( leon/alucard )

[quixotic]

Comments

the castle ⚰️🏰

[lamentedinnocence]

[ The door to Alucard's personal chamber is half-shrouded in shadow when Leon stops before it, one hand raised but hesitant to knock. The hallway behind him is long and cold. He'd been haunted by vision tonight— pale shapes at the edge of sight, by the black hair of Alucard's father. ]

Alucard?

[ His knuckles meet the wood. There's a pause and then another softer tap, almost apologetic. Leon's voice is quiet. ]

I was wondering if I might stay in here. I'll keep to the floor.

[ananym]

[ alucard opens the door quickly. it's an unusual request, but this is an unusual acquaintance. the castle never feels warm, not anymore. the warmth had been chased out by his parent's death. sometimes, there is lingering patches of sun, filled in by the belmonts and the survivors, but for all alucard knows, that might just be his imagination. ]

Of course but — just the floor? Or my room?

[lamentedinnocence]

[ Oh! Hello.

He'd been leaning in and takes a step back when the door pulls out of his way. ]

Wherever you'll have me, I suppose. I figured you may be getting ready for bed at this hour...

[ Well, assuming that his human half needs sleep? There's still a lot about dhampirs that Leon doesn't know. Alucard's the first he's ever known. Maybe the only of them in some centuries. ]

Just until morning. I'm sure your castle is empty, but I'm still finding it difficult to not imagine monsters at my throat.

[ All things considered, he's adjusted to mysteriously being brought several hundred years into the future as well as a Belmont can. Neither of them have yet traced the cause of his displacement, but Alucard's been kind to him. It's not as pressing to him as he'd thought it would be. ]

[ananym]

[ he was, but alucard's always been a restless sleeper. especially in the castle. he's never felt fully comfortable in this place. perhaps he never will. children must always leave home, never to return. and he was grown up now. ]

Of course. I understand completely.

wau pretty alucard icon

[lamentedinnocence]

— I'll stay quiet. Your floor is fine too, I've found that I can sleep just about anywhere when I'm tired enough.

[ Alucard's bed is for Alucard! When Leon makes his way into the dhampir's room, he's modest about taking up too much space. He's already dressed down for the evening. ]

The halls of this castle are a lot similar but different in design than the one I experienced. I can't tell if it's a new building or one that's been entirely reshaped.

[ He sits down on the floor cross legged, closer to the foot of Alucard's bed. ]

ty <3

[ananym]

[ alucard hums in reply. ]

The castle was more alive when the engine worked and — [ when his father was around. ] — magic coursed through it. Now, it is simply a building.

[ cold and foreboding. greta hadn't cared for it much. ]

[lamentedinnocence]

[ Leon watches his expression, curious. He wonders how Alucard regards the castle, these days. ]

Too large for you by yourself, I think. Even Walter filled his with creatures.

[ At mentioning Walter's name, a thought comes to mind— ]

Were you ever told of the ebony or crimson stones? Your father had them in my time, just as he became Dracula.

[ananym]

I don't think so. They may be somewhere in the house.

[ he could fill it with night creatures, if he chose to. there are ways to summon beings and servants without the power of a forgemaster. but it never sits well with him.

perhaps it's best it remains the way it is. a grave. ]

Why do you ask?

[lamentedinnocence]

[ So he hadn't known about them. Maybe in his earlier life, he hadn't wanted to drag a young Alucard into what would likely become vampire politics. ]

I was thinking that we should probably either take them with us to guard or destroy them altogether. Although, I'm not sure what would become of things if we try the latter. I'll see if I can have a look in the morning, if it's all right. Other vampires will be wanting them.

[ He assumes the only reason they haven't been stolen by now is because others have either been too preoccupied by other agendas or cautious to face Alucard head-on. Leon hasn't seen him fight yet, but he's picking up hints that he must be strong. After all, he'd helped other Belmonts stop not only his father, but also some kind of vampire messiah recently. ]

the castle, next day ⚰️🏰

[lamentedinnocence]

[ Leon stands before a wall in the castle, and after carefully moving a family portrait from its place, finds a hidden, magic seal that glows a faint red only when he is near it. Maybe this had been anticipated, as something that would happen eventually. That a Belmont, or even his own son, would think to take care of the stone.

Leon makes a face. He recognizes that it's an entrance of some kind, but is unsure of whether or not approaching it poses any danger. He hesitates before it, looking to Alucard. ]

Does it mean something?

[ The seal, while protective of the secret passage that lies beyond, does not feel malicious. It's, in fact, been designed by Dracula for the two of them to pass. ]

[ananym]

[ alucard frowns. that red glow . . . hopefully it's not one of saint germain's leftover tricks. he has yet to forgive the man for what he put the people and the castle through. ]

I'm not sure. We may have to risk it.

