[And there. The castle has shifted the labs to be just through the door, and Alucard drags Trevor through with a cold, clear purpose. He's like that in the heat of moments, all ice and determination. It's only afterwards that the emotional toll of it all takes over, leaving the vampire spinning.
The lab is all white and pale, perfectly prepared. Alucard takes out a few boxes from a drawer, then a syringe, and draws out just a little bit of Trevor's blood. It's quick enough to put it on a strip of paper, and then he waits.
And waits.
And waits just a little more until the paper turns a dark blue. Alucard nods quietly and walks over to a cabinet.]
We should have an antidote for that one due to it's nature. If not, I know we have the compounds to make it.
Fuck. So they really were after me. That one doesn't do shit to vampires.
[ It's dazed, the way he says it. He's been a little dazed for a while. All of his thoughts have been a little disjointed, haven't they? That's probably a symptom. ]
You still need to get out next time something happens. Promise me. Please.
[That's all he is going to promise. Alucard's attention is on the cabinet and all it's neatly labeled bottles. His father's handwriting. His father's paranoia of someone trying to do harm to Lisa. He had every antidote on hand for things that could be used against her and--
--there. A clear liquid, the notes, and the color test paper it ought to match. Alucard takes the jar down and gets a clean syringe.]
I'm injecting this into your neck. It'll disperse into your blood stream fastest, okay?
[It is not a good thing to fight with needles out. So Alucard concentrates on the fiddly things first: sterilizing the area. Injecting the needle and making sure every ounce of antidote gets into Trevor's system.]
Sit. We'll give it ten minutes to go into effect and I'll test your blood again.
[ He waits until the syringe is gone then perches on a stool, raising his arm. He'd been making sure to keep it below his heart until ow, to keep the poison from spreading too fast, but now the danger of that is dealt with and bleeding too much is more of a concern. ]
If your father returns and you've been harmed, I'm dead anyway.
[Alucard goes about getting bandages. Applying them. Fussing at them, and it isn't until Trevor reminds him of a simple and ultimate truth that he's given real pause. Because Trevor is totally right - Dracula will destroy Trevor slowly and painfully if harm comes to Alucard.
With that, with bandaging done, Alucard sits across from him and sighs.]
I know. [He hates it.] But I also know that you're now far more than just my...whatever people used to see you as. Your position has far more gravity to it, and I can't allow you to come to harm either.
Your pet. [ He offers, then shakes his head. ] Always hated that one, didn't you?
[ It's the most commonly used word. Was, before his promotion. He vaguely recalls it bothering him once, when he first came here. It hasn't for a while. He is what he is. ]
You may have to. It's not like I mean to let some fucker kill me, but- [ ugh. ] -we know that something leads to Dracula getting really fucking mad. Something happening to me wouldn't do that. Something happening to you? Would.
I hated all of them, but that one did grate in particular.
[Alucard only thought of Trevor as his when someone tried to be rude or degrade Trevor. Treat him as anything but a person. It's something that's so very contradicted in Alucard's gestures, all possessive and protective, but that has always been for the world. To try and get it to fuck off.]
You don't have to like it. We just have to get you through this alive.
[ He tests his hand, opening and closing his fingers. They're moving as he tells them, at least. No permanent damage there, at least. ]
I'll be more careful, and we'll see if we can reverse whatever's been done to the castle. I- shit, going to take a while to get used to people coming here to kill me. Been a while since anyone tried that.
[Alucard brings Trevor's wrist up to his mouth. His teeth scrape over skin before fangs sink in, and---
he isn't drinking. He wants to, but knows better. Focuses on tasting for poison. The antidote is so very strong, to the point where his nose wrinkles a little for it. But that means it's working, and so Alucard lets go.]
We're in the clear. Let's go get some answers.
[Trevor's wrist doesn't fall out of Alucard's hands entirely. He bandages the punctures first, and then? Then it's go time.]
[ He chuckles when Alucard wrinkles his nose. It's- it would be almost cute, in any other situation. As things are, maybe less so. ]
That bad, hmm?
