A/N: Thank you for your wonderful comments! Replies are at the end of the chapter) I'm happy to say that the next updates will be published sooner :) I'm nearly finished with my work and I'm going to take quite a long break.
WARNING: despite the harmless title, this chapter is pretty dark because it features mentions of child rape, drugging, and child death. Nothing detailed, but still, proceed with caution. The next chapter (the final of the 'Hiring' cycle) will be even darker.
Chapter Seven: Hiring. Part 2
Ciel spent the first night with Mey-Rin in his house carefully planning how much he was going to disclose to her.
He had to found the perfect centre. He had to appear strong but give her a glimpse of vulnerability; use only general facts, but make them sufficient to secure her sympathy.
When Sebastian brought her to his office, Ciel was prepared.
Mey-Rin was already wearing the glasses he had purchased for her and they obviously affected her vision — maybe more so than Ciel had intended. As soon as she stepped inside, she tripped and fell, and Sebastian grabbed her before her face connected with the floor, holding her strongly.
When Mey-Rin finally saw him, her jaw dropped. A strange squeak escaped her and Ciel sent an unsure glance towards Sebastian who shrugged almost apologetically.
Well. They had chosen her themselves and it was too late to reconsider.
"Mey-Rin," Ciel said. "My name is Ciel Phantomhive. I'm pleased that you have agreed to work for me."
"I... that is, yes!" Mey-Rin made a step toward him only to trip again, and this time, Ciel frowned.
"Perhaps we need to get you better glasses," he said. "It wasn't my intention to leave you blind. Sebastian?"
Before Sebastian could react, though, Mey-Rin exclaimed, "Oh no, I don't need new glasses, not at all! These are, these are lovely, I can adjust to them with no problem. I understand why you want me to wear them. I'm just nervous. I've never worked as a maid before and this house is so big and beautiful, it absolutely is! And you, Master… I imagined you differently. I never thought you'd be so young!"
Ciel scowled and glared at Sebastian who was audacious enough to smirk.
Maybe this time, he could let such a remark pass. At least Mey-Rin pushed the conversation in the direction he needed.
"Unfortunately, the circumstances placed me in a position that I wasn't ready for," he said, allowing a note of softness to touch his voice. He could feel Sebastian's interested gaze and annoying as it was, he still found it encouraging. "My family was murdered two years ago. I was the only one left."
"Oh!" Even though Ciel couldn't see her eyes behind the thick glasses, he still noted how Mey-Rin's lower lip trembled and how her voice was already full of empathy.
Just like he'd thought.
"I had to accept the title and the responsibilities that came with it," he continued. "My goal is to make sure that Her Majesty's concerns are eliminated before they gain the power to grow. As the result, I've made quite a few enemies in the underworld. Sebastian manages to deal with the majority but he can't always win against them all."
Sebastian's eyes narrowed and Ciel barely hid a smirk of his own.
Served him right.
"That's why I need your help," Ciel stepped closer to Mey-Rin, trying to portray absolute sincerity. "I know you also had a family. I know they were taken from you. You have none of your own enemies left but you're still frustrated and restless. Your previous job didn't let you decide who deserved to live and who didn't, you had to kill even those who might have been innocent."
"It was terrible." This time, Mey-Rin's voice trembled as well. "The things they wanted me to do… the things I did! God will never forgive me for it. I knew and I stayed, and I—"
"Who needs His forgiveness?" Ciel scoffed before he could stop himself. 'God'. What a joke. "Only your own forgiveness matters. When you forgive yourself, you'll become free, but to do that, you have to remove yourself from the environment that only contributed to your unhappiness."
Mey-Rin pressed her hands against her face, and though Ciel couldn't see her eyes, he sensed that she was on the verge of crying.
"But it's the only thing I'm good at," she whispered. "Being a maid, it's an honourable position, but I'm—"
"You know that your primary responsibility will be protecting this house," Ciel interrupted her. "This way, you can continue doing what you're good at, but you won't have to feel any guilt. I can assure you that people who come here do not deserve your compassion. After all, what kind of person would want to kill a child?"
It pained him to utter these words. It pained him even more to see how amused Sebastian was by all this, but it had to be done.
Mey-Rin gasped before nodding vigorously.
"Also," Ciel said, "I imagine you'll have enough time to develop in other areas. You won't be limited in anything. And who knows, you might enjoy being a maid."
"I will!" Mey-Rin almost jumped in anticipation, clenching her skirt in her hands. "I most certainly will! I won't let you down, Young Master! And… and you," she turned to Sebastian, blushing and suddenly shy, and Ciel rolled his eyes.
"Of course you won't," Sebastian's lips curled slightly upward, but the danger underlying this semblance of a smile was unmistakable. Judging from Mey-Rin's shudder, she felt it, too. "I'll make sure of it," Sebastian added, and his smile widened when Mey-Rin backed away instinctively.
"It's all right," Ciel said, sending Sebastian a warning glance. Now wasn't the time to intimidate their new servant. "If you need any help, just ask Sebastian. You should also make a list of the things you'll need, including weapons."
"Weapons!" The excitement in Mey-Rin's voice was palpable. "What is the price range, sir?"
"No price range. Just make sure you have everything to ensure the protection of this house. It has already been burned once. I don't want to repeat the experience."
Mey-Rin made another pained noise before nodding decisively.
"Thank you, Young Master," she murmured. "With your permission, I'll go make that list. I'll also need some cleaning supplies! Oh, it's so exciting!"
Ciel could hardly imagine what was exciting about cleaning, but he smiled in response.
He waited until Mey-Rin approached the door before clearing his throat in a deliberately hesitant way.
"Mey-Rin…" he said softly. "Thank you. Your help means a lot to me."
Satisfaction welled up in his chest when she glowed with happiness from being needed and appreciated.
"I won't let you down," Mey-Rin swore again, then bowed and left the room.
