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Fandom Castlevania: Night's Dirge [Closed]

The kitchen was large and mostly open space other than an island in the middle of space, which meant that everyone coming into the kitchen suddenly, eager to do what ever they wished had to dance around one another a bit and everyone was curious peaking at what ever was happening. Aveline had never seen Sauerkraut before so she had curiously poked her head over, only to quickly cover her nose when she smelt it.

" What is that?" It smelt so sour and had an odd color to it, was that a vegetables or a root? Danica laughed at Avelines reaction, " Most people who have never had sauerkraut before react to it like that at first. It's fermented cabbage with a bit of this and that. It's really good," She promised, but the skeptical look Aveline gave her proved that she wasn't totally sure about it.

The halfling didn't argue though and instead took up a counter for herself where she started on the Bee Sting cake, after washing her hands and finding milk and eggs in the ice box. Sypha popped yet another pear in her mouth and watched Aveline at work silently for a moment," Is that yeast?" She had never heard of a cake that used yeast.

Aveline hummed, off to the side she was blooming yeast but she was also warming milk in a pan. " The dough is more like a loose bread dough. It needs to rise and everything, which will take about 2 hours. Then after it expands it needs to do somewhere warm for an hour. It doesn't technically need a heated oven, but it needs to be somewhere that's consistently warm for an hour to gently make it rise."

Sypha awed curiously, she wasn't much one for baking despite how much she loved sweet foods, but decided not to get in Avelines way. It looked like soon she'd be kneading dough and that was tiring work. Instead Sypha pulled a pear out of the war and held it out for Aveline, who turned away from stirring the milk to try a bit. " Oh wow!" Aveline hummed then licked her lips. " That's so sweet." It tasted like a fresh pear with an extra bit of sugar then just a slight hint of some type of nut.

Sypha beamed happily at that, " It's good isn't it? I think Baba Yaga used my mothers recipe. She always used to put nuts into our preserves, for texture and flavor." Preserves could get a bit soggy so a crunchy nut was always wonderful and a nutty flavor was delicious when paired with fruit.


Even as the others slipped off into the kitchen Trevor stayed in the living room, leaving against the wall and leveling Lucia with a look because he knew what she wanted to do. He wanted to do it too when he first heard the voices, he wanted to follow the sound and find answers but she had pulled him out of it and brought him back to the others. Now she wanted to do the same, go walking around in the snow to find the source of what ever painful memory was brought up.

" I actually agree with Alucard." Trevor spoke up, " I don't like it either." But Lucia didn't care, which both impressed him but annoyed him. Her stubborn nature was a double edged sword, it was endearing when it wasn't being used against him. " Sypha had to snap you out of it less than 10 minutes ago, and you want to go back out there alone?"

It was like begging for trouble in his opinion. They didn't know if something more than memories were out in that storm, and what would happen when someone faced those memories alone? Would they just walk off into this blizzard looking for answers? It felt like a big risk and one she was allowing herself to take because she was a vampire, she wouldn't of let him or Danica do this even if they volunteered.

That was the real issue though, the storm was intense and no one could handle it like she could. Even Alucard suffered because of the snow, and Trevor knew he wouldn't last more than half an hour out there before he slowed her down. He couldn't stand at her side as an equal right now and it pissed him off.

With a tsk Trevor looked away and crossed his arms over his chest with a sigh. " Three hours," He conceded. " if you're not back in three hours i'm going out there and dragging your ass back here." he promised her.
 
It was a good thing Lucia wasn’t asking anyone to like her idea. Eventually, both Alucard and Trevor conceded. This was something the others couldn’t do – and they needed to know what was in the storm. It might just be horrible memories, but Lucia could also check to see if they were trapped, or if there was a way out of this mess besides the tasks.

She managed to keep her face more or less stoic as Trevor noted he’d be out in three hours, “Just assume I’m dead.” It’d probably be the truth if she wasn’t back in three hours and if the storm was still raging, she didn’t want Trevor risking himself.

Alucard said nothing, though he knew when that time limit hit, he’d have to go out as well. Either to make sure Trevor didn’t die, too, or because it’d be easier on him than anyone else. That, and no one would probably be happy to let another person go out alone. No one was going to be happy about this.

She hesitated when she reached the door, but then, pulled it open and made sure it wouldn’t slam against the other side before she stepped out, and pulled it shut behind her. The chill didn’t feel like much at all to her, though the wind was irksome, threatening to blow her over, but she ignored it, took a bracing breath, and sprinted away from the house.

She knew near the stables there was something – that was where she could start, and then try and figure out if there was anything else in the town.



Alucard remained unhappy about this shift, but he could see it bothered Trevor more. “At least she has that cloak.” If she got lost out there, that would be something obvious. “Come on – we can at least help in the kitchen,” they were both fairly useless right now. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling in and of itself, and Alucard would prefer to be rid of it…and likely face Danica’s anger at letting Lucia leave.

Best to get that over with.

He turned towards the kitchen to join the others, stepping in to see Johann dealing with his coffee, warming water for the French press that had been left, while Danica worked on food on one side, and Sypha hovered around Aveline and her cake process at the other side of the island.

He could smell the sauerkraut and he gave Danica a dubious look. “It’s good!” She defended. “Just you wait, once it’s marinated, you won’t even notice it.”

Johann hummed, “It took some getting used to – but she’s at least right about that,” he had taken baby steps to getting used to sauerkraut and cabbage. He didn’t like either much when he first arrived in Chernihiv, which meant he had to get used to it since it was so popular.

“We’ll see….” He would at least try it, as he watched Danica adding ingredients to mixing a bowl - looked like two bowls, one that contained some meats and another that just contained vegetables. Both had rice. It would certainly be hearty, but he thought he’d enjoy the cake more, and he approached that side of things. At least right now, no one was asking where Lucia was. “What kind of cake is this?” Despite all the honey, his mind hadn’t immediately returned to the cake she’d mentioned before. There had been so many foods mentioned over the course of their journey by now, from Johann’s coffee to the various desserts that Trevor and Aveline knew, to all the dreams of preserves, it was impossible to keep track.
 
Since Sypha had just been standing around watching Aveline had gotten her to help at least a little bit. She listed off the amounts of things she would need and Sypha measured them out for her so she could just toss things in and continue. Sypha had no problems with measuring out this much flour or that much milk, especially since she could do that one handed and still enjoy her preserves. " If you keep eating those you won't have room for dinner, let alone cake." Aveline pointed out with a chuckle.

Suddenly Sypha shook her head, " I always have room for sweets," but she at least looked sheepish when Danica cleared her throat to remind her that they would be eating a real meal before they indulged in cake.

With the milk warm and the yeast in it fully bloomed Aveline added the eggs, sugar, salt, and other ingredients until she had a very soft dough. It was thicker than the runny batter used for a standard cake but it was too thin to be a real dough, there was no way she could work this with her hands but it was just like it was supposed to be. She transferred it into a buttered bowl then covered it and mentally made a note of the time, this wouldn't need to sit for more than 2 hours. As long as it was doubled in size then it was ready to go.

Hearing Alucards over the many bustling sounds in the kitchen Aveline turned away from the new bowl she had in her hands, she hadn't been sure where he was but it was good to see him here instead of out in the living room worrying about what was to come. " This is a kind of bread cake, so it will rise. It'll be cute in half and filled with a cream and then we can eat it." she explained before motioning to the bowl where she was just starting to get the cream together. " The dough actually isn't very sweet at all-"

" A cake that isn't sweet?" Sypha cut in with a frown but Aveline chuckled before quickly stepping in to assure her. " The sweetness comes from the cream but mostly from the honey and nuts that gets put on the dough just before it goes into the oven. It will soaked into the cake so by the time it's ready to eat the cake will be sticky and as sweet as honey. It's also good with tea or coffee,"

Just hearing the word 'coffee' had Johann looked away from his French press. He narrowed his eyes a bit, pondering if that was Avelines subtle way to try and get him to share. He supposed he didn't mind sharing though now that his supply was refilled, though it would be late by the time they had the cake. Coffee would only keep them up, but given the situation he didn't know just what their sleeping schedule would be tonight.

" Would you like to help?" Aveline asked him. " I need to warm up milk but In a separate bowl I need to combine sugar, flour, egg yolks, and corn starch. You add the warm milk to the egg mixture a little at a time to keep things from overheating." Curdling the eggs would be no good so this was a slow and steady process, as well as one that benefitted from helping hands.


Back towards the door of the kitchen Trevor paused to cast a glance out the front window, hoping he could see ahint of red from Lucias cloak but either the storm was too strong or she was already too far away, because there was nothing there. Not being able to see her anymore was nerve wreaking already and she had literally just left, he wasn't sure how he would last 3 hours knowing she was out there alone.

It was annoying that they had let her go, but he knew none of them could really go with her. Alucard could of pushed himself yes but the Dhampir had already volunteered to push himself tonight, he wasn't going to nag on him to push even more. He wasn't sure how much more pushing he could take before he broke, because from the very beginning Trevor had seen signs that Alucard was barely keeping himself towards through all this. The stress of having to kill his father and the recent death of his mother was still there, even if he was powering through it by choosing not to dwell on it.

" Are you going to hog that?" Trevor asked Johann as he pulled out a chair to join him at the table. " You have a whole can of that stuff, it would be rude not to offer a hot cup to a cold teammate," He pointed out with a cheeky grin.

Almost like a shark in the water Sypha turned away from Aveline, eager to finally try and get a full cup of coffee from Johann. She had been trying since everyone found out about Johanns coffee supply but he had been careful about guarding it, now though he had more than enough to share. " Yeah Johann, are you going to keep all that to yourself? We're all freezing." She made a show of Shivering despite the fact the oven kept the kitchen pleasantly warm.

" You two are like leeches," Johann grumbled but was fully aware that he had enough coffee in the French press to make all 3 of them a cup, but if anyone else wanted some they'd have to wait for the next brew. " I don't think you should have coffee sypha. Who knows what it will do to you." The idea of Sypha jumping off the walls because of a cup of coffee certainly concerned him.

The speaker huffed though," I'll have you know I've had coffee before. I'll admit that It was in the morning and I still went to bed late, but I was fine otherwise."
 
Alucard was also a bit curious as Aveline started to say the cake wouldn’t be sweet. Sypha interjected immediately, apparently worried about it, but both of their thoughts were cleared up as Aveline explained that the dough would sweeten as it cooked with the honey and nuts. He caught Johann’s look and smirked to himself, holding back a laugh or a note that he was going to have to make more coffee for them all.

Johann apparently did have a selfish streak when it came to his coffee – or at least, he played at it, even as Trevor came in to demand coffee, and then Sypha moved over with her own demands. Alucard did laugh, then, as Johann seemed to think Sypha shouldn’t have coffee. “I’ll have her cup then,” he volunteered, and heard Sypha’s gasp.

“You will not, Alucard!” Sypha stated. “I will be fine, I can handle it.”

“Mhm,” Alucard had his doubts, “I suppose I can wait until the cake is done. It will be better then,” and he did not think the actual coffee was going to impact him much, given his own strange habits with sleep. At least, compared to a human. It would be out of his system long before it became an issue.

Johann let out a deep sigh, “I suppose I can make you a cup then.” He’d make it so that the measurements were right. The last thing he needed was someone wasting too much of the grounds to get a ‘stronger’ brew. There was only so much additional strength that could be gotten from adding grounds.

“Don’t worry, Johann,” Danica chuckled, “I won’t want any,” there was tea here, she’d seen it already, and she would be quite content to have that with her cake. “Sypha, come help me with these.”

Sypha didn’t even pout, just moved on to the next thing and as Danica gestured to the cabbage, she picked it up, “Just wrap up the contents of that bowl, in a cabbage leaf, and put them in the dish there with the sauerkraut at the bottom,” the sauerkraut didn’t actually go in the sarma, but it did help to add flavor when it got cooked ‘into’ it this way.

“I can do that!” At least, Sypha thought she could do that, but for the first one, she had too much filling…and it soon became a frustrating game of figuring out how to have just enough, while Danica focused on the second filling for the vegetarian sarmas. At least it kept Sypha busy.

