Character(s): Alucard + ???? Status: Open Location(s): Around, about, and up in the Krimnos mountains Date(s) Julyish About: General July catch all, but also feat. Alucard, Sypha, and a tiny flying horse Warnings: Added as required
[Of all the parts of the castle that Alucard didn't expect to have to focus on in repairing to be habitable again, the stables were high on the list. The place was barely used a century ago, and the three of them didn't really need horses. They had Trevor for when their feet got tired, Alucard could run far faster than any man if he had to and...okay, Sypha probably would need a horse eventually, but then again: Trevor.
But no. In exploring the black market on the rumor that some of Dracula's books had come up on the market (their ex libris was the only identifier), Sypha had found a pegasus at a very, very tender age and the thing was in a bad way.
They had left with no books and a baby horse that could fly. Not a bad trip, all things considered. Accounting for where the horse might live (because they had enough animals in the house) had required repair work and well, that was where Alucard stood now, looking at a decently rebuilt stable with three stalls and a bare floor.]
I suppose straw is the next step, but that's easy enough.
[He's alone. Ellis is off harassing Dog because of course she is, and if Alucard knows Sypha and her bird, they're with the tiny horse.]
[ Mistral has taken more time to get used to the fledgling pegasus than anyone. The juxtaposition of such a large, gangly creature with wings that are so small is obviously confusing to her, but she seems dedicated now to teaching the little horse to fly.
Zephyr, as Sypha has named him, is dapple-gray and frail as can be--he won't be flying on his tiny wings any time soon. Still, having an actual bird as a flying tutor will probably be helpful for it one day. The three of them are sitting out in the sunlight a field of cropped grass by the castle, and she's feeding the little colt a porridge of oats to help him grow stronger. Part of her worries that being kept in such cruel conditions will have lasting repercussions, which is why she's determined to show him as much affection as is possible.
Once he's finished eating and they've taken in enough sun, Sypha leads her little band back in towards the castle. She's not surprised to find Alucard working on the stables, and she smiles and waves when she sees him. Zephyr trots close at her heels, their hooves clip-clopping on the stone floor.]
[Alucard turns to face Sypha, unsurprised at her merry band of friends. He nods hello at them all before leaning over to kiss Sypha on her cheek. It's stupid and sappy and it makes him so, so happy to do it.]
Actually, I think that it's ready for someone's inspection, if you believe Zephyr is up for it.
[Alucard doesn't quite crouch down to say hello or anything of the sort, but he does reach over to one of the doors that lead to individual stable space. It opens after he undoes the latch, and within is a wide space that at the moment, is quite bare. A bucket rests in one corner, trough is attached to the inner door. Folded neatly in one corner is a small blanket of deep emerald is also there.]
[ She blushes at the contact, even though she's growing accustomed to it. Romantic affection is such a new and novel thing to her still that Sypha's cheeks almost always turn lilac whenever one of the boys kisses or cuddles with her. She returns the gesture, then nods and turns to put a hand on the little horse's back. ]
Come on, little one. Have a look at your new home.
[ She urges the winged colt forward and he trots into the stall on his spindly legs, sniffing here and there at every new thing before returning to the protective shadow of his adoptive mother.
Sypha grins at Alucard and scratches behind Zephyr's ears. ]
He'll get used to it. Better to have him out here than to let him get very used to living inside. Could you imagine a fully-grown pegasus tromping around the castle?
[Alucard, being the eldest of the three of them, is probably the most experienced in the romance department. None of that stops the thrill from seeing the other two reaction to every piece of affection he can give. They deserve it. They deserve so much more than that too, but for now, red cheeks on Trevor and soft purple ones on Sypha are stupidly, embarrassingly fulfilling.
He watches from Sypha's side as their little winged friend makes a careful inspection of the new grounds...only to go right back to Sypha's side. He's not surprised, but it is a little worrisome.]
I mean, we let Trevor in the castle, so I can imagine it. I just don't want it. [There's a pause, and he looks down at Zephyr.] With all due respect, of course.
[ She has not been to his home yet. She has not been near it - she knows how he feels about her collection of pets, her chosen family, about her dragonling, and she respects that. She respects it as much as she can respect his anger, especially with her little Urmyria growing stronger and stronger as each and every single day goes by. Soon the dragon will be the size of her cat and then her horse and then larger than Lauralae herself, and she accepts that.
She will protect and love Urmyria until the day she dies for eternity, accepting her place as the guardian of such a wonderful beast.
At this point, however, she has left her dragonling in the care of her allies, trusting Daenerys to take care of her alongside Balerion. It means she can make her way up towards where she knows Alucard to be, first in her wolf form to take advantage of the distance she can cover. She can smell Alucard when she gets closer and closer, the scent heavy and real, and she chases it up and up until she's hovering almost awkwardly, not sure what to do with herself.
Will he know she's here?
Trotting, wolflike and content, she keeps walking until she thinks he might notice her. ]
[Taking care of the old homestead is work. So much of it is ruins, and it'll stay ruins forever now. There's no point in trying to rehabilitate those parts, and accepting that makes it much easier to live there. The main part of the castle, where the cornerstones were laid by his father, that much they can work with.
And they have. Furniture may be sparse within, but Trevor ends up being sofa and bed and chair most of the time. Outside, they're at the point where they can contemplate growing food for themselves, and right now, that is Alucard's focus. He's found a few saplings in Krimnos' greenhouse that were ready to be planted, and now he digs at the ground that leads up to the castle's main doors, prepared to place one of several apple trees along the path.
He hears something approaching. His head goes up, shovel still in hand.
A wolf.
Interesting.
Ellis is out with Trevor today, doing only gods know what. So it takes Alucard few moments before he figures out the identity of the lone wolf.]
[ It takes him longer than she had thought it might to realise who it is - but she imagines that without Ellis here (because she cannot smell her friend, at least any more than the subtle scent that hangs on Alucard) it might be more difficult to place her. They had only met twice when she was in this form, and despite the black of her fur matching the dark of her hair there is nothing to show her as Laualae.
