Author's note: I hope everyone had a happy Thanks Giving holiday, and I'm sorry for the wait, but I had final projects all last week, and today I just finished my last exams—Yay! So, I hopped on here and started typing up a new chap while laughing gleefully and maniacally over my new-found freedom. I hope htere aren't too many typos since my brain's still a little fried (^_^;). I tried to make it a longer to make up for the wait and I want to thank everyone for their support over this copy-cat thing!
I own nothing but my OC.
That Butler, Parleying
≤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:
'… Dammit. I came in too far.' He realized a little too late while he remained crouched down in his hiding place. 'I have to get back before they find me.'
"Hey." A commanding voice said as Ciel suddenly found himself being illuminated by a light from above. It was the tightrope walker, Doll. The lantern she was holding cast an eerie glow upon her pretty face as she stared down at the surprised boy she had just discovered hiding behind the crates. "What're you doing here?"
"Hey. What're you doing here?" Doll repeated when Ciel didn't answer her.
A bead of nervous sweat rolled down his cheek as he stared up at her. No. He couldn't let himself get caught here.
"Se—" He tried to summon the demon butler, but he had hesitated too long.
GRAB!
"Don't move." Doll commanded ominously as she leaned over him, keeping a firm grip on the startled boy's face with the hand she had suddenly placed over his mouth to silence him.
Damn—Now he couldn't even call Sebastian for help!!
"Heeey theeere, Doooll~!" Someone called out to her, causing Ciel to twitch.
His dire situation was getting worse and worse by the second!
"Wot's Doll doin'?" Dagger asked Snake, wondering why she wasn't answering and why she was crouching down by a bunch of crates.
Snake didn't reply. He was too busy shivering from the cold and consoling the snake perched on his shoulders. For some reason, the bloke always seemed to have one on him, and Dagger briefly wondered if Snake would talk at all without his scaly little friends to translate for. Whenever he spoke, it was to relay what one of his snakes had told him… Not that Dagger could blame Snake for being shy around other humans, not with his history…
"Snake!!" Doll shouted suddenly with wide eyes.
"!!" Ciel gasped, his expression darkening as he furrowed his brow. Just as he thought, she—!!
"A deadly snake was roamin' 'round." She deadpanned as she popped back up and spun around to face her fellow First Stringers, thrusting out her hand to show them the poisonous snake she had just found.
"Uwah!" Dagger cried. What was Doll thinking—picking up such a dangerous thing!?
"Don't we keep sayin' not to let these buggers have free rein of the place?" She chided Snake. She wasn't really mad, but he should be more careful. It'd be bad if someone actually got bitten.
"?" Ciel said, sweat dropping, while he watched from his hiding place. He wondered what Doll was up to. Hadn't she been about to turn him in just now…?
"Why ye—! Keep 'em to yer tent like ye ought!" Dagger shouted nervously, paling and breaking out into a nervous sweat when the snake started to writhe and hiss in her hand, trying to escape. "Eeeek!" He flinched in shock and screamed like a girl when Doll decided to let it go, and the snake slithered past him on its way back to its owner.
"…" Snake said as it joined the one already perched on his shoulder and started hissing something in his ear.
"I don't wanna give up the ghost all sudden 'n' unawares, like!" Dagger scolded Snake, sweat dropping. "Sheesh, give us a break, mate!"
"…" Doll said as she watched both of the guys walk away in opposite directions. Snake was probably headed back to warmth of his own tent, and Dagger was most likely going to get a bite at the dining tent since he had just been talking about how hungry he was.
FWIP.
Ciel flinched when she suddenly whipped her head back around to stare at him, a little startled.
"This way." She said, taking hold of his wrist to guide him.
"!?" Ciel said, beyond confused. Wait—what!?
"Quick!" She urged him, dragging him along, as she started to run.
"!?" He exclaimed, surprised. Could it be… she really was trying to help him? Why?
=†=†=†=†=
"Don't touch that rope." Doll instructed him as she showed him how to crawl underneath the beaded rope that marked the boundary around the First String's territory. Ciel sweat dropped as he followed closely behind her, trying to avoid looking up her tutu's skirt while she was bent over in front of him.
