History : A Touch of Color in the Gray

Book 1 : Shading the black .

Date : April 25, 2018, corrected in january 2022

Beta: Lyra (2018) RostosGirl (2022)

Fandom : D Gray Man

Disclaimer: No, I do not own D Gray Man and I am not making any profit from this story.

Plot : After landing in the 19th century, Estelle quickly realizes that she was hired by the Kamelott family, basically the bad guys of DGM. Taking the name Eve, she then becomes Tricia Kamelott's companion and helps her in her daily tasks. Now that her life is a little less chaotic, Eve reflects on her arrival in this world and makes the decision to make up her own mind about the personages of this new world despite her knowledge of the manga. However, she quickly became aware of the social difference of women at this time and began to have little for her future, especially when Road and the twins arrived ...

Chapter trigger : magic fire and bad taste pranks…? Frankly, this chapter is pretty safe ...

Chapter 7: The Two (Three) Little Devils

Wednesday February 4

"Atchou!" I sneezed before I shuddered violently. Grabbing one of the candy pink tissue handkerchiefs Road had lent me, I blew my nose loudly, earning an angry look from a passing old maid.

I didn't even have the strength to care.

After the most shameful adventure of my short life, aka happily-climbing-the-snowy-balcony-half-naked-while-I'm-dizzy, I had to, even more shamefully, go again to Road's bedroom to retrieve my skirt. Not that I was ashamed to walk around in shorts eh, but the customs were not the same and I was way too tired due to my stupid near death (seriously, in D Gray Man, and not even because of an akuma!) to face the outraged questions of people of that time. Thank Merlin, I didn't meet anyone for the few meters I had to walk between the twins' room and Road's room and was able to get in without a problem.

At this point, I no longer felt my toes or my nose, everything else in my body was frozen, a headache was starting to take hold and I was shaking all over. Seeing me, Road had the kindness (or pity, who knows…) to allow me to take a hot bath in her room and suffocated me under the fluffy blankets as I left the bathroom. She then began to lecture me on my almost non-existent wardrobe (she had to go get me some clothes ...) and promised me with a maniacal gleam in her eyes a future trip to the tailor (the tailor!) To remedy this. 'Serious problem'.

According to her anyway.

Much too tired and the disease pointing its nose, I had to go to bed early that evening. Unfortunately, even sleeping more than 12 hours was not enough to get back on my feet and it was with a bad headache that I dragged myself out of my bed that morning. After washing and dressing, I walked down the hall to bring the twins their meal. Lucky for me, their trays were right on their doorstep.

Mine was also there.

Hesitant for a few seconds, I finally grabbed my tray in addition to the twins' and I kicked their door, having no hands free to knock.

Two kicks later, a growl asked me what I wanted.

"It's Eve, I'm bringing you food." I told them annoyed rolling my eyes even though they couldn't see me. Devit finally opened the door with a suspicious look. "Hello Devit!" I smiled at him with the most joy I could produce so early in the morning and half sick.

"…Jasdero." The boy whispered as he pulled away to let me sneak inside. To my confused look, he spoke a little louder. "I'm Jasdero, not Devit."

Blushing, stammering an apology, I did indeed see Devit a little further away, recognizable by his crossed arms and closed eyebrows. What am I talking about? Frowned eyebrows ! Not closed!

Fucking headache ...

It's true that, unlike the manga, the twins currently had no physical differences. They were… well… real twins, I thought distractedly as I put one of the trays into Jasdero's hands. They were as short as each other, with the same dirty black shoulder length hair and the same dark eyes. The only way to tell them apart was to find the one who frowned the most: There was a good chance it was Devit. Smiling at the thought, I put the second tray on the floor, on the rug by the fireplace, before collapsing in front of it.

" What are you doing?" Devit muttered aggressively as a confused Jasdero set his tray down next to mine.

"I don't have much time before joining Tricia, so I'll eat here," I said absently as I opened the curtains, causing two painful hisses behind me. With an evil smile on my lips, I opened the window just enough to bring in some fresh air without freezing us to death. Usually I wasn't that vindictive… but hey, I imagine that narrowly escaping a dumb Darwin Award-worthy death can do that to people… well, it wasn't really their fault, but ho, well ...

