[In Alucard's mind, he isn't even seeking a meal out of him; it's his way of determining more on Jotaro's general health, his self care, which seems to be lacking. Alucard can hardly judge, but for as long as he is awake for right now, he wants to help one of the few people that feels like a friend here.
Their hands are snug, tightly fit around each other. Alucard squeezes back.]
[He draws a slow, shallow breath, and before he can think better of it, he leans forward and lightly rubs his head against Alucard's, up close to the ears, black curls against gold.]
Someone should remember him. So I will, when I win.
[He draws back, surprised to find the wolf inside him somewhat mollified for the moment, but whether that's from the moonlacing or something else, he isn't sure.]
[It's close. It makes his skin burn a little, but delightfully. Maybe it's the moonlacing, but he doesn't focus on it particularly hard. He shouldn't dare to.
[They'll pick up more chroma from the spar, he thinks absently, and on top of what's already been done, it should be fine. He's moonlaced with a few others already this Sanguis, which has left him feeling better than he's been; already he can feel Star Platinum itching for a fight, ready to leap forward at his master's command.
Good. Very good. The Sanguis in him ripples up again, as ready and primed for a fight as he and his Stand are.]
This way.
[And he leads Alucard outside, back to the same landing point they'd used on their previous jaunt on the roof, and leads the way leaping up courtesy of Star Platinum's power glowing to life in his legs.]
Hm. Probably better that you don't have it. The last guy with a sword I fought ended up losing his sword.
[Shameless, and high on Sanguis, he shucks up his shirt a few inches, revealing a distinctive puncture scar embedded into the middle of his otherwise exceptionally ripped abdomen.]
And I wouldn't be too concerned. Star Platinum won't let anything happen to me.
[jotaro you literally just showed him a battle scar these things do not go hand in hand you absolute fuckwit]
Except, apparently, let you get stabbed by a sword.
[He sounds amused more than anything else, but all right. He'll just have to trust that his Stand is just that strong.
Alucard's eyes flash a bright red, and he rushes forward, his heightened speed fast enough that there's an afterimage of him. With his supernatural strength, he goes to attempt to strike Jotaro in the gut, just where he'd shown his scar earlier.]
[Well. Holy shit, is he ever fast. Too fast, actually, for his own eyes to follow, but luckily it's not his eyes that matter in a moment like this.
The extra chroma from before is a blessing now; with a roar, Star Platinum hurtles forward from his body, arms crossed like a shield to absorb the impact of Alucard's lunge and even sap some of the power from it by making it connect earlier than it would have otherwise.
Star is strong, but he's not capable of outright defying physics; he may take the brunt of the blow, but the force still knocks him back, taking Jotaro with it as he retreats a few stumbling steps across the rooftop.]
Damn —
[Trying to keep Star between himself and Alucard, he starts to circle around to one side, hoping to catch a better angle to strike from.]
[There's almost some delight in Alucard's voice, the comfort in knowing that Jotaro and Star Platinum make for some worthy sparring opponents.
He watches how they circle around, and he waits a moment. Then, Alucard does the same thing again charging head-on, but he changes his trajectory at the last second aiming to kick at Jotaro's ankle and cause him to lose his footing.]
[There's no time to think, he realizes in a hurry, when fighting an opponent like Alucard. It's still just the opening stages of their skirmish and already he's leveraging his uncanny speed to good effect; Star Platinum may be fast enough to keep up with him, but Star's maneuverability and strategy are still subject on some level to his user. That means the weak link here is Jotaro himself, and if all he does is dodge on the defensive, he'll just be letting Alucard push him around for the whole fight.
The vampire lunges again, and this time Star Platinum doesn't put his effort into blocking. It takes a deliberate command from Jotaro, because it means temporarily sacrificing him to whatever move Alucard might make, but this time as soon as he's in range, Star Platinum hurls a hammerpunch, aiming to connect in the same moment that Jotaro's own leg is swept out from under him.]
[The force of the strike is stronger than he expects. It reminds him, briefly, of how close he'd come to being beaten by Dracula, but this is just a spar and it's not enough to be close to killing him. It just speaks to the amount of force in Star Platinum.
