i would not dare take anything more from Lord Dracula.
[ There's recognition in Trevor's eyes, at that. His senses are too dulled by pain and the loss of his antlers to recognise Alucard, but he can just about hear that name. Is that where he's being taken? To Dracula? Shit. What if Dracula interprets this as a failure? What if he punishes Sypha for his own being captured?
While the merchant speaks, he reaches blindly at the table of papers nearby, for that blank page written in magic ink. That, he can give to him. Use it to bargain, maybe. There's information there that Dracula would want to see.
The merchant turns back too soon, and he has to withdraw his hand quickly to avoid being caught. ]
You've failed to state the price. I do not accept any offer until I have reviewed that and any other paperwork.
[He wants to get out of here and rush it, but that was the problem the first time he had to make some kind of choice that could get the other two hurt, wasn't it? He had to force Trevor to summon Leon to negotiate a better deal.
[ The merchant turns, assembling a stack of papers. Instructions for proper control of Trevor's kind. All of the information that he's been able to gather that makes this look like a good deal, and none of what might make it seem unfavourable. Trevor can just about tell whats going on and when the merchant turns back to confirm the price of the antlers and wings, to knock down the cost by that much, he slips that blank paper into the stack. No need for the ink to reveal the words, Dracula will find a way.
Trading in fairies and forgemasters is one thing. Trading in young fledglings is information that Dracula might want to know. It's not much, but it's the only thing he has to offer.
The merchant writes down his price on the top page, handing the small stack of papers to Alucard. ]
Please, take all the time you like. I should warn you, however, that there are other interested buyers. I can hold him a little while as a favour to your master, but not for too long.
[It's an automatic question as Alucard watches the papers be assembled. He doesn't care about the rest of it. Just tell him the sodding price and let the matter be absolutely done for.
He waits though, as patient as he can manage given the circumstances. It's not much, and there's a low rumbling fire of anger that's threatening to erupt.
Then he sees the price, and it almost does.]
This is more coin than I have on my person at the moment.
[ The merchant considers, then shakes his head. He wants Dracula as a customer, but he can't go lower than that. It's rare to come across a fairy so easily captured. ]
Take the papers, then. Have your master look through them. I'm sure he will find our price to be very reasonable. My market will be here for another two days, and I will hold him for that long.
[Alucard squints. He then reaches into his coat's inner pocket, and he takes out a small bag. There's a straight up pound of gold in there, and he deposits it on the table.]
Our words are worth their weight. I expect yours will be as well.
He returns just before sunrise. The in between hours involved returning home and bursting into a rage that if Alucard squinted, seemed to put a look on his father's face that was closer to proud than anything else. It was hidden by his own blank face at the ton of paperwork, and the fury that such trafficking was on going without his say so.
That was a matter to attend to in the near future.
Alucard places bags down. All gold, all with their exact weights labeled in Dracula's meticulous handwriting. The timing is on purpose - to force a quick sale, and to get Trevor out as soon as possible.]
[ The merchant seems equal parts surprised and delighted at the quick return. A quick sale is always a good thing, after all, and the speed implies an interest in his wares that he wouldn't dare hope for from Dracula himself.
Oh, it'll mean that he has to stop trading in Dracula's own subjects. But the opportunities! With both Dracula and his rival as clients- a few words in the right ears, a little work digging up forgemasters, and he can be arming both sides of a war. The potential profits!
He grins. ]
It would seem we have a deal, then. A moment - I know your time is short.
[ Alucard is obviously a full vampire, after all, with limited time before sunrise. Once again, he drags Trevor out. He hands a chain attached to the brindle to Alucard, and takes one of Trevor's arms. Upon it he writes 'you will follow the buyer's instructions' before offering the quill and a bottle of ink to Alucard as well. ]
He will do as you say for as long as the writing remains in place. If it fades, simply write a new order. Do not let him speak unless you are confident that you can have him make a promise with you - his kind are wont to trap people in bargains.
