Character(s): Alucard + ???? Status: Open Location(s): Around, about, and up in the Krimnos mountains Date(s) August About: General August catch all Warnings: Added as required
[It's a noncommittal noise that acknowledge that Strange Has Said a Thing, but Alucard isn't about to say more. He instead focuses on giving Bell a very good scratch behind the ears (he's got a feeling about where the best spot is), still flipping through the pages of the book.
He doesn't look up. There's no need to watch a man clean, just as he hopes that Strange isn't looking back at himself and the face journey the book is provoking. There's horror that cycles through something fonder to near nostalgia, then anger, then back to horror again.
It's always been a nightmare, his father coming back. It was a fear in life, it's a fear now. And if there was anyone to contemplate that fear with, maybe it is Strange.]
Have there been any documented cases of those like us coming back from a space other than the battle field? Initially, I mean.
[ Strange does not look up. Partly because he's focusing on making sure all the blood gets cleaned up, partly because he really doesn't want to look at Alucard's expression as he says this. ]
No. As far as I can tell, we all came from the battlefields. We're also the only cases of necromancy this thorough.
[ Which still really pisses him off! And is yet another reason why Strange thinks the dragons had to be behind this. Of course they could do magic he never could. ]
[He says the word softly, the hand that's petting Bell going still for just a moment. If there was anyone half as invested in the necromancy of it all, it would be Strange, and there's so much relief in hearing that his worst fear is a bit more unlikely. He knows where his father's body fell and where his mother was burnt. Miles away, up mountains, and away some more.]
Before we revived, I'd have disagreed. Now, I'm not so sure.
[ Strange admits this in a quiet voice, as if he doesn't want to actually say this aloud to Alucard. Because before they revived and even in the first few months of his revival, he would have fought tooth and nail in order to bring his wife, his beloved Arabella back from the dead. But now that time has passed, circumstances have been defined, and he's found himself growing closer to other people, he's not so sure. ]
It does seem cruel, though. There are those who would give anything to see their loved ones once more, but they didn't die at the right place or the right time.
[But it's purposeful, so far as Alucard has been able to tell. He doesn't voice it, Strange already knows, and he won't waste his breath on what need not be said.
He resumes petting Bell, and leans his head back against the wall. Alucard closes his eyes, trying to equilbriate against himself.]
[ It takes Strange another five minutes and another two show-offy uses of magic, but eventually, he's done. The floor isn't spic-and-span levels of clean, but there aren't visible bloodstains and there isn't any trace of the ritual circle he drew.
All the while, Bell is sitting right next to Alucard, taking in as many pets as she can get. When Strange finishes, he gets to his feet. ]
I'd appreciate it if you stop spoiling my animus. It's done, by the way.
[But Alucard does stop all the same. He knows a thing or two about spoiled soul animals, after all.
The sound of Strange getting to his feet prompts Alucard to rise as well, and he does so. Alucard takes a moment to appreciate how relatively clean the floor now looks, then nods.]
[ Strange gestures to Bell, bending down slightly. She hops towards him and jumps in his arms. ]
Follow me.
[ And so, Strange leaves the building and starts walking. It's a bit of a walk to the black market area and honestly, he's not one for silence. There's an awkward pause before Strange starts talking. ]
There's one thing I'd still like more information on. How did your father's books make their way to the black market in the first place?
[ There's plenty of potential answers: no siblings or caretakers to watch the collection, someone robbed the place, dad was an idiot and sold them, and so on. Strange simply wants to know which is the actual answer. ]
[Alucard refuses to walk behind anyone. He instead keeps up pace, never letting his eyes leave his guide.]
Following my death, our libraries were raided. Material was stolen and traded into suspicious hands that either knew the true value of what lay within, or because some passer-by simply needed to grab something to exchange for coin so they could eat.
[He had thought about it a lot. It bothers Alucard, the gravity in his voice doesn't hide that.]
The castle's defenses fell over the century, obviously, with my father truly dead and none in his blood line alive to continue to keep those defenses around.
[ Strange can't help but make a small noise of disapproval as Alucard mentions the libraries being raided. He doesn't like the man and thinks that the vampire is a great idiot, but that doesn't mean his library deserved to be destroyed. Strange is obviously more concerned for the books than the dhampir. ]
What a waste of knowledge. I can think of so many things I'd want to research if your libraries were intact.
[ Unsurprisingly, Strange is picking up what Alucard's putting down. What a shock, the vampire might try and eat him. He rolls his eyes a little before talking again. ]
That's why I'd make certain you would be there with me. I suspect most fathers wouldn't try to kill their son's...well, we certainly aren't friends. Acquaintances?
Believe me, I'd just have you kicked out for your own good. You try my patience at every turn, I cannot imaginehe'd tolerate you for more than...maybe a minute? That's probably generous.
