5517/Soliloquy of Reproach: Forewarning

Soliloquy of Reproach: Forewarning
Date of Scene:	13 October 2017
Location:	Windknight's Lot <WKL>
Synopsis:	Maria Renard draws together the Elite defenders Windknight's Lot and gives them the information about Alucard she has. She points the group to Alucard's resting place, and begs them to end his reign of terror. Not all of the gathered Elites are convinced that killing him is the best idea, but all seem to agree that to get to the bottom of this, Alucard must be confronted.
Cast of Characters:	1128, 707, 1084, 571, John Rizzo, Eithne Sullivan, Jonathan Joestar
Tinyplot:	Soliloquy of Reproach

---

Alucard Tepes (1128) has posed:
    Maria had called out to the Elites that wished to assist with Windknight's Lot. She had information, she said, and could tell them more about the vampire that had attacked. She'd assured the people there that she was there to assist, and despite her incredibly SCANDALOUS outfit, they seemed to take to this well.

    Oddly enough she's chosen NOT to use the building that Eithne raised a barrier of roses around, preferring instead to go to a different building. She's picked another abandoned building entirely, one that's definitely seen better days. It's in a rough part of town, but she's filled the room with candles, so there's a warm glow all around.

    When the Elites arrive at the town, someone should be able to point them to where the young lady is. She's managed to gain the trust of the remaining townspeople, so they seem quite pleased to show the Elites where she's at. She's alone in the abandoned house's front room, but the room, as mentioned, is filled with candles, so things look bright.

    She stands against a wall, a pale, blonde-haired woman with bright green eyes. It's worthy to note that she bears more than a passing resemblance to the three girls who were attacked. She wears dark green, a reasonably decent blouse and bodice, but the snug skirt stops a few inches above her knees. White knee stockings and light gld shoes with buckles complete the look.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Don't ask Xiaomu what counts as 'scandalous'; she may technically wear more clothing than that, but it hides substantially less of her figure. But at least she didn't come in by lightcycle this trip ... at least, not through London and through the underpass-tunnel leading to Windknight's Lot proper.

En route to the rendezvous point, the sage fox takes a moment to look around Eithne's rosebush barrier, making sure that it's still intact and unintruded-upon. She had proof of how well the barrier worked last time, but she wants to make SURE it's held up since then. Once she's satisfied, she heads to the slightly un-abandoned building, rapping lightly at the door and waiting a few seconds - long enough for a reply, or a distinct and decisive absence of same - before heading in.

She's outfitted as usual: black and silver qipao, red vest, sandals, monk staff, and her equally typical devil-may-care attitude as to whose sensibilities her fashion sense may trespass against.

Seras Victoria (1084) has posed:
Seras Victoria has come wearing a non-distinct traveler's robe over her uniform, given the locale. It does little to cover the sizable semi-automatic rifle she's brought with her though, making the getup look a little ridiculous.

    The young woman's hoisting the oversized thing as if it weighed basically nothing, and anyone with basic senses for the unnatural can tell that there's something WEIRD and disconcerting about this girl who's allegedly come to help exterminate vampires.

    Namely, the fact that she's obviously undead herself to anyone with a nose for such things...

    But when she does finally arrive, Seras is slow to approach Maria. For some reason or another she's giving the intriguingly-dressed woman a quizzical, uncertain look. The police girl's eyes are filled with puzzlement upon puzzlement and briefly go glassy before she shakes her head and hurries over the rest of the way to the gathering agents...

    "S-Seras Victoria of Her Majesty's Royal Order of Protestant Knights, reporting! I heard about trouble with...."

    Seras blinks once again, double-taking at the extreme supply of candles on display here.

    She is so not used to being in older-styled places.

    ".. Vampires?"

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    The arrival of a monstrous sounding muscle car roars across the night sky as Maaka arrives, stepping out of her vehicle with purpose in her steps. She gives the townsfolk a glare as she wirelessly locks the doors, and anybody who gets too close may get a nasty shock. Not lethal, but still enough to dissuade touching. The cyborg's yellow eyes regard Maria curiously as she nods her head to the girl, then does the same to Xiaomu and Seras. "Heard you had a vampire problem. Here to fix that." She says, trying desperately not to make that sound like an indirect threat to Seras.

    "Present company excluded." Cough.

John Rizzo has posed:
The last time John Rizzo visited the small town of Windknight's Lot, he caused a bit of a commotion with his method of conveyance. This time, he's opted for a subtler approach, simply exiting his car before crossing the Warpgate and arriving by way of carriage. The horses didn't react so well to him, but the teamster took his money all the same.

     Stepping out of the carriage, he offers up a tip to the driver, and makes a few brief inquiries as to the location of this new ally. Upon arriving at the abandoned house the locals mention, he frowns, looming outside for a moment. The firelight from the front room's candles dances just outside, playing shadows across the vampire's face. The beast within him raises the hairs at the back of his neck, urging him to turn tail and run.

     Steeling himself, Rizzo enters the house and beats down those urges. "John Rizzo, private dick," he offers as an introduction. This must be the dame who dropped dime about a leech. Reaching into his trench coat, he produces a manila folder and sets it down on a nearby table. Rizzo thumps it with one hand. "Here's what I got on the leech..."

