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yharnamuniversity-blog · 9 years ago

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Yharnam University Part 3

Alfred finds Henryk the next day at dinner and drags him to the cafe where Frederick works. Henryk sighs, but relents.

“About what you said,” Alfred says.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Henryk says, not looking up from his salad.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Alfred goes on. “You said Gascoigne’s been kind of leading you on, right? What if he does mean it?”

“Or what if he’s just an asshole?” Henryk asks. “Who knows? I don’t want to think about it.”

“Do you think he’d really toy with you like that?” Alfred asks.

“Have you met him?” Frederick chimes in. “Guy’s a little whacked. He nearly cut my arm off in weapons training one time.”

Henryk almost laughs. “Yeah, he’ll do that.”

“You’re just trying to justify your own hopeless crush,” Frederick tells Alfred. “Like the man said, it’s pointless.”

Alfred sighs into his coffee. “Is it so bad to dream?”

“Yes,” Henryk says. “It is.”

Frederick slaps Henryk on the back. “I love this guy.”

Henryk stiffens. “Don’t do that.”

“Alfred, my shift’s up and we have practice, come on.” Frederick removes his apron and hops over the counter.

“Frederick, come on man!” his manager yells as Frederick grabs Alfred’s shoulder and drags him out of his chair.

They wave goodbye to Henryk.

“Meet us after,” Alfred calls.

The three of them begin spending more time together. They swap stories in Alfred’s room.

“So, did Logarius grab your ass in class today?” Frederick asks.

Alfred sighs and starts making himself a drink.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Frederick says. “What about you, strong and silent?”

Henryk shrugs. “I’ve been trying to avoid him, honestly.”

“How’s that going?” Alfred asks.

“Not well,” Henryk says. “He knows my routine by now.”

“So change your routine.”

Henryk pauses a moment. “I’ll consider it.”

“I think you should see where it goes,” Alfred says.

“Still clinging to hope over there,” Henryk says. “He’s not even my type. Waste of time, really.”

“Don’t give up,” Alfred says, gripping his arm. “Please? For me?”

Henryk leans away. “I’m not going to pursue a professor for your delusions.”

“At least have a drink with me then,” Alfred says, handing him a glass.

Henryk shakes his head. “Someone has to be able to make good decisions.”

It takes a half an hour before Alfred asks. “Truth or dare.”

“No,” Frederick and Henryk both say.

Djura and Frederick lead their class on an expedition into the forest to spy on beasts. They find a decrepit old house to camp out in and wait. Most of the students either grip their weapons to their chests, or lounge, bored by the whole excursion.

“Look,” Djura grabs Frederick’s arm. “That one is still wielding a weapon.”

Frederick does not look at the beast, but at Djura’s expression of awe, feeling the pressure of Djura’s hand on his arm.

“It’s fascinating, but so tragic.”

“Do you think there will ever be a way to reverse the transformation?” Frederick asks.

Djura turns to him and smiles. “Perhaps you can pioneer that science.”

“I’m not that smart,” Frederick says.

Djura squeezes his arm. “Don’t sell yourself short. I’m sure you can do something great, Frederick. You have an incredible mind.”

Frederick feels heat building up in him.

“Thank you, sir,” he says quietly.

Djura smiles. “Of course.”

They hold eye contact for a moment too long. Frederick is about to look away.

“Frederick,” Djura says quickly. “Perhaps when we return, you’d like to see something I’ve made?”

“Another crazy exploding gun?”

“No,” Djura says. “Something much more interesting.”

Alfred hovers in the doorway after class. He racks his brain for a question to ask as Logarius packs his things.

“This is… your last class of the day?” Alfred asks.

Logarius looks up at him. “Yes.”

“Do you still train?” Alfred asks.

Logarius nods. “Every day. Even though the hunt is off, it’s important to maintain your skill.”

Alfred chews on his lip. What else can he ask? He’s got nothing.

“I suppose I’ll see you later,” he says.

“Alfred?” Logarius’s voice comes quick.

“Yes?” Alfred leans forward, heart starting to race.

“Perhaps you’d like to… I could use some help tonight. It’s for another class though. I’d have to catch you up. Unless you have something to do.”

“No,” Alfred answers quickly. “Of course I’ll help.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Henryk exits the library and stops himself. This is when he always goes to train. And for the last week, Gascoigne has been there every night. If he just changes up his routine, he can avoid him, problem solved. Then he won’t have to deal with Gascoigne’s taunts or his laughter, that damn voice that goes right under his skin.

Henryk takes two steps towards the parking lot.

He stops and turns and curses himself, heading for the training room.

