Three Days Later...

It had been three days since Nirvana and Cammie had mysteriously appeared at the Phantomhive Manor, but the staff had seen stranger things, and so they did not question their two guests. Finny and Mey-Rin believed their cover story immediately and fired questions about toy making. Bard seemed a bit more suspicious than the other three, but held his tongue when Nirvana began to teach him how to cook.

The routine was relatively the same for the next three days. Cammie spent most of her time reading the many books of the manor's library, but sometimes walked through the gardens. It was there that she realized how incompetent the strawberry blonde was at his job, just like Bard. Usually, she attempted to keep him from Sebastian's wrath, dwindling it down to minor irritation with the help of her famous puppy-dog eyes.

She had grown fond of wearing her hair in loose pigtails, the hair thick and bunched up above the ribbons. The color of the ribbon usually depended on her dress, which she kept simple as well- easy to move in and, better yet, easier to snuggle up into a plush arm chair with another book.

Nirvana spent a lot of time in the kitchen, either teaching Bard how to cook without explosives, helping out with meals, or attempting to explain the concept of cheeseburgers to a baffled Sebastian. Only one of these attempts worked out, but she was content.

Often, they would both find their minds wandering back to their homes. Neither had much of a parental figure. Nirvana's siblings appeared in the emerald-eyed girl's mind as she chopped some tomatos. She had four younger siblings in total; Kelly, James, Marie, and Ellie. The oldest was 10, and the youngest 3.

Nirvana chopped a piece of particularly forcefully as her father came to mind. Like her mother, who had died from a mix of alcohol poisoning and childbirth, her father was never home. Whatever his job was, he spent the income partying, and rarely even came back to their apartment to sleep. Nirvana did odd jobs all over town to pay the rent, and her siblings would usually try to set up makeshift lemonade stands or some odd money-maker in order to help.

She gulped as a thought occurred to her. Where would her little siblings go without her to take care of them? Nirvana eased up a bit. Her little brother and sisters were smart- they would go next door to Cammie's apartment where her brother lived alone with her.

Camellia's older brother Peter was 26. They had suddenly turned up at the apartment when Cammie and Nirvana were eight and never spoke of their parents. Anything regarding before they moved in next door was a taboo subject.

Peter adored Nirvana's siblings. They would often eat all together when Cammie and Nirvana went out for the night to some party the emerald-eyed girl dragged her to. He had a full high school education, so in a minor town like Panama City, Florida, people had practically begged him and his extensive knowledge of technology to apply to their companies.

A light chime interrupted her thoughts, and she glanced over with Sebastian at the wall of miniature bells. The one labelled 'Study' was ringing.

"Honestly, I am so busy... What could the young master possibly want?" he murmured, cleaning off the spices from his pristine gloves and disappearing through the doorway.

Nirvana huffed and left the room as well. She didn't think to tell Camellia about the mysterious yet extremely important guest that would be coming to the manor for dinner- which was why she was helping and not doing her hourly search of explosives in Bard's quarters- and she assumed that no one else had. Better to do it while Sebastian was busy and get back when he did.

She found Cammie sitting precariously on the ledge of the window, despite there being a couch a few feet away, sketchbook in hand and furiously sketching. Nirvana let out a sigh and walked up to her at the regular volume- when Cammie was drawing, she was in her own world. She snatched the sketchbook and brought her smaller friend back into reality.

"Heyyy!" Cammie whined, her arms outstretched to grab the precious item which Nirvana held mercilessly out of her reach.

"We have a guest tonight. It's the first time someone from the public will see us, so we need to be prepared," the purple-haired teen told her friend, who instantly silenced. In fact, she visibly shrunk back.

"O-oh! What if I mess up on something? I'll shame their name forever!" she exclaimed in exasperation. There was another sigh mixed in with Nirvana's at this.

"Surely you jest, Camellia," came a familiar velvet-y voice. "You are quite more skilled at the traits of a proper lady than most women born in this era."

Both girls glanced up in surprise to see Sebastian standing a few feet from the doorway, a certain depressed gardener thrown over his shoulder. He wore his slightly intimidating- at least in Nirvana's opinion. Cammie seemed to find it hot, seeing that she blushed worse than Mey-Rin whenever he did it- closed-eyed smile.

