I stretched and started outside. It was a beautiful day – sunny, not too hot or humid, and with a light breeze. I'd wanted to bother my cousin more the past couple days, I really had, but it was probably best not to overdo it; after all, do things like that too much, and they'll become immune to it. Better to strike hard and fast when the opportunity presented itself than to wear it out all at once.
"And what are you doing?"
I turned to find Phenex eyeing me rather suspiciously from the other end of the room. He marched over to me, all macho-looking and chin held high. I raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"Um, can we spar?" He deflated a little.
"Out of the blue like this? That's a little out of character," I turned toward him fully, now.
"Well, we haven't since you unlocked your demon half, so I figured I should make sure I can still kill you if I need." He struck a sassy pose that he probably thought looked cool, so I indulged him a little and held my hands up in surrender.
"Fine. But I'm not gonna take all my time to do it, it's nice outside today and I want to go for a walk." I spun to walk back through the house and to the training grounds outside, Phenex hot on my heels and certainly frowning aggressively. I crossed the threshold to go outside and Phenex followed a moment after.
It only took me a split second to call forth that unholy energy before I was executing a powerful, precise roundhouse kick that connected directly with Phenex's jaw. He staggered back before he took a moment to reset his jaw and frown at me.
"Not very polite to throw a kick with no warning in a duel." He launched toward me in a way that I was sure would have seemed impossibly quick to my human side, but, after having fought against it so many times with mere human reflexes, didn't seem all too horrid with my improved demonic ones.
We clashed in the way that we always did, hard and fast and both trying to end the affair quite quickly; this time, however, I wasn't left without weapons, as now I had claws that could leave nasty gashes over any flesh they happened to catch and fangs that I could bare in a show of dominance.
A few minutes later, we separated, both having landed and taken a few choice blows, our bodies humming with energy. We paused for a moment before I shrugged and straightened back out. Phenex did the same.
"Not bad. I guess I'll have to up my game if I want to beat you in hand-to-hand combat."
"You don't seem bothered by that."
"Oh, don't get me wrong, being adept in hand-to-hand combat is important," he shot me a grin and snapped his fingers, and I yelped a bit and flinched back as a flame burst in front of my face for a moment before fizzling out again. "But it's important to be able to do other things, too. Now, carry on, I guess, I know I can still obliterate you if I need." He waved a hand dismissively and turned to go back in. I realized my mouth had been hanging open and I snapped it shut.
"Wow. I didn't expect that from him."
"Why else would I keep him around?" I shivered as Sebastian's smooth voice purred from behind me. I turned and found him watching me with that little smirk he always wore.
"Sebastian." I made my way to him and pulled him down to meet me in a kiss. It was expertly done, as always, technically perfect; but, this time, it just wasn't good enough, I needed more. I pulled away with an annoyed whine and forced my hands back to my sides despite the maddening need to pull him close and feel his skin on mine. "Watch our match?"
"Some of it. Your form has gotten much cleaner. It's impressive."
"Coming from you that means a lot."
"Well, no matter. I've some errands to run out of the house today, I thought I would ask if you wanted to join me."
"Hm?" I peered up at him and then grinned. He really was making an effort to do things with me to get to know me better. "Sure. Thank you for asking."
He met me out at the car after I'd gotten my purse. A fringe benefit of being demonic: I hardly ever got sweaty anymore, which meant I could easily go from working out to a day out shopping. We started off into town.
"So where are we going?" I asked. "You usually have everything you need delivered."
"Well, I need to get my suit from the tailors and have it fitted, and then I need to meet with the mayor and have him officiate some documents… ah, and I thought we could check up on the fellow we hired to spy on your cousin…" He rattled off the list easily. I giggled a bit but sat back and enjoyed the smooth purr of his voice.
"I also thought we could stop by that little lingerie shop and pick you up something delicious…"
My face heated and I snapped my eyes to him. He'd said it so casually out of nowhere, between listing off the other things he'd wanted to do and in that same monotone, bored voice.
"S-Sebastian?" I suddenly felt awfully clammy.
"Oh, good, you were paying attention." He shot me a smug glance.
"Asshole," I muttered.
"I did want you to join me at a café while we were out, however. Though your face is so red from the suggestion we may just have to stop and buy something lacy after all."
I frowned at him and crossed my arms, but I settled back into the chair. Usually I could return the tease, but right now, all I wanted was to be close to him.
Sebastian noticed.
"Oh? Not full of that biting wit as usual?"
"It's… hard to be around you right now," I forced myself to admit. "I kinda just want to be… close." I said close because it was more tactful than saying riding-you-with-your-hands-moving-over-every-inch-of-my-skin. Sebastian seemed to notice that, too.
"I see. Well, endure it, I have to. I will not take you here in this world. I doubt we could really find enough room to be sufficient, and having anyone or anything around could be dangerous to both us and to them." He looked serious for a moment, then that little smirk graced his lips again. "It will be worth the wait, Lydia."
I shivered and opened a window so that I could stare out of it and feel the wind of my face, Sebastian having a quiet laugh at my expense.
