The Pleasure of Company (Marvel Universe)

[Saephara]

Saephara and Mr. Stark had left the funeral in style indeed. They had walked up to a flashy, expensive black sports car. Sae had thought she had seen the same model in a magazine somewhere, and remembered whistling at the price. How the man had obtained such a pricey car was beyond her. 'Ah, wait that's right. He arrived with the Queen and her entourage of security, meaning he's worked with her before.'[/i] They had quickly gotten into the speed machine and sped off into the distance. It was a good thing the car had no top to it, or Sae would had to fly and follow the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last time that Sae had been at Harker Industries had been the cocky Harker himself had basically told her that she was just a frilly being with wings and could do nothing to help with the plague. It was the first thing that came to mind as Tony turned and drove past the barriers for the expansive company, continuing until they reached a parking garage. Slowly she left the leather seat and closed the door. "Mr. Stark, which way now? I'm afraid the last time I was here, I was so rudely shoved away in a sense." The last of her sentence held a hint of malice, but she slapped a smile on for kicks and giggles.

[Marvel Universe]

"Elevator should take us right up to the penthouse."

Stark left the car and locked her up before leading Saephara inside the lobby of the tower and towards the nearest elevator. He pressed the down arrow on the outside panel and watched the lights turn on one by one until it reached ground level and the elevator doors came open.

"Ladies first."

Stark waited for Saephara to enter the elevator until he followed suit and pressed the middle of the three buttons found at the top taking them up to his penthouse. There were three, the top one being the one Harker and Jessica used and the bottom one being a spare while the middle one was his. The elevator doors opened up to reveal a large room with beige carpets, black chairs by a wooden brown table, a long red couch and to their right led over to the kitchen where the fridge, stove and all other kitchen like things were. Opposite of the couch and chairs in the living room were a fireplace, a flat wide-screen TV above it and the open bar by the fireplace. It looked oddly similar to his own penthouse back home. Weird.

"Make yourself at home."

[Saephara]

"Don't mind if I do, Mr. Stark." Sae confidently strode into the vast expanse and took note of the layout, mapping each and every potential escape route although she highly doubted she had anything to fear of the handsome man that had brought her back. She walked next over to the couch and ran her fingertips along the surface. It felt like velvet, but smoother somehow. Next she roamed to the kitchen, admiring the up to date appliances and the cleanliness of the area. The fridge was surprisingly fully stocked. Sae hadn't expected him to cook. The entire area had the feel of a bachelor pad. Adequately furnished for his needs, but not overly decorated for anyone's tastes but his own. Last she moved in front of Tony towards the bar and grabbed a bottle of Absolut vodka.

"I do have a few requests as well as suggestions. To start with, I do not think you would want your guest to be uncomfortable by wearing her funeral attire...Would you happen to have anything off hand that I would be able to wear that would accommodate my wings?" At the mention of the black feathered giants on her back, she moved them gently, ruffling the feathers. She reached up and grabbed two glasses, setting them along the darkened bar top. "Continuing on, I noticed your fully stocked kitchen and seeing that it is not too late, might I suggest some dinner to go along with our drinks? Lastly," she stated, pausing for a second to pour a small amount of the clear alcohol in the glass, then brought it to her lush lips to taste. Her eyelids covered her sapphire gem eyes for a moment to savor the strong punch to the vodka before opening and zeroing in on Tony. "Lastly, what would you have to drink?" She smiled at the man while adjusting her necklace. It had jostled out of place on the ride over.

[Marvel Universe]

"Wings?"

Tony turned and noted the wings on her back.

"Right. Wings."

How did he miss those?

"I only just got up here so I haven't had time to check everything. Harker did say there were some girls up here maybe you could..."

Stark entered the bedroom by the back and saw a couple of girls passed out on the bed.

"Nice."

Stark then closed the door and went back into the living room.

"Bedroom's no good. Get me something hard. It's been a long a day."

[Saephara]

At Tony's surprised question about her wings, Saephara giggled. How had he not seen them? "I see. You were just given this living area? It's quite nice," she called out as he left to check on the bedroom. He came back just as quickly with a bit of a tired expression on his face.

"Bedroom's no good. Get me something hard. It's been a long day."

