Book of Atlantic
A few weeks after the murder party, it seemed that another mystery was underway. According to local papers, a certain hospital, Karnstein Hospital to be exact, has discovered the ability to bring the dead back to life. Of course, everyone found it hard to believe, particularly Lilliana for obvious reasons. Ciel had Lau and Ran-Mao investigate the docks in hopes of finding evidence to counter their claim. However, what he found was that the hospital was actually trafficking people, leading them to believe that this "miracle" may not be because of the occult, but rather through illegal human experiments. It was surprisingly not uncommon to have hospitals undergo unethical practices in the underworld in hopes of attaining a miracle cure or procedure, but what makes this case unique was that it was known in the high society as well. Surely, the Queen would want this investigated and taken care of it.
After Sebastian investigated the hospital further, he found that it is not necessarily the hospital performing the "miracles", but rather, a secret club known as the Aurora Society. Their goal is to achieve "mankind's perfect salvation" through medicine and in order to do that, they need funding from nobility, but the operations seem to not be located in the hospital itself. He was able to uncover that the next Aurora Society gathering is set to be on a ship called the Campania headed to America and set to depart on the 17th of April. However, that date was too familiar to Ciel. Actually, the Midfords, including his fiancé Lizzie, were going to board that same ship and invited Ciel to join them, which now worried him very much. He had to protect her, especially when human trafficking and experimentation were involved. The cruise liner may be luxurious, but that doesn't mean that they won't perhaps look for new people to force into this torture.
Ciel ordered Sebastian and Lilliana to get tickets to board the ship, but Lilliana feared she wouldn't be able to go. Humans wouldn't be able to understand, but Reapers weren't exactly allowed to take vacations or even leave their precinct without permission from the Head Reapers, and being a Rogue Reaper, she was even further restricted. Still, she really wanted to travel, especially since she was stuck in one place against her will. The only other country she was has ever been to is France, her homeland. Hard to believe since she is so accustomed to British culture, but that's what decades of rehabilitation does to a person. Going to another country would be her dream and she has heard a lot of interesting things about America from Katia. She says she was from a state called New York, which is exactly where they were headed. It would be nice to have her be their tour guide, but that wouldn't be possible with Lilliana's company.
There was a time where Lilliana was injured during the curry contest and was forced to recover away from the manor on her brother's orders. During that time, she had Katia take over her job for a while, pretending that Lizzie sent her to spy on Ciel. It could have worked out so that the two of them could work together when she returned, but Sebastian and Ciel figured out her true nature and fired her immediately. Not only that, but Katia learned about her relationship with Sebastian and the two have been rivals. However, the reality is that Sebastian has a sense that she is a demon huntress, but has not confirmed it yet. Regardless if Katia would be able to go back home temporarily, Lilliana still had to ask for permission to go with little hope that she'll be able to get it. She asked Sebastian to at least take Snake with them so that 1) he has another person protecting their young master in case something bad happened and 2) if she were forced to stay, she didn't have to deal with a good chunk of the snakes if they were with him.
This time, Lilliana actually reported to work early in hopes of looking favorably when asking for the "vacation". Sebastian gave her the permission to leave early, saying that not only would he be able to take care of things while she's gone, but also because she wasn't necessarily neglecting her mission by getting the approval. She was keeping her expectations at a minimum, but still had some hope. She walked up to the office and noticed the busy atmosphere that she would usually miss when she reported for work. She even saw faces that she hadn't seen for a long time, including Ronald and Grell, who were usually the day shift. Even they were surprised to see her reporting this early and had to check the clock multiple times to make sure it wasn't later than they thought. She had to admit that out of all the Reapers she was supposedly "close" to, it was interesting that they included the one she probably hated the most and the one who likes to gossip to whoever wants to listen. That list also included William and Katia, but their situations have been complicated every since the Lustful Spice.
Since they weren't expecting her for a little while, her files weren't on her desk, meaning she would have to get them from William. Luckily, since their intimate moment, the two got along a lot better, though people (Grell and Ronald specifically) have been curious what changed. Of course, William and Lilliana tried to act as they did before, but observant eyes also noticed that she didn't seem to be as resentful to him as she did in the past. She said the only thing that changed was that she was able to release some of her frustrations at him that accumulated at the circus, insinuating that she lectured him or something like that. They didn't seem to be satisfied with that answer, but they didn't pry any further.
His door was open and she knocked on the doorframe to get his attention. He looked up and was surprised to see her. "Are you busy with something?" she asked.
He checked the time before replying. "You're early for once."
"For once, I was given permission to leave early. This is better than cleaning up a mansion, so I figured I would come here and get a head start on my quota." He looked at her suspiciously for a moment and she sighed playfully. "And also to ask you a favor."
"That makes more sense," he said as he pushed back his glasses. "If the workload is too much, all I can tell you is to ask someone else to assist you and not ask me to—,"
"Oh, that's not it. I was wondering if there was a slim chance if I could get some time off to travel."
"Travel?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, to America. The young lord has a mission requiring him to travel on a luxury liner headed that way. I don't believe we'll actually stay in America long, but it will require some weeks off for travel."
