Hello everyone! My mind is really out of my head lately, so I honestly forgot to wish everyone Happy Halloween when I should... Unfortunately, this chapter too should be published close to Halloween but, as I mentioned before, I have incorporated it a lot within the arc's storyline, so I had to publish it much later. Let us hope, that next year, I will be able to come up with a little something about this foreign to my culture, but still so fun celebration. ️😊
Oh, something more. I usually don't like putting to my OC's mouth words canon characters say, so I avoid it, but this time I had to, to make changes work. 😁
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 48: The Tutor, Tricked and Treated
"Where is Selina? I do not think I saw or heard her at all this evening." Ciel asked Sebastian a couple of days after his Hall's opening. Master and butler were discussing new additions of merchandise and when finished, the boy realised that... the room was oddly quiet, something very rare ever since the blond tutor joined their team.
"Oh, I sent her back to check on the others, on the manor and start preparations for Halloween, my lord." The butler smiled at the obviously displeased look on his master's face. "I believe it is wise to begin preparations for the Phantomhive domain's annual Halloween celebration."
"Oh, right... I suppose it is already October, is it not? Do we have to do something no matter what? We are quite full with the Hall and Lizzie..." The boy tried to avoid it, as he never found any special meaning in that celebration.
"Still, this is a traditional event that we cannot neglect. The House of Phantomhive governs many practitioners of agriculture; therefore Halloween is a critical event for us, as it is a holiday that also encompasses the harvest festival." The butler said quite monotonously, like he was reciting something.
Ciel sighed. "What is so appealing about Halloween, anyway? Everyone just makes a fuss over these menial games, like carving wheat flour, snap-dragon and bobbing apples, where you cannot even win or lose." He seemed really annoyed.
Suddenly Sebastian was leaning close to him with an all serious face, once again invading the personal space of the boy. "I, too, do not understand how you humans find amusement in such games. However! What I do know is that the governor's most pressing concern is the morale of the citizens under his jurisdiction. As such, you must carry out your duties as their lord without fail."
"So, you are saying I do not have a say in the matter." The boy sighed, accepting his fate once again and then pinned the butler with his eye in a very... lordly manner. "Sebastian, this is an order! Return to the manor and begin making preparations for the Halloween celebration!"
The demon struggled to maintain his cool demeanour and keep a smile plastered on his face instead of simply... breaking the brat's neck as he felt the urge to do. "My lord... you can say it as sternly as you like... but it is quite obvious you are just trying to push the work onto someone else... In case you have forgotten, you have already given me an enormous list of things to continue working on and regulating for the smooth operation of the Funtom Music Hall, remember?" Keep smiling, that was what he was telling himself.
"Oh, and here I thought you would easily be able to handle such a minor side job, especially since you have Selina's assistance too... Hmm, perhaps I overestimated the capabilities of a Phantomhive household butler?" The boy was saying with irony in his eye and voice, and really amused by breaking his demon's nerves.
"...No, not at all. Your wish is my command. Consider it done, my lord." The butler finally said and bowed...
Oh, how much he wanted to kill the boy right then and there, not really caring about his meal, but he was proud of his self-control, therefore he could not fail now. Thankfully, he would meet his witch in the manor and she would surely take away his stress with a hug and a kiss. Unbelievable as it may sound, the demon felt quite stressed these past weeks due to the grand opening, since he had been literally running around twenty four hours a day, with not even a moment of relief just by kissing Selina on the cheek. He sighed deeply and went on to the next house chore.
{~}
Mey-Rin and Finny excitedly ran out of the manor's door as soon as they heard the sound of a galloping horse and saw it coming. Finny, laughing happily, almost jumped on the rider as the person dismounted, but at the last moment remembered what the black haired butler was always telling him and managed to stop himself.
"Hello guys! How is everyone? Oh, I missed you!" Selina said as soon as she got down from the horse and hugged both maid and gardener greeting them.
"Everything is alright and in place, yes it is! Where are young master and Sebastian?" Mey-Rin said smiling, but her hazel eyes looked at the tutor more seriously and concerned. It was not unusual for young master and Sebastian to be away, although not for so long, but sending back only Selina...
"They are perfectly alright, no worries. They are just too busy and that's why Sebastian sent me to help you prepare for Halloween." She said with a smile and that excited Finny, who was ready to take the horse to the stable.
"Yay! We will get to play and have some sweets too. I really like Halloween." Finny said and Selina ruffled his hair.
"Yes, but first we must tend to our guests, so we have to have enough food and sweets for them, okay?" She told him and he happily agreed right before he left with the horse. "Mey, call the others and we'll meet in the kitchen in a while. I need to change."
The weather was quite humid and chilly, and horse-riding only managed to make Selina felling sticky from sweat. Mey-Rin nodded and both entered the manor.
"Well, it's time to begin our preparations for this year's Halloween celebration." She was saying after a while, quite refreshed and in clean clothes. They were all in the kitchen standing in front of her, waiting for their assignments, as she flipped through some papers. "According to this list Sebastian gave me... Bard, you are in charge of procuring the apples and raisins."
