Castlevania: Aria of the Ascending Soul
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
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Go to bed, take a nap, and when you wake up we'll go see Kazu.
The message had been left by Simon, the Belmont stoically standing before the door to Yoko's room with a 'You shall not pass' type of posture. For the Belmonts, time had little to no importance, they never slept and generally just found distractions to focus on as the eternal cycle the living went through carried on. Yet after Yoko had stifled a yawn and a glance at the clock on the phone, Simon realized that Yoko had been awake for almost 20 hours straight. Which wouldn't be so bad, people did it all the time, save this was Yoko.
"Take a nap, Simon? This is, too, important, we need to find Alucard," Richter argued with a concerned head tilt. Before he allowed himself to get upset or aggressive it was probably for the best that he figure out what was going on in Simon's head. Disgruntled Belmont as Simon 'was', when he was motivated to do something on his own, it proved to have a great importance so far.
"Yoko gets sloppy without rest and food," Simon admitted as Yoko gave a short tempered glare as she extinguished the candles. Getting up from her seat, she walked towards him, a frown on her lips and he braced for the fight he knew was coming. "She gets loose lipped and clumsy, how do you think she got stabbed in the Castle the first time? She was working off her sleep schedule here and used the portal to go straight to Japan. A seventeen hour time difference no less."
"So basically Yoko needs a Snickers..." Juste theorized aloud as he got up and began following Yoko.
"'Simon' needs a Snickers," Christopher corrected as he walked along as well, given that Simon had a sound argument. Despite being a continual grumpy, jaded hunter that couldn't communicate without being rude.
"See now 'that' is funny," Richter pointed out as he latched himself to Yoko's ankle like a monkey despite being a dog plush toy.
"Guys I need to go," Yoko argued, bending down to pull off Richter from her foot while Christopher and Juste jointly began to tow the chair used for guests towards the door.
Holding on proved impossible with his soft paws slipping on her smooth ankle leaving him in her hands. A look in her eyes and he felt his ears dip down a bit in mounting sympathy. This close to her face and he could see the red in her eyes as though she was holding back tears. Lack of sleep, food, and finding out a trusted ally had been captured was taking its toll clearly.
Putting Richter on her bed while the sound of the chair the other two Belmonts were pushing along rumbled through the air as they moved. Causing Yoko to roll her head back and stare up at the ceiling for a moment as she tried to get her thoughts in order. The Belmonts were actively protesting her attempt to leave her suite, granted it was probably due to her lack of sleep and food. And she 'could' just text Kazu and have him find out the information for her. Letting her stay in as the Belmonts wished, yet the very idea was frustrating. Enforcing the sense of uselessness though in hindsight, she would be unable to do much anyway. Once she got to Kazu's apartment she would still have to wait until Sophia finally gave them an address for where Alucard was being held.
But it would be better than being stuck in the Vatican. At least Kazu, like Alucard and Soma, didn't treat her like a glorified secretary or assistant!
Released from her ankle, Richter jumped from Yoko's bed to the floor and went to help his ancestors. Pulling the chair over to the door as Yoko walked by only to bend over to grab Simon as the last protector of the door. While Simon began ducking and weaving from Yoko's attempts to pick him up, boxing VR games were more than just for fun. Realistically she needed only to text her brother to get the information. Let Kazu talk to Sophia then text her back or she could visit.
He had never failed her and here she was in the Vatican, where she had been for 'months' since his abduction! The worry and concern she would have been burdened with had she known when the other Belmonts found out was now multiplied. There was a fire of anxiety scorching her feet while a metaphorical cold draped itself over her like a winter mantle. Even if no one could say anything, because they were stuffed toys now. She felt like a failure.
Silently judging her as a failure and merely humoring her when she attempted to do anything for the benefit of the family, clan, church, 'world'. Soma 'literally' being the only person besides, ironically, his son and her brother to treat her like she wasn't a shame or a burden. Now she had to find Alucard while trying to manage Soma so he wouldn't worry about Alucard.
Because if Soma went off for Alucard as he did for Mina? Well his powers 'were' sealed up, his weapons removed from him by Alucard. Realistically speaking it wouldn't matter, a few well placed bullets would put an end to Soma. At least that's what the church 'expected' to happen, but there 'was' a possibility that Alucard had noted. Instead of dying, Soma would just revert back to being a vampire all together. But that would pull Julius out of retirement since Vampire Killer had proven to be barely tolerant of the Morris branch.