William thought about it for a moment, but said, "Sure."
"I knew you'd say no since I'm still a Rogue Reaper and all, but if you'll hear me out—wait, did you just say 'sure'?"
"Yes. I'm giving you permission to travel to America for however long it takes."
She was taken aback. "Y-You don't need permission from the Head Reapers? Usually they are your go-to reason to not give me days off."
"In the past, that would be true, but I am your supervisor, meaning that I can make those kind of decisions without needing to consult with them as long as it does not interfere with the sect's soul quota. All the previous times you asked, there was never a good reason for you to take time off, but this time, you will."
"You're actually letting me take time off for the mission?"
"No, that's not the reason I had in mind," he said, but they heard heels clicking near the doorway and was slowly growing closer until they saw Katia enter the room.
"Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting something?" she asked sweetly and nervously, ready to leave the room at any moment.
"Not at all. In fact, you came at a perfect time. Ms. Kiliamo asked for some time off to travel to America. Apparently, the young brat and his dog will be heading there and they require her assistance. I granted her permission as long as she would accompany you."
"Wait, what?" Lilliana asked.
"We received word that there was some trouble in her hometown and she needed to check it out," he lied. In reality, they got a lead that Bastille was heading to America and since he was Katia's target, she was forced to check it out. Of course, they couldn't tell Lilliana since she would freak out.
"So does that mean that she'll be accompanying me on the mission the entire time?" Katia asked with a bit of a dreamy hopefulness in her voice. She hadn't spent any alone time with Lilliana since their intimate moment in the library, so Katia hoped to kindle their romance and what could be more romantic than sunny New York compared to gloomy London?
"Not exactly. I would be helping Ciel with another investigation. It just happens that we will be reaching the same destination," Lilliana reported.
Katia looked at William, wondering if he told Lilliana everything about her mission to America. "Well, I'll be leaving on the 17th of April—,"
"On the Campania?"
Katia's eye widened a bit. "Y-Yes. Did he tell you about—," she was about to say, but was interrupted when they heard another set of heels clicking on the floor, but at a fast pace. Eventually, they got close and soon, Grell and Ronald entered the room.
"You can't be serious William darling," Grell complained. "Look at this large quota! There's no way I can collect them all just by myself."
"Now hold on! I'm working with you, but it's still a lot of work for the three of us," Ronald said.
"Mr. Sutcliff, Mr. Knox, please settle down," William said, trying to get their attention, but they kept complaining.
"All right, you seem to be busy. I'll come back later for my files," Lilliana said as she left the office and closed the door to give them their privacy, or at least, to give the rest of the Reapers roaming around the office some peace and muffled quiet.
"No wait—," William tried to say, but was too late. He sighed before saying, "With the three of you working, that soul quota should be completed."
"But most of them are saying, 'death by unusual circumstances'! What does that even mean?" Grell complained.
"It means that something inhuman killed them, but they aren't deities," Katia explained. "If that were the case, they wouldn't even be on the To-Die list. It may be very possible that a deity could be involved, but their hands did not snuff out their lives."
"Oh great, so now we got to fight a demon or something?" Ronald asked with a sigh. "You know, I'm not really feeling this job. I'm already investigating rumors about moving corpses."
"I assigned the three of you for a reason," William said, "After Mr. Knox assisted me with the manor fire, I know he is capable of collecting large amounts of souls, though I do question your ability to hunt down each and every soul. If a demon is involved, I trust Mr. Sutcliff to take them down, even if he prioritizes that over his assignment. Ms. Vendoa is headed to America for her mission, but I trust that she will keep track of all the souls on the quota and their retrieval. Each of you is necessary, so you aren't allowed to switch this assignment with anyone. Besides, I doubt anyone would want to trade places with you."
"Not even Lilliana?" Ronald asked. "She was in this room earlier. Did you even consider asking her?"
"Unfortunately, she is busy with her day-life that it would interfere," William said as he sat back in his chair. Katia looked at him with a confused expression on her face.
"She can't use that brat as an excuse forever," Grell snidely commented with crossed arms.
"Believe me, she would jump at the opportunity to travel if she could. Now, if this is all you need to report to me, then you two should be working on today's quota and get ready for your upcoming trip."
"Yes sir," Ronald said in defeat as he left.
"Not unless you give me a kiss," Grell said as he tried to lean toward William with puckered lips, but he put a file in between him and Grell.
"Just for that, you get to work on a case I was going to give Ms. Kiliamo."
"Oh, you're so cruel," he said as he grabbed the file and left the room.
However, before Katia left, she looked at William and said, "You didn't tell her about the assignment, did you?"
"I was going to before those two idiots came in, but at this point, I fear that the workload would be too much on her."
"But she's eventually going to find out about this regardless if you tell her or not."
"True, but if she had a choice to do her job or protect that boy, she will choose the latter. In that case, it would be better off if she didn't have to worry about this assignment on top of it."
"That's awfully generous of you, considering that you never gave her any slack in the past."
