Dinner had been served, though not everyone was eating in the same room.
The servants, Hannah, Finnian, and Mey-Rin, were inside of the kitchen, sitting at a table together as they ate. Or rather, Mey-Rin and Finnian ate, while Hannah simply drank some cider. She didn't need food, being a demon, so she was being polite and keeping them company. They weren't bad for humans, after all; at least they didn't ramble on and on about foolish things.
"This really is quite good, Hannah," Finnian told her, giving her a slight smile. "Where'd you learn how to cook? Mr. Sebastian is quite good at it as well, but he never reveals his secrets, you know..."
"Oh, I just finished up what Claude had started," Hannah protested, a little embarrassed. She could cook, but she wasn't going to take credit for something she had not done. "He does the cooking around here most of the time, but I suppose I'll be cooking until Sebastian is well again. Claude taught me everything he knows about cooking, truthfully. A lot of what I know I learned from him."
Mey-Rin was a little surprised, looking thoughtful for a few moments as she chewed. "I'd never have thought he had the patience or inclination to do something like that," she admitted freely, meeting Hannah's gaze directly. "But since he is going to such trouble to care for Mr. Sebastian, I am glad for that."
"There is much about Claude that you don't see or understand, Mey-Rin; you would learn it if you spent more time around him, but since our masters don't always get along, that would be rather difficult." Hannah was smiling a little, for she knew that Claude had ulterior motives in why he was caring for Sebastian, though she wasn't going to tell anyone else. It was nice to have a secret that no one else knew right now. "Sebastian will be fine, I'm sure of it. Claude knows what to do for him, much better than anyone else would...."
"I hope he'll get better soon," Finnian murmured, looking a little worried. "Ever since I've known him, he's never been sick before. It must be something bad to make him so sick..." Taking a drink of his milk, he sighed softly, being careful not to break the glass when he set it back down. He was reassured by Hannah's words, though, that Sebastian would be all right. "I'm sure Mr. Sebastian will be back to normal soon; he'll be lecturing me for breaking things or killing part of the garden, and Baldroy for using a flamethrower to cook, and you for breaking something, Mey-Rin..." He laughed, a joyful sound that made the two women smile, for it was happy and cheerful, something that hadn't been heard in this house for a very long time.
Hannah's smile was a little wistful, though she was genuinely happy. It just seemed a little sad to her that such a sound was the first she had heard here and it wasn't even one of the people who lived in this estate laughing. "It's nice to have someone as happy as you are here, Finnian," she told him, her eyes a little softer now. "These halls haven't heard laughter since long before I came here with my master..."
Mey-Rin gave her a sympathetic look; the Phantomhive manor would be silent, too, if Finnian weren't there. Their master had never laughed aloud, at least not where they could hear him do so. "Tis a shame, yes it is," she mused, "that such a sound should be silenced in our masters in such cruel ways..."
The three shared a look of understanding, even Finnian, for they all knew of what had befallen both Ciel Phantomhive and Alois Trancy in their pasts, though they would not bring up such things with words. It would bring the pain of the past into the present, something that none of them needed, but the understanding, sympathy, and genuine caring for their masters was what motivated them to protect Ciel and Alois at all costs.
Things were not nearly so pleasant for Ciel as he ate with Alois alone in the main dining hall, slightly flustered as the latter kept trying to feed him, cajoling him with smiles and teasing him with words. A distinct blush had taken residence on his face, as he came very close to pouting, much like Alois Trancy was prone to do.
