[OPEN FOR MAY]

[cryptsleeper]

Who: Alucard and [OPEN], some closed threads
What: May catch all; fall out of the Sight
Where: The desert beyond Cadens; The Horizon; Old Public Hall
When: Throughout May
Warnings: Added as needed, but potential violence

Comments

[Closed to Jaskier] Earlyish May

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard has not been to Jaskier’s domain in some time. They had spoken of the worst thing to ever happen to Alucard once. Here. In an endless vineyard that had grapes from the first time they had truly bonded, before memories or faces were important. He was seeking Sypha’s people then and found a different caravan. He was a wall of seriousness against something more friendly and free.

They’ve both changed since then, but Alucard, who has kept his domain fairly consistent, did not anticipate how radically the bard might change the landscape.

There’s a note in Alucard’s hand. The goal was to simply leave it pinned to a door where Jaskier was most likely to see it. Within the note is nothing of great importance, just an explanation that the dhampir will be away for a time, but he has not stopped working on Old Public Hall. There’s no need to explain why the break is needed so badly. Jaskier had his share of Alucard’s memories. Nothing more need be said.

Except the vineyard doesn’t greet Alucard when he passes into Jaskier’s lands. A great oak tree arises from grasslands and--

--Fine, he’s pinning a note to a tree instead. Whatever. Alucard doesn’t focus on the details. He just makes his way over, and once at the door, looks to see if there’s a drop box for messages first. It’s politer than banging on the door with a hammer.]

[cointosser]

[It is mostly to Alucard's misfortune that Moglad has, without the shadows of the tavern now to defend the domain against, taken it upon himself to happily (and loudly) announce to Jaskier when anyone arrives for a visit as long as he himself is in the Horizon.

Perhaps it is not in his best interest to be here considering what's happened last time, but... this place is his. It's both home and it is Abraxas. It's the mixture of the things that have come together to form who he is, both trauma and experience.

So when Moglad flies in through the window, knocking several tomes Jaskier had last finished binding during his last visit, Jaskier startles and catches them before they can hit the floor. Master Jaskier! Alucard is here! He's never come before, kupo! Isn't that exciting??]

Alucard? [It would normally be very exciting, and completely mysterious, but this time he almost has a sense of unease. Has something happened? (Has he made some lofty decision Jaskier's fairly sure he won't like?)

Jaskier sticks his head out the window, the room conveniently located a story above the front of Bleobheris's front door.] Alucard! How are you? Hold on, I'll be right down.

[And so he is, down the spiral staircase, with Moglad floating behind him. (Moglad himself is normally the postbox.)] Lovely to see you here, but -- nothing's wrong, is it?

[cryptsleeper]

[Wow Moglad, thanks for blowing his cover???  This is so rude.  Alucard can't really tell him off for doing his job, nor is he especially inclined to do that either, but sometimes there's a need to be subtle.

So maybe he can be excused from glaring daggers at Moglad before he darts off to announce his presence.  The look will probably be missed at any rate, and that's a little bit of grace in this whole situation.

Jaskier might catch the exasperation when he sticks his head out of the window, but so be it.  That's the least of all the things that are going on.  The dhampir waits at the door now, arms folded and note hanging in one hand awkwardly.]

I was going to simply leave a note regarding my whereabouts for the next week or so, but that attempt has been thwarted.

[cointosser]

[Sorry, Alucard, Moglad has no respect for the whims of men. Or dhamphirs.

And does not seem the least inclined to notice Alucard's annoyed at all. In fact, Moglad's waving a little paw at the dhamphir as the pair approach him, giving a twirl around him with We're so glad to see you, Adrian!

Look. Sometimes a man's heart is a moogle, and is terribly fond of his friends.]

Ahh, the whole sneak-off-for-a-week-with-barely-a-word scheme. Geralt's a master at it. [He holds out a hand, wiggling his fingers, for the note. He might as well finish delivery! But as light as he appears, he sobers for a moment:] I'm glad you came to tell me. Thank you.

[And that could be the end of it. That easily. Now, though, it feels like the chance has presented itself. Perhaps even Destiny herself is appearing to give him the final push he needs to make his own decision.]

