It was well after 4 in the morning when the lounge closed. While the club was open at all times, the bar stopped serving drinks by 3 and the kitchen closed even earlier, at 1. There would normally be some stragglers, still savouring their last drink of the day before turning in for the night or leaving the club and returning to the human world. Yue was of course the only exception and staff just discreetly ignored his alcove as they tidied the rest of the area. Ciel and the twins had left after the bar closed and George was left with the responsibility of closing up. The hotel on the second floor would still be accepting guests, but only the northern entrance, with stairs leading directly to the second floor was left open. Gawain who was watching that entrance said he would stay on duty until the morning shift relieved him while Dominic and Bei from the south and east entrances would be on standby in their rooms.
The patrol by the twins earlier led to nothing else out of the ordinary but they raised concerns when they looked at the barrier. The barrier was normally transparent but there was a sense of sturdiness. Now, it felt like they were looking through a flimsy bubble, the lands beyond it distorted and discoloured. Hopefully Master Gin would come in in the morning and they could discuss on how to strengthen the barrier.
After making sure that there things were moving along smoothly and speaking a few more words to Gawain, George went back to his room. In another hour or so, the morning shift of the kitchen crew would start their day anyway; preparing breakfast for the live-in guests. Yue’s brothers would probably also show up and make sure that he ate and washed up; they came every other day to make sure he was all right.
After washing up and changing, George turned off the lights and got into bed. He lay there thinking but his thoughts were not on the problems with the barrier. It was on the delicate, fair man that he managed to touch at long last. Ciel still felt as fragile as he did fifty years ago. If he wasn’t, how could George have easily ripped off his wings in his pain induced bloodlust? If it had not been for the seal that Ciel threw at him at the last moment… George swallowed hard and gripped the right side of his face.
“You’re nothing but a curse.” He said aloud, squeezing at the scarred side of his face, as if to evoke some pain. Feeling nothing but numbness, George finally gave up and tried to sleep.
* * * * *
Ciel on the other hand was too tired to think. After reaching home, he wished his siblings goodnight, went to his room, kicked off his shoes and fell into bed. Forcing himself to overcome his fears and face George left Ciel more drained than he expected. Too tired to even change or get under the covers, he slept that way until he heard the first cry of bird song. Looking up from bed with bleary eyes, Ciel realized what a slob he was and lazily got up.
Carelessly discarding his clothes on the floor as he undressed, he undid his braid and stepped into the shower. The warm water ran down his face, slowly waking him up. Contrary to expectations, while Ciel was slender, he was actually rather well defined. Covered by the uniform he wore every night, not many people realized that his arms were lightly corded and his slim waist was firm. Only the angry scars on his back told of a painful tale: two large uneven scars on both his shoulder bones and several slash marks crisscrossing from his shoulders to his lower back. Finishing his bath, Ciel turned off the tap and stepped out of the shower. The water droplets slowly making their way down his body made for an erotic sight that no one would get the chance to see.
After drying himself off, he dressed himself in a casual teal sweater and navy blue slacks before turning to the mirror to do his hair. Honestly, having long hair was a bother and Ciel had thought of cutting it off more than a hundred times. But he was the only one that inherited his father’s silver white hair and his mother was loathe to let him cut it. Besides, his gentle temperament suited the androgynous look and with how tomboyish Dawn was, perhaps his father just silently accepted that his two elder children were the wrong gender. It really wasn’t fair…
He was too hungry to think about anything complicated at the moment so with quick practiced moves, he twisted his hair into a simple half bun and fastened it in place with a hair stick. His hair wasn’t really dry yet so he didn’t want it all in a damp lump at the back of his head. Satisfied for now, he went to the dining room for breakfast.
Gin and Scarlet were already at the table discussing something in low tones. They looked up and smiled when he walked in.
“Good morning, you’re up early,” his mother greeted him with a smile. Ciel noticed that she looked tired, as opposed to her usual lively self.
“Good morning mother, father.” Ciel said as he pulled his chair out and took his seat. He poured himself a cup of coffee and reached for the milk.
“Good morning. I heard there was an incident at the club?” Gin looked at his eldest son. One look and anyone could tell that they were related. Besides the same silver white hair, Ciel and Gin also had the same phoenix eyes though Gin’s were more grey than blue. Gin’s face was more chiselled with thinner lips though, making him look masculine. He looked like a fit man in his late thirties, making them look like brothers instead of father and son.
