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[alucardrakul]

GAVIN LEATHERWOOD MOOD Magazine — Anthony Giovanni & Edwin J. Ortega (2021)

[alucardrakul]

Gavin Leatherwood

[alucardrakul]

open starter location: Aventia, Borderreach notes: let's go! preference to those wishing to join the Legion in our time of need. Unlimited for those wishing to join, for those who won't I'm capping at three.

In war, victory. In peace, vigilance. In death, sacrifice.

Riandur had entrusted this task to him and Alucard would not disappoint his commanding officer - his friend.

It had been almost a century since Alucard had taken to Valerius's conscription and marched against the Queendom. As far as Eterna the son of Vlad had bloodied the earth, earning the monicker that his father once carried when he fought against the elvhen during the Dark Age - 'The Drakul.'

To this day Alucard still wore the cloak emblazoned with the silver embroidery of the Old God Lusacan, the Dragon of Night. Not for pride, but as a reminder of his past, and to let his enemies know that it was never too late to make the right choice. No matter the difficulty.

Charging ahead and immersing himself in the heat of battle would be the easier tasks for him because, for any vampiric-blooded creature, killing came as second nature. Alucard had been born into the blight and the Joining had seen him immune to its corruption.

While the memories of his last night at Nornwatch Keep still resounded at the back of his mind, Alucard pushed them away, drifting slightly overhead. There was an idle thought that brought back the memory of Serral; the legionnaire who'd saved him in every way a person could be saved. Alucard wished he was here now. He wished he'd lived, but there was no changing the past, there was only today. The blight was here - they'd run out of time.

"An Age ago they called me The Drakul, just as my father before me - I was a thrall to my own darkness. But to be clear, the Dark One does not care not for our pasts, or for our allegiances. He sends his army only to destroy, to corrupt, and to consume all that stands in His path. Iskaldrik remembers what He can take, I remember what He can take. I refuse to let that happen to Aventia."

"When the darkspawn sink their teeth into you they'll corrupt you just the same.. For those with the steel to join me: I offer the Joining."

"We are Legion of the Dead. We are the ones who stand when all else fails, the ones who fight when hope fades. You may see me as a relic of a war you wished to forget, but today, I am your shield, your blade, and your brother."

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Alucard didn't know why Riandur suddenly jerked his hand back, it wasn't as if he'd even touched him. Riandur had ignored him, now, it seemed, Riandur was taking it a step further to show just how much he did not wish for the dhampir to touch his hand. Alucard understood and truthfully he was used to this kind of emotional abuse. It was likely that Riandur would recount how the creepy dhampir had tried to drink from the palm of his hand and further slander Alucard's name.

No matter, Alucard had a responsibility to the Legion and he wouldn't be deterred. "It's hard to discern if it can exert any influence over you, your elvhen nature might be helping you resist it. I'll design a dampener that can help keep it in check."

Riandur pulled his hand back from Alucard, though he wasn't sure why the other was...staring. It wasn't abnormal, sometimes he felt like Alucard was one of those lost elderly that stood staring in a corner and had to be turned around. He was the only one who could make fun of his friend, anyway, and he frowned after a moment. Whatever had overtaken the other had done the same to Riandur before. He had to laugh, the irony not failing, "I said it took over me. Like it did you. Whatever magic is within it, I'm unfortunately attached to it now."

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It would surprise no one to hear that intimacy in any format gave Alucard a great deal of pause. Something in him froze at the notion of trying to navigate it, even this, quiet and private as it was, Alucard had a hard time focusing on anything but the sound of Etienne's heart and the noise that filtered in from outside. Now and then the home took to settling and Alucard heard the whistle through the stones and the creak of old boards.

Alucard could feel his body go rigid at Etienne's idle words. He couldn't help the nervousness that crept at the back of his mind as Alucard thought about everything that the wolf might want. Maybe staying here was a mistake, or the mistake was coming here at all because if Etienne wanted more than Alucard could give then he didn't know where that'd leave them. If it was just this, only this, would that be enough for him? Was it even fair to ask?

