Y/N and Ciel both paused for a minute, looking like deer in headlights. Had they heard him right? Was this their chance to finally get close to the P4? Before Y/N could ask Maurice to repeat himself, Ciel took their opportunity by the reins and instantly accepted the invitation with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Of course we accept!" He practically gushed, completely and totally out of his own character. It made Y/N feel a bit foolish, but she added onto his little show by gawking about what an honor it was to be personally invited to the Swan Gazebo.
"Really? I'm so glad!" Maurice beamed. "We'll be waiting at the Swan Gazebo at 4 p.m. tomorrow!"
"That sounds perfect," Y/N smiled. "Just to confirm, you said 4 p.m.?" Maurice nodded his head rapidly before he excused himself.
"See you later!" He called to Y/N and Ciel down the hallway as he disappeared with a wave. Y/N waved back and Ciel awkwardly smiled as the boy slipped away. It was mere seconds after Cole's gold curls disappeared around the hall corner that stomping echoed against the walls as if a wild stampede was loose in the building.
The entire classroom seemed to tackle Ciel and Y/N, every last student trying to interrogate them on what Maurice was like and what they had discussed. "You two are amazing!" McMillan's voice flooded their ears over everyone else's chatter.
"I'm so jealous! I wanna go too!" Another boy whined, causing even more of an up roar.
"Only the P4 and their entourage are allowed in the Swan Gazebo," a student whispered to Ciel and Y/N once they finally untangled themselves from the swarm.
"You'd better give us the details later, okay?" Someone they had never met insisted as he grabbed onto Y/N's arm, practically vibrating with excitement. And all the while as Ciel and Y/N were bombarded with questions and advice, Sebastian walked past them without so much as sparing them a glance. Y/N knew he heard what Maurice had told them, not a single syllable missing his demon ears. And she knew several other boy's had heard as well. Gossip would spread like wildfire in a contained school such as this, and it wouldn't surprise Y/N if the entire school knew that Ciel and Y/N were to meet with the P4 in the Swan Gazebo at 4 p.m. tomorrow. "But gossip hardly ever works in one's favor. And while they spread it like a disease, these boys will no longer envy us by 5 o'clock tomorrow evening. No amount of words spread will save us from a good, old social thrashing."
Y/N knew that even though she very loudly asked Maurice to reconfirm the time for their appointment, and several boys and Sebastian heard him say 4 p.m., when he changed his mind tomorrow, he'd change their ears too. Y/N wished there was a way she could warn Ciel, but at the same time, when he was in rare form, the kid could be rather brutal. So just this once, Y/N kept her mouth shut and just nervously smiled.
The sun had long set and now the only thing illuminating the school were the candles and torches lining the halls. It made for a perfect eerie atmosphere as Y/N and Ciel waited outside Sebastian's office. The two of them could hear him talking with another boy through the thick wooden door. It made both of them twitch in annoyance when Sebastian calmly explained to the boy what he had been doing wrong instead of beating his palms raw with a riding crop. They could hear the thumps of the boy's books as he closed them and collected them all in his arms. "Thanks ever so much!" They heard him gush as the boy reached for the door. "Good night, sir!"
The two nobles ducked into the shadows and watched the boy open and close the door as Sebastian told him 'good night'. The boy was grinning ear to ear as he scurried down the hallway. It appeared he was too distracted to notice Y/N and Ciel watching him from the shadows of an alcove. They waited for him to disappear around a corner before they crept over to Sebastian's office door. Ciel rapped his knuckles against the thick wood and Y/N said with an obnoxiously pitched voice, "Mister Michaelis! There's just so much I don't understand. Could you please explain it to me? Pretty please?" Y/N could feel Sebastian's glare from through the door as she and Ciel snickered under their breath. Eventually they heard a muffled, "come in," and did as they were told.
They made sure to close and lock the door behind themselves as the two slipped inside the office. "Why, now, don't you seem to be awfully popular, Mister Michaelis," Ciel sneered as Y/N tore off her jacket.
"Indeed," Sebastian agreed as he stood up from his desk. "They all praise my easily comprehensible explanations and my kindness."
"If only they knew about your real methods," Y/N huffed. "God I can't breathe in this thing," she muttered as she made quick work of the cinches and buckles on the back of her corset.
"Yes, if only they could experience those first hand," Ciel scoffed as he threw his own textbook down on Sebastian's desk. "But that is beside the point. We were invited to a P4 gathering tomorrow at 4 p.m." Ciel explained to his butler as he helped the Earl slip out of his jacket.
