Alucard was awoken by the sound of soft footsteps approaching his door. Deciding that it was best to be seen fully clothed, the master vampire stood, wrapped the shadows of the room around himself and dispersed them, leaving his red coat, and layers of unwrinkled material beneath it. From the lightness of the steps, and the timing between them, Alucard quickly figured out that it was Walter who was approaching, no doubt carrying the evening's blood reserves for Seras, and he, to drink.
Now that he had finished dressing himself, Alucard sat back down in his chair, and stared at the door patiently, like a king awaiting the entrance of his servant.
"Good evening Walter" He rumbled as the butler walked in. The retainer gave a brief glance at Alucard, one eyebrow raised in question to the vampires early rising hours, before looking away again. He utterly ignoring the hound by Alucard's feet, it wasn't the first time he had seen the creature and he was well aware that it was of no threat to him. Walter carried two large metal buckets in each hand, both filled to the brim with ice and blood packs; he looked, however, as though he had just received some rather annoying news.
"Indeed sir" He replied curtly, placing one of the large buckets of ice down on a wooden table that had been pushed against the wall. He hesitated momentarily before placing the second one down next to it. "I didn't see the police girl in her room this evening, I presume you know where she is, Alucard?"
"Yes, you need not worry about her." Alucard said through a deep chuckle "However her coffin will need to be refurbished, its ruined beyond repair and the current sleeping arrangements will not be acceptable as a long term solution."
"Current arrangements, sir?" Walters' tone was definitely confused, but the words had been spoken through a sigh, no doubt tired of dealing with the vampires' unfinished train of thought. Alucard said nothing, to help the butlers understanding, as he walked over to the table and bit into his blood back, but merely glared at his currently occupied coffin, knowing the retainer would work it out eventually. Walter seemed to get the meaning behind the look and eventually nodded in understanding. "I'll do my best Alucard but I can't promise it will be easy, the mattress is custom made. It may take a week, at least."
"Fine, just make it quick. I can't take sleeping in a chair much longer" Alucard sneered slightly at the thought of spending his time another day sleeping outside of hi coffin. The elderly retainer smiled slightly before bowing and made to leave the room, pausing as he reached the door.
"Miss Victoria has been suspended from active duty for the time being, but her assistance is required helping school Miss Bethany. Please inform her of this new alteration to her schedule" And with that the retainer glided out, closing the door behind him, leaving Alucard alone with his fledgling.
'Now that's interesting…' came Osiris' voice in his head 'removing her from active duty, is that to keep her away from possible suitors, or you? Or are they one and the same?' Alucard glared at his familiar, annoyed that the beast could push so many of his buttons with so few words.
"You can shut up," he grumbled at the hound. 'Go back to sleep'
'Don't pout princess, at least this way you'll have less contenders for her' Alucard growled but otherwise ignored the familiars taunts, he wasn't going to rise to the bait, it was to early in the evening for that.
He listened carefully to his fledglings' thoughts as he drank his blood. Her mental barrier was still in place but wasn't as strong now she was sleeping and the occasional image or word escaped which Alucard read with some concern. From what he could gather her mind was currently occupied within a vivid nightmare, with the words 'parents', 'blood' and 'dead' often occurring. Sighing he dropped his empty blood pack into a bin and stalked over to his coffin, pushing the large lid off to reveal a small figure with crimson tears streaking her cheeks and droplets of sweat coating her skin. Alucard frowned as Seras whimpered, curling up into a ball to hide from the unseen monsters of her dream. Tenderly he reached out and touched her shoulder; causing her eyes to instantly snap open, fear making them shine in the warm candlelight.
"Seras?" Concern tinted his words as he looked down at his fledgling. The vampiress herself was still caught up in her dream, still not fully aware of her surroundings and began to cry again. With a flash of crimson Alucard was laying beside her in the coffin, wrapping his arms around her small form, holding her tight as she shuddered from her sobs. He murmured comforting words into her ear and held her until the shaking had subsided, releasing her, only a little, to look at her face. It was red and blotchy, but he wiped away the tears with his gloved hands, the blood leaving no stain upon them.
