Catch All

[cryptsleeper]

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[miraclewhip]

The year is 1876, it turned only a few days ago. It is winter, and this is a ship bound for England. When we make it-

-If. If we make it. One thing at a time, Speaker. [ He turns back to Alucard, trying very hard to be businesslike at this man he just kissed. This man who is the only thing he has left of home. ] There are vampires aboard the ship, but if they figure out that I know that and drop the secrecy, we have a whole lot of innocents with nowhere to run. She figured you’d be able to sniff them out.

[ We kissed you so you could smell vampires, is what he’s saying. ]

It’s going to be difficult to do this without casualties even if you can, but at least we’ll have a chance.

[cryptsleeper]

[1876 the Speaker says, and that causes Alucard to go still. He's been in that coffin for four hundred years. That's...

...he can't dwell on it. What the other two are speaking of is more important, and he has to take it seriously. The luxury of time, sitting, ruminating, making peace with the past, it's not available to him.

Carefully, he floats up and out of the coffin, landing neatly to the side of it.]

I see. [And he does. He was awoken to do what he does best: defeat other vampires.] And they cannot see me, as like will recognize like. You have a room aboard, yes?

[miraclewhip]

Do we?

[ Sypha’s gaze settles on Trevor - she doesn’t have a room. Why would she have a room. Trevor pulls himself away from oh my god, he’s floating to focus on her question. ]

I have a room. Which means that you do, I suppose. And-

[ Sypha clears her throat pointedly. ]

-fuck. Stone me, then, I guess I’m rooming with an unmarried girl. Good thing dad’s not here to beat the shit out of me.

[ ...who was it who was two minutes ago lecturing Sypha on having one’s priorities straight? ]

[cryptsleeper]

[There's no such thing as a straight priority among these three.

Alucard lands neatly on his feet, casting only a moment's glance back to his home for all of four centuries. The flowers are...they're a kindness, aren't they? Maybe he'll go back in, when everything's over. Just another Belmont weapon, one kept in a very pretty box.

He frowns at the two as they bicker.]

I'm going to turn into a bat. One of you will find a way to keep me unseen and carry me into that room. Understood?

[miraclewhip]

[ They should start calling them biorities. Trevor begins pulling a shroud over the coffin and putting the lid of its crate over it. ]

Let me hide this first. I don’t think they know about you. I’d rather not leave clues. [ That done, he offers a sleeve. ]

Hide in my coat. You sense we’re passing by anything with fangs, scratch me to get my attention.

[cryptsleeper]

[There's no additional response from the dhampir.  He only closes his eyes, and where there was once a man there is now a small bat.  A very pale one, that soon finds it's way into Trevor's sleeve.  It's weird little wings latch onto the fabric, and a soft squeak sounds to make it clear that he's ready to go.

He can sense others.  It'll be easy.  Easiest part of all of this.]

[miraclewhip]

[ There's the definite sense on the air of a vampire. A very fragrant one, something that smells even more strongly of ale and blood than Trevor does, without any of the lingering smell of incense. It never draws close enough to indicate that the vampire is near, growing stronger and then fainter as they move through the ship.

Trevor holds his arm awkwardly, trying very hard not to squish the distressingly small, fragile-seeming bat in his sleeve, until a door closes behind him and his body sinks against it. ]

We're here.

[ The room is tiny. With Sypha perched on the narrow cot and Trevor's non-coffin possessions shoved under it there's about enough room for the three of them in here. ]

Got a room thinking I'd be able to stash the coffin in here. Fucking door's too small for it.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard squeaks softly when he first catches that scent, but after that, no more. He's quiet, and against Trevor he is able to warm his tiny bat body against that heat. It feels lovely, although that's hardly the point.

We're here and the bat flutters out, becoming a man in the process. When Alucard lands, he takes a moment to fuss with his hair, if only to ensure the transformation had left everything in place.]

You made do and no one suspected me. That will not last for long anymore, now that I am walking about. My presence will draw their attention by the end of the evening, I hope you know.

[miraclewhip]

[ It’s easy to be beautiful, arranged nicely on a bed of flowers. Anyone could do it. It’s more difficult to be beautiful when rearranging your messed-up hair in a tiny, cramped room on a shifting boat. More impressive. More-

Well, shit. He’ll deal with that thought later. He closes his eyes and sighs. ]

A few hours, then. But a few hours where we’ll actually know who our target is. Better than we had before. Hopefully that’ll let us avoid any more deaths.

There were twenty other people travelling without rooms, like me. [ Sypha begins, because that ‘more’ probably needs clarification. ] Three have been missing since a few hours after we set off. I don’t think anyone else noticed, but I looked for them and-

[ She goes quiet. ]

-Someone’s been hungry. And- really fucking into arts and crafts, by the looks of things. It didn’t look seaworthy yet, so I’m hoping they’re not planning to sink the ship and use it to survive.

[cryptsleeper]

They were probably thrown overboard then.

[Alucard's blunt about the matter, because he has to be. These are hungry vampires, but the rest of it is...well.]

Let me ask one thing and then propose a quick enough solution. Do you have an idea of what the deck is like in terms of the evening shift? Watchmen, how many of them, where they come and go?

[miraclewhip]

Oh, no. I mean- we found them in one of the storage areas. They’re just currently about a third of a lifeboat.

Belmont!

That’s what they are!

[ Sypha huffs and changes the subject, because she is a lot less chill about people being turned into boats. ]

Passengers aren’t allowed above deck, but I’ve watched the doors. At night there are four crew members above deck, not counting the Captain.

