My quality in writing has gone down, and I apologize for that. It's just... I'm so terrible at pacing.
Let this end soon please.
"Arrgtghg this is impossible!" Eve leaned back in her chair until her head knocked against the wall.
(ow.)
"Faye," She leaned over and whispered to her sister. "I don't suppose you've seen any suspicious customers who seem to be smuggling vials of blood I suppose?"
Closest thing I've got is a sighting of Miss Pigtails five days before the incident. Problem is, the guy who was allegedly seen spiking his drink had his back turned. And fits the description of about a thousand men here.
"Nope." Said her sister, who was examining a knife.
"No creepy people lurking about?"
"Nada."
"Does Christopher's family seem to be experiencing any problems? At all?"
"Nope, sorry." Faye said apologetically. "But sis… don't you think you should ask him yourself? He's right there."
Oh yeah. Eve realized. He's here because he's the only person who would come to my sister's birthday party.
Which is today…
"Ah, sorry, sorry." Eve waved her arms in the air apologetically as she backed away. "Celebration first, questions later. Would you like to cut the cake?"
"It was really nice of your mother to bake this cake for us, Chris." Faye chirped to the brown-blonde beside her. "I didn't know she was such a great cook!"
"It's nothing." Christopher grinned nervously and put his hand behind his back. "She made it extra big to apologize for not being able to come here, though. Oh, your sister and I made this, too."
"Hmm?" Faye's eyes widened as Eve brought out a bracelet from behind her back. "It's… beautiful."
It was a black cord woven from metal that glinted and glowed in the light. What caught the eye the most was the two feathers that were delicately connected and hanging from the ring of black itself. One was as pitch black as night, shining as if there were pieces of the stars inside it too. Another was gold and red and orange and all sorts of colors that melded into an array of the sunset.
"They're phoenix feathers." Chris said brightly. "I got the first one from the phoenix we have at the shop, see, and treated the feathers too; made them more durable. But your sister did the hard part. I don't know where she got a high-altitude phoenix feather, but she either fought one herself or got in on the black market- mpphhg!"
"That's enough out of you!" Eve tutted as she covered Christopher's mouth with her hand. "Faye, why don't you cut the cake now?"
The rest of the night was spent eating cake, talking, and enjoying being in other people's company.
"Hey." Eve called after Christopher right before he left, and when Faye had fallen asleep after too much singing. "Christopher."
The brunette turned around very, very slowly. The last time this had happened, Eve had threatened to do horrible, horrible things to him.
"Thanks." Eve said, patting her hand tenderly on his head. "For making my sister happy. Keep is up, okay?"
Christopher stopped and stared. "Al-alright."
…
"My lady, it is time to wake up."
Eve grumbled and fidgeted slightly in her well rested sleep, clutching her sheets a little closer to her body. After letting her eyes open just the slightest amount, she eyed Kain open a set of blinds she knew she didn't own and wondered sleepily what the Hell Kain was doing in her home.
Kain? What are you doing here? Wait… Why can't I talk?
Mentally jerking itself awake, Eve's brain made the realization that she wasn't in control of her own body. In fact, all she could do was watch on as her body, being moved by unseen forces, sat up and yawned and talked as if nothing was out of the ordinary at all, like some hellish vision.
"For breakfast today I have prepared a lightly poached salmon along with mint salad. Toast, eggs, and scones are also available as side dishes. Which is the most befitting to your taste this morning?" Kain was… butlering her? Was that the term? Where did he get that outfit?
"The scone." The mouth that belonged to Eve and yet was not hers decided to say, as Kain moved towards her and she sat unmoving on the bed.
"Very well." Came the response. And then Kain started to dress her like the way she had been back when she lived as a noble, and Eve decided she was trapped in either a bad dream or a horrible, horrible trick. Either way, something very peculiar was happening. "Today, we have scheduled the further investigation of the recent black bella poisoning, and a visit to the Undertaker to identify the time of poisoning for the latest victims, after you kill them of course."
What?
"And after that, we'll be inviting Grell to further help us in our investigation."
What?
…
And then Eve woke up wondering what she had just dreamed about.
Seriously what just happened.
Her attention was very quickly drawn away from her nightmare, however, by a piece of brown, dry, parchment that most definitely wasn't in her room when she had gone to bed the night before.
A brown eye scanned the contents, and then she dropped the paper and ran.
…
"Sis? Exactly what-"
"Are we-"
"Doing in this mangy place?"
