[It was a small comfort, knowing that it was possible that Minato had simply ended up in alternate dimension. However, there had been no promise, and it is still possible that Minato is simply gone, like others, and it... terrifies him.
Even before the knock, he knows. He knows that Minato is back, and he can smell his blood. Once the door opens, Alucard is approaching swiftly, wordlessly pulling Minato into his arms, both embracing him and lifting him up effortlessly. He presses a kiss to his cheek, then another to his temple and forehead.]
I feared the worst.
[He doesn't say it like it's Minato's fault, but rather how quickly he worried. How that fear enveloped him, wanting more for Minato than their last memories together being how afraid Minato had been. More than the illness, more than when Kira attacked him.
[Minato is surprised at the reception, and he wraps his arms back around Alucard's shoulders as he's lifted up. His eyes are wide and curious before they fall closed at the kisses, a small smile quirking across his face for a moment -- it felt nice to be so... wanted. He never knew what he was missing by turning away from affection for so long, and it was addictive... in doses, anyways. He was still working on not needing so much time to recharge between bouts of interaction.]
I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been touching things when I had no idea what it was...
[Erika was gonna be pretty mad at him and the others for it, for sure.]
But I'm here, don't worry. It's fine -- I'm fine. I promise.
I cannot condemn you for your curiosity, but I do wish you were more careful.
[One final kiss is pressed to Minato's forehead before he's whisking the younger man away so they can sit on the end of the bed, his arms settling more loosely around Minato so he isn't trapped.]
[He settles himself comfortably in Alucard's lap, keeping his arms wrapped around Alucard's shoulders and pressing his forehead against his affectionately, eyes closed.]
Mm... I mentioned to you before that there are other Persona users here, right? Ones that weren't ones I knew?
[There is a part of Alucard that still wants to clutch Minato, as if that somehow will keep him from disappearing ever again. Instead, he forces himself to relax, letting out a sigh as their foreheads rest against each other.]
There's a group of them that call themselves the Phantom Thieves. They're a lot more quiet about what they can do, so if you've met them, you probably wouldn't know they're Persona users.
I went somewhere called the Metaverse; it's native to where we're from, I guess. I don't know everything there is to know about it or anything, but from what I know, it's another reality atop of our own, and It's where the Phantom Thieves go to "steal hearts".
It's complicated. It's actually more like inflicting an individual with a change of heart...? They would go after particularly awful and unrepentant individuals and do that in order to get them to confess to their crimes.
It was something to do with people having their own special worlds inside the Metaverse if they were really that messed up...? And if you went in, you'd face off against an alternate version of them that allowed you to affect them outside of the Metaverse. Something like that.
It seems so. And honestly? We don't. I don't think they're the types, though. Their leader and I have grown pretty close, and I'd like to think I have a good judge of his character -- he wants to do what's right, and provide justice for those who are being oppressed. I could tell it from the way he spoke to me about it, the look in his eyes... the strength of his conviction was palpable.
He and I... we share a similar uniqueness even among Persona users. It's like we're kindred spirits, I suppose you could say. It's hard for me to see him as someone who would be a villain.
[Alucard sighs and combs his fingers through Minato's hair.] Forgive me. I trust you, and I shouldn't doubt your instincts on this. There are times in which those with such powers can use it to their own devices, or they can use it to help others. It is too rare that there are individuals who perform the latter.
I understand where you're coming from, and a healthy dose of skepticism is probably apt in any situation.
[He leans into the touch, enjoying the feeling of Alucard's fingers running through his hair; he hadn't known how much he enjoyed the sensation, enjoyed touch, until he'd let Alucard in.]
I told you how myself and my team worked to try to save people... there was a group counter to us that wanted to do the opposite for their own gains, and fought our attempts to try to eliminate the Dark Hour. Persona is a power that can do great good or great harm, and part of the deal is that you're supposed to decide what to do with it yourself, and to be responsible for the consequences of your actions.
Ultimately, it's up to them what path they choose. But I'd like to think they're on the right one, and they're protecting the world I left for them. Whatever the Metaverse may entail for us here... I think they'll do right by us with it.
[And he can certainly imagine that Minato would want, more than anything, for them to be acting out of the goodness of their intentions. To believe anything else...
