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Fandom Castlevania: Night's Dirge [Closed]

Alucard lingered back and let Aveline step in and absorb the room first. He only waited until she fell back on his bed before stepping further in and shutting the door behind them. That added to the darkness of the room, allowing those stars to sparkle even more above them. The books had titles he was familiar with, but few were ones he read. He idly wondered what sorts of things would be in them, given that fact.

Likely, blank pages.

Or perhaps a few quotes he’d heard from the books.

“No, this isn’t my room,” he shook his head, “It’s…the room I was starting to design. My old room is still childish,” his smile was a bit wry as he moved by the desk and its colored pencils, fingers grazing the wood, “There’s still a basket of toys in it, and stories I’ve read hundreds of times. The ceiling isn’t nearly so ornate as this one, but…it was full of stars.” He cast his gaze up at that sky.

“It’s Wallachia,” he told her, “the sky in fall. I know all the constellations,” he gestured to one, “There’s Pegasus, and Pisces,” his finger outlined them, even if the angle likely wouldn’t help Aveline see them any better. “Andromeda is here, and Draco…you can see Draco at any time of the year, though.”

Saying it would not have normally caused him any grief, but he could not help but reflect on the conversation of names. Of how Dracul meant Dragon, rather like Draco, and how strange it was now to him that Draco could be seen year round. How it was the first constellation he’d learned, because his mother thought it would be an easy one to work from, given it would always be there. He could learn the others in reference to Draco, during any season.

“I remember my mother trying to teach my father them…for his travels,” for when he’d walk as a man, “she’d tell us both how useful they would be in finding our way back home….”

~***~

Trevor’s reaction wasn’t quite expected, but no surprise all the same. Lucia shook her head a bit, “There’s no…avoiding this, Trevor.” There would be no avoiding her memory. The only choice she might have was when. Perhaps, for that, she shouldn’t take the choice from Trevor. Alucard had made his choice – first.

The others would figure it out, as well, “Perhaps we can at least delay until all the others have gone,” Alucard’s bold display was likely to encourage Aveline. Danica would likely walk into hers with more dignity than Lucia would ever be able to muster, and Johann would find his strength, too.

Sypha might be questionable, but somehow, she didn’t think it would be hard to make sure Sypha went before either of them. When they were all a bit compromised, they might find it more difficult to get on her or Trevor for still dealing with issues. Sure, Lucia handled it better – she had never become a roaming drunk like Trevor, but she’d never be able to tell him the pain left. That would be a lie.

“You’ll have to be understanding to them, too,” she noted, “Alucard, Sypha, Aveline, Johann, Danica…no matter how trivial it may end up seeming compared to what you’ve been through. You’ll have to be patient and understanding with them.” She did not know, in truth, how Alucard, Sypha, or Aveline were likely to respond. Danica and Johann she had some idea, as she imagined they had some understanding of her.

“Aveline and Sypha will probably need hugs.” She added as a suggestion, almost amused a bit with the thought of Trevor wrapping either of them up in a bear hug. Others appreciated those things. And she had, not long ago – but she knew she would not want to be touched at all after it. Not until she’d cooled. “Maybe Alucard,” while it was a bit of a joke…perhaps it wasn’t far off. He had always been a bit chilled – but never cold.
 
Gaze on the ceiling Aveline followed along with Alucards explanation, she knew a few of the constellations but not too many. Her father had taught her the ones that would help her find her way at night but even he hadn't learned anything too novel, he had been about survival for so long that sometimes you can see the skills more than the man. He tried to make up for it but years of being a mercenary and taking life wasn't something you could shed like a mantle just because you had a curious child on your hands.

" Once again Lisa Tepes sounds like a wonderful and intelligent woman," she hummed as she reached out her hand and traced where Pisces, her birth months constellation, was in the sky, then she turned to look at Alucard.

" Are you ok, Alucard?" She asked him softly in the darkness of the room, only the gleaming of the stars gave them light and even then it was so faint but she didn't need to see to hear the strain in his voice. No that was a stupid question, she knew the answer. He couldn't possibly be fine, but when she knew that his resolve was centered around keeping everything buried until their quest was done what could she do?

" I don't think keeping everything buried is the way to go about this, Alucard." she finally spoke up, " It's not healthy and you deserve to mourn."

And yet he was soldiering on through this. She could understand if their quest had only taken them a week, but they had been at this for weeks and before that Alucard had been asleep for years. It had to feel like his mothers death was just the other day and he was denying himself grief, he would end up bitter and sad like Trevor at this rate. But she didn't want to cross a line, he had told her what he intended to do back at that inn weeks ago.

That didn't change the fact she wanted to comfort him now.

" We can talk now, about your mother if you're willing. I don't think it will weaken your resolve to talk about her, if anything it would strength it. You clearly love her so much, I have no doubts that you'd do anything in the world to make her proud." Even if patricide was the only option open to him now.

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

" I'm not so crass a man I make light of others pain," Trevor defended himself but Lucia held a point. He knew himself, he couldn't promise that he wouldn't pull out a petty card like that if in the future someone was riding his ass. " At least not immediately after..." he amended after a moment. It just didn't feel right for someone to tell him to suck it up if they didn't experience what he had, but this was all just thought.

He didn't know the struggles everyone had been through, he had an idea of what Alucards memory would be and Lucia had given him this warning but he didn't see himself snapping at either of them. Even with all his playful banter with the Dhampir he knew the pain of losing family, he would never hurt someone by bring up a pain so similar to his own.

" I'll try harder than normal, i'm not good at the comforting thing but I think I can go without being an ass long enough for the wounds to heal." That was wishful thinking, but a real fear was that everyone would lash at one another when they were at their weakest. It would be easy to go for a persons open wounds when your own were on display.

Though he snorted a bit at the idea of him hugging Aveline or Sypha to make them feel better. " Do I look like I give good hugs?" He asked with a quirked brow, even though he had just given one to Lucia moments before. " Though I suppose If I offer Sypha one and she threatens to set me on fire we'll know if she's really OK or not." Normal sypha would never pass up a joke about setting him on fire. " And if Alucard accepts a hug from me I suppose that means he's worse off than we were aware."

Alucard was a cool man, Sypha had said being around alucard was like being in a well of sadness you couldn't escape, but did any of them know how deep that well went? Maybe Lucia had some idea, the two were close, but Aveline probably also had an idea. She seemed to be wadding in that well of sadness everyday for the Dhampirs sake, whether he realized it or not.

" Maybe you should be the one offering him the hug. You said you have baby stories about him, surely you held him while he cried." That would be more experience than he had with a crying anything, " Or Danica? She's motherly, a hug from her would set anyone straight."
 
Alucard couldn’t even muster a slight sound of amusement as Aveline commented on how ‘once again’ Lisa was wonderful. As if it were something that could ever be said too much – but perhaps, given her own mother, it could be overwhelming to laud Lisa so much. Yet, not even that thought could linger in the face of that question and the path his thoughts took.

Was he okay? No, of course not, he hadn’t been okay since her death and he wasn’t going to be okay for a while. It was not so hard when he was not thinking about it, and usually there was too much to do. Driving the carriage was an activity that kept him at least semi-focused, even if it could get dull. There was usually Danica to talk with, or Aveline when she wasn’t napping, and there were enough sights around them to talk about. Or the bitter cold to complain about.

Here, looking at what should have been his future, and recalling how those constellations had tied into his father wandering – no, he was not okay.

“Anything in the world except spare her lover and my father,” Alucard snapped almost as soon as the words were out of Aveline’s mouth, one hand falling to the desk. It wasn’t quite a slap to the wood, but it was certainly a hard hit as he braced his weight against it.

The mere suggestion that this act would make Lisa proud…it was a lie, a bitter lie, because the truth was he wasn’t patient enough, or clever enough, empathetic enough, smart enough – he wasn’t enough for his father, and so he was going to have to kill his father, and disappoint his mother, wherever her soul ended up.

No, she would not be happy with what Dracula was doing…but she would not be happy with him, either. “She would not be proud of me, Aveline. She was not a woman of violence,” she might not have been a pacifist, but she was still a woman of science.

A woman of thought, of rationality, while he now felt he spent too much time with the sword and not enough learning whatever mysterious secret, whatever magic, Lisa had in her, that thing which made her enough. “Yet I must live with that.”

It was not something he had yet accepted, for none of this was yet accepted. It remained on that verge. “I am the disappointment of the Tepes family. My father does not think enough of me, and I did not learn nearly enough from my mother,” or else perhaps he could have saved Dracula, if he had known, somehow, how to quell his madness the way she had.

Yet, he didn’t.

And he would lose it all, now. “I’m sorry,” he realized, then, his tone. His own anger felt like cold fire over his lips and he couldn’t imagine how it felt to hear it. “I…the more I think of it, when I think of it, the more I am certain that I am making the wrong decision. A hasty decision.” And the only argument he had was that he didn’t have time to make a better decision – and he’d never know what that could be, regardless.

~***~

That Trevor would try was enough. That he was then aware that being an ass wouldn’t help him, or the others, was another good step. Pain for pain was not a good way to work things out. No matter how difficult it was – and they were all going to be raw. They might lash out at each other. Lucia had learned how to endure such things without tossing it back, but it was not an easy lesson – especially as she knew she was likely to be in a similar state after her course.

This would certainly try every bit of her patience.

Though his question of hugs did have her arch an eyebrow. “Yes.” That was easy enough to answer, even without earlier confessions. Of course, to her, most larger or muscular people looked like they gave good hugs. The pressure, the feeling of being just wrapped up, were hard to beat. “We could use your offering as a test for people,” she mused as he seemed to consider the same, “but I suppose if you don’t want to offer it, there’s no need.”

Lucia knew she’d respond to the moment, rather than plan out too much.

Alucard…she did not think she would touch him, until it was over. While she did not know how well his strategy would work, she wasn’t going to be the one to break it, either. “I have plenty of stories about Alucard, it does not mean I’m going to be offering him a hug just yet.” Yet was the key in all of that. Because she would, when they both were able to stand at the end, and mourn Lisa and Dracula.

When the solidarity was needed – someone else who knew both – was needed, then. When he had the time to mourn when he wouldn’t worry so much about being ashamed for it – then. Until then, she had told herself she wouldn’t be the one to break Alucard’s walls because the outcome of that could be as devastating for them all as if Trevor broke. There seemed a difference in that, perhaps only time, but a difference all the same in that Lucia believed Alucard would deal with his grief…Trevor may not have ever done so.

“I worry about him,” it was easy to confess, “but I do not think I will be much help to him, until after this is said and done…when he can’t yell at me for not thinking of another way,” when she couldn’t be guilt tripped because it was done and over with – when she didn’t have to push him back over the edge and be the one to insist on this path, because she might not.

She would continue down it, but she might leave Alucard out at that time.

It was too much for a son to have to kill a father…yet Alucard was hopelessly dutiful.
 
Aveline flinched slightly at the heavy sound of Alucards hand on wood, but she accepted his harsh tone because she had asked for this. She had wanted this. She wanted to see something from him, to know that he wasn't going numb to everything but if even this merge amount of emotion from him was this intense she could only imagine what it would be like when everything was said and done. Could Alucard handle the waves of emotion that he would only allow himself to feel when their mission was complete?

" Don't apologize, i'm relived to see you finally letting yourself feel something," Even if he was directing some of his emotions at her it wasn't something she couldn't bare, she had weathered similar storms in the past with her mother. " I respect your feelings Alucard, and I don't want to assume things about your mother when I never got the chance to meet her, but I think we both know your mother wouldn't condone what your father is doing." The Lisa Tepes she had been told about was a woman of knowledge and healing, she saw the good in humanity that deserved to be nurtured, not destroyed.

Aveline sat up on the bed, her full attention and him instead of the stars glittering above. " If your mother truly wasn't a woman of violence then she would understand this has to be done and wouldn't hold it against you. She's the reason you're doing this, isn't she?" He had told them before that he was honoring his mothers final wishes by killing his father, what mother wouldn't be proud or grateful to have a son willing to put himself through hell to do what she asked?

She couldn't absolve Alucard of his complex feelings, these were his demons to battle and her own were too similar for her to have any solid advice ,but eternity was a long time to think your parents were disappointed in you when there was truth to the contrary.

Pushing herself up to her feet Aveline strode quietly over to Alucards side, dipping her head down a bit so she could look through his curtain of hair and lock eyes with him.

" Losing someone is hard, and you're going through your own personal struggles right now," It was an understatement given the depth of Alucards pain and the hard decision he still had in front of him, was killing Dracula the right course of action? It was possible it wasn't, but it was the course of action they had all decided on, even Lucia in all her wisdom and years of experience under her belt felt the man was too far gone to compromise with, " but we're here with you, we'll bare the weight of all this with you so don't keep it to yourself."

It was a small consolation, but Alucard wasn't heading off on his own to kill his father, he had this caravan of friends with him. They had helped one another through everything that they had run across, and they would continue to do so until their job was done.

