[ Just nodding along like he has the context for or understands any of this. Hilariously his lack of context probably makes his reaction more sedate and normal than Hansa's. Yeah, yeah, the vampire war, we've all heard about it (no). ]
He was responsible for a massacre, in other words... No wonder he ran.
[ But also, huh. Yeah. ]
... He's fine enough, last we saw of him. Your princess, though?
[ Right off the heels of talking about how one royal very much wants to drag him back to her by the ear??? ]
[ hansa's reaction has him laughing but in the sort of bittersweet kind of way.
"you really must not be around here if you hadn't heard about it. it was a war that took place two years ago between great britain and the vampires—some sort of conflict started and things escalated to a point of full on war. humans are at a disadvantage going up against vampires, but thanks to this gas, the british army was able to push them back enough to win.
...or that's what they say."
which is also saying a lot given their own experiences with things around such things, probably. either way, lupin will appreciate the break from the morbid.
"ah, she's not really a princess, but that's what she is to us. i guess it would be like fran not to talk about her. her name is cardia; all of us would do anything for her."
[ So she did end up leaving the house. Good for her... Is her touch actually corrosive and deadly, though. Does it haunt her all the time too? Are these thoughts the same as what she thought of herself, or are they what others thought of her? ]
[ the request to meet cardia has lupin squinting at them for a moment. the fact that they know fran and then cardia but not as princess... interesting. while he's suspect of them, he won't push it.
"sorry, no can do. i just can't let anyone meet our princess, but you can be sure that her safety is my top concern! no one will be getting their hands on her as long as i'm around. especially when there are suspicious people who are looking for her.
but seriously, if you see fran, again, let him know that he doesn't need to work alone. we all want to find a cure. ]
[ lupin will look at the bear in confusion for a moment but when he sees the blue flower, he'll have a softer smile on his face.
"yeah, i can give this to our princess."
and for a change of pace as lupin considers the other question he's asked.
"how long has fran been at it? hmm... i'd say maybe a few weeks now. things haven't gotten too bad, but maybe there's something that he knows that we don't. i'll trust him to tell us if things beyond his control; he may be bad at asking for help, but it doesn't he won't." ]
[ Jude Mathis was missing too ... what's the difference?
Also he just glances slightly exasperatedly over at Hansa when he mentions the king. Queen Victoria? Hello? But anyway. ]
And we didn't really intend to turn Fran in, so there's no need to continue to Scotland Yard either. It's just good to see his friends seem to be doing all right.
[ Hahahaha right. Anyway yeah this is still an entire city and they have no clue where the divergence catalyst I mean door is. ]
[ lupin will also raise an eyebrow at the mentioning of a king instead of a queen but, you know, they're super tourist here so he'll let it slide. it's not like normal people get involved with him... or that it's a bad thing either. maybe they could call her king victoria.
"ah, then you guys can continue down this alleyway, it'll take you outside skirts of the city where it should be much safer for you guys to walk around. if fran's anywhere then he might in that part of the city as well. ...well, i hope that's where fran would be.
it was good meeting you two. i hope that we get to meet again, maybe i'll let you guys meet our princess." before sending them off, though, he'll pull something out of his pocket and hold it out the. a white mask. "a gift from me. it'll help the two of you out if you need a quick disguise—you'll have to make sure to stay quiet, can't help with how you sound."
and once the two of them have taken the mask from lupin, they'll be able to continue forwarded until they find a door. which, again, will have a requirement that must be met before they're able to pass. ]
[ It's fine, Julius knows how to move quietly, which is now all that much more important now that Lupin's gone and they're on their own again. And he shouldn't be here at all, so let's. Just keep moving, and staring fixedly forward and not at any of the shadows along this alleyway.
And there they are, another innocuous door. It's not shimmery, is it. And to Hansa's question... ]
Are you asking me or the door? ... All I ever do is take. If this is permanent, I can't do that to you. Especially considering ... never mind.
[ Still, if that only leaves give ... well, fingers is off the table considering he's already down a hand, and the effects of the week aside he's still going to need sight, sound, and voice. Taste might be on the table if he went concerned it might take his entire tongue, and then he both wouldn't be able to speak and would choke on his own blood in short order.
... he also can't give up the single distant hope that his wish has become. If it's at all possible still, please ... ]
[Okay, that actually pisses him enough to snap out of the fog. Take something? From someone else?]
...Julius, I'm going to tell you something. A secret of mine. Seventy percent of me is metal. Including my hands. At this point, if I lose something, I always can get it fixed by the Church when I get back, okay?
