{✙;; She was no intruder, this place belonged to her as much as it belonged to him (at least that’s how she thought of it). Eleanor had that in this place and her body rested in this manor as well, it was only acceptable to think of it as hers. Simply disappearing from the place wasn’t an option to her, she was far to scared to accomplish something like that. Besides, now the boy new she was there and even if she didn’t show herself to him now, something told her that he wasn’t going to leave her alone until she did.
Still feeling rather scared and weary about him, Eleanor stepped out from the place she was hiding. Her eyes finally meeting his. No, this wasn’t making things any better for her, but she pretty much force herself to remain calm or at least seem like it. ”You saw me, now leave.” that was an order from her part. Eleanor did what he said, reveal herself to him and with the done there was no reason for him to stay any longer in the basement.
“Leave!” she repeated, but this time she yelled at him as loud as she could. Any other could have thought that now she was upset, but that was a wrong assumption. True, she wanted him gone and like that try to ignore his presence in the manor once again. ”You have seen me, you got what you wanted. There’s nothing else for you to do here.”
The image was breathtaking. The woman who appeared in front of him after his order for her to reveal herself, was so strange that he felt the breath catch in his throat. She was there, physically, of course she was. So why did Ciel still wonder? What was that pulsing aura around her? Was there color in her face? Was she alive?
So many questions, he felt silly. Like a curious child who started to question the world around them. Granted, he wasn’t so far off from a ‘child’, but his soul was aged far longer than it should have been. He took a step toward her, unable to conjure up words. Was she… a ghost? His eyes narrowed at her demanding words. A stranger, ordering an Earl in his own home? Had she no shame?
“Just what are you?” he muttered, just loud enough to be audible. He heard her practically pleading him to leave. Who was this woman, if she was a woman at all?
“Do not order the Earl of Phantomhive,” he barked back after her loud yell. He was unfazed, as stoic as always. He took a step toward her. “Who are you?” he questioned, his stern tone and expression locked on her. The tenseness in the air… it felt thick. He was nervous, though he did not show it. What was unnerving him was the aura around her, and the sudden thickness of the air. It was as if she could control the very depths of this room - like she could make the very air come to life and suffocate him. It was strange.. she was a harmless maiden, from the looks of it.
How did she get here? Why? So many questions…
Oh, good. He was willing to talk today! The blonde usually had a horrible time convincing Ciel to pay him any mind, though truthfully he hardly ever had anything important to say in the first place. Even so, Alois had been prepared to fight the boy for attention when he spotted him leaving the high school’s front doors. How lucky for him that the bluenette was so willing to hear him out today. The nineteen-year-old hoped his good luck would stick around when he asked Ciel to come out to the club with him.
He followed Ciel off to the side where the crowd of students swarming through the main gate wouldn’t trample them into the sidewalk. The cheeky grin on his face only growing wider, until of course, the bluenette mentioned his car. If it was supposed to be some kind of joke, Alois hadn’t a clue. He had in fact crashed his car for the second time in three months a few days beforehand, and as a result his license had been suspended.
I thought I’d done well keeping that to myself.. Someone must have told him about it.
“So you heard about that?” the blonde asked, raising his arms up and interlocking his fingers behind his head. He looked off to the side, as though the conversation bored him before continuing on with a blank sort of tone. “It wasn’t so bad. I didn’t have to stay in the hospital or anything this time. Just a little accident. Some bitch cut me off, you know?”
Keeping his head turned to the side, he shifted his eyes toward Ciel to gauge the teen’s reaction. He wasn’t going to mention the damage to his freshly totaled car or the fact that he’d been banned from driving for the next six months. That part wasn’t important, right? Right. Playing it off like it was just a tiny mistake was far easier than explaining all the details.
“So, anyway,” he started, hoping to change the subject before the younger boy could comment about his car. “I was just wondering, are you doing anything later on tonight?”
“Um–” Did he actually crash a car? It might be more awkward to admit that he was joking rather than just going along with it. He only hoped that Alois didn’t ask who ‘told’ him, since he didn’t speak to a lot of people in the first place. When he did, he tried to stay out of Alois’ circle of friends anyhow. The last thing he needed was to come home to a destroyed house because they needed somewhere to crash. Alois once told him about how he woke up in a strangers house because his friend practically broke into his friends house to sleep. Ciel wasn’t opposed to drinking or any of that. Granted, he’s had his fair share of drunk fun but it wasn’t often nor was it with Alois. In fact, he hasn’t gotten himself into any trouble in a while. School was mostly keeping him out of it, and his will to not be like eighty percent of the teenage population.
