Lesson Ten: You are Unique, Just Like Everyone Else
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"Before I forget," Ash began, as the Host Club settled into the minibus, "At the end of this week, we will be holding a special event for the club. It will be a 'Talent Showcase'."
"Sounds cheesy," dismissed Joker, who stared out the window devoid of his usual charm and cheer.
Meanwhile, Ciel thought it sounded rather worrisome.
Sebastian took the liberty of explaining the matter. "Essentially, each of you will be given a station, at which you may demonstrate a unique talent. Of course, as an additional selling point, you must each produce some sort of keepsake for the ladies to take away with them."
The other hosts looked at each other; some were excited, others less so.
Ash cleared his throat. "Therefore, your task is to think of the talent you will showcase, and to design a keepsake that relates to it."
"And if we don't?" tried Ciel cautiously.
The white-haired boy didn't flinch as he replied, "I would prefer not to mention such things in public."
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The wig was an unfamiliar weight on his head, having spent the weekend without it. Ciel dragged his bags down the hallway back to his suite. He'd made sure not to be seen entering the hall of residence with Sebastian, lest he be bullied by a squabble of bratty girls again. Still, he found himself regretting his decision when Sebastian merrily handed him his bag to go alone.
As he entered his room, he pondered the assignment Ash had given him. What on earth would he consider a unique talent? In his head, Ciel ran through all the things he thought he could do;
He could play chess.
…No, that airheaded bunch of girls would never find that entertaining.
He could play the violin.
…Then again, everyone at Stoneleigh Park Academy could play the violin…
He could recite the names of every monarch from the nineteenth century to the present.
…Once more, those girls would never find that entertaining.
Ciel huffed and threw his bags on the ground. This would prove to be a most bothersome task, and the worst part was that the Host Club would meet in two days' time to make arrangements for the event. If he had nothing to contribute, he'd suffer the wrath of Sebastian and Ash. What was more, Ciel hated losing a challenge. This wasn't a challenge like any he'd ever come across, but defeat would not be an option. Tomorrow, he would do some research to find his unique talent.
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It was the end of the day. Ciel waited in a study room, tapping the end of his pen impatiently. He'd expected too much when he expected Soma to arrive on time. How annoying – he wanted to get this over with so that he could return to the safety of his suite and shed the uniform skirt he so detested. On the piece of paper in front of him he'd already scribbled several ideas, but none of them sounded plausible. He wracked his brains for more ideas, though none came.
There was a click and a swish as the door opened, then a cheerful "Sorry I'm late, Skye!" from Soma, and then a swish and a click as the door closed. He sat down and twiddled his thumbs, not at all sharing Ciel's sense of urgency.
"What took you so long?"
Soma smiled, "I bumped into one of my clients on the way here so I asked her what she'd like me to do for the showcase."
Ciel slammed his pen on the table. "That's cheating!"
"You're cheating too! You're asking me for help." teased the prince, sticking his tongue out. He did have a point, though Ciel wasn't sure how much help he'd be…
And surely enough, Prince Soma proved to be of little assistance – after a good hour or two, all Ciel had to show for their effort was a piece of paper dominated by Soma's childish doodles of the Indian goddess Kali. Once he'd left, Ciel had promptly crumpled the paper and thrown it into a nearby bin. He stomped out of the study room in a huff, eager to change out of his uncomfortably short skirt.
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The sound of papers being shuffled caused the Host Club, seated around a table in the middle of the club room, to fall quiet, marking the beginning of the evening's meeting. Even though nobody spoke, the room buzzed with excitement. However, Ciel buzzed more with anxiety than anything else, having searched the depths of his mind and found nothing remotely useful for this event.
"Well then," said Sebastian, examining the pile of paper in front of him. "Firstly I would like to thank you for submitting your proposals to us before the meeting. They all sound executable and effective."
