Part 1: Salute Humanus

A/N

Fae is about 15 years old for timeline purposes.

The dark shop was heavily overcast with Death. Not just dead things or the occasional human remains. But Death. The Law. And the same thing was stalking me as the sun came up. The dawn was a highly symbolic thing of rebirth. Meaning the cold stop on my pursuer that I had managed would be dissolving in the morning sun like dew.

I should have just enough time to make it all land just right.

I knocked at the door and stood back to wait. A brief moment later and a face half concealed by silver hair peered out, missing his usual top hat. I saw him look me over, head to toe.

"Good morning, miss. Are you perhaps lost?"

I smiled brightly at the man who spoke in a goofy cockney accent with a broad grin. I could understand why he had asked, I was rather overdressed for the time of day, especially for being on foot and unescorted. But I was on a mission.

"No. You are who I am here to see. I understand you are someone who appreciates a good laugh for information. And I have a story for you."

He hummed, opening the door wider to reveal a dim interior and a single candle that was providing light..

"Oh I do enjoy when referrals come prepared. Do come in, lovey, let's hear your tale."

I stepped inside at his invitation with a gracious nod.

"Thank you, Undertaker."

About 17 hours earlier.

Sometimes you got some warning when your day was going to turn on its head. It could be just a feeling or as obvious as a bad omen. Like your pen exploding in your hand or you find a chip in your favorite cup. And other times, it just comes out of nowhere.

One minute I was sitting on the edge of my bed, yawning and thinking about what all had to be done that day. Preparing a new screenplay, meeting with some suppliers for republishing some books. And sitting in on a marketing pitch to produce merchandise for some of my stories.

In the same time it took me to close my eyes just to gather my thoughts before actually getting up and getting on with my day, I was falling...

-Then I was jerking upright in a carriage that was rolling down a well tended road with trees on either side. Instead of the stolen shirt I slept in, one of Freed's because his taste and sense of comfort was impeccable, I was wearing a tasteful, pink, floor length dress with long sleeves, kid gloves and a bonnet that made me feel as though I was peering at the world through a tunnel. The blind spots that the headgear alone was giving me was making me itch. For a moment I was confused. Then everything became clear with a few words of warning from Morgana.

The Day is Crack.

I was still orienting myself, but one thing was for certain: I did not have either my spellbook, or my syllabary and pen with me.

This is it. This is proof that there is a god and they find my life and suffering amusing.

"Good morning sleepy head! I hope you had a nice rest! We should be almost there!"

One of my companions in the carriage spoke up with an audible smile in her voice, drawing my gaze over to her. She said a lot more after that, but I was still processing who she was.

Curly blond pigtails bounced with energy, large green eyes almost glowed with excitement. An off white blouse under a gray jacket and pleated green skirt in a girlish cut that brightened her eyes still further. Over it all was a tiny hat that made her entire appearance undeniably cute, almost doll-like.

And I knew her name. I knew her story. And I had never met her before in my life. I stepped into the presented role with a nod and a smile as if I wasn't internally panicking.

"Yes, Lady Elizabeth, thank you."

"Oh my dear, please call me Lizzy. We are after all friends!"

I gave a slight nod, lifting one gloved hand to my mouth to cover a yawn. My companion, a badass sword wielding prodigy with an extremely cute face, politely averted her eyes and began to chat with the older woman beside her. Brown hair and brown eyes, but a lovely smile.

Elizabeth Midford was one of those singular people who could make small talk seem like the most engaging and exciting thing in the world. I snuck a glance at her attendant, who Morgana quietly reminded me was named Paula, who was getting caught up in her young mistress's energy. Both were vibing off of each other in a way that spoke of both well matched characters and familiarity. As a result, they were not really paying attention to me as I composed myself. Which was good. It let me freak out internally without worrying about something giving away my abrupt personality change.

The Crack covers for a lot, but if I am right about where I am...And more importantly, when...

Magic in the manga or anime called Black Butler had a grim flavor to it, broken up by moments of absurdity that hardly anyone seemed to acknowledge as much as they should. It generally operated with a very dark color palette...Except where my companion came in. Elizabeth 'Call me Lizzy dear!' Midford was sunshine personified. And she did her best to exude that energy wherever she went.

