Hello everyone! Welcome back to my story... and I'm so excited for your opinios on the rest of it, since it's entirely original! In this chapter, I present my version of how Sebastian's and Ciel's (plus Selina's) mission might go... and I'm sure it's extremely mild in comparison to whatever Toboso is cooking up for us! Either way, please enjoy! 😊
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or its characters. I entirely own only my OCs, arcs and ideas/themes not mentioned in any form of the franchise (manga, anime, games, movies or musicals).
Chapter 55: The Tutor, Brighton
Mr. Crofford smoothed out his vest and buttoned his jacket while standing outside the hotel he was running; Heavenly Passage was its new name and he thought it so fitting, since the... services it provided helped the guests to relax and find the peace they needed to gain a passage to heaven... quite literally. He smirked to himself pleased but then collected himself seeing the carriage approaching, bringing a Mrs. Sophia Jones, a new guest, who sounded quite interesting. A young widow with no other family ties was perfect.
The carriage stopped right in front of him and with a gentlemanly smile plastered on his lips, ran to open the door and offer a hand to the woman that came out. She stepped down quite graciously, allowing her burgundy skirts to swirl around her legs, but let out a tiny, elegant gasp, as her extremely puffy sleeves - too early to be conceived by most of the era's fashion designers - were caught at the carriage's opening, forcing the woman to turn her torso sideways to release them.
Crofford met two blue eyes surrounded by golden blond curls, once she lifted her head and revealed her sun kissed face under the huge burgundy hat, perfectly protecting her from the rays of sun. That contradiction struck him a little odd; if she had the habit of wearing such huge hats, should she not be paler? On the other hand, she looked so healthy, so who cared about anything else? Simply perfect.
"My lady, I am Mr. Crofford, manager of this establishment. I am honoured to have you as our guest. We will do our best to make your stay here unforgettable." He said, with the smile widening as he leaned down and gently kissed the gloved hand.
"Oh, Mr. Crofford, I am sure you and your personnel always exceed everyone's expectations." Mrs. Jones said with a smile; her accent perfectly British.
"You are so kind, my lady." He said, offering her his arm and she took it with pleasure. They entered the hotel together and then Crofford signalled one of the bellboys to come closer. "Wilfred, go and unload Mrs. Jones luggage from the carriage and follow us to suite four forty-six. And be quick about it!" He finished a little harshly, as the raven-haired tall man bowed and left to do his task. Crofford smiled to Mrs. Jones. "Forgive me, my lady, but he is new here and new employees always need a little reprimanding until they get used to the work. It is training."
"I fully understand you, Mr. Crofford." She nodded with a troubled look, as she obviously remembered the times she had to train her maids and butlers.
Crofford led her to the front desk, where she would sign the guestbook and fill any necessary papers. That took a while and surprisingly enough, the bellboy was ready, loaded with all her luggage and hatboxes, waiting for her and Mr. Crofford by the lift. They soon joined him and entered the relatively spacey chamber; the doors opened and closed on their own, impressing the woman a lot.
"Oh yes! The hotel I would manage should have the latest technology in everything, so it goes without saying that I demanded for the lift to be replaced, despite how new is this addition to the doors." He said proudly, but then turned strict eyes to the lift operator, a slip of a boy struggling to move the heavy metallic lever that would move the chamber. "Freddie, I have seriously started doubting my decision to give you this chance, after showing you cannot do anything else. Wilfred, do not help him again! He must learn to do it on his own... if he wants to remain with us." He finished, raising his hand to stop Wilfred, who had already let some hatboxes on the floor and extended a hand ready to help the boy push the lever.
"Oh please, Mr. Crofford, do not be so hard on the boy... for my sake." The woman smiled at the man and flapped her eyelashes charmingly. "I am sure Freddie wants to be good to his job, he just needs a little time. He is so small and... cute. Please, keep him close, Mr. Crofford." Her voice was so sweet and small, like that of a purring cat's.
Mr. Crofford sighed, giving in to his guest's plead, no matter if she would prove useful to his cause or not, he should not get cross with her; therefore, allowed Wilfred to help the boy, who apologized to Crofford with a dark look in his blue eye, and thanked Mrs. Jones for her kindness. They reached the fourth floor and right before the woman exited the lift, she lightly stroked the boy's cheek and with a motherly smile advised him to eat his food and drink milk to grow stronger. Luckily for the boy, Crofford did not see him rolling his eye, quite fed up already, or how Wilfred tried hard to not laugh openly.
Once they reached the suite, Crofford got busy raving about the room, the new furniture, tapestry and the marvellous view to the sea. He went on and on, making the woman getting impatient until she reached into her handbag and pulled out an envelope. She tapped the man's shoulder to draw his attention.
"Everything is so beautiful and wonderful, I am sure. Now, pardon me for interrupting you, but I would love to take a rest and refresh myself before joining you and your honoured guests for dinner." A polite smile bloomed on her lips.
"Yes, yes, of course. Forgive my thoughtlessness! I will leave you to rest and if you need anything ring the bell; Wilfred will be instantly here to assist you." He said, equally politely and got ready to move to the door, but the woman stopped him.
"Silly me, I forgot to give this letter to be mailed when we were at the reception. I hope it is not a bother?" She said giving him the envelope.
"No bother at all, my lady, do not even think of it." He responded as he took and glanced at the name written on the envelope. "To Lady Stella Rose? Oh, I did not know you were acquainted with the late Viscount's daughter." He seemed genuinely impressed, perhaps even a little troubled.
"Oh, my late husband was a friend of the Viscount, actually. We had visited sometime and I met his daughter. Such a sweet angel, she won me over and I was so sad upon hearing her father's demise and how she was also thought dead." Her eyes became sad, to the verge of tears.
"Yes, it was really sad to hear... Even though I was not in Brighton at the time and did not know the Viscount or his daughter... Still, it is tragic. Well, my lady. I will let you refresh yourself and will be waiting for you at the dining hall at seven o'clock. I cannot wait to introduce you to some of my most exceptional guests." He smiled excited, instantly switching his mood. "Wilfred will lead you, once you are ready."
"Yes, sir." Wilfred's silky voice was finally heard for the first time as he bowed, accepting the task, and then bowed to the woman before exiting the suite, following Crofford, who missed the mischievous glance bellboy and lady exchanged.
As soon as the door was shut, "Sophia Jones" exhaled relieved, like a huge burden was lifted from her shoulders. "Fuck, pretending the noble British lady is so hard... so many fake pleasantries! Jesus!" Selina said, getting rid of the huge hat and her ridiculously puffy sleeved coat, before heavily sitting on the bed. "Really, Nina... What the hell were you thinking with these sleeves? Anyway, part one of the mission was successfully completed!" She finished, smiling pleased with herself.