That damn voice.

Henryk sets himself up at his usual station. He starts throwing, until he hears the door open. The unmistakable sound of Gascoigne’s footsteps fill the room.

Gascoigne takes up the station next to Henryk.

“At the same time?” he asks.

Henryk nods, handing Gascoigne a knife. They wind up, and then throw. Henryk’s hits the bullseye. Gascoigne’s hits Henryk’s target.

“Stealing my targets now?”

Gascoigne smiles. “It’s more interesting.”

Henryk goes to grab the knives from the board. He knicks a finger and a line of blood runs across his skin. He puts his mouth on the cut. When he turns back, Gascoigne’s eyes have gone a little wide, skin pale.

“What’s that smell?”

“You can smell that from there?” Henryk asks.

Gascoigne turns away. “I should go.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll see you in class,” Gascoigne says quickly.

Djura opens the door to his house for Frederick. Frederick goes to take his coat off, but Djura shakes his head. “We’re just going outside again.” He heads for the staircase. “Up here.”

Frederick follows after him, ignoring the flighty feeling in his chest.

They head up two sets of stairs until Djura opens another door onto the roof of his house, where a massive telescope sits against the edge.

“Whoa,” Frederick says.

Djura waves him over. Frederick leans in towards the viewfinder. He sees smoke.

“Is that Old Yharnam?” he asks.

“Yes,” Djura says. “It’s an interesting microcosm of beasts. I’ve been monitoring it since the hunters left.”

“Sounds like heaven for you,” Frederick says. “Wouldn’t it be nice if there was some kind of sanctuary? We could keep the beasts safe while we try to figure out if there’s a way to reverse the process.”

He watches a few hunched creatures emerge from the smoke. “I’ve never seen these ones before.”

“Aren’t they interesting?”

Frederick turns to Djura. The man is smiling at him.

“Very.”

“Do you mind…” Djura starts, leaning forward. Frederick fights to keep his cool. “If I take a look?”

Frederick shakes his head, stepping aside. Djura looks into the viewfinder. He tilts the scope just a touch, and then tugs on Frederick’s sleeve. “Look now.”

Frederick expects him to move out of the way, but he merely makes a little more room for Frederick. He takes a look. Djura’s face is so close.

“They have an alert system,” Djura says, explaining how there are sentries throughout the city. “They work together.”

Frederick glances at him. “Like hunters.”

Djura nods. “Exactly.”

Frederick wants to do something, but Henryk’s words echo in his brain.

“Thank you for showing me this,” he says.

“Anytime you’d like to use it, just let me know,” Djura says.

They step away from each other.

“I’ll, uh– see you later.”

“Of course,” Djura says. “Goodnight, Frederick.”

Frederick leaves, slowly at first, until he is out of sight, and then he sprints for his motorcycle. He gets on and speed away, trying to calm himself.

He’s great.

Shit.

#bloodborne #college au #henryk #alfred #djura's ally #gascoigne #djura #logarius

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yharnamuniversity-blog · 9 years ago

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YFIP: Old Men of Yharnam

Father Gascoigne:

too fucking tall

married

won’t return my calls

Keep reading

#bloodborne #old men #all of this #henryk #perfect boy #gascoigne #please whisper bloody nothings to me

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yharnamuniversity-blog · 9 years ago

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Yharnam University Part 2

Tuesday morning, Frederick rolls out of bed and slumps his way to Djura’s class.

The professor smiles wide at Frederick.

“Good to see you again. Any sightings over the summer?”

“I saw a red-eyed wolf,” he says.

Djura’s eyes light up. “Tell me you took a photo.”

Frederick gets his phone out of his back pocket and shows Djura the photo, the wolf’s red eyes glowing in the dark.

“You were awfully close,” Djura says. “You have to be careful. You know those ones are poisonous.”

“Don’t worry, Djura, I was fine,” Frederick says. “But thanks for the concern.”

Djura puts a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t want to lose my star pupil.”

Frederick laughs it off. But throughout the rest of class, he stares at Djura. He wonders. Star pupil? More like only pupil. Right?

Djura smiles a lot this class. He nods at Frederick a few times.

Frederick tries to put it out of his mind.

Henryk aims and throws. The knife hits home in the target board.

“Good shot,” a deep voice says behind him.

He turns to see Gascoigne applauding.

“Did you come to practice?” Henryk asks.

Gascoigne shakes his head. “I came to watch you practice. Make sure you haven’t completely forgotten how to fight, what with all that studying.”

Henryk scoffs. “How thoughtful. I promise I’m doing just fine.”