Not for the first time, but on a momentary rare occasion, Alucard decided to put his faith in Etienne. He made a very conscious decision to choose the wolf's comfort over the anxiety that addled the dhampir's mind. It couldn't be called instinct but... Alucard lifted his arm and invited the wolf to come closer if he wished. "I trust you."

"Be right back." But I've been craving you. That phrase alone is going to be running around his head for months and he knows it. He thinks about it the whole time he slides off of the bed, grabs another pair of underwear from his dresser and heads down the hall to the bathroom. Etienne tries not to think about any of it as embarrassing on his part and tries to just keep replaying looking down on dark hair and long lashes as teeth bite at his hip. Actually, that's also not entirely helping. Shucking pants and underwear down as delicately as possible, he tries not to think too hard on the smell of everything either as he cleans up. Not in a bad way, there's this kind of deep-seated satisfaction he gets from their scents combined. Or maybe that's the after effects of the vampire sex venom and not wolfy instincts. Two things could be true. Newfound confidence in his body or not, there's still something kind of strange about striding into his bedroom in his underwear. But he tries not to make it a thing by instead of immediately tackling the dhampir he goes to the record player and puts on that The Weeknd bard record he'd dug out, turns it down quiet, and then he makes his way to the bed. It is tentative, the way he not only crawls back onto the bed, but by how he keeps just the barest bit of distance between their bodies. "Is it my turn to do something instinctual?" On his side, one arm hooked around his pillow, his smile is almost lazy. He figures it's fair to ask if he's going to lay there staring at muscles illuminated by moonlight.

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Etienne's body dipped and moaned, his body quivered under Alucard's touch, and with it came an air of finality that trickled like sex in the open air between them. Alucard closed the distance between their lips again as he blanketed his form against Etienne's and wrapped him like a shroud, encompassing him completely despite the difference in their stature. Alucard's crimson-stained tongue moved in easy, languid strokes against Etienne's before he moved to settle at the other's side.

If Alucard could have shifted his focus from the werewolf next to him, he'd have heard the idle buzzing outside the window. The sounds of the city beyond that, and the birds that gladly chirped - idle and unaware. Instead, he listened to the feathering breath that rose and fell in Etienne's chest, how it calmed and Etienne seemed to come back into himself... Alucard liked seeing him like this, just as he came to like the proximity. At least for now. His fingers brushed some of Etienne's hair from his forehead as he settled his cheek against the down pillow.

"No," Alucard said point blank before he cleared his throat and tasted more of Etienne lingering there. "It's harder for me than for you." Etienne wasn't the first body that had come undone beneath Alucard's fangs, but the dhampir had only ever truly been with one other. At least, that was the only time Alucard was present instead of just going through the motion. Even this was difficult for him, but Alucard had already tried to stay away from Etienne once.

There was an idle quirk to the corner of Alucard's mouth, in the dim light and the haze that accompanied their afterglow, Alucard's eyes didn't burn but they still lingered. "But I've been craving you, so I wanted to make it... satisfying... for you too." A moment of consideration, "Do you need to go get cleaned up?" Alucard asked, "I'll still be here."

It's unlike anything he's ever felt before, than he's ever experienced with another person. Alucard keeps surprising him, running his fingers through his hand, lowering his mouth and he knows they can both hear his heart beating loudly in his chest. There's a scrape of fangs against his hip and it's all so brief before that familiar white hot pulsing pleasure spreads from the puncture. It didn't matter if he thought he was prepared for how it felt this time, it still draws a sharp breath from him, causes him to roll his hips forward. That's something that worries him to an extent. It's not like he doesn't think Alucard is experienced, it's more the fact that the last time he'd leaned on him he'd shied away. He didn't want to cross a line and yet the worry takes a back seat to all of the thoughts racing around his head. It feels instinctual to card his fingers through dark hair, tug gently at it as lips moved higher. Those soft praises he'd been holding back do come out as mumbles of the dhampir's name as his back arches against the sheets, pressing them closer together. There's a need for more friction and he gets it when Alucard's body covers his so he can mouth at his neck. Clinging to shoulders, mapping out muscles of a toned back, he pants against the other man's hairline, hips rolling forward.

