[ It's difficult to have a strong reaction anymore, to the smell of fire and smoke. Difficult around Sypha, who is all warmth, who always has just a little of that smell hanging in her robes. So he doesn't panic. Not even here, among the ruins of a place ravaged by it.
But he does take action. He needs to find Alucard and Sypha and he needs to figure out where the fire is and how to control it. And the fire? The fire he can smell, so that's the obvious first step.
He runs toward it, keeping an eye out for the other two along the way. ]
[ There's a hissing sound and a loud yelp from the kitchen, because someone's first instinct was to throw water on an oil fire. ]
Fuck, Sypha!
[ She's okay aside from some mild steam burns, thanks to the ability to direct the flaming oil that exploded out of the pan away from herself. The flames that leapt out of the pan when she added the water freeze in the air, burning until they run out of oil and then blinking out one by one. But the pan is still on fire. ]
[Alucard floats right over to the sofa, evaluating the situation in a second. The pan is on fire. So Alucard first goes to grab a pot lid, and he slams that through the flames onto the fire itself. Then? Then the pan gets removed from the burner, thrown into the sink. His own skin blisters horribly as he does it, but so be it.]
Sypha, reduce any remaining flames then turn the burner off! I'll deal with the next step after that!
[ He pushes Sypha down, and that's entirely reflex. Flames mean smoke, and smoke is more dangerous higher up, and-
-he's maybe working on instinct and dislike of fire here. But he distantly hears Alucard's voice, and Sypha hears it not-distantly enough to push down the fire. Trevor can move through the scalding steam as she does to turn off the burner. ]
[A few more seconds and the chaos ends. Sypha clears the smoke. The pan is no longer on fire. The dhampir looks like an angry cat with very poofy hair, and his eyes go to Sypha.]
[ He addresses it to the bundle of robes he's pulled up against him. She answers that question first, nodding and pulling herself free. Looking over her slightly-burned hands, testing to see she can move her fingers and then nodding again, covering her hands with a thin layer of frost.
She points to a book that, thankfully, has survived the worst of the fire. It's from the hold, and it's-
-yeah, they absolutely kept cookbooks in the hold. The current page describes a recipe for dense cakes fried in oil. Someone's been attempting to stress bake. Stress fry. ]
[Alucard pauses. Looks to the open page. Then to Sypha. Back to the page.
And what breaks out is a laugh. A real one, deep and full and wonderfully warm, free of the tension and horror and uncertainty that Alucard has carried around the other two for so many nights. It is delighted and furious in equal measure.]
I was following the instructions! It was the fire pit that did it!
[ That's what the burners are called now. There's another book to the side of the first one. Smaller and battered and missing the numbering on the spine that marks the other books from the hold. There's a bookmark in it. ]
[ -finally lured Trey out of his room. The lente frytoures worked. Always does. He's still not himself. Wouldn't look at us. Wouldn't talk. Just snatched the plate from her and ran away.
Juliet was like this, too, after her first kill. I had to make the sweets, then. I don't remember if I was as shaken. I want to think I wasn't. I didn't put a stake in anything, after all, and I certainly survived. No reason to be sulking.
I shouldn't complain. If sweets is all that he'll eat until this passes, it's as good a reason as any to only eat sweets.
It's a diary. Discussing the recipe in the cookbook. Like it's something that might help. ]
You already broke the castle, you have to burn it too?
[The words slip out of Alucard's mouth so easily. Like this is just being home with the other two again, nothing else horrible or untoward taking place. But then he opens the book and--
---oh.
He sobers up immediately. Closes the book and replaces it to where it was, moment well killed.]
I did not break that castle. The castle broke itself by fighting against me. If the wagon's wheel comes loose, I do not blame the horses.
Right, you blame me.
[ They keep talking, Trevor not knowing the significance of the book and Sypha not thinking it over enough to be worried about Alucard looking at it. She just laughs, sinking against Trevor. ]
See? You heard it. He broke the castle. He admitted to it.
[But Alucard's already deep in his own head. His hand shakes as he tries to rest against the counter, as if nothing's happened. He's fine. This is fine.
