cryptsleeper | Catch All

[His friends would like that, returning to the castle to live out the rest of their lives with one, like themselves, who will not age and wither away.]

That won't be hard. I'll need to be out searching for his trail. He expects me to react to him, not to act on my own.

[It's what he's always done.]

Isaac was born in the desert, though he traveled before Dracula called upon his service. I could not tell you how he'd fare in water, but I do know I've never seen him forge anything aquatic. I've...dabbled. I studied the anatomy of everything I've been able to get my hands on, and I grew up on an island. Ocean creatures were in no short supply.

So perhaps water is to one's advantage. There's the Danube to the south, and the Black Sea to the east, although I cannot advise anything regarding human habitation in either area. I've...seen little of the world, for reasons you have probably already guessed.

[Being here, watching over it all, it isn't possible to follow his father's path of traveling. That has always ached in Alucard's heart, because there was so much more beyond Wallachia. He's never said a word about it though, not even to Trevor and Sypha.]

Constructs can hide in the water, for example, and perhaps might have a fairly high reach all things considered. I'd leave that to your best judgement. The presence of a wide ocean or stretch along the river would probably appeal to Isaac's sensibilities, based on what you've said.

[Hector nods. It might work. He could have his innocent devils lie beneath the water in ambush, if he could lure Isaac to the place of his choosing.]

I don't suppose there's still a forge in the castle. [He highly doubts it, but no harm in asking.]

And you know...if you can't leave the castle, make the castle move again. Then you can see the world, instead of sulking here. [He's a pot calling the kettle black, but Adrian has taken brooding to a new level. Case in point, it's been seven years and the dhampir still apparently hasn't gotten himself a damned dog.

Silver lining, at least if Hector's plan goes awry and he dies, it will get Alucard out of the house for a bit while he fetches Cesar and company.]

There is not. Those rooms were cleared out fairly early on in the process.

[There was a therapy in cleaning the castle room by room. It allowed for a confrontation of the past at every new point, and scrubbing away the worst parts of what transpired helped to make the place feel like home again. Where Alucard grew up. Where Trevor and Sypha could come back to and feel welcome, rather than the weight of Dracula's horrible demon castle that claimed the lives of so many of Trevor's ancestors.

To the comment about the castle's movement, there's a softer, more contemplative look to Alucard's face. Then a short, sharp noise that might be a laugh under a better topic of conversation.]

We've been trying to make that happen again. It's...[he shakes his head slowly.] We'll get there, in time. But not right now. Your news means we have a new priority.

[Hector doesn't miss the 'we's. That's good, if only because it means Adrian won't have been driven mad with loneliness and go off to steal his dogs at the first opportunity. Long term borrow, his ass.]

I'll make do without it, then. Your getting this castle mobile might still be the best place for you to focus. Hard to Isaac to lay siege to what he can't pin down. And if there's...

...[He has to force himself to say it.]

If there are any remains in the castle, you have to keep them from him. [There is nothing Isaac would stop at to see Dracula returned.]

[Hey, he gave them back without a fuss Hector!]

It may very well be decades off. The only comfort in if it is mobile again, I don't believe Isaac is the man who could figure out the complex spellwork and level of will to pin it down a second time.

[Hector's next few words cause Alucard to go entirely still. The little color that he has in his face is gone. There's hardly any breath that comes out of him, and for a moment that feels much longer, Alucard closes his eyes. It doesn't help him process the horror of the information, but it at least shows how seriously he's taken the warning.

His next few words are barely audible.]

There was only his wedding ring.

[Complex spells and will. No, it’s not the type of magic Isaac and Hector work with.]

It’s a shame the castle’s not alive in a way you could just ask it what needs to be done. [A surprising amount of necromancy is asking a broken thing if it wants to be alive again- most things do- and then giving it a body that it believes could function again. Hector’s never had a head for the layers of rituals and tedious chanting that seem to go hand in hand with enchanting objects.

Hector looks away, gives Adrian as much privacy as he can without leaving the kitchen. The ring...a fitting memento, but likely not an easy one for his son to possess.]

Nothing evil could be made from that. If there’s any fragment of spirit attached to it, it...wouldn’t be the piece Isaac is after.

[Hector is terrible at comforting anything that doesn’t walk around on four legs, but he can at least offer that tiny bit of reassurance.]

