Author's note: Since I still feel a little guilty for the rehashing in ch3, I decided to put up the next chapter today. Thank you to everyone who's commented so far, it made me really happy. Enjoy!
Cedric was too engaged with his research to notice as the door swung open, a small girl tiptoeing inside slowly. The fact that she hadn't been spotted yet gave her ample time to take in the sight of the workshop, covered with dirty pots and pans of every size imaginable.
"Hey, Mister, what is all this?" She called out, examining a cast iron dutch oven filled with gelatinous yellow glop.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you how to knock?" He grumbled, not bothering to look up from his work as he easily sidestepped her question. Ignoring him, Sofia began collecting the spoilt dishes, carrying as many as she could handle at once down the steps that separated his workshop from his living quarters. Annoyed, Cedric threw down his quill, blotting ink across the parchment he'd set out to write on but hadn't yet, and followed after her.
"What do you think you're doing, brat? Don't just waltz into someone else's home uninvited." He chastised as she loaded the first pot into the sink and dug through his drawers for a fresh scouring pad. When she found what she was seeking, she stood and began filling the pot with steaming hot water.
"This is chicken soup, right?" She pointed to the layer of semi-solid gunk burnt into the pot. "I'm sorry I refused it. If I had known... anyway, the least I can do is take care of the mess so just leave it to me." She grinned up at him, a smile that showed off missing baby teeth and caused her nose to scrunch up, and Cedric found himself totally disarmed by the endearing sight she presented.
"Fine, but don't push yourself. If you get sick again it'll be annoying. If you feel like you need to rest, it's alright to leave it for later. Deal?" He insisted, determined not to let the still recovering girl relapse on his account, but only, he reminded himself sternly, because it would be troublesome for him I'd she did. Sofia held out a pinky towards him, and Cedric stared at it curiously. "What're you doing?" Sofia scoffed at him, shaking her head with disbelief, but didn't retract her hand.
"It's a pinky swear, Mister. It means I'm promising to do as you said." She explained, reaching the little finger further towards him. Cedric reluctantly wrapped the pinky of his uninjured hand around it, then quickly jerked away.
"I'm going back to work. Try not to disturb me." He groused before stuffing his hands deep inside his pockets and hastily retreating from the room, marching back up to his workshop.
Around lunch, Greylock, an old school acquaintance whose company Cedric sometimes found tolerable, came calling at the door, interrupting the sorcerer while he was in the middle of concocting the potion he'd been working on. Even though Cedric always either slammed the door in his face or insisted they go elsewhere to meet, today he invited him in, figuring he couldn't very well up and leave a strange child in the tower by herself. More than ready for a meal, despite being unaccustomed to eating on a regular schedule, Cedric left him in the workshop so he could chase Sofia away. He found her still hard at work in the small kitchen, scrubbing out a cauldron-turned-soup-pot with all her might. Approaching her from behind, he reached past her to turn off the sink.
"You've done enough. Go to the castle kitchen and get something to eat. I have company." Paying him no mind, Sofia continued to scour away at the filthy container, putting as much effort as she could muster into making it come clean. "Hey, I said enough! You'll make yourself sick again if you work so hard. I won't bother with you next time."
"But I haven't finished yet." She whispered, keeping her eyes trained downward. "You did all this for me, and I didn't even get to taste it." Sofia accidentally squeezed the scouring pad as she curled her fists in frustration. She dropped it into the cauldron with an 'ouch' and Cedric was quick to snatch up her hand for inspection.
"It's fine." Sofia reassured him, trying to pull free. Cedric gripped her wrist tighter to make her hold still.
"Is not, you're bleeding." He countered, dragging her into a better lit part of the room to make sure none of the steel wool had embedded into the skin.
"Mister... What happened to your hand? It wasn't bandaged last night." Sofia asked, distracting Cedric from his mission.
"Nothing. Don't be so nosey." He snipped. "Damn brat, why weren't you wearing gloves. Your fingers have gone all pruney, can't tell what the fuck I'm looking at..." He continued to launch a stream of complaints, missing the way Sofia was staring in surprise at the doorway behind him.
"Well, well, Hattrick.. You didn't tell me you were hiding a beauty." Cedric froze, then practically shoved Sofia's hand away from him.
"Go in the washroom and fetch a bandage from the cupboard, then see yourself out. Understood?" Unfazed, Sofia nodded energetically and dashed off to do as he told her. "Thought I told you to wait upstairs in the workshop?"
"You did, and now I see why. I never guessed you would have that sort of hobby, though." Greylock chuckled, elbowing Cedric in the ribs.
"One more comment on the matter, and I'll turn you into a lizard." Cedric warned flatly, drawing his wand from his pocket for good measure.
"Oh please, I'm just teasing you a little." Greylock breezed past him to glance in the tiny fridge, shaking his head at the near-empty state of it. "What were you intending to serve for lunch, anyway? There's nothing here."
"I'm going!" Sofia came back out from the washroom and bowed politely to Cedric and his guest.
"Stay inside today, and get more rest." Cedric commanded irritably.
"I will." Sofia answered with a wave, climbing up the stairs.
"And don't forget to eat something before you go back to your room!" Cedric shouted after her.
"Goodbye, Mister!" Sofia turned and beamed at him, showing off that same brilliant smile he'd seen earlier, then left his quarters.
"Very interesting, indeed." Greylock mumbled before turning to Cedric. "Let's go to the pub, old friend."
"It's still early afternoon." Cedric protested, knowing perfectly well that they would probably do just that. "And I don't recall us being friends." Greylock laughed off his comments good-naturedly as he practically forced Cedric out of his tower.
Boo, Greylock being gross... But he's really just taking advantage of something new to pick on Cedric about.