Soon, Sebastian nodded, indicating that she had gone beyond the range of hearing, and Ciel finally relaxed. With a sigh, he dropped onto his armchair, rubbing his temples.
"What kind of people would want to kill a child indeed," Sebastian drawled. "That must be the first time I've heard you refer to yourself that way, Master."
"Oh, shut up! I had to say something. And it worked, didn't it? She appeared sincere. I don't think we'll regret our choice. Her clumsiness, though…"
"Leave it to me, my lord," Sebastian pressed his hand to his chest. "I assure you it won't be a problem."
"We'll see," Ciel concluded. "So, we have one more servant now. Have you found any other candidates? It'd be better to hire all of them within the same time period, so they could adjust together and become a team. It'll give them one more reason to stay and be loyal to me. I assume that Mey-Rin and people like her don't have any friends."
"That does remind me of someone," Sebastian agreed, and it took Ciel a moment to realise the implication. He was unsure if he should be offended but he glared just in case.
"Did you find anyone else or not?" he demanded coldly.
"As a matter of fact, I did," Sebastian approached his table and pulled out a thick folder. "Lau provided me with location of a secret research centre. Apparently, it is financed by both British and American governments — the centre is masked as a prison facility but in reality, it's focused on human experimentation. Those scientists attempt to transform their subjects into unique soldiers who would be able to withstand inhuman pressure. Specifically—"
"What?" Ciel stood up abruptly, hoping he'd heard wrong. "Are you suggesting that the Queen knows about the existence of such centre and does nothing?"
Sebastian's eyebrows rose mockingly.
"More than that," he drawled, amused. "The Queen knows about this centre and she was the one to fund it. I imagine she wishes to have her personal army of—"
"Shut up!" Ciel's hands twitched with desire to slap Sebastian for even daring to say this. Confusion and indignation clashed, filling him with questions he didn't want to think about and with automatic refusal to even consider such outrageous accusation.
It couldn't be true. Perhaps some of the Queen's decisions could be hasty, but human experimentation centre?
"The Queen would have never sanctioned the creation of a place like this," Ciel said, trying to sound calm. "She can't know about it."
"If you say so," Sebastian uttered, and this time, his voice was practically overflowing with mockery. "After all, who could know the Queen better than her very own Watchdog?"
"You!.."
"I apologise for speaking so rashly, Master," Sebastian bowed deeply, his face a mask of insincere sincerity, and Ciel growled under his breath. That bastard. "If I may, there is an individual among the human subjects at the centre that could become a worthy addition to the household. His name is Finnian. I've collected all information I could find, so if you'd open the file…"
Ciel did, no less infuriated and concerned. When he saw the pictures, though, his thoughts about the Queen vanished. For a moment, his mind went blank, and then the memories returned, heavy and detailed and sickening.
The cages. Constant darkness and knowledge that when the light came, it would mean the arrival of the cult, the start of a new ceremony. The start of torture. The start of—
Ciel's hands shook, so he lowered them and sat down quickly, hoping that Sebastian hadn't seen it.
The pictures still made him sick.
Tiny cells. Gloomy corridors and deceptively light laboratories. People, some dead, some barely resembling humans, with wounds and needle marks everywhere. Tattooed numbers on their necks marking them as subjects, not people. All of them young, and their eyes…
Ciel knew this emptiness. He knew what it meant. None of them would be able to make it back from the hell they had been dragged into.
Except…
He stared at Finnian's file and the picture Sebastian had attached.
Finnian's eyes were alive. Scared, desperate, but somehow still hopeful. The notes indicated that he was being injected with something to enhance his physical strength and that the final test was to be conducted today.
Physical strength wasn't very high on Ciel's list of preferred attributes, but one look at Finnian's face — and he knew he wanted him here.
"Sebastian," he said sharply. "This is an order. Go to that centre and recruit Finnian. I want him to be here today, preferably before the last test is performed on him."
"Why?" Sebastian seemed genuinely confused. "I'm glad you approve of my choice, Master, but the final test is likely to result in his strength reaching the maximum point. Currently Finnian is the only surviving subject, so all efforts are focused on him. The stronger he is, the more useful he is going to be to us."
Ciel pursed his lips, disgusted and disturbed by how casually Sebastian treated the horrors that people at those centres were subjected to.
It was to be expected, of course. But still, some part of him — a part that still cringed from any reminder of the cell, darkness, blood, was strangely disappointed.
Sebastian had apparently interpreted his silence in his own way because a sneer twisted his features.
"Are you feeling sorry for Finnian, Master?" he asked, and all amusement and mockery were gone from his voice. Only warning coldness remained. "May I remind you that we're looking for the person with the most developed abilities? It was your own idea to make the screening process so strict. Have you changed your mind simply because of sentiments? Your sympathy, perhaps?"
It was too much. Sebastian had been testing his boundaries lately and this was the place where Ciel had to stop him.
Curling his lips derisively, he pushed back against his chair, watching Sebastian intently. He had put all condescendence he could gather within himself into his look, and from how Sebastian stiffened, it obviously worked.
"Do you know the difference between sympathy and empathy, Sebastian?" Ciel asked. Before Sebastian could open his mouth, he went on, "No, I assume you don't. Demons aren't capable of sympathy, so I imagine you have only a vague idea of what it means. Empathy, on the other hand, is something that even creatures like you ought to experience. Let's look at this situation differently. You, as a demon, spend quite a lot of time in the human world. Whether or not you remove all witnesses is irrelevant, there are still people who have seen or heard something, who might suspect you or other demons of being who you are. Will you deny it?"
"No," Sebastian replied. "However, I don't see how it—"
"One day, these people might meet. One day, they can decide to target demons. To build a centre like this one and start experimentations. To see what pain threshold you have, under what pressure you might break, what can subdue your will and even how to kill you. How to become you. Would you find it amusing, to know that some species of your kind are locked up and experimented upon?"
"It's impossible," Sebastian scoffed, but his eyes were wide and Ciel felt dark triumph swelling in his chest.
