The next day was almost like any other day: the nobles above enjoyed civility and the finer things while the rowdier third-class threw a celebration every night like it would be their last. Ronald spent most of his time with the latter, even flirting with the women who took interest in him. He was having such a great time that he hardly noticed that Katia was gone for majority of the voyage. He figured she was too shy and stayed in her room, but he was also under the impression that Americans were the ones to start the parties. However, he noticed last night that she seemed upset, but didn't want to talk about it. After dealing with this experience with his many female friends, he decided to give her some space in hopes that she'll calm down on her own time.
Just like usual, everyone was dancing and drinking to their heart's content and Ronald watched the festivities, but he didn't join. He had to save his energy for a grueling job later tonight and couldn't afford exerting any on dancing, no matter how much the girls begged him to join them, and they really tried.
"Oi, Ronnie," a brunette girl exclaimed, trying to get his attention before approaching.
"Hm? Oh, hey there, cutie. I was wondering where you were. I was afraid somebody took you away."
She giggled as she coyly pushed her bangs behind her ears. "And leave you alone with all these other girls? I don't think so." She sat next to him before continuing and showing him a small red envelope. "Some redhead gave me this. She said this was for your girlfriend. Something like Katrina? Katie?"
"Katia," he said before taking the envelope. "She's not my girlfriend, by the way."
"Just some girl you're close to," she said before taking a sip from her mug. "I've heard that one many times."
"She's just a coworker, remember? I might have told you when you had a couple more drinks in ya," he said before he was about to open the envelope, but she stopped him.
"The lady gave me specific instructions to have only your 'coworker' open it."
"How would she know?"
"I would know," she said as she waved a couple of pounds in her hand. "And I honor my paid promises."
"Fine, I'll give it to her. Hopefully she's around. Haven't really seen her much since we boarded," he said with a defeated sigh. As he got up, he saw the pout on the woman's face and he replied, "Don't worry. This won't take long." He walked away from sight before he started to open the envelope. Curiosity got to the best of him, mainly due to the mystery woman that sent this message. Katia wasn't exactly the type to go around making friends, especially since the practice of interacting with those set to die is a recent concept. Granted, she was a younger Reaper, but she was also a stickler for the rules, like William. He wondered why, which made the letter all the more intriguing. After all, he and Grell would revel in times when she misbehaved, as friends would with their innocent friends.
He opened the envelope and quickly took the paper out. It was a short and sweet message: "I'm deeply sorry for what transpired yesterday. If you wish, I would like to make it up to you somehow. Please arrive at Stateroom 4 on the upper deck before dawn. Hopefully we'll be alone then."
Ronald was a bit peeved that the sender's name wasn't on it, but put the note back in the envelope and seal it as if he never opened it. He walked up to their shared stateroom and knocked on the door. "Katia? Are you in there?" He didn't receive an answer, but he had to make sure before leaving. "I'm coming in," he announced before opening the door, revealing their cramped room with two cots, as requested. The room was barely lit by a small window that showed more water than light. All there luggage was still in their luggage despite having a small wooden drawer to put some things in. In one of the cots was Katia, but she lying down, facing the wall rather than the door. "Feeling any better?" Ronald asked uncomfortably. Since Reapers are supposed to compartmentalize their emotions due to the job, even he was unsure how to respond to his friend's depression, especially since she refused to tell him what was wrong.
"You don't have to keep checking up on me. We're Grim Reapers: we can't commit suicide like humans can," she said softly, still facing the wall.
"No, but it's rare for one to be depressed. Angry, sure. Stressed, absolutely. But sad? No."
"Just leave me alone," she said in defeat.
"I was just stating the truth. No need to be sensitive about it. Besides, you need to get out of this before tonight's mission. We have a job to do and the last thing you want to do is be seen as a slacker."
"How ironic that you're lecturing me about being a slacker. Aren't we suppose to do recon before collection to see if they deserve death?"
"What are you talking about? I am doing recon! My methods are just a bit untraditional," he said, acting offended, but he knew she had a point.
"Keep telling yourself that."
Ronald clicked his tongue before saying, "Anyway, someone wanted to give you this. Don't know who since I am the messenger's messenger." He placed the envelope on the dresser as he headed for the door. "Don't be late for the collection, okay?"
As the door closed, Katia finally turned to face the other direction, noticing the red envelope. Who would be trying to reach her? Granted, she couldn't tell what time it was in the mostly dark deck, but she knew it was at least early afternoon. She got up from the cot and walked to pick up the envelope, noticing his failed attempt to hide that it was opened before. She rolled her eyes before examining the note inside. Like Ronald, she was upset that she received no name as the sender, but she had an idea who: only one person needed to apologize to her. "Make it up to me how, Lily?"