{~}
"I would not like to risk sending mail, in case the Yard traces the sender; therefore, once you reach the hotel, give the manager to send this." Young master said, giving Selina an envelope with a teddy bear drawn on it. He nodded at her question if she could read it.
Selina pulled a page written with the elegant handwriting of her master. The text was short and to the point.
"My dear Stella,
I deeply apologise for delaying so much to send you my deepest condolences on the loss of your beloved father. It was tragic news to me that only added to my unbearable grief after losing my dear husband; for months I had shut myself in our house, struggling to come to terms with the idea of continuing without him.
However, I have realised that I need to start living again and find happiness – my dear John would also like that. For starters, I decided to spend some time in Brighton for vacations, but I will not burden you with forcing you to accommodate me. I will be staying at Heavenly Passage and would be so happy if you paid a visit to poor old me.
Kind regards,
Sophia Jones.
P.S. Lord Ciel sends his warmest regards."
"Upon meeting Stella Rose, I want you to ask her everything she might know about the hotel and its services. It is possible she will not know much, but I would like to have all sides covered and... it is less suspicious and unnatural for a local noble to ask questions or hearing gossips, rather than sending Lau's people or some stranger." The young Earl finished; tutor and butler nodded.
"However, if you allow me, my lord, would it not be dangerous for our plan to fail if the suspicious party sees that "Sophia Jones" has a connection to local nobility? That would make them cautious and would not take the bait Selina presents them with." Sebastian asked.
"But the bait is very strong; a young, completely healthy widow with rare blood and no one else in the world, no family to search for her. Besides..." His eye sparkled cunningly. "Stella Rose is a child noble, just like me. Who says the faction will consider the widow's connection to Stella as important?" He was betting on the people's disregard towards child nobles, something he had tasted many times when no one took him seriously.
"It is a good bet, I think it will work. I can draw the manager's attention to my connection to Stella, and see if the faction gets careless and impatient. If they swallow the bait and take me to their blood plantation, we can make them break in cold sweat by having Stella searching for me." Selina suggested.
"Hmm... Let us have that as a backup plan, but I would not like to involve her too much, plus, I want them to feel sure of themselves and act as they always do; it will be easier to uncover them that way." The boy said, deep in thought.
Selina agreed. "My lord... some of the news might have reached Lady Stella's ears. I know she trusts you very much, after saving her life, but don't you think we should share some information on your situation to make her feel comfortable and trustful towards me... us?"
"Selina is right, my lord." Sebastian added.
"All right... I guess she has a right to know who she really helps, and she is far less dangerous than Lau that knows almost everything. Selina, I leave it to you to give her only the necessary information."
"Of course, my lord." Selina said and with a smile sealed the envelope with the letter.
{~}
Selina woke up in the morning, her first one in Heavenly Passage, and started getting ready to... wear the costume and mask of a British lady; a businessman's widow no less, struggling with grief. Yes, she had been thoroughly trained for it and could perform the role satisfactorily, but that did not mean she enjoyed it. However, she could not deny it had already proven a big help as it allowed her to literally snoop around in other people's business, under the pretence of social interest.
Last night's dinner with the manager and his guests was pretty ordinary, uneventful but quite enlightening. The hotel's customers seemed to come from many social stands and never stopped praising Crofford and the services provided. Even though, many of them seemed to be ailing from "exhaustion and city stress" – as the hotel's doctor diagnosed, reassuring them Brighton's climate would help – that, strangely enough, always manifested soon after their arrival there, no one had gotten suspicious of the reason being something or someone else in Brighton, in this very hotel.
"Exhaustion and city stress in 1889... Yeah right! Then we, the people of the 21st century in significantly larger cities, have an absolutely stress-free life!" Selina thought and smirked to herself ironically, but kept her opinion for herself and continued observing how weak and pale many of the guests looked.
When Selina got down to the hotel's foyer, was surprised to see a lightly brown-haired girl with big blue eyes sitting in one armchair and a grey-clad butler standing beside her; they both looked quite confused and curious as their eyes kept following Wilfred running around, doing his job. On one hand, Selina was happy that her letter fired up the girl's curiosity and interest enough to make her visit the very next morning; getting information as soon as she could, would help her progress faster. On the other hand, it made her anxious as she had no idea how the girl would react to meeting that "friend" she had no idea she had. Selina hoped for Stella to be as smart as she understood from her master's previous encounter with the "ghost-girl", and that she would play her part correctly; the woman took a deep breath and moved on.
"Stella, my dear!" She called loudly, drawing both girl's and butler's attention away from Wilfred, and approached with arms open.
"Mrs. Sophia! How nice to see you again!" The girl responded, allowing her face to lighten up with happiness and ran to meet the woman halfway.
They embraced each other very fondly and started the expected small talk right away. Stella Rose as well as her butler, Patrick, were quick to grasp the importance of this show and that relieved Selina greatly. Soon, Crofford joined them and asked if they would like to have tea at the hotel's patio that had a great view to the sea; the curiosity in his eyes openly showed he would prefer to keep them close and be able to hear their discussions; they could have some information useful to him.
"Actually, I intended to take a walk to the beach this morning, would you like to join me, Stella? The weather seems to be wonderful today." Stella was quick to accept.
"But... how about breakfast?" Crofford asked worried.
"Oh, I am sorry, I already had mine." Stella responded.
"I am sorry too, but I will have to pass. The dinner last night was such a feast that I still feel my stomach full." Selina added.
Crofford attempted to have them take one of the bellboys with them, in case they needed some help, but his offer was again bypassed, as Stella reassured him that Patrick was perfectly capable for anything that might occur. The man could not press the matter more, therefore, he just had to give up and leave the two females take off on their own.
"Now, Mrs. Jones... although I doubt that is actually your name, can I know who are you, what do you want and how do you know Lord Ciel? I cross-checked the writing of your letter with that he had send me along with a teddy bear, so I know he sends you to me, and that is why I accepted to participate in this charade of meeting an unknown friend." The girl said seriously after they had gotten out of earshot.
"You are absolutely right, my lady. I am Selina Clark, Lord Phantomhive's tutor. He, Sebastian and I are in a very difficult situation and on a mission here." Selina said.
"Oh, that is why-" Patrick began and Selina nodded.
"Yes, no one must see and know that you are acquainted to them and ruin their cover. Now, allow me to explain..." Selina said and for the next hour she narrated the entire story, without referring to demonic contracts and dead bodies revived by crazy Grim Reapers, and confirmed the rumours Stella had heard concerning an impostor Earl Phantomhive. "As you can see, my master, the Lord Ciel you know is indeed an impostor, but he has his reasons for taking his brother's place, I assure you of that."
"I am certain and I am not here to judge him or anything. He helped me so much that I am indebted to him. How can I help?" The girl said and Selina could see how much she had grown up in the months after her first meeting with young master.
"We believe that the secret cult or organisation that collected blood continues doing so in various establishments; this hotel might be one of them, so my master would appreciate if you shared with us anything you know about it."