"It may not be possible now, but technologies are improving," he said calmly. "You can't know what will happen in a hundred or a thousand years. Someone may form a contract with a demon specifically to learn about their nature. Everyone has weaknesses, I'm sure you aren't the exception. So tell me, would you find it amusing if demons were 'subjects'? And I order you to reply truthfully."
Sebastian stared at him as if he were seeing him for the first time. He was startled, maybe even concerned, and Ciel couldn't be more satisfied.
"No," Sebastian finally said. His words were quiet and reluctant. "I would not find it amusing."
"I thought so," Ciel narrowed his eyes. "Even the most vicious beings can usually feel empathy. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you stopped throwing around words that you yourself aren't capable of understanding. No, I don't pity Finnian. I don't sympathize with him. But I understand what he is going through and I don't wish to subject him to further tests if it's possible to avoid them. According to the file, he's already strong enough."
"But Master…" Sebastian still looked uncharacteristically lost. "To ensure your safety and the safety of the house, it would be better if the experiment was finished."
"If it's finished by the time you get there, then so be it. But I neither want it nor need it. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Sebastian bowed again, and Ciel allowed himself to relax when he detected no hint of previous mockery or coldness in it.
Sebastian appreciated being surprised. Hopefully, it would keep him in check for the next several weeks.
"The first thing you'll do now is buy a hat," Ciel said and Sebastian looked up, clearly curious.
"A hat, my lord?"
"Yes. A straw hat, and the wider it is, the better. Bring it to me and then go after Finnian. Kill those scientists. Leave none of them alive."
"Right away," Sebastian sent him a thoughtful look before titling his head in respect again and leaving.
Ciel let out a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. It was morning and his head was already aching.
Damn Sebastian. Couldn't he have summoned a less infuriating demon? Those constant tests were exhausting.
On the other hand, so far, Ciel had managed to keep him interested.
He'd have to do everything possible to preserve this interest until his revenge was fulfilled.
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Sebastian had managed to complete both tasks within the shortest period. In less than two hours, Finnian was already in his office, and looking into his terrified, haunted eyes, Ciel was no longer sure he'd made the right choice.
Maybe Sebastian was right. Maybe it was indeed sentiments that had made him approve of Finnian's candidature. This shaking, scared boy was hardly older than him, how would he able to protect him?
Then Ciel remembered everything he had read in his file and his resolve strengthened.
"Hello, Finnian," he said, trying to sound gentle. "My name is Ciel Phantomhive. Did Sebastian explain why we wish to hire you?"
"Yes," the boy stared at him and to Ciel's concern, his terror didn't seem to dissipate. "But I told him, I don't think I can be of any use to you."
"Finnian—"
"Finnie. Please call me Finnie. That's my name. I…" Finnie touched the back of his neck and flinched. "I don't like my full name."
"Of course. Finnie," Ciel contemplated him for a second, trying to decide how to proceed. One glance at Sebastian showed that he was completely mystified himself and thus useless.
Well, what had he expected?
"I won't force you to work for me," Ciel said finally. "If you want to leave, you can do that right now. But where would you go? Do you have a family?"
"…No," Finnie wrapped his hands around himself, biting his lip. "But I can't stay here. I don't want to be locked up. I don't want to kill anymore, not my friends, not anyone. Never again."
Now this, Ciel could work with.
"Then you might want to reconsider," he said. "We have a position of a gardener. It'll be spring soon and there is a big garden in front of the house — you could take care of it. It means that you'll be able to spend the majority of your time outside. Also, no one is going to lock you up. I give you my word. As for killing… Would you be ready to kill to protect yourself or your friends?"
"I… yes. Yes, I might do that. But I don't have any friends."
"You have one now," Ciel made himself smile in the friendliest way possible, though Sebastian's snort nearly ruined his concentration. "And you'll have other friends here," he hastened to assure. "You're not the only person we're hiring. I hope that together, you will all grow to love this place and you'll want to protect it."
"Someone is attacking you?" Finnie made one hesitant step towards him and Ciel continued smiling, relieved and encouraged by this reaction.
"Yes," he said. Briefly, he wondered what part of the story to share this time to secure his success.
Doing it was harder than he had expected. He didn't want to think about it, to share even a small piece of his past with anyone other than Sebastian, who already knew it all.
But for building trust, he had to do it. He had done it with Mey-Rin, he could do it with Finnie. Especially with him.
"I was also locked up," Ciel murmured quietly and was rewarded by Finnie's gasp. "For a long time. I couldn't see anything for the majority of the day, and when the room was lit—" He nearly tripped here but quickly managed to go on, "I wished I could go back to the darkness."
"Were people who did this to you caught?"
"No," it took Ciel all efforts to avoid glancing at Sebastian. It wasn't exactly a lie. "They weren't caught. Some of them continue to attack me and my home. That's why I need your help. You can work in the garden and do what you want in your free time, but when the danger comes, I'd like you to help eliminate it."
Ciel waited for response, watching how hope bloomed in Finnie's eyes before suddenly transforming back into despair. With a short cry, Finnie dropped to his knees, crashing his fists against the floor.
"I can't!" he cried out. "I can't control my strength. I bring only troubles. When I was in my cell, I had a bird. A little bird who kept visiting me, the only one who… But when I tried to pat it, it died. It fell apart right in my hands! I can't trust myself and you can't trust me, too! I could hurt you!"
Finnie's shoulders began to shake and for a second, Ciel was filled with a reckless desire to leave the room and let Sebastian console him.
He couldn't do it. What did he know about comforting anyone? The books Sebastian assigned him to read gave him an idea of how to carry out complicated conversations, but he hadn't had a chance to gain an actual practical experience will all kinds of them. He wasn't good at it.
Ciel looked at Sebastian, ready to order him to persuade Finnie in whatever way he could, but he was stricken by an emotionless, blank expression on his face.
Sebastian was bored. Only his position and his appreciation for aesthetics probably stopped him from yawning.
