By now it was summer time in England. That year, frequent rain showers had kept the summer heat in check. However, one day was the exception to that rule. There was a prefect combination of blazing sun, high temperature, no wind, and extreme humidity to make the weather unbearable. It was like a sauna outside. There was so much moisture in the air that sweat barely evaporated off people's skin. In the London harbors not even the ocean breeze helped make the weather any better.
At the Phantomhive manor, all the windows were open to let in what little wind there was. Still, the indoors was only slightly better than standing outside in the shade. All the human servants at the manor were working at less than half their normal pace. Finny was supposed to be in the garden but kept retreating inside. The boy would then chug a few buckets of water before returning to stand in the scorching sun. Bard had actually put his explosives away for the day because it was too hot to play with fire. Maylene moved uncharacteristically sluggish but still managed to drop things despite walking slower. Even Tanaka was affected by the heat. The elderly man switched out his normal beverage for iced tea that day.
Despite the insufferable heat Ciel attempted to focus on his work. He tried to ignore the weather but that proved impossible. The boy ended up taking off his jacket and rolling up the sleeves of his shirt as high as they would go. His feet were also uncomfortable so he even pulled off his shoes. He decided he didn't care if Sebastian lectured him. It was much too hot to worry about the cranky demon.
Even with several garments now sitting on the chair next to him, Ciel was still uncomfortable. The boy decided to give up on work and just take a book to the cellar. It should be cooler down there. As he walked through the house towards the basement he ran into Sebastian and Aliya Michaelis. The butler didn't wear his jacket and had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up as he worked. A bucket of water sat by his feet as he used a rag to scrub the stone mantelpiece clean. He must have told Aliya to watch and learn because the girl was studding his movements. Her pair of gray feathered wings extended from her back. The wings didn't appear to be flapping but she was somehow effortlessly suspended in air. Aliya held her hands clasped behind her back as she looked over her father's shoulder.
Ciel couldn't help but stare at Aliya while she hung several feet off the ground, as if it was nothing unordinary.
"Good afternoon, Young Master," Sebastian greeted the boy. Aliya also turned to look at him.
"What's good about it?" Ciel remarked bitterly.
"Do you mind if I use my wings in the house?" Aliya asked. Ciel didn't know if she had seen him staring at her, or if she was merely trying to be polite.
"Not at all, as long as the others don't see you, of course," he assured the girl.
"Thanks, I hate having to hide them all the time," Aliya smiled.
"So, Sebastian," Ciel addressed the demon and eyed his rolled up sleeves. "It seems even you are affected by this heat."
"Not particularly," Sebastian said boastfully.
"I'm affected by it. I hate this muggy weather," Aliya spoke up. She stuck out her tongue like a panting dog to indicate how hot she was. Ciel noticed that the girl wasn't wearing a dress. Instead she had on the gray pants, a short sleeved shirt, and was barefoot.
"Children complain too much," Sebastian said, as if that explained everything.
"Sebastian, can you change the weather?" the earl asked mockingly.
"No," the demon answered in a tone of voice that said Ceil's question was absurd.
"In that case, I have absolutely no use for you right now. Please, continue with what you were doing," Ciel said insultingly and continued on his way to the cellar.
It was, in fact, cooler in the cellar, much to Ciel's relief. The boy found a seat and read his book. As he sat there it occurred to him that Sebastian hadn't commented on his sloppy appearance. He had expected the demon to at least mention it. "I guess, I have Aliya to thank for that," Ciel thought with a smile. Aliya was also wearing something different today. She must have convinced her father to let her dress down for the weather. Amazingly, Aliya was actually getting Sebastian to be less picky about things that would have irritated him a few months ago. This made Ciel feel quite satisfied.
Ciel sat undisturbed in the basement for several hours. Eventually Sebastian told the boy that he should come upstairs and stop slacking off. Also, it was time for afternoon tea. The earl reluctantly returned to the much hotter levels of the house. Ciel sat behind his desk as Sebastian appeared with the tea trolley. Aliya still tailed her father and joined him in the room. However, her wings were now hidden and she stood with her feet on the floor.
"You actually baked something in this heat?" Ciel noticed the two cakes that were on the trolley.
"I'm not particularly bothered by the weather. But the Young Master really should dress properly despite the heat."
"Aliya is barefoot and you still aren't wearing your coat," Ciel pointed out.