Reaching out she grabbed one of his hands and gave it a tight squeeze, " If it helps, I don't think you're a disappointment, Alucard." Though she was also a halfling 'disappointment' depending on what parent you asked, and with her father dead only her mother would be able to reply. " I care about you, and I hate to see you suffer like this. So please talk to me more, even if your angry talk to me. I want to make sure you get through this as sane as possible."

she'd take all his anger and anything else he had to give, it was better than his indifference.

-----------------------------------------

" Oh I don't mind offering hugs if you're not the jealous type," Trevor teased Lucia. She had hugged her pretty tightly and he had a feeling that she didn't like to share, she certainly found the things she liked and she held onto them tightly, she kept them close. Given her history and how the passing of time surely took important things from her he couldn't fault her though, if she was a bit protective of her things then she had a better reason to be than most.

Hearing that Lucia wasn't going to offer hugs to Alucard had Trevor shaking his head a bit, " If you won't hug him what makes you think he'll accept one from me?" Maybe she had been lying when she said she liked him because if she wanted him to stay alive then hugging Alucard would be something she told him not to do. Could anyone get away with touching Alucard right now? He had up a kind of barrier that gave off 'don't touch me' vibes that only Aveline seemed willing to cross. He had seen her sleeping on his lap in her fox form a few times and she had to of touched him to braid his hair.

Nodding his head Trevor agreed with Lucia, he was worried about the Dhampir even if they didn't get along all the time. He was also a pretty big wreak, and one walking wreak could recognize another from a mile away.

" Do you think what we're doing is the only way?" He didn't doubt that it was the right thing to do, innocent people that hadn't been involved in the death of Lisa Tepes were dying every day, Dracula was leading a mass extinction against the whole of humanity over one woman. While his grief was understandable Trevor drew a line at killing people who weren't involved, hell back in his more cynical days he would of understand if Dracula had killed just the people involved like the priests or the person who lit the pyre.

But the question was this the only way? Did they really need to take a grieving son and make him kill the only blood family he had left?

Trevor personally hated his father, even after all these years he hated the man, but he didn't think he could of killed him.

With a small sigh Trevor raked a hand down his face, " I must be getting soft, a Belmont asking if there's anyway to spare Draculas life or at least his son from committing patricide. You know I bet you right now in hell my father is disowning me," he joked because the moment was getting serious and he was realizing just how much everyone in this group meant to him, even Alucard the son of his families sworn enemy.

He crossed his arms over his chest, " Are you going to let Alucard actually kill his father?" Would she try and spare him from that or was this something that Alucard had to do for himself. Lucia did strike him as the type to gladly take Alucards blame and hatred if it meant saving him the misery of killing his father himself, but like the dutiful soldier he was Alucard seemed pretty set on ending this himself. In a way he was owed it.
 
Alucard wasn’t sure how it was a good thing that Aveline could be relieved that he was showing anything. A part of him, at the back of his mind, reminded him of that nagging thought that he’d never been encouraged to hide anything as a child…yet he’d learned. Being a dhampir he had to learn. And his father always thought there was something to be said for maintaining a certain calm disposition in the face of stress.

It could allow one to continue to think in a calm fashion.

So much for that. Dracula wasn’t calm any longer.

His fingers pulled in towards his palm, raking over the top of the desk, as Aveline suggested his mother would understand, or otherwise, accept what he was doing. ‘No.’ His mind denied the idea wholly. It wasn’t because she had asked this of him. She had asked the opposite of Dracula – and Alucard felt there was only one way to make sure her words were honored. She had never said to ‘kill Dracula’. Just…not to take revenge.

He caught her movement and his golden gaze did shoot to meet hers, but it wasn’t soft. There was a new wildness to the gaze, hostile and frightened at once, a deep wariness that caused him to flinch his hand back when she reached for it, and to then step back, pulling his other hand off the desk and moving that balled fist behind his back.

But she wanted him to keep talking, and the anger forced his thinned lips open once more, “Of course you’re not disappointed in me. You don’t know the genius that my father was. You don’t know how great a loss his death is going to be, to you he’s a monster. To everyone here, he’s a monster,” he didn’t think of Lucia in the moment, though even if he had, he may not have considered excluding her, given she was here of her own free will. Nothing like bloodlines was forcing her hands.

There were plenty of vampires who knew both, who sided with Dracula, or avoided it all together.

“My mother did not want us to take revenge, and I could not convince him of it. I wasn’t enough.” That pulled at him, in a way he was only starting to realize. He wasn’t enough. The ‘best gift’ Lisa ever gave him, and he wasn’t enough. He wasn’t Lisa. He was Dracula’s flesh and blood, but not enough for Dracula to want to spare the world for. Not enough for him to see his wrongs. “He was…he was a brilliant man. And I can’t bring him back…and I can’t think of any way to stop him besides killing him, when all my mother had to do was walk into his home….”

One step had changed everything.

Dracula had killed people for trespassing before…but not her.

“She would have known how to stop this….”

But he didn’t have half of her intelligence. Nor even half of his father’s love.

The arm that he’d pinned behind his back fell back to his side, fist releasing. It went without saying that he’d rather have any other way to fix this. Any other cure to this situation.

~***~

Lucia rolled her eyes a bit at Trevor’s comment, though her arms folded over her chest. There was some truth to what Trevor said, “It won’t be a hug that bothers me, I assure you.” She couldn’t exactly deny being the jealous sort, though it was rarely put to the test. She wanted to think she’d grown out of it by now, she would have let Trevor go elsewhere…but she wasn’t so certain now that he’d professed to liking her that it would be so easy.

Not that she would keep him if he found this wasn’t for him, but if he tried to sneak around or do things before formally leaving…that’d be an issue. “And I never said he’d accept it,” she smirked, just a bit, “but the offer might help. I don’t expect you to just grab him.” Though that might earn a laugh for a few. Certainly her, before the pair ended up bloodied.

She would have rather lingered on that imagery, but Trevor inquired on Dracula – on what they were doing, and Lucia sighed, before taking a seat on the bed again, drawing the music box into her lap more to have something there for her hands to rest on, to feel as if they were doing something, when they weren’t at all. “No, Trevor, there is never one way to do things,” some people liked to insist on that, but it was never true. Even with this trap they were in, set by Baba Yaga, there wasn’t one way to do things.

They could, obviously, choose to stay – but even ignoring that choice, there were alternatives. They just didn’t have the time, or the tools, to figure it out. “We could let Dracula wipe out humanity, of course. I’d have some issues with that choice, and I think you would, as well. I’d survive, but…,” she shrugged, “I wouldn’t be happy about it.”

Her gaze shifted down, “With more time, perhaps we could have talked to him. Or, we could have found a way to trap him, or put him into a long sleep – there are other methods, certainly, that could be used.” She lifted one shoulder in a shrug, “but I went to him, when this began. He invited me. He told me what happened,” she still remembered how every second felt as if she was standing on the thinnest ice. “I asked him where Alucard was…Adrian,” that he was Alucard now was still something Lucia worried over, too.

She’d changed her own name, she knew it could be positive…even so, “He seemed to barely recognize the name, as if it wasn’t a concern, as if nothing was a concern outside of his genocide. That’s when I was certain he was gone,” and there was a sorrow in her own tone as she said it, though she tried to nullify it a bit.

No one else but her and Alucard would care about Dracula. “Of course I’ll try to be the one to kill him, though would you truly stop and wait for Alucard to deliver the deathblow if you had an opening, Trevor?” Lucia glanced up then. Was he so sentimental, or foolish, to let an opening slip by because it was Alucard’s duty to finish the job?

Even if Lucia considered it much that way, she would not let such an opening slip. They might only get one. It should be taken, no matter who had it.
 
Aveline hadn't realized just how this whole situation was pulling Alucard, he had hidden it so well up to this point. To think that under the laughs and his helpful demeaner that there was a man battling these demons. His eyes were fierce when they looked at her, for a moment she thought he hated her but she realized that what he hated was the situation he had been put in. As the son of Dracula and Lisa he was in the middle of all of this, and he carried a weight. Did he let his father commit genocide and live with that guilt his whole life, or did he stop his father no matter the costs despite knowing that while it was a solution is was the hardest of all of them.

He looked so defeated, that was when she took the limp hand by his side. She held it between both her hands and squeezed it softly. She wanted to be more for him, to take more of his burden from his shoulders and hold him closer, but he was oddly fragile right now. She wasn't trying to overwhelm him.

" I don't think your father is a monster, Alucard." Aveline spoke up, she hadn't lived her life hearing stories of the horrible Dracula that women told stories about to keep their children well behaved. " I learned about your father like he was any other man. I learned about him in history books and from Haltija who had the chance to meet him before all of this, they always spoke highly of him and his achievements. But I learned the most about him from you and how all this has affected you." Alucards struggle with all of this was proof enough to her that under Draculas actions were a man who once upon a time was a good father, though Alucards heart had a deep seeded kindness. She was certain that even if Dracula had truly been a monster to Alucard growing up that he would still struggle with what was to come.

She paused for a moment to swallow, she didn't want to upset Alucard more than he already was. " I think we both know that your father died with your mother," If Dracula truly was too far gone for his son to reason with, if he truly was going to wage a one sided war on the humans his wife died trying to protect, then he was gone. And in a way keeping him alive and away from Lisa in what ever afterlife exists was as cruel as what was being asked of Alucard to do.

" Feel free to not believe me, but after everything is done i'll mourn your father with you. I'll mourn the man he was, the genius, the husband, the father. I'm pretty good at mourning fathers you know, i have practice." a bit of light heartedness in this heavy moment. But she didn't know how to help him with not feeling enough, it was something she struggled with too. Maybe it was a trait shared by halflings, never thinking you're enough for your parents. Maybe they were both just the lucky ones to land amazing supernatural parents they could never please.

" I struggle with not feeling enough too," She confessed softly into the quiet of the room, " But comparing yourself to your parents, that will drive you mad Alucard." If there was something she could understand it was not being enough. She was never Haltija enough for her mother, never human enough to live in a human village where her fathers life would of been easier. " You shouldn't dwell on what your mother could do or would of done." Thinking about what could be would only make things harder in the end, filling the world with what-Ifs never helped anyone.

Gently Aveline grabbed Alucards other hand and held both his hands in hers, " Lets focus on one thing at a time for now, take this day by day." She wished she could do more, but for now It felt like she was barely holding onto the fringes of a man who was barely keeping himself together. All she could offer was support and be there when at the end of the day Dracula was dead.

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

The way that Lucias expression and body language had changed shows just how much she had pondered the same thing Trevor now was, was this the right thing to do? She had more experience than he would with this kind of things, at least he assumed so since she had more years under his belt. This couldn't be the first time a vampire went crazy and needed to be dealt with before they were a threat to others, Dimas situation reminded him a bit of this one with Draculas but he wasn't about to bring the man back up since they would be thinking about him soon enough with Baba Yagas tasks.

" Dracula gave the world a year to prepare for his army, and we pissed that right away." He sighed. Humanity at least had seemed to ignore his words, the city of Targoviste hadn't scattered to the winds and even the rumors of what had happened the day Lisa Tepes had died hadn't scared more than the far flung villages were the churches influence was weak at best. " If you saw Dracula at the beginning of this does that mean you've been preparing a year for this?"

Had even a year not been enough time to try and stop Dracula? He didn't know everything Lucia did, just by going to see Dracula and talk to him she had done more than most had, it just seemed a grim reminder to him that they only had a short window to stop Dracula before he killed every living human. If a year hadn't been enough time for Lucia to gather what ever she needed to take down Dracula down peacefully, then he wondered just how bad their chances were for stopping him when he had a vampire army on hand and war on his mind.

With a sigh Trevor leaned against the wall and shook his head, if he had a chance to land a killing blow on Dracula he knew he would take it. If he wanted to win this campaign they had against him then they all needed to be willing to do that, but there was a part of him that wanted what was best for Alucard too. He had years on him in everyway, he was a bit like a younger siblings or neighbor you didn't hate but you also didn't like. Only you could mess with them, and if you could spare them from something then you would, but maybe that was just him.

" I would land the blow if it comes down to it, I just worry for Alucard," He paused for a second, " don't tell him I said that. I can't have him thinking I like him, he'd probably dish even more jokes about my hygiene on me." It was one thing for a vampire hunter who was trained since birth to kill Dracula, it was another to ask a loving son who was in mourning to end his family.

" Something like this changes a person, grief changes a person." He just wanted to make sure that one day he wouldn't have to rejoin the others to hunt down a rogue Alucard for one reason or another, at least that's what he told him. The sting of losing your family and blaming yourself for it was too familiar a pain for Trevor.
 
This time, Alucard didn’t pull his hand away when Aveline approached again and took it. The warmth of her hands encircling it was not so bad, and he just didn’t feel he had the strength to fight a battle he didn’t truly want to fight. Aveline wasn’t a foe. He didn’t want to hurt her with his own issues, and he understood she was trying her hardest to help him through this, even if he didn’t want to work through it right then.

Even if the dark thoughts swirled in his head, still.

