I own nothing but my OC.
That Butler, Superhuman 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:
"I... I apologize to you and Chêne too..." The prince said nervously, shaking, as he peeked over Ciel's shoulder at them. Ciel and Chêne sweat dropped. Yeah, Sebastian had definitely traumatized the poor kid...
"Not at all... How amusing." Sebastian said, smiling wryly at the scared prince. This had worked out even better than he expected...
"Just don't do it again, and everything's forgiven..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped.
"—Now then. Let us continue our little chat from before his highness's interruption." Lau said, smiling as they all sat back down at the table together again. Soma shifted guiltily in his chair, feeling ashamed of his spoiled behavior now. "First, West must have put Agni up to the aforementioned incidents. With his physical abilities, it would be easy for him to do everything alone." Lau said. Soma flinched, turning slightly blue with shock when Sebastian approached him to serve him tea.
"..." Sebastian said, frowning slightly in an attempt to hide his amusement. It hadn't really been all that bad, had it...?
"West mentioned... A 'three year plan' that 'the successful execution of that plan will take place in one week,' and that 'Agni's right hand is absolutely necessary'... I think that's everything." Chêne said.
"The most important factor here is the 'one week later' deadline." Ciel said as he accepted his tea from Sebastian.
"I agree. Now we know for sure that this isn't over yet, and when they'll make their final move, whatever it is." Chêne said thoughtfully.
"If West is using Agni's 'right hand of god,' perhaps they plan to raid a major event?" Lau suggested.
"It's possible... but I think the large-scale functions have all but ended, now that it's winter... and the queen's Golden Jubilee was held just last year..." Chêne pointed out.
"Sebastian. What events will be held in London one week from now?" Ciel asked. If Chêne didn't know, Sebastian definitely would.
"One week from now?" Sebastian said thoughtfully. "Hm. Young Master has received invitations to... a choir concert sponsored by Saint Sophia Academy at Westminster Abbey... Wagner at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden... an exhibition of Indian culture and its prosperity within The Empire at the Crystal Palace... an exhibition of world currencies at the British Museum..."
"Wait, go back! What was that about India?" Chêne asked, jumping out of her chair.
"... India?" Ciel said. He could see why Chêne was so excited. If they were going to pick an event, that would probably be it. They had targeted Anglo-Indians, after all.
"Young Master, a gentleman must read all correspondence addressed to him, no matter what the contents." Sebastian told Ciel glibly, sighing 'wearily,' as though he were explaining a simple fact to a stubborn toddler.
"Shut up and just give me the details." Ciel snapped, blushing slightly out of embarrassment, as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead.
"'The exhibition of Indian culture and its prosperity in the British Empire' will be held at the Crystal Palace next week. The main exhibits will feature Great Britain's achievements and Industry in India. A curry fair will be held as part of the programme." Sebastian explained. "Young Master had received an invitation to be a special judge at that fair. The fair will have several companies competing with their curries. Rumor has it that Her Majesty, who is known for her love of curry, will come visit the fair. Should I see which individuals are hosting their own parties as well?"
"India... Curry... That's quite enough." Ciel said, sweat dropping, fed up with the whole situation.
"I see. So it's that after all. I guess you should have accepted, Ciel. It sounds fun... and we'd have an excuse to be there too..." Chêne said, smiling wryly. It'd be kind of weird to show up now, after he had rejected being a judge, since he probably just made the usual excuse of being 'too busy with work' without even reading the whole thing.
"It seems you've caught on, my Lord, Miss Maid." Lau said, smirking slightly.
"Yes. 'Three years.' 'A fair.' And as West covets brands and titles, he would only think of one thing." Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly. "I can't believe how silly this case has turned out to be. I'm so unnerved, I don't know what to say..."
"?" Soma said, wondering what Ciel was talking about.
"And here I thought there was some deep dark meaning behind the attacks, but it turns out to be over something so ridiculous..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped and sipped her tea.
"?" Soma said, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion.
"Ah-ha-ha~! So you really were sent on a fool's errand." Lau said, smiling and laughing.