…
"We ought to be safe here." She told Ciel once she felt they had gotten far enough away. Poor Ciel was huffing and puffing from having to keep up with the girl's pace. She was a lot faster than she looked…
"Wh—Why did you rescu—koff!" Ciel asked a little nervously, blushing out of embarrassment, as he coughed. Despite his efforts to act like a gentleman, he had still caught a glimpse up her skirt by accident during their little escape.
Doll sighed. Sheesh, this kid was slow!
"Ya don't recognize me yet?" She asked him, pulling on the bow under her chin.
SHWP~ FWAP!
"It's me. Me!" She chided him as she removed her flowery headdress, revealing her true identity. Ciel's eyes widened.
"Ah…" He gasped, paling slightly, as he pointed at the person standing before him, completely caught off-guard. "Freckle Face…!?" He shouted incredulously. This beautiful 'girl' was actually his fool of a roommate!? "You're a boy… yet you dress like that…!?" The young earl turned blue with shock as he took a step back, retreating.
Nevermind that he had once cross-dressed himself for certain reasons—the young earl wanted to put some distance between himself and this weirdo, who seemed to enjoy doing it on a nightly basis...!
"Oi, 't'ain't 'Freckle Face', bub!!" She shouted, flinching in shock, as an idiot hair popped out on her head. "What a rude feller, y'are!!"
Why was he backing away like she was some kind of freak!? Cat had realized what she was right away, so why was her brother acting so thick!?
"I'm an honest-to-goodness maid, I am." Freckles insisted, taking Ciel's hand and placing it on one of her humble breasts.
SQUISH~
"See?" She asked, somewhat amused, when several idiot hairs spiked on the boy's head after involuntarily feeling for himself how real her breast was.
"….!!?" Ciel shouted in alarm, blushing furiously, as yanked his hand back and practically flew backwards in his hasty retreat.
"Wanna give us a tickle down there too to make sure~?" Freckles teased, grinning a little deviously, as she took a step closer to the embarrassed and bewildered boy. His reaction was so priceless, she just couldn't help teasing him a little more!
"No thank you!!" Ciel snapped in embarrassment, clearly scandalized. What was wrong with this girl!?
"Well?" Freckles asked, getting back to business, while Ciel coughed again. "Why were ya o'er there? Ya heard 'bout the venomous snakes from brother Joker, din't cha?" She asked sternly, crossing her arms. What was Smile thinking, wandering around such a dangerous place all by himself?
"Erm…" Ciel said hesitantly, trying to think of the best course of action for this situation. 'No choice but to play it like I'm a thief for the present, hm?' He decided.
"I'm sorry!! I haven't messed with or taken anything at all today, I swear! Please don't kick me out of here!" He pleaded desperately, holding his head in shame, while forcing his personality into a complete 180° flip.
"Today!?" Freckles shouted incredulously, flinching in shock. "You!"
"I lived in the East End, before I met Cat and she helped me become a page boy… and I did everything necessary to survive." Ciel continued quickly. He needed to get her on his side somehow, and after seeing those photographs, he was pretty sure this kind of story would work. "I know I shouldn't steal, but I can't seem to break the bad habits from back then… Even at the manor, after everything she did to help me, when they found out about it…" The small boy started to tremble. "… I—! I can't keep causing trouble for Cat any more—Not after all she's done for me! I'll just keep dragging her down! If I'm thrown out of here, I'll have to return to the East End again—!" He cried pitifully, squeezing his eyes shut, as though trying not to cry.
Freckles sweat dropped as she stared at the shaking boy.
Whoa…
'Was my acting too obvious?' Ciel wondered. He didn't over do it, did he?
"… So ya really haven't stolen anythin', yeah?" Freckles asked carefully once she had considered everything he had just told her. Though he had a history of causing trouble, it sounded like no real harm had been done yet, and he sounded sincere enough. And Cat never would've brought him along if she thought he did this kind of stuff on purpose, right? Smile probably couldn't help himself.
