Hello, my fellow readers and writers! So, here's where the actual Kuroshitsuji story begins; as I already said in the Special Notes, my intent is to combine both the anime and manga to the best of my capability.
One twist on this chapter: Both Damiano and Chlaus will be appearing! And no, Chlaus will not be sharing Damiano's fate like in the anime; he'll be spared (spoiler alert).
Anyway, that's all, enjoy the chapter...Curtain Up!
Unknown Time and Plane...
The young Ciel Phantomhive is found seemingly floating in midair, a red cloth being the only thing covering his body.
He is surrounded by a misty space, with white-gray feathers on the ground, and some falling from the air...
Suddenly, a deep, silky voice cuts through the silence:
"Think carefully...Should you reject the faith even this once, the gates of paradise will forever be out of your reach."
Ciel responds in a stern but slightly hoarse voice:
"Do you think, one who was among those faithful, would ever go so far as to summon someone like you?"
The voice chuckles ominously:
"I shall ask but once more: Do you wish to form a contract with me?"
"I do! Now stop asking these tedious questions and let me know if we have a deal!"
With that, the feathers were blown upwards by a spectral wind, and their colour, once a peaceful white, gradually shifts to an otherwise morbid black.
Somewhere within the shadows of the feathers, a mysterious figure grins...
Morning, Phantomhive Manor...
We now turn to the Phantomhive Manor, cloaked by the haze of the morning...
In the young earl's bedroom, his day begins with the following voice:
"Master. It is time for you to wake up."
The sound of curtains being drawn stirs the young earl awake, slightly groaning as he turns to the source of the voice: His butler, Sebastian Michaelis.
Sebastian then pours the early morning tea:
"For breakfast today, we have a lightly poached salmon accompanied by a delicate mint salad. I can also offer toast, scones, or pain de campagne. Which dish would you care for this morning?"
Ciel answers with a yawn,
"A scone."
Sebastian then moves to the other side of the bed, facing the young earl to help him get dressed:
"Today, you have a meeting with Mr. Hughes, the authority on the history of the Roman Empire. And this afternoon, Mr. Damiano of the Poseidon Company will be paying you a visit."
"Oh, is that the man I have in charge of stuffed animals at my factory in India?"
"Yes. I'm told that he will be bringing along your Uncle Chlaus. Apparently, they are old colleagues, and Mr. Chlaus saw this as an opportunity to see you about a certain game he progressed for you."
"Ah yes, I had wondered when he was going to get back to me on that matter."
"We will of course, offer them both all of the hospitality the estate can provide."
Ciel picks up his his tea cup, and lightly takes in the tea's aroma:
"I know this smell. Is this tea Earl Gray?"
"Yes. From Jacksons of Piccadilly." Sebastian then rises, and slightly bows while saying,
"I shall wait for you at the dining table, Master. Also, I sent Mey-Rin to wake Miss Coraline, so she should be there before long."
Just before he could make it out the door, however...
(Whizzzz)
A dart is thrown straight at the back of Sebastian's head!
...Of course, Sebastian, being who he is, catches it with ease...
"Well thrown, my lord. Even so..." He turns to Ciel with a smile:
"...let's save the games for later."
Loosing a stare that would suggest defiance, Ciel recovers with an almost bored expression, eye closed (his other under the eye-patch):
"Yes, I suppose you're right, Sebastian."
As Sebastian leaves the room, Ciel's last words on the hidden subject are,
"My butler is an able man."
Meanwhile, a few hours earlier, in another room of the estate...
...Fire...smoke...
...Gunshot...(thud)...Father!...
...Running...must, escape...
...Gunshot...pain...falling...falling...
...Father, help me...help...
(Jolt)
"(Gasp, pant, pant...)"
Coraline arouses from her slumber, with an agitated look on her face. Sitting up, she grasps where her heart is, gradually urging her body to calm down...
"...That dream...(Sigh) It's been a while since I last had it..."
Of course, Coraline knew that it was more than just a dream...but a recollection of what she lost, and almost lost, years ago...
Shaking away that thought, Coraline got up, mindful of the pressure on her injured leg, and walked over to the window. The outside held the back gardens, still cloaked in semi-darkness, as the sky was barely beginning to fill with the morning sunrise...
"Hmm...still fairly dark out...but I don't think I'm going back to sleep anytime soon...Well, may as well get dressed."
With that, Coraline turned back to the bed, grabbed her bookbag, and began pulling out some clothes to wear:
"I can't believe my twenty-first century clothes are actually with me..."
Yes, as it turned out, while Coraline may have entered this world with different clothing, her original ones somehow ended up in her bag!
After a few minutes, Coraline was fully dressed: Blue jeans, a white t-shirt, a red and blue-checkered flannel un-buttoned shirt, and her black combat boots. She walked over to the vanity, once again picking up the brush to tidy up her hair. Looking in the mirror, Coraline couldn't help but grin at her reflection:
Ah, now this is more the Coraline Croft I know...
