InsaneJournal

ABRAHAM: A collection of people in outlandish outfits milled around the reception of the main school building, waiting in alternating states of excitement or embarrassment. The van Helsing sisters were no exception to the rule; in prim and proper black dresses, they drifted through the crowd, never straying far from each others' side as they scanned the room (lazily, almost bored) for the appearance of their parents.

It was when Ellie's hand suddenly gripped Kate's that they realised something was different; a tallish, white-haired man in a long overcoat had come sweeping in through the sliding doors, clearing the crowd like an especially beardy Moses amongst a sea of people.

"MIJN MEISJES!" he belted out in Dutch, with a deep, booming baritone -- which was promptly answered by high-pitched, almost supersonic squeals of pure girlish glee as both twins were bundled up in the elderly man's arms, which smelled comfortingly of woodsmoke, leather, and tobacco.

"Uncle!"

ELENA: As Elena and her sister snuggled into the tight grasp of her favorite relative, Ellie found herself speechless for possibly the first time in her life. What fortuitous circumstances had brought Dyadya here, in place of her painfully boring parents? Not that she wasn't pleased--oh, she was definitely pleased!--but so many questions ran through her head, all centered upon the fact that he wasn't off hunting down the previously-supposed mythological were-skunk that was currently wreaking havoc upon a village in God-only-knows-where! It mattered very little, since Ellie was so pleased to see him; it had been so long since she had seen him in person, and his old-fashioned letters rarely sufficed. Ellie was the first to draw back from her uncle's bear-hug, but she slightly pushed her sister out of the way as she made her way to the forefront of his line of vision and his attention.

"Oh, Dyadya," she chirped, having finally found the strength in her to speak. "What are you doing here?!"

His reply--a deep and rich laugh--echoed throughout the large, crowded foyer. "Min schatje," he declared in jovial tones, "My treasure, do not act so surprised! Is it not parent day?"

KATE: The (slightly younger) sister had been stalling a little behind, her initial exuberance soon tempered with hesitation and outright fear -- oh no, he was here to check up on them probably, what if he asked to see her latest grades, what if he saw that she'd failed the latest Epic Arcane Literature quiz -- but when he finally turned his twinkling blue gaze to her, eventually bypassing Ellie's attention-hogging movements, Kate couldn't help but feel a little better.

"But uncle Abe, you're not exactly our parent," she responded, bemused, hands on her hips -- a perfect example of van Helsing temper in its laidback form. "Weren't mom and dad supposed to come? It's such a long trip from the continent!"

ELENA: With lips pursed, Ellie glared at her sister; why was she complaining? Was this not a way better alternative? It would have been a total reputation-killer if their boring parents had come instead. It was way more awesome--in Elena's colorful opinion--that Uncle Abraham had come to visit them instead. Fortunately, Dyadya did not seem at all upset by Ekaterina's protests. He merely chuckled knowingly. "It is not such a long trip for my dear girls," his voice boomed. "Your parents were the ones who suggested it!"

As dear Dyadya van Helsing began looking around the place, obviously interested by the various kinds of people present, Ellie took his moment of distraction to yell at her sister. "GOD, Katie!" She hissed and waved her arms, clearly agitated. "It's like you totally wanted our parents to be here! Don't be such a spoil sport, you're like, totally ruining this!"

KATE: She recoiled, taken aback, while Abraham alternately beamed and frowned at faces he recognised in the crowd. The second Ellie finished talking, Kate, her appearance all innocence, violently elbowed her sister in the side and retaliated with her own hiss, "DUH, I'm glad they're not here! I just wanted to make sure there weren't any PROBLEMS, okay! For all I knew, mom and dad had RSVPed and stupid Von Kyphos is expecting them to show up, and I don't want him to mark us DOWN just because---"

The elder van Helsing turned around, and instantly, Kate was practically cherubic. She smiled up at their mentor, even as he progressed in his halting but confident English.

"Now, girls, where are your teachers? I have very much interest in seeing instructors of this academy!"

ELENA: Ellie moved over to her uncle's side, and took great care to tread viciously on her sister's feet with her deadly heels, which gave her a good six inches above the more average individual in the crowd. She, too, was all beaming smiles and happiness as she linked arms with her beloved uncle and began to point out a few individuals in the crowd.

"There's Dean Weathers, in such stunning heels--oh my GOD, Kate, would you check out those SHOES? I, like, must ask her where she--"

Dyadya cleared his throat, interrupting his niece mid-thought.

Ellie squeezed his arm playfully. "Oh, right! Sorry, Uncle Abe! There's--oh." She spotted a hunchbacked figure meandering through the crowd, and the sight filled her with an ice-cold feeling. The thought passed through her mind--for a mere second only--if Dyadya's appearance was bad news after all. "Oh. That's von Kyphos," she whispered conspiratorially to her uncle, who seemed to stand up a little straighter. For a mere second, the frame of Abraham van Helsing's body was filled with a tension, but the noticeable difference vanished nearly as soon as it had appeared. He patted Ellie's arm gently, and held his free arm out to Katie.

