Scene #9081: Haunted Castle

Owner	Pose
Alucard	Castle Dracula from the outside is an imposing sight. For the most part, it's what one would expect. Tall and crafted of stone with spires and buttresses. The sharp eyed will notice that pipes seem to feed in and out of the walls in spots. Odd faceted crystals seem to be set at points. Clearly this is not simply a dwelling. Though no one will be faulted for being distracted by the two dessicated, near skeletons on pikes flanking the entry path. One might hope that they're just thematic decor, just set dressing for the festivities going on inside. The rust on the tips of the pikes tells a different story. Inside, it seems that the party will be held in the grand hall, just inside of the towering doors that lie open to the cool night air. Oddly, the temperature is comfortable, the chill of late October wearing away a few feet from the door. Arrayed along the walls are various tables of refreshments. Snacks that seem to fit any and all palletes and dietary restrictions, a wetbar plus a few punch bowls. There's even a DJ! Spinning an eclectic mixture of music from electronic augmented bard music to modern (goth) club hits. Clearly, Alucard has spent a pile of money. Signs of repair are evident throughout the grand hall and, likely, throughout the castle. Some floor stones are clearly newer than others. Some walls have been repaired. Many little signs of work having been done. The great hall leads to a split staircase that wraps around to a sort of balcony. Atop that balcony is a chair that could almost be called a throne. Seated in that throne is Alucard. He is dressed in evening formalwear. White tie, tails, a long black cape. His pale blond hair is pulled back, and covering the left half of his face is a mask that's only a couple of shades more pale than his skin.
Sarracenia	Sarracenia could not decide if the Halloween costume she wanted to wear was in bad taste or not. Finally, she decided it probably was but that she was surely cute and elegant enough for it to work. That outfit, as one might have guessed by now, is a vampire! One inspired by a vampiric heroine of the silver screen combined with more traditional clothing. Which means a tight-fitting, polished, black leather jumpsuit with a few extraneous belts and a large red cape with gold trim, a large collar, and a black bat on the back. Sarra's skin has had makeup applied to make her appear more pale and wraithish than her usual complexion, she has a set of cosmetic vampire fangs, cosmetic red eye contacts, and her hair has been dyed jet black for the occasion. And she is wearing elegant, heeled, lace-up boots to complete the outfit, which reach up to almost her knees. She still has her crown on and her metal lotus hair barrette, and is walking with a golden scepter. She really really hopes she isn't about to make Alucard mad. She has a backup costume in her purse just in case. The bodies outside the gate definitely unnerve her as she enters. She takes a look around the castle, starting to sway lightly to the DJ's beats. The castle is fairly large, and so it may take her a bit to make it up to Alucard. When she does, she smiles a practiced faux predatory smile and raises the cape to playfully menace Alucard. "Greetings, fellow creature of the night~ It is a lovely evening, is it not?"
Bowser	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-IPSW-oafs Bowser hmmms, looking at the castle around him. He is clad with a single white sheet, holes cut out for his eyes, snout, and horns. Around him, a cadre of drybones and boos follow, providing the proper ambience. Some of them have costumes, some do not. Bowser, however, is busy inspection the wall of the castle, knocking on it. He nods to himself, then turns around to Alucard, "WHERE ARE ALL THE TRAPS? There should be a..." he takes three steps into the hall, then points at a spot on the floor, "bottomless pit right here."
