Unexpected Encounter {Sora, Invites}

[sebastian]

What a dull task. The life of a butler never provided any rest; he was always doing one thing or another. Being the only true servant there; all the tasks of cleaning, cooking, and generally making sure the mansion was in top shape fell upon his shoulders. Occasionally, one of the many residents of the manor would lend him a hand; but it was always on him in the end. If anything went wrong, that meant he took full responsibility. Along with overall care of their residence, he had his personal duties to Integra as well. All in all, it was taxing even for a demon to carry everything out. Of course, he got it all done with speed and efficiency; he certainly wasn't complaining either. But he couldn't help but feel mildly irritated that everyone took it for granted that he could do everything on his own. He knew he was spoiling every single human and creature which lived on Hellsing grounds, but it wasn't all bad. At least he had gained a certain respect and acceptance from everyone in residence. Then of course, there was Integra herself; she and that soul he so longed for... But then again, there was that desire to serve her in any way he could that was unrelated to his final reward. He had developed a certain attachment to her; a bond that was much stringer than the one he'd had with Ciel Phantomhive. He served her loyally because he wanted to.

So here he was; seated upon the driver's seat of a large horse-drawn carriage, pulled by four of the palomino animals. Integra had set yet another task for him, which consisted of basically making sure that refugees who had moved out could get along on their own; without the strange Hellsing butler that provided everything for them. Yet he was still helping them, under a request from the one who had sheltered them in the first place. He entered the first of many living squares where many refugees had moved after leaving Hellsing; the horses' hooves making muffled sounds upon the dirt pathway. These refugees had been working together to reconstruct this small part of Hallowton; but many of the homes looked about ready to collapse in on themselves. He had been told to simply deliver supplies, which he planned to do; but it was still a sorry sight. It was more like a refugee camp than an actual residential square. Humans... Were entirely helpless... Even Integra, whom he admired and appreciated so much. If her alchemy and any from of control over her beasts had been stripped away, she would have been no different from these poor souls. He pitied them all.

The moment he entered the square, he was forced to bring the horses to a halt, because every single person in the area had run up to the carriage with shining eyes; looking up at him as if he were their guardian angel or something. An amusing thought. They knew nothing of what he was. The person before them was a very capable butler who served directly under Sir Integra. These refugees certainly recognized him; and bringing such a large cart... It wasn't hard for them to figure out he had brought supplies. Sebastian put on a gracious smile as he swiveled around in the seat; tying the reigns to a peg. With his normal, ill-disguised grace, he jumped down from the seat; tuxedo shoes kicking up a small puff of dust as they met the wasted ground. Still smiling, he rested a hand on his chest and bowed to the general audience. "Greetings to you all; Sir Integra sends you her regards. I haven't much time, so I hope you'll forgive me if I skip over formalities." He straightened up; a light breeze lifting the raven-black hair and tailcoat. He was suddenly very business-like, and the mood seemed to pass around the crowd like an electrical signal as the excited chatter died down. "Anyone who has construction experience, please come forward. Everyone else, I have food in this cart; take it and divide it evenly amongst yourselves. There's plenty to share." He could at lease shelter full confidence that they would indeed share fairly. These refugees lived and worked together; they were basically family.



Sebastian turned to unlock the cart; pulling open the pair of doors near the rear of the transport. The refugees began to form ranks, a sort of line to start hauling food parcels toward the center of the square. Impressed at how easily they fell into this organization, he turned to face the working men who had come to stand behind him. No women, but no surprises there. Most of the women here had no experience with building at all. "Now then..." He said cheerfully, clapping his gloved hands together before unlocking a second set of doors near the front of the cart. "I have a large supply of basic tools here; including nails and hammers. I'm sure you all know how to use those; but it seems like you need some more supplies to build structural support." He tipped his head toward of the the particularly sagging homes. "I am aware those are unexciting tools. The reason I need you all here is so I can show you how to use certain power tools." There was more excited murmuring among the men; very few of them had worked with modern technology.