"No! I swear to God." Ciel told her earnestly, clasping his hands together. He was the very picture of innocence.
"Ohhh, aaall right." Freckles said, sighing as she rubbed the back of her neck. She just couldn't stay mad at this kid… and she could sympathize with his checkered past. She wasn't exactly a saint, either. She just hoped she wasn't going to end up regretting this later…
"Th–Then—!?" Ciel asked excitedly.
"Well, I owe ya one, after all." She explained, sighing again. This kid really had no clue how lucky he was that she had been the one to find him. She'd definitely have to help Cat keep an eye on him in the future, for his own sake.
"Thank you so much!!" Ciel exclaimed brightly, overflowing with gratitude.
It seemed he really wanted to stay with his 'big sis', and Freckles didn't blame him. She smiled softly, remembering her own encounter with the amiable and caring Cat.
"Everyone's got one or two things they don't want no one to know. I know that, but…" Freckles said thoughtfully, repeating what the older girl had told her earlier that day. "… I wronged ya this afternoon." She said regretfully, referring to the incident where she saw his scar.
Luckily, she didn't seem to notice when Ciel twitched involuntarily at the memory of his earlier humiliation, and the young earl's expression darkened dangerously for a brief moment as he furrowed his brow. However, it was gone when she raised her head to look at him again.
"So, I'll keep yer secret for ya." She concluded gently, giving him a wry, but warm smile of reassurance. "Now we're even."
Ciel was slightly taken aback by how much she resembled Chêne in that moment. This was just the kind of response he would have expected from his faithful maid… Although, she probably wouldn't have fallen for such bad acting…
"But don'tcha ever sneak in here again or nothin', ya hear!?" Freckles added more sternly, frowning slightly, as she shook her finger at the boy to show how serious she was.
"Yes'm!" Ciel replied dutifully, just like a naughty schoolboy being scolded by a teacher. Even that part of her response had been like Chêne… Ciel coughed. "Um… may I ask you something? Why are you sharing a tent with me when you're part of the First String?" He asked cautiously, a little curious about why she would want to share when she could have her own private tent.
"Ahhh… " Freckles said, smiling a little sadly as she turned away from him slightly. Was she embarrassed? "I don't like bein' in a room by meself. And I sleep better when someone else's with, like." She glanced back at him a little shyly, reminding Ciel of a small child, in away. "Say, yer gonna keep sharin' with me even though I'm in the First String, right?" She asked tentatively, hoping this wouldn't put him off. He wouldn't be the first person to refuse to continue rooming with her after finding out who she really was.
"Yes, by all means." Ciel responded amiably, not wanting to disappoint her. Freckles grinned.
"Eh-heh-heh! I'm glad!" She said, laughing happily. She was relieved Smile still wanted to be her friend. "Then the stuff that went on 'ere stays between us, yeah?" She asked, holding out her hand to him.
"Yes." Ciel said, smiling brightly. His face was a little flushed as he extended his own hand. 'But that said, there's no guarantee that this person won't tell anyone.' Ciel thought as they shook hands on it, and parted ways. 'Humans lie without compunction.'
The young earl continued smiling innocently at his new friend as they waved goodbye to each other, only dropping it once she was gone, and he was safely out of her line of sight.
'Of course, that applies to me as well.'
=†=†=†=†=
{Back in Tent Nine…}
"Ciel's taking a long time getting back…" Chêne remarked, furrowing her brow slightly in concern. "I hope he didn't get caught." It had been nearly ten whole minutes since they had retreated to their tent to await further instructions.
"Fear not, Chêne. If that were the case, they would have undoubtedly raised the alarm or confronted us about it by now, since they see us as his guardians." Sebastian reassured her, smiling his trademark shit-eating grin. "I'm sure the young master will join us shortly."
FLAP.
Speak of the devil… a small hand had just parted the flaps of their tent to reveal none other than Ciel Phantomhive himself, though the boy looked a little worse for wear than when they had last seen him. He was shivering and coughing a little, and his face was flushed too.
"Young Master." Sebastian greeted him calmly.