"Aliya is not an earl and last year you told me that it looked unusual to wear wool in summer weather," the demon said rather smugly. Now that he mentioned it, Ciel remembered saying that so he changed the topic.
"Why are there two cakes?" he asked.
"You didn't have a use for me, so I took the opportunity to give Aliya a lesson in basic cooking skills. She made this one." Sebastian cut a slice from the smaller of the two cakes and passed it to the earl.
"Well, how is it?" Aliya asked. She stood happily next to Ciel's chair as he tasted a piece of the cake she had baked.
"Ugh," the boy made a face after one bite, "what did you do, confuse the salt with the sugar?" He insulted the food and shoved the plate at Aliya.
"It's not that bad. You just like things drowned in sugar," the girl retorted.
"No, it's just awful," Ciel answered.
"Hemph," Aliya snorted indignantly as she held the rejected cake.
"My apologies, Young Master, Aliya has yet to develop a taste for fine foods," Sebastian sounded like he was more entertained than sorry. Ciel wondered if feeding him Aliya's horrible cake was retaliation for the earl's insult a few hours ago. The demon butler handed Ciel a new plate of a sugary desert which the boy accepted.
"You're too picky after eating Father's food for so long. I'm used to living off rain water and old bread," Aliya continued. She took a bite of her cake as she spoke.
"That is exactly why you have no taste." The elder Michaelis snatched the desert from her before she could eat any more of it. "Learning human cuisine is tricky but you'll get it eventually."
"I don't understand why human civilization puts so much emphasis on cooking. It seems like nothing but playing with food, to me," the girl shrugged.
"Oh? All creatures strive for the best tasting food possible. Here, try this." The butler cut her a small piece of the cake he had prepared. Ciel listened to their conversation as he chewed his treat.
"Mmm, it's good," Aliya said happily once she tasted it.
"Of course, it is, I'm one hell of a butler," Sebastian said with a smile.
"It's great that you're trying to teach Aliya new skills. But use the servants as the test subjects next time," Ciel told them irritably.
"Now Young Master, about the guests arriving tomorrow," Sebastian changed the topic.
"Hopefully the weather will be nicer by then. Still, I assume you will have everything ready," said Ciel.
"As I just said, of course," the black haired man smiled. He faced Ciel's desk as he spoke in a pleasant tone. "I've arranged the place settings at the table so that the Young Master will have to engage in minimal idle conversation. Aliya, don't touch that. As for the dinner I'm planning," Sebastian continued but Ciel stopped listening. The boy craned his neck so that he could see around the butler. Aliya stood next to the tea trolley with her hand dangerously close to her father's cake. She had obviously been trying to sneak a bite while his back was turned. The girl suspiciously watched the back of Sebastian's head. Sebastian didn't even look at her as he continued to talk. "Does this meet your approval, Young Master?" he asked as if nothing had disturbed his conversation.
"Yes, that's all fine," the earl quickly returned his attention to the matter at hand.
"Sebastian," Finny nervously arrived in the room. Everyone turned to look at the boy as he entered.
"Yes?" the butler asked suspiciously.
"All the flowers are dead. I put bad water in the vases by mistake," the boy admitted. Sebastian gave an exasperated sigh.
"What about the others? Have they managed to destroy anything yet?" he said insultingly.
"Umm, I don't think so," Finny answered timidly.
"If the plants are dead, throw them out." he instructed the boy. "I'll have to find more flowers. Aliya, take one bite of that you will polish every piece of silverware in the house." The demon gave his daughter a sideways glance as he talked to Finny. Aliya held a slice of the cake again. She had tried to quickly steal a piece while her father was distracted. Her attempt had almost succeeded; the cake was very close to her mouth. Aliya paused to consider if the punishment was worth it. The cake was excellent tasting but there was a lot of silverware in the mansion. And "polished" meant that every piece of metal would have to meet her father's ridiculously high standards. Aliya gave a sigh of defeat and reluctantly returned the slice of cake to its plate.
Once Finny left Sebastian spoke to his daughter again. "Aliya, why don't you read some of your study material? I have other chores to attend to."
"Can I give this to the servants? It'd be a shame to let it go to waste," Aliya indicated the cake she had made.
"I don't think they deserve it," Sebastian answered.
"No, let them have it. A taste of that cake is exactly what they deserve," Ciel commented.