Moving forward, she trots just a little before she turns back, lifting a hand to rub at her face, pale-skinned and tired looking. Mothering a dragon is not easy, especially not when you are also taking care of a horse and a tiny kitten. She feels as though her pack is growing but, at the same time, she is losing so much time.
She is not used to being so social. ]
Good afternoon.
[ For a brief, uncertain moment, Lauralae looks almost uncomfortable, as if not sure of what she ought to do, until she reaches into a pouch at her side and digs out a small handful of flowers; they're the wild kind, most certainly harvested from her forest. She holds them out awkwardly. ]
[Alucard is careful as he takes the flowers, mostly as to not startle his guest. Once they're in hand, he takes a deep sniff, then nods in quiet satisfaction.]
They'll keep the bedroom from smelling like Trevor too much. [He says it with a comfortable grin on his face. It's a reference to a joke the other two love holding over their Belmont's head.]
Come in then. I've missed lunch, and I don't know if you've eaten on the road.
[He starts walking for the doors, scarcely looking behind to ensure that he's being followed. It's an assumption.]
[ In the back of his mind, he'd known when he set himself on this course that it was a fool's errand—he has no idea of the manner of his father's death, or whether he survived the calamitous final clash of the three dragons some hundred years ago now, and tracking the location of something as small and inconspicuous as a ring after this much time feels almost impossible.
He'd inquired with the records keepers in Thalassa during his brief visit there, but they'd yielded little information on what became of Regis Lucis Caelum after the war. He'd inquired with those who worked with the salvagers after in the city, and they had pointed him to a warehouse in Atromitos, where a near-ancient elven salvager who'd been a child at the time told him about his mother, who'd sold a handful of magical relics recovered from the battlefield to a collector in Krimnos.
As it turns out, said collector had passed some time ago, and his possessions had been auctioned by his children, or worse, stolen, dispersed like chaff in the wind into the city's bustling economy. Which brings him here, to the chaos of the markets, the murmur of the crowd and the shouting of hawkers leaning over their counters to try and entice him to buy some dusty book or copper trinket they swear he needs.
He's not sure what it is about him that makes them so unwilling to talk about the city's more underground markets, but they'll give him an appraising glance at beast before waving a hand and shooing him off down the street, laughing at him.
Which is how, after a few hours of fruitless inquiries in the sweltering heat, he bumps into a familiar face wandering the streets, same as him. He blinks, taking a moment to confirm he's not just imagining things, and then huffs quietly, almost laughing, sidling up beside Alucard and nudging him with an elbow. ]
Didn't expect to run into you here. You don't strike me as the type of person who likes to go shopping for fun.
I don't shop for fun. But I have spent quite a few years professionally shopping for others.
[It's said with far, far too much seriousness in the tone, because Alucard's own work here is a somber task. Returning home to a destroyed castle meant coming to terms with the knowledge that much of the castle's library was scattered to the winds. Doubtlessly many tomes were used for kindling or to make a quick buck, neither of which Alucard could ever begrudge. That his family's home had provided shelter and sustenance was a far better legacy than he could have hoped for, what with how things had been going a century ago.
But the possibility of the dark magic in Dracula's books circulating was a concern. Alucard made a point to circulate the black markets again, if only to make enough connections so that the appearance of any book bearing his father's ex libris would reach his own ears.
And so it had. Supposedly. Alucard had yet to find one such book even after reported sightings, and he suspected that today may also be the case.]
[ He cracks half a grin. He's joking, mostly, but he also notes Alucard carries no baskets, or anything with which to carry food or basic necessities back home with. Nor does Noctis, of course—which perhaps indicates neither of them are here to pick up anything physical. Yet, anyway. ]
Look, the little pastries and mechanical parts are neat and all, but— [ He waves off a merchant beckoning him to come sample something small and round and covered in way too much powdered sugar to be totally healthy. ] —you wouldn't happen to know where a guy would go around here to shop for some less above-board wares, would you?
[Alucard's clearly not joking, if thr gravity of his voice is any indication. He's very aware that he makes an odd duo just standing beside and speaking with Noctis, but that's very rarely a bad thing, especially in this sort of a situation.
His lips purse though as Noctis tries his best to find the hidden markets. It's....well, he tried. Alucard tuts softly, once the merchant has scattered and offered nothing else.]
Information about those things needs a slightly more subtle approach. May I ask what it is you're looking for?
[ Noctis glances at him briefly, then casts his eyes downward, pensive for a moment, thumbing absently at the base of his ring finger. It's not like it's a secret, per se, and he's not likely to meet many people who will fully comprehend all the reasons for his interest in a century-old artifact lost in the war. Especially one that hardly a person in this day and age should even know exists.
Another moment, and he shrugs, tucking his hands into his pockets. ]
It's... a ring. Belonged to my father. I know that sounds crazy, but any mage with a little skill would be able to detect the magic on it, and it does weird things if the wrong person tries to wear it, so I figured... if anybody had picked it up, it'd stand out enough to be noticed.
[Three simple words, but with an awful lot of weight behind them. There's a quiet nod of his head, before Alucard's eyes move to Noctis' left.]
There are merchants that specialized in fine jewelry, whereas others specialize in cursed objects. Pick which one you'd like to start with, and we can move on from there. If it's been in trade over the past few decades, I'd hope that the latter might have at least heard a rumor of whereabouts.
[Alucard crosses behind Noctis, heading to the left.]
[ He blinks behind Alucard's back as he moves away, not sure what there is to understand about it, but color him curious. After a moment's pause, he trails after him. ]
Cursed objects it is,then. [ Not that the ring is considered cursed if they're being technical, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought of it as a curse a time or two. He grimaces at the thought, hurrying to catch up with Alucard. ]
I used to, yes. [Noctis understands the real meaning of used to, and Alucard starts to walk. There's a small alley that he knows will spit them out where they need to be, and so he turns down it.
It's nothing impressive, just stone walls that allow two people to walk side by side if they wish.]
I worked for collectors of historical pieces and the like. Quite a few purchases came from markets like this/
[ Noctis knows little enough of Krimnos a hundred years ago, much less now, and though he wishes he had a better idea of where they're going, he's just going to have to trust Alucard's sense of direction. The bland stone walls don't tell him much, anyway.