[cryptsleeper]

A third of a lif-- [There's a soft groan.] Godbrand.

[Only one man is that into People Boats, and Alucard's sort of amazed Godbrand isn't dead either.]

Very well. I will go onto the deck this evening to draw out whoever is present. Can I trust you both to take care of the attacks?

[miraclewhip]

No.

[ He blurts it out before thinking. They woke him up to sense vampires, not to act as bait for them. One thing. He has one thing left of his family and he isn’t going to put it at risk for-

-Sypha raises an eyebrow at him. ]

-problem. No problem. I can do that.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard's eyebrow goes up as well, and he looks to Sypha to see if he's missed some deeper meaning. If he has, it isn't apparent.

But he does have to ask one other question:]

Was there a sword placed in my coffin, or near it?

[miraclewhip]

Yeah. It was in the coffin, but we took it out because- [ Because leaning into a coffin to kiss a corpse is awkward enough without having to avoid stabbing oneself. ] -we just took it out. It’s in the crate, with the coffin-

[ And, as if on cue, there’s a distant tugging feeling from the cargo area. Someone is touching the sword. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard tenses suddenly. In a flash, he's at the door, and once it's open, he's a bat. A bat that barrels down the corridors of the ship, knowing exactly where the coffin is because that sword has such a draw to him that it may as well just be a tether.

He doesn't squeak. He just moves swiftly through the boat, aware that he needs to move fast. Very fast.]

[miraclewhip]

What the f- come back here!

[ The last thing he has. The tiny, fragile last thing he has is flying away into a boat they know is dangerous for him. What the fuck. What the fuck. He gives chase, because what else can he do?

That presence is back, growing closer and closer as Alucard approaches the coffin. ]

Fucking figures. The Belmont finally leaves this thing and it’s empty. [ There’s a crash. Glass breaking. ] The fuck am I meant to do with just a sword? I have swords!

[ And when Alucard gets close to where the coffin was, the floor is covered in glass. A red haired man in a uniform stomps on one of the lilies, then spits on it for good measure. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard smells Godbrand before he sees the vampire. It's hard not to, given how distinct the man's natural musk and...everything...is. And so Alucard lands in the doorway, every inch as immortal and youthful as any other vampire. Still Dracula's son, because he manages to project his presence around the room just as Dracula himself might have.

His rage is muted though. Something to bring up only once it must be used.]

Good evening, Godbrand.

[He extends a single hand, and the sword finds it's way there without fail.]

[miraclewhip]

Well shit. They really did have you, all this time.

[ Godbrand looks Alucard up and down, taking a single knife. It’s an odd looking thing, with a glass bulb attached to it. ]

I’d appreciate it if you could stay still, just for a moment.

[cryptsleeper]

You and I both know that isn't happening.

[And so Alucard does the only thing that can be done here: dodges left to avoid the knife, and proceeds to bodyslam Godbrand as only a vampire can.]

[miraclewhip]

[ Several things happen-

First, Godbrand gives a wet-sounding cough. That body slam alone definitely crushed parts of him that should not be crushed. Then the knife slides between Alucard’s ribs, biting into the flesh there.

Then, Trevor bursts through the door and without missing a beat snatches up one of the boards from the broken crate, advancing on Godbrand. No whip, no problem. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard hisses in pain when the knife slides in, but the proximity to Godbrand is a good thing. He pivots on the knife itself, using his own sword and the awful angle he's on to stab through Godbrand's foot.

It means pinning him to the floor. It means making it hard to escape.]

Belmont!

[Move but fast!]

[miraclewhip]

[ Trevor moves, drawing one of his own knives at well as the board. And then he freezes. He freezes because Godbrand has that knife to Alucard’s throat now.

It’s not long enough to cut off the head in one swipe, he understands distantly. There’s no way Godbrand could be using it, were it consecrated or silver. That is a shitty hostage to take, because even if Godbrand were impossibly lucky, that knife can’t kill him before Trevor can get to them both.

He understands it distantly. He still steps back. ]

The weapons. Drop them.

[ And he does. Godbrand tugs his foot from the sword with a hiss of pain, throwing Alucard off him with a grunt of effort. And then he is gone. In his place, a large frigatebird flies part Trevor and out of the door. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[The moment that the knife grazes Alucard's throat, he only has one thought.

They kept me at rest for too long.

He'd have better judgement if he wasn't just awoken. If he had centuries to improve and prepare. Losing a fight against Godbrand? Well that's just sad, and Alucard does what he can to at least put a little pressure on the sword as a private fuck you.

Then Trevor complies and Alucard doesn't know why. Too late. He's in a pile of limbs, the bird flying past them. Alucard tries to follow, trying to run past Trevor.]

Come on, that form is perfectly vulnerable!

[miraclewhip]

[ He’s shaken. He doesn’t know why he’s shaken. That’s the least scary fight with a vampire he’s has in a long time, and yet his legs barely feel like they can hold his weight. His stomach feels similarly uncertain about holding his supper. Alucard pushes past him, and that brings him back to reality somewhat. ]

Yeah. Shit, yeah. Get back here, ugly bird.

[ And he tries, giving chase, throwing knives coming close, but eventually Godbrand passes through a door’s keyhole as mist, vanishing onto the deck. Whatever sensation there was indicating the presence of other vampires, it’s fast vanishing. Trevor leans back against the door, sliding down it with a sigh. ]

...shit.