The cold January air bit into the skin, flesh, and bone of ll who were unfortunate enough to be forced to stay out in it. In a vacant lot in Gehenna, members of the Prudentia as well as other turncoats and new residents camped out around a fire. They had built crude shelter out of whatever materials they could find. It was fortunate that many of them were accustomed to camping out in cold weather from their travels, but it wasn't enough. People were getting sick and slowly freezing to death. They were starving, too.
Between all of them, they had hardly any money, and finding a job in Gehenna was now impossible for them. No one wanted to hire Scarlet scum. No one wanted anything to do with them at all. While the others who came before them were welcomed with open arms and allowed to seek shelter as invited guests in people's homes, the turncoats were not so fortunate. Alas, they were active members of the order, while the others were mere bystanders who were swept up in their current. Even if they betrayed the order, they still had red on them. That was enough for the citizens of Gehenna.
Many resorted to begging while others debated theft. They were dissuaded from the latter, however, as while Gehenna had no jail, criminals would be kept in the dungeon of the Hellsing estate, and none of them liked the sound of that. Was it worth it? Others pressed on and kept trying. They tried their very best to get jobs, and some succeeded, while it was hard. Most who did lied about their status as a turncoat, or were granted mercy by one of the consultants at the Wellfare Center.
Those who succeeded added their funds to the pool, more often than not. Some kept it all to themselves and tried to gain a normal life in Gehenna while their former comrades froze. Fingers burned from the cold before becoming numb. Sleep was lost. People were shivering. They were told that help was coming soon, but hope was becoming a scarce resource.
When they returned, they thought they would be able to return to life as it was or gain something better, but many soon began to think that they had things better with the order, despite the organization being morally in the wrong. They would have lived more comfortably. They would survive. Survival was everything, now, as food was running out and they were beginning to lack basic necessities. It was ridiculous. They needed a miracle to happen soon.
Wink was doing her best to hold everything together, but sometimes, it became too much. People fought over food and heat, and she was only one woman with so much energy. She was freezing and starving, herself, and it was starting to get to her.
"I'm going to check to see if there's any empty buildings." she announced, standing up from her seat near the fire pit.
"Again?" asked one of her colleges, a cynocephallus called "Mince". He spoke in sign, but struggled as his fingers were nearly frozen. "You went yesterday."
"Mince is right." said another, a witch known as "Bonnibel". "You know the story. There's no more room in Gehenna."
"It's still worth a shot." Wink replied. "Even if I don't find one, I might find somebody who's willing to take in at least some of us."
Thus, she moved on, exiting the lot and trying to bundle herself up the best she could. As she walked, she had to watch her step, as icy patches formed on the ground in some places. Still, this place was flourishing since she left. It was well-kept, colourful, and people were happy. She was foolish to oppose the redevelopment in the beginning, it seemed, as the town of Gehenna had grown to be self-sustaining. No longer did she or the others have a place here, anymore. They had nowhere to go, and nowhere to be. They seemed to be destined for misery, at this point, as the most comfortable they had been in ages was in the holding cell at H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. headquarters, of all places, while they were being interrogated.
Being released from there was a terrible thing, as it turned out, as the base had heat and food that was provided to them for free. They were interrogated for ages about the order and possible whereabouts for the remaining forces for them to move in. She knew that Blackwood and his group was heading toward the skin thief village out in the Norwegian wilderness somewhere, but she knew nothing more. Ordinarily, they would be assigned housing, but there was none left. Gehenna was simply out of housing! It was for this reason that they were left on the streets after fighting to be released anyway, only to realise the mistake that was made. How foolish.
The neighbouring buildings around the vacant lot at least blocked some of the wind from all but one side. Now, Wink was walking out in the open and it was painful. The flesh on her nose felt as though it was going to peel away. She felt as though the wind was lashing her. Unfortunately, she had been out for so long that she couldn't go very far without needing to find somewhere reasonably warm. Wink would either have to go back, duck into store for a few minutes and hope no one asks her to leave, or find what she was looking for. Before long, however, she thought as though she might have.
It was an empty building on Macken street, right next to the bakery and on the corner that connected to the general store. It was dark inside. Completely pitch black. In a brave move, she took her stiff hands out of her pockets and used them to cup around her eye so that she could peer inside through the window. It was a store, but she could make it work. No one was inside, and the place looked like it wasn't in use.
Thus, she decided to go for it. Instead of going back to alert the others right away, she decided that it would be best to go inside and try to warm up some, first, so she could make the trip back. This would mean that she would have to grab the cold doorknob, however. It was certain to hurt her hands on contact, but she needed to try. Gritting her teeth, she reached out and grabbed the handle before attempting to wrap her fingers around it. Quickly, she tried to turn it, but it wouldn't budge.
