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 Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 4:07 pm
It always hurt. Not that Paige was complaining, there were far worse jobs someone could have when they were just starting out in the world, but the graveyard shift from four pm to two am would never feel good. At least not in the morning. Shuffling through the small hallway from her bedroom to the kitchen/living area the young woman ran hot water over the dishes left to be done (a great way to keep mold from growing) and started to search out a meal. It was a talent she had honed long ago, preparing herself for the day with eyes still nearly shut. The effect made Paige look a great deal like a drunk as she swayed through her kitchen to gather up a bowl and some cereal, but at least it felt as if she were getting a little bit more rest.
Turning off the water and yawning Paige reluctantly left the kitchen. Amazingly, despite the pile of dishes, it was the cleanest place in the apartment next to her room. She needed a few havens or else the college student would easily go insane. It had been two years since she had set out on her own, not by choice, but by necessity. Her mother had passed away from an unknown tumor in her skull leaving Paige alone, but at least prepared, to scrape by on her own. And really, it could be worse. Holding her bowl up so the milk didn't slosh out as she plopped herself down on her worn couch Paige ignored the meows of her mother's old tabby cat for the white liquid she was still using. Certainly the apartment was a mess, but she was trodding along. Like her mother wanted, Paige was in a community college getting a degree and working full time through the nights to support herself and her feline family.
"It could be worse." starting to wake up by that point as the meal was devoured Paige gave in to the cat's request and set the bowl down for her to lap up the remains of the milk once she had finished, "Spoiled brat." she added fondly, running a hand through her hair and debating whether or not she had time for a shower or if a hat would be the best course of action. Considering her dark brown bangs and the ends of the layers of hair had become rather greasy and she was exhausted...Paige went for a hat. Comfort was more important than appearances at college anyhow and with only half an hour until her ten am class she knew that she should get out of the fur covered pajamas she wore; but her feet dragged. Another daily ritual, biding time by playing with her cat, or pretending to clean, or just going into a stressed tirade about the day to come. Today Paige was just calm however, exhausted, and more or less went through her daily preparations at a crawl; being late had become far lower on her list of worries than it used to be.
"Alright, you have a good day Keisha." The cat mewed a response, if only because Paige was taking the bowl of milk away, "And you too mom." Of course it was silly, to talk to a picture. But Paige had set the old photo of her mother and whom she had been told was her father near the door to do just that. Her mother really had been a beautiful woman, long wavy blonde hair, bright blue eyes, pale skin. It was a stark contrast to the man next to her who was almost solely created out of dark shades. His hair matched Paige's dark brown and a bit of his eyes had made it into hers as well, darkening the blue that came from her mother. Paige had both of her eyes at least, the man in the picture wore an eyepatch over one of his own, stylish at least; both of their clothes were. But the young woman had long ago decided that her mother was far from a part of that sort of society and that the worn picture must have come from one of the gaudy theme park booths that made people dress up for photos, "Good day to you too, you dead beat." it was a teasing voice as Paige poked at the picture, she didn't quite believe that she had any real relation to the man and never having him there didn't make her long for anything. Her mother had done well on her own. Sighing and straightening up from the picture Paige took hold of the handle to her backpack, on wheels to save her back, "And behave Keisha! Clean the house a bit while I'm gone." Paige added, though the cat had already slunk off to take a nap as its master headed for the door.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:24 pm
 - Two Weeks Ago -
Sebastian scowled bitterly. It wasn't something he did often, scowling did look bad on a butler after all, although he had to admit, that picking up women lingerie wasn't something he liked to do for fun. Nor for work. Still it seemed like all he did nowadays with his new "master". Setting clothes one on top of the other on his arm in a neat stack that almost reached the top of the high cabinets of the room. Was this actually a Phantomhive decedent? His soul was much more filthy and lazy that it almost made Sebastian not want it. Almost. The butler proceeded to pick up the undergarments that lay promiscuously in the room, and then he tossed them into the dirty laundry bin. He would have to wash all of those later when he had the spare time. His work had really increased if not tripled over the past few decades. Somehow, children of the 21st century were much more careless than the ones from the past, he didn't care what any scholar had to say about it. Or perhaps it was just his current master? Who seemed to have a problem picking up after himself, leaving empty beer bottles everywhere that never really seemed to disappear, not matter how hard the butler tried. "Hey Sebastian...." the master chimed from the other side of the room, perching his body onto a nearby chair.
Speak of the Devil... Sebastian thought bitterly, his scowl slightly increasing for a moment. Then disappearing quickly as he turned to face the man that stood behind him; only to be replaced by a fake but soft smile. "Yes Master Stephen? Is there something you acquire?" The man smirked, a smirk that Sebastian knew all too well by now; a smirk that always meant 'yes'. "Well...." Stephen began, the smirk still painted onto his hideous face, "more people are coming over tonight for er...business...and so I need this whole place to be spotless. Got that? Not one stain on the rug. I want the ceilings to even shine." Sebastian knew exactly what sort of "business" would happen in this manor, and the thought of wasting his time cleaning it all over again just so the crude man could mess it up bothered him. Still, he kept his smile and his mouth shut. "Understood. Not one spot shall be seen sire." "Good, we wouldn't want me to smack you around like last time right?" An inner scowl formed in Sebastian. "Of course not, I will not disappoint I promise" he added a slight bow to that as if to make the promise even more trust worthy. Not that he even messed up last time, the master was just drunk and decided to get abusive. It took all of Sebastian's inner strength to not kill him on the spot. He was yet not bound to this master by contract. First he would have to gain his trust in order to form a contract and have his soul. Which the master promised to give within two weeks; of course the promise was given to him years ago, but only two weeks were left. This was the first time he had ever gotten a contract done like this, he usually wouldn't have to go through this much trouble with the Phantomhive family before. Actually, the only reason he went through this was because of his young master form long ago. His soul was unlike that of any other; strong, full of courage, and yet with a hint of innocence to it that just made it perfect. It was truly precious, and he had actually manged to produce a great abundance of pure souls in his children, and the children's children and so on and so forth. The Phantomhive souls were all near perfection, and it gave him strength like he never imagined, soon he became somewhat addicted to them, almost lusting for them. Like a vampire that feasts on precious blood to live. Until that is.....Stephen Phantomhive came along. His soul omitted this horrible quality to it that Sebastian could feel from miles away, but he was a Phantomhive right? He had to have something about him that made his soul rich, or else why would he come from such a great heir?
