𝔐𝔲𝔩𝔱𝔦-𝔪𝔲𝔰𝔢𝔰

Multi-mused roleplaying blog. Private and selective. Indie.

[melancholynobleman]

With his proposal taken, Clarence seemed to visibly calm down, as if his nerves had been soothed over. He glanced behind to the shivering Skeleton and said harshly, "Stephano, go to Ulrick and tell him to prepare a light meal for our guests."

Without a grumble, the skeleton in a tuxedo went off to do as the young Belmont had asked, bones crackling and clacking as he walked away.

At Joshua's question, Clarence shrugged before he answered, "I don't know. My father is a fool and a half to put his trust in a vampire. Especially with what they did to Lady Sara. But he has his reasons, and the vampire hasn't broken his pact yet. Follow me. I will take you to Sara's grave."

Then Clarence left the room. The dove above them was still quiet, keeping its eyes on the trio.

Juste didn't say a word until Clarence left the room. Cautiously, after he finished reading the book that was on the floor, he walked over to Joan and asked softly, "Are you sure about this?"

Don't get him wrong, he was a little hungry... but he also didn't want to cross paths with the founding father of the Belmont Clan...! Wouldn't Leon see right through their bluff of them being distantly related to the Belmonts of this era (I mean... it wasn't wrong, but it was 'distantly' in timeline wise... not like offshoot cousins or whatever.)

[toccata-la-noctis]

“Nope.” Joan cracked her neck and then knuckles to try and ease the tension she felt. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t lying about that powerful artifact. One of Dracula’s most powerful underlings is trying to find it. Someone who comes after your era. This artifact was “lost” to time but I learned it was safeguarded by the Gandolfi family.”

“Another unnecessary effort that could’ve been avoided if we just went to Tuomas first.” Joshua picked the book up and placed it on a nearby table.

“Enough with that. It doesn’t matter since the whip would’ve brought us here anyway.” Joan motioned for them to follow before they fell too far behind. She didn’t care if the dove overheard or not anymore. “Encountering a distant ancestor is far different that encountering our mother as a child. We won’t see Leon again if we meet him now. Mother, on the other hand…it’s a different story.”

[melancholynobleman]

At Joan's words, the dove suddenly stilled and quieted -- its head turning to the woman with a dangerous shine in its red eyes. Although the distance between it and her barely spoken words was great, the mysterious white dove still heard them. But it ceased to make a bigger fuss, sitting quietly in the rafters above, staring unblinkingly at Joan.

Clarence nodded when his question was finally answered, yet he furrowed his brows as he seemed to think intensely. "Joan, Joshua, and Juste... You are Belmonts, there is no doubt, but you... Are you cousins of mine? For father hasn't had any bastard children..."

The young boy frowned at the woman's words. Concern was alighting in his blue eyes, shining through the suspicion, yet he moved his lips slightly in thought. Then, Clarence turned to the side, as if giving them permission to exit the Library, saying, "Mister Rinaldo is here within the Eternal Night. They should be returning to the manor not too long from now with tonight's supper. Perhaps you would wish to eat lightly before then?"

Juste was silent, still reading the page of Eternal Night Manor. Upon the youth's proposal, he glanced up at Joan. Although he wanted to go home as quick as possible, if what Joan said was true, then he was more than willing to stay and make sure that the artifact was safe from Dracula's henchmen.

[toccata-la-noctis]

Joan prayed her brother and nephew wouldn’t open their mouths. They were already in territory where the timeline could be impacted. After all, this wasn’t the same situation as when the time-watchers put her father into a time rift. She tried to set a mental reminder to explain the risks further with Joshua since she knew he’d black mail her into more travels.

“If it’s not too much trouble. A bite of food may help calm some nerves.” Joan forced a smile. “I’d like to pay my respects to Lady Sara, too, if someone could show me to her grave.” “We are distantly related.” Joshua answered Clarence. “I’m curious…why exactly did Leon agree to this pact?”

[toccata-la-noctis]

#Joachim at Joan at the moment: “oh you bitch-”

[This is, in fact, a common phrase he will have in her regard for centuries to come.] @melancholynobleman

[melancholynobleman]

Stephano had had the decency to look rattled (no pun intended) when Joan threatened him with the canines. As soon as the young Belmont boy appeared, the short skeleton gave an 'eep!' and rushed behind the boy for protection. "Young master Belmont! She just threatened me! Ya gonna let her get away with yappin' at your babysitter?"

