abraxaslogs | ( catch-all ) the more that i see myself

[ Hilda would have been glad to hear that for one, Claude and Sylvain know her well enough to know that she wouldn't have wanted word of her injury getting out (because why would a delicate flower be anywhere near a dragon willingly?) and two, that Ioana hadn't been any wiser to the little white lie that they had told. It's just unfortunate that word had gotten back to Alucard in the first place because of course he would come and investigate.

She certainly isn't expecting anyone to drop by, not with the way the two men had been hovering around her like wyverns since she had awoken and she definitely isn't expecting to see anyone let alone a swarm of bats outside her window. Having seen Alucard turn into a swarm of bats before, it wouldn't have phased Hilda normally. But in her unfocused, hazy daze of drifting in and out endless naps the sudden blur outside the ajar window is enough to make her second guess what she's seeing.

He arrives as she's dozing off with a book open in her lap. Something makes her look up - whether that's the loud flap of wings, a brief shadow over the pages of her book, or just a feeling that she's being watched is something she can't answer. Regardless of what it is, she looks towards the window to stare, squinting - and letting out a screeched 'Fuck!' that immediately sends her coughing and hacking. ]

[....Okay. So the bats? Not subtle.

Alucard shakes, and he's suddenly reformed as a people again, standing politely on the balcony. There's two gentle knocks, seeking permission to come in.

[ Well, she's definitely more awake than she was before. As Alucard appears in his human form she presses a hand to her chest. Outside she can hear Sylvain exclaim asking if she's okay and she calls back saying it's fine.

She can't get out of bed but she motions from Alucard to come through the door that's been left unlocked. As soon as he does she lets out a little whine, slumping back against the pillows, eyes going heavensward. ]

You scared me. A little warning would have been nice.

Apologies. My intent was to only pass by and let you keep resting.

[He's not going to ask why the door is unlocked. There are some things a dhampir is not meant to know. But he is going to leave it open a hair to let a slight breeze in.]

Ioana told me you were out for a few days.

[Alucard is careful to hold Hilda's gaze and to focus on her face, rather than the rest of her which is...not great, obviously. It is a politeness. To let her decide how she wants to approach the situation and the extent of injuries.]

[ It's just easier to keep the balcony door unlocked during the day, okay? ]

You know you could have come to the front door like a normal person. I live with two other people.

[ And at least then she might have avoided this embarrassing scenario because there was the chance Sylvain and Claude could have just turned him away and said she was out. Or something.

The initial shock of seeing him outside his balcony like some sort of illicit visitor has completely made her forget to pull the covers up over her arms and that she looks far from her usual polished self. She recalls a beat later the state of herself and not so subtly pulls the covers up towards her chin despite the lingering summer heat.

At least her brain is being quick enough to pick up on an opportune moment to tease him. ]

It will be just a few days. I'm just a little under the weather. [ Insert fake cough here. The corners of her lips quirk. ] You didn't have to come by just because I was going to be away for a few days.

[What, for passing dhampirs specifically?]

Well, I had been hoping not to disturb you or your housemates if you were resting.

[Maybe he didn't want to deal with people, Hilda???? Did you ever think of that???

He does notice Hilda's arms. There's no comment on them though, because he's a gentleman like that. One who is very awkwardly standing in his friend's bedroom because he isn't sure if he's going to be told to shoo, and he's also unsure of where to even sit. This is starting to feel very silly.]

Mmm. I wanted to be sure it was a summer cold and nothing more untoward with the creatures coming from the rifts.

[ Passing dhampir's definitely weren't top of mind. It was more like Hilda wanted the door open for some air, Perry opened it so she didn't have to get out of her bed, and then she simply forgot to lock it.

As for not wanting to be social thing, he should just suck it up?? Haha, get it? Suck...it...up...

She notices the hovering and she motions very quickly with her hand towards one of the large plush chairs by the window. Unsurprisingly it also feels equally awkward for her to have someone hovering above her while she's laid out in bed. The chair begins to move across the rug towards the side of her bed by Perry's unseen figure; the ghost would normally be able to move it with ease but today it seems like the feet of the chair drag along the rug as if it too is feeling a little under the weather. Perry manages it though and soon enough the chair is arranged beside Hilda's bed. ]

Why would it have anything to do with the creatures coming through the rifts?