"I'm sss-sorry" Seras stammered through uneven breaths, now fully awake and painfully aware of her close proximity to her master. She was warm all over, more so in some areas than others, and was secretly thankful of her tears for hiding the redness of her blush.
Alucard's eyes scanned her porcelain face, "You are safe now, Seras, don't worry" He murmured, almost to quiet to be heard. Shocked by the tenderness of the statement his fledgling merely lay beside him; there was a moment of silence between the two before Seras began to shift in the embrace, and Alucard reluctantly let go, standing up and out of the coffin with practiced ease; Seras stepped out on less graceful and more wobbly feet, feeling slightly hollow now her master had stepped away from her. She cursed herself for breaking the embrace, it had felt rather nice and she had spoiled the entire thing. Her mind swam with thoughts that she fought to contain within her mental barriers, distracted only by the sight of two ice buckets on the table.
Had Walter already been down? She thought, slightly disappointed. She had always enjoyed the conversations the two of them had when she awoke; he was always so pleasant to her. Alucard had managed to walk over to the buckets, without Seras noticing any movement, and take a second blood pack from one, biting into it with eager hunger, his head tilted forward slightly so shadows and his hair masked his features, his tall frame leaning against the table. She walked over to the bench and grabbed one blood pack for herself and bit into it as daintily as she could. Unlike Alucard she wasn't able to lean against the large piece of furniture, another curse of being smaller than most, so she instead opted for hopping atop of the table and sitting on it, her legs swinging freely beneath her.
"Did Walter mention any missions today?" She asked between mouthfuls of crimson liquid, she looked over to Alucard who was busy watching her from the corner of his eye, his own food finished.
"No, not for you. You have been suspended from active duty until your season has terminated" His tone gave away no emotion and his words seemed harshly clinical, but Seras was sure she could see something odd in his expression.
"Well at least I won't be in your way for a while" She joked, only to have an awkward silence from her master in response. Feeling foolish again Seras ate her second blood pack under the scrutinizing gaze of the tall man beside her. When she had gotten about halfway through to pack, Alucard spoke again,
"You have been assigned to the schooling of the little witch instead, alongside Walter, of course."
"Schooling? How could I help? What on earth could I teach her Walter couldn't?" Seras frowned in concern, she tried to think of any outstanding talents she possessed that the new heir would find useful, and unless being a general annoyance was a good life lesson, she was having difficulty thinking of any.
"Don't judge yourself so harshly police girl, you have more knowledge and skill than you realise. And lord knows you have a better outlook on things than many in this house" Alucard stepped away from the table and went to go pull the lid of his coffin closed, while Seras finished off her food and threw away the empty packets of blood. It was at this point in time that she realised that she was still in her rather revealing nightdress and suddenly felt very exposed, she crossed her legs, and crossed her arms in an attempt to cover herself a little better, not that Alucard seemed to pay any notice to her. Not knowing exactly what to do next Sera decided to sit on the table and stare at her masters' hound. The creature itself had been watching their interactions with some interest and was now spending a considerable amount of its attention on Seras. The two looked at one another, their gaze locked in an un-dead staring competition, until there was a slight coughing sound, in the corner of the room that caught both of their attention. Alucard had now donned his hat and glasses, completing his normal garb, and had turned to face the pair, a quizzical look on his face.
"Police girl?" He asked "Do you plan on actually turning up to you new assignment or are you just contented with having a staring contest with my familiar?" Seras blushed, dipped her head and jumped off the table, landing gracefully on the stone floor.
"Sorry master, yes, of course." She waved goodbye to the hound turned to he master and said, "thank you for allowing me to sleep in your coffin, enjoy your evening Alucard" before walking elegantly out of the space and down the hallway to her own room.
'So your fledgling is now assigned to the care of your new master, interesting.'
Osiris murmured. Alucard frowned, concern etching his angular features
"I want you to follow her," He commanded "keep an eye on her progress and alert me if anything of interest happens here in the mansion whilst I'm gone" The familiar smiled, revealing its elongated, pointy, teeth, and left to follow Seras down the hallway, Its large tail swinging happily from side to side. It turned back for a second, only to see that its master had already dissipated into the shadows of the room, no doubt summoned by the iron maiden, Integra.
