I own nothing but my OC.


That Butler, Cogitating 3


≤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 want Sebastian to make it." Ciel said, smiling, as he paused in the doorway, turning back to look at them. Chêne blinked, surprised. Why did it have to be Sebastian...? He was already busy with the curry... "Bring it to me later." Ciel ordered Sebastian.

"... Very good, Sir. " Sebastian said obediently, bowing to his young master. An order was an order.

"Hmph..." Ciel said, smirking deviously, before leaving them. Lau smiled and waved goodbye as he followed Ciel and closed the door behind them.

"..." Chêne said as she stared at the door. "I'm not sure what that was about, but... I think you're a bad influence on him..." Chêne told Sebastian, sweat dropping. Ciel seemed to be turning into a tiny sadist...

"I wonder..." Sebastian said, sighing in annoyance. He might as well get started...


"—Dear, oh dear. You make it sound as though you want Master Butler to fail, Lord Earl." Lau said, smiling, as he followed Ciel through the hallway.

"Heh! Hardly." Ciel said, smirking slightly to himself. "But... even more than obtaining the Royal Warrant... wouldn't seeing that butler lose be just that much more fun?" Ciel asked, smiling charmingly, delighted with himself, as he glanced back at Lau. In Ciel's opinion, it was about time Sebastian had a taste of his own medicine. The demon always seemed to have the upper hand whenever he toyed with them, and he had noticed how Sebastian had been using Chêne's feelings for him to mess with her. It would be most amusing to see the demon butler being the one under pressure for once... Lau shrugged, smiling wryly at the young earl's behavior. He looked like a child who had just figured out how to play with a wonderful new toy.

"Why, my Lord, just look at you... you're positively glowiiiing~!" Lau said, laughing, and smiling in amusement. "You're such a bully~!"

"Shut up." Ciel said sternly, chagrined.

=†=†=†=†=

CLINK. CLINK.

The whisk clinked when it hit the side of the metal bowl that Sebastian was currently using to mix the ingredients for the chocolate dessert in. Bard burped. He and the others were all sitting down, rubbing their sore bellies... except for Finni and Chêne, who both seemed to be just fine.

"Well, it looks like Finni is the winner, so I'll be making you some jelly doughnuts tomorrow, 'kay?" Chêne said, smiling at Finni.

'Yaaaay~!" Finni cheered excitedly, clearly looking forward to his prize.

"Aghhhh! Don't even mention food to me right now..." Bard groaned. "Man, I ate like a pig. I'm stuffed." Bard slowly stood up, scratching his head. "Maybe I oughta go do some exercises for the digestion or somethin'." Bard thought out loud, stretching a little.

"I'll go out too~! Into the garden~!" Finni said excitedly, jumping out of his chair. "Come with me, your highness~! Miss Chêne should come too~!"

"Mmhmm. Lead the way." Soma said. A little light exercise to help settle the stomach sounded like a good idea.

"I think I'll just stay here and make the tea to go with Ciel's snack... He didn't say anything about who had to make the tea." Chêne said, smiling as she stretched, arching her back a little, like a feline. She didn't know what Ciel was plotting, but she would want help if it was her stuck slaving over a hot stove all day...

"I have to get back to the laundry, I do!" Mei-Rin said.

"Eh? I thought you already finished it..." Chêne said. "Do you need help?" Chêne offered. Tea wouldn't take that long, so she should have plenty of time to do both. Sebastian listened quietly as they all began to talk about ideas of escaping while Sebastian was occupied... as if he would let that happen.

"Everyone." Sebastian said calmly, getting their attention. They all stopped and turned to look back at the busy butler. "The next curry will be ready momentarily." Sebastian said darkly, smiling a scary shit-eating grin that did absolutely nothing to hide the black aura behind the fuming butler.

"!" Chêne said, paling slightly when she realized how pissed off he was.

"I... I can't fit anymore in my belly, I just can't!" Soma, Bard, and Mei-Rin screamed, turning blue with shock and horror, as they and Finni all hid behind Chêne.

"Eeeehh!? W-Why am I the one being used as a human shield!? You traitors!!" Chêne shouted, sweating nervously as they all held her in place, preventing Chêne from darting to safety, as the demon butler drew closer to them. Sebastian's hand suddenly shot out at her.

"Kyaaah!" Chêne cried, startled, when Sebastian yanked her free from the others' death grips, and loomed menacingly over them. Chêne blinked in confusion when she realized that Sebastian had separated her from the others, and pushed her behind him—and not giving her whatever frightening face he was showing to the others, that had them trembling in fear... weird—not that she was really complaining!