Stella nodded. "I would be happy, but I cannot say I know much, other than that the previous owner sold it because it had little work, Crofford bought it around the end of May, renovated it entirely and was open for business at the start of the summer vacations season. Patrick, you might know more, you might have heard from people in town..." She turned to her butler who was already deep in thought.
"Hmm... I have seen the people in town being happy about how well the business in their shops goes and the hotel being their major customer. They say it is so good that guests constantly extend their stay and some move in the resort permanently. However, very few local people have been hired as maids, bellboys or anything and those who have, work solely for the hotel... Phillip, the baker's son, works there and last time I saw him told me that, on the one hand, he is very pleased with his work, but he would not mind going to the resort too for some extra money. He seemed irritated that only few of the people Crofford brought with him go to the resort." Patrick said and was sorry he did not have more useful information.
"Wait... the resort is separate from the hotel?" Selina asked confused. "I had not noticed that and... why is it separate? How big difference the one has from the other?"
"Phillip said that a maid going there, told him the rooms are even bigger and can accommodate the guests' visitors for a few days. The resort is on the other edge of the plot, towards a hill I think." Patrick added.
"Hmm... so the guests that decide to move here are placed in the resort, because it is bigger. Has Phillip seen any of the resort residents again, after moving there?" Selina asked the butler.
The man thought for a while. "I cannot remember anything, but if we want to make sure I will have to ask Lisa, the maid we hired and has taken up shopping, so she might have talked to him more."
"I can send you a letter or visit again when I have the information." Stella offered, quite intrigued by the whole mystery and secrecy.
"No, my lady. Young master does not want to put you in danger by having you establish a strong connection with me in the eyes of Crofford. That could seriously jeopardize my part in the mission and the man seems already troubled by our acquaintance; most probably, he tries to decide if he should move against me or not."
"Move against you? Mrs. Clark... you mean you are bait for them to use in order to collect blood?" Patrick asked with eyes wide open and filled with horror.
Selina nodded. "We do not know how they make people move permanently in the resort, I have an idea but I need the whole picture and hard evidence... Which is the better way other than first-hand experience?"
"But it is dangerous! How can Lord Ciel allow something like that?" Stella asked equally horrified.
"I assure you, Lady Rose, my master knows and have complete faith in my survival skills and abilities... and I, in turn, have complete faith in Sebastian's skills and abilities to help me, if needed." Selina said and, without realising, lightly blushed and rubbed her right middle finger, right where the shape of a ring was visible under the thin white glove covering her hand.
Patrick and Stella opened wide eyes filled with surprise, Stella seemed quite amused. "Oh, I should not be surprised by Ciel's open-mindedness after accepting me as a ghost possessing Lizzie. Congratulations, Mrs. Clark-Michaelis." She grinned happily and clapped her hands.
"Well... Sebastian did not strike me as a family man. I guess you never know, until you find the right person." Patrick said; lady and butler seemed to enjoy teasing the furiously blushing woman.
When they got back, Stella had to say goodbye and apologise for not being able to visit again soon, as she still had many preparations for winter in her property and people needed her. "Sophia" understood and thus the two females parted ways for quite some time, to Crofford's relief. For the rest of the day, Selina could do nothing more, other than wander and laze around, observing the guests and trying to spot any change, but for the time it seemed there was not.
For some reason she could not understand, she slept quite heavily that night and that was why it took her a while to wake up from the sound of constant rapping on the balcony door. She jolted awake at some point, took a few seconds to collect herself and then whispered something before getting up from bed. As she did, a somehow blurry image of hers remained lying in bed at exactly the same position she had while sleeping and the entire room looked very static. Stumbling, Selina reached the balcony door and opened it to allow "Wilfred" entering with "Freddie" in his arms.
"You took too long! I almost froze out there!" The boy was quick to reprimand the blond woman putting on her robe and rubbing her eyes chasing away any sleep.
"I apologize, my lord. I must have been more tired than I thought." Selina said before landing a little heavily on the other side of the couch her master had sat himself.
"Tch. Anyway, tell me what information Stella gave you?" The boy said crossing his arms on his chest totally authoritarian. Selina nodded and did as was told while her master was sipping a cup of hot tea Sebastian had produced... not even God would know how. "Hmm... Interesting, it seems they have gone to great lengths to staff both hotel and resort and keep secret the activities of the one establishment from the other... They cannot have completely separate staff in both hotel and resort because someone from here has to facilitate in the process of preparing the resort residents. Sebastian, have you seen that resort?" The young noble turned to his demon butler standing straight beside him.
"I cannot say I have, my lord. I have spotted a building at the other side of the plot, near a hill, that I would guess is used as storage, because it looks far from a resort where people would choose to live. However, I might be able to collect more information from one other bellboy that I have noticed goes missing for half an hour every now and then, the same time other staff members disappear too, and he keeps staring at me very often and very intently." Sebastian lightly smirked at the last part... and that did not forebode anything good for the bellboy.
"Have you noticed any unnatural aura around it, like in Bates' cabin?" The boy asked.
"Forgive me, my lord, for forgetting to report on that." Selina interrupted the demon about to answer. "I have not traced any kind of magic in the entire establishment or in any of the humans and the surrounding land seem quite natural. Nevertheless, I take the necessary precautions in case I missed anything." She said and pointed at her blurry image in bed.
It was only then that her master noticed the so static state of the room; it felt like time had frozen but he could tell it was the witch's power of creating illusions, the one she had used in St. Ives to block Bates' prying eyes. He nodded satisfied.
"I have to agree, I have never sensed anything out of the human nature. My dear Selina, do you have your monthly blood again?" Sebastian asked, since his nose could not stop twitching at the smell of blood.
"Mmm?..." Selina said a little drowsily. "No... It's not time yet."
In a flash, Sebastian had kneeled in front of her and just like the other time in the carriage, he frantically started sniffing her while almost pulling off her clothes. Ignoring the woman's surprised and shy squeaks, as well as his master's gasps and attempts to order him to stop, he kept sniffing until reaching the crook of her left elbow, exactly the same place from where blood was taken during the special Sirius event of Sphere Music Hall. He pulled up her sleeve and there was a tiny needle prick. Selina and young master remained speechless staring at it for a while.
"Hmm... they lost no time! By now, they must know you are Sirius, so... they will move fast. If I am correct, my brother's need for blood is impertinent and constant." The boy said with a cunning sparkle in his eye.
"But how? I mean... I felt nothing..." A suspicion became visible in her eyes, but had no time to express it, as the demon's hand grasped her chin, turned her face to him and his lips landed on her half-opened ones, leaving her staring at his face with goggled eyes, unable to react.
"Hey! Do you really think this is the right time for that?! Have you lost your mind?!" His master yelled with cheeks burning hot, while the demon kept kissing and tasting his mate's lips and mouth.
