[But Hector's tone suggests that he gets it. There's a process to his forging, but the actual moment of sparking life is just... something he does, that he can't properly explain.]
[He still hasn't found Gef II. Don't be so excited.]
I can't control the speed, so watch carefully.
[Alucard makes a point to take a few steps back. After that, and after making sure Hector's ready, Alucard takes a step forward. The second step comes with the full transformation, flawless dhampir features morphing into something fluffier.
[Hector drinks it in, trying to note where the transformation starts and the motion that accompanies it. It's quick, but so is Hector's mind when it comes to retro-engineering magical reactions.]
That's brilliant.
[He squeezes his hand into a fist to rein in the impulse to pet the fluff. He'd probably lose the hand in the attempt.]
Can you go back? It would be awkward if I tried and got stuck. [Awkward for Hector, at least. Probably hilarious for Alucard, if that were to happen.]
[He gives Alucard a nod, then slips through the door, head full of ideas of how to manage his own animalistic transformation.
An hour later, the desk in his library domain is strewn with diagrams and anatomical sketches of dogs. Of course he picked a dog, and a large one. It's the animal shape he's most familiar with, the very first he ever worked with, and he figures if he goes to something near his size rather than significantly larger or smaller, it might be easier.
Two hours later, there's a scratch on the wall outside of Alucard's hut. A silver and white husky with glowing blue eyes whines, then howls as the door isn't immediately opened. It looks like Hector was 50% successful at the there-and-back-again of transfiguration.]
[Alucard fucks back off into his depression forest after Hector leaves. Settles right into the kitchen to make a little apple tart for himself, and once it is eaten, Alucard curls right back up in his little room in his pile of furs, happy.
[Gef II waits until Alucard goes back to his human-sized nest to sleep, then nibbles on some apple peels left over from the tart. He entertains himself batting around a cinnamon stick along the floor until the (proverbial) knock comes.
Alucard fails to rouse for the visiting dog, so Gef II heads up the welcoming committee. Sensing his master, he scratches back at the door. The dog gives him an encouraging bark, and Gef II scales the door, beginning to fiddle with the latch.
Sure, it's going to take a while, but they've got nothing but time. In the meanwhile, Hector treats the domain to the song of his people, barks and whines and chuffs and any other noise his newly-canine throat can make.]
Eventually, the noises do rouse Alucard. He grumbles, standing up to drape a fur over his shoulders, and then he moves to the door. There's more noise. A...dog?
And the fuck is that furry thing fiddling with the latch?!]
--What.
[He's gonna just. Stare for a moment. Drink it all in.]
[Gef II squeaks when he's finally caught. Poor thing, his standing order to keep out of sight is in conflict with this new need of his master to get through the door.
The ferret stands up on his back legs and hisses at the dhampir, then turns and gnaws at the latch. Meanwhile, Hector continues to make a doggy nuisance outside. It's clear that Alucard will have no peace until he does something about this blue-eyed duo.]
--The groan Alucard lets out might as well be that of the plates of the earth moving.]
Hector!
[Alucard stomps over to the door, certain his movement will at least get Gef II to scurry out of the way. If the ferret doesn't move in time, the way Alucard flings the latch probably will.
The doggy nussiance is not welcomed with open arms. It is glared at.
Considered.
And then stared at, realization dawning.]
You got stuck.
[It is not a joke, or a question, or anything else. A flat observation only.]
[When Alucard gets close to the door, Gef II risks a flying leap to get himself out of the way. He scurries into the bedroom and burrows under Alucard's still-warm pillow.
Outside, Hector keeps barking until the door opens. Once Alucard appears and recognizes him, he snuffs. He spins, then drops his head to the ground and scratches at his snout with both paws. 'Yeah, no duh I'm stuck.'
He flops onto the ground and lets out a long, pathetic whine. Dramatics to convey his emotions without words, exacerbated by a doggy brain.]
[Alucard just stands there. And keeps staring. Because what is this? What is his life right now? He has a weird furry tube in the house somewhere and his father's necromancer is now a sad dog whining at the threshold.
He sighs.]
And clearly you did not think to just return to the regular world because....?
[Hector, in husky form, begins to talk. Has what sounds like a whole conversation in dog. Then he rolls over and lets out a long doggy sigh. His tail wags in slow, unhappy sweeps.
The translation, which Hector might understand if he were in wolf form: 'I have to learn, Adrian. I'm no quitter.']
[It feels worth saying as Alucard closes the door. Bolts it, then gives Hector another glance.]
We're also talking about that thing you let loose in this house afterwards.
[You need to account for Gef II buddy, sorry.
Put upon, Alucard pauses to move the kitchen table/work bench out of the way, so that there's room. His transformation into a wolf is done in an instant. The wolf then paces a few steps, adjusting to the shape, before transforming back.