"I'm not giving her slack; I'm making sure this assignment does not get jeopardized in any way. If we have a rouge deity involved, it may be a demon that she is familiar with, such as her brother or that butler, and she will defend them. Your job, Ms. Vendoa, is to make sure that her mission and our assignment don't mix if possible. Make sure that the two groups never meet unless it's absolutely necessary."
"What?! That's impossible."
"I'm not asking you to never meet. With that demon at that boy's side, it may be inevitable that you two cross paths when the soul collection begins. I'm just asking you to keep the groups separated until then."
She sighed, but nodded. "Well she's going to be disappointed about this trip, especially since you didn't tell her the complete truth."
"If I see her again, I will, but it'll be unlikely since I go home when she's done with work."
"Of course," she said before leaving. Despite what he was saying, she strongly believed that he started giving her special treatment. She was very aware of Lilliana's frustrations after the circus, but all of the sudden, not only were they on better terms, but he was nice enough to not even consult with Head Reapers about Lilliana's time off (which he was required to do since she was a Rogue Reaper). Something happened between them and she wanted to figure out what it is.
The 17th of April finally arrived and the whole Phantomhive estate was present to wish Ciel, Sebastian, Snake, and Lilliana off on their trip. Though, since some of the servants never left the country either, they were excited to just be at the port, even if they weren't going on the trip. "Crickey!" Baldroy exclaimed. "So this is the Campania? She's huge!"
"And lovely too," Mey-Rin commented.
"First-class suit A-66, please," Sebastian said to two bellhops that were collecting the luggage. Once he got confirmation, he handed one of them a tip and they took off.
"This is the so-called 'ship of dreams'. The Majestic Star Line staked it's entire future on this transatlantic luxury liner. They have much to lose," Ciel said as he took a careful look at the ship and the passengers boarding it.
"Just looking at her is enough to take me breath away," Finny said with excitement. "You're so lucky you get to go, Snake."
"You best look after the master for us, now," Baldroy said with a smile.
"I've always dreamed of going on a sea voyage!" Mey-Rin exclaimed.
"That's enough gawking," Sebastian said. "I trust you will see to your duties and keep out of trouble while we're away.
"Yes sir," the three servants and Tanaka said in unison with salutes.
"Now then, let's be off," Ciel said as he ordered his servants aboard the ship while the others wished him a good voyage.
However, just before the ramps were pulled from the ship, two people were racing to get onboard. Luckily, they managed to jump from the end of the ramps to the entrance before it was sealed off, much to the dismay and amazement of the sailors trying to do their job. They then ran up to the open deck where they saw all the passengers celebrating their departure and saying their final goodbyes to loved ones down below. She made sure that no one looked familiar and thankfully, there were so many people crowded together that it would hard to spot anyone. "Phew, That was a bit of a close shave, wouldn't you agree?" Ronald asked.
"Yeah. If Grell didn't wait until last minute to pack her things, then maybe we would have all gotten onboard at a good time. How is she even going to board the ship?" Katia asked in worry.
"I'm sure Mr. Sutcliff will find a way. He may have been recently released from his suspension, but he's still one of the top collectors of the sect. Besides, all that matters is that we made it on time. It's smooth sailing now and the future is looking bright."
"For some of us, that is," Katia corrected before hearing a loud feminine voice in the distance. She looked toward its direction and saw a blonde girl hugging a boy with blue hair and she instantly knew who they were, even if she only saw the servant's back of their heads. She tried to remain hidden, but as the crowds started to disperse, she had to be creative in her hiding and hoped Ronald wasn't noticeable or aware they were onboard.
"You took time off just to be with me! That's so adorable!" Lizzie screamed as she hugged Ciel tightly.
"That's quite enough," her mother, Francis Midford said in a calm, yet dominating voice. "We're in public, Elizabeth. Show some decorum."
"Mother is right, Lizzie. You're making a spectacle," her brother, Edward Midford, said. "Furthermore, betrothed or not, I refuse to recognize you as my future brother. Now you will unhand her at once!"
"Aw, you're not still on about that, are you, dear brother?" Lizzie said.
Her father, Lord Alexis Midford of Scotney stared down Ciel as if he was displeased with his presence, but he soon dropped the facade and hugged Ciel with glee. "I'm ever so glad you came! I've missed my future son!" His family scolded him for the act, except for Lizzie since at least her father and her were alike about wearing their happiness openly, even if it was technically not noble-like. "Please, you and your servants should join us for lunch. I hear the food is exquisite, fit for the nobility it holds."
"It would be our pleasure," Ciel said.
"If they are to join us, then those servants must look presentable. How many times have I told you, butler, to pull your hair back when your around your master? And you, maid, how many times must I tell you to fix your ponytail so both of your eyes are present?"
"We're terribly sorry. We shall fix that at once," Sebastian apologized with a bow, followed by Lilliana.
"If you permit us, my lord, we all should head to our suite to look presentable," she requested.
"Of course. Please excuse us," Ciel said as they finally separated from the Midfords. When they were some distance away, he sighed. "This might be more difficult than I initially anticipated. Lizzie will want to be by my side all the time, meaning it will be difficult for us to investigate the Aurora Society alone without arousing suspicion."
