Warning: some (violating) unpleasantness in the "That hot and Dry place" segment.
Chapter 7 A Square Peg in a Round Hole
March 1 2009
Lost in thought, the redhead stared blankly at the random jumble of stars in the sky. What was she thinking about? Hard to say but likely the events of the last week and a half. She held back a groan at what 'pinged' her senses once again. The black haired man was following her around she just knew it. He popped onto the flat roof where she was and strolled over to her horizontal form. She sat up with an annoyed stare.
"Miss Phoenix. Good evening." He said.
"It was." A grumble returned the greeting.
"Now, now. I haven't done anything to you."
She got to her feet. "You've been following me. I can feel you." Annabel emphasized with her hands.
"This is where I reside. Of course you're going to sense me."
She stomped her foot down angrily. "No. You reside in a coffin. Go reside in it!"
The corner of Alucard's lip quirked upward. "I'm simply trying to help you remember. You liked my presence before."
"Well I don't like it now so bugger off!" She yelled. The guy was seriously pissing her off. What did she, Annabel, ever see in this guy?
Alucard's smile only grew. It was fun to anger his Annabel. "You cannot order me around Spaz."
"GO AWAY!" He could see the fire spark in her eyes and he loved it.
"Make me." He challenged.
She screamed, forcibly pushing Alucard back against the brick railing of the roof. His lower back hit the square edge with the top half of his body dangling over the ground three stories below. She grabbed at his tie pulling him up a bit with the intent to punch his ever smirking face. During mid swing she paused to see her fist covered in blue flames.
"Do you know you're hot when you're angry." The smirk grew inhumanly wider.
Annabel growled and punched him anyway with the burning fist. He toppled off the roof onto the cold hard ground below with a soft thud. She bent to look down at the median's prone body.
A chuckle echoed up to her. "What do you think Annabel? Does it feel familiar to you?" The redhead wished she could drop something on his head right now. Then she remembered what the report said about throwing fire. She held out her hands just into range and concentrated on the bastard's head.
He stopped chuckling when a burning hot blast hit his face. It was particularly potent, incinerating ninety percent of his face and most of his hair. He healed effortlessly, however that didn't mean it didn't hurt like a son of a bitch. He rubbed a rejuvenated cheek. 'That's stronger than she's ever hit me with. She doesn't know the measure of control as before. Next time I'll just avoid it. She could effectively weaken me considerably.' He got up off the ground. Annabel vacated the roof a minute ago, probably to her room.
Later on Alucard could feel her powers flicker on and off as she tested them out in her room. It thrilled through his body each time. A some point he shoved a gloved digit in his mouth, biting it hard, just to keep from popping into her room to touch her inappropriately or touch her period.
He asked his Master if there was the smallest thing for him to do outside the manor. As it would have it Sir Integra did have a simple mission for him; to scout around London for any suspicious supernatural behavior, specifically individuals in grey cloaks snuffing out the undead, and report his observations, and not to interfere unless human life became endangered. He was off immediately.
Since Annabel's accident Integra began looking into newspapers and local police reports about accidents or disappearances with living people. There were no unusual disappearances that she could tell, but there were two news articles from recent weeks describing the deaths of two young women. There was nothing to tie them together except for the way they died. Both were found in their beds without a mark on them and their eyes were completely devoid of color. One of them showed signs of sexual intercourse just prior to death. The medical examiner mentioned it was consensual and likely unrelated to the girl's death, but Integra had her suspicions. The coroner in each case didn't know what to make of each death and both alluded to an uncommon heart condition.
There was a police report from nearly a month ago not un-similar to Annabel's case. A pair of cops found a sixteen year old girl wandering north London dazed and lost. When the bobby questioned her she said she lived in Leeds with her parents and older brother who was fifteen. That baffled the cops since the driver's license showed she was sixteen, and not twelve like she said. She even looked sixteen. They found a bit later that her family did not live in Leeds but three blocks away from where they found her. They clearly thought she was pulling some kind of joke, and convincingly. To their discovery the family did live in Leeds until three years ago when they moved to London and the poor girl had lost the last four years of her memory. The report from a doctor added that she had intercourse with an unknown male just before the memory loss and had been her first time. He didn't call it rape because the usual indicators for it being forced weren't there, although that did not necessarily mean it was consensual. At the end they attributed the girl's condition to mere trauma.
