Chapter 25: Waiting for Take Off

The next morning I woke up to Delly pushing me off the bed.

I yelped as I tumbled to the floor, grudging, in a unceremoniously heap. I pushed myself up into a sitting position to scowl at the still slumbering vampire. In response to my surprise visit to the floor, it appeared that had Delly rolled back into his side and continued sleeping soundly.

When I returned late last night from spending time with Impey, I had found Delly had taken over the bed completely. I half wondered if that meant I should retreat to my own room, but I remembered my promise to the the young king. In the end I had decided to just carefully adjust Delly's orientation before I crawled in next to him.

Apparently, Delly was determined that, while he wanted me to sleep in the same bed as him, he also wanted the whole bed to himself. Which had resulted to me being jettisoned off the bed to make room for his small frame.

I shook my head and got to my feet with a disappointed sigh. I decided that now that I was up, I would take the chance to start cooking breakfast for the big day ahead of us.

"It's just like a typically king." I informed Sisi about last nights events me as I ate my eggs. "He completely took over the whole the bed!"

Lupin spotted me complaining to the dog while eating my breakfast. "You're up early Sierra, rough night?"

I scowled at Lupin. "Breakfast is ready because I wake up early."

Lupin pointed at my bedhead with a half-formed smirk. "You're hair says something different."

I continued to scowl at him as I finished eating.

After clearing my plate, I started to clean up my dishes. I stopped what I was doing to tap the side of my cheek in thought. "Lupin, you might want to check with Impey on the progress of the airship before the morning advances much further."

Cardia yawned and walked into the room, having just woke up herself.

Lupin imminently targeted her with the question about the current status of the airship. "Cardia, is there anything wrong with the airship?"

Cardia blinked in surprise at the intensity of the question and answered Lupin with her own question. "We were working on the engine, last night why do you ask?"

I watched Lupin face-palm heavily as I left to go shower and get dressed for the upcoming day.

A few hours later everyone but Impey was at the airship docks, waiting for the race to start.

I was just as nervous as I had been before, surrounded by a crowd of people.

"Don't let your guard down." Van's voice reached me as I flitted around the group full of nervous energy. I bounced lightly on the balls of my feet, feeling a deep necessity to keep moving.

"Could you stop bouncing around everywhere Seirra?" Lupin's annoyed voice attempted to reason with me. "You're making me nauseous just watching you."

Saint caught my arm and drew me between him and Van. "Just relax my dear, everything will be fine."

Under Saint's touch and Van's watchful eye, I attempted to stand still. I trusted that the two of them were more than capable of taking on anything that came our way. Still, it didn't stop any of my outward agitation.

"Most of these are mobsters from over all parts of England." Saint's guarded voice sent ripples up my spine and I did another assessment of the crowd as he cautioned me. "Please, do be careful of who you rob today."

"I am not going to rob anyone..." I wrinkled my nose at him and pushed forward to stand between Fran and Van.

"Oh, and do try to avoid the alcohol today, Sierra. I wouldn't want someone to make off with you." Saint's sweet smile betrayed his impish comments.

I stuck my tongue out at Saint in retaliation to his teasing.

"Were you really part of the royal guard?" Lupin's drawling voice singled out my childish actions.

I sniffed indignantly at the thief's comment. "Says the master thief that got bested by a private detective."

"That is completely uncalled for!" Lupin's face went flush with indignation. "I could beat him at any time!"

"Right…"

We approached the teller booth.

"We would like to register our airship for the race please." Fran asked politely to a bored looking teller.

"Sure, no problem. Could you please indicate which airship is yours? In addition you also need a team of 6 to register."

Fran shifted nervously on his feet. "Well, our airship isn't here yet and we only have 5 present at the moment."

"That's too bad, keep in mind that registration ends at 11. Please come see me when your ship arrives and you have assembled a proper team."

Cardia tugged urgently on Lupin's sleeve. "Didn't we tell Impey noon?"

Lupin's face fell into worry. "I did. I didn't realize that registration closes at 11."

"You are joking, right Lupin?" I shot a worried glance at Lupin. Lupin shook his head at me, looking sheepish."You didn't double check your references?!"

"Of course I did!" Lupin's indigent face was back as he towered over me.

I rolled my eyes at Lupin's tactics as Fran entered the conversation. "We could go back to the mansion and let Impey know?"

Van shook his head as Saint let the group know that returning to the mansion wasn't an option. "It would take that long to get back to the mansion."

I did some quick calculations, figuring out my speed and the distance. "I could probably do it."

Saint shook his head sadly at my suggestion. "We need you here in case Impey shows up on time."

