24Then Suddenly Everything Changed
When Blaire, Ciel and Sebastian had exited the carriage they came to a sudden still. Blaire's still-tired eyes were suddenly alight and a beaming grin settled onto her face as the familiar roar of traffic seemed to suddenly materialise around them.
Her two companions came to a halt, their eyes equally wide – but for an entirely different reason.
Ciel subconsciously took a step towards his protector, utter confusion combining with shock and forming a glorious concoction on his face. "Where in God's name are we…?"
"A very good question my Lord…" Uttered Sebastian, glancing around with a peculiar expression settled upon his face. His brow furrowed as his senses were suddenly overwhelmed with new noises. Gone were the quiet streets of a nocturnal London. In its place were the sounds of bustling peoples, conversations, passing traffic - and each car which passed was blasting some strange kind of music.
For the first time in his existence, Sebastian felt the beginnings of a headache splintering across his temples.
"I'm home… I'm really home…" Blaire took several steps forward, slowly turning around and taking in her surroundings. She brought a hand to cover her mouth, tears of joy clouding her dark eyes.
Sebastian's look of puzzlement shifted onto the woman. He thought back to their time in Bedlam when she had claimed to be from the future and in an instant, something clicked in his mind. He turned to his master who stood gripping his cane in a trembling hand – his tremors being barely noticeable.
With some degree of hesitation, he said: "While I can't be certain…if I had to hazard a guess, I would assume we were…at some point in the future." His brown eyes remained fixed on Blaire, who was stood with her back to the pair. "Am I correct in my assertion, Blaire?" He raised his voice.
Slowly, she turned towards them, a genuine smile contrasting against the two male's expressions. The look on her face told him everything he needed to know.
Ciel's wide eyes remained gazing at the busy roads, his mouth turning down into a deep grimace as he tried to make sense of the situation. "But how…? What of Lizzie…?"
The three turned when the sudden blare of a car horn sounded – followed by a chorus of rowdy shouting.
"It's not Halloween!"
Blaire suddenly glanced down at her attire – then towards Ciel, who was adjusting the top hat on his head.
"Oh, for fuck sake." She muttered, rolling her eyes and taking several swift steps towards the Lord and swiping the offending hat, throwing it into the nearest bin in one swift motion. Like a frisbee.
"Just who do you think you are?!" He bellowed, making sharp eyes at his butler, who had failed to intervene on time and was stood with his arm outstretched, as if ready to stop Blaire.
A look of confusion flashed across Sebastian's face which went unnoticed by the other two.
She scowled at Ciel. "Look, you're in my time now." She started. "Your status as a Lord means nothing here. As for your stupid-looking hat, that's not going to go down well here. And you can get that eye patch to fuck as well."
I've been waiting ages to say that. The little shithead. She thought with an internal chuckle.
Outrage flashed across his face and he was about ready to backhand the woman, however, Sebastian cut him off. "My Lord, I do believe she is correct. Look at the way people here are dressed. It would be wise to try and fit in."
The Lord glanced around warily, making awkward eye contact with several passer-by's – then his face was suddenly aflame when his blue eyes landed on the display in the near shop window.
"What in the blazes is that!" His voice seemed to raise an octave.
The other two followed his gaze. Sebastian began to chuckle.
Blaire outright cackled. "Yeah, there's lots of that. These are enlightened times buddy. Now lose the eyepatch – and the walking stick. You're not an old man." She said, glancing between the mannequins dressed in lingerie and the adolescent, Victorian, male who was stood before her.
Releasing her hair from its bun, she began to unbutton her outer dress, revealing the ivory coloured layers underneath.
"Have some decency woman!" Ciel stammered, having truly no idea where to look.
Sebastian stared right at her. "Is it common practice…to remove your clothes in the middle of the street in this time period?"
The black skirts fell to the concrete, followed by her shawl. "No, but with the amount of layers I have on it's alright. I'm not walking around looking like the wicked witch of the west. Help?" She turned, motioning to the corset.
He let out a sigh, stepping forward to begin loosening the laces. He gave a gentle tug, frowning when nothing happened – before resorting to undoing the laces manually. His brow remained furrowed the entire time.