Aveline at least knew another version of his father – and that reminded him that perhaps it wasn’t all bad in the group. Danica had known Dracula some, and even Johann. There was Sypha, a Speaker, who had collected stories from all around – who’s to say she hadn’t heard some good things? Trevor was likely the only one who truly only knew Dracula as always being a villain…but he understood Trevor was also likely the norm when it came to the world outside.

People would celebrate his death.

Not Aveline, perhaps. Not Lucia. But…Lucia would move on immediately. Aveline would stay with him…in his sorrow. Only then did the thought become almost abhorrent. He did not want her to get pulled into this, he didn’t want her to be sorrowful and moving about, trying to help, for who knew how long. He wanted her happy.

He didn’t know how long it was going to take him to accept what became of his father. Even now, though he knew that in a way the man he knew was dead, as Aveline said, he hadn’t accepted it. He’d accepted his duty, because he knew it was true…on that level, he knew, but it didn’t feel like it. He still wanted to deny it.

The light little comment helped, a ghost of a smile whispering over his lips before fading, “I believe you,” as he believed she had experience mourning parents lost to her in other ways. Her mother had, perhaps, not gone mad…but she’d made decisions that separated herself from Aveline’s life, all the same.

“That’s all I can do. That’s all I’ve been doing,” Alucard reminded, as his other hand was taken. He felt that surge of anger again, a sudden spark, but he kept his tone more even and kept his hands there. He had been fine in the moments, not thinking of his grief or on what was to come. Aveline seemed to be advising that again and he almost felt cheated, angered, that she would see his own grief and seem to ask him to step back to how he had been handling.

Perhaps she meant it a different way, but his interpretation was skewed. “I know there’s nothing to be done for any of it. That is why I did not wish to dwell on it.” Just…push through, and deal with the fall out when it happened. Once he dwelled…he spiraled into those thoughts of how it might not be necessary, and how much of a failure he was for finding no alternatives.

~***~

‘Some of you did.’ Humanity had been quelled by the Church, where humanity knew of Dracula’s plans. There were places that likely had no idea what was coming. She imagined those in Egypt had no idea, even if Amon-Re knew. Rome might have some ideas, given how the Church talked. Lucia would not have known, had she not been close to Dracula.

That would have been devastating.

“I have,” Lucia agreed, “Perhaps ten months is a better way to say it,” she had to see Dracula and assess the situation, “My first priority was seeing to it that Chernihiv had protection. I knew I would have to leave to find Alucard, and I needed those left behind aware, and capable of defending it.” She had spoken with the werewolves who kept just outside of Chernihiv, and had their leader stepping in as a strategist and guard, alongside those humans she trusted to keep things running smoothly in her absence.

She had done what she could in a year, taught them what she could of demons, and spoken with some of the Orthodox Church to make sure they would be capable of aiding as well. She could only hope none of her preparations would be necessary.

“It took some time to discern Alucard’s likely location, and more time to handle the affairs back home, and then travel time. I don’t have a magical, moving castle,” she just had a carriage, and two devoted humans to drive it during the day.

They’d certainly done more night driving back then.

She did manage a wry smirk at Trevor’s statement, though, “Never,” she chuckled, “I’ll let you confess to Alucard when the time is right. I promise, my heart isn’t broken,” she knew Trevor didn’t mean it like that, but she couldn’t pass up the chance to resume something like normality, “if he accepts your feelings.”

That did remind her, though. There was a nice bath? Johann had tried to tell her. She wasn’t really listening then. “Change isn’t a bad thing, Trevor.” Grief did change a person, “Alucard may become someone fairly amazing after all of this. You, too.” He wouldn’t grief Dracula…but he might finally start to find some closure, or some way to accept, what had happened to him.
 
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" I don't mean go back to ignoring the issue, Alucard." Aveline had seen the way Alucard took her words, and she wished that she had spoken better. She did not have very much experience comforting people, she was normally the person being comforted it seemed. Her father had always consoled her when she cried and asked him why she wasn't good enough for her mother, and after he died she suddenly had no one. She could try her best to recall what her father had done with her, the soft voice and the open ear but Alucards grief was a different beast than her own sadness had been years ago because no one ever comforted her through the lose of a loved one.

Her hands squeezed around his for a moment because of her own issues that she was still facing, her fathers death was years old by now but she still struggled with it because she had only herself to rely on. She felt like the blind leading the blind. " When my father died I tried running away from it. I put it in the back of my head and I traveled like he was at home waiting for me, but that didn't do me any favors. It kept the wound open and it festered. It took me so long to realize that dealing with my grief made it easier to live," Like she had been holding her breath when she acknowledged her pain everything was easier after she had just cried.

" If you live each day accepting whats happened and what you've lost, you start healing. What your doing now is putting a bandage on an open untreated wound. It'll get worse the longer you ignore it, and I don't want to see you break when this is all over." Her lower lip trembled a bit, but she kept her emotions and her pounding heart in check. He could probably hear it about to beat out of her chest.

She looked up and offered him the best reassuring smile that she could, because right now all she could do was offer words and support, " I can't promise it won't be difficult," she had seem just a glimpse of how difficult this was for him, she had seen his insecurities and how unsure he was about all of this but she was confidant that if he waited until everything was done and over to finally accept his feelings that he would drown, she hadn't forgotten that he couldn't swim. " But there isn't a single person in our group that hasn't experienced lose, no one will judge you Alucard. You're allowed to mourn and you're allowed to heal. Don't wait until it's too late because then you'll only have regrets."

She wasn't sure if killing Dracula was their only option, it was something Alucard struggled with but he kept a brave face for all of them. She didn't want him to come to resent years down the line because he had kept his mouth shut and soldiered on. But she knew he was dutiful, she knew he would do what needed to be done because that was his burden as the son of Dracula and Lisa Tepes. She didn't think him mournin the lose of his family would hurt their cause, because he had people he could rely on here in their group.

Vaguely Aveline thought of Lucia and promised herself that she would talk to the older Vampire when she was in a better mood, she had a longer history with Alucard maybe reassuring words from someone who had come to the same conclusion as the rest of them would mean more to Alucard than anything she said would.

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

Trevor rolled his eyes, abet fondly, when Lucia teased him. " Your heart won't break if i'm swept off my feet by someone else?" He quirked his eye curiously. " I'm a catch i'll have you know. Though if you are devastated from losing me then i'll make sure to send you a wedding invitation." He chuckled dryly, the teasing was all well and good but the situation at hand was still an issue.

Because they had a job to do and he wanted to get it done no matter what, even if Alucard had a sudden change of heart he would see this job through to the end, but he didn't want to hurt the Dhampir he had come to think fondly of in the process.

" I know change isn't always bad, I just know that things are as likely to go badly as they are to go well." he skirted around the topic. Alucard was a better man than he was, more logical and refined in ways that he would never be. He didn't want to call him a lucky bastard because the hand the Dhampir was dealt was certainly a shitty one, but if there was anyone that he would bet money on coming out of this OK it would be Alucard.

His own hopes for himself weren't nearly as high, because he knew himself. He had done well with his drinking habit, but even he was surprised that he hadn't fucked anything up yet."I didn't know you had such high hopes for me. Now i really can't disappoint, it's a policy of mine to not disappoint beautiful woman."

From downstairs Syphas muffled voice could be heard just slightly, " Ah~ That was the best bath I've had in ages!" followed shortly by the sounds of Johann and his make shift crutch hobbling around, ah that was right the blond had talked about wanting to take a bath as soon as possible.

With a nod of his head towards the door Trevor spoke up " Sounds lively down there, you missed it earlier. Johann found soaps and oils, he looked like a kid on Christmas. Though Sypha was just as excited, she got pick of the litter since she went first." Typical Sypha getting what she wanted, but she did it in an endearing way that no one could really fault her for.

" Maybe if we get Alucard in a nice hot bath his mood will improve. Nothing to wash away the gloom and depression like a bath in citrus oils." he said dryly.
 
Alucard had feared that wasn’t what Aveline meant, but he’d still wanted to take it that way. He still wanted to go back to ignoring the pain. Aveline’s trial was different than his, though he did understand what she was trying to explain – to tell him that the pain only got worse the longer it went untreated.

It was hard to think of emotions and pain of that sort, as the same thing as a physical wound, but perhaps it would be better for him if he did. If he took those thoughts of festering and infection, and applied them to the pain he had now – if he could start to treat it now, it would not be so bad later. If he left it, like an untreated wound, it would just be worse to deal with it. Given, there wasn’t the risk of losing a limb in this case, but…there were risks to how he might be changed by it.

“But how…?” Alucard found himself asking as his eyes shifted down to their hands. He didn’t want to start shaking, but he feared he might. He feared he might start crying if he persisted in asking, but he was trying to think of it her way. Trying to see the flaws of his previous method. “It seems almost pointless when I haven’t…when my father isn’t….”

When it wasn’t over.

When the wound was still being inflicted and deepened. “Even if I could treat it now, it would just tear open again the next time I think about what is ahead,” at least, that’s how it seemed to him, that any effort would be pointless if it was only going to be undone by the realization it wasn’t done, there was still more to do. There was still murdering his father to do. The hardest part of it all…because he had to do it.

“The wounds of everyone else have at least…terminated.” Even Trevor’s, “There’s nothing left but to heal…but I still have to kill my father….” And he still didn’t want to kill his father.

He shut his eyes then, head seeming to bow more, as he took a deep, shaking breath. He felt the threat of water in his eyes, and though he knew it was a vain hope, the thought that closing them might prevent that outcome still, childishly, crossed his mind.

~***~

Trevor’s teasing was easy to appreciate, even in those serious moments. They hadn’t forgotten the matter in spite of it, and circled back to Alucard, and grief. Lucia had high hopes for Alucard, too. He was going through hell right now, but he wouldn’t be alone when the waves crashed down on him. “I suppose I’ll have to be the optimist, then. I think the odds are in our favor.” She couldn’t accept anything else.

It seemed Trevor would have his own reasons to make sure that he, for one, was changed for the better by grief, too. His comment came easily, like all the others – but it was momentarily flustering, unlike so many others. The serious twisted too easily with his humor in a compliment, and Lucia wasn’t sure if she should laugh or enjoy the warmth of the flattery.

At least the smile was easy, gentle, even if her eyes darted from him and back down, that fluster threatening to spill into her gaze or onto her cheeks. There was much less strain now, much less thought on the problems that drew her up there, and away from the bath. She focused on that instead, “There are plenty of other scents options besides citrus, Trevor. Clearly you’ve been doing things wrong.”

She shifted the music box back onto the bed as she rose, “I suppose I should reassure the others that I’m quite all right, and make sure citrus isn’t all that’s left for me.” She should have explored further, seen what was available. “There might even be some scents you’ll like,” she couldn’t help the tease, “which you should certainly look into. I can’t get out to hunt tonight and we are in a village. Technically.”

She didn’t really care if he used anything or not; just being clean was good enough. Scent didn’t really affect taste, but it was still fun to jump on the bandwagon of teasing him over hygiene now and then. He’d no doubt call her obsessed when he actually saw what was in Chernihiv. If this was anything like it…he’d definitely come to understand. And probably wonder how she survived being so far away and going so many days without.

Hells, she wondered.
 
" We'll start with the things that have terminated," Aveline assured him as she watched his gaze waver, they would start by mourning what was gone. Mourning Lisa was only the right thing to do given how recent her death still felt for Alucard. "And you've said it yourself Alucard, your father is gone. He's still alive but he's gone," Because Dracula was still leading a horde of demons across the land to enact his revenge against those whose only sin was being human, but he wasn't the loving father and husband Alucard knew. " The healing process won't happen over night. Small steps are Ok." As long as Dracula still led his armies Alucards wounds wouldn't be able to fully close but starting with small things was better than nothing.

His preferred method of ignoring the issue had to be stopped in general, something that Aveline had learned from experience. " So you can start with small things, like mourning the man he was. Accepting that that part of him is gone will hopefully make things easier for you when the time comes," Though that was an understatement, it would never be easy what Alucard had to do but accepting that his father was already gone would hopefully help.

" Then when everything is over, we'll mourn him and your mother properly," And then he would mourn the lose of his family as a whole and the physical lose of his father. Even when the Vampire Lord was emotionally and mentally gone it would still be hard to lose him physically, but dividing all this pain into easier to handle pieces seemed a better idea than allowing it to swallow Alucard whole.

Pausing at the sounds of Alucards deep shaking breaths Aveline gave his hand another squeeze, " There's no reason to hold it back Alucard, holding everything in isn't helping you. " It was hindering him if anything. One of Avelines hands slipped out of Alucards and slid up to his elbow to led him over to his bed to sit, he looked like he was holding everything together by a thread, a chance to sit down would do him good.

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

The change in Lucias mood was a noticeable change and one that Trevor took a silent pride in, because he had come up here to see how she was doing. He wouldn't take credit for anything, all he did was come talk to her and listen, but the change was good and so was this new understanding between them. It was more than the fact the surface of their feelings for one another had been scratched but it was the trust he felt from Lucia to hear about her past, even if the choice was taken out of her hands a bit. It was still her talking to him about the hardest time in her life without a knife to her throat or anything to force her, he wished he had returned the favor.

