I own nothing but my OC.
That Butler, A Colleague
≤speech in Indian language≥
'thoughts'
"speech"
{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
—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location
Previously:
"Come, Smile. Say hello to your seniors." Sebastian prodded the boy, flashing him a brilliant shit-eating grin. "With a smile."
"Eh?" Ciel said, sweating nervously, as his eye twitched. Did he really have to? "I… I look forward to working with you…" Ciel mumbled awkwardly, chagrined.
"C'mon, Smile. Smile!" Joker said energetically.
"Now I'll give ye a quick tour. Come with me." Joker told the three of them, once the rest of the troupe had finished greeting them, and they had returned to going about their business as usual. "First, these are the tents ye'll be sleeping in." He said as he led them around the camp. "This is where the so called 'second-string members'–– the stagehands, newcomers, and the like––live. There's usually two or three to a tent." He explained as he showed them the inside of one the second-string tents. Chêne didn't think it was too bad since she used to be a girl scout, and they had bunk beds, which was kind of fun… But Ciel grimaced slightly. He was not looking forward to being crammed together in a small tent like that, especially with this stupid couple of newly weds… Sebastian's only real complaint would be that the beds were a little too narrow…
—^—^—^—
"And that there's the dining tent and the tent that serves as our larder." Joker said as he pointed across the way. "It's up to ye new folks to cook up the meals too, so give it your best!" He told them encouragingly, grinning, as he continued to lead them on.
—^—^—^—
"The tent all the way at the back is this first aid tent. That one." Joker told Ciel, pointing it out. Sebastian and Chêne already knew this from their visit there the night before. "And…" He said slowly, coming to a stop when they reached a beaded rope that was strung up to block out a smaller section of tents. "… From 'ere on back are the private tents of the main cast." Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly as he scanned the area within view.
"Private tents?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow ever so slightly.
"Well… Once ye hit it big, ye get a place to yourself." Joker clarified for him. "Oh, 'n' one more thing… that's Snake's tent , so ye should stay away for your own good. There are a great many poisonous snakes roaming free, so one bite, and off ye go to the other side." He warned them.
"What species of snakes does he have?" Chêne asked curiously. It might be good to see if she could get some anti-venom prepared, just in case… It was a shame Lacey wasn't there, because she could have probably told them what they were with just one look, being such a snake lover.
"I'm not sure, but Snake and his slithery friends are still veeery shy––So newcomers especially should stay sharp 'round these parts." Joker explained, smiling. It seemed Cat was a good name for her, after all, because she was curious like one. "Right then! Moving onnn…" He said playfully, leading them away from the first-string tents, and on to the next destination. "By the way… what's become of your right eye, Smile?" Joker asked curiously, not meaning any harm.
"Eh!?" Ciel said, so taken aback by the question, that his heart nearly skipped a beat. He wasn't used to people asking him about that, since most people were either too polite, or just didn't care. "Ah… this… there was an accident…" Ciel said lamely, trying to think up a believable excuse.
"How sad… for someone so little to have had such misfortune befall him." Joker said sympathetically as he gently touched Ciel's face with his skeletal hand. However, that sad look of understanding in his eyes was quickly replaced by an encouraging smile as Joker patted him affectionately on the head.
"??" Ciel said, puzzled by Joker's empathy. For a would-be-kidnapper, this man was rather similar to Chêne… "Right…"
"…" Sebastian and Chêne said as they watched, each having mixed feelings on the matter. Chêne really hoped Joker and the others weren't behind this, because she was starting to like them a lot… They seemed like good people.
"Well… Everyone 'ere's got their own issues, so ye'll get along just fiiiine!"Joker told him, smiling encouragingly, as he clapped Ciel on the shoulder. "Right~!?"
"Y-Yes…?" Ciel said, sweat dropping. It felt awkward for a stranger to be practically hugging him. Why was Joker being so kind to him when they barely even knew each other? Chêne was one thing, but these people…
"Like us, did everyone here join the troupe while the circus was making the rounds?" Sebastian asked.
