Alex is saddled with a massive work load, however begins focusing on one contract which is causing her the greatest amount of stress. The Dom Perignon contract, they desired a new look yet maintain tradition which has proven to be a little more difficult than she thought. Claude is in his office and has finished his work for the day and begins to do research on the Campbell estate with the advice of Ash. However he finds something unusual, and ends up with more questions than he does answers.

How will Alex's new design go over?

Why is Sebastian acting so strange after hearing the armonica?

What else was the late Earl Richard Campbell into?

I hope you enjoy,

~Kuro

P.s. I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

Chapter 51: Lamenting Sound

Days had passed since the incident and yet Alex still felt as though she was in the dark, she understood that Sebastian and Claude were concerned for her well being, however recently the told her very little about what was going on. She sighed and looked out the window; she was supposed to be working on an advertisement for New Years for one of the most prestigious champagne companies in the world, Dom Perignon. She had finished the sketches however she felt like something was missing. She sighed and heard Jodi humming something, Alex looked at her. She was working hard on a naughty Santa costume with the words, "Santa Baby," across the bottom. She snickered, and Jodi continued to hum and instantly Alex realized what the piece was. She laughed and looked at the number of drawings which were drying and the sketches she had done. Earlier that week she had been called and asked to create a fresh looking advertisement for them, under the proviso that the label on the bottles would remain and that it could be used through out the season. This was easier said than done, all of the advertisements prior to this were traditional and focused on the cork being pulled from the bottle, which was beautiful, however not what she wanted. She looked over all of her modern pieces and then at the advertisements they had been running for the past four years and sighed. Her designs were beautiful however; they felt alien compared to the others. They had asked for a fresh look; however they probably didn't want a remodel.

"Ugh, why can't I get this to work," she whined and her head dipped into her hands. She felt her brown hair on the tips of her fingers and groaned. She could hear Jodi humming and Allen joined in, Alex perked up and looked at the two. She didn't expect Allen to have such a beautiful voice. It was sweet and Alex recognized the song immediately, they were singing the melody line of Carol of the Bells, however it was an unusual mix. She looked at Jodi who reached for the red pen and Alex sang, "Hark hear the bells, sweet silver bells all seem to say throw cares away. Christmas is here bringing good cheer, to the young and the old, the meek and the bold." Jodi and Allen stopped what they were doing and looked up at her and smiled, both of them continued, "Oh how they pound, raising their sound," she continued and they sang along with her. She heard the sound of a pencil hitting a water glass and noticed how Allen seemed to bounce happily. It was unusual to see him so happy. They were all carried away in song, to the point that none of them noticed how there boss was standing in the door way. "Gone without end," sang a lush voice and they looked over to see a smiling Sebastian. Alex stared his voice sounded as though he was a bird singing and she slowly began to realize how much like a raven the demon was. The four continued to sing their own arrangement of the piece until they were nearing the end; Sebastian had picked up the tenor line, as Allen sang the base line. Jodi had the soprano line and Alex covered the alto. "Merry, merry, merry Christmas," sang Sebastian with a grin as he walked back into his office and closed the door, slowly their voices faded, until it was simply Jodi and Alex carrying a melody line. The phone on Jodi's desk rang and she immediately turned her attention to it, leaving Alex alone to sing, "Hark hear the bells, sweet silver bells." She sighed and looked at them, it was as though nothing had happened and she looked at the sketches.

She tapped her pencil against the desk, Sebastian had joined in their merriment, yet that wasn't what she desired. She desired for him to sit down and tell her what was going on. They were keeping secrets, which was something she couldn't stand. She placed the yellow pencil on the desk and watched it roll to the floor. She didn't even look over to pick it up, her eyes were locked on her computer screen as she attempted to find the sound she had been searching for. "It feels like the Sugarplum Fairy has deserted me," she moaned, "No sugarplums will be dancing in my dreams." She paused and looked at the champagne bottle and remembered an unusual video she had seen on YouTube. She opened her browser and smiled, she still had it tabbed. "A Glass harp huh?" she asked after a moment. She paused and looked at the screen, the instrument glistened in the light and had a black base, yet the sound was perfect for the commercial which she was also asked to make for the champagne giant. "What are you listening to?" asked Allen as he looked over her shoulder. Alex jumped and looked at him, "It's called a glass harp, I was contemplating using it in the Dom Pergnong commercial, however I'm not sure how that will go over," she said. Allen looked at her inquisitively "Could you turn it up so we could all hear it?" Alex noticed how interested he was in her work for once, did so. The sweet sound of glasses humming a familiar tune of "The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" filled the room. Jodi dropped her pencil and looked in her direction, "It's beautiful and sweet but eerie," she said softly. Allen had closed his eyes and was listening to the ring of each glass, he was in complete bliss.

