Death's Daughter (Black Butler)

Chapter Seventeen: Funtom Toys

Shielding my eyes from the falling snow with my hand, I stared up at the clouded skies in disgust. Scoffing lightly under my breath, I shook my head in disapproval. I had always remembered my Decembers as a child to be snowy and cold, but from the way the weather was acting up now, it looked like London was expecting a blizzard. I sighed, tilting my head to look down at my feet. The snow piled up on the sides of the streets continued to rise, and I knew it'd be up to my calves in no time. Still, I continued on my way to East London.

I pursed my lips together as I passed by the little shops that lined the streets. Inside each one, there were people hustling and bustling to get last minute Christmas gifts, just like I was. I felt the brown paper bag at my sides scrape against my leg, causing me to wince. Scowling down at it, I switched the bag over to my other hand. Like before, I had got some more necessities for Lillian, but since it was the holidays, I decided that it wouldn't hurt to spoil her a bit more. I'd added a Christmas cake and a fluffy blanket to the mix, but it still didn't feel complete.

Brushing my loose bangs out of my face with my free hand, I approached the corner, waiting to cross to the other side of the street. I twisted my head in bother directions, careful to make sure that a carriage wasn't coming along. Seeing that it was safe to go, I quickly crossed over to the sidewalk opposite of me, along with many other holiday shoppers. When I the other side, I took a moment to recollect myself, making sure that my coat was laying nicely and whatnot. Once I deemed myself presentable, I resumed my journey over to East London. That was when I noticed it.

I'll admit, I had to take a double take to make sure I was seeing thing correctly. It turns out that I was. Standing in front of the window, I admired the objects inside. Toy trains, play soldiers, and dolls accompanied by dollhouses all sat inside. Digging into my pocket to pull out my wallet, I checked how much money I had leftover. A large smile found its way onto my face as I realized that I could spend a little extra cash on Lillian. Getting her a toy was the final touch.

I pushed the main door open and entered the store, a little bell jingling above my head, announcing my arrival. I wiped by boots off on the doormat provided, not wanting to bring wet footsteps into such a nice store. I wandered around aimlessly among other shoppers, trying to find something for Lillian. I passed by several china dolls, considering buying one for her. Then the thought came to mind that it could be broken. I moved past the dolls and entered another section of the store.

My eyes went wide and I had to restrain a squeal when I realized where I had arrived. All around me were displays of stuffed animals. One of these would be perfect! I reached out, grabbing a small toy that resembled a rabbit. With a beaming smile on my face, I proceeded over to the cashier. I sat the little rabbit plush down on the counter, brushing my bangs out of my face. The man working at the register looked down at the you I had chosen for Lillian and then back up at me. "Is this everything for you, ma'am?" he asked.

"Yeah, this is it," I said with a smile on my face as I handed over the money I owed. It was quite a dent in my pocket, but it was worth it for Lillian. I cared deeply for her and felt that it was necessary to spoil her for Christmas. I doubt she ever had a very nice holiday before, and I was ready to give it to her.

"Would you like this in a gift bag?" he asked again. I looked up from the counter and faced the man. He proved to be a lot older than me, but still not elderly. Most likely in his thirties or forties or so. A mop of curly black hair sat on top of his head, and his brown eyes were genuinely kind. His skin was fairly pale, and he had creases toward the corners of his lips.

I bit my lip, glancing down at my closed wallet in my hands. I sighed, popping it open again and checking to see if I had anything left to spare. Surely they would charge extra to bag this nicely. Nodding, I looked back up at the cashier. "Yeah, go right ahead," I said, pulling out the last bit of cash I had left out of my wallet.