Alucard hits the roof roughly, but swings back around onto his feet before he's pursuing his target again. Not that he's aiming for a hit this time, but just to circle around Jotaro, his shoulders hunched slightly.]
[He catches himself on his hands when he's knocked off-balance, contented mostly with the satisfaction of having felt Star Platinum's fist connect in a solid hit even though he'd been felled himself in order to do it. By the time he can get himself back to his feet, Alucard is already moving in, and he's braced for it —
But then he's circling, and yes, that's good, he likes that. The wariness, the anticipation, the silent escalation until battle breaks out again. He wants his heart to beat faster. He wants more of that.]
You're feeling me out.
[He rumbles softly, ears pricking up as, despite himself, he bares his teeth a little — almost like a reflex, like they don't quite fit in his mouth, moreso than anything overtly vicious.]
Tell you the truth, I'd like it better if I didn't have to use him so much.
[He flexes his fingers, watching Alucard with that same predator's look in his eyes again.]
He's not the only one who can throw a punch, you know.
Then don't. Though he is part of your strength, let me see what you can do, Jotaro.
[The crooked smile forms again, his own fangs bared, prominent. It's curious to see him like this, his ears and fangs, how intensely Jotaro is into this.
He holds out a hand, beckoning Jotaro in with a finger.]
[It's like an electric shock, almost, the combination of that invitation with the way that Alucard beckons; he knows full well that ordinarily, he probably wouldn't have reacted so strongly, but now he's learned something else about Sanguis and how it affects him. It tangles up in his own code of honor, digging its hooks in wherever it can find purchase, and though he's certain that it could never make him cross the line into a bully targeting people weaker than he is for fun, he can't deny the part of him that just craves the violence.
His palms itch, and he stares at those fangs. You won't hurt me, he's cautioned again and again, like he knows it's the key to unlocking his inhibitions, and he's right. You won't hurt me, but you can try, and he thinks of the urge that had made him seek to pin Alucard against the wall downstairs, how good it suddenly feels to box in and trap and bite.
No, Alucard's not going to get hurt by this. No one's going to get hurt. It just makes him feel alive.]
Then quit dancing around so much, while I come over there and hit you.
[In a flash, Star Platinum disappears — which may seem tactically unsound, but he can draw Star out of his body as quickly as his Stand can move through the air, so it's really no different either way. And once the way is clear, all of a sudden nothing seems to matter save lunging forward enough steps to rapidly close the distance between them, and taking a powerful swing of his own fist toward Alucard's midsection.]
[To his surprise, there's more strength to Jotaro than he appears. Maybe it's the moonblessing, maybe it's just how he is, but Alucard actually finds himself almost winded from the hit that he didn't even bother trying to dodge.
Almost.]
Is this how you attack a vampire? [He teases, grinning.] Like you're brawling? How endearing.
[Anyway. He strikes out with the flat of his hand, aiming for Jotaro's chest to send him flying back. If it hits, it'll probably bruise, but he thinks that maybe that kind of ache is what Jotaro could be looking for.]
[Oddly, his hunch is right; this is the kind of fighting that makes sense, trading blows instead of scrambling to stay alive at every turn. It feels good to swing and have his muscles ache; it even feels good — a bizarre, addictive kind of good — to get hit back and feel that burst of shock and force before it sends him hurtling backwards.
That has to be the Sanguis, he thinks. He's so fresh off of getting beaten to within an inch of his life, he shouldn't relish the familiar sting of pain. It's got to be his moonblessing, more ecstatic about violence in any form — dealing out or receiving — than concerned about the actual physical ramifications of it.
It hurts, the satisfying kind of hurt, and as he flies back Star Platinum flashes into being again behind him, catching him easily and righting him back onto his feet. But, to his own surprise, the teasing actually has him blushing faintly, though the redness in his cheeks might just as easily be mistaken for exertion instead of pleasure.]
Maybe I'm fighting you both ways.
[He coughs into one hand, short and sharp, and checks surreptitiously for blood. There isn't any, so okay, he must be fine.]
