"Terribly sorry, but I fear I must decline." Answered Sebastian, a hint of irritation lining his voice.
"But you cannot," The floating girl argued, "you opened the carafe; I am sworn to serve you as my new master."
"Master?" He laughed cruelly at the word, "Please do not call me that. You see I am simply one hell of a butler. I would not dream of ordering a servant of my own."
She appeared as though preparing another protest, but halted abruptly. The unnaturally pale-faced girl frowned, then sniffed at the air.
"Ah," Murmured the entity, "you are correct once more. I thought I smelled something rotten."
"Now that we have done away with that pesky detail, I wish to know what business a being of your status could possibly have with the house of Phantomhive."
"Phantomhive?" She repeated, bewildered at the long and foreign name, "I do not recall that title. However, the same question could be asked of you, couldn't it?"
Sebastian's eyes narrowed as the spectral woman lowered herself to grasp his left hand. He watched as she peeled away the glove and exposed the mark of his contract. Her luminous blue orbs studied it with interest, the size of his palm alone requiring two of hers to carry it.
"If you are indeed collared," Began the girl mischievously, "Then your master must be near…"
Their gazes met for precisely one second before things went to hell.
The Butler reached out to grab her, but by that time all that remained of the female was a column of bluish smoke. He turned towards the cellar's staircase in time to see her ethereal tail curled around it, a giggle following her closely.
Mr. Michaelis ran, bounding up the stairs and across the manor as quickly as possible, yet even he could not move faster than air. The Demon counted off in his head: five, four, three, two-
"Sebastian! Sebastian!"
He sighed. Those were the young master's panicked screams, no doubt about it. Sebastian had known beings of the girl's kind to be less than subtle, at most, but this level of recklessness deserved a category of its own.
Sebastian threw open the doors of his master's study to find the boy on the ground by his desk. Ciel looked positively terrified. The reason for this was most likely the ghostly, bisected woman whose clawed fingers were tightening around his ankle.
"Please won't you?" She was begging, rubbing her face against the skin of his lower calf, "I am in desperate need of a master. Won't you please assume that role? Please?"
"Sebastian!" Lord Phantomhive yelled, scooting as far back from the apparition as possible, "Get this thing away from me!"
"As you wish, young master."
The Butler was by his side in an instant, scooping the Earl into his arms, much to the dismay of the creature on the floor.
"I am afraid Mr. Phantomhive's soul is already spoken for, miss." Announced Sebastian without a touch of fear.
"I don't need his soul!" She protested, "I desire only to serve him, to fulfill five of his most beloved wishes!"
"What the bloody hell is this?" Ciel demanded to know, gripping onto the collar of his Butler's coattails for dear life. "Will someone please explain what's going on?"
"May I suggest we carry on in a more organized fashion?" Offered the Demon, "An excellent starting point would be to assume a mortal form." He smiled coldly and added, "You see, most humans find our true appearances quite disturbing, miss."
"Disturbing?" She sounded remarkably offended, but succumbed.
A few minutes later, Ciel was sitting at his desk again, safe and sound. Before him lay an hour of finished paperwork and two solid hours of unfinished paperwork. As per usual, Sebastian stood behind his chair, observing the scene keenly.
Across from Lord Phantomhive rested a beautiful young woman looking to be around the age of nineteen. Her skin (which was greatly exposed) took the shade of a ripe olive, and her ink colored hair cascaded down her shoulders. The silk drapes of blue and lilac wrapped her slim body still, and only served to accentuate the sharp qualities of her eyes and face.
"Excuse me for saying so, miss," Sebastian commented drily, "but that form is a touch out of place for our current surroundings."
"I haven't donned the mortal disguise in seven-hundred years," She huffed, pinning the Butler with a harsh glare, "I'll have you know that this was perfectly acceptable clothing then."
"Our first order of business shall be introductions," Ciel interrupted, somewhat impatiently. He was quick to compose himself though, folding his hands on his desk and shutting his eyes. "My name is Ciel, Earl of Phantomhive and loyal servant of Her Majesty."
"It is an honor, Lord." She bowed her head, allowing a string of beads to fall forward from the veil tied across her scalp.
"And what do I call you?"
She seemed surprised, straightening and pursing her lips.
"The last time I was human, I accompanied some fellows of mine to a village in search of masters. We pretended to be a caravan, and each adopted a mortal name." The girl's forehead creased as she struggled to remember, "They called me 'Alizaj'."
Sebastian chuckled, and both turned to look at him.
"'The Nuisance'," He translated, "Aptly named indeed."
"Very well, Alizaj, then." Said Ciel, flipping back to order. "What do you mean, 'searching for a master'? Are you a demon?"
"No, not a demon," She shook her head, and Ciel watched as her many jewels and trinkets waved at him. "My kind does not need human souls to survive."
"Then why do you covet my master's employment so badly?" Wondered Sebastian.
Alizaj inhaled, "My people, the Jinn, receive sustenance through what has come to be known as 'holy fire'. We feed off the emotions and memories of humans; their love becomes our love, their pain becomes our pain."
"However, that attachment can go too far. Long, long ago, I once became so desirous of my host's emotions that I devoured him."
Ciel glanced at his Butler, who nodded. But the girl continued:
"Once I tasted of a human's soul, I could not stop. I became a monster, luring mortals one by one into my den like a snake." Alizaj lowered her gaze to the floor, "The other Jinn condemned my actions and banished me from their realm. I am ashamed.
But finally, I was stopped. Nine hundred years ago, I attempted to partake of a sorcerer. When I revealed my true form to him, he cursed me."
Alizaj looked up again, "He said that I would never taste another ember of holy fire until I had served one million mortals without benefit." She paused, a small smile flickered across her lips and then disappearing. "But his magic was not so powerful as to bind me to them. I am only required to deliver five wishes to these masters, nothing more."
"Prince Soma," The Jiniri sighed deeply, "was to be my nine-hundred-ninety-nine-thousand-nine-hundred-ninety-ninth master. But his servant employed the same magic as the sorcerer who damned me, and so I was not able to serve him."
"And now you wish to serve me, is that correct?" Asked Ciel.
She nodded and pressed her hands together as she spoke sincerely:
"I beg you, Lord Phantomhive. Allow me to grant you five requests, please. I am so close to freedom, and I have been fasting for such a long time-"
"No."
Sebastian could not help the wide grin that came of Alizaj's following expression of utter disbelief.
"Why ever not!"
"Despite what you say, you still consume human souls and that makes you a demon." Ciel explained, "I already have one vile beast in my custody. I do not require a second."
"But-"
"Furthermore, Sebastian Michaelis has sworn to grant as many requests as I see fit, rendering your offer rather obsolete."
Silence sunk around the office as the Jiniri's mind raced to come to some sort of conclusion that would allow her to leave the manor with one more mortal in her pocket. Just when it seemed she was to accept defeat, the Butler spoke:
"While this is very amusing, sir, I regret to inform you that you have no choice but to agree to her deal."
"What?" Ciel whipped around in his chair, more shocked than angry.
"Unfortunately," Sebastian proceeded heavily, "I am the one who released her. The custom of a Jinni, or Arabian Demon, is to pledge allegiance to the first mortal seen upon leaving forced confinement."
"What the bloody hell does that have to do with-"
"As I am a servant, and thereby an extension of yourself, the Jiniri Alizaj belongs to me. Which means she is your property as well."
"Which means…" Alizaj's face lit up like a lamp and her smile returned.
"Which means that you have already accepted her service, whether you want it or not."