Ciel was in his stateroom, getting ready for an onboard party that would take place in the upper reception area. Lizzie begged for him to go since she did not want to miss an opportunity to intermingle with other nobles, unlike her fiancé, who wished to stay out of public eye as much as possible. Tonight was also the night of the Aurora Society meeting, so he wished to prepare for whatever would come. He made sure to strategically place his gun in the outfit Lizzie picked out for him so he wouldn't be unarmed in case his servants weren't around to protect him. Although he was certain he wouldn't die, he could still be harmed if he was careless. Ciel looked in the mirror for a final inspection of his clothes, but wondered what was taking Sebastian and Lilliana so long to get ready. Snake was waiting in the lounge area, finicking with his attire that he found to be too uncomfortable for his liking. Not to mention that he was still concerned about his snakes that were stowed away in the cargo hold below.
With a frustrated sigh, Ciel started walking toward the servant's room in the suite. It was the same layout as the third-class rooms: cots on the opposite side of the wall, a white wooden dresser with golden handles, and a window that showed only light. The main differences were the electricity lighting the room and the size of the room tripled. However, all Ciel had seen was the wooden door between him and the other two servants. As he got closer to the door, he heard feminine groans from the other side, making him stop in his tracks.
"Sebastian, Lilliana, quit dawdling and get dressed," he ordered, noticing the soft sounds of shuffling. Are they . . . ?
"Please give us a minute, young masTER," she said with a grunt at the end. "Dresses TAKE a while to put ON." As she kept talking, her grunts almost sounding like moans, making Ciel very uncomfortable. The shamelessness! "Sebastian, that's too MUCH!"
"You've dealt with much more than this," he said nonchalantly before Lilliana let out another moan.
Ciel had to stop this before it got worse. He had a rule in his manor: none of his servants were allowed to have relationships with each other, especially the head servants since it could promote favoritism. He knocked on the door again and demanded, "Stop all that ruckus in there and come out here."
"I'm not decent, my LORD. Sebastian, I can't take ANYmore. It's too tight."
Ciel was at his peak frustration and decided to open the door, not caring about what he'd see. However, he wasn't expecting to see Lilliana in a blue corset, petticoat, and tights as she was holding the dresser in front of her tightly. Sebastian had the corset strings in his hand and was blindfolded for Lilliana's dignity.
Ciel's cheeks grew red as he yelled, "Just hurry it up! We don't have any time to waste." He stormed out and slammed the door, letting the two servants relax and sigh in relief.
Sebastian removed the blindfold, just in time for Lilliana to slap his cheek. "What the hell?! You didn't need to actually tighten the corset like that. He might not have entered if it weren't for you."
"You need to get into your dress anyway, which requires a corset."
"I still can't believe you're forcing me to wear a dress. I know we should wear disguises for the meeting, but I could wear pants."
"We don't want to stand out, now do we?" he said as he pulled the strings one final time, making her grunt unexpectedly. "You have to look like a proper lady, meaning you need to wear a dress." He started to tie the strings as he continued, "Besides, you make delicious sounds with every tug."
"I know you like me in corsets, but I still would like to breathe."
"I'm certain that Grim Reapers don't need to breathe. Besides, we could finish what we started," he said as he lifted up her petticoat, revealing that her panties were hanging by her knees.
"Hey, don't get any bright ideas. He wants us ready now." However, they both heard a knock from the main door of the suite and Lilliana looked terrified. "She's early. I told her not come until you all left."
They could hear Ciel approach the main door, but it was soon followed by a loud feminine voice yelling, "Ciel! I brought the makeup and hair accessories you requested for Lilliana."
"Thanks, Lizzie, but don't you think you brought a lot for just one person?"
"I wanted to give her options. Paula said she would help with any remaining preparations she needed."
Lilliana sighed in defeat as she said, "It must be nice to be a man; you don't have to deal with the grueling hours of preparation for an event. I dreaded this part more than the corset."
"Though, it is necessary. I shall leave you in the ladies' care for now."
"I'd rather spend all night collecting souls than this," she said as she took a deep breath and he let the two women in. Lilliana forced a smile as Sebastian left her alone with them, but he knew, even without seeing her, that she was giving him a death glare and he grinned.
Katia nervously walked up to the stateroom door designated on the note. She tried to make herself presentable by fixing her makeup and hair, but didn't know how long they would last if she got overwhelmed again. Even she acknowledged how unusual it was for her to get emotional, especially about a woman, but she bonded so much with Lilliana that her betrayal felt as sharp as being pierced by a blade in her heart. She took a few deep breaths before knocking on the door and awaiting a response. She hoped she wasn't too early; the last thing she needed was to see Sebastian gloating at her misery, even if he didn't fully understand the situation. How could a demon ever comprehend the concept of love? Actually, how could a Grim Reaper?
Soon, the door opened, but instead of the Rogue Reaper standing before her, it was a human. "Oh, good. I'm glad you got my note," Annabeth said with a smile on her face. However, when she observed Katia's shocked face, her smile disappeared. "What's wrong, love?"
"I-I'm sorry. I thought you . . . you were . . . ,"she tried to say, but it was clear she was holding back tears.
"O-Oh, did you think that note was from her?" Annabeth said apologetically. "I'm so sorry to mess with your expectations like that."
