9037/The Princess and the Popular...Vampire

The Princess and the Popular...Vampire
Date of Scene:	05 September 2025
Location:	Spring - Movie Theater
Synopsis:	Sarracenia tries to make the saddest vampire less sad and possibly makes him moreso.
Cast of Characters:	Sarracenia, Alexis, 7373, 7620

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Sarracenia has posed:
     After finding out that Alucard had never been to a movie, or perhaps any sort of theatrical production, Sarracenia set out immediately to find a proper movie theater and invited him along with a few of her close friend!

     She texts the directions to them, but is prepared to pick Alucard up herself in the Dyna if he has trouble using the GPS. The directions take them to a large theater chain called 'Cinergy', a theater with everything from movies to an arcade to a climbing wall to an overhead obstacle course.

     And of course proper movie food! Since they will be in fairly close quarters Sarra has opted for a less bulky dress. It is more of a standard sun dress (in red of course), though she retains her crown, her long black gloves, and has on black leggings and an undershirt to keep from showing an indecent amount of skin...or any really other than her face and just a bit of her arms.

     It also shows that the princess actually wears heels! Red slippers with an inch or so of heel. She waits just inside the doors for the others to arrive.

Alexis has posed:
    She did invite friends so it shouldn't be too much of a shock that Alexis is one of those to arrive. Really the only reason she didn't just arrive with the Princess is that she had gone back to her ranch to check on things earlier in the day.

    Though the first thing she does is sigh and rub her brow a bit upon seeing the main sigh. "I should groan at that name but it -is- clever, even if horribly dorky." But it's not important and pretty much put aside after that. "Hello Sarra."

    There's a pause, a little movement, another pause as she doesn't quite raise her arms. Not entirely sure if it would be considered 'proper' to hug her friend in greeting in public or not. Ugh, why does things like this always have to get a little more complicated just because royalty is involved.

Aidan Proudpick (7373) has posed:
Okay, this isn't a date, right? She wouldn't invite him if it was a date with Alucard. He should look good, but less good than Sarracenia. Enough to show she hangs out with well dressed people, but not enough to upstage her. So, Aidan wears a pink button up shirt tucked into slacks that have been rolled up to be fashionable. No touch up to his eyes, a light saddle bag over one shoulder.

A smile at Sarracenia and Alexis. "Hey there!" Aidan is already up to giving Sarra a shoulder side hug. Friendly, but brief, before he lets go and looks around the massive theater. "I usually listen to radio stories and books, this place is huge!" His tail is flicking back and forth at the tip as he surveys the area. The blinking lights of the arcade draw his eyes. As well as the climbing wall. Flick flick flick!

Alucard (7620) has posed:
Alucard is, at least, getting used to navigating the multiverse. While he may not be an expert on using the camera of his device, he quickly learned how to use the maps app. After all, he does walk. A lot. It's a lot less noticable for a weird pale guy to be hoofing it than for a massive white wolf or a bat the size of a medium dog going around. Though, given the way the multiverse works, it's probably not that weird.

Luckily for everyone, the dhampir doesn't arrive too long after everyone else. His long strides eat ground, and his boots thud on the concrete. He is pretty much dressed as always, save that his sword is nowhere to be seen, and his coat is draped over his forearm. The top of his massive, angry red scar is visible through the loosened laces of his shirt.

When he arrives, he delivers a courtly, but shallow bow to Sarracenia. "Your Highness," he says in his usual soft-spoken rumble. Straightening, he inclines his head to Aidan. "Master Proudpick." Finally, he nods genteelly at Alexis. The one person he hasn't met. "Miss."

He is, as always unfailingly polite. Emotionally muted, but polite.

He looks up at the sign, golden eyes glittering in the light like old coins. "Is ... that a pun?"

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarra giggles when Alexis groans at the name. "Indeed!" she agrees. She blinks then cheekpuffs a bit when Alexis balks at hugging her in public, then with a huff she hugs Alexis full on and smirks. "I think I should be insulted~" she teases her friend.

     Aidan appears...wearing pink. Sarra's most hated color. She looks at the shirt a moment with a slight mmph before she is side-hugged. She hugs back and smiles. "Hello Aidan! It is indeed a huge theater. They have most everything one could want in casual entertainment!" she says, then gestures to Alexis. "Aidan, this is Alexis! She has been my friend for many years, but keeps out of Multiversal affairs for the most part. Alexis, this is Aidan! I am sure you have heard plenty about him by now, for good or ill. He and I have come to be quite close! I am considering knighting him for his support."

