For this fanfiction, I shall use they/them pronouns for Grell to limit confusion and stuff
"WHAT BEAUTIFUL RED LOCKS YOU HAVE!" The intruder screeched, reaching out to touch the Crimson Rose's choppy, scarlet hair.
She immediately pulled away and got into a defensive stance. "Who the hell are you?" she asked with hostility, glaring at the reaper.
They put their hands over their heart as if they were wounded.
They're so dramatic… The maid thought. They could probably give Alois a run for his money…
"I am hurt!" The intruder exclaimed, falling at Sebastian's feet. The butler resisted the urge to kick the ginger. "How could you not tell her about me, Bassy?!"
More fake sobbing occurred. Ciel looked like he wanted to run away from the whole situation, the assassin just stood there awkwardly, and Sebastian looked really unamused.
Once they regained their composure, the red-headed reaper stood up proudly with their chainsaw in hand.
"I can't believe you don't know me!" they said, still a bit cleared his throat. "I am Grell Sutcliff, expert death-scythe wielder, reaper of souls, and Bassy's lover!"
"Um… a pleasure to meet you?" She said, even more confused. The maid had no idea what he was talking about and made a mental note to ask Ciel about it later.
"Who are you?" Grell asked with curiosity.
"She's my new maid," Ciel cut in before she could answer. "Her name is Adeline. In addition, I would like to know why you're here. It is not often that a reaper pays a visit to the living."
Well, they visit here quite a bit actually… Ciel thought to himself.
He was disturbed by Grell's unexpected visit. He wasn't working on any cases, nor was he having any company over. It was rather peculiar. The Phantomhive Earl wondered if Adeline's arrival was to blame. Her sudden appearance was a bad omen on its own and Ciel wondered if it foreshadowed many changes to come. Whatever the reason, Ciel knew reapers only meant one thing: death. Lots and lots of it.
"Just have some souls to collect," Grell said casually, flipping through a book containing the 'to die' list. "Quite a bit, actually."
"Souls to collect?" the maid asked, tilting her head at the lunatic. She turned to Ciel in disbelief. "What is this madman speaking of?"
The boy sighed, deciding to reveal the supernatural world to her. Well, just a part of it. Since she already met Grell, Ciel figured it was best that she wasn't in the dark.
"Grim Reapers are supernatural creatures that harvest souls from people who die, sending them to the afterlife," he explained to his maid. He pointed to Grell. "Ginger over here happens to be one of them."
Grell nodded along enthusiastically.
"They mentioned something else to… What's a 'death scythe'?" the Crimson Rose asked.
"This baby!" the red reaper said, holding up their chainsaw. "It helps me collect souls."
The assassin nodded, still taking in all of the information that was rapidly being given to her. Though the idea of beings other than human populating the world would be enough to drive a person mad, she found herself believing what Ciel said. It only made sense. She thought of all the people she eliminated. Had all of their souls been taken away by these reapers? Did her parent's souls reach the afterlife thanks to them? She hoped not. The girl hoped that they burned in hell for all of the evil deeds they had done. She wondered if there were more supernatural creatures like the grim reapers. If there is good beings to take souls away, then there was surely sinister ones too. It was only logical.
"Are all reapers as… unique… as Grell?" the Crimson Rose asked, choosing her words wisely.
"Not really, Miss Rosemary," Sebastian said, uttering his first words since the reaper made his appearance. "This one is simply a dud."
"Awww… why do you have to be so cruel, Bassy?" the Grell whined.
Without warning, there was a loud knock on the door.
"Open up, Phantomhive!" A hostile voice shouted from outside. "We know you're in there!"
"Soon, it'll be my time to shine," said Grell, revving up his chainsaw.
When the maid blinked, he was gone, nowhere in sight.
Finny burst through the doors from the back garden. "We've got trouble, Young Master!" He said in distress. "Bad people are coming. A whole lot of 'em."
