Dance of Fate
It was another boring day in London. Business was slow at my shop, and I wanted some excitement. I owned a welding shop down in a back alley. Sure, it was not the best place to have a store, but meh. A light knock on my door snapped me back to reality. A tall man dressed in black walked in. I knew who it was and sighed.
"Hello, Sebastian. What can I do for you?" I asked. I never was in the mood to deal with the little brat. But, he does give out good chocolate!
"The Earl requires your services, Welder." Sebastian said in that smooth voice of his.
"Ok, where is he?"
"My master is throwing a party in three days. He has invited you to attend."
"Oh?" I found this an odd move for the young Earl. "May I ask why?"
"This is just a normal party." Sebastian hands me a fancy invitation. "Let us know if you can make it!" The butler bows and leaves my shop. Once the door closes, I chuckle and tossed the invitation on a table. There was no way I was going to some party….
"Welder! Guess what I just got!" My neighbor suddenly burst through my door.
"What did you get, Undertaker?" I asked. When I saw a duplicate invitation, the same one I had just tossed on the table, my heart sank.
"I got invited to attend a party the young Earl is throwing!" He noticed my abandoned invitation. "Are you going?"
"I don't know." I shrugged. "I'm not into parties."
"But I want to see you in a dress!" Undertaker grinned.
"Oh? So the truth comes out!"
"Welder, it is our duty as informants of the young Earl, to help him in whatever crime he must solve." Undertaker could not keep a straight face while giving his monologue. I sighed.
"Fine. I'll go. But I don't have anything nice to wear." I mumbled.
"I have dresses! You can barrow one, since my customers need them!"
I was surprised to see how many dresses Undertaker had. I counted ten stashed in his back room. I wondered if he's tried any of these on.
"Ok then, let's just take these goggles off…." Undertaker reached for my goggles.
"I need these! I am horribly near sighed!" I yelped, backing away.
"But how can I see what kind of dress you'll wear if I can't see your lovely face?"
"Ok fine." I sighed. I walked up and let Undertaker pull off my goggles. The instant they were off, I saw my neighbor blush a deep red. His hands trembled and the biggest of grins appeared on his face.
"You're so pretty!" Undertaker cried.
"I know I am."
"Now I see what I have to work with…" He turned around and started to rummage through the dress rack. I was not looking forward to this. I hated dresses with a passion. My usual attire was a long sleeved green shirt, a worn work vest, worn jeans, and boots. My hair was tied in a long braid that hung to my waist. Of course, I also had the goggles on my face. I knew I looked like a boy, but this made things easier.
"Here we go, one lovely dress for one lovely girl!" Undertaker happily said, pulling me from my thoughts. I saw the dress matched by bluish-purple eyes. It was not too frilly and looked form fitting.
"Try it on!" Undertaker grinned.
"Get out and I will!" I cried. Once he was gone, I pulled off my comfortable clothes and slipped on the dress. Undertaker walked back in and helped me button the back.
"It's a perfect fit! Am I good or what?" Undertaker asked.
"You are." I chuckled. I jumped when one of his long nails trailed down my back. I assumed it was an accident and didn't question this sudden touch. Once all the buttons were taken care of, I faced the mirror that hung on the wall. I looked like a goddess. I actually loved this dress and wouldn't mind wearing it. I saw Undertaker untie my braid, letting my hair fall. The boy had changed into a girl.
"You're so beautiful." Undertaker softly said. I noticed him blush again, but it was gone in a flash.
"I'm ready for the party, what about you?" I asked.
"I'm wearing it already!"
"What? So I have to dress up, but you don't?" I demanded. Undertaker chuckled and suddenly pulled me into his arms. I stiffened at the sudden embrace, but soon relaxed.
"Miss. Welder, you shouldn't hide how pretty you are." Undertaker whispered in my ear. I loved this warmth, but he pulled away.
"Ok, thank you for helping me." I said.
"You are so welcome! Shall I come get you in three days?" Undertaker asked.
"Sure."
"It's settled then!"