The missing parts will grow back within a few months. You will have until then to have him swear loyalty to your master. After that, the ink and iron should not be needed.
[Every inch of this is Wrong. It was something Alucard knew the moment he arrived, and he saw that concern reflected on his father's face as well. He had caught onto something else, something deeply concerning, but whatever it was, he was not about to share.
His hands are rock steady as he is handed the chain. He wants to wretch from the idea, and he knows that the only advantage with him now is that a) he can spirit them both away quickly and b) he can remain after sunrise. Just this once.]
I understand. Forgive me if I must speed my departure.
[That means nothing like a handshake to seal this cursed deal or anything of the sort. That is to Alucard's personal preference, but why would he want to touch the man who's done this to Trevor?
There's that cold, commanding voice of compulsion that he employs instead of relying on any other instruction. He doesn't wish to deal with anything else.]
Come along then.
[In his single moment of lucidity, he had contacted Sypha. Told her to be at the cave and that nothing was good. But that had been all.]
[ Finally, finally he is close enough to see Alucard properly. To recognise his voice. His eyes go wide for just a moment, but nothing more.
(No sudden movements, over the palm of one hand. It was intended to keep him from escaping, but now it's useful. He can't, physically can't, reveal that he's recognised Alucard.)
He follows. He isn't sure he'd be capable of it were he not under orders, but it isn't a matter of what he can do. It's a matter of what he must. Soon the noise of the market fades, and there is only him and Alucard and the sunrise. ]
[Alucard keeps walking. They're not out of sight of the market yet, and in any other place, any other space, he'd be wresting the chains off and embracing Trevor.
But there are eyes still on them, and so that means walking a while more, until a dark little corner of the forest appears, and Alucard knows that it is all he needs. He murmurs the same words that have helped him before, for the dead travel fast, and the dark tunnel appears.
It's a risk, taking Trevor through the dark space meant for the dead. But it is the quickest route to Sypha, and that is all that matters. There is silence, and the tunnel moves them through it quickly, depositing them both at the mouth of the cave that has provided the three quiet shelter over the winter months.
There's no good way to announce himself, and so Alucard lets all the panic and fear and fury out in one awful swoop.]
[ This isn't a place where he belongs. Moths try to detach from him, dying with every second spent here, but they can't. The iron renders their corpses part of him, dead and rotting things stuck inside him. The journey is mercifully short.
Sypha is with them in seconds, hands fumbling with the wires that hold the bridle in place. It's not as well made as it would be were using heat in its construction on option, and so despite the lack of an obvious way to undo it she has it removed quickly. The thing in his mouth comes away bloody - a thin spike lanced through his tongue to keep it in place.
Trevor himself doesn't move except to sing forward slightly in relief. He waits for further instructions, blue-green blood dribbling from one corner of his mouth. ]
[Alucard runs towards one of the alcoves first, grabbing the nearest fur and then running back with it. He's using vampire speed for the action, only because it's important. They have to undo the spellwork, but that'll take time. For now, for now comfort is king.
He drapes the heavy fur around Trevor's shoulder and starts to guide him inside, saying nothing but his grip well, like iron.]
You're here. You're safe.
[Alucard's voice trembles. He doesn't know how true the words really are.]
We're going to get the iron off first, then undo all of the spells, okay?
[He uses the sleeve of his own coat to press against Trevor's mouth. The blood isn't a flood, not yet.]
We have you. Your sisters will be here soon, even if they can't draw close.
[ He nods. Moving his tongue to speak still feels unnatural. Painful, too, though that's not the problem. More- it just seems wrong, like something he shouldn't be allowed to be capable of doing.
Sypha makes short work of the iron. What doesn't have obvious fastenings she gives a soft, apologetic warning before freezing and then heating in quick succession until they break away. If Trevor recognises the sensation of the metal on him being heated, he doesn't seem to give any indication.
With all the chains removed, she flicks her hand. The fire in the pit burns blue, then pure white, rendering the entire cave so uncomfortably hot that the edges of her robes and the furs start to catch from just the heat of the air. She indicates to Alucard to toss the metal into it. Nullify the iron with heat, so that it's no longer cold-forged.
