A/N: Hello there~! Thanks for taking the time to try out His Maid, Witchly! I wanted to try my hand at a Black Butler fanfic, and I've had this character and her story swimming about in my head for the longest time. I hope you enjoy this chapter and are thoroughly entertained! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler in any way, shape, or form. I do, however, own Sophie and her family members.
Sophie Twynam sighed heavily as she lugged her suitcase down the road to her new workplace: Phantomhive Manor. She blew her messy bangs out of her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision before setting her suitcase containing her belongings on the doorstep and knocking on the door. The young woman hoped fiercely that someone hadn't taken her place already.
Her train had been delayed several hours due to engine trouble, which had caused her to be a whole day late for her first day. Sophie had no way to contact them, and she would have just used a transportation spell, but her powers were still acting up for no particular reason. The brunette sighed deeply. The woes of being an unemployed, teacher less witch…
The door swung open to reveal a redheaded maid with glasses. Sophie gave a polite smile and curtsy.
"Hello. My name is Sophie Twynam. I'm here for the maid position." She really hoped the maid in front of her was the current maid, and not a new one that Lord Phantomhive had hired because she wasn't there to claim her position.
"Oh, I'll bring you to Lord Phantomhive! Please, come inside, then."
Sophie followed the maid inside of the manor, wincing at the weight of her suitcase. How could clothing weigh so much? Or was it all the books she had taken with her in addition to the one she already carried in her hand all the time? Either way, she hoped she and the maid reached their destination soon because the weight was killing her arms.
"By the way, miss, my name is MeyRin. It's nice to meet your acquaintance."
Sophie merely smiled back at MeyRin, too nervous to do much more than that. She was rather afraid she might empty her stomach if she dared to open her mouth.
The two women soon arrived at Ciel Phantomhive's room where he was currently enjoying some tea after finishing his breakfast. MeyRin announced Sophie's presence before urging her inside and leaving her alone with the young earl. Sophie curtsied low, bowing her head as well, before beginning to speak.
"I would like to give you my sincerest apologies, sir. My train was delayed -"
Ciel raised a hand as he took another sip of his tea, silencing the young woman.
"I am already aware of your train's delay, so there is no need to apologize. If you don't mind, Miss Twynam, I would like you to start right away. We have had some…" The blue-eyed boy exhaled slowly through his nose, as if thoroughly annoyed. He probably was; Bardroy had managed to nearly burn down the kitchen… again. "Unfortunate events occur recently. I am expecting company in a few days and need the house in top condition before he arrives."
Sophie didn't ask how he knew about the train's delay or about the 'unfortunate events,' but accepted the information and nodded. "Once I put my things away, I'll begin right away, my lord."
"Good. Sebastian, show Miss Twynam to her room."
"Yes, my lord."
Sophie nearly had a heart attack when the head butler appeared next to the young earl. Had he been there the whole time? Sophie certainly hadn't noticed him, and she was usually quite observant. Being a witch sometimes caused her a lot of problems, but the one advantage Sophie had always been grateful of was the heightened senses. She wasn't really sure what it was exactly, but there was always a sort of tugging at her mind that told her when someone was close by. The tugging responded differently depending on the person, of course. It was sharp and frantic if the person meant harm, but just a painless jab if it was just some passerby. Humans were easy to sense. Demons and reapers were the ones that were hard.
So which one was this butler?
Sophie immediately dismissed the question from her mind, reassuring herself that she hadn't noticed Sebastian because she was stressed out from all the traveling and worrying she had done, not because he was something other than a human. It was a silly thought, anyway. Why would such a young boy have a demon, or even a reaper, in his household? Demons weren't creatures that stayed by a human's side willingly; they had to be bound by a contract, and Sophie doubted that Ciel had made a contract with a demon. If Sebastian was a reaper that would probably mean Ciel was going to die soon, something that Sophie highly doubted once again. The onyx-haired earl seemed to be in perfect health, save for one bad eye.
So Sophie just politely smiled at Sebastian and followed him down the halls to her room, giving shy replies to Sebastian's questions about her trip. He seemed like a nice person, but the young witch couldn't help but feel like there was something… ominous about the butler.