But the way she smiled after his teasing and fidgeted just a bit like he had gotten her even a bit flustered was too good to ruin with his own troubles. Those would be out for the world to see soon enough, a decision he was making now. Lucia had told him her history willingly, so at some point before her own past was revealed he'd willingly show her and the others. He'd like to be able to move on like Lucia had, he'd take one bad day sprinkled in with good than the other way around.

" Are you trying to tell me there's a hierarchy to soaps?" He was a fan of regular unscented himself because practically he didn't want anything he was hunting to smell something like citrus or lavender and detect him. " And more specifically that citrus isn't at the top, because I like citrus." His mother had been a fan of flowery soaps but Esthel had smelt a citrus one at a market once and after that she always got citrus. He had never tried a citrus soap before, his father had instill in him that Belmont men use unscented soap IF they even used soap at all, but the smell of citrus was a scent that carried good memories.

Trevor followed Lucia out of her room where the sound of their accompanying footsteps had reached the others. Johann shared a hopeful look with Danica, it was possible that was just Alucard and Aveline returning from their exploration upstairs, but as soon as the feet appeared from atop the stairs Johann knew that he would be giving up his dibs on second bath, but he certainly didn't mind. Seeing Lucia up and about when she had returned in such a down mood was great, giving up his place in line for a bath was a small price to pay for this miracle.
 
Those things which had terminated – Lisa.

While Aveline tried to talk him into the acceptance of his father being gone, and though a part of him knew it was true, he still wanted to deny it. He was still furious over it, still saddened over it, more than he had any words to describe. It hurt. It hurt beyond all words, in a way that Lisa’s death didn’t.

His mother had not made the decision to die, while to him it certainly felt like his father was making the decision to separate himself from everything and everyone. From him.

Alucard felt her hand move as she told him not to hold it in, and pull him back to the bed. As his legs hit the side of it, he instinctively sat down. A shaky breath escaped him with the fall, a gasp at the end, that was the last of his resolve to hold it together. The rest of his body hunched over on itself, the single hand that he still hand of Aveline’s wasn’t released, but rather, pulled closer into his huddled mass, against his chest as the tears came.

Clear, liquid, water. His mother’s tears, rather than the bloody tears of his father.

He wasn’t even sure he knew what he was crying over. Obviously, he had plenty to cry over, but his mind put a brief fight up to single it out, as if understanding what was causing this burst would help that part heal, but too soon that thought process was gone, washed away by the wracking pain that didn’t care about a label to diagnose it, it just wanted to be felt, and as it did his hands left Aveline’s to cover his face, to sink his fingertips into his scalp, and curl further up over his own lap.

He couldn’t get words out.

Only tears, and the silent cries that died in his throat, leaving as gasps and stunted breaths.

~***~

“Yes, there is a hierarchy of soaps,” Lucia said as she reached the stairs, “and no, citrus isn’t at the top. It isn’t bad,” Lucia liked the scent well enough, “but it’s not the best.”

“Not this again,” Johann couldn’t help but allow the interjection as the duo came into sight, “Pine is still the best,” he stated, and he had such a soap in hand. Admittedly, it was his own brand of hunter training there. Werewolves would recognize the human anywhere. It was best to smell like the environment. Admittedly, he had fallen in love with the scent of pines and other trees early on before discovering the soap existed, but then when he moved to Chernihiv and had an excuse to use it that fell in line with his own teachings?

Of course he was going to abuse it.

“Milk and honey~,” Danica’s sing-song voice came from the kitchen, though for her it wasn’t a matter of scent. Milk and honey were wonderfully rejuvenating for her skin, adding in all the moisture lost in the cold.

“I can’t argue with Danica,” Lucia chuckled, knowing hers was based in sense. Lucia just didn’t follow those same rules as a vampire, it was all just for pleasure, really. She noticed Johann with his soap, though, near the stairs, “Oh, were you—”

He shook his head, “No, go on. I’ve got my soap, I know there will be time later,” and he had laid his claim, so Lucia wouldn’t be stealing it, “I’m pretty sure I saw that toffee soap you like.” He knew he had seen it, along with the other things Lucia liked. Her moods changed, of course, some days she would prefer citrus, but her favorite remained fairly consistent. At least, while he’d known her.

“…thank you,” Lucia should have insisted that Johann go ahead, he clearly had dibs, but she wasn’t. She wanted to go enjoy it a bit, keep her mind from straying and recall the progress. That sort of environment would certainly help her to absorb it all. She also, probably, needed a moment to make sure she hadn’t done something stupid. “I’ll be back in a while,” she told Trevor, “and you can think about the heresy you’ve committed with your soap hierarchy.” She turned from him and moved the rest of the way to the bathroom on her own.

Leaving Johann to ask when the door shut, “What did you do?” Because apparently Danica wasn’t the only miracle worker.
 
Alucards hunched over form didn't feel like a victory, making him feel would make him feel better in the long run but seeing him like this in the beginning stages of everything was hard. For a moment Aveline wondered if what she had done was for the best, but she scooted closer to him and rubbed small circles on his back as he began to cry, it was better for him to deal with things now than let them continue weigh him down.

To think that he had been hiding all this inside him for so long with the goal being to hold it in until he had finished his duty was amazing, he truly did just soldier on when it came down to it.

Words weren't needed and specifically they didn't feel wanted here, she wasn't going to try and hush Alucards cries he needed this and there was no shame in crying over the lose of family. When Alucard pulled her hand closer to his chest she squeezed his hand reassuringly, but even when he let go of It to truly just cry and let it out her free hand didn't stray far. It found a home on shoulder, and she rested her forehead on his shoulder behind his hand.

Silent support was all she could offer, a promise to be here when he needed her now and in the future when everything was done but the pain still lingered. her own heart felt like it was crying for him and all he had lost, all he would continue to lose. She knew the pain of losing a parent, though it paled when compared to Alucards own struggles, and wouldn't leave him to suffer not when she knew that the pain never truly went away. Some days were better than others.

Some days you could get away with just thinking about them in passing and missing their presence, and others they haunted you in dreams as well as reality.

When Alucards shaking had lessened Aveline sat up and gently led him into a hug, giving him the chance to pull away and resist if he really wanted, but the crying seemed to take a lot of energy from him. " We should get you in the bath soon, a warm bath always helps me after crying," She commented idly and brushed his hair away from his face, gently tucking it behind his slightly pointed ears so the strands wouldn't get stuck to his face because of his tears.

" Do you feel any better?" She asked softly, not sure the answer she would get. It was possible he'd still feel horrible, they were only beginning to delve into his feelings, but crying had a way of lightening a persons heart. If nothing else she hoped letting everything else had taken some of the weight off his shoulders.

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

Soap heresy? " I've done a lot of heretical things, thinking citrus is the best soap doesn't even make the top ten," Trevor called out after Lucia as she disappeared into the bathroom. If the group had any say in it then everyone would say that he didn't know the difference between a rock and a bar of soap, but he knew enough to know that Citrus was the best scent.

Mind whirling with arguments to support his choice was interrupted hearing Johanns question, " I just told her that Citrus is the best scent. It wakes you up, isn't as strong as flower soaps-" He started but Johann cut in quickly.

" Not the soap, though Citrus isn't better than pine." Realizing he got off track Johann was quick to keep talking before Trevor could defend his choice, " I mean with Lucia. She looked like she was going to be really depressed when she came back," he hadn't expected to see her down stairs only a hour or so after coming back from confronting what ever demons were out in the snow, but knowing that memories played a part in all this he knew Lucia would struggle.

Rubbing at his stubbly chin Trevor nodded along, that made more sense than the soap thing. " Yeah she looked pretty down earlier, that's why I went up to talk with her in the first place. I didn't think i'd actually change anything, just wanted to make sure she was ok." His venture upstairs had been to make sure she wasn't suffering on her own when there were people willing to listen to her.

In that moment when his body was moving on its own after her he wanted to be for her what she was to him, someone there to support and listen to you when you needed it most.

" Normally that's Danicas job, she's the Lucia whisperer." Trevor and Danica laughed at the title, it was unexpected but also pretty much the truth. The whole group had noticed the bond Lucia and Danica shared, they trusted one another and when it came to the most dangerous parts of dealing with Lucia it was always Danica who stepped in. She was the one risking her life to wake her up when she was hurt, the one speaking to her when she seemed trouble, and then Trevor just stepped in and did something that only Danica seemed to have the ability to do.

" Yes well I just have that effect on women," Trevor skirted around the real topic and what they had discussed, Lucia was a private person and so was he. No need to tell the others about what had happened up stairs or the confessions both had made, about their feelings and their pasts.

From her seat near the fire Sypha snorted through her nose, " The only effect you have is driving them away with your smell. Is that it? Did you threaten to stink up Lucias room until she talked to you."

" I used my roguish good looks and charm to comfort her when she needed comforting," Another snort from Sypha and a roll of her eyes.

" Fine keep your secrets, but do us a favor and stop thinking you have roguish charm. You have a big enough ego as it is."
 
It hurt. Each wracking sob, each beat of his heart, and every cry stifled in his throat felt like an agony that only built on the pain he felt already. The tears were too hot down his face, in his hands. He certainly could have spent quite a bit of time like that, bent over and crying on the bed, and he certainly did.

Aveline’s weight was like an anchor, though, reminding him that he wasn’t alone. It was gentle, and undemanding. Accepting, even when during those lucid moments of thought through the pain, he felt ashamed. Guilty. A mix of emotions that were soon washed away, to the pain and sorrow and the loss, and the press of Aveline’s hand on his shoulder, until it seemed he had exhausted himself, and his shaking sobs lessened.

He remained as he was, though, until the guidance of Aveline drew him into an embrace. He could not return it at first, hands dropping down, as his eyes stared at the wall and the desk across the way. The tools of one of his favorite hobbies, something truly his own, outside of his parent’s domain of the intellectual. Somehow, that thought helped to calm him, just as well, a strange reminder of how life could go on without them.

He didn’t want it to – but he had no choice, did he?

Slowly, his arms moved up and wrapped loosely around Aveline, under her shoulders, around her waist, and he tilted his own head down a bit, looking more at the bed, her attire, her dark hair, as he took in her suggestion. A bath. Well, he knew there was a good one here, if it was based on Lucia’s wants.

Did he feel any better? “I don’t know.” Right then, he felt horrible. His voice came out hoarse, despite the way he’d tried to stay silent, it had strained his throat in a different fashion. The croak of it almost made him laugh, though it would have been a bitter, self-depreciating sound. Perhaps it was best he didn’t manage it.

Did he apologize for this display? He wanted to, but somehow he knew he’d only be chastised for it, and he didn’t want that. He might feel ashamed, but perhaps that was why he wasn’t sure if he felt better. He felt too much, a volatile mixture of negative feelings, and while some lessened, others seemed heightened after the tears had washed his face, and tried to wash him of all those feelings. It seems, there hadn’t been enough.

Not right then.

He took in a breath, and his eyes went down to his hands, to think of what was in them. She hadn’t fled his pain. She wasn’t even not criticizing him for it, or telling him he should feel better. He focused on evening out his breathing from all the gasps, and his gaze softened, even if she couldn’t see that. “I don’t know,” he repeated, swallowed, “but…I don’t feel worse.” He was torn up by acknowledging and feeling, and he couldn’t say for certain he was better, but it was starting to recede and feel less. Not just numb. Perhaps it would only be temporary, perhaps it was only his exhaustion after sobbing, but…it was something, wasn’t it? “Perhaps a bath would help.” Warm, pleasant, “but I don’t want to go out there when my face is probably red and puffy.”

He assumed he looked a wreck.

He wasn’t yet ready for the others to know that or see how it was killing him.

He wasn’t yet ready to be reminded she had just seen him that way, either, and so he held her tighter rather than let her go. “Thank you,” it was more murmured, as if it wasn’t meant to be spoken.

It was. But it was still hard to admit that perhaps, she’d been right.

~***~

Danica had already acknowledged Trevor had a way with Lucia. Of course, it helped that she already knew Lucia’s thoughts on the matter, but more than that, she’d been noting how they seemed to follow each other. Whenever Trevor struggled, Lucia silently went after him. Now that she was the one struggling, Danica had expected Trevor’s move, and expected it to work.

Still, she did chuckle at Sypha’s commentary. “I’m sure all he did was go talk to her. Or at her.” Sometimes, Danica had spent a half-hour just talking at Lucia, until she finally responded. Perhaps she was annoyed with Danica at those times, but sometimes, it was what was needed. Some other emotion to draw her back to rationale thought, or even to feeling.

Danica knew that was a half-lie, but just having some decency and empathy went a long way. Most were afraid to try, afraid that Lucia’s temper might snap on them, or she’d forget how powerful she was, as was so often the risk when she was woken.