"Quite, but you can also send us to retrieve information if you find it difficult to separate—," Sebastian tried to suggest, but was interrupted.
"I don't like being in the dark and need to witness this so-called miracle for myself. I'm sure we will find a way. This is a big ship and people can easily get lost on it."
"Right you are, my lord," she said with a smile.
"Now, I don't want to trouble any of you, but I'm afraid someone has been watching us this entire time," Sebastian said as he noted the corner of the ship. That's when they saw a face pulling away suddenly and they immediately headed that direction, thinking it was possibly a member of the Aurora Society spying on them.
"Hopefully they didn't see me," Katia said under her breath as she clung to the wall to hide herself.
"I'm afraid we did," Sebastian said as he was armed with forks and knives, but before he could throw them, Lilliana stopped him.
"Katia? What are you doing here?" she asked with feigned surprise.
"H-Hi Lily," she said with a nervous wave. Of course Ronald doesn't get caught when he's not trying to hide himself, but she does immediately.
"She asked you a question, Rea—," Ciel demanded, but remembered that Snake was present and he is not aware of her divinity.
"I-I'm going home for a bit," she confessed. "I heard word of some trouble and decided to go as soon as possible."
"And you chose this specific ship?" Sebastian asked. The last time a Reaper was found during their mission, there was a large number of people killed, even if Ciel was the one who ordered some of their deaths.
"It was the only one heading to New York at the quickest time. Even I can't simply jump from one hemisphere to the other."
"You better not be lying to us," Ciel said. "You have a reputation of deceiving others."
"I promise, I'm telling the truth," Katia plead. technically, she wasn't lying, but only omitted the truth. Even if the boy was privy of Reapers, she still wasn't allowed to disclose details regarding future deaths in case he wanted to change someone's fate.
"Still, with you around, we must be on alert," Sebastian said. "A Grim Reaper allows follows the stench of death."
"Funny of you to say with the company you keep," she said, referring to Lilliana.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said while shifting her eyes toward a shy and confused Snake, signaling Katia to be quiet about their divinity.
She sighed. "Never mind. I'll stay out of your way, I promise."
They were silent for a bit, but Ciel looked at Lilliana and said, "You will keep an eye on her in case she starts to cause trouble for us. If she reveals any information compromising our vacation, report it immediately."
"As you wish," she said with a bow before looking at Katia, "Lucky for you, we must be heading off. Do have an enjoyable rest of your voyage." The four of them walked to their suite, with Snake questioning who Katia was and her story, but they had to make up a lie.
Katia sighed in relief, but she felt a bit conflicted. "I need to tell her, but now that they know I'm here . . . ,"
That night, when the young lord fell asleep and Snake's snakes were keeping a good watch on him, Lilliana found this to be her only chance to get a good look at the ship. Although there were no planned activities due to the late hour, there were still plenty of people roaming around and having a good time. The breeze was freezing, but the starry night up above and the dark sea below made the trip outside worth it. Soon, she was at the bow of the ship, letting the breeze play with her hair. It may be dark, but luckily, her vision was strong enough to see the subtle difference in colors of the sea and sky along with any marine creatures that decided to pop up from the surface. "This feels nice," she said to herself. However, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist and she shrieked.
"There you are," Sebastian whispered into her ear while still holding her tight. "You can't escape from me that easily."
"No, you can't make me! I refuse," she said as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but was unsuccessful.
"It's just for one night, I promise. Besides, depending how the night goes, you won't wear it for that long."
"Is that a promise?"
He chuckled. "I know you don't like wearing dresses, but you and I were tasked with retrieving any information we can from the passengers that may be involved in the Aurora Society, which means we must blend in."
"And you can't do this by yourself because . . . ?"
"I'm sure you would like to explore the ship as well, right?"
"I'd prefer to do so without having to wear a dress."
"But you must pass as a noblewoman and noblewomen wear dresses. Ask Lady Elizabeth or her mother."
She sighed, but said, "Fine, but I'm not wearing one all night."
He let her go, pleased with her answer, and they both headed back to the stateroom. However, before they reached the stairs, she started heading off in a different direction. Sebastian sighed before following her; he figured he would be doing this all night due to her strong hatred of dresses. She always viewed them as unnecessary hindrances, especially since her Reaper duties involve her jumping from place to place and being sneaky when the soul was located in a highly dense population of people. A dress would only get in the way. The maid outfit is the only dress she'll reluctantly wear only because she knew she had to blend in with the other servants and the dress isn't too uncomfortable compared to the multiple layers that noblewomen wear.
However, as she was running away, she accidentally bumped into a couple, knocking the man down. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I should have been watching where I was going," Lilliana said as she helped him up.
"Clearly," the brunette man said as he slowly got up.
"You're not hurt, are you, darling?" the redhead girl asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, love. She apologized, which is more than we usually get from the passengers here. They're usually so snub that they don't even bother to apologize or expect you to apologize instead."
"Don't forget about those rowdy low-life people downstairs who were never taught manners."
