sleepytimejunction | ❧ open rp

Pretty decent.

[He so clearly doesn't care. Or-- no, he doesn't care, emphasis and all, because this is posturing at its finest. Greed springs up, his grin sharpening, his eyes never leaving Adrian as he approaches (no matter that Blue Fang bristles and steps in closer).]

And you, sir? How do you and yours fair?

[It's the right words, even the right tone, and yet--

--and yet he steps in too closely, his eyes too wild, his expression just a little too intent. And then, quiet enough that it will only be heard by only one person:]

Look at you, all grown up.

[Alucard doesn't shy from baring his fangs, a low, warning growl rumbling from his chest. He holds up his hand to the Blue Fang; it would be pointless for him to become involved, even if he acts as Alucard's escort.

He hisses at Greed:]

And look at you, ever the arrogant sin.

Mind yourself. I am here for my responsibilities, nothing more. Certainly not for you.

Did I say you were?

[Impudently, arrogantly, but not-- and this is important-- entirely out of place, Greed grabs for his hand, tugging it forward with all the swiftness of his species, bowing down low to place an ostentatious kiss to the back of it. It's a dramatic gesture, his back curving and his other arm thrust behind him, and there's nothing but sharp mischief in the grin he aims up at Adrian.

Alucard. Whichever.]

Why don't you make me mind myself, little dhampir? Or are you too busy playing court?

[God, it's tempting to just fucking punch his face, but he knows that the gesture isn't exactly unusual. He remembers well how much his father commanded respect in all the court houses, after all.

But he definitely would like to still hit him away.

Alucard jerks his hand free, glowering at Greed.]

It would be my utter pleasure to beat you within an inch of your miserable life -- but I respect what your house represents, even if it is not you I particularly care for.

Keep your hands to yourself. I have other business to attend to.

[No he really doesn't, but Alucard can keep busy and he intends to.]

[He grins. It's a shit-eating grin, god knows. It's a grin that says he knows Adrian is bluffing (though in truth he has no idea if he's lying or not). Greed straightens up, his smirk as impudent as ever, his bearing as pleased as if Adrian had come running to his arms, begging him to take him back.]

Sure.

[An easy statement. He can feel Wrath's eyes on him, narrowed, and knows he'll catch hell later, but hey, that's for a future Greed to worry about. This one is too concerned with the man in front of him, the tall, muscled, utterly responsible dhampir who has only shades of the delighted boy Greed had once known.

He waits until he pulls back. Puts a nice, healthy distance between them. And then, with a little smile, he says all formal and polite (and just a little too exaggerated):]

We do so look forward to your visit later on, Ţepeş. Our faction is most pleased you agreed to meet us for dinner.

[Ha ha. Suck it, binch. Greed 1, Alucard 0.]

Yes, you look utterly delighted.

[Alucard turns away sharply, quietly wishing that if he thinks about it hardly enough, Greed will just burst into flames and leave him the hell alone.

I could eat him, young master, the Blue Fang offers with a low chuckle.]

Please, and give you indigestion? [Alucard smooths his hand up the demon's snout and muzzle, affectionate, the shreds of kindness still lingering inside of him despite all that has happened in the past few years.] I'm fine. It's not as if we must be here for more than a few days' time.

[A few days that he'll have to tolerate Greed, but he will. He will and then he can leave and put this behind him.

For the moment, he does socialize well; Alucard is polite, diplomatic, stern where it is needed. He isn't shy about his opinions or presence. His father never was, and though he is softer in many respects he is still Dracula's son in other ways.

It is, indeed, dinner that he is less thrilled about. Dealing with Greed's frustratingly familiar smug smile is not one he's looking forward to, but he does take his seat, minding himself.]

[By the most bizarre of coincidences-- or maybe not-- Greed ends up sitting next to Alucard. It's a long table, each faction grouped with one another, but factions have to sit next to each other sooner or later. Besides: Alucard is important. Only makes sense he gets the special treatment, sitting next to the court ambassador.

Or something like that.

He minds his manners for the first course (and what a first course; it's really admirable how the cooks manage to cater for so many different tastes). But by the second, he's too eager to hold his tongue. He turns away from his meal (delicious, of course, but whatever, he lives here, he can have milk and honey whenever he wants) and faces Alucard, a familiar grin already playing at his lips.]