“You both can keep your secrets,” Johann joined in with Sypha on that. He still didn’t believe it was that easy. “I’m glad, either way.” At least that meant she probably wasn’t going to try anything rash or stupid for a bit to try and get out of there. “Now if only the food would be done,” he looked longingly at the oven, still cooking the sarma.

The smell of the fermented cabbage had long ago been replaced with the other spices and the meats, and he was starving now. And he couldn’t escape to a bath. He could drink more coffee, but he was pretty sure Danica would slap his hand if he tried for a fourth cup.

~***~

It was not quite like home, at least, not the home Lucia currently had. Yet, the bath did remind her of one of the earlier designs in Chernihiv, more Roman than anything else, but with so many more ‘modern’ innovations – though humans would certainly see it as futuristic. Water moved through the pipes, and warmed without obvious fire. It drained through those same pipes through elaborate sewage systems that so many seemed to have forgotten after Rome fell.

Lucia drained the water left, a shadow pulled the drain and the warm water began to spiral down. Lucia couldn’t help but notice the cold pool hadn’t been used, so she didn’t bother to drain it, though she would do so after she’d finished, and refill both.

She moved by a shelf with soaps and bottles, smiling a bit as her eyes flickered over them, catching the citrus ones that weren’t from her own memory. She had favored lemon when she favored it at all, or bergamot – in truth, the latter was in her favorite toffee soap, but she wasn’t about to tell that to Trevor.

‘This doesn’t mean I’m forgiving you.’ Lucia didn’t know if whatever creature rooted around in her head could hear that, but if so, she hoped they understood they were more or less, permanently, on her bad list.

She took her toffee soap, though, and the shampoo and conditioner she liked, both lighter on scent – India had been a boon to her idea of cleansing. ‘…Parvati….’ The thought of her crossed her mind once more, one of the generals under Dracula. She had once taught Lucia much about these things, and Lucia had returned the favor, teaching her a bit about the engineering it took to create the sewage and plumbing systems.

She opened one bottle and took in the scent, expression faltering a bit more. Of course it would only bring further memories, the jasmine a light enough scent but it brought to mind her introduction to teas with Ching-Shih who did tend to have a wealth of teas or incense around. Jasmine and cinnamon had been things she’d introduced her to. Humans shared food; if she thought about it, she’d recognize that vampires shared scents, without even meaning to.

‘Of course now I’ll think of it all.’ If nothing else, her worldly loves and experiences were here, trapped in scents. ‘And in sounds.’ She knew she’d have to open that music box, and wonder if it would sound better than her memories.

With the baths finally full, steam rising off the hot one, Lucia didn’t even hesitate to step in once she’d discarded her attire. She pulled herself beneath the water, an experience she could only enjoy here – she couldn’t step into the moving rivers any longer.

“I still miss bathing in the Ganges.” Parvati’s voice came to mind as she recalled walking with her, further from its banks. “I can barely stand to be even this close. That river is too holy.” Lucia couldn’t tune out the voice, or the way they’d talked of how she had been turned by a ‘god’, that she now understood was more a demon. How they’d wondered if it was the same with Amon-Re.

Was she deceived? Was Amon-Re deceived?

All Lucia knew was it ached to think of them right then, a different ache from Dimas and not one she was expecting.

“You should travel.”

There was the pain she was expecting. ‘Laret….’

“I bet you would find a love of music again, if you heard new sounds.”
“Like yours?”
“Like mine.”

And she had traveled. She had met them – so many of them, after Rome and Tiberius, after that stupid minstrel with his stupid smile convinced her to travel and promised he would look after Chernihiv. And he had…and she’d returned to his death bed, to a music box of when ‘his voice was good’.

“See? I told you….”

Lucia laughed under the water, in spite of herself. If Laret only knew now what she was looking at, how so many of those she met were now hell-bent on destroying humanity, would he have advised her the same.

Probably.

It was the thought of him that pulled her back to the surface, the thought of the losses, but the gains…the gains this, too, would have. The way the future always went on. The way the world changed. She had…not quite forgotten, but thinking of Laret’s hopeless optimism, of how he’d been the first to break under her skin, to remind her that life was out there, helped in that moment. That ache was pleasant in the strangest of ways.

At least she had never truly lost Laret, the way she was losing Dracula and Parvati. Their memories would end up tainted by their last actions.

Laret’s last were laughter. Laughter, and coughs, but she just heard the laughter now, and found herself humming as she cleansed herself of the day.
 
Feeling Alucard return the hug was reassuring, like a silent promise that this hadn't broken him and he was going to continue on. His pain was so deep Aveline had worried it would over come him, but he was stronger than he gave himself credit for. The dhampir was actually shockingly humble in many ways, and their talk earlier had exposed to Aveline some insecurities that he did well to hide but that existed.

He might think himself lesser compared to some of his parents own exploits, but Aveline was certain that the person in her arms was strong in their own ways.

she hummed hearing his answer, " It's ok not to know," emotions were a complex thing and crying normally left a person spent, both emotionally and physically. A deep cry could leave a face red and itchy, and a person feeling worn out. " but i'm happy to hear that you don't feel any worse," That would of been pretty unproductive, but she felt like this was a step in the right direction.

Aveline resisted the urge to kiss Alucards temple, her father had done it to her all the time to show her that everything would be fine but she was very aware that the reason she wanted to kiss him wasn't familial in the least. That urge to comfort him was there, and the kiss was just a reflection of that, but she caught herself. No need to make things harder on Alucard and burden him with her own feelings when he was barely handling his own.

" I know a good trick to help with red puffy faces," she suggested, " a cold wash cloth does wonders and feels great. I can go down stairs and get you one so no one sees you, and i'll see how the bath is doing." She could save him a spot in line, no doubt the others were all eager to take a dip themselves but she didn't mind pulling some strings or promising to do some chores for them if they let Alucard go ahead of them tonight.

Aveline relaxed a bit into the hug when Alucard thanked her, no longer the steady support he needed to lean on but instead his friend that was easily flustered when it came to praise, "It was no trouble, Alucard. I'd do it again in a heart beat," she pulled back from the hug enough so she could look at his face, which was just a bit red and puffy but he was still too handsome for his own good even like this, " Don't hesitate to come to me when you need something."

He had been a silent support for her early in their journey, someone that she could rely on and help her go at her own pace no matter what issues she was facing, but this was more than her repaying a debt. This was her truly wanting to be as good a friend to him as he had been to her.

" I'm going to go and get that wash cloth now, will you be ok in here?" He'd be left in here with memories of his family, even if this room was something that truly belonged to him she had no doubts that there were things in here that would remind him of his family, like the starry ceiling that had started all of this, " We can go to my room if you want to be somewhere less personal."

She would take battling her own demons if it meant Alucard could have a break from his own, and she was left in a bit of a mother hen mode. She just wanted to spend the rest of the night looking after him since she knew that he'd be facing his worst memory soon. She was already planning to bring him back some tea for his sore throat, and since they were stopped here for a while because of the snow storm It would be a good idea to give him some blood too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rubbing his hands together at just the smell Trevor hummed, the Sarma did smell good but at this point it had been a long, cold, and draining day. He was tempted to say that the only good thing that had happened today was the small ball fight, but then he remembered the hug with Lucia upstairs and the confession they had made and knew that had been the high light of this whole journey so far.

" Will that stuff be done soon?" He asked Danica curiously as he headed into the kitchen, " Don't open the oven, Trevor." Danica called out from her chair in the living room and Trevor, paused just before he could open the oven door, wondered if she had eyes on the back of her head or if something had given him away.

" Wouldn't dream of it, Danica."

Danica gave a suspicious 'um-hm' but didn't say anything else. With his plans to check on dinner ruined Trevor disappeared into the pantry to look for some teas, just something warm to fill his stomach as he waited for dinner, and dug through the shelves. The pantry really was well stocked, he could see where Sypha had raided the stash of preserved fruits, where Aveline had grabbed up everything she needed for her honey cake, and the empty spot on one of the shelves was definitely from the coffee that Johann was hoarding like some type of dragon.

Pushing aside some containers of crackers Trevor froze seeing the dark glass of his favorite bottle of brandy. He lived on ale up until this point, all inns had ale even if it was always weak and shitty, but this brandy was special. It wasn't a well known brand of brandy, it was regional to the area they were near now.

Grabbing the bottle Trevor turned it over in his hands, his reflection in the glass looking back at him. 'I found your favorite, Stephen.' He thought to himself. Stephen was a middle aged lumber jack Trevor had met when he was almost in his 20s decades ago. He had tried to return to his families estate before, but the memories always drove him away. Currently this was the closest he had ever gotten to the remains of his past, but the first time he had tried to venture this way on his own he had got caught in a snow storm similar to this point.

Stephen had found him and taken him back to his cabin, it was newly build and still sparse but Stephen had offered Trevor all he had because he was his guest and new enough to the area that he didn't know a Belmont when he was right in front of them. In the end being a Belmont hadn't mattered to Stephen, the man was eastern European and told trevor ' the head of my church is different from yours, but even if he wasn't I wouldn't throw a lad like you out into a storm like that because of your family.' Then they had drank the whole bottle of this brandy together as Trevor forgot his past and Stephen told him his.

Pulling the cork off the bottle Trevor walked over to the sink, his fist clenched around the bottle as he barely resisted the urge to sniff the cork, and poured it out. 'this is for you Stephen, because it certainly isn't for me anymore.' It had been decades since he had last seen the man, and Stephen had already been old when he had met him all those years ago. The man was probably dead, and if he was Trevor hoped he appreciated the gesture so at least one of them could enjoy the brandy.

Trevor recorked the now empty bottle and sat it off to the side with all the other empty jars and bottles they had used since coming here, then returned to making his tea. He had found a citrus smelling one that reminded him of a suitor from France that had tried to win first Esthel and then Goldevias favor. The frenchy had been a right asshole, but the tea was good.
 
Alucard wondered if Danica might see through Aveline’s gesture. Something told him she was likely familiar with the trick that Aveline mentioned, but he wouldn’t protest it. Danica wouldn’t go telling the others if she was aware, she would keep it to herself, no doubt. She seemed fairly good at knowing what to say, or when to say anything. That maternal instinct of hers was a curious one – and, he wondered then, why she did not have her own family. It seemed as if she would have liked it.

A question for another day.

It didn’t hold long in his mind as she pulled away, promising her services in the future if it was needed. He knew it would be, no matter how hard he tried to hold it together, he would still need help navigating this.

His hands moved back, to no longer restrict her movement or keep her so close. He would not want her to go away, but she was being practical. If he was to move out of this room and rejoin the others, or even claim the bath next, he would need to look…decent. His face couldn’t give him away, and if she could hasten that, all the better.

He still sniffed, before he nodded to answer her question, “Yes,” he said, “I’ll be fine in here. I promise,” at least he was fairly certain he wouldn’t sink into his feelings again. He couldn’t promise he wouldn’t just lie down and wait, though. He wasn’t sure he had the energy for much else right then, but he would at least not close his eyes. Not fall asleep. “I am fine in here. It…this was a room I once wanted. I should be…learning if it is still what I want.”

If the future he’d imagined was still a future he wanted, or else, who he wanted to be now. He had not put much thought into that future, presuming there was not much of one ahead of him. “I won’t go anywhere,” he would be there, until she returned with her assessment of the bath schedule and the cold clothe.

He would let her leave without rising, but when she would leave, he would find himself drawn to the desk instead of the bed, putting some distance – however imagined – from the view of the starry ceiling and to something he could control and create on his own. He had designed this once, why not consider what he might want? Why not try to put it into a design?

It was at least something to do, though when pencil touched paper, he started sketching not a room, but the petals of a lily, and from there, the golden hair of Lisa.

~***~

Johann had returned to the living room as well, knowing the temptation of the sarma would be too much if he stayed too close. He did snort a laugh as Danica seemed to know Trevor had much the same thought. “It actually does not smell so bad anymore,” Sypha commented. Cooking the fermented cabbage must have done something to help that.

“It will not taste like it smelled, I promise,” Danica chuckled. The way people reacted to sauerkraut still amused her to this day, but she had grown up on it. It was the smell of home to her, no matter what. They could hear Trevor rifling around in the cabinets, “Just a little longer,” she wanted to reassure him so he wouldn’t ruin his appetite.

They had cake and sarma, after all!

But then there was the sound of a cork being popped, and a liquid draining. Sypha and Danica exchanged a look, and Sypha moved back towards the kitchen, wondering what Trevor was doing. When her eyes alighted on the bottle, and the scent of the alcohol reached her own nose, she understood.

There was Trevor’s gift.

And there he was, getting rid of it. He wasn’t even thinking of keeping it, or drinking it, he was just immediately getting rid of it. Her gaze softened, the accusation of him wasting supplies leaving her throat. She instead walked further into the kitchen as he went about grabbing his citrus tea, and she bumped her hip against his, grinning, “It seems a vampire is actually good for you. Who would have thought!” She teased, before letting her expression soften a bit, “We’re proud of you, you know.”