Xxxxxxxxxx
Seras laughed lightly as she watched Bethany dance around the spacious, well light, dance hall. The girl had her arms raised and was perfectly executing a waltz, on her own, with Walter sat behind her playing a simple rhythm on a grand piano. As she twirled in a small circle, her pose supported by the phantom partner, and her steps matched perfectly to the beat of the melody the retainer was currently playing. Seras had initially taken part in the dance acting as the lead so that the teenager could learn the steps, but the difference in height became more of a hindrance than a help as the vampire was a good 15cm shorter than her partner, who apparently insisted on wearing heels wherever she went, and eventually she had opted to learn the dance alone.
Seras, now finding that she wasn't presently needed to help, had instead decided to lean against the wall of the room and half-watch her surroundings, slightly distracted by the thoughts that occupied her mind. Beside her was a simple, but endlessly comfortable couch that was currently entirely occupied by a large furry beast, in the form of her master's wolf familiar. For some reason the blasted creature had followed her everywhere that she had gone ever since leaving her masters room. She hadn't really minded too much, the rest of the household showed little to no reaction to the large hound, all except Bethany who had mad a few confused, fish-like noises before being hushed by Walter by the simple sentence
"It belongs to Alucard, and it wont hurt you." He had murmured "Beyond that its probably best if you don't ask and do your own research" After that the girl had been so distracted with the proper way to eat salad with a fork she had all but forgotten about the snarling shadow that followed Seras around the mansion like a...well…like a lost puppy.
The young vampiress applauded loudly as Bethany finished the dance, stepping away form the imaginary partner and performing and ill-attempted curtsey. Walter sighed whilst he pulled a pained expression, and Seras heart went out to the poor girl, knowing all to well haw difficult a 'real' curtsey could be to master.
"Your dance was perfectly executed, Miss Pennaguille," The retainer commented "the finish, however, appears to need some refining" He stood, with an easy grace that he had mastered over many years, and walked in front of the girl, his head tilted to one side in pensive thought. "If you think you can avoid this lesson by standing at the side of the room, Police girl, then you are surely mistaken." He said, without turning to face her, Seras huffed in annoyance, but pushed of the wall and came to stand next to Bethany, staring up at Walter, barley concealed annoyance in her eyes. The retainer said nothing for a few moments, whilst regarding the difficult task ahead of him, but eventually spoke with a rather cunning plan in his mind.
"Oh god" Seras muttered, recognising the crafty glint in the butlers eye. The young heiress raised an eyebrow and made to ask, but was interrupted by Walters commanding tone.
"Right, ladies, I want the two of you to perform your very best bows, and I will tell you how you can improve them. The pair of you will then practice bowing to each other, and then give each other your own critical feed back." He smiled in an easy manner, which made Seras feel a slight anxious
"And how long will we be watching each other bow for, exactly?" she asked
"Oh I should think at least an hour or so" He replied simply
"So long!? And what will you be doing whilst we stand here doing that?" Asked Bethany, who was also curious of the strange instructions, she had just been given.
"Well, unlike you I have dinner to make and tables to set, this lesson will give me time to complete the tasks." He clicked his fingers together and loudly announced to the room "Bow". The two girls looked at each other not entirely sure of the seriousness of the instructions, but both eventually conformed, and gave their best, albeit wobbly, curtseys. Once they had stood Walter gave them each an extended but specific lecture on the rights and wrongs of their every move, before he turned on his heel and made towards the door, the two ladies heads still spinning with his criticisms.
"Wait!" Called Seras "What do we do if we have a question?" Walter didn't turn back, or even slow down as he replied with,
"Ask the hellhound" before he glided through that large doors and disappeared into the winding corridors of the Hellsing mansion.
"Was that a joke?" Asked Bethany, a confused look on her face.