The little boy rolled his eyes but didn't seem overly defensive of the skeleton. At Joan's question, the young Belmont furrowed his brows and frowned.

"Aren't you a Belmont as well? He told me the library was drenched in the smell of Belmont..."

Juste closed the magic book carefully, nodding almost mechanically at Joan's sharp 'grandmother' tone. He knew he needed to approach this all with a leveled head... He knew he needed to trust the process and freak out later. "Right... Yes," Juste said as he slowly returned the tome to its rightful place, then drew his hand back to trace along the groves of his bracelet.

Above them, it seemed like the dove caught Joshua's words. It stopped crowing agitatedly and turned its head to look directly at the time-traveling Belmont. Its ruby eyes flashed for just a moment -- then a heavy book, as if pulled by an invisible hand, flung out from its place on the shelf and flew right to Joshua's head!

Within a second, Juste stretched out his hand to magically conjure an icy barrier to protect his uncle. The thick tome smacked against the short-lived ice wall, and fell to the floor open. Juste spared a glance at it, reading only the title 'Eternal Night', accompanied with a drawing of a grand manor. Juste craned his neck curiously at it, reading its contents slowly.

The Belmont boy didn't seem surprised or startled at the book magically flying. He calmly continued, "Walter Bernhard and the Eternal Night Forest do not exist anymore. But this is Eternal Night Manor. A hideaway for us, as Father loves to simplify it. This protected acreage is Belmont land, cared for by these... loathsome and defective beasts."

The boy pouted a bit, his chin rising higher as he continued to stare coldly at Joan. "Since you didn't answer my question, I suppose I started off rudely. I am Clarence Belmont, and I want to know why you are looking for Rinaldo."

[toccata-la-noctis]

Finally, Joan eyed the dove. It had been the only creature inside the library at the time of their arrival and it had flown off briefly. It acted strangely for a bird…which was saying something considering Joan was familiar with the odd behavior of her mother’s owl familiar.

“It seems you are still not as beloved by the night as him.” She kept her voice low, barely a whisper, as she addressed the bird. It was a dangerous test but at least it would confirm her suspicions, as well as give her associate in the future more credibility.  

Joshua nodded a thanks to Juste. He picked up the book and began to leaf through it, frowning at what he read.

Joan sighed. How was this kid able to make Joshua’s personality more bearable? And he already knew they were Belmonts. No use hiding that…or introducing herself as Joan D’Gandolfi as she normally would.

“You know we hail from House Belmont. My name is Joan. These two are Joshua and Juste.” It was painful to realize how often her family seemed to like names that started with the letter J. “Rinaldo is one of two alchemists who know about a powerful artifact that I’m looking for. I protect these artifacts from falling into the wrong hands…among those who tend to serve Dra…Mathias Cronqvist. If Rinaldo isn’t expected back soon, then it’s best we be on our way.”  

[melancholynobleman]

The skeleton, Stephano, could have raised a brow at Joan if it had brows. Instead, after a brief moment of silence, he hummed and hawed as if in deep thought before saying, "Gandolfi, huh? Hadn't seen him since I came here to Eternal Night. Only Leon and the Lord take him in when he visits. If you want to wait for him, I'm sure the Lord don' mind having an extra cleaner. Ya' could look good in a maid's dress, little lady."

Juste frowned at Joshua's words, not paying much attention to Stephano and Joan's conversation. With his eyes still on the pages of this tome, he shook his head at Joshua's question. "It's not that they haven't. We have books detailing Leon's life. It's just... Eternal Night was vanquished with the Lord of the castle at that time. There is no 'Eternal Night' anymore... But we shouldn't... I shouldn't be here... How do I go back...?"

He should be with Lydie and Maxim, not here... Not here. Heck, he shouldn't even be seeing Joshua and Joan... They disappeared and should have been age-ravaged like father...

Feathers fluttered above them as the white dove few back into the library. It's cooed nonstop, agitated by something. Its commotion caused Juste to finally tear his eyes from his books. But he glanced a little too quickly when someone else caught his eye.

