( chapter eleven ! )
"Mistress, please don't wander off!"
Traveling through the bustling streets of London are the young Leah Barrett and her lady's maid Anna, indulging in a shopping trip at the noblewoman's request. A chill sits in the air for the calm February afternoon, but that doesn't stop the taller brunette from speeding past shops with the intent to find items that interest her.
Sadly for poor Anna her legs aren't much of a match compared to her mistress, leaving her practically sprinting to keep up with Leah's pace. It's a small game of push and shove between other people on the street, constantly whispering quiet excuses while trying not to lose the sixteen-year-old in the sea of people.
"I'm not wandering, Anna. You're just too slow," Leah complains as she glances through windows and looks up at signs, struggling to find a shop that caters to something she may want.
The brown-eyed woman continues to struggle before finding a window as her master stops, giving one last sprint to catch up, her grey-brown hair flowing behind her. Releasing a ragged breath, Anna slows to stand a couple of inches behind Leah, clutching the half-full basket in her hands tightly.
"Your legs are quite long, Mistress.. It can be hard for me to keep up," a sigh comes from Anna once she's managed to catch her breath.
Whipping her head around with a dissatisfied glare, Leah presses her lips together. "Well be faster, we don't have all day." She holds back her attempts at mocking, the noble's impatience today is on clear display and at a higher level than normal.
"Yes, Mistress.." Anna mutters.
Continuing in silence, the pair go a bit slower to put more effort into finding a shop but to no avail. Leah can only let her eyes wander in disinterest before settling on a bundle of fur she almost misses.
The silence the girls sit in is just a little too quiet. It's not until when Anna turns her head that she realizes Leah is gone, completely out of her field of view and striking a panic within her chest.
Scanning her eyes through the crowd, the lady's maid is still unable to notice a sign of her master and begins to walk forward in the hopes of finding her. "Mistress?!" she calls out.
Just about ten yards away from her servant, Leah eagerly follows after the cat she happened to spot when observing the stores. The skirts of her dress move in tow but only work to subtly slow her down, her legs having to put in all of the work to even attempt to catch up to the running feline.
"Kitty! Wait.." Leah pouts, bunching some fabric of her dress in her left hand to make running easier.
Maneuvering around the streets with ease, the cat with the black coat hardly pays any mind to her pleas, twitching ears being the only sign to the animal listening. The feline effortlessly works to lead her through street corners, Leah hardly noticing that she's gone farther from Anna than she originally intended.
A classic game of chase is active but slowly comes to a stop once the cat has led the girl to one of the back streets. There's a still silence that sits in the air and the young Barrett shuffles towards the furry animal, hand outstretched while an exhausted smile stretches across her lips.
"I'm not going to hurt you.. I just wanted to say hello," whispers Leah, fatigued from the running and struggling to catch her breath.
Taking steady steps, she almost manages to brush her fingertips against the cat's fur before it darts away out of her view, soliciting a pout from Leah. A firm 'hmph' escapes her as she smoothes down pieces of her hair and dress, making sure to leave no trace of a disheveled appearance before returning to the more populated areas of the streets.
"Hi hi hi.."
'I'm almost certain I've heard that laugh before..' Leah jerks her body around and releases a noise of surprise, eyes quickly dancing around before landing on a tall figure. Peeking from the other side of a door is none other than a familiar grey-haired man, giggling when the teenage girl finally notices him. Her eyes look up at the sign on the building.
Undertaker.
"Why hello, little one. It's been a while since we've first met," he smiles widely.
Leah huffs in exasperation, "I'm not little."
Uncanny laughs sound from Undertaker but he makes no objections to her words, only slipping out the second half of his body from behind the door.
"Since you're here, would you like me to take your measurements for a coffin?" Undertaker suggests, teeth on display from his wide grin.
There's a silence that drifts between the two, a silent stare down — more from Leah's end as she can't see Undertaker's eyes. — She shifts uncontrollably in her spot but she's always learned it's impolite to decline a man, and from what she's seen, the one before her seems more eccentric than dangerous.
Shrugging her shoulders, Leah subtly kicks a rock with her heel. "I suppose.. but I don't plan on dying anytime soon," she mumbles.
