Hi everyone! I'm back! Yes, I know I haven't posted in a few months...sorry...and I know I'm totally evil for having left off at a cliff-hanger. But I do have an excuse! I'm currently working on Part One of what I hope will be my first novel, so that's where all my writing energy has been going. I'm also taking a Fiction class at my college right now, so I've been writing short stories like crazy! It's really fun and interesting, but unfortunately it means that this story tends to get neglected, since in my mind original fiction fanfiction. But now I have a new chapter, and it's extra-long, so hopefully this will appease some people. Here you are! *presents new chapter*
Oh, and I would be very gratified with reviews. :3
The back of Ciel's booted heel thudded against the floor with grim finality as he stepped back through the doorway of the room in which he had imprisoned Sebastian. The demon was rearing up, becoming taller than any man, eyes spinning, body darkening into the shadows all around him. Before the light was dropped, Ciel glimpsed Lydia rise up and cry out, but she would be too late to stop him, he knew that. The young boy figured that it must be some sort of biological mandate among women, that they were so possessed with the instinct to protect their kin. What other reason could Lydia possibly have to feel such affinity for him, after everything? But this was going to be, and Ciel was immensely surprised by it all. It seemed that the demon was actually stupid enough to attempt what he was about to attempt. Feeling proud of his calmness, the young heir faced the darkness, felt the oncoming rush of air, and heard the demon scream.
The screams continued as the creature of darkness writhed and strained against the contract that kept him from harming his master. Ciel could see the glint of claws that swiped just inches from his face, from his contract eye that glowed beneath its eyepatch. He could imagine that the demon would like to gouge that eye right out and leave him half-blinded and bleeding. However, Ciel contented himself with the knowledge that that creature was in far worse pain than he would ever experience. The contract could not be broken. Sebastian would not win this game, and Ciel planned to emphasize the foolishness of such rebellion as soon as he got the demon back under control.
A cracking sound above his head disturbed him from these thoughts. Ciel's head shot upward as dust began to fall from the ceiling- he could not see it, but he was forced to breathe it in inside the confined space. His eyes narrowed as he realized that Sebastian was trying to attack him indirectly. Demonic energy was radiating out of the darkness, and it was more that the cellar's grim structure could handle. Furious, Ciel opened his mouth to command Sebastian to desist, but deteriorated into a coughing fit as the dust in the air thickened. He couldn't breathe properly. His small body doubled over, hacking and searching for cleaner air closer to the ground, but he found nothing to ease his lungs. Damn that evil demon! Just as Ciel's mind began to grow dizzy, a rather uncharacteristic yelp leaped out of the darkness in front of him, followed by intense scuffling and a drawn-out, grating noise. The boy lay still as these noises continued. Carefully, he reached for his fallen torch and box of matches, managing to scoot himself toward the wall where there was clearer air. A resounding crash thundered through the cellar, and as Ciel tried to catch his breath, he deftly re-lit his torch and held it up to illuminate the scene in front of him.
Lydia, her simple dress torn all down her back, had somehow managed to pin Sebastian by the throat to the back wall furthest from Ciel. Her bandaged right arm was crushing into his pale neck, and the demon seemed to be having genuine difficulty escaping this position. He was obviously loathe to actually injure her by swiping at her with his claws. As Sebastian struggled to extricate himself, Ciel stood up on shaky legs, gaping at the pair of them. What were they doing? Lydia was a human, and Sebastian was a demon. There should have been no contest between them in terms of strength. Sebastian finally managed to push Lydia away and wasted no time in lunging toward Ciel again- but he was abruptly jerked backward as Lydia latched into his arm, her waves of hair falling messily about her face as she swung him around and pinned him again. It was so absurd; it was like watching something out of a supernatural presentation where the viewer was asked to suspend disbelief and merely accept the course of events. From the look on his face, Sebastian was clearly just as confused as Ciel was. He continued trying to pry her off, while all the while his features were slowly relaxing into something more human than they had been previously. Lydia held her ground and held on. Despite his shock, the young heir could not help but notice that his sister was accomplishing all this with only one arm- the white-swathed, bandaged arm which had caused him so much guilt. What was the meaning of this? Ciel had assumed that that arm was crippled, damaged beyond repair. Why else would she wear a bandage over it all the time? Yet here she was using it to fend off a demon. What in hell….
