Let's Switch Jobs! (Triquel to Dinner at the Manor)

     Usually, the servants would be making quite the loud din.

     Sebastian looked down at the Meowclops he was playing with in the garden and patted it's head once more, then stood up to go awake his young master, who was still sleeping in bed.

     Lavitti, Marador and Lug were in a very sour mood, they didn't want to work any today, as if all their duties seemed boring today. "Ugh, Every time I try to fix up the garden, I make it worse! I don't want to try to fix it up today." Lavitti sighed, holding a wild Petpet he had brought into the manor without telling anyone.

     Marador mumbled, "I keep breaking everything and forgetting the young master's clothes on the line! It's tough work remembering to watch your step and keep an eye on the clothesline!" Marador whined. "Sorry, did Mr. Mallard take the young master's pants again?" Lavitti looked at Marador. "Yes! Again! He was running around with it on his head! I barely caught him!" Marador told Lavitti. "Mr. Mallard is a sneaky mallard, he is. I must tell him that stealing is very bad, all the time. But I don't think he listens to me much, if at all." Lavitti continued.

     Lug was about to saw the couch he was sitting on in half. "Well you guys have it better as I can't even cook without a cookbook, and Sebastian never approves of my cooking methods."

     Lavitti then stood up, "Your cooking methods are the best! So what if you use a flamethrower to cook a cake! That's genius! In my eyes, anyway." Marador then said: "Yeah! I agree with Lavitti! Chainsaw for cutting a pie? So smart and wise!"

     Lug started to think, as he had never been criticized for his cooking before, but he had a brilliant idea. "Why don't we switch jobs?" It was something that he never thought of before, but just now it popped up.

     Sebastian gently nudged Ciel awake, "Good morning, my little lord. Did you sleep well?" Sebastian said. There was a tray of breakfast already on the table and tea already poured for him.

     Ciel stretched a bit as he got up. "Yes, I did, Sebastian. It was a very good dream, but good dreams have to end. He started eating his breakfast when he asked Sebastian something. "The manor is really quiet today. Wonder what's going on?"

     Sebastian put his paw on his own chin, "I'm not sure. The servants would usually cause a din and they've been quiet as a Tigermousey this entire time. I would be lying if I had said I wasn't worried about them." Sebastian slanted his red eyes and muttered. Ciel finished his breakfast, placed the tray down on the table, and got dressed. "Well, I'll check up on them." Ciel said softly.

     Sebastian nodded, "Very well. I will be, in... the garden." Sebastian adjusted his necktie, "Checking on the... uh, flowers, yes." Sebastian smiled then scurried off to the garden.

     Sebastian looked around for the Meowclops from earlier and sighed in relief when he noticed it was still there. "Hello, my precious Meowclops, sorry I had to wake the young master." Sebastian picked the Meowclops up and held it in his arms gently.

     Lug got out three random sticks from the garden and placed them in a bag.

     "Alright, guys. Draw sticks." He put the bag in the middle of all three of them.

     Lavitti grabbed a twig and so did Marador, then soon Lug.

     Lug compared the twigs with Lavitti's and Marador's, his being the middle. "Well, I guess I'm getting Marador's job. I'm curious about how you do it anyway."

     Lavitti looked at his, "I'm getting your job! Yay!" Lavitti grinned,

     "That means I get Lavitti's job, Good! I like flowers." Marador giggled.

     Just then, Ciel got out of his room, going down the staircase, and towards Lug and the others.

     "What are you two doing?"

     They all looked up when Ciel approached them.

     Lavitti responded, "Oh, we're switching jobs for the day. We're getting bored with our own. I'm going to be the cook today! And Marador's a gardener! Oh and Lug's a maid!" Lavitti explained to the baby Gelert earl. Ciel looked at the three confused. He was so used to the three sticking to their jobs, but he decided that today would be different.

     "Alright then," Ciel said, crossing his arms. "Marador you can tend the flowers, Lug get the place clean, and Lavitti can you make me some cotton candy, please?"

     "Got it," Lug said, going into the maid's room.

     Marador nodded, "I-I'll do my best!" Marador adjusted her glasses proudly.

     Lavitti's eyes lit up with excitement, "Of course!" Lavitti nodded and ran off to the kitchen.

