[....God. Alucard understands this much now, and he can't imagine the life this fae leads. Completely without any memory save for a miserable existence. It could be an eternal sentence, if it isn't mitigated.
He sighs, patting the top of Trevor's hand tenderly.]
I'll wait for you to have your name back upon your lips then.
[There's quiet from Alucard, but that's broken by the reappearance of Dracula within the room. His disapproval still rolls off of his person, but Alucard knows the look on his father's face. That anger has been temporarily abated.]
[ He looks down at his hand as Alucard pats. It's- nice. Distantly, he can feel more orders being scrawled over the pages of his wings. Demands to return. Demands to bring the vampire back to his master, let him do the bartering. Other things, too. Idiot. Useless. An instruction to suffer that sends fire through his veins.
But Alucard's hand is on his, soft and tender, and he hasn't forgotten yet. He can't follow any other orders, not until the first one is finished or cancelled out, and Alucard's hand is on his. Nothing else is quite as important as that.
Which makes Dracula's instruction perhaps even more terrifying than his presence. He doesn't want Alucard to leave. Alucard is important. He raises his hand, coiling his fingers around Alucard's wrist, and looks up at Dracula. ]
[Alucard feels heat from his side of things too, but that is the cold fury of Dracula as Trevor fails to comply. But that look of utter disapproval moves from Alucard to Trevor himself, and well.
He gestures towards Trevors wings.]
Let me confirm a single suspicion, Belmont.
[That Trevor is receiving orders even now. What those orders were in the first place.
Belmont though. Alucard lets out a worried noise, because he's heard what that family has attempted to do to his father. Shit. Shit he's in trouble.]
[ There's a question in that. Is that my name? He doesn't wait for an answer, because he understand what Dracula is asking. He's not going to let go of Alucard's hand, but he's not going to be difficult in other ways. The remains of his wings - torn off rather than cut with iron to allow them to grow back and provide more paper to use for orders. - flick a little as he tries to read what's written on the rest of them miles away. ]
Return. Useless. Idiot. Suffer. Bring the vampire. Bring the vampire. Hurt. Useless. Bring me the vampire.
[ He repeats the commands as if he were reciting a list of ingredients, then makes a sound of frustration, as if that series of commands was just somewhat annoying. ]
I can't bring the vampire. He hasn't forgotten yet. It was written first, I have to do that first.
[Dracula's face curls into something wicked and truly furious, the fire in his eyes falling on Trevor. But it's not Trevor he's looking at, not really. He is looking through the Belmont, determinining the precise location of a man stupid enough to entertain the thought of kidnapping Dracula's son.
Alucard knows the look on his father's face, but he doesn't do much more than shudder. He can't. He knows his father, and if there is one thing his father will never compromise on, it is the safety of the family.
All he says is:]
It is five hours to daylight.
I am aware.
[The vampire becomes mist, leaving the two alone. He needed only a moment to locate the Silk Merchant. He will only need a more to condemn the man properly.]
Return. [ Trevor continues listing off the orders, even in Dracula's absence - he's angry. Trevor doesn't like it when people are angry. Best not to test him. ] Return here. Come back. Stop him. Stop him. Please.
[ And then the writing stops, and Trevor falls quiet. He grips Alucard's hand tighter. He can't know what's happened, but they can both suspect.
In among the pieces of wing being used to deliver orders and the silk and the little bottles of iron ink, alongside the chains and the scold's bridle is a single moth, both of its wings pinned into a piece of cork. The Unicorn strains against its own bonds as Dracula gets close to it, making ANGRY HORSE NOISES at him. It's probably important. ]
[Alucard has always known that the side of the father he's grown up with is only one part of him. Dracula is still the thing of legend and fear for a great many people, and watching the Silk Merchant's death is a cold, terrifying remidner of that fact. More than once, he shudders, and he has to let go of Trevor's hand once in order to focus himself.
But as for Dracula. The Merchant is dead. He swipes the restraints of the unicorn away without a second's thought, hardly concerned about the thing or it's fate. It has done it's service, drawing his attention to the pinned moth.
He knows what it is. It is a Belmont's focus, and yet...there's something far deeper afoot, and there has always been one tenous, fragile agreement between himself and Leon.
The moth's pins are removed. Dracula does nothing more.]
