The Case of Dr. Shaw [Black Butler - Fanfic]

Chapter 1, Part 2

          The kitchen was spotless, cleaner than it was before the flour incident. The air was warm, with the scent of freshly baked pies filling the halls. Sebastian couldn't let the ingredients he had salvaged go to waste. After all, tomorrow was the picnic for all the Noble families, and what kind of butler would he be if he couldn't at least make something to bring?

          "There we go," he said as he brushed his hands off. Then slid his gloves back on, covering the contract mark on his left hand. "Apple, peach, and cherry should be enough for now." Before he could finish gathering the rest of his thoughts, sounds of glass shattering came from the hallway. 'Now what is it?' Sebastian thought.

                                                                                           —————

          The ship had finally arrived at the port. Somehow, through the stampede of people, Antonio was able to find Elena and pull her to the side. "This way, " he said, "There's a carriage waiting for us over here. I made sure it would take us around all of the commotion. And so that we can also avoid the sea of people."

          "That's very kind of you." She smirked, "But are you sure you didn't do it just so you wouldn't have to be around people?"

          "I'm not very fond of people. But no, that's not the reason."

          "Alright. I believe you." She didn't believe him.

          "Good morning, Sir Carozza."

          "Sir?" Elena asked.

          "That's what I like to be called here. Lord just sounds too formal."

          "Right this way, Lady Astrella." She thanked him, then stepped inside. "Where did you say we were going again, Antonio?"

          "We are going to one of the many fine grand hotels in the area. The Savoy is where we will be staying for two weeks. I also don't favor staying at a hotel, but this one has a fantastic view of the river. If you would like to, we could take a ride on a boat down the river later this week?"

          She smiled, "That would be wonderful, thank you."

          "Excuse me, Sir. Are all of these bags going with you?"

          Antonio looked at the stack of luggage sitting by the carriage. "Yes, that should be all of it. Please don't leave any of it behind, it is all very important." He then looked at the man responsible for the luggage, "If you misplace any of it, I will have to cut your pay. I'm sure you wouldn't want to lose that, would you?" The man shook his head. "Good. Now that we got that cleared up, I suppose it's now time to depart."

          Elena was filled with joy. She was finally in the place she had dreamed of so many times before. 'I definitely owe him something big later,' she thought to herself. This would be a trip she would never forget for the rest of her life. And it is all thanks to the man named Antonio Bonaventure Carozza.

                                                                                       —————

          "I'm so sorry, Sebastian! I must have tripped over something while I was carrying this stuff to the parlor." The maid stood in the center of a pile of broken glass scattered all over the hallway.

          "It's alright, MeyRin. Just go get a broom and dustpan while I start picking up what's left and can be saved."

          "Yes! Right away!"

          Sebastian was left to sort through the thousands, (or possibly millions), of pieces of broken vases, sculptures, and others by himself. 'Of course. On the day when there is already so much to do, I'm left with even more work.' He was on his hands and knees, with parts of a teapot in one hand, and what he thought could be a statue of a woman in the other. 'Almost all of these are priceless antiques. I suppose I could make something out of the more valuable materials. At the very least, it's better than letting all this rubbish go in the disposal bin.'

          "I've got it, Mr. Sebastian!" MeyRin came running back down the hall. "Here, let me help you." She reached for a piece, but Sebastian stopped her before she got close enough to touch it.

          "Please, let me handle it. I don't want you to cut your fingers on the sharp edges. Instead, you can start polishing the floors and washing the windows."

          "Oh, you're so kind. I'll get to it right away!" She quickly stood, gave him a small salute, and disappeared almost instantly.

          'Now that I'm alone, I can finish this side task a lot more efficiently.' He moved like a machine. His movements were a blur. One, two, into this box, three, four, into that box. Within minutes there was almost no trace of what had happened. 'There we go. Hopefully, that didn't take up too much time.' He pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. 'Oh no, everything is far behind schedule now. The young master will not be too pleased with this.' He got to his feet and carried on with his duties.

                                                                                           —————

          "My, my, what a handsome man he is! Are you sure this is the right one?" A woman in red stood on the top of a building, her gaze focused on a man in the crowd below.

          "Quite sure. I don't make mistakes very often, and I have checked the name multiple times. I am one hundred percent positive this is the man assigned to you, Reaper Grell."

          "So then why do you have to come along? I'm very capable of doing my job on my own, you know."

          The man with her adjusted the glasses resting on his face. "Other reapers don't trust you to be on your own just yet. They still haven't forgotten about that incident involving Jack the Ripper, and quite frankly, neither have I."

          "Come on, Will! I've already said that I won't do something like that again! You can trust me."

          "Actually, I don't. You have been the reason why I have gotten so much paperwork in the last few years, that I can't trust you to be alone on these sorts of jobs anymore."

          "Fine then. I suppose it will be nice to have some company for a little while." She flipped through a book, "Two whole days! Won't that be fun!"

          "That sounds like a nightmare."

          "It reminds me of the good old days! You still remember too, right?"

          He said with a straight face, "How could I forget?" They kept their eyes fixed on a carriage as it left the area. And followed not long after.