Set next to fellow cast members of a dark brooding shota-boy and his Tall, Dark and Handsome (TM) superhuman butler, it was a blisteringly bright contrast. Yet most of the story took place from their perspective, so Lizzy did not get as favorable a light as she might have otherwise. She could come off as simple minded and incredibly annoying, even to Ciel himself. And who knows what Sebastian thought.

I could see the mask of 'Lizzy Midford' living over the spirit of the more mature Lady Elizabeth. Both were her, but they were faces exchanged as needed. But where we were headed, she only ever used 'Lizzy'.

Shifting in my seat, I felt a weight in the bust of my dress...

What the-?

A switchblade. This Crack is playing through the OVA 'Welcome to the Phantomhives'.

And if memory served...that was the one where the POV character, a nameless young woman brought in by Elizabeth, was waiting for the ideal time to assassinate Ciel. And if Elizabeth Midford caught onto that, I did not doubt that the innocent, cute persona she tried hard to portray and maintain would vanish and the prodigal dual wielding sword master would emerge to protect the boy she loved.

Which left me in the hot seat drawing ever closer to a greater demon's claimed territory. With literally zero protective implements on hand if I was caught.

Well frik.

I ran quiet checks of all my faculties and, to my relief, I was still at full operating capacity magically speaking. The Crack was allowing enough Ethernano to filter through to me and keep me healthy and functioning if a fight should break out. One never did in the OVA. But that largely empty viewer stand in didn't have as much to hide or lose as I did.

"We're here!"

Elizabeth did a little happy dance right in the carriage as we pulled up in front of the large manor. An elderly gentleman in a neat dark suit was standing at the door as a much younger looking equally well dressed man approached the carriage.

I didn't hear him greeting Elizabeth as he helped her out of the carriage. I didn't see Paula waiting for me to get out either.

I just saw him.

Unlike in much of the media where he was portrayed that Morgana had seen...Sebastian Michaelis looked human. Even knowing what he truly was, he looked human to me. A controlled expression, impeccable manners, the flawless, demure demeanor of a well trained butler, and of course; incredibly handsome. But there was bizarre normalcy to him as well. His face was not inhumanly symmetrical, but just right. His hair was just messy enough to not be unreal.

But I still felt like I was walking through Uncanny Valley looking at him. Not for any one reason that I could put words to, but there was one piece that didn't quite fit in with the rest of the image he was presenting and that was throwing me off. I felt that even without Morgana's help, and other context clues, I could have seen right away that this man was not normal. This man, for lack of a better term, was a threat.

"We've been expecting you, miss."

And there it was. The signature smile that had made thousands of fans, stans and simps swoon over the years.

Alright then..Here we go.

I placed my hand in his and let him help me down, holding my skirt carefully in my other hand. I thanked Jude mentally for his foresight in getting me help in learning how to move in a long formal dress with grace. Even though this was not a formal dress, but a modest day dress in my current setting. It was long enough and heavy enough to make me grateful for my past experiences with petticoats.

Morgana threw her will behind the barrier of my gloves to ensure that I didn't get a tour of Sebastian's past. But there was a gleam of fuchsia in his burgundy eyes for a split second as he looked down at me and his humanity thinned like a bubble about to burst.

Remember, human reactions. Show him what he expects to see.

I gave him a second look, shy but confused. Like a normal girl would react to the attention of a handsome man. His 'demoning' as some called it was not supposed to be obvious to the average person. I had to pretend that I didn't know what I had seen, and because I couldn't reconcile it, it would be explained away.

"Thank you, Mr...?"

He recovered his persona gracefully in my expectant pause.

"I am Sebastian Michaelis, the head butler of this estate. Welcome to the Phantomhive manor, miss."

Elizabeth was already fawning over her young fiancé who had come out to greet her. Heeled shoes clicking on the stone steps in time with his cane. He was putting on an annoyed face at her behavior.

He likes it.

Deep, deep down maybe.

"Ciel! You must meet my new friend! We met at a ball last week and we hit it off straight away!"

Lizzy beamed at me and beckoned me over eagerly. I carefully removed my hand from Sebastian and approached my host for the duration of this Cracked day.

Thankfully I had greeted the nobility before, so I knew to wait for him to speak first as he had a higher social rank than I did. I was reasonably sure he did anyway. I doubted the people who wanted this job completed would put that much effort into crafting an alias that had to prove relation to the peerage, even if higher rank means more mobility.

