"You risked much in coming to find me," says Van Helsing. You have by now moved to his camp, and Vladimir is sleeping peacefully in the tent.
"I would not have made it if it were not for Vladimir," you say, looking in the direction of the tent. You and Van Helsing sit at the fire, warming yourselves and looking up at a starry sky. Van Helsing seems very composed for receiving such terrible news.
"So Count Dracula doesn't want to die," he comments, looking thoughtfully at the sky. He glances over at the other tent. "As soon as Carl is up, I'll put him to work. He may be able to find some glitch in our plan." He tips his hat over his eyes and sits back. "So, Miss DeLune. Tell me a bit about yourself." He looks very mysterious.
"What is there to tell?" You ask, sitting back in the warmth of the fire, "I'm royalty. I am the leader of the city…but Vladimir tells me Dracula will likely take over the city. I'm really…no one in particular…"
"No one in particular," repeats Van Helsing, "If you were no one, I don't think Dracula would be chasing you down."
"Dracula came to see me a couple nights ago…" You say in response.
"Oh?" Van Helsing, removes his hat and looks at you suspiciously. You look down at the fire.
"Yes… he said I was to find your whereabouts and then inform him, but not inform you because he wanted to take you out…otherwise, he would kill me…"
"Proceed."
"Well, I went to Father Delavego and he directed me to Vladimir. We set out as soon as we could get everything ready. The first night, we were attacked but the snowstorm was able to hold him off… and then, out there on the plain, we were again attacked. I am sure you saw him there," You say, looking at him finally.
"Yes. I did see a sort of winged creature. That is why I rode out there," says Van Helsing, "How did you scare him off?"
"With this," You say, removing the device.
"Ah. He probably remembered that," says Van Helsing, "But it shouldn't have much of an effect on him. It might blind him for a few nights, but that is all." You sit looking intently at the fire with your knees up to your chin. "Would you like some whiskey?" Asks Van Helsing, taking a swig and offering you the flask. You drink a bit and feel its effects warming you up.
"I never thought I would be in a situation like this," you say, averting your gaze to the sky.
"No one ever thinks they would be in situations like this. It's uncalled for," says Van Helsing, taking another swig of the whiskey. He sighs, looking at you. You look back at him and see a misplaced grief dancing in his eyes. You stare at him tiredly. "No one ever wants to be where they are," He says softly, looking down.
"There is so much to lose in life," you say awkwardly. Van Helsing shoots you a pained look.
"That is why one does not gain," he answers bluntly. You stare at him in shock.
"But, why would one not wish to gain? There is so much to gain," you counter.
"But then you lose it all," snaps Van Helsing. He is very testy at the moment. He takes another long swig of the whiskey and wipes his mouth. You stare at him speechless.
"Well, I wish I could help you, Van Helsing. But you seem to have made your mind up about life," you say finally, "So let's talk about the work that needs to be done instead." He looks at you steadily, as if he wants to say something else but then he shakes his head, looking back down.
"There is nothing we can do right now," he says, "We must wait for Carl."
"Then what is your problem with waking Carl?" You ask, glaring at him. You get up and go to Carl's tent. Van Helsing doesn't stop you. He just watches.
You go into the tent and see the Friar sleeping rather soundly. You tiptoe up to his cot and poke him roughly in the shoulder. He lets out a deep snore and rolls over. So, you flip the cot over. Immediately he wakes with a screech and yells "Vampires" before he grabs you roughly and throws you out of the tent. You yelp as you land in a pile of snow. Van Helsing cracks up. Carl leaps out of the tent in his bedclothes with a scroll in his hand and you crawl away breathless, ending next to Van Helsing.
"Gabriel, who is this girl?" Asks the friar suspiciously. Van Helsing laughs again.
"Carl, this is Mira DeLune," says Van Helsing.
"Mira DeLune? Oh, you are that … that woman we placed in charge of the city back east," says Carl. You nod, keeping your distance. That had given you quite a scare. "So, what are you doing here then?" He asks.
"The matters are grave, Carl," says Van Helsing, "Count Dracula has been resurrected." Carl's face turns very dark at this.
"But…how…when…"
"There is no proper explanation. We must find out what we missed in the puzzle. Clearly we did not do all of our research. We left out key details," states Van Helsing. Carl nods, gulping.
"Well, now I shan't be able to sleep at all!" Says Carl. He storms back into his tent.
"What's he doing?" You ask.
"Probably starting his research," Van Helsing answers, "Now, come and sit with me. I want to talk to you." You sit next to him and look at him attentively. He drinks more whiskey and offers you the flask once more. You have a swig and hand it back to him, a little drowsily. "The last time we did this, people were considerably hurt. Have you any family members that you would consider in grave danger?"
"I have no family," you say morosely, looking away.
"Oh… I'm sorry…" says Van Helsing, "If it makes you feel any better, I never knew my family." You don't answer.
"The priest is the only I fear might be in danger. He is the only man I trust and respect," you say, "Besides maybe Vladimir."
"Okay. Well…" Van Helsing pauses, looking once more at the sky. "The plans are not yet final. But I assume that we cannot keep our base here. We may need to move somewhere safer. Possibly Rome."
"That would put us a bit far from the place we need to be," you respond. Van Helsing shrugs.
"Good planning needs to be in a danger free zone," he says, "But we will check with Carl in the morning. So, I think that's it for now. You should probably get some sleep."
"I cannot sleep," you say, looking away.
"Well then," says Van Helsing with a sigh, "I suppose we shall just have to drink ourselves to sleep then." He takes out another flask of whiskey and hands it to you. The idea seems both bad and good to you at the same time: Drink it all away. After a few swigs, you already feel lightheaded. You look at Van Helsing in a daze and grin stupidly. He stares back you through what you consider very attractive eyes. But you say nothing. You are not 'that' out of it.
After a couple more swigs, you fall back and he leans over you, looking into your face. "Getting tired?" He asks. You shake your head and yawn. He purses his lips and continues staring at you.
"What?" You ask, staring back at him.
"I don't know. I find you very attractive," says Van Helsing bluntly, "And I think I want to kiss you." You blink. Either you must be really drunk, dreaming, or he must be really drunk. His eyes do look kind of misty. You just smile at him.
"I don't think you want to," you say. He smiles, leaning closer. "You don't even know me," you say philosophically, "How can you—" He kisses you softly and then grips your shoulders, pulling you into a smoldering kiss. Then he releases you. You are completely breathless and you stare back at him, shocked. He smiles.
"Not bad," he says. You take another swig of whiskey, and then you pass out.