Story: A Touch of Colour in the Gray

Book 1: Shading the black.

Date: February 25, 2020, corrected November 2022

Beta: Koneko (2020) and 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. As for Eve, with Sheryl's kind support, she expertly sneaks off to London to avoid the Christmas holidays.

Chapter trigger: The mention of the possible death of a character whose name Eve cannot remember ?

*Arrives in a controlled skid* Here's the chapter, I'm not lingering, I still have a lot of homework and I'd like to sleep tonight, byyyyyyyye *run the other way and screams:*

Enjoy your reading!

Shading the Black Chapter 29: The Choice Letter

Wednesday 10 February 1886

January had quickly given way to February, and if I had thought it was cold before - either in the last few months or last year - I was sorely mistaken. It was like summer all over again, but in reverse. It was the same terrible nuisance of time and I had never been so aware of our 21st century comfort. Even in my family, where we didn't have air conditioning and rarely turned on the heating, even in the middle of winter, I had never been so cold. Insulation seemed to have made great progress in the next century... I had reached a point where my personal hygiene was starting to suffer. It was hard to motivate myself to wash when the icy wind seemed to be everywhere... I even slept with my next day's clothes under my pillow so I could put them on straight away warm and under the duvet. It may sound extreme, but I swear it wasn't exaggerated! Fortunately, understanding my suffering, Tricia had already let me use her bathroom several times and thus, her hot bath. Thank you for the small mercies: it was a dream come true. Who said that one must necessarily have unattainable dreams?

Unfortunately, the bad weather certainly didn't do her any good and she was back to being stuck in bed before the end of January. As a result, I didn't have much to do, but I was able to give my presents quietly when I got back from my holiday and I was proud to say that they had pleased them.

Probably.

I think so.

Perhaps...

The twins had been curious, for sure, but seemed to like the concept after a few games. Road and Tyki had joined us for those and I really hadn't needed another reminder that I was surrounded by inhumans. I hadn't been able to catch the totem pole once... My poor reflexes couldn't hold a candle to theirs. On the other hand, the boys were not helping me at all. If it was possible, they were even more clumsy with their powers than before. Tyki had had to go through my hand at least twice to catch the totem pole, and the less said about the twins and their tendency to set cards on fire, the better off I was. They must really not have thought much of me or even that I was downright stupid if they thought I didn't notice their powers...

For his part, Tyki had seemed happy with his bottle and had already come to my room twice for a drink after an argument with Sheryl (as if he was giving him the finger behind his back) and had elegantly offered me one on each occasion even though I had always said no. Now that I was doing well in English, who knows if my drunk mumbling would not be in that language next time? And if so, I didn't even want to imagine what I could say and the consequences that would follow... And besides, I really wasn't looking forward to getting another headache.

Anyway, with Tricia in bed, the twins at boarding school, Road at her lady's classes, Sheryl in the middle of his political campaign and Tyki (once again) out and about, it was like November/December all over again but ten times worse with the cold and snow on top. With all this, it was impossible to leave my room because even the corridor was too frozen and going to the library became a real expedition. Anyway, it's not like I needed to go out. In fact, I had practically become a hermit, moving exclusively between Tricia's room and my own, my meals being brought to me by staff and books by Road.

Well, okay, I was still doing a few things, especially with the girls of the house. For example, we had done a doll-making workshop with Road, Louise and Clarisse. Carefully gathered around my little round table next to the fireplace, we had followed Clarisse's efficient instructions and it had been a nice evening... until I saw Road's result, a thing from the depths of hell that would no doubt haunt my next nightmares. Louise had been crying and I had frankly been close to following her. I knew Clarisse was the epitome of stoic calm, the queen of quiet, sarcastic strength, but she had earned even more respect when her only reaction to Road's chef-d'oeuvre had been an uneasy twitch of the chin. Suffice it to say that the doll had ended up in my fireplace, a sad accident, I assure you. We more or less banned Road from sewing workshops after that but I had a few more with the girls. We moved them from the garden to my bedroom, the only fully heated and more or less private room we had access to. A cat even visited us once! I have no idea where it came from, but the black ball of fur had poked its head through the doorway curiously before walking away annoyed when it met my eyes. John had been invited too, several times, moreover, but the boy felt very uncomfortable entering a 'Lady's' room, permission or not.

