Ciel made his way down the hall to the suite where Martyr was staying. She refused to stay in the medical wing where she really needed to be, so instead, she stayed in a room in the basement where the supernatural soldiers quarters are located. Although the idea of basement dwelling may sound off putting, the inside of the apartments looked perfectly normal. Any ordinary person would live there. Thus, Martyr was comfortable and well-guarded at all times.
The hallway itself wasn't very welcoming. It looked like the inside of a castle, save for the light fixtures on the ceilings and walls. Finding the correct room, he knocked on the door with one hand while digging for the key to open the door with the other. He only felt that it was fair to give her warning before he barged in there.
"Martyr, it's Sir Phantomhive. I'm coming in." he said, warning her, while still simultaneously coming across as rude. Unlocking the door, he gently opened it before shutting it behind him after walking inside.
Curious of the source of the intrusion, the teen peeked her head around the corner where her living and sleeping space connected to the kitchen. "Oh. They sent you." she observed. "I had my bet on the blonde one. Now I owe the werewolf next door three pounds."
"I'm the one that just happened to be here today." the demon said. "How are you fairing?"
"It's nice, here, even if it is a basement. The people are friendly and don't want to shove needles into my brain." There was a bit of bite to the end of her sentence, causing the other to simply fold his arms and lean against the wall with a sigh.
"Always a good sign. How about food and rest?" Tilting his head, Ciel made another observation. "There's bags under your eyes, still."
"Eating too much makes me want to throw up and it's hard to sleep. I'm worried about where I'm going to end up." Stepping out from her hiding spot completely, the girl began to cautiously approach her guest.
Her hair, which had been previously shaved off, had started to grow back and she looked healthier. Doctors would come in every so often to check on her to make sure she was recovering alright, and she would be taken to see a therapist on a regular basis in order to help her psychological health. She wasn't wearing hospital clothes like the last time Ciel saw her, either, and was instead wearing a T-shirt and some shorts. Elizabeth told the demon about her odd refusal to wear shoes, but since she was in "the comfort of her own home", it hardly mattered. Ciel didn't even raise an eyebrow to her appearance or to the fact that she was cautiously approaching him, taking careful notice of his face and gestures.
"You're a very direct person, aren't you?" she questions. "That's not a bad trait to have. I take it you're wanting to ask why I wanted you here."
"You're very perceptive." noted the bluenette in return.
"You didn't sit down or anything and you're hanging around the door. It doesn't look like you want to stay very long. Whatever. It's probably better if it's you. You look like a practical guy." the girl replied, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Though I don't think you'll really appreciate it if I say 'cause it's boring around here,' right?"
"I hear teenagers are hooked to their phones nowadays. It must be boring." Ciel's patience wasn't wearing thin like the girl expected. He knew that he would get nowhere if he rushed her and it wasn't as though he was in a desperate hurry to return home right away. He still had time to kill.
"They gave me some books, but not all of them are very interestin'. Worried I'll make a Twitter account or something, huh? Must be tough, keeping all this a secret." She paused while staring off, waiting for the bluenette to reply. When he didn't, she turned back to face him again.
"Don't worry, I won't let anyone know I'm here." Martyr said. "It won't do me any good. The whole point is to stay somewhere safe."
"The point of what?" questioned the Watchdog. "Do you have a plan?"
"Kind of, but not really. The main plan is to keep somewhere safe and not let that monster find me."
"And how do you hope to do that?"
"You really don't beat around the bush, do you? It's easy. The plan is to not let anyone know anything that could identify me." Pausing, she folded her hands together and played with her fingers. "That piss you off?"
Sort of, yes. She was right. What she was implying was detrimental to the search for this madman. In essence, she was willfully withholding information from HELLSING that could aid in their search, intentionally skewing any information that she did give them.
"What do you think?" was all the man said in order to avoid hostility.