"Right," he said as he got a better look at the person who knocked him down and now the man who caught up to her. "Though, I don't think I've seen a woman in trousers in a long time."
"Oh, well it's more comfortable than the itchy maid uniform I'm required to wear," she said nervously. She keeps forgetting that her Reaper outfit is not normal within human society and probably won't be for a long time.
"A maid uniform? You two are servants?" the man asked.
"Right you are, sir," Sebastian said with a bow.
"I'm surprised you're awake at this late hour. I'd assume servants need to be rested so they can wake up early and serve their masters."
"Yes, but it's a rarity to get some time to ourselves, especially on a trip like this," Lilliana said with a smile.
"I guess I can't blame you there," the woman said before wrapping her arm around his. "We're doing the same. My husband here spends all his time working, so we rarely get to spend some quality time together. Though, you're technically still working on this ship, but at least I have two days with you."
"And I will give you my full attention," he said as he quickly kissed the woman, who giggled.
"And what exactly do you do, Mr. . . . ," Sebastian said, waiting for him to respond and complete his sentence.
"Oh, Ryan Stoker, and this is my wife, Annabeth. And you would be?"
"Lilliana Kiliamo and Sebastian Michaelis," she introduced before the two of them bowed. "It is a pleasure meeting you both and again, I am sorry for bumping into you."
"Well, you apologized, so it's fine," Ryan said with a bit of a pout, making Annabeth chuckle a bit.
"I apologize for his temper. He's the type that takes being knocked over by a girl so seriously," she teased.
"I do not!" he practically yelled, making her giggle more.
"Don't worry, love. You're still the big strong man I fell in love with," she said before kissing him. "I do hope to see you around or maybe even meet your master. My husband is always interested in meeting possible investors."
"Investors? For what exactly?" Sebastian asked.
"I work in the medical field, but I will demonstrate the latest advancement in modern medicine onboard. It's going to change everything we've learned about health and death," Ryan said excitedly. Sebastian and Lilliana looked at each other with knowing glances. "W-Would your master be interested in investing in me?" Ryan asked genuinely.
"Our lord is philanthropic to causes he cares deeply about, but he has yet to invest in the medical field," Sebastian said. "You will have to pitch your idea to him for his consideration."
"In that case, I will invite him to my presentation," he said as he dug into his pocket, pulled out a small sealed red envelope and handed it to Sebastian. "Let me know his response and I will relay the password."
"You don't have it written inside?" Lilliana inquired.
"My husband has had bad experiences with naysayers who infiltrated his private meetings and heckled him. To prevent that, members are required to perform a certain ritual. Good news is that when he performs it once, he'll be recognized as a member of the Aurora Society."
However, Ryan looked at her worriedly as he said, "Annabeth, you shouldn't say that name so openly. I want to control who knows about it as much as possible."
"And yet, you gave out an invitation so easily," she teased. He pouted before they both turned to the servants. "Well, it's getting late, so we should head back to our room. It was nice meeting you two and hopefully we meet again."
"Likewise," Sebastian said with a bow and Lilliana followed suit. The couple soon left their side and the two waited until they were out of sight and earshot before he said, "Well that went smoother than I imagined."
"That went well," she said as she took the envelope out of his hand. There were no markings on it to link it back to the Stokers, most likely to keep it as inconspicuous as possible. "What are the odds that we run into the very person running the meeting and not only that, but also be given an invitation to said meeting."
"Correction, the young lord was given the invitation."
"That doesn't mean he can't bring his servants if he wished," she said before handing the invitation back to him. "And on that note, we, or more realistically, I need to get some rest. It's not often that I get to have a break from soul collection."
"I can't tempt you to stay up a little longer?" Sebastian said with a seductive grin as he pulled Lilliana close to him, but she gently pushed him away.
"If I stay up any longer, you'll force me into a dress and I'd rather not," she said with a chuckle. "We completed the first part of our mission, so let me rest."
"Fine, but we still have a while before we reach land. You will have to wear a dress eventually."
"Why are you so insistent on me wearing a . . . you want me to wear a corset, don't you?" she said with a bit of an annoyed tone.
"Do you think so lowly of me?" he said with a teasing smile.
She sighed. "You get one night of me in a dress. Choose wisely."
"I will," he said as the two of them headed back to the stateroom.
Katia had a hard time sleeping that night. Granted, Reapers don't require much sleep to function, but whenever given the chance, most would take the opportunity to get some well-deserved rest. Just look at Ronald, who was sleeping in a cot on the other side of the room after his late night of partying with the other third-class passengers. He told her that he preferred this crowd than the stuffy first-class since they knew how to make a good time out of a miserable situation and for now, she agreed. She wouldn't call herself high maintenance like William or especially Grell, but a bigger room, better tasting food, and a quiet environment would have been nice. Though, she didn't argue since she needed to keep Ronald away from Lilliana and the others as much as possible.