Integra took her eyes off the monitor. 'Could Annabel have been molested? The doctors in Rome didn't look for that. No, I won't believe that! She's too strong willed to let anyone do that to her nor hide from the memories of such an event. She already has bad memories in her past and didn't go into a fugue state from those.' She looked back at the report on the screen. 'It could be unrelated. My hunch tells me it is related; all of it, from the drop in freak activity to my fire agent's altercation. Could Annabel have met one of these cloaked figures on Rome?'
0000000000000 March 4 2009
Annabel wandered around the manor exploring it. She had nothing else to do. She couldn't go out on missions, for frankly there weren't any. Neither was her cooking near to par at the moment. It was daylight so the undead minions of Sir Hellsing's were where they belonged, unmoving in their internal beds. And because they were, she braved it down to the first sublevel of the basement. She opened every door she could except the one leading to the second sublevel where Alucard and his fledgling habituated normally. Several doors were locked and she wondered what mysteries lurked. Walter informed her during her first guided tour that the basement contained old labs, a dungeon, a library, and a torture chamber or two, among other things. She guessed the dungeons were in the lowest third sublevel of the basement and would skip seeing those. The labs and library intrigued her. Hopefully one of the doors would lead to something to cure her boredom. Having no memory of what she liked or disliked lead to trial and error. Mostly error in her part. She began to wonder what kind of interest she, Annabel, had in this place to stay here willingly?
She opened another door. It was a library, bigger than the one she saw upstairs, and probably the one Mr. Dornez mentioned. Speaking of which the old retainer stood in the middle of the room shelving some books that were on a rolling cart.
"Ah, Good day Miss Phoenix." He greeted politely.
She remained in the doorway roaming her eyes all over. "Why is this one bigger than the one upstairs?" She asked then her eyes suddenly fixed on the chandelier above Walter.
"The original Van Hellsing deemed it safer to have the rare occult knowledge below ground surrounded by stone. The rarest is in a small room connected to this. It reduced the chance of destruction by fire or warfare. Later on other literature was added just because of space and well Abraham loved to read."
The redhead nodded not really paying attention. A finger lifted up before her face sort of pointing at what she looked at but not understanding why she should point at it.
"That, that light…isn't right. I see… I see a chair in it, and I don't understand why." Annabel stepped into the room.
Walter brighten internally. 'She's remembered something!'
She walked over to the old world globe nestled in a new wooden stand that was stained in mahogany. She plucked the globe off its resting place and stared at it in her hands. She shook it lightly as if the movement would help clarify its significance to her. "This…this was by itself."
'Come on girl. You can do it!' the retainer silently cheered her on. He didn't dare voice a word should he break her little revelation.
She dropped the globe on the floor and went over to the nearest bookshelf and started flinging every tome her hands grabbed onto the floor.
'Oh dear.' The shelf was half empty when Walter decided to interfere. He didn't want this library a complete mess again. "Annabel." Walter lightly grasped a shoulder.
The girl paused instantly in mid fling. "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know. I just felt the need to do that. This place looks wrong to me." She place the book she had in her hand back into the shelf.
He gave her a little smile. "That's alright Miss Phoenix. This place didn't always look like this. It was a complete disaster area when you first saw it."
"It was? Huh. Even with the chair in the light?" Walter nodded. She looked thoughtful as she exited the room not even thinking to help Walter pick up the mess she made.
00000000000000 March 6 2009
The redhead sat at the table with Deatrice in the kitchen with the kid's collection of handmade dolls. Annabel figured it was time to try to get to know the kid. She wasn't all that bad despite being a blood sucker. Pip sat off to the island counter eating a soup Walter had prepared.