With their unnecessary help, the mass off tools were rapidly unloaded. There was a wide variety; he had brought everything from simple drills to heat guns to chainsaws to even high watt power inverters. There were multiple batteries to recharge tools as necessary. Some of the more experienced men took time to show and explain to their fellows in small groups; then would take their groups to start working on the more lopsided buildings. There were two men who had originated from Isafaro who were having the time of their lives explaining some of the more complicated tools. Sebastian took one of the chainsaws, smirking at the memories of when he'd nearly destroyed a reaper with his own chainsaw death scythe. With his group of people, he started to point out the major functions and how to work the tool. In the past, he'd once impersonated a college professor on Ciel's orders during their inspection under Queen Victoria's orders. Back then, just about every confused student came to him for help, even if he hadn't specifically been their professor. Apparently, the way he explained things helped students understand almost instantly. It was evident now; as he moved around to explain and demonstrate other power tools; as well as how to build proper houses. Before long, all the food had been unloaded and was being divided by women and children into neat stacks for each family; and he was inside one of the weakest buildings to carefully guide some workers through putting up support. This specific building was to become a clinic.

[Ethereal Requiem]

These last few days had certainly been hectic. Sighing, Sora rested his head against the weathered wood of a tree, eyes closing for a few minutes. He was exhausted. It was sort of funny, after having ended up sleeping for such a long time, just a few days ago, that he could even think about wanting to go back to sleep. Especially since he'd been having awful nightmares lately. Fortunately, he still had his dream eaters to combat them, but even so... It was freaky. He hadn't gotten much good sleep lately, and that was probably showing from the dark circles under his eyes. But hey! He was a hero. Heroes did, what heroes had to do. That was what Phil had always told him at least.

Walking through the area, the sounds of voices suddenly caught the brown haired boy's attention. Curiously, the young teenager followed the sounds of the growing mass of voices. The closer he got to the source, the more he could hear strange hammerings and buzzing sounds. By the sounds of it, it sounded like there was a lot of people nearby, and they were all working on something. Either way, people being nearby was a good thing. A small grin on his face, Sora picked up his feet, jogging towards the noises.

Within just a moment, over the crest of a hill, a large group of people came into view. They all had tools, and were bustling around, busily working on something. By the looks of it, it seemed like all of the people were working to fix up all of the ruined and shambling buildings located in the area. What exactly had happened here?

"Hello!" The cheerful young boy raised a hand in greeting to the townspeople as he approached. Startled, the ones nearest to him stopped what they were doing and looked at him rather warily. They didn't seem all that friendly, but for now, they didn't seem unfriendly either. Something bad must have happened to them recently. However one of them, an aged man with a long silver beard chose to approach the red haired boy. There was an exe in his hands, limply hanging at his side. The blade was chipped and rusted; the man had used this axe many times in the past.

"Hello, stranger." The man said in a low, croaky voice. "Who are you? We don't get so many young strangers like yourself in these neck of the woods." A few of the others who'd stopped to stare at Sora turned away and continued doing what they'd been doing prior to the interruption.

"My name is Sora! I just got here, where is this?" Curiously, Sora looked around the area, taking in the sights of the many ruined buildings. What could have caused something like this to happen?

[Kuxir]

"This place is called Hollowton..... My my.... you smell and sound familiar.", Said Kuxir as he aproached sora from behind. It was true of course, he could have sworn they met sometime in the past.
He still wore his hood over his coat, obscuring his features as he stood there deep in thought. Who was the boy? He doubted he was with the refugees here.

"But then again, I may be confused with another. What is your name?", Kuxir asked, pulling his hood back. His long hair spilt out as he did so, making him feel more confortable. He left the blindfold as well to allow himself more confort.. It kept the wind out of his eyes for one and had many other benifits.

