
I'll have to get supplies before I try to remove the bullet. What I'll do is place you down on the kitchen table, and then go get what's needed. Promise me that you'll stay awake.
[His response is mildly unnerving. It's not every day someone takes the news of abduction by vampire with calm and aplomb only to be surprised by the Egyptian spin. But she understands - the undead become more powerful with age.]
Very true. Unfortunately there is sufficient evidence to suggestion that this is no modern day impostor. If he is, he believes in an equally ancient legend which he is trying to fulfill.
Very true. Unfortunately there is sufficient evidence to suggestion that this is no modern day impostor. If he is, he believes in an equally ancient legend which he is trying to fulfill.
[Good boy?
That gets a little wolfy laugh, coming out as an amused snuffle. He's quiet after that, so very content and ready to just call it a night. Because it has been a night, a strange one, and that's all that needs to be done.]
Mmmrrr.
[With that acknowledged, Alucard settles in, and soon enough, drifts off to sleep. If big paws pin Hector to the sofa, well, so be it. He'll be that way all evening, snoring softly and sometimes running in dreams. Nothing else comes.
In the morning, there's the smell of bread already baking when Hector rises. The wolf is gone. There's a dhampir in the kitchen, trying to make pita.]
That gets a little wolfy laugh, coming out as an amused snuffle. He's quiet after that, so very content and ready to just call it a night. Because it has been a night, a strange one, and that's all that needs to be done.]
Mmmrrr.
[With that acknowledged, Alucard settles in, and soon enough, drifts off to sleep. If big paws pin Hector to the sofa, well, so be it. He'll be that way all evening, snoring softly and sometimes running in dreams. Nothing else comes.
In the morning, there's the smell of bread already baking when Hector rises. The wolf is gone. There's a dhampir in the kitchen, trying to make pita.]
That is unfortunate.
[He says the words with an all too dark undertone, taking no pain to hide it.]
I assume you know the legend.
[He says the words with an all too dark undertone, taking no pain to hide it.]
I assume you know the legend.
That is an understatement.
[Vanessa gives a breathy laugh because there is nothing else to do. The world, her wold is spinning out of control, careening into darkness and there is noting to do except cling to her soul and cry out to God. Except God is so far away.]
Amun-Ra seeks Amunet, the mother of all evil. When they join together they will bring eternal darkness. While the rest of the prophecy isn't spelled out I am assuming that means things for humanity will end poorly.
[Vanessa gives a breathy laugh because there is nothing else to do. The world, her wold is spinning out of control, careening into darkness and there is noting to do except cling to her soul and cry out to God. Except God is so far away.]
Amun-Ra seeks Amunet, the mother of all evil. When they join together they will bring eternal darkness. While the rest of the prophecy isn't spelled out I am assuming that means things for humanity will end poorly.
A little rich, coming from you.
[ Something's wrong, he can feel it as they enter. But for the life of him, he can't place his finger on what. Between the pain and the bloodloss and the sheer fucking awe, thinking is like moving through knee-deep mud right now.
Perhaps it's just that the place- it's nowhere near in good repair now, but it's a lot healthier than it was a few hours ago. Cracks in the walls are sealed with something that he knows can't really be molten rock but that certainly looks the part, glowing softly in the darker parts of the rafters. Furniture that had been broken from centuries of disrepair is now only very, very worn from centuries of disrepair. The kitchen is cleaner than any of the parts that the castle grew before were, free of dust if not of wear. ]
Go find your shit. Don't worry, I'm not about to get up and go anywhere while you're gone.
[ No matter how overwarm the kitchen's fire is. Sypha will no doubt show up eventually, and he'll ask her to get it down to a bearable level.
...where is Sypha? ]
[ Something's wrong, he can feel it as they enter. But for the life of him, he can't place his finger on what. Between the pain and the bloodloss and the sheer fucking awe, thinking is like moving through knee-deep mud right now.