At the library doorway just behind the skeleton Stephano, a young boy with dirty-blond hair stood there with judgment in his eyes and arms crossed over his chest. He wore a white ruffled-collared shirt and dark-colored trousers. Etched onto the breast pocket of his shirt was the crest of the Belmont clan.

His thin brows were narrowed as he scrutinized the strangers in the library. The Belmont youth, too childish to appropriately show intimidation, stated with his eyes locked on Joan and cynicism dripping from his mouth, "Rinaldo isn't here at the moment. He's out with father and brother. Why are you looking for him?"

[toccata-la-noctis]

“Suggest that again and I’ll feed you to the nearest canine creature.” Joan muttered under her breath regarding the skeleton’s comment.

She couldn’t wait. Their presence already caused too much attention. Enough that she feared Saint Germain or another of his kin would arrive if things didn’t settle soon. The time-watchers were the main reason she insisted on finding Rinaldo first. His relation to them was distant compared to Tuomas.

“Joan.” Joshua gave up on trying to be logical with Juste. His attention shifted to the dove. Once again, he felt there was something off about it. Joshua didn’t think it was a familiar, like his mother’s was, but it wasn’t a normal animal. “What are you?” He asked with a frown.

“Juste,” Joan grimaced, not meaning to mimic her mother’s sharp tone. “Calm down. I promise that I’ll get you back to your time and place. However, there’s something more important that I have to do first.”

 “This is why I said we should’ve gone to Tuomas first. I know you didn’t want to risk it because of Mother but…” Joshua shook his head and fell silent when the other boy spoke.

Joan ignored the boy’s attitude. Rather than answer him, she replied with a question. “Why does Eternal Night still exist? Walter Bernhard and the Ebony stone were destroyed years ago.”

[melancholynobleman]

Silenced filled the room after the skeleton spoke so casually to the trio. It was turning into awkwardness until Joshua spoke up.

The tuxedo-wearing skeleton clicked his jaw two times before he scoffed and replied snarkily, "Lady Sara's grave is here, yeh. What makes ya so interested in 'er? Ulrick should be cleanin' it by now, mat'a' o' fact... I'm Stephano, by the ways. The Lord's been grumpy since the Belmont brat was dropped off, so I'll be showing ya where you wanna go."

Juste blinked at the skeleton, still shocked at a creature of the night that wasn't cowering in fear of the Belmonts. But he took another glance around the library that they had teleported into, taking careful observations around him. If he really was in the past, then Dracula should have been recently 'born', in a sense. Although the library here in this manor wasn't anything close to what the current Belmont Manor held within its vaults, it was still a starting collection. Perhaps the current vampire hunters found something effective that had been lost to the ages? Or perhaps there are more magic tomes to be read that hadn't survived to Juste's era.

The silver-haired vampire hunter in red walked over to one shelf, a slender hand running along the spines of fresh leather. When he stopped at a magic tome that seemed interesting, he pulled it out of its spot and flipped through some pages. Although it wasn't something coherently put together (in Juste's eyes), it detailed some accounts of Alchemy--specifically alchemy that could enshroud selected land into obscurity.

"Where... Are we?" Juste furrowed his brows. His words were soft and uncertain -- as if he were asking himself such an impossible question.

He had no idea what this place was... aside from the fact that they were in the past, where did he get sent to....? and how can he go back?

[toccata-la-noctis]

Joan had at least 99 problems and she hoped dealing with this skeleton and its master wasn’t one of them.

“With all do respect to Lady Sara’s memory,” she addressed the skeleton. “Her resting place is not where I intended my spell to bring us to. I’m looking for an alchemist by the name of Rinaldo Gandolfi.”

She hated being this direct. However, with the mention of another Belmont nearby and the unknown master, Joan figured it was best to try and not to cause a scene and draw more attention to them. Especially with Juste here. Things were going chaotic enough that she was beginning to fear the tome they were looking for was in the possession of another Gandolfi instead of Rinaldo.

Joshua sighed upon hearing Juste’s question. “To put it simply, we are in the forest of Eternal Night. At least…what’s left of it. Did Gideon or Father really not share Leon’s tale with you? They should’ve, given the burden it placed on our blood.”

[melancholynobleman]

Juste was quiet when Joshua revealed the era that they were sent back to... a bit too quiet. The young man was naturally pale as a side-effect of his innate ability to cast magic, but his widened eyes told the silent horror that ran through his body like lightning.

