Chapter 39
"Remind me again who was it that swore they would no longer put themselves in danger?" asked Bastian. Each word he spoke was a struggle to stay calm, chipped away each time he dabbed at Viola's cut.
"I was," said Viola, disheartened. She winced when he applied pressure.
"And who was it that decided to ignore that promise?"
"Me."
"So may I ask why in the world you are injured again?"
"Lay off. You know why she did it," said Baldroy. He leaned against the open door frame just out of Bastian's sight. Hidden behind a changing screen in an unused guest room, the Phantomhive servants were allowed to use it as a makeshift infirmary to dress Viola's injury.
"I know why she did it, but that does not mean I cannot be upset with her."
"There's no need to be upset, there isn't," said Mey-Rin. She grabbed the alcohol soaked rag from his hand. She knelt beside Viola to gently dab the nasty gash on her chest above the wrap she used to conceal her birthmark. "She was doin' her best to protect someone. It's a natural thing to do."
He clamped down his retort on his tongue. Folding his arms, he walked out to join Tanaka. He sat on the bed and was busy in his examination over Viola's ruined travel dress. Her blood was splattered on the cotton and torn where she had been attacked. He ran a gloved fingertip along the frayed edge.
"Whatever attacked Viola must have had considerable strength to best her," he said in solemn observation.
"Didn't she say the werewolf was tall and on hind legs?" Finny asked. He had a clenched fist pressed against his lips, pallor a sickly sheen. He hadn't reacted well when he saw Viola covered in her own blood. None of them had.
When Ciel and Sebastian were called down to the village after being informed about a werewolf attack, they returned with an injured Viola in tow. Mey-Rin nearly screamed when they saw the stains on her front as she cradled her arm to her chest and Finny was too frozen in shock as the male servants ushered her into a room. Their concern rose when Sebastian handed them a first-aid kit and a brief summary about the incident.
To think there were truly werewolves in these woods. They had truly seen it all.
"I don't know what I saw, but it was definitely not normal," said Viola as if reading his thoughts.
"You said it was big, tall, and furry," said Baldroy, incredulous.
"It was dark and hard to make out. I don't even know if it was a werewolf. It wouldn't make sense for them to be around when there's no full moon."
"That's true. Can't really have werewolves when there's no sight of the moon in this place."
"What's the moon got to do with anything?" Mey-Rin asked.
"One of the folklore tales about werewolves say that on certain days or on a full moon a person can turn into a werewolf," Bastian said, recalling old horror stories his schoolmates took to telling on stormy nights. "The moon must shine on their face in order for it to occur. We do not know how much of that is true when Lady Sullivan says the werewolves in the forest are more akin to animal spirits or witches' familiars." He paused and stared at the bloody clothes. "However, I do not know if they can become tangible enough to injure people."
"It felt solid to me," Viola answered as Mey-Rin stepped out from behind the screen. She deposited the bloody rag on the table and picked up the bandage roll and a change of clothes, returning to Viola. "After all, I stabbed it in the shoulder and felt it connect. It even took my knife with it."
The men exchanged uncertain looks. She had managed to stab it and it was still unaffected by the attack? What manner of creature were they dealing with?
"There is a mystery in this village and it is unsettling," said Mr. Tanaka, his white mustache bristling. "I think it would be wise to heed our host's warning and stay within the manor. No more wandering alone after dark." He gave a purposeful look at Bastian that had him bowing his head, shame coloring his cheeks. "And no more rash decisions. Do not think I do not know your activities when you are on the job for the young master."
"I'll try to the best of my ability." Viola came out adjusting her brown woolen dress and buttoned it up to her neck. She had an impeccable appearance as if she had not gone through a traumatic event. However, her ashen skin and the bruises beneath her eyes betrayed the exhaustion she surely felt. "You can bet there will be no accidents from me tonight. I think I'm going to bed."
"It's best you did. You don't look so good," Finny said, touching underneath his eyes as an example.
"Almost getting killed by a werewolf can do that to a person."