Finished, she walked back over to the window, undid the latch, pushed it open, and climbed up onto the ledge to sit sideways looking outward:
I doubt anyone will be awake right now...I'll just sit here and take in the scenery for a while...
A few hours later...
(Knock, knock)
"Come in!"
The door creaked open, revealing Mey-Rin, walking with a slight stumble that Coraline mused to be a sign of clumsiness. Imagine her surprise when she discovers Coraline was already awake:
"Oh, Miss Coraline! Good morning! I see you're already awake and dressed..."
"Ah, yes. I probably should've mentioned that I'm an early riser. (Slight chuckle) Once I'm up, I stay up."
"Oh. I understand, yes I do." Coraline got down from the windowsill, closed the window, and walked over to Mey-Rin:
"I assume you were sent to bring me to the dining hall?"
"Correct. If you're ready, follow me please." On that note, Coraline followed Mey-Rin out of her guestroom, and down the hallway...
As they were walking, Mey-Rin looked to Coraline, and asked a bit hesitantly,
"Um, Miss Coraline, if I my ask: What exactly are you wearing?"
Coraline expected this question, and answered accordingly:
"Well, as strange as this is going to sound (among everything else related to my arrival), while I did enter this world wearing those other clothes, it turns out my original outfit somehow got into my bookbag. What I'm wearing now is actually pretty common for girls in my world."
"Really?"
"Yep. And I imagine the fashions in this world may change similarly in the next century or so..."
On that last sentence, Coraline and Mey-Rin made it to the dining hall, where the other servants (minus Sebastian), and Ciel, were waiting...
"Young Master. I have brought Miss Coraline, yes I did."
Ciel looked up from his breakfast to look in their direction, and raised an eyebrow at Coraline.
Must be because of my outfit...
"Have a seat, Miss Croft..."
"Thank you, and please, call me Coraline. Miss Croft just sounds too formal for me..."
Coraline sat in the chair next to Ciel, where breakfast was set up for her as well.
"Hmph. Very well, Coraline. Then you may address me as Ciel." It was Coraline's turn to raise an eyebrow, but gently smiled nonetheless:
"Alright, Ciel..."
"By the way, what is that, 'outfit', you are wearing?"
"Oh, this? (Slight laugh) Well, turns out my twenty-first century clothing managed to somehow end up in my bookbag through my 'unintentional dimension travel'. Although I'm not exactly sure how..."
"So, those clothes are common in your world?"
"You got it. I realize they must look a bit odd on me, considering this time period, but I just feel more comfortable in them."
"Ah. Understandable..."
Ciel and Coraline then began eating, with Coraline subconsciously glancing at Ciel's movements, as she was unaware of how to fully navigate the utensils properly. If Ciel had noticed, he didn't comment on it...
Suddenly,
(Whizzzz)
For the second time this morning, Ciel threw a dart, this time successfully hitting the back of Finny's head!
"Ow! Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow! What was that for, Master? What did I do?"
"Hm, nothing. I don't need to justify my actions." Finny's jaw dropped, while Coraline muttered appalled,
"Ok, I'm just gonna pretend I didn't see that..."
Suddenly, the doors at the end of the dining hall burst open, revealing none other than Sebastian.
Oh, that's where Sebastian was, thought Coraline.
"There you are. Have you finished weeding the garden, Finny?"
"Huh?"
"Mey-Rin, have you washed all of the bedding?"
"Umm, well..."
"Baldroy, shouldn't you be preparing for tonight's dinner?"
"Tch..."
"Tanaka...well, I suppose you're alright as you are."
"Ho, ho, ho..."
"Now, all of you, we have no time for thumb-twiddling this morning. (Thunder crack) So Get To Work!"
Wouldn't take more than three seconds before those three scrambled off to their respected duties:
"Y-y-y-yes, Sir!" And they were gone, with Sebastian remarking,
"Simply hopeless." Coraline turned to Sebastian and replied,
"I think 'carefree' would better describe them," while Ciel just bit into one of his scones.
Time Skip
After breakfast, Ciel, with Coraline following behind, were both heading up the front stairs to his study. Coraline marveled at the architecture:
Wow, the front entrance room is so grand...
As they made it to the main step before the fork in the stairs, Ciel stopped briefly, turning his gaze to the large painting above him: A portrait of a man, a woman, and a dog. His eye held a rather distant look, quickly evaporating before it arrived...
"Hmph..." With that, Ciel continued on his way...