"Nnn?" Joker said as he turned to face the butler. "For the most part, yes. But all the first-string members come from the same town. Guess ye could say we're all childhood friends."
"Childhood friends? That sounds nice." Chêne said, smiling.
"Yeah. But Snake's still a Rookie. He's a genius with snakes, he is… and we were without a snake charmer at the time, so he became a member right quick." Joker explained. "Come to think of it, you're the first decent contortionist we've seen, so ye might be able to become a member too, if ye work hard at coming up with a great act!" He told Chêne, smiling. "If ye join the first-string, don't have to help with the prep and ye don't have to worry about fighting for your meals. And ye can get your own tent. That's why everyone does their best to get to the top…" Sebastian took one last glanced behind him at the first-string tents.
"… To the first-string…" He whispered thoughtfully to himself.
=†=†=†=†=
"And here we are." Joker said as he led them inside another large tent. "The training grounds."
"Wooow~!" Chêne said, eyes sparkling in amazement, when she saw all the second-string members who were already hard at work practicing in their colorful costumes, performing amazing feats left and right.
"Newcomers train and train 'ere… with the hope of debuting in an actual performance one day." Joker explained. "Ye must always start with the basics. Once ye've made quick work of your warm-ups, then––"
"Joker!" Beast called out. They all turned to see her standing in the entranceway to the tent, holding the flap open. "It's almost time!"
"I hear ye!" Joker called back as he waved goodbye to them and walked over to her. Beast narrowed her eyes when she saw Sebastian, who just stared stoically bck at her. In return, Beast sent him a nasty glare as a parting shot before stomping off.
"Well, give it all ye got, ye three––" Joker told them as he let the tent flap fall closed behind him.
"… You really should apologize to her." Chêne told Sebastian, glancing meaningfully at him as she held her hands on her hips.
"…" Sebastian replied, thinking it over. He would consider it, since Chêne asked, but he doubted it would make a difference. Beast struck him as the type to hold a grudge.
=†=†=†=†=
"A tent full of poisonous snakes at the entrance of the main cast's quarters, hm?" Sebastian said thoughtfully as the three of them stretched. He was helping Ciel, While Chêne did a few Yoga stretches on her own.
"It's like they've got guard snakes instead of guard dogs…" Chêne said, smiling wryly. 'And if Snake really speaks parseltongue, he'll know about anything the snakes see… It's like they have living spy-cams…' She thought, sweat dropping. This place was going to be tougher to infiltrate than she had originally thought.
"Your body is very stiff." Sebastian told Ciel, sighing boredly, as he tried to help push him into a straddle-split... He would much rather be helping Chêne. Ciel grit his teeth as he trembled from the effort. He seriously doubted that he was made to stretch this far…
"You need to get out more Ciel. You're so inflexible, it's almost abnormal…" Chêne told him, shaking her head, as she effortlessly slid into a split and pulled her foot behind her head.
"I don't want to hear that from you…" Ciel said, sweat dropping, chagrined. In his opinion, Chêne's entire existence was abnormal. "So, to gain access to the private area, we've no choice but to get into the first string… Is that it?" He asked, getting them back on topic. "Poisonous snakes won't kill you." He told Sebastian. "Go see whether the children are here or––"
"They are not here." Sebastian said.
"Eh?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion. Why did Sebastian seem so certain about this?
"Nothing today either?" Chêne asked.
"I have not sensed the presence of any children at all in this circus, not last night, and not during the tour earlier." Sebastian explained.
"If you still can't sense them, it looks like we might not have really needed to sneak in here after all…" Chêne said thoughtfully, sighing. She wouldn't have minded playing circus a little longer, but she also wanted to find these poor kids as soon as possible. She understood all too well how frightened they must be after being taken…
"But we have yet to find proof that the circus has no relation to the missing children. We can't leave until we've looked into all the nooks and crannies of this place." Ciel said as he and Sebastian stood back-to-back and interlocked their arms at their sides to begin a backstretch. Even if the children weren't there now, there might be a clue hidden somewhere about where they were being kept.