"I have heard," Sebastian mused as he collected both Y/N and Ciel's jackets and placed them to the side.
"This is a rare opportunity," Ciel sighed as he took the chair across from Sebastian's desk while Y/N threw herself into Sebastian's own cushy chair. She almost melted into it, she was so exhausted. "We must get the P4 and their inner circle to take a shine to at least one of us."
"Ciel preferably," Y/N spoke up. "I don't want to take too many chances with my disguise. One wrong slip and I'll be set to burn tied to a stake in the courtyard. I'm not second guessing my own skills, or either of yours, but I would prefer if we played this safe. I can get favors by looking and sounding more feminine, but if I let too much slip this whole mission is down the proverbial drain. Ciel can take whatever kind of a lead he would like, but just know I'm going to start falling behind a bit."
"That's likely for the best," Ciel agreed. "After all, only one of us can become Clayton's Fag. It would make his decision much easier to predict and plan accordingly if the right decision was more obvious. How will you go about fading into the background?"
"I'll start by talking less. Eventually the pressure will get to me and I'll stop doing such an amazing job on the chores he gives to us. It's basic but it should easily be enough to make you appear to be the obvious better choice," Y/N sighed. "But making you shine is just as important as making me seem a bit more dull. What shall we be putting into place to achieve that?"
"First, I must have tea cakes," Ciel grumbled as Sebastian finished pouring both nobles their cups of tea.
"Quite right, sir," Sebastian agreed as he finished up his preparations for their snacks.
"Why in blazes do I have to do something so inane like hand out cakes to children," Ciel muttered.
"Is it not adorably novel though?" Sebastian smirked. "You can win them over with real sweets instead of the monetary kind. However, I am due to coach cricket tomorrow at 4 p.m.... Which would you have me prioritize?" The demon asked as he served the two nobles their hot cups of tea.
"Since when did you coach?" Y/N couldn't help but ask as she tried not to laugh. "I can't really see you as much of an athletic or competitive type." Y/N was aware that Sebastian was most likely the most athletic being on the planet, and he showed a flash of his competitive nature during the curry competition against West. Still, Y/N was having a very difficult time entertaining the idea of Sebastian coaching a team of teenage boys in cricket.
"My duties as a Housemaster far exceed that of simply teaching and tutoring my students," Sebastian replied somewhat smugly. "If you order it, I can lay in wait nearby."
"I highly doubt we'll be coming to blows. We'll be fine on our own," Ciel sighed. "But, in exchange... I command you, Sebastian. Make me something that will knock the socks off the P4!"
Both the Earl and the Lady shared a cruel grin as the demon bowed before them. "Yes, my Lord."
There was then a sudden knock on the door. Y/N retied her corset in the blink of an eye and she had her jacket back on before the person knocking could even speak. "Mister Michaelis," they said through the door, "I've come across a part I was hoping you might explain to me."
"Come in," the demon told the boy once both Ciel and Y/N were properly redressed. Not a hair was out of place when the boy opened the door and walked inside.
"Pardon me," he sheepishly apologized as Ciel and Y/N cleared their books off of Sebastian's desk.
"Thank you so much for tutoring us," Ciel thanked Sebastian as Y/N waved hello to the boy who walked in.
"Everything makes much more sense now," Y/N added.
"My pleasure," Sebastian said as the two walked past the new student and towards the door.
"Well then, Mister Michaelis," Ciel bowed his head lightly as he and Y/N slipped out the door.
"Boys," Sebastian smirked. And for a minute, his eyes looked electric pink. "Good night."
Just as Y/N had predicted, everything was awful. She had never seen such anger on grown humans before, much less young boys. Each and every one of them were glaring at her and Ciel was such hatred, she was shocked neither her nor the Earl wilted like dying roses. Clayton was especially loathsome as he stood before the two and their picnic basket, his arms crossed and smoke almost billowing out from his ears. Y/N was worried that if he kept glowering at them with such intense rage, his face might forever be stuck conveying disappointment.
"Two hours late? Are you having us on, Phantomhive? Brewer?" Clayton yelled, making sure to get right in Ciel and Y/N's faces as he scolded them.
Both Ciel and Y/N traded confused looks. "W-we were told to come here at 4 p.m...." Ciel insisted as Y/N backed him up.
"Yes, that was the time Maurice told us when we were invited," Y/N swore, though she knew it was all for naught.
Because when Maurice Cole turned around to face the pair, in all his perfection, he looked dumbfounded. And for the first time possibly ever, Y/N was ready to wring a child's neck until he couldn't breathe. "Eh? But I told you quite specifically, didn't I? That we would be expecting you at 2 p.m.!"