Heading to the fireplace, I put in a few logs before passing some matches lying there at Devit. "Do you know how to strike a match?" I asked him. Ho, I could surely do it after a good ten unsuccessful attempts, but I had a mild fear of fire so if I could do without ...

"Of course!" He spat in annoyance before snatching the matches out of my hands and crouching down by the fireplace. "Do you take me for an idiot or what?" He added, scratching the match on his sole violently, breaking it in the process.

Biting my tongue so as not to laugh as he gazed at the broken piece of wood with wide eyes, I collapsed on the floor before grabbing my tray. Hmm… These eggs, what a delight! I've never managed to make such a good omelet… Halfway through my plate I still had to resolve to stop eating for a few seconds to meet Jasdero's gaze. Devit was still trying to light the fireplace, the logs enjoying not catching fire, but Jasdero had awkwardly stood beside the tray, alternately looking at his food and me.

"Aren't you eating?" I asked him finally after another round trip between myself and his plate. At my words, he jumped and hurriedly sat down next to me, shoulders stiff and his gaze fixed on me. But he still didn't touch his food.

Puzzled, I alternately looked at his tray then him.

Attentive, he followed my gaze then refocused on me.

Huuum ...

Ho! Hold on ! Maybe he wanted me to ...

"Do you want me to taste it?" I asked him, nodding towards his plate. It's crazy how badly I spoke around them. Well no, not bad, but ... "Normally".

Like I'm talking to my friends.

Pushing back the wave of sadness which assailed me, I stole a piece of potato and omelet from Jasdevi before putting them in my mouth with a noise of contentment. Jasdevi smiled awkwardly at me and finally started to eat. But only the omelet and the potatoes. Sighing, I took his glass to taste the orange juice then did the same with the scones and the rest. In the middle of a piece of lemon cake that made me wince, Jasdero gave up his food to crawl lightly towards his brother, looking worried that he was struggling so much. No sooner did Jasdero brush against Devit than, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the two boys jump when an orange lightning flashed from their hand in the direction of the logs, causing them to burst into flame. Was it me or the twins had just used their bond power to light the fireplace ?! Well, not on purpose given their surprised look, but all the same! Was it the first time I had seen… real magic? I didn't even know how to qualify it ... If I had the slightest doubts that I was still in DGM, they were now definitely dead ... Holding myself back from choking on my piece of cake, I only looked up when a cry of victory reached me. Turning around, I saw Devit with a big winning smile in front of the amused fireplace. Uh on. I really had to go to sleep… Looks like he had recovered from his fright even though Jasdero still seemed a little worried. It had to be the first time I had seen a positive expression on Devit's face. Unfortunately, feeling my gaze on him, the young boy turned and hastened to drop the corners of his lips in favor of his usual frowning.

"Thank you so much Devit" I told him before returning to my plate, almost missing his puzzled gaze and then the shy blush that took place on his cheeks. But I could see it. And it hurts to think that he mustn't have heard a lot of "thanks".

"Pooh, that was easy," he muttered less aggressively than usual, his cheeks flushed with pleasure before stopping, suddenly dumbfounded. "You… haven't seen anything weird, have you?" He asked with a panicked look that Jasdero immediately hastened to reply. There, I would have been unable to say who was who. Making my best impression of "Whaaat? Meeee? Naaaaah. " I reassured the boys until Devit nodded, relieved, and crawled next to Jasdero to eat.

Breakfast continued quietly, only interrupted by chewing sounds. After a few minutes, I stood up with my now empty tray, quickly followed by two sets of attentive eyes. "What are you doing? Where are you going?" Devit growled, tensing slightly.

"To work." I told them as I walked towards the door.

"You're comin' tomorrow too, hu?" Jasdero's small voice mumbled. Barely suppressing a smile, I nodded before opening the door to leave.

One step at a time, but it was worth it. They were worth it.

