Disclaimer: I don't own.
(wink)
Sophine had long since determined that it she didn't cook for those two they'd never eat. Or, if they did manage to come up with something it would be stale, bruised and probably not that good for them. She cringed at the memory of both males reaching for weakly brewed tea and old bread that she had saved for feeding the birds. Beside her, the oven was filled with a pan of pastry with an egg-cheese-nutmeg filling while Calcifer was chewing – with much enthusiasm- on eggshells.
At least when she cooked, she made certain that she fed all members of the household. While she understood that the other two also loved Calcifer in their own way, they did sometimes overlook him. One good deed (or two) never hurt anybody; her father had told her when she was little. He was right of course.
Who could resist such a happy grin from the fire demon?
(sweep)
Sohpie remembered how young she had been when her father had died. Her mother and sisters - such pretty, flighty things, needed somebody with a practical hand to guide them and look after them. Now she had never directly asked Merkel about his life before Howl, but she was certain his circumstances would similarly reflect her own childhood to some small degree.
And while Howl had become more of a "family man" he still left quite a bit for business. So she made sure that after his lessons were always completed that the boy would go out and play. It was important that he be assured that she would be the adult now and that he could and should go and makes friends and be a child.
And if he came home, smudged with dirt on top of that gleeful smile then she'd gladly sweep the mess away every single day.
(clean)
If she was to be really, truly honest with herself, she would say that she hated cleaning the bathroom. It got so filthy so fast with rainbow covered much all over the walls and behind doors. Sophie could spend up to three hours scrubbing that room until it shined and although Howl had cut back on his number of potions , he made a disaster of that room fare too easily.
She was forever putting things back correctly or throwing things out that she assumed were uneeded. And he'd shout and scream and throw tantrums as she'd call him out on his vanity and insecurity. The other two housemates would cower, waiting for one of them to either explode or vanish into thin air.
Sophie knew that these fights were important for Howl. He wasn't strong enough to stirp free from the unecessart layers he built to protect himself. All the scrubbing and shouting was worth it though, as his smile grew steadily more real, more his own.