"I'm on it." The chef said although obviously a little bored.
"Finny, you are in charge of procuring turnips for carving into Jack o' lanterns." She made a grimace, as she was trying to picture a carved turnip and found it was not as beautiful as the traditional pumpkin in America; but Finny was very excited no matter what. "Mey, Snake, you two are in charge of retrieving the metal basins and enamelware from the storehouse... and polish them as well."
"Yes, madam!" and "You got it!... says Oscar." were the answers respectively.
"And you, Mr. Tanaka... please continue as usual." Selina said with a smile, after she checked her papers a couple of times.
It was really impossible for the demon to have forgotten to include the elderly butler, but... she could not find any note for Tanaka, so she had to suppose Sebastian left him out on purpose. Perhaps he did not want to put more strain on the already tired old servant? Oh, how she loved him when he got a little considerate of others and something told her this specific time was not pretence.
"Just a thought, but don't you ever get bored out of your mind doing the same thing year after year? A festival should be a grandiose production, right? Britain's Halloween is pretty cookie-cutter if you ask me, even though this is only my third time." Bard was saying and pulled the woman out of her thoughts, as he came close and casually supported his arm on her shoulder. "Halloween in America is much more lively and spontaneous!" He looked at her like they shared some mutual secret.
"Oh yeah!" Selina agreed smiling and her eyes sparkled remembering quite a few wild Halloweens back home when everyone were around.
"What is it like?" Finnian asked very interested.
"You know how those witches and evil spirits come visit from the otherworld along with the dead? Well, we get to dress up in fancy intricate monster costumes, supposedly resembling the spirits etc. and we scare everyone's pants off!" The chef sounded very amused, as he always enjoyed that part.
"And there is no specific form the monsters must have, so everyone is free to improvise however they want!" Selina added, her cheeks quite flushed because that was her favourite part of the celebration.
Bard nodded. "Also, our Jack o' lanterns are made of pumpkins instead of turnips, so we go all out with a flashy orange light!"
"Quite eerie also!" Again the woman added.
"And all the kids partake in an activity called 'trick-or-treat', where they go around the neighborhood visiting all the houses to get candy or play pranks on the owners."
"That is so amazing! I am super jealous!" Finny said bursting with excitement.
"In China there is the Gui Jie Festival, meaning Ghost Festival, and you could say it is similar to Halloween. The legend says that king Enma opens the gates of the Underworld that day, allowing the spirits of the dead and demons to visit the living world. People gather up basically paper offerings and burn them in front of the ghosts' graves." Mey-Rin said with a nostalgic sparkle in her eyes.
"As for Japan, I believe the equivalent to Halloween would be the Obon, also known as Lantern Festival! It is a time where the lid of the cauldron of Hell is lifted and the souls of family ancestors return to them; therefore, it is customary to craft horses and cattle out of cucumbers and eggplants and greet our ancestors with them." Tanaka was heard and he looked quite rejuvenated by the memory.
"Wow, really?! All of them really do have their own unique charm!" Finny said again, and his eyes were literally sparkling, as his imagination was at work trying to picture everything he heard. "Oh, I wish we could do something similar here too! Right, Mrs Selina?!" He looked at her full of hope after a while.
Selina was listening equally charmed but also very cautious; however, she could not resist Finny's pleading eyes. "Okay, okay, I'll talk on the phone with Sebastian tonight and we will discuss it. But... just to be on the safe side, let's prepare the usual stuff, because Sebastian might not approve or our guests might find too foreign and strange the new additions." She said in the end.
"Hmm... I am sure you have means to persuade him... Feminine persuasion!... says Emily." Snake said and he instantly blushed as his snake was winking to Selina.
Selina leaned closer and with her fingers lightly closed the snake's mouth. "Women also know when to insist and when not to, right Emily?" She said meaningfully and the snake was practically snickering.
The rest of the day, Selina was keeping notes on whatever other information Mey-Rin and Mr. Tanaka could give her about the festivals in their home countries and so, she had quite a lot of material to discuss with Sebastian when he called at night.
"Well... I cannot say Bard is wrong, but I suppose part of the blame could be put on Guy Fawkes' night, five days later and Britain deems it a far more important holiday than Halloween. Truth be told, I am of the opinion that that event revolves around quite a bit of puffery as well. Just add in some fireworks, totting of burning torches and puppets." The butler said through the telephone, processing all the information Selina gave him.
Selina started laughing, perched on the small table, with the telephone device on her lap and the earpiece supported between ear and shoulder, her fingers twirling the cable. "Remind me to bring you to England in the future!"
"What? Do not tell me they will be doing exactly that? How predictable can humans be, honestly?" He sighed really fed up.
"I don't know, I won't say any spoilers!" Selina was enjoying it quite a lot. "Anyway, what do you think about our ideas?"