     And in the middle of that sentence, he stops, recognizing Seras from the Sturluson case. This time, he's not all bandaged up like a mummy, his senses aren't muddled by the daylight hours or the constant aching fear of sudden combustion. His eyes flicker with that recognition, and with something else. Her aura is pale, confirming what Maaka alludes to.

     She's with the Paladins--so maybe she deserves the benefit of the doubt. "Hey there. Seras, right?" He extends a hand.

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
It makes sense that Maria wouldn't want to hold a meeting in that building, since Eithne had warded it against /good/ vampires as well as the less savory sort. She can't pick and choose. That's not how it works!

    She doesn't really have the good sense to wear a long skirt (nor does she own one), but in deference to the weather she's got on a rose-themed leather jacket over a light sweater and short red tartan skirt. If a fantasy nerd decided she was going to go punk, she would probably dress like Eithne. The weirdly heavy-looking green bicycle doesn't help.

    The Scion checks on her roses too before going into the meeting place, smiling pleasedly to herself to note that they're healthy as ever and not trying to eat the locals or anything. Success!

    "Hello everybody," the dark-haired girl greets everyone before wandering over to John Rizzo's side. Seras gets an interested glance - another vampire, cool! - and an extra little wave-and-smile.

    Alexis gets the side-eye before Eithne realizes she's only talking about the bad, no-good, eating people type.

Jonathan Joestar has posed:
Some of the roses appear to have gone missing, delicately picked, Xiaomu will find. Not many, just two or three. Jonathan Joestar is waiting for everyone as well, in the same building they had been directed to so that they could converse with Maria. He sat well postured at a small table in the corner, with oil cloth and a wheat stone to assist him in the process of maintaining his sword. The blade apparently had gained some new nicks and dings rather recently...

    "Ah, everyone should be here soon, good."

Seras and John, despite their vampiric nature, receive a single nod of appreciative acknowledgement from Jonathan -- they had not yet proven to be abhorrent entities thus far, so he was willing to give them both the benefit of the doubt. "The Vampire isn't quite like the ones I've encountered before, so certainly more allies would be better." he says, generally, but more or less directed towards Alexis.

Wiping down Luck & Pluck, Jonathan takes the wheat stone to its edge to sharpen it, in the meantime.

Seras Victoria (1084) has posed:
Most of the people here, Seras has never seen before, or knows only vaguely. She never really got a chance to meet and greet with John, Maaka, or Eithne...

    And yet it's the look that Rizzo gives her that strikes out to Seras. She turns about as if sensing his eyes on her... and treating him with the same sort of uncertainty that Maria just received. "Um... w-..." Blink blink.

    Before she can compose any thoughts though, the shift to introductions drag her out of whatever thoughts were running through her head.

    "OH! Yes. Seras Victoria. Weren't you all wrapped up last time? Whatever it was, I'm glad it's cleared up!" So quickly has she shifted to genuine warm sympathy, and reaches out to shake his hand!

    jonathan's arrival does prompt her to ask him a question though. "What ARE your world's like? The Multiverse makes you rethink EVERYTHING."

Alucard Tepes (1128) has posed:
    Maria will open the door for Elites as they arrive. Xiaomu gets an odd look, between her hairtails and her outfit, but a smile nonetheless. "Thank you for coming back... your assistance is appreciated." Seras's question gets a nod, and the blonde woman explains, "Not too long ago, three girls from this town were attacked for their blood and left for dead in alleys. That they were found was all that saved them from death, and possibly unlife."

    Maaka's appearance as well gets a strange look. But she nods. "Windknight's Lot does indeed have a vampire problem." A look at Seras, and then at Rizzo. "As you say, present company excluded." The folder produced by Rizzo draws her attention, and she picks up the folder to open it and look through. The sketch of the perpetrator draws a definite reaction -- she gasps quietly, dropping the folder as if she'd just seen a ghost.

    "...It IS him..." she murmurs quietly. Her face takes on a look of extreme sadness. "Even now, I hoped that... perhaps somehow it was a mistake... that he had not..." She sighs, seeming to deflate a little. "...It was a foolish hope. My dear Adrian... Why now...?"

    She straightens her posture then as Jonathan speaks, seeming to collect herself. "Apologies to you all. This news is... distressing to me." To Jonathan, "Particularly to you, whose world he has befouled in this way." To the group at large, "But I have forgotten to introduce myself. I am Maria Renard, a vampire hunter. The vampire you seek... his name is Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes. His father is Dracula Vlad Tepes. In his -- our -- world, Dracula is the Lord of a dark castle known as 'Castlevania'. The castle itself is tied to Dracula's dark reign, and reappears whenever Dracula resurrects, which he does in my world every century under normal circumstances."

    Here she hesitates, as if not sure if she should say the next. "...I knew this vampire, when he could still call himself a man. I... loved him then. Perhaps I was a fool, and this was inevitable. He has finally fallen, given in to his darker urges. This worries me, not only for his sake, but for the sake of others. Adrian is centuries old, and has grown powerful in his centuries of life."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
There's something about Maria which catches Xiaomu's attention - nothing blatant, but the sage fox watches her quietly for a bit, in between acknowledging the other arrivals. They're pretty much all familiar faces, some more familiar than others. The look on Xiaomu's face is akin to trying to figure out a puzzle while she's ostensibly otherwise engaged ...