     Marador dug around in the shed until she got all the stuff she needed to tend to the flowers and headed to a spot in the garden she liked the most. "Let's see here..." Marador picked up the pair of scissors and began to trim the bushes and the flowers...

     Lavitti looked around for ingredients to make cotton candy, he knew it involved sugar, and he knew it involved making it all fluffy, but he wasn't actually sure how to properly make it. So he tried his best to make it with what knowledge he had...

     Sebastian, meanwhile, was using his pocket-watch as a Meowclops toy, he softly smiled as he watched the Meowclops bat at the pocket-watch gently. He adored Meowclops quite a lot.

     Lug immediately started sweeping around the manor incredibly fast, wearing a rather lacy apron over his chef attire. Ciel sat down on the couch, eating candy in his pocket, and waiting for cotton candy. "I wonder how Sebastian is doing," he thought.

     Currently, Sebastian was laying on the ground, holding the Meowclops in his arms. Sebastian cooed: "Meowclops are the perfect Petpet, there is nothing that can compare to its charm." Sebastian pet the Meowclops with his paw.

     Lavitti came into the living room, holding a pot that had some cotton candy in it. "I-Is this what you wanted?" Lavitti gently set the pot that had the cotton candy in it onto the table and looked at Ciel. Lavitti was wearing a big floppy chef's hat, even though Lug didn't even wear a hat. Lavitti just liked it and wanted to wear it.

     Ciel grabbed the cotton candy from the pot and ate it. "I think this is ok, but I'm curious what else is in there? I might need some tea for this."

     Lug quickly came over holding a teapot in one hand, and a duster in another.

     "Here you go, lord. I was making a machine to clean up the place completely."

     He started pouring it in a teacup Ciel was holding, but he did it rather too fast. Marador ran in with a bouquet of flowers, "Young master! Look what I-" Marador then tripped on the rug and fell onto her face, breaking another pair of her glasses, dropping the flowers everywhere.

     Sebastian had heard a thump of someone falling in the manor, and he wanted to go see what it was, but he didn't want to leave the Meowclops, so he just shrugged and hoped it wasn't anything too terrible. Lug picked up the flowers from the floor, placing them in an empty vase. "You're good, Marador, I'll get some glasses for you."

     He walked over to the closet, but a weird machine burst through the door. Ciel jumped at the sight of the machine in Lug's arms. "W-What is that?!" he yelled.

     "Like I said earlier I wanted to make the manor cleaner faster," Lug said, shrugging. Lavitti jumped, "Eek!" He stared at the machine whirring around the room. Marador gasped, "What?! What is it! I can't see anything?! WHAT IS IT?!" Marador panicked.

     Sebastian sighed, hearing the din and he decided to leave the Meowclops and go see what was up, "What is-" Sebastian opened the door and saw the chaos. He stayed quiet, watching with his red eyes, not amused at all. Lug quickly picked up Marador from the floor and Lavitti, running to the garden. "Oh! Hi, Sebastian! Sorry about the mess, I was making a cleaning machine.

     Ciel squirmed in Lug's big arms, getting angry. "Why did this all happen?!"

     Sebastian glared at Lug, Marador and Lavitti. "What have you three gotten into now?" Sebastian muttered. He softly picked up Ciel out of Lug's arms and cradled him in his arms instead.

     Sebastian looked back at Lug and hissed: "What do you mean a machine?" Sebastian then was answered by the machine whirring out into the garden, starting to suck up all the flowers, Sebastian sighed and gently put Ciel down.

     Sebastian adjusted both of the gloves on both of his paws and snarled, "I'll take it from here, you three." He said.

     Sebastian leapt into the air in a front flip and landed on the machine with one paw, the machine tried to knock him off but Sebastian had almost perfect balance. Sebastian backflipped off of it and pulled out a butter knife from his pocket and shot it at the machine, the machine slowly stopped, sputtering a handful of times before completely quitting.

     Sebastian looked at the three servants, his eyes glowing red from anger. "Alright. Explain this, now. Why are all of you dressed in each other’s work uniforms?" Sebastian looked at Lavitti, who had a big, floppy chef's hat on his head, Marador who had Lavitti's sunhat on her head and Lug, who had a frilly apron over his chef's outfit. Sebastian crossed his arms and scoffed. "I leave you three alone for 15 minutes and this is what I come back to?" Sebastian added, his voice low.

