It is said curiosity killed the cat. Sometimes, the cat lived, but was left with more questions than answers.
-4-
Questioning
Ciel slumped in his seat, rubbing his sore face. Sebastian—that bastard—pinched his cheeks till red as he proceeded to compliment him on his growth. He pulled out the pendulum and put the cool stone against one side. His cerulean eye glared at the smiling butler.
"Do forgive me, Young Master," Sebastian chuckled. "Seems I got carried away."
The boy rolled his eye. He always got carried away at some point, but this was the first with cheek grabbing. When he let the stone dangle, she instantly flung herself at the window. "Bloody hell, Violette." Her constant swaying made him look out the window; they were moving alongside a large woodland. Taking it as a sign to enter, he made the carriage turn at an opening.
The forest was hushed. The only sounds present were the wheels against the ground and passing winds. Some time during the ride Sebastian closed his eyes, making him look serene as if he were asleep. Ciel gazed at the leafless trees and evergreens thinking they would look better if they were covered in snow. Unfortunately, it was too early in the season for a winter wonderland to descend upon them. Until then, the evergreens will continue to make the other trees feel naked. A pleasantness overcame the little earl and his lips curled into a small smile. He would finally see the witch again. The hectic months made it impossible to meet a second time. It didn't help that Sebastian couldn't locate her either. Thinking back to the day they met her and that cat, he felt something he hadn't in a long time. Ciel glanced down at the stone on his lap and Sebastian opened his eyes the moment it began to glow.
"Wha?!" the earl exclaimed as the pendulum levitated. It released a wave of light and the carriage came to a halt.
Sebastian stepped out to inspect the sudden stop. Immediately, he sensed the familiar auras. In front of them stood an ornate neo-Gothic house painted charcoal with white trim. "Such good taste," he remarked, admiring the architecture. "Though, the placement is a tad cliché."
Ciel stared at the house. It was fancy, but he had to be honest. "I was expecting more of a quaint cottage or something of the like." Violette happily shook in his hand as if she were laughing.
They walked up to the brownish-purple door and rung the doorbell. An enchanting melody began to play.
The demons glanced at each other in front of the fireplace. It was about time they showed up. The feeling of someone coming to visit hadn't left them all day. Daiki rolled away from his friend and opened the door.
Ciel did not expect to see the pale, black-haired man from before.
"Long time no see, Earl Phantomhive."
The boy stared into his sapphire eyes. "Daiki?"
"The one and only," he sang, showing them in.
They past by a white candle used to cleanse the energy of guests as they entered. Ciel's eye sparkled as the smell of cinnamon and brown sugar wafted through the air. The walls were the same as the exterior, but they had an intricate silver design. Shoes tapped on the dark wood floor. Beyond the entryway were different rooms surrounding a staircase in the center. Despite the spacious interior, it was warm, inviting—a home.
Ibuki came out of the sitting room to greet them. "Gre—" He was scooped up before he could finish.
"Oh! I forgot to tell you," Daiki laughed. "The fella likes cats."
"Like is an understatement..." muttered Ciel as he watched the unfazed feline being adored. He knew by now that it was the other man who appeared at the funeral. "Enough, Sebastian. Let him go."
Sebastian held him to eye level and grinned. "Ibuki, correct?" The cat nodded. "Who would have thought that a demon of your caliber would be living in the human world."
Ibuki shrugged. "It just happened... Put me down."
"If I had known you were acquainted with Miss Kerafuda, I wouldn't have been so rude last time."
The cat gave a 'hmph', still in the butler's arms.
Daiki led them into the dining room behind the staircase and told them to have a seat. The chattering of porcelain rang out as silverware, teacups, and saucers placed themselves in front of them. Ciel and Sebastian gawked at the display before Zelda came out with a teapot, greeting them with a warm smile.
"Good to see you, Lord Phantomhive," she said and looked at the pendulum on the table. "I see you've been taking good care of him, Violette."
The amethyst shook with happiness and Ciel felt himself starting to blush. "Please call me Ciel."
She giggled. "Only if you call me Zelda." Then she eyed his butler with a smirk. "How do you do, Mr. Michaelis?"