Ciel's flurry of thoughts was interrupted yet again as a barrage of broken bricks rained down just a few feet from him. The roof of this room was giving out. Gathering the voice which had been lost deep inside him, Ciel shouted over to the sparring pair, "We need to get out! The roof has become unstable!"
Lydia glanced over at him, and then turned and whispered something into Sebastian's ear. The demon's body relaxed, albeit unwillingly, and the next moment both siblings found themselves swept out of the basement into the room leading to the stairs. Ciel staggered as Sebastian dropped him, clearly indicating that he would have very much preferred to leave him behind. Ciel spun around indignantly. "You mind yourself, you wretch! I can put you right back in there if I like!"
Sebastian drew himself up and hissed menacingly, slowly advancing upon his young master as if he intended to make another attempt to cause him harm. His eyes had not stopped spinning. Ciel reached for the part of his mind that allowed him to control Sebastian, and prepared to teach the demon his place. Before they could begin fighting, however, Sebastian's red eyes widened and he pushed past Ciel, causing the young heir to turn around in confusion.
Lydia had been so quiet when she had fallen against the wall and slid down to the floor. Neither of them had noticed her distress. Sebastian was tilting her head back and listening to her breathe. Her eyes were not open. Once again, Ciel had no idea what to do. He wanted to get out of this dark and compressing place. Sebastian lifted Lydia into his arms and began to climb the stairs without a word for Ciel, which angered the young boy inexplicably. The demon was allowed to hate him, but he was not allowed to ignore him. "Sebastian," Ciel declared, beginning to follow the demon up the stairs. "Take Lydia to a guest room and have Tanaka assess her. Since you have seen fit to ruin her dress, have Meirin outfit her in a new nightgown and tuck her into bed. You are to remain beside her and alert me if her condition becomes worse or if she refuses to wake up- but you are not to touch her at all until she awakens. Do you understand?"
The demon continued climbing the stairs, walking too quickly for Ciel to keep up. From deep within the cellar, the echoing crashes of more beleaguered stones falling to the floor could be heard. Ciel narrowed his eyes, but refused to let Sebastian know that his renitence was getting under his skin. "Sebastian, stop."
The black-clad figure ground to a halt on the top stairstep, becoming rigid as he waited for his young master to catch up. He refused to turn around and look at him.
"Well?" Ciel asked, tilting his head in expectation. He could feel his natural command returning to him now that he was out of the cellar and back in the Phantomhive manner, his own domain. "You know the answer that I want." His uncovered eye caught upon the wrinkled bandages that were tangled over Lydia's dangling arm, and he frowned. There really was no worth in the affections of women. They would carelessly expend themselves in the defense of others, and in the end would have no energy left for themselves. Her face looked so sad.
Sebastian was still for a long moment, fighting the inevitable. Ciel didn't know why he bothered. A creature who had lived as long as he ought to know the difference between things which could be changed and things which could not be. Finally he bowed his head and clutched the unconscious body of his master more closely to his chest. His eyes raked over her form as though speaking to her. "Yes, my Lord."
/
For a long time, Lydia lay still while the remnants of fading dreams tossed about in her dark-tressed head. She was aware that her head was lying against a pillow, and as she slowly returned to consciousness, a spicy aroma which she thought she recognized crept into the room. The room….? The cellar…. Bother! Pushing herself upright with a gasp, Lydia shook with dizziness as she clutched the edges of her very fine bedsheets to her chest. Immediately a pair of hands was upon her own, trying to pry the sheets from her fingers and push her back down onto the bed. She swatted at the owner of the hands with both of hers, and a faint growl caused her to look up into a pair of familiar red eyes. He was rubbing the side of his face grudgingly, and as she watched, he carefully seized her bandaged right arm and lowered it safely away from him, never taking his eyes off it. The events which had transpired in the cellar came clearly back to her then, and Lydia felt for the back of her dress only to realize that she was wearing a new one, pure white and ribboned. She glanced up at Sebastian quickly.
