Difference between revisions of "4887/Visitation"

Latest revision as of 03:34, 17 December 2016

Heinkel Wolfe (Dropped) has posed:
  In the wake of the multiverse itself playing fifty-two card pickup with its territories, some worlds have gotten out of it with better luck than others. The world that Heinkel Wolfe and Seras Victoria come from is not one of these lucky territories.

  Most of the geography has been set down right next to the absolute worst place in the multiverse that it could be set down, and that is the contaminated earth that seems to spawn a nigh-endless amount of twisted undead monstrosities. With a rash of undead already plaguing population centres, this has only compounded things into an awful nightmarish undead mosh pit of Hell. Sort of.

  There's a saving grace, and it's that Vatican Section XIII and the Hellsing Organisation have both made their existences public. So there's that.

  Today, one of the former's operatives is cooling her heels in Rome, because it's probably one of the safer places in the world. Heinkel Wolfe is laid up in a Vatican City hospital, watching snow falling outside her window with a slightly bemused expression. She'd gone to help Dresden with a matter and come back with a little bit of hypothermia and a chunk of aggravated fractures on the break above her ankle.

  So she's back to hospital gown and bed rest, and a very emphatic note from Bishop Enrico Maxwell not to do something idiot-brained like that again, Or Else.

  She looks very bored. Also, she looks just a little out of place, considering she has a hospital gown on and those sunglasses placed neatly over the bridge of her nose. The room itself is kept dim, just the way she likes it.

  Without all that heavy and obscuring clothing, it's probably patently obvious that Heinkel Wolfe is not actually a man, despite sounding close to one and endlessly confusing poor Sir Gawain on the matter. She does have her cross pendant on, and she absently toys with one end of the knotted leather thong as she watches the snow drifting down.

  Right now she's just lying there looking out the window. On the bedside are a well-worn bible, a set of keys, a sheaf of papers in a folder that bears the stamp of Vatican Section XIII, and a glass of water.

Sir Gawain has posed:
Despite getting beaten to hell and back, slammed into a wall, stabbed, and set on fire, Gawain is alive! And a Servant, which means he's already back on his feet. And because he's already back on his feet, he can go places! Probably not fight, that'd kill him, but he has something else in mind!

Which is why Heinkel Wolfe suddenly gets called up by a nurse saying that 'one Sir Gawain of...a lot of things? is coming up to visit you'.

The Knight of the Sun shortly arrives afterwards with a courtesy knock on the door, waiting to see if there's any protestations before he actually opens it. Gawain's dressed in his suit, because he hasn't actually had time to change, as he cheerfully enters the room, taking a second to adjust to the dimness of the light. In his arms are two things: a box of what seems to be some nice candies, and some manner of stuffed animal. He speaks at room level, for once, as he addresses Heinkel. "Chevalier Wolfe! I apologize for dropping in, but I thought you may require some company! If you would rather be left alone, though, I can leave these here!" He gestures with his objects.

Also, Sir Gawain still hasn't realized Heinkel's a woman. But to be fair, would anyone have expected him to?

Heinkel Wolfe (Dropped) has posed:
  Snow drifts down to the ground in flurries of white flakes. It's a beautiful effect, even if it's an indication that something is very wrong with the fabric of the world itself. Italy should not be experiencing such a cold and precipitous winter. These are not normal weather patterns.

  As he opens the door, he'll be greeted by the sound of...

  Singing?

    "Adestes fideles laeti triumphantes,
    "Venite, venite in Bethlehem.
    "Natum videte
    "Regem angelorum:
    "Venite adoremus, venite adoremus, venite adoremus
    "Dominum."

  It's the carol of O Come, All Ye Faithful in its original Latin, and the priest sings it with shocking elegance -- not something one would expect from such a gruff, seemingly coarse type of person. Even in song the voice sounds like it could be a man's or a woman's; the kind of voice that could pull off beautiful Gregorian chant.

  The voice trails off when Gawain opens the door and takes a second to adjust.

  "Herr Gavain." Heinkel looks over to him, raising a brow. Her eyes are invisible behind those lenses, but her surprise is still clear. With a grunt, she pushes herself up to more of a sitting position, fluffing the shapeless pillow behind her. Why are hospital pillows so uncomfortable? "Nein, nein. Come in. Haf a seat. I don't haf any visitors right now, und I vasn't expecting any."

  She does manage a faint smile at the sight of Gawain Bearing Gifts. "Ja? You didn't haf to do that." Aww, that's actually touching. What a nice guy.