[He's heaving an aggravated sigh.]
So. Just take my hand. Unless you want to take Mister Lupin with us somehow.
We don't even know if that's how it works. Me taking your hand, that is. For all I know I'll end up holding your disembodied hand in mine. As for Lupin... Well. We might have already done that with Cardia.
[ Maybe the two different warring impulses will cancel out? ]
That said, we did need to pass on his words to Fran, right? This all seems to be from before things got worse, though.
[ ... ]
Maybe one of us can take that, actually? The memory of his friends' support and care for him. All the sentiment and well wishes that entails. What they'd say to him now, if they could.
[They did essentially take Cardia with them, huh. The abandonment. Feeling like a monster. Poor, poor girl.]
[That's a sweet thing to take, though, he wonders what the downside might be.]
So, you're taking Lupin's care for Fran? [If he makes out with Fran that's on HIM jsyk.]
...I lost a tooth for the last one. I think I'd need to go bigger. Take away more from me, or take something from someone else. [...] What do you think? An ear, perhaps?
Medical devices, replace or augment parts of one's body. Hurt quite a bit due to the neural interface, I hear, but that's beside the point. As for my hand, I still don't know how that happened...
[ He has some suspicions, but also ????
Anyway what could go wrong with trying to take along the lingering ghosts of all his friends' but especially Lupin's care for Fran! Open up door, knock knock. ]
[ the door opens and they are stepping through the doorway, the requirement will be met as they do...with some interest. as hansa steps through, he'll lose his ear and his eye, which eye? you know which eye. perhaps he won't have to worry about the eyepatch as much anymore... but it will be removed swiftly and instantaneously as with his tooth. the lingering pain being the only true sign of it's disappearance.
as for julius, that's when the interest really takes its toll. for his willingness to take on all of the spirits of fran's friends and simply just not lupins, then julius will now feel the weight of their concern for the young alchemist. the depths of their feelings for him... how they all respect him and yet worry for him. the admiration they have for him and then their frustrations with his shortcomings.
for lupin, julius will feel absolute trust in fran while understanding that he could also be a forced into a situation where he may make the wrong decision.
but, suppose that's not the worse thing that they can do as they enter the next room ]
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[SORRY HE JUST TO. BWUH]
Vampire war?
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He was responsible for a massacre, in other words... No wonder he ran.
[ But also, huh. Yeah. ]
... He's fine enough, last we saw of him. Your princess, though?
[ Right off the heels of talking about how one royal very much wants to drag him back to her by the ear??? ]
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"you really must not be around here if you hadn't heard about it. it was a war that took place two years ago between great britain and the vampires—some sort of conflict started and things escalated to a point of full on war. humans are at a disadvantage going up against vampires, but thanks to this gas, the british army was able to push them back enough to win.
...or that's what they say."
which is also saying a lot given their own experiences with things around such things, probably. either way, lupin will appreciate the break from the morbid.
"ah, she's not really a princess, but that's what she is to us. i guess it would be like fran not to talk about her. her name is cardia; all of us would do anything for her."
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[Clarity resounds again - it seems that vampires really do cause trouble wherever they go. But what makes Hansa perk up most of all is-]
Cardia! Oh, Cardia. [THAT'S a name he knows!] Where is she? Could we meet her?
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Cardia. ... Cardia Beckford? She's well?
[ So she did end up leaving the house. Good for her... Is her touch actually corrosive and deadly, though. Does it haunt her all the time too? Are these thoughts the same as what she thought of herself, or are they what others thought of her? ]
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"sorry, no can do. i just can't let anyone meet our princess, but you can be sure that her safety is my top concern! no one will be getting their hands on her as long as i'm around. especially when there are suspicious people who are looking for her.
but seriously, if you see fran, again, let him know that he doesn't need to work alone. we all want to find a cure. ]
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[Miss Cardia...he feels he and Julius know more about her than most ever would.]
[That being said...]
[He's pulling out the bear.]
Could you give this to her? And let her know she never should feel abandoned again.
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[ ... but Lupin is dead, in those records. Four people are, even if Fran mentioned five prior test subjects for his attempted cure.
And Cardia was noted as missing.
Fractured reflection of somewhere else, then, or recreation of what came before? Recollection?
Or maybe they're jumping to conclusions, and the cure they're looking for is for something else entirely. ]
How long has he been trying to work at it now, anyway?
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"yeah, i can give this to our princess."
and for a change of pace as lupin considers the other question he's asked.
