When you've led both reaper and demon to the loungeroom to deliver the gifts the three of you part ways. Sebastian and Grell heading to the games room where the guests and Ciel have no doubt begun discussing the matter of drug traffickers, as per the show. You, on the other hand, were left without much direction, aside from Sebastian telling you that he'd come to collect you when you were needed. His words exactly.

Something about the way he says he will 'collect' you makes him seem even more inhuman that you already knew he was. You'd think he would know that an everyday human would say they'd come to 'get' you. Same meaning but a little less... possessive. 

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ ⟨ ⏣ ⟩ ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

You pass the time by trying to find where the other three members of staff had found themselves, knowing that wherever it was, they were probably causing problems. You first check the kitchen, the upper right wing and then back down to the loungeroom, wondering if maybe you'd passed each other like some kind of looney toons skit with a hall of doors. 

Albeit tired and bored, you weren't completely surprised to not find them in such a huge space. You are however surprised to have not heard them making a ruckus. Given the small snippet you had seen from this episode of them dealing with the rat problem, you'd assumed you would have heard something already.

As if on cue, you catch a glimpse of something small dart across an intersection in the hallway, followed by the thundering of clumsy footsteps. 

"Hurry up! 'ts gettin' away!" 

"'m tryin' but the net ain't long enough!"

"Don' hurt the poor thing!"

The voices of Mey-rin, Bard and Finny cut through the chaos and soon after you see them barreling after, what you assume was, a rat. 

Without much thought to it, you quickly run after them, grabbing at your skirt to keep it up above your knees. "Hey, wait up!" you shout, panting as you try match their pace.

As they turn a corner, you'd almost managed to catch up to them when you're suddenly brought to a complete stop, not of your own volition. You sputter, having the wind completely knocked out of you by a hand wrapped around your midsection. You cough, followed by a heaving breath.

"I expect it of them," You look over your shoulder at Sebastian, who was clearly displeased, "Don't make me expect it of you." 

You breathe out, tilting forward at your waist as you do, "Ow." is all you supply as you push away from the demon. When you turn you notice him holding onto the handle of a cart, teapot and cups placed neatly on a tray. "Serving tea?" You ask, though it was probably a pointless question. 

He turns away from you to instead push the cart, eyes half lidded in annoyance, "Quite an astute observation." his words are punctuated with a sigh, and you shuffle in place awkwardly as you watch him walk off. When you don't follow, Sebastian stops and beckons you by his side, "Come, I will find a better use for your time than chasing vermin." 

You do as you're told. "So where're the young lord and his guests? Are they in the loungeroom?" 

"Yes. The master and a few remaining guests are awaiting refreshments." he tells you, "Seeing as you have failed to occupy your time appropriately, you will join me in serving them."

You don't argue with him, aside from the fact that you don't feel like disobeying a literal spawn of Satan, you can't say you really mind the duty. "Can do."

He doesn't dignify your modern terminology with a response this time, instead he continues pushing the cart until he's reached the doors to the loungeroom. "Now, I am sure there is no need to tell you this, but it would be best that you refrain from doing and saying as you please." He warns, which you understand is warranted. "Do as I say." You feel like there is more he wants to tell you but he doesn't. 

He opens the door and you follow him inside. When you enter, Grell, who is by the door, turns to acknowledge the two of you, eyes lingering a moment longer on you in a way you wouldn't describe as friendly.

"Your tea." Sebastian states, commanding all attention in the room to be on him, "We have a special Darjeeling blend to offer from Fortnum and Mason today." He continues, raising the teapot in both hands to begin pouring into the cups on the tray. 

As he pours, you notice him glance over to you and then to the cups, prompting you to serve them. 

"Oh my, that aroma is simply divine." Begins Madam Red, "Ciel, you must have some put aside for me to take back." 

"But of course, I will have Sebastian see to it before your departure." Ciel replies, a small smirk on his lips.

Once the attention has been taken from Sebastian, he stops pouring to whisper in your ear, "Take two cups to Lau and Ran-Mao, then to Madam Red. I will serve the Master." You nod.

Picking up two saucers, you carefully make your way to Lau, taking the long way around the tables and chairs to avoid literally cutting through the conversation. When you hand them their tea, Lau looks up and you bow your head, remembering your status. When he closes his eyes and smiles, you take a breath, "It would appear the young earl has acquired a new member of staff." He says to the lady plastered to his side. 

Ran-mao looks to you, a childlike curiosity in her golden eyes, merely nodding as she accepts the tea from your hands. It takes you a moment to notice, but her attire is a far cry from that of her onscreen clothing. From what you remembered, in the show her dress was just barely long enough to cover her underwear, but in person, her dress was long enough to cover her ankles when seated. 