Not just Lucia – Sypha, and she knew, the others, would be proud to know Trevor was resisting his temptation. Getting rid of it. “Though, I admit, I wasn’t expecting brandy to be what would be here for you.” She was expecting the foulest ale imaginable.
 
Not eager to leave Alucard alone, but eager to return to him Aveline made her way out of Alucards room with a promise to be quick. She descended the stairs quickly, and curiously leaned over the rail as she got half way down the stairs, " Who is going to bathe next?" She asked, seeing Danica and Johann hanging out in the living room. She had thought Johann was going to bathe next, but he wasn't in the bath yet. Was Sypha still in there?

" I am, Lucia came down and we all know she loves baths." Johann spoke up, only glancing over his shoulder at Aveline before he went back to fiddling with the bandages on his knee. They were tricky to get off but the fact he wouldn't have to wear them much longer was exciting. " About that..." Aveline trailed off as she quickly finished descending the stairs and sat down beside Johann, " Can you let Alucard go before you?"

Johann quirked a curious eyebrow, his gut instinct was 'no' because Lucia was a special case, he wanted to bathe just as much as everyone else in here but Aveline looked insistent. "Why?" he asked instead because if he was putting off his bath again he deserved to know why at least. " It's not really my place to say, but I think it'd really go him a world of good right now and you know we owe him."

" We owe him?" He gave her a unconvinced look and leaned back into his seat, he had to hear this.

" Yes we owe him, he's going first tomorrow. He's going to face what ever thing is keeping us trapped here, we don't know what's going to happen. He's really taking one for the team." she tried but Johann didn't look convinced enough to give up his bath, " Oh please Johann? I'll do anything you want. When we get back on the road i'll do what ever chores Danica gives you for two days."

" Just two?"

" You're taking advantage of me," She pouted but gave in after a moment, " three days?" There was a pause before Johann spoke again, " You do what ever I ask of you for 3 days and this time I really do get to take my bath next after Alucard is done." Though the latter part of his deal was more for anyone else that planned on pushing back his bath time again. "You're a golden haired angel!" Aveline giggled and gave Johann a quick but tight hug, then hurried off the couch to a closet that she had seen earlier was full of cloths, towels, and blankets. She'd make the tea in the kitchen and wet the cloth with water from the sink before she went to tell Alucard the good news.

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

Kettle of water on the stove getting hot and a box of tea in hand Trevor hadn't even gotten to turn over the tin before something bumped his side. He barely moved, he was a shit brick house of a man even if Alucard was the tallest member of the group. He looked over to Sypha at his side and quirked a curious eyebrow, " Need something?" He was ready for her to joke about his big ass being in her way, but she had a different cheeky comment in mind. " Oh that's what this is about."

His deal with lucia and his subsequent sobriety that came from it, the others had to of noticed how suddenly he was avoiding alcohol. They hadn't really gotten to see him in the full swing of things, but when he had met them weeks ago he had still been pretty hung over and was actively looking for where he'd get his next drink, even a blind man could tell what vice he used to keep his demons at bay. Still did he want to defend that this wasn't a result of lucias involvement, because that was a lie.

He could say he was doing this for the good of the team, but that was really a side effect because now he had a goal. He had agreed to this prophesy deal thinking that he would die doing something that would make his blood line proud, but now he was planning for a future where he traveled with Lucia.

" I'm a sucker for pretty women," he decided on, and Sypha rolled her eyes playfully. Of course Trevor would try to downplay something emotional like this, " You're a sucker for one particular vampire woman you mean."

He smiled a bit as the tea kettle hissed on the stove, " Yeah just a bit." he conceded, but before Sypha could celebrate this victory Aveline slipped into the kitchen, " Are you making tea Trevor? Can I steal a cup of water from you? I was just about to make some." Trevor gave her his approval and Aveline happily stole enough water for a hot cup of chamomile, then she disappeared as quickly as she had come with her cup of tea and a cold wet wash cloth she had dunked under the sink while her tea was seeping.

Trevor caught Syphas eye and nodded towards the cup of tea he was making, " Would you like a cup or are you going to tell me there's a hierarchy of tea that i'm pissing off by enjoying some citrus tea", " Oh there is definitely a hierarchy but i'm ok with pissing people off if it means enjoying a cup of tea without doing the work."

Sypha joined Trevor at the table once the cups were poured, " Tea isn't my first choice of drink, but I bet that if I keep pouring my first choice down the sink eventually i'll naturally start wanting to drink it over Brandy or shitty ale."

" The fact you would of taken shitty ale over tea really does prove you have-had a problem," she corrected herself, and he chuckled a bit before shrugging it was true enough. " But your proud?" He asked just to really drive it home, but he liked hearing it too. Having people be proud of him, that was pretty new.

" Yes Trevor, we're proud." It was embarrassing how easily that made him smile, and like he was trying to hide it he ducked his head down and smiled into his tea. " I'm sure I can get lucia to say it if you need me to-", " Ok that's enough, I've let you be a little shit enough for one right." Sypha gave him an unapologetic grin and despite not wanting to encourage her Trevor smiled back, then the two went back to sipping their tea quietly.

It was almost like instead this house untouched by the storm and the future trials they would have to face things were as good as they could get for them all.
 
It was easy to lose track of how long Aveline was taking. Alucard’s childhood hadn’t often been unhappy, but when it had, he could remember too easily slipping into his room and drawing. There was something peaceful about it, and the fact it took all of his focus helped immensely in maintaining that peace.

The lily was finished, a bouquet of them shaded for day rather than night. An unseen sun put light into Lisa’s blue eyes, and played upon her golden hair, adding a shine to her forehead she used to dislike, a complaint of having too oily skin and being every envious of her husband and son for having ‘perfect’ complexions at all time.

It was a detail that seemed to need to be remembered right then, as he brought to mind one memory of her in the sun, in her garden, at work in it without much concern for who was going to see her. Her hands had been covered in dirt, the apron of her dress taking on stains of green. The lilies were no long relevant, more of a warm-up sketch as he drew what he remembered of his mother, and tried to hold on to those details in his mind.

He’d never have her in front of him again.

All the portraits of her were just waist-high in the castle. At least, he was certain of that – he couldn’t remember one that went below, to show the woman in full who marched right into Dracula’s home and insisted he teach her.

His focus did break at the sound of steps just outside his door, and set the pencils down, letting them roll and scatter over the wooden desk, before he rose to his feet and made it over to the door to open it before Aveline would need to try with her hands full. His brows lifted a bit, seeing the cloth and the tea there. The chamomile scent was calming, one he knew was meant to help people off to sleep.

Not quite as strong as valerian, but even so. “Thank you,” he was grateful for the care, grateful that he might be able to step out and get cleaned up, out of sight and out of mind, for a bit. He could put this behind him for a bit and try to prepare for tomorrow. Though, he was pretty certain now he definitely wasn’t going to sleep.

He’d shut the door behind her, “How is the bath situation?” He figured that would give him an idea of how quickly he should chug the tea.

~***~

Trevor and Sypha did not return to the living room, but Danica could hear the murmurs of their conversation, if not the words. Danica did chuckle a bit as Johann pouted when Aveline moved on, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get the next bath,” Danica would step in the next time, but from way Aveline came in to ask for Alucard, she imagined the dhampir was starting to have his own problems.

At least she could start working on her sewing projects in here. More gloves. More coats – or, really, more cloaks, a proper coat would just take too long, but she could make sure they had more cloaks before venturing out into the cold. Trevor’s pelts would also, likely, soon be a godsend when they were finished.

Johann sighed. He wasn’t worried. Not too much, anyway. Not about the bath. A lot of other things, and he knew none of them had the answer to it – what to expect out there, with Alucard’s memory. He knew better what to expect from all of them. Lucia and Dimas, Danica and her ex, his family, Alucard’s mother, probably Aveline’s mother, Trevor’s family, Sypha’s parents…all of them, bad memories, and he realized then how it all tied back to family.

Perhaps Lucia and Danica were a bit different, not relating to blood family, but it was family all the same. “How long do you think we’re gonna be stuck here?”

Danica arched a brow, “Are you wanting to leave your coffee behind that soon?”

He shook his head, “I’m bringing it with me! If I can,” he noted, uncertain if it would follow him out. He didn’t want to long consider other repercussions of vanishing food, but he did. If the coffee vanished, then would that mean the other food would? Would it be that on leaving as if they hadn’t eaten at all, just as how time might flow differently here, and it’d be a year for a day?

He let out a groan then and finished his bandages, “I hate my imagination.”

Danica arched a brow, and attempted a guess of how coffee could lead to horrible thoughts. “Are you concerned it’ll become rotten and you’ll wonder what you drank.”

“…well now I am.” He wondered if that was better.

~***~

Lucia certainly could have spent hours in there, but she hadn’t forgotten Johann. She eventually drew herself out of the warmer tub and drained it, before heading towards the cold one and dipping into it, a final rinse to remove any lingering bit of soap. Were she human, she knew it would have closed pores, but that was an advantage lost to her.

The scents were still playing around in her head when she resurfaced, the light jasmine springing to mind metal chimes and fountains, the toffee scent reminding her of her voyage over into the lands Laret had come from, lands she used to think were full of nothing but blue-painted barbarians.

“Your language is harsh.”
“This is not my language. I’m Roman.”
“Oh. I thought you just spoken Latin to be fancy.”

They had only been able to communicate in Latin at the start, before he learned Ruthenian. It was usually how it worked, Latin or Greek the language that helped to break the barriers. Even Parvati and the others knew one or the other, usually.

As she wove her hair into a single plait braid, she drained the cold tub as well, and began to refill the hot tub, though she made it less so. Johann didn’t much care for it to be too hot. Not like her. Then again, Danica also couldn’t quite stand that heat, though she still preferred it fairly hot.

She stopped humming before stepping out, dressed once more, and she made her way towards the living room, “Johann, your turn.”

He sighed, pouting, “No, it’s Alucard’s turn.”

“He was bought out.” Danica chuckled, as Lucia came to sit over by her, and not in a chair, just on the floor. She could have taken a chair, but she wasn’t feeling it. And she didn’t want to drag one over to be by Danica. “He traded his spot for three days of chores from Aveline.”

Lucia arched a brow, “You mean you were doing much anyway with that injury?”

“I…wasn’t, no,” he laughed a bit. “but now I can do less!”

“How much coffee has he had?”

“Too much.”
 
How she would juggle opening the door with a cup of tea and a cloth in hand Aveline wasn't totally sure, she hadn't thought that far ahead. Her mind was focused completely on comforting Alucard and making him feel better, so minor details got lost on the way. When the door did appear and she realized her problem she was moments away from rapping on the door with her shoe, but it opened before her foot was even in the air. Alucard had appeared and solved her problems without her even needing to ask for help, " My savior," she said with a smile before she slipped inside.

She handed over the mug of tea, hopeful that she had remembered the way he took his teas. They didn't drink tea as often as she knew Danica or she herself would like but when they did she liked to pay attention to everyones preferences. She had learned that Sypha liked her tea sweet either naturally through flavors or through added sugars like honey, but if there was no way to sweeten the tea then she would only drink half of a cup at most. Trevor disliked the floral teas because he complained of how they reminded him of his mothers soap, and while Alucard would drink any type of tea he could tell when it was seeped too long so she had been careful to avoid that. " I thought something warm would be good for your throat after all that, and this is calming too."

She held onto the cold cloth as he sipped on his tea, then perked up happily when he asked about the bath. " I pulled some strings with Johann, so you can go next. I think Lucia is in there, but you'd probably be able to hear if she got out better than I could," his ears were more finely tuned than hers, where she could only hear mummers of what was being said down stairs maybe he could hear more.

" When you're ready to go down stairs just press this cloth to your eyes for a couple of minutes, it's amazing how well it works!" It was a trick she had learned from her father, originally he told her a cold cloth did wonders for swollen joints but if you needed to deal with puffy anything a cold cloth was generally the answer.

Walking back over to the bed Aveline leaned against the bed frame, her eyes roaming over the comfortable and soft blankets on it. " Do you mind if I take these down stairs?" This was his room and she didn't want to be rude, especially since this was his ideal room she didn't want to ruin this safe haven. " These would be great to bundle up in by the fire place." Plus she still planned on sleeping downstairs, these would make great blankets if she could manage to fall asleep after everything that happened today.

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

" Aveline said she would do what ever i asked for 3 days, I can use my power for good." Johann didn't have that many chores to do, mostly he was asked to do anything that could be done sitting down like helping Danica prepare for dinner or drying dishes after he made his way over to them. He wasn't chopping firewood or fetching water from streams but he was still helping, and now Aveline could do it for him.

The fact he actually liked having chores to do despite his knee was overshadowed though, he liked knowing he wasn't mooching when he was injured because he refused to be dead weight, and having something to do kept him from getting bored, but he had accepted Avelines offer because he didn't have it in him to say no to a friend in need.

He wasn't sure what was going on upstairs but with how Aveline and Alucard were attached at the hip he was certain it had something to do with the Dhampir. He wouldn't press it though.

