I don't own Hellsing or Harry Potter, and I'm not making any money from this.
The Ministry of Magic was located in a large open area constructed under the heart of London. So far underground that it was below all the subway tunnels and sewer systems. Descending into it required utilizing one of the various methods of entrance the wizards had come up with. Some were as mundane as simply flooing in, while others were downright nasty - such as flushing yourself in through certain toilets in a specified public loo in the city. Integra and Syn didn't intend on using such a horrible means of transportation. They decided the simplest and most sanitary method of entry was a telephone booth located on one of the side streets that kept it somewhat hidden from the main traffic areas.
"I don't suppose they could have come up with a less dramatic way of getting in?" Integra commented as they both stepped inside the booth. It was a tight squeeze, but they managed.
The redhead made a face and readjusted her briefcase. "These people are all about being dramatic. I think it would kill them to do something simple."
Since neither of them had ever attempted to get into the Ministry of Magic before, Kingsley Shacklebolt had given them very specific instructions on how to use the booth. One had to lift the receiver of the phone, press a particular combination of numbers, and the interior of the booth would descend through the ground like an elevator. After making their way down a long, concrete shaft it opened up into a large room full of people coming and going about their business. It would have looked like a courtyard if it weren't underground. There were facades of buildings and a large fountain in the middle with cobblestone paths winding their way around it. Once the telephone booth came to a halt on the floor, Integra pushed the door open and the two women stepped out.
To meet the Minister, they had to go to a building situated behind and to the right of the massive fountain. It became clear the moment they began walking down the paths that everyone who saw them knew who they were. To be more accurate, they knew who Syn was. Nahuals were distinctive looking, so they were impossible to miss. Even with them being so extraordinarily rare, they were almost always born into the Newsom family. There were few other lines of humans could claim the distinction – or curse, as the wizarding world saw it – of being one or being related to one. The people who saw them moved out of their way to give them a wide berth. It was at times like this that Syn actually didn't mind her family's forced exile from the magical world. It was incredibly annoying to be surrounded by masses of people who feared you for no reason.
They knew they had reached the appropriate building when they saw Shacklebolt waiting for them just inside the door. Apparently, he would be the one to lead them the rest of the way. It was a good thing too, because everything about the way the Ministry was arranged was horribly confusing and beyond any sort of logical understanding. The elevator that would take them to the conference room where the meeting would be held moved not only up and down, but back and forth and side to side as well. How on earth was anyone supposed to know where they were going in this mess?
When the elevator finally came to a stop, a disembodied female voice announced they had reached the Department of Mysteries. An unusual name for a governmental department if there ever was one. There were two men in black robes waiting for them just beyond the elevator doors. When they stepped out, the wizards immediately held up their hands for them to stop. They both looked directly at Syn. It was clear from the looks on their faces they didn't approve of her presence there.
"By order of the Minister for Magic, you are required to relinquish your wand before proceeding any further." The dark haired one announced formally.
Syn's eyes narrowed. She really wanted to give these people a good talking to, but held herself back. She couldn't risk making things more difficult for Integra. She cleared her throat.
"I don't carry a wand." she told them.
The two men exchanged a look, as if they couldn't fathom the idea of someone who used magic going without one. They obviously didn't believe her. The lighter haired of the two looked her over.
"You will step forward for a search."
Integra looked like she was beginning to get pissed off, but Syn gave her a silent nod to indicate she would consent to it. It was the only way to get past the two guards. She was asked to remove her jacket and hand over her briefcase so one of them could search them by hand, while the other ran his wand over her almost like a hand held metal detector. Everything they did came up clean.
"You are required to wear a restrictive collar during your meeting with the Minister." the dark haired one said. "It will be removed by a ministry official before you leave."
The redhead gave them both a hard look, then pulled her hair up for them to place the collar around her neck. It was two pieces of metal which magically welded themselves together once properly placed. They both paused noticeably when they saw her ear that was half missing and the vicious looking scars crisscrossing her neck and shoulders Once everything was done and they were assured of their 'safety', the two men returned her belongings and finally let them pass.
The conference room itself had black stone walls, making it feel much smaller than it's actual size. It was probably designed strictly for the purpose of intimidation. A long table sat in the middle with four men and two women sitting on one side of it, while two empty chairs were placed on the opposite side. They took their seats and Shacklebolt claimed a chair next to the man with ginger colored hair. It was then that the man in dark colored robes sitting in the middle cleared his throat.
