Marjorie and Mayu Tsuzuki's players. Thanks so much!! ]

Afternoon, June 1st..

He had had a strange feeling ever since he'd stepped outside the church with the day's set of deliveries. He'd been avoiding doing them, only putting up with it when there was no one else..and dealing with work he didn't like was easier than not working. At least he would be able to keep himself busy.

But as he stepped out of the church now, there was an awkward prickling across the back of his neck that he couldn't explain.

He fingered the list of directions and destinations that had come with the modest stack of packages. It was a short trip today, most of the stops were located in the same area, half of them small caf?s.

That's right.. It was around the time that Marlena sent out her special deliveries. He remembered her explaining to him how the profit she turned from being a trustworthy source for cheap, but good quality, imported food kept a good portion of the church running.

And he only remembered because it was something he had to listen to every two weeks..or get hit with a spoon.

He turned into the shadows of an alley, stopping outside a metal door that had a brilliantly pink crown stamped on it, the letters R.T. written in intricate, neat swirls, something that Sister Robyn could do easily. He rapped his knuckles into the door beneath them.

"Ah, zut! Just a moment~!" He jumped back as the door was yanked inward. "Oh! Monsieur Toby!" He watched the eager woman's face as she pulled the door half shut on herself, glancing over her shoulder, then up and down both sides of the alley before regarding him directly. Her blue eyes were squinted in search of his person. "Did you bring those packages for me?"

He snorted, producing two chilled cardboard boxes from the bag on his hip. "Just call me Toby, Collette. Whatever you say along with it makes it sound like you're sneezing."

"Ah, ah, ah, Monsieur," she said, tapping his nose with the tip of a manicured nail. "We must observe the proper niceties to our guests during their stay!" She giggled with all the cheer of a girl half her age. And he didn't think she looked that old..just a few years older than him.

"I'm not a guest though, I'm just--"

"And why is that, Monsieur?" she asked, eyeing him thoughtfully.

He pushed the boxes out toward her. "Because I'm just the delivery boy."

"Not today, you're not!!!" she said brightly. "Today, Monsieur, you will be one of our honored guests and during your stay, you will experience lavish treatments and delectable cuisine you could not even attain in your wildest dreams!!!" She curtseyed gracefully, something that wouldn't have looked so weird if she had been wearing a dress, and opened the door with a flourishing motion, gesturing him inside.

He grunted softly. "Come on, you guys aren't my only delivery today. Marlena said that these are supposed to go in a fridge as soon as possible."

"That's no problem, Monsieur," she smiled. "Once you have ventured inside, it will only take a few moments to get you hooked."

"Look, I'm just going to set these down here, and--"

"I won't accept them." Her voice was as flat as the ground he was standing on. Her smile had vanished, her blue eyes unforgiving. "Our Masters are awaiting the exceptional delacacies contained in those boxes, but I'm willing to part with them and risk gross, gross dissatisfaction on your account." Her mouth spread into a sweet smile.

His brow furrowed as he held her eyes. "Just because of me.."

"That's right. Our livelihoods are in your hands, Monsieur. Would you risk the termination of myself and all my lovely staff..the closing of my business and thereby the wrath of the Masters who so do enjoy gracing these walls with their presence. All because you don't wish to grant us the pleasure of serving you for a brief period of time? It's just as simple as saying yes.

"Besides, I'm familiar with some of your other clientele. You're not in as much of a hurry as you claim. What do you say?"

He gaped at her. She couldn't be serious. For something that simple..? Would people really get yelled at..or terminated?

Why should he care? He knew exactly what happened, whose fault it really was. He didn't want to..

"And it's such a shame as well. We've just hired on a new, fresh, young face." Collette dabbed at the corner of her eyes with her knuckles. "A gem, untouched by the ways of the world. Such plush, earnest features and innocent determination. So hopeful was she that the wages she would receive from Royal Tea would allow her to aid her family in their times of crisis. I shudder to think what should become of them."

His jaw dropped. "Why would you do that.. All you've got to do is take the damn boxes..!"

"Why would you refuse what will most likely be the most relaxing, enjoyable hour of your young life?"

She held his eyes, one of her perfect eyebrows slowly curving upward on her forhead.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, he sighed. "Fine. Don't terminate anyone or close anything.."

