Yes. I think if I were to build myself a lab, it would be on an island.
[He is a biologist, really. Death is a part of life, and you can't truly study one without the other. If Hector could ever be left to his own devices, he would lose himself in his studies and be a threat to precisely no one. But the likelihood of that happening is so tiny as to be unimaginable.]
It is fine. I'd rather someone assume I am smarter than I am than dumber.
[He means that as a compliment, truly. Not because Hector is a safer presence for all if he's away from humanity, but because he already knows how to forage and take care of his needs from that perspective.]
You're not dumb at all.
[Just totally lacking STREET SMARTS. /john mulaney voice]
[Hector likes him, and presumably, since he hasn't tried to burn Hector at the stake, Alucard at least has a higher opinion of him than the majority of people do.]
Sure, you can be an honorary part-time dog.
[If Hector can get more pets in, then he's willing to roll with it.]
[There's some kind of joke to be made about being only half a people, but Alucard lets it slide. He simply nods, satisfied, even if they've gotten far away from the actual topic.]
I bow to your understanding of canine taxonomy.
[Which brings Alucard to an obvious point.]
You enjoy my presence more when I'm wolf shaped, don't you?
Yes, the sauce should chill for an hour or so. If you want stories of my travels, I'll tell you the highlights. Animals I saw, foods I sampled. That's what you wanted, right?
[It's a consolation prize for Alucard not being able to travel on his own, and a reward for having listened to his sob story.]
no subject
[He is a biologist, really. Death is a part of life, and you can't truly study one without the other. If Hector could ever be left to his own devices, he would lose himself in his studies and be a threat to precisely no one. But the likelihood of that happening is so tiny as to be unimaginable.]
It is fine. I'd rather someone assume I am smarter than I am than dumber.
no subject
[He means that as a compliment, truly. Not because Hector is a safer presence for all if he's away from humanity, but because he already knows how to forage and take care of his needs from that perspective.]
You're not dumb at all.
[Just totally lacking STREET SMARTS. /john mulaney voice]
no subject
Well, that is arguable. I did end up following two separate vampires’ evil plots.
[And you know what they say. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...]
But I appreciate the thought all the same.
no subject
There's a pointed difference between intellectual intelligence and inter-personal intelligence.
[OKAY MAYBE DON'T BE SO RUDE ALUCARD????]
no subject
You don't say.
[Pot, meet kettle.]
Animals like me, and that is infinitely more valuable to me.
no subject
[Trying to recover. Time to be a fluffy dog, probably.]
no subject
[Hector likes him, and presumably, since he hasn't tried to burn Hector at the stake, Alucard at least has a higher opinion of him than the majority of people do.]
Sure, you can be an honorary part-time dog.
[If Hector can get more pets in, then he's willing to roll with it.]
no subject
I bow to your understanding of canine taxonomy.
[Which brings Alucard to an obvious point.]
You enjoy my presence more when I'm wolf shaped, don't you?
no subject
Your human form is not without its merits.
[He could name some, but vampires and half-vampires are already, typically, vain. They don't need any encouragement.]
But your wolf form is exceptional, and I am not opposed to spending more time with it.
no subject
[Alucard's actually taking that seriously? There's no gloat or smirk to the compliments at the very least.]
If there's nothing left to do for the time being, I can shift back to that form.
no subject
Yes, the sauce should chill for an hour or so. If you want stories of my travels, I'll tell you the highlights. Animals I saw, foods I sampled. That's what you wanted, right?
[It's a consolation prize for Alucard not being able to travel on his own, and a reward for having listened to his sob story.]
no subject
[He's all set to just wolf out, but Hector's question needs one moment of confirmation.]
And yes. Please.
no subject
I met a babaroga in the mountains once. She said I was too wicked for her to carry off in her sack, and she fed me pickled frogs' legs...
[It's the truncated version of the tale, but Hector has more bizarre tidbits where that came from.]
((We can prob wrap this one, too, unless there's more you wanted to do.))
no subject
((Sounds good!!))