"Hey, wait! I don't understand what's going on. Explain it to me!!" Soma shouted, tired of feeling left out of the loop.
"Quiet down, your highness. You will receive your explanation in due time... from Lord Earl and Miss Maid~!" Lau said, smiling innocently as he gestured to the two of them. "Right~!?" A vein mark throbbed on Ciel's head as Chêne sweat dropped.
"Once again, you were only pretending to know!" Ciel said, clearly irritated with the Chinaman's airheaded behavior. Soma sweat dropped.
"Ahem, the main dish served at West's Hindustani coffeehouse is curry." Chêne said, getting the conversation back on track, before Ciel did something Lau might regret.
"In other words, West is attempting to obtain a 'Royal Warrant' with his 'curry.'" Ciel added.
"Ah, now I understand~!" Lau said, smiling as a little light bulb lit up inside his head.
"A Row-y'all Warrant? What is that?" Soma asked. He had never heard of such a thing before...
"Ah, right! Your highness wouldn't know of it." Lau said, smiling, as he nodded in understanding. "England has a curious system. Members of the royal family can grant a seal of 'approval' to merchants and artisans of whom they are fond. That seal is known as the 'Royal Warrant.' And... stores that hold the Royal Warrant can display that seal on their signs." Lau explained.
"?" Soma said, wondering why it was such a big deal.
"A Royal Warrant is equivalent to quality assurance." Chêne said. "If it's good enough for royalty to like it, then it must be 'something special,' right? Royalty wouldn't settle for anything but the best, after all."
"When a brand receives a Warrant, sales are guaranteed to increase. We were considering applying for the Royal Warrant for our confectionery and toy brand." Ciel explained. "Some stores have tripled their sales... as Queen Victoria sets the trends for everything from fashion to food."
"She's England's beloved queen who has led them into a very prosperous time, so the products that she, in particular, endorses immediately gain fame and popularity. People will even abandon one brand (that they might have liked better), in favor of their rival company if Queen Victoria 'approves' of them more." Chêne added.
"Haah... The rage for curry has slowed down, so West must want the title, whatever the cost." Ciel said, sighing in annoyance. A Royal Warrant would undoubtedly give West a huge advantage over his competitors, but to think that West had caused him so much grief over such a ridiculous thing really irked Ciel.
"I understand that West wants the so-called 'Royal Warrant.' But what does that have to do with the hanging incidents?" Soma asked. Why would Agni betray him for something like this...?
"There are two conditions for obtaining a Royal Warrant." Sebastian said, smiling knowingly, as he held up a finger. "The first is to 'have the product's quality recognized at a fair.'" He held up a second finger. "And the second is... 'gratuitous service to the Royal Family for three years.'"
"!" Soma said in shocked realization as it finally clicked into place for him.
"For three years, West has been servicing the Royal Family with his imports for free. He then caused those incidents to destroy his rivals who are participating in the fair next week." Chêne said, frowning in disapproval at West's cowardly tactics. "And Military personnel were attacked as well, so it looked as if the culprits were Indians who held a grudge against England. West is probably using Mina to force Mister Agni to participate in this silly plan... What a weasel!"
"... And Agni is doing it for the sake of his own god." Ciel said, exchanging a glance with Sebastian. He had heard of Agni's background from Sebastian and Chêne already, so he knew the whole story.
"Eh?" Soma said, wondering what Ciel meant by that.
"The letters left behind at the crime scenes held another important clue besides camouflage." Ciel said as Sebastian handed him a copy of the letter Agni left at the crime scene. Chêne raised an eyebrow. When did Sebastian get that? He probably pinched it when they were reading Abberline's notes... "Right here." Ciel said, pointing to the tongue Agni had drawn at the bottom of the paper. "Lord Randall was ranting that the mark was an insult against England, but just as Chêne thought, its real meaning is something else entirely. You pray to that, no?" Ciel said, leaning around in his armchair to point at the statue of Kali that Soma and Agni had set up before.
"Ah..." Soma said, his eyes widening slightly as he too turned to stare at the statue.
"Your god... is the goddess Kali, with her tongue lolling out. Agni drew this." Ciel said. "And who is Agni's 'god'?"
