Mad as a hatter

Sarah quickly made her way to the front doorstep of the house, a simple white dress hanging from her shoulders, and a pair of contrastingly bright red slippers on her feet. She still wasn't entirely clear on why these were the clothes she had been instructed to wear. She had been hired through less than legal means to work as a maid servant for a man whom she had never met, but had been assured was very interested in her. She wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that.

The door opened nearly the instant that she rang the bell, catching her off guard. The man standing before her was tall and slim, his clothing remarkably old-fashioned and worn down. Atop his head he wore a top hat clearly two sizes too large, and that didn't match the rest of his clothing in the slightest. But more so than any of this, the thing that struck her the most about him was his vibrant blue eyes, shining like pools of water reflecting the summer sun.

"Sarah!" he exclaimed happily, pulling her inside with a tight bear hug and pulling the door shut behind them. "Ah, you're here! Excellent. I've been waiting all morning. Let me take a look at you." She reeled back as he set her down, thrown off by what was happening, unsure of how to react or what to think. She didn't know what she had been expecting. But it wasn't this. His eyes ran up and down her, taking her in, and she just stood there and let him. "Mm, yes, he made a very good decision in that uniform. You know, I wasn't sure at the time, but it is quite the look on you, isn't it?"

Sarah took a solid, dry swallow before she spoke. "He?" she asked quietly. "Who are you talking about, sir?"

"Please, dear, call me Merc."

Sarah looked down at her feet. "Yes, Merc."

"Merc? He would have you call him that. The punk."

Sarah looked up abruptly, surprised by the man's change in tone from friendly to bitter. It had happened in an instant, as though she were suddenly standing in front of a different man. A man who's eyes had become abruptly blood red.

"S-sir?"

"Yes, that would be a much more appropriate way of addressing your master, wouldn't it? Get in the kitchen. It's time for you to get to work."

Without a word, Sarah scurried off to the kitchen as directed. She didn't know what to think of what she was being presented with. She had heard of people being schizophrenic, but... This was different. This was on another level.

She tried not to think of it. The kitchen was a mess, and she got to work cleaning. This was what she had been hired for. What she had expected. She could deal with cleaning.

What she could not deal with was a man appearing in the doorway with purple eyes. "Oh, you're the new one, are you?"

She would have to learn the eyes. Memorize them. And learn how to please them each as if they were different people. This was quickly becoming obvious. She had a lot of work ahead of her.