She was confused why William would assign them together, yet force Katia to keep these separate missions apart for Lilliana's sake. It was contradictory, but he could understand her reasoning. She knew very well that Lilliana would choose the family she created over her colleagues and who could blame her? She went through years of torture and put up a wall to prevent anyone from hurting her again, but somehow, interacting with humans and a demon managed to tear down that wall little by little. She would do whatever necessary to protect that makeshift family. Katia only wished that once Ciel's soul is (hopefully) collected, she could somehow be her new family, but deep down, she knew that couldn't happen if Katia had to move back to America. She can't stay in London forever and it takes a lot of persuasion to get Lilliana to just travel. All she could hope for is that she can keep her wall down to let people like Grell, Ronald, and William in. Though, knowing how Will feels about her, she felt a twinge of jealousy for a hypothetical that may never happen. All she hoped for was that their night together in the library cemented something in her relationship with Lily.
Katia quietly got up from her creaky cot, trying not to disturb the snoring blonde, and made her way out of their stateroom. Since most of the third-class passengers were up late last night partying like there was no tomorrow, most of them were still asleep. This made things easier for her as she snuck out of the third-class quarters up onto the main deck where most of the first-class passengers were intermingling. Ronald may have been right about the smugness of this lot, but they were still not as rambunctious as the company he preferred to spend his time with. Still, she had her own selfish reasons for being here.
She wandered around the deck for a while, observing the unfortunately familiar faces that she passed by. Even if she could warn them, there was not much she could do when there was no real method to escape. Eventually, she heard a high-pitched voice in the distance saying, "Oh Ciel! You look so adorable in your outfit!"
"Th-Thank you, Elizabeth," Ciel said hesitantly. "Mina has impeccable sense of fashion, doesn't she?" Katia looked closely and saw Ciel, Elizabeth, and their servants all gathered around the entrance to a restaurant. She was wearing an elegant red dress and her hair was wrapped in a matching red ribbon while he was wearing a dark green suit that may be considered flashy to onlookers, like Katia. The servants, despite wearing their usual outfits, had their hair pulled back and tidy. It was clear that everyone, except for Paula, was uncomfortable with the extra scrutiny on their looks, especially Lilliana, but they knew they had to do this for the Marquess's sake. If they didn't do it now, she would force them anyway.
"Come in! We're waiting for you," Lizzie said as she started to drag her fiancé inside, but Lilliana looked Katia's way and spotted her. Katia tried to hide, but it was clear she was never going to win this game of hide and seek, making Lilliana pinch the bridge of her nose in disappointment.
"You all should go ahead. I just remembered that I have to take care of something in our stateroom. Something very important," she excused herself.
"If it was that important, you wouldn't have forgotten, correct?" Ciel said in a low tone that would have sounded threatening to most, but to her, it sounded like a plea for her to stay to share the misery.
"I don't mean to speak out of term, my lord, but I really do need to get to it. It will make your enjoyment on this voyage much better," she said with a bow, trying to find the right words to not expose their mission.
Ciel gave her a contemplative look and quickly scanned the area to give him any idea what she was planning. She wouldn't leave his side otherwise. He sighed as he said, "Fine, I give you my permission."
"Thank you, my lord," she said as she waited for the group to enter the restaurant, the last being Sebastian, who gave her an equally curious look, but could not stop to ask her what she had planned. Once everyone was inside, she let out a relieved sigh as she walked away from the restaurant and started to take her hair out of the bun, letting it flow freely. Katia could feel her heartbeat through her chest as she heard her footsteps get closer and closer, but soon, they stopped before they could reach her. Confused, she peeked out from the corner and didn't see her anywhere, no matter how hard she searched. However, she heard a voice behind her say, "If you don't want to stand out, you might want to stay away from us."
Katia practically jumped out of her skin as she turned around and saw Lilliana with her arms crossed. "H-How—But you—Weren't you just—?" she rambled on, but was quickly answered.
"I've had enough experience sneaking around to make a surprise attack even when they've seen me," she said matter-of-factly. "You know you should stay away from us and yet I keep finding you. They're already suspicious that a Grim Reaper is onboard."
"But you and I were supposed to be a team, remember? That's what William said," she said as she tried to calm her thundering heart.
"He said that fully knowing that I would be preoccupied with my other job. We're only a partnership because you and I are heading to the same destination. I'm curious what he would have said if that weren't the case," she said as she gazed off into the sea. "Regardless, it's nice to travel after centuries of not being able to."
"Wait, you haven't traveled before?" Katia asked sweetly as she looked in her direction. "Most Reapers get to travel for work depending on their target's location."
"Most get that privilege, but I'm going to bet not one of them is a Rogue Reaper," she said with a bit of melancholy in her voice.
"You'd be surprised," Katia said as she looked back at Lilliana, who had misty eyes.
She was quiet before saying, "I haven't traveled outside of England since I became an official Grim Reaper. I did travel a bit with my brother before then. It was such a freeing experience."
Katia twisted her face a bit as she said, "I can't imagine traveling with a demon to be a 'freeing' experience, but knowing you, I can at least try to understand."
