abraxaslogs | [ OPEN / CLOSED ] i think i found a way to kill the sun

[ His wolf has been covered in glitter and rolls frequently in the snow, so a bit of dampness is acceptable. Geralt offers one of the newly shaped pierogis to the wolf for its troubles, which it devours with a wag of its tail. Geralt would swear it didn't used to wag its tail, but apparently now it does. The wolf is rapidly becoming a house pet. Perhaps it's only fitting. (He's becoming attached to places, people, he had not meant to, either.)

They're good. No complaints. He's curious if Alucard will attempt to replicate it in the real world now.

The final basket contains a sweet version, filled with wild strawberries instead. The note is not exactly an invitation, but it could be taken as one: whether in the Horizon or in Cadens. Either can apply. ]

She's right here. Apologize yourself if you want.

[Glitter? Wolf, have some respect. Even Awoocard wouldn't go that far.

The final basket is interesting. And it prompts a particular thought, because while strawberries are good, there is the clear, vivid, impossible memory of the blueberry-bourbon-pecan jam from Sam's party. All new ingredients to Alucard, and layered so perfectly that it broke him for a wonderful, perfect moment.

So yes. Sweet and filled with fruit. The returned basket is sweet as well, but mixed with a headier version of blueberries, pecans, and a dash of bourbon.]

In time. Also pretty sure all it did was prevent another trip into the desert.

[ A good steak will eradicate the dignity of even the most self-respecting wolf.

The ingredients are interesting. It's good enough that it gives even Geralt pause, who often doesn't think twice about what he's eating. Not that he doesn't enjoy a decadent meal or drink now and again. He just rarely ever gets to.

He doesn't send back any more pierogis. But he does take the tentative acceptance of the invitation as a sign that Alucard is either feeling slightly better all around or is at least no longer begrudging about what transpired between them. He does know Jaskier made the vampire a garden in the cemetery. So that's where he goes, a few days later. If Alucard's not there or doesn't wish to be disturbed, he'll still get some time away from the bustle of the city. A bit of quiet.

He brings a jug of wine. Nothing expensive, nothing special—it isn't meant to be a gift—but it's there to be shared if Alucard happens to appear in people form. If not, Geralt is content to drink it on his own where he settles against one of the headstones: close enough to the garden to be noticed, not so close he can't be safely ignored. The heaviest of his injuries are hidden under his clothes. Mostly it's just the lingering exhaustion that shows these days. ]

[That's...fair, actually, and impossible to argue with.

Thank Sam for the pierogi inspiration there, Geralt. Alucard's still a lot in love with the jam.

He's actually doing his own cemetery work when Geralt gets there. Having cleared up the rubble, Alucard has moved to reassembly of large and easily fixable pieces, learning too much about masonry on his own for it to actually be a good thing. (He has, at least, gone to the trade district and asked for some initial help earlier on in this part of the project. Now it's just him.)

Today, the task is to just finish attaching the top part of an utterly destroyed headstone. The remaining pieces that sit on a grey canvas have been put back together, the masonry fissures disrupting the perfectly carved text, but the lines aren't as thick as they used to be in earlier attempts. He's applying pressure to secure the thing in place when he hears someone approach. And--

--okay look, he now unfortunately has a good sense of what Geralt smells like, blame Ciri and Jaskier.]

Over here. [The tone is neutral, and Alucard's voice isn't exactly loud.] I'll have to clean up the work station, and that'll be a bit.

[ He's never known anyone to put so much effort into a cemetery, though it's not necessarily a bad thing. If Alucard has found his outlet in tidying up the crypt he means to call home, Geralt supposes that's as good as anything. Jaskier had shown him the flowers, the berries, and he can see Jaskier's touches here in the cactus hollowed out. (He's missed the unfortunate shape of the starting cactus and that's for the best.)

He steps over to Alucard's workstation and sets down the wine unceremoniously. ]

You're making progress.

[ It looks...well decorated. About as cozy as a cemetery can be, he supposes. ]

In some cases, I didn't have much choice in the matter.

