Lifeless

Chapter 1. Delsol

In the North East of South America stands the rather unique town of Delsol. It's not like the other impoverished villages spread throughout the country, but rather it is very well off thanks to all the rich, powerful people who choose it as a vacationing spot. Several grand manors, surrounded by fences and security guards, were located at various points in the town. Most either sat together in small clusters while some preferred their homes to be isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city. Either way all the mansions glittered under the blazing sun, day in or day out. In contrast the dark, wooden buildings of the common people were a pleasant change of pace. Some were also made of gray shaded stone, giving a cool feel to it, and the even the roads, which were also made of stone, had been set and pressed to perfection. There was not a single pebble out of place in the whole town (the vacationers made sure that their perfect oasis was always in proper order). In fact, the local architecture had slowly been changing over the years, leading to a more art deco sort of feel. No doubt another influence from the foreigners who resided there one month out of the year. Yet the people were not dismayed, nor did they hold any ill will to those who molded their town. Instead they embraced all those who brought business and trade to them. On days when the sun was not so hot and the humidity not so unbearable, many peddlers set up stalls along the main road. What would start as one or two fruit vendors quickly morph into a full blown bazaar.

On such a day the locals were out in full force no later than ten in the morning. Voices rang out from every direction, people laughed, children played, and the old and weary sat telling stories to the younger generations. It was a normal day for Delsol, there was no question about that. Business went along as usual with only the occasional bus arriving or leaving town as per the daily schedule. Even the postman had no delays or distractions on this particular day, though his reason for being so punctual had nothing to do with his passion for his work or a desire to deliver the mail. No, the postman had a rather selfish purpose for pushing his way through the town at an upbeat pace. That reason was the quaint manor that sat along the cliffs. Just beyond the outer edge of the town, settled on the bluffs that overlooked the ocean was a very modest manor. It didn't shine and glitter like the others, but was made with dull stone and decorated with simple flowers and drapery. Of all the wealthy homes in Delsol, it was certainly the most welcoming and homey. While the exterior was inviting enough, the real reason most were eager to visit was because of the owner. The postman pushed the gas pedal of his old, beat up jeep down just a little further as the road began to wind and rise away from the buildings. There was a brief period where there was no structure at all on either side of the road, but the manor was easily visible from town and it took only minutes to arrive at the front gate.

Also unlike the other mansions, this one had no strictly guarded fence (though it did have one). Instead the fence that surrounded the manor was a gray painted metal one that held countless ornate twists and spirals, making it completely see through. There were also no security guards there to block one's entrance. All the postman had to do was get out of his jeep and give the gate a push, making it swing open. There was a clacking sound as the gate hit the main body of the fence but it was nothing obnoxious like the mechanisms that opened the other gates at the ridiculous mansions. Driving past the threshold of the property, the stone road smoothed out into a paved drive that went straight to the door in a circle that encased an ornate fountain. Various flower beds were spread around, the work of a local gardener who had worked on the property for years. That was another good thing to love about the owner of the manor: they were loyal. Anyone who worked as a maid, driver, gardener, chef, or other job was treated like family, or so the gossip said. The gardener was nowhere in sight as the postman pulled his jeep up along the front steps before he set the car into park and jumped out, a cardboard box held securely in both arms. Normally the postman only went there to deliver the occasional letter but packages were becoming more and more frequent. Honestly though, the postman was surprised they did not get more mail, considering they actually lived in Delsol year round and had for a long time already.

All it took was two loud knocks against the grand, wooden doors for the sound of shuffling feet to appear. The footsteps were steady, almost rhythmic, and grew louder until the postman heard the distinct sound of a latch being undone. The door was pulled inward and a smile immediately formed on the postman's face. There, standing in the entryway, was the owner of the manor and the most beautiful woman the postman had ever seen. She was a delicate looking woman, with a thin frame and a height of no more than five feet, seven inches. The bones in her face were placed to perfection. She had high cheekbones and a narrow jaw. Add in her soft lips and those deep, glowing blue eyes of hers, and it was hard to make the argument that she wasn't a gorgeous woman. Today her strawberry blonde hair, which was usually kept loose and left to fall where it may, was pulled back into a messy bun. It didn't make her look unkempt or sloppy in the least, rather it was quite endearing on her. Upon meeting her gaze, the woman's eyes softened and a smile spread across her face.

"Good morning Hugh, are you busy today?" When she spoke her voice was soft but warm, and when she said his name, Hugh felt a shiver run up his spine.

"Busy everyday Miss Victoria." Hugh replied as normal, keeping all those tantalizing thoughts to himself. "Got a package for you today, no letters though."