"Did you put the- did you- you've got a lot of-"
"I carried you upstairs, master." The demon murmured, still holding onto her arm. "Your brother gave me orders not to touch you again until you awoke. I called for the maid to outfit you in a nightgown."
"Oh. Well, then." Lydia answered, plucking at the sleeve of her nightgown with her free hand. It really was so fine that there was little difference between it and an evening dress. "Where is Ciel?"
"He is downstairs, waiting for the arrival of Madame Red, who has recently returned from her business with your grandfather's affairs in London. He did not wish to give the impression that anything was wrong." The demon responded, narrowing his eyes in distaste. Then, leaning forward slightly, he traced a finger up and down her bandages and murmured lowly in her ear. "Master is exceptionally strong…."
Lydia tensed and stared out across the room.
"….but only in one limb of her body. I wonder why that would be?"
"You mind your own business." The girl returned sharply, pivoting so that her legs dangled down the side of the bed. Then, feeling guilty, she asked in a softer tone, "How are you doing?"
A heavy grimace settled upon Sebastian's pale features. "Better than I was previously faring."
"That isn't saying much. Come here." Lydia intoned, pulling the demon closer to her bed and stretching out her unbandaged arm. She laid it carefully against his face and he nuzzled it quietly, relief echoing throughout his strained body. They sat in silence for a moment.
"I should hit you instead, you know. That was an awfully stupid thing you tried to do down there. You couldn't have possibly thought that it would help you at all."
The demon growled softly again, bending his head down over Lydia. His eyes slid closed briefly. "I don't believe I did. I am aware that the contract prevents me from harming either of you. I merely wanted….to threaten him."
"You shouldn't have."
"He hurt me." Sebastian ground out remorselessly, raising his head to glare into Lydia's blue eyes as if they were the eyes of a certain one of her relations. "Neither he nor you can understand the agony I am forced to endure at your command."
"I won't let him do that to you again." Lydia murmured, stroking the side of his face with her thumb. Sebastian reached up and took her hand in both of his, squeezing it tightly as if she were a sponge being wrung of her light.
"Then stay here." He intoned, red eyes sharpening. "Or let me come away with you."
Lydia bit her tongue, distracted. "You want to come to Camden Street?" she asked in surprise, wryly imagining her father's reaction if she showed up on the doorstep with the demon in tow. There was no question of it, of course, but it still surprised her that Sebastian would suggest it.
"I would have come there with you four years ago if you had allowed me then." Sebastian answered fluidly, leaning down toward her. "What I want is to be with you, master, wherever you choose to be."
If the young girl had not known that Sebastian was a demon, his words would have seemed romantic and rather bold to her cultured mind. However, just as with the tearing of her dress, Lydia knew that he did not mean it in that way at all. But no matter how he meant it, she was aware that his request was an impossibility. Sebastian had to stay with Ciel. He could not come with her. "You can't." she told him quietly.
"Why not?"
"As I told you before, I have my own life-"
"Master, please listen. I am not out to interfere with your already established lifestyle." Sebastian insisted, circling his long fingers more tightly over her hand. "I am aware that you enjoy being independent. With Ciel, my duties include smoothly choreographing every aspect of his life to minimize discomfort and maximize profit. He is an aristocrat- he expects nothing less. However, if you desire to run your own household, I would have no quarrel with that. I simply want to be with you. I want to be there to accomplish the things which your human nature prevents you from doing. I realize that in your eyes, life outside of this manor has been good to you, but still…." A gentle smiled played silkily about Sebastian's lips. "….We can always make it better, yes? Don't shake your head like that. You know that I can give you anything you want. Think about that, master. Anything. Think about what I can do for you, for your father, for anyone else whom you see fit to care about. What is it you want most?"