"Are you okay, Ciel?" Chêne asked, concerned. She hoped he was just red in the face because he had been running, and not because he had managed to catch a cold. She really hoped it wasn't something nasty, like pneumonia. His breathing sounded a little labored…
"You cur…" Ciel muttered darkly, ignoring Chêne, as he stepped inside, glaring at his demonic butler. "You set the venomous snakes free even though you knew I was still there, didn't you?" he demanded, coughing.
Chêne's jaw dropped. She gaped at Ciel, stunned, when she realized the full gravity of what he had just said. Until now, it hadn't really hit her that Ciel's orders to release the snakes at that time could have put his life in mortal danger!! And with that startling realization, came another—Why didn't Sebastian say anything about this earlier!? Her making such a stupid mistake was one thing, but he would never—!!
Sebastian's eyes were widened ever so slightly in surprise and wariness, and in place of his usual shit-eating grin was something like a half-frown.
Busted.
He hadn't expected Ciel to call him out on his little prank so quickly, and he had been rather hoping to avoid receiving the appalled and accusing stare that Chêne was now aiming at him, silently demanding an explanation for his recklessness. But the demon butler soon recovered.
"Yes." Sebastian replied quite honestly with the ghost of a smirk.
Chêne's jaw dropped again. It seemed his lovely wife was speechless for once. How extraordinary.
"Young Master's order was to return in advance of the First String and set the snakes free." The demon reminded them. "Did I not but carry out your orders to the letter?" He asked Ciel pointedly. Just how many times did he have to keep warning the boy to be careful how he worded such orders?
"Even so…" Chêne said, finding her voice again. "If you knew this would happen, you should've said something before!" She scolded her sadistic husband, jabbing her finger hard into his arm. She doubted it felt like anything more than a slight tickle to the demon, but poking him made her feel better, and let him know she wasn't at all happy with him at the moment.
What if Ciel had been bitten!? As far as she could tell, they still didn't know how to make antivenins yet, and even if they did, she was pretty sure a bite from some of those snakes could kill in seconds—Ciel would have died before they could even inject the cure!!
"You really haven't been bitten, right!?" She asked Ciel urgently, checking him for bites. He really didn't look too good—What if one had nipped him while he was running, and he didn't notice because it was just a graze, and he was too worried about not getting caught!?
"I haven't." Ciel responded curtly, still glaring at Sebastian. Did she really think he wouldn't have noticed something like that?
"Oh, but you're so warm…!" Chêne exclaimed worriedly, frowning, when she felt his temperature. She was relieved a snake hadn't gotten him, but it looked like her suspicions about that cold were right. He was a little on the feverish side after running around in the cold without a decent coat. She grabbed the shawl she often used inside the tent and put it over his shoulders. "I'll bet you haven't had a chance to eat yet, have you? I'll go see if I can rustle up some soup or something for you." Chêne told him, before grabbing her own coat and gloves.
She paused briefly as she lifted the flap to leave, glancing back at her husband.
"And, you." She rounded on Sebastian, frowning with disapproval. "You'd better behave yourself. You might think you're being clever, but it's not funny! Don't you dare toy with Ciel's life like that again, because I'll never forgive you if he dies because of it, capische?" She stated gravely, narrowing her eyes, as she fixed him with a cool, steely gaze. In that instant, her majesty far surpassed that of any queen, and her air of power and authority were far greater than any king or military commander. Even the Reaper, who hadn't been fazed in the slightest by their little argument up until now, couldn't help but turn and give the petite girl his full attention. Her frosty mint eyes smoldered like embers encased in ice, unyielding, as they stared into the demon's crimson orbs.
'I see…' Will thought, his own sharp, green eyes were hidden in shadow as he bowed his head. He felt that he was, perhaps, starting to understand how this girl had earned her designation as a Code 42 now. Not only was there the matter of those eyes of hers, but to think she could stare down a demon on this butler's level without even breaking a sweat… Had she the ambition to do so, this girl would have undoubtedly conquered the world and built an empire to rival that of Rome and Queen Victoria's Great Britain. Though she rarely threw her weight around, Chêne had all the makings and charisma to be a great leader—A world leader. If this girl wasn't careful how she used her 'gift', she might come to be seen as a threat, which could result in her 'blessing' becoming a dangerous 'curse'...