He was sent... to the past?? The far past?? Holy shit!

Juste was so caught up in how he ended up in the past that he didn't realize that the other two were talking about the Vampire Killer strapped to his hip. When he finally caught up to the conversation, the young nobleman immediately placed a hand on his whip as if reassuring himself that it was still there on its holster.

"Sara Trantoul?" Juste wasn't stupid. He knew of his family's history and of the whip's history. He narrowed his pale blue eyes before questioning, "What are you saying? The whip threw you guys off your destination? How is that possible? Wouldn't the Vampire Killer be here in this time as well?"

By all logical sense, the whip should have brought them to the current Belmont Successor. Not to a random library.

At that time, the white dove cooed and flew off, swooping low enough from its place on the ceiling beams to fly out the door. Juste stared off at where the strange bird made its departure, confused and thinking.

Then, from beyond the opened door, "Ahh yeah whatever, shut your yappin'. Da Lord o' da Manor is such an ass-tight."

A short while later, just as Juste was thinking of investigating the library, a skeleton dressed in only a tuxedo wobbled into the room. The Skeleton was shorter than what Juste was used to fighting - the collection of bones perhaps not even reaching past his waists, the vampire hunter judged from the distance between the group of three and the door.

Upon seeing the three, the Skeleton didn't seem too bothered oddly. Instead, he placed a hand on his hip bone and said impatiently, "What brings ya ta Eternal Night? Waitin' for someone or somein'?"

Juste could only gawk at the skeleton, in awe of how a creature of the night held no fear talking to them, unmistakable children of the Belmonts.

[toccata-la-noctis]

Jousha pushed at his glasses, adjusting them on the bridge of his nose.

“Joan may correct me if I’m wrong. Her ability to travel through time requires her to use objects as anchors to help re-enter the timeline at the proper era and place she desires. Magical or holy relics tend to work best because their unique properties allow a stronger tether to follow. This isn’t the most reliable method,” the boy ignored his sister’s scoff. “Because different factors can interfere and cause unexpected outcomes. Like how she intended to find Rinaldo Gandolfi with his necklace but you happened to join us, bringing the Vampire Killer with you.”  

Joan took that moment to take over the conversation. “The Vampire Killer likely became the new anchor in my spell, changing the destination but still getting us to the correct time period. That’s why it’s concerning, Juste. The soul within your whip would have two tethers here. One tether connected to the Vampire Killer that belonged to the Belmont of the 1100s and…another tether to Lady Sara’s grave. I just don’t know which tether the spell followed.”

“Her burial would’ve been 16 years ago. Her body wouldn’t have decomposed as fast as a normal human’s. Not when she was that close to turning before-!” Jousha fell silent when they all heard the voice beyond the doorway.

Both siblings tensed. Joan reached for her whip of alchemy. Joshua’s fingers curled towards his palms, energy drawing to them as he prepared a couple marks to assist in battle. Like Juste, they weren’t expecting a creature of the night that didn’t seem bothered by how it spoke to Belmonts.

Joshua cleared his throat. “Eternal Night? Hmm. So, we’re near Lady Sara’s grave.”  

[melancholynobleman]

Juste quietly walked the corridor leading to the library. It was quiet. Probably didn't help that twilight was approaching. Maxim and Lydie already went to their respective bedchambers -- something Juste was all too eager to gift them after he inherited the Belmont estate not too long after the disappearance of Dracula's Castle. After all, those two were very precious to him, and he wanted them close by after everything they went through.

But he felt restless. Reading books has always been a relaxing pass time, and nothing in his bedchambers sparked any desire. So, to the library, he went.

Juste had just pushed the door ajar and paused when he heard voices. Voices he didn't recognize, but ticked the back of his mind with a faint familiarity.

It's not every day someone is bold enough to break into the Belmont Manor, Juste thought to himself. It piqued his interest when the Rinaldo. After all, it has been recorded in ancient, well-preserved tomes that Rinaldo helped the Belmont Clan in the 11th century. He waited until there was a considerable pause in their conversation before he opened the door wider. He peered inside, expecting to see a bunch of rookie thieves looking around for valuables.

What he didn't expect was to catch a glimpse of living paintings. Instead of the dull and vintage images of what his father had called his brother and sister, they were full of life, moving, and speaking. it was as if time never moved for them -- an uncanny resemblance to Grandmother.