She and Mey-Rin left, bidding the men good night. After the traveling and the day's excitement, they were all exhausted as well. When the women left, they decided to turn in for the night as well. They cleaned up the room and marched off to their room.
That night, Bastian dreamed of men who transformed into actual wolves that ran through the forest, howling in triumph after they took down their prey.
xxx
Bastian couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour when he awoke to shouts. He opened his eyes to the pitch-black darkness, disoriented as someone shouted outside their door.
"Whazza matter?" Baldroy rumbled from his right, stirring awake as well.
"I do not know." Bastian sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Finny, are you awake?" In the bed closest to the door, he whimpered. "Can you check on that noise?"
Finny hummed an affirmation. His bed sheets rustled and his creaking bed squeaked as he moved. He reached the door and opened it.
"Herr Wolfram? Warum bist du wach?" he asked. There was a pause as the person, possibly Wolfram, replied. "Der junge meister ist verletze?"
Finny's shout woke him right his head sharply to the door, Bastian was startled when he hurried somewhere. The light from the single gas lamp lit the room.
"Why's the light on?" Baldroy rolled over and buried his head under the pillow.
"What happened to the young master?" Unlike Bard, Bastian was already slipping out of bed and started to dress himself in a shirt and trousers, back to everyone to hide his birthmark.
"Mr. Wolfram said the young master and Mr. Sebastian went into the forest," Finny said, frantically changing as well. "They must've run into a werewolf too 'cause they were cursed! Lady Sullivan's treatin' the young master now."
"They got what!" Baldroy and Mr. Tanaka, who had awakened at their yelling, also got up to get dressed. "Someone go wake the girls. We're heading to the young master."
Having changed first, Bastian took the task. Putting on his shoes, he sped out and down the hall where the women were placed. He pounded at the door until Mey-Rin opened it, slipping on her glasses. Before she could question his presence, he swiftly explained the situation. She cried out as well, closed the door, and on the other side Viola had shouted. He waited outside until a few minutes later, the door opened with both women dressed.
"They went into the forest even after what happened?" Viola asked as they ran down the halls to Ciel's room. "I swear I'm going to kill Sebastian. He should've known better than to go off without knowing what's going on. Of course something would happen after that incident."
"They must have thought they were safe," he replied, panting heavily. He may have been discharged a few weeks ago, but Madame Red said he wouldn't be fully recovered for another month. His throat was already burning as air passed through his lungs like ice water, stabbing his sensitive organs as it went.
They climbed the last stairway and turned left to Ciel's room. There, they saw the open door and Wolfram come out carting away medical supplies and bottles. He glanced at them as they passed to run inside. The others were already there hovering around the bed. Lady Sullivan was seated on the left side, wrapping bandages on the still body lying there. Finny was on the right gripping a tiny hand. Bastian ambled forward closer to the bed and was sick to his stomach with what he saw.
Ciel lay nestled in the white sheets and pillows, his dark hair splayed around him like a crown. His arms and a part of his face were covered in gauze. What little that was left alone was a ghastly sight. His skin was an unnatural red on the pale boy, blistering in various locations such as his hands and cheek. Although unconscious, he coughed violently, his lungs rattling like coal stuck inside a steam engine in their effort to force air inside.
Mey-Rin gasped, rushing to Ciel's side to get a better look. Viola didn't do anything as if she were rooted to her spot and her hand covered her mouth. Like him, she was ready to swoon.
"That's-That's the curse's effects?" she asked, small and tight. "But that's not-How can it-That's impossible." She turned to Sebastian. He was the same as Ciel with the same skin irritation and bandage on his cheek. "Mr. Sebastian, what happened in the forest?"
"I think this is a conversation best held in private," he said as he glanced at the servants preoccupied in their fussing. "Come along. We will need to prepare refreshments for the night ahead. I doubt any of you will be going back to sleep."
They followed him out of the bedroom and to the kitchen. Lighting the candles on the chandelier, he instructed them to make tea while he made porridge. The late night snack could help them stay awake.
"Viola," said Sebastian, prepping the ingredients. "What did you see when you encountered the werewolf? Was it foggy when you went into the forest?"
