Divine Retribution
Chap 3
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Chapter
Three
.
Seras
walked to the couch and picked up Integra’s jacket. She wouldn’t be putting it in the wash. The material wasn’t Seras’s usual everyday wash and wear style.
listened for a moment, the shower was still running.
With a big
grin she slipped it on. Boy, if the
guys could see her now, she made a quick note to not breathe a word of her
childishness; it was no telling how Integra would react.
herself.
Thankfully
the old mirror/vampire myth was false.
She worried about it on the first night of her undead life and her fears
were quickly put to rest. She turned a
couple of times, giggling at her image and tried to button the jacket.
bust was a little too tight.
“These
humongous things…” she huffed trying to force the first button.
looked tight on Seras at times because of her breasts.
the couch and placed the coat on the back of it.
She laughed
at herself, hopefully her playful nature wouldn’t come out in front of
Integra. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea
to let her hair down around her commander at all. After a few moments the bathroom door swung open and Integra
stepped out with her hair in a towel.
Seras jumped up and pointed to the small vanity.
“I have a
hairdryer,” Seras said. Integra
regarded her per usual, acting as if she were ignoring her.
“I don’t
want to tell the world we’re here, do you?” Integra answered while walking over
the couch and sitting down. Seras
smiled, even at the sharp remark, Integra looked very out of place in purple
pajamas.
Integra lit
another cigar and Seras took the cue to bring her the ashtray.
table Integra watched her condescendingly. I guess I just feel
comfortable, besides, I’m in my own home, I like to feel cosy.”
Integra. Being startled by the close
proximity Integra sat up and leaned to the far side. Seras instinctively moved further to the other side.
thought to herself.
“But if you
prefer I can…”
“That won’t
be necessary, by all means, feel comfortable in your ‘home’,“ Integra
interrupted then nodded toward the bathroom.
“I put my clothing in the hamper, wash them on delicate with cold water
and be sure to sort,” she continued in a firm detached tone.
bathroom. “I’ll just assume that I’m
sleeping there tonight,” Integra finished and motioned toward the bedroom.
“Yes, I
won’t be sleeping until dawn so I guess I’ll keep watch,” Seras said then
busied herself with gathering the clothes in the hamper and heading for the
small washroom beyond the kitchen.
Integra was already in the bedroom, pulling back the sheets.
Seras
smirked to herself. ‘Bodyguard and
laundry lady, what else is in this job description?’ She thought as she
tossed the items into the wash. “Ha, I
guess when it comes to boxers or briefs Integra is briefs all the way,” She
chuckled quietly to herself as she tossed the white underwear in.
wearing one.
She
suddenly wished her own breasts were a more concealable size.
your chest more than your face. She
smiled at the intimate contact she was having with her commander’s more
personal side of life and tossed the bra in to commence the wash.
When she
walked back to the living she could see the faint outline of Integra in her
bedroom, seated on the bed brushing her hair.
The way she brushed her hair in deliberate strokes reflected on how she
treated everything from what Seras could see of her daily interaction.
She
suddenly felt sorry for her. Integra’s
childhood couldn’t have been that happy.
Maybe she had never had a social life or a friend for that matter as a
child. Seras found it hard to imagine
not having her friends, school, and sleepovers as a child.
responsibility couldn’t possibly be enjoyable or healthy.
on the frame. Integra’s head snapped in
her direction in a coy manner.
“Yes?” she
spat and put the brush in her lap. She
detested using someone’s personal items on herself but this could barely be
helped. She hadn’t brushed her teeth,
but not brushing her hair was out of the question. Seras suddenly bounded into the room and bent to smile at her,
this behaviour was very unexpected and Integra found herself leaning back on
her arms to escape the close proximity.
“Could I
brush your hair for you? It might help
you relax,” Seras said in bubbly voice.
Integra looked like she’d seen a corpse, and she had, an insane undead
one.
“Have you
lost what sanity you had? Do I have to
remind you every five minutes this is not a holiday? And did I give you permission to come in?” She huffed in deep
tone. Seras looked crestfallen and
stepped back.
“I’m y
Sy
Sir, I just want… to make you feel at ease, I guess it’s not working,” she said
in a small voice absently scratching her head.
Integra almost felt regret.
“Apology
accepted, you will make me feel at ease by acting your age, not to mention
treating me with the respect due to your commander,” Integra replied.
“I didn’t
mean any disrespect Sir, I just wanted to be friendly,” she inueinued and
looked out to the living room, where she would soon be making her escape
to. The whole idea was stupid but
seeing someone so estranged from the normal world (even more than she) made her
act on emotion rather than sense. an>
>
“Friendly?
Integra growled barely finding the words to say. Seras nodded and walked out quickly Integra could see her fall back on the couch with a huge sigh.
This was a
strange situation indeed. Apart from a
couple of servants and Walter, Integra hadn’t even considered having a friend
her whole life. And certainly no one
had done anything towards her out of being ‘friendly’; at least in that
ridiculous way Seras had exhibited.
Maybe somewhere in Seras’s strange mind she thought of this as
duty. Integra frowned at the thought; no
she must have an ulterior motive.