You know, I've thought of taking a leaf out of your books, too. I think... I may go away for a bit. A week or two. Just to Aquila. Surely the Hall won't suffer too much without the two of us for a fortnight?

[In a way, it almost feels like asking permission. Jaskier has recently become so burdened down in responsibilities now... it's almost impossible to break from them.]

THE DESERT - Open | End of April, first few days of May

[cryptsleeper]

AWOOOoooOOOOOoooooo

[At night, the desert comes alive with all manner of life. Great beasts move through constantly shifting sands, desert toads croak and groan, hares that make their homes in deep burrows emerge to go about their business.

A white wolf numbers among those night things. It howls as darkness covers the sky and at intermittent times between then and at moonset, just before the sun comes up again.

Those traversing the desert to escort caravans or to collect bounties might catch sight of the thing every so often, white coat making it harder to blend in among the desert sands. If called to, the wolf stares, nostrils flaring before making a choice to lash out, retreat, or do something all together different. Otherwise a skilled tracker might see a messy kill every few days, the mark of something of bigger than a coyote having a good meal and want to look into it.

On rare occasions at night, Alucard takes to his human form, standing quietly in the moonlight. He doesn’t startle when approach, but he does glare.]

If you’re traveling by night only, I suggest you move along.

For Gideon

[cryptsleeper]

[Camp fires are a rarity in the desert. Their smells, however, carry a decent distance. Alucard's used them to figure out how far he has strayed from the main roads that connect Cadens with the other Free Cities, as well as how much distance he should keep.

There's another scent that moves with the fire though. A note that feels familiar, although he cannot confirm it at his current distance. He's been out here for...a bit. Probably more than that, and sometimes time blurs when he stays in his non-human forms. Besides, if the familiar scent is who he suspects, then there's no one else he'd rather just let the remainder of his emotional fit out with.

Admittedly, he doesn't herald his approach much. There's just the slow approach of a white figure in the distance where Gideon's found herself, slow and confident until there's a wolf with gold eyes standing at the edge of where she's settled. Almost asking to come in.]

[frontlinetitties]

[She likes it out here, with miles of dust stretching out between her and miles of velvety dark sky overhead. If anyone had ever asked her, back on the Ninth, whether she'd have wanted to spend time alone out in a vast stretch of wasteland she'd have said not fucking likely! Not after years and years of being starved of even the meanest companionship. But there's this bright feeling of freedom she gets every time she heads out into the desert alone, just she and her sword and her rough little camp, and the threat of monsters from all sides. Unbeholden to anyone, making her own way in this strange world. There's a kind of peace in it.

She's stretched out on her bedroll, arms folded behind her head, one leg slung over her other knee as the fire crackles cheerily a short distance away, eyes on the hard light of the stars above her head. Until she catches movement out of the corner of her eye, automatically reaches for her sword--

--but holds it there, fingers brushing her two-hander, waiting to see how this will play out. She knows what a wolf is by now, thanks to Alucard and Geralt. And when this one slinks up on her camp and watches her with its lambent eyes she watches back for a moment, squinting. Feels a spark of recognition.

"Al?" she says, at length, and tilts the wolf a grin.

[cryptsleeper]

[There's a wag of recognition at the name. Not that a wolf should wag its tail like a dog, but Alucard gets to be the exception to whatever it is he wants.

The grin is invitation enough for him to trot on over, changing forms as he does. In the bright firelight, Alucard's skin reflects that same glow. It takes him a moment to shake out his hair, aware that there are bound to be flyaways this time around. Sand clings to the knees and elbows of his trousers and white shirt.]

I suppose that isn't a subtle form once you know what to look for.

[His voice is heavier than usual, but the attempt at humour has a little lighter tilt to it.]

OLD PUBLIC HALL - Open | Most of May

[cryptsleeper]

[Halfway through the month, work on Old Public Hall begins again. It is noticeable only because of the immense amount of hammering that comes ringing out of the hall from sun up to sun down, or the piles of discarded wood that are piled up outside every so often to be carted away.