Reflecting upon the conversation he overheard, Juste bolted -- not really thinking as his legs moved.

He ran toward the duo just in time for his vision to be consumed with white. For a moment, he was lightweight--then gravity pressed against him like a god squishing a bug. Aside from a strangled sound of shocked pain, Juste was rendered mute throughout the entire experience. He thought he heard an echo of ticking, as if a grandfather clock was chiming away in the far reaches of his mind.

Then it all came to a dizzying stop.

"Ugh," was the second sound that bellowed from Juste's lips. He nursed his head with one hand and tried to lift his eyes.

They were in the library, but it looked different. It felt different. Darker. Instead of an array of books that could span twenty or so feet, it felt smaller. While the shelves of the library were full, something felt off about the books stacked against them...

Some of them.. weren't books, were they? No, it wasn't... He can clearly see some shelves with scrolls, and others with... Something else.

A curious coo from above snapped him from his observations. Perched on a high beam near the ceiling sat a pale dove. Its piercing red eyes stared down at the trio with curiosity. Juste could have sworn that he saw a semblance of intelligence in those ruby-colored eyes. But his awareness was, again, nabbed away as he had to face the consequences of his actions.

Juste glanced over his shoulder and stared owlishly at the other two. They looked exactly how he knew them to look... But something wasn't adding up--and even now he was just confused about what had happened...

"Uncle Joshua?" He spoke, uncertain. "Aunt Joan? Are you two really...? Wait, first things first... Where are we?"

Above them, the pale dove cooed again.

[toccata-la-noctis]

“Mother’s going to kill me.” Joan pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Maybe this is enough encouragement to start locking doors before you spell yourself back or forth into time?” Joshua ignored his sister’s obvious distress. He adjusted his glasses, briefly glancing up with a frown at the dove upon hearing it, before surveying their new surroundings. “Greetings, Juste. I’ll leave it to my sister to explain our situation.”

Joan would’ve immediately sent both boys back to Juste’s time if she had the energy to. Instead, she focused on addressing Juste’s questions. “Where we are to be determined. It’s more important that we find out what year it is, first.”

“1110 anno domini.” Joshua answered. He tapped at a book he had been inspecting. “The ink is dry but still fresh.”

“Anything about our location?” Joan inquired, not meaning to ignore her nephew. “I felt something throw the spell off. Like the anchor switched to something else and pulled us to another place than I intended.”

“I felt that, too.” Joshua glanced at Juste and noted the whip attached to his nephew’s hip.  “Hmm. Mayhap the spell changed physical location within the correct era due to Lady Sara?”

“Sara? You meant Sara Trantoul?” Joan paled. “Right, Juste wields the whip now. It’s a stronger relic than the necklace that belonged to Rinaldo.”

They both knew that likely meant two possibilities. Either they were close to Sara’s grave or close to whomever possessed with Vampire Killer in 1100. Joan couldn’t remember which Belmont that would be.

Joshua glanced up at the dove again. He narrowed his eyes. It somehow reminded him of Athena.  

[toccata-la-noctis]

|| Berceuse of lament ||

“Pacing won’t encourage me to read faster.” Joshua turned another page. “If you insist on doing it, move away from the windows. Anyone outside will take notice.”

He picked up his quill, dipping it swiftly in the ink he brought, and added notes to his own leather-bound journal. It was best to include anything that could help their approaching journey. What were the regions like in that era? What languages were spoken most? Did they trade or have currency?

“Just hurry up.” Joan insisted.

Her younger bother did have a point. She stepped away from the windows, moving toward the other table that contained their traveling satchels. Joan distracted herself by checking both, ensuring they had everything ready that couldn’t be obtained easily after reaching their destination.

“If you didn’t misplace us in time, we wouldn’t have to worry.”

“There was never supposed to be ‘we’. You couldn’t mind your own business.”

Joan was still mad that he dared to intrude when she performed the spell to phase through time. His sudden appearance startled her, causing Joan to miscalculate the marks meant to send her into the past. This resulted in her sending them to the future instead, where their future nephew had become head of the Belmont clan.

Joshua snapped the book closed. He faced his sister, eyes narrowed. “I’m not the bloody idiot who thought it was a good idea to mettle with things she shouldn’t! However, I will make the most out of this. I always wanted to meet Grandfather.”

