It was already two days after the morning Crina gave Lord Tepes a rude wake up call. She wasn't able to go due to her Grandfather wanting a little fresh air one day and her mother needing help tending to the garden the following day. And so, two days later, Crina returned to the Belmont Ruins to get started on harvesting the flowers.

These flowers, circling and climbing up the ruins with their long slender vines and blooms whose petals almost equal that of the night sky during a new moon, had the appearance similar to that of the Morning Glory flower. But, despite the similarities and possible connection with said flower, it was clear that this was a species all its own. During the day, these flowers looked completely normal and innocent, but it was at night when the blooms were at their peak. These flowers were connected to vampires in some way, but what that connection was has been a mystery to her for years, until recently.

For now, Crina was out at the Belmont estate in the middle of the day, hoping to collect some of the seeds from the flowers to try and grow in her own family garden. Collecting the seeds wasn't a problem for her, but it was the matter of growing the plants domestically that was the issue. For some reason, the flowers can only bloom at the Belmont Ruins, despite trying multiple ways to grow them outside the area. Crina tried everything from taking soil from the land to using holy water on the plants, but nothing worked outside the hold. But Crina didn't stop trying. Despite trying and failing for two years now, she wasn't one to give up so easily and she knew that there had to be a way to get the flowers to grow. There just had to be an answer to it all.

However, the sound of her growling stomach distracted her from her thoughts as she realized that it was already time for lunch.

"It's about that time, eh?" Crina said to herself as she put away the seeds she already gathered. She then turned and went to her horse.

"Figured Lord Tepes wouldn't be too pleased about me hunting without permission. Good thing I caught an extra duck from this morning's hunt" she said as she made her way to Gabi. Once she reunited with her horse, she searched through a nearby sack and pulled out a good sized Mallard Duck, a little stained with blood but overall still in good condition.

"Now then, let's see….what to do?" Crina said as she looked through her pack. Normally she would unpack the meat spit that her father got her where she could just simply roast an entire duck over a small fire, but unfortunately, she didn't have it in her pack at this time.

"Crap, must have mixed it with supplies at home" she cursed as she thought back to where she left it, "Oh well. Guess I'll have to improvise a different way" she said, putting the duck back in the sack and taking off to find stones at the Belmont Ruins.

After about a half hour of searching for supplies, rocks from the ruins, watercress from the nearby river and multiple vegetables from around the property, Crina started to work on making her meal. Recalling a recipe her father taught her from his travels along trade routes, she carefully went through the process and worked on making the preparations. After digging a pit and lining the perimeter with rocks that were heated using a heating transmutation circle and making a wrapping with the watercress, Crina moved to work on the duck. Once the duck was plucked, gutted, trimmed and cleaned, with the feathers set aside for later purposes, Crina then pulled out a small bottle from her saddle. It wasn't a big bottle, just enough to hold at least three cups of water, but what was in it was rather interesting. Inside was a yellow clear liquid with what looked like sprigs of two different herbs inside it along with small black circles floating around the bottom. Shaking the bottle a few times, she poured a little of the substance on the duck, set the bottle aside and began rubbing it into the meat, making sure the flavor was well absorbed as the smell of lemon, rosemary and dill filled her nose. Once she was satisfied, she set the duck on the bed of watercress and got to work on the vegetables, roughly cutting them and stuffing them inside the bird before she wrapped the watercress around the duck. Then, taking a deer hide that she had on hand from her pack, she wrapped the green loaf and placed it in the pit, covering the creation with dirt before adding more rocks on top of the pile. She then took a stick and started to draw her special transmutation circle that was required for this recipe, one that increased the elements of fire and earth while sacrificing the element of time. Once activated, she cleaned up her mess, fed Gabi her oats, grabbed a canteen and another small bottle from the saddle and waited for the food to cook.

"Glad that today is a nice day. Not often you see those around here" she said to herself as she looked up at the sky.

