Author's note: Hello, and welcome. This is the beginning of a hell of a ride of unmeasured distance. This English version is brought by yours truly. Feel free to point out any language mistakes or bits and pieces that didn't sound quite natural, also to comment on other aspects of the fic.
Please take note that this is a translation of the original, which is written in Brazilian Portuguese. The Portuguese release will be prioritized, and I intend to keep an update schedule of a new chapter in Portuguese every fifteen days. The English version must be up a week after a Portuguese chapter is published. Since it's been some months this story is available on Archive of Our Own, I'll start out publishing it here with the six chapters that already are there. This Friday was an English chapter day. Next week will be the Portuguese chapter time.
This story will explore themes including, but not limited to depression and its symptoms, trauma, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts. If you are susceptible to that kind of content or are going through rough times, I strongly advise that you avoid reading it.
In order to help if you are going to read this story or not, the AO3 tags present in the fic are as follow: Pre-OT3, Mystery, Mental Health Issues, Paranormal Investigators, Implied Sexual Content, Angst, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Emotional Support, Post-Season 2, Established Trevor/Sypha, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added.
Have a nice read.
The castle was silent. Not the usual kind of quietness, but hushing on purpose. It was but a nuance, tangled in the entrance hall, the laboratory, the numerous bedrooms, the ballroom, the endless cellar and all the multitude of other rooms. It was a shrouded shade; however, it sat there. Sharp, even in his sleep, Alucard lightly turned himself in the casket, without opening his eyes. He heard no sound besides the water in the pipes and his own breath. He decided to get on his feet, drowsy and lethargic, and found himself feeling cold. He floated with grace to the floor and walked the first barefoot steps on the carpet.
Where did he leave the damn jacket? It was summer the last time he got up for a patrol, and he dismissed any excessive clothes when going back to sleep; as it should be fall already, it was cold enough to bother dressing up. He found it hanging on one of the hall's hatstands, covered in dust and with several intruding clothes-moths, which he flicked and shaked out thoroughly. He put it on and looked around. There was plenty to repair there, a thing he could see even with the lights out. Someday. He climbed up the stairs by his right, heading to a watchtower.
"So, here it is."
Sypha raised her eyes to the monumental building, while brushing away her hair from the eyes. It was around sunset and the sunlight was not enough to make it any warmer. She caressed Trevor's hand with the thumb.
"It's not like this bulky contraption will ever move again", he shrugged, "And why is it, huh?"
"It wasn't on purpose."
He leaned to kiss the side of her head. They followed ahead by the pavement and Sypha ran her free hand by the railing. Under their feet, they could see a full ditch; before that, it may have looked the same more than ten years before. I don't doubt that it was just the rain, Trevor laughed to himself.
They traveled on foot from the grove's first trees, where they left the horses with a stable boy. He could not be older than fifteen and crossed himself so many times along the way, enough to make Trevor lose track of them. He told the boy something along the lines of "doing some demon hunting around" to make him stop asking it there was really where they were headed. Sadly, the rare horse riding luxury left when he did. One horse for him and another for Sypha; an even bigger oddity. Besides shaking like a leaf, the boy thanked them over and over about a thousand times. He surely watched the night when they wiped out an inconvenient gargoyle with the usage of fire, holy water, whipping and whatever came in handy. The bounty weighed their shoulders, and would feed them for a week if eaten wisely.
"What if he isn't home?", she asked.
"His kind isn't big on going for walks without a reason."
Sypha frowned, "I really miss watching you guys argue…"
"Great, you'll have it. And I miss a flea-free bed. Perhaps, today, could I-"
"No."
"Oh, for God's sake. You don't even know what I'm going to say", he looked at her with hopeful eyes, and she replied only with a crabby stare, "Please."
"Five glasses and that's it for the night. You should stay sober just once in your life."
"Meh", Trevor straightened the bag straps.
"Don't 'meh' at me. Otherwise, this single bottle of wine we've got will be over in five minutes."
"There must be some more wine in there, come on", he bargained.
"There must be some bottled blood in there, you mean."
