Yes it's KH, yes it's Kuro, yes we're crazy.It's ours, shoo!

[Caustos_Seraphim]

Something was wrong...And William hated when things were wrong. Abnormal, out of order, a mess...And Grell wasn't even the one to blame! Oh he was certain of that. He had been spending more time witht he redhead than he would care to admit and in places that he would not care to be seen in. But he couldn't concentrate on that for the moment. No. If he did his thoughts would continue and when his thoughts continued he had to locate the shinigami as well as a closet, or an empty office, or leave only slightly late from his work day. No, he could not think about that when there was so much else going on.

Watching the strange mix of pink and purple as it floated above his hand William frowned at the heart. He couldn't touch it, it flinched away whenever he attempted to. But it seemed content to hover above his hand so long as he exerted enough of his own spiritual prowess to keep it from floating off. Reports of the strange sights and the even stranger creatures that emitted them had been popping up from every shinigami unit in the field and it was leaving the manager completely unsettled. Sighing and adjusting his glasses with his free hand William increased his hold on the strange form until he could pull his hand away. The heart would go through any physical form of containment and so he was forced to exert himself even as he left the strange thing back in his office to be called on when needed. He certainly couldn't be seen wandering through the Association with it.

Adjusting his sleeve once he stepped into the hallway the shinigami glanced to his watch, sighing, looking about, and frowning. He would far prefer to go off and find the information he needed on his own. Their 'esteemed' leader was likely the best source. As far as William was aware there was nothing he didn't know...But if Grell found out he went out, went out without him...Oh there would be hell to pay...And he had a nice stretch of red silk stored at home that he- No, no no no. Shaking his head and looking about the shinigami scanned the busy floors for the familiar mess of red hair as he proceeded downstairs at a far more relaxed pace than normal. He might not want to, but he couldn't go without the man.

[Rosencreutz Dietrich]

“Have you heard? More of those things showed up in East end again.”

“What things? Those shadow blobs?”

“They’re not blobs idiot; they’re some kind of demon…”

“I don’t think they’re demons, actually. They don’t steal souls…”

The sound of clicking against the overly-crowded downstairs stopped immediately upon hearing the gossip of the latest catastrophes surrounding the city. The entire Association knew about it…why the entire city has been filling up with bodies with souls still intact but no visible cause of death. Something was strange about all of it; none of the victims were on the death list. Some outside force then was messing with the order of things. It was fascinating, and frustrating to make it to the scene of a crime just as a body was falling and never catching sight of the perpetrator.

“So…” One hand slipped casually over his waist as his eyes peered out over the tops of his rimmed spectacles, stopping at the little gathering of people. No one knew much for certain…where the things were coming from or what they were exactly, only rumors. “What are they then?”

[Caustos_Seraphim]

There he was. Of course, he should have just gone to the largest gathering of people from the get go. William had never seen Grell alone, not willingly, and it would likely be a cold day in hell when the redhead decided that he needed some peace and quiet to himself.

"Sutcliff." The group opposite the redhead appeared to have seen some of the strange shadow creatures themselves with the way they suddenly tensed and soon after dispersed. At least some things remained normal and that was rather heartening to the stern shinigami that had searched out Grell, "I am going out." moving around to the man's front he stared down at him, usual expression still in place as if he hadn't just sent a flurry of shinigami back to their posts just by showing up, "If I recall correctly you pouted for near a week the last time I went out without informing you. Were you interested in joining me?" he had only gone out for lunch that time, a rare decision to leave the office for his meal and one that he had not been craving ever since after the reception he got from Grell.

Glancing the way the other shinigami had gone and then back to Grell a small sound much like a snort escaped the back of William's throat, "It does not appear as if you are getting much work done here after all."

[Rosencreutz Dietrich]

“Mm?” Grell watched as the workers all looked up and then scuttled away quickly, quite eager to get back to work. Confused, the redhead looked himself over, wondering if he hadn’t somehow scared them all off until he heard a voice. “Will!” Abruptly he turned on his heel flashing a smile at the other man.