"You are Integral Hellsing, I presume?" he asked.
If he was speaking first, he must be the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. When Integra inclined her head in response, Syn's suspicion was confirmed.
"As the Minister for Magic, I have consented to this meeting with you and your..." he glanced at Syn. "Representative?"
"Syn Newsom is the weapons expert and magical authority for my organization." the lady knight informed him in a brisk tone.
The man wasn't happy about it, but he cleared his throat and went on. "Miss Hellsing, these are the representatives of..."
"Sir Hellsing." Integra interjected.
Fudge paused, looking shocked he had been interrupted. "Excuse me?"
"I am a knight of Her Majesty's Round Table." the woman told him. "I'm to be addressed as 'sir', not 'miss'."
The man didn't know what to think about being corrected. "Sir Hellsing." he amended, then went back to his previous explanation of who the other attendants were. "These are the department representatives who will be taking part in our discussions." he gestured to the other people sitting on his side of the table. "Lucius Malfoy of the Board of Governors, senior undersecretary Delores Umbrage, Arthur Weasley of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department, Cassandra Ellard of the Being Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Rufus Scrimgeour of the Auror Division of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and I believe you've already met our liaison with the muggle government, Kingsley Shacklebolt."
The two women made no overt reaction to the presence of Lucius Malfoy. They'd heard from Constance about him being the one to slip that diary containing a piece of Voldemort's soul into the Weasley girl's belongings. He didn't look like a very trustworthy sort. Long, almost white-blonde hair spilled across his shoulders, and his face was twisted into this... repugnant sneer. Like he was in the presence of something he couldn't stand the smell of. Scrimgeour appeared to be the sort of man who had spent years on the field gaining personal experience in conflict. He had a rather rugged look about him that gave him the appearance of an old lion. Ellard was a middle aged woman with thick, dark brown hair with streaks of gray at the temples that was pulled back into a knot at the base of her neck. The small pair of glasses perched on the end of her nose gave her the air of a librarian. Umbrage... she was a short, squat looking woman clad entirely in various shades of pink. There was a bright, almost friendly looking smile on her face, but there was something about the strange glint in her eye that gave the redhead the impression that she wasn't very friendly at all. Fudge himself was a bit shorter than she expected him to be. And he gave off this really odd feeling. Not overtly negative, exactly, but more like he was a very careful sort. Almost like there was a weakness of character in him that he recognized and would do anything to hide from others.
Syn glanced briefly at Arthur Weasley. After hearing his name, she could see the resemblance between him and the large brood of children in her niece's photograph. That particular shade of ginger hair was unmistakable. He had the same freckles as well, though they were more faded from age. So this was the father of Connie's boyfriend? She wasn't quite sure what someone in the 'Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department' would be doing here. Maybe they pulled him in because he dealt with muggles more often. Or it could be that they were just pulling people in they thought they could get away with having at such a meeting for the sake of outnumbering them. A Board of Governors usually handled more mundane matters like things that happened at a school, so there was no good reason for Malfoy to be present either. It was usually difficult to tell how people felt about each other in such an intense environment, but it was apparent that Weasley and Malfoy didn't like each other one bit. They were sitting as far from each other as they could get. With the introductions out of the way, Fudge set to beginning the meeting in earnest.
"Now Sir Hellsing, as I understand it you requested this meeting to bring a grievance to our attention." he said in a business-like tone. "Would you care to explain these concerns of yours?"
Without immediately addressing his question, the knight slid her hand into the interior pocket of her suit jacket to retrieve a tin of cigars. She pulled one out and put it to her lips.
"Miss Newsom, I seem to have left my lighter at home." she said, turning slightly to face her. "Did you happen to bring yours?"
"Of course, sir." Syn replied, then pulled her lighter out of her back pocket to hand it over.
The redhead imagined this was Integra's way of gaining control of the room. If she wasn't asking for permission to smoke, then it was silent indication she didn't care what the rules were and was going to do it anyway. She lit the tip of her cigar and passed the lighter back to Syn.