Meanwhile, Coraline stayed at a similar spot for a bit longer, looking at the portrait with a more thoughtful gaze:
Wow, this painting is so beautiful...Hmm...that man...could he, be the previous head of this manor? His appearance almost looks like an older version of Ciel...except the eyes. The woman, though...her eyes almost mirror Ciel's perfectly, minus the overall gaze...Hang on: his appearance, her eyes...Could these two, be Ciel's parents...?
"Ahem. Coraline?"
Coraline's thoughts were interrupted by Ciel, who had a slightly annoyed and stern expression on his face.
"Oh, sorry. Coming!" Coraline hurried to Ciel, and they continued on their way...
Meanwhile, in the Servant's Area...
We catch up now with Sebastian whom was busy at work:
The silver is polished to a spotless shine. The tablecloth is crisp, clean and wrinkle-free. There is not a single bruised blossom among Master's white roses. And finally, the highest quality ingredients have been gathered to prepare a first-rate dinner...
"The table is perfection. This will be an elegant Phantomhive welcome."
(...Ring, ring)
Suddenly, a servant bell with the label Study begins ringing...
"(Sigh) Still so much to do and he calls me now?"
Sebastian began making his way to the study, wondering what his master could possibly want...
Unbeknownst to him, three pairs of eyes were watching him the whole time, eyes now gleaming with prospect:
"Seeing as Sebastian's all fired up, there's no doubt about it: A guest is comin'. Alright, then this is our chance. Sebastian looks down on us all the time. But today we'll be so perfect he won't even know what 'it 'im. 'Ah!' Yeah, that's what he's gonna say!"
"Ah!"
"That's for him to say, not you." Mey-Rin replies,
"Oh, that's a good idea!" Finny then chimes with a determined smile,
"Right, we hafta stop relying on Sebastian for everything!" Bard finalizes,
"It's settled then, we got a plan of attack!"
"Let's get to it!" "Ho, ho, ho."
Back to Ciel & Coraline, joined now by Sebastian
"You called, young master?"
"I'm a bit hungry. I'd like something sweet to eat."
Coraline observed their conversation from the chair by the little table, looking up from a book taken from the large bookcase (After asking Ciel if she could, of course.).
"You shouldn't eat now, Master. You don't want to spoil your appetite for dinner with your guests this evening."
"I don't care about that. Make me a parfait."
"I'm sorry, sir."
Ciel reluctantly concedes, getting out of his seat and turning to the window while saying,
"Tch, fine then. About the portrait in the hallway..."
"Yes?"
"...take it down."
This causes Sebastian's eyes to widen, as do Coraline's:
Take it down? But why?
As he caresses his hand, that Coraline noticed to have a distinctive blue-jeweled ring, Ciel states with a stern voice,
"I am Ciel Phantomhive, son of Vincent, and I am head of the house now."
An eerie and intense silence fills the air...Sebastian then curves his mouth into a knowing smirk, and bows:
"Consider it done, my lord."
Back to the Servant's Area...
"Now: How exactly, did this happen?"
Sebastian is addressing Finny, Mey-Rin, and Bard, fake smile on his face, for unfortunately their 'Plan of Attack', did not go as well as they hoped...
"I thought things would go faster if I used extra-strength weed-killer on the garden."
(Translation: The lawn got weeded too!)
"I was trying to reach the tea set we use for guests, but I tripped and the cabinet fell!"
(Translation: She slammed into the china cabinet!)
"There was a lot o' meat to be cooked for dinner, and it was gonna take a long time, so uh, I used me flamethrower."
(Translation...Well, I think this one speaks for itself...)
Sebastian gazed down over them with a rather disapproving glare, causing Mey-Rin and Finny to apologetically break out,
"Oh~ we're so sorry! We didn't mean to!"
As they all began apologizing over and over in a panic, Sebastian relayed the situation in his head:
Our guests will be arriving just after six. At most, we have two hours left. Not enough time to replace the tea set or find premium meats...What should I do?
"Calm down, all of you. Perhaps you should take a page out of Tanaka's book, and start behaving like-"
Suddenly, Sebastian breaks off, and looks at Tanaka, more specifically, his tea cup...
"Hoh?" That's it!
(Clap)
"Silence, everyone. Listen closely to my instructions and carry them out immediately to the letter, understand? We must be quick about this."
Walking over to Tanaka, Sebastian grabs his tea cup, uttering the words,
"We might save this night yet."
Time Skip
We transition to the front of the manor, where a rather advanced model of a 1878 La Mancelle pulled up to the drive.
(Note: This is a real steam-powered vehicle from this time period; do not own this information from Wikipedia.)
Climbing out, were the expected guests: Damiano, head of the Poseidon Company, and his colleague, Ciel's Uncle Chlaus. Both men were dressed similarly, in well-tailored suits with a large tie and scarf at the top, black shoes, and gloves. However, while Damiano wore a top hat, Chlaus wore a fedora. Also, Chlaus's hair was tied back into a short ponytail, while Damiano's was in a shorter, freely-neat style. Both of them had the same beard style.
