After a short visit to the confectionery, Seras suggested heading straight to the shopping mall to buy clothes for Maria and Doll. Hearing the suggestion, Alex looked at Maria and Doll, asking for their opinion. He believed that even though they could buy any clothes through the Guild system, a trip to the shopping mall would be a good way for them to get used to the new world.
Maria looked thoughtfully at Seras, considering her proposal, and calmly nodded, showing that she didn't mind visiting a place like a shopping mall. In her understanding, a shopping mall wasn't much different from the markets in Yharnam, where large crowds of people were constantly present — some selling, others buying.
Seeing that Maria had agreed, Alex looked at Doll and thought that she should change her outfit to avoid new incidents with persistent fans. Doll, who was enjoying the delicious dessert, turned her head toward Alex and slightly tilted it to the side, listening to the conversation. Alex repeated Seras's suggestion so Doll could better understand what they were talking about. Understanding the idea, Doll slowly nodded in agreement to visit the shopping mall.
After finishing his coffee, Alex paid the bill and left a generous tip for the waiter. Leaving the café-confectionery, he took out his phone to call Hugo and ask him to drive over. Lighting a cigarette, Alex held the phone in his hands and looked at Doll, who was holding Alessa by the hand.
Shifting his gaze to Maria and Seras, he was glad that they were getting along. Smiling slightly at the thought, Alex was about to call Hugo. But before he could do so, Maria and Seras expressed their desire to continue the walk.
"It's not that far to walk from here anyway. Better to take a stroll than ride in the car," Seras said, placing her palm on the phone screen and not letting Alex make the call.
"I completely agree. I have nothing against a walk. I like strolling around this city," Maria said, expressing her opinion and placing her palm on Alex's shoulder.
"Alright. Then I'll just send Hugo a message to meet us at the shopping mall," Alex said, nodding with a smile on his face.
After sending the message to Hugo and receiving a quick reply in the form of a thumbs-up emoji, Alex put his phone back in his pocket. Taking Alessa by her other hand, he walked beside Doll, who was holding the girl's second hand.
Alessa herself was completely fine with having two more mothers, one of whom was not human at all. Alessa raised her head and looked at the profile of Doll's gentle, doll-like face. Squeezing Doll's hand tighter, she lowered her gaze and continued walking next to her father and one of her mothers.
Upon reaching the shopping mall, Alex suggested starting with a clothing store to pick out a suitable outfit for Doll. He himself didn't mind her current dress — it suited her very well.
However, Doll's appearance attracted too much attention, especially her beautiful facial features, and her outfit only emphasized her refined Victorian-era aristocratic look. Approaching one of the interactive mall maps, Alex ran his finger across the store directory, trying to decide which shop would be best to visit.
"An interesting place… There's so much here. From the simplest stores to clothing shops. And what's this?" Maria asked, examining the mall map while standing next to Alex.
"Those are food courts. Like restaurants that sell cheap but tasty food," Seras replied, standing beside Maria.
"Hmm… I think this clothing store will do," Alex said, having made his choice.
"Are you sure you can pick something for Doll that isn't black?" Seras asked, narrowing her eyes at Alex.
"You don't need to worry about that. I already asked for help from people who understand this. Look," Alex said, turning to Seras and showing the screen of his phone.
Seras looked down and saw dozens of messages in the family chat with various clothing sets that could suit Doll, taking her appearance into account. Maria stood behind Seras and leaned forward. Thanks to her height, she towered over the significantly shorter Seras, so she didn't need to walk around her to see the screen.
Seras extended a finger to scroll through the outfits suggested by the other girls and couldn't help but nod. She began commenting on different options, expressing her opinion. Even Maria gave her thoughts on a couple of outfits. After all, she and Doll had identical figures and appearances.
Doll, the subject of the discussion, stood calmly behind them, holding Alessa's hand and not interfering in the conversation at all. She was more interested in everything happening around her and how lively it all looked. For her, such things were still quite unfamiliar, and she needed time to properly understand everything.
