FIFTY-FIVE

"There's so much to do!" she groans, pushing aside yet another box.

"It won't go away by itself, you know," Tsubasa says without an ounce of sympathy. She's down a couple of halls, putting away things in the kitchen, yet sound travels surprisingly well through the open doors.

Maria sighs. She's thankful that at least the moving company arranged their furniture for them; it's one less thing to worry about. Still, there are boxes scattered around the house that need unpacking, and she's feeling pretty indolent about getting things done.

"Maria."

Of course, her wife won't let her laze around for long.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm working!" she calls back, rolling her eyes.

She moves onto the suitcases of clothes that she left for last. As she begins to put things away, a thought occurs to her: "Oh! You know, this is a great opportunity to get into new routines! Let's see how long we can keep the sock drawer organized this time, hm?"

Tsubasa comes into the room then, pouting. "They are only socks…," she whines.

"I'm betting on a week," Maria says, smirking. She tucks away the last of their undergarments and, pointing to them, continues, "So, what do you think?"

Crossing her arms and looking distinctly unamused, Tsubasa grumbles, "It's not going to last that long."

"Well, I guess wishful thinking won't get me anywhere."

"Anyway, I finished with the kitchen, and I put up a few of the decorations from the apartment," Tsubasa says. "Do you need help here, or should I continue with the rest of the house?"

She doesn't even have to consider it—"Go on with the rest of the house; if you're here, you and I both know that nothing will be very organized since you'll just stuff things in random drawers, which will mean twice the work."

Tsubasa looks sheepish, meaning that that was exactly what she had been thinking.

"Alright. Well, once we are finished, we can celebrate with the bottle of champagne that Father gave us. I believe he said it is from one of his brews of the year '57," Tsubasa tells her, nudging a box of their things toward her.

"I'll try to be quick, then!"