Also, on one notable occasion when a temporary thaw had warmed my toes, I had accompanied John to London for his usual shopping trip and helped him most of the afternoon. Despite the cold, it had been very interesting to watch him, haggle and visit all those different shops. Besides, it must have been one of the times, if not the first time, that I spent so much time alone with him. There were always other people with us at the manor and this was a whole new side to him. He was, as I expected, very serious about business, but we had a good laugh on our walks to get there. At the end of the afternoon, just before leaving, I let him finish the last shop while I hurried along the shopping street to a small bakery nestled in a side street. There I had a quick meeting with the young boy to whom Tyki had found a job. He seemed to be feeling better already, his cheeks were rosy and his breathing was less heavy. Still, I felt relieved that he wasn't out in the cold... even if all the other orphaned children he'd told me about were still there. The thought had sadly tinged the reunion and I hurried to join John and return to the manor.

On another note, Sheryl's birthday had passed without us really celebrating as the only person who really wanted to celebrate, Tricia, was already bedridden. After that, Tyki wasted no time in sneaking away again, coming to say hello in mid-February and telling me that the kid was still at the bakery and seemed to be doing better. I had been heartened, I must admit... I really hoped that things would turn out well for him.

I'd started getting letters from the twins too, which was nice. Well, from a twin. As much as Jasdero poured his heart out on paper more than I'd ever heard him talk before, Devit barely put a word in edgewise, sometimes scribbling a paragraph at the end of his brother's letter. It was always weird to see a letter appear in the morning next to my breakfast but it never failed to please me. I loved going through the twins' awkward words and hearing about their days. Jasdero marvelled at all the little things and didn't mind writing down his observations. It was a bit difficult to answer though, there was rarely anything of note going on at the manor. Strange, isn't it? You'd think that sharing a house with half a dozen Noahs would have made life a bit more hectic but surprisingly not.

Well, I wasn't going to complain...

However, it was around the beginning of February that I received a letter that finally brought me out of my lethargy. A letter from Allen. After travelling through Europe and then exploring Asia, at the dawn of his 14th year, Allen Walker had arrived in India.

At first, I didn't care much for it. The beginning was quite similar to the dozen or so others I had seen over the months. Allen began timidly by responding to the concerns and news I had given in my last letter and then, before moving on to his own daily tales, he had warmly thanked Tyki and me for the "particularly sturdy" gloves, wondering where we had got such good quality. I certainly wasn't going to tell him that Tyki was a nobleman who liked to throw his brother's money away on things he wouldn't particularly like...

After that he began to develop the usual news, the new town he was in, which of Cross's conquests they were staying at, his new job to support them, the usual complaints about his master... And then he deviated a little from our habits when he began to talk about a new friend. Not once since Allen had started sending us these letters had he spoken so cheerfully of anyone else. There was such an innocent candour in his descriptions of what they had done that day or what they had planned for the next week... It warmed my heart to see him like that and I couldn't help but think that I couldn't wait for Tyki to come back so I could show him.

But still... the further I got into his letter, the more I began to feel a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was a strange twinge, the kind that makes you want to throw up but you don't really know why.

And then, finally, my brain clicked.

Narein.

Straightening up in my chair, I stared at the note with round eyes. But it couldn't be! It was a character from the anime, right? Wait, wait, did that mean that what happened in the anime was going to happen here too? Oh noonon, I hadn't seen the anime in years! Not since I was at least twelve, I didn't remember it at all! Let's see, wasn't there a little psychic exorcist girl? And a whole arc with Lulubell on their trip to China? A mission with Lenalee in a... Coliseum? And then the one with Lavi and the ski? And then the horrible episode with the octopuses too... Nooo, the fillers were bullshit, I didn't want to face them in real life!