     Lug quickly explained as best as he could. "W-Well, Sebastian, Lavitti, Marador, and I had an idea of switching jobs for a day. Even Ciel accepted it." Ciel looked at Sebastian with Doglefox-eyes. "They...They wanted to do something different because they thought that they weren't good enough. I hope that you can forgive them and me, Sebastian."

     Sebastian looked at Ciel then sighed, then looked at Lug, Lavitti and Marador. "I understand. But though you three sometimes mess up, you are better at your own jobs." Sebastian explained.

     "Lug, Even if you try to cut things with chainsaws rather than knives, or try to flame-throw to cook things rather than use the oven. Your food, occasionally isn't all that bad." Sebastian added, "Lavitti, though snip away the flowers and overwater the bushes, your care for nature is what really brings the garden to life. Or it's death, I'm not quite sure yet..." Sebastian continued on. "Marador, though many dishes have been broken, many glasses have been shattered and some clothes have been taken by the wild petpets, you are wonderful at sewing and cheering others up, Even if it's making someone laugh by falling on your face most of the times..." Sebastian finished. Sebastian warmly smiled, "You are still the loyal servants of the Gelertive Manor."

     Lug smiled at Sebastian's response and patted Marador and Lavitti on the back. "Welp, looks like our jobs are staying, guys. Anyways, does anybody want some chocolate cake?" Lug asked.

     Ciel's visible eye lit up with excitement. "Oh me mememe!"

     Sebastian was going to tell Ciel that he hadn't had dinner yet, but figured it was best just to let him, as today had been quite crazy. Sebastian also didn't care for chocolate, well, milk chocolate anyways, he loved dark chocolate. But Ciel always described dark chocolate as too bitter, but proceeded to eat it anyways. Lug went over to the kitchen to go inside, but he immediately went out holding his arms against the door. "L-Lavitti, what did you do?" He gasped.

     Ciel was confused for a moment, but he was curious as to what was in the kitchen. As he opened the door, he noticed that the kitchen was filled with growing cotton candy all over the kitchen.

     Ciel gasped. "This is a dream come true!"

     Sebastian knew it wasn't over yet. Sebastian sighed, "Before you ask, no, you can't eat all the cotton candy, especially if you want cake later-" Sebastian looked at Ciel, but Ciel was already eating away at the cotton candy.

     Lavitti slowly backed up, "I- I don't know- I just- I didn't have anything to go by and didn't know how to make cotton candy and-" Lavitti stumbled over his words.

     Ciel sat down on the cotton candy and started eating immediately. He climbed on everything in order to eat it all until the kitchen was fully clean, and Ciel was laying on the kitchen counter.

     Lug patted Lavitti on the back. "Welp, I guess you mixed it up with vanilla, but you're clear, Lavitti." Lug laughed at his little brother. "Oh. Ehehehehe." Lavitti nervously laughed.

     Sebastian shook his head, looking at Ciel laying on the kitchen counter.

     Lavitti laughed, "At least the young master figured out how to fix our cotton candy problem." Lavitti smiled warmly. Sebastian gently patted Ciel's head and smiled.

     Ciel felt glad that he was able to finish it all, yet he was still hungry. "Can I have some chocolate cake after this, please? He got down from the counter just as Lug was getting back in. "Don't worry. I got this." Lug said proudly.

     Sebastian was shocked, "How are you so hungry?" Then Sebastian thought about it, Cotton Candy melts when exposed to water or saliva. Sebastian then shook his head, "Oh, nevermind. Cotton Candy dissolves quickly." Sebastian laughed. Sebastian then mumbled, "And don't you think you've had enough sugar for one day, my lord?"

     Ciel shook his head. "Not really, Sebastian, I think some tea after the chocolate cake is fine."

     Lug was looking over his cookbook when he looked through the fridge. "Sebastian, you don't mind Earl Grey, correct?" Looking inside there were two bottles, one containing tea leaves and another holding sparkly water.

     He grabbed the latter and put it in the cake batter.

     Sebastian shook his head, "I don't mind Earl Grey." Sebastian leaned against the wall.

     Lavitti and Marador watched as Lug cooked. Lug managed to finish the cake without the flamethrower and placed it on the table outside.

     Ciel hopped in excitement holding Sebastian's paw.

     "Oh that cake looks good. Will you eat the first slice, please?"