[ Once he's bandaged, he places a hand on Alucard's shoulder to still him. Adjusts the crown and his robes, adjusts locks of hair knocked out of place by the chaos. Until he looks like a king again, unchanged by all of this.
The cuffs that hold the assassin's arms and legs to the ground are wrapped with night creature leather to keep them from burning through the arms of prisoners, a mercy intended more to keep prisoners from letting their hands be severed to escape than to lessen suffering, but the metal core of them is still silver. A vampire's strength is useless against them. The ground on which she lies is a circle of marble over a silver plate, and the cuffs connect to that plate through silver chains to keep the captive from simply tearing them out of the floor. floor of the entire room is tilted slightly, with a trench about half a foot deep running down it. At the circle, the trench splits, going around it in both directions before rejoining at its base. Water runs down this trench constantly, with a system of pups beneath the floor taking the water from the lower side of the room and moving it to the upper side so that the circle is surrounded at all times by running water.
Above the circle of marble is a great chimney, long to keep excess light from entering the room. At noon, when the sun is directly above the castle and only for that few seconds, light will flood down onto the circle and the white marble will absorb and reflect it so that it strikes the prisoner's entire body at once.
Trevor knows this arrangement as a prison devised by Leon Belmont and Mathias Cronqvist together in order to keep the invincible vampire who once ruled these lands captive in the absence of a way to kill him. One which they never built, because that vampire died when Dracula came to power. God knows how plans for it fell into Dracula's hands, but they must have somewhere along the centuries.
The assassin hisses and struggles when they enter. She flickers once or twice, and the castle adds another few lights to the circle around her and eliminates the few shadows that remain. ]
[Alucard stays still while Trevor rearranges everything so it looks just so. But he does the same for Trevor in turn, because he must. Mostly it's Trevor's hair that's terribly out of place, but the shoulder armor is slightly askew, and that shouldn't be the look he has for an interrogation.
He's so quiet as they approach the holding cells. It's a reminder of what his father once was, at the height of cruelty before Lisa appeared on his doorstep. Why all manner of other countries feared and still fear Wallachia, and how poorly things might go if Dracula's quest fails.
But here? In this moment? It's a comfort. Not only that whoever this is that attacked Trevor is restrained, but that they're suffering for the action. Good. Good.
Alucard's eyes rest on the assassin after Trevor speaks. It's wise to let silence hang heavy for a few moments before all of this begins in earnest. Let the ice cold gaze of the prince judge, but there's another trick involved too. If this woman is a vampire, then Wallachia must know of her. She looks too distinctive for her to be a stranger and yet...
[ The assassin tests the cuffs again, tugging at them more violently, with force that will almost certainly do damage even to a vampire. They don't shift. She looks Alucard over, then Trevor, then turns her face up to stare into the chimney above her. The night sky is there now, but day will come in a few hours. The dread hasn't set in yet, but it rarely does before the sky becomes light. Vampires don't often get the chance to watch a daylit sky, least of all for hours at a time. But that's part of this - letting them see it for hours before noon hits and destroys them.
Stripped of the uniform and mask, she's small and slight with eyes a little too big for her face and other features a little too small. She was clearly turned disturbingly young. She nods before she answers verbally. ]
[The age catches Alucard's attention. It's borderline too young, a turning that if his father knew of it, he would have investigated the matter. He doesn't like it, and it sets off alarm bells immediately.
[ There's no sign in her tone that that was meant to be sarcastic. She just throught that was an acceptable answer. Trevor clears his threat, and she looks up at him then back upward again, less cowed into answering more completely and more simply made aware that the first answer wasn't complete enough. ]
It is wrong, that there are humans in the castle. We turn so to not be humans. To be better. We should not be taking orders from them.
[ She tugs her hands against the cuffs again. There is a crack this time and she looks at that hand in interest, wiggling her fingers. Two of them don't move. Trevor barks a stern 'Stop that.' She doesn't seem particularly concerned with it. ]
Fourteen. [ And then, after a moment- ] Turned myself.
