Chapter 2

The demon was positively revolting. William felt tempted to hold his nose whenever the demon walked by, but he supposed that the other Circus members would find that inappropriate, and it perhaps would be a bit tactless of him. Still, whenever he was alone with the demon, Sebastian Michaelis, William would make a point of telling him just how much he despised him. If he cared any less about being found out as a Grim Reaper, William would have let all the words he wanted to say spew out of his mouth in the middle of the training tent. But alas, he had self control. He was there for work, after all.

He had spent some time pondering his To-Die list. The closer you get to the specified time of death, the more details become clearer regarding the circumstances of the death. William still had no idea who killed the Circus Troupe, but it wouldn't surprise him if it was the foul demon himself. But even so, William was an adult and he wouldn't let his distaste for the demon take him away from his work. Not too much, anyway.

Angry as he was, he wouldn't let it distract him from doing an adequate job at the Circus. He was tasked with moving crates from one tent to another. A new food shipment, Joker had said. So William angrily carried the crates over to the dining tent with a scowl on his face. Of course he had to be the one forced to share a tent with a demon. Of course no one else would be able to take that responsibility. Could this job get any worse?

"Blimey, someone's lookin' glum,'' He heard Doll's voice say from behind him. He turned around. It sure wasn't easy to stay out of Doll's ever watchful eye. She had taken an interest in the Reaper, and he still wasn't quite sure why. He tried to give her as little reason to talk to him as possible.

"I'm not 'glum,' as you put it. I just received some rather upsetting personal news and I'd prefer not to discuss it with children," William said. It wasn't exactly a lie. It was upsetting personal news that he had to share living quarters with filth.

Doll looked taken aback by his words. He supposed he had snapped at her, and it wasn't like it was her fault he was mad. After all, she hadn't been the one to assign his roommate. He had much more reason to snap at Joker than Doll. He would apologize later. She took a step away, before crossing her arms.

"Jeez, you're as good as putting a damper on the mood as Peter is," She said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I can't say I'm quite sure what you mean by that, but I do apologize if I upset you," William said, not quite ready to let go of his frustration yet. He was stubborn to a fault when he wanted to be. He almost crossed his arms back at her, but that would only provoke her frustration.

"Hmmph," She said, putting her hands on her hips. She studied his face for a minute. "Sure you don't. Why are you so stone faced all the time, anyway? I'm tryin' my hardest to be nice to ya."

"I assumed smiling was Smile's job. The reason I'm stoic is because there is no room for emotion when it comes to work," William said. Doll softened a bit at that. She sat down at one of the tables, looking back at him. She seemed to sympathize with William a bit more, which made him feel pathetic. He certainly didn't need a child feeling pity for him.

"Well that's a rather gloomy outlook, innit? You're in the Circus now, you know. Actin' like a statue here just won't work out for ya. I don't know what the point in having a job is if you don't enjoy it at least a little bit," Doll said. William almost smiled. While her argument wasn't exactly compelling, she almost made him want to believe it. She had a very serious look on her face for such a silly argument, like she had just uttered a genuine philosophy to him that he surely should have jotted down.

"The work I do is simply the path that I follow. Whether or not I enjoy it is irrelevant," William said. Doll raised an eyebrow. "However, I wouldn't call myself a statue. When I'm off the clock, I am just as capable of expressing emotion as everyone else."

"Oh yeah?" Doll said, in a challenging tone. "How so, Mr. Suit?"

She may have been a bit irritating, but William still found her compelling to talk to. She was definitely an annoying kid though and under other circumstances, he wouldn't have spoken to her at all. "Well, for example, I am quite fond of my pigeons that I keep as pets back at my house."

Doll's eyes lit up at that. "Pigeons? You have birds?"

"I do, in fact. I have four," William said, amused at her reaction. She was quite an exuberant child.

"Can I see them? I would love to see birds up close!" Doll said, standing up from the table. She excitedly moved closer to him. William took a step back, reflexively.

"Perhaps I can bring them over, if you're that interested," William reasoned, after a moment. Doll practically clapped her hands. Her smile was nearly infectious. William hadn't been expecting that reaction out of her. No one else reacted this way when he brought up his birds when he was at work. None of his co-workers seemed to have a reaction at all. It was something he generally kept to himself.