Lydia attempted to push the demon away. It was clear that he was recovering his powers- his eyes were glowing a quiet, enticing red, his voice was soft and persuasive, and his face bore the look which dragged men to their ruin and maidens to their doom. Don't be fooled! She warned herself, raising her guard as firmly as she could. His insidious voice continued. "Tell me what you want, master. My only wish has always been to serve your desires. What would make you happy? A spacious house on Kentish Street, perhaps?" As he said it, Lydia could almost see it in her mind- someplace painted white, surrounded by shade trees and peaceful stillness, the polar opposite of noisy, rambunctious Camden Street. Could Sebastian really do that? Of course he could, she knew he could, but….
"Well, for one thing, I'd like my visits to this manor to stop turning into giant flaming fiascos which cause mental and physical injury to all involved." Lydia declared, suddenly wanting to remove herself from this vulnerable scene. The smoke from the candles beside her bed was filtering into her senses, clouding her mind. She propped herself up in bed, swinging her legs toward the side and trying to stand up. Sebastian moved immediately to stop her, and she instinctively blocked his hand with the outer side of her right arm. There was a very long, awkward pause while the two of them remained still, Sebastian holding onto Lydia's arm and sensing (she knew) the phenomenal strength underneath the bandages. He eventually sighed and replaced her arm on top of the bedsheets, rearranging his beautiful features into his typical polite expression.
"Master, please tell me about what happened in the past to cause this."
"I told you already." Lydia replied evasively, reaching behind her to smooth out her somewhat rumpled locks of hair. "It's because of what happened on the lake…."
"That incident would provide a perfect explanation for the bandages on your arm- but not for the superhuman strength of said arm. I am a demon, master. I have lived for a long time. Please give me some credit for intelligence." Sebastian turned his head downward with a sardonic lilt of his lips. "Ordinary humans do not possess the strength which would allow them to hold back one such as myself. Is your arm even maimed? You seem well able to use it without any handicap…."
"Whoever said I was an ordinary human? You know I'm not." The brown-haired girl shook her head lightly, pressing her bandaged hand into the fleshy area below her breasts, methodically feeling for fractures. If any of her ribs were broken from the fall she had taken in the cellar, she wanted to find out now, before she made a bid at standing up.
Sebastian frowned at her seriously. "Master, the concept of magna shalom is supposed to refer exclusively to strength of the soul. I have never before heard of an occurrence where the effects bled over into the physical body of a human being. Therefore, how did- master!"
Having determined that none of her bones were damaged, Lydia heaved herself into a vertical position when she heard dull footsteps begin to ring out down the hall. Still holding onto her bare hand, Sebastian rose up with her, hovering protectively in case she collapsed against him. She stood on her own, however, and the demon fought the urge to shrink back as a miniature grey figure turned the door open and entered the room on the beat of his heels. Ciel glared insidiously at the tall, black-clad demon standing behind his sister, and said demon glared back with equal fierceness. Lydia held her ground between them like a buffer. Ciel's eyes were glacially cold. "Sebastian. Get out. You are to go downstairs immediately and begin repairing the damage to the cellar. I expect it to be done by morning."
"He needs to rest before he does anything." Lydia cut in, which was exactly what Sebastian had hoped she'd say. He desperately longed for sleep.
Ciel narrowed his eyes at the demon. "I need to speak with you downstairs, Lydia, and Madame Red is waiting as well. I do not want that thing around us."
"Why don't we compromise?" Lydia asked calmly. "I'll put Sebastian out of the way while we're talking downstairs, so his presence won't bother you. After we finish, I'll go back upstairs and help him get some rest. That way everyone can be satisfied while being as healthy as possible."
Sebastian could tell that Ciel was not invested in any plan that did not involve causing severe suffering for his demon. Still, it was Lydia who had suggested it…. After a moment, the young heir turned toward the door and gave a diplomatic nod of his head. "Very well, then. Tell it to stay put in this room. I don't want to have to deal with any more ridiculous mischief from it." He gave Sebastian one more icy glare before sweeping back out of the room, leaving the door hanging open for Lydia to follow.
"So, you're 'it' now, are you?" Lydia questioned, gathering up her hair and twisting it over one shoulder in an attempt at neatness.
Sebastian turned his eyes toward the floor. "The young master is very angry with me."