“Going…out?” Confusion again. He certainly hadn’t expected to hear William say such a thing, but of course ‘out’ meant something different to William than it did to Grell. But it was out of the stuffy offices at least.

“Of course William~!” A small, excited giggle came from the man as he stepped forward, hooking his arm around the other man’s. “Why, where are you going?” excited, yes though he had no idea it was nothing more than work matters. “It’s not like I can do much…no one has been able to figure out what those shadow things are. Some of the agents sent to patrol have even disappeared…it’s dangerous work for a Lady to be out there all alone~” He poked his cheek with a smile, adding emphasis for exactly who the ‘lady’ was in said scenario.

[Caustos_Seraphim]

Sighing at how excited he turned out to be, not that William had been doubting that he would, the shinigami did his best to restrain himself from saying anything foolish as he was clung to, "Let me rephrase, I am leaving the office for a bit." going out, yes, he should have known better. Glancing down to Grell's new and, quite obviously, favorite spot he tenetavely reached out to try and unhook him, "Not here, you know better than that." Others that were in the general vicinity had quickly departed knowing that William's wrath would befall them if they were caught staring. Those that were still around felt that they were at a safe enough distance to watch and whisper. Oh but William knew, he always knew, and it was only a matter of moments before he threw a glare over his shoulder at a pack of young interns who quickly scattered.

Pulling his arm free and taking ahold of Grell's instead he began to pull the shinigami out of the offices. Far less proper than what any man would do for a proper 'date', but it was far from any such thing to him, "I need to pay a visit to Undertaker...Obviously you have already heard about them, everyone has. These creatures have to be put a stop to and quickly."

[Rosencreutz Dietrich]

Pouting a bit, but dropping the gesture anyway, Grell looked up at the man as he mentioned the outing simply being a trip to the Undertaker’s. Well…if anyone would have information on the incidents it would be him. He glanced up, following William’s gaze to the other workers a bit too late and missing out on their reactions. It wasn’t like he wanted to cause trouble (on purpose) but it was so hard keeping everything a secret. Stupid, stuffy offices.

Eyes widening slightly as he was snapped out of his reverie and tugged along, the redhead quickly moved to keep pace, “So you don’t know either, what they are or where they come from? I think I saw one once…it disappeared into the ground though, so I thought it was just my imagination.” Strange how they would go after one target but not another…and demons typically knew better than to mess with shinigami…they weren’t demons. “Ah…do you really think that guy is going to know about it? He’s kind of strange, Will.” Considering the man, the redhead tapped a finger against his lips. And an Undertaker’s wasn’t exactly a romantic place either. “That’s not a very fun location for our date William~” Of course any outing was a date to Grell.

[Caustos_Seraphim]

"It isn't a date." he all but threw the redhead out the door before following after him, not regaining his grip on Grell a second time and instead leading the way down the street, "And be polite, you'd be dead without him after all." Smoothing out his suit William glanced back to Grell and, after a moment of hesitation, extended his hand towards him. By the expression he held he meant for his hand, and his hand only, to befall the redhead's adoration.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was what you saw Grell, they have been coming out of the woodwork...I managed to get rid of one today, they're..." he frowned and shook his head, not at all wanting ato admit out loud that he had no idea what they were or what they wanted. only that they were small and were killing and spit out hearts when their heads were ripped off, "If you don't want to come you don't have to..." A small, hidden smirk, "I can just carry on, go out, on my own."

[Rosencreutz Dietrich]

Stumbling a bit after the trek through the door, Grell regained his agitated pout and brushed off his clothes indignantly, following along after a moment. “Hmm…” Sometimes he really wondered if their leader was serious about anything at all. He sure didn’t look all that powerful on the outside but according to records (or what William had informed him of) the man had gone through several key reapings of important figures in history. He still didn’t believe it…that a man like the Undertaker could be all that important. But a boss was a boss, even if Grell treated his with a little less reverence than others.