He glances back to the street behind them only once before jogging a few steps to draw up beside Alucard. ]
That was a long time ago, though. [ He'll leave how long to their mutual understanding. No point in saying more than necessary in public like this. ] What about now? Markets have to have changed since then. Seems like you know a lot about their current state.
I do. Some of it was curiosity and to see how the business has evolved over the years. The rest...
[Alucard pauses for a moment, considering. Noctis has been honest and open with him about the matter of what he seeks. Repaying that honest is the correct thing to do. They aren't at the market proper yet anyway, and so they won't be overheard and the dhampir fleeced by sellers.]
My father's library was a vast collection that included books on less than acceptable types of magic. I have heard rumors of the books appearing at these venues lately, and like you, I'd like to keep them from entering the wrong hands.
Oh. [ He glances off to the side, struck with volumes of understanding he doesn't adequately know how to explain. He absently twists his thumb around the base of his ring finger again, reminded that by all rights, he should have died wearing that piece of cursed jewelry.
He recalls their first conversation at the Fall, and glances back up again, still curious. ]
You said your mother was a doctor. And he was... ?
[Alucard pauses. Sypha and Trevor know about Dracula, but there is every reason for them to have that knowledge. They helped destroy him, after all. They bore witness to his actions. But the other reawakened....
...it has been so strange, living with two other people who know and understand the full of Alucard's life without having to explain an ounce of it. Now, now this is new. And he hates it.]
A scholar of a great many topics. Science and magic were his greatest interests though, and his notebooks often imagined the world as it is now. That kind of mind always will brush against those things considered unorthodox.
Sounds like the polite way of saying dangerous. [ They've opened out of the alley onto another road entirely, and Noctis is well and truly lost now, unfamiliar with these tightly-packed back streets of Krimnos.
He huffs quietly and draws his cloak tighter about him, though it's hardly cold out. ]
You ever miss him at all, or is that one of those questions I shouldn't ask?
It is. He was. [Alucard hangs a sudden and tight right, aware that this is a labryinth not everyone knows. His eyes are on Noctis every few moments though, keeping an eye on him to ensure he isn't lost.]
Of course I miss him. [That hadn't been a secret ever.] My mother as well. They both predeceased me, both in awful ways.
[There's just a few steps left before a larger plaza opens up before them. At first blush, this could all too easily be mistaken for any other market, full of bustling crowds and merchants hawking wares. But one moment's overheard conversation would quickly change anyone's mind. There are talks of stolen wares. Poisons. Curses to be lifted.
[ Noctis blinks, and then he glances away, uncomfortable suddenly. ]
I'm sorry. It must've hurt a lot.
[ At least Alucard admits it, but if there's any sign he's intruded too far and stirred unwanted emotions, Noctis can't tell at the moment; the man keeps his emotions close to his chest. Still, as his eyes shift away to the market around them and he listens in on the conversation wafting through the open air, he senses it's better not to pursue it any further at the moment.
They have other problems, anyway. His gaze snaps back to Alucard, his fingers grazing the hilt of the blade tucked away at his hip and then settling at his side. ]
This one of those places I need to be watching my back for sticky fingers or worse?
[It's a noise meant to acknowledge the real show of empathy without having to engage with it. Noctis, in the space of five mintues, has learned more about Alucard's particular past than just about any other reawakened soul that has walked the earth again. He's happy to keep it that way.]
Keep your eyes alert for pick pockets, but don't attack them beyond a hand grab. Here, it's more about the sport of it than anyone keeping your change.
[Alucard's ears pick up the word curses from the far right, and that's the way he goes. There are book dealers that he's come to know and that he'll double back to soon enough, but there. There's a teifling woman with long dark hair standing beside an empty table, idly chatting with what looks to be a satisfied customer. Alucard wouldn't have picked her for a curse specialist, but the books she's handing over? Those are titles he knows from his father's library (but are not his father's books, the edges aren't right.)]
Okay, so, here's how this goes. This is a curse specialist. She won't have the item, but she may have confirmation that it's been noted and active of late. From there, then we figure out potential sellers. Understood? Merchants here have different interlocking loops to try and muddy the waters of who is responsible for what.
[ Noctis is starting to sense he's a little in over his head at this
point, but he nods and listens anyway, casting a furtive glance at the
indicated bookseller. She catches his eye briefly and arches a brow; he
glances away quickly. ]
Right, so I guess I'll just...ask her.
[ From his pocket he unfolds his own crude sketch of what he
remembers his father's ring looking like. The most distinct feature he
remembers, really, is the stoic knight carved into the jet black metal,
gauntlets clasped over the white gem set into the center like it were a
blade - though he's no artist, and he's pretty sure his rendition looks
more like an angry octopus.
She takes one look at it and laughs at him.
A few minutes of quiet conversation later, Noctis returns to Alucard, grimacing sheepishly. ]
She said she sees a lot of jewelry pass through here and I should be
more specific. But she consults with a few different sellers in the
neighborhood. Said there was a jeweler the other day who asked her to lift
some curses off merchandise he couldn't sell - not completely successful -
and.... she consulted with a trader of not-so-legal oddities who may have
had some of his wares confiscated last week by the city guard.
[Alucard hangs back, because this? This is something you learn by doing. He hovers a few feet away from Noctis, ears perked to catch every moment of the transaction.
And okay. The sketch is totally an angry octopus but it's charming.
While Noctis takes the first steps required to really work the black market, Alucard's ears also strain for information about Dracula's library. Books of blood magic. There's nothing, because of course there's nothing, but he did come here with a purpose.
When Noctis does return, Alucard smiles thinly.]
Good, there are options. The jeweler is going to be the easier one to track down, did she give a name or appearance?
[ Noctis rolls his eyes and folds his sketch, tucking it away in his back pocket and out of sight. Yeah, okay, he knows that was pretty bad. But he got information, so that has to count for something, right. ]
Older. Balding. Got a few metal teeth he probably made by melting down his own wares. She said he sells his less, uh, above-board items out of the attic above his shop.
[ He glances down the street and waves vaguely. ]
Back alley place by a bar next street over. Seems like a shit location for a jeweler's.
