I own nothing but my OC.
That Butler, Competitive 2
≤speech in Indian language≥
'thoughts'
"speech"
"Demonic speech"
{setting/stage directions?}
SOUND EFFECTS
An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters.
=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift
Previously:
"!?" Chêne said, jumping slightly when the demon butler blew softly into her ear. She slapped a hand over her ear and stared at him incredulously, blushing cherry red. "W-What was that—!?" Chêne whisper yelled. Sebastian's teasing had started to escalate again lately, and it was now bordering on sexual harassment! Although... Chêne had to admit that she might not have been so upset about it, if Sebastian wasn't just using her feelings for him to mess with her... especially when they were in a room with other people. She was surprised that he would do something like that with possible witnesses around... Sebastian's only answer to her question was a devilish smirk, and a pat on the head as he passed her to assist Ciel in escaping from Soma's over-enthusiasm.
"Nothing... just a reminder to be careful what you say around other men." Sebastian said cryptically, leaving behind a very confused little Chêne.
"Aaall right~! I can't let that Indian show me up~!" Bard said energetically as he grabbed a frying pan. Sebastian hadn't shown up at the usual time to start cooking dinner, so it was all up to him! It was finally his chance to show Sebastian up—Chêne at least let him help her prep some of the food, even if she wouldn't let him actually cook the ingredients—but Sebastian didn't even let him in the kitchen at all sometimes, let alone help. "Today, I'll do my best to—"
"No, thank you." Sebastian said bluntly as he suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and snatched the frying pan right out of his hand. Bard froze, sweat dropping. "I will cook, so please do not do anything." Sebastian added before Bard could even react properly to the butler's sudden appearance.
"Hey! C'mon. today, I was gonna cook my special. Hey, you listening!?" Bard ranted incredulously, shaking his fist.
'We are already half an hour behind schedule...' Sebastian thought gloomily as he remembered how Soma had kept insisting on dueling 'just one more time' over and over again with Ciel, simply because he kept losing. Even after being injured, Ciel was still much more skilled in the art of sword fighting than the prince, but Ciel had low stamina, so he was starting to get worn out. Chêne realized Sebastian was getting ready to 'disappear' Soma if it continued much longer, so she volunteered to fight Soma, since she was a beginner like him in, Ciel's place, so he and Sebastian could get back on schedule. Soma had been skeptical about that, and boasted that he could defeat Chêne easily... which naturally pissed her off, so she ended up forcing him into a duel with her, and when he lost again, Soma changed targets to Chêne, since he was now more determined to defeat her than Ciel, and that's where they were now, with Lau and Agni watching them while Ciel reviewed his paper work for the company, and Chêne's new toy design. Just thinking back on how annoying the prince had been, was making Sebastian feel slightly nauseous from irritation.
"Sebastian, ya hear me!?" Bard yelled angrily, bringing Sebastian back to the real world. There were several vein marks throbbing on Bard's head, not that Sebastian really gave a damn.
"Oh, I say." Sebastian said, sweat dropping, as he grimaced slightly in irritation. He had enough to be irked about without Bard adding to it. "Please do be quiet for a spel—"
"Mister Sebastian. May I come in?" Agni asked politely as he popped up, smiling as he peeked into the Kitchen doorway. "I was wondering if I could help you... Miss Chêne told me that you usually have her help you prepare supper, but today is her day off, and she is already helping a great by playing with my prince, as he does not usually get to play with other children so close to his age..." Sebastian and Bard stared at him for a moment. Just how young did he think Chêne was? Sebastian wondered if he should correct Agni, or let
"Mister Agni. Please just relax." Sebastian said politely. As the butler of the Phantomhive Family, he really could not let a guest continue to trouble themselves like this, even if Agni had been a great help that morning...
"We can get things done faster than the two of us~! I shall do whatever you ask of me." Agni said, smiling brightly. There was practically a halo glowing around his head. Sebastian stared at Agni for a moment, slightly stunned. Chêne had been spot on when she picked Agni's nickname. This man was a saint—Saint Agni! Bard sweat dropped, and furrowed his brow, frowning slightly as he stared at the Indian man with wide eyes, not sure what to think... But there was no way Sebastian was going to...
"Then... May I ask you to prepare the Gooseberry sauce for today's main dish and the cottage pie?" Sebastian asked, looking slightly relieved.
"Ngah!" Bard said, flinching in shock. What the heck!?
"Of course!" Agni said brightly, happy to help.
"Here are the recipes." Sebastian said, smiling, as he pulled out a few neat, handwritten recipes that had been paper-clipped together. "They are my own. Let us use minced chicken for the cottage pie. Chêne has already informed me that depending on the region, Indians have rules against consuming beef or pork." Sebastian said as he handed Agni the recipe.
"I appreciate your thoughtfulness." Agni said gratefully. These people were truly kind to have so much consideration and respect for them and their culture.
"Now. Bard, stop being an obstruction and please step aside. You are in the way." Sebastian deadpanned as he made a shooing motion with his hand at Bard, and walked right past the 'chef' to exit the main kitchen so he could get to work in his own, private kitchen.
"Hey! Why's he get to work while you're tellin' me I'm in the way!?" Bard demanded incredulously as a vein mark throbbed on his head. He was the chef, dammit! Sebastian didn't even want to dignify that question with an answer. "Tch!" Bard said, clicking his tongue in irritation as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead, and he plopped down on top of a wooden barrel that Chêne was using to pickle cucumbers in, sulking.
