Disclaimer: All of Hellsing and its characters are copyright to Kouta Hirano. Any original characters belong to the author of this fanfiction.
HELLSING
EREBUS
Here standeth the Bird of Hermes,
Eating my own wings to make me tame...
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The Devil's Kiss
Tuesday Early-Morning, January 6, 2032, Ship—Day 5...
"You must be joking!"
Alucard opened his rose-coloured eyes upon Van's outburst. The hunter had just explained to the Count of his findings. Alexandra stared between the two vampires. Van made the suggestion that they nip the problem in the bud right now before more victims are taken, but according to Alucard, it wasn't a good idea at the moment. Patiently, Alucard just stared at the young Dracul. Yes, being as young as he is, even at nearly two-hundred years old, no doubt he wanted rush into attack. In his long life, he still had yet to master some self-control.
"Alucard, if we allow this problem to persist, more lives may be taken by the time we do strike!"
"Patience, Bat Boy," the old vampire half-soothed. "Rushing headlong into battle is unwise."
Van's brow twitched as he pointed at the vampire accusingly. "That's easy for you to say! You can do all the rushing in you want and come out of a fight unscathed!"
"Think about where we are." Van stopped, going silent. "We're in the middle of the ocean. If a battle were to take place, the ship will undoubtedly become damaged and result in the sinking of this vessel." Van's eyes widened, then his face sobered in defeat while Alucard raised an index finger to make a point. "Our strength is drawn away by the waves of the sea. To maintain our strength, we require extra sustenance. Meanwhile, the enemy on board has fed on a fresh source. If this vampire is capable of hiding themselves from us, then it's without a doubt that they are quite strong."
"So, what you're saying is that we need a plan first."
Alucard grinned. "Very good."
Van sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed when Alex moved her feet, wrapping her arms around her blanket covered legs. "You guys might need me to come along," she said.
"No," said the Count with some finality, surprising her.
"But what if this vampire has that mirror-tech?! You guys can't see them then!" she argued.
Van looked up at Alucard. "She may be right. They'll have an advantage over us if that's the case."
Alucard turned his eyes towards the young woman. "You're not to leave the protection of this room."
"Protection?!" she shrilled in disbelief. "How is a couple of walls and a door I could probably kick in going to protect me from a powerful vampire?! Are you senile or something?!
Alucard smirked. "Trust me." And like that, she felt her annoyance flutter away, which somehow made her more irritated he could do that to her, but she fell silent regardless. Damn him and her own contradicting feelings. "Alexandra, you can defend yourself to some extent, but you're not ready to take on vampires of this level."
"I shot you in the head, didn't I?"
He chuckled. "That you did. However, elder vampires are incapable of being killed that way, as you have already witnessed." Alex went to argue another point, but he cut her off, "Van is the exception because he drank my blood. It's the only reason he's still alive at this moment." Once again, Alex shut her trap. "It will put me at ease to know you're safe."
She looked up at him, seeing the soft expression he held for her, and she couldn't help but melt a little. Sighing in defeat, she said with some disappointment, "Alright, I'll stay here."
Satisfied with that, Alucard and Van left the room to let her sleep, going into Van's cabin to discuss the details of their strategy. Lying there in the dark, Alex stared at small window, dim rays of moonlight shining through the glass. She felt a little angry. All she wanted to do was help, not remain in Damsel-in-Distress Mode. During the battle in that snowstorm, she actually felt useful. The adrenaline that pumped through her that night gave her such a rush. It even felt good to be able to taunt the enemy the way she did. It brought back what Lamarr had said to her the other day. There was some truth to what he said. Maybe she did get a kick out of standing on that line. Maybe that was why she was eager to get back into another fight. When would she be allowed to fight? Was this how Alucard felt whenever he was bored? Was this why he was always overjoyed with the promise of battle?
Sighing, she closed her eyes. "Stop thinking about it, stupid. Just go to sleep, Alex. Alucard is only doing what's best for you so you aren't tortured and harvested for your blood." After a moment, the girl turned over in bed to stare at the rose. He said to trust him, so I will.
Tuesday Morning, January 6, 2032, Ship—Day 5...