"Quite." Sebastian said as he bent forward at the waist and pulled Ciel up, onto his back. Ciel arched his back slightly as they held the position so his spine and back muscles could stretch. "It is entirely possible that they may be in such a condition that I would be unable to sense their presence." Sebastian added.
"Please, don't say that… I feel like it'll jinx us." Chêne said, grimacing slightly at the thought. Since Sebastian was talking about sensing the children's souls, the only other alternative for them being here, but him not being able to sense them, was death. She watched as Ciel and Sebastian switched places, and the small earl's slender legs trembled under Sebastian's weight. Chêne sweat dropped. That's why people usually did that stretch with a partner who was closer to their own height and weight…
"I agree with Chêne. Don't say such an ill-omened thing. She wishes for the children's safe return." Ciel said, referring to the queen. She had been very specific about that.
"Yes, Sir." Sebastian said dutifully as he switched places with Ciel again. After straining under his weight, Ciel probably needed to stretch again since his muscles would've tensed up.
"Although… Come to think of it, I was getting a weird vibe from something about this place last night…" Chêne said thoughtfully as she lowered herself into a backbend of her own.
"That reminds me…" Sebastian said thoughtfully as he glance at Chêne. "Instead of the children, I did sense––"
"Heeeey~!!" Dagger said as he suddenly popped up to invade Ciel's personal space. "Ye can't be stretchin' all slow and steady, like! Pick it uuup!"
"Huh? ... Weren't you performing tonight, Dagger?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion, as she positioned herself into the 'camel pose'.
"I was up first todaaay~! I'm all done, so I'll supervise yer practice, like." Dagger explained, grinning. "First, we gotta decide on what'cher act's gonna be! I think it's pretty obvious what Cat's is gonna be, since we didn't have decent contortionist 'til now, but what about you Smile? Any requests?"
"I'm fine with anything that doesn't involve me using my body, like the tightrope." Ciel said, sweat dropping as he remembered the pain, and Sebastian smiled and laughed innocently behind him. "Anything but that."
"Nahahaaa! Yeah, ye do look awful weak!" Dagger said sympathetically, smiling wryly, as he laughed. Chêne sweat dropped as she laughed awkwardly too. He really had no idea about what Ciel had gone through up there…
"Then I'll teach Smile all 'e needs to know 'bout knife throwin'." Dagger decided. "What about, you Black?"
"Well, I do not have any requests in particular…" Sebastian said thoughtfully. He wouldn't mind having a double act with Chêne, though…
"Ye've got good reflexes, riiight––I'll be watchin', so show me what ye can do." Dagger said, smiling, as Sebastian suddenly took off like a shot.
"Yes!" Sebastian replied seriously, like a soldier who'd been just given his marching orders, as he dashed off to demonstrate his skills. "First up––The flying trapeze!" Sebastian declared as he shimmied up the ladder and proceeded to fly through the air from swing to swing, causing many of the others to stop what they were doing, and stare in awe as he let go of the bar and did several mid-air flips on his way down.
TMP.
"Next––" Sebastian said as he landed on the ground. "Juggling!" He announced as he grabbed several glass bottles that no one was using at the moment and proceeded to juggle them. The others oohed and awed as they watched the bottles arch high into the air, much higher than they had ever seen even Joker get them to go while juggling.
"Pole climbing." Sebastian said as he ran straight up the tall, metal pole.
AAAH~!
"Passing through a ring of fire!"
OOOHHHH~!
"High wire!"
OHHHH~!
"Trampoline!"
WHOOOA~!
Everyone's excited exclamations over Sebastian as he continued to astound them where so loud, they could probably be heard all the way over in the big-top!