"I-I should go," Katia said as she tried to leave her side, but she stopped her by grabbing her hand.
"No, please. I wanted to talk to you. Ryan is preparing for the presentation tonight, so you and I will be alone."
"I'm not sure that is a good idea. I have my own preparations to attend to."
"It won't take long. Just come in," she said, nearly dragging Katia inside. She didn't have the strength to pull her hand away and just let Annabeth guide her in. Compared to her third-class room, this place was huge with multiple rooms connected by the lounge area they were occupying. Most of the furniture was white, most likely showing off the occupant's wealth. Katia took a seat while Annabeth walked up to the mini bar and poured two glasses of whiskey. She sat by Katia and handed her the glass.
"You didn't have to get me anything," she said, but noticed the bottle she poured: Thistle Dew, her favorite. Although Reapers cannot feel the effects of intoxication from any drug, she liked to drink for the taste.
"I have a strong feeling you'll like this one," Annabeth said with a wink before taking a sip. Katia did the same, pretending that this was her first time trying the drink.
"You were right," she said with a small smile, but Annabeth chuckled. "What's so funny?"
"Oh nothing. I've been around my husband's friends who love to drink and I know the difference between an experienced consumer of a drink and a novice," she said with a cute smile, in Katia's opinion. Though, her comment caused Katia's cheeks to turn red and Annabeth chuckled again. "You don't have to lie to me, love."
"S-Sorry," she said timidly as she took another sip and properly let out her enjoyment. "I guess I do that out of kindness around women I like." However, her face turned bright red as she stammered, "D-D-Don't get the wrong idea. I don't mean I like you as a lover or anything like that!"
Annabeth chuckled as she grabbed her hand to calm her down. "Don't worry; I understand what you mean."
After a moment of silence, Katia said, "So, why did you want me to come here?"
Annabeth was in the middle of a sip when she asked her question, forcing her to quickly swallow. "I wanted to apologize for how things turned out between the two of you."
"You're not the one who needs to apologize for that," Katia said as she finished her drink quickly.
"I know, but I should have sensed the tension and tried to alleviate it before it got as bad as it did."
"I appreciate the concern, but you wouldn't have been able to understand what Lily and I go through. Honestly, I don't think anyone could."
"I can at least try," she said as she grabbed both of Katia's hands and held them in hers. "But judging by what you said, I think something did happen between the two of you, but Lily is trying to downplay its meaning."
"Wait, how did you—," Katia said, cut off by her own confusion.
"I have a way of reading the context between people's words. Still, it must have hurt you hearing her insensitivity. If Ryan said anything like that to me, I would kick him out of the room."
"Well, it's not that simple. We're not even a couple . . . and she is with someone else. Of course, it's a secret from her employers . . . and even our boss has a liking to her, even if he won't admit it."
"My, she's got quite the love life," Annabeth said as she got up to grab the bottle of whisky and bring it toward them as she refilled the glasses. "And you got caught in all that."
"Well, I kept my infatuation with her a secret, but then we were both under the spell of . . . an aphrodisiac and we acted on emotions we wouldn't have. I confessed my feelings to her and I thought she reciprocated them. It turns out that was a lie."
"Oh, you poor girl," Annabeth said as she placed her palm on Katia's cheek, making her blush more. "I can tell it truly pains you. I haven't been in the same situation as you, but Ryan might feel that way."
"Ryan?"
"My husband. He's a very loving man and expects me to love him the same, but . . . my tastes are elsewhere."
"What 'tastes'?" Katia asked curiously.
Annabeth rubbed her thumb against Katia's lips, making her hitch her breath. "You and I are the same; we both yearn to be with other women that we can't have because of our circumstances."
"You . . . you yearn for other women?"
She nodded. "I never craved a certain type of woman, but then you happened to be onboard. I could feel a deep pain when Lily broke your heart and although I can't replace her, I could distract you. After all, you deserve to be loved as much as you have given."
"I-I-I don't know what to say. I-I'm flattered, but—," Katia stammered, but was interrupted when she felt Annabeth's soft lips touch hers. She was taken aback by the sudden action, but eventually, she felt surprisingly calmed by the kiss and embraced it. When Annabeth noticed her relaxed body language, she intensified the kiss by adding tongue, which Katia reciprocated. In no time, they were passionately kissing with some heavy petting before Annabeth pushed her back onto the sofa, making sure their hands were intertwined over her head. However, Katia came out of her trance and sat up. "I-I'm sorry, but I have to go. I have an appointment that I can't be late for," she said as she tried to get up from the couch, but Annabeth held her arm gently.
"Please stay. I can't bear the thought of you going back to face her without finding any solace in someone who genuinely cares about you. I want you to leave here with a good memory."
"I appreciate it, but I really need to—," she tried to say, but felt Annabeth lips on her neck and let out an unexpected moan, making her blush bright red. This woman really knew all of her weak spots and was using them well.
