Lucile Conte sat alone in the bedroom she was sharing with Ciel and Sebastian. It had been a few hours since daybreak and the fight she'd had with the butler. Her fingers brushed over her lip as she remembered what he'd told her. 'I may be a demon, Lucile Conte, but I am capable of caring about something other than myself.' She had been so shocked when he'd kissed her, considering he was happily beating her to a pulp minutes before it happened. Lucile wanted to believe that it was just another mind game to get her to stay, but the emotion he poured into that brief few seconds was undeniable. It may not be love, but Sebastian definitely felt something towards her.
"That bloody man will be the death of me." she sighed looking out of the window towards the gypsy camp where Delphine and Lash were. Suddenly her memory jogged and she sat up straighter. The box! She'd forgotten all about the box that had been left to her. But she couldn't retrieve it, she would be too tempted to stay and she couldn't allow Sebastian to cut loose on the camp. With a heavy sigh and reclined back against the bed head determined to think of another way.
Down below the brooding woman, Sebastian sat with Ciel as the younger tried to enjoy the hot breakfast the large breasted innkeeper had cooked for him. To be frank, it looked like something a dog would enjoy eating, throwing up and then rolling in.
"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer something cooked by myself?" Sebastian asked behind steepeled fingers. Ciel shook his head and swallowed another mouthful of tea.
"I must admit I had expected you and Lucile to come back looking worse than you did." the young boy said. Sebastian chuckled softly, when they'd left he had every intention of breaking her. He swore he was going to make her scream. But when faced with a defeated Lucile he just couldn't find the strength to want to hurt her. In truth he regretted kissing her. Unbeknownst to her, Lucile had played and won the greatest mind game he'd ever seen. She was as cunning and sly as himself, but she didn't even know it. Oh the wily ways of women.
"Pardon, Young Master?" Sebastian asked realizing that while he was running his inner monologue, Ciel had asked him a question.
"Why did you bring her back? I only assume it wasn't out of pity for me." Ciel replied forcing down another mouth of the 'food' before him. Sebastian lowered his crimson eyes and sighed,
"No. My reasons were purely selfish." he replied honestly, "She's useful to us."
"Just useful?" Ciel arched a fine eyebrow. For someone so young, the boy was more than intuitive. Sebastian only smiled as a reply, today was not the day to be discussing women and their uses.
The clear morning sky soon became grey and cloudy which inhibited Lucile's tracking skills. The rain washed away any scents and marks and so the trio agreed to resume the search later if the weather improved. However, while Ciel napped, Lucile took the opportunity to ask a favour from the demon butler lounging on the day bed.
"You want me to what?" he asked lowering the newspaper he was reading.
"Take me to the gypsy camp. My clothes are there." she replied as she pulled at the ridiculously revealing dress Sebastian had swiped from the innkeeper, "I've never been comfortable in dresses." Sebastian pursed his lips as he mulled over her request. He could tell she was hiding something but since she had asked him to accompany her, he decided that he would grant her request. The two made their way to the gypsy camp in the rain, Sebastian held an umbrella borrowed from the Inn over both of their heads to keep them both dry although Lucile didn't really care if she got wet.
After banging on the door to Delphine's caravan repeatedly the old woman finally answered just as Lucile and Sebastian were turning to leave.
"Lucile, my dear. You've returned?" Delphine asked peering out behind the wooden door. Lucile turned back to her and smiled sadly,
"I forgot my things." she replied softly. Delphine arched a fine, grey eyebrow at the being lurking behind Lucile.
"I assume you're the one who threatened my grandson." she greeted Sebastian coldly. He bowed, ever the gentleman,
"Sebastian Michaelis, butler to the Phatomhive household, at your service." he said gazing up at the woman through his lashes. The gypsy woman huffed and folded her arms before stepping aside to let Lucile in.
"You must be cold, dear. Why don't you stay and have some tea?" Delphine offered as she ignored Sebastian's presence. Lucile shook her head despite wanting to accept the offer,
"We can't be away from our Master too long." she replied simply. Delphine's eyes narrowed at the mention of a master.
