For the rest of the morning we all tried to be very, very quiet and not be noticed by Miss Pringle.
Dr Levin had it easy, he simply fled to his office, Andrew proved quite proficient in the fine art of camouflage, disguising himself as a piece of lab equipment while Seras and I pretended to be potted plants.
It was all working beautifully until just before noon when Miss Pringle went into Dr. Levin's office to deliver her hourly report and caught him printing out the specs Zelig had emailed for the new bulletin board. The brittle smile she had kept plastered to her face all morning shattered, she burst into tears and stormed out of the lab.
When Walter arrived to fetch me a few minutes later, he was greeted by a chorus of "It wasn't me!" from Dr. Levin, the centrifuge and a couple of palm trees.
"It really wasn't me this time." I said to Walter as we headed out to the motor pool for my 'driving on the wrong side of the road' lesson from Griffin.
"Perhaps not directly and yet, lately, whenever my life is disrupted Ms. Doyle, there you always seem to be."
"But in a good way, right?"
"Hardly."
I muttered under my breath.
"I beg you pardon Ms. Doyle?"
"You heard me."
"I believe you just called me 'stuffy'?"
"That's right."
"I fail to see how a dislike of disruptions in one's life warrants the use of the term stuffy."
"Perhaps not, but your use of the term 'one's life' in that sentence certainly does."
"Ms. Doyle."
"Now wait, listen. I'm just trying to explain how disruption can be a good thing."
"I am breathless with anticipation."
"Aww see now that's sarcasm, we don't use that in the States. I have half a mind not to tell you then you will always wonder at the pearls of wisdom you may have missed. "
"Ah, my humblest apologies. Pray, do continue Ms. Doyle."
"This is me ignoring the sarcasm."
"You are in an interesting mood today Ms. Doyle."
"I am Mr. Dolneaze, I really am." I grinned at him wickedly.
Dr Levin had it easy, he simply fled to his office, Andrew proved quite proficient in the fine art of camouflage, disguising himself as a piece of lab equipment while Seras and I pretended to be potted plants.
It was all working beautifully until just before noon when Miss Pringle went into Dr. Levin's office to deliver her hourly report and caught him printing out the specs Zelig had emailed for the new bulletin board. The brittle smile she had kept plastered to her face all morning shattered, she burst into tears and stormed out of the lab.
When Walter arrived to fetch me a few minutes later, he was greeted by a chorus of "It wasn't me!" from Dr. Levin, the centrifuge and a couple of palm trees.
"It really wasn't me this time." I said to Walter as we headed out to the motor pool for my 'driving on the wrong side of the road' lesson from Griffin.
"Perhaps not directly and yet, lately, whenever my life is disrupted Ms. Doyle, there you always seem to be."
"But in a good way, right?"
"Hardly."
I muttered under my breath.
"I beg you pardon Ms. Doyle?"
"You heard me."
"I believe you just called me 'stuffy'?"
"That's right."
"I fail to see how a dislike of disruptions in one's life warrants the use of the term stuffy."
"Perhaps not, but your use of the term 'one's life' in that sentence certainly does."
"Ms. Doyle."
"Now wait, listen. I'm just trying to explain how disruption can be a good thing."
"I am breathless with anticipation."
"Aww see now that's sarcasm, we don't use that in the States. I have half a mind not to tell you then you will always wonder at the pearls of wisdom you may have missed. "
"Ah, my humblest apologies. Pray, do continue Ms. Doyle."
"This is me ignoring the sarcasm."
"You are in an interesting mood today Ms. Doyle."
"I am Mr. Dolneaze, I really am." I grinned at him wickedly.
He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Oh I don't know, perhaps it's the change in the weather, I'm feeling quite..."
"Perverse? Feverish perhaps?"
"I was going to say feisty."
"Hmm."
"Speaking of perverse, you're in a bit a mood today yourself."
"Am I Ms. Doyle?"
"Yes, Mr. Dolneaze."
"I never considered myself as the type to be subject to 'moods'."
"Hmm. Well I suppose even Uberbutlers are entitled to them now and again."
"Oh, I'm quite certain we're not."
"No?"
"It's strictly forbidden I'm afraid."
"Well that seems a bit unfair."
"Page 43 of the handbook: In order to obtain Evil Butler Superpowers, one most forgo mood swings, flights of fancy and looking at paintings of small children with overly large eyes."
I swung around to stare at him my jaw agape. "How...?"
He gazed at me serenely.
"Seras! That traitor."