Narein was an apprentice, he was working to become... to become... a doctor! Yes, that's it! And he had a sister who worked for Cross' lover? And she had been killed? And Narein had become an akuma? Perhaps? Oh no...

I had laughed, a few months earlier, when Allen had told me, with enthusiasm, about a certain Anita he had spent a few weeks with. Well, then I remembered her death and it was immediately sadder... but for the moment, she was still alive and it was quite strange to worry about a fictitious person but actually real now but still a bit imaginary. Because two pages of description about her in the middle of a letter, that wasn't called knowing someone for me.

But this was different again. I knew this character was going to die, it was the first time I had any real influence since I came here. I could prevent Allen! Prevent him from having to kill his friend because of the Akuma! But... hadn't that been a very important step for him? Understanding that he wasn't responsible for everyone, realising the sacrifices of this holy war... What was I thinking? Of course I couldn't sacrifice someone just for a lesson!

I grimaced, my fingers wrapping around the letter to the point of wrinkling it. It had been a fleeting thought, barely formed, but I had thought it anyway and it disgusted me. But... I didn't know this Narein. What if his death was a way to keep Allen alive? And maybe, if I was a little more sure of the situation, if it had really been a life or death call then, maybe, I would have kept my mouth shut. But now we knew so little about it that... I could at least give it a shot, couldn't I? Cross would find a way to get the lesson across in another way, and who knows, my letter may not even arrive in time...

But if I didn't do something, I knew I would regret it and hate myself. And I really didn't want to hate myself. I liked myself well enough these days that it would be a shame to give that up when self-esteem was a key component of happiness. It was bad enough that my future prospects weren't incredible, but if I shot myself in the foot, it didn't bode well for my old age.

Well, I nodded my head with a determined look, the decision was made even though I shouldn't have even asked myself the question in the first place. So, taking out a piece of stationery that Road had given me a few months earlier, I grabbed my pen, the same one that Sheryl had lent me and that I always forgot to return, and put it on the paper, determined.

But now: what to write?

It was all very well to decide to impact on my knowledge for once (really, it was a definite event and not just people this time) but how to get the message across? I clearly couldn't come in and go "heeeey, Allen, you know your buddy Narein? Honestly, you shouldn't hang out with him too much. Or if you really want to, make sure his sister isn't killed," right? Yes, we agree, it was terribly stupid.

Groaning, I ran a hand through my hair and groaned even more when I saw that my pen had already left a big ink stain on the paper. Sighing, I thought I might as well do a rough draft for once... It wouldn't hurt to choose my words carefully to deal with this story.

Mumbling to myself, it took me a good hour before I had something to write about. Wrinkling my nose at the words which, after working on them for so long, seemed terribly clumsy, I sighed more and took out a new sheet of paper.

I hoped he would get the message.

Monday 29 March 1886

It was strange how just after sending the letter I had been terribly anxious, waiting desperately for a reply even though I knew it would be several more days before the letter even reached him. Yet I couldn't help but stare at the maid who brought in the mail in the morning and linger with a thoughtful look in my eyes when I saw a letter lying around. It must have been much more visible than I thought because Road eventually asked me what was wrong with me. I didn't even have to lie, I just told her I was waiting for a letter from a friend. So, of course, she started cackling about an imaginary suitor, bringing Tricia back on the warpath even though she was still in bed. It was really only because of the smile on the lady of the house that I didn't gut Road. Well, and also because it's Road, Noah of dreams, you know what I mean…

In any case, if Road had really tried to make me relax (and not just use me as entertainment) it must be said that it had worked. After days of rolling my eyeballs so hard as the two girls came up with increasingly absurd theories about my mysterious suitor, I had managed to get my eyes sore and forget the source of my letter problem. So much so that I was almost surprised when Road brought me the long-awaited letter one March morning, taking great care to stand by my side with an innocent air as I frantically tore open the envelope.

