Log, Ongoing

[steeldame.livejournal.com]

When; Afternoon, ordinary day.
Rating; PG?
Characters; Alucard (thekingofpain), Walter (dark_butler), Integral (steeldame) and Seras (draculinaseras) if she wants to drop by later.
Summary; Under the curse of humanity, Walter meets his former comrades.
Log;

Integral didn’t know why she had appointed Cafe Juliet as the location to meet Walter after so long. The atmosphere was too sweet and innocent for people like them: small, wood tables and chairs with magenta and cyan cushion were the restaurant main furniture that day. The air smelled to cocoa and chocolate.

The cakes and pies were indeed the best she had tasted, but Integral still preferred how Walter fixed tea as how it was served in that place.

He’s no longer going to fix that, she reminded herself as the knight glanced at the door direction. Her right hand searched anxiously for a cigar, fishing the box out her jacket pocket. Were there any rules against smoking inside? Not that she particularly cared at that point.

“Walter told me that you met him already,” said Integral to Alucard without looking at him, eyes fixated on the entrance. She would feel uncomfortable with them sharing a table. Walter was a young man and Alucard was human. Even if that had happened before, Integral was still unused to her servant’s transformation from monster to man.

Comments

[dark-butler.livejournal.com]

Walter took in the interior of the cafe with a sweeping glance, corners of his mouth quirking up slightly at Integral's choice of meeting place.

His expression dropped into unreadable neutrality as his eyes passed over Alucard and stopped on Integral. "Sir Integral," he said, with a slight inclination of his head as he approached her table.

[hercount.livejournal.com]

Vlad (as he was calling himself for the day) could not sense Integral's ill ease with his human state, but he could pick up on her body language that implied her discomfort with his current incarnation of humanity.

"I have." Vlad replied, though before he could elaborate (or would) Walter appeared. Eyes narrowed ever so slightly as they fall on Walter, a smirk turning up one corner of his mouth as he inclined his head without a word.

[steeldame.livejournal.com]

Integral dismissed Alucard's response as useless. That was not the reply she sought. The knight wanted details, not an evasive affirmation of what she knew had taken place.

But she was not paying attention to Alucard, not that day. Before she had a chance to light her cigar, Walter entered. She stood quickly, placing the lighter on the table and expected him to approach.

His greeting was so formal, almost void of the usual warmth.

"Walter," Integral greeted, forcing her voice as neutral as his.

[dark-butler.livejournal.com]

Awkward? Why yes. Quite. Thankfully, with Walter's age, experience, and training, it was impossible to read that from his face or bearing.

And Alucard, in his oh so human state, could not even smell it.

Walter only regretted that death here was only temporary.

"Please, do not stand on my account," he said, nodding toward Integral's seat. "And I do hope the tea here is of acceptable quality."

[hercount.livejournal.com]

"We won't," He replied with a cheshire smile, all blunt, even, white teeth instead of the mouth full of shark fangs usually flashed in a twisted grin.

"Shall we talk or shall we eat?" Then looked directly at Integral as he said in a lower tone, "I am rather . . famished."

[steeldame.livejournal.com]

"The tea is... decent enough," Integral replied, still up, hesitating before returning to her seat. Unlike yours, perfect point.

She schooled herself to display a business like visage, trying to not betray how conflicted she felt.

A nice, light-hearted meeting. That was what this must be.

"There is a great variety of pies and pastries to go with it, if you hunger," she added, giving Alucard a quick glare for his lack of manners.

[dark-butler.livejournal.com]

Walter would not dream of taking his seat before Integral took hers, regardless of the distance he was keeping between them on other levels.

"Decent shall suffice, and yes, I shall be taking advantage of this situation to indulge some human pleasures before it passes." His eyes flicked to Alucard before returning to Seras, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. "Unlike Miss Victoria, I have not felt it necessary to masochistically attempt human food."