"Probably not" Seras muttered, looking over at the smirking beast. It had been watching them carefully, from its lounged position, on the comfortable looking couch, and was now staring at Seras again, an evil smile playing on its lips. It was strange how it kept doing that to her, as if it knew something she did not and found endless joy in just watching her go about her un-life "Any ways, we should probably get on with it." she said turning away from the jet black beast, and its haunting eyes, instead looking to the pretty young girl that stood in front of her.
"Sure" The girl gave a small curtsey and smiled sarcastically at Seras "How was that?"
"Alright, I guess, but you showed too much neck to be proper" Seras sniggered at her words, not really believing the exercise to be necessary, but continuing with it anyways. The girls continued to curtsey to one another, and chatter, all under the careful watch of the sofa-hound. Seras used this moment to try and actually gain some knowledge of what was going on in the house for once, she was so often left out of the loop for these sorts of event.
"So when, exactly is this ball?" she asked, a slight amount of worry in her voice.
"Really? You don't know? Sir Integra sure keeps you well informed doesn't she?" Bethany sighed a little, wondering if bad communication skills really did run in the family "Its at the end of the week, Saturday if I remember correctly."
"So soon? That's only five days away, wonder what I'll wear…"
"I'd go for a dress, turning up in a bin bag isn't very posh if I remember correctly" Remarked the young heiress sardonically, a friendly challenge in her eyes.
"That's only because you don't know how to wear one properly" retorted Seras
"Oh sorry you grand highness of bin liners, I didn't realise I was in the presence of rubbish royalty" Seras laughed at Bethany's ironic tone, and the two continued the conversation, half seriously, half jokingly, until the subject had bored them and they moved onto another. Since they had both perfected their bows, the pair had decided to move over to the love seat where the hound was sat, and take a rest for the rest of the lesson.
They had originally planned on moving it; however the large beast had fallen asleep during their conversation and was probably in no mood to be shifted from its pew. Instead the ladies had elected to sit on the floor, pinching a few cushions to sit on, and leant back against the frame on the sofa.
"So… this season thingy" Seras began suddenly, avoiding eye contact with the girl, "I get that it happens when I chose a mate, but what is defined as 'choosing a mate'?"
"Interesting question, the answer to which is surprisingly complicated" Bethany smiled as she stared around the room, taking in the pale grandeur of the place. The parlour had been decorated with soft pastel walls, and had a polished wooden floor that stretched out beneath them. There was very little furniture, aside from the piano and a small groups of seats scattered about. The room was practically empty, but not without character. She turned to face Seras and continued, "There are many ways of putting it, but the most accurate definition I have found is that, 'once the female', that's you by the way, 'has chosen her final mate, a bond is produced, as the pair recite their vows, and it is solidified as they consolidate their unholy marriage.'" Seras raised an eyebrow and looked up at Bethany, a sceptical look on her face. "Look essentially you find your man, you say some vows, then you sleep together. Simple as"
"Okay, but how do I know when I've 'found my man?'"
"That's never been fully documented, but this one vampire writer compared it to a blissful, opium fuelled dream. So I guess it's a good moment.
"Thanks for the specifics" Seras muttered, two fingers rubbing her temple, as a dull pain began to form at the site, 'strange' she thought 'I didn't think I could get headaches anymore, all though, I clearly know less about my un-life than I thought I did'. Leaning back she rested her head next to the hounds, and smiled as it licked her face gently before shutting its eyes in rest again, the contact somehow making her headache feel less painful. Beside her, Bethany said nothing, but stared instead out of one of the large windows to one side of the room, the falling rain seemingly hypnotising the girl and eventually lulling her into a restful slumber. The vampiress didn't try to wake her, but instead let her drift off, the poor girl was probably still adjusting to the new timetable and would need to make back her lost hours of sleep.
Standing up, Seras pushed the hound off the loveseat, and piled a few cushions into a corner as a makeshift set of pillows. The hound stretched and gave a quiet yawn, but didn't seem overly bothered about being removed from its place on the sofa. Gently she picked up the sleeping girl and placed her down on the settee, all without disturbing the heiress' rest. Taking a step back she regarded the young girl briefly, the rise and fall of her chest indicated a restful sleep and the gently murmured words signifying pleasant dreams.
