usir | [Open]

[Open]

Character(s): Alucard + Open
Status: Open
Location(s): Krimnos, the old homestead in the mountains
Date(s) June 1 to 17 (pre-Sirens)
About: General catch all log
Warnings: To be added

KRIMNOS
[The start of the month sees Alucard in Krimnos proper again, well aware that traveling between the city and home may grow dicey because of the rains. It is for that reason that he spends the first two days of June there, stocking up not only on staples for home, but taking advantage of whatever fresher options the market now offers (there is asparagus and peas and the first delicate herbs of summer, strawberries starting to trickle in). They'll endure long enough to make it home. Some will be pickled (that's the asparagus), other things inhaled as quickly as possible.

When not walking through the market laden with goods, dressed in his version of comfortable summer clothing (the other two don't know he bought a hat), Alucard's presence is among the inventors. He knows that Christine's book is still in progress, but there are other things he has heard tell of lately and this may be the only time he is in Krimnos for the month.

ON THE ROAD
[On the road between home and Krimnos, Alucard is all too keenly aware of the world around him. There is, of course, the little hamlet that marks the half-way point between home and the city, and he rests there between his trips. Tonight, there is only light rain, the kind that allows for establishments to still have their patios open, so long as there is a spell to ward off the rain.

He's sat towards the edge of one such spot, eyes focused skyward.]

This won't hold for every long.

HOME
[Home is still a crumbling castle, whose remaining spire still reaches up towards the heavens. It is aged, but there is now more than the lock on the door that shows that this place is lived in now. While rain thunders down, there are now lights in the castle's windows, and within, a dhampir, a goliath, and a tiefling.

It is a week into the rainy season that the dhampir stands at the front door of the castle, looking at the rising waters. There are great puddles along the path that leads up to the castle itself, and they're growing a little too steadily.]

Mm. I don't know how well the castle's drain system works these days.

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That would work nicely. Are there weather related wards in there as well, or anything about structural damages? I don't know how well the roof will hold this rainy season.

[It's already started, after all, and there's much more rain left to endure. Right now though, there's a quiet comfort to the constant sound, enhanced by the fire's flickering glow.]

Easy, but that's because there's only a few things right now. I've forgotten what it is like to work with such a small collection.

[He looks over at the pile of books, and then picks one up. It's not terribly large, but the binding is older than the others - a handsome calf skin dyed a beautiful green, gold embellishments on the front with patterns that resemble the old carpets of the castle.]

Ellis found something interesting the other day.

[He offers the book to Sypha.]

Even if there aren't wards specifically for weather, I'm sure something in here can be adjusted to serve the purpose of reinforcing the structure. [ She's clearly already thinking of various ways this can be accomplished, making mental notes of ways that different spells can be altered or even combined to speed along the refurbishment of the castle.

When he passes her the tome in his hand, Sypha's face lights up with curiosity. Setting aside her spellbook, she takes the journal very carefully and examines it. ]

I... I remember this! I only saw a quick glimpse of the spine when we were here before, but this is from the original library, isn't it? Where on earth did she find it?

I'd feel safer being able to do that. If we're away and something collapses, I can't imagine...

[There's nothing good there. Alucard shoves the thought aside, focusing on the actual point of showing Sypha the book.]

I don't know, she just approached me with it one day. That binding was used for my father's personal journals, it was a way of organizing them.

[Alucard opens up the cover of the journal, the leather flaking a little as he does so.]

I have to perform a little bit of preservation work on it, but it's stable otherwise. But do you see the ex libris?

[On the opposite side of a cover is a bookplate, bearing the words EX LIBRIS DRACULA coupled with thin magical symbols underneath, all arranged in the shape of the castle itself. It's magic meant to prevent anyone but Dracula from opening the book, but it's potency is long since dead along with the spellcaster.]

Don't worry, Alucard. Between the two of us, I'm certain we can come up with something.

[ There's no use in fretting over things that haven't happened yet, anyway. Best thing to do is prepare for the worst and hope it doesn't come to pass. (Not that they've had that sort of luck, but that's what the preparation is for, after all.)

She looks over the page as he opens it and hums with interest at the bookplate. Extending her hand, she very gently brushes over the symbols with her fingertips. ]

We could make something similar to this. Something to protect our new collection and help them find their way home if they get lost. Actually... did all the books in Dracula's library have this symbol in them?

