I nervously bit on my bottom lip as I silently allowed Sebastian to lead me towards the doors I had always wanted to exit. We paused for a moment at the looming doors to push them open, giving my nerves more then enough time to summon fear to bubble in my stomach. I found comfort in tightening my grip on Sebastian's hand, receiving an encouraging squeeze back. Unconsciously, I took a sharp breath in and followed the dark butler into the outside world It was early evening and sunset blanketed England in it's beautiful hue. The setting sun was partially hidden by the clouds, but it still shinned brightly upon the world, dying it a wonderful scarlet. My heart squeezed at the sight before me. Relief, joy, excitement and so many emotions flooded me. My legs gave out under the overwhelming weight of my newfound emotions. Sebastian skillfully caught me, adjusting my body so he could carry me in his arms. Despite myself, I wrapped my arms around his neck and heaved a heavy sigh.
"Thank you," I whispered into his shoulder, desperately holding back my tears.
"Not at all Ms. Lucille," he fluidly replied, about to continue until I cut him off.
"Lucille," I pouted, unwilling to meet his questioning gaze. "Just call me Lucille." An amused chuckle rumbled in his chest, causing my cheeks to puff out a bit more but I quickly forgot my sulking at his next words.
"Alright then, Lucille," he continued, amusement laced into his tone. "Do you have any plans now that you're free?" I stayed silent for minutes as I pondered my answer. Before Sebastian came, I could only dream of leaving my cage and anything more seemed like a childish fantasy. Finally shaking my head no, Sebastian continued to extend onto his question. "Then how would you like coming with me and working as a maid at the Phantomhive Manor? Living accommodations are provided as well as food and any other necessities."
I beamed at his offer, removing my face from his shoulder to nod at him. A soft grin captured my lips as I stared into Sebastian's brown eyes nodding. Seemingly please, he nodded in return and absentmindedly stroked one of my ears, earning a delighted purr from me. A childish amusement sparked in his eyes as he continued to stroke my ears. Gratefully snuggling closer to him, I continued my purring without hold back.
"Well then, we should head back to the manor then. Please hold on tightly, Lucille," Sebastian smiled. I curiously nodded, peaking over his shoulder as I tightened my grip around his neck. A gasp of surprise tumbled from my lips as wind suddenly attacked my back and the buildings around me blurred into streaks of color. Before I could understand what had happened, everything became still once again. My surroundings seemingly morphed into a luxurious garden with beautiful plant life everywhere. As I turned my gaze towards Sebastian to ask him what had happened, I was awe struck by the sight of the towering manor standing in front of us. "Welcome to the Phantomhive Manor."
I opened my mouth to reply but another voice startled my mouth shut. Glancing over at the source of the noise, I saw a young blonde boy waving happily towards Sebastian. As he did, his arm grazed against the tree he stood under, knocking it completely down. The surprise of the small boy being able to so easily snap a tree and the loud of the three falling itself had me gripping onto Sebastian's neck slightly tighter and my face back to being buried in his shoulder.
"Finny," Sebastian all but sighed, rubbing his temple. "Please be more aware of your strength around the plant life." The blonde boy gave a flustered apology before peering at me with curious eyes.
"Who's this Mr. Sebastian? Is she alright?" he asked, concern flickering in his eyes as they landed on my arms and legs.
"I will introduce her properly later to the entire staff once I get her settled in. She'll be fine, I'll be the one treating her after all." With that, Sebastian turned his back to the garden and pushed the doors to the manor open, confidently striding in. As soon as he shut the door behind us, a loud scream followed by porcelain breaking echoed through the mansion. Another weary sigh escaped Sebastian's lips as he made his way to the source of the scream. I hesitantly rubbed my head against Sebastian's chin in an attempted to comfort him which got me rewarded by my ears getting scratched again. Purring with glee, my petting was short-lived as we entered a room full of broken plates and a fallen shelf. A young woman sat in the middle of it all, her red hair covered in dust and comedic glasses cracked.
"Mey-Rin, how did this happen," Sebastian calmly asked, annoyance radiating off his body.