Sebastian broke the kiss as suddenly as he initiated it and his eyes burned red quite furiously, but did a perfect job controlling it. "Her breath smells and her mouth tastes tea with valerian, not much, just enough to make her sleep heavily so that she would not feel the needle's sting." He helped her straighten her clothes.
"That is right! Aunt Angelina had told me doctors were using valerian to drug patients before a surgery, but it could be dangerous if used too much and constantly." The boy said having already forgotten his previous embarrassment due to his servants' intimate exchange.
"Correct... And it can help with insomnia, but after long-term use and big dosages it can actually cause insomnia, headaches, mental dullness and sluggishness that in turn can cause exhaustion and stress; exactly what "ails" quite a few of the guests as well as the ones that moved permanently to the supposed resort." Selina said, sleep having left her entirely.
Young master nodded. "And that is why, many of them retire early every night and sometimes fall asleep standing, until the lift reaches their floor. I have been observing them right from the beginning I was assigned as the lift operator... they become paler and weaker day by day."
"Of course, sleep deprivation or disturbed sleep can cause serious health and mental issues, even more when it is artificially caused." Selina added.
"Hoh? Selina, I thought chemistry was not your best subject." Sebastian – still kneeled in front of her with his left hand lightly brushing her waist and right buttock – asked rising a brow a little teasingly.
"It was not, but in fiction, valerian is a common way to get rid of someone." She responded with an impish smile and the demon, having nothing to contradict her with, just smiled satisfied.
"All right!" Their lord said a little loudly to draw their attention, as they kept staring at each other's eyes for a while; it was so annoying when they did that, despite promising they would control themselves. "What we know so far is that some guests ail from "city stress and exhaustion" soon after their arrival, meaning they are being fed valerian until they reach a point of moving to the possibly non-existent resort permanently, "for the good of their health". Selina has been already targeted and due to her rare blood, too precious for them to wait, I bet she will get sick faster than others and move to the resort in a few days perhaps... Selina, continue consuming everything valerian-flavoured they give you; tea surely will not be the only one, and follow the doctor's advices to the letter. Sebastian, I do not want you to be seen snooping around the supposed resort, therefore, get friendly with that bellboy who stares at you and gain access to the place."
"Yes, my lord." Both butler and tutor said bowing to the boy.
"If there is nothing else, it is time for us to go. I have to be ready and in place by the time the guests wake up..." He said obviously displeased, as he got up and headed for the balcony, while rubbing his aching arms and forearms; the lift's lever was not getting any lighter. "Oh, by the way, Selina... where did your tattoos go?" He asked turning back and pointing at the woman's forearms, where the skin was so smooth and clean making it hard to believe it normally had all these tattooed seals, spells and flames. "Hidden by an illusion?"
"Oh, no. Last time Miranda visited, brought me a special powder made by... the future Othello that covers every kind of mark on human skin and is removed only with a specific solvent. His directions were for me to use it in case I ever go undercover and need to hide everything." The woman said with a light smile; she could not deny she was fond of the geeky scientist, he was fun and smart as hell.
"A wise precaution, I must say. Young master, we should have thought about it beforehand. Selina's cover would be ruined right from the beginning if the blood collectors saw her tattoos." The demon said seriously, a little reproachfully. His precious mate could be in great danger sooner than they had anticipated, and neither he nor his clever master had thought about it; he felt so angry, both with himself and the boy that was trying to think of some excuse for his omission.
Selina could not help but chuckle; boy and man stopped glaring at each other and turned to her. "Thank you both for your concern, but I am sure master believed in my powers to find a way to protect myself. Truth is, I would have found a way to cover my seals and spells if I had to, but... it would be difficult for me to maintain any kind of covering spell while being drugged; therefore, let's be thankful to Othello and his foresight, shall we?" She said smiling.
Master and servant nodded and sighed, totally displeased with themselves; they absolutely hated to be indebted to some annoying Grim Reaper... But now it was done. Young master signalled to Sebastian it was time to go and they all headed for the balcony. However, the last moment, Sebastian turned to Selina, almost glued his face on hers, as he always did when invading someone's private space and stared at her eyes with a teasing glimmer; his voice was no different.
"My dear, do you feel comfortable with me getting friendly with a man who keeps staring at me, while you will be in danger? I guess you do not mind, since you did not include men in your condition of my intimacy with others..." His grin was wide and sharp as he enjoyed the change in the woman's face.
Selina opened wide eyes and mouth in an "O" shape, as the true meaning of his words dawned to her and then her brows furrowed. She grabbed his uniform's neck and pulled him even closer, their noses touching. "Try it... if you want to find yourself castrated... my dear!" Her voice low, dripping with a dangerous intention.
Sebastian chuckled. "I am a demon, dearest, you cannot castrate me!"
Selina responded similarly. "I am a witch, love, I might find a way!"
"But your body would not be pleased by the outcome!" His lips ghosting over hers and then sealed her mouth, right when she was about to call him her favourite nickname for him; that of "Bastard!" of course.
The kiss was quick and fleeting but passionate enough to silence her, as the amused, chuckling demon dashed, took his confused master in his arms and dived off the balcony. The boy could not help but ask "What was all that about" and the demon responded that "he would understand once he entered adulthood". The respond did not satisfy the boy, of course, but that was the last thing Selina listened before they got too far.
She closed the balcony door, called her demon husband "a stupid bastard" with passion and resumed her position in bed before solving the illusion spell. However, the two short kisses she received were enough to make her unable to sleep again.
{~}
"Oh, Andrew! I was just looking for you." Sebastian-Wilfred said, approaching the young brown-haired bellboy, already a little charmed by the demon.
It had been barely a week since Selina came to the hotel and, as expected, Crofford and his people took the bait and became impatient. The dosages of valerian were obviously getting bigger in every meal and drink served to the woman, rapidly weakening her day by day and confining her in her suite more and more, as drowsy days followed sleepless nights. Before long, the hotel's "doctor" diagnosed her with "exhaustion and stress caused by grief for her deceased husband" and, needless to say, the best cure was Brighton's clean and healthy air, meaning she should extend her stay there.
That decision was taken two days ago but today, when Sebastian – who purely coincidental was assigned on the fourth floor this week, along Andrew – went to the kitchen to receive the woman's breakfast, was informed by the chef himself that there was no need for that; later on, he passed outside her suite and saw it was being emptied. It was time for the demon to step up the pace and play his part in order to loosen his tight-lipped target. And that is what he did by asking Andrew about "Mrs' Jones" disappearance.
"And what do you care, Wilfred? Did you take a shine on the rich widow?" Andrew made an effort to joke, even though he wished that was not the case at all. Once again, he could not take his eyes off the tall black-haired man joining him at the bench, where he sat smoking during his break.