"You have ten minutes to digest whatever you have left in there." Sebastian said darkly. His threatening tone of voice didn't leave any room for arguments.

'EEEHHHHHHHHHH!?' They all cried internally, turning completely white with shock. They wanted to protest, and tell Sebastian how impossible that was, but they were all too paralyzed with fear to move...

"..." Chêne said, sweat dropping as she stared pityingly at them. Well, then again... that was their karma for trying to use her as a shield. Sebastian turned back around, and looked at her, tilting his head slightly to the side. Chêne braced herself, wondering what he was going to do to her after saving her for last...

"What are you doing?" Sebastian asked her, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion. "Were you not going to prepare the Young Master's tea?" Chêne blinked, giving him a stunned blank stare, before she remembered what they had been talking about before Sebastian snapped.

"Ah! Yes, what kind should I make...?" Chêne asked, laughing nervously as she sweat dropped and smiled wryly, rubbing the back of her neck. Sebastian smiled and pet her on the head as he passed her on his way back to where he had set down the cake batter.

"Good Kitten." The demon butler said softly, just barely loud enough for Chêne alone to hear, and smirked.

"?" Chêne said, raising an eyebrow as she stared after him, confused, too shocked by the cute nickname he had just given her to react properly.

=†=†=†=†=

{One Gateau au Chocolate for Ciel and several more curries later, then dinner for Ciel and Lau and another several curries later...}

"Hoh! Hoh!" Mister Tanaka said happily as he ate some of Sebastian's latest curry. It was incredibly delicious, but like all the ones before it, it did not have the 'body' it would need in order to defeat Agni's curry... at least, that's what Soma had managed to mumble before he passed out from being over-stuffed with food to his maximum capacity. He, Bard, and Mei-Rin were all lying on the floor, dead... Well, not really... but Chêne could've sworn she saw their souls starting to leave them at some point... Mei-Rin had even started writing a 'dying message' on the floor using some of the curry sauce before she lost consciousness. Finni wasn't quite as bad off as them, but he was also lying on the floor, too stuffed to move. He blushed slightly as he burped.

"Haah. What could be missing from this curry?" Sebastian wondered, sighing, as he stared down at his last pot of curry. Now that all of his taste testers had eaten themselves to the verge of death (with the exception of Chêne, thanks to her fast metabolism), Sebastian had no choice but to wait until they had recovered somewhat before he could try another recipe. He could always have just Tanaka and Chêne continue testing the curries for him, but since Chêne had actually been helpful to him and helped lighten his workload earlier by volunteering herself to make the tea, and Mister Tanaka was an elderly man whose stomach would probably be better off not trying to digest too many spicy foods... Sebastian decided to give them a break, for now.

'Thanks to the day's experiments, I now understand how to blend spices to achieve color, heat, and flavor.' Sebastian thought. 'Furthermore, I have grasped that fruits lend to sweetness and lightness, yogurt to acidity, and dairy products to mildness of taste. But despite all that, the 'deepness' of Mister Agni's curry remains something separate altogether...' Sebastian looked back at the kitchen counter, suddenly realizing how messy he had let it get while he was rushing around to make the curries the day. "This will never do. Before I can get started on the preparations for tomorrow morning, I have this much washing-up to see to." Sebastian said, running a hand through his hair. "Chêne, would you mind..." Sebastian trailed off when he saw that Chêne had fallen into a little catnap from being so full, and she had a silly smile on her face as she dreamed. Sebastian smiled wryly. She really was like a kitten, so whimsical... though, it made sense that her behavior was slightly feline since she had been influenced by one for six years, ever since her birth by her family's pet cat, Jasper I. It's been said that a human's personality is formed and set firmly in place at a young age, after all. "I guess it can't be helped." Sebastian said, readjusting his gloves as he turned back to the kitchen sink, and began washing the dishes on his own.

'The problem lies with 'body'... without destroying the intricate blend of the many spices... it must take the curry to new heights of taste—Does such an ingredient even exist—' Sebastian wondered, but his thoughts were interrupted when he heard Chêne mumbled something incoherent in her sleep. Sebastian glanced curiously at her, wondering what she was dreaming about this time. Chêne sometimes had the most amusing and strange dreams, and Sebastian knew this because he would catch bits of her sleep talking occasionally when he woke her up in the mornings... One dream had been about something to do with a 'water park' run by penguins, but the polar bears kept trying to force her to ice skate instead... In another one, Chêne had apparently been dreaming that she had won a lifetime supply of chocolate, and had been mumbling how rich and creamy and full the chocolate's flavor had been...

