My lover came back to the cottage a couple of hours later with his grin still on his face. The mad man skipped up to me where I was sipping my tea, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He swept around the room and sat himself in the chair across from me. I lifted an eyebrow at the man as I sat my cup down on the table.
"Is he still in one piece, tiger?" My question got around of cackling, but he nodded nonetheless. I watched him for a few minutes before I stood up. His eyes were immediately on me as I walked over to sit, straddling his lap. I rested my arms on his shoulder with my hands tangling in his silver mane. His arms were around my waist before I finished settling on his thighs, and his pleased grin just grew on his face.
"I hope you're not going to beat every reaper William sends to us." I looked at Adrian with an amused smirk on my face. I was happy that my tiger had gotten some of his laughter out of this visitation. I was starting to run out of humorous material, and a bored Adrian is a terrifying Adrian. I still shudder from the last time he was bored. The reaper cackled with delight, and I took that as an affirmative to my question.
"That young lad needs to get some experience. Beeeeeeetter with me then some demon!~" Once again this proved my early view of him being a sadistic teacher, but he does have a good point. At least Ronald walked away from the silver haired man alive. I'm sure William will be very happy to have the blonde back.
"Kitten, we need to go back to the city." My eyes flew to his, and I saw his smile had transformed into an uncharacteristically serious look. Before I could open my mouth to question him, he rested a finger over my lips. I tried to convey my curiosity with a lift of my eyebrow, and he just quirked a grin at me.
"This is a good place to hide for a while, but it'll be harder to track us if we are surrounded by humans. It's good to move around when you have hunters after you. How do you think I went unnoticed all these years?" That made sense. The mortician's smile slowly became more devious as he added. "Besides…we got a few more dollies to check on. I'm suuuure you know which ones I'm thiiiinking about!~"
My eyes lit up in recognition. Yes…. Our special dolls.
"The ones at the college?!" My excitement was bubbling up, and I was almost wiggling in my lover's lap. He just laughed at my enthusiasm as he nodded his head. I let out a squeal and flung my arms around his neck. Adrian was shoved back against his chair causing it to wobble unsteadily on its legs. His arms tightened around me as he shifted his weight in the chair to make it fall on all four legs.
"Ohhhh! I can't wait! When can we leave, Adrian!?" I asked as I pulled back. The reaper gave me a puzzled look before he busted out laughing making the windows rattle in their frames. I giggled along with his contagious humor and tightened my hold on his neck to keep from falling off his lap. He slumped in his chair a bit as he dissolved into weak chuckles.
"Love, if I diiiiiiidn't know better, I'd say you like ooooour dolls better then you do me!~" I could hear the mock pout he had on his face, and I giggled as I pulled my face from the crook of his neck. The former mortician could pull off the spoiled child look very well, and I bit the tip of my tongue to keep from laughing. I leaned up to rub my nose with his as I gazed into his gleaming eyes with a playful smile on my face.
"Then I guess it's a good thing you know me." I got off his lap and ran into the bedroom to pack laughing at his shocked expression. It was a few seconds later that I heard a growl and hurried footsteps chasing after me. I got two more steps before a black clad arm grabbed me and lifted me off the floor. I laughed harder as I was carried through the door.
OOThe Next DayOO
I was dressed in a white and olive green dress (A.N. The dress is like the one Madame Red wore.) that came down around my ankles far enough to hide my regular boots. I pulled my hair up in a bun as I waited for the former undertaker to finish puting things back to order in the cottage. We might have to come back sometime, and Adrian wanted things to be ready just in case.
"Alllright, lovely! All finished!" The familiar giggling tone made me smile as he came strolling out the door. He was wearing the black three piece suit again. Somehow, my tiger managed to fit all of his long silver hair in the top hat on his head, and I found it strange to look at him without that long waterfall. I caught sight of white gloves on his hands as he adjusted his hat, and had to repress a gasp. He cut his nails!
