[Video]

[nofakes]

[Is this a familiar face? If so, where is the eyepatch?]

I will keep this short and sweet. I am looking for someone named Phantomhive. If you have a lead on where he might be staying, I would be most appreciative.

[A charming smile follows - he is so damn gentlemanly - but there is something off about him; something that is bound to cause unease.]

Beyond that, are you really expecting me to farm? Can I not hire skilled laborers instead?

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[sweetlies]

[A faint, insulted, huff.] Strange. They're comfortable and I don't need to have a cobbler made a new pair for me.

We used to, at least. It's been... a long time...

[nofakes]

[He snorts and rests his cheek on Astre's shoulder.]

I know everything there is to know about you. I've been watching you for years.

[sweetlies]

[He turns a puzzled gaze towards his twin.]

And how exactly have you been doing that?

[nofakes]

He took me with him. If you ever saw him with a carriage and coffin, I was there. I was in his shop too, but you didn't know.

[His voice is detached as he speaks of that time.]

[sweetlies]

Bollocks. [He'd have noticed. He had to have noticed. His face in a crowd, anywhere near Undertaker, the mortician would have stood out more with his carriage or a coffin. Astre knows he's not that oblivious...]

[nofakes]

[He chuckles and shrugs.] It's the truth. He was very good at hiding me from your eyes. You weren't always watching his movements.

[sweetlies]

[He can't think of one time he'd been with Undertaker that he'd had reason to watch him closely or ever suspect him of anything. Before the Campania incident, of course.]

I never had any reason to watch him closely.

[nofakes]

But we had every reason to watch you. [He stretches his arms over his head, making himself comfortable against Astre.] I heard you talking about Jack the Ripper, I saw you burn Kelvin's estate to the ground, I saw you competing at cricket...

[sweetlies]

[Astre stiffens slightly. Not from the contact but from hearing that.] How in the hell-

I hadn't planned on burning Kelvin's estate. Or to be involved in that cricket tournament. [Not originally.] How.

[nofakes]

He is very good at tracking your movements. You are not the first Phantomhive he has watched.

[It has to be unnerving; he can understand that.]

He means you no harm.

[sweetlies]

[It is. Very much so, actually.]

I know he doesn't. [A little scoff.] He and I have lived together for a year, he took care of me when I was sick or had amnesia or when I came out of surgery.

[nofakes]

Surgery? [He peers at Astre intently, touching the ever present eyepatch.] Is that how you broke it? You are very clever.

[sweetlies]

[He flinches back and away from the touch. It's healed but it still feels odd, and he doesn't like it being touched.] I wasn't planning on returning to England, so it didn't seem necessary to keep the contract seal.

[nofakes]

Most wouldn't have been brave enough to do it. [He brushes his lips against Astre's cheek.]

[sweetlies]

[He's still a little awkward about that much affection.]

Well, I'm certainly no coward.

[nofakes]

No, you've never been a coward. [He agrees, smiling with admiration.] You are silly.

[sweetlies]

[A soft huff.] How am I silly?

[nofakes]

You put too much pressure on yourself. [Thus silly.]

[sweetlies]

I disagree. [He's not sure how that makes him silly. Or that he actually has been doing that. Undertaker might side with Ciel though.]

[nofakes]

You can't disagree on this, brother. It's the truth. [He has noticed those dark expressions, baby bro.]

[sweetlies]

I can. It's a matter of opinion. [He'd never really thought of any of it as too much pressure on himself. Still doesn't, really, even if he doesn't care to shoulder that level of responsibility again for some time.]

[nofakes]

Disagreeing about the truth is a waste of time. [He grins and taps Astre's nose.] Even on the topic of being too hard on yourself you are being too hard on yourself. I know you spend a lot of time not feeling well, but you are my favorite.

[sweetlies]

[He frowns.]

I'm much stronger than you seem to be giving me credit for. It does happen to be a matter of opinion of whether I was or not. You can just tell me something and expect me to accept that.

[nofakes]

You are healthier. I'm glad. [He sighs and frowns a little himself.] I've seen you do so many things. But you still get sick sometimes.

[sweetlies]

Everybody gets sick sometimes. That's not out of the ordinary. And we're in a place where we won't end up dying of a bad cough.