[Alucard is not a stranger to the worst of his father's journals. He's read through the vast majority of them at this point (a few weeks ago, they might have been inspiration), but he's given the ones specific to D a wide berth. It is a point of respect for his brother if nothing else. D's never forthcoming with the details, and there's a reason for it. Alucard wants to honor that much.
Alucard's own pace through dinner is leisurely, ready to offer seconds if needed but not wanting to break the silence either. It's the sort of comfortable, compaionable silence he's used to with D around, even if the parasite makes total quiet impossible.]
I'm mortified we didn't even hear about the matter with Carmilla until it came to an end. [There was so, so much going on. It was impossible to keep tabs on everything. By the time that news of the vampire's death had reached the new village, even reacting to it seemed pointless.] Ambition to what end, or is it too early to tell?
[Ambition to a good end, that lets Wallachia recover, that's just fine. But ambition that aligns with Carmilla's vision, that's a problem.]
[ .. ah. he's been reading them, it seems, which means he may have already reached research notes or journal entries about d's origins. but if he knows anything about adrian, he knows that his brother isn't likely to snoop without d's permissions, so in spite of himself, his shoulders ease, his spine softening faintly against the back of the chair. ]
I watched it for a time, [ he admits, stretching his legs out, feet bare and as pale and as gray-toned as his face and hands, the surprisingly vulnerable v of his bare throat and collarbones. ] .. Everywhere Isaac went before Styria, he left corpses behind, which he then used to expand his army. [ he takes a moment, sipping at his glass again, then lowering it to rest against the arm of the chair. ] He hasn't stirred out of the castle since deposing the Council, but I don't believe he's done.
[ whether that's a good thing or not, he's not certain. before he'd bonded like this with adrian, he wouldn't have made it his concern. not without a good reason, or without being hired to deal with it. it's.. different now, though. it's not just about dealing with immediate problems any longer, it's considering the world-to-be, the world that adrian will inhabit in the future, and those he loves. the children he'll help raise, the legacy they'll inherit.
his brother is strong, of course, stronger than most people will ever realize. but he's also very fragile in other ways. he doesn't do well on his own, he's prone to their father's loneliness and self-isolation, and his dhampir nature only complicates everything. ]
.. I'll be returning to Styria once I leave here. I'm certain there will be enough there to help keep me busy. [ even putting aside the forgemasters. ]
[Alucard found where they picked up. He understood what his father's writing was starting to build to, and that was where he placed all of the works down. Some things do not need to be read, that is the simple truth of it.
Alucard goes very, very still as D begins to explain what Isaac left in his wake. It sounds like the kind of fury Dracula had, and in that, there is fear. There has been so much fighting from a place of anger these past few months. The emotion is draining, and there's no vampire joke to even make about that fact. It just is, and Alucard knows that it can't fester here. Whatever's to be built in the castle's shadow, it cannot have that feeling mixed in with the mortar.]
That castle's well positioned too. [He knows roughly where Carmilla's lair was. High, snowy, very defensible.] Do you think he means to continue in the same vein, or is it impossible to know without going in person?
[It is information that needs to be known. If Isaac is ambitious, he'll surely look to the castle again. If the village is successful, it will doubtlessly draw attention. In the wrong hands, in the wrong light, taking it by force could be a sign of taking up Dracula's cape and ruling the night world, and that thought is terrifying.
The optimism for the future is still new. Strange. Terrifying because in these moments, Alucard can feel it start to slip. But then he takes another glance, noticing that D looks as relaxed as Alucard's ever seen him. The tension's lessened, and that feels like a success.]
And your method of transportation?
[He's been thinking lately about communication. How so much could have been avoided if Trevor and Sypha left with a viewing mirror, and how much they all missed because they didn't have a network of contacts to rely on. But there's also the tiny little worry about D's safety.
He's an adult, more than Alucard is. He's lived longer, he knows the world better. But beyond a shared bond of siblinghood, he's the only other long lived person Alucard knows. Everyone around him will pass one day. At least one person needs to be harder to kill.]
Hard to say. I kept far enough away that I didn't attract attention. [ but it also meant that some of his information was second-hand at best, and he didn't personally have the chance to see the army or its masters. ] If I were to guess, though, I would say to build your defenses.
