[closed] Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

[cryptsleeper]

Character(s): Trevor+Alucard
Status: Closed
Location(s): Mountains outside of Krimnos at a certain falling apart home
Date(s) 22 March - End of the month
About: Clearing out the castle and generally trying to make it home again
Warnings: Probably allusions to patricide; finding a dead body; others to be added



Note: Castle is not representative of Usir canon castle, just roll with me on this

[They had been here once, in the dead of winter, all bundled up and trudging through the snows to simply see what had become of a home whose three spires pierced through the forest's treeline. What remained was a shell of the home built by Alucard's father, still imposing and with a single spire remaining, but precious little else. Within the halls were destroyed pieces of furniture, looted rooms, and broken glass, along with signs that it had been a place of shelter for travelers over the years.

It could be salvaged though, with enough time and money. That had been clear, and now with the matter of Einjar completed, time and money was an option. Not much, but enough. Enough for there to be firewood in the kitchen, enough daylight to spend clearing out room after room, enough to buy stones to secure unstable things and ensure a delivery. Most importantly: enough to buy new locks, making it clear that the ruin is no longer deserted.

The work is slow. Careful. Limited, but that was expected.]

Comments

[miraclewhip]

It's hardly as if you'd deny them if they knocked upon the door.

[ Fucking softhearted vampire. ]

It did good, while you were away from it. Probably saved lives.

[ Safety and shelter. There's more of Lisa in the castle's recent legacy than there is of her husband. That's something, at least. ]

[cryptsleeper]

No, but it isn't as if we'll always be home either.

[He looks back down at the locks on the doors, considering that simple fact. Alucard wasn't always home when everything in this castle stood as it ought to either. It feels...more wrong now.]

I know. Maybe it's worth putting something else on the property for when we're not here and the doors must be closed.

[Nothing much. Just a shelter. A small fireplace. Something.

After another silence, Alucard gestures to Trevor.]

Hold out your hand.

[miraclewhip]

The stable'll be good enough, now the cold's lost its edge. Gives us time to figure shit out.

[ His grimmer task done, he returns his attention to what Alucard needed, holding out his hand. ]

[cryptsleeper]

Mm. Like how to build something from the ground up. I...the attempt I have been making at a book case is unique.

[He has books now, mostly in the form of his own travel notes. Those lived on the shelves of the vast library that was once a part of the castle, along with his mother's medical notes and father's research papers. It's reclaiming the past, inch by inch.

Alucard places a key into Trevor's hand. A small thing at first, it immediately glows a dull orange, then scales itself up so that it fits comfortably there. The lock shifts too, clearly now the right size to accomodate it.]

Yours. In case I have arms too full of supplies and I need you to open the door instead.

[That's not the real reason and they both know it. It's for emergencies. Should they get separated. Should one die for a time.]

[miraclewhip]

's a bookcase as long as it holds books. And it just about does that.

[ He turns the key over in his hand, shoulders sinking. ]

Shit. I guess I live someplace now. Not lived anywhere since- shit. [ Very eloquent. He pockets the key, shuffling one foot in the half-frozen dirt of the road, suddenly eager to change the subject because god forbid he admit to being happy about something. ] Did you need help with something, or did you just want to give this to me?

[cryptsleeper]

It did. The shelves all just slanted at horrible angles and the whole thing collapsed.

[Alucard isn't proud of it, but that's better than the first few attempts that have all just been wood abominations.

At least Trevor avoiding emotions is an easy and obvious thing to deal with. Far easier than woodworking.]

This was the help. I couldn't get it to scale up properly, so I figured the key had to be in your hand to make it so.

[miraclewhip]

Hunh. [ He pats his pocket, half-considering examining the key further, but thinks better of it. Holding it feels just a little too much like having an entire feeling about something. ]

Wait, shit, you're saying that you needed a literal hand. Was that a fucking pun? Did you try to tell a fucking joke and I didn't notice it?

[cryptsleeper]

....

[The silence says everything, as does the face of the vampire which moves from minor mortification to something close to actual joy. And there's a laugh that follows, startled and delighted.]

Neither of us noticed it, it seems. It is a pretty good joke though.

[Alucard grins though, because all of this means that the good mood from Einjar has endured.]

Test the lock though, just to make sure it works. Then we can figure out a time table for trying to get back to the city.

[ooc: this is a quick work tag; if you want to jump to exploring new shadow skills I can write that transition/starter when im home]

[miraclewhip]

Look at you, accidentally growing a sense of fucking humour.

[ He puts a large hand on Alucard's head, messing up his hair with a laugh before addressing the matter of the lock. The keyhole is no larger than a pinprick, far too small for any but the most specialist lockpicks to fit into. Clever. ]

So the magic in the lock responds to the key. [ He's mumbling under his breath, trying to get a feel for how this works. Sure enough, the pinprick eats away at the metal to reveal a larger keyhole once the key approaches it. ] And the key changes size so I don't fuck up and fumble it?

[ Simple enough to get his head around. And sure enough, there's a click when he turns the key in the lock and another when he turns it back. ]

[cryptsleeper]

I've always had it. There just wasn't much time to show it.

[There's another faint laugh as the hand ruffling his hair. It leaves a disaster on top of Alucard's head, but that's an acceptable price to pay for this moment.]

Precisely so. I figured that it would be easier for you, and because it's a more unique spell, it makes it harder to break in.

[Alucard smiles. Actually smiles, because now they're a little closer to this really feeling like home.]

I'm going to go start dinner.