When Alois looked over at him, Ciel’s eyebrow perked slightly. As if to silently say something along the lines of “you’re an imbecile” without starting an argument. Before he could ask about the condition of the car, Alois started to speak again. Honestly, he didn’t care enough about the incident to ask more about it anyway.
The question confused him momentarily. True, he wasn’t doing anything. But if he said the truth, then that’d be like asking to hang out with his blonde.. acquaintance. This is a time Ciel wished he did carry his textbooks to and from school. It’d sure as hell be a good excuse to get out of whatever Alois had in mind. “Yeah, I have this online booklet to read and write a report on by Monday,” he said smoothly. He was a good liar. It almost came naturally at this point. But an online booklet? Does that even exist?
“Why?”
||”..Yes.” Truly, the weight that each prefect was forced to carry wasn’t something that he was comfortable with - though, when comparing Gregory to the rest of his students (without wishing to degrade the violet wolves—), there was a reason he was the chosen one in the end. An immense nuisance, in all honesty. Even so, he would not allow any trespassers into Violet Wolf territory, as one of his ‘duties’,
he supposed.Ciel Phantomhive might be interesting,
and a cute(as Redmond had described him) student, but there was more to this boy. Undoubtedly.
Having completely halted any movement, the gothic-themed student leaned over, closer to the shorter male in order to get his point across in a better and much secured fashion. “I suggest you don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong to…” despite how threatening the statement might have, perhaps, come across, Gregory’s voice remained smooth and low with that tint of apathetic nature that clearly could have been taken as an actual threat - or a good-natured advice.
Up to the receiver of the message to decode what was spoken~.
The sudden halt threw Ciel off. What was the problem? His own steps stopped as well, but just before he could turn to see why, he heard the cold and collected words of the prefect ring through his ear. The blunette remained steady, forcing himself to keep up the act he created for himself. An innocent student, not looking for any trouble, would be confused by this statement. They’d look at the prefect strangely, as if to say, ‘What ever could you mean by that?’
Was there any possible hints he’s given out that could lead to a threat like that? Yes. A threat. How could the Phantomhive see it any other way? Grown up solely on hatred and sly behavior– he’d never think of it as mere 'advice’, even if it was stated as such. The Violet Wolf prefect has always been quite strange, but Ciel excused it as a part of the male’s personality. It matched how he wore himself, his talents, it seemed relatively normal. But perhaps this prefect was hiding something. This raised his suspicions of the school plenty, and gave him more reasons to snoop rather than stop.
Ciel decided to take a more risky path rather than a simple nod or questioning glance. He looked up at the prefect momentarily, to try and find some sort of clue in his words through his eyes - but he couldn’t find anything more than a brooding stare. “Are you telling me there’s something you’re trying to keep a secret?” he asked then, his brow raising slightly at the other.
Alois was so angry now that he was actually trembling. He stayed put as Ciel got up, staring him straight in the face. Had he really just ignored him after such an outburst? He cast a glare down at the desk when Ciel walked right by him to speak with Sebastian. The blonde’s hands were tingling from the force he’d used to slam them down on the wooden surface where they still lay flat, fingers splayed out. He wouldn’t put up with much more of this. He was bound to crack eventually. Everything he’d done in hopes of gaining Ciel’s attention before this point were tame compared to the thoughts currently running through his mind.
As if on cue, a sentence left Ciel’s lips that made the older boy’s blood boil. That was the last straw. Alois pushed himself up from the desk, stomping his way over to Ciel with newly found determination. He ignored the fact that Sebastian was there at all, too angry to think about what consequences might come next. Once he’d positioned himself behind the earl, he shoved the boy with all his strength, hoping to knock him to the floor. The thought of Ciel landing in the remaining ink and shattered glass was disturbingly pleasing to Alois at this point.
Ciel honestly didn’t expect Alois to get physical - he thought the boy was smarter than that. In the presence of a demon and master, he dared to cross that line? At the rough shove, Ciel’s eyes widened. A gasp left his throat as he braced himself for the ink and glass, but the quick and able Sebastian caught him before he could dirty (or hurt) himself. The blunette momentarily clung to his butler, as he surveyed what just happened. Was the game over now? How pitiful.
