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[ He gives a warm chuckle, the kind that sounds a lot like a dirty joke is going to follow. Probably something nasty with regard to 'taking'.
But it doesn't follow. He just pulls Alucard tightly to himself. ]
Maybe I just want to stay here, like this.
But it doesn't follow. He just pulls Alucard tightly to himself. ]
Maybe I just want to stay here, like this.
Only maybe?
[Alucard nuzzles against Trevor's chest for a moment, cool breath against soft fabric]
[Alucard nuzzles against Trevor's chest for a moment, cool breath against soft fabric]
[Alucard pauses to consider how man-wolf would translate back into French, but then he nods.]
Roughly something of the sort. There is a great deal of lore around men and women who can transform their shapes under full moons. Some point back as far as the ancient Greeks for the concept.
Roughly something of the sort. There is a great deal of lore around men and women who can transform their shapes under full moons. Some point back as far as the ancient Greeks for the concept.
Only maybe. [ He leans down and lifts Alucard slightly to kiss the top of his head. ] I'm figuring this out as I go.
[ He gives it a little thought, then grins. ]
No walking for the rest of the day. Or floating. You want to go anywhere, you have to tell me to carry you.
[ He gives it a little thought, then grins. ]
No walking for the rest of the day. Or floating. You want to go anywhere, you have to tell me to carry you.
...I demand a single exception, and that is for the bathroom.
I think I can allow that.
[ And he shifts so he can't kiss Alucard again, but he can pull him tightly against him. ]
Any time you do something stupid to protect me, this is what's going to happen. It's- I don't fucking know. A danger tax.
[ Easier to word it that way than to say it's a stupid, playful way for him to work through whatever emotions he ends up having about this. ]
Same rules for Sypha. You try to play hero, no walking allowed for the next day. Except for the bathroom.
[ And he shifts so he can't kiss Alucard again, but he can pull him tightly against him. ]
Any time you do something stupid to protect me, this is what's going to happen. It's- I don't fucking know. A danger tax.
[ Easier to word it that way than to say it's a stupid, playful way for him to work through whatever emotions he ends up having about this. ]
Same rules for Sypha. You try to play hero, no walking allowed for the next day. Except for the bathroom.
[Alucard considers this. Nuzzles against Trevor's neck, because this is just perfect an angle for doing that. One hand moves up, stroking through Trevor's hair.]
I don't know about her, but I'll be happy to pay that tax.
I don't know about her, but I'll be happy to pay that tax.
[There is a pregnant pause there.]
You know it would be rather hypocritical of me to scoff. These beasts, so monstrous and fantastic I can not even blame the skeptical. Not that it is safer not to believe.
[A small flashback. Highly unpleasant.]
Have you ever. Do you have personal experience with creatures like these. Experience with - the undead?
You know it would be rather hypocritical of me to scoff. These beasts, so monstrous and fantastic I can not even blame the skeptical. Not that it is safer not to believe.
[A small flashback. Highly unpleasant.]
Have you ever. Do you have personal experience with creatures like these. Experience with - the undead?
When science explains much of the world, skepticism is well founded and understandable.
[Alucard closes his eyes for a moment, having a flashback of his own. His mother's desire to learn and spread that knowledge. To improve lives. What she might make of this modern age, where for progress there is also a far worse clash of rich and poor and how they live.
But Vanessa's next question is the bluntest query possible. There's no reason to lie.]
Yes. Especially the undead.
[Alucard closes his eyes for a moment, having a flashback of his own. His mother's desire to learn and spread that knowledge. To improve lives. What she might make of this modern age, where for progress there is also a far worse clash of rich and poor and how they live.
But Vanessa's next question is the bluntest query possible. There's no reason to lie.]
Yes. Especially the undead.
Good.
[ And maybe he pulls Alucard a little too tight, but that kind of thing doesn't matter as much as it does with Sypha. It's hard to physically hurt Alucard without trying to, after all. He sits again, arranging Alucard in his lap, humming contentedly at the feel of fingers curling through his hair. ]
Be careful if you do that shit, okay? If anything happened because I fucked up and needed help- No. That's a bad line of thinking. [ He shakes his head, trying to word it in a way that's more appropriate for sitting like this. ] -the two of you are the best thing to happen to me in a long time, and you're not exactly replaceable.
[ And maybe he pulls Alucard a little too tight, but that kind of thing doesn't matter as much as it does with Sypha. It's hard to physically hurt Alucard without trying to, after all. He sits again, arranging Alucard in his lap, humming contentedly at the feel of fingers curling through his hair. ]
Be careful if you do that shit, okay? If anything happened because I fucked up and needed help- No. That's a bad line of thinking. [ He shakes his head, trying to word it in a way that's more appropriate for sitting like this. ] -the two of you are the best thing to happen to me in a long time, and you're not exactly replaceable.