[ He doesn't sense the Merchant's death, only that his hand has stopped writing. But he senses the last part of him being freed. It has a long way to go, and it can only travel the slow way, but it's free. It can rejoin him. His rebirth has been incomplete for far, far too long, and it doesn't have to be put off any further.
The unicorn remains, continuing to make horse noises at Dracula until he frees the moth rather than killing it, and then bolts. It's been away from its mistress too long. Somewhere offscreen, Hector's going to gain a unicorn soon along with his hypercompetent bunny rabbit and be the necromancer Lisa Frank he was born to be. ]
I'm- on my way here. I'll be here soon.
[ Trevor's probably not making any sense, but his voice has a touch of wonder to it that wasn't there before. Cautiously, he tries to take Alucard's hand again. ]
[With the unicorn gone, the last step is to simply set the Merchant's wares ablaze. From there, that's all Dracula can do. He'll deal with the Belmont itself later, for tonight means wearing off the rage before he can speak to his son about what, precisely, he has brought into this house.
Alucard doesn't understand the words at all. It shows in how he tilts his head at Trevor's words, and...
...his hand is still there. It can still be taken, and Alucard simply stares.]
[ He can feel the peices of his wings burn, but it's not painful. It's like chains falling away, as every order that was given to him is pulled away. There's just one left, now, on the sheet Alucard has. ]
Almost.
[ He takes Alucard's hand again. ]
The order to make you forget. That's the last. Once it's gone-
[ -He doesn't know if anything will happen once it's gone. He doesn't remember a time when he's not had orders. ]
[It isn't magic Alucard understands. As a result, it doesn't occur to him to ask what he should do to help speed everything along. All he knows is that whatever his father did has definitely resulted in a murder, and they will have a guest for at least a night or to, as there is no world where Lisa will not insist on examining Trevor.]
I should go get you some sheets and a blanket. You'll probably be out here for the rest of the night and into the next day.
Your situation wasn't something I could fail to act on.
[Alucard stands up, withdrawing entirely. His mother's awake when he gets into the house, and surprise, she's already up, about, and has not only the supplies ready but warm broth as well. It takes a few minutes to load Alucard up with everything, but soon he's back with armfulls of supplies.]
[ He said 'soon', but they went a long way. It's hours if not days before the moth will find its way back to him. He's waited this long, he can wait a little more. The door opens immediately when Alucard asks. A little too quickly. Almost like some idiot was waiting at it this whole time. ]
You came back.
[ It would be much more dramatic if he had been gone for longer than five minutes. He outstretches his arms, waiting to be asked to carry some of the things. ]
[Alucard sighs, realizing that this is going to be a harder adjustment than he expected. Trevor only gets the cup of warm broth thrusted at him. The rest is Alucard work, and he wastes no time getting the bed made.]
Will I have to convince you to try sleeping for a time?
[ He sniffs at the broth cautiously. No human flesh to dispose of, no ink mixed into it. Just normal broth things. He sips at it, and it's hard to not choke. Not because it's bad. The opposite. It's nice. Warming and- it's food. It's food, and he has a proper bed, and Dracula didn't murder him and-
-it's just been a really nice day, okay?
He takes another sip, and tries to compose himself. He's been asked to do something. He understands being asked to do something. It's familiar. ]
[ He keeps sipping at the broth until it's about halfway gone. He wants to drink more, he likes it. But even that much, even if the broth is thin, it's a lot more than he's used to. He has enough presence of mind, at least, to know that he shouldn't overeat and vomit all over the nice quarantine area. ]
You want me to- recover. And sleep will do that.
[ Look at him, figuring out very basic facts and everything. ]
[There's some sense in him. That much is made clear to Alucard when he clocks onto how Trevor only consumes half of what's given to him. There's a quiet nod, and Alucard is even bold enough to guide Trevor towards the bed.]
I can stay here until you fall asleep, but I'll have to return to the house and speak with my parents, okay?
[ He follows Alucard, nodding. The bed is- well, he can understand the concept, even if he’s never seen one like this before. Even the merchant only ever had a bedroll when he was travelling, and he never saw the inside of his house.
He perches on the edge for a moment and then lies down. ]
Home.