"Don't worry about it." She declared firmly, indicating that he should sit down on the bed which she had just risen from. "Stay right here, and try not to think about the pain. I'll return soon, and then you can transform yourself into a cat and sleep beside me all night. Sleep will make you feel much better. Oh- and don't leave this room in the meantime."
"Hmmmmmm," Sebastian murmured, leaning his head toward her tiredly. For him, the prospect of sleep after all he had been through was like an offer of food to a starving man. "Is that an order, master?"
"I have no reason to think that you'd disobey me, Sebastian." The brown-haired girl answered, pushing on his shoulder before striding over to the door on more stable feet. "Lie down and try to focus on something else till I get back, all right?"
"Yes, master." The demon murmured, letting himself fall sideways onto the pillows on the bed. Lydia didn't really know what she was talking about in regards to pain, good as her intentions were. It was impossible for him to simply will himself to think of something else while he was being clawed at and burned from the inside out. Still, he had endured this for thousands upon thousands of years before he had met her- he could endure it for an hour more. The amazing thing, for him, was the utterly new anticipation that the pain would stop- not forever, but for a respite in which he could escape and bask in pure light. He had never had this hope before. Letting his hair fall messily around his face, Sebastian buried his face in the pillow and softly moaned as he waited for Lydia to return to him.
/
Halfway down the stairs, Ciel stopped walking so abruptly that Lydia almost ran over the much smaller boy. He turned toward her slightly so that half his face was still shadowed, and murmured, "I suppose I must thank you for your earlier actions on my behalf."
Lydia shrugged awkwardly, then halted, suddenly aware of how common the movement must seem to someone like him. "Sebastian couldn't have hurt you, anyway. I merely reacted to my protective instincts."
There was a slight pause, as Ciel seemed unsure of what to say in reply to this. Softly, Lydia stepped sideways so that she could look her brother directly in the face. "Why do you hate him?" she inquired, making sure that nothing in her tone could be construed as accusatory. Ciel clearly felt threatened regardless. His eyes became brighter and his whole upper body stiffened, like an angered cat. "You don't know what he's like," he snapped brusquely before turning around and continuing his pace downstairs. After a moment, Lydia followed him, newly puzzled. This was clearly something she needed to get to the bottom of- but not tonight. Everyone was too upset with each other. Still, his response made her wonder.
She didn't have time to wonder long, however, for as soon as she entered into the main receiving room, she found herself enveloped in an absolute wave of red. "Ah, Lydia! There you are!" cried her aunt, hugging her tightly and then holding her out at arm's length to have a better look at her. Her face suddenly became much softer, and she blinked her eyes rapidly. "Oh my goodness….you look so much like your mother in that white dress."
Thrown off, the brown-haired girl managed to nod as Ciel took a seat at the small, mahogany table already laid out with a sumptuous collection of meats and cheeses. He indicated for the two women to be seated as well, which was difficult for Lydia to do as her aunt continued to fuss over her, feeling her forehead for fever and her arms and ribs for fractures. She was reminded once again that Madame Red was a doctor.
"She's all right." Ciel piped up from the table. "I had her condition ascertained already." Once his female relatives were seated, he indicated politely to the tray of foods before him. "Please, help yourselves."
"How can we think of food at a time like this?" Madame Red exclaimed, taking off her hat and draping it over the back of her chair as she gestured wildly into thin air. "When Lydia has collapsed and the manor is in shambles and the funeral is in just two days?"
This last piece of news was new to Lydia, who started and gazed over at her distressed aunt with wide eyes. Meanwhile, Ciel did not seem concerned. "Everything is still in place. I've arranged for Lydia to stay here until she gets well. Sebastian shall have the manor back to its former state by the time the funeral date arrives. As for the funeral itself-"
"But- what? You've done what?" Lydia burst into the conversation with considerably less eloquence, gazing at her brother in unmasked alarm.
"I've already telephoned your father, as well as your university and your workplace."
"You've what? How did you- how do you even know where I work? And…."
"I asked your father for the information."
"Oh my. What-what did you say? Did you tell them….?"
"I did not go into detail regarding my specific relationship to you. However, the mention of my name was enough to procure you 'as much time as you may need' to recover."
"Holy Mary."