And when Maria introduces herself in full, the pieces start falling into place - but no sooner have they done THAT than a conversational grenade goes off, Xiaomu's stance shifting abruptly enough to make the rings on her staff jingle noticeably. "Wait a sec, hold on, hold up. Adrian Tepes? Any relation to an 'Alucard' Tepes? Or ... maybe the same person, alternative name for one reason or another?"

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    Alexis frowns. "So he went off the deep end. I'm sorry to hear that." It's a tale she's heard a dozen times, and now they have to terminate this Adrian Tepes...with EXTREME prejudice. "I'm Alexis Maaka, freelancer." She introduces, bowing her head a bit and giving a light salute-wave of her hand. "Hate to say it, but maybe you didn't know him as well as you thought." She suggests, but the emphasis is on that 'maybe'. "We'd better hunt him down, then, if he's attacking women like this."

Jonathan Joestar has posed:
Jonathan pauses in his sharpening, for a moment. That question opened up a can of mental worms he did not want to think about at that specific moment, but none the less, the thoughts that came refused to leave. After a short silence, he begins to answer. "They're monsters capable of terrifying feats. Many of them have unique abilities they develop from their own biology, Jack the Ripper restructured his new body to create organic sheathes for dozens of bladed weapons, when the Black Knight Bruford was resurrected, he turned his hair into a leech-like apparatus for draining blood, and Dio developed an ability to flash-freeze himself or others by rapidly altering his body temperature. These powers compound their existing strength and agility, as well as a nigh-infinite amount of self-recovery. The only methods I know of to defeat a Vampire are Hamon and direct exposure to Sunlight."

Soon enough, everyone had filed in. Maria began her explanation -- more or less, she started with everything she'd told him after his battle with the creature. Jonathan's head dipped in sympathy, for he knew it could not be easy for her. "Let's not be hasty, we should hear out what else she has to say --- perhaps, do you know this Tepes, Miss Xiaomu?"

Seras Victoria (1084) has posed:
It becomes increasingly clear to Seras that she is surrounded by vampire hunters. The bubbly, simple-minded enthusiasm is slowly eroding away, replaced with nervousness. MARIA introducing herself thusly gets her sucking in her breath...

    And promptly forgetting to breathe at all for the next fifteen seconds of glancing around the group.

    But then, mid-listening to the tale, a certain name is dropped and the youthful Draculina's face screws up six ways from sunday into a mixture of flabbergastion and disbelief. "What... WHAT?! His name is... Alucard...?" Her tone's gotten squeaky and shoulders have bunched up.

    Yep. THIS turn of events has her REALLY spooked. Seras jumpily fidgets in place, looking rather like she wants to run like hell now...

John Rizzo has posed:
"Severe sunlight allergy. Picked it up in '67." It was, of course, the excuse Rizzo went with the first time they met. Though his grip is firm and his shake just so, his hand is cold and clammy. That may clue her in to the true nature of his 'allergy.' "Even a little bit just..." He makes a little flourish with his free hand, like smoke rising from a fire. Hopefully, those little breadcrumbs will allow her to arrive at the right conclusion--but Rizzo has never been forthcoming with information about his condition when he can help it.

     When Maria begins explaining the nature of her relationship, the gaunt vampire's face is at first a concerned frown. The perpetrator is Dracula's kid? "Beat me to the bar," he utters in muted surprise. Dracula's a bogeyman in his neighborhood, too--a major part of history and a heavy hitter among heavy hitters. Even with most people thinking he's dead, it doesn't stop the weight of the name.

     Any vampire strong enough not to stay dead after centennial slayings is bad business, and any kid of his has to have inherited some of the family mojo. So, if the kid's gone rogue with centuries of experience under his belt, everyone here's going to have one doozy of a fight on their hands if he won't come quietly.

     But all of that is secondary to the here and now. Maria is blaming herself for someone else's actions... and losing hope. And he can't abide that. "No more of that talk, missy," he says sternly to Maria. "No one's a fool for loving somebody, you dig? Somewhere inside this cat there's still some good, and if it kills me, I'm gonna bring it back out."

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
A Paladin and a Protestant... all this tells Eithne is that Seras is likely a Christian, which matches up with what she knows about Rizzo, which makes her wonder a little bit about the Judeo-Christian mythos as it pertains to the undead. She'll have to look in her library when she gets home...

    But Maria speaks, and Eithne shelves that train of though for later. "...After centuries, though?" she murmurs, tucking a finger against her chin. The rest of it seems, well... "I don't wanna kill anybody that spent centuries bein' a good person," she frowns. "Especially if he was good enough fer a vampire /hunter/ to fall fer him." She's glad to hear John saying something similar - it makes her feel a bit less like she's probably being naive.

    But, for now... crossing the space left behind by the detective, she raises her hand at Seras...

    And very carefully pats the vampire on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Nobody's gonna stake yeh just fer bein'--" She suddenly recalls that maaaaaaaaaaaybe Seras won't want to be outed any more than John does. "Er, fer bein' here," Eithne finishes lamely.

    SEE, SHE'S LEARNING

Alucard Tepes (1128) has posed:
    The barest hint of displeasure crosses Maria's face at that name, before her expression returns to normal. "He has... called himself that, yes," she admits. "In the past, when he thought to deny his nature." Maaka's assessment gets a nod. "It... seems so, yes," she agrees. Jonathan's sympathy draws a sad smile. "Thank you for considering how this must feel for me... but I believe Miss Maaka may be correct. This... is not his first transgression, but I thought him past feeding upon humans. You see, when he still lived in the castle as a young man, his servant was a human. But he turned the poor man... cornered him in a deserted forest and drained his life..."