KATE: The girl took her uncle's arm and, even limping from the aftereffects of Ellie's heel, would have gladly helped her sister maneuver Van Helsing into some more acceptable, flattering sections of the parental party -- like the Elements, or that nice Justice family, or even those awfully funny monkey scientists, he'd get a total kick out of them -- but mid-step and even mid-word, Ekaterina found herself vastly alarmed as their Dean, instead of dissipating safely into the crowd, actually came closer.

"Um, Dyadya..."

She plucked insistently at Abraham's sleeve, desperate to wheel him away before--

DEAN VON KYPHOS: "Yes, yes, so good of you to come, yes, so good to see you!" The hunchback's sniveling voice drifted through the crowd as he shambled along, alternately shaking the hands of various parents and wringing his own. He was making a point of seeking out the Gothic parents, particularly the ones of true monster stock to which he might ingratiate himself. His shuffling form drew steadily closer, beady eyes darting to and fro.

"Ah yes, you look magnificent my dear, absolutely splendid, yes, and you--OH MERCIFUL MASTER SPARE ME!!" This shocking exclamation exploded from the hunchback's lips upon breaking through the crowd and laying eyes upon Abraham van Helsing, his entire body spasming with reflexive terror. He shrank back so sharply he nearly toppled, hands fluttering over his face in a rather impressive cower.

Ivan's bout of whimpering was generously brief, as he quickly seemed to realize the folly of his own reaction. Several sets of eyes were on him now, and he glanced around warily before releasing a nervous laugh. "Ah, er, ahm... Van Helsing, isn't it? I, ah... I didn't, ah... didn't recognize you..." Despite the effort to regain some stature he kept his distance, still cringing away from the powerful man.

ABRAHAM: Van Helsing arguably looked as taken aback himself -- not out of anything resembling fear, but out of sheer shock. Blue eyes narrowed and the elderly man frowned at the dean through his beard, his expression partway between a grimace and a smirk. "Ah, goedemorgen! This is your dean?" He did sound a little worried, but recovered himself in the next breath, glancing at the man's telltale hump: "A Von Kyphos, if I have not mistaken? What a surprise! I did think I had exter-- ahem, seen the last of you in the 80s!"

Tall, booming, and confident, the man sounded so naturally affable and friendly; it was hard to tell Abraham had even uttered a faux pas. Slaying? What slaying?

DEAN VON KYPHOS: Ivan's beady eyes, at first wide with dread slowly narrow into a piercing expression of loathing and suspicion. He peered out from beneath his hump as if it were a fortress, and van Helsing the approaching army. Somehow his rasping tone maintained overtures of formality, falling into the ingratiating habit he's so prone to in the presence of powerful figures.

"No, ah, you're thinking of my second cousin, Helmut von Kyphos. You, ah, dropped him off that belltower in Johannesburg. Good, ah, bit of slaying, that." His tone was such a confusing mix of venom and deference, it was hard to tell if he was about to kiss Abraham's feet or stab him in the spleen. His darting eyes quickly glanced over the twins at his side and brightened with the relief of another topic, "So these are your nieces, yes? Good students, yes, good both, indeed. Ellie is doing a fine job as our resident adviser, yes, yes she is. And," his lips curled up in a smug, petty sort of manner as he slyly added, "They haven't slain a single thing since they got here, the dears."

KATE: Kate watched Ellie puff herself up with pride, then waited on tenterhooks to see if their irascible dean would pay her a compliment, too -- then seemed to deflate once she didn't merit a mention. And, in fact, he even drew attention to their... er... lack of slaying. Now genuinely surprised, Abraham turned to his nieces with both tufty eyebrows arched. "Not one single thing? Not even a kappa, or perhaps little gnome doing mischief in garden?"

He sounded crestfallen, but picked himself up a moment later, with a slightly self-conscious chuckle. "No matter! There is plenty of time for mijn meisjes to prove their skills -- I will tell their parents that all has gone well. Say goodbye to your teacher, my girls, and show me the rest of stupendous school, yes?"

Kate's fingernails dug into the sleeve of her uncle's overcoat and her smile had taken on a frighteningly frozen cast, arranged into almost-deranged cheerfulness as she chirped, "See you later, Dean von Kyphos!"

DEAN VON KYPHOS: Ivan's lip curled up in a mildly satisfied sneer at Abraham's incredulity, his fingertips pattering against each other with satisfaction. "Ah yes, yes, do enjoy your tour, Abraham. Try the veal. Toodle-oo, girls." His stubby fingers twittered in a fleeting wave of dismissal as the trio of slayers moved off into the crowd - and the moment they were gone he exhaled such a mighty breath of relief that even his hump seemed to deflate.