Teatime

"Do you all know that this is by far, the worst conception known to man?" she said, her voice demanding attention. "What are you dolts doing? Pouring lukewarm water into a cup and calling it tea?" Enraged, she spat out tea, physically cringing in disgust.

"Is this how you treat me while my parents are away?" She threw the teacup, nearly shattering the pure white porcelain. "This is ridiculous." She folded her arms over chest. "If you all don't start treating me like I'm Erina Sutherton, then I swear I will start tearing at the wallpaper!"

With those words, the panic increased.

Staff workers were tumbling, running, and scrambling around with their head bobbing off. They brought in cart and tray after tray, carrying an array of assortment of foods and teas.

"Move faster people.' She hollered at them. "I don't have all day, and neither do any of you." 

The hysteria was growing like a monstrous tumor at her aggression.

"Is it not possible to have a good cup of tea? Or will I forever be doomed to be unsatisfied?" The glare in her eyes shimmered as one hesitant maid handed her another cup.

Erin snatched it from her, lifted it to her lips, got a whiff of the strong minty scent, and gagged.

Instantly, she overturned the drink, letting its contents splatter all over the floor. "Okay," she deadpanned. "Whose grand idea was with the peppermint?" She turned a heavy stare to the shaking maid, who had handed her the cup.

"It-it-it wasn't me. It wasn't me, I swear, my lady." the maid rapidly sputtered, shaking her head so fervently it could have fallen off.

"Well, if it wasn't you then who was it? A ghost? A specter? An invisible man?" She turned a displeased glare to the restless crowd. "I swear, it's almost like none of you know that I'm allergic to peppermint and you get paid for your livelihoods to serve me food!" she huffed, slamming the cup down on a nearby tea cart.

The trembling maid by her feet, jumped up and scurried away.

"Who was the incompetent one with the peppermint! Was it you?" She pointed to a shivering maid. "Or was it you? Or maybe it really was all of you? Maybe secretly you're all plotting to accidentally murder me. Do none of you fear consequences or the wrath of the King's God. You know if I die, my ghost will haunt these halls like every Sutherton before me, and you all will find your heads on a pike at the capital deadman zone!" 

Heads were furiously shaking, and voices heavily denying.

"So? Tell me who did it? Is it none of you?" She scowled. "Well if no will admit to wanting to murder me, then I guess if the truth doesn't matter neither does the lie that follows, right? I have an idea." She plastered on an empty smile. "I'm going to pick one of you randomly to blame and we'll see what's next, all right?"

Her only response was more frightened stares.

"Or actually." She clasped her hands together. "Maybe it's wrong to blame one person." She feigned a frown. "You know what I should do instead? I'll just pick a lot of you." Her cheery smile kidnapped their strength.

"Alright, let's begin." She prepared her pointer finger. "Eeny meeeny mony my," she sang with childlike joy. "Barcelona, stony, sty. Eggs, butter, cheese, bread. Stick, stack, stone dead." Her finger landed on a familiar face. "Well?" Her smile grew wicked. "Mista Ezra, what took you?"

While the entire room was melting into a steaming molten mass of panic and dismay; ergo, maids were falling over themselves trying to escape out of the room and others were trying to find anything to cease her raging. There was an irregular---an anomaly moving through the commotion.

Ezra entered the room unhurriedly, calm and impassive to the boiling broth of chaos. There was no hesitance to his strides when he stopped to stand directly across from the source of the pandemonium.

"I return the greeting, Lady Erina." He looked around the room. "I would ask what's going on, but I can already tell we appear to be in quite the situation." He spoke as if he were composed, collected, and unaffected. So, every eye in the room glued to him. He was to them, an oasis in a sweltering desert of panic. Yet, where their eyes rested and cooled, his sight remained on the simmering fire in Erin's glare.

"Situation?" she questioned, his relaxed tone prickling her. "This can't be called a situation. It's a problem." She placed her hands on her hips.

"What's the problem?" he calmly asked, even as her glare intensified.

"The problem is someone attempted to murder me, so I am responding with reason." Without another thought, she snatched the nearest piece of furniture, a silver lamp, and whacked it towards the ground.

"With reason?"

"With reason." She sent a pillow flinging across the room and Ezra caught it barely.

"Murder is a serious accusation--." 

"--Requiring serious consequences."

At that, the room had stopped. Someone would have to explode to conclude it all. 

So they waited. They all waited, the room turning utterly silent. 

It was the type of situation Erin liked. 

People locked in fear, waiting and hanging on her every word. And the control? She adored the how she could manipulate, twist, and contort it all. The tension was so palpable she could taste it.

She bit her lip, trying to hide the wide, proud vainglorious smile protruding off her face.

Since the day started, it went all like she planned, and after all, with just a few things, she could make any one of these people snap. First, exhaust them physically. Two, create chaos to place them into high-stress situations, push their limits and exhaust them mentally. 

She had already had him running around the manor doing menial tasks to the point of exhaustion and now, here he was. Mentally, it must have been taking such a toll on him, she mused. Seeing everyone so frightened and panicked? He had to be losing his marbles. Not to mention how terrifyingly aggressive she was acting? She was sure; it was all getting too much for him. She was going overboard today, and there was no way anyone could remain calm in such a situation. 

She was certain his steady and lax demeanor was just for him to save face. Inside, he had to be reaching a breaking point, and hellfire if he thought he was going to stay, humiliation if he thought he could test her.

She couldn't resist the twisted smirk that infected her as she examined the silence thickening. 

She loved it. All of it. With them, she got whatever she wanted---always. 

And when she wanted someone to suffer, weaken, break, or snap, with enough stomping and twisting, she would. 

"Everyone, may I please have your attention?" Ezra directed his voice to the terrified gathering of people. "Could you please exit Lady Erina's quarters so that I may have the chance to privately address her?"

"Excuse me?" Her brows furrowed and her head inclined back, her whole-body was gob smacked and flabbergasted by awing shock.

Of all the responses she expected, the latter was far from it. 

"This appears to be a very intense situation," he said, continuing. "I must rectify our lady's dissatisfaction and privately address the concerns of murder. Please return to your respective duties and do not fall from schedule."

They didn't hesitate at their chance to escape, and in seconds, the room was deserted, leaving the two completely alone.