"Do call me Sebastian, Miss Witch."
"So be it." They smiled at one another as she filled his cup. "Excuse me while I go get the sandwiches and petits fours."
When all was set, Ciel licked his lips as he reached for one of the little cakes, but Sebastian stopped him by placing a sandwich on his plate which he pouted at. Zelda took a sip of the herbal tea before saying, "I take it a friendly visit isn't all you came for."
"Unfortunately," Ciel wiped away the sandwich crumbs and finally grabbed a cake. "We're on a case and believe you can help us."
"Oh?"
"What do you know about this?" Sebastian asked, taking out the doll from his coat and handing it to her.
Daiki almost choked and Ibuki almost spat out his tea. It was a small thing in a red dress with white hair, large round eyes, and stitched smile. It would have looked fine if it weren't for the pins in its throat. Zelda raised a brow at the cute, but terrifying thing. She informed them that the doll was something being used to curse someone. Whoever owned it had a lot of anger. Upon further inspection, emerald pools glimmered.
"Would it be possible for me to accompany you?"
Gilles was surprised to see them return so soon. When he let them in, a couple of children came running towards them and hugged him with smiles and laughter. The older one was a boy about six or seven. His little sister was about four or five. Ciel looked relieved to see Gilles actually had children since he hadn't seen them earlier. It would be strange to hire a governess without any.
The little girl looked at the strange guests. "Are you here to get rid of the ghost?"
Zelda tilted her head, not having been told anything about a ghost. "There's a ghost?"
"Yeah!" shouted her brother. "It likes to throw things and play around with people."
"It's a meanie!" his sister shouted after. Then she noticed the cats at Ciel's feet. "Kitty!"
Ibuki and Daiki began to entertain the two. As the rest were about to go on, an abrupt scream made them all run to see what was happening. The sounds of objects breaking grew louder and louder. When they got to the location, it was a mess and things were still flying around.
"Clarissa!" Gilles ran over to a woman coughing on the floor and she pointed to another woman.
Also on the floor was a cowering Esther Augustine holding her hands over her ears. Without warning, everything stopped and fell with the loudest crash. Sebastian went to help Esther up as Gilles and his butler did the same with his wife. The maids held back the children from entering the room as Daiki and Ibuki rejoined Ciel and Zelda.
Clarissa dusted herself off and glared at the other woman with her icy eyes. She puffed away strands of her messy flaxen hair and yelled, "This is your fault! Why are you even here?!"
Esther didn't know what to say and frantically looked for the words. "I-I—He...I was—"
"I let her stay." Gilles said, looking serious for the first time. "I can't just kick out someone innocent."
"Ex—cough—cuse me?!" his wife was appalled. "She cursed me—cough—and you're saying she's innocent?! She's bewitched you!"
"You're wrong! I'm not the one doing this!" pleaded Esther.
Zelda began to giggle and everyone stared at her. Ciel noticed the way Lady Clarissa became nervous at the sight of the witch and grinned.
"Something wrong, Lady Clarissa?" asked Ciel. The woman looked at him flustered. "Could it be that you're the actual culprit?"
"That's utter nonsense! Why would I make myself sick and a mess of my home?!"
"Because your heart's filled with bitterness," stated Zelda with a smile. "Let me tell you a story." Clarissa bit her lip, looking mortified as she pulled out the doll. "One early October day, a tormented woman bumped into a witch. The witch told her to tell of her woes. The woman was desperate, pleading for help to stop the one that was causing her unhappiness. So, out of the kindness of her heart, the witch made her a doll with hair as black as night and dress matching her foe's blue eyes. The woman grabbed it fast and left in such a hurry that the witch began to wonder if the spell would succeed or become her curse. And now she knows it definitely became the latter."
"Won't you pull a pin?" asked Sebastian appearing next to the ill woman with the doll, startling her.
"All who tried couldn't do it," said Ciel. "If you are innocent, then you wouldn't be able to either."
