reverienet | audio; un: alucard

[ for a moment, venus reacts with legitimate fear. vampires aren't a thing you screw around with, after all. and it's kids, teens and young women like her, who are the vampire slayers.

but it's teens like her who fight the devil, too. and if things have changed that much in just these past few days, who's to say this can't change too? ]

oh wow
you're a dhampir?
that's actually pretty cool. haha
i hope no one gives you any trouble for it.

well. um.
i guess the big question is. food?
do you still need blood

[Alucard suspects he may know who this is. It's subtle, but his voice softens a fraction.]

I expect trouble to some degree. Many people would see me as a predator.

I do survive on blood, but I would never take from someone unwilling.

i guess that makes sense.
i mean, you sort of are?
literally at least.
but also, it's not like humans are really any better??
so i trust you. :)

wait a second
are you the guy from the bar??
alucard! right. i knew the name sounded familiar
i'm venus. we met a while ago, remember?

[ she hopes she's not coming across as too excited. she also hopes that being a little excited might distract from the part where she totally didn't recognize his name at first. ]

I will not violate that trust.

[He has complicated feelings about humans, but he doesn't really disagree with Venus.]

I remember. I thought it might be you, but I did not want to make any assumptions. Are you well, Venus?

[ it seems like he prefers audio? and, well, she wasn't huge on voice chats for a long time, but it's not like it hurts to start now. so she switches over with a press of a button, and talks - clearly excited to be talking to someone semi-familiar. ]

Yeah! I'm doing... great? Or, well. As great as you can be in space, I guess?? [ she assumes. so far space hasn't exactly been a picnic. ] The food's. Not great, but I think I've found something that doesn't taste as bad as the others? And it kind of balances out the coffee.

But even if it didn't, the others are here with me. So I'm not really that worried about anything.

[This is much more comfortable, admittedly. There is nothing similar to the option of texting where he's from; written letters take far too much time, and the closest he's had to video or audio interactions were with spells and charms. This is much better.]

I admire your temperament, Venus.

Do you yearn to return to your home?

Haha. Thank you, I think? It's really not anything special, though. I just sort of... have a lot more to look forward to here than back home, I guess.

[ that probably answers that question, honestly. but just in case, she elaborates a bit further. ]

Hmm... Not really? I kind of want to check on the other summer scouts, but- they're strong too. They can take care of themselves. [ a small smile, one alucard might be able to hear even without the video. ] Aside from that, everyone I really care about is already here with me.

[No. He doesn't think that he can really blame Venus for having little urge to return. Alucard himself only feels the need because of what's to come within a year for Wallachia.]

You underestimate how easily rage and impatience takes hold for most.

Of course. Jupiter and Neptune. [He hums softly, curious.] What are these summer scouts?

[ that gets a smile out of her unlike any of her others - quiet, thin, not unkind but not mirthful. ]

I think if I didn't know that, I'd sound angry a lot more often. [ she sure feels it, at least. ] There's a lot to be angry about, after all. Maybe the people who get impatient don't realize just how much.

[ a laugh - tiny and sad, not an expression of joy. but she stays smiling, and by the time alucard mentions her friends she's as good as new. ]

Right. They're, um... It was a camp for bad kids. [ "like me," she nearly says. ] We were supposed to learn how to be good. Being strong for the Lord, and fighting off the devil, and maybe learning how to fix radios and sirens while we did.

[ she stretches her wings out, an odd peacefulness to the gesture. there would have been so much sadness, so much anger to think about it even a week ago. but now, there's only acceptance. through that place, she met the two most important devils in the world. through that place, she was able to become what she always was.

it may not have been what the camp was for, but it did better than it ever could have done. ]

And we tore it down. We let the devil into our hearts, and we didn't fight it, and now there's dozens more just like us with a place that they're safe.

You make a fair point, and it was assuming of me to think you would not know otherwise. [His words are soft; bottom line, he does think Venus has a good head on her shoulders.

He goes quiet, listening to Venus' tale. It's a fascinating one, to be certain. To be forced into a place because what these people were did not fit a man's idea of what is good.

To him, it doesn't sound all that terrible.]

Humans often make painful decisions in the name of their Lord. It can be a tainted declaration of love.

Might I ask why you allowed the devil in? [There is no judgment in his tone.]

Hmm. [ her gaze drifts backward, up to the ceiling until she's no longer facing her communicator; when she speaks her voice is distant, literally and tonally. she's already decided to trust alucard - and nothing he's said so far has made her question her decision. so she just says it outright. ] I guess... Because I was angry? I am angry. And I did the thing I always do, where the world wants me to do something, and I just. Don't do it.

[ she laughs. it feels kind of nice to just... say it all, freely like this. she's got nothing to fear - why should she stop? ]

You're supposed to be grateful for everything God gives you. I mean, it's all a part of his plan, right? But there are people who die, and suffer, and people who suffer so much they wish they were dead. There's so many. Why would he do that? Why would he make some people good, and some people bad, and then just watch the bad people try so hard to be good and never make it?