The maid scrambled to collect herself before responding, "W-Well, you see, I was trying to dust the top of the shelf, I was, but then I slipped and the whole shelf came down with me." Throughout her explanation, she hadn't dared once to look up at Sebastian but soon did after her explanation. Her eyes locked with mine and blood dripped from her nose after a moment of silent staring. I let out a sound of surprise as she stumbled over her own words trying to reassure me. She pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it down on her bloody nose but more continued to flow from it.
"See to it that you get this mess cleaned up," Sebastian ordered, unaffected by blood streaming out the maid and resuming his long strides. I nuzzled my head back under his chin, sighing contently as he hummed out in appreciation. The moment was short-lived when an explosion suddenly shook the manor. I let out a shocked whimper as the hairs on my tail spiked out in surprised and I nervously caught my bottom lip between my fangs. Sebastian merely hissed under his breath and made his way to the room reeking of smoke and charred meats. The smoke stung my sensitive nose, summoning tears to my eyes. A small cough left my mouth as a growl left Sebastian's.
"Bard, how is it that you're able to cause an explosion whenever you prepare any meal," he hissed, staring at the other man in the room. The man in the middle of the explosion raked his hands through his scorched, dirty blonde hair and a plucked the cigarette from his lips to breath out a cloud of toxins.
"Well I thought me explosives could get the job done fast so," Bard trailed off. His gaze wondered to Sebastian, freezing upon my form in shock. "But never mind that, who's the broad and that's up with the ears and tail?" He asked, jabbing a finger into my face. A defensive hiss escaped my lips as I huddled closer to the butler, trying to get away from Bard's accusing finger.
"Bard, it's unsightly for a Phantomhive servant to be showing the manors you're showing to a lady," Sebastian lectured, pulling me away from the man, otherwise ignoring his question. I curiously watched Sebastian examine the room before barking his next orders to Bard, stating he would prepare dinner as long as the cook could do some simple tasks. Sebastian didn't hesitate to leave the room, sparing my nose from the foul smell of burnt meat. He swiftly carried me up the stairs, pausing in front of one of the many wooden doors along a hallway. Politely knocking, Sebastian announced his arrival and was granted access by a rather young voice. Entering, I found myself looking into the surprised eye of a young boy. His deep blue eyes were cold and hard, yet an undertone of compassion hide.
"Who is this, Sebastian," the boy growled out, narrowing his eyes at me. Feeling his cold stare, I hugged the butler tighter but didn't break my eye contact with the boy.
"This is Lucille Lennox, the only experiment that survived," Sebastian answered, smoothly.
"And what is she doing here?" the boy barked at his servant.
"It seemed a shame to leave such a beautiful creature to die in such a place," Sebastian answered, causing me to lightly blush at his compliment. "We could use some help with such incompetent servants and I'm sure I can train her properly."
"Sebastian, I am allergic to cats," the boy pointedly reminded, causing my ears to perk up.
"Actually, I've already gone through her files. She was mixed with the DNA of a Siberian cat which are hypoallergenic," the butler countered, smirking confidently at the young boy as he set a file folder onto this desk. "The reason why she had survived while the other did not is because her father was a demon. Her body was able to accept the feline genes and it mutated her into a feline demoness. I do believe having another demon will befit you, young master."
With a weary, defeated sigh, the young master finally grounded out, "Fine, you can keep her, but training her and caring for her is your responsibility."
Sebastian gracefully bowed with me still in his arms, replying, "Of course, my lord." The boy grunted and turned his attention back to me.
"You will refer to me as 'Young Master', 'My Lord' or 'Ciel'," he stated, pleased with my simple nod. "What are you called?"
Hesitantly, I answered, "Lucille Lennox." He nodded at my response and casually waved his hand at Sebastian and me.
"You two may go. Sebastian, take the time before dinner to clean her up and do whatever else must be done."
Sebastian again bowed to Ciel and carried me out of the room. Turning his gaze back down to me, he smiled and asked, "How does a bath sound?"
I grinned in return. "Purfect."
By the time Sebastian brought me to the bath, the tub was already filled with warm water and a layer of bubbles. Excitement sparked in my eyes as I eyed my tangled mess if a tail. No matter how hard I tried, cleaning the grime and blood caking my tail proved to be a challenge when I was given a cold bowl of water to bath my whole body. I was pulled out of musings when Sebastian lightly tugged on my dress. I met his gaze and lifted my arms, allowing him to take my rags off. Slipping out my undergarment with a faint blush, I quickly submerged myself in the warm water. I didn't bother holding back a sigh if relief and contentment as the water engulfed my small frame. Sebastian watched with light amusement twinkling in his brown eyes, bringing a small pout to my lips.