"A most excellent decision, Monsieur," she cheered, the heavy shadow that had been on her face nowhere to be seen. She relieved him of the two boxes, now warm from being outside, and ushered him in.

The hall he entered was narrow and without much decoration save for scarce, small pictures on the walls and a table with a vase of flowers on the far end. He felt the urgent pressure of her palm on his back, nudging him along.

Collette shoved him through a long, draping, yellow curtain that clung to him, trying to keep him from the main floor almost as much as he was himself.

"Our lovely maids will seat you and attend your every need, Monsiuer. Enjoy your stay and welcome to Royal Tea!!!"

******

"That was laying it on a little thick, don't you think, Boss?" Konoha asked as Collette entered the kitchen, depositing the boxes into the fridge where she knew Jacqueline would see them.

"You'll disagree when you see this one!!! And what better way to assess our newest maid's skills than an environment with little to no expectation!!!" She tittered happily. "It is a most brilliant plan if I do say so myself!!!"

"I would have gone with the assassin attacks via the Masters' secret goon squads. That would have probably gotten through to him quicker. He seems a little stupid."

"Ah, there's your dark side reering its ugly head again~" Collette giggled as she darted out into the hallway, one eye peeking around the edge of the curtain. Konoha, unsurprisingly, followed suit, taking up a position on the other side. "Let us watch!!!"

"M-Mai.." he muttered, confused. There was a grumble behind him, then the prongs of a fork sticking into his back. He lurched forward, eyeing the curtain over his shoulder. And continued on his way to the table. He was halfway there anyway..and he could feel eyes on him. "Do you have to call me that..? You can't just say Toby..?" He reached out blindly for the back of the chair, his eyes now glued on May. He didn't think he'd ever heard her speak without a stutter..unless she was really mad. ...She could be really mad. He swallowed thickly.

Dark green honed in on the two peeking out from the backroom. Were those? flowers sprouting from thin air around her boss? She followed after their stares, lining the gaze up with Toby?s distancing person. An accusing look was aimed to the curtain before following after him, quickly darting past him and to one of the closest chairs. It was tugged out with perfect grace, not even a sound of scuffing pads meeting polished wood.

?I?m sorry, Master, I do not believe I understand your question,? head tilting with a widening of green orbs, now stern and frightfully angry. Nobody but him would see that flash for a brief instant. She swept the chair around to tuck it beneath him, the lip of the seat being shoved into the dimple of knee to force him to sit. A menu was pulled from her apron, sliding up beside him to offer it over. She returned to her lowered dip of posture, her neatly brushed head within a foot of him. The waft of trademarked peaches was replaced with the sweet scent of honey and sugar. ?Master, we specialize in the omelette rice entr?e. Shall I start you off with that, or would you prefer a drink??

Thankfully missing the flowers, otherwise he would have thought this twice as weird, he sucked in a wince through his teeth as he was made to fall into the..surprisingly comfortable..chair. He pushed the menu she'd set down out of the way, turning to face her, the light captured brilliantly in every strand of her hair. What had he been going to say..

"...I'd prefer if you'd just tell me what's going on. If you're working here, that's fine, I don't have to wonder where you went." He chided himself too late for admitting it. But now that he was seeing her, what had happened a few days ago seemed like such a distant memory. And he just wanted to forget that look on her face.

She laughed at him, forced and relatively nervous. She retracted several steps, fingers weaving through the lace of what appeared as a faux white corset coiling her torso. A quick survey was provided to her surroundings, customers and her coworkers deadlocked in conversation, titters, and other forms of heightened amusement. They were not paying the two very much mind.

All except for those two, Konoha and Colette, behind the curtain. She knew the fabric?s constant shiver wasn?t some propelled breeze from an open backdoor. They were giggling profusely. Her gaze returned to Toby, a smile so sweet, it was capable of the background around her very person to fade in an assortment of stars and flowers. ?I?m afraid that goes against our policy, Master. Allow me to serve you our special omelette rice entr?e. You will not be disappointed!?

She turned to place the order with the back.

His eyebrows shot up. Was she just doing this because she had to..or did she really just want to forget what happened. He wasn't sure how he felt about that..about any of it, his train of thought skidding to a stop when she smiled at him. By the time he'd snapped out of it, she was almost too far away. His right hand shot out quick, his fingers curving firmly around the inside of one of her elbows. "May, wait.." he gently pulled, trying to get her to turn back. Even though he had no idea what to say if she even did.