"So much to do, so much to do." Sebastian mumbled to himself as he calmly left them, and went to work on his part of the meal. Agni glanced at the dejected chef, a little concerned. A little light bulb lit up above Agni's head as he thought of something that might help the situation.
=†=†=†=†=
{A few minutes later..."
"—f... Chef. Mister Chef!" Agni called out to Bard, who had started to nod off after sitting there with nothing to do.
"—Nnhnh?" Bard asked absentmindedly. It took him a few seconds to realize that Agni was addressing him. No one ever called him Che—Wait... "Ch—Chef!? You talking to me!?" Bard asked excitedly, jumping up in surprise, and pointing at himself.
"Yes~! Chef~!!" Agni said cheerfully, glad that the man seemed to have perked up again. Bard stared at Agni like he had just told him he won a million dollars. The title of 'Chef' kept echoing in his head over and over again. Bard was so moved that he was trembling slightly and there were tears in his eyes. The air around him was sparkling form his immense happiness. "I am not accustomed to cooking British food. Will you please help me?" Agni asked politely.
"Y-Yeah!! Lemme handle it! 'Cos I'm The Chef after all~!" Bard cheered energetically as he pumped his fist triumphantly in the air. The air around him was sparkling again.
"Splendid~!! Then will you chop the onions?" Agni asked, smiling brightly, as he brought over the basket of onions that he had already peeled.
"Piece of cake~! Leave it to me!! 'Cos I'm the Chef!!" Bard declared, throwing his head back confidently.
"You are most dependable!!" Agni said, smiling.
"Whooo—oooah!" Bard said, letting out a war cry as he pulled on his goggles, and went to work on chopping the onions. He was a lean, mean cutting machine!
—DA, DA, DA, DA, DA! —DA, DA, DA, DA, DA!
Bard was chopping away furiously, like there was no tomorrow.
"Something smells soooo yummyyyyyy~!" Agni heard someone say excitedly from the doorway. It was Finni. "What's for dinner tonight, Hmmm?" Finni asked dreamily, drooling slightly at the smell of food. He was sooo hungry...
"My boy! You have come at a good time. Will you not help me prepare the meal?" Agni asked Finni, smiling kindly, as he held the large pot they were using to boil the potatoes for the pie in.
"Eh, me!?" Finni asked excitedly, eyes sparkling. If he were a puppy, his tail would be wagging. "Uh... but Mister Sebastian's told me not to touch anything in the kitchen 'Cos of my super-strength..." Finni said timidly, suddenly not so sure it was a good idea. Chêne would sometimes let him help her with stuff, but he had to be very careful, and he often messed up when someone wasn't there to remind him of that... and Chêne seemed to be a lot stronger lately, so she didn't need his help for these things as often...
"You are strong? Excellent! We must mash these potatoes with a spoon, then puree them... but it requires much effort and strength. May I ask you to do it?" Agni asked, smiling. "There are many potatoes~!"
"Requires a lot of strength?" Finni asked. Chêne had said the same thing before, when she asked him to grind up some dried mustard seeds with a mortar and pestle before, because it was taking her forever... if this was that same, then... "I think I can do that~! I wanna do it~! Please let me help~!" Finni said excitedly, his eyes sparkling with happiness and anticipation.
"We are counting on you~!" Agni told Finni, smiling, as he handed him a bowl of boiled potatoes, and a spoon to mash them with.
"'Kaaay~!" Finni said cheerfully as he set to work on the potatoes. "Yaaay, it's like playing with mud~!" Finni said, smiling brightly, as he mashed the potatoes with ease. It was more fun than work to the super-strong boy.
"O-Oh?" Mei-Rin said when she peeked into the kitchen, surprised to see the other two servants working with their Indian guest, and no Chêne or Sebastian. Agni glanced up from the part of the dish he was working on when he heard her. "Where is Mister Sebastian?" Mei-Rin asked nervously as she stared up at the tall Indian man.
"Mister Sebastian is cooking in the rear kitchen." Agni told her, smiling.
"Th-Then I shall prepare the tableware~!" Mei-Rin said, blushing slightly, as she imagined how pleased Sebastian would be if he came out to find the table already set. Even if she did support Chêne and Sebastian as a couple, it would still be nice to be praised for once by the handsome butler... "Um, the platters, the salad plates, and..." Mei-Rin mumbled to herself, trying to remember everything she would need as she entered the pantry, and stood on a chair to remove the platters from the top shelf. "Unfortunately, the platters were rather heavy, and Mei-Rin started to wobble unsteadily on the chair when she lost her balance after taking to many of them at a time. "Ahwahwah! Gyaaa!" Mei-rin cried in alarm as she fell off the chair, holding all of the platters.
"Watch out!!" Agni yelled anxiously as he rushed over and caught the poor maid, who had turned blue with shock, and the platters. "You are unharmed, Miss Maid?" Agni asked Mei-Rin as he set her back down on her feet, sighing in relief that he had gotten there in time.
"Y-Yes, I am." Mei-Rin said nervously, sweat dropping. She hopped Agni wasn't going to yell at her for being clumsy...
"Platters must be heavy for a lady. When you must retrieve them from a high shelf, it is safer if you get them down one at a time. You would not want to drop them and hurt yourself." Agni told her kindly, smiling brightly. He was like a breath of fresh air, compared to how mean Sebastian could be when he was upset... Mei-Rin had remembered Chêne telling her something similar before, but for some reason... it was more appealing to Mei-Rin when this kind and handsome man said it...
"Y... Yes... I understand..." Mei-Rin said, blushing.
