Servitude [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 16

[Soleil]

Two new members of staff had been hired after Celeste's departure, one of which I had already met and decided to avoid.  The other was a boy in his twenties, awkward and rough around the edges but kind enough for me to tolerate his complete lack of coordination.

He was a dog-shifter - their species was deemed a lower class than their wolf cousins - and so far he had broken three plates.

I stared down at the mess on the floor. Pieces of smashed pottery and remnants of food, strewn around our feet, seeming to form the taunting image of a grin on the kitchen floor. My eye twitched and I looked away from it, trying my best not to sigh in exasperation.

"I-I'm so sorry, I-" I raised a hand to silence him and used the other to massage the bridge of my nose. The realisation that I may have to spend the next few days teaching an adult how to hold dished was giving me a headache. "Fourth time's the charm?" He offered, looking up at me with an uneasy grin which I could no longer return.

If not knowing where I stand with Silvian isn't going to drive me crazy, this boy certainly is.

"Mutt," A scratchy voice came from the doorway, and we both turned around.  Grimm's eyes widened as he realised his mistake, and he cleared his throat.  "The dog, not the hybrid."  I rolled my eyes and turned back towards the stack of plates we were cleaning, and dipped my cloth back into the bucket of clean water on the wooden counter.

"That's racist," Luke remarked, scoffing in disbelief.  Grimm just grumbled and walked further into the kitchen.  I could tell by the way all of the light shining on the counter was blocked by his lanky frame. 

"What in heaven's name happened here?"  Grimm bellowed in surprise, probably only just seeing the chaos spread out along the floor.  Luke was leaning against the counter now instead of working.

I couldn't tell if I was annoyed or relieved that he had stopped.

"None of your business, you giant oaf."  Luke snapped, and I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing.  My shoulders shook slightly, and a second later a large hand landed on one of them, pulling to turn me around.

The wet cloth in my hand smacked Grimm's chest, leaving a wet patch in the centre of his shirt.  His face flushed red from anger, but I remained stoic. 

"Should I tell Silvian what's going on down here?"  He asked teasingly as if he were itching to get a response out of me for once.  Not that I was going to give him the satisfaction.

"Whatever do you mean by that?"  I returned, cocking a brow at him curiously.  Luke pretended to cough into his hand to hide a snort of laughter.  Grimm scowled at me and squared his shoulder so that he could stand taller - if that was even possible.

One of these days he's going to hit his head on the ceiling...  maybe that'll tighten a few of his loose screws.

"I mean,"  He began through gritted teeth.  "The lack of competence you are displaying when teaching the staff basic chores. How did you become Silvian's assistant anyway?" He asked in disbelief, folding his arms over his chest and I shrugged.

"He told me to and I did." Was all I said. "Anyway, if you want to tell Silvian about my incompetence, be my guest. I'm sure he'd be glad if you interrupted his research." With that I turned back to the plates and picked one up, scrubbing at it with a cloth that was less wet now, after its close encounter with Grimm.

The giant of a man seemed to pause and retreat, but his footsteps stopped and he spoke once again.

"How much does he pay you anyway?" My hand stopped without my consent, and I felt my breath catch in my lungs. With a small cough to clear the lump in my throat, I set down the plate against the counter and placed the cloth on top of it.