"Stay with me and I promise to make you feel loved," Annabeth breathily whispered into her ear, causing Katia to shiver in excitement. All she could hope for was that Lilliana would be able to forgive her, but then again, according to her, she wouldn't need her forgiveness in the first place if they weren't together. With urgency, she kissed her back as she let Annabeth guide her to her bedroom.
All of the noble passengers were mingling during an exclusive event. Lizzie was admiring the current fashion of the guests while Ciel kept a sharp eye for any suspicious activity, even if Lizzie was demanding much of his attention. Sebastian, Lilliana, Snake, and Paula kept to the side, making sure to keep an eye on their masters, though Paula was the friendliest of the bunch and interacted with guests. Snake was very uncomfortable with the crowded environment, especially since he didn't have any of his snakes to help calm him, though he knew if he did that, he would cause a panic. Sebastian was teasing Lilliana a bit for being in her blue-purple dress that wasn't as extravagant as the other noblewomen's (mainly because she refused to spend hours getting into a more elaborate dress), but it was still different enough for her to feel uncomfortable. Her hair was braided and slung on her left shoulder and she wore dark blue elbow-length gloves and jewelry borrowed from Lizzie. The only thing she had a say in was her makeup, which she asked for light coverage and non-dramatic. Despite all that was done to her, she was a bit jealous that Sebastian didn't have to change much in his outfit, or at least, as of now while they are interacting with familiar faces.
"Oh, Ciel look! Those cakes are absolutely adorable. I'm gonna fetch some for both of us," Lizzie exclaimed as she left Ciel's side despite his protests. There's nothing more he hated than intermingling with nobility who go to parties only to speak in mindless chatter. It bored him almost to the point of wishing he was at home working, but he knew this was necessary for the mission.
"Bored already? Perhaps you fancy a fencing lesson with the marchioness tomorrow, then?" Sebastian, with a plate of food in his hand, teased as he, Snake, and Lilliana approached their master.
"You would have me skewered with an épée before we even see the Statue of Liberty?" Ciel asked as he took the plate from his hand.
"Would you care for a glass?" a servant asked a stranger close enough that the group could hear. They turned in their direction to find a man taking an empty glass from the servant's tray of glasses full of champagne minus the one the man took. Since everyone was engrossed in their own conversations, no one seemed to mind the unusual gesture except for the observant trio. He started heading up the stairs, leaving the gathering.
"That's the signal. As I understand it, a waiter circling the hall with an empty glass means that the Aurora Society meeting is about to begin," Sebastian said.
"Then let's follow him," Ciel said as the trio started rushing after him, but not before Ciel gave his plate to Snake. "Help yourself. I'm not hungry," he said in a hurry while the three rushed off.
After a while of following, they finally reached their destination: a room guarded by what looked like two waiters with pitchers in their hand to fill the empty glasses of those who were allowed to enter. At this point, Ciel and Sebastian changed into their disguises, which was only adding a blonde wig for Ciel and Sebastian growing his hair long enough to be put in a ponytail. Since Lilliana already looked much different than her usual look, she didn't need to do more to disguise herself. "All right, lets go," Ciel said as he held on to his empty glass that he grabbed on the way here and was about to walk to the door, but Sebastian stopped him.
"Wait, my lord. There's something you should know. Evidently, the Aurora Society has a secret greeting. Unless you know it, you won't be permitted to enter," he whispered so the guards wouldn't hear them.
"You didn't think to tell us sooner?" Lilliana said with frustration in her voice.
"I investigated the matter while you were busy conversing with Ms. Vendoa. Did you ever manage to figure out why she was here?"
Lilliana's eyes widened by the question. Right, that was what she was supposed to be doing, but their conversation kept getting derailed, especially after the last outburst. "She mentioned investigating a soul that could have high potential to change the world, but gave me no other details."
"Well, what's this greeting, then?" Ciel asked in annoyance, cutting her off from further explanation. Sebastian leaned close to his ear and whispered the instructions, but Lilliana's enhanced hearing picked up on what he said and they both looked in disbelief by his instructions. "No, absolutely not! You can't truly expect me to do that!" he said in a tone a little louder than he should have.
"If you don't, they'll know we don't belong and we'll be turned away immediately. Be certain to not hesitate," Sebastian said in a tone that almost sounded like he was scolding his young master. Ciel knew he was right, but still dreaded having to do it. Though, Lilliana did not seem to mind and actually hid a grin, mainly because she was more intrigued by watching them performing the greeting than embarrassed that she had to do it as well.
With a collective deep breath, they approached the doors, where one of the waiters filled all three of their glasses. They opened the door and inside was a large gathering of nobles in their finest garments and accessories. Each of them had filled glasses in their hand, despite the fact the most of them had probably been in the room for a while. Were they waiting to drink until given permission? Everyone was conversing with each other; probably the same idle chit-chat that they started in the ballroom earlier. Nothing seemed off at first, but then a stout man approached them with a cold look on his face. "Is this your first visit to the society?" he asked with an equally cold tone.
