I respect it. Necromancy is not a particular subject of mine, but it's impossible to say you haven't done the work. Dedication I do regard in high esteem.
[Sorry Hector, senpai won't notice you and--
Excuse you Hector? Are you bribing him?]
Hector, I duck out at literally every lecture to prepare the food. [There would be a riot if he didn't provide food.]
But if your dog decides to sit on me and keep me anchored, then I can't do anything about it. I suppose that--
[Alucard's head snaps towards the right suddenly, like a cat seeing some invisible thing. He frowns, and begins to walk towards a small closet that sits in the corner.]
[Bribing is a valid strategy! Gotta get a sempai somehow, in this economy.]
Do you not have vendors for that?
[Alucard cooks? Hector does not know what to do with this information, so he files it away. But certainly the Lord of Darkness has a budget for his science parties, and Alucard could pay some local with a food stand to do a little work for him after hours.
It's not super encouraging that Alucard likes Cezar more than him, but it's also fair. Hector likes Cezar more than anyone too.]
Sure, go on.
[Hector doesn't know what he intends to do in that door that clearly doesn't lead out. Vampire nonsense, probably.]
[He likes it. It brings him joy, and it balances the stress of managing the actual personalities involved at all of these salons.
With that, Alucard stands.]
Thank you.
[In the future there'd probably be some stunning joke about closets to make here. But for now, it's just an underdressed dhampir going into a door with no actual exit, and staying there.
And staying there.
And staying there some more, until Alucard emerges 20 minutes later looking no different than before. But just before he emerges, something appears on the desk. There's no poof of magic, no sparkling spell work, no cloud, only simple aportation. Two envelopes, the handwriting perfection itself. One is written in Arabic, the other reads Ἕκτωρ.
Alucard reaches the desk, and simply offers the one in Greek to Hector. He knows the contents, but he can keep a poker face for now.]
[He's mostly grumbling to himself as Alucard ducks through the door. Weirdly, the glimpse of the space Hector sees through the frame is larger than logic dictates it should be.
He paces around Alucard's office while he's away, warring with his impulse to snoop. The walls have eyes, apparently. He slips off his hat and cards his fingers through his hair. Alucard is gone some time, and Hector doesn't know if the length of his absence is a good sign or ill.
When the dhampir finally comes back in, Hector shoves his hat back on and hops to claim his letter. Apparently, what it took to get noticed by the Master was complaining. That stupid saying about squeaking wheels wasn't far off.
He's already tearing the seal as he replies to Alucard's question.]
[Alucard seats himself back behind his desk once Hector has the envelope. Keen gold eyes watch, because his father is absolutely going to ask about each man's reaction.
In Greek, the handwriting precise like a printing press, is the briefest of notes.]
Hector--
You and Isaac will meet me on this upcoming Wednesday at 8 PM. Adrian will permit you into the building.
VDT.
[That's it. That's the whole note. No indication of why. What to discuss. Anything. Just to be there and that Isaac will also be present.]
[The virtue of humility has skipped the Tepes bloodline entirely. Hector huffs out a sigh. Maybe 'extra' was an inherent trait for all vampiric entities. Hector's certainly never met one lacked it.
He reads through the note, and raises an eyebrow.]
Adrian?
[He knows Alucard the way he's introduced himself to the salon attendees.
I don't know if that is better or else than you calling yourself that.
[Dracula does maintain a magical displaced palace and holds supernatural salons purely for his amusement. How is Hector to guess his naming conventions for his offspring?]
So he finally decided to have us fight to the death, huh?
[Hector's joking, though he's pretty sure more than one vampire would show up to watch that showdown.]
Actually, it's neither. Others gave me the name for so frequently acting as an inverse of my father. I'll spare you my middle name, as I still don't know how he came up with it.
[Fahrenheit? Really? And it has never been explained to him either.]
Yes, that's my understanding. I'm only here to be the doorman, I don't intend to listen in to the preamble or the death cries.
Names stick after centuries, and if I have to fight that battle or a battle of decorum in the salon, I know which one to pick.
[Alucard pauses, sensing a fly away. He tucks it back, serious faced yet again.]
It's the outcome I'm betting on, if that gives you any sort of reassurance of what is yet to come. How's his Greek by the way, he was concerned that he was slipping into the ancient Attic dialect.