" You make it sound like Aveline wouldn't of done anything you asked already anyway," Sypha spoke up as she and Trevor stepped out of the kitchen to join everyone in the living room. Trevor had finished his tea and cleaned up the mess but Sypha had helped herself to another cup that she gotten Trevor to make her through what she chose to believe was her charm, but Trevor would call it her annoying him into doing what ever she wanted.

" Were you eavesdropping?"

" The kitchen is literally the next room over, there isn't even a door to separate the rooms." Apparently it wasn't eavesdropping if you didn't have any choice in what you heard, but Johann still narrowed his eyes because It still felt like eavesdropping. " but we've been over this, Aveline is a sucker for blondes and your still hurt Johann. Just bat your eyelashes at her and ask her to do something if you need It done."

The dawning realization that he didn't have to give up his spot in line was something Johann was forcing down like no ones business, " I didn't accept her offer because I wanted to order her around, I wanted to help her."

" Sounds like you're just a sucker when women ask you to do something," Trevor pointed out as he stepped back over to the front door to pull on his now dry, or dry enough, cloak. From her place on the couch Sypha snorted, Trevor was definitely a hypocrite. Then the realization that Trevor was going outside hit Sypha like a snowball to the face. " hey! Where are you going?"

Trevor vaguely motioned towards the door like it was obvious, "I'm going to the carriage to get the pelts. All my work at drying them is pointless if I let the snow ruin them before they're ready. I'll be a moment," truly he'd just grab the pelts and bring them inside to finish them up. They'd dry by the fire, he'd just a sealing coat on them, and then they'd all have wonderful, soft, and warm cloaks which they would need if they would have to venture outside to deal with Baba Yagas bullshit.

" it's a blizzard outside, Trevor, you won't be able to see anything."

" The carriage is less than 30 feet away from the front door, i don't need you to tie a string to me I won't get lost."

With everyone settling in for the night, either fresh from the bath or occupied with something else this was something he didn't mind handling on his own. Besides his own memory seemed to be off in the forest somewhere, there should be no harm in it.
 
Alucard’s lips twitched slightly upwards at the ‘my savior’ comment, but he refrained from any additional comment, sarcastic or otherwise, to it. He accepted the tea as it was offered, not returning to sit but leaning on the wall near the door to sip it, though he did sniff it first. It seemed all right, and as he took down a gulp, he determined there was nothing wrong with it.
He didn’t think he was that picky when it came to tea. He certainly didn’t need it as sweet as Sypha.

He gave a small nod, “It was a good idea,” he consented. The drink was soothing as his throat, and even if it was just placebo, he’d take anything calming right then. Though, he didn’t think the tea had so much to do with it as the woman before him who had hurried off to find things to help him, and stayed there as he’d been pulled under the weight of some of his emotions.

He thought, now, he was doing a bit better.

He couldn’t say what it meant for the long term, or even tomorrow, but right then it felt as if things had at least calmed. He did arch a brow at her assumption, “My hearing is good, but not that good,” he noted. He could make out the voices, but not the words. He supposed he might know when Lucia joined by the cadence of her voice, and he could wait for that.

Aveline redirected his attention from the considerations of how soon when she went to the bed, and more particularly, the blankets. He gave a nod. He knew already he wasn’t planning to sleep, he wouldn’t mind if his blankets were put to use, “I do not mind, you can take them downstairs with you,” he answered, “They may as well get some use.”

He could hear the shift downstairs and the additional voice. He took a longer sip from his tea, nearly draining it, before he would set it aside. He could finish it before heading down, but he supposed if his time was bought, he should make sure not to leave Johann waiting. He reached for the cloth and, after a moment of turning it over in his hands, he pressed it to his eyes. “What did you have to do to convince Johann?” He asked.

He probably could have claimed the spot after Johann….

~***~

Sypha was, no doubt, right. Johann clearly had forgotten Aveline’s weakness for blondes, and Danica covered her lips briefly to try and stifle the laugh at how Johann seemed to be realizing that he was being uncovered as too good, again. This was why she’d have to defend his spot after Alucard, or else he’d end up losing it again. The pout on Johann’s face was amusing, though she wouldn’t say as much as Trevor started to grab his cloak.

Danica was certainly thinking of protesting his thoughts, before Sypha spoke up to clarify them. He was just going out for the pelts – that made sense. When Lucia rose from her place, she gave the older woman an annoyed look. “And what are you doing?”

“His arms are going to be full,” Lucia answered. Someone should be there to open the door. “I’m sure you’d rather he not leave the door open, or drop the pelts in the snow to open it, right?” She didn’t imagine Trevor would try to go chasing after anything in the night, so she certainly meant to help for the practical reasons indicated.

She approached the door as Danica seemed to concede the point – no one wanted the door open longer than it needed to be, and even if the pelts would be easy for Trevor to carry, they were still large and would require both of his hands to carry. She was prepared to step out with Trevor, but she wouldn’t venture far from the door – there was no need for that nonsense in that wind and cold, unless Trevor actually needed help with the pelts.
 
After handing off the cloth to Alucard Aveline wasted no time in happily bundling up the blankets to take with her downstairs. The top most blanket was soft and fluffy, it was easy to see it was some type of comforter meant for the colder months, but the sheet under it was the smoothest thing she had ever felt before. It was silky and felt thin between her fingers, but she couldn't see through it. Holding it up a bit she could see it shimmer a bit in the dim light of the room, she had no idea what could make a material shine like this other than very thin fine metal but that was scratchy and this was smooth like a stone shaped by a current for centuries.

" Oh," she hummed as she paused in folding the blankets, " I promised to do what ever Johann asked me to for 3 days." it was no big deal, and of all the people on the team to make that deal with Johann was one of the safest bets. She could only imagine what use Sypha or Trevor would get out of a promise like that.

not wanting Alucard to feel guilty or like she had put herself out for his sake she continued, " It's no big deal. He'll probably just ask me to do his chores," or the ones that he was able to do with his knee like it was, " Maybe change his bandages, make him some coffee." she shrugged, not worried about it.

Her bond with Johann was friendly and playful, and he had told her enough about his sisters during all the days spent traveling that she felt more like family with him than anything else so she trusted him.

Though thinking about it now, if everyone would be forced to face their worst memories at some point over the next few days it was possible that Johann would ask her to go before he did. She wasn't sure what his memory would be, probably something to do with his family like everyone elses issues, but if it was something he'd rather put off confronting then he could ask that of her just to buy him as much time as possible. The idea hadn't come to her until now, but the realization didn't make her regret the deal.

Alucards comfort and well being were more important than her own, and she'd be a horrible Haltija if she didn't protect the people she cared about to the best of her abilities.

By the time the blankets were bundled up a few minutes had passed, " Let me see your eyes, the compress should of worked but lets just be sure." If he wanted to hide what had happened up here then she wasn't going to let him walk down with puffy eyes, but the compress hadn't failed them. " Looks perfect," she assured him, his eyes were still just a bit red but around his eyes looked back to normal.

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

Just before he opened the door Trevor stopped Lucia preparing to step outside if she needed to, but the fact she was fresh from the bath hadn't escaped him. He could smell her odd soap, the toffee she had spoken of earlier if he had to guess, and enjoyed the braid her hair was in but she was finally clean and content. He knew the cold didn't effect her the way it did everyone else, but after enjoying a warm bath and drying off he wasn't going to ask her to step out into the storm.

" You don't need to step outside with me, just wait inside by the door." He planned on grabbing the pelts and stacking them by the door then when they were all assembled he'd bring them in quickly, " No need to get wet on my account."

He took a moment to mentally prepare himself for the cold, but stepped out into a blizzard in the middle of the night was still a shock to anyones system. " Fucking hell it's colder than a witches tit!" he shivered as the chill invaded his clothes like needles. Only his bugbear cloak kept the cold at bay but anywhere the cloak didn't cover felt like it was being stabbed with icy needles.

The carriage wasn't far, but when you couldn't see where you were going everything felt farther away. Still Baba Yaga didn't have any monsters to drop at him, instead Trevors greatest enemy was his shaking numb fingers as he undid the rope on the carriage and grabbed the stretching racks he had made for the furs. He carried two under each arm, slowly using his original path to find his way back to the front door and mumbled grateful curses when Lucia opened the door before he would pound on it, her saving him from a second longer in the cold than necessary.

He kicked the snow off his boots on the mat by the door but hurried over to the fire, where the heat melted the frost that had gathered on his stubble. " That's a supernatural kind of cold, Fucking Baba Yaga." he grunted and soaked up as much of the heat from the fire place as possible.
 
Alucard frowned a bit. Johann hadn’t shown nearly the mischief of Sypha, nor even the maliciousness of anyone else in their party. Truth told, Johann and Aveline were probably the most innocent in the entire group, so it was unlikely Johann was going to ask much of Aveline beyond a few additional chores. Still, “I could have waited,” he murmured.

It was done, though. He knew he couldn’t change that. “Something tells me he’s particular about his coffee,” he did allow a touch of humor on his tone at that, imagining Johann might be defensive over his coffee. At least, when it was his favorite brew. He wouldn’t want to risk a single cup being messed up.

He heard Aveline as she gathered things up, but soon enough, she came back over to him to check. Alucard lowered the compress, hesitating just a bit. The chill against his skin wasn’t unpleasant when revealed to the warmer house, and apparently, the compress had done its job. He let out a relieved sigh, and he set the cloth aside. He figured it wouldn’t bother anyone if the cloth stayed up there for a bit. He didn’t want to bring it into the bath, or detour into the kitchen to return it.

He still meant to avoid being seen.

He saw the pile of blankets, all folded, and that brought a smile, “I hope they will keep you warm downstairs,” he noted, “I hope there is also a place for you,” he noted with a slight chuckle, hearing the gathering all downstairs. It had seemed to have plenty of space, though it was too easy to imagine Aveline curled up right by the fire, instead of on a couch, in all those blankets. “I’ll try to be fast,” that might turn a lie.

He did turn to the door then, and he opened it – and held it open for Aveline so she would be able to get out easily with all of those blankets, before he would head down, to slip into the bath and avoid the others.

~***~

There was certainly a comment that could have been added to Trevor’s, and Lucia was quite thankful it seemed no one else caught it as she gave a nod to agree to stay behind the door and within the house. She listened through the wind as Trevor moved to get the pelts, wondering a few times if she should just go out there to help him in order to speed things up, but soon enough, he was back and with all the pelts, and she opened the door for him – shutting it just as soon as he’d cleared the doorway.

Johann started to get back to his feet, but Lucia waved him down. “Do you need coffee? Another cup of tea?” Johann could only imagine how frozen Trevor’s hands were – he went out without gloves, “Hot water?” He figured that would at least help quicker than the fire might, or keep the chill from infecting him.

Danica did chuckle.

“I could just set his fingers on fire.”

“No, Sypha.” Danica was still chuckling a bit. Sypha’s comments of lighting people and things on fire never did seem to cease. “Then he won’t be able to do much with the pelts if he doesn’t have his fingers. Or the feeling in them.”

Sypha let out an overly dramatic sigh – she hadn’t been serious, of course, but she did mime a gesture towards the fire to make it grow a bit more, and burst forward a bit to help warm both Trevor, and the room, which had chilled when the door was opened.

Lucia heard the steps of Alucard as she moved further into the living space. It crossed her mind to check on him; if Johann had given up his time and Aveline came to ask, there was something amiss, but she pushed it off for the moment. There would be a time, when he had also had a moment to breathe, and likely when most the others had gone to sleep. Even if they stayed up quite a while, they would soon want to enjoy the warmth of the bed they had, and prepare themselves for the day ahead.

Alucard and she were both unlikely to, given their natures. Though, Alucard probably needed to. It had been quite a while. “How much longer until those are done?” Sypha asked, taking in the pelts which clearly had gotten a bit wet from the snow that had fallen.

Lucia returned to her place besides Danica’s chair, though she didn’t sit just yet.
 
" Yes, you could of waited," Aveline nodded but shrugged before looking over her shoulder to smile at Alucard, " But I didn't want you to. So don't worry about it." There was nothing wrong with pampering a friend when they were feeling down and she knew Alucard would go out of his way for her if he thought she needed it, so everything was fine.

She gave a grateful nod when he held open the door for her, she would of called him a gentleman but she was certain he already knew that, and descended the stairs happy with her treasure from Alucards room. She did feel a tad bit bad for taking his sheets from his bedroom but he had let her and it didn't sound like he would be sleeping tonight, if he did ever stop long enough to sleep then she had no problems giving them back.

" Look at what Alucard let me take from his room!" she chuckled happily as she took in everyone gathered in the livingroom, no doubt they were relaxing and enjoying how comfortable they were. Despite this all being Baba Yagas doing this was the best place they had stayed in for a while.

Sypha opened her mouth, a quip about the two being alone in Alucards room already on the tip of her tongue, but the sheets did catch her interest. " Oh~ Those look fancy," " and they're impossibly soft!" Instead of setting up in front of the fire place, that Trevor was hogging mind you, Aveline settling on the couch beside Sypha and spread out the blankets for her to check out.