Her eyes shot wide when the gruff contact of another met the exposed layer of skin at her arm. In that instant, it was as though the entirety of the world came to a screeching halt. Coworkers turned with the snapping creaks of a disjointed doll, customers both in awe and disgust at what they were laying witness to. Even the curtains lost that vibrant quiver of mirth.

The very world was now focused on the two at the table, Mai?s eyes curving to meet Toby?s hand on her. She was frozen stiff with a fright fitting somebody seconds from losing their life.

?Oooooh! Hohohoho!? emitted a voice, seemingly from below the wooden floor of the caf?. Stepping in from the street, with lovely chestnut hair that fell in tiers along her back and kept wonderfully from her amused, bespectacled face, was a woman in a charming pink and white dress that appeared more lavish and expensive than even the shop?s chinaware combined.

A pair of binoculars were the choice of glasses, a thin handle managed in one hand and kept close to her eyes. She leered at the two from across the caf?, binoculars focusing on the contact of hand to elbow. ?Sultry, dastardly!? she cried, her voice filled with a dramatic flare better suited for a stage, ?The woes of forlorn contact gracing now a damsel in distress; an idiot hero who knows not his whimsical manners or stills his emotionally frantic beating heart in the most tumultuous of time! Were it not so breaking a rule that shall rain the fires of hell upon your very soul, you might just get away with it, boy!?

In unison, the few present in the caf? took in the sight of the woman at the door and what she had to say. Nadie cut across the room to greet the woman. ?Mistress Renge! It?s so wonderful to see you return home this early! Please, allow me the privilege of getting you a table!?

Nadie?s voice riled interest, the focus momentarily being displaced between Mai and Toby. In that time, the green haired one wrested her arm from his grip, head shaking with another rise of anger in her eyes. ?I?ll return momentarily with your omelette rice, Master. Unless you require anything else beforehand??

The honey sweetness that matched her smell was thick in her voice; unfazed by the contact and showcasing a masterful containment of emotions. Not hearing any additional requests, she turned, leaving the table and crossing the floor in graceful strides that shed any impression she was upset by the exchange. She disappeared behind the curtain, soft chatter filling the air for several seconds before the back went calm.

Evening, June 1st..

The cheerful echo of the maid's collected farewell to him followed him out into the heat of the afternoon. He pulled the glass door closed, glancing back at it, and the chalkboard on his immediate right. There was a list of names, one of them was Mai. He frowned, shaking his head.

It wasn't all that weird for her to be working here, he thought. She liked to help people, so getting paid to do it was a good fit. Calling people 'master' just sounded weird to him, even worse coming from her..toward him. But the outfit was cu--he exhaled, surprising the man who had been standing before him with a tip ready for the package Toby had handed over. He muttered a thanks for the money and turned on his heel.

He only had two more deliveries to make on the list..and they weren't urgent. His eyes were drawn back to the windows of Royal Tea, and soon his feet were too. He peered through the glass as he walked slowly by the shop. Delicately written words that read 'Don't touch--' and 'No loitering--' jumped out at him. He quickly made for the alley that he used to approach the shop normally. His back met the wall, he couldn't keep from looking between the two doors. He felt anxious to admit, even to himself, that he was waiting.

The steel door that lead to the alley was rattled a few times at the handle, examining whether it was locked safely or not. It wasn?t, most likely because there was still trash to contend with. She only had one bag she was responsible for this evening before being let off the hook. With it tight in hand, she shoved the heavy frame open, stepping out into the alley. The plastic full of paper and refuge rustled audibly as she ambled along at a languid pace due to its weight, tossing it against the side of the wall for retrieval in the coming hours.

All while still wearing the uniform of Royal Tea. She didn?t quite mind the look, having dressed as a maid once before long ago. To actually do so with proper reason? it silently made her happy. That happiness was stabbed in the stomach with a rusty knife when knowing another was seizing that secret of hers.

Still, she couldn?t get over having seen Toby in the restaurant. It was something out of her worst nightmares. And likely, it would be something he?d bring up with Katt or another with a mouth capable of spreading the word since she wasn?t adequately answering his questions when they were being spouted. She already envisioned him going frantic with the interviews or interrogations until he understood why she was dressed in such attire, calling him such titles, and eager to do things based on anything he may very well want.