Ah yes, the great God Science. Not that I will ever truly be ungrateful for what it has provided society.
[Finger tucked in between the pages of the book, Vanessa leans forward slightly to read his reaction. Not that there's much to gleam from it. Mr. Tepes is, pardon the turn of phrase, a rather closed book.]
And you live to tell the tale. [There is cautious hope in her tone.] Would you share some of your story?
[Finger tucked in between the pages of the book, Vanessa leans forward slightly to read his reaction. Not that there's much to gleam from it. Mr. Tepes is, pardon the turn of phrase, a rather closed book.]
And you live to tell the tale. [There is cautious hope in her tone.] Would you share some of your story?
[It isn't too tight, at least not from where the dhampir sits. Just snug. Just protective, and Alucard understands that very well indeed.
He keeps his fingers moving through Trevor's hair, slow and careful and so very thoughtful as Trevor dares to share just a little bit more.]
I'll be careful so long as you are as well. The lack of replace-ability cuts both ways, Trevor.
He keeps his fingers moving through Trevor's hair, slow and careful and so very thoughtful as Trevor dares to share just a little bit more.]
I'll be careful so long as you are as well. The lack of replace-ability cuts both ways, Trevor.
It has at least wiped away most mutterings of the word witchcraft.
[It's perhaps said a shade darker than intended. Alucard doesn't notice it, and then?
He considers the question. Weighs it. Then settles for honesty. Remaining seated and holding Vanessa's eye contact, Alucard's words are as plain as can be.]
The barest of facts are as follows: my father was a vampire. My mother was not. I am, and I have been since the the 1400s, Miss Ives.
[It's perhaps said a shade darker than intended. Alucard doesn't notice it, and then?
He considers the question. Weighs it. Then settles for honesty. Remaining seated and holding Vanessa's eye contact, Alucard's words are as plain as can be.]
The barest of facts are as follows: my father was a vampire. My mother was not. I am, and I have been since the the 1400s, Miss Ives.
Oh it is still there, they have just traded it for a different words, more genteel and deceptive. Sold by doctors who masked it with cures and forced upon us by disgusting, pigheaded old men.
[Not that she's bitter or anything. Vanessa pauses, working to compose herself and release her tense full body tremor.
And then at least she has something to distract herself from that bitter flashback. That pale Victorian complexion turns a shade of gray as she stands quickly. As the book tumbles to the floor her eyes darting to the shadowed corners of the room searching for the creatures that are sure to lurk there.]
What kind of trickery is this, Mr. Tepes? Are you in league with the monster as well? You can tell your master that I will see him in hell...
[Not that she's bitter or anything. Vanessa pauses, working to compose herself and release her tense full body tremor.
And then at least she has something to distract herself from that bitter flashback. That pale Victorian complexion turns a shade of gray as she stands quickly. As the book tumbles to the floor her eyes darting to the shadowed corners of the room searching for the creatures that are sure to lurk there.]
What kind of trickery is this, Mr. Tepes? Are you in league with the monster as well? You can tell your master that I will see him in hell...
[There. That's the reaction that Alucard expected might happen, and there's a point he makes next. He remains seated. Splays both of his hands flat on his knees to show that he is not armed, and his lack of movement is a point as well. He's as non-threatening as possible in this moment.]
It's simple honesty.
[His eyes remain on Vanessa's, rock steady.]
And I am in league with no one, nor have I ever been. I am utterly unto myself.
[This is turning sour. So Alucard accepts the inevitable.]
You're free to leave if you wish. I understand.
It's simple honesty.
[His eyes remain on Vanessa's, rock steady.]
And I am in league with no one, nor have I ever been. I am utterly unto myself.
[This is turning sour. So Alucard accepts the inevitable.]
You're free to leave if you wish. I understand.
[Listen. There are a lot of things you can't spring on a girl, vampirism is totally one of them. Vanessa Ives does not leave but certainly starts pacing, agitated and confused, this is her thinking movement. Despite the back and forth narrowed eyes remain fixed on him.]
You are not beholden to the monster. How are you not? You did not connive to bring me here to fulfill his purposes? You have been very polite company, Mr. Tepes but I am having a difficult time not seeing you as a very dangerous threat.
You are not beholden to the monster. How are you not? You did not connive to bring me here to fulfill his purposes? You have been very polite company, Mr. Tepes but I am having a difficult time not seeing you as a very dangerous threat.
As I said. I understand.
[He remains where he is. Letting Vanessa own the room as she sees fit.]
I am also well aware that very little I said will change your classification of myself as a threat. My father's people have always been as such, and they will remain that way into the future. That is the nature of having a species that sees humans as prey.
But as I said. My father's people. My mother was human.
[He remains where he is. Letting Vanessa own the room as she sees fit.]
