Impromtu Demonic Investigation Time! {Ciel!}

[Anya]

ooc:// and by investigation i mean snooping


Was nothing simple anymore?

She'd come to London for one reason. One, simple reason - to deliver an ancient cursed urn to the woman who'd ordered it form her magic shop. ...In retrospect, sure. She could've Fed Ex-ed it. But when you could teleport, why not heighten your customers' satisfaction by ensuring a speedy delivery? ...And of course, then she got to charge them more. That was the best part.

No sooner had Anya sealed the deal, however, than the woman (a self-proclaimed 'psychic') had started spluttering about some nearby 'Phantomhive manor' and how it was 'infested with demons' or...some sort of nonsense like that. So what? What did she look like, an exterminator? Or (god forbid) Buffy Summers?! Seriously, if a demon or two wanted to settle down and live the high life it was no skin off of Anya's nose. And she wasn't going to go bother them on behalf of some crazy (but well-paying) customer. ...Or, well....maybe she was. Maybe. It was possible that she'd agreed to just 'take a look' and see what was happening at the manor (if there was anything happening at all) when the woman had offered her a fair deal more than what she'd originally been paying for the urn. ...Maybe...

But it was mostly just out of her own curiosity! Because money most certainly could not be used to persuade the vengeance demon to do just about anything! Yes, it was...curiosity that had prompted her to teleport right up to the Phantomhive manor door and knock smartly on its surface like some hyperactive little trick-or-treater. Actually though, in all seriousness: a part of her was starting to find this whole thing interesting. Just standing outside the door, she could already sense the presence of a demon dwelling here - maybe more than one? ...She really hoped they weren't the mass-murdering kill-on-sight type. Because then this was going to get messy, and this was a new outfit, and...ugh, maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all.

[ciel]

As usual in the evening Ciel Phantomhive was sitting in a large chair reading a book. The young Earl was hardly paying attention though, he'd had quite a bit on his plate since he'd become a demon. With a slight sigh, Ciel turned the page of the book. "Are you enjoying your book, my lord?" Sebastian asked as he walked into the study. Ciel shut his book and looked up at Sebastian, who was carrying tea on a tray. The butler poured a cup of tea for his master and handed it to him. It was a very strong brand of tea, one of Ciel's favorites actually. Sebastian suddenly stopped, his eyes narrowing. "My lord, I believe there is another demon nearby."

Ciel looked up at him, slightly shocked. "What reason would another demon have for being here?" He asked, his voice keeping calm. Sebastian could likely deal with any demon who tried to bother them. He'd already dealt with Claude Faustus quickly enough. "Greet whoever it is, and keep your cover. If we can, we should prevent her from knowing." Sebastian place a hand on his chest and bowed. "Yes, my lord." The butler said, before teleporting to the manor door and opening it. "Good evening. What business do you have here?"

[Anya]

As the door swung open, Anya lifted her gaze and blinked up at the tall man framed in the doorway. Upon making eye contact, it hit her immediately - he was a demon. ...The demon she'd sensed? Maybe. Probably. And yet his formal manner of dress in addition to the fact that he'd been sent to...well, open the door, suggested that he was employed here as some sort of butler. But...what as a demon doing working as a butler? Anya shot him a quick, rather inquisitive smile, greeted him with a brief, "Hi." before elevating herself slightly on her tiptoes to peer into the manor behind him.

It was difficult to see anything inside, though she assumed there were others present. Who was this man working for? Humans? Other demons? Either way it seemed...odd, and it made the vengeance demon even more determined to find out exactly what was going on here. Unfortunately, subtlety wasn't really Anya's thing. And when he asked what business she had here, it didn't occur to her to even attempt to lie to him.

"Oh, sorry. Is this a bad time? It's just that I've never sensed the presence of another demon near human civilization quite so strongly before - and, well, I thought I'd drop by and make sure you don't have any immediate plans to...you know, slaughter all of London or anything. Because that would be bad." Well 'bad' was sort of an understatement, but Anya shrugged it off as casually as if she'd just asked the other demon if he'd like to buy some girl scout cookies. She shot him another smile, more pleasant this time, and cleared her throat slightly. "Don't worry, though. I didn't bring an angry mob with me, or anything like that. I was just wondering." Seeing no reason to waste more time rambling, she went right ahead and skipped to what she really wanted to know. "Are you the only demon here?"

