The Curtains are Rising and Falling


~O~

Nature has no principles. She makes no distinction between good and evil.

-Anatole France-

~O~


The marionette found Beast and Joker together, speaking quietly to each other so as not to disturb the silence. She was crying, or at least looked close to doing so. Joker looked saddened by her tears, but in a semi-detached manner, as though he was sorry they were there, but had bigger fish to fry. He did, of course, though he had no idea just how big they were, and neither did Beast.

Perched casually on one of the stacked-tall crates, Muffet watched idly as Joker kindly but firmly rebuffed her pleas, and walked away. He'd left her his scarf, still warm from his skin, a hidden cruelty: acting so distant, but treating her with just enough affection to keep her hanging on. To keep her hoping that one day, just maybe, he might give her more. No wonder Beast hadn't yet let go. Muffet sometimes wanted to tell her, but mostly it was entertaining in a pathetic sort of way.

Now Beast was definitely crying, and there was the manservant. Oh my, now this was a plot twist: a strange man approaching a crying, emotionally vulnerable woman on this cold night? She sat up to watch, her interest piqued.

"Oh dear, are you crying?" He asked her, smiling candidly.

"None of your business!" Beast snapped, rubbing furiously at her tears. "Piss off!"

"It's no use, my dear." Muffet's eyes widened as he moved, faster than any human should have been able to. He pressed himself up against Beast's back, trapping her against the metal railings that separated the camp from the forest. "Pursuing men like that is a waste of time. They can't return your feelings, so they decide to be kind. All the while knowing it only hurts you more. Cruel, isn't it?"

Well, well, looked like someone was clearly well-versed in manipulation. Muffet adjusted herself, and grinned widely. She mouthed along to his words as he spoke them, "How long have you been crying these sad tears? How long have you been carrying on this relationship that can only make you maudlin?"

Beast gritted her teeth and whirled around, her fists clenched. "What would you know about it?!" She threw a punch, but the man only dodged it and then caught her arm. He pulled her against him again.

And now it had gone on long enough, because as pathetic as Muffet found Beast's inane little crush, she did respect the other woman. The manservant here did not. He wanted information from her, information that she would give him because he'd caught her at a low point when she needed affection from someone. Anyone.

One of the crates was stacked precariously atop the others, and it only took the barest shove of her toes to send it crashing to the ground. The sound startled the two, and Beast ripped herself out of Black's arms. The sound had broken the mood, and fully realising their previous position and proposition, Beast snarled angrily. "You creep! Don't you dare touch me ever again!" With that, she stalked off, muttering angrily to herself and furiously wiping at her eyes.

Muffet watched her leave, and then turned her attention back to Black. He looked incredibly displeased. His eyes went to the fallen crate, then to the top of the tent where Muffet was hiding-but-not-really. Smiling, she fell back into her dead-eyed-doll state, and waited for him to come get her.

It took him approximately 10 seconds to come to the same conclusion she had, and an extra 5 for him to walk over to her and pluck her down from the crates. "I am growing tired of your continued appearance, Ms. Muffet," he said calmly to her frozen smile. "Especially since you seem bent on preventing me from doing my master's bidding."

Muffet raised her head and blinked innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about Black," she replied sweetly. "I'm just a puppet, after all."

"You are becoming a nuisance," Sebastian replied dryly. This night was turning out to be far more stressful than he had expected. "I do not typically tolerate obstacles."

"That may be, demon, but honestly what are you going to do about it?" She cackled at his expression of mild surprise. "Don't deny it Black! I know supernatural creatures when I see them!" Sebastian raised both eyebrows, his interest in her rising slightly. "You're not gonna get anything from Beast now, and she was your last shot wasn't she?" Muffet tutted and pursed her lips in faux sympathy. "Too bad no one else willing to tell you anything actually knows what you want to know. Not Snake, and not Doll."

He arched an eyebrow now. "And you?" He asked curiously. "What do you know?"

"Oh me?" She laughed and jumped out of his hands and out of his immediate reac. "I know lots of things. Lots of things. I know Joker does love Beast, but doesn't rank his feelings too highly. I know how Doll lost her eye, that the doctor isn't really lame, and who the Baron is!"

"You said you didn't," he cocked his head to the side as though the thought had never occurred to him. "You lied?"

"It's a thing I can do! Part of being an autonomous being with a working concept of Machiavellian intelligence." She smirked as his eyes narrowed, and held out her arms in a peaceful manner. "Don't look so annoyed, I'll tell you! I just want something in return once this is all over.