"He did it all for you. Mister Agni was trying to save Mina for you, without involving you in West's scheme, but he knew you would be hurt if you knew the truth. So, like when your goddess Kali stuck her tongue out to express her shame after stepping on her husband, the god Shiva, Mister Agni drew this tongue. I believe that both his prayers for you and his apology were drawn into this mark." Chêne said, smiling gently.
"Mister Agni worships you and lives for you even after he has left your side. You have been blessed with a wonderful butler." Sebastian said respectfully. Soma gripped Agni's note in his hand, deeply touched by his khansama's care, and their kind words.
"Agni..." Soma said, clenching the letter in his hands as he bit his lip and held back his tears. He should have had more faith. Why had he been so quick to doubt Agni? Soma was ashamed of himself.
"Then, all's well that ends well, eh~? What a heartwarming story." Lau said, smiling and clapping. "Well, let's wash our hands of this affair. How about we have the Yard handle the rest?" He suggested.
"W-Wait!" Soma yelled anxiously, jumping out of his chair. "Then what will become of Agni... and Mina!?"
"Who knows?" Lau said, smiling carelessly. Chêne sweat dropped. If Randall caught Agni, he probably wouldn't be nearly as lenient or sympathetic as they would, since he didn't know Agni like they did, and he seemed to be taking this case personally when they had last met him... but...
"We know that this incident doesn't concern our side, the underworld." Ciel said, yawning. It was getting quite late... or early, rather. They had already stayed awake through the whole night, and into the next morning, after all. "And we're not running a charity."
"...!" Soma said, clearly distressed. "I understand..." Soma said dejectedly. "This is indeed my problem. I will think about what I can do to solve it on my own." Soma said determinedly, clenching his fist. Although... he had no idea what he could possibly do to help Agni on his own...
"That's the spirit, Soma." Chêne said, smiling sympathetically. She felt bad for him, and Agni, and was about to offer to help, when Ciel spoke again.
"Good attitude. Then I'll get on with my work." Ciel said, getting Sebastian and Chêne's attention. Chêne smiled. She should have known Ciel would have something up his sleeve. The young earl smirked as he laced his fingers together and stretched his arms out. "I was summoned to London in winter on this worthless errand. Don't I deserve some reward for my troubles?" He said slyly. Sebastian smirked. He had a feeling things were about to get interesting. "A Royal Warrant is granted after three years of gratuitous service and one's showing at a fair. The fair will be held in one week. And fortunately for us, the top competition is unable to participate." Ciel said. The young earl grinned deviously as he continued to speak. "Therefore, if our Funtom Corporation participates and wins against West... the Royal Warrant will be ours." They all stared at the cunning young earl. Chêne and Lau smiled, Soma stared at Ciel in stunned amazement, and Sebastian smirked at the boy's slyness. How very like Ciel, to plan revenge by beating someone at their own game.
"I was considering moving into the food business after we'd obtained a warrant for our confectionery and toys. If we get the warrant at the curry fair, it would be the talk of the town." Ciel said, grinning.
"We could leapfrog ahead, instead of taking it slow, like we had originally planned." Chêne said, matching Ciel's sly grin.
"Indeed. It'll be quite the trophy to mark the launch of Funtom's culinary line." Lau said, smiling like a Cheshire cat. The earl was always doing the most amusing things... "But you only have one week to set up a culinary department. Will you be able to prepare specialists in curry, cooking equipment, stores, and such in time?" Lau asked.
"We won't be needing any of that." Ciel said calmly as he sipped his tea. "Isn't that right? Sebastian, Chêne?" Ciel said, smirking as he glanced at both of them. Sebastian smirked, and Chêne grinned impishly.
"As servants of the Phantomhive family, it goes without saying that we can manage something like this." Sebastian said slyly, placing a hand over his breast as he spoke for both of them. Chêne could just picture the awesome curry Sebastian would make. She hadn't actually had a chance to taste Agni's curry when he made it the other day, but if anyone could make an amazing, kick-ass curry, it would be Sebastian.
"The Royal Warrant will b—" Chêne started to say.
