That Butler, New Face

That Butler, Deceased

{Downstairs...}

"... rd. Bard!"

"!!" Bard gasped, startled awake when someone touched him. He rolled over in bed, gun drawn from beneath his pillow, only to be stopped by none other than Sebastian. It was the butler who had called him. "What the heck! It's just you!" Bard said, relaxing. "Don't sneak up on me all silent, like! I near took you for a ghost or somethin'! What d'ya want?"

"It is about the menu for tomorrow," Sebastian said.

"We can talk about that stuff in the mornin', can't we!?" Bard said, rolling over to go back to sleep. "I'm beat, y'know." Sebastian grabbed him by the shoulder and rolled him back to face him again.

"I want you to listen now," Sebastian told him. The butler and chef stared at each other. Bard could see Sebastian was serious.

"Yeeeah, aaall right," Bard said, scratching his head. Sebastian smiled.

"First, tomorrow's breakfast," the butler said. "As I think the guests will be eating around noon, please prepare something somewhat filling. I have prepared herring pie and spinach quiche and put them in the larder, so please serve those to the guests. Please be vigilant and avoid serving something like kidney pie. There is a stockpot full of curry that I have made on the stove, so serve that for dinner. For hors d'oeuvres, there are chopped vegetables..."

"Hey, hey! Even if ya spout all that off at me in one go, I ain't some secretary! I'll never remember it all!" Bard said.

"Quite," Sebastian agreed. "Thus I have seen to the menu for the next three days, taken care of preliminary arrangements... and written a memo detailing where the foodstuffs may be found and the procedure for warming them up," he said with a sigh, holding the paper instructions out for him to take. "If there is anything you don't understand, please ask Chêne to help you. I'm sure she'll be able to muddle through."

"Hunh? I don't need this," Bard said, taking it. "You just gotta tell me straight what you want done..."

"Nnnnn! Wha's goink ooon?" Finni asked sleepily, sitting up in his bed.

"Finni. I am sorry to have woken you," Sebastian told him.

"Mister Sebastian? What're you doin' at this hour...?" Finni asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Finni, due to the storm, you will be unable to work on the garden for some time. Starting tomorrow, I would like you to see to replacing the coke for the fires," Sebastian instructed him. "Do it first thing in the morning. Understood?"

"Yesssh!!" Finni said, yawning.

"Now to bed with you. Tomorrow will be another early start," Sebastian said, tucking him in. He paused as he turned to leave and looked back at Bard. "Well then, I entrust tomorrow to you... Chef."

"Yep!" Bard said as the butler left, getting ready to sleep again. "Whew, brother." He pulled the covers up and rolled over. "..." All of a sudden what Sebastian said finished sinking in, and he bolted upright with wide eyes. "Did he say chef!?"

—^—^—^—

SHHHH.

Mei-Rin was trying to sleep, but her bed was right next to a window, and she could hear the rain beating against it. She had just succeeded when there was a knock on her door.

TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP.

"Who is it, who is there...?" Mei-Rin asked as she sat up, feeling dazed.

TAP. TAP. TAP. TAP.

"I... I will be right there, I wiiill!" she said, scrambling to find her glasses in the dark. She slipped and fell out of the bed. "Gyaaah!!"

CRASH. CLATTER.