Ciel almost dropped the basket he was holding, and Y/N almost dropped several words that would certainly get her a 'Y' for each one. But instead of cursing, Y/N instead said, "But I even asked you to confirm the time to meet again. You said 4 p.m.!"
"That's enough," a painfully familiar voice cut her off. "Making excuses at this stage of the game only makes you look like a poor sport, Ciel! I know you are aware of that, and I hope your friend realizes it as well."
"Edward!" Ciel choked out. Y/N had warned Ciel that his cousin attended Weston, but neither of them had done so much research that it was known he was a Fag to the P4. And beside Clayton, he was probably the most angry. Y/N had never been afraid of Edward, mostly because he always seemed to painfully tame. But looking at him now, light goosebumps stood up on her forearms.
"I was a fool for having even a little faith in you..." Edward mumbled as his fists began to shake. "You! You've betrayed my expectations, as well as those of my seniors!" Although he was still very clearly angry, Y/N thought for a moment that Edward might cry. And she wouldn't blame him in the slightest. He had undoubtedly vouched to get Ciel a meeting with the P4, and then spoke highly of Ciel's ability to choose friends in order to get Y/N in as well. Even though it was clear he had no idea who Y/N was, most likely because of his rage fogging his vision, he probably stuck up for her just for Ciel's sake. It made Y/N feel a bit guilty, but how would she have justified the idea of showing up for the meeting two hours 'early'?
"I deeply apologize for-"
"Get out!" Edward shouted over Y/N. If he had anything in his hands, she would've expected him to throw it at her. But instead of waiting for the noble to pick up a weapon, Y/N and Ciel retreated from the gazebo. Y/N made sure she was blocking Ciel if Edward did decide to let out a bit of his anger on them.
"Damn! We've been had!" Ciel cursed as he let out a bit of his own anger by launching the basket across Sebastian's study. Y/N probably would've thrown Sebastian's chair in anger if Ciel hadn't sat in it. "This is why I loathe verbal agreements! Give it to me in writing!"
"I'm going to strangle that prick myself," Y/N shouted as she slammed a hand down onto Sebastian's desk, making it rattle dangerously as the wood creaked.
"Dear, oh dear," Sebastian hummed in amusement. "You let your guard down because you were dealing with a student. Humans envy those who excel. It is not as though you have never experienced such envy aimed at you."
Y/N snatched a dessert and her tea off of the tray Sebastian was holding. "If I wasn't starving I would throw this at you."
"Have you explained yourself and apologized to Lord Edward?" Sebastian asked his master, completely ignoring Y/N's threat.
"Doing so would be lost on someone of his ilk," Ciel muttered as he took his own dessert and tea from his butler. "And we did in fact break the appointment," the Earl admitted as he began to pick at the cream and strawberries on the dessert.
"Then will you leave things as they are and simply cry yourself to sleep tonight?" Sebastian teased the two nobles, causing Y/N to fight the urge to smash her dessert on the back of his head and causing Ciel to stab into a strawberry and say, "I think not!"
"Whatever it takes, I will find a way to make the Prefects bring at least one of us into their inner circle. And I'll also settle my accounts without fail!" Ciel declared.
"Violence is hardly my last resort. However, in the case of Maurice Cole, I would love to tenderly take my time picking him apart psychologically before I tear him to pieces with brute strength. Ciel can have at him all he would like, but just know I also have books to balance," Y/N stated in a hauntingly calm tone.
"Then it is decided," Ciel smirked as he bit down on the strawberry he skewered. "We shall make you regret squandering our efforts... Maurice Cole!"
Almost an hour had passed, and still Ciel and Y/N were yet to reach an agreement on how to exact their revenge on the Red House Prefect's Fag. Y/N had proposed the majority of their ideas, almost all of them violently illegal or otherwise immoral. After Ciel shot down her most recent idea because of its dangerous involvement of fire, they both decided to cease plotting and instead focus on what they knew about their enemy. "He's obviously a snake pretending to be a boy," Y/N hissed. "I mean did you see the way they all instantly believed him? Edward included. He's got to have very strong rapport for the brother of your own fiancèe to take his side before yours."
"Yes, and he must be a pathological liar," Ciel insisted.
"What makes you say that?" Sebastian asked as he cleared away the nobles' empty cups and plates.
"Did you see his hands?" Ciel asked his demon and Y/N.
"His hands?" Sebastian repeated.
"They're perfect, just like the rest of him," Y/N huffed.
