closed, ongoing.

[azeitgeist]

WHO: Zachary "Lucio" Bosch (azeitgeist), Alucard (toothsomehound).
WHAT: A visit in exchange for honey cake.
WHERE: Alucard's haunted house.
WHEN: Day 165, late afternoon.

Comments

SORRY FOR THE REPOST

[azeitgeist]

It was everything Zach could do not to crawl on top of a piece of furniture when he heard the dog's deep-throated welcome, knocking his shoulder back against the open threshold of the door behind him in clumsy surprise. He cursed under his breath, remembering Alucard's warning but trying not to let it get to him. No bloodthirsty hounds would go after him while he was a guest in someone else's house, right? He could sue them, or whatever. Not that Zach wanted to do something like that; he'd rather keep the peace. Maybe he should've brought steak along.

Hearing his alias spoken (it was difficult to get used to that adjustment; he generally didn't meet people in real life who knew him as 'Lucio'), Zach passed the box to his other hand and shut the door, sealing off a gust of chilly wind. "Uh, yeah, hang on a sec," the hacker's voice rang out, heading further into the darkness of the room he'd entered, narrowly dodging that grey-and-white blur as it slunk near his feet. "You really weren't kidding about this cat," he muttered under his breath, walking faster as it circled back around, padding close behind.

Zach was pretty surprised at the inside state of the place, but not disappointed--after all, shouldn't a haunted house be falling apart? Wasn't that a rudimentary detail?

Now, if only he didn't twist his ankle on any loose floorboards, he'd be set.

Following his host's voice into the kitchen, Zach carefully walked the narrow plank, balancing the cake in his arms. "Oh, hey, you don't have to call me Lucio, you know. Zach works." There was a pause, just long enough for the pale-skinned teen to see the giant hole, his pointed look giving him away even as he chose to stand near the door. "Just don't tell anyone."

It wouldn't do any harm to let Alucard know his first name; if the man decided to do anything with it, which Zach had a hard time imagining, he always had Zombi watching his back.

"To answer your question, yeah, your invitation was a big part of it. But I wanted to see the house, and get to know its owner, too. You remind me of some people I knew back in the States." His tone was casual, smooth, almost raw. "Oh, here's your cake."

NP <33333333333333

[toothsomehound]

At hearing Lucio's- Zach's- mutter concerning Lazarus, Alucard chuckled. "If he is bothering you, I can have Cincinel take him upstairs." The sound of his name made the dog's frilly ears perk up. Alucard smoothed them down and turned his attention to his guest. The way that Zach picked his way into the room, then stood quite firmly in the doorway, almost made Alucard laugh himself silly. He restrained the impulse and instead adjusted his shirtsleeves. "If you are uncomfortable here, we can certainly move back to the kitchen."

He noted that Zach's name was one he wanted to keep quiet and filed the fact away. The man wasn't one to go spilling secrets left and right, especially since if he did, his own were likely to come forth as well. For him to have two different names, though... hmm, that was interesting. Zach seemed much more hesitant in person, as well. Little things added up, Alucard knew.

"Well, here is the house and here am I." Leaning forwards to take the cake, he paused halfway for just a second at the tone Zach used. He wasn't sure what to make of it. "...Someone back in your homeland, hmmm...?" It was a little too casual to sound effortless and a little too rough to sound emotional. Resigning himself to mystery, for now, he placed the cake-box on the table and scratched his jaw. "I was actually thinking that we would, ah, partake of the cake. It's only fair, since it can't have been easy to find this close to autumn."

[azeitgeist]

"No, it's fine," the teenager replied casually, eyes drifting toward the aforementioned dog. Seeing it in front of him didn't make him any more eager to enter further, but he wasn't up for evacuating into kitchen either--he wanted to explore as many rooms as Alucard would let him; he wouldn't cower away from a tiny hole. Okay, so it wasn't tiny, but it was still a hole. And holes didn't bug Zach. He just needed to make sure he didn't trip into any of them. "We can stay--" his sentence cut off prematurely, and he almost stumbled when the cat--Lazarus, right?--wound himself around Zach's feet. Recovering, he finished, "--we can stay in here. It's no problem."

A couple of steps forward, struggling not to trip over his new furry companion, and Zach forfeited the cake. He focused then on the interior of the room and its owner, delicate brows arched high, taking it all in. An impressive sight, to say the least. Zach grinned, answering back, "Oh, no, not really. Just the general community feeling."

