[ Reigniting the flame without Sypha is easier said than done. The weight at his feet is immense, but somehow he finds the flint and steel, striking one against the other until something catches. The wrong thing. From the smell, he can tell it's one of the furs that line the ground.
It'll do. Reaching out blindly, he finds the edges of the fire pit and tosses the fur into it, waiting for the light to spread across the room. ]
The sun will rise. The sun will always rise.
[ He whispers it, the belief that fuels Leon, until a pale face is visible close to the fire. Light glints off armour as he struggles to materialise in the darkness. ]
[The flame expands once Leon is present. The light doesn't exactly fill the darkness, but it is steady and it burns white hot, allowing for a greater warmth than Dracula might ever allow.
But in that same light, the weight around Trevor's feet (giant bat wings, as it turns out) retreat. All of it serves Dracula's tall and imposing figure though, and there is no hiding the anger on his face, the tension at his shoulders, or how his cape also falls like great wings.]
Again, our children's choices have forced us here.
[ Trevor's first action is to look around, to see if he can find Alucard and Sypha. Leon looks around, too, but only enough to be certain that this is not an emergency (Dracula's presence alone does not mean an emergency) before sitting calmly by the fire. ]
So it would seem. It sounds like you have concerns.
[Dracula remains standing. Dracula does not sit near Belmonts, he does not trust them on that front. His eyes remain on them both, clearly expecting this to turn sour in all but a moment.]
When do I not?
[There's no weariness in the statement, but that exhaustion of this on going situation (which! he thought he addressed just fine!) does creep in as one hour becomes two. In all of that time, Trevor is kept in that tiny little dark bubble with Leon and Dracula, if only to bear witness to where the agreement settles, what it contains, and to ensure that there is another party to back up Leon's safety when it all concludes.
Because it does. That claiming is required chafes at Dracula, because of course it does. The most powerful vampire in the world having to bow to another's laws alone is enough to cause such a reaction, but having to trust his son to a house that has tried to murder him more than once is almost too much to bear. (Perhaps that's the real price, the kind of price the Queen adores.)
But Dracula is spiteful all the same. Leon must claim the dhampir, not Trevor. That's the origin of this, I refuse it on principle.
And there is ground gained. If anything disastrous happens, there will be a time to explain, and then if guilt between one party or the other is greater, then things shall be decided. There is no mutual burden of failure. But that possibly raises the stakes more.
The darkness fades, and with it, Dracula himself. It leaves Trevor and Leon standing in the cave, Sypha barely moved from her spot and Alucard...
...on the ceiling, as only a bat, curled up and tiny.]
[ Sypha remains furious. Even when Trevor drops to the ground on his hands and knees, gasping for air, and she leaps to her feet to attend to him she remains at least as furious as she is concerned. Leon just looks up calmly. ]
We have business to attend to. You ought to be a shape that can speak.
[The bat responds by wiggling it's far too big ears, showing that yes, he's heard everything. (He did not hear anything. His father dropped the information cold into his head. He doesn't like that either but right now, Alucard can't think of anything he likes.
Leon's also here, so that also makes everything about ten times more terrifying in his book.
But Alucard does drop from the ceiling, landing neatly as a man again. He looks mostly exhausted, redness around his eyes, and his own instinct is to move to Sypha rather than to take care of what must be done.]
[ The gasping turns to coughing turns to heaving, thankfully unproductive, as Trevor works through the last few hours of terror. Even Sypha’s fury is put aside for the moment, one hand rubbing circles over his back to try to calm him. Leon looks down with some compassion before looking up again, offering a hand to Alucard. ]
I lay claim to you. Any of my kind who would challenge this claim must first pay a toll. The price must be decided by your Speaker companion, by day, or your father by night. This arrangement will end when you so choose. Consent you to these terms?
[It is out of instinct that the vampire also moves towards Trevor. His words still sting (Go. Home.), they'll sting for some time to come, but Sypha has it covered. And now he can't wonder if any of this was worth it , because too much has been done to try and make this so.
He exhales, like that might take some of the situation's tension away.
It fails, and all he can do is nod.]
Yes.
[His eyes are on Trevor and Sypha when he takes Leon's hand. That hand trembles, because Leon is still a nightmare.]
Alucard doesn't know if he's allowed any closer to the other two. But he moves closer all the same, his hand reaching out to rest on Trevor's shoulder.
It's a feather light touch. One that can be shrugged off easily.]