"Hey...you listening?" the boy's voice poured through the butler's ears, breaking him from his thoughts. "I'm sorry sir, what did you say?" Sebastian asked, almost embarrassed he hadn't necessarily heard, but he was used to blocking out this man's voice and rambles. "I said that I'm sick of those pictures in the hall. I don't give a crap about my ancestors, so take them all off. Especially that big one with the blue haired boy, that's been hanging there for way too long and I'm tired of seeing it. I want you to replace it with something more modern. Maybe....I picture of that new model. You know, the one on the cover of that Top One hundred Women in the World? That one." Sebastian stared seriously at the male in front of him "Where would you like me to place them then master?" The boy scowled, throwing his hand up nonchalantly "I don't know, throw it away, throw them all away. Burn them if you have to."
Sebastian hesitated in answering, clenching his fists beside him. "Ha ha, also did you hear? I have a cousin! She's also a Phantomhive kid that I didn't even know about. It came through e-mail this morning and I almost laughed from the weird irony. I thought I was the only heir left but I guess not. She's this one broad up in America named Paige." Stephen reached into his pocket, retrieving a small picture and then tossing it onto the floor. Sebastian glanced at it as it landed face up in front of him; he slowly bent down for it, then stared at the picture for a moment. "Hm....so this means...she's actually the last heir of the Phantomhive clan then...." "Looks like it, since I heard I'm older and all" Stephen gave an eerie smirk "maybe I'll kill her out of jealousy? Who knows what crazy things I might do once I have a demon by my side after all. Ha ha ha ha! It's cool though, I'll just send you to do it for me, that way I won't get my hands dirty! Ha ha - " but the boy didn't choke out that last laugh. Sebastian grabbed him by the neck, shoving his body against the wall roughly, a large grin appearing on his pale face.
"I think...my services have expired" he cooed, his eyes gleaming a bright red as he clenched at the man's throat even tighter. Stephen gagged for breath, unable to find a good enough supply to talk clearly. "W-wh-what are-e- y-you d-d-doing? I- - though- t -t y-you - - wan-ted m-my--soul?" "Yes...well...you see, things change sir" Sebastian still cooed, his expression giving off a sarcastic look of pity. "I wanted your soul, but now, I figure it's not worth it. I have bigger fish to pry upon and to be just bluntly honest....I wouldn't feed your disgusting soul to the most rotten dogs in hell."
Then with that, Sebastian dug his nails deep withing the man's throat and dropped the bloody mess of the dead body onto the floor. Making his way back onto the picture, which he had laid on the bed. The smirk was still held on his face as he stared into the girl's deep eyes. "It'll be a pleasure getting to know you...Paige Phantomhive...."
- Recently -xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sebastian sighed, how troublesome it was finding ones way through the crowded streets of America. The trip wasn't the smoothest either, and he was slightly stiff he had to admit. Everything looked somewhat different from that of England, but he wasn't complaining. Necessarily. The picture was embedded into his brain, he no longer needed the photograph with him. Still, he kept it in his pocket as a just in case, you could never be too safe after all. In that short amount of time, Sebastian had fount out almost everything there was to find out about the last Phantomhive child. Where she loved, where she went to school, her class mates and daily schedule. Of course, all of this was essential in finding someone was it not?
Sebastian glanced around the area, then the time. She would be around here soon he knew. He laid his back against the wall and waited until then, like a leopard who stalked his prey until they let their guard down. He would have to wait until the right time to pounce; and boy, would he pounce.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:52 pm
Walking was an invention of the devil. So were stairs, in Paige's opinion, frankly any sort of locomotion that had to be done under one's own power while carying along a high number of very heavy books was not pleasant in the least. Even if she owned the most popular form of transportation that was the mess known as a car she could not use it, simply powering such a thing cost far too much and carying for it even more. Buses, of course, were another option. But after one too many experiences of nerve wracking leers or wandering hands the young woman decided that her own two feet was the best manner to travel from the student apartments and to the campus a mile off. But every morning she found herself destesting her choice and wondering that if with a little wheeling and dealing she could not only use the bus, but make the old man that tried to grab at female passengers pay her way. Really, no harm in giving up a bit of shame, as a college student she shouldn't have much. On the other hand, she did not have bravery either, such a thing would never come to pass and so that day, like many and all others, Paige found herself tired by the time she came upon the stoned pathways that weaved their way throughout the campus, ready to turn around and simply go home to sleep. It was only the fact that the chance to sit and recooperate within the classroooms was closer at hand that made her actually remain.