I almost had to step back as I took in his entire look. Adrian was the picture of a typical English gentleman, and narrowed my eyes at him. It was almost like looking at a completely different person, and the old saying 'the clothes make the man' suddenly made more sense. I caught sight of his grin as he watched me observing him. I liked the way his suit fit his body, but I wasn't sure if I liked the overall image the silver haired man presented.
"What do you think, kitten? I clean up nicely, don't I?" I found myself nodding with his words as I still focused on his attire. My lover started to snicker, and I finally decided that I did like it, it was just different. He walked over to me and bowed at the waist while holding onto the rim of his hat with one hand. The man pulled his other hand out from behind his back with a playful smile on his face.
"Would you do me the honor of escorting you to our destination, my dear?" A purple and white dahlia was held out to me, and I took it from his hand with a smile on my face. I felt a small flush bloom on my cheeks over his sweetness. Ridiculous, I know, but I was charmed by my tiger. Using all the feminine abilities my grandmother instilled in my head, I lifted the hem of my dress with one hand in a curtsy.
"I would be delighted, my good sir." The silver haired man straightened with another smile growing on his face, and took the flower out of my hand. I blinked in confusion, but the man just slid the flower stem behind my ear. Adrian's fingers lingered to give my cheek a gentle caress as he gazed at my face with eyes full of warmth. My head just slightly tilted further to his touch.
"While it does enhance your beauty, I don't think it is the perfect flower for you. I'll have to keep looking, kitten," he said in that wonderfully velvet tone of his. His hand withdrew and he offered his arm out to me. I wrapped my arm with his with a shy but happy look on my face. The reaper pulled me closer to his body and held his other hand out in front of us. A silvery light flickered from his palm and formed into a portal.
"Not that I don't trust your judgement, but is it safe to travel this way?" I didn't take my eyes off the translucent imagine of an alley in London. It looked like a fairly busy part of the city, and we could just blend right in if we walked out into the crowd. Adrian lowered his arm with a chuckle, and I looked up to catch his eye.
"Reapers never look for people hidden in plain sight. Most prey avoid large groups of humans." There was a slight annoyed tone that is usually caused by excessive uses of idiocy, but his mouth had quirked into a smirk. The chartreuse orb glinted with mischief and humor as it drifted to look over at my face. My lips curled into a smile as we stepped through the shimmering bend in reality.
Traveling this was always made me a little queasy, and this time was no different. The sudden assault of sights, sounds, and smells took several minutes for me to get use to. I rested my head on his arm as I tightened my hand on my lover's arm as I tried to pushed the rolling in my stomach away. A white gloved hand covered mine in sympathy.
"Still having trouble with gate walking, love?" His concern was evident as we walked down the cobblestone streets. I closed my eyes with a nod, and felt his hand pat mine. The former mortician hailed a carriage after about ten minutes of walking. The driver assisted me in getting in, and I let out a breath through clenched teeth as the silver haired man told the driver to take us to Weston College.
My tiger sat down beside me as the last bit of my nausea finally went away. The carriage jolted as it finally started to move. The novelty of riding in one of these things still hasn't faded in the time I've been here, but I do miss the convenience of having a car on hand. The man beside me pushed his hat back a bit with a displeased look on his face, and I giggled as I caught him glaring up at his own hat. A few locks were trying to come out from under the rim.
"I forget how much hair I actually have until I need to hide it. Then it causes all kinds of trouble." He muttered as he readjusted it. I held a hand over my mouth as I snickered in the most unladylike fashion. The rogue reaper stuffed the wayward hair back into the top hat with a sneer on his face. I smacked his hands away from his head and pulled the hat off. A cascade of silver fell out with an almost liquid like fluidity.
"I got a better idea, tiger. Look away for me, please." Adrian grumbled but he did turn away and presented the bulk of his mane to me. I ran my fingers through the silky texture before I divided it into three equal parts. I braided the thick mass of hair for a long time, making sure the rope I was making would stay tight. I had to scoot away after I got a third of the way down his hair. The weight of the braid was surprisingly heavier then I expected, but I tied a small black ribbon around the end of it.
