I own nothing but my OC.
That Butler, Encounters 3
'thoughts'
"speech"
"Demonic speech"
[speech heard over telephone]
{setting/stage directions?}
SOUND EFFECTS
An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters.
=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift
Previously:
"You have made... quite a mess of things..." Sebastian said, his slight smirk showed a trace of dark humor as he addressed the killer. Having been caught red-handed, the killer had no choice but to reveal himself. He emerged from the darkness of the room and stepped forward into view. "... 'Jack the Ripper'—or should I say...Grell Sutcliff." Sebastian said, smirking as Grell Sutcliff, butler to the Burnett family stared back at them with dull eyes... covered in Mary Kelly's blood.
"N-No, this..." Grell stuttered nervously, trembling slightly. "I rushed in because I heard the screams, but she was already..." He explained anxiously as he took a step towards them. Chêne narrowed her eyes slightly and inched a little closer to Sebastian, wary of the bespectacled and bloody butler. Grell might seem pitiful, but there was no excuse he could possible make to explain how he had ended up covered in the victim's blood from head to toe, if all he did was 'rush in.' It looked like he had practically bathed in her blood.
"Already... what?" Sebastian asked cynically as he smirked wryly in twisted amusement at Grell's pathetic excuse. He was still holding Ciel, covering his young master's eyes while the boy tired to recover from his nausea. "We have been keeping an eye on the sole path here all night. How in the world did you manage to enter that room at the end of this blind alley and evade us?" Chêne took a small step forward, glaring a Grell.
"And do you really think anyone would believe such an obvious lie? Even if you did get close to the body to check and see if she was still alive... only your hands, and possibly your knees, would be bloody from touching her, and kneeling on the bloody floor when you had to crouch down to get close to... what's left of her..." Chêne said, paling slightly at the thought. "There's no need to approach the body anyway, since you can tell what state she's in just from looking..." She said, clenching her fist and gritting her teeth. She couldn't forgive him for committing such a despicable act against all of these women. "Enough of this, Mister Grell!"
"—No. Even 'Grell Sutcliff' is just an assumed identity, so... What say you cease your silly act... Mister 'Grell'?" Sebastian said, smirking. "This is my first time meeting 'someone of your ilk' in the human world. You did a superb job of acting like one of them."
"Superb..." Grell mumbled, his eyes were cast in shadow behind his round, wire-framed glasses. "Tee-hee~! Is that sooooo~?" Grell asked, suddenly grinning like a deranged clown doll.
"!" Chêne said, startled, when she noticed his pointy, razor sharp, shark-like teeth.
"Hit the nail on the head, you did." Grell praised Sebastian. He pulled on the red ribbon that had been tying back his dark-brown hair.
'This guy... the way he talks—!' Chêne thought, coming to a startling realization.
"I am an actress." Grell said as he pulled a comb out of his coat pocket, and began to run it through his hair, 'combing' the brown out of it, as his once brunette hair changed to a brilliant flaming red. "And a first-rate one at that." He proceeded to put on fake eyelashes and tugged on black leather gloves instead of his usual white ones. "But neither are you 'Sebastian,' yes?"
"The young master gave me that name... So yes, I am 'Sebastian'... for now." Sebastian replied, smirking.
"Oh my, his faithful dog, are you? That type of stud makes me weak in the knees too, he does~!" Grell said, grinning as he pushed a pair of more stylish and modern pair of red framed glasses up his nose. They even had a chain with tiny skulls attached to them. "Now then, once again, Sebastian... no... Sebas-chan~!" Grell said flirtatiously as he flipped his red hair over his shoulder. "I am the Butler of the Burnett House... Grell Sutcliff at your service~!" There seemed to be red roses blooming in the background behind him.
"I knew it...!" Chêne muttered, eyes cast in shadow. Sebastian glanced at her out the corner of his eye curiously. He hadn't actually revealed the name of Grell's 'ilk' to them yet, she he was interested to see what Chêne had come up with on her own.
"I've had this feeling for a while now, but... Grell Sutcliff... you're actually a flaming gay, aren't you!" Chêne declared grandly as she pointed her finger at Grell. "I knew someone was 'pining' on my gaydar, but it was so subtle, I thought it might be a fluke... to think that you could even fool my woman's intuition to such a degree... I commend you for your acting skills!" She said seriously. Sebastian nearly face-faulted. That was her 'brilliant' deduction? She looked far too proud for someone who had just made such a ridiculous declaration.
'And what does she mean by 'gay'...?' Sebastian wondered. She obviously did not mean it in its original context, meaning 'happy' or 'bright'.
"Mohh~! I don't know what you're talking about, you flat-chested midget." Grell told Chêne, frowning in confusion.
"Flat-chested—!?" Chêne yelled incredulously, turning red in the face, as a vein mark throbbed on her forehead. Grell ignored her and glanced at Sebastian, grinning.
"My dearest fellow butler, I am in your hands~! " Grell told Sebastian as he blew the demon a kiss. Sebastian shuddered as a little heart bounced off of him, clearly disturbed.