Ciel looked back at Sebastian, who nodded, meaning that this was the moment of truth. With a gulp, Ciel started, "The, uh, the perfect flame that dwells within us . . . ,"
"May be hidden, but it cannot be extinguished," the man continued.
"Through it all, we are phoenixes," the trio said in unison as they lifted their arms as if they were wings and raised their left leg. Ciel really really hoped that Sebastian wasn't pulling a prank about this pose, otherwise he might have to order Lilliana to try to kill him for putting them through this humiliation.
Luckily, the man reflected the pose and said in a proud voice, "Phoenix flame! Brothers and sister, we welcome you to the Aurora Society! Here are your membership badges." He pulled out three gold phoenix pins and placed them on Ciel's shaking hand as he thanked him. Though, both deities could feel the warmth of anger, shame, and humiliation emitting from his little body and they chuckled softly.
Though, one person was not subtle with their laughter and it was a laugh they all recognized, but couldn't believe to be hearing. "I'm afraid if I laugh any harder, I may just do myself an injury," Undertaker said with tears of joy falling down his face and the eerie smile that creeped Ciel out.
"Undertaker?!" he exclaimed.
"'We are phoenixes!' Oh, I love it! And you said it with such a straight face as well!" he continued with bursts of laughing in between.
"Why you—!"
"Now, now, my lord. Don't forget about your temper," Lilliana said, a bit amused by the interaction, but a little suspicious by his presence. "This is unexpected, Undertaker. What bring you here?"
After taking a deep breath to regain himself, he said, "I guess you could call it professional curiosity. Hospitals are some of an undertaker's best customers, as you may know." That answer seemed to satisfy the men in the trio, but not Lilliana, though she could not pry further in their company.
"I am interested in the society's activities. What can you tell me about them?" Ciel said in his usual demanding tone, as if they were in his funeral shop.
"Steady now. You know I won't give you any information without proper payment," Undertaker said coyly.
"You just laughed for a minute straight!"
"I suppose that's true. Perhaps just one more phoenix pose?"
"Not a chance—," Ciel was about to say, but was interrupted.
"We are phoenixes!" Viscount Druitt said unexpectedly as he performed the pose, but in character, he put his own twist to the pose for a fabulous flare. Sometimes Lilliana wondered if he and Grell were somehow related to each other since they acted equally flamboyant.
"Unbelievable! Is that Viscount Druitt?" Ciel asked in disbelief, remembering the last time he interacted with this strange man was during the Jack the Ripper case and he was nearly sold off in a human trafficking operation.
"Difficult it is to believe, he does indeed have a medical license," Sebastian said. Soon, Druitt started to approach them, causing them to focus on getting rid of him, which became Lilliana's opportunity to ask Undertaker some more questions. She slowly walked away from the conversation, making sure Sebastian wasn't paying attention, and approached her old friend.
"Tell me, why are you here?" she said as she gestured him to walk further away from the scene, though she wished she could watch Ciel suffer as he avoided Viscount Druitt like the plague.
"Not even a hello after not seeing each other for a while? We haven't spoken since the butler's funeral," he said with a playful pout.
She sighed. "Hi, Undertaker. How have you been? Great, now tell me why you're here," she said quickly.
He chuckled. "Always on a mission, I see. Why wouldn't I be here? A hospital that claims to raise the dead will raise some eyebrows with the Association, don't you agree? If they are speaking the truth, this could be an interesting development that the Association will surely try to eliminate immediately. I want to be a witness before they do, wouldn't you?"
"I suppose, but it's not real. If there was any threat to the order of life and death, wouldn't the Association be investigating it by now?"
"Who's to say they aren't," Undertaker said with a grin as he looked at her.
She shook her head. "I'm not investigating for the sake of the Association. My young master already stated that we are investigating the Aurora Society to see if they are frauds or doing something more nefarious. This was supposed to be my time-off."
"I'm surprised they let you go. Perhaps your boss figured since you were already on the job, you would be investigating on their behalf as well."
"I didn't tell him why I needed the time-off. Though, he asked me to . . . ," she said before stopping herself. Katia; she's onboard as well. Did she lie about her mission? But why would she?
"I heard from my sources that there would be Grim Reapers onboard the Campania. I hoped that one of them would be you."
"Your sources?" Lilliana asked, but before she could ask any more questions, Ciel's loud voice grabbed their attention.
"Right! That's why I'm here! Yes, my father said the society could cure me of my disfigurement!" he yelled to get Druitt away from his face.
"Oh, what a loving gesture from your father! I'm so glad to see a family here to witness the miracles of medicine! How blessed you are, child, to have generous parents like yours!" Viscount Druitt exclaimed with a hand to his heart.
"My parents?" Ciel asked as he looked back at Sebastian, who was surprised to be alone. "They're not—,"
"If I may, my good sir, be careful of your wife over there. It seems that she might interests that are . . . unfathomable," he said as he approached Sebastian and pointed at Lilliana, who was trying to rush back to the scene. Though, Undertaker couldn't help, but laugh at the misunderstanding.
"This day is getting better and better!" he said in between laughter.