There was a disquiet atmosphere in the mess hall as Alex walked in with Van half past ten. The two guys Van had listened in on last night was there, giving the vampire short glances. Both he and Alex noticed this, but said nothing. It wasn't a surprise that the crew members would be a little anxious towards strangers on their ship, particularly when their coworkers gradually went missing with no explanation. He sat at the table while the girl went into the kitchen to grab something to eat. There were a few others in the room, but Shamus was just walking in.
"Any luck?" the mechanic asked. The others shook their heads, evoking a curse out of the blonde. "Dammit."
Van turned to him. "What's going on?"
"A few more guys went missing last night," he explained. "I'm getting real sick of this shit."
"How many now?"
"Including the other five, it's about eleven people so far."
As Shamus went to into the kitchen, Van sensed a dozen eyes directed right at himself. The vampire resisted the urge to challenge them with his own gaze, as was his dark instinct. Instead, he stared back at them blankly, neither dominating nor submissive. Shamus didn't seem to notice the odd exchange as he walked in with an apple, taking a seat. Alex soon joined with a bowl of sugary cereal. The Dracul stared at it, cringing a little at the amount of marshmallows and granulated sugar sprinkled throughout.
"With your physical regime, I don't think that should be part of your diet. It's not healthy," he pointed out.
"Buzz off. I'll eat whatever the hell I want." Defiantly, she stuffed her mouth with a large spoonful of cereal and sugar, her cheeks puffing out a little, chewing with difficulty. After a full minute or so, she finally swallowed, grinning innocently at the hunter.
Eyes half-lidded, being unimpressed by her childishness, he replied, "You're going to rot your teeth out."
She snorted. "Oh, get off my back. It's just one bowl of cereal."
"That's still a bit much in terms of sugar." Alex ignored him, crunching on another spoonful. The tension he felt still hadn't left, and Van turned his gaze to those still staring at him. "Is there a particular reason you all feel the need to watch me?" He already knew the answer, but not asking would just feed more suspicion.
Alex paused in her chewing. The first guy Van had heard spoke last night put down his coffee, a half-accusatory gaze directed at him. "We just find it all strange that people have been going missing on this boat since you three showed up."
Calmly, he asked, "And what is that supposed to mean?" Again, he already knew.
Shamus frowned at his coworker. "Hey, c'mon Bradley. We shouldn't be pointing fingers at anybody."
Bradley snorted. "No? You said it yourself, Shamus. Those guys freak you out a little bit. They freak us all out. They look weird."
Alex put down her spoon, half-glaring at the sailor. "So you're saying that your suspicions is based on appearances?"
"Alex," Van began, but Alex wouldn't have it.
"No, no," she said, shaking her head. "I want to hear what this guy has to say about you and Bram." Brown pools, lit with a simmering fury, turned back to Bradley. "Well? I'm waiting."
He stared back at her, looking threatened as he was challenged by a woman. "Listen here, girly, my opinion is my own business."
"Your opinion becomes my business when you decide to accuse my friends of having anything to do with your coworkers' disappearances," she shot back coldly. "From my understanding, you believe that just because Van and Bram have a strange appearance, you have the right to assume that they're responsible for what's happening?"
Van placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. When she finally looked at him, he shook his head. Moved as he was by her need to defend her comrades, it was unnecessary and fruitless. After a moment, she fell silent, looking down at her cereal. Everyone else was quiet, but Bradley didn't seem the least bit convinced by Van's innocence. With a grunt, he shoved back his chair and left, coffee forgotten. The atmosphere had grown uncomfortable, and even Alex lost her appetite, pushing away the bowl. Things have gotten complicated rather quickly, and with people suspecting both Van and Alucard, she could only imagine that they might have a difficult time covering up the vampire issue. Hellsing was known for dealing with the supernatural and keeping any information about it on the down low. The world had to be ignorant, or chaos might ensue.
Van followed as she stood up, leaving the room. When they were out of earshot, he spoke quietly, "You didn't have to do that, Alex."
"Oh, I think I did," she replied bitterly. "That guy was being an asshole."
"We're used to such treatment," he said. "It's just a minor downside to being what we are."
The girl frowned sadly. "It must be lonely."
He sighed as he confessed, "It can be."
Tuesday Afternoon, January 6, 2032, Ship—Day 5...