    Seras's reaction gets a blink. "You... seem as if you know him," she observes. "He has been in this Multiverse a goodly while. Perhaps he has made friends." Pause. "Or... I suppose they are friends no more, if he has gone this far..." Rizzo's confidence brings that sad smile again. "Thank you... but I do not think there is anything human left of him anymore. Perhaps there never was..."

    Eithne gets a similar sentiment. "After it all, now, I do not know if he ever was truly good. Perhaps he was merely biding his time. I believe that he may be aiming to take control of Dracula's castle."

    More to the group in general, she notes, "You see, now that Dracula is vanquished, there is something of a power vacuum. If Adrian wishes to install himself as the Dark Lord of Castlevania, it may prevent his father from being resurrected the next time, and instead transfer Dracula's power to him. He would then be Castlevania's Dark Lord. The attacks here may be to bolster his strength, to make certain that he can absorb all of the castle's power."

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    Alexis nods, and she thinks for a second before she pipes up. "Actually, maybe you think he wants to take over to circumvent the attacks of his dad?" She wonders, looking to Maria and Jonathan. "It'd explain why he didn't finish the job on each of the women he might've attacked, he just wants to inherit his father's castle and use that influence to hold sway over whatever legions Dracula usually commands, and prevent them from future attacks on villages."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
If it made Seras feel any more comfortable, the Chinese foxgirl is definitely not specifically a 'vampire' hunter - she deals with youkai in general, whether they're the sort who prowl in the night and suck blood from their victims, or the kind who loom out of the shadows and splatter their victims across both walls of an alley, or ... you get the idea.

(Actually, that second one doesn't quite narrow it down enough, does it?)

But more to the point, Xiaomu considers 'extermination' a last recourse, not a first option. Her job back home is, more often, to keep things from reaching the point where anyone dies or is maimed, human *or* youkai, and there's a hint of discomfort on her face as people (Maria included) talk about having to kill Adrian, AKA Alucard.

And you'd have to be looking pretty closely to see that discomfort under the puzzlement. "Okay, something is not adding up," she states, leaning lightly on her staff - just enough to press its butt down on the floor next to her. "Because last time I saw Alucard's name with the Tepes family name, it was in the Paladins' personnel updates. That means he's agreed to help operate on the side of lawful order, helping to enforce laws where applicable. And you're telling us that he's the one who attacked those three girls? If he's building up his personal reserves to take control of Castlevania - which sounds awesome if it weren't potentially an evil lair, by the way - then ... there's pieces missing, but I *can* see him doing that for reasons of keeping something worse, such as Dracula, from coming back, taking control of his old power base, and raising all manner of Hell."

Xiaomu takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly. "So where is he *now*? Keeping Castlevania out of the classic Dracula's hands sounds like a great idea, unless it would corrupt Alucard into being as bad as his old man. At least I'm presuming Dracula wasn't exactly an upstanding citizen, 'Dark Lord' is not usually a good-guys sort of title ..."

John Rizzo has posed:
John gives Enya an approving nod, both for her discretion and for her idealism.

     The matter of the castle sends him down a train of thought. There are stories among the Family of a living cathedral, a building of which Tepes himself once ran afoul. They say this building had a mind of its own. Is it possible Castlevania is the same way?

     "Yeah," he says, nodding in agreement with Alexis. He doesn't know this Adrian guy as well as Maria does, for certain, but that doesn't preclude the possibility of redemption in John's eyes. Even if she believes he's beyond saving, he's still determined to steer things away from 'terminate with extreme prejudice.'

     Xiaomu is apparently on the same track he is. "No, is ins't," he says in agreement. "What's the dope on the Dragon's cave? Thing have a mind of its own?" If it does, then either Alucard is unaware of it, or he thinks he can control it, neither of which is a comforting thought.

Seras Victoria (1084) has posed:
"A... Alucard is the name of my..." Seras hesitates rather than complete that sentence, a mixture of fear, awe, affection and dread storming around on her face all at once. Do these two Alucards have any kind of cross-world connection?

    The name Dracula did come up, after all...

    Seras comes back to her senses, and gives Jonathan a straight-on thoughtful look. The description of some weird, WEIRD vampires has her thinking hard... or so it seems.

    Rizzo's description of a sunlight allergy also would provoke a sweatdrop, if such things were real. As it is, she purses her lips. The grip's clamminess is telling enough.

    She finally inhales, steadied by Eithne getting WAY up close and personal and startling her to glance her way.

    "A-aheheheh... I don't think there's any point hiding what I am in this company! No point at ALL." The young lady squeaks out, shoulders scrunched.

    She turns back to Maria though, eyes wide and thoughtful as she churns the things that've been said over in her mind.

    "So... what evidence do we have that solidly links THIS Alucard to the attacks? Just a picture? ... Anything else? Are there any other vampires in the area? This isn't the usual sort of situation I've run into."

    Seras' gaze turns a bit glum and depressed.

Jonathan Joestar has posed:
Jonathan waits for theories to begin flying before before he speaks again, which while what he says is applicable to Alexis, he is primarily directing it to Xiaomu. "I encountered him some nights ago while patroling the town. He'd returned to one of the alleys he'd assailed previously -- as I confronted him, he was rather cavalier about what he was doing. While his behavior was certainly strange, almost emotionless, he immediately prompted for battle."