[ she's starting to feel it - that familiar twinge in her gut, the clench in her jaw. she relaxes it all - takes a deep breath. ]

It's like he set up a race, but he started it a long time ago. Years. And whenever anyone new tries to join in, he tells them- "Everyone is equal here! You can make it!" But they can't. And then those people are left alone, and they're running a race that ended before they were ever born.

[ softly, gently, barely audible on the communicator- ]

Isn't that just awful to think about?

[God has no place in the House of Ţepeş, with creatures of the night, vampires who drink from the blood of mortals in order to survive. He is not their Lord, neither do they serve the Devil. His blessed water burns their skin, His doors bar entry when His presence is there, and He has no sympathy for any beast, demon, or vampire.

So he hears Venus and understands with no judgment whatsoever. To try to reach such ridiculous standards, expectations, to fit a certain specific mold with the idea of what is good or evil. The wicked live, dominating those who don't have the power to fight back. And the wicked may live on, tugging puppet strings of those too weak to know how to guide themselves.

He understands.]

It is wretched in just about every aspect.

You were human, but rather than conforming yourself you welcomed the devil. Is that so?

Haha. That's a good word for it. "Wretched."

[ she listens to him speak, and when he finishes she lets out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. that's... ]

That's exactly it. [ it's exactly it. it's not right to say that she became the devil - she welcomed the devil that had always been there. but it's not right to say she'd always been like that, either. it's complicated. it's a lot to deal with. ] It's... Usually, people who aren't devils don't understand. It's a lot to explain in so few words, you know?

It is. But I believe that I can understand what you're saying.

What happened to the others at your camp?

The others? [ oh. it's a reasonable question, honestly. if three people show up as devils, what happened to the rest? ] They're like us now. I uh. I think trying to make a bunch of the bad kids fight the devil was a bad idea? It sort of just took the three of us for the whole thing to come crashing down.

Do you feel that you liberated them? [It's not a judgmental question, but a curious one.]

Well... yeah. [ it doesn't sound like she even has to think very long about it. ] There wasn't even really a hesitation. You know? Like, Jupiter was... It was hard. She had to really think about it, even though she wanted to so badly. But it wasn't even like that for them. We just told them what they needed to hear, and that was enough.

[ her voice softens as she speaks. even if she has nothing really holding her down, even if she has no real reason to go back home... she'd kind of like to see how they're doing. ]

I guess nobody had ever really told them that before.

How long do you suppose it will last for your people, Venus?

How long?

[ that's... well, she hasn't thought about that too deeply just yet. confusion rolls across her face for just a moment - but it's only a moment, and she exhales deeply with a smile. ]

Well... I can't say for sure. Usually, it's one person against the world, you know? But like this... there's dozens of us. And each one of us has others to look out for them. [ neptune and jupiter are here, somewhere. she knows it. they'll look out for her in the same way. ] Maybe it'll last forever. Or maybe we'll get burned down the next time we go home? But... I think I'd still rather it be this way.

[That does make sense, doesn't it. No matter how long it'll last, it's better to live as themselves than not. Better to do that than conform to the idea of what a good person should be by harmful standards.]

I'm glad for you, and for them.

Haha. I am, too.

[ and she means it. she's so, so glad for all of them - more than she can even put into words. there's a bit of a hesitation before she says the next bit. ]

Hey, um... You said you didn't really have anyone here waiting for you. And maybe that's for the best? I don't know. [ an awkward smile, audible in her voice. ] But if you ever want some company, let me know. I totally hid some of the whiskey.

[It's sweet of Venus to say those things. For Alucard, it's a difficult thing, and he opts to not elaborate on the subject of loved ones.]

The devil has a taste for drink. [His voice sounds amused.] I would partake, but it would do nothing for me, unfortunately. Inebriation can only happen for me in one way.

Haha, no way! It sucks. It sucks so bad? Like, there is literally no reason to drink it other than getting drunk. But that part's kind of fun.

[ venus there are people who would enjoy whiskey aged for god knows how many years on this station ]

-oh! Oh, right. I guess I don't really know much about what vampires- or dhampirs, I'm guessing it's kind of the same thing? What dhampirs do for fun. [ wait. wait. ] Wait, alcohol goes into blood, right? Would it work if you, uh- you know, with a drunk person?

There are drinks that exist for flavor, though that's a matter of taste.

[He gives a low chuckle.] Yes, it would work if I drank the blood of someone who was intoxicated.

Oh, I mean, I believe you? But also... I think that's kind of a lie. Not from you, but just. In general?

[ it would work? she doesn't even stop to think about how terrible of an idea it is. she just dives right in. ]

Oh my god? Oh my god. We have to try it sometime. [ -aaand now she's giving it another thought. not necessarily a regretful one, but at least some modicum of consideration. ] Actually, maybe that's a bad idea? I haven't ever heard of vampires drinking the devil's blood. That sounds... Actually, that sounds kind of awesome??

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audio; un: alucard

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