Sir Gawain has posed:
Gawain takes a moment for Heinkel to finish her singing. He's not actually familiar with this carol, because it postdates him by a millennium, but he enjoys the sound of it! The Knight just waits patiently, and when she stops and glances at him, he just continues smiling brightly. Luckily, she's not mad at his presence. He approaches as asked, voice still at an all-time low. "Everybody should expect visitors! It's sad to be in the hospital without anyone visiting! You seem to get laid up a lot, so I decided to be the one to visit!"

Gawain takes the seat next to Heinkel, turning to face her. He lays out the gifts. "But I did! It seems to be having the intended effect of cheering you up, too!" A box of assorted candies, and a stuffed...snake. Well, it seems Gawain is more observant than he might appear, after that first meeting with Heinkel. It's soft and snake-y. "So, how do you feel? Your jaw was broken, but it seems to have healed extraordinarily fast!"

Heinkel Wolfe (Dropped) has posed:
  "Actually, it's not much that people don't visit me, but more that eferybody I know is dealing vit more important things, like... uh. Vell. You know the situation, here. I filed a report on it." Heinkel's brow furrows, and the priest lifts both arms to fold her hands behind her head. "It's not really sad to me. I don't usually spend long in most hospitals, and the people I vould haf visit are busy dealing vit disasters und crises. Iscariot is scattered all over the vorld right now. Ve don't haf a lot of manpower, vhich is vhy I'fe made a point of formally asking for help."

  The priest scowls. "I actually don't usually get laid up a lot, but this veek's been eventful. Ja, ve'll go vit that. Also, I vasn't expecting my first formal assignment as a Paladin to chuck us up against that crew. As I recall, you veren't hafing a better time of it than I vas."

  At the sweet gesture of bringing chocolates and a new friend, Heinkel manages a smile, and for once it's not a creepy or predatory smile. It's just a simple, genuine show of gratitude. She picks up the snake and looks at it a bit, tilting it this way and that in apparent bemusement.

  It is appreciably soft and cute, and she can't help but think one of the orphans at Ferdinand Luke's would appreciate a cuddly little friend like this. Maybe one of the new children, fresh in from whatever awful situation they'd come from, still shy and scared... even if Anderson would never let her hear the end of showing a soft spot like that.

  She thinks she can live with that. It'd be worth the end result.

  "Danke. Most people don't really think to do things like that for me." She holds up the snake, letting it dangle somewhat adorably. "I don't vant to sound ungrateful, but do you mind if I gife him to von of the children at Alex's orphanage? I know a little girl who vould really appreciate a new friend. Probably not the best sort of animal to be giving a Catholic, but it vas given in good faith, so I'm sure nobody vould mind."

  "I'fe had better, I'fe had vorse." Heinkel shrugs, setting the stuffed animal aside and folding her hands behind her head again. "I haf... reasons for it, but I don't take as long to heal as our normal Section XIII operatifes. So vhile it still hurts like a bitch, most of the bone has already started to knit itself together again. Enough to start overcoming the vorst of the damage." She brings one hand down to tap at the side of her jaw, very gently. "Most of vhat damage is left can't be seen. Same vit my leg, although that's in a little vorse shape."

  "Come to think of it, you don't look so bad, yourself." She arches a brow, then, eyeing Gawain curiously; it isn't visible through those opaque lenses, but the directness of how her head is pointed at him suggests she's studying him. "How are you holding up, anyvay?"

Sir Gawain has posed:
Well, that's a relief, she does in fact have people to visit her. Gawain nods, putting one hand under his chin as he thinks. "Well, are they doing alright? I hope you won't have to be visiting them in the hospital! That'd be very sad." A nod in agreement about last night. "Those were some scary people. That Victor almost killed me. Though I wasn't fighting at my optimum, I still think he would have been dangerous even then."

Heinkel's odd glances at the snake cause Gawain to actually speak up about it. "You were very fond of Judge Ainsley, so I thought you'd like that! I'm not entirely sure what she is, but it was the cutest reptile one they had." He listens slowly to Heinkel's goal for the snake...and his smile just widens. Not as wide as the type of smile usually found on her world, but it's still pretty wide, and he just laughs cheerfully. "Of course! Christmas is also coming, so if you want me to collect more, I can. Just give me a list of how many need presents!" Gawain thinks of suggesting dressing as Santa Claus, but he's not sure he could do it well. He's too young and blonde.

