Run!: A bit of action with the characters
Ciel gave the storekeeper his brightest grin, all coated in sugar and innocence. "Pardon me, sir. Could you please assist me? I'm having trouble reaching that box...the large one, on the top shelf."
The man was charmed enough by the blue-eyed boy's sweet face, brilliant smile, and polite-and-proper speech to ignore his cheap (but certainly not ragged or dirty) clothes. "The Funtom Holiday Assortment?"
"Is that what it's called?" Ciel blinked, dark lashes flickering up and down, "My mum just told me to get the one with the big blue ribbon."
The shopkeeper laughed good-naturedly and walked around the candy counter to the showcase. Ciel followed close behind, glanced once over his shoulder as the clerk reached up, then focused his eyes on the candy box. Hurry up, Doll. To Ciel's relief, a stepping-stool was required for the squat shop-keeper to reach the prized assortment. All to soon though, he'd found the stool, dragged it over, and stepped atop. It wasn't until he gotten back down and turned to handed off the box that the shop-keeper noticed Doll in the corner, stuffing a worn leather bag with penny candy.
Before the clerk could open his mouth, Ciel shouted "Run!" And bolted for the door, enormous candy parcel tucked tightly beneath one arm.
The shopkeeper was shouting now, but Ciel didn't dare slow to make out the words. Despite his head-start, Doll was at his side in seconds. She was faster and more graceful than Ciel, with longer legs, stronger lungs, and a life of physical exertion behind her. Still, she did not overtake Ciel; instead, she beamed at him, grabbed his hand, and urged, "Come on!"
Ciel's legs burned to keep up with her, and his breaths came too hard and too fast for his own comfort. By the time the clerk had stopped chasing them, the dark-haired boy was on the verge of collapsing. Instead, he galloped alongside Doll until they tumbled in unison onto a grassy stretch of park. Doll was laughing, and even Smile was unable to contain a few chuckles.
When they'd both caught their breath, Doll dumped the contents of her bag and pockets onto the dirt. Sugar and wrappings glistened like coins and the bright colored pieces winked like exotic gems in the weak sun. Ciel was instantly reminded of a pirate's chest of stolen treasure. Doll's hands—delicate but lined with callouses—riffled through the pillaged pile, selecting two pastel colored lollies.
Strawberry for her, Caramel for Ciel.
Doll handed Ciel his lollipop and said, "To us."
Ciel's lips twitched. "To us," he agreed with mock solemnity, touching his lolly to Doll's in a toast.
As they nibbled leisurely through their ill-gotten bounty, Ciel couldn't help but smirk at the fact that he'd essentially just stolen from himself.
.
.
.
Oops: The characters get in trouble together
"I don't suppose either of you had any idea how much trouble you would be in when we caught you?" Joker arched an ironic orange brow at the children before him, their cherubic faces turned down in false contrition.
When the ringleader had finished, Smile and Doll shared a sideways glance.
"Well, in all honesty sir..." Smile said, meeting Joker's eyes for the first time, "we hadn't planned on getting caught."
"T'was just bad luck, Sister Wendy steppin' in ta fix her dress," Doll grumbled.
Joker fixed them with a disapproving look, "You know how Peter is, Doll. If I hadn't told him I'd deal with you two, you'd have a miniature, furious acrobat chasing you down at this moment—"
Unable to maintain a straight face any longer, Doll broke out into a fit of giggles. Even Smile seemed amused by the mental image.
Joker sighed; it was hopeless. "Okay...just...put their clothes back, and...we won't speak of this again."
Suddenly solemn, Smile and Doll nodded briskly and scrambled out of Joker's tent as fast as possible. Finally alone, Joker allowed himself to chuckle. Replacing all the tiny trapeze artists' clothing with those little doll outfits they sold at toy stores...it was pretty funny.