It wasn't too long before we made it to our first destination, a very nice looking clothing store in a little shop in the middle of a run-down plaza. I followed Sebastian in and found some very high quality suits on display. An old, short man – wearing a very nice suit, himself – in some round glasses immediately came over to greet Sebastian, reaching up to clasp his shoulders and speak a greeting in some foreign language or other with the kind of smile that told of old friends.
"Ah, Fernando, it's good to see you too." Sebastian returned a smile that seemed just as genuine and gently pushed him back, holding him at arms length.
"It's been far too long, Sebastian. Oh, and who is this lovely thing you've bought?" Fernando turned his gaze to me, now, and his eyes were bright as he came to me and took my hand in his in a tight clasp. "Oh, a Hellsing. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lydia."
"N-Nice to meet you," I managed to stammer back, blinking at him in plain confusion.
"Oh, then you must be the mate! Well then, I won't bother to use false names here, is that fine with you?" He turned back to Sebastian, who nodded. "Very good! Then let's get you that suit of yours, Astaroth."
Fernando turned and headed to a back room, and I turned and blinked pointedly at Sebastian, raising my eyebrows at him as if to ask, "What the fuck?"
"Fernando is a dear old friend of mine. Why, I've known him since I took a contract with that pharaoh, way back in Egypt…" Sebastian waved a hand dismissively as he trailed off. "He's a very excellent tailor, I always get my suits from him even if I have to run half way across the country to do it."
"Oh." Since ancient Egypt, huh? I wasn't even gonna bother asking. "He seems… respectable."
"Yes. I do have great respect for him."
"Ah, and here we are!" Fernando returned with a suit, motioning for Sebastian to take it into the fitting room. It took only a few seconds before Sebastian was emerging.
He looked good. I'd seen him in his casual clothing, and he looked damn good in that, but in a well-fitted suit like this he was worth drooling over. I realized my mouth was hanging open and I shut it, and when I glanced at Fernando he was doing the same.
Fair enough.
"This is a very well-crafted suit." Sebastian was examining himself in the mirror and adjusting things just so, a pleased smirk lighting his features.
"Yes, well, it suits you well, doesn't it?"
"It does," Sebastian smiled. "Thank you. I look forwards to wearing it."
"As always, Astaroth. As always."
Sebastian changed back into his regular clothing, bid Fernando farewell, and then led me back out to the car. As we left I noted: "Seeing you in that didn't help with the whole wanting you thing."
He laughed.
We came to an official government-type building and Sebastian asked me to remain in the car as he went in to meet with the mayor. Fifteen minutes later he was back, a folder tucked neatly under his arm.
Onto the next errand.
It was like that for about two hours: driving to some building or other, picking up some package or paying someone for some service or any number of little things. It struck me at some point that I didn't mind. It was nice to spend time with him, chatting about one thing or another in a way we normally didn't have the luxury to do; no time for small talk when on the run from a demon-hunting cult.
I found out that he'd met a great number of mathematicians throughout his past and that was why he was so proficient. He spoke a handful of languages – he explained that anytime he was summoned he gained the knowledge of his summoner, so not only had he studied languages, he'd learned them from being summoned up by all kinds of different people. He knew how to dance, how to cook, how to use any number of weapons. He quite liked cats and fed the strays that lived around the college campus and the house, and he left little covered areas around for them to go for shelter (I'd never noticed because the property was so big, I guessed).
He talked at length about how to make the perfect pot of tea and when the best times for what kinds of teas were, about how to best pair up desserts with a main course, about the merits of the different ways there were to eating earlier in the day rather than having a late dinner. A topic I normally would have been bored out of my mind with, but it was mesmerizing to sit and listen to him talk, rambling on at length about nothing much at all in that methodical, hypnotic way he did everything that I found so irresistible.
The café was nice. Not too nice, but it was quiet and beautiful and the food was delicious. And Sebastian was here with me. At some point, he'd leaned in close, lips curling in a devious grin, bangs falling into his face in a devastatingly attractive way as he'd whispered to me how deeply the desire to take me as his mate was to him. He'd said it as a tease, of course, just a way to get me all riled up and watch me squirm, but I knew he meant it just as much. I'd countered back with something about all the things I was going to do to him and his face had turned just as pink as mine.
It was nice.
We'd finished the errands and returned to the mansion, Sebastian leaving me to myself once again. I didn't want to be around others so I just headed to my room and tried to read.
My body felt like there was a chunk missing from it to be apart from Sebastian after having spent so much time together.
God, did I need him. As much as I needed my asshole cousin gone, as much as I needed to learn to harness my demon half, I needed him. I wondered for a moment if he felt the same way I did and easily concluded that, no, probably not, because even if he got the same kinds of urges he would have been much better at dampening them before they sprung to life. That was annoying, for sure, the fact that he had an easier time with it.
I decided I needed something to take my mind off of it all and found a book on sigils that Sebastian had kept in his room. Recalling what Phenex had said earlier, I needed to be proficient in more than just throwing a few punches if I was going to be fighting the supernatural. May as well tap into my monster-hunting blood and learn a thing or two about sigils and runes.