A tired groan left your breath as you slowly gained consciousness… only to realize you were tugged into your bed, sheets keeping you warm, while you still wore the clothes you were wearing from yesterday. You blinked, a tad confused, until you realized what happened yesterday, and you put your head into your pillow and let a grumble leave your breath.
Right, right! You told Undertaker a lot more then you should have!
Damn it!
But… well, you blinked, lying in bed as you pondered everything. You should be angry, annoyed, perhaps embarrassed, but you were more curious over Undertaker's words. The fact that he was all scarred up because the association detained him, you're assuming. That he knew of Claudia… though, now that you think about it, maybe there's another 'Countess Claudia' or a 'Lady Claudia' you don't know about? Somewhere on your family tree? But you have this suspicion that it's the same Claudia.
Which makes you sigh.
Okay, sure. Not hearing the voices of the dead and damned is nice, but sometimes it feels… too quiet.
Yet, it didn't really matter, now did it? You got your answers questioned, now. So, what was the problem? Do you even have a problem? You'd rather dance around the truth then outright tell a lie, but now the man knows too much. Should you even trust him?
Considering he is that reaper ancestor of yours, though you wonder if there were many other creatures your family lineage may have procreated with, after all it'd explain a lot more, then… should you be mad about that? Or relieved that he's a distant relative?...
Why are you disappointed?
Maybe, you hoped that he was an actual friend. A good companion. Someone you enjoyed talking to, regardless of how weird he can get. The fact that he's a reaper didn't necessarily matter, but he's a lot different from the other reapers you've met. Heck, the people you've met. He's just so…
Different…
But you sighed to yourself. Why does every person you decide to stay with seem to have some connection to you? Maybe you should just get your own place, at this point.
Yet, you assume that women aren't supposed to be living alone, in this Victorian era… or they're seen as prostitutes. Hey, you wouldn't mind sleeping around, but you don't like the idea of being seen as a slut.
But your little asthma fit left you a bit drained. There was still work to be done, and hopefully Michael gave you some pills to help with your pain. Flora is really good about planning ahead, after all. You glanced towards a tiny little window, noticing it must still be nighttime outside. With a tired sigh you began to move around your room, first quickly changing out of your dirty clothes for a nightgown, and then slipping on some house shoes so your feet wouldn't get too cold or get splinters.
Calmly, you left your room, your head glancing around as you wondered where Undertaker went. You wandered back down the stairs, grabbing the duffle bag Michael gave you, and after glancing at a clock you sighed to yourself. '12:24'. Slightly past midnight.
Were you really that emotionally distort? You must have been holding in your emotions longer then you thought.
After grabbing your duffle bag, that letter Vincent handed to you, you settled in the living room. You lit a carrying candle, setting it down on the nearby end table, before leaning back into the couch and opening the letter. You smirked. You haven't seen the family seal in ages… It's kind of nice that you're not the one associated with that seal, anymore. Yeah, it's a shame you aren't, but then again you can become whoever you wish to be. You're not tied down by a name and a title, anymore.
… Right now.
'Dear Lady Clara,
'It is our pleasure to cordially invite you and your boss, Lord Undertaker, to the Phantomhive mansion. I wish that you have been doing well and are enjoying your stay here in England. I hope to speak with you about your life in America and how you came to live in London. How you met the Undertaker. Etcetera.
'Our family enjoys Mr. Undertaker and his company, and we wish to meet the lady that happens to be living with him. I do not have much to say, but I hope you will join us at the mansion, sometime. Sadly, I am unable to visit London. I have two little ones at home, but they also wish to meet the young lady the Undertaker is with. My husband speaks fondly of his time at the funeral parlor.
'Wish to see you soon,
'Countess Rachel Durless Phantomhive'
You paused, staring at the letter, smiling lightly.
It's been a while since you got something like this… a text message, anything. You couldn't help but smirk to yourself before glancing at the envelope and noticing, happily, that there was a return address on the front.
Good.
Setting the letter aside, you put the duffle bag on the small wooden coffee table, opening the duffle bag to dump all the contents onto the table. You couldn't help but smile happily at what you saw.
Two extra inhalers, with four canisters just in case. "Sweet," you grinned, noticing another envelope as you took it out of the duffle bag, opening it with ease before reading the letter hastily written inside.
