Greetings and Salutations Lovely Readers!

First of all.. I just wanna say that I'm sorry for making everyone wait. Not gonna lie, I haven't really been doing that great and my muse has been suffering. I've been feeling better though so hopefully everything will be back on track soon enough. Anyway! This chapter is a bit wordy and such but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

As always, I don't own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters.

Ta,

Majix

Alois basked in the unadulterated enjoyment he derived from the raw look of surprise adorning Earl Phantomhive's startled face.

Patience didn't come easy to the blonde teen. Even as a child he often ignored the warnings of his elders, keen to rush through tasks that probably deserved more craft, but such was his nature. However, in the face of all that'd happened, Alois had to admit that Claude's plan had some merit if this would be part of the reward. In all the times he'd glimpsed Phantomhive's form, the Earl was so deathly serious. The tune of the blue haired teen's focus was unwavering, even as he was unknowingly viewed from afar, but to see such a look of undisguised emotion on his face was refreshing.

It was a look of truth, rather than the lies he wrapped himself up in.

Alois cocked his head, watching the younger man come back to himself with surprising slowness. It was strange to be so close to the person that'd stolen everything from him. On the outside, he appeared quite normal. On the small side, his body nowhere near completely developed. He just looked like a awkward boy, not a child but not yet a man. To the untrained eye, he was just somebody looking to fit in but even with all the stage make-up Alois could see the blood on his hands clear as day.

He didn't pretend to understand what the Earl did or why, but even with all his inexperience the blonde could see the violence of the other boy's life. Ciel's Phantomhive was intimate with death, knew what to meant to take the life of another and the very thought set Alois on edge.

He was meant to keep calm, to remain as unknowing and neutral as possible but as sky blue eyes stared into the bewildered face of his enemy, all he could taste was the desire for vengeance. The Earl was so close, so open and vulnerable and all Alois wanted to do was wrap his fingers around the boy's throat and squeeze til the lights left his eyes.

But Claude said it wouldn't be that easy, and despite the frustration of it all, Alois trusted Claude. Everything he'd said thus far turned out to right, and if anything, that earned him a bit of credibility, even if Alois didn't like it.

"You!"

The blonde wanted to smirk, wanted to snark and exchange wit with his foe but rather than blindly following his desires, the older teen adorned a confused and slightly worried look, "What about me?"

Phantomhive's visible eye narrowed as he approached, "Don't play stupid, I saw you the other night."

Alois pulled his brows together, frowning in what he hoped was a near perfect mask of innocent intention, "I know, you fainted when Joker introduced you to the group. I wanted to ask, are you alright? It looked pretty serious."

The blonde watched, with malicious enjoyment, as the cogs tried to gain purchase within the Earl's mind but, to Alois' dismay, Phantomhive didn't immediately take the bait. Even in his confusion, the blue haired teen wasn't easily deceived and as the blonde met the eyes of his advisory, he knew without a doubt that it'd be a tough sell.

It'd been foolish to assume otherwise. Information was scarce in some areas, but even to somebody as ignorant to the Underworld as Alois, it was obvious that one didn't become a dog for the Queen's yard without some sort of skill.

In truth, the blonde probably would've been insulted had his small little lie worked.

"Where is he?"

Alois allowed his smile to fall the slightest bit "Who?"

Wide blue eyes watched on with carefully veiled amusement as his enemy clenched his jaw, Phantomhives patience with the situation clearly coming to an end, "The yellow eyed man in the black suit."

"I don't - I mean, I haven't," Alois chewed his lip in a perfect display of uneasiness, "I'm not sure who you're talking about."

Phantomhive sneered coldly, crossing his arms across his chest with a frown, his posture quickly taking on an unyielding stance that the blonde found much less threatening without the Earl's demon present, "I may appear young in age but don't mistake me for a fool."

It was almost impressive.

Knowing who the Earl really was and what he was capable of gave him a fierce reputation but Alois was in on the secret. He knew that the boy possessed no measurable amount of talent. He was a fraud, a coward standing before the power of a creature he didn't understand or respect and as Alois looked unflinching into the face of his foe, he felt more confident in his footing and his ability to fool the devil himself than ever.

With wide doe eyes, Alois pulled all the stops, taking in all Phantomhive had to offer and giving some back, he hung his shoulders and allowed his muscles to quiver as he fleetingly met the other boy's eyes before shaking his head sharply, holding his plans up in surrender, "I'm new to this place too, I don't know anybody here. I just came to see who the new addition was and I saw you collapse. That's all, I swear!"