Would he be able to even pretend to be understanding? Sebastian was hopeless when it came to emotions. No matter how many times Ciel woke up from his nightmares, Sebastian was there, but he clearly wanted to leave as soon as possible. When the memories were too overwhelming to brush them off and Ciel asked him to stay, Sebastian tended to take a guarding position next to the window, far away from the bed, impersonal, professional, and bored.
Regardless of Ciel's turmoil, even he could do better than that. Leaving overemotional Finnie in Sebastian's care wasn't an option.
Taking a deep breath, Ciel approached Finnie and lowered himself to his knees, mirroring his posture. Then he held out his hand.
"Here," he said. "Take it."
"Young Master!" Sebastian suddenly came back to life, making several hurried steps towards them. "What are you doing?"
Ciel ignored him, focusing on Finnie's wide-eyed stare.
"Take my hand," he said again. "Don't be scared."
"But I'll hurt you!"
"Do it carefully, then. Touch my hand with one finger."
Finnie raised his trembling hand and hesitantly pressed his finger against Ciel's palm. It didn't feel uncomfortable, so Ciel smiled encouragingly.
"Good," he said. "Now add another one."
"Young Master!" Sebastian protested again and Ciel growled, "Quiet!"
Finnie stared at their hands for a while before slowly outstretching his second finger. Ciel moved his palm so both fingers would be lying on its inner side and offered, "Now try to press lightly."
Finnie nodded, hesitated, then nodded again and pressed — and before Ciel knew it, his hand crashed against the floor. Involuntarily, he let out a surprised sound, and the next second Sebastian grabbed him and jumped away from Finnie, holding him protectively.
"I'm sorry!" Finnie's eyes immediately filled with tears and Ciel, uncaring of how it looked, kicked Sebastian in the shin.
"Let me go!" he hissed. "You idiot, you're ruining everything!"
"But–"
"Let me go this instant, it's an order!"
Sebastian loosened his hold reluctantly and Ciel adjusted his jacket before going back to Finnie.
"It's all right," he assured him. "Let's try this again, but this time, try to be gentler. Do you remember how much pressure you applied? Now try to decrease it a bit."
Finnie took a trembling breath but nodded. Sebastian also joined them, hovering over Ciel, but at least he was silent now.
Finnie put two of fingers on Ciel's palm and pressed against it. His hand went down again but it didn't reach the floor, so Ciel allowed himself another smile.
"Not bad," he noted. "Let's do it again. Even less pressure this time."
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By the time Finnie risked to actually squeeze his hand, Sebastian looked ready to grab him and take him back to where he'd found him. Ciel was tired but pleased, and hope returned to Finnie's eyes, burning brighter and brighter with every second.
"Good," Ciel concluded finally. "We'll give you a few things that you'd be able to use for practice. But now that the hardest part is over, I'm sure it'll be easier for you. Oh, and by the way…" Ciel returned to his table and took a round straw hat from it. "Here. It's for you. It'll go well with your work in the garden and it'll hide your scar — if you want it hidden."
"Yes!" Tears were long gone from Finnie's face. Now, it was almost glowing. "I don't know how to thank you, Young Master. I never even dreamed that something like this would be possible for me."
Before Ciel could reply, Finnie rushed towards him and pressed his head against his shoulder as carefully as he could, without raising his hands.
"Thank you," Finnie whispered and Ciel patted him on the back awkwardly, embarrassed and mortified. He could see Sebastian watching them intently, probably getting ready to drag him away again if he detected any kind of danger.
Honestly.
Ciel summoned Mey-Rin and sent Finnie with her, and when they both disappeared, he dropped onto his armchair, more exhausted than ever.
"This day is endless," he complained. Sebastian tsked, approaching and taking his bruised hand.
"It was utterly reckless of you, Master," he informed him, displeasure brimming in his voice. "He can't control himself yet. What if he had broken your hand?"
"Well, you would have stopped him then, wouldn't you?" Ciel said with false seriousness, almost smirking at how indignant Sebastian looked for a moment.
"But you didn't let me interfere!"
"As you can see, everything went fine. More than fine."
"Your hand is bruised quite severely," Sebastian frowned but Ciel shrugged dismissively.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "The bruises will heal but Finnie will never forget this experience. He will accept everything that we offered and he will be loyal to me."
"He is still dangerous. I believe you should limit your contact with him until he learns better control."
"Then help him learn it. You have similar abilities, you are also strong enough to crush a living being in your hands. I've seen you do it. So give him some tips. You're a butler, the servants are your responsibility."
"As you wish," Sebastian bowed, the calculating light returning to his eyes.
If Ciel was less tired, he would have felt sorry for Mey-Rin and Finnie. As it was, he just glanced at the clock despondently, wishing he could go to bed right now.
First, though, he had some letters to reply to.
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Next afternoon, there was an unexpected knock on his office door. For a second, Ciel felt a twinge of depression at the thought that there were more people in his house now that he had to interact with, but then he shook his head.
It was for the better. He'd try to be cordial for the first several weeks, maybe a month, and then, hopefully, the servants would learn their place and wouldn't bother him. Breakfast hadn't been so bad today — he'd seen neither Mey-Rin nor Finnie, but now, apparently, one of them wanted to talk.
"Enter," he said. The door opened and Sebastian stepped inside, and Ciel raised his eyebrows, surprised.
That knock didn't sound like Sebastian's, not to mention that Sebastian never waited for his permission to enter. What could it be about?
"Master, there is someone here to see you about the job."
"The job?" Ciel gaped. Sebastian sent him a mischievous look before stepping away and letting a tall, blond man come inside. He looked familiar and it took Ciel a moment to recognize him as Baldroy, the soldier from the file Sebastian had shown to him.
He couldn't recall giving Sebastian an order to test or hire him. He had clearly expressed that he wasn't overly interested in Baldroy in the first place. What the hell had given Sebastian an idea that he could act so freely and so boldly? Bringing anyone here without his permission! Without even warning him!