He spoke with a small smile, looking perfectly pleasant and charming. The eyepatch aged him, but he still had traces of baby fat lingering on his cheeks. A boy playing dress up but aged by trauma.

"Good afternoon, I am Ciel Phantomhive, master of this estate."

Luckily Morgana had already primed me with the name of this persona. I dipped into a modest curtsey.

"Guinivere Smithson, my lord. Thank you for having me today."

Ciel likes you.

Literally all I did was say hello!?

But you waited for him to speak first. It's the gentleman's job to speak first, regardless of social status. Whereas the woman would introduce herself first if she were speaking to a child.

So it was tiny things like that, that Ciel liked, was it? It made sense and I would exploit the hell out of it, present company excepted.

"Tea will be served in a little over an hour."

Sebastian spoke, checking his watch and looking like he had been born a model. Morgana quietly started a timer in my head to help keep time as well. Elizabeth got a manic sparkle in her eye.

"Ciel, could Sebastian give Gwen a tour of the manor? I've told her all about it of course, but I'm sure he would be able to give so much more detail!"

I got a dull chill down my back. Not from demonic attention. No...I got this feeling from Lizzy...

Is she...?

I knew her to be a hopeless romantic, practically insufferable actually. but was she seriously...?

Yes.

I knew it...Lizzy is a shipper.

A muttered string of curses sounded in the back of my mind as Ciel acquiesced and ordered Sebastian to give me a tour. It seems my portrayal of a swooning young lady had been conveyed too strongly to Lizzy who could not resist setting up her best friend to be lavished with attention by her fiancé's butler. Aka, local eye candy.

I heard the order Sebastian was given to treat me as befitted of a guest of the Phantomhives.

"Yes, my lord."

I sensed the contract between them, an implied command.

To investigate you.

But of course.

"Won't you come with me, miss? It would be my honor to show you the Phantomhive estate."

So I reached out and took the devil's hand.

May I have this dance?

-vVv-

I wasn't as careful about reigning in my psychometry this time. I had something I was looking for now. Leverage on this demon. The contract demanded absolute obedience, but Sebastian was still just an assumed name.

His real Name would give me an edge should it come to violence. And between my life and this world's inclination, I was too paranoid to believe that it wouldn't.

I was convinced Sebastian could have made a tour of a sewer sound interesting. He was escorting me properly and politely to the guest room, while making conversation. But I could feel his interest probe me all over. Not personal interest, he was just fulfilling his master's orders. And he had centuries if not millennia of time to learn how to read people.

And if they caught that I wasn't the person they were expecting, but in fact someone much more useful, I would end up fighting a major league demon. And I didn't have any of the equipment that would make such an encounter survivable in real life.

I need the Crack now.

I had enough experience with these sorts of days to know more or less what to do.

The Crack didn't make things strange, it just took the existing genre and added some more of that to it. In this case, for all it's generally dark themes, Black Butler was an absurd story where one hand held all the cards and was still forced to struggle against all manner of lunacy. The subtlest touch of Story Magic made the energy in the air that exuded from the Crack hum.

Sebastian was just opening the door to a guest room, giving a polite time period appropriate spiel about the furnishings of the room.

And people care about this stuff even here.

I hadn't even crossed the threshold when an explosion made the floor tremble under our feet.

"What was that?"

I asked innocently, trying to not grin like a loon at the way Sebastian's face locked into a lethal smile that I recognized. It was the same one Mira used when one of us younger kids had done something that she needed to go check on right away.

I already knew who had done it. My hero of the hour was the one, the only master of Kitchen Disaster, Bard! And wherever he was Finian and Mey-Rin wouldn't be too far away either. I kept my expression surprised and shocked, but not fearful. Part of the ridiculousness of this setting was the apparent obliviousness of people outside the Phantomhive household to the chaotic mess that they actually were within.

"Whatever do you mean miss?"

Even in this situation, I wanted to laugh at his blithe understatement blended with a healthy amount of polite bullcrap. I smelt smoke however. I made a show of sniffing the air delicately...

"Mr. Michaelis, is something burning?"

His eye twitched. Visibly and obviously. I kept my amusement behind a polite, earnest mask with considerably more effort.

