His white brogues gleamed under the office building's harsh, unforgiving light. There was not a speck of dirt or blood on them, he had always seen to that. It was strange how, looking down at them, it didn't feel like had lost an eye. It was when he lifted his head, when he tried to walk, when he wielded his scythe…

Ronald had always struggled to drag himself up to meet his own expectations as well as those of his superiors. But now he knew he was going to have to work twice as hard just to maintain the lowest standard, at least until he had learned to cope with this disability. Ronald shuffled his shoes underneath the desk, slick soles sliding over the smooth floor. He had been lucky enough to be allowed to keep his job, but that was probably only because Will was feeling incredibly guilty.

Will sat at the desk across from him, fingertips pressed together, green eyes observing the junior employee from behind dark-rimmed glasses. Ronald kept his head down, his blonde and black hair falling into his face – desperately in need of a trim.

"Please do not shuffle your feet." That cold voice said.

Ronald stopped, his legs curled up and his feet disappearing beneath his chair.

Will took a deep breath, bringing his hands down and setting the palms against the surface of his desk. He had never been good at this… apologizing. He couldn't remember the last time he had to.

"…Knox."

Ronald's shoulders hunched at the sound of his name, a visible cringe.

Will sighed.

"…I think you are due for a promotion."

Ronald's head came up. Shock was written all over his dumbfounded features.

"I don't understand." Ronald said. He really didn't.

Will didn't stare at the white medical eye patch covering Ronald's right eye, resting behind his glasses, but that was all the shinigami could think about. As a superior, he had failed his employee. He had led him into dangerous territory which, Will was loath to admit, Grell would have had a better chance of coming out of unscathed.

Will had miscalculated. He hated being wrong, but he could try to make it up to the junior the best he could within the bounds of reason.

"I failed you," Ronald said when Will didn't reply. "You were relying on me to pull my weight with that …demon, and I just…" his voice faltered, ending in a whisper. "I just… couldn't. Instead you had to pull me out of there, and we lost him. He got away because of me."

Will pinched the bridge of his nose, taking in another deep breath. The earnest young reaper was not making this any easier.

"Ronald." Will said, and the junior reaper's mouth fell open – he could not remember the last time he heard William address him in any sort of familiar manner. "What happened there was not your fault. It was entirely mine. Do you understand?"

"No," Ronald said. "Clearly not."

Will's lips made a thin, disapproving line at his employee's curtness. Any other day would it would have warranted a sharp reprimand.

"My own grievous miscalculation was what led to the loss of your eye and the demon's escape." Will said. "Nothing more, is that clear? You did only as you were told. You did entirely right."

Ronald swallowed, his prominent Adam's apple bobbing in his skinny throat.

"So once this demon and his mistress have been exterminated, I am going to submit the paperwork to the higher ups and promote you, Ronald, to work alongside Grell full time as a senior reaper."

Tears were welling up in Ronald's eye.

Will was growing increasingly uncomfortable.

"Do not," Will said, his words coming out a far steelier command than he intended, "cry."

"I'm sorry, boss." Ronald said, dashing the back of his hand over his good eye, sniffling and granting his superior a small smile. "I'm just… so grateful. Thank you."

Will cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses. Gratitude, and tears. Two things he never willingly invited into his office.

"Yes. Well. I will be eating crow for the rest of the day." Will said. "As soon as you leave, I have an appointment with Sutcliff."

"Oh, no." Ronald did not quite feel bold enough to laugh in front of his superior. "She will, ah, be very pleased at the prospect of a private audience."

Will's disapproving glower caused the younger shinigami to clam up once more, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"This is hardly the time for levity, Knox. A dangerous demon has disappeared with the Earl Phantomhive. This problem must be resolved immediately with no room left for error. You may go, and take the rest of the day off."

Ronald dared to give Will another small smile before standing, feeling like he should bow or something but he just grabbed his scythe and pushed it awkwardly out of the room, blades clanking.

He paused in the doorway.

"Thanks again, sir." His smiled broadened, and he left.

Will sighed, but the worst was far from over. He braced himself for what was to come, weaving his gloved fingers together as his entire body tensed.

Seconds after Ronald departed, the door swung open, and shiny black heels on red leather boots twirled into the small office. Grell Sutcliff loomed in the doorway, letting the gravity of her presence sink in, and Will's dread mount.

