Chapter 2

September 10th, 1972. In the dead early morning, Cass and Blanche emerged from their gate and wandered around the arrival terminal at the Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport, stretching their limbs as much as they could following the thirteen hour flight. There were bags under both of their eyes, as although the trip had taken them through the night, it had afforded neither of them a wink of sleep. They looked around for Nicolae Ceaușescu.

"So, this guy's, like, the head honcho of Romania, right? What's he like?" Blanche inquired.

"Um... A monster, basically," Cass answered, struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Oh... Why're we working with him again?"

"Politics. You know, you scratch my back, I scratch yours. You have political dissidents executed in private, I look the other way. It's a dumb little game we all play so we don't nuke each other into oblivion."

"Huh... I don't know if I'm okay with that game."

"Well, we're already here, so like it or not... we're here."

A large, statuesque, bespectacled man in a black suit with a squared jaw and slicked-back gray hair approached them, surrounded by a small security force. He looked to be in his mid-60s. His thin eyes had a dull, gray appearance. Looking down at them, he spoke in a deep, scratchy voice.

"I presume by your candid manner of speaking that you are Cassandra Morris. And who might be this enchanting comrade you have brought with you?"

Blanche let out a sharp, dismissive "HA!" as she stuck another stick of gum in her mouth. "I'm flattered 'n' all, but I don't exactly dig the undertaker look. But if ya gotta know, the name's Blanche Lecarde."

The man suddenly seemed to be repressing a grin. "Ms... Lecarde, is it? I am terribly sorry that the Secretary General could not be here today. He is a very busy man, so he has sent me in his stead. I am Felix Vladimirescu. If you will come with me, I shall show you to your lodgings."

As they followed, Blanche whispered to Cass, "Vladimirescu? Say, Cass, you don't think-"

"There're a lot of Vladimirs in Romania, Blanche. We can't afford to jump to any conclusions..."

It wasn't long after their release from the cramped and crowded plane that the two Americans found themselves on a cramped and crowded train.

"So, how long is it from Bucharest to Transylvania, anyway?" Cass asked.

"Somewhere in the neighborhood of five hours," Felix answered.

"Aw, crap... Well, nap time!" Blanche exclaimed as she let her head fall onto Cass' shoulder and almost immediately conked out. Cass blushed lightly.

"Heh... I guess she is kind of cute when her mouth isn't moving."

Felix smirked, adjusting his glasses. "Well, then... Judging by that whip at your waist, I suppose that you have already correctly surmised the reason for your assignment here."

Cass exhaled heavily. "If I'm being honest, I was about 50/50 on it. I figured the chance was good enough that it did have something to do with that, so I came prepared."

"I can see that. What is that armor you are wearing?"

"This?" she said. "It's real top-of-the-line stuff. They just invented it last year. It's called Kevlar. Almost as light as leather, but five times stronger than steel. If Richter Belmont'd had this stuff back in the 1700s, old fangface probably would have bitten the dust for good."

"Kevlar, you say? It sounds like something out of one of England's fantasy novels."

"Well, this is a prototype model of the Kevlar armor. It's never been tested in a combat situation, so you might consider this its first field test. Granted, my superiors don't necessarily know that it's being field tested, but... well, they are looking to mass-produce these things by 1980, so it's gotta run the gauntlet sooner or later."

Felix laughed. "You are certainly not shy about speaking your mind, Ms. Morris. I anticipate that our dear friend, the Count, will have his hands quite full dealing with such a willful woman as yourself."

Cass grimaced a bit at the backhanded compliment. "Thaaaanks..."

After hoisting their luggage a significant distance from the train, eventually, the group came upon the Villa Hotel Escala, which was a small, homey-looking inn. After signing them in, Felix turned to face them.

"Consider this your home away from home for the duration of your stay. I imagine that after your lengthy voyage, you both could do with rest."

Cass looked over at Blanche. "I don't know, I think one of us got pretty well rested."

"Actually, I could stand another snooze," Blanche answered.

Felix chuckled to himself. "Well, once you have properly refreshed yourselves, I recommend that you make your way to the castle. The Count will be most active at night, so you must act with haste."

"Of course, Mr. Vladimirescu," Cass said. "I think you'll find that my partner and I are the very definition of efficiency, professionalism, and grace..."

The time was 6 PM, and Cass and Blanche were splayed out across their bed, snoring loudly. Cass' arms were hanging off the left side as Blanche's head hung off the front, her hair trailing down onto the floor. Gradually, as Cass shifted, Blanche slid off the bed until she bumped into the floor headfirst.

"Owww... Cass, what'd ya do that f-... Oh. I'm upside down."

Cass tossed and turned, grumbling. "Mrmm, but I don't want the chicken sushi, Mama..."

Blanche held herself back from laughing. Smirking, she got back onto the bed and leaned down, stealing a kiss from Cass' lips. The agent's eyes snapped open, her face turning bright red. She pushed Blanche away and scrambled to her feet.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" she yelled.

"Sleeping Beauty needs a kiss to end her long slumber, don't she?" Blanche joked, laughing.

"YOU ARE THE FARTHEST POSSIBLE THING FROM PRINCE CHARMING!"

Blanche stuck her tongue out at her. "Hey, yer awake, ain'tcha? And look, it's gettin' dark, so I'm thinkin' we get a move-on."

Cass huffed, still blushing as she re-tied her hair and put on her body armor. She took a second Kevlar vest out from her bag. "Here, put this on."

"You stole two of these?"

"It's not theft if it's in the pursuit of justice. It's... re-appropriating," Cass reasoned.

"That sounds like a big fancy word for stealing," Blanche said as she put the vest on.

"You're welcome, Blanche. I'm glad you recognized that I took consideration for your survival."

After gathering all of their supplies, Cass and Blanche made their way out the door. As they made their way in the direction of the large, dark castle overlooking a cliff, Cass' hand gripped the handle of the whip at her side.

"Let's go... Castlevania beckons..."

Blanche scratched her head. "Ya know, I never heard anyone actually call it that outside of books. Sounds weird."

"Okay, but that doesn't change the beckoning."