What does it for him is the kind of growl Alucard lets out. There's actual stars behind his vision for a second and a few curses and everything feels hot or maybe he's just that embarrassed because whimpering through an orgasm is not something he expected to do today. Let alone without Alucard actually touching him. Reality is too hazy when the dhampir pulls away and without thinking too much on it, Etienne kisses him and pays no mind to the metallic tang still on his lips. "You could say that." His face and chest are flushed and he does not want to think about his pants situation, not yet. "Are you....? Can I...?" He's blaming the fact that he's still trying to get his lungs to catch up with everything and the post orgasm glow for asking in the first place, his eyes glancing down between them and then back to meet garnet.

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Alucard's eyes were dark with hunger as he gazed into Etienne's, that symphony that swam in the wolf's veins was enough to nearly eclipse the dhampir's crimson eyes with blown pupils. Etienne's body was warm and inviting, behind Alucard's lips was the subtle sting of his fangs as they pressed against his gums - begging for release. The pulse of blood thrummed in Alucard's ears, louder now, an unrelenting beat that stirred something primal deep inside him. The tension was coiled tight in his gut, ready to snap at a moment's notice. His fingers twitched as his hands wished to squeeze and break but Alucard held himself back and repositioned himself - a hand brushed through Etienne's hair, the other smoothed its way across the wolf's side.

Without a word, Alucard lowered himself, cold breath from dead lungs brushing against Etienne's skin just above his torso, and then lower still until he reached the other's thin waist waist. Alucard's lips hovered there, the air between them thick with anticipation. Then, with deliberate slowness, he kissed the flesh between Etienne's hips, thin, soft, and sensitive, savoring the warmth of it.

Alucard's tongue rang against it, and then at last his restrain broke as his mouth widened and his teeth passed over his gums. His lips closed against Etienne's skin and venom spilled first, following the puncture wounds as blood quickly seeped forth. The first drink was small—a fleeting taste, just enough to feel the rush of blood across his tongue, warm and intoxicating. Alucard pulled back, narrowly, as he forced himself to resist the urge to take more, his lips stained with the crimson trace as a quiver ran down his frame. All the muscles in Alucard's body were tense as if he could burst at any moment.

Instead, Alucard’s lips traced higher, following the curve of Etienne’s ribs. He kissed the skin there again and pressed his mouth against the warm stretch of supply flesh, the iron that still coated the tarmac of Alucard's tongue incensed him further and made it all the more difficult not to just tear in... But Alucard managed some restraint before his fangs sank in again, once more an injection of the dhampir's euphoric venom flooded Etienne's veins. Alucard could taste himself as he spilled over the edges of the small, twin bites, but what he tasted beyond the sting of his own venom was the rich taste of the man beneath him. When he was finished he pressed his lips against the marks once more, then shifted his focus elsewhere.

Alucard's hands roamed over Etienne’s body as he moved higher still, his mouth finding the curve of Etienne’s shoulder. Here, the bite was slower, more deliberate. He tasted the pulse beneath the skin and felt the heat of the werewolf’s body thrumming against his own. Another small drink and Alucard closed his eyes, getting deeper and more lost in the sensation for a moment before pulling away.

Alucard's lips grazed the side of Etienne’s neck, the final destination in this slow, inevitable descent into desire. Alucard could feel the pulse of blood there, the steady throb of life just beneath the surface. His fangs hovered over the skin, the tension between them hanging like a knife’s edge.

With a low, guttural sound, Alucard bit down, sinking his fangs into the soft flesh of Etienne’s neck. This drink was deeper, more satisfying, the flood of blood filling his senses as his grip tightened around Etienne’s body. He could feel the werewolf’s heartbeat pounding against his mouth, a rhythm that echoed his insatiable blood lust. He could drink forever, and drain every drop from Etienne in a single, feral moment, but Alucard held back and focused less on devouring and more on what he could give the man beneath him.

As the blood flowed, Alucard pulled back, his lips lingering on the bite marks, the taste of Etienne’s blood still fresh on his tongue. He had taken only what he needed, but the hunger still burned within him with a fire that was perpetually barely kept in check. This was neater, tidier, and with the flat of his tongue, Alucard moved the soft and pliant muscle against the twin wounds before he kissed them delicately.