As they had decided earlier this morning, Alucard and Van intended on going into the cargo hold before sunset. Because it was the middle of winter, the nights were longer, which meant that a vampire's strength lasted for a longer period of time. Together, they stood before the now locked door which had only been open yesterday. There was a card reader and code lock on the door, and Van had to take out his PDA to hack into the thing. One swipe, numbers speedily ran across the screen. When they stopped, he swiped again before punching in the code. The light turned green, a click being heard as the door opened.
"You could have easily slipped inside," Van commented.
The older vampire just grinned. "This coming from a Dracul who has yet to learn elementary abilities belonging to a vampire. I've yet to see you take the form of mist, or a bat. Even Seras took the time in the last thirty years to master these things without my guidance."
Van watched as Alucard stepped inside the room, following him in. "It's not that I don't know, it's just that I choose not to use powers that are of no use against other vampires."
Intrigued, Alucard turned to the hunter. "So you have mastered these things."
"I wouldn't say that. Mist, fine, bat, no problem. What I do have issues with is going through solid walls and defying gravity."
"It's probably because you still think like a human."
For a moment, he said nothing. He walked ahead, standing on the ledge to stare at the lower level. "Is it really so wrong to feel an attachment to humanity?"
Alucard didn't say anything as the hunter jumped down. A second later, he followed, the two of them looking around. There were many steel containers about the room—about a dozen—but which was the one they sought? They separated to cover more ground, placing their hands on each container to feel out the inside. Every single container felt strange, and the vampires looked at each other with equal puzzlement. The thirteenth container was approached last, and they both gave pause as their hands lingered on the doors.
"I thought the others felt strange, but this...this feels oddly empty," said Van, brows furrowing in confusion.
"Indeed."
A hand buried itself beneath Alucard's coat as he took out the Casull. Van quickly stepped back just before the Count aimed at the large lock, shooting it off. Tearing off the destroyed lock, Van opened the door, and there were two large elongated objects. Silver eyes widened as Van realized the objects were actually coffins. Both were made of wood and stylishly made compared to Alucard's. One was a dark red trimmed with gold, the other was jet black, also trimmed in gold. On the black one's lid was a carving of a dragon's head with an eye shaped ruby embedded in the centre of its forehead. Alucard's eyes narrowed upon the image.
"Two of them?!" Van exclaimed. "Dammit, no wonder so many people had gone missing."
"One could have easily eaten that many in one night," said Alucard, still staring at the black coffin.
They both stepped forward with the intention of opening them, Alucard's Casull and Van's shotgun at the ready. With a strong pull, they nearly tore off the lids as they were opened, only to find them empty. There was a womanly giggle, Van's head shooting up as he stared out of the container. Alucard barely glanced in the same direction without moving his head, seeing a woman of fiery red hair. No longer was the vampire's power being hidden from either of them as Laura stood there with an overly pleasant smile on her features.
"Good evening," she greeted.
Van growled, "You."
"Why so surprised, dear Van? Are you not happy to see your master?"
"Ecstatic," he replied dryly. "I'm so happy, that I could blow your head off again."
She giggled, even covering her mouth as she did so, much like a child would. "Oh, you amuse me, child."
The two hunters exited from the container before Van trained his firearm upon the woman, pupils going into cat-like slits. "Who's accompanying you?"
She smirked before looking over her shoulder. Footsteps could be heard as a hooded figure stepped out of the darkness as Van's eyes widened some. Elijah stood there with no emotion in his features. Now that his younger brother was in front of him again, Van wasn't sure what to do. Yes, he had resolved long ago that if it came to it, he would kill him, but he hesitated. The vampire swallowed as indecision kept him from making the first move.
"Elijah," he breathed shakily. "Why are you here?"
"To capture Alexandra Rows," his brother responded simply.
"You know what I mean! Why are you with this woman?! She killed our family and turned us into vampires! Did she force you into this?!"
"Big brother," Elijah began monotonously, "you already know I am here of my own free will." Van ground his teeth together, his hand trembling ever so slightly. "As for our family, they held no meaning for me. When I met the woman who became our master, I knew she could free me from the shackles of humanity. Only by embracing death, do you truly live."
"Why?" Van asked with some grief. "Why would you willingly give up your humanity? Why would you give up your family? Your life?!"
Elijah stared at him blankly. "There is no purpose in being human."
