Y/N's heartbeat was all she could hear as it pounded in her ears. Alice Brewer shook her and was trying to tell her something but she couldn't hear her, she couldn't even move. She was in London, in July, in 1888. 1888 was when Jack the Ripper began tearing through prostitutes who worked around White Chapel. Y/N wasn't a prostitute but she was thanking god the kid was the one to find her instead of Madam Red or Grelle. While Y/N wasn't 100 percent positive she was in Black Butler she knew she had heard Alice say something about a 'Guard Dog' down by the bar and the time period fit, so did the location. Slowly sound started to drip back into Y/N's ears and she felt Alice's arms around her, shaking her. "I, I'm sorry, my knees just gave out," Y/N whispered more to herself than Alice.
"It's alright dear, I'm just glad you didn't land on your head! If you need to lay down for a minute we can talk about work later, you need some rest after all that happened I should've taken ya up here right away to lay down."
"No, no it's fine," Y/N muttered as she got up on her feet again, her knees wobbled as she stumbled over to the bed and sat down, "I'll be down in a minute, I just need to collect myself."
"Of course, sweetie, I'll leave a clean pair of clothes by the door. I'm afraid I won't have a corset that'll fit ya but I should have a dress," Alice said sweetly as she left the room. Y/N whispered thanks to her as the door closed. Y/N mind raced again as she analysed her situation: she was definitely in London, and the year was definitely 1888. The way people had been dressing and their accents gave it away and actually made it believable. What Y/N couldn't believe was that she could possibly be in Black Butler, but it made sense, Alice had been talking about a 'Guard Dog' who should've been cleaning up the streets. Ciel Phantomhive was the Queen's Guard Dog, anyone who read or watched Black Butler knew that and it was practically ingrained into their head. After Y/N went over those facts in her mind a few more times while taking deep breaths she finally thought about what she had to do. How was she, a student from the twenty-first century, going to make a living in nineteenth century London? While she thought about it she heard footsteps and something being put down outside the door. "Alice!" Y/N realized, "Alice said she needed a waitress!" Y/N walked over to the door and found the simple dress folded on the ground. She picked it up and closed the door again. "If I work for Alice I won't have to worry about where I'm staying but she doesn't look like she makes a ton of money, even if she did she's letting me stay for free instead of paying for a room so I probably won't actually get any money." Y/N sighed in frustration as she slipped off her dirty hoodie and shorts. Then she remembered something from every classical story involving a bar: bounty hunters. "Every lie originates from some form of the truth, at some point in time bounty hunters had to hang around bars and stuff, I could try to do that on the side, earn some extra cash." Even though Y/N didn't dare think it, she knew why she really wanted to be a bounty hunter, she wanted to get on either the Queen's or Ciel's radar. "Just like the cheesy fanficions, if I solve enough problems someone is bound to notice, and if they don't I can just stir up some trouble down at the docks to piss off Lau, he'll eventually complain to Ciel."
Y/N had made up her mind before she even left her room to find Alice: she would work from opening to closing as a waitress for the Dozy Dog and at night she would patrol around the streets and try to fix some of the petty crime problems any town or city faces. "Like some weird, woman Batman," she mused in her mind, "Waitress by day, vigilante by night." Alice noticed Y/N come down the stairs and she rushed over to her, "Oh dear, are you sure you're alright you-" Alice stopped herself, Y/N had a new look in her eyes, she wasn't the scared little girl who just fell to her knees upstairs, she was now a woman on a mission.
"I'm fine, ma'am, thank you for the room and dress. I would like to work as a waitress here until I can find some other way to pay for a room and board." Y/n didn't say it with any harshness or venom in her voice, but her eyes told a different story, they were full of determination which wasn't usually present in someone who was going to become a waitress in a run down pub.
"Are you sure you're alright, dearie? If you need a day or two to get your mind straight and everything sorted out it's no problem," Alice assured her.
"It's fine, Miss Brewer. I want to start working as soon as I can to repay you for your kindness. Your son made sure I wasn't dying in that alleyway and you both offered me a place to stay even though you don't know me and I don't have any money on me. It's the least I can do," Y/N assured her. Alice was a little taken aback but she nodded and began to explain to Y/N all she would need to do as a waitress.