"I am afraid to report that you are mistaken, Viscount—," Sebastian started, but was soon interrupted when the double doors opened from the other side of the room, signaling the start of the meeting.
"Come, we should move closer," Druitt said, losing his playful tone from earlier. He started to push them all closer to the front while Undertaker stayed behind. Soon, six pallbearers carried a coffin into the room as Ryan Stoker, wearing a lab coat, walked behind them. Sebastian and Lilliana were surprised not to see Annabeth with him, or anywhere in the room. She seemed like the type of person who would support her husband at all times, so her absence was a bit off. "He is the founder of our organization. His name is Ryan Stoker," Druitt whispered, thinking he was helping them understand. Although they all knew his name already, they were not aware he was the founder. They previously thought he was simply trying to please this society by promising a cure for death.
"The perfect flame that dwells within us may be hidden, but not extinguished. Through it all, we are phoenixes!" Ryan said as he performed the phoenix pose, followed by the crowd, meaning Ciel had to perform as well. He wanted to make sure he remembered Ryan's face well so he could kill him for creating this ridiculous pose. "Ladies and gentlemen, today it is my honor to present the fruits of the Aurora Society's research into mankind's perfect salvation through medicine. Some of you may wonder, 'What is perfect salvation?' I tell you: it is perfect health! Health is truly magnificent!"
At those words, the crowd started cheering in awe and he waited to continue after they were done. Despite the stern expressions on Ciel and Sebastian's faces as they observed closely, Lilliana couldn't help but giggle a bit. "How ridiculous," she said under her breath. She wondered what Undertaker thought about this speech and tried to spot him in the crowd, but despite her keen vision, she was unable to track him down. Did he leave? Wasn't he was so adamant about being a witness?
"However, despite all our medical knowledge, there is one affliction that our best efforts cannot cure. What do you suppose it is?" Ryan asked rhetorically as he put his hand on the coffin that they now could see had the phoenix insignia on the lid. "Death, of course. But thanks to your support and the tireless work of the Aurora Society, we no longer have to live with the shadow of death looming over us. As you will see after I demonstrate the results of our research, we have finally found mankind's perfect salvation through medicine." As he finished, the pallbearers removed the lid of the coffin to reveal a woman with very pale skin that was stitched up in certain places and blonde, yet sickly, hair. Her eyes were blindfolded and she wore a white dress, probably to symbolize purity or innocence. Her hands were intertwined, like any other corpse during their funeral.
"Wait, I recognize that face," Lilliana tried to say, but Ryan continued his speech.
"Margaret Conner, age 17. Her life was cruelly cut short by an unfortunate accident. A tragic tale indeed," Ryan said as he gestured his hand so a grieving couple dressed in black could stand close to the coffin. "What worse pain can a parent suffer than the loss of a beloved child?"
"Is the corpse real?" Ciel asked the deities as Ryan continued preaching while the pallbearers arranged electrode pads onto the corpse and setting up heavy equipment around them.
"I believe so. It reeks the sweet smell of death," Sebastian concluded.
"I know so. Sometimes, as punishment for being late, William will have me go over people's paperwork if the soul quota is low. She was a collected soul," Lilliana finished.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come! Witness the power of medicine!" Ryan exclaimed as they started the machines, causing a whirring of noises suggesting electricity was a key part of this procedure. "I give you perfect salvation!" Soon, the lights went off, but flashes of lightning lit the area as it flowed into the corpse. "Arise, Margaret Conner! Arise like the phoenix you are!" After a while of strobing lights, the procedure was done and the lights came back on. Everyone waited patiently for the results and after a moment, Margaret was able to shakily lift her arm. The crowd was in awe, though the trio was very shocked that the procedure seemed to work.
Though, none was more disturbed than Lilliana, whose whole career was dedicated to the order of life and death. A mere human was able to break that barrier without the need of a soul? "Impossible."
"Behold, my friends! The power of our medicine can overcome even death itself!" Ryan concluded as Margaret sat up on her own, though was not reactive. Her parents looked in amazement as the mother hugged her resurrected daughter and the father continued to thank Ryan.
However, Margaret finally made her move as she opened her mouth, almost unhinging it like a snake, and taking a huge bite out of her mother's neck and shoulder. "No, Maggie, please no!" she pleaded before she was pulled into the coffin so her daughter could consume more and more of her flesh as a horrified crowd watched. Soon, the mother's screams died down as she took her last breath, but the horror wasn't over as Margaret looked up from her carnage and let out a gurgled scream that sent the crowd in a flurry to flee the room.
Amongst the panic, Ciel took off his wig as he commanded, "Sebastian, Lilliana, quickly!"
"At once," Lilliana said as she brandished her Death Scythe.
"Yes, my lord," Sebastian said as he got his knives ready for an attack. Margaret started to step out of her coffin and walk towards them, but Sebastian was quick to throw his knives into her body, making sure to hit vital points that would kill her, and she fell to the floor.