Ciel's expression turned serious. He guessed that a bunch of men came to have revenge for Mr. Romanoff after all. He wasn't too worried though. It's not like something like that hasn't happened before.
"How many are there?" he asked.
"Enough to make a small army, I reckon," the gardener informed. "It looks bad, Sir. Very bad."
"Finny, go secure the south wing of the manner. Addy, go alert the other servants that we're under attack," Ciel ordered in a stern tone. "Sebastian, you're with me."
"Yes, Young Master," the servants said in unison, hurrying off to complete their tasks.
Ciel was left alone in with Sebastian.
"What do you think the new maid will bring to the table? Does she have what it takes to fight alongside the others?" The young lord asked aloud.
"Time will only reveal that, Master," Sebastian replied, his blood red eyes fixed on the horizon.
In the Kitchen
The Crimson Rose ran down the stairs, almost tripping as she stumbled. She pulled her maid's skirt up a bit, cursing that it was not something that was meant to be run in.
"Bard!" She called out to the cook.
She looked around frantically, but could not spot him.
"Bard!" She continued. Her nerves were getting to her. It was never good when she was on edge. The assassin's knuckles turned white from clutching her apron.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, BAR-"
She was cut short when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Instinctively, the killer leapt into action. With her cat-like reflexes, she whirled around, ducked under their arms, and put the stranger in a chokehold within a blink of an eye. She cursed herself for not having anything that she could use as a weapon. Thankfully, her entire body was a weapon. Then, she realized that the stranger was Bard, his straw-like blonde hair and tobacco scent in her face.
"Oh god! I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, releasing him.
The cook coughed a few times and regained his breath. "It's okay," he said gruffly. "Just remind me not to sneak up on you…"
"The manor is under attack," the assassin told him. "The young master told me to warn you."
"Alright," said Bard casually, walking towards the pantry. "Thanks."
He opened the doors and revealed several forms of ammunition. The shelves were lined with shotguns, handguns, rifles, and ammo of all kinds. There were grenades, knives of many shapes, and other plastic explosives. There were even things that the assassin had no idea what they were or what they did. The Crimson Rose's eyes widened.
Just who are these people? She asked herself, her eyes grazing the glorious collection of weapons. The assassin was suddenly grateful that Bard wasn't awake to guard Ciel the night she broke into the mansion. That would have been a bit trickier.
Bard slung a machine gun over his shoulder and put extra ammo in his apron pocket. He took out a small handgun.
"Take this," he said, placing it in her hands.
It was not very heavy, but the metal still felt foreign as it hit her skin. She had trained with guns before, but never really took a liking to them. Though they were efficient, the girl preferred something less loud and something more clean-cut. She opened the barrel and checked. Eight bullets.
"I don't know what the young master has planned for you, but it's best if you can defend yourself," he said. "You have eight shots, so make it count. You pull back this thing over here to reload and this to ready it. Pull here to shoot. You should probably use both hands to steady it-"
He started giving her instructions, rambling about not to accidentally shoot herself.
"I know how to shoot a gun," she said, undoing the safety and rotating the cylinder with her thumb as a habit. It made a clicking sound as the bullets went around as if they were eager to be released. Though sheh doubted that she needed it, it was best to be prepared. She was never very proficient with using firearms as her peers. Tucking it away in her apron, she let out a sigh.
Bard raised an eyebrow. "Alright then. You should be set."
He turned to leave.
"Wait," the assassin said, stopping him.
"What?" He asked, facing her again.
"What about Mey-Rin?" She said, thinking of the maid who was probably terrified. "Doesn't she need supplies?"
"She'll be fine," Bard reassured. "The girl has her own way of dealing with intruders."
The Crimson Rose nodded, trusting that he cook knew what he was talking about.
"Alright, Bard," she said, ready to go find the other maid.
"Okay. Stay safe, Adeline."
"Will do."
As if I can't take care of myself… she scoffed to herself pridefully.
