Haruhi stood alongside the butler as Tamaki and his group sent off guests. She'd learned in terms of ranks amongst the maids she was required to meet and greet along with the butler. Haruhi managed to pull off the small dinner without too much trouble. A new maid accidentally crashed a cart into the door, so Haruhi had to shuffle some staff around to make it work while she'd cleaned the mess. But otherwise, she had very minimal issues following.
"That could've been better." Kyouya was smiling as the last of their guests left, keeping up the gentle aura he used only in the presence of outsiders. "But it also could've been much worse." His expression dropping, he glided past her back into the Castle. "He means that as a compliment." Tamaki winked and poked her on the nose. The twins were still away from the Castle, Haruhi hadn't heard of them since her first meeting of them. But their maids were exceptionally devoted workers in their absence.
"The cakes never ended!" Mitsukuni skipped along happily. Takashi bowed slightly, she reciprocated following in. She'd learned that while Takashi was a son from a house of wealth his home had traditionally been in service to Mitsukuni's family. So he'd made it clear he was not to be addressed in a higher esteem. Of course, Haruhi struggled with it still and refused to address him comfortably, even when he corrected her on it.
"Haruhi," Tamaki turned on his heel and stalked toward her. She stiffened, worried about what he intended to do. She was correct when he embraced her, swinging her wildly this way and that. His shoes clicked in time to some unknown rhythm over the shiny tiles as he swirled her over and over. "You've done so well!" He finally stopped spinning and she staggered to keep on her feet while he danced gracefully around the large entry way.
"Well, well boss you seem to have had fun without us." "And here we thought you might miss us." The twins laced arms around her shoulders grinning from ear to ear. Something about them felt off, she stifled a shiver.
"Shoo! Shoo!" Tamaki was holding their ears in a moment, yanking them a distance away from her. "You know better than to pester my dear Haruhi!" I'm not a child. She noticed a look pass from Kyouya to Tamaki she couldn't gauge. Something felt off about the atmosphere, she could smell it, like a sickening sweet scent. "It would be wisest Haruhi to give a much-needed vacation to our staff."
"Sir?" She had noted that the vacations in the books appeared often at random, and a note stated that there were no exceptions once the order was given. Haruhi filed that away in her head as something more to investigate at another time. "Yes, vacation is best this time of year." Tamaki made no offer to explain his decision, in fact the look he gave her told her if she asked more questions she'd be in trouble.
"Yes, I will see to it." She bowed ready to turn and leave. But she paused and turned back. "Am I to understand that we are to follow the same protocol of locking all doors and windows?" Kyouya smirked seeming pleased enough to turn and leave them. "Mori-san will be in charge of inspection, please send those home who are not on your list of necessary people." She bowed once more her eyes flickering for a moment to Hikaru who hadn't looked away from her. He unnerved her more than usual.
"Hikaru, Kaoru. To my office." The two gave him the most sarcastic of eye rolls. "That is an order." Haruhi left for her office to begin drawing up the order for vacation and pay. All the while she looked over the books again and again in hopes to find some reason why the vacations were so sporadic. The person who she followed closest to had been adamant in their notes that doors and windows be locked save for the main entrance that would be opened at first light.
'Draw all curtains, lock every entrance in or out of the Castle and do not peer out before first light. This is a guarantee. Do not go seeking for his Lord or his retainers under any circumstances.' Haruhi reread this hastily scribbled note in the ledger she'd used as her bible on how to operate the Castle and its staff. Everything in the ledger was so well planned and thought out she merely had to replicate the templates into her own ledger.
"Haruhi." She jumped meeting the eyes of Kyouya. Scrambling to her feet she lowered her head offering her seat to him which he declined. "I'm here to sort out the payments of staff being sent out of the Castle." She felt like her movements were slowed as she lifted the book that highlighted the entire Castles staff and pay as well as who was to stay during vacation and who was to be sent home.
"Hmmm I see." She stood nervous for some reason that he'd just slam the book down and start a lecture on her ability to keep the books in order. "We have significantly less staff than in previous years?" Over the past month Haruhi had done some preliminary tests on much of the Castle's internal staff, many of the seasonal staff had simply not been let go causing issues.
