La Campania
~O~
She watched the gap between ship and shore grow to a huge gulf. Perhaps this was a little like dying, the departed no longer visible to the others, yet both still existed, only in different worlds
-Susan Wiggs, The Charm School-
~O~
"Ah the ocean~!"
Charlotte sighed as she marched ahead of the small party. The superstructure and funnel of the Campania rose high above them, pale grey fumes puffing out from the gleaming black tips of the golden smokestacks. The deck was filled with numerous passengers either hurrying to their rooms or simply taking in the view of the sparkling blue ocean. The air was filled with the smell of brine, the sounds of chattering and high-pitched screams of excitement.
Within that mix of joy and exhilaration, the Phantomhives made for a very silent and sombre group. Well, with the exception of one of course.
"I just love boat trips! I used to take them all the time when I was little! Of course that was on a ferry," Charlotte chuckled airily as she looked up at the clear afternoon sky with an airy smile, "this should be far more interesting! What do you think Snake?"
The man startled and stopped eying the crowd of people with hidden panic. He blinked at her and then gave a small shrug.
Charlotte beamed at him and slowed her steps so she could loop her arms with Snake's. He squeezed her fingers and gave her one of his rare smiles. "I bet Wilde would love it up here. As I was saying, ce sera amusant! I certainly hope so at the very least, considering the reason we're here and the company we're keeping. Qui vivra verra as they say."
"Charlotte!"
She stopped chattering and cocked her head at Ciel curiously. "Yes?"
The earl pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath – it was something he'd been doing with increasing frequency lately. He glared at Charlotte. "I realise that I allowed you to come with us-"
"You have never let me do anything ever."
"I let you come with us," he repeated firmly. He had learned that a good way to deal with Charlotte was to just keep going and hope that she kept quiet. "So kindly hush and attempt to not draw attention to us. Alright?"
The woman huffed. "Alright, I'll be like your English women. Needlework. Crumpets. Tea. Repression. Am I doing it right?" She arched a sharp eyebrow at Sebastian who was snickering into his glove behind Ciel's back and tossed a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes.
Ciel sighed loudly. "This is why no one likes French people."
"I resent that!" Charlotte placed a hand on her chest dramatically. "Also, isn't that your sweetheart?"
"My what?" Ciel spun around and caught the familiar sight of Elizabeth's pigtails bobbing between the skirts and legs of the other passengers. As though she had sensed his attention, the girl turned and their eyes met with an equal show of surprise.
"Um," Ciel managed a smile that he hoped didn't look as awkward as he felt. "Hello Elizabeth. I thought I'd surprise you."
Then, as he was thrown backwards from the force of her embrace, Ciel realised that he'd had no need to worry. "Ciel! I'm so glad to see you! I can't believe you're here! You even brought Charlotte!" Elizabeth leaned over to wave happily at the other blonde who waved back. The two had bonded quite nicely over the past few weeks, mostly over fashion and hair and gossip. Charlotte didn't mind; Lizzy was a lovely girl who also came from a strict family, so the older woman could relate to quite a few of her problems.
Speaking of a strict family though...
"Elizabeth!" A voice as sharp as glass cut through the air and froze the little girl in place. The Marchioness Francis Phantomhive-Midford was a formidable-looking woman; tall with greying blonde hair that she kept pinned back in a severe bun save for a few strands that framed a face that did not betray her age. It was clear that time had been good to her. Now if only she could learn to have a good time.
Charlotte mentally patted herself on the back for that bit of witticism as she turned to the other Midfords. The Marquis was tall and imposing, but not nearly as intimidating as his wife, and as for the son...
Charlotte smiled as he yelled something about not accepting Ciel as his brother-in-law. Well, he was just as uninteresting as the father save for his affection for his little sister. Honestly, it was as though all the exciting personality traits were with the women.
Suddenly the Marchioness turned her attention on Sebastian and Snake. Sebastian mustered up a polite but forced smile and it was all Charlotte could do not to laugh. "Good day to you," he greeted with a bow. The Marchioness continued to stare at him with such a furiously unhappy expression that even Charlotte considered taking several steps backwards.