[ d will do what he can, of course, but despite his age and his continued work, he's still only one man. he can't be everywhere at once, and he'll be of the most use in styria, where he can keep an eye on isaac's movements. where he can, if necessary, remove him from play entirely if he must. if he can.
he blinks at the question, head tilting faintly. ] Horse. I'll keep the mirror closer this time. [ it's a risk, given the mirror's delicate nature and the spell on it, but it's the best way to keep in contact with his brother and pass information along. provided he doesn't destroy it getting pulled into a fight or during a particularly rough trip up a mountain, it should give adrian and his partners the warning they'll need to ensure they're ready for any invasion attempt.
it means that d will have to let other investigations go for the time being, though, which troubles him. given what he's heard on the road and from adrian himself, and given the use of the infinite corridors here at the castle, d isn't at all convinced that dracula and his wife returned to hell. and if they aren't in hell, it means they wound up elsewhere, either lost within the corridors.. or somewhere else in this world, as belmont had found himself.
that thought, the not-knowing, bothers him. if dracula is mad, if his wife is..
his glance fixes on his brother's face, the troubled expression on it.
.. he'll return them to hell himself if he must. and if they're not, well. that's a bridge to cross when he reaches it. ]
It's a consideration for later, [ he adds, quiet voice firm. ] Tomorrow, we'll make plans. Tonight, put those concerns out of your mind.
[The village was already going to be one of the best defended in all of Wallachia, but Alucard can't help the sad, exhausted sigh that escapes him. It is always going to be something, isn't it? All because of who Dracula was and what he meant to so many people. For as long as stories are told of him, someone will want his power. Or legacy. Or revenge. Or something else entirely.
Having D keep the mirror close only helps so much. It shows in the way that Alucard feels his own heart skip a beat, tension growing in his own shoulders a little. Sure, he's staying for a time now, but then that'll change. Up into the snowy mountains of Styria and on to whatever else is next. New schemes in the night world, and all thanks to a truly unknown quantity who can cite his time as one of Dracula's generals.
It's concerning, given recent events. That awful flesh puppet still hangs heavy in Alucard's mind, appears too often in his nightmares. What else might someone try for?]
Mm, too late. But we lasted nearly a full day into your being here, which feels like a record of sorts. [The laugh is awkward, trying to go back to the relaxed feeling in the air.] Just fall back if things get dicey for the time being. Please.
[It is a lot to ask. But Alucard doesn't doubt for a moment that D understands why the request is being made.]
[ he drains the last of the glass and sets it down on the tray with his bowl, then straightens up off the cushions, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, his chin on the back of laced fingers. that sigh.. aches, lodged deep in his chest where he thought he couldn't be hurt anymore. he wishes, not for the first time, that he had any idea how to offer comfort to adrian. there's so much that he never should have been burdened with.
belmont, too, if half of what he's heard is correct. they're.. boys, children really, especially compared to d's long, ugly years. and yet, being a child is no guarantee of love or safety or innocence in this world. ]
Given our father-- [ it feels awkward to use the word father when referring to dracula, but he supposes it is technically correct. ] --perhaps it's as much as we might hope for. [ a day of relative peace, before the stormclouds that travel with d make themselves known. he only ever seems to bring bad news.
still, he hums out a noise a moment later, musing. ] .. I am very difficult to kill, [ he reminds him. ] I was made that way. [ but he understands why adrian worries. who else will still be here, when everything else adrian loves withers away? who else understands the long, terrible stretch of years, decades, centuries? to be dhampir is to belong nowhere, to neither world. to be dhampir is to be alone. ] I'll take care. I won't.. leave you.
[The parasite isn't even offering commentary at this point. That's a nod of how serious things have grown in this short dinner together, and what's likely to linger for a while more. There's a moodiness inherited from their father, and it manifests in moments like these.
But comfort is hardly something Alucard would expect in these moments either. There's been a frankness between the two that he appreciates far more, as it allows for adjusting to poor circumstances with some support. It always feels like poor circumstances, at any rate.]
I think you're correct. Names in and of themselves are immortality, if repeated enough. [He'd have to ask Sypha if there were ways to add to the legend of Dracula. Change it in ways to try and cut back on people trying to those who might disturb the man's rest.]
You and I both know difficult to kill isn't impossible. [Dracula was supposed to be impossible to kill, and look what happened. Being of his blood means that even as dhampirs, both Alucard and D are sturdier than most, but it has no promises.
There is a very quiet moment after those last four words. Alucard weighs the silence carefully, then stands up. Walks around the table, and does the only thing he thinks can be done in response. Crouching down on a truly awkward and awful angle, he makes to hug D as tightly as he can.]