"Then––" Sebastian said, picking up a sword, as he opened his mouth, preparing to swallow it.
"Okay, okay!" Dagger shouted nervously, paling slightly, as he waved fro Sebastian to stop. Was this guy crazy!? Ciel and Chêne sweat dropped. Once again, Sebastian just couldn't resist showing off…
"Whoooa!!" The other troupe members cheered as they crowded around Sebastian, positively amazed. "Yer somethin' else, Black!" They praised him enthusiastically.
"'Something else' is right…" Chêne mumbled, smiling wryly, as she sweat dropped. Even if they wanted to get promoted quickly so they could have access to more areas for their investigation... there was a limit, you know? These people were professionals, so they should know exactly how inhumanly strong Sebastian had to be in order to pull all of that off…
"Hey!" Ciel whisper-yelled at Sebastian as he snuck up behind the demon butler inconspicuously. Ciel might suck at tightrope walking, but he got an 'A' for stealthiness. "You're overdoing it!" He scolded Sebastian quietly but sternly. Chêne had at least stayed within the realm of what was believable for a human, since she hadn't done anything that she couldn't do when she still was one. "You should follow Chêne's example and be acting more like a newco––"
"Man, I give up. Another mad great new feller!? For real!?" Dagger asked, laughing and smiling as he shook his head in disbelief. "I can't lose to ye~!" he said, grinning playfully.
"See, now you've got their attention…"Nn?" Ciel said furrowing his brow slightly. "… Another newcomer?" He asked Dagger.
"There's this guy who's just joined. 'E's amazin'!" Dagger explained as he pointed up at something above their heads. "O'er there. He used to be a civil servant or somethin' and is serious like ye wouldna belive!"
'––Geh!?' Chêne thought, flinching in surprise, while Ciel and Sebastian grimaced when they saw their new colleague. She certainly hadn't been expecting that… Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly as he glared up at the familiar face, very subtly inching in front of Chêne in an attempt to obscure their view of her.
"Heeey, c'mon down 'ere fer a biiiiit!" Dagger called up at the man who was in the process of walking on one of the other tightropes above them, oblivious to the tense atmosphere around the other three. "Suit~!" He chided the familiar looking grim-faced, bespectacled man who was using an equally familiar 'long reach cut 'n hold bypass pruner' to help balance himself out.
"H–He's…" Ciel stuttered as a bead of sweat rolled down his face. He was definitely the other reaper from that night…! Ciel glanced nervously at Chêne. Not only did this man know Sebastian's true identity, but he knew Chêne should have died that night… What if he realized that Sebastian had 'changed' her!? He sweat dropped when he realized that Chêne was trembling… not because she was scared… but because she was trying to hold her laughter in.
Chêne snorted softly as she clapped a hand over her mouth and spun around, unable to look at the man with a straight face any longer. She knew it was supposed to be a serious moment, but… That uptight reaper, 'Mr. Stick-up-his-ass', was wearing a gaudy neon-green, brocade jacket, a polka-dotted tie, and a pair of flashy purple pants that had sequins and stars all over them! It was bad, sooo baaad!! It didn't suit him at all! All those bright and cheerful colors clashed horribly with his frosty personality, combed back hair, and boring patent leather shoes that belonged on the feet of an office worker!
William T. Spears sighed as he looked down on them from above, clearly displeased. "I thought I sensed something unpleasant… It was you, was it?" Will asked Sebastian, furrowing his brow slightly in annoyance, as he frowned. "Good grief."
SHAKIIIIIN!
"!!" Ciel, Chêne, and Sebastian gasped, surprised, when His Death Scythe extended suddenly and slammed into the ground before their feet, just barley missing them. Was he trying to start a fight with them!? Here!?
"I never thought we would meet again… goodness." Will said coldly as he readjusted his glasses before jumping off of the tightrope.
KASHA–KASHA–KASHA–KASHAK!
