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“But are you sure-?”
“Yes, Sypha, I have made pilav before, long ago as it was. The next step is to add the rice here to sauté, and the stock goes in after the butter is absorbed." Alucard sighed, deeply and dramatically when Sypha pouted in thought, and was glad to face away so his grin wouldn't be seen. "If you would like, you may assist?"
"I am familiar with making bulz," she offered, “if you can point me to the polenta and cheese.”
"Yes, I think that goes well together with the sausage. Thank you."
It had only been a month. Amazing how such a short amount of time could change so much. One month seemed an eternity when lonely--Alucard had taken to talking to himself and his dolls, desperate for social simulation. Now, one month after the final battle, after the town of Belmont (locally known as Treffy) was founded, and two weeks after Trevor's miraculous return, things were settling down. Sort of. Even two weeks of his two partners causing trouble was driving Alucard to distraction, but he wouldn't wish for anything else.
Whatever loneliness he felt over the time they were gone could be soothed by the presence of his partners; Domestic chores became times to bask in their presence, looking out over the town showed Alucard their fingerprints on nearly every project, and even little things like rumpled bed sheets, messy notes, or misplaced leather oil sang of family everywhere he looked. It wasn’t that he never felt grief, but that he knew he had places to go and people who would hold him in his times of need.
That’s what this meal was about. With so few monsters roaming about causing trouble, all three of them had been able to delve into their skill sets beyond just fighting. Trevor had mentioned something like that when the three of them were laying in bed--that it was a time for creation and building. So Alucard was.
Also, he thought his partners deserved something special after all the hardships they’d gone through, all the time they hadn’t yet got to spend simply living, or maybe living simply.
“What’s that?” Trevor asked, walking into the kitchen and plopping into a chair. “Smells incredible.”
Maybe Alucard wanted to show off a little bit too.
“We’re making dinner,” Sypha said. “Though I think Alucard is determined to make a feast.”
“A feast?” Trevor’s tone was clearly hopeful, and Alucard smiled.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” said Alucard, unable to keep his contentedness from his own voice. “It may be more food than we are used to, but it’s not kingly fare.”
“Lies!” Sypha teased. “I found no less than three spices that came along trade routes from India, or further!”
“Not all of those are going into the food.” Though he still felt the tips of his ears get warm, especially once Trevor began laughing. “Now, are you going to assist us, or simply partake in our hard work, Treffy?”
Trevor sighed, sounding aggrieved. Though he was decidedly more coy as he sidled up behind Alucard, snickering at the little jump he got from Alucard when blowing on the back of his bare neck.
“Oh, shall I help with your motivation?”
Said “motivation” turned out to be Trevor pressed up along his back, one arm around Alucard’s waist, one playing with the hair in his bun, and kisses to his still burning ears.
“If all you’re going to do is get in the way, then I can manage just fine, thank yOU-?” Alucard let out a loud squeak at the pinch he received to his butt cheek. A little liquid sloshed over the edge into the fire, making a loud sizzling sound. “Trevor!”
Said man only laughed, gently catching the wrist Alucard held his spoon in before it could reach Trevor’s face. Alucard allowed it, if only because he didn’t want to get the kitchen even more dirty.
“Sorry, sorry,” Trevor said, still laughing. Tucking his face into the crook of Alucard’s neck, he left little apologetic kisses, his little beard scratchy against Alucard’s skin.
“You’re an absolute menace.”
Sypha giggled, checking her bread before walking over to them and reaching up to wrap the both of them in her arms. Alucard felt his stomach flutter, his heart beat faster, and he couldn’t help leaning into the both of them. Sypha’s eyes glittered in the afternoon sun, crinkled at the corners from the sheer power of her joy.
“He is rather like a bear, isn’t he?” she said. “Gets into everything.”
“You may be right.”
“I know I am.”
“Then should we fetch a bowl for the floor? I may have to plate some of these dishes differently but- Trevor do not lick me when I’m handling food!”
Sypha giggled again, ruffling Trevor’s hair. “Our big bear. Quit bugging Alucard, I want a feast tonight!”
“It’s not a feast,” Alucard grumbled.
Trevor grumbled as well, but he did let go of Alucard with one final peck to his cheek--only to immediately turn and gather Sypha into his arms, running kisses down on her as she laughed and barely attempted to push his face away.
Alucard sighed, the breath full of more peace than annoyance. His partners were ridiculous, and that’s exactly how he wanted them.