Most of them. Certaintly anything my hand touched, but I know there were things my father acquired that were not entered on our inventories and he held in spaces that I was not allowed into.

[Those were books of darkest magic, the kind that only Dracula need know about. The kind that Dracula used to let loose his terror upon the land following Lisa's death, and Alucard shudders even now to think of it.

He shoves the thought aside almost violently.]

A homing spell was what I had in mind, but the skillset required to make one is your wheelhouse, not mine.

[ Sypha internally balks at the thought of magic so terrifying that even Alucard was not allowed to see it. However, she imagines that a man as cautious as Dracula had been would have taken extra precautions with those volumes, so she wouldn't be surprised if the sigil was present on them as well.

Her tail begins to curl excitedly, swishing back and forth as an idea forms in her head. Alucard's comment echoes what she's thinking, though he hadn't intended it to. ]

A homing spell! Exactly! Now that we have this journal, we might be able to use the sigil here to locate the other books! We could rebuild the library by finding the books that used to be part of it!

[It was the kind of magic he was best off never seeing. Alucard knew what his father was capable of, and had grown up well aware of that. There had been a gap between knowing about it in theory and then seeing it in practice. Yet another gap was the books so dark that the rules of collections management did not apply.

Alucard smiles at the sudden uptick of expression from Sypha's tail.]

Perhaps. Or maybe we should focus on creating our own for the things that enter our collection next. One that includes such a homing spell, and perhaps a new ex libris.

[ If those books are so bad, then maybe those are the ones they need to work hardest to find--not to keep them but to destroy them, ensuring the magic can never be used again.

Those are thoughts and ideas that can be stowed for later. Sypha nods at Alucard's redirection. ]

Yes, of course. I was getting a bit ahead of myself. It would be fairly simple to make a homing spell, but I'm sure there are several ways to go about it. There are other ways we can enchant the books as well. I could concoct a spell to make the words disappear if an unwanted person were to read them, or a spell to make the books too heavy to lift. I could probably make them waterproof.

[Alucard closes the journal and places it down for the time being. Showing Sypha the book was all he needed, and it seems that her mind has taken off running with the concept.]

I like the idea of waterproofing, but making words disappear, that's worth investing in.

[Especially for the journal.]

Which part is the one we have to begin with?

Probably the best place to start would be some protective ward that other spells can be woven into, but of course the spellwork becomes more complicated with each element you add, and I imagine some of them might not work as well together as others. Maybe we should get some spare book to be a test subject for us, or even just some sheaves of paper to start.

[ Her finger traces a circle in the air, and a thin ring of ice appears. She adds runes and smaller circles, triangles, spirals and lines. ]

This could be a start.

I have some blank journals that would fit the bill.

[They'll be good to start with, bound in fine leather and attractive for his own notes and work. The dhampir falls silent as Sypha works her magic, smiling faintly at the sight of it.

It's also nice to not be on the receiving end of that ice magic, what after Einjar.]

The layout of the spell would form the book plate's design as well, yes?

Yes, or perhaps under the book plate. Maybe there is more than one way to incorporate it so it would be harder to remove.

[ The ice turns to water and then to steam. She'll have to tinker with it a little bit, but a blank journal would work, so she nods and considers what else she could work into it to. ]

Fireproofing the books would also be a good idea. I'm not sure how close I can make them to indestructible, but I can certainly try.

Hm. Let's begin with placing a spell under the bookplate, that means the plate itself cannot be removed. Likewise, I think that might be the correct layer for fire and waterproof damage, as it is on the interior cover of the book itself, rather than a piece of paper that has been afixed to that interior.

[Alucard rubs his chin, considering.]

Then the plate places all the other elements in, and ensures the book's tracking and return. Does that sound like the correct approach to layering?

I think that sounds like a good start. We could even use the back cover as well to keep from putting too much into one spell and overcomplicating it.

[ Of course, magic is all about the little complications--the twists and turns, the pieces of the puzzle that make it so fascinating. ]

But yes, I think that would work. We could even lock the homing spell to some matching glyph that we can move if we need to, rather than strictly to the castle itself. That way, the books can still find us even when we aren't here.

