[Sebastian spends most of his days in transit now. It is expected that he, as a butler, remain on his feet and in motion: serving meals and drink, keeping track of the under-servants, often cooking, sometimes cleaning. But strictly speaking, a butler only manages one household; add anything else to his expansive list of duties and a human would collapse or turn to drink - or both, but probably not in that order.
Luckily, Sebastian is not a human, but unluckily he needs to pose as one as best he can in public. And he manages not one, but two households now. Which means the time spent in between them, or while on errands for either or both, he cannot simply scale a building and hop from rooftop to rooftop at top speed. He would risk being seen, and he really doesn't want to attract too much attention. Anatole is full of clever and powerful people, and if the wrong one discovers his true nature, it could spell trouble for his master and be quite a bother for himself.
Which brings us to the current picture: Sebastian, hurrying - at a brisk human pace - along a street with a flower arrangement in his hands. Courtesy of the greenhouse, where he just placed an order for several matching ones, so he can place them in the Patrol outpost AND the Phantomhive house. He has just enough time to get this back to the Patrol before he has to leave to check on the proceedings at the future site of the Funtom Toy Company, then serve dinner at the Phantomhives'... THEN serve dinner at the Patrol. You could say he's being overworked. You could. But as a being that does not actually need rest to survive, Sebastian doesn't understand what exhaustion is.
If he could feel it, however, he probably would be dead on his feet right this second.
Enter the cat.
She is a splash of grey on a grey street, but he sees her out of the corner of his eye. O lovely, lithe, glorious thing. She trots along, a bit thin with a matted coat - probably a stray, Anatole is full of them, to Sebastian's delight - and pauses for a moment to gaze up at him with large emerald eyes.
He stops in his tracks. A chance meeting such as this is more than enough to rejuvenate him, if only he could have a few minutes alone with her. He would very much like to smooth out her coat and feed her some milk and then squeeze those paws until he-
But instead she bolts, across the street and into the park.
As busy as Sebastian was a moment ago, there is time for this. There is always time to pet a cat. He crosses the street quickly and follows her into the park. He can see her sprinting toward the lake, perhaps to poke at the fish that swim in there. Sebastian gives chase... as casually as a very tall man in a butler's uniform carrying a large arrangement of flowers can, anyway.]
she weaves through the people in the park, sliding through places to hide, and when the safety settles after some moments, she notices the lake (or is it a pond?). after all that running, it should be time for a meal. trot trot trot on over.
she stops in front a ginger-haired woman in blue, who raises an eyebrow slightly. seriously, why do animals insist on gathering around her? fine, when she isn't corporeal, she is a natural presence that doesn't incite fear. she understands that. but when she isn't? insert (bah) plurk emote.]
[Brazen hussy, going after someone else aside from him! Not that Sebastian can really complain, he's far from monogamous in his habits, but now all hope of stealing a clandestine moment is lost, and he's just a butler following a cat into a park. Except turning around and leaving would also look strange, so he continues on, toward the cat and also the woman.
But wait, this woman. What is she? Not human. And not even... really alive. How strange... and appetising. A soul just... out there, begging to be devoured. Not that he would act on such an impulse. He's far too disciplined for that. But just because one is on a diet doesn't mean he can't look at the menu.
Sebastian returns his attention to the cat as he approaches.]
Excuse me, Miss... is she yours?
[He hopes not. He might have a chance to make off with her if she isn't.]
[she is very delicious! you may even say she tastes...heavenly.]
She is not.
[shirley turns her head to look at him, checking for annalee. she is climbing a tree, but shirley's cloak is missing. bothersome. it better not be dirty, child. meanwhile, the cat is distracted, eyeing some poor fish in the water. preparing to pounce...]
[Sebastian does not care for ducks the way he cares for cats. Ducks are an option to serve at mealtimes. Cats are divine companions. He inches closer to the stray, although he's certain now there'll be no picking her up without a scene. Maybe he'l have to settle for the eye candy.]
[He's not even really listening anymore. The only thing bad about cat fur is that it makes the young master sneeze and therefore Sebastian is forbidden from doing anything but seeing cats on the sly. Which is precisely why he's inching ever closer to the edge of the lake.]
[the cat's tail twitches, but she seems rather enthralled by the small fish on the water's edge, her paw dipping now and then into the water for a lazy catch. oblivious to her admirer.
[Not a bad idea! Unfortunately there's no time for that, because a horde of children go running by, playing some sort of game children inevitably play, and because of Sebastian's attention on the sweet sexy kitty, he doesn't quite notice in time. Which causes him to begin losing his balance - although he can right it in time if he really wanted to, it would just make him look a touch superhuman. The problem is Shirley, being right there, and possibly being thrown right back into him and... it really might just be easier to take the fall. Into the lake. Sigh. The cat's already fled. Such is his life.]