I shrugged, back to releasing my penned up energy, as I bounced on the heels of my feet. My eyes shifted anxiously, watching the rest of the crowd as Lupin assured us that Impey would make it on time.

"Stand still." Van's firm hand rested on my shoulder and I instantly froze on contact.

"I am really nervous," I admitted to him reluctantly, "and the crowd is making me apprehensive."

"Like we all can't tell." Van's sarcasm had me looking up at him instantly.

"Wait, was that sarcasm Van Helsing?"

There was a glint in Van's eye as his mouth twitched up into a sadistic smile. "Trust me, I can handle anything we encounter."

"I do trust you..." I scanned the crowd again. "That's probably the only reason I can stand here at all right now."

I felt Van let out a small sigh next to me. "You act like your fresh off a battlefield."

My gaze flicked back to him somberly. "Tell me Van, how would you act if you were slowly remembering all the different aspects of your past and trying to make sense of them?" I asked him as a rhetorical question, not expecting him to answer me, and I continue explaining."I find it rather hard to cope in crowds. It might have to deal with a couple of assassination attempts I thwarted."

Van raised his eyebrows at my explanation. "No one is trying to kill you now."

I shot him an interested look, intrigued that he was being conscious of my feelings. "Who said they were after me?"

Van realized, latently, every time Sierra moved, she was flanking Saint or himself. It was an easily defensible position, and it also served to inadvertently protect Cardia and Fran at the same move. He cursed himself for not realizing it sooner. He had been just as preoccupied with watching the crowd, that he hadn't been paying attention to all her rapid movements, just her general proximity.

I took a deep breath, borrowing some of Van's composed energy. I released it with a slow exhale. "I hope Impey gets here soon."

Fran approached the pair standing slightly away from the group from behind.

"Sierra?" Fran's sudden voice made me jump, and all my hair stood on end. I shot forward into the crowd involuntarily, to emerge on the other side of the river of people.

Several men watched me and started whispering to each other. Others started shooting random looks at me from afar. I sighed and assessed my situation carefully. I was too short to see Van or Fran over the crowd. I jumped slightly and managed to catch sight of Fran's rose colored hair on the other side of the sea of people. I sighed once more, heavily, and decided to stay were I was. I waited for a break in the crowd as the clock chimed quarter to 11.

Five minutes later, I finally managed to get back the the group. It was so easy to get swept downstream, but coming up against foot traffic proved to be a bit more of a challenge.

Van scowled at me as I approached slowly, the pair watching me carefully make my way back.

Once I got free of the crowd, Fran hurried towards me. "I am so sorry Sierra, I didn't mean to frighten you."

I waved Fran's apologies off. "It's not a problem." I tried to laugh it off. "I am being unprofessional. I should do a better job at guarding you guys."

Fran's expression to my comments registered as clueless to my explanation and I just gave up. I didn't feel elaborating any further. Not many men expected a women to be a guarding them anyway. It's what made me a useful bodyguard in the first place. Underestimation was a powerful tool.

"I hope Impey gets here soon…" Lupin looked to be on wits end.

Saint and Van both looked really apprehensive about the current situation, while Fran looked like he was giving in to a lost cause. Cardia, on the other hand, just keep staring at the sky positively.

"Are you believing in the awesome and mighty wonders of Impey engineering?" I asked her playfully.

Cardia nodded to me, somber. "I just believe he won't let us down."

Saint took interest in Cardia's comment and used it to inspire the rest of the group. "His experiments are sometimes unreliable, but that is because he tries new things. His accomplishments are actually quite reliable. "

It was 5 to 11 when we watched as a large shadow passed overhead.

A loud, overly cheerful, voice was heard over the incoming ship's loudspeaker. "Hey guys! Look! I fixed the ship! Totally overhauled thanks to Impey's genius engineering skills!"

Two guys near us started shouting in response to Impey's tackless announcement. "Hey look, that's our ship!"

Lupin ducked behind Fran to hide from the mobsters as I observed them closely, commenting to the people closest to me. "I don't know which one of you is a bigger idiot..."

I heard the parting shot from the mobsters as they moved away from us. "We got your name Mr. Impey, we will be paying you a visit."

I sighed in response to the mobster's threats. "Why me?"

Van, still standing next to me, seconded the notion.

Fran watched Impey docking and hurried over to register us for the race. As we waited impatiently for Impey to join us on the ground. The tall redhead scrambled down the ladder only moments after he docked, all grins.

"So guys, did I do a good job? I totally made here with plenty of time!"

Impey threw us a thumbs up and we all groaned in response.

Cardia's logical voice cut through Impey's mood. "Actually Impey, you only had five minutes left before they closed registration."