She ran up the stairs, hoping that Mey-Rin was close by. She eventually found her in the corner of a remote guest room, looking like she was huddled up in the corner. It appeared as if she was polishing something.
"Hey, Mey-Rin-" Adeline said from behind.
Without warning, the other maid whirled around and pointed a sniper's rifle to her face. Make no mistake, it was Mey-Rin. However, she was much different. She had been wiping down the barrel of her gun. Her eyes met Adeline's. They spoke of fierceness and a murderous intent. Adeline noticed that Mey-Rin's trademark glasses were propped up on her head, revealing her true killer nature. Bloodlust.
Then, the maid noticed that it was Adeline and not an foe. She lowered her weapon cautiously.
"Sorry…" she said, her voice more serious and careful than when she normally spoke.
Adeline was frozen in shock at Mey-Rin's transformation. She had heard of her before, but hadn't realized that it was her until her glasses were off. At Clockwork, there were whispers about a legendary assassin who was a guns prodigy. She was told that the assassin never missed. Not even once. Apparently, it had something to do with her unique eyes. The moment Adeline stared into Mey-Rin's she knew without a doubt that she was looking at the idolized killer. Vincent would probably have tried to recruit her for the cause, except she went missing a few years back. Now, Adeline knew where the legend was all that time.
"Y-you're her!" she said, still surprised.
Mey-Rin's expression hardened. "So you know of my past…"
She nodded. "You were sorta my hero when I was little…"
The other maid tilted her head with confusion. "Why would you do that? I just killed people…"
"You're technique is flawless and you have incredible talent," Adeline said. "I wanted to be just like you, but too bad I can't shoot a gun…"
"Wait. You kill?" Mey-Rin asked with confusion. She shook her head, understanding that anyone entering the Phantomhive household was anything but normal. If her master trusted he new maid, then it was enough for her. "Nevermind. What are you doing here?"
"The young master told me to inform you that we were under attack," she recited.
Mey-Rin nodded grimly. "I know. It's chaos out there."
She turned to the window. Gun fires ran out and shouts of men could be heard in the distance. Adeline was beginning to worry. There wasn't much staff.
"They'll be okay, right?" She asked, referring to Finny and Bard.
"Yes," Mey-Rin said without hesitation. "They can handle themselves very well."
"Shall I go tell Tanaka?"
The sniper shook her head. "He's drinking tea out of the way. He'll be alright."
"Okay…"
Mey-Rin set her oilcloth down and held her gun up proudly. "I better get going know. Can't leave all the action to the boys, now can I?"
The maids exchanged grins.
"I'll meet you later, there's something else the young master wanted me to do," Adeline lied smoothly, her silver eyes still fixed on the window.
"Alright. Don't die," Mey-Rin said half-jokingly. She sprinted out the door and down the rooftop.
Adeline, on the other hand saw something. Out of the window was the gardening shed. In the shed was Excalibur. She wasn't going to let that golden opportunity go to waste. The Crimson Rose figured that she could easily snatch her weapon and get away amongst the confusion of the battle.
Unlatching the window, she leaped out of it, ducking away from enemy fire. She swiftly made her way to the shed. Prying the doors open, she entered, feeling adrenaline rushing through her veins. The girl chuckled to herself as she weaved her way through the shelves of supplies, making her way toward her sword. She could almost feel its presence as she grew closer. It was pulling her in.
She rounded another corner, the last corner to her precious blade, and then stopped dead in her tracks.
"A pleasure to see you here, Miss Rosemary," an all-too-familiar velvet voice said.
Sebastian had an all-knowing smirk plastered on his face. He held Excalibur in his hands, wrapped in a protective cloth. Adeline felt its power. She could practically touch it. She needed its familiar touch, inwardly sobbing. Why was fate so cruel?
She got into a fighting position, ready to rip it out of Sebastian's hands if she had to.
"Now, now, Miss Rosemary. Let's not be rash," he said, taunting her. "Shall we make a deal?"
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