Suddenly Seras felt something soft touch the edge of her mind, her head whipped to the door and she licked her lips in anticipation, though she didn't quite know why. Turning on her heel quickly she walked out of the room, her pace growing in speed as she went. The dark hound looked at her through narrowed ruby eyes, before following after her, its closeness making it seem as though she had a second shadow.
The vampire stalked through the halls of the manor and made her way out into the back garden, not encountering a single soul on her way. Seras barely even knew what was happening, she felt as though she were swimming inside her own mind, the caress on her thoughts drawing her closer to its source. Her nostrils flared, she could smell it now, and the sent was heavy and sweet, like the delicious desserts posh hotels used to serve, oozing with chocolate and cream.
She passed through the back door of the kitchen and out onto the large patio, passing the spot where she had collapsed; ignoring the blood splatter that still occupied the space, she jumped over a wall and towards the rear-end of the grounds. A large iron fence enclosed the entirety of the Hellsing manor, and beyond it was nothing but empty darkness, created by the canopies of a large forest. But Seras knew that there was something there. She could feel it in every fibre of her being. Reaching out to the barrier, the vampiress wrapped her fingers around two of the metal bars and peered out into the inky shadows. The smell was so interesting and unusual; she had to know its origin. Unknown to her, the hound had fallen back a few paces and had hidden in the shadows of a large shrub, able to watch the vampiress carefully without being seen itself.
"Hellooo?" she called out, her tone alluring and playful "I know you're out there, come to mamma…" Seras barely recognised her own words, but she didn't care, the sent emanating from beyond the barrier was so intoxicating it was driving her crazy. She felt her chest tighten and shivers crawl up her spine. "Don't toy with me, that's too cruel" She sang out too the darkness, licking her lips all the while. She noticed a small movement in the shadows and her smile grew, her fangs elongating and poking out onto her bottom lip. A hooded figure stepped forward, and made his way over to the barrier.
"I thought I could sense you, my sweet" He replied teasingly "you are so very enchanting, how have we not met before? Such a crime is simply not acceptable" His smile was as intoxicating as his sent, and Seras pressed herself against the bars in an attempt to see his face better. "I am Orochi Saito, but you, enchantress, may call me Oro (o-row). It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Why thank you, Oro, you're quite appealing yourself. I'm Seras Victoria." She smirked as he drew closer to her, until he was no more than a few inches away from her. He was considerably taller than her, her eyes on the same level as his chest, but his height had nothing on Alucard. Seras frowned briefly at her comparison, now was not the time for her brain to be thinking of other men! Especially not him. Pushing thoughts of her master aside she gazed up at the face of the man. The hood concealed most of his features in shadow, but she cold see a pair of thin smirking lips and a slightly stubbled chin. "Remove your hood" She commanded, tilting her head in thought. He obeyed immediately, and pushed the dark fabric away from his face, revealing the full beauty of his features. He had the usual flawless skin of all vampires, and his square jaw line framed his face perfectly. His eyes showed that he was of an Asian decent, although she wasn't sure exactly where, but his accent had been that of a British noble, overly charming and every word pronounced as carefully as possible.
Taking a few steps backwards, Seras took a moment to take in all of the man's body. He was well built, his musculature showing through his clothes. He wore dark trousers and military-like boots, his top was black and he wore a long leather coat, the hood of which now sat softly around his shoulders. He looked as though he had just jumped out of movie, a mysterious, dark, leather clad hero, quite the image of appeal.
"Do you approve of me, my mistress?" He asked, his smirk still in place. Seras regarded him a moment longer, before nodding slowly.
"You are quite handsome, are you not?" She said smiling along with him, despite his impressiveness, Seras couldn't help but feel like there was something missing from their encounter "Are you here to make me an offer?" Her words were rushed and playful, but she couldn't deny the fact that part of her just didn't like this man. Part of Seras was aware of how unlike herself she was acting; however the more ferocious and untamed beast within her muffled it.
