"The Earl hardly ever shows himself".
"Heehh..er, really now... what kind of person is he?"
"Ah, let's see~"..."The earl is usually quite terse. Basically he has either a sour or angry look, and he's extremely prideful."
"... aaah I see..."
"Oh yes! And he also sports an eye patch~!"
"HEEEH?!"
"Yes, yes the Earl is quite-"
"Lau, I would appreciate it if you could refrain from teasing my guests".
The young earl descended down the main staircase. The clatter of the other guest died down a bit as his small shoes could be heard against the main halls' marbled floor. "I'm the head of the Phantomhive household, Ciel Phantomhive. Thank you all for coming tonight". Ciel advanced to Lau's group. "I'd rather you not start spreading any more strange rumors about me Lau. I hope your image of me has yet to be tarnished ". Ceil smiled charmingly at the author, extending his hand to the flustered man.
"No!No! I'm Arthur Conan Doyle. I'm very pleased to meet you Earl Phantomhive! I'm honored to be your guest". The wordsmith clumsily greeted Ciel.
"Yes it's a pleasure to meet you and I hope that you enjoy yourself to the fullest tonight Mr. Doyle. Hmm... and who else do we have here? I don't believe we've yet to meet..."
"Sariel Stavros. Pleasure to meet you Ceil Phantomive". The Earl glanced at the mysterious guest before him. Sariel was dressed in a fashion like the earl himself. His outfit in deep shades of purple. "I'm an acquaintance of Lau's".
Lau smirked, eyeing the youth beside him. "Hmmmm. Yes, little Earl I would have informed you that I was bringing Mr. Starvos along but his appearance was a bit short notice. I hope you don't mind."
"I see. Well then, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well. Forgive me Mr. Starvos-
"Please, call me Sariel". The young man smiled.
"Ah yes then, Sariel... Please forgive my rudeness, but you seem rather young... How are you acquainted with Lau here?"
The dark haired guest chuckled. "I do international business, I've run in to Lau from time to time. Actually we have quite a bit in common Earl~ I dabble in the toy and sweets industry myself. I manage a company based in Japan. We have some factories in Europe as well, namely France. Of course mine is nothing to rival the Funtom Company. I was visiting with Lau here when I heard he was going to a party and decided to come along. I hope you can pardon my intrusion".
"No matter, please do enjoy your time here. I hope to hear more about this company of yours in the future. Well then, if you'd all excuse me while I greet the other guests". The young Earl made his rounds about the room, stopping once to whisper to his butler.
The last group finally arrived. The much expected Gorge Von Simmons and the Queens' personal guard Earl Charles Grey.
The party proceeded into the dining hall for dinner.
"Ah Earl would you mind introducing me as well?"
"Sure. Mr. Phelps this is Mr. Lau the English branch manager for the Shanghai trading company Kunlun"
"From Kunlun?!" The man appeared to shake at those words, visibly he shrunk away from the oriental tradesman.
"Ahh Mr. Phelps~ It's nice to see you here" Sariel strode towards the jittery man. "I didn't notice you in the main hall... how rude of me not to greet you, you just blend in so well I suppose."
"M-Mr. Starvos... Hello. P-pardon me as well..." The nervous man shifted his attention as the dark haired youth that advanced upon him.
"I would be glad to hear that all of the shipping arrangements for next month have been finalized".
"Y-Yes, yes everything is ready."
"Excellent~"
The Earl focused curiously on the duo. "Mr. Sariel, I see you're already acquainted with Mr. Phelps as well."
"Yes and quite fortunately too". The young man gestured jovially to the man in front of him. "A few weeks ago the shipping company I contracted to ship some of my goods to Africa pulled out. I was lucky enough to come into contact with Mr. Phelps here, and on such short notice too! It must have been fate".
Phelps Chuckled nervously.
"Have you no shame!?"
A loud slap echoed throughout the dining hall. Drunken yelling and irate actions escalated until a champagne bottle was hurled across the room and into the air. It was stopped with dramatic display. The contents of the champagne bottle cascading down glass like a water fall worked to refresh the guests temper to drunken merriness once more. Not without refreshing the Earl with spirits as well.
"Haha quite the acrobat I see~!" Sariel cheered the nimble butler from a seat by the window, gaining a weary look from the author next to him.
The Earl sodded over to rejoin Mr. Doyle and now Sariel, his butler arrived hastily with towel to mop the Earl up. The Earl heaved.
"It seems a little alcohol is all it takes for Jekyll to come out"
Mr. Simmons haphazardly plopped onto the sofa, almost causing Charles Grey to spill his drink. Greys irritated glare went unnoticed. He was intoxicated by all the alcohol he consumed and now by the women he managed to drag down onto the sofa with him.
"No doubt that he is a repeat offender".
"All things considered, he's either completely shameless or a complete fool".
"He seems to me an incurable guy that would make a doctor lose his patience".
Arthur and Sariel chuckled nearby, although Sariel showed no restraint in his mirth at Mr. Simmons expense.
The Earl turned to the two and grinned devilishly
"Shhhhh".
Sebastian opened the door and entered the room. The fire died out in the Earls' bedroom. Phelps choked on his own saliva as he's final moments drew near.
"... I would have saved him but it seems Mr. Phelps was not quite the clean cut man he appeared to be" Sariel sat comfortably in front of Phelps puttering, crumpled form. "Of course you must have figured that out already, as it seems that you had no intention of saving him yourself".
Sebastian frowned at the sight of the young man in the chair. Illuminated by the moonlight, his violet eyes cast a poisons glow.
"I knew I smelled a mutt. I would have put you outside, but the young master would be terribly put off if I cause more of an uproar than necessary. See to it that you pose no threat, any threats to the Phantomhive household will not be taken lightly."
"Worry not butler, I don't plan on any threats~" White teeth flashed into a grin. "I just want to discuss some business with the young Earl. I feel that he would make an excellent business partner."
Sebastian gave a terse, low growl. Sariel chuckled.
"Well, I have more urgent matters-".
"There is a snake in the garden" Sariel stood up, "...multiple actually. Shall I take care of them for you?"
"There's no need for a guest to-"
"Please, I insist. You have more urgent matters to deal with do you not?"
"Very well then, Dogs do have to work for their bones" The demon sneered "... Good night Mr. Starvos and lock the door on your way out... "
"Woof Woof!"
The butler left to finish the rest of his preparations.
The storm outside was unfailing through out the night.