"I think it does, but I know you won't catch him that way. He needs to go away." Martyr said. "He needs to die. He says he's gonna be some big hero, but really, he's just a monster. I can't tell anyone here who I am or where I come from. If I do and he asks just the right person by whatever means, then he'll get me again. If that also means that I can't ever leave this building, I'll gladly pick this over what he wants from me."
Pausing, the girl took a moment to stare off into space and contemplate her next move. She felt the need to be strategic about this and she was right in doing so. "I know it's wrong, but I don't know what else to do."
"Do you want my honest opinion?" asked the Phantomhive, finally leaving his spot. He moved a chair closer to where she was sitting and sat down in it. "I don't think you're wrong at all. I would have done the same thing. Even knowing what's at stake, I would be perfectly willing to so. I can't knock you for that."
Hesitantly, Martyr answered with a question of her own. "Did something happen to you, too?" Looking up at the man's face, she tried to gauge his reaction, but couldn't. "Sorry. Privacy is a thing."
"I have." the bluenette answered. "I was much younger than you. I had just turned ten."
"What did you do?"
"To survive? Everything I could." he stated. "I cowered in the back, allowing other kids to go before me, I had a demon kill a whole room of people after I sold my soul to him just to live a little longer. I got more than I bargained for, I'll admit, but you work with what you have."
"How long ago was that?"
"About..." Ciel looked up while he did the math. "...a hundred-twenty-odd years ago? Things happened."
"Was it as strange as electro-shock therapy?"
"Oh, if only. I was dunked in a vat of some green liquid by a bunch of laughing nurses in order to merge my soul with the soul of the person who would eventually become my spouse, by a different demon who wanted to eat my soul. He was the demon of my husband, who acted as his demonic butler, who tricked him into thinking my demonic butler wronged him, thus prompting him to try and use me as a way to get back at him. Dying wasn't part of the plan, however, that was all his butler's doing. So Jim turns the tables on both of them, possesses my body, signs a contract with another demon, who turns me into a demon, only to die before she could digest his soul, allowing him to be resurrected again later. Keeping up?"
After a moment of silence, Martyr replied: "You win."
"I haven't. Both are horrible and no person should have to go through that. I can't blame a girl who has been shocked and had needles inserted into her brain for doing everything that she can to not go back. As miffed as I am that the investigation is at a standstill, I can't be very upset with you, now can I?"
"You're nicer than you look..."
"I don't go out of my way to be unpleasant. I'm just not very good with people."
"I think you are." the girl stated. "Thanks for understanding…" With a sigh, she asked: "You want me to give you some information anyway, don't you?"
"We'll keep it on a 'need-to-know' basis." the man replied. "You don't have to tell me things that will put you in danger, just things that might help us find the man who wears the skull mask."
"That's hard to say… I don't really know where he would go. Realistically, he could be anywhere. He could find a place he likes, say 'give it to me' and then it's his. He's probably got a lab somewhere in the city, though. At least near it. Where would you put something like that?"
"Warehouses, abandoned buildings, residences, storage units, anywhere, really..."
"Exactly. There's no way of telling. Has he left any hints?"
"No… None at all..." Folding his arms again, Ciel leaned back in his chair. "The last place he was known to have been was an apartment owned by two people who he had brainwashed. They don't know anything either. He kept them in a closet."
"It was a nice one, wasn't it? He likes flashy things. You're not gonna find him in some tiny place in the East End, that's for sure. Maybe… Maybe you don't have to look for him, actually..."
"What do you mean? Is he planning something big?"
"That's obvious, but I mean that he's too tacky to keep things under wraps."
Crossing her legs on the bed, Martyr slouched as she stared directly into the demon's eye without blinking. Looking back at her, Ciel could see something hidden deep within her that was unnatural. Something was not right. Warped, even. The only way of truly getting a glimpse of it, however, was by looking through those glassy eyes of hers. Ciel recognised that look. It was the way Jim looked at him when they first met. It was the way he himself looked upon others for more than a hundred years. Even now, his eyes are cloudy.
"I have a feeling that he's going to do something too out there and end up gettin' caught. You'll see a glimpse of him, soon. You have mister Belmont, don't you?"