[sebastian]

The butler was starting to become impatient as he left the building. Finally, the refugees had gotten the hang of their tools; and were actually making progress. By that point, he half wished he could just rebuild it all himself. But of course, that wasn't an option for him. There would be far too many questions, and the refugees might even have been freaked out to the point that they refused to have anything to do with Hellsing. Integra wouldn't be pleased about that... And he had no intention of ever giving her reason to be unhappy. She was his contracted master, yes. But that didn't mean he wasn't intimidated by her. He hadn't seen her lose her temper yet; but that eerie calm when she was upset made him reluctant to ever witness actual rage, much less be the target of the said rage. He started to make his rounds of the sector; checking up on the construction others were working on. He would have to take his leave soon; there were duties awaiting him back at the Hellsing Manor. But once he returned to his cart and checked on the four large horses which pulled it; his gaze was drawn to an area where work seemed to have faltered. The ruby-red gaze immediately zeroed in on the young boy who was the apparent cause of the hesitation. This child carried an... Unusual scent... He was human, yes. But something a bit... Off... About him.

Sebastian walked around the carriage and made his way toward where the boy was conversing with the refugee; his enhanced hearing easily picked up on the question from the child. The butler came up on the refugee's side; resting a hand on his shoulder for a moment. The man smiled pleasantly at the Hellsing butler who had brought so much hope; and strolled away to return to his work, leaving Sebastian alone with the child. The rest of the refugees were concentrating on their own work again, now that Sebastian was with the stranger. They trusted the raven-haired man to protect them from any possible trouble. The demon inclined his head in greeting, smiling pleasantly at the newcomer. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sora. You are in a city called Hallowton, or part of it at least." He tipped his head in the direct on the ruined buildings. "As you can see, this sector of the city has seen better days. To be quite honest, most of the city is in a similar condition. It's a shame you had to visit at a time when it was at its worst. It was a beautiful City before war drew it into its hungry jaws." At that moment, he looked up in surprise as the familiar blind child came forth. Kuxir was here still? Sebastian hadn't forgotten the boy's intrusion upon Hellsing Manor; but he hadn't been any trouble since then. Therefore, he would show no hostility. "Hello, Kuxir. I didn't expect to see you here. Welcome." He said by means of greeting.

[Ethereal Requiem]

________________________________
So hit me like a [hurricane] again
When it rains on this side of town
It touches everything

Just say it again and mean it
They mean so much to me
all these [minor] details...
________________________________

"Hallowton." Sora repeated, looking around the area curiously. People were running around, obviously busy at work. Though it seemed like right now things were not very easy for them, the people actually looked like they were happy. He could see smiles on their faces. Hear the sounds of gentle laughter and chatter. It brought a smile to his face, he liked it best when people were happy. "Looks like the Heartless aren't here." He mused to himself, rocking back on his heels. That was good, he didn't feel like fighting them right now.

Looking back at Sebastian, Sora blinked in surprise. "War?" He echoed, voice ringing with his curiousity. To be truthful, Sora had never really encountered war before. He had fought great battles against the Heartless yes, and his very struggle may be seen by some as a war against the darkness. He had heard tales of the War of Keyblades, but had never really heard or seen it's effects. Eyes wide with amazement, he surveyed the village again. Realizing that war really was a terrible thing, a fact that hadn't quite hit him until this moment. War could do terrible things. "These poor people." He said softly, voice hinting at sadness, regret. Why did things like this have to happen?

Nearby, a young boy was trying to carry a rather large load of wood to a worksite. He struggled to keep it balanced, and gave a dismayed cry as it tumbled from his hands, spilling all over the ground. Instantly, without thinking about it, Sora ran over and smiled at the other. "Hey! Need some help?" He asked, earning an uncertain smile from the boy and a slow nod. Bending down, the young teen stacked up the pile of wood and picked a little over half of it up. "It'll be easier if we do it together." Sora looked over at the man who'd spoken with him earlier. "You don't mind if I help, do you?" He seemed to be in charge of all this, so it made sense to ask. Although Sora didn't think that he would mind if he helped.

Just before the two boys headed off with the wood, Sora stopped, blinked, looked back to the red eyed demon. "Oh, I forgot. What's your name?" Brightly, he grinned, and waited for an answer. The other milled around, slightly nervous. This boy was so happy-- it was almost disconcerting. Had he even stopped smiling since he'd seen him? Where did such joy even come from? He definitely wasn't from around here, that much was clear. But it was still nice to have help carrying this load of wood.

