Carnivorous Butler

-1-

They were broken.

Just like the boy had wanted them to be, just like the ones in the occultists' lair of recent onerous memory: torn limb from limb, from their lives and loved ones. Just as he had once been, from his family, security, home and future, everyone and everything he had loved and who had loved him in return, even his beloved dog.

It was his very first real taste of his intended revenge, bar the destruction of the cult, and while it smelled like a cross between an open sewer and a vomitorium, the taste, the young earl decided, the taste was very sweet indeed.

The noble boy sneered over at the demon wearing a butler's skin, which skin was now liberally painted with blood and other body fluids. A look, a haughty sniff, snugging up his gloves with nervous, fussy little tugs: the young earl decided, in spite of the attendant nausea and nerves, he really could learn to love wielding such heady power.

The first steps toward my wished-for revenge, the very first of the hidden perpetrators to fall, the angry young boy thought to himself, and all told, he decided he was mightily pleased with the results. He walked around the perimeter of the field of slaughter, trying to get upwind of the repulsive stench and closer to its author. He attempted to do it casually, however, not wanting the demon to realise his stomach was unsettled by the sights and smells, not wishing to appear weak. But a quick glance up caught the creature's laughing eyes and caused a broadening of his ever-present smirk, and immediately the young earl realised it was all wasted effort. The beast already knew and was laughing at him.

Damn...well, the boy reasoned, so long as the demon was more or less 'on my side' and working for me, his not missing much is probably a good, if occasionally an uncomfortable, thing.

"So, demon: did you enjoy that?"

"It was and will always be my distinct joy to carry out my young lord's will, whatever that may be," the demon assured with a leer and a swaggering bow, dripping with conceit. How easily the demon disregarded wearing clear and ample evidence of the harrowing slaughter he had just wrought all over his smirking devil's face. Disgusting creature…

"Especially when I let you 'let the demon out to play,' eh?"

"Quite so," the creature's eyes flashed up briefly with a hellish light and he grinned through the stiffening blood.

"I don't think he believed for a second what he'd done was ever going to catch him up," said the boy, "or touch his home or family. Not even after he'd realised who we were and why we were there."

"That was my impression as well, young master. Not until I put my hands on his daughter's shoulders did he realise the bill had truly come due."

"I am curious, demon: did you take their souls? You moved so quickly I couldn't keep track of what you were doing."

The briefest of pauses and a slight falling of the corners of his grin were all that betrayed the creature's surprise— damn that honesty rider on the contract!

"I did, master. I... was not entirely certain you would approve, so I did it quite quickly. I had hoped you would not notice."

"Hell's teeth, Sebastian, I don't care if you catch a snack on the fly." Privately, the boy considered briefly the moral question as to whether he really ought to care what the demon chose to do with the souls of his enemies or not, and decided no. It was their fault he was going to lose his soul. It seemed only fair he return the favour.

"Anyway, how were they?"

"I'm sorry, how w...?" Again the minute pause and mild astonishment.

"I'm asking you if their souls were to your taste."

"Ah! Well then, what a pleasant surprise: my young master troubles himself over his servants' pleasure." Another cheeky grin. "The mother and daughter were rather bland, insipid really, as expected of a sheltered child and a woman of moral rectitude. The man offered a trifle more flavour, but ultimately nothing really worthy of note, a mere fortifying morsel quickly caught and even quicker forgotten." He was a curious one, this prissy little noble child. He had contracted with children before but none of them were anything like Ciel Phantomhive. "Shall I carry my young master home now?" the demon asked and spread his arms invitingly. The boy waved a dismissive hand and grimaced.

"Clean yourself up first. I'll not have you touching me when you're filthy like that." With a quick nod, the demon busied himself de-materialising and re-assembling himself in well-arranged, unstained clothing.

Meanwhile the boy surveyed the killing field they'd created between them and wondered why he was feeling dissatisfied. They couldn't possibly be any deader... perhaps if I killed them more slowly next time? Or with my own hands? Though he doubted he could kill as Sebastian killed, with such pitiless passion, joyously, without hesitation or regret. One probably needed to genuinely be a demon to kill like that, not merely be acting like one. Though I suspect the damage it would do to my conscience would appeal to the tastes of the future devourer of my soul.

"Sebastian. You're a... a raven, aren't you..." The boy said in a dreamy sort of tone. His dark paladin regarded him with a quirked brow, as he stooped and extended his now spotless arms, wondering what unexpected mental dog-leg the boy might be wandering down this time. The boy, now accustomed to being carried by the creature, approached and permitted himself to be hoisted up on a lean, strong forearm then leaned his body into the warm, broad shoulder and linked his arms around the creature's neck. "I mean, I know you aren't literally a raven, not an animal of this world, any more than you really are a butler, but you do have some sort of affinity with them beyond just appearing as one sometimes, don't you?"

"Indeed, young master, precisely as you put it: an 'affinity'."

" I think a raven ought to appreciate such a feast as this, don't you?" the boy said, gesturing at the body parts strewn about.