It was true--Zach's allergy to personal attachments usually prevented that. He'd be the first to admit it.

"If you want. I'm more for spicy foods, and it's kind of like a gift, you know, in exchange for letting me in here." He shrugged, noncommittal. With another glance toward the table-island, Zach worked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "So where'd the holes come from?"

[toothsomehound]

Alucard allowed himself a brief chuckle. "Your body sways very convincingly back and forth. Make up your mind before my cat sends you plummeting to your death." He stepped forwards, scooping up the happy little cat easily in one hand. "Don't mind him. He's just excited to see you. I believe he thinks you might feed him." At the word 'feed' both Cincinel and Lazarus visibly perked up. Alucard turned to Zach and sighed, heavily. "They act as if I don't feed them. Come in and sit, if you're planning on staying inside."

He let what was undoubtedly a half-truth at best slide away. There was only so much mystery he could stand to unearth in a day, and he'd used up his quota for today just fixing the steps. (Honestly, who put things like that there?) Besides, everybody in this city seemed to have their secrets. Zach seemed to have enough to share with a few other people and still have a good stash, but even so, sometimes such secrets were kept for a reason. Alucard himself was a prime example of that.

He sat himself down, leaning his chin on one hand and placing Lazarus on the table with the other. The cat made a strange little 'mrrty' sound and curled up into a tight ball. Alucard flicked at the little white-striped tail with a finger, watching it flick crossly in response. "Spicy foods? Hmmm. Are you hungry?" He'd just finished making a hot curry and fish soup last night and had it quietly simmering on the back burner now. It was uncommon to appreciate spice in the amount needed to enjoy the soup, so he hadn't thought to offer any, but... "The holes?" Alucard peered down. "They were here when I came. The floor rotted out, I suppose. It's the pit underneath that concerns me more."

[azeitgeist]

Zach barely concealed his grimace at the crude threat, taking a step back when the man bent to retrieve the friendly feline. He'd never learned to get along with animals, so he wouldn't have been all that surprised if he'd been pushed off--well, no, that was kind of a lie. But although he'd met plenty of cats in his young life, he'd never quite managed to get them to like him. He guessed they probably just preferred more affectionate people. "Sure," Zach said, at long last venturing further inside and picking out his own seat, nearby his host. He focused on the table, splaying the fingers of one hand over the lacquered top, admiring the gleam.

He wasn't one for immaculate places where obsessive homeowners scrubbed regularly until their knuckles bled, so the antique atmosphere of this house suited him fine. Made him happier, in all honesty. He'd love to get a place like this one day, crowd it with the necessities: spicy food, mountains of computer wires, various books and CDs, and whatever else he found. Nice hats. Stuff he saw at outside yard sales that he thought looked nice.

At the question, Zach ducked his head back up, pursing his lips in a look of thought that quickly split into another grin. "I'm always hungry." The charming switch from charismatic and charming to casual was as slick as a greased gear, and the pale-skinned hacker shrugged. "I mean, I'll eat whatever. Don't feel like you have to go out of your way or anything."

Circling back to the topic of holes, he tried not to seem too worried when Alucard answered. "You don't know what's under there? Uh, are you sure it's safe to be in here?" He looked down, unable to help himself.

[toothsomehound]

Well, it wasn't a threat so much as a noted caution. After all, Alucard didn't want to add to how many bodies were undoubtedly tucked away in odd nooks and crannies. Elena seemed to have taken a liking to the boy, too, so he would have to answer to as well. Hmmm. He played with Lazarus' tail some more until the cat uncurled and wrapped his mouth around his master's hand, chewing playfully. Still, the little teeth were sharp, and Alucard tapped the cat's nose gently. "No," he scolded. It was his own fault, though, so he let it go at that.

Alucard liked his house. There were woefully few things in it- aside from the cooking things in the kitchen, he'd brought nothing to the house but himself. He'd even found the coffin lying up there in the topmost room, the one with the broken windows and odd stains on the remaining glass. It was a good bed, really- he didn't enjoy analyzing why, precisely, he might think so. It obviously wasn't a normal preference. (He had a blanket in there, of course, and a pillow, but... still. A coffin. Sometimes he really wondered about himself.)

