abraxaslogs | [open] I have never put my hope in any other

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[open] I have never put my hope in any other

Who: Alucard
Where: The Free Cities
When: 5 November onwards
What: Alucard continues to deal with his emotions, tries to help address graveyard destruction
Warnings: Depression

Graveyard smash
[It has been a miserable few weeks. Alucard knows that, and he hates every part of it. Sypha's reappearance brought up the raw anger and bitterness that lingered beneath the barely healed layer of accepting what had happened back home and removing some of the guilt associated with it. But she was there and they had been a disaster. There was nothing like hearing all the reasons people you thought cared about you decided not to come back.

The aftermath of Eifstide gave him useful work though. The destroyed cemetary needed to be reconstituted, and that was something he could help with. Matching destroyed statue parts with their still standing components. Reuniting headstones that had been split in two. Taking a map of the plots out and marking which burials head headstones totally wrecked.

Today, he's hauling statue parts - a tall, pale blond thing with an arm full of weathered stone arms and legs. There's a centralized area where pieces are being stored, and even for him, the load is heavy. Should you cross his path, there's a short and curt demand.] Move! This load weighs more than you.

Meanwhile, in the Horizon
[A thick wall of black roots with sharp, long thorns grows on the borders of Alucard's domain. They twist and groan and wind together a full story tall. There was never anything friendly about Alucard's domain, it had always tried to steer visitors away, but now the defenses are over dramatic.

The thorns are not perfect. A few perfect little tunnels have formed, but what lies beyond is no better. What once was a late November's woods with gentle rain and mist is now home to a raging thunderstorm whose downpour should have flooded many parts of the forest by now.

But still, there's a small shack in the center of the place. No smoke comes out of the chimney, but there are lights on inside. A few feet from the front door is a small overhang. Not that Alucard knows what a bus stop is or anything of the sort, but should he not be home and should some madperson make it this far, they can step out of the rain.]

Elsewhere in Cadens
[The cemetery work is good money. Alucard could, if he really wanted to, find a new place to stay - he's long left the inn that has hosted himself and Hector. But the money is better spent on food and building towards his crypt, meaning that every so often, a white wolf slinks through the back alleys of Cadens.

There's also the need to eat. Alucard's found it easier to stand at one of the counters at the market stalls that serve food, eating what's cheapest and fastest. Tonight, a bowl of rice with a few cheap cuts of chicken and grilled vegetables, the spike bringing out the smokiness of the grill itself.

It's good. It's why the counter is so crowded and why he moves himself over as much as he can when he senses someone else behind him.]

--If you can fit.

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[ Rinwell had been waiting patiently from the back of the group, but more than a few grown adults had already shouldered their way ahead of the queue, and an irritated huff had been forming. Right up until Alucard shifts to one side, and his words reach her ears.

Sometimes, just sometimes, being short at her age pays off. ]

Mmmh! T-thank you!

[ She manages to wriggle between, pushing the figure on her right moreso than the man who'd made space for her.

Said softly spoken man does get a double-take, however. Firstly, because he's so tall (which admittedly doesn't take much when you're 5'1", but he's really tall), and secondly because his hair is almost as a beautiful as Kisara's, if only at this angle. Her cheeks colour slightly. ]

..Sorry if I pushed you. [as if he'd notice, given her noodle strength. then brown eyes glance to the bowls being served, and Rinwell can feel her stomach rumble eagerly.] Oh, wow. These are big portions!

"I doubt that very much."

In the dying light of what's left of the day, Goro looks down impassively at the labourer carrying smashed bits of masonry, not really seeing Alucard for who he is, upper arms folded over his chest. He looks only a moment, before turning back to scan the rest of the cemetery. The sun will be down soon and he wishes to see if the dead will walk again tonight. Someone should be keeping watch after that debacle on Eifstide.

He also does not move out of Alucard's path.

You didn't.

[If she did, he didn't feel it is what he really means to say, but he's short on words lately and moreover, not going to begrudge anyone for trying to fit into the meager amount of space here. The place is popular for a good reason, and who is he to begrudge someone using their shorter stature to duck and weave up to the counter?

His face is so focused on his food that he misses the blush. Probably for the better.] Workman's food, meant to provide enough energy for anyone doing the nightshift.