I am also well aware that very little I said will change your classification of myself as a threat. My father's people have always been as such, and they will remain that way into the future. That is the nature of having a species that sees humans as prey.
But as I said. My father's people. My mother was human.
[Occasionally there is a pause, arms crossing over chest to consider before they are unfurled in order to pace again. She is listening despite her brain screaming at her in two very different voices with two very different aches attached to them.]
You have called yourself a vampire, so you retain his blood, his traits. But you do not align with them because of your mother’s humanity?
[Full question with a light frosting of skepticism. Can one be of two very different worlds yet still be wholly apart from both? Can a monster walk in darkness and light? Her fingers twist together as she stops, unconscious of her own bleak prayer.]
You have called yourself a vampire, so you retain his blood, his traits. But you do not align with them because of your mother’s humanity?
[Full question with a light frosting of skepticism. Can one be of two very different worlds yet still be wholly apart from both? Can a monster walk in darkness and light? Her fingers twist together as she stops, unconscious of her own bleak prayer.]
The actual term for what I am is dhampir. There are accounts over the years, but they're mostly in the folklore of the Balkans.
[Alucard breathes out. This means getting more personal. He dislikes it. He doesn't even know why he's so hell bent on gaining Vanessa's trust, but it seems worthwhile. If only to argue in favor of not all night things being as god awful as the situation she has found herself in.]
My mother was, as I said, a doctor, and better than many in the current age we live in. She learned from my father's centuries of wisdom, but it was she who brought that knowledge out into the world. She was executed by an ambitious priest who branded her as a witch.
[He's learned to tell the story with precious little wincing these days. Had to. So many generations of Belmonts had to know the story, after all.]
Even in those moments my mother maintained a deep and abiding love for humanity. My own feelings are aloof, but I will always honor her wishes. Even -- especially -- when it brings me into conflict with my heritage.
[It is a choice to leave out the patricide. That is not a detail that demands to be shared at the moment.]
[Alucard breathes out. This means getting more personal. He dislikes it. He doesn't even know why he's so hell bent on gaining Vanessa's trust, but it seems worthwhile. If only to argue in favor of not all night things being as god awful as the situation she has found herself in.]
My mother was, as I said, a doctor, and better than many in the current age we live in. She learned from my father's centuries of wisdom, but it was she who brought that knowledge out into the world. She was executed by an ambitious priest who branded her as a witch.
[He's learned to tell the story with precious little wincing these days. Had to. So many generations of Belmonts had to know the story, after all.]
Even in those moments my mother maintained a deep and abiding love for humanity. My own feelings are aloof, but I will always honor her wishes. Even -- especially -- when it brings me into conflict with my heritage.
[It is a choice to leave out the patricide. That is not a detail that demands to be shared at the moment.]
[ He doesn't sleep, he can't. But at some point he closes his eyes and time passes until when he opens them again he's the normal shape instead of small and hairless. The cold snap passes, eventually, and the only casualties are in the garden.
He still won't allow Alucard to investigate the den, but slowly he does warm to his presence. To the idea of having someone with him. Of not being alone. He asks for leave to stay in Alucard's wing at the next full moon, and then the next, until all of his time spent in that shape is spent with Alucard. Alucard teaches him about the science of gardening, about things beyond which plants to plant where in what seasons, about the acidity of the soil and things that he doesn't quite understand.
Spring comes, and with it come monster attacks. Some night creatures move when the season changes, others find that the shortening hours of night force them to be more aggressive, to hunt closer to towns. Trevor's hunting trips begin to take a few days at a time, though he takes care to ensure that he brings enough to keep Alucard fed in his absence before he leaves.
This means that, far more so than it was in winter, that fireplace that Trevor uses as a den is unguarded. ]
He still won't allow Alucard to investigate the den, but slowly he does warm to his presence. To the idea of having someone with him. Of not being alone. He asks for leave to stay in Alucard's wing at the next full moon, and then the next, until all of his time spent in that shape is spent with Alucard. Alucard teaches him about the science of gardening, about things beyond which plants to plant where in what seasons, about the acidity of the soil and things that he doesn't quite understand.
Spring comes, and with it come monster attacks. Some night creatures move when the season changes, others find that the shortening hours of night force them to be more aggressive, to hunt closer to towns. Trevor's hunting trips begin to take a few days at a time, though he takes care to ensure that he brings enough to keep Alucard fed in his absence before he leaves.
This means that, far more so than it was in winter, that fireplace that Trevor uses as a den is unguarded. ]
[Alucard knows that being distant from humanity can do a number of things depending on how that distance has been chosen. When a personal decision, as Vlad has generally made and Alucard has followed, it is an easy thing to shoulder. With Trevor though, it's been clear the choice wasn't his, and so when he is human shaped, Alucard makes an extra effort to be present.
