Her Demon, His Demon, and the Story of Us - A Black Butler Fanfic

A Bit of Photography

"S-so, what did you want to speak with us about?" Mey-rin said as she lifted her hands and poked her fingers together. All of the servants were gathered in Ciel's study except for Sebastian, as per Ciel's request. The three mildly looked stressed, as if waiting to receive punishment of some kind. I let out a slight huff of amusement.

Ciel looked up, "I have a job I want you to do."

"J!" Bard said, sparks of excitement appearing in his eyes.

"O!" Mey-rin seconded, beaming.

"B!" Finny exclaimed last, looking astonished.

They turned and hugged each other, pulling me in to it as they cried out excitedly. I smiled hesitantly, glad to see them so excited, but slightly overwhelmed by their enthusiasm.

"Thank goodness!" Finny exclaimed, and the other two after him.

Mey-rin hummed, "When he called us here, I was so sure that we were fired, yes!"

I felt something brush against my side and looked down, surprised, only to see Tanaka poking his head into the group circle, "Ho, ho, ho!"

"Uhm, guys, we don't know what the job is yet," I said.

A slight click sounded from behind us. I turned to see Ciel setting down what I could only guess was his "new toy" on the table.

"This is a camera said to be from the famous Talbot's collection," the young master said, "It's got a story to it."

"Oh...?" I asked.

He put his hand on top of it, "It was missing for some time, but I heard it was coming up at an auction and went to great pains to get it."

"Talbot?" Finny asked. I looked to see all of them with confused looks on their faces.

Suddenly, the lights went out. I spun around, wondering what was going on. Then, another light clicked on at my right. I turned to it and saw a tall, lean figure standing under a beam of light magically shining down from the ceiling.

Sebastian?

"William Henry Fox Talbot," the shadow said, its voice sounding much like that of an elderly man's. Meaning, it wasn't familiar.

The figure stepped forward slightly and I saw what appeared to be an elderly, incredibly dignified looking butler. He had grey hair and a short moustache, with wrinkles creasing his forehead.

Wait... I peered closer. Something about this man was oddly familiar.

The man twisted his moustache once, "He was an English scientist and one of the inventors of photographic technology. There were queer rumors about the last camera he used. Legend has it that when you photograph someone with this camera, whomever he thinks mostly fondly of will appear, perhaps."

"...Whomever she thinks of most fondly?" Mey-rin exclaimed, a trickle of blood appearing out of her nose again. W-who was she thinking of?!

"Can such a clever camera really exist?" Bard said as the sound of an inflating balloon suddenly sounded through the room, then a pop!

I looked back at where the old butler had been as the lights came back on, and there, where the elderly gent was, was the midget Tanaka.

....THAT WAS TANAKA?!

"Oh no, no!" Mey-rin said, cheeks pressed to her cheeks as she swayed back and forth dreamily.

Ciel stood up from his chair and lifted the camera curtain, putting his head under it, "Shall we take a shot to test it out?"