"Alright, let's go into the clothing store and see what we can choose from these. In the worst case, we can use magic," Alex said, putting his phone back in his pocket.
"Can't you just do it right away? Why go through all this trouble?" Maria asked, raising an eyebrow, folding her arms across her chest, and looking at Alex.
"Doll needs to get used to these kinds of things. And most importantly — we're enjoying the walk. Why rush and simplify everything when we can savor every moment with family?" Alex said, raising a finger and nodding.
Maria thought about his words for a moment and couldn't help but nod, finding them correct. After finishing speaking, Alex took Doll by the hand and led her into the clothing store to pick out a suitable outfit. Doll, walking beside Alex, simply enjoyed everything that had been happening to her lately. All these things were new to her, and therefore every event became precious and memorable.
Once inside the clothing store, Alex didn't even have to do anything — Seras took everything into her own hands. She snatched the phone from him and quickly began selecting outfits. Very quickly, she picked out several looks she considered suitable and led Doll to the fitting room. While Seras helped Doll change, Alex shifted his gaze to Maria, who was examining the clothes in the store.
"Found something for yourself?" Alex asked, approaching Maria while holding Alessa's hand.
"I wouldn't say that. The material this clothing is made from is quite good. But…" Maria said, hanging the white blouse she had been looking at back on the rack.
"But it's not to your taste. I understand you perfectly. Your current clothing style suits you better," Alex said, nodding with a smile.
"You're right as always, my Hunter. But it won't hurt to look around anyway," Maria said with a slight smile, continuing to browse the clothes.
"Mom Maria, you can use the Guild store to choose clothes for yourself. The other moms usually do that," Alessa said, showing the screen of her phone.
"Thank you for the suggestion, Alessa. I'll definitely do that after our walk," Maria said, gently stroking Alessa's head with her hand.
Alessa nodded and put her phone away into the small bag hanging on her shoulder. Maria herself didn't mind that Alessa called her "Mom" and that there were other women. In such moments, Maria tried to think positively: having lost one family, she had found another.
Alex continued looking at clothes with Maria while waiting for Doll to finish changing with Seras's help. And to avoid unnecessary questions, Alex had to use magic to make the store staff ignore all the oddities.
Some time later, Doll emerged from the fitting room in her new outfit. She was wearing a light gray thin jumper and a light gray pleated midi skirt. In her hands, she held a beige short thin coat. On her feet were classic leather loafers with a small strap.
Doll's hair was gathered into a neat bun, with a couple of white strands hanging down the sides, giving her an even more delicate appearance. Seeing Doll in this new look, Alex was quite stunned by how well it suited her. He turned to Seras and gave her a thumbs up. Seeing Alex's gesture, Seras grinned widely and raised her thumb too, showing that she had done an excellent job.
"How do you like the new outfit, dear Hunter?" Doll asked, stepping closer to Alex.
"It suits you very well. You look gorgeous," Alex said, nodding continuously.
"I'm pleased by your words, dear Hunter. They warm my heart and make it flutter," Doll said, placing her palms on her chest.
Maria, standing next to Alex, couldn't deny that the outfit suited Doll very well. Even though they looked identical, Doll had softer, gentler facial features, while Maria herself was better suited to strict clothing. Still, Maria thought she wouldn't mind trying something similar when the opportunity arose.
Seras approached Alex and placed Doll's heavy dress in his hands. Alex stored the dress in his inventory so he wouldn't have to carry it. Seras herself hadn't expected what she saw. She had thought Doll's entire body would be like a doll's, but it turned out that Doll had a completely human body, except for her hands.
Seras even touched Doll's palms and realized that they felt no different from human ones. By this point, Seras no longer understood what was going on. Shaking her head, she realized that Doll was not the strangest girl in their large family.
After paying for the clothes, Alex and the girls left the store and began deciding where to go next.