[Hector pouts frowns. He could totally maybe win against Isaac.]
I suppose having two Forgemasters is a novelty not to be wasted. There is usually only one active at a time.
[He folds the letter and slips it back into the envelope. The whole thing gets tucked into his robe. A communication from Dracula, even one this brief, isn't something he'll simply discard.]
It read a little formal, but not yet outdated. Perfectly serviceable written Greek.
For all I know this could take a minute or take hours. Regardless, it has been a little while since I've been able to enjoy the luxury of his company without my attention being pulled in twenty different directions.
[Puppies aren't forever! Alucard's old, he knows that he doesn't like the short lifespan involved.]
He is a remarkably well behaved dog, reanimated or otherwise and I would be grateful for his presence.
[There. There's an actual smile on Alucard's face. It's small, but warm and so very, very fond of the subject.]
[It's... not off-putting, but there's a certain fluttering sensation in his stomach that Hector can't place, watching Alucard's face. Stupid sexy dhampir.
He looks away.]
I'll arrive a little early to make sure we get him settled before the meeting. If that is all you required of me...
[Hector will head out and puzzle over this interaction until it comes time for his meeting with Dracula.]
[He raises an eyebrow. It's daylight hours, nobody to see them but humans outside. Hector can't fathom why Alucard would care what humans think of him. Must be a vanity thing, he's yet to meet a vampire who wasn't unspeakably vain.]
I can see myself out, unless your father has played with the hallways lately.
[It's not unprecedented, but not likely.]
Until then.
cw: opium use because that stupid tfln thread is now canon in at least one au
[With that, Alucard says nothing more. He closes the office door behind Hector, and then busies himself with more paperwork. He truthfully would rather his father ignore the two morons making his own life more difficult, but Alucard knows that to make such a request is a losing proposition. His father will do as his father wants.
Come the evening of the meeting, Alucard is far more eager to take care of Cezar than he is anything else. He's dressed in his usual ornate clothes (but never a wig, because fuck you his hair is gorgeous), and the two necromancers are lead into the same room that is always used for lectures. The set up differs though - there are three armchairs around a table. A carafe of red wine has been set out, along with a selection of smoked meats and cheeses. A small table is placed besides the tallest of the armchairs, although there is nothing upon it yet.
Alucard closes the door once both Hector and Isaac are inside, and his cooing that We're going to have a fun night! I got a new toy if you're interested.
Dracula arrives five minutes later. Takes the chair, and bids them both to speak as academics. To be civil in debate, and so it goes. The king of the night world listens, asking questions when the topic veers from the work of necromancy and towards the personal, seemingly trying to understand each man.
At some point, a long box is placed on the table besides Dracula's chair. At another point, the box is opened, revealing an opium pipe.
Morning comes. Dracula departs, leaving both men to find their way home.]
[The sun is rising, Hector is muddy-headed and exhausted, but he can't stumble home until he finds his dog.
Still feeling the sluggish effects of the opium, he sleepily wanders into three different studies, one coat closet, and narrowly misses falling into one room lined entirely with spikes, before he finally ends up at a door where he hears playful barks and some low cooing on the other side.
After a couple swipes at the door knob, Hector finally staggers in to Alucard's study. Now he's the one in a scandalous state of undress. His hat has been missing for hours, and he's shed his outer layers to leave himself with trousers and a thin linen tunic.]
[What Hector has stumbled into is Alucard's personal living room. He has his actual bedroom behind another door, but this? This is where he spends most of his time when not at the office. It's more medieval in here, stone walls with tapestries of fantastic beasts and library shelves with books - some contemporary works, most older. There's a sofa in front of the fireplace, where Alucard's laid out with the pug sitting on his chest.
There's a happy bark! as Cezar runs over to greet his human properly, and Alucard sits up slowly. He's kept on all his finery save his coat, and taking one look over at Hector, there's a long sigh.]
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[Sorry Hector, senpai won't notice you and--
Excuse you Hector? Are you bribing him?]
Hector, I duck out at literally every lecture to prepare the food. [There would be a riot if he didn't provide food.]
But if your dog decides to sit on me and keep me anchored, then I can't do anything about it. I suppose that--
[Alucard's head snaps towards the right suddenly, like a cat seeing some invisible thing. He frowns, and begins to walk towards a small closet that sits in the corner.]
