☆vampire discourse☆

[reposing]

[Centuries ago, Alucard defeated Dracula with the help of a Scholar and Hunter. Largely a fable these days according to many, several details wrong, but nonetheless he will always remember the day. After so many years, he's had plenty of time to repair the castle, to learn how it works and make it his own. The Belmont family long since had been given their home back, and he's changed the castle's location time and again, watching the world and rarely interacting with it. Often, people come to him. Usually vampires looking to claim power, or a misguided adventurer. Some, though rarely, do come seeking counsel. Those he has more patience for.

Today, some miles outside of Varanasi, is where he has the castle located. There are two that have come to meet him: a strange old woman, and a tall blond man. Neither of them seem to have much in common other than they, evidently, answer to another vampire named Dio.

Alucard has absolutely never heard of him before.

The little old woman, Enyaba, has spouted a story, how cruel and vile men had murdered her beloved son but her Lord Dio would help exact revenge -- revenge that is all the easier with Alucard's support. It does move his heart somewhat, and certainly more comparatively than how the man has made his approach, essentially trying to woo Alucard, asking aren't you lonely in this big castle all by yourself?, and he almost loses his shit when he's called ma'am.

Oh. Hm. That's kind of hilarious.]

Enough, both of you. Tell me about your lord, and what he hopes to accomplish.


-=-=-


[Meanwhile:

It has been shortly after the defeat of The Wheel of Fortune. Anne has been sent away, but the rumors of the blond vampire in the castle has been more than enough to cause concern from Joseph Joestar, who insists that they investigate. It isn't impossible, after all, that Dio could have moved his resources to a new location.

And so it is that the four crusaders make their way out to a terribly foreboding place. The sun sets, and the castle claws its way up into the sky, undaunted by sense or gravity. It exists by its own rules and its master's.]

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[hierophany]

[ This couldn't be a more obvious trap if it were trying to be an obvious trap. A castle, one that maybe half the people they've run into even remembers existing. That they've just happened upon, and that just happens to contain their foe. Despite being in entirely the wrong country.

He's not sure whether he should be more insulted by the lack of effort or by the fact that they have to investigate this anyway, because whoever set this stupid, obvious trap might just have been stupid enough to leave some clue about DIO and they need all the information they can get. ]

It's a stand. [ He says it matter-of-factly. Of course it's a stand. It's a castle that people swear hasn't always been there, and Hermit Purple can't map it. Its attempts are surreal and messy and don't want to remain still, shifting about and only occasionally settling into something that looks like an Escher print before animating into chaos once again. The castle is so very obviously a stand. As well as a trap. But it's still a trap that they need to spring to learn more and so he slides Heirophant Green's leggies through the gap beneath the door. Across the inner walls like a web, trying to map out the place that way. ] They want to lure us into-

[ His results are similar to Hermit Purple's. An Entrance Hall that stays relatively stable, with corridors that branch off int- something. Heirophant Green's tentacles get turned around, like the castle doesn't feel like letting it go further. But there's something else. Two people are standing on the ground where Heirophant Green can feel them. One lighter. Another heavier. And the heavier one? He knows that guy. ]

That rock. Throw it through the doors. [ The tentacles form an arrow to instruct Jotaro where to aim said rock. Through the closed doors and right at the back of Hol Horse's head. ] Hard.

[ Because fuck that guy and the elephant he rode in on. ]

[starmark]

[Jotaro, for his part, is of two minds about this whole detour. On one hand, it seems absurd that they would wind up finding a stronghold of DIO's somewhere in India; he clearly knows that the Joestar Tour Group is coming after him, or he wouldn't be sending all of his Stand users out to meet them. And if he knows they're coming, then why in the hell would he move his base of operations closer to their trajectory? Is he just that cocky, to think he'd be safe confronting them that much sooner?

But on the other hand, it's his mother's life at stake, and fifty days isn't a very long time. If there's any possibility that this really might be DIO, and they can just kill him and get it over with now, then it's worth it to at least take a look.