"You would be the first of the Reapers," Lilliana said as they heard a glass break from a table behind them. An older man had one too many drinks and had been causing a scene, embarrassing his wife and son in the process. They guided him away from the crowd and already started to lecture him on the way to assumingly their stateroom, only for their words to be ignored. Lilliana giggled as she said, "How about we talk more over some food."
L-Like a date?, Katia thought. Her heart started racing more at the thought. "S-Sure, but don't you have to go back to your master—,"
"I made up that excuse to talk to you. We have plenty to discuss," she said as she started walking towards the table that was in the middle of getting cleared. Katia felt like she could melt. Finally, some alone time with the woman of her dreams! What could be better? They soon sat down and Lilliana was quick to order for the both of them, which Katia didn't mind since she would consume whatever she gave her with no complaint. Once they were alone, they continued with their conversation. "So, what exactly is happening in America that you had to leave?"
Katia swallowed hard at that question. She didn't think she would be interviewed on their not-really-date, but Lilliana was the type that would squeeze information out of people if it benefitted her mission. "M-My target is traveling home to America," she lied, though not convincingly.
"Oh really? I'm surprised that you would be tracking someone for this long. The Association usually doesn't allow travel unless their target isn't returning home," Lilliana interrogated with a seemingly innocent smile, but Katia felt as if she was a cat playing with her prey. This was a lot more stressful than she thought.
"Th-This soul is different. It is possible that this is a person who deserves a second chance at life," she lied, hoping that Lily didn't see the sweat dripping down her face.
She widened her eyes in surprise. "Oh wow. That's quite the high-stake case."
"Yes, it is. Th-That's why I'm taking my time before their date of death."
"And you can't give me one little detail about them?" Lilliana teased, making Katia blush.
"It's classified, I'm sorry," she said, hoping that was enough for her to drop the subject. Luckily, it was.
She shrugged. "You're too much of a stickler to the rules. One of these days, you need to rebel."
"I-I'd rather not. I've seen what happens to those who break the rules," Katia said before her face turned red in embarrassment. "I'm sorry! I don't mean to call you a bad person or anything!"
Lilliana giggled a bit. "You're all right. I know what you meant." Soon, their food arrived (two berry crepes), and Katia's stomach growled at the sight and smell. "I'm assuming you haven't eaten yet."
"N-No, I haven't," she said as she took a bite of her crepe. Her eyes widened as the treat touched her tongue and she let out a little moan. "This is so good!"
"It's fine," Lilliana said as she took a bite and looked a bit disappointed. "I guess nothing compares to homemade."
"Are you nuts? This is amazing," she said as she nearly devoured the whole treat in one bite. "If you're not going to eat it, do you mind?"
"Go ahead," she said, but Katia had already taken her plate and started eating the treat just as fast as the last. "Mm, that was delicious. Do you think we can order another?"
"How can you have room for more?!" Lilliana asked in astonish. What do they feed Americans to make them eat this much so quickly?
"Oh . . . I forget that food costs more outside of America, or at least, compared to how much you get. I would probably eat away at your savings with my appetite," she said with an embarrassed smile. That's what she was worried about?
"Lilliana!" a voice cried out in the distance. The two deities looked in the direction of the voice and saw Annabeth walking up to them in a fast pace.
"Do you know her?" Katia said, feeling the tiniest twinge of jealousy. She was a pretty woman after all.
"It's a long story," she said, but didn't realize how close Annabeth was until she spoke.
"It's not that long: you bumped into my husband, we got to know each other, and then we invited you to our presentation. Speaking of which, did you send the invitation to your master?" Annabeth asked as she took an empty chair.
"He did look over it and is interested."
"Très bien!" she exclaimed, but soon turned embarrassed by the phrase, especially when she saw Lilliana arch an eyebrow. "I'm sorry. My husband is trying to teach me some French for an upcoming trip to France. I'm not even sure if I used the term correctly."
"You did," she said, but never dropped her suspicion.
"I guess the lessons are paying off," Annabeth said with a smile. She then turned to Katia and said, "I apologize for leaving you out of the conversation. My name is Annabeth Stoker. And your name is?"
"K-Katia Vendoa," she said nervously.
"Nice to meet you, dearie," she said with a sweet smile, making Katia blush. "Do you two work together?"
"Yes, we do."
"Well, that is an interesting maid outfit he has you wear. I could have mistaken you for someone working a high-class career."
Lilliana had to correct the mistake. "She is going to visit family in America, so our master gave her time off, but then decided to tag along as his personal vacation."
"And he didn't have her work in the meantime? That's awfully generous of him," Annabeth said before her stomach started growling. With red cheeks, she said, "Pardon me. I haven't eaten much lately since my love insists that I keep my figure."
"Well, that's awfully controlling of him, but then again, I have yet to meet a human man that didn't strive for an attractive woman," Lilliana said with a sigh.
"I'm sure if you have something to eat now, he's not going to know," Katia said. "I recommend the crepes. They're a light meal."
"A light meal? And you had two!" Lilliana said, making the redhead laugh.
When their eyes were on her, she explained, "You two would make an adorable couple. You already act like one."
"Funny you say that because we are," Katia said before trying to hold Lilliana's hand, but her confused expression made her stop.
