Sorry for the long wait guys. I had trouble working some of the scenes out so it tool a little while. I also, since I joined College, I don't get the extra days off that my highscool gave so I don't have much time to write this. But this weekend I had a few days off so I was able to finish this chapter for you all!
"So Bardroy," I started to ask as I swung my feet that dangled from the counter I was perched on, "where are you from?"
"America." He answered while chopping potatoes for lunch.
"But you have an accent."
"I was born there, but I came back to London where I joined the milit'ry when war broke out."
"I see. So even though you were American, you picked up the accent by coming back and intermingling with the Londoners and soldiers." Ah, wait…did I just switch into my Ohtori mode*? Dang, I am so busted!
"Wow, you're really learn'n a lot from Sebastian." The chef commented.
"Uh…yeah…" That was too close! Pull it together Stacy!
"So what are ya ask'n me all these questions for? I thought you were going t' help."
"I am helping." I pulled my pocket watch out and opening it. "You've been calmly chopping vegetables for ten minutes and forty-six seconds. Don't you usually use your blowtorch by now?"
The chef chucked and said, "Right."
"See? I am helping."
"I guess I owe ya some cake now, don't I?"
"Darn right!" I held my head high in triumph. Suddenly, I wanted to know more about Bardroy. I had watched the anime and read the wiki pages about him, but for some unexplainable reason, I wanted to hear his backstory from him. "So why is it that you get so…reckless while cooking?"
"Well, in the past I always had to cook and eat quickly. I guess I got so used to feeling rushed, I didn't like working in a peaceful environment."
"Was this also during the war?"
"Yeah…why do ya ask?"
"Ah, nothing." I quickly looked away from him. Dang…I almost started counselling him there. But if I turn into a psychologist now, surely he'll notice something's up. It hurt a little, knowing that Bardroy's crazed cooking methods possibly stemmed from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but I was unable to help him, even with my understanding of counselling psychology. You are a cruel person God…
"There you are!" The chef and I looked towards the door to find that Sebastian had entered. "Come with me at once." The demon ordered me.
Feeling disheartened about Bardroy I quietly got to my feet and followed Sebastian out. He led me back to the kitchen upstairs where all the silver was laying out, gleaming with the brightness of a thousand stars. It was beautiful and hypnotising. Seeing how the light danced on it and made your insides dance as well, I could now understand why birds loved to take shiny things. It made you feel special to be surrounded by dazzling things. It could push back all the corners of darkness inside your heart and make you feel lighter.
"As I have been trying to inform you all morning, your method of polishing the silver has remarkable results."
"Wait…" I stared at him dumbly. "You've been looking for me…to…compliment me?"
"But of course. Seeing how you've proven yourself to be more reliable than those three, the least I can do is acknowledge when you've done a good job."
"Really?" I felt a little stunned. At home I was never complimented when I washed the dishes or anything. "But didn't you say it was a bad idea?"
"Yes, for you to use at the Middleford house. For the Phantomhive family though, this would be an excellent way to clean then the silver, in secret of course."
Now I felt bad for yelling at him. He had only been trying to say I had done a good job and instead, I blew up in his face…What a wretched butler I had become…
Even if he was a demon, he did still have feelings… "Sebastian…I'm sorry for yelling at you…" I muttered, not used to the idea of apologizing to a Demon.
"Don't hang yourself up on such fruitless ventures. I am in no position to offer 'forgiveness' to anyone. Now off with you," He said, pushing me from the kitchen, "I must prepare the Master's lunch."
Fine, I didn't want to hang out with you anyways…
I stood in the hall for a minute, not sure on what to do since my only other chore was cleaning the hearth, and I didn't want to attempt it without Sebastian's help. "Maybe I should just hang out downstairs or something…" I muttered.
"I don't wanna go!" The loud wailing of a very Indian voice slammed into my ears from the direction of the front door.
Ah yes. Prince Soma. He had been so quiet today I forgot he was here. How the hell did that happen?
"But Prince, we must return to the Earl's town house to guard it."
What were they talking about? Didn't they go back to India in the Anime? Maybe…they moved into the town house in the Manga? Dang, I really should have read it…
"But I wanna stay with Ciel!"
