Ciel Phantomhive
Dewey held the thick file in her hand, staring at the name etched within the corner of the front page. The document was larger than she expected, considering the Earl didn't seem like one to share information. Big or small, thick or thin, the size didn't matter. She finally had it. A peek into the blue haired boy's life.
"You were out later than expected," Dewey muttered, failing to draw her eyes from the file "I assume something in particular caught your eye?"
"No, my mistress, nothing of particular interest," Eve replied with a sharp smile "The file was quite hidden, that's all"
The white haired girl seemed to send her a look of doubt, but she quickly washed it off. As long as she had the file, nothing else was of value at the moment. Or rather of concern.
"I expect you cleared my appointments for today?" Dewey asked demandingly
Eve nodded "Of course, my mistress. If I couldn't do that much, I would put the Blackwood name in vain"
"I wouldn't necessarily put is as 'in vain'…" Dewey mumbled under her breath. Eve sent her a confused look at her master, but the white haired girl flicked her hand, as to say it didn't matter at all.
With a sigh, her thoughts blended back into the file within her black gloved hand. It seemed so simple, to just lift the first page and begin to dig it out essentially his life. Perhaps it was too simple. But, she finally got what she wanted after all this time. So, with a determined look, she carefully lifted the first page and began her investigation into the mysterious Earl.
Her blood red eyes immediately drew to a rather simple photograph tucked in the corner of the page, as though someone attempted to hide it as best as they could. She could see why. Ciel looked like a shriveled mess.
His usually neat blue hair was a dirt caked mop, as though someone dumped a bucket of dirt over his head. His singular blue, exposed eye seemed to droop under the weight of his eyelid, along with a thick black shadow under his eyes that looked as though someone violently punched him in the eye. She wouldn't be surprise if someone really did. What really stood out to her was his utterly blank, lifeless stare. His dark blue eye were a shallow pool of darkness, deprived of joy, anger, or fear. It was like sucked sucked the humanity out of him. It was like he lost what made him human.
Dewey briefly studied the photo of the lifeless Earl, before she began read his profile.
"Ciel Phantomhive...born December 14, 1875...father is Vincent Phantomhive...Mother is Rachel Phantomhive…"
Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive...the names caused Dewey to squint in thought. They seemed vaguely familiar, like the names of people she met perhaps once, twice at the most. It was like their should have been more in her mind about them, like someone scooped out that certain memory of them right out of her head. It was quite an odd feeling, to Dewey
"Did you discover anything of importance of Earl Phantomhive's parents?" Dewey drew her eyes to her beloved butler.
"Yes. In fact, his father was the queen's guard dog as well. I attempted to study more into his affiliation with her Queen, however, information was scarce. Judging from what I have found, the Phantomhive name has been under the Queen's keen eye for quite a few generations. From this, we can assume he is the current guarddog filling out her majesty's duties" Eve explained.
"Ah," The blood eyed girl responded lightly "And their fate? I recall they're gone?"
"They died in a fire at their estate nearly three years ago. Their manor burned down to nearly ashes. The Scotland Yard reported the blaze was started by an unattended fire"
Dewey turned to the next page of the file, and was met with the certain newspaper article, depicting the aftermath of the blazing fire. What was once a beautiful house was now blackened wood that pierced through the naked sky. The roof was completely missing, as though someone tore it completely off. There was absolutely not a trace of the estate anywhere. It was simply rubble.
Deadly Fire Kills Esteemed Family!
The vague memory flooded back to her. She remembered reading that news article years ago. It was only months after she gained her butler dressed in black. She didn't think much of the breaking news story when she read it years ago. People died every day. She just remembered tossing it aside like any other paper she's read for the past three years.
"A fire obliterated his parents, hm?" She mumbled, as she briefly scanned through "It was on his birthday too..."
That was like adding sea salt to a flaming wound. Even if the Scotland Yard reported something as simple as a running fire, the circumstances seemed rather suspicious. With little to no information to confirm her suspicions, she shoved the thought right out of her head.
"He seems to be the head of the Funtom Toy company as well" Dewey continued reading.
"Pardon?" Eve asked, raising her eyebrow in confusion.
"I believe it is the company that sells popular toy and confectionary products"
"I see," Eve sighed "The name must have slipped through my mind"
Dewey simply replied with a shrug. Her red eyes drew back to the document, searching for more useful information. Although it seemed rather odd he was the head of a prestigious company, as well as a guard dog at such a young age, it failed to catch the attention of the young viscountess herself, considering she did the same. Something however, seemed to be particularly interesting to the white haired girl.
