Sorry for the wait, I was finishing up my summer class early. I did four packets and aced four tests, but no more! After a little longer than a week, here it is. I know it's kinda short, but expect a new chapter sometime tomorrow. As always, I looked over this once and thanks for reading!
The night when Lizzy visited was odd for Natasha. After the lady left, she found herself in the earl's bedroom late in the night, wearing her cotton nightgown and her shiny, black locks in voluminous twin pigtails on her head. Sebastian had prepared already prepared Ciel for bed, but that wasn't why she felt bothered and to be honest, a little- a lot confused.
"Stay," Ciel had demanded from his bed, "Both of you."
She was rather shocked, but stayed passive when she questioned him. "Why do you need us here? Aren't you a little old to be scared of monsters hiding under your bed?"
He gave her a small grin, though it looked more like a twitch of his lips. "Those monsters are real."
Natasha looked to her father for answers, but he shook his head at her. Both demons stayed by his side until Ciel's face became peaceful, until his body relaxed and until his breathing evened out. "Pleasant dreams, young master," Sebastian said softly, before escorting his daughter to her own bedroom.
They kept quiet on the trip out of his chambers and into the long hallway that housed her residence, all the while Natasha had a strange look on her face. Of course, she was positively burning with thousands of questions and wanted desperately to ask, but it wasn't her place.
Sebastian tucked her in and made move to leave when she shouted, "Wait!"
He turned to face his daughter, his brows furrowing together. "What is is, dearest?"
She propped herself up, and motioned for him to sit on her bed. He did as she wished and plopped himself down playfully on his bum, making the whole bed cower. She giggled and then opened her mouth to say something, but resigned herself.
He smiled, knowingly at her. "I can only assume you're curious as to why the young master wanted us to stay with him until he dozed off? It doesn't happen everyday, if that's what you were wondering."
"I have tons of things I want to ask, but I'd rather not. My sisters told me to have a little compassion for humans and their reasons for being forced to call on a demon for help."
His smiled broadened, "My teachings are the best, after all. You and your sisters take after me a great deal, you know that?"
Natasha's lips curled upward and then she looked towards the ceiling. "But I do want to ask you one thing, though."She played with her fingers, "Was it really that bad? So bad that he needs us to stay by his side as he falls asleep?"
Sebastian was quiet for a moment, thinking back to the day he found his new master. My new master, He thought solemnly. My new master, the child with the strong soul, which was engulfed in despair. My new master, the child who was so young and corrupted. "It was.. Horrific, and that's putting it lightly. For a person his age, it was something he couldn't have imagined would ever happen to him, not even in his worst nightmares."
They stayed silent, thinking about Ciel. Sebastian was, in sense, proud that the kid had grown so much and had become such a devious character. In turn, Natasha wondered about how he had been before 'it' happened and what 'it' was exactly.
"Well, my little pearl, it's late and you traveled far today. Get some rest, because tomorrow your training starts."
"Training?" she asked, thoroughly burrowed in her warm blankets. "What do you mean by training?"
He kissed her forehead and grinned mischievously, "Your training to be a suitable house servant, of course."
Before she could respond, Sebastian had left. In the dark, she huffed and forced herself to sleep. It wasn't necessary for her well-being, but she didn't want to stay awake with her father and have him start her 'training' earlier than intended.
xx
The next morning, Natasha found herself, along with Grell, elbows deep in soapy water. Sebastian was trying to teach them how to do menial housework. Their first task was to properly clean Ciel's clothes. Both of his students were secretly trying to see who could annoy him the most. Natasha decided that the clumsy butler was number one on her father's list of annoyances.
"Grell," Sebastian smiled, "I don't know what to do with you," he continued smiling, "You're as useless as they come." He then pointed at Natasha, "Even my eleven year old daughter, who has been brought up as a lady of nobility, has an easier time with this than you." He and Ciel had estimated the age of her human appearance the night before.
Natasha glowered mercilessly at her father, "A lady of nobility should never ever have to stoop so low as to wash undergarments! And they're not even mine!" She held up a piece of white fabric that resembled a loincloth, in disgust. "I still can't believe you see him naked every time he bathes. Then you dress him and-"
Grell was frowning, "Miss Natasha, how do you do it? I always manage to tear the clothing I try to wash," he gazed brokenheartedly at a small pile of Ciel's shirts. All of them were torn from being handled too harshly. "I hope Master Ciel isn't too angry with me."