Alucard has not sent missives for assistance save for a few souls, and while there used to be a KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING sign fixed upon the door, there is now only a CLOSED - NO ENTRY sign there. Within the hall itself is endless scaffolding, long wooden beams, and blueprints meant to guide the process. It is orderly, there is simply a lot happening at once and seemingly being done by only one soul.

For those who are invited, Alucard makes an honest attempt to be as friendly as possible. His hair is pulled back, he wears safety goggles and thick gloves now, but there’s little denying his face looks long and far too tired from things other than the sheer effort that the hall requires.

Those who aren’t are permitted about five steps in before Alucard appears, face severe and serious, drawn up to his full height and projecting his displeasure.]

Leave.

[techmaturgy]

[He knows, at this point, not to seek Alucard out--the letter had been indication enough that he's not ready to talk in person, and Viktor is at least savvy enough not to breach a firmly-set boundary. That doesn't necessarily stop him from worrying, but for a week or two all he can really do is let things play out. Wait for those who ran off to come back from the desert. It's not like he'd be able to go after them, even if he thought it was a good idea.

Viktor still doubts that Alucard wants to talk about it, but it feels wrong not to say anything, or at least provide context. When the work resumes at the Old Public Hall, he figures this is his chance, though the sign makes it clear he still doesn't want to be disturbed.

Perhaps it's invasive regardless, for him to find a bench outside and read a book, when Alucard clearly wishes not to be disturbed, but it seems a fair enough loophole. He won't approach unless given an indication that Alucard is ready, but his presence here indicates that he's available to talk, when the moment is right.]

[cryptsleeper]

--How long have you been there?

[Alucard emerges from Old Public Hall caked in sawdust and grime, aware that he doe not look his best. His tunic clings to a sweat soaked chest, and he would keep moving if Viktor was not simply so obvious.

No one Alucard has met here does subtle. It is probably a good thing, all things considered.]

[techmaturgy]

[He offers a shrug. He hasn't been keeping track, nor does it really matter--plus, he imagine saying something like 'an hour or two' is just going to make Alucard feel guilty.]

I didn't want to intrude.

[Which is true, of course. There's just, perhaps, an ulterior motive here. A tacit admission that he'd been waiting for Alucard to be ready.]

How is the work progressing?

End of May

[hextechhead]

[ To say Jayce isn't handling the separation well is an understatement. He hates coming back to their apartment alone so he's spending most of his time working, either in the forge or the academy. He's not shaving reliably so he's much scruffier, his hair tousled and probably unbrushed, and he hasn't been sleeping much. Not so great for him, but excellent for work, he has accomplished more in those hours than usual.

Eventually his boss Lee looked at him and said 'bad breakup, huh?' and had enough compassion to feed him and make certain he left the forge while daylight still exists. She told him to deliver what he's made himself, rather than one of her daughters, to get him out. It's better than falling asleep in the library so he is a little dazed as he wanders Cadens. It is good to be doing something though, and when he walks by the Old Public Hall, he sees the ad for himself there, staring at the building before snapping himself out of it.

He has nails Alucard asked him to make for the project so he ignores the No Entry sign and walks in himself. He figures delivering something falls under the category of allowed, and honestly, he's too tired to worry over it. For once! He's lacking all anxiety. Jayce has no idea if Alucard is there or not, he does hear someone in there, but it could be anyone. He manages not to trip or run into anything, but it's a close thing. ]

Alucard, it's Jayce, where should I leave the nails?

[ His voice booms even as he is so it echoes well, taking a moment to actually look around. It is quite the project, usually something he'd have opinions on after looking at the in-progress, but instaed he looks for a table to set them down on. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[The state of the Hall, come the end of May, is only slightly neater than it was at the start. What needed to be fully removed has been. What needs repair or recovery of magic has been put off to one side and marked with where it must be returned to. Everything is bare bones, stripped and scoured, and scaffolding takes up most of the room.

Gutting the place is the easy part. Now, now comes the real work of it all.

