@casimirnoctis
location: In Vein
notes: what's a guy like u doin' in a place like this
Control was a lifelong struggle, Vlad had actively discouraged it and in his youth, Alucard had attempted to rebel. Abstaining until his willpower would inevitably give way to hunger. Temperance took practice and even as every nerve in his body hummed, Alucard sipped the glass in front of him, attempting to savor the meal rather than pour it down his throat. A stray laugh in the corner made his jaw tic, Alucard's intrusive thought imagined tearing through that laughter and digging into a warm scream. Feeding with blown pupils as he went from room to room, racking up a debt along the way.
Weary eyes drew closed as Alucard moved to rub at the closed lids, from behind the dhampir worked to dispel the images and push the rampant scent of blood from his senses. It permeated more than this bar, but the city's streets and the myriad of homes with people stacked upon people. When at last he opened them, Alucard prepared to leave before a familiar face at the other end of the bar gave him a measure of pause.
A lifetime ago Casimir and he were twin shadows in the Church of Night, sons of the Princes of Veilcrest, the expectations placed upon them by their parents were contrary, but under Lusacan's eye, they ran parallel. It was strange to be in the same city as Valerius after all these years; despite the distance from the blood bar to the Tower, Alucard could feel the creature within. Biding his time. Valerius's arrogance had been enough to bring them to the city's walls, but that was where the campaign had ended. Years ago he'd sworn an oath to the dark, it took a lifetime to bring himself to this place again and it'd take another to chip away at the guilt surrounding his decision.
Alucard didn't know what prompted his body to start moving, and why, of all actions, he opted to take the seat next to the dhampir. "I didn't expect to see you again." It was a lame method of greeting, one that should've brought his insecurities to a boil, but quiet confidence had overtaken him since Alucard stood on Vlad's stage. Understanding, certainty, and his ultimate destination. He looked about the bar, not sure what to expect. "Is this your haunt?"