198. The Butler, A Telegram

The Butler, A Telegram is Chapter 198 of the Kuroshitsuji manga.
==Summary==
The Collie teacher announces that, because of Ginny's "fledging day" tomorrow, their schedule will be changed; instead of preparing a light meal, they now have to sew Ginny's "fledging garment." Susan asks Finnian and Snake to help out in the kitchen. As they leave the Collie classroom, Finnian catches Artie whispering something to Oliver.
That evening, all students gather in the dining hall. The chief maid informs Snake and Finnian that the students of each class usually eat different menus, but because they are celebrating today, everyone will eat the same for once. Finnian and Snake should still be careful when serving the students though.
Nick and a few other children congratulate Ginny for having reached "fledging day" so quickly. They speculate about her new family and ask her to show them the mistletoe she received; she complies. Finnian is surprised by Ginny's gift, and Theodore tells him that it is custom to give every child that has reached their "fledging day" a mistletoe as mistletoes are sacred plants signifying immortality. Within the F.O.L. Orphanage, the mistletoes symbolize the wish that the leaving child will have an eternal bond with their new family. Snake thinks this is a rather romantic tradition, but Finnian points out that mistletoes are parasitic plants that suck out the nutrients from their host trees. In extreme cases, the host tree dies; at Phantomhive Manor, Finnian was instructed to cut down the dead trees. Theodore praises his knowledge of plants, and Finnian deflects that he helped a gardener before. He also apologizes for saying weird things, but is cut off by Theodore saying that what he said was not strange and that no one wants their nutrients to be sucked out.
Then, Mabel, the oldest Corgi student, arrives and hugs Ginny; she cannot believe that Ginny reached "fledging day" so early and does not want to let her go. Ginny thanks Mabel for teaching her so much about gymnastics and horse riding. She adds that, although they are forbidden to write letters to the orphanage after leaving, she will put out a newspaper advertisement to find her when she becomes wealthy one day. Ginny's words make Mabel cry even harder. Theodore tells Mabel not to cry so much or Ginny will be sad; he turns to Finnian for affirmation, only to see that he has started crying too out of sympathy.
Finnian is amazed how composed Theodore is unlike the others, and Theodore assures him that he is, in fact, restraining himself not to let out a roar. After all, although they may not be siblings by blood, every goodbye still hurts; especially as they will never see each other again after leaving the orphanage. Finnian then hugs Theodore. At first, Theodore is touched by the gesture but soon finds himself unable to breathe because Finnian is embracing him too tightly. Snake urges Finnian to stop.
Finnian lets go of Theodore and says that he could not help himself but hug him when he saw him so broken-hearted. Snake adds that they can understand Theodore's and the others' feelings; at the circus he was in, everyone was his family, and he was grief-stricken when they had to part ways. However, as long as everyone stays alive, they will meet again, like he and Doll did. Theodore agrees that they should not abandon hope yet. Right afterward, Susan arrives and tells Mabel to stop crying before she asks all students if they all have a glass. They all cheerfully confirm, and Susan announces they will now start celebrating Ginny's "fledging day."
At night after dinner, Finnian and Snake get ready to sleep in their room. Snake remarks that they can relax a bit because they managed to infiltrate the orphanage with Doll's help; he then expresses his worry of Doll because they have not seen her since they were at the stables. Uneasy, Finnian says they should go to sleep now as they need to get up early tomorrow. While Snake quickly falls asleep, Finnian lays awake, troubled by the fact of having run into a member of the Noah's Ark Circus. He wonders if Doll knew the circus members tried to kidnap Ciel Phantomhive and questions what Snake would do if they learned that F.O.L. Orphanage did actually collect the children's blood and Doll was their enemy. Overwhelmed and unable to figure out what to do, Finnian decides to send a telegram; Sebastian Michaelis taught him how: either send a telegram by himself at a post office or find a pub and tip a worker to send a telegram for him.
Finnian slips out of the room and plans to head to the next town. Not long after he leaves his room though, Finnian is ambushed. Mabel, hanging from the ceiling, silences and restrains Finnian by putting a cloth over his mouth and twisting the ends. When Finnian is about to tear off the cloth, Oliver appears behind him and holds a knife to against his throat. Theodore and Artie then arrive and tell Finnian to stay quiet and follow them if he values his life.
==Characters in Order of Appearance==
*Susan
*Finnian
*Snake
*Artie
*Oliver
*Nick
*Ginny
*Theodore
*Mabel
==Navigation==
it:Capitolo 198
ru:Глава 198
Category:Chapters
Category:Blue Revenge Arc