On the way over, the Kaiba brothers and Metanoia chatted about their days at the children's home, Yugi pushed a garbage cart, Bakura and Tea struggled to carry cans of paint, while Joey and Tristen attempted to whack each other with their brooms.
"Isn't it weird how they used to live in the same orphanage?" Tea commented.
Yugi nodded. "Yea. Well, that explains why he wanted to help."
"Look up there" Bakura said, pointing with his paint bucket up the hill. At the top stood a lone, grand Victorian house. It's chipping green paint reflected its age. The darken windows and silence in the air created an eerie feeling. "Cheery place huh?" he chuckled.
"It doesn't look at that bad" Tea said hopefully, "I mean, none of the windows are broken."
"The city has done some repairs to it. I think they are going to put it up for sale soon" Metanoia explained. She walked up onto the creaky porch and set down her supplies. She was about to turn the handle on the door, when it suddenly opened! Everyone jumped.
"Hello there kids" a man, who looked to be in his early 30's, chirped. "Glad to see you got so many helpers Metanoia."
She breathed a sigh of relief, "hello Mr. Brown. Thanks for letting us in."
He stepped aside and ushered them in. "Not a problem at all, I had to drop by anyway. I must be going, I've got a lot of paperwork to complete down at city hall. Good luck with your cleaning." Mr. Brown picked up his coat and a briefcase and hurried out the door, stopping briefly to smile at the young workers.
Metanoia continued into the house, and flipped on a nearby light switch. Instantly, the shadowy halls filled with light. The main hall was splendid, with its tall ceiling and chandelier. On the walls were many sets of elegant double doors, and in the center was a large staircase. The gang gazed about the antique house in awe. The building did look a bit run down, some paint was peeling, and a good dusting was badly needed. But overall, it looked somewhat well kept.
"Nice place" Joey remarked, "and really big...this is going to take awhile."
"The house has 5 floors, do we have to clean all of them?" Mokuba asked, in a rather disappointed tone.
"No, not all. Just the first floor and two rooms on the second, enough for the party" Metanoia replied. She paused, "as a matter of fact, he made it quite clear that he didn't want us going to any other part of the house. I think the floorboards are unsafe."
"Well then," Bakura said, putting down his heavy load, "let's get to work."
"Ahh chooo!" Tea sneezed. She and Yugi were dusting the furniture in the dining room.
"Bless you" Bakura and Tristen responded, they were painting the cocktail room.
"Don't die" Joey said, polishing the gold chandelier up on a ladder.
Kaiba was vacuuming the runner carpet in the hall, while Mokuba wiped down the banister on the stairs. The blonde boy looked down from his perch, "hey Kaiba! All you need now is one of those little French maid dresses! Ha ha!" Kaiba didn't say anything, but on his way past the ladder, he gave it a hit with the vacuum, causing Joey to temporarily lose his balance. "Watch it!" he shouted, grabbing onto the frame with both hands. Metanoia giggled, she was playing with the dials on a boom box she had brought. When she found a station she liked, she picked up a roller and joined Bakura and Tristen.
A catchy rock beat played from the radio. Metanoia began to sing, "Dead...on my head...wasting time on my own... sleep...rescue me...take me back to my home..."
Bakura joined in, "for the times...that you wanna go and...bust rhymes real slow..."
"I'll appear...slap you on the face...and enjoy the show!" Joey wailed.
Kaiba groaned, "you sound like a dying cat Wheeler."
Joey huffed, "who asked you?" he snapped, turning around and knocking his can of polish off the ladder. It fell and knocked in a panel on the banister.
"Nice job Joey" Tea laughed.
Yugi chuckled, "we're trying to clean the place up, not break it apart."
The song ended, and a loud metal song pounded throughout the house. Mokuba put down his rag, "can I change the station?"
"Sure thing kiddo," Metanoia called from the other room, "go ahead."
As he was coming down the stairs, he noticed something shiny in the broken panel. Curious, he reached inside and pulled out a pretty gold necklace with a charm on it. He examined his new find. Metanoia entered the room, "what ya got there?"
"A necklace I found in there" he answered, pointing to the panel.
"Wow, it's lovely. Can I see it?" Mokuba held it out for her to see. On a gold oval, was the colorful picture of a sun and moon with stars. "Lucky find" she commented.
He looked down for a second, "I want you to have it. It would look nice on you," he said shyly.
She smiled, "thanks Mokuba. That's sweet." She put it in her pocket, then knelt down and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Awww!" Joey sing-songed. Mokuba glared at him, wiping his cheek off with his sleeve on his way over to the boom box. He flipped the dial. Static gave way to a woman with a nasally voice singing to an airy tune, "...lucky that my lips not only mumble, they spill kisses like a fountain..."
"Oh! Keep this one on!" Metanoia chirped, starting to dance around.
"Spare me" Yugi moaned.
Metanoia ignored him, "come on Tea, I know you like to dance!" Tea shuffled over to her, swiveling her hips rhythmically.
"Come on ladies, this house isn't going to clean itself" Bakura interrupted playfully.
Metanoia danced over to him, and made a handprint with her paint-covered hand on his back.
"Hey!" he laughed, trying to touch her with his paintbrush.
"Try aiming for the wall Bakura" Tea giggled.
Tristen walked up behind her. "Oops!" he said, leaving a handprint on her face.
Yugi, who had come into the room to watch the 'fight', laughed. "Yellow looks good on you Tea."
"Think that's funny do ya?" she growled, putting her hand in the paint tray and going after him.
Mokuba, not wanting to be left out, hurried in and dipped both hands in a bucket. He turned to Kaiba. "Gimmie me a hug Seto!" he cried, running over to him. Kaiba laughed and tried to run, but was quickly caught. "Gotcha!" he yelled.