The heat lasts for as long as she can maintain it without burning any of them too badly with their proximity to it and then the fire is gone. Just a smoldering, stinking lump of metal in the fire pit. The heat passes, a blessedly cold wind coming in through the entrance of the cave with the first light of the sun. Trevor's hand falls onto hers, moving over it uncertainly, as if he's forgotten how one is meant to hold hands. His other hand reaches out to Alucard. ]
[The heat of the fire needed to melt the iron has Alucard backing away as much as he can. It's better to not be on fire in his experience, and the fears and dreams of his mother suffering that fate have been on-going for some time now.
He keeps beside Trevor, but his eyes remain on the fire should it get out of control. The furs are almost sacrificed, but in the end, it only claims the metal.
THat little lump feels like a hard won victory that they didn't know they had to chase. The stench of melted metal is sharp, but that too is a good thing. Alucard stares at it, wanting to move it out immediately, but Trevor takes his hand instead, and Alucard is anchored.
Fuck holding hands. He pulls Trevor in close, and Alucard holds fast, burying his face in the top of Trevor's head.]
[ He nods, and Sypha is the one to lead both of them to sit. The cave is still uncomfortably hot but her presence is cooling. Soothing. The ink is still all over Trevor but that, that she'll need more time to undo. It can wait. This is more important anyway. Being between the two of them as his calm finally starts to waver and the his hands start to tremble- that's more important than anything. It takes a few tries for Trevor to speak and he continues making thick, sloppy attempts at noises as Sypha piles furs around him, pulls the both of them in against Alucard. ]
...shit. [ He finally manages. His voice is strange, tongue swollen from the bridle. Another few attempts before- ] Sorry.
[The ink is a terror. And so is this moment, the only one of them sitting up tall, arms around the other two in an attempt to provide comfort. This is not his place, and there's a terrible part of him that wants to luxuriate in being the safe one. The one to provide a safe harbor in.
Alucard's hands find their way to Trevor's hair and begin to card through it, almost automatically. It feels like the only thing he can do that'll help. The only thing worth doing, perhaps.]
You're here. Repeat it until it becomes true if you must. In your head if it's easier right now.
[ He does repeat it, mostly because following instructions is the easiest thing to do. Moving is a challenge, anything so delicate as curling his fingers more so, but he tries. Eventually, with only a little guidance from Sypha, he has both arms around Alucard’s waist. For now, this feels safe. The worst of the horror is behind them, and the aftermath of it is yet to come. He buries his face in Alucard’s chest, trapped between him and Sypha. ]
[He kisses the top of Trevor's head, then stays there so that the two of them have Trevor hidden from the world between them. It's hard to manage, squishing them both together to manage it (Trevor's so damn big) but they do it all the same.]
[ It isn’t quite what Alucard meant by recovering, probably. But it’s the definition he’s willing to consider. Just getting the parts of himself that he’s lost back. Everything else- well. Hoping to not be afraid requires a willingness to admit to being afraid in the first place. There’s a long pause. And then, quietly, with an immense amount of effort behind speaking in a more complete sentence. ]
[ At that, he relaxes. He’s already pressed against Alucard’s chest but he sinks further. The one thing he’s been able to admit to himself that he’s afraid of won’t come to pass. It’s an immense relief. Eventually, his breathing becomes steady. He wants to stay awake, to enjoy the luxury of being between them both again, but this is the first time in days that the pain has relented enough to let him rest. He’s safe and warm and comfortable, and those things make it all too easy to drift off. ]
[There's a lot to unpack that in all of this, it is Dracula that loomed largest in Trevor's head. Alucard knows he doesn't have the time to do that, and so all he focuses on is murmuring soft things into the top of Trevor's head, waiting for him to fall asleep.
Because once that happens, he and Sypha will have to move, take stock of everything, and figure out what is to be done. Sypha will handle the spell work, Alucard will have to tell Trevor's sisters that their brother is safe but coated in iron and...