So here they are, and Kakyoin is scouting, and it's a testament to their friendship that Kakyoin says to throw a rock through the doors, and as stupid of a request as it is, even as he protests it he's still reaching for a rock anyway.]

How thick are the doors? You might have to open them first.

[In a shimmer of translucent purple, Star Platinum appears, rummaging around for the perfect-sized rock.]

[hierophany]

[ But he doesn't WANT to open the doors. He want to do a cool impractical thing that ends with Hol Horse getting hit in the back of the head by a rock. HE HAS VERY SIMPLE NEEDS, JOTARO. But Jotaro does have a point. Star Platinum could almost certainly throw a rock hard enough to go through the door, but he can't say the same for the rock surviving the trip long enough to hit anyone. ]

There are two people inside. One of them is Hol Horse. I don't recognise the other.

[ Heirophant Green's tentacles snake into the locking mechanism of the door, lifting pins and sliding bars because why just knock on the door to open it when you can do something cool instead? A few seconds later, and he's ready to open the door. ]

If he's fast, he'll get a shot off before I can attack. Star's faster. So- rock.

[ That's a flimsy justification. He just wants a rock to get thrown at a guy he doesn't like. He has decided on rock-based justice and will not accept any substitute. ]

[starmark]

[Oh, well then. It's that bastard who grievously injured Avdol, he deserves every bit of rock-based justice that they can dole out, and Star Platinum is capable of doling out a shit lot of justice at the moment, courtesy of the fact that there are a shit lot of rocks.

Still, for all that he's absolutely all in on this crazy-ass line of action, there's something that nags at him about Kakyoin's description of the interior.]

You don't recognize them. So it's not DIO...

[The logical conclusion would be that Hol Horse is talking to the owner of the castle, right? So, okay. Hit the cowboy, don't hit the other person.

Star Platinum falls into a pitcher's stance.]

Ready.

[hierophany]

No. Too small to be DIO.

[ He pushes the door open. And there are not, in fact two people. There are three. Two on the ground, like people ought to be, where Heirophant Green can sense them. And one in the air. Which is rude and unforeseen and he shouldn't NEED to put Green's net into the air because people shouldn't be there! Walk on the floor! Like a normal person!

There will be time for being angry - and he is angry, because this has made his information unreliable - at this flagrant disregard for gravity later. Right now? ]

Throw it anyway.

[ The presence of a third person does not mean that Hol Horse deserves rock-based justice any less. ]

[starmark]

[Okay, so. There's certifiably no fucking way that they are getting out of this one without a fight, thanks to the presence of Hol Horse and some old woman who just looks like a shifty hag even from this distance. Oh, and then there's the one who's LITERALLY FLOATING. It's not DIO, but floating people are definitely not a good sign no matter how you slice it.

But Hol Horse is the only one whose Stand they're actually aware of (assuming all three of these possible hostiles have Stands), and they know it's a ranged weapon. So really there's a logic in taking him out as quickly as possible, just to make sure that potential threat is out of the way.

So. He hurls the rock with the power and speed of a cannon shot, directly for the bastard cowboy's head.]

[reposing]

[As the old woman and the arrogant man speak about their Lord, Alucard notices the opening in the doors and the strange tendrils along the floor. They're thin, easy to miss, but they're there.

Then the rock is thrown at ridiculous speeds.

When Alucard moves, it's fast enough to leave an afterimage. His hand is outstretched, catching the rock before crushing it into his palm. Hol Horse, for his part, looks shocked before he puts on a theatrical swoon and says, Ma'am!

Alucard sighs and ignores him.]

I wasn't aware I would have additional visitors. [His tone is particularly flat.] Come in by my invitation before you decide to barge into my house.

[It's them! The ones who murdered my precious son! the old lady hisses.]

Then there will be no haste for your vengeance. Everybody dies, eventually.