The door of Sebastian's office swung open and he looked around in confusion, "Who is playing the armonica?" he asked. He noticed the three designers gathered around the computer and realized Alex was listening to it and he smiled. The piece ended and Allen pouted, "That's it? It was such a sweet sound," he said. Sebastian looked at her and then over her shoulder, he smirked and commented, "I didn't think you would find something like this online, I was certain this art was lost." Alex looked at him and noticed how his eyes flickered a faint pink and she could see his teeth become pointed which made her shiver. Immediately Alex muted the computed and Sebastian looked at her in confusion, "What?" he asked and looked around. It was as though he was disoriented and then he asked, "Can I see your designs and proposal, the meeting is tomorrow isn't it?" Alex nodded and pulled the printed proposal which was in a cover, he looked it over and looked at the thumbnails, "You've gotten a lot done in such a short period of time," he commented. His eyes returned to normal and she nodded cautiously. Sebastian looked down at her and noticed how she seemed unnerved. "What is it?" he asked sweetly. Alex shook her head and replied, "It's nothing." Sebastian's ruby red eyes floated back over to the pages in his hand, "I love these designs, however I'm not sure how they will be perceived," he said as he held the black folder out to her. He looked at the screen and noticed the image was frozen, "Why were you listening to the armonica?" he asked, his tone was dark and Alex shivered, she had never heard him sound like that. "I was interested in incorporating it into the commercial, I felt like it was sweet enough to make this a little more enchanting," she said honestly. Sebastian smirked and looked at her, "To think that instrument will make it's appearance in public again at the hands of one of my own graphic designers is intriguing," he said happily. Alex looked at him confused, "It's just a glass harp," she said softly, "Besides it was in the proposition I handed you." Sebastian turned and began to walk away, "You do realize that instrument is hard to find don't you?" he asked as he walked back into his office. Jodi and Allen looked at his back in confusion, "What's with him?" asked Jodi. Alex shrugged, she had a sinking feeling the instrument did something to Sebastian however she had no idea what.

Claude took a seat at his desk, he had managed to finish his work load, excluding the extra project from Sterling. However there was something more important he had to tend to. He closed the folder and remembered what Ash had instructed him to do, "Look into the night her parents perished in the blaze," he whispered. His fingers flew across the keys as he typed the parameters of his search into the search bar. In moments he had Google running a search and he sighed. His glasses had slid down his nose again, rather than pushing them up again, he slipped them off and place them on the desk. It honestly amused him every time he put them on, they were his prop to make people believe that not only was his eye color natural but it made him easier to look at and decreased how intimidating her was. Oddly Sebastian's blood red eyes didn't require something like this; it always amused him how Sebastian managed to get away with things of this nature. He pushed a lock of his curly black hair back and looked at the screen. In seconds it had returned with results; however they weren't results which he had wanted to read. His golden eyes narrowed as he opened an article from the Wallstreet Journal, "Embezzlement and Fraud bring down the Campbell Pharisaical Empire," it read. He remembered the article, however he didn't think it was the girl they had been tending to. Richard Campbell's personal secretary had managed to not only embezzle funds but also convince accounting to cook the books, which left Richard in a horrible position.

In an attempt to save face he allowed the investigation to continue, the authorities did learn who was responsible, however it was too late for the company. It collapsed leaving Campbell in a bind; he refused to touch the money of the estate to restart the company. He stated that the funds in that account were for his children so that they were able to go to college. He had managed to gather his most loyal investors and went to a plot of land in Africa, where they found diamond. DeBeers stepped in, demanding that the Campbells sell the land, only for Richard to refuse. Oddly before he could begin exporting the gems, both the Earl and his wife were shot in the head. Their children had been taken and the house had been set on fire before the authorities arrived on the scene, both the son and daughter of the pair were missing. There were websites dedicated to finding the pair, "Why would they be looking for her?" he asked. Claude clicked another link and learned of Earl Richard Campbell's generosity toward children all over the world. He worked to get the worlds children vaccinated and save those who would otherwise die. He invested his personal fortune in hospitals. Claude was even more confused as he learned of Campbell Pharmaceuticals, "What is a man who dominated the pharmaceutical market doing with a diamond mine?" he asked. He loosened his tie and sat back in his large black leather chair. His hand floated up and he rubbed his temples with his fingers. This was supposed to clear things up, not make them more convoluted. A Pharisaical Giant switching to diamond mining made no sense.