"You aren't actually helping her! I didn't sanction this!" An utterly flabbergasted Ciel was practically flailing as he watched his butler undress the woman. Outside. In broad daylight.
She sighed in relief as soon as the restrictive garment fell from her torso, massaging her aching sides.
You'd think he was watching a porno… how did the human race not die out during the Victorian era?
"Come on." She rolled her eyes, kicking the bundles of clothing away. She was left in what was effectively a white knee-length dress, white stockings and boots.
Squaring his jaw, Ciel tore off his eyepatch, dropped his cane and followed after Blaire. "Well, if you would insist upon walking around in your underwear…" He grumbled, pondering if his previous assumptions about her were, in fact, correct.
"Where precisely are we going?" Came from Sebastian as they made their way down the street.
Blaire slowed in her pace but kept walking, frowning intently. "Shit…"
"What is it?" Snapped Ciel, a scowl still murking his features.
"None of us have any money. And you-" She jabbed a finger at Sebastian. "Smashed my phone. I don't know where we are. We're fucked."
"I have plenty of money." Said Ciel, giving up on chastising her. He was besieged by too many thoughts of his own to bother with her.
"It's useless! Your hundred-year-old coins are completely useless here! God, I've not eaten since…since this entire shit fest began! I feel like I'm wasting away…" She lamented, throwing her hands up to the sky for emphasis.
"Well, it's no matter. Sebastian, you can get the whore something to eat to stop her whining, can't you?" He bit out.
She shot him a glare – which grew into a look of concern when she saw the look on Sebastian's face. She almost fell back – having never expected to see such a look upon him.
He looked worried. In fact, if she didn't know any better, she might have said he looked almost devastated. "…What's the matter with you?" She asked warily.
"I…" He continued to peer down at his gloved hands, his eyes wide and his jaw slack.
"Sebastian?" Came from Ciel, who too, seemed to be taken aback by the look on his butler's face.
"I think I'm… mortal…" Sebastian's usually perfect voice died away and was replaced by what could only be described as a broken whisper.
Both Ciel and Blaire glanced at each other with wide eyes, each taking steps closer to the man - who appeared to be in a state of shock. He was visibly trembling, as though he were now struggling to fully take control of his own body.
Even after what Sebastian had done to her in that hospital – even though he struck fear into her heart every time he even glanced in her direction – the crestfallen expression on his face seemed so… human. So very unlike him. She couldn't help the wave of pity that festered within her.
He continued to stare at his hands, holding them up in front of his face as if that would somehow will his demonic powers to present themselves.
Wandering over to him and taking one of his outstretched arms in her both of her hands, she glanced around for anywhere they could sit in private. Shops and the odd café were all she could see – bar the library across the road.
That's the best we'll get, I guess.
"Come on." She said gently, motioning for Ciel to follow, who did so without question.
The three sat in an empty corner of the library, Blaire seating herself beside Sebastian and across from Ciel.
"Are you certain that you're mortal now, Sebastian?" Asked Ciel, disbelief etched into his expression.
"I am certain…I felt something was amiss when we stepped from the carriage. My senses were dulled… I could no longer hear your heart beating, for instance."
Ciel scrunched up his nose, "You could hear that?!" He whispered harshly.
The former demon went on. "Then when I wasn't quick enough to prevent Blaire from taking your hat… Finally, when I tried to pull the laces of the corset, only to find I didn't have the strength…" A lump formed in the back of his throat.
Blaire sat with her arms folded, leaning back in her chair and her face taught in utter bewilderment. "Welcome to humanity I guess."
The raven-haired man sneered. "Ah yes. I suppose that means I'm trapped looking like this now. A human. How disgusting."
Ciel and Blaire glanced at each other, a knowing look passing between them both. "I see some things remain the same." Ciel remarked.
"But this actually makes sense. Demons don't exist here. You two are supposed to be fiction – I tried to tell you before you insisted that I was some kind of fortune-teller."
"Poppycock!" Exclaimed Ciel.