With a small smile, he reached out and entwined his hand with William’s quite contentedly; green eyes focusing ahead as they continued. His expression soon vanished however as the man mentioned staying behind, “What? Noo~ I’ll go! I mean, it’s a…great idea!” He whined, hand wrapping tighter as he quickened his pace to match stride, “You can’t leave me behind, William.”

[Caustos_Seraphim]

Smirking as Grell so suddenly deemed the trip a suitable one William kept his opinions about the man's nature to himself, "I am so glad you think so Grell...Though I assure you, if my goal was to leave you behind I certainly could manage it." No matter who it was William did not like being told what he could or could not do. But it was Grell. He couldn't be completely heartless, "We will get something to eat on the way back to the Association. Something quick Sutcliff." he didn't want the outing to turn into an all day affair.


Even with the entire city changing as time went on and the ravages of the strange creatures became common place, Undertaker's shop was as old and decrepit as ever. Frowning up at the cobwebs and dust that clung tightly to the decorative shop front William had decided a long time ago that he wanted an alternate source of information. But the shinigami library had failed him and nobody would be able to get answers as readily as Undertaker could. Damn that man...But time was of the essence and it had to be done.

"Go on..." Opening up the door for Grell he removed his hand to nudge him in before he could get giddy about it, "Undertaker?" Stupid name. Shutting nthe door behind him William took ahold of Grell's shoulders to guide him to one of the many coffins that constantly acted as furniture for more than the dead, his voice dropped a bit, "Behave Sutcliff." And then rose once again, "Undertaker, are you here?"

Of course he was, he always knew when he was needed, but he was playing games. Adjusting his glasses and looking about the front of the establishment there was no sign of his particular brand of spiritual energy, but that meant absolutely nothing. The shinigami sighed, "Undertaker, this is important! We're here about those shadows." Cursing under his breath and crossing his arms William turned back to Grell, "You ask for him then." Perhaps he didn't believe William, after all, the stern shinigami usually just showed up when he had paperwork to drop-off or retrieve.

[Rosencreutz Dietrich]

“Hmm…” Grell stepped carefully into the shop, straining his eyes in the dim lighting to see anything. Coffins, strange vials and jars of questionable material, cobwebs, dust…it was quite amazing anyone could live here. His eyes grazed over the strange knick knacks and lines of coffins and tombstones before moving to sit atop one of the caskets. He ran a hand over the finely polish lacquer surface, admiring the quality. A lot of work was put into the little boxes that the dead slept in. He knocked on the top of the coffin, wondering if any dead resident was still within it before hopping atop the device and crossing his legs.

“Undertaker~” He called out in his usual lilting voice, giggling a bit at the end of it. It really was a fun name to say, so enigmatic the man was. Strange, eccentric, but not necessarily in a bad way. After all, Grell was probably the most eccentric of all.

“Maybe he isn’t here, Will. The man sleeps, doesn’t he?” Twirling a strand of bright red hair around his finger he looked pointedly up at William, reading the frustration across his features. Or eats or…well other things shinigami had to do. Though he had never seen the silver haired man do either frankly.

[Caustos_Seraphim]

"Not that I've ever seen him..." No, he did sleep, but he was uncertain if that isolated case was enough to deem that the man made a habit out of it as he was supposed to. Scanning the shop again as he moved further in a small snort escaped him. Well, he knew that he was going to have guests at least. Next to the unassuming jar of bone shaped cookies was a small note reading 'Eat me!'. William sighed, "Ridiculous." Snatching up the note and crumbling it into a tiny sphere he stared down at it, frown deepening and brows coming together in confusion. String?

Tugging the ball away from the table and up near his ear his frown continued to sink as he felt tension form. What was he- Gasping as a skeleton sprung up behind the man's desk William stepped back with a curse, quickly releasing the trigger for the 'trap' and letting the heap of bones fall to the ground and fall apart. Laughter.