[ciel]

As soon as Sebastian asked his question the other demon answered in a way that could easily be called a ramble. Being a demon, Sebastian picked up on everything she said, including the fact that she knew he was a demon. Instead of reacting surprised, he looked confused. It was probably best to simply pretend that he wasn't a demon at all. His young master's orders were to not give the fact that he was a demon away under any circumstance. "Demon? I'm afraid you'll find no demon here." Sebastian said, his face showed false confusion.

"If you're searching for somewhere to stay, I am sure my young master would be more than happy to allow you to rest here." Sebastian made himself appear as if he'd not fully understood what Anya said. "I can assure you, neither my young master nor I have any plans to destroy anything in London." That much, at least, was the truth. Sebastian only planned on serving Ciel for the rest of their time here, which would likely be forever.

[Anya]

....What. He was...denying that he was a demon? Anya could only stare at the man blankly, not quite sure how to respond to this. She'd certainly...never gotten this sort of reaction from anyone before. Maybe he couldn't sense that she too was a demon, for whatever reason? Maybe he just assumed she was human? "You don't need to lie to me," she told him lightly, giving him a smile that had been intended to be reassuring. "I don't have anything against demons. Except when they go around killing the people I care about. But you haven't done that yet, so I don't have any reason to dislike you." Maybe it was a bit early to be making that assumption but...it was so unpleasant, having to assume the worst of people when you didn't even know anything about them. This man, at least, wasn't sounding off any immediate warning bells.

In fact, the other demon didn't seem particularly malicious at all - at the moment. And he'd said he didn't have any plans to run off and terrorize London, which was at least somewhat reassuring, except that...well. He'd just lied to her about being a demon. So what was to say he wasn't lying to her about this? Anya studied his face carefully, searching for any signs of deceit in his expression. But this man was...particularly difficult to read. He just sort of looked politely confused at the moment, and his confusion was just confusing her, and this whole thing was going to end up really...confusing...if they didn't stop this nonsense soon. But what could she do?

There was his offer to consider. Anya wasn't particularly in need of a place to say, but taking him up on his words would at least give her a chance to have a look around inside and figure out just what this demon...or if there was more than one around, demons were doing here. "Um, but yes!" she added after a pause, brightening somewhat as she flashed him a sunny grin. "Rest. I'd like that. Unless you're busy. Busy not trying to destroy London." A slight chuckle escaped her at this. Her words sounded as if she'd been implying something, but she'd only been joking with that last bit. ...Well. Kind of.

[ciel]

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. This woman's knowledge was unsettling. She was a demon herself, of course, but the fact that she'd come to investigate on him. The butler was disturbed by this. There were very few demons on this planet, the only others he was aware of were those contracted by the Earl Trancy. This one appeared to be independent of any contractor, which was strange. Most demons stayed in Hell until someone attempted to summon them.

"If you are here to speak with my young master, then you are welcome in. If you are here to pointlessly accuse us of being demonic creatures, I can assure you that you aren't welcome." Sebastian said, a slightly angry tone to his voice. It was unlike him to become angry in the slightest, but none had ever revealed his demonic nature before. It was made better by the fact that she was also a demon, but saying it aloud may have revealed him.

"I can, however, assure you that we are not planning to destroy London." Sebastian said, opening the door fully. "Now, if you're quite done accusing my young master and I, you can be on your way."

[Anya]

The other demon was beginning to sound a bit agitated now, though she couldn't think why. She could, after all, sense what he was clear as day - him telling her that he wasn't a demon was like him telling her that he...didn't have black hair. Despite this, it didn't look like he was going to 'fess up any time soon. Anya briefly rolled her eyes at this, but decided to let it go - for the moment, at least. If she continued to push, this was probably going to end with him slamming the door in her face or something. Besides, she hadn't come here with the intention of exposing him. Really when it came down to it, whether he wanted to admit what he was or not was besides the point. The point was to make sure that the beings that lived her truly did not mean any harm to the people in the city nearby. The butler seemed level-headed enough, but she couldn't be entirely sure that he was telling the truth.