"Thank you." she told her, then looked back at the collection of wizards across the table. "It has recently come to my attention that the Ministry of Magic has been interfering with Hellsing's operations." she said plainly, not mincing words. "There have been a number of incidents where vampire attacks on the populace were concealed from us. Attacks where the vampire inevitably escaped and all witnesses had their memories erased. Upon our initial suspicion of the Ministry's involvement, we attempted to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister only to find that he had no memory of these events either. I want an explanation."
Scrimgeour immediately leaned forward, looking interested in the information. Fudge glanced at him briefly, then gave her a forced smile.
"Sir Hellsing, while it is unfortunate that these 'victims' you speak of have no memory of the attacks made on them, that is no reason to suspect we had anything to do with..."
"I was able to overpower and diffuse the obliviation spell used to erase the Prime Minister's memories." Syn spoke up, not letting the man finish. "We know for a fact that your aurors were involved."
"The Prime Minister has been obliviated by my aurors?" Scrimgeour questioned, placing his hands down flat on the table before him. He appeared suspicious of the accusation, but thoughtful all the same. "All cases of obliviation have to go through my office for approval, and I have never given clearance for such a thing."
The Minister looked around at those with him and cleared his throat. "This is a very serious accusation you're making." he said once he'd turned back to them. "We cannot give credence to these claims without proo..."
"I'm well aware of how things work within the realms of government." Integra interrupted yet again. "I'm not foolish enough to bring an accusation forward without proof." she gestured to Syn. "I understand that the magical world accepts memories as a form of incontrovertible evidence. When Miss Newsom removed the obliviation charm from the Prime Minister, she was thoughtful enough to obtain his permission to use his newly revealed memories to help our case."
The redhead retrieved a small vial from her back pocket. "This should tell you everything you need to know." she reported, holding it up for them to see. "It shows that the Prime Minister was obliviated on four separate occasions by wizards wearing the crest of the Ministry of Magic and claiming to be aurors."
Fudge's mouth opened and closed a couple of times in shock. Scrimgeour, however, narrowed his eyes at the vial thoughtfully.
"Would you be willing to let me review those memories in a pensive?" he asked.
Integra inclined her head. "Of course. Do what you will with them." she replied. "These memories have been bottled and brought here to be kept in your records. We have a second, identical set we've kept for ourselves." she gave Fudge a look. "Because I know all too well how important things sometimes tend to go missing."
Malfoy peered at the vial held in Syn's fingers. "And where would this second set be?" he asked with a sneer.
Was the man actually stupid enough to believe they would come out and tell them where the second set was? The lady knight narrowed her good eye at him. "That is confidential information. Suffice to say, they are kept in a secure location that only myself and select members of my organization are able to enter."
There was a new sort of awareness that swept through the people sitting across from them. Many members of magical society labored under the mistaken idea that muggles were less intelligent and inferior to them because they couldn't perform magic. Integra, with that one display of preparedness, had demonstrated to them that she was to be taken seriously.
Fudge stared at her, then took a breath to regain himself. He decided to switch tactics. "These memories will be put into our records and we will conduct a full inquiry to determine if any members of the Ministry are responsible for this. Any aurors who are found to have taken part in the obliviation of the muggle Prime Minister will be disciplined." he informed them.
Syn handed the vial of memories to Scrimgeour. The rugged, somewhat wild looking man used his wand to conjure up a lock box and placed it inside for safekeeping. The redhead couldn't be sure if he was the sort to conveniently 'misplace' something like that or if he would actually conduct the investigation, but he did seem to be genuinely put off by the idea of people under his command doing something without his knowledge.
Integra puffed idly on her cigar and flicked the ashes off onto the table. "I want an investigation into the aurors responsible for interfering with our operations as well."
That didn't go over very well. Several of the wizards sitting across the table gave a start.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Sir Hellsing." Fudge stated in a tone that was meant to calm the nerves. "The Ministry has determined that the vampires responsible for the attacks you mention were wizards before their transformation. Therefore they fall under our jurisdiction."
Both Integra and Syn arched brows at the comment. First this man was going to claim that the Ministry had nothing to do with the victims losing their memories, and now he was admitting that they had investigated the cases? Fudge had just made himself out to be a liar, though he probably didn't realize that they noticed.
