AN: Nothing grand, just a simple story involving Cain and Riff and an entire day devoted to nothing, or perhaps a little romance. I apologize in advance for the extreme out of characterness, but I hope you can find it in your hearts to excuse it?
Disclaimer: I don't own Godchild. Kaori Yuki has that honour. All rights are reserved to her.
Riff's Day Off
Chapter One
"Riff, you and I need to talk about something important. It can't wait a moment longer." Cain said, sternly, as he stared intently into the older man's blue eyes.
"Of course, my lord. What do you wish to speak to me about?" asked Riff, feeling mild unease that quickly grew with the full force of Cain's piercing gaze directly upon him. They were alone in Cain's private study room where the young Earl kept his controversial collection of rare poisons, which were lovingly arranged along an entire wall of the room according to how painfully they could kill. The unimaginable began to sweep into the young manservant's mind.
'It is foolish for me to think he has come to divine my sinful thoughts. It must assuredly be something else other than what I fear. Why would it be this? How absurd of me to think such things!' Riff internally mused with apprehension which manifested outwardly with the slight twitching of his hands at his sides.
He willed himself back into composure, stilling his hands from involuntary movement and awaited with dread his master to proceed, be it what may.
"Riff, how long have you been working for me?" Cain asked, with a sudden mischievous smile gracing his delicate mouth that would shame even the mad grin of Carroll's Cheshire Cat. 'This should catch him entirely off guard. Sheer bewilderment has already appeared on his face! It almost pains me to see such refined features distorted.'
'What can it mean for Lord Cain to ask me such a unexpected question? True, it is not what I initially thought, but it as well could be. Has he indeed found out-no, it is not possible. I've hid it too well…but then what has occasioned all this?' Riff's conscience ran wild with other possible speculations all the while his face was one of perplexity.
"Lord Cain, is it possible you are firing me? Have, have I done something to displease you, my Lord?" Riff stuttered, his eyes slightly wide with discombobulation, but with supernatural will, his features resumed to their customary stoic composure. What the outward showed masterly concealed the raging tempest Riff contended to abate with all the mental fortitude he could muster at this moment of self crisis.
The young Earl of Hargreaves arched a fine black brow in question, but soon burst into a unrestrained fit of laughter. He doubled over and laughed at how preposterous the question Riff had asked was without noting his loyal butler's own reaction to his improper behavior. Riff on the other hand saw nothing amusing about the situation, considering how grave a matter it was, but remained silent knowing better than to voice his personal thoughts.
"Ah Riff, how could you think such a bloody thing? I asked because I can't ever recall a time when you've had a day off. Can you?" Cain asked with a playful smirk. His beautiful golden green eyes twinkled with bewitching mirth as he regarded his manservant.
Riff cleared his throat and shook his head with the slightest visible movement only Cain's perceiving eyes could see from years of living together. Needless to say, Riff was extremely relieved that the question had not been asked concerning something that had no right to exist, and yet the more Riff told himself it was monstrous of him to feel what he did for his young lord, no amount of self-damnation could in any way diminish what feelings he housed for his master.
"Sir, please mind your language. It is not at all befitting a young gentleman of your lofty station to speak vulgarly. As to your question, I'm afraid I cannot recall ever having had a day off, not even during the service of your-" Riff suddenly stopped, fully aware of the detrimental slip of his tongue. It was universally agreed upon by every inhabitant under the current Hargreaves's household never to mention the former Earl, Alexis Hargreaves, Cain's malevolent father. And yet for Riff to have been careless and mentioned that cruel and odious man was enough to drive him on his knees and implore his young lord's undeserved forgiveness. Cain perceived Riff's intention to throw himself on his knees in front of him but he quickly intervened by catching hold of Riff's upper right arm and smiled with mild effort.
"It's alright Riff. There's no need for you to do that. You should know that I will always forgive you no matter what." Cain gently squeezed Riff's arm, and couldn't help but smile more openly, all traces of fear and sadness that usually ambushed Cain whenever the name of his malignant father scorched his ears and brought back every painful lash of his vile whip. Riff's beseeching eyes were enough to pacify the revolting demons that threatened to destroy him. For a moment, lost in each other's gaze, Cain lifted his free hand and was about to touch Riff's smooth face, when to both their surprise Cain suddenly broke away, allowing his hand to drop to his side and release his hold on Riff's arm. Riff stood fixed where he was, entirely left without strength to move or even enough fortitude to breath. Cain moved away from his manservant to the other side of the room, his footsteps resounding loudly like canons echoed from the high ceiling, to where his vast collection of poisons was. The exterior of each beautifully manufactured and designed vial and chalice of poison reflected with a mirror's precision Cain's countenance and that of his manservant's with such clarity that Cain was forced to close his eyes.
Each man stood lost in his own thoughts until their respective consciences released them from their hold. Movement returned to their bodies, and a silent repressed breath was freed from Riff's lips. Cain leaned against the edge of the wall where besides him gleam the deathly ewers and crossed his arms with relative ease and grace, as if the moment before was long passed them. Enigmatically he smiled, his eyes turned towards the tranquil scenery outside the window and he said nothing for some time before he spoke.
"I think you need a day off Riff. You've been working day and night with hardly any time spared for sleep. And quite frankly I don't think you sleep at all, not when there is so much work to be done. Too much is expected of you, which I am to blame for pushing you to your limits. At this rate of mental and physical exertion, I wouldn't be surprised or pleased at all, if you were to suffer a mental break down. That is why to avoid such a terrible outcome, I will take the necessary precautions and intervene." Cain stated coolly, with a stern frown; but he couldn't help but find Riff's reaction amusing.