I'll kick the human half's ass first, and then I'll deal with the vampire half.
[The rush to Jotaro's cheeks is something he can't ignore. Whether it just means it's his blood pumping at the fight or because of something else, he can't really say, but it's-- endearing. He likes that look on Jotaro, and he keeps it to himself like a fragile secret.
There's a dry laugh.] Right, because that's how it works.
[He goes in to a closer clash, leaping, not unlike how a wolf might leap at its prey. Despite a pretty face, Alucard is still a predator, and he can move like one. Though he doesn't aim for a killing blow, but rather just to tackle Jotaro. Maybe he'd appreciate a good wrestle until he's inevitably pinned.]
[Alucard's leap leaves him with a conscious decision to make — to use Star again to block, or to simply handle this like the brawl Alucard identified it as a moment ago. But ultimately, he misjudges just how fast Alucard can move in a leap, and that one moment of indecision is what makes the choice for him.
The tackle hits, and rather than moving his hands to break his fall, he takes advantage of the close proximity to swing at him instead, first a punch that goes wild and then a headbutt that knocks their skulls together.
But then, despite that resistance, he's on his back, and Alucard is on top of him. The rooftop hits hard against his shoulderblades, eliciting what's certain to be another set of bruises, and he kicks aimlessly to try and dislodge him, or at least make it slightly harder to pin him.]
[The strike cracks again his skin, loud and ringing into his ears. Alucard huffs, then is almost startled by the headbutt, a blast from the past from one particular Belmont. Ah, yes. That does figure, doesn't it?
He shakes his head, clearing it, then swats at Jotaro's flailing limbs, trying to get a clear way of pinning him down. Eventually, he snorts and shoves his hand down to brace his palm against Jotaro's throat. Not squeezing, but asserting himself.]
[The hand on his throat is keeping him from moving. He's on his back and he can't move. He's on his back and there's nothing but the sky overhead. He's on his back and his chest hurts and there's a vampire, a vampire, he's in a fight and he's on his back and he doesn't — no, he doesn't, he doesn't like this, it's not good, he's trapped on his back and he doesn't like this anymore.
He doesn't need to say the words for Star to know when to act, or what to do. He didn't then, and he doesn't now. The need for it simply surges within him like a silent scream, and all of a sudden the world is quiet and still.
Time stops.
His very own kingdom. He's not an intruder in it any longer, is he? No, he invaded the kingdom like a deadly pathogen, like the same parasite that got into his mother's soul and started to drain her life away. He came in and took it away from Dio Brando and now it's his, only his, because as far as he knows there's no one else in the world like him — anymore.
And yet for a second he finds himself just staring up at Alucard, even through the way his skin is crawling and his nerves are buzzing. He doesn't look like Dio. Even like this, there's something soft in his features. He's no less a predator; his fangs are sharp and glistening and deadly. But he's not Dio, and this is only a fight, not a deathmatch.
With his next available second, he makes himself breathe. It's silent, but nothing is going to come of it. He's the one who stopped time, anyway. Even if Dio were here (he's not), he'd be the one caught in it.
Dio had five seconds, then ten. He's pretty sure, though, that he himself won't get nearly that long, not human and weak the way he is.
So with Star's help, he pushes Alucard off of himself, rolling him onto his back with his limbs all still frozen in the same position, and then pushes himself up and flees halfway across the rooftop just as —
Time resumes.]
— Hgh!
[The exhaustion hits him like a hard punch to the gut. Stopping time takes a toll whether he's in control of it or not. Maybe he just hadn't noticed the last time through all the adrenaline. Maybe it uses a lot of chroma, and that compounds it.
Regardless, he weaves on his feet a little, but stands strong, already braced for Alucard's recovery from his current situation, which he expects will be faster than he could ever anticipate.]
[In one moment, he had Jotaro right where he wanted him, pinned to the roof, waiting to see what he would do next. Then, in the next moment, he's pushed back and Jotaro is all the way across the roof somehow.
When did that happen? Anyone that fast, he should have noticed. So what is it?]
Told you. First I fight the human. Now'm fighting the vampire.