The woman's gaze momentarily drifted down to the box in Hugh's arms before returning to his face. "I was wondering when this would get here." She reached out to accept the brown box from Hugh but the postman withdrew a bit.

"It's rather heavy ma'am." He stated plainly. The woman nodded and moved aside while making a sweeping motion with her left arm.

"Could you set it down on the table then?" She replied with no hesitation. Hugh nodded and strode past the woman, stepping into the manor's entryway. It was a wide, open area that opened up to a circular room with two grand staircases and various doors leading to other areas of the manor. In the center of the circular room was a decorative, antique table. When heavy or cumbersome packages arrived, Hugh would always offer his services to carry it in for Miss Victoria and that table was where he set them down. Hugh set the box on the table and did his best to not disturb the flower vase already set there. As he walked back to the door he smiled to Miss Victoria again.

"The bazaar is in town today ma'am. There would be a lot of happy faces if you made an appearance."

Victoria smiled and leaned against the wall, casually crossing her arms. "I'm sure there would be. Yours included no doubt." She giggled softly at Hugh's obvious reaction. "I already made plans to talk a walk today."

Hugh nodded as he walked over the threshold once more. Now outside he gave the woman a deep nod as a business courtesy before heading down the stairs and back to his jeep. The woman stood in the doorway and didn't retreat until the postman Hugh had gone through the gate once again.

The jeep was gone before too long but Victoria had retreated already, closing and locking the large oak doors behind her. The young woman sauntered over to the table where her newest package sat waiting for her. It was a plain looking box, wrapped in brown paper with only the necessary stamps and identification on it. In terms of size it was short but a bit longer, making a rectangular shape. The contents, however, were something very much out of the ordinary. Victoria was in no hurry as she slowly cut the tape and flipped the cardboard flaps out of her way. Inside were seven cylinders that came to a point at one end. Each was eight inches tall and at least three inches wide. Victoria lowered her right hand into the box and slid her fingers along the smooth surface of the objects. A weak smile slid across lips as she grasped one in her hand, pulling it up and out of place. The object weighed about five pounds by itself and it was obviously not something that could be so easily damaged, yet Victoria handled the object like it was a precious stone or the photo of a loved one. In time she brought the object to her lips and gave it an affectionate kiss. Such an act must have surely seemed completely unnatural or obsessive but it wasn't for her.

"Is that it?" Victoria didn't even flinch as a distinctly male voice floated through the open room. A single, slow nod was all she offered in response to the inquiry since she was still absorbed in coddling the object. "About time. It was supposed to be delivered two days ago. Can't trust those bastards at the post." This time Victoria let her gaze shift over to the old man now tottering toward her. Unlike Hugh this man was older and past his prime, but that didn't mean he had any plans to slow down any time soon. The sixty-four year old man had a hunch to his back as he walked, pushing a majority of his weight onto the heavy cane he dragged along with him. He was bald and had been for many years, happily bald too. As such his slightly wrinkled, sun damaged skin was tanned from head to toe. Despite his degrading condition, the man never lost that devious twinkle in his sharp, green eyes. Well, it was also hard to think of this man as anything but unusual because he had a strange obsession with Hawaiian shirts. Even now he was wearing a baggy orange shirt with bright, floral designs of blue and purple. It was almost blinding.

Victoria gave the man a smirk and finally turned to face him, still holding the object close to her breast. "That's a little unfair don't you think Joel? If the post didn't exist then you'd have to go fetch all these things for me." Joel scoffed as he continued his scuttle toward Victoria.

"I'd prefer to do it myself. Hugh doesn't know what he's doing most days, can't imagine what the other buffoons screw up. They got no pride in the job. I've got pride, pouring out of my ears I got so much. You say the word Missie and I'll show them young'ins what for." Joel spoke with emphasis and passion. While his accent started to show through during his rant, Victoria understood that he was completely serious about traveling the word himself to collect all of her secret purchases. Why were they secret you might ask? Because they all dealt in the sale of illegal goods and weapon grade substances deemed hazardous to the general public, that's why. Victoria's smile broadened as she placed the object back into the box, her fingers brushing over its surface once more before she retracted her hand.

"In the entire world there's no one quite as capable as you Joel, but that's why I need you here. I couldn't trust anyone else to stay by my side like this." At those words the old man scratched the back of his head and grunted.

"Bah, there you go getting that girly mush out in the open. Ain't have time to deal with sentiment with a job like this. So you knock that off, I know I'm the best there is, no reason to point it out. Now, you gonna take those downstairs?" It never failed to amuse Victoria how the old man always tried to avoid the emotional stuff. Joel was a hardened man after a lifetime at war. From military academy to mercenary, he had been everywhere and seen plenty of the horrors hidden from the general public.