Pointing a long finger in her direction, Undertaker wags her over with a laugh as he walks back inside and grabs some measurement tape, waiting for the brunette to follow him. Doing as he planned, Leah shuffles inside with a wary look and clenched hands.
"Don't be so scared!" Undertaker laughs loudly, observing her body language as he approaches.
Straightening out the measuring tape, the taller man gets to work on jotting down small notes, startling the girl with the sudden, but subtle, touch of his fingers. The grey-haired man moves around, diligently working to get accurate measurements and occasionally moving Leah's berry blue coat or dress out of the way.
A hum sounds from Undertaker, "You're quite large for a woman, aren't you?" he giggles, noting her tall height.
"Excuse you," Leah glares.
"I'm not trying to offend, Lady. Simply pointing it out. You're the Earl's betrothed, yes? I'm sure you'll be wonderful for carrying on the Phantomhive name," Undertaker grins, measuring the length of her arms.
A flush works its way onto Leah's cheeks, standing out prominently against her porcelain skin. Undertaker giggles knowing he's flustered her but their moment halts when the door to the shop is opened.
Walking inside with the basket on her arm, Anna's typically stoic face is one of relief at the sight of the young Barrett. "Ah, Mistress. I knew I saw you walk in here.. I thought I lost you." she clasps her hands together while approaching Leah.
"You did lose me. You just found me," Leah puffs her cheeks.
"We should be getting back. We came all this way to shop," reminds Anna, pointing towards the door.
Before Anna can convince Leah to walk out of the building, the door is opened once again but this time by the infamous Ciel Phantomhive and his butler Sebastian. Walking inside, they somehow don't notice the small group of people standing to the left side of the door.
"Are you there, Undertaker?" Ciel calls out.
Picking up a stray skull that happened to be beside him, Undertaker launches it past Ciel with a giggle and a small welcome, hitting small headstones ahead of him.
"Did you finally want to get into one of my special coffins?" Undertaker brings down his hand that he used to roll the skull like a bowling ball, tossing another up in the same hand. "Well, have a seat. I've just baked a cake."
Shifting his head to look behind him, Ciel's stare is unnerved before settling on his fiancé beside the man. The only thing he can notice is Undertaker getting far too close and writing something down on paper.
"Leah?! Why are you everywhere?!" Ciel yells in surprise.
The Barrett faintly smiles at the sight of her betrothed, "I'm not everywhere. I just happened to be here. Undertaker offered to measure me," she speaks softly, forming a nice hum from her deeper than-average voice.
"We're just finishing up!" Undertaker laughs, placing the tape across her head and jotting down a final note so he can step back.
Leah, having decided to stick around now that she's seen her fiancé, is seated beside him on a coffin, Anna standing behind it and Sebastian looks through reports. No longer measuring the teenager, Undertaker reclines to chew on some treats.
"— Children's corpses, hm..." Comes from Undertaker.
Sebastian stares down at the files, "The surface world has not yet found the missing corpses, it seems."
"And in the Underworld, children's corpses are an everyday occurrence, after all," Undertaker takes a bite from his biscuit. "Which the Earl knows very well, doesn't he?"
Ciel initially reacts in silence, eyes wandering over to Leah who fiddles with the skirts of her dress but decides to speak. "We've brought you the documents. Are there any children you've 'tidied up' amongst them?" he questions.
Handing over the files to Undertaker, Sebastian takes a step back to stand beside Anna. Now sifting through the papers, the grey-haired man houses a smile on his face, leaning his chin on the wood of the counter.
"I wonder, were they there? If I saw something interesting, I think I'd remember~ A first-rate laugh! If you do that I'll tell you anything you want~" Approaching Ciel while ignoring the disdain on the younger boy's face, Undertaker gets close and drools. "You understand, don't you, Earl? You'll have to give me that.."
An uncomfortable look sits on Leah's face, "Freak." She whispers.
Ciel, wanting nothing to do with Undertaker who stretches his hands out to him, calls out for his butler. "..Sebastian."
