[Where it is in the castle he's departing to, Alucard declines to say. All that's clear is that when he returns some fifteen minutes later, nary a hair out of place, he has given transportation some thought. He returns with not one bag but two, one elongated with a long, thin blank of wood at the bottom to provide support, and a second that's closer to the bags messengers use for carrying words across the miles.
They're both made of canvas. Durable but not expensive, and not something that will not be missed. Their original owners are a mystery, and Alucard sets them both down for inspection. Not Hector's, of course, but those who may yet need to make use of them.]
They have been agreeable companions over the past several months. It's the very least that I can provide upon their departure.
[Hector stands for a moment, but when Adrian doesn't immediately return, he crosses the room and slumps into a chair. He crosses a leg, leans his head on one palm, saves his game and lets out a long sigh. It's been an exhausting journey.
Cesar spins at his feet, then leaps up into his lap. The cat settles into a warm spot where sunlight streams in. They wait. Hector puzzles over why Adrian would possibly help. People aren't charitable, not to him. They despise him, or they want something from him.
Adrian comes back with bags, which the animals sniff at with their usual curiosity. The hound ducks his head inside and snorts.]
So that's how it is. [He gives Cesar's head another scratch. It's just about the only explanation Adrian could have offered that would make sense to him, given that he's turned down the offer of forged workers. The man was in want of a dog.
He gives Cesar's backside a push to signal to the dog that lap time is over. Go say goodbye he wills the pup, but doesn't say. Cesar crosses the room toward Alucard, but gets distracted by the bags along the way. Hector rises from the chair.]
These will do. My friends will be safe. [He's already said 'thank you' once, and he's not saying it again. He nudges the animals aside so he can collect the two canvas bags.]
[There's a very, very soft noise that might be a laugh from Alucard as the hound decides the best way to investigate is to just shove his entire head in there. It checks out, hounds are mostly scent creatures and he's brought in something with a new smell. To not conduct a full investigation is against their very nature.
Hector himself looks like some weird ruler of undead creatures, sat in the chair as he is. That thought has no time to develop as Hector rises, and his words only bring a brief nod of satisfaction.]
That's the only important matter in this situation.
[What Alucard wants in this moment, the request of a few moments to say proper good byes, isn't forthcoming. It feels wrong, as these were never truly his pets. That much is very clear to him now.]
Don't go south, there's been issues with the Ottomans lately. You're best off going east towards the coast, then sailing across the Black Sea.
[Adrian is a bit of an asshole, but Hector actually agrees with the sentiment. He'll die before he lets harm come to his pets.
The stifled noise the dhampir makes doesn't go unnoticed. Hector isn't great with many emotions, but wanting to pet the dog, he is fluent in. What the hell, Cesar will whine for half the journey if he feels like he missed out on another potential belly rub.
He hums noncommittally at the advice, and gives the animals a wave to stay put as he walks past Adrian to the door.]
I'm going to take a look outside before I venture out with them. I'll be back in to collect them once I'm sure the way is clear.
[I want to pet the dog is the truest universal sentiment. Alucard catches what that wave probably means, and he stays still for a few moments until he is very, very sure that Hector is gone, around the corner, and out of earshot.
Good byes are hard. This castle has been home to far, far too many of them this year. Some bloodied, others muted, all of them difficult to weather in their own way. These farewells are no different in that respect, and each and every single one involves a deep debt of gratitude for companionship and listening.
Said good byes also definitely happen twice, with both human and wolf form because sometimes certain sentiments are easier to communicate when one's shape is much closer to that of dog anyway.
When Hector does return, Alucard's sat himself down on the floor entirely, administering the very last belly rub that Cesar will be getting from the dhampir. He doesn't even look up at Hector, he simply gives a final pat to the ridiculous pug who's definitely got all his tiny paws up in the air, spoiled rotten.
Almost literally.]
That'll have to be that, I'm afraid.
[There's acceptance of the finality involved, and all words are directed down at the dog.] Best you get up and on your way.
[The lands surrounding the castle are free of pursuers as far as Hector is able to tell. Now is as good of a time to depart as ever. He lingers at the door for a moment before he goes back in, pressing his palm to the wall and feeling the weird, almost thrumming energy of the castle. This is a time for his goodbyes as well.