[He isn't, but he's spent most of the day hauling around cemetery stones and will be doing that again tomorrow. A big portion of carbs helps.]

"I have momentum," is the reply, sharp and still moving forward. The translation of if you don't move I'm going to smash into you and scatter already broken pieces of sculpture is hopefully conveyed, because really, Alucard isn't in the goddamn mood for this.

If someone is fool enough not to account for what happens when something in motion meets something at rest, then that's on them. The dhampir keeps up his pace.

That's the problem with this place, Goro thinks with annoyance. Nobody, even the common labourers it seems, know or care to treat the prince of Kuatan with the respect deserving of his station. A slave daring to take such a tone back in Outworld could expect a severe whipping for such insolence. Well, since Goro can't expect that, if the man wishes to be impertinent, he can still suffer some consequences. He wants rubble to move? Goro will give him rubble.

"Oh, of course, of course. How thoughtless of me." He replies with a sneer, stepping out of Alucard's way...and grabbing a still standing, intact headstone in his lower hand as he does so. With a a grunt and a heft, he pulls the headstone free from the ground, and then tosses it forward, into a headstone the row of graves over, with some force. The two stones collide and smash apart as Goro intended, what remains of the second headstone falling over as it does so.

He dusts his lower arms off as he does so. "How clumsy of me. I fear I forget sometimes this world is not built to proper scale. Perhaps it would have been best for you to move after all." He says that with an almost philosophic air, yet Alucard can't mistake the taunting, satisfied chuckle Goro punctuates the end of that sentence with.

"Nothing for it now, unfortunately. Be on your way, labourer, and mind your tongue in the presence of your betters next time." He still hasn't actually bothered to look at Alucard or he might realize, the fact that he could carry such a weight besides, he isn't exactly human.

The dhampir ignores the sneer. He's not going to drop a good twenty odd arms and legs that need to be reattached to funerary monuments. That's all that matters, and the source of the problem is ignored as he moves on past. The tone or the words are hardly worth reacting to. If he wants to be an asshole to someone moving a number of heavy objects, so be it.

Or at least that's the thought process until the man(? green is fairly not human) grabs one of the headstones. With his eyes forward, Alucard misses the action itself. He only hears the smash, and whips his head around just in time to see the second headstone fall.

His head moves right back to the source, gold eyes flashing red for a moment. The tone seems to want a fight. Or to keep being smug.

Alucard keeps moving. He isn't the only person left in the graveyard, and he is hardly in charge of the clean up effort. He's just a labourer after all, and as he makes it a few hundred feet up the path to deposit the last of the statue parts for the evening, one of those in charge of the recovery effort does come storming over.

Wrapped in a deep orange sweater the color of fall itself, for the nights come earlier now and the desert gets cold once the sun has set, the woman carries herself with real authority, even if she's only about five feet, five inches. Her eyes go from the destroyed headstone to the man with four arms, and there's only one question out of her mouth. Did you do that and why? We had just confirmed this area was done!

From his spot up the road, Alucard can't help but watch.

[ Short on words or not, they do enough to reassure Rinwell in this instance. Goodness knows she's been yelled at for less in the past. Now however she settles her arms against the counter; just tall enough that it won't be awkward to eat there, and she watches the food being cooked right in front of them.

(Much better that he missed it. Rinwell would likely melt into the floor in embarrassment if it was mentioned in anyway.) ]

Day or night, I bet! This looks like it could be simple to prepare when traveling, too. [big portions might be harder to keep if too much is cooked, but that had never been an issue with Shionne in the party..] Are you on a night shift, then?

[Then, briefly distracted, as the cook points his spatula her way.]

One with everything, please! [if only so she can watch how he cooks everything.]

[The comment about traveling is met with little more than a shrug. Alucard isn't especially interested or invested in traveling these days, not can he actually see the operation as something that's easy to replicate. There's too many supplies involved, and too much prep work as far as he's concerned.

He's not really on the nightshift, but right now, it's easier to lie.] Mm. I'll be off soon. Graveyard shift.

[A very literal graveyard shift at this point. Of late, the cemetary is where he sleeps in his wolf form, finding it a whole lot easier to be in a space set aside from the rest of the city.]