[ He doesn't answer properly, but makes a vaguely positive noise against Alucard's chest. Sypha stirs and disentangles herself. Trevor seems about ready to complain about the loss, but she's quick to return with a bottle of the sleeping medicine in hand. This was the original intended use for it, after all. An anesthetic that can safely be used on humans and supernatural beings alike, the recipe to be given to Lisa once the dreaming side effects were eliminated.
The proper version is mostly complete, but the flawed, dreaming medicine will serve better for them anyway. Keeping him asleep for whatever needs to be done to remove the ink is probably the kindest thing they can do, and Alucard will have to leave at some point. Best for all of them that they give Alucard some control over what happens inside his head right now. ]
Drink. [ She says, and her voice is soft but the command there is clear. Trevor drinks when the bottle is held to his lips. His gaze becomes unfocused, from tiredness rather than from pain, and he falls still aside from the rise and call of his chest and shoulders. ] He'll join you, once he can.
[ She only reacts with anything other than efficiency once Trevor is asleep, her own breath becoming ragged as she grits her teeth and expels the stink of burning, melting metal from the cave with a gust of air that's far more powerful than it needs to be. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ There's recognition in Trevor's eyes, at that. His senses are too dulled by pain and the loss of his antlers to recognise Alucard, but he can just about hear that name. Is that where he's being taken? To Dracula? Shit. What if Dracula interprets this as a failure? What if he punishes Sypha for his own being captured?
While the merchant speaks, he reaches blindly at the table of papers nearby, for that blank page written in magic ink. That, he can give to him. Use it to bargain, maybe. There's information there that Dracula would want to see.
The merchant turns back too soon, and he has to withdraw his hand quickly to avoid being caught. ]
We have a deal, then?
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[He wants to get out of here and rush it, but that was the problem the first time he had to make some kind of choice that could get the other two hurt, wasn't it? He had to force Trevor to summon Leon to negotiate a better deal.
Not. Again.]
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[ The merchant turns, assembling a stack of papers. Instructions for proper control of Trevor's kind. All of the information that he's been able to gather that makes this look like a good deal, and none of what might make it seem unfavourable. Trevor can just about tell whats going on and when the merchant turns back to confirm the price of the antlers and wings, to knock down the cost by that much, he slips that blank paper into the stack. No need for the ink to reveal the words, Dracula will find a way.
Trading in fairies and forgemasters is one thing. Trading in young fledglings is information that Dracula might want to know. It's not much, but it's the only thing he has to offer.
The merchant writes down his price on the top page, handing the small stack of papers to Alucard. ]
Please, take all the time you like. I should warn you, however, that there are other interested buyers. I can hold him a little while as a favour to your master, but not for too long.
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[It's an automatic question as Alucard watches the papers be assembled. He doesn't care about the rest of it. Just tell him the sodding price and let the matter be absolutely done for.
He waits though, as patient as he can manage given the circumstances. It's not much, and there's a low rumbling fire of anger that's threatening to erupt.
Then he sees the price, and it almost does.]
This is more coin than I have on my person at the moment.
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[ The merchant considers, then shakes his head. He wants Dracula as a customer, but he can't go lower than that. It's rare to come across a fairy so easily captured. ]
Take the papers, then. Have your master look through them. I'm sure he will find our price to be very reasonable. My market will be here for another two days, and I will hold him for that long.
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Our words are worth their weight. I expect yours will be as well.
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Of course. Give my regards to your master, and I will see you in two days.
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He returns just before sunrise. The in between hours involved returning home and bursting into a rage that if Alucard squinted, seemed to put a look on his father's face that was closer to proud than anything else. It was hidden by his own blank face at the ton of paperwork, and the fury that such trafficking was on going without his say so.
That was a matter to attend to in the near future.
Alucard places bags down. All gold, all with their exact weights labeled in Dracula's meticulous handwriting. The timing is on purpose - to force a quick sale, and to get Trevor out as soon as possible.]
