Trust me, you don't want to hear my poetry. Never going to inspire any horny Italians.
[ He says that with the sort of deliberate nonchalance that absolutely indicates he's been trying to read more widely purely to be able to maybe keep up in conversation with Alucard and Sypha. They still leave him behind quickly when the topic changes to something more intellectual. ]
It'll be fine. Always used to be safest, close to the gate. I'd play there when I was little.
But you're not a horny Italian, so what's the point?
[ He chuckles, though, gripping Alucard tightly to keep him upright as he opens the chapel's doors.
Hell is bright. Bright like a king's throne room or a palace garden or a church whose money has been spent solely upon the beauty of the church itself and not upon the wellbeing of its parishioners. Bright in a way that's almost more exhausting to observe than the difficult, draining process of moving there is to endure. There is no place to stop. No one place to rest one's eyes. It's hard to discern what everything it meant to be at first, with every blade of grass a different colour. With the sky blazing white. With a constant metallic ringing just too loud to ignore but too quiet to really focus on.
After a little while, it becomes clear. This is the Trantoul estate, still, but in ruins and overgrown. What it probably looks like in reality outside of the spell that keeps it frozen in time. ]
Been a while. [ Trevor sounds a little distant, for just a moment, before he turns his attention back to Alucard. The journey has been exhausting, almost certainly, but there's a sort of energy here. A familiar one, but magnified a thousand times. If his magic was a whisper of his intent before he lost it, now it's a scream. ] How are you doing?
[There's a smartass retort for that, but Alucard knows they aren't at the right point for him to make it. He falls quiet instead, gripping onto Trevor as the chapel doors open.
What happens next feels like when a wave crashes upon the shore and then recedes. Then keeps receding. Then goes a little bit further, leaving nothing else but damp sand and some rocks and shells. Energy goes out in one fell swoop, and it's at the worst possible time.
There is too much color. His eyes flicker. Blink. Try to adjust, but don't. The only term he can think of is sensory overload, and oh there is just too damn much of everything. He hates it. He hates it and wants to go home, but this is Hell. Hating it is the point.
Slowly, something does start to move in to replace the energy though. It isn't much, but--
--Alucard holds up his free arm, and a little ball of blue flame forms there. It's strength is the same but it has never been so intensely blue.
[ He leads Alucard through the migraine of a world, to a place that was the Trantoul house once. Brings him to sit down on a crumbled wall. It’s a little easier to make sense of things near the buildings. Human architecture brings with it a certain amount of order, even here. ]
[Alucard's happy to let himself be lead. Through places and colors that make his brain want to burst out of his skull. A brain reminding him you're literally in Hell.
The ruins though, they help. Not much. Some of the brightness mutes. The noise drops into background music.]
Yeah. This part would always be safe, so long as- [ Father. He pauses. It's easier to refer to him by name. ] -so long as Leon was on the other side.
The estate is nice, but my sisters were older when we were turned. They'd had a whole world to explore, and now they were trapped in this tiny place. We had to go somewhere to spread our wings. Leon didn't want us to bump into humans before he knew if we'd be able to control ourselves, and so we came here. It was- nice.
[ He goes quiet for a moment again, shaking his head. Correcting himself. ]
[Alucard listens. Nods along, a little jealous. He didn't have siblings. Didn't have many friends, and by nature he clung close to home. Exploring ruins like this? Never happened.
He squeezes Trevor's arm gently.]
It sounds it. And I'm sure you got to find out how fast you could climb or run or...anything.
[ He offers his arm again, in case Alucard needs it for support. It probably wouldn't be proper to just scoop him up and carry him. ]
I know it's not an easy place to be. And I'll take you back soon if you need. But I want to see if you can use your magic here. It's- maybe it's the key to bringing it back, if you can.
[ The place he's leading Alucard to is close, but well-hidden. It looks like a small hill. The entrance is hidden by the thick grass and leads to a space dug out at the hill's centre, the dirt roof supported and fortified by building materials scavenged from the ruins of the estate. It's not unlike a very large wolf's den, save for the fortification and the way that it's furnished sparsely, with a braided rug and some worn, threadbare cushions. There are books strewn about on the ground.
Most importantly, the inescapable light of the sky doesn't reach here. The place is lit by an oil lamp in one corner instead, and when Trevor lights it the light it gives off is softer. The discordant colours aren't quite as nauseating by it. ]
This used to be our fortress. Our ships and our wagons and whatever else in between we wanted it to be. Then we grew up, and it was just where my sister went to read.
[He takes it readily. Alcuard's legs are steadier already, but he seems to be more focused on just having Trevor's arm in his. It's nice.]
What kind of magic works best in this place?