While waiting, she grabbed the small bottle, which was filled with a dark red substance, a special wine from Iran that her father was gifted with during one of his many travels. The sweet taste of pomegranates filled her mouth as she took a small sip of the drink, sighing as the aftertaste came through, making her feel relaxed. As she sat, she looked at Dracula's castle, admiring the dark beauty the building showed now that she was in full daylight. Crina then recalled the many stories her Grandfather told her about the place, from the wonderful stained glass windows in the grand hall to the many suits of armor that lined the hallways and corridors. How she dreamed of one day going inside and looking at the many wonders and curiosities that her Grandfather once witnessed, her imagination filling her thoughts as she took another small sip of the wine.

_*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*_

Meanwhile, out in the forest beyond the Belmont Hold and the castle, Alucard was out in the forest gathering food for the day. It was a normal routine for him to try and survive out in these woods, going out and foraging for food for him to eat. However, today was a bit different as he noticed the girl who he encountered earlier that week at the Belmont residence again.

Since she was out in the daytime, he got a good look at her as he went out to get lunch, taking in the appearance that he saw before and now applying the details from this new encounter.

The woman that he saw before him looked rather young, maybe in her late teens early twenties. She appeared to be a little shorter than Sypha, at least from what he could see, but it was hard to tell from a distance. Her crimson red cloak covered the majority of her outfit, but he could make out the bottom of a tunic, one of two shades of green, a pair of brown pants and dark brown shoes. However, when she turned to look at him as he was heading out, he got a good look at her face and recalled the details. Sun tanned fair skin with freckles littering her face, mostly on her cheeks and above her eyes, all with a smile that spoke friendliness and a hint of mischief within it. Overall, he got a good vibe from her, but he still didn't trust her, as it was hard to trust after….those two. He shook off the thought and just gave her a nod as she greeted him as 'Lord Tepes' again.

For some reason, the thought of her calling him that sent a strange sensation through him, like a combination of pride and awkwardness altogether. He did appreciate proper mannerisms, but he wasn't too sure what to make of her. After her greeting, he then made his way into the woods to gather his meal. As he foraged, it was then that Alucard recalled what she said about her Grandfather, the former Librarian, Edmund Hunyadi. That name rang a bell with him as that man was indeed a part of his life growing up. Memories of the man who he recalled as 'Old Grand' came back to Alucard as he then remembered the time when he left. The tears in the man's eyes as he left the castle were what stuck with the Dhampir the most, knowing that it was hard for Old Grand to leave. But now, here was his granddaughter, who was told a strange story involving his 'death' at the hands of his father. This did make him curious, but for all he knew, she could have been telling him lies in the attempt to get close to him and trick him. But that didn't seem to be the case from what he could tell. Regardless, he told himself to keep his guard up around her in case she does trick him.

After a few hours of foraging, Alucard made his way back to the castle, thinking of how he was going to prepare his meal for the day. Just as he made his way past the Belmont Hold, he noticed the young woman sitting on the ground with what looked like a campfire, but it wasn't one. While trying to get a closer look, he saw that it was something weird glowing on the ground, possibly a transmutation circle, since the woman said that she was an Alchemist. Alucard then recalled that night when he witnessed her taking down a few night creatures, remembering the bombs and alchemy that she did use. Unsure of what to make of the situation before, Alucard figured that it was better to get some answers. Besides, she did show a bit of strength in the battle against the night creatures from before, so that earned her a little respect.

_*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*_

"HEY!"

A voice came loud from behind Crina that made her gasp while sipping her wine, causing her to choke on the red substance as it filled her lungs and her nose, making her cough and choke on her own breath, spilling the drink on the dirt a little. Her coughing was not too loud, but enough that it startled Gabi yet didn't make her run. Crina groaned as she felt the sting of the alcohol fill her nose, making her head feel lightheaded and roll on her back on the ground, not close to the fire though.

"Oh god, what the hell was that?" Crina groaned as she tried to clean her head of the burning sensation that filled her nose. She grabbed her canteen, sat up a little and took a drink to clear her throat as she then sneezed into her sleeve, getting rid of the excess. She then turned herself a little and looked in the direction of the voice and found Lord Tepes himself looking over at her with a face that showed both concern and slight amusement.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he got closer, kneeling to the ground beside her, "I'm sorry for scaring you like that. I had no intention of such" he added.

