abraxaslogs | open; when the others blocked your light

"A logical conclusion," he agrees upon hearing the explanation of the light. But that conclusion should have foreseen the little things drawing just a bit too close. As one hare is happy to demonstrate, but even then, the whole thing comes off as adorable. "Perhaps a little bit of wire around the light to make a buffer is in order, if you intend to do this tomorrow."

There were lanterns out there that already had such a thing. Alucard had seen them in shops before, even though he's never had the need to purchase one. He's not trying to lure hares and his night vision has always been exceptional.

"I admit, feeding them feels like inviting them to stay rather than hoping that they'll quickly pass through and stop trying to ravage the food supplies."

She lets out a little, appreciative sound at the suggestion, and nods. "I will keep that in mind if I do." This would definitely be more enjoyable if she didn't have to keep nudging the little beasts away from the lantern. And she's fairly certain she can find wire and create a little cage around the flame on her own.

Diana finally sets the lettuce she's been holding on the ground, leaning back on her palms, content to watch the moth hares. She frowns for a moment at his concern, but her expression smooths after a moment. "I don't think so. They really don't like the sound those little devices make." She reaches up to rub at one ear, remembering how annoying that high-pitched frequency is. "And I imagine if they spend too much time in one place, that will be the next area those devices go." Besides, their instincts seem strong; she doesn't think one night of free veggies will be enough to turn them from their path.

Alucard nods, leaving the suggestion where it stands. Wire is abundant in this city, along with just about every other type of metal that you can manipulate. It is the beauty of industry, having supplies like that so readily available, and one of the strangest parts of it all. In Alucard's own time and place, all of it was rare work requiring specialists. Now, there's streets of merchants.

The hares are having a terribly fine feast tonight. They're not swarming the lettuce, but that seems to be because they know they have options for tonight's dinner.

"I don't appreciate the noise those metal things make either. They make moving about the city difficult." It is as close to an empathetic wince as the dhampir is inclined to offer. Moreover, there's a little bit of relief in knowing that it isn't only his overpowered hearing causing infrequent headaches over the past several days. "Perhaps the real cause for concern is if the pattern repeats itself next year."

Diana has become a little fascinated with the way Cadens operates; it reminds her of London, with its dedication to technology and advancement. But she'd be lying to say it wasn't a bit overwhelming sometimes. There seems to be a machine or device to do just about anything that needs doing. Most of the time, she's just happier to complete a task with her own two hands.

She leans back on her palms again, tilting her head to one side as she considers, then nods. "I heard they usually breed around the Singularity." The word is still strange in her mouth, but she continues. "Something drove them away from it." The arrival of the Summoned, she assumes. She still hasn't visited the Singularity, but it's on her list once she's able to afford provisions and equipment for the trip. "It makes me wonder what else might be driven away from it and towards the cities." The monsters out in the desert aren't new, but that doesn't mean something new won't pop up.

"Perhaps it made some kind of a reverberation noise and the soundwaves sent them running," Alucard offers, tapping against his own ear to indicate why that's the first thing that would come to mind. A rabbit's ears would not take kindly to something like that, and if these things have spread out in all directions, then a movement from such a central point would be a logical step.

The question of what else does give Alucard pause. It is a good point, one he had not given consideration to. May has been a strange month to navigate, caught up in emotions and using work to channel them all into a constructive force.

"If that proves true, the trade caravans will probably be the first to spot something. I can't say anything has struck me as unusual when out in the desert."

But being in the desert is another way to channel poor impulses for the dhampir. A wolf caught in the throws of excess anger is not going to be paying the most attention.

She hums low in her throat as she considers, and decides that's as good an explanation as any. Diana is no scientist; she had studied such disciplines some as a child, but was always far more interested in tactics and warfare, much to her mother's disappointment.

Yes, the caravans. Diana has been considering what to do with herself since arriving in Cadens; she can train at the barracks and help people around the city, but that only helps her learn so much about this world. The caravans seem to be the answer to several of her questions. "I hear they are always looking for help on their expeditions." She isn't exactly talking to herself, but it might seem as if she is. "I think I will have to start going with them." Small steps, cautious ones. That isn't usually how she'd approach getting answers, but this place is even more unknown to her than the world of men--her world of men, anyway. A little caution might be a good idea for once.

