In a small, but well furnished room in the British consulate in Japan, Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing stopped and rubbed her forehead.
Again. Now she knew why that feeling of impending annoyance had loomed over her three hours ago.
"Explain."
Efficiency is a merit for any leader. The fewer words necessary to convey intent, the better.
"Why Master, you seem... disturbed tonight. Have you not had dinner yet?"
After all, extended conversation with Alucard was something she had learned to avoid as much as possible.
"Explain."
It was better for the blood pressure, and the leader of Hellsing couldn't spare any more downtime than absolutely necessary.
Silence stretched between the two speakers.
"Very well," Alucard finally relented. It was apparent that his Master wasn't going to play along. The red-clad man turned to indicate the boy standing unobtrusively near the door, and the girl that the boy stood over sitting in a chair nearby.
Integra's gaze flickered over the two for an instant before returning onto her servant. Silence fell over the room again.
Alucard smirked, just a little. "I found these two children while enjoying the local scenery. Apparently they were being attacked by a trio of those strange creatures that you have been investigating, so I saved them and brought them here." With a flick of the wrist, the vampire tossed the Daimon seed onto Integra's desk. "I thought it'd be useful for me to bring that back with me. It came from one when I killed it, though it is not a FREAK chip."
Integra regarded the bauble with distaste. "Then deliver it to one of the researchers, or to Walter when you see him." The issue having been dealt with as far as she was concerned, the woman returned her attention to the pile of paperwork that still required her time.
Alucard chuckled a little as he reclaimed and pocketed the seed.
Integra ignored him.
"Of course, that's not all that I found interesting...."
Integra's eyes snapped up to Alucard's grinning face in an instant. Warning bells went off whenever Alucard's interests came up as a subject. It was a rule of thumb that hadn't failed her yet. Amusement can be safely ignored. Interest cannot.
"Now Master, I think it would be not be unreasonable for Hellsing to shelter these two children for a time, in case of another assault upon them. Wouldn't that be... kind of us?"
Integra's eyes shot toward the two children on the other side of the room. The boy returned the scrutiny with equal intensity, as if he was judging her threat level from her body language. A survivor probably, though it was interesting for a child of his age. The girl was looking wide-eyed around the room, trying to understand everything going on around her. An innocent, no doubt. Not uncommon at all.
Integra's eyes shot back to Alucard's grinning face. He knew something, that was absolutely without a doubt. There was nothing on the surface of those two that would catch Alucard's eye, so it must be something on another level.
"And why, Alucard, would that sort of protection be necessary?"
After all, the reports of paranormal activity had concluded that monster attacks have been against random passerby, not repeated assaults on specific targets. And Alucard knew that. A different game was being played here, and Integra knew that the vampire in front of her was enjoying it to the fullest.
"Why, you wouldn't turn these poor things back out into the cold, cruel world without any aid, would you Master?"
Capricious though the vampire might be, he wouldn't drag out this game for so long unless he was very interested in them. Which meant that the highest caution was necessary. Every word had to be measured, every thought had to be precise.
What
Is it
About these two children
That would require
Special protection
A
Lu
Car
Do?
That should get an answer.
"Well, why don't you ask them, Master?"
With that, Alucard sauntered over to the closest chair at Integra's side, plopped himself down, put his feet on her desk, and lowered the rim of his hat over his eyes, for all the world seeming to have decided to take a quick afternoon nap.
Silence fell over the room for the umpteenth time. Integra's undisguised glare at the man in front of her was almost intense enough to burn his silhouette into the far wall.
Alucard ignored her, of course.
A long moment passed. Finally, the blond, bespectacled woman managed to reschool her expression and turned to the two children still staying unobtrusively silent on the other end of the room. Without a word, she beckoned the two to come forward. The girl walked forward shyly, and at least a little scared. The boy moved confidently, though cautiously, his eyes firmly on Integra.
"My name is Integra Hellsing, and I hope that you'll forgive Alucard for his... manners," Integra started in a much calmer and kinder tone after the two had seated themselves in front of her desk, "Can you tell me your names?"
"I am Hotaru Tomoe, and this is my brother Ranma," Hotaru offered softly. Ranma grunted his agreement.
Integra nodded thoughtfully. "Well, Alucard seems to think you two need to be protected, so can you tell me why those monsters attacked you?"
Hotaru and Ranma looked at each other for a moment, before Ranma turned back to Integra. "Well, you see-" he started, but was immediately interrupted by a loud growl from his stomach. Hotaru couldn't resist giggling, and even Integra seemed to lighten up a little more at Ranma's embarrassed look.
"Umm... We haven't eaten in a long time, and Ranma's been running a lot today. Can we get something to eat first?" Hotaru asked shyly.
"I suppose that would be fine. I haven't had a chance to catch dinner yet myself. Come along," Integra replied as she stood up from her chair and started walking toward the door.
"Thank you, Auntie Integra!" Hotaru cheered.
Integra-obasama? Children do use 'obasama' for unrelated women sometimes, but these two should be too old to use this form of honorific. "I prefer 'Sir Integra', if you would."
"Okay, Auntie Integra!"
"Really, I would rather be referred to as 'Sir', or 'Lady'." Integra reached for the doorknob as the two followed. Children....
"Sure, Auntie Integra!"
Integra stopped. This really couldn't continue. It was one thing for Alucard to be less than respectful in private, but children calling her Auntie in public is a hit to her image, however small, that she didn't want to deal with. So she turned back to the two children. "Why do you keep calling me Auntie? Who told you to call me that?"
Hotaru pulled back a little at the annoyance on the lady's face. "Well, Alucard-san told me it was okay, Auntie Integra."
ALUCARD!!!
The sheer force of Integra's shout caused Hotaru and Ranma to jump back in fright, even though it wasn't aimed at them. On the other hand, it was enough to cross the room and blow Alucard's hat right off his head, leaving only his red glasses standing between his eyes and Inferno Integra.
Alucard unconcernedly adjusted his specs to peer with one red eye at Integra's leveled glare. "Oh my, my, my. That facial twitch simply can't be a sign of good health, Master." Completely nonchalant, he stood up from the seat and plucked his hat from where it had landed. Setting it firmly on his head once more, he turned a most aggravating smirk toward Integra.
"Did you know Master, that humans sometimes become very short tempered when they are hungry? You three should go and eat, before Master's stress causes her to lose her vitality."
Walking toward the wall, Alucard turned one last grin toward the fuming blonde at the door.
Good Evening, Miss Hellsing.
With a tip of his hat, the red-clad man faded through the wall, his chuckles strangely echoing in the small room.
Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing... twitched... a little more.
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(Posted Wed, 29 Oct 2003 16:25)
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