Within, thankfully, appropriate reason.

Not to mention, he was still livid at her, and she him, from the incident that took place after her near drowning experience back at that home with the cat.

With the trash taken care of, she peered down the length of the alley that lead to the rear of the caf? itself, noting that the last breath of evening sun was being snuffed out, leaving nothing but the flickering lights of the alley to guide her path. She turned slowly, a cut silhouette lifting her gaze from the gravel road and up toward it.

Not again? What was he doing outside? Off duty, and in the privacy of an alley, she didn?t hold herself back with the same manner of resolve as she did within. ?What are you doing out here?? Didn?t you see any of the signs that say not to loiter? You?re going to get in a ton of trouble.?

He had been looking at the front door, watching happy customers trickle out into the settling evening, when he felt the bang of the alley door through the wall he was leaning against. His head swung back around, his eyebrows raising at her questions. The corners of his mouth tipped up, the thought to just leave them unanswered like his were circling his mind.

"I saw them. But I can't see them *now*, so I figured it was alright." He was surprised at how easily he could speak. A few hours' worth of time to think had let what little information he'd already gotten settle down. He felt relaxed, somehow, as he looked at her. "Are you done?"

She found his response arrogant and rude, dark green eyes shifting away from him and to the nearby door. ?Does it look like it? I still have to change and sign off on my time card before Collette will let me go. You better not be out here when I come back, or I?m going to tell her,? she threatened, starting on back through the open door of the caf?.

(s)"Sure.." He thudded the back of his head against the wall, then leaned away from it, assuming he should go first, not looking back at her. But he could just see that she was waiting for him to disappear before she finished up for the day. The cut of his frame slipped around the corner out of sight.

She slanted her posture backward to see if he was actually leaving this time around, noting him taking off as per her request. She nodded in approval, slipping back into the interior of Royal Tea, meeting with Nadie as she headed into the locker room.

?Are you done for the evening?? Nadie asked, already undressed in a frilly pink bra and panties that matched.

Mayu dropped herself down onto a bench beside her fondest coworker. ?I think so? Collette said after I take out my section of trash and sign my time card, I?m free to go. Is it that simple??

The redhead nodded, sliding a black shirt over her torso. It was snug, enhancing bubbly assets, and read, ?Shoot ?em first before they do you.? ?That?s it,? confirming Mayu?s question with a grin, ?You did good work out there today, Mai-chan. I?m looking forward to making this an everyday occurrence with you.?

A slender brow lifted, green eyes lifting to Nadie with surprise. ?You really think so? I feel I was a little unrefined. It?s been a long time since I?ve done anything like this.?

Nadie laughed, pants being slipped into with little effort and slammed her locker shut. She made jeans and a shirt look like the most resounding evening wear for a ball. ?Are you kidding? I counted six men watching you specifically. I think Konoha might?ve gotten a little jealous at one point. That?s not a common thing around here.? She graced the top of Mayu?s head with a waggling of fingers. ?We?ve all got our customers that like us. You just managed to take a few from all of us. That?s very good work!? praising the girl with a laugh.

?You take care of yourself, ?kay? And, hey?? stopping at the door, swinging a look back to the girl, ?Who was that guy that was all over you earlier? I get the impression you know him.?

A frown set in Mayu?s lips, head shaking, ?That?s a friend of mine. I don?t really know how he managed to find out about me working here? It?s a whole district away from where we commonly hang out.? She was beginning to suspect whether or not he followed her.

Several fingers rapped along the edge of the wall Nadie was close to, debating it over herself. ?If you see him later, tell him I?d like to serve him some time! He?s pretty damn cute, just between us.? She giggled then, disappearing from plain sight. ?See you tomorrow, Mai-chan!?

Mayu?s eyes widened with additional shock. ?C-Cute?? she repeated, noting Nadie?s departure. ??she needs some kind of eye check. Maybe that?s why her eyes are so freaking blue??

She began to shed her uniform.

Afternoon, June 19th..

Collette watched the proceedings with an air of incredible pleasure. It had all come together so nicely! It was so refreshing, how the disorganized labor of so many formed such a relaxing environment. The night before, she couldn't have predicted such a turnout.