"No, of course not," she said, leaning against the counter. "The werewolf I saw was around one hundred eighty-two centimeters tall and it was too dark to see little else. I don't think I saw any fog." She paused, chewing on her lower lip. "Speaking of fog, did you notice any weird smell while you were there? Did it smell like onions...garlic? I dunno, mustard?"
"Why would he smell mustard in the forest?" Bastian asked, perplexed. Such sensitive scents couldn't be detected in a forest. While he couldn't understand it, Sebastian visibly considered it, adopting a familiar thoughtful pose.
"I do recall smelling something to that regard," he said. "I was unable to place it as the young master needed immediate medical attention."
"How did you notice something was wrong with him?"
"Upon entering the forest we were engulfed in a thick fog. It was a few seconds or so when his eyes began to tear and was unable to stop. I escorted him back to his room and chased after the werewolf we briefly saw when my own eyes began to weep. Then, my nose bled and I knew the young master was experiencing the same symptoms as me."
"You must have been surprised," she said, dour. "Your body, though inhuman as it is, had a chemical reaction to something as merciless as you. Let's see, irritation to the eyes and skin, nose bleeds, blistering-I assume there was also vomiting and respiratory problems?" He nodded and she let out a harsh laugh. "Curse, my ass. I knew something like that wasn't possible."
"You mean to say this was nothing but a fable?" Bastian asked. He knew how to decipher her coarse language and their inflections. He understood there was a possibility this was but a farce.
"You also know what ails the young master," said Sebastian as unsurprised she knew. "All the symptoms you listed are accurate to his condition. You mentioned a chemical reaction?"
She didn't answer immediately. She went on to take the boiling water kettle on the stove and poured the water into a waiting porcelain pot.
"What would you say," she said, "if there was a poison gas here that shouldn't have been invented or patented yet? At least as far as any of us know."
"You can't be-Are you certain?" Bastian sputtered, but something in him already knew the answer. Sebastian's intrigued expression as well as Viola's silence reinforced it. His knees went weak, and he had to lean against the counter to balance himself. "My God. Ciel was poisoned? What kind of monster would make such a thing like-like breathable poison?"
"It's been a debatable question whether things like poison gas should be used." She put the kettle down and folded her hands in front of her, gripping her fingers to keep them still. "Moral ethics and all. People don't mind running a sword or putting a bullet into someone, but no one could stomach the thought of watching people die from the inside out. Poison gas is a risky weapon too since it can affect the environment and render the land uninhabitable."
"I see what you mean when you said it was as merciless as me." Sebastian turned his back to them as he started to make the porridge. His chuckles drifted in the dead air. "A poison gas…The things humans make that are atrocious, yet they have the gall to call my kind 'monsters.' If what you say is true, then there is no curse. Humans are behind this phenomenon but to what purpose?"
"I don't even know if I'm right. Other than Ciel's symptoms, we have no evidence that humans are behind this mess. The past two cases have proven that."
"You are correct. That is why when the young master awakens we will continue our investigation."
"You wish to continue in these circumstances? Ever after the young master—" Bastian stopped as disbelief put a stopper on his words. "We could be in great danger! What will happen when they decide to use that gas against us? We do not know what we are up against."
"It was his order that we investigate. Unless he orders us otherwise, we will remain as we are."
This was lunacy! Indignation rose within Bastian ready to overflow. For the first time, he understood Viola's grudge and loathing for the demon, further fueled by the unfortunate memory he had of another life. He was about to protest but caught Viola's shake of her head. Her exhausted visage extinguished his ire.
"Of course, Mr. Sebastian. We'll remain by the young master's side until he awakens."
"I believe he would appreciate that."