The tiny draculina had all the people in the manor as dolls and was playing house. She was excited that her Auntie Phoenix was going to play with her for the first time since her accident. She had the Pip doll saving the Seras doll from falling down a cereal cliff face. "Mignonette, I save you." She mimicked French. "Grab my girly long hair. I pull you up." She imitated Seras. "Okay Captain."
The redhead snorted and looked at the real Pip who pretended not to hear.
"Yeah Pip you saved me." Then Deatrice had the two dolls kissing, making smacking sounds. The idea of those two kissing didn't sit well with the redhead but did her best to hide it. It was only pretend after all. Annabel picked up the one vaguely resembling herself, walked it over to the one that looked like Alucard, and 'kicked' him. Deatrice picked up the doll and did her best to sound like the elder vampire. "Why you kick me, Spaz?"
"Because you're evil and I don't like you." Annabel replied.
"I am scary but I do like you. You are pretty." Then Deatrice walked the doll towards hers.
"You just want to eat me vampire."
"Er…no. Lets go dancing."
Annabel shrugged. "I don't how to dance."
"I show you." She had the doll shake from side to side. Annabel started shaking hers too getting into the play.
"See? Now lets hold hands and dance."
"Okay but no kisses. I don't want vampire coodies."
Deatrice giggled. "I have no coodies." They danced the dolls a bit more. Deatrice grabbed the Integra doll to stop the dance. "Alucard, I need you to go kill bad guys."
"Yes, Master." The Alucard doll moved off.
"Annabel, make me chocolate muffins." The doll ordered.
Annabel opened up the box of cheerios, grabbed a handful, and piled it before the doll. "Okay, done."
"I want muffins not donuts."
"Um, they're chocolate flavored?"
"Oh, okay!" Deatrice dip the head into the pile and made eating sounds. Annabel set her doll aside.
"I take it Sir Hellsing likes chocolate?" She asked.
The little girls face brightened. "Integra loves chocolate! You make the best chocolate muffins for her! Even Big Red tries to steal a bite."
"The vampires can eat human food?" She looked a little surprised.
"Oh, yeah! It doesn't fill my tummy but some of it is really tasty." Deatrice rubbed her tummy.
Annabel looked off in thoughtfulness. "Perhaps when I remember how to cook I can make everyone those muffins."
"Yeah!" The tiny draculina squealed.
0000000000000 That Hot and Dry place Nov 13 2008
Mistress Mut looked every bit the Egyptian beauty. She had straight coal black hair that flowed down to the middle of her back. Her skin was blemish free and sun kissed tan everyday of the year. Eyes were rich brown and slightly almond shape with high cheek bones and lips painted a pale red. She adorned the thick black eyeliner around her eyes seen on depictions of many ancient pharaohs. Her wardrobe left little to the imagination. Around her neck was a thick plated segmented necklace that moved with her and held up a high quality triangle of violet linen that covered her symmetrical c-cup breasts and wrapped around her back to snap together with segmenting metal matching the necklace. As for bottoms, Mistress Mut wore a skirt like piece around her hips. Though it could resemble more a loin cloth with a one by three feet piece of matching linen on the front and back connected by a large golden loop on each side. She wore no shoes. Three bracelets of amber, bloodstone, and obsidian adorned both her wrists, with a seventh beaded piece around her right ankle. From her bellybutton dangled a tiger's eye.
When she spoke it was sultry and soft unless she was angry and no one dared make her angry. She was the oldest among them and knew precisely how to inflict pain with the smallest of effort. She also brought forth many into the sect like she had done for the male standing before her.
Her youngest pupil kneeled before her and kissed her hand lovingly. "Beloved Mistress, I am at your command." He crooned.