"That's very handy. How long does it usually take to get back to prime shape, if you don't mind me asking?" The Knight is simply curious, though he responds with his normal good cheer as Heinkel asks how /he's/ holding up. "I'm still in a lot of pain, but I should be better in a day or so! I've used my magical energy to patch up my wounds so far, and therefore they won't be getting in the way. Though I'm out of combat for a while, because without a full supply of energy, a battle like that would probably kill me." And then Gawain pauses, and for once in a millennia, makes a conclusion. "Wait, do you actually know what I am?"

Heinkel Wolfe (Dropped) has posed:
  "Chief tells me they're still alife, so that's all I can really hope for. There's just too much going on right now for any of us to pay a social call on the other." Heinkel shrugs one shoulder and reaches over to dim the light. Once she does, she leans back and folds her hands behind her head again. "Mostly, ve haf to trust that the others are doing okay. Ve at least get to hear occasionally vhen they gife their reports to Chief."

  "The von I had vas the one that I thought vas the most disturbing. Look at how normal he vas vhen ve started... somevon like that can go into a crowd unsuspected, und then drink vhatefer it vas he drank, and... vell." Her expression falls slightly; grave. "Vell, you know how that vould end, vit a lot of unprepared civilians..."

  The light gets dimmed a little more, and then with a shrug, Heinkel clicks it off. Despite the lack of lamplight, it's quite bright in the room, with the blinds tilted to allow moonlight in.

  Reaching up, she flicks off her sunglasses, swinging the arms in to fold with a practised flick of her wrist.

  What Gawain gets to see next probably wasn't what he was expecting. Instead of an eye that would be lost in the darkness, there is a flare of flat blue-white. It's the same glowing effect as a cat in the dark swept suddenly by a flashlight; only instead of phosphor green they're a pale, pale blue-white. They actually glow with every slight movement as the moonlight hits them this way or that, throwing light back like lamps.

  There's a faint sigh. "That's better." The sunglasses are deposited on the endtable, with its obligatory single vase with a single flower in it.

  "It's vhat I'd do for any comrade-in-arms. If you needed a heater, I'd gife you von, too, ja?" Here the priest mumbles a little, shrugging one shoulder. "Or if maybe some other Paladin might need it. Iscariot looks after its own, so vhy shouldn't I look out for the Paladins as long as I'm here?"

  Spoken simply, in so many words, like the spirit of the Good Samaritan. It may be that her division busies themselves with killing a whole lot of demons and undead, and there's virtually every guarantee against any of them visiting the Pearly Gates. That doesn't mean the condemned warrior-priests of Section XIII need abandon their humanity, though. No matter their sins, they still strive to behave like good Christians; even through the work they do, they profess their self-sacrifice for others in willingly abandoning their own shot at salvation. They fight, they damn their own souls, so others won't have to.

Heinkel Wolfe (Dropped) has posed:
  "Ja, I guess she's von of the good vons, though." Heinkel tilts her head at Gawain, though, half-smiling. "Ja? Vell, don't blow your entire stipend on it, but I'd appreciate the help. Ferdinand Luke's ist a good cause. I may not haf grown up there, but I vish I had, und I tend to spend my downtime there. It's... grounding." It brings her back to reality when the mental rigours of the job get to be too much.

  "Father Anderson? Not long at all. I'fe seen him shot in the head und he vas able to not only shrug it off, but expel the bullet from his body." The priest shivers. "It's a little disconcerting the first time you see it. I'fe seen him suffer that more than vonce on an operation, though. He's geared toward fighting the... strongest threats ve haf to face down. Iscariot's ace up the sleeve, vhen Chief needs something to hold the lines. He's the best hunter ve haf. Anyvay, depending on how badly he's hurt, it can be a few hours to a few days. I don't think I'fe efer seen him down more than a day und a half, though."

  To Gawain's status, she only tilts her head a little.

  "You are? That's veird. You don't seem to have any obvious vounds... I mean, if you closed those vounds it didn't efen leave a mark, vhich is just... veird." Heinkel tilts her head just slightly. "I vas pretty sure you veren't human or anything. A ghost or something, maybe, ja? If not that, vhat are you?"