Remind me again which character was the bratty twelve-year old…
I glanced at the scene from behind a pillar. When Prince Soma was too distracted by Agni's beckoning to leave, I slipped back down stairs without a word. As nice as they were (mainly Agni), I was happy that things would settle down now. Prince Soma was such a handful. I didn't know how Agni could handle him day-in and day-out. He must be a saint or something…
Since lunch was probably over by now, I slipped into the kitchen to help with the dishes. Headed into the dark basement, a thought occurred. All I was doing was spinning my wheels. No matter how good of a butler I became, I still wouldn't go home. I would just be a really good butler, but was that what I wanted? Could I stand to live in this time period where even running water wasn't a given, but a luxury? Would I be satisfied sacrificing my future for an era that has already passed? And if so, how long would I be alive here for? What would happen to me during the war? If I was mistaken for a boy again, I might get drafted. And if I'm not killed during the physical exam, then maybe I will be once I'm sent back, by the airship bombings. My hand pushed against the wall for support as I held my head. It never occurred to me until now, but that was a real possibility. My future here was doomed. And if the first war didn't kill me, maybe the second will. Dang it. I pounded the side of my fist against the wall. Why me? Why not one of those morons who's going to flip hamburgers for the rest of his life? I actually had a plan for my life. Damnit…
"If you have time to lollygag down here," I jumped at the sound of Sebastian's voice, "then I can assume you have finished your chores for the day?"
"Uh…" Crap, I know there was something I had to do, but what was it?
"Have you forgotten that you are to clean the hearth in the parlour?"
"…No…" I turned away, pouting.
"Have you ever cleaned a hearth before?"
"…no…but how much different can it be from a fire place?"
The demon sighed, "Then it seems I will have to assist you this time." He grabbed me by the back of my shirt and dragged me off.
"You don't have to drag me!"
"My, my, you certainly are a noisy butler."
In a few short minutes we were in the parlour. Or, rather, what I thought was the parlour. All the furniture was covered with white cloths and some were even spread out in front of the fire place—I mean, hearth.
"Uhh…Is it really going to get this dirty in here?" I asked.
"Why of course, you will be cleaning the chimney as well." He said calmly, handing me a sweepers brush.
"Do I look like a chimney sweep!" I demanded.
"No, but considering how far out the manor is from the city, calling one over would be quite difficult. Therefore it is necessary that you carry such a task."
"And why can't you do it!"
"I am much too large to fit in small corners."
"Then use Finnian! He's smaller than me!"
"Yes, but Finnian lacks the mental ability to wield the brush properly." The Demon then grabbed me by my waist and lifted me into the chimney. "Up you go!"
"Frigging put me down!"
"Hmm...It seems you are not high enough yet." His hand then moved lower and started pushing up on my butt.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, pardon my French, you fucking bastard!" I brought my foot down on his shoulder as my voice echoed through the chimney.
"Was that an attempt to harm me? You'll have to do much better than that if you want me to feel it."
"I'm going to fucking pull your entrails out through your nose and strangle you with them!" I screamed, taking another shot with my foot.
"If you do not stop I will become quite angry with you."
"Then get your hands off my butt you perv!"
"What an interesting language you have."
"Don't change the subject!" I stomped on his again, hoping to hit his face, but only getting his shoulder again. "You should never touch a lady's butt unless you want to die!"
"I figured that rule exempted you since you are neither from this time nor a 'lady', per say."
"I'm still a woman who's gonna kill whichever lecherous bastard tries to grab her ass!" I took yet another shot but still missed.
"Are you sure you have the right to use such language?"
"God will forgive me if I'm cursing at a demon!" This time I started to strike him repeatedly with my foot, anything to make him let go.
"Yes, 'God' will forgive you…"
"Just get your hands off my butt…" I growled, having reached my limit. "Or I'll start reciting passages from the Bible, daily."
"You really believe that will bother me?"