     Alucard arrives, and Sarra curtseys in return to his bow. "Alexis." she adds after the 'Miss'. She then looks up at the name of the theater and giggles. "Yes, it is." she says.

     While it is definitely not a date since she invited friends, Sarra still wraps her arm around Alucard's so he can escort her. Which is more like her gently but firmly dragging him around. "So! I have lined up a movie to be played specifically for us. It is called the Frost Princess. It has rather high reviews!"

     She guides the group toward the food line. "And this establishment will deliver our snacks right to our seats!" She says as she heads toward the ticket kiosk. There is not even a ticket person, just a machine. The princess swipes her card and starts selecting seats. She did not really ask if everyone was alright with that movie, though.

Alexis has posed:
    Well Sarra solves the matter herself and once that's that Alexis is all too happy to hug her back. "Look, I'm still getting use to the social quibbles of being the BFF Lady-In-Waiting," she replies with a laugh.

    "Yeah, name's Alexis," she confirms Sarra answering for her. "And yeah, yeah it is." The guy can appreciate a good wordplay.

    Not her typical type of movie, but she's here with Sarracenia so it's to be expected. She already prepared herself for that matter. "Frost Princess? Sounds like it will be a very... ice movie."

    Of course Aidan also gets a nod and smile. "Good to see you again too squirrely." Always good knowing Sarra has managed to make more friends than the few she already knows of. Alexis can't be around all the time.

Aidan Proudpick (7373) has posed:
Master?! He flashes a bright smile, "Master Alucard, it's good to see you-" getting out of the castle? Socializing? Not drinking an entire bottle of wine at a time? "here!"

He spies Sarra's look, then down at his shirt, "What? I'm not wearing a dress this time." He flashes her an easy smile, then looks over at Alexis, "Oh, we met when you were having ice cream. Hello!"

"I am considering knighting him for his support."

"Woah, woah. No knighting. I'm not going back on my word. Even if it was a promise to Lilian, I made that promise to Kale, too. I ain't going back on my word to him. But I appreciate it."

He watches Sarracenia start DRAGGING Alucard forward and his grin brightens. That man is doomed.

"I'll take one small popcorn. And... hurricanes, there is only sugar and meat here. Just the popcorn and a small drink. With fake butter!"

"Ice movie."

Aidan snorts as he is pressing soda from the machine into his glass. "What kinda movie is it?"

Alucard (7620) has posed:
"Miss Alexis," the dhampir says, smiling slightly. The expression seems to soften the pall that seems to be over him most of the time. "I am Alucard of Wallachia," he says. "A pleasure." Aidan starts giving him a hard time, and Alucard looks at him, eyes narrowing slightly. In this moment, they resemble nothing so much as a hunting wolf. It doesn't last long, because Sarra decides that he is her escort, and he immediately, almost reflexively, goes into high society mode.

He lets her lead, as he is entirely out of his element. He's still not used to how -loud- everything is. Ostia and the Isles are at least similar enough to his home. Horses and carts. Peaceful countryside. These modern cities are noisy and overwhelming. Being inside a building is almost worse. The crowd with the echo. He bears his discomfort with his usual stoicism, but he does briefly tense at a particularly loud shout of a child in the arcade.

He draws a slow breath as he's drawn to the food line, and he just stares. His head tilts slightly, like a curious animal. "I have read about this 'corn'. A product of the New World. Fascinating."

Remember, he's from a place where it is the Year Of Their Lord 1477. Europe doesn't even have POTATOES yet.

He is, after all, just along for the ride. He does his best not to think that this whole event was, more or less, set up for his benefit. That's a path to spiralling. He does not need to do that here. Not today. "I am sure it will be ... enlightening."

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarra laughs with Alexis and a little extra squeeze in the hug. "Well, get used to it. I do not require my friends to use proper titles or follow royal protocol." she says.

     Aidan asks about her glance, and Sarra sighs. "It is just...pink is the color of choice of that Princess Peach." she says, clearly not a fan of that princess. Aidan denies even being considered for knighthood, which causes Sarra to huff. "You promised you would never become a knight? Even for legitimate reasons? That seems...overly punitive. You should not give up on your dreams just because you made a few mistakes. But, I suppose if you did actually promise that..."