"Well people usually start to come in once the sun starts to set and we close the bar by midnight, I know it sounds early but people still come in for a late supper and I can only afford to buy so much drink and food with how few regular customers we get." Y/N nodded as Alice went on, "The chef works back there," she pointed to a door behind the bar, "So that's where you'll take order slips and pick up food. I'll take orders from the bar and you can cover the rest of the tables, if anyone bothers you don't be afraid to give em the boot! We might be tight on cash but I don't tolerate any funny business from the men round here. You got me honey?"
"Yes, ma'am," Y/N was glad to hear that Alice didn't take anyone's shit, "May I ask a question, Miss Brewer?"
"Of course dear, and you can just call me Alice."
"Well, Alice, is there a ton of trouble around here? Are muggings and robberies really common in the nearby alleyways?" Y/N asked, trying to sound like she wasn't plotting on how she was going to change that.
Alice sighed and nodded, "Yes, the three rooms up above are for the workin' girls who come in to escape an angry John who won't leave em alone. They were originally for customers who needed a place to sleep but those poor girls would run by all torn up and bruised I had to do something about it. I feel bad chargin' em but I need the cash and they get paid up front, unlike me."
"I see," Y/N muttered, "And that 'Guard Dog' you mentioned earlier, he won't do anything about it?"
Alice looked a little shocked that Y/N had heard her but she agreed, "Yes, he don't do shit about stuff like muggin' or robberies. Guess they aren't a big enough problem for Her Majesty to bother to care. What are ya thinkin' Y/N?"
"I'm thinking," Y/N said after a pause, "That I care and someone needs to take care of those asses who think they can get away with that forever." Alice was completely silent in shock. A small smile tugged at her lips.
"I believe you're absolutely right, Miss Y/N. So what are you going to do about it?"
Y/N explained her plan about working as a waitress for Alice while the pub was open and doing patrols after closing time. Alice listened patiently as Y/N went on about her plan, hoping she didn't sound too crazy. "Well," Alice finally said, "It sounds like a truly wonderful plan, really it does Y/N, but where would we get the money for a weapon for you to use?"
"That was my only problem: funds. And I'm not taking any of your money, I want to earn it myself, you need all you can get," Y/N sighed, it really wasn't the only hitch in her plan but it was the biggest one, she had taken self defense classes for almost as long as she could remember and if she could save up for a pistol she could just use scare factor for the most part and not actually have to get her hands dirty.
"Tips," Alice said after a while.
"What?"
"Tips, sometimes patrons leave some extra money if they had a real good meal. If we work extra hard we can save up enough to get you somethin' to protect yourself with and a cloak or somethin' to hide your identity." Y/N hadn't thought of that. "We can't have people knowin' who ya are or they might come back and try to hurt ya, or get ya arrested."
"Yeah," Y/N sighed, "You're right about that." Alice got up from her seat and Y/N watched her walk behind the bar and open a jar with coins in it. She took out most of them and gave them to Y/N.
"Originally I was savin' up to hire someone to clean away these cobwebs, but I can tend to that myself with you helpin' out now. I'll get Christopher to take you to the market and you can get yourself a cloak or head cover, maybe a nice scarf to cover that pretty face, and I'll as the cook for any spare knives they can lend ya for your patrols," Alice let out a fond laugh, "You've hardly been here a day and you're more ready to make a change than the people who been comin' to this pub for years!" And with that Alice left to find her son.
Christopher, despite not being able to read, had managed to guide Y/N to a shop selling scarves and other things of the sort. "And this one," said the clerk as she pulled out a midnight blue scarf, "This one has a special clip right here so you can get it to stay in place in rough winds and weather." Y/N looked at the price and then to the money she had in her hand. Alice had briefly explained to Y/N how the currency worked and she knew she had just enough to buy the scarf.
"I'll take it," Y/N said as she handed over the money. The clerk took it from her and handed her a bag with the scarf inside.
"Please come again!" the clerk called out as she waved Y/N off as she and Christopher left the shop.
"Why'd ya need a, need a scarf?" Christopher asked, he had a stutter Y/N had learned, he repeated usually about two words a sentence.
"Well, as much fun as working for your mom is gonna be, I need some extra work so I can get myself an apartment or a house one day, and to get my second job I need a scarf."
"Sounds like a weird, a weird job," Christopher observed.
"Yes it does," Y/N laughed and agreed. She hadn't lied to him, protecting her identity was a pretty important part of her plan to clean up the street.
