Black Butler: The Book of Her: Sirens Tell No Tales

Oops: Edited

  "Ah, we meet again. How curious..."
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The following day dawned like any other for Janeice. The sun cast a gentle glow through her curtains, and she awoke to her hair floating groggily as she rubbed at her eyes; getting ready to face a brand new day. With a stretch and a yawn, she threw her legs over the side of her bed and began her usual routine.

After a refreshing shower, her hair effortlessly positioned itself back into place. She chose to dress down a bit, and picked a relatively simple outfit, donning a pair of loose leg jeans, her everyday heels, and a plain, fitted black t-shirt. Her thick-square rimmed glasses adorned her face, allowing her eyes to rest. She squinted a bit, straining them to transform from pure black voids into pupils with no irises.

She grabbed her trusty backpack and began to head outside, stepping in rhythm to a tune in her head. Once outside, she kept her ears perked and made her way to the park.

Thankfully, the weather was inviting today, not too hot and no bugs buzzing around, making the park an ideal spot for some work. Janeice often found herself distracted at home, and the solitude of the park provided a conducive environment for focus.

Janeice reached her destination and immediately started scouring for a shed table that was the furthest away from civilization. The less people that could see her, the better. Her anxiety calmed a bit once she found an empty area in the very back of the woods. Not a soul seemingly for miles, perfect.

She cautiously settled down at her current safe haven. Janeice took a few moments to listen closely for any voices, footsteps, swishing clothes, anything to identify another person nearby. You could never be too sure of who, or what, might pop out and surprise you. It was just better for Janeice's mental health to triple check.

Once she was one hundred percent sure no one was around, she carefully whispered out a sigh of relief. Man, leaving the house was such a strain to her psyche, but her mom did encourage her to try to go outside more often.

Janeice took a few seconds to calm her nerves before finally pulling out her work materials, legitimately excited to get started. She had a ton of ideas on what her project outline was going to be and she was ecstatic that she finally had time to write it all down. She giggled softly and rocked back and forth, humming with glee. She could barely contain herself.

Janeice was an hour into her research; making amazing progress. She was feverishly taking notes while humming a fast paced tune, her voice emulating drums and saxophones. Her hair beads were like little speakers, adding violins and electric guitars at perfect cue to her voice.

She was becoming lost within her song when she began to hear rustling in the nearby bushes. Her voice scratched and her heart rate picked up, no longer singing as fear started to grip her heart.

She tried to stay calm and continue her work, though she couldn't help but feel more on edge. Janeice kept her ears perked and her twist subtly started to levitate. They looked as though they were just flowing with the breeze, but in reality, she was preparing them to strike. Lethally if necessary.

Then, without warning, something leaped out of the bushes. Janeice's twist began to stretch, her beaded ends sharpened themselves into deadly, needle like blades, covering Janeice's blindspots as her hair prepared to skewer the threat within a millisecond. Her teeth sharpened, eyes darkening, mouth wide with intent to-

'Oh.'

Her surprise was palpable—it was the same black cat from yesterday.

Their eyes locked in a silent standoff. Janeice quickly reverted her form and cautiously waved at the cat. She expected the cat to run off, terrified for its life, but instead it just stared at her, somewhat menacingly in its emotionlessness.

Janeice blushed and shifted around in her seat nervously, embarrassed by her hasty actions. She silently apologized to the cat, giving it a sorrowful bow of remorse and cautiously signing the phrase "I'm sorry," before deciding to ignore the cat and return to her work. She assumed the cat would just go on about its day, perhaps telling his kitty friends about the weird lady that tried to attack him at the park, but the cat had other plans.

With a graceful leap, the cat landed on the table, not too close, but close enough to watch Janeice intently. Janeice, feeling a bit of deja vu, raised an eyebrow in curiosity and tilted her head, silently questioning the cat's intentions. The cat stared back, unmoving and unresponsive.

Janeice ultimately decided to focus on her work, hoping the cat would lose interest and leave her be. Minutes ticked by, and the cat seemed undeterred by her silent dismissal. Instead, it trotted closer to her, seemingly not bothered by Janeice almost killing it earlier in her panicked state.

Janeice tried to continue working, not paying the black cat any attention. However, the cat seems to have found something fascinating about her. It observed her books, her phone, her laptop, her notes, and then turned its attention to her skin. The cat boldly started to stroke its paw along the skin of her forearm. Janeice guessed it was because her skin looked so soft? She does pride herself in her moisture routine. Coco butter never fails her.

Weirdly though, it seemed to take a heavy liking to her hair, batting at the beads in her twists, fascinated by their lack of sound. Endeared, Janeice gave the cat a small, tired smile and gently patted its head. She moved her twists over her shoulder, hoping to quell the cat's curiosity, but the cat was undeterred. It moved to her other side and began to play with the length of her strands. Looking on and admiring it with slight confusion and intrigue.

Janeice softly whispered a chuckle and gave the cat a wink. She placed a finger over her lips, as if sharing a secret. Janeice could tell that the cat was fascinated.

Once the cat had gotten its fill, it leaped back onto the table. Janeice assumed the cat had grown bored until she felt a soft, furry paw on her right hand. She looked down at the cat and noticed its interest in the black ring on her right ring finger.

Her face lit up with a wide smile. Canines sharp as she chuckled once more, this time somewhat audibly, and gave the cat a knowing wink. She placed her finger to her lips again and released a slightly audible shushing sound, teasingly encouraging it to keep this interaction between the two of them. It'll be their little secret, so to speak.

The cat's pupils were dilating and shifting rapidly, conveying a sense of excitement. It was as if the cat was thrilled to be apart of her world. Hanging onto her every word as she fed him the tiniest crumbs of what may just be the chase of a lifetime. Janeice marveled at the unusual, human-like mannerisms of this particular cat. Cats, she mused, were far smarter than most people gave them credit for, that she knew to be true; however....

Janeice rewarded the cat's curiosity with a warm smile and moved to give it a scratch behind the ears. The cat accepted the gesture with a contented purr. After a minute or two of petting the feline, Janeice realized that she wouldn't be getting any more work done with this furry beast demanding her attention. She begrudgingly knew that it was time to go home.

She stood up, blew the cat a kiss, and started walking away. Janeice could feel the cat's eyes following her every move. Interesting.

She had better watch herself around him.