He doesn't bother with stealth as he enters again. He lets his boots fall heavy on the floor, giving vampiric ears plenty of forewarning of his arrival.]
You spoil him more than I do. [Hector observes. He wouldn't have thought it, but Adrian son of Dracula might be even more hopeless of a dog person than Hector.] You could get one of your own.
[He whistles, and his friends rush to his side. He tucks the cat in the open messenger back preemptively. The less debris he has to clean out of her exposed legs later, the better. Cesar, he takes in his arms so they aren't limited by the speed of his tiny legs. The others have longer limbs and sturdier frames, and Hector can trust them to follow behind.]
Fare well. ['Try not to get killed by the hordes who will try to storm your father's castle' feels too harsh to voice in the wake of Adrian's departing message to Cesar, so he leaves it at that and turns to leave.]
[The castle is perhaps the most complete legacy of Dracula to remain after his passing, encompassing the whole of the man. Oh, there are the shrines of wisdom within, but those are coupled with deep, dark places that betray one of the worst tempers there could ever be, and the nature of all vampires and what they require in order to survive. There's likely no surprise that the energy of the castle responds to Hector, the stones beneath his hand running hot and cold. The castle knows him, yes, but it was the witness to Hector's actions. He isn't welcome.
Alucard hears Hector's approach. He definitely doesn't care. This should be the last time they ever see each other, and if nothing else, he hopes he's been a gracious enough host given the circumstances.]
In many ways, that would be redundant.
[He rises as Cesar finally wiggles off his lap. The tiny thing was never a warm weight, but a familiar and comforting one. Friendliest of the group as well, but that was personality rather than a forgemaster's intent.]
Mmmm. I hope that there are clear nights for your departure.
[Don't die and leave these things without a defender.
Alucard pauses, opening his mouth as if to say something. He knows the castle, and even if Hector has spent time here, getting out is sometimes still a nightmare. There's no polite way to ask if he knows how to get to the exit, and so Alucard makes a snap decision.
There's a wolf where Alucard has been standing. One that slinks past Hector with far more haughtiness than required, and trots forward.]
[Hector's eyes go wide as the son of Dracula shifts into wolf form. His pets don't bat their undead eyes at the change, so perhaps it's not the first time he's done it. Hector didn't even know such things were possible.]
Show-off. [He mutters, to mask the intense jealousy. To be able to take on such a form, the embodiment of freedom.... It's nothing less than amazing. Hector can only create. Adrian can become.
He studies the shape of the wolf as he follows. His line of work has given him passing familiarity with the anatomy of most of the wild creatures that he's encountered. The power in this wolf's musculature seems beyond that of a normal specimen. He'd greatly love to see how far he could leap, how fast he could run. But he's in no position to ask, and Adrian is no dancing bear to perform for his amusement. Just seeing the great wolf trot along in front of him will have to be enough to sate his curiosity.]
Can you open doors like that? [He can't help but ask, though he doubts he'll get an answer.]
[Oh, it's mostly showing off. But it's also to prove a point: anything Hector's assumed should be thrown out the window. Or at least Alucard hopes that is the point, as he likes to think this entire situation has been approached with as deft a touch as possible, given the circumstances.
His nails click over the stone floors, past a set of windows that look out into the landscape beyond. They're not terribly far up in the castle, all things considered and...
...well, it turns out wolves can side-eye rather well, because that is the response Hector gets to his question. A very wolfy side-eye that doesn't miss a single step. Or a turn, towards a flight of stairs.]
[The side-eying does nothing. Alucard needs to work side by side with Isaac for a year if he want to hone his quelling gaze to the required level to put a stopper on Hector's idiocy. Because now that the floodgate is open, he's got more questions.]
Where did your clothes go? Are you still wearing them?
If I were to trim your fur, would your hair be shorter when you change back?
Do you still weigh as much as you did? Your mass couldn't be altered, that defies the laws of nature. You'd need a scale to be certain, though.
[Hopefully, for Adrian's sake, it's a short walk to the outside. Underneath the sarcasm and the indifference toward humanity, Hector is a child with more curiosity than sense, who stumbled from garden variety necromancy to devil forging because he couldn't stop asking 'but what if...'.]
[Alucard huffs out, and that noise sounds perfectly human in spite of wolf vocal chords. He? He has made a mistake. A very big mistake, and now he regrets it.