Alucard	Sorry, Bowser, there aren't any traps. Not really. The treacherous areas are deeper in the castle. Places with stone bridges over vast swaths of massive gears, rooms that crackle with arcane science. There might even be a spike trap or two. Of course the true traps in this castle are those of the heart. Things that will show how and why a man is broken. This is a party, though. Alucard has to at least pretend to enjoy himself. Even if he is currently brooding on a throne. It's part of the costume. Yeah. That's it. As the Princess approaches, the dhampir rises smoothly. As always, his manners are exquisite. Golden eyes glitter in the alchemical light as he gives her a courtly bow. Luckily for everyone involved, the costume does not fool him. He can, after all, identify people by the smell of their blood. While it's in their body. His powers are weird, alright? "Your Highness," he says, even managing to add a flourish of his cape as he straightens. "Welcome to...my home," he says, almost an intonation. He tilts his head slightly one way, than the other. Considering. "That suits you, though I believe a long coat would.... tie it together more than a cape." Another pause. "More places for pockets to hold things." Curse his practicality. He turns slightly, looking down upon Bowser's arrival with his Themed Minions. His lips twitch downwards slightly about the traps. He doesn't yell, but his voice carries. "This is my home, sir. Not some ... fiendish lair." He pauses YET AGAIN before adding. "Be welcome. Enjoy my hospitality."
Sarracenia	Sarra had not even considered that the dhampir might not recognize her. So, it is not a surprise to her when he does. And not only is he not insulted, but...he says it suits her! Even through her makeup her cheeks turn a bit red. "Oh! W-well...thank you!" she says cheerfully. At the comment about the long coat she looks herself over, then sighs softly and smiles. "I did consider that, actually. But, I thought the cape and scepter would go better with my crown." she says, not seeming to mind his practical thought at all. "And you look quite spectacular yourself! Your outfits might even rival my own when it comes to regalness~" 'WHERE ARE ALL THE TRAPS?' Sarra's face goes even more pale than the makeup would make it. "Oh sweet spinies..." she murmurs. "I suppose that means all the classiness of this party is lost." she adds as she looks over the railing and down toward Bowser. "Perhaps if your castle was more like this one, Princess Peach would be more inclined to give you the time of day! Oh, and if you did not...you know...kidnap her!!"
Bowser	"This is my home, sir. Not some ... fiendish lair." Bowser's whole face screws up into a squint up at Alucard. "Yea?" He taps the stone, "This is rated stone. This is the kinda stuff you put up to withstand outside attack." He points up at the doors, "Not very well locked, look at those hinges." He turns back, "This place is MADE to sucker heroes in to their death." Kammy coughs from behind Bowser. "KAMMY, IF YOU HAD A COLD, YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED HOME!" "No, your Loudness, I mean, what I mentioned early." "WHA-Oh! Yea yea yea." Bowser turns back to Alucard, "Sorry about yer dad, kid. I knew some Draculas, most of them were pretty good." PRINCESS SARRACENIA immediately goes for the low blow. Fire immediately starts blossoming from his nostrils and mouth, "That's some talk coming from you who can barely keep a boyfriend OR get anyone to kidnap you! My castle is PERFECT! I've even added a breakfast nook I know she'll appreciate!! SHE LOVES BREAKFAST NOOKS!!!"
Bowser	The minions are already getting refreshments and generally ignoring Bowser's current raging.
Alucard	Alucard glances back at the Princess, his gaze appraising. Who knew he was into fashion? Then again, he does pretty much always look good. Usually. "It is a blend that is undoubtedly and uniquely you, Your Highness," he says. This isn't even a backhanded compliment, or obfuscated insult. He is, as always, completely sincere. Why would a man with nothing to lose lie? Back to Bowser's fairly expert appraisal of construction materials. "Those doors can be sealed mystically, and will not open unless they are told to. I had the stone replaced with...material that was as close to original as I could." He does flinch almost imperceptibly at the King of Koopa's sympathy. That was not something he expected. He goes silent, closing his eyes. His hands clench the stone rail in front of them hard enough that his knuckles crack. Luckily the verbal sniping begins, which gives him something else to focus on. To distract him from his own feelings. "If I could ask you both to please calm yourselves. I appreciate your presence, however the rules of hospitality are quite clear. Leave quarrels at the door. If you cannot, the master of the house becomes....an adjudicator of disputes. And I would rather not." He lifts a hand from the railing, gesturing down to the wetbar. Immediately someone begins to bring him a drink. "What I would like to do is sit here and watch people enjoy the fruits of my father's war chest, spent to spread joy rather than death."
