That Butler, New Face

That Butler, Startled

"—Hmm. So that's how it is," Ciel said, on the phone with an important source of information. "Now it all makes sense... since I'm not all that familiar with the state of affairs in Germany myself."

"Gracious! Your disagreeable traits are growing to resemble Vincent's more and more," the older man said on the other end of the phone. "... Don't do anything stupid now."

"I won't," Ciel promised. "Speak to you soon." He hung up the phone.

"Young Master, it is nearly time," Sebastian announced, opening the study's door to speak to him.

"Right," Ciel said. He paused to glance out the window and furrowed his brow at the dark, cloudy sky. "It looks like rain."

=†=†=†=†=†=

SHHH.

The rain hit them fast, pattering against the window panes so hard that Chêne could hear it over the others talking. She hoped Jasper II would be alright in the kitty shelter she made for her. She did make sure it was raised well above the flood line when she built it.

"Awww, bother~! It's started to pour," Finni said, staring up at the kitchen window.

"Hohhh!" Tanaka said, staring with him.

"Don'tcha think it's 'cos that young master of ours is doin' somethin' outta the ordinary?" Bard suggested with a smirk.

"Bard!! You're being rude!" Mei-Rin scolded him. She and Chêne were carrying plates and silverware to the dinning room to finish setting up for their guests.

"I haven't seen a rain like this since we did a rain dance in Girl Scouts and accidentally summoned a tropical storm..." Chêne mumbled under her breath, but Sebastian caught it as he entered the room and smirked. That must have been some dance. He put on a more serious expression and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

CLAP. CLAP.

"The dinner party has not been rained out! No staring off into space now!" he reminded them. "The guests will be arriving at any moment. When guiding the guests through to the dining room, remember it should be done by order of their status! Avoid mistakes! Please have them wait in the vestibule upon entry. Understand!?"

"Yes!!" Finni and Chêne answered promptly, as they and everyone but Bard saluted.

"Yes, I do!" said Mei-rin.

"Yeppp," Bard said.

"Hoh!" Tanaka chimed in.

=†=†=†=†=†=

In the vestibule (which Chêne liked to think of as the 'main foyer') the doctor stood all alone, watching the other guests chat with each other.

'What am I... even doing here?' he asked himself, sweating nervously. Despite the forced smile on his face, it was obvious he was uncomfortable with the social situation. All of the other guests were dressed finely, while all he had was his tweed suit. 'Why, that's Irene, the opera singer, isn't it?' he thought, looking at the beautiful blonde woman talking to a man with a seahorse earring in one ear. 'And isn't the man beside her the stage director Grimsby Keane?' The other two conversing with each other were a timid man and bold man with a hands flush with the sparkle of diamonds. 'Not to mention that fellow there is the son of a distinguished shipbuilding magnate.' Couldn't say he looked one, though. The man with him laughed. 'And that loud fellow has diamonds on all his fingers!' How rich was he!? 'And then you have someone like me, who's not even in evening dress...' He felt something bump into him. "Ah. Excuse m—!?" he started to apologize politely out of habit, when he found himself staring at a healthy bosom. It belonged to a beautiful Chinese lady in a revealing dress, who was accompanied by a Chinese man in traditional formal dress from his country.