A blonde, a burning red, and a black-haired person all sat in a circle around Eve. One was smiling as usual, one was confused, and the last had a very dour look on his face, probably he was still tied up.
"I cannot believe how much I actually want get back to work!" Grell moaned as he struggled against his chains. Since being kicked out two days before, Eve had found Grell wandering around the streets, still tied up, and apparently useless when so. He seemed to be incredibly uncomfortable, but Eve didn't really care since it made him easier to find.
Kain smirked at the red head, which caused Grell to squirm and simper. "Say, big boy, I don't suppose you could…?" To which the healer replied, "I would… but Eve would have my head."
A blonde head turned to look with a knowing expression at Eve. "To have these people all in one spot… you want us to do something, don't you, sis?"
"You're smart." Eve reached out absentmindedly and patted her head, earning a glowing smile. "And you're right. You here are gathered here because I need your help."
She flicked her wrist and a weathered piece of parchment rolled out from nowhere. "I found this this morning. It's been signed 'Ashworth'."
Kain's chocolate brown eyes narrowed in a lazy sort of way, but he had stopped smiling. "So you think it's him? 'Find them all and perhaps you'll survive. I'm not done playing with you yet.'" He read out the words written in faded ink.
"It's definitely him." Eve's own yellowish eyes were glowing as she went on. "The Black Bella poisonings have been orchestrated by one Eros Ashworth. I have absolutely no idea how he's done this, or how he got into my house no less, but what we need to concentrate on now is finding all the vials of poison before they end up killing a good portion of the population. I'm not going to be able to do it alone."
The sound of clapping broke through the silence that followed. "I'm impressed." The black-haired healer said warmly. "So you can freely admit when you need help? Well then, consider me available to do everything in my power to help you."
"Me too!" Faye bounced up from her seat. "I'm always happy to help!"
"But what about you?" Eve put a foot on the chair Grell was attached to. "I have to admit you'd probably be the most useful in a situation like this, but you're probably going to be the hardest to convince…"
"Damn right, you bitch." Grell snapped through shark teeth. "What makes you think I'd lift a finger to help you?"
"I'll take off your chains and then you can actually lift your fingers."
"And what's stopping me from running you through instead?" A cruel grin suddenly graced the redhead's lips. "I don't think I'm through painting you red."
A pair of yellow eyes narrowed as Eve glared. "And don't think I've taken measures to prevent that. You'd be surprised how much a person can train in a few months."
"Still no. There's nothing in it for me~ and this is now way to treat a lady!"
"…" Eve stood back to think. "Help me and afterwards you can have Kain for a whole day."
"Erk-" With a slight feeling of satisfaction Eve watched Kain choke on a cup of imaginary tea. "Is that really necessary?"
So you don't like him all that much.
"Well," she retaliated with a shrug. "You said you'd do anything in your power to help me, didn't you?"
"Ohhhhh." Faye leaned over in her chair, clearly enjoying the moment. "She's got you."
Grell had what seemed to be an eternal struggle, but finally gave in. "I want these chains off now and we have a deal!"
…
"They got replaced with what?"
"Erm… scissors." Grell smiled sheepishly and snipped his pairs of useless scissors to underline this fact.
"Erk-" Eve's intense fury let itself be known for one second before she waved it away with her hands, saying, "That doesn't matter. So long as they can cut anything, they'll work. Either way, do all of you know what you're set to do?"
"Yup!" Faye grinned and waved her hands up and down. "I'm on lookout!"
"I'll be asking those I know if they've seen anything peculiar." Kain recited.
"And you," The black-haired reaper said to the red-haired one, "Will be on standby until we find out where any of the black bella is hidden. We don't know it the hiding spot will be easy to get to… we might need your assistance."
"Yea?" Grell scoffed. "And how am I supposed to know when to come? I'm not staying here for forever, you know!"
"You'll be coming here every day from now on until the problem is resolved."
"What? No fair, no fair! I have a life you know."
"Nether the less, do you want yourself coming here even more often to reap a bunch of souls. You're coming here whether you like it or not."
"Ahhn~ you're so cold, just like my darling Will! Maybe if you weren't another woman, I'd be attracted to you~" With this, Grell draped himself over Eve with a flirtatious look on his face.
Deeply disturbed, Eve threw him off and snarled, "Just keep your advances to Kain, please." Before changing her mind and covering her sister's eyes. "You know what, not even. Not in front of Faye!"
"I am right here! I know what's going on!"
FYI this is the last arc. I think when I get to the sequel this will get way better OH GOOOOODSSS.