Why are you banning me? [ She points to the oven, then huffs. ] This thing is to blame. It should be banned from making food.
[ She waves one hand, forming a sheet of ice in the air. ]
Do you need-? [ She places ha hand against it, letting it sit between the two of them and Alucard so he can touch it, too. He was burned as well, after all. ]
He's fucked up, hasn't he? In some unspoken way. The other two they have their language now. Their unspoken means of communication, and good. Good for them. Let them keep being happy.]
[ The tone of everything changed, and so does his. It's not pleading. It's not- much of anything, really. But it's soft. Warm. He rolls up his sleeves. ]
Apparently I'm cooking. You may as well be around to eat it. It's-
[ He looks over at the recipe that Sypha chose. It hasn't quite clicked why she chose it, but he knows that he likes those things. Always found them comforting. Maybe she feels the same way.
The recipe calls for apples, of course. Which is why there's a basket of pears. That? He understands. ]
-it'll be okay. I've made it before, I probably won't fuck up.
[They were going to let him be during the day, weren't they? Hadn't that been how things were falling into place? It was going to be fine. Perfect. He could let distance drive them the rest of the way away, and no one would have to feel guilt. It was perfect it was--
--he sighs. He knows the excuse won't work, even if it's still true.]
Fine. But only to prevent another fire. When you're done, I'll excuse myself.
See? You know that he is really the one who starts fires. I am innocent.
[ He ignores that, looking over what Sypha already had prepared. The batter is too thin, but he can deal with that. The spices aren't ground yet. The honey-
-he has a lot of work to do. But they'll cook quickly, when they're ready. He starts chopping a pear. ]
Try them? Honey's not going to be easy to come by unless I repair the old bee boxes. It'd be a shame to use it and you not have any.
Use the honey, Belmont. I'll go get it out of the pantry.
[He says nothing about repairing the boxes. Or even about how technically, Alucard can afford sugar. He just slips out of the kitchen and into the pantry, returning with a mostly full jar of the stuff and putting it beside him.]
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[He floats off. Back to the same room. Taking all the blankets with him, because that? That is still safe.
And he stays there. Stays there until sometime just before dinner when there is a smell in the air and that smell? That's fire...]
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But he does take action. He needs to find Alucard and Sypha and he needs to figure out where the fire is and how to control it. And the fire? The fire he can smell, so that's the obvious first step.
He runs toward it, keeping an eye out for the other two along the way. ]
Sypha? Sypha!
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Is she cooking?!
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[ There's a hissing sound and a loud yelp from the kitchen, because someone's first instinct was to throw water on an oil fire. ]
Fuck, Sypha!
[ She's okay aside from some mild steam burns, thanks to the ability to direct the flaming oil that exploded out of the pan away from herself. The flames that leapt out of the pan when she added the water freeze in the air, burning until they run out of oil and then blinking out one by one. But the pan is still on fire. ]
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[Alucard floats right over to the sofa, evaluating the situation in a second. The pan is on fire. So Alucard first goes to grab a pot lid, and he slams that through the flames onto the fire itself. Then? Then the pan gets removed from the burner, thrown into the sink. His own skin blisters horribly as he does it, but so be it.]
Sypha, reduce any remaining flames then turn the burner off! I'll deal with the next step after that!
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-he's maybe working on instinct and dislike of fire here. But he distantly hears Alucard's voice, and Sypha hears it not-distantly enough to push down the fire. Trevor can move through the scalding steam as she does to turn off the burner. ]
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What were you trying to cook?!
[It's less angry and more bewildered.]
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[ He addresses it to the bundle of robes he's pulled up against him. She answers that question first, nodding and pulling herself free. Looking over her slightly-burned hands, testing to see she can move her fingers and then nodding again, covering her hands with a thin layer of frost.