Ellard sat forward in her chair and clasped her hands in front of her. "Sir Hellsing, the Ministry of Magic categorizes vampires as 'beings' which gives them certain rights. I understand that your organization is responsible for protecting the muggle populace against attacks made by them – and this is truly commendable." she began, her tone sounding sincere. "However, vampires who commit crimes are to be given a fair trial. Judged by their peers and given an appropriate sentence. The Hellsing Organization isn't well known for being forgiving, or for observing the rights of vampires."
Sir Integra turned her attention onto the woman. "With all due respect, what exactly does the Ministry of Magic see as an 'appropriate sentence' for a vampire charged with the slaughter of innocent people? Imprisonment? Giving a vampire a prison sentence hardly solves the problem. They can survive for centuries and they grow more powerful with every year they live. To put one in a confinement for long periods of time would only make them more violent and dangerous. With enough time, they would be able to break out and wreck more havoc than ever before." she paused to take a breath, and looked around at their audience. "You seem to have the idea that Hellsing destroys all vampires without distinction. This isn't so. Since the Great War when the existence of vampires became known to the general public, we have taken many steps to ensure the safety of those vampires who aren't a menace to society. Hellsing was heavily involved in the creation of laws to prevent civilians from forming rouge groups of vampire hunters. We are currently working with the Round Table conference to formulate laws to protect the rights of people who provide living blood sources for vampires..."
"You're talking about those people who allow the creatures to drink from them." Malfoy piped up with a look of distaste on his face. "So you admit that you approve of the actions of people who behave like common harlots."
"It is not our place to make moral judgments about what people choose to do with their lives." Integra told him, narrowing her good eye. "Vampires require human blood to survive. They can get it one of three ways. They can attack and kill for it, drink from an unwilling source while leaving them alive, or they can feed from a person who consents to give them blood. To deny them the right to drink from a willing donor is to leave them no choice but to attack the innocent. Since the bleeders and donors have come forward, there have been far fewer vampire attacks on the populace. For that alone, they deserve a show of respect."
The blonde wizard looked like he didn't appreciate being corrected by her, but he shut his mouth. Meanwhile, Ellard had been listening closely and seemed to be somewhat impressed by what she was hearing.
"I... wasn't aware of this information before." she said. It sounded like she was talking to herself more than to them. Making some sort of silent decision.
Integra inclined her head slightly, then sat back in her chair to address them as a whole. "The Hellsing Organization's mission is very simple. We are charged with the protection of the people of this nation from any supernatural attacks. There is nothing difficult to understand about that. It does not concern me who or what these creatures were before they were turned. A monster is a monster and if they attack my people, Hellsing hunts them down. In every instance of their involvement, your aurors have allowed the vampire in question to escape and have inflicted unnecessary harm on the survivors of these attacks. This is something I will not stand for."
Weasley cleared his throat to draw their attention to him. "The survivors have been harmed in some way?" he asked.
The man sounded like he was genuinely concerned. To the Minister's right, Malfoy shot that derisive sneer of his in Weasley's direction. Syn was beginning to wonder if he was capable of any other expression.
"There has been no 'unnecessary harm' to muggles that I'm aware of." he said smoothly, then looked back at the women. "If you can't provide evidence, then you have no right to claim any wrongdoing on our part."
The knight gestured for Syn to open the briefcase they'd brought with them to remove the documents within. The redhead passed them to her, and Integra slid them over to Fudge.
"There is ample evidence." she said pointedly. "When the memories of the survivors were erased, it caused permanent mental damage to them. There was one incident of your aurors obliviating several of my men and they have yet to recover from it. If you don't consider that to be unnecessary harm, then perhaps you should focus your attention on your own people and leave the muggles to me."
Weasley looked particularly disturbed by the comment. "Are you saying that obliviating muggles is damaging to them?"
Integra glanced at Syn. That was her way of telling her to take over since she knew more about the subject than she did.
"Muggle brains function differently than people able to utilize magic." the redhead told them. "The more traumatic an event is for them, the more of an impression it leaves on their mind. When you remove that memory, the energy required to do it forces other memories from their mind as well. Many of these people have been permanently placed in mental institutions because they no longer remember who they are or how to function on their own. This causes an enormous amount of mental anguish for them and the members of their families who don't understand what's happened to them."
Weasley's brows knitted together, while Shacklebolt, Scrimgeour, and Ellard all gave noticeable starts.
"It's always been the Ministry's policy to obliviate muggles who have seen too much for their own protection." Scrimgeour said. "We've been doing it for centuries."
