Gah. I *had* an entire C&C written for this chapter, and my
computer
locked up. Well, anything worth doing is worth doing twice, I guess....
Elsa Bibat wrote on 11/2/2004, 1:12 PM:
>
> Set in the "Pulp Hellsing" timeline _not_ in the "Dances
> Set To The Music Of Time" timeline.
Just one question: who gets played by Tarantino? (:)
> *************************************************
>
> DANCES SET TO THE MUSIC OF TIME
> An Epic History of Humanity
> From The Age of Silver
> To The Age of Crystal
> And Beyond
>
> http://rakhal.com/florestica/elsa-bibat/index.html
>
> Other fanfiction by the same author:
> http://rakhal.com/florestica/elsa-bibat/index.html
>
> Kindly archived by Larry F and
> The Lost Library of Florestica:
> http://rakhal.com/florestica/
> *************************************************
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
> -- File: hellp.txt
>
> **********************************************************************
>
> Disclaimer:
>
> Hellsing is owned by Hirano Kouta. All licenses belong to the proper
> people. This is used without permission.
>
> The Shadow was created by Walter Gibson. All licenses and rights
> belong to the proper people. This is used without permission.
>
> This disclaimer also applies to several intellectual properties
> referred to in the text. Please be guided accordingly.
>
> This file can be freely distributed so long as it appears in its
> complete form and proper credit given. No part may be reproduced for
> monetary gain without permission from the author.
>
> **********************************************************************
>
> Chapter 4 Tea
>
> The sun was bright and beautiful.
Aaaaand, there's that chapter-transition thingy again.
> Irritatingly so.
>
> Dame Integra Helsing rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and yawned,
> blinking back the powerful onslaught of the sun's morning rays in her
> eyes. Dressed in pajamas and a voluminous woolen bathrobe, rabbit
> slippers slapping lightly on the carpeted floor, she was the very image
> of a beautiful young woman just awakened from her sleep and ready to
> face the challenges of the new day.
...rabbit slippers? INTEGRA?
......oy. I think you bent my brain...
> The memory of the name made Integra purse her lips and pause in
> midstep. Doctor Savage? Yes, that was why the name 'Clark Savage' was so
> familiar and Walter did say that he was an associate of her mother's. It
> seemed she still had friends she didn't know about. Integra just shook
> her head and brushed away a lock of hair and continued her downward
> trip. Enough time for that later.
Heh. I faintly remembered this, but it wasn't in any of the reposts.
Finally found it at Florestica, in the Prologue.
> The family kitchen was still used mainly for the purpose of
> intimacy, though Integra thought her parents may disapprove of the times
> she dragged Alucard into the kitchen to eat with her when she was
> younger. She sometimes cajoled Walter into dining with her there, though
> the butler was clearly uncomfortable because of his ingrained training.
> One does not dine with the master after all. But in her youth, she
> looked around for eligible surrogate family members and the two were the
> only ones available .
It does say something about her life.
> Strange that her family would include a psychotic vampire and a
> butler that had a confirmed body count of more than a thousand human and
> inhuman enemies, but an orphan could not exactly choose who to make
> family, a thought that was rather appropriate as Integra turned down the
> final spiraling steps and smelled the wafting odor of freshly brewed
> tea.
Al's thoughts on the matter, of course, are unrecorded.
> The sunlight glinted off her short blonde hair as Ceres Victoria sat
> in what had become her chair beside the little round table that was the
> family kitchen's centerpiece. Her ruby eyes were hidden by those
> horrible sunglasses she always wore when in daylight. Dressed in what
> was probably her only sleeping outfit, a rather thin ankle-length night
> gown with ruffled sleeves, the sort of night gown that one would usually
> only see worn by boarding school girls or on young ladies at the turn of
> the century. Ceres' bare feet were playing with themselves, the white
"themselves" or "each other"?