     It is not until Aidan snorts that Sarra realizes that Alexis made a pun. "Oh! An ice movie! I see!" Sarra giggles after that.

     When it is Sarra's turn at the counter, she orders fried mushrooms and fried mozzarella sticks along with a large orange soda. And naturally she pays for everyone.

     The event was set up for Alucard's benefit, but not because he is sad! "Not merely corn, but popcorn! I will get you some of that, and..." She pauses a moment, then looks at Aidan with a softly apologetic look, before turning back to the counter. "...a meat-lovers pizza. Medium. For the group."

     With that done, Sarra is given a receipt, then she continues pulling Alucard along with a cheerful smile. "It will be very enlightening! And entertaining!" she says.

     She gives enough time for Alexis to order of course before paying, then heads for the theater. Curiously no food is given out right away except the popcorn. She hands out tickets as they go with the seats planned out: Alucard, Sarra, Alexis, Aidan. Sarra has to be the center of attention, after all.

     Which turns out not to matter much because the theater...is empty except for the four of them. Sarra apparently paid to have the entire thing reserved. Their seats are in the very middle of the theater where the sound and picture are both at their clearest. Sarra is practically vibrating with excitement, both at the movie and at sharing such a first time experience!

     The lights soon dim, and pre-movie ads start playing. An action adventure about a loving husband who is secretly a spy, an irreverent zombie movie (which causes Sarra to cover her eyes at the more gruesome parts of the ad), and of course a tear jerking romance ad.

Alexis has posed:
    Soda, check. Popcorn, check. One of those large boxes of chocolate covered mint you can only ever find at theaters, check. Once she's got everything she'll need for snacks requested she follows the group into the theater proper. Accepting her ticket along the way.

Though she raises a brow at how empty the theater is. Almost, almost makes a crack about the film's popularity... Then remembers that Sarra set this up, so this is probably intentional.

Especially when they get to the actual sits. "Oh hell yeah, best row in the theater!" Eagerly she plunks down in her seat. "Close enough to see clearly, far enough back you don't have to crane your neck up for three hours."

She must be including the pre-movie trailers in that time estimate. Maybe. You never know, some of those 'date' flicks run extra long for... reasons.

Aidan Proudpick (7373) has posed:
Alucard's eyes flash at him. It makes him lean back, holding up his hands, his smile sheepish. But he smiles through it. There is no real fear in those eyes in return.
"But, I suppose if you did actually promise that..."

"I wouldn't be much of a knight if I broke my vow, would I? Don't worry. The whole point of being a knight was being better than the Gale Empire. Better than Kale. And that dream was childish." His tone shifts to a quiet sadness, "I shoulda wanted to help him, not watch him fall in the dirt." He takes up his popcorn, "For now, I'm just Aidan Proudpick."

A grin slides up at the order of meat pizza. "Don't worry about it, Sarra." He holds up his own popcorn. "I'm covered. And I brought walnuts if I get hungry."

Aidan blinks twice as he enters the theater, eyes quickly adjusting to the dark. He looks up and down the aisles, "Huh, must be a slow day. I wonder where everyone is." He settles into the seat, having to take a bit of time to secure his tail in just the right position. "Ooh, a spy husband. Walking around on secret projects and then coming back home to a loving partner?" He runs that through his head, yes he would like to be the spy in that case, nodding to himself.

"Wait, we just sit still here for three hours?" Aidan says, in agony.

Alucard (7620) has posed:
"Fascinating," is all the half-vampire truly has to say about popcorn. He peers curiously at it as the princess leads him, and thereby the rest of the group, into the empty theater. He immediately understands how this place works on a physical level. Acoustics are acoustics.

He pays close attention to the seat metrics. How to navigate the narrow walkway and operate the seat. When it's his turn, he moves smoothly down the aisle and into his seat. He does drape his coat on the empty seat next to him, so he picks up on 'This place is just for us' fairly quickly.

The idle chatter about Lillian makes him frown. "Miss Rook is ... far too self-important. And her .... enabling of Miss Soraka is going to end in tragedy."

He knows about ending in tragedy.

He goes quiet, poking at his popcorn as the previews begin to roll. He squints at the zombie movie, saying in an incredulous whisper, "That is not how zombies work."

Sarracenia has posed:
     'Best row in the theater!'