This is in addition to what I gave you earlier.
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Oh, it'll mean that he has to stop trading in Dracula's own subjects. But the opportunities! With both Dracula and his rival as clients- a few words in the right ears, a little work digging up forgemasters, and he can be arming both sides of a war. The potential profits!
He grins. ]
It would seem we have a deal, then. A moment - I know your time is short.
[ Alucard is obviously a full vampire, after all, with limited time before sunrise. Once again, he drags Trevor out. He hands a chain attached to the brindle to Alucard, and takes one of Trevor's arms. Upon it he writes 'you will follow the buyer's instructions' before offering the quill and a bottle of ink to Alucard as well. ]
He will do as you say for as long as the writing remains in place. If it fades, simply write a new order. Do not let him speak unless you are confident that you can have him make a promise with you - his kind are wont to trap people in bargains.
The missing parts will grow back within a few months. You will have until then to have him swear loyalty to your master. After that, the ink and iron should not be needed.
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His hands are rock steady as he is handed the chain. He wants to wretch from the idea, and he knows that the only advantage with him now is that a) he can spirit them both away quickly and b) he can remain after sunrise. Just this once.]
I understand. Forgive me if I must speed my departure.
[That means nothing like a handshake to seal this cursed deal or anything of the sort. That is to Alucard's personal preference, but why would he want to touch the man who's done this to Trevor?
There's that cold, commanding voice of compulsion that he employs instead of relying on any other instruction. He doesn't wish to deal with anything else.]
Come along then.
[In his single moment of lucidity, he had contacted Sypha. Told her to be at the cave and that nothing was good. But that had been all.]
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(No sudden movements, over the palm of one hand. It was intended to keep him from escaping, but now it's useful. He can't, physically can't, reveal that he's recognised Alucard.)
He follows. He isn't sure he'd be capable of it were he not under orders, but it isn't a matter of what he can do. It's a matter of what he must. Soon the noise of the market fades, and there is only him and Alucard and the sunrise. ]
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But there are eyes still on them, and so that means walking a while more, until a dark little corner of the forest appears, and Alucard knows that it is all he needs. He murmurs the same words that have helped him before, for the dead travel fast, and the dark tunnel appears.
It's a risk, taking Trevor through the dark space meant for the dead. But it is the quickest route to Sypha, and that is all that matters. There is silence, and the tunnel moves them through it quickly, depositing them both at the mouth of the cave that has provided the three quiet shelter over the winter months.
There's no good way to announce himself, and so Alucard lets all the panic and fear and fury out in one awful swoop.]
Sypha?!
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Sypha is with them in seconds, hands fumbling with the wires that hold the bridle in place. It's not as well made as it would be were using heat in its construction on option, and so despite the lack of an obvious way to undo it she has it removed quickly. The thing in his mouth comes away bloody - a thin spike lanced through his tongue to keep it in place.
Trevor himself doesn't move except to sing forward slightly in relief. He waits for further instructions, blue-green blood dribbling from one corner of his mouth. ]
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He drapes the heavy fur around Trevor's shoulder and starts to guide him inside, saying nothing but his grip well, like iron.]
You're here. You're safe.
[Alucard's voice trembles. He doesn't know how true the words really are.]
We're going to get the iron off first, then undo all of the spells, okay?
[He uses the sleeve of his own coat to press against Trevor's mouth. The blood isn't a flood, not yet.]
We have you. Your sisters will be here soon, even if they can't draw close.
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Sypha makes short work of the iron. What doesn't have obvious fastenings she gives a soft, apologetic warning before freezing and then heating in quick succession until they break away. If Trevor recognises the sensation of the metal on him being heated, he doesn't seem to give any indication.
With all the chains removed, she flicks her hand. The fire in the pit burns blue, then pure white, rendering the entire cave so uncomfortably hot that the edges of her robes and the furs start to catch from just the heat of the air. She indicates to Alucard to toss the metal into it. Nullify the iron with heat, so that it's no longer cold-forged.
