If only I could have a puppy I'd call myself so very lucky
WHO: Grell Sutcliff {chainsaw_juliet } & Puppy Ciel Phantomhive {queens_guarddog }
WHAT: Fetching the young Earl and treating him to some good old Reaper hospitality.
WHERE: Docks and then the Townhouse.
WHEN: Shortly after this
( Just to have some company, To share a cup of tea with me )
WHAT: Fetching the young Earl and treating him to some good old Reaper hospitality.
WHERE: Docks and then the Townhouse.
WHEN: Shortly after this
( Just to have some company, To share a cup of tea with me )
Flinching at Grell's all too cheerful voice, the Earl narrowed his eyes - albeit only one was visible. Reaching up, he touched the eyepatch covering his right eye and steadied himself. He needed to be somewhat hospitable to Sutcliff. Sebastian wasn't here to rescue him (at least to his knowledge). Thus being reckless would be idiotic.
"Sutcliff." he glanced down at the dog, showing no signs of fear. In fact, he looked mildly interested. Where had Sutcliff obtain such an impressive guard-dog?
"Hello, Knox." he knelt down - a truly surprising move by the prideful Earl - and rubbed one of Knox's ears.
Where Sebastian was fond of cats, Ciel was fond of dogs. Was it any wonder why the two fought as much as they did sometimes?
"Lead the way." he ordered, voice stiff and somewhat...hoarse. He hadn't been crying, but he had been doing a lot of screaming as of late.
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"Come on Knox, you can say hello properly once we've gotten the Puppy out of the rain."
The Reaper fetched a kerchief from his pocket.
"Oh my oh my." He giggled. "You're wearing my favourite colour!" Strangely tender, he wiped the blood from Ciel's face and hands. A frown. A confused look. He sniffed the stained cloth.
"This smells like his blood. Did you just lose dear Sebastian in your present world, little Earl? How fascinating..."
There would be time to discuss that later. Dutifully keeping the umbrella steady over him, Grell led the boy from the Docks with the hound trotting beside him and almost dwarfing him in comparison. For a brief moment he pondered the mental image of popping Ciel atop the hound like one would mount a steed. He giggled.
"Here we are." Grell announced, unlocking the door and holding it open for him. "Drab when it comes to your usual finery, but you'll have to make do." The hound grabbed a mouthful of Ciel's jacket, tugging him closer to the unlit fireplace. A loud growl and a jet of fire later, the fireplace was roaring hot.
"He likes you already, it seems."
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"My name is Ciel." he remarked tersely, straightening once he had had his fill of Knox's perusal, "Hm?" he jerked backwards when Grell produced the handkerchief, "What are you doing?" a strange lump surfaced in his throat, "Not on purpose." his voice was low and tired.
He allowed Grell to wipe off the blood, however. It was awfully sticky even if it was the last part he had of Sebastian. His stomach clenched at that thought and he growled uncomfortably.
"I don't want to talk about it." his voice rose slightly in pitch, the sound breaking, "He did something stupid."
It was a blessing that Ciel was unaware of Grell's thoughts when it came to him and Knox. However, he did place a hand on the hound's back, finding some comfort in being by such a large creature.
"Mm it's fine." he nodded when they arrived. He couldn't afford to be too picky. Being left out in the elements would inevitably lead to him becoming sick. And it was unlikely that they possessed any Asthma medication here in...Rivelata, was it?
A small gasp left him when he was dragged to the fireplace. He watched the dog intently, head tilted curiously. A smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes curled his lips when he saw the fire. Patting Knox on the head, he took a seat near the warmth.
"Dogs often do." he remarked blandly, "I suppose I should thank you."
Those words were so very hard to say.
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Seeing Knox settle beside Ciel and lay his head on Ciel's lap, the redhead knew he could leave the boy alone for a moment. Another pair of eyes was watching the mortal anyway; another pair of golden eyes observed him impassively from the sill of a window.
"William, do stop staring. It's just him. No Sebastian." Grell sighed, walking to the cat and giving it a fond pat. He fetched a quilt draped over a chair, giving it to Ciel to wrap himself in.
He plopped himself down on the other side of Knox so the canine lay between them.
"You're welcome." The Reaper acknowledged with a tinge of smugness kept buried inside. "So my dear Earl. What is it you'd like to know about this place?"
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Sebastian had never ignored him before. Perhaps, this time, he really was dead. The thought was chilling and it left the Earl feeling very numb and alone. Thus he curled up in his chosen seat and laid a hand on Knox's head.
"Good boy." he remarked in a bare whisper.
It was then that he noticed that he was being watched. Looking up, he spotted the cat and frowned. His nose already itched. Great.
Suppressing a sneeze, he frowned. Of course Sebastian knew about this cat. The Demon had an odd affinity with them, after all. But that didn't mean Ciel was pleased to see the feline.
"That's right. No Sebastian." he grumbled, shifting the blanket around his shoulders with a faint flush, "I want to know why we were brought here in the first place. Is there some sort of...greater purpose?" he hated the sound of that, but he needed to know if he was destined to be someone else's play-toy.