Having
friends would prove to be a hidden weakness, her father had taught her this
with the ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ lesson.
anyone, but for fear of disapproval she didn’t chance it, and after her
father’s death, she believed his words for the truth. And through the years, she found that many people feigned
affection for their own gain.
To have
someone close was to have weakness.
Hell, even people she didn’t know from the next stranger off the street
she felt responsible for, thinking back on all the soldiers lost to the
Valentine brother’s raid and attack on the tower. They were her responsibility however, and somehow, she regretted
the fact she hadn’t known each one personally.
Alucard was
fferfferent situation completely, yes he was a noble servant, even for an
undead, but she would never fully trust him.
She would trust him with her organization and ever her life, but it
there was something always under the surface with him, an ulterior motive.
And now,
sitting in this fledgling girl’s house, on her bed, she couldn’t make heads nor
tails of Seras. She seemed to be open
as a book, and her actions appeared heartfelt for the most part.
The pity on
her face had angered Integra when she had stated she was only trying to be
friendly. It was also intriguing
nonetheless; she had never been pitied much in her life.
this thought suddenly turned to pity for Seras.
Seeing that
the couch was left to her, Seras stretched her legs across.
wouldn’t come until hours had passed.
Lack of blood was going to weaken her substantially if this order wasn’t
finished within the next day. She could
hold out, there was no choice. She’d
gone longer before, but gradual deprivation was wearing heavily on her control.
“Seras,”
Integra called from the bedroom. What
could it be now? She pushed herself off
the couch in a tired motion and plodded in her sock feet to the door.
“Yes Sir?”
“Please
bring my weapon to me,” Integra ordered, Seras turned and picked the pistol up
from the small table and entered the bedroom.
Integra was already in bed, sitting up with her hands in her lap.
nightstand. Seras noticed how very big
and brilliant her commander’s eyes were when lacking the lenses.
to leave.
“Seras, be
sure to have your own weapon at the ready… and don’t dry my dress clothes, put
them on hanger fresh from the wash to keep from wrinkling,” Integra snapped at
her retreating form. Seras turned and
nodded then left the room.
Back in the
living room she reflected on the nights’ events. This had to be the strangest predicament this job had placed her
in yet. Playing personal servant for an
aristocratic lady in knight’s clothing.
“Speaking of clothing…” she said to herself as she left to check the
wash. It was done.
Hanging the
shirt and pants she threw the socks and underwear into the dryer.
for this one and chuckled to herself.
She walked back to living room and could hear the faint sounds of
Integra’s snore. It was a deceivingly
ladylike snore for one so brash and androgynous.
What an
enigma, she mused for a while about what would lead a woman to dress and act as
if she were a man. It must be the
responsibility of heading an organization that, for all extensive purposes, was
expected to be lead by a man.
Being the
heir to such a noble and weighty position probably demanded she act the way she
does. Not to mention the fact she
belonged to the royal order of the Knights.
Yet it seemed she not only dressed but also acted the part.
freer life, to be, simply, a woman.
Maybe as the hours passed, some of the ‘real’ Integra would come out.
“Yeah,
don’t hold your breath Seras, you’re not getting off that easy,” She said to
herself with a mocking grin. What?
find the long lost friend she always knew she would be?
to her brain. Maybe she should take a
page out of Integra’s book on how to act.
Seras stood
and walked over to the chair in the kitchen where her coat hung and removed her
weapon. Now that her missions were
usually on the ‘covert’ side of things, Walter had a custom handgun constructed
for her. It was a .41 magnum, patterned
after the Coonan make but most apparently a Hellsing manufactured piece.
scripted name, ‘Harbinger’.
Yes, it was
fitting for such a massive handgun. Not
quiet as massive as her master’s but it weighed out at a good seven kilos.
the rounds were just as deadly, black talon tipped and housing a lethal dose of
quick silver. She was very proud.
She had
always found guns fascinating and beautiful in their own right.
sat, beginning to plan ahead for the situation. She would need to get something for Integra to eat.
corner shop wasn’t an option though.
When Integra woke, they could discuss this. Besides, she hadn’t a clue what the reclusive woman even
liked.
The dryer
buzzer sounded and she shot up in an instant, weapon in hand.
returned the gun to its resting place and headed for the laundry room.
handgun’s slide. She turned with
inhuman speed and grabbed the perpetrator.
“Let go of
me you crazed animal!” Seras hear a muffled voice gasp.
“Oh my
goodness, what are you doing out of bed!” Seras said in an exasperated
voice.
“There was
some blasted noise and I couldn’t find you anywhere.” Integra spat and turned
to seat herself in the armchair, adjusting her clothes along the way, Seras had
busted a few buttons in her tight grasp.
“I’m so
sorry, I forgot to turn the buzzer off on the dryer,” Seras huffed, hoping she
hadn’t hurt her commander with the force she’d slammed into her with.
another cigar and rushed to the couch.
Apart from a red mark that had been Seras’s hand across her face, she
seemed all there.
A wave of
relief rushed over her. Sometimes she
didn’t know her new strength.
.
.
.
A/N:
will make up for it, the following chapters from there will be very action
based. To address the underwear
scene: It was a joke!
story at least, it was a lost attempt at humour on Seras’s side.
Thank you!
flowers