Ellard became thoughtful. "It... has been shown many times that a powerful enough memory charm will put a wizard into the hospital for treatment." she admitted out loud. "If a muggle's brain functions differently, they may not be able to recover like a wizard could..."
"If that's the way of it, then our policies may need to be rewritten." Weasley said. He turned to look at the Minister. "We can't go around removing memories if it harms the muggles as much as they say. It just isn't right."
Fudge shot all of them a look that said he did not appreciate them getting involved in the conversation without being helpful to him. "This is pure conjecture." he said in an attempt to console them. He glanced back at Integra and Syn. "All this about memory charms causing damage, and yet you claim to have removed the memory charms placed on the Prime Minister with him suffering no ill effects?"
"The Prime Minister hasn't suffered through a traumatic event." Syn pointed out. "If there was no strong emotional impact, then the charm doesn't cause damage."
Malfoy made a slight gesture with his hand. "The muggle mind is well known for it's weaknesses." he said, looking directly at Integra as he spoke. "Perhaps your people should learn how to be less traumatized by small things like this."
The knight bristled. "Small things?" she questioned, giving him one of her famous icy glares. "Perhaps you don't understand the immense amount of personal suffering inflicted by a vampire upon it's victims. Those who survive live with the memory of what was done to them and the deaths of their family and friends in most cases. Am I to understand that wizards are so incapable of feeling emotion that they wouldn't be affected by that if it happened to them?"
The man looked offended by the fact she'd even spoken to him. "You are a muggle, Sir Hellsing." using the word as if it were a curse. "It is you who are incapable of understanding the necessity of our actions. Muggles must be prevented from having too much knowledge for their own good. If only a handful suffer permanent damage, it is a small price to pay."
Dear God in heaven, did these people have no conscious at all? From the way he acted, this man didn't seem to particularly care about doing things for a muggle's 'own good'. He just wanted to do things their way because it made their lives easier. Integra put her hands flat on the table, looking openly pissed as she rose up from her seat.
"You listen to me and listen well because I am only going to say this once." she said in a threateningly low tone. "Hellsing has been dealing with attacks of this nature for more than a century without causing his level of chaos in our clean up operations. Even with all your magic, this seems to be beyond your abilities. All attacks made by dark creatures are to be turned over to me. Your aurors will not be involved in any way, shape or form. Magic is categorized as a supernatural force and if I determine that it is being used to harm any of the people I am sworn to protect, the wizard or witch responsible will be seen as a threat and Hellsing will respond accordingly."
The woman introduced at the beginning of the meeting as Delores Umbrage raised her hand and made this annoyingly sweet noise. Like she was going to say something horribly insulting in the most saccharine way possible.
"Excuse me." she said. "So silly of me, but it sounds as though you are making a threat, Sir Hellsing."
Her thin lips pulled into a syrupy looking smile that made her look like a toad wrapped up in a pink bow. Integra glared her down.
"I am not threatening anything." she replied. "I am simply telling you what will happen if you don't pull your people back and stop meddling in things that are Hellsing's business." She paused and sat back down in her chair, tapping the ashes from her cigar onto the surface of the table for a second time. "I am willing to be reasonable with you, Minister. If you say these vampires were members of the magical community before being turned, I am willing to accept input and assistance from you if we determine that it's necessary. But final jurisdiction of things of this nature always falls to me first and I make the final decision on what is to be done about it. If you can't accept that, then it would be in your best interests to stay out of it entirely."
Fudge leaned forward intently. "Sir Hellsing, you are coming extremely close to overstepping your boundaries." he warned. "You have no say in matters handled by magical government. If you choose to overlook that, I will report you to your Prime Minister and have you removed from your position."
The lady knight quirked a brow. "Hellsing does not answer to the Prime Minister's office. We report directly to the Queen. My family has been on good terms with her for many years and we are quite friendly with each other." she paused with a small smile on her lips. "To put it quite simply, Minister Fudge, there is no threat you could make or any action you could take that would frighten me into submission. I have more resources at my disposal than you can imagine, and I have no qualms with using them if I must. I am not a person to be trifled with. Now, I don't intend to leave this room until some decision on the matter is reached and confirmed in writing for my records. Since you've been so kind to gather together a collection of people who can provide their input, it seems reasonable to request this to be put to a vote."