[You'd probably taste gross anyway buddy.
But that's...a fair point. Alucard shakes his head.]
Two diametrically opposed people who keep ending up in the other's orbit because fate is strange.
[ Most people would be annoyed at hearing that they try someone's patience. Strange just gives Alucard a wry little smile like 'fuck yeah I try your patience, I try it SO hard.' It's something he shouldn't be proud of but here we are. ]
Fate is strange and the gods have a terrible sense of humor. [ He stops walking for a moment, gesturing to another elf, standing near an alleyway. ] That's my contact, by the way. Hopefully he knows something about your missing second book.
Did you have a target of your annoyance earlier? [It's a question that's a little rude (okay, a lot rude), but also genuine. The dhampir's given up far more about his life than he ever anticipated on sharing with Strange, so it feels only fair.
I did, [ Strange admits. ] At least, I had a target of my annoyance before our resurrection. I'm afraid you're stuck with the role now.
[ But, he doesn't mind talking and this is one piece of his backstory that he doesn't have issues dancing around. So, Strange starts talking. There's a growing nostalgic tone in his voice as he speaks. ] There was a former mentor of mine, back in university, a man named Norrell. I respected his teachings and him as a person, but we were complete opposites in our ideology. We got into fights about magic just as often as we debated it. It was after one of those fights that I cut ties with him entirely and left the university behind me.
[ There's a little pause before Strange admits, ] I'd like to think we would have made up at some point. Of course, I can't do anything about that now, can I.
Oh, so it's just your natural personality to attract this sort of relationship.
[It's barely earned humor, because after that? Alucard does Strange the kindness of shutting up and listening. What comes next isn't what Alucard expected, but it feels so very correct for what he knows about Strange. Annoying. Inclined to be someone's opposite. And yet the part that sticks out to him is that this was a mentorship, and how that must have impacted everything.]
No, you can't. Not with circumstances being what they are. [Unless he died on a battlefield, and Alucard isn't about to say those words.]
I find some reassurance in knowing you've always been like this, just as it makes me want to strangle you for never learning.
[ Strange gives Alucard a wry little smile and a small shrug. ]
I'm afraid that unless the matter is magic, I'm a slow learner. [ But he doesn't want to let the seriousness hang in the air for too long. Strange's smile widens as he returns to teasing Alucard a little bit. ]
You should count yourself lucky! You've been spared the horror of meeting me at my most erratic and pugnacious. I might be a pain now, but I was much worse when I was younger.
There are a few other things, [ Strange admits, ] though I doubt you'd want to listen to an entire session of me recounting my faults and how I grew as a person.
[ Shit's boring, yo. And while Strange enjoys talking about himself, he's not sure if he wants to talk about all his failings. ]
Contrary to your believe, I am perfectly pleasant as I am required to be.
[It's the kind of thing that might get a nyeeeeeeeh and a stuck out tongue if the two of them were on a school playground. But no, they're adults, fighting about blood magic.
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[It's a noncommittal noise that acknowledge that Strange Has Said a Thing, but Alucard isn't about to say more. He instead focuses on giving Bell a very good scratch behind the ears (he's got a feeling about where the best spot is), still flipping through the pages of the book.
He doesn't look up. There's no need to watch a man clean, just as he hopes that Strange isn't looking back at himself and the face journey the book is provoking. There's horror that cycles through something fonder to near nostalgia, then anger, then back to horror again.
It's always been a nightmare, his father coming back. It was a fear in life, it's a fear now. And if there was anyone to contemplate that fear with, maybe it is Strange.]
Have there been any documented cases of those like us coming back from a space other than the battle field? Initially, I mean.
no subject
No. As far as I can tell, we all came from the battlefields. We're also the only cases of necromancy this thorough.
[ Which still really pisses him off! And is yet another reason why Strange thinks the dragons had to be behind this. Of course they could do magic he never could. ]
no subject
[He says the word softly, the hand that's petting Bell going still for just a moment. If there was anyone half as invested in the necromancy of it all, it would be Strange, and there's so much relief in hearing that his worst fear is a bit more unlikely. He knows where his father's body fell and where his mother was burnt. Miles away, up mountains, and away some more.]
Something good out of this nightmare.
no subject
[ Strange admits this in a quiet voice, as if he doesn't want to actually say this aloud to Alucard. Because before they revived and even in the first few months of his revival, he would have fought tooth and nail in order to bring his wife, his beloved Arabella back from the dead. But now that time has passed, circumstances have been defined, and he's found himself growing closer to other people, he's not so sure. ]
It does seem cruel, though. There are those who would give anything to see their loved ones once more, but they didn't die at the right place or the right time.
no subject
[But it's purposeful, so far as Alucard has been able to tell. He doesn't voice it, Strange already knows, and he won't waste his breath on what need not be said.
