A/N: Yeah, this chapter almost came out too late. I ran into a writer's block with that one. It is kind of a filler. This is unbeta'd because I wanted to post it today. And I finished it today, so...

Chapter 7 (Sebastian's POV) is already finished and will be beta'd. As soon as it's done, you'll get it!

In the meantime, this chapter.

CHAPTER 6

After Sebastian had left the house, Sieglinde called her maids into her room where they made her ready to go out. They picked out her clothes as she stared into her reflection by the vanity.

"Are you sure you want to go out with only one of us?" Hilde asked as her voice gained a cranky undertone that suggested that she was going to mention Sebastian soon. "Usually you take the demon with you."

"The demon isn't here, or is he?" Sieglinde shot back.

"Mistress, it is not safe out there…"

"I can defend myself. I only need another to have my back. Should anything go horribly wrong Sebastian will be there in a moment."

"A moment might be too long," Hilde muttered, but she resumed brushing the girl's hair.

"Anne, you're coming with me," Sieglinde said, and Hilde looked like she was about to protest again. Anne was the youngest of the maids. Sieglinde knew she should take either Grete or Hilde with her. But she wanted Anne to accompany her, and it was going to happen.

"Of course," the girl said. Sieglinde saw her in the mirror, exchanging gazes with both Grete and Hilde. One of these days Sieglinde would cast a raincloud over Hilde's head which would go wonderfully with that woman's mood.

When she was dressed and pretty enough for her maids to stop fussing over her, she left the house with Anne, who seemed wholly uncomfortable. It might have to do with the glare that Hilde was sending her. Grete just looked a little bit concerned. At least Sieglinde thought so.

"Relax," she said when they got in the car. Wolfram squeezed his large frame into the driver's seat and started the vehicle. "See it as a test for your usefulness when you're alone with me."

"That doesn't help," Anne muttered. "Mistress Sullivan," she added rather hastily.

"Wolfram is there, too." Sieglinde felt irritation rising within her. All of her staff was exceeding expectations every day. Just because Anne had never been selected as her mistress' sole guard didn't mean she could freak out over it now. "He might not be as fast as Sebastian, but should anything happen, he'll be there to assist you, too."

Anne looked at the back of the man's head and sunk into the backseat a little. Sieglinde did the same, creating wrinkles in the sensitive fabric of her skirt.

Wolfram wasn't very talkative today. Maybe because Sebastian had managed to bake a three-story cake right before Sieglinde had let him go for the day. Wolfram tended to get very jealous over things like that.

She wondered where the demon had gone. Did those creatures have places they liked to spend time at? Was there something – a place, a thing, a person – that had sentimental value to them? Sieglinde was currently studying Sebastian's body, she might as well try to study his mind. But she had a vague feeling that that would be much harder than cutting his nails or getting him to squeeze out a tear or two for her.

"Where are we going, mistress?" Wolfram asked.

"Do I need a reason to leave the house?" she shot back.

Wolfram winced.

"You wanted to brew potions," Anne reminded her carefully.

"And they are brewing. I want to do something in the meantime."

Wolfram let them out on the other side of the city, and Sieglinde began roaming the streets. There were always things that she hadn't seen before, and she liked discovering them. Anne hovered somewhere behind her until Sieglinde grabbed her hand and thus forced her to walk by her side. Maybe Grete would have been a better choice, after all. Or even Hilde. But she had chosen Anne because this was supposed to be casual. She'd just wanted to walk around a bit. Anne was adding an uncomfortable feeling to the mood, and Sieglinde didn't quite feel like staying away from the house for too long anymore.

She discovered a flower shop, neatly tucked between a café and a tiny bookshop she frequently sought out. The flower shop was new, so she decided to check it out. Maybe she could lighten up her mood with a pretty bouquet.

It was larger than one might expect when standing outside, but still a little cramped. There was a fair-haired couple by the counter, heads touching and both of them leaning over something that looked like a book. The woman looked up, and probably because of the movement of her head, so did the man, and Sieglinde saw that they were twins. Even so, they were standing awfully close. She was pretty sure the man had his arm around the woman's waist, his fingers hovering over the hem of her jeans.

"Good day, love," the woman said cheerily. When she moved away from the man, he dropped his arm. "How are you doing?"

Sieglinde blinked. "Fine, thank you. I'd like a bouquet."

"I can help you with that," the woman said, still smiling. She had violet eyes. Contacts, maybe? "Ash, stay there," she added without turning. Sieglinde could see that the man had moved to follow. Now his eye twitched, but he obeyed.

Even if she told her… brother to stay, it seemed as if there was a rope stretching between them. It seemed hard for her to put more distance between herself and that Ash person. Sieglinde eyed them quietly. Talk about strange people. She was glad that Sebastian wasn't around. The demon had a useless tendency to make snarky remarks when it came to strangers he knew he wouldn't have to please. They would have gotten themselves thrown out of the shop and Sieglinde didn't feel like being embarrassed at the moment. Sebastian took his pleasures in the meanest ways.

The woman – her name tag read 'Angela' – and Sieglinde arranged a nice bouquet while Anne stood in the middle of the room, looking suspicious because she tried not to be. However, from her position she had an eye on both Ash and Angela, something Sieglinde found she appreciated.

Only after they had paid for the flowers and had left the shop did the girl feel relief. Stunned by the realization she turned back to the shop, subtly scanning it through the glass. Angela had returned to Ash, who had his arms wrapped around her now. There was nothing akin to fondness in that embrace; it seemed desperate and crushing.

"Let's not go in there again," Anne said next to Sieglinde.

The young witch frowned. "But they are interesting." Albeit creepy, but she didn't add that.

"Mistress," Anne said, just a tad vehement. "Who knows where they broke out from."

"They were just hugging." Sieglinde rolled her eyes. But she, too, felt uneasy about those two. She couldn't quite say why.

Because creepy Ash and Angela are creepy and that's pretty much it.

Don't forget your reviews, even though it was a filler XD See you in the next chapter!