Hi ^^

As compensation for my lackof updates, I do 2 updates today :p
This short story was an entry for a competition in which you were either to draw art or write a story around the 'Book of Murder' chapter.
I had to try out with Jayla and Sebastian on that part. I sadly didn't place, but hey, I had fun ^^

It was a typical cold autumn day. Grey clouds, a chill wind and the leaves that were dancing in the air. Jayla didn't mind. She was sitting warm inside, in on her cozy couch, at the fire that was burning. A small blanket pulled over her legs, who she tucked up in the couch, curled in the corner. Today she wouldn't think about the cold weather or the murders running around. Today was her day! End of the deal.

Sitting there, her eyes were fixed on the words she was reading in her book. She could really lose herself in those stories, when they were good. She didn't always had time to read like this and mostly did it before she went to bed.

She was even so drawn into the story that she didn't heard the opening of the door while her butler came in. She didn't even raised her eyes went he went further, pushing the little tea tray.

"It's time for your afternoon tea, My Lady." He said while pouring the tea out. It was only then that jayla looked up, her eyes just reaching over the book. But no hair on her head that would think about stopping.

"Just put it on the table." She said when turning a page.

"Yes, My Lady." Just a few second later, she heard the small cup with the hot tea being placed on the small table before her.

"Sherlock Holmes?" He suddenly said, a voice mixed with curiosity, but also sinic tone.

"Yes?" Jayla replied, this time looking at him with a 'don't you dare to destroy my afternoon' look.

"Written Arthur Conan Doyle. He was a pretty … clever man when I first met him."

"You met him?" Oké, stupid question Jayla thought afterwards. She had never been really interested in what Sebastian had been doing before their contract, but she did heard a few things here and there, like serving a child Lord over 200 years ago.

"In some way I did. He was a guest at one of the parties my … one of my previous masters held. At that time, he wasn't the famous written or inventor of Sherlock Holmes. Just a man who write stories in magazines. I think I can say that he got a lot of … inspiration after the murder at the party."

Ok", that was enough to spark the interest of a girl. Jayle dropped her book, looking straight at Sebastian.

"Murder?" She asked, quickly pointing to a chair, meaning that he could sit down to tell her about it. If you said A, you had to say B as well.

"Tell me about it."

A grin appeared on the demon's face before he took his seat.

"A stupid party, in fact. It was held for an important man out of Germany. In that time parties were common for Lords and businessmen to get to know each other and to strike deals. Yet this party was … different."

Sebastian swung his leg over the other, folding his gloved hands.

"Arthus was one of the invited was by his smart thinking that the murder was solved. The head guest, I am not gonna bother with a new, was later that evening murdered. At first,n my master was accused as he had no alibi. I was even killed as well and …"

"Ow, stop right there!" Jayla said, pointing at him. "You were murdered?"

Sebastian huffed shortly, scratching his hair. "Sort of, if you can call it murder. You can't really kill a demon with a poke, but it was damn painful."

Jayla looked with disbelief at her butler, almost wanting to say that he should lie, but she already knew which answer she would get. And it was like he could read her mind and he showed them his confident smile again.

"Not gonna ask …" She eventually said, waving her hand so that he could go on.

"Maybe better …" Sebastian said before he went on."

"Anyway, Sir Arthur had a smart head, noticing things that the others didn't saw because they were to scared. It was also him who discovered my disguise as Jeremy in the end, knowing it was me."

Jayla already wanted to open her mouth, but decided not to ask anything. It would only turn confusing. She just waved her hand again to let him go further.

Sebastian coughed shortly, clearing his throat.

"He was also smart enough to discover that I was not human."

"He exposed you?"

"No, he did not."

Jayla sighed. "he must have been pretty afraid, realizing he had a demon standing right next to him." She said, leaning on her hand.

Sebastian could only grin, suddenly standing up and towering over Jayla behind her back. She noticed the shadow and the fact he had left his chair, but after those two years, she barely spooked of it. She just looked up, seeing his glowing eyes.

"We made it pretty clear that he better couldn't tell anyone about it." He said, his hand carefully tracing the girl throat.

"But the experience he had that day can be found back in his stories … it was a mysterious murder afterall."

"I see …" She just said before picking up her book again, looking at the words on the page. They hadn't changed, yet she could feel a different vibe coming from them. Was it really Sebastian's doing that Arthur had started to write these stories, created a huge franchise around the character Sherlock Holmes.

"You can go back to work, Sebastian. Dinner need to be ready over an hour."

The demon stood again next to her, bowing deeply.

"Yes, My Lady."