Sir Gawain has posed:
There's another nod from the knight as it's confirmed Heinkel's coworkers are still alive. He doesn't have much words on it, but he's relieved, despite knowing nothing about them. But then, Heinkel talks about the person she fought last night. "Henry Jekyll, Assassin-Class Servant. What he did there must have been his main power, I assume he became Mister Hyde...he leads that new League of Progress organization, so they might end up being a problem. Let us only hope they don't pull something like that again!" The light then dims, but atleast there's moonlight, so Gawain isn't bothered by it. He does, however, notice the oddness of Heinkel's eyes. "Oh, that's cool! Reminds me sort of like a cat." And then Gawain proceeds to grin silently, not responding to what is said to him. Heinkel, despite being coarse and rough, seems to be a very knightly person in her own ways.

"I usually only spend my stipend on pizza, video games, books, or clothing. I think donating it to this orphanage would be a worthy location to put it, especially after everything that has happened. Are they okay, with everything that's happening in your world?" Gawain seems briefly worried about the orphans, because he is a knightly knight and orphans are important. He waits a bit for an answer before moving back to the discussion about regeneration. "And do you regenerate like he does? Your jaw's already healed, but it sounds like you regenerate in a different way!" The knightly knight isn't attempting to pry, however. He's just too curious of a creature.

It's true, Sir Gawain looks fine. There's no signs that he was set aflame, or stabbed, or smashed against a wall, or any of the things that happened to him. "I healed all my wounds up within a few hours, but it took a major expenditure of my mana. And there's a reason there's no scars, too." He nods towards the ghost statement, but sort of waves his hand. "Close! I am the same as Dr. Jekyll: a Servant, a Heroic Spirit from legend who died and was brought back by maguses in order to fight for them. I'm not quite a ghost, because my body is material, but it's made of magic. Ainsley's Servant, Berserker, is also like me in that regard. There's more to it than just that, but I don't think that's really important right now. So, I guess I'm dead, but alive again?" Gawain shrugs as if he's not...entirely sure how to classify it himself.

Heinkel Wolfe (Dropped) has posed:
  "Henry Jekyll?" Heinkel arches a brow high enough to suggest she recognises that name. "You mean Doctor Jekyll? He vas in an old story. Drank a potion and turned into Doctor Hyde, vhich ist the bigger, meaner version of himself. Like a berserker. Ach, ja, it's like a berserker. My partner is von, you know. Vell, she's more..."

  "Yumie ist two personalities in von body. Vhen Yumiko is out, she vouldn't harm a fly. Vhen Yumie's out... vell." Heinkel grins. It's more skinning her lips back from her teeth. It's also eloquent, and speaks volumes about what a violent sort of person Yumie must be. Very useful for the line of work that they do.

  She tilts her head at his assessment. "Ja, probably. They're vorth keeping an eye on. I don't trust them, so it vould be good to monitor their activities, going forvard."

  Gawain's observation on her eyes brings her to glance at him, causing them to flicker and gleam with every slight movement. She chuckles. "Our little secret, if you don't mind. Even a lot of Iscariot doesn't know about this." She points toward her own eyes, a little ruefully. "Had a little accident on the job seven years ago. I vas bitten by a lycanthrope. Now I'm cursed, too. That's vhy I can regenerate, too. It's not as strong as Father Anderson's regeneration -- und no, he's not a verevolf, his ability to regenerate ist through technology -- but it does help. Mine is from the curse, though."

  "The trade-off," she explains, "ist that vhen it's bad enough, it puts me into a torpor. You know, academically, I alvays vould haf thought that kind of advanced healing factor vould haf made a person haf a bigger appetite -- to make up that energy burn in calories. But I guess I just get narcoleptic vhen I rip open more than I can heal."

  The orphans? Heinkel grins, although it's the non-creepy version; the shift in her expression causes her eyes to gleam as the moonlight hits them. "Ja. They're fine. The orphanage ist only about tventy miles avay. Ve can visit there some time, if you vant. I'm sure Alex vouldn't mind, und the children vould be delighted to meet a real live knight. Ferdinand Luke's ist safe, betveen Alex und being so close to Iscariot's base of operations."

  It'd have to be the Apocalypse itself to make a dent in that place. Just having Alexander Anderson around is protection enough. Heinkel knows she sleeps better when she's stopping over at the orphanage; it's as good as having a phalanx of soldiers guarding her.

  Not that she needs guarding.

  "So. Basically a ghost, efen if the details aren't the same. Hunh. I vant to say I'fe heard of that kind of thing in previous years I'fe been on active Union service..." Heinkel snorts. "Ach, ja. That's vhere I heard it. Ainsley vas talking about her own Serfant. I remember, now. She just appeared out of thin air. Kind of unsettling, really."