That night, with the table covered in soup, bread, sausages, meatballs in a thick sauce, mild cheeses, and a sweet mulled wine from the castle’s stocks, the air was filled with banter and jubilation, and every vision Alucard had of his partners felt like the world had been covered in glittering drops of gold.
It had only been a month, and Alucard looked forward to the rest of their years--together.
0-o-0
“Now, hand me the chilies.”
“...Alright.”
“Alucard, don’t give me that look. I ground them up for a reason, and I know what I’m doing.”
“I’m sure you do.”
Trevor squinted at Alucard, lips pursed. “I tested it myself.”
“Ah.” Alucard presented a cinnamon stick with more flair than necessary. “Then we have nothing to worry about. You are, after all, the one with the best sense of taste.”
“That biscuit disaster was completely your fault!”
“Was it?” Alucard chuckled as Trevor aimed a sloppy kick at him, dodging easily. “All that said, while I am skeptical, I do trust your skills.”
“Better,” Trevor said, sniffing like a haughty noble.
Alucard chuckled again and watched as Trevor mixed in the ground up chile, almost hovering near Trevor’s shoulder. While his presence would have raised Trevor’s hackles only a few months ago, now it felt comforting, encouraging even. Trevor hadn’t been sure of his own ability to make nice things; Having the time to really sink into domestic pursuits had been strange, terrifying, but so very worth it. Feeling a long strand of hair fall onto his shoulder, then to be able to turn and tuck it back behind Alucard’s ear brought a pleasant fizzy sensation to Trevor’s mind. As a bonus, Alucard himself, with the little spots of pink he got on said ears, was also fun to tease. When Trevor opened his mouth to mention it, Sypha skipped into the room.
“I smell something amazing!”
Alucard cleared his throat. “Another one of Belmont’s concoctions.”
“Oh?” Sypha walked over and squeezed right up to Trevor, ignoring his “Hey!”, and took a deep breath of the liquid in the pot. Then sighed, delighted. “Oh. That is creamy, isn’t it? And I smell cinnamon, and… vanilla? Something spicy?”
“Both.” Trevor wrapped an arm around her waist, kissing her head before he lifted her, grinning at her squawks, and pressed her into Alucard’s arms. “Now please be patient.”
“I am patient,” Sypha protested, looking like a sad kitten hanging in Alucard’s arms. “I am the most patient person in the village.”
Alucard’s brows went up, mirroring what Trevor felt on his own face. “Then you won’t mind sitting with a little batch of gogoși until Trevor’s drink is finished, will you?” said Alucard.
“I… suppose not.”
Alucard rewarded her with his own kiss. With the two of them settling down at the table, Trevor stirred in some extra cream, watching to make sure it incorporated well. Then he took the pot off the fire and covered it, to give it time to combine all the flavors. With that taken care of, Trevor brought the rest of the cream in a bowl and sat at the table with his partners, his shoulders relaxing at sight of them: Sypha's cheeks stuffed with crispy dough and Alucard looking constipated.
"You're going to eat all the snacks before even trying my new drink," Trevor said. Sypha flared her nostrils and gave Trevor the middle finger. He gasped. "Who taught you that?"
A sly glance at Alucard showed him sitting so straight he looked like a measuring stick. "You, obviously."
"Me?" Trevor pushed the bowl into Alucard’s hands. "For false accusations, you can whip the cream."
"As if anyone else would," Alucard said dryly. He got to work on it anyways.
Sypha, meanwhile, had cleared her mouth. Mostly. A little crumb sat on the edge of her lips, even after she brushed at her face and the top of the table.
"Sypha, we're going to have pests," Alucard said.
"Whoops. I keep forgetting the downsides to living in a building."
"You'd think a magical castle would come with more perks," Trevor said. "Like self cleaning."
"Yes! Or little elevators for food!"
"So you can eat out of the walls?"
Alucard sighed, deeply. The whole cream was fluffing up nicely under his steady motions. "I didn't realize the plumbing and electrical lights and heating systems were so pedestrian now."
"Those are nice too," Sypha mused, finger to her chin. "But what about a device which sweeps a giant broom across the floor?"
"I think I've seen that…" Trevor thought about some of the weird rooms he'd found--a very loud clock tower, an overgrown garden with overly-tactile plants, and several where he was certain the floor was a puzzle of some sort, though he hadn’t figured them out yet.
“The castle doesn’t have any giant brooms,” said Alucard.
“Maybe it should,” said Sypha.
“It would make dusting easier.” Trevor grinned shamelessly when Alucard threw him a dirty look.
“You don’t dust anyway.”