He doubted that. Bastian shrugged off the sentiment and helped to prepare the bowls. Like Sebastian said, they had a long night ahead of them. No one could rest easy after what had happened that day. Two of their own had received injuries the likes they had never seen. It would be a miracle if they could sleep. Not when, apparently, there were sinister monsters both familiar and uncanny surrounding them.
xxx
The remainder of the night and into the early morning the Phantomhive servants were vigilant inside Ciel's room. The atmosphere was hushed as if they were afraid the slightest noise would awaken their precious charge. Bastian sat on the floor, his back to a wall, next to the chair Mey-Rin occupied and Baldroy on the other side. Finny, Snake, and Viola remained at Ciel's bedside to assure themselves he was alive and well. Sebastian and Tanaka moved about, entering and exiting the room to fetch food or fresh bandages for Ciel and Viola.
The hours ticked on without fail. The night gave way to dawn and they were still awake. Baldroy and Snake were close to dozing off as Mey-Rin and Finny were too worried to think about sleep. Bastian kept himself busy as he read a book of legends from Lady Sullivan's library Sebastian had given him while Viola wrote in her journal.
They weren't sure how long they stayed there, but it was enough for him to consider napping. Bastian re-read the legend of the Green Witch when Ciel, who had been quiet in his unconscious state, began to whimper. He sat up and closed his book to watch Finny grab Ciel's hand.
"Young master? You're alright now," Finny said as if hoping his soothing words could reach him in his dreams. In fact, they seemed to fight against whatever invisible enemy that was haunting him.
"No…Don't…" Ciel's whimpers increased in volume until they became desperate heaving breaths. He tossed and turned so violently Bastian wondered if they should awaken him before he hurt himself. There was no need as his dreams reached their climax. He woke screaming and thrust his free hand up like he was trying to reach for something. It gained their attention and relief washed over them when they saw his eye was open.
"I was truly worried for a moment," sighed Sebastian in a manner that wasn't sincere. Everyone crowded the bed with similar sentiments on their lips. Ciel, hover, didn't appear to have heard them in his panicked state until Mey-Rin said his name.
"Ciel?" he muttered to himself. Each breath he pulled in was frantic as if the next was his very last.
"Young master, what's wrong?" Sebastian made his way to his side, reaching down to grab his hand twitching in the air.
When he did, suddenly, Ciel lashed out, slapping his hand away while he screamed. It pierced Bastian's fragile heart at the terror that escalated it to a higher range. He scuttled away from the demon and latched onto the closest person on the other side of the bed, Finny.
"No! Ciel doesn't want pain anymore," he cried, his wide sapphire eye tearing as he trembled in Finny's arms. "It's dark. Where am I? I'm scared. Who's there? I can't see a thing."
"Young master, it's not dark at all," said Sebastian, making another attempt to touch Ciel but slow enough like he was approaching a cornered animal. Mr. Tanaka grabbed his wrist before he could, shaking his head solemnly. Glancing at Ciel in confusion, realization lit in his eyes and slackened his usual stony expression. The others couldn't understand what he saw until Mr. Tanaka clarified.
"I'm afraid the young master's eye is…" he trailed off as Ciel continued to whimper about someone turning on the lights and why it was dark.
Bastian felt his heart sink. He was blind? He had been so grievously ill he had lost function in his remaining eye? Was it not enough for him to have nearly died?
"Oh no, sweetie, you're okay." Viola fell to her knees beside Finny, who had remained frozen in fear the moment Ciel had touched him. Her expression was scrunched, fighting to keep herself from crying, Bastian supposed, yet she pulled on a shaky smile. She placed a gentle hand on his back and rubbed it soothing circles. Ciel's whimpers transformed into another scream, but she pressed her cheek against his crown, humming a tune undeterred. She closed her eyes so no one could see the agony of their master in pain. " So far and away, see the bird as it flies by, gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky. I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings-leave them now and see what tomorrow brings."
As she continued to sing what sounded like a lullaby, Ciel's screaming quieted into trembling sniffles. One of his hands on Finny relaxed to reach over to her, turning his head to press into the crook of her neck. He wept freely, reminding Bastian of a child who had woken from a night terror.
"Mother, I'm scared. So scared…."
"It's alright. You're okay. I'm here," she reassured him before she continued to hum. This went on for another minute until he quieted down. Still she continued, moving her hand to smooth his hair.