Still, the exhaustion has not lifted. It shows with the weariness in Alucard's eyes when he makes himself known, walking out from behind a little alcove where he is working on suppy lists. His hair is still tied back, but the work goggles have been discarded for the day. His own shirt clings to his chest in certain places. He's been working since sun up.

The magic may be wonky right now, but it reflects Jayce's voice well enough.]

I'll show you where the supply area is.

[Which is helpfully just off to Jayce's right, as Alucard indicates. A table has been laid out with different tools, a few magic books, and basic nails.]

The box is labeled, I assume?

[hextechhead]

[ Jayce much like Viktor has a tendency to wear a tie and vest even in hot weather, although he's favored short-sleeves at all times now, but he currently is without either. It's simply too hot when he's been working all day, and he's only remembered to clean all the sweat and soot off him because Lee told him to. He's very susceptible to suggestion at the moment. Or, you know, pretty much always, a major character flaw.

He manages a very weak smile for Alucard and goes over to said supply area. Hazel eyes do wearily but curiously run over the tools, books, and other nails, because they are some of his favorite things, and he sets the box down. ]

What do you think I am, an amateur?

[ There's dry humor in his tone, sometimes Jayce can be snarky too, it's just not his natural way of being like with Viktor. He's trying to joke and his brain isn't entirely catching up with everything. It's soothing being around Alucard though, not that he'd ever mention it. The man's calm is reassuring. ]

You're ready to really get started, huh?

[ Someone like Jayce knows the difference between stripping bare and when it's time to start filling in everything. It makes him think back to being a boy, when his father was often in the midst of projects like this, but Jayce went into science instead. But he never lost the knack for it. ]

It's going to be beautiful.

[ He might be a little delirious, but he sounds confident. ]

Wildcard

[cryptsleeper]

[I'll be adding a few more prompts in the next day or so, but please hit me up or comment here if there's something in particular you want to explore!]

THE HORIZON - Open

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard's domain is as it ever was, with gentle rains, autumnal fogs, and leaves clinging to mostly bare trees. But he himself is curiously absent from the space.

There's nothing about the space to suggest it is fully abandoned, if one makes it all the way to the small hut in the center of the domain. The kitchen is stocked, the rooms neatly kept, no dust has settled. Whoever the place belongs to is simply away.

On the rare occasion Alucard does check in on his space, he finds himself in the woods rather than in the hut. He walks quietly through the forest, making no sound. All the better to surprise unannounced guests.]

For Jayce, closed

[cryptsleeper]

[Even in the largest of the libraries in Cadens, the interiors feel cramped. Alucard knows that this is an illogical thing. The ceilings are towering over him, painted with the stars of the night, he can see the five or six levels of actual stacks that are available. The only reason he feels this way is because he was in the desert for too long, and the wonderful vastness of it all simply makes city life worse.

He sighs, turning the next page of a large architecture volume in front of him. The focus is on carvings and decorative elements, especially paint and how to do seamless repairs. The ceiling was worse than Alucard thought, and he wants to account for time appropriately.

And maybe put some spellwork in the paint to make it have a longer life. One step at a time.

He isn't so lost in the pages that he doesn't hear approaching footsteps though, and when Alucard looks up--

--oh. This could get awkward.]

[hextechhead]

[ Jayce packs a lot of projects into every minute of the day, he doesn't believe in wasted time, at least not these days. There is a ticking clock, something he's always aware of, which is why his satchel has medical texts in it, along with his sketchpad and some others. He can multitask so he's been doing multiple academic things on top of working as a blacksmith and helping Viktor on projects. Basically, he's busy, but not so busy that when he spots Alucard, he doesn't pause and decide to make some time.

He respected the message from Alucard as a need for space, but he has experience with introverted people who struggle talking about things. This wasn't planned, all the more reason to test the waters. As usual Jayce is dressed ridiculously for the heat, with a vest and tie over a short-sleeved formal shirt, but he and Viktor match that way. ]

Hey, Alucard. Just here returning some books.

[ His bag is filled pretty tightly and he pulls out the two on the top, on New Magic. Jayce has already poured through Academic Magic so it seemed like the natural next step. He wants it clear that he didn't come looking to intrude, and since Jayce is an awful liar, it's evident he means it. Alucard is out in public again, somewhere he can be seen, maybe he's feeling a little better.]