"Come on," Zelda teased. "It will make you feel better~"
Clarissa looked around at all the others staring at her in shock or disappointment. She gave a defeated sigh and pulled out a pin, feeling her throat loosen up a bit. Once all of them were pulled, she felt well again. Gilles shook his head frowning. "Why?"
"Why?" She glared at him then at Esther. "She was taking you away from me! I'm not blind, Gilles!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I've seen the way you both look at each other and how close you've grown over the years! And I know about your little rendezvous in that treasure room of yours! Admit it, you don't love me!"
"Esther has an amazing interest in the world! She enjoys the collection and stories I tell unlike someone I know!"
Everyone shifted uncomfortably, watching the squabbling couple. By the looks of it, the whole thing steamed from an unhappy marriage. Ciel placed a hand across his face and sighed at the sound of insults and accusations. What a waste of time. They could have just worked it out in private instead of dragging other people into it. Hell, even Miss Augustine looked clueless about their situation. But that didn't matter now. The case was over and he could report to the Queen. Yet, there were still unanswered questions.
"Miss Augustine," Ciel called. "That necklace you have."
The dainty woman lit up with glee. "It's a gift from my grandmother."
"Ah, a talisman," Zelda said as she took a closer look.
Esther nodded. "Grandmother carved the sigil herself."
"So...she's a witch?"
"No Ciel," Zelda laughed, shaking her head. "Anyone can draw a sigil and have it work if they put their energy into it, but that doesn't make them a witch."
"Young Master, I did say she has no trace of magic on her. All the magic is in the necklace filled with her grandmother's good wishes."
"Oh, I see. Feelings and intentions have to be strong in order for spells and magic to work, is that it?
"You're on the right track." The witch patted his head. Sebastian silently laughed at the boy who should have known the answer to his own question. How else was the demon by his side?
Ciel then pointed at the doll in his butler's hands. "Didn't you say the hair was black and the dress was blue?"
"Yes, if you look closely at the roots, you'll see they're black. Because the spell rebounded, Lady Clarissa became the target. So, the hair turned white to match her and the dress turned red because she was seeing red."
"And what about the flying objects and such?"
Sebastian answered, "Lady Clarissa's anger manifested as a poltergeist, wreaking havoc on the entire house whenever Miss Augustine was around. Since Lady Clarissa is letting out her frustrations, they no longer have to worry about it unless she lets it build and spill out again. Just as we saw, Young Master, emotions are indeed a strong thing to have."
Zelda beamed at at the butler. "I'm impressed, Sebastian."
"Well, I've lived a long time to know these things." He smirked and whispered into her ear, "But I do lack knowledge of witches. Care to personally inform me?"
She playfully hit him and proceeded to cleanse the place with sage just to be safe.
Ciel stroked the cats on his lap and stared at Zelda who was sitting across from him on their way home. Just what kind of witch was she? She was the one that gave Lady Clarissa the doll to use against Miss Augustine, but the things she did affected her instead. Does one's character determine who receives the outcome? Ciel considered that a good thing on her part if that's how it worked. He didn't want to hear about her from the Queen if her magic was causing trouble... His face warped into an awkward expression.
"Are you alright, Ciel?" asked the witch.
He vigorously nodded and composed himself. Okay, so it did cause a minor problem, but they resolved it. He had watched her cast a sleeping spell on everyone in the Edeline Manor after they cleaned the mess up. When the place fell silent, there was a hint of lavender that followed. He didn't even know magic could have a scent. From what Zelda told them, the smell of lavender calms and soothes the nerves, making it good for sleep. "Will they remember the events when they wake up?"
"Yes, they'll remember everything," said Zelda.
Ciel tilted his head in confusion. "But that means they'll remember you're a witch."
She shook her head, "Not to worry, Ciel. They're far too blinded by something else to ponder over that fact. Besides, looking for me isn't an easy task. Right, Sebastian?" She looked at the shocked butler next to her. "I sensed your presence when you came by during those summer months, but you couldn't do so with mine. Barriers work wonders, you know."
Sebastian chuckled. Now he was the one that should have known. "I'm hurt that you didn't invite me in."
"Please don't be," she patted his shoulder. "You have an invitation now."
