A light snow had fallen in the middle of the night, sprinkling the usually yellowish-grey streets of downtown London in glittery white powder, adding some sort of delicate beauty to the ugly brown city. The snow was falling still even in the early morning, and thus not a lot of people were making plans to go anywhere that night, and that included visiting Noah Ark's Circus, so the performers had an unexpected night off that day.
"Hey, Smile, we should totally visit downtown today! I haven't been in a while and I'd love to go shopping!" Doll smiled widely, walking into their shared tent. "We could get some more candy!"
"Whatever you want," Ciel shrugged, still struggling to tie his boot-strings. "You don't have any money though,"
"We can still look!" Doll then frowned at his knots and kneeled down, taking the strings from him and very slowly tying his right boot for him. "Geezh, they didn't teach you nothin' at that manor, did they?" She teased, but Ciel glared at her. She stood up and pulled on a ragged coat. "Come on, we don't wanna be late! I hate being lost in crowds!" She ran off, and Ciel hurriedly ran after her, not wanting to lose track of her.
"Wait, shouldn't we tell the ringmaster or something where we're going?" At the very least, Sebastian needed to know so he could follow and intervene if something went wrong.
"Nah, it'll be fine! We'll just slip out and pop back in right quick!" She promised, slipping through a large hole in one of the fences, then holding her hand out for Ciel. He slipped through and slapped her hand away, shivering slightly, unused to such thin clothes.
"This better not take long," He mumbled under his breath as Doll grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the circus and into the bustling city, which somehow managed to stay busy and loud despite the weather.
"First, let's see the candy shop!" Doll said happily, yanking Ciel off in that direction despite his protests of being touched.
They soon reached the said candy shop, which was squished in the middle of some other shops, all seemingly random and selling everything from dresses to drugs. Doll pulled Ciel inside and walked over to a display of rock candy in all different colors, all in different corked bottles. "I ain't never had rock candy before, how about you?" She asked Ciel nicely, watching him as he stared at a display of chewing gum. "Oh, you're that kinda guy, huh? I ain't never had gum before, but I heard it's good! But sometimes it sticks to your teeth like taffy!" She pulled back her mouth into a grin, showing off her teeth, which Ciel backed away from.
"I've had gum before," He confessed. "Flavoured gum too, it tasted like orange,"
"Really? Did you blow bubbles with it?" Doll asked curiously.
"Why would I? I just had some at a friend's birthday party,"
"Oh, you have rich friends?"
Ciel quickly realized his mistake and continued to back away, running into another display case. "It was a party at the manor I worked at...the master invited his friends over and they let me try some gum," He shivered again.
"Sounds like a fun party!" She smiled, only to frown at him shivering. "Are you okay?"
"Hey! Are you kids going to buy something, or keep gawking like idiots? I have a business to run here and I don't want street children like you in here!" The shop-owner snapped at them, finally coming out of the backroom. He stared at them in disdain. "Two boys too, those are always the worst. Such troublemakers,"
"I will have you know that I ain't no boy!" Doll protested, but Ciel grabbed her arm and ran with her out of the shop, sighing. "The nerve of some people! I wasn't gonna steal anythin' o' his!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked away, huffing in annoyance. "I really wanna try some o' that gum though," She whispered under her breath, startling Ciel.
If Sebastian was there, he would've made him go inside and get some candy for them, by any means necessary. But he was on his own, and had no money for once, so he was at a loss. "Gum tastes awful, you're not missing much,"
That made her giggle. "I wasn't making a joke,"
"Really? Oh well, I guess I ain't got no reason to try it then! If it tastes that bad," She smiled and looked at the dress store next, gazing at a fancy dress in the window. "Oh wow, ain't that pretty?" She gushed, pulling Ciel over to look.
The dress was a fancy pink with a wide hoop-skirt, everything trimmed with black lace. It also had pink rose emblems sewn into the skirt and blouse. "It's just my style!"
Ciel, on the other hand, was reminded strongly of a similar gown he had to wear to a certain ball, and thus shivered at the sight of it. Luckily for him, however, Doll didn't seem to notice and continued swooning over the dress.
"I wish I had an opportunity to wear such a pretty dress," She sighed slightly. Ciel simply blinked at her, not knowing what to say to her. In truth, she wasn't THAT improper or crass for a peasant girl, she actually had impeccable posture and cleaned up quite well in her ballet outfit. Now if she only did something about that God-forsaken accent...
Ciel was broken out of his thoughts when she snapped her fingers at him. "Your boot's done got untied again!" She announced, kneeling down to tie it again. "If you ain't careful you might trip!" She tied it quickly then stood up and walked away, forcing Ciel to follow her.
"Where are we going now?" He asked, annoyed by how far they had traveled already. He might've kept one secret safe with her trust, but that didn't mean he still completely trusted her.