That's too young. Dracula's laws are 25 and older. Between 18 and that age he'll consider allowing it. Something about brain chemistry. Ability to make decisions. The law as it stands on the books is mostly a scientific paper.
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[And there. The castle has shifted the labs to be just through the door, and Alucard drags Trevor through with a cold, clear purpose. He's like that in the heat of moments, all ice and determination. It's only afterwards that the emotional toll of it all takes over, leaving the vampire spinning.
The lab is all white and pale, perfectly prepared. Alucard takes out a few boxes from a drawer, then a syringe, and draws out just a little bit of Trevor's blood. It's quick enough to put it on a strip of paper, and then he waits.
And waits.
And waits just a little more until the paper turns a dark blue. Alucard nods quietly and walks over to a cabinet.]
We should have an antidote for that one due to it's nature. If not, I know we have the compounds to make it.
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[ It's dazed, the way he says it. He's been a little dazed for a while. All of his thoughts have been a little disjointed, haven't they? That's probably a symptom. ]
You still need to get out next time something happens. Promise me. Please.
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[That's all he is going to promise. Alucard's attention is on the cabinet and all it's neatly labeled bottles. His father's handwriting. His father's paranoia of someone trying to do harm to Lisa. He had every antidote on hand for things that could be used against her and--
--there. A clear liquid, the notes, and the color test paper it ought to match. Alucard takes the jar down and gets a clean syringe.]
I'm injecting this into your neck. It'll disperse into your blood stream fastest, okay?
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[ But he nods, tilting his head to one side. they can discuss this once his head's clearer. ]
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[It is not a good thing to fight with needles out. So Alucard concentrates on the fiddly things first: sterilizing the area. Injecting the needle and making sure every ounce of antidote gets into Trevor's system.]
Sit. We'll give it ten minutes to go into effect and I'll test your blood again.
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If your father returns and you've been harmed, I'm dead anyway.
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With that, with bandaging done, Alucard sits across from him and sighs.]
I know. [He hates it.] But I also know that you're now far more than just my...whatever people used to see you as. Your position has far more gravity to it, and I can't allow you to come to harm either.
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[ It's the most commonly used word. Was, before his promotion. He vaguely recalls it bothering him once, when he first came here. It hasn't for a while. He is what he is. ]
You may have to. It's not like I mean to let some fucker kill me, but- [ ugh. ] -we know that something leads to Dracula getting really fucking mad. Something happening to me wouldn't do that. Something happening to you? Would.
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[Alucard only thought of Trevor as his when someone tried to be rude or degrade Trevor. Treat him as anything but a person. It's something that's so very contradicted in Alucard's gestures, all possessive and protective, but that has always been for the world. To try and get it to fuck off.]
....I dislike it. But I understand.
[And he sounds so defeated for it.]
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[ He tests his hand, opening and closing his fingers. They're moving as he tells them, at least. No permanent damage there, at least. ]
I'll be more careful, and we'll see if we can reverse whatever's been done to the castle. I- shit, going to take a while to get used to people coming here to kill me. Been a while since anyone tried that.
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[Alucard sighs. The clock is almost at ten minutes, and so Alucard gestures for Trevor's wrist.]
It is as I said. You hold power now. Real power. You're a likely target, same as any of us who have slightly more power than anyone else.
[He doesn't say the second part. That this may just be because Trevor is a Belmont, and that means the job was never finished.]
We'll find out in a few minutes at any rate. I assume that for interrogation, it's better that I remain quiet?
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[ He extends his arm, letting his wrist fall into Alucard’s hands. ]
Ask questions, if you have them. Looks better that way than if you have to ask them through me. Leave everything else to me.
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[Alucard brings Trevor's wrist up to his mouth. His teeth scrape over skin before fangs sink in, and---
he isn't drinking. He wants to, but knows better. Focuses on tasting for poison. The antidote is so very strong, to the point where his nose wrinkles a little for it. But that means it's working, and so Alucard lets go.]
We're in the clear. Let's go get some answers.