Finally she pointed at Sebastian. "Ugh, your face!" She decided with a grimace. "You possess such an indecent face! And that hairstyle! It's abhorrent!"
The sudden and outlandish declaration made Charlotte snort out a laugh which made the Marchioness's eyes switch over to her. The older woman cocked her head thoughtfully as Charlotte instinctively straightened up under her scrutiny.
"And who might you be?" She asked, glancing briefly at Snake for a few seconds before fixing her eyes back on Charlotte.
Remembering her manners, Charlotte promptly dropped into a neat curtsey. "Charlotte Élodie Madeleine Blanc, at your service Marchioness Midford. And this is my adopted brother, Snake; it is an honour to meet you."
"Oh!" The Marchioness's eyes widened in surprise and then she nodded sharply like a military general appraising a soldier in line. "Good manners and excellent posture!" She barked. "Elizabeth could learn something from you."
As a young woman who had never had – what she considered – a proper mother or mother-figure, Charlotte felt a sudden flurry of pleasure at the older woman's strict maternal approval. She straightened up and caught sight of Ciel and Edward glaring at her. She smirked and stuck her tongue out at them behind the Marchioness's back and then winked at Elizabeth. The younger girl giggled, quite used to her mother's harsh mannerisms.
Charlotte ducked her head down swiftly when the Marchioness returned her attention to her. "I am honoured to hear that," she replied demurely.
Ciel rolled his eyes so hard he almost saw stars. That wasn't even her actual accent! Sebastian cleared his throat diffidently. "If I might interrupt, shall we adjourn to the dining room? I believe lunch is to be served quite soon."
oOo
Sometime in the space of time between the upper deck and the dining room, the Marchioness had forced the sharp fangs of a rat tail comb through Sebastian's hair and then Snake's. Charlotte appreciated the Marchioness's tact as she hadn't mentioned the iridescent aqua scales that covered Snake's neck and cheeks despite her surreptitious glances.
"So," the Marquis said jovially over the arrangement of tea and cakes, "you will be with us for the whole three weeks?"
"Yes, I plan to be," Ciel nodded as politely as he could. It was always best to be on good terms with the relatives, no matter how trying they might be.
"Oh that's wonderful!" Elizabeth leaned closer to him, her excitement so blatant and genuine that the boy felt a little bit guilty. A little bit. "We've never been together for so long! Oh, oh! – Will you escort me to the dinner party?"
"Um-" Ciel slid a wary glance across the table to where Edward was glaring straight at him with metaphorical thunder and lightning crackling in his eyes. "Of course..."
I can afford that, he thought to himself with a disgruntled expression that he hid behind a sip of bland tea, the meeting of the Aurora Society isn't for another three nights. According to Sebastian's information, it was slated to take place the night of the Campania's premier dinner party, probably because most attention would be off them then.
Beside him Elizabeth was giggling and talking about what outfit she should wear that night. "I'll wear something new that you've never seen before! That way you'll be surprised!"
Ciel did not tell her that he had never seen her wear the same thing twice ever and, even if she had, he had never paid attention to her clothes before and did not plan to start any time soon. No he did not say this and simply took a bite of cake to avoid speaking at all.
"Oh but I don't doubt that you will be dressed wonderfully all the same!" Charlotte told the younger girl with a charming smile. "You have always worn such pretty clothes! Every time I see you it is something darling!"
"Oh Ms. Charlotte, the same goes for you! I love your dress!"
"Oh, this old thing? That is so kind of you! Marquis and Marchioness, your daughter is so lovely, if you don't mind me saying!"
Sebastian and Ciel stared in disbelief as both the Marquis and Marchioness both looked pleased. Ciel didn't think the older woman was capable of smiling! Her face always looked like it would crack in two if her lips rose even a centimetre too high!
Half an hour later when the group was walking down the fairly spacious corridors with their golden lights and making its way to their rooms, he finally burst. "What was that?"
"That?" Charlotte said in her normal accent and a full rotation of her arms. "That was pure flattery and it's what you do when trying to ingratiate yourself. Also, no matter how many issues you darling rosbifs have with the French, most of you think our accents are delightful and find our effusiveness eccentrically charming."