Cammie let out a squeak and immediately leapt up to grab the sketchbook. She promptly held it behind her back, blushing furiously as both Nirvana and Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"S-so, why exactly is Finny...?" she began quietly, attempting to change the subject before they questioned her. It seemed to work when the black-clad butler let out an irritated sigh. It seemed whatever he did was so horrible that merely being reminded of Finny's presence annoyed him.

"I implore you to look out the window."

The two girls did just that, and immediately paled. It was hard not to find any speck of green in the once magnificent garden. Moments later, they heard an explosion from across the mansion, presumably from the kitchen, and several crashes from somewhere down the hall, followed by the shriek of a certain maid.

Nirvana and Sebastian shared a groan of discontent. "We left them alone for like, two minutes!" she shouted, throwing her hands up in the air.

"I'll retrieve Mey-Rin and meet you in the foyer," Cammie piped up. Sebastian seemed surprised to see her in the doorway, then down the hall. They hadn't heard a single footstep. Nirvana simply shrugged it off as normal, apparently. "She's so small and shy... of course she has tricks up her sleeve."

With that explanation, the two headed off after Cammie. Nirvana went to the kitchen to grab Bard while Sebastian attempted to chide Finny enough for him to cease his sobbing. After about 10 minutes, Cammie had arrived with a slightly consoled Mey-Rin, and 2 minutes after that, Nirvana had arrived, dragging Bard by his ear. The three servants lined up in front of the head butler.

"So... what did you do to cause all of this?"

Sebastian smiled an eerily cheerful smile and the servants huddled together in their horror. It didn't take long for them to spill the beans.

"I was going to spray herbicide after I finished weeding, but the lid was open!"

"I was going to take the guest tea set out, but I stumbled and fell on the cart..."

"Well, there was raw meat lyin' there, so I thought I'd cook it... with a flamethrower..."

They proceeded to beg his forgiveness while Nirvana rolled across the carpet, laughter shaking her very bones. Cammie at least attempted to hide her amusement.

Sebastian simply sighed. "I see. The fault was mine for leaving everything to finish all at once," he said, and lifted a hand to his chin. He was silent for a moment before checking his pocket watch.

"C-calm down, please! It was an accident, right? If we work fast, everything will be alright!" Cammie exclaimed, attempting to console the two sobbers of the three servants.

Sebastian snapped out of his daze and cleared his throat. "Indeed. Would you please follow Mister Tanaka's exampl-" he stopped, his wine-colored eyes wide. Like he had had an epiphany, the butler clapped his hands together. "Silence, everyone."

The servants quieted down and Camellia helped Nirvana stand as he continued. "Listen closely to my instructions and carry them out immediately to the letter, understood?"

They nodded, and he walked over and took the cup of tea from Tanaka's hands.

"We shall make do with this."

~{Scattered Petals}~

"I feel like a penguin."

"You look like a penguin."

Cammie was currently behind her best friend, Nirvana, trying desperately to tie Vana's corset. Although she did a pretty decent job, she could not tie it as tight as Sebastian did.

"GAH!" she yelled as the knot slipped through her fingers and untangled, and Nirvana let out a sigh of relief as the corset stopped stabbing into her sides. She wouldn't at all be surprised if this damned contraption left bruises on her caramel skin.

Waddling towards the window sill, the two girls sat in a comfortable silence other than Cam's frustrated groans.

"Hey, what was on the sketchbook that you were freaking out about earlier?"

When she got no response, she strained her head to look behind her. The young woman rolled her eyes. Cammie's lips were pursed as her tongue stuck out adorably, along with a small eyebrow twitch - which meant pure concentration.

"Cammie? Camcam? Camdoodles~?"

"What?!" she half-yelled, irritated over the fact that she had been brought out of her reverie.

"What was in the sketchbook?"

"Huh...?"

"Don't play dumb! You were totally hiding something from me."

Although 'Vana couldn't see it, realization dawned on Cammie's face, and she immediately went back to her previous mission. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I can smell the lies coming from your mouth." she hissed.