He resumes petting Bell, and leans his head back against the wall. Alucard closes his eyes, trying to equilbriate against himself.]
Let me know when you're done.
no subject
All the while, Bell is sitting right next to Alucard, taking in as many pets as she can get. When Strange finishes, he gets to his feet. ]
I'd appreciate it if you stop spoiling my animus. It's done, by the way.
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[But Alucard does stop all the same. He knows a thing or two about spoiled soul animals, after all.
The sound of Strange getting to his feet prompts Alucard to rise as well, and he does so. Alucard takes a moment to appreciate how relatively clean the floor now looks, then nods.]
Lead on, Strange.
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Follow me.
[ And so, Strange leaves the building and starts walking. It's a bit of a walk to the black market area and honestly, he's not one for silence. There's an awkward pause before Strange starts talking. ]
There's one thing I'd still like more information on. How did your father's books make their way to the black market in the first place?
[ There's plenty of potential answers: no siblings or caretakers to watch the collection, someone robbed the place, dad was an idiot and sold them, and so on. Strange simply wants to know which is the actual answer. ]
no subject
[Alucard refuses to walk behind anyone. He instead keeps up pace, never letting his eyes leave his guide.]
Following my death, our libraries were raided. Material was stolen and traded into suspicious hands that either knew the true value of what lay within, or because some passer-by simply needed to grab something to exchange for coin so they could eat.
[He had thought about it a lot. It bothers Alucard, the gravity in his voice doesn't hide that.]
The castle's defenses fell over the century, obviously, with my father truly dead and none in his blood line alive to continue to keep those defenses around.
no subject
What a waste of knowledge. I can think of so many things I'd want to research if your libraries were intact.
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I'm sure my father would have loved having you in the house.
[Yeah, no. Dracula would have had Strange for a snack.]
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That's why I'd make certain you would be there with me. I suspect most fathers wouldn't try to kill their son's...well, we certainly aren't friends. Acquaintances?
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[You'd probably taste gross anyway buddy.
But that's...a fair point. Alucard shakes his head.]
Two diametrically opposed people who keep ending up in the other's orbit because fate is strange.
no subject
Fate is strange and the gods have a terrible sense of humor. [ He stops walking for a moment, gesturing to another elf, standing near an alleyway. ] That's my contact, by the way. Hopefully he knows something about your missing second book.
no subject
Alucard does see the elf in the alley. He nods.]
If not, I appreciate the lead all the same.
no subject
[ But, he doesn't mind talking and this is one piece of his backstory that he doesn't have issues dancing around. So, Strange starts talking. There's a growing nostalgic tone in his voice as he speaks. ] There was a former mentor of mine, back in university, a man named Norrell. I respected his teachings and him as a person, but we were complete opposites in our ideology. We got into fights about magic just as often as we debated it. It was after one of those fights that I cut ties with him entirely and left the university behind me.
[ There's a little pause before Strange admits, ] I'd like to think we would have made up at some point. Of course, I can't do anything about that now, can I.
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[It's barely earned humor, because after that? Alucard does Strange the kindness of shutting up and listening. What comes next isn't what Alucard expected, but it feels so very correct for what he knows about Strange. Annoying. Inclined to be someone's opposite. And yet the part that sticks out to him is that this was a mentorship, and how that must have impacted everything.]
No, you can't. Not with circumstances being what they are. [Unless he died on a battlefield, and Alucard isn't about to say those words.]
I find some reassurance in knowing you've always been like this, just as it makes me want to strangle you for never learning.
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I'm afraid that unless the matter is magic, I'm a slow learner. [ But he doesn't want to let the seriousness hang in the air for too long. Strange's smile widens as he returns to teasing Alucard a little bit. ]
You should count yourself lucky! You've been spared the horror of meeting me at my most erratic and pugnacious. I might be a pain now, but I was much worse when I was younger.
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[If not? That's so very depressing. Alucard shakes his head, and...]
I'd ask you to define worse, but in truth, I'm happier in ignorance.
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[ Shit's boring, yo. And while Strange enjoys talking about himself, he's not sure if he wants to talk about all his failings. ]
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[Even the attempt at humor falls flat, because the dhampir's emotional core is still far too all over. He sighs, eyes returning to Strange's contact.]
You don't need to stick around further, if you don't wish to.
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All in all, I'd rather not be here while you inevitably bully my poor contact. Just leave him in one piece, alright? Metaphorically speaking, that is.
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[It's the kind of thing that might get a nyeeeeeeeh and a stuck out tongue if the two of them were on a school playground. But no, they're adults, fighting about blood magic.
Also like adults!]
Please don't use my father's blood magic again.
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[ He'll simply use other people's blood magic!
And so, with a little wave of his hand in Alucard's direction, Strange turns to leave. ]