[ His hips still when it becomes clear that’s what Alucard is asking of him, even if he isn’t clear on the reasons. Instead he just falls against Alucard, legs still coiled around his waist and hands in his hair, breathing slow and heavy and deliberate. It’s more than blood. It’s acceptance of the first thing he ever offered Alucard. It’s trust, for both of them. It’s choosing on his own terms which parts of himself to give to whom (all of him, and to the two of them) and not having that taken from him.

And it’s cool lips warmed by his own blood and skin moving over his own warm, flushed flesh. He swallows back the more undignified of the sounds he’s about to make, instead just sighing. ]

I suppose it would ruin this if I said anything about playing with your food.

[Alucard's kisses to Trevor's neck trail up to just under his jawline and chin, every single one hungry in it's own way. He has a hand on the wound, applying pressure to slow the bleeding and then--]

I would wake up immediately and refuse to talk to you for a week.

[They're words breathed out against Trevor's neck, but the heat in them is angry rather than aroused. Genuinely meant, because Trevor Belmont you're going to ruin a moment.

And what a moment it is. Alucard would be a liar if he said having Trevor in his lap like this, wrapped around him, fingers in his hair, wasn't his favorite position. God. God the heat just wrapped around his body threatens to be too much.]

The magic used for it isn't....no. Life would be much easier if that was the kind of magic laid in it's foundations.

[Alucard knows that the research into how the castle moved in the first place is slow going. What his father wrote down was minimal, and it makes perfect sense that that's the case. The castle was an extension of himself in all ways. Why would he ever need to write down what he knew. He wasn't going to share any of it, until Lisa of Lupu arrived at the door.

There's a long, sobering sigh from Alucard as the discussion returns to his father's remains. There's so much horror wrapped in the thought, but in it...

...there. An idea.]

Perhaps that's the key to baiting him though. He doesn't know that there aren't any remains, and he'll doubtlessly know that you were here for a time.

[ He bows his head, resting it against Alucard’s, hot breath against his neck. ]

Good job I’m not going to do that, then. It’s a close thing, but I think I love you more than I love saying stupid shit.

[ He tests the shoulder at the bitten side. A little pain when he moves it, a dull ache. Nothing unpleasant. And even it it were, this isn’t real. He lifts his head again for a moment, just enough to kiss Alucard’s cheek quickly. The contrast between that kiss and everything else right now is sharp. It’s quick, chaste, light. ]

I’ll keep the comments about having part of me inside you for a little while longer.

....Belmont.

[It's a groan. Fond, yes, but still a groan that is not impressed at all with this dirty talk. However, the kiss is a good opportunity to indicate maybe shut up, and so Alucard chases after that kiss with one of his own.

One that's far hungrier, tinged with copper when lips meet lips, when tongue tries to indicate that right now, it'd like to be welcomed into a familiar space. Under other circumstances, Alucard might consider what tasting one's own blood in a kiss would be light. Right now though? He just doesn't want the rest of this ruined.]

[ This time, he can tell that he needs to quit. Even if he doesn’t understand what the problem is, he needs to stop doing this thing. The last name is clear enough about that. The kiss is less a message and more a tempting alternative.

It’s strange, tasting his own blood. Hardly the first time, but still strange. Makes him feel like he’s just been punched, but kind of in a good way. His tongue first flicks against Alucard’s, and then drags along its underside, inviting it in. ]

[He'll explain in the morning. Pressed up against Trevor's side, thinking of little else but perhaps making dreams reality.

Alucard absolutely groans into Trevor's mouth at the touch of the tongue, and he then is so, so happy to accept that invitation. There's no slowness as Alucard deepens the kiss, and far more importantly, the hand that was trying to keep Trevor's hips still releases it's grip. It moves to grab at Trevor's backside instead, aware that it means scratches but not caring terribly much.]

[ He is, at first, too stunned by the kiss to take proper advantage of his newfound freedom. The intensity of it is overwhelming. The hand on his arse reminds him that he cam move again, and his legs coil tighter around Alucard’s waist.

As he continues to stroke his tongue against Alucards, inviting him to prolong the kiss, he finds himself positioned against Alucard’s groin. He moves back and forth against it, rubbing himself against Alucard’s torso as he does. ]

[Alucard's hips immediately respond in kind. The movement of then is uncontrolled. Messy. Definitely not the tender thing from earlier, more just driven by heat. Just as his hand is when it grabs Trevor's arse hard.