> smooth skin of her ankles alabaster in the light. She was nursing a cup
> of blood tea, a peculiar mixture of tea, water and blood, since vampiric
> digestion seemed to allow any liquid items mixed with the vital fluid,
> her left hand slowly stroking a rabbit that she had gotten from
> somewhere.
But, being from the UK, can they still eat *blood pudding*?
> It was a picture of beauty and innocence, radiating a soft sensual
> aura that was barely erotic but made Integra's spine shiver all the
> same. Her father had once told her that some vampiric bloodlines
> radiated that field of seduction like a bait for the unwary. Alucard's
> bloodline was one of those. Though the elder vampire almost always went
> out of his way to be a total ass and present a slovenly appearance, his
> handsome features and the majesty of his presence still shone through.
> His fledgeling it seemed was still unaware of what she was doing to most
> of the people in her vicinity, most probably because most who come in
> contact with her were aware that she was a vampire and knew of her sire
> as an entity that could make sure Hell was the place you'd be wishing
> for after he got his hands on you if they ever messed with her.
Al as an overprotective daddy? The mind boggles.
> Fortunately, the aura lessened whenever she was in the field or on
> active duty. Unfortunately, at times when she was relaxed the effect
> seemed to double in strength. Walter and Alucard, two of the three
> people Ceres would usually encounter on her down time, were immune to
> the aura, mostly because Walter had survived several years of exposure
> to something similar and Alucard, because he was the bloodline's
> progenitor after all. The third person who usually encountered Ceres was
> Integra herself and she neither was a vampire nor had she experienced
> the full power of Alucard's aura.
Hmmm... one wonder's about Al's motives for exercising restraint. I've
always suspected his feelings for Integra are more complex than mere
master/servant.
> What was initially an attempt to gauge her new vampiric charge's
> abilities and personality became a daily habit of sharing morning tea.
> Integra had been trained to need only three hours of sleep every twenty
> four hours and Ceres, like her sire, was what vampires considered a
> daybird and they both had a need for tea at the exact time in the
> morning, about nine o'clock. A weird friendship had blossomed between
> the two, both knowing enough to keep their professional faces when doing
> work and leting their hair down during their morning encounters. It
> almost seemed like a game, Ceres trying her best to put a smile on the
> face of the older woman while Integra tried her best to keep herself as
> grumpy as possible, a difficult task indeed while being assailed by
> Ceres' seductive aura and her strange, for someone who was undead,
> propensity for good cheer.
Maybe *that's* why Al turned Ceres -- he finally found somebody bubbly
enough to cheer Integra up.
> Thankfully enough, her parents had each taught her a few meditative
> tricks that they believed would help her in carrying the burden of being
> a Helsing. Still, even with her mental focus, Ceres managed to convince
> her to go on a shopping expedition the past month.
>
> The shopping trip was not exactly the complete and total disaster
> that most people would usually imagine when a rather perky undead girl
> with a liking for brightly colored funky outfits and a rather dour
> living girl with a propensity to dress in men's clothing get together to
> shop.
.....#PROCESS VIOLATION FAULT: Imagination Limit Exceeded#
> The experience was, Integra loathed to admit, rather fun. It was an
> entirely normal shopping trip, with both women looking for apropriate
> outfits. It was a bit uncomfortable, mostly because of Integra's
> constant close proximity to the young vampire in various states of
> undress, but, after all was said and done, it was quite the success.
>
> Also, not all of its success could be attributed to Ceres'
> attraction aura. Integra liked Ceres well enough and they connected in a
> certain way that the elder woman could not understand. There was a
> strange feeeling of sisterhood that she felt with the younger girl that
> was difficult to explain.
Ceres *is* personable. And Integra has to be lonely, regardless of
what she tells herself.
> The last Helsing was not exactly the most sociable person in the
> world and her other friendships were mostly gained after periods
> of struggle that would sometimes be called epic. Ceres had managed to
> worm herself into her good graces with such seeming ease that it made
> Integra uncomfortable.
