[Alucard's eyes flicker open, and it's to someone poking at his mouth like some kind of barber surgeon. His eyes come into focus, but he doesn't know who it is that's staring at him. Saying congratulations, like he can make sense of anything right now.
He hurts. Alucard has healed from his father, but he hurts and doesn't know if he can move at all.]
Afraid I don't get to go anywhere. Sacred duty and all. I do appreciate the warning, though. Thank you.
[ She looks down, refraining from actually poking at the chest injury but examining it. It's healed over, at least superficially. Doesn't look as bad as the amount of blood on the man's clothes implied. She could have probably checked that first, wouldn't have even needed to check the mouth for fangs to see if this was a vampire. ]
I have blood. Enough to spare that we can get you back on your feet and you can walk out of here, at least. And- I'm hoping you know anything useful about how to get around this place. [ If she's going to be going further into this castle, she's going to be seeking out every advantage she can get. It's not cheating, it's making efficient use of vampires you find on the floor. ] That sounds like a good trade, doesn't it?
[Words hurt. That much Alucard realizes when he tries to speak. He has to move. He has to move now before his father gets any further. Before this young woman on the steps of the castle is attacked as well.
[ And that's his answer, isn't it? It's all any vampire really needs to know about who he is. It will have to suffice for now, anyway, because Juliet's head snaps up suddenly, staring through the castle's doors. Something is coming.
What happens next happens in an instant. Something smashes against the ground, and the thick smell that night creatures use to mark territory fills the air. Then the woman's arms are wriggling under Alucard's body, hoisting him up, and she's running. She hops over the side of the staircase, back against the castle wall, cloak wrapped around the both of them to make them harder to see from the outside. There's the beating of wings, thousands of them, and then nothing once more.
Juliet remains very, very still for a minute or so longer. Eventually, she can't hold her breath anymore and exhales, sinking to the ground and setting Alucard down, but she still speaks no louder than a whisper. ]
[The question is one with fear radiating in the background. Shit. Shit, they could just be using him to lure Dracula into a trap. It'd be perfect, his father wouldn't fall for it and--
--and then all the things from the pit escape the castle. Alucard can't see them, but their scent is impossible to mistake, as is his father's intent. They're the first wave in humanity's destruction.
The Belmont is still moving him along. Putting him down on the ground, and yet she hasn't reclaimed her cloak in full.]
[ She wafts at the air in front of her face with one hand. Usually a few drops of the stuff is enough to mask her scent when she's observing night creatures. Panicking and throwing the whole bottle on the floor was maybe a little much. But at least nothing here smells of Belmont.
Everything is just going to smell of night creature for a while. That's fine. This is fine. She's going to die stinky. ]
Probably one of the big ones who lives in the hills. They haven't come here yet, and- oh! Right, yes. Belmont. [ ...she takes Alucard's hand and shakes it. ] He sort of- landed his castle in the middle of my observation project and recruited my whole study sample.
[ Ruining a science project is absolutely the worst thing Dracula has done to anyone today. ]
[Alucard has no idea what's going on, until he sniffs and--oh. That is actually clever, obscuring one's smell like that. It makes the vampire blink once in surprise, but the rest of it is just.
He can deal with night creature smells. Belmonts? That Alucard has some doubts about, and he's wary at just...having her take his hand and treating this as normal.]
Right, my study sample. I've been out here all winter observing them. And just as the season starts to change, just as I'm nearly done, he shows up and they all just wander to the castle. That's not a representative sample at all! I'm going to have to do this all again next year if I don't die.
[ This is the WORST. She peeks her head out of her cloak to confirm there's nothing around. ]
Oh, right. You're dying, aren't you? That's important. [ How to prioritise, starring weird Belmonts. ] Do you need blood? I don't mean to brag, but I'm all full of blood. And you're going to show me how to get through the castle, so it's only fair.
[ Did Alucard agree to do that? No, but it probably doesn't matter. ]
Because half of this is actually interesting, the whole talk of observing night creatures from a biological stand point, and the rest? The rest is enough to make him white knuckled. So he takes a moment to wrap his head around everything first and then:]
Did not agree to that, and frankly, I'm not sure of what's going on never mind what my body has decided to do.
[ Oh. He isn't convinced. Oh god. She's actually going to have to do her job and convince someone to do something. The Worst Day. ]
I- don't really know what's going on myself. I know that the castle is here. And that Dracula doesn't recruit night creatures for good reasons. And that it'll have moved on by the time I get word to my sisters, so this is something that I have to do. And I know that you're hurt, and that you wanted to get away from here, which I'm guessing means that Dracula hurt you. And I know that you've had about fifteen chances by now to attack me, and that doing so would help you recover. And- please don't do that, by the way, if it just didn't occur to you yet. It'd be a terrible idea. I have a sword.
[ She smiles as she withdraws her cloak. It's pretty obviously fake, but she's trying. ]
I know that I have to go into that castle, and I know that I'll probably die there. But I'll inconvenience Dracula slightly. And I know that my not-dying means at least enough to you to keep you from trying to attack me. And that you probably like inconveniencing Dracula slightly, if he attacked you. If you guide me, I'll be much more likely to survive. And I'll try to make sure you also survive. And I'll inconvenience him more than I would alone. Which sounds like a good deal for you, right?
It is a very rude thought, and for that much, Alucard chides himself. The rest though, the rest means he keeps staring at the Belmont and listening to what is frankly an insane plan. And a business proposition if he's heard it all right: guide the Belmont through the castle and make sure they both survive, and that'll be that.