"Ah~ I so wished you had gotten to it." Appearing behind Grell, Undertaker draped an arm over the red shinigami's shoulders, fondly poking the cheek nearest to him, "From what I have heard you make excellent screams~"

"Undertaker!" Not at all amused William stormed over, swiping at empty air as the shinigami in question easily stepped to the side. Hands pressed together beneith his overly large sleeves and grin set firmly in place.

[Rosencreutz Dietrich]

The loud, resounding crash was enough to shock the redhead as he stared at what had once been a skeletal model; a real skeleton from what he assumed. Staring in shock a moment he lifted his head as soon as he heard the laughter from somewhere, flinching only slightly as the man materialized, like some kind of ghost behind him.

“Eh~?? Just what is that supposed to mean!” Frowning slightly, Grell attempted to bat away the hand that was now poking a long nail into his cheek before it could leave a red mark on the well-cared for skin. He crossed his arms lightly, looking at the silver haired man behind him as his usual façade never faded. For a moment Grell wondered if the grin ever disappeared. He almost wanted to find out.

The man seemed perfectly at ease, surely he had to be aware of the events taking place and yet he seemed completely unchanged. Lucky, was what he was…the man didn’t have to work if he didn’t want to, no one to yell at the boss after all.

[Caustos_Seraphim]

"I am certain that Undertaker does not want to explain." William kept his eyes on the silver haired shinigami, tone plainly warning the man that he was better off not going down that line of jokes.

"Hee hee, not my fault if the grape vine holds such tasty fruits." he moved past the visitors to go to his desk, snatching up the remainder of the string with a quick tug causing the skeleton to jump up again. This time with a bit more life to it, arms out, holding Undertaker's cookie jar out to him. Likely the one that had the sign next to it had been rigged as well, "So the creatures then, eh?" Letting the skeleton drop and fall apart again the man settled upon the desk and began to snack, "No sense of humor at all, such a pity. You'd think something that looked that funny would know how to laugh."

"So you have seen them..."

"Of course! It's the rare shinigami that hasn't encountered one. I tried to take a few in, but they would have none of i-"

"They aren't pets Undertaker! Do you know why they're here?"

"Why what's here?" Chuckling through a bone biscuit Undertaker leaned back in his seat to watch the two.

[Rosencreutz Dietrich]

“They’re awfully cute for monsters.” Grell replied in quite the non-helpful manner, looking down and playing idly with a strand of hair while he listened to the silver haired man weave in and out of telling them anything at all. The man was good at riddles, but he answered absolutely nothing. He was always playing a game of cat and mouse it seemed.

“So, what are they exactly? They move in and out of the shadows like nothing I’ve ever seen before. They don’t steal souls either, so what do they want?” All the bodies were found with a soul intact but some other cause of death had to have stricken them. Yet, nothing was written in any of the books, all of their records had become obsolete. Someone was controlling these monsters for some purpose and it was becoming a real hassle in the soul harvesting business.

[Caustos_Seraphim]

"Will~iam?"

Frowning and sending a faint glare to his superior William adjusted his glasses before bringing his hands up infront of him. The brief gesture as if he had been praying was broken as he spread his hands apart. Summoning his book into existence he showed no strain under its weight and eased the pages open to form a path for the spiritually contained heart to come from the Association to the dingy shop he and Grell found themselves in. It hung above the book until it was shut and vanished again, attempting to float upwards and away until William exerted his force again and brought it back down.

"Ah, yes, that's it." a long nail ran along the sides of the invisible sheild William had up, "Not a soul, no, ah but beautiful like one, isn't it?" Without asking William he brought his hands up, squeezing until the barrier broke and he could hold the heart. William looked less than pleased at the gesture but didn't stop him as he grasped the jewel-like being, eyes lighting up as it throbbed in his grasp.

"They are not a toy either Undertaker."