"It seems the Earl went missing for nearly a month after the fire" Dewey read off his file "When he arrived, he came back with a butler dressed in black, by the name of Sebastian Michaelis"
Sebastian Michaelis...Eve knew right off the top of her head, from her countless years of studying such creatures, that wasn't his real name. It wasn't like a name whatsoever. It was like a tag, a name of ownership for the Earl. It was like naming a pet.
"That butler is a demon, you said, yes?" Dewey asked.
"Yes, and a rather loyal one at that" Eve
The white haired girl set the thick document on the large dining table, right next to her lightly colored tea "What is your knowledge of those creatures? As a sorceress, you should know well"
"Ah, yes, demons…" Eve trailed off, as though she was unlocking a duty box of information in her memory "They are rather opportunistic creatures that take on a particularly vile form, nothing compared to the man you saw before. They are said to be fallen angels, who can be the incarnation of human sins. Thus, they feast on human souls in order to survive the sweltering depths of hell. Since souls can be fickle in nature, some of these demons who are demanding choose to make deals with humans, as to 'tenderize' their souls for ripening. Some humans and witches, in general seem to worship them for a chance to create a contract for a certain desire" Eve sighed in disappointment "It's a rather ignorant motive for humans and witches alike, unless they know what they are getting into"
"Your a-" Dewey earned a nasty glare from the Irish haired sorceress herself, as to warn her of her next words "...sorceress yourself, are you not?"
Eve wiped that seething glare from her face, and lightly chuckled "As I said, my lady. It's a ignorant means unless, you know your next move. After that, it's a rather ignorant motive for the demon"
Dewey picked up the thick document and began searching once again "Are you implying humans are weak and powerless?"
"Not at all, my lady," Eve softly replied, along with a mocking smile "Their weakness comes from their ease into temptation. However, demons are not the only one who capitalize on this"
"I suppose" Dewey briefly glanced at her sharply smiling butler, before her red eyes drew back to the information within her fingertips. Her attention drew back to the Earl's missing month, in which he seemingly disappeared from the face of the planet, and reappeared soon after.
With nearly no information about that missing month near the end of the file, her hopes of an answer drastically fell. She hoped there would be a little information, perhaps a short report or such.
Right as she was about to flip to the next page, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. The last page seemed wrinkled, and a much darker color that the paper before it. It seemed to be in a much dire state than the pages before it, as though it just happened to be attached lazily after the file was made. It certainly caught her attention. So, without so much as a thought of the next page, she flipped the file. How she underestimated it.
Her blood red eyes widened right as they laid onto the horrid page.
There. There it was. There it was again, after all these years. She thought she would never have to see it again. That symbol. That horrid symbol. That brand from that demon worshiping cult.
Her small hands began to tremble as the memories flooded back to her. The bitter smell of burning flesh. The screams that filled her ears. The rivers and rivers of blood that flowed straight to her. The people in the masks, smiling madly as they killed and branded children. The children who died right next to her.
"My lady" Eve reached out her hand in concern "Are you-"
"I'm fine…" Dewey interrupted, as she tried her best to steady as she could, but still came out like a squeak. It was a blatant, obvious lie to the Irish haired butler, but she refused to say anything about it.
"I-I just n-need…" The white haired girl dropped the file onto the table, and reached out for her cup of tea. As she brought it to her lips however, the porcelain cup jittered in her hands, causing some of the brown liquid to spill out and splash across the table. Eve delicately touched the teacup to stabilize it for her master to drink and recollect her thoughts.
After a long, blank sip, Dewey sighed. She settled her eyes, as well as her thoughts.
"I'm fine" The white haired girl repeated in a stronger, yet more bitter tone. She lightly pushed away the ocean eyed sorceress hand and set her cup back onto its resting place.
She drew her eyes back to that now cursed file. So, the Earl had something to do with that brand. She couldn't begin to comprehend how he got into that mess, let alone why and how he got out alive. It should have been a rather simple answer, but it wasn't. It was more complicated than it should have been.
She had to know. She needed to know. She needed the information. Knowing that brand was connected to the Earl could be an open door for her. She could figure out who put her in a cage. She could figure out who caused her pain. She could figure out who obliterated her family.
It was bound to happen anyway, a conflict such as this. She knew very well she was as paranoid as he was. It was only a question of who was the most anxious with the other's existence. Paranoia was enough to drive anyone to disparity. It was paranoia that drove her.
If she could just coax the Earl into discussing his own experience…
She just had to get him alone, that's all. Away from his manor, away from his acquaintances, and away from that butler of his. Even if then he refused, she might have to take some unconventional methods. She wouldn't mind. Not at all. Right then, the idea popped in her head, causing a faint, yet uncharacteristic joyful smile to cross her face.
