In a rare moment of excitement, Sebastian couldn't stop smiling. He was just given his first solo mission in quite some time. Oh, how he missed the old days where his master would send him off to do this and that, but now that the boy was now a man and much more independent, there was an insistence by the Watchdog that he would do things himself. In reality, if would be easier to send the butler, who would most likely get the tasks done faster as well.
Granted, the man did need a bit of guidance before he was able to set off on his mission. Both Phantomhives stopped him, informing him that his uniform wasn't exactly "inconspicuous" and may lead to people feeling less inclined to talk about what they have seen. It worked one hundred years ago, but time changes and so does fashion. He looked peculiar when he went out and the group spent quite some time trying to round up something that would help the man blend in. One can imagine their surprise when they found that his wardrobe consisted of almost entirely the same outfit over and over again, leading the butler to explain that he didn't wear the same same exact uniform everyday. It would have been unsanitary.
When he finally did leave, he still stood out a bit, but in a more positive way. It was impossible to make Sebastian stop looking like an extraordinarily pretty man, so they did what they could. Still, he did have a bag with alternative disguises in case looking like a model wasn't doing it for somebody.
Immediately, Sebastian set off to start talking to the locals in the surrounding towns and villages about what they have seen. He didn't feel the need to talk to the Manchester branch at HELLSING, nor was he instructed to. In fact, no one had informed them of his arrival at all, as the Phantomhives weren't instructed to investigate by headquarters and Integra was unaware that they were sending anyone. That just added to the fun, in Sebastian's book. He was more than happy to harass silly humans who didn't know what they were doing, even if they didn't really deserve it. The butler has always been mean like that.
He came through the village like a storm, seeming to either not know anything about subtlety or just lacking the ability to care. Heads turned as the pitch-black Rolls Royce Phantom drove down the street, somewhat stroking his ego a bit as he was immensely proud of the vehicle. When he stepped out of the car, people whispered, but not for long as he approached someone and took out his badge.
"Good afternoon." the man began, prompting a nervous return of greeting from the young woman he was addressing. "I know that this is a little unorthodox, but I'm wondering if anyone around here can tell me anything about the mysterious deaths going on around here, lately."
His smile was so charming, that any rational thought of the possibility that he may not be who he says he is was ignored. As a demon, it was the most useful tool in his arsenal. It almost always got results from both men and women alike.
"Well..." the woman began while her friends simply stared. "There's talk that there might be a monster on the loose, but I don't think it's true."
"A monster? What kind?"
"It's like a bat or something." one of the others piped up. "The bloke behind the counter at the pound shop says he's seen it."
"He was probably sloshed or on something."
"Nah, the most he does is smoke a fag here and there."
"Does he have a name?" asked the man clad in black, taking out a memopad.
"It's 'Benny' or something, isn't it?" pondered one of the women, looking to her friend.
"Something like that..." said the other to Sebastian. "I'm sorry, I wish we could help you out more."
"You've done plenty." the butler replied with a smile. With that, he began to walk away. "Thank you for your help."
"Wait, sir?!" called out one of the women. "What are you looking for?" It was of no use. Sebastian promptly ignored her before setting off.
He very quickly located the shop in question. As the butler to a prestigious, noble family, he seldom had the need to walk into a store that sold everything for a pound. His master's tastes would not allow it and neither would his own snootiness. Which one was more prominent at this time is up for speculation, but for now, Sebastian was focused on the peculiar man standing out front of the store with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He was tall, skinny, and had bags under his eyes and piercings in his ears. The most important thing to note, however, was the fact that he was wearing a uniform with the logo of the shop on it.
"Hello." Sebastian greeted while walking up to the man. "I'm looking for someone who goes by 'Benny' who works here?"
"You're talkin' to him." the other man replied, exhaling smoke. "What'dya want? You're not trying to collect money, are you?"
"No, I'm… not?"
"Figured. You're too posh-lookin' to be affiliated with anybody I owe money to. Unless my landlord has stepped up his game, which is unlikely."
"I'm looking for people who have reported seeing a strange creature around here." the demon stated, getting right to the point. "A couple of people have pointed me in your direction. They said you saw it."