The blue haired boy's features were flat, blank in all sense of the word as he stared at the blonde but Alois knew that he'd made at least a couple scraps of progress. The Earl wasn't calling for his dog, so that had to mean something, especially for somebody like Phantomhive who couldn't do anything without immortal aid.

"I -" The blonde paused for effect, appearing to swallow his emotions, "I have to leave but please! Please believe me."

Phantomhive dipped his head in understanding, watching the blonde wearily before Alois smiled warmly at him, "Okay. Okay! I'll see you later, okay Smile?"

The Earl didn't say anything either way but as Alois turned to leave, he couldn't suppress the victorious smile adorning his lips. He might not have the other boy entirely convinced, but he was well on his way. The seeds of doubt were planted, and from what he could see Claude had already helped start the rift between the teen and his demon. Revenge was right out of reach, all he had to do now was wait and feed the growing fire.

But as the blonde made his way from the tent, ever confident in his endeavors, he never once noticed the knowing smirk that found Ciel's lips.

For the Earl of Phantomhive, there were three general guidelines that aided in the success of various types of manipulation.

Knowing what the other person wanted to hear or expected to see was always helpful. The opposite could also be true if the person speaking was attempting to appear as an ally when they were, in fact, a villain. Taking a shot in the dark was never very pleasant and if wrongly assumed, the entire situation had the possibility of going sideways. However, if the manipulator knew what the other person was trying to accomplish, it can easily be made to seem that the manipulator and the person being manipulated are on the same side.

When trying to build trust or extract information, the Earl also found it helpful to include bits and pieces of similar based information into his own personal stories and responses. People were much more willing to open up about a relationship or business deal gone south if the manipulator casually mentioned that they experienced something similar. Such was even more helpful when trying to expose the carefully concealed details while already knowing what the bigger picture was supposed to be. Most people weren't keen to share the thick of their plans or their troubles, but when exposed to a conversation that lingered along the edge of whatever they were up to, the subject often felt confident in sharing minor details without going into the heart of the matter.

And the third was being able to quickly turn a conversation away from himself and back towards the the subject under the guise of curious questions or worried statements. It was a natural and easy way to draw somebody into conversation while revealing as little of yourself or what you're actually trying to accomplish as possible by making the subject feel inclined to speak rather than offend.

Of the three personal manipulation guidelines, Ciel was very nearly positive that the blonde boy had used two of them in the duration of their meeting.

He'd avoided mentioning his name or who he was while attempting to get the blue haired teen to speak. His words were uttered with intent and clear, focused pauses that were far too calm for somebody being accused of something confusing that didn't make sense. Especially since that person was supposed to be new to the circus as well and his accuser had been openly hostile. Not to mention that if the blonde had been genuine, he wouldn't have cared so much if Ciel believed his claims of innocence, he would've tried to leave as quickly as possible.

The more likely scenario was that the mystery teen was trying to appear naive in the hopes that Ciel would stick by him to retrieve answers. It was a manipulative example of an olive branch being extended under the excuse of being accepted despite the oddity of the blue haired teen's claims. A friend among the circus, and to somebody as skilled with manipulation as Ciel, the move was incredibly weak.

Despite being fairly well executed, it was the work of a novice at best.

With a final glance towards the entrance of the tent, Ciel plopped down one one of the two bunks, not bothering to inspect either before doing so. The tent itself was rather empty anyway, a few articles of clothing scattered about but all in all, it appeared more as a transition than anything.

The navy haired Earl didn't assume that people brought many things with them when they traveled constantly alongside a circus, but most individuals carried momentos or things they collected along the way. Human beings, he'd discovered, were creatures of sentiment. There was a need within them, himself included, to recall past events and specific memories but the canvas before him was empty.

There wasn't a single scrap of information to be found about the mysterious blonde without a name and that, more than anything, caused the Earl's unease.

Random segments of thought flickered across his conscious unabashed as the teen laid back on his given bed, crossing his legs at the ankle and threading his fingers together under his head as a pillow.

There was something utterly suspicious going on at the Noah's Ark Circus. At first glance, it would seem that the blonde boy and his strangely absent companion would be to blame for the disappearances but the longer Ciel laid among his own company, the more he began to think otherwise.