I started to rub my arms, grimacing as the clear water turned brown as it dripped off my arm. Thankful for the bubbles covering what the rest of the water must've looked like, I instead turned my attention to my tail. Carefully, I eased my slender fingers into the knots in the tail, gently rubbing the knots out. This proved to be a tedious and long process as I quickly found myself caught in rather tangled knot. I became engrossed in my tail, failing to notice Sebastian moving behind me with a soap until his hands touched my ears. My ears flickered in surprise as his smooth touch grazed my back before relaxing as he soothingly lathered soap into my hair. Another shudder of disgust washed over me as bloody water dripped down my shoulders. Returning my attention to my tail, I moved on from the difficult knot to try to untangle whatever my fingers could do without harming myself. I snapped out of my stupor once again once Sebastian's hand shielded my eyes from the water he poured onto my head. I looked up at him in thanks, giving me freshly cleaned ears a few experimental flicks.
"There, now you look even more lovely then you did before," he mumbled to himself satisfied. "Such beautiful, pure, white hair shouldn't be matted with blood." I turned to him with a curious eyebrow arched up.
"You like my hair?" I asked, glancing down at the locks that reached past my own waist. "The scientists always told me it was disgusting and that dying it red with my own blood made me less gut wrenching." Sebastian looked at me with slightly widened eyes, arching his own eyebrow to mimic my own.
"Yes, it's a wonderful, untainted white and goes so wonderfully with your golden eyes," he chuckled, moving onto washing the grime from my back. "And the red outlining your eyes brings more attention to it's lovely shape."
I bashfully sunk deeper into the water in an attempt to hide my blushing cheeks under the bubbles. A chuckle rumbled in his throat as he swiftly moved onto working on my other limbs. I mewled happily at his touch, occupying myself with the bubbles on the tub. Mischeviously, I filled my palm with the suds and blew them onto Sebastian who was scrubbing my legs. He looked up at me with a taunting smile and clicked his tongue playfully.
"A lady shouldn't play with bubbles like that," he grinned, moving towards my tail. Although I had done my best to wash the tangles out, some we're too stubborn for me to budge.
"That's why I'm a cat," I mumbled back. "My tail's really sensitive," I squeaked as he took it into his hands. Sebastian nodded and weaved his agile fingers through the tangled mess, easily softening the knits I desperately tried to fix earlier.
"A feline such as yourself is still a lady," he retorted, stroking my tail. My words were caught in my throat as I purred at his caresses, loving the attention. Sebastian chuckled and briefly stood up, grabbing a towel. I prepared to stand up to dry myself but found Sebastian using the towel to pick me up without water dripping everywhere. He placed me down on the counter with the towel cushioning me from the cold marble before grabbing another towel to dry my body. He gently patted the droplets of water clinging to my body, making sure not to hurt my bruises and cuts. Swiftly discarding the towel, Sebastian pulled the dress I had seen the maid wearing.
"This may be a bit large on you but until we can find proper clothing for you, this will have to do," he sighed, pulling the dress over my head. The dress was indead a bit large on me, the shoulder slipping off my own. My tail uncomfortably twitched under the dress, trapped under the petticoat. Sebastian seemed to notice and apoleticly smiled. "You would look much lovlier if your tail wasn't constrained but I will take care of that when we go clothes shopping for you," he promised.
I nodded thankfully and hopped off the counter, finding myself stumbling with my tail contained under the petticoat. Barely catching myself from falling onto my own face, I opted to clinging onto Sebastian's arm to keep my balance. He gave me a quick pat before leading me back to the kitchen where the three servants I had seen previously were gathered and an old man. They all turned to look at me, causing me to flinch and shuffle my body behind Sebastian's arm. He coaxed me out, holding me against his stomach while facing the other servants.
"She's so cute, clinging onto Mr. Sebastian like that!" the young boy sighed, his hands laced over his heart.
"She's so small and adorable, she is!" the maid added, covering her bloody nose with her handkerchief again.
"Yeah, she does look pretty all cleaned up," Bard agreed, smiling wolfishly at me.
