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"You know..." Seras hummed, hands behind her back to feign casualness, "Since you've opened Hellsing's door and everything, I was sort of thinking..."
Integra sighed, dropping her pen onto her desk. Seras often took this tone when she wanted something, or had some sort of devious plan she wasn't really asking permission for. Already sensing the impending headache, she asked, "What is it, Seras?"
Still trying to front, Seras raised her eyebrows. "Well, I was just thinking, since it's October and all—"
"No."
The flat refusal made Seras groan, slumping her shoulders. "Oh, come on! Kids have been trying to get in here for Halloween for years, Master. It might be nice to—"
Integra didn't let her finish, bringing a hand to her face. "Seras, I do not want any little brats sniffing around here and causing a fuss."
"Pip will still be on guard!" Seras waved her hands in vague circles. "He'll watch the manor and make sure no one pulls anything sneaky, and we can open the main gate and—"
"Seras." Seras's tirade stopped, pulling her hands back to her chest. Integra sighed again, splaying one hand over her desk and waving the other as she spoke: "We aren't some kind of amusement park. I'm sure you miss doing that sort of thing, but..." She trailed off, casting her eyes away from Seras's face.
She did feel bad about all of it. Seras had been remarkably accommodating to the abrupt lifestyle change she'd undergone with joining Hellsing and becoming a vampire, and Integra had to appreciate her for it. She'd given up almost everything about her old life—especially a degree of social interaction. She no longer had the luxury of friends, her lone companions being Integra, Pip, and the house workers, who were skittish to joke around someone who was technically their superior.
Perhaps Integra's old age was making her soft, but she blamed her giving in on the puppy eyes Seras had had years to perfect.
Defeat punctuated by Seras's cheers, Pip popped his head into the room at the commotion. "What's going on?"
"She said yes!" Seras cried, hands fisted near her chest. Nearly bouncing on her feet with excitement, she cheered, "Oh, we have to get candy! And costumes! Can we wear costumes?" She turned to Integra again, fingers clasped. "Pretty please?"
Integra leaned back in her chair with a shrug. "If you want, I suppose. Since you're the one lobbying for this, you're in charge of dealing with the brats. I don't want to hear a peep, and I don't want any whining when they get agitating." She pointed a finger at Seras. "Am I clear?"
"Crystal!"
-
By the night of October 31st, the stage was set, and with Integra's permission, Seras had spearheaded the entire event. She and Pip had covered the entire exterior of the mansion in trembling, shifting shadows—just scary enough to be festive without being too frightening. She'd had to reign Pip in a bit with the eyes and whatnot, but in addition to the actual horror Seras had strung up a variety of bats and pumpkins to calm it down. She wrapped the front gates with an assortment of cobwebs and spiders, black cats and ghosts peppered along the columns. In addition to this, she'd also struck some of the inner rooms of the mansion. Through the grand upper windows, LED-lit decorations greeted the guests downstairs.
Inside the mansion, Seras was a flurry of action, directing the workers. "Where's the backup candy? Make sure you have it stashed away—we can't run out too early! To your positions! Pip, what's the status?"
"So far all clear, mon cher."
Integra rolled her eyes as she entered the foyer, taking an amused pull from her cigar as Seras whirled past her. Noticing her master, Seras caught herself on half a step, nearly falling on her ass and pinwheeling her arms to stay upright. Still, her face was bright with a grin when she asked, "Do you like the decorations, Master? I wanted it to be sort of spooky but not too much, you know? Oh, and look at my costume!"
"Oh," Integra raised her eyebrows, a thin smirk playing on her face, "I'm looking."
Seras had gone all out with her costume, which Integra had expected. She was decked out in a full witch ensamble, with a lacy purple corset and a skirt of webbed black material brushing her legs. She'd put on a matching black hat, making her hair stick out in every direction. When she saw Integra giving her a once over, she struck an awkward pose with her broom, making Integra chuckle. "I'm a witch, see?"
"Very festive." Integra glanced towards the front entrance, eyeing the decorations. "You're quite excited about all this, hm?"
Seras giggled, clutching her broom to her chest. "Oh, you don't know the half of it! I haven't had a Halloween in so long!"
She seemed prepared to say something else, but stopped dead. Integra looked down at herself, before looking back up at Seras. At length, she said, "Yes?"
