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[He follows Sebastian with diligence, worried about Dimitri now despite how pissed off he is]

Yeah. Sorry.

[He makes a little dismissive wave - no need to offer condolences. Dryly:]

Thank goodness we can at least be entrusted with trivial tasks like rescuing wayward imbeciles, since doing chores without supervision is out of the question.

[Says the man who trusts his fellow servants back home to protect their master, but doesn't trust them to manage chores without him supervising.]

Have you ventured into any of these caves before now?

[A light snort of laughter. God, he doesn't miss getting locked out of everything and needing to make food for half the ship]

No. I hate caves. Once I found one to sleep in, turned out to be the home of a fire drake. Can't really hide in them, everything you do echos, and there's limited exits.

And limited space to maneuver, at that. [But at least the cave walls make for good tools if you need to smash someone's head in-- I mean.]

Well, then: in case you did not know, some of these caves harbour gigantic insects, some of them hostile. I have not personally explored the cave your Inmate is in, so I know not yet what dwells in there.

[Trevor pauses to reconcile this fact and then growls, one hand setting on his sword as he hurries a bit faster]

Didn't I tell you? I fucking hate caves.

[Sebastian sighs - the idiot will just be resurrected if he's eaten by something, so what's the hurry? But he does obediently quicken his own pace to match Trevor's.]

There is an entrance not far from here-- a ten minutes walk at most.

Thanks.

You didn't have to come all this way. I appreciate it.

[Oh.

Sebastian pauses for a moment, surprised. He doesn't slow the pace, but it does take him a second to respond:]

...You are welcome.

Please understand: I do not care about your idiot inmate. I do not care if you are ever able to strike a Deal with the Admiral. I volunteer to do these tasks mostly out of boredom, and in the vain hope that they might contribute to the process of my graduation.

But with all that said: I truly do not mind working alongside you.

Please. I don't care about my idiot inmate. Not yet; we've only known each other a couple of weeks.

And you know my thing with deals.

I'm trying to pay you a compliment. I know it comes with all these conditions and arrangements.

Just...let me shut my brain off for two minutes and be weirdly happy in your company, yeah?

...

"I cannot recall anyone ever professing to feel 'happy' in my company."

[Other generally-thought-of-as-positive-adjectives (satisfied, vindicated, accomplished), yes... but happy?]

Edited 2023-05-20 19:21 (UTC)

Shuuuut up.

[he waves Sebastian off, climbing over rocks. Seriously, fuck caves and fuck talking about feelings]

[After a moment of confusion - humans are so strange! - Sebastian laughs softly in response as they climb. Sebastian's climbing is - unsurprisingly - sure-footed and reliant almost exclusively on his feet; he rarely if ever has to take support using his hands.

Normally, he'd ask to borrow the torch for appearances' sake as he leads the way, but Trevor needs the light; Sebastian doesn't. As they go further in, losing the daylight, Sebastian eyes go from their usual amber-brown to a faintly glowing red, pupils slit and cat-like. Trevor knows already, after all.]

Edited (better hook) 2023-05-21 08:24 (UTC)

[Despite his worry for Dimitri, Trevor still has a part of him that's fascinated by the change in Sebastian's eyes, feeling the familiar prickle of being in the same room as a much larger predator. He's reminded of a conversation he once had with Sypha, also held below ground;

Vampires are basically an evolved predator species, so their eyesight is pretty different to ours. Turns out that if you put a big geometric shape right up close in their field of vision, it confuses the shit out of their brains, and, you know, makes them panic.

He grins to himself in the low light, imagining Sebastian like a vampire or an enormous cat.]

[~~brb incorporating this in my characterisation of Sebastian~~]

[]Once they reach a relatively even-grounded area of the cave, Sebastian stops. Tilts his head slightly, like a god, and stands there for a few seconds. Then:]

We should be able to proceed for at least fifteen or so minutes without encountering any creatures. [At least unless the cave walls are much thicker than expected.] Beyond that, I cannot tell yet.

You can see through walls, or sense body heat?

[or some other sense that he's not considered yet]

[A slight shake of his head.]

I can detect the presence of living beings.

What, through vibrations or heartbeat?

[Damned useful, but only if one isn't fighting the undead.]

[ooc: Obviously that was supposed to read Tilts his head slightly, like a dog.]

Mm, I would rather say it is closer to their 'energy'.

[Souls, really, but he'd rather not specify that since he suspects that'd give Trevor ideas as to what kind of diet Sebastian keeps. So as usual when he wants to get away from a subject, he keeps talking:]

With that said, my ability to pick up on vibrations and heartbeat exceeds that of a human. [And begins walking forward once more.]

Since you are a professional monster hunter, have your weapons any such abilities when it comes to detecting monsters?

[ooc: but god works so much better!]

Plenty. The problem is, you need magic to use a lot of them. And I was never 'blessed' with that particular bloodline gift.

And I only have Vampire Killer with me, and she's less a 'detect evil' sensation and more a 'destroy black magic' sensation.

Hmhm. Admittedly, the idea of humans having actual magic with no smokes and mirrors is still a somewhat alien concept to me... but I do understand how that would be a handicap for you in your own world.

Really? Maybe the Church actually murdered all the magic in your world early on, then. They're definitely trying to get close to doing it in mine.

They did not. [He says without offering any explanation as to why he's so sure of that. Sebastian may or may not be old enough to pre-date Christianity, but either way he definitely knows other demons that are.]

The witch trials that once took place in England as well as in other countries were acts of superstition, ignorance, and outdated attitudes towards women, nothing more.

[Sebastian Michaelis: modern man, feminist icon.]

Mostly women. A few men. Some children.

And ignorance of what? Witches are real. Demons, vampires, both are real. The fact that the Church can't seem to mark one for their fucking lives does nothing to prevent my people living in terror.

We do come from different worlds, sir. I am not trying to imply witches are not real in yours - in mine, however, they are not.

Although I suppose one thing that remains consistent across worlds is the clergy of all religions being driven by ignorance and incompetence both.

Maybe there's one world out there where the Church does more good than evil.

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