He looked over at the computer and looked at the wall which had been dedicated to the children, she was without a doubt the daughter of Richard Campbell. He slowly scrolled through the messages, most were wishing her safety, others wishing her happiness, and some were prayers in case she was dead. He felt a wave of guilt sweep over him, he was denying people closure. He sighed and continued to scroll down until he found a page about an auction to be held in December. The mouse clicked as he opened the article, his golden eyes scanned the article and he stared. He had been invited to this auction, so had Sebastian, he looked over the collection there were masters from every corner of the globe. "Arthur Campbell, Cousin of the Late Earl Richard Campbell," said Claude as he looked at the owner's biography which had been posted on the auction house page. He had made a killing, yet no one knew where the money came from. Claude scowled; there was no way he could have built a collection of such magnitude without a sizable fortune. "You are a person of interest," he said softly. The printer pushed out pages of the articles he had found to show Sebastian and start piecing this puzzle together, however one thing was certain. They had to attend the auction in December.

The next morning Alex stood in the conference room, Marcus d' Argent was expected to arrive momentarily and she drew a deep breath. The projector and slides were set; all that remained was her boss and the representative of the client. The door opened slowly and a rather tall Frenchman entered, he had curly brown hair and hazel eyes. "Welcome," said Alex smoothly, she had to act as professional as possible, no matter what the cost. Sebastian entered the conference room and stood beside her, "I assigned Alexandra to the task of creating your new advertisement, I felt she would be able to produce the best results," he said confidently. Marcus nodded and looked at Alex, she smiled and changed slides, she had never been good with words, however this image would be more than enough to start it off. Marcus's eyes widened as he took in the image of a champagne bottle being tipped and falling, in the process the liquor fell in a wave. He stared and noticed the splash was in the shape of snowflakes. He had never seen an affect like this achieved, "Champagne snowflakes?" he asked softly. Alex nodded and changed the slide to show the golden liquid creating a series of dancers as it fell through the air. It was as though he had entered a world of pure whimsy, and she changed the slide again. A bottle of Rose had been opened and he stared at the poinsettia which had resulted in the liquid being spilled. The final image was one in which the bottles had been knocked over, and in the glasses were samples of each champagne. He stared in shock as he looked at the evolution of people and events which had been tied into each bottle. The ball dropping in New York, Wedding bands, people celebrating a variety of events with three words written across the top in elegant golden ink, "Celebrate the Legacy," it read. It was a collection of images which reflected events and people, which had influenced the view of champagne. She flipped to another image and Marcus looked confused, each of the glasses were only half full.

"Back lighting?" asked Sebastian. Alex nodded and he noticed how the flutes were only half filled. "Why?" he asked. Alex smiled and asked, "Sebastian, haven't you ever played a glass?" He grinned with delight and "Certainly," he said smiling. Alex nodded and said, "Same principle, for the commercial." He paused and looked at her skeptically, "Ringing champagne glasses?" Alex nodded, her short hair swayed and Sebastian noted the sincerity in her eyes. "Specifically the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy," she said. Sebastian's eyes widened with terror and Claude laughed. "How do you plan on pulling this off?" he asked, "No producer would attempt such a thing." Alex smiled and said, "Oh yes they would, believe me, it's going to be done using a glass harp. Even though it isn't made of champagne glasses but we could record the track separately and then in lay it." Marcus held up his hand and said, "This is all wonderful, but isn't it a bit risky."

Alex was quiet and he looked at her skeptically, "I bet you didn't even create half of these images," he said errogantly. She looked at Sebastian who was simply smiling, he was clearly giving her the green light. "I didn't draw them, I drew the base sketch, took photos of the bottles on a black background, changed the orientation," she said, "mathematically estimated the size of the spill based on the forse in which I pushed the bottle off the table and then inlayed the spill." Marcus's eyes widened as she continued going through the process, "I did digital rendering for the splash, metallic effects, worked with a number of different layers and finally did some burning and tinting to make your champagne look more like liquid gold," she said with a hint of finality. Marcus looked at the proposed images in the packet and then back to her. She included a series of thumbnails, both photoshoped and concept drawings.

"You drew all of these?" he asked in shock, he gently picked up one of the images which was on the easel and looked at it. Alex's ocean blue eyes looked up at him over the black rims of her readers. "Yes, is there one you prefer?" she asked before setting the sketch pad down. Marcus looked at all three sketches and said, "Honestly I would love to use all of these, however I can only use one of them, we might be able to combine two of them in the television advertisement." He looked at Alex who still had a pencil tucked between her fingers and she smiled, "You weren't specific in what you were looking for, those," she pointed to the image he was holding, "are not the only ones, I have a series of thumb nails for you to look at if you want something like that," she said. Marcus looked at Sebastian whose red eyes were glistening with happiness. "You wanted a new image which would embody everything you're champagne has stood for, for generations. I will admit it was difficult as well as it being seasonal," she said as she handed him the sketchbook. Marcus stared at the drawings; he liked those even more than the larger version which she had created. "Is there a way I can have copies of the finished advertisement concepts?" asked Marcus sheepishly. Alex nodded firmly and made a note of it.

