Lucienne woke with a groan, but it did not take her long to realize her circumstances. Despite her hands and feet being tied, she was able to sit up quickly. Her eyes were covered, but she could hear many people around her. Thankfully, none of them sounded like they were right next to her.
She managed to push her panic down and focus on figuring out where she was. Whoever had tied her must not have thought to do a proper job, as her hands were in front of her. It allowed her to lift the blindfold, though that didn't do her much good. All it did was show that she was in a small cage that was covered in a silken sheet.
She swallowed a growl of frustration and instead tried to see if she could pick out Ciel's scent anywhere nearby. Since they had been taken together, she hoped they were still close. She was relieved to find he was within a couple of feet. She leaned down and tried to lift the edge of the sheet to peek out. What she saw was another covered cage. That wasn't surprising, but it worried her that there was no sound coming from it. She kept her voice low as she called out. "Ciel, Ciel!"
She was gratified to hear a groan, and a low voice finally respond. "Lucienne?"
She took a deep breath, and her ears twitched as she made sure no one had come closer. "Shh. I don't know where we are yet. Are you hurt? Can you move?"
She heard another groan and the rustle of silk, but before either of them could say anything, they heard footsteps nearby. Lucienne jerked upright and nearly growled when she heard the voice of the Viscount.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please quieten down. Now is the time you have all been anticipating. Please look carefully." With that, both silken sheets were jerked off the two cages, and Lucienne had to blink a few times to adjust to the sudden light. She was frowning out at the crowd before she looked over to see Ciel was trussed up just as she was.
It made no difference as the Viscount had already continued. "As you can see, I have found two delectable samples tonight. You can choose to keep them in the cages, or you can take them out and play with them at your leisure. They would be perfect for ceremonies, or even to have parts sold bit by bit. Whatever the customer prefers. I have been told they are inseparable, so that is something to keep in mind when bidding, but do not let that stop you from only wanting one."
Druitt then walked to Lucienne's cage and smirked when he saw she had already removed her blindfold. When he turned out to the crowd, he continued as if he had not caught her eye. "As you can see, these are both rare and hard to get items."
He ignored the growl coming from the cage next to him. "This one comes from the fields of France. Look at the fire in her eyes. Think of what it would be to douse it. And the other. Her eyes are the color of the sea, and yet they have a deep contrasting color of the forest."
He paused long enough for a masked woman to take the blindfold from Ciel as well before he turned back to the crowd with a wide gesture. "Now then, we will start bidding for the first one at £1000."
Several people called out over each other as the bids raised. Even with the voices calling over one another, Lucienne still heard Ciel's calm tone next to her. She looked over to see him looking straight ahead. "Sebastian. I am here."
As soon as the words left the boy's mouth, the candles all blew out, and the room was drenched in darkness. Frightened shouts rang out louder than the bids had, and the voice of the Viscount could be heard. "What happened?"
That was the last sound heard besides more screams and thuds across the room. Although Ciel could not see, Lucienne could tell he was not afraid. She sniffed at his reasoning before she turned back out to watch the butler flashing around the room. It was only moments later that the candles flared back to life, and the demon stood there staring down at the two with a shake of his head.
"Really now, apart from caught, you haven't accomplished anything. You really are-"
He was cut off by the cold voice of the boy in the cage. "As long as I have this contract, you will come no matter where you are, correct?"
Sebastian paused and put his hand over his chest. "Well, of course. I will follow wherever you go." He then leaned over and grabbed the bars of the cage, wrenched them open with a grinding noise, and then held out his hand. "Even if I were to be shattered into pieces, I would remain by your side until the very end. I will never lie to you. Unlike these humans."
Ciel accepted the hand and stood with a sniff before jerking it back. "Good. Only you can never lie to me."
Lucienne had watched the exchange with interest. Her brows drew down as she began to wonder if the demon was preying on the boy's need to be accepted and to trust at least one person or if they were more tightly intertwined than she expected. Still, Sebastian's next words had her banging on her own cage.