'!?' Sebastian thought as whipped his head around to stare at the mixing bowl he had used to make Ciel's Gateau au Chocolat in. "This is—" Sebastian said, his eyes widening in realization. The demon butler smirked and glanced back at Chêne. "My, My... cats really are lucky, after all..." Sebastian said softly as he smiled at the sleeping girl. Though he hadn't said as much before, Soma had been quite wrong when he compared Chêne to an underdeveloped curry. Anyone that took the time to really look at Chêne, would know that she was more than just the silly and carefree girl she appeared to be. Chêne had wisdom beyond her years, and her body was by no means 'unfeminine.' Chêne had a proper hourglass figure, and a healthy breast-size. It would be much more obvious if Chêne were not so petite, but that suited Sebastian just fine. The demon butler smiled as he stroked Chêne's silky, soft brunette hair. It was fine if he was the only one who knew his little kitten's true charms... that way no one would try to take his little pet away from him.

=†=†=†=†=

{The next morning, in the Phantomhive dinning room...}

"—What was that!?" Chêne asked Sebastian, stunned. Did she hear that right?

"You've created a divine curry!? In just one night, you've found a way to give it that kind of body!?" Soma yelled in disbelief, shocked. Ciel perked up when he heard that, but he didn't look too pleased, in fact... Chêne was sure that he looked rather put out that Sebastian had succeeded.

"?" Chêne said, wondering what was up with the young earl. She had figured that Ciel was purposefully messing with Sebastian, but wasn't it good that they could win the Royal Warrant now...?

"Just in my own way, but... Yes." Sebastian said, smirking slightly as he removed the cloche and uncovered the plates of curry so he could serve them. "Please, have a taste."

'It looks the same as yesterday.' Soma thought skeptically as he reached out and picked up a piece of chicken. 'Can this really be anything like Agni's curry of the gods?' He wondered as he placed the chicken in his mouth. Soma froze when he was overcome by a miraculous explosion of flavor, and another vision came to him. 'This is—' Soma thought, surprised to suddenly find himself inside a grand ballroom full of couples dancing the waltz. The men were wearing handsome suits, and the women were all in lovely pastel bustle gowns. 'This isn't my palace. Why, this is Great Britain.' Soma thought. 'But I wonder why, somehow... I feel at home.' Soma's eyes widened in surprise at the couple that passed by him. '!?' He thought. 'An English lady and an Indian fellow... are dancing together happily. I see. This curry does not simply copy Agni's curry... this is Indian curry with a particularly British ingenuity (sensibility?) thrown in.' He watched as an English violinist played a duet with an Indian drummer. Soma smiled peacefully as he watched them, feeling enlightened, as he was surrounded by a warm and gentle light. 'The two don't clash... but instead, melt together tenderly.'

"What do you think?" Sebastian asked Soma, snapping him out of the curry induced vision.

"This isn't Agni's... divine curry." Soma said humbly. "But the complex savoriness created by the spices in Indian curry remains the same... while flavoring that only an English man could devise brings out a whole new kind of body in the dish. This curry is worthy of being called divine in its own right. It was delicious, ≤Khansama≥." Soma said, smiling. Ciel and Lau were stunned. Soma... the incredibly hard to please Soma, had just praised Sebastian's curry to such an extent...! Chêne just sighed in relief and smiled.

"Congratulations, Sebastian. It looks like it's 'mission complete'." Chêne said, smiling brightly, as she took a bite of her curry too.

"But how did you manage to get it right in the span of an evening...?" Soma asked curiously. It was simply amazing that such a feat could be accomplished...

"Oh, pick me~!" Chêne said, smiling blissfully after tasting Sebastian's curry. Her happy aura was so strong, that there seemed to be sparkles and white roses blooming around her. "I think I know what it was~!" She said, grinning happily. Ciel sweat dropped. If he didn't know any better, he'd think Chêne was high... Why was she acting like a little girl in school...? Sebastian smiled wryly.

"Very well." Sebastian said, petting her on the head. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, but Chêne was in too good of a mood to care. "What is the secret ingredient, Chêne?"

"The delicious treat you're hiding in your tailcoat~!" Chêne cried cheerfully, throwing her hands in the air victoriously, as Sebastian pulled a bar of chocolate out from under his jacket.