He moved his lips against the wounds softly as if to soothe the sting, the breath from Alucard's dead lungs was cool against the warmth of Etienne's neck. A twin pair of crimson eyes pulled back, hands still splayed against the other's frame as he studied the other's features and listened once again. He'd taken less this time, far less, but he'd injected the other with more than he'd need.

"Better?" Alucard asked, hopeful.

He wasn't expecting all the fanfare and his shock renders him unsure at first but he does trust Alucard and wills himself to relax. Granted, the moment the dhampir took his shirt off, all sense of logic and rationality and just about anything went out the window. It's the most skin he's seen from him and his fingers itch to touch it. There'd be time for that, this was something for Alucard, the biting thing. It'd been an accident last time, one that had the dhampir had obviously regretted. This was take two of sorts but his fingers do skim sculpted sides as he tilts his head. Etienne has half a mind to offer some sort of praise because he kind of thinks Alucard would be receptive, but he doesn't want to break whatever concentration that's going on. Instead he channels that into arching into each touch, the soft sighs that escape him. It makes sense, get the blood pumping, and yet the sight of the dhampir kissing down his chest is more than a lot to handle.

But all restraint kind of goes out the window when Alucard's lips meet his and Etienne's hands find his shoulders. It's slow and heated on his end, fingers tracing shoulder blades. It's nothing like the quick kisses he's exchanged before, there'd been no time to savor any of those. This though, he could and did cling to it. But he's also the first to remove his mouth from the other's, tip his head to kiss the corner of Alucard's lips instead. The muscles under his hands are coiled tight and as Etienne catches his breath, he tilts his head, eyes never leaving the dhampir's.

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Alucard floated effortlessly above the ground, his body bathed in the dim glow of the workshop's flickering lanterns. His crimson eyes gleamed in the half-light, glowing like embers as they focused intently on the intricate machinery suspended before him. With a mere flick of his fingers, gears, cogs, and bolts floated into place, guided by an invisible force—his telekinesis moving each piece with precise, measured control. The metal parts whirled through the air in a symphony of creation, clicking and clattering as they assembled into mechanical form.

As he worked, his posture was serene, almost statuesque—his dark coat trailing in the air as if caught in an unseen breeze. His red eyes flickered with intensity, betraying the depth of his focus. Every movement of the levitating parts seemed to echo his will, as though the machine itself was merely an extension of his mind.

“Nurcan,” he repeated, his voice smooth but laced with the slightest hint of weariness, new recruits were a necessity, but allegedly there was nothing green about this one. He knew how much of the blight there was to see this far South, it had nearly killed him once upon a time. Naturally, Alucard already suspected that she did not like him - he was probably the very last on her list to be visited. The cloak, emblazoned with the church of night, drifted idly by his manifestation of an unseen wind. "were you here before?" There were few places a legionnaire could stem from, and they'd heard nothing from Ankhuria.

Her studies has kept her away from the forge as it was the domain of those who had chosen to Apprentice to Vulcan, but that doesn’t stop her from admiring the artistry that comes from the fires. Many of the tools she uses for her own experiments and research would not be available were not for the careful work of blacksmiths everywhere. It’s that respect, and a good amount of wisdom, that keeps her near the entrance as she waits for the leave to get closer. Getting hurt by accident for not being careful enough near a forge would make such a terrible experience. 

“My thanks and my apologies for bothering you while you work,” she says as she smiles kindly at the stranger, taking note of the red eyes with curiosity as she approaches him carefully and paying mind not to stumble onto anything or over anything. “I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself to all the Nornwatch legionnaires, so I thought it would be good to do so every time I saw someone I didn’t recognize,” she explains as she bows in greeting, not wanting to encumber him more by forcing him to put down what he is carrying for a handshake. “My name is Nurcan, I will be at your care from now on.”

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Alucard stood above Etienne, the room heavy with a silence broken only by the slow, measured breaths of the werewolf beneath him. The soft light of Etienne's bedroom wrapped around them like a velvet shroud, but Alucard’s senses pierced through the dim light - every beat of Etienne’s heart, every pulse of blood coursing through his veins, was a symphony only he could hear. It called to him, aching and throbbing as a need that could not be ignored.

