Authors note: Just a fair warning, both Sebastian AND Meyrin are a little ooc in this.
There had been mysteries about the manor that they couldn't solve, but they saw it best to not delve into the secrets that were unknown to them.
However there was one secret that four of the Phantomhive Servants would love to figure out, and that only depended on if a certain housemaid would just spill it already. For all their years in service the servants had relayed certain information, small snippets of their life that seemed harmless almost. It was the date of their birth, and every time the year rolled around and it was time-they would have a small dinner amongst themselves.
Even Sebastian offered some sweets on such occasions.
Meyrin had never told any of them her birthday, and every single time they had asked her she had shot them down. They wondered if they could get Sebastian to make her crack, but the butler said that if she chose to withold that information she had every right to. He even suggested that they stop bothering the maid about it, but Bard and Finny were not about to give up just yet.
"Why's she so strung up on 'er birthday anyway?" Bard muttered to himself, sitting down on the kitchen counter; "It ain't like it's that big'a deal!"
"Maybe something happened to her on her birthday, says Keats." Snake offered.
"What could have happened though?" Finny pondered, "I wonder if she'll tell us."
"Now if Meyrin wants to divulge that secret, that is up to her." Tanaka reminded them, "It could bring up some bad memories she doesn't want to remember."
"Yer soundin' like Sebastian!" The Chef bellowed, "We're not askin' her what she did in her past, we know that already!"
"But it'd be nice if we could at least throw her a little party," Finny spoke up again, "I don't like to see her so sad whenever we have parites for us."
"Not like they're elaborate, says Emily."
"Hey!"
Before any of them could continue the conversation, Sebastian entered the room followed by Meyrin-who meekly took her place by the gardener. They listened intently about details about a guest visiting this afternoon, and something about not messing it up. Bard watched the maid out of the corner of his eye.
He would get her to spill, even if he had to pry it out of her.
There was something odd going on.
And it wasn't just the guest, who although being very jubilant and outgoing-was very odd in the way he talked. It seemed like a Cockney accent, but he was a very wealthy man she would have thought he'd have proper conversation skills by now. She didn't know what exactly he did, but she supposed he was hoping to merge his company with her young master's someday.
However she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following her, and surprisingly it wasn't Sebastian making sure she doesn't trip over her own two feet. She wondered if it was the others, they had been acting strange since this morning and she couldn't help but feel that they were up to their usual antics.
And if so, why wasn't she strung into it? At least when they did it, they had the decency to tell her what they were doing!
Very carefully she placed the dishes onto the table, washed and ready for Sebastian to put out. [He specifically had told her to keep them there, he would rather do it himself.] Meyrin wondered idly to herself as she left the dining area, very surprised that she at least got the dishes into the room in one piece.
Maybe she was getting better after all, it must be the new glasses.
After a while of looking for her next chore, she turned around and saw Finny's head quickly duck behind a wall. Annoyed she called him out, "Finnian! If you must follow me, at least have the decency to tell me that you are! It's very rude to follow people without knowing, it is!"
The gardener slid out from behind the wall, a sheepish look on his face; "I was just watching you do your job, that's all! "
"Don't you have to tend the gardens? Like Mr. Sebastian asked you too?"
"Oh, well they're already ruined."
"Finny..."
"Anyways..." Finny mumbled, pondering for a bit; "I need you to come with me!"
"I can't, I have to get the laundry done beore dusk, yes?"
"That can wait for later-"
"Oh, it cannot!"
However she didn't have a choice, Finny already had her wrist in his hand and off they were to whatever adventure she was being pulled into. Oh, she hoped Mr. Sebastian wouldn't be too upset with them this time. At least she could tell them that she hadn't planned to be this lazy and incompetant today!
After a while of feeling self-pity sink into her brain, she was finally led into a dark room just before the Servant's Quarters. She wasn't so sure what the room was used for, but it seemed like it was for extra storage for unneeded things. She sure hoped that whatever Finny wanted didn't last too long.
"Why's it so dark?" She questioned, "And why'd you bring me here?"
"Y'know why you're here!" Bard bellowed suddenly, making the maid jump as she didn't know that he was there.
"Whatever it is can wait, it can! I must be available at all times, what if the young master and his guest need me?"
"Oh, they won't."
How rude, "What do you guys want?"
Bard lit a candle, making it seem that she was in some sort of gang initiation of some sort. It was rather comical however, her friend didn't make a good gang leader if that was going to be the case. "Y'know-"
"No, I do not!"
The room went silent again as Bard let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, we just demand that you tell us when yer birthday is."
"Why's it so important...?" Meyrin asked aghast, "There's really no need for you to know."
"But why?" Finny pleaded, "We just want to do nice things for you!"
"Even th'young master doesn't pry, no he doesn't!" She was apalled her friends would do this, she thought they were over it; "I don't need to tell you."
"Meyrin, what happened to you that was so bad that you can't even tell your friends your birthday?" The gardener tried again, "Please, tell us."
"I was sold."
"Wait, what...?"
"I was sold by my parents on my birthday, because they were so poor they couldn't have afforded me to begin wit'." Meyrin sighed, "I'd rather not remember that day, so would you please allow me to go back to my job?"
"Uh...yeah, Mey-"
Meyrin was gone before he could even say anything, leaving the three male servants to ponder about this new information. Snake, who had been hiding in the corner, spoke up; "We should leave her alone about this, says Keats."