The reaper and demon watched as Chêne stepped out into the night and let the tent flap fall closed behind her, not bothering to wait for an answer. There was no need to.
Chêne meant business, and Sebastian knew it. He had only seen her like that once before in the past, but it was not a sight that was easily forgotten. He knew exactly how much trouble he was in now.
The demon sighed internally. He should have known she would react this way, given how much she cared for the boy, but perhaps he had been counting on that extraordinarily forgiving nature of hers a little too much? She really wouldn't forgive him… but as much as she meant it now, there was no such thing a 'never' with a heart like Chêne's. It might take a few decades, perhaps even a century or two at the most, but she would eventually forgive him. After all, she was able to forgive the men who had kidnapped and brutally beat her after killing Jasper I. If Chêne was strong enough to let go of a grudge like that instead of letting it poison her, then she could handle anything.
Although, with a little more consideration on the subject, Sebastian also had to admit it probably hadn't been very wise to try her patience like that so soon after the little faux pas he committed with Beast the other day…
But still, the demon couldn't help but smile a little wryly as he remembered the cold and commanding expression that had been on his sweet little wife's face just a moment ago. He was proud of Chêne, and never once regretted making her his dear and beloved wife, even at times like this. It was probably just as well that she wasn't the overly ambitious type, however, as Sebastian would have loathed sharing her with so many others. This way, she belonged solely to him. It was bad enough with just Ciel around…
Speaking of which, Sebastian noticed that his young master was still glaring hatefully at him. There was murder in his eyes. The demon couldn't help the wry chuckle that escaped his lips upon seeing how serious his small master's expression was over such a small prank. It was absurd.
"Why ever are you bestowing me with such a baleful glare?" Sebastian teased slyly. "Please be at ease. I shall protect your life as long as our covenant holds—however…" the demon paused, smirking slightly, when the frustrated and infuriated boy clenched his fist. "… You were well aware that if you made a mistake in your plans, you could have suffered bodily harm to the point of death, no?"
… And following that same line of thought, Chêne, as well. After all, she would willingly follow Ciel into danger out of worry for the boy's safety. Even if the chances of her dying had been greatly reduced, it didn't mean there weren't still certain elements of risk. Cuts and scrapes were easy enough to mend with a drop of demonic blood here and there, but potent poisons and venom were still extremely problematic since many spread through the blood and attack the nervous system. Also, even if he could save her life, there was always a small possibility that there could be permanent damage…
"Every game must have its thrills, after all." The demon leered, smirking slightly, at his prey as his pupils constricted to slits, and he allowed his eyes to glow a little demonically. "As Young Master is insatiable when it comes to games, I assumed you felt the same way." As far as Sebastian was concerned, Ciel had asked for this the moment he created the opportunity for such a thing to occur. The demon butler just hoped this little fright his young master had received would remind him of his own mortality, and caution him against taking such careless risks with his and Chêne's lives in the future.
"Hah!" Ciel laughed humorlessly, his face partially cast in shadow. "Your idea of sport is in such bad taste, it fair makes me retch… you devil!" He seriously wasn't in the mood for Sebastian's crap. He was so physically and emotionally exhausted from the events of the day that he couldn't even come up with a better insult.
"I am flattered." The demon butler replied smoothly, flashing him a brilliant shit-eating grin.
Ciel wondered if his demon butler would have still dared to speak to him like this if Chêne hadn't left. Whether she knew it or not, she seemed to have this sadistic demon wrapped around her little finger, and he had been pleased to see how effective her threat to never forgive Sebastian had been. As long as Chêne cared for him, Ciel knew the demon wouldn't dare try this again. Even if Sebastian ever came to desire an… end… to their contract, as long as Chêne remained on his side, the young earl knew he would be safe.