The demon's eyes gleamed thoughtfully. It had been years since someone had tried to make such a deal with him. His binding contract with Ciel meant that, in this case, she had the upper hand. And demons couldn't lie. "I cannot promise anything. After all, I am merely a servant."

"Nothing too drastic then. I'll let you know once I've thought of it. Until then," the puppet held out her hand to him. "Do we have a deal?"

Sebastian stared at the many joints that made up the appendage, and then gripped it in his own gloveless hand. He smiled back with sharp teeth. "Yes, we do."

The next morning, Black and Smile were gone as though they had never been there in the first place. Muffet pretended to be shocked and worried along with everyone else, and then went to go play with the snakes. She found Suit strolling between the tents, and made it a point to hop into place beside him. "You must be pleased now, right?" She asked cheerily.

As always, he eyes her warily and adjusted his glasses. "About what?"

"With the demon gone, your work must be much easier now." He froze with one leg in the air, and she laughed uproariously and skipped away.

In the morning their absence had been only a whisper, but by evening the news had travelled almost all around the camp. By evening, the other first-tier members were making plans to leave, and by night so was the doctor.

The candle flame shook as he hurriedly packed his belongings into a suitcase. The wheelchair had been shoved into a corner; after all he would no longer have any need for it here anyway. Whether this night or tomorrow's, things would come to a head in a truly spectacular manner. While the doctor did not care about the baron's obsessive and decidedly creepy infatuation, the man was his benefactor, and it was always nice to have someone willing to dole out money and resources for his research. He was so excited that he barely finished fastening the clips of his bag before he left his tent and snuck out of the circus. There, out of the circus's sight and hearing, and half hidden behind several trees was a carriage waiting for him.

He climbed inside without waiting for the footman at the front to open it for him, and tapped the ceiling impatiently. When there was no response, he tapped it again. His eyes narrowed, and he stuck his head out of the carriage window. "What is causing this delay!?"

Then he jumped in place as he noticed something on the ground: a dead body with a gunshot wound to the forehead. There was blood and viscera staining the side of the carriage. His eyes widened as he stared down the dark barrel of a pistol. Behind that was the grinning face with too blue eyes and thick blonde hair.

Muffet grinned wider. "Well hello Doctor! Going somewhere?"

Confusion and shock rendered him incapable of moving or speaking for several seconds, and then he began to shake. "Y-You're supposed to be wound down!" He stuttered out. Her finger was still on the trigger. "H-How did you-?"

"I know things, Doc!" The normally friendly nickname sounded threatening coming from that unhinged-looking smile. "But I won't lie, there's some information missing! So why don't you fill them out for me? Who knows, I may not even shoot you!"

The doctor threw himself back into the carriage and out the other side as fast as he could. He tried to run, but only got a few steps when a quiet gunshot rang through the air and a bullet tore through his left knee. He toppled to the ground with a scream that was more of shock than actual pain. His ears rang, but he could hear Muffet cackling behind him.

The doll was nearly crying with the irony of it all. "I guess now you really are lame!" Panicked and bleeding, the doctor tried to drag himself away as she strolled over. He heard the ominous click of a gun being loaded. "Are you going to tell me what I want to know or not?"

So he talked, as such men do. He had no cares in the world aside from his research, and he was the only one who could continue it. If he died, then it would likely die with him. Once he'd confessed every horrific, depraved thing, he stared up at her hopefully. "I've told you everything, I swear! Will you let me go now?"

"Hmm…" the woman tapped her chin and hummed thoughtfully. Then she shot him in the head. She dragged the corpse back to the carriage and shoved it inside, then climbed onto the front seat. The horse hadn't been spooked by the gunshots, and only blinked blearily at her when she grabbed the reins.

This night would end in tragedy one way or another. Muffet thought of the first-tier members going off to the mysterious manor. She thought of the Phantomhives. She thought about Snake, and felt a pang of sadness. She couldn't bring him home with her, and he was fiercely loyal to the circus. They were his family; it was unlikely that he'd even be able to believe them capable of their crimes. The concept of human duality was mostly lost on him. Would he be alright without her?

The puppet sighed, and then pulled her hair out of its bun. Pale locks cascaded down her back, and she shook them off her face and shoulders. "This adventure is over," she sighed softly to herself, and then smiled into the night and flicked the reins. "Come darling, it's time to go home."

The Circus Arc ends here, but this is not the end. Please stick with me and I hope you enjoy what comes next!