     Sarra giggles and smirks haughtily. "Naturally~ It is me, after all." she says, then laughs as Alexis plunks down so comfortably. Which is understandable since the seats are just shy of being living room recliners.

     'I wouldn't be much of a knight if I broke my vow, would I?'

     Sarra hmphs. "...or a hero." she admits begrudgingly. When Aidan talks about how he should have wanted to help, Sarra is the one to look a bit contemplative. "...help him..." she says quietly. She did not want to help Kale either. She does not want to help Lilian or Angela. She huffs, but this time mostly at herself. She smiles though as Aidan says he is covered.

     Then giggles as he says it is a slow day. "No, silly! I reserved it so we would have the best experience!"

     The spy husband is shown to land in trouble when his wife learns he is living a secret double life, but she does not learn just what that life is and starts snooping. Surely that will not lead to dramatic danger!

     Lilian's name is actually mentioned, and Sarra shushes the group. "That is enough talk about such dreary subjects!" she says seriously, then smiles. "We are here to enjoy ourselves~! If you have not enjoyed yourself by the end of the evening I will consider this a failure on my part!"

     Alucard does not check on Sarra when she hides her face from the zombies. This will affect his hero score. Minus points! And she raises an eyebrow in curiousity when he says that is not how they work. "Really? In my experience that is not far off."

     With the previews over the movie starts. It turns out not to be a heavily romantic dating movie, but a romantic adventure movie. It starts with a lonely crown princess who has lost her parents and is struggling to contain her anxiety...and her ice powers. Though she and her sister have fun with those powers, one day in an outburst the crown princess accidentally freezes her younger sister.

     The crown princess closes herself and the castle off after that, not talking to her sister or much of anyone until the day of her coronation. At which point the movie turns out to be a musical as the younger sister is swept off her feet by a dashing prince! The older sister too encounters a prince who seeks to get to know her, but the stress of the coronation, the courting attempts, and her sister's innocent desire to see the world result in the new queen freezing her entire nation on accident before fleeing for fear of hurting more people.

Alexis has posed:
Alexis chuckles a little. "Usually not." She agrees with Alucard. She's been around, she's had to fight zombies on a few occassions. "But the Multiverse is full of weird shit, there's probably somewhere out there a world where it does work like that." She gives Sarra a light nudge after the trailer. "It's over now."

So now they get to the actual movie. And it's actually not as all sappy as she was expecting.

"Huh. Power incontinence. That's one literal cold shoulder." Popcorn munch.

Aidan Proudpick (7373) has posed:
Aidan groans. He didn't want to start this argument about Lilian. But Sarra is quick to push it away, getting a smile from Aidan. He then blinks, "You can just reserve theaters?" The concept of how much money that would actually take flies over his head. He glances around him, then shrugs. What, it probably costs... a hundred bucks to do that? Too rich for Aidan, but Sarracenia has a little bit of money to throw around. "You didn't have to do that, part of the fun is being around other people, yanno?"

An expert on romantic fake stories, Aidan leans over, "So the prince just has to warm the heart and earn the trust, teaching the prince- ess to be more open?"

Alucard (7620) has posed:
Alucard did fail to check on Sarra in her moment of ... disgust? Fear? That costs him points. Half of the reason is that he didn't think it was that bad, but his threshold for gore is, at this point, immense. The other half is that this is his first time seeing moving pictures. It's like magic, but it's clearly not. It's almost transfixing, save for his jibe about the zombies.

He'll make up the hero points later. Maybe.

When the movie starts, he remains silent. His attention is fixated on the movie. The tale seems to get to him. He knows isolation, being different. Running away from everything after hurting someone you love. The story beats are different, but the themes hit home. They hit hard.

He's holding himself together for the moment.

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarra peeks out of her fingers when Alexis points out the gore is over, then lets out a sigh of relief. "I hit a zombie with my hammer once. It was..." She doesn't finish the though, instead just lets it hang in the air and shivers. "...I took a bath for an entire day."

     Alexis agrees with Alucard about zombies, and Sarra huffs softly. "Well...I suppose a single bite might be unrealistic."

     'That's one literal cold shoulder.' Sarra groans at Alexis's pun, then giggles.

     'You can just reserve theaters? You didn't have to do that, part of the fun is being around other people, yanno?'

