Alice Liddell 030 // Broken Hearted

[madcuriosity]

Who: madcuriosity and somarium
Where: A park in Espoir
Status: OPEN~
Style: Your choice
Warnings: Slight angst probably?

Comments

[dealwithademon]

Sebastian's absence had not depressed Ciel. In fact, it had made him rather angry; the whole thing had him being very put-out, and the fact that no amount of calling would or could summon his demon butler, had left him with a very strange feeling he couldn't quite place words to. After so much fussing with his shirt that he wanted to scream he'd managed to get it buttoned nearly-straight - it was just one off, the whole shirt pulled a bit crooked as a result. He'd run a comb through his hair, but the results were far from pleasant, and the eyepatch that was normally tied with deft fingers had been twisted and knotted in the back; he got it on, but he'd have quite the task of getting it off again, without simply pulling it off over his hair. His shoelaces were in knots, his once-crooked bow tie now removed completely, but still, the kid was a mess. So much so, and so angry with his circumstances, he'd taken a walk, determined that if he should find Sebastian, there would be Hell to pay.

Instead of Sebastian, however, Ciel noticed the little blond girl on the swing. For the briefest of moments, seeing only the hair and the down-trodden posture, his thoughts wandered to Elizabeth. But that wasn't Elizabeth sitting on that swing. It was...

"...Alice?"

[madcuriosity]

Alice's head rose and she turned to look at the source of the voice. When she saw it was Ciel, and more importantly the state Ciel was in she couldn't help but feel a little better. But the feeling was soon squashed when she realized Ciel was in such a state because Sebastian was gone. Her smile left and she just gazed at Ciel.

"Ciel... You look..." well... she was rather sure he knew how he look all things considered.

[dealwithademon]

Ciel frowned at Alice. Yes, he knew how he looked, but he had marched out-doors in the hopes that his demeanor would detour anyone from commenting. Of course, Alice was only a young girl...

"I know," he replied shortly, slowly closing the space between them. "But that's beside the point. What are you doing sitting out here by yourself. You don't look as though you're here to have fun."

[madcuriosity]

"I just.... needed to be alone for a little bit," she said as she looked away. She didn't want to upset her loved ones, and she didn't want people to keep telling her not to be upset.

[dealwithademon]

Ciel wasn't ordinarily compassionate. In fact, he had rather a reputation at times for being completely dispassionate. Still, something about children -- those even younger than himself -- stirred some sense of caring within him. Sympathy, perhaps? Or missing his own childhood, cut abruptly short. Whatever it was, it compelled him to take up the swing beside Alice.

"You really think it's a good idea to be out here all alone?"

[madcuriosity]

"Well... I'm not entirely alone, I have Basil." She said s she quickly picked up Basil before Ciel sat on him.

[dealwithademon]

"Basil?" he glanced curiously at the stuffed rabbit, a single brow raised. "But Basil's only a doll. It's not the same thing."

Seated in the swing, Ciel found he couldn't help himself... his feet rolled from heel to ball, rocking slightly. He couldn't recall the last time he'd been on any kind of swing. "you know, Alice, you can't run away from your problems."

[madcuriosity]

"Basil isn't a doll," she frowned. "And it isn't running away!" her eyes narrowed. "Wanting to be alone for a little bit isn't running away. And all I've been doing is dealing with that they've left! How is that running away?"

[dealwithademon]

Ciel jumped slightly, startled by Alice's sudden outburst. Of course, he shouldn't have been. She reminded him more and more of Lizzie each moment. He was used to silly young girls and their tantrums. Maybe that was why he just sighed, and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. ...Who's left?"

[madcuriosity]

Her anger disappated as quickly as it had risen. She hadn't meant to snap but being told she was running away... how did you run away when you had to face it every day?

"My brother... left. And my dear friends... my knights."

[dealwithademon]

"All of them recently?" Ciel paused. It seemed Somarium was perhaps in a mood, if it were at all possible for places to have emotions. Perhaps, like these acquaintances of Alice's, Sebastian had fallen in arbitrarily with a recent purge.

It must have been difficult. Alice was no older than he had been when he'd lost his parents. For this fact, he sympathized, and at the same time, felt very little. What's lost cannot be regained. The rules did not apply here.

"You shouldn't mourn them. It's not as though they've died. You may see them again someday."

[madcuriosity]

"But..." it was... actually. Her brother's spirit would die, his smile would die. "There are worse things than death that they may be returning to Ciel."

[dealwithademon]

Ciel paused. Death, and things worse than death, were subjects a little too close to his personal experience; his opinions on them were very strong. Sometimes, death would be better. Being kept in a cage, treated like cattle, slaughtered for blood, or bones... His grip tightened on the chains.

"You can't worry about that," he said. "The world can be a dark and terrible place. But if they have the strength to grasp even a spider's thread, and pull themselves up, then they will. But your worry will do them no good."

[madcuriosity]

"I love them, you worry about the ones you love. I would worry about you too if you ever got into any trouble."

[dealwithademon]

Ciel turned to look at Alice with a strnage mix of utter confusion, and surprise. She was just a girl, of course, he should have expected something like that from her. He almsot smiled the, but it was soemthing mocking, something more amused than warmed.

"You would worry about me?" Why was it always the helpless ones, the ones who needed worrying over and protecting, who worried about him?

[madcuriosity]

"Did you not just hear me?" she said as she gave a small smile that, unlike Ciel's was both exasperated but indulgent. "Because I love you silly boy. You worry for the ones you love."