Sarracenia	Well, of course she goes for the low blow. Bowser has never kidnapped her! "Breakfast nooks?! That is not going to..." Sarra blinks, then pauses. Actually, breakfast nooks are kind of nice. She mmphs and shakes her head. "...that is not going to make a difference! Princesses look for Heroes HEROES! Not villains! If you were a heroic giant turtle dragon you might have a chance! And I do not need a boyfriend or to be kidnapped! It is just that they would be nice to have!" Alucard compliments her again (she thinks?) and Sarra smiles gratefully. But, then he asks her to get along with Bowser. Her expression turns uncertain before she looks over the railing again. She mmphs in annoyance before calling down again. "Still...breakfast nooks are a start." she says with a bit of a pout. Oh! A bar! Sarra does not drink often, but she will do so since she is in gracious host's company. "Do you have something fizzy and fruity?" she asks whoever is handling the drinks. She then finds somewhere near the throne to take a seat. "I must admit I am glad you did not take offense to the outfit." she says to Alucard. "I was somewhat concerned it would be seen as insensitive. I even had a backup outfit prepared just in case." The princess looks around at the decor some more, then back to Alucard. "So...is this...the family castle?" she asks, trying to be conscious of what words she uses.
Bowser	"Who needs a hero! I'm the ruler of a country, powerful and sensitive AND GOOD LOOKING!" The anime leaning forward eye sparking crackles between the two. Then Alucard demands hospitality laws. Not that Bowser follows those old ways. But he does follow 'this is my house, my party, get out if you don't like it.' "I'll get you laterr." Bowser leans up against the wetbar. "One cola. And uhhhh," he points at Kammy. "Whiskey, neat." "Yea, whatever she said." "This is gotta be an old castle. Definitely made by a genius." He points at the stairs going up, "See, right there? You put a couple of guards on the stairs so the heroes have to move up really slowly. Then," he points at the stop of the stairs, "you put maybe a hammer minion." Flash back cut to a squadron of sniper skeletons, then back, "Just so that when they get up there, they can't get up all the way." He nods in appreciation, "Every Drac is a genius with the level design."
Alucard	They may not get along, but civility is deployed. Which means he doesn't have to do things the old fashioned way. What's the old fashioned way? There are pikes with corpses out front. Alucard's drink is delivered, the man simply nods to the princess's request and bustles off, returning in fairly short order with something red. It fizzes and smells strongly of apples. An approriate thing for this time of year. "You must remember, Your Highness. I loathe most vampires. They are creatures of base instinct and hunger, caring nothing for who they hurt. I am not offended. This is the time for people to... wear masks. Become the things that scare them for a time." His costume is just because the girl at the shop said he'd look great in it. He has no idea what it is. Bowser and Kammy are served in short order, the caterers barely even flinching at the King of Koopa and his Wizard. They must be multiversal caterers. Alucard's drink seems to be ... very spirit forward. Seated back on his throne, he looks up into the cavernous dark above. "This is ... was my father's castle. I grew up here." His gaze drifts, up and deeper into the castle. "It may be hard to believe, but there was much love in this place. So much that my father was willing to burn the world for it." His eyes flicker back towards Bowser, mouthing 'Level design' to himself. While he's not wrong at all about the design. "The only ... heroes that ever made it past that door were Trevor, Sypha and myself."
Sarracenia	"Level design...?" Sarra is less quiet about her questioning of Bowser's appraisal. But, then she starts looking. It is well designed. She used similar designs herself when she was setting up her heroic trial towers several years ago. "I would suggest a fireball minion, actually. Fireballs would bounce down the stairs until they hit the bottom level, providing a continuous assault for as long as the heroes were on the stairs." she says, then freezes a moment. "...er...I mean..." She mmphs softly, a bit embarrassed. And now Alucard is talking about his family again thanks to her. She follows Alucard's gaze upward, then sighs. "While the end result is quite tragic...it is rather romantic to imagine such love existing here." she says. She is a bit worried about the levels of melancholy, though. The level design thing might be more of a helpful avenue. "And what about you, Alucard? If you were defending this castle against he-...horrible evil, what sort of minion or defense would you place on the stairs?" Or perhaps the hero angle. "Trevor and Sypha. You mentioned them before. Would you mind telling me about them?" she says as she sniffs of that apple drink before taking a careful sip. "Thank you!" she calls to the servant who brought it.