"Now we can buy ice cream and sit for a bit. I'm tired. I didn't realize helping someone change clothes was so difficult," Seras said, placing her hands on her hips and pointing toward the food court.
"I apologize, Lady Seras, for making you help me change clothes. I'm still getting used to all these new things," Doll said, bowing slightly toward Seras.
"Oh, you don't need to apologize, Doll. I'm not blaming you or anything. On the contrary, I was happy to help you. I just meant that helping another person get dressed is harder than it seemed… Although Alex does it very easily…" Seras said, immediately waving her hands in front of herself to show she didn't mean to offend Doll.
"Don't drag me into this. I'm just a very good husband who loves his family and is even willing to help them get dressed. There's nothing difficult about it," Alex said casually, spreading his arms.
Seras looked at Alex and slightly pursed her lips, not denying that he was a good and caring husband. She didn't even have a chance to argue with those words. Slapping Alex's arm for saying it in such a boastful tone, Seras demonstratively walked ahead with wide steps. Alex chuckled softly, watching Seras head toward the ice cream shop.
Maria and Doll didn't know what ice cream was. Approaching and seeing many different colors, they decided it resembled cream. While Seras was ordering her ice cream, Alex explained to Doll and Maria that ice cream was a dessert, just cold and refreshing.
"You're suggesting we eat desserts again?" Maria asked after listening to Alex's explanation.
"It's delicious. That's the main thing. I like strawberry," Alex said, pointing at the strawberry ice cream.
"Alright… I think it's worth trying something new. Where should I start?" Maria sighed, shaking her head and looking at the display with various ice creams.
"With ice cream, the main thing is to find the flavor you like. So choose any. And before you pick one, you can take several," Alex said, pointing at Seras, who had taken four different flavors.
"Hmm… I wouldn't have thought you could do that. That's quite convenient," Maria said, nodding as she noticed what Seras had done.
"It really is very convenient… This is for you, Doll. I didn't know which flavor you'd like, so I took different ones. Alessa, this one with dark chocolate is yours. I didn't even know they had that," Seras said, handing the bowls of ice cream to Doll and Alessa.
"Mmm… Thank you, Mom Seras," Alessa nodded, taking her ice cream from her mother's hands.
"Thank you, Seras… So many different colors. These scoops look like flowers," Doll said, carefully taking a small wooden spoon.
Doll carefully took a small piece of ice cream and put it in her mouth. At that moment, she felt a pleasant coolness and sweetness on the tip of her tongue. Doll slightly narrowed her eyes at the taste, and she liked the pleasant sensation. Seeing Doll's reaction to the ice cream, Seras nodded with a satisfied smile and put a spoonful of ice cream in her own mouth.
Meanwhile, Alex was ordering ice cream for himself and Maria, who still couldn't decide which flavors she wanted to try. Choosing several flavors at his own discretion, Alex placed the order. Taking the ice cream, he handed Maria her bowl so she could try it. Putting a small piece in her mouth, Maria couldn't help but nod, feeling the pleasant coolness and sweetness.
"I hope the next place you take us to won't serve desserts," Maria said, putting another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.
"What makes you think that?" Alex asked in surprise, holding the ice cream spoon in his mouth.
"I think you'll figure it out yourself, my Hunter… And I didn't think you could eat so messily," Maria said in a calm tone, wiping the corner of Alex's mouth with a handkerchief.
"Ah, I'm going to melt like ice cream from your care," Alex said, clutching his heart in response to Maria's actions.
Hearing Alex's words, Maria's hand froze in the air, and she looked at him with an amused gaze. After wiping Alex's lips, Maria put the handkerchief back in her pocket and continued eating her ice cream. So as not to stand still, Alex suggested continuing the walk. While strolling through the shopping mall, Alex even considered going to another country or city they could visit.
But he quickly dismissed those thoughts, deciding it was better to continue enjoying this most ordinary walk. During the walk through the mall, Doll showed interest in a bookstore.
