[semi-open] June Catch All, Alucard edition

[cryptsleeper]

Who: Alucard + [open]
When: June catch all
Where: Cadens, Libertas, the Horizon
What: Closed threads; open ones
Warnings: As needed

Comments

[OPEN] Horizon

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard's Horizon remains a late autumnal landscape. A light layer of frost has settled over the forest, allowing for a sharper contrast between the remaining colors and the whiteness of the frost. Animal tracks criss cross through the stuff, even if the animals themselves never appear.

Eventually, Alucard's place appears out of the woods, the dhampir himself settled beside an outdoor firepit. Comfortable in a rocking chair with feet propped up on the edge of the pit, a warm fur is over his lap and something hot is in the mug he holds.]

Looking for someone or passing through?

[CLOSED] Himeka

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard was aware that someone had entered his space in the Horizon by the way he felt the floor of his cabin reverberate under foot. A pluck string only he could feel, and only when he was in the space itself. He had intended to settle in the tiny bedroom he had for himself and read beside the fireplace, but--

--he still could, depending on who it was. He placed his book aside, left the cabin, and began walking. In his space, the paths turned according to his will. That meant here and now, walking the same road as whoever was visiting.

It was kind to meet someone at a crossroads rather than sneak up on them. Alucard's path twists, and he there's a relief as Himeka comes into view. Unexpected company, but not unwelcome.]

How has Solvunn been?

[aquaveiled]

[ This domain is...beautiful. Being the traveler and adventurer that she is at heart, there are few things that Himeka finds as grounding as just being able to wander out in nature. The oranges paint warmth across the landscape in the otherwise chilly air. It reminds her a bit of the North Shroud, a place she knows quite well during her earlier days as a Conjurer.

Not everyone appreciates others randomly wandering into their space, of course, but Himeka has made something of a habit of it since the Horizon's creation. Domains are ever changing, after all, and it's a glimpse into the minds and lives of people she would have never met if not for this opportunity. She would truly be The Fool to waste it.

She follows the paths just to see where they lead and is not at all upset when she sees just who these roadways may belong to. Her expression lifts instantly and she offers a wave, shifting her own trajectory to meet Alucard properly in the middle. ]

Oh, quite well considering. If anything, the Commune is in brighter spirits than ever.

[ What should have been a dark event--the execution--has revitalized the faith of many. To see such kind people delight in that death...she understands it, even if she doesn't agree with it. ]

How have you been?

[cryptsleeper]

[Well, of all of the options that Alucard expected to hear in response to such a terrifying event brighter spirits was not one of them. Not even in the top ten.

He hides the surprise easily enough.]

Well enough. [Managing and managing well, so what else could one ask for?]

I'll admit to curiosity though. Brighter spirits in what sense?

[boltaction]

[ now that he'd gotten his first horizon visit done and dusted, his consecutive meditations into this place had been dedicated entirely to exploring. the domains that had already been conceived into being ranged from the fantastical to the mundane, and all of it was intriguing to vash. the myriad ways the summoned chose to decorate their space, what they found comfort in that the real world could not offer them. fragments of home.

his boots crunch against the brittle frost and leaf coverage littering the earth. he's easy to spot in alucard's muted landscape of late fall-- he's a riot of color, swathed in a hooded coat dyed in the vivid shade of a red geranium.

vash had followed his nose, the smell of burning wood both familiar and unfamiliar. when they'd made camp on no man's land, they'd used packed organic material, compressed bricked of some sort of run-off from plants, in place of firewood. it has smelled earthy, too, but not like this. this is sharper; it reminds him of wolfwood's cigarettes.

(it also reminds him that he should look into that. cigarettes, that is. for nicholas.)

his eyes find alucard where he sits comfortably when he speaks to him, and vash hesitates by the treeline. he doesn't want to intrude. ]

Just passing through. Hope that's not a problem.