She delicately touched her chin in thought "Eve, how does a ball sound?"
"A ball?" Eve raised her eyebrow questionably.
"Yes...a ball…" The red eyed girl trailed off "It seems to strike my fancy right about now...It would be best to invite everyone I know. Everyone"
"Yes, my mistress. I'll begin the preparations right away" Eve bowed, and began to walk away.
Unknown to her master however, a particularly sinister smile crawled up the irish haired sorceress' face as she reached the end of the elegant dining table. This ball was going to be quite interesting.
Dewey Blackwood
Ciel briefly scanned the document's cover page, plastered with none other than the viscountess' name. It was a relatively hefty file, filled to the brim with information just at his fingertips. It was essentially the life of a girl simply written down on a few pages. It was rather cynical of the young Earl, but nonetheless correct.
Even if it was nearly midnight, it barely stopped the young Earl from his work. He simply sat in his large, comfortable bed along with the file within his fingers. With a warm cup of a blended tea, he could last a couple of hours before his drowsiness took over him.
"So, this is it?" Ciel said with a sense of disappointment in his voice, as though he expected much more than just one file.
"Indeed," Sebastian responded "You did order me to retrieve information on the Viscountess, after all"
The young Earl seemed to send a rather soft glare towards his butler, before he drew his attention back to the thick pages. Without so much as another glance or thought, he easily flipped open the first page, and began his work.
His dark blue eyes first drew to the small, sepia photo tucked in the corner of the file. Although the photo itself was in exceptionally good shape, the same could not be said for the young viscountess portrayed in the picture. In fact, she looked like a disaster.
Her normally white, pure hair was a tangled mess, spotted with what looked like mud and dirt, a stain even evident on the photo. A thick frown sat on her face, like it was stitched firmly in place. Her maroon red eyes were narrowed like slits, exposing deep lines all around them. Thick, paint like circles sat under her eyes, like a makeup job gone wrong. Those red eyes...they seemed to speak of terrible things. They seemed to be utterly lifeless, like someone beat the life of the young viscountess, and left a shell of a person. Ciel easily recognized the look. He saw it before, but not to nearly this extent. She just seemed dead.
He sighed, and continued his investigation.
Dewey Blackwood… He read in his head was born January 23, 1875. Her predecessors were by the name of Avery and Katherine Blackwood…
Even with the addition of those names, they failed to ring a bell within Ciel's head. He barely wasted his time keeping track of seemingly insignificant names in the first place. He didn't even bother to when the Phantomhive Earl before him was the head of the household, all those years ago.
"Tell me what you know of a Katherine and Avery Blackwood" Ciel said in a rather bored, yet demanding tone.
"Ah, yes, the Blackwood line" The black haired butler touched his thin chin in thought "I believe Avery Blackwood was the head of a rather obsolete company by the name of Blackwood Printing and Publishing. It was a rather popular company many years ago, but now it is settling within the dust of near bankruptcy.
The company sounded vaguely familiar to the young Earl, but it didn't seem important to his investigation "I suppose he was another guard dog for her majesty, yes?"
Sebastian softly shook his head "On the contrary, Katherine Blackwood was her majesty's 'hound'. From what I recall, this division essentially erases occurrences even before they are reported to the Yard, or soon after, as a way to quell the number of known crimes. I believe the former Viscountess worked as a first generation hound as well"
"Then judging from the current Viscountess' appearance in the Jack the Ripper case, she also actively fills in the Queen's duties as a so called villainous noble" Ciel put together.
It made enough sense. The question was now not how the white haired earned those positions, but why.
The young Earl thumbed through a few pages of bland, useless information, until a certain newspaper article caught his eye. He laid his thumb on the edge of the paper, as his eyes scanned across the large headliner.
Mass Assassination on New Year's Day!
The main, large picture depicted a pile of lifeless, blood soaked bodies, set up against a blood stained wall. Dressed in rather high class clothes, the bodies looked as though they were thrown into a trash pile, and treated as such. Ciel didn't recognize any of the nobles depicted in the photograph, let alone did he remember the article itself. It was long before he bothered to pick up the newspaper at all. It was a time when the former Earl was in charge.
"It seems a mass invasion of her manor wiped out her entire family, on New Year's Day of 1885" the young Earl summarized "Three particular bodies were missing from the scene however, the owner of the Blackwood manor, his wife, and his child. The current viscountess however…" He flipped a few pages in "Was the only one who came back alive, along with a butler dressed in black, Eveanna Crane, nearly a month later"
"Awfully familiar, isn't it, my lord?" Sebastian said with a certain smirk across his face.
