Story: A Touch of Colour in the Gray

Book 1: Shading the black.

Date: 25 December 2019, corrected November 2022

Beta: KnK (2019) Nobody (2022)

Fandom: D Gray Man

Disclaimer: No, I don't own D Gray Man and I'm not making any money on this story.

Summary: After landing in the 19th century, Estelle, taking the name Eve, becomes Tricia Kamelott's lady-in-waiting. Eve quickly becomes aware of the social and gender differences of the time and begins to fear for her future, especially when Road, the twins, Tyki and even Allen arrive. But the exorcist leaves for India and the twins are sent to boarding school. Eve learns everyone's birthday and plans her Christmas presents.

Chapter trigger: None, I think (let me know if you think it's necessary to add one!)

I'm planning my days until the New Year... too many fics to do... And I still haven't been able dable in my novels :'( I think I'll start on a brand new idea and plan it thoroughly, so I'll just have to read the chapter's summary and let my hands do it. Maybe an adaptation of my video game? A lot of the background work is already done. Hmmm...

Enjoy your reading !

Shading the Black chapter 27: Winter holidays

Friday 4, December 1885

"Miss Campbell." An authoritarian voice called, and I jumped violently before quickly turning towards Sheryl, trying to limit my guilty look. It was Road's fault! I screamed in my mind as I tried to put together something clever to say in response to the accusation that was sure to come. "Join me in my office." He said curtly before turning and walking away without even a backward glance.

Slightly puzzled, I glanced at Road's latest nonsense, which her father hadn't even deigned to look at, and quickly followed him, not wanting to anger him. If it wasn't about his uncontrollable daughter, why would he want to talk to me? I could count on one hand the number of times he had called me to his office and I still had fingers left. A question perhaps? About a family member? His spoiled daughter? His recalcitrant brother? His sick wife? His impetuous nephews? Too many problems in this family, seriously...

But I wasn't right at all. Sitting awkwardly in the chair across from his desk, he told me about a vacation. Specifically, a vacation for me. Alone.

"You haven't taken any days off since last May. Everyone has the right to rest, so why don't you take a week off at Christmas?" He said calmly, but it clearly wasn't a question. "You don't celebrate Christmas, do you? It'll be difficult to get away from it here, and I'll be here to take care of Tricia, so you don't have to worry." He said and I nodded slowly in response.

Squinting, I fired up my brain, trying to figure out what to do with the situation. Clearly... he was throwing me out. No matter how hard I tried to think of another reason, I could only see this: Sheryl didn't want me at the mansion for the holidays. I wasn't surprised, lately I'd been spending a lot more time with his family than he had and since he finally had a holiday, surely he only wanted to spend it with the people he loved. My first reaction was to be hurt. Sure, we weren't the best of friends, Sheryl and I, but we didn't get along badly either... And I was a little disappointed that he would throw me out like a piece of trash at the first opportunity. My second reaction was much more positive, though. I didn't really want to be part of the Noahs' family celebration, especially since I'd just learned the day before that the Duke would be at the manor throughout the holidays.

But... where to go? The only other people I knew outside this mansion were in China. And the other one, dead. Wow. It was high time I made some new friends, actually.

"Of course..." I replied hesitantly.

"Very well, I'll leave you to organise your trip in that case." He said and then, as if thinking : "If you need help, my door is open." I thanked him as I stood up, though I had absolutely no intention of taking his offer. I'd be fine, at worst I'd disguise myself as a boy and I could get by just fine.

Po-si-ti-vism.

So, looking dreamy, I started to think about where to go. Tourism wasn't really a thing yet at the end of the 19th century. Even in my grandmother's time, some 60 years later, it was still in its infancy. So now? Only business travel or exploration could qualify as such. The average person didn't have access to it, at most they undertook a long journey with all their savings to find a job elsewhere (dust out your history lessons, the great Irish exodus to the United States during the famine, for example). Or at least, that was the case in my old world. With the strange advancement of technology here, trains were practically accessible to all social classes and it was much easier to travel. Small villages were strangely well deserved, so much so that you could travel to a bunch of towns in the middle of nowhere. (Which explained how Allen and Lavi had ended up in the village near Krory's Castle, which would never have been on the railway in my world's past.) In doing so, I had a choice.

And I had no idea what to do.

No internet or even a tourist office here, so much so that I wondered if I would just pull out the plan from a few months ago and get a room in the local village. It was a shame to sacrifice such a great opportunity to see the world, but then I was too busy chasing Road and making the twins' present to do any real research.

And, yes, okay, I was lazy.