Fudge looked like he was about to blow a gasket or something, but Shacklebolt cleared his throat before he could say anything.
"Sir Hellsing makes a strong point, sir." he told him. "It's common policy to put matters like this to a vote of simple majority."
The Minister looked horribly upset. Syn could tell just by looking at him that he wanted to throw them out. But he had backed himself into a corner by lying about what they'd been doing, then allowing such venomous comments to be made without reprimand. He had no choice but to accept the vote. Since Fudge was the officiator of the meeting and Integra was the one bringing the grievance, the two of them didn't have a vote. Syn wouldn't be allowed because she was banned from the magical world. They knew for a fact that Shacklebolt would vote for them. The rest would be up to the others. Given their overt reactions to what they had revealed, Syn had a strong suspicion that Weasley and Ellard would side with them. Malfoy obviously wouldn't, and Umbrage didn't look very promising either. Scrimgeour... he was a toss up. There was no telling what that man was thinking.
"Very well." Fudge said, relenting. "All those in favor of the Ministry of Magic continuing our current response to these attacks?"
Only Malfoy and Umbrage raised their hands. The Minister glanced sideways at the others and began to realize he was on the losing end of the stick.
"All those in favor of relinquishing jurisdiction to the Hellsing Organization?"
Shacklebolt, Ellard, Scrimgeour, and Weasley all raised their hands. Four to two for them, giving Hellsing the winning majority. Syn and Integra shared a mutual look of satisfaction. They'd gotten what they had come for.
"Well then, with that out of the way I'll assume that the restrictions placed on my bodyguard are no longer required." the knight said, then gestured to the redhead. "Please remove that horrid thing from your neck, Syn. It doesn't suit you at all."
Syn smiled. "Yes, sir."
She'd been looking forward to this ever since she found out she would have to wear a restrictive collar. There was nothing in the world better than giving an idiot a good scare. Without saying a word, she reached up to take hold of the collar around her neck. Summoning up the amount of energy she would need, she directed it through her fingers to snap the metal circle in two. Every wizard on the opposite side of the table, minus Shacklebolt, looked shocked beyond belief when she tossed it on the table. Maybe he had heard Syn's comment to Integra in the Prime Minister's office after all.
"That's... that's not possible." Fudge sputtered, staring at her in horror. "There is no magic that could break that..."
The redhead quirked a brow and pulled her own cigarettes out of her pocket. After sitting though an entire meeting with Integra smoking, she could use a hit of nicotine herself.
"No witchcraft, you mean." she clarified as she lit up one of the black cigarettes. "You seem to have forgotten that I am not a witch. I am a sorceress, and your common magic can't do a damn thing to me."
Weasley sat back in his chair, looking impressed, while Ellard and Scrimgeour both looked surprised and thoughtful. But Malfoy got so upset he shot up from his chair and drew his wand.
"Common magic!" he demanded, pointing the length of wood at her face. "How dare you?"
The redhead didn't need her magic to take care of his little outburst. She simply summoned up a set of shadows to wrap around his ankle and dragged him back down into his seat.
"Put that little twig of your away before you hurt yourself." she told him. "If someone gets injured in here, it's going to make everyone look bad and we don't want that, do we?"
Umbrage's mouth fell open and she pointed an accusing finger at Syn. "You brought that black witch in here knowing she could curse any one of us at any time!"
Integra shot a dismissive look in the woman's direction. "I believe we've made it quite plain that Miss Newsom is not a witch. And in case you weren't paying attention, she hasn't done anything to you. She obeys my orders, madam undersecretary. Perhaps you should keep that in mind in the future." she looked over at Fudge. "I'll be contacting the Prime Minister's office within the week to collect the written report of our little discussion here. Good day."
The two of them walked out without saying another word to any of them. Once they were outside the room, Syn stretched her arms.
"Well, that went better than expected." she commented as they headed toward that weird ass magical elevator.
Integra nodded in agreement. "I've always said there is nothing in this world that can't be solved with a civil conversation."
"Indeed." the redhead said with a nod of agreement. "Coffee?"
The knight looked thoughtful. "You can have your coffee. When we get home, I'm going to pour myself a large scotch."
"It's a bit early in the day to be drinking scotch, isn't it, Integra?"
"It's never too early for scotch, Syn."
"Ah. My mistake, sir."
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