The same game followed for the next few days. I had now gotten into the habit of eating with them in the morning before joining Tricia. The latter was also much better now that the twins were eating and regaining color. Still, she got plenty of rest and I spent my free time torn between Road and the twins. I wasn't sure if I should be amused or terrified, but Road took the fact that I was hanging out with the twins instead of her very badly and did everything possible to keep me by her side.

Pissed off, I ended up telling her though that if she couldn't get along with the twins, I wouldn't play with any of them and she agreed to spend some of her time with the boys. Unfortunately, the twins weren't immediately so accommodating and at first they took Road like an intruder, even refusing her to enter their room. So of course Road had a fit and flushed with anger, forced me to choose between her and the twins. Exasperated, and above all a little afraid of what the three Noahs could do if I made the "wrong choice", I carried out my threat. No more afternoons trudging around the mansion after the little monsters, I barely had breakfast with the twins again in the morning and had tea with Road in the late afternoon.

And so, of course, Road, used to having everything she wanted, went to complain to her father and I was fortunate enough to have Sheryl visit just before I went to bed the following Saturday.

That evening, I had started a new drawing of a chibi-Road pulling the left arm of a chibi-me while chibi-twins did the same with the right arm. Sitting at the small round table, I was easily enjoying my evening, already in my nightgown and a few minutes away from going to bed. So I wasn't ready at all when there was a knock on the door. Surprised, I was shouting a "Come in!" While automatically turning my drawing over. I, who was expecting Road or at least Clarisse or Louise, with round eyes, saw Sheryl enter.

Quietly opening the door, he looked around the room for a few seconds before his eyes fell on me. Suddenly he hurriedly shut the door with an incredulous look on his face. A little puzzled, I moved closer to the door to open it, pulling Sheryl into the room at once, his hand still on the doorknob.

"Did you need something, sir?" I asked a little confused, his gaze shying away from mine.

With his eyes fixed on the probably very interesting candlestick to my left, Sheryl coughed to clear his throat before answering me. "Um, yes, I wanted to thank you for the time you spent with David and Jasper." He said awkwardly, still avoiding my gaze. "… And to request that you play with Road. She rarely gets along with… could you please put something on?!" He said suddenly looking me in the eye before turning his head to the side and brushing his hand over his face.

"Um yes, sure…" I mumbled, turning to grab my jacket that was lying on a chair near the door. Pulling it on quickly, I crossed my arms across my chest and then waited patiently for Sheryl to continue.

"Yes so… ah! Road." He said, finally looking me in the eye. Ok, I was in a nightgown, but still! It wasn't the shorts and t-shirt that I loved so much for sleeping, it was a long sleeve dress that covered me from head to toe! Frankly, it was getting ridiculous! I know we didn't have the same notion of decency at all, but hey, Lenalee was walking around in a miniskirt as far as I know!

"My daughter has difficulty making friends her age ... However, she appreciates your company very much. So I would like you to spend more time with her when my wife is resting. For a fee, of course," he said, glancing at his pocket watch.

"… You know I will anyway, right?" I tell him with a raised eyebrow. I was not against a little pocket money, but paying myself to play with children was a little weird ... Again, if it had been a babysitter where I take care of cooking, homework, games, showering, bedtime… Ok, but that was just playing, like I was being paid to be her friend.

"Road did complain that you have been spending very little time with her lately," Sheryl said, frowning.

"Ah, that… She didn't want me to play with the twins and the twins didn't want to hang out with her. So I told them that I wouldn't play with any of them until they could get along." I answered him, suppressing a sigh convinced he wouldn't believe me. After all, he was so crazy about his daughter in the manga that I didn't think he would accept anything negative about her.

However, once again I was wrong and Sheryl sighed in turn, confessing to me that he did think there was something off. We then continued talking awkwardly for a few more moments, especially on Road and Tricia, and then Sheryl apologized with another look at his watch. Left alone, I congratulated myself on my first normal conversation with Sheryl before continuing my drawing for a few minutes and going to bed in turn.