Cammie grumbled and quickly tied her corset as tightly as she could, heaving a loud and dramatic sigh when Nirvana commented how much 'breathing space she had now'.

Getting up from her position on the floor, she went to the large bed that sat at the end of the room, and picked up her cast away sketchbook. With a small blush, she handed it towards her older friend.

Nirvana took it gratefully and eagerly flipped to the latest page.

Cammie yelped when blood began to stream from her friend's nose and quickly snatched back the book.

Mey-Rin knocked politely on the door. After receiving a response, she shyly opened it, and walked in with a clumsy sort of grace.

"Hello miladies, you are nee- oh dear."

Nirvana turned around, and then looked at her sleeve. She very well knew that she couldn't ruin such a beautiful dress with her blood, so she dived into her pillow, rubbing her nose and all the blood along with it.

Deciding it was best not to comment, and simply change the sheets later, her eyes soon traveled towards her back that was wide open due to the strings that were simply loose and lazy at the young woman's side.

"Excuse me, Lady Nirvana, would you like some assistance with your corset?"

The older teen stood at attention. She gave a quick glance to Cammie for approval, who nodded feverishly. "Mr. Chlaus could be here at any moment! That corset needs to be tightened!"

Taking this as a sign of approval, Mey-Rin timidly crept up to the caramel-skinned teenager and gripped the strings of her corset. With a swift yank it was almost tighter than Sebastian had done. It was tied and finished before Nirvana could yelp.

Seeing Nirvana's reaction, the maid backed away, flustered. "I'm so sorry, I am! I thought you would be used to it, milady! Please forgive me!" she exclaimed as Nirvana panted, slowly recovering and waddling over to her dress.

"It's alright! She was just surprised, not hurt. You did perfectly!" Cammie assured her, offering a cheerful smile which, after a nod of understanding, Mey-Rin shakily returned. Suddenly the maid jumped, her eyes obviously widening behind her thick glasses.

"I almost forgot, I did! Mister Chlaus will be here any minute, so Mr. Sebastian wanted me to check on you, he did!"

Both teens were surprised at this. Why hadn't he come up himself? He didn't seem to have much shame, from how he had helped on their first day at the manor. Nirvana 'hmmed' for a moment, but concluded that he would want Mey-Rin out of potential trouble since they didn't have time to fix things again.

Cammie, on the other hand, didn't dwell on it long. Her hair was loose and tangled, so she hurried to rip a brush through it enough to be presentable and tied it in two matching ribbons. "Mey-Rin, do you mind helping Vana into her dress? It's so difficult without help and I'm bus-"

By that time she trailed off, seeing the maid lace up a final discreet bow on the back of Nirvana's satin dress, and smiled gratefully.

"We must hurry, yes!" Mey-Rin exclaimed, looking out the window. "That brown spec may be Mister Chlaus' carriage!"

The two teenagers immediately went back into minor panic mode at that and hurried out the door.

~{Scattered Petals}~

Cammie was nervous.

Nirvana touched her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile, which calmed her down somewhat, but she still gripped at her silk skirts at her place beside Ciel at the stairway. It was her first time meeting someone formally in the Victorian Era... The butterflies reappeared when the door was opened, revealing the infamous Mr. Chlaus with Sebastian behind him.

He was older than she had expected, with graying blonde hair in a ponytail and noticable facial hair. He immediately strode over to Ciel and gave him a friendly hug. "Buona Sera, Ciel! have you been well? Have you grown a little taller?"

Ciel frowned a bit at that, and both girls had to hide their snickers as he replied. "I regret to say that I have not."

"Ah, I beg your pardon! I am glad you're well!"

"You seem to be doing well yourself.."

At this, Claus turned to servants, who immediately bowed, then turned his gaze to Cammie and Nirvana. "Oh my... you've really cleaned up this manor house... and who are these lovely ladies?"

Finny cheerfully took his coat and hat while the two girls curtsied, smiling. Ciel hummed, frowning indifferently. "Lady Camellia and Lady Nirvana from America have come to stay at my manor to learn of British culture and business tactics," he recited.