Joan scoffed. “We don’t even know if he possessed the tome. It’s more likely that Rinaldo has it.”

Joshua returned everything to its proper place. “Mother once mentioned seeing part of the book. You’re just afraid of seeing her.”

“Of course, I am. Meeting Rinaldo is completely different than…” Joan paused, inhaling to calm herself. Someone might find them if they argued. She waited until Joshua collected his satchel before weaving forth the marks she needed for her spell. “Are you ready?”

“Yes. Also, your mark casting is horrid.”

“Shut it or I’m leaving you here.”   [Closed starter for @melancholynobleman ]

[freakshow4lyfe]

#NeverEndingGif

[unexplained-events]

Three types of time travel.

[toccata-la-noctis]

WiP character list.

These are original characters based on ideas and AUs I had from past roleplays and plotting for a CV universe. I want to write stories for them and post them here and on Ao3 when I’m more productive. Details are still being refined regarding each character. 

[Joan D’Gandolfi]

Born to Simon Belmont and Sabriel D’Gandolfi, She is a time-traveling alchemist who aids humanity, due to a vow her ancestor made. In attempt to stop one of Dracula’s resurrections, her body was possessed with several ancient vampire souls that had been contained within the Crimson stone. While her mind is her own, she struggles to find a cure before the souls corrupt and turn her into a creature of the night.

[Mateus Cronqvist]

A man from an alternate timeline. Little is known about his origins, aside from the fact that he was born to Mathias Cronqvist and his wife, Elisabetha. It appears he is a servant of Chaos, seeking to create a Dark Lord via Joan.

[Hekate Tzuentes]

Hekate is a powerful demon from Mateus’ world. She possessed the body of a young woman, who’s parents were descended from Drolta Tzuentes and Shaft, after the woman was sacrificed in a botched attempt to summon Dracula. While her true motives are unclear, she joins Joan to spite Mateus. 

[toccata-la-noctis]

omniaxvanitas:

“If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have led you here.” Julius’ tone of voice contrasted his word choice. He was mellow.

He never did stop to listen when she did speak. The old hunter made his way to the sculptured bushes, picking out the one that resembled a dove or some sort of slim bird.  Crouching over and sticking his hand into the lower side of the bush, Julius pulled the fobwatch out by the chain and stood up. While plucking out the leaves and twigs, he turned to Joan. 

“Here.” Lightly he tossed the watch over to her. “Escorting you out won’t be necessary now…unless you’re too tense?”

Joan catch her watch, clutching it tightly as if it might disappear again. Ebony eyes, appearing almost pupilless due to their color, studied the man. Then she shrugged.

“There’s little reason to be tense in a house of God unless it’s no longer holy and protected by Him.”

She believed there was no reason to play dumb and naive in this situation. She lost that chance from the moment she tossed the coin. It was getting out before she ended up in trouble that would be the hard part.

Joan may go by her mother’s name, but she was still born a Belmont. It was dishonorable to consider fighting another of her house or a priest here. “Thanks, again. I best be on my way out.”

Joan slipped the watch into her pocket. It was good that she left her cape elsewhere. However, she wasn’t unarmed. Her Whip of Alchemy was wrapped around her waist, hidden by her untucked shirt. If the watch didn’t make things difficult, the whip would.

[toccata-la-noctis]

omniaxvanitas:

“You give me too much credit.” He responded to her musing briefly whilst glancing over his shoulder and back. 

Julius made thoughtful turns recalling the path to the church gardens. He sincerely thought she was giving him too much credit; although his gesture may have been considered kind. The church they were in was particularly high maintenance.                  It was the kind of church that was more attuned and aware of the supernatural. It was not ordinary. 

If Julius’ suspicions were correct, the girl would’ve been picked out and well, even if she was able to handle herself, trouble and inquiry would explode knowing how some of the church members were. Not that Julius would be directly involved, but…what a hassle. He was there so he might as well.

Upon nearing a corridor’s turning point, a priest clothed in black was strolling by. His eyes fixated apathetically on the girl, without emotion and yet it managed to have something that would be deemed unsettling. However, the priest turned his head to Julius giving a nod of welcoming before uttering:             “Belmont.”

