Ciel and Alois assisted those who were willing to take their hand when it was time to get into the back of the truck and get seated. Quite a few refused simply because they were demons. Bodygaurds would accept, but some insisted that they be the ones to help their bosses. Some of them ultimately did require extra hands, leaving them with no choice.
The elderly Margaret Seward of America was one such person, and caused her bodyguards a bit of concern because not only did she allowed the demons to aid her with no problems, she also insisted on having an edge seat so she could see out better. This meant that her guards were not on either side of her, but she dismissed their worries as them being "fussy". The others had no qualms in sitting in the middle. Hachioji of Japan sat on an edge, but that was simply because she only had one guard and because there was an extra seat. She didn't seem to mind, however. Like everyone else, she was excited and curious as to what was past those gates.
Once the demons and their superior were in the bed of the truck as well, they signaled to the gatekeepers to open the doors. With a loud groan and a creak, they did and the truck lurched forward. It drove slowly down the empty street. When they passed through completely, the gates closed behind them. Once they were going, the blonde got to work.
"So those were the front gates. Riveting stuff. The start of every tour is exciting." Alois began in an attempt to be humourous with a sarcastice twinge. His intent was to remove tension from the situation, but his laguh was shaky and nervous. "It may not seem like much, since the street is empty, here, but this is an important defense against people peeking inside. That defense is called 'nothing to see here, folks!' because as you can see, there's nothing. As we get closer, though, you'll start to see some actual residents."
Sure enough, within a matter of moments, they had reached a more residential area and there were people walking around. Some waved at the truck, or rather, the menace, prompting the blonde Phantomhive to wave back. This gave his spouse an idea.
"The people of Gehenna look up to Jim." Ciel informed. His sudden input surprised the blonde somewhat, but he allowed him to continue. "He was one of the primary figures who pushed for the rejuvenation of this town. The reason they look up to him, specifically, is because he was the first supernatural they saw standing up for them and trying to help them from within HELLSING. It is because of him that when they designed their flag, they chose to put the symbol of a lion on it from his association with the animal and his nickname: 'Mister Lion'. You will also see similar imagery around the town. In fact, there should be a mural to your left just up ahead."
With this news, the tourists turned their head in anticipation of the image, their brows raising when the detailed painting rolled by. Some nodded as though they were impressed, which was a relief to the poor menace, allowing to utter a sigh of relief. He was tense, although he did his best not to show it.
"Oh, flattery will get you everywhere." the menace said jokingly, hoping it would hit this time. It did, earning a bit of a chuckle. The confidence boost was much appreciated, as he needed to continue.
"Right now, we're on Main Street, which is also our first stop." he informed, reaching behind him and knocking twice on the roof of the vehicle, telling the driver to stop. As he watched the others' faces, he could see the alarm that shot through them as they stopped in the main hub of the supernaturals. There were non-human entities all around them, ducking in and out of stores and walking down the street. It would be overwhelming to humans who were not used to their ways. Alois could certainly understand that.
"There are many places to go from here. First, we'll be going into the general store. Then, we'll make some rounds to the other places before hopping back into the truck and carrying on." the blonde explained. "These are the kind of places that will appear in our newer project as well. And don't worry, the people here are perfectly harmless, everyday people, who just want to go about their own business."
Those who weren't as focused on being frightened were instead marveling at what was going on around them. One by one, people made their way off of the vehicle and awaited their chance to explore while their fellow tourists did the same. A hand raised, alerting the menace's attention.
"I have a question." spoke Hachioji. "Are we allowed to take photos?"
"Oh. That's an Integra question." Alois replied before looking to his superior. The Hellsing woman simply answered:
"We trust that you are all responsible enough to be trusted with the existence of the supernatural." she said. "So it shouldn't be a problem at all. I do believe that if you are taking pictures of supernaturals, you should ask for permission, however, just as you would any other person."