“Are you alright, my Lord?” Sebastian asked, and Ciel nodded quickly before getting up and brushing himself off. His glare finally fell on the trembling earl. He didn’t realize just how angry Alois was until now. Instead of being angry in return, or to properly acknowledge the shove like the blonde wanted him to, a smirk appeared on the boy’s features. “Shall I escort this guest out?” Sebastian asked once more, his own gaze falling on the Trancy boy, without a smile like Ciel’s. “No,” he replied, because while the boy was so hopelessly in his grip, why not continue to toy with him? “I have a few questions first.”
“Are you really so reckless that you would place your filthy hands on me? Just how lonely are you, Alois?”
Naturally, Alois was pleased that his servant had caught Ciel. If she hadn’t, the boy would be nothing more than a bloody mess on the ground. Even so, that didn’t mean the blonde was about to praise her. His distaste for the maid was far too strong to let something so small overcome it. His brow furrowed as he watched the two below; Ciel trying to break free of the woman’s hold and Hannah showing no sign at all that she noticed his struggles. Alois knew there was no way the bluenette could possibly get away from Hannah, despite all the yelling and kicking he was doing, but he still felt the need to call out orders to his maid.
”Don’t you dare let him out of your grasp, Hannah. I’ll punish you severely if he gets away!” Alois shouted from the window. “Bring him back inside. And be quick about it! I haven’t got all night you know.” With that, he disappeared back into the darkness of his bedroom to make his way down to the entry hall.
Hannah said nothing in response to her master. She did, however, take a moment to glance down at the violently struggling boy in her arms. His yelling and flailing weren’t causing her too much trouble, but she did feel the slightest twinge of pity for him. She of all people knew how cruel her master could be, but she would not disobey his orders. The demoness started toward the front entrance with a soft sigh.
”Your servant will not be coming for you at this time,” she stated in a gentle voice, “The butler of our estate is keeping him occupied. There is no use in calling for him when he cannot come to your rescue.” They had reached the double doors now, and Hannah was pulling one of them open while holding the boy tightly with one arm. “I do apologize for this, young earl, however I cannot disobey my master’s wishes.” With those final words, the bluenette was once again brought into the Trancy estate, this time to be greeted by a dangerous smirk that was quickly becoming all too familiar.
“Welcome back, Ciel.”
Ciel felt like he was on the borderline of insanity. If the maid hadn’t caught him, he would be dead on the grounds of the Trancy manor. That’d be the end of it all - Ciel Phantomhive, death by suicide. However, the only one who’d really look at it like that would be himself. The truth of it was he was murdered. Murdered by his own servant.. how pathetic. Sebastian Michaelis - the demon who took the form of a butler almost let his master die. Did he really mean so little? As the maid spoke, Ciel’s lips turned into a snarl. Claude Faustus was a strong demon, but not stronger than Sebastian. Sebastian could run circles around the spider demon, but apparently not this time. This time, the earl was supposed to admit that Claude had actually defeated and pinned down his demon. This was a nightmare. “Impossible–” he got out as he continued to thrash.
The maid’s eyes felt like a weight itself as she stared at him. There was something about them that ticked him off. The way she was looking at him– she looked sad? No. It was pity. She was taking pity on the Earl of Phantomhive. That was unacceptable and insulting. To dishonor his pride like this! The entire situation was completely hopeless for him, and no matter how much he knew it, he wanted to fight it. “Don’t look at me like that, you disgusting beast,” the insult was tasteless but that didn’t matter. All demons were scum. Not to be trusted. Ugly.
As he was brought back into the manor, Ciel was trying to come up with another plan to escape. Perhaps suicide was in fact better than death by the dirtied hands of Alois Trancy. Perhaps, if Hannah hadn’t caught him, Sebastian wanted Ciel to die. So at least his soul would stay pure, delicate - and dissipate into the air along with his rotting flesh. Was that why Sebastian responded to the call? To get the young blunette to trust he would be saved and jump? That’d be very clever. Cruel, but clever.