Before Sebastian is capable of pulling his glove off and getting to work, Undertaker subtly testifies. "You're going to rely on him again?" A gurgling laugh sounds from him, "I wonder if the butler isn't here, is the Earl just a child who can't do anything? Though if it's amusing, I don't care who it is."
With hands on both of his spread knees, Ciel gets flashbacks to Soma and a look of annoyance works its way into his face.
"I'll do it."
Sebastian raises a brow, "You'll do it?"
"Leave," Ciel gently raises a hand to signal for Leah and Anna to do the same as he turns to Sebastian with a serious expression. "Don't you dare peek. That's an order."
"Yes, My Lord." Sebastian half bows with a hand to his chest.
As Leah, Anna, and Sebastian all stand outside the door, they stand awkwardly in their silence while waiting for a noise to sound from inside the building. There were a few long moments of nothing, Leah wondering if it was even working. But just as she nearly started to give up on Ciel, a loud laugh shook the walls of Undertaker's shop.
Opening the door for the women, Sebastian peers inside as Leah and Anna file in and stumble across Ciel whose hair is now disheveled, the coat is no longer on, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a popped collar, tie missing, and a flush adoring his face.
"You look a mess.." Leah purses her hips, moving Ciel's hand aside to run a manicured hand of her own through his hair, settling the pieces down to their original spot. This action only serves to deepen her fiancés flush, but this one of no longer from exhaustion but more from her bold actions in front of others.
To the side, Undertaker drools as he laughs. "My.. that Earl Phantomhive would go that far~"
"What on Earth did you do?" Sebastian asks.
Ciel pulls down his sleeves, "Don't ask."
"But, for the sake of the Queen, you'll perform and even do this kind of thing.. You really are a dog." Sebastian teases, a smirk settling onto his face.
"Shut the hell up," Ciel glares but is quick to notice his fiancés's disapproving look at his word choice. "Sorry.."
Shaking his head, Ciel returns to his typical annoyed demeanor as Sebastian gives him back his coat and fixes his tie. "There, I gave you your reward. Now tell me about the children," he demands.
"There aren't any," Undertaker smiles, leaning two hands on a jar and his elbows on the counter.
Ciel and Sebastian stare in shock but Leah groans in disdain and stomps to the other side of the room, no longer wanting to hear anything about Undertaker's games. Standing beside Anna, she crosses her arms with a huff and looks her in the eye, knowing that she won't leave without Ciel but wants to regardless.
"I'm about sick of all these insane people Ciel knows. How come we've never met a normal person through him?" Leah whispers, trying to hide her irritation that's threatening to slip.
Gazing at Undertaker, Anna shrugs. "His line of work is questionable. Surely that means he's surrounded by questionable people as well."
Leah rolls her eyes and adjusts the coat around her neck, ignoring any glance Ciel directs back at her. It's not until the conversation gets mildly interesting that she perks up.
"Does this mean we've got no choice but to examine this circus firsthand?" Ciel questions. "If we've decided, let's go, Sebastian. Contact me if any information surfaces, Undertaker.
Moving swiftly across the room towards her fiancé, Leah gets close enough to almost press an arm against his, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "Can I come along?" she pleads.
Ciel flushes from her proximity and looks down at the girl, "We only have three tickets."
"Oh, Anna. You'll be alright waiting outside, won't you?" Leah looks back at her lady's maid, not forcing a smile when she gets a soft 'yes' in return. Turning back to Ciel, she points as if to say 'see'.
Humming in response, Ciel allows Leah to attach to his arm like always as they set off towards the door. The fabrics of their coats rub against each other but before they can step outside, Undertaker cuts in.
"Earl. Keep your soul safe, at least," he grins widely.
Ciel can only stare in confusion and walk past Sebastian who holds the door open. "I know that."
Walking alongside him, Leah places her spare arm on his forearm. "Do take his words seriously! You need your soul or we can't get married.." she pouts.
'And if you die now, I might be ruined for my behavior.. Not to mention to amount of years I've spent with you. Finding a new fiancé would be so tedious.' Leah thinks to herself.
Yet another flush works onto Ciel's cheeks, but easier to hide as it matches the winter cold. The Phantomhive says nothing as he gets into the carriage after Leah, settling on a spot beside her before watching the girl look out the window and subtly kick her feet.