[ no, not impossible. improbable, though, which he's relied upon in the past to get him through difficult fights. between his sire and the things dracula had done to d to make him what he is now, his particular sort of sturdiness has meant a certain recklessness in the past. a disregard for his safety, for injury, knowing how quickly he'd heal.
but he does want to keep his promise. he does want to be here in the future, not because he values his own life in particular, but because he values.. this. adrian.
he's distracted from further thoughts on the matter as his brother rises and crosses toward him, breath hitching faintly in surprise as he drops into a crouch. then arms curl around him, and d goes stiff with shock. for a moment, two, three, he doesn't respond, can't work out how to respond, pressing his left hand down tightly against the arm of the chair to keep the parasite from seeing or speaking. at last, though, slowly, his free arm slides cautiously over adrian's shoulder, long fingers cradling the back of his brother's head with something very close to reverence. ]
.. Make this place into a home again. [ he strokes nails gently through blond hair, down adrian's nape, then up again. ] And.. pick a set of rooms for me. I suppose. This one, or.. [ or any. something that can belong to d, that can be a reminder that he has roots here, however tentative. ]
[Alucard catches that pressing of the parasite down against the fabric of the chair. It gets a soft snuffle of a laugh out of him, because sometimes, having to worry about the thing results in gentle absurdities. Like that. And it gives D a few scant moments to figure out a correct response.
This embrace isn't common between them. There's been no particular reason for it in the past, thing strained and polite, but still distant. Too much has happened in the past year, making it clear that the distance was perhaps not the best idea in the world.
The way that D's nails move through Alucard's hair carry a particular touch of the familiar. It is the strangest reminder of their shared heritage yet, but Alucard remembers how he'd insist on attaching to his father in his youth, and the careful movements of long nails through his hair. The realization doesn't ache though. There's comfort in it instead.]
This room and the en suite are two doors down from where I am. I trust that'll be good enough.
[He moved his rooms, after everything went so badly awry. This area's better anyway. Closer to the kitchen. Second floor, no need to go up too many flights of stairs.]
[ he knows, at least, that he resembles their father, enough to sometimes frighten those that don't bother to look more closely. whoever his mother had been, she'd softened his features into prettiness, but otherwise, there's no denying his heritage. it's strange to him sometimes, then, how golden adrian is, hair and eyes like the sunlight that seems to love him. they must look an odd pair to his brother's partners.
which is all to say.. that he wonders if this is how dracula had held his son, if d is doing something right, or only causing adrian more pain. his own childhood, such that it existed, had not held much of softness in it, and is in any case long, long in the past. but adrian isn't pulling away, so perhaps he's doing something correctly. ]
Yes, [ he finally says, and presses his nose briefly to the golden crown of his brother's head. ] .. To think, I swore I would never return to this place. [ and yet, here he is, willing to make it.. home. as close as he can manage, anyway. ]
[They're words uttered softly, but wrapped around them is an incredible warmth and sense of relief. One of the things he has come to appreciate the most about D is that they can reach between each other's lines. A skill less due to Dracula and far more because they're both fairly obvious in their ways, even if they like to pretend otherwise.
Maybe this embrace has gone on a bit too long. Alucard can't bring himself to pull away from it, the affection pulling up far more pleasant memories of the past than he's dwelled on in some time. To connect those with the present is perhaps the best possible outcome. He can't possibly guess at what this might be brushing up against for his brother, but if it is for the worst, Alucard hope that this moment will replace whatever unpleasantness is trying to bubble up to the surface.]
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no subject
[Alucard is not a stranger to the worst of his father's journals. He's read through the vast majority of them at this point (a few weeks ago, they might have been inspiration), but he's given the ones specific to D a wide berth. It is a point of respect for his brother if nothing else. D's never forthcoming with the details, and there's a reason for it. Alucard wants to honor that much.
Alucard's own pace through dinner is leisurely, ready to offer seconds if needed but not wanting to break the silence either. It's the sort of comfortable, compaionable silence he's used to with D around, even if the parasite makes total quiet impossible.]
I'm mortified we didn't even hear about the matter with Carmilla until it came to an end. [There was so, so much going on. It was impossible to keep tabs on everything. By the time that news of the vampire's death had reached the new village, even reacting to it seemed pointless.] Ambition to what end, or is it too early to tell?
[Ambition to a good end, that lets Wallachia recover, that's just fine. But ambition that aligns with Carmilla's vision, that's a problem.]
I can get more stew, if you'd like.