Bowser	Bowser's Ghost Costume doesn't have hand holes, so he just sort of have to lift the sheet up with him and bring the soda up to his snout. Kammy nurses her drink with the look of someone eternally tired. Bowser hmms, rubbing his chin, "So this the final battle room, huh?" He nods to himself, looking around, "No traps, just a good stage, I gotcha." He points at the chair, "You gotta stand up there and say something dramatic, throw something." He nods again. "What kind of heroes?" He starts counting on his fingers, which requires him to go back and forth as he only has four on each, "You got your pride smug hero, your serious straight faced hero, your scary barely useful hero, your hapless white guy who does bad jokes hero."
Alucard	Alucard is made of melancholy and brooding on the moors during a stormy night. That's just how he is going to be for a while. He takes the ... point defense discussion in stride. He won't be doing any of that, because nobody comes here after him. Who would? Any other vampire of power comparable to Dracula is going to stay the hell away from the guy who killed him. "Trevor Belmont," he muses, looking into his drink. "Is a drunken lout with a foul mouth, a slothful nature, and absolutely no manners." He pauses a moment, a smile faintly tugging at his lips. "He is also selfless, fearless, and willing to risk his life for others. Sypha Belnades is a learned, witty woman with magic more potent than mine. She will also flay you with her words if she is angry, and her upbringing has left her somewhat naive." He takes a long drink. "They are in love. I wonder if they realize it yet. They are my best friends, and I miss them terribly." His attention slides back to Bowser. "It began in here. The ... The end happened deeper in the castle." 'My childhood bedroom. Stabbed him in the heart with a piece of my bed.' "When he realized he was ... close to killing me. He finally realized that he wanted to die more than he wanted humanity to suffer." This has become a big fat downer. Alucard slugs the rest of his drink back, and hurls the glass to the stones below. "...If you will excuse me. I do not wish to ruin the party for you." The dhampir rises from the throne, and heads to the massive hallway at one end of the landing, turning the corner in a whirl of cape.
Sarracenia	Sarra rises to her feet as Alucard does, then holds out a hand as he goes to leave. "Wait!" she says, and starts to follow only to stop after a few steps. She huffs at herself, then down at Bowser. "Look what you did! He had to go get some air or something because you kept pushing him!" But then...he asks about heroes! Her favorite subject! "What kind of heroes? The kind matters little! ...but I would prefer the kind-hearted and caring hero who has a good sense of humor!" Sarra's foot taps as she looks off down the massive hallway. Then...she follows after. As someone who has also been in the grip of melancholy sometimes, she knows being alone can be terrible!
Alucard	Alucard isn't running, but he has long strides and does not seem to tire easily. Sarracenia can see a swirl of black turn a corner down the hall. The hallway itself is reasonably well lit, but the alchemical lights cast long shadows onto the floor. The decor is sparse, but even here she can see the replaced stonework. The next hall is much the same, save that he turns into a room. Light pours out from the door that he did not close behind him, like he didn't expect anyone to follow him. The room itself seems to be a small study. The floor is carpeted with a plush red rug. A fire blazes in the hearth. Along one wall is a simple desk. Alucard, his cape tossed aside and the mask atop it on the floor, sits in a simple wooden ladderback chair, staring blankly into the flames. Above the fireplace is a portrait. Three people. A severe, imperious looking man with dark eyes, black hair, and a sharply pointed beard. He looks... not human, but somehow not at all menacing. Next to him is a smiling woman with honey blonde hair. She seems happy and proud, but there is a fierce fearlessness in her bright blue eyes. In her arms is a platinum haired toddler with golden eyes. That can only be one person. For his part, Alucard's elbows are on his knees and his face is in his hands. If he's not weeping, he's exhausted.