"Fuck..." she hissed under her breath, rapidly turning the handle back and forth. The door was locked. It wasn't going to open for anyone without a key. Before much longer, her hands could no longer bear the feeling of the cold metal and she was forced to take her hands away. Quickly, she tucked them underneath her armpits in hopes of warming them up faster.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" called a voice from behind her in an authoritative tone. In response, Wink whipped around and put her hands up, despite how much it hurt. Her eye clenched shut at the pain momentarily before opening them again to see a familiar face. She was shocked to see the other, but not as shocked as the police officer was to see her.
"Clara?!" Tegwen said aloud. She made no effort to conceal her surprise, As it was simply too much for her to bear in that moment.
"Tegwen?" the other asked, looking the elf over as she met her astonishment. Tegwen was wearing the winter uniform of the Gehenna police force, consisting of a long coat and a custodian helmet, which looked rather silly. Wink was by no means surprised that the elf was still in the police force, but the outfit was really something, nonetheless.
"I didn't know you were back. I was worried." the policewoman said, putting her hands on her hips. "What are you doing breaking into that building?"
"Well, it was empty, so I thought I could take it." the other replied. "Everyone's cold. We need to find somewhere to stay or else we won't last much longer."
"That's not how it works anymore, I'm afraid..." Tegwen shook. "Someone's bought that building. It's gonna be a clothing and sewing shop, soon."
"Shit…" grumbled the witch as she put her hands back under her arms. "We're all going to die because of some old ladies and their quilts!"
"Is there really no where else?"
"That's what we've been told. The church took up as many as they could, but the rest of us are still out here. Some were thinking about breaking the law just to go to jail, it's gotten so bad."
She saw the policewoman give her a sympathetic look in her typical Tegwen way. The Sybil was always like that. Sometimes, so much so that it wasn't good for her, last Wink remembered. Even when they weren't on good terms in the past, she would show her sympathy, even while Wink pushed her away and pointed her finger. Before the witch knew it, however, Tegwen was walking toward her and taking off her scarf.
"Well… I can't guarantee you anything, but you could probably stay the night at my place, if you want." Tegwen offered while wrapping her scarf around the other's neck. "The apartment's small, though, so I can't bring anyone else."
"I don't want to leave the others..." Wink said. "They need me."
"Well, I'll buy you some bread and you can take a warm bath, at least. I still can't leave you out here in the cold without doing anything."
Skepticism was written all over the witch's face as the other woman spoke. There was no reason for Tegwen to help her. They weren't especially close anymore and had hardly talked in years. It was weird, running into each other out of the blue, and even weirder fore her to offer Wink shelter at her home.
"Uh…. Tegwen?" asked the witch, adjusting the scarf. "You're not still…?"
"Still what?" questioned the other woman in return. With a pause, however, she thought about it and it clicked. "Oh, no. It's nothing like that. I mean this in a totally and completely platonic way." She insisted, causing the other woman to snort.
"Alright, then..." Wink replied. "I'm hungry enough to not turn down some bread."
With a smile appearing on her face, Tegwen turned and began to walk away. "It's this way!" she called over her shoulder, leading Win to her apartment. It was nearby on the intersecting main street. Tegwen nearly had to carry her old acquaintance up the stairs, however, as she was running out of strength. Somehow, they made it to the door, and while with one arm, Tegwen kept Wink propped up as best as she could, while she knocked with the other.
"Why are you knocking?" Wink asked, arching an eyebrow. "This is your place, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but my roommate should be here." answered Tegwen, quickly catching the other as she slumped. Sure enough, the door opened, and yet another woman stood inside.
She was asian with bleached hair and obviously a vampire. Yet, she was perfectly awake in the daytime, but dressed like she wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon. As soon as she opened her mouth, Wink knew that she was in fact, American.
"What's with you?" the woman in the doorway asked as she stepped to one side. She shut the door behind her as Tegwen and Wink stepped inside. "Who's this?"
"Well, hello, to you, too." Tegwen answered while helping the witch onto the couch. "Kyung-Soon, this is Clara; Clara, this is Kyung-Soon." she haphazardly introduced.
"Hey..." awkwardly waved the witch to be polite, but Kyung-Soon wasn't very impressed. "Call me 'Wink'."
"So… Why are you bringing random girls over?" questioned the vampire, hoping for clarity. Straightening her back, Tegwen let out a grunt before turning to her roommate.
"She's not random, she's an old acquaintance of mine." she said. "She's with that bunch who's been camping out in that vacant lot about a block from here."
"Oh. Former order member? Fantastic."
"She's only here for a warm bath and something to eat. Relax, Sue."
"I see she's friendly..." Wink butted in. "I didn't know you had a roommate, Tegs?"
"It's a new arrangement… We started hanging out, and little by little, she kinda started living here?" Tegwen tried to explain, only to pause. "That… Doesn't sound very good said aloud..."
"Nope." the Witch said, crossing one leg over the other while maintaining eye contact with the vampire. They appeared to be staring each other down, much to Tegwen's dismay.
