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[A smooth, sedulous voice answers:]

You have reached Claude Faustus, butler to the Earl Alois Trancy. How may I be of service?

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[There's an audible sigh of relief from her. Hannah has been holding that air in for a while; she's lost track of the minutes, really. But it screams of relief and discarded tension. There's a short pause; the sound of rustling as Hannah smooths down her dress.

When she speaks, her voice is still subdued and withdrawn.]

Ah, yes. That's fine. I'll be there shortly.

[And Hannah finds a kind of irony in running crying to Claude. She doesn't have it in her to find it funny.

She's a little slower than usual. Her body is listless and tired from being angry and miserable and it takes her fifteen minutes to get there. She isn't sure how she should be feeling. That gets to her because she had thought she had figured this out by now. How emotions work and what is appropriate to feel and what is not. It's frustrating to be feel so overwhelmed by them.

And then she can't even find it in her to be really surprised by the tent, or by anything really. She coughs quietly to get Claude's attention, but that's it. She doesn't wait for him to invite her in. She walks in immediately after coughing and sits herself down in the lounge chair closest to him. She finds she would very much like to kick her shoes off and curl up with her knees drawn up to her chest.

She doesn't, but she keeps thinking about it.]

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[As soon as Hannah sits down, Claude looks up and finally acknowledges her presence with a nod. His expression is plain, if somewhat resigned, like he's getting ready to console her that there's nothing they can do about it. Alois and Luca have a great deal of happier history with Jack Vessalius, don't they, so what can they do to prevent him from legally taking away their charges?

Then, Claude smiles. It's not a nice smile, but she'll know its malice isn't meant for her. A smile like this is more or less conspiratorial in its promise of pain.]

Hannah, it's going to be all right. [The authority in his voice--he is sure of this.] I have a plan.

[He lifts his hand and pats the couch cushion beside him, gently indicating she should come closer. If she needs someone to lean on, then he's perfectly all right with it being him.]

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[His voice breaks through slowly. It's I have a plan that cracks through completely and Hannah looks at him surprised and then thinks, I really shouldn't be surprised at all. If she looks even more relieved, then it is only because she is - but then she is also conflicted.

Hannah doesn't want to lose Luca to someone she barely knows. Her spite and cunning would take her over if she really let it. The problem is, Hannah doesn't want to hurt Luca.

Luca likes Jack Vessalius.

Hannah doesn't want things to escalate, but more than that she doesn't want Luca Macken to be taken away from her. Hannah doesn't have a contract to hold onto like Claude or Sebastian and that makes her feel all the more hollow inside.

She drags herself to her feet and then sits down beside him. She considers if it's appropriate to lean her head on his shoulder. She does it anyway.]

Do you?

[She sounds drained, but that doesn't make her any less interested.]

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[To be honest, it's much better to be on Claude's good side, working with him, than anywhere else. This way there's less a chance of everyone dying in the denouement.]

Yes, and I do wish to share it with you.

[Claude angles his body a little, accommodating her head on his shoulder, and slides the laptop over so she can better see its screen. He has uploaded numerous conversations from his NVs onto this computer, preparing a narrative that he will click through and Hannah can read while he explains.]

First of all, some necessary exposition...

As said before, I have been closely observing our master to better understand how he has changed in our absence. I'm not going to waste your time with his before as much, but what you ought to know is that he remained mistrustful of adult men, no matter how "good" their intentions. It took a great deal of effort on Jack Vessalius' part to be acceptable to our master, and even then, their relationship was delicate and stained with suspicion. Last month, after Jack Vessalius disappeared from Siren's Port, our master reacted poorly (http://sirenspull.livejournal.com/1085583.html?thread=165831823#t165831823) to what he viewed to be betrayal of his tenuous trust. You'll recall that, in his spite, he asked me to continuously replace the locks on the entire estate.

[The way Claude talks about Alois is just plain affectionate. His master when scorned is a sight to behold, they know by now, and Claude can't stop his voice from lilting with love.]

Of course, Jack Vessalius did decide to return, but our master reacted by being contemning of and unapproachable to him (http://sirenspull.livejournal.com/1107164.html?thread=170574556#t170574556). This caused a divide in their hearts that has yet to mend--an important one I plan to exploit. [He isn't even ashamed of himself, since he'll be a bastard if Hannah won't be.]