"Raise, young one." He did so. She was tall for a woman, six foot one, and the same height as he. He wore a shirt and slacks similar to the previous day with well tailored shoes. They were in the room with their very special patient who had been transferred from an operating table to an examination bed. The patient was still restrained and drugged as before but the bed allowed for easier access so to speak. "Are you ready for the task ahead of you?"
"Yes, Mistress. Eager in fact."
"Good." She trailed a finger down his cheek sending a shiver of pleasure through him. "Remember, kill the spirit not the body. We must make way for our beloved goddess. You may take your time as you are young and full of hot blood." She chuckled ever so softly.
"Yes Mistress." The lust he felt echoed in his voice. She splayed her hand to show that he may proceed. He moved over to the patient who was simply referred to as the lioness to those in this place. He knew her by other names but didn't dare speak them aloud for fear of angering Mut. She was important to their prophecy but he didn't care so much as for what he wanted out of it, which was pure and simple. Revenge. He pulled out the stirrups connected to the bed and lifted one of the patient's legs. He caressed the smooth leg to notice a small loss of muscle tone in the limb. It didn't bother him much. It was a natural thing to happen when one was practically comatose for the last four months. He placed the other leg in the remaining stirrup and gently nudged her torso toward the edge.
Mistress Mut moved over to the lioness's head and placed a hand upon it. A few seconds later the heart monitor beeped a little faster. He looked slightly alarmed when she clarified. "So she will feel somewhat for a time."
The young pupil took on an evil smirk. He pushed up the medical gown to above her breasts and gazed at them like a dog with his favorite chew toy. He gripped them both in his hands and squeezed hard. The lioness moaned a tiny bit. 'she does feel it.' He thought maliciously. He unzipped his pants to let them fall at his ankles. Just the sight of Mistress Mut's eyes watching his every move from the other side of the exam bed turned him rock hard and she knew it too. He never enjoyed being watched before and was a first for him. He looked down to the small bush of hair between the lioness's legs, lined up his shaft to her opening, and anchored his hands on her hips. With one collected moment he violently plunged into her causing her mouth to open in a low pained cry. It surprised him how small she felt around his cock. The more pleasurable it would be for him then. With each thrust she made a throat sound. At first they sounded like she was in pain, however a short while later they started sounding like pleasant sighs. He could feel her get wetter and knew it was just an instinctive reaction for her body to make, and she had no real awareness of what was happening to her. As far she as knew it some sort of wet dream. The pupil kept his eyes locked on Mistress Mut as he violated the defenseless creature before him for it was she who he really wanted to be inside of.
Mut didn't move a muscle while she watched, but inside she was brimming with lust. She so loved watching her boys do what they do best. She waited with anticipation for the sound of his release. It wasn't long now. She could feel the boys mounting energy of the copulation vibrate through the air and she absorbed every speck of it. His dam burst into the lioness and her belly quivered wanting more still.
Her young pupil removed himself from the patient and went to pull his pants up.
"Not yet." She stopped him, grabbed his arms, and forced him to a wall where her hands moved to cup his head and her right thigh rubbed at his limp dick demanding it get hard again. It did in very quick fashion. He moaned, so happy to have her affections bestowed upon him. She kissed hard while his hands cupped her butt cheeks. Once he was sufficiently hard she stopped kissing for a moment, dematerialized the two of them into a flurry of sand, and traveled through the air ducts of the facility to her bed chamber where she rematerialized on top of her pupil with his cock already inside her and her legs secure around his waist effectively trapping him to the bed and her dominance.
Mistress Mut always was the alpha no matter who she bedded, and it was how she liked it. All her boys loved to submit to her and this pupil was no different. She would slack her lust on him then let him return to his appointed task of breaking the girl's spirit.
000000000000 March 10 2009
As much as she hated it at the moment she needed to have some interaction with Alucard. From what others said and the physical evidence of photos and other items in her bedroom, she, Annabel, and Alucard were an item. Maybe there was a softer side of him that only she knew. Interactions with people in Annabel's life could help in the long run. Perhaps his pressence could be tolerable if she stayed in it long enough. If worse came to worse she could always relieve him of some body parts with her phoenix fire.
