STABLE BOY ; Trash of the Count's Family

02. TEA HOUSE

He did not fall asleep on the wheel.

South managed to stop Young Master Cale in front of the Poetry & Tea House without killing anyone or himself. Thank everything holy and evil in this world, he got to live another day, thank the gods.

Actually, no, fuck them, it's their fault he's in this situation anyway.

"You may go."

South had to do a double take, "whuh?" then, because he was too embarrassed by whatever that sound was supposed to be, he corrected himself, "are you sure, Young Master? You don't need me to pick you up?"

"No," he waved him away like some pest, "just leave and go back. I'll return on my own."

Certainly, that wouldn't be anything new, but it still felt odd to drive the carriage without a passenger in it. At least South was only risking his own life on the way back.

"Goodbye, plot armour," South whispered as he waved to Cale who went inside. Cale of course did not even look back in response.

He then turned to the hardworking horses.

"I love you two, but I also know that if I fall off you will trample over me without mercy," he says. The horses look back at him in unison, heads tilted and wondering why they're not moving yet. "Hey, Horsejamin, Julianeigh, you two won't immediately run off without me, right? Please tell me you love me enough to not leave me stranded here."

Horsejamin bleated at him.

South didn't speak horse language, but he was sure that was a nah, you're on your own.

"Traitorrrr," South mourned into his knees, the reins in his hands, "I don't wanna drive back, I'm tired, the world's spinning, I wanna sleep!!!"

Julianeigh sighed unsympathetically. How is a horse sighing?

"Do you make a habit of talking to horses all the time?"

"GYAAAHHH!! YOUNG MASTER CALE I THOUGHT YOU WENT INSIDE?!"

"Stop serenading the horses, you're embarrassing the Henituse house."

"Y-yes, young master."

"And stay here. I'll ask Billos to take care of this carriage," Cale said. "I don't trust you to make it back in your state."

"Whuh?"

"I'm worried about the horses."

"Whuh???"

-

And that's how South found himself in Billos's teahouse, on the third floor, sipping on some tea that wasn't sour at all.

It's completely empty, and that's a good thing, considering Cale told him to get comfortable on one of the couches and not get up.

"Don't follow me if I leave either. If you wake up and I'm not here, I'm coming back."

Then, sternly,

"You're not getting home on your own. I don't want you to walk into the river."

South was supposed to be watching over the young master, but somehow, the positions have reversed. He's not happy about this but he's too tired to care. He knocked right out on the couch and then he was utterly dead to the world.

-

He woke up a little later and Cale wasn't there, and then he suddenly remembered what Cale came here to do.