"You know, I used to try to catch the birds when I was little. There used to be a lot of crows around where I live," She said. "Jumbo tried to help me catch one, but he accidentally killed it instead. It was crushed in his hands. I've always been scared to touch 'em, ever since, but if they are your pets, I'm sure that they won't be as scary to touch, you know? Might be easier to hold without hurtin' 'em."

"I assure you, they're trained quite well," William said, adjusting himself. He was beginning to enjoy the conversation, which genuinely surprised him upon the harsh realization of such a fact. He had never seen someone so excited to talk about birds, and his own pigeons nonetheless. It was like she was unlocking a softer part of himself he kept hidden for someone to be so excited about something he held dear. It was one of the only things he held close to his heart, nowadays.

"Wow!" Doll said, excitedly. "I didn't even know you could train birds! Can they do tricks?"

"They can," William said. "I use them as carrier pigeons. People who own them tend to use them for that purpose. Very few people keep them simply as pets."

"So it can send notes and things?" Doll asked. "I'd love to see that!"

"Yes, well, perhaps you will," William said. Not even Ronald Knox, his closest coworker if you could call him that, was very interested in his pigeons.

"Doll~" A voice called from outside the tent, unmistakably the voice of the one they called Dagger. Louis Pendleton, aged twenty two, to be killed-

"Comin'!" Doll called back, cutting off the sentence in William's head from finishing. He had a habit of remembering victims by their description on his to-die list. That was how he kept track of them normally. The Circus folk were no different.

Doll turned towards William and gave him a toothy smile. "See ya later, Suit!" With that, she scampered out of the tent. William was shocked to find himself a little disappointed to have the conversation end. Perhaps it was her interest in his passion, or perhaps it was also her infectious friendliness that left him dissatisfied with it's quick finish.

A day later, William decided to head over to his house to check up on his birds and also to see if he had received any mail from his higher ups. Perhaps an updated To-Die list, that would reveal the details of the deaths of the Circus troupe, such as a precise time of death and who was fated to kill them. However, upon reaching his house, the only letter on his doorstep was simply one from his coworker, Ronald Knox, letting him know that he was going to be his backup for the 'big day.' Typical. William sighed.

He reached his house and walked inside, taking a sigh of relief at the familiar and organized sight. He gave a soft pet to one of his favorite pigeons. Pidge, his eldest and most well trained pigeon, cooed at him affectionately upon his touch. He chuckled softly as the trouble maker, Bella, sneakily stole feed from one of his other pigeons. Bella's behavior struck him with familiarity for a moment. Ah yes, the little girl from the Circus who had been sticking to him like gum. These two would get along well.

He remembered telling Doll that he might let her see his pigeons at some point. He smiled at the thought. After a while of sitting with his pigeons, he went to his writing desk and began writing a small note after careful consideration. "Hello Miss Doll, my name is Bella," the note said. He plucked the bird out of her cage and left the house, having given the pigeons a satisfying amount of feed and love to last them the next few days.

He would maybe take the pigeon on his finger back home after giving the note to the girl, since he had little to do that day until nightfall. With William being so busy, the birds hardly had time to spread their wings anyway. It was a good excuse to let the birds fly around for a bit, plus put their training into action by giving her the note. He expected Doll to be up by now. She was an early riser. Now would be a good time to let her see the pigeon anyway, before breakfast. He headed back to the Circus with the pigeon on his shoulder.

As expected, he found Doll sitting outside her tent. She got up earlier than her roommate most days and would sit outside and watch the sunrise. She seemed to be drawing something this morning. William smiled softly to himself. He took the pigeon and as trained, directed her to give the note he had attached to her leg to the girl before him. The bird gave a happy coo before flying onto Doll's lap.