[ Another little sniffle is added for the continued illusion that she does in fact have a summer cold. There is also the faintest hint of sass injected into her voice to cover up the fact that she's suddenly a little fidgety in reference to the creatures. ]

It wasn't like I was actively seeking out anything to fight after we sent that big mechanical creature away.

[That was a terrible vampire joke, well done.

Alucard is never going to get used to Perry. Or he will with a lot more time, because he does go tense for a moment when the chair starts to move. He's ready to just turn around and move it himself but...too late.

So he settles down into the chair, glad to at least hear the sass come into the equation.]

If I wasn't a gentleman taking your word for it, I might gently point out that one's arms usually don't look that marked up due to the sniffles. But I'm a gentleman and not doing that at all.

[He sighs, closing his eyes for a moment.]

I can make food on request and drop it off for your household, if you'd like. Make it easier for everyone.

[ Hilda is here for the rest of the month. Don't forget to tip your local delicate flower.

What should be easy for her to do is immediately draining. There's a thin sheen of sweat that she can feel begin to form on her forehead only furthering to sour her mood. She hates sweating. It's an unfortunate bodily function on her and right up there on the list of things she doesn't like including having her scars called out. There's a reason they're always covered up.

At said call out she quickly pulls the covers further up to her chin. More sass manages to sneak its way into her voice. ]

Good thing you're a gentleman then.

[ But his kind gesture makes her heart soften. She'd normally jump at the chance to have Alucard's cooking, but something like guilt flickers to her features. ]

I really don't want to be a bother but...I think it would be nice for Sylvain and Claude. They've been [ Hovering an annoying amount. ] doing a lot.

It is. Although a gentleman would worry less if he knew a fraction of what happened and that you're en route to recovery from this very-much-a-cold.

[He'll dance around it for as long as Hilda will, but Alucard has zero reason to believe any of this. Still, he's going to look around Hilda's room for a moment to see if there's anything to be had for the sweat. Just in case.]

Any favorites I should focus on? For them and for you.

[ Her head tilts and her lips quirk. ]

That depends on the gentleman. Most of the ones I've met just take my word for it and leave it at that.

[ She might be in recovery, but she's clearly got enough energy to keep playing this evasive game for days. Alucard is a friend obviously, but that's perhaps all the more reason that she doesn't want him to worry about her. He's got a lot on his plate to begin with and there's already two people in this household fretting and hovering. For someone that's lazy, that's shockingly enough for her.

As he glances around there's nothing else to give a clue as to what could be causing her to sweat. At least not in this particular instant. He might notice that her axe leans against her large wardrobe and a wicker basket used for laundry nearby with what looks like slightly singed clothing hanging out of it. If she follows his gaze around the room, she doesn't let on or seem to notice. ]

They both really like cheese. So do I.

True enough, but does that not disregard the depths of their concern? [There's probably a better angle, and Alucard pokes at it gently.] It makes it easier to lie to co workers and prevent them from coming up with theories of their own.

[Alucard would politely suggest that he is the one who gets to decide what is enough on his plate, thank you, and that it is fairly empty for the time being. However, that feels like an argument that is Not Worth Having, and one that'll create too many mixed metaphors.

Cheese? Alucard rumbles.]

I can do that. Anything more substantial though?

[Real food Hilda, not just cheese.

With that, Alucard does lean back, eyes falling on the axe. He can't tell if it is clean or not. That's a task he could do, at least...]

I don't think so. [ There's a brief pause. ] Well, actually it depends on the gentleman. But most of the ones that I know would probably just respect my privacy.

[ Oo, that very obvious poke and call out does make her narrow her eyes just a little. She debates whether or not no answer would implicate her further or leave things specifically ambiguous - it's hard to say really when she knows that Alucard knows that she knows she's being purposefully vague.

There is one thing however that baits her intentionally or not. She gasps, appalled. ]

What theories are they coming up with? They can't gossip about me if I'm not there!

[ Also she sees where that gaze is falling. Cleaning her weapon wasn't exactly top of mind (ever), but it certainly hadn't in the last couple of days. One of the boys had done a general once over it but it probably has some viscera on it still.

And cheese is absolutely a substantial food but how is she meant to concentrate on that when there's been an implication that people are gossiping about her?! ]

[Alucard decides he'll let the privacy comment go. Not because he's going to actually let this one go, he's observed enough concerning clues in Hilda's room to decide he probably should press the issue, but that the tactic is wrong.