     Sarra hmphs softly. "Perhaps, but for a first time ever watching a movie I would hate to have gotten a group of hecklers or someone on their phone the entire time or something."

     The almost queen's prince, Eric, and the younger princess, Anya, both chase after the queen, Aurora. Anya's prince, Ashton, stays behind to keep an eye on the kingdom of Flowerdale for them. The two intrepid adventurers soon find themselves at the mercy of an arctic winter without proper clothing or equipment and are saved by a passing woodsman named Arlen with a large moose pulling his sled.

     Arlen properly equips them and shelters them for the night after an evening filled with the younger princess and the woodsman getting on each others nerves in a manner that points fairly transparently toward them having chemistry while Prince Eric laments how Aurora seemed so lonely and how he hopes to bring some light into her life. In the morning the three of them set out to find Aurora again.

     'So the prince just has to warm the heart and earn the trust, teaching the prince- ess to be more open?'

     "SHHH!" Sarra hushes Aidan urgently. "No spoilers!" she adds, then goes back to watching with rapt attention. "...but there is usually more to it than just that."

     Sarra notices how quiet Alucard is, and reaches a hand over to place it on his arm. She did not realize the movie's themes or that they would hit so close to home for Alucard.

Sarracenia has posed:

     The group eventually finds the lost older princess, who has apparently built herself a lovely ice castle prison. The group approaches, but once again the stress and fear proves to be too much and Aurora lashes out with her powers unintentionally. The younger princess is hit with magical frost, and the woodsman has to take her from the ice castle to find help. Prince Eric is left alone with Princess Aurora.

     Aurora's powers conjure a large monster of snow and ice, which Eric fends off while delving deep into Aurora's issues at the same time. He learns just what has led to Aurora's fear, and manages to reach her. He takes her hand and holds it tight, and with earnest promises and a long gaze into her eyes he manages to calm her, kindling the slightest ember of hope in the otherwise despairing older princess.

     It is at this moment that the food conveniently arrives. Pizza, fried mushrooms and mozzarella for all who want any.

Alexis has posed:
Alexis is watching the movie with a fair amount of interest. Nothing hitting so personal as Alucard... but she's had to deal with Pokemon having to learn to better control their abilities after nearly causing undue harm under some circumstances.

It happens when you train and eventually purify a Shadow Pokemon.

"Better than I expected," she murmurs. Oh, pizza, actual food. For as much as theater faire counts as 'actual' food. But even bad pizza is still pizza which is still good.

Alucard (7620) has posed:
The movie continues, and Alucard just ... keeps feeling a resonance. The fear of being alone permeates the film. The war that feeling has with the desire to protect those you care about. He knows this. This is his life, more or less.

He did not expect this to be ... like this. He didn't expect to be brought to a movie that made him feel like this. He merely expected fascination and wonder at the moving pictures on the screen, marveling at how real things look.

Another feeling twists in his guts at the budding realization of romance on the screen. Envy. Thoughts of Trevor and Sypha flit through his mind. He forces them away. Thoughts of the two he was teaching, how nice that was, then--

Pizza.

He shakes his head, banishing the dark thoughts. He peers at the unfamiliar food, distracted from the bleak prison of his thoughts. Elegant, almost dainty, fingers reach for a fried mushroom.

Aidan Proudpick (7373) has posed:
Aidan watches as rapt as Sarracenia, tail twitching erratically. As the final moments of kindling warmth come across the screen, Aidan is devouring a full handful of popcorn, staring up at the screen. The smell of meat and cheese snaps him out of everything, making his head rock back. He seems almost... shameful, sheepish? Aidan sips at his soda loudly, "Oh, yea, sorry, you can always tell a romance plot ahead of time, sorry Sarra." His eye casts over to Sarra, grabbing an arm already. Then up at Alucard, noticing his shifting features, but just barely, and most certainly attributing them incorrectly. But they are things Aidan files away for later. Things take time.

"Better than I expected,"

"Yea, it was very... good," though he doesn't sound entirely sure.

Sarracenia has posed:
     'Better than I expected'

     Sarra scoffs playfully. "You expected me to take you to a bad movie?" she says quietly, enraptured too much to actually look toward Alexis. Even as the food arrives Sarra does not look away.

     Except when Alucard reaches for a fried mushroom. She happens to be reaching at the same time, and...their hands touch! Sarra meeps in surprise. Her hand wavers before she quickly takes one and stuffs it in her mouth, face red. Whether she has true feelings for Alucard or not, she is a princess, they are in a dark theater, and their hands touched during a romantic moment in the story!