"Uhm, hi?" Baldroy waved and then hunched his shoulders, looking as uncomfortable as Ciel felt angry. "I was told you need my services?"
You're a butler, the servants are your responsibility.
That's what it was. That infuriating demon had once again twisted his words to hire a person he himself was interested in.
Ciel glowered at Sebastian, aching with desire to throw something heavy at him. What was he supposed to do with Baldroy now? Send him away? That would serve Sebastian right.
But if Sebastian was so obsessed with the idea of hiring him, then maybe there was something Ciel was missing?
"Yes," he said aloud. "My name is Ciel Phantomhive. This house belongs to me and I have been looking for someone who would be able to protect it."
Baldroy, who had started to look more and more miserable, cheered up and even smiled.
"Nice to meet you!" he exclaimed. "The butler here told me that it's a double position. I can do lots of things. I can do repairs, make weapons, shoot, devise strategies, both defensive and attack ones... Oh, and I'm a great cook! So whatever you need, I can probably do it!"
Ciel sent Sebastian a sceptical glance, still wishing to hit him with something.
Baldroy sounded enthusiastic but it was all that Ciel saw in him. A good soldier. A nice person. What was it that held Sebastian's attention?
Sebastian grinned at him, and before Ciel could comprehend what's going on, he struck. His hand moved towards Baldroy's head at lightning speed, with the force that could only be deadly, and at this very moment Baldroy suddenly tilted his head and cracked his neck, letting out a frustrated noise.
"Sorry," he said apologetically. "The trip here was tiresome."
Ciel stared at him with his mouth agape, unable to believe what had just happened.
Intuition that Sebastian had mentioned? Could it really be this strong? To avoid death so effectively but without even noticing anything…
It changed things. It changed everything. If Baldroy could sense the danger so well, he'd be able to devise the most effective strategies.
His small army would be practically undefeatable.
"You're hired," Ciel said, clearing his throat. Maybe he didn't feel any connection with Baldroy, but he wasn't a fool. He could adequately evaluate and appreciate the potential usefulness. "Go to the first floor. My butler will join you in a moment and introduce you to everyone else."
"Great!" Baldroy beamed at him. He squared his shoulders confidently and bowed in the most awkward way Ciel had ever seen. "I promise, you won't regret it!"
"My, my, Young Master," Sebastian drawled when the loud footsteps faded. "That was much less intricate than your attempts with Mey-Rin and Finnie. Are you losing your touch?"
"Bastard!" Ciel growled, jumping from his seat. "How dare you act by yourself? I didn't give you any orders about Baldroy! At the very least, you could have warned me!"
"You said that I am responsible for the servants," Sebastian pressed his hand to his chest. Did he really think he looked more sincere this way? As if Ciel couldn't see right through him. "I knew Baldroy would be a valuable addition to the household. Human intuition is a fascinating thing. I wonder—"
Without letting him finish, Ciel took an inkwell, opened it, and poured tea inside. Even without looking up, he could tell that Sebastian stared at him, probably trying to guess what he was doing.
Calmly, Ciel stirred the horrid mixture and then threw the inkwell at Sebastian's head. As he'd expected, Sebastian caught it automatically, but dark splashes managed to stain the green carpet, his face, and even his clothes. There wasn't much damage, but Ciel knew how difficult it would be to remove the stains that did form.
"The carpet, Master!" Sebastian looked at the dirty marks with obvious despondency, probably imagining how much more tedious work had just appeared in his to-do list.
"Go and help Baldroy. Introduce him to everyone, answer the questions he might have, show him his room. Then come back here and clean this mess."
"But the ink will have dried by that time—"
"Then you'll have to be especially thorough," Ciel cut him off. "I don't want to see even one dark spot. And no demonic power. Do it the human way."
Sebastian grimaced as if he had just been assigned the most unpleasant thing to do. He was lucky that it wasn't warm yet or Ciel would have ordered him to plant several hundreds of white roses manually, forbidding him to use his demonic speed and strength. Now that would be an appropriate punishment.
Holding his head high, he left the room, pretending that he didn't see how Sebastian was downright pouting, still observing the damage.
Stupid demon.
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It seemed that every new day in his house was becoming more and more unpredictable. Next morning, when Ciel was already at the table, waiting to be served breakfast, the only thing he heard was silence. No Sebastian. No Tanaka. No servants. Usually, he wouldn't have minded, but his breakfast was already seven minutes late and Sebastian didn't even come to explain why.
That never happened before. What was going on?
One more minute passed and Ciel huffed, frustrated. He started to say Sebastian's name when suddenly, there was a loud crash from the kitchen, followed by yelps, screams, and sounds of the breaking glass.
Horrified, Ciel got up, trying to decide whether he had to go and investigate or wait here. Before he even approached the door, though, Sebastian finally came — he practically jumped from the kitchen, pushing the door close and giving him one of the most charming and innocent smiles Ciel had ever seen on him.
"I apologise, Master," he uttered. "Please, go to your study room. I'll bring your breakfast there in several minutes."
Ciel narrowed his eyes, studying him critically. Sebastian didn't have his tuxedo jacket on and he was all covered in soot — no matter how normally he tried to look, something was clearly wrong.
"What happened?" Ciel asked. Sebastian sighed, as if the mere need to reply pained him.
"I hate to say it, Young Master, but unfortunately, it appears that our new servants are idiots. All of them."
"Idiots?" Ciel repeated incredulously. "And you're saying it now, after we hired them?"
"Well, their defense abilities are exemplary, which was our main goal. But regarding cleaning, cooking, and helping with chores…"
There was another loud crash, once again followed by yelps, and Ciel pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
"Idiots," he repeated again. "Yes. I can see that."
"I'm sorry, Master," for once, Sebastian did look apologetic. "I made a grave mistake when I entrusted them with such important preparations. I'll make your breakfast myself."
