A short chapter but I wrote what need to be written.

Sorry for the absence but I'm not sorry. I have difficulty staying dedicated to tasks for long periods of time.

Thanks for the reviews and continued dedication despite my own lacking!

Ciel crossed and uncrossed his legs. He stirred and unstirred his tea. Sebastian watched his focused thought with interest in which Ciel, at long last, broke the pattern and took a bite out of his pastry

Currently the two were sitting in a cafe to rest and to figure out what pieces of the puzzle they had so far and where to find more. While it would have been easy to point fingers at drug lords trying to sell their product to children, the details of what clues had been collected thus far didn't allow for that sort of vague lead. The one detail Ciel was currently mulling over was the disappearance of the children that transpired a little over fifteen minutes ago..

'What would the third party's motive be for kidnapping the children?' he wondered aloud, 'The point of the drug trade is to create an addiction and profit, but why would a third party step in an kidnap them? Furthermore, how were they able to snatch them away so quickly?'

The boy stared at the butler as though expecting a direct answer. Sebastian merely offered, 'Perhaps the children were in possession of something the third party wanted. That brings to question what it is exactly they're after then.'

Ciel nodded, 'And who exactly they are. How many souls did you sense in the room during the time they were alone?'

'Six.'

'So only there was only one…' Ciel discarded the train of thought in favour of one that could progress, 'At the moment the only strong lead we have is the use of a drug that smells of lavender-'

'My apologies for interrupting,' Sebastian interjected, 'But I find its scent is closer to nutmeg.'

He turned up his eyebrows in question. 'Nutmeg?' Taking a thoughtful sip of tea, he exhaled and said, 'Whatever it smells like, this drug is the only lead so far. However I'm rather unfamiliar with the trade, therefore the only source of information would be...'

Sebastian stifled a laugh concerning Ciel's reluctance, knowing exactly what he had in mind. 'I'll call a carriage then.'

'Ah! It's nice to see you Ciel. What brings you here to the East End?'

The young earl cast a judging eye across the establishment, his line of sight partially obscured by the thick smoke wafting through the air. However the shapes of figures slumped against the walls like drunks was still distinguishable. Scantily clad women milled between the men, their giggles floating through the room like ghostly whispers. The smell was particularly floral but still made Ciel's skin crawl knowing it was opium.

He focused his gaze on Lau who had one hand rested on Ran-Mao's waist, the other holding a pipe of that disgusting Chinese tar. Taking in a shallow breath to prevent minimum inhaling of the drug, Ciel said sternly, 'I need information about a drug. I take you might know something about it.'

Lau gestured over to a sofa in the center of the room, indicating the matter may be rather lengthy so it would be best discussed while sitting down. 'Well, it depends,' he began. The Asian maneuvered Ciel past a man who stumbled past them, scratching his arms covered in 'ants'. He sat heavily on the couch, Ran-Mao taking a seat upon his lap. 'Which one are you asking about?'

'One that smells of lavender… and nutmeg,' Ciel clarified, casting a glance at Sebastian's tall figure.

'Hm?' he hummed, raising his eyebrows in question.

'So you know it,' the earl stated, recognizing the the knowing smile hidden in the curve of the man's lips.

The facade fell from Lau's face, 'A little. The drug calls to a man's soul, speaking his desire in a language of scent. It draws him to the edge of his sanity in a lustful wish for satisfaction before he finally plunges into a violent sea that drowns him. I wonder, what is it that the young earl sees when looking into the body of temptation?'

He narrowed his eye, disliking where the conversation was going. 'What is it called?'

'Hm? I don't know what you're talking about.'

'The drug you described, what is it called?' Ciel repeated, his already thin patience fraying to its last strands.

'I have no idea,' Lau grinned.

Ciel's shoulders sagged with frustration, not having realised that he was tense in the first place. A string of bitter retorts sat ready on the tip of his tongue but remained unspoken when Sebastian eloquently took control of the conversation.

'How about the drug the young master described?'

'Euphoria.'

The duo shared a glance with this revelation.

'What do you know about Euphoria?' Ciel inquired.

Lau leaned forward, taking the handing his pipe to Ran-Mao, 'That it has become popular recently. From what I've heard the smell varies from person to person and leaves the user feeling… euphoric. However it seems to trigger extreme violence.'

The boy's neutral expression betrayed a look of minor intrigue, 'Why so?'

'Not sure. It's probably just an addict thing,' he said easily.

Sensing that he had chased the lead to the fullest, Ciel stood from his seat and gave Lau a curt nod, 'Thank you for your time.'

'The pleasure was mine, earl.' Lau said.

Ciel turned to face the smoke screened exit to the establishment, wanting to be rid of the choking air as quickly as possible. He walked quickly-

'Although,' Lau called, stilling Ciel in his step, 'What sort of demon is a Phantomhive's temptation?'

A pause.

Keeping his back to Lau, the boy walked with a purposeful stride, his ever present shadow following dutifully behind like a predator stalking its prey.