A Blind Seer

Chapter 4

I pat the door lightly before knocking.

"Lord Phantomhive, I must speak with you." I announce. "Enter." Ciel calls from beyond the door. I pat around, my hand landing on the doorknob and I slowly enter. I use my cane to feel in front of me, Sebastian resting a hand on my shoulder and guiding me to a seat.

"The Queen sent a letter, we have a case we may need your assistance in." Ciel articulates. I nod, "But first, about Grell and Madam Red." I interject, flipping the subject. "They've been committing a series of murders, they're targets are prostitutes." I reveal, my voice apathetic. "But Grell is a Reaper, I'm afraid there may be nothing we can do about them until the supervisors come to collect them." I elaborate. Silence passes for a few moments before Ciel speaks again.

"What's a Reaper?" Ciel questions, his tone unwavering.

"Grim Reapers: they are the neutral between man and God. They collect souls of the dead and decide wether the owners of said souls should be allowed to continue living or pass through the gates to the afterlife. Becoming a Grim Reaper is punishment for committing suicide." I explicate, hearing Ciel shift in his seat.

"Anyway, as of now we need to stall for time. Grell already knows that I'm aware, so it's only a matter of time before the two make a move. However, I don't think Madame Red will do anything until she's forced to. As of now, we only have to worry about Madame Red being forced into a corner. So long as she isn't, I have a feeling Grell won't want to kill her." I go on, fiddling with the handle of my cane as I speak. "What makes you so certain of that?" Ciel inquires. "Grell finds human emotions to be weakness, so as long as Madame Red isn't forced into a situation where she won't be able to kill the person in front her, for example: you, she should be safe." I explain as though it's simple, shrugging at the end of my words.

"But that's only if you don't want her to die, if you don't care, then you can move your pawns as you please." I conclude, rising to my feet.

"We'll be heading to the city manor at noon tomorrow." Ciel informs me. I nod in understanding, using my cane and making my way to the door on my own, Sebastian staying behind. I exit, closing the door behind me.

Now, where the hell do I go from here?

"Oh! Aylin!" Elizabeth's voice calls, quickly nearing from down the hall. I turn towards her voice and offer Elizabeth a smile. "Lady Elizabeth." I greet, bowing my head. "Please, call me Lizzie." Elizabeth insists, grabbing my hands and standing in front of me. "Really, I don't think that's proper for someone of my social standing." I argue, hesitant to call her Lizzie aloud. "Don't be ridiculous, any friend of Ciel's is a friend of mine!" Elizabeth presses, a smile audible in her tone. "I wouldn't exactly call us friends..." I mutter, barely audible to even my own trained ears.

"Aylin, you're so cute! Could I please put you in a dress?" Elizabeth requests, making me slightly surprised as she usually simply smacks a person with clothes and tells them to put the clothes on. "La- Lizzie.. I appreciate the gesture, but I'm afraid dresses make it harder for me to move freely." I apologize sincerely. Lizzie pauses for a moment, "Oh! Then maybe you can help me with something, come!" Elizabeth suggests, gently taking one of my hands and guiding me down the hall as she continues to jabber about how drab the halls are.

"I know you can't see, so I hope you won't take this as being mean, but I was hoping if you could give me your opinion on some of the dresses I brought with me?" Elizabeth appeals. The corners of my lips twitch up slightly, "Of course, Lizzie. I'm sure they're adorable, just like you." I articulate kindly. Lizzie falls quiet, but it isn't an awkward silence, it's one of understanding.

I suppose she's much kinder when the mood is more somber.

• • •

Lizzie and I had spoken for a while, my hands skimming her dresses and myself being bluntly honest of what opinions I could gather. Though I was blunt, none of my opinions were horrid and Lizzie appreciated the commentary I could provide on the dresses. It's not like I had much an opinion to offer though, as far as I'm aware, I've never worn a dress once in my life. Lizzie had kindly led me back to my room, which I couldn't have been more grateful for as I wasn't going to sit there for hours waiting for Sebastian to carry me again.

I bow my head to Elizabeth, "Thank you, Lizzie." Lizzie tilts my chin up, letting her hand fall to her side. "It's no problem." Elizabeth insists. "I'll see you next time I come over!" Elizabeth promises, suddenly pulling me into a hug. I'm tense for a moment before I return the hug, Elizabeth skipping off a few moments later.

I smile to myself before turning into my room and walking to sit on my bed.