Damiano was the first to speak:
"Oh. How impressive!" Chlaus follows in his own response:
"Ah, sì. It's been a while since I last came here, but I certainly do not remember this!"
And what exactly are they talking about? Well, at some point before their arrival, the lawn that was previously ruined, was turned into a beautiful Japanese-style Stone Garden!
"Hello, welcome sirs."
They turned to see four servants sending their polite greetings. Sebastian then came up, saying,
"This is called a Stone Garden. It is a traditional feature in Japan."
Impressed by the effort, Damiano broke out enthusiastically,
"¡Ah, prodigioso! Wonderful! Truly an elegant garden!" Sebastian continues:
"We thought it appropriate to serve dinner al fresco this evening. Allow me to escort you inside until the meal is ready."
With that, Damiano was following Tanaka inside, remarking with a laugh,
"Hahaha, I should've expected this from a Phantomhive. I cannot wait to see what else is in store!"
Meanwhile, Chlaus made his way over to Ciel, whom was sitting on the front steps reading a book on Economics. Ciel looks up upon Chlaus' approach:
"You made it, Chlaus." Chlaus hugs Ciel, greeting him:
"¡Buona sera, Ciel! Have you been well? Have you grown a bit taller?" They make their way inside:
"I regret to say I have not."
"I do beg your pardon! I'm glad you're doing fine."
"You seem to be doing well yourself."
"Ah, Ciel. Is this your Uncle?"
They both look up, and see Coraline, whom before the arrival, had gone and changed into that same blue dress and shoes from yesterday.
"Oh? Ciel, who is this?"
"Ah, yes. Chlaus, I would like you to meet Lady Coraline Croft. She is staying here as a guest in my manor due to, 'extenuating circumstances'..."
Coraline walks down to them both:
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," ending with a small curtsy.
"Likewise, my lady." Chlaus extends a hand to Coraline's, and lightly kissed her knuckles.
"Shall we head up to the Drawing Room and join Damiano?"
"Yes." "Of course."
With that, the three began progressing up the stairs...
Meanwhile, Back Outside
Bard sighs with relief while wiping some of the nervous sweat off his forehead:
"Phew, we actually did it." Finny happily chimes,
"Who would've thought a dozen boxes of gravel could turn into an amazing garden?"
Sebastian turns to them with a smile:
"Naturally, we were able to handle this. We serve the Phantomhive manor after all. There's still work to be done. Let's take care of it while the master is talking business with his guests. Look sharp now."
"Right!"
Moving to the Drawing Room
Sitting at opposite ends of a small table, occupied by a board game of sorts, were Ciel and Damiano. Coraline and Chlaus were sitting sideways to them, on a small couch, listening to their conversation, and watching them play the game:
"The progress we've been making with the East India Factory is quite astonishing. We already have the makings of a top-notch staff."
"'Bewitched by the Eyes of the Dead'. What terrible luck. It appears I lose a turn."
"Right now is the perfect time. We should be expanding the company and building a strong labor force, it would-"
"Go on. It's your turn."
Slightly taken aback, Damiano nevertheless complies:
"Oh, yes. I just spin this then." He spins the top-shaped die:
(Roll)
"Okay there, five spaces. Now, what I wanted to ask you: Perhaps you could contribute another 12,000 pounds to support our expansion? I believe it will be quite a profitable venture for you, my lord, and I would consider it an honour to help expand the Funtom Company..."
"'Lose a leg in the Enchanted Forest'. And it's your turn again. I lost a turn, remember?"
Coraline was becoming aware of Ciel's behaviour, noticing that he was almost deliberately ignoring the business part of the conversation:
Not that I can honestly blame him; I mean, asking to contribute 12,000 pounds? That sounds a bit suspicious to me...Something tells me Mr. Damiano is thinking about something other than just 'simple business'...
"Oh, I see." Once again, he spins the die:
(Roll)
"Right, I move six."
"You don't, that's three."
"What? But..."
"You lost a leg, if you recall. Now you only move half the number of spaces."
"Oh my, hahahaha. This is a gruesome-a board game, isn't it? Is there-a no way for me to restore my leg, then?"
Ciel suddenly grows a serious and morbid look in his eye...
"I'm afraid once something is truly lost, sir, that one can never get it back again."
Snatching Damiano's character piece out of his hand, Ciel adds,
"'Your body is burned by raging flames'."
Coraline hmms quietly, taking in Ciel's words with a serious stare, which Chlaus notices. He asks quietly,
"Are you alright, miss?"
"Oh. Yes, I'm fine, sir."
But inside her mind: Once it's truly lost, eh?...
Time Skip, Kitchen
Sebastian enters the kitchen to check on preparations for dinner being done by Bard currently:
"How is it going?"