"Whatever did you come sniffing around to devour this time? You devil!" Will demanded sternly as he collapsed his weapon, until he was safely on the ground, and immediately turned his scythe on Sebastian. Sebastian didn't move a muscle. He just stood his ground, calmly staring the reaper down. As long as Will was focused on Sebastian, he wouldn't go after Chêne or Ciel.
"De…vil?" Dagger asked, clearly unnerved, as he furrowed his brow slightly and a bead of sweat rolled down his face, while the other troupe members who were close enough to overhear murmured amongst themselves.
'Damn! Sebastian's true identity––!!' Ciel cursed in his mind. He exchanged a nervous glanced with Chêne. What should they do now!?
"In this day and age, when there are rarely enough Grim Reapers to get the job done at the best of times… The appearance of a devil means I shan't be able to clock out on time yet again.
"H-Hey! What're you talkin' about…?" Ciel shouted at Will, flinching in shock. What was wrong with him!? At this rate, the reaper was going to blow his own cover, too! Chêne face-palmed. She didn't know what the reaper was doing there, but… Who just goes around revealing secret identities like that!?
"Grim… Reaper… You!" Dagger said, gasping.
"N-No, he's just––!" Ciel sputtered, trying to figure out a way to salvage the situation.
"Ahahaha~! You're such a joker, Mister~!" Chêne told Will, laughing, as she smiled good-naturedly at him. "A devil? He's certainly got you figured out, eh, Honey~?" Chêne said as she playfully poked Sebastian, winking at him.
"My, it seems I've been found out~!" Sebastian said lightly, smiling a brilliant shit-eating grin, and shrugging as he played along with Chêne's little improvisation. Their little act worked, because everyone started laughing and the mood lightened again.
SMACK.
"That's enough o' that, me big fore'eaded friend~!" Dagger teased 'Suit' as he smacked him lightly on the forehead, laughing. "Ye said it with such a serious mug, I couldna tell ye were jokin'!!"
"Phew…!" Ciel said, sighing in relief. That was close…
"Haha! Wot a laugh! Been shootin' off strange jokes from day one, 'e 'as!" Dagger told them, grinning, as he pointed his thumb at the strict reaper, who was currently fixing his hair, after Dagger had mussed it up. " 'E's always going on 'bout souls and the like… and 'e's mad fer anythin' to do wiv 'em ghosts 'n' stuff."
"I am not one for joking." Will stated coolly as he readjusted his glasses.
"I'll introduce ye. These're the rookies who joined today." Dagger told Will. "The tiny one's Smile. The big one's black, and the pretty Miss is his wife, Cat. Yer all risin' stars, so let's play nice now!" He said as he patted them on the backs encouragingly. Will narrowed his eyes slightly as he glanced briefly between Sebastian and Chêne.
"I do not, by any means, wish to make nice with a noxious beast." Will stated calmly as he spun on his heel and walked away from them without so much as a backwards glance.
"Ah." Dagger gasped. "'By any means'!? C'mon, teamwork's important in the circus, ye know!!" Dagger yelled as he ran after Will in huff. He couldn't let that one go. Without proper support and teamwork, some of the acts could be extremely dangerous!
"Why is a Grim Reaper here…?" Ciel asked, concerned.
"And why so openly, too…?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly as she wracked her brain for answers. Didn't Grell Sutcliff get in trouble before for pretending to be a butler... or was showing themselves to humans okay as long they didn't interfere with the natural order of life and death…? She thought a powerful race of supernatural beings would be a little more secretive… like MIB secretive... They even had the black suits…
"It is unusual for a Grim Reaper to go about snooping of his own accord… but now we can be sure of one thing." Sebastian said thoughtfully.
'There is something going on in this circus after all…!' The three of them thought.
"I get the feeling something big is about to happen." Chêne said, frowning slightly out of concern.