She turns to look at him, her keen eyes able to pick up more details about him now that he's moved closer. She's curious, and her tone tells as much. "The people say the desert is dangerous. Why do you go?"

"My understanding is that it is easy work."

Alucard had never dabbled in it. It would be a job requiring no special effort from him, as he is skilled enough at fending off monsters from every angle, but it was not an idea that appealed to him. Traveling with people means interacting with them for an extended amount of time, and he is very much a creature of privacy and mistrust. Better to put different skillsets to work. "It'd allow you to get a lay of the land as well."

Which is the actual advantage, before going further into the sands. Knowing the outposts, where to get water, the rare oasis in the landscape and how to find one's way when the sandstorms creep in. Alucard pauses, just long enough to tuck a stray strand of hair back into place.

"I grew up outside of cities and large crowds. I find this place unnerving, after a time."

It is an honest answer without providing much context. True enough, Alucard grew up in isolated spaces. The whys don't matter, although the light from the lantern does shed a few clues. He's far too pale for a human, and gold is absolutely not a normal eye color. "Plenty of sand to explore as well."

She hadn't even considered if the work would be difficult or not; but her bar for "difficult" is probably much different than most people's. "I'll look into it." It shouldn't be too hard to find a caravan to take her; there always seems to be some coming and going, many of them to Aquila, which is a place she wants to visit anyway. She tucks the decision into the back of her mind to act upon in the morning. There's no use in putting it off.

Sympathy crosses her face, and she takes another look at him, noting such features that she hadn't seen before he entered the lamplight. But she doesn't seem bothered by them, perhaps just curious; Diana knows there is a lot about the world--her own and this one--she still doesn't know. She's tried to reserve judgement about everyone she's met so far, and he's no different.

A little smile flits over her lips. "I can only imagine what secrets such a desert holds." She's read stories, old ones, about secret caves and sand-buried temples. She wonders if there's anything like that here.

"What is your home like?" It's a question she's asked many times since being summoned here, and doesn't think she'll ever stop asking. Amazons are meant to foster connection and understanding among men, and she can't very well do that if she's doesn't try to learn more about them.

"Mostly, the desert holds a lot of sand and some caves."

Alucard's tone is as dry as desert air, aware that it is a terrible joke and that he probably should try and save himself at least a little from that totally ridiculous and disappointing response. So he does, the follow up a little softer and a little more sincere. "You'll be awake at dusk and dawn. That is when it is most alive - bats flying out of their caves for the night, desert rabbits going about their business, and even larger monsters getting into their hunts. And of course they bed with sunrise, and you can see all manner of life skittering back for rest. Nothing like sun up and sun down in the confines of this place."

He's fond of it all, at least. Alucard's found the wildlife here wholly different from Wallachia, and no less wonderful and fascinating for it. The boldness has not extended to trying to take flight with some of the bats (being a whole series of bats is difficult), but the temptation is there. Just as the temptation to approach some of the desert coyotes has existed.

Home though. That's a sobering question. Alucard's privacy is something he guards and does so fiercely, letting precious few details about his personal life out. Here, in Cadens, he is defined by work. For restoring a graveyard, for working on a historic building. It is the only reputation he has, and it was alarmingly easy to shrug all thoughts of home off. He doesn't like to think of the castle and the Hold, potentially unguarded and pillaged. Of the charred remains of his mother's clinic, burnt over two years ago now by greedy and stupid men.

"Mountainous," is the word he settles on. "Easy to lose oneself in a remote corner of, even if there were cities and villages and farmlands." It is a wholly unsatisfying answer. "Your own?"

Her disappointment is staved off by the mention of caves; there can be a lot of interesting things in caves, especially if they go deep enough into the earth. She isn't going to be dissuaded just because most deserts are full of nothing but sand and small reptiles. She believes she'll find something interesting if she looks hard enough. Belatedly, she also realizes that he's joking, and gives a quick, quiet laugh, still conscious of the moth-hares they're trying not to scare away.