"Yes..." the bluenette said, putting two and two together. "We have his primary source of finances."
"Right. I'm not sure if he'll send himself or a flunkie, though. I can't be that specific."
"Do you know him well?"
Martyr smiled at the question. It was inhumanly sweet. It was a familiar expression to the Watchdog, so he was fully aware as to how genuine it was. It wasn't. It was only a mask.
"No." the teen replied. "He just tried so hard to turn me into a more powerful psychic. I hope to show him how thankful I am one day."
A chill actually ran down the demon's spine. This girl was familiar to him. She was Ciel Phantomhive from all those years ago reflected back at him, taunting him and reminding him of his mistakes. A twisting feeling gnawed at his stomach as he realised what was happening and his mouth began to water. No! That can't be! It would not be so! Not if what little remained of Ciel Phantommhive's conscience had anything to say about this. Although this girl was a prime candidate, he had to put a stop to this before it began.
"I'm not signing a contract with you." he said. "Nor will any other demon in this organisation."
"Rue would." Martyr replied, thinking she had on-upped him. Unfortunately, she could read the expression on the man's face on it's own and understand what would happen if she did. He didn't say it. He didn't have to. This was an organisation originally intended to hunt down dangerous supernaturals who devoured and haunted human beings. The conclusion was obvious.
"...Perhaps not..." she corrected herself, not wishing to sacrifice her only friend.
"We will find this man and shut him down. You will focus on getting better." Ciel instructed, prompting the other to try and talk back, but no words escaped her lips.
How could they? The way that Ciel said this to her was like he was speaking from experience, and from what he told her about him, he was. He knew full well what it meant to sell someone's soul far more than she ever could. Looking down at her hands, she wondered. What else could she do? She was only a kid who could do nothing but sit in this room and wait until the danger had passed, all while trying to pick up the pieces of herself that threatened to leave her.
Suddenly, a hand was on her head, patting what had returned of her hair. She was forced to look up to see that the man had moved from his seat and was trying to comfort her. Ciel was serious, but not heartless, she could tell that much.
"Children should focus on being children." he said. "No good will come to you if you try to walk the path of revenge. I learned that the hard way. It took a hundred years of me being a demon before I had even a glimmer of my former humanity restored. Please don't make that mistake."
With that, he took his hand away, leaving her to touch the spot on her head where it had rested with a rather perplexed look. "I'll propose the possibility of Skull Mask trying to steal finances as well as the information about him being 'bold'. Feel free to ask for me if you have anything else you want to say. Or if you just want to talk. Where you hoping to talk to someone who seemed similar to you?"
"...Yeah..." confessed Martyr. "It's hard to talk about stuff… It feels like nobody gets it… Why do they talk like that? Nothing they say makes any sense! I'm not stupid. I know words, just not the ones they're using! They want me to talk so they can make their own theories about why I do stuff… I already know about me, but the don't listen..."
"I'll look into the therapist while I'm at it, if you like. I'll have to give them a reason why. Is it okay if I tell them that?"
"Sure… I won't get in trouble, will I?"
"No. They'll be glad to know, I suspect. They're trying to help, but they just haven't figured out how." Ciel started to head toward the door, only to be stopped when he was called out to.
"Can I really talk to you again?" she asked and as Ciel turned back around to face her, he offered a smile.
"Of course you can, Martyr."
"Constanze." The girl corrected, piquing her visitor's interest.
"What?"
"'Martyr' is who the guy in the skull mask wants me to be. 'Constanze' is who I am."
"Is it really a good idea to tell me that if you don't want to be identified? What if I tell someone?"
"You won't if I ask you to. You might tell the blonde one, but he won't tell either. Besides, his powers don't work on you unless he weakens you. And he can do that. He's been playing with how to weaken demons."
"That would have been useful to know earlier..."
"Pardon me, I didn't realise that you haven't figured that out yet!" she huffed, sticking her nose up in the air slightly. "How am I supposed to know what you know? I'm not a mind reader!"