And vampire Soma was a sad tragic figure in Yoko's mind...
Which was why hopefully Alex and his group would be able to help tie up Soma's focus long enough that she could extract Alucard. Alex already having texted that the Freelance Police could go directly to Japan. Unfortunately he would have to go back to school, having used up his time off, but that wouldn't stop trips to see 'him'. So there was that.
Generally speaking the gang would work well with Soma, they were closer to his age than Julius. Like Kazu in fact, allowing Soma to start developing a type of social circle for the first time this life time. Friends who would be able to detect a change in personality and pull him out of his darker moments. Meaning that Yoko could finally be given assignments allowing her to leave the Vatican and Japan.
Or at least that was what she told herself as she had laid in bed during the nights waiting for sleep while waiting for Alucard to return.
That if he just got back she could go on assignments, but the truth seemed more that she couldn't leave because no one believed in her. Alucard was in trouble and here she was, his partner, left unaware for 'how' long? Was she really that worthless in the eyes of the clans because she wasn't super serious like her mother?
And while it would be so easy to just pull open the door and walk out, the Belmonts were still imprisoned via her magics. Still bound by the arcane talents she had, coupled with the soft plush bodies they had been sealed in. It was just another sign of how exhausted and rattled she was, only seeing the Belmonts for their souls and not for the shells containing them. Validating exactly 'why' Simon did not want her leaving yet.
"You know she's beating herself up over this," Richter commented aloud as he pushed the chair along, wedging it more and more between Yoko and the door. "She could just as easily tell us to stop blocking the door and we'd be forced to obey. Yet she hasn't and she looks ready to cry."
"I wish we could talk, it just takes too long to explain our reasoning behind our decisions," Juste added as he pushed the other leg of the chair. "Just from what Simon said before, its clear that Yoko has had a difficult life, and yet she strives to put on a happy face."
Christopher went back to Yoko's bed now that Juste and Richter had finally found their rhythm in pushing the chair. He pulled back her blanket trying to show they just wanted her to take a rest, "one day Leon will probably end up with us. So it won't be like we won't be able to talk, in fact if we can get her to take even one of us to Kazu's we can explain ourselves," he pointed out. Before giving a metaphorical sigh once he was done and taking a look first at the discarded warm candles, then to the woman trying to catch a boxing Belmont.
"Once she's asleep Simon can text Kazu and let him know she'll be coming over for..." And Richter verbally paused as he began trying to count how late it would be before she finally arrived. "Dinner?"
"Well whoever she tows along, it won't be Simon," Juste pointed out smartly, "information must be given and shared. Simon would merely spend the whole time fighting with Trevor."
"You want to step up in his place?" Simon demanded jumping onto Yoko's hands and giving her hands a one two combo punch before jumping off. The only thing stopping him from going for her face was merely the fact that she knew who he was. It no longer would be a stuffed teddy bear, but an esteemed ancestor punching her in the face.
Just no.
"Thank you but I must decline. 'I' am no uncivilized barbarian," Juste countered loftily while Richter turned his head just enough to glance at Juste.
"Grandfather... " Richter sighed the word out as Yoko was nudged further and further from the door. Simon jumped back putting the chair between himself and Yoko while Richter and Juste finally got the blockade up.
"Get over yourself, this high and mighty bull that we've been raised on is part of the problem and you know it. If we didn't get exalted like near gods then Yoko wouldn't have had it drilled into her head how 'important' we are." Simon pointed out as Christopher jumped off the bed and made his way to Yoko's side.
"There's nothing wrong with the system of clan heads," Christopher pointed out as he began jumping up and down to catch her hand. "The clan 'needs' focus and direction after all. The 'problem' is not the clan, its everyone else. Family is one thing, but working outside of the family is a business transaction anyway you cut it. Something is clearly up and she's taking the blunt of what it is," he pointed out. "It could have just as easily have happened to Valencia. It very well could 'be' the reason Valencia turned out the way she did, we don't know because Simon wasn't active until long after."
The trio grew thoughtful, wondering if that was part of the reason why Valencia treated her children the way she did. Was this something that she experienced growing up when 'she' served as the head of the Belnades clan? Meaning the woman they knew 'now' was a victim of some serious infractions from what was 'supposed' to be a trusted backer. Sure, being purely Spanish meant she didn't deal with the same racial issues that Yoko did growing up. But...