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. No. He'll only be entertained by how I couldn't teach a simpleton like you the easiest of tasks. "How about you help the others with yard work? If you continue to wash any of the earl's clothes, he'll have none left." Oh, how I wish I could allow Grell to ruin that brat's clothes. He chuckled to himself heartily, imagining the panicked look on his young master's face. He'd have nothing to wear, absolutely nothing! He'd have to parade his little pasty ass-
"I think he'd just have you, make him new clothes," Natasha said, putting a finger to her chin and nodded. "At least, that's what I would do if all of my clothes were ruined."
His laughter ceased and he snapped at them with an irritated, "Get to work!"
xx
It was late in the afternoon and Natasha was trying to help Bard and Grell make a sweet dessert for Ciel. She was startled when she heard a loud, feminine, boisterous laugh echo throughout the entire house. The two older men grinned at each other. "That's got to be Madam Red, ain't that right, Grell?"
The butler swooned happily, "Yes, oh yes! Only she can produce such a beautiful chime, such as that."
Chime? It sounded more like cackling, to me. "Who's Madam Red?" She'd heard the name numerous times, but never bothered to ask until now.
Grell grabbed her arm and pulled her, practically running towards the entrance. "I can't believe you haven't met her yet! She's my mistress, Baroness Angelina Durless. She's a stunning woman! Oh, how I adore her!" Grell continued to gush, "I've been dying to see her again!"
She smiled at his enthusiasm, letting him lead her away from their duties. From the distance, Natasha could easily make out the woman who the butler thought so highly of. Immediately, she understood why the woman was called 'Madam Red'. She was pale, statuesque, and very curvy. Her hair was short, not even reaching down to her shoulders, and was a shocking shade of crimson. Her dress was a darker shade than that of her hair. Natasha noticed that her make up and shoes were red. Even her eyes were red!
The woman was chatting pleasantly with Sebastian when suddenly Grell shouted, "Madam Red! Madam Red! You've returned for me!" He fell onto his knees, kissing her red heeled feet. "You look stunning, as always, my lady!"
The woman laughed, "Get up, Grell. I haven't come to get you, just yet. I'm here to help Ciel with a new case and Lau was supposedly going to be here, too." Her pretty face became menacing, "And you know that whenever he is involved, I simply must tag along to make sure he doesn't harm my darling nephew!" Madam Red then took notice of the young girl and grinned, "Why, hello. I'm Madam Red, who might you be?"
Natasha curtsied with an innocent smile, "My name Natasha Michaelis. I'm staying with my father for a while."
Madam Red's eyes widened a little, "Your father would have to be Sebastian, correct?"
She nodded pitifully and then an ingenious idea planted itself in her head. "Yes, although I had no idea he was a butler and that I would be forced to do housework. Today I had to clean Ciel's underwear with Grell. If you can tell, I wasn't born a maid or anything. In fact, I have my own maids that take care of me. Doing housework is a lot tougher than I imagined," she sighed.
"A pretty little thing like you, doing housework!" Madam Red scoffed, "That is unacceptable! I'll speak with Ciel about this. A young girl, especially one from another house, should be concentrating on her studies, not cleaning up after another noble. Sebastian! How could you do this to your daughter?"
He had been listening to the conversation with a slight frowned. "I am terribly sorry, miss. Her mother insisted I teach her how to be a working woman, should anything happen to her fortune and she need to earn her own means of living."
"That wouldn't be a problem, though," she replied thoughtfully. "I'm sure any wealthy bachelors would love to marry her, once she's old enough of course. She's already very stunning."
"You really think so?" Natasha asked, her burgundy eyes shiny and bright. "I'm not opposed to working," she explained, "But I don't want to be a maid. Sure, the outfits are cute, like the ones Mey-Rin wears, but I don't have any. I brought along dresses like these," she motioned to her outfit. Her dark blue dress reached down to her ankles and was adorned with silver designs and black ribbons. It looked more like something to wear on an outing in London, if they were all being honest.
Sebastian was in conflict. His daughter was ruthlessly conniving and had successfully gotten herself out of work, which he was immensely proud of, but at the same time. . Dammit, he thought to himself, I can't be angry at her. "I shall ask the earl if he minds sharing his tutors, but if he refuses.."
With a sadistic smirk, Madam Red led Natasha to Ciel's office. "That won't be necessary, Sebastian! He won't be able to refuse after I talk to him."
"Do you really think Ciel will be okay with all of this?"
"Of course! If I ask him to let you be his classmate, he'd have to say yes. That boy can't say no to me."
Sebastian quietly walked behind them with a smirk of his own. I wonder how the young master will react? Maybe he'll lose his temper.
xx
Madam Red had informed Ciel that Natasha would be joining him with his studies and he was not amused at all, blatantly refusing. His aunt had then declared that if the girl could give a compelling argument on why she shouldn't be a maid anymore, then he would at least consider it.