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I watched it for a time, [ he admits, stretching his legs out, feet bare and as pale and as gray-toned as his face and hands, the surprisingly vulnerable v of his bare throat and collarbones. ] .. Everywhere Isaac went before Styria, he left corpses behind, which he then used to expand his army. [ he takes a moment, sipping at his glass again, then lowering it to rest against the arm of the chair. ] He hasn't stirred out of the castle since deposing the Council, but I don't believe he's done.
[ whether that's a good thing or not, he's not certain. before he'd bonded like this with adrian, he wouldn't have made it his concern. not without a good reason, or without being hired to deal with it. it's.. different now, though. it's not just about dealing with immediate problems any longer, it's considering the world-to-be, the world that adrian will inhabit in the future, and those he loves. the children he'll help raise, the legacy they'll inherit.
his brother is strong, of course, stronger than most people will ever realize. but he's also very fragile in other ways. he doesn't do well on his own, he's prone to their father's loneliness and self-isolation, and his dhampir nature only complicates everything. ]
.. I'll be returning to Styria once I leave here. I'm certain there will be enough there to help keep me busy. [ even putting aside the forgemasters. ]
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Alucard goes very, very still as D begins to explain what Isaac left in his wake. It sounds like the kind of fury Dracula had, and in that, there is fear. There has been so much fighting from a place of anger these past few months. The emotion is draining, and there's no vampire joke to even make about that fact. It just is, and Alucard knows that it can't fester here. Whatever's to be built in the castle's shadow, it cannot have that feeling mixed in with the mortar.]
That castle's well positioned too. [He knows roughly where Carmilla's lair was. High, snowy, very defensible.] Do you think he means to continue in the same vein, or is it impossible to know without going in person?
[It is information that needs to be known. If Isaac is ambitious, he'll surely look to the castle again. If the village is successful, it will doubtlessly draw attention. In the wrong hands, in the wrong light, taking it by force could be a sign of taking up Dracula's cape and ruling the night world, and that thought is terrifying.
The optimism for the future is still new. Strange. Terrifying because in these moments, Alucard can feel it start to slip. But then he takes another glance, noticing that D looks as relaxed as Alucard's ever seen him. The tension's lessened, and that feels like a success.]
And your method of transportation?
[He's been thinking lately about communication. How so much could have been avoided if Trevor and Sypha left with a viewing mirror, and how much they all missed because they didn't have a network of contacts to rely on. But there's also the tiny little worry about D's safety.
He's an adult, more than Alucard is. He's lived longer, he knows the world better. But beyond a shared bond of siblinghood, he's the only other long lived person Alucard knows. Everyone around him will pass one day. At least one person needs to be harder to kill.]
no subject
[ d will do what he can, of course, but despite his age and his continued work, he's still only one man. he can't be everywhere at once, and he'll be of the most use in styria, where he can keep an eye on isaac's movements. where he can, if necessary, remove him from play entirely if he must. if he can.
he blinks at the question, head tilting faintly. ] Horse. I'll keep the mirror closer this time. [ it's a risk, given the mirror's delicate nature and the spell on it, but it's the best way to keep in contact with his brother and pass information along. provided he doesn't destroy it getting pulled into a fight or during a particularly rough trip up a mountain, it should give adrian and his partners the warning they'll need to ensure they're ready for any invasion attempt.
it means that d will have to let other investigations go for the time being, though, which troubles him. given what he's heard on the road and from adrian himself, and given the use of the infinite corridors here at the castle, d isn't at all convinced that dracula and his wife returned to hell. and if they aren't in hell, it means they wound up elsewhere, either lost within the corridors.. or somewhere else in this world, as belmont had found himself.
that thought, the not-knowing, bothers him. if dracula is mad, if his wife is..
his glance fixes on his brother's face, the troubled expression on it.
.. he'll return them to hell himself if he must. and if they're not, well. that's a bridge to cross when he reaches it. ]
It's a consideration for later, [ he adds, quiet voice firm. ] Tomorrow, we'll make plans. Tonight, put those concerns out of your mind.
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Having D keep the mirror close only helps so much. It shows in the way that Alucard feels his own heart skip a beat, tension growing in his own shoulders a little. Sure, he's staying for a time now, but then that'll change. Up into the snowy mountains of Styria and on to whatever else is next. New schemes in the night world, and all thanks to a truly unknown quantity who can cite his time as one of Dracula's generals.
It's concerning, given recent events. That awful flesh puppet still hangs heavy in Alucard's mind, appears too often in his nightmares. What else might someone try for?]
Mm, too late. But we lasted nearly a full day into your being here, which feels like a record of sorts. [The laugh is awkward, trying to go back to the relaxed feeling in the air.] Just fall back if things get dicey for the time being. Please.
