Morning came all too soon, breaking me away from my peaceful slumber. Just as yesterday, a gentle hand rubbed my ears while sweet coaxing persuaded my golden eyes to flutter open. Sebastian stared at me with a satisfied smile, leading my sluggish body out from under the sheets. I did my best to contain a yawn as my nightgown fell to the floor and was promptly replaced by another luxurious petticoat. Skilled hands laced through my hair to replicate the simple hairstyle I had yesterday. I purred in delight as he took time to brush my tail, smoothing out any light tangles it had gotten overnight. Content with my appearance, Sebastian prompt himself on one knee and held out his hand. Seeing an opportunity, I launched myself into his arms instead of taking his hand, knocking him down to the floor with me. A shiver ran down my spin as my ear pressed up against his rumbling chest.
"Now, that's no way for a lady to act," he scolded playfully, obviously more pleased with my playfulness then his words implied.
"I'm a feline before I am lady," I replied curtly, wrapping my arm around his neck. He again chuckled at my spoiled clinging and effortlessly picked himself off the ground with me in his arm. I let out a small squeak of surprise but giggled as he carried me out the door. Like yesterday, he brought me to the servant's quarters and left me to wake the men. I found myself awaking Mey-Rin with my rough tongue dancing on her cheeks, gaining an earful of high pitched squeals. With some pleasant words of good morning while Mey-Rin readied herself, we soon exited into the hallway where the others awaited us. Making our way down to the kitchen, I felt my breath hitch in my throat while listening to the servants discuss their plans for the day.
"We have lots of work to do today, we do," Mey-Rin sighed.
"Yeah, cooking luxurious dinner for this Italian guy is gonna take forever," Bard groaned.
"There've been a lot of bugs in the garden lately, so I got to take care of them today too!" Finny chirped.
My mind raced with questions of how I was going to help them all without another destroying something while having lessons. My face must've showed my worries because Sebastian softly stroked my tail. My thoughts became fuzzy as purrs took over my throat and pleasure overtook my mind. "It'll be fine," Sebastian cooed, smiling confidently at me.
My heart skipped a beat at his reassurance and I suddenly found it hard to look at his face but holding my ground, I replied, "Of course. A cat who can't do that much isn't worth her salt." Sebastian let out a quiet fit of laughter at my quoted words, his eyes twinkling mischievously at me. I suddenly felt a shiver run up my spin.
"You should be careful with what games you decide to play with me, little one," Sebastian whispered in my ears. My tail froze mid swing and I decided that skipped heartbeat must've been my animal instincts warning me. Luckily for me, we quickly reached the kitchen with breakfast already waiting for us. Slurping my milk and munching away at my breakfast, I soon found myself back in Ciel's room, watching Sebastian wake the young master up.
"Master. It is time for you to wake up," Sebastian stated, earning a weary groan from the young earl. Keeping his pleasant smile on his lips, Sebastian patiently awaited the young master to push himself up into a sitting position before continuing to serve Ciel breakfast. "For breakfast today, we have a lightly poached salmon accompanied by a delicate mint salad. I can also offer toast, scones, or pain de campagne. Which dish would you care for this morning?"
"A scone," Ciel grunted, tiredly eyeing the cart of foods. Sebastian swiftly bowed before continuing to go over, with Ciel, the day's schedule.
"Today you have a meeting with Mr. Hughes, the authority on the history of the Roman Empire. And this evening, Mr. Damiano of the Poseidon Company will be paying you a visit." A look of complete boredom poured over Ciel's face as he recognized the name of the man meeting him.
"Oh, is that the man I have in charge of stuffed animals at my factory in India?"
"Yes. I'm told he's Italian. We will of course offer him all the hospitality the estate can provide." Sebastian continued to pour tea into an elegant cup before handing it to the young master. He gingerly sipped at it, obviously enjoying the simple drink.
"I know this smell. Is this tea Earl Gray?"
"Yes, from Jacksons of Piccadilly," Sebastian silently praised approvingly.