So, without further questions, I let the hours tick by until there were only a few days left until Christmas. And maybe Sheryl was right after all: I wasn't sure I could handle the holidays. The mansion had gone into a terrible Christmas frenzy a few days earlier, and every inch of the space seemed to be occupied by one decoration or another. Tricia smiled like a madwoman every time she looked at the little glass balls or the elaborate candlesticks and it was nice to see her so happy, but at the same time, all this over-decorating was starting to creep me out. Maybe it was because I had already tripped over the new carpets or garlands four times and finally ended up sprawled out on the floor to Tyki's hiccupping laughter.

Twice.

Traitor.

It was also probably due to the fact that the twins and Road always seemed to be on a sugar rush these days and couldn't seem to stop bouncing around. I'd lost my voice one night after spending the day yelling at them to try and stop them defenestrating the gigantic Christmas tree. Let's talk about the tree, by the way: it was the most monstrous thing I had ever seen. The kind of thing you only see in public squares and that shouldn't have a place in a house. Or maybe only in old nutcracker movies. But no, it did exist here. Taking up all the space and even having to curve up to the ceiling (which was already quite high), it was so large in width that I thought its diameter at the base must have been larger than I. (Not that I had checked... Tricia would have crucified me on the spot for bad manners. No, I had sent Devit instead, which passed right by.) With all this, he was taking up almost a quarter of the small living room and I felt quite awkward when I joined the housemasters for the evening. Even more so after Jasdero had pushed me into it during an overly excited game of tag and it had taken Tyki's (and his powers, or so I suspected) AND John's help to get me out while Jasdero looked on with terrible guilt. I was left with a few nasty scratches and the tree was a pile of damaged branches and broken balls. I can't tell you how much fun it was to explain that to Sheryl afterwards...

And then, of course, to add insult to injury, the Duke had decided to come and stay at the manor a week earlier than planned. So okay, he hadn't really come near me since that summer and the whole piano thing, instead letting me come to him, but it was much harder to avoid him now that he was spending a good part of the afternoon with Road or Tyki or the twins... and therefore, invariably: me.

Oh well, it served our (nonexistent) relationship well and gave me even more time to devote to my card game. Well yeah, it was usually enough to pretend I wanted to leave them alone as a family, or better yet, find a corner to hide in for the afternoon and then neither of us needed to interact at all. Despite all this free time, I still hadn't finished the card game before leaving and I was mentally patting myself on the shoulder for having been smart enough to take a quiet holiday in a small London inn rather than having attempted an initiatory journey somewhere on the other side of the continent.

So, on the early afternoon of the twentieth of December, as agreed with Sheryl, I accompanied John to London and he left me with a cheerful goodbye near one of the main streets of the city. I felt a bit guilty for leaving without saying goodbye, but then again, it was only for a week and the other employees didn't do that, did they?

...

Okay, so, sue me, I had forgotten. I had been so unconcerned about the trip that it was when Sheryl had asked me the night before if everything was ready for the next day that I realised it was the 19th and it would be good if I packed. And then the next day, with the Earl coming for breakfast with Tricia and the twins deciding it would be the best idea of the century to start a fire in the library, I hadn't had a minute to myself. And of course, I only remembered my imminent departure when I accompanied Tricia to her room for her afternoon nap. I'd weighed the pros and cons and finally decided it wasn't worth the headache so I'd simply wished her a good nap and quickly wrote a note telling her I was going to visit London during the week's vacation Sheryl had so generously given me and wished her a happy holiday. At least this way she'd have someone to spit her venom at and hopefully she'd be calm enough when I got back...

And, no, I absolutely didn't feel guilty at all about throwing Sheryl under the figurative wheels of the non-existent cart.

Anyway, the hostel I was staying at could not have been more perfect for my needs. It wasn't as expensive as the one we'd stayed at in Paris but it wasn't a backstreet cut-throat either. I had been careful to choose something not far from the main streets run by a widowed fifty year old woman who didn't tolerate trouble. So I didn't have any during my stay either. Well, to be honest, I hadn't looked for long: I already knew the place. It was Mrs Carley's bar, the one we had spent most of our time in London at with Tyki and Allen. I admit, I had been a bit worried about being on my own for almost two weeks. As much as I complained about Tyki or Sheryl, I still felt much safer with them than when I was walking around the city alone. So when it came to choosing a place to stay, only two came to mind: Mrs. Carley's bar and her sister, Miss Taringan's brothel. Having no problems with working girls but a little afraid to stay in the red light district, the choice had been quick. Besides, I knew I'd be safe there, Mrs. Carley controlled the bar like nobody's business and her big guy son was there for support. And really, if things ever got out of hand like they had when we'd met Tyki, I could always duck upstairs to my rented room.