"Fine, but hurry up. I'm hungry."
Sebastian bowed and hastened to disappear behind the kitchen door again, careful to hide whatever ruins were there from Ciel.
What had his house been turned into?
Upset and hungry, Ciel went to his office, and froze as soon as he saw the letter from the Queen on top of his daily correspondence.
Curious, he opened it and began to read.
By the time he finished, he no longer wanted any breakfast.
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"Are you sure it was a good idea to take those three with us to London?" Ciel asked. Their carriage had just dropped Mey-Rin, Finnie, and Baldroy at the house and headed towards the crime scene that the Queen wanted him to visit.
"Yes." Contrary to his words, Sebastian didn't look thrilled with the idea. "The first weeks of education are crucial and I have to make sure they learn at least the basic skills. Leaving them at the house without supervision at this point is dangerous."
That Ciel couldn't argue with. He only hoped that during their absence, the manor with Tanaka wouldn't be attacked and that his London house would survive the combination of Mey-Rin, Finnie, and Baldroy.
Honestly, even Sebastian wasn't that hopeless when he had just started performing his duties.
"How many bodies have been found so far?" Sebastian asked and Ciel's thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
"Six," he said grimly. "The one we're going to see now is the seventh. All children from eight to thirteen: five boys and two girls. All drugged, violated, and strangled."
Sebastian said nothing but Ciel could feel his attentive, assessing stare. He tried to ignore it, focusing on the streets they were passing instead.
Someone was evidently determined to plunge him back into the darkness he had managed to crawl up from. First Mey-Rin and Finnie with whom he had to share the bits of his past. Now this case, where the nightmarish visions would undoubtedly try to weaken his resolve.
He wouldn't let them. He would do his job as efficiently as always and then he would go home and try to forget this case ever happened.
The carriage finally stopped. Ciel waited for Sebastian to open the door for him and got down, feeling how his heart began to speed up but determined to ignore it.
There were several police officers guarding the entrance to the basement of an old building. One tall man with grey hair and spectacles immediately drew his attention. Ciel recalled the blurry pictures of him from the newspapers — Lord Arthur Randall, a police commissioner of the Scotland Yard.
When he and Sebastian approached, Randall glanced at him in disinterest and then did a double-take, staring at his ring.
"Phantomhive?" he asked, and the doubt in his voice made Ciel bristle.
"It's Earl Phantomhive," he said coldly. "I've come to see the crime scene. I trust it you've kept it secured?"
Ciel could see how Randall reacted to his tone, narrowing his eyes and squaring his shoulders confrontationally.
"I need to see the evidence that you are who you say you are," he uttered through gritted teeth.
"Is my family ring not enough?"
"You could have stolen it from the real Earl."
Ciel snorted.
"I am the real Earl," he said hauntingly, snatching the Queen's letter from his coat and waving it in front of Randall's face derisively. "Now show me the body. You've wasted enough of my time."
Randall and the officers who stood next to him all stared at him with various degrees of turmoil and Ciel barely hid a smirk.
It never failed to be amusing, seeing how others reacted to him. They were all misled by his age and his appearance, and proving them wrong was immensely satisfying.
He had been the child they expected him to be once, but that child had died more than a year ago.
"And who is that?" Randall looked at Sebastian suspiciously.
"Sebastian Michaelis, my butler," Ciel stared into Randall's face intently to solidify the point he was making. "He goes where I go."
"I wasn't informed of—"
"Enough! Show me the body."
"Be my guest — if you can stomach it."
Privately, Ciel wasn't sure he could, but after these words, he had no other choice.
He followed Randall down the basement, carefully measuring each of his breaths.
He wasn't going to react to whatever was waiting for him there. He would remain strong. He had already seen dead bodies before — the fact that it was children now, and those who had been violated prior to death, didn't change anything.
Ciel kept repeating these words like mantra, again and again, forcefully stopping his breathing from growing laboured. Only slow, deep breaths, three and a half seconds between each of them.
When he saw the half-naked body of a boy, though, with his wide, glassy eyes and bare legs stained with blood and other fluids, all air was crushed right out of his lungs. A wave of nausea rolled up, almost making him heave, and for a moment, the world flickered, mixing the past and the present, destroying his understanding of where he was now.
Then Sebastian's gloved fingers brushed against his neck slightly, and the cool touch instantly made the world regain its contours. From the outside, it must have looked like Sebastian was adjusting his collar, but this fleeting touch was startlingly personal — it was enough to ground him.
Ciel could still taste the vomit, felt it caked around his mouth, but his voice was steady when he said, "The victim is dressed in a coat that's too light for such weather. It also looks cheap, so he can't be from a wealthy family. Was his identity established?"
"Not yet," Randall replied, looking sour. He was probably disappointed that Ciel hadn't run from the scene screaming.
Ciel smiled with the corner of his lips and shared a quick look with Sebastian, who wore an equally satisfied smirk.
"What about others?" Ciel turned to Randall again. "Was anyone identified or are you too incompetent to do even that?"
"Now listen here, you…" Randall bit back an obvious curse. "Our investigation was going well without you. No one here needs your 'help', or whatever it is you're offering."
"The Queen clearly thinks differently or she wouldn't have asked me to come," Ciel retorted and was treated to a lovely sight of Randall's face growing red with anger. "Do answer my question."
"Only three have been identified. All of them were from East End. Not that their families were looking for them. That sort of people—"
"East End. It's my district, why wasn't I informed sooner?"
Randall glowered at him.
"As I said," he spat, "we were doing fine without you."
"Yes, I can see that." Ciel focused on the body again, careful not to look at the boy's lower half. Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer and bent down, checking the pockets of the boy's coat. His fingers immediately grasped something soft, and when he pulled the object out, he was astonished to realise it was a small stuffed elephant produced by his own company.
Ciel stood up, showing the toy to Sebastian. The silent gaze they exchanged told him that Sebastian had the exact same thought: the toy was a lure.