  Her head tilts a little further as she studies Gawain. "Hunh." That seems extremely out-there and bizarre to her, but that's pretty much what the multiverse is, so she just keeps her weirding out to herself. She absolutely still freaks out at things; she just does it very, very quietly and subtly.

Sir Gawain has posed:
Gawain nods in affirmation that it is indeed that Jekyll. "Mister Hyde, actually. Who is who you fought, seeing how he was big and mean and a transformation." Gawain states the obvious as if it wasn't obvious at all. "That sounds pretty similar to the story of Jekyll and Hyde, actually, except without the potion. She sounds like an interesting person, though. And a great partner." He gets that last part just based off how fondly Heinkel seems to talk of Yumie. He also nods regarding the League. "I'll see what we can setup about that one. Though they're also aiding in relief efforts in the Multiverse, so I don't believe they're entirely a threat."

Heinkel's story fascinates Gawain, but his response is probably an odd one to her, because he just takes it all in, nods, and accepts it perfectly. "Understood. I'll keep it between us, though I do suggest informing the rest of Command Staff if you believe it'll be a risk at any point." This is standard business to him, as he moves to the subject of appetite. "Oh, that's one of the ways I refuel. Eating large quantities of food. Though, to be perfectly fair, I ate large quantities when I was alive, too!" He must have had a /wonderful/ metabolism, because it's not clear at all.

"I would love to, when things aren't busy! I don't know if they know what's happening or not, but either way, it should be a good and happy experience for them." Meeting a knight, not the ghoul swarms, that is. Gawain nods again about the ghost thing, but still isn't very sure. "She had been taking spirit form. It's a thing we can do, though I don't do it often, so I frequently forget about it." The knight then glances out at the moon. "It's getting pretty late, I don't know how much longer visiting hours will be going. Do you need anything? I can go pick it up and drop it off with a nurse."

Heinkel Wolfe (Dropped) has posed:
  "Ja." Heinkel leans back, thoughtfully, over the matter of Mister Hyde. It really does seem quite like the way that Yumie and Yumiko operate, except that they're wholly loyal to Vatican Section XIII and personally loyal to her. "She's interesting, all right. A lot of people don't know vhat to make of her. I respect her, though, und she'll valk to the Gates of Hell for me because of that. She saw more in me than the criminal I vas vhen I took up vit Iscariot, vhen others only saw the former criminal. I'd do the same for her."

  She lets her eyes drift to the ceiling, still flickering intermittently as the light catches them at different angles, this way and that. "They may not entirely be a threat, but they still haf to be vatched. Just because they're offering relief vit von hand doesn't mean they hafen't got a knife in the other."

  "I think last night vas a pretty good sign of that, anyvay."

  "Danke. The people in Paladin Command who haf to know are avare of it, und some people in the Union did, too. But even a lot of Iscariot are unavare, after all this time. Only Alex, Chief, und Yumiko und Yumie know it in Iscariot. I'd appreciate it if it stayed that vay. I also don't like outside entities in the multiverse knowing that. If I do haf to use it during a mission -- und I don't like to do it, but I vill if it's more efficient to fulfill an objective that vay -- I prefer it to be a surprise; a hidden advantage."

  It's a toss-up whether he actually keeps his trap shut, but she's done what she can and now she has to give it to, and trust in, God. Here's to hoping he doesn't let it slip in his overenthusiasm.

  "Ja. I think the older vons know vhat's happening, but the younger vons... they vouldn't understand, und it's kinder not to let them know. The only reason the older vons aren't panickig ist because they know they haf Alex." Heinkel smiles a wistful half-smile. "It's the safest place in the vorld they can be, because it's Alex's orphanage; they trust him, efen if he's not there. Vhich he's not. He's been dispatched, too, but they're in good hands."

  Who knew? Heinkel, secretly a softie.

  "Hn... ja. It's getting late." Heinkel can feel her eyes drooping a little. It is entirely possible that the doctors plied her with more sedative just to knock her out long enough to let her wounds start healing. It's also entirely probable that they know what a restless patient she is, and planned the sedative expenditure that way. "I should probably sleep for a little vhile more, vhile I can. Hnn... sedatives here are great. Not much vorks on me since the accident..."

  Those reflective eyes droop lower, until the light finally winks out. "I think I'll be alright, danke. Go vit God," she offers, "in His care und keeping. Amen."

  Seems she'll make good on her word, closing her eyes whether he's left or not. It's not long before she's genuinely unconscious.