"The hands of the Fags in school tend to be blistered and chapped from running errands for the upperclassmen," Ciel elaborated. "However, his hands are white and pure as the driven snow..."
"Which can only mean he's relying on the labor of others doing his dirty work, all while he swoops in at the last moment to take credit for it," Y/N muttered as she slumped back into her chair. "Brat..."
"So he too is resorting to dirty tricks, like you both, young Master?" Sebastian added with a smile.
"That last part was wholly uncalled for," Ciel muttered before he agreed with the demon. "Besides, the way he categorically lied to me without so much as faltering tells me I'm right.
"As badgers of the same sett, I expect you would be able to identify him by smell," Sebastian quipped as he hid the dirty dishes Y/N and Ciel had eaten off of.
"While we failed to do so, I believe he did not," the Earl muttered. "He was rather curious about James. It appears he has been the only person sly enough to recognize a fellow of his own ilk."
"Yes, I'm afraid girlish charm is wasted on him," Y/N admitted in defeat. "I'll take care not to let any slip in front of him again. He looked ready to piece me apart on the spot once I spoke to him. He also was smart and didn't verbally agree that 4 p.m. was the arranged time when I asked him."
"However, many students in our class likely heard you asking for clarification and did not hear a denial and correction," Ciel pointed out. "We can prove the falsehood in his statement with no trouble, but..."
"Proving he lied once won't be enough to put an end to all of this. Nor would it be as satisfying as destroying his whole facade."
"Y/N is right," Ciel hummed as he thought for a moment. "Sebastian, find others who have been entrapped by Cole as we were. And I also want you to thoroughly investigate Maurice's behavioral patterns and habits. Y/N could easily observe him as well, but from what she's pieced together about the workings of this school's social circles it appears it would be best for the two of us to stick together."
"I agree wholeheartedly. We're a kid and a crippled boy with amnesia, if anyone in this school is the prime target for more than light bullying, it's us I'm afraid."
And Y/N was once again correct. Even before class began the next day, boys were whispering about Ciel and Y/N left and right. Even McMillan seemed to be a bit distant as he left Y/N and Ciel to sit by themselves at morning tea. It was like they were oil mixed in water, repelling everything around them. Both of them were used to it to a certain degree, but it was taken to a new level when someone shouted names at Y/N for her faux injuries. And if he hadn't been watching carefully, Ciel would've had his top hat and textbooks stolen.
"This is ridiculous," Y/N hissed under her breath as a boy looked directly at her and whispered to his friend 'Did you hear?'
And the morning continued like that, conversations about the two only ending when class started then picking up right where they left off after the bell. "Word has it they skipped out on a meeting with the P4!" and "I'm amazed they're still in one piece!" were hissed from mouth to ear all morning. Y/N had been expecting as much, her own experiences in her twenty-first century school giving her a little preparation for what might happen at Weston. But she could tell that even with her warning, Ciel was still amazed with how quickly the rumors and the consequences thereof escalated.
"Think of them like little worker ants," Y/N told the Earl. "They'll blindly follow their Queen until their deaths, never once thinking for themselves. And some are stupid enough to bring poison back to the hive for all to feast on. All we need to do is wait for the poison to take effect and then we'll be in the clear."
Ciel couldn't help but smirk a bit at Y/N's words. "And you're sure of that?"
"Please, I'm positive. After all, taking apart teen royalty is nothing like taking down a real Queen. And I believe we could do the latter in the blink of an eye. Don't you?" Y/N smiled as she looked up and noticed three boys cutting their eyes at her and whispering to each other. The young lady just smiled brightly and waved before giving them a beautiful display of her middle finger. "This issue will be resolved soon enough. You have my word."
The rest of the day, Y/N and Ciel managed to slip out from under the scrutinizing stares of their peers and tailed Maurice Cole like shadows. During Fag time, they followed him through the school's grounds all the way to Red House. Like Purple House, the Red House had impeccable defenses. Unlike the Purple House, however, the Red House was not guarded by students but rather by guards and their dogs. Maurice walked through the gates with ease, waving and smiling to the guards as he did while they saluted him. Y/N and Ciel both decided it was not worth their efforts to follow him farther inside. Y/N could've easily handled the guards, but she didn't know if she could take care of them and their dogs fast enough without feeling a tad bit guilty for hurting a puppy that was just doing its job.