"I shall wait for you at the dining table, Master." With that, Sebastian prompted me to follow him. I gave a flattered curtsy to Ciel before attaching myself to Sebastian's side once more. A quiet yelp escaped my lips as the young master texpertly threw an accurate dart at Sebastian's head. With a taunting smirk, Sebastian merely said, "Well thrown, my lord. Even so, let's save the games for later."
"Yes, I suppose you're right, Sebastian," Ciel agreed, a dark promise exchanged between the two of them. With that, we exited the young master's bedroom.
Even in the dinning room, Ciel continued to try to catch his demon butler off guard. Another dart was thrown at Sebastian but found it's way in Finny's head instead.
"Ow! Ow ow ow ow ow ow! What was that for, Master? What did I do?" the young gardener cried, cradling the spot that the dart had penetrated.
"Nothing. I don't need to justify my actions," Ciel huffed, turning away from the servants as he silently fumed over another miss. I bit back a sigh at his childish display but didn't stop a fond smile to wiggle across my lips. Although a bit more violent then other kids, Ciel seemed to be a child at art when he did things like this. I was quickly snapped out of my thoughts when Sebastian planted himself firmly in front of the other four servants. His eyes narrowed into a dark glare.
"There you are! Have you finished weeding the courtyard, Finny? Mey-Rin, have you washed all the beddings? Baldroy, shouldn't you be preparing for tonight's dinner? Tanaka... well, I suppose you're all right as you are. Now all of you, we have no time for thumb twiddling this morning. So get to work!" I watched the three younger servants salut to the demon butler, yelling out a synchronized affirmative before rushing off to preform their duties. I shyly found myself tugging at Sebastian's tailcoat. He seemed a bit surprised but quickly replaced his glare with a gentle smile and placed his hand on my head. "Yes, little one?"
"Should I be doing anything specific today?" I asked, nervously glancing towards where the other servants had run off to. "Like helping the others . . . precent certain mishaps?" Sebastian lightly chuckled at my ending words but shook his head.
"No, you will be joining the young master in his history lesson this morning. After that, I will be having you help me," he explained. I nodded understandingly, praying the others wouldn't do anything too rash for the couple hours I would be learning. Despite the anxiety the other servants were unintentionally causing me, I found myself excited for my first lesson. It was a true privilege being educated and I only knew so much about biology from listening to the scientists around me when they experimented on me. Sebastian noticed my eagerness to learn and rubbed my head calmingly. I found myself wrapping my arms around his waist and curling my tail around his leg in appreciation.
"Thank you."
A weary moan escaped my lips as I finished my first lesson. All the information crammed into my mind in the short few hours swirled in my head, repeating itself over other bits of information and jumbling into confusing static. Sebastian let out an amused chuckle as I held my head, reassuringly stroking my tail.
"It'll get easier," he promised.
"I hope so," I sighed, getting up from my seat. After being excused by the young master, I followed Sebastian out of the room.
"I must go do some work now for our guest. Please go check up on the other servants and try to help them," Sebastian instructed. I happily nodded and snuggled up to him for a quick moment before disappearing down the stairs. I found my way to the kitchen where I overhear the servants enthusiastically pep talking each other.
"A guest is comin'. All right, then this is our chance. Sebastian looks down on us all the time. Today we will be so perfect he won't even know what 'it 'im. 'Ah!'. Yeah, that's what he is gonna say," Bard confidently grinned earning strong nods from the other two servants.
"Ah!" they echoed.
"That's for him to say, not you," Bard grunted.
Mey-Rin blushed but quickly clapped her hands together as she cheerfully said, "Oh, that's a good idea!"
"Right, we have to stop relying on Sebastian for everything!" Finny agreed, determination in his tightened fist.
"It's settled then, we got a plan of attack!" Bard confirmed.
"Let's get to it!" they all grinned, rushing off to their respective tasks. I held back a groan. I just hope their newfound excitement won't cause any extra trouble. Apparently wasting no time to get started, the sound of a flustered Mey-Rin and crashes fell onto my ears. I quickly rushed over to my fellow maid but the Finny's sobs had me turning towards the door. Before I could make it halfway towards the garden, an explosion shook the kitchen.
"The battle begins," I mutter out loud, trying to figure how I was going to help the clumsy trio.
