"So where are we going again?" asked Ceil.
"We're going to go meet my pen pal." Said Mercy.
"What! What about that fugitive your supposed to be catching? This is a job not some social event." Said Ceil.
"He's also my informant. Now stop complaining we're here." Said Mercy as she pointed to a sign that read "Undertaker".
"What! Here?!?!....Ughhh... Why am I not surprised." Grunted Ceil as they all walked inside the Undertakers parlor.
"Ehehe... Well well if it isn't Lord Phantomhive. Tell me what bring's you and your lovely friend here... Mmmm my her skin looks like it should be darker but it's very pale." Said Undertaker as he observed Mercy. "Mmm you look like your on the brink of death my dear, would you mind if I measured you for a coffin?' He asked.
"Of course. I promised I would let you when I met you in person Undertaker." Said Mercy as Undertaker realized who she was.
"Mercy? Is that you?" said Undertaker as he hugged his former pen pal. "Oh if I had known you were coming for a visit I wouldn't have sent you that letter. Shame on you for not telling me you were coming." He said.
"Oh but I did. I guess I bested the arrival of my letter." She said.
"What are we doing here!?!?" Yelled Ceil.
"Ugh... You'll have to forgive him he's cranky today." She said.
"I'm not cranky I'm frustrated because we're supposed to be capturing a fugitive not meeting friends!" Said Ceil.
"Oh fine, kill joy, Undertaker I need some information on a woman by the name of Beatrice Kincaid. Otherwise known as Billie the kid. Do you know anything about her?" She asked.
"Hmmm... I do have some information on that actually. But it's going to cost you one of your side splitting jokes my friend." Said Undertaker.
"Alright but then we have to get really serious." She said as she prepared to tell the joke.
"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Laughed the Undertaker and Grell after she told the joke. Sebastian and Ceil however thought the joke was in bad taste.
"That wasn't a joke, it was just dark." Said Ceil.
"Agreed, even I thought it was rather disturbing." Said Sebastian.
"Hmmm... Well maybe it's our line of work that make that joke funny to us." Said Grell.
"Yes, Being surrounded by what we surround ourselves everyday or every other day is what would a joke like that funny to us." Said the undertaker.
"Alright now give me the information you have on Billie." Said Mercy.
"Oh very well then." He said as moved a coffin to the center of the room. "This here's a fellow that was staying at that Vi count Druitt's. If you look at his chest you'll see Billie's signature and if you take a look underneath his trouser you'll see he's been castrated." Said the Undertaker as he pointed at the dead man in the coffin.
"Wait the Vi count? What does he have to do with this?" asked Ceil.
"Probably everything or maybe nothing.... Where was this guy visiting from?" Asked mercy.
"He was visiting from France. He was some rich socialite." Said the Undertaker.
"Grell look... A love bite." She said pointing at the dead mans neck.
"Oh... My she must have had fun with him before killing him." Said Grell. "My what an awful woman. Who plays with a man only to castrate him. Even I wouldn't do that to someone, I wouldn't even wish it on ex lover." Said Grell.
"Hmmm... I know what you mean. I didn't even think of this to happen to my ex husband. She's twisted isn't she, something must have happened to her when weren't looking." Said Mercy.
"I know. I once reaped the soul of a woman who did something like this to her father after he violated her. Later that month she hung by the law... Do you think someone actually had the courage to do that Billie? After all she was taught by you, and anyone who knows you does tend to be in the crowd that is quiet fearsome." Said Grell.
"Wait you taught her?!?!" Said Ceil.
"You were married?" Said Sebastian as Ceil gave him the "Really?" look.
"Yes and yes... She was a promising little marks-woman so I decided to take her on as an apprentice. Turns out she only agreed to learn from me to get revenge on a man who had rejected her and then rob him. After that she became a criminal for hire, and every now and then she'd be her own boss or run a gang. It all depends on her mood or what she feel like doing." She said.
"So what mood is she in if she chose to flee to England then?" Ceil asked.
"Her mood is "get away from me Mercy there's no going back for me now" kind of mood." She said. "I was trying to get her turn herself in. I said that if she did they would go easy on her, she is a woman after all."