Practically skipping the customary greetings with how diagonally I read, I stopped abruptly when I came across the word "Narein." That was really his name! Gulping down the next few words, I couldn't help but sigh with relief when there was no indication of any distress on Allen's part. His friend must still be okay then... About to turn the page to make sure, I was stopped in my tracks by a small hand tugging at my sleeve.

"What does that mean?" Road asked, pointing to the top of my letter as I turned to her. Following her finger, I practically blushed with embarrassment when I saw that she was pointing to the first sentence. Dear Violet Lady', an address Allen had started using after I myself had written 'Dear Gray Boy' at the top of my letter. It was stupid, but when Tyki started calling him that, I couldn't help myself. I mean, you know... shrunken down it became D. Gray Boy and, okay, Allen was still a young man but soon... Was I aware that it was a private joke that got me into trouble in the first place? Yes. Did that stop me from doing more? Well, it seems not as my next letter was again already addressed as such.

hmm.

Anyway...

"Ah, it's nothing important, just a greeting..." I mumbled before frowning and folding the bundle of paper over my chest. "And how come you're looking at my mail?" I grumbled as Road took on an innocent look.

"You were waiting for it so anxiously, I was worried it would be difficult news." She said with a bright smile that I didn't believe for a moment. "I had to make sure it was nothing serious!"

"No, no, certainly not, we don't read other people's mail!" I replied, pushing the letters further away as if she could read them with an X-ray... She couldn't, could she? The explanation of her powers wasn't very, very detailed... "Besides, if it had been bad news, you would have known very easily."

"But I wouldn't have known how to solve it," she remarked before focusing her gaze on the sheets in my arms. "Oh please, you're ruining it, you'd better read it before it turns to shreds. I'm going to get my dolls, will you meet me in the living room when you're done?" She said, but it didn't sound like a question and it really didn't have to be because before I could even open my mouth to answer her: she was gone. Rolling my eyes violently at her behaviour, I dropped to the edge of my bed, pulling out the letter.

Reading the rest quickly, I sighed with relief when I saw nothing harmful, even smiling when Allen assured me that he was being careful. He was taking my fears into consideration and I couldn't help but feel happy. It was nice to feel heard.

Unfortunately, I thought as the smile fell from my lips and I collapsed on the bed, my eyes drifting to the ceiling, it didn't fix everything.

At the beginning of D Gray man, that is in two to three years, Allen was still in India. However, according to his letter, even though they were leaving for the time being, they were thinking of going back regularly... In that case, Narein's death could have happened any time from last month until he left India. How could I know? How could I do anything about it? Sighing, I turned my head to glance at my papers.

I guess, if not a lesson for Allen, it certainly was one for me. Even being aware of an event, I may not be able to do anything more than give a vague warning. For even if I were to go to India, right here, right now? Would my meagre Human body be able to save Mina? Or stop Narein from making a pact with the Earl?

Unlikely...

And this situation was very likely to be repeated in the future. With causes that were even more important to me. I was just a weak human, the equivalent of a mouse in the middle of a lion fight. What could I do when Allen met Miranda in Germany? Or Krory in an abandoned castle? Or the whole Ark episode in Japan? While I would be here, in a small mansion in the heart of the "enemy" camp, drinking tea with Tricia?

And that's if I was still around in three years' time...

KnK: We are slowly creeping towards plot… now back to our regularly scheduled Eve-cast.

Nel: Walaaah, a little chapter with Allen! Yes, well, I guess that's not really what you wanted when you asked for our white-haired boy but I already warned that he wouldn't be back for real before the end of NLN soooo...

Next chapter, it's been a while since I had a plan, but I'd like to see a new character arrive, it's too quiet at the manor, Eve shouldn't get bored... And maybe a bit of the Earl too, it's been a while since I had them fight.

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