✳ 003 ✳ [video] // [action] for Phancyhive residents.
[When the video turns on, it might seem like an accident: there's a colorful parrot tapping its pale beak against the screen. Tap, tap, tap. The bird is white and red about the face-- Abruptly startled by something--a dark blur?--it squawks and rears back and reveals even more red feathers and the beginning of blues and greens on it wings. It's
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[There are several sources for what he's about to say. Actual confirmation came when he peered inside Ciel's soul, once trapped in the ring and brought home. After experimenting on that possessed piece of jewelry for several months, Claude learned everything he could about Ciel--every last one of his secrets. He cherished that ring as much as Alois did, and enjoyed holding it in his palm. Anytime he felt particularly daring, he wore for himself and relished the electric shock of Ciel rejecting him. He ended up shattering Ciel's memories to induce amnesia and turn back his mind to a much earlier state for the rest of his plan.
The infatuation hasn't quite carried over, but Claude still likes to look at Ciel every day. He would gladly write a new contract with Ciel to show him what a real butler can do. And, sometimes, he imagines licking cream off Ciel's face, from his hair...]
You were in Paris, France, to attend the Exposition Universelle of 1889.
[Claude could tell Ciel who murdered his parents and humiliated him, but he decides to hold on to that information for the time being.]
Although you had the chance to fulfill part of your contract, you determined the collateral damage of doing so was too great. Many "innocent" people would be killed in the fray. After you called off your Sebastian, he decided that you weren't a master worth serving, that you had rebelled against him, and thus he abandoned you in France. You were forced to return to London on your own, bartering with very important possessions to get there.
[That's how Claude came to acquire the Phantomhive family ring--after Ciel had to trade it for safe passage. Its magic surprised Claude the first time he touched it. The Shard of Hope was spine-tingling.]
His complete negligence led you to be grievously wounded. You became more accepting of your fate to feed him, as a result.
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Abandoned. Sebastian had left him. He was a liar. He'd had Ciel wounded - gravely. He'd wanted to be demon food.
There's a terrible feeling - he wants to vomit.]
Then what? What of all of it? Sebastian's a liar and a cheat. [He'd closed his book then, gripping at its spine.] He's a demon. I expect no less. [A lie. Ciel had made an order. He'd sold his soul and yet he wasn't good enough?]
He betrayed me. He breached contract. What am I to do about it? He's not here. I cannot punish him.
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Prove him wrong. Sebastian doesn't need to be here for you to flourish.
[Using modest body language, Claude gestures at the rest of the library.] Look around you, Master Ciel. Have you at all noticed? [he asks in a strangely sweet tone.] Can you tell what is different?
[Compared to how it was when Claude arrived, the library is completely different now. It's better suited for the two young masters of the household: the overall palette reflects Alois' aesthetics, but the architecture--including the furniture--should be appealing to Ciel. Gold is the predominant color of the walls and light fixtures, followed closely by cerise carpeting and Brazilian walnut bookshelves. The furniture is the most luxurious he could possibly acquire with money and know-how--some of it is one of a kind. If nothing else, Claude Faustus knows how to take care of nobility.]
Incredible, isn't it, what you can make of yourself--what you can learn, and accomplish--when you want to prove someone wrong. But I digress-- [since he doubts story time about his vendetta against Sebastian would be appreciated--]
Tell me, please: What did you do to Sebastian when he arrived the first time, unconscionably late? [Claude doesn't know much about that, honestly. The mansion, though, was a decent investment to make; it dismayed him to think of his master living in poverty. (If only Claude had gotten here first! Ciel might actually trust him by now.) Of course, that question is rhetorical, since he continues with,] And then what did you do to him the second time? [That was a reunion he eavesdropped on for safety's sake. He was surprised by how cold but fragile Ciel seemed--like a cobweb covered in frost. Easily melted and knocked down.]
Your punishments were insufficient. [What was the most Ciel did--grab Sebastian by the tie? And that didn't last long.] You see, he controls you by instilling fear of him inside you. When might he disappear on you next, for example. What might he do to you or your loved ones. With every iteration, the intention is to have you become more dependent on him, so you will do your best to appease him lest he hurt you somehow. He will not stop until he is made to stop.
[There's no telling how much of this rant is bullshit, but Claude is deluded past the point of caring. He's blinded by his own hate; it's all he had to keep himself going for the longest time. Letting go is unimaginable without a safety net like nirvana to catch him, and even then he loathes nirvana half of the time for taking away the pain that defines him.]
If you won't establish yourself as the master, then you should expect to be made the slave.
Inevitably, Sebastian will return to Siren's Port for you. [He says it like he's dead fucking certain. Don't refute him.] Your willpower guarantees it, regardless of what these people might tell you about the Core this and the Core that. Believe me when I say that is part of why you are a worthwhile master. You never would have written a contract if you were not, and you alone determine the terms of that contract. Countless men and women have died miserably just attempting the same.
Therefore, when you do meet him next, you must use the tools at your disposal to humble him. [By touching his chest, it's clear that Claude is offering himself up as one such tool.] Most importantly, do not despair for the future--crave it, with everything in you. Crave the idea of self-sufficiency, prosperity, and feeling no fear; of seeing him cower in front of you, begging for forgiveness, having learned to feel remorse for his actions.
[... wow, Claude actually got worked up during the speech. He runs a hand through his hair--the strands are damp with sweat.]
Day into night, sugar into salt, creatures into corpses, and fettered into freed, Master Ciel. You are capable of it because you have already done it elsewhere.
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When the demon was finished, Ciel was silent for a moment. He was well aware that he needed to establish dominance, and he had before. If anything, Claude's words were just irritating. He didn't need this right now.]
You're rather obsessed, aren't you?
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Pushing his glasses up again, Claude smiles like he has nothing to hide right now. Out of sight of his master, he can and will smile when and however he decides to.]
What is revenge without obsession, Master Ciel? --Or have you already forgotten what it feels like?
[Less than a year is enough to extinguish all that fire, and erase all those special 'affections'?]
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Of course not.
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When the time comes and you are planning to punish Sebastian Michaelis, please choose me as the willing tool to carry out your judgment. [It's crystal clear in his mind--that is when he will strike. With Ciel's consent, Claude will be able to carve the contract arm off of Sebastian Michaelis. Gruesome and difficult, yes, but it's essential for circumventing their bond. Claude is banking on that, since he doesn't know if brute-forcing it is possible yet.]
I would ensure his complete obedience under you.
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[Tight lipped and terse, it's the only way he can reply.]
I'll ensure whatever I need by my own doing.
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Bitterness should be a paralyzing emotion, but Ciel Phantomhive is still motivated to stand on his own. It's fascinating to Claude, watching the froth of Ciel's hatred. It's bubbling over, unparalleled; Claude wants to understand it so badly. He wants to watch those tiny, hateful hands squeezing the life out of Sebastian Michaelis. He wants to feel those tiny, hateful teeth sinking deeply into his own neck. Inhaling, his shoulders lifting, he smells hatred and dismay and the almost-taste of Ciel's musk. His tongue is wandering restlessly behind his teeth.]
Can you? You'll be up against a demon.
[He lowers his hand, smiling faintly, and turns himself away. The light catches his glasses, glaring bright, hiding golden eyes. Something about him seems apologetic.
Still a truly reckless, truly defenseless soul.]
You needn't set your answer in stone, Master Ciel. The future is endless in possibilities.
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[A harsh but true response.] With such an unpredictable future, how can you ensure you'll even be around if he did choose to return?
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