While the older boy and his vanishing demon seemed like an obvious choice, Ciel couldn't shake the subtle feeling that they were related to something completely different.

The missing children were nowhere to be found, Sebastian himself had said so and though the idea of another demon kidnapping them had merit, it didn't fit. What would be the purpose of taking innocent mortals when the golden eyed demon already had a soul on hold? There was no purpose, unless the blonde had something to do with that.

It seemed like the nameless teen was more concerned with Ciel than the circus so there was always the chance that they could've been using the missing children to draw him out while also using the traveling circus as a distraction.

However, that seemed a bit excessive.

If the blonde wanted to find him all he would've had to do was order his demon to search him out, or he could've asked any person of nobility. Everyone of importance knew where Phantomhive manor was and it wouldn't have been incredibly difficult to find, especially with a demon at his disposal.

An annoyed sigh escaped the teen as he tried to filter the various theories from the known information. There were still too many blanks, too many open ended situations that held no answers and now Ciel found himself strategizing on two different fronts. It would've been much easier to simply assume that the blonde was the source of the kidnappings but the Earl's gut told him otherwise.

The blonde was present because of something he wanted, something that had to do with the blue haired teen but he wasn't responsible for the missing children. Ciel was much more convinced that the troupe's main cast was to blame for whatever was going on. The tightly knit group was one of secrecy, an intricately woven cocoon of similar souls with a single dark truth at their heart.

When it came to secrets, Ciel knew all about the importance of keeping them away from others. He knew just how close two people that shared the same secret could become, the way they looked to the other in situations of stress and though it was possible that the First-Stringers were just a group of odd people brought together by circumstance of similarities, Ciel was much more certain that something more sinister held them together.

There was no obvious reason for the disappearances, the circus crew wasn't short on hands and none of them were being used as slaves but the more time Ciel spent with the various members of the main cast, the more confident he felt about his assumption. There was something wrong with the tight-knit group, something lurking beneath each and every surface. That much was obvious just from basic interaction but Ciel had a feeling that there was a much bigger picture already in motion.

He could feel it in the depths of his bones and though Ciel wasn't the type to go on instinct alone, he knew that they were present for a reason. Sebastian had expressed to him on more than one occasion that the suppression of the primal instinct was what made humans inferior, that their comfort in their own arrogance would lead to an eventual downfall and though the dark haired teen initially scoffed at the claim, his demon hadn't been wrong.

It was a claim that'd been proven right on a wide scale of situations and, in his moments of confusion when nothing was as it seemed, Ciel began allowing his instincts to guide his actions.

Pale lips parted to draw in a deep breath, the Earl's chest rising slow and steady as the teen attempted to calm his raging mind. It was frustrating, the self-obsessed need to plan and organize that often left his mind ripping itself to shreds. There was little he could do to slow the destruction within and Ciel wished he could call for Sebastian.

The presence of his demon always allowed for stilled moments of calm but he didn't want to appear overly close to the older man. They were, unfortunately, undercover and though it was known by the members of the circus that they were friends, Ciel didn't want to be to be constantly connected to the butler in disguise. It was bad enough that he'd fainted and Sebastian refused to relinquish his control over the situation but to be seen calling Sebastian to his tent so soon was a line he wasn't willing to cross just yet.

However, it seemed Ciel would be freed from the rampaging hurricane of his own thoughts when Doll unexpected popped her head into the tent, "Smile! Lazing about are you?"

The teen blinked open his eyes and sat up on his cot, "Just a bit tired is all."

Doll appeared quite nearly sympathetic, nodding in understanding before her warm smile returned, "I just stopped by to tell you that Alois would be the one showing you around later."

A small frown tugged at the Earl's lips, "Who's Alois? And why do I need to be shown around? Joker already gave me a tour."

For a moment her soft boyish features appeared nearly confused, "Oh, I thought you'd met him already. He's the one sharing a tent with you."

Ciel quickly caught on and despite still not knowing why it was necessary to be weighed down by a guide, the teen found himself pleased with the scrap of information. At the very least he knew that the blonde had been seen around the circus and there wasn't a single possibility that he was imagined.

With ease born of repetition, Ciel slapped a very nearly sheepish grin on his face before addressing the tightrope walker, "That makes more sense. I met him earlier but he was in a rush, I didn't get his name."