Crina coughed a little more before putting up a hand, waving him off a little, "I…I'll be fine….just….alcohol up the nose…..terrible feeling…." she groaned as she tried to recover from her ordeal. "But truth be told, I kinda deserved that" she added as she sighed a little.

"Why do you say that?" Alucard asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I did cause you trouble by waking you up in the middle of the night when I didn't mean to cause harm. So now, we're even, I think" Crina explained as she felt herself getting better. After a few moments of breathing, she then sat up and shook her head. "There, that's a little better" she said as she turned to Lord Tepes. "So, was there something I could help you with, Lord Tepes?" she asked, curious about his sudden appearance to her.

Alucard snapped himself out of his current thoughts to recall what he came over here for.

"Yes, I was curious about your….fire" he said, trailing off a little as he motioned to the glowing circle in the ground.

Crina turned to her circle and smiled, "Oh that? It's a circle that allows something to be cooked under the ground in a quick period of time. Normally, this recipe requires up to three hours for it to cook, but thanks to sacrificing time while enhancing fire and earth, I can have this meal done in just under 45 minutes" she explained.

Alucard looked at her with confusion, "How is it possible to sacrifice time?" he asked.

Crina was about to explain, but then the circle made a sound and then deactivated.

"Oh, looks like it's ready" she said smiling. She then turned to Alucard, "Would you like to join me, Lord Tepes?" she asked. "There is enough for two people" she offered. However, her face went from smiling to frowning, "Oh, that's right. I don't have plates. Well, I'm sure I can find something" she said. She then moved to look around and see what she could find. It was then that she found a fallen tree not too far from where she was. Seeing it as an opportunity, Crina went over, made a circle around the tree and activated the circle. From the tree itself, Crina was able to make two plates, two bowls and two sets of silver wear, or woodware if you prefer. Once she was finished, she rushed back over to Alucard, "Here, Lord Tepes. I made us bowls and plates" she said. After setting Alucard's set in front of him, she then turned to work on digging out the meal from the ground. But before she could start, a sword appeared close to her throat.

"I'm not sure if I should trust you on this. For all I know you could have planted a bomb in the ground and are just waiting to set it off to kill me so you could raid the castle. You've been suspicious to me for a while, and I don't trust you fully yet" he said. Even though he heard nothing but trust in her words, he still wanted to make sure that she was telling the truth.

Crina paused as she took in his words.

'Well, he does have a point. Considering that he's been alone out here for quite some time,' she thought to herself as she turned her gaze to the bodies on the stakes, 'and the fact that those two double crossed him, I'm gonna have to work on gaining his trust. But how?' she added. She pondered the thought but then recalled a time when she was younger and was trying to prove to her father that she was capable of learning Alchemy. It may be a brash move, but it might be enough to show that she's trustworthy.

Taking the sword against her neck in her hand, she moved the blade to the side of her neck.

Alucard processed what she was about to do but by the time he thought of acting, it was too late. The young woman slashed the side of her neck, making it bleed onto her red cloak, making the blood practically blend in with the fabric.

Crina cringed from the pain, but she hardened herself and went straight to work. Using a bit of her blood, she crafted a circle with one hand, creating symbols that translated to quick wound heal, then crafting a symbol on her neck to connect the circle with the wound activating it and then, with her left hand, tracing the power up her arm and straight to her neck where the separate symbol gave a bright blue glow, moving her hair a little. She waited a bit as her wound started to close and heal, creating a permanent scar on her neck.

Alucard looked on in both shock and amazement, not expecting that she would go to use a bold move such as that to prove she meant no threat, almost allowing herself to die in front of him.

Seeing that she had his attention, Crina then stood and looked at him with a gentle fire in her eyes, showing no desire to cause harm.

"I would never cause you any pain, unlike the ones who you now have as lawn decorations. I have nothing to gain from causing you pain, as I have nothing but respect for you, Lord Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes" she said, her voice firm with truth, eyes steady and strong. She then gave a smirk, "Besides, don't think Old Grand would appreciate me doing such a thing to his grandson-figure" she said with a small laugh at the end, flashing him a smile.