Alucard was also soon to be engaged in such activities, as Aveline noted the next steps for the cake. “I can assist with that,” he agreed, and he moved to fetch the ingredients that Sypha had already fetched and helped to measure out, bringing them and a bowl over – admittedly, bringing some over with telekinesis.

“That’s just showing off,” Johann grumbled as he set his cup aside, and then poured out another for Trevor, and a third for Sypha.

Alucard didn’t acknowledge Johann’s comment as he started to add the ingredients to the bowl, easily separating the yolk and the egg whites with that same talent, before mixing it all together with the whisk, making quick work of it with the vampiric agility, and then shifting the bowl, and himself, closer to the warmed milk and Aveline.

“I should be able to keep it from cooking through the eggs,” and curdling them. He was familiar with this, at least, from earlier years when his mother got so frustrated with always ‘scrambling’ the eggs, as she’d said.

Apparently, baking was more difficult than medicines, but she had figured it out eventually.

“You can pour when you’re ready.”

~***~

The wind howled in Lucia’s ears as she pushed through the storm, making her way back to the stables, where an entirely new sound took over her senses. It was that same song again, her voice again, and she followed it with no one to stop her this time, too familiar with the memory to consider anything else, and wanting to see if she might find a way around this before Alucard.

Before they all had to face it.

She would rather endure it alone.

Lucia turned a corner not far from the stables, and found herself no longer in the storm, but within the familiar ballroom, darkened by hundreds upon hundreds of planks of wood pressed to the roof of the dome. The storm seemed to vanish around her, and Lucia found it quite strange to be looking at herself from across the way – to see how she had been that day.

Starved. Desperate. ‘How didn’t he notice?’ The darkness around her eyes, the gauntness of her features, and a certain wildness to her gaze even as she seemed lost to swaying about the room while the shadows plucked at the harp instead of her hand, the Roman stola swirling around her.

Until the door slammed open, “There you are.” And as Lucia’s own eyes alighted on the blonde figure, she felt the storm start to press back into focus. Shadows not tied to the memory came forward and flew at him, but he faded in a gust of white flakes, the entire memory destroyed by the resumed storm, and Lucia couldn’t stop herself from the wordless scream as the tendrils of darkness hit nothing but snow and were battered by the wind into oblivion.

She dropped to her knees, understanding just one thing: Alucard was right.

This was the task.

And she didn’t quite know how to overcome it, or what was she was supposed to do. She thought to wait there, to wait for the song to return and the memory to begin again.

It didn’t. ‘Perhaps if I leave and come back….’ Seemed rational enough, and she still wanted to get a feel for the town, so she did opt to try that, and she tried to be focused, to be alert. ‘Should test if I can just walk out.’ She didn’t know why that came to mind, but if it was all a trap of Baba Yaga’s, if they all had tasks to do or perish, it likely was not so easy to leave.

She made a note to test that when she got near the stables again. She’d seen the ruins of a gate near the stables, too.
 
The milk has just a little bit of vanilla bean in it, and truly this house has everything because vanilla was not easy to come by. It was hard to grow as well as hard to dry properly, so it was a bit of a pricey addition to the cake though the cost of certain fruits, vegetables, and spices hadn't been a concern for her growing up. Either herself or her mother had grown things that weren't possible for one reason or another so the cake was a consist thing in her childhood, but if they hadn't already figured out something was off with this house then the vanilla beans would of really raised flags for her. Instead she was enjoying the lengths that Baba Yaga had gone through to make this house comfortable, few things smelt as good as vanilla drifting through the air.

She kept the milk from boiling, it just needed to get warm but enjoy a deep breath of vanilla steam. " Look at you," She teased Alucard when she saw how quickly he had been able to get the bowl ready for her, using magical vampire powers had to make things a lot easier. Still she pulled the pot off the fire and poured a little bit of the milk in. They were doing this slowly after all, and the slower and more gradual the addition the better.

Alucard proved to be really good help, he didn't tire from having to stir and the long process didn't seem to bother him. " It's kind of unfair how poised you look, even when you're in the kitchen." She pointed out. When she had first started to bake and book on her own she was always complain about how tired her arms were if she was stirring something too long, hot steam would hit her face and her hair would be an flustered mess, but Alucard was doing just fine. She suppose being part vampire had it bonus's, like not getting that burn in your muscles when you work them too long or overheating when you work with hot things.

Trevor snorted from the table, a cup of coffee in his hands to warm them, " Haven't you noticed that Alucard always seems well put together? It's annoying," When they had first started traveling together he had wanted to see something from Alucard, a hint of emotion on his face instead of that mask. He wanted to see that Alucard was half-human like he said he was, because sometimes it was impossible to see. As someone who has spent a lifetime hunting vampires the things that he normally noticed about Alucard first were vampire related.

Even when they had first met in the tomb under Gresit he had noticed the pale skin, the odd eyes, the sharp nails, and the slight difference in pronunciation that came with fangs before anything else. It had taken a good while and a lot of looking to see the human parts of Alucard, like his laugh or the way his eyes softened around the others now that they knew one another better.

" You sound upset that we've all seen your horrible morning hair but not Alucards," Aveline laughed as she poured the last bit of milk into the dough, which at this point was pulling away from the side of the bowl into a kind of ball.

"My morning hair isn't horrible," Trevor sipped at his coffee, relishing in the way it spread warmth through his whole body.

Sypha laughed and turned away from the counter, a cabbage leaf in one hand and meaty covered spoon in the other, " Your morning hair is a disaster. One side is always sticking straight up in the air like you slept on the floor." Her eyes landed on the coffee cup just sitting there waiting for her, but she didn't want to risk Danicas wrath if she abandoned her job so she went back to stuffing.

" I normally sleep leaning against the carriage wall because i'm a saint who doesn't mind being a pillow for certain sassy speakers." For all the jobs about his hygiene he still woke up more often than not with Sypha using him as a pillow, if he was really a problem then she should lean against the other wall for a change.

" You're a beast of a man who takes up half the bench between your fat ass and your cloak."

Aveline turned her head away so she didn't laugh into the dough, but Danica and Johann laughed freely at that. " Sypha," Danica said as she tried to keep the peace, " Be nice."

Aveline gently patted Alucards arm to move him out of the way, then she took over the bowl as she started to knead the dough thoroughly until it was smooth and pulled easily away from the side of the bowl. " Yeah, be nice Sypha or Danica will wash your mouth out with soap,"

The mention of soap made Syphas eyes go wide, " Hey, if this place has everything we need that means it has to a tub right? A tub with soap," With how cold it was a nice hot bath would be great, especially since not everyone had bathed at the last village they were at. Though even if some of them had bathed that had been a while ago and they had all worked up a sweat since then. Cleaning herself in a near by string or river was ok and did the job but nothing was better than a hot bath where you could just sit down up to your neck and soak for a bit.
 
Alucard wasn’t sure if he ought to feel embarrassed for remaining poised as he whisked the milk about, mixing it in with all the other ingredients, making sure the eggs didn’t curdle. He did smirk a bit as Trevor made his comment, though, “Someone has to balance out the mess you are,” he noted without looking up to see Trevor. Aveline chimed in about Trevor’s bed-head, and his smirk grew a bit.

“It is honestly atrocious,” he added.

Thankfully he didn’t sleep that much. He’d been avoiding being seen too bad, when it came to his hair. Minus what Aveline had done to it once, though even that wasn’t so bad.

Johann did chuckle as Sypha and Trevor argued over it, though Danica was trying not to, and he could tell as she told Sypha to play nice. As if they ever played nice. If it didn’t seem so much like siblings, he might have thought there was something more brewing between them, but it just reminded him too much of his own sisters.

He noted Alucard stepping back to let Aveline take over the cake situation, though not far. He lingered near, clearly seeking for an opportunity to further help. “If anyone needs their mouth washed out, it’s Trevor. Then perhaps his morning hair won’t match his breath.”

“Alucard, you be nice as well,” Danica looked up, the vegetables finally all mixed together so she could start spooning them into cabbage leaves, too. She didn’t struggle at all with finding that ‘sweet spot’ of how much to put in each one, much to Sypha’s jealousy as she watched Danica go about it so easily. “I’m sure I have enough soap for all of you.”

“Then why aren’t we giving it to Trevor?”

It never got old.

Johann suddenly jolted up, just as he was about to sit down, “Soap!” His eyes were bright as if soap was suddenly the meaning of life and he’d only just realized it. Alucard gave him a strange look as he moved quite a bit quicker than he had been, reaching out to the wall but not touching it this time, as he left the room and headed towards the stairs.

“Should someone…?”

“AH HA!” Johann’s voice could be heard from within the kitchen. He had noticed the door near the stairs earlier, between the kitchen and the living space, and venturing into it he found what he thought would be there, given there was coffee for him, and he came back into the kitchen triumphant, holding a few bottles of oils and bar soaps, “Where’s Lucia? She’s going to love this!”

Alucard let his gaze dip away, back to what Aveline was doing, clearly not intending to answer if he didn’t need to. He knew he wouldn’t lie if it was put to him directly, but right now he could just omit saying anything.

Sypha’s eyes widened a bit, and she gave Danica a briefly pleading look. Danica rolled her eyes, and let Sypha leave her duties with a gesture, as she would take them up since she finished up the vegetable ones. She made fewer of those, given she didn’t imagine too many would eat them besides Aveline. “Aveline, I do not suppose you’ve seen a second oven, have you?” She knew that the sarma took a bit on a low heat, but that was how they were supposed to be cooked, to properly marinate.

As she asked, a gasp could be heard from where Sypha had wondered to, and Danica smiled lightly to herself, imagining what kind of bathing room must have been left to them if Johann had been so excited to find Lucia. If it was anything at all like the one in Chernihiv, it would likely be a marvel to any of them to see the permanent tubs, the running water, and so much else.
 
Aveline shook her head fondly as the others teased Trevor, this was pretty average regardless of where they were or what they were doing. It was actually a bit encouraging to know that even if they were stuck in some supernatural trap in the middle of a blizzard that some things wouldn't change. She looked over her shoulder, curious to see what Johann had found exactly, and hummed curiously see the oils and soaps. Lucia would be excited by that, and thinking about it she was surprised that Lucia hadn't immediately stepped in to claim the bathroom for herself and steal those accessories from Johann.

The kitchen was silent for a moment, no one had an answer about where Lucia was but in the least she was certain they could all hazard a guess. Looking from under her bangs she glanced at Danica, who was stuffing the rest of the carriage with a bit more force and a slightly concerned crease of her brow. No matter how able and reliable Lucia proved herself to be she still had people that worried about her.

" Johann sit down," Aveline insisted. His knee was getting better but she didn't want him pushing it too much, especially not in this weather. The last thing anyone would want would be him opening up his wounds and getting some type of infection because of the cold. Johann looked around like he was puzzled for a moment. " Did you guys hear that? It almost sounded like someone who isn't my mother trying to tell me what to do."

Trevor roared with laughter from his seat, he slapped one hand on his knee before tapering his laugh off so he could drink his coffee before it had gotten cold. He also eyed the cup that Johann had set aside for Sypha, It would be a shame to let it get cold...

Aveline gasped slightly at his level of sass, " Is this what coffee turns you into? Because i'll beat the coffee out of your system." She warned him with a wave of a dough covered finger at him, but it was just a bit playful.

" All of you play nice." Danica spoke up then shook her head fondly, she felt more like the 'mother' in this family than the older sister role she had been given.

Aveline turned away from Johann but playfully gave him the 'i'm watching you' hand gesture before turning to Alucard. " Can you hand me that bowl i grease a little while ago? The dough is ready now it needs to go into the bowl and set for a couple of hours." The dough would rise in the bowl, she'd beat it down a bit, then It would go into a greased baking pan. "But you're more than welcome to use the oven Danica." She wasn't sure how long the cabbage rolls she was making would need to cook but as long as it wasn't too long then everything should work out just fine.

Sypha returned to the kitchen with a gleeful shimmer in her eyes. " The bathroom is wonderful! You should see the tub too, it's so big! Aveline would probably drown in it."

" Hey!" Aveline called out mockingly offended.