“Which is why a giant broom is a great idea.”
“All my ideas are great ones,” Sypha interrupted. “Alucard, are you done with the cream?”
“Oh. Yes,” he said. Trevor pushed himself from his seat with a groan, accepting the bowl of whipped cream and the comment, “Tired already?”
“Just watching you work made my arm tired,” Trevor said.
Sypha stopped him with a touch, grabbing his scarred hand between both of hers and brought it to her lips. “Good thing then that we have Alucard to do such difficult tasks.”
Alucard’s smile had softened as he watched them. “Yes,” he said, “Such difficult tasks as moving my arm back and forth. Whatever will I do with my partners taking advantage of my spectacular whipping skills?”
“I thought I was the one with whipping skills?” Trevor asked. He sauntered over to the counters, setting down his bowl to find some heat-proof cups, arm still tingling where Sypha had kissed.
“Not anymore. Sorry Treffy.”
“Shock and woe.”
Sypha giggled. Her joy turned into excitement as Trevor spooned his drink into each cup, followed by a nice helping of the whipped cream on top, and she was clapping her hands as Trevor set down the cups.
“Chocolate! Hand it here-”
She commenced to eat a fair portion of whipped cream straight off the top before stirring it into the rest of her drink. Alucard snorted, but Trevor caught him doing the same. When Sypha took her first sip, she hummed. As he waited for a verdict, Trevor found himself tapping his fingers on the table.
Finally, Sypha said, “It’s good! Sweet, but it’s- it’s got some sort of spice with a kick. Is that chile?”
Trevor let out a huge breath, managing a little laugh for Sypha’s incredulous expression. Still, since she went right back to drinking it, Trevor relaxed, stirring his own drink.
“Yeah, it is. I wanted to try out an idea Cruz mentioned. Sometimes sour and sweet go well together, so, why not heat, right?”
Alucard hummed like Sypha, licking some stray cream from his lips. “I think you’re getting rather good at this.”
Trevor nudged Alucard’s leg under the table, getting back one from him and one from Sypha, both harder than his. Bringing his drink to his lips, Trevor sipped. Sweet, with a hint of spice. Perfect.
0-o-0
“I haven’t seen one of these in years,” Sypha breathed, touching the wood with reverence.
“You’ve used one?” Trevor asked.
“Yes. When my caravan was closer to the Mediterranean, there were many towns which had instruments like these, traded from larger cities, or created with local variations. I… played, a little, when I was younger.”
Sypha heard Trevor make a considering sound before he said, a gentle hesitance in his voice, “We could buy this.”
“We could,” Sypha said, mimicking his tone, “though I don’t know what I would do with it now.”
She stood straight and looked over her shoulder, watched Trevor shrug and scratch at his facial scar. “Play it?”
Sypha let out more of a breath than a laugh. “I haven’t played in years. I’m certain I don’t sound good anymore. Besides I…” What she couldn’t quite bring herself to say was that she didn’t know what the music would accomplish. It felt silly to say out loud though, especially with all the effort she had put into encouraging both her partners to pursue skills and activities which did not include fighting. Unfortunately, Trevor was incredibly perceptive.
“Let’s get it. You can figure out what to do with it later.”
Sypha swallowed, managing a nod. And after they were walking back through the town, Sypha holding a nice lira da braccio in a fancy case, she bumped Trevor with her hip, relishing in the arm she got around her shoulders in return.
Rather than debating and waiting and worrying, Sypha decided to dive right into it. No reason to wait when she bought the instrument to be played. Besides, they spent the money, and even if they were far more stable with their new town and wealth of supplies and knowledge from the castle and hold, Sypha was a Speaker, and her people did not waste.
The instrument was nice, with a smooth cherry-like finish and a good resonance when Sypha tested it out. She spent a good while tuning it and testing it, seeing how much she remembered from years ago.
As the sun crawled across the sky, Sypha reacquainted herself with what felt like a long-lost friend. She’d forgotten how much emotion she could pour into the movement, the music, and the story she could evoke with only the sounds of the instrument. Speakers couldn’t always keep instruments, not with the way their caravans stayed on the move. Still, Sypha remembered the depth and layers which music added to a storytelling. As the sun burned bright gold through the windows of the large sitting room, indicating late afternoon and several hours lost in music, Sypha heard a slow clapping.
She did not jump, but she did turn quickly to find Trevor slouched over in a plush chair near the doors. “Impressive,” he said.
“Oh, it’s been years. I’m not a professional, and I know that. Wonderful as I am, I don’t need flattery.”