"That, too. I'll simply not drink it."
They crossed the gates of stone. If the ruins could shrink a person's size, the castle was even more overwhelming. The doors were closed as if they were dead, and, for a while, there was just the howling wind.
"Should we knock?", Sypha inquired.
"I doubt he'll listen, in a fleabag this size."
And both halves of the door opened.
"I hear better than you think", Alucard's voice echoed to the entrance, coming from the back of the hallway. Torches would light up as he walked by them and cast his elongated shadow on the other two. Well, at least he got rid of the corpses.
"Long time no see", he smiled and scratched his eye.
Sypha let go of Trevor's hand to hug Alucard on the tip of her feet. Hey, come back here. Not amused, Trevor just stared at him with disregard, and so did the host.
"It's been months I was asleep, and I honestly thought that so I'd stay for a couple of seasons."
"Sorry for waking you up from your beauty's sleep, ma'am", Trevor crossed his arms.
"But it's important to hear from you on why you're here", Alucard spoke again, "Don't tell me that-"
"No, it's nothing serious, really."
"Can you stop interrupting me, please? Let's sit down and talk, far from this chilling breeze. I'll show you the guests' bedrooms and you'll leave the luggage."
"It's food, most of it, actually", Sypha lent him one of the packages, so that Alucard could see some fresh vegetables.
"So, we're headed to the kitchen, after the bedrooms. It's a safe choice to be around some fire."
Who would tell I'd ever be a guest at this place. Trevor and Sypha held hands again, and the three walked side by side. After some corridors, she asked:
"If, according to the legend, you need to invite a vampire into your home so it can enter a human house, is the opposite valid?"
"It'd better be valid, don't you think?", Alucard giggled, "You can stay here. There's a bunch of dust, but I'll take care of it in a flash."
He opened the door to reveal a cozy guests' room, unused for long. There were a dressing table, a nightstand, a wardrobe, a chest, and a double bed, everything made of prime wood and of refined taste. Trevor noticed the bed's innuendo and did not protest. They both left the few possessions in the chest; they consisted of a lighter change of clothes, a water flask, and utensils. In the midst of flying bedsheeds, fabric, and a duster he did not notice at first, Trevor was fast enough to find the bottle of wine and position it well. After five minutes of telekinesis and four helping hands, Alucard stated the bedroom as livable and guided them to the kitchen.
"Unless you guys wish to rest right now", he finished putting a pillow in place, "I'm at your service."
"I'm up for food", Sypha raised her hand, "Can I take care of the fire?"
"Without a doubt."
"First glass", she interrupted Trevor's suspicious bottle movements by pointing her finger.
"Give me a break", he lowered the bottle after a good chug.
"We didn't even eat yet. Give me a break."
"The castle has a winehouse. There's no need to worry", Alucard set down the duster.
"I told you. See?"
"Doesn't matter. First glass", Sypha turned her back on him and followed Alucard, ignoring the argument as well.
The kitchen took place deeper in the castle, after the ballroom and the dining hall; one should walk by a long, empty corridor to get to it. Sypha's eyes sparkled as the torches lit up on their own, now that they were not down the catacombs of Gresit. Trevor invited her to snuggle under his arm, and he smiled to the other side.
"I advise we stay around the surface only. The underground keeps some… Not very pleasant kitchenware", Human-cooking kitchenware, you mean, but Trevor let Alucard go on, "The upper floor was built especially for my mother, and therefore, for me as well."
"Don't you eat when you wake up?", Sypha asked.
"I don't rely on much to survive."
It also required some cleaning and organizing, but the kitchen soon returned to its former glory. Sypha stopped making food whenever she got marvelled by every object she came across, while Trevor would bone and chop whatever was in front of him, until his arms were sore. In a lapse of strenght, the knife he held cut him on the tip of the index finger, and he cursed.
"What's wrong?", Alucard dumped a bunch of sliced mushrooms and approached him.
"Sharpen it, please", Trevor lent him the dull knife and took his cut to his lips, "I hope you didn't come here because you could sniff the blood."
"No", Alucard looked for the whetstone in a drawer, "Actually, yes."
