A/N: Sorry for the SUPER SUPER late update. Moved into my dorm a few days ago and college is starting again next Wednesday so will prob be busy but we'll see.

Chapter 5: It's We, You and Them

Dust flitted through the air as Avery admired the soldiered lines of leatherbound books on the shelves. They were incredibly old and she wished she had enough time to read all of them. Fingers lightly brushed against each spine, marveling at the smoothness and golden engravings. Lost in thought, she hummed a curious tune, a piano song she had forgotten how to play.

"My lady, where have you been all morning? Breakfast has already been served." Sebastian announced, his voice sharply cutting the peacefulness of the library.

Avery jumped and turned to glare at the irritating man by the door. He smiled back at her innocently which only flared her annoyance further.

"A little knock would do wonders next time you come into a room," Avery snapped and began to stomp towards him "And all morning I've just been exploring the rooms in this absurdly gigantic manor, can't a girl do some exploring without getting jumped?"

From her shorter height, she stared daringly into his eyes, seeing if he would challenge her.

"Ah, I see, did you get lost on your little adventure?" Sebastian asked, peering condescendingly down at her, "I believe it has been six hours since you woke up."

Avery's eyes widened as he found her true reason for stumbling upon the library. This morning, she had made a plan to mentally map out the entire manor since a certain bothersome man wouldn't give one to her. Initially, she had set out on her journey with great vigor, there was no way she was going to allow Sebastian to get the best of her. However, after countless turns, numerous openings of doors which led to a ridiculous number of sitting rooms and bedrooms, she was getting a headache and her willpower was draining fast. She didn't know how much time had passed since she left her bedroom and quite frankly, she didn't care. All she wanted was a nice nap and fortunately, her prayers were answered when she discovered the library. A library that had temporarily taken her fatigue away and replaced it with fascination, only for it to be disrupted by the man in front of her.

A sudden excuse popped into her head as she went over this morning's activities. She had noticed something was missing!

"Are you saying the five hours of BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS I spent dedicated to surveying this manor's lack of MODERNNESS was a result of a puny reason like getting lost?" Avery challenged, spreading her hands with emphasis. Sure this was definitely bullshit but hey, who knows what a Victorian man like Sebastian would eat up.

Said man placed his hand on his forehead in exasperation and peered down at her.

"My lady, if there is anything you would like me to change the manor, you just need to order me." Sebastian sighed tiredly, accepting whatever gibberish had spewed from her mouth.

Avery's eyes lit up. Anything she wanted huh? Her mind flashed to one of the best things she had ever received.

"Alright then! Today, we are going shopping!" Avery declared, striking a pose and pointing outside.

"Whatever for? You only arrived yesterday." Sebastian said warily.

"For a TV," Avery exclaimed, "and a WiiU!"

Timeskip Brought to You by a Confused Sebastian

"Ahh I forgot how busy London was. Being in that peaceful old house really made me into a granny." Avery delightedly sighed, stretching her arms out as she got out of her car while carefully watching to see if Sebastian knew how to open the door. She internally giggled when she saw him struggling with the handle.

Hours before, when she had found her car in the woods and casually got in, she had discovered, much to her entertainment, that Sebastian had trouble with modern technology. As she waited in the driver's seat, she had turned to see Sebastian simply staring at her vehicle.

Amused, she took a jab at him, "What are you waiting for? The car door doesn't open itself you know."

He glanced through the window at her, irritation evident in his eyes, "I see the 21st century has made great leaps in innovation. I suppose I will need to educate myself on the present day when we return."

Avery rolled her eyes, having a Victorian man by her side was too much of a hassle. "Hmm great plan there. Now, how about you get in the car so I can start driving?"

Sebastian had muttered something under his breath, something about time and running, but she couldn't hear exactly what he said. Finally, he sighed and answered, "If you insist." Carefully, like a child testing his new toy for the first time, he tugged at the door handle, only to have it swing open slightly.

"You need to pull it a bit harder."

He tugged harder and finally, he entered the car, sitting rigidly in the leather seats. He stared displeased at the dusty dashboard.

Avery grinned as he flinched when she started the engine up, "All ready now? Captain Strand will prepare for take-off in 3, 2, 1 and" she licked her lips before she bellowed, "BLAST OFF!" She pushed on the accelerator and the car streaked through the woods, narrowly dodging trees.

"Hahaha this feels great!" she exclaimed and peeked over her shoulder at Sebastian whose lips had been pulled thin but his face remained impassive like stone.

"Wow there's really nothing that can scare him huh," she thought as she tore down the road towards London.

Now as she continued to watch him assess the door handle, she thought of all the surprises the modern world held for such a man. What would he think of an airplane? A nuclear bomb? A space rocket? Although Sebastian did not seem shocked at her car, she wondered what could surprise him, at least startle him.

"My lady are you ready to go?" a voice called out behind her.

She turned around and nodded thoughtfully. "I'll have to think of something that will truly surprise him."

Walking through the London streets and explaining to Sebastian about traffic lights, electric signs, computers, TV's and smartphones reminded Avery of the extraordinary innovations humanity has achieved. Not only had she bombarded him with the magical gifts of technology, but when she had gotten a paper cut on her finger and pulled out Neosporin and a bandaid, the Victorian man was also quick to question the substance, concerned about her safety and its application. From there, she explained about the origins of anti-bacterial and anti-virals, starting with penicillin and vaccines.

Sebastian, for his part, absorbed the content remarkably well, rarely stopping her lecturing and a contemplating expression set on his face. When he did interrupt, it was mostly to inquire further about the present day's weaponry or medical prowess. When Avery explained how, with the invention of automated weapons, nuclear bombs and chemical warfare, science and medicine improved. To this, he hummed in agreement, his garnet eyes holding a faraway look.