Could you excuse me for a moment?
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Do you not have vendors for that?
[
Alucard cooks? Hector does not know what to do with this information, so he files it away.But certainly the Lord of Darkness has a budget for his science parties, and Alucard could pay some local with a food stand to do a little work for him after hours.It's not super encouraging that Alucard likes Cezar more than him, but it's also fair. Hector likes Cezar more than anyone too.]
Sure, go on.
[Hector doesn't know what he intends to do in that door that clearly doesn't lead out. Vampire nonsense, probably.]
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[He likes it. It brings him joy, and it balances the stress of managing the actual personalities involved at all of these salons.
With that, Alucard stands.]
Thank you.
[In the future there'd probably be some stunning joke about closets to make here. But for now, it's just an underdressed dhampir going into a door with no actual exit, and staying there.
And staying there.
And staying there some more, until Alucard emerges 20 minutes later looking no different than before. But just before he emerges, something appears on the desk. There's no poof of magic, no sparkling spell work, no cloud, only simple aportation. Two envelopes, the handwriting perfection itself. One is written in Arabic, the other reads Ἕκτωρ.
Alucard reaches the desk, and simply offers the one in Greek to Hector. He knows the contents, but he can keep a poker face for now.]
Would you like a moment of privacy?
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[He's mostly grumbling to himself as Alucard ducks through the door. Weirdly, the glimpse of the space Hector sees through the frame is larger than logic dictates it should be.
He paces around Alucard's office while he's away, warring with his impulse to snoop. The walls have eyes, apparently. He slips off his hat and cards his fingers through his hair. Alucard is gone some time, and Hector doesn't know if the length of his absence is a good sign or ill.
When the dhampir finally comes back in, Hector shoves his hat back on and hops to claim his letter. Apparently, what it took to get noticed by the Master was complaining. That stupid saying about squeaking wheels wasn't far off.
He's already tearing the seal as he replies to Alucard's question.]
No, here is fine.
[Now to find out what Dracula has to say to him.]
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[Alucard seats himself back behind his desk once Hector has the envelope. Keen gold eyes watch, because his father is absolutely going to ask about each man's reaction.
In Greek, the handwriting precise like a printing press, is the briefest of notes.]
Hector--
You and Isaac will meet me on this upcoming Wednesday at 8 PM. Adrian will permit you into the building.
VDT.
[That's it. That's the whole note. No indication of why. What to discuss. Anything. Just to be there and that Isaac will also be present.]
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He reads through the note, and raises an eyebrow.]
Adrian?
[He knows Alucard the way he's introduced himself to the salon attendees.
He taps the note with a finger.]
Do you know what this says?
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[He raises an eyebrow, and folds his arms at that. C'mon Hector. Really?
The pose doesn't change with the question either.]
I'm aware of his plan, yes. I disagree with it, but I also am not going to argue about something so minor with him.
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[Dracula does maintain a magical displaced palace and holds supernatural salons purely for his amusement. How is Hector to guess his naming conventions for his offspring?]
So he finally decided to have us fight to the death, huh?
[Hector's joking, though he's pretty sure more than one vampire would show up to watch that showdown.]
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[Fahrenheit? Really? And it has never been explained to him either.]
Yes, that's my understanding. I'm only here to be the doorman, I don't intend to listen in to the preamble or the death cries.
[Alucard's tone is completely serious.
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[He'll try to discover the middle name in time, now that he's been told it's terrible. Hector can't leave a mystery unprobed.]
That's a waste. You should at least see if you can't get a pool going on which forgemaster survives.
[These independently wealthy lordlings, they've never had to earn money to fund their own research and it shows.]
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[Alucard's laugh is short and sharp. Hector can actually be funny - who knew? The dhampir mostly just pays attention to his dog.]
While doubtlessly entertaining, it seems poor sport. What if you both survive?
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[This time, he's not as distracted, and he notices Alucard's laugh, and how it transforms his face for that single moment.
Fuck, had he always been that attractive??]That does sound like the worst possible outcome for you. Well, still, something to consider before Wednesday.
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[Alucard pauses, sensing a fly away. He tucks it back, serious faced yet again.]