“Even without my masterful instruction?” he grins.

Henryk gives a very short laugh. “I managed.”

“Have you settled on your thesis topic?”

Henryk looks at the knife in the target board. “I want to write about blood intoxication in hunters.”

“Hm,” Gascoigne says. “Could upset some people. But I’m sure you can pull it off. Let me know how it’s going.”

“Thank you,” Henryk says.

“You’re off campus this year?” Gascoigne asks.

Henryk ignores the irrelevance of the question. “Yes, in Central.”

Gascoigne nods. “It can get loud down there. Let me know if you need a quiet place to work.”

He strides off. Henryk stares after him and sighs.

He thought he was over this.

Alfred and Frederick win their first water polo game.

There is, naturally, a party afterwards.

An hour in and Alfred is stumbling drunk. He wanders out of the house, phone in hand, and stares down at the screen. His fingers bring up a number. Frederick steps out to smoke and sees Alfred in the midst of his crisis.

“You look like you’re about to do something stupid,” he says, walking over. “Ex?”

Alfred quickly scrolls away from the name and blinks. “No. No. I don’t have exes.”

“Really?” Frederick lights his joint. “I guess I get that. Good church boy, yeah?”

Alfred sighs. “I don’t feel like one now.”

“Someone’s got your eye?”

Alfred blinks slowly. “I should call Henryk.”

“You got a crush on this Henryk guy?” Frederick breathes in deep.

“No,” Alfred narrows his eyes, glaring through the smoke. “Henryk is just this guy who told me to call him if I needed to get talked down. I shouldn’t tell you who I’m thinking about.”

“Come on, tell me,” Frederick says with a smile.

“Okay, okay, it’s Master Logarius.” Alfred slaps his hands over his mouth. “I can’t believe I just told you that. I can’t believe I called him Master. Only the Executioners can call him that.”

Frederick laughs. “Wow, you’re extremely drunk. This is awesome. Were you seriously thinking about calling Professor Logarius?”

“I’m still thinking about it,” Alfred breathes, eyes on his phone.

“Yeah, no.” Frederick grabs the phone out of Alfred’s hands and scrolls through his contacts until he finds Henryk’s name. “We’re going to let this guy talk you down before you make a fool of yourself.”

Alfred heaves a sigh. “You’re right, you’re right.”

Frederick texts Henryk, Name’s Frederick, I’ve got Alfred here. We have an emergency, code Logarius.

Henryk replies immediately. I’ll come over, prevent any bad choices.

Frederick walks Alfred back to his room, enduring Alfred counting off on his fingers all the reasons that Logarius is great.

“He’s tall. He’s knowledgeable. He’s got great hair. He’s tall. He’s a master of arcane. He’s handsome.”

“Yes, he’s a dreamboat,” Frederick says. His eyes have grown glassy.

By the time Henryk gets to Alfred’s room, Frederick and Alfred are lying on the floor, Frederick staring into nothing, clearly high out of his skull, and Alfred rambling and clutching his phone.

“Oh lord,” Henryk says. He grabs the phone out of Alfred’s hand and throws it in his desk drawer, out of reach. “You two are a mess.”

“He keeps telling me how well suited I am to this,” Alfred says, looking up at Henryk. “He compliments me all the time. And he’s so tall.”

Henryk sits on the floor beside them. “I know how it goes, Alfred.”

“How?” Alfred asks. “Do you want to be with Logarius too?”

“No.” Henryk deadpans.

“Then how do you know?” Alfred whines. “How do you know this pain?”

Henryk sighs. “I’ve been in this back and forth with Gascoigne for a little while now. I keep thinking I’m out of my depth and then he gives me just enough of a nod that it makes me think maybe he’s going to respond. And then nothing happens. It’s very frustrating.”

Alfred shoots upright. “Exactly! Logarius, the other day, he asked if I would help him grade tests in his office. He kept handing me things and sometimes our hands touched and I know that’s normal but, like, what if it wasn’t?”

“You’re a bit nuts, aren’t you?” Henryk asks.

Alfred sighs. He nudges Frederick. “What about you? Do you also have a crush on a professor?”

Frederick takes a long breath in and slowly lets it out. “Do you know who’s kind of hot? In a weird way?”

“Who?” Henryk asks.

“Djura.”

Alfred and Henryk both look at each other. Alfred smirks. “Now Djura is the crazy one.”

“You’re still crazy,” Henryk assures him. “But so is Djura.”

“All the professors are insane,” Frederick says. “This whole college is fucked. I mean, who do we think we are? Killing beasts. It’s not our right. They’re living creatures.”