Aside from his slightly fuller lips and delicate facial features, Ciel inherited nothing else from his mother. Not her temperament or her colouring. Whereas the same face looked vibrant and lively with her sparkling amber eyes and fiery red hair, on Ciel they looked gentle, subdued and somewhat feminine. Delicate, fragile, feminine… no wonder people used to mistake him for his sister before. These were words Ciel really didn’t want to hear anymore but after nearly eight hundred years, he’d simply given up. Even when at the club, everyone always rushed to his rescue, as if he was a damsel in distress.
“Yes, some dread hyenas breached the barrier from the western side and attacked Anansi,” Ciel replied as he added some milk to his coffee. He reached for the toast and buttered it. After taking a bite, he put his slice down and went to the sideboard, helping himself to some bacon, eggs, cheese and fruit. Looks like it was a western style breakfast again today. Maybe he should put a request to the kitchen later; he was hankering for dim sum and steamed buns.
“That’s not what I meant,” Gin said when Ciel returned to his seat.
Looking at his son’s confused face, Gin continued “I heard you were harassed by a guest?”
Ciel didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Dangerous creatures had breached Sanctuary’s safe zone, a guest was injured, the barrier was weakening and his father was more concerned about a minor harassment case? If he could hit the man in front of him, he really would.
“I’m fine, father. George stepped in before things went out of control and Lord Ame has promised not to bring the guest to Sanctuary again.”
“He's just a minor god, how dare he behave like an arrogant upstart…” his father grumbled as he elegantly spooned some yoghurt and fruit into his mouth.
“Oh hush, Ciel’s nearly eight hundred. When will you stop treating him like a child?” Scarlet was calmly piling bacon onto a slice of bread before adding some chilli sauce and topping it with another slice of bread. She then proceeded to eat the sandwich, table manners all but ignored. It was amazing how these two total opposites could get married, sire four children and still be happily in love after all this time.
"My children will forever be my children."Gin declared as he looked at his wife, took a napkin and wiped the corner of her lips with a smile. The look of affection the both of them gave each other was nothing new to Ciel but if he weren’t so hungry, he most likely would not have joined them. Too much PDA in the morning on an empty stomach was likely to cause indigestion.
“Ugh, we came too early.” Blanc came in with Noire, his face grumpy from the lack of sleep. Even though the twins slept in separate rooms, they always seemed to be in tune with each other. If one awoke, the other would soon follow. Perhaps it was a calling of the soul; Ciel couldn’t be sure but he knew that the twins relied on each other heavily and were always together when possible.
“Good morning papa, good morning mama, good morning Ciel.” Noire yawned before going over to kiss both her parents on the cheek. She was the only one that still greeted them this way. She took her seat beside her mother while Blanc sat beside Ciel. Now that Ciel had a closer look, everyone at the table looked tired. Blanc and Noire he could understand but he wondered what his parents had been up to the night before. Not more siblings, he hoped.
“Good morning darling. You should have just slept in if you’re still tired.” Scarlet combed her fingers through her daughter’s hair.
“No, if we slept in, we might miss you and father before you leave for the club. We want to talk about the barrier,” Blanc sleepily munched on a slice of plain toast. He got up to serve himself breakfast and frowned when he looked under the covers. “Can we have dim sum and steamed buns tomorrow?” he asked as he took a little of everything.
“Of course dear. I’ll inform the kitchen staff later,” Scarlet smiled. ‘Perfect.’ Ciel thought.
“Thanks.” Blanc handed his sister an identically filled plate and sat down to eat his fill. After a few bites he looked at his father. “So what do we do about the barrier?”
“Not at the dining table. I’ll head to the club after this to discuss it with the rest of the security staff. We’ll need to enhance the barrier again.”
“Without mother?” all three siblings had noticed his singular pronoun.
“Yes, we aren’t joined at the hip,” Gin ignored his children’s disbelieving looks and continued. “Your mother has something else she needs to do. She’ll join me later in the evening.”
“Then we’ll go with you. We’ll get ready after breakfast.” Blanc said. Finishing their breakfast, the twins both went to change before leaving with Master Gin.