[hercount.livejournal.com]

"Though you never were -only- human, were you Walter?" The former vampire replied with a chuckle and dropped eyelids to Integral's chastisement. "Of course, Master. I intend to indulge in something . .edible." Pie, perhaps. Or a tart.

With another Cheshire grin, Vlad returned his brown eyed glance back to Walter.

[steeldame.livejournal.com]

Integral picked up a menu to select what she was going to take. She did was certain they would ruin the flavour of the classical Earl Grey but she had to ask it, nonetheless. As for food-

She lowered the menu and shot Alucard a warning glance.

"I want this to be a peaceful reunion, Alucard-Vlad," she pointed out sharply. "If, in the future, you must utter those unsavoury comments, you are free to speak and act as an immature child outside the Cafe." She straightened her posture on the back of the chair. "Apologise to Walter."

[dark-butler.livejournal.com]

"An apology is neither needed nor desired," Walter demurred, looking, if anything, just a hair closer to smug. "I have better self-control than he, it would appear."

And he'd kept up appearances for a very long time; he could certainly do it for this brief meeting. Particularly if it meant, once again, not giving Alucard what he wanted.

"I believe I shall have a few different things to sample to refresh my memory against the future."

[hercount.livejournal.com]

Eyes narrowed ever so slightly, Walter, he knew, was enjoying the scolding. Alucard, however, gave a rather dashing smile and replied, "I will apologize anyway, my behavior was uncalled for."

Then sank blunt teeth into his tart, catching Walter's eyes before smirking.

[steeldame.livejournal.com]

Integral inclined her head at Walter's request but her warning gaze lingered on Alucard for a while. Until he apologised, a brow was lifted in response of that.

Even when he tries to be polite, he comes out as childish.

"I believe my grandfather's statement of his child-mind extends even at his human state," Integral added with a large smirk, opening the menu once more. A slice of blueberry pie sounded delectable.

"Taste as much as you desire. I insist." She invited them, therefore she would pay for the food. Integral waited for her guests made their orders first, before she asked for a cup of Earl Grey and a piece of blueberry pie.

[draculinaseras.livejournal.com]

Seras hummed to herself as she headed toward the Cafe Juliet. Her stomach growled in anticipation of a true meal to process. Dessert first? No. A nice meal then dessert. Would it be as delicious as she remembered food being?

The wafting smell of chocolate urged her feet faster. Worry over the amiability of the rendesvouz definately threated to break its way through her enjoyment of the days curse.

[steeldame.livejournal.com]

"I would have liked to meet him as well," Integral admitted with a touch of nostalgia. She would have hoped he trusted her with the family secrets, her father had been unable to tell her. That was a source of much frustration to her. No one ever told her anything. They were training her to fight monsters and become a shadow ruler, yet they sought her to remain blissful ignorant of what her bloodline hid in the basement?

Her mood was mildly lightened when Seras arrived. Thank God for the Police Girl. The tension between Alucard and Walter was increasing every passing minute, she could tell and Integral alone was not sunny enough to fix that.

"Seras, do take a seat," she indicated with a fond smile. "Order what you like. I'm certain you must be famished."

[draculinaseras.livejournal.com]

Walter's polite yet oddly formal greeting was what struck Seras the most, not the content of his words. She was aware that he had been altered but this gathering of the four of them together again for a tiny stretch of time in her mind was a pleasant reunion.

"T-thank you, Sir!" Seras smiled and sat down. Her stomach growled again.

She flipped through the menu and stole glances at her companions. Apparently this was not a light hearted-meeting for anyone with the way they were looking at one another. Acknowledging this, the Police Girl decided to proceed with caution but still try to enjoy her one day humanity.

"I heard that the sandwiches are rather nice," she said, unsure of what to offer to the conversation.

[dark-butler.livejournal.com]

"And Integral has spoken highly of the pies and pastries with your Master's rather obvious agreement," Walter said, with a ghost of a smile and a nod to Integral.