He proceeded to read out the ideas of each of the members – Grell was to give each of the clients a manicure, and give away a nail file featuring a motif he'd designed himself; Joker would perform magic tricks and present each girl with a Queen of Hearts card that (again) he'd designed; Soma wanted to give a crash course in Indian dance, and would give his clients a golden bangle he'd ordered from India; Agni would have a station outdoors, where he would cook an individualised curry for his clients, and give them a bottle of the spices he'd used for them to take home; Ash preferred to sketch a portrait and compose a poem for each girl, while Sebastian would create a personalised dessert for every girl and subsequently give her the recipe (so that her family cook could replicate it afterward). The only person Sebastian did not talk about was, of course…
"Ciel," said Ash in a stern tone. "You are the only one who has not informed us of what you want to do for the Talent Showcase."
Ciel fidgeted in his chair. "I…I haven't really thought of anything to do." He felt the curious stares of his fellow hosts burn into his forehead. What else was he supposed to say?
"This is most unacceptable," Sebastian said levelly. "This event was designed to draw in new customers. Without your participation we will most definitely lose some patronage."
Ash examined Ciel's nervous expression with an air of disinterest. Frankly, Ciel dreaded to guess what he was thinking. It was always so difficult to read the two leaders of the club. At length, the white-haired student finally said, "If that's the case, we will give you another day to think. If you do not submit an idea to us by then, I suppose we shall have to punish you."
The hairs on the back of Ciel's neck stood up. "Punishment…?"
"Sebastian, have you any creative ideas for a suitable punishment?" he asked casually.
The ebony-haired one smiled, eyes glittering brilliantly. "I believe I may have a cat costume stashed away in the club storage cupboard."
"Very well. If Ciel does not have a unique talent to showcase by the day after tomorrow, he must wear the cat costume for the entire duration of the event." Ash clasped his hands together gracefully. Though the idea was ridiculous, his voice was dead serious.
The earl could hardly believe his ears.
With that, the meeting concluded. The rest of the Host Club left, giving Ciel some half-hearted encouragement before doing so. Despite knowing how mortified Ciel was at the thought of such a degrading punishment, secretly, they all wanted to see him in a cat costume.
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At approximately one o'clock in the morning, Sebastian awoke to the sound of tapping at the French doors that opened out to his balcony. Pulling back one curtain, he found a small pile of paper, crumpled into balls. He looked up, just as another scrunched-up piece of paper hit the glass, and saw Ciel sitting on the ground on his own balcony, a writing pad in his lap. When Sebastian opened the door, the boy tore another sheet from the dwindling pad, scrunched it up, and threw it straight at his neighbour's head. Sebastian moved over by just a few centimetres and narrowly missed the projectile. Seeing that his attempt at hitting the black-haired one had failed, Ciel resorted to shooting him an icy glare.
"Such actions are most unbecoming of a young lady like yourself." said the taller one teasingly. He walked over to the edge of the balcony closest to Ciel's.
"It's all your fault!" bellowed the grey-haired boy. "I wouldn't be in this predicament if you didn't mention that cat costume!"
The childish comment made him smile. "Could my little master be having difficulty with this task?"
Ciel bit his lip. He never liked admitting anything to anyone, especially not his horrid neighbour. Even though he detested it, he still spoke. "I can't think of anything good to do. Not for the life of me. I don't even know where to start."
"There must be something," encouraged Sebastian. "Surely there is but one talent that defines you?"
Something that defined him. Ciel knew what Sebastian meant, but he had no idea just what defined him. There was nothing special or remarkable about him; all he really knew was to think and order others around…
An unsettled moment passed without further conversation. The earl grunted and stood up, saying he'd think about it. Of course he would – did he have any other choice? His expression was a troubled one when he stepped back into his suite. As an afterthought, he popped his head back out and looked at his neighbour.
"Oh yes, don't forget to clean up the mess you made." he said, pointing to the crumpled paper at Sebastian's feet.
Once Ciel and his long pigtails disappeared inside, Sebastian sighed.
