Black Butler: Demons in our Hearts

Chapter 4: Of Demons and Lies

Kat couldn’t believe her good luck, a good job that promised food and shelter, had just dropped out of the proverbial sky at her feet. She had already made the Earl’s breakfast, washed a load of clothing and hung it out to dry; now she had been given the task of giving Pluto, the dog, a bath.

A task she looked forward to with the utmost anticipation, not.

But it was her task and she would finish it that was her trademark, in her profession, no matter how hard the task if she took the job she completed it, timely and neatly.Of course it didn’t help that she had been given a pair of shoes, that were too small, and her ankle was swelling up again.

Stop complaining,

she chastised herself, Sebastian gave you these shoes, would you rather be barefoot? Now hush and find that hound.

Pluto was a large white demon hound, roughly twice the size of a large horse, she found him playing towards the back of the estate with a limb off of a tree. He dropped it when she approached and wagged his tail.

She approached him carefully, not wanting to frighten him away, how was she supposed to get him into the water? She stopped, Wonderful, I’m given the job of giving the dog a bath and I haven’t the slightest idea of how to get him in the water?! Ah…think Kat think, how do we get a dog from point A to point B without losing limbs or time?

The dog butted her shoulder playfully and she shooed him away, "I’m thinking please…"

The hound gazed down at her with red eyes dancing, he wants to play. "That’s it! That’s how I’ll do it." She seized his collar and swung herself up onto his back, "Alright boy, you want to play? How about we go search for…you like dog biscuits?" The hound’s muscles quivered, his wagging tail went into overdrive, "I’ll tell you what, and we’ll go look for some yes? I think I saw some over by that tub of water there, want to check?"

He galloped across the grounds, racing towards the tub of water she’d drug out and filled with sudsy water. Luckily, I did have some foresight and did bring out the dog biscuits Sebastian gave me. She slid off his back, wincing when it jolted her ankle, she patted his side, "Okay boy, we found them, but…oh no, they won’t open! There’s a…magic lock on it. It only comes off when you complete a special ritual, understand?" he stared at her, then at the box, and back to her, his tail beating swiftly against the empty air.

"Okay then-" Poof! Kat was suddenly engulfed in a cloud of smoke, making it hard to breathe, she coughed, "Pluto? Plu…" Kat couldn’t help but stare, she couldn’t, and where Pluto, the tail wagging over-grown mongrel, had stood now…well…sat a man.

A man that stared at her with Pluto’s doleful red eyes, he even barked. Oh, lord I knew this was too good to be true, a demon hound? A DEMON HOUND, REALLLY? I knew there was something wrong with him but darn it, I was hoping it was a serious health dysfunction or something! At the very least he was an exotic pet that the Earl imported from far off place! Maybe I should-

Pluto pawed at her hand, obviously begging for a treat; hesitantly she placed her hand on his head, as if she were petting a dog, he sighed, with contentment. I should give this a chance, besides I have to finish the job anyway. "Okay boy ready to earn the reward?" She shook the box encouragingly.

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"She really is all they say she is, isn’t she?" The Earl watched from his study window as Kat persuaded Pluto that a bath was well worth the promise of a biscuit. She hadn’t run screaming when Pluto had changed right in front of her, an impressive feat, she hadn’t even batted an eyelash.