It's the outcome I'm betting on, if that gives you any sort of reassurance of what is yet to come. How's his Greek by the way, he was concerned that he was slipping into the ancient Attic dialect.
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poutsfrowns. He could totallymaybewin against Isaac.]I suppose having two Forgemasters is a novelty not to be wasted. There is usually only one active at a time.
[He folds the letter and slips it back into the envelope. The whole thing gets tucked into his robe. A communication from Dracula, even one this brief, isn't something he'll simply discard.]
It read a little formal, but not yet outdated. Perfectly serviceable written Greek.
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[Alucard watches where the envelope goes.]
I'll let him know. I also trust you won't let that fall into wrong hands. And--
[There is a beat of hesitation, and it comes with a faint bit of color to Alucard's cheeks.]
Might I offer to dogsit that day?
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Oh? Do you think your father will keep us long?
[Or do you have a whole giant magical castle but daddy won't let you have a puppy?]
I could bring Cezar along. He is wonderfully travel-sized.
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Stone faced, Alucard shrugs.]
For all I know this could take a minute or take hours. Regardless, it has been a little while since I've been able to enjoy the luxury of his company without my attention being pulled in twenty different directions.
[Puppies aren't forever! Alucard's old, he knows that he doesn't like the short lifespan involved.]
He is a remarkably well behaved dog, reanimated or otherwise and I would be grateful for his presence.
[There. There's an actual smile on Alucard's face. It's small, but warm and so very, very fond of the subject.]
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in spite of that smile making him feel a little melty.]You'll have to promise not to spoil him. He doesn't need to eat, though he'll beg as if he does.
[He still gets treats, but Hector tries to limit him... as much as he can.]
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[He's still smiling. Because dog!]
I'll limit myself to that, if that's acceptable. And er, thank you for the diet clarification. I had wondered.
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[It's... not off-putting, but there's a certain fluttering sensation in his stomach that Hector can't place, watching Alucard's face.
Stupid sexy dhampir.He looks away.]
I'll arrive a little early to make sure we get him settled before the meeting. If that is all you required of me...
[Hector will head out
and puzzle over this interactionuntil it comes time for his meeting with Dracula.]no subject
[Alucard totally knows how he looks. He stands up though, willing to at least move to the door to see the necro-academic out.]
Until then, Hector.
[It is polite. Pleasant, although with a little note of please leave so I can do things alone under it all.]
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I can see myself out, unless your father has played with the hallways lately.
[It's not unprecedented, but not likely.]
Until then.
cw: opium use because that stupid tfln thread is now canon in at least one au
Come the evening of the meeting, Alucard is far more eager to take care of Cezar than he is anything else. He's dressed in his usual ornate clothes (but never a wig, because fuck you his hair is gorgeous), and the two necromancers are lead into the same room that is always used for lectures. The set up differs though - there are three armchairs around a table. A carafe of red wine has been set out, along with a selection of smoked meats and cheeses. A small table is placed besides the tallest of the armchairs, although there is nothing upon it yet.
Alucard closes the door once both Hector and Isaac are inside, and his cooing that We're going to have a fun night! I got a new toy if you're interested.
Dracula arrives five minutes later. Takes the chair, and bids them both to speak as academics. To be civil in debate, and so it goes. The king of the night world listens, asking questions when the topic veers from the work of necromancy and towards the personal, seemingly trying to understand each man.
At some point, a long box is placed on the table besides Dracula's chair. At another point, the box is opened, revealing an opium pipe.
Morning comes. Dracula departs, leaving both men to find their way home.]
slightly tweaked AU, since Alucard has the dog
Still feeling the sluggish effects of the opium, he sleepily wanders into three different studies, one coat closet, and narrowly misses falling into one room lined entirely with spikes, before he finally ends up at a door where he hears playful barks and some low cooing on the other side.
After a couple swipes at the door knob, Hector finally staggers in to Alucard's study. Now he's the one in a scandalous state of undress. His hat has been missing for hours, and he's shed his outer layers to leave himself with trousers and a thin linen tunic.]
Cezar? Here boy, g'boy. [He calls out.]
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There's a happy bark! as Cezar runs over to greet his human properly, and Alucard sits up slowly. He's kept on all his finery save his coat, and taking one look over at Hector, there's a long sigh.]
You look terrible.
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should we wrap here?