"Sounds good to me." the menace chimed in as the one who asked the question nodded with a smile. She then proceeded to pull her cellphone from a concealed pocket and aimed her camera at the storefront. Others followed her leave.
"I can't get mine to work..." Margret was heard saying before her assistant offered to help.
Once everyone was satisfied with that, they headed inside the store, immediately putting the poor worker behind the counter to freeze in fear. He was already wary when he was just watching them through the window. Logan didn't know what was going to happen to him when they came in, but he was going to find out.
"Welcome!" the incubus nervously greeted. The smile from the demons was reassuring, despite the questionable looks he got from the others as they whispered amoungst themselves.
"Hey, Logan. Your boss around?"
"Yeah. I can go get him, if you want." Logan offered. Sweat was visible on his skin as it collected on his forehead. Noticing this, the menace gave him his chance to escape.
"Go ahead. We might want to talk to him." Alois answered, shooing him off. He noticed the other thanking him silently for the gesture before fleeing, but the menace chose to keep the attention of his tour away from that.
"So, the people who live here all come to this store?" asked Brenda Davis of Canada as she and everyone else looked around curiously.
"It's just your average mom and pop store!" declared Seward with a smile.
"That's basically it." the blonde replied. "It's owned by local supernatural Jeffery Crouch. Big guy. He's actually a mix between two supernaturals, an elf and a cynocephallus."
"So, supernatural beings can own stores here?"
"Of course! They can start up their own businesses all they want." stated the menace with growing enthusiasm. "All they have to do is go to the Town Welfare Center across the street, arrange a meeting with HELLSING's Supernatural Relations Department, and go through the steps with them."
As soon as he said that, the large man known as "Jeffrey Crouch" stepped through the door leading into the employee's only section of the building. He had to turn sideways in order to fit through the door due to his large shoulders. It was amazing that his clothes managed to fit him, with his size. With pointed ears, a hairy body, and large fang-like teeth protruding from his bottom jaw, he was quite the intimidating sight, bit his demeanor was that of an ordinary person.
"Good to see you, Mister Lion!" he greeted. "These the folks you said you'd be bringin' by?"
"Yep!" Alois answered before turning to the others. "This is Jeffery Crouch. His wife actually works at the front desk of the Center I was just telling you all about."
"Yep."
"I was just telling them that there's a process to start up your own business in Gehenna. Can you tell us some of the things that you need to do?"
"Phew! Well, it can take a while, I hear." Jeffrey began, placing his large hands on his hips. "It didn't take as long for me, since I was one of the first people in line. You have to get a loan from HELLSING, first of all. Most of us can't afford it on our own, unless you're the guy up the street who owns the clothes store. That means that we gotta explain how our business will benefit the community so they'll give us the OK. We needed a store for essential things we need, so there was no question about it. Super easy. It made me nervous at first, since nobody did it before, but now I think I wouldn't be if I had to do it again."
"Your store is really impressive." Margret chimed in, earning a bashful "Thank you" from the shop owner. Once she spoke up, there were more questions.
"Did you get that shirt from the clothing store you were talking about?" asked Mateo Romo-Blas of OIBPSSI.
"Yes. The place is called 'Andrea's'. It's great. I finally have clothes that fit."
"What's your most popular item?" asked Karl Struming of Germany.
"Well… Aside form necessities like food and toiletries, I'd say it's uh… What's the title of that book? The one by Sullivan and Ramirez?" pondered the large supernatural while scratching his head.
"Which one? The werewolf one or the vampire one?" asked Alois.
"The vampire one."
"Oh, 'The Vampire's Guide To Living'." the blonde answered.
"That's it!" Jeffery declared with a snap of his fingers. "That book sells REALLY well. There's not a vampire in Gehenna without at least one copy, and they're not the only ones who buy it."
"What's that?" questioned a member of the group, asking what everyone else was wondering.