"Ho ho ho," the older butler laughed, sipping at his green tea.
"I-I'm Lucille Lennox," I squeaked. I fiddled with my fingers, my tail wrapping around Sebastian's leg for security and my ears twitching with nervousness.
They all gushed at my soft words, squealing compliments at me. I was taken aback, unused to being told I was cute or adorable. No, I would've been less surprised if they called me a disgusting monster or a dirty rat. Amongst the chaos, a small bell chimed, causing Sebastian to sigh. He quickly caught their attention with a wave of his hand, efficiently silencing them.
"The young master is calling for me. While I'm gone, introduce yourselves to Lucille properly and do not scare her," he ordered, all but growling out the second half of his order. They all saluted an affirmative as he gently unhooked my arm from his body. Promising to be back soon, he left me in the room with staring servants.
"My name's Finnian but everyone calls me Finny. I'm the gardener here," the young boy grinned, pointing at himself with gloved hands.
I offered a shy smile in return. "Finny," I mumbled, getting a bright beam from the boy. I repeated his name more confidently and giggled, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. He froze in smoke for a moment before very hesitantly moving his arms to hug me back. I broke our hug with a quick grin and looked over at the stuttering maid.
"I-I'm Mey-Rin!" she chocked out, obviously holding back from another nose bleed. "I'm the maid!"
"Mey-Rin?" I echoed, a small frown pulling at my lips. I shook my head at her and said, "Mey-Mey!" She became bright red at my beaming smile, falling to her knees while giggling strangely. I rose a curious and amused eyebrow at her before hugging her as I did with Finny. Unlike the young gardener, Mey-Rin squealed happily as she hugged me back. I struggled to get myself from her hold before turning to the cook.
"Me name's Bardroy, but these guys call me Bard," he grinned proudly, jabbing his thumb at himself. "I work here as the cook."
"Bard," I nodded, deciding his nickname would have to do. As I walked up to him to hug him, I found myself unmotivated to get onto my tiptoes like I would with Sebastian for a hug and instead pulled the cook's shirt down. He let out a amused snort and bent down for me to hug him. I held back a whimper of regret as the smell of his cigarette filled my nose. I broke the hug quickly and stared curiously at the old man sipping tea.
"Ho ho ho," he laughed, absentmindedly. I pawed at his forehead, wondering if he would react if I did. Nothing. I prodded at his bald head. Nothing. I poked his wrinkled cheeks. Nothing. The servants watched me try to provoke a reaction from the old man with sniffled giggles before Finny decided it was time to spare the old butler
"That's Tanaka, the other butler in the manor."
I nodded in understanding, deciding to call him, "Tata." The stifled giggles burst from the servants, starting me away from them. I flattened my ears as they bellowed in laughter, waiting for the noise to subside. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long as Sebastian entered the room.
"Se-Se?" I hesitantly asked, wondering if he would respond to the new nickname I decided to give him. He stared at me with surprise for a moment before reverting back to his unperturbed smile.
"Yes?" he replied, causing the servants to drop their jaws. Ignoring them, I outstretched my arms to the demon.
"Can I have a hug?" I shyly requested, my lower lip pushing out ever so slightly. I earned another surprised look from him followed by a entertained chuckle.
"Yes, you may," he agreed. I grinned and ran up to him, mushing myself into my tiptoes to wrap my arms around his neck. Comfortably, I snuggled my face into his chest, purring against him. The servants again chattered amongst themselves.
"Oh my! They look just like a painting, they do!" Mey-Rin enthusiastically giggled.
"They really do!" Finny agreed.
"Bet that painting would sell for good money," Bard added. Ignoring them, I looked up the the deep brown eyes I had gotten used to staring into.
"Would you like to buy some clothes for you now that everything here is ready?" he asked, brushing a piece of my hair from my face. I joyously nodded, clasping myself around his arm to totter after him. The cold air hit me as we exited the mansion, causing a small shiver to run down my spine.
"Will the stores still be open?" I asked, glancing at the disappearing sun.
"Not if we take a carriage," he admitted, checking his pocket watch. Shoving in back into his pocket, he scooped me into his arm, earning a giggle from me. Knowing what was going to happen, I tightly wrapped my arms around his neck.