[ vash regards him for just a moment before recognition dawns on his young face. ]

Alucard, right? We met in Oleuni Square.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard felt someone enter his domain, and then ignored the matter. He has come to be less aggressive in trying to keep people away from the place. It is a nice enough place to walk through, and quieter than other domains. Drenched in nature and seclusion, and while it is his, Alucard has begun to understand how hard it is to get away from the waking world. Not everyone is willing to fuck off into the desert outside the Free Cities, or they can't in places like Thorne.

So when Vash appears in the tree line, there's no sharpness. Sypha would probably call this progress.

What Alucard doesn't do is stand up. He's comfortable, thank you.]

Yes, I recall. [Perhaps they shouldn't be yelling from tree line to fire pit.] You'll lose your voice at that distance.

[boltaction]

[ vash opens his mouth, then closes it, and accepts alucard's unspoken invitation to cross the distance between them. when he's near enough, he pulls both hands from his jacket pockets to hold them palms out to the flame. his fingertips and palms are ruddy from the cold. curiously-- or maybe not-- both his hands are flesh here in the horizon. the cut of the black shirt he wears underneath his jacket is peculiar, though; it ends at the wrist on his left hand, but it continues down the length of his right hand to cover his palm and his ring and middle fingers like a glove.

the smile vash gives alucard is gracious. ]

I won't stay long. I didn't know you were home. I would've asked first if I had.

[ the firelight bounces off the bright orange glass of the rimless shades he wears; it washes out the color of his eyes. they narrow with a faint grimace when he hears what it sounds like he might be suggesting. he tacks on quickly: ]

Not that I'm sneaking around on purpose! I never go inside anyone's houses or touch anything. I just wander. Promise.

[OPEN] Cadens

[cryptsleeper]

[With Old Public Hall fully complete, Alucard's time in Cadens revolves around either working in his office which is shared with Jaskier, or otherwise visiting the city's main graveyard, which is well kept and generally quiet.

However, he has been lingering in one of the libraries lately, a small stack of books beside him. The dhampir is quiet, but will give those he knows a polite nod of acknowledgement.]

There's tables on the other side of those shelves, if you need the space.

[OPEN] Libertas

[cryptsleeper]

--No, that doesn't work.

[With Old Public Hall done, Alucard's attention is in Libertas. He goes through the portal every day. He sits down with theater owners and shows them plans. Makes changes. Discusses them. Then makes more changes in a small diner where he can take over a table and work on technical drawings.

Today it isn't even a drawing. He's looking at a street map and trying to figure out what shape the building should be so there can be a small green space in front of it for a fountain. And somehow, of all things, it is the most difficult task in the world.

He exhales, shoves the paper, and his coffee mug shatters on the floor.]

[techmaturgy]

What doesn't work?

[Viktor still has business in Libertas himself, so occasionally he'll accompany Alucard on his ventures there. Today, they're on separate tasks, but he manages to finish what he's doing in order to meet for lunch, joining the conversation as if he was meant to be there all along.

He slides into the chair opposite Alucard's just as he shoves the papers away and the mug clatters to the ground. Unfortunately, he isn't nimble enough to intervene.]

Ah. Careful.

[Well. He's not cleaning that up.]

[cryptsleeper]

The size of this lot is absolutely--

[He frowns at the spilled mug, shaking his head.]

It seems I'm having overly strong feelings in regards to space regulations.

[techmaturgy]

Is it a zoning ordinance?

[Viktor cares very little for governmental things like that--he'd just as soon build whatever kind of garden he wants and then eat the fine or ask forgiveness later. He does, however, understand that some things need to happen by the book.

He reaches for the papers, but doesn't pull them any closer until Alucard gives him permission.]

May I see?

[frontlinetitties]

[She walks in - on the hunt for pastries, of course - just in time to see the cup shatter against the floor. Striding over and kneeling to help pick up the ragged shards, she peers up at her friend, map spread out on the table before him.]

Dude, you know you're meant to come to these kinds of places to chill, right?

[cryptsleeper]

Gideon, am I ever capable of being chill?

[Alucard peers down at her, his hair dangling down and threatening to obscure his face.]

Here, let me help, scoot over.