[ There are tears in his eyes, by now, from difficulty breathing. He's unhurt, of course. Just afraid. Just more afraid than he he's been in his life. The next cough brings up a few moths, the one after that a few more, and they're momentarily stunned by the impact of it before they fly away.
He looks up when Alucard touches him, then flinches away. He looks the way he did after that first encounter with Dracula's wards and Lisa's presence. Terrified, but more than that betrayed. ]
You didn't tell me. You knew there was nothing I could do. You knew your father was asking the impossible. You knew that she could have died, and it would be my fault. And you didn't tell me.
[ His tone starts at terror. It moves though fury and sorrow and ends at nothing at all, flat and lifeless. Another cough releases a few more moths as his body tries to turn itself inside out in his desire to be anywhere but right here. ]
[Because until they made their decision, Alucard was not allowed to argue for. Or against. Or anything.
He's seen Trevor come undone before, and in the past there was a sense of security from it. Now? Now with that flinch there is nothing worse than this moment. Not for Trevor's words and their truth, but because if their roles were reversed, he'd feel the same way. Sypha? Sypha's more important than either of them.
Alucard backs away. He's not welcome here. All of this may be settled, but he isn't welcome, so he should leave.
He's a wolf with just another step. A wolf that turns, heading towards the cave's mouth.
[ Sypha gives chase, one hand on Alucard's back for just a moment before Trevor gives one last cough and moths flood from his mouth, his body withering away into nothing. She sighs out something uncharacteristically vulgar as the plauge of moths leaves the cave. ]
Tomorrow. [ She says, running fingers through Alucard's fur. ] Come back tomorrow. We'll try again.
[He does not return tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the third.
It is only after sunset on the fourth that Alucard comes back, and he does not dare to enter the space willingly, or as a person. There is instead just a white wolf that appears, and it settles down at the mouth of the cave, careful to avoid the large mud puddle that is beside him.
But he does no more. He may still be unwelcome, and that would be within their rights to do so. Being back at all is terrifying. He can't even articulate how scared he is to even be trying again, and it's why he has settled on this form rather than being a human at the moment. Things are...they're easier like this.]
[ After the first day, they take the medicine. Nothing. It's happened before that they've been unable to reach him in dreams, but never so consistently. By the time Alucard does meet with them, what belongings are in their little cave are packed away. They're preparing to move on. To go back to the heart of Wallachia instead of out here on the borders, to go and find their fucking boyfriend.
Trevor is weaving, his moths crawling over one of Sypha's old robes and patching holes. He can tell Alucard is there, but he doesn't look up. It's Sypha who takes notice of him first, breaking the heavy silence of the cave first with a happy 'You're back!' and then turning back to Trevor. ]
Stay there. Put down the robe, but don't leave and don't turn into anything else.
[ There's steel to it. An order. His hands move mechanically, putting the robe aside and finally looking up, staring at Alucard through the fire. ]
[Alucard doesn't move from his spot. The most he does is lift up his head and shift so that he is looking at Sypha. There's a tilt to his head, the kind any dog makes when they're confused, unsure, or trying to angle their ears better so that they can hear.
He had refused them in dreams because he needed his own space to digest that disaster of a night.
There's a soft snuffle that soon follows, one that roughly translates to are you both sure? He noted Trevor's muted reaction, pointed not looking. If that's how it'll be, then he refuses to be a person again.]
[ There's a note of warning to her voice, betraying upset beneath her welcoming. She walks over to Alucard, stroking his head and trying to lead him into the cave. Trevor doesn't move. Just when it seems like Sypha's going to have to drag words out of the both of them, he speaks. ]
He gave me an option - to see that you don't see me again for as long as you live, and she won't suffer for any of my failures. If he threatens her again, I intend to take it.
I wouldn't. But it's already clear to me that while I can account for obvious harm, I look over implicit or insideous threats. That is worse.
[Every word makes the dhampir sink lower. He hurts. Every part of him is screaming now, and all he can do is look to Sypha. The end is the end. He'll leave in a few minutes, but it's wrong to only have the two of them speaking when this involves all three.]
You hold as much sway as either of us here. What is your take on all of this?
I should think I hold more sway than anyone, if I am the one being discussed here.
[ Has Sypha been just waiting to be asked her opinion? Absolutely. ]
I think I am a grown person, and perfectly capable of deciding to take my own risks. I want you to stay. Whatever consequences come of it we face together.