Seeing shelves filled with rows of books, Doll gently tugged Alex's hand and pointed at the bookstore. Alex saw no reason to refuse and led Doll and the others inside. While Doll examined the bookshelves, Maria also became interested in certain types of books she could read in her free time.
"Are there books about local monsters in this bookstore? Or are such books kept in a library?" Maria asked, looking over the shelves.
"There definitely aren't any books like that here. For people, monsters are just legends and characters from movies and books. As Alex likes to repeat, monsters don't exist," Seras said, taking a random book from the shelf.
"We also tried to control it and hunted only at night. But very soon we could no longer hide it. The residents of Yharnam learned that the cause of everything was the medicine supplied by the Healing Church," Maria said with a heavy sigh, opening a book she had taken from the shelf.
"Are you talking about the incident in Old Yharnam?" Seras asked carefully, putting the book back on the shelf.
"Yes, about that incident. An entire district of the city was burned to contain the infection. And the Church closed its gates to stop the spread," Maria said in a calm tone, remembering the past.
"I don't know if they did the right thing or not. But if those people couldn't be saved… then I think it was for the best," Seras said, trying to express her thoughts on the matter.
"He said the same thing. And the reason for the spread of the Ashen Blood disease was also the Church's fault," Maria said, shaking her head and starting to walk along the bookshelf.
"Really? I thought that disease was caused by people using blood for treatment," Seras said in surprise, walking beside Maria.
"No. I learned this from my Hunter. The Church deliberately added powder to the wells in Old Yharnam to infect people," Maria said, shaking her head and stopping next to a bookshelf.
Seras could only nod upon learning this information. She hadn't expected everything in Yharnam to be so horrific and terrifying. Even though Alex had given her general information the previous evening, Seras understood that it was only a small part of what had actually happened in Yharnam.
Deciding not to develop this topic further, Seras began talking with Maria about other things that didn't involve hunting and monsters. Noticing what Seras was doing, a slight smile appeared on Maria's lips. Maria understood that she wouldn't soon forget everything that had happened in Yharnam. But she also understood that Yharnam was in the past, and she had begun a new life — even if it wasn't the most ordinary one, and not in the most ordinary family.
While Maria and Seras walked between the rows of books, Alex accompanied Doll with Alessa, who was also picking out books for herself. Alex helped Doll carry the books she had chosen. A small stack of nearly ten books had already accumulated in his hands.
Doll carefully took books in her hands, reading the titles and flipping through a couple of pages. All the books seemed interesting to her, and she wanted to read them all. Alex, standing calmly beside her, wouldn't object if Doll bought every book in the store if she wanted. Moving to the next row, Doll found books on growing and caring for flowers.
"I would like to make a beautiful flower garden and grow different flowers in it," Doll said, examining two books in her hands.
"That can be arranged. I think no one will mind if you grow flowers. We'll just have to wait a bit before returning home…" Alex said, adjusting the books so they wouldn't fall while watching Doll.
"I don't mind waiting. It will be my first time growing flowers. And this book says it's better to start small and grow flowers in pots," Doll said, pointing her finger at an open page.
"Grandma Morticia grows carnivorous flowers. They're beautiful," Alessa said, reaching for a book.
"I read about those flowers in a book. They attract insects with their scent to obtain nutrients," Doll said, helping Alessa get the book.
"Thank you, Mom Doll. We can ask Grandma Morticia for a cutting so you can grow it. Uncle Dean and Uncle Sam won't mind if you raise them," Alessa said, nodding and taking the book from Doll's hands.
"On the contrary. Dean will start complaining about everything again. But don't worry about that. I'll give him something that will make him shut up," Alex said with a cheerful smile.
"Bribing him with alcohol again, Father?" Alessa asked, looking up at Alex.
"You know your uncle's preferences very well, little princess," Alex said with a tender smile.