[frontlinetitties]

I mean, fair one. I wouldn't exactly say it's what you're known for, no.

[She's quick to scoot over to let him help, even as she's announcing--]

Nah, I've got it.

[CLOSED] Geralt

[cryptsleeper]

[He knocks because that's the polite thing to do.

Alucard is aware that he doesn't need to do this. He could send Jaskier home with the experimental lamb stew and be done with it, especially since summer is not stew weather. But he wants the excuse to get out of the office, and he made additional experimental jerky, and Geralt's one of the few people he knows goes out into the wilderness for long enough to see if the stuff holds up properly.

Whenever the door opens, Alucard looks as he ever does. Hair down, tunic and trousers and a market basket at his side, reinforcing the theory that he'd be a fantastic housewife if given the chance.]

[gynvael]

[ Summer may not be stew weather to Alucard. Geralt has no such reservations. If it is meat and tastes not like shit (which, seeing as Alucard is the one who brought it, he knows it will not), that's all he needs to know.

Geralt, too, looks unchanged when he opens the door. Dust in his hair, a few healing scrapes, dirt under his nails. Been a long fucking week. The sort where he hasn't any desire to entertain guests—though one might argue he's not ever got that desire—but Alucard is more than a guest. So he lets him in, sensing who it is even before he approaches the door. There's a certain cadence and lightness to how Alucard walks, something preternatural, something not quite human, that his ears have learned to recognize.

At his feet, Coram follows. Now and again, Geralt tells Jaskier the creature is a nuisance. That it isn't his fault if it gets in the way and he stomps on its damn fluffy tail. And yet, he finds himself picking it up so that this doesn't happen. It's nothing. He just doesn't want to squash the animal for no reason. ]

You brought food. [ Is the greeting. Geralt sets the leosylph on the kitchen table. ] Here to visit?

[ On occasion, Alucard simply wants to drop off the meal and exchange less than one or two words. Suits Geralt just fine. ]

[cryptsleeper]

I wasn't planning on staying beyond letting you know that some of this will need feedback but--

[Alucard paises, lips thin and debating if he should comment on the state of Geralt. The dust is what marks the situation as out of character, and he enters into the kitchen just enough to need to realize Geralt definitely just scooped up the small creature. He'd probably pick up Roach if he could, but that's Roach.

He keeps on, indicating a small parchment wrapped package on top of a larger pot.]

Jerky. Let me know how well it survives traveling, I'm not sure I got the proportions right. Unless you only just got back and will be in town for a bit?

[gynvael]

[ There's also a saw and half-constructed wooden bed on the floor in front of the fireplace, confirming that the dust in Geralt's hair is not the usual desert sand but sawdust. Which Alucard could likely discern through scent regardless.

He ignores the dhampir's look between the leosylph and back. No, he will not be taking questions. Woodworking occupies his time, that's all.

He wipes his hands on his trousers, then accepts the offerings of jerky and stew. The stew goes on the table, where he takes the lid off the pot and immediately takes a bite. Mm. Not bad at all. ]

I'll be in town for a week. Until Ciri's better.

[ She's all right, physically, but she's been through a lot as of late. He wants to be sure he's here. Hunting can wait. It isn't as though they need the coin. ]

[CLOSED] Wanda

[cryptsleeper]

[The Square will be closing up soon. Alucard is well aware of it, seated by one of the now closed blood wine shops and watching merchants pack up their stalls. He tries to stay as late as he can in Nocwich, taking advantage of the quiet that comes in the final moments before the portals are well and truly cut off.

Besides. He's met more than a few Summoned vampires here now. If others from his world are to arrive, it is natural they gravitate here. Alucard isn't foolish enough to hope for Sypha or Lenore to return, but it feels proper enough to keep an eye out. Just in case.

When he sees Wanda pass by, there's a soft nod of his head. Alucard suspects she's homebound, but after last month, there's part of him that feels it important to ask (for real knowledge, not out of politeness):]

How have the settlements been in the aftermath?