Aboslutely a shit location for a jeweler's. Perfect for having a legitimate business front all while possessing much shadier dealings.
[Alucard is almost approving in his tone, be it in relation to Noctis' intelligence or the jeweler's place of business.]
Which is perfectly common among this crowd. I knew quite a few dealers that would have their every day workings in the front, but you had to have built a relationship with them over a few weeks to be permitted in the back rooms. Sometimes it would take years before I was ever even aware of their rarest things.
[But, to the shop. Alucard starts walking with a little too much confidence. It's awful, admitting how much he missed this thrill. The chase, the hunt, whatever one wants to call it. And yet, here it is all the same, hardly tempered by the experiences of Einjar.]
You'll need to come up with a reason you're looking for the item with a seller like that. Close to the truth, but not exactly. If there's sentiment, the price will be impossibly high.
[ Noctis, in spite of himself, looks up sharply, balking in the middle of the street. ] It's not sentiment.
[ And maybe that's giving away too much, too strong of a reaction to be all of the truth. He realizes it the moment the words leave his mouth, and drops his gaze once more, grimacing. ]
It could hurt somebody, that's all. Probably already has. Just trying to get it off the streets before it happens again.
[ And it's the truth, isn't it? His father's or no, he always hated the damn thing, and now a hundred years have gone and he has no obligations of title or duty left to it. The only reason to seek it out now is... so his family's legacy can be laid to rest properly, and no one else has to come to harm.
He'll pretend that's all it is.
They come to a stop at the mouth of the indicated alleyway, which stinks of smoke and ale and even at this time of day hides the muffled sound of conversation from a door in the back. He folds his arms and tilts his head, a quiet hmm sounding from the back of his throat. ]
I'll tell him it's cursed, and we're private investigators hired by the city guard to track it down. It's killed people before and it's not safe for a common jeweler to handle, which is... well, the truth. Alright?
[Alucard almost responds with I said if, but he catches himself. He understands that only makes one angrier, and this? This is an emotionally loaded situation, even if Noctis refuses to acknowledge that. In his own youth, Alucard knows he may well have acted with the same kind of snapped back response.]
I understand.
[And that's all he says, walking quietly and keeping his eyes and ears alert in case of anything. It's not nervrewracking though - it's familiar. Blessedly so. Even stopping in front of the store is familiar. There's almost a thrill to the chase of it all, a feeling Alucard hasn't felt in some time.]
That'll work, although I wouldn't call them a common jeweler. Could infuriate egos. Just that the city guard hired us will be enough. I'll remain a man of few words until I'm needed. Shall we use faux names, or simply refuse to share them?
[ It's a noncommital noise as Noctis takes another moment to consider it, eyeing the empty brackets above the shop where a sign should be. ]
It'll be more suspicious if he asks and we refuse. Fake names are simpler. I'll be Lucian, and you can be... Alfred.
[ With no more fanfare than this, Noctis takes a deep breath and pushes through the front door of the jeweler's.
The interior of the shop is poorly lit, with a fine layer of dust on most of the cabinetry that tells him the frontside of this place sees little legitimate use. What jewelry is hung on the racks and in the display cases looks cheap to his eye, fake gemstones and lesser metals—nothing so valuable that it'd be a great loss if the drunks stumbling in from next door started swinging fists into the glass.
And maybe they have—though the floor has obviously been swept, there's still a telltale crunch of leftover something under his boots as he passes a little too close to a shelf by the entry. ]
Mr. Gretoris?
[ He feels like the dust itself shudders at the disturbance of his voice, but it's only the dust. Not so much as a telling creak or an answering greeting from anywhere else in the shop. There's a narrow door in the far corner cracked just enough to reveal a set of stairs behind it.
[Alucard repeats the name once, mostly im approval, and he laughs just a little at it. Not just because it's clever (and it is), but because the ease that Noctis has in coming up with them is pretty impressive.
He follows after Noctis in the tall, quiet, commanding way he always moves. The dust is no surprise, and the wares are...actually, it's sort of low effort, if Alucard was going to give an honest opinion. Back in his day, there was at least an attempt to look like the real deal.
The silence though. That's concerning, and so Alucard can only nod.]
[ Maybe it's just the way Alucard says it that raises the hairs on the back of his neck. He eyes the cracked door for a moment, considering, worrying at his lower lip with his teeth—and then, without much preamble, ghosts in front of Alucard, turning to an incorporeal phantom of shifting blue light but for the span of a single heartbeat.
Noctis returns to reality with his hand palm flat on the door, not enough to push it all the way open just yet. He glances over his shoulder and flashes Alucard a wan grin. ]
What, you scared of ghosts in the attic?
[ He peers through the crack into what little of the upstairs he can see for a moment longer ( just the rafters, mostly ), ignoring the way his heart tries to crawl into his throat as his imagination supplies what he can't. Then he relents, stepping aside and gesturing vaguely at the door. Casual. Like they're not breaking into somebody's stash of illicit wares. ]
[Alucard considers himself sturdier than most, and so his offer to go ahead came from a place that wanted to absorb any damage that may be laid at the entry way. Watching Noctis suddenly have no corporeal body? That took away some concern.
He nods once to Noctis, a thin smile on his face.]
Thank you, Lucian.
[In he goes then, swinging the door open. This time, Alucard is loud on purpose, announcing himself.]
Mr. Gretoris?
[Alucard isn't surprised by the fact that the area is plain. Just a counter and a few expensive looking vases behind it, and a single door that seems to lead to some back area. The real money pot.]
We were directed your way by a colleague of yours.
[ The only answer back is silence. Noctis strains for a shuffle of footsteps or some other indication someone in the back room is ignoring them, but hears nothing.
He takes half a step forward, only for a gap in the vases on the counter to catch his eye. ]
Wait.
[ He places both hands on the counter and leans over the edge, and sure enough, there's the missing vase—scattered in shards of white porcelain across the floorboards, toward the back room, a dirty cleaning rag tossed to one side.
This time, he doesn't say anything—just glances up at Alucard and points into the gap behind the counter, then silently jerks his head toward the back room.