This is even more fun than sassing Eric back before we were friends!

"It seems an issue has arisen that needs addressing. I do beg your pardon for leaving you, miss. I shall return as swiftly as I am able."

-vVv-

I paused my narrative on account of my audience chortling to himself merrily at my recounting of the butler's well concealed but still discernible ire.

"Never a dull moment with that lot! Oh his patience is pushed to the breaking point every day!"

"It's quite satisfying to watch his brow twitch, but he never breaks character."

"Oh that would be the day. I am captivated, my dear, but you must be parched. I shall fetch us some refreshments!"

-vVv-

And the demon was off with a swish of his coattails vanishing around the edge of the door.

Can he still hear me?

Yes.

Darn it.

That meant I couldn't laugh as I dearly wanted to. It would make me feel so much better.

Where do we stand on rehauling the story somewhat?

Originally, the explosion did not occur until after the Guest and Sebastian were in the room for a time. And the tour did not begin until after the explosion. He has already started both somewhat.

But in the original, Sebastian and Ciel both knew from the get go that the Guest was trouble. So they would have approached her differently.

But I'm not the guest. I'm Guinvere Smithson. The Storyline is similar, but not identical.

Correct. Sebastian already suspects something is different about you than what they were warned might be coming, but the nature of the Day prevents him from identifying what.

That made me shiver a little bit. And feel extremely grateful. I would not want to go up against Sebastian, who had hardly ever lost a serious fight, without a handful of holy weapons, a five gallon drum of holy water and a battlefield prepped in my favor.

I had every intention of staying quietly in the room where I had been and taking the time to formulate a way to get a hold of Sebastian's name as well as avert his conclusions from being anywhere close to the truth. I needed him to believe for as long as possible that I was just a girl. Nothing magical or remarkable at all...

And his Name. That would help too.

Per what I remembered, the name Sebastian Michaelis was the summary of his and Ciel's contract. So I could possibly mess with that by utilizing that story if it came down to it. But it would be no better than throwing sand in their face and revealing that I was something other than an ordinary human. A cheap, easy shot when I needed a coup de grace.

I looked around the room, scanning for some hint of personality and personability to try and read back for more information. But as Sebastian had been saying, the only recent touches on this place were his from minor cleaning. The highlights of the room's recent history was Tanaka putting a new furniture piece in here. And further back, whenever Lady Rachel selected something to purchase for the room that never made it in.

I walked over to the line of photos on the mantel.

It cannot be an accident that Ciel imagined Sebastian's human form to look like a doppelganger of his father.

Thanks to the grayscale photo, the resemblance was even more profound. Though I knew from Morgana that Vincent Phantomhive had Ciel's blue black hair rather than Sebastian's pitch black locks

The standing mirror to the side made me turn and look towards it.

My dress was pink. Which I normally would not wear. It had a bit of pleat in the skirt, a darker rose overskirt, a lighter underskirt, and a neatly done up bodice with a few white accents and black buttons. The face I saw in the mirror was still mine. The same blue eyes looked out at me. But they were missing their typical bright ethernano shine. Then I blinked and the glow was there again.

The day is Crack.

That was my best disguise at the moment. Be obliquely, blithely oblivious to as much as possible. Fall in line to what I appeared to be. Another slow blink and my eyes were flat and normal again. This story mechanic of plot relevant eye shine was one Sebastian used a lot, so as long as I was careful, it would serve me just as well. It would happen, but no one would notice or remark on it until I wanted it to.

But there was something that was different and was going to stay different because it would stand out like a sore thumb. I reached up for the bit of hair that was visible under the tremendous sunbonnet that I was wearing. Light brown and pin straight. Looking through that setting-safe illusion took a bit more effort. The bit of hair that I could see under the bonnet.

Why am I still wearing this inside?

I reached up for the ribbons that secured the bonnet under my chin. It got harder the closer they came to the ribbons. In the OVA, the Guest had worn the bonnet almost the entire time as a storytelling mechanic to conceal her face and let people more readily insert themselves into her place.

But this is not a movie or episode. It's me and mine. And if I want to change this story, damn right I will!