So there was only one thing left to do if she wanted to succeed here: play nice. With that in mind, Anya reluctantly gave a simple shrug. "I didn't mean to come across as accusatory." she stated lightly, intertwining her fingers in a fidgety sort of manner. She didn't make a move to turn and leave, however, meeting the other demon's gaze steadily as she stood. Because quite honestly, the blonde had no intention of leaving now - not until she ascertained what she wanted to know. If this man turned her away again, she'd need to find some other way to keep tabs on this place for awhile - and she winced at the thought. That would probably be more effort than it was worth, for her at least. Anya really wasn't exactly the...subtle type, after all.

But something else he'd said had caught her attention. He'd told her that she was welcome inside if she wished to speak to his master - and then he'd told her not to make any demonic accusations against the both of them. Seeing as she had yet to ask whether or not his master was a demon, it seemed an oddly defensive little slip - perhaps this butler really wasn't the only demon living here. At any rate, now she had the opportunity to find out. "Actually, I would like to speak with him, though. But if you really don't trust me, you could go get him and I'd wait out here. You know, like one of those little cultist girl scouts...except I don't have any cookies. " Anya shot him an innocent grin. Might as well clear that one up right now!

[ciel]

Staring at the woman suspiciously, Sebastian stepped out of the way for her to enter. While he sensed clearly demonic energy from her, she didn't act at all like any demon he'd met. Perhaps the person contracting her had told her to act this way? It was fully possible, but a contracted demon never went looking for other demons unless told to do so. "You are welcome in to speak with Earl Phantomhive." Sebastian said, as he held the door open for her. For whatever reason she'd felt the need to reference those strange children who came along and offered food to them.

The butler led Anya down the long, candle-lit hallway to his young master's study. While he was sure that he would likely not enjoy the company of this strange demon. As soon as they reached the right door, Sebastian stopped. The demon slowly opened the door for Anya. "You have a guest, my lord..." Sebastian said, entering the room and bowing to Ciel. "One who insists that I am a... demon."

----

The book Ciel had been reading was not particularly interesting. A series of detective stories which were all painfully easy to see the outcome of. Although the current time had allowed Ciel to expand his library substantially, he was still bored by most of the literature these "modern" years had to offer. That wasn't to say he was not grateful that no crazed angel was out for him, it was boring nonetheless.

At least - until the door swung open to reveal Sebastian announcing his guest, a woman who apparently knew of Sebastian's demonic nature. Staring up at the woman with his bright blue eye, Ciel sighed. "Is this another one claiming to have sensed demonic energy here?" Ciel said, with a slight chuckle. This would be quite amusing...

[Anya]

Well, it looked like this strange demonic butler was going to let her into the house after all! A smile brightened the blonde's features as she stepped into the house, relieved that she'd been able to do things the easy way...well, easier way, at any rate. "Thanks!" she chirped at the butler as he led her through the manor's long hallways. As they walked, Anya couldn't help but be a bit...curious about the house itself, although it hadn't been what she'd come here to investigate. It had a very Victorian sort of feel about it...for one thing, the halls were illuminated by candles as opposed to electrical lighting. Perhaps this was some sort of decorative sort of choice? If there really were other demons living here, it might make sense - Anya knew a couple of demons, among other immortal creatures, who preferred a certain time period to the modern one. Maybe that was what this was all about?

Shrugging, she stepped cautiously into the study as the butler announced her presence. Now, when he'd referred to his 'master', Anya hadn't been quite sure what she was expecting - but she was still slightly surprised by the sight of the young boy sitting in the study. An eyepatch covered one of his eyes (which unfortunately automatically reminded her of Xander for a split second), and though he was clearly not much more than a child...he somehow looked quite mature for his age. She was pretty sure he was younger than Dawn, anyway, but you couldn't get Dawn to sit still and read for any extended length of time without sedating her first. Never the less, the vengeance demon brushed her surprise away and tilted her head at the boy. Sure enough, he himself was radiating some sort of demonic energy as well...though pointing this out hadn't seemed to have gotten her very far as of yet, so she simply shrugged in response to his question.