She points to a book that, thankfully, has survived the worst of the fire. It's from the hold, and it's-
-yeah, they absolutely kept cookbooks in the hold. The current page describes a recipe for dense cakes fried in oil. Someone's been attempting to stress bake. Stress fry. ]
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And what breaks out is a laugh. A real one, deep and full and wonderfully warm, free of the tension and horror and uncertainty that Alucard has carried around the other two for so many nights. It is delighted and furious in equal measure.]
Why would you try frying!? Of all the things--?!
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[ That's what the burners are called now. There's another book to the side of the first one. Smaller and battered and missing the numbering on the spine that marks the other books from the hold. There's a bookmark in it. ]
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[He does notice the book though. Frowns, walking over to examine it.]
You didn't need to go into the Hold for a cookbook--
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Juliet was like this, too, after her first kill. I had to make the sweets, then. I don't remember if I was as shaken. I want to think I wasn't. I didn't put a stake in anything, after all, and I certainly survived. No reason to be sulking.
I shouldn't complain. If sweets is all that he'll eat until this passes, it's as good a reason as any to only eat sweets.
It's a diary. Discussing the recipe in the cookbook. Like it's something that might help. ]
I had to do something...
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[The words slip out of Alucard's mouth so easily. Like this is just being home with the other two again, nothing else horrible or untoward taking place. But then he opens the book and--
---oh.
He sobers up immediately. Closes the book and replaces it to where it was, moment well killed.]
Oh.
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Right, you blame me.
[ They keep talking, Trevor not knowing the significance of the book and Sypha not thinking it over enough to be worried about Alucard looking at it. She just laughs, sinking against Trevor. ]
See? You heard it. He broke the castle. He admitted to it.
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[But Alucard's already deep in his own head. His hand shakes as he tries to rest against the counter, as if nothing's happened. He's fine. This is fine.
He tries to focus.
Making fun of Sypha. Right.]
You're also banned from cooking here.
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[ She waves one hand, forming a sheet of ice in the air. ]
Do you need-? [ She places ha hand against it, letting it sit between the two of them and Alucard so he can touch it, too. He was burned as well, after all. ]
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[At the ice, Alucard holds up his hand. Already healed.]
I'm fine.
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She does. It's-
[ It sounds pained. It sounds slightly more pained when the ice turns to frigid water and just happens to splash him. ]
You make it, then.
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He's fucked up, hasn't he? In some unspoken way. The other two they have their language now. Their unspoken means of communication, and good. Good for them. Let them keep being happy.]
I'll do the dishes and get out of your hair--
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[ The tone of everything changed, and so does his. It's not pleading. It's not- much of anything, really. But it's soft. Warm. He rolls up his sleeves. ]
Apparently I'm cooking. You may as well be around to eat it. It's-
[ He looks over at the recipe that Sypha chose. It hasn't quite clicked why she chose it, but he knows that he likes those things. Always found them comforting. Maybe she feels the same way.
The recipe calls for apples, of course. Which is why there's a basket of pears. That? He understands. ]
-it'll be okay. I've made it before, I probably won't fuck up.
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[They were going to let him be during the day, weren't they? Hadn't that been how things were falling into place? It was going to be fine. Perfect. He could let distance drive them the rest of the way away, and no one would have to feel guilt. It was perfect it was--
--he sighs. He knows the excuse won't work, even if it's still true.]
Fine. But only to prevent another fire. When you're done, I'll excuse myself.
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[ He ignores that, looking over what Sypha already had prepared. The batter is too thin, but he can deal with that. The spices aren't ground yet. The honey-
-he has a lot of work to do. But they'll cook quickly, when they're ready. He starts chopping a pear. ]
Try them? Honey's not going to be easy to come by unless I repair the old bee boxes. It'd be a shame to use it and you not have any.
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[He says nothing about repairing the boxes. Or even about how technically, Alucard can afford sugar. He just slips out of the kitchen and into the pantry, returning with a mostly full jar of the stuff and putting it beside him.]
I don't go through it very quickly.
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[ He smiles, taking the honey. Adds a spoonful of it to the batter. He'll coat them with some more, once they're done. ]
Look at you, making her day.
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[He's not sure what Trevor means. So the Belmont gets a confused head tilt.]
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