Black Butler: Demons in our Hearts

The stage rose and fell beneath her as she danced across its polished surface, knowing full well that it appeared she was gliding to those in the audience. Her name was Katherine, Kat to those who knew her. She had no last name according to the record books, a scandal that drew her audience as much as her talent did.

She dipped, swayed, and stood on point, like an elegant swan opening its wings to the moon, a beautiful ballerina in a white costume.

The music swelled sharply once more before falling off into the abyss, signaling the end of the show. Kat bowed low, forcing a smile on her face as roses piled themselves at her feet and calls of encore and bravo assailed her ears.

She truly hated to dance.

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"Young Master, do you believe it wise to wait this long after the show? Our carriage may very well be stolen; this is not the best part of town." A tall dark butler implored to the young man before him.

But Ciel Phantomhive would have nothing of it, he waved aside the butlers comment with a flick of a ringed hand, "And if it is stolen you would retrieve it. You know as well as I do that this dancer may be our only lead in this case."

The butler straightened his tailcoat, "Of course, young master, the missing young women if I remember correctly."

"Precisely," the boy replied, his eyes sweeping the row of performers who had come to mingle with the audience, "She’s not here. Sebastian, inquire her whereabouts please." The butler bowed low, his red eyes glittering, "Of course young lord."

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Kat swore violently as her foot twisted in the confounded shoe the manager had thrown at her as she tried to sneak out the back door. She hated this even more than the dancing, if she didn’t need to feed herself right now she wouldn’t be doing this, but, jobs were slow in coming.

Especially in her real profession, more directly an assassin for hire, the best of the best. She patted her thigh carefully, making sure the small pistol secreted there was still in its holster. She had another hidden at the small of her back and knives in the leather bracelets that wrapped stylishly around her wrists, a seemingly simple piece of jewelry.

She glanced back at the manager once more before stepping out into the lobby to mingle with the guests, innocuous in her simple blue gown. The other performers drifted away from her, and the wiser members of the audience refused to approach her after seeing her scowl.

I should try and be nice, the manager does like it when I play nice with people, but..

A tall, round man she knew to be in the upper crust of London society leered at her, and her scowl deepened. Forget the manager, why should she be kind to these fools and fops?

A tingle went down her spine, someone was watching her. She lowered her head and scanned the crowd through her lashes, her eyes settling on a tall man in a butler’s dress. His eyes narrowed as he watched her before he began his approach, his stride long and graceful.

A killers stride.

Kat straightened as the distance between them closed, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, every nerve in her body screaming a warning. He offered a smile, "My master would like to speak with you miss…" He trailed off meaningfully. Kat sniffed and turned her back to him, to heck with the manager, there was no way she was staying now, something was seriously off with this man.

I’ll just get my final pay check and that will be that. Her heels beat out a rapid sharp rhythm as she negotiated through the packed room back to the hall she had entered from not ten minutes before. The Manager stood there, his eyes narrowing as she approached him. "I’m quitting."