Brand spanking new account for a not so brand spanking new muse.

[aged_angel]

I must say, I am at a loss for where to start. Proper decorum would suggest that we introduce ourselves, but in a sense we've known each other for a long time, haven't we?

[There's a soft tap as a gloved finger touches the edge of a planar surface; polished, and from the looks of it wooden in nature-- no doubt a piece of furniture.]

Ah, but that is a negligible matter. The more pressing question is, now that you have me, what do you propose to do with me? I'm well aware my younger self has been clamouring for more activity, and he has been waiting for longer than I have.

Comments

[houndings]

I would imagine you'll do as the butler does, o Angel.

[aged_angel]

Of course. I would not permit this lad to get in the way of my duties.

[houndings]

Woe betide, if so, hm?

[aged_angel]

A mild way of putting it, but yes.

[houndings]

You've been well, I trust? Aside from coping with the dastardly boredom of being so locked away. ...I hardly recommend it, myself.

[aged_angel]

I cannot imagine you would, Alucard. But to answer your question, you are correct. No ills trouble me at this point.

[houndings]

Good.

Although I doubt me you've lost any of your prowess despite said little holiday, angelus.

[aged_angel]

I should hope not.

[There is work at Hellsing which only the butler's hands can accomplish. It would be an unfortunate day indeed if his skills were no longer up to par.]

And what of you? Surely you have found something to occupy your time, even with these circumstances.

[houndings]

[Oh, it's a lovely day in the Chaos Neighborhood, doncha know?! Hence the vampire's ironic chortle.]

I've been sent to Hell. Literally.

[aged_angel]

...And yet you don't seem to be troubled by that.

[Does he really want to ask why?]

[houndings]

Walter...[The tone was oh-so-patient, if vastly amused.] Believe me when I say, old friend, that I have seen so much worse.

[aged_angel]

[Somewhere inside the old man is a younger voice-- a much younger voice that takes issue with the statement. He had taken such lengths in the manner in which he approached their missions to deliver so many Nazis to their deaths, and via their deaths to Hell where they belonged, that hearing the mere possibility that it might not be the torment it was chalked up to be somehow... grates on him.

But since the 'Hell' his partner refers to is in fact a human construct by some writer or writers, the unrest is quick to abate. And perhaps he should be grateful, for the idea of his childhood comrade suffering eternal torment is somehow grating to him as well.]

I must admit I am at a loss for what to say. Though I am grateful you are at least in good spirits.

[houndings]

[Come now, Angel, you know you enjoyed the slaughter, just as did the vampire. Was it not delicious, sending those frothing monsters to their demise? Even if they suffered only half as much in the 'afterlife' as they did upon the journey to those black gates.]

Tsk, 'tis a mere matter of timing. Think you a place so meanly contrived will contain me? [...at least the old monster's ego was still in top form.]

[aged_angel]

[Enjoyed is hardly a word befitting enough to describe what he felt as a child. Cutting down his enemies, witnessing the fear on their faces as they realized what was to become of them made his every nerve, his very blood sing with rapture.

It was a song not often felt in these days.]

From what you have described, I can hardly imagine it would. But there is a certain other factor to consider.

[These writers. Muns, as some apparently call them.]

[persistent_humanity]

[Well, that surface certainly isn't her desk, as his glove undoubtedly came away clean. Still, the sound calls her back to a time when things were much less stressful around their home.

That sound, coupled with his words, inspires a smile from the middle-aged woman. Aside from the obvious change in her vision, signs of aging have already begun to show. Nothing too severe, but those that knew her well would be able to place the lines that are beginning to form around her mouth and near her eyes. There are already a few greys in her hair, though it's still largely blonde.]

You really are always working, aren't you?

[She says, clearly only teasing him.]

[aged_angel]

[Hers is a familiar voice to him as well, and no one could mistake that blonde hair and olive complexion for anyone other. At least, so far as he's concerned.

That patch of hers does worry him, however.]

I have no complaints. The master I serve is more than worth the efforts I make, my lady.

[If he could ease but a bit of her burden, all the time to do so would be well-spent.]

[persistent_humanity]

[The smile those words receive is both bittersweet and genuine.]

I'm very glad you think so.

Of course, if this master of yours truly is worth so much, I should think that she must have had a rather stellar upbringing.

[Because honestly, she would be nowhere near as formidable as she is without the man that had raised her.]

[aged_angel]

No doubt your father would be pleased to hear so.

[As much as he would like to indulge in the feeling of being complimented, Arthur had provided pivotal components of her upbringing. The man had matured in his old age, much as Walter had in his own right.]