“It’s not. Well, not just that.” Trevor gestured her over with a smile. Sypha huffed, but did walk over and flounced sideways onto his lap. “Music has been… difficult to find. Recently. Before the hordes, too. It’s nice to hear something that isn’t just drinking songs.”
“I suppose so.” Sypha managed a small smile, feeling warmer as she ran her fingers up and down the stringed instrument.
“Besides, you do play well.”
“I could get better.”
“I believe that. You’re a very determined person. Ow, that was a compliment!”
“I heard the word ‘stubborn.’”
“I didn’t say that,” Trevor whined.
“You didn’t have to.” Sypha felt herself practically glowing, full up on happiness, and had to share some before it burst out of her. She offered Trevor several kisses, lips to cheeks to forehead, and only felt lighter as he returned them. “How would…?”
Trevor cocked his head. “A Speaker lost for words?”
Sypha rolled her eyes and again kicked him--lightly, no matter what his dramatics said; He was spending far too much time with Alucard. “I was thinking, if you’re amenable, we could recreate something my people do when we have access to an instrument like this. Something good for, well, for Speaking. Though for us I suppose it would be more like singing.” Trevor blinked.
“You want me to sing.”
“Yes.”
“You want me to sing?”
“It was only a suggestion.” Sypha felt Trevor’s hands on hers, stopping her from getting up.
“I uh, haven’t done, or thought about that? In a while? Let me- think it over.” Trevor looked to the window and squeezed her hands, just a bit. “Besides, I came to get you for dinner. Alucard will push me off the bed tonight if everything cools.”
“That’s true.” Sypha planted one more kiss on Trevor. “Thank you.”
Throughout the meal, Sypha glanced at the lira da braccio stashed in the corner of the room, sitting in its case. Travel had never been easy for Speakers, exactly. Roads were rife with trouble, and cities held their own. Years ago though, when Sypha was young, Speakers were full of more life, more celebration, and were welcomed into towns more often. She wondered if her memories were tainted by the naivety of youth. Yet surely there was a time when the church did not have such a strong stranglehold on the perceptions of her people--those were the times when Sypha had learned to play.
With Wallachia recovering, with the village of Belmont--or Treffy depending on who you asked--thriving and unafraid, wasn’t it the time to bring back music the way she remembered it?
So when she and her partners were done eating, she stood from the table.
“I’d like to share some of my past,” she said. Both of her partners sat up, attentive, and her face warmed.
Sypha spent some time getting the instrument out and checking the tuning and tone, at least until she realized she was stalling. With a patient and loving audience of two, Sypha settled the base against her shoulder, held it carefully but firmly in place, and drew the bow across the strings.
Warbling, almost melancholic notes echoed in the room, like a mother crying as her children returned home.
The song was about several people begging for their loved ones to come home safe from a battle, which Sypha found appropriate and a little morbidly funny. She’d expected the quiet reverence as she played--though it did still buoy her confidence--but she hadn’t expected Trevor to join in partway through. As Trevor offered up a deep, resonant voice to give life to the lyrics, Sypha transitioned into a supporting melody, twining and floating together to create a beautiful story.
As the last notes faded away, a little sniffle and chair creaking broke the silence.
“That was beautiful,” said Alucard. He’d leaned back in his chair, slumped almost, and his eyes glittered with awe.
Trevor wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. “Yeah.”
Sypha flung herself over to them, stretching her arms wide to bring the both of them into a hug. Trevor squawked at the way he leaned, and Alucard sighed, but both of them returned her embrace wholeheartedly. They stayed that way until Sypha felt her sides twinging from the odd position and pulled away. The instrument hit Trevor lightly on the head as she did, and Sypha apologized as he grumbled. Alucard snickered.
“I know more than somber stories. I was also taught music to dance to.”
“Another form of remembering?” Alucard mused.
“Haven’t been part of anything like that in a while,” Trevor said. “But it should be fine with just the three of us, right your highness?”
Alucard kicked the chair Trevor was in, making him wobble. “We’ll do our best. Your skills are wonderful, Sypha. Perhaps we might have a larger celebration with the town later, if you are amenable. I’m certain the children will enjoy hearing new songs.”
Sypha bounced in place, energy filling her up. “That’s a wonderful idea! Okay, show me your rhythm.”
The room wasn’t quite right for acoustics, but her partners’ enjoyment--laughing and singing and clapping--full of love whether they looked at her or each other, was more than enough. The future was theirs to make as they wished, and Sypha wished for nothing more or less than the happiness of her new family.