( Alucard couldn’t recall anything very remarkable happening between then, and arriving here; part of that would be his unwillingness to acknowledge anything around him in general, in those tense and quiet days after his castle became empty again, the trail of guidance and teachings cut to a sudden stop, a void where all of his thoughts and plans had begun to fill the negative space that had slowly been spilling through his days like a staining pool. what to do, now? what was there worth doing?

nothing, Alucard decided coldly. there was simply nothing worth the effort of doing.

he may not feel cold, but he certainly feels bitter; falling away from the world he belonged to (for better or, especially, worse) and into a strange place that suddenly ’needs him,’ cornering him out of a choice on the matter. a frozen universe — he could almost laugh. his own little universe had frozen over months ago, and his attempts to thaw it out only served to ice him down to the bone.

he’s self-aware to know that his internal reactions to this are in the realm of childish; he knows exactly why he would love to resist, to turn away from the call for his involvement, what does it matter, when so much of the world is rotten anyway. those weren’t always his thoughts.

they were his father’s…

Alucard is consumed in thought as he sits on his seat within the carriage, up against the window, one seat open beside him. your newly-arrived character might see the spot beside this brooding-looking man and, if that general vibe doesn’t deter you from sitting down, either intending to mind your own business, or to hook such a quiet-looking individual out of his depths and surface him with conversation, you might be moving yourself to plop right down next to him.

and...the most bizarre reaction might occur, not from Alucard, but the space around him: your character will bounce back, as if you’ve just dropped your weight against a large buoyant ball, despite the space beside the blond appearing completely empty… appearing being the operative term.

when your character ricochets right off of thin air, Alucard jerks with a snap of awareness, turning to look at them. surprise is present in his face, unaware of what has really occurred, and especially, his unknown hand in causing the reaction — but an instinct snaps from him and, once again without awareness or control, Alucard feels in his gut the urge to grasp the other person from falling into the row of seats on the other side of the caravan, and the people in them. whether Alucard’s unrefined kinetic instinct to grasp your character from recoiling backward succeeds or fails — is up to you.

because regardless of the outcome, Alucard will look your character over, unsure of what’s happening before him, and looking toward you with quizzical concern. ) Are you all right? ( the word choice might swell with kind-hearted worry...but his tone doesn’t cooperate with that intent. thankfully, the hollow and low quality in his tone keeps him from sounding too irritated at the strange disruption. )

( Alucard feels the grim dog’s snout brush his idle hand. he thinks of Sypha and Trevor — trapped in that moment of suspension, is his guess. he wonders if whatever powers that be here are capable of making mistakes; pulling him here, and not them? they might have a better chance at returning the universe to the way it was if this place had called them, instead of him.

...Alucard doesn’t like the idea of them trapped in unknown time. he just doesn’t know how to reconcile such a responsibility. alone.

shared, as it seems to be. he looks across the group of refugees just like himself in this resort town, those who have come here to pursue information behind their newly-born gifts — the training fields. he watches quietly, standing away at a distance from others congregating with Avalonians and others who have been learning to understand their powers. Alucard looks down at the dark dog, shrouded as if by a black veil, present yet almost immaterial at their edges; he’s beginning to think he knows what his powers might have become, and they’re not entirely unfamiliar to him. it’s a useful ability to have...if he intends to assist this world in their pursuits.

does he, though?

he stands aside and watches some of the vaguely-familiar faces from the caravan beginning to test their abilities, meeting with more and more strangers that he would never have known. what will he decide to do?

—before he can get that far, Alucard senses something in his periphery, and in the pivoting moment between heartbeats, he realizes something is about to collide with him; an inanimate object, a burst of a rogue element, or even a weapon. he reacts quickly enough to bend out of the way, but the misfired attack also bounces off of the space around him, as well, purely an unintended reaction. the projectile lands sharply into the earth. when he straightens up again, Alucard’s expression is alert, and he scans the training fields for the source of the attack…hopefully unintended. )

( Alucard isn’t even aware of there being a problem with trolls and bridges — once he gets to Camelot, he stays primarily in his small, minimalistic room, keeps to himself, and in the best of moments, observes the social media aspect of AOL, attempting to learn more about this place, but those bursts are always short. when he gets restless, he walks the streets only to get to where on the outskirts feature as little people as possible. he can forage and hunt for himself, and nestles instantly into a reclusive, low-key presence in Camelot for the initial days in the city, always in between waves of contemplation and mindless functionality.

farmlands always mean the potential for minor prey animals — rabbits looking to ruin someone’s garden, or streams nearby for fish to be found — and Alucard even considers interacting with someone long enough to barter for some vegetables… if he can’t find something suitable himself.

the plan is to roam into the wilderness beyond the farm lands, but on and attempt going west, Alucard finds a disruption along the way; a lost bridge, causing issue with the ability to travel, but more than that. a cluster of laborers, a couple dozen capable hands doing anything but work, lingering at a standstill. the lack of obvious logic captures Alucard’s attention, critical and wondering.

’trolls,’ Alucard hears them say. a couple of workers sit in the grass as if reeling, and they’re all talking with people and pointing in the direction of the bridge. he doesn’t know about any requests or contracts to dispatch the trolls when he approaches (still at some cautious distance,) but given his stature and long sword on his belt, it...might be absolutely possible to mistake Alucard for a do-gooder showing up to kick some trolls off of this defunct bridge. you can’t be blamed to mistakenly assume, and approach him as such. great, you were JUST discussing that they need someone to lure the trolls down from the bridge, or maybe you have that part covered, and seeing someone show up carring a bladed weapon was exactly the missing piece you needed for the fight. bark your orders, noble-minded person! )

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