"Need a new pair of shoes..." glancing behind her and tapping the toes of her left foot on the ground she frowned at the cracking on the back of the heel. Either she had to somehow fix it or get a new pair before it began to drag. She wouldn't dare wear the shoes once others could notice the state of them, Paige didn't mind looking like an uncared for college student, that was normal. But a poor one she did not appreciate. But the shoes had had a long run, since eighth grade if her reconing was correct. They still looked fairly decent as well, if it wasn't for the fact that the soles had worn down long ago and afflicted a wonderous selection of back problems Paige would simply suffer through them. But no, another list on her things to care for. Shoes, electric, class fees...Class fees, that was coming up. Shaking her head and quickly moving out of the way of a pair of texting students the young woman continued on her way into the community campus.
"Yeah, just been standing there, real creepy."
"Oh don't be stupid, just some emo kid wanting to worry people."
"Think he has a gun?"
"C'mon, that stuff he's wearing, that's Italian baby! No college student could afford that."
"A costume, probably just some stunt from the drama club for their new play...'Besides, you've never even seen an Italian suit, let alone be able to pick one out."
"Awe c'mon! That's not fair! Security spoke with him..."
The voices trailed off as Paige passed the group and she was not at all concerned with what they meant. Her mind was on her tasks for the day. What classes she had to get to, when, the best use of her free time between said classes, and of course, managing it all so she could get to work on time. She absorbed the words on a passing whim. Never enough time to spend time with others her own age, never the kind to make connections when she did have the time, so it was a sour substitude for actual conversation to pick up on and try and work out the odds and ends that were passed through the hallways. Theirs was interesting but...Random. It made no sense, did not seem to have any grounds in reality and likely they had just been smo- Coming to a stop so fast the loose heel on her shoe bent against the sidewalk Paige suddenly realized what they were talking about. She agreed with the over paranoid man, he didn't belong there. Italian suit or not she had no idea, but compared to the students, or even the teachers, perhaps even the Dean (not that she had ever seen him on the campus) he was too well dressed. And just...Standing.
A shiver of supressed anxiety made its way through Paige's spine in response to the unfamiliar figure. Unfamiliar to her, but the demon had formed a symbiotic relationship with the bloodline for so long something within her recognized him. And she did not like it. But of course, all of these sensations and thoughts were ridiculous, brought on by the idea of the fantastic happening on a day when there was nothing but work to be done. Still...One could never be too careful and after weaving her way through a few groups of students lingering before class Paige had changed her direction to take the long way to the room she needed. Besides, a little extra walking never hurt anyone, it was a wonderous way to travel.
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:47 pm
Sebastian had handled the security guards quite well. They were troublesome and annoying, asking him to leave so rudely when he hadn't even done a single thing. At the moment anyways. He managed to make them retrieve by just talking with them in a polite manner, no threats nor demon hypnotizing needed, not even a single movement of his body was used. Sometimes humans were so simple it made him want to laugh...or throw up. He continued to wait patiently, he could see people staring at him from the corner of his eyes. Some stares were scared ones, no one liked seeing something that didn't belong and thus they kept their distance from his, literally making him a bubble for space. Others gawked at him, mostly women who were impressed with his clothes and looks, he knew none of these people could afford what he had on. Still, even the admirers slightly feared him, and no one approached him. The fear bothered and yet satisfying the demon butler; it was great to see how people knew their place, none of them were annoying like his previous master and got into his face with annoying notions. Although the fact that he stood out so much and that no one approached would make it harder for him to blend in with everyone else, meaning he would have to work on that as well. Sigh...do Americans have no manners?
Just as the crowd began to move their separate ways, Sebastian saw her. Well, it was more like he felt her. Felt her presence, soul and even glance seep through him like water on clothes. He smirked. After all, how could he help himself? He knew she probably felt it too, she was a Phantomhive after all; they had history together. Finally, the demon's back peeled slowly off from the wall he had leaned on for so long. The eyes that had focused on other things had turn their attention once more to him, and then they all began to stare once more. No one stopped what they were doing though, they just got out of his way when he began to walk steadily, following the girl at a safe distance. Even though the heels of his black leather shoes tapped the floor, they made no sound, each step was careful but quick and most importantly silent. It came to the point where he could directly see the Phantomhive heir, everyone near to her seemed to disappear, his main prey was his only focus for the moment and it was as if a giant spotlight or target had dawned upon the normal girl. He knew he could give her anything she desired, it was his job after all. He could give her fame and fortune, and even move her to England into the manor if that's what she desired; after all, it wasn't as if anyone were living there anymore.
What to do about himself though? Should he apply here as a student? Maybe a counselor? It would be an easier way to keep a close and safe eye on his new master if needed be. It seemed the Phantomhives were prone to danger, no matter who it was Sebastian always found himself saving one from an unusual and messy situation. It was a hassle at times, but inside he found it quite fun. It was a shame that his companions had died over the years, even though the other servants seemed to cause more trouble for him, they were good company at times. That seemed to surprise him, that he could actually have the feeling of missing someone rather than his master. Oh well, he didn't like to think about it, feelings at times were tedious and burdened him. Hm...then why did he like to reminisce in them then...?
Contrast from his elegant steps, Paige's were quite loud in their own way. He seemed to notice this and looked at her shoes, which he had to admit weren't in the best condition. He began to look at her as a whole now, form top to bottom. The woman seemed to be very...carefree about her appearance. Surely she wasn't that poor? What was with that horrid hat? It covered up all of her beautiful hair, and her clothes weren't proper to go out into public into, let alone mop the floor with. He sighed mentally once more, he had a lot of work in front of him. Hopefully she could dance.