"Ssssh!" Doll whispered at him, pulling him through an alleyway. "We're going someplace fun, don't ya worry!" She promised, holding him close to her body, making him blush at her warmth.
"Where?" He still asked. The alleyway was long and dark, and also very wet and musty. It also reeked of garbage and other unpleasentries, bad enough that Ciel stopped running and covered his mouth, trying not to puke.
"Are you okay?" She asked in a worried tone, looking back at him. "You ain't used to all this?" She kicked a broken half of a vodka bottle. "For the longest time...this was the only life I knew..."
"I-I want to leave..." He said simply, his hands still firmly pressed over his mouth. "I want Sebastian," He composed himself the best he could, but Doll still stared at him worriedly. "I'm fine," He insisted, taking a deep breath.
"Don't worry, it's not all like this," She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the alleyway, and on the other side was a line of fancy manors, a carriage hurrying past one. "We're in the rich part of the city! I heard a party's going on in one of these houses! We're gonna sneak in!" Doll said happily, quickly pulling him along and hiding behind a sign when a group of giggling noblegirls walked by.
"Sneak into a noble's party?" Ciel asked in disbelief. Was she crazy?! They'd get thrown out almost immediately, even if they did manage to disguise themselves. He could fake it, but she couldn't.
"Uh-huh! I read one was happening tonight and I thought you'd like to go and get a taste of the high-class life!" She dragged him along by the arm and into the yard of one manor, their high white fence still not finished yet. "We can sneak in through the laundry chute," She explained, sneaking around in the yard.
"We'll get caught," Ciel said simply, not looking forward to the idea that someone might recognize him in noble clothes at one of these parties.
"Not if we're careful!" She giggled and soon found the chute, pulling it open. "Wow, it smells good in there! Come on!" She grabbed Ciel's arm and threw him inside, making him slide down a slide on his belly, falling into a giant basket of clothes. She soon followed after, closing the door on her way down. "Wheee!" She fell into the basket as well, giggling. "Wasn't that fun, Smile?"
Ciel blinked at her and climbed out of the basket. "Okay, does your plan extend further than this?"
"Of course!" She reassured him, digging through the basket. "Hey, look, there's fancy dresses in this one! And some suits, too! Almost like somebody's expectin' us!" She pulled out a cerulean ball gown with a low neck, decorated in giant white roses. She also pulled out some matching white gloves, as well as stockings and a petticoat. "Hm, no jewelry though," She pouted slightly and threw an emerald-green suit at Ciel. "Go change over there!~"
"Fine," Ciel grumbled and hid behind a washer, slowly taking off his tan suit and coat and very carefully trying to button himself up into this suit. It resembled something he would wear as a normal everyday suit, but he would have help putting it on, and when he was done, the cloak attached to the shoulders was crooked. "We still have our work boots on," He grumbled once he realized it.
"Well my dress is long, so it'll hide 'em!" Doll announced, finally coming into the light. Ciel blushed when he saw her in the gown, she looked totally different. It fell to the floor in waves, and the sleeves were poofy and off-shoulder, exposing her milky shoulders and part of her back. "How do I look?" She asked, spinning around in it. "Who knew I'd find one with roses on it? They're kinda my thing,"
Ciel simply shrugged and wandered around some more, finding a basket full of various accessories. "These must've been lost by the guests upstairs," He mused, and Doll gasped.
"They're so pretty!" She pulled out a crimson locket and tied it around her neck and opened it, finding a cameo of some girl and boy inside. "Hm..." She closed it again and pulled an emerald bracelet onto her left wrist, then pulled a matching tiara onto her head, pulling some of her bangs back. "If only I had my makeup kit, then I'd look just like a fancy lady!" She said, handing Ciel a black top hat and opal ring. "Now let's go!"
"Wait!" Ciel protested, but she grabbed his hand and dragged him up the stairs, running through the house until they found the ballroom.
"Look how pretty it is! Ever been to a ball before, Smile?" She asked, staring up at the giant crystallized chandelier hanging from the ceiling, alight with a million golden candles.
"Uh...no," He offered quickly, shielding his face from anybody who walked by them.
"Awww, you shy of the nobles? They won't hurt ya!" She laughed and slapped his back.
"Just don't embarrass yourself," He mumbled to himself as she lifted up her skirts slightly and walked around, walking very slowly and gracefully, standing perfectly straight. She found a group of girls around her own age and walked over there, listening in.
"Hey, I have never seen you before! What is your name?" A redhead asked her in a curious tone, covering her mouth with a lacy pink fan.
"Your hair is awfully short, you look like a boy!" A brunette laughed meanly.