It surprised me when Jack Vessalius introduced himself to me as Alois Trancy's father (http://sirenspull.livejournal.com/1027159.html?thread=154910039#t154910039), seeing as our master should have had little to no interest in fathers. [Alois never properly appreciated his biological one, who died when the Macken children were young; if anything, it gave Alois the beginning of his abandonment complex. What's worse, Lord Trancy is more closely associated with the idea of a father, and that's not the best comparison to make.] For our master to have changed that much was unbelievable, which required me to investigate:

There is a very deep disconnect between Jack Vessalius' and Alois Trancy's intentions for one another.

Hannah, believe me when I say that I know Alois Trancy best. [He turns his head slightly so he can speak into her hair. Smells nice, he thinks, and he doesn't follow that up with an uglier addendum.] Ciel Phantomhive and Jack Vessalius expect our master to be perfectly receptive of guardianship, when I know that he perfectly won't be. The tipping point will be his only brother. Alois Trancy even more ardently than you will refuse to have Luca Macken "belong" to someone else.

[His voice gets lower and darker as he keeps clicking along.]

To make the situation all the more disturbed, there is also a growing conspiracy against us by Jack Vessalius (http://sirenspull.livejournal.com/1150142.html), his Vincent Nightray (http://sirenspull.livejournal.com/1150935.html?thread=178348503#t178348503), and others, likely forged from their loyalty to Ciel Phantomhive.

I plan to inform our master of all that I know. No longer ignorant, he will feel his hard-fought independence being threatened from at least two different directions. Nothing can be considered as happening on his terms, which they've yet to understand is crucial to him.

His love for Luca Macken and attachment to me will do everything we are unable to.

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[There is a very slow, very careful smile that twitches and spreads into life across Hannah’s face. It is not a nice smile. It is a smile not unlike that of a predator preparing to strike. Hannah keeps it very controlled and very tight, but Hannah wouldn’t be able to keep it from her face even if she tried. Relief becomes pleased and then pleased becomes proud, because this is careful and precise and planned. Hannah doesn’t give much care into remember the Claude Faustus she has known, from the days where there afternoons filling Alois Trancy’s bedroom with bluebell’s. Sour, stagnant blood springs to mind, along with bitter, resentful jealousy. But Hannah remembers his cunning and precision before his perception became skewered by Ciel Phantomhive. Hanna thinks, why am I ever surprised with anything he does?

For the most part, Hannah has been terribly apathetic to Jack Vessalius. Luca Macken likes him, and that has been all that matters. Except now – Hannah wants to laugh at his brazenness. At his ludicrousness and absolute gal. Any and all passive drains out of her and in it’s place, there is a fierce possessiveness. Renewed and burning, because Luca Macken, Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus – they are Hannah Anafeloz’s family, and Hannah has and had and is and will always, work damn hard to keep them. Hannah has endured and tolerated and has done a damn lot, and it is so terribly amusing to listen and watch the extent of how far Jack Vessalis is willing to go.

She is very quiet during it all. Does not interrupt, and listens so very carefully and takes in every detail with careful ears and eyes.

She feels somewhat insulted that this man had the ego to think himself her master’s father before now. Her fingers twitch on her lap, but Hannah’s smile stays in place and the urge to laugh rises and rises until she lifts a hand to cover her mouth and she swallows it down. There’s an old feeling of resentment too, when Claude says believe me when I say I know Alois Trancy best. It doesn’t matter.

Not when there is just a swell of gratitude in her chest.]

Claude- [and she stops herself short, pauses and then starts again.] Claude. You are quite, [and she pauses again, searching for the right word. She hasn’t looked away from the laptop yet.] I’m not sure I have a word.

[Hannah wants to embrace him in gratitude. Instead, she turns her head and presses her lips against his cheek in gratitude and relief. She heard that adoring tone earlier too, by the way and when she sits back from him, she no longer looks so exhausted.]

I won’t stop you. [And she won’t. But: her smile drops just the slightest in concern.] But be careful.

[She means: don’t jump into deep waters you cannot swim in. She isn’t concerned that Jack will be able to kill Claude, but Alois Trancy is fragile and Hannah needs him and Luca to be OK before anything else.]

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[Claude smiles just as carefully.] I'll take your speechlessness as a compliment, [he says, once he's satisfied with watching the progression of Hannah's emotions away from despair. It should be strange to be some hateful creature that's so invested in hope, but he never feels better than getting to feed off the happiness of another. Living vicariously, he enjoys Hannah's gratitude and relief as if it were his own. He won't have any exhilaration to know as his own until he gets confirmation that his threads are still wrapped tightly around Alois, when Alois is reacting in just the way that he should be.