Royal Tea's main room had been transformed, entirely transformed overnight. The wooden floors replaced, yes replaced, with authentic slats of tatami that fit together seamlessly. A modest sized koi pond and fountain had been installed in the very center of the floor, its trickling waters and gentle clink of the attached sozu providing ambiance. Multicolored fish swam to and fro beneath the surface.

Several kotatsu and zabuton were scattered at close intervals, enough to maintain some form of privacy, but yet close enough to not impede conversation. Paper lanterns hung from the ceiling with white strings of lights bordering the seam where ceiling met wall. Elaborately painted scrolls of beautiful women in kimono with painted faces and grand fans decorated the walls. Even a collection of bead strands had been set into place instead of Collette's favored yellow curtain.

The air was filled with the scents of fragrant tea and sakura blossoms, the laughter from maids and Masters alike a delight to her ears. She sighed happily, hiding her hands in her own yukata sleeves. So far, the event had been a resounding success.

Indeed, the only thing that seemed *not* to have been replaced was the bell that announced new visitors and potential customers. Its sound drew her eye to the familiar cut of a tall young man whose ginger hair hung in loose, but artful, and apparently damp, disarray. He appeared surprised. Another smile blossomed on Collette's lips at the collective greeting to the young man..which she took a part in.

"Welcome back, Master!"

The days where events took precedent were perhaps the hardest. No day at Royal Tea was specifically easy, seeing as how one often had to transfer their personality from something modern and plausible to something of the old time variety and, well, insane. Mai wasn't one to argue with the subtle shifts in how she greeted people or treated them when working. Naturally, she fit the role like a hand in a snug glove on an overly chilly day. She just wished the number of patrons didn't continue to increase when the day was supposed to be winding down.

She was but a single girl still growing accustomed to the hardy life of carrying two jobs with barely an end in sight. Tack on the fact that she was with only a single arm to do nearly every single ordeal that was requested of her, as every good maid should, she was well past her limits.

Even her patience was beginning to wane, leaving her on edge and with a mood that could kill underneath the layer of fluff and rainbow cheer.

The greeting from her co-workers was a formal call of attention for her to do the very same. She was between shifts, having somehow managed to refrain from being requested in the past ten minutes by any new entrants. A silent prayer for continue blessing dressed her mind as she turned to the door to greet the one that graced the entrance way, "Okaerinasaimase, Gos--"

Freeze. Is that who she thought it was? She squinted, squeezing contact lenses tight to assure they remain firmly glued to her eyeballs, staring at the tall, ginger haired child. Him, with his simplistic tee shirt and gritty blue jeans. And sneakers. What was this, a peon convention? A hand coiled around her midriff, securing the obi sash to the dark red, cotton yukata with golden floral patterns entwining the fabric in an elaborate decoration. There was the slightest, tiniest feeling that she was exposed despite being the one who was covered the very most.

Some didn't seem to understand the decency of a yukata. The pop of her sandals was the herald to her approach to Toby, her only available hand reaching out to gather him up by the collar, and jerk him aside. The motion was so quick, so spectacular, you'd think she was a twister capable of sucking the poor child clear out of a sunroof of a car and never be made aware.

He was half through the process of removing his shoes, the little chalkboard out front told him to -- beneath the usual list of maids available that day, when she grabbed him. He barked a surprise sound, following her half bent over with one shoe barely clinging to his foot.

Even so, all he could do was smile. The place looked cool, sure, and he had seen her dressed up before, but she looked..pretty. Her clothes were almost as shiny as her hair, and they looked right on her. Intricate embroidered flowers, vibrant patterns, wrapping her up--

The smallest alcove where shoes and other personal accessories could be dropped off is where she released him, glaring up at him with those fantastic green eyes that were, quite possibly, trying to revert to their demonic red hue. "Just what the heck are you doing here!?" she demanded in question, the flush of her cheeks already matching the attire for the day's event. "I thought I told you to stop coming here. For a hundred times. Yet here you are, day after day after day after day, always showing up!"

It was easy to tell that today, specifically today of all days, she was having a hard time dealing with his presence at her secret job. The sad thing was, a yukata was not the most incriminating thing she could be wearing. Even Collette would attest to that.

He was engrossed, so much so in fact that he barely heard anything she said let alone noticed the crown of Collette's blond head steadily rising higher and higher from the left side of his elbow. The woman's eyes flicked back and forth between them, her red mouth spreading in a devious grin.