[Trying to get Jaskier not to do something feels especially like trying to redirect a storm. One with firm opinions about gardening, and the occasional slip of imagery. (Alucard still can't believe he's sleeping in the cactus. But it is a good cactus.)

It is not Alucard's nature to remark on how a person carries themselves, or to pry further into what it is that befell Geralt in the first place. He nods only once to the wine, before letting out a self-depreciating noise.]

I'd say keep that much to yourself. Wine and delicate work aren't the best of friends.

[There's at least one more headstone that the dhampir wants to finish today, and it is all ready laid out beside the first he has finished. So he does that rather than focus on the Witcher, kneeling beside the second biggest of the slabs and starting to push it towards the bottom chunk.]

Needed the quiet?

[ Ah. Understanding crosses his face. Though he thinks, Alucard very much did have a choice and that his not stopping Jaskier in any real way says something. He knows Jaskier would have left the vampire alone if Alucard insisted enough.

He's glad to see that's not so. Feels like something they both needed. ]

I forget you're a lightweight. [ Geralt takes the wine for himself without any need to twist his arm. He settles atop one of the thicker headstones, surveying the work being done. ]

Something of the sort. Home's grown crowded.

[ And he thought he'd give Sam a little room, after being there for the past few days. Not that he thinks Sam minds, exactly, but—the man has a lot happening between Alina's disappearing and Geralt bleeding on his couch. ]

[Geralt, when you're depressed and need to pick your battles, fighting with Jaskier about plants is a very stupid hill to die on. He's not that stupid ~~and not going to make the bard take a fight as a bad break up~~.]

Not so much a lightweight as very much in need of a filter and good sense. [Alucard doesn't look back to Geralt for this part. Not when he's still inching stones back into alignment.] For which I apologize. I was too wrapped up in my own affairs.

[He may take a page out of Ciri's book and deem them opaque affairs from on, but the apology seems the polite thing to do. Especially since at least a part of Alucard's bullshit has contributed to a too crowded Witcher home.

Satisfied that the largest pieces are matched up, Alucard goes to the smaller ones. Fast work, as all of them are light.]

I can't imagine that's pleasant. [Only child in a huge castle. Can relate.] The sky isn't as open as it is beyond the city walls, but it is generally without people. How was the walk here?

[In terms of crowds, yes, but it is a gentle attempt to ask after Geralt's physical well being without demanding particulars. Alucard suspects he's better off in ignorance for much of what happened.]

[ Is that an apology? Geralt raises an eyebrow. He'd come here not seeking one and he doesn't need one, but it's appreciated nonetheless. Besides: ] So was I.

[ Alucard had picked a bad time to approach him then: Yennefer's silence towards Ciri and himself both, the token she'd left behind for him in the Horizon unbidden, what all felt too much like abandonment of the girl when she needed Yennefer the most. It'd not made for the best moment to discuss...that.

He plucks one of the yellow flowers along the grass, turning it between his fingers. Fitting, perhaps, that Jaskier's newfound powers are to create and grow. ]

Better than the walk to the city gates. [ As in: not great, but he's holding up. He'll recover soon enough. ]

[Not needing an apology but still getting one is a little pleasure in life. The dhampir nods only once to show he's heard the words and accepts them - no need to dwell any further. Timing is everything, and with their mutual tendency to be closed lipped, it was impossible to account for how bad Alucard's questions were.

Alucard reaches towards the upper right of the canvas, taking a can and brush in hand. His assembly material. Time to start applying it.]

Sounds like progress, at least. [A vague, gentle statement.] Should I consider getting benches for this place?

[Is this likely to become a regular walk?]

[ Geralt tips back some of the wine, casually watching Alucard fuss around his cemetery. He doesn't know what the vampire plans but it's not important, really. He's just here to kill time and perhaps to look in on Alucard. Who seems to be coping better than he once had.

Which is not...saying a lot, considering, but regardless. Improvements.

He cocks an eyebrow. ] And risk inviting further company? That's not like you.