You'll be full until noon tomorrow.

[ He's likely right about the prep work. Something Rinwell may discover for herself if she attempts to replicate it by herself some time. For now, however, her attention turns back to the tall pale man consuming his own meal with much rapt attention for it. ]

That is pretty late. [she has no idea how literal he's being] I hope they're paying you well for it!

Well, only if I eat all of it now. [her eyes definitely widen as the bowl is slid in front of her, steam rising from the chicken strips. it's certainly a lot more than she'd normally have, but she can take away anything she doesn't eat, right?] And being full that long is better than worrying about breakfast..

Good, the man has some sense after all, Goro thinks to himself. As he retreats, the Shokan sets himself back to his task; to watch the cemetery until midnight, when he's sure the dead will not rise again. He won't be able to make it back to the outpost but he's sure he can find a place in this besotted city to make himself comfortable until-

The question from the woman interrupts his thoughts, and after a moment Goro looks over, and down at her. It takes him a moment to register that she's actually demanding answers from him, as being called out by someone so...small and weak is not a common occurrence for him. Still, he decides he will humour her, for now.

Besides, the way Goro sees it, it really isn't his fault.

"An accident." He replies after a moment. "One of your workmen was being careless with a load and in my rush to get out of his way, the headstones were damaged. Take better care with the people you hire." He looks away from the woman, upper arms folded over his broad chest.

"Now leave me to my business, human." He gives a dismissive wave with his lower arm to signify that as far as he's concerned, this conversation is over.

Well enough. [Free room and board, assuming one doesn't mind sleeping in a graveyard. Alucard's found it comfortable enough, albeit a little on the chilly side.]

--I'm not sure there's any other option. [Takeaway may be common in other parts of the city, but not here. You eat everything, or else you have to leave some behind. But he isn't about to explain unsaid rules. Alucard just moves over a hair more when the woman that has been standing beside him finally leaves. It's more elbow room, although how long it may last, he's not sure.]

Eat what you can then. Breakfast can wait.

The correction is sharp and swift, as the woman seems to have zero fucks to give about looking up when reprimanding someone. No one here is a workman. We're all volunteers, and we're all doing what we can to help store things to rights. However, there are a few people in charge including myself, and I can't say your attitude is appreciated.

It would be very petty to stand a few hundred feet away and watch all of this go down. So Alucard pretends to be helping clean things up for the day at the table set up near the statue parts, where all the cataloging is taking place.

That's good, then. [then, muttered to herself] ..This city just keeps on surprising me.

[ The remark about options gets a blink, and for a moment her mouth opens, as though about to respond, before Rinwell thinks better of it. It IS a pretty big bowl, and it'd likely be best to concentrate on making a start on it. No doubt Law would make fun of her over the portion size, were he here; her friend would have likely wanted more meat than rice.

The thought slows her, before she tucks in resolutely with whatever cutlery is supplied on hand. It's both delicious and different, the smokey flavour to the cooking lingering in her mouth. Is she likely to finish the whole thing? ...No, probably not, but there's certainly something nostalgic in the meal that makes her want to try. ]

Right. [she swallows, politely clearing her throat; she's not about to choke on her meal while attempting passing conversation] Don't really want to go back for breakfast if I don't have to, anyway.

[Hector isn't trying to cross paths with Alucard, but he's a forgemaster and it's simply not realistic for Alucard to claim the entire graveyard ~~in the divorce~~.

So when he runs into the dhampir overladen with rubble, he waits a beat before he finally steps to the side. Alucard and his stupid vampire strength can fucking deal with it.]

Found yourself some nice decor?

[He assumes the load is crypt-related, because Hell forbid Adrian Backwards Dracula Tepes help the common people with clean-up.]

[~~is it a divorce if you never even held hands?~~]

Found parts to catalog and reunite.

[He keeps moving at least. There is a space set aside for all of these parts. From there, they'll be inventoried, and the work of matching them up to the statues they came from will begin.

Alucard's just muscle.]

Not my style.

[That's somehow worse. Alucard wouldn't help actual people being attacked by spirits, but he'll hang around, tidying up the graveyard like a museum? Hector's eyes narrow.]