"Can't believe I keep forgetting." Victoria chuckled as Joel continued grumbling. "I was just about to make my way down before popped in."

Joel gave Victoria a stern look and pursed his lips. "After you got done fondling them things, yeah?" A string of giggles floated from Victoria as she wrapped her thin arms around the box and lifted it up, not bothered in the least by the weight. With a few, long strides the young woman soon stood next to Joel and looked to him from the corner of her eyes.

"Any complaints?" She asked in a sweet voice. Joel laughed in a raspy voice as he turned, facing the same direction as Victoria.

"None." He responded smoothly and the two began walking side by side. The pair headed toward a door in the north western corner of the room. Joel went first and opened it then held it open for Victoria. The room the two had entered was a study, complete with floor to ceiling bookcases and a grand, antique desk stationed in front of two bay windows overlooking the garden (normally a spectacular view but the heavy drapes were currently pulled shut). Victoria crossed the room with Joel at her heels. The old man only managed to get around the woman once she stopped walking. He moved in front of her and gave one of the bookcases a shove, putting his entire body weight into it was the only way to make the thing move. At first there was a loud, continuous creaking as the bookcase slid across the floor, but once it had moved several inches back the mechanism kicked in. Joel stood back as the machinery pulled the bookcase inward the rest of the way. What resulted was inlet containing a sturdy, metal door. Again it was Joel that stepped forward to open the door for Victoria. Going over the threshold of that door was like stepping into an entirely different building. The room hidden behind the expensively decorated manor's interior was like a lab, built with heavy concrete walls and floors that were covered in blast resistant plating. Various tables were set up all around the room with an assortment of objects of a questionable nature. Even the overhanging lights were reminiscent of those seen in medical facilities. Oddly enough, though, in its entire cold exterior, the room was decorated fondly with pictures. These weren't paintings either. All around were photos of people's faces, families, friends, and happy expressions. Victoria couldn't help but smile warmly as she walked into the room, her feet making a distinct clicking sound as she moved.

The box was set down on a table along the room's farthest wall and Victoria immediately began to remove the contents, placing the objects lovingly in a custom stand. She displayed them proudly and stepped back to admire how they looked set up there. Joel's footsteps reverberated through the room as he approached Victoria.

"That's it. I've finally gotten them all back." Victoria's voice cracked as the tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes. This moment had been a long time coming. She crossed her arms over her chest and took in a deep breath. "I never thought I'd see the whole collection together again." A warm hand settled onto Victoria's left shoulder and she was quick to place her own on top of it. A moment of silence followed, giving Victoria time to sniffle and let her emotions vent.

"Your anniversary is coming up soon." Joel spoke up after some time. "Did you want to do anything special? A cake maybe?" Victoria laughed in a short burst, not expecting the humor. She turned a happy gaze to the old man.

"When have you ever seen me eat cake?"

Joel shrugged

"Thank you, but I think I'm finally ready to let you get down to business. I've got them all back now, so I think it'll be good to increase their numbers." Joel smiled wryly.

"About damn time Missie. No point in employing a chemical engineer if you don't let him work."

"I don't know, you've done a wonderful job being my caretaker all these years." Victoria approached Joel and wrapped her arms around the older man, pulling him into an embrace. Joel snorted but gently pat the woman on the back.

"I don't regret it either. Its good work, but I do miss the lab time and the research."

"Then feel free to go wild. . . Just don't blow anything up."

Joel gave a hearty laugh as he broke away from the hug. "No worries Missie. I told you years ago that I could do this with my eyes closed. It's just breaking down what chemicals were used and then recreating it. Piece of cake." Victoria paused as she let her gaze drift around the room. On all the tables were those custom stands holding objects similar to those she'd just set up. Each was a different size and shape, some with colored bands running across their metallic surface. The focus of the displays, though, was the one on the table in the center of the room. It was a large stand that had to be made of reinforced steel to hold up the item it was designed for, and sitting on that stand was the most beautiful cannon you'd ever see: Harkonnen.

Victoria smiled again and gave Joel a playful grin. "Like I said, just don't blow anything up."

Greetings and salutations all. It has been a very long time since I've written a fanfiction, and the ones I wrote before weren't good. . . they were pretty dang terrible. I've had an idea floating around for quite a while and I finally decided to get back to writing. This chapter is more of an introductory thing than anything else. I don't want to give away too much of the back story yet, but you should all know that this is a Seras centered piece. If you're wondering about the romance genre then you should know I fully intend to get to the good stuff later.

This chapter is also a sort of test. I'd like to get some feedback. If you read this and like it, please let me know. It helps to motivate me to keep going ^^