"An interesting approach," Sebastian murmured to himself.
Charlotte flipped her hair and turned to her claimed brother. "Snake, do you want to stay in my room or do you want to sleep with the others tonight?"
The silent man looked at her for a long moment and then his eyes dropped to the ground.
Charlotte nodded and held out her hand to him. "Then I will come with you! We can explore together!" Snake took her hand with a small smile and began fiddling with her fingers the way he did when he was nervous but couldn't or didn't want to show it.
She waved at the two men, keeping her head facing them until she and Snake turned a corner were out of sight.
The shift from unreserved luxury to dank poverty occurred somewhere between the second and third levels. The carpet grew more holes and rips until it finally disappeared and gave way to cold metal barely covered by old rags. Charlotte left Snake curled up in a nest of snakes with a sack of scraps purloined from the kitchen before she turned her attention to the expansive ship.
It was filled with crawl-spaces, dumbwaiters, tunnels and vents. Charlotte found herself directly above several rooms and spotted a number of scandalous things, including two women cuddling in the centre of a small bed.
One of the tunnels spat her in one of the lower levels. Unfortunately before she could resume her exploration, Charlotte was interrupted by a man sporting an odd hairstyle and a pair of chartreuse eyes behind clear glasses. His surprised expression from bumping into her soon transformed into a rakish grin. "Well good evening. What's a lady doing down he-"
"Excusez-moi?"Charlotte interrupted. "I do not understand English."
"Oh, my bad!" He said before switching to near perfect French. "Bonsoir, belle femme."
Now Charlotte Blanc had many flaws, including but not limited to – being selfish, manipulative, arrogant, and an intense fear of needles – but her greatest flaw, one she'd had even before her unfortunate accident, was Vanity.
The French girl immediately pretended to blush and wave coquettishly. "Je suis sûr que tu dis ça à toutes les fille."
"Pas du tout, en fait-" he took a step closer and immediately froze in place. He stared at her like she was something terrible.
Charlotte hid a smirk with a pout. "Que se passe-t-il?"
"Nothing!" He seemed to have forgotten his French entirely.
"Bonne-nuit," Charlotte breezed past him and soon found herself back in the lavish halls of the upper deck. There she berated herself. Not only had she taunted him, she had essentially locked herself out of the lower levels by giving her presence away.
However, she frowned and glanced backwards, why was he on board? Was there really something to the Aurora Society's claims? There couldn't possibly be, right?
The smart thing to do in this situation would be to tell Ciel immediately, said the angel on her shoulder
On the other hand, the devil immediately rebutted, one didn't get to see Them in action often. Charlotte herself had only met the one.
On the other, other hand, said a third that charlotte couldn't quite fit into the Angel/Devil binary, it might be worth it to wake Ciel up and see his annoyed face.
Hm, decision, decisions...
A few minutes later Sebastian opened the door to Ciel's room and stared down at a grinning Charlotte. "Is there a reason you came knocking at 2 in the morning?" He asked in a deadpan manner.
"Is Ciel awake?" Charlotte inquired, bending this way and that to see past him. "I have news~!"
"Any news you have can be passed on to me, or you can wait until morning," Sebastian replied without moving, "when the young master is awake."
"Oh, I suppose. I just thought it was rather urgent," the women shrugged with affected disinterest and turned to walk away. "Seeing as it has to do with the case and all, I just thought you'd like to know about it."
Sebastian arched an eyebrow. "Know about what?"
Charlotte glanced over her shoulder with a smile. "About the Reaper."
I've gotten better at creating OCs but ya'll know that SOMEONE is going to roll up no matter what and declare any female character with a modicum of competence as a Mary Sue. So here I am, giving Charlotte flaws, actually lining them up so I can be like "um actually if u refer to chapter 21, paragraph 57"
Also a Mary Sue is a character who breaks the universe they are in to suit themselves. A character being nice and competent is not a Mary Sue, a character who is simply a self-insert is not a Mary Sue. Not liking a character doesn't make them a Mary Sue, it just means you don't like them!
This has been a speech by Queen Blue, thank you for coming to my TedTalk.