"Somehow, I've become a butler. Honestly, this child…"
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He couldn't sleep – Sebastian's words plagued his thoughts, playing over and over again as a broken record. He buried his head under his pillow in annoyance. What was it that defined him? Moreover, if everyone else knew what their defining talent was, then why didn't he? Why was it so difficult for him? Perhaps he was missing something, perhaps they knew something he didn't. Perhaps there wasn't anything that defined him? The notion of it bothered him to no end.
Ciel tossed around under the duvet, agitated and tired. All he wanted right now was to fall asleep. Sitting up wearily, he reached for the music box on his bedside table, wound it up, and placed it back down. He lay sideways, staring at the ornate trinket as it played its melancholy tune.
He hit his forehead with his palm several times, silently reprimanding himself. This was such a trivial matter to be concerned about, especially for someone such as himself. He had other things that had to be done, for instance, the plans for the new computer game to be released. He'd sketched several character designs and had already thought of a plot for it. There was a meeting scheduled next week during which he would pitch the concept. Of course, though he had to go through an approval process, being head of his company meant that most of his plans went ahead anyway. Besides, there was never a product he'd designed that failed to take off. With that thought, he grinned a little, and slowly shut his eye.
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The lunch hour could not have come any sooner. After his battle with sleeplessness last night, Ciel awoke half an hour later than usual, throwing off his entire routine. He was late to his first class, and hadn't even managed to have breakfast – not even a cup of tea. He parted crowds with his furious glare when he entered his usual café for lunch, not even noticing Soma, Agni, Grell and Joker waving to him from one of the tables.
Soma pushed his bottom lip out and whimpered like a hurt puppy when Ciel ignored his waving and headed straight for the queue. "Ciel looks really grumpy today."
His redheaded upperclassman grinned. "He's just worried about his impending doom."
"Would you be referring to Mr. Sebastian's cat suit?" asked Agni.
Joker simply sighed, watching Ciel as he placed his order.
"I wonder what the cat suit actually looks like…I've never seen it before." Soma mused, taking a sip of his strawberry milkshake.
Joker perked up. Soma was right – nobody had ever seen the cat costume Sebastian mentioned, although that was not surprising seeing as none of the hosts bothered to look in the club storage cupboard save for the two leaders. And given that Sebastian was rather partial towards felines, it was highly likely that he'd saved a cat suit for such a time as this.
Agni rested his chin in his hand. "Perhaps, my prince, Master Ciel would be made to wear the hide of a tiger?"
"No, wouldn't it be the type of cat costume you'd wear if you were performing for a child's birthday party?" the prince suggested back.
What Joker had in mind was a completely different type of cat costume. "Well, in Japan, cat-girls are quite popular." he thought for a while, then added, "And cat-girl maids are especially cute."
He took a swig of his iced tea to cool his reddening cheeks.
While Agni had difficulty understanding, and Soma and Joker pictured Ciel in cat ears and a frilly blue maid's dress, Grell gave them all a haughty smirk. "Really though, Soma~ You mustn't obsess over such childish things. We're all mature adults now." He leaned in closer to the other three. "You know how there are Playboy Bunnies? I'm guessing that our darling Ciel will be a…Playboy Kitty~"
Soma and Agni blinked innocently; Joker nearly shot tea from his nostrils.
Grell chuckled. "That's my Sebastian."
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It was proving to be a rather awkward session at the Host Club today. Every single one of Ciel's clients inquired as to what he'd be doing for the Talent Showcase, at which point Ciel would clear his throat and lie that it was a secret and that it would be splendid. Of course, if he ended up wearing the dreaded cat costume, he would go to great lengths to keep it a secret, however it was far from his idea of something splendid.
Once Ciel came to a lull in his schedule, Sebastian sauntered over to him. Intuitively, Ciel cautiously backed up against the chair in which he was sitting, bracing himself for some of that B.L. nonsense. To his relief Sebastian merely sat down next to him casually, and did not even spare him a glance.
"Has the young master thought of his magnificently unique talent yet?"
The one-eyed boy coughed and looked in the opposite direction of Sebastian. "No." he said quickly.
"Here's an idea," began the black-haired one. "At your station, you could smile at your clients." He nudged Ciel with his elbow and discreetly gestured towards Joker, who was entertaining a group of girls at the far end of the room.