"A couple of close friends, sure," she corrected, but her comment was oblivious of how she felt.
"Y-You're joking, right?" she said, trying to hold back tears.
Lilliana looked at her with an even more confused expression. "Did I say something wrong?"
Annabeth quickly sensed the tension in the air and said, "I-I'm going to order some food. Would you like me to buy you two anything?" However, they started to argue more intensely, and she knew it was better to leave now then wait for them to answer her. "I-I'll take care of your bill."
"How can you be so clueless?" Katia said loudly, grabbing the attention of nosy onlookers.
This was bad. "Perhaps we should have this conversation somewhere more private where humans can't listen."
"Oh, that's all you care about: other people's opinions of you?"
"Katia, please," she said. She had to be careful not to spark any more emotions that could make the situation worse. She learned through observation that saying the words "you're making a scene" leads to items flying in the air and more yelling. However, even though she didn't say another word, Katia quickly got up and started fleeing the scene. She quickly ran off to follow her, just in time for Annabeth to see them and follow them as well, but she kept her distance so she wouldn't be seen. With less people around, Lilliana finally caught up with her before she headed to the third-class floor. "What has gotten into you?"
"What has gotten into me?! Do you really see nothing wrong with what you said about us?"
"No, but I know that's the problem. Help me understand," Lilliana said as calmly as she could.
With tears falling down her face, Katia explained, "I thought we were finally something, Lily, after what happened in the library."
"Well, I—you see—the thing is—," she stammered, trying to find the right words to say without making her more upset. She didn't want to make the rest of this long boat ride miserable for either of them, especially when she was at fault. However, the only way to clear this misunderstanding was to tell her the truth, even if she didn't want to hear it. She sighed, "You were poisoned by a Sinful Spice and I wanted to help you out."
Katia blinked in shock. "Wh-What do you mean? How?"
"The chocolates you ate . . . they had a Lustful Spice in them."
"Wh-Why would you have that?" she asked, progressively getting angrier with every exchange of dialogue.
"I didn't have them originally; William did. The demon haunting the circus investigation gave them to him, hoping to feed off him," Lilliana said. Katia had a flashback to the burning manor where she saw him and Eris talking to each other about his feelings.
"Did he have any?"
"No," she lied. "But he gave them to me, not aware of what was inside them. I had some before you found them."
"You were poisoned too . . . and the only way to release its hold is to act upon that sin," she said with a broken voice, like her very soul had been crushed.
"Y-Yes. I'm sorry. I didn't know if your feelings were genuine or heightened by lust. After all, Grim Reapers rarely express any emotion, even outside of the job, and not to mention that I've been around demons who use emotions as a tool for manipulation."
Katia was silent for a moment and Lilliana did try to hug her, but she pulled back violently. "You should know better than most Grim Reapers that in order for the spice to work, there has to be a catalyst to trigger it. I would have not confessed the way I did, but what I said was true then as it is now: I love you, Lilliana. However, I know the awful truth: I could never win your affections like Sebastian and William have. I was only a pawn to you."
"Wait, what does Will have to do with—,"
"You're a selfish woman, Lily! You're worse than a demon! You don't realize how people bend over backwards for you to keep you happy. You may be a Rogue Reaper and that has its disadvantages, but you also get away with so much. You're one of the lucky ones."
"I don't understand what you mean—,"
"Just go back to the only people you actually care about and leave me alone!" Katia said before running downstairs to the third-class floor.
Lilliana was about to follow her, but Annabeth said with crossed arms, "I think she's been through enough."
She turned toward her and said, "I didn't mean to make it sound so cruel . . . how long were you listening to us?"
"I've been here for a while. You two have an interesting nickname for each other: Grim Reapers," she said teasingly, borderline threateningly. Lilliana was about to explain herself, but Annabeth continued, "Do you call each other that because you want to be writers of your own destiny, ignoring anything that the gods of death have written for you? Or is it perhaps that you feel dead inside and can only justify it by calling yourself a god of death yourself?"
She is surprisingly a perceptive woman and it scared her. "It's personal."
"But yet, she called you a Rouge Reaper. I wonder what that means in your little world."
"C-Can we drop the subject?" she asked before trying to head downstairs, but Annabeth grabbed her arm and held on tight. Lilliana was surprised that a human was able to hold her back.
"Like I said earlier, she's been through enough of your oblivious manipulation. If you want things to get back to the way they were before, I suggest you give her some space to think things through."
"But—,"
"Just give her that or are you going to ruin that for her too?" Lilliana sighed in defeat, but relaxed her body, cuing Annabeth to let go of her. "I hope that this little incident doesn't hinder your attendance for the presentation tomorrow."
"O-Of course not. Duty comes before personal issues," she said before she left her side, heading back to her stateroom. Both Reapers wanted to ask each other questions regarding their mission on the boat, neither one of them was able to ask, but the answers will soon be revealed in the worst way tomorrow.
What will happen on this voyage? How will the two groups work together, yet separately? What will become of Katia and Lilliana? Reviews are appreciated!