He noticed the change in Zach and narrowed his eyes at it. He didn't like when people could switch so easily between personas. It irritated him, mostly- it generally meant that somebody was hiding something. He didn't like it when people did that- part of it was his intense curiosity, and part of it was the paranoid part of him that was convinced that one day his little 'vacation' in Italy would come to an abrupt, violent end. It was doubtful that Zach had anything to do with any governments, though. "I didn't ask if you would eat whatever. I asked if you were hungry." His eyes slid to Zach's, trying to detect what had prompted such a change.

"A pit is under there, of course." Standing, he peered down as far as he could. He couldn't really see anything which, given his impressive night vision, was telling in of itself. "The house hasn't fallen in on itself in all the many years it has been here; I presume it will not be going anywhere else in a hurry."

[azeitgeist]

He noticed the distinct lack of personal touch in the house as far as décor went, but it didn't seem to need much--it held its own figurative head high, maintained a dusty sort of magnificence, and Zach wasn't so sure it would've looked as cool with too much stuff everywhere. Well. Unless that stuff was equally as creepy and old, with bizarre histories behind every item. He knew he could definitely come up with some pretty crazy, creative ideas if he put some effort into it. After all, that was one of Zach's favorite hobbies.

Prompted by Alucard's words--man, he really wasn't one to talk his way around things--the teen frowned imperceptibly, stretched his arms back behind his head, spine curved. "Yeah, I'm always hungry. I guess what matters is if you want to give me something to eat? I try to be a modest guest, but food has a way of putting my stomach before my manners--especially the really spicy stuff."

It was difficult to tell if Zach was even aware of the shift in attitude, and if so, whether or not he cared. There were miles of experience and careful mastery between each expression he wore, but a covering of raw youthfulness, too. He was genuine.

"Well, yeah, maybe. But what if you're the unlucky one? What if does fall in on itself tomorrow?" He followed suit, standing to his feet, although carefully avoiding the edge of the black pit, one hand on the table for subtle reassurance. "How old is this house, anyway? If you know?" Thin lips pinched in a thoughtful frown.

[toothsomehound]

Bluntness was, in Alucard's book, a virtue. He had grown up shadowed by double meanings and at risk of mortal harm from a misplaced word. Tolerance of such slipperiness now that the matter was in his hands- hah! No. "Modesty in the face of a solid meal is misplaced, in my mind." Alucard moved into the kitchen soundlessly, heedless of the wobbling planks underfoot and the yawning pit beneath that. Rummaging in the fridge wasn't really anything he needed to do- it was rather generously described as, ah. Sparse. He pulled out the solitary pot and grabbed a bowl from a decaying cabinet nearby.

"How often do you eat?" It was a somewhat probing question, but one that seemed to have vastly different answers depending on whom was asked. Zach didn't seem like the three-solid-meals-a-day type.

"Then I will likely die," Alucard responded absently. "There is no use worrying about it. Do you want this cold or heated? Either is equally good, to my tastes." At the second question, he tossed a look to the cabinet. "I suppose it might be a few hundred years old. The cabinets are from when the house was first built, and since they're hardwood, it had to have taken a long time for them to rot away." Cincinel and Lazarus had somehow slunk their way to his feet and were staring up at him. He put the pot of soup back into the fridge meaningfully.

[azeitgeist]

"Maybe. Guess it depends on who's providing the solid meal, right?" Zach replied easily. Unlike Alucard, he was all too aware of those unsteady planks of wood and holes below them, black like the maw of a beast, the tediousness of taking even one step in this house. It was a little intimidating, following the man into the kitchen, but the teenage hacker managed without dropping through the floor to an untimely death. The thought made him cringe.

Curious eyes spanned the length of the room, analyzing the decaying cabinets and the pot of food Alucard now had in hand. Not too surprised by the question, Zach shrugged, folding his arms comfortably across his chest. "Whenever I get hungry. Maybe once or twice a day, if I'm lucky." He wasn't a big eater; all too often, he got so wrapped up in his work he never noticed a growling stomach. Which might lend to his perpetually ravenous state of being.

An absent smile tugged at Zach's lips, and he quickly said, "Cold's fine." Idling near the doorway, he shifted his weight from one foot to another. "Can't be a very healthy place to live, I take it." But it was awesome and everything that he'd envisioned before showing up, and his expression relayed that clearly. "Where'll you live when it heaves its last gasping breath?"

ooc: i'm so so so sorry for my embarrassingly late reply. family just moved, and the internet's been a bit wacky as of late while we've tried to settle in. FORGIVE ME.

