(Untitled)

[wellsuited]

Who: Sebastian Michaelis (demon_andbutler), Elena (wellsuited)
When: Forward dated to the 22nd.
Where: A theater in Anatole
Format: Paragraph
What: The horrible result of Elena winning a certain butler at the date auction.
Warnings: Fantasized violence.

Comments

[demon_andbutler]

Anatolian opera was similar to the opera Sebastian was familiar with, and yet... well. There were clear differences in subject matter. This particular opera revolved around the Twins, although they were depicted as swans, one white and one black. ...Scorched were being sacrificed to them, as well, if the fake pit of fire was any indication.

When Elena glanced at him, he seemed completely absorbed in the show, opera glasses held up to his eyes. In his peripheral vision, he could see she was looking at him, and she did not look pleased. He'd had no doubt opera would not be her forte. It was an ostentatious and ridiculous form of human expression, but it was the most "proper" activity for a date that he could think of.

He lowered the opera glasses, met her gaze, and grinned smugly.

He certainly was enjoying himself.

[wellsuited]

It's a wonder that she didn't give herself whiplash. Elena turned her head, pointedly breaking the eye contact with just that much force. She should be paying more attention to the opera. It was obviously about the Twins and there was precious little information about them as it was. She lifted her own opera glasses...

"Oh wow!"

The cry was met with irritated shushes on either side of her. It wasn't what was on stage that excited her though. It was just how clear and close-up the glasses brought it.

They might just come in handy for the back rows of the Arena.

Elena yawned softly and squirmed in her seat in an attempt to get comfortable. How long could something like this go on?

Long enough to rest her eyes, surely.

[demon_andbutler]

Oh dear. Elena hadn't yet warmed to him, even after all the trouble he'd gone to in order to make the night memorable. She looked like a lady for once, and even Sebastian had purchased attire for an evening out so he wouldn't be mistaken for her manservant. (Although he was certain she would have liked if he had.)

He noticed she squirmed like a child and even yawned like one. He would say nothing if she fell asleep. He would simply pick her up and carry her out.

[wellsuited]

She really would have liked it if someone had made such a mistake. Then she could've been the one with the smug grin. But no. He had to dress...well, like a date.

She could say one thing for opera...it provided the perfect conditions for a much needed nap.

That he managed to pick her up and actually carry her out without waking her was to his credit. Elena wasn't a sound sleeper by any means. She even squirmed in his arms, turning more towards him and fingers curling into what she thought was a pillow.

Huh. Her pillow has a shoulder blade.

Elena's eyes flew open, the fight instinct kicking in instantly. She pushed away from him, sleep still fogging her brain and making unsure of her transporter's identity. She still had a gun on her, she just had to reach it and take aim.

She probably wouldn't pull the trigger once she realized it was just him. Probably.

[demon_andbutler]

Someone he was tending to was pointing a gun at him. This always happened. Sebastian's eyes grew large in surprise, but soon shrank back to their usual size. He smiled.

"It is a pity you missed the finale," he said. "There was an impressive display of pyrotechnics I thought you might've enjoyed."

He had gotten her out of the opera house and down the block far enough that they'd lost the dispersing crowd. Although there was no one to see her draw a gun on him, plenty had witnessed their exit with her in his arms.

[wellsuited]

There was a second where she still considered it. Maybe two. Because it did occur to Elena that he had carried her, and that people must have seen.

Her reputation would never be the same.

But then he said something, a single word that made her features soften and her eyebrows raise. And it was obvious that the only way she would know more was to actually talk to him.

"Pyrotechnics? Like...fireworks?" The gun finally lowered, but only after she'd freed herself from his arms.

[demon_andbutler]

Sebastian released her without a struggle. He brushed at the front of his new evening coat to rid it of any creases her wriggling may have caused. Never once was he concerned that she would shoot him.

"Yes, fireworks." He couldn't really say why he thought she might like such a thing. Perhaps because she was like a chid easily distracted by shiny objects. Her reaction suggested he was correct. "I was surprised the explosions didn't wake you. Are you getting enough sleep on a regular basis?"

[wellsuited]

She seemed to consider his question with a tilt of her head.

"When you say 'regular'..."

The short answer to his question would be 'no', but Elena shook her head, dismissing it entirely.