Hours after running around and trying to help one servant, only to have the other two destroy something else, Sebastian came to check up on us. He threw me a sympathizing look as I draped myself over Tanaka to give my tired legs a small break.
"Now, how exactly did this happen?" Sebastian gritted out, staring blankly at the three servants.
Finny nervously started, dejectedly replying, "I thought things would go faster if I used extra strength weed-killer on the garden."
Mey-Rin followed next with, "I was trying to reach the tea set we use for guests, but I tripped and the cabinet fell!"
Finally, Bard grumbled, "There was a lot of meat to be cooked for dinner, and it was gonna take a long time, so uh, I used me flamethrower."
Mey-Rin and Finny wasted no time to bow and cry out, "Oh, we're so sorry. We didn't mean to."
"All this mess caused even with Lucille doing her best to support you three, I bet." I could basically see Sebastian's margarine pounding at his head as he checked his pocket watch. I weakly comforted the servants apologizing to me and instead pondered how we could fix everything. Cooking normal food would take far too long when there's so much cleaning to do and we have to somehow revitalize the gardens as well. If only we could serve a dish that didn't require cooking. I glanced down at Tanaka, finding myself looking at his cup of green tea. I suddenly remembered one of the scientist telling her cowoker of the exotic foods she had eaten on her trip of Japan. She gushed about the green tea, but also about how a lot of Japanese cuisine was served raw. With my new idea, I quickly tugged at Sebastian's tailcoat again. He broke out of his deep thinking and eyed me curiously.
"Um, Se-Se," I started, suddenly second guessing my idea. Ignoring my doubts, I continued to explain my idea. "I was looking at Tata's teacup when I remembered I had once heard that a lot of Japanese cuisine is served raw so that would be able to save us a lot of time cooking." Sebastian's eyes lit up in relief as he stared at the green cup in the old butler's hand. "I don't know what we can do about the garden or the decorations though," I sighed. Sebastian chuckled at my downheartedness and pulled me into a quick embrace.
"No little one, you may have proven your worth once again," he whispered in my ear. I quietly squeaked in surprise, enjoying his compliment. Sebastian allowed me to slip out of his hold and captured the attention of the other three by grabbing Tanaka's green, teacup. "Everyone. Listen closely and do exactly as I say, understand? We must be quick about this. We might save this night yet."
A lump wedged itself in my throat as the door opened to reveal our Italian guest, Damiano, examining the gardens. With only two hours, I had been rushed from one location to the next to help make this plan work. I stifled a sigh of relief as Damiano marveled at the garden. "Oh, how impressive!" he grinned, earning a proud smile from Finny.
Although still flustered, we all quickly bowed and curtsied before the nobel men and synced our words to say, "Hello, welcome sir." Sebastian wasted no time in explaining the garden, no doubt embedding his accomplishment in the man's mind.
"This is called a stone garden. It is a traditional feature in Japan."
Damiano nodded in understanding. "Ah, prodigioso! Wonderful! Truly an elegant garden."
Sebastian smiled pleasantly, bowing in thanks of the compliment as expected of a servant. "We thought it appropriate to serve dinner al fresco this evening. Allow me to escort you inside until the meal is ready." Damiano bellowed out in laughter as he followed the demon butler towards the drawing room.
"I should have expected this from a Phantomhive. I cannot wait to see what else is in store!"
As they left our view, Baldo let out the groan of relief I had been holding back. "Phew, We actually did it."
Finny was quick to nod as he stared at the garden he had once destroyed. "Who would've thought a dozen box of gravel could turn into an amazing garden?" I nodded in agreement, having trouble imagining how the change between the plant graveyard turned into a refined garden.
Sebastian suddenly appeared before us, his pocket watch out. "Naturally we were able to handle this. We serve the Phantomhive family after all. There's still work to be done. Let's take care of it while the master is talking business with his guest. Look sharp now."
Energized by their first success, the servants quickly saluted and replied "Right!" I smiled at the demon and nodded silently, latching myself to his side.