"Does this displease you?" Ciel asked, cocking his eyebrow.
Lydia felt that it would be rather insensitive to tell him that she had never before made mention of her past beyond her father's origins to anyone from either her university or her work. Ciel's call must have created a field day back in London. Now, as soon as she returned, she was going to be bombarded with intrusive questions. She felt like laying her head on the table in despair, but since that would require pressing her face into a plate of food, she merely bit the inside of her lip and managed to sputter out. "But I- I don't even feel sick."
"You are quite ill." Ciel informed her in a tone that dared her to contradict him. If Lydia hadn't been so worried about where she was going to hide when she went back to school, she would have found the whole situation quite funny. Ciel was so small and so proud, and the sight of him trying to give orders to his older sister when he didn't even come up to her shoulders would have made her father laugh aloud. Lydia would never actually laugh at him, though- she knew he would hate it. She remembered when she had used to be that small. It was a genetic trait on her mother's side, she thought. She wasn't sure exactly when her mother or Aunt Angelina had gone through their growth spurts. For her, she had only begun to grow taller after she had left the manor behind.
Madame Red was listening to the siblings' banter with a strange, almost nostalgic look in her eyes. Lydia turned toward her, but before she could ask her aunt if she was all right, the normal enthusiastic expression returned to the woman's face. "Well, if that's settled, I suppose the next order of business is the manor. Ciel, will Sebastian…."
"He will fix it promptly." The boy declared in that same flat tone of voice. "I do not intend to put up with this state of affairs much longer."
Madame Red nodded. In a much softer tone, she asked, "Is he trying you?"
"He always tries me." Ciel sighed, staring straight ahead in irritation. "I honestly do not see how you can possibly think well of him, Lydia."
Lydia thought that this was going a little far. However, the next moment they were interrupted by the nervous rattle of a tea cart being pushed through the open doorway. The familiar red-haired maid was poking her head into the room as though afraid to enter fully without permission. Lydia blushed a little at the sight of her- it was embarrassing to think that this almost-stranger had seen her body in an unclothed state. Still, Lydia supposed that she should just be grateful that this maid- Meirin, was it?- had not tried to unwrap her right arm's bandages. She couldn't even imagine what might have happened if she had.
"I shall have the entrance hall cleared out first, and cloaked in black tapestries…." Ciel was saying. He nodded at the maid and she advanced forward into the room, bearing hot tea and embroidered napkins on her cart.
That was another strange thing, Lydia thought suddenly as she took her cup of rose tea from pale, trembling hands. Ciel had seen everything that had transpired in the basement after he had re-lit his torch….and yet, thus far he had yet to ask her anything about her right arm or how she had been able to pull Sebastian away from him. Why hadn't he mentioned it? It had been the first thing Sebastian had wanted to know when she woke up. It wasn't something that could just be ignored or dismissed as chance- after all, of all people, Ciel ought to know just how strong a demon could be. The only deduction that Lydia could make was that he was avoiding the topic on purpose, which only made her more curious about his reasons. Something was surely afoot here.
Meirin retreated from the room with a respectful bow, and Lydia did her best to smile at her inquisitive face. Madame Red glanced after the maid, and in a low voice, murmured to Ciel, "You're going to have to tell the servants about your sister soon. How many times has she been here already? They need to know who she is."
Ciel heaved a sigh and lowered his head a little, as if the prospect of telling just one more person anything was too much for him to bear. "I'll tell them in the morning," he declared, causing Lydia's hand to give an involuntary sort of nervous spasm. She quickly pretended to be simply reaching for a piece of gourmet cheese. For a moment, the room was silent and Lydia could hear the wind whooshing by outside the darkened glass panes.
"As for the funeral," Madame Red spoke up thoughtfully, taking out a handkerchief and blotting at her lips, "I rather think that Lydia should attend."
Both Phantomhive siblings promptly choked on their food.
"What?" Ciel sputtered in outraged tones. "Have you gone mad?"
"Sooner or later, people will have to know that she has returned." The red-swathed lady insisted, peering over at Lydia's still, pale face. "It may as well be sooner. Otherwise, there will be rumors. Speculation. If people can't find out who the girl is that keeps returning to your manor, they will make up their own stories."