Struggling against a foundational mechanic of this reality was generally speaking not smart. I could sense this setting, time and place was all distinct and separate from the Story that I knew. But its isolation didn't give me much leverage to effect changes in my surroundings. If it were connected to the rest of the story, I could pull in some changes. But right now, I still felt like a marionette being pulled hither and thither by the Story. Maybe someone else would call it Fate, but that gave it too much power.

Come on. You're still part of this world. This story connects many different faces and characters from the main story. And the Guest is never spoken of again after this! There shouldn't be anything wrong with my being able to take off a stupid bonnet!

It took effort. It was as though my own limbs were fighting to keep me motionless in a similar feeling to sleep paralysis. And internally, I was still bargaining with the Story, all the cardinal points flickering through my mind.

Yeah, that's your story. But what if I could make it better? Gwen and the Guest are not the same. There's nothing stopping her from continuing long after this event ends.

I felt something shift in the air. I had won some creative license with the day's events. I untied the bonnet and took a good look at myself now that I could see my face more clearly.

The balance of my features were largely the same as in Earthland, a long elfin face with high cheekbones and bright eyes. Regularly channeling ethernano could work wonders on a person's health if they were smart about it. And health was beautiful. My face looked bigger than normal given my hair was usually not as tightly restrained as right now. Typically it would be tied back, yes, but the curls wouldn't be brushed smooth into an updo like this. Given the time period, I was probably the healthiest person in the manor right now. Even counting Sebastian considering he routinely starved himself.

This is still a time when people use lead based paint and stuff.

That is correct.

Will the Crack shield me from any lead poisoning, or would a standing Esuna be smart?

Any degree of overt magic will make the Crack less secure and increase the likelihood of the demon noticing you are a wizard.

And as far as I knew, a genuine wizard had never featured in Black Butler. And the unknown was dangerous in this instance.

Which meant I had better wait and detox myself once the Crack ran out. Speaking of, the Crack was swirling around me. I was no longer being railroaded into a certain character. The original course of the story I was supposed to be part of had been diverted. There were new options afoot...

I heard a tiny meow just outside the door.

I quickly poked my head out, and saw my ticket to success. A cat! Or kitten rather. A pretty tabby animal that was still mostly fuzz with big eyes and simply massive ears. Ciel was allergic to cats and Sebastian kept the ones that he did in his room in defiance of his unworded orders. He was close with them, and relaxed around them.

Jackpot! I might be able to get his name from this little one!

"Hey kitty." I cooed, stepping outside and crouching to offer my hand. "Mind helping me out a little? I just need to pet you for a little bit."

The kitten sniffed my hand curiously, cautious as a mouser would be rather than a housecat. But it did nose at my hand and let me run my fingers over its, her, head. I got her name almost right away. Sebastian's voice crooned it in the memory, laden with affection.

Lady Francesca.

I snorted quietly in amusement when I read where Sebastian had gotten the name from.

The woman who would go on to inspire Dante's addition of a character by the same name in his infamous work, Inferno.

"Hello lady Francesca." I said softly, trying to get a little bit more contact with the feline who was warming up to the affection. "Just a bit more, little Missy..."

Download to extrapolate True Name: 3% complete.

The information download was achingly slow. Like grasping at literal straws to try and find a thread. But it was a lead. He was far less on his guard around cats than he was people.

The same random current of energy that had brought the cat here was present again, making a small shiver crawl down my spine.

What do you want now?

The air blurred over my hand.

And an instant later, Francesca the cat had one of my gloves in her mouth and was running.

Frik. It wants drama!

-vVv-

Naturally, the kitten ran straight to the kitchens. Thus, I ended up following almost exactly the same path as the woman I was replacing. She would have gone snooping rather than what I was doing. But the result was still pretty much the same.

I wasn't peering through the door as Sebastian stood just inside, chastising the staff for indulging Bard's pyromaniac tendencies. I was moving as quickly as I could after a kitten with my glove still in her mouth. She had flopped down and was clawing at her prize with happy little bunny kicks. It was adorable. She rolled up and bounced away from my hands for a few more steps.

"You feisty little scamp, give me back my glove."

If I catch her now, I swear- of course it's right here.

I caught her right in the splash zone that Morgana outlined. The space in front of the door that would shortly be on fire. But Sebastian was literally within arms length, so I knew I would be safe enough. It would be a stain on the Phantomhive's renowned hospitality if one of their guests came to harm under their roof. I hefted the glove thief easily, cradling her against my chest and gently unhooked my glove from her tiny sharp teeth and one of her rear claws.