"Well I'll be damned," Baldroy said under his breath, eyebrows raised at the affectionate manner Viola presented herself. Bastian refrained himself from making similar sentiments. He knew she was capable of being gentle, yet this was the first time he saw evidence of it.
Mr. Tanaka shushed him, waving for everyone but Finny and Viola towards the door. They felt out of their depth in this situation and complied. Quietly, they snuck out the door until they were past the threshold. Mr. Tanaka was the last out and he closed the door. As soon as he did, Mey-Rin burst into tears.
"The young master's eye," she sobbed, raising her eyeglasses to her forehead to hide behind her hands.
"Damnit, stop crying already!" Baldroy scolded, harsher than usual. "It's bad luck. He might still get better."
" But we can't take care of him while he's like that either, says Keat," Snake translated, disheartened himself.
"Yeah, he even rejected Sebastian. Just what happened to him? It's beyond me why Finny and Viola are fine though. I don't think I've ever seen her act like that before either."
"Viola had younger siblings," Bastian said. "She had to take care of them as her parents dealt with work. The youngest, I believe, she had helped raise since she was born."
One of the things she had said about her youngest sister, Arisu, was that when her mother returned to work Viola had to do all the duties equivalent to that of a young mother from feeding to changing her. While Bastian heard about it, it was another thing to witness her be so caring to Ciel.
"What shall we do, Sebastian?" Mr. Tanaka asked, glancing at the door in concern.
"If the young master orders me to 'not touch him,' I cannot go near him." Sebastian reached into his jacket to pull out his pocket watch. "In any case let's wait until Master Sullivan awakens and talk things over then. You should all get some rest as well."
Mey-Rin's crying died down and she rubbed her swollen red eyes.
"What about you?" she asked.
"I have things I must attend to," he said, twisting on his heel. He walked down the hallway and disappeared around the corner.
The remaining Phantomhive servants were hesitant to follow his orders. What had occurred weighed heavily on their shoulders, and thinking about it had them wish for a few moments away to gather themselves. Bastian wanted to go to sleep and pretend that nothing awful happened to the young child. Sighing, he followed them back to their rooms to handle these things later on.
Past Baldroy's complaining, the rest of the day passed without incident. Had Bastian not known better it would have simply been another day in the Phantomhive household. Rather than seeing Sebastian run around doing whatever ridiculous task Cid set him on, the head English butler was seen carrying their tiny host around in his arms patiently listening to Lady Sullivan ask questions about life beyond her village. Behind them trailed a put-out Wolfram.
Another thing that stayed Bastian's imagination was Viola's lack of presence. Her and Finny's task was to tend to Ciel. As a result, he had not seen her through much of their morning and afternoon hours. It was when Lady Sullivan called the Phantomhive servants to her table to report on Ciel's condition that he saw his niece at all.
They gathered on one side of the dining table and faced Lady Sullivan seated at the head. The chair's back dwarfed her, making her appear to be more like a child's doll. Her severe expression was anything but serene.
"Ciel's wounds are still healing," she said in English for their benefit. Bastian was astounded she managed to learn a decent amount of the language, although her syllables were rough and she constantly paused to translate it mentally. "Emotionally, he's terribly unstable but doesn't appear to have any memory loss".
"Will his eyes be okay?" Mey-Rin asked, quivering.
"His eyes are unhurt—undamaged? Yes. It's probably a psychological effect due to shock. He will be fine as long as his mind and body heal."
This bit of news caused a ripple of relief amongst them—everyone, that is, except for Viola.
"Do you think the young master is also unable to recognize us due to this trauma?" she asked, worrying her bottom lip. "He has been referring to himself in the third person and seems to think I'm his mother." She also murmured something like' dissociative disorder' under her breath that Bastian caught being so close to her.
"There is that possibility. Being unable to see as well as enduring a traumatic event, he must be mixing fiction from reality. In time, he will recover."
"Alright! we should head back to the manor as soon as he can mane around," Baldroy suggested. "He'd be more at ease at home too."
