Chapter 7 – The Build up
The horses' whine as the carriage stops in front of the town house causing the wheels slide further then intended. Stepping down, the driver opens the door up for Mina. She steps out carefully as Tom comes out after her with his hand resting on her lower back. His other hand takes a decent amount out of his coat pocket and hands it to the driver who smiles cheerfully from overpayment.
"Take care," Tom says to the driver as he jumps back up his seat and cracks his whip. As the carriage moves away he nods goodbye to the couple.
They both stand there and look at the thin tall building. Tom looks at her and notices how the snow is falling on her shoulders, hair and face. He smiles with a romantic glow at the sight, the white flakes matches her complication well as well as enhances the red from her dark auburn hair.
"So. Do vampires usually live in middle class neighborhoods?" Tom asks watching her bring her glare down at him.
"No they live in dark frigid caves," the corner of her mouth turns up.
"Oh boy," he nods his head and looks back at the modest building, "Is that what this is?"
"No but the attic is," she lets out a deep laugh as she moves forward towards the stone stairs that go up to the front door.
As she takes the first step the cold sting of something hitting her butt causes her to drop her bag and turn around.
There Tom tries wiping the evident from his snow ball off his hands on his coat but hw is not fast enough as one hits him in the eye, "you could blind someone like that." Another ball hits him on the same spot causing him to stand tall and cross his arms over his chest as if he was going to pull his revolvers out.
The two stare at each other waiting for the other to make another move. Their eyes become more intense in a fun way before letting the tense moment go. Both of them grab snow in their hands and begging packing it.
Mina threw first missing Tom as he dodged while running towards her. She began to run away giving him chase a little ways down the road and stopping at stairwell in front of another house and grabbing the snow off of the railing.
"You can't get away southern man." Mina says it to intimate him by his lack of experience in this climate.
Stopping to prepare to dodge another snowball Tom's traction gave way and he slide forward into her, knocking them both onto the snowy ground.
Tom lefts his head off her chest and looks at her, "I'm so sorry."
Mina laughs and drags her hand across the ground and flings snow in his face.
Skinner jugs his pint down as the blond sits next to him. Slamming the empty glass down he smirks at her, "well hello."
" 'ello," comes out a wales accent, "my names Adina. What's yours?" Her hand begins to drift from her lap onto his leg and up.
"Ah," Skinner gulps as he hand begins to rub the inner thigh through the coat, "wales accent I ummm Skinner." His voice began to chook up as he could feel the blood leaving his head for a different one.
Her hand left is lap as she stood up and sat in his lap instead. She pulls his head over her shoulder to wipe his lips with her tong. "You wanna go luv?"
Mary rereads the third letter in two weeks that consist of always the same thing; only this one has a meeting place and time for tonight. Shaking her head out of frustration she crumbles the letters are of demands for a formula she has no way of given and heard of.
Henry watches from below the long window in to the study where Mary seems bother with something while she was reading. He lowers his head down as she stands out of the chair and tosses the crumbled letter on the floor.
Mary takes a book off one of the shelves and opens it to revel a hollow compartment for where she pulls a small revolver out. After checking that it's loaded she pulls up her skirt to tuck it in the top of her boot.
Seeing her leg causes Henry to stand a little straighter and lean forward causing him to fall face forward into the window and down on the snow bank under it.
Hearing a thud noise Mary looks out the window but sees nothing but thick snowfall in darkness. Shrugging her shoulders she opens the door in time for Mrs. Farraday carrying a tray of tea and biscuits.
"I thought you might want something warm to fight off the weather Madam," the head maid says as she places the tray on a small table next to the chair.
"Thank You," Mary tries to make it quick so she may leave without any distractions. "I'm afraid I will not be having some as I am being called away this evening."
"This evening. Miss. Reilly!-"
"It's Dr. Watson again he needs some assistance goodbye-," Mary walks away in a hurry leaving the maid to pick her jaw back up and leave to room as well.
Standing back up, Henry took this time to push up on the window ceil, "She must have had this fixed." He tires harder but the cold on his bare fingers could not do it. Frustration builds up in him causing a deep familiar growl to come out of him as the window moves up enough to allow him in.
After sliding inside his snow covered coat causes him to fall on the floor with big noise on the hard wood floors. He stays still to make sure no one heard it and is rushing in to the room. Hearing nothing he stands up and brushes himself as thought of the growl came to him. He shrugs it off thinking that it might just been his subconscious thinking about what Hyde would do in that situation.
Bending over he picks up the letter. It was print hand writing of demands for money and a formula that clamed that she knew what they were talking about. On the bottom was a threat about…him. If the demands were not to meet tonight at a square, "Oh no. Mary you were always to independent for your own good."
Hearing someone coming he grabs the full teacup and downs it then places it back before sliding back through the window and closes it.
Mrs. Faraday comes back in to take the tray and notice the empty cup, taking a moment to wonder where Mary came back in and drank it in that little amount of time, she shrugs and leaves the room.
Steed stays huddle in the back seat of the dark leather interior of a 'automobile', it was just something very big and fast to the man. When he tries looking out the window everything appears as a blur, which just makes him more nervous.
"Don't worry Mr. Steed," Nemo says from the front seat next to the driver. "We are about to pull in so hold on."
Steed watches as Nemo wraps his glove hand on a small handle bar above his head. Steed copies the idea when notices the same thing above his right in time.
The monster four-wheel navy blue vehicle jumps the dock into a opening in the Nautilus. The move makes everyone inside weightless briefly until they land back in their seats.
"Okay," was all Steed could say as he opens up his passenger door forgetting the height of the vehicle and stumbles down.
A younger Indian in a blue and white strip shirt goes pass Steed carrying his cases and another with his folders. Just about to say something as he points his finger out Nemo cuts him off.
"It's fine Mr. Steed," Nemo rests a hand on Steed's shoulder to help him steady himself from the ride. "Your stuff will be taken to your room. Come now I will give you a tour."
Nemo walks ahead of Steed to lead him as he hears the man say, "will we be walking?"