That Butler, New Face

That Butler, Trick or Treat 2

{Friday, October 30, 2013—Covington, Louisiana}

WHAAAM!

"Hm?" a blond woman said as she paused her sewing machine and turned to look around the room, wondering what had caused the loud noise. It sounded like it had come from the room down at the end of the hall...

"It can't be—!?" the woman said excitedly as she jumped up out of her chair and ran to open the door of the room in question.

=†=†=†=†=

WHAAAM!

Sebastian kicked the doors of the armoire open, and stepped out of it, setting Chêne and Ciel down. They were no longer in that strange void anymore, so they were probably safe, for now.

"Where are we...?" Ciel asked, as he glanced around the room. They had apparently just come out of an alternate version of his armoire, only this one seemed to be much older... it was well cared for, and looked as though it had been polished regularly. There were just a few nicks in the wood here and  there. It looked like the room was being used for storage. There were clear, plastic containers full of miscellaneous items, and a few pieces of furniture that had been covered by sheets to keep the dust off of them.

"... I cannot say for certain, but it appears we have somehow traveled between alternate versions of the same armoire..."  Sebastian said thoughtfully.

"Um... guys...? I think I might have an idea about that..." Chêne said, her eyes widening slightly in surprise when she saw the items in the plastic bins. She walked over to one and opened it, pulling out an old, ratty stuffed animal that was on top of the other contents. She held it up to show Ciel and Sebastian. The two of them raised an eyebrow at her, as if to say 'So...?' She held up one of the floppy ears, revealing the name that had been embroidered on it many years ago.

Chêne LeBeau

"... This is 'Dickens' my old stuffed bunny from when I was a kid... He was my favorite," Chêne said, smiling wryly. Sebastian's eyes narrowed slightly. They were finally in the world that Chêne had tried so hard to get back too... He hoped she wouldn't do something foolish, like trying to remain behind with her family once they found a way to return to the Victorian era. Sebastian decided he would never allow it. Chêne belonged to him now. He would bring her back with them. No matter what.

"But..." Chêne said hesitantly, biting her lip.

"But...?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"But... this isn't my home," Chêne said, sweat-dropping. "This is my stuff in here, but we don't have a room like this in my house, and if you look out the window, you can see woods..."

"So?" Ciel asked.

"So, I'm from New Orleans, a city... and our backyard has like four trees, and they're myrtle trees... Those are American Long-leaf pine trees out  there... they don't really grow in the city. If we are in Louisiana, we're probably somewhere on the Northshore, where it's more rural and less developed... like Abita Springs, or Covington," Chêne explained.

"In other words... just because the items in this room are familiar, does not necessarily mean that they are 'yours'..." Sebastian said thoughtfully. Chêne nodded.

"So what are you saying...? Are we in a third parallel universe...?" Ciel asked.

"Maybe? It's possible that we're still in your universe, but in the 'future'... and this is the home of your universe's 'Chêne LeBeau,'" Chêne said thoughtfully.

"That's impossible," Ciel said bluntly.

"I agree, Young Master," Sebastian said.

"Huh? Why?" Chêne asked, confused. How could he be so sure?