"I can't believe I missed fireworks..." She turned and started to walk, the gun still at her side. The weight of it just felt comfortable in her hand, the only familiar thing about her entire outfit. "You know, when I was little, my parents would buy me dolls and I'd trade them for fireworks."

[demon_andbutler]

Sebastian took her response to mean that she did not in the general sense. "But a good night's rest is essential for success during the day, is it not?" He fell into step beside her, following her pace easily with his hands unmoving at his sides.

He wondered what the purpose of telling him about her childhood was. Humans sometimes shared information that perplexed him by having no informational value. Still, the mark of a good butler was convincing the ones he served that everything they said was profound. He was good at that.

"That is unsurprising. Nothing about you suggests you would have been a conventional child." Sebastian had served an unconventional child long enough to know. He glanced at her and smiled. "I do hope you made good use of the fireworks."

[wellsuited]

"It's a waste of time. You don't do anything while you're asleep. Except for...sleeping. Now, if I ever find out how to fill out paperwork while I'm sleeping, or do inventory..." Then she'll get a full eight hours.

Truth be told, there was no purpose. It was merely because Elena had started talking. And once she starts to talk, she often finds it difficult to stop...regardless of her feelings towards the one she's talking to.

"Yeah?" She looks over at him, both eyebrows raised. Unconventional. She likes the sound of that. It means she wasn't average. The last thing Elena ever wanted was to be, as he'd put it, conventional. "You mean what did I do with them? Simple." She shrugs her shoulders before responding. "I shot the bottle rockets at the other kids until they gave me the doll back."

[demon_andbutler]

"Mm, I do agree with you." As someone who didn't need sleep, Sebastian sometimes had the opposite problem: what he could possibly do to entertain himself while the rest of the world slept. There came a time even for him when he'd done all that he'd needed to do. "I suppose it is a necessary evil." For humans.

Sebastian smirked. "Very resourceful of you."

[wellsuited]

"We actually agree on something?" Elena arches a brow at him, keeping her gaze there while lowering her voice to a mumble. "That's unpleasant."

Oh well. The evening was winding down. That's all that really mattered, right?

"Anyway, being resourceful is what I do. It makes up for that difference between me and my fantastic sister." The way Elena says 'fantastic'...yeah, she doesn't mean it. "You learn to adapt. But I don't need to explain that to you, right? Being a servant is probably all about that."

[demon_andbutler]

Sebastian chuckled. "My apologies. I suppose I could disagree if it better suited you, but unfortunately I don't tell lies. I'm afraid you must live with the knowledge that we won't always be at odds."

Familial trouble, it sounded like. Resentment toward a favoured sibling. Interesting. "I'm sure there's much you excel at. You have the air of a confident woman." Not unlike Madam Red in that regard, who certainly excelled at a number of things... some of them horrific. "And yes, you are absolutely right. Adaptation and improvisation are a constant in my life."

Especially now, with his master back. When he had just become accustomed to the freedom. Ah well. He was enjoying the switch in the rules, now that their environment was different.

[wellsuited]

"I guess so..." She almost wants to be disappointed about that. But something else that he said earns a glance in his direction. "You don't tell lies? Why not?"

And while waiting for his response...yes, she'd just soak all that flattery in.

"Wow, you really don't tell lies."

Because everything he just said was the truth...of course.

"What do you excel at? Because you seem pretty confident yourself." To a maddening degree...

[demon_andbutler]

What an excellent question, Elena. In all the times he's stated so, no one had ever asked Sebastian why. Ciel just didn't care, he suspected, and everyone else took it as a sign of his never-ending virtue... since he was usually surrounded by idiots on a daily basis. "It's quite simple, really. Lies can be disproved. If you have ever found yourself caught in a falsehood, you must understand my point... it is much easier to tell the truth, and therefore, never be at fault

[wellsuited]

"I can't really say that I have." Which means she doesn't lie either or she just doesn't get caught. Given her profession, it's hard to believe she's never told a lie. But when you consider her loose tongue...

Maybe she's just lying right now.

"It would be a lot to keep up with. Still, aren't there times it's worth the risk? Like...maybe you don't want to give away the key ingredient of your prize winning recipe?" Because really, how big can a butler's secrets be?

She blinks at his question, shaking her head and actually smiling a bit. "No. To be honest, I like hearing about people who have a different kind of life. YOu said something about under-servants though? Does that mean...you're like a boss?" No pun intended.