"Uncle Dean is just simple. All he cares about is his car, alcohol, and his favorite armchair… And maybe hunting… And Aunt Amara," Alessa said in an emotionless voice, listing all of Dean's preferences.
At that very moment, Dean, who was in the Bunker inspecting the engine of his Impala, suddenly sneezed hard and hit his head on the open hood. Hitting the back of his head on the open hood, Dean began grumbling while rubbing the bruise. Sam, who had just entered the garage, saw this scene and couldn't hold back his laughter.
At the same time, Alex had no idea that Alessa's words had caused Dean some minor trouble; otherwise, he would have laughed. After finishing choosing books, Alex, Doll, and Alessa approached the checkout to pay for the purchases. While the cashier was ringing up the books, Maria and Seras walked over.
Maria was holding several books she wanted to read. Adding the books to the common pile, Alex calmly waited to pay. Ignoring the cashier's strange look, Alex paid for the books, picked up the bags, and left the bookstore.
"Doll, are you going to grow flowers? There are so many books about flowers here. There's even one on how to grow them," Seras asked, peering into the bag of books.
"Yes, I would like to try growing flowers. Before, I only took care of graves and flowers. But I never grew them myself," Doll said with a gentle smile, nodding slightly.
"Ugh… All my flowers dried up, and I couldn't keep up with caring for them because of work. And then I didn't even have time for it," Seras said with a heavy sigh, putting the book back in the bag.
"Seras, you only had one cactus that was given to you when you joined the police. How it dried up on you, I still don't understand," Alex said, shaking his head and placing his palm on Seras's head.
"I don't understand it myself. I even read that you only need to water a cactus once a week. But it still dried up," Seras said in a dejected tone, lowering her head.
Alex simply patted his wife on the head to comfort her a little. That was all he could do for her at that moment. Maria, who had been watching the conversation, only smiled, finding Seras quite cute and sociable. However, thanks to her instincts, Maria sensed a very strong danger coming from Seras — one that Seras herself could not hide behind her innocent smile.
After comforting Seras a bit, Alex led the girls further on their walk. Looking at the time, Alex noticed that it was already afternoon, and they could stop for a bite to eat. Choosing a decent place for lunch, Alex led the girls to the selected restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, Alex and the girls had a leisurely lunch while talking, not rushing anywhere. During lunch, Alex thought that he should relax these last few days in London before returning to America.
After the unhurried lunch, Alex and the girls continued their walk through the shopping mall, visiting various stores and making small purchases. Spending a little more time in the mall, Alex and the girls went outside, wanting to continue their walk along the streets of London itself.
Approaching the car, Alex suggested going to the royal museum, to which Maria and Doll expressed their agreement to visit such a place. Once inside the museum, Alex and the girls continued their leisurely stroll. While in one of the halls with a rather familiar and large painting, Alex remembered the stunt Seras had pulled in the museum.
Before Seras could react, Alex had already told the story of what happened in that hall. Hearing that Seras had knocked out the guide and hidden him in the cleaner's closet, then pretended to be the guide herself, Maria looked at Seras with a slight smile. Seras herself lowered her head, covering her face with her hands.
"Please, enough! And if it weren't for me, you would have started fighting here!" Seras shouted, not letting Alex continue.
"I'm not denying that. The only thing is, it wasn't me who forgot to let the tied-up guide out of the cleaner's closet, my dear Seras," Alex said in a cheerful tone, poking Seras's forehead with his finger.
"It was an accident. And Walter let him out instead of me. I just forgot," Seras said, swatting Alex's hand away.
"Walter? Is that by any chance the tall man with a monocle and black hair tied in a ponytail at the back of his head?" Maria asked, hearing the familiar name.
"Yes, that's him. Only he used to be older… Well, and…" Seras said, nodding and trailing off at the end.
"Did something happen to him? Since he became younger," Maria asked, clasping her hands behind her back and admiring the paintings in the hall.