[carmesi]

[it's funny how the moment you become acquainted with someone, you kind of end up seeing them a lot of everywhere. must be something with the brain having them in one's general awareness. it's hard to miss his long, blond hair, as it were.

at the nod of his head, she walks towards him, invites herself to take a seat across from him. the portals will be closing soon, but there is a bit of time — she figures they'll be (politely) asked to return to their factions, anyway. she pauses for a moment at his question, looking to the side, thoughtful, before crossing her legs at at the knees and turning back to face him.]

As good as one can be after what happened. Some families are grieving, but with the Spring Equinox here they are focusing on other things worth celebrating. No real outward comment from the Council or the Elders since the execution.

[whatever they are discussing, it is being kept a private matter for now.]

And the Cities?

[cryptsleeper]

You'd think nothing happened at all.

[There's a weariness in Alucard's words. No comment seems to be universal. No acknowledgement, or even attempts to improve. The dhampir didn't have the time to even address that fact initially, not with the race to finish Old Public Hall. Now?

Now it bothers him.]

I don't like it. How do you shrug off the deaths of so many people in pursuit of the divine?

[CLOSED] Horizon

[funbreaker]

[ Thancred's a bit surprised when Alucard reaches out to him, if only because it's the first time he's contacted him so directly, as opposed to them coming across each other by chance or through some larger organized effort, like the storming of the island. Then again, with all that has happened, the Summoned checking in with each other more regularity has become the new standard.

Besides, they'd also exchanged a wary look while at the execution. Mayhap it has to do with that.

Either way, Thancred hadn't hesitated to invite Alucard into his domain — properly, this time. He settles himself in the Rising Stones, suspecting that the somewhat secretive nature of the Scions' hideout would suit Alucard's tastes better than the out-in-the-open bar at the Wandering Stairs.

Thancred sits at one of the tables with a glass of warmwine, the lamps burning warmly and granting an inviting feel to the place. It's also vacant save for him, without even the suggestion of people in the background. When Alucard enters, Thancred stands up and bows his head, then gestures him over. ]

'Tis good to see you hale and hearty, my friend.

[cryptsleeper]

[With Old Public Hall done both in regards to the work itself and the festivties around it, Alucard has had precious time to make sense of the last few months. Which is to say overthink the nightmare of a few months ago, and begin to side-eye the deities of Abraxas. That one person could fixate and enact rituals in such a dangerous way is terrifying, and there is no doubt in his mind that they've not seen the end of this nonsense.

So it goes. Now that he's met a few people in Solvunn, there are pathways of research that the Free Cities can't support. And then there's Thorne, because they feel like a middle path between Solvunn's firm belief and the Free Cities pretending gods don't exist period. Thancred's proven himself reliable enough so...

...this.

He walks into the Rising Stones, dressed like he might if blending in in Wallachia was required of him - embroidered tunic, a differently styled coat, the only thing that's the same are the boots.]

I think it is physically impossibe to look more like shit than any of us did.

[The pit folks had their problems, everyone who wasn't had been run down to the bone on stress and terror. Even in the Horizon it couldn't be helped.

Gold eyes cast around the room, and he considers it all before taking a seat.

This is cozy.

[funbreaker]

[ Thancred, meanwhile, is wearing the white coat that had more or less served as his uniform back home, though without the body armor that he would usually have on underneath it. There's no need for that here, but it's always nice to return to something familiar within the Horizon, even if it's as simple as clothing.

That greeting comment causes Thancred to bark out a laugh. While they hadn't been anywhere near as bad as those who were abducted, he's well aware that he'd been burning the candles at both ends and had certainly not looked his best.

He takes a seat as Alucard does, then indulges in a sip of his wine. ]

... I would say to treat yourself to whatever you might like, but I suppose you can make that happen with a thought. Unless you'd like to try some of what I'm having?

[ He recalls that as a "dhamphir," Alucard does not need blood the way that some vampires do, so he assumes he can imbibe spirits as well. ]

And yes, this is the headquarters of my order, back home. The Scions of the Seventh Dawn. 'Tis a place where we would regroup and strategize, but also find succor in between our duties.