There was a little more of the Earl he remembered. He quirked a grin at it, but it lost much of the feeling behind it when he felt more than saw the boy trip up on the stairs. They weren't moving fast, but he slowed down nonetheless to let Ciel catch his footing. Years of wearing that eyepatch had probably stunted his vision. How ironic. The partially blind leading the partially blind.

The humor felt dull, if anything, in light of the child's next question. Of course he had seen that one coming. The answer? Not as easy. He debated what he should tell, what he should hold back, and decided on a lie until he knew more of what had happened to the boy. "Your brother is just fine, milord. Right now, it's you we should worry about. We're almost there."

One more turn at the bottom of the stairs and there they were, at the door leading to the communal bunk for the second floor. Inside, he led his guest back to where the entertainment area held couches. One one of these, he directed Ciel to sit. "So you really don't recognize this place?"