Sarracenia	Sarra has decently long strides but she still has to jog lightly to keep up. She looks at the stonework as she traverses the hallways, then pauses as Alucard turns through the door of a room. She slows to a walk and peeks around the open doorway. She takes in the look of his chamber, then steps into the doorway without actually stepping inside. She knocks lightly on the door. "...Adrian? I...um...I am sorry if I am disturbing you, but...I have seen at least some of that look in my mirror and...well, I did not think you should be alone during such a time. Do not worry. We do not have to talk. And I will leave if you wish. She looks at the portrait as she waits for permission to go in. That is a vampire thing, right? ...of course it is also just good manners.
Alucard	The good news is that Alucard did not do any wild makeup for under that mask. The bad news is that he looks like hell anyway. Despite how spartan the room is, the fireplace seems to make it warm and inviting. At the knock, Alucard doesn't move or respond for a long moment. "You may come in, Your Highness," he says, sounding more than a little ragged. Almost ... defeated. "Forgive my display. I ... cannot seem to shake these feelings." He sits up, correcting his posture, but he still doesn't look at her. In fact, he goes so far as to reach up and untie his hair, letting it fall forward and shield his face a bit. "I will be fine," he lies. "You do not need to stay."
Sarracenia	Sarracenia steps in quietly and makes her way over. "There is no need to apologize. The things you have been through...would surely have pushed most past their last breaking point. It was brave of you to hold a party today. She moves to stand beside and just behind the chair, so that she cannot see his face just yet. She knows to respect the presentation a noble puts forward. "Well, I may not need to stay. But, I could hardly call myself a heroine if I were to leave someone who may or may not be fine." she says. She reaches into her purse, and pulls out...a small container of Halloween cookies. Palm-sized sugar cookies with a solid layer of frosting decorated with cutesy spooky critters. "Would you care for one?" she asks, holding the container within view and reach. As she waits to see if he takes one she says, "You know, if you wish to fully refurbish this castle I could have a team of my best builders report here. They are skilled with stone and woodwork thanks to my own castle. And you did not seem bothered by piranha plant people last time you saw them."
Alucard	Once more, the dhampir is silent for longer than one normally would be when asked aquestion. "I...," he says, trailing off before he reaches an elegant hand for a cookie. Everyone loves cookies, even the half-undead. He holds it in his hand, staring down at it in silence. "Thank you." He goes quiet again for a long moment, the fire reflected in his golden eyes. "This is not the time for me to...unburden myself. You did not sign up to listen to me whine about my circumstances." When she asks about the repairs, his head tilts slightly. "How are they with ...clockwork?"
Sarracenia	Sarra smiles softly at the thank you, then shrugs lightly at the assertion that she did not sign up for unburdening. "Weeeelll...if one is a friend, then one did sign up for such things." she says. 'How are they with ...clockwork?' "Hmm? Clockwork? Uh...well, my fleet engineers may have some experience with that. Our ships use rather large clockwork to run the propellers of our airships. What sort of clockwork machines do you have here?" she says as she takes a cookie herself.
Alucard	What kind of clockwork. "...currently heavily damaged, but on the scale of ... a clock tower," he says, still staring at the cookie. He answers this first, because it's not about feelings and concrete things are a lot easier for him to process. He'll have to face it all someday, and either forgive himself or be destroyed by it. This middle ground of endless suffering is not working. After another long moment of silence, he speaks again. "...Thank you, Your Highness. For ... being my friend. For caring. I know that ... certain others disparage me for how I am. Thank you for understanding." He goes silent again, and remains seated. The silence seems to change, from one fraught with anguish to a more stable, companionable one. Isolation does not agree with the Tragic Prince.