"how long has fran been at it? hmm... i'd say maybe a few weeks now. things haven't gotten too bad, but maybe there's something that he knows that we don't. i'll trust him to tell us if things beyond his control; he may be bad at asking for help, but it doesn't he won't." ]
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[To their princess....]
[He also remembers those records. This is doomed. Fran will be all alone, but...]
[Even he knows those feelings of abandonment for him, at least, can be helped.]
Alright. Where should we go from here? I'm sure that the king won't want to be bothered again by vistors.
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Also he just glances slightly exasperatedly over at Hansa when he mentions the king. Queen Victoria? Hello? But anyway. ]
And we didn't really intend to turn Fran in, so there's no need to continue to Scotland Yard either. It's just good to see his friends seem to be doing all right.
[ Hahahaha right. Anyway yeah this is still an entire city and they have no clue where the divergence catalyst I mean door is. ]
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"ah, then you guys can continue down this alleyway, it'll take you outside skirts of the city where it should be much safer for you guys to walk around. if fran's anywhere then he might in that part of the city as well. ...well, i hope that's where fran would be.
it was good meeting you two. i hope that we get to meet again, maybe i'll let you guys meet our princess." before sending them off, though, he'll pull something out of his pocket and hold it out the. a white mask. "a gift from me. it'll help the two of you out if you need a quick disguise—you'll have to make sure to stay quiet, can't help with how you sound."
and once the two of them have taken the mask from lupin, they'll be able to continue forwarded until they find a door. which, again, will have a requirement that must be met before they're able to pass. ]
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[This is sad, though. A helpful friend, and he's already leaving them behind.]
[Everyone leaves.]
[Nice mask, though.]
Thank you...
[He's just listlessly staring at the door.]
Do you want to maybe...take my hand? What do you think.
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And there they are, another innocuous door. It's not shimmery, is it. And to Hansa's question... ]
Are you asking me or the door? ... All I ever do is take. If this is permanent, I can't do that to you. Especially considering ... never mind.
[ Still, if that only leaves give ... well, fingers is off the table considering he's already down a hand, and the effects of the week aside he's still going to need sight, sound, and voice. Taste might be on the table if he went concerned it might take his entire tongue, and then he both wouldn't be able to speak and would choke on his own blood in short order.
... he also can't give up the single distant hope that his wish has become. If it's at all possible still, please ... ]
... do you want to try to take something?
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...Julius, I'm going to tell you something. A secret of mine. Seventy percent of me is metal. Including my hands. At this point, if I lose something, I always can get it fixed by the Church when I get back, okay?
[He's heaving an aggravated sigh.]
So. Just take my hand. Unless you want to take Mister Lupin with us somehow.
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[ Maybe the two different warring impulses will cancel out? ]
That said, we did need to pass on his words to Fran, right? This all seems to be from before things got worse, though.
[ ... ]
Maybe one of us can take that, actually? The memory of his friends' support and care for him. All the sentiment and well wishes that entails. What they'd say to him now, if they could.
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[They did essentially take Cardia with them, huh. The abandonment. Feeling like a monster. Poor, poor girl.]
[That's a sweet thing to take, though, he wonders what the downside might be.]
So, you're taking Lupin's care for Fran? [If he makes out with Fran that's on HIM jsyk.]
...I lost a tooth for the last one. I think I'd need to go bigger. Take away more from me, or take something from someone else. [...] What do you think? An ear, perhaps?
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[ did crystal just decide that lupin and fran were a ship now. sure, we'll see if it's enough!! ]
For you, though, one ear... if you think the door would take it, I suppose it could be worse. Especially if you are mostly aspyrixes, as you say.
[ damn, though. does the church have your codes too? ]
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[What's an...aspir....whata.....]
Yes. Take that guy's care for Fran. I'd rather be the one sacrificing stuff. You lost a whole hand, come on.
[Fine. Okay. He's ready to sacrifice one ear for the vine...or rather the door.....]
[Is Julius ready!]
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[ He has some suspicions, but also ????
Anyway what could go wrong with trying to take along the lingering ghosts of all his friends' but especially Lupin's care for Fran! Open up door, knock knock. ]
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as for julius, that's when the interest really takes its toll. for his willingness to take on all of the spirits of fran's friends and simply just not lupins, then julius will now feel the weight of their concern for the young alchemist. the depths of their feelings for him... how they all respect him and yet worry for him. the admiration they have for him and then their frustrations with his shortcomings.
for lupin, julius will feel absolute trust in fran while understanding that he could also be a forced into a situation where he may make the wrong decision.
but, suppose that's not the worse thing that they can do as they enter the next room ]