"I'm doin' it like you said to. Is this really what you want?"
"Yes, that looks excellent."
"Sebaaasstiaaan! Found 'eeeeemmmm!"
Suddenly, Mey-Rin comes down the hallway, moving fast with some boxes stacked in her hands.
But before she could reach Sebastian, she trips on an undone bootlace:
"Aaahhh!"
As she flies in the air, boxes and all, Sebastian jumps into action, catching every box in his left hand (one on his foot), and catching Mey-Rin in his right arm...
"Oh, honestly. How many times have I told you not to run inside the manor, Mey-Rin?"
Mey-Rin's face turns a rosy red, and she backs up quickly, answering in a squeaky tone,
"Ah, I'm so sorry, sir! My glasses cracked and I can't see a thing!"
Sebastian then moves the box on his foot to the rest of the stack, and says,
"But, the star of the show is safe." He turns to address everyone with a grin:
"Splendid work, everyone. And now I believe you can leave the rest to me and relax for a bit. But I need you to do well, very well, during dinner tonight."
Bard and Finny whisper respectively,
"...He said it twice."
"Ooh, that's serious."
Back to the Drawing Room
(Knock, knock)
Everyone turns their attention to the door, which opens revealing a smiling Sebastian:
"Pardon the interruption, but dinner is served." Damiano speaks next:
"Oh, dining out in that exquisite stone garden? Shall we go, my lord?"
"Very well, we'll finish the game later."
"Oh, is there any real need to finish it? It's obvious I'm-a gonna lose." Ciel merely smirks softly:
"I'm not in the habit of abandoning games halfway through." Chlaus chuckles a bit, commenting,
"No, little nephew, you certainly know how to progress all the way..."
Damiano, on the other hand, doesn't find it as amusing, and bitterly scoffs under his breath,
"How childish."
Unfortunately, he wasn't as quiet as he thought, because Ciel turned to him mid-stride, glaring at him. Coraline also glared at him, and even Chlaus says in a disapproving tone,
"Really, Damiano..."
Damiano quickly tries to recover, smiling nervously while saying,
"Oh I, I mean that sometimes it takes a child's eyes to see what's really important. It's a true gift. Maybe that's what's made the Phantomhives the nation's foremost toy makers. It certainly impresses me!"
Sebastian's eyes narrow at his fruitless effort to cover his previous statement, and Coraline couldn't blame him:
Hmm, true though his words may be, he still stirred the hornet's nest with that last remark...I wonder how his luck's gonna hold out now...
Small Time Skip
We now join everyone as they gather in the stone garden...
"To start, I have tea prepared for our guests and master. Right this way, if you please."
Damiano sits at one end of the table, with Ciel settling at the other; Chlaus sits on the right side, and Coraline takes a seat on the left.
Chlaus marvels at the beauty of the garden:
"The irises are very beautiful. Bare trees and flowers...this must be what's called 'Wabisabi'." Coraline comments to Chlaus,
"Yes, I agree with you, sir. The beauty is rather inspiring." Chlaus smiles at Coraline's comment, and Sebastian then begins pouring the tea:
"Excuse me." Chlaus opens his mouth to speak again:
"Even the tea is Japanese. I see you're particular about the details." Damiano jumps in with,
"Ah, sì. I think we can look forward to dinner as well, my friend," and they both lightly laugh.
"I deeply appreciate your kind words, gentlemen."
Ciel then grins at his uncle:
"By the way, Chlaus...what I asked for?" Chlaus answers,
"Ah...I brought it, as promised." Reaching into his coat, he produces some sort of board game.
How peculiar; I don't think I've ever seen that game before, Coraline thought.
"Here is the game you wanted...It isn't widely available in Italy, so it was quite troublesome to procure it..."
"Hmph, trouble, hm? So you kept stressing since our last telephone conversation."
"Of course. The prince gives his servant a fitting 'reward' for his efforts, after all!"
Ciel then leans back his chair lazily, replying in a bored tone,
"I do hope this game is worth the 'reward' though. The one I finished playing the other day had such a tiresome ending."
Chlaus scoffs a bit with a smile:
"Really now! Games are easily completed by the hands of children like you, Ciel. Soon, you'll be asking for another one."
"Of course. Children are greedy when it comes to games..."
The grin and tone in Ciel's voice sent chills down Coraline's spine, and wondering about the hidden meaning in what Ciel just said...Chlaus continues:
"And so, at the tender age of twelve you've made Phantomhive the number one toy maker in the country. I fear for your future..."
"Pardon the interruption, sirs." Sebastian comes back, tonight's meal on hand:
"Dinner is served. On tonight's menu is a dish of finely-sliced beef donburi courtesy of our chef Baldroy." (Literally; he just sliced the beef and put it on the rice!)