So? How's ruling over the vampires, hm?

[The goblet that Adrian holds is made of the finest marble and weighs nothing to him. It is elegantly carved, rubies inlaid within four sides, the stone polished and fine.

He's already tense when Greed sits next to him, and Adrian almost shatters the goblet when he starts speaking.]

Troublesome, not unlike your company.

[screams internally]

Could I not speak to one of your siblings instead?

Nope!

[That's the truth, because god knows Greed never lies, not once, not about anything. Omissions of truth, maybe, but not a bald-faced lie.]

Don't be so quick to dismiss me. I haven't seen you in, what, five years? Six?

[Six. Six years, four months, actually.]

Let's catch up, huh?

[UGGGGH]

Why the hell do you care? [Adrian snaps at him, less niceties now.] There isn't anything to catch up on that you haven't already heard.

What shall I tell you? About how my mother was murdered by the Church? How my father went mad from grief and I had to kill him myself?

And through it all, here you are, content in your position after overthrowing your own father. An individual I will not miss, of course, but nonetheless I'm certain you bask in the benefit of his demise.

And you don't?

[His grin is slow to fade, but now there's far less of that reckless mirth in it. Instead: his gaze goes calculated, cool, because this is exactly what he wanted. Not a fight, exactly, but at least something beyond polite niceties.]

Don't tell me your position doesn't come with perks, Adrian. We both know better than that. But that's not why you're really pissed, is it?

I didn't take this position because I wanted to. I did it, because otherwise you would have had others like Carmilla vying for it, to dominate the rest of your houses.

[The goblet is set down, because by now he's already cracked it and doesn't want to shatter it.]

No. I can't imagine that shocks you. I want nothing to do with you, Greed. You know what you have done. Is it impossible for you to imagine how much I hate you? Is it fun to mock me?

I mean, yeah, kinda.

[He doesn't drawl it out. It's an inoffensive little statement, or it might be, if the words weren't so clearly meant to prick at him. Honestly, Greed's banking on the fact they're in public right now; surely Adrian won't start a scene in the middle of a crowd. Not when his reputation isn't the only thing on the line.

He regards him for a few seconds, his expression serious, before huffing a humorless laugh.]

Little Adrian . . . you still haven't grown up, huh? Not completely.

[He leans in, his voice pitched low. Now they're attracting attention, if only because there might be something salacious in the way he's murmuring to Adrian, but Greed ignores it.]

You're a leader now. So why don't you think like one? Why don't you try thinking about just why I mighta fucked you over, instead of acting like a damn child and thinking that everything is about you? I'm Greed, Adrian. Not Wrath. I don't change my mind so quick, and I sure don't lose my temper half as easy as that.

It's not in my nature to give something up.

[That's cryptic. It's also abrupt, as he stands suddenly, shoving a grin onto his face.]

Bet you still haven't forgotten where my rooms are. You know how to find me when you're ready.

[For a confrontation? For a fight? God knows, but if Adrian is still too angry to even chase after that cryptic statement, there's no point in trying at all.]

[Literally all he wants to do is tear off Greed's head. He thinks he could do it, could get away with it even; it's petty but it would feel good to just not deal with this entire affair. Once when he was younger, he found the names endearing and sort of adorable even. Little dhampir or little Adrian. In the face of other immortals, he could still be considered a child, but right now it is patronizing and only Greed would have the guts to do it to his face.

What he says makes sense, but Adrian is too hurt and angry to think about it any deeper than it being cryptic and Greed pissing him off.

Alucard doesn't care what the other courts will think. He is leader enough to make sure the vampires aren't running around in villages like a bunch of untamed savage animals, to encourage them to cooperate with certain chosen cities than to kill and drink from the unwilling. They are more than monsters and should behave like it. As such, Adrian Fahrenheit Ţepeş could not give a shit about the eyes staring as he stands up and leaves the banquet, his cape fluttering behind him.]

Do not follow me. [It is ordered to his Blue Fang.] See that the rest of my court behaves. Report to me tomorrow morning.

[All of his eyes blink, but the Blue Fang bows his head. If you are certain, then it will be done, young master. Do not let him bait you.]

I'm fine. [Alucard snaps, utterly baited, and making his way through the hold in order to seek out Greed's room. Probably to fight him.]