Doll jumped in surprise upon seeing the bird. The bird had frightened her. William felt guilty for a moment. It was an unprompted surprise after all, and she had probably only woken up recently. He could see why it had been a shock to her, especially if she had never interacted with a carrier pigeon before. She put a hand over her heart, before a small smile began to tug at the sides of her lips, before letting out a delighted laugh. William let out a breath of relief he didn't realize he was holding. Doll noticed the letter attached to the bird's leg, and went to untie it. She let out another gleeful laugh upon seeing the note. Her joy was infectious. William felt himself smile as well. He walked up to her, to see her reaction up close. Doll looked up at him, grinning.

"Tha' sure was a surprise," Doll said. "This is yer bird, ain't it?"

"It is," William said, picking the bird up to give her some praise for her good work. For a minute he wanted to correct her poor grammar, but decided against it. He didn't want to embarrass her. "I remembered you saying you had some interest in seeing them, so I decided to bring her along. It's been awhile since Bella has been able to fly around, after all. She needed to stretch her wings for a bit."

"I loved it," Doll said, standing up. "I knew you were secretly a big ol' softie!" She teasingly pushed William's arm. He adjusted his glasses and sighed.

"Yes, well, I wouldn't say that. I merely needed to let Bella out for the day, and coincidentally, I remembered your wish to meet the birds," He said. William T Spears was not 'soft.' Not by a long shot. The small push caught him off guard. A friendly jest like that was not a commonality in William's life. No one was affectionate with him. He wasn't sure if he was more uncomfortable or surprised.

"Then what's this note right here?" Doll said, with a grin. "It has my name on it and everything!"

"I thought it would be entertaining for you," William said. Doll rolled her lone eye.

"Whatever ya say, Suit," She said. She stared at the bird for a moment. "May I pet her? Can you...pet pigeons?"

"Of course," William said. "Put out your finger, alright?"

"Like this?" Doll asked. She nervously struck out her finger, her hand a little shaky.

"There's no reason to be nervous," William said. "You wouldn't want to stand on a shaky foundation, now would you? Just be gentle. She won't nip you unless you give her a reason to."

Doll took a deep breath. He hadn't seen her nervous before. Doll seemed absurdly confident most of the time. She acted like she had not a care in the world. He felt himself wanting to reassure her. However, she did calm down enough that William felt comfortable placing the small pigeon on Doll's finger. She let out a sigh of relief.

"See? Not so scary up close, huh?" William asked.

"Blimey, she's a real beauty, Suit," Doll said, with a grin. She hesitantly took a finger from her other hand and gave the pigeon's head a small stroke. The bird instinctively cuddled into the touch. Doll laughed in delight.

"Oh dear, don't encourage her," William said, shaking his head. "That one lives for attention. I do agree though, I do find my birds to be rather lovely creatures."

"I love 'er," Doll said, decidedly. "Thank you so much for bringin' 'er, Suit."

"Of course. As I said, she needed a reason to spread her wings," William said. Doll rolled her lone eye once again. William didn't let his face betray any fondness. No, he didn't do this just to make Doll happy. That wasn't his intention through all of this. What was his intention? Well, William didn't quite dwell on that, since he would have to admit that he had an intention at all.

"What does this note say, by the way?" Doll asked, holding up the small scrap of paper. William was shocked to hear her ask that. He blinked in surprise.

"Oh, well, it just says 'Hello Miss Doll, my name is Bella,'" He said. Doll nodded. How could she not understand something simple like that? There was enough light out for her to read the note.

"I saw m' name," Doll said, sheepishly. She looked a bit embarrassed now. "I, ugh, can't read all too well. It's a long story, but y'know Circus kids don't got much money for a proper education…"

"No worries at all," William said. "If you would like, I could bring you some beginners books from my house. Reading is a good skill to have."

Doll smiled. "Why're ya bein' all friendly with me, anyway?"

William didn't have an answer. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again.

"Oh blimey, look at the time," Doll said. "The rookies are gonna start wakin' up soon. You should go wake up Black and get him ready to start helpin' for breakfast. I'll see you later, Suit!" She gently handed the bird back to William, before tearing off in the direction of the dining tent. William shook his head and gave a soft smile. He grimaced when she mentioned Sebastian's stage name, and so casually, too. That damn demon. Sebastian disgusted William in every way. He was repulsive. He wouldn't be surprised if Sebastian Michaelis were the reason the Circus troupe was murdered in the first place. Whether or not his instructions had been to wake the demon up, William chose not to. He refused to interact if it was possible.