That's because Integra is so anal that she's terrified to acknowledge
that her emotions can act without permission of her intellect.
> "Good morning, Dame Integra!"
>
> Integra blinked and finally noticed that she had been gazing at
> Ceres for several long minutes. Thankfully, the vampire had not noticed
> her arrival until now.
>
> "Good morning, Ceres. My tea ready?"
>
> "The pot's nearly on the boil. There." Ceres stood up as the whistle
> of the teakettle alerted the room of its heated contents being ready.
> Her nightgown flattered her petite figure well and it made her bust
> seem-
>
> Integra shook herself. Control. Control. She walked to her chair and
> sat down with a relieved sigh.
Hah. I wonder how much of this attraction is from Ceres's aura, and
how much is coming from Integra herself.
> "You know, Ceres, you really should get a new pair of sleeping
> clothes."
>
> "What? Is there something wrong with it?" The young vampire had set
> the kettle on the table and bent around looking for a rip or a tear. It
> drew the nightgown tight against her lithe curves in such a way that
> made Integra's mouth go dry.
<snicker> Elsa, Elsa, Elsa, are you going to go all yuri on us? I
admit, they *would* make a cute couple.
More than that, though, I *would* like to see either or both of them
have *someone* special for themselves. I'm a big sap that way...
> "You don't wear anything under that, do you?" Integra asked with a
> slight tremble in her voice, as she quickly poured herself a cup as she
> turned her eyes away to look outside.
>
> "Well, no. I like the way it feels on my bare skin and it makes me
> feel more relaxed." The delivery was so innocent that it almost bordered
> on pornographic. Even though she was looking away and Ceres was wearing
> her sunglasses, Integra could see in her mind's eye that wide-eyed
> naive look on the vampire's face that she always found strangely
> attractive.
Innocence, thy name is Ceres.
> "Er...yes, well, I would prefer if you got a pair of pajamas or wore
> a bathrobe over it. Who knows who might see you in that thing?" Plus,
Integra: (Like, say, ME!)
it
> would contribute a lot to my peace of mind. "Actually, don't worry about
> it. I'll have Walter get you both and have them sent downstairs."
>
> "No need to trouble him, Dame Integra. I'll just go out and buy some
> next time."
>
> "Will you stop doing that!"
>
> "Doing what?"
>
> Integra was about to say that Ceres should stop smiling that way
> because it made her so damn sexy but she caught herself.
The way her self-control keeps slipping must be driving Integra *nuts.*
> "Stop using my title. I've told you that there's no need for
> formality with me when you're here." Integra made herself smile to put
> the young vampire at ease. "Even Walter doesn't call me by my title in
> this room."
>
> "Um...sorry about that." Ceres, it seemed, had finally mastered the
> act of biting her lips without drawing blood. "Just can't help
Gah, the *Cuteness*... I may go into sugar shock right here...
myself, I
> think. Dad always drilled me on acting right. Can't have me embarassing
> myself and my family, can I?"
>
> Integra shook her head and gave Ceres a small honest smile. "We
> can't and we won't, dear. But if you ever use my title again in this
> room, I'd have to use your title, too."
>
> Ceres' eyes widened. "I have a title?"
>
> "Of course. You've died in the service of the organization, haven't
> you?"
>
> "Well, technically-"
>
> "That's always how it works. Technicalities. So, technically you are
> a Knight of the Order of Hellsing, one of the lesser degrees of
> knighthood, but a knighthood nonetheless, Dame Ceres."
(And I'm going to push the paperwork through, post-dated, tomorrow) she
thought.
> Ceres giggled. "Don't say it like that, Da- Integra. It makes the
> name sound pretentious."
>
> "So see to it that you don't call me 'Dame' in this room."
>
> "All right, all right, Integra, if that's how you want it."
>
> They both settled into a comfortable silence as they both drank
> their tea.