"You are Lycan royalty, Lucile. You shouldn't have to bow to a human." the old woman said darkly.
"Royalty?" Sebastian mused from the doorway. A cruel smile tugged at Delphine's weathered lips, "So the demon does not know. How interesting." she crowed, "Let me inform you, Sebastian Michaelis. The woman you so bravely stole from us, her real family, is the last descendant of Marius Wolfsblood - the King of our kind. She is the key to our survival."
"It appears she is the key to many things." Sebastian replied impassively, "However I have no intention to give her up easily."
"Sebastian..." Lucile warned softly but anything she had to say after that was forgotten amongst Delphine's cracked laughter.
"You wish to fight me, an old woman who couldn't possibly last a second against you? My, how unfair." she said as she sat on the chair closest to the back of the room. Sebastian's smile was flawless as he bowed to her, "I may be a demon but I won't move without my Master's order."
"Sebastian, please wait outside." Lucile said growing tired of their stale confrontation. She felt his gaze burn a hole in her back, but did as she requested leaving the two women alone. Delphine's ancient eyes became soft and kind once more as she looked Lucile over. With a gesture of her hand, she beckoned Lucile to sit across from her and the large crystal ball in the middle of the table.
"I'm sorry, Delphine...I wanted to stay with you and Lash, really I did but he..." Lucile felt a great sadness, one she hadn't felt since the death of Rachel and Vincent. She felt as though her very soul was being torn in two in having to choose who to stay with.
"You don't have to apologize, my dear. Demons will use any means necessary to get their own way." Delphine told her as she rested a comforting hand on Lucile's, "That is a fact I know very well. Before you go, at least let me See." Lucile nodded although she didn't fully understand what the old woman meant. Delphine smiled kindly and took out a pin that was holding her long, grey hair in place. Turning Lucile's hand over, the gypsy woman gave Lucile's finger a prick then raised her hand above the crystal ball and allowed three drops of blood to land onto it. The grey smoke that had been billowing around inside the crystal turned red immediately, Delphine began to sing lowly in a language Lucile had never heard before. Eventually the old woman's eyes rolled back into her head and when she spoke, it was as if several voices were speaking;
"Angels and Demons, strings in the night. The Bringer of Fire and Shadow of Light. Where Death smiles, Heaven will reign and love will burn. The truth is hidden behind the veil, both of woman and man. The dead will dance again as the wolf sings to the sky. As the red moon's cycle begins, the answers to all will be the moonlight may touch the wolf, only the girl may open the demon's heart to the light." Delphine let out a painful moan and fell forward onto the table. Lucile was so shaken by the display she hadn't noticed that Sebastian had re-entered the room and gathered her things until he was lifting her up by the elbow.
"We have to go." he said pulling her to the door. It was the first time she'd witnessed something so horrifying as that, but not the first time she'd heard the last words spoken by Delphine. 'Only the moonlight may touch the wolf, only the girl may open the demon's heart to light'. Undertaker had spoken that exact phrase before. She had to see him again to find out what else he knew about her, her past and the locks she was the key to. However, to be able to do that, Lucile needed to find out who was taking the little boys of the village.
"What we know about this case is that young boys are being kidnapped in the middle of the night, sometimes resulting in the death of one or both of their parents. We have conducted thorough investigations within the village itself and have discovered that the culprit is not amongst the villagers which leaves us with two suspects. The first, and most likely, is that this is the work of the gypsies residing in the the forest near the village as they arrived when the disappearances began. The second, and most ridiculous, is that a giant monster is taking the boys." Ciel surmised later that night after dinner. He sat on his bed reading through statements made by the villagers while Sebastian stood to the side and Lucile sat on the day bed Sebastian had been using.
"It's not the gypsies." Lucile spoke up, "I've been there."
"I still don't want to rule them out completely." Ciel replied giving her an even look.