'Seriously, I wish I could message you, but whatever.
'The inhalers will last for the year. I will have Michael come by to give you some more, when it's time.
'We miss you. The group. Everyone wants to split up and leave. How troublesome.
'I heard you work with dead things. Do you have any interesting bones I can look at? Cat skulls? Have you collected any new skulls?
'I found two cute little tarantulas and a gardener snake. They are so adorable! Maybe one day you can see them. Considering they're with me, they'll be around for a very long time.
'Maybe we can hang out. I believe Jack the Ripper should be around London, around this time period. Perhaps we can watch the Jack in action. Or, you could show me the stores you enjoy. Are there any cafés, there?
'I miss talking to you. You enjoyed my quirkiness.
'Work has been slow. I've been developing my various hobbies. Hopefully the pills I created will be enough to help you sleep. They're a tad experimental, so tell me if they're good pain killers or not.
'Loves and kisses,
'Flora Cooper'
You rolled your eyes, smirking to yourself as you added her letter to the stack of papers, before continuing your search through the contents from the duffle bag. Of course the pills are experimental. She tends to like to try various things on you, harmful or otherwise. She should be glad you have a high tolerance for this sort of… stuff.
As long as it's not laced with arsenic, you should be alright.
For the most part.
Looking through the contents, you found a box full of tampons, which you assume the reapers actually have in their realm, a medicine container, with an ingredients label attached, and 'pain killers' written on the front in sharpie, as well as two pairs of long wooly, nice socks, a packet of underwear in your size, and three bras. Two sports bras and one wired bra.
You smiled.
You weren't expecting all of this… but this is certainly a nice surprise.
You were also given a couple of tee shirts with some sort of skull pattern on the front, in a feminine style, and a black leather jacket! Yes, you had been wearing one when you went to the realm earlier in the year, but it wasn't exactly real. An illusion, but this jacket was the real deal…
"Damn it," you mumbled, smiling to yourself as you set the clothing aside, before letting out a light giggle when you noticed you had been given a few bars of solid chocolate and a box of delicious looking black tea.
Once you were done, you placed everything away, except for the tea as you stood to your feet, placing it in the kitchen before grabbing everything. The duffle bag, letters, and lastly your closed sketchbook, before going back into your room and setting the items down on a drawer.
You paused, wondering for a moment if Undertaker was actually asleep. You know how these reapers are. Sometimes they're up for days on end, and others sleep at such irregular times throughout the day. Cautiously, you began to make your way back into the hallway, using the bathroom quickly, before resuming your curiosity as you stopped at Undertaker's door, gently opening the unlocked room. Normally, you just ignore his closed door. It's never locked, but you prefer to let people keep their privacy, but… your own nerves wanted to see the inside, for yourself, and you had to admit, you weren't disappointed.
Black, white, and grays encompassed the room, but it was warmly welcomed by the dark violet curtains, slightly opened, letting the moonlight creep into the room and illuminate the much brighter parts. A fairly nice dresser, a desk at the far end, and a large queen sized bed with fluffy looking sheets set to the side, on the other side of the closet, but the right side of the bed facing the decently large window. Probably the largest window in this entire building, even though it's small compared to most buildings.
But your eyes wandered to the lump underneath the sheets, long locks of silver hairs cascading like white water over black sheets, and you smirked in amusement at a human skull you noticed, set upon a night stand, before your eyes wandered back to the Undertaker. He wasn't breathing, but you know that's because reapers don't breathe when they are asleep.
Actually asleep.
Since he's seen you enough times asleep and unconscious, you decided to do the same, wondering if your movements were going to wake him up. Oddly enough, his chest never did start to move, his lungs not filling with air or his heart starting to beat against his chest, meaning he must be in a very deep sleep.
You smiled, slowly crouching down next to the bed, your back to the window, as you stared at his sleeping face.
He looked so… content. Not angry, sad, or tired. Happy or giggly. Just… content. Peaceful… tranquil.
He honestly did look like a corpse, with his scarred face, pale complexion, and long white hair. Even you cannot help but wonder if he's old… or his hair is naturally that color… but your fingers brushed his bangs, slightly, to the side as you clearly noticed that he didn't have eyebrows. A faint imprint of eyebrows, but nothing that told you what his real hair color was… Maybe it is silver.
That's a thing, right?