But at least being annoyed over something incredibly stupid and ridiculous removes the harder emotions of the moment. It wasn't the goal, but now that Hector's playing twenty questions with Alucard when Alucard can't reply? Things are slightly easier.
He's careful as he heads down the stairs, because of course it's a staircase in one of the castle's towers. As a child, the things were tricky in wolf form. As an adult, he at least knows to be careful as he moves.
The bottom of the stairs opens into a corridor, and the wolf ends up taking a sudden left and settling down beside a door. There's a cool breeze coming out from the other side, making it clear that this is one of the side exits of the castle.]
[In Hector's opinion, Adrian is greatly improved as a wolf, and he has zero regrets about this. He can't help but look back and forth between the wolf gingerly stepping down the stairs and the hound's reckless descent. He smiles to himself. The body changes, but the mind is still all human...half human. Fascinating.]
I guess that answers the questions about the doors.
[Hector does a quick headcount, nods at the wolf sitting beside the door, then uses his human hands to push the door open. He and his pets slip out, and he turns back for one last brief look before he shuts the door and leaves Castlevania for good.]
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no subject
[Where it is in the castle he's departing to, Alucard declines to say. All that's clear is that when he returns some fifteen minutes later, nary a hair out of place, he has given transportation some thought. He returns with not one bag but two, one elongated with a long, thin blank of wood at the bottom to provide support, and a second that's closer to the bags messengers use for carrying words across the miles.
They're both made of canvas. Durable but not expensive, and not something that will not be missed. Their original owners are a mystery, and Alucard sets them both down for inspection. Not Hector's, of course, but those who may yet need to make use of them.]
They have been agreeable companions over the past several months. It's the very least that I can provide upon their departure.
no subject
saves his gameand lets out a long sigh. It's been an exhausting journey.Cesar spins at his feet, then leaps up into his lap. The cat settles into a warm spot where sunlight streams in. They wait. Hector puzzles over why Adrian would possibly help. People aren't charitable, not to him. They despise him, or they want something from him.
Adrian comes back with bags, which the animals sniff at with their usual curiosity. The hound ducks his head inside and snorts.]
So that's how it is. [He gives Cesar's head another scratch. It's just about the only explanation Adrian could have offered that would make sense to him, given that he's turned down the offer of forged workers. The man was in want of a dog.
He gives Cesar's backside a push to signal to the dog that lap time is over. Go say goodbye he wills the pup, but doesn't say. Cesar crosses the room toward Alucard, but gets distracted by the bags along the way. Hector rises from the chair.]
These will do. My friends will be safe. [He's already said 'thank you' once, and he's not saying it again. He nudges the animals aside so he can collect the two canvas bags.]
no subject
Hector himself looks like some weird ruler of undead creatures, sat in the chair as he is. That thought has no time to develop as Hector rises, and his words only bring a brief nod of satisfaction.]
That's the only important matter in this situation.
[What Alucard wants in this moment, the request of a few moments to say proper good byes, isn't forthcoming. It feels wrong, as these were never truly his pets. That much is very clear to him now.]
Don't go south, there's been issues with the Ottomans lately. You're best off going east towards the coast, then sailing across the Black Sea.
[Running water, after all.]
no subject
The stifled noise the dhampir makes doesn't go unnoticed. Hector isn't great with many emotions, but wanting to pet the dog, he is fluent in. What the hell, Cesar will whine for half the journey if he feels like he missed out on another potential belly rub.
He hums noncommittally at the advice, and gives the animals a wave to stay put as he walks past Adrian to the door.]
I'm going to take a look outside before I venture out with them. I'll be back in to collect them once I'm sure the way is clear.
no subject
[I want to pet the dog is the truest universal sentiment. Alucard catches what that wave probably means, and he stays still for a few moments until he is very, very sure that Hector is gone, around the corner, and out of earshot.
Good byes are hard. This castle has been home to far, far too many of them this year. Some bloodied, others muted, all of them difficult to weather in their own way. These farewells are no different in that respect, and each and every single one involves a deep debt of gratitude for companionship and listening.
Said good byes also definitely happen twice, with both human and wolf form because sometimes certain sentiments are easier to communicate when one's shape is much closer to that of dog anyway.