Chlaus smiled at them, and Cammie offered a polite smile in return. The man practically had flowers dancing around his head. "Oh? So you have your own business, then? That is very unusual for a lady!"

"A-ah, yes, I have noticed such. However, I harbor a deep determination similar to that of any male business owner, I assure you," Cammie replied. Nirvana glanced at her, arms crossed. She never knew where the brunette gained such a diplomatic side. Even Ciel seemed slightly surprised.

Chlaus merely laughed and nodded. "Yes, yes, I can definitely tell, milady."

Sebastian spoke up at this point, though whether it was because of Ciel's sudden boredom or Camellia's obvious nervousness, they did not know. He held out a hand, smiling politely.

"You must have much to discuss with the young master. Dinner will be ready shortly, so please, come this way to the courtyard, sir."

Claus and the two girls looked at his with confused expressions. "The courtyard?" Claus asked.

Sebastian smirked and Cammie immediately looked away. "The young master has ordered us to entertain you for all the trouble you have experienced on his behalf during your journey, sir," he said, avoiding an explanation. "I hope you find our efforts most agreeable."

They entered the courtyard, Claus and Ciel side by side with Nirvana and Camellia trailing behind. The girls gaped- how had an utter wasteland been turned into such an elegant landscape in a few hours? And furthermore, how were the flowers already bloomed?! Nirvana and Cammie's eyes met and they nodded. Don't question it.

They sat on either side of Ciel again, tuning ot most of the pleasantries as Sebastian poured tea. Cammie sipped her tea politely, pretending to listen. Nirvana, on the other hand, stiffened as her shady-conversation-senses tingled.

"By the way, Chlaus... what I asked for?"

Chlaus reached into his coat, nodding. "Ah... I've brought it, as promised." He pulled out a game that looked suspiciously like that for a Gameboy... Nirvana frowned. "Here is the game you wanted," he said and sighed. "It isn't widely available in Italy... so it was quite troublesome to procure it."

Ciel chuckled, his fingers intertwined horizontally and a devious smirk on his face. "Trouble, hm? So you keep stressing since this morning's phone call."

Since when had their been a phone call? As a certified, professional know-it-all, it was her duty to know about those things! Of course, Cammie was already shy enough, so Nirvana kept her mouth shut.

"Of course. The prince gives his servant a fitting 'reward' for his efforts, after all!" Chlaus chuckled good-naturedly, but she had a feeling that the true meaning was much darker.

Ciel leaned back in his chair with a creak that surely would have echoed if they had been inside. What lovely manners... "I do hope this game is worth the 'reward,' though. The one I finished playing the other day had such a tiresome ending."

At this point, Camellia frowned, glancing between the two with the look of a nervous doe who was trespassing on a hunter's land. Nirvana shifted, her foot brushing over her friend's, and she instantly relaxed.

"Really now! Games are easily completed by the hands of children like you, Ciel," Chlaus continued, smiling. "Soon, you'll be asking for another one."

Ciel looked up with a smile that had Cammie shaking slightly, her eyes wide. "Of course. Children are greedy when it comes to games."

She seemed on the verge of crying out when suddenly Sebastian was behind her, bowing. The cloth draped over his arm touched her shoulder and she ceased her quivering. Nirvana frowned- how was it that a man who had known her for three days have the same calming effect as her, who had been friends with Cammie for years?

"Pardon my interruptions, sir. Dinner is served," he said with a serene tone and smile to match. "On the menu is our chef Baldroy's gyuutatakidon." Nirvana snickered, knowing that all Bard had done was slice the meat and put it on rice. As Sebastian placed his both before him, Chlaus pointed to it and glanced at him hesitantly.

"This... is dinner? I was expecting a full co-"

"Mr. Chlaus, did you know...?" Sebastian cut him off, smiling serenely into the distance as sparkles seemed to appear around him. Nirvana knew that look. That was the look of a fangirl ready to spill about her OTP. She knew that look.

Sure enough, he was bellowing his little butler heart out within the next second. "DONBURI HAS BEEN USED IN JAPAN FROM ANCIENT TIMES AS A FEAST TO EXPRESS GRATITUDE TO LABORERS. A DISH GIVEN AS A TREAT TO A PERSON WHO HAS RENDERED GREAT SERVICE... THAT IS DONBURI!"

