Ciel couldn't help but stare at his name tag. Just like the rest of him, Ciel could not read his new employee's name to save his life. He could sound out the individual letters and when he spoke to him, he was able to say it. Strangely, it was as if he couldn't even understand himself when he spoke it. If someone asked for his name, Ciel could give it, but he wouldn't know what he was saying. What was this man? How do you misunderstand every detail of an entire person?

Ciel puffed his cheeks and forced himself back to work. Perhaps he was just having a bad day with monotony. It would make sense for his mind to play tricks on him after so many years. Maybe he wanted this man to be mysterious. If he wasn't anyone, he wouldn't have to face that he wasn't Sebastian either.

The small demon shook his head. How ridiculous. Now he was trying to find Sebastian in total strangers. The chances of him even being near London were slim. Where do you search, though? Between Earth and Hell, Sebastian could have been impossible to find. Ciel looked up and around to make sure no customers were in hearing range. It had been years since he'd even fancied the thought of trying this again.

"Sebastian," He whispered, lifting his eyepatch slightly, "I order you to come to me. I command you to help-"

"-help?" The new employee spoke up as he carried a box of disposable cups to the counter.

Ciel gasped loudly in surprise and jumped as he turned around, "What?" He asked, narrowing his eyes as he tried to make out this man's features. Once again. His eyes could see him, but all his mind saw was the vague outline of a person. Well, then what if it was Sebastian? Sebastian had straight black hair in a horrendously improper hairstyle. This man had short brown hair. Okay, one comparison down. Suddenly, the strands and spikes of the new employee's hair came into focus. It was a light brown stylish cut, chopped short and gelled up in front. Great, so he had a floating enigma with hair.

"You seemed to be having trouble with something," The employee said, "I asked if you needed help. Are you feeling okay?" He asked, but Ciel was in his own world now. He'd made the discovery that his mind really had fooled him. He wished this ordinary man to be Sebastian so much that he refused to see him as anyone else. If he couldn't see him as anyone in particular, then there was a possibility that he could be Sebastian. Ciel started to look over the rest of the man, making similar comparison. He thought about Sebastian's face, his body, his skin. The more features he compared, the more features on the man before him became clear. All of these features were... disappointingly, very unlike Sebastian's. He was surprised at himself at how much of his runaway butler he remembered. Ciel looked to his name tag and read the letters to himself individually. As if Sebastian would even keep the name he'd given him over a century ago.

"Alexander." The small demon said, realizing that was what his name was. He looked at the man as a whole now. He was a good looking guy with well-tanned skin over a very slightly toned frame. He seemed tall, but who wasn't to the immortal child? There was a surprising sprinkling of freckles across the apples of his cheeks and bridge of his nose. They trailed all the way down his neck and probably spread over his shoulders. Ciel forced himself to look at his eyes now, remembering the dark ruby ones that narrowed every time he smirked. These eyes, however, were grey. Not a terribly interesting shade of grey, they were very bland. He could have sworn they had something more to them when they met, but in the normal daylight, they were plain. This man was in no way Sebastian. He couldn't even pretend he was Sebastian.

"What is it," Alexander asked, "Young manager?"

Ciel dropped the carafe he'd been cleaning, suddenly glad there were no customers around to see him stumble and fumble with everything he touched today. "Don't call me that!" He snapped, reaching up to comb his fingers through his bangs in an attempt to calm himself down. "That even sounds stupid, why would you call someone that?"

Alexander seemed naturally taken aback. "I'm sorry, sir. I've just never had a job like this before. I'm not sure how to address you, honestly."

Ciel lifted an incredulous eyebrow at the taller man, "Y-you can just call me Ciel." He said with a small bewildered frown before bending to gather up the broken glass. "Sorry for snapping, by the way." He added in a much calmer tone as he stepped around him for the broom. "It just reminded me of... a nickname I used to have."

Alexander bent to help, holding the dustpan as Ciel swept the glass pieces into it. The hints of a smirk tugged at his lips that made Ciel stop to stare as he found himself instantly pissed off by it. "A nickname from a past lover perhaps? Your first crush maybe?" The taller asked slyly. Ciel lightly jabbed the broom's bristles to his chest playfully as his lips twisted into a horribly bitter smile.

"No, someone much worse than that. Trust me."