[ Just saying. It may or may not become a regular walk. He is fond of the garden. Less dry than the dusty desert. ]

[Alucard lets out a soft snuggle of a laugh, his eyes focused on the work.]]

I'd only take it out when certain people showed up.

[So, Geralt and Jaskier. Sypha's not come calling yet, Gideon's not a fan of his living arrangements, and well...]

Might make Ciri tolerate my wolf form a little bit more. She makes faces when I don't transform immediately.

[ Ah. In that case. Geralt seems to find that agreeable, a huff escaping him at that remark about Ciri. ]

If all she makes are faces, you've bonded.

[ He knows Ciri well enough now to understand she'd not even be speaking to Alucard if she didn't care for his company. So that makes two of them. Acquainted with a vampire. Half-vampire. Either way, not quite where he thought he'd be, but there are worse people to have in his life. ]

Tried the pierogis outside the Horizon yet?

[You raised a gremlin, Geralt.]

How is it that I keep bonding with monster hunters?

[It comes with an incredulous shake of the head, because it really is strange how it keeps happening. It isn't even an opposites attract matter so far as he's concerned. Just a strange and unsettling theme.]

Mm, yes, in what kitchen would you like me to sit and crimp pierogi in? And do you mind gravedirt in your filling?

Because we're less likely to be afraid of you.

[ The answer comes casually, but the truth of it is there: it always comes down to fear. Or the lack thereof. And he's glad Alucard no longer seems to harbour the constant wariness that Geralt plans on taking his head off. They've apparently graduated to exchanging pierogis. It's an improvement.

He studies Alucard. That's a rhetorical question. Geralt has an answer, anyway. ] Sam's. Or mine.

[ Between the two of them, there's room. There's already a crowd in his home; Sam needs company. Either way, Alucard is welcome to invade. Makes no difference to him. Especially not if he gets a free meal out of it. And possibly, on a subtler level, he's trying to see if he can coax Alucard out of his damn cemetery once in awhile. ]

Edited 2021-12-31 03:48 (UTC)

[There's a pause, and Alucard makes a point of focusing on applying a little more pressure to the headstone he's working on. After a few moments.]

I hadn't considered that.

[But from the little note of defeat in his voice, he's already admitted Geralt's absolutely right. It makes too much sense.

On to pierogi. And releasing this rejoined stone to make sure it's holding.]

I'd need quiet. And space. Clear yours out and you'll get pierogi. Jam ones included.

[Because that request stood out, and Alucard is inclined to oblige. Geralt having preferences for anything? That's worth taking note of.]

[ Far too much sense. But they're both on the outside, aren't they? There are monsters, beasts, that roam and must be dealt with and then—

There are those like Alucard. Who are simply different. Hiding in a hollowed out cactus. He does not find much reason in the latter case to do anything other than give the vampire a kitchen now and again so he can cook. Seems like the thing to do. ]

The bard will see to it. I'm elsewhere for the moment.

[ He adds not much more, but the implication is there: that he's sought solace outside of his home, since his return. ]

[Alucard will go back to his cactus later and curl up, ruminating on the thought. More than once over the past month and change he thought that he was starting to become the Belmont (save for drinking), and this realization sits a little too comfortably besides that.]

I'll mention it. But not that at least one of the pierogi will have legs, since that offended him deeply. [Apparently. That had been a Very Intense Day emotionally.

Elsewhere though. That gets a slight headtilt.]

Too much time recovering in the same room?

Offended? [ A strong word that's somehow fitting for how he imagines Jaskier is wont to react to the smallest mishap. Such as...legs. Which, admittedly, was bizarre. He still doesn't fully understand Alucard's decision, but nor is it significant enough for him to continue questioning it. They all end up the same shape when he eats it. ]

Place is filled. Needed room. [ There's, what. Hector, Rinwell, Jaskier, Ciri? With two beds to the place and barely any doors separating—yeah. It's fucking crowded in there. He isn't used to it. He grew up in a fortress and spends most of his life outdoors, in the woods, under the stars. Only occasionally does he find himself a room for the night, alone or, at most, shared with Jaskier. (Or sometimes he finds himself with Yen, but that's another matter altogether.)