"Koff! Forget it." Ciel said, turning to cover his mouth, as he coughed and stepped around his butler. The moody earl had decided he was far too hungry, tired, and stressed to justify wasting any more time on such a pointless argument. He just wanted to get this whole thing over and done with so that they could return to the manor as soon as possible. Sebastian could fill Chêne in on whatever she missed later. "After we parted, I found a letter that had my name on it in that clown, Joker's tent. Koff! From what I could gather, it also contained my peerage, the location of the manor, and even a brief personal history. The sender was—"
"You, there." Suit abruptly and rather rudely addressed Ciel, who was startled to find the reaper had aimed his scythe at his feet.
PISHI!
"Huh!?" Ciel shouted and flinched in surprise and confusion as he just barely managed to move his foot off of a seemingly random line that had been drawn in the dirt floor before the scythe hit it. He had stepped on it quite accidentally while pacing the room.
"You're three centimeters inside my territory." Suit informed Ciel crisply, frowning in annoyance as he returned to his book now that the offending foot had been removed from his territory.
Sebastian hadn't really expected the reaper to actually bother with Ciel since he was only human, but it seemed everyone was in a fowl mood tonight.
"It is clear neither of you are able to observe the lines we have drawn." Suit continued as he pushed up his glasses. "I see the dog takes after its master."
SNAP.
Ciel grit his teeth as a vein mark popped up on his forehead. Of all the nerve—This reaper had no idea how lucky he was that Ciel was too tired to bother with the hassle of ordering Sebastian to slaughter him tonight!!
"Koff! Sebastian, let's take this outside." Ciel ordered, coughing, as he lifted the flap to exit the tent, not even bothering to wait for his butler to do it for him.
"Yes, sir." Sebastian replied dutifully, following the sick boy out of the tent.
=†=†=†=†=
"—So, the name of the sender is 'Tom, the piper's son'." Ciel concluded, finishing the explanation of his findings to Sebastian.
"'Tom, the piper's son'?" Sebastian asked, wondering if that was supposed to be some kind of code. He also couldn't help but wonder what was taking Chêne so long, because she still hadn't returned from her little excursion to the dining tent…
"It's a character from the nursery rhymes of Mother Goose. Though I can't say I know what it means… I was hoping Chêne might have an idea." Ciel explained, coughing. "And the seal wax had a device with a horse and the initial 'K' on it."
"Then it is the same as the hallmark I saw." Sebastian said thoughtfully. That meant it was also the same as the markings on the ring belonging to that man in the photographs. It was a signet ring after all. "A signet ting is usually engraved with a motif and initials representing the bearer or his family crest."
"Yes. Thus… 'Tom, the piper's son' is someone whose family coat of arms contains a horse. A crest with such a design would typically belong to those upon whom knighthood has been confirmed or military personnel." Ciel agreed, thinking out loud. "Koff! I wouldn't go so far as to say that's the rule, but it's impossible to be a philanthropist without a certain social status." He continued, frowning slightly, as he tugged on his scarf a bit. His throat was feeling a little tight for some reason, and this cold, night air certainly wasn't helping his cough. "All heraldic devices are recorded at the College of Arms." Ciel gasped when his voice caught in his throat dry throat. "Koff! With all these clues in hand, I trust you can find the crest we seek, however great the number of records may be." He finished, wheezing slightly after a rather nasty cough that shook his whole body.
"?" Sebastian said, furrowing his brow slightly in concern. He didn't like the sound of that last cough and the wheezing… He couldn't remember having ever heard the boy make that kind of sound before. It was different from the usual sounds of a cold or mild panic attack… It wasn't normal.
"The missing children. The circus. Tom, the piper's son. And I." Ciel continued on through his mild wheezing, oblivious to his butler's concern. "What is it that connects these disparate piece—Koff!"
"Young Master?" Sebastian said cautiously, wondering if he should stop the boy. The longer they stayed out here in the cold, the worse he seemed to get. Sebastian decided to broadcast a mental version of the twilight bark to Chêne, just in case.
"In any case, we'll go back to the townhouse once—Koff!" Ciel opened his mouth to take a breath, and gasped sharply when the freezing air hit the back of his throat, sending him into a violent fit of coughing. "Koff! Koff! Hack! Koff! Koff! Ghack! Hrk!"