[Admittedly, Greed would deserve no less than to have his head torn off. He could probably recover from it, so it wouldn't be a death sentence. Just a very painful, very nasty way to be out of commission for a while. And given how savagely he'd shattered their bonds years ago? He definitely has it coming.

But there'd been a reason for it. He could have just ended it amiably; Adrian would have been hurt, but he would have understood. Instead: Greed had done it nastily, pointedly, all cutting remarks and taunts, outright laughing at Adrian for being fool enough to think there was anything more than sex between them. He'd torn their relationship apart in a few sentences, and the physical fight they'd gotten into afterwards was just icing on the cake.

His room is a grand old thing, more like a loft apartment than a single room. Up on the fifth floor, it's unsurprisingly packed with things. Valuable things, of course, jewelry and diamonds, makeup and scattered clothes, but other things as well. Little knickknacks, pointless things whose only value is sentimental. Nothing from Adrian, no-- but then, there's a locked box on a dresser, so maybe his things aren't as far gone as they appear.

He's sprawled on the bed when he hears footsteps, and sits up, one arm resting on his knee, his gaze locked on his bedroom door. He's ready to spring up and fight if it's necessary, but he'll at least try something peaceful first.]

There you are.

[He hates being here.

Alucard remembers better days, where he was foolish and naive and threw everything into what he thought was love and he was an idiot. He's never forgotten how Greed laughed at him, mocked him, said everything to make him hurt. If nothing else, his father had sighed and soothed as much as he could, Mother held him privately when he wept and whispered reassuringly that Greed was a right arse who could fuck off.

And what he hates, most of all, is how much he wished he had Greed at his side when Mother died. Because he remembers how warm he'd been, how he held him.]

You'd best hurry and state your business, exactly.

Stop being so fucking cryptic and get to the point.

[Get rid of him, that had been the only frantic thought banging around Greed's head that last day. Get rid of him get rid of him make him run away, make it so his noble little dhampir wouldn't get any ideas about making some kind of last stand. Make it so that he wanted to be away, and yeah, sure, it would hurt, but at least they'd both be alive to feel that.

And boy, he'd done a great fucking job, hadn't he?

There's no real going back. That's what burning a bridge means. And yet here he is, his stupid heart hoping desperately anyway, wanting so badly to have everything he's ever wanted.]

Sit down.

[It's an order, not a request.]

This is gonna take a while.

[. . .]

You hear, when my Pops died? Or did you not know til later?

I'll stand.

[The order is noticed, and dismissed coldly. Alucard refuses to adhere to anyone's demands at the moment.]

I caught wind of it, but I didn't hear significant details until I took my father's throne. Even then, demons love their rumors.

[What does he know, exactly? But ah, Greed had tried so hard to keep Adrian out of Father's eye. Sexual dalliances were fine, if not slightly disgusting in Father's point of view, but something deeper than that . . . oh, he didn't like that at all. And no matter how Greed bluffed and scoffed, Father wasn't stupid. He'd seen right through it all.

Just because he hadn't acted right away didn't mean he didn't know.]

. . . we'd been planning it for a while.

[And having to lose Adrian was half of what tipped Greed over, made him passionate instead of scoffingly only in it for himself. He takes a deep breath, stands, goes to grab a cigarette and busies himself with lighting it.

God, but he hates being emotional. He hates being weak, baring his soul, but he's got one shot at this.]

We found out a few years ago that he'd been conducting these experiments down in the dungeons. We thought . . . I don't know. We knew he did shit down there, but we didn't realize what it was, not really. All those orders he gave, all those plans he talked about . . . turns out the fucker was into some real messed up shit.

He wasn't just testing blood samples or experimenting with new magic. The bastard kept prisoners down there. He was mutilating all kinds of people, fairies and elves-- even some vampires, and don't say anything to anyone, I'm not telling you that officially-- but he'd been cross-breeding them, making them fight against each other . . . and if they didn't make the cut, he did this . . .

He wouldn't just kill them. He'd mutilate them. Use them to see how long they could stay alive, or how much pain they could take until their minds snapped.

[It was sick. He's fairly comfortable with violence, but there's violence and then there's a sickening sort of torture, sadism purely for sadism's sake, and that had been the latter. Even now it makes his stomach twist.]