The next day, I decided it couldn't go on any longer. Breakfast platters in my arms, I was ready to make a difference. I hadn't even made it to the door to the twin bedroom when it opened slightly, allowing me to see a well-known face sticking out.

"... Jadero?" I called hesitantly. I had already made the mistake several times since they had arrived, it was always a bit difficult to know who was who when you couldn't compare their frowns. Seeing me, his face lit up and he opened the door a little wider to let me in. Yup, that was really Jasdero. Never had Devit smiled so angelically.

Laying the two trays on the desk by the fireplace, I turned to see a scowling Devit and a luminous Jasdero staring at me with a hopeful look. My eyes narrowed, I wondered what happened when I finally noticed it.

"Is it me or ... did you wash yourself? And dressed in the clothes that Tricia chose too!" I said, impressed as I slowly approached Jasdero to lower his shirt collar. He was a little tense, however, he did not recoil and I took that as a victory. Indeed, these last five days, I had not only fought to make them eat something, but also to have them wash, dress and leave their rooms.

And to get them used to human contact as well.

Anyway, Thursday, I finally managed to make them wash a little. Okay, only the hands and the face, but that was a start! However, I never managed to get them to put on anything other than the grubby clothes they wore when they arrived. Even freezing ourselves to death when we opened the windows wide began to no longer dissipate the smell of a good week of filth. Now however, not only Jasdero (who was the more obedient of the two boys) but also Devit were totally clean (visible by their hair which no longer looked like a rat' nest) but dressed in new clothes and of their own volition, which more is! A happy smile on my face, I mentally ticked off my to-do list while gently ruffling Devit's hair, who cried out as he took a hasty step back.

Now all I had to do was get them out.

Easy to say, hard to do. Just to introduce them to Road, I had to use all my cunning for two consecutive days before they would agree to see her. And yet, they had seen her on the doorstep, adamant that they would not leave the room and that Road was not allowed to enter. Anyway, during the whole breakfast, which was now taking place around the table, as I was trying to instill in them a minimum of knowing how to live so that Tricia does not have a heart attack seeing their way (I was clearly not an example, but I was still light years away from them thanks to my… grandmother.) I kept going over and over the problem in my head.

How to get them out?

A flick of Devit's hand to use his fork and a contemplative look out the window later, I got my answer.

"It's snowing again." I pointed out, an evil smile already taking place on my lips. Devit gave me a flat look and I clearly heard in my head Kira say sarcastically "The art of stating the obvious!" My throat tightened at the sudden onslaught of memories from my friends, I forced myself to smile before clapping my hands to get the boys' attention. "Would you mind helping me play a little joke?" I asked with my best mysterious smile on my face. Although according to my brother, I looked more constipated than anything else. Wow, my subconscious is in good shape today… I kept thinking about my loved ones, first my grandmother, then my best friend and my brother? Go depresion ...

Let's come back to our sheep and avoid thinking about it. I had never actually made a real prank. Anyway, not the way I imagined it when I thought of the Weasley twins. Well, I did have a vague memory of stink balls in elementary school, but I did not know if it really was one or if I had made it up. I wouldn't be surprised, I was way too eager to do well for that. If I had to compare myself to someone in Harry Potter, I would be… the random student you hear about once in the books. Honestly at the level of banality, I was clearly part of the common man. Even though I would like to look like Hermione or Luna, I don't have that much character, I was just following the masses. A real panurge sheep as Azy would say.

No again?! I would never be able to finish my thought if this continues!

Soooo, I had never made any real prank, but hey, as they say, a new name for a new life! And I had really jumped out of the universe, so I was determined to change… even if it was for the worse. I wasn't kidding myself. I knew very well that I had been incredibly lucky so far. Bumping into this old lady, being spotted by Tricia, being loved by Road and the twins… Murphy's Law was going to catch up with me soon and it was going to hurt.

But in the meantime ... might as well make the most of it!

"A… joke," Devit squeaked clearly unimpressed as Jasdero looked at me curiously. With a smile that I hoped would be mischievous, I got up from the table and walked towards their bedroom door.

"Yes, a prank on Road." I told them, stopping near the entrance.