"No, I am simply curious. I work here only for a while, but I am not blind. I can see many of the guests looking quite sickly and that is why they extend their stay here, but disappearing..." The man shrugged his shoulders.
Andrew chuckled as he let out a puff of smoke. "Disappearing is a heavy word... She just moved to the resort hoping to get better, it seemed that the air of the sea was not good for her."
"Oh... I guess she took a turn for the worse during the night. What a pity..." Wilfred said in a little sad tone, enough to make the other man stare at him with wide eyes.
"So you did take a shine on her, did you not? I-I mean..." He coughed to clear his throat and hide his disappointment. He offered a cigarette to the man beside him that accepted it with a smile. "I get it. She was not ugly or bad-tempered... an-and I had seen her stealing glances at you a couple of times. You would solve all your problems if she fell for you."
Wilfred waved his hand dismissively as he made a fed up face. "No, thank you. Women are so troublesome to please... in all aspects, if you know what I mean." He said leaning closer to light the cigarette at the offered flame; his smiling lips closed around it gently as his eyes looked at Andrew meaningfully. "To be honest, I thought I might collect some extra money from her tips, if I assisted her during her illness. The bigger the help, the bigger the tips. Speaking of money... is the money enough for you to share your time between here and the resort?" He asked casually.
Andrew remained silent for a while staring at the so handsome man beside him. He knew he should not discuss the... "resort" with the other hotel workers, but this man's eyes and smile made his heart beat faster and his body aching to be touched, making him weak to resist him. He felt his cheeks burning before speaking.
"Well... it is alright. The job we have to do is so simple, most of the times at least." 'Wilfred' kept staring at him, waiting for more information. "Umm... Mr. Crofford has forbid us to discuss the resort. He respects his guests' privacy."
"Oh, please. Can you not make an exception?" The man said, moving closer and gently placing his long-fingered hand slightly above Andrew's knee. They stayed silent for a while, staring at each other and then Wilfred's face lightened up. "I have a better idea! You cannot speak of the resort, but what about showing me what you do there? I promise, I will be careful and discreet, the guests will not see me and no one will find out. What do you say?"
The man's smile could not get more charming and his eyes hooded under long black lashes promised Andrew so much; sensations and feelings he always sought but was always considered a disgrace, a perversion, and disgust was all he met in men's faces. He felt his defences brought down entirely.
"I have to do one last visit for tonight... at one o'clock. Meet me there." He pointed to a lamp post outside the back garden gate, on the road leading to the resort.
Andrew felt his heart jumping when Wilfred smiled happily and hugged his shoulders thanking him. "Could a man look more handsome and cute?" He asked himself, but then logic returned, reminding him not to get carried away, because in the end he might get hurt... again.
However, he could not help feeling light as a feather when he saw him waving at him as he approached the lamp post. The black-haired man seemed very excited and Andrew wanted to believe it was because they were together, and with that happy thought, led him to a small path other than the one carriages took to the resort.
"This way might be harder, since you have to literally climb up the hill instead of going around it like the other does, but it is shorter. I alone use it." Andrew said, winking conspiratorially to the other man and almost lost his footing, but Wilfred was fast to catch and steady him.
"It is not just harder and shorter, but dangerous too! Please, watch your step. If you ever tumble from here... you are pretty much finished." Wilfred said with worry in his mahogany gentle and charming eyes.
"I will be more careful, I promise." Andrew smiled reassuringly.
Soon, they reached the top of the hill and started downwards, since the supposed resort was build at the foot of the hill's other side and close to the woods; hidden from the public eye. The descent was equally dangerous, perhaps even more, but in a few minutes they reached the side of the building. It was two floors high, originally supposed to be a storehouse, as Andrew informed the other man, and far from renovated, but Crofford said he could not let the chance of serving his guests as best he could go to waste. Andrew laughed at that making Wilfred look at him curiously.
"You are about to witness the "high standards service" Heavenly Passage provides its customers." He said, leading him to the front of the building and then unlocked the door with a key he took out of his pocket.
The paved road coming from the hotel made a fork right in front of the building and a dusty path, evidently often crossed by carriage wheels, stretched towards the woods disappearing in the thick black shadows of trees. Sebastian stared at it for a moment and then followed Andrew inside. The tour that followed proved young master's suspicions to be correct.
The greater part of the building was one huge space, filled with beds, one next to the other, where the guests "permanently moving to the resort" lied in a deep drugged sleep, while tubes – coming out of machines like the ones found in the under-construction second Music Hall – were attached on their bodies draining their blood and collecting it in bottles marked with the respective number of stars. The small tubes on their faces, pushing oxygen to their lungs, were the only thing keeping their withered bodies alive.
"Mr. Crofford is part of a scientific association that wants to explore the mysteries of the human blood, but they are forced to do so in secret since the scientific world is, obviously, not ready for such a breakthrough!" Andrew said and strangely enough he seemed quite excited and interested.
"I understand that, but... these people... have they agreed on having their blood taken like that?" 'Wilfred' asked quite shocked.
"N-no... I do not think so, but it is for the greater good, for science and medicine to progress! Look, I know how horrifying this looks, I was also shocked the first time I came here, but Mr. Crofford and the doctor reassured me these people are in no danger. They are kept sedated for them to save energy and when enough blood is collected they are being sent back home to recover, and when the research is published they will be acknowledged for their contribution." He smiled and 'Wilfred' could see how enraptured the man was by this whole idea; he truly believed this was for the good of the general population and no one was being harmed.
"How amusingly stupid!" Sebastian thought and smiled at Andrew. "I see, truly interesting. And what is your role in all this?"
Andrew took him by the hand and led him to a room; something between a doctor's office and storage room. Every two weeks carriages were coming, taking the collected blood away. Andrew and others were preparing the crates with the bottles, but no one knew where they were taken; however, the most important duty was taking care of the guests...
"Or donors... call them however you want." Andrew joked and went on showing how exactly he took care of them. "Every twelve hours we renew the sedatives, give them vitamins they need, since they do not eat, and clean them if they foul themselves. We take shifts for everything and I usually take the night one... sleep does not come easily to me." He blushed again seeing how understanding his companion was. "Do you want to help me and see how it is?"
'Wilfred' was happy to accept and Andrew showed him how to find the right vein on the donor's arm and inject the sedative first and then the vitamins. Next, he gave him a tray with eight syringes, four sedative and four vitamins, led him to the second floor and showed him in a room at the back of the building with only four people. The bottles where their blood was being collected were marked with a single star... Sirius.
"Try on them. I have seen how careful and precise are your movements, but please be careful not to hurt them in any way. Mr. Crofford will get really angry!" He paled a little.
'Wilfred' nodded. "But... why these four are separate from the others?" He asked confused.
"Hmm... I am not sure. I think they are supposed to have something special in their blood, but I have no idea what it is. Now, get down to work and come help me with the rest, once you are done; we will finish faster this way." Andrew smiled charmingly and left the room.
