[OTA] Space dementia in your eyes.

[semper-serviam.livejournal.com]

New Year's Day was the same every year, really. For one night everyone seemed to have forgotten their limits when it came to drinking the night before and the Castle stirred late in the morning, groggy and hung over.

Where the Spades' butler might have busied himself cleaning up after some of last night's drunken debauchery, Iollan ventured out of the confines of the Spades' kitchen to replenish empty jugs of water and bring more alka seltzer to some of the Castle's residents.

He'd no doubt be in the kitchen as well should those hangover-induced pangs of hunger bring some people down there before lunch.

Comments

[piquedbutler.livejournal.com]

It's amazing, really, being allowed a few moments of watching Iollan Work. The sort of thing that fuels a younger generation of Chives toward more proper Efficiency.

On Time is a more than acceptable response, even if it does gives Declán Two Minutes of waiting to contend with.

"...as expected." The Spades weren't overly rowdy in their celebration, but that didn't make them deep and thorough in their ability to give themselves hangovers. "Beginning to properly run again. I trust the kitchen staff are keeping?"

Up to Standards, of course.

[semper-serviam.livejournal.com]

'Beginning to properly run again' was much more to Iollan's liking than 'still attempting to burn down their Castle because of sparklers that hadn't been put out properly' or other stupid things that young people do to put the lives of everyone around them in jeopardy.

"We seem to have lost two Twos and a Three." But it was for the better that they rested than to have three bumbling kitchen hands not at their best tempting self-harm through fire, knives, hot water and other such hazards.

"Perhaps you could locate them after lunch. If you've the time."

[piquedbutler.livejournal.com]

There isn't a sneer. There doesn't need to be. The mild lift of the younger man's chin is likely more than Sufficient to communicate the distaste.

A pity, the lack of Standards in some parts of the Spade Population.

"Consider it done, sir."

Those missing would have it Explained to them exactly why they were Insufficient.

[semper-serviam.livejournal.com]

The King's lunch was materialising on the central countertop, along with a few other plates that were going onto trays headed to other parts of the Castle. They weren't going to take longer than Iollan's allotted two minutes, because this kitchen ran to his schedule.

He would have liked to detain the butler for longer than those two minutes that was fast becoming one, but there was food on the table that needed to be sent off.

So for now. Small Talk. Or at least, a Chives' rendition of it, comprised of Innocent Questions.

"Where were you on New Year's Eve?"

[piquedbutler.livejournal.com]

It isn't a pause if he's simply wetting his lips. It's Efficient, greasing communication.

"Shepherding, largely." As a butler was meant to do with drunken Upper Cards. "And-- briefly with a friend."

After all, it wasn't as though Iollan wouldn't be able to, with the usual Chives Sense of Everything, deduce he'd spent the night in Annie's room. Better to let it Be, strange though the word 'friend' was to say.

[semper-serviam.livejournal.com]

It was no small feat that almost everyone who had ushered in the new year with too many drinks made it to their rooms, or at least onto a bed to get a Proper Night's Sleep.

"Briefly." The word was not raised at the end to turn it into a question. Simply uttered - reiterated - while Iollan looked at the butler impassively. Of course, it was a question. An accusation, almost. Surely the young Chives could manage a better explanation than 'briefly with a friend'.

[piquedbutler.livejournal.com]

Thank goodness, really, for the network of Chives and Properly Terrified Servants who could be made to fill in gaps.

"Briefly."

It's not easy to shut down the person who Made one. It's helped, in theory, by their discrepant ranks. Besides, there's more of an Answer in the following question.

"Did you manage to find Mother at midnight?"

[semper-serviam.livejournal.com]

Iollan's gaze flickered over to the counter. The time for these games had come to an end. Just as Declán had no real answer for Iollan, Iollan didn't have one for Declán either.

Besides, they weren't Real Questions when both parties knew the answers.

"Lunch is ready. You had better go."

[piquedbutler.livejournal.com]

Just a few seconds to check things over. Just a few seconds to Account for everything. Just enough seconds to Push carefully.

"Give her my best wishes, then."

And then the tray is up in his hands, face completely impassive and brow arched at precisely the angle calculated to mean Nothing to the rest of the world.