"I also hope you don't want a taste of it."
"No. This time, no, for sure."
Sypha readily set the cooking pit on fire, one that could keep itself burning without wood or fuel of any sort; she let out an impressed sound.
"How does it work? Is it a sigil? A circuit? A spell?"
"I'm afraid I might have to check the manuals, sadly", Alucard wiped off the sweat on his face, "Do we wait now?"
"This one looks pretty ready to me", Trevor sprinkled a last pinch of fresh herbs on the soup caldron, "This headache I have won't let me wait."
Each one suited themselves of a modest bowl of soup with a side of bread and half a glass of wine, by the kitchen's table. The food was warm for the hands, and the alcohol comforted the soul. By the end of the bowl, the meal would smell even better, including the big chunks of roast lamb.
"Is it ready this fast?", Trevor picked his teeth.
"Science works wonders", Alucard stood up to open the cooking pit, "Please, head before me to the dining hall. I'll take the serving dishes."
The results of more than an hour of humdrum work bloomed on the table. Alucard came with porcelain, glasses, and silverware, floating them all gracefully, and landed them all on the walnut wood surface.
"Enjoy the meal", he wished.
Even with countless distractions around, Sypha was sharp on counting Trevor's glasses; by the fourth one, she announced the next one would be the last. While he thought about how to circumvent the scenario, the good food inebriated him almost as much as the wine. He also relied on Sypha's rare excessful drinking, a thing she would do once in a blue moon.
"What have you been doing this…", Alucard calculated, "Last year, I suppose?"
"Oh, a bunch of stuff", Trevor scratched his head with the clean hand, "But, in summary, we've been dealing with the rest of the roaming, masterless night creatures. There's a good amount of them, they're hungry, and there are many prey."
"I can't say I didn't expect it."
"A gargoyle was the most recent one. Do you know the nearest village? Sohodol, it's what it's called", Sypha poured all the glasses, "Last one, Trevor."
"If I may be honest, I've never been there."
"Maybe you should. Pretty fine beer", Trevor had a plan, "On the thingy, well, it does what it does, it haunts the livestock, it trashes the farms, it vanishes with a villager or two. It made a nest in a stonewall and left at night for a snack. And what did we do?"
"We set the stonewall on fire", Sypha smiled.
"The thing flew away and started to throw spikes at us. Spikes everywhere! If it wasn't for the biggest of whirlwinds, I'd be a strainer right here and now."
"My whirlwind."
"Precisely."
"We foresaw it would fly above the town, and I propelled myself there. We'd left the local priest on spot to bless the fountain on the square."
"A first-class killjoy and whistleblower since we were kids, I remember it well", Trevor drained the glass as if nothing was wrong, "But he did what he was told to do, at least."
"I can figure out the rest", Alucard listened to it all with a hand supporting his chin, "And, thanks to you, we dine well tonight. Cheers."
"Cheers", Trevor raised the empty glass.
"Are you toasting like that?", Alucard asked.
"I was going to." But Sypha stared at Trevor with disapproval.
"You didn't even try from our winehouse. Will you pass it?"
"No."
Sypha rolled her eyes and admitted defeat:
"Two more, then."
Alucard poured them all another round. Even the wine's color and texture were another world. Trevor glanced at it with surprise, the glass against the candlelight, and a sip was enough for a delighted face. Instead of finishing it at once, he took it slowly, amongst the fruit they had to finish.
"I insisted for a reason", Alucard smiled.
Sypha opened her eyes. She could not feel her arm, and her head was dizzy. She got up carefully from the chair, upholding herself on the table, and only then she noticed the blanket's weight on her shoulders. Despite the grogginess, she was awake, painless, and woke up from her best sleep in weeks of stables, barns, and the open air. The exception was the night after the gargoyle slaying, on a cheap tavern's bed, too small for her and Trevor. She looked around, almost missing a silhouette before the stained glass. Alucard turned and smiled with a hint of irony, saying her a "good day".
"What time is it?", she yawned.
"About two in the morning", he approached, and Sypha noticed his hair pinned up with an ornate hair stick.