The soft silk of Alucard's shirt slipped from his frame with an easy shrug and pooled at his feet beneath him as he took the opportunity to appraise Etienne's frame. Thin but toned, sharp, and wanting. There was a corner of Alucard's mind that could have stood there for the entirety of Etienne's lifetime - simply staring and listening to the small noises of this mortal body; washed with unabashed appreciation.

"Don't worry, I intended to... Just trust me."

It was a big asking, but every moment he spent in the proximity of others was a test in restraint. He'd been preparing himself for this, resisting and mindfully pushing at the limits of what his body would tolerate. When last Alucard had bitten Etienne it had been in a fit of hunger- the dhampir had no intention of coming to stand in Etienne's presence under the same condition again. This was about more than just feeding.

But Alucard hesitated, his gaze tracing the lines of Etienne’s body, the way his chest rose and fell with each breath. He bent down slowly, as though savoring the moment before the storm, and let his lips ghost over Etienne’s collarbone. A kiss, barely more than a whisper, as soft as the moonlight filtering through the window. His hunger stirred, growing stronger, but he lingered in the warmth of the werewolf’s skin, letting the need coil tighter, yet still held at bay.

He moved lower, his lips trailing across the expanse of Etienne’s neck, the pulse there thrumming beneath the surface, so close, so temptingly near. Another kiss, tender but charged with a quiet intensity, as if Alucard’s restraint was woven into every touch. The hunger clawed at him, yet he resisted, drawn instead to the sensation of Etienne’s heat beneath his mouth.

Alucard’s hands, cold against the warmth of Etienne’s skin, gripped his arms—not to possess, but to anchor himself against the rising tide of need. His lips continued their descent, painting a path down Etienne’s chest, each kiss deliberate, restrained, though the hunger surged with every beat of the werewolf’s heart. The taste of his skin was a promise, an invitation, but Alucard held back, each movement slow, aching with the desire to feed but choosing instead to savor the moment before surrender.

Alucard could feel Etienne's quickening heart beneath his fingertips, feel the blood calling him like a siren’s song. His body tensed with the effort of control, every muscle taut as he lifted himself, his lips now hovering just above Etienne’s. His hunger was fierce, a fire that raged within him, but something deeper flickered in his eyes—a desire not just for blood, but for something more intimate, more profound.

With a quiet, trembling breath, Alucard closed the distance, his lips meeting Etienne’s in a kiss that was both tender and searing, charged with the unspoken desire held so tightly in check. The kiss was hungry, but not for blood—for connection, for the fleeting moment where restraint could still exist before the storm would finally break.

He could still hear the steady rhythm of Etienne’s heart, could feel the heat of life thrumming just beneath his skin, and the hunger gnawed at him, relentless. But for now, Alucard kissed him slowly, deeply, as though he could hold on to this moment a little longer—though the hunger inside him was growing stronger, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before the last threads of his restraint unraveled.

Etienne has to pretend to take a second to think about it as he sits up just enough to undo the rest of the buttons on his shirt and slide it off completely. He was learning he was a little less self conscious than he'd been back home. The trek through the North had done some good for him and then the few months in Eterna with a decent diet and exercise. In a weird way, he's less self conscious of his body and moreso that he's sitting there shirtless in front of Alucard. It occurs to him that he's never done this, he'd never had the moment of having a boy back in his room, he'd never taken them back to the house. Everything had always felt so quick and fleeting, touches stolen between taverns or in haylofts. "Yes." Propping himself up against his pillows, he nods to further affirm the statement. And maybe hide how kind of, sort of, giddy he was about this whole development. "Did you have a plan or...?" Because he's got perhaps several, he's done a lot of thinking about the whole biting thing. Mostly on account of it's hard not to think about it. Alucard's mouth on his, then the side of his jaw and down the column of his neck. The feeling of the dhampir's biceps under his hands, his shoulders. And that'd been before all the biting. He knew what to expect this time and it's less the pain he thinks anyone has to worry about. It's the pleasure that follows it that's the dangerous part and Etienne desperately tries not to blush at the memory. Or under Alucard's gaze. One of those two things for certain. "And only on the condition you kiss me first."

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gavin leatherwood reads thirst tweets

[alucardrakul]

Gavin Leatherwood in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Straight to Hell Music Video

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"It's complicated for me."

