Justine bid hello and and goodbye to the Gundermans and left Ciel in their care for good. He knelt in front of the little one, giving the smile he had reserved for children once his son, Vincent, was born. "What's your name?" He asked. The boy cowered further behind his fathers legs.
"Rafael."
The mother smiled again, picking up the boy. "I'm Rebecca, this is my husband Richard, and this is our son, Rafael. There's another boy that arrived yesterday, about your age. Would you like to meet him?" Ciel nodded, though he wasn't looking forward to meeting the boy. He was already well aware of whom it was. Rebecca, still carrying the little boy in her arms, showed Ciel down a hallway and up a staircase to the attic, where a bunk bed, a desk, and a set of drawers sat.
"Meet Alois!" Alois snickered, standing from his seat at the desk.
"Alois, this is Ciel. Show him his bunk please." Rebecca and Rafael left, leaving Ciel alone with Alois.
"I'm surprised you called me, of all people, to help." Alois said as soon as Rebecca was out of earshot.
"Sebastian called Claude, actually." Alois frowned.
"Claude? Claude, who's been dead for one hundred and twenty years? That Claude?"
"Then who did Sebastian talk to?"
"I dunno. Probably Hannah." Alois threw himself on the bottom bunk. Ciel automatically knew he had to take top bunk. He hated top bunk.
"So Claude died, but not you. How'd that happen?" Ciel asked.
"Hannah tried to use the demon sword on herself after she assumed I was dead—I wasn't, by the way, let's just clear that up—but it didn't work because demon swords are weird shit."
"They can only be used by a demon to kill a demon." Ciel mentioned. "I remember."
"Exactly, but a demon can't use one to commit suicide. So Hannah didn't die, she just lost some power. Anyway, when that didn't work, she came to me. I was mostly dead, but she managed to get me back to health. A bit too healthy actually, as when she tried to kill herself, she had Claude's soul residual on her hands, which I obtained when she healed me. Like I said, weird shit."
"Do you're immortal too now. That's unfortunate," Ciel grumbled, packing his stuff into a bottom drawer.
"I heard you, but I'm going to ignore what you said out of sheer optimism!" Ciel rolled his eyes. "Now that I've told you about my rebirth of sorts, are you gonna tell me why the bloody hell I'm here?"
"This house has been the last resort for almost two dozen children. Police have investigated, but all they've found is a dead dog and some chicken carcasses—probably a family dog and the remains of their dinner." Ciel told Alois. "I don't see how this is any different from my usual cases, but the queen ordered me to be extremely cautious. I called you in because you're psychotic, deranged, and might be crazy enough to keep us from getting killed."
"That's flattering." Alois giggled. "Enough chitchat though, today's Saturday. Tomorrow we're supposed to enroll in the academy here and on Monday we attend class. I have Hannah going in as a nurse, and I'm assuming you have Sebastian and that servant yours doing something as well."
"Counselor and music teacher, yes." Ciel recalled. Sebastian had decided on what class he wanted to teach, and Ciel didn't object when he mentioned music.
"Good positions. So it's been twenty years since I've last seen you, and even then it was hardly in warm regards." Ciel remembered that. He'd nearly burnt down the grocery store when he saw Alois in the cheese section. "So tell me, how's life been? Are you still a grumpy old man stuck in a teenagers body?"
"Feels like it," Ciel sighed. "No, I got married, had kids, got divorced, lived my life out like some sort of immortal Sherlock since."
"Hmm. Sounds boring. I've been traveling. I imagine you heard about the glass bridge in china cracking? That was me."
"I figured." Ciel yawned, glancing at the clock. It was hardly even ten o'clock, but he was tired.
"I'm hitting the sack. You try to kill me in my sleep, I'll come back and stab you in the balls." Alois giggled at Ciel's tired threat, but otherwise left him to sleep.