[Trevor's wrist doesn't fall out of Alucard's hands entirely. He bandages the punctures first, and then? Then it's go time.]
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That bad, hmm?
[ Once he's bandaged, he places a hand on Alucard's shoulder to still him. Adjusts the crown and his robes, adjusts locks of hair knocked out of place by the chaos. Until he looks like a king again, unchanged by all of this.
The cuffs that hold the assassin's arms and legs to the ground are wrapped with night creature leather to keep them from burning through the arms of prisoners, a mercy intended more to keep prisoners from letting their hands be severed to escape than to lessen suffering, but the metal core of them is still silver. A vampire's strength is useless against them. The ground on which she lies is a circle of marble over a silver plate, and the cuffs connect to that plate through silver chains to keep the captive from simply tearing them out of the floor. floor of the entire room is tilted slightly, with a trench about half a foot deep running down it. At the circle, the trench splits, going around it in both directions before rejoining at its base. Water runs down this trench constantly, with a system of pups beneath the floor taking the water from the lower side of the room and moving it to the upper side so that the circle is surrounded at all times by running water.
Above the circle of marble is a great chimney, long to keep excess light from entering the room. At noon, when the sun is directly above the castle and only for that few seconds, light will flood down onto the circle and the white marble will absorb and reflect it so that it strikes the prisoner's entire body at once.
Trevor knows this arrangement as a prison devised by Leon Belmont and Mathias Cronqvist together in order to keep the invincible vampire who once ruled these lands captive in the absence of a way to kill him. One which they never built, because that vampire died when Dracula came to power. God knows how plans for it fell into Dracula's hands, but they must have somewhere along the centuries.
The assassin hisses and struggles when they enter. She flickers once or twice, and the castle adds another few lights to the circle around her and eliminates the few shadows that remain. ]
Your Prince has questions. You will answer.
no subject
He's so quiet as they approach the holding cells. It's a reminder of what his father once was, at the height of cruelty before Lisa appeared on his doorstep. Why all manner of other countries feared and still fear Wallachia, and how poorly things might go if Dracula's quest fails.
But here? In this moment? It's a comfort. Not only that whoever this is that attacked Trevor is restrained, but that they're suffering for the action. Good. Good.
Alucard's eyes rest on the assassin after Trevor speaks. It's wise to let silence hang heavy for a few moments before all of this begins in earnest. Let the ice cold gaze of the prince judge, but there's another trick involved too. If this woman is a vampire, then Wallachia must know of her. She looks too distinctive for her to be a stranger and yet...
...he doesn't recognize the face at all.]
Your target was Trevor Belmont, correct?
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Stripped of the uniform and mask, she's small and slight with eyes a little too big for her face and other features a little too small. She was clearly turned disturbingly young. She nods before she answers verbally. ]
Yes. The human.
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He'll ask that question in due time. For now...]
To what end?
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[ There's no sign in her tone that that was meant to be sarcastic. She just throught that was an acceptable answer. Trevor clears his threat, and she looks up at him then back upward again, less cowed into answering more completely and more simply made aware that the first answer wasn't complete enough. ]
It is wrong, that there are humans in the castle. We turn so to not be humans. To be better. We should not be taking orders from them.
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[The response is a child's logic. He doesn't like it. Makes the vampire worry.]
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Fourteen. [ And then, after a moment- ] Turned myself.
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That's too young. Dracula's laws are 25 and older. Between 18 and that age he'll consider allowing it. Something about brain chemistry. Ability to make decisions. The law as it stands on the books is mostly a scientific paper.
Alucard manages to go even more still.]
Why?
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[ Another experimental tug with that same hand. Trevor brings his hand to the sword at his waist and she settles. ]
I had blood, so I took it. Then I was stronger, and humans had to stop bothering me.
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[This one is cautious. Because if she answers no, then this is a whole different ball game.]
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Trantoul. A human land. Too many human lands.
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She's a citizen of Trantoul. That means that the situation has become infinitely more complex, and today? She cannot die.]
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