He just can't believe he stumbled into the right one. In retrospect, it seems so obvious. Of course it's gossip that has her attention. What was he thinking otherwise?!

So he leans back a little in his chair, shrugging his shoulders.]

Oh, well, wild ones. That you took your axe to a whole host of monsters and only one managed to get the better of you. Another says that you're just using this as an excuse to skip off work for a bit and you're not hurt at all. And then there's the whole conviction that the two of us were caught in some compromising situation and that's why we've both been distant. [Okay the last one is entirely for a reaction.] Would you like me to properly clean your axe?

[ Is he really going to judge her when the Old Public Hall has been the number one source for the majority of her gossip since taking on the managerial responsibilities there? She's been deprived of it! And because she's deprived of it, she's once again reminded of gossip's double-edged sword nature and how much she's missing out on when she isn't there. All the more reason for a speedy recovery. And why wouldn't she believe Alucard? She knows the staff and management team as well as he does. Those little gossip mongers (she counts herself under that umbrella) love gossip as much as she does - which is partly why they all got along.

The first couple seem par for the course and she can feel the colour in her cheeks begin to rise. This is just as bad as the skull splitting one and this is all Jaskier's fault!

Protests are practically on the tip of her tongue when he gets to the last one which effectively leaves her looking confused. While the first two were very obviously about her the last one isn't. In fact, it involves the very vampire sitting in the chair by her bed. Should she be suspicious about how nonchalant he is? This is the dhampir that blushed at a little peck on the cheek! She barely hears his question about her cleaning his axe until after the fact.

Her eyebrow arches and her guard lets down slightly as the cover comes down, revealing the stretch of bandages around her neck once more. ]

What do you mean we've been caught in an uncompromising situation? Like what kind of uncompromising position? Sneaking kisses in my office? Holding hands? Who said that? And better question - who did you just let say that?

[ Hard to say if she's personally scandalized by this. It's certainly had less of an effect than the ones about skull splitting and faking an injury though. ]

I think it was office related? If I am to be wholly honest, I had just slipped in and was intending to leave, I only caught a little bit of the last part.

[Hilda is right to clock the fact that Mr. Delicate Flower has no color on his cheeks in discussing any of this. If it was real, he'd be infinitely more mortified. Such as it is, he seems to have realized he made a slight misstep in his approach, but hey. He can see the bandages now.

And that means he is very much frowning at them, trying to see if there are outlines of medication that have seeped through, suggesting the scope of the actual injury. He's serious about the axe offer, but.]

[ Hilda is too preoccupied with Alucard's misstep none the wiser about her own. She considers him a moment longer debating just how much she wants to pursue her own line of questioning because if she was giving vague answers, his were just as, if not more so. WIth his enhanced hearing there's absolutely no way he wouldn't have heard more if his claims were true. Not to mention, he'd probably be tongue tied trying to recount it. She's spent enough time with him now that she knows all too well what sort of reaction would be par of the course here.

The Devil may work hard, but Hilda works harder when it comes to sniffing out how true gossip is. And because of that she isn't above poking back in her own way. ]

Really? You really didn't have a problem with them talking about us like that? Or - [ Her words stop abruptly, eyes shining with a clear sign that teasing is on the horizon. ] maybe this is your way of saying that you're the one that started it. Is that why you're offering to clean my axe?

Oh, what, you expected me to try and defend something, only to be teased and make it a million times worse by attempting a defense?

[Alucard frowns. He doesn't pout because he is not Hilda, but he realizes how bad he's really stepped in it. He'll take the teasing, but he's also going over to the axe itself to take a proper look.]

And no, I'm offering because if this blood stays on here any longer, it will rust and do some long term damage. I imagine you wouldn't want that.

Of course. You have a really commanding presence!

[ Except they both know the team and their personalities; a commanding presence would do little to deter them, especially when they were so familiar with him. Ioana herself is a vicious little gossip who could easily put someone to shame when it comes to proliferating even the most innocent of rumours. It's why the little protest from Alucard won't deter Hilda. She can practically hear the faint echoes of an Alucard-pout in his voice which is enough to give her purchase to keep pursing this.