Even my shitty siblings and I have our lines that we don't cross. So we started planning then. Me and Lust, first, and then Wrath . . . Envy was the last one to come over. We knew we'd have to be real careful about it. And in the meantime, we would play along. We'd go with what he wanted, make him think we were real loyal.

[A beat, and he glances over at him.]

And then you came along, little brat.

[It's far more affectionate than he's allowed to be, but here he is, doing it anyway.]

I couldn't stay away. Not from you. I couldn't help it, not when you looked like you did, acted like you did. Maybe if . . . I don't know. Maybe if you'd been nothing but pretty, it woulda been fine, but you had to be a fighter, too. You remember that first meeting?

[Of course he does. Of course he remembers. Greed had flirted the way he always had, leering and teasing both, expecting Adrian to either melt or fluster. And instead, he'd talked back, putting Greed in his place within two sentences. It'd been the first time in ages anyone had dared do such a thing, and oh, he'd been utterly enamored right then and there.]

I couldn't help but go after you. But hey, it was fine, I thought. The old man had never cared much about me anyway, so he'd probably think it was sex and nothing else. I thought I was being real slick.

Turned out your daddy wasn't the only one who disapproved.

The difference was, Dracula only ever came after me to tell me all about how he'd rip my throat out if I hurt you. My father . . .

[He inhales sharply on his cigarette and glances away, shrugging.]

You were gonna be an experiment too. A lesson on how stupid it was to get attached to anyone outside the family.

So. I made sure you weren't attached to me anymore.

[Miserably, he doesn't want to hear this. He doesn't want to hear an explanation that perfectly establishes as to why Greed broke his heart years ago. Adrian folds his arms around himself, as if trying to put on a guard against... well, all of this. How angry he is, was, and wants to stay being.

He doesn't want to be reasonable. He doesn't want to hear affection from Greed; it wrenches him wrong and right. Briefly, he wonders if his father knew anything. Not that he thinks that Dracula would have lifted a finger to do much, so long as his immediate family was safe.

Finally, Adrian finds he has to look away from Greed, because he can't honestly handle this, knowing that this is true. It's far, far too elaborate to be any lie.]

You did a good fucking job of that.

[And he wishes that there wasn't a tremor in his voice.]

Yeah, I know I did.

[He hesitates for just a moment before stubbing the cigarette out on the windowsill. Now he can look over at Adrian, and what a pair they make, the two of them never meeting each other's gaze.

He can hear the tremor in his voice. And maybe it's a stupid move, but when has Greed ever chosen caution over impulsiveness?

He steps forward slowly, carefully, approaching him.]

Look at me.

[It takes him a moment, but eventually Adrian does look at Greed, just a hair shorter than him. He refuses to let himself become more emotional than he already is; he knew coming here was a mistake, he should have just left it be courts be damned--

But he's here anyway, wishing he wouldn't buy into this. It's probably true, he could find out as such.]

What do you want from me, then?

[He's silent for a few seconds, his purple eyes dark as he watches his expression.]

What do you think?

[Soft. And though he knows it's a risk, though he knows there's every chance Adrian might break his wrist for this, Greed reaches for him.

It's not much. Just two fingers gliding against the back of his hand, quick and quiet, an easy implication.]

I let go of you once. I'm not gonna do it twice.

You-- you can't just--

[Adrian jerks back from the touch, as much as he wants it. As much as he wishes he could just have it all back.]

We can't pick up right where we left off! I can't just forget what you've said to me.

I was alone when I watched the humans burn my mother alive. My father wept as I shoved a stake through his heart. And I was alone, Greed. Maybe you're right and you had several reasons to keep me away, but you still hurt me where it wasn't necessary.

[He's older than Adrian, this is true. He's seen a lot more things, that is also true, simply by virtue of being around longer. He's suffered pain and he's fought bloody wars.

But in some ways-- some fairly vital ways-- Adrian has more experience than him. Greed had never really bothered with relationships, not before Adrian, and god knows he tries not to feel anything particularly deeply. So yeah, why shouldn't they just pick up where they left off? Maybe not smoothly, but surely now that the truth is in the air, things can be straightened out, right?]

How the hell else was I supposed to get you away? You wouldn't have gone. You would have stayed, you would have tried to be noble about it. I had to be sure you'd run.

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u know i'ts really great to hit send on your tags, i hear it's all the rage

it probably helps??

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