But then he starts to paint a picture for her, and she can see the tiny creatures, resilient in their environment, skating across the sand and flitting through the dry air. The sun sinking below the tawny horizon, the desert coming alive as the heat dissipates. It brings her joy just to imagine, and she knows it will be even more wonderous in person. "It will be beautiful." There's conviction in her voice, even if she hasn't seen any of it yet. She trusts his description, and her imagination. She has no reason not to.

Diana tilts her head, considering his words. It isn't much, compared to his description of the desert here, but perhaps he does not love it as she loves her own home. She's met more than one person here who feels that way. It's hard for her to understand, but she can't judge him for it.

As soon as he reciprocates the question, a smile takes her face, and her voice gains a wistful tone. "We have mountains on Themyscira as well. Perhaps not the tallest, but good for climbing and watching the sun rise." She doesn't mind sharing the name of her beloved island; it comforts her to know that it is out there somewhere, waiting for her return. She hopes so, anyway. "And beaches with white sand, where the water is always warm. The city is old, built of stone to weather the ages. But it is an island, only so big, and there are a limited number of places to get lost in." Gossip traveled fast on the island, much to the chagrin of its leaders. Privacy could be difficult to come by, especially when every eye sought you out.

"You'll find something that will hold your attention, I'm sure."

The wilderness will always have something to offer for those willing to look. Alucard's learned it through his own exploration, and has absolutely come to appreciate the stark beauty of the landscape. When there's seemingly nothing, every detail becomes important.

The name of Diana's home is completely unknown. It sounds Greek, or at least Greek adjacent, but the dhampir doesn't dare to presume. Plenty of places out there might have their version of the language, after all. "So a pearl in the middle of an ocean."

It is more observation, but Alucard knows he's probably right in the assessment. "And the opposite of this place, in terms of people living so closely."

He isn't wrong, though Diana wouldn't have considered it such before leaving. To her, it was simply home; there were places outside the island, but it had never really occurred to her that they would be much different from her own home. She knows now how naïve she had been to think so. But the Amazons' contact with the outside world over the millennia was limited, to say the least. Most of their more "modern" knowledge was courtesy of wreckage washing up on their shores. There wasn't much to use to base a belief on how the rest of the world had evolved while they were still seemingly stuck in time.

Her smile turns a little wry, and she tilts her head back to look up at the stars. "Yes, I suppose so." But every Amazon knew every other Amazon, their likes and dislikes, their favorite haunts. It was difficult to keep much of anything a secret. "Still, I miss it. There is no other place on Earth like it." If she could, she would return today; but there doesn't seem to be a way to do that yet, so she has accepted her lot as it is.

"I don't imagine there is."

An island is always unto itself. Perfectly isolated even if there are neighbors, local culture left to flourish in ways that simply cannot happen in other places. Growing up, the castle was a little like an island, although without a truly unique ecosystem. (Save the bats.) It moved from place to place, always away from humanity, for security's sake.

The night grows short. Alucard clears his throat, as there's no true polite out at the moment. He has to invent one. Hands slip into pockets, eyes move beyond the hares, pointed in the direction of the graveyard.

"I do need to get going though, as enjoyable as this has been. I shall leave you to your associates here, assuming you still have more food to provide them."

The moth-hares still nibble happily at the offerings she'd brought, more or less oblivious to their surroundings. She risks petting one munching on an apple, and is pleased when it doesn't skitter away. The closest thing she had to a pet as a child was her horse, so this is sort of fulfilling a childhood fantasy.

She looks up at him, tracks the direction of his point and takes note of what lies that way. Her brows raise slightly, but she doesn't comment, instead turning her gaze back to him and smiling. "I'm glad we met." The sentiment is genuine, said so casually that there's no mistaking its sincerity. Belatedly, she offers: "My name is Diana. I'll look for you in town."

"Alucard. Enjoy your evening's adventure."

It isn't unpolite, but Alucard is a little more to the point than intended. The work of the day has been long and intense, even for him and his stamina, and the welcome arms of sleep call. Never mind the particulars anyway. Few things are better than being not human shaped and sleeping in a small, cozy space in his opinion.

open; when the others blocked your light

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