[oh, poor seabass. - wait, his nickname is seabass! see, this moment is perfect for him. because shirley is knocked forward, and while she normally has perfect balance, the surprise of the children leaves her off kilter. which means yes, she is totally latching onto him out of instinct.]
[OH SO FITTING. Because there goes the vase of flowers in a lovely little arc, and he grabs her because she's grabbing him, but again it's just easier to take the fall and-
[sob sob. shirley's immediate reaction: tensing and simply...laying. because the sensation of being grabbed is weird, and then, dear god. water!! it's cold and wet, and the hairs on her body are prickling so fast. excuse her, going to be miserable now.]
Luckily, Sebastian is not a human, but unluckily he needs to pose as one as best he can in public. And he manages not one, but two households now. Which means the time spent in between them, or while on errands for either or both, he cannot simply scale a building and hop from rooftop to rooftop at top speed. He would risk being seen, and he really doesn't want to attract too much attention. Anatole is full of clever and powerful people, and if the wrong one discovers his true nature, it could spell trouble for his master and be quite a bother for himself.
Which brings us to the current picture: Sebastian, hurrying - at a brisk human pace - along a street with a flower arrangement in his hands. Courtesy of the greenhouse, where he just placed an order for several matching ones, so he can place them in the Patrol outpost AND the Phantomhive house. He has just enough time to get this back to the Patrol before he has to leave to check on the proceedings at the future site of the Funtom Toy Company, then serve dinner at the Phantomhives'... THEN serve dinner at the Patrol. You could say he's being overworked. You could. But as a being that does not actually need rest to survive, Sebastian doesn't understand what exhaustion is.
If he could feel it, however, he probably would be dead on his feet right this second.
Enter the cat.
She is a splash of grey on a grey street, but he sees her out of the corner of his eye. O lovely, lithe, glorious thing. She trots along, a bit thin with a matted coat - probably a stray, Anatole is full of them, to Sebastian's delight - and pauses for a moment to gaze up at him with large emerald eyes.
He stops in his tracks. A chance meeting such as this is more than enough to rejuvenate him, if only he could have a few minutes alone with her. He would very much like to smooth out her coat and feed her some milk and then squeeze those paws until he-
But instead she bolts, across the street and into the park.
As busy as Sebastian was a moment ago, there is time for this. There is always time to pet a cat. He crosses the street quickly and follows her into the park. He can see her sprinting toward the lake, perhaps to poke at the fish that swim in there. Sebastian gives chase... as casually as a very tall man in a butler's uniform carrying a large arrangement of flowers can, anyway.]
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she weaves through the people in the park, sliding through places to hide, and when the safety settles after some moments, she notices the lake (or is it a pond?). after all that running, it should be time for a meal. trot trot trot on over.
she stops in front a ginger-haired woman in blue, who raises an eyebrow slightly. seriously, why do animals insist on gathering around her? fine, when she isn't corporeal, she is a natural presence that doesn't incite fear. she understands that. but when she isn't? insert (bah) plurk emote.]
Don't you look worse for wear.
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But wait, this woman. What is she? Not human. And not even... really alive. How strange... and appetising. A soul just... out there, begging to be devoured. Not that he would act on such an impulse. He's far too disciplined for that. But just because one is on a diet doesn't mean he can't look at the menu.
Sebastian returns his attention to the cat as he approaches.]
Excuse me, Miss... is she yours?
[He hopes not. He might have a chance to make off with her if she isn't.]
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She is not.
[shirley turns her head to look at him, checking for annalee. she is climbing a tree, but shirley's cloak is missing. bothersome. it better not be dirty, child. meanwhile, the cat is distracted, eyeing some poor fish in the water. preparing to pounce...]
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I was... concerned. She seems a bit malnourished.
[So the concern's selfish, too. He is feeling a bit... in need of companionship. He gazes fondly toward the cat poking her paw daintily at the water.]
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she looks down at the cat for a moment.]
Only one more creature in need of a home.
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Yes. I have noticed many strays in this city.
[It's the bright spot of his days, really.]
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[she is so glad they were all taken, though. STOP FOLLOWING HER.]
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[Sebastian does not care for ducks the way he cares for cats. Ducks are an option to serve at mealtimes. Cats are divine companions. He inches closer to the stray, although he's certain now there'll be no picking her up without a scene. Maybe he'l have to settle for the eye candy.]
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[cats get fur on your clothes. clearly, the worst companion ever. - why are you so into that car, sir...]
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[He's not even really listening anymore. The only thing bad about cat fur is that it makes the young master sneeze and therefore Sebastian is forbidden from doing anything but seeing cats on the sly. Which is precisely why he's inching ever closer to the edge of the lake.]
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shirley, though, not so much.]
Shall I leave you two alone?
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SPLASH. B|]
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