She pushed the chair back to its place and could see how much of the untouched dinner was left. Alucard had a glass of wine, but was not eating.
"Trevor's gone to the bedroom. He smuggled the botte of wine with him. Tell him I told you, please."
"It's always this", Sypha shrugged, "I mean, not always. But frequently."
He closed his eyes, as if surrounded by peaceful joy, and opened them again after a deep sigh. He stretched to grab another glass; his was the only full one and there was no bottle to speak of.
"Would you like some?", he offered the glass, "I haven't touched it."
Sypha opened her mouth to say yes, than no, but there was no time. Alucard pored half the wine in another glass left. Well, better.
"Do you intend to sleep now?", he asked.
"I don't think so", she scratched her head.
"There's a warmer living room, that doesn't echo as much as here. You have my invitation."
She followed him there to find a roomy meeting place. Three glass panels, shaped as half an octagon, showed an occasional crescent moon behind the clouds, and the torches revealed a world of entertainment. A full shelf suggested that an opposing pile of books was, once, in a similar furniture. A short table, surrounded by two armchairs, had an inlaying work of a chess board, with fancy pieces covered in dust and set on a check. A map of Wallachia was spread on a cartography table, and, on the table by the middle, stood a proportional model of the castle itself, made only by a meticulous light scheme that never went off.
"Whatever you want to see first", Alucard pointed at the room with his hand.
"I might let you choose."
"On to the spells, then."
Still intoxicated, Sypha could not concentrate on the reading and skimmed through the volumes on elemental magic, saving them for later.
"Can I copy some?"
"No problem. But I'd suggest that you kept the most interesting ones."
"No, it's fine", she stuttered, "I won't take too long to write."
"It takes no time at all. See this."
Alucard got up and signed at her to come together. By the corner of the room, as he set his hand onto it, the cartography table lit up in purple lights. He removed the map and rolled it, leaving it in the drawer; he then positioned the open book by the left side. He checked briefly the last page and grabbed an empty volume, setting it on the other side. The pages started to flip on their own, one by one, as they printed the content on the new book. Sypha was mesmerized.
"Thanks a lot, really."
"I know you'll make good use of them", he finished the glass.
While the tome copied itself, they spent some time with chess. None of both were exceptional, but they knew enough. Sypha recalled the days off the road, and the single, rustic board that went around the Speakers' hands; she won lots of tournaments, earning symbolic prizes such as an extra apple, or the last roast duck leg. During the best of three, she had a glance of Alucard smiling for no reason. He must have played it with his parents. Her heart sank. I did, too.
"Where did you learn that defense?", he asked, after being defeated.
"An advanced level book, in a day I had nothing better to do", Sypha scratched her head and put her eyes on the other table, "I think the copy is finished."
"On to the next, then."
Hours went by as minutes as they left the game aside and rummaged through the remaining books. They talked about all that came to mind, and Sypha not only enjoyed the library's sample immensely, but observed Alucard as well. He had not changed in the strict sense; not enough time had passed for that. However, there was something with him… She could not put her finger on it. The way he carried himself, as if he saw something that was not there. Sometimes, she called him, and he took a while to leave his own world and answer, without a hint of the watchful, focused stare he had before. Maybe it's just the moment. She yawned without covering her mouth, and her eyes were blurred.
"Sorry."
"The road must have been exhausting", Alucard closed a book, "Don't tie yourself to staying here."
"Aren't you going to sleep as well?"
"Don't you think I slept for a good while?", he laughed, "Get some rest. There will be plenty of time tomorrow. I'll take you to the bedroom."
He left her by the beginning of the hallway. Sypha opened the door and tiptoed to the bed. She learned with time that Trevor would wake up, so she did not worry much about making noise, and worried more about how loud it was. She snuggled close to him, and he opened half an eye to see her.
"This is the best bed I've ever slept on", his voice was sleepy, hoarse and deep, "What a right choice we made to come here."
"I tend to agree, but may I remind you that you didn't want to come."
"O, Lord, I now repent of all my mistakes committed in this mortal life, forgive me, this poor sinner."