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:41 pm
He was following, she could feel it. So much stronger than her normal paranoia that would force the young woman to send quick glances over her shoulder when nobody was looking. Under the guise of adjusting her shirt, perhaps fixing her hair, or maybe just a small glance, just one that went unhidden. After all, everyone had a moment when they felt the need to make sure they were safe. But this, she was certain. It was as if pinpricks of hot coals had settled onto the back of her neck, hair their rose up, the arm dragging the wheeled backpack along behind her had gone ridid. He was following her, why? And she couldn't look behind herself, no, that wouldn't be right at all...She wanted to turn around, to shoot him a dirty glance, to glare at him, but at the same time she didn't want to look at him! More muscles tensed up as if she could sense his inner thoughts about her appearance and the young woman's pace increased. Then, she stopped. Where the hell was she going!? Her mind had been so scattered about thoughts of being tailed that the woman had forgot her plan to loop around through the Health Sciences building to get to the Math department for her first class. Late already, and getting later, and suddenly feeling as if she had all eyes in the world on her when it was simply one man.
That's right. Just a man. And they were on a busy campus, she was keeping to well walked pathways, it was public! And it was just. One. Man. Flicking her gaze behind her for a moment, just catching sight of him out of the cornor of her eye, Paige's posture went rigid for a moment (she had still hoped that she was driven by nothing but paranoia) and she quickly delved down into her bag. One man. Pulling out a tiny container of body spray she kept the label against her palm and just the nozzle and container itself visible as she quickly took off again. Faux pepper spray. She had always meant to purchase a real bottle, but she supposed from a distance what she had would do and would be enough of a silent threat to the stalker.
Continuing on her way with a newfound sense of security with the empty threat in her hand, though she supposed that body spray could do damage to the eyes as well, Paige adjusted her path and was soon within the needed building. Safe. Or so she believed. Relaxing by leaps and bounds she got to her Pre-Calculus class just in time to easily slip into one of the desks near the door without causing any distruption as the teacher continued on. Safe, at home base, no more problems. He would just vanish, or so that was her opinion on the matter. A foolish, naive, idea that seemed perfectly acceptable as she hurried to get out pen and paper to start taking notes. Besides, she was terrible when it came to math, as soon as she had her supplies her head was down, attention quickly shifting between the teacher and her own work as she tried to catch up and understand. Two things that rarely happened, much to her dismay.
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:33 pm
Seeing her quicken her pace, Sebastian stopped. He was frightening her, and that wasn't something he wanted to do for the moment. He let her slip into her class, then he checked his watch. If his information had been right, and it always was, she would be in Pre-Calculus. She could be so much smarter than that he knew, with his tutoring applied that is. Taking a few steps back, Sebastian observed his looks in the mirror, he was formally dressed as always, perhaps that's what made him stick out from the rest. He'd have to do something about that...if only for the moment. Camouflage was always a great technique for catching prey, the more one blends in, the easier it becomes.
The teacher scribbled on the board, not necessarily paying much attention to the students. If sin θ = 3/7, find csc θ the board read, after ward she set the chalk in her hand down, turning her attention towards the class. Her eyes pierced at each of the students, seeing which could figure the problem out first, but no one seemed to raise their hand as fast as she expected them to. She sighed then turned back to the board and began to write more upon it. A gentle knock came from the door that made her stop in her tracks; aggravatingly she turned to see who would interrupt the lesson at a moment like this. She would clearly have a talk with the administrator about this! Still, she made her way to the door, opening it in an almost aggressive manner.
She raised her eyebrow expectantly at the man entering the room. His pale face shimmered slightly at the glow of the ceiling lights, his ebony hair covering his sorry expression. He took his hands out of his dark black jeans pocket and brought it up to the chest of his white class shirt, the wrinkles forming almost gracefully onto his body. Leaning he whispered something in the teacher's ear, then flashing her a warm but small smile he gave her a small paper. The teacher's face seemed to turn a small shade of pink as she took the paper from his hands, she nodded and turned to the class once again. "Class, I know I don't usually do things like this, but I'd like to introduce you to Sebastian Michaelis, he's a transfer student from England. Please do show him around if needed be." She faced Sebastian again "You may take a seat wherever you wish sir, as long as you behave in my classroom we won't have a problem."
Sebastian's red eyes flashed with contentment as he looked through the crowd of children sitting. His eyes making direct contact with an empty seat. That's the one he wanted. Why? Well, next to that very boring and unspectacular seat, sat his precious, little prey.
"Don't worry miss....I wouldn't dare to cause any trouble."
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 6:06 pm
Paige finished copying down what was on the board, was intent in her work, if she didn't hurry the teacher was going to continue on and there was more of a risk of being left behind if she didn't take advantage of the brief pause. The young woman was only able to properly experience a few moments of it however, it was not long before the strange twinge moved through her body gain, the feeling of coals, this time on the side of her body, began to burn, and she went completely tense. Lead in her mechanical pencil breaking as she looked up, just as everyone else did to get a look at the surprise edition, the young woman felt her gut churn. And she was damn near certain that it wasn't for the same reasons that various patches of girls started whispering about. Why was he here!? Why was he- He had been in a suit! Hadn't he!? Feeling color leave her features she watched him interact with her teacher, jaw tight, a frown on her face, not at all happy to see the pleasant little blush on the older woman's features. Not that he wasn't, well, she had to face it, a lady-killer. But he was stalking her! Men like that did not stalk women like her, they did not look at women like her at all. And frankly, that suited her just fine. She did not need to be trailed from classroom to classroom feeling little prickles of heat down her spine and the feeling as if she were a rabbit facing down a very large fox.