The wheat stone was placed down on the table with his sword, as Jonathan turned to fully face the exorcist and their compatriots in the candle-light. "I don't believe he was holding back much in his attempts to kill me with hemomancy, his sword, or his beastier assaults on my person."

But, he didn't have much of a referential frame for how this 'Alucard' fought. Maria's new information had been as puzzling as it had been troubling, everyone knew about Dracula's castle from the famous novel, but it seemed to carry a whole different connotation in her world. Perhaps, Jonathan surmised, there had been a real Dracula in his own, as well.

"I can't claim to know much about his intentions, but I do know it has to have been him. His visage all but perfectly matches the nightmarish memories haunting his victims. And the rumors around the Lot of people being watched by clusters of bats, fog, and even a giant wolf -- they're all true. Incarnations of this Vampire, capable of transmogrifying his body as he wishes."

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
"Centuries is a damned long time to bide, is all," Eithne shrugs. Privately, she wonders if people would be so dead-set on killing this Alucard guy if he weren't a vampire. It's like pit bulls - they're usually sweet dogs that people think are dangerous, and yet nobody bothers putting down a bite-y chihuahua. Size matters, and so do fangs, she supposes...

    "Hemomancy?" She blinks, before the word pieces itself together. "Blood magic? Don't suppose he left any of /his/ lying around...?" She's not sure just what she could do with some of Alucard's blood, but it couldn't hurt. If nothing else, it's not like she doesn't know a blood mage or two.

    Rocking back onto her heels, she just nods at Seras. "Just... thought yeh might not wanna, is all," she offers, before stepping away again to her original spot. Turning her bracelet around and around on her wrist, Eithne thinks about it all. Strange, almost emotionless...

    "Uh," she speaks up suddenly, raising her hand. "...How immune are vampires to mind control, as a rule?"

Alucard Tepes (1128) has posed:
    Maria's gaze turns to Maaka, as if such a thing had never occurred to her. "But... even so. He attacked those young women, and he may be doing such to others across the Multiverse... even if his intentions are good, it cannot be allowed to continue. If he would do this and believe it justified, the thought of him with all of Dracula's power behind him frightens me. What sort of depravities will he justify committing then?"

    Maria shakes her head to Xiaomu's words. "Adrian has not spoken to me of his dealing with the rest of the Multiverse. He does not speak of himself often, and keeps his own council. He has always been this way. But he cannot be allowed to take control of Castlevania," she notes. "If he does, yes -- the power will corrupt him even further. As Dark Lord, Dracula himself reigned over Wallachia with an iron fist, taking lives whenever he chose to feed his hunger, with no thought to the lives he shattered."

    Rizzo's question of the castle also gets an affirmative. "It does. 'A creature of Chaos', Adrian himself once called it. The castle is a black-hearted beast, and no one could control it without falling into bloodlust and evil. I say again -- even if his intentions are pure, Adrian cannot be allowed to take control of it."

    Seras is offered the picture from the manilla folder, of a black-cloaked man wearing a hood, tendrils of long, wavy, pale blond hair. "This image was drawn directly from the minds of the young women who were attacked. And Sir Joestar got a clear look at his face. It must be him."

    Jonathan's words draw a nod. "Bats, fog, and a wolf... these are things he can change himself to appear as. Sir Joestar. Whatever his goal, you are an obstacle to it. He sought to remove you from his path. Thankfully you bested him. But when he comes back, he will come back stronger." She seems fairly certain he will.

    Maria sighs at Eithne's words. "This gives me no pleasure to do," she notes. "Perhaps he has not always been so... perhaps he has only recently fallen, and those centuries he truly was a good man. But with these attacks, those poor women... I cannot let this continue." A blink then, at the question of mind control. "It depends on the vampire. Adrian himself is... remarkably strong-willed. He will be difficult to control via his mind." Though as for leaving his blood behind? She looks to Jonathan. "Has any of his blood remained from the fight?"

Jonathan Joestar has posed:
Jonathan thinks back to his battle with the vampire, strangely resistant as he'd been to Hamon. "Yes, there should still be some blood left -- albeit, in the area we battled one another."

Maria's supposition made just as much sense as it didn't. He could see why she'd draw that conclusion, but he wasn't positive that was the case. He wouldn't say that the vampire had been surprised by Jonathan's appearance, per se, but it was almost certainly unintended. That was the impression he got.

None the less, he had no proof of such, so he said nothing. He merely put his hand to his chin in thought, clasping onto it.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Eithne's right," comments Xiaomu. "You don't hide your true nature for centuries without one of two things happening: either you slip up and give away what you're like behind the mask ... or you grow *into* the role you've been playing, and the act becomes reality. Buddhist lore is full of the latter - everyone can become better than they were, whether they were a human, a wolf, or even an ashura. And besides, Mr. 'Allergic to Sunlight' over there has been a huge help not just in *this* investigation but another one we've worked together on ... and of course, Seras's heart is so much in the right place, a stake would bounce off it at least twice *if* somebody tried to put it through her."

She also asides to Eithne, "'Hemomancy' is blood manipulation, yeah. Maybe magical, maybe not as much, but. And Johnny -"

Yes, she just called Jonathan Joestar 'Johnny' to his face. Something may happen as a result of that.