"They'll appreciate it, unlike you, Ciel" Aliya said jokingly to the earl.
"Eat any of it and you will be in trouble," Sebastian warned the girl as she walked out of the room carrying the plate of cake.
"You're really starting to sound like a father," Ciel observed
"I'm used to dealing with children," the demon answered. Ciel gave him a nasty glare.
"There is one thing that concerns me about tomorrow," Ciel pulled out a stack of papers that Sebastian had given him earlier. It was a detailed list of information on all of the expected guests. "This data contradicts my other sources." The boy tapped a page with his finger.
"Yes, that business is a small one but there seems to be a great deal of question about their practices," Sebastian agreed as he stacked plates on the tea trolley.
"I've been investigating this company. That's why I invited the owner to come tomorrow," Ciel nodded. "But it could be hard to prove that his money is dirty."
"I have already thought of that," the butler spoke up. Ciel watched him with a bored expression. "It's come to my attention that the secretary is female. If you require their business records, I can always get information out of women," Sebastian offered with a smirk.
Ciel instantly reached for the nearest hefty object on his desk, which happened to be his pen, and promptly chucked it at the demon's head.
"Must you throw things?" Sebastian easily dodged the clumsy projectile.
"You're a father now, be responsible!" the boy snapped at him.
"Young Master, since when do you care how I get my information?" he said in an irritably nonchalant voice.
"Since you are supposed to be taking care of Aliya. She won't be happy if she sees you acting like a whore," Ciel retorted.
"Did you just call me a whore?" The demon raised an eyebrow and didn't even try to hide his amusement.
"Aliya's not stupid. She will notice if you go around seducing women," Ciel continued with the conversation.
"You are overreacting," Sebastian said as he bent to pick the pen off the floor.
"I'm overreacting? You're supposed to be her role model. Aliya wants to do whatever you do. Isn't she a little young for that sort of thing, even by demon standards?" the earl added. Sebastian made a face and Ciel knew he had won the argument.
"I can find copies of their business records another way if that is what you prefer," Sebastian said as if it was Ciel's request alone and nothing to do with Aliya that caused him to change his plans.
"Good," the earl said smugly and held out his hand for Sebastian to give him back the pen. He was obviously enjoying this victory.
As Ciel and Sebastian talked dark clouds started to move across the sky. It quickly became obvious that rain was on the way. Everyone in the house was relieved when a stiff breeze arrived and lessened some of the stifling heat. With a storm on the way Sebastian closed all of the windows and checked that the servants hadn't left anything outside. He suggested that Ciel could dress properly again now that it was cooler. However, the boy refused that suggestion with the clear intention of annoying him. Sebastian sighed, it was just one of those days that the Young Master acted like a stubborn child instead the adult he claimed to be. Speaking of stubborn children, where had Aliya gotten to?
Aliya stood on the roof of the house as the storm blew in. She was amused by how gritty the shingles felt beneath her bare feet and how the wind whipped her hair around. The sound of trees groaning in the storm and rain hitting the roof was soothing. The sensation of water droplets pelting her skin made her smile. As lightning started to flash across the sky, Aliya unfolded her wings and spread them so that she could feel water drip between her feathers. She sat on the edge of the roof with her feet hanging off the ledge. Aliya swung her feet back and forth and adjusted her wings to keep her steady in the wind, all while having a content smile on her face.
This weather made her calm. A thunderstorm was a good thing for Aliya while she lived with her mother. A storm used to make her mother upset and distract her from beating Aliya. And the sound of thunder always drowned out the noise of people chanting their prayers or sermons. Aliya had always wanted to see a storm not just listen to one from her cell. It wasn't until the day she escaped that she got the chance. Heavy rain had been coming down all that afternoon. The church was starting to flood so all of the angel's minions were distracted. Aliya took that opportunity to get free from her cell without anyone noticing. The sound of rain had then drowned out the noise of Aliya killing the guards. Aliya was probably half way to London before anybody noticed she was gone.
"Are you ready to come inside, yet?" Sebastian's voice made her snap out of her daydreaming. Aliya turned to look at her father. He joined her on the roof but held a coat about himself to avoid getting wet.
"No, I like it out here," Aliya answered.
"You are soaking wet."
"So? A little water isn't going to kill me."
"I suppose it won't," Sebastian sighed because he had no good argument to get her off the roof.