"I do not think they are bad. For one, children will be thrilled with all these new ornaments and games... Let me think about it tonight and we will see what we can do tomorrow afternoon when I will be in the manor."
"Oh, you're coming here too? What about young master?"
"Yes, yes, I will be there for the preparations. Young master ordered it and reassured me that Agni will be sufficient help for two days..." The demon sounded quite tired, pretending of course.
"But you are still working on things about the Hall..." Selina got a little confused.
"That is exactly what I told him, but what makes you think our bratty master cares about whether I will have time to do everything... in human ways."
Selina chuckled. "Well, you are one hell of a butler, my love, and that means there is nothing you can't do, correct?" The demon did not respond, only sighed deeply.
"Now that I think about it... why do you not start with the pumpkins tomorrow so that we save some time?" He said after a while.
"As you wish." Selina noted it down in the shopping list meant for Finny.
"Also, Lady Sieglinde called and said she had a breakthrough concerning the blood samples we gave her. She sounded too excited to make herself coherent through the telephone and... surprisingly enough, young master invited her to the manor to discuss and for Halloween!" That was something he never really expected from the boy.
"Oh, wow! Our master wants to socialize! And Siegli will be here! We have to make this one hell of a Halloween celebration! Wolf will also come, right?" Selina was so excited.
"Yes. Actually, I believe young master just wants to relieve his boredom, since he is not interested at all in Halloween... and I think your plan of enriching it might be exactly what he needs..." The demon's mind was already at work. "By the way, did you call Lady Sullivan... Siegli?" He sounded very confused by that.
"Yes, we humans tend to give cute nicknames or diminutives to people we like and love... Don't worry, I won't ever call you 'Sebby' or 'Bassy', they create bad allusions for both of us and don't sound cute at all!" She reassured him, when for a few moments she could not hear anything from the demon's side; she could swear he even held his breath, considering the relieved sound he let out immediately after.
"Yes, it would be a great turn off if I ever heard these vulgar diminutives coming out of your kissable lips." He said in his monotone voice, but Selina's trained ears could listen more under that. "Anyway, it is quite late and we have already spent quite some time on the telephone. If you have nothing else to report you should go to sleep, my dear."
"No, I have nothing else to report, sir, but I don't think I will be able to sleep easily! I am so happy that the little lady will be here to experience Halloween too!" The woman's voice was indeed filled with excitement.
"I really do not think I will ever understand how humans find joy in being foolish with each other, while eating, drinking and dancing... so noisy and smelly." The demon commented and he was indeed at a loss with these strange creatures.
Selina was laughing again. "Oh well, if you could understand, then you would be too human for my taste, my beloved demon!" She said happily and then ended the call as soon as she exchanged a very loving 'good night' with her mate.
{~}
It was still early in the afternoon when Sebastian arrived on foot at the manor; his arms filled with fabric rolls and numerous bags. The back door of the house opened and an always happy Finny welcomed him.
"Mrs. Selina told us you do not object greatly to our idea for including more stuff in this year's celebration! Is that true?" He asked full of hope.
"Yes, of course it is true. I think young master also needs a change as he is too pressured lately." He said neutrally and stared quite blankly at the young gardener getting excited.
Finny squealed with happiness at Sebastian's words. "I promise we will make the best Halloween for young master and Lady Sullivan!"
"Good. Now, go on to finish your chores and after that, I want all of you to come to the music room, so that we will prepare your costumes with everything I brought from Miss Hopkins' shop." He sounded really strained in the last part. Every encounter he had with this human was so tiring to him...
"Yes, sir! I will take everything to the music room!" Finny offered; he instantly grabbed the fabrics and other things and sped towards his destination. Sebastian called for him to be gentle but the gardener's response was just a happy giggle.
Selina was in the kitchen emptying and carving the pumpkins when she sensed the demon's aura approaching; his face lightened when his eyes met those of the smiling blond witch. "Welcome back, dear!" She called to him.
In just a couple of strides he was by her side and they greet each other with a light kiss on the lips, no words were necessary; then he moved to her other side where the carved pumpkins were waiting.
"Ho! They are coming out nicely, I must say." His fingers still brushing the woman's waist. "You are quite talented, my dear!" He praised her carving skills with a smile as he picked up two of them to examine closely.
"Practice, dear, practice. I have done it quite a few times with Miranda and Deanna. We can place them on tables, benches, on the ground or maybe even hang them."
The demon nodded. "Wherever they get to be placed, these two need to be together. The devil beckoning to the witch and she runs to his arms." He said switching them so that indeed looked like the little devil carved on the one pumpkin was calling to the witch on the other one. Selina blushed and chuckled as Sebastian asked for her lips once again and she gave them happily.
Sebastian sighed as he deepened the kiss and felt all the stress the boy had imposed on him evaporate in an instant, as soon as he touched the woman's lips. As strange as it sounds, demon butlers can also get quite stressed, especially when their bratty masters limit them to work more like normal humans would do. Sebastian let the two pumpkins back on the table in order to wrap one arm around Selina's waist and for the other to caress her cheek as their kiss was getting hotter... But right at that moment, Bard came in with the apples and the couple was back in their professional selves so quickly that the chef doubted his eyes in seeing them sharing a really passionate kiss... not that he minded of course.