"Young Master? Is something wrong?" Sebastian asked, taking a step closer, when Ciel suddenly grabbed his stomach and nearly doubled over.
"… UEH! URK! KOFF!" Ciel groaned as he slapped a hand over his mouth when his stomach heaved violently, a vain and useless attempt to try to stop the vomit spewing now from his mouth.
SLOP! SPLASH!
"Young Master!?" Sebastian shouted, alarmed. What was this!? He hadn't seen any human illness take a turn for the worse this quickly since the plague! "Young Master! What is the—" He started to demand anxiously, dropping to hid knees beside the wheezing and heaving child, but any attempt to answer on Ciel's part only set off another fit of violent coughs.
"KOFF! KOFF! UEH…! KOFF! HACK! HRKK! OEH…"
No… What was wrong? He needed to know what was wrong! He couldn't fix it unless he knew what was wrong…!!
"Yo—"
"—Sebastian!" Chêne shouted in alarm as she arrived on the scene, with Freckles hot on her trail. She had heard his telepathic SOS loud and clear, and hadn't wasted any time getting there. The moment she realized it meant Ciel was in danger, she had literally dropped everything and ran. "What happened? What were his symptoms leading up to this?" She demanded, doing her best to remain calm, as she slid in on her knees next to Sebastian so she started examining Ciel, ignoring the vomit.
"The symptoms all appeared to be no worse than a slight cold, but after we came out here to get away from the reaper, his condition began to deteriorate rapidly. His coughs began to occur more frequently and he started to wheeze. I tried asking him what was wrong, but he went into a violent coughing fit and started vomiting, just as you see him now." Sebastian quickly explained, immensely relieved to see her. Thanks to the teachings of professional nurse Pomona and having experienced a number of them herself, Chêne was an expert at diagnosing human illnesses.
"Smile!? What is it!?" Freckles shouted anxiously, alarmed by what she saw. She had been startled when Chêne suddenly took off like a shot without any explanation, but after seeing this, it was no small wonder why! The sibling bond between she and Smile must be amazing if she could sense something was wrong from several yards away. "Oi! 'Ang in there!" She shouted at her little friend, crouching down beside him.
Chêne grit her teeth in frustration as she checked Ciel's pulse, eyes, and listened to his heart and lungs, grimacing slightly when some of the vomit on his shirt got on her hair, but that wasn't important—she needed to diagnose Ciel quickly and correctly, because if she screwed this up and gave him an ineffective treatment…
Chêne shook her head. No, she didn't want to think about it—she wasn't going to waste precious time by letting herself panic.
And then came the clincher—Ciel's lips were starting to turn blue.
"Shit." She cursed. This was bad! Ciel wasn't going to last much longer at this rate, but at least she knew for sure what it was now. "Freckles, I need you to go get Doc! Tell him Smile's symptoms are as follows: severe wheezing when breathing both in and out, difficulty talking, coughing that won't stop, tightened neck and chest muscles, blue lips, pale, and sweaty. That'll give him some idea of what he needs to have prepared. Black and I will take him to your tent since it's closer than the infirmary, and we need to get him out of the cold as soon as possible." Chêne instructed her firmly, leaving no room for argument.
"A-Alright, I'll go get 'im." Freckles said, swallowing the lump in her throat as she got up ran for help without a fuss. She didn't want to leave Smile like that, but there was no arguing with the look in Chêne's eyes, and she knew it had to be done.
"What is it?" Sebastian asked, concerned, as he carefully lifted the weak, wheezing, and now barely conscious boy into his arms to carry him. "You hardly ever curse. Is it really that bad…?" Chêne bit her lip nervously and glanced up at her demon husband as they quickly but carefully made their way to Ciel's tent together.
"I don't know… I'm pretty sure Ciel is having an asthma attack, but… I don't know how they treat that here, in this era." She admitted hesitantly, afraid for her adopted brother's life. She clenched her fists. "But we'll think of something!" She stated determinedly. "I don't care if we have to blow our cover to do it. We're gonna save him. You hear me, Ciel? So don't even think about dying on us—not tonight!"