"This... if you're right Christopher, and its possible that you are... this would be treachery. We're talking two generations of the Belnades being hobbled unknowingly, our bodies having been stolen. This can't be right..." Richter argued more to himself than to the others letting them hear this thoughts.
"Well its not like this is a pristine perfect institution. Just ask any of the victims of the priests," Simon pointed out earning an ear flick from Juste.
"That's low," Juste pointed out.
"Granted if they touched my son..." Christopher noted as he finally got his hands around Yoko's and began pulling on it while bracing his feet against her leg.
"We'd be fighting Dracula 'and' the Church by my time," Juste filled in with a faint nod.
"Whoever is doing this... its as though they're trying to corrupt the Belnades clan the way that Shaft got to Richter really," Christopher thought aloud. "Stunts like this, if we're right and I hope we're not, would easily justify getting that clan to defect to Draculas' side. But that would mean this is Soma's doing."
"Without the details of Valencia's upbringing and relation to the church, not really, because Dracula's appearance came during her adulthood." Richter pointed out, to cause Juste to shake his own head.
"I wish that were the case, but this could have been something he staged long ago, if we go by the idea that Soma represents all that is 'good' in Dracula. If he has been undermining his darker side in an effort to help us. What stops that darker side of him from doing the same thing?" Juste pointed out as Yoko begrudgingly flomped onto her bed.
Richter tried to imagine a person with their metaphorical angel and devil sides playing chess against each other. A game that spanned centuries, "can we not? There is no way that this situation is 'not' going to make him sound like an incredible tactical genius." Richter argued as he walked over to the bed and climbed up it.
Christopher was tucking Yoko in despite the fact that she was fully dressed, and wearing make up but whatever. Modern technology allowed for the clothes to be washed and cleaned easily while Richter merely made his way up by her head. Settling down by her head, the Pup plush folded his legs under himself in nose poke face distance.
"Richter?" Christopher inquired confused as he finished tucking in Yoko's feet.
"She probably feels alone and even if we can't talk to her, I'd hate to have her feel so isolated."
Christophers' ears flickered in place of an eye blink before nodding, "that's kind of you... and you're probably right."
"So long as its not me," Simon called out from the ground as he walked along to her purse and where she had slipped her phone. "I might as well text Kazu so he can get a hold of Sophia sooner, and when Yoko gets there she'll have the information. And she can get all sobby with her brother."
"Simon!" All three Belmonts shot back in annoyance and got an ear flick from him in response.
"She will, that's what she 'does', either go to Alucards or go to her brothers' depending on the situation." Simon pointed out while flipping open her purse and sticking his paw in.
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He really shouldn't have let Sophia talk him into this food channel.
Neither of them could eat, so all this food did was make the two salivate and rage against their non living status. The food varied from insane to divine, and somehow here he was staring at the screen watching a rerun of a British cooking show. Granted partly because he already spent enough time watching Sachiho work when Kazu was a child. If he wanted to see the work of a Sushi Master, he would go hang out at the restaurant.
Trevor couldn't take it anymore and reached out with his paws, typing out a search for new stuff to watch. There was something to the fact that his account had him subscribed to a lot of wood carvers. But he found himself in a mood for something a little different and went to the search bar and typed in 'metal working'.
"Bingo."
Rows of metal workers creating all manners of things, even swords! Encouraged he began looking down to see what was being made for the video. As his paw pressed the mouse to make the screen scroll down, the sound of something vibrating caught Trevor's ear. Kazu's cellphone was vibrating on the low set table in the living space, a luminous glow from the screen brightening the air about it.
Standing up, Trevor jumped down from the counter to the floor and made his way to the phone, Kazu hadn't mentioned expecting anyone calling him. It was still at least two hours before the guy would wake up. That left people in need, sudden victims of ghosts that usually found his number which was a rarity, and while a lot of times it was just someone having a bad trip which was the norm.
He jumped onto the table and approached the now dark phone, a firm swipe lit the screen and with a couple of presses he got into the phone. With a note informing the reader, in this case him, that it was from Yoko yet all it read was 'Get Sophia' before it was cut off. A cold, stern order for a message was not in Yoko's style, which left Trevor assuming it was from Simon.
He pressed the button and read the short, terse instruction to get Sophia and have her locate Alucard. Earning a confused head tilt as Trevor pulled up the keyboard so he could respond.
You just missed her, she won't come back until tonight. Why do you need my wife Simon?
Fuck.
No you may not.
I hate you.