I think I might hit a point where they stop letting me take them though.

[ Jayce is a king of small talk, mostly because he generally cares about small talk as much as large talk. He gestures toward the book he's reading.]

For the restoration?

[cryptsleeper]

[As the heat has grown with the longer days, Alucard has come to favor lighter linens for his basic shirt and trousers. Ornamentation is hardly anything he finds value in lately (bad for the work, harder to blend in), and the library is wonderfully cool through whatever technology they've used to make it so. His hair is even gathered up off his neck, piled into a neat bun for the time being. He's enjoyed the quiet for a time, although the urge to throw things around remains.

He looks up when Jayce greets him, his face a careful blank. Gold eyes sweep towards the book pile though, scanning the titles.]

I believe the limit is twenty five at a time. Have you not taken advantage of the holds system for coming in and doing research on a day to day basis?

[Alucard has definitely just asked the librarians to keep a small cart of texts of what he's been using off to the side in the shelving area so it can be retrieved each day.]

Exploring the world of painting, yes. You're...busy.

[hextechhead]

[ Jayce has compromised by wearing short sleeves and no jacket, which for him is rare and very informal. At work he does wear simple clothes, basic and no problem getting it dirty, but he feels better and more himself this way. Maybe in time they'll adjust to their new world fashion. He is always in red, white, and gold though, Talis colors.

He knows this is an awkward situation and that they went through something neither of them wanted, but he has a tendency to try and push past awkwardness when he can. Jayce shakes his head and shrugs. ]

I haven't gotten down an exact schedule yet. Some days I'm working too much in the forge so I can't come by, or the classes mixed with projects with Viktor takes up too much time. It's actually been a long time since I was a student.

[ But he loves it, truly. Jayce's enthusiasm is there. Despite the memory transference and all the headaches that came with it (literally), he seems to be doing a good job with moving past it and getting back to daily life. He still doesn't know what Alucard saw from him, but the man is talking to him, so it can't have been that bad. ]

But yeah. I'm not good at having idle time.

[ He doesn't remember the last time he did. ]

How's the project coming?

places this gently here [May 23rd-ish]

[cointosser]

[At first, Jaskier was rather enamored with the idea of -- well, perhaps not "irregular migratory patterns" but instead with stepping outside to see a small cloud of hares shuffling their way through the city, with crowds parting like waves. Usually with some sort of "aww!" noise involved.

Jaskier understands. They are very adorable. Fluffy, small. Tiny little wings. Practically hand-crafted to be appreciated by small mammal appreciators.

That was until he had to start digging them out of his pantries, where his stores of bread have been turned into gnarled piles of half-eaten corpses and hare droppings. By the fifteenth one (yes, he's counting), he's now taken to yelling, "get out of here you tiny bastards!" while sweeping them out the door like some angry fisherman's wife.

It's around the eighteenth that he decides Mog needs to offer a little labour to the household. He scoops up the gryphon once he's trapped a hare in the pantry that DID once hold a store of carefully wrapped blackberries, but now only holds a mess of juice.] All right, my dear. You have these for a reason. [Jaskier squeezes a paw.] Now please use them. If you can't hunt on your own, Geralt's sure to throw you out into the cold!

[He would never. But Mog doesn't know that.

Unfortunately, it is this attempt in broadening the skillset of his beloved gryphon son that led to Mog chasing the hare out the door, ears peeled back against his skull, with an intent in his eye.

And Jaskier running after him, yelling Mog's name.]

Mog! No! You are not devouring a horde by yourself!

[The gryphon, already encouraged to tap into his bloody instincts, no longer listens. Jaskier chases him all the way to the edge of town, where a load of hares have congregated around what once may have been a few loafs of bread, tossed out by the nearby bakery. Mog dives in with a hawk-like scream, catching one of the hares in his front claws and rolling, clutching it to his belly, to kick at it with his back paws. All at once, having sensed a predator, the hares turn in tandem and all but explode with a high-pitched screech, some running off and some chasing Mog, carrying a hare in his jaws, diving at him with surprisingly well-aimed kicks from their large back legs. Their wings flutter, blowing up sand everywhere, and Jaskier has to run into the herd of them with his eyes half-closed to try to grab Mog, all while shouting a long list of obscenities, both established and ones he's come up with himself.