Alucard was slightly dumbfounded by what just happened. Here was this woman, who at first caused him trouble in the early morning now doing something brash and dangerous as almost killing herself just to gain his trust. Seeing the lengths that she was willing to go through to prove herself was a brave act, as not many would be willing to put themselves so close to death only to bounce back, which may have been an indication that this might have happened to her before. But with the way she fought the creatures of the night that night was a hint of her strength to face danger, and thus making her in need of such alchemy practices. But there was one more thing he wanted to see about, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"I see. But tell me, you keep referring to the two on the stakes. You said you weren't an accomplice, but you also said that you cursed them to hell. What did you mean by that?" he asked, curious as to her thoughts.

Crina's face fell as the memories of her past interactions with those two came back to her, but she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling quietly.

"Those two….took advantage of my family's kindness" she started, speaking slowly to keep herself calm. "I found them injured and starving on the side of the road when I was on my way home from a trip to Arges. They asked for help, so we did. We took them in, fed them, bathed them, everything to help them feel comfortable. They explained that they were searching for a person of interest, but that person was one who we didn't identify with, at least myself, Old Grand and my mother. So we decided to wait for my father to return from one of his many trips and kept them under our roof. I did my best to teach them what I knew and we had fun times. But as the days went by, Taka…." Crina paused as she recalled her relationship with the young hunter, her hand forming a slightly shaking fist as she took another breath and continued, "….he started to court me. They had only been there a week and a half and he said that he was falling for me. He admired my strength to face monsters, my focus in what I believe, my compassion to help others, everything about me, he said that he admired so much. Another week went by and father had not returned still, and the two of them were growing impatient for his arrival. When I told them that he often leaves for at least a month at a time, saying that it would still be a few days, I could tell they were growing antsy. About two days after that, I was up late reading my books and studying what I could when Taka came in to my room. I wondered what was wrong, but he said…" she paused again, recalling that night, "...that he needed to talk to me, so he closed the door and made his way toward me. We took a moment to talk about things, but then Taka made his move….." her breath was increasing slightly as she tried to stay calm.

After a swallowing of saliva, she continued her story "He kissed me and forced me to the bed, gently coaxing me into intercourse, getting bold in his hand movements….and…." her eyes closed, hands shaking at the memory, "he almost raped me…. when my grandfather called out, snapping me out of my trance. Taka heard it and tried to pin me to the bed, but I was quicker, calling on one of my smoke bombs to fill the room and obscure his vision a bit. I fought him a bit, but then pinned him to the wall with one of my circles when he was distracted. Once he was down, I slipped my tunic on and went downstairs, only to see Sumi trying to choke my grandfather. She was close to killing him, but I managed to stop her. I had to fight her a bit to get him off and I almost got killed by her when suddenly my father appeared, using his alchemy to keep her in place." Crina started to calm down after that, her eyes now filled with a steady but burning anger, "After securing the two of them and figuring out their original plan, I decided there and then that I didn't want to hear any more from them. So I grabbed her by the hair and him by the manhood in anger and tossed them outside, bringing their belongings down shortly after. While still keeping them secure, Father and I made a teleportation circle to send them away to somewhere far from us, and I then spoke my curse" she then paused again and recalled her words for Alucard to hear.

"The next time you double cross anyone, it will be your last as you will pay with your lives for your betrayal" she said with a small hint of venom, signaling her hatred for the two.

"And that was the last time I saw them, until two nights ago, when I saw them hanging on those stakes" she said, calming down after recalling that time. She took a final deep breath and exhaled slowly, finally glad that she didn't have to recall that story, and then looked at him again, "You gave them what they deserved" she added, finishing her tale to the young Dhampir, giving him a look of relief and conviction.

Alucard took in all the information he was told by this woman, now knowing that he wasn't Taka and Sumi's first victim in manipulation and deceit. Her eyes showed nothing but pure raw sorrow and pain, indicating that what Taka and Sumi did have some sort of impact on her. He wasn't sure what to say, but it was clear that she was speaking the truth, but the look on her face said something was off.

"You look as if you don't trust my words, Lord Tepes" she said, concern filling her face.