"I assure you it wasn't intentional. She was trying to tell Corporal Bulls a joke and she didn't realize I was in the next room."
"I'm going to kill her!"
"That would be a bit redundant don't you think?"
I glared at him a moment then deflated. "Do you ever tire of being right all the time Walter?"
"Never."
"Humph!"
I tried to look put out but simply could not muster a scowl. It just kept turning into a grin.
The prior day had been a misery for me as I wondered how my, oh so public, skirmish with Alucard was going to effect my relationships with the rest of the Hellsing staff. I knew Seras would understand and stand by me no matter what but was not so sure how the Geese and Walter would react once the dust had settled. I had spent the morning on pins and needles until Walter had picked me up from the lab and brought me to the motor pool for my first driving lesson on the medical transport.
Walter had been his usual hard to read self but Griffin had greeted me warmly and the pink, fuzzy steering wheel cover and lighted vanity mirror he and Bulls had jokingly installed (over Anders' wild protest) had eased my fears a bit. Stewart and Zelig's stunt in the lab the next day had left no doubt in my mind where I stood with the Geese, freak or no, I was still their Corrine.
And now Walter, who had had to cancel tea with me the day before in order to finish up the budget meeting my serenade had disrupted, was teasing me again. You don't really realize how much you miss a thing until it is gone and strange as it sounds Walter busting my chops had become a very important part of my day. That and tea. I really, really, like tea.
I glared at him a moment then deflated. "Do you ever tire of being right all the time Walter?"
"Never."
"Humph!"
I tried to look put out but simply could not muster a scowl. It just kept turning into a grin.
The prior day had been a misery for me as I wondered how my, oh so public, skirmish with Alucard was going to effect my relationships with the rest of the Hellsing staff. I knew Seras would understand and stand by me no matter what but was not so sure how the Geese and Walter would react once the dust had settled. I had spent the morning on pins and needles until Walter had picked me up from the lab and brought me to the motor pool for my first driving lesson on the medical transport.
Walter had been his usual hard to read self but Griffin had greeted me warmly and the pink, fuzzy steering wheel cover and lighted vanity mirror he and Bulls had jokingly installed (over Anders' wild protest) had eased my fears a bit. Stewart and Zelig's stunt in the lab the next day had left no doubt in my mind where I stood with the Geese, freak or no, I was still their Corrine.
And now Walter, who had had to cancel tea with me the day before in order to finish up the budget meeting my serenade had disrupted, was teasing me again. You don't really realize how much you miss a thing until it is gone and strange as it sounds Walter busting my chops had become a very important part of my day. That and tea. I really, really, like tea.
I smiled a bit then sobered trying to reorder my thoughts. "Where was I?"
"We were discussing the the futility of your homicidal inclinations towards Miss Victoria."
"No, no, before that."
"Disruptions?"
"Yes, disruptions. Thank you."
"Of course."
"I mean where would we be without disruption?"
"One can only dream."
"No, we would be nowhere. Disruptions challenge us. They goad us out of complacency and into action. Distractions, while also sometimes useful, can be ignored but a good old fashion disruption forces us to confront our problems and resolve our issues. It's the fuel that helps the creative spark take fire. It forces us to innovate to progress."
"That is a surprisingly good argument." He said.
"Yes, I'm very smart you know."
His lips quirked a bit indicating that the word he was thinking of began with 'smart' but didn't end there.
"And how, Ms. Doyle would you argue that distractions are useful?"
"Oh that's easy. The word itself tells you how."
"Oh yes?"
"Yes." I said raising a finger. "Distraction; dis, from the Latin 'to discuss ', action from the Greek to 'go do something fun' ."
He looked at me for a moment his eyebrow raised. "Ah, what a fine example you are Ms. Doyle of the American public school system."
"You scoff Mr. Dolneaze and yet," I said indicating myself with a flourish. "Worlds biggest superpower."
Ms. Doyle, I will concede that a modicum of disruption can be useful if you will concede that the remainder..."
"Yes Mr. Dolneaze?"
"Are hopelessly untidy and generate far to much paperwork."
"I bow to the master Walter."
He nodded sagely.
"Walter?"
"Yes Ms. Doyle?"
"Was there anything else you had to give up for your Evil Butler superpowers?"
"Jelly-babies."
"Oh, that's too bad."
"Yes, I was quite fond of them in my youth." He said opening the door for me to the motor pool's office.
I smiled as he ushered me inside. Walter was teasing me again and all was right with the world.