Alucard presses another kiss to Minato's forehead.]
I understand. I hope that the Metaverse does not steal you away again. Though if it does, then perhaps it is indeed imperative if I teach you to fight with a sword.
[He closes his eyes, enjoying the feeling of Alucard's lips against his skin, that gentle feeling of affection that sent his stomach softly swirling with butterflies. Minato was beginning to wonder why he never kissed him on the lips, though... maybe he was saving it for a special occasion? He could always be the first initiator himself, but he kind of liked the idea of springing it sometime special too, considering it would be his first. Though there was something to be said for that if he kept waiting for a "perfect" moment, they might never end up kissing at all...]
The way I got in to begin with was from an app on my phone, and apparently activating it again will bring me back, so it shouldn't be a problem from now on. Though actually, if we want to practice swordfighting, there are Shadows in there we could practice on... but let's save that for now.
...I really am sorry for worrying you. I hope that it wasn't too upsetting for me to have gone missing.
We should start with the basics, I think. I know you have self-taught, but it's good to know simple things, like footing and your advantages.
And we will need to figure out a sword for you. Mine is ... suitable really only for me.
[A small smile is given to Minato.] I could not help but be worried. One drink from you, and I know your scent. When it was gone, I was concerned that. Concerned that I did not make the best of our time together.
I want to make sure you have that opportunity, as you deserve it.
Knowing this place, I'll probably end up tripping over one soon enough, odd as it is.
[As Alucard speaks, he reaches forward to brush his fingers against Alucard's cheek, up and through his hair, brushing it away from his face gently.]
Regardless of the bad that's happened, I... value every moment we've spent together, Adrian. There's so much more I'd like to do with you, but... if I were to have left today, I wouldn't have thought that we hadn't made the best of it, not by any means. Even the moments of quiet, just enjoying each others presence, have meant so much to me.
...I just hope that I can be as good for you as you are to me. I want to be able to be there for you, that you feel like you can confide in me. That would be the only regret I'd have, that I wasn't able to help you like you've helped me.
[Despite everything, Alucard smiles at Minato kindly, his expression warm.]
I assure you that I value every minute I've to spend with you. Both of our fates are so demanding of us, but with you I... feel as if I am but a man. Not a messiah, or savior.
Though I admit, I am faulty when it comes to expression my deep concerns. I never wish to burden you.
We can leave our destinies at the door, both of us. For even just a little while.
[Minato cups Alucard's face with his hands, brow knit slightly with concern.]
I understand that feeling completely, I really do. You're... the first person I've opened up to in a very long time. I still end up feeling like I'll just be a burden to you with how much baggage I come with, no matter how I try to remind myself that's not the case. But just as I hopefully am not burdening you, you would never be burdening me. Never.
[For a moment, he shuts his eyes. Minato isn't wrong; a relationship is also a partnership of trust. He would never say that Minato is a burden.
It is only fair to think that Minato would think the same.]
I feel...
I feel that I have failed everyone. I had tried everything I could think of to help. To cure. To have that loom over me as well as knowing that my hunter has vanished from this station, I fear the worst.
This situation is far out of our control, Adrian. You shouldn't try to shoulder responsibility for it alone — for the sake of yourself, you can't. You'll kill yourself that way.
You did absolutely everything you could. You spent so much time pouring over samples, giving assistance to those who needed it, being a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen with on top of you yourself being just as hurt as everyone else was... no one could possibly fault you.
It isn't your fault that this happened, just as it isn't your fault or an indication of failure that you couldn't fix it. Whatever's going on here... it's far beyond what any of us can fathom, I think. It's a helpless situation right now, at least until we manage to find any semblance of a proper clue as to what's happening, so you can't let yourself fall into despair about things beyond your control. If there's one thing you can do for everyone right now, it's be a pillar of strength and support, as best you can, so long as you do so with regards for your own health and wellbeing as well. Don't worry about what you can't do, just focus on the can.
Meanwhile, I'll be here for you, too.
[He tilts his head a little.]
Your hunter... do you mean that man that was staying with you?
[But he knows, logically, that Minato is correct. There is only so much that he can control, and he certainly has none over what the station chooses to do to them. All that they can do is endure and survive this place.]