A silent yawn found it's way to my lips as I pushed myself to stay by Sebastian's side. We entered the kitchen to find Bard diligently slicing the meat as Sebastian had instructed. "How is it going?" he suspiciously asked, eyeing the kitchen for signs of weapon use.
Bard grunted, "I'm doin' it like you said to. Is this really what you want?"
Sebastian nodded firmly, "Yes, this looks excellent." Just as he finished looking at the kitchen, Mey-Rin's chipper voice rang out over rushed footsteps.
I looked over to see Mey-Rin running over to us with boxes of china in her hand. "Sebastian! Found 'em!" Fear wiggled into my mind and for good reason as Mey-Rin tripped on her own feet. Before I could blink, Sebastian was holding Mey-Rin in his arms, his hands and one of his legs all balencing a box on them. Although relieved to see the maid unharmed and the china unbroken, I couldn't help but frown at the sight of the mind in Sebastian's arms. I wasn't used to seeing him give any affectionate attention or touches to anyone other then me. Selfish, but I didn't like it.
"Oh, honestly. How many times have I told you not to run inside the manor, Mey-Rin?" he scolded, effortlessly pushing her off his body and throwing the boxes all onto one hand. I felt the urge to rush over and snuggle myself in his arms instead but held myself back, instead opting and let out a strained giggle.
"I'm so sorry, sir! My glasses cracked and I can't see a thing!" she stuttered, blood leaking from her nose. Another wave of worry found it's way to me as I rushed over to the bleeding maid.
Seemingly ignoring the blood dripping from Mey-Rin, Sebastian checked the time again. "These are the last items we needed for dinner. Splendid work, everyone. And now I believe you can leave the rest of it to me and relax for a bit. But I need you to do well, very well, during dinner tonight.
Bard paled as he nervously stated, "He said it twice."
Finny shared his sudden lose of color and added, "Oh, that's serious."
Dinner time came too fast for my liking. I had tried to take a nap but found my nerves of the upcoming dinner too unsettling. I ended up hiding behind one of the shrubs in the garden, watching Sebastian introduce the meal to Damiano. "On tonight's menu is a dish of finely-sliced raw beef donburi courtesy of our chef Baldroy."
The Italian noblemen frowned at the display in front of him. "A pile of raw beef. And this is dinner?"
Sebastian placed his hand over his heart as he started a passionate speech to fool Damiano to feeling as if this was our intention. "Yes, but surely you have heard of it? This, good sir, is a traditional Japanese delicacy, a dish offered as a sign of gratitude to someone who has accomplished important work. That, sir, is the wonder of donburi!"
Fooled by the strong declaration, Damiano stuttered out, "Oh, donburi!"
Sebastian continued to fed to the man's ego. "This is a token from our master, to show his thanks for all your hard work on the company's behalf. He wanted you to know that it's much appreciated."
Finny stirred next to me, admiration and respect pooling in his blue eyes. "Now that's our Sebastian for you!"
Surprisingly, Bard nodded in agreement, showing his own respect towards the butler. "He saved the day." Tanaka merely laughed out his usual laugh as he sipped at his tea.
The Italian nobleman's voice caught out attention. "Excellent, what an inspired idea! The legendary Phantomhive hospitality in action!"
Sebastian nodded motioning towards Mey-Rin who held a bottle of wine in her hands. "The vintage we are pouring tonight was specially selected to compliment the flavor of soy sauce. Mey-Rin." Mey-Rin didn't move from her spot, seemingly frozen in fear. "Now, Mey-Rin," Sebastian repeated, his shoulder slightly tensing up.
His second promo seemed to bring the maid out of her daze and she struggled to say, "Yes, sir!" Even so, she didn't move.
Again, Sebastian seemed to tense up more. "Why are you just standing there? Pour the man a glass of wine," he gritted out.
Seemingly just realizing what she was doing, she nodded furiously and replied, "Of course, yes, sir!"
"Hey . . ." Bard suddenly said, gaining Finny's and my attention.
"What?"
"Is it just me or is Mey-Rin acting a little strange?" The maid was instead walking towards the table in an odd fashion, her limbs looking as stiff as a plank of wood. Her hands trembled as she tipped the bottle, pouring a stream of wine into Damiano's glass. I couldn't stop myself from letting out a noise of surprise when Mey-Rin continued to pour more then enough into the glass.