The three days dragged on, surprisingly. It was not like I wanted to go to this party, or was looking forward to the world knowing I was a girl. Maybe it was because I was spending time with Undertaker…..no, that was not it. In his free time, my neighbor would come over and experiment with different hair styles, to determine was would look best for the party. I didn't mind this. I just worked on commissions or did paperwork. Undertaker would have me take off my goggles, since the back strap was in the way. I sometimes wondered why he was going through all of this trouble for me.
"There! I think I found the perfect hairdo for you, Welder!" Undertaker happily said. I looked up from my work and across the room at the mirror. I stood up and walked up to the floor length mirror. Undertaker had simply done a French braid, but had also braided in ribbon that matched my dress. It was simple, but elegant.
"I love it, thank you!" I happily said after a long silence.
"I'm glad you do! I've found that the best hairstyle for you was a braid." Undertaker hugged me from behind, wrapping his arms around my stomach. "What time shall I come get you?" He asked.
"It will take a while for us to get to the Earl's mansion. The party does not officially start until seven, so I guess five thirty?" I suggested.
"Sounds good! I can't wait to spend time with you." Undertaker buried his face in my hair. "You smell like wintergreen."
"It's the shampoo I use." I stood up to put away the files I was working on. "Let's hope nothing bad happens tomorrow."
"What do you mean?" Undertaker asked. I shrugged and jumped up onto a table.
"He's the Queen's Guard Dog; assassins will always try to kill him."
"True." Undertaker tapped my knee. "But your more than capable of defending yourself if trouble does arise." I smiled and lightly kicked his stomach with my foot.
"You're quite the warrior yourself too."
"My love, I am an undertaker to die for!"
The day of the party had arrived. Just as promised, Undertaker came with his carriage, the same one used to move coffins. I didn't mind. I was just happy he was here to help me up. The dress I wore was nice, but a pain to move around in.
"Having fun, Miss. Welder?" Undertaker grinned.
"Ha, ha. Very funny! I might die wearing this blasted corset." I mumbled.
"No woman had died wearing a corset. Besides, it gives off your figure quite nicely!" That last comment made me blush a deep red. Undertaker laughed and snapped the reins, making the horses move. And so our adventure began.
The ride up to the manor was not too bad. It was a nice evening, and the stars were pretty. To pass the time, I told jokes, making Undertaker laugh, and almost crash the carriage, twice. Thankfully we got there before we died. Sebastian was there to greet us. He didn't recognize me when I was helped out of the carriage.
"And who is this lovely young lady?" Sebastian asked.
"This is my lovely date, Miss…." Undertaker began.
"Emma Yule." I finished, giving the butler a curtsy. My friend smiled, but didn't say a word.
"Welcome, Miss. Yule. I guess Welder could not make it."
"He had too much work to do. Hates parties." Undertaker shrugged.
"Very well." Sebastian stared at me for the longest time, giving me chills. "Everyone else had arrived and are in the parlor room." Sebastian gave us a bow. Undertaker offered his arm, which I took. We walked into the mansion, where one of the servants took my coat and Undertaker's hat. We then made our way to the parlor room. All eyes were on us, mostly on me, when we walked in.
"Undertaker?! Who is she?" Ciel Phantomhive asked.
"This is Emma Yule. She is a close friend of mine." Undertaker replied.
"She is easy on the eyes." Lau, a perverted Chinese merchant added. I shuddered, and I could have sworn I saw Undertaker's hand close into a fist.
"She's mine!" His hand fell to my waist. I didn't object, better him than Lau. There were a few hushed whispers, but soon everyone continued their original conversations. I was led into a corner, where another servant walked up with wine. I took a glass and downed it.
"Easy now, Miss. Yule!" Undertaker warned.
"Sorry. What Lau said just scared me."
"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Music started to play. People got up and went to the center of the room. Undertaker downed his wine and offered his hand.
"May I have this dance, Miss. Emma?" Undertaker asked. I smiled and took his hand. I was pulled into the center of the room, and we started to dance. I just realized I could not, nor knew how to dance. Undertaker read my mind and shifted his hold on me, assuring I would be caught if I fell. We first danced slowly, my movements sloppy like a beginner. But, I was a fast learner.