"Have you even missed a day since you found out I've been here? This is asinine! Totally and completely crazy! You need to get out of here b--"

"Welcome home, Monsieur!" she said pointedly. "You are late this afternoon, for shame! And with such a refreshing atmosphere prepared just for you!"

The firm press of a good hand to her hip was standard woman fashion to say, "You're dumb." She wanted to tell him that; it didn't seem possible once Collette was on the scene. She averted the girl's attention, transferring hate for glory, anger for passion. "Boss! Don't you think it's a little awkward for somebody like him to be here? He doesn't even dress up in the formal code that is all but requested!"

Surely, she wanted means of throwing him out herself. She hadn't that privilege. Plan B might work. The tilt of her head towards him followed with the easiest look up to him, just to make certain he wasn't still smiling and staring at her like he had been.

He? still was.

Precious green narrowed deeper, only to be dismissed by Collette.

"Awkward? Someone like him? Requested?" Collette pinched the corner of imaginary spectacles and surveyed Toby with a shrewd eye, her ruby red mouth pursed into a bunch. "Mais, oui, Monsieur, she is correct. You hardly fit the bill, why have I not noticed this before now?" She threw her hands into the air then regained the exact grip May gave up. With a fist in his collar, she directed him, streams of French flawlessly easing from her mouth.

"A-ah, wait..! I can walk on my own..!" He stumbled after her, only slightly..perhaps a little more than slightly..worried.

But instead of the door, she ended their journey at a vacant kotatsu and sent him to the floor with a firm pull. He dropped onto his knees, then his rear, squinting up at her.

"There is only one way to deal with these things, Monsieur, and that is to serve you with the very utmost of our ability for you seem to be vastly interested in our services." She turned a beatific smile onto May. "And we desire nothing more than to please our Masters, oui?"

What was a girl to do when her boss was (wo)man-handling her good friend? Follow, and see what kind of natural abuse he gets of course! She curled her available hand over the wrist of the finely wrapped linen one, doing her best to claim the idle posture maids often took (even when prettied up in a yukata with sticks in cropped up, magnificent hair), keeping close to the pair and oblivious to the small spectacle Collette was making of him.

Part of her felt sorry. That part, funnily enough, also died with her last year. "It's only natural you get your due punishment," masking a sadistic giggle with those words.

Unfortunately for the girl who was looking forward to Toby's suspension from her work, he was seated at a low table with her being the prime candidate to handle him. "W-Wait, what??" blinking once at Collette. She couldn't amount her strength to prevent a glance down to him. Which immediately flattened. Why did she feel a creeping of cerulean shadow wash over her brow? "?wee, boss," she dejectedly admitted.

"Splendid! A most refreshing decision, merci~" Collette swept away, back to her perch at the beaded curtain with a palm before her mouth doing nothing to mask her chuckles that sounded more like that weird Renge girl's.

Toby scooted under the table, folding his arms on its surface, his head turning slowly to look back up at his friend. He grinned nervously at first, but it soon became a smile of true amusement. He'd missed it here. He'd missed--

His eyes, only for a moment, flicked down to her bandages. He'd been here enough to know that he had to order something..and that he couldn't really ask her how she was since he'd last seen her that morning. "I'll take the one thing from the specials list that's the easiest for you to carry..?"

"Don't patronize me. I can carry anything you want to order," turning her nose up to him, and uttered with the perfect volume to ensure it didn't get out to the others. She was a meek girl by nature, with a wispy voice that suited her admirably. It wasn't such a far stretch of the imagination to presume she had the capability.

Her hand unraveled from the injured arm, yukata becoming more easily accessible for viewing when she rounded the table he was seated at to ensure the distance placed between them was the professional space. She dropped to her knees, careful of the cotton attire that clung tightly to her waist and thigh, settling her attention solely on the empty surface of the kotatsu.

"Would you prefer a drink first, Master?" she asked him, cueing the necessary attitude and demeanor to suit a woman of particularly outstanding servitude.

He followed her with his eyes, openly, ignoring the feeling of another random gaze on him from somewhere else. There was a lot he was ignoring..not seeing. Even the other maids, passing behind May to and fro, bright splotches of color and lit up smiles, didn't receive a glance.

His smile softened when she knelt by him, but he shook his head. "No, that's okay. Just the food's okay."