[He's slurring his words a little, just enough to make each word a little messy around the edges, readying himself for another of those rapid leap-tackles.]
[Alucard crouches and watches Jotaro carefully, his eyes narrowed. Whatever Jotaro had done, it's taken its toll. Something to do with his Stand, maybe? How interesting.
Well. He just needs to find out more for himself.
Rushing forward, he goes to kick sharply at Jotaro's ankle before reaching to throw him down so he can put the young man into a headlock.]
[This isn't a fight to the death, a small voice inside tries to remind himself. This isn't like what it was with Dio. You can make it stop.
Easy, too easy, to lose sight of that. But there isn't time to think about it right now, not when Alucard presses in again to take the advantage. He's partially ready for the leg sweep because he's seen that trick before, and jumps it before it can connect to his ankle; he's not ready for the throw that, yet again, puts him on his back, and this time even more immobilized than he was before.
History repeats itself. Anxiety flares, and Star stops the world for him, and he struggles his way out of the hold in order to retreat, leaving Alucard where he'd been.
But again, getting out from under him means the necessity of moving him from where he'd been before Star had stopped time, which means in the instant it resumes, Alucard's world will have changed again, too.]
[It happens again! It's shocking, but so utterly fascinating that Alucard isn't even frustrated. There's a curious look he gives as he glances over at Jotaro again, his brows raised. It isn't speed, or teleportation. So what is it? His surroundings are unchanged, but the last time Alucard was in a different position. Jotaro keeping a distance suddenly.
So it has to be--]
You stop time.
[Alucard sounds almost delighted at the conclusion.]
But you can only do it in a short burst. And it takes a toll, doesn't it?
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Their hands are snug, tightly fit around each other. Alucard squeezes back.]
I'm not the man they named me. Not anymore.
...But I will tell you, if you win.
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[He draws a slow, shallow breath, and before he can think better of it, he leans forward and lightly rubs his head against Alucard's, up close to the ears, black curls against gold.]
Someone should remember him. So I will, when I win.
[He draws back, surprised to find the wolf inside him somewhat mollified for the moment, but whether that's from the moonlacing or something else, he isn't sure.]
Are you ready?
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He brushes his forehead against Jotaro's.]
Yes.
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[They'll pick up more chroma from the spar, he thinks absently, and on top of what's already been done, it should be fine. He's moonlaced with a few others already this Sanguis, which has left him feeling better than he's been; already he can feel Star Platinum itching for a fight, ready to leap forward at his master's command.
Good. Very good. The Sanguis in him ripples up again, as ready and primed for a fight as he and his Stand are.]
This way.
[And he leads Alucard outside, back to the same landing point they'd used on their previous jaunt on the roof, and leads the way leaping up courtesy of Star Platinum's power glowing to life in his legs.]
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Following Jotaro, they go up, a familiar sight. He brushes his hair back over his shoulder.]
A shame you won't see me with my sword. But it's probably for the best.
I encourage you to go as far as you'd like. With the moonlacing, I'll heal. Honestly, it's you I'm more concerned about.
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[Shameless, and high on Sanguis, he shucks up his shirt a few inches, revealing a distinctive puncture scar embedded into the middle of his otherwise exceptionally ripped abdomen.]
And I wouldn't be too concerned. Star Platinum won't let anything happen to me.
[jotaro you literally just showed him a battle scar these things do not go hand in hand you absolute fuckwit]
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Except, apparently, let you get stabbed by a sword.
[He sounds amused more than anything else, but all right. He'll just have to trust that his Stand is just that strong.
Alucard's eyes flash a bright red, and he rushes forward, his heightened speed fast enough that there's an afterimage of him. With his supernatural strength, he goes to attempt to strike Jotaro in the gut, just where he'd shown his scar earlier.]
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The extra chroma from before is a blessing now; with a roar, Star Platinum hurtles forward from his body, arms crossed like a shield to absorb the impact of Alucard's lunge and even sap some of the power from it by making it connect earlier than it would have otherwise.