"It looks like he's worth investigating. Sebastian. Chêne." Ciel said seriously, about to order them to check it out.
" 'Eeey! What are ye doin', Smile!?" Dagger huffed as he suddenly grabbed Ciel from behind, having just returned from chasing Suit. "Ye gotta practice, practice, so ye don't lose out to Black and Cat!" He scolded him.
"R-Right…" Ciel stuttered, flinching in surprise and shock. Why were these people always popping up so randomly…?
"I'll teach ye the art o' knife throwin'!!" Dagger declared.
"As you wish." Sebastian replied dutifully as he and Chêne watched a chipper and whistling Dagger drag a very reluctant Ciel away. Chêne sweat dropped. Ciel, who hardly ever let Chêne schedule in some exercise for him, was going to be sooo sore tomorrow after getting such an intense workout…
"Well, shall we…?" Chêne started to asked Sebastian, only to realize that he was already gone. "… Oh, no, after you, Sebastian." Chêne deadpanned sarcastically as she mimed allowing another person to pass, feeling a little chagrined that he had left her behind.
"Pardon me. There is a little something I would like you to tell me… Old-timer." Sebastian said as he approached the reaper from behind.
"I have nothing to say to you." Will stated calmly, adjusting his glasses, as he kept his back to the demon and started to walk away.
"Please do not be like that." Sebastian said, grabbing the reaper's wrist, holding him in place. "Let us step outside." He suggested as he continued to tighten his grip as the reaper struggled futilely to pull his hand free. Will stabbed his Scythe back at Sebastian with his free-hand, hoping to injure him, but Sebastian caught it in time, and they both started trembled from the effort of their little tug of war. The atmosphere was dark and heavy with tension.
"Would ye look at that! They're friends already!" Dagger told Ciel, grinning. Ciel sweat dropped. What were they doing…?
Chêne nearly face-faulted.
'Is that what it looks like to him…?' She wondered, chagrined. Couldn't he sense the murderous auras those two were emitting!?
=†=†=†=†=
"––Really." Will huffed as he pushed his glasses up a bit, thoroughly annoyed at the two people in front of him. Sebastian had somehow managed to discreetly drag the reaper outside of the training tent, so they could have a talk without anyone else around to over hear them. "On top of the London District being perpetually understaffed, that I, a member of management, must go out into the field to retrieve souls simply because the Retrieval Division is missing one employee… What a travesty."
"So… what brings such a busy Grim Reaper as yourself to a place like this?" The demon asked, smirking.
"I'm here cleaning up after that scum dispatch member who is currently suspended." Will explained calmly, but grudgingly. "I didn't think I would be made to do so just because that thing and I are coworkers… and without any extra pay, at that."
"A reaper taking the trouble to come here for the purpose of investigating covertly leads me to believe… that perhaps there are special circumstances at play?" Sebastian asked slyly.
"I cannot give information pertaining to souls to a fiend. It amounts to throwing a rabbit in front of a carnivore." Will refused bluntly as he readjusted his glasses again. "Quite frankly, I'm surprised you did not eat that girl's soul when she was on the verge of death…"
"My Chêne is not food. As for the rest… I am afraid… I have no interest in cheep souls." Sebastian replied calmly.
"Big talk for a starving devil." Will said. "When the reality is that you're mad with hunger."
"I grew weary of indiscriminately devouring souls a long time ago." Sebastian stated darkly. A hint of fang showed as he smirked deviously. "The more ravenous I am… the more delicious the dinner."
"You have poor taste…" Will replied bluntly.
"That rubbish employee of yours still has me squarely beat." Sebastian retorted. "Moreover, as I have a collar around my neck at the moment… you have nothing to fear." Sebastian added as he pulled down his glove to show Will the mark of his covenant with Ciel, careful not to reveal the mark for his bond with Chêne just yet. "Heh."