Van looked at his younger brother in disbelief before Alucard stepped forward, a slight smirk curling his lips. "You're a foolish boy, aren't you?" Elijah glanced at the Count. "So, like so many others before you, you couldn't bear the weight of being so weak." The corners of his mouth went up some more, baring his teeth in a grin. "Do you believe yourself immortal? One would think that vampires would have learned by now that there is no such thing. I'm starting to get tired of reminding each vampire before I destroy them."
Laura chuckled. "Yes, it would be tiresome for the No-Life King, the first vampire. Tell me, your majesty," she began, Alucard's eyes turning towards her, "where do you think you draw your power from?" The Count didn't even twitch, but she knew he had his full attention. Perfect. "How easily it was given to you. I imagine it would be just as simple to have it taken away." His eyes narrowed some. "Do you long for death, Prince? Would you like to finally rest in peace? Gabriel has that power."
He scoffed with amusement. "As I keep telling people, it takes a human to kill a monster."
Meanwhile, Alex sat anxiously in Alucard's room. Multiple times, she has made attempts to continue her reading, but she kept reading over the same sentence. Giving up, she threw the book at the wall, annoyed that she had been left behind. Beside the bed was the half-burnt steel case that held her twin revolvers. Legs swung over the edge of the bed as she bent down to pick up the case, opening it on her lap. They shone in the pale light of the dying sun as night approached. Her foot slid backwards as she lightly kicked Alucard's coffin which lied under the bed, making her focus on what he had told her.
"I know he told me to trust him, but I'm tired of people telling me I can't do anything." She sighed, picking up the guns, filling the chambers. "I'm not helpless," she said quietly.
The guns were placed back in the case and she left it open as she put it on the bed. Getting up, the girl began to pace the room back and forth as her hands wrung together. Alucard had asked too much of her. She couldn't stay and wait in this room while there was an enemy vampire on board. Whether or not they worked for Gabriel was yet to be seen, but who else would have arranged to come aboard. It's already been established that Gabriel was clever, so this just seemed to have his name written all over it. Did he know where she went at all times? Did he have spies watching their every move? No, Alucard or Van would have sensed them if there were.
Scowling, she decided out loud, "Oh, to hell with Alucard! He can yell at me later!"
With that, she grabbed her peacoat, putting it on, then taking out the revolvers, placing them in the pockets. The coat restricted her movements a little, but she needed the pockets for her guns. Making a mental note to have someone provide her with some kind of holster later on, she left the room, heading for the cargo hold.
A voice resonated eerily through the corridors and off the walls, "Alexandra..."
She froze, looking around. "Hello?"
The moment Alex had stepped out of the room, there was a sense of being watched, and instantly she regretted leaving the room. Should she go back? After a moment of consideration, and though she knew it was stupid, she decided not to return. Just ignore the voices, she told herself, and head for your original destination. Though she chanted that in her head, her feet couldn't move in the direction she wanted to go. Even if she had wanted to go back to Alucard's cabin, something kept her from moving anywhere. She just stood there, rooted to the spot. Even though it was a disconcerting situation, all she felt was calm.
"Alexandra...come to me."
Of their own accord, her feet began to move after a slight trembling. Even as Alex tried to fight it, her mind grew more hazy as she struggled. Eventually she stopped fighting, having forgotten what she was doing. All she knew was that she needed to go somewhere. Follow the voice, her mind said. Like before, her footsteps sounded louder in her daze. For many moments, she walked until she came to a steel door. Slowly, a hand rose to open it, but the lever moved upward, unlocking it and swung open, slightly ajar before she could touch the door.
The girl pushed it further before stepping inside. It was dark inside, but she could see the pistons moving up and down, rotate clockwise and counter, steam rising from vents and water gushing through clear pipes. She descended the grated steps, even as the door closed behind her and locked on its own. As she looked ahead, the smell of copper reached her nose, that and death, snapping her briefly out of her trance. Alex looked around in confusion, eyes wide as she did. How in the hell did she get here? Tiny fluorescent lights on the grated floor began to flicker to life until she spotted a red figure ahead of her.
"Alucard?"
The vampire stood there with his back to her, not responding to her call. Her eyes travelled to his feet, gasping at the sight of a couple of bodies, mangled and drained. Something flashed before her eyes, blinding her for a moment. As her eyes opened again, she no longer stood in the industrial room, but on a battlefield littered with bloodied corpses, arrows, spears and swords sticking out of them. There was a trembling in her body as she looked around, the smell and sight overwhelming. The billowing of fabric caught her attention and Alex turned to a figure standing tall on a hill several feet away from her. The dark knight, she recalled. As it was usual, his face was obscured by shadows, only his blue eyes visible to her, walls of flames surrounding both of them.