He walked towards the dining tent, the opposite direction of the one he shared with Sebastian. Oh, wouldn't it be just a shame if he missed breakfast? Not that it was likely to happen, but William would be lying if he wasn't amused by the idea of the Demon getting in trouble.

When he brought the pigeon home much later that day, William couldn't help but pick up some books that he thought good for beginners. He had been eyeing his bookshelf while he pet his other birds who had sat caged all day.

Reading was an essential skill, and it pained him to know that Doll had no proper education, or basic education by the sounds of it. So he picked up some classics; Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, ones he thought she might like. If she was able to read these, maybe he would even bring her some more advanced books in the future. Perhaps if they had spare time, he could even walk her through some of it. Not that he had time for children, especially not something as demanding as teaching them to read. Even so, he put the books into a carrier bag, and headed back to the Circus. The show was going to begin in a few hours, and he was meant to stay on the premises in case he was needed for an emergency full in.

The walk to get back to the Circus was time consuming and he would have to limit the amount of times he travelled back to his house. The birds would have to cope on their own for a little bit. But they would be okay, they knew how to fend for themselves should they need to. He briefly considered contacting Ronald Knox to take care of his birds so he could focus on the Circus.

He arrived back on the grounds and walked to his tent he shared with the demon, hoping he wouldn't be there. Luckily for him, he was nowhere to be seen. However, that idea also tugged at the back of his brain. He could be messing with his plans, or doing something unexpected. That would be ever so dreadful. He pushed away the thought, bringing out the books from his satchel.

He would give Doll the books after the show tonight. He imagined that by now she would be in the makeup tent, preparing to go on stage. He thought he might watch the show from backstage tonight. After all, if he was forced to stay at this human invested Circus for now, he might as well take advantage of his time here. Humans were strange and surprising creatures. Even the brightest ones had secrets.

As soon as he finished putting away his carrier bag in his tent, he had been assigned a couple of tasks to help make sure the show went smoothly, such as ushering guests to their seats and hanging up various decorations. Lastly he was tasked with checking in with the First Tiers and making sure they were ready to go on. He found Snake and Doll chatting in the makeup tent a couple minutes before the show was about to begin.

"Now, are you two going to be ready on time?" William asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's nearly curtain call."

"Tis?" Doll asked, shooting up. Snake gave him an apologetic look, then glanced at Doll. She must have gotten them both side tracked. She had a tendency to get enthralled in a conversation and drag someone else in. But there was no excuse for tardiness.

"Yes," William said, pushing up his glasses. Doll scrambled to put on her last few accessories. Snake seemed to have already finished getting ready, so he was quick to leave the tent. William began to leave the tent, with a long, sorrowful sigh. Pesky children were always running late. However, after a minute of silence, he looked back at Doll, noticing that she seemed just a tad off her game. She looked rather stilted and William began to wonder what was wrong. Her head hung down and her face was grim. She looked like she was lost in her own thoughts. It was a very different look for the usual upbeat girl who seemed to always talk before thinking.

Did it perhaps have to do with his To-Die list? Tonight, a 43 year old Police Officer by the name of Conrad Harrelson would be killed by Charlotte Mulligan at 2:37 AM. William was set to reap his soul. While it was true that Doll couldn't possibly know who exactly she was set to kill, it was likely just the fact that she knew she was going out tonight that set her off.

While it was true that he could be wrong, it made the cogs in William's brain whirl. Was he perhaps correct in his assumption that Doll was far too innocent to be a murderer? Was she perhaps remorseful, and resentful of the life presented to her? Or was he misreading these signs? It wasn't like he could just ask her outright. She had no reason to believe William even suspected anything was off about the Circus and it would get William into a sticky situation if he implied he knew. No, he couldn't reveal himself as a Grim Reaper. That would be tampering with fate and he didn't have the patience for the paperwork that would ensue. However, that didn't mean he couldn't ask her if she was alright (such a human thing to do, he thought).