So easily accepted, no, embraced. Humans loved beautiful things after all and from the man's alabaster skin to his polite attidute he was a welcome addition to the class. Paige, except for some very jealous looking males, appeared to be the only one who truly saw Sebastian as an actual intrusion. Body remaining tense her neck seemed prepared to snap as she kept her muscles bunched up while following his progression, right.Next.To.Her. Pencil begining to form a depression in her notebook as she watched him take his seat. She had to get out of-
"Miss Evans?" A tiny sound of dismay escaped the young woman and she whipped her head around to face the teacher, features drawn up into her characteristic 'I smell something foul and I know it is you brats' expression that she was well known for. If her math course hadn't been the last one available that semester Paige never would have gone anywhere near it. As it was, she was not going to slow her progression through the educational system just to avoid one teacher...Though she wished she had, "Is something wrong?"
"N-No, not at all, sorry..." Her features had almost instantly lit up when others turned to stare, a few of the girls already giggling at Sebastian's entrance redoubling their efforts to sound immature and couquettish. Trying to relax and settle back into her chair again, to turn her attentiona way from the man, Paige did not get far.
"Glad to hear it, then would you come up to the board please? Mr. Michaelis." her smile grew, "Perhaps you would like to show us what the schooling outside of the States is capable of?"
"Ah-" Paige instantly cut herself off, she'd be in for a great deal more toruble if she did not do as she was told. Mrs. Zettle was more like a highschool teacher than a proper college professor and the young woman was fairly certain she would attempt to send her to the dean if she misbehaved. Stubborn old hag.
Casting a brief look of distaste at the new 'student' Paige dug through her bag to get her calculator, obviously nervous, shaking, not just for her 'opponent' but for simply being asked to move to the board all together. She did NOT know what she was doing and had no idea whether or not the stalker would either as they were both handed a piece of chalk and a problem was written up on the board for them.
"Just like our review yesterday." her features softened somewhat as she looked to Sebastian again, "No need to worry, I do not grade board work, consider it a way to introduce yourself." she stepped out of the way, "Remember to show all of your steps please so we can go over your work with the class...And cover...Normal mistakes." she glanced to Paige as she said such a thing, the young woman bristling before wilting infront of the binomial equation staring down at them from the board. More reason to hate the man, in her opinion it was his fault.
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 6:56 pm
Obviously pleased by the girl's failed attempt at avoiding him, Sebastian felt as if he could do nothing more than let everything fall into place now. His head turned towards the teacher as she beckoned him into doing the problem on the board. "Of course, I'll try my best." Seeing Paige now near him made him smile, though no one could see it since his back was turned to them all. Even though the teacher reassured the problem would not be graded, Paige looked awfully nervous next to him. Her tense atmosphere was so great he could feel it from where he stood.
He chuckled oh so softly, it was somewhat adorable to see her in such a stage of fear, not towards him at the moment, but to the simple work on the green board. Sebastian hated the smell of chalk, it was disgusting and one of the only things in the world that was actually white and could make things dirty. What a shame, white was such a pretty color after all.
Sebastian's eyes danced to the corners, taking a peek at the girl next to him. He shifted his body, moving closer to the girl so that their elbows almost touched, yet moving slow enough so that no one else would notice. Then in a soft whisper, safe within ear range of the teacher, he began to speak to her, keeping his eyes intently on the board. "Listen to me and write exactly as I say...." He re-looked at the problem written on the board.
Softly and slowly he began to whisper the numbers and operations step by step to her as he himself wrote them on the board. "If you finally divide, the solution would be congruent to three." He looked at her for a moment, making sure she was keeping up with him as he did the work, then giving her a small wink, he turned again to face the class. Then looking at the teachers buffoon face, he knew no one had caught on. It was all falling into place perfectly.
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 7:12 pm
Paige began to tense as the man's presense loomed over her, too close, far too close, and her worry about the man so near made the equation make even less sense in her mind. She was staring up at a foreign language, no numbers, not letters, nothing she had ever seen before. She should be in her seat, no, she should be out of the room! When the man spoke there was the smallest spasm that passed through the young woman before she went still again, converting the equation to standard form, the one step she could do without fault, as what he said sunk in on her. And really, what did she have to lose? She could not do the problem on her own and, stalker or not, she needed help. She listened, listened carefully, and did nto let it show on her features that she was doing so. Paige was still nervous. The feeling of hot coals had sunk further into her being, settling in her stomach and maching her antsy to put distance between herself and the one whom had announced himself as Sebastian. She focused on the work, drawing out the numbers and signs she knew as th eman let the instructions come out in a barely audiable whisper, at times the crackle of chalk on the board almost drawning him out. And it was done.
Glancing up to the man from the cornor of her eye with a suspicious expression as the answer was finally circled the young woman's features blossomed with color at the simple gesture and she tensed again. The garnet eyes made the terrible heat within her peak and she once more wanted to run, the instincts wanted her to flee, but logic informed the young woman that she had just been helped, not harmed. If anything, the expression on the teacher's face was enough to keep her from outright bolting again.
"Yes, well, great work the both of you." the woman smiled, bidding the duo to sit, which Paige did gracefully, before begining to alter the two problems in various ways to show the mistakes that she had expected them to stumble into. They had just made her class a bit more difficult for her, but she certainly could not be upset with the strange new individual. But, she did not show her anger to Paige either. It boiled down to nothing by the time that the class came to an end and the young woman found herself uncertain what to do as the room begain to erupt into the shuffling and chatter that was attributed with the shifting of time. Her eyes were still trained on her paper, going over the last answer in her notebook for that day until it was dark enough to be mistaken for a charcoal mark. Run, flee, but decent upbringing told her that she should thank him, of course she should, Paige would have made a fool of herself otherwise.