" It's true! When was the last time any of us came across a bathtub where you could really soak in it up to your neck?" Sypha sighed, she was going to enjoy taking a bath tonight but she also knew that she was going to have to compete with basically everyone else for some time in it. Lucia loved her baths but this was also a wonderful opportunity for everyone to clean up as best they could before things got too out of hand.
 
The silence, it seemed, was answer enough. Neither Alucard nor Trevor had to say anything, though he felt a pang of guilt in seeing how it bothered Danica. He was quick to retrieve the greased bowl when asked, wanting to move even as Johann seemed to restore the humor to the room with his easy comment. Apparently the coffee did wake him up.

He kept his hands around the bowl so that it wouldn’t move when she put the dough into it. There was likely no risk of that, but he still just wanted to stay active, even in some small fashion. When Sypha returned, she seemed quite in awe of the bathroom, and even Alucard had to raise his eyebrows as she described the depth of the tub.

“I’m not sure that sounds pleasant….”

“It’s not running water,” Johann noted, finally sitting down with the rest of his coffee and setting the soaps and oils on the table so he could pick it back up, “back home, there’s one really large enough to swim in,” he knew it wasn’t the ‘frigidarium’ or whatever Lucia liked to call it, but he couldn’t recall the name of it immediately.

Alucard’s brows knit together a bit, trying to imagine it as something a vampire would use. He had never learned to swim because he had access to natural, running water, only. He wondered if it would be so much different in water such as this. If it was for Lucia, it had to be, and he again recalled his mother’s rants about how some things about his father, and him, just made no sense.

“The moon reflects the light of the sun, it should hurt you as well!”

“Don’t worry, Aveline,” Danica was saying, “it gets a bit deeper in some areas. You can just stay on the sides and be fine,” Danica figured it wasn’t much of a concern, but Sypha was right – the tub did get fairly deep. She finished up the last of the sorma, “And this needs a couple of hours in the oven – but if you need it before then, I can set up our metal rack over the fire in the living area,” she figured that wouldn’t bother anyone right now, as she went over to the oven and quickly lit it, before moving to grab the dishes.

Only to find the two dishes floating in the air next to her. Her smile was a bit wry as she glanced to Alucard, and then she just made a gesture for him to float them into the oven, before she shut the door after them.

At least now she could make some tea for herself and she went back to examine the tins she’d found, of coffee and tea, with so many varieties of tea for her to pick through. The action would keep her distracted from wanting to go out into that storm and drag Lucia back from her madness. “There will be plenty for breakfast and more, it seems,” Danica hummed to herself.

She wondered if Baba Yaga planned to keep them all there for a while. “I wonder if we can take what is here with us….”

~***~

Lucia was able to confirm that the memory would start again, and end again, as before, obliterated by the snow storm. She couldn’t figure out what she was doing wrong, or what would make it continue.

She could also soon confirm the storm wouldn’t let her leave the town.

Even with Marius, who she brought out of the stables when it literally blew her back into the town, much to her frustration. Marius couldn’t push through it, either, and he was very unhappy to end up a tangle of limbs from the icy gust, even if by that point Lucia was laughing a bit. A bit manic. A bit hopeless.

He couldn’t step into the astral realm, either.

“This is bullshit.” Lucia finally declared to Marius as she led him back to the stables. He seemed to huff his agreement, fiery tail swishing angrily behind him as he was brought back in, glad to at least be out of the storm. “At least it’s not caused by him.” Marius knew ‘him’, of course. He knew the nightmares. He knew who Dimas was, and the lingering fear he would return, despite the ashes he’d become. He dropped his head a moment and nudged Lucia’s shoulder, but she just brushed his head away as they stepped into the stables. “Stay here. Stay warm. Alucard thinks he can figure this out.”

And, well, he probably could.

Lucia had years of experience, but there was no denying that Alucard was smart. They’d all go to confront his memory, which anyone could guess. It had to involve Lisa’s death, or else his father’s drop into madness. Those were the two worst events in his life. He would figure out what it required to make it stop, and they would see if that seemed to clear anything up. ‘At least I know this storm isn’t natural. It won’t end until….’

She swallowed back the thought that she couldn’t do it. The fear that she already knew how to get the memory to continue and understood Baba Yaga’s intent. Again, from Alucard’s own thoughts, his own worries, particularly early on, of Trevor. That Trevor was a broken man who wouldn’t truly be able to help them. She’d had those concerns, as well.

As a group, they’d started to come together. But they were still holding back much from each other, moving forward to confront Dracula. Lucia and Trevor had both been called on it by Alucard before.

‘As a group….’ Lucia wouldn’t forgive Baba Yaga if this was the case. If Alucard’s memory didn’t end prematurely when they were all present.

She should at least let them know the storm wasn’t natural, and wasn’t likely to end until the tasks were completed.
 
A bath that was so large you could swim in it didn't sound pleasant at all, at that point it wasn't a bath anymore it was exercise in your birthday suit. Trevor scrunched up his nose at the die, but Sypha mistook his expression. " Does even talking about taking a bath really upset you that much?" She teased, thinking he just hated bathing that much.

" I don't hate bathing," He insisted with a tired sigh. They could joke all they wanted but he was born and raised a noble, he bathed regularly up to a certain point, but when you didn't have a place to call home or a steady supply of coin there were some things that had to be put aside, and warm soapy baths were one of them. He cleaned himself up in rivers as much as the others did, but you defend having a more natural and harder to identify scent ONCE and suddenly you're more animal than man. " But you tell me what creature wouldn't immediately smell one of these-" He waved at the pill of oils and soaps,"- and go running."

" A person," Sypha said bluntly, and again Aveline turned her head away to laugh into her elbow.

Trevor flipped Sypha off and grabbed her cooled cup of coffee for himself. " Hey!" Sypha raced forward and tried to grab the cup back but he was already taking a deep drink from it. "You give that back Trevor or I swear-"

" Yeah yeah-," He cut in, "- You'll light something of mine on fire. Misbehaving speakers don't deserve coffee."

As in the background Trevor kept Sypha an arms length away, Aveline placed her dirty dishes in the sink and covered the dough with a light cloth. " This doesn't even need direct heat to cook, it just needs to be somewhere near a warm fire for about an hour. The fireplace will work if it comes down to it." Whether it cooked in the oven or just over the fire place it would probably turn out well, and she'd certainly be checking on it regardless. But now all she had to do was wait, the cream was already made and sitting in the cold box, while the honey and nut topping wouldn't need to be made or put on the dough until it started cooking. That didn't stop Aveline from grabbing a few of the almonds she had found in the pantry and snacking on a few. Nuts were such a pleasant little treat.

Sypha finally took her coffee back from Trevor, but not before he had drunk half of the cup. " You're a fiend," Sypha grunted before spitting at her cup, holding it close like she was worried someone would try and take what was left from her.

" I'm roguishly charming." Trevor insisted before slipping his dirty cup in the skin where Danica had already started to wash up everything. " Can't you just ask Alucard to floating vampire magic those clean?" He asked curiously as he leaned against the counter. They had just watched Alucard float a bunch of things around the kitchen, so he had some type of fine control. It couldn't be that hard for him to wash dishes and set them aside for someone to dry.

" Can't you recall your memories of drying dishes to help?" Danica quipped as she handed him his now washed, but wet, cup. Trevor snorted a soft laugh then grabbed a near by dish towel to help out. Glancing over his shoulder as he dried the dishes he found a near by clock and countered down how much longer Lucia had to return.

Her deal had been with him and Alucard, she only had 3 hours, but now everyone knew she wasn't here and no amount of joking around got rid of this underlining tension in the group. But finding a way to pass the time, even if it was by drying dishes, at least gave him something to do other than worry.
 
Johann decided to just start prepping another bit of coffee when he saw Trevor had taken Sypha’s cup, knowing she would want more, and so would he. Alucard might prefer to wait until the cake was done, but Johann had no plans of it. He was also debating whether or not he could take things with him. He was certainly going to try. He hoped it wouldn’t all disappear when they left the town. “I’ll make you some more, Sypha,” Johann promised as he saw how close she was clutching her cup.

He went to go heat up water on top of the stove again, as Danica and Trevor began to wash the dishes. He did glance to Alucard at the comment.

“I could,” he shrugged, “but this is more entertaining to watch. I think we need to get Trevor an apron.” He was good around a kitchen. He could cook, he could clean, he’d make someone a lovely house-wife.

“You as well,” Sypha teased, “You were so good helping Aveline out there. Though we might need to get you a ribbon for your hair, too – to keep it out of the food.”

“How does this always go back to my hair?” He mused aloud, though he knew they had a point, long hair ran that risk. Short hair did, as well, but apparently not as large of one.

Before Sypha could add in anything to the comment, Danica spoke up again from the dishes, cleaning off the utensils used to scoop food into the sarma, “Johann, would you go get Lucia before she tries to sneak upstairs?”

“Huh? Uh – sure!” He didn’t question how Danica knew when he hadn’t heard anything. He didn’t notice the subtle sway of all the shadows in the area, the frayed nerves it implied that Danica had recognized in seeing the movements of them around the sink, with no obvious movement of light to cause that flicker.

Lucia had intended to do just that, too. She’d used the shadows to return into the home, after grabbing something else to wear from the carriage now that her clothes were starting to get heavy from the snow that melted. She would want it, later, at least, but she was certain she still had time to hide upstairs before three hours had passed.

She had meant to shadow-step again, even if she just felt utterly exhausted after throwing shadows at a memory, but was startled out of the attempt by Johann’s steps and his appearance, “There you are!” It was Johann’s voice, but in Lucia’s mind they echoed in Dimas’s. She flinched at hearing them, even if the intonation and much else was different – joy over that deep anger.

Johann noticed that much, and stayed where he was, “Hey, there’s a bath here like the one back home,” he lowered his voice a bit, “I can show you to it. You look like you need it.”

Lucia shook her head, “No…I don’t want to accept anything.” She was half-tempted to step back out and go into the carriage as she said it, imagining that taking a room would count as taking something from Baba Yaga. Would it get her out of it, or was stepping in that first time already damning her? Probably that. “I just want to go to bed.” No she didn’t but it was all she had as an escape right then and she wanted that. “Let Alucard know he’s right, would you?” She tried for a smile, but it fell. “The tasks are certainly what we’re hearing outside of here…and this storm isn’t going to end.”

“How…how do you know?”

“I tried to leave,” she sighed, “I kept getting thrown back into the town. Even Marius couldn’t get out.” She wouldn’t address how she knew Alucard was right about the task. She just knew after her experiences with trying to get it to move forward.

There was something to do, and it involved those memories.
 
" I'll wear an apron when you use a frilly ribbon to tie your hair up," Trevor scoffed as he continued to dry off everything that Danica passed over to him. The motion was repetitive but enjoyable, there was something domestic about this. All of this was so normal, at least when they were camping outside around the carriage that felt like they were on a journey but being inside this warm house making good food and joking around, it felt like friends who didn't have the weight of the world on their shoulders. It kind of reminded him of his old life as well, he had done this with his sisters more times than he could count.

Sypha laughed softly before sipping at her coffee," The mental picture of Alucard with a high pony tail is really funny," but the real unfair part was that Alucard would be able to pull off a high ponytail even if he used the silliest ribbon they could find, but Trevor knew that with his frame and general appearance if he wore an apron even once the other would never stop teasing him about it.

Trevor finished drying the last of the dishes by the time Danica sent Johann to go and talk to Lucia," I didn't realize she was back," He said, mostly to himself but Danica smiled softly at him. " I've been with her for so long, I've picked up on some things." Their bond was strong and lasted decades, to the others it was some amazing feat to notice something as small as the movement of shadows but to her it was an ability that came from years of being together.

Johann returned from the stairs not long after with a small frown on her face, " She's going upstairs to sleep," He informed everyone, " She also wants me to tell you that you were right Alucard. She said the storm isn't going to end unless we do something with the memories we're hearing, and that we're trapped here until we're done."

Trevor raised a worried eyebrow, " Trapped?" He had a feeling this was how things would be but to hear it was true certainly didn't make him feel any better.