As they walked through London, she had bought numerous items, including a TV which Sebastian carried with one hand to the astonishment of everyone around them and which Avery had to whisper at him to put it down and drag the box around like a normal person, much to his distaste.

"Humans will never change, they will always be inefficient," he grumbled.

"Humanity has come much farther than you supernatural beings think. We're not exactly helpless." she mused while Sebastian held the door of the Nintendo store open for her.

As soon as they entered the store, two college girls rushed up to meet them.

"Hi! How may I help you?" the girl with pink highlights asked, a blush creeping on her cheeks as she blinked rapidly at Sebastian.

"Anything specific you're looking for?" the other girl with an Animal Crossing's shirt offered to them, although it looked more like she was speaking to Sebastian.

Avery stared at them questioningly then glanced at the supernatural person next to her. Sure he was good looking but not more so than other guys perhaps a 7/10.

Sebastian cleared his throat. "Yes, my acquaintance" he ground out, "is looking for a-"

"A Wii-U" Avery finished. Sebastian flashed her an annoyed look but she simply ignored it. Prior to entering the store, she tried to teach about Nintendo. He said every technological term perfectly except for the Wii-U, instead enunciating it like a police car siren, weewoo, weewoo.

The pinkie bobbed her head excitedly, at Sebastian "Yes, that is our most popular system so far! I'll go and get that for you. Are there any games you would like to play on it?"

Dark clad man opened his mouth to respond but Avery cut him off again with three words that resonated with the entire store.

"Super Smash Bros."

"Thank you! Please come again!" the two girls chorused from behind the counter as they waved prettily at Sebastian.

"It was a pleasure." the overly popular man answered with a fake smile and the girls whispered furiously together.

As Avery and Sebastian headed back to the car, Avery peered at the two girls again who were still huddled together. This was the fourth time such a situation happened, where Sebastian had entranced every living woman out of her wits. Will this strange phenomenon occur every time she goes out with Sebastian? It must be extremely exhausting to have girls whom you just met fall heads over heels for you.

"Does it ever get tiring?" Avery suddenly asked.

"No, milady, the bags and boxes weigh nothing for me," Sebastian responded, lifting six bags of electronics and a TV in one hand to demonstrate.

"No I mean, the way people act around you. How they're always enchanted by you," she described, "like bees to a flower."

The man shrugged indifferently, "No. Humans are simple creatures that only judge on appearance," a smirk grew on Sebastian's face, "And do not forget, some flowers use this as an advantage to eat pesky insects."

Avery shuddered, "You're horrible."

"It is common knowledge milady."

"Well, I think enough of those pesky insects can bring down a flower." she retorted, "Just like-"

She broke off to stare at a TV through the store windows. Big, bold letters flashed on the screen: BREAKING NEWS. A news reporter appeared with a shaky photograph on his right side. It was a picture of a bloodied man hanging by his collar at the balcony of his mansion.

"This afternoon, Mr. Bechtel, the CEO of Britain's largest surveillance company, Salvus, was found dead on the balcony of his Windsor home. Investigations by the Scotland Yard are still underway but sources say The Players, a pair of murderers who have been brutally killing Britain's wealthiest men, are the main suspects for this case. Earlier cases have all found a chess piece at the crime scene and the site of Mr. Bechtel's murder included a pawn. More information will be announced as we follow this news."

Avery's eyes widened. The pair had struck again just when she had let her guard down! Her entire frame froze as her mind churned at the thought of her parents' killers being loose in society. Where were they now? On to another victim? How come the chess pieces were never found earlier when she was on the case?

"-you alright?" a hand waved in front of her dazed face, "We must move towards the side if we are to watch the television."

The blurred screen came into focus as she processed Sebastian's words and his rudely waving hand.

"Put that hand away from my face. I'm not blind you know." she snapped, annoyed that she had lost her train of thought. Nevertheless, she moved to the side to allow people to pass by.

"Forgive me, I am only attempting to keep your head from wandering too high as it always does," Sebastian responded with feigned concern, his eyes scanning her face with great interest. He followed Avery under the protruding roof of a clothing store, his stance perfectly poised as if he weren't holding 10 bags and a TV. The aggravating bastard never let his appearance slip, much to Avery's chagrin.

"Those killers," she began, pointing at the TV screen which now showed an advertisement for WacDonalds, "they're the same ones that ended my parents."

Sebastian nodded, "Yes, I believe they are. It seems that they are known as The Players at the moment. Perhaps due to the game pieces they leave behind."

"Yes, I was thinking about that too. But why didn't the investigation team and I find out about it earlier?" Avery paced around, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought, "They're very thorough and don't leave anything behind. Unless-"

"Unless there is a mole." Sebastian finished, clapping his hands together, "Thus, explaining why the pieces weren't found until later when the mole could not recover the chess piece onsite in the recent murder. Brilliant work milady."

"To prevent the risk of blowing his cover, the mole had to go back to the previous murder sites and place the chess pieces back. Then, when the pieces are found, it would be labeled as an overlooked object. Suspicion resolved." she reasoned out, putting the fragments of clues together, "but why would the mole be trying to counteract the killers' intent? That would only happen if-"

"If they were not working together." Sebastian once again finished and Avery glared at him sharply, hands on her hips.

"Look here mister, I am the detective, not you," she berated him, "And don't cut in when I'm talking! I see what you're doing, trying to steal my thunder."

"There is no thunder to steal today, the day is quite clear," he responded pointing shamelessly to the clear blue skies above.

Avery sighed, already done with his nonsense, "Sebastian."

"It is quite physically impossible for any human to command thunder. Even I-"

"Sebastian."

"Yes, milady?" He raised a dark eyebrow at her forced tone.

"Shut up."