He phases across the space in an instant once more, cracking the door as carefully as he dares to peer into the room behind it. What he finds there roots him to the spot and raises the hairs on the back of his neck. ]
Shit.
[ There's the shopkeeper, alright—and with blood on the floor, blood on a stained bottle that rolled up against the door, blood on the balding head of the man laying face down on the floor behind it. ]
[ Noctis doesn't really think about what he's doing—the edge to Alucard's voice raises the hairs on the back of his neck and sends him ghosting backwards on instinct, planting himself firmly back at Alucard's side and away from the door to the back room. For a second he drops back into a ready position, fists balled in front of him, searching for some other threat—but no, it's just the two of them and a dead body alone in the shop.
Somehow that knowledge doesn't really help him relax. ]
Somebody else got here first and I'm pretty sure, [ Noctis sucks in a shaky breath— ] he's dead. What do we do now?
[They don't leave finger prints. They don't leave anything behind. They should tell the police, but that will bring them too much attention. They can't be seen leaving this place either. Shit. Fuck.
Alucard pauses, then snaps his fingers.] Downstairs. We go downstairs, and I'll remain, a customer confused about the whereabouts of the shop keeper. Go back to the market. Tell the seller who recommended this shop that something's wrong, but don't give details. They'll either alert the authorities or invite something shadier to address the problem all the same.
[ Noctis hesitates, glancing at the door to the back room and then back to Alucard, caught between common sense and the whole reason they came here in the first place. He grits his teeth. ]
I have to know if it was here.
[ Was. It isn't now, or he knows he'd hear the siren whispers of the thing calling to him to claim its power like he did so often in his youth. No, if it was in the shop at all, it's gone now. And the only person who could have told them if he'd seen it has been silenced.
He huffs and relents, shoulders sagging. ]
I'll go downstairs. If you see an inventory log or something else that can tell us what's been through here, just...tell me, okay?
[In practice what that means is that if there's a ledger that is already open, the dhampir will look. If not though, well, he isn't going to disturb a crime scene no matter how badly he feels for Noctis at the moment. And oh, gods, he feels for the young man so very hard.
With Noctis gone, Alucard does the only thing he can do: float. Gently. Around the shop, eyes looking for anything like a register or ledger or some other way of keeping track of comings and goings and--
bingo.
The ledge is open. The page is almost full and there is, in scrawny handwriting, a line that reads Ring, cursed and goes on to describe the thing that Noctis has been looking for. Sold, 300 gold.
No client information, nothing but a date. Yesterday. It was taken yesterday.
Alucard goes downstairs where he said he would be, and waits.]
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Closed to Sypha
[Of all the parts of the castle that Alucard didn't expect to have to focus on in repairing to be habitable again, the stables were high on the list. The place was barely used a century ago, and the three of them didn't really need horses. They had Trevor for when their feet got tired, Alucard could run far faster than any man if he had to and...okay, Sypha probably would need a horse eventually, but then again: Trevor.
But no. In exploring the black market on the rumor that some of Dracula's books had come up on the market (their ex libris was the only identifier), Sypha had found a pegasus at a very, very tender age and the thing was in a bad way.
They had left with no books and a baby horse that could fly. Not a bad trip, all things considered. Accounting for where the horse might live (because they had enough animals in the house) had required repair work and well, that was where Alucard stood now, looking at a decently rebuilt stable with three stalls and a bare floor.]
I suppose straw is the next step, but that's easy enough.
[He's alone. Ellis is off harassing Dog because of course she is, and if Alucard knows Sypha and her bird, they're with the tiny horse.]
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Zephyr, as Sypha has named him, is dapple-gray and frail as can be--he won't be flying on his tiny wings any time soon. Still, having an actual bird as a flying tutor will probably be helpful for it one day. The three of them are sitting out in the sunlight a field of cropped grass by the castle, and she's feeding the little colt a porridge of oats to help him grow stronger. Part of her worries that being kept in such cruel conditions will have lasting repercussions, which is why she's determined to show him as much affection as is possible.
Once he's finished eating and they've taken in enough sun, Sypha leads her little band back in towards the castle. She's not surprised to find Alucard working on the stables, and she smiles and waves when she sees him. Zephyr trots close at her heels, their hooves clip-clopping on the stone floor.]
You look like you've been busy.
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[Alucard turns to face Sypha, unsurprised at her merry band of friends. He nods hello at them all before leaning over to kiss Sypha on her cheek. It's stupid and sappy and it makes him so, so happy to do it.]
Actually, I think that it's ready for someone's inspection, if you believe Zephyr is up for it.
[Alucard doesn't quite crouch down to say hello or anything of the sort, but he does reach over to one of the doors that lead to individual stable space. It opens after he undoes the latch, and within is a wide space that at the moment, is quite bare. A bucket rests in one corner, trough is attached to the inner door. Folded neatly in one corner is a small blanket of deep emerald is also there.]
Or yours. Whichever.
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Come on, little one. Have a look at your new home.
[ She urges the winged colt forward and he trots into the stall on his spindly legs, sniffing here and there at every new thing before returning to the protective shadow of his adoptive mother.
Sypha grins at Alucard and scratches behind Zephyr's ears. ]
He'll get used to it. Better to have him out here than to let him get very used to living inside. Could you imagine a fully-grown pegasus tromping around the castle?
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He watches from Sypha's side as their little winged friend makes a careful inspection of the new grounds...only to go right back to Sypha's side. He's not surprised, but it is a little worrisome.]
I mean, we let Trevor in the castle, so I can imagine it. I just don't want it. [There's a pause, and he looks down at Zephyr.] With all due respect, of course.
slips in here real late
She will protect and love Urmyria until the day she dies for eternity, accepting her place as the guardian of such a wonderful beast.
At this point, however, she has left her dragonling in the care of her allies, trusting Daenerys to take care of her alongside Balerion. It means she can make her way up towards where she knows Alucard to be, first in her wolf form to take advantage of the distance she can cover. She can smell Alucard when she gets closer and closer, the scent heavy and real, and she chases it up and up until she's hovering almost awkwardly, not sure what to do with herself.
Will he know she's here?