"They wouldn't dare! And if they do dare, I'll set Sebastian on them!" Ciel seethed, stiffening like an angry cat once again. "Anyway, what on earth could they possibly say?"
"How on earth could I possibly show up to the funeral of the man who hated me and tried to kill me?" Lydia cut in plaintively, feeling that she would be permanently mortified by the fruition of this ill-devised plan. Madame Red glanced casually between both siblings' indignant faces, and smiled.
"Ciel- I do believe that many people would assume that a member of your staff was conducting an unmarried affair- probably Sebastian, since he's so handsome." The red-haired lady quirked her lips upward a little, and continued. "This could be damaging to Lydia's reputation as well as the Phantomhive family's."
"But-"
"And Lydia," Madame Red turned slowly toward her niece. "We would have Sebastian with you, of course, to ensure that you do not fall into danger. But your attendance at the funeral would be the perfect opportunity to demonstrate to society that you are a lady of the finest class. Graceful and gracious, determinedly standing by your little brother, uncowed by danger and unruffled by past wrongs. Seeing that from you would turn many people in your favor, I believe."
Lydia could scarcely believe what she was hearing. Who was this person Madame Red was describing? "But Aunt Angelina- I'm not a lady. You should know that very well. I've been gone for too long and what's more, I am thoroughly and entirely common. I am! I live on an ordinary street and I go to school and I work to save for my future and- well, I'm not an aristocrat! Anyone would know that in a second. And besides, do you really think that the rest of the family is going to care whether I'm graceless and determined or uncowed or whatever-? They're not going to want me around."
"Opinions can change." Madame Red assured sagely, taking a sip from her rose-patterned tea cup.
"It's mad." Ciel insisted, bringing a hand up to his forehead in despair of his aunt.
They batted this topic around for the greater part of another hour. Nothing much was resolved, but they eventually wore themselves out and decided to continue in the morning. Madame Red was shown up to one of the many sumptuous guest rooms after thoroughly hugging her sister's children goodnight. Lydia thought about trying to hug Ciel, but remembered how stiff he had become in his aunt's embrace, and resigned herself to bidding him a formal goodnight at the base of the stairs. Halfway up, her eyes caught sight of the gigantic portrait framed on the wall, and she stared at it, lost in confusing memories, until she realized that Ciel was still watching her. She hurried away and managed to locate the random guest room in which she had left Sebastian without getting lost. The demon was still curled up on the bed, but he rose and bowed when he entered the room, offering her a pure white washcloth and slice of soap seemingly from nowhere. She smiled in amusement at the supernatural sleight of hand.
"Thanks, Sebastian. Go and help Ciel while I get ready for bed, then come back here….and bring some extra candles."
"I'm sure he can manage," the demon protested stiffly, trying to retreat into the shadows.
"I'm sure he can't." she noted in return, remembering the rumpled state of her brother's usually meticulous clothing and wondering if he even knew how to dress and undress himself. "Go on, it'll only take you a few minutes."
"Master, please reconsider. He will keep me there just to cause me pain." Sebastian insisted, blending himself further into the shadows, which troubled Lydia in her heart. She blew a strand of hair out of her face and remembered the pool of malice which lay deep within Ciel's own heart. She decided to not make the same mistake twice.
"All right, all right….for tonight, you don't have to go. But do make sure that Tanaka knows that Ciel needs to be attended to." Clearly relieved, Sebastian slipped out of the room while Lydia retreated to the attached bathroom and filled the sink with warm water. She traced the soap along her tired face in nonsense designs and tried not to beat her mind against the events of the day like a battering ram. That would only give her a headache. After drying her face off, she dipped her hand into the satchel she had brought from home and took out her hairbrush, stroking gracefully up and down like a waterfall's cascade. Growing more tired with every passing moment, Lydia dropped the brush onto the nightstand beside her bed and fell down into the covers, wrapping herself up in them, and then….she was half-asleep when the door slid open again and Sebastian ghosted back in, holding the pale outlines of a pair of red candles. She wondered at his choice in color. Unperturbed, the demon lit a candle and set it silently on her nightstand, then proceeded to circle the bed and lay down beside her on the other end. She could tell by the tilt of the mattress that he had not yet turned himself into a cat, and she wondered why not….he ought to know that she was not going to sleep with him while he was in his human form. That would just be scandalous.