"The Queen mentioned these children were drugged before death," Ciel said aloud. "What is this drug? Is it expensive?"
"What does its price have to do with anything?"
Sebastian snorted quietly and Ciel lowered his head to hide a smile.
"It's quite simple, Lord Randall," he uttered. "Do you see this toy? It's one of the Funtom Corporation's products. I assure you that children from East End wouldn't be able to afford it."
"So he stole it from someone. Although I cannot imagine why he would bother, it's such an ugly toy."
"This toy has been developed specifically for India," Sebastian intervened suddenly and Ciel glanced at him, surprised. To his amazement, Sebastian almost looked insulted — his eyes were redder than normal as he stared at Randall. "It's a top choice among Indian children."
"Indians!" Randall scoffed. "I'm not surprised. And it doesn't explain anything, so what's your point?"
"Considering your attempt at deflection, I assume you have failed to identify the drug, either," Ciel summarised. "Was there anything you did do? Apart from finding the bodies."
"We conducted an analysis of the drug," Randall barked, clenching his fists as if to hold himself from striking him. His reactions were so amusing that they successfully managed to distract Ciel from the body.
He'd thought that it would be harder to rattle someone like Randall.
"And? What did it show?"
Randall grimaced and then reluctantly pulled out a file form his coat. Ciel grabbed it, opened it, and pretended that he understood what was written there.
"All right, I've seen everything I needed," he said condescendingly. "Come, Sebastian. We're leaving."
"What?" Randall's face turned red again. "And that's it? My people were forced to wait for your arrival for hours just so you could check the boy's pockets and steal my file?"
"The toy I found in his pocket told me what I need to know to solve this case. As for the file — why would you need it? You're clearly incapable of making proper conclusions."
More than satisfied, Ciel turned on his heel and walked away, knowing that Sebastian was following him.
When they were outside, he inhaled deeply, relieved to be away from that suffocating basement.
"It was impressive, Master," Sebastian commented. "Although I believe you have just made another enemy."
"I don't need him as my friend. He's incompetent, bigoted, and narrow-minded. I will be able to solve this case myself."
"How?" Sebastian sounded genuinely intrigued.
"First, we go to Lau. Then…" Ciel broke off when he noticed how Sebastian's eyes suddenly glazed over and filled with affection. The sight was so rare that he stared at it wide-eyed, unable to comprehend what could possibly lead to such reaction.
Then he noticed a mewling cat and groaned.
"Ah," Sebastian murmured, making several steps towards it and dropping right to his knees. "What a beauty. You must be hungry, you look so thin…"
"Are you actually talking to it?" Ciel asked in frustration. Sebastian's strange fixation had been hilarious the first time, amusing the second time, but by the third, it started to get weird. Now, they had to be on the twentieth cat Sebastian had encountered, yet his reaction remained the same every time.
"Master," Sebastian turned to him and Ciel cringed at his beseeching expression. It didn't belong on Sebastian's face. "May I leave you for just a moment? I'll be right back."
"Leave me? Where are you planning to go?"
"I'll bring this lovely thing something to eat."
"It's a cat, Sebastian! It can find food by itself!"
Sebastian's crestfallen face was too much to tolerate, so Ciel barked, "Fine, leave. I give you thirty seconds."
"Yes, my lord," Sebastian bowed and then disappeared. Wherever he had jumped to, he'd done it so quickly that Ciel didn't even notice him move.
Twelve seconds later he returned, holding something bloody in his hands. The cat mewled happily while Ciel's jaw dropped.
"What is this thing?" he asked warily. He wouldn't be surprised if his idiot butler had just dismembered some unfortunate person to feed the cat.
"There is a morgue a few houses from here. One of the bodies was just being delivered and—"
"What?!" Ciel yelled. "You've torn a chunk from the dead body to feed a cat?"
"It was the only thing I could detect nearby. Initially, I considered pigeons but—"
"Never do that again! No tearing pieces from the bodies, what the hell is wrong with you? Ugh!" Ciel turned away, rubbing his throat and trying to swallow the newly rising nausea back. Then he stalked towards the carriage.
Sebastian followed him, still throwing enamoured glances at the cat they were leaving behind.
"You could have chosen animals that I'm not allergic to at least," Ciel growled.
"From where I'm from—"
"I don't care where you are from, shut up! That was disgusting!"
Sebastian fell silent, probably affronted, but Ciel didn't care.
He'd had enough revolting visions for today — and the day was far from over.
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Lau's den was filled with toxic smoke, as always, and Ciel had to hold his nose to even walk through it.
"We have to do something about his business," he croaked. "It's getting annoying."
"We have a mutually beneficial agreement with Lau, Master," Sebastian reminded him. "And he has proven to be quite useful."
"I know," Ciel sighed. "It's still annoying."
Lau greeted them cordially, with a carefree smile that Ciel could never really decipher.
"Earl," he drawled. "I have been wondering when you were going to visit me. With these awful doings…"
"Awful doings?" Ciel frowned. "How can you know what I'm investigating?"
"You're investigating something?" Lau opened one of his eyes and Ciel growled under his breath.
"Stop doing this," he hissed. "And yes, I am. I need your advice about this drug. Are you familiar with it?"
This time, Lau opened both eyes, accepting the outstretched file.
"You've come to the right person," he said. "I do know this drug."
Ciel rolled his eyes.
"If you couldn't even help with this, I'd start to doubt our cooperation," he muttered.
"It doesn't have a name yet," Lau sent an inscrutable glance to Sebastian before focusing on Ciel again. "It's unique in our market. Only a select few can afford it."
"Does it come from India?"
"It does," Lau returned the file, still gazing at Ciel curiously. "I wonder where you could possibly encounter it, Earl."
"Someone drugs children with it before killing them."
"I see," Lau inhaled the smoke deeply, his face smoothening in pleasure. "Is it all that's done to them?"
Ciel stiffened.
"No," he replied slowly and Lau nodded.