"There was an influx of workers for an event that were never let go. It was missed simply because the Head Maid at the time left the position before the end of the event and many staff just simply remained." Kyouya didn't say a word flipping through the book. "There were a number of staff who had caused disturbances in the ranks, so I shuffled everyone according to their pay and had the rest removed."
"You are much more useful than I initially thought." she was never sure if she should take what he said as compliments or jabs at her abilities. "Have each staff's wages calculated for 2 weeks and give them the cheques." He snapped the book shut, dropping it on the desk as if discarding trash. "Yes sir."
"Oh, and Haruhi?" He stopped turning just enough to look back at her. "You are not permitted to leave your room unless escorted. Mori-san will be at your service during those hours. I implore you to follow these rules with zero exception." She felt cold as he sauntered out the door taking all that was comfortable with him. The office felt huge and desolate of familiarity. It felt as if the lights dimmed several more times than normal. This was an absolute, break it and she may very well lose everything.
"...Cheques…" mechanically she reached for her chair seating herself to methodically, and rather quickly, write out the cheques and get notices ready for staff. She only had a few short hours before dawn, these needed to be handed out immediately.
"Ahh, vacation time again." Haruhi handed Toru his notice and pay in advance courtesy of Kyouya's chiling visit. She still felt the fear of his words in the pit of her stomach. "...do you think it's a bad time to ask her to marry me?" Haruhi blinked, looking at the man who embodied nerves of wet noodles. "I think she'll be more than thrilled." Toru was like a beacon of familiarity where Haruhi often felt out of place. Though the lingering questions still buzzed in her mind, she set herself the task of getting all the payments and notices to staff out before sunrise.
It was clear, the vacation procedure would begin the following sunrise for 2 weeks. The next night was to prepare the castle for fewer staff. Rooms would be locked, belongings packed and then the people would be sent off through the only remaining entryway. This included the old woman, and the butler. Haruhi was to remain now under the watchful eye of Takashi which made her stomach wriggle. She wasn't afraid of him, but she could never get comfortable with him next to her. She couldn't help but steal a glance to see if he might be making faces to himself.
The following night was a full and exhausting plate of tasks. From the moment Haruhi left her room she was moving from one end of the castle to the next, inspecting that nothing was missing in her list of important duties. One by one the staff lined up at the front entrance where Mitsukuni and Takashi stood. They seemed alert, she guessed the previous robbery attempt made for some unease. But the others in the castle were nowhere to be found.
"Good luck." Toru looked petrified, truly as Haruhi sent him and most of his staff off at sunrise. Many cars with family crests had come in droves to take people. Others left the gates on foot. "If I return having failed Haruhi, I will devote myself to cooking and nothing ever again." She smiled. He'd shown her a speech he'd written, brewed over and she knew he'd mess it up. But that's what made him so endearing, she hoped his fiancé would also see it the same way.
"Haru-Chan," she turned to see Mitsukuni smile before smacking Takashi on the shoulder. "I'm going home for now, but Takashi has orders to stay with you. Please keep him company." She felt a little embarrassed every time Mitsukuni spoke to her like this. "Remember to call for him as soon as you need any help!" Mitsukuni advanced, leaping at her into a quick hug before turning towards his room. She still couldn't quite look at Takashi directly, with his unwavering gaze it left her breathless.
"Are you going out?" The question threw her off a moment. But glancing at the light filtering in the entrance she remembered the rule. So long as she was escorted, she was permitted to leave during daylight hours. She shook her head.
"I will escort you to your room." Haruhi, not wanting to feel the emptiness of the Castle, nodded. It's not as if she really had anything else to do. She felt tired but also felt too anxious to relax, so she settled to walk in silence clasping her notebooks in her hands. I checked everything twice.
Dun dun dunnnnn! I hope you had a good week! I certainly had an ok week but I was heckin busy. I'm prepping for my dog to go into doggy school and boy oh boy is it a lot of things.
He's going to be gone for 2 whole weeks and I may or may not have cried yesterday as I started to prep pack his things for the weekend. But I remind myself its best for him, he needs the help that I am too inexperienced to give him. It'll be so odd not to have my boy welcome me home every day after work, the house will be quiet and...its only 2 weeks.
If I don't post the next couple of weeks its because I'll be going to visit him after work so I can become familiar with his training. But I may write out of pure boredom and loneliness. Have a good few weeks if I don't get to upload.