"Yes." Is all she says in a small voice, replying to Lau's previous statement.

You bow again before making your way back to get another cup. 

You hand Madam Red her cup, again with a bow, and she takes it gratefully, "I am curious to know, why is it that a maid is being trained by a butler?" She says after quietly thanking you. "Should she not be trained by your head house-maid?" 

"I am afraid my current maid is unfit for the task of training." Ciel states, looking at you curiously, "If I want her to be molded into a servant befitting of my manor, it would seem I need my butler to do so." There's a moments pause after the baroness makes a noise of cognizance.

"You were right, Madam. It smells lovely, tea can be excellent when made well." interjects Lau, steam rising from his cup as he takes in the scent.

feeling a little out of place, you move to the side as Sebastian pours another cup of tea for Ciel, showing off by pouring it from a much further height than needed. You look back behind you and notice Grell's hands clasped together and mouth agape in awe.

"Grell." Calls out Red.

Grell stands to attention "Ah- Yes, my lady?" 

"Learn something from Sebastian." She says as she glares out of the corner of her eyes at her attendant.

Defeated, Grell slumps forward and gazes down to the floor, "Yes..."

Her glare shifts from the reaper to the demon, "Just look at him." 

It takes you only a second to realize what's about to happen and you turn away to hide your quiet chuckle.

"I mean, this physique-" You turn back just in time to watch as she brings her free hand up to pat Sebastian's ass and then brings it lower to stroke at the back of his thigh. "You should quit this country job and come work for me in the city!" Sebastian jolts, and makes a small noise of discomfort. 

The other in the room have shock etched into their faces until the youngest of them clears his throat, "Madam Red." He says with a touch of force.

At this, the lady removes her hand, using it to scratch at the back of her neck, "Oh sorry, I couldn't help it." Her face in tinged with red, and her mouth was split into a wide grin, "He looked like he needed a physical. Just a doctor's habit." She drawls on the last vowel with a giddy laugh, much to the displeasure of Ciel, who looked like he was on the verge of scolding his aunt.

Lau cuts through the altercation, placing his tea on the table, "So do you believe the drug trafficker you're after was one of your guests today?" He asks as he stands.

The boy says nothing for a time, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed and hands together to ponder the question. When he's come up with an answer, he rests his hands and stars down at the teacup he'd placed on the table, "Perhaps."

"Why not leave the extermination to Lau?" The boy's aunt chimes in, worry toying at her brow, "A rat knows best where a rat's nest is, doesn't he?" By the time she's finished, the man in question had already made his way over to the boy's chair, leaning on it with one arm so as to emote with the other.

"I am but a tame guinea pig, dedicated to my lord." As he leans down to Ciel's face, his resting hand comes down atop the boy's head, "If the earl instructs me not to act, I'm bound to do nothing." The crude smile on Lau's face suggests something more sinister at play, and all in the room realize it. None more so than madam red.

Lau has barely finished the sentence by the time she has made her way over to them, snatching her nephew out of the chair with ease, "Watch it." She cautions, a veritable anger in her tone, "You'd best keep your filthy paws off my darling nephew." 

The man straightens, sly smirk still in place as he eyes down the baroness, "You wound me, I would never paw him in his own home, dear madam." You aren't positive if it's the words or the carelessness in his tone that pisses the lady off more.

"Are you saying you would if you were elsewhere?" She lets Ciel go, to point at and turn bodily to the cause of her frustration, "Careful- You're on thin ice now, sir."

As the bickering continues, the young boy makes his escape, passing the three servants forgotten in the commotion to leave the room. As he passes you, you can hear him sigh, eye half lidded. 

Sebastian turns to watch him leave once he's made it past the door. "Master?" He calls over his shoulder, looking to you briefly before following him out. You figure he's got the right idea and head out as well, the argument fading into background noise as you do.

When you shut the door behind you, Sebastian is standing still, head turned down the corridor. Looking around him, you can see why. It appeared like the three of you had left one noisy area just to step right into another.

"It went that way!" Comes the gravel of Bard's voice. 

"Get it!" Mey-rin yells after him. The two of them following close behind Finny, who was barreling ahead with an actual cat in his arms, screaming and panting. 

You look over to the butler, and sure enough, the look on his face is that of pure, unfiltered frustration. You could tell he was trying hard not to grab the three of them by the throat as he made his way to Ciel's side. "Master."

The boy turns to acknowledge his butler, having to tilt his head up high to do so. He doesn't ask what, he merely expects to be told. 

"Todays dessert." Sebastian begins, no doubt straining to keep his composure in the face of the stupidity around him. "It's a deep-dish pie prepared with fresh apple and raisins. It will be ready soon. Would you like to eat with your guests?" 

