Alucard simply rolled his eye before lazily pulling the chair back and sitting down across from Seishan. The candlelight flickered softly between them, casting warm orange light across the balcony while the distant sound of waves crashing against the Dark walls echoed far below.
Resting the side of his face against the palm of his hand, Alucard let out a quiet sigh before gesturing vaguely toward himself with the neck of the alcohol bottle.
"Oh, you don't say?"
A faint grin appeared on his face.
"I don't really consider myself noble-looking though. I mean..."
His crimson eye briefly glanced downward toward the exposed scars crossing his chest and neck.
"My body's practically held together with scar tissue at this point."
He shrugged casually.
"Then again, I haven't exactly spent my life examining Legacy bodies too deeply, so who am I to say?"
Seishan slowly raised one elegant eyebrow, amusement immediately becoming visible on her face. She rested her chin lightly against her fingers while studying him across the table.
"Ah... and what exactly do you consider a 'noble physique?'" she asked smoothly. "And why are you so convinced you don't have one?"
Alucard shrugged before casually lifting the bottle and drinking nearly half of it in one long swallow.
"It's simple, really."
He wiped his mouth lazily with the back of his hand.
"Legacies always have this air of arrogance around them. Like they genuinely believe they're better than everyone else."
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"I'm obviously far too humble to act like you spoiled Legacies."
Seishan immediately lowered her head slightly, staring at him through her lashes while slowly taking another sip of her own drink.
"You?" she repeated in disbelief. "Humble?"
Her lips curled upward.
"Are you absolutely sure your name isn't Morgan of Valor?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Because you sound completely delusional."
Alucard chuckled quietly to himself before taking another drink directly from the bottle.
"Funny you mention Morgan," he said casually. "When I was younger, someone actually mistook me for her once during one of Valor's balls."
Seishan visibly paused mid-sip.
Then, slowly, she lowered the glass while carefully looking him over from head to toe as if trying to determine whether he was joking.
"Really?"
Her red eyes narrowed slightly in curiosity.
"Well then... go on."
She leaned back comfortably in her chair.
"I'm listening."
Alucard immediately straightened slightly like a storyteller preparing to recount some legendary tale destined to survive generations after his death.
"Well, you see," he began dramatically, "my father worked for the government."
He lazily twirled the alcohol bottle in his hand while speaking.
"And during one of Valor's balls, he got assigned to help scout talent."
His grin widened slightly.
"So naturally, his brilliant idea was to bring his own children along to socialize with the Legacy kids."
Alucard stared blankly at the sky for a moment.
"Why he thought this was a good idea—especially with me involved—I genuinely will never understand."
Seishan took another elegant sip of alcohol while watching him closely.
"So what?" she asked. "Were you some rebellious child?"
Alucard immediately shook his head.
"Gods, no."
A disturbingly proud grin spread across his face.
"I was an actual demon trapped inside a child's body."
Seishan laughed softly beneath her breath already sensing where this was going.
"One time," Alucard continued casually, "I stabbed a kid through the eye with a pencil because he looked at me the wrong way."
He leaned back comfortably.
"And I had this giant collection of dead animals hidden away that got so large people genuinely thought I'd somehow killed a Nightmare Creature."
The amusement on Seishan's face slowly faded into visible concern.
"What kinds of animals?" she asked carefully.
Alucard scratched behind his ear thoughtfully while trying to remember.
"Hmm... let's see..."
He counted lazily on his fingers.
"Mice. Birds. Dogs. Insects. Squirrels."
A pause followed.
"And a few cats."
Seishan's expression immediately changed.
Her eyes narrowed sharply as she lowered her drink.
"Cats?"
The disappointment in her voice sounded almost genuine.
"Why exactly did you need to kill cats?"
She slowly shook her head while staring at him.
"Well... I suppose you weren't lying about being a complete psychopath as a child."
A small sigh escaped her lips.
"Honestly, that explains a lot about how you turned out."
Alucard immediately rolled his eye dramatically while scoffing in mock offense.
"First of all," he said while pointing accusingly at her with the alcohol bottle, "what exactly do you mean 'the way I turned out?' I'll have you know I'm perfectly fine."
Then he frowned slightly.
"And second—why are the cats specifically where you draw the line?"
He spread his hands in confusion.
"You didn't seem particularly bothered by the rest of the animals."
Seishan let out a soft hum before deliberately turning her head away from him, giving him only a side glance.
"I wouldn't expect a cat killer like you to understand."
Alucard immediately froze.
For a brief moment, he genuinely couldn't tell whether she was joking or actually upset with him.
And unfortunately for him, the uncertainty immediately made him panic slightly.
"Well—I stopped, okay?" he said quickly. "And besides, why are cats the moral line here? We've both killed actual people before!"
He leaned forward defensively.
"It doesn't even make sense! And it's not like I meant to—or—"
Soft laughter suddenly interrupted him.
Then louder laughter followed immediately after.
Seishan lowered her face into one hand as she completely failed to contain her amusement anymore. Her shoulders trembled slightly while she laughed quietly to herself.
"Oh, Al..."
She looked back up at him with gleaming red eyes.
"You genuinely have no idea how much I enjoy watching you squirm whenever I pretend to be upset with you."
A slow grin spread across her face.
"It almost makes me want to stay angry longer just to see your reactions."
Alucard stared at her in betrayal before immediately pointing an accusatory finger toward her.
"Hey. This was your plan from the start, wasn't it?"
He narrowed his eye dramatically.
"You cruel, manipulative wench. You emotionally manipulated me purely for your own entertainment."
He leaned slightly across the table.
"When I finally get my hands on you—"
Seishan immediately leaned forward as well, resting both elbows on the table while placing her chin atop her intertwined fingers.
The candlelight danced softly across her face as she smiled at him.
"You'll do what exactly?" she asked smoothly.
Her voice lowered teasingly.
"You sound awfully determined."
She tilted her head slightly.
"What exactly are you planning to do to me once I'm in your arms, hmm?"
And just like that—
Alucard's brain completely stopped functioning.
The combination of her expression, her posture, the teasing tone in her voice, and the way the candlelight illuminated her red eyes caused every coherent thought in his mind to collapse instantly.
He opened his mouth.
Then immediately closed it again.
For several painfully long seconds, he simply stared at her in embarrassed silence while Seishan visibly enjoyed every single moment of it. The smirk on her face only widened further the longer he failed to answer.
"Oh, come on, Al," she teased softly. "Answer me."
Her fingers lightly tapped against her cheek.
"What exactly do you want to do to me?"
A dangerous smile spread across her lips.
"I promise I won't resist."
A brief pause followed.
"Well... unless you want me to."
Alucard immediately grabbed the bottle beside him and drank the entire remaining contents in one long desperate swallow before opening another one almost instantly.
"I'm not drunk enough for this conversation," he muttered flatly.
Then he quickly pointed toward the empty plates on the table.
"Anyway—when's the food getting here?"
Seishan let out a dramatically disappointed sigh before lazily pointing behind him.
"You're no fun sometimes, Al."
A small smile still lingered on her lips.
"But the food should be arriving any minute now."