Chapter 2: Outcomes

I do not ownKuroshitsuji nor any of its original characters/locations.

~This writing includes spoilers from Black Butler 2~

The morning grazed England once again and brought Sebastian walking to the long white dining table. On his gloved hand was perched the silver dish, occupying the tea pot and cup once again, but today a new set of soft lips would touch its flowery ceramic. There sat the messy Asha, her hair held in a loose bun and her clothes no better than the night she was swept up by Ciel. Sebastian, seeing her unattended appearance, put the china down gently and spoke. "Mistress, did you not receive the clothes that I deposited at your doorstep?", the tall pale butler questioned. "Yeah, I got them", responded the ragged Indian as she orally trimmed her dirt-ridden nails. "I apologize if they were not to your liking, I will prepare you another pair", regretted the butler. Sebastian continued his duties and began to pour a cup of martial Earl Grey tea out of the steaming tea pot, that of which was brought up to the new mistress's mouth by her own slender, tan fingers. "Berinag", she informed, prompting a questioning "Hm?" from the black butler in front of her. "Please get me some Berinag tea instead. I'm not a fan of grey", the countess elaborated. "Of course, right away", answered Sebastian, picking up the fragile cup and placing it back onto the shining silver plate. "Today, my mistress, your activities include-", started the slender Sebastian, only to be cut off by his interrupting master. "I will tell her, Sebastian. Go prepare the clothes and tea", the black-clad earl commanded. With a nod, the slender black servant started off and Ciel approached the table in Sebastian's place, his cane always forwarding his movements. "Surprising to see you unprepared, I thought you to be up and excited for today", commented the steely earl, taking a seat by his mistress at the long white table and producing an almost kind blue glare at her. "I merely like to savor the moment, Ciel", Asha explained, crossing her legs and politely facing the earl in the process. "Today, your schedule consists of a short ride aboard ship to a destination that will bring us closer to the murderers", informed Ciel, prompting a nod from the Indian and the continuation of her nail biting. The tea was soon brought and consumed, and the mistress agreed to put on the original set of clothing. The group was out by one o'clock.

The ship, waiting patiently at the docks and manned by only about twenty men, was privately contracted by the Phantomhives. It was a medium vessel, but could easily accommodate the trinity with a comfortable private cabin and the likes. Asha, hauling her large pink skirt over the ramp and onto the deck with some difficulty, was the first to board the boat. From her impressions, she seemed to enjoy the sea air and atmosphere upon the boat, it's form starting to slowly depart from England's famous harbor and drift out to sea. "Well, might you tell me where this destination is, Ciel? I think I deserve an answer after hauling this heavy dress on board at your suggestion", prodded Asha suddenly. "India", the earl quickly acknowledged. Asha's smiling features suddenly became grave. "I-India? How the hell are we to get to India quickly?", she exclaimed. "The voyage will be short, no worry. Sebastian will occupy you with study in the ship's cabins to pass the time", the black-clad Ciel explained. The argument became stagnant for a moment, but was then broken up by the Indian mistress. "Pfft, sure. Do your demon magic, whatever", she conceded, turning away from the railing of the boat to call out for Sebastian. Ciel was surprised by this answer, Asha's ambitions to be predictive of her demon servant catching him off guard. Yet, he assumed this was just the great spice of her character. As the Indian countess and her dashing black butler disappeared into the lower cabins, Ciel looked out into the azure sea, a body of water that mimicked his eye color perfectly. The earl licked his lips as the waters started to shift, and land drew nearer through the sea's tug.

A startled sailor suddenly opened the cabin door, a husky, wide-eyed man saying that, "We're… w-we're here". Sebastian, closing his book on British politics, helped his Indian Mistress up and out of the lower level cabin and back into the brisk, salty sea air. All of the sailors seemed to be amazed and/or puzzled at the sudden appearance of the continent before them, some even just stood dumbstruck on the ship's frontal deck, facing India in its spontaneous glory. The earl, countess, and butler quietly faced their destination as well, until the ship was pulled into port. India's port was bounds more lively then that of England, the hustle and bustle almost clogging the air with voices, sounds, and smells. While Asha, obviously native to this kind of crowded life, swept through the crowd with ease, Ciel and Sebastian were taken aback, particularly the now tripping earl. The two, dire to find their Indian mistress, came into a clearing in the crowd and found Asha standing with a sly smirk on her face. "Is India to much for you English chaps?", she teased. A downcast look came from both of their servants at this mention. "It would have been less crowded if we had gone under nightfall. You didn't really have to keep me in that fancy mansion to sleep", Asha critiqued once again. "No, we merely wanted you to become well acquainted with the house", countered Ciel, his mouth starting to imitate his mistress's sly smile. "Why? I'm not going to ever see it again… Wait, I swear if you…"