She can't stop him from going to clean her axe (literally), but she can say with certainty that she doesn't want it rusting. Not for her own use of course, but because it had been made by Jayce and she wanted something to remember him by. As he walks over he'll definitely get the whiff of something distinctly charred from the clothing in the laundry basket. It's faint, but if anyone would be able to smell it, it would be him. ]

It's not that bad. But anyway, since you aren't denying being the one to start the rumour, let's talk hypothetically. Say you were going to put the rumors to rest - what would you have said?

[ She is not letting this go. For obvious reasons. ]

Well then I'm afraid you're going to be very disappointed.

[Alucard doesn't pick fights he can't win when it comes to gossip. He has learned that it never goes his way and in fact, he usually shoves both his feet in his mouth and he has to choke. It is not ideal, Ioana is terrifying without anyone else's help, and look. He's going to just be a disappointment. It is fine.

It is easier to pick up the axe and lean inward, examining the head and the extent of what needs to be cleaned. There's blood, of course. Smoke? That's a surprise, but he leaves that thought alone. What has his attention is that the blood smells different. He can't say how but...it does.]

I would have said that I designed the walls to be extremely thin and if anything was happening, we would have been heard. Do you have a polish cloth in here, or should I use your destroyed laundry?

Me be disappointed with you? [ She scoffs. ] Impossible.

[ People were more likely to be disappointed in her not the other way around. ]

You didn't even think twice about that response to me. Why is telling Ioana or the others any different?

[ Hilda would have very well continued on teasing him because she simply has to know if he had actually heard that rumor or if he had made that up on his own accord. And if it is the latter, then what does that mean? Surely nothing at all, right? She knows where he stands on physical affection, how easily he blushes when it comes to even the smallest form of it. It could be a slip of the tongue nothing more. It should be that.

All of those thoughts falter when he mentions her soiled laundry. There's only the briefest pause as she panics internally about her burnt, bloody laundry. It's still there? ]

There should be one in the bottom drawer by the desk.

Because I can be flippant with you in a more fun, casual way. Obviously.

[Alucard's response is deadpan and not actually trying to answer any of Hilda's questions. This is more fun anyway, and he loves a stupid argument. It keeps them both from needing to discuss anything more serious.

What Alucard does next is go into the bottom drawer by the desk, as instructed. What he does not do is ask why her laundry smells like ash. There's a little rummaging about, and Alucard does find an appropriate polish cloth in there.]

Got it. I'll leave someone else to do your sooty laundry, although you know it will be stained by now.

Obviously.

[ There's no hiding how pleased she is to hear in less words that Alucard is comfortable with her. She wouldn't have guessed from that random meeting in the park that it would lead to him flying up to her bedroom as a cloud of bats or that their friendship was as strong as it was today.

At the mention of the sooty, stained laundry Hilda freezes with his back still turned to her. She hadn't realized that the clothes from that day were still in the basket. Alucard is right - they're probably irrevocably stained now - but even if they weren't, she isn't sure she wants a keepsake or reminder from the fight. She already wears them all over her body. Hopefully he wouldn't question it further. ]

If you're already cleaning my axe I guess that's okay.

[ She waits until he's seated again. ]

You didn't answer my earlier question though. Who started the rumour? Was it Ioana? [ A pointed pause. ] Or maybe it was you?

[Alucard can just take that note of pleasure and acknowledge it with nothing more than an "if you say so" sort of hum that lets him focus on the axe. It allows Hilda's moment of freezing to be hidden, and he turns only after.]

I'm good at getting bloodstains out of garments, but soot is above my level.

[He's happy to start examining the axe, polish cloth resting on his shoulder for the time being. There's....a lot going on on the axe quite frakly.]

Did it occur you to I could be lying about the whole thing in order to encourage a pointless argument to make you feel better?

I'll keep that in mind the next time I get blood on my clothes which hopefully won't be any time soon.

[ And certainly not to the extent that the clothes in the basket had suffered. At least they hadn't been her best clothes. And if her clothes were the sacrifice for not having her axe not being crushed under the weight of the dragon's body she supposes it's a worthy one. Not that she'd say that aloud normally.

She gives him a look. ]

Of course I thought about it. But there are so many other lies you could have come up with so why that one?

[ In other words she's still not letting up. ]

alucard is forever going to have matt berry's voice in my head now

we all should be so blessed as to have a single Al linereading to the level of Matt Berry

we have our imaginations

that we do. And replaying how Laszlo pronounces New York City

and camerUH

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