Trotting, wolflike and content, she keeps walking until she thinks he might notice her. ]
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And they have. Furniture may be sparse within, but Trevor ends up being sofa and bed and chair most of the time. Outside, they're at the point where they can contemplate growing food for themselves, and right now, that is Alucard's focus. He's found a few saplings in Krimnos' greenhouse that were ready to be planted, and now he digs at the ground that leads up to the castle's main doors, prepared to place one of several apple trees along the path.
He hears something approaching. His head goes up, shovel still in hand.
A wolf.
Interesting.
Ellis is out with Trevor today, doing only gods know what. So it takes Alucard few moments before he figures out the identity of the lone wolf.]
Good afternoon.
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Moving forward, she trots just a little before she turns back, lifting a hand to rub at her face, pale-skinned and tired looking. Mothering a dragon is not easy, especially not when you are also taking care of a horse and a tiny kitten. She feels as though her pack is growing but, at the same time, she is losing so much time.
She is not used to being so social. ]
Good afternoon.
[ For a brief, uncertain moment, Lauralae looks almost uncomfortable, as if not sure of what she ought to do, until she reaches into a pouch at her side and digs out a small handful of flowers; they're the wild kind, most certainly harvested from her forest. She holds them out awkwardly. ]
I brought you these. You said that I could visit.
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[Alucard is careful as he takes the flowers, mostly as to not startle his guest. Once they're in hand, he takes a deep sniff, then nods in quiet satisfaction.]
They'll keep the bedroom from smelling like Trevor too much. [He says it with a comfortable grin on his face. It's a reference to a joke the other two love holding over their Belmont's head.]
Come in then. I've missed lunch, and I don't know if you've eaten on the road.
[He starts walking for the doors, scarcely looking behind to ensure that he's being followed. It's an assumption.]
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He'd inquired with the records keepers in Thalassa during his brief visit there, but they'd yielded little information on what became of Regis Lucis Caelum after the war. He'd inquired with those who worked with the salvagers after in the city, and they had pointed him to a warehouse in Atromitos, where a near-ancient elven salvager who'd been a child at the time told him about his mother, who'd sold a handful of magical relics recovered from the battlefield to a collector in Krimnos.
As it turns out, said collector had passed some time ago, and his possessions had been auctioned by his children, or worse, stolen, dispersed like chaff in the wind into the city's bustling economy. Which brings him here, to the chaos of the markets, the murmur of the crowd and the shouting of hawkers leaning over their counters to try and entice him to buy some dusty book or copper trinket they swear he needs.
He's not sure what it is about him that makes them so unwilling to talk about the city's more underground markets, but they'll give him an appraising glance at beast before waving a hand and shooing him off down the street, laughing at him.
Which is how, after a few hours of fruitless inquiries in the sweltering heat, he bumps into a familiar face wandering the streets, same as him. He blinks, taking a moment to confirm he's not just imagining things, and then huffs quietly, almost laughing, sidling up beside Alucard and nudging him with an elbow. ]
Didn't expect to run into you here. You don't strike me as the type of person who likes to go shopping for fun.
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[It's said with far, far too much seriousness in the tone, because Alucard's own work here is a somber task. Returning home to a destroyed castle meant coming to terms with the knowledge that much of the castle's library was scattered to the winds. Doubtlessly many tomes were used for kindling or to make a quick buck, neither of which Alucard could ever begrudge. That his family's home had provided shelter and sustenance was a far better legacy than he could have hoped for, what with how things had been going a century ago.
But the possibility of the dark magic in Dracula's books circulating was a concern. Alucard made a point to circulate the black markets again, if only to make enough connections so that the appearance of any book bearing his father's ex libris would reach his own ears.
And so it had. Supposedly. Alucard had yet to find one such book even after reported sightings, and he suspected that today may also be the case.]
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[ He cracks half a grin. He's joking, mostly, but he also notes Alucard carries no baskets, or anything with which to carry food or basic necessities back home with. Nor does Noctis, of course—which perhaps indicates neither of them are here to pick up anything physical. Yet, anyway. ]
Look, the little pastries and mechanical parts are neat and all, but— [ He waves off a merchant beckoning him to come sample something small and round and covered in way too much powdered sugar to be totally healthy. ] —you wouldn't happen to know where a guy would go around here to shop for some less above-board wares, would you?
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[Alucard's clearly not joking, if thr gravity of his voice is any indication. He's very aware that he makes an odd duo just standing beside and speaking with Noctis, but that's very rarely a bad thing, especially in this sort of a situation.
His lips purse though as Noctis tries his best to find the hidden markets. It's....well, he tried. Alucard tuts softly, once the merchant has scattered and offered nothing else.]
Information about those things needs a slightly more subtle approach. May I ask what it is you're looking for?
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Another moment, and he shrugs, tucking his hands into his pockets. ]
It's... a ring. Belonged to my father. I know that sounds crazy, but any mage with a little skill would be able to detect the magic on it, and it does weird things if the wrong person tries to wear it, so I figured... if anybody had picked it up, it'd stand out enough to be noticed.
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[Three simple words, but with an awful lot of weight behind them. There's a quiet nod of his head, before Alucard's eyes move to Noctis' left.]
There are merchants that specialized in fine jewelry, whereas others specialize in cursed objects. Pick which one you'd like to start with, and we can move on from there. If it's been in trade over the past few decades, I'd hope that the latter might have at least heard a rumor of whereabouts.
[Alucard crosses behind Noctis, heading to the left.]
They're usually set up this way.
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Cursed objects it is,then. [ Not that the ring is considered cursed if they're being technical, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought of it as a curse a time or two. He grimaces at the thought, hurrying to catch up with Alucard. ]
Do you... frequent these merchants often?
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It's nothing impressive, just stone walls that allow two people to walk side by side if they wish.]
I worked for collectors of historical pieces and the like. Quite a few purchases came from markets like this/
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He glances back to the street behind them only once before jogging a few steps to draw up beside Alucard. ]
That was a long time ago, though. [ He'll leave how long to their mutual understanding. No point in saying more than necessary in public like this. ] What about now? Markets have to have changed since then. Seems like you know a lot about their current state.