[He's lived with that fear his entire life. Alucard knows it's why his parents act the way they do, part of why his father is....just like this. He aches because all of this comes from a place of truly good intent. It'd be impossible for him not to.
But his doubts and concerns aren't as important as Trevor's. So he remains quiet so that what Trevor needs is given to him. Sypha knows the Belmont better than the dhampir, after all. She's far better equipped for this moment.]
And whatever I need to learn to make up for past failings, I will learn quickly.
[ Trevor's response is just a quiet grumble. Sypha releases his chin to instead jab a finger at his cheek. It's mostly playful, though there's a little annoyance there at both of her stupid boyfriends acting like she's made of glass. ]
You need to speak up. My fragile mortal ears didn't quite catch that.
[ He doesn't repeat himself right away, so she jabs at him a few more times. ]
I said I can't fucking move! So either you need to let me go over there or he needs to come over here!
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It'll do. Reaching out blindly, he finds the edges of the fire pit and tosses the fur into it, waiting for the light to spread across the room. ]
The sun will rise. The sun will always rise.
[ He whispers it, the belief that fuels Leon, until a pale face is visible close to the fire. Light glints off armour as he struggles to materialise in the darkness. ]
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But in that same light, the weight around Trevor's feet (giant bat wings, as it turns out) retreat. All of it serves Dracula's tall and imposing figure though, and there is no hiding the anger on his face, the tension at his shoulders, or how his cape also falls like great wings.]
Again, our children's choices have forced us here.
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So it would seem. It sounds like you have concerns.
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When do I not?
[There's no weariness in the statement, but that exhaustion of this on going situation (which! he thought he addressed just fine!) does creep in as one hour becomes two. In all of that time, Trevor is kept in that tiny little dark bubble with Leon and Dracula, if only to bear witness to where the agreement settles, what it contains, and to ensure that there is another party to back up Leon's safety when it all concludes.
Because it does. That claiming is required chafes at Dracula, because of course it does. The most powerful vampire in the world having to bow to another's laws alone is enough to cause such a reaction, but having to trust his son to a house that has tried to murder him more than once is almost too much to bear. (Perhaps that's the real price, the kind of price the Queen adores.)
But Dracula is spiteful all the same. Leon must claim the dhampir, not Trevor. That's the origin of this, I refuse it on principle.
And there is ground gained. If anything disastrous happens, there will be a time to explain, and then if guilt between one party or the other is greater, then things shall be decided. There is no mutual burden of failure. But that possibly raises the stakes more.
The darkness fades, and with it, Dracula himself. It leaves Trevor and Leon standing in the cave, Sypha barely moved from her spot and Alucard...
...on the ceiling, as only a bat, curled up and tiny.]
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We have business to attend to. You ought to be a shape that can speak.
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Leon's also here, so that also makes everything about ten times more terrifying in his book.
But Alucard does drop from the ceiling, landing neatly as a man again. He looks mostly exhausted, redness around his eyes, and his own instinct is to move to Sypha rather than to take care of what must be done.]
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I lay claim to you. Any of my kind who would challenge this claim must first pay a toll. The price must be decided by your Speaker companion, by day, or your father by night. This arrangement will end when you so choose. Consent you to these terms?
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He exhales, like that might take some of the situation's tension away.
It fails, and all he can do is nod.]
Yes.
[His eyes are on Trevor and Sypha when he takes Leon's hand. That hand trembles, because Leon is still a nightmare.]
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[ And he boops the vampires’s nose before pulling his hand away. Because of course he does. ]
It is done.
[ With that, he’s gone. The three of them are alone again. ]
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Alucard doesn't know if he's allowed any closer to the other two. But he moves closer all the same, his hand reaching out to rest on Trevor's shoulder.
It's a feather light touch. One that can be shrugged off easily.]
...Trevor? Sypha?
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He looks up when Alucard touches him, then flinches away. He looks the way he did after that first encounter with Dracula's wards and Lisa's presence. Terrified, but more than that betrayed. ]
You didn't tell me. You knew there was nothing I could do. You knew your father was asking the impossible. You knew that she could have died, and it would be my fault. And you didn't tell me.
[ His tone starts at terror. It moves though fury and sorrow and ends at nothing at all, flat and lifeless. Another cough releases a few more moths as his body tries to turn itself inside out in his desire to be anywhere but right here. ]
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[Because until they made their decision, Alucard was not allowed to argue for. Or against. Or anything.
