Resistance
Abraham had intended to place the vampire in its coffin directly after speaking with the other members of the party, but found there was one definite setback. He was drunk. Not falling-down drunk, but tipsy, certainly not able to carry a vampire safely to its coffin.
No matter, there were others able to carry it. They had returned to the room to find the vampire sleeping quietly on the bed. Sleeping, or simply inert due to starvation, it was difficult to tell, really. Arthur scooped the monster up, and Abraham was able to observe that, yes, the bedding was a complete dusty and cobweb-coated mess. However, observations on the state of his bed had to wait, for the vampire roused at that point and became aware that he was being carried. Only a few steps from the bed, and it had begun to keen and to struggle weakly.
Abraham stepped forward, concerned for his new...charge? The vampire's eyes were only half-open and it had ceased to struggle, but as Arthur stood there, holding the limp vampire in his arms, the sound only increased. It was still very quiet, but also at the limit of the vampire's ability.
Was it injured? How? It was too weak to determine whether it was furious, injured, or frightened, there was no real expression, just the constant shrill scream.
"Put him back down, quickly. Something has gone wrong." An understatement, certainly, but Arthur was quick to comply and had already been moving towards the bed. Once released, the vampire's keening stopped, fading into faint sobbing gasps. Mina, still touched by the recent revelation of what the monster's intentions had been and feeling the slightest guilt for her misguided assumptions and fears, moved to kneel beside the creature.
"Vlad." Her soft voice was pitched to soothe, and she gently brushed its hair as Johnathan looked on, glowering. "Shhh...Vlad...we need to put you in your coffin. That's all." The vampire settled further, finally quieting entirely. Mina looked up at them, blue eyes serious. "Abraham can't carry him, and I suspect he's going to fuss if anyone else tries to lift him. I don't think he's injured, not if he was wandering about our rooms yesterday."
"Can you lift him, Mina?" was the next question, posed by a concerned Abraham.
"He's very light, no more than a child," interjected John, with Arthur nodding in agreement.
"See if he'll allow it." That was Abraham, disappointed in himself in not being able to move the creature himself. However, they were not about to give it any more blood until it was safely contained in the sealed-off room, and someone had to be able to carry the beast. If needed, they'd simply ignore its fussing until it was safely ensconced back in the casket, but he'd really prefer not to stress it further than needed.
Mina nodded, scooping up the creature, a look of surprise on her features at how very little it weighed, even though the men had warned her of how slight the beast was. The red eyes barely twitched open, but no fussing ensued. Moving quickly, Mina carried the Count from the room, and the others followed behind as she traveled rapidly through the hallways.
There was a pause at the doorway, as Mina had to literally push through the barrier with the vampire. She reported that it was like wading through water, but quite doable, although surprising. The vampire responded ever so slightly, mouth opening in a faint hiss, but no more. She kicked the chains away then gently lowered the motionless vampire into the coffin.
Johnathan was the only one that had not donated, willingly or not, to the vampire in the last few days, and Seward would clearly not be donating for another week or more. Abraham worried about that a bit; would the vampire be able to eat the blood of horses? For now, Johnathan was shamed into donating by his wife, and Abraham drew off almost an entire pint. The vampire quickly revived under his eyes as the blood was consumed, then Abraham prepared the room for it.
The chains were removed from around the coffin, placed outside the door for access by the guards. The candelabra and all other non-religious items, excepting the coffin itself, were removed. During those proceedings, the vampire watched, first with dull eyes, then with sharper ones, face slowly lighting with curiousity. When done, the still tipsy Abraham turned to face him. Tipsy he might be, but coherent, and firm in his demands.
"You are being given access to this room. Do not approach the door and do not attempt to control any of us. Doing so will result in punishment, most likely confining you to your coffin instead of allowing you freedom of movement." He scowled briefly at the vampire. "Any additional privileges will depend entirely on your behavior and cooperation. There is also one additional requirement. Should anyone other than myself be guarding you, you are to be blindfolded."
The vampire's eyes widened, and he looked confused, opening his mouth to speak. "No argument. Had you not decided to misuse your powers on John and Arthur, you would not be so restrained. You will not be arguing your way out of this." He considered explaining more, but realized that he was rambling a bit, probably due to the alcohol. Instead, he moved out of the room, seating himself outside the door, and pulled his journal out of his jacket.
The others slowly left, looking back to see Abraham carefully detailing the events, the vampire sitting on the edge of the coffin, watching.