>
> Integra noticed that Ceres was giving the rabbit on the table a
> blank little look. She herself was curious to what made the vampire take
> an interest in keeping a pet.
>
> "Having trouble with your little friend?"
>
> The younger woman shook her head in the negative. "I'm just
> wondering what to do with him. Alucard gave him to me."
>
> Integra suppressed a spurt of jealousy. For whom that little jerk of
> her heart was for, she didn't know.
And she *not* going to examine it too closely.
> "Alucard rarely gives gifts to anybody, Ceres. I should think you'd
> be happy." I know I would be.
>
> "Well, it's not exactly a gift." Ceres had left off stroking the
> rabbit and started to twiddle her fingers and her mouth was puckered
> into what Integra thought of as a sexy little pout, a thought that
> Integra crushed as quickly as possible. "He said it's my next lesson."
>
> "Hmmm?"
>
> "I have to kill George here."
>
> Integra spared the little lapine on the table a curious glance. "I
> would think that giving a name to something you have to kill would not
> exactly be conducive to the act."
Her lack of shock is telling.
> Though unseen, Ceres' eyebrows gave away the fact that she had just
> rolled her eyes upward in a gesture of helplessness. "I didn't give him
> a name, Integra. Alucard stole him from some little girl."
>
> Integra's eyes narrowed. "He took him from her? Personally?"
>
> "Well, I'm guessing he pulled George out of the yard or something
> like that. He doesn't like being seen by little kids. For a vampire,
> Master has this weird hang-up about children."
Some lingering sense of ethics?
> I know. "So, you have to 'drink' from little George here?"
And I wonder just how much disappointment is in that "I know"?
>Integra
> suppressed any outward show of her ingrained instinctive disgust at any
> thought of drinking blood. She was aware of what her charges did, but
> she didn't have to be forcibly reminded of it. "Is that the problem? Is
> he forcing you? Because, if he is-"
>
> Ceres interrupted Integra before she could get into full steam.
>
> "No, no, no. It's all right. He's not forcing me into anything. He
> just suggested I make George here into a litle snack. He backed off when
> I said no. It's just that..."
>
> The young vampire looked hesitant. To Integra's eyes, she looked a
> bit nervous. "What's the problem then?"
>
> "Well... me and Alucard were having a little ...conversation about
> killing George here when he called me something."
>
> "Hmmm?"
>
> "I know, I know. Sounds bloody stupid. It was such a small thing
> anyway. I just remembered him saying it about a few minutes ago. It was
> such a... I don't know the word...it just had the right ring to it that
> I didn't question him when he called me that, you know?"
>
> Integra just gave the petite blonde across from her a curious look,
> an eyebrow arched.
>
> "It's not as if he was being serious, though you can't tell with
> him..."
>
> Ceres trailed off once again, to Integra's displeasure.
>
> "So, what did he called you?"
"Call"
> "I...well..."
>
> "C'mon, girl, spit it out!"
>
> "Well, he called me ... his 'sweet, little bride'."
>
> Integra blinked. "What!?"
The bomb squad later determined that the explosion that levelled the
Helsing estate had its epicenter in the small private kitchen, but found
no residue of explosives.
> Ceres flinched, alerting Integra to the fact that she had screeched
> that last statement. She drew a deep breath and composed herself and
> repeated the question in calmer tone. "What?"
>
> "He called me his bride. I'd understand it if you get angry,
> Integra-"
>
> "Why should I be angry? Do I look like I'm angry? Do I sound as if
> I'm angry? Am I angry?"
I don't know, yes, yes, I'm pretty sure yes.
> "Er... well..."
>
> "I'm not angry. There. I'm flatly stating it out. I am not angry."
"I'm also lying through my teeth, but we're all going to ignore that,
aren't we?"
> "Okay, if you say so..."
>
> "Shall we continue this conversation?"
>
> Ceres nodded.
>
> "Well, why does Alucard calling you his 'bride', worry you?"
