A/N: I do not own, so do not sue.
Tish-Tosh Pasta
If any of you have ever broken something of meaning in your house before, you know that when you hear it snap, crash, bang, boom, shatter, smash, splinter, break, crunch, etc. that it is not a happy feeling. Well, things were no different here. Poor Sunny had begun to examine her new toy as they entered the hallway, and just stuck it in her mouth, when her little shoulder bumped squarely into one of the small tables that were planted along the wall. This quick move jostled the vase atop the furniture and led to a disastrous event. Ms. Massey's vase was shattered, splintered, smashed, broken.
"Sunny!" All three Baudelaires' eyes snapped up to look at Minny Massey.
Violet was afraid she might have a temper. Klaus was worried that her caring personality would begin to fade. And Sunny wasn't quite sure what to think.
"Uh oh," she said, her little eyes peering down at her mess, mouth full of a dice corner.
"Sunny, dear! Oh, are you alright?" Ms. Massey rushed forward, lifting the small girl off the floor and placing her on her hip. "It didn't cut you did it?"
"Y—you mean you're not mad?" Klaus asked incredulously.
"No! Of course, I'm not mad!" she replied. "It doesn't mean I'm happy about it, and nor does it mean you can break my things and I won't care, but I would never be 'mad'!"
"But… Mr. Poe said you'd be upset if we were to touch anything," Violet said hesitantly.
"Who-- Mr. Poe? Oh good gracious no, Violet! Sometimes Mr. Poe can be a very neurotic man. Touch away! Everything, or MOSTLY everything," she added hurriedly with a thoughtful touch of her pointer finger to her chin, "is in cabinets if it's breakable. Just… be careful, which I'm sure you will," she added with a smile, looking directly at Sunny, who nodded as best a preoccupied chewer could.
Both Violet and Klaus breathed a heavy sigh of relief, bright smiles lighting their faces. She was nothing like they had imagined and they felt terrible for doing so.
"Now, Violet, if you and your brother will take Sunny into the kitchen, I will clean up this mess before I start dinner. Perhaps there's something I can do to put this old thing back together, hmm?" Ms. Massey handed Sunny over to her older brother before bending to gather the pieces.
"Yes. Oh, and Ms. Massey---" Violet replied as she had been instructed, but was cut off.
A very fine hand shot out and touched Violet's shoulder at the name, many bracelets jangled and clanged on her wrists as big green eyes flashed as they looked her over, "Something else Mr. Poe undoubtedly told you to do. Please, call me Minny. I insist. Now what were you saying, darling, I shouldn't have cut you off like that, it is extremely rude."
Violet began again, "Minny, I was thinking, that we could start dinner if you like."
"Oh! Tish-tosh! I will not have you working like slaves," she gave them a mischievous grin, "at least not on your first day here. I will finish up soon and then start the pasta puteneska."
Klaus, Sunny and Violet exchanged a disbelieving look as they headed back. Shooed to the kitchen, they did the only thing that one could do around dinner time, besides cook, to settle an overly crammed mind: set the table. It wasn't too hard to find the drawer with the forks and knives, and the cabinets holding the plates and cups were glass, cutting down on guess-and-search time. And so it was, that by the time Minny had stepped into the kitchen with her paper bag of vase pieces, the dining room table had been set for four.
A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I've been feeling rather braindead, or storyless for lack of better term. Hope Minny's somewhat to audience liking, she's actually an eccentric character that I rather like (you'll learn more about her later) and I think may use her in another completely original idea.