Ciels huffs and turns his back to Sebastian, "Bring it to my study. I'm done here." 

"Certainly, my lord." The servant replies, hand on heart. 

Once Ciel has left, you head towards the butler, who's straightened his posture and placed clenched fists by his side. "Hey, about the young lord-" You're cut off as two rats run past your feet, followed quickly by the other three still chasing after them. 

Sebastian finally loses his patience, mouth twitched open into a snarl. You can see him sway slightly from left to right, and then you blink.

"That's enough of that." He says, depositing the now dead rats into Finny's hands, the gardener yelping in surprise and probable upset. Sebastian dusts off his gloves and waits for the servants to settle down before lecturing them. "Stop playing and get back to work." 

"Sir..." They sigh in unison, before running off to cause more trouble.

"Now," Sebastian turns to you, looking much more relaxed than he had been not a moment before, "What is it you wish to tell me about the Lord?" 

At first you're too focused on the way the demon had switched up his emotions so fast to answer, but when you remember you quickly realize the urgency at which you should be relaying your thought. "That guy! The mafia guy, he's got someone waiting in Ciel's office to kidnap him!" you blurt out, about ready to sprint to the boy's office yourself.

Sebastian looks at you puzzled and then he tilts his head and smiles, canines on display. "If you are referring to the matter we had already discussed earlier, it has been dealt with." he punctuates with a lick of his lips. You figure it best not to question why he did that.

"But in the episode-" 

"Do you think me incapable of protecting my master?" You recognize his words as a threat, as though you are challenging his capacity to function as a child's guard dog.

"No, of course I don't." you say, rolling your eyes because it's obvious to you, and anyone else who's watched the series, that he is more than capable at defeating regular humans. "I'm just saying that if it happened in the series, then there might be some cosmic mumbo jumbo that will make it happen regardless of if I tell you or not." While you may be able to influence the events that happen off screen, who's to say that applies to what happens on screen as well? 

The demon squints at you and scrunches his brow, a micro-expression that you notice as him pondering what you've said. "Should that be the case, then what use do I have of you?"

He has a point, and you know it. If you can't help him keep Ciel safe, and you cant make his time as the boy's servant easier, then why would he need to keep you around? Another mouth to feed and another risk to the quality of his meal. Sebastian notices you thinking about it, he can discern the look and smell of dread his few words have caused you to feel. He coughs once in the back of his throat.

"Let us see if the young master is safe."

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ ⟨ ⏣ ⟩ ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

When the two of you reach Ciel's study, you don't bother knocking, instead opening the door as soon as you touch the handle, much to the dismay of the butler. 

"What in the heavens-" You hear, "What do you think you're doing?!" 

There you see the young boy, standing shocked from his chair, piercing blue eye striking you with relief. Most likely not the desired effect.

"Oh thank god." You breathe out, hand clutching at your stomach as the anxiety wares off. 

"What?" He says, shock making way for confusion. "Are you mad, woman?" The boy sits back down and rests his elbows on the desk. He looks to his butler to explain what was going on.

"Apologies, my lord. It appears miss [Y/N] was under the impression that you had been kidnapped." He states, bowing his head and pushing yours down with his hand to follow suit. It wasn't forceful, but it was a surprise.

Ciel doesn't say anything for a moment, he just lays his head on his arms and turns his face away from the two of you. "As you can see, I am fine." He grumbles. Maybe physically, you think to yourself. "Both of you get out," He commands, small frame heaving bodily as he sighs, "and bring me my tea." 

When the two of you exit the room, Sebastian glowers at you without saying a word. You can sense that he wants to lecture you, so you speak before he can. "Are you sure you got all of the mafia lackeys?"  

"Quite." He looks off to the side, "The one hiding in the Lord's office had a note with the address of the mafia's hideout. It was a simple task to dispose of them all once I had gotten there." he says it like he's pleased with himself, like taking down an entire mafia branch would be impressive to anyone else. 

"And what about Vanel?" 

Disappointed at your lack of reaction, Sebastian's expression flattens, "Members of the Scotland Yard await him on his return. As for the key to the drug storehouse and any proof of Mr. Vanel's involvement in the trade, all has been relinquished to the government."

You're somewhat surprised that all of that could take place in the short amount of time that you hadn't seen the demon. 

"So that's it? Ciel's not in any danger and the guy's the queen wanted dealt with just... were?"

"Precisely." 

You hum, raising your brows, "I see."

The demon chuckles and takes a step towards you, "It would appear your innate use is validated." One gloved hand comes up to grab delicately at your jaw, "After your help today, I would say a reward is in order, don't you think?"