>
> "Er... I was going to ask Walter what it meant-"
>
> "Why Walter and not me?"
>
> "Ah...Walter knows a lot of things about-
>
> "And I don't?"
>
> "I didn't want to worry you about anything." The words tumbled out
> quickly, so that they could not be interrupted. The room settled into a
> frozen silence.
Not the best choice of words...
> Integra could feel Ceres being scared, a trick she had learned from
> her mother. Why is she scared of me? I sit with her each morning to
> share tea and she's scared of me. I mean, doesn't the fact that I'm
> willing to spend my time with her signify nothing to her? Why, I should
> be frightened of her, damned creature of the night that she is. Another
> bright slash of fear pulsed across Integra's senses and she looked
> across the table at the pale undead girl. Ceres was hiding it well, but
> she obviously wanted to leave.
You know, Integra, you *might* take this as a hint as to your
interpersonal skills, or lack thereof...
> For some strange reason, after a few moments, Integra realized she
> didn't want her to. For a short moment, she felt ashamed at frightening
> her vampiric charge. She breathed deeply and calmed herself. To calm
> Ceres, she reached out and put a hand over the undead girl's right hand
> and smiled. The vampire's hand was cold as a corpse, but she smiled
> anyway.
>
> "I'm sorry. I'm still just a bit high-strung." Apologizing to a
> vampire would probably gall her normally, but this particular vampire
> was special, in a way. "So, you were going to ask Walter about?"
>
> Ceres had calmed down and offered a little smile of her own. "I was
> going to ask him about what Alucard meant by him calling me... that."
>
> "Well, as I mentioned, you should have asked me. If there was
> anything wrong with your sire, I should be the first to know about it."
>
> "All right, Integra, the next time I want to know anything about
> Alucard, I'll just ask you."
...not going to say it.
> "Good. Now, you want to know why he called you his 'bride'?"
>
> "Well, I think so."
>
> "Most vampire's of your master's age have a... harem of
"Vampires." No '
>fledgeling
> vampires of the opposite sex to... be their companions. They are usually
> called as either 'brides' or 'grooms'. Alucard had a set of them before
> he was bound."
>
> "Are they-"
>
> "I said 'had', didn't I?"
>
> "Oh."
>
> "I'd assume you'd want to know what brides did?"
>
> "Well..."
Details! DETAILS!!!!!
> "I shall assume your hesitation as a 'yes' and will tell you anyway.
> Brides usually acted as the elder vampire's representatives or as agents
> to his will. Also they did most of the menial work for their elders."
>
> "And that's why they're called brides? Shouldn't they just be called
> 'wives' or something?"
>
> "No... the term is mostly from slayer parlance-"
>
> "Slayer?"
>
> "Vampire slayer."
>
> "Oh."
>
> "Well, it refers to the fact that once a person has been given the
> dark kiss and turned into a vampire, the elder usually..."
>
> "What?"
>
> Integra was sure that her cheeks were red by now. "Well, what did
> Alucard do after he turned you?"
>
> "Er...wrapped me in a curtain and carried me out of the town."
>
> Integra blinked in surprise. That meant Alucard didn't-
>
> "This is very important, Ceres. You were a virgin weren't you?"
>
> Integra had this distinct feeling that if Ceres were mortal, she'd
> be blushing tomato red. "Well, yes. I still am. Is that important?"
>
> Integra gaped at her. "Still?"
Well, after reading Ch7 and Sappho, we might know the reason for that.
> "Yes. Why is-"
>
> "One of the more important things that makes a person a prime
> candidate for turning is the fact that he or she has had no sexual
> intercourse in his or her life. A virgin."
>
> Ceres was obviously blinking with the way her eyebrows were going up
> and down.
>
> "Does that mean Master's a-"
Al: "A-HEM."
> "No. That's another part of the ritual. The elder is supposed to...
