For Seras, it was hard not to snicker, and when she was to do that, it was a loud growl-magnified tenfold because of the close stonewalls for echoing.
"Strange. So we're seeing Integra like we are, then?"
"...I haven't taught you how to change back yet, so I guess she could deal with it. Besides, it shows what you have learned tonight: a full transformation of the body into another shape."
Walter stood outside the door, and fixed his glasses a little. Seras snuck behind him and sat down, wondering when he was going to notice.
"Yes, I understand that. It's not a bad thing though, I guess, but what about you, master?"
"She has seen me like this before; it is nothing new."
Walter opened the door and as he walked in, they slid behind him, unnoticed and unheard.
Integral sat in her usual reclining position in her desk chair, peering out at the light drizzle seen from the balcony. Her cold red eyes seemed to enjoy it.
"Sir Integra, I have the paperwork you requested about the progress of the Super FREAK invasion. It seems that it they have not only invaded our Queen's country, but other areas of the world as well. The origins, however, seem to come from the Vatican itself." He adjusted his monocle and reached over to hand her the fairly sized folder of neatly arranged papers.
Integra nodded in mute acknowledgement and took a lazy smoke from her cigar.
"Thank you, Walter. You are dismissed."
He bowed and left in a fashionable manner, only to notice the tiger and the dog standing directly two feet behind him as he turned his body. His eyes bulged uncharacteristically as they stared from one to the other, and back again. Integra seemed to have a hint of a smirk on her face; one Alucard was known to hold when he found things rather amusing.
Alucard's dog head nodded and reached out to everyone's minds, speaking to them telepathically. He knew Walter would have recognized him, but Seras would have been another story.
"We have come to report for the evening, Master; as you can see, this is this evening's result. She has found her animal guide and has taken its form."
By then, Walter nodded at them both and left. Seras yawned, her mouth widening out unnaturally big, showing all of her glorious teeth, then closed again; she snickered at Walter, not being able to hold it in, and it created a growl that was a little louder than she would have liked.
She flicked her tail tersely as Integral smirked the way she did, she was still not on very good terms with her, but she had to present herself as amiable in any case.
Integra walked around her desk and studied them closer, holding the lit cigar between her two forefingers of her left hand.
"This is more of what I wanted from you both, and not more of this 'time-wasting' business. As you can see," She flicked her wrist towards her desk, papers galore. "I am knee-high in papers, and you heard what Walter said. I do not need to repeat and stress the meaning and importance of this." Her brow furrowed. "I would have hoped you to have lead her this far much sooner, Alucard; it leaves us with little time for her skill mastery, we could really use you both NOW had you started when she was younger."
"Ah, but that is the thing, my master. She could not be anymore comfortable in this form than her human form; it is not like she grew it, she became it, and that is what the most important concept is: becoming what you are."
Integral scowled a little. "If I had wanted advice, Alucard, I would have asked for it." She turned around and flicked her cigar-bearing hand.
"I have no time to experiment on your sarcastic humor or vampirism advice right now; you both are dismissed." She walked back to her desk, and calmly sat in her chair and continued to watch the rain, dripping down the windowpanes and listening to it from the exposed balcony. Alucard snorted.
"You know, you look like you could use some blood." He said, matter-of-factly, and turned to leave with Seras before she could comment. It seemed to work effectively, because just as Integral whipped her head around, they were out the door with Seras' striped tail slipping out behind them.
Halfway down the hall, she turned her head down to look at him.
"That was unusually painless, master."
"Short and sweet, that is how I prefer it. As I figured, she needed to Feed as she had not in quite awhile...and seeing you in this form proved evidence enough that you have, indeed, learned from training sessions. One cannot question what is staring them plainly in the face."
They walked aimlessly back to his room, the corridors whipping past them quicker than usual. Seras, finding a burst of energy, ran down the rest of the hall, testing out the last few moments she had with her new form, and unceremoniously beat him there and butted the door in with her head.