"Sleep, please", she started kissing his face, and he let out a satisfied sound.
"I sort of want to."
"But…?"
Trevor embraced her by her waist and pulled her up to the top of him, while he raised her chin with the other hand.
"I'd like to enjoy you a bit more."
"It's good to agree", she laughed.
Sypha stretched her hand to feel the bed and did not find Trevor there. She shook the sleepiness away, got up, and found him by the broad window, admiring the sunless day. She hugged him from the back, and they both had a laugh at it. He released himself gently to invert the hug and put her on the front.
"Did you sleep well?", he whispered to her ear.
"Like an angel."
She heard his laugh and did so for the same reason. She took a breath of the windy, chilly morning breeze. Some raindrops hit the railing, and they closed the glass panels. There were knocks on the door. Trevor covered her with the blanket he carried as a cape, as their clothes were slightly out of place. Sypha said "come in", an so did Alucard. She noticed his hair still pinned up.
"Good morning. I didn't want to wake you up too early", he came inside the bedroom, "Would you join me on a light meal?"
"Spot on. I'm kinda not hungry because of yesterday", Trevor answered.
"I'll bring it, then."
The remaining ones behaved as much as possible; no clothes went to the floor. Alucard returned with a tray floating above his hand, with soup leftovers, day old bread, and fruits for three. Trevor thought of protesting until he saw three steaming mugs of mulled wine.
"Sometimes, I'm really glad I didn't make you into shoes."
"Great. It's a shame I poisoned your mug", Alucard looked at him over the soup bowl, sitting at the dressing table's chair.
"I'll die happy drinking this wonderful wine to the last drop."
Sypha let out a hopeless sound, rolled her eyes, leaned back on the pillows set by the headbord, and then ate the rest in silence. They finished in no time, and Trevor started scratching himself until his neck turned red.
"Did you poison me for real?"
"No. It's bad luck killing guests outside of hand-to-hand combat."
"Then I just need a shower. In this weather, the village's cold water isn't very inspiring to it", Trevor shivered.
"Feel free to jump in the ditch. I won't make all that water warm, though", Alucard peeled a nut, "Anyway. Would you be ashamed if I-"
"Ashamed, of you?", interrupted Trevor, "Underneath Gresit, I wasn't the shirtless one."
"If you only let me speak once in your life, you'd know I'm offering to heat up the damn bathhouse. It's a relic, and there's room for three. That is the question", he ate the peeled nut, "I can get some clothes that you could wear into it."
"I want the clothes", Sypha felt her face getting warmer.
"What about you?", Alucard pointed at Trevor, just to be ignored.
The host took them outside the bedroom towards other private rooms of the castle. He looked from one side to another for a while and guided them the opposite way.
"The bedroom where you are might have no clothes, but this one surely does", he opened the wardrobe to reveal elegant shirts that fit a young boy, "They must suit you, Sypha. As for you…"
"I'll get in with my own underwear, thanks", Trevor shrugged it off.
"Don't even think of stinking the bathwater with this dirty rag you wear. I refuse to get in the same water."
"Wait, who said you're coming?"
"Why would I lend you clothes if you both were going to get in on your own?", Alucard rolled his eyes and threw a pair of large shorts at Trevor, "I sure can let you go first, if I'm a nuisance.
"Damn, whatever, come in", Trevor untied his shirt's cords, "I won't let it ruin the moment."
The chamber that opened up behind the thick doors was tiled of a greenish and slippery kind of stone. Some stairsteps descended into it, and, in the middle, a flower-shaped bath with five petals bloomed, surrounded by dim lights. The half-shaded ambience was welcoming, but every drop would resonate, and, for full relaxation, one should be silent. There was a waterfall close to a wall, and Alucard told them to get under it before anything else.