It was a few hours before sunset. The redhead grew restless waiting for the old vampire to wake up so she braved into his chamber. The first thing she noticed was the lack of décor. In the center of the room was a large wooden chair with an unusually high back and a plain wooden table with his orange sunglasses, pair of wine goblets, and a candle stick on it. Candles dotted around the room in small alcoves in the walls. Something resembling a bed lay in shadows in one corner. She spotted the coffin she suspected was in here near the opposite side of the room. It was so black she almost didn't see it with her meager battery operated lantern. She knew he was sleeping inside it and shuffled over to it. She read the white writing on the lid. "What does that mean? This guy's weird." She muttered aloud.
Now the task of waking him; she nudged the coffin with her shoe. Nothing. "Hey big guy! Outa that thing!" She yelled with no results. Just to be sure he wasn't ignoring her she popped it open. Alucard laid there like death in a white button up shirt and black silk pajamas. She studied him for a bit. He really was attractive without that stupid grin on his face. She debated on what to do next as she didn't want to physically touch him. There wasn't anything in the room to poke the vampire with. She looked at her free hand allowing herself a sly grin. Pointing a few fingers towards his face she released a small fire ball right at his nose.
Instantly, he shot up out of the coffin grabbing harshly at her shirt with a fierce scowl upon his face. Annabel gasped in alarm. Alucard's face softened then released her when he realized who it was.
"It is unwise to wake me during the day, Spaz."
She folded her arms. "Well, I was getting bored waiting for your creepy ass to wake up normally."
Red eyes brightened with hope. "You were waiting for me?" He asked smiling in lazy fashion.
"Uh, yeah. Well I've gotten a strong impression that you… and I are… fairly close, so I want to try to get to know you again, maybe spark something in here." Annabel tapped her head. He went to reach for her hand only to have her step back. "Eh, I don't want to be touched just yet. Conversation will be enough for now."
The vampire mimicked a long sigh, telekinetically closed the black coffin lid, and sat atop it. "What would you like to know?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Talk about whatever."
"You've been in this world for nearly a year."
"Yeah, my file said that."
"I know not how you came to be in my world only that you've made it so much more interesting being here." He watched her as she wandered around his large chamber touching his chair, bed, and wall. She sure was the tactile type wanting to feel her way through the world. Hopefully soon she'll want to know how he feels. It did seem odd that she was skittish around him now. Even before when he first met her she displayed boldness around him. However, strong memories like those she had with that ex-boyfriend may have shaped her into someone braver. She could be acting like she was before she lost her innocence. Annabel did mention to him once that she was shy as a child.
"Why do you call me Spaz?" She stood before an alcove and lit the candle with a finger of flame.
He clenched his teeth briefly at the tiny spike of her energy he felt. "You're erratic. It seemed fitting."
She huffed. "I feel like a mess." She lit another candle causing a second clench of his teeth. "And I rather you call me Annabel if you don't mind."
"I'd rather you not light the candles like that, Annabel." He said quietly. She lit another one anyways.
"You may like the dark but I don't." She moved on to a forth.
"That isn't the reason." He tried hard to keep the lust out of his voice, and his hands to himself.
She lit the fourth. "What, you don't like your stuff messed with?" She lit her finger up again for the next candle when he grabbed her wrist tightly.
"Stop doing THAT!" He demanded between clenched fangs. She noticed those pearly points were longer than normal. "Your fire… arouses me…" Instantly, her finger winked out.
She couldn't help it. She looked down and saw a distinctive protrusion poking out between the median's legs under the pajamas. She blanched immediately jerking her hand free and darting to the other side of the room. "You keep THAT away from me!" Her pointing hand shook with terror.
He crossed himself thumping his head on the wall. Why was it so hard to control his body around her. "I think it's best that you leave now."
She followed that advice darting out of the room like a gazelle being hunted.