'I see... so where Chêne comes from 'gay' must mean 'homosexual'...' Sebastian thought, his eye twitching ever so slightly.
'Uwah! He just made Sebastian shudder...!' Chêne thought, surprised and slightly impressed. She hadn't really expected that... was Sebastian homophobic? Personally, Chêne didn't mind gays or lesbians (as long as they stopped messing with her when she said she wasn't interested). In fact, her best friend, Lacey was bi. She just didn't like Grell because he was a serial killer.
"Oooh! I finally get to show you my true colors~!" Grell sang happily.
'Yeah, and they're rainbow...' Chêne thought, smiling wryly, as she sweat dropped. At least it looked like she didn't have to worry about Grell being any competition for her with Sebastian, what with him being homophobic and all...
"It was utterly mortifying to be seen in front of a stud such as yourself with no makeup on! My hair color was so dreadfully dull too! Tee-hee~!" Grell said, giggling, and blushing slightly. "Little old me's never run into a devil posing as a butler before... So, at first, I was just as shocked as shocked can be!"
"Allow me to echo those sentiments, hm? For I too have been living for quite some time, but... I have never heard of 'someone of your ilk' being a 'butler'." Sebastian said. Grell smirked. "One who is supposed to be neutral between God and humans... a Grim Reaper!"
"!" Chêne said, surprised. That was a grim reaper!?
"Why did you, a 'god' of sorts... become a butler?" Sebastian asked, narrowing his eyes slightly in suspicion.
"Don't be such a stuffed shirt, sweetie. But... very well... I suppose you could say I fell head over heals for a woman." Grell said, smirking.
"Hah...!" Ciel gasped suddenly.
"And that woman is—" Sebastian asked.
"Why are you pretending not to know, Sebastian? You can come out now, Madam." Chêne said, frowning sadly as another figure emerged from the dark recesses of Mary Kelly's tenement.
"That's right, whether you hear him out or not, I think you already know..." Madam Red said coolly as she stepped into view, illuminated by the light of the moon. Ciel's hand twitched. "... Sebastian... and Chêne." She said, gazing stoically at the two servants and her nephew.
"... Madam..." Ciel said, his eyes cast in shadow as he finally removed Sebastian's hand from over his eyes, and stared straight at his aunt. Chêne bit her lip. Sometimes she really hated it when she was right. She had suspected this, but... Chêne had been hoping she was wrong about Madam.
"I miscalculated. I never imagined there would be someone by Ciel's side who could see through Grell's disguise." Madam Red said, smiling wryly.
"... Madam was, of course, on our initial list of suspects. In fact, you fit perfectly into Chêne's profile for the killer... but your alibi was flawless." Ciel said.
"How could you, Ciel? You went as far as to doubt me, your dear aunt?" Madam Red said in mock hurt. "And you, Chêne, to think that you of all people would suggest such a thing... It would seem you are not as foolishly naïve as you pretend to be." Chêne sweat dropped. What? She hadn't been 'pretending' to be anything... Chêne had a feeling she should feel insulted...
"If the possibility of one being Jack exists—kin or acquaintance— it matters not." Ciel said coldly. Sebastian glanced at Ciel out the corner of his eye. "No human on the list of suspects could have committed all the murders. Of course, that includes you, Madam." Ciel glanced at Grell. "But it is a different story with a Reaper as your accomplice. If he can enter Mary's room in an instant without us noticing... he would also be capable of instantly transporting himself over lengthy distances between the West End and the East End. And if a servant were to disappear from the party for a matter of minutes... no one would pay any heed... therefore, only the two of you... can be Jack the Ripper. Madam Red... and... Grell Sutcliff!" Ciel said. "As Chêne suggested, we dug deeper into the backgrounds of the victims of the Jack the Ripper case... and found that they had something else in common on top of 'being prostitutes' and 'missing their wombs.' All of them underwent a 'certain procedure' at the Royal London Hospital, where Madam is employed." Ciel said as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and held it up. There were several names with dates listed next to them on written on it. All of them had been crossed out, except one. "This lists those patients... in the order in which they went under the knife. Only Mary Kelly, who resided in that tenement, was on that list and 'still alive.' I thought you two would show up if I kept watch here. But still... I was unable to save her..." Ciel said solemnly. Chêne bowed her head, regretful that they were unable to save the poor woman... if only they could've warned her somehow...
"How sad, Ciel. My lovely nephew... my elder sister's son..." Madam Red said sadly. "If you hadn't insisted on getting to the bottom of all this, we might've played chess again."
"..." Ciel said as he stared back at her emotionlessly.
"However..." Madam Red said, clenching her fist. "I WILL NOT YIELD THIS TIME!!" Madam Red screamed. There was a slightly deranged look in her eye as her tears mingled with the raindrops that were running down her face.
"...!?" Ciel said, shocked.
VWREEEEEEE!
"!!" Chêne cried in surprise when she heard the roar of a chainsaw, and she pulled Ciel to her and shielded him as Sebastian rushed in front of the two of them to block Grell's sudden attack. Sebastian caught the 'blade' of the loud and strange weapon between the palms of his hands.