Everyone at the table was a bit surprised: Don?
Damiano was the one to comment:
"A, pile of raw beef. And this is dinner?"
Sebastian of course, was well-prepared for any possible comments:
"Yes, but surely you've heard of it? This, good sir, is a traditional Japanese delicacy, a dish offered as a sign of gratitude to someone who has accomplished important work...that, sir, is the Wonder of Donburi!"
"Oh, donburi!"
"This is a token from our master, to show his thanks for all of your hard work on the company's behalf. He wanted you to know that it's well-appreciated; you as well, Mr. Chlaus."
In the garden reeds, Finny, Bard, and Tanaka are in awe at Sebastian's performance:
"Now that's our Sebastian for you!"
"He saved the day."
"Ho, ho, ho."
Damiano is in praise as well:
"Excellent, what an inspired idea! The legendary Phantomhive hospitality in action!" Chlaus is just as jolly:
"Hahaha! Ciel, this is great! You always surprise me! A lot of fellows in this business lack a sense of humour. But I think we'll continue to get on just fine from here."
"I'm honoured to hear that."
Chlaus goes on further, complimenting Sebastian:
"I didn't know the Japanese Donburi had such a rich history. You really are quite the intellectual."
"Most kind of you, sir." (Unbeknownst to everyone, the library was currently littered with books on Japanese Food Culture...)
"The vintage we are pouring tonight was specially selected to compliment the flavour of soy sauce. Mey-Rin."
(...Slight whimper...)
"Now, Mey-Rin."
"Y-yes, sir." Sebastian then whispers in Mey-Rin's ear,
"Why are you just standing there? Pour the man a glass of wine," to which Mey-Rin nervously replies,
"O-of course, yes sir!"
Back in the reeds, Bard says,
"Hey..."
"What?"
"Is it just me, or is Mey-Rin acting a little strange?"
From his perspective, Bard would be correct in his question, for Mey-Rin was shaking and slightly spinning as she carried the wine:
S-S-Sebastian is watching me. I can't take it. Don't look at me that way!
...Next thing you know, Bard and Finny are yelling:
"Ahh!"
Reason? Mey-Rin's pouring aim was, a little off...
Finny frantically whispers,
"Mey-Rin, stop it! Can't you see you're spilling the wine?!"
Fortunately, Damiano and Chlaus are too busy looking at the garden; unfortunately, the spilling wine, was heading straight for the end where Damiano was!
In the time it took for Bard and Finny to panic, and for Ciel's and Coraline's eyes to widen, Sebastian had skillfully grabbed the tablecloth,
and pulled it off without causing a disturbance...!
A few seconds later, Damiano and Chlaus turned back to the table, only to become equally shocked at seeing the cloth gone:
"Oh?! Where did the tablecloth-a go?"
Ciel merely smirks and answers,
"A speck of dirt, most unsightly. I had the cloth removed so it wouldn't distract us. Think nothing of it."
Sebastian bows while adding,
"Please accept my apologies, sirs. Do continue to enjoy the meal at your leisure."
Finny and Bard are in higher awe:
"You're wonderful, simply wonderful, Mr. Sebastian!"
"Yay! Yay! The hero returns!"
Damiano chimes in his own praise:
"Oh, oh my, ha ha ha! Lord Phantomhive, once again you have truly impressed me." Chlaus adds,
"Indeed, what an able butler you've acquired, nephew."
"Heh. Pay him no mind. He merely acts as befits one of my servants."
"My master is quite correct about that, naturally. You see, I am simply one hell of a butler."
Ciel momentarily glares a bit at Sebastian, then just humphs, and returns to his meal. Coraline, meanwhile, watched the events unfold in awe and intrigue:
Wow...that was really something; Sebastian is so quick, and Ciel is able to play it all off like 'another day in the office'...
There's definitely a mystery to those two... and I can only wonder what it may be...
Time Skip
After dinner, the young earl and guests returned to the Drawing Room, taking their earlier respected seats:
"That was a thoroughly enjoyable dinner, my lord. Now then, about the contract..."
"Before we discuss that, we must finish the game."
"Ah, yes of course. I do have a pressing-a appointment, perhaps another ti-"
"Children can be very demanding about their games. Surely you wouldn't want me to get upset?"
Ciel ends with a small smirk on his features, with Damiano responding,
"No, no of course not. Perhaps you would permit me to use your telephone?"
As Damiano reached the door to exit the Drawing Room, Sebastian comes in with a trolley of tea:
"I've brought some tea for our guests and my lord." Damiano answers in a rather dismal tone,
"I'll be right back," and continues his way to the telephone...
As Ciel raises his cup of tea, his faces scrunches up a bit at the aroma, causing him to ask with a glare,
"What is this? It smells terribly weak."
Coraline takes a sip, then says,
"Hm, the taste isn't too strong either."