The mention of the little girl took their immediate attention and Jasdero followed me to the door, dragging a grumpy Devit behind him. "What are we going to do?" Jasdero asked, casting a puzzled look at the door before turning to Devit as if asking his permission. Devit glared at me. He couldn't resist Jasdero and I knew it very well. He sighed and nodded at his brother before pouting.

"We're going to bother Road a bit" I told them, smiling. "It's Sunday, she won't get up for another half an hour, it's an opportunity to wake her up ourselves!" I told them with a lot more gusto than I really felt as I glanced down the hall. There was no one. Looking at the twins again, I held a finger to my lips to signal them to be quiet before whispering. "It's almost time for me to join Tricia, so we're going to have to be quick and discreet, okay?" No noise! The twins nodded seriously and I opened the door a little wider so they could go through. Hesitant at first, they ended up going down the hall, looking around, surprised and amazed at the luxury of the place.

"Okay, first we have to go outside," I said to them, slipping into the hallway behind them after taking the kindling bucket by the fireplace. "We're going to collect snow for our joke. "

Devit looked at me somewhat skeptical before glancing at his brother who was already totally excited and rolling his eyes. Already getting caught up in the game, I led them through the hallways of the house, making them stop when a noise was heard or hide when someone passed. They were clearly more quiet than I was, even though Devit didn't seem to be putting much effort into it. Quick and strangely quiet in their movements, that's when I remembered that, yes, those two rude kids were bloodthirsty Noahs. Shaking my head, I pulled my skirt a little closer to me, trying not to pack a knickknack into her oversized petticoats. After a few minutes, we finally arrived in the small living room and I opened a window to collect the snow. By this point the boys were both full of energy, excited by their success in hiding from anyone and insisted on filling the bucket themselves and carrying it to Road's bedroom. With all that, they didn't even notice that we could have just taken the snow on their balcony, saving us a lot of trouble.

"Are you sure you don't want a hand?" I asked them when I saw them toil with the large, full bucket. They loudly refused and I let out a laugh when I saw Devit tried to pick up the bucket on his own. "At least let Jasdero help you." I told him a little too loudly. Before I wondered why I was even trying to help them. If they were already struggling with the weight, there was no way my noodle arms could do better.

"Is there someone there?" Suddenly a male voice asked from the hallway.

The panicked heads of the twins would surely have made me laugh if I weren't exactly the same. Beckoning them to hide behind the sofa, the twins did not even complain, taking the bucket with them to my relief. Before I could do anything else, the door suddenly opened, letting Sheryl in who looked at me in surprise. "Eve? You're not with Tricia?" He asked entering the room. However, I didn't even have time to answer before he visibly relaxed and an amused smile formed on his lips. The return… Did he know the twins were there? Even straining my ears I couldn't make out anything, but a Noah's senses must surely be a hundred times better.

"Um, yes, I'm going, I just dropped by to see if I hadn't left my… uh… book? Um, here… "I say evasively as I make a great spectacle of looking around the room. It's crazy how uncomfortable this man made me. I always felt like I had made a huge mistake or was hiding something from him when I spoke to Sheryl.

Which, now thatI thought about it, I clearly was.

Hmm.

"Have you lost a book? It can't be far ... I can help you find it if you want." He said as he stepped into the room towards the sofas where the twins were conveniently hiding.

"Ho, don't bother, you must be very busy." I responded by taking a step back, placing myself directly between him and the sofas. At this point, I was already dead inside.

"No, I insist!" He said taking a step closer, his lips contracting slightly. He totally wanted to laugh, that bastard!. At the same time, I should have known that he would just as easily notice that the twins were here, he's Noah after all, a superhuman. And then…

Even I was starting to feel the negative feelings oozing behind my back.

I was even quite impressed that Devit hadn't already thrown himself at Sheryl's throat. I'll bet whatever you want Jasdero was forcibly holding him back.