"It's a book that has knowledge on vampires in it, that's written as kind of a 'how to' book for new vampires to live as vampires." spoke Ciel before pausing. "Many come in here lost, knowing nothing about their bodies or about being a supernatural in general. HELLSING research went into that book to explain things as well as any consequence. It's written with the public in mind."
"Where are these books?" inquired Margaret.
"Over there." pointed Jefferey.
"I want one. Do you accept pounds?"
"We sure do." chuckled the large man, looking down at the old woman with a smile.
The woman couldn't be stopped as she made her way to the book section and brought both the book on vampires and the book on werewolves to the register. Jefferey took the liberty of checking her out since Logan was still cowering in the back. Meanwhile, the others had followed her lead and decided that it was indeed a good idea to purchase this information if only to understand what they're up against. Those of the HELLSING organization simply watched and waited, despite being surpised by this sequence of events. Still, they were not going to complain. At least they were learning and taking interest.
When that was done, all of them crossed the street into the Gehenna Town Welfare Center. They were impressed with how professional it looked on the inside. It was the same as any building one might find outside of Gehenna! There were two women who worked at the front desk, and people waiting on couches when the group walked in, looking up and shifting uncomfortably when they saw the humans. The group was able to witness one being called by the front desk as another supernatural walked out of the hallway connected to the entrance way prompting the person to take their place.
The humans started asking questions about what had just occurred, immediately turning to Alois as an explanation. As the trip progressed, his confidence grew, and he was able to answer them with certainty. He explained to them that the supernaturals here were looking to meet with a representative who would assist them in contacting the Supernatural Relations Department, as well as plenty of other services. They would come here in search of work, and they would be put in contact with a potential employer, as well. Alois said that this was most likely the case with the last person, as they came out with papers. It was most likely a job application.
As he continued, the menace discussed another thing that people were looking for and was currently a major problem in acquiring. It was housing. Everywhere was full, but there were still new residents coming in. The demon told his audience about the Phantom House in London, which served as a temporary residence for those who were waiting on housing, going into detail about how there were only a limited number of rooms there as well.
That is why they needed to expand. HELLSING was currently seeking funds for a project that they had already begun planning on. They were going to repair and renovate an old facility approximately two miles away to be another supernatural town, as those who were here had no place. Construction was anticipated to begin in late spring, but there was a lot of work to do. Alois briefly touched on this subject in hopes that those listening would express interest and to his luck, they did!
"That will be explained and discussed in further detail at HELLSING Headquarters." chimed in Integra, saving the menace from being invited to provide details that he simply didn't have.
Thus, they moved on. Progress was being made as the group seemed to be slowly coming around to the idea of this place. Very slowly. It was happening, at least. They moved down the street and on to their next destination.
A/N: I literally could not think of a name for this chapter. Thus, this is what you are getting.
Anyways, more of this general nonsense in the next chapter.
The day of despair approacheth and I wish to create as much as possible...
In other words, school starts Monday, and my soul is not prepared.
I seem to be favouring the American leader the most thus far... I'm sorry for that. She's been around the longest, so I know about her character the most. More on the others soon...
Fun fact: Takamichi Hachioji is named after Takamichi Hachioji from this manga called "Jiu Jiu" that I like and own all five volumes of. Not the same person, though, even though they're both heads of a supernatural-hunting clan. That's where the similarities stop...
Aaaaahhh... There was more I wanted to say... I can't remember what it was, though... It was one of those things that I remembered after posting LAST chapter, and then thought "Oh, I'll just do it next time".
And here we are...
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
CHARACTER SHET
Question: "question for Luka: will you try out Pokemon Go when it comes out? do you have a phone of your own to play it on or would u have to borrow someone's? who's would u ask to borrow?" by animegeek00
Luka: "I don't have a phone that can do that, I don't think. It's for emergencies. I just got it. I think my brother would let me borrow his if I asked, though."
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Question: "Question for Kris: How are things with Logan?" by Guest
Kristopherson: "Fine. Fine. *cough cough* We've been doing alright. Nothing new to report."
