Pandora wandered the hallways aimlessly, changing direction whenever the tingling in her fingertips and light tugs on her senses decreased. It was frustratingly difficult to pinpoint where Sebastian was; he didn't stay in one place for more than eight-point-two seconds, by her count, and it was starting to piss her off.

"Oh, you want me to go there? I'll go there, you little..." she muttered bitterly, grinding her teeth. Closing her eyes and raising her nose in the air, she searched for Sebastian's scent and traced it, walking through the halls in a blind trance. She followed after him like a ghost, whisking along in a blur of purple and black with her demonic speed. A few strands of hair escaped its tight updo; even her mother's handiwork couldn't stand up to everything she had put it through today.

Finally, her head began to ache from his proximity and she retracted her sense to stop the pain, smiling with cool satisfaction as Sebastian closed a door soundlessly behind him and turned to see her a foot away from him. To his credit, he didn't jump, only made a mildly surprised face and smiled again. "Ah, so you've settled in then. Come, the master's study is this way." And he led her in yet another direction.

Pandora buried her irritation under leagues of forced cheer and thought of something her mother had always said, though the memory nearly made tears rise to her eyes. She scolded herself for being so weak; if she couldn't make it a few hours without her parents, then she wasn't the independent demon she thought she was. And she was nothing if not determined, and she was determined to be independent.

The advice had simply been "kill them with kindness". It hadn't gone over well when she tried it literally, but otherwise it had seen her through a great deal of unpleasant situations. She stopped reminiscing and paid attention to where she was walking. "Does he know?"

"Hm?" Sebastian half-turned, his ever-polite expression firmly in place.

"Is this... Ciel Phantomhive, your master, aware of my species?"

"I thought it unnecessary to brief him on that." He smiled, a bit maliciously, and resumed walking.

Pandora almost smirked. She could appreciate him doing that to see his master falter. Anything for entertainment. "If he's as intelligent as I've heard, he should figure it out in no time." She wanted to know how Sebastian would introduce her; this demon was nothing if not intriguingly straight-faced with a sense of humor she could relate to. Eternity was so boring; humans with their short lifespans simply couldn't understand that. "I wonder how he'll react."

"Outrage, most likely, but even the young master manages to be unpredictable on occasion."

"Unpredictable, eh? Must be difficult to serve."

"Those of high birth do not speak so casually with their inferiors." He ground out the last word, perhaps believing himself to be above those stupid formalities, his master, his position, and possibly above even her, the Princess of Hell. Well, that was a interesting turn of events; did the butler despise the master, perhaps?

The rest of their walk was spent in silence.

Once they arrived at a particularly ornate door, Sebastian stopped and tapped the back of his knuckles against the door. "Young master? Our guest has arrived and settled in. Would you like to meet with her?"

"Bring her in," a child's voice drawled in a mature way that made it sound pretentious.

"Yes, young master." She caught his eyes flash pink before returning to red. "Right this way, Miss Markov."

"Thank you, Sebastian," she said offhandedly as he opened the door for her and waved her in before himself. He pulled out a chair for her to sit in.

"Familiar with my butler already, I see?" the child's voice said from a chair, turned around to face the large window behind the desk.

"Quite," Pandora quipped, folding her hands in front of her and smirking lightly. "You are Earl Ciel Phantomhive, then?"

"Hn. You are Pandora Markov?" The child spun around in his chair. He had an eyepatch, no doubt hiding his contract mark, and dark blue hair that was almost slate-colored. He was small and frail-looking but had a commanding aura even Pandora couldn't miss, along with a delicious-smelling soul that would make demon mouths water.

"Pandora Monday Azriel," she corrected. "I prefer not to go by Markov when I have the option." She grinned lightly, showing off her unnaturally sharp canines that usually didn't draw as much attention, though she knew he had seen them and known.

"Sebastian, restrain her," the boy ordered casually, uncrossing and re-crossing his legs.

Sebastian gritted his teeth and bowed. "My apologies, my lord, but I cannot do that."

Ciel sat up straight, putting both his feet on the floor. Pandora inwardly snickered when she saw the heels of his shoes. "And why not? That was an order, Sebastian!"

"I have a pact that supersedes our contract, young master." The butler used his teeth to pull off his glove, gaining Pandora's appreciative gaze as she admired how sexy he managed to look while doing so. Pandora was not one for lying to herself about things so trivial. He was very attractive, and she had to give him props for that.

On the back of his hand was the pentagram signaling his contract with Ciel, but he slowly turned his hand around to display a mark on his palm. It was a solid rhombus with a thorny vine twining around it, ending in a barb. Out of the diamond shape's upper right side was a filled in horn and the upper left side had a delicate female hand sticking out, also entirely purple. On the hand was an untattooed dot on the ring finger, signifying an engagement ring. Encasing the entire mark was a circle, and it appeared to be branded into his skin. One would have to look very closely, have demonic vision, or possess photographic memory in order to notice all the fine details, as the mark was no bigger than the center of his palm.

"What is that?" Ciel leaned closer to see better.

"Yes, what is it, Sebastian?" Pandora inquired, taking the liberty of seating herself on a chair. "I've never seen that pact mark before."

"It is the reminder of a power pact I had to swear with Miss Pandora's father in order for her to come here. He was adamant, and for this reason I will not hurt, touch, restrain, or otherwise physically harm Miss Pandora against her will." Sebastian swiftly pulled the glove back on, resuming his spot against the wall rather stiffly.

Pandora pouted childishly, leaning her cheek on her hand. "Aw, is that why you've been so nice to me? I wish I would have known. And here I was, thinking we could've been great friends or more." She sighed, swinging her feet. "I suppose I'll have to thank Father next chance I get though. I don't fancy being beaten into submission."

"What is going on here?" the little Earl demanded.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you don't know." Pandora giggled, reaching up and tearing off the veil on her hat before stuffing it into her pocket. "We're engaged to be married."