The next two days were really busy in preparing everything and the servants, for once and with Selina's help, had proved themselves really useful, since Sebastian spent quite some time preparing their costumes, and in the meantime finishing some more songs for the Phantom Five, plus running to the Funtom factory to finalise the orders for the new merchandise. He was so busy that even Selina could hardly catch a glimpse of him the rare moments she was not equally busy; but at last the day of the festival arrived and everything was ready and perfect, as expected by the Phantomhive household.
Young master and his friend arrived and were met with a really astounding site as soon as they stepped in the gardens. Tables loaded with all kinds of foods and sweets decorated in a strange but pleasant way; colourful lanterns hanging everywhere and pumpkins carved with scary faces or witches and devils, were scattered everywhere emanating an eerie orange light; pumpkins were pretty much everywhere, even as decorations on cakes and stuff. Candles and pieces of fabrics designed to look like ghosts hanging from trees completed the spooky atmosphere. Ciel, Sieglinde and Wolf kept looking around with eyes and mouth wide open; it was really marvellous.
"Young master!" The servants' voices were heard. "Trick or treat!" They jumped right in front of the boy and they also looked so... strange!
Tanaka was wearing a costume out of... straw? His face covered by a scary mask with the face of what seemed to be a Japanese oni. Mey-Rin was dressed in a Chinese costume with long sleeves almost covering her hands entirely and a piece of paper sticking on her hat; Ciel could only guess she was supposed to be a ghost and the paper some kind of prayer that would send the ghost back to Hell. Finny was wrapped in a cloak that made him look like a bat if he stretched his hands at his sides; two pointy canine teeth were visible in his wide smile and his face was painted so pale. Snake had a black witch's hat resting on his head and a similar costume, while Bard's face had scars drawn on it and a huge screw coming out of the sides of his head.
Selina was wearing a black headband from which two black cat ears were protruding, black leather gloves with fake claws in place of cat paws, a black tail out of fabric swinging behind attached to her belt, and two small pointy teeth along with her nose painted pink and pink lipstick completing the cat's image; the rest of her body was also covered in black clothes. A short sleeved dress reaching mid-thigh ending in a small frill, a tight blouse underneath covering her arms and forearms and really flimsy tights covering her thighs and legs out of her short boots.
Sieglinde was so excited that it was impossible for her to choose something other than "Trick!", the same time young master and Wolf were looking at them quite shocked. Selina reached out, took Sieglinde in her arms and headed for the house.
"I guess you choose 'Trick!' too!" Bard announced and gave the signal so that everyone... attacked, in a way, the boy and the blond butler, pulling their clothes off as they dragged them towards the house too.
"What in the seven hells is this?!" Ciel exclaimed after a few minutes, when he came out wearing a strange dress, a little torn at some places, stripped tights under his really short trousers, black gloves and boots. However, the most absurd was that he had two small devil horns and a long devil tail attached on his head and bottom respectively.
Sebastian with a smile gave him a basket filled with Funtom lollipops and sweets to hold and then presented him a new walking stick with a very intricate skull as hold. "Apparently it is a custom in America." He said cheerfully.
"Give me my lady, Mrs. Selina, please!" Wolfram was heard, as he too was released the same time Selina, with Sieglinde in her arms, was coming out.
The blond butler wore a pair of trousers quite torn at the legs and... an animal's pelt over his shoulders and chest! Gloves with claws covered his hands making them look like wolf paws, a set of sharp teeth were somehow attached over his normal ones and extra sideburns on his cheeks. He was staring at Sieglinde pleadingly, but the girl turned her eyes away disparagingly. She wore a black dress with the designs of bats, ravens, spiders and cobwebs embroidered on it; a black witch's hat rested on her head, pointy black shoes peeked under her dress, a black lipstick on her lips and black eye shadow highlighting her emerald eyes. A crooked wooden stick in her hand.
"How unsightly! A werewolf begging a witch like that!" She said and turned her face away, a mischievous grin wanted to bloom on her lips as Wolfram was almost in tears.
"For tonight she is my lady!" Selina announced quite proudly. "It is only natural for a witch's familiar to be a black cat!"
"Who says that?" Wolfram almost snarled, as the teeth made speaking a little difficult.
"Everybody does! I don't know what legends you had in Wolfshcl-something, but in the rest of the world black cats are witches' familiars. Do you have any idea how many poor creatures were tortured by brainless humans during witch hunts?" She furrowed her eyebrows really angry at that horrible truth.
"Hush, Werewolf! I command you!" Sieglinde said, waving her magic wand to Wolfram and then ordered Selina to join Ciel and Sebastian.