At this point I was back to moving between our group members as the landing ground started to get more lively. I managed to stand still for a few moments to look in awe at all the engineering marvels that hovered the the sky above me.

A lot had changed in five years.

While I was standing still, Fran actually ducked back behind me, attempting to hide behind my much smaller physique. I looked behind me questioningly, wondering why the doctor was trying to hide behind me.

The cause of Fran's worry was still a mystery, until it opened its mouth.

"Heeelllllooooo. I have coommmeee to Grreet theee master engeineer resssonsible for thiiisss beeautyyyyy!" A loud, shrill, voice grated on my ears and I turned around to see a very strange, outlandish, man.

He had long silver hair streaked with purple and an eccentric smile. The strange man's appearance was disheveled to say the least. The man's face was covered in piercings, steampunked goggles and bells and whistles. What he wore was even more strange to me. Circus type clothing, splattered with purple paint, and elaborate flare made him stand out in the crowd even if he wasn't loud.

I flocked into Fran's arms in alarm at his loud voice. "Who is that man, Fran?" I grasp his lab coat in terror, slowing my heartbeat. "He is so loud..."

Fran grasp my hands in his, as a way of trying to reassure me that the man wasn't a threat.

The movement drew the strange man's attention. "Ahhh… if it isnt Doctor Frankenstein! I knnnewww you woullld be hereeeeee! Let iiittt be a battttttlllle of scccciennnnce!"

Lucky, Impey arrived on the scene before he could approach any closer to us.

"Who are you?" I asked him nervously, still firmly attached to Fran's lab coat. "Excuse me misssssuuuussss, my name is NEEEMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOO. "

I let go of Fran in fright as he addressed me and I bolted behind Van. I was not entirely sure why my instincts were telling me to run, other then he was very loud and obnoxious.

Van looked over his shoulder at me before he folded his arms in front of himself. The hunter took a protective stance in front of me, while Nemo's attention drifted eccentrically to Cardia and Impey.

"She reminnnndssss me of aaaa young maaaaideeeen, sailinggg on hhhher fiiiirst voyyyyaaageeee!"

I could hear Impey's voice accepting Nemo's praise. "Indeed she is! The most beautiful swan! See how I modified her weight and adjusted her angles to ease the burden on the engines during flight?"

The two sounded like they were speaking another language as I struggled to breath while I hid behind Van.

"I iiiiinsistttt that you commme visssittt myyyy shippp, so wwwwe cccann make sooomme comparrrisons anddd you can bbbe introoooduceddd to my beeeelllovvveddd!"

Impey readily agreed to Nemo's request. "I'll be right back guys!"

Saint watched as Impey left, following the strange Nemo back to his ship. "...So, our pilot just left us to go scoop out the competition."

There was no comment from the group, so Saint directed a question to Fran. "Fran, just how are you acquainted with that eccentric fellow?"

Fran pulled an apple out of his jacket and attempted to used it to coerce me out from behind Van now that Nemo was gone. I looked over at the offered treat and hesitantly poked my head out around Van's side.

Having successfully lured me out with the promise of an apple, Fran handed me the treat and explained Nemo's declaration. "We studied together when I was head alchemist. He made it a one sided rivalry, but I can assure you that the feeling was not mutual."

I dropped the apple Fran had just given me in surprise.

Van's hand reached out and caught it on reflex as it fell.

"I know him." The group turned to stare at me, my eyes turned to daggers. "I know that man." I said it with such force. "He is one of the scientists who collected my blood during my time in the lab."

Cardia's hand flew to her mouth in surprise as the men's expressions stiffed.

"Are you sure?" Fran asked me his eyes flashing.

"I am quite sure, other than Beckford, I definitely remember that voice." I ground out the words as Van held up the apple to my nose.

I accepted the apple from Van and took a giant bite of it out of spite. The distinctive crunch, and my angry munching, had everyone giggling despite the gravity of what I just said. I could distinctly make out a faint blush on Van's face as he struggled not to laugh. Fran was giggling, while Saint was hid behind his hand, and Lupin flat out laughed at me.

Cardia looked at me questionably, while giggling at my antics. "You said my father?"

I took another angry bite of my apple nodding.

I made Cardia wait until after I finished my mouthful. "I knew your father."

The loudspeaker made an announcement. "The race will be starting in thirty minutes, please begin your preparations if you haven't already done so."

We all looked around as I took another bite of my quickly disappearing apple.

Lupin sighed and looked around as the rest of the race competitors started their preparations in earnest. "We should probably get started..."

Cardia nodded at Lupin's assessment of the situation. "I can get us started."