Norbert sitting at the bar in the Alasium portal station, hearing the bustle of everyone outside making their way to their own subsequent assignments and adventures. The waiting room crowded, multiple groups in here at once. Coming back after their expeditions Norbert wondered for the tournament starting soon, the usual spread of the room now Norbert’s expedition usually did now impossible, instead some members needing to stand up and circle around the tables to fit.
Next to Norbert sat Count von Count as he carefully took off his bindings caked in blood. He placed them in a pile on the bar, one after the other coming off, the bandages making a small pool of blood around them. Next to the growing pile was another of clothes, covering his entire body again when he needed to go outside.
As the vampires started applying prey, they slowly covered themselves up again from the sun. Finishing, Count von Count took his drink and gave a sip, sighing as it went down his throat.
"How is that convenient at all in Grimm?" Norbert asked the vampire.
Taking another swig of his drink, Count von Count replied, "It is super-inconvenient, but thankfully, it's not needed over there."
Norbert sat and asked, "So, why is it unnecessary?" Norbert asked, picking up his drink and taking a sip, the conversation around the two dying down as everyone began to listen in.
Count von Count turned behind himself, quickly looking through the crowd before returning to his drink. Picking it up again and taking another sip, mulling it in his mouth before responding, "If you were paying attention earlier, it's because the density of folk like us has changed the landscape. One of those changes being no sun to burn us."
Norbert nods in response, opening his mouth to ask his next question. Count von Count sighing Norbert, "That's enough of that. Need to keep some surprises."
Norbert just stared at Count von Count in return, and putting his fingers into his drink, he flicked the liquid to the vampire. Count von Count shook his head in response as he downed the drink before standing up and sliding the barstool back to the bar.
Obsius turns around, still eating the biscuit, chirping response before landing on Norbert's shoulder and bouncing around. Norbert looked at the two of them, the door opening to the main lobby. The sound washed inside as it consumed the drinkers within.
"May I ask Norbert and his companions to come with me immediately." The clerk asked.
Norbert hopped off the bar stool, bent down, lifting the backpack onto his back, and picked up his leaning sword, catching up to Count von Count, who had left the bandages on the bar, strolling out with a mischievous smile on his face.
The crowd parted for the three when Count von Count reached the clerk. Wearing the uniform with his hair slicked back, he started leaving immediately, forcing his way across them. As Norbert looked back at the others in the expedition, receiving nods of encouragement, Dobert gave a big toothy grin and a salute with his drink before downing its contents, immediately spitting it out onto Mackey, who instinctually turning around; he chucked his drink in return.
Norbert closes the door on the scene, knowing that it will take some time for all of them to calm down. Obsius chirped on his shoulder, reminding Norbert to run forward to catch up to the clerk.
***
Sitting down in the chair in the white room, Count von Count sitting in his chair next to him, the metal chair digging into Norbert. Obsius is on the table, eating the rest of her biscuit, making a mess.
Norbert sat there, waiting for the interrogator to begin. The woman on the other side, her suit in perfect condition, seemed to be ironed right on her. Her collar came up at a point, the buttons gleaming as she looked down at her papers, writing information on it with a pen, nodding with a furrowed look as she continued her scribbling’s.
Norbert turned to Count von Count, mimicking tapping the table with his fingers, only receiving a grin and a nod in return. Placing his fingers on the table, he lifted them, his pointer finger descending about to make contact with the table.
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"Please do not do that, Mr Norbert." The clerk said without looking up.
Norbert stopped his finger mid-flight as he gently lowered it to the table without even a click being registered. The pen continued to scribble, the only sound besides Obsius chirping away.
"And the leg shaking." The clerk said again.
Norbert stared, wondering what she was talking about as he saw the table shake in front of him, now feeling his leg move underneath him without him realising it. Stopping it, Norbert placed both hands on his knees to stop himself from jumping from nerves and spinning his thumbs between each other to pass the time.
After what felt like forever, the clerk placed her papers together into a neat pile, getting them neat by banging the papers on the desk before flipping them around. She placed it facing her and looked up to Norbert for the first time since they had entered the room.