"As a butler of the House of Phantomhive, it is only natural to be able to provide entertainment that exceeds the guests' expectations, no?" The butler was saying, after explaining how the idea of a multicultural celebration came.
"Moderation is not in your vocabulary, is it...?" The young Earl sighed a little annoyed.
Guests started to arrive at that moment and... Truth is, it was a unique experience! The children were really astounded by all the lights and colours, the sweets and foods made their eyes sparkle and many could not decide which one they should eat first. Everyone was happily running around playing games, being hunted by the oni, watching Snake making tricks with his snakes, or laughing while trying to escape the witch's curses as she waved around her wand. Young and old looked very happy, wanting to share their goods with their master, who was trying so hard to remain cool and not blush or allow his eyes to sparkle, carried away by everyone's enthusiasm.
Sebastian was supervising everything and at some point his attention was drawn to Selina and Sieglinde. The blond witch had not let the little one out of her arms even for a second; as it was expected, it looked curious to the children and now they had gathered around the woman and the girl asking Sieglinde "why don't you walk?". Sebastian got ready to intervene; having these little rude brats make Lady Sullivan feel uncomfortable was the last thing he needed, she was still very useful. But then, he saw Sieglinde and Selina exchange a look and...
"I had a serious accident when I was younger and I cannot walk!" The girl said very casually. The children kept staring at her with eyes wide open; next question was "will you ever walk?" and they got very sad at her negative answer. "But you know what? I do not really mind, because with my powerful magic I created spider legs and walk with them wherever I want!"
That seemed to really enchant them as they opened even wider eyes and bombarded her with more questions about her spider legs. She was more than happy to answer and after adding some necessary magical extras... The butler really did not want to know what kind of creature the children's wild imagination had fabricated!
On the contrary, he knew exactly what his master's mind was projecting on two children that happily asked him for treat or trick utterly surprising him; their mother reprimanded them for being so rude to their lord but, surprisingly enough, he said it was alright and gifted sweets and chocolates from his basket to the really excited children. They thanked him and as they turned to leave he kept looking at them quite longingly... he almost asked them to wait for him as he was lost in his memories... but the demon's cool voice landed him back to reality.
"I know the party is still in full swing, but I think it best if we start to wrap things up..." Sebastian advised, trying to contain his sadistic amusement in view of his master's momentary weakness. "But before we begin the speech for the closing ceremony, there is one final task I would like to ask you to perform, young master."
Everyone gathered at the river of the Phantomhive land, paper lanterns were distributed and Tanaka explained they should light them up and let them float down the river, as a symbolic farewell to the souls returning to the otherworld.
"Guided by the light of the lanterns, we hope they do not lose their way in returning to their world. Though we may differ in nationality and religion, I believe all people share the same wish in that respect." The elder butler said with a wise and nostalgic look in his eyes. Selina rested her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, fully understanding and sharing his feelings.
"Now then, young master... please light the flame in everyone's lanterns." Sebastian invited him passing him a candelabra and the boy did exactly that.
The river was filled with small lights, travelling towards the unknown; souls returning where they belong, to the land of the dead, releasing the living from the binds of the past and allowing them to go on. In that moment, even the iron will of the young Earl wavered and was tempted to allow himself to be released by his binds of the past, go on living and say farewell to the souls of all the people he lost, including himself in the demon's darkness; the people he wronged, from whom he stole everything and doomed them to the darkness of death and guilt. The people he and that beast fooled - and keep fooling - by gifting them what their hearts desire... not for their sake but his own interest and dark purpose. He kept staring at his image mirrored on the lightened water and saw a little devil staring back at him with such cruelty and hate... and he was so bound to these feelings.
"Whittling away at one's own body and burning its life away... much like... a human being." The velvety voice of the demon shocked the lost boy out of the whirlwind of emotions and memories; he turned to look at the demon, who in turn was staring at the flame eating away the melting candle. "A weak and shaky flame, easily swayed by a mere strong gust of wind and can be extinguished much too swiftly and effortlessly. However, those things are the reason why... it is ever so beautiful." The demon said standing straight next to his master, but both his voice and eyes made him look like he was somewhere far away from this place; his mind running to paths unknown to the boy but undoubtedly quite dark.
"Hmph... Regardless of how small the flame may be, the strong gust of wind that can sway and extinguish it, can also fan it into a great, roaring blaze burning everything and everyone in its path... Do try your best not to burn yourself when you handle fire..." Ciel said coolly and returned the candelabra to the demon butler.
Sebastian's eyes opened wide for a moment, staring at the flame his master was and standing behind the boy the blue flame his witch was. They were both so small to him, so easy to snuff them out at any moment, but he also knew how easily they could turn to roaring fires, perhaps dangerous even to him... and yet they both chose to trust him with their flames, so that he would protect them from the strong gust of wind. He smiled quite pleased.
"But of course. For it is my duty to light your way as you travel through the darkness. I shall serve as the guardian of your flame, such that it never goes out. After all, I am simply... one hell of a butler." He said receiving the candelabra and lighting his master's way, as the boy followed him with his body straight as a proper nobleman and signalled the blond tutor with the girl in her arms to go with him.