At last lifting her pencil from paper and nervously tugging on the brim of her hat she looked up to the man next to her. Just a moment, quickly begining to ungracefully shove everything back into her bag in whatever manner made it fit the fastest, "You didn't have to do that..." she muttered, still moving quickly, hoping to give recognition for the good deed and begin her escape within the same set of gestures.
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:38 pm
Sitting properly and somewhat stiffly at his desk, Sebastian waited for the girl's reaction. Although she seemed to be somewhat entranced by her work on her paper. Even though he managed to pull off such a task as fooling the teacher into thinking he was a student, and the other children, he had not brought any of the right preparations. No books, no folders, binders, paper, nor pencil. Why would he need it? All the information was in his brain, where it should be. He knew that college teachers rarely cared of one's individual organization, after all, they did have about one hundred or so students in class. Why worry over one? Yet, he had managed to capture the teacher's attention immediately, meaning he would probably be singled out a bit more from the rest. Since he sat next to Paige, it seemed his presence would also effect her "popularity" in school as well. Oh well ~ what's done is done.
For the short remainder of class Sebastian did nothing but sit and somewhat wander off into his own little world, still keeping a close watch on the person beside him and completely blocking the teacher's last words. As soon as class was done, the children scattered around like ants who seemed to notice a giant magnifying glass loom over them. Humans can be quick when needed be. Just not quick enough to outrun him that is. Paige herself seemed to rush as she practically jammed everything into the mess of a book back, the untidiness made Sebastian cringe slightly, but he chose not to say anything; he knew he was a perfectionist at heart and even the littlest stain would get on his nerves. He checked his new watch, which was now attached to his pale wrist; then remembering how silently...how...slyly... he had ripped the clothes off the poor boy made him somewhat smile. It didn't matter now anyways, the dead never did miss material things, and he had been sue to clean up the mess like a good butler would. Three.....Two....One.
"You didn't have to do that..."
Sebastian's eyes turned towards her, and he shifted his body weight to face her at a more comfortable angle.
"I know. I didn't really have to, but then if I didn't there would be a consequence. Just like you didn't have to go up to the board when the teacher called you, but you did it anyways right? Probably because you were scared of that woman - " Sebastian cast a fast glance at the teacher, then back at her "although I wouldn't blame you." Sebastian learned that people weren't really forced into anything, unless they were bounded by an unbreakable contract that is. Though those who were free always had a choice, it just seemed as if they were being forced to do something because they knew the consequence was much too big and troublesome to even consider it an option. Such as, someone telling another to give them money or they'll kill them. Of course if the person ever survived and retold the story they would word it as "he forced me to give him money" when in all, that wasn't true. They could've refused it and just died. Nothing's ever really forced.
"Ah...by the way, I was trying to catch up to you earlier but you were avoiding me. You dropped something." He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a picture. The picture was old, after all it had history. The woman in it was beautiful he had to admit, with long wavy blond hair, bright blue eyes, pale skin that could've matched that to a pearl. Holding it up to her, he gave off a small smirk, making full eye contact. "They say that if you linger onto a past memory you'll never truly forget it. Perhaps you should be more careful next time" he chuckled.
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 6:06 pm
Paige's frown deepened, scared? She wasn't...Glancing over her shoulder at the teacher she shook her head, every so slightly, barely noticeable, before looking back to Sebastian again. Fine, at least for the time that she took the class and the old bat held the reigns to her grades. Then she was nothing but a wrinkled hag that should be in a retirement home, not that she would ever say, or do, anything against her even then. Paige had learned to show respect, her mother had seen to that. She wanted to object, but bit back what would have been a lie as she stood and telescoped the handle on her bag. Still ready to run, to flee, even more so when the man admitted to have been following her, though an explaination was soon given, though hardly one Paige expected. A hand that had begun to nervously pull at the hem of her shirt reached out, brows together, an uncertain expression on her features. Paige could not imagine what she had dropped, sheh was careful with her belongings, and unless she had dropped something while fleeing then she could not imagine when it had happened. Or why he decided to cross damn near a whole school yard to pick it up and retrieve it for her.
"That's..." It only took a moment for the picture to impress itself upon Paige. It was just natural that, no matter how much time had passed and how many differences were visible, one member of a family could always tell another. Her mother was young, perhaps not much older than Paige herself was in the photo. A little nymph in a far away country a sundress hiding the tiny bump that caused her to flee from the rot and depravity of the Phantomhive name. Staring down at the photo the kind of expression that most people did not get to show their entire lives flitted across her features. Complete and utter shock, the inability process what she was seeing, to accept it. It would be the same sort of expression that a person would have should they see a pink elephant walk into a room or perhaps their morning cup of coffee sprout legs and rush itself headfirst off the table. And she almost did what all humans did. Get upset, or ignore it, or simply destroy all evidence and proceed with her life as normal. Humans were creatures of habit after all, none of them ever appreciated a kink in their plans. But, in the very least, Paige had the ability to take what fate handed her extremely readily. It did not do much to make up for the unorganized mess her life had become, but it was something. She awknowledged it. Once she was certaint hat the last lingering students had filtered out of the room and there was nobody but the strange 'student' to see the rare expression Paige faced up to the slightly wrinkled and very worn photo in her hands.