Lady Sullivan hesitantly agreed it would be for the best. Everyone began to talk amongst themselves about what they would do once they returned home. Again, Viola was silent, her hand to her mouth and her thumb running along her bottom lip.
"What are you thinking about?" Bastian asked quietly.
"Something about this whole situation bothers me," she replied. "Not just the issues behind Ciel's trauma, but this village as well. Haven't you noticed?"
"Other than the fantastical idea that werewolves exist?"
"And that's what I 'm wondering about. After the conversation we had in the kitchen, I'm starting to suspect there's more here we don't understand." She shook her head. "Maybe I'm being paranoid."
"Maybe." Bastian might have argued, yet he didn't whine about it. Viola had much sharper instincts than she gave herself credit for. If she said there was something sinister happening in the village, he was inclined to believe her.
Bastian was unable to inquire into any of her other feelings as Sebastian herded them back to the kitchens to start dinner preparations. That passed with no further incidents. There was one moment where Sebastian and Snake had left and returned several minutes later. Wolfram followed suit to shoot dirty looks at Sebastian's back.
Other than that, it appeared nothing else would happen.
It was when Sebastian and Wolfram were serving dinner to Lady Sullivan, the servants cleaning up the kitchen to tensed for another day, that they heard a crash and Ciel's high scream as well as Viola's violent yelling. Hearing this combination had Bastian dropping everything to sprint out the door to Ciel's room. The other Phantomhive servants were quick to join him.
They arrived at the room as Sebastian and Wolfram entered. Bastian stopped at the doorway, hearing gulps of air. He frantically searched for Viola. She was on the bed clutching Ciel, who sobbed hysterically into her shoulder. Finny held them both in a shielding embrace. His back slowly bloomed crimson where parallel claw marks slashed into the fabric. They looked similar to Viola's wounds a day before.
"The werewolf came," Finny explained, breathless. He pointed to the window.
"I'll catch him! Damn thing won't get away harmin' three of our number!" Baldroy swore viciously as he ran for the open windowsill.
"Hör auf! Er gibt ein Miasma ab," Wolfram said. However, because his warning was in German, Sebastian had to also command him to stay put.
As it was, Bastian could not put any effort into worrying about that as much as he was about Viola.
"What happened?" he asked, hurrying to her side. "Are either you or the young master injured?"
She shook her head.
"Finny protected us before it could hurt us."
His anxiousness eased. Thank goodness.
Lady Sullivan entered the room on a harness strapped to balloons that carried her about. She demanded to know what happened and, upon hearing it from Wolfram, her expression became resolute, her complexion pale. She ordered him to prepare for a ceremony that he obeyed at once. The two left the bedroom with Lady Sullivan's vow the werewolves would no longer attack.
Sebastian then ordered Baldroy to cover the window to fight off the chill while he went off to fetch bandages for Finny. The rest were left to calm Ciel down, who wrapped himself in the sheets and cowered on Viola's lap.
"You're fine now, you are," said Mey-Rin trying to soothe him. "The scary werewolf is gone, young master."
"You can come out now, says Bronte," said Snake softly.
Ciel made a small whine like a wounded animal.
"Dear," said Viola in a mild chiding manner. "Use your words. We can't help you if we can't understand you."
"I said I want to go home!" His movie was shrill covered by the fabric of her skirt. "I don't want to be here anymore. Mother, I want to go home!"
They exchanged apprehensive glances. They knew they would be returning back to the estate soon enough. In his current condition they were uncertain whether that would be the wisest course of action.
"Soon, sweetie," Viola said, rubbing his back. "We will return home soon. Endure it just a little longer, and I promise you will be back home."
He whined again. It wounded Bastian's heart to hear it.
They continued their attempt to calm him. It was due to Viola's presence that they were able to do so. He cried him to sleep within the hour and it was blessedly silent. This miracle had to be preserved, so Sebastian ushered all but Finny and Viola and whispered he would bring them food. Out in the hallway, once the door was firmly shut, all allowed their exhaustion to take hold.
"How will we get him back to normal?" Baldroy asked, rubbing at the bruises beneath his eyes.
"Should we give him another shock? Perhaps that will mend his eye, "said Sebastian.