"That is not yours, young lady."

"Miss, look out!"

Then I was knocked flat by the demon as he quickly took me down and out of the line of fire. His human guise made the contact bearable, otherwise I was fairly certain I would have shattered the Crack with all the history Sebastian must have had behind him. But Morgana had a much more interesting tidbit for me in these close quarters.

Download 17% complete.

Oh this could be useful.

If I recalled the episode correctly, there were several moments when Seasbtian was in close proximity with the Guest. If I played along, then I would have ample opportunity to divine the information I needed.

Francesca gave a pitiful cry where she was squished between the two of us and my attention snapped to her.

"Oh my."

"Oh no!"

I felt very little shame pushing Sebastian up, with my ungloved hand, and holding the kitten closer.

21% complete.

He moved very quickly as well, hands hesitating around the small creature who was snuggling closer to me, calling for solace and soothing for her pain. I checked her over quickly.

She is upset, but not too harmed. Merely a little bruised.

"Oh that could have been bad, yes it could! Who is this?"

"Oh my poor beauty." Sebastian was also inspecting the kitten, though she was curling into me, clearly blaming him for her rough treatment. "Are you alright, darling?"

"Eh?!"

"Wut?"

I belatedly realized that Mey-Rin, Bard and Finian had probably not seen that I was holding a cat and thought Sebastian was actually talking to me.

"Sebastian, that's so forward!"

The blushing maid scampered forward as Sebastian withdrew to let me sit up.

"She's gotten her fur a little ruffled, but I think she's alright."

I reported, stroking Francesca's back as she cuddled into my neck, mewing for comfort. I glanced to the side and saw the very badly scorched glove I had dropped when Sebastian tackled me that had led to this debacle on the ground.

So much for that glove.

'Guinevere' had come prepared with several spare sets as was proper. She was dedicated to playing the demure noblewoman. But no matter how minor a setback it was, it was still a lost resource and a hitch in her plan. Which I was still dimly aware of even now as 'Fae' became a little more rooted in the role. Apparently Francesca had been enough to get me out of some of that pattern. It made breathing and standing much, much easier. Like there weren't large hands trying to force me into a mold I wasn't made for.

"Let the young lady breathe, Mey-Rin." Sebastian had his composure back again, the butler facade firmly cemented into place. "Are you injured, Miss Smithson?"

"I don't think so."

I shushed the still pathetically mewling cat, running my thumb over her back as she aggressively cuddled closer. I was frozen for a second trying to work out how to get up with the entirely bothersome hoopskirt I was wearing. Luckily it was not so stiff as to cause my skirt to flip up as soon as I was no longer vertical. Sebastian offered a courteous hand which I gave him a small nod of thanks for.

"Thank you...I apologize for getting in the way. My new friend here decided to take my glove for a run."

The demonic butler quickly scooped up the scorched leather and inspected it. Thin and fine, very obviously a ladies glove, but nothing overly expensive or showy.

"No apologies necessary, Miss Smithson. It is fortunate that you were not injured."

He cut a sharp look at the other servants. All of whom were liberally smeared with soot and ash. It made Finny and Bard's blue eyes pop like crazy.

"We're so sorry about your glove, miss."

Finny looked so genuinely upset at the damage of a minor accessory I almost wanted to pick up and cuddle him along with the cat I held. Morgana said that he would get flustered and not control his strength quite so well. We could handle that, but an ordinary person shouldn't be able to.

"Yeah, sorry miss. This new burner in the kitchen's a bit wonky. I still need to do some work on it."

Bard apologized readily, rubbing the back of his neck, and leaving a few more streaks of dark ash.

"Such repairs had best wait until after the ball tonight, Bardory."

The chef of the Phantomhives shivered noticeably at Sebastians suggestion that was anything but optional and I sympathized. I knew too well the power of someone Full Naming you.

I wonder if Sebastian is the Mom or Dad in the household.

Sebastian escorted me back to my room and made no scolding. It was not proper for a lady to be without her gloves. There was a reason it was so commonly used in novels set in this time period. People could be utterly ridiculous about this sort of thing.

"If you would wait here a moment, Miss Smithson, I shall procure you a replacement for what you lost."

