Words, Strings and Butterfly Wings

Once upon a time in one particular version of 19th Century England, one little girl said one little word… a word that she didn't say in another world, upon meeting a black-clad butler and his young master. It was just one small word, that stirred no more air than could be felt by the fluttering of a butterfly's wings. But as in the old saying of butterflies and hurricanes, that one word spoken at just that moment, had effects that rippled back and forth in Time and changed several lives forever.

Chapter 1: The First Effect

The Earl of Phantomhive was always the Watchdog for the reigning Queen or King of England; that was how it had been for centuries, with each head of the family doing whatever it took to keep the forces of the Underworld in check and out of Polite Society, and to investigate matters as ordered by His or Her Majesty. Those few who know of the Phantomhive line's grim duty, know that "whatever it takes" can encompass tasks that most people would never dream of doing, from the cold-blooded execution of an Underworld figure that's gone too far, to wresting needed information from those who have it by use of bribes, threats or blackmail... whatever it takes. Including, for the current Earl Phantomhive, going undercover in a circus to find the connection between the Noah's Ark Circus and dozens of children who had been kidnapped from their homes along the circus's touring route.

After passing the circus's tryouts (Ciel managing to do so only with Sebastian's covert and, so far as tightrope walking was concerned, very painful help) and being introduced to everyone as newcomers 'Black' and 'Smile', the Queen's Watchdog and his demon butler were given a tour of the backstage area by Joker, the leader of the circus troupe. The tour ended at the practice tent where all the newcomers practiced and improved their skills, or created and refined their acts. When Joker was called to the Big Top to perform, Dagger took his place a few scant minutes later, interrupting Ciel and Sebastian's low-voiced conversation about the missing children with a cheerful order of "Hey, don't stretch so sluggishly, you guys!"

Another circus member practicing in the tent called out in surprise, "Boss Dagger, what about your performance?"

"I was up first today! It went great!" Dagger told the other man with an easy grin. "I'm already done, so I'll be supervising your practice." Then he turned to 'Smile' and said, "First we gotta decide on what your act will be. What're you hoping for?"

Ciel said honestly, "An act that doesn't involve using my body for something like tightrope walking would be good... Seriously, anything besides that," and he was sure he could hear Sebastian quietly snickering in agreement.

"Yeah, you do seem a little weak for it," Dagger agreed (though Ciel could wish he hadn't agreed quite so quickly and readily.) "Well then, I'll be teaching Smile all the finer points of knife-throwing. What about you, Black?"

"I don't have any requests in particular," Sebastian said rather carelessly. Ciel gave him a warning glare, a silent reminder that he should show at least a little enthusiasm about performing, before these circus people started wondering why he'd wanted to join their troupe in the first place.

"You've got good reflexes, don't you," Dagger observed, probably remembering the way 'Black' had not only dodged but caught his blades in midair yesterday evening. "So if there's something you see and think you can handle, give it a try; I'll be watching, so show me what you can do!"

"Yes!" was all Sebastian said before he dashed off... and then proceeded to out-perform everybody else in the practice tent! From the flying trapeze, to juggling, to pole climbing, to passing through rings of fire, to the high wire and the trampoline... Sebastian performed every single stunt like he'd been working in the circus all his life instead of less than a day, while everyone gaped at him in increasing awe and Ciel became increasingly dismayed. This was taking 'enthusiasm' way too far!

Dagger finally yelped, "Enough, enough!" when Sebastian started to take a stab at sword-swallowing (no pun intended). For which Ciel was extremely grateful; that idiot demon probably would have stuck the entire sword down his gullet, and then gone on to another stunt without taking it out!

Sebastian obediently stopped, and let everyone else in the practice tent come up to him and express their amazement. Which gave Ciel the opportunity to sidle in behind his butler and hiss under the cover of their congratulations, "You're getting too carried away! Act a little more like a newcomer!"

Sebastian gave him a bare glance of acknowledgment, but before he could do or say anything more, Dagger said smugly, "Man, this is too much! Another super newcomer's appeared? Who can do at least twice as much as the last one!"

"See, he already has his eye on you!" Ciel hissed to Sebastian. Yes, they wanted to become first-tier members quickly so they could investigate more easily, but if Sebastian did too many unbelievable stunts, he could end up being exposed as an inhuman creature!

But it must have been that the praise he'd already garnered from everyone else around them had gone to that stupid demon's head, because now he was blatantly ignoring his master's words, instead repeating back to Dagger with a mild frown, "Another super newcomer?"

"Yeah, the first one joined us just over a month ago, He does trapeze, trampoline, and even a little high wire work, but you've still got 'im beat for juggling, pole climbing and playing wi' fire!" Dagger said as he pointed off to the right side of the tent, where the trapeze was set up. And then added, "Oi, no, over on the trapeze!" because Sebastian had turned to the left side of the tent, and was staring fixedly up at the empty high wire. Then Dagger gaily called out, "Hey, Falco, you got some real competition!"