In any case, the increasing number of occupants hadn't bothered him when he was off hunting and barely there. Now that he's trapped in Cadens, recovering...Sam has the room, needs the company. It works out for everyone involved. And Sam, he knows, understands not to push when he catches Geralt not sleeping through the night. ]

You've never gotten multiple questions about pierogi that lead to an emotional journey of an evening? [A very, very intense emotional journey. Possibly one that Alucard needed, but he won't say that much out loud. Geralt knows enough of Alucard's issues back home, and he's trying to work, not loop someone else into more of his issues. He had told Gideon because she would understand, he had told Jaskier because it came up. That was it.]

I think I owe you an apology for Hector's residency, but I didn't have any control over that one. He and I both decided to not let a room without speaking to each other. [All the same, Alucard understands. Too many people in one small space is simply too much. The dhampir huffs softly.]

But I understand. Out here's easier than around people. And I can close the gates at night.

[ That sounds...mildly concerning. He does appreciate being left out of it. His reserve of energy has been dedicated to his own shit; he truthfully has no time for anyone else's right now. And really, Alucard seems to be doing relatively all right poking at his cemetery, so he assumes what conversation occurred must have been needed.

He shrugs a shoulder. ] Jaskier invited him. Pets and all.

[ Alucard isn't responsible, is what he means. And if he truly didn't want Hector there, he'd have asked him to leave, but the necromancer seems forlorn as it is, Jaskier likes the company, and Ciri gets along fine with the man. If he were hunting as usual, he'd have hardly noticed the extra bodies. He isn't in the city often other than to sleep, restore his gear or supplies, check in on Jaskier or Ciri. Only now, recovering and trapped around Cadens while he does so, is it becoming stifling.

But that's why he's with Sam. Sam has room, Geralt can fill that room. The circumstances have all largely worked themselves out. ] As long as you've found your peace.

[It was very much needed. And Jaskier, it seems, was the right person to open up to about it.]

--Of course he did. [There's a shake of Alucard's head, but it comes with a note of genuine fondness in spite of it all. He continues to dislike Hector for any number of reasons, but the dhampir has a few suspicions about the bard's influence being a positive one. He'd rather not disrupt that, even if he considers Hector's past actions pointedly unforgivable.

Satisfied with the joinery work for the section he's working on, Alucard moves onto the next, leaning forward to scoot another piece of stone back in place. It is that point when Geralt speaks again.

There's a shake of his head, stray strands of hair peeking over Alucard's shoulder and threatening to get in the way. He uses one hand to clear them out.]

I'm not sure. The supply of damaged stones is finite, and once I'm done... [He doesn't know. There's still a nap to do, but there's time to come before it. Somewhere, in all that trailing off, he realizes it is ominous. Maybe that's a truth.

It is maybe the best and worst person to admit that truth to.]

[ Roughly Geralt's reaction, as well. Of course he fucking did. But he understands. Not only that Jaskier cares for Hector, but that they're all trapped in this world together. No reason not to offer a roof if one's available.

Once I'm done. If nothing else, he knows that feeling of being lost intimately. Drifting. It's the reason why he'd tried to convince Alucard to do something about it other than nap it away, but he's accepted that's something Alucard is insistent on, for now, and that he'll not change the dhampir's mind. He won't try to again, either. If it's what Alucard wants, it's what he wants. In the meantime— ]

No shortage of damage to solve. [ It is not just the cemetery that needs a helping hand. There are monster nests, overturned wagons stuck in the sand, lost merchants. If all Alucard wants is to keep himself occupied, he thinks there's a way.

A conversation for another time, though. He leaves it at that. He pushes to his feet. The wine's set behind, in case Alucard wants it for when he retreats into his...plant. ] I'll see about clearing out that kitchen.

[ OPEN / CLOSED ] i think i found a way to kill the sun

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