"- how sure are you Alucard would have killed you if he'd had enough of a chance? Did you actually fight back so hard that he couldn't leave as many marks as he wanted to, or was it just not worth the effort this week?"

As for Maria's additional information on the Castle of Vania itself ... Xiaomu purses her lips. "Well, seems to me that before we resort to killing Tepes Jr., we should look into a combined exorcism/demolition operation on the castle itself. Shinra's weapons division is pretty good at applying magical amplification to explosives, my grenades are imbued with fire magic so that what the mundane heat, blast, and frag don't necessarily dig into, raw elemental flames *tend* to make up the difference, even on tough youkai. So instead of taking out the heir apparent, we could eliminate the root of the problem ... and let's face it, if Castlevania is as big, bad, and full of nasty as you're saying? Killing Alucard just means it has to look for ANOTHER heir, and then we're back at square one."

Seras Victoria (1084) has posed:
Seras once again is struck breathless-in-a-sense as she's handed the photo. That face...

    It's not the same, but there's plenty of similarities. She's simply mesmerized looking at it, if only briefly.

    "... I don't know what to make of this. Something's missing. There's two possibilities, looking at this evidence. Either it's as you say and this Alucard has gone full monster... or some other /vampire/ is impersonating him to lure you into taking action. Be... because, if it WAS him, and things happened like you said.. why would he be doing these things here? So brazenly? ... Though... in either case... we need to find this Alucard and get to the bottom of it before someone else is attacked!"

    THAT is a point Seras is very firm about. She's doubtful of the situation, but definitely not about protecting ordinary folk.

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    "Not saying we shouldn't stop him." Maaka nods. "Just spitballing thoughts, I guess. Gotta be some reason he's doing this, if it's him after all." SHe stares at the photo, taking note of the vampire's features. "...yeah, that's a possibility. Do you think he was like this before he went crazy?" She asks Maria directly, eyebrow cocked. "I mean, from what you say, this is way out of character for the bloke."

John Rizzo has posed:
"Depends on the vampire, yeah." John's response to Enya is given frankly, because Seras was honest enough to reveal her nature. Given that his was already known by everyone save for perhaps Maria, he'd be remiss if he didn't offer up some of his own experience. "And as vampires go, it's a question of lineage, willpower, or both. No real rule of thumb to go by."

     Maria confirms his concerns, and once again, Xiaomu is on the same track he is. When Seras states something is missing, he chimes in. "The attacks weren't just a trip for biscuits," he solemnly states. "He didn't want those girls dead, and he didn't want their blood. He wanted 'em scared. When I tried to ease their minds, I felt something in there getting hot under the collar about it. You ask me, I think he's trying to make a pitch to the castle, get it to pop up."

     "And if he is, then Xiaomu's got the right idea. We knock the joint over before Alucard gets his mitts on it, and hopefully, everybody's happy. No more castle, no more evil, no more Knight Templar vampires. Ring-a-ding-ding."

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
Something just doesn't seem right about this. Eithne can see why Jonathan would be all about killing this Alucard guy. But... How can Maria be okay with killing him? As difficult as it could be for her... is this just the woman being responsible?

    If this is how 'love' is, Eithne supposed she'll never understand it.

    "Well, if that's all there is to it," she nods, and goes to the door to call for someone named 'Shiela'.

Jonathan Joestar has posed:
"He tried to cut my head off with a sword. He also tried to tear my throat out as a wolf, and drain my life force with magic. I beg pardon, Miss Xiaomu, but I'm very certain you would not do such things if you were not trying with much of your might to kill a man."

Destroying the castle sounds .. well, he wouldn't want to call it impossible. Perhaps improbable, given its magical nature and fortification. But, if it could save the humanity of a vampire, perhaps it was worth looking into, even if he didn't put much stock into it. " --- regardless, if a way to destroy this Castlevania exists, it is in everyone's best interest to do so, even if it may or may not solve the crisis at hand. I believe it is worth trying."

Ah, if only Straizo, Dire and Tom Petty were around .... he could use their assistance right about now. But, he still had not located them in all the folds of the multiverse.

Alucard Tepes (1128) has posed:
    Maria levels a look at Jonathan. It's a look of suspicion, a searching look. She's looking for what he's thinking. But either she finds nothing there or she doesn't wish to bring it up just yet. Xiaomu's suggestion draws her back, though. But she shakes her head. "The castle disappears each time Dracula is defeated. Even the foundations do not remain -- it disappears from this plane of existence. The Dark Lord must be its connection to this plane."

    Maria notes to Seras, "His brazenness is because he simply does not care anymore. If he has become a monster, he cannot care about the lives he disrupts. Or those he ends. His battle with Sir Joestar, everything about that battle, were his hallmarks. Maaka's words get a blink. "Did he resemble this before? Yes. And it would be out of character for him... but I believe his urges have grown too strong for him to resist. His bloodline is arguably of the most powerful vampires in our world. But for power there must always be a trade. His is a stronger urge for blood than others of weaker lineage."

    Rizzo's words get a tilted head. "All he would need to do is go to the site of the castle and claim his lineage," she replies. "The castle only reappears when it has a Dark Lord, thus why it returns when Dracula rises again. He need only claim himself its Lord. This is why it is so important that we... deal with him."