Alucard snapped out of his thoughts as he looked at her, thinking about what she said.

"Well, that was quite a bit of information to take in. I'm just trying to wrap my head around it all" he said.

Crina nodded, "I understand…. I guess I said too much. I apologize" she said as she bowed her head a bit.

Alucard stopped her with a raise of his hand, "No…no need. I asked you to explain your connection with them and so you did. I just wasn't expecting to hear what you just told me" he said, feeling a bit of empathy for the woman. "It's clear you've been through a lot with them" he added.

Crina raised her head and nodded, "Yes, but that is all in the past. Now, they reaped what they had sown. But," she said as she looked at him with a bit of worry, "it does seem like my curse might have had a side effect on you. Especially since I did not expect my curse to work. I just said it out of anger, not really thinking about who it could affect outside of those two….so please, let me find a way to make up for that" she said, feeling a bit depressed at the thought.

Alucard was surprised at how responsible Crina was, willing to take the blame for things that were out of her power. In a way, he could relate to her as he felt responsible for what his father caused, which was out of his own power as well. The fact that she was being this kind and respectful to him made him smile a bit.

"Please, there's no need for-" he was about to finish when a loud growl filled both of their ears. Alucard's eyes widened a bit and his cheeks got a little red at the embarrassing sound of his own stomach making such a noise.

Crina blinked a few times before she then recalled that she had made lunch, and that in turn, made her stomach growl rather loudly too, making her blush from the ordeal.

For a moment, the two of them looked at each other and had a soft laugh at that perfect timing.

"Well, um….I still have that duck that I was cooking….maybe we can discuss how I can pay you back after a good meal. What do you say, Lord Tepes?" she asked a little embarrassed at the sound of her own hungry stomach.

Alucard gave a small laugh, "Alright. Fine" he said. But as he heard that he raised an eyebrow. "You're...cooking a duck?" he asked.

Crina nodded, "It's called Beggar's duck. Father learned the recipe from his travels. The original recipe is called Beggar's Chicken, but there's no chicken for miles, so I had to improvise with a duck I caught this morning back at home" she said with a smile.

Alucard nodded, "I see" he said.

Crina then bowed and motioned to the fire, "Allow me to serve you lunch, Lord Tepes" she said with a playful tone.

"Alucard" he said.

Crina looked up at him confused, "Beg pardon?" she asked.

"Just call me Alucard. I do appreciate the formality, but 'Lord Tepes' makes me feel like my Father" Alucard explained.

Crina blinked but then smiled, "Very well, but may I at least call you 'Sir' Alucard? I'm sorry but it just feels weird to not address the master of a castle by some sort of title" she said.

Alucard smiled a bit and gave an amused huff, "Very well. Now, let's see about that duck" he said as he walked to the pit, Crina walking behind him, happy to see him happy.

Author's Notes:

So here we are again with another chapter. I apologize if Alucard is out of character at all in this chapter. I tried to stick to his original personality as well as what he values. I also thought that this would be a way for both him and Crina to bond a little. Nothing like bonding over a good meal, am I right? Also, I apologize if Taka is considered out of character. But while both are skilled assassins, from what I saw, it didn't look like the two of them had much experience with magic and alchemy, so I figured that they didn't have much advantage in that. Sorry if it seems off, but let me know what you think.

Now for some fun facts:
-Beggars Chicken originated in China. Normally it requires a marinated chicken filled with vegetables and covered in a large leaf or some sort of cloth. I figured that if she had no spit, which was used in the medieval times, this was a good way to improvise.
-The silk road was cut off by the ottoman empire in 1453, but I suspect that there were still people who worked to share practices and trades during this time, so I figured that there would at least be something to learn during that time. And I believe that among the items to trade, fruits and vegetables were among the many treasures, including Lemons that were believed to originate in an area between India and China.
-Pomegranates originated in the area around India and the Himalayas, so I suspect that they were also in the fruit trade as the lemon and the recipe for Beggars Chicken. Also, I believe that pomegranate wine was also a product that would be carried on the trade, hence why it's mentioned as well.

That's all the facts and such for now. Let me know what you think.