"Wait, 'another one'? Do you guys get this sort of thing all the time, then?" she asked quizzically. Well, that would explain how well-prepared the demonic butler had been to deny her claims, at least. "Geez, there must be a lot of non-humans around here if they're sensing demonic energy all willy-nilly. Or maybe they're just bothering you because they like your house. It's a nice house." Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she glanced appreciatively around the study. Yep. There was definitely a story to this place, and why a couple of demons were living here. She just...wasn't sure whether she'd ever be able to get it out of them or not. "Oh! I'm Anya, by the way." she remembered to add, deciding that an introduction might be a good place to start. She was generally at ease now, and in a relatively pleasant mood - though she of course did have to remain aware that these two might not be as amiable as they seemed.

[ciel]

Nodding slowly, Ciel stood and walked over to a bookshelf. The young Earl placed his book back in it's place and turned back to Anya. "Yes, all sorts of psychics seem to be showing up and telling us there's dark energy about." Ciel said, seeming bored and not at all concerned with the fact that there might be demonic energy in the house. He could sense from the moment Anya walked in that she, too, was a demon. That wasn't a good reason for telling her of his own demonic nature, though. "Honestly, though, those people are likely insane. I have no reason of not accusing you of the same thing." Checkmate. There was no way she would continue to investigate on the demonic energy here if they threatened her with claims of insanity. Ciel sat back down in his chair and looked up at her.

"I'd suggest you leave before I call the authorities." Ciel said, now just outright saying what he was originally implying. Hopefully this would do a better job of getting her away. The last thing Ciel needed now was some sort of demonic investigator spreading it around that he was a demon. Hopefully that would be enough to get her to keep her mouth shut about this, though her being a demon herself it likely wouldn't be. Not to mention her American accent made it apparent that she probably wasn't from England and was simply here on whatever business she had. Ciel could only hope that she wouldn't bother him further. With all he had to do - running the company and hunting down the last remains of the Cult that killed his parents - he didn't need someone pursuing him about being a demon.

[Anya]

Oh, right. Psychics. Those humans who knew a lot more than they should. She supposed it shouldn't have been at all surprising that they'd been drawn to this place as well, though they were a bit silly for coming forward and investigating it. Honestly. Humans poking around a demon's home. It was like they purposefully wanted to endanger themselves, or something. Anya glanced back at him and gave a brief snort when Ciel implied that she herself could very well be insane as well. "Well, you wouldn't be the first one to call me crazy, if that's what you're saying." she informed him matter-of-factly, shrugging the accusation off. Sanity was overrated - and anyway, she wasn't anywhere near as crazy as any human would be!

"So anyway, let me get this straight. People - a lot of different people - have all come here at different times, under the same suspicion that there's demonic energy here - and you just think it's all a coincidence? That they're all the same kinda crazy, all under the same delusion, and all they just happened to pick your house to conduct their investigation?" Anya asked him, all in one ridiculously long breath - and all while fixing him with a rather skeptical stare. She paused for a moment, allowing all of that to sink in, and then gave him a unintentionally trollish innocent grin. "Wow. That would have to be one big coincidence." She wasn't trying to be particularly antagonistic, she was just being...well, Anya-ish. Unapologetically forward and direct, not even considering censoring her thoughts for a moment. And of course, more than willing to call absolutely anyone out on their bullshit.

His threat to call the authorities, however, made her frown slightly. That wouldn't be a whole lot of fun - not that she was particularly worried, but...it would just be kind of inconvenient. "Oh, well if you call the police, then I'd probably just teleport out of here. And wait until they left. And then come back. And I mean, you could call them again, but that'd kinda be racking up the phone bill a little and...well, it would just save everyone's time if you'd just be honest with me! Please?" She punctuated her rambling with a bright grin, staring at Ciel almost pleadingly. Really, this whole investigation thing was a lot more difficult than she'd thought it would be. Sheesh...