"Who are you?" she breathed out.
For a moment, he said nothing. Slowly, his armoured hand reached out for her. "Katarina...come to me."
That name again. Did it belong to the woman who had Alex's face? Did this man believe she was his loved one? "I'm not her," she said softly, but inside, she didn't believe those words. "I'm not her..."
There was an ache in her chest and she gripped at her heart, shutting her eyes tightly. When she opened them again, she looked up to see Alucard facing her, a soft smile on his face. Though she had seen a similar expression on him before, this particular face didn't seem right to her. However, the moment she looked into his eyes, not the soft crimson she had come to know, but a hellish fire, she lost all sense of the world, focusing on nothing but him.
A white gloved hand rose, reaching out for her to take it. Again, her feet moved on their own as she slowly made her way towards him, her own hand rising up. Fingers slid over his, before his hand closed over them gently, his other arm wrapping around her middle and pulling her close. Though he was cold, as she was used to, there was no sense of familiarity to her. However, there wasn't time to think on that as he lifted her chin, the vampire smiling down at her before he descended, his black hair curtaining around her head. Eyes widened as his chilled lips closed over hers, a feeling of headiness taking over her mind until there was nothing but fog. Overtaken by his spell, her eyelids closed halfway as he deepened it for a moment.
The vampire released her mouth, grinning at her dazed state, the girl staring up at him with sleepy confusion. He leaned down again, moving for her neck as her head fell back to give him better access. Alex stared into space as his lips moved delicately across the skin, a shiver running through her. Elevating his head for a moment, his mouth opened wide, a row of jagged teeth as a hungry breath hissed from his throat. Feeling his breath on her skin, there was a sudden feeling of panic as something deep within her soul screamed for her to wake.
As the monstrous mouth lunged for her throat, gunfire rang out, a spray of blood splattering over the ground and bodies. Alex fell back, half covered in blood, Apollo in her right hand, the muzzle of the gun steaming. She looked up at the still standing vampire with wide eyes, half his face blown off, sizzling and bleeding. She just half-lied on the ground, gasping as his one eye turned to her, and his mangled mouth curled into an ugly grin. Standing straight, shoulders began to shake with his gradual laughter, his whole body soon quaking with his cackles. After a couple of minutes of that terrible laughter, a whitish substance began to seep out as his face regenerated. Belatedly realizing what was happening, Alex aimed towards his heart, firing, but he dodged as a black and red blur.
Her eyes widened as he spoke to her with a voice that did not belong to Alucard, "Guns won't work on me, Alexandra."
Gritting her teeth, she quickly moved to her feet, firing again, but like before, he dodged, hands behind his back in a casual manner. Quick bastard, she thought. "Who the hell are you?"
He smiled, his scarlet orbs shining before they changed to an electric blue. It was odd seeing the colour on someone who had taken Alucard's appearance. "We have met, but only once before, though, not face to face." He chuckled at her blank expression before his appearance changed right before her eyes, the ship's captain, Lamarr, standing before her. "Come now, princess, surely you've figured it out by now."
Eyes narrowed. There was no way Lamarr was the vampire. Vampires were created from virgins, so this had to be another false appearance. Van had said it himself to both her and Alucard that Lamarr had been paranoid about something. The vampire had to be very powerful to shape-shift, so the longer she thought about it, the more her eyes widened, her mouth falling open in terrified shock. He seemed pleased with her realization, his electric orbs glowing more fiercely.
Back in the cargo hold, Van still had his gun trained on Laura while staring at Elijah, a deep turmoil within him. Alucard grinned, pulling out his Casull, aiming over his arm at the Draculina. There was a quietness in the room as Laura just smiled at the pair of them. Her expression changed into that of a frown as her emerald pools moved from Alucard to Van before it became that of disapproval.
"I see. The great and powerful king gave my own servant his blood. I can smell the blood flowing through him." Neither hunter responded. "Were you hoping that the blood of the No-Life King would break the bond between us, dear Van?"
"A fantastic hope, but no," he said quietly. "The day I truly become free of you is when you have been slain."