Scrunching his eyebrow, Benny looked the butler up and down one more time with a concerned look. "The hell you need to know about that, for?"
"I'm writing a book about the various supernatural creatures that have been sighted in modern day England." Sebastian lied. "Don't worry, I won't use your name if you won't allow it. I heard it looked something like 'a giant bat?'"
"If an interview isn't cited, it brings down your credibility." the shop worker replied, holding his cigarette between his fingers. "Though if you're writing that kind of book, it really doesn't matter. No one will believe it anyway. Guess it's as good a place as any to vent. Yeah. It was a giant bat. Me and my girl saw it down the local lover's lane."
"A favourite place for monsters, it seems..."
"Well, yeah. It's dark, secluded, and there's lots of people who come down there on a regular basis. If I were gonna eat people, that's where I'd go."
Sebastian was somewhat taken aback by this man. He didn't look it, but he actually seemed to be rather clever. "What exactly did you see?"
"Tough to say." Benny replied, pausing to take another drag at his cigarette. "It was dark. I could only see the outline of it. It looked like it had giant bat wings and it was lifting somebody off the ground." It became apparent that he was becoming stressed while recalling the incident. "I could hear somebody screamin'. Then… It just stopped. Then the monster dropped something. We didn't wanna go double check what it was. I kinda wish I did."
"Why's that? If you saw a giant bat-like creature drop a human being from the air, then isn't it the logical course of action to not go near it?" questioned Sebastian, prompting the man to sigh.
"Yeah. I guess you're right. It's more of a pride thing, I guess?" pondered the worker aloud. "I was in Afghanistan, so I figured I should be able to handle that, but I guess I'm not. Makes sense. I'm used to dealing with people, not monsters. They don't train you how to deal with that."
"What's a veteran doing working here?"
"Surviving." Benny said. "I don't really wanna spend the rest of my life here, but not many other places would take me."
Gears started turning in Sebastian's head, but for now, he needed to address the situation at hand. "Is that everything you saw?"
"Yeah. Basically." the other man said, obviously miffed at the apparent lack of interest on the demon's part.
Before parting, the butler thought about what his master or his husband would do, having picked up on this. Those two are much too kind for their own good. Yet, the man couldn't help but acknowledge his faux-pas, and in a rare act of conscience, decided that he should try to correct it.
"Thank you for all of your help. That is all I really needed, but..." the demon trailed off, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a card with a plain looking crest on it. He presented it to Benny in a rather cryptic fashion.
"What is it?"
"Whatever you make of it. Since I was rather rude about your deployment, however, I'll give you a hint: It looks best under a black light." Sebastian informed, failing to pass as an ordinary person in that moment as he suddenly became shrouded in mystery. With that, however, he left Benny there, standing with card in hand. "Good day, to you, sir."
The pound shop worker was left dumbfounded, but curious. Throwing his cigarette on the ground, he stamped it out, mashing it into the pavement as he twisted his ankle. Staring at the card, he placed a hand on the door and pushed it open, walking past the counter and into the aisles.
"Hey, Benny, you gonna pay for that?" one of his coworkers asked as he was seen tearing open a small novelty flashlight with a black light option.
"It's a pound. Of course I am." the man said, taking out the light and quickly turning it on. Lo and behold, when he illuminated the card with it, the shield changed, showing a rook in one corner and the words "We are on a mission from God" in the other. The most important part, however, was the text on the rest of the card.
"Her Royal England Legions of Legitimate Supernatural and Immortal Night Guard; The HELLSING Organization. Join today." it said among other things, including a phone number being listed. Needless to say, it piqued the Benny's interests. Looking up toward the glass door, he could see the same street he had stood on moments before and wondered about just who the man in the black suit was.
A/N: Chapter 420 and not one single marijuana joke. I am ashamed...
I'm feeling a lot better after taking two days off from writing. Usually, what happens is that even on the days I don't update, I'm still writing, little by little.
Also I have many other plots in mind that should be really exciting. Stay tuned~!
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
(For some reason I keep almost writing "dickies" lately. What is up with that?)