Sebastian explains:
"Out of consideration of our guests, I brought some Italian tea."
"Italian?"
"Italians drink more coffee than tea, sir. So finding high-quality Italian tea can be difficult." Chlaus nods before saying with a tired smile,
"Yes, I admit, high-quality tea isn't an easy find in my home country." Sebastian then asks,
"Is this particular selection not to your liking, master?" Ciel glares into his tea:
"No, it is not. I don't like it at all."
A strange silence fills the air momentarily, before Sebastian replies,
"I'll see to the dessert preparations."
"Good. We must show him every available hospitality." Ciel then looks to Sebastian with a mysterious smile:
"The Phantomhive family is known for its courtesy." Sebastian returns with an equally mysterious smile:
"Yes, my young lord."
As he raises his head, that's when Coraline saw it: Sebastian's eyes, previously red, were now glowing a cat-shaped fushia!
What in the...his eyes...they're, glowing! But, how?! Unless...could, Sebastian be...
Sebastian feels a stare, and turns to Coraline, noticing her stare: Fascinated, yet suspicious...He smirks knowingly at her, as if he could hear the gears beginning to spin in Coraline's mind:
...My my, Miss Coraline...what could have you staring at me so?...
Meanwhile, in the Telephone Room
Damiano was conversing with an unknown correspondent over the telephone:
"Im-a tired of-a babysitting this-a child earl. Yes, I've already sold off the factory. Now all that's left is to pocket the extra cash. I'm trying to squeeze more out of the brat right now. The employees? Tch, who cares about them?"
Damiano suddenly turns, feeling a stare:
"Ah!" Seeing nothing, he goes back to the receiver:
"Never mind. The rest of the formalities are for you to deal with. No, it'll be easy. Please, he's only a child."
If he only looked further down the hall, he would've noticed the source of that 'imaginary stare'...
Small Time Skip
Night has fallen in the Phantomhive manor, and Damiano begins making his way up the stairs to the main hallway.
As he passes the grand portrait, a ghostly entity's face shows up in the face of the man! Spooked, Damiano gasps and rubs his eyes:
"Ah...! Impossible...I'm-a seeing things."
He continues on his way, when an ominous, yet oddly familiar voice echoes:
"Bewitched by the Eyes of The Dead."
Damiano stops again, but shakes his head in disbelief:
"Ah...no, that's ridiculous."
He comes back to the main hallway, and begins to try and find the Drawing Room, with no success:
"Huh. Not here either. Or here...This manor is like a giant maze. I can't even find the Drawing Room."
Passing another painting, the familiar voice echoes again:
"Bewitched by the Eyes of The Dead."
"Ah...eh, ahh!"
Suddenly, creaking footsteps begin to come down towards Damiano, the same spectral face being the source, this time sporting its own body!
Damiano immediately turns around, running in fright uttering,
"S, stay, stay away from me!"
Coming down the hallway end, however, was Finny and Bard, carrying the portrait from earlier. Finny looks down the hall confused:
"Hm? That's odd. Was that our guest I heard just now?"
"Hey! We need to move this, or Sebastian will start yellin' again!"
"Right!"
We now check in with Mey-Rin, who was busy mopping the hall floors:
"Oh~, how embarrassing! Oh, I really messed up this time! Oh, but at least I was able to get close to Sebastian! Oh~, what a shameful day it is! What kind of lecherous maid am I?!"
We go back to Damiano, as he continues to run down the corridors...
"You lose a turn."
"(Pant, pant)...Aghhhh!"
He suddenly trips on a bucket Mey-Rin accidentally tossed up the steps, and goes tumbling to the ground below. Mey-Rin rushes to help:
"Ah, sir, are you alright?" She then backs up in shock, uttering,
"Ah! His right leg...it's twisted around. What happened to it?"
Bard then pops up with Finny, still carrying the portrait, to see what's going on:
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Our guest! Something's happened!"
Damiano looks up from the floor, in pain because of his injury, and cries out in fright, for that face from earlier was once again in the portrait, now speaking in that all-familiar voice:
"And now you lose one leg in the Enchanted Forest."
Gritting his teeth, he begins to drag himself away from the area, with Mey-Rin confusingly calling to him:
"Sir? Um, sir? Come back?"
Damiano continues to drag on, only to suddenly stop at someone's black-clothed feet.
Confused, he looks, and his eyes bulge at seeing a creepily-smiling Sebastian:
"Surely you aren't leaving the manor yet, sir? We haven't given you the full Phantomhive treatment yet..."
Damiano cringes in fear, and begins to drag-crawl in the opposite direction. Sebastian easily strides behind him, smile still on his face, as he continues to 'pleasantly' speak:
"We still have to serve dessert. You've lost a leg, remember? Now you can only move half the number of spaces, so why not relax a bit and make yourself at home?"