"Uuuuhhh… Well… Bathroom is that way, so feel free to use it." stated the poor elf. "I'm going to go back to the bakery and get some bread."
"Aren't you on the clock?" asked Kyung-Soon.
"I'm also the police chief."
"Ooh, you've gotten bad..." cooed the vampire, finally breaking her gaze away from the witch and causing Wink to arch a brow.
"You wanna come with me?" Tegwen asked, unfortunately prompting her friend to turn back to Wink.
"No… I think I'll stay here…" slowly stated Kyung-Soon. "Guard the place, you know?"
"Whatever. You do you. I'll be back quick."
"You better." the vampire called after Tegwen as she stepped back out the door. With that, Tegwen was gone, leaving Kyung-Soon alone with this stranger. Turning around, Kyung-Soon placed her back to the door while she stared at Wink in some odd display of asserting dominance. Meanwhile, the object of her malice paid her no mind as she was too busy relaxing and enjoying the heater. The witch's eyes were closed, but before long, she could no longer stand the feeling of being watched so intently.
"I'm sorry?" she asked. "Am I bothering you?"
"No, it's just- A member of the Scarlet Order in the place where you live is kinda..."
"Former member. I'm a turncoat." corrected Wink. "I'm the one who helped bring it all down. Can you really talk, though, Miss Girasol?"
Reflexively, Kyung-Soon reached back and touched the tattoo of a sunflower that was on her shoulder as the other woman pointed at it. With a roll of her eyes, she realised that she could not speak, given her own affiliation. Furthermore, it was current. With a sigh, Wink pulled the hair tie from her hair and began to unfasten her braid.
"I think I'm gonna go take up Tegs on her offer for a bath." she said, standing up. She then turned toward the direction of the bathroom while the other followed behind.
"I'm sorry I was rude, okay?" the vampire insisted despite coming across as insincere.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it."
"It's weird, though. Like, I've never really seen you and Tegwen talk before…"
"That's because we quit hanging out."
"Why?"
"Uh… That's kind of personal?" the witch stated as she turned the handle to the bathroom door.
"Sorry, I was just curious, is all." Kyung-Soon replied, folding her arms as the door was opened. Her reaction caused the other to briefly come to a halt. Slowly, Wink nodded.
"Oh… You fancy her. Got it." Wink said before stepping through the door and closing it. With a click, it was locked and the vampire was left on the other side of the door with a red face.
"So?!" she demanded, her nostrils flaring. She could hear nothing but the sound of the tub being filled and the shuffling of fabric for a while, but eventually, the witch decided to answer.
"'So' nothing." Wink said. "Go for it. Tegwen is into girls. I get your concern, though. Must suck to have your crush bring her ex in."
"Wait, what?!" Kyung-Soon gawked, her brows raising in surprise momentarily before her hand gripped the doorhandle. "Open this door!"
"I'm naked, you know..." the witch said, dipping her toe in the water. "I guess Tegwen isn't the type to talk about that stuff. She really has moved on. Good for her. Don't worry about it. We're old news. There's nothing between her and me. We've been done for years and I don't want to go back."
"How do I know that?"
"Because I blamed Tegwen for taking my eye." Wink stated as she became completely submerged. She wasn't met with an answer right away, so she correctly assumed that the other woman was surprised. "I told you it was personal."
"Damn… Never knew she was secretly hardcore." Letting go of the handle, Kyung-Soon turned and leaned her back against the door before slumping downward until she was seated. To her statement, Wink chuckled.
"No, she was just there." she said. "I blamed her because she didn't do anything, but thinking back on it, I'm not sure if I would've had the guts to do anything, either. It was an ugly breakup."
"I can see that..."
"Rude."
"No, sorry, I mean I get it." Kyung-Soon apologised, earning another chuckle out of the woman in the tub.
"I know. I was messing with you."
"You bitch." said the vampire, cracking a small smile.
"Takes one to know one." Wink replied. "So, does Tegwen know?"
"Know what?"
"That you like her."
"Well..." Kyung-Soon began with a pause, already informing Wink of the status of things. "I've flirted with her a lot, but..."
"She's not really responsive to subtlety." informed the other.
"I didn't think I was being subtle." Kyung-Soon stated.
"You underestimated the thickness of her head, then."
"Then what do I do?"
"Tell her, obviously." Wink said, only to be met with silence once more. "You're shyer than you come across as, aren't you?"
"Shut up!"
A/N: Kind of a look at what's going on with the turncoats right now. Also, as per request of the lovely FartFerret69, more Kyung-Soon and Tegwen.
Go nuts.
What the fuck do I do now?
I have ideas, but no idea how to get there.
Let's just do what we always do and jump in head first.
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
CHARACTER SHET
Question: "Do demons' socks smell?" by FartFerret69
Alois: "Yeah. We sweat, after all. It is our natural musk. What it smells like depends on the demon, though. I guess socks would smell like that? I dunno. I don't go around sniffing socks."