"Isn't it weird how they used to live in the same orphanage?" Tea commented.
Yugi nodded. "Yea. Well, that explains why he wanted to help."
"Look up there" Bakura said, pointing with his paint bucket up the hill. At the top stood a lone, grand Victorian house. It's chipping green paint reflected its age. The darken windows and silence in the air created an eerie feeling. "Cheery place huh?" he chuckled.
"It doesn't look at that bad" Tea said hopefully, "I mean, none of the windows are broken."
"The city has done some repairs to it. I think they are going to put it up for sale soon" Metanoia explained. She walked up onto the creaky porch and set down her supplies. She was about to turn the handle on the door, when it suddenly opened! Everyone jumped.
"Hello there kids" a man, who looked to be in his early 30's, chirped. "Glad to see you got so many helpers Metanoia."
She breathed a sigh of relief, "hello Mr. Brown. Thanks for letting us in."
He stepped aside and ushered them in. "Not a problem at all, I had to drop by anyway. I must be going, I've got a lot of paperwork to complete down at city hall. Good luck with your cleaning." Mr. Brown picked up his coat and a briefcase and hurried out the door, stopping briefly to smile at the young workers.
Metanoia continued into the house, and flipped on a nearby light switch. Instantly, the shadowy halls filled with light. The main hall was splendid, with its tall ceiling and chandelier. On the walls were many sets of elegant double doors, and in the center was a large staircase. The gang gazed about the antique house in awe. The building did look a bit run down, some paint was peeling, and a good dusting was badly needed. But overall, it looked somewhat well kept.
"Nice place" Joey remarked, "and really big...this is going to take awhile."
"The house has 5 floors, do we have to clean all of them?" Mokuba asked, in a rather disappointed tone.
"No, not all. Just the first floor and two rooms on the second, enough for the party" Metanoia replied. She paused, "as a matter of fact, he made it quite clear that he didn't want us going to any other part of the house. I think the floorboards are unsafe."
"Well then," Bakura said, putting down his heavy load, "let's get to work."
"Ahh chooo!" Tea sneezed. She and Yugi were dusting the furniture in the dining room.
"Bless you" Bakura and Tristen responded, they were painting the cocktail room.
"Don't die" Joey said, polishing the gold chandelier up on a ladder.
Kaiba was vacuuming the runner carpet in the hall, while Mokuba wiped down the banister on the stairs. The blonde boy looked down from his perch, "hey Kaiba! All you need now is one of those little French maid dresses! Ha ha!" Kaiba didn't say anything, but on his way past the ladder, he gave it a hit with the vacuum, causing Joey to temporarily lose his balance. "Watch it!" he shouted, grabbing onto the frame with both hands. Metanoia giggled, she was playing with the dials on a boom box she had brought. When she found a station she liked, she picked up a roller and joined Bakura and Tristen.
A catchy rock beat played from the radio. Metanoia began to sing, "Dead...on my head...wasting time on my own... sleep...rescue me...take me back to my home..."
Bakura joined in, "for the times...that you wanna go and...bust rhymes real slow..."
"I'll appear...slap you on the face...and enjoy the show!" Joey wailed.
Kaiba groaned, "you sound like a dying cat Wheeler."
Joey huffed, "who asked you?" he snapped, turning around and knocking his can of polish off the ladder. It fell and knocked in a panel on the banister.
"Nice job Joey" Tea laughed.
Yugi chuckled, "we're trying to clean the place up, not break it apart."
The song ended, and a loud metal song pounded throughout the house. Mokuba put down his rag, "can I change the station?"
"Sure thing kiddo," Metanoia called from the other room, "go ahead."
As he was coming down the stairs, he noticed something shiny in the broken panel. Curious, he reached inside and pulled out a pretty gold necklace with a charm on it. He examined his new find. Metanoia entered the room, "what ya got there?"
"A necklace I found in there" he answered, pointing to the panel.
"Wow, it's lovely. Can I see it?" Mokuba held it out for her to see. On a gold oval, was the colorful picture of a sun and moon with stars. "Lucky find" she commented.
He looked down for a second, "I want you to have it. It would look nice on you," he said shyly.
She smiled, "thanks Mokuba. That's sweet." She put it in her pocket, then knelt down and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Awww!" Joey sing-songed. Mokuba glared at him, wiping his cheek off with his sleeve on his way over to the boom box. He flipped the dial. Static gave way to a woman with a nasally voice singing to an airy tune, "...lucky that my lips not only mumble, they spill kisses like a fountain..."
"Oh! Keep this one on!" Metanoia chirped, starting to dance around.
"Spare me" Yugi moaned.
Metanoia ignored him, "come on Tea, I know you like to dance!" Tea shuffled over to her, swiveling her hips rhythmically.
"Come on ladies, this house isn't going to clean itself" Bakura interrupted playfully.
Metanoia danced over to him, and made a handprint with her paint-covered hand on his back.
"Hey!" he laughed, trying to touch her with his paintbrush.
"Try aiming for the wall Bakura" Tea giggled.
Tristen walked up behind her. "Oops!" he said, leaving a handprint on her face.
Yugi, who had come into the room to watch the 'fight', laughed. "Yellow looks good on you Tea."
"Think that's funny do ya?" she growled, putting her hand in the paint tray and going after him.
Mokuba, not wanting to be left out, hurried in and dipped both hands in a bucket. He turned to Kaiba. "Gimmie me a hug Seto!" he cried, running over to him. Kaiba laughed and tried to run, but was quickly caught. "Gotcha!" he yelled.