It troubles me to let go of control, and to also know that I am needed to fulfill so many roles at the same time. I will try to not carry so much.
[There is a pause, then he nods.] Trevor Belmont. It is said that I would encounter a hunter and a scholar to aid me in killing my father. Trevor has disappeared sometime ago from this place while we were becoming infected. I worry that it may mean.
It's hard to know things are out of your control, especially if you're used to being in control. I don't blame you for having issue with it. Hopefully... the tides will change soon enough.
[Minato frowns to hear about Trevor, given there was so much they didn't know about what disappearing even means. Do they go home? Do they disappear forever? Die? They just don't know.]
I wish we just... had some way of knowing what disappearing means. I think all we can do is hold out hope that it means that he's been sent back to wait for you.
Someone... someone I know disappeared for a little while. A few days. And then he came back. It could've been a result of us fading away this month, and he just reached levels far beyond what I ever did, or it could've been the same way people have been disappearing — I don't know. But he came back. There's still hope that Trevor could, too.
[There's a helpless shrug from Alucard.] I wish I knew, precisely, what it meant. I could no longer trace his blood. Not a speck of him remains, not a single hair. As if he were but a memory now.
I know no way to trace him, or anyone else who has disappeared. If there was a way to know either way, it would prepare me, at the very least.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Even before the knock, he knows. He knows that Minato is back, and he can smell his blood. Once the door opens, Alucard is approaching swiftly, wordlessly pulling Minato into his arms, both embracing him and lifting him up effortlessly. He presses a kiss to his cheek, then another to his temple and forehead.]
I feared the worst.
[He doesn't say it like it's Minato's fault, but rather how quickly he worried. How that fear enveloped him, wanting more for Minato than their last memories together being how afraid Minato had been. More than the illness, more than when Kira attacked him.
He wants so many better memories for Minato.]
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I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been touching things when I had no idea what it was...
[Erika was gonna be pretty mad at him and the others for it, for sure.]
But I'm here, don't worry. It's fine -- I'm fine. I promise.
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[One final kiss is pressed to Minato's forehead before he's whisking the younger man away so they can sit on the end of the bed, his arms settling more loosely around Minato so he isn't trapped.]
You have bruises and cuts. What... happened?
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Mm... I mentioned to you before that there are other Persona users here, right? Ones that weren't ones I knew?
no subject
Yes, you did. I know some of them.
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I went somewhere called the Metaverse; it's native to where we're from, I guess. I don't know everything there is to know about it or anything, but from what I know, it's another reality atop of our own, and It's where the Phantom Thieves go to "steal hearts".
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How noble can they be if they go to steal hearts?
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It was something to do with people having their own special worlds inside the Metaverse if they were really that messed up...? And if you went in, you'd face off against an alternate version of them that allowed you to affect them outside of the Metaverse. Something like that.
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He and I... we share a similar uniqueness even among Persona users. It's like we're kindred spirits, I suppose you could say. It's hard for me to see him as someone who would be a villain.
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[Alucard sighs and combs his fingers through Minato's hair.] Forgive me. I trust you, and I shouldn't doubt your instincts on this. There are times in which those with such powers can use it to their own devices, or they can use it to help others. It is too rare that there are individuals who perform the latter.
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[He leans into the touch, enjoying the feeling of Alucard's fingers running through his hair; he hadn't known how much he enjoyed the sensation, enjoyed touch, until he'd let Alucard in.]
I told you how myself and my team worked to try to save people... there was a group counter to us that wanted to do the opposite for their own gains, and fought our attempts to try to eliminate the Dark Hour. Persona is a power that can do great good or great harm, and part of the deal is that you're supposed to decide what to do with it yourself, and to be responsible for the consequences of your actions.
Ultimately, it's up to them what path they choose. But I'd like to think they're on the right one, and they're protecting the world I left for them. Whatever the Metaverse may entail for us here... I think they'll do right by us with it.
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[And he can certainly imagine that Minato would want, more than anything, for them to be acting out of the goodness of their intentions. To believe anything else...
Alucard presses another kiss to Minato's forehead.]