________________________________
what power lies [inside] us?

thoughts ► This town must have been so beautiful before it got ruined.
feelings ► Somewhat sad in a way, but still cheerful as always.

[/size][/justify]

We don’t miss a thing
You made yourself a bed at the bottom
Of the blackest hole

muse ► Good.
tags ► Sebastian
notes ► Since Kuxir isn't around anymore, I'm sort of writing him out to prevent confusion between Sebastian and Sora and stuff. Yeah.
music ► WHERE THE WIND AND FEATHERS RETURN
bio ► SORA

[/justify]

Just a broken [promise] you forgot
________________________________

[sebastian]

________________________________
The Persian-red singing [voice] slowly
dyes your chest the same [color]
[as if

[/color]] it's an eternally yearning
swiftly dispersing...
[Melody[/color]][/size]

________________________________

[/center]

This was quite a strange boy, he was just so... Well... Happy seemed to be the best word; despite its lack of originality. He had mentioned something of heartless, and Sebastian couldn't help but wonder what those were. The name itself sounded like something rather unpleasant; well... Unpleasant to the living. He doubted he would have found himself to be on any interest to creatures without hearts. He was a demon, after all. He did have a heart, but it was a heart unlike what one might logically had guessed it to be. A Faustian demon heart was just an empty shell; with only just enough space to allow for some form of feelings other than a constant ravenous hunger or desire to satisfy oneself. It wasn't uncommon for a Faustian to develop feelings for a master; though they were feelings which related in the predator-prey way. Sir Integra for instance... He genuinely felt a sort of attraction to her; a longing to ensure her life was enjoyed to the fullest until the day her soul became his.

Lost in his silent musings, it wasn't until the clatter of the falling wood sounded that he was drawn out of the thoughts. He really needed to work on not zoning out every time he thought of Integra's delectable soul. He took under a second to realize what had happened, and a slight smile curled the flawless lips. He shook his head in slight amusement. Humans never ceased to amaze him. They tried to carry out tasks which were out of their league, and yet even then they often succeeded. Human strength was a point of great interest to the demon. He blinked in surprise as the boy, Sora he had said his name was, moved forward without hesitation to offer a hand. The refugee seemed only too willing to accept the extra help. Sebastian had to admit, he was caught off guard by Sora trying to make sure it was alright to aid. "Of course I don't mind, Kind Sir." He said cheerfully; turned his gaze back to the house where the wood was to be carried.

"Oh, I forgot. What's your name?"

He turned back around before moving toward the house; offering an apologetic smile. "Of course, forgive me. I haven't properly introduced myself." He bowed to Sora in greeting, the raven-colored locks framing his face fluttered in the light breeze of momentum. "I am Sebastian Michaelis, the head butler of the Hellsing Estate." He straightened up, a friendly smile in place. "This sector is occupied by refugees who were being sheltered on the Hellsing Estate grounds until they were ready to live on their own again. So of course, I am here representing the Organization's leader and ensuring reconstruction goes smoothly." He tipped his head toward the house he had been about to approach. "If you would be so kind, please bring the wood up there; that is the next one which is to have its infrastructure reinforced with new beams." He swept off toward the house; leaving Sora and the boy behind. He expected they would be quick to follow; but he needed to start planning out which beams to be replaced first.

[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]________________________________
In the [stillness] of the shining sky
is your [home] of return
Beyond the [darkness[/color]][/size]

Thoughts ► Wierd Happy Kid...
Feelings ► Indifferent

[/size][/justify]
Where the [moon sinks[/color]][/size]
is a narrow [path[/color]] that leads you[/size]

Muse ► Great!
Tags ► Sora
Notes ► Kuxir has poofed
Music ► My Immortal
Credits ► Aurion!