"Fine," he sighed, placing four fingers on his forehead, cupping his cheek. His headache from a few days ago was coming back.
"I had to touch your dirty underwear!" Natasha yelled, hands on her hips. "Do you know how disgusting that is?"
A slight, very, very, very slight blush appeared on his cheeks. "That's what maids do. They clean shirts, trousers, socks and undergarments. Maids clean clothes, that's one of their jobs."
"Me and Grell made your dessert today. I've never had to cook a day in my life and Grell didn't wash his hands prior to touching all the ingredients, are you sure you want me doing things like that in your home?"
Ciel's aunt silently applauded Natasha's reasoning. After all, her nephew did have an uncontrollable sweet tooth. Meanwhile, Grell covered his face in embarrassment, She said she wouldn't tell!
"How about this," he began, growing irritated. "If you can successfully help solve my new case, you won't have to do as much work?"
Natasha considered it, "What would I have to do, then?" She smiled gracefully, feeling victorious.
"It'll be your job to take care of Pluto everyday and make sure he doesn't bother the rest of the servants."
She cringed as Madam Red and Sebastian shared a laughed. "You're not serious, are you?"
He nodded, "I'm very serious. That mongrel gets in everyone's way and as you said before, he'll only listen to either you or Sebastian. That should keep you busy enough, not to mention the fact that you'll be getting schooled, as well."
"Fine. Taking care of that beast shouldn't be a problem," she stated. "He likes me more than you, anyway."
"But first, you'll need to take part in solving the case."
Madam Red decided that that was her moment to butt in, "What case are you on today, Ciel?"
A newspaper presented itself smacking right in front of her face and a soft-spoken voice said, "Jack The Ripper." The man who spoke was Chinese and he had a pipe in his mouth. The smoke made Natasha feel nauseous, the scent it emanated was too strong and unpleasant for her sensitive nose. She then noticed a busty Chinese woman at his side, pressing her body against his. She was wearing the most exposing clothes Natasha had ever seen and averted her eyes from their inappropriate behavior.
"Lau? How did you get in here so quietly?!" Madam Red shouted. "And stop smoking in front of the children!" She grabbed his pipe and handed it to Sebastian, "Get rid of this, will you?"
He bowed, "Of course. In the meantime, I will bring refreshments for everyone."
As he left, the Chinese woman attacked Natasha and held her up like a brand new doll. "Who are you?" Lau asked, stepping beside the woman and taking a good look at the struggling girl.
"Natasha Michaelis," her face clearly showed her torment. "Put me down!" she hissed, kicking her feet.
Her captor didn't let go and instead held her tighter, examining Natasha's face even closer, "Cute." The woman's big eyes stared directly into Natasha's and their noses were rubbing together. Grell and Madam Red held in their giggles, watching the young girl's face developed into a deeper, terror-filled one.
"I'm Lau and this beautiful lady is Ran-Mao. We're here to help out," he grinned.
"Stop torturing my servant," Ciel complained. "This is her first day doing a task like this and I want her to do a good job."
She teased him, "So you do want to have me as a classmate, Ciel!"
He smirked mischievously at her, "Don't flatter yourself. Should you mess up, then that will reflect me and I am not one to fail. You, on the other hand, seem quite accustomed to failure. You couldn't stand a single day of doing laundry."
"Shut up!" she yelled from Ran-Mao's vice grip. She was getting tired of not having her feet planted on the ground. Natasha understood that yes, she was small and cute, but that did not mean she enjoyed being coddled like a play-thing, especially by a woman as indecent as Ran-Mao.
"She's adorable, young earl." Lau laughed, "Is she a good friend of your's? Did you know only the best of friends fight together like how you do?" Ciel and Natasha glared at each other and in unison practically shouted, "Never!" But Lau hadn't been paying them any attention. "I remember when we were young, Ran-Mao would kick my ass all the time. Now, look at us. We're closer to each other than some married couples."
Madam Red nodded, "I'll have to agree with you on that. Frances and Alexis fought constantly, just like them. All the time, too. Then they got married and had Edward and Lizzy."
"There are exceptions to every rule," Ciel stated. Natasha was soon agree, "And this is one of them." The door opened and Sebastian brought in the food trolley, which was decorated with pastries and tea. "Shall we get started on the examination of Jack The Ripper?" Ciel asked, propping himself on his desk, all the while housing a bitter smirk.
Not my best, yeah I know. I had to post something up, though. Wouldn't want anyone to think I was abandoning my story and all, you know?