Alucard stood above Etienne lying before him, his heightened senses amplifying every detail. The steady rise and fall of Etienne's chest drew his attention, each breath filling the air with warmth in the drifting ozone above him. Alucard could hear the rhythmic pulse of blood coursing through Etienne's veins, the intoxicating thrum calling to his hunger. Alucard's gaze traced over Etienne's neck, where the veins ran just beneath the skin, so close, yet untouchable. Alucard swallowed the dry lump that formed at the back of his throat, those same red eyes following the blue lines over Etienne's thin biceps, and the veins that swam down the other's arms.

Alucard's throat tightened as his fangs ached to be released, pressing like the dull lurch of a migraine at the corner of his vision. Every instinct screamed at him to sink his teeth into Etienne's flesh, to taste the sweet rush of blood. Alucard swallowed hard, again, resisting.

The temptation was maddening—the sound of Etienne's blood a symphony only Alucard could hear, a reminder of how easy it would be. Etienne appeared unaware, locked in this pinky, airy bubble that the two had fallen into. Alucard had already broken his own tenants once and he'd resisted doing it again ever since... beyond that, something deeper held him back. Alucard forced in a slow breath to his dead, useless lungs and his nostrils flared as he inhaled Etienne's scent; that rich, vibrant life beneath the surface. Alucard's body yearned for it, but he wouldn’t give in. Not yet.

His eyes flickered with an intensity born of both desire and restraint, shadows dancing across his face. This moment, this fragile control, was a test—a battle within himself and an exercise of his own willpower.

Alucard's pupils quivered as he canted his head lower and watched the thin waist that Etienne's movement had revealed. More skin, and more rivers lined blue. It'd have been easy to use a thought to pull at the buttons of his shirt, but Alucard brought his fingers over his chest instead - loosening them so he could shirk it and keep it from staining.

"Can I bite you?"

Doubt swirls around his head and it stays there even as Alucard's hand comes up to cup the side of his face. Should he have pried? Did Alucard want to talk about it more? Etienne can't say he's not really curious about it all, he's curious about most things when it comes to the other man. Which is exactly why at the order, it didn't sound like a suggestion, he furrows his brow but does as he's told. He lays back and he doesn't think the feeling of having a real and comfortable bed again is ever going to lose its novelty. "I'm not going anywhere." He points out, back against a comforter that is almost too comfy. "I think most people kind of leave it at 'I like you' for this kind of thing, but it feels....Deeper." It's not just butterflies in his stomach like it was when someone attractive caught his eye at a tavern. It was this kind of warmth in his chest, a feeling of safety. "I don't think it has to be complicated." He admits softly, eyes on Alucard as he stretches out a bit, hands up under a pillow no doubt filled with down as his shirt rides up just a little. "It's just you and me." Right there in that moment nothing else mattered.

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Sometimes the vampire would leave for extended periods, Alucard remembered these moments well. The house would be quiet and save for the thralls pining for Alucard's father and the servants that meandered about the castle, he was alone. It was easy for such an expansive place to feel empty when it lacked the great, gregarious presence of Vlad Drakul. He'd always return though, toting with him some new pet or something for his menagerie. "Probably just finding someone new to toy with, he gets bored easily."

Jamie can only nod at the description. It's not like he's not curious as to what the relationship between father and son was really like. It hadn't been his business at the time. It's not like he had ever intended to marry Vlad and therefore there was no step parent kind of situation. There wasn't a reason for him to get to know the dhampir then. Now though he was probably one of the few people out there that understood what it was like to be under the gaze of the old man. "Cannae say I'm nae a wee bit concerned if he's venturing oot again." It's a bit vulnerable and he doesn't mean to actually worry Alucard and yet he thinks it should be something the other is well aware of.

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No joke had been made but still, Vicoya's hearty laugh sank in him like a stone before she quickly said it wasn't meant to be at his expense. Alucard was sure that Vicoya genuinely believed that, "Right." He said, already envisioning the laughter that would bubble up between her and the others as she recounted this encounter to them. It was humiliating and completely degrading to think that making jokes at his expense was somehow laughing with him. Alucard cleared his throat and stifled his despair. Apparently, the thought of him smiling was such original material that it was worth laughing at.