Ciel frowned and said, "That's not funny. I hate it when he asks me to smile. It's annoying."
Sebastian oh-ed. "And yet you still oblige him every time."
"Yeah," The young earl admitted with guilt, picking at the fabric of his seat.
He felt weight shifting on the couch, and all of a sudden, Sebastian's hand was entangled in Ciel's blue-grey hair and his lips were only millimetres away from his ear. The blood drained from his cheeks.
"You should know not to endlessly indulge the whims of others," whispered the red-eyed host huskily.
The boy went bright red and the girls who happened to notice squealed as he tried to peel Sebastian away.
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Dear Aunt Anne,
My apologies for the delay in my reply.
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Heh, what a lie.
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My schedule has been rather full recently, both with academic activities and the business. Currently I have been designing a new game to be released soon.
In answer to your question, the club I have become a part of is the Stoneleigh Park Academy Host Club. I believe the concept is of Japanese origin. My job is to entertain my clients and essentially make them feel special. There's nothing to it, really. After all, I am a Phantomhive.
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No, too conceited.
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After all, you have raised me to be a gentleman towards all women.
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Much better.
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I miss you dearly and hope you are taking care of yourself. Don't forget to pay the bills every month.
Much love,
Ciel
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Judgement day arrived too fast for Ciel's liking. Once again, the Host Club assembled around a table in the club room after school to hear the good news, because the outcome would be favourable regardless of whether or not Ciel had an idea to offer. Having realised this, Ciel knew he couldn't count on anybody to protect him from Sebastian and the cat suit. As the meeting began, Ciel felt like sinking deeper and deeper into his chair, wanting to disappear from it all.
"So, Ciel." said Sebastian pertly, with that enraging smirk of his. "Share with us your idea."
Expectant eyes fell on the earl and the room fell silent with anticipation. He squirmed restlessly, but did not say anything for a while. Finally, he decided that refusing to answer would only delay his punishment, not prevent it.
"I…haven't thought of anything."
The quiet but clear words echoed through the room and astonished the other club members. They thought that surely their little genius would have come up with something.
"Admittedly I am rather surprised." said Sebastian. "Have you been occupied with other things?"
Ciel remembered the pile of sketches on his desk, and all the gameplay ideas he'd jotted down on note paper. Was this a good enough excuse? "As a matter of fact, I have a game to design. I don't have time to ponder my unique talent."
Soma sat up (after previously being asleep) and exclaimed happily, "Funtom is releasing a game! What is it about?"
"That's confidenti– "
"No, please. Do tell us about this game." said Ash coldly, unconvinced. "And do give us details, otherwise Sebastian will be fetching the cat costume."
Seeing a grin spread across Sebastian's face, Ciel instantly changed his mind and relented.
"Soma wouldn't be interested in this type of game. The player assumes the role of an orphan living on the streets of Victorian England. His task is to survive the hardships of living on the streets, and to make a name for himself by solving puzzles and earning money in the process. If you would like, I can describe for you one of the puzzles I've designed so far."
Ash nodded. "Go ahead."
Ciel proceeded to describe in great detail the puzzle he'd desgined, from the instructions to the colour scheme, from the dialogue involved to the various bonuses the player could receive. The club members were mesmerised. Even the easily distracted Prince Soma listened with his mouth agape.
Once he deemed his explanation to be lengthy enough, the grey-haired boy sat back in his seat and looked up at the two leaders with annoyance. "Satisfied now?" he spat indignantly.
Ash and Sebastian exchanged looks, silently deliberating. Sebastian smiled again and said, "I believe that your talent has been right in front of you this whole time."
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The club room resembled a bustling marketplace today, thought Number 29. She'd never seen anything like this in the two years she'd been visiting the Host Club – the room was filled with other girls, some were at the various stations while others sat around the rest areas dotted around the place, comparing the gifts they'd received from their favourite hosts. Checking the map she'd taken from the entrance, she decided to head toward Ciel's station.
