Catch All

[cryptsleeper]

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[miraclewhip]

[ He tilts his head at the flush in Alucard's cheeks, then smiles wider. Oh. He's happy. He's so happy. ]

I hunt. And I weave. For the Queen, sometimes. Usually for mother and her court. I find books and secrets for my sister's library. And sometimes I watch people.

[ Fairy life. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[Nope. He can't do this. It is ridiculous and it will still end badly but fuck.]

You'll add visiting here to that list, every so often?

[miraclewhip]

Always, if you'll allow me. Before anything else.

[ He squeezes Alucard's hand. ]

Let me take you to bed?

[cryptsleeper]

[Isn't that moving a bit fas--

Oh God, he's really in it, isn't he?

Alucard just squeezes back.]

If I say no, you'll just insist until I agree. [He knows that much.] Lead on, Belmont.

[miraclewhip]

Of course not. I'll just stay here with you until you fall asleep.

[ It is a proper princess carry, this time. Careful and delicate and adoring. ]

But then if I did that, I'd have less time for weaving. Maybe I'd have all of the trousers done except the backside tomorrow, and I'd have to walk around with my arsecheeks hanging out.

[cryptsleeper]

[Oh.

Okay, that's new information: he enjoys being scooped up like that.]

Hm, that'll get you arrested. Let's avoid doing that.

[miraclewhip]

Fine, fine.

[ He'd laugh, but right now he just wants to focus on this. On Alucard in his arms, almost close to being the right weight and stronger and happy. He's not started moving toward the stairs yet, just savouring this. ]

I promise not to go out bare-arsed.

[cryptsleeper]

I'm considering that legally binding.

[Faerie promises and all.

It's...nice. Being held. Knowing there's no ulterior motive. Knowing he's safe. And maybe because of that? Alucard's relaxed. Fine not to be moving immediately. Just there. Being held.

He rests one arm on Trevor's, and wraps the other around his shoulder just to hang on a little better.]

[miraclewhip]

Well, it's a promise to you. You get to choose the consequences if it's broken.

[ They're so close like this. It's wonderful.

He does eventually head up the stairs. Lays Alucard out delicately on the bed. ]

I'll see you tomorrow.

[cryptsleeper]

Good night.

[Alucard's pretty sure that he waits until Trevor's gone to let out a sigh and try and get himself back to rights. It isn't that he doesn't like Trevor or doesn't appreciate his presence. Quite the opposite. But that's the problem.

He's meant to be alone. It's safer, because even if there's time spent with Trevor? He is still beholden to the fae and their Queen and that sounds like a bad thing to get mixed up in on principle. There's a reason his family made the decisions they did.

But it feels so good, not being alone. Letting his heart flutter and know that at least from Trevor? There's no harm. He isn't threatened. This is just...

...it's nice.

He falls asleep with that debate in his head. Rises still unsure. Dresses himself in his tunic and trousers, with his coat folded over his arm. He'll wash his face and then they can go. Coffee and breakfast can be gotten at the market.]

[miraclewhip]

[ He looks human, when he comes to bring Alucard his cane. Normal, even, if just a little scruffy. He can't even glamour a decent beard, it seems, and so he's still stuck with just stubble. But he's dressed like the people he's observed, with even the little details of wear woven into the fabric. His hair is tied back. His eyes are still too bright, but it takes some observing to notice that in daylight.

His wings aren't glamoured away so much as discarded entirely, the moths that make them up still asleep on the walls of the quarantine room. It means he can actually cover his back properly. And true to his word, his backside is covered. ]

Am I decent enough?

[ Please take him on a date!!!! ]

[cryptsleeper]

Yes, I rather think so.

[Alucard takes the cane. His feet are okay today, but right now it's probably safer to go out with the thing. Affectation and all that.]

Ready?

[miraclewhip]

I'm ready.

[ He wants to hook his arm around Alucard's but he restrains himself, instead walking at his side. Behind him, to go through narrower spaces. ]

Let me know if I do anything wrong. I- don't try to blend in with humans often,

[cryptsleeper]

You'll know.