    Eithne gets a pained look. "It... must be. Whether he has given into to his nature or whether he seeks to claim the castle, it cannot be allowed..."

    Jonathan's words get a nod. "It does sound like that which he relies upon when he wishes to destroy a thing," she confirms. "He has done similarly through the halls of the castle to face his father before..."

John Rizzo has posed:
So, there /is/ something missing. If the castle is that easy to summon, why is Alucard trying to spread fear? And if the castle literally disappears from existence, then destroying it is going to take the kind of mojo he can't even wrap his head around, if it can even be done at all.

     But the question of his motivation is painfully obvious. Why didn't he see it before? The older a vampire is, the more potent his blood, the stronger the thirst becomes. Alucard's been around for /centuries./ "Methuselah's hunger," he says knowingly. Sadly. His haunting gaze falls slowly to the floor.

     It's something many vampires go through in many a different world. Something he himself often worries and frets over, as the years go by. But can he in good conscience consign Alucard to Final Death just for being old? He runs a hand through his messy red hair. "Murder," he says--not as an accusation, but an exclamation of disbelief.

     Maybe it's simply the fate of vampires, God's way of telling them it's time to take their last step into the sunlight. And if Alucard is resisting that message, perhaps some encouragement is needed. But can he be the one to levy that judgement? He realizes that he's pacing back and forth, and stops himself only to offer his thoughts on the matter.

     "Okay." Sigh. "If we have to 'stop' him I'll help you, but I'm not going to be party to a killing. My strength is not for hurting--and if there's any way on God's green earth we take him in peaceful-like, you can bet your bottom dollar, or shilling," he says to Joestar--that's what they use in jolly old England, right? "That's what I'm gonna shoot for. Capisce?"

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
It seems weird. Outside, Eithne waits impatiently for a black shape to descend from the sky, fussing quietly at Sheela when he finally lands on top of her head. "Listen. Stay quiet an' there's eyeballs in it fer yeh. All right? Just pay attention."

    While Sheela can't be trusted to behave himself for Eithne's sake, he'll do tricks for bits of offal... including, it seems, listening quietly.

    Soon enough, Eithne comes back inside, carrying a crow in her arms. "Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, let's have that paper..." The Scion picks up the drawing from the manila envelope and shows it to her pet, murmuring to him. "Look, just watch... this guy's a... fog, y'know?"

    If the only other options are blasting right through the castle or beheading the poor, pretty son of a bitch... Eithne will see for herself just what kind of person this 'Alucard' is. In the meantime, she looks over at Rizzo as he repeats a familiar litany.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"So if Alucard needs to lure the castle back into existence," Xiaomu muses, "assuming that *IS* what he's after ... and we're not dealing with an imposter who's trying to kill two birds with one stone ..." She trails off there, nodding to Jonathan, and pulls out her smartphone. A moment later, she's managed to locate the Paladins dossier photo of Alucard, and holds it for Jonathan to look at. (It's just the photo, no other information on the screen.) "Are you sure this is the guy who was trying to kill you?"

At least she's not arguing THAT point. That was, indeed, a pretty convincing argument that it was a legit attempt on Joestar's life, not just a played-up act.

"Anyway. All this means, about Castlevania not existing unless it has a lord and master, means that we have to let it manifest, THEN invade and make with the demolitions and exorcisms. We *may* be racing the clock before Alucard can get to its throne room and put on whatever crown of evil and corruption befits his title, but ... worst-case scenario, we split our forces and have some of them slow him down while the rest of us are setting bombs and the like."

She looks at Maria again. "You said you're a vampire hunter. Did you ever go after Dracula himself?"

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    Maaka rubs her chin, considering. If they're gonna be going to hunt a vampire, she's gonna need the right tools for the job. "One more thing, Maria. I'm gonna need some improvements to my hardware. Holy water, garlic, silver, that kinda thing. I imagine you'd know where to look, for starters. Or at least I hope so. I've got the ammo and weapons, I just need to find the materials to bless it and all." Xiaomu meanwhile provides the bigger question. She knows enough about Dracula broadly to know he's no small fry, taking on his son is gonna be a bitch.

Seras Victoria (1084) has posed:
Once again Seras Victoria's bubbliness seems to have been swallowed up with a strange sort of haunted look fixed on Maria... though it doesn't last for too long. Something has bothered her tonight. Something's bothered her a lot.

    She's starting to grit her teeth... to the point that fangs peek between her lips when she purses them again.

    "If you're so sure. I guess we'll find out hen we run into him." Yeah, Seras seems to be turning a bit childishly obstinate....

Alucard Tepes (1128) has posed:
    Maria nods to Rizzo. "I suspect such a thing will not be possible," she notes, of there being a peaceful solution. "But if you find one..." She trails off here, as if... well, as if she honestly has no idea how to continue the sentiment. She even turns her gaze to the side again, as if she's searching her memory for something. But ultimately she leaves the sentiment unsaid.

    Eithne's crow gets a blink from Maria. But she actually smiles at the bird. She seems not put off by it in the slightest. Xiaomu's words get a frown. "I hope we can stop him before that. The castle caters to its Lord, and attacks all others who approach." As for the question? "I have, in search of my brother, who was hypnotized into acting as the castle's Lord for a time."

