Catch All

[cryptsleeper]

Comments

[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.

[miraclewhip]

Where do they keep it?

[ Honey! For him! He's going to have flowers and honey and he went on a date with Alucard and Alucard is GIVING HIM PRESENTS this is the best day. ]

Show me?

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard gestures for Trevor to follow. He knows one of the dried fruits sellers usually has it and---

--he's right, and he haggles for the honey alone with a new supply of dried dates because he is actually running low. It is more expensive, but it means Alucard is walking away with a larger jaw of honey than usual.

He hands that bag of goods to Trevor.]

Can you carry this please? It's a little too heavy, and we still have to go get the meat.

[miraclewhip]

Of course.

[ It's theoretically one of the reasons he came along, after all. Even if the real reason was closer to just wanting to spend time with Alucard. It seems like it would be difficult to carry much and to use the cane. He hooks the bag from a wrist so that he can continue clutching the flowers, and now the jar of honey, against himself. His presents. His presents from Alucard. ]

What's left? Just meat?

[cryptsleeper]

Yes. Sypha's diet needs more protein, now that she can stomach it. Chickpeas and other legumes are fine, but it'll be better like this.

[He takes a sudden turn, and things change. There's now meat behind all the counters. Chickens and cows, fish brought in from the sea. No pork for all the obvious reasons.

But it's fish that Alucard goes for first. Picking three out, hoping Sypha will be willing to try and eat the whole thing.

His eyes go to Trevor every so often, just watching him react.]

[miraclewhip]

[ Oh. It's an entire sea of flesh. That's neat.

He looks around, finding less game than he expected. Much of the meat is from livestock, and he's not very accustomed to the idea of farming. Chickens, he knows, and those are what he gets distracted by while Alucard pays for the fish. They're laying hens rather than birds for eating, and he crouches down by the cage to look at them as they wander about or sit in perfect chicken-shapes to snooze, unbothered by the crowds. ]

I wanted to find birds to put in the garden, before. [ He says. ] For eggs. And company. But I think Eight would have bothered them.

[cryptsleeper]

Eight probably would have chased them around too much. Stressed them out so they couldn't lay.

[The chickens are where Alucard heads next, so it's actually rather good timing. He looks at Trevor, then the hens, then back to Trevor.]

I'm nearly done. I'm getting some of their less living relatives, and then we can head back.

[miraclewhip]

She's a good girl. She'd have only wanted to be friends. But they probably wouldn't have cared for it anyway.

[ He waves to the hens. ]

Bye. We're going to buy some of your dead friends.

[cryptsleeper]

No, they wouldn't have.

[Trevor plz.

Alucard laughs a little though, then guides Trevor to their last spot. One of the meat vendors, rushed and overwhelmed. Alucard knows them and knows that now isn't the time to talk. He gets a full bird and some hind quarters, and that's that. Tasks Trevor with carrying the bag, and then?

Then they wind their way home. The streets have more people now. A few that know Alucard and say hello, but understand that he's coming home from shopping and needs to keep his forward momentum. He has a patient, proably.

He unlocks the door. Heads in and immediately starts unpacking the groceries.]

Thank you for your help with the bags.

[miraclewhip]

Of course.

[ He's learned where a few things go by now and he puts those things where they ought to be, but putting things away is still a job that's mostly Alucard. Instead, he just clings to his flowers. ]

Is it always like that there? With the people and the noises and the hens?

[cryptsleeper]

[The fish and chicken get placed in the cool spot for now, a thing ALucard's rigged up. It'll keep for two days - the fish will spoil first, so it'll get eaten later today. The fruit goes into a bowl on the counter, the vegetables under one of the counters. The honey? That he keeps out, taking down a single cup from a small rack.]

Mmhmm. We went early, so it's less crowded than normal.

[He opens the jar, pouring a little bit into the cup for Trevor before offering it to the fae.]

Here. I don't know how much you want right now, but it's a start.

[miraclewhip]

It's plenty.

[ He drains the cup as well as the qualities of honey actually allow, then sheds a few moths. They crawl over the cup, eating at the leftover honey. A few more land on the flowers as he looks around for a place to put them. ]

Do you have a vase? Or a tall cup?

[cryptsleeper]

[He's gotten used to the moths falling off of Trevor, doing things, then returning. He doesn't blink at it anymore. Just walks over to a small shelf of books and other things, which has a cabinet underneath. From there a tall vase -chipped and beat to hell, but a beautiful peacock blue-green - emerges, and Alucard offers it.]

Will this do?

[miraclewhip]

It's perfect.

[ He puts the flowers in there. Water can happen later, he'll need to bring some in anyway. It's one of the jobs he's decided is his. ]

Thank you. For all of this.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard's cede the water bringing as a Trevor job. And grateful for it, because it means he doesn't have to walk when his feet are still sore.

Speaking of. He makes his way over to the sofa, knowing he'll have to stand for a little while to make breakfast. He's earned himself a break.]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. And thank you for the flowers.

[miraclewhip]

Just wait. They'll be even better once I'm gone.

[ Not flowers anymore, but better. He moves over to sit with Alucard, bringing his knees up to his chest to smile over them. ]

Adrian?