"No, really, I don't want to disturb you," I told him, taking a step back, finding myself directly in front of him, doing my best to bar his way despite my two fewer heads. Much to my relief, he didn't insist any longer. With an implicit look in the direction of the couch, he sighed dramatically, saying, "If you're sure…" before turning around and walking out of the room. I could almost see the nod of approval. Almost.

Our journey then continued without difficulty. After reassuring Jasdero that "No, of course he hasn't noticed you!" And confirm to Devit that "Yes, Devit, murder is punishable by law" they grabbed their bucket and followed me up the stairs again. When I got to Road's door, I motioned for them to shut up and opened the door as delicately as possible. I then walked the twins past me and showed them how to lay the snow on the ground to be absolutely sure Road was walking on it. Then, with the excess snow, I added the water from the jug on her nightstand and then motioned for the twins to hang it on the curtains of her bed. That way, as soon as she opened them, the bucket would tip over. Ho, not necessarily on her, I was not competent enough in the field to assure it, but there was a chance… Satisfied, I motioned for the twins to leave and I did the same after having checked again that Road was sleeping. In the hallway, the twins were visibly overflowing with energy, adrenaline making them tremble with excitement.

"So what do you want to do now?" I whispered as I gently pushed them away from Road's bedroom. "I have to go see Tricia, but I'm afraid that if you're left alone, Road will think it's you and… get revenge." I told them with a sorry tone. "But you can come meet Tricia! I'm sure that would make her happy, and that's the least you can do, you are at her place after all." I told them in a normal voice now that we were a sufficient distance from Road's room.

Devit frowned, crossing his arms. "We have already seen her." He growled annoyed before Jasdero pouted at him then sighed and grudgingly agreed, glaring at me. Proud of myself, I led them to the master bedroom door and knocked on the door. "Tricia? It's Eve "

At the sound of a "Come in!" I opened the door to let the twins pass before passing in my turn. Tricia was still in her bed and, propped up by a multitude of pillows, stared in surprise at the twins.

"I'm sorry for being late, I was trying to convince these two young men to come out of their room." I told her as I approached the bed to sit at her bedside, motioning for the twins to do the same. Shyly, Jasdero walked over to us and stopped beside me, out of Tricia's reach, Devit dragging his feet behind his brother.

"And what a success!" She said smiling peacefully at the two boys. "I'm so glad these clothes fit you well." Tricia said suddenly, gazing beaming at the twins' tunics. "I chose them for you after my husband told me that we will be welcoming two young boys" She said in a soft voice, a welcoming smile on her lips before leaning in as if about to reveal an important secret. "You see, I am good friends with your sister and Lucie gave me your favorite colors, so I took care of advising it to the tailor. Are they to your liking?"

Tricia really knew how to get others comfortable, I thought as I watched Jasdero nod his head vigorously and Devit blush shyly. After just a few minutes, the twins were responding to Tricia and hadn't even realized they'd gotten any closer to her. I must admit that I was quite proud of myself, especially when we heard a high-pitched howl from the hallway. Ok, the revenge was small, but I still resented her so badly for pushing me off that balcony and sending me Sheryl. I really didn't, but like reeeeally didn't like to deal with him. Although it had surprisingly gone well this time.

Besides, it was so worth it when I saw the twins smile as Tricia wondered somewhat worriedly what was going on. As she got out of bed to watch the event in the hallway, and with Road's shrill screams in the background, I held out my hand to the twins.

"What do you want ?" Devit asked, looking suspiciously at my hand.

"You have to hit my hand." I told him, smiling as I gently took Jasdero's to bounce it limply on mine. "Like that. It is to congratulate ourselves." I told him, extending my left hand to Jasdero and my right to Devit. The twins looked at each other for a moment, as if they were communicating without speaking before they turned to me again and each gently clapped my hands with theirs.

"Tss, there you go, it's done, are you happy now?" Devit growled, turning slightly to the side, his cheeks dusted with red.

"Very," I said, smiling ear to ear before grabbing them both in my arms for a group hug.

And to my surprise, they let it go on without complaint.

So there you have it, end of the twins arc, I hope that it was to your liking :)

Think about the reviews and see you on the 25th of next month!