    Maaka's suggestion gets a nod. "There are trees to make stakes from in my world. And there is a priest there. He will gladly provide you with holy water. The people of Wallachia have long been suspicious of Adrian; you need only tell him you are pursuing him and the priest will provide you with whatever you need." Maria looks to Seras, and frowns. It's a worried look. "Please... I will give you what you need to find him. But do not place yourself in undue danger if he cannot be saved. I do not wish any of you to fall to him, and your blood grant him greater power."

    Maria reaches into her bag and draws out a scroll. This she unrolls on a table. It's a map of a country with a large lake to the north, and much of the remaining country covered by forest. A town is marked along a road that leads to the lake. But it's to a particular point on the map, in an open forest with little around it, that she points. It looks like there's a building there, but it's a single, small, solitary building.

    "This is his sanctuary," she explains. "He sleeps here; doubtless this is where he returned to after his battle with Sir Joestar, to recover. He will be weakest if you can catch him as he rises; he will need blood to recover the strength sapped in healing himself, and will have little in the way of strength to battle. Particularly against Sir Joestar's power, or the other anti-vampire measures you have all mentioned."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu looks over the map, switching her smartphone over to camera mode so she can snap a few photos of it for future reference (in case she DOESN'T have the scroll). "I've got long experience at keeping my blood out of the hands, mouths, or other parts of people who want it for their own nefarious purposes," she comments casually, "and with the advantage of numbers, I'm pretty sure we can fend him off long enough to lock him up again - or, if we really have to kill him, then doing that. But I still think it's a matter of taking Castlevania out of play - and if we need Alucard to help us do that, which it potentially sounds like, then we play to that end as best we can. So ... yeah, I still consider 'killing Alucard' to be the last resort."

She puts her phone away again. "Hopefully we'll be able to get straight enough answers out of him that we can get his help with whatever we need to do next."

Eithne Sullivan has posed:
Sheela seems content enough (for now) to sit quietly in his mistress's arms. Eithne quite frankly expects him to start pitching a fit any minute now, so she's going to try to make sure he has all he needs to know before she turns him loose. "See, that little building there," she murmurs to him.

    "Right, then," she says to the bipedal crew. "Let's go ask this fella what he's on about, yeah?"

    And then, because Xiaomu had a really good idea, she fumbles out her phone and takes a picture of the map too. She can't trust Sheela to navigate for both of them!

Alexis Maaka (571) has posed:
    Alexis folds her arms, popping her neck as she snaps photos of the map promptly. Can't help to get navigation after all, right? "Let's." She says calmly, taking stock. She'll need stakes, blessed ammo (Which Xiaomu has offered to provide), maybe garlic, all things you need to go on a vampire slaying trip. She hopes she doesn't need to use it, but one can't be too careful with this Alucard fellow.

Jonathan Joestar has posed:
Jonathan takes a good look at the map as well, frowning slightly. Locking him up? If he was that far gone, he'd be better off annihilated -- as cold as he knew that was, it was the truth. It would only be a matter of time until the monster roamed free again, and lives were lost. Even so, he was fairly sure that they'd have no choice but to destroy him if their encounter several nights prior were anything to go by.

The sound of Luck & Pluck returning to its sheath; a well maintained black trimmed with purple and embroidered with the symbol of a snake eating its own tail, reverberated through the room. It certainly looked like a weapon meant for royalty. "We should be most careful, even if we make it there by daylight, we're still sieging the lair of a Vampire. If he has any followers.."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"If he has followers," Xiaomu points out to Jonathan, "then most likely he's further gone than I thought, and our priorities shift accordingly."

John Rizzo has posed:
Other folks have committed the map to memory, so John doesn't feel the need to. Malkavians were never the muscle of his world, and it's just as true here. His faith, however, could prove useful, as could his outlook. Perhaps Alucard thinks he can control the castle for the greater good, or perhaps he's just lost his way, but Rizzo hopes beyond hope the elder vampire can still be reasoned with, or at least brought in and not put down like a dog.

     Xiaomu's comment earns her a frown, but he holds his tongue. They can burn that bridge when they get to it. For now, he's off to the local undertaker to get fitted for a Chicago overcoat. It just won't do to be caught outside in the daylight with the possibility of these folks throwing lead.

Alucard Tepes (1128) has posed:
    Maria looks a bit discomforted by Xiaomu's words. In fact, is that a frisson of anger that skitters over her features, so quickly it's hard to tell if it was ever there to begin with. "If... if you must. But please take care. If he has abandoned reason, there will be no other recourse." As Xiaomu, Eithne, and Maaka begin to take pictures of the map, Maria holds the ends of the scroll to keep it from rolling up.

    Jonathan's words draw a nod. "You may be the only one who understands, Sir Joestar," she replies. "You have seen what Adrian is capable of, you know his strength. If you had not fought with all your power, he might have killed you, and you would now be one of his servants yourself. Please, if the others cannot finish him, you must strike the last blow. You are a true knight, Sir Joestar, whether you have the title or not. Do Adrian the honor of having a true knight end him."

    Perhaps Maria notices Rizzo's frown, so she addresses him gently, "...I am sorry. This must be uncomfortable. Perhaps it feels as though you look through a mirror at yourself in the future, and would like others to give you a chance as well. But ask yourself -- if you became a monster, if you began to drain the life from all those around you as easily as a man would eat from his plate... would the you as you are now not wish for someone to stop that you? The Adrian I know -- the one I knew -- would not want himself to be allowed to continue on like this, like nothing more than a beast."