She refrained from eye contact to the best of her ability, something of a habit she'd begun to take habit to when dealing with the clientele. It was much easier to serve and direct her unique traits they often called on when not being so personal as to peer through the very windows of the soul. That wasn't to say she completely abolished the thought of catching his gaze in the corner of her eye. Far from it.

Each subsequent glance followed with a mutter of incoherent sound and a kiss of red to her cheeks.

"F-Food, Master? Would you like to place your order, then?" allowing him to realize that he hadn't actually done so. The table came prepared with a menu for his liking, chin dipping in a silent motion to its existence.

He blinked at her, watching her face slowly but surely start to match the color of her clothes. He didn't know why, he didn't do anything. He dragged the menu she'd placed down on the table to himself as he, finally, allowed himself to look around. It was quick, not lasting any longer than a couple seconds.

He tapped the middle finger of his left hand on a picture of the small sampler entree, a couple bites from each special dish, and on a plate that just fit into his palm, it seemed. "This one."

She snapped a look to him, the color of red fading from her cheeks almost immediately following his answer. The twitch of a glower equally faded when she shoved her knees into the mat they shared, available hand catching the end of the table, rising from her crouched position. A finger slid the menu out from beneath his indication, slightly more forceful than the girl was prone to showing, head lowering in a sharp bow.

"Very well, Goshujin-sama," understanding his request with a tip of foreign tongue added for the particular day. She excused herself without question and without merit. The end of a leg nudged into the sturdy wooden table, a solid sound of her connecting with it reverberating throughout the main hall.

No attention, at least from herself, was enough to disturb her. She vanished through the back curtain in a hurry.

He jumped, steadying the table with his hand, watching her go. His mouth twitched, nearing a smile when he felt the release of pressure from his shoulders..like whoever had just been looking at him had finally switched their focus to something else. He rubbed at the back of his neck with his other hand, glancing around again.

He saw two tables that were likely..missing their own maids to service them, or any dishes before them. When his eyes passed over the first table, the sole occupant immediately became interested in something on his hand..the other table's two patrons were talking in hushed tones, then they both looked back at the beaded curtain.

One last cough got his voice to return to working order. He focused his eyes on his plate, picking out the next roll of sushi, only looking back at her when he'd eaten it.

"Really.. I didn't think I was *that* pale yet. I'll try not to fall asleep."

Movement aside from the fan caught the corner of his eye, the fatter of the pair at table two had raised their hand, beckoning her over with a nasally call of "Maaaaaiiiii." Toby looked back to her.

"You're almost blue and thus going to die soon," continuing to advise him without so much as a care in the world. This was a particularly darker version of the girl he naturally knew, and she hadn't much concern to hide it from him presently. The calling of her name withdrew her attention from Toby, paper fan lowering with enough weight to rest atop Toby's head.

It was the two Nadie had mentioned. A quick survey of the common room showed she wasn't there. She must have gone in the back to handle another order, she thought. None of the maids were designed to stay in the common room if they hadn't need to. It was, at the end of the day, entirely up to each maid on how they wished to approach their presence being handled.

Mai was one that preferred the back. Nadie was, as well. Shio was scared of the idea that once you go in the back, you never come back, the others chose their moments as they saw fit.

She released the fan, edging away from the table and toward the two that were beckoning for her attention.

"Ah.." He raised one hand, holding the fan to his hair as he watched her move away. "Right. I guess I'll..fix that..then." He leaned into the table, his head turned, attention obviously on the pair that had now become a trio.

The conversation they struck was normal -- comments about how beautiful that shade of silk looked against her hair and how fitting to one of Asian heritage it seemed. They asked for her opinion on what they should order, both bent eagerly over the menu they shared.

There was something wrong with this..

The gentle sound of breaking glass and a call of surprise were what came from that table next. Toby blinked, his eyes lowering to the pool of water and glass pieces that had found its way to May's feet.

"I'm so sorry, Mai, my hand slipped! H-here, let me!" The slimmer of the two reached for the mess with his bare hand.

"Don't do that," Mai blurted, quickly lowering down to capture the arm of the one that was mid-reach to stop him from doing something dangerous like pick up glass with the bare of his hands. "I'll take care of it, Goshujin-sama," she rose, his wrist still firm in her grip to ensure he not get any wise ideas about trying to help her in the process. She waited for him to firmly understand what it was she asked of him before turning to disappear in the back.