In the blink of an eye, we stood outside a boutique with dresses galore. As we entered, the employees pounced on us, recamending dresses left and right. I stared at the scandalous dresses one recommended, saying the open back would bring out my slender figure. Another brought out a soft pink dress, saying it would bring out my small frame. Sebastian all but ignored them, pulling me towards the back where beautiful dresses awaited us. I glanced around, my eyes lingering one a beautiful sunset red petticoat. Golden embroidery swirled along the dress, creating elegant golden frames along the skirt and inside the golden frames were red teapots. Right under the white chest piece, a golden ribbon wrapped around the dress with sugar cubes adorning the center of the bow.
Sebastian caught my gaze and bent down to ask, "Do you like that dress, little one?" I nodded but tugged him away from it, knowing it would cost much more then I'd be comfortable him spending on me. He followed me but kept his eyes on the dress I had liked. Instead, we looked around at some nightgowns and plainer dresses. As soon as we picked out enough dresses, I pulled Sebastian towards employees to pay before he could pick out any extra dresses. I allowed him to pull out of my grasp so he could pull out his wallet but in that split second, he switched all the cheap dresses I had picked out with luxurious petticoats and silk nightgowns. Before I could protest, he placed a single finger to my lips. "Let me spoil my pet for a bit. If it truly bothers you, think of it this way: it would be unsightly for the head butler of the Phantomhive Manor to have a plainly dressed pet following him."
I huffed against his finger, giving in to his silly reasoning. He quickly paid and pulled me out of the store. But not before my ears could ear the gossiping of the employees and customers. "Such a handsome man treating a freak like that girl so well! What has this world come to! She'll only bring that man disgrace."
My ears folded back sadly as I pondered their words. I couldn't stand being so much trouble to the man but I didn't want to leave him. As selfish as it was, I needed this man and wanted his affections. I was snapped from my thoughts as I felt myself being lifted into Sebastian's arms again. I prepared myself for his demonic speed to take us home.
"I'm sorry," I whimpered, tucking my face into his shoulder.
"For what, little one?" he asked, taking slow strides up the stairs into the manor.
"For causing you so much trouble," I elaborated, motioning to myself in his arms and the bag of clothes in his hand.
"Then you'll just have to pay me back by being a pet worth her salt," he chuckled. I weakly nodded, holding back another apology. We stopped in front of an unfamiliar room and entered to find a fairly plain yet tasteful room. The curtains were drawn shut and it was fairly dark but my feline eyes could easily make out the dark blurry objects throughout the room. Like most, it contained a bed, closet and vanity as well as a simple bed stand. Nothing really stood out from the room but the lingering scent that clung to Sebastian.
"Is this your room?" I asked as he set me down on his bed. He briefly glanced over at me and nodded.
"Yes. If you feel uncomfortable, I can arrange it so you will have your own room," he offered, setting the bag of clothes down.
"No," I shook my head. "I like being with you." A faint blush of embarrassment ghosted my cheeks as he let out a deep chuckle.
"I see," he simply stated, pulling out the clothes from the bag. "I need you to try these on so I can make adjustments for your tail," he smiled, handing me the red petticoat I had stared at in the store. With a pout on my lips, I nodded and allowed Sebastian to pull the oversized dress off my body. He glanced at my waist for a moment, mumbling, "I don't think a corset will be needed," before pulling the new dress over my head. It fit snuggly on my body and I had to hold back from twirling in the comfortable material. Sebastian examined the dress and nodded with his chin clasped between two fingers. He changed me back into the oversized maid's dress and placed all the dresses on his vanity. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour. I must prepare it for the young master so do as you will until I come and get you," he smiled, leaving me to his room. After a couple minutes of padding around his room, I decided it was finally time to explore this large manor.
Poking my head out, I found myself in the middle of a hallway of more doors. Silently creeping out, I made my way to the stairs, finding myself to had been on the second floor. I hopped down and headed left, away from the kitchen. Another long corridor awaited me but I stopped curiously n front of a pair of large double doors. Carefully cracking it open, I was delighted to see a library behind the doors. Large windowsills lined the walls and books lined every large, oak shelf. A comfortable looking recliner sat in the corner, begging me to take a short nap there. Unable to resist the temptation, I found myself curling on the velvet chair. The cool night breeze felt good on my skin and I quickly slipped into sleep's embrace.