"Very well then." She quickly ran through the drinks she had learned to make during her past time as a bartender in Moon Valley and just decided on a Long Island Iced Tea. She pulled the Grey Goose vodka down along with a random bottle of rum, tequila, gin, and triple sec off of the shelf then roamed over to the kitchen once more, pulling a lemon from the basket on the counter top and grabbed a canned coke from the fridge. Bringing everything back, she traded the empty short glass for a taller glass, grinning at the concoction she was about to make. As she began pouring estimated shots of each hard liqour into the glass she looked at Tony asking, "So, tell me more. What are you doing moving from working with the Queen to being one of Harker's dogs?"

[Marvel Universe]

"Hold on there, sister. I'm nobody's dog, dogs are unattracted and attract flees and I'm not working for either. With. I work with the Queen. Harker and his lovely wife to be were just kind enough to offer me this penthouse for a new work, slash, living space."

Stark took the Iced Tea and swallowed down a gulp to undry his throat before continuing,

"This is place is actually eery similar to my penthouse back home. So, what about you, wings? I take it you fly."

[Saephara]

Tony grabbed the drink before she had a chance to pour the Coke in. Sae began to say something but he beat her to it, spewing on about not being anyone's dog and all. He took a swig of his purely alcoholic drink and she laughed aloud as he questioned about her wings. Pouring half the short glass full of the vodka, she brought it and the can of Coke around the bar back into the kitchen. She elegantly placed her glass on the counter top and grabbed the hand of Tony's holding onto his drink with her free one, slowing pouring the carbonated soda in to mix with the booze. "Yes, I can fly. Such an obvious question really shouldn't have been asked." Sae winked an eye as she turned back into the kitchen and walked to the fridge to search for the orange juice. Quickly she snagged the carton and mixed her own drink.

"Maybe I can show you when I slip into more comfortable clothing," she hinted at as she sipped from her drink. It was perfect. The acidity from the orange mixed well with the vodka and there was still a burning punch from the delicious liquor. Saephara walked back towards the living room area and sat on the couch, not worried about manners anymore. She grabbed the remote on the coffee table and turned the television on, looking back at Tony and asking, "What do you do for the Queen anyways? And I'm assuming that since you just received this place from Harker, you have no clothes here to get comfortable yourself?"

[Marvel Universe]

"How much mileage we talking?"

Tony took his glass back after Saephara mixed the soda in with the alcohol and took another sip of it. His eyebrow raising at Saephara's suggestion about her wings prior to looking around the room.

"I'm sure Harker left something around here we can both slip into."

The playboy billionaire saw that Saephara decided to make herself comfortable on the couch, which made him decide to forgo the search for clothes in favor of sitting down next to her and making himself equally as comfortable.

"What do I do for the Queen? What don't I do? I fight, save the day, clean up other people messes and help advance her city pass the time of the dark ages. What about you? How did you end up with Hellsing?"

[Saephara]

The question was a packed one, and not easily explained. Saephara had to figure out how to answer without revealing too much about the late Integra. She took a quick sip of her drink and nonchalantly answered him. "I had just come back into town after some time and happened to run across Sir Integra herself. I made an proposal of which she accepted and I became her..." She grew quiet at the end of the sentence. She debated with herself for a moment before continuing in a quiet tone. "I became her protector. At the time of her murder, I had been here speaking with Harker on her orders."

Sae stared down at the drink in her hands and sighed. Several thoughts ran through her head, several of which included not so pretty thoughts. She caught herself before she let her darker side come over her and turned to Tony. "So, why agree to have a drink with me? Am I that intriguing to you, Mr. Stark?" A sudden idea come to her and she stood turning away from him, looking back over her shoulder to peer at him.

"You know, you can touch them...my wings, that is. But be very careful with them," she cautioned.

[Marvel Universe]

"Integra never struck me as the type to recruit right off the street."

Tony did not know much about Sir Integra and with her dead and buried he never would. It was regrettable, but that was life.

"I'm sorry. Her death must have been tough."

The mood started to go down, but it would not stay that way thanks to the angel's next question.

"You're the most interesting thing I've seen for a while, and that is fine. I would not want to give you the plague."

[Saephara]

Saephara simply laughed a low husky laugh and muttered, "I cannot be affected by the plague, Mr. Stark. Not anymore." She slowly moved to sit back down, this time with her wings laying across Tony's lap, her legs hanging sideways off of the couch. Another sip of her drink was taken and she observed that she was running low on her screwdriver. Perhaps she needed something a tad stronger.

"Are you close to finishing your drink, Mr. Stark?" she asked in a low voice.