"Are you feeling alright, Miss Doll?" William asked, walking up behind her. Doll looked up at him, and gave him a toothy smile. She snapped back into her role quickly, seamlessly even. It caught William off guard to witness.

"Never better!" Doll said, cheerfully standing up. "Awright, time ta get this show on the road!" She brushed her fingers clean on her uniform and scampered out of the tent and towards the show. William wondered if he had, perhaps, taken a quick glimpse into her soul just now.

The show went wonderfully, as William had expected. He had ended up watching from backstage. He didn't normally enjoy any human art form besides literature, but he could see the appeal of the Circus. There was a whimsical, other worldly nature to the Circus that William, as a Grim Reaper, could appreciate.

Perhaps it was because she was the one who had been speaking the most to or because he had had to learn her routine, but he noticed that Doll shone when she was on stage. He was most captivated by her performance that night. Perhaps that was why she was called the Princess of the Circus.

He applauded from backstage, having been thankful to have watched it. He had enjoyed it more than he anticipated. He could have sat in his tent and read a book, but for some reason, he felt the urge to observe tonight. Perhaps he should have chosen to read a book, as he was slated to collect some souls that very night and watch the performers who had just given a wonderful performance commit heinous crimes. Humans were liars, after all.

William left the tent in a hurry, ignoring the foul demon who was lurking around the Circus grounds. If only he could kill the beast. He noticed that the Demon hadn't watched the show, it had taken the opportunity to search the grounds. Dreadful animal.

William entered his tent, and picked up one of the books he had collected to share with Doll. He would catch her before she left. After all, reading was an essential skill and she would greatly benefit from learning the basics.

William began to walk towards the makeup tent where the first tiers would usually spend time together after a show. He noticed Doll sitting on a barrel, with a lollipop in her mouth. She seemed to be studying a small scrap of paper. William's face softened just slightly from his hard expression. Could it be the paper from his pigeon? Perhaps not, he was now making baseless assumptions.

Doll waved and gave him a big toothy smile upon seeing him. "Suit!" She called. "I saw ya watchin' from backstage t'night. What did ya think?"

"Very fine work, Miss Doll. I found your performance greatly entertaining," He said, his voice almost a monotone. Doll rolled her eyes, but the smile was still present on her face. She seemed genuinely grateful that William had watched the performance.

"Ya talk how I think a statue would talk sometimes," Doll said. "But you're a funny guy. I like listenin' to ya."

"I suppose I'll consider that as a compliment," William said, pushing his glasses up with his death scythe.

"What'cha got there?" She asked, pointing to the book in his hand. William nodded, showing her the book. He wondered what sort of reaction he would get. Not that he was trying to make her feel better or anything. It was merely about helping her gain some proper educational skills, like every young lady like herself needed.

"I brought this from my house for you. Every young lady should learn how to read, it's an essential skill," William said, handing her the book. Doll stared at it for a moment, before her jaw dropped. Her eye seemed to turn misty for a second. William was taken aback. He had expected a far more bombastic response. "Is something the matter?"

"Ya brought this...fer me?" Doll asked, hesitantly reaching for the book. Her eye looked far away.

"Is that strange?" William asked, his eyebrows knitting together. Doll's hands shook as he gave her the book, like she was about to cry. "Miss Doll?"

"Suit…" She said, looking rather emotional. William was taken aback, not used to seeing emotion displayed so freely. He felt a bit uncomfortable. "Thank ya...this is one a' the nicest things anybody 'as ever given me!" She said, standing up and throwing her arms around him.

William went stiff. A hug? He couldn't remember the last time someone had given him a hug. For a minute it felt strange and unwelcome, but he hesitantly put one arm around her before pulling away. Affection was horrifying to him. It was so foreign to him that he wondered if he was doing it right. Perhaps he should push her away? Or would that be cruel, knowing what she was about to endure tonight?

Since when did William care about what was cruel or not?

"It's not an issue," William said, shifting uncomfortably. "Do take good care of it."

Doll nodded, still staring at the book for a minute, strumming her thumb over the cover. He had never seen her like this. He hardly thought she was capable of displaying negative emotion, as she usually had a big goofy smile on her face. But he supposed, even humans could be capable of surprises.