abraxaslogs | INTRO LOG #2

Entry tags:

INTRO LOG #2

Intro Log #2

It has been two months now since the initial group of summonings first took place. Castle Thorne, or at least the part above ground, is buzzing with a vibrant air of hope following the 'success' at the Singularity. Eager smiles and excited chattering are to be found in nearly every corner of the castle and surrounding town. The honored guests may find grateful looks turned their way more often than not. A new and brighter day seems to be dawning on the kingdom.

In the dungeons it's a different story entirely. The mood is somber and uneasy. The prisoner taken for trial has yet to return, and no word has come regarding her or her fate. There has been no mention of any further trials as of yet and guards seem to have little patience for unruly behavior or even conversation. Some seem to not even look at or acknowledge the prisoners at all.

[ Feel free to continue threads from the TDM here or start your own! As cell and room assignments will be short-lived due to this month's event, you're free to assume whichever cellmates and roommates you like instead of officially signing up as long as there are ICly no more than four people in a cell or room at once. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A deal is a deal.

[There's a soft shrug. Alucard doesn't mind the agreement, nor does he mind the Hedge.] Besides, I appreciate the novelty. I recognize none of the plants.

[His eyes go to the dogs, quiet and considering. Maybe he'll romp about with them in better days.]

Just us, I suppose.

I don't either, to be honest. Not like, properly. I didn't know shit about plants before I became this, but the goblin fruit's always exciting.

[And she gestures down at herself. The dogs relax again; one flops onto its belly, tail fwumping lazily from side to side, while the other sits on its haunches and yawns.]

It's better that it's just us. Hector might be disappointed, though, he was having fun studying the dogs.

Ah, is that what it's called?

[Alucard's eyes move back towards the hedge, easily picking out the strange shapes. It's nice, having his natural abilities back. Picking up everything in sharp colors and with crystal clarity.

He's ready to set something alight, he truly is.

At the mention of Hector, Alucard's face faintly sours. He's sniffed some bad milk with the way his nose wrinkles.]

Oh, doubtlessly. Give a necromancer a weird dog and he's set for a week.

[Coraline visibly raises an eyebrow at that face.]

I thought you two at least liked each other, given how often he took you out of the cell.

Hector's...[yeah, he knows that saying complicated is going to demand an explanation, so he doesn't try.

Instead, Alucard folds his arms across his chest, heaving a soft sigh.] Hector has a sense of loyalty to my late father. I've disagreed with some of his decisions made with regard to my father in the past.

I also happen to like baths, so you can understand at least a portion of the complexity.

[She doesn't try very hard to hide the cheeky little smile on her face.]

I mean, I don't really blame you. I got out of the dungeon as soon as I could, I'm not gonna make fun of you for needing some, like. Alone time.

[Except she totally is, she just thinks she's being lowkey about it. She likes teasing her prissy ex-roommate too much to give that up.]

Hm, that feels like a lie.

[Coraline, he is not subtle. The people he associates with are not subtle. You are also not subtle, and like can sense like.]

Or at least, most of it does. The Hedge remains, so I assume you're not entirely full of it.

[She tilts her head in a good-natured shrug.]

A deal's a deal. I'm not gonna renege on it if you don't, and it's got punishments built in if one of us doesn't completely obey the terms. [She bites her lip gently as she refuses to make eye contact.] Which is mostly good for you, since I won't be calling on my end of it anymore.

[The lack of eye contact means that she gets to miss Alucard's look of quiet surprise. Mostly that means his eyes get a little wider, and he then tilts his head exactly like a canine.]

Too odd knowing that it's me under the wolf coat?

Kind of? Um. There are people who can do that too, back in my world, other Changelings. So, it's a bit weird actually, like. Yeah, knowing the person under the fur.

[She'd enjoyed the brief period of thinking it was just a particularly pretty wolf. It was far less humiliating. Still, at least she didn't actually put her face in his belly or she'd never live it down.]

Sorry to have ruined the illusion, but I imagine your two companions won't mind. More attention for them.

[Look, if she had done so, Alucard would have never told a soul. Such as it is, they're here. He's not changing, but now he wants to just for the reaction of it.]

[The dogs both look at Alucard, and Coraline turns to pat the nearest on the head, ruffling its ears fondly.]