He promises to skin Mog. To turn him into a lovely rug. To give him to Geralt's horse to eat.

Jaskier scruffs him just before Mog can twist around and duck away again, still holding a screeching hare in his jaws.] Let him go! Mog! I swear to Melitele herself --

[Panicking and terrified out of their minds, still screaming, the hares turn their ire on Jaskier. The first kick was only a minor annoyance, but more and more join in, jumping at him, trying to claw at the gryphon in his arms -- who, by the way, is doing his damnedest to wiggle out, clawing Jaskier's arm in the process.

So this is how he'll die. Beaten to death by cotton balls.]

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard has given himself several days off from working on Old Public Hall. Sure, he may have just returned from the desert and committing unspeakable violence near Gideon in order to get the remaining anger and aggression out of his system, but all the same. He had wanted to get back to work in an orderly manner. He had managed to get back to work in an orderly manner, until the hares arrived.

At that point, Old Public Hall was not the priority. The graveyard was, and the dhampir now spent most of his hours patroling the area and quickly seeing to any would be intruders via herding. Those with adventuring minds, admittedly, did not fare well.

So of course Alucard hears the commotion of oncoming hares mixed with a gryphon's cries and Jaskier's voice. A voice that is very much panicking and starting to lose control if Alucard is any decent judge.

The screaming hares though? That gives the dhampir's ears a true ache in his wolf form. There's a soft moment of fuck before he shifts form, and the dhampir is soon at the cemetary gates.

He ventures beyond, the sound out of sight, and what he sees would be the height of comedy if it did not look so genuinely dire. A hoard of hares are beating up the bard and his gryphon.

Truly, what the fuck. What the ever loving fuck.]

Jaskier!

Alucard knows he can be heard, but how clear it will be over the countless hairs is a mystery.]

[cointosser]

[This is his life, all right! It's what he gets for encouraging his gryphon to stop being such a lazy loaf.

By the time Mog's let the one hare go and Jaskier's arm is bleeding, he's curling over the gryphon, now shaking and frightened. Mog digs his head into Jaskier's side as he takes the kicks, but really, what's most horrible is the noise. It's far more frightening than the rest.

It's why he's always let Geralt hunt the bloody things. And these have wings!

Eventually they'll stop. Jaskier would usually have no misgivings about kicking a few rabbits across the street, but he's well aware the people here rather adore them and, gods, the rumors that would start --

Mog wriggles out of his arms, and in a moment of not knowing what else to do, he sinks down and covers the gryphon with his arms, the hares screeching closer to his ears, hitting his shoulders and nearly his head with their fluttering wings.

He jerks when he hears his name. What a fucking sight to catch, he thinks, except his heart is still thundering and Mog is trying desperately to get away, and if he loses the gryphon he's quite sure his heart will not be able to take it. It's Alucard. At least he can trust --] Help me! Mog's trying to run!

[Whatever he has to do. Whether it's catch Mog as he claws Jaskier's arm and he lets go with a gasp, or get rid of the hares entirely --]

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard has all of a second to read the situation. There's a swarm of hares that have found easy pickings, Jaskier's angle is not ideal, and Mog is thrashing madly. He isn't sure if that's from the situation, from being held down, or some other weird factor the dhampir has not correctly accounted for.

In any other moment, Alucard might transform into a wolf and herd the hares away, snapping and snarling. While there's no one else to clock this ridiculous scene, the real issue is that the wolf would scare Mog off as well, creating a different sort of disaster that Alucard doesn't want to deal with and he's pretty sure might actually break the bard.

So in an instant, Alucard is besides Jaskier and Mog's attempted escape path. The sudden movement is enough to confuse the hares, who part and bounce off of Alucard.]

Hand me Mog, then I want you to grab my leg. Understood?