Just as Asha had predicted, there was the large black mansion perched atop a large hill in the outskirts of the port city. It looked as if it had never been disturbed from it's sleep in England, with it's greenery, landscaping, and cobble road all perfectly intact. Sebastian informed Asha that he had moved the mansion for his mistress's leisure, and kept everything the same so that her preliminary acquaintance with it would not be in vain. As well, she was informed that there was "A new roster of servants, so as the large estate to not feel empty to her". The latest attendants stood in front of the mansion, and enthusiastically waved at their new mistress as her carriage pulled up. There stood the form of a large, burly Indian man, a small and fragile Indian maid, a feisty, red-haired English man, and a tall, pale, and slender female butler. All were happy to see Asha exit her carriage. Sebastian started the introductions, proclaiming the hulk of a man to be Rohan Malik, the cook of the estate, the small girl as Nishi Chopra, the maid, Jasper Heltin, the gardener/electrician, and finally Harriet Greelming, assistant butler. The large group of servants filed into the mansion, with their two masters at the group's front (Rohan almost sqaushing the mistress with his titan feet, prompting a sincere apology from the gentle giant). Indeed, the palace felt much more occupied with more attendants, which pleased the Indian mistress. Yet, she could not wallow in this privileged feeling for much longer, neither could any of her other servants. Soon, the mistress and her servants were rushed to their stations in the estate, all preparing for tonight's visitor. "Yes, tonight we will be meeting with Gregory Iklen and his wife to discuss negotiations on how to integrate the Phantomhive line of sweets into the palate of India", answered Ciel to his mistress's puzzlement. "and his connections with a certain British officer", the black earl added, his signature sly smile popping up from his pale face. "Well, won't this be a full evening", Asha commented, picking up her dress and starting her way upstairs.

Gregory Iklen, a tall and dashing English man with a moustache that was evidently his pride and joy, sat by his equally tall wife at the long white table. Matilde, Gregory's spouse, was clad in a purple dress, complimenting the green of her counterpart. They were a polite couple, making suitable banter, thus all around boring. The most interesting thing either one of them said was "Where is the earl?", a question which evoked the response that the Phantomhive master was out on business, leaving the mistress to talk. Yet, such a mistress persevered, making sure to keep her head up straight in the face of their trite conversations. Soon, dinner was brought to the table, a dish of curry served by the maid who could barely look over the clothed table, and the two party's negotiations could begin. "We are wishing to bring the Phantomhive brand of goods to the Indian people, as we believe them to be a culture that would benefit us with their distinct views and critiques", Asha started, sipping her wine and tasting the bowled curry. The cook was new, yet he did a satisfactory job. The conference continued with such curry scenting the air, Asha evoking responses and information from the Iklens among the topics of India's consumers, trade, demographic, etc. Sebastian poured his mistress a second cup of wine as the discussions turned to India's history. "Yes, we at Phantomhive dearly want to deal with India's history, as it most definitely has shaped its people. We want to delve into the good and the bad, for if you look at the introduction of British trade into India, you mustn't sweep the Indian revolution under the table, right?", Asha started.

And that's exactly where the absent earl was, swept under the table. He was here not of his free will, no, but ordered by his mistress. It was a blasphemous request when she first told him, an absurd demand that he would have denied if not for his soul binding contract. So he sat there, breathing little, if at all, and waiting for his purpose; for, as the mistress had said, "You'll see why you're under the table soon enough". Ciel, sitting cross legged under the large white table, waited for his purpose, the likes of which reared its head almost an hour in. It came in the form of a gun, pulled from under Matilda's skirt. The purple ruffled away from the cold steel, and there it sat, pointing at his mistress's stomach from across the elongated table. Here was the great evidence of his mistress's predictions, a woman one step ahead of all in a world ripe with murder and conspiracy. No doubt did it keep her alive in the alleyways of London, but it did so here as well. Ciel's purpose was to carry out her predictions, mercilessly. This is why he initiated a contract. A muttering of dialogue came from Gregory's wife as she pulled the weapon out slowly, something along the lines of "I really did wish to meet lord Ciel, my questions for him included how he faked his death… if the rumors are true". The gun was shot off, indeed, but the bullet never left the chamber. Ciel's hand, clamped over the muzzle of the gritty pistol, blocked such a deadly blow from his mistress. He rose from underneath the table, tearing the ballistic arm from Matilda's grasp and greeting her terrified features with the calm of his. "The rumors are true, aren't they?", he greeted the stunned noble, the gun swiftly brought up and pressed against her temple. Neither of the two Iklens gave any resistance, completely shocked at the turn of events, an outcome they never could have predicted. "Sebastian, take the hostages into the basement, I have a plethora of questions for the Iklens. Give them… Phantomhive's hospitality, if you will", Asha commanded, a cool glare coming from her usually warm, brown eyes.

"Yes, my mistress"