"It's a rather complicated situation with Walter. Just try not to mention his name in Integra's presence," Alex said, shaking his head, and Seras, standing nearby, nodded in confirmation.
"Something serious must have happened if his name shouldn't be mentioned around Integra," Maria said, turning her head toward Alex and Seras.
Alex nodded and decided to tell Maria the story connecting Integra and Walter so she could understand the full picture. Continuing their walk through the museum halls, Alex told Integra's story. The more Maria listened, the more she understood why Integra had such a controlling nature. When Alex explained that Walter had essentially replaced Integra's father, Maria couldn't help but wonder why Alex had asked not to mention Walter's name in Integra's presence.
But soon she received the answer to that question. Hearing the full reason, Maria only nodded with a heavy sigh. To some extent, Maria saw herself in Integra. By the time Alex finished the story, their group had already gone through all the museum halls and was heading toward the exit.
Leaving the museum, Alex checked the time and saw that dinner was approaching, and it was time to head back. Getting into the car, Alex leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. For him, this day had been quite eventful, and not just for him. Maria and Doll had enjoyed their walk around London and learned more about this world.
While the car was driving back, Alex took out his phone and began replying to messages. He saw several messages from Dean asking when he would return. Sending a reply that he would be back in a couple of days, Alex put his phone back in his pocket. Alex understood that there was no longer any point in delaying his return.
While the car was heading back to the mansion, Maria closed her eyes and rested her head on Alex's shoulder to rest a little after the busy day. The ride back to Hellsing passed in cozy silence. Upon returning to the mansion, Alex and the girls got out of the car and went inside.
Entering the mansion, Alex immediately went to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. While Alex was busy cooking, Integra entered the kitchen with a calm expression and sat down at the table. Being occupied with cooking, Alex began telling her how their walk had gone. Integra listened calmly without asking any questions.
"You have a flight to America tomorrow night. Don't forget," Integra said after listening to how Alex and the girls had spent the day.
"I was thinking of taking a morning flight the day after tomorrow," Alex said, looking at Integra in surprise and placing tea in front of her.
"I've already arranged everything. I know you like to put off work until the very last moment," Integra said, taking a sip of hot tea.
"Won't you miss me? Won't you feel lonely without our nightly embraces?" Alex asked with a cheerful smile, sitting down opposite Integra.
"I somehow lived without you before this day. I'll manage further. If, as you say, I miss you, I'll call you myself," Integra said in a calm tone, looking at Alex with a steady gaze.
"Alright. Then I'll leave my clone to handle the cooking and help you with work. After all, you don't have a butler yet," Alex said, resting his cheek on his hand and tapping his finger on the table.
"I'll be grateful, husband. Your help will be very welcome," Integra said, nodding slightly.
"No need to thank me, wife. Just don't dress my clone up as a butler," Alex said with a smile, waving his hand.
Integra took a sip of tea and looked at Alex with a dry gaze, making it clear that she had no desire to see someone with her husband's face in a butler's uniform. In response to Integra's look, Alex simply smiled and got up from the table to start setting out plates for dinner. When Alex had arranged the plates with the finished dinner, Seras, Maria, and Doll, who was leading Alessa by the hand, entered the kitchen.
Having dinner in calm silence, Alex read the latest news, thinking that he needed to visit Alucard. Alex wanted to pass the latest Blood Echo to her so she could absorb it and complete the process. Speaking his thoughts aloud, Alex heard Integra's agreement and put his phone aside to finish his dinner.
To be continued...
(I thought I needed another chapter of everyday life, and a simple walk would be perfect for it. I also needed time to plan what follows. It seems like a plan has been mapped out, and we'll move on. Anyway, it might be a few chapters before I move on to another mini-arc, maybe even sooner. But I'll try to get everything sorted out as quickly as possible. So hang in there. In the meantime, I'm going to go eat and have a beer. Peace, love, and if you see yourself in a reflection, it's not you.)
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