In any case, now that I knew London better, I wondered how I'd even found the courage to wander the back alleys alone earlier this year. Now, it would be out of the question. It was bad enough that the London fog didn't let much sunshine through and caused a perpetual dark atmosphere to hang over the city, but now it was the middle of winter and night fell even earlier than usual. This led me to enjoy the fire in the common room where, in a comfortable armchair, I finally finished my deck of cards. Having already carved the totem pole a few weeks earlier, all I had to do was sew a pouch and I was done with the project! Unfortunately, I had no supplies with me and on Boxing Day, I had to resolve myself to go outside.

Christmas, by the way, had passed without anything really notable happening. Of course, I had a twinge in my heart that I couldn't celebrate it with my family, but… even at the time, it wasn't really an event that we scrupulously respected, not being religious, and more a date around which it would be nice to have a family celebration. And as I hadn't really done anything with it other than eat the good meal the host had prepared and enjoy the warm atmosphere of the common room, well… it came and went, I guess.

Anyway, it was early the next afternoon that I stepped outside the hostel for the first time in five days. A ray of light had pierced the fog and even though I was still freezing despite the thick coat Tricia had given me in addition to the ratty jacket I had added on top to go unnoticed

With the tip of my nose ready to fall off, I was hurrying through the surrounding streets trying to remember the directions of the matron of the inn when a small brown blur came bumping into my legs.

"Sorry!" I yelped, trying to catch up the rickety little form, but he left immediately, and I didn't get the chance. A little puzzled, I looked up to see if anyone was chasing him (with an awful feeling of déjà-vu in my stomach) but when I saw nothing, I continued on my way. Finally, about ten minutes later, I found the shop. It was a simple little thing wedged between two large buildings. It didn't look like much, but the interior was excessively warm, immediately thawing my cold fingers.

Strolling between the shelves filled with rolls of colourful fabrics, I had a big smile on my face. Everything made me want to buy it and despite the absurdly high price, my fingers were itching to grab everything. But, well, I didn't have any sewing machines here and I certainly didn't have the patience to do anything with a needle other than small works. So, holding back with difficulty, I picked out three fabrics I liked and asked for a small coupon of each. Hey, nobody said I couldn't make my own pockets, right?

But just as I was about to pay, I finally noticed that I didn't have my wallet. Frantically searching my pockets, I had to face the facts: the two crumpled notes I had stuffed into my pocket before leaving the hostel were no longer there.

A little bewildered, I praised the heavens for scrupulously following Allen's advice and pulled another note from my sleeve and another from my sock. It wasn't very pleasant to walk around with pieces of paper stuck to my sweaty skin, but it was certainly useful. Don't "put all your eggs in one basket" indeed, I thought as I slid the money towards the lady with a shy smile.

Taking my little bundle of cloth, I continued my way towards the inn, making a small diversions in passing through a large shopping street. On the one hand, because I didn't feel like tempting the alleys, but also because now that I was outside, I might as well take advantage of the meagerly good weather and the happy crowds. Shoot, Tricia and her hobbies were rubbing off on me.

The mystery of how these two notes had disappeared wasn't really one: I'd bet my life that it was the boy who had run into me earlier. Or maybe I had forgotten to put the money in my pocket. That was just as likely, knowing me. Anyway, I wasn't too worried about it. Sure, I'd been a little annoyed at the time but... it's not like I really needed the money and even though I couldn't get a good look at the child, my glance was enough to see that he certainly wasn't dressed well enough for the weather. Yes, clearly, it was misplaced pity. I was doing little or nothing for all these street rats. I was not rich. It was hard to help everyone I saw, even more so when the streets seemed to be teeming with malnourished children or bald tramps. There were just... too many. And again I praised my luck, wondering why the old butler had hired me but... he had surely saved my life.

Shivering as my head filled with all the things I could have done to survive instead of taking advantage of my privileged position as a Kamelott employee, I continued on my way, shoving my hands into my pockets to protect them from the cold.

And stopped dead in my tracks.

Mumbling an apology as I was jostled for my sudden stop, I began to search my pockets furiously, my face deteriorating as time passed. Nothing, nada, niet. My picture was gone. Eyes round, eyebrows arched in despair, I stumbled to a wall to lean against for a second before hurrying back to the alleys. Either I had dropped it, or the little pickpocket had taken more than just money...