Johann nodded and returned to making coffee despite the look on his face, " She said not even Marius could leave the town." Danicas eyebrows rose in surprise and an equally concerned look dawned on her face before she was able to control herself. " She looked upset as well," He added.

Trevor returned the dish cloth he had dried everything off with to it's spot hanging off a handle and stepped out of the kitchen, if Lucia was upset then it didn't feel right to just let her disappear off on her own. Even a little bit of talking would be better than bottling it up, even if he was a hypocrite.

" So everyone will probably have to deal with memories," Aveline mused, if she understood things correctly then the task Baba Yaga had set out in front of them was to face their past as payment for her taking care of them. Sypha, Trevor, Lucia, and Alucard had all appeared to stumbled upon an old memory somewhere but that still left her, Danica, and Johann. She wasn't a fan of the idea, if only because everyone who had seemed to find these memories had a haunted look on their faces after.
 
The frilly ribbon might just be worth it to see Trevor in an apron. He was certain he had a few that might classify at…well…at home. Or else his mother did. “Deal, Belmont.” He decided to agree. It wouldn’t be for a while, and he might just need that sort of thing before he saw Trevor off after all of this. One last hurrah at the castle – with Trevor in an apron to cook and Alucard in a frilly ribbon.

Johann returned to them, sans Lucia, who apparently wanted to sleep. Alucard’s humor faded as some of his thoughts were confirmed. Lucia agreed with him about the tasks – how, or why, he wouldn’t question right then. The storm was also enchanted, which was a bad thing. Getting to each task would be a chore.

Still, they could return here, when all was said and done. Perhaps that was even how it should be, rather than just plow through – given the nature of these memories.

Trevor left, his task done, and no one moved to stop him. Somehow, it didn’t even cross Alucard’s mind. He’d noticed the pair spent time together, beyond what was strictly necessary. It was a concern for another day; if they could find some comfort in each other, then that might be needed to move on. To get Lucia to move.

Alucard took a breath. It was now waiting time for the various foods to be done. And more coffee, it seemed. “Yes,” he agreed with Aveline, “Unpleasant memories,” he briefly caught Sypha’s gaze, before his turned down, brows furrowed. “I do not know what task it is we’re meant to perform, but given the nature of a part of it…perhaps it would do some good to share?”

“Share…?” Johann asked.

“Yes. I…can imagine what memory will plague Trevor, and I know my own. I know not all of us have yet encountered it, but it seems to be drawing up some of our worst memories,” Alucard said, “If we have to face it, perhaps…it would be good to share this before, so that whatever it is, it isn’t…no one is too shocked or otherwise caught off guard.”

He didn’t know if it would help, in truth, but he could only imagine going into something like his own memory blind. Given they had no idea what the task was, it might be better to have some warning before going into it.

“That may help,” Danica hummed, “And I suppose if we all stuck around at some point you’d learn about my ex-husband.” Her smile was more a grimace than anything.

“What about Lucia? Or Trevor?” Sypha asked.

“I think we know what we’ll see from Trevor. Lucia…,” Danica briefly bit her lower lip, “She’ll tell us, but…she needs some time. I imagine it has to do with her sire. Let her digest it. He…well, he could control ice, and I imagine if she heard his voice…on her worst days she sometimes thinks he’s still alive.” It was a bit, to help them place where Lucia’s mind might have gone, and why it would take her a bit to regroup. She didn’t think Lucia would be too upset with her for sharing that little first.

~***~

Every room was different, and Lucia knew if she took someone else’s room, they’d be annoyed with her. Thankfully, as she opened up each door, it was fairly easy to determine which one was hers. The burgundy hue said enough, but even if she’d question that, there was a small music box off to one side that she couldn’t have mistaken.

She sighed at the sight of it, debated just throwing it into a wall, and opted not to start breaking things. ‘Just…sleep.’ Wake up, enjoy the shock of waking up, and let things fall into place again. In theory she’d feel better.

Of course, she heard steps on the stairs, and in the hall too soon, and she shifted her attention to Trevor. “I can’t get any peace, can I?” To think when she’d been injured and needed to sleep, she was a bit sad that she missed the conversations with the others. She could still recall all the amusing ones she walked in on. Right then, though, she didn’t miss it. She was glad she’d put herself at a distance.

Only, not with him. “Stay out here at least, hm? I need to at least change,” she at least wanted out of the wet clothes if she had to deal with Trevor. And maybe she could just keep him behind the door anyway.

She didn’t give much of an option, stepping into the room that seemed to be hers and shutting the door fast behind her so she would have some illusion of privacy to change into the dress she’d grabbed from the carriage.
 
The idea of sharing was a tempting one, but the question was it needed? These worst memories could they really be so bad that the others were shocked or caught off guard? The haunted looks that the others who had experienced just a fraction of Baba Yagas tasks seemed to give all the answer they needed. Trevor always looked like he was carrying a weight on his shoulders, but his eyes were darker and the sorrow in them more profound after his experience in the forest, Aveline had seen the raw agony on Alucards face herself, Sypha also seemed less firey tonight, and Lucia had immediately disappeared upstairs after returning. The truth seemed to be there for everyone, even if they didn't want to talk about it.

There was a small hope that just maybe the memory wouldn't be too bad, but that was a fools dream this was Baba Yaga they were talking about. If anyone had the power to dig through memories and pick the ripest and more painful memory it would be her.

Sypha looked down for a moment, she wasn't one to dwell on her worst memories or the things she had lost. She had learned moving forward was the best thing for everyone and kept her from being dragged down by her past, if she had continued to dwell she imagined she would of ended up a bit like Trevor.

Drawing her arms closer to her body, like she wanted to hug herself but also didn't want to appear that vulnerable, she took a deep breath. " I did not see anything, but I could hear and I could smell the desert that my parents died in," she frowned then toyed with the handle of her coffee cup, " I imagine that is the memory she has picked for me." Aveline hummed sympathicly then rubbed Syphas arm, the two shared a glance then Sypha gave her a small smile. She appreciated the comfort.

Stepping away from Sypha Aveline leaned against the kitchen counter and for a moment stared out the window, watching white flakes of snow continue to pile up outside. The warmth of the house and in the kitchen fogged up the glass so she couldn't see anything more than blurry shapes and her own reflection. Looking into her reflection she didn't have to think too long about just what Baba Yaga wanted to torture her with.

She felt horrible for thinking it, she wished her worst memory was of her fathers disappearance but she had come to terms with that to long ago and besides the others would only see her pacing all night before looking for him come morning. No she knew the memory she'd have to face.

She rubbed her hands together softly, a nervous but less obvious habit to give her an outlet for her energy than pacing or tapping her foot, " If it's out worse memory then it will be one involving my mother," she didn't know which one, they were all so bad. No, that was a lie. One memory stood out, but maybe if she lied to herself she'd get lucky and not have to face the worst of her demons in front the first real friends she'd ever made.

" Why does everyone have family issues?" Johann asked, more to himself than the others to try and lighten the mood. " But I think mine will involve my brother." But Lucia and Danica would probably already expect that, maybe Trevor too since he told him a little bit about his past before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trevor didn't know which room was Lucias, that was his fault for getting tunnel vision after he found his room and his families bestiary, but now he realized that even if he hadn't found his bestiary this place was clearly not normal. There was a separate room for every single person down this single hallway even though outside it was very clear this house wasn't large enough to house 7 people. There was no way 7 rooms could fit up here unless there was magic involved. But he didn't need to know which room was Lucias, he heard a door shut near by and then her voice lead him the rest of the way.

" I don't mean to cause trouble, I just want to talk." he promised her, then wordlessly leaned against the wall outside her bedroom. " It doesn't even need to be a long talk, that would probably be best for both of us. I'm not very good with words or being comforting." The memory of him trying to comfort Sypha when they left Gresit replayed in his mind. Even Alucard was better at being comforting than he was, which said a lot.

He fiddled with his fingers a bit and listened to Lucia move around her room, she was quiet but to survive this long you needed better sense than your average guy. " I wanted to make sure you were alright, though now that i'm up here I realize how stupid that is. Whats going on here, and what we're going to have to go through to get out isn't right." He imagined by the end of this none of them would be feeling alright, but facing your demons is hard. He knew that. Facing them but knowing you can talk to someone, that's easier. He was learning that from her and the others every day.

" I want to return the favor. You've told me that you'll be there when I need to talk about my family," and that time was certainly coming sooner rather than later if Baba Yaga had anything to say about it, " But that goes the same for you. If you need to talk right now, or after all this is said and done then my ears are open."

he felt a bit foolish, he didn't know why Lucia would talk to him over Danica or Johann, maybe she'd ignore this, but she helped him and offered him a understanding ear when he needed it. He'd feel like an ass if he didn't try to return even a tenth of her kindness, but more than that he wanted to be here. He wanted to be someone she could be open with, if only to assure him that the distance between them wasn't as large as it appeared.
 
Alucard had not expected what Sypha had to say. He did not know what happened to her parents, given it was her grandfather at Gresit. He hadn’t been sure if they were alive in another group, for other reasons, or if they had passed. It seemed they had passed, and in a way that had bothered Sypha enough to be what Baba Yaga turned against her. His gaze was sympathetic as he heard that, and as Aveline noted it would likely be a memory involving her mother.

It was no question why – he would have suspected as much himself, even with the loss of her father.

Johann mentioned his brother, in much the same was as Danica mentioned her ex-husband, with little framing at all. “Family impacts us all greatly,” Alucard knew Johann’s question was more rhetorical, and even a ‘sire’ could be considered family in the world of vampires. They were meant to take up a parental role, given they had brought another vampire into the world.

Not all did.

“I know that my memory is the last I have of my mother,” which wasn’t a pleasant last memory. He felt Danica’s hand lightly touch his arm as his gaze started to shift down again, and he forced himself to take a breath and look back up. “I am not sure what Baba Yaga is expecting in showing it, or in showing any of our worst memories.” His gaze shifted to Johann, “What happened with your brother?”

Johann sighed, “Long story short, a werewolf came into our village, and into our home.” A noble his father owed fealty to and who had been smart enough to wear gloves. He sought revenge for being targeted and turned. “He attacked us – and he turned my brother into a werewolf.” Very shortened version, “He’s—he’s still alive, but I’m sure you can imagine how well that went over in a family of werewolf hunters.”

To see his father aim silver bolts at his brother…that had been terrifying in a way, to know how far his father would go, to know how little he thought of who his son now was. “So that’s probably the one. I didn’t have that many traumas. You know…besides dresses.” He tried to lighten it a bit with a shrug, but already he’d folded his arms over his chest, in a manner similar to Sypha – seeking comfort, but trying to seem stronger than he was.

~***~

Lucia heard Trevor’s voice as she discarded the wet clothing for the dry, and situated the old to hang over a chair to help them dry off. She pulled her fingers through her hair to work through some tangles, considering how easy it might be to just fall on the bed and tune everything out. That would not be good, though. It would not be helpful in the long run, not for her, nor for what she was building with Trevor.

She didn’t like to feel as if she was being forced into sharing, though. It wasn’t Trevor’s fault, of course – he wasn’t even asking her to talk then, she could speak after, but she knew she might feel more mute then.

She didn’t want to share all of this with them.

The question was, would she prefer Trevor see it first, or hear it from her first? He already knew she had been turned against her will, and he must have been able to guess by now there was a period in her life she despised. That was the thought she weighed in her mind, and it was easy to figure from there what she’d prefer. It didn’t matter if she wanted to share or didn’t, that choice was being taken from her – but she could try to do something.

Try…to salvage what she had left and hope that when it all played out, he wouldn’t look at her any different.

She walked to the door and opened it once more, “You can come in,” she said, and didn’t linger in the doorway. She went to sit on the bed, “I think you’ve heard enough to know there’s a long period of my life I don’t like talking about, so it should be no surprise Baba Yaga’s chosen an event from then,” a mix between happiest and worst memory. The catalyst to who she would become. “And since I don’t get to share this at my leisure…I’d rather share it before it’s confronted.” She sighed, but asked, “It may be before your time, but do you know the name Dimas Belun?” The pronunciation was markedly different from ‘Belune’, the ‘u’ short and clip, and the emphasis on the first syllable.
 
