Sebastian gently closed Mey Rin's door and sighed heavily.
"My, my, she would pick the wrong time to fall ill now wouldn't she?" He rubbed his right temple with his hand as he flipped open his pocket watch with the other.
"Goodness, I'm strapped for time now. I have to make sure Bard doesn't burn dinner, and I still have to do Mey Rin's share of work."
Sebastian suddenly smelled a faint aroma wafting about the air. It smelled smokey.
"Speak of the devil…" Sebastian quietly made his way to the kitchen to find all was normal with Bard. He was preparing Young Master's meal just the way Sebastian had instructed. A strange, yet welcome change.
"Hey there, Sebastian!" Bard greeted, looking up from stove. "Smells good, eh?"
"I can't really tell. Have you burned something?" Sebastian inquired, examining the kitchen as if he were hiding it from him.
"No, I haven't burnt anything. There's a bit of old food in the oven that started burning up when I got er' fired up."
The butler nodded slightly as he removed his overcoat. "Make sure you get that cleaned up right away when you've finished."
"Yes sir!"
Sebastian rolled up his sleeves and retrieved a pot from the overhead cabinets.
"Mey Rin has fallen ill, I'm afraid." He said, lighting a match to start the stovetop burner.
"Aw, really?" Bard frowned as he transferred his finished dish to a serving platter. "Poor thing has a cold? I noticed that she was all sniffley today."
"Yes, indeed. That means I need you and Finny to step it up this week while she recovers. Hopefully she will be better by the time the Young Master's Ball begins."
Sebastian filled his pot halfway with water, as he swiftly gathered other ingredients for his concoction. Bard raised an eyebrow,
"Say, you gonna help me out in here?" He joked. "I've only got a few things to do, but go ahead." Sebastian smirked in response.
"Sorry to disappoint, Bard, but if Mey Rin is going to get better, she needs to eat something that will soothe as well as nourish."
"And that would be…? What exactly?"
"What do you always eat when you're ill? Chicken soup of course." Sebastian responded. He heated the water and added some chicken broth; already made and stocked in the back.
"It goes down easier with a sore throat, and makes one feel better, yes?" Sebastian washed his hands and began chopping some vegetables to go with.
Bard leaned against the counter for a moment and shoved a cigarette to his mouth. The Butler scowled; Sebastian told him time and time again it wasn't proper to smoke in the kitchen. Bard didn't seem to get the hint.
"Are you almost finished with Young Master's dinner?" Sebastian asked menacingly, "Remember what I discussed with all three of you? If you have time to lean, you have time to clean, yes?"
Bard straightened his posture and threw up a salute. "Yes sir, sorry sir!"
.
.
"Bard made this by himself?" Ciel's eyes widened in surprise. "Its…its..really good." He sampled another piece of the seasoned Beef Bard had prepared. It was tender and juicy, instead of hard and rubbery like it normally came out. "Are you sure you didn't help him?" Ciel eyed his Butler suspiciously. "Remember, you can't lie to me." Sebastian let out an amused laugh.
"I assure you, Young Lord, Bard made it all his own without burning, or blowing up a thing. I will admit, I supervised him finish it. And I even took the liberty of preparing desert."
"Good, even if Bard has improved his cooking skills, I know he could never beat your sweets." Ciel smiled and sipped his goblet of water.
"By the way, where has Mey Rin been? I haven't seen her all evening. I trust that you've talked to her?"
"It seems she is too ill to work, Young Master. I figure that is why she has been clumsier than usual."
"Just make sure she gets better. We can't afford her to miss the Ball. All the servants must be present."
"Yes my Lord." The Butler checked the time on his pocket watch yet again. "Please excuse me, Young Master. The soup I have prepared for Mey Rin should be finished now. I shall bring it to her at once."
Ciel merely nodded and continued with his meal.
Sebastian gathered all necessary items and placed them on the wheeling tray he normally used to bring Ciel his tea throughout the day. Silverware, napkins, plates. He stole a few leftover dinner rolls to go with it. He poured the soup into the biggest bowl he could find and placed a lid on top to keep it hot. In addition to the soup, he prepared a special tea with special herbal medicine to clear up her congestion.
"Ah, the things I do as a Butler in the Phantomhive house…" he said to himself as he wheeled the tray down the hallway.
Suddenly, he was hit by that smokey smell again.
"What the devil?"
He glanced down the hallway, back and forth, but no signs of smoke or fire anywhere. He lightly tapped on the Maid's bedroom door.
"Mey Rin? I have something for your cold."
"WHAAAAAA!" she shrieked. "Just-Just a second!"
Sebastian scowled and ignored her request, turning the doorknob hastily. As he swung the door open, he found himself engulfed in smoke.
"What did you do?!"
Mey Rin's curtains were ablaze as she frantically tried fanning it out. "I'm sorryyyyy Sebastian!" she cried. "I lit a candle because it was getting dark and it caught me curtains on fire!"
With one swift motion, Sebastian grabbed the kettle of hot water for Mey Rin's tea and threw it over the fire, putting it out instantly. Mey Rin froze, her face turned a bright shade of pink as she covered her face with her hands.
"Thank you, Sebastian." She mumbled quietly. "I'm-I'm sorry!"
"Fanning a fire only fuels it to burn more furiously." He said, setting the kettle back upon the tray. "Honestly, Mey Rin, you didn't know that?" He huffed in annoyance.
"I'm sorry. I just panicked…"
"Well, it was a good thing I came when I did. You could have hurt yourself."
Mey Rin blushed even harder at those words. Was he actually worried?
"That smoke can't be good for your congestion either." Sebastian opened Mey Rin's window slightly to let out the smoke.
Maybe. Maybe not though…It was just his job.
"Here." Sebastian handed Mey Rin her bowl and a spoon as she sat on her bed.
"You need nourishment. It will help you get better faster. Make sure to eat it all if you really desire to attend the Ball."
Mey Rin's stomach filled with butterflies as a smile of amusement came across the Butler's face. It was obvious this time that he was going to put this incident to rest.
"Please excuse me, I shall return with more water for your tea. It's a special remedy I picked up while shopping in town a while back. I figured we'd eventually need it should someone catch a cold here at the Phantomhive's."
Mey Rin simply stared at him, frozen and dumbfounded.
"I-I…"
"Eat now." Sebastian urged. "It will get cold."
Sebastian bowed his head lightly and turned to leave, retrieving the kettle first.
"Thank you, Sebastian." Mey Rin said softly. "Really…"
Sebastian stopped and met the Maid's eyes. He smiled widely, lifting a finger to his lips.
"Now, now, If I couldn't do something as simple as taking care of a sick Phatomhive servant, then what kind of Butler would I be?"