The time for celebration and games was over; now they all had to get back to business...
{~}
In a few minutes, after Ciel had signified the end of the celebration with his farewell speech, the two teenagers and two adults gathered in the Earl's living room, where the boy almost dived in his armchair sighing quite tired... only to jump up.
"Take this thing off me!" He ordered the butler pointing at the devil's tail. Sebastian obeyed but had to stifle a laugh at how angry and embarrassed his master was, as he presented his bottom to the other man. As soon as the tail – which thankfully was attached on the outside of his trousers sparring him from further ridiculing himself – was removed, the boy was himself again. "Now, Sieglinde, please collect yourself, control your enthusiasm and tell me what you found about the bloods." He told his friend and ally and seemed quite relaxed.
Sieglinde had been placed in a huge armchair next to the Earl's and had asked Selina to relieve her from the shoes. They were not exactly as comfortable as her own, and even though she did not stand on her bound feet at all throughout the evening, they felt quite tired. Once she was released from their confines, she made herself comfortable in the armchair assuming a not very lady-like position. Ciel following his friend's example kicked his boots away and was left with his tights. Sebastian was watching both children acting so... childlike and was ready to reprimand them both, when Selina hugged his arm, pulled him back and gifted him one of her sweetest, kitty eyes, asking him to let them act themselves for once. They deserved it once in a while. As expected, the demon gave in to his mate's plead... she knew exactly how to manipulate him with her adorable smiles and big eyes.
"After numerous experiments, with Wolf as my lab rat, I managed to identify his blood as Canopus... they had the same composition! That led me to the conclusion that the blood was divided into four types, named after the four constellations. My research revealed that apparently red blood cells can differ depending on the substance that exists on their surface. Therefore, if you mix two different types of blood, the resulting mixture will begin to harden, causing various health issues to the receiver. The repeated failures in blood transfusion in the past were most likely due to the fact researchers could not distinguish between blood types." Sieglinde explained and her eyes were sparkling, remembering the ecstasy of her discovery.
Ciel listened carefully and then looked at his tutor and the woman nodded in confirmation; the young scientist had found the tangible proofs of the future knowledge Selina had shared with him. He took a deep breath.
"Logically, that means they are already performing successful blood transfusions-"
"Exactly!" Sieglinde interrupted him quite fired up again. "But in this case, they should not have needed to collect such large amount of samples like this. Which begs the questions... Why are they still continuing to collect? And where is the collected blood disappearing off to?"
"Could it be they secretly perform transfusions as a cure for blood related diseases to a selected few people?" Selina asked.
"Yes, it could be a possibility, but still... they would need a standard amount of blood every week or month. You simply cannot keep pumping blood in a person's veins all the time, even if it is the correct type... the body will not have enough time to process it and that would cause health issues too. These people seem like hoarding blood non-stop and then throw it in a bottomless well! It is like the blood is constantly consumed to no end!" Sieglinde seemed really troubled by all this and Ciel also fell deep in thought.
Silence fell as all four present were thinking logical explanations, but either because they were quite tired or because the situation was so complicated, they failed. Even the sweets Sebastian presented them at some point did not help.
Selina was so distracted, that unconsciously kept biting and chewing her bottom lip, eating away the pink lipstick, until she felt a candy corn on her lips. She turned her gaze and saw Sebastian feeding her the candy; his eyes were burning quite hot. She could not help but blush and receive the candy.
"It seems humans tend to think clearer after consuming sweets, for some reason I can never understand." He said casually and then, to the woman's greater embarrassment, he leaned to her ear and whispered. "Plus, I am the only one allowed to eat away these lips!" His voice was so sensual that Selina had to try hard to not let her knees buckle, as her cheeks were on fire and a sudden hot wave ran through her body, pooling in her lower stomach, making her majorly failing to concentrate back to the issue at hand.
{~}
Sebastian silently closed the door of his master's bedroom after getting him to bed. It was a day filled with activities and surprises the boy had not experienced before and had drained his either way limited energy, so he fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow. Tomorrow morning they would return to the town-house and he needed rest.
The demon walked on the corridor soundlessly, until he heard two feminine voices coming from the room assigned to Lady Sullivan. Selina had indeed taken up caring for the young Lady for the entire night, and her butler had finally accepted it, as he currently was helping the others tidy up after the celebration until Sebastian joined them. Now, it seemed Selina was preparing Sieglinde to go to sleep, but the excitement was obviously too much for the until recently imprisoned girl, as she kept chattering like a small bird. Sebastian was ready to move on, but the next words drew his attention.
"Selina, thank you very much for the advice tonight. I have never faced a similar situation, so did not expect and would not know how to deal with it. How did you know they would ask about my feet?" Sieglinde asked.
