"Well, it can't be any of us on 'Party-Duty'--" Scoffed Alfonse "--and if he thinks I'll do special orders under these conditions, he's got another thing coming. Rupe and I are stretched thin as it is."

"He DID say 'Leftovers' Al--" chimed Rupert with a naughty smile, before testing the bowtie pasta again, this time meeting with satisfaction at its firmness. "Anything that's been out there long enough to get cold we would just have to chuck out and you know it-- If that silly bear's happy with leftovers, he would be thrilled with that, don't you think?" he continued, while carrying the large stock pot to the drain.

"GIVE ME THAT-- it's about damn time-- --But if His Majesty finds out about it, we'll have hell to pay."

"We still don't even know WHO to send!" chimed in Jeanie. "You lot only got to eaves drop on his little pantry-raid earlier today, you didn't have to watch him drink and carry on! He and my formal charge, Miss Von Rosenving, are such.... such... CADS!"

"Your secret's safe with us, Jeanie--" Rupert ventured with a naughty chuckle.

"SHUT UP you bastard! It wasn't like that!" she countered, scandalized. "They just kept pressuring me to drink and talk! Thank the stars for that doctor showing up!" A loud clank followed her plunking the matching lid for the roaster into the rinse basin, having finished scrubbing it clean.

"Did I miss anything interesting?" came a voice from the doors as they swung open then shut again. It was Melody, the maid that was PROPERLY assigned to the bearman.

"ABOUT GODSDAMNED TIME you showed up!" huffed Jeanie, standing up from the stool she had been using while doing the scrubbing in the scullery.

"So you managed to catch him then?" asked Melody, gliding into the scullery like she owned the place.

"NO THANKS TO YOU! Where WERE YOU anyway!?"

Melody blushed a little, and rubbed the ball of her right foot in a small circle on the smoothed stone flooring in front of her shyly. "... I had to explain to Miss Sylvia why it was I had the bear use the laundry last night..."

Rupert's brassy baritone laughter erupted suddenly then was cut short just as quickly by the sound of a loud metallic thunk.

"WE DONT HAVE TIME FOR YOUR DAMN HORSELAUGHS RUPERT-- Get on those stuffed eggplants, or so help me, I'll bend you like a pretzel and shove you in the oven myself!"
---"JEEZE Al-- Lighten up, I have them right here--"
"LESS TALK, MORE SLICING! We have every "Discerning Palette" in the kingdom out there, and it's JUST US in here for gods' sakes!"

"Well, They're in a rare mood tonight, aren't they?" asked Melody with an amused smile, thankful for the distraction from having to discuss "The meeting" she had finished.

"So, you know he got kicked out the party, but don't know what he did afterward then?" scoffed Jeanie.

Melody's face drained a little.  The bear-man was actually very nice, but he clearly had a lot of deficits when it came to social propriety. The mind boggled about what all he COULD have done to mess up this meet-and-greet any further than he had already done.  "no-- .. Dare I ask what?"

"HE WANTS US TO SERVE HIM DINNER IN HIS DAMN ROOM, THAT'S WHAT!" balked Alfonse, amid a clatter of porcelain. "--PERSONALLY--"

Melody looked at Jeanie with a stunned, wide-eyed expression.

"Ooooh no--" started Jeanie. "You're not weaseling out of this one Melody-- He's YOUR problem; I've got ENOUGH to try and deflect already, having to drink with him and my own charge earlier today-- He wants us to have dinner with him in his room, that's TOTALLY ON YOU to figure out!"

Melody looked blindsided and confused. "--What now?"

Rupert's brassy cackle once more shook the room despite the low-volume cursings coming from Alfonse, who was clearly out of arm's reach this time. "Apparently, he wants us to not only serve him in his room, but he wants us to DINE with him too! Bon-apatite, Melody!"

"I CAN'T, I'M SUPER BUSY RIGHT NOW!" exclaimed Melody in alarm.

"Not so busy you can't come snooping in here, taking up space and not even helping with the dishes!" balked Alfonse. "At least Jeanie knows how to be HELPFUL!"

Rupert's cackle continued uninterrupted, amid his amused humming while he busied himself cutting and coring eggplants.

"Just go find somebody to sit with him Mel-- Al, Rupert and I will get the old carts in shortly, and we can send one of those up to his room when you get back here. Leave the kitchen to us, you just take care of getting the old carts back in here, and finding people to "Entertain" your guest."

Melody heaved a weary sigh.  Why was this happening? This was just insult to injury. Everything about having this person in the castle this past day had been messier than a toppled delivery wagon on market day. 

"I'll... Try to find somebody then.." she breathed anxiously.

"Better get to it!" joked Rupert, who once more got another thunk from Alfonse "OW Al! I'm working, I'm working! Jeeze!"

"Better go before Al starts contemplating hitting women!" giggled Jeanie mischievously. "I can't WAIT to hear the gossip you stir up with this!"

Melody grabbed up a handful of floating soap suds from the wash basin, and smeared it on Jeanie's face. "I aught to wash your mouth out! You KNOW nothing untoward has happened!" 

"IF YOU AREN'T HELPING, THEN GET OUT ALREADY!" balked Alfonse. Jeanie just smiled wickedly at Melody, then pointed to the door.