Seras spluttered for a moment, finally reaching out with both hands to gesture at Integra hopelessly. She gasped, "You're not wearing a costume!"
Integra furrowed her eyebrows. "Obviously I'm not."
"But—"
"I told you," Integra flicked her fingers up and down, "This whole endeavor is yours. I'm having no part in any of this."
Seras whined, going so far as to stick her lip out. "But Master, it's Halloween! You could at least—"
"Seras, I'm not participating." A bit softer, she dipped her cigar and added, "I'm sure you and Pip will have fun."
This seemed to assuage Seras a little, but she still pouted. She mumbled, shuffling her feet, "Well, it's just... since I'll be outside, you'll be all by yourself in here. And I just thought it might be nice if," She stopped, shaking her head. "I'm sorry! Never mind, Master! I'll, um, I'll be off, then."
Integra watched Seras scuttle off, holding one elbow in her hand. She was more excited than Integra could have imagined, her bright eyes sparkling and smiling like a child. Her disappointed look after Integra had said she wouldn't join her was the most upset Integra had seen her all month.
"Well," She muttered to herself, shaking her head and she strode from the hall, "It's one night."
In her public address, it had been specified that the trick-or-treating would take strictly from five thirty to seven thirty, so that was when Seras called upstairs, "Master! I'm going to the gate, now!"
Integra glanced up from her papers, frowning for a moment as she remembered. "Yes, yes. Have fun." She could hear Seras giggling, followed by the sound of several people leaving the front hall. Looking back down at her work, Integra turned an unlit cigar in her hands longingly. If she could finish this monthly report within the hour, she'd probably be able to get to bed by six and avoid all the Halloween celebration entirely. A sense of invigoration overtook her at the thought and she dipped her pen into the ink again.
However, only a few minutes at most elapsed before she could hear a commotion down in the common. With a huff, she rolled her shoulders and continued writing, trying to tune it out.
This proved difficult. Though Integra wasn't so unprofessional that a bit of noise could distract her from her work, but it wasn't a pleasant forty five minutes that she spent on it. All she could hear was the dull sound of a crowd at the gates, and it was beginning to make her eye twitch. This was what she got for indulging Seras's silly fantasies. Never again.
By six fifteen, Integra set her pen down with a sigh, throwing herself back into her chair. She had a throbbing headache, her wrist hurt, and her eye was aching from all the updates she'd been reading. All punctuated by the goddamn noise of Seras entertaining the civil population because Integra had let herself be a pushover.
She stood from her desk with a groan, joints popping with how long she'd been sitting, and made her way to the window overlooking the entrance to the manor. She could vaguely see Seras, standing among some of the guards. Integra set her mouth, arms crossing over her chest.
She wanted to be annoyed. Truly. Seras's little event had distracted her from her work, caused a ruckus, interrupted her evening, and was going to be a security nightmare come dusk.
But.
From the height of her window, Integra could just see Seras. She was dancing about, her hat making her noticeable against the crowd of children and their parents as she handed out candies. Though it was impossible to see her face, her body language made it clear she was having fun.
Integra frowned. She called, "Stop hovering, Bernadotte. You're supposed to be on security."
A guilty chuckle came from behind her. "Ah, you caught me. Just checking in."
Integra turned around to give Pip a disapproving look. "You being up here means there could be hooligans in my garden right now."
Pip sighed, scratching at the back of his neck. "Don't worry, I'm keeping a watch on the perimeter. I've got eyes everywhere."
"Yeah, yeah," Integra curled her lip, making Pip let out another amused sound. A short silence unfolded, not uncomfortable, and Integra turned to watch Seras downstairs again. Her lips pressed together.
Finally, Pip said, "She would love it, you know."
The little purple dot of Seras whirled around, dancing between kids in bright colors. Integra's brow lowered over her eye, mouth twisting. "She seems to be having fun."
"Yes," Pip conceded, "But all she's thinking about is you having a terrible holiday all alone up here."
Integra sniffed. "Well, I'm not. Unlike some people, I don't need constant socialization."
"I know, but that's what she would want someone to do for her. She worries."
"She shouldn't."
Pip snorted. "Alas, she does."
Integra made a grumbly noise, shutting Pip up. Still, she considered his words thoughtfully. Seras did enjoy the company of others more than Integra did, that was why this whole thing was happening at all. And through all her excitement, she was still worried about Integra being lonely.