"It has an interesting effect, this drug," he said. "I haven't used it myself, I'm afraid it's not entirely my area."
When he said nothing else, Ciel hurried him, "What kind of effect?"
"Let's see," Lau stepped to him and touched his stomach lightly. "You lose all feelings in your body. It depends on the amount of the drug you consume, of course. Smaller dosage will let you move, albeit slowly, but bigger one will leave you paralysed — more or less. Then," Lau's fingers went up and pressed against Ciel's throat, "your breathing slows, your senses begin to leave you entirely. Your body is still functional but the mind is shutting down. Then—" Lau suddenly removed his hands and grinned. "It's either the end, the beginning, or the pleasure of both."
"Right." That was not confusing at all. "I think this will be enough for us. Let's go, Sebastian."
Ciel caught Sebastian giving Lau a long, indecipherable look. He didn't understand its meaning and at this moment, he didn't care.
On the street, Ciel greedily sucked in the cold air, letting it soothe his burning lungs.
"Where to now?" Sebastian asked and Ciel grimaced.
"Undertaker," he said reluctantly. "I want to finish this case tomorrow at the latest. We need to know who among the local nobility has frequent dealings with India and is known in the underworld."
"He might ask for a payment," Sebastian warned. "We still don't know what it is that he requires. Last time, he shared the information for free."
"Whatever it is he needs, I'm sure we can provide him with it," Ciel snorted. "It can't be anything impossible, can it?"
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"Making you laugh!" Ciel yelled. "What kind of payment is that?"
"The only one I accept."
"Can't you just take money?"
"What would I need it for?" Undertaker tilted his head, a picture of innocent confusion, and Ciel almost screamed with frustration. This day was an utter nightmare.
"You could have at least warned us! We didn't come prepared."
"Oh, that's too bad. I won't be able to share anything with you, then. Come by next time."
"But we need information now! How about—" Ciel thought hastily. "How about you help us for free again and the next time, we'll pay you double?"
"Double?" Sebastian asked and Ciel squinted at him. Sebastian looked sceptical. "Do you know any jokes, Master? Somehow, I find it hard to believe."
"I'm sure you know plenty," Ciel hissed before turning to Undertaker again. "So?" he asked confidently. "Do we have a deal?"
"Why, yes," Undertaker grinned and sat down on one of the coffins, tapping against its surface slowly. His nails scratched it with an annoying sound and Ciel cringed. How could any representative of such profession have such long nails? And black ones, at that. Obviously they were painted, but the sight was still strange.
"I'll hold you to it," Undertaker sing-songed. "What is it that I can help you with? Perhaps you wish to test one of my coffins? They're of utmost comfort. See for yourself."
"What? No!" Ciel shuddered. As if he would ever willingly climb into a coffin. "We are looking for a man who has money, close contacts with India, and who might be known for making donations to children's organisations. Or he might be known for his less than innocent love for children in more criminal circles. Do you have anyone in mind?"
"Ah," Undertaker's smile widened and became frustratingly mysterious. "I think I know just what case you're investigating. The Queen is sending children to find the killers of other children now, is she? What a fascinating strategy. Don't you think so, butler?" Undertaker looked at Sebastian.
"I wouldn't know," Sebastian replied evenly. "Evaluating the wisdom of the Queen's decisions is not my area of expertise. I'm merely one hell of a butler," he grinned and Ciel smacked himself on the forehead, not knowing whether to scream or laugh hysterically.
Sebastian loved his stupid joke and tried to use it whenever he had an opportunity. Ciel hadn't heard it lately and he started to hope that it meant Sebastian had lost interest in it.
Apparently, he was wrong.
Demons had the weirdest sense of humour.
"One hell of a butler, you say?" Undertaker hummed thoughtfully. "Yes, I believe you are."
"Thank you," Sebastian bowed a little.
"Enough!" Ciel glared at them both. Who on earth was he cooperating with? "Do you know the man based on the description I've given you?"
"I'm ninety three percent certain that you're talking about Frederick Lyndon," Undertaker shuddered in an exaggerated manner. "A Count who has bought himself a title not so long ago. He loves products exclusive to India — toys, weapons… drugs," Undertaker bared his teeth and Ciel couldn't help but find this smile intimidating. Involuntarily, he made one step towards Sebastian, then forced himself to stop.
"Your help is appreciated," he said coolly. "Sebastian, we're leaving."
"Don't forget about our deal, Earl Phantomhive," Undertaker waved at them, smiling normally this time. "I do look forward to your next visit."
"Young Master, do you want to visit Lyndon right now?" Sebastian asked as they left the parlour, and Ciel shook his head.
"No," he replied. "I've had enough for one day. Let's go home. And I hope we won't have to return here any time soon," Ciel glanced back at the parlour. Undertaker was a disturbing man — who else would take laughter for payment?
"As you wish," Sebastian opened the door of the carriage for him and Ciel climbed inside, trying not to think about what he would have to do tomorrow.
To visit Lyndon. A man who killed children. A man who violated them.
He survived today, he would survive tomorrow as well. Nightmares be damned.
A/N: Crockett Rocket, thank you, I'm so happy you've enjoyed the story so far! I love this world so much, I hope I'll be able to preserve Ciel's and Sebastian's personalities as realistically as possible. And yes, I can't stand Ciel losing everything he worked for in manga :( It's so upsetting. I love that Sebastian stays at his side, though, and I hope things will get better eventually.
Guest, thank you for your lovely words! I hope you'll enjoy the rest as well)
SagenWarrior, thank you, hope you'll enjoy it!
xxarcaninexx59, thanks so much for your words! I'm glad you've enjoyed the story and yes, I'll definitely keep writing. This fandom is smaller than the ones I used to write for and I cherish every comment I get, but even without them, I'll keep writing because I love Black Butler universe endlessly. I can't wait to describe all the events — the ending of S2 offers so many possibilities. Thank you again and I hope you'll continue reading!
Guest, thanks! :)