" Oh my!" Sypha gasped as she rubbed the two separate sheets on either cheek, " These are so soft! Oh and this one is silky!" she had never felt anything this extravagant in her whole life.

Johann gave the sheets a curious look but he was more curious about why Aveline had Alucards sheets, " Did you steal his sheets?", " He told me I could take them since i'm going to sleep down here tonight. I don't want to stay in my room."

" Why don't you want to stay in your room?"

" Because Baba Yaga is a cruel old woman," that was all Aveline wanted to say on the matter, and she busied herself with arranging the blankets around her and Sypha.

Trevor looked over his shoulder, a curious quirk of his eyebrow indicating just what Baba Yaga had put in Avelines room to leave her sleeping down here, but he didn't speak up. When you were someone trying to avoid a painful past having your memories pulled out of your head and thrown in your face could upset you. " Makes sense that the fancy Alucard would have fancy sheets." he decided on saying instead.

" They certainly make those pelts your working on look barbaric," Sypha teased from the cocoon she had made from one of the sheets." Oh? Then enjoy taking those fancy sheets out into the snow with you. I'll give your cloak to someone that needs it.", " no!"

Trevor chuckled and returned to warming his hands by the fire with a "that's what I thought,". When the feeling had returned to his hands he gathered up the pelts in their racks to inspect them, he should of gone out to get them the moment that the snow became this serious but there was a lot going on so it had escaped his mind until now.

" After these dry i'd say half a day if we keep them inside right by the fire." He decided. The pelts weren't ruined by the snow luckily, they just needed to dry off by the fire and once he put the sealant coat on them they'd be good to go. " No fire magic tricks though, might burn the place down if any of these catch," he directed at Sypha. Her little fire trick had been cute but they'd be in some serious shit if the pelts caught on fire.

Sypha looked mildly offended, " I am not some child, I won't catch them on fire. At least I wouldn't purposely catch my own pelt on fire." Aveline stifled a laugh as Danica reminded Sypha, " behave," It was amazing to know that the scholar of their group was this quick to cause trouble, but if memory served her right then Sypha was the youngest of all the speakers in the Caravan she had been traveling in. She probably enjoyed being around a group closer to her age, for the most part.
 
The fancy sheets of Alucard were no surprise at all to Lucia, and the materials not unfamiliar, though she didn’t speak to it. Alucard certainly had more the air of being fancy and luxurious than her, and given his father, it was certainly accurate. Lucia remained a bit more sentimental. She’d keep an old blanket for ages before considering a new one.

But it was cute seeing Sypha and Aveline get cozy under the blankets, even if Sypha risked her own pelt with her comments, “I would definitely advise against it,” Lucia said, “Satin is pretty and smooth, but it is not warm.”

“At least it isn’t too difficult to work with,” Danica noted. Not as easy as the material for Lucia’s cape, but that was difficult to come by. Satin seemed easier to come by in comparison.

Sypha perked up a bit at that, and at how soon the pelts would be finished, “Danica, you have to make me something of this!” She didn’t have a bed, but certainly she could find some way to keep this kind of fabric around, right? “It’s just so pretty, and so smooth!”

Danica smiled, “When this is all over, we can talk about what you’d like,” Danica agreed.

“Do you have satin sheets?” Sypha asked, to both Lucia and Danica. They exchanged a look, as did Johann, who wasn’t as familiar with the fabric. He certainly didn’t have it in his room.

“No,” Danica finally answered, “It’s familiar, but I’ve never been so fond of sleeping with it daily. Perhaps it’s the cold,” she offered a light shrug. She preferred cotton in that regard. Lucia seemed much the same, though sleep did not matter so much to her, and she hardly noticed the comforts. The floor was much the same to Lucia as a bed, in the end.

“I didn’t know it was an option,” Johann noted, rising to go and feel it, though lingering on the edge of the couch so he wouldn’t impose on the nest that had been made by the two women. He had likely felt satin before, but it wasn’t one he remembered well. Definitely wasn’t something his family had much of. “Huh.” He could see why the cold might be an issue, but right then it felt nice in the warmed home.

“Do you want satin sheets, Johann?” Lucia teased.

“I don’t know,” he chuckled, pulling back, “It’s nice, though.” He couldn’t argue that, Alucard did have good tastes. “I’ll settle for the pelt for now.” If he ever wanted to update his room with satin sheets, he’d do so – it was a thought for later, though. If he remembered.

~***~

The room was as impressive as he expected, and Alucard did take a few moments to take it all in. The marble was beautifully veined, mostly white, but he noted that around one of the tubs it seemed mostly black, veined through with white. Steam rose off that tub, indicating its heat, though he had an idea it’d been much hotter before simply by the condensation in the room, lingering still on the walls.

It was proven when he did begin to disrobe; the marble retained the heat, not just near the tub, either. He took a glance at what was available, so far as soaps and oils were concerned. He noted an interesting lather that he was certain he’d seen before, but couldn’t quite recall. Shampoo and conditioner were not so common for him, the names evaded him, but the soap was familiar, and the oils he liked.

He made a mental note to ask Lucia about everything, later.

For the moment, he would stick to what he knew – the light vanilla scent and the charcoal cleanser a familiar soap, and the honeyed serum he used for his hair, one he thankfully learned how to make from his mother some time ago with literal honey and a linseed mucilage. His mother had always used it in her own hair, and it kept that golden shine.

It did much the same for him, glistening up his hands after he entered the tub, and dipped his head under, unwilling to truly submerge himself.

“Isn’t it sticky?”
“No, dear, the linseed keeps it from that.”

He spread it through his own locks, watching that shine touch on it, even though they were wet. It was still fairly noticeable, and he let some of the strands fall through his fingers, and watched them play over his skin, his thoughts too easily returning to Lisa now that he was alone, and once again with her influences.

Dracula cleaned up, of course – but it was not quite the concern it was for Lisa, nor even for Alucard, given how he could just ‘reset’ with a nap, if he so desired. Not that he often desired to sleep.

‘It isn’t sticky.’

The strands moved too easily to be sticky. Of course, he knew it was a few other oils that helped, but his mother wanted to insist it was this, more than anything else.

He let out a deep sigh as the strands hit the water and caused ripples to move out from him. He shut his eyes as his longer fingers went back up to his scalp, and he worked the oil through it, trying to focus on smoothing each and every strand.
 
This satin that apparently Alucard knew and enjoyed having for sheets was new enough to Aveline and Sypha that they both just enjoyed the feeling of it. It was cold to the touch immediately and silky smooth in a way that reminded Aveline of touching a smooth river rock, but the longer the two shared the blanket the warmer it got, but there was no illusion here. The sheets were soft and they were beautiful but they wouldn't be able to keep a person warm on their own, " Something like this would feel great some place hot," Sypha hummed, with how light it was there was no doubts that it would keep you cool on a hot night.

" You mean like a desert?" Trevor asked, " Because every desert I've been in gets cold at night, you'd need something heavier to avoid freezing."

The idea of Trevor being in a desert caught Johanns attention, " You've been in a desert?"

" Our families line of work kind of requires it," Trevor reminded him.

" I knew that it just thought you were young when your family," He stopped himself, Trevors family was a sensitive enough topic when they weren't being faced with impending tasks Baba Yaga had put on them, " I didn't think you had gotten a chance to travel much. We did find you in Wallachia, not some other place."

it was convenient that someone who had lost their family to the people they swore to protect was still in the country, if Trevor really wanted to put distance in from his past then Johann would of expected him to at least move farther away from his families hold than Gresit.

Trevor sighed softly and kept his attention on the pelts, moving them from their place at the door and instead putting them a safe distance from the fire place gave him something to focus on instead of explaining his reasons. " I stayed in Wallachia despite everything because i'm a shitty liar. I told myself for years that this country hated me and my family, and that I hated them in return. But back in Gresit i realized that for all the harm Wallachia and its people has done to me, I still love it. It's in my blood, I couldn't leave it."

He had spent so much time running from his past he had drawn the line at running from Wallachia, so he had left for short periods to pursue work and coin but he was never gone from Wallachia for long. Maybe now that he was facing his demons he could find it in him to leave. " That and bad shit always happens here. When Wallachia is safe i'll find some other country full of creatures that need killing."

" How noble," Sypha chuckled as Aveline opened their nest of blankets up to Johann. " Aveline you're letting in the cold!"

" I was being nice and offering him some blankets. Be nice." But in response to Avelines kind hearted gesture Sypha forced an over exaggerated shiver and pulled her share of the blankets closer. " At this rate you'll steal all the blankets." Aveline could only imagine the cocoon of blankets Sypha would have amassed when she came back from her bath, which at this point she had accepted as being last on the list. Maybe second to last depending on Trevors choice.

Pulling the fancy blankets closer Sypha playfully nudged Avelines side, " You stole the blankets from Alucard first, it's only fair I steal them from you", " He let me have them!" but Sypha sighed like she hadn't heard Aveline, " I wish Alucard spoiled me like he spoiled you."

From the fireplace Trevor scoffed, " You are spoiled," he pointed to the best pelt that Sypha had basically forced him to promise her when he had started this whole project.

" I'm not spoiled," Aveline and Sypha spoke in unison, though Sypha directed her ire at Trevor and Avelines at Sypha. Trevor laughed despite the fact Sypha threw a pillow at him, a pillow he caught to make sure it didn't fly into the fireplace or knock any of the pelts in the fire, but Aveline sat and seriously pondered if she was spoiled.

She wanted to say she wasn't but thinking about it Johann had given into her request easily, that was for Alucard though! Still she had gotten her way...And Alucard had let her braid his hair when she was drunk. He basically let her force him into drinking her blood, it was her that found him and told him when he needed to eat. " I am spoiled," Aveline whispered in shock to the amusement of Sypha who laughed and proudly proclaimed " see i'm not spoiled, Aveline is spoiled."
 
Trevor’s confession of Wallachia and how he had stayed in it, did make Lucia wonder how much time they would truly have. Not that she ever had much time with humans anyways. Trevor agreed to go with her to Rome, to meet Tiberius and Amon-Re, but after that, when everything was said and done, would he want to stay in Wallachia rather than go to Chernihiv? It wasn’t a question she could ask now – nor one that Trevor likely had an answer to, but it was a thought that Lucia would keep at the back of her mind.

‘If you hadn’t said anything….’ She tried to keep the thought down, but it was there. That the emotions might be a burden, or a difficulty – if Trevor had to pick between his home and her.

Thankfully, the conversation around her did not stick to that topic. It turned to the spoiled pair on the couch. And Aveline realizing she was spoiled which seemed to make Sypha think she wasn’t, “It is not an either-or thing, Sypha,” Lucia spoke up. She couldn’t say that Aveline wasn’t spoiled.

At least in this group.

Sypha was, too, “I am sure you haven’t forgotten how I’ve made sure we bought preserves when we could, when they are not a necessity at all.”

Sypha gave a mock gasp at that, “They are a necessity!” She insisted immediately, as Johann moved to join the blanket group on the couch since Aveline did make an opening. He wanted to be in the warm nest. “I can’t believe I’m being attacked like this, after all I do for this group!”

“Which is…?”

Lucia knew Sypha did plenty, but it was still fun to watch the shock on her face, before she seemed to straighten up in the nest and begin counting off on her fingers, “I have cooked, I have cleaned, I have helped get things out of the carriage, I start all of our fires, and I am a proficient combatant with magic! I am not spoiled!”

“You’re spoiled, Sypha,” Johann said, even if he was now at risk of losing his recently gained blankets. “We all do lots of things, but I don’t expect Trevor to make me tea just because I ask. Or coffee. You and Aveline get away with anything.”

“Then it’s all your fault for enabling it,” Sypha shifted the blame easily, “I haven’t forced anyone.”

“You threaten to burn people, Sypha,” Lucia noted. She’d definitely overheard enough threats, playful or otherwise.

Sypha tried to look innocent, “I never really mean it, it’s only a joke.” Lucia arched a brow, and was so tempted to steal the blankets from all three right then just to see if Sypha would immediately jump to the threat of fire once more. She didn’t, though.

Danica just noted, “Oh it’s not so bad if they’re spoiled. They aren’t selfish, at least,” that was a greater sin in this journey, but so far everyone was usually finding some way to contribute, and being thoughtful of the entire party. If some took a bit of advantage of the kindness, she didn’t see it as a fault. Aveline had made a cake for them all, and Sypha always helped with cooking food and cleaning up, as well as starting fires. She was a good hand to have around, and knew much about the camping lifestyle thanks to being a Speaker.

“Not you, too!” Sypha couldn’t believe Danica was implying she was spoiled, too.

“Sorry, Sypha. It doesn’t look like you’re winning this argument,” Lucia was amused with Sypha’s pout, “Enjoy getting what you want while you can, though. We’re all on to you and Aveline now. We’ll have to work on making sure none of you are too spoiled now. For the good of all.”

It wouldn’t work and she knew it, but they should be a little afraid all the same.
 
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