Still, Alucard put on a brave face... Which was just the same face he always wore.

The hug got more intense and then it ended and Alucard was relieved, though his face crinkled in some dislike as she touched him further. This time with her lips of all things. He drifted a foot or two back, reflexively - that was quite enough physical contact for him for this month. "I can see that." It wasn't especially convincing but it would have to do because he'd already ruined the surprise. There was a part of him that wanted to drift off and face the corner before Riandur laid into him for spoiling Vicoya's birthday - this was a disaster. He'd send everyone home now but... Vicoya was having fun. So was he. "Lorien'Dal," the elvhen had a proclivity toward flashy things, even those that ended in brief and fleeting moments. He supposed that after so many years some of them had found ways to entertain themselves with the temporary attraction of a sparkly boom. "What did you get for your birthday?"

Vicoya laughed heartily at Alucard's next joke. Surely that was a joke, wasn't it? She watched as the seriousness settled back into his expression, and worried for a moment that she had offended him. "I am laughing with you, not at you. I promise!" Perhaps he wouldn't believe such a line coming from anyone else, but Coya was never one to offend, and if she did, she would apologize profusely until she was forgiven. Even Alucard had a hard time holding a grudge with her once she widened her big blue eyes.

As she wrapped him in her arms, it felt as though she was hugging a statue. Not that she'd ever hugged a real one, so she couldn't quite compare, but she imagined this is what it would feel like. His undead body was cold, and she decided she had to squeeze him extra hard to pour some warmth into him. She pulled away, but not before giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek. He was immortal, so he had no choice but to get used to her affection eventually. "Oh, I'm a great actress!" she tried her best to sound serious, and to feign a look of surprise, but she really just looked to be in pain. She couldn't lie for the life of her - everyone knew that. She paused suddenly, as a thought popped into her mind, "Where on earth did you buy fireworks?"

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"The Keep is for legionnaires, not outsiders." The order valued its secrecy and things were occurring within that was far too important to risk straying from order now. Nornwatch was an exception, the Iskarans had nowhere else to go, but that same fortress had fallen and legionnaires were dead because someone had betrayed them from within. "I'll find you in the Silverlands, we can go from there." Alucard would endeavor in the meantime to find a cave or a basement with walls sturdy enough to support the chains he'd install.

Etienne didn't ask any follow-up questions or do any probing at all; Alucard had made himself far more vulnerable than he was comfortable with and Etienne changed the subject to talk about what this wasn't. Alucard didn't know- he didn't know what he was doing because the last person he'd gotten close to had died.

"My point-" what was his point? Alucard had already sort of made it by saying he didn't know what he was doing. How to do it or if he even really wanted to do it. Alucard was a legionnaire and his commitments were larger than whatever this was. He was also a dhampir and would still physically look the same in a few decades when he was standing over Etienne's grave. "I don't-" I don't know if I can go through that again. I won't survive this time.

Alucard cleared his throat, his hand on Etienne's cheek, and then he gestured with his chin. As strong as Alucard was he was not strong enough to pull away. "Lay back."

Sitting up at the edge of the bed, Etienne doesn't waste any time reaching forward for the dhampir's hand and offering it a light squeeze. It's a conflicting bit of information and he doesn't know whether to offer sympathy or start wondering what they are doing. It actually kind of takes everything him not to stand up and kiss the dhampir, but he refrains, instead bringing his hand up to press his lips to Alucard's knuckles. He lingers there, teeth chewing at the inside of his cheek. It's a thank you, it's an acknowledgement without having to bring about that dreaded 'sorry for your loss' message. "I could go to the Keep." Etienne had thought about it but hadn't wanted to do anything to get Alucard in trouble with his fellow Legionnaire. "We'll think of something." Together. Which brought him to the next topic that had his stomach and heart doing all sorts of things again. "I've um, I've never been. In love, I mean." It feels a little embarrassing to point out, but he'd never really dated or anything of the sort, not really. "There were a few traveler's that I was fond of, but nothing has ever really worked out." Or had been strictly physical and that had been alright by him, he had his father to help out, his mother, the woods. It's not like he'd been unhappy, he'd always found companions. Brow furrowing and hand still clutching the dhampir's, he tries to put what he's thinking into words accurately. "I never felt....Connected to any of them. Seeing you for the first time, I knew there was something." Intrigue, attraction, maybe a bit of fear even in a way that wasn't....Particularly unpleasant. Alucard was one of the most beautiful people he'd ever seen and he was still mostly a mystery and yet he felt at home with him.