[It is a lot to ask. But Alucard doesn't doubt for a moment that D understands why the request is being made.]
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belmont, too, if half of what he's heard is correct. they're.. boys, children really, especially compared to d's long, ugly years. and yet, being a child is no guarantee of love or safety or innocence in this world. ]
Given our father-- [ it feels awkward to use the word father when referring to dracula, but he supposes it is technically correct. ] --perhaps it's as much as we might hope for. [ a day of relative peace, before the stormclouds that travel with d make themselves known. he only ever seems to bring bad news.
still, he hums out a noise a moment later, musing. ] .. I am very difficult to kill, [ he reminds him. ] I was made that way. [ but he understands why adrian worries. who else will still be here, when everything else adrian loves withers away? who else understands the long, terrible stretch of years, decades, centuries? to be dhampir is to belong nowhere, to neither world. to be dhampir is to be alone. ] I'll take care. I won't.. leave you.
no subject
But comfort is hardly something Alucard would expect in these moments either. There's been a frankness between the two that he appreciates far more, as it allows for adjusting to poor circumstances with some support. It always feels like poor circumstances, at any rate.]
I think you're correct. Names in and of themselves are immortality, if repeated enough. [He'd have to ask Sypha if there were ways to add to the legend of Dracula. Change it in ways to try and cut back on people trying to those who might disturb the man's rest.]
You and I both know difficult to kill isn't impossible. [Dracula was supposed to be impossible to kill, and look what happened. Being of his blood means that even as dhampirs, both Alucard and D are sturdier than most, but it has no promises.
There is a very quiet moment after those last four words. Alucard weighs the silence carefully, then stands up. Walks around the table, and does the only thing he thinks can be done in response. Crouching down on a truly awkward and awful angle, he makes to hug D as tightly as he can.]
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but he does want to keep his promise. he does want to be here in the future, not because he values his own life in particular, but because he values.. this. adrian.
he's distracted from further thoughts on the matter as his brother rises and crosses toward him, breath hitching faintly in surprise as he drops into a crouch. then arms curl around him, and d goes stiff with shock. for a moment, two, three, he doesn't respond, can't work out how to respond, pressing his left hand down tightly against the arm of the chair to keep the parasite from seeing or speaking. at last, though, slowly, his free arm slides cautiously over adrian's shoulder, long fingers cradling the back of his brother's head with something very close to reverence. ]
.. Make this place into a home again. [ he strokes nails gently through blond hair, down adrian's nape, then up again. ] And.. pick a set of rooms for me. I suppose. This one, or.. [ or any. something that can belong to d, that can be a reminder that he has roots here, however tentative. ]
no subject
This embrace isn't common between them. There's been no particular reason for it in the past, thing strained and polite, but still distant. Too much has happened in the past year, making it clear that the distance was perhaps not the best idea in the world.
The way that D's nails move through Alucard's hair carry a particular touch of the familiar. It is the strangest reminder of their shared heritage yet, but Alucard remembers how he'd insist on attaching to his father in his youth, and the careful movements of long nails through his hair. The realization doesn't ache though. There's comfort in it instead.]
This room and the en suite are two doors down from where I am. I trust that'll be good enough.
[He moved his rooms, after everything went so badly awry. This area's better anyway. Closer to the kitchen. Second floor, no need to go up too many flights of stairs.]
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which is all to say.. that he wonders if this is how dracula had held his son, if d is doing something right, or only causing adrian more pain. his own childhood, such that it existed, had not held much of softness in it, and is in any case long, long in the past. but adrian isn't pulling away, so perhaps he's doing something correctly. ]
Yes, [ he finally says, and presses his nose briefly to the golden crown of his brother's head. ] .. To think, I swore I would never return to this place. [ and yet, here he is, willing to make it.. home. as close as he can manage, anyway. ]
no subject
[They're words uttered softly, but wrapped around them is an incredible warmth and sense of relief. One of the things he has come to appreciate the most about D is that they can reach between each other's lines. A skill less due to Dracula and far more because they're both fairly obvious in their ways, even if they like to pretend otherwise.
Maybe this embrace has gone on a bit too long. Alucard can't bring himself to pull away from it, the affection pulling up far more pleasant memories of the past than he's dwelled on in some time. To connect those with the present is perhaps the best possible outcome. He can't possibly guess at what this might be brushing up against for his brother, but if it is for the worst, Alucard hope that this moment will replace whatever unpleasantness is trying to bubble up to the surface.]