"Wha...!?" Chêne yelled incredulously when she saw the weapon.
VWRR—VWREEEE!
Sebastian tried to kick Grell away from them while he held the 'blade,' but Grell managed to dodge the attack by jumping away from them... so technically Sebastian had accomplished his goal of getting Grell away from them, for now.
"Wh—! What is that!?" Ciel demanded.
"That is—" Chêne began to explain.
"All Reapers possess a tool for hunting souls. It is known as... the 'Death Scythe'." Sebastian explained as Chêne pouted at him, miffed that he had cut her off. "Though this is my first time seeing one that looks like that... The 'Death Scythe' is rather troublesome." Sebastian said, running a hand through his hair. Ciel glanced at Sebastian. If Sebastian found it 'troublesome,' then this would be more of a hassled to handle than he had originally thought.
"Oi." Chêne said bluntly, getting their attention. "I don't know much about 'Death Scythes,' but that is most definitely a chainsaw!!" Chêne yelled incredulously. "I thought you said they hadn't been invented yet!? And shouldn't it be a sickle scythe—you know, like the ones they used to use to harvest grain way back when!?"
'Oh. So that's a 'chainsaw'...' Ciel and Sebastian thought, sweat dropping... Though, it really hadn't been 'invented' yet. Grell giggled as he revved up his chainsaw/Death Scythe again.
"Something as unbecoming as a scythe wouldn't suit me in the least, wouldn't you agree? ... So I customized it to my specifications! A 'Death Scythe' juuust for me, which plays the grandest harmony with the death throes of a soul~!"
'Well... it's true that nothing says 'bad ass' quite like a chainsaw... especially a candy apple-red one.' Chêne thought, sweat dropping.
"Of course its sharpness is guaranteed. A tool that only a god like me can wield to chop anyone and anything into itty bitty pieces!" Grell said, smirking evilly at Chêne. She sweat dropped. Why was that particular part aimed at just her...?
"My body's gotten all stiff 'cos I've been a good little Grell this whole time~! Now I sooo want to work up a sweat with Y–O–U–!" Grell cooed seductively (?) at Sebastian as he wiggled his hips. Sebastian's eyebrow twitched.
"Would you mind refraining from suck sickening displays? Furthermore, I am on duty at the present." Sebastian said bluntly, obviously not amused.
"Ahhhn. You're so stoic~! I can't get enough of that side of you either, Sebas-chan~!" Grell sang, emitting little hearts as he waved his chainsaw up and down like a squealing fan girl.
"If that's a 'divine being'... then I'm the bloody 'Virgin Mary'..." Chêne deadpanned, chagrined. Chêne was raised a good catholic, and even if she loved a demon, she still held a lot of respect and reverence for God... but if this was really one of his minions, then she might have to re-evaluate her opinion of him a little... Chêne really hoped that God wouldn't smite her for thinking that just now... Sebastian smirked at her in amusement. 'Yep... I'm doomed.' Chêne thought, sweat dropping.
"Let me tell you a little something, dearest." Grell sneered at Chêne. "The color red makes me swoon. I just love red for my hair, clothes, and lipstick. That's why I adore making over ugly women with the red of their blood." He said, leering at her as he revved his chainsaw. Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly at Grell and held his arm out in front of her in a protective manner. "My, my, Sebas-chan. Don't tell me you have 'feelings' for that skinny brat! No matter, the more glamorous the woman, the more alluring she becomes, just like a beautiful, poisonous flower, right? And I bet a fine stud like you fitted up in rose colors will be the absolute best!" Grell told Sebastian, smirking darkly. "I'll cut you open deep, splatter you with the many shades of crimson... and mess you up most glamorously, Sebas-chan!"
"A Reaper is one who quietly hunts the souls of the dying. A butler is one who accompanies his master like a shadow. Your poor taste goes against the aesthetics of both... and fair raises my bile." Sebastian said coldly.
"I worked hard as a butler for my master! I didn't wear makeup or dress pretty or anything when I was at work!" Grell protested, pouting.
"I am appalled... How can you call yourself a butler?" Sebastian said, sighing. His disapproval of Grell's behavior was clearly written all over his face. Grell grinned.
"Even so, I am still a butler... for death~!" Grell said, licking his lips and striking a rocker pose. Ciel decided he had heard enough useless prattle.
"—In the name of the Queen and mine own evil title..." Ciel said, removing his eye patch. "... I command you! Hunt them down!" Ciel ordered Sebastian. Sebastian bit the cuff of his glove and tugged it more snugly on his hand with his teeth. His face was partially cast in shadow as he stared at his new prey, his crimson eyes glowing, like burning embers.
"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian said, smirking.
Author's note:
I considered calling the Grim Reapers 'Shinigami,' but since this is set in Victorian England, I thought I'd go with the English name... but I stuck with 'Sebas-chan' since that's my favorite version of Grell's nickname for Sebastian! (XD) We'll get to see the ultimate show down between reaper and demon in the next few chaps~!