"…" Will said as he stared at the demon's exposed hand. "Very well. Since you have the honor of being the greatest of evils to appear 'before I get to work,' let me warn you. We, the Grim Reapers, are tasked with judging those who are scheduled to die according to the soul retrieval list that is distributed to us. We use our Death Scythes to check each person's memories––their cinematic records––one by one… and judge whether they deserve to die or not. And without understanding the great effort we put forth, you devils go about snacking away at those souls like crows on a corpse. Let me be blunt. A few days hence, we will judge a large number of souls in this vicinity. This is a special case, so please refrain from interfering."
"!" Sebastian said, honestly surprised to receive such information. "My goodness. That must be quite a chore to handle alone. Still, a large number of souls… Shall I lend you a hand?" He asked, smirking darkly, as his eyes glowed with hunger.
JAKIIIN!
Will thrust his Scythe straight at Sebastian's head, but the demon swiftly stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow. The Scythe ended up clipping his top hat as it extended past his face, taking the hat with it.
"I refuse to work overtime free charge. I will hunt you down if you get in my way." Will said coldly as he stared the demon directly in the eyes, letting him know just how serious he was.
KASHA–KASHA–KASHA–TMP!
Sebastian snatched his hat from the pruners as they retracted again.
"Well, I myself have no desire to be involved with Grim Reapers either. I am not interested in second-rate souls after all." Sebastian said, smirking slightly, as he placed his hat back on his head.
"Hey!" Chêne called out to them, as she and Ciel walked up to join them.
"That noisy knife thrower is looking for you." Ciel said high-handedly, placing a hand on his hip.
"The girl I could understand, but… He doesn't seem all that high-quality to me…" Will told Sebastian bluntly as he readjusted his glasses. "I don't know what you did to 'save' her, but it's rather impressive her soul is still this clean, even after being influenced by you for so long… Your 'emergency rations' are of higher quality than your 'main course'. I truly don't understand you devils…"
"E-Emergency rations…?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping, as she pointed to herself.
"You. Stop calling Sebastian that." Ciel scolded Will, glaring coldly at the reaper. "We were lucky they believed you were just joking before, but… the fact that you can't even blend in among people makes you lower than that vulgar reaper." He said scornfully, causing Will to flinch in shock, before a vein mark throbbed on his head, clearly insulted. That last thing he wanted was to be compared to that thing.
"Indeed. As we will not get in the way of your duties… we hope that you will not get in the way of ours." Sebastian said coolly, furrowing his brow slightly in annoyance. How dare the reaper refer to Chêne as emergency rations…
"Thank you. I do not even want you in my field of vision." Will replied frostily.
"Perfect. It's settled then." Ciel said, smirking slightly. "We agree to not interfere with each other at all."
BISHAAAA––CRACKLE!
Chêne sweat dropped as she watched the guys stare each other down. The air around them was so thick with animosity and tension, that atmosphere was charged with negative energy and even started to crackle with electricity. There was way too much testosterone in this place…
'Uwah… For some reason, I feel like it's WWII, and I'm poor Switzerland…' She thought, feeling slightly chagrined. Why couldn't they just at least pretend to get along with each other…? And what was up with this 'emergency rations' thing that Suit had mentioned…?
"Right then. Smile." Will said abruptly, addressing Ciel, causing the boy to grimace as he flinched involuntarily at the ridiculous name. "I'm counting on you to hold your dog's lead tight."
"I don't want to hear it from 'Specs', who can't even manage a conversation properly." Ciel said mockingly.
"I am not 'Specs'. I am Suit." Will corrected him seriously, adjusting his glasses again.
"Hmph. Come on, Chêne, Sebastian." Ciel said as he turned on his heel and signaled for them to follow.
"Yes, Sir." Sebastian replied dutifully.
"Coming." Chêne said, smiling as she walked alongside Sebastian, holding onto his arm.
"…" Suit said as he watched them go. He narrowed his eyes. Something was very different about that girl, and he aimed to find out what it was…
