I don't own Kuroshitsuji
Life With Alois Trancy
Chapter 4: Life Without Alois Trancy
Remember? Last chapter Alois left the mansion for a day! Please review, I love getting them! :D
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Mey-Rin walked silently through the halls of the Trancy mansion, opening each door to make sure there was nothing out of place inside. Thunder boomed outside the house and the glass panes shook each time it did. Not to mention it terrified the hell out of the maid. She slowly reached the guest's room. But before she could open the door, she found there were rooms on the other side of the hallway she had to look in. Once she was done with those, she finally realized that she was going to have to go into the man's room to check on him eventually. She walked down the stairs and retrieved an urn to switch out the old water for.
She walked quietly and carefully up the stairs, listening for anything in the mansion. She tripped over her own feet twice of her ascent, and had to go back down to not only get more water, but change her soaked uniform.
Mey-Rin turned the valve on the sink in the bathroom. Splashing water on her face, she stared into the mirror. She could barely see herself, so she put on her glasses. They were small, cat-eye frames. Her well-trained eyes, fit for an assassin, who typically wanted to keep her face covered, stuck out blankly from behind the lenses. The biggest problem was that the prescription was off by… well, she didn't know what it was off by, but she knew it was a lot. Actually, putting the glasses on only helped a tiny bit. She could now make out the outlines of her own face. She saw something out of the corner of he right eye and sent a hairbrush flying direction into Bardroy's face.
"Augh!" The man screamed, falling back a bit and gripping the bridge of his nose. Mey-Rin screamed.
"I'm so sorry, I am! I didn't mean to, I'm very jumpy today!"
"Just go change the damned water then clean dining room. The floor needs work." Mey-Rin nodded, grabbed the urn and rushed up the stairs.
Once she neared the top, she stopped running, completely regained her composure, straightened her dress, hair and glasses and knocked three times on the wooden door. A muffled "Come in." was heard through the door and Mey-Rin turned the handle.
"I've come to change the water," she said quietly, setting down the urn in her hand. The man was quiet. She quickly picked up the other urn and saw some wet footprints on the ground.
"I went outside this morning for a run. My apologies, I thought the carpet had dried."
"You went outside?!" Mey-Rin yelped, "It's raining madly outside, it is!"
"I'm aware, but I wanted to pick something up," he said, reaching into the pocket of his suit.
"If you don't mind me asking, sir, what did need to pick up that it was necessary to leave in the pouring rain?" He pulled his hand out of his suit pocket and walked over to the maid. He brought his face do close to hers that strands of black hair were tickling her nose. He slowly pulled off the maid's glasses, destroying her vision completely, but fully revealing her dark maroon colored eyes.
"A gift," he said, "you make keep them for three days and then I will ask you a question, possibly sooner if this rain clears before then." Mey-Rin nodded, smiling.
"A maid should be discrete if she is hiding a secret such as assassination technique, shouldn't she?" He asked, presenting a pair of large-rimmed glasses. He unfolded the arms and placed the lenses on the bridge of her nose. And for the first time in quite a long time, Mey-Rin could see clearly. It was like she culld see the pores in the man's face. He turned her to the small mirror. The large lenses covered up her eyes, making it nearly impossible for anyone to see the secret that was hidden behind her-
"Wait. How do you know? About… about me being an assassin?" The man smiled.
"With eyes like those," he said, "it's impossible not to draw the conclusion." Mey-Rin perked up as she remembered something.
"I have to clean the dining room! I must go, sir. I will come get you for the evening meal." She picked up the old urn and rushed down the stairs and out of the house.
"Where we're you?" The chef asked as the woman entered the dining room, "And where'd you get those glasses? I can't even see yer eyes!"
"The guest gave them to me," Mey-Rin said, bewildered, "and when did you become the master around here? If anything, the guest should be the master, he should."
"Why would the guest be our master?" Bard asked, releasing a cloud of cigarette smoke into the air.
"Well," Mey-Rin replied, walking over to the windows with a rag, "maybe not him in particular…"
"Then who? I'm sure no one could be worse than that fuckin' brat." Bardroy replied, clearing some plates of the table and carrying them to a cart next to the kitchen.
"From what the guest has told me," Mey-Rin said, standing on a chair to reach the upper part of a window, "he is a butler over at another manor. He said he would be willing to take the three of us in if we wanted to."
"Which manor?" The chef asked, setting on final spoon on the cart.
"… the …the Phantomhive manor…"
"The WHO?!" Bard screamed, his cigarette falling to the floor. He quickly struggled to pick it up, hoping the small black spot on the carpet wasn't extremely visible. It was about the size of a dime, but hell, if anyone was going to notice such a small an unimportant detail, it would be Alois Trancy. He shuffled his shoe over the mark and Mey-Rin sighed.