[alucardrakul]

In the dimly lit confines of Alucard's laboratory below Caer Glas Keep, Alucard worked under an eerie, methodical rhythm. His walls were lined with shelves holding jars of strange concoctions, ancient tomes, and surgical instruments that gleamed in the flickering candlelight. The stuffy subterranean air was thick with the scent of herbs, antiseptics, and the unfortunate scent of blood.

Blood, Alucard's one true vice. What sang sweeter than any nightingale- that rich scent sang in the air around him as Alucard tried to remain singularly focused on the task at hand.

With a practiced and steady hand, Alucard cut and lifted at Neven's skin to expose the raw musculature of the man's side. Alucard's throat felt very dry, every muscle in his body screamed to tear the man apart and indulge every bestial urge that Alucard's fangs desire. But just as he always did, Alucard resisted because this was the edge where the dhampir lived his unlife, and he'd learned long ago the importance of feeding prior to operating on anyone.

Intentionally detached, Alucard spoke, "I'm always nice," the flap that was exposed was lifted and laid to the side as the sharp point of an obsidian-tipped blade moved toward the pulsing musculature. "this will hurt, take a breath."

Where: Caer Glas Keep || the LaBorATorYyyy (oOOoOOo) &&: @alucardrakul

The cold, buzzing steel rummaged in him like a sticky hand through a bag of sweets. Neven held his eyes shut and tended the pain as he would any wild, injured animal. Gently, with due patience and exuded calm. With each slip of the instruments, every less-than-mindful tear of the fibers holding him together, the pain jostled in the incubus’ grip.

The pain kicked furiously at a sudden jab, originating high in his right oblique. The raw muscle there felt the open air. The alchemist's stomach tensed, reflexively, under the sharp ministrations. “Ow.” He hissed at the Legionnaire, a rare break in his relaxed demeanor. “Be nice, or I’ll find myself a better surgeon.” Neven jokingly threatened. They held equal stake in the work they did here, and there were always new discoveries to be made. What good was immortality if you didn’t lend an unbreakable body to good use?

[alucardrakul]

Why did nobody listen to him? This was why Alucard knew that Haelim didn't like him, after this he'd probably go running to Vicoya or maybe his new friend Nurcan to tell him all about how stupid he thought Alucard was. It was painful just to think about but this was Alucard's lot here- he had a duty to fulfill despite the constant abuse and neglect that he received from his fellow legionnaires. They should be comrades, but here they were, perpetually at odds with one another.

"I made my proposal, come back when you're ready to begin." Such was the nature of experimentation, it'd be impossible to tell where Alucard could take this until Haelim was a willing subject on the table.

END

While Haelim was always interested in the alchemical process, it had been a curiousity and never a calling. To realize he'd misjudged the process and it seemed like Alucard had no need for any sort of assistance, Haelim focused on the relief that that was. He'd offered help for the sake of his old friend, all alone in that laboratory while more and more Legionnaires entered their halls and needed things. If he refused the help, he must be just fine. Haelim did not hover and took Alucard at his word.

The declaration that he hadn't much time left to live evidently did not strike him hard, for it was something he had long since accepted. Haelim had only his devotion to his duty, no lover or family apart from the Legionnaires to need him around. He'd already lived far longer than he had ever expected, and did not see himself making it to the maximum age Witchers have lived to - 50. He figured that he would give his blade and battle prowess to the cause of fighting the Blight as long as he could. But Haelim hadn't considered experimentation as being a part of his lifetime contribution.

Haelim looked briefly surprised, then pensive. He was certainly uniquely sturdy, and had a very high pain tolerance by now. "Hmm," Haelim huffed. "If you come back to me with a serious proposal and ideas, I would not at all be opposed." He nodded to himself, decided.