He made an aborted gesture like he was going to take the now quite contentedly purring cat from me. I didn't return it and let my face fall slightly, coupled with pulling her a little closer.

"Oh, it's not trouble Mr. Michaelis. I did bring a spare set."

"Please miss, the Phantomhives strive for nothing but excellence in our hospitality to our guests. And one of our mousing felines caused one of your possessions to be damaged."

He was doing the thing of looking at me with soulful burgundy eyes that would make most women melt a little bit on the inside. Resisting that would be unusual, and would draw too much attention. I probably had already shown things he was interested in when I had protected Francesca and demonstrated a mutual fondness of cats. Too much common ground. Things he would pay attention to. I had to offset the behaviors with boring, human reactions that he expected to see. I dipped my head slightly, letting my eyes rest on the floor and praying that the natural color of my cheeks could be mistaken for a blush.

"If...it's not too much trouble."

"None at all, miss." His eyes flicked over the cat draped in my arms. "I will need to return Francesca to the stables. She is not supposed to be in the manor house itself."

Lie. He's putting her back in his room.

"If you must." I scratched her ears gently one last time. "It was a delight to meet you, Lady Francesca. Go demonstrate those marvelous glove hunting skills on the mice now, alright?"

She gave an adorable little trill as she contentedly curled into Sebastian's arms now. For an instant, I saw Sebastian's practiced Customer Service Smile falter into something different for a second. Something curious, intrigued even.

"I shall return shortly, Miss Smithson."

-vVv-

He was back within five minutes. My head hurt a little bit from tracking his damn near teleporting around the manor to make sure that all of the cats were safely locked away and to make a new pair of gloves in record time. And they fit perfectly when I accepted them from him and slid them onto my hands.

"I can't believe you had some that could fit me so well."

I marveled, genuinely baffled at how he had managed to partially break them in so they molded to my hands.

His sunny smile was as fake as an Indian summer.

"As we still have some time before tea is served, shall we continue our tour of the manor?"

I had changed up a bit about how the events were transpiring. Per the timer Morgana still had running about the time until tea, that should give me about another 30 minutes of being near Sebastian to try and finagle a Name out of him.

The recreation room was probably the height of modern appeal for the time period with its handful of board games, billiards table and other entertainments. Lau and Ran Mao were in here and the interaction, brief though it was, were likewise amusing. Especially when I saw Ran Mao blatantly cheat when Lau's back was turned. Neither Sebastian nor I said a word about that. I tested that interaction when Lau leaned in and gave his cryptic warning.

"Some advice Miss, be careful. Phantomhive Manor is absolutely crawling with dangerous beasties. We wouldn't want you to be eaten by any of them."

Lau liked stirring the pot, that much I could tell right away. But when I tried to throw a light quip back at him in answer, something strangled my voice in my throat and i could only nod politely in answer.

"Shall we continue, Miss?"

The direct question gave me an opening to answer.

"If it's not too much trouble, Mr Sebastian."

He held up a gloved hand to escort me as a gentleman would and I placed my hand in his again. He matched his stride to mine effortlessly.

"Forgive me if I overstep, miss. But the Game Room did not seem to hold your attention."

I dipped my head in acknowledgement.

"My preferred pastime is reading. There are not always people who can engage in a game, but books are ever reliable companions."

"Then I believe you shall enjoy the Phantomhive Library. The heads of the family have been collecting books for generations and it has resulted in a store of literary works and knowledge comparable to some universities."

I couldn't hide my excitement and that made a small flicker of smugness pass over his aura as he opened the door for me.

A deviation is coming.

Then a paper airplane drifted through the air to tap against my chest. Or it would have if Sebastian hadn't snatched it out of the air, his eye twitching slightly.

He might be pretending to be a butler, but he does like playing the role somewhat. Probably something different than what he is used to.

"Ah Sebastian! What excellent timing, I was getting quite bored."

The library was currently occupied by two men with rich olive skin and hair I wouldn't see as out of place in Fiore itself. The taller had short white hair concealed under a turban and the younger of the two had plum colored hair.

Why is it that my hair would have stood out if no one so much as bats an eye at these two?

"Prince Soma, you were in the middle of your studies."

The elder of the duo scolded him, gently taking a book from him with an obviously torn page, which I couldn't help but frown at.