She's not joking, so he doesn't ask that. Instead he asks:]
Do you truly believe that here, now, in this moment, you are equipped to remotely fight my father?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[Alucard's eyes flicker open, and it's to someone poking at his mouth like some kind of barber surgeon. His eyes come into focus, but he doesn't know who it is that's staring at him. Saying congratulations, like he can make sense of anything right now.
He hurts. Alucard has healed from his father, but he hurts and doesn't know if he can move at all.]
Away. Need to get away from here.
no subject
[ She looks down, refraining from actually poking at the chest injury but examining it. It's healed over, at least superficially. Doesn't look as bad as the amount of blood on the man's clothes implied. She could have probably checked that first, wouldn't have even needed to check the mouth for fangs to see if this was a vampire. ]
I have blood. Enough to spare that we can get you back on your feet and you can walk out of here, at least. And- I'm hoping you know anything useful about how to get around this place. [ If she's going to be going further into this castle, she's going to be seeking out every advantage she can get. It's not cheating, it's making efficient use of vampires you find on the floor. ] That sounds like a good trade, doesn't it?
no subject
[Words hurt. That much Alucard realizes when he tries to speak. He has to move. He has to move now before his father gets any further. Before this young woman on the steps of the castle is attacked as well.
He can't make a deal if he's desperate.]
Who're you?
no subject
[ And that's his answer, isn't it? It's all any vampire really needs to know about who he is. It will have to suffice for now, anyway, because Juliet's head snaps up suddenly, staring through the castle's doors. Something is coming.
What happens next happens in an instant. Something smashes against the ground, and the thick smell that night creatures use to mark territory fills the air. Then the woman's arms are wriggling under Alucard's body, hoisting him up, and she's running. She hops over the side of the staircase, back against the castle wall, cloak wrapped around the both of them to make them harder to see from the outside. There's the beating of wings, thousands of them, and then nothing once more.
Juliet remains very, very still for a minute or so longer. Eventually, she can't hold her breath anymore and exhales, sinking to the ground and setting Alucard down, but she still speaks no louder than a whisper. ]
You felt that as well, yes? He's- gone somewhere.
no subject
[The question is one with fear radiating in the background. Shit. Shit, they could just be using him to lure Dracula into a trap. It'd be perfect, his father wouldn't fall for it and--
--and then all the things from the pit escape the castle. Alucard can't see them, but their scent is impossible to mistake, as is his father's intent. They're the first wave in humanity's destruction.
The Belmont is still moving him along. Putting him down on the ground, and yet she hasn't reclaimed her cloak in full.]
To recruit, no doubt.
no subject
[ She wafts at the air in front of her face with one hand. Usually a few drops of the stuff is enough to mask her scent when she's observing night creatures. Panicking and throwing the whole bottle on the floor was maybe a little much. But at least nothing here smells of Belmont.
Everything is just going to smell of night creature for a while. That's fine. This is fine. She's going to die stinky. ]
Probably one of the big ones who lives in the hills. They haven't come here yet, and- oh! Right, yes. Belmont. [ ...she takes Alucard's hand and shakes it. ] He sort of- landed his castle in the middle of my observation project and recruited my whole study sample.
[ Ruining a science project is absolutely the worst thing Dracula has done to anyone today. ]
no subject
He can deal with night creature smells. Belmonts? That Alucard has some doubts about, and he's wary at just...having her take his hand and treating this as normal.]
Your...
[He didn't hear that right, did he?]
Sorry, your study sample?
no subject
[ This is the WORST. She peeks her head out of her cloak to confirm there's nothing around. ]
Oh, right. You're dying, aren't you? That's important. [ How to prioritise, starring weird Belmonts. ] Do you need blood? I don't mean to brag, but I'm all full of blood. And you're going to show me how to get through the castle, so it's only fair.
[ Did Alucard agree to do that? No, but it probably doesn't matter. ]
no subject
Stares.
Because half of this is actually interesting, the whole talk of observing night creatures from a biological stand point, and the rest? The rest is enough to make him white knuckled. So he takes a moment to wrap his head around everything first and then:]
Did not agree to that, and frankly, I'm not sure of what's going on never mind what my body has decided to do.
no subject
I- don't really know what's going on myself. I know that the castle is here. And that Dracula doesn't recruit night creatures for good reasons. And that it'll have moved on by the time I get word to my sisters, so this is something that I have to do. And I know that you're hurt, and that you wanted to get away from here, which I'm guessing means that Dracula hurt you. And I know that you've had about fifteen chances by now to attack me, and that doing so would help you recover. And- please don't do that, by the way, if it just didn't occur to you yet. It'd be a terrible idea. I have a sword.
[ She smiles as she withdraws her cloak. It's pretty obviously fake, but she's trying. ]
I know that I have to go into that castle, and I know that I'll probably die there. But I'll inconvenience Dracula slightly. And I know that my not-dying means at least enough to you to keep you from trying to attack me. And that you probably like inconveniencing Dracula slightly, if he attacked you. If you guide me, I'll be much more likely to survive. And I'll try to make sure you also survive. And I'll inconvenience him more than I would alone. Which sounds like a good deal for you, right?
and like a genius I missed this tag!
It is a very rude thought, and for that much, Alucard chides himself. The rest though, the rest means he keeps staring at the Belmont and listening to what is frankly an insane plan. And a business proposition if he's heard it all right: guide the Belmont through the castle and make sure they both survive, and that'll be that.
She's not joking, so he doesn't ask that. Instead he asks:]
Do you truly believe that here, now, in this moment, you are equipped to remotely fight my father?