And now they were gathered. What had been, for a time, the core of Hellsing.

And all human. How novel. At least to him.

[hercount.livejournal.com]

"Yes, and even Walter wishes to partake of them. I believe he expressed his own desire to sample as many wares as he could while human once more," Vlad replied.

[steeldame.livejournal.com]

Integral picked up her cup immediately after was poured. She needed to take a sip and face this "family" crisis (they were no longer in the organisation to call it a work situation).

She almost regretted to have brought Alucard, he and Walter did not appear to get along at all. That was so bizarre, in her mind, they had always agreed.

When Walter smiled, Integral could not help but smile back at him. A faint, weary smile, but still one, nonetheless. She set her cup down and nodded.

"They are highly praised by all the citizens," added Integral to the mundane conversation.

They were speaking about food. That was a rather odd choice of subject.

[dark-butler.livejournal.com]

Yes. Next they'd be speaking of the weather.

It was all so very tedious. Or so Walter chose to tell himself. This was easier when he kept a thin veil of hostility over all his thoughts.

"Tell me," he said, addressing his question to Alucard. "How do you find being human after all this time? Not that you are having the full human experience when death is still meaningless here."

[hercount.livejournal.com]

Tilting his head, ever so slightly, Vlad replied, "I have been given humanity here before." Choosing not to say cursed, because it was not, at least to him. Except for the time he had forgotten the time period. Now that had been interesting.

"I enjoy being human once more," An honest confession, words a touch wistful.

[steeldame.livejournal.com]

Integral nodded at Alucard's reply. "He was. Three times, I believe. Once we switched our "abilities." I was a vampire with his power and he was a hunter. It was a terrible experience. In another ocassion, he was also powerless. The third one was the most curious, Alucard reverted to his human days," she explained, omitting the part that he assumed her his wife. That calmed his agitation for a while.

Her expression softened when Alucard mentioned he enjoyed being human. She had been thinking in striking a deal with Dorian to return him into that state for good, but Integral did not know if was wise to proceed that way until they were certain about the goal of the City.

[dark-butler.livejournal.com]

Walter picked up his tea and used the momentary distraction of its flavor to cover his thoughts. He'd spent too long steeling himself for his decisions to be able to let that go easily. Nor was he at certain he should - not for a bit of nostalgia on Alucard's part for his human past.

"I would presume that your exchange with him was - despite your calling it a 'terrible experience' - educational," he commented to Integral without acknowledging Alucard's response.

[hercount.livejournal.com]

"Aren't we all so terribly formal and terribly polite," He replied. "Such a fine day, is it not? Somewhere between hot and cold. How is Manchester United doing this season, hm?" Vlad asked with a fanglness snerk.

"For once your pretenses are not so subtle, Angel," The now human accused. "Is it so maddening for you to return for a friendly tea? No one is forcing you to come back, perhaps we only miss your company. And yet here you are, building a wall."

[steeldame.livejournal.com]

Integral closed her eyes, troubled by the question Walter imposed her. Educational? More of frightening and disturbing, but indeed offered unique insight to his nature.

“I developed a newfound respect for Alucard after the experience,” Integral admitted, looking at Alucard instead of Walter. “How much he’s able to control without losing his mind completely.”

Speaking of control, it appeared Alucard’s patience had waned for good. She shot him a chastising glance and was about to rise of her chair. “That’s enough. Walter was kind enough to accept my invitation. If he needs more time, if any, I’m willing to wait. I would do the same for Seras or you.”

In truth, the wall hurt her but she would not admit that. Enough trouble they had to bring up her personal feelings.

[dark-butler.livejournal.com]

"I believe that he and I are both adults who can handle our differences," Walter said reprovingly. "I do not need to hide behind your skirts."

She was not his leader any longer was the very strong message. She treated the vampire - which Alucard still was, beating heart or not - as though she were his mother.

It was a reminder to Walter of his failures.