He wasn't mistaking it. They were smiling and excited. He was too far away from their table to hear any of their whispers. They watched the curtain eagerly for her reappearance, and his eyes narrowed at the startling change in their expressions. Their excited smiles vanished..they were chastising themselves for the accident.

No sooner than she was gone did she return, a dustpan and broom cradled in her one arm, blue rubber glove already present on it for safety reasons. The metal pan was lowered to the floor, set between a sandaled foot to prevent it from scurrying away from her, one hand working the broom in grip to start sweeping about in a near wild flail.

"You must be careful, Mai. To damage one of your hands for such a silly thing."

"We will pay for it, double. *Triple*. You have our word!"

He idly wondered how he hadn't noticed that she served others as well as him.. This was her job, he wasn't really Toby here, and she wasn't really May here. He always made a point to request just her, but he wasn't the only one that knew about this shop.

For such a haphazard swipe of the broom, she was able to get every last small shard of glass into the pan without fuss or delay. There were certain tricks a shrine maiden came up with when it involved working at a shrine with nothing productive to do with her day. In fact, there was a time when she could clean the sprawl of cherry blossoms from her walkway with nothing but the back of a leg and a broom. That was just asking for a show.

She didn't much care for those.

With the glass swept clean in the pan, she angled over in order to retrieve the pan. She was beginning to notice the complications of having just one arm in order to handle her every day activities. She wobbled on her sandaled feet, losing balance mid-step and tumbling head first to the ground. Were it not for the aid of the sole hand, she would have collided with the floor in a violent manner.

The near 90-degree bend wasn't comfortable nor advisable. At least she was in a yukata and not her formal maid uniform. The situation could have gone from uncomfortable to unbearable in the blink of an eye.

If only she'd taken notice of the fact that her yukata, especially at the rear and toward the desirable bend of thigh was particularly tighter on her figure?

He lurched halfway out of his seated position at the first signs of her tumble, the collected cries of surprise from the pair easily covering it. Then he, those two, and he swore that man behind him were looking at--

His face burned. He looked away sharply.

"Mai! Are you alright? What a..spectacular fall!"

Something about that was wrong too..like the man had paused to figure out exactly what word he was wanting to describe her with. ...And neither of them even seemed concerned about her in the slightest.

(s)"?Did they do this on purpose..?"

"Mai, my darling girl, what have I been thinking!" Collette's clear voice rang like a bell, shattering the pair's fantasy and Toby's own ability to even try to think any further. "You must be fatigued! Why, it's as if I work you to the bone! Come, come, we must rest you, oui? You will be refreshed in no time!" The elder woman knelt beside May, an apologetic look given to the pair at the table..who stiffly responded with nods.

"Hyaa?" a pained sigh was Collette's response, who she hadn't the ability to see until the woman helped righten her position. She felt knotted up even after her boss straightened her and got her back to her feet. She was embarrassed, red burning so fierce, it'd sizzle an egg.

In her case, she was embarrassed for all of the wrong reasons under the sun. She never once realized that those two men at the table had tipped over their glass solely to get a glance at her posterior. Nor had she realized that she enabled their drool-crusting grins and hard stares when she nearly tipped over.

Her only available hand proudly held the glass-filled pan, offering it over to Collette with a bob of her head in rhythmic joy. "I told you I'd be all right with just one arm!" as if it needed repeating.

"Please excuse us, Monsieurs. Do not worry yourselves over such trifling matters as dishware." During their return to their feet, Collette had taken over handling the broom for May, who was quite happy with her dust pan. The woman's free hand ushered May along at a brisk pace. She disappeared with May into the back, a musical call of "Nadieee~" leaving her throat in a perfect soprano.

Leaning past, she watched Toby with a perk of brows, interest piqued by his stare and possible glowering. She wasn't sure how comfortable she felt because of it, unwilling to part from her boss in order to discover the cause or reasoning. She'd allow Collette to lead her away, a second glance thrown in somewhere between the table and the curtain.

Toby only met May's eyes for a second, convinced his whole head would start on fire if he looked any longer. His main focus was that kotatsu, and the spot on the floor that had once held a mess. The pair of men watched the two ladies disappear, sneered at each other, and proceeded to rise to their feet and exit.

They had gotten what they came for.