Perhaps it's just that the place- it's nowhere near in good repair now, but it's a lot healthier than it was a few hours ago. Cracks in the walls are sealed with something that he knows can't really be molten rock but that certainly looks the part, glowing softly in the darker parts of the rafters. Furniture that had been broken from centuries of disrepair is now only very, very worn from centuries of disrepair. The kitchen is cleaner than any of the parts that the castle grew before were, free of dust if not of wear. ]
Go find your shit. Don't worry, I'm not about to get up and go anywhere while you're gone.
[ No matter how overwarm the kitchen's fire is. Sypha will no doubt show up eventually, and he'll ask her to get it down to a bearable level.
...where is Sypha? ]
Not funny.
[Alucard's face sours, and he disappears down the corridor they came down. As he walks, he tries to will the castle to manifest something useful. His father's labs. His mother's. Something that has bandages and alcohol so that the wound can get seen to.
The castle offers nothing. Just corridor. Corridor that shakes, making it clear the castle is trying so, so hard.
He's far from Trevor.]
Please. Anything you can manage.
[Alucard's face sours, and he disappears down the corridor they came down. As he walks, he tries to will the castle to manifest something useful. His father's labs. His mother's. Something that has bandages and alcohol so that the wound can get seen to.
The castle offers nothing. Just corridor. Corridor that shakes, making it clear the castle is trying so, so hard.
He's far from Trevor.]
Please. Anything you can manage.
[For a moment, there's nothing from Alucard. Only careful silence, one that's clearly digesting the information shared but not reacting to it. Then after the quiet, Alucard's eyes meet Vanessa's with a very soft urgency.]
Is this foretold from past sages, or transmitted as future knowledge that the thing is supposedly come to pass?
Is this foretold from past sages, or transmitted as future knowledge that the thing is supposedly come to pass?
[A dainty brow furrow as she parses his words. What she's getting stuck on is the difference between the two.]
I apologize, Mr. Tepes I'm not sure I quite understand what you mean. It's, I believe, a warning perhaps? That this is what evil seeks so it may obtain victory, do not let this come to pass.
I apologize, Mr. Tepes I'm not sure I quite understand what you mean. It's, I believe, a warning perhaps? That this is what evil seeks so it may obtain victory, do not let this come to pass.
"Hm." It's a sound of agreement really; he had inferred a great deal but being wrong didn't concern him. That Adrian was willing to correct him still provided the information he'd been looking for.
Although it's still strange to hear and there's a flicker of confusion in his expression to hear that Adrian would have wanted to help. That he was worried.
He is the last to say he's good at reassuring anyone, and the majority of the time he wouldn't even try. But he does make some attempt in acknowledgement of all Adrian has done for him.
"Fire wouldn't be enough. A stake isn't enough. You don't have to worry about that."
See, reassuring.
Although it's still strange to hear and there's a flicker of confusion in his expression to hear that Adrian would have wanted to help. That he was worried.
He is the last to say he's good at reassuring anyone, and the majority of the time he wouldn't even try. But he does make some attempt in acknowledgement of all Adrian has done for him.
"Fire wouldn't be enough. A stake isn't enough. You don't have to worry about that."
See, reassuring.
[ He opens his mouth to try to say- he doesn’t know. To apologise? To double down? It doesn’t really matter, Alucard leaves before he can decide. That’s fine. He probably deserves to stew a little for that attempt at a joke.
Or, he probably deserves to stew figuratively. Not literally, as is happening right now. Why is that fire so hot? And why is it moving like that? ]
I am trying!
[ The voice is the kind of frustrated that one can only ever be with oneself. It’s also mostly Sypha’s, with an undercurrent of settling earth. Then from the kicthen there’s a thump and a yell of pain and surprise that sound very much like a Belmont has fallen off the table ]
Or, he probably deserves to stew figuratively. Not literally, as is happening right now. Why is that fire so hot? And why is it moving like that? ]
I am trying!
[ The voice is the kind of frustrated that one can only ever be with oneself. It’s also mostly Sypha’s, with an undercurrent of settling earth. Then from the kicthen there’s a thump and a yell of pain and surprise that sound very much like a Belmont has fallen off the table ]
Edited 2019-11-21 00:31 (UTC)
[Sypha's voice rings out as clear as a bell. But the sound of earth, that is new. He doesn't like it, and so the quest to find supplies is abandoned as Alucard races back.]