Finny whispered with panic coating his tone, "Mey-Rin, stop it! Can't you see you're spilling the wine?" Of course she couldn't hear him and didn't let up from her pouring. I let another noise of alarm, louder then the last, as the wine started to drip toward's the Italian nobleman's lap. Sebastian's ears seemed to perk up at that moment and he pulled the white table cloth off the table with such agility, none of the silverware or food was disturbed.
Damiano, who had been oblivious to maid's flustered mistake suddenly realized the missing table cloth. "Oh? Where did the tablecloth a-go?" he asked, surprise painting his face.
Ciel smiled a small, secretive smile to himself and replied, " A speck of dirt, most unsightly. I had the cloth removed so it wouldn't distract us. Think nothing of it."
Following up on his master's excuse, Sebastian added, "Please accept my apologies, sir. Do continue. Enjoy the meal at your leisure."
Damiano, strangely buying the excuse, happily said, "Oh, Oh my! Lord Phantomhive, once again you have truly impressed me. What an able butler you've acquired."
Sharing a knowing look with the said butler, Ciel replied, "Pay him no mind. He merely act as befits one of my servants."
Taking the chance to say his frequent catchphrase, "My master is quite correct about that. Naturally, you see, I am simply one hell of a butler." Apparently loosing their usual word game, Ciel let off with a small huff. Bard, Finny and I shared a sigh of weariness, relief blooding our bodies. The many events had tired us out mentally and physically. We could only hope nothing else would happen for the night.
"Yes but it seems like you have a rare maid here as well!" Damiano bellowed out. I eyed Mey-Rin wondering if he was referring to her hair color. "That white haired maid with cat ears." My heart stopped as I realized he was talking about me. "Although a bit thin, she's quiet attractive. She must be able to please you greatly if you're keeping her, young earl." A snarl tugged at my lips. He was calling me a whore. I turned to leave before I did something to disrupt the dinner. Bard and Finny glanced at me nervously but turned their gaze back to the table when Sebastian's voice rang out.
"She is a dear maid here that we're delighted to house and doesn't preform any of the dirty services that it seems you have your maids preform." I turned back to see Sebastian's smile strained and Ciel seemingly amused by Sebastian's outburst. The Italian nobleman quickly apologized and changed the subject. I smiled in thanks and found myself a bit surprised when Sebastian's eyes met mine. I silent mouthed some quick words to him before leaving.
"You certainly are a butler worth his salt."
Silently hiking up the stairs, I wearily made my way towards the bedrooms to change the sheets. I had asked Mey-Rin to attempt to mop the first floor while I worked on the upper level. Luckily, she quickly agreed and so here I was. I jumped back when the drawing room suddenly opened, Damiano appearing from the room. His footsteps were heavy as he stormed in the other direction, not noticing my presence. Curiosity gnawed at me and I couldn't stop my legs from following the man. He entered the telephone room, cupping his hand over the receiver as he harshly whispered into it.
"I'm-a tired of-a babysitting this-a child earl . . . Yes, I've already sold off the factory. Now all that's left is to pocket the extra cash. I'm trying to squeeze more out of the brat right now . . . The employees? Who cares about them?" I let out a low growl at his words, rage pulsing through my body. My hidden claws itched to come out and threaten the foolish man. I flinched back into the shadows as he turned towards the door, suspiciously examining where I was hiding. A moment later, he continued his conversation. "Never mind. The rest of the formalities are for you to deal with . . . No, it'll be easy . . . Please, he's only a child."
Before another growl could alert him of my presence, I fled the area, searching for Sebastian. I was in the library when a loud scream pierced my ears. I gasped in surprise, cradling my sensitive ears before rushing towards the source of the sound. Damiano was at the foot of the stairs, his leg twisted in an abnormal position. Although I was angry at the con for trying to trick the young master, my natural instinct had me crouching near him, trying to examine in injury.
"Please stay still so I can see to your leg," I huffed, as he clawed at the floor to crawl away from an invisible monster he as murmuring about.