Oh, of course. Because the aesthetic matters so much while you're sulk-napping.

[Damn it, he shouldn't be getting pissed off. What does Alucard matter anymore? Hector's washed his hands of him. The dhampir can creep around the fringes of humanity as much as he pleases.]

[Oh fuck all the way off back to Greece, buddy.]

Are you here to help with the clean up or to keep calling me a piece of shit, Hector?

[He doesn't want this conversation, so it is probably easier to just cut to the quick of it.]

Oh, I can do both.

[He's talented like that.]

This was a windfall for you, wasn't it? An excuse to scope out locations, an abundance of building materials, room freed up. No wonder you did nothing to stop it. I couldn't see the logic at the time, but now I get it.

[Alucard takes the quiet as an excuse to return to his own meal, a smaller bowl mostly of beans and some rice, along with roasted peppers and onions. It'll be enough for the night and into the morning, and it is absolutely what he needs right now.

His eyes stay ahead, watching the chef work rather than looking to his dining companion, moving when he needs to to clear room for new orders. There's no rush as Alucard eats, that much is for sure.]

I doubt you will. You may want something to drink though.

You're giving far too much credit to forethought that never existed.

[He's not in the mood, that much is very clear from Alucard's exhausted tone. He looks like shit, he feels like shit, do you need to help Hector?]

Up ahead and to the right is a tent where they're organizing everything and handing assignments out, if you're actually interested.

[That is the problem, Alucard, Hector does attribute you with brains, and basic decency as well. He has expectations, ones that Alucard never seems to meet.]

I'm a Forgemaster. Do you honestly think picking up rocks is the best use of my time?

[Look, he's going to help, but he's not here for busy work.]

The things I can do, they wouldn't even know to assign me. Faster if I just handle it on my own, rather than waste time explaining.

[It's called depression, Hector!]

--Mm, so then go do that.

[They've finally gotten to the inventory section. Alucard is careful as he lays out each limb from the stack, careful to space things out appropriately and keeping anything that looks like it might be from the same stone or same statue together. He only nods to the person overseeing the area.]

Then ask for directions to what sections at least need some kind of attention. It'll make the organizers' lives easier, I expect.

[Hector hesitates for a moment. The flaw in this plan, Alucard, is that it involves talking to people. Hector can do that when it's really needed, but it's still... not good. Fucking bureaucracy.]

I won't be in anyone's w... fine. [He's not going to give Alucard the opportunity to complain that Hector's the unhelpful one.]

I'm going to be shoring up the wards around the outer walls, to start. Same command words as my other spells.

[Just in case Alucard ever needs to get in or out of them. No matter how infuriating Alucard is, Hector isn't trying to trap or hinder him.]

[Look Hector, if he can talk to people right now, you can too!

He nods once in understanding, not actually thinking about how it might relate to trapping or hinderance. He's not a ghost or spirit, so there should be no reason to be concerned.]

It'll be useful information for them to have.

[So he'll leave Hector to talking with people, at least for a bit. Alucard sees himself down to the same outer wall he was working to gather material from before he ran into Hector. It's the last section where there's truly large amounts of debris that require superhuman strength, and he starts by walking each row. Where there's something, he picks it up, and into a centralized pile it goes, everything laid out neatly. Alucard's work is logical and organized, but he doesn't move quickly. The dead have all the time in the world.

He likes this area anyway. It's the quietest part of the graveyard, and why he's taken to sleeping in it, although there's not much indication that he's doing that at the moment, save a potted potato plant next to a gravestone that's been taken out of commission utterly.]

[It might be useful, if Hector shared it with them. But the more people know a password, the less secure it is. Hector feels safer knowing there's a place he could retreat to that's warded. The passive power of the wards should deter ghosts from leaving its barrier, and that's as much as any of the Free City folk need to concern themselves with.

Hector offers an abridged version to the city organizers, offers his services exorcising any rogue spirits that pop up, then takes his leave to work on the walls.

He does pause over the potted plant as he passes it.]

What the fuck is that? [Weirdest flower he's ever seen at a graveside, and he's spent an abnormal amount of time in cemeteries.]

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[open] I have never put my hope in any other

Cadens Food Counter Encounter

Graveyard Smash

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Graveyard

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