[With that, Alucard walks out the door. Holds it for Trevor, then locks up. He locks up because of having Sypha in there, and then?

Into the world. Alucard's little part of it, small houses lining narrow lanes, precious few people up yet. One of the grandmothers is just opening her door, and Alucard manages a hello and running to market, I still have a patient! before he can be asked about Trevor's presence.

The road is perfectly straight, leading to a smaller neighborhood market. Alucard prefers it to the larger ones in the city center, especially the grand bazaar. It's easier. The merchants know him, and there it is just ahead, under a series of domes and beautiful arches.

Alucard looks to Trevor though, more curious about Trevor's reaction.]

[miraclewhip]

[ Trevor is excited, constantly looking around. He's gone through these streets before, but as moths or as a man given a wide berth because of the sick woman in his arms. This is different. Everything is loud and alive, even so early.

(He waves at the woman who tries to make conversation with Alucard, and he must be doing human-ing right, because her face splits into a grin when he turns to chase after him to avoid being separated.)

For a moment he doesn't even notice Alucard looking at him, his attention on the performance of someone trying to barter the price of eggs down. When he does catch his attention, he gestures around. Just with his head, not too widely. ]

It's amazing.

[ He whispers it, vaguely remembering that he probably should avoid looking too much like an overwhelmed outsider. ]

[cryptsleeper]

Does any of it remind you of home?

[He's curious. Genuinely.]

[miraclewhip]

Not really. There's- the same sorts of food here, I suppose? But there's a lot more of it here. And there's less chairs, and no bed. And there's a lot more people, but barely any of them are sick at all.

[ I'm sorry Alucard were you expecting him to think of the beautiful lands when you said 'home' because apparently he doesn't. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[HE WAS goddamnit. So, new path.]

I meant outside your family's homes. The rest of...the countryside for you, I suppose is the only way to think of it.

[miraclewhip]

Oh. That home.

[ What do you mean 'home' isn't the clinic. ]

It's a little like the Queen's lands during solstice. Probably less orgies. Less outside ones, at least. But there's people, a lot of them. And it's loud, and everyone is trying to make sure that everyone else gives them what they want. And everyone wants a lot of things, but there are a lot of things to go around. So it can work out.

[cryptsleeper]

The colors though?

[He asks because the route he's taken is on purpose. They're going through the cloth merchants entrance, rather than the food one. Alucard wants to let Trevor see the colors here, because even with the laws being what they are? There is so much color. There is so much brightness. The dyed bolts. The completed works. The rugs that pile atop each other.

Alucard moves slower. He knows Trevor will want to look.]

[miraclewhip]

They're lovely.

[ He's been refraining from talking about cloth too much. In part because he knows it's unfair. These people have mastered their crafts as far as humans can, and he respects that, but it's hard not to be a little critical. Nothing here is perfect, woven so closely that there's no sign left that there were ever individual threads. Because humans can't do that. ]

They're not like the ones in the queen's lands, because those ones- they're just there because she wants them to be there. These ones are- people have had to find them, haven't they? Find them and make them and be sure they're as bright as possible.

[cryptsleeper]

Mmmhmmm. There's those who spin the thread, others that dye the thread or cloth, more who weave it. some who sew it into a final form and some who don't.

[Worth it. So, so worth it.]

I'll take you to the Grand Bazaar when she's well. There's an entire street full of cloth merchants there.

[miraclewhip]

There's a bigger one? With more of them?

[ He's delighted by this news? And also by the fact that they're already arranging a second date! And that Sypha gets to come on it! ]

It's beautiful. Thank you for bringing me here.

[cryptsleeper]

Mmm. Much larger. More like a labyrinth, if I'm being entirely honest.

[Oh....

Oh that face.]

I'm just glad you're enjoying it.

[miraclewhip]

More than I'd imagined I could.

[ Finally, finally, he turns his attention back to Alucard ]

What do you need to collect from here? Do you want me to carry things?