[ That was where Alucard said that this was, wasn’t it? It sounds nice, even if Alucard has been fairly clear about him only remaining here a day or so. That’s the thought he closes his eyes to, though it’s a while longer before his breathing actually stills. His sleep is punctuated by ragged little whimpers, but he at least doesn’t seem to be waking himself with the noise. ]
[Alucard does as he promised. He stays until Trevor sleeps, and then he retreats inside. Once there, Dracula has returned, and he and Lisa are borderline arguing about what to do with the Belmont. Unsurprisingly, Alucard joins the argument and it continues until daylight comes and the entire situation is under a forced pause.
There's food waiting for Trevor when he awakes, and come evening, that is the time Lisa insists she at least give the fae a proper examination at the very least. Dracula has insisted that he be present on the other side of the quarantine room, and that Alucard must, must stay with him on the other side of the glass.
Lisa treats much of Trevor's body as a perfectly human thing. It isn't until she starts to examine his horns that she has to stop, and defer to Trevor.]
Is this the normal state of your horns, or were there forced modifications?
[ He's- not great. The clothes have to be cut from him, practically welded to his skin in places with old dried blood. Though the results of all but the most recent punishments have faded, there are what look like acid burns (iron, they're from iron) all over him and the results of years of malnutrition are clearer.
The eye is the worst of the actual injuries, and it's a wonder that after Lisa's cleared away the dried blood and dirt keeping that eye closed he can just about see through it. There's a great chunk of flesh missing, right over his heart, but he insists that that, at least, is a normal thing. ]
Not fully grown. He harvests the velvet before they're finished. But normal.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Does he want to kill me?
[ He’s not sure if that possibility frightens him or not. ]
He ought to go to my master, if he does. I’ll just come back unless he kills the last piece.
no subject
You....what is your surname?
no subject
[ He sits on the bed once Alucard does, once he knows it’s allowed. ]
My master calls me his Weaver, because I make the silk. Is that good enough?
no subject
He sighs, patting the top of Trevor's hand tenderly.]
I'll wait for you to have your name back upon your lips then.
[There's quiet from Alucard, but that's broken by the reappearance of Dracula within the room. His disapproval still rolls off of his person, but Alucard knows the look on his father's face. That anger has been temporarily abated.]
Go inside. I need to speak with the fae alone.
no subject
But Alucard's hand is on his, soft and tender, and he hasn't forgotten yet. He can't follow any other orders, not until the first one is finished or cancelled out, and Alucard's hand is on his. Nothing else is quite as important as that.
Which makes Dracula's instruction perhaps even more terrifying than his presence. He doesn't want Alucard to leave. Alucard is important. He raises his hand, coiling his fingers around Alucard's wrist, and looks up at Dracula. ]
I mustn't let go.
no subject
He gestures towards Trevors wings.]
Let me confirm a single suspicion, Belmont.
[That Trevor is receiving orders even now. What those orders were in the first place.
Belmont though. Alucard lets out a worried noise, because he's heard what that family has attempted to do to his father. Shit. Shit he's in trouble.]
no subject
[ There's a question in that. Is that my name? He doesn't wait for an answer, because he understand what Dracula is asking. He's not going to let go of Alucard's hand, but he's not going to be difficult in other ways. The remains of his wings - torn off rather than cut with iron to allow them to grow back and provide more paper to use for orders. - flick a little as he tries to read what's written on the rest of them miles away. ]
Return. Useless. Idiot. Suffer. Bring the vampire. Bring the vampire. Hurt. Useless. Bring me the vampire.
[ He repeats the commands as if he were reciting a list of ingredients, then makes a sound of frustration, as if that series of commands was just somewhat annoying. ]
I can't bring the vampire. He hasn't forgotten yet. It was written first, I have to do that first.
no subject
Alucard knows the look on his father's face, but he doesn't do much more than shudder. He can't. He knows his father, and if there is one thing his father will never compromise on, it is the safety of the family.
All he says is:]
It is five hours to daylight.
I am aware.
[The vampire becomes mist, leaving the two alone. He needed only a moment to locate the Silk Merchant. He will only need a more to condemn the man properly.]
no subject
[ And then the writing stops, and Trevor falls quiet. He grips Alucard's hand tighter. He can't know what's happened, but they can both suspect.