It opened, and she walked inside and sat down on the floor in the middle of the room. Alucard stared at her in wonder, but decided it better not to ask on these occasions. He took it slow and turned the corner to his room a few moments later. Sitting down beside her, he leaned over and, much like a dog would lay its head on a human's lap, he rested his head on the side of her slender stomach.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself." He spoke as his cold nose nudged her in the side.
"Right, master." She turned her head to look down at him, flicking his back with her tail like a whip. Alucard mused; she slashed out at his back harder than he expected.
"You're stronger in this form than in human form; that hurt." He snickered at his own pathetic weakness to his servant, his many eyes roaming over her form.
She purred a loud, rumbling tiger purr. "Um, Master...What are you looking at?" Her voice was speckled with amusement as well as suspicion and curiosity.
"Just your tiger body." He said, looking at all the black stripes littering the orangey fur. Seras let out another huge yawn and closed her massive jaw, lowering her front-half and crisscrossing her paws, resting her chin against them; her tail lay flat and unmoving on the ground around her hind legs.
"Only a little worn, master."
Alucard laid on the ground, imitating her, his mouth curling at the sides to show his sharp back teeth.
"I should imagine so, Seras; this is your first attempt at transforming. Are you ready to turn back yet, or do you wish to sleep like this?" His last suggestion he said only as a joke, but she wasn't aware of that.
"Hmmm...I think I am all right for now, I can turn back next evening."
He looked at her for a moment. "Are you sure? It takes a lot of energy to stay in this form for that long, making it harder to change back. The problem with these forms is that the longer you occupy one, the closer you are to losing your mind to it; becoming more of the animal than yourself.
It doesn't matter to me, Seras. I have technically lost my mind long before, so nobody would notice."
Seras raised her head to look at him, taking in the new bits of information, and she changed her mind post-haste.
"Never mind, then, master...I just hope it isn't too complicated." Her brain felt fuzzy, she realized. He stood up on all fours and walked in front of her, staring her down with all six of his eyes.
"It is not hard; the more you use this form, the easier it will be to perform." He continued. "Basically, it is the same as returning from invisibility, or being the wind: picture yourself as you are in human form. But this time, instead of losing your Tiger, keep it inside of you still; the tiger lives inside of you, and will always be there...As I will always be a dog."
"You're not kidding about that, master." She spoke before her tiger-like eyes glazed over for minutes on end; her form started to melt, almost as it slowly formed her body, as if faulting, then towards the end as it was almost finished, it quickened up, as she got the hang of it. Her eyes were closed until she felt herself sitting on the ground and she opened them, blinking away the haziness and looked around.
"Wow..." She exclaimed lowly in awe, her eyes falling on the dog form of her master; her face broke out into a wide grin. He padded up to her, grinning and nuzzled her affectionately, acting again like a dog would do to a human owner.
"Nicely performed; you really are a tiger. Now just as long as you don't hunt me down, it will be amusing to see how you use this to your advantage." His eyes looked up to her, a chilling blood red.
Seras laughed shrilly, absentmindedly petting the fur of the dog's back; her laugh slowly turned to another "yawn." Her yawns came as a reflex now, and it was also a telltale sign that she was fading fast.
Alucard stood motionless as she stroked his back; with his dog-like chin resting on her collarbone, his body started to shape shift back into one single mass, his eyes and mouth were the only thing distinguishable.
In another moment, the shape elongated, becoming what he was seen mostly as. Six feet of his thick, red trench coat came into view, and he was back.
Seras' hand rested on his lower back, where she had it when she was petting a dog, and his head stayed where it was before: resting on her collarbone. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his hat and glasses mysteriously not present.
"Come Seras, it is time for sleep. You have wasted enough energy for one night."
AN: Sorry it's taking so long for me to update!!! School started, now my buddy and I are Juniors in high school...*GAG*...x_x And we have work to boot, so we're pretty busy. I actually got this typed in between homework and school...*shudder*
Thanks to all who are reviewing and helping me make this story great and a success! Gomen, Byakko, if the tiger part kind of bothered you...I just stressed the 'pounding' of her paws for comedy reasons...and to give you and idea how flippin' quick she was running and going after him. ^_^ It was a fun part to RPG, I can say that first-hand.
Until Chapter 67!