Freedom Chapter 4
By J.L. Pitard
Standard disclaimer: All characters belong to Kohta Hirano and his publishers. I have no stake in them...
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The dark stone stairs leading to the dungeons were cool and comforting to Seras as she lugged her cannon down. She wanted to clean up first, but Alucard and Walter were already in the weapons room. The sound of Thelonius Monk's piano greeted her in the doorway. This room was Walter's outpost in the dungeon and he had sole control over the stereo.
Walter had laid out all of the cleaning supplies in tidy rows along the heavy wooden table and retreated to his drafting table. Seras gently sat the cannon on the floor in front of her master's chair and she took her place on the stone floor to clean the firing mechanism and barrel. Alucard began to take apart and clean his two guns lovingly. He would reach down to stroke Seras's hair periodically. That was a new, but strangely familiar gesture. It reminded her of what her father would do when they watched television together. To Walter, it looked much like a gesture Alucard would have done with his wolves or dogs in days long gone by. Walter turned back to his latest design for a more powerful, yet compact gun for Lady Integra. He loved designing for the vampires, as their strength relieved him of the worry about blow back or weight.
Still, looking at Seras and Alucard, he had to be amused at the odd tableau. They were both lost in their own worlds as they cleaned their instruments of death. He took pride in the guns he made for them and in their love of the guns. Odd indeed.
Seras Victoria got up off the floor and stretched in a long and languid motion. Walter was unaware of the dreamy look on his face. He noticed how she filled out the uniform's fabric. It threatened to give out from the stress of her curves. 'Pert' and 'young' were the words that came to his mind.
Alucard had an altogether more sinister look on his face, but he wasn't the one who flinched away when they caught one another's eye.
Seras pulled her Casull from its holster and looked at it like it was foreign to her. She placed it on the table and began to assemble the cleaning rod. She looked down the barrel before ramming the rod home, thinking about the vampire drawing her own gun against her. The nerve!
"What?" She asked as she noticed both men were looking in her direction. Walter blushed slightly as he turned back to his table. Alucard rose and put his guns, all oiled and ready, back into whatever pockets they lived in.
"I believe we were going to continue your training tonight?" Alucard walked around behind Seras and suddenly her hands felt restricted behind her.
"Master... what?" Her face went white and she tried to look behind her at Alucard. His face was a cruel mask. She looked at Walter, who had begun to rise.
"Miss Victoria? Alucard?" Walter looked at them both, knowing there would be little he could do at this age if Alucard decided to kill her. Still, his face went steely and a glimmer of light caught in his gloved hands.
"Stand down, old Death," Alucard said calmly. Seras was trying to wiggle her arms free and realized she was tied with leather, but how had he done that so quickly?
Walter and Alucard stared at each other a few odd seconds before Alucard said, in an almost pleasant manner, "This is for Police Girl's improvement, I assure you..." he cocked his head to the side, listening, "I believe Sir Integra needs your assistance. Right now."
Slowly, Walter nodded and the tension seemed to ease out of the room. Walter turned off the CD and began to leave. Not a good thing, thought Seras. She began to struggle again against the straps and against Alucard's hands, which dug into her biceps firmly.
"She is in the library." Alucard said to the retreating form.