After class, the two also tailed Maurice to the Red House's cricket practice at 5. They watched from behind the safety of a tree as Maurice lathered Redmond in praise for his skills. Y/N wanted to throw up. The things Maurice said to his upperclassmen were things that only crossed her mind when it came to teasing, but the Fag meant every last word. Or at least, he very convincingly lied to the point of where he even fooled himself. It was clear that 'doing Redmond's chores' wasn't the only way Maurice built his rapport with the P4, but his impeccable flattery as well. Being in the Red House meant he came from a wealthy family, and Y/N was willing to bet that Maurice mastered flattery at parties and functions before he even learned to walk.
After school was done for the day, Y/N and Ciel once again met with Sebastian in his office. There they exchanged information as Y/N and Sebastian swapped notes back and forth. "I came across approximately four students who had fallen victim to the wiles of Maurice Cole," Sebastian concluded as he showed Y/N the four names he had collected.
"Just as I thought," Ciel nodded as Y/N wrote down the names in her notebook under the section for Red House.
"Not only that, but it is highly likely that he leaves the majority of his Fag duties to other students. For example, making Soufflè Glacè requires at least a few hours of chilling. It would be impossible for him to make it during Fag time alone without anybody assisting him," Sebastian concluded.
"That means he likely has some of the staff under his thumb as well. It wouldn't be all that surprising," Y/N muttered. "Though the staff might not even realize that the treats they make for him aren't actually being eaten by him, and instead are being eaten by Redmond. The staff are more isolated from the students than most realize. As far as they may know, Maurice asks them to make desserts and snacks for him because he's too busy to do it himself."
"A likely possibility. Aside from the teaching staff, many of this school's employees are paid to do their work without being noticed. The cooks in the kitchen would be none the wiser to Maurice's plot," Sebastian speculated.
"Then I say we leave them alone. In all reality, him pretending to cook is the least of our concerns surrounding him. I'd like to know more about his movements in Red House, but..." Ciel trailed off. "Since I have you taking care of our chores during Fag time and Y/N is busy watching our own backs... We need another pawn in Red House, where Maurice resides." Ciel leaned back into Sebastian's chair as he groaned in frustration. "And let's not forget it was Derrick's House as well."
"I don't doubt Maurice probably played in the same circles as our missing man. But a House transfer for either of us at this time would be suspicious, especially considering our known grudge against Maurice," Y/N stated as she set down her pen and notebook, crossing her arms.
"And I cannot recommend creating another vacancy by force. Especially in such a short time..." Sebastian added as he too dove into thought. "Besides, even if someone is offered a place, he cannot choose the House in which he is to reside. House assignments depend on one's social status and the like-mindedness of one's personality."
"I've got an idea, but neither of you are going to like it," Y/N admitted sheepishly as the Earl and butler looked at her. "Well, we need a pawn in Red House, right? So we need someone we know and can trust with a better pedigree than even Ciel. He needs to be completely loyal to us and willing enough to do whatever we say without question. And if he's going to spy on Maurice for us, he needs to be plenty social and likable to all his classmates so they don't suspect him of snooping. And possibly most importantly: he needs to be so impressively important and wealthy that even a school without a vacancy will welcome him with open arms." Y/N watched as both her friends' faces fell into misery. "I hate to say it, but aside from Edward, we only know one person who meets all those criteria."
"I absolutely, positively do not want to send for him!" Ciel groaned as he rubbed his temple.
"However, he is indeed a rather special individual who satisfies all the conditions Lady Y/N has laid out before us," Sebastian argued, though like Ciel he did not seem thrilled with Y/N's suggestion.
"We have no other choice," Y/N sighed as Ciel crossed his arms and huffed in annoyance. "I don't like it either, but who else can we rely on? None of my friends are high enough in class, and most of them are women who wouldn't be willing to wear one of these binders everyday. Bard and Lau are both too old and lack the skills inherited with wealth. Finny is well... It would be disastrous to say the least. And Edward already attends this school and is in Green House. Besides, he practically hates us..."
The room was filled with silence as Ciel just glared at Y/N then at the floor then back to Y/N. He was wracking his brain for any other solution, but he was finding none. "What about that girl from the Kelvin manor?"
"Lydia? She's like eight," Y/N rolled her eyes, "besides she's still in recovery and illiterate. Not to mention poor."
"And the actual Brewer boy?"
"He's six," Y/N deadpanned. "And before you ask, I lost contact with Cat when we abandoned the Circus. I also don't write Professor Doyle in my spare time if that answers your next question. And that butler chap you told me to write to is literally ancient. Also, everyone I've listed thus far are too poor to be even considered for this school, much less to make it into Red House. Face it, kid, he's our only option."
There was another short silence before Ciel cursed to himself, "damn... Needs must when the devil drives, I suppose..."
"We have to take advantage of anything we can use..."