Catch All

[cryptsleeper]

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[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?

[cryptsleeper]

Ah, we'll head to the food now. Ready?

[miraclewhip]

I am.

[ He stares out, wide-eyed as they move from cloth to tools and fuel to stalls piled high with bread and vegetables. And after a moment, he reaches out a hand to Alucard's non-cane side. He doesn't expect much, but it's worth a try. ]

So you just keep all the things you'll need here?

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard knows they can't fully hold hands in public. But he brushes his hand against Trevor's for a fleeting moment, hoping he'll take the hint and understand.]

Well, people bring things in from all over, sell it here, and then we take it to our own homes.

[Fruit and veg first. He goes to one of the stands with an older woman sitting beside it, and they immediately launch not into a haggle over food, but catching up over the last few days. Alucard admitting his absence is due to a patient, and that he'll need a little more than the usual for it. They talk as the woman bags things up, as Alucard exchanges coin. And then they farewell each other, and Alucard looks to Trevor.]

That's part one.

[miraclewhip]

[ It's enough. More than enough, and he grins. It keeps his attention on Alucard through the whole of the discussion, even through the tempting distraction of the cut flowers a few stalls away. ]

What's next?

[cryptsleeper]

Vegetables. Then bread, then we'll get a little bit of meat.

--I'll give you coin, if you want to bring home flowers.

[miraclewhip]

Really?

[ There are a few gardens here. Up on rooftops or window boxes. Attached to the houses of the richer men in other parts of the city. But it's been a while since he'd fed on anything nicer than dust and scraps of meat and the cloth that he bundled the speaker in and scrappy old bandages that wouldn't survive another boiling. He's not suffering, but that doesn't mean a treat wouldn't be nice. ]

Please? I'll make something good for you.

[cryptsleeper]

I'll meet you here in five minutes.

[He gives Trevor more than enough coin. Explains each one in brief, and then steps away. Trevor will want it to be a surprise, and that's important.]

Surprise me.

[miraclewhip]

[ It's asters he returns with, bright and colourful, along with a little change. Cheap enough, even if he didn't exactly manage to get a good deal on them, but nectar is nectar and he has plans for the brightly coloured petals. ]

These ones. I like these ones.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard has a bag of vegetables now. Along with the fruit, and he's gone and gotten a few different types of bread. All that's left is the meat, and Alucard knows he has to do a real haggle.

But he comes back for Trevor first, and oh. He did get a riot of color, didn't he?

His smile is soft when he realizes how pleased Trevor is with the acquisition.]

You're just going to add color wherever you can, aren't you?

[miraclewhip]

Only a little. I have a plan.

[ He strokes a finger over the petals of one of the flowers. They'll make good thread. Bright, but not in any shade that they've not already seen on the cloth market stalls. Probably safe enough. ]

Mostly? I'm going to eat them a little.

[ Nom nom nectar. ]

[cryptsleeper]

--Ah. I could buy some honey, if you'd like.

[He's not sure what the plan is. But he's looking forward to it.]

[miraclewhip]

Really?

[ Every moment he seems to grow more excited about something or another, but the promise of honey seems to be the most exciting thing yet. ]

It wouldn't be too much, would it?

[ He has no idea what things cost in human money, okay? ]

[cryptsleeper]

No, it's common enough here.

[It's a little expensive. But not by too much.]

Let's go get some.