"You know, I think you could use this as a weapon," I said with a hint of teasing in my voice. I flicked the tail of the braid so it would smack him in the face. The mad man whipped his head around to give me a mock glare as I giggled at his face. He wound the braid on top of his head and set the top hat back down. Several strands of his fringe was peeking out from under his hat and fell around his eyes.
His arm shot out and pulled me flush against his side, and I had to put my hands on his chest to keep from falling into his lap. Adrian loomed over me with his lips curling up in that devilish smirk that always made me weak in the knees. I felt my cheeks heat up as his head lowered so his lips were brushing against the shell of my ear.
"Thank you for the assistance, love." The dark purr made a shiver trail down my spine as teeth played with my ear. I nodded absentmindedly while I tilted my head to the side to give him more access. My eyes fluttered shut as I enjoyed the sensation of his mouth on my skin. The arm around my waist pulled me even closer to the warmth of his body, and his other hand brushed against my cheek and neck. I bit the tip of my tongue to keep from making any noise as my tiger locked our lips together.
"Kitten…we're here!" The sudden jolt of the carriage stopping made him pull back, and I could hear a grin on his face from the tone of his voice. I slowly opened my eyes to watch him sweep out into the street, and I had to almost physically restrain my jaw to keep it from dropping. I glowered at his back as he thanked the driver. I huffed as I climbed out of the vehicle, and I just walked up to my lover and took his offered arm with a sweet smile on my face. The reaper gave me a nervous chuckle when he saw my expression.
Looking away from the silver haired man, I saw an iron gate in front of us. We walked up to it and saw a man waiting for us on the other side. He was dressed in the long robes of the school with what looked like a graduation cap on his head. The man had dark hair and ice blue eyes that watched us without blinking. He opened the gate as we approached. This used to be Johann Agares, the vice headmaster of the school before he met with an unfortunate accident.
"Greetings, master and mistress. Welcome to Weston College," the doll said as we walked past him. The school itself was on the banks of the river, and was connected with a gothic cathedral. All and all, it looked like a very traditional school, but I wasn't impressed with it. I thought institutions like this only made people learn to follow an authority figure with an almost sheep like quality. I narrowed my eyes and frowned at the buildings.
"Mistress, is there something amiss?" The monotone voice of the vice headmaster brought me out of my thoughts. I looked over at our current masterpiece with a small smile. He was observing me with what looked like vague concern, and I reached out to pat his arm as I shook my head. He inclined his head at me before leading us into the building.
All of the Bizarre Dolls had an almost hyper awareness when it came to me, and I found it sweet in a morbid way. Agares and the other dolls here at the school were different. Most of the other cadavers Adrian and I experimented on had counterfeit memories attached to their records. This made the bodies move without a soul, but there was no sense of self within their make up. They were just flesh puppets seeking out their souls to balance their continuing records.
While we were making our dolly army, I had a thought about the cinematic records as I worked with a particular doll that had a photograph memory. Adrian was out with Stoker for something or another, and I was alone with several corpses. People usually dream and imagine how their future will turn out as they go through life. It was like a forecast for the individual's future.
The results were leading the reaper and myself to the headmaster's chambers. The doll could almost act like a regular human when it had its own memories attached to the cinematic records. I swear my tiger went weak kneed when I showed him Agares the first time. We attempted to create replicas, but the success rate was very low. It all depended on the clarity and quantity of the human's dreams for the future.
"Agares, tell me what's been happening at the school. Has anyone suspected anything regarding the incident a few months ago?" The former mortician asked as we walked into our temporary location. Inside our doll had set up some tea and biscuits for us to enjoy. He went over and began to pour two cups for us, and I took one with a smile as I sat down in a plush red chair. The cadaver straightened with the teapot in his hands, and what he told us made a feral grin spread on my lover's face.
"There hasn't been any investigation, but there was a sudden new admission. A new headmaster and student for the Blue house. I believe the student's name was Phantomhive."