Don't remove the bullet yet, I don't have any bandages!
[He yells it out into the corridor, praying that the voice will carry.]
Don't remove the bullet yet, I don't have any bandages!
[He yells it out into the corridor, praying that the voice will carry.]
Mm. There are a tribe of nomadic oral historians that often get lumped in with gypsies. Among themselves and those who know them, they're Speakers, and they carry with them oral histories of the centuries. They also carry prophecies with them, including some that have reached them not from the past, but from the future, transmitted to them through magical means.
[It could be nothing, but Alucard still feels compelled to clarify.]
I want to ensure we're dealing with predictions of the past, not future knowledge.
[It could be nothing, but Alucard still feels compelled to clarify.]
I want to ensure we're dealing with predictions of the past, not future knowledge.
[It's Vanessa's moment to look surprised. That is not something that she previously considered and it pulls her attention away from the current conversation to lean forward.]
Truly from the future? How far in and how do you know they are true? /[She catches herself, a slight apologetic smile.]
Predictions from the past, yes.
Truly from the future? How far in and how do you know they are true? /[She catches herself, a slight apologetic smile.]
Predictions from the past, yes.
[ Trevor is on the ground, clawing at the floor to move back and away from the fireplace, as the fire climbs out from it. It stands, on legs that look like they might be human, and steps forward.
The flames come together into something more solid, into softly glowing skin, and most of Sypha is standing before them. What is missing of her is a large section of her chest on the left side, and the inside of her body is made up of that molten rock like substance. Inside that cavity, where her heard ought to be, that many-sided heart of the castle spins. ]
I told you, I am trying to find them!
[ And she reaches out, hand sinking into the wall behind her, and tears it away as if splashing a pond to disturb the reflection. When it settles, it’s a wall from a different room. One, it seems, with a medicine cabinet. ]
The flames come together into something more solid, into softly glowing skin, and most of Sypha is standing before them. What is missing of her is a large section of her chest on the left side, and the inside of her body is made up of that molten rock like substance. Inside that cavity, where her heard ought to be, that many-sided heart of the castle spins. ]
I told you, I am trying to find them!
[ And she reaches out, hand sinking into the wall behind her, and tears it away as if splashing a pond to disturb the reflection. When it settles, it’s a wall from a different room. One, it seems, with a medicine cabinet. ]
[Making sense of what he's looking at takes a moment. The hearth is not simply roaring with fire - it is alive. It is talking. It is...
...Sypha. Emerging from flames like a phoenix, and Alucard can only stare. Words try to form. Fail. Try again.
It happens for what feels like an eternity, the dhampir simply struck dumb with true awe. And so he manages, finally:]
What the fuck.
...Sypha. Emerging from flames like a phoenix, and Alucard can only stare. Words try to form. Fail. Try again.
It happens for what feels like an eternity, the dhampir simply struck dumb with true awe. And so he manages, finally:]
What the fuck.
Past experience. It's proven true before.
[There's nothing in Alucard's tone to suggest that he might elaborate on that.]
But we're looking at the past. That to me says that there have been great numbers of attempts before. Has the historic record yielded anything?
[There's nothing in Alucard's tone to suggest that he might elaborate on that.]
But we're looking at the past. That to me says that there have been great numbers of attempts before. Has the historic record yielded anything?
[His full stops are more fuller than other people's it seems.]
No, not at the moment. Our pool of researches is currently at one, and, thanks to your kindness - another.
No, not at the moment. Our pool of researches is currently at one, and, thanks to your kindness - another.
Before you say anything else, this was not my fault. I do not make mistakes when handling magical items.
[ Trevor relaxes at that, flopping down unto his side. Yup. That’s Sypha. He should probably be a little more freaked out, but pain and blood loss. He’ll process this new bullshit later. ]
It wouldn’t have survived the journey. Not without something to inhabit. It needed a place where God is not welcome.
