[Not that he'd been happy about keeping it to himself. Honestly, it wasn't entirely intentional, but Alucard had been so focused on everyone else and struggling to help them that he hadn't given himself much consideration.
He waits, sitting as his desk, turning a jar of glowing blue water in his hands. When Connor arrives, he lifts his chin up and looks to him, not able to hide the fondness in his gaze.]
Connor.
[The jar is set aside and he turns to face the android.] I'm glad to see that you're on your feet again.
[Concern was clear on Connor's expression, first looking over Alucard and then doing his usual methodical scan of the room. His gaze lingered on the jar for a moment before turning back to Alucard.]
My system began to filter out and break down the crystalized thirium. I... [He shook his head.] I have no explanation.
[He stepped fully into Alucard's quarters and eased the door closed, slowly moving his hand from behind his back to reveal the glass of blood.] I know you probably won't want this but... [He shrugged a little as he held the glass out and then leaned closer to set the glass down beside the jar on Alucard's desk.]
I'm afraid neither do I. This manner of illness transcends my understanding of both magic and science. I can only expect it is the station's influence. I wish I had a better answer than that for you.
[The glass of blood earns a pause, then a faint smile as Alucard bows his head in a gesture of gratitude.] I think at this point, I can risk having a drink when it's a gift from a friend.
Please, make yourself comfortable, Connor.
[Alucard does not drink the blood yet, but he expects that when he does he should probably do it in the presence of another should the worse happen.]
One of the symptoms of the infection. [Alucard looks down at his arm, remembering distinctly how it felt. How there is still some residual stiffness.] There was copper growing underneath my skin. It's why I was in such pain, why it was difficult for me to move. I tried removing it in a variety of ways. Bit by bit, or all at once.
It would always grow back.
It seems to be fading now, thankfully. But I'll admit to frustration in being incapable of doing much of anything useful.
[Connor looked ridiculously touched when Alucard accepted the blood, his expression softening to a small, grateful smile as he took a seat beside him.
He tilted his head, squinting slightly as he looked over Alucard's arm before reaching out to barely brush his fingertips over his skin before gently pressing his fingers down in a few places to try to feel for any residual metal.]
Like the crystallizing thirium...
[He let his hand slip away and looked back to Alucard.]
How did you... try to remove it? [He hesitated during the question, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.]
[There's no reason to, but he holds his breath anyway, feeling Connor's fingers against his skin. It seems, for the most part, the copper is surrounding joints, like the crook of Alucard's elbow or his shoulder.]
Similar. I come with supernatural strength, so I was able to push through it.
[Alucard pauses at the question, then frowns to himself. He doesn't want to tell Connor, but he won't lie to him either.]
I first started by attempting to cut the copper out. It is a soft metal, so I was able to remove pieces of it, but it simply began to grow back.
...Toward the worst of it and after I attempted to help you, I made a request of someone to help me. Someone who has the ability to control magnetic fields of metal. I asked him to try to remove it from my body.
[Alucard frowns deeply, knowing the action had been unwise. Made out of utter desperation.]
[Connor cracks a small smile, finding a bit of amusement in Alucard's words.] You "come with"... It makes it sound like it's one of your features.
[His expression, growing serious when Alucard admitted how he'd tried to remove the infection.]
I'm glad you didn't do more damage to yourself... Those procedures sound very dangerous. If you were human, I think you might have even killed yourself.
It all grew back? [He nodded to himself, not needing to hear the answer.] Like the thirium.
[His gaze moved from Alucard's arm to scan his face.] I'm glad you're improving.
[That makes Alucard snort, a faint smile forming.] Well, I suppose that I have many features. Perhaps not so unlike an android. Though mine are a fair bit more unpredictable.
[It's something he hasn't quite admitted to many others. Naoya knows, certainly Erik of course, but Connor's the only one he's outright informed. He couldn't find it in himself to lie.]
I know that if I were human, I would have died immediately.
Thank you. And you as well, of course. I was concerned that I couldn't do more to help. I suppose if nothing else, this place or whoever runs it has no interest in killing us.
Yes. Humans have many features. I'm sure it is the same with dhampir. [He smiled softly.
Honestly, it made him happy that Alucard hadn't chided him for his little joke. It was actually easier to try to break people down in the same way that androids were, even though they were fundamentally very different.]
Has... anyone died from these occurrences? I'm aware of people disappearing, almost in the same way that we suddenly appear. But have their been any casualties?
[In any case, he doesn't seem bothered by the humor. He rather likes the small quips Connor offers here and there.]
Mm. Not directly. There was one that drowned from the pool water when the gravity was turned off. Someone else died from a specific... event that happened to them. It was as if all of the air was sucked out of him and he suffocated, but it was not directly from the station's effects on the entire population.
[Connor frowned, brow creasing and LED flickering yellow. Unfortunately, he was able to recreate a realistic and probable reconstruction of what would happen to a human body if air was forced out of it, his programming feeding him statistics of how long the person would have likely lived.]
I see... I might be making unrealistic assumptions, but isn't it likely that the station, or whoever's brought us here, is likely behind those accidents?
[It didn't even feel right calling them accidents. They were almost like bizarre experimentation.]