"Correct. With this." Sebastian said, smirking, as he held up one of Funtom's chocolate bars. "Th–That is—" Ciel, said, startled. Even without reading the label, he would know that irritating cat in a crown logo design that Chêne had made for his company's chocolate bars anywhere!

"Chocolate!?" Everyone but Chêne (Who was happily eating her chocolate infused curry) yelled incredulously. Ciel sweat dropped. No wonder Chêne was acting so giddy... that chocoholic.

"The cacao of which chocolate is comprised was originally used as a spice due to its uniquely aromatic and savory flavor. Along with cacao, fats and oils, milk, and sugar are masterfully blended to create chocolate, which in turn contributes a rich body to the curry." Sebastian explained. "Moreover, Funtom's chocolate, being top quality as it is, contains the purest cacao. One would be hard pressed to find something better than this chocolate to make the ultimate curry, I daresay." Sebastian said, smirking as he handed Chêne the chocolate bar. Chêne took the chocolate bar, and held it as though it were extremely precious to her, smiling happily. She was like a cat that had just been given catnip. "I realized this as I was cleaning up from making the Young Master's requested Gateau au Chocolat. Thus you ended up assisting me." Sebastian told Ciel, smirking, knowing that doing so would serve to irritate Ciel even further.

"Tch!" Ciel said, clicking his tongue in irritation as he scowled, clearly disappointed. He had hoped he would at least get to see Sebastian struggle a little.

"Amazing, Ciel! Your ≤khansama≥ has caught up to divine curry in just one week!" Soma said excitedly, oblivious to Ciel's disappointment. "Maybe he can win against Agni—"

=†=†=†=†=

{Meanwhile, with West and Agni...}

"—Agni." West called, and Agni entered his Study. "Agni. All done, hm?" He asked, smirking.

"Yes... It's perfect." Agni said as he removed the silver cloche that was covering the curry, revealing a plate of divine curry with a vibrant color, rich aroma, and a beautiful blue lobster. "This will be my curry."

"Bengal's specialty is seafood. Likewise, your specialty's shellfish curry." West said. He smirked deviously. "But this time, we're not using any old prawns. We're using that noble woman!" West pulled some papers out of his desk and started flipping through them. He winked at Agni. "And thanks to you, all my rivals have withdrawn from the competition. The other participants are unheard of third-rate brands and a toy company popular with children." West said smugly as he tossed the papers on his desk.

"!?"Agni said. There was something familiar about that... He picked up the paper and read the company's name. "!!" He said, shocked. 'Funtom Corporation. Perhaps my prince is—!?' Agni thought nervously, wondering if there was still hope.

"Nn? What's with that face? Don't you worry. No one can beat us." West said confidently.

'My prince...!!' Agni thought anxiously, gritting his teeth in frustration at the situation they had all ended up in.

=†=†=†=†=

{Back at the Phantomhive Townhouse...}

"I hate to break it to you, but this won't be enough to beat them." Ciel said, raining on their little parade. Soma stared at Ciel, stunned. Why was he saying such a thing...?

"Ah... I was so excited that I almost forgot 'catching up' and 'winning' are two completely different things." Chêne said as she furrowed her brow slightly in disappointment. However, she noticed that Sebastian was just calmly staring back at Ciel, not looking the slightest bit upset or surprised.

"You've only just gotten to where you can compete equally with Agni and his curry of the gods. Right, Sebastian?" Ciel asked calmly as he propped his head up on one of his hands.

"Just so, Sir. That is currently where I stand." Sebastian said calmly. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as the demon butler suppressed a smirk.

"That face... have an ace up your sleeve, do you, Master Butler?" Lau asked, grinning.

"Indeed." Sebastian said, smiling his customary shit-eating grin.

"Great! What is it?" Chêne asked curiously, feeling relieved to know Sebastian had a plan. Sebastian smirked as he glanced at her.

"Although I would much rather wait until later to reveal my 'ace' as Mister Lau put it, I will admit that it was you who gave me the idea, Chêne." Sebastian said, flashing them all a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"Huh? When? I don't even remember seeing you this morning... except when you woke me up, when you kicked me out of the kitchen after I made Finni some jelly doughnuts, and just now when you brought out the curry..." Chêne said, confused.

"That's already quite a bit, if you ask me." Ciel deadpanned at her, before turning to Sebastian. "You'd better not be lying, you know." Ciel told his butler as he picked up his spoon.

"Of course. I have never told a lie." Sebastian said, smirking. "I shall obtain the Royal Warrant for Funtom Corporation. I stake my title as butler to the Phantomhive household upon it!" Sebastian said confidently.