" I would much rather see you in dresses," Aveline chuckled, Johann could call those memory trauma but being teased for wearing dresses would be so much better than having a group of friends experience your worst memory with you. Even that didn't make much sense to her, why was that what Baba Yaga wanted them to do. Why was she doing this? Trevors Bestiary hadn't mentioned anything like this, just tasks like sorting grain or cleaning house.

She turned away from the window and leaned against the counter to look at everyone," If we ever meet Baba Yaga face to face I want to ask her why she's doing this," It probably wasn't a smart idea, she seemed to be some type of mythical witch of great power, but if she was putting everyone through this then she wanted to try and understand her reasoning. What did this do? Who did it help and how would it repay her?

" I have some choice words for her," Sypha agreed, but she was also smart enough to know picking a fight with a force of nature probably wasn't the best idea, but this was cruel. She did not know the history of half of her companions, but if they wanted to talk about their traumas then they would when they were ready. This was like revealing a wound to the world before any of them were ready for it.

Danica spoke up, " Don't start trouble, either of you." She wanted to get through his quickly after all," Besides we have Dracula to focus on. I think fighting one figure of immense power at a time is more than enough,"

They were going to survive this encounter with Dracula, they had to, which meant they couldn't let themselves get side tracked by Baba Yaga. Their focus needed to be on resting while they could and then leaving, because every day spent here dealing with Baba Yaga meant another day of terror was spanning the land on Draculas orders. Innocent people died with every passing day. If when everything was still said and done the two girls wanted to go back and give Baba Yaga a piece of their minds then that was up to them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

His words, his weak attempt at comfort, was met with silence and Trevor had resigned himself to the very real possibility that he'd have to slink off and just wait for something to happen. Lucia could of tuned him out or gone to bed like she wanted, but he had tried and he felt like that was worth something, but he understood not wanting to talk about the past. Out of everyone he had made it more than clear that his past was a sore spot, a wound that he would never be done licking, so he didn't have any right to come here and ask Lucia to talk about it.

But her kindness, her unexpected kindness and understanding that she had offered him despite the way he treated her when they first met, stuck with him. He was an asshole but he tried hard to at least not be an ungrateful asshole, so he tried to return the kindness that had truthfully meant more than he had expected. He had never been offered an open ear before, generally when his family was discovered he was run out of town or peasants started fights with him for this reason or that. No one had taken pity on his family when they were begging for their lifes so like hell they were going to offer him sympathy years after they were gone. He told himself he didn't want to talk about them and to a certain extent that was true, but at the same time no one had ever offered to listen. Now he was more concerned just what they would say.

Trevor pushed himself away from the wall, ready to tuck his tail between his legs and accept that he really wasn't good at being comforting, but then Lucias door opened and she invited him in. He closed the door behind him and leaned against a near by desk as she spoke, she had to confront this like the rest of them but there was something noble in the way she was handling it. The choice to talk about it was taken from her, but she was certainly going to try and own this regardless. That was Lucia though, always wanting to keep the upper hand and the power in a situation.

" Yes I've heard of Dima," He said with a nod of his head. " In family history lessons, but i'll also confess the lessons were years ago and probably not as through as they should of been." His family did trace sires and events in the vampiric world, they talked about the end of vampires and their downfalls, but there was always a bias towards Dracula."I wouldn't mind a refresher course."
 
“Yeah…one supernatural horror at a time,” Johann said, pinching the bridge of his nose briefly as he considered that the Baba Yaga might actually end up on the list if Lucia took enough offense. She usually preferred other methods, but it was easy to imagine. Especially if Sypha and Aveline were gung-ho. And Trevor.

“But it doesn’t seem to fit. Are we really sure it’s Baba Yaga?” He asked, leaning forward a bit. “There’s got to be other things out there that can play with minds or memories, right?” He was likely asking the wrong people.

Sypha shrugged her shoulders, “I’ve heard of a Goblin King who could do such things, but I think that’s just a fairy tale,” she waved it off, “Sorry!” She said, focusing on Aveline a moment, “Is that offensive – Fairy Tale?” She hadn’t asked before, and she knew they’d talked of it before, and used the term so loosely. Only now did she wonder if it was a term that was perhaps, well, not the best.

Folktale usually worked just as well. If that was the term Aveline preferred, she could use it over Fairy Tales. She didn’t want to unintentionally bother Aveline.

Alucard hummed, but shook his head, “I am not familiar with things like this, unless it would be a demon.” Demons had powers to make humans immortal, it didn’t seem a far stretch that they could do something like this. “If they can make my father into a vampire, and perform other feats, they must be capable of things like this, and we know that many demons are working with my father right now.”

“We don’t seem to be facing very powerful demons then,” Danica noted. “None have done anything like this or shown much power.” Which was a good thing for all of them.

“Don’t jinx it!” Johann cried out, hoping they didn’t run into some demon like Lucifer next.

Alucard could only nod his agreement. Danica was right – so far as the demons they were seeing and handling, none of them could compare to the legends he’d heard of demons.

Well, that, and he could hope they would not run afoul of any demon with such substantial power. He liked to believe they would be capable of handling it, but a creature that could make Draculas five times over? No, it was not something he felt like offending that day.

It did make him wonder why they weren’t showing up.

And how his father got the army.

Perhaps if he hadn’t been sleeping, he would have known how Dracula pulled it off. “I wonder if this is something he’s done….” A favor, to keep them trapped there, asked of by some demon. But no – Alucard had to believe that Dracula didn’t know where they were, or they would have been hounded by hoards upon hoards of demons by now.

~***~

Lucia wasn’t sure what it meant that he did know of Dimas. She had known Dimas for only 700 years and had considered him the worst, but she knew he had a history even before her, and she didn’t know if it was notable enough to get him on the permanent Belmont history list. ‘Probably.’ He had taken Chernihiv alone, by force, ages ago. He had carved his place out in the world.

Some might have called his ambition admirable.

Perhaps it would have been, if he had been different. Before she knew what he was, she had thought he was admirable, to come all the way to Rome to try and get things done for his home. “I’m sure there are a wealth of things to say about him, but he’s my least favorite topic so you’ll have to forgive me if I keep it short,” though she tried to smile, a bit, it failed to reach her eyes.

The weight of the thought was present in her gaze, and the exhaustion that went far beyond the physical. She would never, truly, be over what happened. She could speak of it, but with that came the thoughts of what happened, that exhausting anger and sorrow, and the thoughts of ‘what if it never happened’.

Dreams died hard.

“Dimas was the one who turned me, when things didn’t go well with Tiberius in Rome – a small way to spite him. The Vestals were considered sacrosanct and the protectors of Rome. Tiberius believed it, then,” and had seen it as his duty to see to Rome’s health. He had failed, Rome, and her. It had been a tension between them, and it remained a tension between them. Dimas’s damage stretched through their relationship.

“Some people have good fortune with their sires. I did not. It’s not an exaggeration to say he took everything,” her faith, her family, her home, her name, the foods she loved, the sun, her love of music – everything. Her gaze dropped a bit, finding that music box, that thing lost in reality but here. She could recall the one who left it, who tried to insist her passion for music need not be tainted by all the times she’d been shown off for it, or made to play, “I was Doll Belun,” she did not know if Trevor would know that name, but it was worth mentioning. If he had heard that Dimas had a childe, then he would have heard that name.

Not Lucia Belune.

“For seven long centuries, I was whatever he wanted me to be. Whatever kept me alive, until I met Carmilla.” Her smile was momentarily fond, before it fell off with a deeper sigh, the acknowledgment that Carmilla was nothing to smile over. “She taught me of my shadows, of the ability to shift, all the things Dimas should have taught me. She…reminded me I was not Doll.” It was painful to think to how easily she’d been tricked by Carmilla, too, but it was a necessary part.

She still couldn’t bring her gaze back up. “I say all of this to put the memory in light,” to frame it better, even if it was the condensed version.

“I had planned a murder-suicide,” she confessed, “I…I had already lost everything, and I did not know who I could be or what I could be anymore. I did not like who I was. There was some part of me that still dreamed, but….” Despite those flickers of hope, even she knew what had been going through her mind, and she found a laugh, wry and bitter, “…I even failed at that.” She was here, “That’s the memory Baba Yaga’s chosen. I suppose the others just blur together of the same thing.”
 
Aveline laughed softly but dismissed the concerned glance Sypha shot her, " That might offend some of the more stuck up fae, but it doesn't offend me." She assured her. The term fairytale just meant something made up or not real, but everyone where knew that she was in fact real. Plus she had never really thought of herself as a fairy, she was a Haltija and identified with that before she identified with anything else. " Maybe if we ever run into other fae stick with folk tale though."

Johann shivered a bit, thinking of the description of the fairies Lucia had told him about, " We see enough horrible things as it is, lets hope we don't run into any fairies or fae or what ever."

Their hands were full enough as it was. They had fallen into an enchanted forest, they were attacked by demons, a hunter, the inquisition, and now by some unseen foe. In fact it seemed like everything they came across they ended up fighting, with Veidr being the only exception so far, so it would be for the best if they just kept to themselves at this point.

" Maybe Trevors bestiary has some possibilities in it," Aveline suggested before pulling up a seat at the table and grabbing up Trevors bestiary. She was surprised that he had left it down here, he had seemed so attached to it when he first came down with it, but knowing that Trevor and Lucia were getting closer to one another she wasn't surprised to see that Lucia was more important to him than his book. It was good to know he was leaving the past behind to care about people in the present.

Aveline flipped through the pages while Sypha curiously leaned against her back to read over her shoulder, it was like a loose and casual hug that was actually really nice considering how cold It was outside. Even in the warm kitchen with the weather like it was you would be a fool to turn away another source of heat. " Oh!" Sypha chirped as Aveline stopped on a page, " What about this? A baku?"

After a moment Aveline shook her head, " No, this says they eat dreams and nightmares it doesn't mention memories." The conversation about a memory becoming a nightmare was too large a scope for Aveline to even want to try to tackle, but regardless it didn't fit the bill. Johann chuckled a bit at the idea that Marcus and Sulla would let some other dream eating creature anywhere near them, that was their job after all.

" For now i'm content to blame Baba Yaga for this, if we find out any differently than i'll shift the blame accordingly." She decided before handing the bestiary over to Sypha, who hadn't had a chance to dig through the Belmont families knowledge of the supernatural. The fact there was such a detailed and well put together book was amazing to her, the fact it was made by arguably the most well known and knowledgeable hunter family in the world also added to it's validity as well.

" What ever we are dealing this at least we can all agree it is strong, to both trap us all here but also dig through our heads and make what we yearn for most a reality," Sypha mused. This book should not exist, and yet here it was in her hands. It was amazing, but also a sign that their foe was strong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trevor had to recall his history lessons, because what was Lucias past to him and his family had only been history handed down through generations. Vampires kept their societies close, they hid what they were as well as possible because no one wanted an angry mob of humans at their door ready to try and depose them of power. It was arrogant on his part, even if it was when he was a child all those years ago learning this for the first time, to think his lessons wouldn't help him. He had only cared about knowing how to kill a vampire, he didn't give a shit about the history behind it all.

He regretted that now, as Lucia unraveled her story and he had to think back to those lessons to make sense of it all. But the name Dimas came back to him, he remembered hearing about him, an ambitious vampire alive for an impressive amount of time considering how prone vampires were to turning on one another unless they were very high standing. Of course even the highest ranking vampires turned on one another, but they tended to play the long game and had no problems waiting centuries for the right moment, while low born vampires who were eager for status and title were always quick to draw blood.

It was hard to connect the Lucia in front of him with the one she was telling him about. Because in front of him was a strong woman that wouldn't take shit from anyone, and yet for 7 centuries she was clay in the hands of some monster. It sounded like she was ripped away from her life and nothing more than a trophy of conquest, then suddenly a puppet with no strings. If she had truly planned a murder suicide it made him wonder just what kind of control over her Dimas had. Had he made her feel like she couldn't live without him, or did she hate the life he had thrust upon her so much death seemed like a real option?