"Hello, Mr Norbert and …" The clerk asked, pointing her pen at the vampire.
"Count von Count", Count von Count replied, giving his usual grin, something flickering in his eyes for a moment before subsiding, the scowl on the clerk's face only getting bigger.
"Which one of you has the cube in their possession?" The clerk responded.
Norbert raised his hand. "I do, Miss?" Norbert asked in return.
"Take out the cube." She responded, not even caring to answer Norbert's question.
Norbert reached to the side of the table, shuffling through the backpack, taking a bit longer than needed to find the sack, and determined everything was as it should be.
Taking out the sack, Norbert placed it on the desk as he opened it up, feeling the cube's power again emerge. Picking the sack from the back, lifting it so the contents were dumped on the table.
The cube hit the metal table, rattling like it was made of glass as it turned over and rolled across the table, finally resting on its edge, standing perfectly upright, completely defying the laws of physics.
The clerk stared at it as she took her pen, poking the cube. Watching as it bobbed to the left, then back to the right in response, and finally rested on the edge, like a diver's buoy in the water. Picking the sack up, she placed the cube inside without touching it; once inside, she closed the power, cutting off straight away.
With a breath of relief, the clerk moved the sack next to her on the table, flicking the pages over as she began writing where necessary. The pages flicked around, and when she was done creating another pile next to hers, the pages were filled out repeatedly. Norbert saw her continue this, wondering how there was so much to write about a simple cube that they did no tests on.
Not wanting to test the woman's patience, Norbert just sat there, hands in his lap again as he waited as patiently as he could. Obsius on the table, having finished her biscuit, turning to the clerk, hopping over and staring at the paper as it was written on.
The black splodge looked entirely out of place in the white room and white table, her claws rattling on the table as she found purchase on it, constantly clicking like a hand on an old grandfather clock.
"Count von Count; reports say you have papers for being in this country?" The clerk asked.
"And what if I do or don't? Why would you like to know?" He asked in turn.
"If you do not produce the papers, we will flood this area in sunlight and spray the room to eat through the clothes everyone is wearing." The clerk responded.
Norbert shook his head at the vampire, not to test the scary lady who had them all by the balls. Count von Count shook his hand at Norbert to calm down as he lifted one leg to the table, flicking his foot as the envelope came out, sliding across the table to the clerk.
She picked up the envelope, opened it, skimmed through it and nodded as she began writing down notes. Norbert just stared at her as she finally finished writing, putting the letter back in the envelope and sliding it over to the table and back to Count von Count.
He picked up the envelope, placed it in his breast pocket, and patted it; Norbert saw dust puffing off his jacket. Norbert looked back to the clerk as she continued to write.
The clerk, looking back to Norbert, "Care to explain what happened on this last expedition?" she asked him.
Norbert nodded as he took a deep breath, the wind in his lungs audible in the room. "Well, it started when I was attacked in the middle of the night." Norbert began the recount of his past several days.
"And then he said, why is there a snake in my boot," Norbert said. The clerk just stared, rubbing her fingers on the brim of her nose. Not even asking any questions, she began writing Norbert's recounts, and minutes passed as she continued to write.
Getting to the last page, she put the rest of it over to the second pile, flipping it over as she flicked through the pages; nodding at the page, she placed it again on the desk.
“Please go through the portal; there is someone there who wants you.”
Norbert nodded, picking up his backpack and Obsius on the way. Count von Count was grinding the chair against the floor, the screech of the metal on the floor echoing through the room, making Norbert cringe in pain.
Heading there, Norbert saw a portal appear in the doorway; nodding his thanks, Norbert went through, Count von Count behind him.
The clerk sighed as she opened the drawer of the desk; taking out a device, she started to scan the pages of the writing, not believing the amount of time those two buffoons took explaining and contradicting what happened. What anyone would want to do with them was beyond her, but orders were orders.
As she looked at the sack, the cube was still inside, "Though they do produce results."