"Very good, Miss. Emma." He leaned in close to my ear. "If that is your real name."
"It is, I assure you." I was spun around so now my back was to him. Undertaker wrapped his arms around me, his fluid movements still kept in tuned with the music.
"Why hide such a nice name?" He asked.
"The same reason why I hid my face." I spun back around and wrapped my arms around his neck. This was not ballroom behavior norms, but I didn't care. The music played a song called Symbiosis, a pretty song I've seen horses dance to. I felt Undertaker untie the scarf from around my waist. He held it up and smiled.
"Have you heard of the dance called Entwined?" He asked.
"Do you mean the one where a man tries to catch the female…."
"And if he does, she will go out with them." Undertaker took one end of the scarf. "Shall we?" I smiled and took the other end. The song began again. I noticed no one else was dancing. I hated being put on the spot, but this was my favorite dance. We started to dance, nice and slow. We circled each other, the scarf between us. After three circles we stepped forward and back, tempting each other to snag the other in the scarf. As the music picked up, the dancing got faster. Soon, Undertaker looped the blue scarf around me, but I dove out underneath. I smiled and continued to dance. We circled each other, bobbed and weaved, all while my friend tried to snag me in his trap. Suddenly, I was caught. Undertaker pulled me into his arms, our faces inches from each other. I could see his eyes. They were the most beautiful yellow-green, something I had never seen before. The world seemed to stop as we stared at each other. Undertaker leaned in, his lips almost touching mine, but he then pulled away. He smiled at my disappointment, and moved the bangs in front of his face again. The music picked up again. We wrapped the scarf around our wrists, and began to dance. We were in sync as we danced a Scottish Reel. Someone was singing a pretty French song, which matched our movements. Undertaker picked me up and spun me around. I smiled and was in total bliss. Putting me down, we danced more slowly. The scarf was slowly unwrapped, making the gap between us larger. Finally, we tossed the scarf, and I was lifted and spun again. When the song ended, I was panting and worn out. Undertaker seemed fine though. Everyone clapped at our performance. We bowed before returning to the corner. I sat down and sighed.
"I've never danced like that before." I panted.
"You did very well for a beginner, Miss. Emma." Undertaker complimented. He handed me more wine, which I gladly took. A woman dressed in red walked up. She clapped and smiled.
"You danced so well! Since he caught you, does that mean you'll go out with him?" She asked. I blushed and looked at Undertaker, who was gone.
"That was rude. Oh well." The woman walked off. I stood up and looked through the crowd for my friend. I caught a flash of grey hair, and followed. I found Undertaker on one of the numerous balconies. He was looking out into the garden, his shoulders were low as if saddened by something.
"Undertaker?" I asked. I lightly touched his arm, causing him to jump. "Oh sorry, I just noticed you were gone and….."
"I'm sorry, Emma." He softly said.
"Pardon?"
"I was so caught into the moment, I should not have done that dance with you…."
"It's just a dance. It means nothing." I shrugged. Undertaker turned to face me. I saw a frown on his face I never thought was possible.
"But, the Entwined is only done if two people love each other….you could never love me if you knew what I was."
"What do you mean? I know you steal the organs of your customers. No big deal. I lie on my taxes occasionally." Undertaker suddenly grabbed my shoulders.
"This is a big deal! I am not…..I used to….." He seemed to be struggling about this. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck. I then leaned in and kissed him on the lips. I felt him jump in surprise, but then relax. His hands slipped down to my waist, long nails digging into my sides.
"What took you so long?" Undertaker grinned.
"I don't know. Work has been hell." I replied. He chuckled and kissed me back, and I had returned to bliss.
"Emma, I love you." He whispered in my ear. I played with his long hair, and smiled.
"Be mine, forever." I rested my head on Undertaker's chest, his heartbeat lulling me to sleep. I felt him hug me tighter, his embrace made everything perfect.
"I always will."