"My name? My name is Dolly! It's a nickname of sorts, and don't be makin' fun of my hair! I like my hair short like this!" She snapped at the girls, making them gasp.
"What a dreadful accent you have! You sound like a gutter child!" A blonde gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She was also the only girl there not wearing gloves, and her hands were finely manicured with icy blue tips.
"At least I have manners and don't insult the first person I see," Doll glared at them and stormed off, looking around again. Ciel finally caught up to her and glared at her.
"I thought you didn't want to get kicked out," He whispered to her in annoyance.
"People should be less judgin' of me," She shot back, noticing a table full of appetizers and running over there next. "Wow, I'm starvin'! What's to eat?" She noticed a platter of tiny sandwiches shaped into triangles and picked one up, looking at it. "Hey, this is cute! I ain't never seen nothin' like this!" She nibbled on it at first, then stuffed the entire thing into her mouth, then stuffed a second one into her mouth. "These are good!" She laughed.
"Ick, she has no manners," One woman noticed in disdain, walking off.
"She'll never find a husband if she keeps acting like that," Her husband agreed, taking his wife's arm.
"I don't need no husband, so it's okay," Doll said quietly, suddenly having no appetite. "When will the dancin' start? I thought they always danced at balls like these!"
"We probably won't make it that far into the night if you keep messing everything up," He grumbled. "I thought you could at least fake being proper,"
"I'm messin' everything up?! I'm just bein' myself, it ain't my fault these people are so uptight!" Doll shot back, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "At least I have good posture, that should be all that matters,"
"This was a bad idea, let's just go back to the circus. They probably have posters of us posted all around the city by now," Ciel started to walk off before a girl cried out.
"My locket! I was looking everywhere for that, and that gutter rat stole it!" The blonde girl from earlier yelled, pointing at Doll. Several people immediately turned over in their direction and glared at them.
"What, this?" Doll opened it again and looked at the pictures inside, wondering if they were this girl's siblings.
"Don't you dare touch it, don't you dare open it! I'll call the police on you!" She threatened, storming over to Doll. She then ripped the locket from her neck and slapped Doll, making her fall to the ground. "You dirty gutter rat, you think just because you put on a fancy dress that you are one of us? You will never be one of us. Remember your place," She spat and stormed off.
"I am getting the police," A man announced, and Ciel pulled Doll off the ground and darted off with her.
"You're so stupid, I knew something like this would happen! Now they've sent the police after us!" He scolded, running down to the laundry room again. "Quick, let's take these off-" He started to suggest, but Doll was already crawling through the laundry chute.
"There's no time! Just come on!" She crawled into the yard and pulled Ciel along with her, then the two of them made a mad dash for it, vanishing into the slums.
"We stick out like a sore thumb in these," Ciel protested, not in the mood to get robbed for real.
"Don't worry, I know a shortcut back to the circus," Doll promised, her chest heaving. She continued to run, only to slip on a puddle and step on her skirt, falling on the hard road and landing on her ankle. "Ouch, my ankle!" She cried, sitting up and holding it in front of her. "I-I think it's sprained!"
"We don't have time for this, the police are still after us," Ciel said, glancing behind them.
"I can't run," She said simply, slowly pulling herself to her feet before swaying. "Ouch! It really is sprained,"
"Come on!" Ciel ignored her protests and kept running with her, eventually coming to an alleyway and ducking in it, crouching down. Doll sank all the way down and winced.
"Ouch..."
"We know you two are hiding! Come out where-ever you are!" The police shouted, three of them running past their hiding place.
"We should keep hiding until we know for sure they're gone," Ciel stated before hearing the sound of soft sobbing coming from behind him. He glanced behind and found Doll sitting against the wall, crying into her gloved hands. The sprained ankle was lying in front of her.
"I'm a top performer...my entire act relies on me walkin' on a tightrope...and now my ankle's sprained," She cried quietly.
"You said you know a shortcut, let's get to it," He directed, not wanting to waste anymore time in the slums then necessary.
"This is where I used to live," She wiped away her tears, making him start. "Well, not this place exact, but close enough. It was dirty and smelled bad...I got sick a lot," She pulled her knees up and held them, burying her face in them. "It was filled with garbage..."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Well, I got to see how the rich lived tonight, now you gotta know how the poor lived. Live. I pretty much lived in an open sewer," She very slowly stood up and wobbled dangerously on her ankle. "Let's hurry, it's already late enough and I wanna sleep," She took his arm and kept leading him through the alleyway, not daring to venture back out in case the police were still looking for them.
There weren't any other people in the alleys aside from them, but plenty of discarded boxes, broken bottles, and leftover food that obviously wasn't considered edible by even the people who lived here. A feral cat was curled up in one corner, manged with several bones showing. Ciel looked away from it.
