I dunno WHY I made this as CrackAlley basically took care of it XD

**

How Sarah O’Brien could be in service, Cora would never understand.

It was the usual for people of the working classes to be born with common animals as their Daemons, such as dogs or cats or mice. Servants in particular always seemed to be accompanied by Labradors or mastiffs. Mr. Carson, she knew, was bonded to a grave and watchful bulldog named Katherine, who patrolled Downton at his side. Mrs. Hughes the housekeeper had a fleet-footed and keen-eyed sheep dog.

Not Sarah O’Brien.

When she came in for an interview concerning the position of lady’s maid, most of the staff immediately scattered towards the other end of the house when she and her Daemon approached.

Cora supposed they couldn’t help it; what could rabbits and dogs and badgers do, before a lioness?

Her own darling Sylvia, brave though she was, snarled and hauled herself onto the back of Cora’s chair as the great tawny beast sidled into the drawing room, her hackles raised high. The lioness eyed the little fox and the round-eyed lady, sniffed disdainfully, and seated herself by the empty chair.

Sarah entered shortly thereafter, rather apologetic for her Daemon’s behavior.

“Boudicca likes her entrances, m’lady, I won’t lie about that.”

“Leave me that much, Sarah; we have precious few pleasures as is.” the great Cat drawled.

Cora waved aside her concerns, of course, and got the interview underway. While Sarah proved herself to be clever and respectful during their conversation (when not trading barbs with Boudicca), Cora felt her mind drifting elsewhere.

A woman and a lioness. It wasn’t unheard of, to have someone and their Daemon share a gender, but there were certain implications there, certain rumors that accompanied such an occurrence. It had taken nearly all of her Papa’s influence to silence such talk when it came to light that Cora’s own Daemon was female.

Sylvia slunk down and curled herself about Cora’s neck, white-tipped tail flicking at the human’s cheek.

“They’re like us.” the fox whispered, eyes alight with curiosity. Cora, unable to draw her eyes away from the small woman and her ferocious Daemon, merely nodded.

“Yes,” she said softly. “Yes, I think they are.”

**

This was all based around the idea that having a Daemon of the same gender in the Pullman-verse implies that the person in question is homosexual (not outright stated in the books but not dismissed either).