"Yeah, maybe we should..." Finny said sadly.
"Wait! I got an idea!"
"Meyrin, why are you just standing there?"
The maid had barely heard Sebastian speaking to her, and by the time he finished his sentence she wondered inside her head if he had said anything at all. She stared at the butler for a moment, her mind still on what happened earlier and then she shook her head. "I'm sorry Mr. Sebastian," She said, a little bit too calmly, "I was just lost in thought, I'll get right back to work-I will."
"Are you feeling alright-?"
"Yes! Yes I am, and no you can't know when my birthday is!" Meyrin snapped, suddenly realizing who she just snapped at; "I-I'm sorry Mr. Sebastian, i-it's just...the others, they keep pryin' for my birthday and I don't...want to tell them."
Sebastian understood her frustration. Including her, the three of them were relentless-Tanaka and Snake however seemed to go along for the ride. She was more flustured than usual, but the demon wondered idly what bothered her about something as silly as a birthday. "Do you want me to talk to them?"
"I already did, thank you though." She said, her voice softer; "I had to tell them why, but I don't think they understand."
The butler didn't really care, but he decided to ask anyway; "And why is that?"
She was silent for a moment, "It's nothing that needs to be brought up again, no...it's just somethin' that happened in the past-that's all."
"Then why does it matter in the present, hm?"
Meyrin seemed to ponder this, "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter now. I'm here with good people, I suppose-I guess that's all I could ever ask for."
Sebastian smiled at her, seemingly genuine; "Good. Please do your best not to get distracted again, also we need your assistance soon in the dining hall so please be ready."
"Yes, sir."
Sebastian let out a sigh.
The others seemed useless in their attempts to please the guest, though said guest didn't seem to be bothered as the butler had taken care of everything. At least Meyrin proved to be useful, she wasn't as clumsy as she usually was and when she was it wasn't anything the butler couldn't fix.
Perhaps he would have to reward her for such good behavior.
As he was about to approach the maid and congradulate her on her decent job, a hand stuck out behind the wall and pulled Meyrin into another room. What were those idiots doing now? Did they not know the maid still had work to do and they did as well? He hadn't seen them all day for hell's sake!
After making sure Ciel had been fine alone in his study [heaven forbid-the brat gets kidnapped while he's distracted] the esteemed butler made his way to where he knew the bumbling idiots were residing. He wasn't sure what the occasion was, but it wasn't a good time to do it now.
That's what their days off were for!
"Come on Meyrin, just come with me!" He heard Finny's voice, "Just a few more steps!"
"Why are you leading me into the bunker?!" She cried out, "Are you insane?"
Sebastian rolled his eyes. Well at least Meyrin had common sense this time around, maybe the maid was changing for the better. One less nuscience he would have to deal with of course-but she could possibly keep Bard in line as well.
With a powerful stride he caught up to the two servants, his eyes gleaming red ever so slightly as he glared down upon them. "And what are you doing, exactly?"
"Sebastian!" Finny cried, "I just wanted to surprise Meyrin with somethin'!"
"What did I tell you about forcing her to divulge secrets she doesn't want to?"
Finny stared at Meyrin, "Ah, you talked to Mr. Sebastian?! Now this is gonna be ruined!"
"What's goin' to be ruined?" Meyrin asked, "Please, just tell me what you're doing. You owe me that much, I told you a dark secret."
"Not your birthday though..." The Gardener pouted, but was once again silenced by the butler's stare.
"Where are the others?"
"You'll see, if you both will just come with me!"
Sebastian and Meyrin shared a look, the maid seemingly looking at the butler with a 'please kill me' look. Unfortunately he was not in the position to do that, but they bother humored the gardener and followed him down into the cellar. It usually was for storing old wine for dinner parties, perhaps he would have to remind Finny that they were not allowed in these parts at all unless they were told.
Finny hummed the whole way, some old folk lore song he must've heard when he was younger. When they reached the right area the gardener flung the door open, and the lights turned on.
There was a poorly put together banner that read "Happy unbirthday, Meyrin!" and it appeared that Bard had attempted at a cake-but it wasn't quite done yet. "I'm sorry 'bout earlier," The chef said, avoiding looking at the butler altogether as he talked to Meyrin; "if I would've known I wouldn't have asked."
"It's...alright...?" Meyrin said, looking around; "Bard, what's all this?"
"Well, yer always readin' that Alice in Wonderland book and they have that 'Unbirthday' thing goin' on so maybe once a week we could celebrate...it."
"My unbirthday?"
"Uh...yeah."
Meyrin smiled a little, "You guys..."
"Bard, the cakes not done!" Finny whined, "And I wanted cake, that's the best part! I knew we shoulda told Mr. Sebastian!"
"Shut it, Finny I only had an hour!"
"It's fine, I don't need a cake."
She didn't know what to think about it, she could only smile as they talked on and on about something to do with Alice. Silly girl fell down a rabbit hole, perhaps Meyrin could always find herself relating to the poor girl.
Somehow her rabbit hole ended up here.
While the others babbled on about nothing she locked eyes with the butler, though no words were spoken to between them then she knew what he was trying to relay in those red eyes of his.
"The past doesn't matter, this is your home now."
A/N: Sappy, I know! But I really loved the idea in my head, I just hoped I executed it alright! Please Read&Review!