"You're psychic..." reminded the Watchdog, looking back at her with a somewhat skeptical expression. "You seemed to figure out Mister Blake just fine..."
"Not a mind reader, though. I only figured out that wizard guy because he's obvious. I really don't know what you lot are up to all the time. As far as I know, you could be sitting around doing nothing!"
"You could've asked."
"You'd really give out information like that to some random fourteen year old you found in a lab? Maybe I shouldn't have told you my name… Security seems lax 'round here..."
"I'll be sure to get on that." smiled the Phantomhive while gripping and twisting the doorhandle. "Bye, Constanze."
With that, the door closed and then locked, leaving the girl alone again. Honestly, she should have known better, or so she thought. Ciel obviously wasn't the type to stay and visit with someone who was essentially a complete stranger. He was obviously a very serious man who was making a somewhat special attempt at coming out of his shell in order to meet her halfway. Yet, he still said that she could request to talk to him if she wished to do so in the future, which was something that she would most likely do. Their meeting was brief and goal oriented, but she still felt as though someone finally gave at least a vague impression of understanding her. Not once did her mind switch off and cause her to start babbling. It wasn't a trained professional, but an odd man with an eyepatch who set her at ease and made her feel welcome. She wasn't just some pawn, although he did request information from her. She was just a kid to him- a person who was complex and made even more so by her imprisonment. She wasn't going to get better overnight and he accepted that right away.
His eyes were like hers, only instead of aimlessly looking for which way to go, he looked ever forward with his head held high. Constantly. Touching a hand to the top of her head, she wondered of what was to come, wondering if these demons would be her salvation. Perhaps they were but a mere helping hand. Either way, she would be speaking with the Phantomhives again.
A/N: I have big things planned... Now, let's see if I can set it up. Fun fact: Writing is hard. Fortunately, I know how this ends, so it makes getting there a lot easier. That's my writing tip of the day. "Know where you're going!"
Though I've also been looking up about how to properly structure a tragedy because... reasons... It's interesting.
Also, it would appear that there was a bit of confusion in the last chapter! White was not poisoned. He was, however, implanted with a device that would administer poison via remote control if he started to talk too much. That was HELLSING's "insurance." They didn't need it, though. He didn't give anything away and was instead tossed out a window. Don't get tossed from windows, kids. It's no fun.
Also also, I got a question:
"The chapter's title intrigues me, too. Why in French and why this sentence specificly ?" by Kinja145
Fun fact about my writing: I name the chapter last thing. As I'm typing this, I still don't know the name of THIS chapter that you're reading right now. Usually, they don't have any particularly deep meaning and are instead just whatever phrase jumps out at me or gets stuck in my head. "C'est la vie" is a phrase that English speakers have heard before. Kinda like "Oh well, what can you do?" I felt like it kind of vaguely suited their conversation.
With those two, Ciel and Lizzie, they have a lot of "What happened has happened and there is no way to go back and fix it. Unpredictable stuff happens. Life goes on. We just have to continue living it." going on. Actually, that might be one of the stories many themes and lessons or whatever. Y'know, so we can have good role models and morals for the youths. (don't kill people though) Learn from the past, but keep moving forward.
Really, it's not that deep, though... It was about 90% me getting a phrase stuck in my head and saying "Eh, that'll work." I'm in a hurry by that point and I just REALLY want to hit "post". I actually have a major essay due Wednesday that I haven't started, so I'll probably be in a hurry again.
Don't procrastinate. It's bad for you.
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
CHARACTER SHET
Question: "If you got your plant powers from Hannah, doesn't that mean a little part of her is inside of you? How do you feel about that Alois?" by LeAlois
Alois: "Not really. My soul is completely intact, so I'm still 100% me. Weird shit happens when you get knocked loose from a demon that's already eaten you, I guess. I must've stolen some of her power on accident. (what does that mean about Luka?) Other than that, there's nothing left of her except my memories of her. I don't know whatever happened to the rest of her."
