new beautiful things come in the first spit of snow on the northwest wind

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

Who: Any and all Hellsing Staff & guests they invite.
What: Fall dinner.
Where: Hellsing Guild Hall
When: Shundi evening.

At some point during the week, Sebastian posted a brief notice up on the staff bulletin board:

Autumn Dinner
Sunday Evening. Dining Hall. Potluck. BYOB.

When Sunday rolls around, Sebastian has brought along a tray of fruit, cheese, some preserves, and fresh bread.

Comments

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

"Sure. His name's Velcro and he's very well trained," he replies while unloading the fruit salad. While he does provide support, Velcro isn't official working tonight and can be petted, fussed over, and generally bothered.

"And, it's nothing, really. Just a good idea to get to know the people you're expected to work with." The 'and fight alongside' is unsaid.

[rose-obfuscated.livejournal.com]

Brie moved her right hand to behind Velcro's ear and began scratching. Dogs always liked that, and she enjoyed seeing animals happy.

"So what department are you in LeMat? Your name sounds slightly familiar."

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

"Groundskeeper, general repair, that sort of thing." When he was younger, he often wondered what Hagrid got out of his position besides being able to indulge in his odd, monster-favouring hobbies. Now that he's older, Sebastian knows that was the point all along.

"And you?"

[rose-obfuscated.livejournal.com]

"Field agent. But I haven't gone on a mission yet."

[returntous.livejournal.com]

"'Research and Exorcism.'" Go-go Gadget airquotes. "It sounds a bit better than 'paranormal investigator' which is what I got saddled with before I got here. Not too sure about the exorcism part, but hey, looks nice on paper."

[platanera.livejournal.com]

"Same shit, really," Maggie muses but not in any way to downplay the importance of Mabel's job. Her fingers find their way back into her mouth; she isn't nervous this time. Just contemplating Mabel's occupation. "Either way, somebody has to send them packing. Might as well be somebody who knows what they're doing and not some douchebag with a video camera and a Ouija board."

[hehaseatenthepancake]

With things somewhat settled down on the cruor relations front, Hellboy had finally been able to get back to the case he'd been working on previously. He'd done just about all of the research he could, and was starting to plan for going back into the field, when he saw the notice. He'd have to adjust his schedule a little, but there was no way he'd miss this.

So, on Sunday, having done some shopping and some cooking, he comes into the dining hall with a large crock pot full of chicken paprikash and another container of the accompanying dumplings.

[returntous.livejournal.com]

"You would not believe the number of douchebags with video cameras and an Oujia boards." Mabel rolls her eyes at the memory. "One good thing 'round here is having the less-than-normal waltzing around on a daily basis cuts down on the stupidity. Somewhat."

[kiss_evilgoodbye]

"I'm a field agent," she says with a nod. "I'm still pretty new though. To the city, not the job. I've been 'field agenting' for quite a while."

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

Sebastian nods appreciatively; that's a good job.

"And back home? What did you do before coming here?"

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

"Not the easiest position, I've been lead to understand," he replies with a faint smile.

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

If he'd like a hand, Sebastian is nearby and moving over to intercept either dog or salad. It's a dangerous run through dog and space-dog filled territory, but he'll do it for Sol, Queen and Country.

Or something like.

[rose-obfuscated.livejournal.com]

"I was part of a female organization that fought crime," Brie said. "Sounds cheesy, I know. But I wanted to join ever since I was a little girl. When I turned 20, they finally let me in."

She was going to avoid telling Sebastian that she had to get embraced for that to happen. Plus, she was mortal now.

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

"It's not 'cheesy', at least, I don't think so." Sebastian sincerely believes that it's a wonderful and rare thing for people to be able to pick a goal and achieve it.

[byrightsinhell]

Lucius and Narcissa had arrived earlier; he'd let her take care of the food, and had selected a bottle of wine to contribute. Though they'd started the evening together, eventually they broke apart to mix and mingle and work the room in their separate ways.

Lucius' smile is warm as he comes upon Sol and Liesel. "Good evening, Mr. Koening. Miss Liesel, it's very nice to see you again." He may not be fond of children as a general rule, but he misses his son, and he'd found Liesel charming. The dog, so far, doesn't seem to have thrown him.

[byrightsinhell]

Lucius needs to meet more people. Hellsing, for better or worse, was where he'd cast his lot in Baedal, and the need to build new alliances was growing daily more apparent to him.

He lets Narcissa take most of the men; she'll do better that way in any case. As for himself, someone he'd seen Sebastian talking with might not be a bad place to start. He eventually makes his way over to Brie.

"I'm not sure if the fact I don't know many people indicates I've been in the field too much or too little, lately," he says by way of introduction.

[rose-obfuscated.livejournal.com]

Brie smiles. This guy isn't half bad.

"And you? What did you do in your world?"

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

"These days, much the same as I do here, but when I was younger I was a soldier." Which might explain a few things about his demeanour and the visible injuries.

[rose-obfuscated.livejournal.com]

"Brie Cormac," she says. "I wouldn't blame you for not knowing who I am. I was just hired as a field agent recently."

Brie is quite stunning to look at, but the man in front of her seemed to demand a sort of respect.

"To whom do I owe this pleasure?"

[rose-obfuscated.livejournal.com]

A look of recognition washes over Brie's face. She had seen his hand injuries earlier, but held her tongue.

"That was awfully noble of you."

[byrightsinhell]

"Lucius Malfoy. I'm one of the wizards on retainer." The significantly less mad one! "I've mainly been dealing with wards, but that's because it's what's been needed."

[rose-obfuscated.livejournal.com]

Brie imagined that wizards were like mages then. Mortals who possessed magical powers.

"Sounds like you're more interested in doing other work?"

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

Sebastian's expression is a bit odd as he debates whether or not to be wholly honest with her or not.

"Not particularly noble, actually, but it was a necessary thing."

[rose-obfuscated.livejournal.com]

Her voice was softer now, treading lightly.

"Necessary, like a draft? Or were you forced into it by outside circumstances?"

[heardmermaids.livejournal.com]

"Six of one, half a dozen of the other," he answers casually. It's not easy to explain, nor is it polite potluck chit-chat to go into the details of how and why one was a child solider. Although, if he is somewhere in his mid-twenties, been a handyman for a few years, it's fair for Brie to guess that he began to fight relatively young.