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[Alucard pauses for a moment, considering. Noctis has been honest and open with him about the matter of what he seeks. Repaying that honest is the correct thing to do. They aren't at the market proper yet anyway, and so they won't be overheard and the dhampir fleeced by sellers.]
My father's library was a vast collection that included books on less than acceptable types of magic. I have heard rumors of the books appearing at these venues lately, and like you, I'd like to keep them from entering the wrong hands.
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He recalls their first conversation at the Fall, and glances back up again, still curious. ]
You said your mother was a doctor. And he was... ?
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...it has been so strange, living with two other people who know and understand the full of Alucard's life without having to explain an ounce of it. Now, now this is new. And he hates it.]
A scholar of a great many topics. Science and magic were his greatest interests though, and his notebooks often imagined the world as it is now. That kind of mind always will brush against those things considered unorthodox.
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He huffs quietly and draws his cloak tighter about him, though it's hardly cold out. ]
You ever miss him at all, or is that one of those questions I shouldn't ask?
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Of course I miss him. [That hadn't been a secret ever.] My mother as well. They both predeceased me, both in awful ways.
[There's just a few steps left before a larger plaza opens up before them. At first blush, this could all too easily be mistaken for any other market, full of bustling crowds and merchants hawking wares. But one moment's overheard conversation would quickly change anyone's mind. There are talks of stolen wares. Poisons. Curses to be lifted.
Alucard's gaze goes to Noctis entirely.]
Follow my lead.
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I'm sorry. It must've hurt a lot.
[ At least Alucard admits it, but if there's any sign he's intruded too far and stirred unwanted emotions, Noctis can't tell at the moment; the man keeps his emotions close to his chest. Still, as his eyes shift away to the market around them and he listens in on the conversation wafting through the open air, he senses it's better not to pursue it any further at the moment.
They have other problems, anyway. His gaze snaps back to Alucard, his fingers grazing the hilt of the blade tucked away at his hip and then settling at his side. ]
This one of those places I need to be watching my back for sticky fingers or worse?
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[It's a noise meant to acknowledge the real show of empathy without having to engage with it. Noctis, in the space of five mintues, has learned more about Alucard's particular past than just about any other reawakened soul that has walked the earth again. He's happy to keep it that way.]
Keep your eyes alert for pick pockets, but don't attack them beyond a hand grab. Here, it's more about the sport of it than anyone keeping your change.
[Alucard's ears pick up the word curses from the far right, and that's the way he goes. There are book dealers that he's come to know and that he'll double back to soon enough, but there. There's a teifling woman with long dark hair standing beside an empty table, idly chatting with what looks to be a satisfied customer. Alucard wouldn't have picked her for a curse specialist, but the books she's handing over? Those are titles he knows from his father's library (but are not his father's books, the edges aren't right.)]
Okay, so, here's how this goes. This is a curse specialist. She won't have the item, but she may have confirmation that it's been noted and active of late. From there, then we figure out potential sellers. Understood? Merchants here have different interlocking loops to try and muddy the waters of who is responsible for what.
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[ Noctis is starting to sense he's a little in over his head at this point, but he nods and listens anyway, casting a furtive glance at the indicated bookseller. She catches his eye briefly and arches a brow; he glances away quickly. ]
Right, so I guess I'll just...ask her.
[ From his pocket he unfolds his own crude sketch of what he remembers his father's ring looking like. The most distinct feature he remembers, really, is the stoic knight carved into the jet black metal, gauntlets clasped over the white gem set into the center like it were a blade - though he's no artist, and he's pretty sure his rendition looks more like an angry octopus.
She takes one look at it and laughs at him.
A few minutes of quiet conversation later, Noctis returns to Alucard, grimacing sheepishly. ]
She said she sees a lot of jewelry pass through here and I should be more specific. But she consults with a few different sellers in the neighborhood. Said there was a jeweler the other day who asked her to lift some curses off merchandise he couldn't sell - not completely successful - and.... she consulted with a trader of not-so-legal oddities who may have had some of his wares confiscated last week by the city guard.
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And okay. The sketch is totally an angry octopus but it's charming.
While Noctis takes the first steps required to really work the black market, Alucard's ears also strain for information about Dracula's library. Books of blood magic. There's nothing, because of course there's nothing, but he did come here with a purpose.
When Noctis does return, Alucard smiles thinly.]
Good, there are options. The jeweler is going to be the easier one to track down, did she give a name or appearance?
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Older. Balding. Got a few metal teeth he probably made by melting down his own wares. She said he sells his less, uh, above-board items out of the attic above his shop.
[ He glances down the street and waves vaguely. ]
Back alley place by a bar next street over. Seems like a shit location for a jeweler's.
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[Alucard is almost approving in his tone, be it in relation to Noctis' intelligence or the jeweler's place of business.]
Which is perfectly common among this crowd. I knew quite a few dealers that would have their every day workings in the front, but you had to have built a relationship with them over a few weeks to be permitted in the back rooms. Sometimes it would take years before I was ever even aware of their rarest things.
[But, to the shop. Alucard starts walking with a little too much confidence. It's awful, admitting how much he missed this thrill. The chase, the hunt, whatever one wants to call it. And yet, here it is all the same, hardly tempered by the experiences of Einjar.]
You'll need to come up with a reason you're looking for the item with a seller like that. Close to the truth, but not exactly. If there's sentiment, the price will be impossibly high.
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[ And maybe that's giving away too much, too strong of a reaction to be all of the truth. He realizes it the moment the words leave his mouth, and drops his gaze once more, grimacing. ]
It could hurt somebody, that's all. Probably already has. Just trying to get it off the streets before it happens again.
[ And it's the truth, isn't it? His father's or no, he always hated the damn thing, and now a hundred years have gone and he has no obligations of title or duty left to it. The only reason to seek it out now is... so his family's legacy can be laid to rest properly, and no one else has to come to harm.
He'll pretend that's all it is.
They come to a stop at the mouth of the indicated alleyway, which stinks of smoke and ale and even at this time of day hides the muffled sound of conversation from a door in the back. He folds his arms and tilts his head, a quiet hmm sounding from the back of his throat. ]
I'll tell him it's cursed, and we're private investigators hired by the city guard to track it down. It's killed people before and it's not safe for a common jeweler to handle, which is... well, the truth. Alright?