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]
Back to the [beginning[/color]][/size]
________________________________
[/center]

[Ethereal Requiem]

________________________________
So hit me like a [hurricane] again
When it rains on this side of town
It touches everything

Just say it again and mean it
They mean so much to me
all these [minor] details...
________________________________

The boy was looking grateful to have help in carrying the heavy load of wood. Sora was a kind, innocent soul, he never thought twice about helping others. It was something that came naturally to him. "Sounds good." He called out to Sebastian with a smile, then looked over to the other boy. "Name's Sora. Where are we takin' this wood?" The good natured boy tilted his head curiously, still smiling.

"I'm Tommy. We're taking it to just over there." The other boy replied slowly. He had been worried about how he was going to get all of the wood over there. He wasn't very strong, still recovering from a rather nasty flu. Everyone was so busy though that he'd basically just been given a job at random and ordered to complete it by a certain time. Now he had someone to help him. It gave him a warm, happy feeling. Tommy smiled at the other boy slightly, and worked a little harder.

"A butler?" Sora eyed him curiously. He didn't really know what a butler was either, had never seen one before. From what he'd heard though, it was an old person who dusted things and bowed a lot. Well, Sebastian did seem to bow a fair bit, but he wasn't old, and there wasn't a feather duster in sight. Still, he seemed like a really nice guy. At his gesture to where they should place the wood, Sora nodded and enthusiastically headed to the designated spot. It was nice to be able to help others.

As the three of them headed to their destination, which was not too far away, Sora looked around. Everywhere, people were rushing around busily. The sound of construction was loud, echoing. The people looked tired, but determined. Obviously they weren't going to let something terrible happening hold them down. Sora grinned. He was glad to be helping them get back on their feet. "So... What exactly happened here?"

"War." Tommy replied sadly, his gaze falling down to his feet. "It ...well. I don't know if you've had much experience with war, stranger, but it's not a good thing." Tommy said nothing more. The memories of that time were still too fresh and painful for him. Sora, being tactful for once, said nothing more, simply nodded in understanding. Xehanort wanted to cause another Keyblade War... but war was a terrible, evil thing, that ruined people's lives. Looking around him now, the young boy was more determined than ever to stop him. He couldn't let that evil, old man win!

Finally, they reached their destination. With a thud, and a dust cloud, the wood was set down. Dusting his hands, Sora beamed, pleased, then looked to Sebastian again. "Need help with anything else?" He asked, brightly. Obviously more help would probably be appreciated; the question was just a way of finding out in what way to help next.

________________________________
what power lies [inside] us?

thoughts ► Alright, got that done! What next?
feelings ► Determined, hard working.

[/size][/justify]

We don’t miss a thing
You made yourself a bed at the bottom
Of the blackest hole

muse ► Good.
tags ► Sebastian
notes ► ...
music ► WHERE THE WIND AND FEATHERS RETURN
bio ► SORA

[/justify]

Just a broken [promise] you forgot
________________________________

[sebastian]

________________________________
The Persian-red singing [voice] slowly
dyes your chest the same [color]
[as if

[/color]] it's an eternally yearning
swiftly dispersing...
[Melody[/color]][/size]

________________________________

[/center]

While he was waiting for the boys to come with the wood beams, Sebastian took to moving through the house which had a good number of refugees working on it. Here in what would be the first floor; it looked like one fairly large room. Walls would be added later to separate the clinic into rooms; there were simple wood beams supporting the ceiling where walls would be. It was these that he wanted to replace; most were rotting and barely holding up the structure. Once fresh beams were in place between the current ones, he and the refugees would take out these old ones; probably use them for firewood. Fall was rapidly approaching after all. He could already sense the slight chill in the air which suggested it. That chill had been present for a few days now. The sooner this construction was completed, the better.

"Sebastian, could you come look at this, please?" Came a rather panicked voice. One of the refugees stood near one of the supports at the far right of the room, a few others had joined him; looking up at the roof with uncertainty. The butler joined them within moments, and his eyes narrowed as he saw what the problem was. This specific beam was in a worse state than the others; it had just about rotten through. A fine dust was showering from the ceiling, and he could hear the sounds of hammers from above. "I told them to wait until I gave the word to start setting floorboards..." He practically hissed under his breath. This was why... The floor of the room above, which was the ceiling of this roof, was completely unstable... Apparently, there were a few too many people up there who were foolishly hammering down floorboards...