He does prolong the kiss though. Doesn't break until he needs air, and even then it's more like he's pulled away for only a moment before returning to where he was before.

Somewhere in all of it though, it occurs to Alucard that as much as he loves being like this, how perfect it is having Trevor around him just so, that it isn't what he wants. Not tonight. So slowly, so slowly, he begins to lean back into all of the soft things beneath.]

[Hector tries to imagine Isaac's reaction to the news of Dracula's body surviving.]

If he could be convinced, his eagerness could make him careless. He isn't the type to jump at unfounded rumors, though. And... if we do lay that bait, he won't be the only one to scent it. It would invite other would-be servants and sycophants to seek them out, hoping to revive their dark lord.

[Hector will pay any price within his power for revenge against Isaac, but he won't ask Adrian to bear such a cost. Finding Hector without Dracula's remains, they would turn their search to the castle before long.]

There would be wisdom in removing them as well.

[Anyone foolish enough to look at his father's madness and see it as a boon rather than the horrible outpouring of grief it was deserves nothing less, as far as Alucard's concerned. He knows where the ring is at all times (it is around his neck), and as long as that is the case, then any true attempts at revival ought to fail.

But it'd be too sloppy to actually allow for such a thing to come to pass.]

That is a secondary matter. Let us return focus on the matter of Isaac. As willingly as I'd give you a jar from this house to claim it an urn, there could be other routes as well.

How much would it take to convince him though, do you believe?

I don't know. [Hector rubs his hands over his face. Now that he's sat and eaten, his body is remembering how tired it is. He pushes past it.]

He's always been clever, and I doubt the past years have made him less wary. It would need to be done carefully. If I was seen leaving the castle with the urn, and I did not immediately begin to pursue Isaac's trail...

[What would be the steps he would take, if he were actually conducting the revival? He traces a finger along the table, as if looking at an invisible map.]

Turn my feet toward somewhere where I could forge without interruption, gather up the material components....

[He begins to see the snags.] Just ash and bone wouldn't be enough. It would take other components...[no, call them what they are]...corpses...and he would take notice that I wasn't collecting them. Besides, I don't know if he'd believe you'd relinquish your father's remains to me, nor that I'd stolen them and come out of it completely unscathed.

[It feels hopeless, and he lets out a long sigh.] He knows me a traitor...maybe if he thought I was taking them hide them away from him, rather than to use for my own designs. He might intervene then.

Let's sieze upon that last part first: take them away and keep them away. [It's simple, and would make the man angry. Perhaps no less clever and paranoid, but it is a place to build.]

That would allow for a certain need to move, out and away, both from Isaac and from the rest of civilization, in order to protect the so-called remains from anyone with similar designs. [The last two words are said with an underlying darkness and disgust. Alucard really, really could have lived without this information. Or fear, if he is to be honest with himself.]

So that also means away from graveyards and places of execution, in order to avoid what would be required for the work. As for the success of theft, that's what magic is for. It'd be easy enough to make it appear that you left this place after a struggle.

[At that, Alucard pauses, realizing something else.]

But you would need to be pursued in order to have the whole thing work. Which would also be a form of insurance against Isaac's life continuing should this ruse fail.

Edited 2019-07-17 12:10 (UTC)

I could make a break for Bralia, to find passage on a boat to put running water between myself and my pursuers.

[He’d hoped never to see the place again, but fate is often ironic and rarely kind.]

Before I came to Wallachia, I lived on an island off of Rhodes. If I’m not ambushed on route, it could serve as the ground to lay the snare.

[It was a quiet place with few human inhabitants, which had been why Hector had settled there in the first place.]

I’ll trust the magic to you, but for the rest.... [Alucard, from what he knows of him, does not leave the castle, and he assumes that if the Belmont was around, Hector would not be sitting peacefully in Adrian’s kitchen.]

Who would you send after me? Did any of the night creatures return here to serve you? [A small portion of himself is oddly hopeful. Monstrosities though they are, he can’t help feel a little fond for the memory of the things he created. A larger portion is just hoping it’s not the Belmont Adrian has in mind. Hector needs to live long enough to kill Isaac.]