"Oh, William," she shut the door with her heel coyly, leaning against it, slouching slightly so that her red coat bunched up and her bright red hair slid against the wood, framing her face. She looked up at him over the crimson frames of her glasses, sultry green eyes peering through a thick curtain of black, feathery lashes. "It is so dear of you to summon me, and it has been all of this time since we have seen each other… much less been alone! How do you want me, dear? Over the desk? Against the door?" she smirked, placing a gloved finger against her painted red lips. "Oh, do not tell you intend for this to be a brisk tryst, my heart cannot bear a tease!"

A purple vein on William's temple throbbed. He could already feel the dull headache begin to sharpen.

"Sutcliff," he said, trying to pull the conversation around to its professional, reasonable purpose. "Sit down."

Grell pouted, pushing herself away from the door and grabbing the back of the chair, pulling it closer to his desk than Ronald had dared sit. She plopped down in the seat, leaning close conspiratorially, keeping her voice low.

"You are never any fun." She said.

He used to be fun, once.

He killed himself because of it. But she had no way of knowing that.

"Sutcliff, are you aware of how Knox lost his eye?"

Grell blinked. "Of course," she said. "The silly boy told me that he lost it in London, fighting a demon. He said you saved his life, how very dear of you to do so."

"And did he tell you anything about the demon in question?"

Grell huffed. Coming to terms with the fact that this was not going to be a fun meeting, she leaned back and slouched in her chair, folding her arms.

"Nothing coherent." She said.

"The demon who attacked Ronald has been under contract with a woman in London named Lady Violet Clifton. You were assigned to reap her husband's soul a month ago."

"Was I?" Grell sounded bored.

"Yes, but you never did." Will set one hand on top of his other, staring the reaper across from him down.

Grell shrugged. "I arrived, there was nothing; no soul for me to reap, no demon to slay for it. I left. I did have a lot of work that day." Her glance was briefly accusatory.

"Yes," William said, his voice edged with ice. "And somehow, you neglected to submit the paperwork for the incident."

Grell squirmed, kicking her heels like an impatient child. "You are chastising me and I don't deserve it."

She did deserve it, and worse. But no matter how often or how harshly William punished her, she persisted with ridiculous behaviors that compromised the dignity of the reapers as a whole. If they were not so hideously understaffed…

Will pushed the matter into the back of his mind, he would stew over it later.

'If you do not wish to lose your scythe again, Sutcliff, you will completely your next assignment flawlessly." Will said.

That got her attention. She sat up in her chair, leaning forward. Her expression read boredom, but there was a flash of danger in her eyes. Her shoulders were tense and her index finger dragged down her bottom lip, smearing red lipstick in a bold streak down her chin.

"All right, William," she purred, sliding one leg over the other to cross them. "Anything for you, you don't have to make threats. We are civilized beings, not…" she slid a tongue over her lips. "Animals."

Will set his teeth. All of these years…

One day she would stop grating on him.

He adjusted his glasses again. He was beginning to think he needed to get them resized.

"You will track down this demon for me."

She lifted an eyebrow.

"You seem to have a talent for bringing them out of the woodwork." William continued. "You will find him, but you will not attempt to destroy him immediately. You will report back to me, and then I will join you at the location."

"Oh, I see. And where will you be, my brave William?"

"I will be attending to the matter of finding Sebastian Michaelis."

Her jaw dropped, and she whined.

"Ooh, William!" she squirmed in her seat. "How absolutely unfair you are! To entertain the company of my Sebas-chan without me! Must you stop at nothing to break a fair lady's heart?"

"You will do as told, and I will hear no complaints." Will said. "You are permitted to keep your scythe for safety purposes. But I warn you, Grell, if you do not do your job…"

"You will teach me a hard lesson?" she pressed her hand to his chest.

His fingers curled, gripping at nothing on the surface of his desk.

"We will meet at the coffee shop that is across from the Undertaker's shop tomorrow night." He said. "You will have found the demon before then."

"Oh, a date! You tease me, you really do." She stood, pressing her palms to his desk and sliding over the surface until they were nearly touching noses. She gazed at him adoringly, reaching out to touch his nose. She left behind a smudge of lipstick. "You know William, you really ought to try loosening up a bit. Treating me so coldly in private as well as public is such delightful torture, but a lady such as me cannot be kept waiting forever."

She smelled like lilac perfume. It barely masked the scent of blood.

William stared her down, a long look.

"You are dismissed, Sutcliff."

She pulled away, flipping her long red hair. "Do I get to take Ronald with me?"

"He is off duty for the remainder of the day."

"Oh, good. Then he won't mind keeping me company." She flashed him an unsettling wide smile, showing off all of her sharp white teeth, and then waltzed out of the room as lightly as she had stepped in, not bothering to close the door behind her. She knew how much that nettled him.