"Indeed I am, how astute of you" He stated, sarcasm tinting his words slightly. He reached into an inside pocket of his jacket and Seras briefly froze, worried that he would produce a weapon of some sort, only to see that he pulled out small plum coloured box, that sat pleasantly on the palm of his hand. He pushed his hand through the iron bars of the fence, offering it to her, smiling at her all the while. "Do not worry mi dulce, it is a gift, a declaration of my love for you." Stepping towards him Seras gently took the box and ran her fingers along its surface. The container was a soft velvet, and about the size of her hand, Her delicate fingertips curling around it tenderly.
She looked up at the man, about to thank him, but he had already disappeared back into the shadows of the trees, his sent fading and his alluring touch on her mind now dissipating. Blinking rapidly Seras looked around too see if anyone had seen her. 'Did that actually just happed?' she wondered to herself 'did I really just act so…so…so unlike me? To a stranger, a vampire no less?' she was keen to deny the interaction had ever happened, but the weight of the box in her hands told her otherwise. Shaking her head she turned her attention to the gift. There was no point in denying her situation, her first 'suitor' had just appeared and now she had to deal with the consequences of that.
She was about to open the box when she noticed the beast emerge from behind one of the bushes. 'Oh God, it saw, it's probably already told master, I'm doomed' Seras' eyes opened wide in apology, and she began to shake all over.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know what was happening I-…I didn't know what I was doing" The hound made no reply but walked over to her side and pressed against her legs in understanding. The animal had known what was happening, even before she did, and that the fledgling hadn't been able to help or explain her actions. Osiris just hoped that Alucard would now realise he wasn't the only one who had a claim to Seras' attention.
For what it was worth the animals affection had seemed to comfort the vampiress, to some extent, and the lady wore a small, soft smile. She opened the box and frowned at the contents. She crouched down and showed it to the beast. Osiris peered into the container, within the velvet case was a large emerald egg, around the size of her fist, with a detailed golden dragon encircling it. There was an inscription down the side of it in Chinese. It was a truly enchanting gift, and probably cost a fair amount to procure.
"Do you know what this says?" She asked pointing to the inscription gently. The hound nodded, though he wasn't sure how this would help the lady, considering he couldn't actually communicate with her. She took the box back, and studied it carefully, before shutting the box and sighing to her. She didn't know why she had asked the dog what it said, perhaps she thought if she showed it to someone else it would feel more precious, but the gift still didn't fill the emptiness she felt inside of her. The man, for all his elegance and charm, just wasn't quite enough, and his gift had somehow felt so impersonal, despite that it was probably one of a kind.
Opening the box again, Seras tossed the egg from one hand to another, studying the inscription carefully. She wanted to know what it said, but she wasn't sure whom to ask. Walter may know, he seemed to be fairly cultured and knowledgeable, but sharing the information about where she got the item from could cause all kinds of problems. She would probably be banned from even going in the garden. She'd be cooped up like a chicken. Bored out of her mind, with the only entertainment being the residents of the household. A brief shiver crawled down her spine at the memory of Alucard terrorising the entire army barracks for a week when he had been suspended after almost blowing up an entire apartment block. Seras shook her head; she refused to allow herself to become so crazy by being cooped up. Telling Walter, Integra, and any of the soldiers was out of the question. Bethany, by proxy, was also ruled out as a possible information source. Although she seemed nice, she still had loyalty to Integra and might not be able to keep the secret of Seras' mysterious visitor 'Oro' and his gift to her.
She knew that the only person she could truly ask was her master, and for some reason she wasn't too keen to show her gift from another vampire to him. It felt wrong somehow, like she would hurt or offend him someway by doing so, like eating a chocolate bar in front of a diabetic, it most of all just felt rude.
Sighing the young vampiress placed the egg inside its case; snapped the box shut, and made her way back towards the manor, Her master would be arriving back from his mission soon and Lady Bethany still had lessons to attend this evening.
"No rest for the wicked" she murmured to the hound as the shadowy pair made their way through the winding paths of the garden. "No rest at all."