Under her breath, she said, "It's not like it's Christmas or something." She turned around in time to see Pip smile.
"Ah, I wouldn't know. Has she yet again persuaded you to relent?"
Integra pointed a finger at Pip's forehead sharply. "Watch it, Frenchman." Pip's hands came to his shoulders in surrender, and though he was still smirking Integra ignored it with a scowl. She just muttered darkly, "Mug one of the guards she accosted for me."
With a salute, Pip's head ducked into the wall for a moment. When he returned, it was from behind Integra, which she noticed because he applied some kind of headband to her.
"What—what is this?"
"Your costume," Pip quipped, reappearing in front of her. He gave her the 'ok' sign. "Very Halloweeny, sir."
Integra glared at him until he dissipated.
-
Seras gasped, holding the candy bowl with one hand to cover her mouth with the free one. "Oh my goodness! You're such a cute little princess!" The little girl in front of her beamed, head nodding furiously. "Here you go, sweetheart! Happy Halloween, kids!"
As the kids scuttled away and a new wave took their place, Seras smiled and cheered at all of them, complimenting every costume. The kids were all either vaguely intimidated by the manor and the reputation it held, or too excited by the full-size bars Seras was distributing to care, and either way it filled Seras's chest with warmth. Seeing them grin and laugh and trade candies was something she'd missed for so long; the simple joy of children managed to make Seras momentarily forget her lingering disappointment at Integra's refusal to participate. Still, in the lulls, Seras found herself taking furtive glances to the windows, lips twisted.
She brushed it off with smiles, lightly teasing the guards at the gates. Some of them seemed more entertained with the situation than others, and this fluctuation also appeared to depend on the kind of animal ears Seras had made them wear. The news of the manor's opening had brought gaggles of photographers and journalists trying to get a peek at the softening of Hellsing, but there really wasn't much to see besides Seras cooing over tiny superheroes and ghosts. She struck poses when the cameras turned to her anyway.
While she was handing out a Snickers to a very small Cinderella, though, Seras heard the shutters going off more rapidly than before. The journalists were all whispering to each other, too. When Seras looked up, so were many of the parents and older trick-or-treaters, all looking beyond her toward the mansion.
Seras gasped, whipping around.
"Master!"
Integra grimaced, looking for all the world like she'd rather be anywhere but where she was at the moment. She was wearing her work clothes, the only sign of casualness being her blazer undone to show her shirt. She was glaring at the crowd around the gates like they'd offended her personally, and just this gesture seemed to quell the chatter a bit. Balanced over her hair, she was wearing a black headband with pink cat ears.
She barked, "Not a word."
Seras made a high noise of glee, clutching the bowl of candy to her chest as her eyes lit up. She cried, "Oh, Master, you came down for Halloween! And you're—you've got a costume on."
Integra tsked, the gate slamming behind her. "Is that what this is?"
"Yes, you're a cat!"
"Fucking Bernadotte. I'm a cat, then."
Seras laughed, bumping her shoulder into Integra's as she joined her. The presence of the Hellsing matriarch shifted the energy of the children a bit, quieted and giving a small berth, but Seras hardly noticed. Visibly brightened, she called, "Who's next? Come on, I have Jawbreakers!"
Integra shook her head, chuckling to herself. Seras turned to look at her, smile too infectious for Integra to stay agitated.
-
At seven forty five, Seras and Integra made their way back inside, Seras talking through a lollipop in her mouth, "See, wasn't that so much fun? Did you see how excited those kids were? They were adorable!"
Integra nodded, rifling through the bowl of leftover candy. Seras went on, "I'm just so happy you let me do this, Master. Really." She gave Integra a gentle smile, tilting her hat into place.
Integra glanced up at her through her eyelashes. Voice flat, she said, "If we get robbed, you're fired."
"You're the worst!" Seras laughed. She then raised her eyebrows, teasing, "So..."
Finally liberating a fun-sized Kitkat bar, Integra looked at Seras, smirking at her expression. "Yes, Seras?"
Giggling mischievously and holding her hand out, Seras teased, "It's Halloween, isn't it? Do I get a treat?"
Integra unwrapped the Kitkat and popped it in her mouth in one bite. "Come find me later."