Sebastian closed the door and looked over at the four beds; two men, two women. With calm and precise movements, he injected the three with both sedatives and vitamins, of course, without batting an eye, but paused when he moved to the last woman.
Her gold curls pooled around her head like a halo, the blue fires he loved so much were not staring at him and the honeyed lips were not smiling, as the demon's mate was lying motionless on this cold bed, with only a blanket covering her body. Sebastian could sense her considerably weaker aura, proving that Crofford and his people had obviously taken enough blood already, even though she had been there only until this morning.
The demon left the tray on the bed's feet, took the woman's hand in his and kissed her cold fingers. Barely visible traces of pain, worry and agony were drawn on his usually apathetic face, as he leaned closer to her sleeping one.
"My Selina, my beloved!" He said in a shaky voice and then remained silent for a few moments, only staring at Selina and lovingly stroking her soft cheek and silky hair.
As quickly as he got a little emotional, pulled himself together, asked Selina to forgive him and performed the two injections in her veins with extra care. He got ready to leave when, quite spontaneously, leaned down and tenderly kissed her lips; the ugly taste of valerian had sipped in them, something Sebastian had to take care of once all this was over. Selina instinctively furrowed her brows and wrinkled her nose; Sebastian chuckled remembering how she always turned her face away and yelled to Bard that his breath stank from all these cigarettes... and now his breath stank too.
Putting back the mask of 'Wilfred', Sebastian joined Andrew and soon they had finished the job and were on their way back. Andrew was in a chatting mood and the demon took advantage of it as much as he could. The next load of blood would leave the following night, so Andrew and others would have to prepare it during day.
"What about the 'resort's' staff? Should they not take care of that?" Sebastian asked.
"Oh... well, there is no staff. There is no need for that, but Mr. Crofford insisted for us to keep saying there was."
"Hmm... smart move. It would be too suspicious for a resort to not have staff, even if no one sees it. But, is the staff enough, since you work both in the hotel and the... resort? Would it not be better if you had some extra hands?"
"It would be lovely, but where can these extra hands be found?" Andrew chuckled.
"I would gladly help if I was allowed... with an appropriate reward, of course. We could be working together more!" 'Wilfred' added quickly, seeing Andrew shaking his head.
"Th-that... that would be truly amazing, but... I know Mr. Crofford will not accept it. He is adamant in retaining a specific number of people entering the building. There is no way he will accept anything different." Andrew seemed so sad and troubled.
"Oh, come on. You know how careful and effective I am. Is there no chance to persuade him, since I will help in doing the job faster and more perfectly?" 'Wilfred' stared at him with a look resembling that of a begging cat, making Andrew gasp and blush.
"No... Teresa tried to bring over a friend of hers, who desperately needed a job with good money and he threatened to kick her out too. If I go and talk to him about you, he will suspect me for talking to you about it and will fire us both, and then... we will not be together at all." The man was obviously in pain at that prospect.
They were on the hill's path, close to the most dangerous part where Andrew almost fell previously. He turned his back to the other man but before taking a step, two arms wrapped around, hugging him as he heard a silky, deep voice whispering in his ear.
"How troublesome. Normally, I would try persuading you all night to just talk to Crofford..." Sebastian said allowing his hands travel on Andrew's torso and throat, making the man melt under the touch. "But now, I am far from interested in pursuing such activities, if the recipient is not the one I desire, my beautiful mate and wife!" Andrew turned his head and stared at him; he looked so surprised and hurt. "Well then, since there is no place for me in the resort... I will have to create one." Sebastian smiled happily at Andrew.
A pair of red eyes with slits instead of pupils, filled with malice and a wild pleasure was the last thing Andrew saw, before the explosion of pain on his calf, as Sebastian kicked and literally crashed his leg right below the knee. But he had no time to scream, not even to fully realise the pain because a deep, eternal darkness rushed and swallowed him, the moment Sebastian twisted his neck breaking it. With the smile still lingering on his lips, the demon simply threw the dead man over the cliff and watched as the body tumbled down, hitting on stones in a way that could explain the broken leg and neck. Next, he dropped the key he fished from Andrew's pocket. It landed on a pile of leaves close to a tree... right where he would "find" it the next day when the staff would be looking for the missing man.
He straightened his gloves and clothes and started towards the hotel to report to his master.
{~}
"... -master... -ng master." The boy was convinced he was once again lost in one of his nightmares and that hateful voice came to taunt him as always. But the soft and gentle, insistent nudge could only mean the lifeline, the helping hand, belonging to the hateful voice pulling him out of darkness... as always.
He jerked up on the bed, stared at the red eyes and the fake smile coming out of the shadows and felt the need to slap the face to which they belonged, but controlled himself, hoping the demon had a good reason for waking him up two hours earlier than he should.
"What?" His voice was croaky from sleep and threateningly low.
"I have to report, my lord." The demon whispered slightly louder than breath.
The boy Earl sighed and got up. In a few moments he was wrapped in his uniform and the demon's jacket, since the night was too cold and they were standing at the hotel's back yard. The butler told him everything that happened in the previous hours and he was deep in thought now. He had to decide how to continue.
His order to the other three pairs was to destroy the establishments they were sent to, if they were indeed involved in the illegal collection of blood and he was sure they would do exactly so. It was the perfect way for stripping his brother off the Sirius blood supply he needed to continue this parody of life Undertaker had achieved, but was that enough? Was simply driving his brother back to death enough?
According to law, the mansion, lands, titles, everything would return to him once the rightful heir was officially dead, but... what about when the next in line is an impostor and accused of being the brain behind mass murders and illegal actions? He did not like the idea of just finishing his undead brother and then wait for the course of events to decide his fate, whether he would be given back all that were rightfully his, all he worked for and sacrificed everything.
"You said the next load of blood will be tomorrow night and the one after that in two weeks, correct?" The butler agreed. "I am pretty certain the destination will be the manor, since my brother is there now with Undertaker and possibly the rest of the stars... if they continue to exist, that is. But we have to make sure. Sebastian, I order you get to the manor's stable, unnoticed, and see if there are any wagons ready to travel!"
"Of course, my lord. Young master, if you allow me. I can destroy everything here and there, if you like, and be done with it."
The boy looked at Sebastian and saw impatience in his eyes... Was that worry too? He could easily guess the demon could not wait to take his mate out of this blood factory. Well... he also wanted for all this to be over soon... not that he cared that much for the woman trapped in a deep sleep... Anyway, he had to tread carefully and fast.
"We could do that and leave up to the awakened victims to take care of everything else, calling the police et cetera, but I need to return my brother the favour of framing me. Checkmate... Bring me pen and paper!" He ordered and once the demon did so, he sat on one of the benches and scribbled a short message. "After the manor, find Abberline, in Scotland Yard I bet, and give him this, tell him what he will do with it is up to him. He can give it to Randall or... take the chance." The boy said with a devilish smirk that would make any demon proud, his demonic teacher most of all.