"Will she stay down?" Ciel asked, but his question was answered as Margaret slowly, and seemingly painfully, rose from the ground with her back inhumanly arched, as if she was possessed. With a gasp, Ciel asked, "What the devil is she?"
"There hasn't been anything like her before," Lilliana said with a bit of worry in her voice. "She seems incapable of feeling pain, even in vital areas. Even Grim Reapers and demons would flinch by such a strike. Whatever she is, she is far from human."
"She is out of control! Do something!" Ryan yelled at the two men who, foolishly, decided to stay behind to help their employer. They pulled out their pistols and started shooting her, but despite getting hit multiple times and blood gushing out of her body, she did not fall and started walking toward them. They froze in a panic and while she had one pinned down by her teeth, Ryan took this opportunity to escape. "You're both bloody useless!" he yelled as the other man fled for his life with him. Ciel wanted to chase after him, but Sebastian held him back so they could calculate their next move after disposing of the corpse.
"How are we supposed to kill that bloody thing?!" Ciel asked as she slowly got up from her kill to look for another victim. Despite being blindfolded, she was surprisingly good at finding her victims and aiming for areas of the body that would kill them.
"Dismembering her to prevent her moving would seem to be a good place to start," Lilliana said as she was about to attack, but saw a glint of metal in the corner of her eye and stopped herself in shock.
"She won't stop until you destroy her head," a familiar male voice to only Lilliana said as he revved up his lawnmower and jumped up to aim for the head. It landed head-on and started shredding it to pieces, causing blood to splatter everywhere. "Best leave these things to the professionals."
"Don't tell me . . . ," Lilliana tried to say, but her shock prevented her from speaking any further. When did Ronald get onboard?!
"Ha, ha! I knew I was right! Why wouldn't anyone believe me? I told them I collected her, but would they take my word for it? No, of course not! They wouldn't take anyone's word!" Ronald as he looked at his notebook and speaking to himself.
"Who is that fellow?" Ciel asked.
"By this point, my lord, you should know fully well," Sebastian said. Ciel was confused, but looked at Lilliana, whose shocked facial expression did not change, meaning she had to know this person.
"Well, at least this one has a soul," Ronald said as he jumped to the coffin, where the mother laid dead, and turned on his lawnmower to look through her Cinematic Record. At this point, Ciel's suspicions were correct.
"He's . . . a Grim Reaper," Ciel said, finally getting Ronald's attention once he was done with the collection.
"That butler uniform . . . You aren't the infamous 'Bassy', are you?" Ronald asked, but he received no response. Just hearing that name triggered Sebastian's inner anger, but he had to hold it back to appear non-threatening. "A pleasure to meet ya, but if you're here, that means . . . ," he said as he looked to Lilliana, who despite her disguise, still had her Death Scythe in her hands, making her easy to identify. "Wow, Lily. You really do clean up nicely," he said with no hint of lust in his voice, but rather as a friend who is surprised by a makeover. Though, his expression soon turned to anger and annoyance. "If she's here, then she could have helped us with the collection! William told us that you couldn't travel!"
"Us?" she asked, but they both heard heeled footsteps rushing their way. They turned toward the open door and saw Katia run in, but when she saw the ensamble, she stopped in her tracks.
"Shit," she said under her breath.
"Took you long enough," Ronald said as he jumped over the trio to his coworker. "Where were you? I told you to be here before the meeting started."
"I'm sorry. She forced me to stay longer than intended," Katia said, still keeping a close eye on them, especially Lilliana.
"Oh, so you were messing around with a girl, eh? No fair! I would have done the same if I didn't have to be here. What gives you the right?"
"I-I'm really sorry about that, but I'm here—,"
"And did you know Lilliana was onboard?"
"Well . . . Mr. Spears told me to keep you two apart so she wouldn't negate her duties by protecting that boy."
"So you knew! Why is everyone keeping secrets from me?" Ronald yelled. As he continued to lecture Katia, a surprising sight to see, Sebastian noticed that Lilliana's eyes turned red. True, there was blood everywhere, which could have triggered it, but her expression now showed anger.
"The next time I see Will . . . ," she muttered as she tightened her grip on her Death Scythe, but her attention was deviated.
"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Ciel yelled, hating to be left out of conversations, especially those that concern deities and the occult.
"And there's the infamous brat I've heard about," Ronald said as he turned toward them, though Ciel did not appreciate the nickname. "We're with the Grim Reaper Collections Department. The name's Ronald Knox and this girl is Katia Vendoa. I think the two of you are acquainted with one of my fellow Reapers."
"The list keeps growing," Lilliana muttered, though tried taking deep breaths so her anger could be in control. Katia seemed a bit frightened by her mood, but had to look professional in front of her colleagues.
"Do the Reapers know what's going on with the Aurora Society? You knew to aim for her head, so what other information do you have? I understand Ms. Kiliamo being out of the loop due to her status, but any information would be most helpful," Sebastian said in a diplomatic voice.