He can't slow the process. But Alucard tries to be deliberate with the angle. A view from the side, allowing Hector to clearly see how front legs can become arms again. How a snout can shorten back into a nose.]
[There's an audible whine as Alucard bolts the door. Damn, Hector might actually be in trouble. Usually, Alucard can't wait to send him away.
...maybe he shouldn't change back. Alucard won't kick a dog's ass, right?
But in the end, his curiosity leads him along, and he looks up, following the sight and shifting scent of dhampir/wolf/dhampir.
He watches how Alucard leans slightly forward into the change and the wolf's head tilts up out of it, allowing a fluid motion as the body shifts from vertical to horizontal and back. Smells the way the scents mingle for that brief moment, which somehow makes sense to his doggy-brain in a way his human cognition can't register.
He paces a few steps, then points his snout up to Alucard and deliberately turns around. 'Don't watch me'.
He's willing to give it a try here, but he doesn't need a baby-vampire breathing over his shoulder. Plus there's the fact that he stripped out of everything but his trousers before he shifted into dog form, thinking it would make things easier (and not anticipating having an audience for the return journey).]
[Hector you are such a baby. Thank god for your curiosity overruling common sense.
Alucard's not sure how well his demonstration has really worked. He just knows the transformation comes easy to him, and that nothing he says or does will ever help explain instinct.
Don't watch me.
He rolls his eyes, but turns around all the same.]
[Once Alucard is safely turned around, Hector begins to walk in loops around the kitchen floor. A couple of laps to focus on the feel of his dog body, then he tries to step back into his human form. The first attempt ends with an awkward flicker and a missed half-step. The second, a bark that sounds like a curse. The third, he focuses more on 'if I keep fucking this up in Alucard's earshot, I'm never going to live it down', and when he focuses less on what is happening, it's easier to slip back into the shape that is most familiar to him.
He promptly trips, leaning forward to put weight on a front paw that no longer exists.]
Fuck, that's going to take some getting used to.
[So here he is, human again, barefoot and shirtless, on Alucard's kitchen floor. Just a little more mess to add to Gef II's prior chaos.]
[Alucard busies himself with straightening the kitchen counters up. It seems things have been moved that he doesn't recall moving, and so things are scooted back into place. It is easy to ignore Hector and his shenanigans and--
--ah. He's back.]
You figured it out though. [He doesn't tut, or let out the inner sounds of judgement.]
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In theory, we could probably walk through the sky, too, but we stay on the ground like we're accustomed to.
[He's so used to being a human surrounded by vampires who can transform, it's habit to think it is beyond his abilities.]
...and I don't know where to start. Do you start with your skin, or change your insides first? Or is it all at once?
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[Okay, he's not going to be a dick about it.]
I honestly couldn't say at this point in my life. That'd be like asking me how I breathe. It simply happens, the mechanics are too ingrained.
[Regardless, they're at the wall of thorns now. A narrow doorway has appeared in them, allowing Hector safe passage.]
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[But Hector's tone suggests that he gets it. There's a process to his forging, but the actual moment of sparking life is just... something he does, that he can't properly explain.]
Thanks. For showing me the way.
[Look at them, being practically civil!]
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Would a demonstration help with visualizing?
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[He agrees before the shock of Alucard even offering fully registers. Damn, he should have ferretted the dhampir months ago.]
If you really mean it, yes, it would help. [He's trying and failing to hide the childlike excitement at the prospect.]
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I can't control the speed, so watch carefully.
[Alucard makes a point to take a few steps back. After that, and after making sure Hector's ready, Alucard takes a step forward. The second step comes with the full transformation, flawless dhampir features morphing into something fluffier.
And there his is. An awoocard.]
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That's brilliant.
[He squeezes his hand into a fist to rein in the impulse to pet the fluff. He'd probably lose the hand in the attempt.]
Can you go back? It would be awkward if I tried and got stuck. [Awkward for Hector, at least. Probably hilarious for Alucard, if that were to happen.]
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Alucard nods once, and again, waits to make sure Hector's ready. It is the same process in reverse, steps and all.
And yes Hector, it'd be fucking hilarious if you got stuck.]
The movement forward isn't strictly required, but I find it useful.
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[He gives Alucard a nod, then slips through the door, head full of ideas of how to manage his own animalistic transformation.
An hour later, the desk in his library domain is strewn with diagrams and anatomical sketches of dogs. Of course he picked a dog, and a large one. It's the animal shape he's most familiar with, the very first he ever worked with, and he figures if he goes to something near his size rather than significantly larger or smaller, it might be easier.