"And then she must have fled... My lady does have a tendency to deliver blinding truth. Oh Mercy tell me what it's like to always be right." Said Grell as he hugged his Mistress.
"Alright enough of this lets go find Druitt. Maybe he can tell us what we want to know." Said Ceil.
"Oh about that. He's having a ball tonight so speaking to him right now is a no go... unless you crash the party. ehehe." Said the Undertaker.
"Well then I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow to talk to him... I'm not going to another one of the bounders party's." Said Ceil.
"Well me and Grell are going... And so are you and Sebastian." She said.
"What no way in hell am I going! and neither is Sebastian." Said Ceil.
"Oh yes you are. Your going wheter you like it or not." She said.
"Oh no I'm not. And there's nothing you can do that will change my mind." He said.
"What about your queen or you reputation? Will that change your mind?" She said as Ceil did a double take.
"Wh..What do you mean my reputation?" Said Ceil.
"Well I know why you don't want to go to the Vi counts ball... Tell you what I'll let you dress like a boy for this one. That way you don't have to pretend to be a little robin." She whispered in his ear.
"H..how do you.. How do you know about that?" Said Ceil.
"I'm afraid I couldn't help myself. I just had to share that bit of gossip with my lady!" Admitted Grell.
"Ughhh! Fine we'll go!" Said Ceil before storming out of the parlour.
"My Mercy your very persuasive." Said Sebastian. "I'm just curious how you couldn't hold onto your husband."
"He left me first and then he was struck by a carriage when he decided he still loved me." She said. "He died. But who cares it's none your business so what does it matter." She said as she gave him a cold stare.
"Oh I do apologize I was unaware the answer would be so depressing." Said Sebastian.
"Well then maybe you shouldn't of asked." She said as she took Sebastian's hand. "But take this a token."
"Oh alright then." Said Sebastian as his hand began to burn. "Oh...... My. What uhh... lovely gesture...." he said as he grunted in pain and took his hand back.
Gahhhhhh!!!! It burns!!!!! What the hell kind of a glove is that! I can feel the embroidering through my glove!
"Everything alright Sebastian?" Asked the Undertaker after Mercy had walked out of the parlor.
"Oh... uhhh yes. Everything is fine. We'll be leaving now. Good bye." Said Sebastian with his hand under his arm. Grell had already helped Ceil and Mercy into the coach and he himself was already inside. This gave him a chance to take a look at his hand.
What? There's no burn on my glove, but if I take it of thre's a burn. That symbol I've seen it before... But... But how? Where would she of all people obtain gloves like.... Her brother she said his name was Pastor James! What if he gave them to her in case of.... No that's preposterous... She must have thought they were just fashionable... The token must have been the hand shake.
"Sebastian what's taking so long!" Shouted Ceil. "Lets get going."
"Y..Yes my lord. I apologize for the stale." Said Sebastian.
That hand shake was just a small taste Sebastian. You'll see what these gloves can really do.
They went back to the Phantomhive manor to prepare themselves for the ball. Ceil was going to wear his blue suit, he was also going to carry a small hand pistol with him. Just in case he got kidnapped. Again. Mercy however was going to wear a red dress with black trim, with selves that would show off her lovely shoulders. She would also be carrying the pistols that slide up her sleeve, a hunting knife, a small bottle of nitroglycerin, a pack of 100 throwing knives, several bottles of sedative, and a lock picking kit. You can never be too careful in a situation like this. Especially when dealing with a former human trafficker.
"Mercy." Said Grell. "Are you sure this is all necessary?" Asked Grell. "I mean, you already know how to fight with your bare ands and win but... I think this is a bit.... Excessive." Said Grell.
"Well you know how I do work." She said. "Just do as I say and this will go smoothly for everyone." She said.
"Oh fine. Yes my lady. Whatever you say." He said as he finished tying her dress. "There your all ready!"
"Good, then lets go." Said Ceil from the door way.
If you wanted to know what the joke was and why Ceil and Sebastian thought it was bad, it's becuase it was a dead baby joke. Only people who work around things like that or are in to that sort of thing would actually think it's funny.