"Yes, yes it is" Ciel agreed, then continued reading the information "The former Viscount was found dead soon after, however the Viscountess is presumed missing. Most likely dead as well"
He briefly scanned each page, looking for pleasing, valuable information. Each page he went through however, he found they were only filled with land documents and such. His insightful investigation began to transform into meaningless trivia. So, right as he was about to turn to the last page, a loud, tired sigh escaped him.
As he lifted the corner of the page, he paused. His curious eyes drew to the last bit of the exposed page. Unlike the other pages before it, it was stained a rather dark shade of brown, like someone accidentally dropped it into a puddle filled with dirty water. Although his dark blue eyes failed to show his curiosity, his interest grew yet again. He turned to the last page without hesitation. He certainly wasn't prepared for what came next.
"Ah…" His dark blue eyes widened, showing his absolute shock.
It couldn't have been. It shouldn't have been. How in the seven depths of hell was it even possible? That brand. That symbol scared in his own body. How in bloody hell was it in her file? How did it even connect with her?
The screams. It filled his ears once again. The smell of bitter, burning flesh. It filled his nose again. The dagger slicing through his body. It shook through his frail body once again.
"Master?" Sebastian raised his eyebrow questionably. Even with Ciel's awfully noticeable internal crisis, the black dressed butler wasn't too concerned at all. In fact, he simply stood planted in place like a ruler, with his hands firmly together.
"I'm fine" The young Earl croaked out in the strongest voice he could. He clamped onto the file tighter, as to stop the shaking within his hands, but it only seemed to make it worse. He immediately swallowed the rather large lump in his throat, and took a deep, calming breath, nearly erasing his surprise and utter shock within seconds.
Suddenly, a rather loud, banging knock escaped his door, catching the attention of the young Earl and his butler. Ciel erased his surprised expression and transformed it into a rather loose, blank look.
"Young master!" Mey-Rin shouted from the other side "I just received a letter! It's addressed to you!"
"Who could be possibly sending letters at this hour?" Ciel mumbled in annoyance under his breath, knowing it's only minutes from midnight. With a tired sigh, he flicked his hand demandingly "Let her in"
"Of course, my lord" Sebastian gave a brief bow, before he opened the door for the rather eagar red haired maid.
Mey-Rin seemed rather frazzled as the black haired butler gently lifted the thin envelope from her hand, as though his touch was all that she needed.
After a brief acknowledgement of the maid's 'hearty' work, Sebastian closed the door, and handed his master the ever so mysterious letter.
With a silver lined letter opener in the young Earl's fingers, his eyes drew to the shiny, red wax seal that kept the envelope tightly shut. Embedded in the seal was an image of what seemed to be a elegantly printed spade, like the ones he seen so many times on playing cards.
With a rather bored look that crossed his face, he dug the letter opener into the seal, and pulled out the ever so mysterious message.
"It's an invitation to a ball" he summarized for his butler. He didn't need to tell Sebastian who was throwing this particular sorie. They both knew as soon as the young Earl cracked open the envelope.
"A ball?" Sebastian lightly chuckled "How desperate of the lady"
A ball...So this was the approach the viscountess was aiming from?
Ciel's dark blue eyes scanned the golden lined invitation over and over again, as though the little information on it would drill into his mind. A sense of satisfaction began to grow over him, as a plan began to form in his head. The seemed like the perfect plan not only for Dewey, but also for himself. He couldn't just have someone who he barely knew he related to his revenge in some way. He needed information, information perhaps that viscountess would have. After that, perhaps a bullet would nicely be drilled into her head, as to end the nonsense.
Although there were two contracts, two servants, and two masters on the line, one was bound to overcome the other. One was bound to survive, while the other wallowed his death and despair. There couldn't be two, because if their was, they would naturally try to destroy each other, even without a motive. It was simply the nature of the game. That's why he was a Phantomhive, he always knew how to manipulate the game in their favor.
Sebastian didn't even bother to ask about his master's decision for the ball. His stern, blank stare was all he needed.
So, we found a little more about Dewey! And now a mysterious ball...
Anyways, I have a little bit of news on my part. I added a new thing to my profile called 'Story Status'. It's basically an update on my part on how writing is going and when I'm planning to post and stuff. I think it'll be a good way for you readers to gauge when I'll post a new chapter of this fic if not, or if your interested in any of my other fics.
On that note...I'm going to be taking a hiatus on all my stories for a couple of weeks. I know it seems sudden, but I got a crap ton of exams and finals coming up within the next few weeks. I'll of course work on my fics when I have time, but don't expect updates any time soon. Sorry!
Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are appreciated!
- X-Xepher-X