"Miss Twynam?"
Sophie jumped slightly, surprised by the call of her name after her ponderings. "I-I'm sorry. What is it?"
Sebastian gazed at her with amusement in his red eyes (Sophie found those a tad frightening as well). "I asked if you had any prior experience as a maid."
"Oh, ah, yes, I supposed you could say. It wasn't exactly a formal job, but when I lived with my grandfather, I had to do most of the housework because he was already so old. It was hard for him to do many things, and he was nice enough to take me in, so I did all I could. When he got sick, I did everything; cooking, cleaning, gardening…" Sophie grimaced at the memory. It had been a lot of hard work. "But I don't exactly have any formal training as a maid."
"Well, so long as you get the job done well and without damaging anything, I'm sure that won't matter."
She nodded, continuing to walk beside the man that was about a head or so taller than she was. There is something so weird about the aura he gives off…
"Do you have any family left, Miss Twynam?"
"Yes, Mr. Michaelis, I do. My grandfather is actually very much alive."
Sebastian glanced over at her, shooting another question without hesitation. "And your parents?"
"Ah, well, they died when I was about ten years old, and that was twelve years ago. My grandfather is the one who took care of me after their deaths. Apparently both of my parents were only children."
Oh, what a liar. Her parents had had quite a few siblings, but all had been burned at the stake because they were discovered as witches, had died because of the reapers, or had fallen in a feud with another witch. How Sophie's parents died, she really didn't have a clue because her grandfather who had been teaching her magic wouldn't tell her anything about their deaths. She hated being in the dark, but accepted the fact her grandfather wasn't ready to tell her, or that her grandfather considered her not ready to know. Sebastian didn't need to know about all of that, though. He just needed to know she had no one but her grandfather left.
The two soon came to where Sophie would be staying for the time she worked for the household, and Sophie had to admit that she was rather pleased with the room. It wasn't overly extravagant, nor was it obviously made to be the room of a maid, but just a plain, average sized room. It was probably the size of her room at her grandfathers house, give or take a few feet, and had all the furniture she could need: a desk, a bed, a dresser, and a small bedside table. The walls were a light mocha, the borders a deep chocolate brown, and there was a window on the wall that her bed was pushed up against. Sophie felt that she wouldn't mind staying here.
"Your uniform is already laid out on your bed, though it may not be your exact size. Later on we'll measure you to have your uniform properly fitted, but for now that one will have to do. Now," Sebastian gave Sophie a warm smile, though it still managed to make her feel uneasy. "Will you need help with anything, Miss Twynam?"
Sophie smiled politely back, shaking her head. "No, sir, I don't think so, but, um,"
He gave her a curious look.
She smiled more shyly this time, not sure how the butler would react. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd prefer to just be called Sophie. I'm not used to such formalities, and it would make me feel a little more comfortable."
"I don't mind at all, Sophie, but that means you must call me Sebastian. It is only fair that we both drop the formality."
The brunette nodded, now feeling slightly more comfortable around the butler.
"It's best if you go ahead and change and wait to unpack until later tonight. I'll wait outside to show you to your first task."
Sophie nodded again and waited until Sebastian was outside of her room before undressing herself and placing the uniform on. It was slightly big, just as Sebastian had warned her, so the sleeves covered half of her palms, the skirt came a little below her knees, and it was overall slightly baggy on her small frame. The young witch mentally groaned, knowing she probably looked incredibly silly.
Oh, well. I'll just have to grin and bear it.
After getting her uniform situated, Sophie quickly brushed out her hair that came down to the middle of her back before pinning it up in a neat bun the best she could. Her bangs still hung messily on her forehead and around her face, but at least most of her hair was now out of the way. She grabbed the book her parents had given her for her tenth birthday, slipped on her baby doll-like shoes she had bought specifically for this job, and left out a deep breath, grabbing the doorknob.
Here we go.
And there you have it! I really hope you had fun reading this chapter! Please remember to review so I know how I did. :)
~1000WTBS