"We don't know any of the details, just the bare bones of it. We're here because we got reports of bodies walking around after we'd collected their souls. I was asked to investigate the situation as more and more Reapers reported the same thing, but this particular job required multiple Reapers," Ronald said as he looked at Lilliana. "We could use your help, Lily. You have a duty to work with us whenever the situation arises."
"Sorry, but it's my time-off. I have no obligation," she said with frustration. She did not want to work another double shift after Noah's Arc Circus. She may have not been collecting souls, but being around William felt like work.
"It's probably for the best, Ronald," Katia defended. "There's a reason why William said three of us was enough."
"Three?" Lilliana asked, but her question would be unanswered.
"Let's go, Sebastian, Lilliana. We'll try to extract more information out of the Stokers," Ciel said, but before they could move, Ronald lifted his lawnmower and tried to strike them, or more specifically, Sebastian. However, Lilliana used her Death Scythe to protect him.
"Oh, come on, Lils! You know that if the administrative department finds out there's a demon onboard, thing will get complicated and I'm really not interested in working overtime. This job is already taxing, even after splitting the load," Ronald said as he pulled back his weapon.
"I'm sorry, but I was ordered to protect the young master, which includes his butler," she said as she stood in between the two groups.
"Lily, you're going to get in a lot of trouble if they find out you're protecting a demon," Katia tried to say, but saw silverware aiming for her and quickly got out of the way. Lilliana turned around to find Sebastian's extended arm as he prepared another attack in his other hand.
"If I couldn't handle fighting off two Reapers, then what kind of butler would I be?" he said with a cocky grin as he threw the next round of knives toward Ronald, who used his lawnmower to slice them to pieces.
"Be careful. Death Scythes can still do a lot of damage to demons and they're sharp enough to cut through anything," Lilliana warned.
"I'm well aware of the risks, but you and the young master should leave. I'm afraid I'll be preoccupied for the moment," Sebastian said before Ronald tried to strike him with his lawnmower as if it was a giant club. Sebastian managed to hold the roaring blades with his hands, but it still took some strength to keep it steady.
"Right, this way, young master," she said as she grabbed Ciel toward the direction of the door, but Katia managed to block her.
"I'm afraid that I can't have you leave," she said as she tried to strike Lilliana, though it was clear that she never intended to actually cause harm. Luckily, Lilliana blocked the attack, making sure to push Ciel out of the way in time. "I'm sorry for not telling you about all this, but I was ordered to. You know I would have told you everything if given the chance." However, she could sense Lilliana's anger growing as she seemed to gain more strength and pushed into Katia and kicked her away from the door.
"Katia!" Ronald yelled as he looked in her direction. He noticed Lilliana and Ciel quickly leaving the room and talked to no one in particular, "How could she do that to a friend? Not even an apology or anything."
"I wouldn't split my focus if I were you," Sebastian said as he gained the upper hand and managed to throw Ronald's balance off before trying to kick him in the face. Luckily, Ronald's reflexes were quick and he managed to dodge the kick with inches to spare. Suddenly, Katia gained the coordination to attempt to land multiple strikes at Sebastian, but he managed to dodge each attack.
"You know, a lot of issues could be resolved if you just died," she said angrily as she tried to land even more strikes on him, but each missed.
"I'm afraid I have a lot more to do before I can even consider following through with your request," he said as he tried to land kicks and knives at her, but she used her katana to block his attacks. Once in a while, Ronald would try to land arial attacks, but he too would miss. It didn't help that all three of them were almost equally matched. It might take a long time to figure out who was the strongest, each believing that they were.
"You're really as good as they say," Ronald said before looking at his watch. "Oh, dear, is that the time? We need to go." At those words, he avoided any further attacks and landed toward the door.
"But we can't have a demon roaming free during a collection," Katia said, but was pulled by the arm by Ronald, who was using his lawnmower as a form of transport.
"We shouldn't have dallied here for so long. We have a job to do and if we screw this up, William will force us to write a formal apology and you know he likes us to be thorough," Ronald said before letting her go so she wouldn't be dragged along the ride. He looked at Sebastian and said, "Well, ta ta for now, Bassy. Tell Lilliana that she has a duty to uphold, even if it is her time-off." With those words, he rode out of the room and although Katia wanted to continue the fight, she knew he was right.
"One of these days, we'll be able to resolve our issues in a proper duel," she said before leaving the room to follow him. Now, Sebastian was left alone with his thoughts: if they were investigating moving corpses, why would they need multiple Reapers to do the job; three, to be precise. These are the few times that he felt sorry for Lilliana since she is guarded from important information that could be helpful to the young lord's cause, but this seemed unusually secretive that even her fellow Reapers were unaware of her involvement. Apparently this was all because of Mr. Spears' orders and Sebastian already had a unfavorable impression of her boss for more reasons than him being a Reaper. Now that he was free, he had to find her and the young master before they could get hurt. He had a sinking feeling that there could be more of those things on this ship.
How will the investigation fir both Ciel and the Reapers turn out? Will the secretive nature of the mission harm Lilliana? Where are Undertaker and Annabeth? Reviews are appreciated!