"To which he was applying himself most diligently I see."

Sebastian said with a tone that masterfully concealed his annoyance.

"I shall see to it that the damage is repaired Sebastian."

The tall man said with an apologetic bow, which lightened the demon's demeanor somewhat. His manners snapped back to work as he had to introduce the unknowns to each other.

"Miss Smithson, these are Prince Soma Asman Kadar, the 26th child of the Raja of Bengal and his very capable butler, Agni."

29%

Knowing that Sebastian did not give praise lightly, I knew that the genuine compliment he gave his peer in the supernatural butler world had probably let me gain that small percent.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both."

I stepped into a small curtesy as befitted greeting a royal. Then I looked up and saw Soma staring at me with large staring eyes and a faint flush to his cheeks.

Oh no. Not this.

I could act with the best of them, but the character I was portraying would probably be flattered by Soma's attention and that was not something I could feign reasonably. Yes, he was sweet and genuine, but fearing for my own life took precedence. My discomfort and momentary panic must have been evident on my face, since Sebastian quickly stepped in front of me before Soma could say anything.

"Miss Guinevere Smithson is Lady Elizabeth's guest and will be joining us for tea and for the ball tonight. She tells me she is a fervent lover of books."

Boy, they are literally my entire identity and livelihood.

"Then we shall not disturb the lady. The library shall always be a sanctuary for the quiet soul." Agni said wisely, picking up on Sebastian's subtle diversion smoothly, bowing to me respectfully. "Do enjoy yourself, Miss."

"Thank you."

He is too pure for this world.

Agreed.

Agni deftly steered Soma out of the library as Sebastian adjusted some curtains and a few lamps to admit more light. There were maybe fifteen more minutes before we needed to head to the garden for teatime. So I let the Guinivere mask falter a little bit at the familiar surroundings. I stepped away from the center aisle, looking around at the handsomely bound bindings. The gilt, the polished shelves, the comfortable chairs for reading. The large windows, heavy light blocking curtains parted to permit light.

Speaking as a book enthusiast, it was without a doubt an extremely impressive library, just as Sebastian had said. I spotted classic copies of Frankenstein and Dracula on a lower shelf and drifted over to them. On the way there, I spotted a copy of the Strand magazine lying open on a small table. It was showing an article on Sherlock Holmes.

All three of these things delighted me. It made sense for a person like Ciel to read books like Dracula and see about Dr Frankenstein and his monster. I could see for a split second, him sitting and reading these books, darkly amused at his first hand experience in knowing that there were worse things that existed than these.

"You are an appreciator of fiction, Miss?"

Sebastian asked, alert for clues and cues that I had shown. A lingering look on the volumes, a smile. As I wished him to see.

"I think the world is much bigger than most people realize. And I like seeing the directions that a person's imagination can take them."

"And which of these two monsters are your favorite?"

He gestured at the books I was examining, correctly observing the objects of my focus.

"Two? Sebastian, there are three monsters between these two stories. Dr Frankenstein just happens to look more human."

35% and climbing.

Oh that's good.

I had him in a place where he was getting invested. Something Sebastian had never been able to resist, according to Morgana, was the chance to make ironic comments at humans around him. It was almost solely for the benefit of himself, Ciel and the audience who all knew his true nature. Toying with mortals.

"A profound observation. That he who creates a monster becomes one himself."

"The process can be as abrupt as falling off a cliff, or a slow, easy road leading down."

Whether a single, dramatic choice or a series of subtle slow ones, the result was just as damning. And this line of conversation was clearly delighting the demon as the shadow under him flickered slightly. Sebastian was enjoying himself, certain that he held all the cards.

49% of his name acquired.

What does it sound like?

I thought I could maybe infer the rest of his name by process of elimination, but the syllables that Morgana uttered for me were simply not meant for mortals to utter. And even partially speaking his Name could get his attention prematurely.

I mulled that over, fighting the urge to pocket the first edition near mint copy of Dracula as I inspected the non-fiction section and noting the nonfiction books that contained theories that would be outdated or disproved in approximately the next 50 years. Out of the corner of my eye, Sebastian clicked his pocket watch open and checked the time. A fairly useless show since he was exactly aware of the time.

"Tea is about to be served in the garden, Miss Guinevere."