"I can't see it, don't worry." She said, returning to wiping the windows. She could barely see outside, even with her new glasses. The rain plastered the other side of the glass, making all the colors outside smear like paints. They were ugly colors, are beautiful colors having been scared away by the downpour.
She finished cleaning the windows quietly and walked back to the table. For the first time she could clearly see the tablecloth. She knew she wasn't going to drop it, or anything on it this time.
"When do you think the Master will return?" She asked as she set down plates and silverware, smiling more than necessary due to her newfound vision.
"I dunno," Bardroy answered, "probably either tonight or tomorrow. Why do you ask?"
"I'm worried how he's going to take my new glasses." She said, moving a napkin slightly so it fit perfectly on the bowl underneath it.
"Well," Bard replied from the door by the kitchen where Finny came happily out with some food for the guest and the three servants, "he'll probably shatter them to bits and try to kill you."
"Shatter wh- Mey-Rin, you got new glasses!" The young boy exclaimed, "You look so pretty with them on!" Mey-Rin smiled.
"Thank you!" She said, watching him set down appetizers for four at the table, "Umm… Finny?"
"Hmm?" Finnian replied, setting down one last cup.
"What are you doing?"
"What do you mean?" The boy asked, moving a plate just a smidge to the left. He set down a pitcher of water with ice and lemons in it, followed by one with ice and several tea bags.
"I mean that we aren't eating at the table! Servants do not do that, they don't!"
"But…" the boy said with a frown, the tears children shed to get what they want pooling in his eyes, "We always eat here when Alois isn't here to yell at us!"
"Finnian, we have guest here! No guest wants to have a meal with servants, especially not servants like u-"
"Actually, I am quite alright with it." A voice from the other side of the room said. Mey-Rin perked up and tried to hide her blushing at the sound of the beautiful man's voice. Finnian smiled like crazy.
"Really? You're okay with it?"
"Yes," the man said, "so long as you wash up properly and thoroughly. Finny smiled and ran esthetically into the bathroom, Bardroy following him, his fist pounding on the door and screaming,
"Hey brat! Lemme in!" Mey-Rin stared from the opposite side of the room at the guest. She removed her glasses to she could see him better. Sometimes, as she was too shy to say anything to people she fancied, being able to see them clearly from afar was nice, as she wouldn't dream of speaking to him outside the room he currently occupied. Those conversations were what fueled her whole day, and if she began having said conversations just anywhere, they wouldn't be special, right? Yes, that was her logic and she believed it wholeheartedly.
"How are your glasses treating you, Mey-Rin?" The man asked, walking closer. The maid immediately set the lenses back on her face. She smiled brightly and said,
"Very w-well, sir." She walked over to the kitchen door and peered in. Bardroy was practically screaming at Finny. She winced turning back to the man, laughing slightly awkwardly.
"It will just be another minute, it will." She quickly went into the kitchen and took a wicker basket full of sliced bread, setting it on the table with a small dish of olive oil and assorted spices.
"I'm just fine waiting." The man replied from his position at the table.
"M-may I sitnexttoyou?" She said quickly, sputtering out her words. The man motioned for her to. She sat down with a small smile gracing her lips.
"Tell me about the Phantomhive manor," she said, "if- if you please." The man nodded.
"Well," he began, "the manor is a very nice place. There was a fire a few years ago, but it has been replaced, exactly the way it used to be. Structurally wise, anyhow. Ceil, the master there is about the same age as the master here, actually."
"Is he?" Mey-Rin asked, slightly dazed. The man's voice was sweet and smooth as honey. She was barely aware of the loving look in her eyes and the content smile on her lips.
"Has your Master ever beaten you?" Mey-Rin perked up at the question.
"Umm… once. He broke two ribs. But it was completely my fault! I broke an entire china cabinet full of expensive dishes. He lost his temper, which is perfectly reasonable, is was."
"He only hit you because he lacks patience," the man replied, "I would never hit you, even if you burned down the Phantomhive manor again. Remember, everything can be fixed, even if it isn't perfect. Although, most things that I fix are even better than before." Mey-Rin had entered her daze again and simply nodded in a "please continue" sort of way.
"But that is irrelevant," he said, standing, "I will check on the meal." Mey-Rin woke up from her daze and said,
"N-no, I can, sir!" She stood hastily and burst through the kitchen doors to admire the small fire happily roasting the main course. Bardroy and Finny were screaming at each other, so Mey-Rin wheeled out the cart with everything BUT the main course on it.
"How's it going in there?"