He's seen Trevor come undone before, and in the past there was a sense of security from it. Now? Now with that flinch there is nothing worse than this moment. Not for Trevor's words and their truth, but because if their roles were reversed, he'd feel the same way. Sypha? Sypha's more important than either of them.
Alucard backs away. He's not welcome here. All of this may be settled, but he isn't welcome, so he should leave.
He's a wolf with just another step. A wolf that turns, heading towards the cave's mouth.
Go home.]
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Tomorrow. [ She says, running fingers through Alucard's fur. ] Come back tomorrow. We'll try again.
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It is only after sunset on the fourth that Alucard comes back, and he does not dare to enter the space willingly, or as a person. There is instead just a white wolf that appears, and it settles down at the mouth of the cave, careful to avoid the large mud puddle that is beside him.
But he does no more. He may still be unwelcome, and that would be within their rights to do so. Being back at all is terrifying. He can't even articulate how scared he is to even be trying again, and it's why he has settled on this form rather than being a human at the moment. Things are...they're easier like this.]
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Trevor is weaving, his moths crawling over one of Sypha's old robes and patching holes. He can tell Alucard is there, but he doesn't look up. It's Sypha who takes notice of him first, breaking the heavy silence of the cave first with a happy 'You're back!' and then turning back to Trevor. ]
Stay there. Put down the robe, but don't leave and don't turn into anything else.
[ There's steel to it. An order. His hands move mechanically, putting the robe aside and finally looking up, staring at Alucard through the fire. ]
Come in, come in!
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He had refused them in dreams because he needed his own space to digest that disaster of a night.
There's a soft snuffle that soon follows, one that roughly translates to are you both sure? He noted Trevor's muted reaction, pointed not looking. If that's how it'll be, then he refuses to be a person again.]
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[ There's a note of warning to her voice, betraying upset beneath her welcoming. She walks over to Alucard, stroking his head and trying to lead him into the cave. Trevor doesn't move. Just when it seems like Sypha's going to have to drag words out of the both of them, he speaks. ]
He gave me an option - to see that you don't see me again for as long as you live, and she won't suffer for any of my failures. If he threatens her again, I intend to take it.
[ His voice is quiet, emotionless. ]
I won't sacrifice her for you.
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Somewhere in all of that, a flick of his ear perhaps, he is human again. He is still listening.
When Trevor finishes, he nods.)
Nor should you.
(He is so still.)
Is it worth me staying then?
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[ He hangs his head. ]
You let him cut you open. You let him drag her into this stupid trap. If he hurt her, would you let him?
[ And he finally looks up, managing to meet Alucard's eyes. It's difficult. ]
If you would let him hurt her, you should leave. I was wrong. You've had a cage all this time, and you should go back to it.
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[Every word makes the dhampir sink lower. He hurts. Every part of him is screaming now, and all he can do is look to Sypha. The end is the end. He'll leave in a few minutes, but it's wrong to only have the two of them speaking when this involves all three.]
You hold as much sway as either of us here. What is your take on all of this?
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[ Has Sypha been just waiting to be asked her opinion? Absolutely. ]
I think I am a grown person, and perfectly capable of deciding to take my own risks. I want you to stay. Whatever consequences come of it we face together.
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If my presence is a problem, I can try to ensure you simply don't see me in the evenings.
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[ He can't move closer, so he just curls in upon himself uselessly. ]
I'm terrified. I don't care if he kills my sisters or I- we'll come back. Even if we don't, this is what we were born for. But Sypha's-
[ She's special. She's mortal. She deserves better. She's moving over to lift his chin to force him to look her in the eyes. ]
You don't control me, Belmont. This is my choice to make.
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[He's lived with that fear his entire life. Alucard knows it's why his parents act the way they do, part of why his father is....just like this. He aches because all of this comes from a place of truly good intent. It'd be impossible for him not to.
But his doubts and concerns aren't as important as Trevor's. So he remains quiet so that what Trevor needs is given to him. Sypha knows the Belmont better than the dhampir, after all. She's far better equipped for this moment.]
And whatever I need to learn to make up for past failings, I will learn quickly.
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You need to speak up. My fragile mortal ears didn't quite catch that.
[ He doesn't repeat himself right away, so she jabs at him a few more times. ]
I said I can't fucking move! So either you need to let me go over there or he needs to come over here!
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