Marcus leaned in closer and looked at the sketches, "I started working on some of the other aspects of the advertisements for paper, however I was unsure of which route you would like," she said as Marcus flipped through the images. "I have modern and traditional prepared," she said after a moment. Sebastian dropped his memo pad and stared at Alex, he didn't expect her to do that many thumbnails for a client. Marcus looked at the bulk and rubbed his head, "I wish my dad didn't do this to me, he asked me to run this advertising champagne, I've never done one in my life," he confessed. His hand ran through his dark brown hair and he looked at her earnestly. Alex took off her readers and smiled, he was even more enchanted with her. "My goal is to create and image which will reflect tradition, yet incorporate enough room for new traditions to be made," she said brightly. "I'm still not sure," he said after a moment.

"He left this to you, you call the shots. I'm a designer all I'm supposed to do is create an image or series of images which will help your product sell." Marcus looked at her in shock; most would consider this overly confident and rude. She smiled and pulled back, a coy smirk played on her lips, "All you have to do is tell me your vision and I will take your dreams," her voice became whimsical as she picked up the booklet, one of the large prints was on the open page, "and make them visible so the rest of the world can see what you do." She looked at him and Sebastian watched as she continued, with the same confidence he had become accustomed to. It was as though a beautiful wind had swept through the office as she continued talking about designs and concepts. "I like the modern one," said Marcus with a note of finality. Alex looked at him; she was waiting for her parameters so that she could refine the design. "However is there a way you can take each of the three major labels and do a different design similar to the designs with single bottles?" he asked. Alex paused; she hadn't given the thought of the three bottles sharing a page much thought. "It's possible," she said after a moment as she attempted to lay it out in her head. "Yes I can," she said after a moment, it was as though he was watching her redefine the laws of creativity. She pulled a pen and made notes on a memo pad, "You would like all three labels in one image? Anything specific?" she asked.

Marcus smiled and noticed the smile of encouragement she gave him, "Okay I think we should stick with universal symbols of the winter months, that way we can use it through out the season and globally," he said with a hint of more confidence. Alex made note of this and looked at him, she waited for further instructions, "I like thumbnail 22, the bottle with snow flakes, however I don't understand why you chose Noire for that," he said. Alex smiled and looked at him, "Well to be honest I felt it would speak about how the flavor is different from what you expect," she responded. Marcus nodded and looked through the other drawings, "I also love the dancers. It's a nice touch." Alex nodded as she scratched that down and then looked at him, "I really want to keep the bells but I also like the poinsettia," he said after a moment. Sebastian looked at the drawings and said, "Perhaps if we combine the snow flakes, and the dancers in Noire, then use the bells in Blanc, after those use the poinsettia for Rose." Alex looked at Sebastian and nodded, she then turned to Marcus, "What do you think?" Marcus smiled and nodded, "I think that's perfect," he responded. Alex smiled and quickly made notes of the adjustments, "What's a glass harp?" asked Marcus as he flickered through the pages.

Sebastian looked over at Marcus, a smirk had curled his lips again, "It's an instrument with one of the sweetest sounds I know," said Sebastian. There was a ring of pleasure in his voice and he looked at Alex, "It's from an age of classical and had been composed for Bach, Mozart, even Tchaikovsky composed for it," he continued. The air in the room became unusually dark and she opened the curtains. "It thought it was the perfect sound for the commercial," she said happily. Sebastian snapped out of his trance as Alex pulled up the piece she had planned on playing. "This is beautiful," he commented softly. Alex nodded and cut the piece short before Sebastian became unusual again. Marcus nodded and slowly rose, "This has been a wonderful experience, if this is how Artistry is professionally then I would love to work with you again," he said. Alex smiled sweetly, her ocean blue eyes glistened and she held a hand out to him, "Please the pleasure is mine, to work on an ad for such an old and prestigious brand is wonderful," she said softly. Marcus blushed and slowly took her hand, he shook it gently and commented, "I'm going to present these ideas to my father, he still has to sign off on them. However, you have given my plenty to present. Is it possible for you to get the sketch of the design I asked for in a week's time?" Alex paused and slowly pulled her phone out of her pocket. She scrolled through her calendar and looked up at him, "I will," she said as she added the entry. Sebastian seemed pleased; his eyes were locked on the designs as Alex walked over to the door. Marcus gestured for her to go first and noticed how Sebastian fallowed behind him. Alex walked him down to the foyer and smiled before turning to Sebastian. "Are you alright?" she asked. Sebastian turned to her, he looked slightly confused, "Why?" Alex's eyes narrowed and she said, "Something happened, you started to change." Sebastian looked at her, it was as thought nothing she said phased him. "What are you talking about?" he asked. Alex was about to say something when Sebastian's phone rang and he immediately took the call. Alex simply watched him walk away, there was something frightening going on with Sebastian.