Star is strong, but he's not capable of outright defying physics; he may take the brunt of the blow, but the force still knocks him back, taking Jotaro with it as he retreats a few stumbling steps across the rooftop.]
Damn —
[Trying to keep Star between himself and Alucard, he starts to circle around to one side, hoping to catch a better angle to strike from.]
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[There's almost some delight in Alucard's voice, the comfort in knowing that Jotaro and Star Platinum make for some worthy sparring opponents.
He watches how they circle around, and he waits a moment. Then, Alucard does the same thing again charging head-on, but he changes his trajectory at the last second aiming to kick at Jotaro's ankle and cause him to lose his footing.]
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The vampire lunges again, and this time Star Platinum doesn't put his effort into blocking. It takes a deliberate command from Jotaro, because it means temporarily sacrificing him to whatever move Alucard might make, but this time as soon as he's in range, Star Platinum hurls a hammerpunch, aiming to connect in the same moment that Jotaro's own leg is swept out from under him.]
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Alucard hits the roof roughly, but swings back around onto his feet before he's pursuing his target again. Not that he's aiming for a hit this time, but just to circle around Jotaro, his shoulders hunched slightly.]
Well? Is this doing it for you?
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But then he's circling, and yes, that's good, he likes that. The wariness, the anticipation, the silent escalation until battle breaks out again. He wants his heart to beat faster. He wants more of that.]
You're feeling me out.
[He rumbles softly, ears pricking up as, despite himself, he bares his teeth a little — almost like a reflex, like they don't quite fit in his mouth, moreso than anything overtly vicious.]
Tell you the truth, I'd like it better if I didn't have to use him so much.
[He flexes his fingers, watching Alucard with that same predator's look in his eyes again.]
He's not the only one who can throw a punch, you know.
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[The crooked smile forms again, his own fangs bared, prominent. It's curious to see him like this, his ears and fangs, how intensely Jotaro is into this.
He holds out a hand, beckoning Jotaro in with a finger.]
You won't hurt me. But you can try.
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His palms itch, and he stares at those fangs. You won't hurt me, he's cautioned again and again, like he knows it's the key to unlocking his inhibitions, and he's right. You won't hurt me, but you can try, and he thinks of the urge that had made him seek to pin Alucard against the wall downstairs, how good it suddenly feels to box in and trap and bite.
No, Alucard's not going to get hurt by this. No one's going to get hurt. It just makes him feel alive.]
Then quit dancing around so much, while I come over there and hit you.
[In a flash, Star Platinum disappears — which may seem tactically unsound, but he can draw Star out of his body as quickly as his Stand can move through the air, so it's really no different either way. And once the way is clear, all of a sudden nothing seems to matter save lunging forward enough steps to rapidly close the distance between them, and taking a powerful swing of his own fist toward Alucard's midsection.]
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Almost.]
Is this how you attack a vampire? [He teases, grinning.] Like you're brawling? How endearing.
[Anyway. He strikes out with the flat of his hand, aiming for Jotaro's chest to send him flying back. If it hits, it'll probably bruise, but he thinks that maybe that kind of ache is what Jotaro could be looking for.]
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That has to be the Sanguis, he thinks. He's so fresh off of getting beaten to within an inch of his life, he shouldn't relish the familiar sting of pain. It's got to be his moonblessing, more ecstatic about violence in any form — dealing out or receiving — than concerned about the actual physical ramifications of it.
It hurts, the satisfying kind of hurt, and as he flies back Star Platinum flashes into being again behind him, catching him easily and righting him back onto his feet. But, to his own surprise, the teasing actually has him blushing faintly, though the redness in his cheeks might just as easily be mistaken for exertion instead of pleasure.]
Maybe I'm fighting you both ways.
[He coughs into one hand, short and sharp, and checks surreptitiously for blood. There isn't any, so okay, he must be fine.]
I'll kick the human half's ass first, and then I'll deal with the vampire half.
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There's a dry laugh.] Right, because that's how it works.
[He goes in to a closer clash, leaping, not unlike how a wolf might leap at its prey. Despite a pretty face, Alucard is still a predator, and he can move like one. Though he doesn't aim for a killing blow, but rather just to tackle Jotaro. Maybe he'd appreciate a good wrestle until he's inevitably pinned.]