Okay, so full disclosure? I have no idea where these guys came from. They were here when I woke up earlier and I can't make them go away. [She pauses for a moment, before she looks back at Alucard.] Not that I want to, they're good dogs Brent, but it's just weird. The hunting dogs went away just fine.

[Alas, Alucard cannot appreciate memes. What he can do is extend a hand out towards the dogs to sniff, if they happen to be so inclined.]

That is weird, given how this place is supposed to work. But there are also bigger problems than mystery dogs.

[They're Very Good Dogs at any rate. Good Dogs who will get skritches behind the ears if they'll allow it.]

[One of the dogs is lying down, but its tail wags when Alucard approaches; the other trots forward eagerly and shoves its head into his hand for pats without bothering to sniff him. The sight of it makes Coraline grin.]

Right. Like what we're supposed to do with this place. There was a whole meeting about it like yesterday, with a bunch of the people who never went to jail.

[Oh, well hello to you too there buddy. Alucard is careful with his ear rubs, long fingers working expertly. It is one of the perks of sometimes being dog shaped - you know all the best spots.]

Was the entire affair annoyingly condescending?

[The question gets a spiteful little giggle out of her.]

God, you have no idea. The two guys running it, Jaskier and Kyle or something, were trying so hard to make it all seem like they're totally neutral and it was all just some big brainstorming session. Except like half the people there openly hate Ambrose so mostly it ended up being a lot of talk about what to do about that. I recorded a few people talking, actually, if you wanna hear it later.

[Never let it be said that Alucard cannot multitask. As much joy as petting a dog can bring, his face still manages to sour at the description offered, all wrinkled nose and lips drawn into a thin line of total disapproval at the idea of any of this.]

That sounds like a dreadful way to spend an evening. [Both the attendance in the first place and the idea of listening to any of it. The dhampir shakes his head.]

Did anything actually useful come of it, or was it just an exercise in complaining about Ambrose?

[She gives a loud groan as she lets herself tip back - but a tree-stump, smooth with age, is there to catch her when she flops bodily back to sit down.]

It wasn't even that. They were trying so hard to be, like. Non-political. No-one actually gave a shit, though, mostly it was just people bitching and getting personally offended when we did talk about using this place to, like. Actually make a stand.

A stand about what, precisely? [Alucard is curious to know the precise articulation of the concept, given that this is well, a teenage girl with precious little tact.]

[She kicks her legs idly as she talks, bouncing her heels on her stump.]

Just because we're here because of Ambrose doesn't mean we're here for him. If we actually learned more about how the Horizon works and used that, we could be way more powerful than he could ever imagine. [There's a severe look in her eyes. Not aimed at Alucard, more like a well-trodden argument she doesn't want to rehash.] We're our own people and we could make them recognise that. No more slaves or dungeons, we could take back our freedom.

[The response is a flat stare. Incredibly flat, not quite revealing the where did that come from? knee jerk response in Alucard's head, but definitely showing that he's a firm no on the matter all the same.

His voice is dry. But at least it isn't chiding.]

You're assuming an awful lot of people and presuming they'll want to do the same thing.

[And she gives him a dry look right back in return.]

Yeah, I got that impression from them, too.

[The only one who hadn't disagreed was that creepy elf, and she knows that's not a vote of confidence.

Mostly she's just trying not to think about what that says about her.]

You'd think half of them haven't ever to fight for their freedom before.

Again, you're making a few too many assumptions.

[At least knowing the creepy elf is a warning sign is good. Probably.]

Bluntly, I have no interest in what you described. No one has had time to settle or truly understand the scope of what we've been drawn into. Trying to do what you described could do more harm than good in the long run.

[There's a shrug. Perhaps that was too harsh. But it is what it is.]

[Blunt is the best way to go with Coraline, really. It's harder to argue a Loophole when the facts are laid out like that.

It won't stop her, mind you, but she appreciates not being condescended.]

Well, I have. And I decided last time I wasn't going to let someone do that to me again. I'm not some prissy little serving girl, or someone's drunk punching bag. I'm a fighter.

I'm sure that there are similar sentiments elsewhere. You've simply decided that this is how you'll manifest the fact.

[It'll hopefully get through, in time, how foolhardy this continued approach is likely to be. But Alucard isn't inclined to go further than this, and he's pretty sure that dwelling on the topic will end badly. So he gently reorients what he can.]

What was the mood by the meeting's end?

(no subject)

not_caroline - 2021-10-04 13:06 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only