"Oooh, he really does," giggled a girl who had been juggling earlier, as a well-muscled man in a colorful leotard responded to Dagger's call by climbing down from the trapeze and trotting over. "Black is even better-looking than Falco!" Two other girls nodded and agreed with her, but that didn't stop them from turning and smiling at the trapeze artist when he came up to the group.

Falco turned out to be a man in his mid-twenties, with a short curly mane of black hair, an olive skin tone, rugged features with a nose that appeared to have been broken once some time ago, and a definite Italian accent to his voice as he introduced himself and asked 'Black', "Which circus do you come from?"

"Which circus? You appear to be mistaken, sir, or simply misinformed," Sebastian said with a polite bow-and he glanced again at the empty high wire as he straightened up. "Up to the moment of my joining the circus, I have been merely a butler."

"A butler? A servant stuck inside in a fancy noble's house?" Falco snorted, looking offended. "Don't sell me a castle in the air. I saw your moves, and on every stunt, you are too swift and sure for a beginner! To have that assurance when so far off the ground, or when so close to fire, that only comes from much practice; for so many different acts, it must be from years of practice! Otherwise you would not be human!"

(Only the fact that they were surrounded by strangers kept Ciel from reaching out to slap Sebastian upside the head while snarling, "Told you so!")

Falco continued, "I come from the Zoppè Family Circus in Italy. I do not say why I came here to England because it is no one else's business, but I do not hide the fact that I was born to the life in tents and wagons. So now, tell the truth, ey? Which circus are you from?"

Fortunately, Ciel's butler wasn't a total idiot. Sebastian bowed to Falco again as he said, "I swear to you upon my life, that for the last three years I have been employed as a butler. However, it is true that prior to that, my circumstances were quite different. Please understand, I do not speak of that time with strangers. But if you happen to discover what my circumstances were prior to becoming a butler, I will not deny it."

"Oh-ho!" Falco looked downright smug at Sebastian's admission and what it apparently implied, to those who wouldn't know any better. "You are talking to one who knows of many circuses, in many countries. Let me think... Christianis Family Circus?"

Sebastian shook his head. "No."

"The Cinisellis? They are big in Russia."

When Sebastian shook his head again, Dagger laughed while raising a hand to ward off Falco, "Hey, save some guesses for another day! In the meantime, Black, why don't you team up with Falco here on the flying trapeze, while I work with Smile on knife-throwing?"

"Sounds great!" Ciel chirped, putting another cursed 'cheerful smile' on his face, while grabbing for Sebastian's hand. "Just give us a couple of minutes first?" and with that he tugged Sebastian outside, before anyone else could say anything.

Once they were outside, Ciel turned to Sebastian and hissed, "What's going on inside your head? Why do you keep looking up at that high wire when no one's on it?"

Sebastian frowned, while looking over his shoulder back at the tent. "It's most disturbing, master; I had the definite impression that there should have been someone there."

Ciel knew very well that it took a lot for a demon to feel disturbed. "Someone like who?" he wanted to know.

"I..." Sebastian had to shake his head. "I regret to say I do not know, young master. All I can say is that whoever should be up there... is not someone whose presence I would welcome. My impression was accompanied by a definite dislike."

Ciel folded his arms and scowled at him. "Well, that doesn't narrow the field down much at all; you're none too fond of most of humanity in general." Then his grumpy scowl turned into a more thoughtful frown. "But then... you got so distracted just as you were being introduced to Falco. And Falco tossed out that suggestion that you might be inhuman pretty quickly. I don't know what it would take to deliberately distract a demon and thereby misdirect him, but the most likely suspect would be another inhuman creature." Sebastian started to brighten as if he'd remembered something, when Ciel asked him, "Is Falco himself completely human? Go take a look at him with all your supernatural senses, and tell me if he's got a secret of his own."

Sebastian obediently turned and lifted the tent flap to look inside, at where Falco was still standing with Dagger, waiting for them to come back in. Falco gave them a welcoming gesture, while Dagger's was clearly more impatient; Sebastian nodded to them both, but held up a finger as if to say 'one moment more' and dropped the tent flap again. When he turned back to Ciel, the demon looked downright frustrated. "He is completely human, Master. As is Dagger."

"Hrmm." Ciel frowned in thought for a moment longer and then shrugged. "Well, if whoever you thought you would see is someone you didn't want to see anyway, then at the moment all we can do is be glad we're not dealing with them; I can already tell that this case is going to be complicated enough. You say the missing children we're seeking definitely aren't anywhere on the circus grounds, but the Queen wouldn't have sent me those tickets if she hadn't been made sure by her own sources that this circus has something to do with their kidnappings, so at the moment we can't rule any of the members out..."

They went back inside the practice tent, whereupon Ciel was pounced on and dragged off by Dagger to practice knife-throwing, while Sebastian climbed up into the trapeze rigging with Falco and they discussed what sort of routine they could make together. (And Sebastian told Falco that no, he wasn't from Barnum and Bailey's circus in America, either.)

To be continued...