Hm. I suppose an end plate might be a worthy candidate for obscuring that back over spell work.

[This seems like a solid enough start, and Alucard nods in quiet agreement.]

That seems wise, although perhaps having two lines of instruction for the book would be better? One for if we are living, such as we are, and the other if we cannot be found.

Good ideas, both.

[ Although she knows what he actually means by 'cannot be found,' and it isn't just a pleasant trip away from the castle. The thought of dying again isn't exactly a pleasant one, but even less appealing is the thought of her boys dying. It prompts her to move next to Alucard, hip to hip with him. ]

But let's try not to be away for too long. Yes?

Which leaves us with the question of what the ex libris design should look like. I think we're beyond the castle's silhouette.

[It's easier to think about graphic design than dwell on the possibility of what might come to pass if whatever terrible resurrection spell animates them runs out. Or if it only runs out on one of them, because that? That is a nightmare.

Easier then to lean into sentiment and affection as Sypha moves to sit beside him. She's so warm, and Alucard leans just a little so that his head brushes against her. (And her horns.)]

I know. We don't owe the world anything now.

[It was a discussion he and Trevor had had well before Sypha's revival, what do we owe? The conclusion had been nothing, we gave our lives. We need only owe to those we think are worthy of it.]

Maybe we could incorporate elements to represent the three of us. Silhouettes of our animas, perhaps? Done in some stylistic way, of course.

[ When he leans in, Sypha mirrors his action, bringing them together for a light nuzzle. In the scant time since they've made their relationship into an official one, she's quickly come to realize how much Alucard needs affectionate touch, even if he wouldn't say so himself. ]

We certainly gave enough before. [ She agrees on that front. They'd nearly died fighting Dracula and had been rewarded with death anyway. Their societal dues had been paid. ] But we needn't think on that now.

I could try a few things out and let you pick what you like and what works best with the spells.

[Alucard grew up with parents who were nothing if not openly and overly affectionate with each other. Some of his own desire for closeness is built out of need, along with an awareness that he expresses himself best through actions, but also simply modeling what he grew up understanding the core of a relationship to be.

It's not a surprise then that he presses a kiss to the tip of her nearest horn.]

You're right on both accounts.

[ It's a well-known fact that tieflings have sensitive horns--she shivers just a bit at the kiss as it sends a pleasant tingle down her spine. Lifting her head, she kisses his cheek in turn, then his lips. ]

Perhaps we should table the discussion of the ex libris for now... Adrian.

[There's a soft, besotted smile that comes with that first kiss, and it stays there as Sypha puts the second on his lips. He doesn't blush, not this time, but he reaches his hand over, seeking hers.]

Perhaps.

[His eyes go over to the window in the corner, where the rain continues to come pouring down.]

It is rather atmospheric today, isn't it?

It is. I enjoy the sound of the rain, don't you?

[ Her eyes follow his to the window, and her head cants slightly. ]

We have some cushions, don't we?

We do, although I suspect some of them may be covered in wolf hair.

[Alucard pauses, then clocks onto what Sypha's really suggesting.]

Let me go get them.

[ She grins and stands, pulling him to his feet so he can go fetch the cushions while she goes to make sure the window nook is free of any dust or cobwebs, fur or feathers.

It's properly tidy by the time he gets back, so she helps him arrange the pillows, her tail swishing to and fro. Mistral vacates the room with a chirp, having learned that there are times when the people want to be alone. ]

This is cozy, isn't it?

[The cushions are, in fact, covered with wolf hair. Alucard's brushed it off as very best he can, and when he returns it's a small wonder how perfect the whole place seems. Window nook with cushions. Fire in the fireplace, because the rain comes with a chill today. The constant sound of rain over the castle, and the safety that being inside offers.

He smiles as they arrange things together, and once it's done, all he can do is settle down first so Sypha can use him as a chair.]

It's almost stereotypically cozy.

There is nothing wrong with that sort of stereotype, at least.

[ Once he's comfortable, Sypha climbs in after him and curls up against his chest, careful of her horns as she always is. The rain patters against the glass panes of the window, making a soft, lulling noise.

Her hand seeks his out, and their fingers twine together. She kisses him again, this time at the corner of his jaw. ]

Besides, we deserve a bit of comfort.

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