That Butler, New Face

That Butler, Competition 2

"!?" Ciel and Chêne yelled incredulously as they turned blue with shock, sweating nervously. Why had they thought standing so close to the stage was a good idea!? What if he recognized them, and realized that Ciel had cross-dressed!? It wouldn't be that big of a deal for Chêne if she was discovered, but she really didn't want the viscount to try to hang all over her again... he didn't know that she had been the one who broke his nose, because he had already been mostly unconscious when she did it...

"Eh? Didn't the Yard take him away?" Lau asked, holding a hand up to shield his eyes to make sure it wasn't a trick of the light or something.

"Clearly, he must've bribed his way out. How rotten..." Ciel said, feeling chagrined and fed up with the Yard for letting such a creep back out into polite society. "I really don't want to be reminded of that day's events..." He muttered darkly.

"I second that emotion. You're preaching to the choir, Ciel..." Chêne said gloomily. "Any trust I had in the police to protect the citizens of London has been completely shattered, too... My bonnet hides most of my face, so you can borrow my sari to disguise yourself, if you want," she offered.

"No, that's quite all right..." Ciel said, sweat-dropping, as he pulled the brim of his top hat down a bit more. Wearing something like that would just make him stand out even more... Chêne shrugged. His loss, then... she noticed that Ran-Mao was staring at the sari curiously.

"Do you want to try wearing it?" Chêne asked, smiling. Ran-Mao nodded. Chêne smiled at her. "Unfortunately, I don't know how to properly wrap a sari, but you can play around with it if you'd like," Chêne said as she handed the sari to her, and Ran-Mao began experimenting with different ways to wear it.

"My, My~! Isn't that nice? Be sure to thank Miss Maid~!" Lau told her, smiling cheerfully.

"Thanks," Ran-Mao said quietly.

"No problem," Chêne told her, smiling. Ran-Mao was a little strange, but she was a nice girl... It made Chêne wonder how she ended up with Lau...

"And here are today's participants!" The MC declared excitedly as Sebastian, Agni, and four other chefs stepped on stage, all lined up in a row, as the MC began introducing them. "Chef Turpin for Persian Tabb," he said, gesturing to a portly, blond man. "Chef Rush for Dormitory Vill." Rush was a dark-haired, sharp-faced man. "Chef Rickman for Dahlia Limited." Rickman was a bespectacled man with a narrow face and long bangs. "Chef Ripley for Worrest Cilin." Ripley was a freckle-faced, blond young man. "Chef Agni for Harold West," The MC said, pointing to Agni. "And Butler Sebastian for Funtom Corporation." Sebastian held back a smirk when the MC froze. "... Wha... a butler?" The Mc asked, stunned. That couldn't be right... What was a butler doing in a cooking competition...?

"Yes. I am no chef." Sebastian said, smiling pleasantly. "I am simply one hell of a butler." He said smoothly. The audience began murmuring amongst themselves.

"Mummy! It's the Funtom company!" A child yelled excitedly.

"Did he say butler?" One woman asked.

"What's a maker of sweetmeats doing in a curry festival?" One man asked.

"I-In any case, we've got a unique cast of participants for you!" The MC said nervously, getting the program back on track. "Go ahead! Hold your breath in anticipation of the culinary delights to come! Now let the cooking begin!!" The competitors immediately took their places at their designated mini-kitchens that had been set up on the stage for them, and went to work, not wasting any time. The steady rhythm of chopping and ingredients sizzling in saucepans was like music to Chêne's ears. She was suddenly starving.

"Ooh... all that food smells sooo good~!" Chêne said, suppressing the urge to drool.

"Just stay still and watch." Ciel told her, sweat dropping. They hadn't even added any seasoning yet. Chêne must be really hungry if she was already drooling over raw ingredients...