"Young Master, I too don't want to rule the gypsies out as a possibility either as there are too many coincidences, however they don't seem like the kind of people smart enough to do it." Sebastian said softly. Lucile glared at him but was silently thankful for his agreement.
"Lucile, when you followed the tracks the other day, where did they lead you?" Ciel asked curiously. She hadn't told them anything about the Weeping Willow or the scent masked by Lash's.
"They led into a small meadow and disappeared. Or rather, I couldn't see them anymore. That place was full of dark magic and sadness, so much that I almost lost myself to it and would have if it wasn't for that woman." she told both men. Ciel cocked his head to the side curiously.
"The gypsy woman?" Sebastian asked voicing the question in Ciel's eye. Lucile nodded, "I don't know what she was doing there but she managed to get me out. But there's something else, something I discovered the other night. There's something else here besides us. It's smart, it's been using the wolf's scent to hide itself."
"Perhaps they're working together?" Ciel said thoughtfully, "It's just too coincidental to be anything but that."
"It's not them. I couldn't smell any of the missing boy's scents around the camp." Lucile said firmly. No, the creature taking the boys was using Delphine, Lash and the others to stay undetected. She would have known if it was the gypsies otherwise.
Ciel sighed, and with a suspicious look out of the window said, "Well, the only way to be sure is to go there myself."
Later that night when Ciel was fast asleep, Lucile and Sebastian discussed the next day's events. Lucile hadn't wanted to return to the gypsy camp again, not after seeing Delphine like that and she knew if they were to happen upon Lash he would want to fight Sebastian again. Ciel had been reluctant to let her stay so Sebastian had suggested that she try to find out more about the meadow and the mysterious tree. Ciel had agreed to his plan, and Lucile was thankful but she was worried about something bad befalling Ciel. And so as morning broke they went there separate ways, Sebastian and Ciel towards the gypsy camp and Lucile towards the tree. Lucile sighed deeply as she walked. Every house she passed at the doors locked and the windows boarded, the dogs cowered in fear at every sound and not so much as a cricket chirped. The town was dead, void of life save for those who shut themselves away. A monster had taken away their joy, the least she could do was find out what happened.
"Miss?" an elderly man called out to her as she passed. It was the first person she'd seen since leaving the Inn. He beckoned her over to his weathered seat in the sunlight.
"Do you need help, sir?" she asked politely. The tiny old man shook his head,
"You are one of the people investigating this horrible ordeal, yes?" he asked. Lucile nodded, the old man smiled and reached for her hand, "I just want to thank you for what you've done."
"I haven't really done anything..." Lucile replied softly. The old man patted her hand comfortingly, "You came. That's enough."
"Aren't you afraid to be out here?" she asked him suddenly concerned for his well-being, but he just laughed.
"I'm an old man, dear. What use is there for me to fear something that might kill me when in a few years I'll be dead anyway?" he said, "I thank you for your concern." Lucile left the old man sitting on his seat in the sun, but her heart hurt for him. Although this monster was only taking the children, she still prayed that it would leave him and this village alone.
The meadow was just as she'd remembered, beautiful and full of sadness. She stopped just at the treeline unwilling to take another step. This would be the perfect place to lose a hunter, or hide. The magic surrounding the meadow would be enough to trap and distract a pursuer. It also meant that it would provide perfect cover. Lucile's golden eyes searched the surrounding forest scanning for any kind of clue. And then she saw it. A small shred of light blue cloth clinging stubbornly to the gnarled bark of the willow. Lucile's heart sank as she realized she would actually have to enter the clearing if she wanted to retrieve it, but she was afraid to do it on her own. What if she became trapped and the sorrow swallowed her? There would be no one to pull her free this time.
"Lucile?" Lucile whirled at the sound of her name and gasped as Lash appeared behind her, shirtless, "What are you doing out here?"
"That's my line." she told him still reeling from her shock. Lash shrugged and stopped beside her.
"I was told to come here by Granny. She wanted some herbs for medicine." he replied simply, "Your turn."