"Well, yes, perhaps."

"Could you call some?"

"...possibly I could do, yes." The demon looked suddenly distracted, his attention turned inward for a moment, as though searching for something, then: "Ravens would normally be heading to their nighttime roosts about now, but... yes, there is a flock roosting not too far from here. Shall I call them for you then?"

The boy nodded.

"Very well," The demon pointed to the fiery glow on the horizon. "Look toward the sunset, my lord, that is the direction from which they will come." Already a few isolated bird silhouettes could be seen fluttering on the horizon. "Shall we stay to watch or…?" He wouldn't normally propose such gruesome entertainment to one of his human contractors, but this child...who knew what might capture his fancy? And sure enough, the child gave his assent.

Once up on the nearby manor roof, the boy settled himself easily, straddling one of the butler's thighs while using his torso as a backrest. He seemed inclined to conversation-something the demon hadn't noticed the boy being all that interested in up until now.

"It seems fitting to me you are associated with a raven, you know?

"Oh yes?"

"Because it's a carrion-eating bird. Quite appropriate, if you think about it."

"I'm glad my young master approves."

"Oh shut it with the smarmy comments, demon: you couldn't possibly give a rat's arse whether I approve or not."

"On the contrary my lord. You are my master and I do not lie. I am pleased if you are well-pleased with any aspect of my service. I want you to feel you are 'getting your money's worth' as they say."

"Well. Either way, you are who and what you are, whether I approve or no."

"Quite true. However, ravens really are quite worthy creatures to be associated with. They are likable, intelligent, sometimes humorous, complex creatures, capable even of devious behaviour at times, highly emotional, territorial, competitive. Each one is a true individual."

"You sound as though you've actually spent time amongst them. Have you?"

"I have, my lord. It is really not too different from donning this appearance and living with you if you think about it."

"Interesting. So a demon's idea of a holiday is to toss on a bird suit and go 'native' for a few weeks, eh? That's rather amusing," the boy chuckled, missing the grin and the silent sniggering from the creature acting as his living chair.

"Well fine. If you say so, then I believe you: ravens are the dog's bollocks." The boy said watching the cloud of croaking black birds come swarming in to settle on the bodies again. "With any luck, the birds will help eradicate any chance of the Yard working out what actually happened here."

The butler sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose, appalled at the slang the boy had just employed. "My lord I must insist I sit in on the next business meeting you have with those men you hired to man the new Salford warehouse. I am not entirely certain I approve of the sort of things you are picking up from them." the demon shook his head. 'The dog's bollocks' indeed!

"So, you're a raven, but... these teeth," the boy said almost absently, twisting 'round and laying a finger on the butler's rose-coloured lip near the largest and most alarming example the boy could reach from his perch, "...not exactly part of the 'raven motif,' are they."

"No, my lord. More the 'demon motif' I should say." The creature showed a crooked grin, vastly amused. "Remember, I can appear to you any way you—or I myself—please."

"And these please you, do they?" the boy stared at his servant's mouth, still touching the butler's chin thoughtfully. Usually the demon made an effort to carefully keep his lip over all that strange dentition, and at times the boy was sure they weren't as frankly bestial as they appeared now. Perhaps the slaughter excited his demonic nature and caused the features to manifest. Or the demon was teasing him, deliberately flashing them due to the subject of their conversation. Maybe both. He was nearly certain there had been times in the past when his teeth had appeared far more human.

"What pleases my master pleases me, and at the moment these seem to be pleasing and amusing my young master no end." A huge, toothy grin that seemed full to bursting with uneven, multi-pointed teeth that would've looked far more at home in the mouth of some wildcat than this pseudo-human.

"In truth I am not by nature a corporeal entity. My physical appearance is merely an illusion, something that exists purely to make dealing with me easier for you. It's only purpose is your comfort—or entertainment, as the case may be," the demon butler finished with a smirk.

The fearsome teeth reminded the boy of that circus, and the tiger 'Betty,' whom he remembered fondly for having swallowed the demon's entire head when he'd given in to his feline mania in the middle of the Baron Kelvin investigation. The big cat had continued sucking on the demon's head and clutching at his torso with fearsome three-inch claws while Sebastian tried desperately to convince the trainer and ringmaster she was simply giving him 'playful love-bites,' his voice barely audible, because it was reaching them from halfway down the tiger's throat.

Even to Ciel, (no cat expert by a long shot,) it was plain the big predator was trying to lick the 'fur' off this recently snagged chew toy so she could get down to the serious business of stripping the meaty parts from her squirmy treat.

Betty had been quite excited. Beast, her trainer/human, was wailing on her with the annoying whip and that irritating ringmaster, whom she'd promised herself she'd catch and eat one day to get rid of the man who was always stealing her human's attention, was yelling and gesticulating frantically, women in the audience were fainting left and right. But what's a wild-hearted big cat supposed to do when prey cheerfully leaps into her arms, chucks her under the chin and does everything but beg her to eat it?