"Please do not, "said Tanaka for the first time since the incident occurred. "Rest is best for wounds of the heart. The young master must be in turmoil. At times like these we should not lose our heads or rush things. We need to watch over him."
"But what kind of miasma would turn the young master into this?" Baldroy asked, as perplexed as the rest. "Even though they're sayin' magic or whatever, it don't sit well with me."
Bastian thought back to what Viola said about the poisonous gas. She had said he was traumatized. Whatever trauma it was, the near death experience could not justify the terror Ciel displayed.
He thought long and hard about it as they returned to the kitchen. What sort of things Ciel had encountered must have been the same hardships Bastian had endured as well. He hoped he would be able to overcome it just as he did with everything else.
Anyone who had the capability to sell his soul to a demon could survive anything.
They went back to the kitchen intent on returning to work. They got as far as the entrance when Snake halted.
"Oscar, says Emily," he said, stooping down to pick up a soft green-scaled serpent. "Did you find out anything? says Goethe."
He hissed, pink tongue flicked out. Snake gasped.
"What'd he find out?" Baldroy asked as he folded his arms.
"I'll explain later, says Wilde. We need to get Black, says Mary."
That was all that they managed to get as Snake straightened up. He ran off back in the direction where they came from.
The other servants were uncertain what they should do next. They retreated within the kitchen until further notice but could not help but wonder what had gotten Snake, of all people, so riled up. The way Baldroy fiddled with his cigarette pack and how Mey-Rin fiddled with her apron hem made Bastian aware that they were just as agitated as he felt. They waited in an agonizing silence. Each time Bastian breathed it was like he made too much noise. When Snake returned, Sebastian in tow, he was relieved he could breathe normally once more.
"Snake, you mind fillin' us in?" Baldroy asked.
Snake placed his viridian friend on a stool where it coiled up in a pile.
"I was asked to go spy on what's going on beneath this manor, says Oscar," he translated. He went about the kitchen to fetch something from a bucket in the corner. Mey-Rin reeled back when he withdrew a dead mouse, dread painted on her features as he returned to the stool. " Mr. Black asked me to go after we found that weird secret passageway. When that little lady and her big furry human came down I saw it! There were bigger, furrier wolves down there and there were standin' on two legs like all of you!"
The news sent a tremble down Bastian's frame.
"There are werewolves in the manor's basement?" Mey-Rin's hands clenched on her apron. She wiped her palms down the material.
"That girl was doing something while being surrounded by them, says Oscar."
"What 'something?'" Baldroy demanded, leaning forward.
"What-All kinds of thing! says Oscar."
"Looks like yer memory ain' the best."
" We remember all the way up till yesterday! says Wordsworth."
"But Master Sullivan's worry when the young master was attacked—That didn't seem fake," Mey-Rin said before Baldroy could get into a fight with a snake, of all things. It was one he would surely lose.
"She was shaken when the villagers were attacked as well," said Sebastian in a considering manner. "She might not want the werewolves to attack people."
Baldroy rubbed his chin in imitation of Sebastian. "So shouldn't we go to the basement and see for ourselves while we can? Since they're out an' all."
"When we opened the hidden door before there was some sort of charm on the entrance. There might be 'something like magic' working from it to alert them."
" That's why that guy came flying in, says Oscar," said Snake, nodding.
"I do not mind if there are some contraptions," said Sebastian as he glanced at his fobwatch. He snapped it closed, "so when Wolfram shows up, could you all keep him at bay for awhile?"
"What will you be doing?" Bastian asked for the sake of it. He already had a feeling what he was planning on doing based on their conversation.
He received a mysterious smile in return.
"How could I be the Phantomhive butter if I cannot sneak in unnoticed?"
He left the room, the servants stunned behind him. Like all the other times, they were unsure how to handle Sebastian's abrupt orders. They momentarily conversed on what they should do in his absence. Mr. Tanaka suggested that they get on with dinner preparations with what food they had. They hadn't had dinner yet themselves.
Without much direction to go off of, they did as he suggested.