I knew it was a bad idea to take that picture with me! But it would have been just as bad an idea to leave it at the manor... Road used to come into my room when I was there, I had no doubt that she would take advantage of my absence to go there, especially with the fact that I had left like that, without saying anything. I had hesitated for a long time to take Hugo's writings with me, wondering if it would be better to leave them under the floorboard. But in the end I took them with me, firmly packed between my underwear, a formidable weapon to repel most people of that time, men and even women included. And then, as I closed my suitcase and wrapped myself in my old coat and then my beautiful one (better to do it that way at the manor) I took the photo from my nightstand drawer on a whim. I was pretty sure Road had seen it before, but Sheryl and Tricia certainly hadn't or I would have heard about it ages ago. And, really, they had no reason to come here, but just in case... better to be too careful than sorry.

Since I hadn't gone out, I hadn't paid attention to returning it to my suitcase, and I regret it now. But no matter how many times I walked all the way to the clothes shop and back, I never saw a trace of a piece of cardboard. I had to face the facts, it wasn't my legendary clumsiness that was at fault this time.

A little depressed, I dragged my feet towards my hostel, my eyes sad. It was only a picture... Tyki must still have the negative, I could always develop it again, it didn't matter... I thought as a small hand grabbed the end of my jacket and pulled it down gently. Looking down, I saw a tiny boy, or at least what I assumed was a boy, covered in a rough jacket too big for him that swallowed his form, leaving only a red nose and tired green eyes.

"Hello...?" I asked as I started to lean in to see what he wanted, but before another word of questioning could pass my lips, he shoved a piece of paper in my face and ran off without asking. Puzzled, I clumsily grabbed the object and pulled it away from my face enough to see my lost picture before running like hell after the boy.

Turning a particularly sharp corner, I stumbled through the snow, slipping slightly on a patch of frost and nearly smashing my chin into the ground but... there he was! Spotting the boy disappearing into an alley, I carefully tucked my photo into my breast pocket as I continued my run, short of breath and cursing my lack of exercise.

Seeing me finally running after him, the boy let out a surprised cry and accelerated his run, forcing me to redouble my own efforts. "Wait!" I was shouting at him and I didn't even know why I was running after him. But just as I was thinking of stopping, the cold air burning my throat, the kid slipped on a frozen puddle and went tumbling down into the snow. Of course, going much too fast, my fate was much the same and it was with a strangled scream that I avoided crushing him at the last minute, destroying my left knee in the process.

"Are you all right?" I groaned as I rose to my feet on wobbly legs, my hands outstretched towards him in an attempt to see if he had any injuries. But, terrified, he wouldn't let me near him, pushing my hand away and hurrying to his feet... only to fall miserably to my knees, mowing down my legs and sending me waltzing back onto the hard cobblestones.

"Ouch." I let out very eloquently, stretching out to my full length, my back painful, my knees surely bloody and a headache starting behind my nose. The luckiest, really. "Hey, hey!" I exclaimed suddenly as I felt him stir to get up again. "It's okay, I don't want to hurt you!" I tried to tell him gently. "I just wanted to thank you. For the picture. I was very sad to have lost it you know, really, I thank you, you..." I began to babble quickly, my eyes fixed on the child as I knelt in front of him trying not to mind the wet snow that was seeping into my canvas trousers. Damn, the snow was red... I was going to have to do some sewing. Luckily I had taken more fabric.

"...Thank me?" He whispered shyly, still looking very nervous, tense as a spring, ready to bolt at the slightest sudden move.

"Yes." I let out more softly, relieved that he wasn't moving for the moment. "I thought I'd lost it for good. It means a lot to me, you know, so thanks for bringing it back." I told him with the sweetest, most sincere smile I could produce. But, it wasn't hard, the soaked fur ball in front of me was just adorable with his big surprised eyes and when the boy let out a shy smile and his shoulders relaxed, I couldn't help but melt for him.

Admittedly, I hadn't done much for the people here... and there were perhaps too many people in need for me to make a difference but... one child was a possibility, right?

Making a decision, I held out my hand to him as I stood up. "I really want to thank you... I'm staying at an inn for now, would you mind coming over to warm up and have a hot meal? It's the least I can do." I offered, hopeful.

He hesitated for a few moments, shivering in the cold. It was uncomfortable bending over with my hand outstretched in his direction, but finally he nodded cautiously and placed his fingers in my palm.

Yes. One child wasn't enough... but it was a good start.

KnK: Here you go, Eve's boring Christmas. Haha.

Nël: Eve finally acts to put her ethical problems to rest ... Will she get there? We will see that in the next episode! Okay ... as you probably guessed, it was not planned. This story is going straight into a wall. Meh, I hope you liked it!

KnK betaed the Bonus "Shading it All" last 21 ! If you didn't read it yet, go for it ! All the Noahs and Tricia shows their point of view on the beginning of the story.

Think of letting a review and see you on the 25th of next month!