When it was all out in the open, there was a bad taste in his mouth. " I already didn't like Baba Yaga, as if I needed another reason to hate her," He said, voice heavy with sorrow. Lucia clearly still suffered from this memory, in a similar way that he still suffered from his own worst memory, and yet Baba Yaga was going to bring everything to light regardless of what the person wanted.

" I'm sorry Lucia," For what he wasn't totally sure, he was sorry for everything really. That she went through that, that her life reached such a low, that her choice to reveal something so personal was taken from her. " But thank you for telling me, even if your hand was forced." He felt more prepared at least, he had an idea of what he was going to see and that gave him time to prepare for it, not just for himself but for whatever way Lucia reacted to the whole group reliving her at her worst.

" Thank you for telling me. You've told me that talking about the past makes things easier, I hope that's true. For both our sakes."
 
“Oh yes, we can all agree this is a powerful force to be reckoned with,” Alucard could not argue that, no matter what it ended up being. The bestiary didn’t seem to have any other ideas, but then, it was pulled from Trevor’s memory. If Trevor had not been able to think of anything else, it was unlikely the bestiary was going to have anything notable in it. He did glance at the book over Sypha’s shoulder as she paged through it, before stepping away from her.

No one seemed to have any ideas of what to do in regards to the memory. What task it could be.

Alucard had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to figure it out on his own, and perhaps he shouldn’t dwell on it, but how could he not? He knew he was going to have to face that horrible memory first, and at the same time try and figure out why – what was wanted of him, and the others, in viewing these things.

Could it simply be a trap devised to keep them there by an enchanted storm and horrible memories? An idea that if they wouldn’t face them all, they’d never leave, with all the trappings of comforts there to keep them from leaving and saving the world? Somehow, that seemed too simple, and yet feasible.

Why face horrible things when there was comfort here, and all that they wanted? They could let the world fall apart outside and be safe here.

Yet, it wasn’t in any of their natures. He knew – or he wanted to believe – that even Lucia would get over this, as Danica seemed to think. Trevor, too, would rise to the occasion, no matter how cruel the world had been to him. The same of Aveline. “I suppose we should consider going onwards after we’ve all gotten a bit to eat, and to sleep.”

Danica gave a nod, “Though we will likely want to wait till night,” it gave Lucia time to recover, and she could join them, then.

Johann frowned, “Do you think it will change from night to day?” He was actually curious about that. “If this is an enchanted storm, couldn’t this all be enchanted to a sort of…eternal night, too? Seems unfair for Baba Yaga to hinder our ability to do the tasks like that.”

“What part of this seems fair to you at all, Johann?” Sypha had to ask, and Johann just shrugged. Nothing really seemed fair, but he was pretty sure a creature like Baba Yaga operated under rules. If they all had to do the tasks, they should all be given a fair chance to do the tasks. An eternal night seemed like an easy thing for someone of that power.

“Well, we’ll see soon enough,” Alucard shrugged, “though I wonder what that may mean about the passage of time outside of here, if so.”

That caused Johann to bite his lip, and he could see the wheels in Alucard’s head turning for the worst as one fist clenched at his side, that tick of irritation and impatience familiar – the fear that a day might be a year outside of here, that they’d step out in a world more ravaged.

“M-maybe a day here is an hour outside?” Johann thought to profess the opposite.

~***~

Trevor did not let the silence linger, but spoke into it, bitterly. He wasn’t a fan of whoever was causing this anymore than she was. ‘They’re lucky I have more pressing concerns.’ And hopefully not fool enough to forget how long a vampire’s memory was. Lucia would not soon be forgetting this.

Trevor’s own sorrow did cause her to glance up, almost feeling guilty for not finding a way to make this…lighter. To not burden him with it, or at least make it seem less.

It never was less.

Lucia had moved on and created a life for herself. On most days, the thought never bothered her – but that didn’t mean there weren’t still days when she was stricken by it, out of the blue. She could always pick herself up again and move on, but it was never something that would leave her. She didn’t try to force another smile, though she did shake her head as he apologized. Obviously, he had nothing to be sorry for. He hadn’t done this to her – no part of it. He hadn’t even forced her to speak.

“It helps, in the long run,” Lucia knew that to be true. Rehashing it, again and again, did not lessen it, but it had affirmed to her that what happened was wrong. It had affirmed to her that she was making better decisions now. “It probably is not so encouraging to see how it can still…how something so long ago can still get to someone my age, but it isn’t every day. It isn’t most days.” And she was working to grow beyond it.

It wasn’t even so much to prove anything, any more.

She liked who she was. She’d figured it out, eventually. “I figured out who I was. I don’t think of him most days, or what happened to bring me here. It gets better.” Perhaps that was all she could prove to Trevor. “But these days…still happen.” When all she wanted to do was sleep time away, as if she were dead. When she wanted nothing to do with anyone because everything was wrong.

But she knew it was her normal. And it would be Trevor’s normal. If he was aware of it…he could deal with it. Hopefully in a healthier way than she did. “Do better than me.” She meant it only as advice for him to find that healthier way – but realized after it was said it was also a quiet plea for him to look anywhere else than her, as well. Danica was going to be so annoyed with her.
 
" I don't like that idea at all," Aveline insisted. Whether this enchanted storm made a year go by in a day or a day go by in an hour she didn't like all this messing with time. They didn't have time they could afford to just throw around. Every day was another day that people died and Dracula got closer to what ever he was planning. Of course she knew he wanted to destroy humanity but just how he was going about it she wasn't sure, though the fact he had summoned his war council told her there would be a method. Lives would be thrown away while Dracula moved pawns on a piece of paper and it pissed her off.

Plus there was also the idea that if, no once they left this storm that time would catch up with them. If a day here truly was a year to the real world when they returned did that mean Sypha, Trevor, Johann, and Danica would suddenly age a year? No she refused to accept even that possibility, because if for some reason they weren't able to complete this quickly they were risking not only the lives of millions of innocents at Draculas hands but they were also risking the lives of the humans right here. Vaguely the idea of spending a month here came to mind, what if a month here meant the moment they stepped outside back in the real world her friends would rapidly age in front of her eyes. Johanns hair could start to grey, Trevor could start to hunch over, Danicas bones could start to ache, and Sypha could start to wrinkle.

" I don't think any of us have liked anything that's happened in the past couple of hours," Johann sighed.

" I mean I liked finding the preserves and eating them," Sypha spoke up with a small shrug. They had all clearly enjoyed their peaceful time in the kitchen preparing their food and drinks. "But I agree things are bad. Even if this wasn't totally bad. We do have a roof over our heads, a warm fire place, rooms for all of us, a bathtub, food..." Sypha ticked off each on her fingers, but they were all aware of the cost of these things. Each of them would be paying for their full stomachs and warm beds when it was their turn to reveal to everyone their worst memory.

Sypha closed the bestiary and clapped her hands together before pushing up from the table," Talking about the bathtub reminded me that I want to use it before it gets too late. I imagine we'll all want to take a dip in it at some point," and all those oils and soaps certainly hadn't escaped her notice. She wanted to pick out the one she preferred and just soak in the tub for a bit.

Sypha picked out the soap and oil that smelt the best to her then disappeared, barely able to keep her excitement contained.

" I think I want to look upstairs for my room," Aveline decided, her cake did still need time to rise and from what the others had told her everyone had a room up there for them, and maybe hers had something special that she had lost or reminded her of home. " It'll be weird sleeping and not hearing Sypha snore from across the room though," She chuckled. Normally when they were in an Inn she shared a room with at least Sypha, sometimes Danica as well, and she had gotten used to the sounds of people sleeping near her.

" If you'll miss her i'm sure you can ask Sypha to scoot over a bit," Johann teased but Aveline rolled her eyes with a chuckle, " And have her think I have a bigger crush on her than she already does? It's not good to inflate her ego that much."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trevor had come here to make Lucia feel better, though that was probably too selfish a goal. He came here to listen to her, to make sure that if she was suffering that she wasn't suffering alone, but again she was the one comforting him.

" Seeing that you're still living your life despite what you've been through is more reassuring than you'd think," He assured her. Lucia was hundreds of years old at this point, older than jesus he remembered, and she had been through horrible things. She had lost family, freedom, and at one point the will to live but she was still here. If he could live a full life only haunted by his past every once in a while instead of every day then he would gladly take it.

And she was trying to show him, every time she talked with him and talked him through a hard day she was trying to show him what she had done.

Which was why he was honestly confused when she told him to do better than her. There was more behind her words than what was there at face value, he wasn't as smart as some of the others but even he could read between the lines sometimes. He saw through the self deprecation the way that Lucia was trying to put distance between them when what he had wanted for some time was to close that gap.

He couldn't promise that it would be good for either of them, he hadn't been invested in a persons health and happiness since his sisters decades ago. Lucia in all honesty deserved better than anything he could give her, but god if she didn't make him feel better than he had in a long time just from a smile or a laugh. Her biting wit, sharp tongue, and the way she could handle herself all while being this reliable source of comfort when he needed it most kept him orbiting around her.

" I can honestly say you're one of the best people I've ran across in twenty years Lucia," He said as he pushed himself away from the wall and walked over to her, " I can't imagine finding any one better to dish out good advice, keep up with me in a fight, and look good while they're doing it," He added with a smirk.

" You have your bad days, I've been having a bad life. If anything you could do better than me," he added. The whole group could of done better when it came to finding a hunter for their little prophesy, but he was the last Belmont so they were stuck with him," But you're stuck with me." He had agreed to following her after this was all said and done, and despite the impending doom that was facing his past demons he had no plans on ruining their deal.

The thought that maybe since Baba Yaga had created this palace for them there was alcohol in the house honestly hadn't hit him until right now, and in the past he would of immediately gone to look for it. Now he stood here with Lucia, and enjoyed a silent pride knowing that alcohol didn't have quite the same grip on him anymore.
 
Sypha was right – there were perks, and Alucard had considered those as the costs, the ways to also entrap them here. Sypha was prepared to pay for it, it seemed, finally heading off that way now that it seemed Lucia wasn’t inclined to take her turn first, but preferred instead to sulk upstairs. He gave a nod, acknowledging her heading off, and he made a note to try and keep track of time.

He had wanted to sleep, it had been a while since he had, but now with the thought in mind that night might never end, he needed to test that. He needed to stay up and monitor the time, even if he didn’t truly have a way other than his own understandings of the flow of it. He didn’t have an hourglass or any other timekeeper that he could monitor to tick down the hours until day should be there.

Unless there was one somewhere in the house.

“Dibs on next!” Johann called after Sypha. Of course, he made the mental note that if Lucia got to feeling better so soon, he’d give up his spot, but he did miss being so clean.

Aveline wanted to head to her room, and Alucard realized then he hadn’t looked over his much. He’d figured it out without much thought, but he couldn’t quite say why. Perhaps he had seen something but overlooked it consciously, just mildly aware of how the room appealed to him.

Danica did chuckle a bit, “Oh, it might do her some good,” Danica teased, “but I suppose some others might get the wrong idea.” Alucard, though that was unlikely. He probably understood it was all just in good play.

“I think I’ll head back up as well. I did not give my room much of a look,” he admitted. He’d been distracted in trying to figure out the mystery of the house, and Trevor.

Danica reached for bestiary, and before Johann could even thinking of going up as well, said, “Johann, you’re going to have to help me understand some of the things in here,” to keep him from following the pair of halfings up. They could likely use a few moments alone – they weren’t quite so willing to isolate themselves as either Lucia or Trevor were, easily engaging with the group instead. Danica was glad for it – but she also wanted them to have some time on their own, and while Sypha was getting clean, she could learn a bit more on the monsters of this world with Johann.

“Sure!” He was interested enough and hardly considered Danica’s ulterior motive, as Alucard moved away from the table.

“I didn’t find yours,” he told Aveline, “though I did not look so far.” He didn’t explain how he was so sure he hadn’t found hers, either. He just…knew. Somehow he was certain he’d know which room belonged to Aveline, even if he’d never seen her in any place like her home. “I barely even looked at mine,” he admitted as he reached the stairs. He’d let her pass up them first, before following after her.