[toothsomehound]

Alucard looked over at Zach, hands occupied with a bowl and ladle. His eyes narrowed- not in malice, but in thought. "At a certain level of desperation, you would likely find that you will sup from any broth, no matter the source, no matter if you know it to be poisoned." He turned his attention back to the bowls, deciding on a funny one painted with dancing dogs he had picked up his first day in the city. Zach need not know that, though.

He filled the bowl carefully, not spilling a single drop, and nudged Lazarus off the counter onto the floor. "No," he admonished gently, turning and holding the bowl out to his guest. "Ah, I see. You seemed the type for that, yes." Alucard peered into the pot, contemplating feeding himself, then discarded the idea. He wasn't very hungry lately, since he'd been getting well-fed in... other ways. "You have enough, though?"

Alcard spotted the smile, raised an eyebrow slightly at it, but didn't ask. The question made him pause, though. Healthy? Compared to what he was used to, this house was paradise. The reactions of the few that came to his house invited told him that it wasn't normal, and he remembered as a child living in a relatively put-together place. But (and here he smiled his own bitter, enigmatic smile) now, dungeons were his home. To depart from them to a normal house with firm walls and a solid floor would be like a demon living in a church. "Healthy? Health is no concern of mine." Zach's expression- thoroughly taken, awed with some blend of lust, sparked Alucard's interest. Perhaps Zach, too, had never really escaped from his own personal dungeon. "I believe very strongly that this house will see my death, and hundreds of men after mine's deaths."

((OOC: Oh gosh, don't worry about it at all! I hope your move went well and that you're settling in very nicely in your new home! No apologies needed!))

[azeitgeist]

"Well, I'm not that desperate just yet, trust me. But how can I argue against free food?" Zach laughed, glancing toward the cat perched on top of the counter from the corner of his eye. He'd never had a cat before, but he might as well have; strays wandered pretty frequently around the cities he's lived in. From time to time he'd set a little food outside his apartment--usually a bowl of milk leftover after he'd picked all the cereal pieces out--but that was it. He and felines got along well enough.

Dogs, on the other hand, were another matter entirely. He kept his eyes away from Cincinel, although Zach was all too consciously mindful of his presence. Accepting the bowl, the teenage hacker half-shrugged, "Guess we all need to be a type, yeah? Thanks, I got enough." Turning the spoon over and mixing its contents around, he began eating--and let out an appreciative hum at the first swallow. "Holy shit, this is good. Eating curry in a haunted house? I think I've died and gone to fuckin' heaven."

Grin wide enough to bare white teeth, he replied just as easily, "Health is a big concern to the rest of the world. Maybe that's why you lucked out on getting this place, huh? Nobody who prides themselves in their sanity would want to live under this roof. Then again, don't think this city is the sanest of places." Zach slowly worked his way through his food, savoring every spoonful. "..Hey. Think I could look around? Or, you know. You could give me a tour, if you want. I'm flexible." That light of fascination and excitement was back, accentuating dark eyes and smooth features, still-smiling.

ooc: you're too kind, and thank you! ;3; ♥

[toothsomehound]

"I suppose that's for the best," Alucard replied levelly. He noticed the way that Zach looked at Lazarus and Cincinel both. He thought for a moment, then stepped forwards, calling Cincinel to him as he did so. "My hound will not savage you, Zach." He left out the part about it only being because Alucard hadn't given the order. Somehow, given the boy's posture towards the dog, he didn't think that would be well-received. "You have nothing to be frightened of, as a guest in my home." Cincinel cocked his head, looked at Zach, then trotted forwards a bit and barked briskly, tail fanning out in greeting. He started to rear up, then whined and sat down, ears turning backwards towards Alucard.

He smoothed a hand over the dog's ears, chuckling. "He is learning not to jump. He is also," and here he gave Zach a somewhat teasing look, leaning forwards a bit and tilting his head to look at him sideways, "about half a meter tall." At the compliment, he shrugged and pulled back. "Is it? My soup is popular, for some reason, though to me it is just food." He gave the bowl in Zach's hand a rather perplexed stare.

Health was the last thing on Alucard's mind, but he didn't say that. Instead, he turned his attention to the request. "I suppose it if calls to you that deeply." He shrugged, mentally rifling through the rooms of his house. Was there anything he needed to tuck away? The guns were in their hidden closet. His coffin was airing out in the warm autumn air, but there wasn't much he could do about it- after all, it was big enough to contain him. "Mind your footing, though. It gets much worse on the higher floors."