     The snow monster melts as Princess Aurora's heart is warmed, and she is able to leave her ice prison with Prince Eric. Trusting the woodsman to take care of Anya, they head directly back to the kingdom. But, without the woodsman's sled it is sure to take them a while. They are able to talk more during this time, and Prince Eric comes to truly appreciate this snow flower who is Princess Aurora and vows to himself to warm and heal her grief and fear damaged heart. At the same time Princess Aurora learns that Prince Eric also lost his parents at a young age and so understands at least some of her feelings and fears. His continued warmth and kindness through their journey further melts the ice she has built up around her heart to protect herself and others.

     Meanwhile, Arlen has taken Anya to his adoptive family...who turn out to be cute fae-like creatures of various types ranging from traditional fairies to tree and rock people. They mistake Arlen's and Anya's relationship and go into a long, happy, and upbeat song about how the two are perfect to fix each others flaws and live happily ever after in a blissful marriage.

     It is only after the fae are about to pronounce the couple married that Arlen is able to explain the situation. The fae priestess tells them that there is only one cure for a strike from such magical frost, and that is true love. Of course, Arlen and Anya are in complete denial and so Anya insists they go find Ashton who she thinks must be her true love. Arlen, accepting her decision, takes her back to the kingdom.

Sarracenia has posed:

     Anya and Arlen arrive in Flowerdale and Anya goes to Ashton in the belief that they have true love. They kiss while Arlen stands back, resigned. But, to Anya and Arlen's surprise...nothing happens. Anya's body continues to slowly chill. Ashton sees that he is found out and has them thrown in prison to protect his grand plan. He reveals...has usurped the throne! With both princesses seemingly abandoning their people and the crown princess apparently trying to destroy the kingdom, it was easy for him to convince the people to grant him the crown.

     Aurora and Eric arrive shortly after, and are told by Ashton that Anya was found dead...frozen in ice. Supposedly Arlen returned to the kingdom to have her properly buried, then left. Aurora is grief-stricken, falling to her knees, her powers sparking and surging while Eric does his best to try and console her.

     At which point Sarra cannot contain herself. "Are you serious?! And they just believe him?! No! He is a villain! You cannot trust him!!" she exclaims, as if those in the movie will hear her. Aidan's apology is acknowledged only with a quick nod and a flustered wave of a hand. "It is fine, it is fine!"

Alexis has posed:
Alexis pauses in munching on pizza. "A bad movie? Nah. Wasn't expecting so much... introspective though." She did honestly expect more of a girly romance movie, so she's pleasantly surprised.

Though it's a good thing Sarra reserved the entire theater for them, if she's going to start shouting at the movie like that.

"Calm down, Sarra. Even the best people can miss painfully obvious hints when they're in emotional distress."

Pause. Munchies down some more pizza.

"Still an asshole for taking advantage of it."

Alucard (7620) has posed:
Alucard's hand brushes Sarra's! His eyes glance over at her briefly, her reaction being the thing that fully shakes him free of the crushing weight for the moment. It's amusing and, yes, cute. He can appreciate it. The corner of his mouth turns up slightly, but it slips back to neutrality fairly quickly. He eats the fried mushroom, and an eyebrow raises at the sheer richness of it.

The 'future' is a decadent place, it seems.

Then Sarra outbursts, and he's taken aback for a moment, and then laughs. It's a rich sound, but still somehow soft. "Not all are as good a judge of character as you are, Your Highness.

Flashes of bindings, blood and death flash in his mind for a moment, but he shakes them away.

Sarracenia has posed:

     'Still an asshole for taking advantage of it.'

     "Indeed! Such a huge a-..." Sarra almost says a bad word, but another meep escapes as she stifles it and covers her mouth. "Alexis!" she exclaims. Alucard laughs, and Sarra's face reddens even more. It is clear it is just her own embarrassment and not that she thinks he was laughing at her, though. "Or you, it seems." she says with a smile, albeit a flustered one.

     Aurora, grief-stricken over thinking she has killed her sister, flies into a grief and self-loathing filled rage. A fierce snowstorm appears out of nowhere and huge spikes of ice erupt throughout the kingdom. Once of which happens to free Anya and Arlen, who rush out to try and show Aurora that Anya is alive.