But I think he would be concerned to learn about the condition of your eye. May I ask what happened to it?

[persistent_humanity]

I'm sure they both would be.

[Of course she thought of him as her surrogate father. Besides, as much of a hand as Arthur had in her formative years, had Walter not been there after Arthur's passing, she wouldn't be half as well-adjusted as she is now. Considering that, without him, she would have either been placed in the care of Richard or Hugh Islands, there isn't a day that passes wherein she doesn't count herself incredibly lucky to have had Walter at her side when she needed him the most.

However, her smile fades as he asks about her eye. What can she really say? "Oh, you know, after you got captured by the Nazis and turned into a vampire, I ended up in a shoot-out with Major -- yep, that one -- after he essentially forced me to order your death. So, uh. Clerical error?"]

It...was an accident. Nothing to worry yourself over.

[The pause between her words, along with fact that she seems markedly uncomfortable about even answering at all, should be telling enough that it had been something serious. There had never been anything so severe that she couldn't talk to him about it, but this definitely qualified.]

Now -- about your placement. Are you looking at anywhere in particular?

[aged_angel]

[The hesitance does not go by unnoticed, and between that and the way the light seems to drain from his master's expression, it leaves him very worried; there's a tenseness in his chest, a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach as it comes to him that, whatever it is, it is something he cannot fix.

There has never been anything he could not fix.

But, whatever it was-- whatever event that led to the damage to the eye of the girl he had helped raise from infancy into womanhood-- it is something that Integra was clearly not ready to talk to him about. So, while the worry is plainly displayed on his face, he does not press her for it.]

Not as of yet, my lady.

[sanguinarius]

I wondered about the angel I've heard about. Appropriate, I think, that you should be a butler. It parallels well.

[aged_angel]

I must admit I can hold no claim to being of divine origin. It is merely a reference to an old moniker of mine.

[Though with the sorts of feats the old man has been able to manage over the years, it would not be far off the mark to suggest that he has the capacity to pull off miracles.]

[sanguinarius]

I find it charming. Though I suppose if you were Alucard's partner in your youth, the title was quite well-earned.

[aged_angel]

[There's a younger version of himself that would smirk with pride at such a statement, but the expression his elderly self has is more subdued. Reminiscing of old days, he smiles.]

I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage. Clearly you know who I am, but I have not yet been acquainted with you. Walter C. Dornez, Miss...?

[sanguinarius]

[ she dips her chin with a polite smile, then offers her fingers. the skin is cool to the touch, though not the cold of alucard's. ]

Mina. Mina Murray. Or Harker if you prefer, though I've not used the name in decades. It's a pleasure to meet you, Walter Dornez.

[aged_angel]

[There is a flash of surprise across his features when he hears her name; a name he was not, and had no way of expecting. But he does not delay long. In the span of a breath he places his fingertips beneath hers, his gloves insulating him from the knowledge of the chill of her flesh, though a prickling feeling in the back of his mind has him at unease.

In his reality, it was said that Mina was freed of the curse of vampirism when Dracula died. But Dracula, Alucard, did not die.

Still, he does not presume, and doing his best to imitate Victorian decorum, he dips his head close to her hand in a show of respect. Neither the closeness or the manner of greeting are things that come natural to him, but Mina Harker-- or Murray, as it seems-- was a figure whom he had always held in esteem, even if he had never had the opportunity to know her.]

And an honour to meet you, Miss Mina.

[sanguinarius]

[ she presses his fingers briefly before the gesture ends, smile warming. there's something about older gentlemen she's always preferred--perhaps because they're closer to her own age than boys, or perhaps because they've learned patience--and considering what she's heard of walter, maybe it's no real surprise that she already likes him. ]

You've heard of me, then. From Abraham? [ a quiet tut. ] I sincerely doubt my Count spoke much of me after what was done to him. And he and I have only just begun renewing our acquaintance.

[ 'acquaintance', of course, doesn't even begin to cover her relationship with vlad, but-- it's polite. ]

[aged_angel]

[The gesture finished, his hand drops, lingering at his front with palm turned towards his chest as he explains:]

Indeed, he did not. Unfortunately, my only knowledge of you stems from what I have read.

[The transcriptions of journals, as it were. And such writings did not extend for long past the defeat of the Count. Mina Harker had unfortunately been a figure whose later history had lapsed into obscurity. Perhaps it had something to do with the vampire the first Sir Hellsing had obtained out of the ordeal. Alucard.