Feeling the eyes on her, the young Barrett promptly turns her head to meet Ciel's eyes, a small but genuine smile working its way onto her cherry-tinted lips. Reaching out a hand, she takes one of his hands in her gloved ones reveling in the blush that her fiancé can't hide from her in their solitude.
The ride to the circus is not long, with small talk made between the betrothed teens but they prefer their comfortable silence. Stepping out of the carriage, Leah looks around in childlike wonder at the stalls, tents, balloons, and the people dressed up for the circus.
"Look! They have balloons," Leah excitedly points out, holding onto Ciel's right arm that isn't being occupied by his cane.
Ciel, unoccupied by the balloons but sending Sebastian off to go fetch one, looks up at the side above their heads. It reads 'Noah's Ark Circus' and a chandelier hangs down from the middle. "Is this it?" he questions.
Shrugging, Leah pays little mind but gladly takes the balloon out of Sebastian's hand when he returns, watching as he gives one to Anna who will spend her time waiting in the carriage or walking the circus grounds. There is a small pang of guilt that hits the Barrett's chest but she knows deep down that the maid doesn't mind, she can only hope it doesn't get too cold outside.
Heading inside the main tent on the grounds, they note the spacious interior, numerous chandeliers, and a somewhat large number of people.
"By all appearances, there doesn't seem to be anything unusual but.." Ciel trails off.
Placing a hand on her forearm, Ciel guides Leah to one of the rows for seating and prompts her to walk and take her seat first, shuffling behind her afterward followed by Sebastian. Just as they get seated, the show conveniently starts to begin, Leah watching with her perfect posture in a slight disinterest.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Bots and girls of all ages!" Calls a man from down below, outstretching his arms. "Welcome to the Noah's Ark Circus. My name is Joker. If you'll look here.." Juggling eight balls, they all fall on his head and earn a small laugh from the crowd.
Joker shows off the many performers who stand behind him and wait their turn. "The whole circus is jostling for a chance to give you a fun show!" he announces.
"Here we go! With one shot from the fire-eating man.." Behind him, Jumbo blows a long cloud of fire from his mouth, shocking the audience. "The show of the century begins~!"
Tilting her head, Leah doesn't show much interest in the show, having come along to spend time with Ciel, but tries to enjoy it for what it's worth.
Above them, two small performers start to perform a trapeze act. "Next is our gasp-inducing flying blanco!"
Striking an apple above a woman's head who's attached to a wheel, Dagger winks and wields the weapons in his fingers. "He never misses his mark! The bullseye knife thrower!"
"No music nor anything particularly special.." Ciel mutters.
"Indeed," Sebastian agrees. "There is no sign of the rumored kidnapped children, either."
"And next is— The princess of our circus and her death-defying tightrope walk!" Joker announces, promptly Leah to look up and stare with sparkling eyes at Doll who performs a split on the tightrope.
Up on the air, Doll briefly meets Leah's eyes and watches how she looks up in wonder. There is almost a smile that works its way into her face at the sight of a girl her age acting like a child in the atmosphere of a circus.
Ciel stares onward with a serious expression. "If they don't intend to make a show of the children, perhaps the circus's movements and the children's disappearances are merely a coincidence?" he puts some thought into the scenario.
Snake moves about on the floor, shirtless with snakes wrapped around his arms and body. "Next is a rare snake/human halfbreed. Our snake-man's dance!"
"And finally!" Beast diverts attention to her with a crack of her whip, holding it tightly in her hand with tigers behind her in a cage. "The star of the show, our wild animal tamer!"
One of the tigers is released from their enclosure to stand beside Beast. "For this act, we'd like a volunteer from the audience!" Joker looks around for contenders.
"No matter how you look at it, this theatre-going was a waste of time," Ciel stares on, hardly noticing Sebastian standing up beside him or Leah subtly raising her hand. "It appears the final show also has no connection to the children." he points out before finally laying his eyes on Sebastian. "What is it? Did you find somethi.."