Which made you wonder, where did he come from? Did he always look this way? Maybe he's ten times older then you ever thought… or maybe he just knows a lot. Keeps his secrets to himself. You get that… but you wanted to know about the scars. Every single one of them. Scars always tell a story, a painful story, but stories nonetheless.
You blinked, closing your eyelids for a moment as you thought to yourself. This… well, this feeling… it's familiar, but you're not sure if you want to admit it, to yourself.
He frustrates you at times, but he can make you laugh, and laughter is something you constantly crave. You don't even have to try very hard! And, he never seems to hate you. Despise you. Look at you with disgust. After everything you've said… strangely enough he simply listens without any clear judgement. Without assuming that you're completely bonkers.
Are you actually happy about that?...
… Maybe you are.
Maybe that's why you stick around. You always feel like you're trying too hard, in any relationship you've had to deal with. Friends, family, even romantic partners. It's a lot of effort, on your part, to make them happy and reach a point where you're enjoying yourself.
But with Undertaker… it's so easy. Even your little burst of anger felt like nothing. He just… let it all go. He told you the truth, and you kind of did, as well. Sure, there are secrets, but…
Hearing a slight breath, you opened your eyes, watching as his own eyelids began to blink, his eyes and lungs working before his heart began to pump rapidly in his chest. You watched as his features turned from curiosity, slight content, into utter confusion. "… M-my lady?" he mumbled in response, your eyes looking over his face as you thought his words over.
It… sounded so different. But…
"It's Clara," you decided to say, feeling as if you needed to clarify who you are, and you watched with an intrigued stare as he blinked, his upper face scrunching together in slight confusion, before he let a light smile appear on his face.
"Did you have a nightmare~?" he grinned, acting playful.
But you watched with a smirk as he leaned back, confusion written all over his face, again, as you seemed unphased by his comment. "Nooo~… I was just… bored," you decided to say, though honestly you didn't know why you went into his room in the first place. Curiosity? A strange desire to? "… You're peaceful when you sleep," you admitted, causing the man to let a grin appear on his face as you blinked a couple of times. "… W-well… I'm sorry for intruding. I'll be leaving now –"
"You don't have to go if you don't want to," he responded, letting out a yawn, and he slowly began to roll over in his bed, his movement waking his body up as you stood to your feet and began to back away from the bed. "… Claaraaa~. No need to leave."
"I'm not… doing anything sexual," you stated, causing the man to chuckle lowly in response.
"I wasn't inferring such a thing, unless you wish~ to."
"N-no," you mumbled, taking another step backward. "S-sorry. I just… I'll go back to bed now –"
"You sure?" he responded in a curious tone, his voice sounding a bit different, but familiar.
He watched with a curious gaze as your body moved on its own, walking over to his bed as you moved underneath the covers, and he giggled to himself as he rolled back over, plopping an arm over your shoulder, which you moved to your side. "… Unfair. Your sheets are warmer than mine."
"We can buy you better sheets tomorrow," he mumbled, sounding like he was teasing you, but all you could do in response is close your eyes, sighing lightly in reply.
"… Yeah. Let's just say I had a bad dream," you mumbled, and you smiled to yourself as you heard a slight chuckle against your head, but you let your body relax.
This just felt… right.
Oddly so, but this was strangely enjoyable.
Not weird. Just… nice.
! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !
A/N: And… THERE WE GO!
Hey! This'll be the last chapter I post today. Four chapters in a row? I'm on a roll!
Nah. I just wanted to post some chapters before I continued on with writing the story. I may not post for a while… or it'll only be a day. Who knows. I have work, and then I'll be hanging out with a friend on Thurs, so we'll see.
The beginnings of a blossoming relationship~. At least, that's what I'm going for. Wrapping some stuff up before we move on in the plot/story. I am enjoying this. Honestly, I wasn't going to post this story… but now that I've been doing so, I am enjoying where this is going.
Though, I'm already close to reaching chapter 30, in my writing, and I still haven't moved very far in the plot. Hmm… oh well, I guess.
Anyways, I hope you guys are ENJOYING your day. Your week. If you're still in school, good luck! Just hang in there, because it'll be summer soon enough!
And I realized that I've been on this website for more then a decade… Wow. I'm fricken old.
Okay. Well I'll stop now. SEE YOU! ENJOY YOURSELVES!