No doubt she’d be surprised with how large this was.

~***~

What had Lucia expected, for Trevor to agree? No, of course not, but the words had still left her mouth as if he might agree that her method was unhealthy – hiding out, wanting to just sleep, instead of trying to re-engage with everyone. As if it might be enough of a mark against her. She still considered it a poor coping mechanism, but she was talking to Trevor, who was familiar with worse.

Trevor who was making blankets for everyone, while kicking demon ass, who kept astounding her with the talents he had – talents that spoke to the life he had, once, and presently. A man who grew up with too many sisters, and could be too sweet for his own good. Who complimented too easily.

Trevor, who moved closer, and Lucia felt two immediate pulls at once. She could pull her legs up from the floor and to her chest, as some sort of pathetic shield. ‘Against what?’

Against the fact his kind words and compliments did reassure her, did encourage her. She had reminded herself that she would move through it, but he believed in it, too.

She could have told Trevor that he should have some faith there were others out there just as amazing – but even she’d admit that finding a woman in this day and age, with the norms, who could keep up with Trevor in a fight would be a tall task. She’d almost feel like a liar to say it. It was true, there were others…but Trevor finding them might not happen.

Or they’d be vampires.

And she’d rather Trevor be stuck with her if he even looked twice at another vampire. ‘So why not…?’ Perhaps it was the subject of Dimas and her rebellion against what she thought she couldn’t have before, but she found some bravery.

She went with the second instinct.

“Yes,” Lucia rose to meet Trevor when he stepped closer to her. “Despite trying to make it so difficult it seems I am stuck with you,” a grin teased onto her lips but still faltered, a bit. A moment’s hesitation struck her, before she wrapped her arms over his shoulders for an embrace. It would be loose at first, waiting a response. If it was clear it was unwelcome, she’d let him go, but if not it would only tighten a bit.

But she’d use the moment to make sure she wouldn’t see his own expression, and to hide hers, to say the words, “I don’t mind. I’m growing fond of you. More fond than I thought I should,” how long had she thought it? “I quite like you, Trevor Belmont.” Obviously, she liked him – but she did not imagine she’d have to explain the meaning. It was a like that could become more, a like that was insane for any vampire, and one she should have tried harder to kill or stifle – but there it was. Spoken. And if he didn’t think the same he had a moment to compose himself in the embrace. It was the smallest mercy she could give.
 
The fact that everyone had a room to themselves was interesting and unexpected, but if Baba Yaga really wanted them to stay here she had certainly pulled out all the stops. She had left the house full of everything they could of hoped for, delicious foods and luxuries that they hadn't had in a long time, though why she did even that was still a mystery. If Baba Yaga wanted to trap them here she didn't need to go through all this effort, her snow storms was clearly hindering them as it was regardless of how nice this house was. She could of left them to shiver in a half burnt down shed and they wouldn't of been able to do anything about it.

Vaguely Aveline wondered if this was Baba Yagas way of justifying the tasks she was putting in front of them, because for some of them facing a horrible memory seemed impossible. Maybe that impossibly large task was the reason why Baba Yaga had to do the impossible to keep them here, like equivalent exchange. She couldn't ask them to do something so hard unless she did so much for them they were unable to refuse her.

" but you did find your room," Aveline pointed out as she and Alucard ascended the stairs, " How did you know it was your room? Were there name plates or something?" She chuckled, but once they reached the top of the stairs she paused. The hall was too long to possibly be real, the house hadn't looked large enough on the outside to hold even half of this. Yet straight down the impressive hall there were 7 rooms, three of each side and a final imposing door at the end of the hall. There weren't any name plates, but at the same time they didn't feel needed.

Aveline couldn't put it into words but she could feel something drawing her into the hallway, she easily passed the first 4 rooms without giving them a second though. She stopped at the end of the hall, then turned to the door on the right. This was her room, she could just tell. Reaching out the handle felt familiar in her hand, like it was worn to fit in her hand just right, and when she opened it the scent was even familiar.

Inside the room had a familiar dark green bed spread on it, and on a near by dresser was the source of the familiar scent. A vase of Hydrangeas and Sunflowers were turned towards the door like they were waiting to her, and Aveline stepped inside wordlessly. The petals felt real under her finger tips, but they couldn't possibly it wasn't the season for them. " This is cruel," She spoke up. She wasn't sure if Alucard had followed her but she didn't really care if she was speaking to herself.

" There were flower beds full of sunflowers and Hydrangeas around my house, you could smell them everywhere," They smelt like home to her. Her father had always smelt of sunflowers and Hydrangeas, and she always knew what she was close to come because she could smell them. " and that comforter, it was my favorite one. It was originally my fathers but I stole it off his bed so often he eventually told me it was mine." She hadn't brought it with her on her journey because it was too large and bulky for her to carry, but she missed it. Especially when it got cold like this.

Maybe this was supposed to be comforting, but honestly it felt more painful than anything. She thought she had gotten strong enough to be around this things that reminded her of her father without being upset, but this was too much. Knowing that SOMETHING had rooted around in her head and tainted her precious memories upset her, and she decided she didn't want anything to do with this room. She'd sleep in the living room instead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The hug was a shock because Christ when was the last time he had hugged someone? Trevor was pretty sure slinging your arm over someones shoulder as they pulled you along didn't count, but was this really his first hug in 20 years? Probably not, but it was definitely the first one he remembered because he imagined that while being drunk he had gotten into all sorts of situations that he didn't remember.

Returning the hug wasn't even a question in his mind, his arms moved naturally and he pulled Lucia close. He could feel her hide her face in his shoulder but he didn't feel anything but a fondest for her when she did it because he knew enough about her at this point. He knew she would never take advantage of him, that they weren't enemies who were working together for the sake of the world. Over the course of this journey they had first become allies, then friends, and now this thing he was almost afraid of putting a label on.

" I like you too, Lucia Belune."

A label would be too soon for something as fragile as this,but this quiet moment was like a silent promise. They were both acknowledging there was something here between them that had potential to be more, but he didn't want to stifle it before it had a chance to bloom.

So Trevor would settle for this hug, with his nose buried in Lucias hair and her face buried in his neck, in the quiet of a house stuck in the middle of an enchanted storm. Despite the fact he doubted this would of happened without the storm trapping him here he wasn't suddenly inclined to thank Baba Yaga for this. He also vaguely worried that she might think she had some hand in this, he refused to 'repay' an old witch for this intimate moment that he and Lucia had built up towards for weeks now.

" I can't blame you for being fond of me," He teased her as he pulled back from the hug enough to look down at her, he wanted to try and see her face. He wanted to know if vampires could blush. " I can be charming when I want to be."

He also wanted to check in on Lucias mood after everything was said and done. He knew from his own demons that even something as nice as this didn't suddenly make everything go away. When you were weighted down by your past or by a depression that would never leave you a single person couldn't make it right. There were scars that would always ache regardless of the company you kept.

He and Lucia could be there to support one another when the days were hard and neither of them wanted to keep going, but he wasn't so arrogant to think he had made Lucia forget about Dima. Even with all the experience he had under his belt when it came to fighting monsters he couldn't do anything about the monsters in a persons past. In the least though he hoped that he had been a high light in an otherwise shitty day.
 
“No, no name plates,” Alucard chuckled as well, following Aveline up, “I just knew when I opened it,” he would have to look at it again, but he had known it was his when he opened it and would likely be able to figure out just why if he gave it another look. It hadn’t been like the room in the castle. He knew that. Yet still, it had spoken to him.

It wasn’t like his room at Lisa’s home, either.

Aveline did not bother to open the doors near the stairs, or close by. She walked all the way to the end, though she didn’t open the imposing one at the end, only one on one side of the hall, and it seemed that she knew immediately. ‘Was it the flowers?’ Alucard could smell them when the door was opened. Their scent carried on the wind then, and he took a step in, but did not go far as Aveline was drawn to the flowers.

She was not happy with it, and he wondered if Lucia’s reaction to hearing of the bath had been much the same.

What was here, what was meant for them, was not bringing them all joy. For some, it was a cruel reminder of what was lost, and what could not be regained.

He stepped further in, closer to her, to linger just behind her and peer over her at the flowers, and then over to the bed, as she explained the importance of each thing within the room and how they tied back to her home. To her life. “You don’t have to stay in here,” he said, reaching a hand up to place it on her back, “You can use my room if this upsets you too much,” he would easily offer it. He imagined there might be others who would trade with her, as well, if this bothered her too much.

To him, the scent of the flowers was comfortable, and the hues were dark and cozy on the eyes. Hadn’t he guessed that she liked green best, once upon a time? “I can show you to mine, if you like,” if she did not want to linger in these memories, he had no problems just quickly putting this room behind them. “I don’t think there were any flowers in there at all.” If so, he’d overlooked them.

If so, they’d be lilies.

Then it might be easier to ask her about the sunflowers, and the hydrangeas.

He was curious why those two flowers, of all the flowers in the world, as significant ones around her home. His mother had certainly had her favorites, of course, for non-practical reasons. Had her father preferred them? Or was it Aveline’s mother?

Perhaps it was even a mix of both, like the rings….

His hand trailed across her back to her shoulder, to offer a light squeeze, with just the hint of the suggestion she turn away from this if it was causing her pain. To heed his suggestion and go along with him to a place that would not be so offensive to her senses.

~***~

It was almost stupid how much Lucia had wanted just this, even before she felt like she was sinking again. Just an embrace. She’d almost felt as if she’d stolen something close in taking his cloak, but this was better. Even if his response was at once relieving and like a dagger through the heart.

Now she was on unfamiliar ground.

In all her centuries alive she’d only made a confession even remotely similar to that one, to Carmilla – and she’d fallen hard and fast for Carmilla. Even if she tried to blame it on the situation, it didn’t take away from how she’d felt, then, and how natural it had seemed. How easy Carmilla made it.

This…didn’t feel so easy, and Lucia still wasn’t sure she should have said it. She had gone through decades holding such thoughts back before, or stifling them before they grew into anything more. With them out…with it returned…it might have the chance to grow, and that did terrify her. Not that she would dare to say it then, as Trevor joked and pulled back, and she had a moment to breathe and compose.

They liked each other. For now, it was enough to have that in the air, because Lucia wasn’t sure where to go from there, or if they should move from there.

He’d be disappointed by the lack of blush. Vampires could, but this was hardly going to stir the blood to waste itself in such a fashion. Like tears, such things remained rare expressions. “Really? I haven’t seen charming yet,” she teased back, but allowed the break, allowed herself to step back again. The smile still wasn’t sticking, her mind still not quite present – and now clogged with a thousand worries for being on new ground. “I think it’s been the kindness,” and the ease of banter, of course, “even after everything that’s been thrown at you. It’s just too damn easy to admire it in you.”

How quickly he came to be protective of the others, and how easily his kindness shone through his actions. He could have become bitter, or hardened. He could have kept his distance, and not cared whether or any of them lived or died, herself in particular, but…he didn’t.

“I do appreciate you coming to check on me,” she would have thought Danica or Trevor would have, and perhaps if Trevor hadn’t, it’d be Danica. Or no one and she’d get her not-so peaceful depression nap. Only now did she consider it might end up being just another trip into the nightmare realm, and she didn’t want that. “I know I’m not alone in not wanting to relive these memories.” She should be able to just suck it up and deal with it, like Alucard. “I’m also painfully aware I may lash out and I do not want to do that.” They didn’t deserve it. “Or shut down.” Close off, as she tried to do by coming up here.

She walked back around to that music box, fingers trailing over it, “And I’m not certain how to prevent it or deal with it if I do.” Because usually she had time to go elsewhere, to close up alone for a bit, but this was a mission to go after Dracula, and she knew Sypha in particular took great offense to whenever Trevor acted up on his emotions.

She would certainly take similar offense if Lucia did it. Lucia had far more time to get over it.

“I would have been able to talk about it…but it’s different to have people see it.” Trevor had to be thinking along the same lines. It was hard enough for him to talk about it. For others to see it? She could only imagine how it was hitting him, and that thought did at least make her pause, to ask, “Are you…is there anything I can do to make it easier for you?” Whether then, or whether in the moment when the others reacted and responded, or after. She hardly knew what to do for herself when she knew all she’d want to do would be to storm off and ignore everyone.
 
