Echoing Melodies (Black Butler x OC Fanfic)

Chapter 6: The Undertaker

The clacking of heels against the cobblestone streets were all that was heard as the Earl Phantomhive and Lady Valeria walk down the street, their otherworldly servants trailing behind them. 

It was a gloomy day in London, not a single ray of sunlight coming out from behind the grey clouds. The notion almost showed it was going to rain, but they had no care for that. The only thing they cared about at the current moment was solving the case at hand, even if that meant walking in the cold and dreary rain. 

They diverge off of the main path, walking towards a grey building, a sign reading 'The Undertaker' at the top. The front was adorned with coffins and caskets alike, giving off an even more eerie feel to the place, as if it wasn't eerie enough. 

"Here we are, the Undertaker." Lilith takes a step towards the door, opening it to the pitch black room inside. "Shall we?"

Valeria nods before walking through the door, Ciel and Sebastian following after. Sebastian takes a short but annoyed look at Lilith before walking the rest of the way in. Lilith shoots a glare back before closing the door, engulfing the room in darkness. 

Candles were lit in the corners of the room, however it didn't help the extreme darkness. Coffins and Caskets were pressed up against the walls, some lined with linen and silk, others made out of just plain wood. 

Laughter came from across the room, eerily echoing against the walls. Shrill and playful, it was, something you would expect to hear in the middle of the night in a dark forest. Stereotypical, almost. 

Heads turned to meet the face sitting at the desk in the corner, body almost completely shrouded in black. Ciel sighs, annoyed at the prospect of dealing with his acquaintance again. It's not like he could really do anything, they needed information, and this is where they'll get it. 

"Well, well, well, then. Look who's back! Here to buy a coffin, Lord Phantomhive?" He smiled. Ciel looked up, looking at the face of The Undertaker. 

"We don't need any coffins. But we do need some information." He says monotonously. 

"Oh? Information? How curious." The Undertaker looks around the room at the two ladies and his butler. "I suppose I can provide that, and I'll even give you a discount, because you have a personal friend of mine with you."

Valeria turned her head to face Lilith. "You two know each other?" 

"We've known each other for quite some time, yes."

"And it's been years since you last visited me! How dare you just abandon our regular meetings like this! I even made your favorite tea, and you never showed." Undertaker mutters sadly. All eyes were on Lilith as the two of them stared at each other.

"Well, no matter. We can continue those another time. Anyways, information, you said?" He asked with immense curiosity. 

"Yes, we need information about the murders going on near the Thames." Ciel steps forward, breaking the atmosphere in the room and turning it back to what it was before. "If there's a price we need to pay then we'll do it."

"Oh no, there's no price this time." Undertaker turns his head back to Lilith. "After all, you have a friend with you."

"Let's continue with the investigation, young master." Sebastian says as the Undertaker leads them into another room. Sebastian takes a quick look at Lilith. "This should make things much quicker."

"Indeed."

The four of them sit in the back room, on black velvet couches. Valeria next to Lilith, Ciel next to Sebastian. Undertaker walks away, walking behind the couches to emphasize the points he was about to make. 

"The victim's eyes were plucked out of their skulls, left to rot in corners of the alleys. How sad, windows to the soul left to crack and rot away." He paced around the four of them, shoes clacking against the floor. 

"They were torn open, all of them, but what was stolen depends on the gender." He moves away from Ciel and Sebastian and towards Valeria and Lilith. 

"Men have their lungs ripped away, while women have their hearts torn away from their bodies." Undertaker hovers a hand over Valeria's heart, moving away just as quickly as it came. He moves in between the two couches, looking to them.

"Did the victims happen to have anything in common? Family relations, jobs perhaps?" Valeria questions, holding her chin between her index and thumb. "There has to be something in common."

"There was one thing in common. The victims are all middle class, most wealthy middle class citizens. Other than that, none of them had any relations to one another." The room seemed to get darker with each word said.

Ciel stood up. "Thank you, Undertaker. I suppose this information could be useful to us." With that, everyone else stood, moving to the front door and leaving. 

"Of course, Lord Phantomhive. But make sure to have a funny joke for next time!"