"That really distinguished-looking man in the tailcoat!" Joker points a skeleton finger towards Sebastian. "Please step onto the stage!"
Staring in utter surprise, Ciel starts to sweat as Joker calls his butler down to the ground and all eyes dart to them but calms when he feels a poke from Leah.
"Go."
"Sir."
The crowd watches as Sebastian makes his way down the seats, getting past the gates with ease and steadily approaching Joker and Beast.
"Now, Sir, could you lie down over here?" Joker points to a platform but is surprised when Sebastian speeds past him to kneel with the tiger.
Running his gloved hands along the fur, the demon nearly gushes at the sight. "Aah.. such round eyes. I've never seen such soft, vividly-striped ears.. how lovely." he almost smiles.
Up in the stands, the crowd watches in shock and horror at the scene. For Ciel, the boy is quick to grow displeased when remembering that tigers are indeed cats which easily distract his butler.
"No one you know is sane.. Absolutely no one," Leah whispers, holding a gloved hand to her chin and using the other to keep a firm squeeze on Ciel's wrist in case she sees a man get mauled.
"What's this? It seems your claws have grown a bit too long. To not be groomed.." Covering his face in embarrassment, Ciel tries to pretend none of this is going on. "Your paw pads, too, are plump and exceedingly charming." Sebastian is only able to get in a few more words before the tiger bites down on his head. Not hard enough to break any skin, but noticeable enough to elicit gasps and screams from the audience.
Watching on as Beast cracks her whip to attempt to get Betty the tiger to release the butler, Leah drifts her eyes to the animal instead. A giggle makes its way out of the teen and she points a gloved finger at the feline.
"That tiger reminds me of Sam!" she smiles.
Ciel lifts his face from his hands, gazing up at his fiancé who isn't nearly as embarrassed as he is. "Sam is your cat, yes?"
"One of them. He's the one I talk to you about the most! He can be quite silly like the one down there," Leah nods along to her words and kicks her feet.
The problem of the tiger biting Sebastian is only temporarily solved when the butler stops the animal tamer from whipping the cat, being bitted again to receive more shock from the crowd.
"Eeek!"
"Gyaaa!"
"My, my, what a tomboy."
"Who said you could go that far?" Ciel holds back his shouts of utter irritation, sneezing and watching his fiancé look like a kicked puppy when he wouldn't let her come close.
The audience now walks outside the tent, the show has come to a close and the sky is much dimmer. It's a soft atmosphere, the sound of chatter buzzing past people as everyone prepares to head home for the night after an eventful show at the circus.
"My apologies. I've lived for such a long time, but it's only cats whose fickle emotions I cannot read." Sebastian cheerily smiles.
Furrowing her brows, Leah continues to walk to turn her head back to get a look at the butler clad in black. 'Lived for such a long time? He only looks to be no older than 30..' Pushing aside her questioning thoughts, she walks alongside her fiancé and makes small, unneeded adjustments to her coat to busy her hands.
"What were you thinking, being far more conspicuous than necessar.. Achoo!" Ciel is cut off by a loud sneeze. "You know I'm allergic to cats! Walk further back!" he yells.
"Sir."
Stopping in place to wait for Ciel and Leah to get a bit further ahead of him, Sebastian is caught by the sound of a voice.
"There you are! Hold on a sec! You in the tailcoat!" Joker waves down Sebastian as he approaches. "I'm really sorry for earlier."
Sebastian shakes his head, "No, please accept my apologies instead."
Catching on the the conversation, Leah stops with Ciel beside a stand to listen in from a distance.
"I was surprised 'cause you suddenly got so close to the tiger. You okay from the bite? Anyways, we've got us a special doctor here, and I was thinkin' he should check you out. C'mon round to the back." Joker explains, extending his bony hand.
Both Sebastian and Ciel smirk, unlike Leah who doesn't understand much of the detail of what they are doing at the circus.
"In that case, I will." Sebastian smiles.
The betrothed teens only watch for a moment longer before setting off toward the carriage, Leah quietly leading the way with her bad sense of direction. Thankfully for them, Anna stands outside the carriage, fiddling with her balloon.