     Sebastian looked down at Ciel, despite his hatred for chocolate, he nodded and smiled. "Of course, though the little lord should really get the first slice as it is his household." Sebastian laughed softly.

     Ciel would normally do so, but he felt generous today. "Why don't we both eat, Sebastian?"

     The cake Lug made was really good, but he had to use a shortcut when putting on the frosting.

     Sebastian didn't expect Ciel to be so generous, "Very well." Sebastian bowed and sat down at the table to eat. It was very good, even though Sebastian didn't care for chocolate, but it tasted... off, but in a good way. "Lug, you didn't use that special icing that the lord's been saving to get one of his associates of the candy factory to analyze it's contents. Did you?" Sebastian raised a brow, looking at the orange Lupe chef. "It is very expensive and is needed for factory research to make bigger batches of it." Sebastian added.

      "Well, I only used a tiny bit, but it's not too much I just mixed it in with the chocolate frosting." Lug responded to the Xweetok.

     Ciel was angry, but he was relieved when it was only a tiny bit. "I'll forgive that, Lug. What do you think, Sebastian...Sebastian?"

     He didn't respond.

     Sebastian's eyes turned a grey color. He softly smiled, despite this, "Ah, it appears that Az Rio might have pulled a fast one on us, or at least me." Sebastian laughed softly.

     Sebastian then fell.

     Lavitti and Marador gasped. "Oh dear Fyora! Mister Sebastian sir, are you okay?!" Marador nearly tripped running over to Sebastian on the ground, Lavitti quickly walked up and knelt down beside him. Lavitti looked at Ciel, "There's something wrong with him, young master!" Lavitti panicked, tears in his eyes.

     Sebastian slowly fluttered his eyes open, still keeping that soft grin on his face.

     "I-It hurts, It's resonating through my body." Sebastian whispered softly.

     Marador nervously swallowed and wrapped her Meerca tail around herself, "C-Could he have been poisoned, if so, OH NO WE'RE ALL DOOMED!" Marador panicked.

     Sebastian closed his eyes and said:

     "No, no, it's clearly a poison targeted to my kind." Sebastian muttered, though the servants didn't know he was a fire spirit, so they just assumed he meant his kind as in Xweetoks.

     Sebastian opened his eyes again, "I'll be fine, I'm sure." Sebastian said, warmly smiling as usual.

     Ciel looked around and noticed Az Rio going through a window.

     He helped Sebastian sit down on the nearby chair, and grabbed his candy paintbrush.

     "D-Don't you dare come closer," he said, aiming the paintbrush at him.

     Lug rushed over, "The lord is right, leave us alone!"

     Lavitti then pulled on Lug's jacket, "Wait, who is this guy anyway?" He asked Lug, who didn't even know the answer, he was just trying to keep Ciel safe. In fact, none of the servants knew who Az Rio was, except for Sebastian, of course, who had scared Az Rio with his fire powers. Lug looked back at Lavitti shaking his head. "I don't know, but he seems dangerous. You and Marador go to safety now!" Lug said to the gardener and maid.

     Az Rio snickered, "Not happy to see me again, huh, earl?" Az Rio crossed his arms. "I didn't run away; I wasn't a coward!" Az Rio said. "Y-Yes you were." Sebastian said quietly. Az Rio glared but didn't even respond.

     Az Rio looked back at Ciel, "So. Even though Alois wanted the candy factory first, I've been thinking how many Neopoints and Neocash that could get me, and well~ I decided I was going to try again, except for myself rather than that annoying brat." Az Rio explained. Az Rio then added, "So do you give me the keys or does this have to get ugly?" He asked Ciel.

     Ciel noticed that Az Rio was quite cowardly over Sebastian, but he did remember Sebastian feeling better with Earl Grey tea. He rushed over to the kitchen to hurriedly make it for him, and while it wasn't perfect it was the best that he could do. As Sebastian drank the tea, Ciel noticed that his eyes started to become redder.

     As Lug was about the charge, he noticed someone swinging from the chandelier.

     Alois held a sword in one paw and was holding onto the chandelier with the other. He jumped onto Az Rio, putting the sword close to him. "Mr. Cowardly Lupe! Long time no see!" Alois wrapped his arms around Az Rio's neck in a friendly hug, but still had the sword facing Az Rio's face.

