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Sypha and I were chatting comfortably in the common room about my time at the castle spent with Alucard. We sat beside each other on the long chair in front of the fireplace. She asked questions about where I was from and what my practices involved. I enjoyed talking about it, it felt like reviving a part of me which had gone dormant.
"And Alucard, how has he been?" I thought that was a question she should ask directly to him, but nonetheless I thought of an answer.
"Good, at least to my knowledge. We had one falling out over a conversation about the future. It's since resolved but, I told him he couldn't stay here alone and he didn't take kindly to that." I remembered the way he raised his voice at me in anger. I still felt bad for bringing the subject that far, especially after he started crying. I wanted to be there for him, but I was sure the last thing he needed was me, the one who caused him to shed tears in the first place.
"Im sorry to hear that. You said it was resolved though, so that's good?" She rubbed my shoulder gently to comfort me and I gave her a weak smile in thanks.
"Yes, he actually brought me flowers the next morning in apology. It was a very sweet gesture." They were still in my room, although I hated seeing them wilt. I wanted to transplant them somewhere, maybe start a garden outside the castle walls.
"Flowers! I wonder where he learnt that from." Her brows pulled together in confusion and I pondered the question as well, shrugging when I could only think of one answer.
"I didn't ask, I'm assuming his father." I wondered about him sometimes, and why Alucard never spoke of him. There were rumours floating around that he was dead, but no one wanted to assume, and of course no one wanted to attempt confirming.
"You do know...Dracula is dead, right?" And there was my confirmation, although I wondered how. I knew next to nothing about any hierarchies in the supernatural world, but Vlad Tepes was Dracula, one of the most powerful beings known to man. Few could contend his strength for even five minutes, much less possess the ability to kill him.
"Well, I'd heard rumours, but how do you know?" She sat back, lowering her gaze as if she'd been there to witness it herself. Something painful flashed in her gaze before she offered me a weak smile.
"Alucard would probably want to tell you that story himself. I'm sorry, it's not my place." I understood to an extent, but still remained confused. Normally when someone died, their cause of death was widely known. What was so different about Dracula's death that Alucard had to be the one to tell me about it? I let it go quickly, holding onto the thought to revisit at a later time. Alucard would tell me when he was ready, and I couldn't push him to do it sooner.
"I understand." I touched her knee gently to reassure her so we could move onto another topic.
"On a happier note, have you and Alucard gotten together?" She gave me a sly smile and my eyes widened to saucers. I could feel my heart beating a tattoo in my chest as my mind ran in all different directions. What made her ask such a thing?
"N-no! Did he tell you we did?" I narrowed my eyes, a scowl forming on my face at the thought of him lying about our relationship.
"No! No, no, i'm just curious." She chuckled mischievously, and I felt my cheeks ablaze. I ducked my head in embarrassment. "You do seem to be quite flustered at the subject, however." I looked up at her and surely she could tell what I was thinking. I heaved a big sigh, my shoulders falling slack.
"Is it that obvious?" I placed both hands on my cheeks bashfully. This made her smile.
"Not really. Have you grown to like him? He's very easy on the eyes I will admit." This type of banter was something I definitely missed. Girls stopped being friends with me when the witch rumours first started; I was sixteen. It had been four years since then and although I pretended to hate petty gossip when I was young for the sake of my mother, it became a guilty pleasure of mine.
"Well, the short answer is yes, but I feel like it's wrong somehow? I think I like him because of him and his personality, and the way he treats me, but I also can't help but feel like anyone in my situation would develop feelings." I hoped she understood what I was trying to say because although it made sense in my head, it sounded much like gibberish coming out of my mouth.
"I think I understand what you're saying. Trevor and I were in the same situation where it was just us alone together for months. We both developed feelings, but I don't think it matters much how they develop. You can't really grow to like someone unless they have likeable traits anyways."
"I guess that's true. But I'm also scared of ruining the relationship we have now. I don't know that he feels the same about me." Talking about these feelings was already doing me some good. It felt nice to just get my thoughts out into the open and Sypha raised a good point; I wouldn't like him if he didn't have any traits that I liked.
"Hmm, I may have a way to find out." I watched as an idea glowed like a lightbulb in her head, waiting with baited breath for her to share it.
"What is it?" I searched her face in anticipation of the answer, but two approaching voices caused our conversation to come to an abrupt halt.
"You'll find out soon enough. I believe our tea has arrived for now."
I couldn't guess what her idea was, but something told me it was trouble.