Two hours later, there's a scratch on the wall outside of Alucard's hut. A silver and white husky with glowing blue eyes whines, then howls as the door isn't immediately opened. It looks like Hector was 50% successful at the there-and-back-again of transfiguration.]
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Warm.
Still absolutely unaware of Gef II.
And 200% sleeping through husky howling.]
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Alucard fails to rouse for the visiting dog, so Gef II heads up the welcoming committee. Sensing his master, he scratches back at the door. The dog gives him an encouraging bark, and Gef II scales the door, beginning to fiddle with the latch.
Sure, it's going to take a while, but they've got nothing but time. In the meanwhile, Hector treats the domain to the song of his people, barks and whines and chuffs and any other noise his newly-canine throat can make.]
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Eventually, the noises do rouse Alucard. He grumbles, standing up to drape a fur over his shoulders, and then he moves to the door. There's more noise. A...dog?
And the fuck is that furry thing fiddling with the latch?!]
--What.
[He's gonna just. Stare for a moment. Drink it all in.]
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The ferret stands up on his back legs and hisses at the dhampir, then turns and gnaws at the latch. Meanwhile, Hector continues to make a doggy nuisance outside. It's clear that Alucard will have no peace until he does something about this blue-eyed duo.]
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--The groan Alucard lets out might as well be that of the plates of the earth moving.]
Hector!
[Alucard stomps over to the door, certain his movement will at least get Gef II to scurry out of the way. If the ferret doesn't move in time, the way Alucard flings the latch probably will.
The doggy nussiance is not welcomed with open arms. It is glared at.
Considered.
And then stared at, realization dawning.]
You got stuck.
[It is not a joke, or a question, or anything else. A flat observation only.]
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Outside, Hector keeps barking until the door opens. Once Alucard appears and recognizes him, he snuffs. He spins, then drops his head to the ground and scratches at his snout with both paws. 'Yeah, no duh I'm stuck.'
He flops onto the ground and lets out a long, pathetic whine. Dramatics to convey his emotions without words, exacerbated by a doggy brain.]
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[Alucard just stands there. And keeps staring. Because what is this? What is his life right now? He has a weird furry tube in the house somewhere and his father's necromancer is now a sad dog whining at the threshold.
He sighs.]
And clearly you did not think to just return to the regular world because....?
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The translation, which Hector might understand if he were in wolf form: 'I have to learn, Adrian. I'm no quitter.']
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...this is technically his fault, isn't it?]
I'll let you watch the transformation a few times then. Maybe that will help?
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Apparently he can be perfectly quiet and well-behaved if there's something he wants being held over his head.
Show him what to do, Alucard. Maybe seeing it in action will make it click.]
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[It feels worth saying as Alucard closes the door. Bolts it, then gives Hector another glance.]
We're also talking about that thing you let loose in this house afterwards.
[You need to account for Gef II buddy, sorry.
Put upon, Alucard pauses to move the kitchen table/work bench out of the way, so that there's room. His transformation into a wolf is done in an instant. The wolf then paces a few steps, adjusting to the shape, before transforming back.
He can't slow the process. But Alucard tries to be deliberate with the angle. A view from the side, allowing Hector to clearly see how front legs can become arms again. How a snout can shorten back into a nose.]
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...maybe he shouldn't change back. Alucard won't kick a dog's ass, right?
But in the end, his curiosity leads him along, and he looks up, following the sight and shifting scent of dhampir/wolf/dhampir.
He watches how Alucard leans slightly forward into the change and the wolf's head tilts up out of it, allowing a fluid motion as the body shifts from vertical to horizontal and back. Smells the way the scents mingle for that brief moment, which somehow makes sense to his doggy-brain in a way his human cognition can't register.
He paces a few steps, then points his snout up to Alucard and deliberately turns around. 'Don't watch me'.
He's willing to give it a try here, but he doesn't need a baby-vampire breathing over his shoulder. Plus there's the fact that he stripped out of everything but his trousers before he shifted into dog form, thinking it would make things easier (and not anticipating having an audience for the return journey).]
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Alucard's not sure how well his demonstration has really worked. He just knows the transformation comes easy to him, and that nothing he says or does will ever help explain instinct.
Don't watch me.
He rolls his eyes, but turns around all the same.]
Fine, fine. Yelp if it still isn't working.
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He promptly trips, leaning forward to put weight on a front paw that no longer exists.]
Fuck, that's going to take some getting used to.
[So here he is, human again, barefoot and shirtless, on Alucard's kitchen floor. Just a little more mess to add to Gef II's prior chaos.]
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--ah. He's back.]
You figured it out though. [He doesn't tut, or let out the inner sounds of judgement.]
May I please turn around?
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Alright. [He's as presentable as he's going to get, under the circumstances.]
So, uh, you wanted to talk?
[To put it mildly.]
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