The wind whipped around, tangling her blonde curls as she stood beside one of her first agents, and two Stars she'd brought in as prospective contractors for the herculean project ahead of the nascent Organization. She tossed her head irritably, clutching a cruddy homemade cigar in her teeth. Sir Integra wasn't sure anymore why she kept up with the smoking. No tobacco here that she knew of, and she might actually be in better health, especially if she had to deal with a more athletic lifestyle, anyway. Even this facsimile wasn't benefiting her any longer. She could feel the withdrawal beginning to hammer at her system. Which meant she'd have to give up smoking sooner, rather than later. Joys.
She flicked her eyes toward the enigmatic, pale stallion beside her, garbed in darkness, accompanied by a greatsword and vampiric fangs. She had assurances that he was only a halfbred, a dhampir, so far less likely to attack her. He also didn't get along well with Alucard, but that meant very little to her. A lot of people didn't get along with Alucard. He had that sort of effect on others. Sir Integra hadn't gotten a good chance to get to know this new stallion, D, but he seemed to have recently attained significant powers beyond those of a normal vampire. With those facts in mind, he accompanied her that day, to talk about rebuilding and reworking the castle.
Sir Integra's pale blue eyes slid back behind their lenses to regard the beautifully sculpted ruins before her. It had...promise. Honestly, it might be too pretty to be properly defensible, but she had to make do with what this world offered her. No ideas yet how they'd make it possible to use any floor above the first. And even then, until they could get roofs, windows, and draperies in place, it would be an incredibly miserable place to live. Which might have the additional benefit of persuading attackers to look elsewhere. At least there were the caves, in the meantime.
Though the cathedral did have promise. A lot of it, really. Gothic cathedrals tended to be massive, and while this wasn't the biggest example she'd ever seen, it still dwarfed lesser buildings. Plenty of space for gatherings, maybe an entry from crypts into the caverns, some religious iconography, if the local vampires were indeed vulnerable to it...yes. Good possibilities. Plus, if Stars could fly, as she'd been assured some could, those Stars could assemble in the heights with relative safety during meetings. The attractiveness of the building was less important to the knight, though it would likely matter to others. Fine. Let them gush over the elegance of the building. If Alucard had anything to say, it was quite likely that he'd declare it a fitting space for their organization.
"Well, Baron, Automata, D, what do you think of our castle? Can you see any ideas for improvement?" Hopefully, the visit from the inventor and his assistant would prove helpful.
The Baron's turquoise eyes scanned the romantic medieval ruins, ignoring the wind whipping through his silver mane and tail. At least it wasn't raining, or foggy. That might clog up poor Automata's gears, and oxidize the metals of his equipment, and the exposed body of his assistant. He hoped they could move inside if the weather turned nasty. It looked like the cathedral's roof might be intact, making a strong possibility of a place to get out of the rain.
Gothic Rayonnant. Difficult to get a more ornate stoneworking style, especially during this period. And so whimsical. The only more advanced style with similar results would be Gothic Flamboyant, but, sometimes, something got lost in translation with Flamboyant from other Gothic styles. Still very beautiful, even as a weathered ruin. Shame if they had to change it. But one peek inside a ruined tower told him what he needed to know.
This castle was meant for bipeds. If Stars were going to live here, they'd need to do a lot of work. Fortunately, the towers were massive, so if they had to gut the interior, that was a workable possibility. Summanus had no clue how they'd achieve it, unless this organization had some Earth Elders on hand. And if they did...that put a bunch of options on the table. They'd still need to find weavers and glassworkers, but they could do incredible things, just with the ability to shape stone, as the Earth Elders were said to be able to do.
The Baron grinned, a fire igniting in his turquoise eyes as a plan started to form in his spinning mind. In his mind's eye, he could see it, the romantic gothic compound of a herd of legendary heroes, straight out of a novel, ready for anything. And the Star who showed them this vision and designed it would be legend, even if he wasn't a hero.
And the Baron would be able to practice his craft once again as a scientist with whom few could dare to compare. Other herds would commission him with their own projects, and he would have fame and he would have SCIENCE~!
So engrossed was he in the allure of his daydream that he completely missed the question he had been posed by the herd leader.
Automata Equuleia would have rolled her eyes, if she thought she could. The glowing coals that were her eyes did, however, briefly dim in exasperation. Of all the times for this to happen, of course it would happen now. But the bronze-plated assistant could hardly begrudge her master for slipping into the Madness Place as he did. The Baron had not really had a chance to do so for a few years or so. There had just been so little to spark his creative energies.
The wind didn't bother her as it did the others. But rain would cause a damper in her day. Automata prayed inwardly to all the Signs that they didn't have to get inside, and, if they did, that that cathedral that Summanus was eyeing so dreamily had as solid a roof as it appeared to. The caves would not be a good option for her plating, or the wiring. Copper responded poorly to water, and she didn't feel like getting the oxidization scraped laboriously off. Or, potentially worse, vibrated off. Automata knew that oxidized material could be vibrated off at certain frequencies. But that didn't mean she wanted to try it.
Deep down, there were just some conversations Automata did not want to have with the Baron. Not at this time. Maybe not ever.
She coughed, steam erupting from her muzzle. "Baron, her ladyship asked you a question," she said softly, diffidently, once she was sure Summanus had redirected his attention to her. "I apologize, your ladyship, the Baron sometimes gets terribly distracted. I hope you are not offended."
Automata genuinely hoped that the lady knight was not offended. Summanus needed this work, to get back in his groove. And a project like this seemed just the ticket, which was why she'd contacted the lady knight. They needed this job right now. They needed this castle and its cathedral to become a functioning fortress once again.