> deflower the newly turned vampire. Are you sure-"
>
> "We-well, everything was a blur and I- It felt so good when he bit
> me, it was like flying and I got sort of...what's sex supposed to feel
> like, Integra?"
>
> Oh, great. The image of her being a sexual consultant for a vampire
> was almost too much for her and the absurdity of the situation took her
> near to the brink of laughter. "I'm not exactly the person to ask that
> particular question."
ROTFL...
> "Huh?"
>
> "Let's just say that in some circles I'm called, not exactly
> politely or respectfully, the 'Iron Virgin'."
She's not in bad company. IIRC, they called Queen Elizabeth that, too.
Never more than once, though...
> "Oh."
>
> "Yes. 'Oh'"
I'm still snickering over this entire conversation.
> "I mean, you're so beautiful and-"
>
> Integra really didn't need for Ceres to tell her how sexy she was,
> she'd had enough of that during the shopping trip, besides it wasn't
> exactly helpful for her self-control to hear someone she found...
> attractive to tell her that. So, to forestall the incoming barrage of
> praise, she interrupted the young vampire before she could continue.
<snicker>
> "We're getting off-topic. Are you sure Alucard didn't..." She left
> the question hanging.
>
> "Pretty sure. I don't exactly check that sort of thing. Maybe you
> can-"
>
> "I'd rather not, thank you."
That *is* sort of an odd request. HELLSING *must* keep at least one
doctor on staff. Then again, s/he's probably not a GYN...
> "Er...ask a doctor to check?"
>
> Integra was thinking of someone else doing the checking, so it was
> with a definite effort that she suppressed a blush.
BWAHAHAAAA!
> "No. Besides, it
> would be rather moot with your vampiric healing, wouldn't it?"
....ow. I'm a guy, and that made even *me* wince.
> "Ah, yes. Sorry about that."
>
> "So...are there anymore problems?"
>
> "Well, you've answered what 'bride' generally means, but I don't
> think that it answers my question."
>
> Integra nodded. That was a definite puzzle. "Then, you should look
> it up, Ceres."
>
> "Look it up?"
>
> "Hellsing has the largest library of vampire lore in the entire
> world. Even Iscariot cannot match our library. It was left untouched by
> the Valentine assault, thanks to you and Walter. Maybe there's something
> in there that would help you."
>
> "I don't-"
>
> "I'll tell Walter to give you free use of it."
>
> "Er... thank you." Ceres smiled at her.
>
> "No problem, my dear."
>
> Integra finally noticed that hand was still on the young
>vampire's hand and slowly pulled it away.
>
> "Well, it seems I'm finished. I should be going downstairs."
>
> "Good day, then."
>
> "Good day, too."
>
> Ceres stood up and put her teacup in the wash basin. She moved to
> leave and hesitated beside Integra, who had started to read the Times.
>
> "Integra."
>
> "Hmmm."
>
> Ceres stood beside her holding George in her hands and had a strange
> look on her face.
>
> "I-Well, thanks for talking with me. It really means a lot to me."
>
> Then, Ceres blurred with vampiric speed and gave Integra a friendly
> kiss on the cheek. She then wafted out of the room like the wind.
....ohhh, Ceres, if you only knew what you were doing...
Of course, Integra should realize that Ceres is even lonlier than she
is. But Integra probably doesn't make the connection between "unholy
creature of Darkness" and "human emotions."
> The last Helsing was frozen. Then, with arctic slowness, she reached
> up to feel the cold place where dead lips had kissed her. With Ceres'
> departure, everything seemed to go to normal. She abruptly realized what
> she had just shared with the young vampire and the strange combined
> emotions of horror and pleasure enveloped her.
Heh heh heh.
> For some strange reason, she had this urge to slam her head on the
> table. Repeatedly. A question ran on endless repeat in her mind.
>
> Why do I keep on doing this?
What, she's done it before? Did she have a huge schoolgirl crush on Al
or something.
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