WHO: Holland & Alucard (background Rhy as well) WHAT: Holland briefly discusses his trial with Alucard at the ball WHEN: Tonight/Sunday morning/whenever WHERE: Unseelie Court Ball WARNINGS: Nah.
Holland had not informed anyone else from his world that he was going to the ball. He hadn’t intended to go, in fact - he wasn’t much for parties, and fairy magic seemed like something he should stay away from - but then he had seen Kell’s name on the list of the abducted. So, he was going - willingly, even.
He was grimly unsurprised by the mask he’d been given. He extended his senses towards it first, and it was indeed magical, but did not appear to be dark, corrosive, or binding. As far as he could tell. His senses were frustratingly limited in this world.
He put it on, and joined Charlotte and Lucy outside. He was silent for the entire carriage ride, all his senses attuned to the magic around them. He kept them that way as he entered the Unseelie Court.
He kept a close eye on the Wells sisters at first. But then someone - one of the fae, presumably - grabbed him by the arm. He reacted quickly, reaching for his magic, but found that it didn’t rise to his aid. Before he could do anything else, they had put a platter in his hand with a card on it. Warily, he picked it up and read it.
The writing on it was absurd. He lifted his head to look for Charlotte, but she had somehow gotten lost in the crowd. He was about to go and look for her when he caught a flash of gold and red. There -- that was Rhy Maresh, it had to be. Even the fairies had dressed him in his royal colors. And at his side, that must be Alucard Emery.
He made his way through the crowd. They were in front of a painting of Kell; Rhy was staring at it so intently that he didn’t notice Holland’s approach. Holland cleared his throat.
Once they’d turned to look at him, he held out the card toward Alucard. “I’ve just received this.”
He knew that neither of them would be happy to see him; he didn’t care. That could be put aside because of their mutual interest in Kell’s return. “I assume this is one of their… trials. Would you agree?”
--
Alucard relied on his senses - the non-magical ones, mostly - to remain aware of their surroundings. Life at sea had not generally depended on magic, beyond the most basic of enchantments. In that way, this silent pressure on people’s abilities was familiar, as was its similarities to the effects within the military base. Curioser and curioser. So he turned around first, aware that someone was approaching them. Between the clothes, the masks, and the lack of his vision, it was harder to immediately tell who it was.
Not that it was so hard. Anyone who approached them, who recognized them for who they were and did so, likely had an interest in Kell. The pale skin set Holland apart from the two people Kell lived with. And his voice was instantly recognizable, had it not already been evident. Still, Alucard took the card and read the fancily penned name. A single uncomprehending glance at the first name would have been enough to know that it was not Kell. That in and of itself demonstrated what these trials were about.
When someone one loved was taken and being held, what would one do for someone else’s loved one? The name was clearly not a suggestion. If Hermione Granger were to be set free, in the end, Holland would be the one to have to free her, to pay some price (if the fairies were half as sharp as Maris, it would be a keen one, shaped to Holland’s character as well as their own wishes). Just as certainly, the odds were someone who neither knew nor cared for Kell - certainly not as much as anyone standing within a few feet here, much less Rhy - would be faced with the same choice. All in eloquent penmanship.
“Yes,” Alucard replied, with a small frown. “Just as they chose whom they took, they are choosing who may play for their return.” The party was not a sea of hand inked cards. “I suspect you are the only one to receive a card with this name.”
--
“Do you agree,” Holland asked, “That even if this trial does not save Kell directly, if one trial is not completed, it could hurt his chances of returning?”
Otherwise, by a simple cost-benefit analysis, it did not seem worth the cost, which of course was high - though it might not have seemed that way to Alucard. Although he knew the right thing to do was to save someone else who had been abducted, it angered him that he couldn’t be sure that his payment would ensure Kell’s safe return.
--
Alucard considered the question. Holland’s only concern was Kell’s safe return. Whether Hermione Granger lived, died, or was bound to servitude was not his concern, at least not to such an extent as he would do whatever was required to safely earn her release. He set aside any arguments which had to do with the morals of helping strangers. That argument had little ground with someone willing to sacrifice a whole world, a whole world of people, to save what he cared about.
“It is probable that our hosts have learned something about us, in interest of their own entertainment,” Alucard replied, laying the groundwork for his argument. “They likely know that of everyone they hold, Kell is the one you care most about. And they have specifically obfuscated the path to saving him. Though you do not have his name, given you have ties to Kell and you have been given a trial, I would not be surprised if your performance in this trial affects the chances of his return.”
He paused, considering. “It may not only be that the completion of a trial improves his odds but that your performance in a trial, in this trial, helps or hinders Kell’s return,” Alucard explained. If Holland abandoned his trial, it would probably make all the other trials harder. But especially Kell’s. “If you do not participate, you deprive them of some of their entertainment, and they will wring it out of someone. Anyone with half a thought of petty vengeance would direct that toward Kell.” And their hosts had more than half a thought.
--
Holland’s only reaction was a very slight tension that appeared in his jaw, and the briefest flicker of anger in his green eye. He had already worked this out on his own, but he’d come here because he needed a second opinion. Normally, it would have been Kell, but that was impossible. Alucard was the second best option. He felt Rhy’s eyes on him, too, but the Arnesian king had said nothing, so Holland took that as tacit agreement with what both of them are saying.
“Very well,” he said simply. “Thank you.”
--
If Holland were annoyed with Alucard for saying it, whether because of what the words were or because he knew them, he could look to someone else to give a damn. By virtue of receiving any card at all, Holland stood to more greatly improve Kell’s safety than likely anything Alucard or Rhy did that night. That threatened to burrow under his skin. What held it at bay was the fact it was likely meant to. The choice of Holland, instead of them, was purposeful.
“You’re welcome,” Alucard replied in a polite tone. “Should you want any assistance on your trial, you need only ask.” He was not inclined toward letting the hosts decide whether or not he affected how things went. Still, to give them their bit of fun, Alucard pinched his nose and made his smile look forced.
--
“Don’t worry,” Holland answered, very dryly, “This is something I am quite capable of accomplishing on my own.”
He glanced briefly at Rhy, and was only mildly surprised that the king met his gaze. He looked back at Alucard. He added, “If there is any difficulty in getting Kell back, I won’t be to blame.”
And with that, he turned and walked away into the crowd.
--
Alucard pinched his nose again, this time honestly. Even though any hubris toward magic was rightfully earned (Holland’s skill and control over antari magic outstripped both Bard and Kell), the haughty attitude was hardly assuring or well earned here. That would be on Holland, not them.
They would find another way to further Kell’s return.