In among the pieces of wing being used to deliver orders and the silk and the little bottles of iron ink, alongside the chains and the scold's bridle is a single moth, both of its wings pinned into a piece of cork. The Unicorn strains against its own bonds as Dracula gets close to it, making ANGRY HORSE NOISES at him. It's probably important. ]
no subject
But as for Dracula. The Merchant is dead. He swipes the restraints of the unicorn away without a second's thought, hardly concerned about the thing or it's fate. It has done it's service, drawing his attention to the pinned moth.
He knows what it is. It is a Belmont's focus, and yet...there's something far deeper afoot, and there has always been one tenous, fragile agreement between himself and Leon.
The moth's pins are removed. Dracula does nothing more.]
no subject
The unicorn remains, continuing to make horse noises at Dracula until he frees the moth rather than killing it, and then bolts. It's been away from its mistress too long. Somewhere offscreen, Hector's going to gain a unicorn soon along with his hypercompetent bunny rabbit and be the necromancer Lisa Frank he was born to be. ]
I'm- on my way here. I'll be here soon.
[ Trevor's probably not making any sense, but his voice has a touch of wonder to it that wasn't there before. Cautiously, he tries to take Alucard's hand again. ]
no subject
Alucard doesn't understand the words at all. It shows in how he tilts his head at Trevor's words, and...
...his hand is still there. It can still be taken, and Alucard simply stares.]
It's done?
no subject
Almost.
[ He takes Alucard's hand again. ]
The order to make you forget. That's the last. Once it's gone-
[ -He doesn't know if anything will happen once it's gone. He doesn't remember a time when he's not had orders. ]
no subject
I should go get you some sheets and a blanket. You'll probably be out here for the rest of the night and into the next day.
no subject
Adrian.
[ It's a nice name. A good name. He likes it, and he says it with a warm, soft sort of reverence. ]
Thank you.
no subject
[Alucard stands up, withdrawing entirely. His mother's awake when he gets into the house, and surprise, she's already up, about, and has not only the supplies ready but warm broth as well. It takes a few minutes to load Alucard up with everything, but soon he's back with armfulls of supplies.]
The door, please?
no subject
You came back.
[ It would be much more dramatic if he had been gone for longer than five minutes. He outstretches his arms, waiting to be asked to carry some of the things. ]
no subject
[Alucard sighs, realizing that this is going to be a harder adjustment than he expected. Trevor only gets the cup of warm broth thrusted at him. The rest is Alucard work, and he wastes no time getting the bed made.]
Will I have to convince you to try sleeping for a time?
no subject
-it's just been a really nice day, okay?
He takes another sip, and tries to compose himself. He's been asked to do something. He understands being asked to do something. It's familiar. ]
Do you want me to sleep?
no subject
What I want isn't important. I'm trying to think of care and recovery, and sleep is usually one of those extremely important things.
no subject
You want me to- recover. And sleep will do that.
[ Look at him, figuring out very basic facts and everything. ]
I can sleep, then.
no subject
I can stay here until you fall asleep, but I'll have to return to the house and speak with my parents, okay?
no subject
He perches on the edge for a moment and then lies down. ]
Home.
[ That was where Alucard said that this was, wasn’t it? It sounds nice, even if Alucard has been fairly clear about him only remaining here a day or so. That’s the thought he closes his eyes to, though it’s a while longer before his breathing actually stills. His sleep is punctuated by ragged little whimpers, but he at least doesn’t seem to be waking himself with the noise. ]
no subject
There's food waiting for Trevor when he awakes, and come evening, that is the time Lisa insists she at least give the fae a proper examination at the very least. Dracula has insisted that he be present on the other side of the quarantine room, and that Alucard must, must stay with him on the other side of the glass.
Lisa treats much of Trevor's body as a perfectly human thing. It isn't until she starts to examine his horns that she has to stop, and defer to Trevor.]
Is this the normal state of your horns, or were there forced modifications?
no subject
The eye is the worst of the actual injuries, and it's a wonder that after Lisa's cleared away the dried blood and dirt keeping that eye closed he can just about see through it. There's a great chunk of flesh missing, right over his heart, but he insists that that, at least, is a normal thing. ]
Not fully grown. He harvests the velvet before they're finished. But normal.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)