"Impossible!" Soma yelled, interrupting her. The imaginary plate of curry in Chêne's mind flipped over, spilling out the contents, as they all stared at Soma, stunned.
"Nn?" Chêne and Sebastian said, confused, wondering what his problem was. Ciel furrowed his brow slightly, looking slightly confused and concerned for the prince's mental health. Why did he seem so certain they would fail...?
"There is no way you can win against West... in a curry match!" Soma said gravely, sweating nervously.
"Why not?" Lau asked.
"He has Agni... who in turn has the right hand of god." Soma said seriously. Chêne furrowed her brow slightly. Was it really that bad...?
"The destructive power of the 'right hand of god' is indeed extraordinary, but we're not competing in a combat sport. This is a curry cooking competition." Ciel said, sweat dropping.
"That's it right there! It isn't a combat sport like fencing. It's a curry match!" Soma said urgently.
"!" Chêne said, finally understanding what he was getting at. "I see, you're right... this could be a real challenge for us..." She said thoughtfully, holding her chin.
"Pardon me. I do not quite follow..." Sebastian said, sweat dropping. Ciel and Lau looked rather confused too.
"You don't know Agni's true power. You do not know real curry." Soma said gravely.
=†=†=†=†=
{West's Home...}
A heavenly aroma of savory spices drifted out of the house through the giant hole where the second story window that had been destroyed the previous night was. The savory aroma pervading the air was coming from the kitchen, and it called to all of West's servants, and innocent passersby, like a siren's song, and they found themselves drawn to the kitchen door of the house, compelled to follow the mouthwatering aroma.
=†=†=†=†=
{Phantomhive townhouse...}
"I'll admit that I've never made curry myself before, and I didn't get the chance to taste Mister Agni's, but I have, in fact, had 'real curry,' and Mr. Raja and Mrs. Karishma told me about how curry is made before." Chêne said a little defensively. "The quality of real curry is determined by the spices in it, and one must choose from hundreds of spices, right? The amount of each spice one uses determines the curry's taste, heat, and fragrance... The spices affect everything." Chêne explained. "However, it is very difficult to find the right balance, which is why my family doesn't have a curry recipe, since it's so troublesome to deal with all the spices, and grind them fresh and perfectly every time."
"Exactly." Soma said, nodding in approval. "One has an infinite array of choices. Making the best curry is like finding one truth out of all the truths in the universe. But Agni's right hand can do that." Soma explained seriously. "With only his fingertips, he selects the best spices from an innumerable selection and mixes in the optimal amounts... to create curry that is nothing short of a miracle."
=†=†=†=†=
{West's home...}
The servants that had been entranced by the heavenly aroma wafting from the kitchen, crowded around the door, trying to get a peek at what was happening inside, and what could possibly be causing such a wonderful aroma. They were amazed as they watched Agni swiftly and gracefully prepare the curry, using fluid movements that wasted none of his energy or time, and ran back and forth between several different pots and saucepans, like the seasoned pro he was...
This was true curry!
=†=†=†=†=
{Phantomhive townhouse...}
"... His power to imagine and create a world from nothing is indeed within the realm of godliness." Soma said. "That is why Agni, with his 'right hand of god,' is called... Kali's right hand! I've never had curry that was better than Agni's. That's why I told him to offer me his right hand forever." He said gravely. Chêne sweat dropped. In other words... Soma had saved Agni just because he wanted good curry...? How anticlimactic...
"So the 'right hand of god'..." Ciel said, chagrined, and sweat dropping. Was this for real?
"... Refers not to godly 'strength,' but to godly 'curry making skills'?" Lau asked, finishing Ciel's sentence.
"Fabulous..." Chêne deadpanned, sighing. She knew Agni was good from how awesome his curry had smelled before, but they were pretty much complete novices against a 'curry god.' She could sense a lot of sleepless nights and hard work in her future...
"There you have it. Sebastian?" Ciel said calmly.
"Heh." Sebastian said, smirking devilishly, as he held his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Well, well... I seem to have found myself up against a formidable adversary." Sebastian mused. He was clearly looking forward to the challenge.