The butler looked over at the gathering refugees, and spoke in a sharp voice. "I want someone upstairs immediately to tell everyone up there to come down. No one is to be upstairs unless I say otherwise; or this roof will come down on top of us. Everyone else, get out now..." He could see that a few other supports seemed to be at their limits as well. But the loss of just one is such a poorly designed structure could mean death for them all; or the humans really. He'd be perfectly fine. But Integra wouldn't be happy if he allowed a building to collapse on a bunch of refugees. One of the men had broken off from the crowd and rushed upstairs; while the others began to flee from the building. Most everyone seemed to be in a panic; except for that serene butler who waited inside until the 6 who had been on the upper floor rushed downstairs and joined their friends and family outside.

But the weight from above had taken too long to be noticed. There was a groan from a central support. He could have reinforced the building in a heartbeat, and rebuilt the entire structure within an hour... But not when all the refugees were gathered outside and stared with horror at the building which was now groaning as more dust fell. Sebastian sighed to himself, then swept to the doorway and out of the ill-fated building. Once he had reached the refugees, he shooed them further away from the structure; and everyone was soon gathered in what would be the main square of the sector once complete. Those who had been working on other buildings had joined the mass, murmuring questions. All questions would soon be answered though; when there came the deafening crash as the entire building fell in on itself. Shrapnel and a massive cloud of fibers and dust clouds blossomed into the air. Sebastian's back had been toward the building, and he didn't so much as blink, much less flinch; when everything went down. However, here had been a collective gasp and even some screams from the refugees.



Now everyone was panicked; as if they expected every building in the area to suddenly collapse. Sebastian alone remained eerily calm, and found himself sighing yet again. What a sorry bunch... Understandable, really; many of them were victim to post traumatic stress disorder, particularly veterans of past wars. The sound of a falling building didn't help those poor souls at all. Sebastian's voice rose above the cacophony, firm and authoritative, as he tried to gather their attention once again. "Would everyone please clam down... No one was hurt, and there wasn't much hope for that building anyway." Despite the strong voice, there was a soothing edge to it; and good number of people had fallen silent. "Now then... I'd like a small group of 5 experienced men to go inspect the rubble once the dust has settled down. See what you can salvage that might be usable in other structures. Everyone else, we must get back to work; or the reconstruction will never be done... If you see anything that is even remotely unstable... Distance yourselves, and I want to hear about it at once."

There were murmurs of consent from the crowd as people started to break off into their former groups; There was a new caution which saturated the air as refugees slowly resumed their work; though a good number remained in the main square who had been affected much more strongly than others by the falling structure. Sebastian cast his gaze around until he found the boy, Sora, and approached. He leaned down to whisper into the youth's ear once he reached the child. "You're a happy one, my friend. If you would be so kind, helping comfort some of these refugees would be greatly appreciated. War hasn't treated them well, and a falling building will undoubtedly have brought up some unwelcome memories... Perhaps you could aid in the salvaging of supplies from the rubble as well; once contaminants leave the air." He could sense something about the child; an inner strength of sort. Sebastian could tell just by looking into the eyes that he had been through much; and was more capable than many of the adults here. As such, he would treat Sora as an adult; rather than the child he appeared to be.



((Pretend that Ciel in this image is Sora. XD))

[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]________________________________
In the [stillness] of the shining sky
is your [home] of return
Beyond the [darkness[/color]][/size]

Thoughts ► "The fools..."
Feelings ► Half amused, half disappointed.

[/size][/justify]
Where the [moon sinks[/color]][/size]
is a narrow [path[/color]] that leads you[/size]

Muse ► Excellent!
Tags ► Sora
Notes ► None
Music ► Dust in the Wind
Credits ► Aurion!

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]
Back to the [beginning[/color]][/size]
________________________________
[/center]