"….Master?"
"Huh?" she grunted sleepily, rolling herself over to face him. The ebony black of Sebastian's hair and clothes formed a stark contrast with the white sheets, and an even starker dissonance with the silent red of his eyes. He did not blink as he stared at her.
"….Thank you for coming to my aid today. And the last time, as well. Your arrival was most timely."
"It wasn't very timely today." She answered honestly, clutching the pillow with her white, bandaged fingers. "You were down there for how long? Days? The suffering must have been horrible to bear."
"I have no choice but to bear it. My immortality becomes my curse." Sebastian murmured, prompting Lydia to voice a thought which she'd barely touched on in her younger years at the manor.
"….Is it that bad? If you could, to escape the pain….would you want to die?"
"Yes." The demon replied without hesitation. "I have lived for far longer than you can imagine. For one such as myself, death would not cut anything short. I have no lack of time, or of pain." He gazed calmly upon Lydia's surprised face. Outside the window, an owl swooped up from the manor grounds and disappeared into a tree. The young girl parted her lips around the idea of death. In the past it had been before her, in front of her, had curled right up against her and wrapped itself around her, but she could not imagine consciously wanting it, welcoming it. Even after the death of her dear mother, she had known that it was not yet time to follow her. She had had business in this world left to attend to. She had chosen death on that winter night on the lake, when she had received the power into her right arm, but she had ended up living anyway- and that wasn't really the same thing. There had been extenuating circumstances. Regardless, 'death' in the manner which Sebastian wished for was not a possibility. Souls and spirits were permanent beings. No one simply died and ceased to exist, not even fallen angels. Sebastian knew that.
The demon shifted slightly atop the bedsheets. "But let us not talk of situations which are impossible for myself and my kind. There are, after all, more desirable options which are quite within my reach, if master would only give her allowance…."
"No, Sebastian. Not tonight. I've had a very stressful day. I've had an argument with my brother, I've literally had to fight you, I've fainted dead away, and I've just been informed that Ciel has come dangerously close to exposing my family connections back in London. What's more, Madame Red desires that I should attend her father's funeral, which is in two days. I am not going to cap it all off by arguing with you- when it's nearly midnight!- about your coming back to Camden Street with me. I understand why you want this, but for tonight, please do put a sock in it and let me sleep." Lydia ended her rant by pulling the embroidered quilt over her head, only to lower it again a moment later when she heard Sebastian's dark, deep-throated chuckle pad softly about the room. "What on earth is so funny?"
The demon's eyes were glowing red with amusement, a feral kind of interest that would have frightened her if she hadn't been so accustomed to it. He gave a mock bow, swaths of black hair falling about his flawless face. "Very well then, master, I shall 'put a sock in it,' as you say….though I wish to simply state that your acquired speaking patterns serve as an endless source of amusement to one as accustomed to the aristocracy as myself."
If Lydia had possessed the energy, she would have thrown a pillow at him, though she knew that there was no chance of actually hitting Sebastian unless he allowed himself to be hit. "You are an evil, ridiculous creature," she declared, bringing her left arm forward and laying it close to his dark-topped head. "Now go to sleep."
Sebastian obligingly laid his ungloved hand upon hers. Lydia closed her eyes, and a second later the hand was a paw. The nubile black cat pawed its way gently under the outer covers, and Lydia draped her arm over it and held it to her side. The purring rumbled against her skin as she and the cat fell asleep together in the dusk of the room lit by the slowly burning red candle. Before the cat immersed himself completely, he opened a red-orbed eye and gazed at the flame, noting with satisfaction that this was probably the first time in his existence that he had simply seen fire and not felt it. Then he was at rest.
...And yes, the expression 'put a sock in it' really was originally a colloquial British phrase that was coined sometime around the early 20th century. I was very amused by this. XD