He hasn't had to bathe Trevor again, but he insists on fussing with Trevor's hair. Takes comfort in the fact Trevor's asked to be present in Alucard's wing when the moon is high, and while the dhampir might try and have Sypha along too, he doesn't dare to push it.
Gardening is a safe topic, and so he sticks with that. Spring sees early fruits of their labor with pea plants starting to push up from the ground, and now...
...he's been alone for two days, and much of it has been fussing at the strawberry patch that should produce fruit in the next few weeks. They've planted it away from Trevor's usual tracks as a bear, so the precious fruit isn't crushed. But somewhere in all of the fussing, the dhampir realizes that the den is unoccupied.]
Hm.
[He's wanted to explore it, because it is where Trevor always returns to. It can't just be practical, and so as Alucard walks back to the house, he passes the den with his bag of gardening tools in hand. Drops them, and yes, that's on purpose, he has an excuse.
The tools scatter, and more than one roll towards the fireplace. So Alucard trails after them, careful of where he steps. Trevor will smell him. It's a worthwhile risk.]
He hasn't had to bathe Trevor again, but he insists on fussing with Trevor's hair. Takes comfort in the fact Trevor's asked to be present in Alucard's wing when the moon is high, and while the dhampir might try and have Sypha along too, he doesn't dare to push it.
Gardening is a safe topic, and so he sticks with that. Spring sees early fruits of their labor with pea plants starting to push up from the ground, and now...
...he's been alone for two days, and much of it has been fussing at the strawberry patch that should produce fruit in the next few weeks. They've planted it away from Trevor's usual tracks as a bear, so the precious fruit isn't crushed. But somewhere in all of the fussing, the dhampir realizes that the den is unoccupied.]
Hm.
[He's wanted to explore it, because it is where Trevor always returns to. It can't just be practical, and so as Alucard walks back to the house, he passes the den with his bag of gardening tools in hand. Drops them, and yes, that's on purpose, he has an excuse.
The tools scatter, and more than one roll towards the fireplace. So Alucard trails after them, careful of where he steps. Trevor will smell him. It's a worthwhile risk.]
[ There are two noteworthy things about the fireplace. Iron hinges on each side presumably held a pair of doors to keep dogs out of the fire at one point. And the floor inside it has been built up over time, the corners between floor and wall rounded with packed dirt covered with furs.
The one other noteworthy thing is why that dirt is there - there are hundreds of those thorny vines crawling up from the ground, plastered over with dirt until just a little higher than where Trevor's body would be pressed against the walls to keep them from scratching him in his sleep. It's hard to see up into the chimney from here but it looks like they're growing upward in that direction and then into the brickwork to spread across the house. ]
The one other noteworthy thing is why that dirt is there - there are hundreds of those thorny vines crawling up from the ground, plastered over with dirt until just a little higher than where Trevor's body would be pressed against the walls to keep them from scratching him in his sleep. It's hard to see up into the chimney from here but it looks like they're growing upward in that direction and then into the brickwork to spread across the house. ]
[It's easy to ignore the iron. It's harder to walk carefully into the area, and so Alucard decides to float just a little bit, as to not disturb any of the furs. He is aware that this is Trevor's bedroom most days, and he's trying to be respectful.
The vines guide Alucard's eye upward though, and while he doesn't dare to to touch the thorns, he suspects that this element is important.]
Wait. No, if they originate here, then the origin is in the ground....
The vines guide Alucard's eye upward though, and while he doesn't dare to to touch the thorns, he suspects that this element is important.]
Wait. No, if they originate here, then the origin is in the ground....
[ It's not a large area. Big by the standards of fireplaces, yes. Big enough for Trevor to sleep in if he's curled up tightly. But Alucard could probably touch both opposite walls at the same time.
The thorns do indeed become thinner as they go upward, which suggests that the origin is below the dirt on the floor of the fireplace. There's no way to learn more without disturbing the earth and making the intrusion clear, but the dropped tool does happen to be a small trowel. ]
The thorns do indeed become thinner as they go upward, which suggests that the origin is below the dirt on the floor of the fireplace. There's no way to learn more without disturbing the earth and making the intrusion clear, but the dropped tool does happen to be a small trowel. ]
Shit. [Alucard breathes out, and floats down to his knees.] I'm sorry.
[Slender fingers disturb the furs, moving the trowel until it is gently wedged between fur, floor, and thorns. It's an elaborate and bullshit excuse for him to move everything, and...the trowel finds purchase in the dirt.
He keeps the area discreet. Small. Careful.]
[Slender fingers disturb the furs, moving the trowel until it is gently wedged between fur, floor, and thorns. It's an elaborate and bullshit excuse for him to move everything, and...the trowel finds purchase in the dirt.
He keeps the area discreet. Small. Careful.]
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