After all, there's always a chance of failure for an Alois that spent nine months without him. By now, Claude thinks he knows enough to anticipate what Alois will do about the coming crossroads. Even without intervening, with just letting things flow, Claude is sure Alois would still reject Jack's generous but ill-informed offer. Perhaps Alois would warm up to it with enough loving cajoling, but Claude's intervention will make sure nothing like that can happen.

In the meantime, he turns his head toward her after the kiss, which was familiar for how chaste and dreamlike it seemed. They've undoubtedly shared similar sweet sentiments in nirvana. He thinks about them, and there, and his family, and all he's decided he'd like to protect.

Oh, her words. What she's saying about being careful.]

Would you really claim that you're worried? [He sounds curious, for real. There are so few people who have cared about his welfare over thousands of years. The most prominent at present would be his human master, who had to be forced into a certain dependency--if Claude feels too self-aware of his own evil, Alois doesn't count as caring due to the coercion. It might be that Hannah only cares for him by proxy. It might be that is good enough for him anymore, so he breathes in and says,] I'm not going to make a mistake, [while nudging into her cheek with his nose. It's a weirdly affectionate, doglike gesture, but they are just semi-wild animals at the end of the day.

Simultaneously and slowly, he settles one hand over her flat stomach, where he can feel the suppressor's womb and the sword that resides inside it.]

Besides, Jack Vessalius hasn't the faintest idea what would destroy me is right in front of him.

[He kisses her cheek back, then, softly stroking the spot with the admiration it deserves. No matter how poorly he treats the sheath, he has and always will revere the weapon. It's not often you get to wield something that is known for its influence in godly legends.]

I promise you, [he murmurs into her ear,] that His Highness' convictions will become Luca Macken's. Our family will remain intact because of it; neither of them will be taken away from you.

[The only unknown variable is how this will affect Alois' relationship with Ciel, who has already agreed to Jack's proposal and was so convinced that Alois would concede.]

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[It's all very heartwarming, really. For a moment, Hannah recalls them being this unified in Nirvana. Recalls discussion and equality and being on the same side of things. She recalls a lot of things, sometimes because she is so terribly afraid of forgetting. She leans into him and she is aware of the implications of the touch, but Hannah has never minded being a weapon for the sake of Alois Trancy. Jack Vessalius will not learn of Laevateinn from Hannah's mouth, not by her own convictions.

But really - Hannah is just relieved that Luca will not be taken from her. Relieved and satisfied and she places a hand over Claude's. She's relieved but she is worried. Because while Laevateinn is within herself, Hannah is aware there are angels in this city. There are things beyond them and Hannah cares, after all. Her fingers curl around his hand and she turns her head to face him as much she can and lowers her voice on instinct.]

Jack is not the only man or being in this city who cares about or Master. I trust you and your precision, but- [and at that she pulls her head from his and raises raises her hand to rest against his cheek.] Caring for you - for all of you - also means that I worry for you.

I'm simply asking to ask for help of you need it, and keep a clear head.

[Which, Hannah doesn't doubt entirely, but it feels better just to say it.]

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[stabilimentum.livejournal.com]

[One of Claude's highest priorities is to catalogue and keep track of every holy and/or powerful construct that might seek to end him and his own. Thus far, it doesn't look like anyone but Jack Vessalius is willing to tango, which is as much disappointing as it is a relief. Claude is eager to prove himself by protecting his ill-gotten family; he wants to have actions to back up uncharacteristic, valiant intentions. Demons aren't meant to be so sociable in the long run--probably from some decree of the Father's--but Claude is feeling kind of rebellious this morning.

Hannah's hand is on his cheek, though, so he turns and presses his mouth to her palm with his lips only parted a little. Compared to her, he feels much colder, like he's ice and she's water--he's beginning to thaw from being this close. Eyelids lower than usual, he seems alluring in an eerily intense way, especially when his lips form soundless words that might be have faith.

Then, before he can corrupt her dark, perfect fingers with his tongue, he turns away from her and smiles at her again.]

Repeating my mistakes is something I'm very invested in avoiding. [He's so pleased with himself after that, honestly. To gain Hannah's support is like getting a blank cheque for pure strength. Exhilaration!] If our master is to become a battleground, then the last thing I'll be is unprepared to defend him.

[He shifts and leans forward until he can reach and grab one of the NVs sitting on the glass table. The device is plain and plainly shaped, unlike most models that Newcomers arrive with, but anonymity is the point of this one. Returning to her, he takes her hand and pushes the NV into it, in extra-firm ceremony, as if handing off a talisman against evil.]

This is for you, Hannah. With this, you may see any post on the Network regardless of whom it is filtered away from.