[ The grip is bruising, the kind of thing that would wake him up if he didn't want it, would leave a mark were any of this real. Not that he'd mind a few bruises, not if they end up looking half as pretty as the one on Alucard's neck.

He uncoils his legs from around Alucard's waist to allow him to lay down, trying to move down with him to avoid breaking the kiss. He fails eventually, when the need for air returns and he can't quite resume the kiss after pulling away while they're both moving. Instead, he just- looks at his vampire for a little while as he lies back. His almost-perfect, beautiful not-husband. Safe where he ought to be, even if only like this. He's knelt above Alucard, now, knees straddling his hips, and he leans forward.

To put one of the lilacs that fell out of his hair during the kissing back into place, at first. It's a soft gesture after the passion of only seconds before. And it's absolutely calculated to contrast as much as possible with what follows. His mouth goes to that bruise on Alucard's neck, nipping and sucking at the same place over the pulse, all teeth and tongue. At the same time, his hands go downward, feeling for how to undo Alucard's trousers and instead 'accidentally' rubbing him through them. ]

[Alucard doesn't even register that his grip is at bruising force. He's too invested in getting Trevor exactly where he wants him to be, hair fanning out behind him as a ridiculous golden cascade that is still studded with flowers. There's still a smear of blood over his lips, and for all the world, he is content in this moment.

When air is finally needed (and they both really do need it), Alucard takes the time afforded to appreciate what Trevor looks like right now. Whole, albeit shirtless, wings visible and glowing in the moon light, antlers perfect and present. It's a sight well worth staring at, and he reaches up to put his hand on Trevor's chest and enjoy the feeling of flesh against flesh.

That hand stays where it is as Trevor leans down, and his other returns to Trevor's hip. Fingers slip past fabric, brushing against skin, but none of it is as calculated as Trevor's next move. There is a sharp, delighted gasp as Trevor's lips return to the bruise on his neck, and Alucard makes sure to arch upward and away so that there's more skin to be spoiled rotten.

The trousers only have two buttons. Nothing elaborate or fancy. And with that exploration, Alucard's hips roll forward, clearly trying to help find the buttons.]

Bralia would be poetic as well, all things considered. I'm sure the location's significance would not escape Isaac's attention.

[So much of Dracula's defeat and death was wrapped up in that city. Alucard can't possibly know that it is the same space where Carmilla asserted her control over the forgemaster entirely, but if he did, it'd only reinforce his opinion that it is the correct location because of how it resounds in this ghoulish tale.]

Then it'd be wise to go from Bralia to Istanbul, and then Istanbul to Rhodes. It's an all sea route save for the stops in cities along the coast, and the Ottomans have trade routes to the west. All of it's established, it's genuinely just a matter of catching boats at the right time.

[Alucard knows what books to rely on. He's no spellcaster, but he has watched Sypha for so many years now. Working viewing mirrors, that he comprehends. It'll be an attempt, and if worst comes to worst, then they simply make the injuries real. It isn't the ideal solution, but it is available to them all the same.]

No, no night creature returned here. [But more to the point: they wouldn't have been welcome. This is a house allied with the Belmonts these days, there'd be no having it.]

I can track your progress through remote viewing. I...will speak to Trevor and Sypha about the rest. It may be that Sypha and I follow after you for a time. [Trevor is Trevor, after all.]

Yes, it will appeal to him.

[He'll say no more than that. If Hector has his way, no one else will ever know the full significance of Bralia, but the name is sure to prick Isaac's ears. Hopefully the confrontation will not come until later. He imagines that after this amount of time, the surviving townspeople have rebuilt and resumed their lives there. Rosaly would have cared about their plight, and so he now had to care in her absence.]

I'll barter passage on vessels with the smallest crews I can find. That won't raise any suspicion. [The sailors will still be in danger, but at least the chance for collateral damage will be limited. Besides, the fewer people he has to interact with, the better. That is something that hasn't changed over the years.

He exhales a long breath.] Of course. [He mentally reconciles 'Trevor' and 'Syphia' with 'The Belmont' and 'The Speaker'. The arrangement Adrian proposes is the lesser of the evils, everything considered.]

It sounds like you have your plan in hand. The last thing to figure out is, how long should it take me to find what I seek here? I must have some time to conjured my creatures, whether it be here or on the route to Bralia.

Catch All

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