Sypha was prudent enough to choose a thick, opaque shirt, that would weigh three times more when soaked. She spent most of the time focused on washing Trevor's hair with the refined soap they had, nothing like the greasy, funky soap bars she knew. Trevor let out a delighted sound or two, his eyes were closed and he had a brief smile. The water was warm and so it stayed, a blessing in such weather that would only get colder and colder. Sypha was already clean, and after rinsing Trevor's head, she sat besides him on the stone bench. He held her and moved no more. Alucard was the most taciturn one: he sat on the opposite side and made no indications of ever talking. Neither him nor Trevor wore more than short pants by knee length.
"I've never seen such a thing before", Sypha tried to keep her tone down, but called the attention of the other two, "I mean, sure it's in literature, the public baths, but…"
"It's a relic, as I said", Alucard stretched his neck, "It was given to us before I was born, from one of my Chinese father's servants, as a gesture of appreciation."
"Appreciation for what?", asked Trevor.
"It was all my father told me then. I forgot to ask more about it later."
Trevor did a full-body stretch and pulled Sypha closer, changing the subject:
"All I could ask for now is a-"
"Bottle of wine", interrupted Alucard, "That I won't allow you to spill in the water."
"You know I wouldn't do such a thing."
"The good old story of the drunkard that may even trip and fall, and won't let the mug touch the ground?"
"This. I've had some booze before, luckily", Trevor sat better on the bench and changed subjects, "We told you an odyssey, but you didn't tell us what you did while we were out there."
"Maybe because there isn't much to tell", Alucard shrugged, "I slept, mostly. The most remarkable thing I did may be going to the library once or twice."
"Oh, did you?", Trevor frowned.
"Yes. I did so for no reason. It was interesting coming across some of your old stuff."
Sypha felt the arm that held her getting tense. Trevor asked:
"Stuff?"
"A drawing or two. Some journal pages. The kind of thing you do when you're a kid. I also did-"
"I hope you're not kidding."
"I know what limits are", Alucard stared at him with disapproval.
Sypha spent the rest of the bath holding hands with Trevor, and all of them remained quiet. They both went back to the bedroom, undressed the drenched clothes and wore new ones, also lended ones. She tried to pull him to bed gently, but he would rather finish the wine bottle, staring at the horizon that turned into night.
"I think he meant no harm", she comforted him when she thought it was the time.
"I think nothing of it", he let the bottle fall into the ditch, "Nothing."
They heard knocks on the door, an hour or two after the night set, when Sypha had already given up on changing that bad mood. Alucard entered without asking for permission, with a face of zero regrets and something in his hands.
"I found it", he sat on the same chair from before and handed the object to Trevor, "I also did the favor of binding them all."
Trevor got the book, more like a notepad with no name on the cover, and opened it carefully, The first sheet was made of curves and names, a draft of his family tree up to a century before he was born. It went on to the Belmont Hold's scenarios, his childhood tree, a face or another. He flipped pages, figuring them out for a second time.
"I didn't know you could draw like that", Sypha kissed him on the face.
"It's been a while I don't touch a piece of coal", he did not move his eyes from the notepad, "And you found them all."
"Thanks for spreading them all over the library", Alucard put his feet up on the bed, with his arms crossed, "I spent a week awake searching for all the books whose title began with 'T'."
Sypha could see a hint of a smile crossing Trevor's face. He closed the notepad and thanked. Now, say you're sorry. He did not. Nevermind.
"When do you think we can talk to him?"
The wind was strong and cold, but together and hugging, it was an acceptable optional suffering. The window revealed a free fall to the ditch, and there was little to see on the clouded sky. Trevor pulled her closer, even if they were close as possible, but that was how he liked it. He answered:
"I don't know. But soon. We can't stay forever."
"And that's a shame", Sypha sighed, "There are fascinating libraries here. One should have an eternity to read everything."
"The original owner of one of the libraries kind of had an eternity."
"Well, you're not wrong."
"I know, right?", he turned her face for a kissed, and so she stayed.
"Do you think he's coming?"
"If you're the one asking, he sure will."
"You'd have more of a shot on convincing him if you two didn't act like toddlers to each other."
"I'm talking about your appeal, darling", Trevor smiled with intentions, and his hand reached for her waist, "You should look in the mirror more often."
"Quit the nonsense. I'm not doing such a thing-"
"Shh, I'm kidding."