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Knox yawned widely, displaying his rows of sharp teeth that complimented his owner. Huffing, he closed his eyes and settled for a nap as no threat seemed likely to arrive. Grell toyed with the hound's curly 'devil' tail, smiling faintly to himself.
"Sebastian was here not too long back, but the Island has a penchant for snatching you away as it pleases. The lot of us here, we've all been taken from different times. That's why Madam is alive and well." Grell paused. "At the moment she's not well, she's rather ill because of the weather but you'll see her soon enough."
"I thought, for a while, this place was a new assignment for me. Some see it as a new start. Some as merely a vacation. Take your pick."
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"Grell," the tower of soft furs moaned, "Grell, what is this bloody racket?"
The mound of fur padded down the steps, little more than a pale face with a pink nose framed by red hair peering out of the sables.
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Ciel couldn't say he would miss the place (even though it was picturesque).
Patting Knox's head once more, he frowned. He didn't believe Grell. How could Sebastian have been here when he couldn't recall the demon having ever been missing? Certainly a place as far as this (when compared to London) would have come up in their conversations.
"Sutcliff - " he began, voice sounding a little angry when the subject of his Aunt was brought up again. But then, another voice joined in. And it was a very familiar voice at that.
Eyes widening, Ciel glanced up at the steps and he could barely believe who he saw.
"Madam Red?" he asked in a soft whisper, his one visible eye trained on her thoroughly covered body, "Is that really you?"
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Grell fell silent despite hearing sounds of someone stirring upstairs. He knew those footfalls, could recognize that irritated voice and the slightly troubled breathing. His poor poor Madam battling the sniffles again.
"Now are you willing to believe the impossible, little Earl?" The Reaper grinned, blowing his Madam a kiss before he stood to aid her to a chaise by the fire.
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Oh, dearest little heart. That face. That was her Ciel. She was infinitely endeared, entering the chaise and giving Knox a soft rub behind the ears before she sat herself before the fire, and opened her arm for him to enter the warmth of her furs, and her arms, but only if he chose to.
"It's me as far as I know me," she answered in a calm, soothing tone, the one she always used with the boy.
She wore a red and black nightgown, modest enough, for her. Yet, it exposed the jagged scar firmly between her bosom, the entrance wound of where a chainsaw had pierced. It had healed, yes, but it was still garish against her milky decolletage.
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All the air seemed to have been sucked out of his lungs; and when he looked towards the stairs, he felt like he had been transported back in time. There was his Aunt. He could see the scar on her chest when she walked closer, but...
It was really her.
Ciel's last memory of her was covering her body with a red dress for her funeral.
"H-How...?" his throat felt constricted.
The sensation didn't get any better when she opened her arms to him. Though it was ridiculous and weak, he gave into the desire to be held and edged closer. He would allow the embrace, but not return it.
She was alive. She was truly alive.
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He decided to leave the pair to reacquaint, standing to make them some tea. Angelina preferred Earl Grey, which in her condition was well-suited since it was best taken with a slice of lemon. The Tea House learned long ago to portion the tea for the rather hopeless 'butler'.
Humming an aria, Grell diligently prepared them some tea and a few minutes later emerged holding a tray and fancy porcelain cups.
"To chase the cold away." He giggled. And then hoped the tea tasted good enough to drink. It smelled good enough, anyway.
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"This place has many strange blessings, little one," she crooned, "One of which for me, was a second chance."
Her thumb rubbed his cheek, hoping beyond hope he would see her heart in her words.
"Another would be a second chance for you. To be free of the Queen's collar."
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"Hm." he frowned slightly before allowing himself to be wrapped snugly in Madam Red's arms. His eyelids drooped after a moment. Her warmth and her scent were so...comforting. They reminded him of a much simpler time.
"There is royalty here too, Aunt." he reminded her quietly, "That concerns me." he tilted his head back to look up at her, "I'm glad you're here, though."
And he meant that.
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Reapers had no family except each other, for Death could not create Life. Despite the mortals he grew fond of over time, they would eventually slip from his grasp. He would never have nephews, distant and elusive as they were, or aunts that were vivacious and fearless.
This was no 'second chance' for him. It was just another mission to see to the end of their lives- not his.
"Permit me to excuse myself a moment." Grell smiled sadly, not really seeking their permission. "I need to tend to work." A formal bow before the Reaper edged to the door and left.
{{And here I take my leave. I have a full week+weekend coming up. You kids have fun :3 }}
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"Poor darling," Angelina murmured, flicking the hair from his visible eye, "You must be exhausted from the journey."
She shuffled very gently to scoop him up with a huff. Sebastian could easily carry Ciel, and if she could slice a woman open with a swing of her arm, she could too. It reminded her of when he was little, and she would cart him about the garden on her hip. Easing up the steps, she elbowed her way into the luscious red bedroom, and perched him on the end of her bed, wrapped in her furs. She knelt to be eye-level with him, carefully tidying his clothing, not meeting his gaze.
"I know you probably have somewhere else in mind to stay," she said with lingering defeat, "But tonight I think it's best you stay here."
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