"Sit with me?" Aliya suggested.
"Absolutely not," he instantly rejected that idea.
"It's fun to be in the rain," she insisted.
"There is nothing fun about getting soaked or acting so childish," he answered. Aliya shrugged and turned her attention back to watching the trees swaying in the wind.
As the girl sat there she suddenly felt something hard hit the top of her head. "Huh?" She glanced up. Another twinge of pain came from her shoulder. The girl looked about with confusion. It felt like rocks were hitting her. Her wings twitched as tiny projectiles struck them. "What?" Aliya noticed that small white spheres were falling from the sky along with the rain. She picked up one of the tiny objects from the roof and studied it. It was cold to the touch, ice?
"Ow!" Aliya suddenly exclaimed. She held her head as a sharp pain shot through her skull. The projectiles were coming in faster now. They had also somehow become bigger and were now almost two inches in diameter. She cringed as more ice spheres continued to pummel her. Aliya covered her head with her arms and jumped to her feet.
"Father! This hurts," she whimpered as she ran to him.
Sebastian watched the scene and let Aliya scamper towards him. She huddled against his coat as she stared at the strange objects falling from the sky.
"It's called hail, child," Sebastian said with obvious amusement in his voice. The demon flicked away an especially large piece of hail that was falling towards his daughter's head.
"It's ice," Aliya glanced up at him as he sheltered her from the projectiles.
"When the wind is strong enough, the ice droplets in the clouds don't have time to melt and become rain. So, it falls as hail," he explained. "Ready to come inside now?" he asked with a smile. Aliya nodded, she didn't like hail very much.
In a few minutes Aliya sat wrapped in a warm blanket as Sebastian dried her hair. Her wet clothes were hung to dry in the tiled bathroom. She had shaken most of the water off her wings before folding them into her back. The symbol of her mother's cult was visible on her upper arm. The angel had labeled the girl as her property by carving a design into her flesh. The scar was old but it hadn't disappeared yet. Still, Aliya, and Sebastian, hoped that it would eventually heal. As she sat there, Aliya felt warm, comfortable, and safe. The girl smiled, things had turned out to be different here than at her mother's after all.
The defining sound of hail filled the manor but was periodically drowned out with a clap of thunder. Fortunately, Sebastian had already closed all the shutters so that the chunks of ice wouldn't break a window.
"This is an unusually harsh storm," the butler commented, more to himself than anyone.
"The humans are probably all scared," Aliya smiled.
"They retreated to the basement right before I came to get you." Sebastian set aside the wet towel after wringing most of the water droplets out of her head of hair. He then tried to run a comb through her hair but it snagged almost immediately. "Child, when did you last comb this?" he sighed.
"Huh…" Aliya thought for a moment. "I don't remember. I keep forgetting. I meant to this morning but I got distracted," she shrugged.
"You need to take better care of yourself," Sebastian said disapprovingly.
"I hardly ever combed it before. My hair doesn't tangle easily so it's not a problem," she protested. To prove her wrong, Sebastian yanked on one of the knots in her hair. "Ow, you did that on purpose," the girl complained. She turned her head to glare at him.
"Stay still or you can comb it yourself," Sebastian said simply. Aliya frowned but she obediently stopped squirming and let him run the comb through her hair.
Sebastian stood behind Aliya and untangled the knots in her hair. After some work, the comb stopped meeting resistance. Her hair hung straight and shown in the candle light like it was supposed to. Sebastian sighed and shook his head slightly. That took much longer than it should have. The demon ran his hand through her head of hair; he had taken off his gloves to keep them dry earlier. Aliya had without a doubt inherited this feature from him. He took hold of a few of the black strands and twirled them between his thumb and forefinger in admiration. They were exactly the same as his own. It was surprisingly incredible to see. He couldn't help but marvel at how much the child looked like him.
Aliya glanced up at her father as he played with her hair. "It's the same as yours isn't it, Father?" she asked with a small smile.
"Yes." Sebastian reached up and twisted a few stands of his own hair to double check that statement.
"Mother hated me for it," Aliya said softly and glanced away.
"Your mother is an angel. She only hated it because black hair makes you look like a demon," Sebastian said, he didn't want Aliya to think she was ugly.
"Really?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course. So, make sure to comb it more often."
"I'll do that," the girl nodded.