Bard and Finny appeared at the top of the stairs, worry and concern in their eyes and a huge portrait of a beautiful couple in their hands. Damiano let out a strangled cry and forced himself up onto his good foot. I reached out to help him but he quickly lashed out, the back of his hand meeting my cheek. Mey-Rin was quickly by my side, soothing my cheek. Shock numbed the pain and I silently watched the man hobble away from us. Sebastian suddenly materialized in front of me, his eyes trained on my cheek. Mey-Rin took away her hand for Sebastian to see it flushed red, lightly swelling up. Anger danced in his eyes as he strained to keep his voice level.
"Surly you aren't leaving the manor yet, sir? We haven't given you the full Phantomhive treatment yet. We still have to serve dessert. You've lost a leg, remember? Now you can only move half the number of spaces. So why not just relax a bit and make yourself at home?"
I sat in the kitchen with the other three servants, ice pressed up against my cheek as we lazily spoke. The comfortable words froze as a scream penetrated the air. Bard was the first to speak up.
"What was that? Someone screamed."
Finny's voice dripped with nervousness. "Don't know." The unease in his voice was quickly replaced by excitement as Sebastian walked into the room. "Oh, hi Sebastian!"
Sebastian nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you for your hard work today. As a reward how would you like some lemon meringue pie? The sugar will give you energy."
Finny and Bard were quick to praise the demon for their reward, eyes sparkling as they drooled at their chance for desert.
"Sebastian! You're such a nice person! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
"Thank you so much Sebastian! Thank you!"
Sebastian didn't answer their praises and instead walked over to me, cupping my face softly. I leaned into his touch but flinched when my cheek let out another throb. Sebastian's eyes slightly narrowed. "Oh, yes, and Bald, a workman will be coming by in the morning. When he arrives kindly let him know we'll be needing our oven thoroughly cleaned."
Confusion washed over Bard's face as he muttered, "Huh? The oven?"
Night finally fell onto the manor, everyone readying themselves for bed. I silently sat in the bathtub, swatting away at the bubbles. Sebastian was gently rubbed my tail, pausing my play with my bubbles and filling the bathroom with my purrs. Sebastian's tense shoulders seemed to relax at the sound. His anger that had been radiating off him settled down into a mild irritation. It unsettled me - this newfound emotion Sebastian's shown me. Perhaps it's because of this gentle touch he give me, but I had forgotten that demons were made to be cruel beings. The thought brought an uncomfortable lump to my throat.
"Se-Se? I-I'm sorry we allowed our guest get hurt," I muttered, looking away from the butler as I apologized in shame. "Even if we was going to try to trick the young master."
"Is that what you think I'm angry about, little one?" he questioned, his eyes baring into my face. I shifted my gaze down and nodded. I heard him sigh and move away from my tail before feeling his hands softly cup my face. My eyes went against my will and peered into Sebastian's. He smiling gently with a wistful undertone. "I'm not mad about that," he whispered, one hand leaving my face to smooth through my hair. "I hate to see such a disgusting pig leave a mark on you."
For some reason, tears sprung to my eyes at his words. The throbbing in my cheek intensified and my heart decided to join with it. I selfishly wrapped my arms around his neck, their collar dampening at my wet touch. "It hurt and I was scared. He wanted to hurt Ciel," I lightly sobbed, struggling to keep my voice at a whisper. Sebastian didn't answer, only stroking my ears as he allowed me to find comfort in his arms. "And and and," I repeated, trying to pull the right words to my mouth. "And if he tried to hurt Ciel, I know you would try to protect him and you could've gotten hurt." Sebastian finally reacted to my words, lightly chuckling.
"No, I wouldn't allow myself to get hurt by that scum, little one. It was my mistake to allow you to get hurt by him. I apologize." I silently stayed in his hold for a few more moments before allow him to pick me up and drying me off. Once I was in my silk, nightgown, he scooped me into his arms and brought me to his room. As he did before, he gently tucked me into the bed before placing himself next to me. I wrapped my arms around his waist, smiling as he wrapped an arm around my own body. I purred in delight.
"Good night, Sebastian."
"Good night, little one."