Chapter 22:
Alucard's eyes opened to slits and he felt fabric against his face, a familiar color. It was his coat; he remembered using it like a blanket to block out the sun. By the darker coloring, he could tell it was the next night. He pushed aside the coat and sat up quickly, staring down revealed Wilhemina. She had one eye open, staring at a particular piece of tree root, but was rather quiet, too quiet even.
Alucard slipped on his coat, or at least the arms of it, and pushed the back end behind him so that it did not look weird. He checked and rubbed his legs, noticing that they were slightly burned. Then, he realized that her legs were not covered by his coat either.
"Hm…You okay Wilhemina?" He asked in general concern as he did not feel like carrying a vampire if he did not have to.
Wilhemina, still looking at the root did not budge. After a moment of silence, her voice came to her. "They are burned, Alucard. I can probably walk, but it would not be easy. There is a town nearby, yes, I believe there is. I could pick up some blood there, it would not fully heal me, but it would help."
"Maybe, Wilhemina…I don't think they sell any; it's a small town." Alucard replied back to her, as he lifted his head up to see the town.
"True, it is small, but if you have any other suggestions I would like to here them. And I will NOT drink another vampire's blood, so if you were going to suggest that, forget about it." Wilhemina added the last remark sternly, remembering a previous encounter when he was still called Dracula.
"Ah..." He grinned as he looked up and saw the moon, more full than the half had been, but there was something strange about it. The moon seemed to have a red tinge to it, and figured that there would be a fight this night. "I can not think of any other." He said levelly, turning back to Wilhemina who now met his gaze. "Will you be coming to town with me, or should I go by myself?" He asked honestly, not like he particularly cared.
Straining, Wilhemina used both her hands to push herself up into a sitting position. "No, I will come. You don't exactly have social skills." She remarked as she got up, wobbly.
Alucard did not remark back and just got up as well, his coat hanging from him, and his hat titled up a little so that he could see her. He noted her wobbles as she started to walk and coming from behind, he put his arm under hers for support. Wilhemina gasped a little as it was so unexpected, but did not complain about it as she knew that he was only trying to help.
The walk to town was not a long one, as they were only over a small hill, but the trees gave them a little difficulty as Wilhemina seemed to keep getting her lazy foot under tree roots that littered the ground.
Once at town, they both noticed that there were few people out on the streets. The few that were, either run from one place to another or was hidden in the shadows of the buildings. It was a farming village; a few of the homes were barn like, while others were more industrial for services like food and clothes. It was a village in the mists of two forests, like a divider of good and bad.
"Everything looks closed." Wilhemina remarked as they walked past building after building.
"Not everything is closed apparently." Alucard noted as they seemed to pass a bar. He gestured to her, and she nodded.
They walked in the bar, and it seemed like going back in time. It had the cowboy style with many tables and one long strip of a bar table that the bar tender was behind. Besides for the bar tender, there was only one other person in the bar; he wore a dark gray cloak like jacket and had pointed yellow hair.
Alucard was not paying that much attention to the person at the bar, who sat in the farthest corner, but more to the bar tender. Alucard took Wilhemina to the bar and sat her down, helping her to get comfortable as best she could before he took up a seat as well.
Alucard waved to the bar tender, "What drinks do you serve here?" Wilhemina noticed that he was trying to be civil, but she was glade to be there anyway. He looked odd enough, dressed in all red, and her in all black; it amused Wilhemina that the bar tender made no comment at all.
The bar tender walked over, he had slick black hair tied behind his head, and was not that old, but something about what he wore reminded Alucard of Walter. "We have a variety of drinks, sir. Good beer, home brewed. Martine's for parties, and the times to drown your sorrows. It seems to me, sir, that you are more of a hard liquor; a brandy or vodka man."
Alucard mused at the bartender's statement, and half grinned. "Hmm…you seem to have a good sense of humor for this line of work."
"One must to always keep the costumers happy, sir." He replied politely at the comment, and took a small bow as graceful as a swan.
"Ah, good, well I have an interesting question for you than. What kind of drinks do you have in the red variety?" He asked, wanting to see the reaction on the bartender's face. Wilhemina, not paying that much attention until she heard red, turned her head half way to glare at him. As if to ask with her eyes what he was doing, and if he was trying to get them kicked out.
The bartender chuckled a little. "Oh, that is not so odd at all, sir. We have red wine, tomato juice, blood, red food dye, soup; yes we even serve food." He said all of this fairly quickly as if it was the first thing on his mind, and not too grossed out by the fact that blood was on his list.
Wilhemina gasped and stared at Alucard having heard what sounded like blood. "Alucard, did he just say what I think he said." She asked, her eyes widened with expectancy.
Cocking his head a little to turn and look at her, "Yes, he did say that, Wilhemina. Hmm….I didn't know we had come this far west." He mused and turned back to the bartender. "Ah, I see. How's business, Lawret?" The bartender shook his head a little, and widened his eyes to peer at the customer.
Finally, it hit him. Lawret knew who his costumer was. "Business goes well enough, Alucard-san. I never thought I would see you again, how's my cousin?"
Alucard grinned, remembering why he looked so familiar. "Walter is fine last I saw. Integra works him hard, but he refuses to leave." Alucard cackled a little. "Ah, brings back memories, doesn't it, Lawret?"
"Very much so, Alucard-san. I know what you would like to drink, and shall I assume that the miss would like the same?" Alucard nodded to this, and Lawret continued. "Ah, I'll be only a moment." Lawrent walked to the back room, hidden from Alucard and Wilhemina's view.
"Ironic, no matter where I go, Hellsing follows me." Alucard said as he mused to himself at the appearance of Lawret, who had spent time at the Hellsing organization with his cousin. They were both member for awhile, but Lawret decided that it was not for him, while Walter only rose in ranks.
Wilhemina looked to Alucard, "You sure know a lot of people, yes?" She asked, her eyes back to their normal size. She rested her arms on the table, and placed her head on top of them, as if to rest a bit.
"Hmm…well, when you have lived as long as I, you tend to meet people. This was a pleasant unexpected event; I seem to be getting many of those lately." He commented about having met her, and now Lawret.
The person in the corner now perked his ears up at the last remark, and got up. "Well here is another one meet, monster." The person said as he walked, now unhidden by the shadows in the corner. His cross gleamed in the hanging lamp light and he had a scar on the right side of his face. He had a mysterious grin on his face, and green eyes hidden behind a pair of circular glasses.
An evil grin spread across Alucard's face as he cocked his head to look at the arrival. "He he he…PRIEST?!?! Now my night is complete."