"Where did you get this?" she glanced over the man's form, up and down, resting on his features again and taking a step back, adjusting herself once her legs bumped into a desk so that she had to readjust herself to put a bit more distance between the two of them. She kept ahold of the photo, "And you're not a student." He had been in a suit before, hadn't he? Paige was certain of it, but again, the fact that she was a human made her want to ignore the new strange aspect. The burn of those twin embers, a terrible sensation deep within her that made her shift uncomfortably. She did not want to be near the man, not at all, "Why are you here?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:09 pm
Seeing her beginning to withdraw from him once more, and judging by the confused look on her face and the fact that she began to sputter out a million questions at a time; Sebastian figured it was time to come clean. No more beating around the bush. No more lies. He stood up, facing her in a straightforward direction, blocking any chances of easy escape. The teacher left by now, she had probably not seen nor heard them since both were quite quiet for a moment. With no witnesses around, his would become a hell of a lot easier. "My name is correct, I'll say that much is true. My name is Sebastian Michaelis, or well, that is the name I was given by my original master. You see Paige Phantomhive, I've been keeping a close eye on you for the past two weeks, although I have made myself present until now. I know more about you than any neighbor or friend could.
Don't worry though, I'm not going to hurt you, after all why would I? I have no desire for money, not that you have much to begin with. I have no desire for your body either, so don't worry about that as well. You see, I'm here to...help you miss, and nothing more. You are the last descendant of the Phantomhive heir, and no matter how hard you may try, you will never be able to escape that name. I have served the Phantomhive family for over generations, tracing back to the original Phantomhive who began this all, Ciel.
Ever since I've helped that family become what it was and hold a high reputation and righteous standard. Now I've come to serve the last Pantomhive member still alive to this day, you miss Paige. I can give you almost anything you desire, any command you make I can obey it without second thought or question. I am to serve you and you alone. I am mastered in cooking, cleaning, literature, art, fighting, protecting and I can serve as an assassin when needed be. If my master wishes it, it shall be done and nothing shall be left incomplete."
Sebastian bowed after a moment of speaking, not a deep bow, but enough so that his eyes stared at the floor. "Although....there is a consequence to this, as there is with everything else in this world. Even though I shall protect you with my life and serve you to make sure nothing intercepts with whatever plans you may ave in the future; you must give me something in return. It's quite simple really, not much mind should be put into it..." he raised himself once more "I want your soul."
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:43 pm
Horror at the thought of being gollowed, indignation at not being a source of profit, anger at the foreign name and thread of an inescapable fate. Paige's mind had to race to try and take in everything the strange man was telling her and even though she understood it, she did not. The words were there, the meanings strung together, clear and pure and easy to discern and yet...None of it made any sense. As Sebastian continued a small, nervous, not at all amused chuckle escaped the young woman and she tried to back away. Again there was nowhere to truly go, boxed in by desks and the power the man's presense held, unless she wanted to haul her backpack up and take off at a run she was not going anywhere. But the embarassment involved in such a gesture was begining to seem as if it might be worth it. And he bowed. Bowed. As if it was the most natural thing in the world and deep or not the simple gesture sent shockwaves through the startled heiress.
"Simple?" The words came out in a choked tone of voice, Paige's eyes widening and body realizing that it had been with a lack of oxygen for far too long. She took a deep breath, shaking her head, shutting her eyes, opening them, perhaps she expected the man to simply vanish into thin air and logic to return to her world. That would be nice, "What are you-? Who? No. No, absolutely not." she shook her head with a fair amount of force, enough to make her dirty locks stir and upset her hat slightly, "You have the wrong person all together besides, I've never heard that name, and- Two weeks!?" her free hand began to rifle through the pockets of her jeans. Latching onto her cellphone she pulled out the cheap Wal-Mart model, but at least it had minutes on it, even then, 911 was always free. She tried to put on a smile though as she backed up, certain that someone had escaped from the funny farm to be approaching her and saying such things. Serve her? Kill for her? Completely insane, she had to get out of there.
"And, if, by any chance, you are right." Phantomhive, yeah, not in that lifetime. Who ever heard of such a ridiculous name? "I'm afraid I'm rather attached to my soul." her smile flickered, trying to appear strong and natural, but it was very hard given the situation, "So I would have to refuse, I'm quite capable of managing on my own so, ah, thank you...Right then..." she glanced down to the photo that was wedged between the phone and her hand, tensing, shivering, of course he didn't have the wrong person to have that. It was her mother for God's sake! But...God wasn't there. God was not a part of the Phantomhive name and never would be so long as Sebastian has his hold on the family, "I'm going to go about my merry way, I expect you to do the same, forget this whole thing."
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:55 pm
As Paige's voice choked out of her throat, he could immediately tell she wasn't at all pleased with the truth. Of course who would be though? He shouldv'e really seen this coming, well...he did, that's why he stayed very calm and collected while she had a mini fit right in front of him. His look became even more stern as she began to ruffle slightly in her jeans pocket. Typical. Just like any other human she would begin to call out for help; why didn't any of them know how to handle situations by themselves? That's why he liked Ciel the most out of any of his other masters, he only needed Sebastian to protect him. Aside from that, he never called out for help, he just played with his "chess pieces" to help him advance through life and then disposed of them when he didn't need them. Never once did he call out and actually admit he needed help, he was too strong willed for that. Perhaps if he had, things would have gone a lot more smoothly, but that wasn't the way he liked things, no matter what he said on the outside.
Once finished, his stern look turned into that of a disappointed frown, not because she had said no, but more over her overall reasoning and close mindedness. He didn't move closer, instead he brought the desk behind him to close the pathway even more, then sat on it calmly, legs crossed and all. "Such a shame miss, for you to say you have not heard of that name. For it holds such power within itself that it could cause anyone in England to shudder in fear. I don't care what you say, but heard it or not, that is your last name, and will forever be your last name. One of your ancestors might have hid it from you to protect you from it. How sweet. Although it came in vain I must admit." He blinked for a moment. Attached? To her soul? How amusing...what was the soul to her...? A pet? A family member?