Damiano eventually pulls himself into the kitchen, closing the door behind him, panting:
"...Damn, it's too dark."
He begins to feel around, looking for a place to hide:
"...Is this a cupboard?"
...(Click...Clack)...
"Gggh!"
Footsteps cut through the short silence, steadily becoming louder, drawing closer...
Seeing no alternative, Damiano climbs into the cupboard, closing the door behind him:
"(Shuffling) Damn, these are really tight quarters. (Squish) What's this...(sniff) smells like sugar..."
(Whoosh...)
Suddenly, there's an increase in heat, and the 'cupboard' begins to become hot...
A small cover slides open on the door, revealing the eyes of Sebastian:
"What an impatient guest we have. You couldn't even restrain yourself until dessert was out of the oven..."
Flames begin to show...
"The, the oven?! Open up! Please, open the door!"
Sebastian closes the little opening on the newly revealed oven door, and stands with his hand under his chin in 'seemingly' puzzled thought:
"Perhaps the Italians aren't familiar with our customs. There's Plum Pudding, (shifts to a smirk) Mincemeat Pie. There are many traditional dishes here in England that make use of meat. I find them all quite tasty."
With one last echo of that familiar voice,
"Your body is burned by raging flames," Damiano screams in agony:
"AGGGGHHHH!"
The yell was so loud, it reached the outside back, where Bard and Finny currently are:
"What was that? Someone screamed."
"Don't know...Oh! Hi Sebastian!"
Sebastian addresses them with a smile, while holding two slices of the dessert to them:
"Thank you for your hard work today. As a reward how would like some Lemon Meringue Pie? The sugar will give you energy."
Bard and Finny pause confused, then immediately go to hug Sebastian's legs in thanks, voicing them too. Sebastian of course, just sighs in exasperation at them, turning away to leave, before turning back to say,
"Oh, yes, Bard, a workman will be coming by in the morning. When he arrives kindly let him know we'll be needing our oven thoroughly cleaned."
"Huh? The oven?"
Sebastian nods, then continues on his way back into the manor, smiling while musing mentally,
Mr. Damiano, I hope you enjoyed your stay, and the Phantomhive hospitality, all the way down to your bones...
In the distance, one would see a severely-burned individual, limping painfully away from the manor. Turns out, Damiano somehow survived!
Meanwhile, back in the Drawing Room
Ciel was sitting in his seat listening to the events, while Coraline was window-watching. Chlaus had since retired early to his room, thankfully unaware of the events that transpired (...or was he?).
Both youths hear the final muffled cry from Damiano:
"(Pant) (Pant)...¡Mamma mia!" Ciel merely smiles and says,
"Hmph, ha ha ha. What an unattractive scream. He sounds like a pig taken off to slaughter." Coraline retorts,
"Hm, more like a banshee after a bad haircut." Ciel leans back in his seat before saying,
"Humph, what presumption, first he sells the East India Factory without telling me...and then he dares to ask for more money? Did he think to retain my trust?"
Coraline turns from the window to Ciel, noticing him move his game piece to the 'Happy Ending' space, only to topple it over with his finger.
"...Ciel?"
Ciel grows a dark, faraway stare in his eye, leans back in his chair, and repeats his words from earlier today:
"I'm afraid once something is truly lost, one can never get it back again..."
A silence falls into the room...
Suddenly, Ciel notices a hand extending to the fallen game piece, softly touching it from the fingertips:
"Hm?"
He looks up, and sees Coraline, who had a strange look in her eyes: Distant, but thoughtful. Coraline smiles sadly, and says,
"I understand what you mean in your words...I just don't think I can, fully agree with them..."
She removes her fingers from the piece, and gets up to leave the room. As she reaches the door, her last words were,
"...After all, some things may be gone, but they're never truly missing...Goodnight, Ciel..."
With that, Coraline opens the door, goes out, and closes it behind her. Ciel remains in the Drawing Room, frowning at Coraline's words, and that odd expression on her features:
Some things are gone, but not missing? What does she mean? And that look...Why did that look in her eyes seem so, familiar?...
And where was Sebastian during all of this?
In the hallway, stopping to stare at the spot where the portrait used to be:
"...It would appear we'll need to hang new wallpaper as well."
His eyes then turn to the large space in the entrance room, and an image appears, capturing a memory from what appeared to be Ciel during his childhood:
"(Laugh) Mama! Papa!"
The image Ciel is addressing the people from the original portrait, revealed to be none other than Ciel's Parents!
Sebastian walks over to this illusionary image, snaps his fingers, and causes the image to vanish...His last words for the evening:
"The new Head of the Phantomhive Estate...hah."
And with a dark smile on his face, Sebastian turns to walk away,
leaving the ghostly memories of the Phantomhive manor free to wander...