[lamentedinnocence]

Allow me, then. I'll go first.

[ Since Alucard's unfamiliar. After giving the wall a squint, he passes a brief glance to his hip where the whip sits unbothered. From just the weapon, the mark doesn't feel like any sort of hex. He cautiously extends a hand, brushing his finger tips over the surface of the wall, and it warps beneath his touch, rippling like water. The wall fades, somewhat see-through, with a dark passage coming into view. A fake. ]

—?

[ And with curiosity getting the better of him, Leon takes a step forth, slipping through the wall that envelopes him, swallowing him into the other side. ]

Oh.

[ He remarks, unseen and voice muffled by stone. There's space behind him, where he thinks Alucard is going to follow. Should he call back to him? For a little while, he waits. ]

[ananym]

[ hm. that's concerning. alucard steps through as well. some seal, marked by an illusion. his fingers grasp the hilt of his sword out of experience. the castle no longer feels warm and welcoming. the breath of this place escaped when his parents died and no effort on his parent has changed it.

perhaps, even though it is his castle, he'll never be a master of it. ]

See anything unusual?

[lamentedinnocence]

[ There he is. It's Alucard. ]

No, not particularly. It's just dark.

[ The passage is incredibly narrow, the two of them unable to proceed side by side. Leon leads, unsure of what may lie ahead. The air feels stale. An area of the castle perhaps intended to be forgotten. ]

I think there's no room for you to pass or see for yourself like this, but you could change into a bat if you want to take my shoulder for a perch.

[ Tracing a hand along the wall beside him, the floor beneath them gradually inclines the further they go. ]

[ananym]

[ dryly. ]

I think I'll survive walking behind you.

Besides, that's not my ability. And a swarm of bats is hardly inviting.

[lamentedinnocence]

A swarm?

[ He has to turn into multiple...? ]

That seems disorienting, to be one person for a moment and then suddenly a cluster of multiple.

[ The end of the tunnel is in sight. It seems to be a chamber. ]

[ananym]

I tend not to linger in it for too long.

[ it's why vampires don't use it to travel much. it's fine for a brief moment. a quick escape, a brief getaway, but it'll never amount to much else. ]

the clocktower 🕰️🕯️

[lamentedinnocence]

[ Leon arrives a few minutes early, not by accident, but because he refuses to leave Alucard waiting for him. The sack of market goods is braced against his side, heavier than expected. When the clock turns the hour, his gaze lifts and carries outward, tracing a long spill of wildflowers across the nearby meadows. There are too many paths for entering town. Leon waits, wondering which of them Alucard will come from, and whether he'll announce himself at all. ]

[ananym]

[ a voice can be heard next to his ear, low and mirthful, like honey on a comb. ]

That's quite the haul.

[lamentedinnocence]

[ It startles him! Leon shudders like the notes of Alucard's voice have hit a nerve and suddenly turns in the direction of the voice. ]

Hello! Yes—

[ ??? ]

How did you get there?

[ananym]

[ he smirks. ]

I am a vampire, after all. I am not without my own tricks.

[lamentedinnocence]

You can make yourself disappear or appear?

[ Well, all things considered, vampires and some of the night creatures he'd faced could do so. It makes sense that Alucard should be able to do something similar, if his father's abilities had been passed down. ]

—It must have been excellent for hide-and-seek as a child.

[ Leon isn't sure why, but this is what he thinks of it. ]

[ananym]

In a manner of speaking.

[ he's fast enough that it might feel that way.

the mention of hide-and-seek makes his eyes crinkle, even though there's a touch of sadness. ]

I never used my powers for that. My mother preferred it the human way.

[lamentedinnocence]

[ Alucard has only mentioned his mother in passing, but Leon finds himself lingering on the thought of her— the kind of woman who could call Mathias back toward who he once was, if only for a while. It stirs something bittersweet in him, that he can still wish his old friend had known happiness, even knowing all that was lost because of him. No, all that was taken. Despite Leon's attempts, he fails to truly hate him. Dracula, as he's later called.

Alucard may not know how tightly their lives once braided together. Perhaps even the Belmonts, centuries on, no longer remember the full shape of it.

But things are better that way, he decides. Some histories are easier to understand once the smaller details are lost.

Leon gives the paper stash in his hands a small jostle as he remembers it. ]

We should find somewhere to sit and eat these. Maybe a hill or a rooftop?

[ananym]

A hill sounds nice.

[ something overlooking the town. those are always pleasant spots, secluded and comfortable, with nothing but the rustling of the grass and the wind. alucard scans the area before pointing one out. ]

That should suffice.