"… fine, sir," Mey-Rin lied, "the main course with just be taking a bit longer than expected…"
"Do I smell… burning?"
"N-NO!" Mey-Rin screeched, hastily setting down a plate with some salad and a bowl of soup in front of the guest.
"Do-does everything look alright?"
"Wonderful, thank you." Mey-Rin smiled.
"Would you like some wine, sir?"
"No, thank you." The maid smiled one more time before rushing back into the kitchen. Bardroy was dumping a pitcher of water on the flames and Finny was lying incapacitated on the ground, a fairly large bruise forming on the top of his head. Next to him was a cast-iron pan.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Bard screamed at the oven, "what the hell am I supposed to make now?!"
"I'm sure the guest will be happy with soup and salad, he will." Mey-Rin said, trying to make the situation less terrible.
"Well go ask!" She nodded and rushed back out.
"Umm… sir?" The man looked up from his bowl.
"This soup is incredible, so is the salad," he said with a small smile gracing his lips.
"Thank you sir," Mey-Rin replied, "Umm… the chef regrets to inform you that the main course has been… umm… changed. This will be a soup and salad di-"
"So I did smell burning," the man said, standing up, "Where is your kitchen?" Mey-Rin pointed to the set of double doors leading to the kitchen. A large clap of thunder from the rain outside caused the action to seem much more ominous than it really needed to. The man removed his suit coat and gloves and rolled up his sleeves. He opened one of the doors and forced Bardroy out and handed him an unconscious Finnian.
"What the hell?!" Bard screamed, "That's MY kitchen!"
"And I am borrowing it," the man said. The sound of a chair being placed in front of the door was heard, followed by, "please. Sit down and make your selfs comfortable." The three did as they were told and an hour later, the man strode out of the kitchen and set three plates down.
"For dinner we will be having the soup and salad previously prepared, followed by a tenderloin steak cooked medium well. There is a steak sauce to accompany it, as well. The wine I have found is an 1805 Red Wine from Italy. Please enjoy." The three stared down at the wonderfully set up platters in front of them.
"Holy shit," Bardroy said, "That's amazing. I didn't even know we had steak." The man smiled, sliding a cow-blood soaked glove into his back pocket and shaking rain water out of his hair. He smiled at the group of three at the table.
"Bardroy, Finnian, how is it?" The two smiled.
"Great!"
"Pretty damn good."
"Thank you," the man said, looking at Mey-Rin, "and yours, Madam?" The redhead maid blushed, never having been called "Madam" before and never having been treated with such respect before.
"It is absolutely wonderful, it is. I just find it unfair that our guest would be making a meal for the servants. That isn't-"
"I am I butler, as I believe I have told you before," he said, refilling the glass in front of Mey-Rin, "and besides, a maid and a garden boy have no place cooking. And surely a former military leader doesn't either." Bardroy perked up a bit, but ultimately continued eating. Finny sat chewing happily. Mey-Rin sipped her wine carefully and ate quietly. Bardroy eventually began talking about why Alois was such a, in his words, "completely insufferable f*cking prick." or something along the lines of that.
"Rotten lil' brat 'as us doin' EVERYTHING for him! That little son of a bitch doesn't know 'ow to tie 'is shoes right!" He complained loudly, forcing down more wine. Mey-Rin smiled. The guest sat down beside her and said,
"You haven't been very talkative tonight." The woman nodded.
"I tend to try to avoid talking to people when I have alcohol, I do." She said quietly, stuffing some more meat into her mouth, setting her fork and knife on the table next to the plate. The knife was suddenly picked up from the table and thrown across the room. The blade rested firmly in the forehead of a painting of Alois' father.
"He was looking at my funny, he was," she whispered, reaching for her wine glass and gripping at the air until she realized there was no longer a glass there. She found that the guest had begun clearing the table. Bardroy was loudly protesting and Finny (as he was only 15 years old and was not given the liquor) smiled as a small blueberry Creme Brulé was placed in front of him. Mey-Rin gripped at the air where the fork was until she simply threw her plate (which was still there) at the painting on the other side of the room. However, there was nothing smashed against the wall. The man wagged his finger at her from the other side of the room, where he had the plate resting calmly on the tips of his fingers.
"You mustn't break the China, and you'll have to something about the painting." Mey-Rin nodded woozily.
"I'm shorry I am…" She said, dazed, standing up and walking shakily towards the door to the room where the three servants slept.
"Oh Mey-Rin?" The woman turned around to find the guest a few feet from her.
"Yesh, shir?"
"I have a favor to ask." The man said, "Tell me about the basement of the manor."
Well, still no romance. Whatever, I'll try next chapter. Please R&R! -Chiharu :)