When Hector does return, Alucard's sat himself down on the floor entirely, administering the very last belly rub that Cesar will be getting from the dhampir. He doesn't even look up at Hector, he simply gives a final pat to the ridiculous pug who's definitely got all his tiny paws up in the air, spoiled rotten.
Almost literally.]
That'll have to be that, I'm afraid.
[There's acceptance of the finality involved, and all words are directed down at the dog.] Best you get up and on your way.
no subject
He doesn't bother with stealth as he enters again. He lets his boots fall heavy on the floor, giving vampiric ears plenty of forewarning of his arrival.]
You spoil him more than I do. [Hector observes. He wouldn't have thought it, but Adrian son of Dracula might be even more hopeless of a dog person than Hector.] You could get one of your own.
[He whistles, and his friends rush to his side. He tucks the cat in the open messenger back preemptively. The less debris he has to clean out of her exposed legs later, the better. Cesar, he takes in his arms so they aren't limited by the speed of his tiny legs. The others have longer limbs and sturdier frames, and Hector can trust them to follow behind.]
Fare well. ['Try not to get killed by the hordes who will try to storm your father's castle' feels too harsh to voice in the wake of Adrian's departing message to Cesar, so he leaves it at that and turns to leave.]
no subject
Alucard hears Hector's approach. He definitely doesn't care. This should be the last time they ever see each other, and if nothing else, he hopes he's been a gracious enough host given the circumstances.]
In many ways, that would be redundant.
[He rises as Cesar finally wiggles off his lap. The tiny thing was never a warm weight, but a familiar and comforting one. Friendliest of the group as well, but that was personality rather than a forgemaster's intent.]
Mmmm. I hope that there are clear nights for your departure.
[Don't die and leave these things without a defender.
Alucard pauses, opening his mouth as if to say something. He knows the castle, and even if Hector has spent time here, getting out is sometimes still a nightmare. There's no polite way to ask if he knows how to get to the exit, and so Alucard makes a snap decision.
There's a wolf where Alucard has been standing. One that slinks past Hector with far more haughtiness than required, and trots forward.]
no subject
Show-off. [He mutters, to mask the intense jealousy. To be able to take on such a form, the embodiment of freedom.... It's nothing less than amazing. Hector can only create. Adrian can become.
He studies the shape of the wolf as he follows. His line of work has given him passing familiarity with the anatomy of most of the wild creatures that he's encountered. The power in this wolf's musculature seems beyond that of a normal specimen. He'd greatly love to see how far he could leap, how fast he could run. But he's in no position to ask, and Adrian is no dancing bear to perform for his amusement. Just seeing the great wolf trot along in front of him will have to be enough to sate his curiosity.]
Can you open doors like that? [He can't help but ask, though he doubts he'll get an answer.]
no subject
His nails click over the stone floors, past a set of windows that look out into the landscape beyond. They're not terribly far up in the castle, all things considered and...
...well, it turns out wolves can side-eye rather well, because that is the response Hector gets to his question. A very wolfy side-eye that doesn't miss a single step. Or a turn, towards a flight of stairs.]
no subject
Where did your clothes go? Are you still wearing them?
If I were to trim your fur, would your hair be shorter when you change back?
Do you still weigh as much as you did? Your mass couldn't be altered, that defies the laws of nature. You'd need a scale to be certain, though.
[Hopefully, for Adrian's sake, it's a short walk to the outside. Underneath the sarcasm and the indifference toward humanity, Hector is a child with more curiosity than sense, who stumbled from garden variety necromancy to devil forging because he couldn't stop asking 'but what if...'.]
no subject
But at least being annoyed over something incredibly stupid and ridiculous removes the harder emotions of the moment. It wasn't the goal, but now that Hector's playing twenty questions with Alucard when Alucard can't reply? Things are slightly easier.
He's careful as he heads down the stairs, because of course it's a staircase in one of the castle's towers. As a child, the things were tricky in wolf form. As an adult, he at least knows to be careful as he moves.
The bottom of the stairs opens into a corridor, and the wolf ends up taking a sudden left and settling down beside a door. There's a cool breeze coming out from the other side, making it clear that this is one of the side exits of the castle.]
no subject
I guess that answers the questions about the doors.
[Hector does a quick headcount, nods at the wolf sitting beside the door, then uses his human hands to push the door open. He and his pets slip out, and he turns back for one last brief look before he shuts the door and leaves Castlevania for good.]