"I have already called the police. They should be here soon, so we should leave. They would likely give us a hard time if they find us here."
Both of them turned when they heard the bars rattle, and she glared at them, though she tried to keep her voice even. "If you would, please at least release me. I can find my own way out."
Sebastian did not move, despite how much he wanted to make sure she came with them. He could always find her again later if Scotland Yard took her, but that would be troublesome. Even so, he could not make a move here unless his master gave him an order. Ciel looked up with a frown. "Sebastian, get her. It would be problematic if the yard were to find her here. Too many people saw her come with Madame Red."
Sebastian bowed with a smile. "As you wish." He quickly had her bars open as well, and her bonds loose before he bent and picked Ciel up.
The boy looked down with a frown. "You are larger than me, but not by much. Sebastian should be able to carry us both."
Lucienne made a shooing motion. "I can hear the bells already. We have no time. Go. I can keep up."
Ciel gave her a look as though she were crazy, but when he glanced at Sebastian, the demon only shrugged and smirked before he took off through one of the windows. He was not given a chance to complain before he looked back and saw that Lucienne was jumping out right behind them. She was not able to leap from the balcony to the roof like Sebastian had, but his jaw dropped as she quickly jumped from one balcony to the next and joined them within moments.
Once they were all on the roof, she scowled. "You must know, that is not as easy as it seems in boots and petticoats."
Sebastian chuckled and gave her a smirk, but it was Ciel that spoke up with shock in his voice as he addressed his butler. "You said she was not a demon!"
Lucienne huffed and crossed her arms. "And so I am not. I am human, though not like any other you have likely met."
Ciel narrowed his eyes and looked down at her. "Explain."
She sighed as she remembered Sebastian's warning from her first day. She wondered if she could tell the boy the whole truth and get away. Though something made her pause. Part of it was the thought that the demon would likely find a way to track her anyway. The rest was that she felt pity for the boy. Or maybe not pity, but understanding. He was far too young to act as he did. He must have been through something horrible, and to be tied to a demon no less. Even so, she could still see a spark within him that was not snuffed out yet, and she could not force herself to turn away.
With a sigh, she tried to explain without giving him a reason to dismiss her. "I was cursed many years ago. I have walked this earth a long time, and during those years, I have gained knowledge and abilities that have helped me to adapt and survive."
Ciel's eyes widened, and it looked as though he had more questions, but voices drifted up from below, and he turned to Sebastian. "I will hear more of this later. For now, let us return." That was all that was needed before the trio leapt from one roof to the next and disappeared into the night.
The next morning all was quiet in the room during breakfast as Ciel ignored the looks he was getting from Madame Red and Lau, while he studiously read his morning paper. Lucienne was sitting quietly across from him. The talk she had expected the night before had never materialized when they returned, but she had no doubt it would come.
She was drawn from her thoughts when Ciel stood in a rush and slammed the newspaper down on the table. "What is the meaning of this?"
He was glaring at Sebastian, but the butler gave him one of his standard smiles as he responded. "The meaning of what, Young Master?"
Ciel was fuming as he pointed to the paper. "There was another murder last night!"
Madame Red clutched her throat and clicked her tongue while Lau chuckled. Lucienne narrowed her eyes and looked over to the demon. He was not surprised. He already knew that the Viscount was not Jack the Ripper.
Ciel could tell as well and he grabbed the crumpled paper before he stormed from the room with a smirking Sebastian following after. Whatever was going on, Lucienne had a bad feeling it was only going to get worse. She was beginning to wonder if it would be worth it to try and help the boy if he got caught up in these circumstances often.
She sighed as she watched the others lean into to speak to each other and was reminded that she did not have much choice for now. Especially when her gaze was once again drawn to Madame Red's meek butler and his strange scent. There was something about him, and it stood out even more with the way his eyes flashed behind his glasses. This day did not look like it was going to be any better than the last.
A/N: The next chapter will wrap up the Jack the Ripper arc. For now, we are still pretty close to canon and will be for a bit. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!