[OTA]

[fahrenheit1475]

WHO: Alucard
WHERE: Fountain
WHEN: 20 December 2018
OPEN TO: All
WARNINGS: Nothing probably. Maybe one whole swear.

---

Fountain Arrival
It's one thing to know how feeble humans are, and another to suddenly be as weak as one. It actually takes a couple tries to realize he somehow can't get himself out of the water without real effort, his waterlogged hair and clothes weighing him down.

Once out, he's slumped back against the side of the fountain, some of the falling snow sticking to damp hair, trying to sort out not just the weakness but the odd clothing. Alucard ends up talking to himself as he tries to puzzle this all out, grabbing what looks like a dry towel off the side of the fountain. "Was I expected, then? Perhaps this isn't something I can blame on father's castle after all..."

Comments

[fahrenheit1475]

There's a clear looking her up and down that happens. She's one of the first to actually approach, and he's not sure what her deal is. But she is weaponless and carrying food. That's points in not seeing her as a threat.

"I don't see why not. " He's got a very slight edge to his voice, wary. Who is this, and what does she want?

[to_defend]

The mistake would be thinking she isn't dangerous because she's not carrying a weapon, but she's not in a mood to fight right now (which is a lot to say considering how on edge she was when she first arrived). She notes the edge in his voice, and settles herself across from him.

"You're new. Or, you've been hiding out somewhere." She's been here a couple months, but she is also no social butterfly; there were already too many people here for her to memorize every single one.

[fahrenheit1475]

Not an immediate threat doesn't mean not dangerous, but she is smaller than him. And eating.

There's a tiny bit of amusement that shines through at that statement. The sharpness hasn't left yet, though. "One of those two, yes. Care to make a guess which?"

[to_defend]

"No. Either way, you're new to me. That's all that really matters, right? You've found the Inn so you know where food and shelter are." She could give him details about the local fauna, if he were new, or if he'd already been here tried to find out how long he had, but she wasn't interested in questions.

"I figure if you've gotten this far you probably don't need my help."

[fahrenheit1475]

That response gets a surprised, almost indignant look. If she didn't want to approach the new man in the inn, what was her purpose here? That was what he assumed she was wanting anyhow.

"So you joined me out of what, then? Most seem to be approaching me out of pity for the new arrival." He sees no reason not to clear that up now, if she doesn't want to play along. But he's curious as to her reasoning.

[to_defend]

"Curiosity. You look at people the way I used to look at people." And still did, on occasion, when other matters were pressing in and making her wary. She tilts her head and considers him for a moment,

"Do you want pity?"

[fahrenheit1475]

He won't question what she means by how he's looking at people. He's wary and watchful and won't hide it. He's actually a little curious himself, if she used to be wary, why the opinion changed. "Used to? You trust the people here, then."

"Pity isn't something I need."

[to_defend]

"They won me over." That's not to say everyone here got the same level of trust across the board from her, but there are people she would risk her life for. Essentially, she's paying it forward right now.

"I didn't trust a lot of people from my world." She hadn't known any 'people' from her world, before they all died.

[fahrenheit1475]

"They won you over....doing what exactly?" He's curious now. It could be a plot to get him to relax, but at the same time she doesn't seem like she's the sort for that. Not nearly tactful enough.

Though that applies to a lot of people he's met so far.

[to_defend]

"Being friendly without being ... suffocating. No one pushed me to do anything sooner than I was ready for it."

She's not going to ask him what he thinks about that, or why he's wary. She digs into her food, letting him come to his own conclusion.

[fahrenheit1475]

"I see." He appreciates that kind of space. At the same time, the whole situation is puzzling. He appreciates her being candid, but the freely offered information is being taken with a grain of salt.

"They give out free supplies here it seems." Regarding the food, but also clothing he was offered earlier.

[to_defend]

"Apparently. I think it's supposed to make staying here a little easier." She shrugs, "Not being here at all would be best, but they don't really give you that option."

It was a good thing they did supply food, though, because that's one area she has precious little experience with.