At Your Service

Chapter 33- Familiar

When the truck came to a slow halt and the ignition was turned off, Ansel peeled their heavy eyes open to see Carlisle get out of the truck, close the door, and walk around to the door they had their head resting against. The butler opened the door slowly and slipped a hand in to support them as he opened the door all the way, replacing his hand with the door as support. Ansel felt the demon carefully wrap them in his trench coat before picking them up and gently kicking the door closed with his foot, then beginning to walk. The witch opened their eyes to see Carlisle looking ahead, a peaceful grin bending his lips, and cold sunlight ghosting through naked trees. A good layer of fallen leaves crunched beneath Carlisle's shoes. "Where's my wheelchair?" They weren't wearing their prosthetics, so they assumed their butler would have put them in the wheelchair.

Carlisle's grin widened. "We won't be needing it, my Lord." After a little bit, they were a little startled when they heard and felt the ground beneath them change. They listened to Carlisle stepping on wood that sounded as though it was making water move beneath it. He suddenly stopped and sat down, careful not to hurt his master. With his legs criss-crossed, the witch laid in his arms and in the space created in his lap. Ansel's head rested against Carlisle's upper arm and chest. "Look there." Ansel turned his head to see they were in a forested area with a pond. They were sitting at the end of a floating dock, which stretched to the centre of the pond, so the wood was the only thing separating them from the water. Fog floated over the murky water and sparkled in the dim sunlight, which wasn't warm or bright enough to start burning it away.

"It's beautiful," Ansel whispered as they snuggled their head into Carlisle's chest a little. They could hear his heartbeat, steady and slow.

"I was ordered to drown a woman here once," Carlisle announced bluntly. Ansel looked up at him to see a wistful, reminiscent grin. "She was married to a master... cheated on him, you see. Oh, this was about... two hundred years ago. I brought her here to this pond, bound with ropes. She knew I'd been ordered to do it, so I had to, and there was no stopping me. But, there was something about this pond, this dock, and it looked quite similar to how it does now. I got right to this spot when I stopped. She was thrashing about like a fish out of water. I told her to stop for a moment, and she stopped. I told her to look at the pond. She did. I sat her down and we sat and watched the sun rise over the pond in silence." He rested a gloved hand over the side of their head, the side exposed to the bitterly cold air. His thumb rubbed over the shaved hair. "And she stopped crying. She calmed down. By the time I pushed her in, I don't think she remembered what was happening. She didn't even struggle. I thought that, if this pond could calm a woman about to be murdered, it could bring you some peace, as well."

Ansel glared up at the demon. "Do you intend on drowning me now, Carlisle?"

Carlisle scoffed, closing his eyes and smiling before leaning his face down to kiss the witch's forehead. He took his lips off but kept his face close to whisper, "Rather dumb of you to fill my head with such ideas." He chuckled, making Ansel smile, before kissing their forehead again. "You are precious to me." His whisper was soft and wispy, yet as enveloping as his deep, natural voice. "If I were to drown you, it would be at the lake." He looked down at Ansel, who looked less than enthused, and started laughing, immediately making Ansel's stoicism break and causing them to smile again. "My darkling, I cannot kill you, and I'd never dream of it."

Ansel's smile relaxed into a grin as he closed his eyes. "I know."

Carlisle rested his cheek on the witch's forehead as he held them close in their little bundle, wrapped like a burrito in his coat. He looked down into the water just below them, its surface still and perfectly reflective so he could see himself with Ansel in his arms, their eyes calmly closed. He could see how vulnerable the witch was allowing themselves to be, all because they trusted the demon so much, trusted the demon with their life. "From now on, we will be inseparable, and we will never let some angel filth get the best of us again."

Ansel opened their eyes, which immediately widened. "Carlisle."

"Hmm?"

The witch pointed to the demon's left. "Look."

Carlisle turned his head to look to his left and instantly gasped. A black kitten sat on the dock, facing and staring at the couple with big, dark eyes. It was a tiny thing; even Ansel could have punted it off the dock without a problem in their condition. "Oh. My. God," the demon breathed as he offered a hand out to the creature. He smiled wide as the small black kitten crept forward, its tiny paws padding over the wooden dock. Ansel smiled as he felt the demon's heart pounding. "What's this handsome little prince doing all the way out here in the cold?" he wondered to himself as the kitten gave the butler's fingers an experimental sniff, then the tiniest of licks. "Oh, my God." Ansel thought they saw Carlisle's heart explode when the kitten crawled into the palm of his hand, up his arm, and onto his shoulder before curling up in the crook of his neck. The two stayed perfectly still during the kitten's journey.

"I think he's a familiar," Ansel whispered with a smile.

"What is a familiar?" The demon was familiar with the term but did not know what it was.

"It's a demon, ghost, or reaper that attends to and obeys a witch and helps them perform their magic. They assume the forms of animals, stereotypically cats, but they also act as real pets to witches, just like any other. They stay with their witch forever."

"Whose familiar, I wonder," Carlisle whispered back. Just like the witch, he felt inclined to be quiet.

Ansel smiled wider as he stared at the kitten on the demon's shoulder. "If I didn't know any better, I think he's yours."

Carlisle's eyes grew wide and his smile snapped down into a confused frown. "I'm not a witch."

    His master chuckled. "Of course you're not. I think he wants to teach you to be a familiar: my familiar."

    Carlisle frowned as he stared at the cat, which had now begun to purr, its entire tiny body vibrating. "Well, considering the definition you just gave me, I kind of already am."

    "Not exactly," the witch argued. "Yes, you're helping me, but not with my powers."

    He couldn't believe that Ansel would need any help with his magic. "I have been under the impression that you don't need any help in that field."

    "There is always room for growth. With your help, I could really master some of these spells I haven't been able to learn or try yet. Besides, you'd get to learn magic, and you could perform spells right along beside me. As an unearthly creature, you're just as capable of magic as any witch. You have already been performing spells that you didn't ever know were spells."

    The beginnings of a grin tugged on the corners of the demon's mouth. "So, I'm becoming a student?"

    "Only if you want to."

    Carlisle finally smiled. "I would love to." He could learn spells that could help him fulfill his duties of protecting his master, the servants, and the mansion better, and grow powerful enough so Ashley and his wife are no match against him when the time comes for confrontation. Besides, he was always ready and willing to learn, especially if it meant being taught by Ansel and a cat.

    "We should name him..." Ansel bit their lip with thought for a few seconds before their eyes went wide with a spark, an epiphany. "Sebastian."

    Carlisle's nose scrunched in disgust. "Hell no."

Ansel's jaw dropped. "Why not?! Sebastian is so regal and powerful, perfect for such a handsome little kitty."

The demon shook his head adamantly. "I knew a demon named Sebastian, an incubus... an absolute slut."

    Ansel scowled, rolling their eyes a little. "Are you really that far above him?"

    Carlisle blinked, seriously contemplating the question. "Come to think of it, no..." he scoffed, "but we can think of a better name than that..." He stared at the kitten with a soft, contemplative frown. "Mephistopheles."

    Ansel grinned wide, remembering the notorious demon from Doctor Faustus. "Genius. I love it. You have a familiar named Mephistopheles," they cuddled closer to the demon, "and I have a familiar named Carlisle."