[ And where has God ever been less welcome than in a speaker’s heart?
Not involved in Sypha’s version of events: the fact that she was only trying to remove the heart from the rest of the castle in order to keep it safe so it could regrow elsewhere. This just happened when she separated it. ]
[ Trevor relaxes at that, flopping down unto his side. Yup. That’s Sypha. He should probably be a little more freaked out, but pain and blood loss. He’ll process this new bullshit later. ]
It wouldn’t have survived the journey. Not without something to inhabit. It needed a place where God is not welcome.
[ And where has God ever been less welcome than in a speaker’s heart?
Not involved in Sypha’s version of events: the fact that she was only trying to remove the heart from the rest of the castle in order to keep it safe so it could regrow elsewhere. This just happened when she separated it. ]
I...
[Alucard stops, looking at the castle itself.]
Of all the things. You can't tie a lifeline to--
[No. Stop. Not a priority. Alucard sighs heavily, shaking his head. Right now it is easier to focus on Trevor, but he meets Sypha's eyes for one moment more:]
We're talking about this later.
[Right. Alucard sighs, walking over to Trevor and running his hand over the wound itself.]
Medical instruments, thread, needle, alcohol and bandages. Warmth and light are already seen to. Trevor, you're free to pass out at this point.
[Alucard stops, looking at the castle itself.]
Of all the things. You can't tie a lifeline to--
[No. Stop. Not a priority. Alucard sighs heavily, shaking his head. Right now it is easier to focus on Trevor, but he meets Sypha's eyes for one moment more:]
We're talking about this later.
[Right. Alucard sighs, walking over to Trevor and running his hand over the wound itself.]
Medical instruments, thread, needle, alcohol and bandages. Warmth and light are already seen to. Trevor, you're free to pass out at this point.
Ah, I've signed myself up for library duty, haven't I?
[It's almost rueful. Almost. Alucard folds his arms over his chest and considers all of this.]
Looking there will be far more useful than any other stories I have from Romania, I'm afraid.
[It's almost rueful. Almost. Alucard folds his arms over his chest and considers all of this.]
Looking there will be far more useful than any other stories I have from Romania, I'm afraid.
[Hector isn't long in following the wolf into sleep, his strokes gradually slowing until his fingers rest still in the pale fur.
When he wakes, he brushes the stray hairs off of his clothes and stretches. He wanders into the kitchen and takes a moment to study the scene before he finally speaks up.]
I told you, stovetop is the way to go. Just because you can put them in the oven doesn't mean you should.
When he wakes, he brushes the stray hairs off of his clothes and stretches. He wanders into the kitchen and takes a moment to study the scene before he finally speaks up.]
I told you, stovetop is the way to go. Just because you can put them in the oven doesn't mean you should.
To resist would be futile, Mr. Tepes.
[The broad of her smile can be seen even as she bows her head.]
In Egypt you mean?
[The broad of her smile can be seen even as she bows her head.]
In Egypt you mean?
[ Sypha nods, taking the needed items from the medicine cabinet. Before long, she’s managed to get everything that’s been asked from either there or other fragments of castle and she’s moved on to sterilising the instruments by running them between her very on fire fingers. Trevor groans. By the time he’s back on the table, he’s started to fall quiet. The fresh pain from falling off the table is kind of overpowering, taken in tandem with the bullet wound. He jostled it too much. ]
Thanks for giving me permission.
[ He’s worn down enough that that actually sounds sincere rather than sarcastic. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t last much longer before blanking out.
Thanks for giving me permission.
[ He’s worn down enough that that actually sounds sincere rather than sarcastic. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t last much longer before blanking out.
Oh, I quickly gathered that.
[There is a sheer force of will Vanessa carries with her. That much is clear.]
Mm, I'd begin here before heading that far abroad. Your people seem particularly obsessed with Egypt these days.
[There is a sheer force of will Vanessa carries with her. That much is clear.]
Mm, I'd begin here before heading that far abroad. Your people seem particularly obsessed with Egypt these days.
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