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I understand.
[And that's all he says, walking quietly and keeping his eyes and ears alert in case of anything. It's not nervrewracking though - it's familiar. Blessedly so. Even stopping in front of the store is familiar. There's almost a thrill to the chase of it all, a feeling Alucard hasn't felt in some time.]
That'll work, although I wouldn't call them a common jeweler. Could infuriate egos. Just that the city guard hired us will be enough. I'll remain a man of few words until I'm needed. Shall we use faux names, or simply refuse to share them?
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[ It's a noncommital noise as Noctis takes another moment to consider it, eyeing the empty brackets above the shop where a sign should be. ]
It'll be more suspicious if he asks and we refuse. Fake names are simpler. I'll be Lucian, and you can be... Alfred.
[ With no more fanfare than this, Noctis takes a deep breath and pushes through the front door of the jeweler's.
The interior of the shop is poorly lit, with a fine layer of dust on most of the cabinetry that tells him the frontside of this place sees little legitimate use. What jewelry is hung on the racks and in the display cases looks cheap to his eye, fake gemstones and lesser metals—nothing so valuable that it'd be a great loss if the drunks stumbling in from next door started swinging fists into the glass.
And maybe they have—though the floor has obviously been swept, there's still a telltale crunch of leftover something under his boots as he passes a little too close to a shelf by the entry. ]
Mr. Gretoris?
[ He feels like the dust itself shudders at the disturbance of his voice, but it's only the dust. Not so much as a telling creak or an answering greeting from anywhere else in the shop. There's a narrow door in the far corner cracked just enough to reveal a set of stairs behind it.
He glances at Alucard. ]
Maybe we should just... go upstairs?
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[Alucard repeats the name once, mostly im approval, and he laughs just a little at it. Not just because it's clever (and it is), but because the ease that Noctis has in coming up with them is pretty impressive.
He follows after Noctis in the tall, quiet, commanding way he always moves. The dust is no surprise, and the wares are...actually, it's sort of low effort, if Alucard was going to give an honest opinion. Back in his day, there was at least an attempt to look like the real deal.
The silence though. That's concerning, and so Alucard can only nod.]
Yes. Do you object if I go first though?
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Noctis returns to reality with his hand palm flat on the door, not enough to push it all the way open just yet. He glances over his shoulder and flashes Alucard a wan grin. ]
What, you scared of ghosts in the attic?
[ He peers through the crack into what little of the upstairs he can see for a moment longer ( just the rafters, mostly ), ignoring the way his heart tries to crawl into his throat as his imagination supplies what he can't. Then he relents, stepping aside and gesturing vaguely at the door. Casual. Like they're not breaking into somebody's stash of illicit wares. ]
After you, Alfred.
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[Alucard considers himself sturdier than most, and so his offer to go ahead came from a place that wanted to absorb any damage that may be laid at the entry way. Watching Noctis suddenly have no corporeal body? That took away some concern.
He nods once to Noctis, a thin smile on his face.]
Thank you, Lucian.
[In he goes then, swinging the door open. This time, Alucard is loud on purpose, announcing himself.]
Mr. Gretoris?
[Alucard isn't surprised by the fact that the area is plain. Just a counter and a few expensive looking vases behind it, and a single door that seems to lead to some back area. The real money pot.]
We were directed your way by a colleague of yours.
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He takes half a step forward, only for a gap in the vases on the counter to catch his eye. ]
Wait.
[ He places both hands on the counter and leans over the edge, and sure enough, there's the missing vase—scattered in shards of white porcelain across the floorboards, toward the back room, a dirty cleaning rag tossed to one side.
This time, he doesn't say anything—just glances up at Alucard and points into the gap behind the counter, then silently jerks his head toward the back room.
He phases across the space in an instant once more, cracking the door as carefully as he dares to peer into the room behind it. What he finds there roots him to the spot and raises the hairs on the back of his neck. ]
Shit.
[ There's the shopkeeper, alright—and with blood on the floor, blood on a stained bottle that rolled up against the door, blood on the balding head of the man laying face down on the floor behind it. ]
This just got way more complicated.
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--Alucard doesn't follow after Noctis. He knows better than to go further than this point when a word like wait is said.]
Get back over here. Now.
[Away from the body. Away from leaving evidence near it. Shit. Fuck!]
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Somehow that knowledge doesn't really help him relax. ]
Somebody else got here first and I'm pretty sure, [ Noctis sucks in a shaky breath— ] he's dead. What do we do now?
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[They don't leave finger prints. They don't leave anything behind. They should tell the police, but that will bring them too much attention. They can't be seen leaving this place either. Shit. Fuck.
Alucard pauses, then snaps his fingers.] Downstairs. We go downstairs, and I'll remain, a customer confused about the whereabouts of the shop keeper. Go back to the market. Tell the seller who recommended this shop that something's wrong, but don't give details. They'll either alert the authorities or invite something shadier to address the problem all the same.
Okay?
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I have to know if it was here.
[ Was. It isn't now, or he knows he'd hear the siren whispers of the thing calling to him to claim its power like he did so often in his youth. No, if it was in the shop at all, it's gone now. And the only person who could have told them if he'd seen it has been silenced.
He huffs and relents, shoulders sagging. ]
I'll go downstairs. If you see an inventory log or something else that can tell us what's been through here, just...tell me, okay?
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[In practice what that means is that if there's a ledger that is already open, the dhampir will look. If not though, well, he isn't going to disturb a crime scene no matter how badly he feels for Noctis at the moment. And oh, gods, he feels for the young man so very hard.
With Noctis gone, Alucard does the only thing he can do: float. Gently. Around the shop, eyes looking for anything like a register or ledger or some other way of keeping track of comings and goings and--
bingo.
The ledge is open. The page is almost full and there is, in scrawny handwriting, a line that reads Ring, cursed and goes on to describe the thing that Noctis has been looking for. Sold, 300 gold.
No client information, nothing but a date. Yesterday. It was taken yesterday.
Alucard goes downstairs where he said he would be, and waits.]