"Look out!" Doll announced, pulling Ciel away from the wall. Mere seconds later, a bucket of...something was dumped out of a tall window. "You don't wanna have that stuff dumped on ya, it's nasty. Super nasty," She warned, her accent slipping back in. She managed to hide parts of it at the party earlier, but now, it was all out. "I speak from experience, I do. Had so' 'o that stuff 'umped onto myself, I did. It's gross, and th' smell ain't ever comin' out," She kept leading him through the slums.
"So the reason why you picked the circus was because it was better than this?" Ciel figured, although he already knew the answer.
"Anythin' is better than 'is, it is. All of us came from 'ere. Most don't like to talk 'bout it, I don't blame 'em, but some will. I ain't one of 'em though," She finally led him out of the alleyway and into the outskirts of the slums, where a crooked wooden fence marked the entryway into the forest. The moon was a pale, sickly yellow and hung low in the sky. "Come on, let's go back," She limped over to the fence, only to stare at it when she realized she couldn't jump over it in her current state.
"Excuse me, miss, but do you 'ave anythin' to spare?" A little girl walked up to the duo and asked nicely, not having any shoes on despite the cold weather.
"Uh, here," Doll slipped off the bracelet and handed it to her, watching her eyes grow wide. "That'll help ya and ya family out 'or quite a while, it will!" She smiled widely, and the girl giggled.
"Thanks a heap, miss! You look awful pretty in that dress, too!" She slipped the bracelet into her pocket and skipped off, and Doll waved at her.
"It's probably just a trick," Ciel stated, and she glared at him.
"Trick o' not, whenever I see children like 'er I just gotta give 'em a lil' somethin', anythin'. I was like that once..." She trailed off and stared at the fence again, and Ceil sighed and climbed over it, then gave her his hand.
"You can climb over it just fine," He stated, and she pouted and swung her good ankle over the fence, then winced as she swung her sprained ankle over it, only to lose her balance and fall, knocking over Ciel and falling on top of him.
"Oh no! I didn't 'ean that!" She gasped, her tiara now lopsided on her hair. "Come on," She very slowly stood up and brushed her dress off, then wandered back into the circus grounds, which were uncharacteristically quiet. "Must all be sleepin', they are. Good for us, nobody will notice us sneakin' in!" Doll laughed and limped back to their tent, holding up her skirt so the rest of the hem wouldn't get muddy.
Once they snuck inside their shared tent, she carefully closed the flaps and sighed. "You saw a lot today, huh?" She started, kicking off her boots and climbing the ladder to her own bunk.
"Yes. If you want, I'll open a charity designed especially for children like you," Ciel said calmly, pulling off the top hat.
"Eh? Why you? You just as poor as us," She blinked, lying on her stomach.
"Uh, I'll tell my master of the situation. He'll name the charity after me," He started to untie his boots, then crawled into bed still fully-dressed. "What are we going to tell them about our clothes?"
"Make somethin' up! I bet Beast would love to borrow mine! It'd fit her a bit better than it does me," Doll smiled. "I'd like that...Smile Works. It's cute!"
"That's not my real name, it's Finnian. That's just my stage name," Ciel grumbled.
"Oh, right! Well Finnian Works is a cute name too!" She smiled, then sighed. "I won't be able to perform tomorrow with my ankle actin' up like this..." She rolled onto her back and pulled off her tiara, gazing at it. "Vicky," She said quietly.
"Huh?" Ciel was startled out of his doze by her voice.
"Vicky...that's my real name. Was supposed to be Victoria, like the queen, 'cuz Mom thought I was gonna grow up real pretty and rich, like the queen, but Papa said it was too nice a name for a gutter rat, so she changed it to Vicky,"
"You have parents?" He asked in disbelief. He assumed that only orphans would be thrown out on the streets like that, since they had no way of making money for themselves.
"I did, once. We were awfully poor and all, and Papa could only do so much...then he got sick with cholera. Then he died. Mom went out to work as a scullery maid, and I worked in the workhouse. Then...I got in an accident, then got fired, and wandered the streets. They never even bothered to 'ell Mom where I was or 'hat happened. I found these 'olk, and they 'ook me in," She explained sadly, tearing up again. "I bet Mom misses me though..."
"Maybe," Ciel shrugged and closed his eyes again.
"Hey Smile, I had fun today," She smiled down at him. "For real. I 'oved that party. I felt just like a Victoria then,"
"Glad you liked being stuffy and rude," He rolled onto his side.
"It ain't all bad, I like the dresses and food," She climbed down the ladder and stuffed the tiara into her costume bag, then glanced over at Ciel, who was fast asleep, his chest slowly moving up and down. She smiled and softly kissed his lips. "Sweet dreams...Finnian," She then climbed up the ladder to her own bed and soon fell asleep herself.