The kiss went deeper, lasted longer, and had more feeling. When they parted, their breath condensed on the cold air of the night. Trevor took his eyes away from her and set them at the window's railing.
"If you sit here…"
"Not a chance. There are many meters to the ground."
"With a closed window.
"Doesn't matter."
"I'll hold you", he begged.
"To the mattress", she pointed, "Now."
Sypha snoozed on the bed. He could barely see her with the lights out, but caressed her contour over the half-dressed clothes and heard a pleasant comfort sound. You're so beautiful. He reached for the nightstand and found the water jar to be without a single drop. Trevor turned to do so, and when he moved, his head hurt. His mouth was drier than ever. Damn that wonderful wine. He whispered that he was going out for water, and she answered something along the lines of "alright", muffled by the pillow. He left her with a kiss on the cheek and had to leave the warm bed. As he lighted up the hand lamp, he had time to see Sypha pulling the blankets over herself.
Right, now, on to the kitchen. A hallway after another, stairs and more stairs, big rooms and carpets and he found himself running in circles. This goddamn place. He tried going the opposite direction. Worst case scenario, I'll drink from the restroom. When Trevor turned on a corner, he started to find the surroundings very familiar. There were wood pieces shattered on the floor and the walls had scratches. He reinforced walking carefully, as if something was lurking around. He saw a huge hole on a wall, and the lights of torches. I know where I am. From inside the room, he heard in a good tone:
"Who's there?"
Trevor did not answer. He was not sure if stepping forwards or backwards was more proper.
"It's you, isn't it, Trevor?"
He entered through the rupture and could see Alucard's childhood bedroom, with himself in it, without a very welcoming face.
"What do you want?"
"Water", Trevor stuttered, "Wine. A headache. You know."
Alucard let his head down and sighed, rubbing his own face discreetly with the back of the hand. He mumbled to follow him, and so did Trevor, who went quiet.
They arrived the kitchen and lots of water were drunk there. Trevor filled the jar and covered it with the lid, being fearful of making any kind of noise. Alucard sat by the kitchen table and stared at him with no interest, sometimes looking at the walls instead.
"Don't tell Sypha", he seemed as speaking to himself, "Or do it. It doesn't matter."
"She doesn't need to know."
Trevor found better to sit down and he did on the opposite side.
"How long has it been since you left the Hold?", Alucard asked, unconnected with the moment.
"I came with you the last time, sure. But before that, you mean? I don't know", Trevor searched in his memory, "I was maybe twelve when I left."
"I never really asked how old are you, but I suppose it's been more than a decade."
I don't really worry that much about counting the passing time.
"It must be that."
"Many things must have happened", And why do you care?, Trevor thought of interrupting, but let Alucard speak, "What did you do for a living?"
"All kinds of things", Trevor scratched his own head.
"Be more specific."
He started to count on the fingers, remembering. "I cleaned stables. Tied some hay. Fixed roofs. Helped on the harvest. Drew water from the well. Chopped some firewood. Set fair stands."
"Did you shoplift from those stands?"
Trevor felt the sting of an insult. "Seldom. I was young and starving."
"I didn't mean to imply anything", Alucard had a pale smile, "Did you also run and hide?"
"What do you think?"
"Did you train in secret?"
"You can bet."
What do I say now? "Goodbye, I'm off to bed, stay there crying on your own" isn't an option. He drank some water, missing the wine, but thirstier for it than for alcohol. Trevor touched his wais by where would be the sword and the whip. He must be waiting for me to leave.
"I was about to ask why you both are back, but I believe it isn't good timing", Alucard said.
"It isn't bad either", Trevor shrugged.
"I'd rather not to need a carrier pigeon role. Wait for Sypha", Alucard stood with his hands on the table, "I doubt you just missed me."
"Well, I didn't."
"I wasn't counting on that."
Trevor did the same, taking the precious water with him, and remained quiet.
"I'll take you back to your bedroom", Alucard looked at him over the shoulder, and did a head tilt for Trevor to follow, "Go. It's way too cold to sleep alone."