The heat lasts for as long as she can maintain it without burning any of them too badly with their proximity to it and then the fire is gone. Just a smoldering, stinking lump of metal in the fire pit. The heat passes, a blessedly cold wind coming in through the entrance of the cave with the first light of the sun. Trevor's hand falls onto hers, moving over it uncertainly, as if he's forgotten how one is meant to hold hands. His other hand reaches out to Alucard. ]
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He keeps beside Trevor, but his eyes remain on the fire should it get out of control. The furs are almost sacrificed, but in the end, it only claims the metal.
THat little lump feels like a hard won victory that they didn't know they had to chase. The stench of melted metal is sharp, but that too is a good thing. Alucard stares at it, wanting to move it out immediately, but Trevor takes his hand instead, and Alucard is anchored.
Fuck holding hands. He pulls Trevor in close, and Alucard holds fast, burying his face in the top of Trevor's head.]
Let's get you sat down.
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...shit. [ He finally manages. His voice is strange, tongue swollen from the bridle. Another few attempts before- ] Sorry.
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[The ink is a terror. And so is this moment, the only one of them sitting up tall, arms around the other two in an attempt to provide comfort. This is not his place, and there's a terrible part of him that wants to luxuriate in being the safe one. The one to provide a safe harbor in.
Alucard's hands find their way to Trevor's hair and begin to card through it, almost automatically. It feels like the only thing he can do that'll help. The only thing worth doing, perhaps.]
You're here. Repeat it until it becomes true if you must. In your head if it's easier right now.
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[ He does repeat it, mostly because following instructions is the easiest thing to do. Moving is a challenge, anything so delicate as curling his fingers more so, but he tries. Eventually, with only a little guidance from Sypha, he has both arms around Alucard’s waist. For now, this feels safe. The worst of the horror is behind them, and the aftermath of it is yet to come. He buries his face in Alucard’s chest, trapped between him and Sypha. ]
Here. With you both.
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[He kisses the top of Trevor's head, then stays there so that the two of them have Trevor hidden from the world between them. It's hard to manage, squishing them both together to manage it (Trevor's so damn big) but they do it all the same.]
You're going to recover from this. I promise.
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[ It isn’t quite what Alucard meant by recovering, probably. But it’s the definition he’s willing to consider. Just getting the parts of himself that he’s lost back. Everything else- well. Hoping to not be afraid requires a willingness to admit to being afraid in the first place. There’s a long pause. And then, quietly, with an immense amount of effort behind speaking in a more complete sentence. ]
Is he angry, that I fucked up? Will he hurt her?
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[It says too much that Dracula is on the forefront if Trevor's mind after all of this. Alucard hates it.]
Don't give him another thought. We need you to foxus on you.
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Tired.
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[There's a lot to unpack that in all of this, it is Dracula that loomed largest in Trevor's head. Alucard knows he doesn't have the time to do that, and so all he focuses on is murmuring soft things into the top of Trevor's head, waiting for him to fall asleep.
Because once that happens, he and Sypha will have to move, take stock of everything, and figure out what is to be done. Sypha will handle the spell work, Alucard will have to tell Trevor's sisters that their brother is safe but coated in iron and...
...shit, does he even tell Leon?]
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The proper version is mostly complete, but the flawed, dreaming medicine will serve better for them anyway. Keeping him asleep for whatever needs to be done to remove the ink is probably the kindest thing they can do, and Alucard will have to leave at some point. Best for all of them that they give Alucard some control over what happens inside his head right now. ]
Drink. [ She says, and her voice is soft but the command there is clear. Trevor drinks when the bottle is held to his lips. His gaze becomes unfocused, from tiredness rather than from pain, and he falls still aside from the rise and call of his chest and shoulders. ] He'll join you, once he can.
[ She only reacts with anything other than efficiency once Trevor is asleep, her own breath becoming ragged as she grits her teeth and expels the stink of burning, melting metal from the cave with a gust of air that's far more powerful than it needs to be. ]
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