"Then what if I start singing hymns all day? And might I add, there is nothing 'lulling' about my voice." Sebastian's hands quickly moved to the back of my kneecaps, though this left me without much balance, causing my head to smack into the wall of the chimney. "I flip'n hate you Sebastian." I growled, angrily shoving the brush against the wall of the chimney.
"My sentiments, exactly."
My anger flared so I chose to take it out on the chimney by shoving the brush upwards aggressively. A large piece of soot came lose, cascading over me in a river of black dust. I might as well have been doused by a bucket of water from my stiff, gasping reaction. I was lucky to not have swallowed any.
"Well, you seemed to have gotten most of it that time. Just a tad more we shall be done." Sebastian remarked from below.
I hate you Sebastian…
Once I finished, Sebastian let me down, but when I was him I wanted to ram the brush through his skull. There wasn't a speck on him, unlike me who was now black head-to-toe from the soot.
"We're you just using me as an umbrella!" I raged, grabbing hold of his lapels and shaking him.
"Do stop, you are spreading the soot about." He said calmly, like I wasn't about to kill him.
"That isn't the only think that's going to be spread about!" I hollered, referring to his organs.
"My, my, it seems the pitiful sheep had dawned the furs of a wolf." He chuckled. "How amusing."
"Gahhh!" I groaned, pushing him away. Just to irk him I shook my body like a dog, sending the soot everywhere before stomping off. With venom for blood and gall for milk I stormed down the halls, ready to kick any living thing that drew near until I came to the bathing room where Meyrin and I took our baths. Once in, I slammed the door so hard, I was sure the whole manor shook. I ripped off my clothing before realizing that only Ciel had a bath with running water and plumbing. We servants had to pump our own water and heat it ourselves for a bath.
Damnit…I was now standing naked in the bathroom with no clean clothes and nothing to wash myself with. I was such an idiot. In defeat, I curled up into a ball and just sat on the cold floor, miserable and hating my life. I was probably going to be stuck there until Meyrin came to take her bath, which wouldn't be until later in the evening.
A sudden knock came from the door. "Stacy?" It was Meyrin. I clasped my hands together gazed lovingly upwards unto the Heavens. God really is a kind and merciful god! Praise the Lord!
"Stacy? Are you in there?" Meyrin asked as she knocked again.
"Yes, I'm here!"
"Bardroy said 'e saw you covered in soot and told me to bring some water to you, yes he did."
I love you Bardroy!
"Might I come in?"
"Yeah, sure." I held a cloth in front of my chest and opened the door, careful to position myself so that nothing was visible.
"Bloody Nora!" Meyrin gasped when she saw me. "What have you been doin'?"
"…Sebastian made me clean the chimney." I grumbled.
She set down the bucket inside the door and said, "Well this won't do, no it won't!" The maid pushed me further into the room and slammed the door shut. "We'll need to rub you down first!" She grabbed a cloth and ran back to the door for the bucket. Upon grabbing the water's container, she turned to run back, only to trip on an untied shoelace, launching the bucket into the air. From there, it proceeded to fly about a foot and finally landed on my head. Cold water washed over my body, sending shivers down my spine and my head pounded from the impact of the bucket.
"Oh no!" Meyrin wailed. "I'm so sorry Stacy, yes I am!" She quickly pulled the bucket off my head as she wailed about what a clumsy maid she was and how horrible it was to throw a bucket it at me. I on the other hand just wanted to dry off and get warm.
Meyrin jumped at me with her cloth. "Here! I've got to dry you off!"
"No! It's fine!" I jumped back, holding my hand in front of me for protection.
"Are you sure!" Meyrin asked, clearly still high-strung.
"I'll be fine! Don't worry!"
"Then I'll go get some more water, yes I will!" With that the maid charged out of the room with more gusto than a kid on Christmas morning. I stood completely still, just in case she barged in again, only to have a drop of blood run from my nose. I sniffed and wiped it away with my finger.
"I really need to stop reading X rated Yuri Manga."
*Stacy is a fan of Kyoya Oohtori from Ouran High School Host Club, and tends to act like him from time to time.
So, how was it? I tried to show some of Stacy's badpoints in this chapter. Are they too minor? Too over-the-top and unrealistic? Please give me your feedback! *bows*