"I'm..." Lucile wondered whether she should tell Lash about the reason she was here. Normally they wouldn't talk to outsiders about their investigations, but perhaps Lash knew something, a clue that could help them, "I'm investigating the disappearance of kids from the town nearby." Lash's expression turned solemn,
"We heard. It's terrible, I pray every night for their families." he said softly and touched two fingers to his lips then to his heart and forehead. It was a gesture Lucile wasn't familiar with.
"So why does that bring you out here?" he asked when he was done.
"Tracks from the latest victim led here. Although after what happened last time, I'm a bit nervous about stepping foot in there again." Lucile admitted. Lash nodded, "It's dangerous if you get trapped in the sadness." Just as she was about to agree, Lash strode forward right into the heart of the clearing, knelt down and began picking plants out of the ground. Lucile stared at him with her mouth wide, he looked totally unaffected by the magic emanating from the tree.
"The trick is," he said without looking up at her, "to think of the thing that makes you the happiest." Lucile frowned, there were many things in her life that made her angry, frustrated or sad and not many that made her happy.
"I don't think that would work for me." she said, "Since you're able to do it so well, would you be able to get that piece of fabric for me?" Lash laughed and stood, having collected all the herbs he needed, and began walking back the way he'd come.
"How will you learn if I do it for you, or are you always going to have someone like me around?" he asked. Lucile pursed her lips, as much as she hated to admit it, Lash had a point. Closing her eyes, Lucile began to think of everything that made her happy. Ciel's smile, the smell of freshly cut grass, the smell of baking bread. Hesitantly Lucile stepped forward. A wave of sorrow overwhelmed her and she gritted her teeth.
"Keep going Lucile." Lash said, his voice sounded so far away, "Think of something stronger." The big oak desk in study back home, how it feels just basking in the moonlight. Slowly the terrible sadness began to ease up, Lucile could breathe again. Ciel's carefree laugh, the tea that Bard makes every morning. Finny's songs, Tanaka's kind smile. Mey-Rin's blush whenever Sebastian's around. The sorrowful magic grew less and less until it was just a light force pressing her back as she slowly walked forward. Suddenly she stopped, the magic crushed down on her like an avalanche. No, she wouldn't think of that. That wasn't happy for her.
"Lucile! Don't stop!" Lash cried, "You're so close!" Close? Lucile opened her eyes, the tree was only a few steps ahead but the magic held her firm. She shook her head,
"I can't!" She cried back as the sadness began to claw at her soul. It would overpower her, it would rip her apart and crush her. Lucile sank heavily to her knees as the weight of thousands and thousands of souls pulled her into the earth.
"Lucile!" Lash cried but his voice was as soft as the summer breeze, barely a whisper. Lucile's eyes closed again and she readied herself to accept her defeat.
'It's not like you to give up so easily.' Her eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice in her head, 'Are you really that afraid to admit it?'
"Shut up." she wheezed out loud. He chuckled and she could practically feel his smirk,
'You are. Well, denying it isn't going to get you out of this mess so you may as well just sit there and die quietly.' he continued, 'Unless, of course you're willing to make a deal?'
"Ha, in your dreams." she growled as her own smirk tugged at her lips, "I'd rather die than make a deal with you, and just to spite you, I'm not going to die here either." Again he chuckled,
'Wretched, stubborn woman.' Using all of her strength, Lucile forced herself to stand. She swayed, burdened by the weight of the sorrow, but edged forward nonetheless. Her soul ached and her body was stiff, her lungs were on fire as she forced her way through.
"You want a happy thought?" she asked through clenched teeth, "Fine. I've got one for you." Taking a deep breath, Lucile pictured the one thing in the world that made her truly, undeniably happy. The one thing that could never be taken away from her. The only thing that filled her with pure, ecstatic joy; the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
The air around the meadow froze and shattered into billions of tiny pieces, descending like winter's first snow. Panting and completely drained of energy, Lucile walked forward and retrieved the cloth.