[Trevor may or may not know, but it fills in the time. Helps him focus on Trevor and noise rather than everything else. Perfect as they head under the hill.
His eyes take a moment to adjust but...this is perfect.]
What was your favorite thing to have this place be?
A ship, I think. I've never been to the sea. Shit, I don't know if I could. Running water and all.
[ He sits down on a cushion, gesturing to another. ]
I've never really used magic. But know that elemental magic like Sypha's can be more difficult to control here. It relies on your understanding the laws it's breaking. They don't apply here, so things can go wrong. So- not that.
[He does sit down though. Even that's kind of more than he expected, as when Alucard hits, the softness of the pillow feels just a little too much.]
None of my magic is elemental. It's all based on very specific instructions....and usually more mundane in the result. Good for hiding or revealing things.
[Alucard seems to like the idea as well, but..right.]
Hm. Like this.
[There are a few murmured words. And then something heavy suddenly appears at Alucard's side, bundled tightly in brown leather, attached to his belt. The dhampir unhooks it carefully, then unwraps. Lays the thing in his lap and--
--it's a book.]
The travel version of my family's most important spells and medical information.
[ He reaches out to touch the book. It feels real, at least to his untrained hands, rather than a magical construct of some sort. ]
How is it made? Did you move the book from somewhere else to here? Or did you create it from magic? Or the information in the book stored in the spell, and the spell gives it form?
[ He almost sounds half-informed on the topic. Especially for a non-mage. So maybe he’s been reading up on this, trying to understand something that means so much to the humans. Don’t tell Sypha he has to keep being tsun at her. ]
It's written as a normal book. But you make ink according to the first spell in the book, and it indexes and updates the rest of it. To ensure safety though you have to be a blood relation of mine to access it, or I have to write your name in the book.
[Alucard opens the first page. For him, it's a title page. For Trevor? It's blank.]
Flip through. It should be blank for almost every page, save a few dummy pages that are scribbles.
[ He flips through the book. Sure enough, nothing. ]
And that’s where the hiding things comes in, then? Because other people can’t get the secrets out of it. Clever.
How are you feeling? This isn’t draining you, is it?
[ On the contrary, this place should be becoming more bearable with every spell cast. Up until a certain point, having magic passing through a body mades everything easier here. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ He says that with the sort of deliberate nonchalance that absolutely indicates he's been trying to read more widely purely to be able to maybe keep up in conversation with Alucard and Sypha. They still leave him behind quickly when the topic changes to something more intellectual. ]
It'll be fine. Always used to be safest, close to the gate. I'd play there when I was little.
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[But it's all besides the point. Alucard pulls himself a little closer to Trevor, letting the dhampir lead.]
I'm in your hands then. Lead on.
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[ He chuckles, though, gripping Alucard tightly to keep him upright as he opens the chapel's doors.
Hell is bright. Bright like a king's throne room or a palace garden or a church whose money has been spent solely upon the beauty of the church itself and not upon the wellbeing of its parishioners. Bright in a way that's almost more exhausting to observe than the difficult, draining process of moving there is to endure. There is no place to stop. No one place to rest one's eyes. It's hard to discern what everything it meant to be at first, with every blade of grass a different colour. With the sky blazing white. With a constant metallic ringing just too loud to ignore but too quiet to really focus on.
After a little while, it becomes clear. This is the Trantoul estate, still, but in ruins and overgrown. What it probably looks like in reality outside of the spell that keeps it frozen in time. ]
Been a while. [ Trevor sounds a little distant, for just a moment, before he turns his attention back to Alucard. The journey has been exhausting, almost certainly, but there's a sort of energy here. A familiar one, but magnified a thousand times. If his magic was a whisper of his intent before he lost it, now it's a scream. ] How are you doing?
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What happens next feels like when a wave crashes upon the shore and then recedes. Then keeps receding. Then goes a little bit further, leaving nothing else but damp sand and some rocks and shells. Energy goes out in one fell swoop, and it's at the worst possible time.
There is too much color. His eyes flicker. Blink. Try to adjust, but don't. The only term he can think of is sensory overload, and oh there is just too damn much of everything. He hates it. He hates it and wants to go home, but this is Hell. Hating it is the point.
Slowly, something does start to move in to replace the energy though. It isn't much, but--
--Alucard holds up his free arm, and a little ball of blue flame forms there. It's strength is the same but it has never been so intensely blue.
He turns to Trevor.]
I think I need to sit.
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That- that was magic, wasn’t it?
[ He sits down on the floor next to Alucard. ]
It works here, then. That’s good.
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[Alucard's happy to let himself be lead. Through places and colors that make his brain want to burst out of his skull. A brain reminding him you're literally in Hell.