Sebastian glanced at her – now seemingly unsure of himself. "There isn't any…"
"How can you still not believe me? We're here, aren't we?" She gestured wildly around as if to prove her point. "I don't know, or care how, but we're here."
At their continued silence, she went on. "You want proof? Come over here." She stood abruptly, the chair scraping along the wooden floor. Marching over to the computers, she took a seat, expecting the two to follow.
Reluctantly, they did. All smugness had completely left them and an air of unease came over them. Dreading what they knew was coming.
"What is this machine?" Came from Ciel.
"The portal to all of mankind's knowledge... And cat videos. You'll like that, Sebastian." She murmured over her shoulder.
The butler in question was unusually silent.
Logging on, Blaire opened up Google and began to type.
"Black Butler"
The results were instant. Images flashed on screen of the two famous characters. Cartoon drawings - though admittedly uncannily similar faces looked right back at them. Scrolling down the reel of images showed people in cosplay, book covers, fan art. Catching a glance of a cosplayer in an all-too-familiar pink dress, Blaire enlarged the image so that it took up the entire screen.
She heard Sebastian snigger behind her. "Ah yes, that's exactly like the dress the young Lord wore."
"So, he actually did that?" Blaire asked incredulously, before giggling. "No fucking way!"
She heard Ciel let out a breath. Glancing behind her, she saw that he was stood with his back to the computer, refusing to look anymore.
"…So what you are saying is that in your world…my entire life has been turned into fiction. Has been…fashioned into nothing more than entertainment." He spat, hands clenched into fists and visibly shaking.
"Master…" Sebastian moved closer – only to falter as he realised that he no longer gained any satisfaction from Ciel's torment. The emotions of others no longer satiated his hunger. He sighed, disappointment making itself evident on his face.
The younger male turned to the butler, accusingly. "You are useless to me now. How are you supposed to aid me in my quest for revenge as a human?!"
The former demon glowered at the boy. "My being human aside, getting revenge is now impossible. We have been misplaced in time-"
"You think I don't know that?!"
Blaire glanced awkwardly between the two, her tongue darting out to lick her lips. She fidgeted with her hands which lay clasped in her lap.
Sebastian went on. "Furthermore, it appears as though the seal of our contract is gone now too. I failed to notice before with my… human eyesight." He grimaced, taking off his glove and presenting the back of this hand – which was now blank. His nails were perfectly normal too.
"Excuse me? You need to book a computer."
The three turned to see an elderly woman stood with her hands on her hips, peering down her nose at them. "You'll need to leave too. You're disturbing the other readers."
Ciel was first to storm away. Sebastian merely watched him go, now disinterested. Blaire hurriedly made to follow him, making it out into the bustling street before she felt her wrist being secured. She couldn't claim to be surprised upon finding Sebastian glowering down at her.
"What are you doing? We should go after him."
"Since when are you two friends?" He questioned, recalling their first proper encounter in Ciel's study.
"W…we aren't but we can't just leave him on his own. He doesn't know-"
"-yes we can." He cut her off, pulling on her wrist and dragging her down the street. He was satisfied to find that even as a human, he was still stronger than her.
"Where the hell are we going?!" She cried.
He continued to tug her, ignoring her attempts to pull herself free of his grip, until they ended up in a silent alleyway. The distant rumble of traffic in the distance and the echo of water falling to the ground did little to comfort the woman.
She yelped as her back was slammed into the brick wall, Sebastian's glowering face stopping inches from her own.
"It appears as though I've been deceived…" He hissed.
She glowered right back at him. "I tried to tell y-"
"Silence." His voice came out as little more than a low growl. His dull eyes, lacking their usual crimson hue, weren't any less terrifying when he was human.
"But-"
"How long were you planning on keeping up the act of a seer?"
"You insisted! I had no other choice!" She screeched, the thought only now occurring to her that right now, he was weaker than he normally was and thus, she had a slight advantage.
Without putting too much thought into her next move, she drew her head back and slammed it into his own, satisfied when her forehead made contact with his slender nose. A sickening crack followed and he grunted, immediately releasing her.
She bolted back out towards the street and began to run.