     Az Rio scowled, "You!" Az Rio snarled. Az Rio slung Alois off of him, barely getting gazed by the sword and Alois fell to the ground. Alois was already feeling defeat, but went to grab the sword, but Az Rio grabbed it and pointed it at Ciel.

     That's when Sebastian finally managed to move, Az Rio glanced over and raised a brow, thinking that Sebastian was too poisoned by now to move. "Try to hurt the young master, I dare you." Sebastian snarled. Az Rio then pointed the sword at Sebastian, "You! Darigianic creature! Stay away from me! You're supposed to be dead!" Az Rio shouted at him. Sebastian did his soft, yet frightening smile he did and then spoke in a low tone: "I'm not a Darigan, but I assure you I cannot die. Not like that anyways." Sebastian pulled the silverware out of his pocket.

     Az Rio scowled, he quickly grabbed Ciel, knocked the paintbrush off his paws and put Alois' sword to his neck, "Take one more step and you can tell your little lord goodbye!" Az Rio snapped.

     Sebastian stood there, still adorning that smile.

     Az Rio swallowed nervously, watching Sebastian stare with his red eyes, that cold, yet somehow friendly, sharp smile.

     Az Rio's paw was shaking, making the sword grow closer then far then closer, over and over again. Alois didn't know what to do, he felt like he had no way to help. He grabbed Az Rio's tail, and tried to pull it but before he could, Az Rio kicked him away with a back-kick.

     Alois fell to the ground again. Alois frowned and stayed, feeling he was no help.

     Lug was about to charge forth, but he didn't want to hurt Ciel, so he kept his distance. Until he noticed the paint brush. "Now!" Lug yelled as he threw it toward Ciel.

     Ciel managed to catch it, and slap the paintbrush onto Az Rio's face. "Keep quiet!"

     Az Rio let go of Ciel, throwing him to the ground and he put his paws over his face, "Y-You little b-brat-" Az Rio said, but began to feel his face harden due to the paint. Az Rio couldn't talk now. Sebastian then threw his silverware at Az Rio, making the sword fall out of Az Rio's paws. Sebastian jumped into the air and pounced on Az Rio, knocking him over.

     "Young master, would you be so kind to see if you can use that paintbrush of yours to keep our guest here just for a bit longer?" Sebastian smiled warmly, looking at the Gelert. He wanted Ciel to use the paintbrush to attach Az Rio to the ground beneath him, so he could not flee.

     Ciel nodded in response and started painting Az Rio directly to the floor. However, he 'accidentally' painted it up to Az's paws just for a safety precaution.

     Lug quickly called out to the three before leaving, "I'll go check on the others. Young boy come with me, you too, young lord." Lug looked at Alois. Alois followed him. Ciel quietly followed as well.

     Sebastian stared down at Az Rio with cold, blood-red eyes. "So. You thought you could get away with trying to steal the young master's factory? Hm? And then you thought you could also get away with trying to hurt the young master." Sebastian spoke in a friendly, yet scary tone.

     Sebastian's eyes flashed red, "You are not going to like what happens next."

     Sebastian's sharp teeth exposed and Darigan horns grew out of his head.

     Az Rio panicked, but could not move...

     Later, Sebastian came into the manor. "So, Az Rio said he couldn't stay much longer so he was escorted." Sebastian told the household. Alois gasped then grinned, "Oh! What did you do, Did you-" Alois was interrupted, "The Chia Police took him and he should be in his proper place by now." Sebastian replied.

     Alois slumped into his chair, "Aw, boring." Alois mumbled.

     Ciel walked into the living room when Lug gave him a huge hug along with the others.

     "You were amazing," Lug said, rustling Ciel's hair. "Y-You're hugging me too tight," Ciel said, trying to get out of Lug's grasp. Sebastian softly laughed at Lug.

     "I forgot to tell you. Thank you for helping me regain my strength, who knew Earl Grey would make the poison die out?" Sebastian approached Ciel after Lug had finally let go of him and kneeled down to his eye-level to talk to him, a soft smile on his face as always.

     "It was mainly a guess, but…I'm glad that you're okay, Sebastian." Ciel said. Sebastian was surprised by the hug, but gently hugged him back. "I'm glad I am okay too." Sebastian said, then added: "Because I want to protect you for as long as I can." Sebastian warmly smiled.

     Ciel nodded in response and smiled, "Well, Tonight was eventful."