"I hope it wasn't a bother, Anna! It wasn't that fun though, you didn't miss much. Sebastian got bit by a tiger but he's fine," Leah rambles on to her lady's maid about the events of the circus, a small attempt to fill her in on what she missed.
Releasing the balloon into the carriage, Anna opens the door for Leah and Ciel. "I don't mind, I'm not too fond of the circus. The quiet out here was quite nice," she murmurs, watching as the aristocrats settle into their seats.
Humming in response, Leah gets comfortable beside Ciel, who keeps a foot or so distance away from his fiancé to not make her stay beside him as he sneezes. Noting how Anna hasn't climbed in, she peeks her head to the side.
"Are you not coming in, Anna? Surely you're a little cold," The young Barrett suggests.
Anna only shakes her head, leaving the door cracked to say one last thing before shutting it. "I'm alright, I'll wait for Sebastian to return."
Shrugging, Leah places her back against the seat of the carriage. 'Suit yourself.' Idly tapping her feet against the floor, she watches Ciel sneeze a couple more times before digging a handkerchief out from her pocket and handing it to him.
Ciel stares down at the handkerchief for a moment before taking it from his fiancé's thin hands, unfolding it to notice small embroidered flowers on the edge of the fabric. Based on the handy work and it being Leah's, he can only assume it's the work of his betrothed — whom he knows for a fact has learned embroidery — and finds the addition to her item almost endearing.
"Thank you.." Ciel mumbles, rubbing his nose against the soft fabric, and earns a small smile from Leah.
Shifting her attention out the window, she uses a finger to push a section of hair past her shoulder. The betrothed teens are overcome by a comfortable silence between them, only the sound of Ciel combatting his allergies can be heard as Leah battles the sudden fatigue plaguing her.
Blinking a few times, Leah sniffles and places her head against the back of her seat. "I'm quite tired." she yawns softly, holding a gloved hand to her mouth.
"Then sleep.." The Phantomhive tells her, not realizing that would prompt the girl to lay her head on his shoulder without further question. Sitting in their silence, Ciel doesn't bother to hide his flushed face and tries to keep his sneezing to a minimum.
Arriving at the townhouse, a sleepy Leah is awakened not by the sound of Ciel scolding and complaining to Sebastian, but by Anna in the hopes of moving her to a room. Stepping inside the warm building, the coats of the nobles are taken from their bodies.
"Why did it end up going in that direction?" Ciel questions with an irritated expression, brows knitted.
"Ciel!— You're late! Are your plans for the day over?!" Soma and Agni both step forward to greet the boy, the prince's arms outstretched with a bright smile painting his face. "Teach me how to play chess today!"
Unfortunately for the kind-hearted prince, both Ciel and Sebastian zoom past him in haste. Leah is slow to follow but offers Soma a kind smile and hello, Anna following behind her with a soft curtsy.
"In this case— What's up, Ciel, that's a really sour look! You should at least greet me with a smile!" Soma follows after his 'friend' to try and gain his attention.
Turning his head around in anger, Ciel stops in his tracks for just a moment. "Shut up! I'm busy right now, so shut up!" he shouts. Walking away, he leaves Soma behind him and Leah who unknowingly follows him to his room.
Entering the room, it nearly feels like a small party with the four people now inside, somehow getting past Ciel's radar. "What I'm saying is why did it end up that I was signed up for the circus?!" he complains as he removes his outer coat.
"You were not signed up for the circus. You were signed up for the entrance test. As was Lady Leah," Sebastian glances at the Earl.
"Oh?" Leah asks in surprise, expecting to be met with an explanation but only sees surprise when Ciel turns around.
Ciel stares with wide eyes, "Why are you in my room?!" he yells.
"I followed you," Leah shrugs.
"Well get out! You shouldn't be in here!" The Phantomhive flushes, knowing this is a scandalous position for the two of them to be in.
Leah pouts in disagreement at the prospect of her fiancé wanting her to go away.
"Go to sleep!" Ciel yells, body tense.
Sticking her hands up in surrender, Leah and Anna walk out of the door, the teenager still half asleep and not exactly realizing the extent of her previous situation.
"He can be a little prissy at times, can't he?"