The thought of her possibly having been forgotten is at least mildly unsettling, though Walter does his best not to show it.]

[sanguinarius]

If only I were surprised. [ a slight, vaguely amused roll of her eyes. ] Abraham always was terribly focused on what he wanted. He hardly seemed to notice the world around him at times.

[ she'd been fond of him, though. he'd risked life and limb to try to help her, to free her. even now, though she's inextricably bound with vlad, she's grateful. her feelings for vlad are-- complicated, after all. especially for this one, leashed and given a new name, mad after years of isolation and starvation.

at the time, she'd wanted him slain-- out of his misery. she'd never wanted something like this for him.

still, that's another subject. she clears her throat as if she's still simply a mortal woman, folding her hands lightly with another smile. ]

Not to speak ill of the dead, of course. I was terribly fond of him, though I've not kept up with his family for obvious reasons. [ a slight tip of her head. ] --But what fascinating people they have taken into employment. I do confess to be awfully curious about you still.

[aged_angel]

[It was odd, perhaps, but Walter could not help but find the description of Abraham to also be very much befitting of Alucard. Particularly in battle, if his memory served correctly. And he was certain it did.]

The fortunate thing about these places is that they allow for a great deal of conversation. It is easily possible that we may come to know one another over time.

[And with that, his hand returns fully to his side. It is an open invitation-- to talk, and to get to know each other gradually. No doubt there are sensitive subjects with the seemingly young woman in front of him. The same could be said for him as well.]

I couldn't help myself <3

[bearingcrosses]

Should your keeper find himself at a loss for tasks with which to assign you, I'm nearly certain I know someone that could always benefit from your assistance.

[Because honestly -- if it's not the Vatican, it's the world's worst purple, ammo-drooling Gary Stu.]

I'm going to have nightmares thanks to that image.

[aged_angel]

[Her hair is fairer, shorter than Walter remembers. But he does not fail to recognize her voice. Strange. Curious, this place.]

And what might I do to assist?

You mean the fact that he existed at all doesn't give you nightmares? I'm so jealous.

[bearingcrosses]

Well, for starters, I'd like for you to get in touch with the Vatican to make sure that they actually read the documents we sent them regarding their jurisdiction. I also believe we need to get the repair crews back to the house. It may take a while, as they're likely all busy with the current state of affairs in the city, but we should at least try to secure a spot on a waiting list.

Of course, this is all after you've had a bit of time to rest. Your injuries were substantial enough to warrant significant recovery time.

[Which is a roundabout way of saying she has been worried absolutely sick and isn't about to let him strain himself after crashing a freaking helicopter.]

Speaking of that...how are you healing? I see the bandages are gone... did you have any trouble walking down here?

[And there it is -- the outward and authentic concern she only shows for him.]

I think the kiddie vampires making out did me more mental damage the first time around.

[aged_angel]

[While Walter is all too familiar with the Vatican ignoring treaties and encroaching onto the territory of the United Kingdom, the ominous mention of the state of the city and the house needing repairs-- not to mention an apparent sustained injury on his part-- leaves the old man bewildered.]

...I'm afraid I don't understand.

[Events of a time from after which he was drawn? It's possible, but given that the Integra before him looks so different, he can't help but imagine that it might be something a great deal more complicated.]

[thenolifeking]

Don't ask that question, Angel. These muns have - as you know - little in the way of actual sense.

[aged_angel]

[Ah, there he is. The Alucard his younger self is so fond of talking to.]

Would you suggest that I take a page from my youth and demand what I want instead?

[thenolifeking]

It hasn't seemed to have worked in his favor. However I would suggest being clear about your wishes at least. Otherwise you might end up in some hell.

[ He almost knew fear when his mun ran across a game with hugging involved - twisted creature that she is. ]

I've been thinking of putting young Walter in a game while I get a better handle on this guy.

[aged_angel]

...I would prefer to be amongst familiar faces.

[The people he's come to care for, in one fashion for another. Integra and Alucard are both at the top of the list, and Seras slowly and unknowingly working a place into his heart. So many difficulties, that girl presents, but he can't help but be a little worried about her.]

[war_dog]

[The words appear over his head, as if by magic.]

Back to your "old" self, as it were.

[aged_angel]

[Yes and no. While his writer has played AU versions from after their final conflict in a pair of memes, this particular old gent is from before that unfortunate final surprise. Also, courtesy of his writer's headcanon, as they call it, he has not yet turned against his former partner.]

You will find time, as I have, to be relative in environments such as these.