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'Come, take my hand.'
His voice was soothing to her ears. She placed her hand in his, feeling the warmth from it as he closed his fingers around hers.
'Where are we going?'
'A secret place. I've never taken anyone there before.'
Her heart raced.
She walked a few steps with him before they came to a stop. Curious, she reached for her blindfold.
'Ah. Don't take it off.' whispered Ciel. She obeyed.
'We're here. Do you see it?' he asked.
'Where are we?'
'In a garden I used to play in as a child. There are flowers blooming everywhere and trees whose branches are laden with fruit.
'There's a fountain in the middle of the garden – can you hear the water washing gently over the stone?'
'I hear it.' she said dreamily.
'A couple of birds have just flown in and settled into the water of the fountain. They're singing. Shall we go and take a look?'
'Yes, please.'
They walked forward, hand-in-hand.
'There's a bench behind us. Shall we sit?'
'Okay.'
He led her back and helped her to sit down.
'Are you comfortable?'
'Yes. Are you?'
'As long as I'm with you, I will always be fine.'
She blushed.
Then, she heard shuffling. Suddenly, Ciel was sitting right next to her, albeit a little stiffly. She could feel him gingerly placing his hand on top of hers.
She hoped he didn't hear her contented sigh.
'Let's stay like this for a while.'
'As you wish.' he whispered back.
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"Here, let me help you." Ciel said, removing Number 29's blindfold.
She blushed as he did so. "Thank you, I enjoyed myself."
"I'm glad."
"How did you do it? I felt as if I was really in the garden with you."
He smiled. "Then I've done my job well."
Holding her blindfold in his hand, he brought it to his lips and placed a soft kiss upon it, before giving it back to her. Number 29 was lost for words.
"This is my gift to you. It's not much, but I hope you'll cherish it."
"I-I will." she stuttered as she left the club room, waving goodbye to the grey-haired boy.
Ciel breathed a sigh of relief. His hands were trembling, but he knew watching the last client of the day walk out the door brought him a sense of peace. Without hesitation, he went to get changed and prepare for his afternoon classes.
Not too far away, Grell and Sebastian observed the boy. As Sebastian put his recipes in order, Grell said to him, "It looks like the kid's showcase was a success."
"Indeed. We've signed up five new clients because of him." replied Sebastian.
The redhead leaned closer. "The cat suit punishment was a brilliant idea, but it's too bad he didn't have to wear it. I think some of us were really looking forward to it~ "
Sebastian gave his junior a chuckle and said to him coolly, "Truthfully, the cat costume does not exist. But yes, it would have been an amusing sight."
Grell's jaw dropped. "You lied about the cat suit?"
"But of course. Imagination is a powerful thing."
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The suite was dark, save for the bluish light that shone from his laptop screen. His eye was tired, but he had an inbox full of messages from the company that required his attention. Slothfully he scrolled through his emails – just the usual whining and moaning. But in amongst the masses of mail from the Funtom company was a message from Aunt Anne:
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ciel my darlin! y ddnt u SAY u wer part of a host club? ive been w8n for the western wrld 2 warm up 2 this idea 4 years!
will c u soon. im on my way. introduce me 2 the boys ok?
xoxo
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Ciel's forehead met the polished wood desk. His aunt seemed to become more and more immature with each passing year – and what was worse, she was on her way here! His hand felt like it weighed a tonne as he reached for the telephone to notify reception about his aunt's arrival.
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A/N: EEK! Although I'm on holiday, it seems that I'm quite busy… So I've graduated and now I'm taking my last student holiday in Singapore and Japan. Currently I'm in Hokkaido enjoying the snow. :3
So if the cat suit really did exist, what do you think it would look like? I was thinking along the lines of Soma's cat mascot thing, but Joker and Grell also had good ideas…
Thanks to everyone for being patient with me and for reviewing! I haven't given up on this fic yet, and I hope that you won't either!
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This Lesson's Playlist:
Ancafe – Smile ichiban ii onna
Train – Hey, Soul Sister
Becca – I'm ALIVE!