It was no surprise to him that Alois was already waiting for them by the time they got there. There was nothing more that Ciel wanted than to wipe that ugly smirk off the blonde’s face. He didn’t want to think about what the other earl had in store for him. Would he be tortured? Poked at and forced to his knees until he finally dropped dead? Ah, what a dreadfully familiar image. His fate was truly decided the day his house burned to the ground. To be scraped up and used like no child should ever be, to be taunted and humiliated with no way out. He couldn’t let these thoughts show through however, because his pride was truly the only thing left for him here. As the doors shut behind them, Ciel once again attempted to wriggle himself out of the maid’s grip.
“Why don’t you just kill me?” he narrowed his eyes dangerously at Alois, but without a smirk to match the other. “You’ve held back my butler this long, but I promise he won’t stay like that much longer.” There he was, putting more trust into the demon than he deserved - if he deserved anything at all. “I suggest you get it over with now, because I doubt he’ll be happy when he’s finally released.” There was venom on his tongue, as if he was taken over by the demon himself and speaking through his angry and hateful words.
“No bird likes to be caged, Alois.”
The air felt thick and damp to Alois, each breath more tangible than the last as they slowly descended deeper and deeper down the stairs. And perhaps he was just a little tense, his throat feeling constricted with the suppressed urge to talk— He hated silence. It was suffocating to walk right beside someone without exchanging a single word. Not a single comment, even, on the strange world they seemed to be steadily approaching. The blanketing darkness frightened Alois which spurred his urge to reach out in some way to the boy, Ciel Phantomhive, beside him but… He didn’t know this boy very well. He’d heard whispers and caught glimpses in the past, but not once had they held a conversation and so he certainly couldn’t reach out to brush his arm or walk closer beside him despite how it might’ve soothed him.
Although with the dull light that finally cut through, the urge started to dissipate and the boy’s natural curiosity took over when faced with what he supposed was the last leg of their trip down to this selcouth, impossible city. The strange submarine that was meant to carry them didn’t create the same caution in him as it had in his companion. In fact, rather than the mechanics of the thing he was more taken by the interior, the tackiness of age. Everything looked old, the music sounded crackly and droned.
”How inviting.” Alois noted in sarcasm when the inscription was read aloud. “Well—”The blond looked back at Ciel for a moment, catching his features under the light. He’d been served the same warning from the Queen, but only now did he take the time to focus on his companion’s appearance. Really, he was rather distinctive with his silvery-dark hair, eye patch and the eye that was uncovered was the color of the sky they had left behind; dusky dark blue. The boy was cute. But that was besides the point.
“Let’s go then.” Back to the submarine, which Alois stepped into without a qualm, dropping down into one of the tired chairs that creaked underneath even his slight weight. He waited a moment, and when it appeared Ciel wasn’t nearly as gung-ho as himself, he arched his eyebrows and raised a hand to gesture to the lever.
“Well come on, it’s not going to start itself! The honour is all yours, Phantomhive.”
The comfort this boy had despite the circumstances of this situation shocked Ciel. Well, maybe not comfort. He seemed too trusting - a liability. The earl couldn’t help but think about what could happen once he stepped inside. For all he knew, the submarine could plunge into the sea without a marker to land, leaving them stranded in the deep blue sea until they rot away inside. Or there could be some type of electrical error that they hadn’t the experience to fix. It felt strange to be this paranoid, as he has delved into death’s way multiple times. He never doubted or disobeyed the Queen, so he had no desire to step away from the submarine. Stalling wouldn’t do him much good either. He stepped into the machine finally, surprised yet relieved that it didn’t move like a boat would in water.
As he stepped in, he closed the metal and glass door behind him. The door was incredibly light, sliding closed easily at his pull. They were secure now, the oxygen feeding them was now practically man made - their lives were at the mercy of man's handiwork and the sturdiness of the container itself. “Right,” he muttered, his eyes falling on the lever momentarily. His hand reached out and gripped it tightly. He felt a slight vibration under his palm as if the machine itself was alive, breathing. Ciel tugged down on the lever, the roar of the machine starting before he could slip his hand away. The lights flickered and Ciel found himself momentarily panicked at the short falling sensation of the submarine dropping into the water. He gripped onto a metal bar that went across the seats as they submerged into water. The glass door did not show anything particularly interesting just yet. It seemed they were sinking incredibly far down - judging by the speed of their descent.