Riff's mouth parted slightly, but closed again. He narrowed his majestic blue eyes and again nodded his head. It was with shame that he was aware Lord Cain knew of his irregular sleeping pattern, but it had never occurred to him that his lord would call his attention about it. Although truth be told, Riff was still having a hard time understanding what had happened between Lord Cain and himself. What could come from it, he wondered.
It was true, Riff couldn't remember when was the last time he had slept decently or more than just three hours, but he was well used to sleeping little when he was a medical student, especially when some anatomy sessions required the entire four-and-twenty hours of the day to procure a corpse and perform the necessary steps before actually conducting the dissection, which of itself was an entirely time consuming activity and at the end of it left him with even lesser desire to sleep. The first corpse he dissected had been that of a young boy drowned, which the water filled in his lungs attested to. After the procedure, it had taken more than just several pots of tea mixed with other strong beverages to calm his nerves.
Recalled from his distant and dismal memories of the past, Riff could say nothing in his self-defense and allowed Cain to press on.
"And don't think I haven't noticed your horrible eating habits Riff, if one can actually call it 'eating'. How you function on distractedly half eating crackers and relying on pot after pot of tea or any form of caffeine, is beyond me. But what is more, I have noticed something else more alarming yet. You've been smoking, haven't you." The latter part was in no ways a question, but more of an accusatory fact.
No matter how much he wished to deny it, Riff could not refute what his Lord already knew. It seemed all his efforts to conceal the fact had been ineffectual, although it still made Riff curious to know how preciously his young Lord had discovered his seemingly well kept secret. Had one of the servants under his charge found him smoking in the gardens? No, that did not seem possible. Whatever it was, Riff now adverted his guilty sight and remarked candidly, "I will not deny I have been smoking and not sleeping my Lord."
Cain glared at his manservant and snorted bitterly. "You have some nerve Riff. The last thing I want you to develop is an addiction. That is why this day off is necessary and I will not have any whining. With that being said, your day off…starts now!"
"Now! But Lord Cain surely it could be scheduled for another day some time this year. I have yet to pay the bills and organize your clothes! And what of Miss Mary Weather? Today I am to take her to Hyde Park." Riff ejaculated in a frenzied voice. He did not at all like the idea of taking a day off. To him it seemed stressful and a waste of valuable time. There was so much to do, and what with the dangers that could present themselves whilst he was forced to be off duty could invite some tragedy.
Cain waved his hand silencing the frustrated Riff. "No. It will be today and I will not hear anything more from you Riff the matter. You may spend the day as you wish on the conditions that you relax and not fuss about. You are excused. For the day, mind you." Cain added thoughtfully, already forgetting Riff was standing there as still.
"Lord Cain, please I beg of you to reconsider how unwise this is! I'm perfectly capable of performing my duties without the need of much sleep and nourishment. Give me any other order but to take the day off, please!" Riff cried, querulously. 'I don't even know how one is to spend a 'day off' anyways. It must be more difficult than working.'
The young Earl was brought from his musings and sighed. He shook his head and pointed to the door. "I'm sorry Riff, but it's an order and as such, I expect you to obey it. Besides, there must be something you would like to do now that you have some time for leisure. Perhaps, reading?"
Riff's long pale fingers twitched visibly, catching Cain's minute attention. This was going to be more difficult then he thought. But in Riff's defense, he truly did not know what to do, although reading was an option. He still had some of his medical books in his room, which he could read but they brought back unpleasant memories. Riff looked intently into his master's golden green eyes as he said, "I'm afraid I'm at a lost, my Lord."
"At a lost!" Cain ejaculated, then muttered, "What am I going to do with you, Riff? Really, a bloody day off shouldn't be treated as a blundering theory to solve a mystery. At times Riff you really do amaze me."
Not knowing if the last part Cain said was meant to be heard, Riff pretended he hadn't heard it, although he felt something akin to pride. Cain rarely voiced praise, although without the need to articulate it, Cain was always grateful to Riff for everything he did. But when his young master did praise him, it was always received with a small smile from Riff's part.
"Forgive my ignorance to such a simplistic thing, Lord Cain, but perhaps we could save this for another day…" Riff said, attempting to get out of the dilemma at any costs.
"Not a chance Riffael Raffit. I won't have your death plaguing my already condemned conscience at night. Now, you are excused!" Cain growled, opening the door and violently pushing Riff out the door without another word.
When the door behind the stunned manservant closed with a loud bang, he could hear a muttered cry of pain from the other side of the door he had just been removed from. Riff swore he had heard his master mumble something incoherently to the effect of 'stupid damn doors not slamming properly in fits of anger'.
With a sigh, Riff stood motionless in the empty corridor. His master hardly ever used his full name, unless it was to tease him or if was important, which half the time it was more for Cain's personal amusement to see Riff cringe at his full name being used deliberately. But in this case it most likely meant that his Lord must have been quite feed up with him if he had been compelled to state his full Christen name to obey an order.
"Now what do I do? I mustn't upset Lord Cain more then I have already this morning. But really, what does he expect from me to do with the day? I could cpossibly tend to some sorting of documents…" Riff muttered his thoughts out loud, but was interrupted with an exasperated yell from within the closed room.
"Riff, I said no work! Do I have to teach you how to be inactive, for God's sake?" Cain exclaimed Riff gave a violent jump from surprise.
"No, my Lord! I was just going...as you asked." Riff managed to say and left with reluctance.