Chapter Three- Of Excitement, Sorrow, and Partner Escalloping
Nellie looked up from her hands and met the barber's eyes. "You think you're so rough and tough, don't you?" she shook her head. "You don't get to see the things I get to deep in that cellar." she stood and made her way next to the barber, she sat down with a loud whoosh of her skirt and began to elaborate. "You've never had to skin a man, never had to smell fresh entrails on a hot August afternoon, you may get pleasure in hearing the bones of men being broken, but you've never had to do it yourself." Nellie looked pained, maybe even disgusted.
"You see these hands?" the baker held her hands out for Mr. Todd to see. "These are the hands of a rough and tough person." She stood and raised her voice by the slightest decibel, "You just don't understand how hard it gets sometimes. A man walking the streets right at this very moment will have his blood, his guts, his insides on my hands by nightfall." No matter how unsettled she was, Nellie Lovett kept her calm. She talked as if it was just another boring conversation.
The barber showed his teeth in an ever monstrous smile, "Well, Nellie" the way he emphasized her name made the baker hurt even more than any dead man's body ever could. "We'll just have to take a short trip than, won't we?" the barber once again stood and placed his hands on her shoulders practically forcing her out of her seat and her home. "For Christ's sake, where are you talking me?" She flailed as graceful as she could manage.
The two soon arrived at the bottom of the stairs leading to the cellar door. Nellie looked up at the barber and waited for him to repeat the action; when he finally, she did began to speak, "You know that to properly deal with a dead body you'll need an actual dead body, right?" She held back the urge to run from the man that was probably going to kill her next. Mr. Todd's expression changed to one of a beaten down puppy. "I suppose you're right." he found a way to make his pout look manly on his pale face.
Mr. Todd and Nellie turned around in synchronicity only to find a young police officer perched at the top of the stairs. Their expressions changed again to those of excitement and sorrow. Nellie made her way up the stairs before Mr. Todd could reach the man. When she reached the top the two embraced.
"Elliot! What are you doing here?" Nellie asked "Just thought I'd stop by for some pies." Elliot replied with a large smile on his face. "Todd. Sweeney Todd, of Sweeney Todd's Tonsorial Parlor." Mr. Todd interrupted with a wave of his hand. Elliot reached his hand out to shake. "Elliot Orwell" he introduced himself.
Nellie pushed Elliot in the direction of her Meat Pie Emporium and Sweeney Todd followed. "My shop is right upstairs." the barber orated close behind the pair. "Oh really? I'll have to come visit after my pies." Mr. Todd looked delighted "Sounds like a plan." he uttered throatily as he walked back to his shop.
Nellie rolled her eyes. I'll just have to keep him here longer. She thought, That way he won't have time to visit Mr. Todd. Nellie and Elliot walked into Nellie's shop, "Sit!" she pointed toward a booth seat as she walked to get some pies. "No, that's okay." Elliot put his hands in his pockets and leaned on the wall. Nellie reached for a plate and placed two pies on top of it, she then placed the plate on the opposite side of her counter and Elliot sauntered in that direction.
"You know, Nellie. I've been thinking." Elliot took a few bites of pie, "Maybe we could go somewhere soon. Maybe to an inn someplace far away." Nellie was taken aback. "Elliot. You're married." Elliot looked to the floor and back up again. "I told her I was leaving." Elliot mumbled. Nellie couldn't believe the man in front of her. "We've only spoken once!" she was flabbergasted at his incredulous behavior.
"This was a very bad idea wasn't it?" He looked ashamed and scared. "Yes, yes it was." Nellie suddenly had an idea, "You know what? You just need to win your wife back!" he gave her a distrusting look. "Yes, all you need are some chocolates and a nice shaved face." Nellie felt a ping of remorse, but it was gone when she was reminded of the man's foolish actions. "You really think so?" he asked her, "Of course!" Nellie grabbed for Elliot's hand and pulled him out the door.
A hidden Mr. Todd emerged from behind a wall outside and grabbed Elliot's free hand. "Were going to get you all nice and pretty, we are." Nellie gushed. Both Nellie and Mr. Todd had found it hard to keep the villainous smile off of their faces while leading Elliot to the shop upstairs. Mr. Todd had lathered Elliot and uselessly serenaded his meager mind to the point of total relaxation. When the time came, he found his joy in spilling the rubies of one Elliot Orwell.
Nellie waited for the sound of gears and the unmistakable thump of a dead body on the cold cellar floor. When it came she also heard an extra thump, she turned to see Mr. Todd standing by the body. "Did you jump?" She asked shocked. "I did, Nellie!" Mr. Todd smiled a happy smile with no trace of the evil inside him." It was quite fun, you ought to try it sometime." he looked down at the pale body before him and grabbed his hands hoisting him up over his shoulder.
"The benefits of a man around are already making themselves present." she looked impressed as Mr. Todd placed the body on the counter ahead of them. "What's first?" he asked while pulling out his razor. "No. Don't answer that." he said. "Go away!" he bellowed as nicely as a person could bellow. Nellie took a few steps back and made her way toward the door. "Yes, Mr. Todd." Mr. Todd turned sporadically and took a few steps forward "Call me Sweeney." he grinned like the Cheshire cat before turning back to his soon-to-be masterpiece.
It was really difficult to continue writing this chapter in my room with tacos and House happening in my living room, but I'm genuinely happy with the outcome. My mother and I were talking about what should happen after chapter two at lunch today and she suggested that Sweeney wakes up and eats the meat pies in front of him before he realizes that he's missing a kidney and that he had probably eaten the aforementioned kidney. She also suggested that he wakes up with USDA tattooed on his bottom and a note from Mrs. Lovett saying that he's next. I giggled at both of her suggestions. I'm just thinking that in the title is mentions that they cook together, but they don't in the actual story... I suppose the next chapter will be a continuation of the this one.
In the last chapter I used the wrong your (e) in the outro. I'm also overusing names. I need to remember that pronouns are appropriate even though I don't like using them. I"m sorry. I'm also sort of upset because I had the rather unfortunate loss of this chapter. This is me re-typing it after losing it in the internet. I certainly damn thee, World Wide Web.