Her confusion vanished in an instant with the introduction of an amused laugh, "Aye, that's pretty regular 'round here. His name is Alois but most of us just call him blondie."

Ciel's frown quickly became more prominent, "He doesn't get a stage name?"

Sensing that their conversation would take more than a fleeting handful of seconds, Doll slipped easily into the tent before plopping down across from the blue haired teen on what, he assumed, was Alois' bed, "No, only the ones who go up on stage. Blondie just showed up a week or two ago and wanted to travel with us as a stagehand. He runs errands and messages for Joker and the others."

The teen swung his legs over the side to face her, scooting up towards the edge as he prepared to stand, "Speaking of Joker, why do I need a shadow?"

Doll smirked, her grin one of underlying mischief and in that moment Ciel realized with a startling amount of clarity that there was much more to the girl before him than what remained clear and obvious on the surface, "Wandering the circus grounds beside Joker is pretty different from walking around on your own as a newbie, you follow?"

A flicker of annoyance danced across the boy's face, "I understand what you're saying but I don't understand what that means."

She laughed, "Some of the crew like to tease the newcomers," Her mischievous smile returned and Ciel had no doubt in his mind that she'd been among the tricksters more than once, "Not to mention things get pretty chaotic when Joker isn't looking."

Doll paused, a knowing smile lighting up her expression just the tiniest bit before continuing, "He knows what goes on though, so he asked if anybody would be willing to look after you til you learn the ropes. Alois said he'd do it, which is why you're bunked together."

Though he didn't let it show, Ciel's mood darkened. The fact that Alois had sought out his presence to begin with didn't bode well for either of them; for Ciel because it meant getting drawn into another issue and for Alois because most that sought him for a nefarious purpose ended up dead or missing.

Ciel forced himself to smile, "That was quite generous of him."

If Doll noticed the shift in his demeanor she didn't mention it. Instead she stood from her hastily claimed seat and shrugged, "S'pose so. Anyway, I have to get going but blondie should be back before lunch to show you the ways of our people."

The last of her statement was spoken with an easy going grin and a gruffly spoken accent meant to entertain. It was lighthearted and easy in a way that Ciel seldom experienced and, not for the first time, he found himself hoping that she wasn't mixed up in whatever the Circus was involved in.

Out of habit, Ciel stood alongside her, waiting patiently for her to leave before returning to his seat, "Thanks for letting me know, Doll."

As he moved from his seat the brunette raised a brow at the formality but she didn't question it. Instead, the ropewalker merely offered the newest member of their troupe a smile, "No problem!"

She turned to leave, very nearly dancing to the exit before pausing to look back at the blue haired teen, "Don't forget, we have a show tonight."

Ciel's brows pinched together in a look of subtle uncertainty, "Joker didn't say anything about me performing tonight when I spoke with him earlier."

Doll turned to face him once more, "Not tonight, no. He wanted you to rest up since you'll probably perform tomorrow night, but we always need all the stage hands we can get to help with costumes and things like that."

A relieved sigh escaped the Earl's lips before he could reign it in, a slight flush of pink coloring his cheeks as Doll giggled, "Yeah, no worries. We wouldn't just spring that on you. I'll see you later, Smile."

He offer a wave towards her retreating form before dropping all pretenses and dropping back down on his cot to await his supposed guide.

Regardless of how he felt about the matter, being lead around the circus by the previously unnamed teen would give him an opportunity to, not only, discover exactly the other boy's motives but also to scour the place for additional clues for the location of the children.

However, that didn't mean he was any happier about it.

The blonde was unnerving, even more so because of the absent nature of his vanishing demon but Ciel acknowledged that the necessary roads worth traveling weren't usually pleasant, especially in his line of work.

Before he could even begin to collect and calm his thoughts, another person popped their head into his tent. The Earl expected it to be Doll stopping back by because she forgot something, or even Sebastian with some news but, to his displeasure, the teen was met with the sight of a bright eyed Alois.

"Ready for a day of chaotic adventure?"

Regardless of his dislike for the boy in front of him, the blue haired boy couldn't help but to smirk at the playfully offered words. He may have been a man of duty and responsibility, but Ciel Phantomhive could rarely turn down an opportunity to raise havoc in the name of official business, "Absolutely."

With a previously missing bounce to his step, Ciel stood from his cot, holding out an arm towards the tent's opening, "Lead on."