Julius nodded in response to be courtesy before quickly redirecting his gazes back towards the now sunlit corridors. The gardens were ahead.

Joan had been tense ever since they entered the church. Not because she felt like she was gonna be set on fire, but rather she rarely had good experiences with its members. Notably, she had a habit of punching certain priests if they happened to interfere with her work as a hunter.

Thus, she couldn’t help but feel unease when they passed a priest inside the church. He didn’t seem familiar to her, but Joan didn’t like the way his eyes were. She planned to leave as soon as she found that damn watch.

However, when the priest addressed her guide as ‘Belmont’, Joan felt as if she walked into a stone wall.

This old man was part of House Belmont? 

The young woman crossed her arms over her chest. Well, that explained why he insisted bring her here himself. He must have gotten suspicious after her mistake.

Joan closed her eyes for a second. She kept quiet, refusing to question him about his name. That would only draw more attention.

When they entered the gardens, Joan finally spoke. “Do you recall where you might have seen my watch?” 

[toccata-la-noctis]

omniaxvanitas:

A vampire hunter like Julius would always be vigilant and calculating, even in the tiniest of details from head to toe. Icy irises were glued to the girl, finding the subtle situation all the more intriguing. Her frozen stature gave off the hint that something was not quite right. 

Fortunately he felt no malevolence, but curiosity in this day and age piqued at the old man’s interests. 

“…” His lips twitched briefly in minor amusement. Clearly his expression gave her the hint he simply did not buy her explanation as she predicted. 

“…it’ll be easier on you if I lead you to it. The less suspicion, the easier, the quicker.” Without waiting answer from her, Julius turned on his heel and started for the church doors. Upon opening it, he eyed her from over his shoulder expecting her to follow.

Shit.

Joan rubbed the back of her neck. This old man was unusual, too keen for a regular human. It was possible he was another hunter. If so, then she needed to be careful.

There were several kinds of hunters, varying throughout the eras that she’d travel. He seemed human enough. But that didn’t make him any less dangerous if he was a threat.

She reluctantly followed. Joan didn’t bother coming up with any excuse to drive him off. Not since he was already leading her towards the church. 

“You’re very kind to strangers.” She mused.

[toccata-la-noctis]

omniaxvanitas:

toccata-la-noctis.

“Only if that damn watch isn’t there,” Joan replied as lightheartedly as she could. She kept her voice free of the panic that she felt. The young huntress shifted her weight. It was best that she hurried to search the church’s yard.

“Thanks for your trouble.” Before Joan could refrain, she picked a coin from her pocket and tossed it over to the man. It was old and worn, from her homeland of her proper era. 

It was only appropriate for him to catch the coin. And it was only appropriate for him to stare down at it skeptic. 

“…”  Slowly he turned the coin with his index and middle fingers. It was old and worn alright. Julius Belmont brought up his gazes to the young woman, calmly speaking: 

“Unless my hobby is collecting antique coins,” Julius held the coin up, “This tip is currency real outdated in 2037.”

Joan froze, her black eyes briefly widen as she realized what she had given him. The huntress was almost tempted to swear because of her mistake. Clearing her throat, Joan tried to shrug it off in a manner that one of her uncles might have been proud of.

“Outdated BUT perhaps extremely valuable.” Joan almost winced, knowing that wasn’t going to help her case. Usually, if not caught off her guard as badly as she currently was, she could weasel her way out of situations like this.

Where was a vampire or other creature of the night when one needed a distraction.

The redhead sighed. “Just...keep it if you want. A token of gratitude from me. I really need to go find my watch now.”

[toccata-la-noctis]

omniaxvanitas:

“No need to repeat myself.” Julius shrugged, yet politely smiled as he was careful to not be rather standoffish. 

He found it odd still. To have a pocket-watch at this day and age. Smartphones were the norm and pocket watches were relics of the past only held as expensive antiques for collector fanatics.  “Surely that is no problem now is it?” He inquired. His lips curled into a harmless, small smirk. 

"Only if that damn watch isn’t there,” Joan replied as lightheartedly as she could. She kept her voice free of the panic that she felt. The young huntress shifted her weight. It was best that she hurried to search the church’s yard.

“Thanks for your trouble.” Before Joan could refrain, she picked a coin from her pocket and tossed it over to the man. It was old and worn, from her homeland of her proper era.