"Well, my lady, people in the outside world always ask about whatever it is unknown and strange to them. In the eyes of these children there was no obvious reason for you to not be able to run and play with them, they found strange that a girl of your age was not walking; therefore, it was expected of them to ask." Selina's sweet voice answered.
"And how did you know how I should act and respond? Remain calm and cool, having confidence to myself and my abilities?"
"Hmm... sometimes humans have a tendency of turning to vicious beasts if they meet an... pardon my choice of words... if they meet an 'abnormal' person. These children were simply curious, but if you had shown you felt uncomfortable about your feet and did not want to answer, perhaps they would mock you, make fun of you and hurt your feelings. I don't know why something like that gives them pleasure, why do they enjoy picking on other people, that live in a state not freely and willingly chosen but forced upon them through an accident or even by birth. What I know is that the only way to deal with such people is, if you always show how confident you are about yourself and your abilities, to beat this state as much as you can; if you show them that there is so much more in you as a person beyond this difficulty of yours."
"Do you think I will face similar situations again?" The girl asked; her voice trembling a little.
"Oh my lady, I wish I could tell you that you won't... I wish I could protect you from all of this, but I can't... so, yes, most probably you will and most probably you will face worst treatment than the innocent curiosity of children. But please, keep in mind everything I told you today and how you acted and you have nothing to fear. If you keep believing in yourself, they will have no other choice but to respect you. You have a beautiful mind and spirit; I am confident these will be enough to protect your heart."
Then a tearful "thank you" was heard from Sieglinde, rustle of fabrics and an equally tearful " oh, my lady" from Selina. Sebastian could not contain his curiosity and cracked the door a little, enough to be able to see the two females sharing a comforting embrace in the darkness as they obviously cried. The demon could not understand why there were tears, but could sense they were both quite happy and so he had to guess they were happy tears; just like the ones his mate shed after he chose to have her by his side for the centuries to come.
A few minutes later, they had composed themselves and Sieglinde was ready to sleep, after she made a joke about having to train Wolfram too, otherwise the overprotective butler would bite people's heads off at the slightest intention of mocking his lady. Selina laughed but agreed and promised to help her if she ever needed her. They said goodnight and Selina exited the room.
"A truly commendable performance tonight, my dear." Sebastian's voice was heard as he came out of the shadows, a few meters away from the children's rooms, and wrapped his arms around Selina's waist, after pulling her closer by her tail.
"Hey! You are supposed to love cats... do you have any idea what would happen if you did that to one?" Selina asked a little surprised by his 'attack' even though she sensed him near; she pretended to scratch his face as a cat would do.
The demon chuckled. "Of course I do and that is why I would never do it... but my kitten is different from any other woman and any other cat." His eyes were sparkling with pride as he kissed her pink lips. "Hmm... strawberry... I still prefer honey."
"Sure you do, but a black kitten with pink nose and lips is always much cuter, right?" Selina said and laughed as she rubbed the remnants of lipstick off the demon's lips.
"I seriously want to congratulate you for how you handled Lady Sieglinde's case. You indeed expected someone would ask about her feet, sooner or later." Sebastian said, as with one arm still wrapped around her waist, they started towards the stairs leading down and outside to the chaos the others were still tidying up.
"I have seen similar situations in my era and how disabled people deal with them. If they make the mistake to show weakness and their possible feelings of inferiority, the others are capable of tearing them apart psychologically and devour them in a way, but if they show how strong and confident in themselves they are-"
Sebastian nodded. "The vultures cower as humans always do when they see someone stronger than what they believe themselves to be. Like they do when they realise young master's strength of character." He finished what Selina wanted to say and the woman smiled, 'attacking' the demon with a hug and a tender kiss.
"You can say whatever you like and keep fooling yourself, but you like our master, you respect him and are proud of him!" She said after the kiss; the demon's eyes sparkled and the woman did not need to hear words to know she was right.
Either way, he was too proud to admit he might have developed positive feelings towards a human... who was not his mate but a small child, a brat as he called him, who eventually would be consumed by him. By nature, demons would never admit of being fond of their food.
"I assure you, I am more proud of my so insightful and knowledgeable mate, who knows how prejudiced humans are over each other..." He said hugging her and allowing his hands to travel on her body and thighs covered only by the so flimsy, nylon tights.
"Says the demon prejudiced towards humans in general."
"At least, I did not mistreat the circus troupe, especially because they were missing a hand or a leg as other humans certainly did, and drove them to Kelvin's clutches to be fooled and used."
"No, you just took advantage of Beast for your own interest."
"I would do it either way, even if she had both her legs."
"I know, but did you ever think she might... fell in your arms so easily due to her disability?" Selina asked seriously and Sebastian looked at her questioningly. "She was a very beautiful and really hot woman that normally men would beg to be accepted in her bed, but I believe that was not the case because, as you said, humans are so prejudiced over each other, and most probably would reject her because of this 'unnatural' leg of hers... That surely left quite some wounds in her soul, that she might tried hide under the so revealing clothes, in an attempt to boost her self-esteem. But getting constantly rejected by Joker too, the only man who could easily understand and share her pain... broke her spirit. And then you appeared, you saw past her flaws, did not care about them because you made clear you would use her regardless of her imperfection and she... I guess she chose the drug you offered her instead of one more sober, painful night of tears. I... I understand that."