Ciel chuckled, remembering the sight of her huge, rosy tongue, studded with horrible backward-curving barbs getting hopelessly tangled up in the demon's absurdly long fringes as she dragged it up the side of his head, her face grimacing wildly as she tried to disentangle herself, eventually concluding chewing it off was her only hope.

"Are souls so fibrous you need such dangerous-looking teeth to deal with them then?" the boy asked, more joking than anything.

"No, but the containers do sometimes prove a bit feisty and unwilling to simply lie quietly and let themselves to be eaten," the demon answered, "unlike my excellent little master who pays his debts as a matter of honour." The demon wrapped his arms a little tighter about his diminutive master. "No, not that you aren't a delicious little morsel I wouldn't be tempted to nibble on when the time comes, but souls... souls are quite..." and there he paused, sighing a bit, "I'm afraid they're really quite insubstantial and beyond your inadequate human senses. It would strain even my skill with human speech to find words to make you understand. But as a demon I can both sense as well as savour them to the full."

"I think I should like ravens like these to have whatever is left when my time comes, Sebastian. Could you arrange that?"

"I cannot promise, but I shall try to share."

"So you think I will taste good, yes? Better than that man or his household, eh?"

The demon laughed and shook his head. "I doubt whether any other contractor of mine has ever wasted a moment's thought over whether I would enjoy the taste of their soul or not. My young lord is a most strange little human."

"A little less of the continual harping on my size, thank you." The boy pinked up, highly offended. "So you don't think I'd be a bitter pill that might stick in your craw and choke you?'

The butler hummed thoughtfully, then nuzzled the boy's ear and neck. "Well you're certainly stubborn enough, if that counts for anything…I suppose it's possible you might be a bit like an underdeveloped green apple: rock hard, astringent and inedible, but somehow I doubt it." All through these words the demon had continued snuffling at his neck and ear, loosening his collar with a finger, ruffling his hair with his breaths and giving the boy chills.

"What are you doing!"

"Satisfying my curiosity, my lord, and yours..." Suddenly the earl felt the demon capture a small pinch of flesh from between his neck and shoulder with those glittering teeth of his and sharply bite down. Not hard, but hard enough. The earl started to flail and let go a wild, panicky squeak, sending the ravens into nervous flight around them. He twisted away sharply from the biting demon and slapped as hard as he could the handsome face that was far too close. The boy planted his fists against the creature's chest to make him keep his distance—but alas, they were attached to a very short pair of arms.

Not only was the demon's mouth twisted with mirth, it was also spattered with blood—both the demon's own—from where Ciel's slap had torn his lip against one of his own delicately pointed teeth—and the earl's.

Later, in cooler temper, the boy would admit—to himself only—that he hadn't really been hurt all that much, but the demon had taken an unpardonable liberty in breaking his skin with those fearsome fangs without first asking leave, and the earl was beyond incensed. He'd started to shout but somehow, after seeing his own blood dotting the demon's lips, he was struck dumb.

Amused at the boy's reaction, the demon licked the blood away slowly, voluptuously, and watched him tremble, unable to look away. Not tormenting enough, the demon craned his head closer. Immediately the earl pounded his chest and shouted for him to back off.

"Young master if you don't let me catch that dripping blood it will stain your collar and neck ribbon." The demon eyed the lightly punctured skin still weeping a tiny crimson pearl— quite a provocative sight.

"Leave it! I don't care. Clean it up properly if you're going to."

"This is properly for a demon. If you let me, I can heal—"

"Do it properly for a butler, damn it! Use a damn handkerchief and shut up! I never gave you permission to injure me." The boy sat with his arms crossed over his chest, fuming. When the butler tidied him up and returned the handkerchief to a pocket, the boy settled back with his back on his chest again—which rather surprised the demon.

"Anyway," the boy muttered, "how was it."

"Oh. Do I have your permission to speak again?"

"Not if you're going to continue being a smart-ass...I asked you a question. How was it? You tasted, so give me a report."

"As anticipated young master, there is every indication you will be highly palatable. Delectable, in fact." The boy could hear the smile in the creature's voice without even looking and it irritated him no end.

"Ass of a demon. Quit laughing at your betters and take me home. The servants were told to expect us back in time for supper."

"But does it not please you to tread the primrose path of dalliance with your demon, my lord?* It isn't as if you're still angling for a pass through the pearly gates, after all."

"Do you want slapped again? I begin to suspect you enjoy it," the boy growled. "Home. Supper. Now!"

An ironic sigh escaped the demon's lips.

"What."

"All this talk of eating and supper... so very many meals I must serve my little master before I finally get to enjoy my own."

"You'll get yours soon enough you smirking bastard," the boy growled, pulling up his collar angrily. "That is if you haven't completely nibbled me away by then."

The butler grinned widely and hoisted his little charge a bit higher in his arms as he prepared to launch them both into the air.

"I shall do my best to be patient, my lord."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

* A paraphrase from Hamlet, Shakespeare