Entirely probable. Or perhaps behind the replicators making me so ill.
Regardless, we've no way of knowing just yet. Do not mistake me; I make no defense of what happened. Simply that overall that if we are alive, it is more convenient for such games.
Still... there have been at least two deaths and it appears as though people have been going missing. Hopefully, they've returned to where they were taken, but there is no proof that that's the case.
I agree that, logically speaking, it is likely if this is some sort of experiment that they would prefer we were alive. However... new arrivals keep appearing. There may not be a limited pool that they can pull from, so to speak.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[Not that he'd been happy about keeping it to himself. Honestly, it wasn't entirely intentional, but Alucard had been so focused on everyone else and struggling to help them that he hadn't given himself much consideration.
He waits, sitting as his desk, turning a jar of glowing blue water in his hands. When Connor arrives, he lifts his chin up and looks to him, not able to hide the fondness in his gaze.]
Connor.
[The jar is set aside and he turns to face the android.] I'm glad to see that you're on your feet again.
no subject
My system began to filter out and break down the crystalized thirium. I... [He shook his head.] I have no explanation.
[He stepped fully into Alucard's quarters and eased the door closed, slowly moving his hand from behind his back to reveal the glass of blood.] I know you probably won't want this but... [He shrugged a little as he held the glass out and then leaned closer to set the glass down beside the jar on Alucard's desk.]
no subject
[The glass of blood earns a pause, then a faint smile as Alucard bows his head in a gesture of gratitude.] I think at this point, I can risk having a drink when it's a gift from a friend.
Please, make yourself comfortable, Connor.
[Alucard does not drink the blood yet, but he expects that when he does he should probably do it in the presence of another should the worse happen.]
One of the symptoms of the infection. [Alucard looks down at his arm, remembering distinctly how it felt. How there is still some residual stiffness.] There was copper growing underneath my skin. It's why I was in such pain, why it was difficult for me to move. I tried removing it in a variety of ways. Bit by bit, or all at once.
It would always grow back.
It seems to be fading now, thankfully. But I'll admit to frustration in being incapable of doing much of anything useful.
no subject
He tilted his head, squinting slightly as he looked over Alucard's arm before reaching out to barely brush his fingertips over his skin before gently pressing his fingers down in a few places to try to feel for any residual metal.]
Like the crystallizing thirium...
[He let his hand slip away and looked back to Alucard.]
How did you... try to remove it? [He hesitated during the question, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.]
no subject
Similar. I come with supernatural strength, so I was able to push through it.
[Alucard pauses at the question, then frowns to himself. He doesn't want to tell Connor, but he won't lie to him either.]
I first started by attempting to cut the copper out. It is a soft metal, so I was able to remove pieces of it, but it simply began to grow back.
...Toward the worst of it and after I attempted to help you, I made a request of someone to help me. Someone who has the ability to control magnetic fields of metal. I asked him to try to remove it from my body.
[Alucard frowns deeply, knowing the action had been unwise. Made out of utter desperation.]
It did not work, suffice it to say.
no subject
[His expression, growing serious when Alucard admitted how he'd tried to remove the infection.]
I'm glad you didn't do more damage to yourself... Those procedures sound very dangerous. If you were human, I think you might have even killed yourself.
It all grew back? [He nodded to himself, not needing to hear the answer.] Like the thirium.
[His gaze moved from Alucard's arm to scan his face.] I'm glad you're improving.
no subject
[It's something he hasn't quite admitted to many others. Naoya knows, certainly Erik of course, but Connor's the only one he's outright informed. He couldn't find it in himself to lie.]
I know that if I were human, I would have died immediately.
Thank you. And you as well, of course. I was concerned that I couldn't do more to help. I suppose if nothing else, this place or whoever runs it has no interest in killing us.
no subject
Honestly, it made him happy that Alucard hadn't chided him for his little joke. It was actually easier to try to break people down in the same way that androids were, even though they were fundamentally very different.]
Has... anyone died from these occurrences? I'm aware of people disappearing, almost in the same way that we suddenly appear. But have their been any casualties?
no subject
[In any case, he doesn't seem bothered by the humor. He rather likes the small quips Connor offers here and there.]
Mm. Not directly. There was one that drowned from the pool water when the gravity was turned off. Someone else died from a specific... event that happened to them. It was as if all of the air was sucked out of him and he suffocated, but it was not directly from the station's effects on the entire population.
no subject
I see... I might be making unrealistic assumptions, but isn't it likely that the station, or whoever's brought us here, is likely behind those accidents?
[It didn't even feel right calling them accidents. They were almost like bizarre experimentation.]
no subject
Regardless, we've no way of knowing just yet. Do not mistake me; I make no defense of what happened. Simply that overall that if we are alive, it is more convenient for such games.
no subject
I agree that, logically speaking, it is likely if this is some sort of experiment that they would prefer we were alive. However... new arrivals keep appearing. There may not be a limited pool that they can pull from, so to speak.
no subject
[For a moment, Alucard looks troubled, but he closes his eyes and shakes his head.]
No, I don't think so either. Not with such a wide range of realities and timelines they've touched.