Ciel finally sat down on the other side of Alois as things started to calm down. The machine worked, and it was taking them to this lost city. That was the first step. The next was finding their way around. He asked for some type of map but could only find ways to get to the city itself. Their goal was Andrew Ryan, and as the mayor of the entire city, Ciel could only guess there were practically arrows pointing toward him and his offices.
With another flicker of the light, a sheet of white began to block the view of the glass. In a few seconds, a film started to play. Soft music much like the elevator’s original tune began to play, but it was louder. Like if they turned away from the screen, they still had to listen. Which Ciel had no intention of looking away. This was interesting - yet he still felt uneasy about it. The first picture worth noting was of a close up of a woman and a man. The caption was ’Fire at your fingertips!’ with ’Incinerate’ printed largely at the bottom. Under the title was a smaller but still readable text. ’Plasmids by Ryan industries’. Ciel’s eyes widened slightly at the image. The man was lighting the woman’s cigarette with his finger. Was this a real thing? That seemed so futuristic, even childish. Bizarre.
The next image really grasped his attention. Speak of the devil, Andrew Ryan was sitting rather proudly at his desk. Even if it was just an image, it was key information. “That’s him,” Ciel murmured, slightly to Alois but more of a mental note to himself. He was an old man. An easy target, so it seemed. “I am Andrew Ryan, and I am here to ask you a question.” Ciel’s brow raised. This was just a broadcast - there was no way this man knew of the two boys’ motive, right?
“Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?”
Ciel didn’t say anything.
“No, says the man in Washington. It belongs to the poor. No, says the man in the Vatican. It belongs to God. No! says the man in Moscow, it belongs to everyone.”
“I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose…”
The white page that covered the window slowly rolled back up. The light that was creating the image disappeared. Ciel didn’t have time to think about the mechanics of the machine or about Andrew Ryan before a whole new world stole his attention.
“Rapture.”
The city lit up in front of him. The only thing reminding him that this was underwater was the fish - even squids passed by their view as if the city was their home as well. Each building looked connected to each other by long transparent tubes. Lights were on the sides of nearly every building, making every glance look like a dream - a false image. But it wasn’t. It was all too real. Ciel didn’t know what to think of it.. what to think of Rapture.
“A city where the artist would not fear the censor. Where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality. Where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well.”
“Don’t play dumb with me.”
“I’m doing no such thing.”
“Honestly, what are you on about now?”
somethingoncelost replied to your post:me too
“You want your last name to be the same as mine?”
“.. No.”
No previous warning that she was here?
Good!It meant she could jump her beloved fianceé with an even bigger surprise hug! Which resulted in an amazing decision, to the point of receiving a hug in return from the bluenette. Ciel was far too cute in her opinion, and she just wished to be able to squish him forever -but she also wanted to protect him.
“Ciel’s cute as always~!” Commented quite happily, having her lovely doll-like features brighten with that smile of hers. Elizabeth’s genuine happiness shone about the room whenever Ciel was present. “But…” she pouted, “call me Lizzie, Ciel! I’ve told you thiiis!” Her cheeks puffed up a tad as she requested such from the young Earl; attention swayed when the interrogation commenced, however. Head tilted to the side, blond curls following the movement, and she shook her head. “Surprises are way better! And just a bit, but I had fun with your servants as always.~” Replied contentedly as she stepped closer to the Phantomhive lord yet again, arm lacing with one of Ciel’s own. “I’m happy to see you after so long!”
The cute comment was expected but it never failed to tint the boy’s cheeks with pink. Ciel didn’t understand Elizabeth, he never really did. She always surprised him with something new, which was good and bad. Like that smile of hers. It wasn’t new, certainly. He remembers it in his most beginning memories. But he would never understand why she smiled like that. Perhaps it was better if he didn’t know– since he was going to leave her anyway. Leave her along with everyone else when his contract runs out, and his revenge is complete. He shifted slightly, his eyes leaving her bright gaze momentarily.
“Lizzie,” he corrected himself, a sigh escaping him as she continued on. What did she do to his servants this time? Not that he had any doubts they would comply, but most of the time the outcome of Elizabeth playing with his pawns, they were dressed in frilly and ‘cute’ clothing. He met her gaze as soon as she decided to step closer. He allowed her to lace her arm around his, biting down another sigh. “It hasn’t been that long, only a week, if I recall.”