"Oh," she breathed. "How you wound me, child. Are you still upset that I've taken the lives of your parents and their unborn child?" She arched a brow with a malicious smirk. "Or is it because your brother chose me over you? I can be yours as well, Van. You only have to be loyal to me."
Van growled, her smile faltering. Sighing, she removed her black gloves, and with a sharpened talon, she cut across the palm of her left hand, curling the fingers into a fist and holding it up, tiny drops of blood dripping. Van's pupils sharpened then dilated, silver turning red as he his instincts forced him to watch the red substance, a beastly hunger making his fangs to elongate and ache.
The woman chuckled at his reaction. "You want this, don't you? You did say you wanted to be free of me. Would you like to drink my blood and become a vampire of your own right?"
His eyes narrowed. "Stop it."
Opening her palm, she slowly licked away the blood, cleaning her hand until she sucked her finger of the last drop. "You're have no right as you are to be giving me demands. Without my blood, a slave is all you will ever be."
The two hunters just stared at the woman, guns aiming for her head. Van swallowed hard, getting over that instinctual hunger for her blood. If they weren't careful, they might damage the ship and cause it to sink just as Alucard had warned. There was a violent atmosphere in the room while the two older vampires grinned and the Drake brothers stared each other down. Before a move could be made, Alucard sensed something off, and his mind kept wandering back to the two coffins in the container. The Count looked at Van's brother for a moment before Alexandra's sense of fear had suddenly cut into his consciousness, his eyes widening.
"You two aren't alone," he realized with a growl.
Van looked at Alucard, bewildered, from the corner of his eye. "What?!"
"They were just a distraction!" he explained. "What have you done?!"
Laura laughed. "Better hurry, Count. She might no longer be under your protection." With another growl, Alucard disappeared, leaving the other three vampires alone with each other. She turned to Van with a predatory gleam in her eyes. "Looks like he left the party." Van glared at her.
Alex ran to the door, trying to pull up the lever that had locked it, but it would not budge. The creature that had taken Lamarr's appearance stalked towards her with purpose, an evil little smile on his lips. As he ascended the stairs, she turned around with both guns, barely giving him any pause. Even after considering the weapons for a moment, he continued to approach. Letting loose, she yelled out as she squeezed each trigger one by one. Each bullet blew a large hole in him, causing him to take a step back until she ran out of bullets. She trembled as he just stood there and chuckled, a bright white substance, similar to Alucard's shadows, appeared, weaving the vampire's wounds back together.
Panicking, she searched her pockets for more bullets, but realized she had left the rest back in her room. Cursing, she looked up just as he had completely healed his wounds, a toothy grin on his face. Now she really had something to panic about. As he stepped closer, she swung out with her guns still being held with the intent of using them as blunt objects. He easily dodged them, moving back and side to side. Then his arms were a blur as he caught her wrists, pushing her backwards in an instant, slamming her hard against the door, the lock mechanism digging painfully into her back as she let out a sharp gasp. Barely recovering, she glared at the vampire, swinging her leg up to kick his ribs.
He caught her leg, holding it firmly while he had both wrists held in his other hand above her head. He leaned in close, smirking. "You make this entirely too easy."
"Allow me to increase the difficulty," came a growl, as a silver barrel was pressed against the vampire's temple.
A loud bang echoed inside the large room as the vampire's entire head was blown off, his body flying sideways from the force of the gunfire. Alex watched it happen, as if it was in slow-motion, before the body landed with a thud. Turning to the source, she saw Alucard standing there, the muzzle smoking as his eyes glowed fiercely. Before either of them said anything, the body twitched as white tendrils began piecing together the head, half regenerated by the time he stood back up, his one blue eye staring at the vampire with a grin that rivalled Alucard's, who looked just as overjoyed, his sharp teeth bared in a smile.
"Welcome Count. It's so nice to finally meet you."
A/N: Has Alucard finally met his match?! How will this all turn out?! Find out next chapter, or the next. Probably going to make the next chapter really long, so it might take me a few days to post it.
Other than that, I don't really have anything to say. So, please leave a review, your thoughts, and any questions. Oh, and some birthday wishes wouldn't hurt since I turn 24 on August 28. My birthday is gonna suck. Ah well. Anyway, thanks for reading, favouriting, following!