I understand. I hope that the Metaverse does not steal you away again. Though if it does, then perhaps it is indeed imperative if I teach you to fight with a sword.
no subject
The way I got in to begin with was from an app on my phone, and apparently activating it again will bring me back, so it shouldn't be a problem from now on. Though actually, if we want to practice swordfighting, there are Shadows in there we could practice on... but let's save that for now.
...I really am sorry for worrying you. I hope that it wasn't too upsetting for me to have gone missing.
no subject
And we will need to figure out a sword for you. Mine is ... suitable really only for me.
[A small smile is given to Minato.] I could not help but be worried. One drink from you, and I know your scent. When it was gone, I was concerned that. Concerned that I did not make the best of our time together.
I want to make sure you have that opportunity, as you deserve it.
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Knowing this place, I'll probably end up tripping over one soon enough, odd as it is.
[As Alucard speaks, he reaches forward to brush his fingers against Alucard's cheek, up and through his hair, brushing it away from his face gently.]
Regardless of the bad that's happened, I... value every moment we've spent together, Adrian. There's so much more I'd like to do with you, but... if I were to have left today, I wouldn't have thought that we hadn't made the best of it, not by any means. Even the moments of quiet, just enjoying each others presence, have meant so much to me.
...I just hope that I can be as good for you as you are to me. I want to be able to be there for you, that you feel like you can confide in me. That would be the only regret I'd have, that I wasn't able to help you like you've helped me.
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I assure you that I value every minute I've to spend with you. Both of our fates are so demanding of us, but with you I... feel as if I am but a man. Not a messiah, or savior.
Though I admit, I am faulty when it comes to expression my deep concerns. I never wish to burden you.
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[Minato cups Alucard's face with his hands, brow knit slightly with concern.]
I understand that feeling completely, I really do. You're... the first person I've opened up to in a very long time. I still end up feeling like I'll just be a burden to you with how much baggage I come with, no matter how I try to remind myself that's not the case. But just as I hopefully am not burdening you, you would never be burdening me. Never.
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It is only fair to think that Minato would think the same.]
I feel...
I feel that I have failed everyone. I had tried everything I could think of to help. To cure. To have that loom over me as well as knowing that my hunter has vanished from this station, I fear the worst.
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You did absolutely everything you could. You spent so much time pouring over samples, giving assistance to those who needed it, being a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen with on top of you yourself being just as hurt as everyone else was... no one could possibly fault you.
It isn't your fault that this happened, just as it isn't your fault or an indication of failure that you couldn't fix it. Whatever's going on here... it's far beyond what any of us can fathom, I think. It's a helpless situation right now, at least until we manage to find any semblance of a proper clue as to what's happening, so you can't let yourself fall into despair about things beyond your control. If there's one thing you can do for everyone right now, it's be a pillar of strength and support, as best you can, so long as you do so with regards for your own health and wellbeing as well. Don't worry about what you can't do, just focus on the can.
Meanwhile, I'll be here for you, too.
[He tilts his head a little.]
Your hunter... do you mean that man that was staying with you?
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[But he knows, logically, that Minato is correct. There is only so much that he can control, and he certainly has none over what the station chooses to do to them. All that they can do is endure and survive this place.]
It troubles me to let go of control, and to also know that I am needed to fulfill so many roles at the same time. I will try to not carry so much.
[There is a pause, then he nods.] Trevor Belmont. It is said that I would encounter a hunter and a scholar to aid me in killing my father. Trevor has disappeared sometime ago from this place while we were becoming infected. I worry that it may mean.
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[Minato frowns to hear about Trevor, given there was so much they didn't know about what disappearing even means. Do they go home? Do they disappear forever? Die? They just don't know.]
I wish we just... had some way of knowing what disappearing means. I think all we can do is hold out hope that it means that he's been sent back to wait for you.
Someone... someone I know disappeared for a little while. A few days. And then he came back. It could've been a result of us fading away this month, and he just reached levels far beyond what I ever did, or it could've been the same way people have been disappearing — I don't know. But he came back. There's still hope that Trevor could, too.
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[There's a helpless shrug from Alucard.] I wish I knew, precisely, what it meant. I could no longer trace his blood. Not a speck of him remains, not a single hair. As if he were but a memory now.
I know no way to trace him, or anyone else who has disappeared. If there was a way to know either way, it would prepare me, at the very least.