Trivial Travel

“Dear lord thank you,” you speak with an exasperated tone, a relieved smile crossing your face as you bow your head, “I would be eternally grateful if you could tell me so I can lessen the…pains of travelling.”

Walter chuckles a bit as he hands you a small cup of tea, the dark brew held within the fine white porcelain cup giving off a delicious odor as the older man speaks, “and you are also much more in touch with your manners than your predecessor. He and that…masked Shinigami friend of his always seemed to be a fair bit too rowdy for my tastes.”

“Masked Shinigami?” You mutter in confusion, “was he a fair bit taller than me, dressed in a black cloak with this imposing skull mask?”

“Indeed,” Walter states with a definite nod, “he would travel with Joseph, or Eibon as the Shinigami called him, from time to time when Joseph would visit this world.”

“E-Eibon!” Star suddenly stutters, her brilliant blue eyes wide as she stutters, “Are you saying that Eibon was a Deadman Shinigami!?”

“Star-chan,” you say with a worried tone, your body come to rest upon a single knee as you face the shorter woman, “please just calm down a bit, try to relax and tell me who is this Eibon?”

For several minutes Star seems a bit too shell shocked to speak, the sudden revelation hitting her hard and briefly paralyzing her almost invincible will. Yet, after a little concentration Star begins to shakily speak with a tone far removed from her normally boisterous and confident voice, “H-He was one of the few and powerful Great Old Ones from my world…he fought side by side with Shinigami-sama as an equal and he had an intelligence so powerful that he could drive men around him into madness…”

“That sounds like Joseph,” Walter interjects, his aged gaze glancing over you as he speaks, “he was always going on about how his intelligence was a gift and a curse, either getting on peoples nerves with an accidental condescending tone or driving them mad with facts and formulas. He was always tinkering with things when he would visit as well, trying to ‘improve’ them as he would say.”

“H-He helped create the Demon Weapons in my world by making more than a few deals with witches,” Star mutters, her eyes turning down to her hands as they flex and relax with remembrance of Tsubaki’s weapon form in their grasp, “he is one of the most respected, feared, and overall important people in my dimensions history.”

“Star-chan,” you mutter quietly, your hand lying upon her shoulder gently as you speak, “are you alright?”

For a few tense moments Star simply stands in silence, her gaze unmoving form her hands as she absorbs the news of your lineage and those that came before you. However, after a few minute long wait you quickly find a heavy being plowed into your chest, the exuberant leaping tackle hug of Star nearly knocking you off your feet as she happily shouts, “Of course I am Johnny-kun! The great and wonderful me has just found out that my husband is even closer to a god than I ever dreamed! Ha ha ha!”

After a bit of awkward settling of Star’s suddenly joyful and energized state you turn back to Walter, the amused older gentleman looking upon you with a patient smile, “You are just as kind as Joseph…perhaps a bit more so I might add.”

Chuckling a bit you nervously scratch the back of your neck, your eyes turning to look where Luppi and Star have started chatting with the now blushing Valentine sisters, “I can’t help it…I love each and every one of them that come into my life, no matter how rocky it may be they all hold a special place in my heart.”

“Joseph said something very similar,” Walter comments with a soft chuckle, “but enough with the pleasantries and revelations. You would like to know how Joseph fine tuned his travels correct?” Gaining a quick nod in response Walter continues, his proper posture and formal tone speaking for his intelligence and refinement as he speaks, “Joseph told me that the most important aspect of traveling with the urn was to create a specific location to come back to, sort of like a beacon that the urn homes in on. Joseph said that he would typically use a blood marker by spreading a portion of his blood in the location where he would like to return to as well as a permanent door in the dimension he was visiting. He said by doing this and using that particular door in tandem with the urn he could create a stable connection between two worlds that would allow for smooth transition. I believe this even allowed him to take whatever companions he chose with him instead of the random…hitchhikers that happen every so often.”

“Hm…so what you are saying is that if I spread some of my blood on a door in my home dimension and another part of my blood on a door in this dimension, then a connection will form between those two doors and allow me to transition between the different planes of existence?”

“Yes,” Walter nods, “but it doesn’t necessarily need to be a door in your world. I believe Joseph said he often used a book with different pages for different dimensions.”

Bowing you head low you let a smile of victory cross your lips, relief in your voice as well in you stance as you speak, “Thank you Walter-sama, this is VERY useful information.”

“That is quite alright John,” Walter says with a kind smile, “after all, allies should help each other out whenever they can, correct?”

You are about to respond when all of a sudden you feel a pair of white gloved hands on your back, the slim but powerful limbs of Alucard sliding over your broad shoulders until they come to rest on your powerful chest, “Yes, and as an ally I find myself in some dire need of your assistance Mr. Deadman Shinigami…”