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The tackle hits, and rather than moving his hands to break his fall, he takes advantage of the close proximity to swing at him instead, first a punch that goes wild and then a headbutt that knocks their skulls together.
But then, despite that resistance, he's on his back, and Alucard is on top of him. The rooftop hits hard against his shoulderblades, eliciting what's certain to be another set of bruises, and he kicks aimlessly to try and dislodge him, or at least make it slightly harder to pin him.]
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He shakes his head, clearing it, then swats at Jotaro's flailing limbs, trying to get a clear way of pinning him down. Eventually, he snorts and shoves his hand down to brace his palm against Jotaro's throat. Not squeezing, but asserting himself.]
Now what? I have you right where I want you.
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He doesn't need to say the words for Star to know when to act, or what to do. He didn't then, and he doesn't now. The need for it simply surges within him like a silent scream, and all of a sudden the world is quiet and still.
Time stops.
His very own kingdom. He's not an intruder in it any longer, is he? No, he invaded the kingdom like a deadly pathogen, like the same parasite that got into his mother's soul and started to drain her life away. He came in and took it away from Dio Brando and now it's his, only his, because as far as he knows there's no one else in the world like him — anymore.
And yet for a second he finds himself just staring up at Alucard, even through the way his skin is crawling and his nerves are buzzing. He doesn't look like Dio. Even like this, there's something soft in his features. He's no less a predator; his fangs are sharp and glistening and deadly. But he's not Dio, and this is only a fight, not a deathmatch.
With his next available second, he makes himself breathe. It's silent, but nothing is going to come of it. He's the one who stopped time, anyway. Even if Dio were here (he's not), he'd be the one caught in it.
Dio had five seconds, then ten. He's pretty sure, though, that he himself won't get nearly that long, not human and weak the way he is.
So with Star's help, he pushes Alucard off of himself, rolling him onto his back with his limbs all still frozen in the same position, and then pushes himself up and flees halfway across the rooftop just as —
Time resumes.]
— Hgh!
[The exhaustion hits him like a hard punch to the gut. Stopping time takes a toll whether he's in control of it or not. Maybe he just hadn't noticed the last time through all the adrenaline. Maybe it uses a lot of chroma, and that compounds it.
Regardless, he weaves on his feet a little, but stands strong, already braced for Alucard's recovery from his current situation, which he expects will be faster than he could ever anticipate.]
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[In one moment, he had Jotaro right where he wanted him, pinned to the roof, waiting to see what he would do next. Then, in the next moment, he's pushed back and Jotaro is all the way across the roof somehow.
When did that happen? Anyone that fast, he should have noticed. So what is it?]
How did you...? [He stands up, looking curious.]
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[He's slurring his words a little, just enough to make each word a little messy around the edges, readying himself for another of those rapid leap-tackles.]
Thought that's what y'wanted t'see.
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[Alucard crouches and watches Jotaro carefully, his eyes narrowed. Whatever Jotaro had done, it's taken its toll. Something to do with his Stand, maybe? How interesting.
Well. He just needs to find out more for himself.
Rushing forward, he goes to kick sharply at Jotaro's ankle before reaching to throw him down so he can put the young man into a headlock.]
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Easy, too easy, to lose sight of that. But there isn't time to think about it right now, not when Alucard presses in again to take the advantage. He's partially ready for the leg sweep because he's seen that trick before, and jumps it before it can connect to his ankle; he's not ready for the throw that, yet again, puts him on his back, and this time even more immobilized than he was before.
History repeats itself. Anxiety flares, and Star stops the world for him, and he struggles his way out of the hold in order to retreat, leaving Alucard where he'd been.
But again, getting out from under him means the necessity of moving him from where he'd been before Star had stopped time, which means in the instant it resumes, Alucard's world will have changed again, too.]
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So it has to be--]
You stop time.
[Alucard sounds almost delighted at the conclusion.]
But you can only do it in a short burst. And it takes a toll, doesn't it?
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