Aveline pulled her hand away from the flowers, letting her hand rest on the desk as Alucards comforting hand found its way onto her back. It was grounding to feel him there, instead of getting lost in her memories which she very well could have if she had been in here by herself. The longer she was in here the more small details she noticed, like the wood that the furniture was made of. She recognized the dark down timber from her home forest, her father had made practically everything in their house out of it, but the fact Baba Yaga went this far was a bit shocking. Just how custom were each of the rooms and did she think she was helping instead of hurting?

Maybe she was getting too worked up over this, but she remembered planting these flowers with her parents when her father had first put together his house. She and her father had planted the seeds but her mother had used her magic to make them grow instantly, no wait required. And she had helped her father make that green comforter, even if as a kid that just meant watching him or handing him the things he asked for.

" I'm not going to steal your room from you, Alucard." She told him with a soft but strained chuckle. " But I do think i'm going to sleep downstairs, the living room had a pretty comfy looking couch." His offer was kind, but she wasn't going to take his room from him because she had issues that she still wasn't over. Plus it was embarrassing to admit that there were still issues. It felt like the others had a better handle on their issues than she did, she shouldn't even have issues right now. She should just be worried about defeating Dracula, if she couldn't even stay in a room with a vase of flowers did she really think she could defeat the king of vampires?

Feeling Alucards gentle squeeze of her shoulder she turned a bit to look up at him, she felt the urge to apologize but she knew he would tell her there was nothing to apologize for, so instead she let him led her out of the room. The door closed behind them with a gentle click and she enjoyed that last bitter sweet smell of sunflowers and Hydrangeas before looking up at the Dhampir.

" Sorry about that, it was a bit dramatic." She chuckled sheepishly, then rubbed at the back of her neck. " Lets look for your room, maybe you'll like yours more than I liked mine." Trying to move past the subject was the best and easiest way to deal with these things that Aveline had discovered.

Truthfully it was running away, which she was good at. She had run away from the mountain and her mother, now she was running away from that room. She just wondered how long she would be able to run, because the comforting hand Alucard had on her shoulder was a reminder that sometimes you couldn't run.

For tonight at least she could run down stairs, but it felt a bit ominous because before she would of put miles between herself and her problems but the best she could do now was a pair of stairs. It was like a silent promise that she wouldn't be able to run forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trevor let out a scandalized, but exaggerated, gasp when Lucia called him out. " You don't think i'm charming?" He asked with a curious raised of his eyebrow. " Because I think giving you my cloak was pretty charming." He was trying to be charming right now, maybe a smile just right and a wiggle of his eyebrows would get a smile from Lucia or a bit of blush.

Instead it was her making him blush a bit, he hadn't expected to be called kind. It wasn't something he got called alot. An ass, a plague, a trouble causer, all those and more described him but kind? And what was there to admire about him? He was an excommunicated orphan with a drinking problem, but Lucia saw something in him worth admiring? He looked away from Lucia to try and compose himself a bit.

He coughed softly into his hand to clear his throat, he didn't want her seeing just how flustered she had gotten him because she wouldn't be merciful about that. She was a huge tease herself. " You don't have to thank me for checking in on you, someone would of done it. I just wanted to be the first," He wouldn't be the last he knew that, Danica and Lucia were close. Their bond went deeper than a servant and their master, they were clearly good friends and even then maybe familial was a better way to describe their bond. Regardless he knew that Danica would come up at some point tonight to check on Lucia, and she would probably do a better job at talking her through all this than he was.

This was his first time seeing Lucia in a state like this, and while he appreciated being let in like this he wasn't sure he had handled it that well. Danica probably knew what to do when Lucia got into a mood like this without even having to think about it, he was jealous of that honestly but maybe after today he would learn what to say to Lucia when her days were hard and she just wanted to sleep away her problems.

Still she was right, she wasn't the only person that wanted to drag their feet when tomorrow came. He wasn't sure how quickly they would be able to get through everyones memories, he wasn't sure what all they would be seeing or how each person would react. In theory it would be best to do all these memories back to back, to get them done and over with so they could leave and continue on their journey, but was it a good idea to compromise everyone like that? Would any of them be at their best after reliving their worth memory in front of people? He knew for a fact he wouldn't, and Lucia sounded certain that she wouldn't be either.

" Having people see you when you're that vulnerable is a lot different than talking about it," He agreed. When you talked about it you were the one in power, where as physically seeing it made the emotions much more raw. How much pain could you keep in check? How much face could you save while your friends watched you suffer?

He sighed, he didn't know what he wanted when his turn came. Normally he'd want to be alone and he'd lash out to get that, but he couldn't do that not again. Sypha got mad enough as it was when it happened and they would all be having a bad day up to that point, he didn't want to take it out on everyone else.

Finally he spoke up, his voice soft. " When it does happen....can you just try to be understanding?" It was a weak excuse but when everything came back to bite him in the ass he just wanted someone to understand why he was upset or angry. Telling him to just get over it because it happened 20 years ago, like Sypha seemed to learn towards, only made him angrier and reluctant to talk about. But if after everyone saw the truth with their own eyes, if they still thought he needed to get over it then having at least Lucias understanding patient nature would be nice.
 
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“If you’re certain…I would not mind,” Alucard noted, as Aveline denied his offer to take up his room. He was already planning to stay awake, so it wouldn’t have been a loss, “I might disturb you with my pacing if you stay in the living room,” he added with a slight chuckle of his own, not quite strained, but not at its usual strength.

It was more somber to match the mood.

He left with her from the room, and shook his head at the idea of it being dramatic. Perhaps it was…but now wasn’t the time to call her on it. He wasn’t letting himself deal with his own issues until after Dracula, he could not ask Aveline to confront something like this, not now. No one here wanted to confront anything that was being thrust in front of them.

It was bad enough she’d have to share a memory.

So he led her easily to the room he recalled being his own, the one next to Aveline’s, as the first room in the hall hadn’t been his. That door remained opened, he realized. He hadn’t gone back to shut it, and he left it as it was for the moment, opening up his room to reveal the room that was mostly in black and white hues once more.

It was not like any room he’d had before, but he realized why it was here with that second glance, and with more understanding of how Baba Yaga seemed to be working.

It was a room he’d started to design, in his ‘happier future’ where both of his parents were alive. The room he had back in the castle had felt too ‘childish’ for him, the bed had seemed too small, and the decorations were all from his childhood or infancy, things his parents had lovingly put work into, but things of which he’d outgrown.

It was full of components of things he’d found across the globe in his travels, the bed and desk made of a dark, strong wood, the deep blue blankets of sherpa over silvery satin, books of all sorts lining the walls and colored pencils in hundreds of shades near parchment upon his desk, as well as a small mannequin that he could pose.

The ceiling, however, was much like the one from his childhood…the starry sky above…only now there were constellations upon it, the night sky over Wallachia, no matter where he went.

“Much fewer flowers in here,” he did say, as if that was some perk to it.

~***~

Lucia considered helping his ego with the comment that she could be ‘charmed’ by his kindness, but decided not to. Seeing him fluster was endearing in its own way, even if it was also a bit sad to know Trevor didn’t see it the same to be flustered by it. Or perhaps he hadn’t thought others saw it that way.

She hummed a bit after his comment on how someone else would have checked on her, “If everyone thought that way, no one would ever do anything. If it was always the thought that ‘someone else will do it’,” and perhaps it was true, but it was not the point. Relying on someone else to do it was a poor way to live. And Trevor hadn’t relied on that. He still came – and that was important to her.

It was worth her gratitude.

And worth repaying in some way. At least focusing on what she could do helped her to feel a bit less powerless against what was coming up for her. It gave her something to focus on, and that might help her to power through it. She knew they would all need some help to get through it – but she knew she wouldn’t be right to help everyone.

She and Trevor at least seemed on a similar wavelength. Trevor was inclined to lash out, much as she was. “I can do that,” she agreed. It was certainly what she would have defaulted to, because she could hardly expect Trevor to be through with his own issues when she could still be impacted by hers years later. “And one more – we’ll do my memory before yours. If the others can’t be understanding after seeing I have issues, they’re lost causes for empathy.”

She wouldn’t expect understanding for herself from Sypha, but perhaps it would help her to be gentler to Trevor. The others, as well – though she didn’t think any but Alucard might need that reminder. Aveline, Danica, and Johann were generally inclined to be nice already. Alucard and Sypha had a hardness to them. It certainly helped them to power through their own difficulties, but it could also harm when it came to situations like this.
 
The information that Alucard wasn't going to sleep tonight got a frown from Aveline, they were finally in a place with beds and a warm fire but he wasn't going to try and rest up? She didn't press It though, she could understand. He had offered himself up as a type of sacrificial lamb, he was going to put his worst memory on display for all of them tomorrow, no one would be able to sleep easily if that was in their immediate future.

Stepping into Alucards room after him she hummed in awe at the sight of everything, she hadn't known what to expect but this fit him well. A room full of knowledge and possibilities, he was a bit of an artist so she wasn't surprised to find art supplies, and the bookshelves lining the walls also weren't a surprise. Without a doubt though the most amazing part of the room was the painting of the night sky on the ceiling.

" It's beautiful.Is this your real room somewhere out there?" She said softly as she sat down on the bed, the sheets soft but warm under her touch. Even the sheets made sense, silky and elegant to match him. It was hard to tear her eyes away from the ceiling but she did look at Alucard, she wanted to know how he was feeling in here. Her own room had upset her, the memories reminded her too much of what she lost, and it was possible that this room would do the same to him.

" If you'd like some flowers you can take the ones from my room," She offered him with a playful chuckle, then laid back on his bed to get a better view of the stars. They seemed to really glimmer and sparkle, she wondered if that was Baba Yagas magic. " Do you know the constellations?" she asked curious if they held any special meaning to him. Was this a specific night sky or maybe just a collection of stars that he most enjoyed?

She could see him in here though, she hoped to see him in a place like this one day. Right now he was so ridged, he drove the carriage, he fought, he drank her blood when she insisted he needed it (he had never asked now that she thought about it) and he rarely slept. Just because he only needed to sleep once a week didn't mean that's the schedule he should stick to. Who didn't love taking a nap then just laying under warm sheets for a while? She was half tempted to accept Alucards offer to stay in here, but if he was going to be pacing downstairs then she wasn't going to leave him to suffer alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trevors blue eyes went wide, Lucia was willing to tackle her own memory before his? Was that for his sake? She was going to show her worst memory, the thing that caused her pain all these centuries later like some sort of test to use against the others? If they couldn't be kind and understanding to her then what chance did he have? Still it didn't feel right to use her like some type of guide.

" I don't want you pushing yourself for my sake, I know we'll have to get through these memories at one point or another but..." His issues didn't seem as bad as Lucias, they couldn't be if her memories were still plaguing her almost 700 years after the fact. " If I can buy you time to avoid your memories then I don't mind going before you."

Maybe it was a pointless gesture, he would only be delaying the inevitable but when you didn't want to do something then every minute you could buy was precious. Besides he was used to the others shitting on him and hating him at this point. He wasn't here to make friends, he was here to help kill Dracula. If the others thought he was being dramatic by the end of this then they could kiss his ass.

" Though maybe everyone else will be more understanding once all their dirty laundry is out for everyone to see," It was easy for Alucard and Sypha to act like he was being dramatic when they had their own painful histories they were covering up, but could they still think lowly of him when their wounds were being aired out in front of everyone? Honestly this whole thing would probably be a shit show, you never knew how someone would react when their back was against the wall emotionally and he was a bit tense about the whole thing for more sakes than his own.

Alucard had volunteered to go first, and the fact the dhampir was holding onto his resolve by ignoring his own feelings hadn't escaped him. Tomorrow Alucards strategy of powering through things wouldn't work for him anymore, so he was on guard. Alucards temper was the cool and cold type, he had a feeling that when the dhampir snapped it would be quick with no real warning. He just hoped tomorrow wouldn't be that day, they couldn't afford to be fighting amongst themselves.
 
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