The demon saw sympathy in Selina's eyes, something he never expected considering how furious she usually became when referring to that woman, like she despised her and he expressed that thought.
"No, I never hated Beast because you did it with her... not that I applaud you for that... but the possibility of you seeing me as you saw her, as a tool, an instrument... made me so furious. I guess I had fallen for you from the start... Damn you, bastard!" She punched his chest lightly.
The demon only chuckled and in a flash pushed the woman to the wall, kissing her hungrily and wrapping her legs around his waist. "As a proper witch, you intrigued and enchanted me so much, that the thought of seeing you simply as a tool flew from my mind before a month of our acquaintance was completed. And I must say... you would still be perfect in my eyes, even if humans regarded you imperfect in any way." His hands stroked her left calf and kissed the fingers of her right hand meaningfully; making the woman blush and at that he smiled and kissed her lips again.
For a while everything else was forgotten until Bard's voice was heard.
"I think I heard their voices coming closer; also, putting young master and Lady Sullivan to bed can't be taking so long, it's ridiculous! Couple or not, they must help us. My back feels it'll break in two." The chef really sounded in pain.
"I am stronger than him!" Wolfram said offended.
"Yeah right..." Bard responded as he headed for the back door of the mansion... right where Sebastian and Selina had their intimate moment.
"I will kill him if he enters!" Sebastian growled; his eyes glowing dangerously.
Selina chuckled and placed a light kiss on his sharp canines, making him instantly relax. "No you won't, because you know he is right. We have to join them."
"Unfortunately, yes, I know that." He sighed and let her stand. They straightened their clothes right at the moment Bard was entering with Wolfram following.
"Ah, there ya are! Will ya give us a hand if ya don't mind?" He said with a little irony, but the look in Sebastian's eyes made him almost swallow his tongue. He turned around immediately and exited pushing Wolfram with him.
Selina was laughing lightly, as she stuffed her cat gloves in the butler's pocket and followed the chef. Sebastian sighed once again and exited.
I always enjoy this manga chapter, so I couldn't resist writing my own version as well as adding Sieglinde, because... after a certain artwork Yana Toboso has drawn with Ciel-vampire butler (?) and Siegline-vampire maid (?) perched on Sebastian-skeleton's arms, I can't wait to see them celebrating together 😍! No idea if Toboso will ever make us such a gift, so I thought "Why not do it myself?" If Ciel would ever let himself relax a little, I think he could be quite a tease during Halloween... add Sieglinde (and Soma, to be honest) in the mix and it would be... quite a task for Sebastian to handle😂! Also, this change was a good chance to have Sieglinde explain her discovery about blood types directly to Ciel and make it a little more interesting.
Just like Mey-Rin and Tanaka mention their countries' equivalent to Halloween, Greece has Apokries (meaning "away from meat"). It precedes Lent and is a period of festivities and masquerading. Carnivals, parties, drinking, eating and many many costumes of whatever you can imagine. However, it is not especially linked to the souls of the dead, so it doesn't always have a spooky atmosphere... unless someone wants to do so. And that is the reason why for some years now, shops and a lot of people celebrate Halloween too... it is a perfect chance for partying, dressing up in costumes of more magical/ supernatural origin and drinking, of course! 😉
Selina's analysis of Beast: Of course, this is only my view and opinion. No idea if Toboso ever thought of Beast like that. To be honest, I didn't particularly like her character... or dislike, for that matter. She felt a little neutral to me. However, since the circus troupe members are some of the most realistically written characters in the series (again, in my opinion), attempting to analyze at least one, on a realistic basis, was a challenge I wanted to face. I know some people like Beast, but many others hate her (quite extreme if you ask me), and considering Selina also didn't have a good opinion about Beast for a great part of the story... I thought to give it a try, give Selina some character development and perhaps do Beast some justice (at least concerning her night with Sebastian).
I thought to myself "What would I do, as also a disabled woman (with tons of insecurities) living in the Victorian not-disabled-friendly society, if, after repeatedly getting rejected by whom I love, a charming as hell man was interested in me, showing no prejudice against my... "crippled" body?" Regardless of how each of us views Sebastian's approach, he managed to show Beast that she could be desired by a man, she was no less woman than any other "normal" one. Certainly, afterwards, when realizing Sebastian took advantage of her, whatever boost he gave her self-confidence was probably wiped off, but even for just one night Beast might have felt truly good in her body.
Anyway, I start sound didactic so I'll stop. I'll just ask you, dear readers, to keep in mind Sieglinde's scene with the kids and Selina's advice to her as well as her analysis about Beast, and don't consider them too far fetched... especially for back then! I would love to hear your thoughts on everything! 😊
Till next time! Bye!😍