He must really have taken her for granted when Annabel was Annabel, embracing her, caressing her, drinking her, among other things without complaint and returning such affection. Annabel used to like his presence. She craved it. Now she could barely be in his presence for ten minutes, and his blatant lust for her didn't help the situation. Something in his chest tore painfully sending a longing ache through him. It did not help his hard on. With a left hand on the wall Alucard slid his right into his pajamas and took hold of his cock. He stroked it hard thinking of his Annabel's fine digits wrapped around him. He morphed the hand to be exactly like Annabel's hand; small and feminine. He let out a grunted breath when he spilled the bloody seed down his legs.
Cleaning the mess up Alucard phased into his normal attire on his person and sat disgruntled on his throne. The evening he knew was not going to be a good one.
000000000
Deatrice trotted down the hallway her masterpiece in hand. She used her nose to sniff out her gloomy Auntie so she could cheer her up with her picture that she spent the last hour perfecting. She drew Big Red, Auntie, and herself all holding hands with bats around Big Red, blue flammies around Auntie, and hearts above her and between the other two. She even drew the big house and trees in the background.
She found her in her room fiddling with the music box thingy plugged into her ears. "Ah, Auntie Phoenix?" She called softly.
"Oh! ah watcha want, Bug?" She pulled out the plugs.
"I made something to cheer you up Auntie." She turned her picture around to show her with a hopeful look.
Annabel grimaced although hid it quickly. "That's nice." She said unenthusiastically and took the picture from her.
Deatrice could tell her picture didn't have the desired effect so went to plan B. She opened her arms and wrapped them around her legs giving her a much needed hug. It started the redhead but let the Bug touch her. "I want you to get better Auntie cuzz a like you very much."
Annabel flushed pink at how awkward this was for her. She didn't know what the proper response was, and Deatrice wasn't letting go. Annabel finally patted her head timidly hoping that was the right response. The little girl let go beaming her big smile.
"Want to play with me?" She pleaded those big green eyes at her.
"Um…"
"How about hide and seek?" She suggested. Annabel nodded.
0000000000000
Annabel bumped into Captain Bernadotte during her third turn of looking for the girl. She found the tiny draculina hid very well despite her ability to sense the undead beings. It seemed the kid could obscure her ethereal presence so the redhead had to be within a half dozen yards to pick up her location. If only Alucard would observe the same ability.
"Oh! Hello Captain. How is your leg?" She asked eyeing the many signatures on the white cast and a few questionable inked drawings.
"Ah just fine, Miss Annabel." He grinned sheepishly and tilted side to side on his crutches like an upbeat song played through his limbs.
"You seem like you're happy."
His smile widened to include teeth. "You 'ave no idea."
Seras popped out through a nearby door to saunter over to the rugged Frenchman. "Hey Pip!" She pecked him on the cheek in greeting. Pip's eyes sparkled in adoration at her.
"Evening Annabel." She greeted then asked "Are you all right," when Seras noticed her blank pale look. The draculina reached out a comforting hand.
The redhead backed away.
"Are you feeling okay?" She asked seriously.
"Is this…this normal? Humans and vampires interacting like lovers?" The last word was spat out in revulsion. The next part was plainly aimed at Seras. "Is it some sort of requirement to fool with a human? Does it make the blood taste better?" The outburst rang through the halls. Annabel twirled around, exited out the door Seras came in and headed for outside.
Pip and Seras shared a befuddled look. Why in the world would Annabel say something like that? It sounded abnormally vindictive from their fiery redhead.
"Seras, I know she blurts zhings without zhinking however, zat did not sound like Annabel, memory or no."
Seras nodded. "Maybe master pushed her too far?"
"Maybe." Pip repeated, though he had a nagging feeling growing in the back of his skull that something was off. He didn't voice it though, not wanting to worry his mignonette. It was probably nothing.
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B/N: Ahh I was wrong. No cross this chappie, and yes the time differences will be explained soon...I hope.
Review my pretties!