“Yeah you’re definitely Djura’s boy,” Henryk says. “Can I trust you idiots not to do anything stupid?”

“Probably not,” Frederick says.

Henryk stands. “Well, just know that if you tell anyone what I told you, I’ll have to kill you.”

“Got it, boss,” Frederick says.

“Just remember how pointless it all is and don’t do anything.”

“You’re a real charmer, Henryk,” Frederick says.

#bloodborne #college au #Alfred #henryk #djura's ally #logarius #djura #gascoigne #yharnam university

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yharnamuniversity-blog · 9 years ago

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Yharnam University Part 1

Alfred gets to the cafe an hour early, just in case.

He reads. He waits. Logarius gets there right on time. Alfred stands when he sees him, and Logarius shakes his hand. Alfred is hyper aware of their skin touching.

“Ah, Alfred, how was your summer?”

The conversation goes smoothly. Of course Alfred did all the reading, all the work– bought all new notebooks and kept up to date with all the most recent journals on arcane theory. He is completely prepared to be a teacher’s assistant this year.

“I think this will be good for you,” Logarius says at the end. “And for me. The other staff have been bothering me about sharing the workload for a while now.”

“I’m honored to be the one you chose,” Alfred says.

“I’ll give you my cell number, in case you need to reach me.”

Alfred’s stomach flips. “Of course.”

They exchange numbers.

Logarius stands, Alfred stands. They shake hands again.

“I’ll see you for class on Monday, then,” Logarius says.

Alfred nods. “Looking forward to it.”

As Logarius leaves, Alfred sinks back into his chair and smiles at the window, dreamy.

“Got a minute?”

Alfred refocuses and there is a guy sliding in the chair Logarius had just occupied.

“I was actually getting ready to leave,” Alfred starts, but the guy shakes his head.

“I saw that conversation. That look in your face. You’re in too deep,” he’s saying.

Alfred looks around the room, wide-eyed. “What are you talking about?”

“Logarius is a professor, you’re a student, he’s not into you,” the guy says. “It’s best to let go now while the year is young.”

“Who are you?” Alfred asks.

“Just a good samaritan,” he says. “Henryk, by the way. I’m a grad student.”

“Listen Henryk,” Alfred points at him, offended, concerned, doubtful. “Was it that obvious?”

“Yes,” Henryk says. “Very.”

Alfred puts his hands in his lap. “Then why did he ask me to be his TA?”

“Because Logarius is thick when it comes to people,” Henryk says. “Most of the professors are. You hunt for long enough, and you start knowing beasts better than humans. Just let him teach and don’t push it.”

“Right, right, of course you’re right,” Alfred says, rubbing his face. “I’m an idiot. He would never.”

Henryk’s phone goes off and he checks it and rolls his eyes. “I have to go. Here, I’ll give you my number, if you need someone to talk you down.”

Henryk opens Alfred’s notebook and scribbles his phone number down.

Alfred raises his hand. “But-”

“No.”

Henryk leaves in a rush. Alfred looks down at the number.

“That was brand new…”

Alfred sulks his way to practice.

Halfway into the scrimmage, his teammate pulls him aside. They step out of the lake and Frederick shoves Alfred.

“Wake up, man. You’ve been half asleep out there. And coming from me, that’s bad.”

“I’m sorry,” Alfred says. “I’ve kind of got a lot on my mind.”

“Do you need to leave?” Frederick asks.

“I’ll focus, I promise.”

They make it through to the end. In the locker rooms, the other guys tease Frederick, who takes it in stride.

“I heard Djura asked you to TA for him, is he going to add you to his beast collection?”

“Hey, man,” Frederick raises his hand. “I got off easy for credits.”

The others relent to this. Alfred sees something in Frederick’s eyes though. An excitement. He must be passionate about beast studies and doesn’t want the others to know. It is the least respected department and Djura is possibly the strangest teacher.

Nothing like Logarius, Alfred thinks.

Alfred is buzzing with nerves, as he always is before he sees Logarius. He gets to class early and puts a syllabus down in front of every chair. Logarius strides in. Alfred reminds himself of Henryk’s words. Don’t get too attached.

But it’s hard not to, especially when Logarius asks him to stay late.

“How do you think this group will do?” he asks Alfred.

They discuss the class. Alfred desperately thinks up more questions to ask until Logarius tells him he has to go.

“Until next time,” he says, pushing the door open.

Alfred deflates.

#bloodborne #college au #SORRY OH GOD #Alfred #logarius #the professor logarius #sweet boy alfred #yharnam university #henryk #djura's ally #djura's ally now has a name it's frederick fight me

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