"I don't think your getting the actual point of this miss" he said in a sort of aggravated tone. When I say I can give you anything, I can give you anything, in the whole world. A mere soul is not as great as you point it out to be, after all, once I give you everything and fill out your deepest desire, will you not be content? What more will there be to live for when one's purpose in life is already fulfilled? Unless that is..." Sebastian took a pause, leaning back onto the small but sturdy wooden table "you wish to keep living such a meaningless life? You know more than anyone what it's like to think you could never do extraordinary things because of who you are. No matter how much you tell yourself that your happy with your mediocre life, even though your paying bills, going to a cruddy community college and living in a small apartment, you never truly are. What have you to look forward to? Maybe you'll graduate, get a job, have children and then...die in the end, just like the others on this boring planet. You'll never really make a change in this world with the way you're moving now, and to even begin to make a change at all you'll have to work yourself to the bone."
"You see miss, I'm offering you a shortcut in this pitiful life. Like I said, I'm here to help you, and nothing else. That's why I cannot simply 'forget' and go on my 'merry way', because I know you won't be able to do that either. You'll go home and think of the insufferable fact that you just turned down a great deal. I deal of actually becoming someone worth talking about, admiring even." He glanced at the photo gripped in her fingers "If you don't want to do it for you...then what about her? I'm sure your mother would be proud to see her little girl all grown up and successful. More successful than anyone else in the family was." Standing up with his feet barely touching the floor, he appeared in front of her, giving her almost no time to react. He lightly touched her cheek with his index finger, passing it upwards and then back down again, then leaning in close enough to get his lips near her ear he whispered to her. "You can already imagine it can't you Paige? Take your rightful place again in society and grasp it within your fingers as strongly as your are doing now with your mother's picture. Life isn't worth living if you have nothing to live for...all you need to say is yes..."
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 4:29 pm
Paige's expression darkened to see her path cut off by the easy movement of the desk. A barrier she could not break through, perhaps leap over it, take the long way around, plenty of simple, logical, options. But it was the visual that made her feel trapped. Even while aware she could get away Paige knew that she couldn't. Perhaps that was all the strange man did it for, to let her startled mind accept that she could not get away. He had tailed her to her college, to her class, he could follow her anywhere just as the strange name could...And she could feel it, burning within her, the realization that she was not going to be able to go anywhere, that she could not escape the hot burn within her that seared a tender and unknown portion of her body. Her soul, what, by imagination, she believed to be so important and so dear to any person. And, it was, wasn't it? It was a soul. Countries had risen and fallen over the religious beliefs over the invisible force. Stories were told, ceremonies passed, money and care and energy poured into something that may or may not exist. And now Paige knew that it did, but what did that mean? She was not religious by any means, she never had the stomach for it. But she had, in a bid to accept the dreary life of trudging along, popping out children, and dying that Sebastian described, deemed that it existed and would take her to heaven. She would do what was right in her life and then she would have the afterlife to celebrate, it was her one and only chance for the colorful existance that she had always hoped for...Or so she had believed. What Sebastian said her own mind agreed with, if she could have everything in life why worry about death? And then...Was there just nothing? Would there be nothing whether she offered up her soul or not? Perhaps it was the man who thought they were something special, that he should ask permission and offer payment to rob the empty shell of a body that would be her one day. Or anyone for that matter. The soul could be taken or it could rot away, but either choice would leave her dead...Dead and with nothing...
Glancing to the photo herself as she watched the ruby eyes drop to bring it into the discussion Paige tensed again. After all, what more did a child want than to do well for their parents' sake? Her mother hadn't been able to finish raising her, but she had odne well with what time she was given, certainly she would want Paige to go as far as possible, do as much as she could...What path was she on then? If she left and, as Sebastian said dreaded every moment of ignoring the offer for the rest of her life, what would she be doing? She was basing her path on economics and the needs of a society, trying to discover the path with the least resistance and the most reward and there it was infront of her. A get out of jail free card, an offer to simply have life as she wanted it, to live free. Just for her soul. But it was...But she did not even know what it was or what it was capable...And did she want to know? Did she want to know and have to truly weigh the costs of such a decision? Her troubled expression turned up to Sebastian as his finger brushed against her features, the heat within her searing, sending signals for her to run, to flee, and she couldn't. She had to get away and that was the last thing she wanted to do, the last thing she wanted to even contemplate was leaving the safety of the serpent's words and having to face up to what she was actually being offered. As far as she was concerned, or wanted to be concerned, she was giving up nothing for everything.
"That..." her eyes flicked to the side, to the pale features too close to her own, quickly looking away again, hardly able to breathe. And she couldn't say no. The dread of doing so would eat her up for the rest of her life and she would have nothing anways. The consent was clearly spoken in her eyes, bright as day, to latch onto every reassurance and story and let herself be wrapped up in them all. Trapped in a spider's web. And yet, she couldn't say it. She was too weak to verbalize her conviction, to take that last step, "What will happen?" She was uncertain if she cared to know what he wanted with her soul or not. No, she simply wanted to skip the gesture of agreeing that took so much strength. To let it be assumed from her words and features, an unspoken agreement to every word the demon had said, and simply move to the next step. After all, it couldn't be that easy, could it? Simply agree and then have power? But...It was a deal with the devil, was it not? Or something akin to it at least. Perhaps the simplicity was just another devistating feature.
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