Sebastian took the note, read it and instantly his smile broadened.
"A load of interest to you will be leaving Brighton's Heavenly Passage resort tomorrow night. Its destination, after exiting the woods to the south, might be equally interesting.
Q. W."
"Yes, my lord. Anything else you want me to do, master?" The demon asked, bowing to the petite boy.
"Tomorrow you will participate in the research for the man, or the load's preparation, whatever Crofford tells you to do, and after the load is gone, you will destroy everything! We will be gone before Brighton's police or the Yard gets here!" Determination made his eye sparkle wildly.
{~}
A few minutes later, young master was back in his bed trying to warm himself, and the demon butler was heading for the Phantomhive manor, thinking how he would get passed the renegade reaper's heightened senses. Undertaker seemed to be always aware of the demonic presence, despite the distance, and that made things a little more difficult. However, Sebastian knew he did not have to get really close to see, and his precious mate had taught him the spell she had used to cloak her supernatural aura, when she eavesdropped on him and Miranda. He had no idea if that would be enough to fool the reaper, but he had to fulfil his master's order no matter what.
He landed on a tree several meters away and focused on the stable that was already relatively away from the manor. A sharp grin appeared on his lips as he indeed saw two empty wagons waiting outside the stables, but they seemed ready for the horses to be harnessed and off they would go. He spent no more time than necessary there, and ran directly to Scotland Yard, as his master told him... Obviously, something told the boy that the so conscientious Inspector Abberline would most likely spend one more sleepless night, thinking how to solve the Music Hall murders by arresting the real murderer this time.
"Hoh! My master is indeed a great gambler... his enemies should be aware of that." Sebastian said with a smile, coming out of the shadows in the empty police office and making the lone man jump up from his chair.
"Wha-what are you doing here, Mr. Michaelis? You are a fugitive... I have to call-" Abberline said, white from surprise, as he stared at the raven-haired butler with goggled, tired eyes.
"The policemen to arrest me? You are free to do it if you want. However..." He pulled a folded paper from his pocket. "I have been ordered to give you something interesting, very interesting." He waved the paper teasingly in front of the man's eyes and then simply placed on top of the stack of papers on the desk.
Abberline approached the desk cautiously, took the paper and his eyes opened even more once he read the short text. "He-he is a fugitive... Should he not try to find a way of proving his innocence on the Music Hall murders and illegal collection of blood?"
"And who says this has not to do with that case?" Sebastian said with a meaningful smile. "My master also wanted me to tell you that it is solely your choice what to do with this tip. You can either show it to lord Randall and try to persuade him to reopen a seemingly closed case, or perhaps... take the chance offered. Now, if you would excuse me." He slightly bowed politely, opened the window and climbed outside, to Abberline's utter surprise and horror; but when the man looked out of the window there was no trace of the always mysterious butler.
The inspector was left alone and confused trying to make a decision that, most probably, would affect more than a single case. In the end, when dawn cracked in the horizon, the man bolted out of his office to send a telegraph to Brighton's police department asking for a small police force to wait for him out of the southern woods; he would depart immediately. A note on his desk awaited lord Randall later in the morning, making him not knowing what to think and do.
"Lord Randall,
I received an important tip concerning the Music Hall murders and blood collection. I must investigate it and will take full responsibility if it proves to be false.
Abberline"
{~}
Crofford was huffing and puffing for over half an hour as he walked up and down his office trying to make a decision without pushing the schedule further back. Why did that stupid bellboy, Andrew, had to go and die this day of all?
The 'resort' team was to go there and prepare the crates right after breakfast, but when the time came, someone was missing and soon became evident he was nowhere in the hotel. Almost two hours later, he was found dead at the side of the hill. His co-workers knew he had found a shorter but dangerous path to the resort, so it seemed that last night, on his way back, he tripped and fell, breaking a leg and his neck. Normally, there would be no problem, he would simply assign Andrew's duties to the others, even if that meant they would take a little longer to drug the 'donors' or that someone would do two shifts, but on pickup day schedule was always tight and every person mattered. He had to have someone in Andrew's place but that would not be easy.
A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. The new guy, Wilfred, entered.
"Mr. Crofford, I found this key close to Andrew's body. I guess it dropped out of his pocket as he was falling, but it does not seem to match the shape of any of the hotel's locks... Could it be from the resort?" He asked innocently.
"What makes you say that?" Crofford asked, examining the man.
"Well... Andrew had told me he was working in the resort too and since he was found on the way returning from there..." He shrugged.
"Had he ever told you what his job was there?"
"Not much other than it was an easy job and paid well."
"Hmm... I have heard our visitors praising you for how perfect you are in your job." The man bowed with eyes on the floor saying he simply did his job, he looked very modest. "Well... the job in the resort is indeed very easy, but today is a very special day and I am in a pinch. I need an extra pair of hands for the resort... You can be that pair and if you promise me not to ever discuss with others whatever you see there, I will consider of permanently assigning you to the resort too... for the appropriate price, of course. I think you told someone you are in need of more money?" Crofford whispered, as he approached Wilfred and patted his shoulder in a friendly way.
"Truth is, Mr. Crofford, my wife has fallen ill... Also, I would never tell a secret, even if the Devil himself tried to beat it out of me." Wilfred said with a smile.
"Good, very good!" Crofford was more than happy to have solved this problem so quickly. "This key is yours then. Please, join the rest of the team and they will tell you everything you need to know. Tell them it is my order."
Wilfred bowed and thanked him with a smile on his lips, a smile that told Crofford he had found a reliable man that could prove extremely valuable... All he had to do was find the right price for buying him off for good. Crofford rubbed his hands pleased with himself.
{~}
The night was quite cold, as expected for the beginning of December, and Ciel could do nothing, other than rubbing and breathing in his palms to keep them warm. His feet were freezing and body was shivering, despite being wrapped in his warmest cape that Selina seemed to somehow have slipped in her small, black bag along with many other things.
"Is that bag a bottomless pit?" He thought, remembering seeing the witch pulling out some clothes for him. She had also collected all of her future garments and personal objects that could raise questions if discovered in the manor, and the boy could bet she had also stuffed her weapons in there. Strange, so strange.
"Young master, the wagons are here." Sebastian's voice above him pulled him out of these really irrelevant thoughts.
He moved a little forward, so that he could peek behind the rock he and Sebastian had hidden at the side of the hill, but having the front of the resort in their vision. The demon squatting behind the boy was right; two big wagons had arrived.
One black-clad figure, with a hood hiding his face, jumped off one of the wagons, unlocked the building's door and the others started going in and out, carrying wooden crates to the wagons; at some point, one stopped and said something to the black-clad figure standing and observing the transfer. The figure entered the building impatiently and exited in a minute holding two smaller boxes with the sign of a single star drawn on them. The way the man walked seemed happy and satisfied.