Cammie covered her mouth with the back of her hand, trying to stifle her giggles. Nirvana watched her with a raised eyebrow. Her crush was so obvious.

"'Houhan.' a court dish for which the masses yearned, is said to be the origin of Donburi. Furthermore, I thought Mr. Chlaus' palate might have grown tired of elaborate dishes... and I planned this meal so that you might eat simply," he continued with that smile of his. Nirvana scoffed. Liar.

Both girls turned their heads at the sound of loud whispers from the doorway. Cammie stifled another round of giggles at the sight. The three stooges, as Nirvana had politely dubbed them, were crowded around and looking through the crack in the doorway. All three looked awestruck- was that Tanaka behind them...? He looked normal...

Mr. Chlaus snapped out of his daze and laughed. "Ciel, this is wonderful! You always surprise me! A lot of fellows in this business-" What business, exactly? "-lack a sense of humour, but I think we'll continue to get on just fine from here."

Ciel rested his cheek on his fist, looking smug. "I am honoured to hear that."

Mr. Chlaus turned to Sebastian as he tucked his elegant cloth napkin- Barf -into his collar. "As you said, I've grown weary of full-flavoured Italian dishes, so thank you."

Sebastian continued courteously. "I have also selected an Italian wine to suit your taste, sir," he gestured to Mey-Rin who stood behind him with a smile. Nirvana frowned when she saw the grown crack in her glasses.

Mey-Rin did not move.

"Mey-Rin!"

"Y-yes?"

Nirvana snickered as Sebastian whispered something into the poor maid's ear, causing her to stumble up to Mr. Chlaus. The moment of truth had arrived...

She dipped the bottle, and the wine began to pour on the table.

Nirvana merely gaped as Bard and Finny shrieked, trying to get Mey-Rin's attention.

Mr. Chlaus simply looked toward Ciel with a thankfully closed-eyed smile. "These irises are so very elegant. I want to take them back to Italy with me."

Cammie held back a gasp at the growing pool of wine and turned her head toward Mr. Chlaus, smiling brightly. "Did you know that Iris means 'rainbow' in Greek? It is a symbol of faith and hope, too! The goddess Iris was the female counterpart of Hermes and served Zeus' wife Hera as messenger! It was said that she was the link between Heaven and Earth, and people laid irises on graves so Iris would discover them and lead them to eternal happiness in the afterlife!" she explained.

Mr. Chlaus seemed intrigued and leaned forward, asking more, but Nirvana was simply relieved that he was distracted. She gave Ciel and Sebastian- who stood together, frozen- a harsh look that knocked them out of their daze just as a single drop of wine fell from the table. DO SOMETHING!

FWOOSH!

In a flash of white, the tablecloth was gone, folded on Sebastian's arm. Mr. Chaus seemed to notice how both girls froze and looked down at the table. His eyes immediately widened.

"..Nn?... O-oh?! Where did the tablecloth go!?"

Ciel smirked and continued eating as if nothing had happened. "I had it taken away because there was a slight stain on it. Don't trouble yourself."

Sebastian bowed as well. "Excuse us for our grave discourtesy. Please relax and enjoy your meal."

Cammie and Nirvana's gazes met and they shared a suspicious frown. There was no way that someone could whisk away a tablecloth of that size so quickly. It just wasn't possible...

They shrugged. He was one hell of a butler...

Hello Everyone!~

I am so excited by the support through favorites, follows, and reviews I've gotten. Thank you so much! As you can see, I've decided that my chapters have been pretty random in length, so from now on I'm going to go with one chapter in the manga = one chapter here. Maybe later on I'll make it one chapter here = two chapters in the manga for funzies.

Anyway! We are finally on to the actual story line! You will notice that having Cammie and Nirvana will effect the timeline and events that happen canon-ly a bit. If any of you have a problem with that, I am very sorry.

If you see any mistakes or places I could improve, please let me know in a review or PM (private message) and I will fix it right away!

*flies away*