The ruins though, they help. Not much. Some of the brightness mutes. The noise drops into background music.]
You used to play here?
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The estate is nice, but my sisters were older when we were turned. They'd had a whole world to explore, and now they were trapped in this tiny place. We had to go somewhere to spread our wings. Leon didn't want us to bump into humans before he knew if we'd be able to control ourselves, and so we came here. It was- nice.
[ He goes quiet for a moment again, shaking his head. Correcting himself. ]
Lonely, maybe. Sometimes. But nice.
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He squeezes Trevor's arm gently.]
It sounds it. And I'm sure you got to find out how fast you could climb or run or...anything.
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[ It doesn't really matter anymore, does it? Leon isn't here anymore. This isn't a place for children anymore. ]
Let me know when you're feeling up to walking. We dug a little space not far from here. All of this is easier to deal with if you're underground.
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[This is probably a lie, but somewhere easier to deal with this? Yes please and thank you.]
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I know it's not an easy place to be. And I'll take you back soon if you need. But I want to see if you can use your magic here. It's- maybe it's the key to bringing it back, if you can.
[ The place he's leading Alucard to is close, but well-hidden. It looks like a small hill. The entrance is hidden by the thick grass and leads to a space dug out at the hill's centre, the dirt roof supported and fortified by building materials scavenged from the ruins of the estate. It's not unlike a very large wolf's den, save for the fortification and the way that it's furnished sparsely, with a braided rug and some worn, threadbare cushions. There are books strewn about on the ground.
Most importantly, the inescapable light of the sky doesn't reach here. The place is lit by an oil lamp in one corner instead, and when Trevor lights it the light it gives off is softer. The discordant colours aren't quite as nauseating by it. ]
This used to be our fortress. Our ships and our wagons and whatever else in between we wanted it to be. Then we grew up, and it was just where my sister went to read.
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What kind of magic works best in this place?
[Trevor may or may not know, but it fills in the time. Helps him focus on Trevor and noise rather than everything else. Perfect as they head under the hill.
His eyes take a moment to adjust but...this is perfect.]
What was your favorite thing to have this place be?
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[ He sits down on a cushion, gesturing to another. ]
I've never really used magic. But know that elemental magic like Sypha's can be more difficult to control here. It relies on your understanding the laws it's breaking. They don't apply here, so things can go wrong. So- not that.
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[He does sit down though. Even that's kind of more than he expected, as when Alucard hits, the softness of the pillow feels just a little too much.]
None of my magic is elemental. It's all based on very specific instructions....and usually more mundane in the result. Good for hiding or revealing things.
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[ He listens intently. He's never been good with magic, but that doesn't mean he can't be fascinated by it. ]
Can you show me?
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[Alucard pauses. Then nods.]
What kind of magic would you like to see?
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[ Stop trying to make this about things he wants, this was meant to be a good thing for you! ]
I don't really know. What does revealing things mean?
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[Alucard seems to like the idea as well, but..right.]
Hm. Like this.
[There are a few murmured words. And then something heavy suddenly appears at Alucard's side, bundled tightly in brown leather, attached to his belt. The dhampir unhooks it carefully, then unwraps. Lays the thing in his lap and--
--it's a book.]
The travel version of my family's most important spells and medical information.
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[ He looks at the book for a moment. Reaches his hand out to touch it but stops short. ]
Shit. Magic books. [ A pause. ] My sister used spells to find words and passages in her books. Can you do that?
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[Alucard smiles, moving the book closer. Telling him it's okay to touch.]
I could, but I have most of this committed to memory. There's no need.
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[ He reaches out to touch the book. It feels real, at least to his untrained hands, rather than a magical construct of some sort. ]
How is it made? Did you move the book from somewhere else to here? Or did you create it from magic? Or the information in the book stored in the spell, and the spell gives it form?
[ He almost sounds half-informed on the topic. Especially for a non-mage. So maybe he’s been reading up on this, trying to understand something that means so much to the humans. Don’t tell Sypha he has to keep being tsun at her. ]
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[Alucard opens the first page. For him, it's a title page. For Trevor? It's blank.]
Flip through. It should be blank for almost every page, save a few dummy pages that are scribbles.
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And that’s where the hiding things comes in, then? Because other people can’t get the secrets out of it. Clever.
How are you feeling? This isn’t draining you, is it?
[ On the contrary, this place should be becoming more bearable with every spell cast. Up until a certain point, having magic passing through a body mades everything easier here. ]
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[That comes with a small, prideful smile.]
It does feel a little better. Just...there is something to be said about having to remind myself where I am, exactly.
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[ He takes a moment to figure out what that means, then nods. ]
Oh, right. Hell has- kind of a bad reputation with humans, doesn’t it?
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