"These are the boxes with the Sirius blood... The "harvest" was rather rich this time." Sebastian said and his voice was dripping with poison and hate; he could not ignore the fact the harvest was that rich thanks to how much they had drained Selina.
Soon, the transfer was complete and the wagons ready to leave. The leader locked the door and took his place, at the front of the first wagon with the precious boxes on his lap, his arms hugged them protectively. Demon and boy waited, until the last wagon disappeared in the woods; Sebastian took his master in his arms and entered the silent building after kicking and breaking the door open.
The sight the boy's wide eye met was quite shocking, as the beds with the supposed guests were not a small number; Crofford must have been doing this the same time Sphere Music Hall was operating and now he had collected quite an amount of "donors", as it seemed the unsuspecting victims were called.
"And you said Crofford had not hired some firearm expert or something to guard this... plantation? I find it hard to believe... he did not look that stupid." The young lord commented.
"I know. Andrew told me that Crofford tried to do so at first, found no one suitable for the position and that is why he insisted for the staff to keep circulating the rumour of a separate resort staff that serviced the guests around the clock."
"Tch! Still, a stupid approach... better for us, of course, we will be done a lot faster. Take care of everything here, wake everyone up and destroy all the machines, I order you!" He said revealing his sealed eye and his demon butler accepted with pleasure. "Where did you say Selina was?" He finally asked.
"Upstairs, at the room at the end of the corridor. I did not sense any other presence in the other rooms." The demon responded and the boy nodded heading for the stairs.
Sebastian pulled a rather big vial from one of his pockets, filled with a yellowish liquid, uncorked it and proceeded in dropping a single drop in each victim's throat, exactly as his mate had directed him, when he brought her some tea and she gave him the concoction, the night before she was brought here.
Selina had worked hard to make her magic effective even towards more scientific obstacles and had managed it to an extent. The potion was meant to dissipate any kind of drug used on the victims and, even though the demon found the process troublesome and time consuming, both his mate and master insisted the victims should be saved as they were the most reliable witnesses.
Sighing, Sebastian went on and once the potion part was done and the sleeping humans started stirring in their beds returning back to consciousness, he violently began pulling the tubes off their bodies, fully waking them up from the sudden pain, and then gently directing them outside. The next part, that of smashing everything, was the one he enjoyed the most.
In the meantime, young master, just to be sure, researched every room upstairs only to find them all filled with beds waiting the future donors, or with boxes and crates of empty bottles, drugs and medical supplies. He stuffed his pockets with one of each that would serve as extra proof of this establishment's connection to the Music Hall case and finally reached the last room, where the four special people lied still; he immediately started calling at them, shaking them to wake up, but soon focused on the person important to him.
"Selina! Wake up! Hurry up, our job here is done, we need to go! Wake up, I order you!" He kept yelling, shaking and lightly slapping the woman's cheeks.
"Argh!" Selina finally let out a sound of pain and discomfort, as her waking up was far from gentle; later, she would be surprised by remembering how much strength her master's nudging had in it and how frantic his eye looked filled with urgency and... agony maybe?
The boy moving faster than usual, literally ripped all the tubes off her and helped her in sitting up on the bed. "I know it must be hard, but you have to put all of your strength in getting out of here!"
Selina's eyelids were still drooping and her limbs felt heavy as lead, her mind was still lost in a thick fog, but nodded, understanding her master's words, and that was why she made an attempt to get up from the bed... As soon as she placed weight on her feet, her legs gave out and found herself lying flat on the floor, while the boy was struggling to pull her up. Right at that moment, Sebastian came running, calling for his mate without hiding his worry anymore. Without delay, he picked her up, placed her back on the bed, rewrapped the bed covers that had slipped off her body and dressed her with his jacket.
"Everyone is already out, my lord. These three are the last ones." He said, working on waking them up and carrying them out. Ciel stopped him on his way of carrying the last woman and gave her the evidence he had collected, telling her to hand them to the police and they would know what to do with them.
As soon as everyone was out, already running towards the hotel, demanding for someone to call the police and capture that beast, Crofford, Sebastian got back inside and with swift movements picked both master and mate in his arms, ready to disappear in the night. Selina was swaying too much every time the demon moved, until the boy wrapped his free arm around the woman steadying her, exactly as she had did for him another time.
"Thank you very much, my lord. You are so kind and caring..." Selina said with a hoarse voice as her head fell on Sebastian's shoulder.
"Do not be ridiculous! I still have use of you; I cannot have Sebastian dropping you." He responded in all his seriousness, making the witch smile and the demon smirk as he jumped into the cold night.
And this was how I imagined this mission could go. I know it's far from complicated or horrifying, but... please let me know what you think!
Selina's outfit: Puffy sleeves were not a thing in 1889 but some years later they were in fashion a lot! I wanted to make Selina's outfit as outrageous as possible so I needed the puffy sleeves and the huge hat... The reason? Clearly to make Selina suffer, because I doubt she would like such a style at all! Sorry, dear Selina... but I make a hilarious image in my head! 😂
Stella Rose and Patrick: If you don't know, there a was a short Nintendo DS game called "Kuroshitsuji: Phantom & Ghost" published only in Japan, but there is an English fan translation out there (don't remember where I found it). The story was written by Toboso herself as well as the characters' design. The mini games could be... very... very annoying! But the story was lovely and interesting! It was a short story, that can be placed somewhere between the early manga arcs, so... for me, it's totally canon! In the Kuroshitsuji wiki you can find the summary of the story from where Stella and Patrick come from, since the game took place in Brighton.
Sebastian and Andrew: I was so so sad for killing Andrew ðŸ˜! I felt really sorry for him, for making him fully a victim, but... let's not close our eyes to the bitter truth of the past eras... Homosexual people were often badly treated and tricked, perhaps more easily, due to people seeing them as abnormal resulting in some taking advantage of their "abnormality" for whatever stupid and vile reason.
Anyway, in Sebastian's case... regardless of what my personal preferences and how I see him, I cannot deny that since he is a demon (a creature from another world, as he has said) gender might function completely differently for him. So, do I believe he can sleep with both genders if he has to gain something from it? Certainly. Can I picture him making love to a man? Absolutely not (but this is just personal). Does he even have a preference in gender? Probably. I'm not so bold to state for sure what this preference is, but since as Sebastian he has assumed the role of a straight male (as we have seen so far), I guess his preference is making love to women. However, I doubt he would completely disregard the opportunity Andrew presented him, and since slightly flirting with him did the job... voila. As for killing him... He needed to get Selina out of there as fast as possible and this was the fastest way!
I think that's all. Till next time... Happy New Year to everyone! Bye! 😘🎇🎉