     But the ice and snow are nearly impenetrable. They only start making headway when Arlen's moose companion shows up and carries them forward valiantly.

     Meanwhile, Ashton has pulled a sword and declared that for her crimes and for danger to the kingdom he will execute Aurora, which he thinks to himself would conveniently cement his claim to the throne! Eric draws his sword in her defense and holds Ashton off while trying to assure her that none of this is really her fault.

     She does not believe him, of course.

     Anya finally arrives just as Ashton uses a dirty snow in the eyes trick to best Eric. Ashton approaches Aurora, who makes no move to defend herself. She thinks she deserves death.

Sarracenia has posed:

     Just as the sword is falling for her neck, Anya rushes to protect her. Anya throws herself in the way of the sword, freezing to solid ice in the midst of the swing. The sword shatters...but Anya truly is dead now.

     Aurora realizes what has happened, and weeps bitterly. Arlen takes Anya's frozen hand and holds it, also weeping as he realizes his love for her. Eric subdues and binds Ashton, then comes to wrap Aurora in a tight hug.

     As they all mourn the loss of Anya, Aurora realizes how much she loves her sister and how she wishes she had Anya back. And she realizes she loves Eric. She manages to rise to her feet and gives her beloved sister a kiss on the cheek while all these feelings of love swirl within her.

     There is a dramatic pause as the three characters mourn. Then...the spot Aurora kissed starts to regain color and defrost! Slowly color returns completely to Anya and the ice breaks! Anya and Aurora hug tightly, then Anya tells Aurora she can defrost the kingdom. Aurora is hesitant to try, but with the realization that love lets her control her ice properly and reassurance from her three companions, Aurora is able to restore Flowerdale to its proper summertime glory!

     With the kingdom restored and with both princesses having found their heroes, even if one was not a prince, Aurora is crowned queen and they celebrate with a happy song and fireworks of ice.

     The lights come back on in the theater...revealing Sarracenia is crying happy tears. "So...? What did you think?" she asks, looking at Alucard first then at Alexis and Aidan.

Alexis has posed:
"Very touching. Just goes to show life can work out even if not the way you expect it to... And the younger princess was kinda cute."

Alexis wipes pizza off her hands, then picks up some of the other wrappers and such and gets out of the chair to go make sure it ends up in the trash where it belongs. "I'm gonna go over and check that arcade out before we leave."

And maybe to give Sarra and Alucard a bit more of a moment to compose themselves.

Alucard (7620) has posed:
The film proceeds, and Alucard watches in silence. The struggle, he knows it. Fighting through howling winds of doubt and pain, striving to do the necessary thing even if it hurts. Especially if it hurts. This film was not quite a mirror, but it made him feel things that he wasn't expecting to feel.

Of course, it ends happily, and a bitter corner of his mind scoffs at it. Not everything ends in joy and summertime. He doesn't let that part out. That part is for the Castle when he is alone.

"It was ... resonant," he finally says. "I ... the themes were something that I know. I believe that means I enjoyed it? It was well crafted visually." He pauses. "I do not think I wish to see it again."

Alexis goes to be a good citizen, and the half-vampire goes quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts, or at the very least centering himself. "Thank you for inviting me, Your Highness. I appreciate you thinking of me and my well being."

Somebody has to, and it sure isn't him!

Sarracenia has posed:
     'And the younger princess was kinda cute.'

     Sarra huffs softly. "The older princess was very pretty and just as cute!" she exclaims, definitely not projecting anything. She waves as Alexis heads to the arcade. "Have fun!"

     Sarra listens to Alucard's reaction. She smiles uncertainly as he uncertainly says he enjoyed it, then that smile turns even more uncertain as he says he does not wish to see it again. "Ah...well, perhaps once you have found your happy ending you may change your mind." she says, ever the optimist when it comes to matters of love and happiness.

     Sarra stands as Alucard thanks her. She gathers up the remaining pizza and fried snacks, then curtseys. "I was happy to offer! I just wanted to introduce you to a wonderful form of entertainment. Even if you do not wish to see this film again, there are thousands of others. Perhaps we should try a comedy if we ever do this again?"

     She then has Alucard escort her out to join Alexis in the arcade before releasing him if he so wishes. For some reason the princess really enjoys a game called 'Whack-a-mole' and scores quite highly on it!