It had been a few hours since sundown and people had come trickling slowly into the Dozy Dog for a drink and a cheap supper. Y/N had been taking orders perfectly and all the regulars that had come through so far had left large tips for the new help. So far no one had gotten the boot and most were still sober, the few who were a little buzzed had been cut off by Alice who was in a better mood than most insisted she had been in for a long time. "Thank you, miss," said a familiar voice, Y/N hadn't paid much attention to the faces of the people she had been serving but she almost mentally smacked herself when she looked up to meet his eyes. She was serving Fred Aberline! She made sure not to trip up or look too surprised. She passed it off as shyness as a "Thank you, sir," stumbled out of her mouth.
"I would actually like to ask you a question, miss." Y/N's heart was pounding, sure it was just Aberline but he was a real character from Black Butler! From what Y/N could remember easily he was quite polite, a little bit soft and very sweet. Y/N decided there was no harm in talking to him.
"Of course, what can I do for you, sir?"
"Well, it's just, I haven't seen you around these parts before, and you have a notable accent," Y/N mentally kicked herself, she should start trying to speak with an accent like theirs or people would keep picking up that she wasn't exactly from around there and get suspicious.
"Oh, well I was a traveler but I got lost and mugged. I can't go home and I had no place to stay so Miss Brewer offered me a room here in exchange for work, she's such an angel," Y/N said it in the most bubblegum cheery voice she could, if a random person just showed up and then people started getting their asses beat because Karma's a bitch, it would be pretty obvious who was behind it. Plus, happy workers get more tips.
"Oh my! Well I'm so sorry to hear that! I'm an officer, if you want to come down to the station I'm sure we can put together a sketch of who mugged you, miss!" He really was concerned and just as kind as Y/N remembered from the anime and books.
"It's fine," Y/N sighed, "those criminals don't actually exist," she thought bitterly, she hated lying to this many people at once. "I'm sure whoever did it will get caught eventually, especially with people like you on our side to protect us." Y/N flashed him a sweet smile before she excused herself to go greet another table.
"Huh," Aberline sighed to himself as he ate, "What a strange young woman."
The rest of the night had gone smoothly, no fights, no creeps and only a few more people asked about Y/N's origin, and every time she gave them the same story she gave Aberline: she was a mugged traveler who Miss Brewer was taking care of until she was back on her feet. After hearing that story some people left tips large enough to pay for another meal! Y/N felt a little bad about preying on the sympathy of others but she had been ripped out of her home and time, she wondered if anyone had noticed she was gone yet, she wasn't some crazy hermit in the woods. She had some family and friends who would want to know if she had any time to spend with them that summer, someone was sure to get nervous when she didn't pick up her phone and wasn't at the house where her phone and car were. It was just a matter of time before she became a missing persons. Y/N shoved those thoughts into the back of her mind as she escorted the last of the patrons out of the Dozy Dog before she locked the door and cleaned up and whipped off the tables one last time. Alice came from the kitchen with Y/N's scarf and two chef's knives. "I'll help ya tie up that scarf," Alice offered as she set the knives down on the table. As Y/N sat down Alice told her about how the chef was able to spare these two old chef's knives for her to defend herself, apparently the chef had been assaulted herself and was one of the reasons why Alice was so excited for someone to take action. "The sad part is, this ain't even the worst side of London, and yet nothin's being done to help us. Guess the 'Guard Dog' doesn't think much of us little people." Y/N had to stifle a laugh when Alice said 'little people', if only she knew that the Guard Dog was only 152 cm/5'1 in tall! Y/N also noticed how Alice always said 'Guard Dog' coated in sarcasm and venom, like she didn't really believe he existed and was just some stupid prank. After Alice clipped Y/N's scarf around her neck and handed her the blades she laughed a little to herself. "Miss Y/n, it hasn't been 24 hours since we've met and you've already gone an proven that you're one hell of a revolutionary woman!"
Y/N laughed at Alice's choice of words, "Yeah, I suppose I am! I just don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else tonight, I promise I'll be back by sunrise." Y/N had eaten some sugar filled cakes and drank some strong coffee to keep herself awake.
"You better be if you want to keep making a change, now go on and get to cleanin!" Y/N nodded at Alice's enthusiasm and left the pub, knives in hand, ready to take care of the people who would need help that night.
"One things for sure," Alice said once the door closed, "She sure is a strange waitress."