These sideboards are all spotless.
I feel I can't return to Belfast having achieved nothing.
There has to be some sort of mess for me to tidy.
-A Few Minutes Later-
I've ended up outside the kitchen of this residence.
I can hear some sounds coming from inside.
Someone must be cooking.
Maybe I can help...
I psych myself up to open the door for a few seconds.
Apprehensively, I place my hand on the doorknob.
I realize that this situation is the same as my first approach to my Master's office.
Opening the door, I'm hit with the amazing smell of some sort of cake.
I enter fully and silently close the door behind me.
There is a blonde, imposing woman standing at the oven, staring through the door.
The kitchen is a mess.
"...Umm...excuse me?" I say, as gently as possible.
The woman stands up straight and faces me.
She has many medals attached to her uniform.
"Oh, a Maid?" She smiles, invitingly.
"Y-yes, D-Dido...at your service, madam..." I do a shallow curtsy.
"I am King George V." She states. "Nameship of my class."
"P-pleased to meet you, your Excellency." I curtsy again.
"You can drop the formalities now that we know each other." George says.
"N-no, you are a superior..." I look away.
"Then you should follow my orders." She comes towards me. "And I order you to stop being so formal."
I remain silent as she stops right in front of me.
"You're not going to disobey an order, are you?" She seems to tower over me, despite, in actuality, not being much taller than myself.
"O-of course not..." I reply, timidly.
"Then..." She extends her hand. "Let this be an agreement of a mutual mellowness between us."
I hesitate.
This feels wrong...
However, I can't stop myself from shaking her hand.
"Did you come here for any reason in particular?" George turns and begins walking back to the oven.
"I-I needed something to do..." I look over the mess on the countertops. "I-it seems you have made quite the imbroglio here..."
"Ah, I see." She continues to stare at the oven door. "Well, go ahead and begin cleaning, I guess..."
"A-as you wish, Madam." I begin to head over to the counter.
"Remember what we agreed upon." She calls to me.
I mentally kick myself for slipping up immediately.
Maybe I really am incompetent...
There is a lot more to do then I expected.
I could ask for help...
No, like she'd be willing to help a lowly Maid.
I turn the water on and wait for it to heat up.
Where is the washing up liquid?
Oh, right in front of me...
I need to be more observant...
While I pour some into the basin, my mind wanders back to my Master.
Why does he have to occupy my brain?
He's so kind...understanding...hands-
The water's almost overflowing!
I scramble and manage to shut off the water flow before any spills out.
I sigh audibly.
Don't get distracted, even by my Master.
I haven't began to clear the pile of bowls and utensils.
The oven door opens and I hear something being removed.
"Ow, ow, ow..." George quietly says as she moves the scones to the table. "I need a thicker hand covering..."
I quickly turn back to my job and resume.
Footsteps approach me.
"Do you need any help?" She asks, while staring at my work. "Or have you got it covered?"
"I-I think I can handle it..." I place a bowl in the drying rack.
"Alright." I catch her smiling in my peripheral vision. "Don't be afraid to request for my help."
She walks away, and the pressure relaxes.
I find myself cleaning in autopilot as I think over the events of my short presence in this form.
Often, I want to be more confident.
But, it's hard when people like Kenji exist.
I almost tear up at the thought of him.
Luckily, my Master seems to be incredible.
So that is reassuring.
I guess I should count myself lucky that I have two sisters.
Sirius and Black Prince are both there to support me.
I realize that now.
"Woah!" King George V's voice brings me out of my pondering. "You work fast!"
I look around and notice that I'm on the last utensil.
"I-I guess I am pretty efficient..." Self-encouragement is something I'm not used to.
"With this speed, you are worthy of being my assistant!" She suddenly takes my hand. "What do you say?"
"I...I don't know what that entails..." I try to return my focus to the spoon.
"Oh, you just have to be by my side as much as you can manage and be ready to help or serve me at a moments notice." She certainly is enthusiastic.
"I-I'm sorry, I have to serve the Master." I turn to her. "He is my priority."
"Come on, with your skill, you could easily serve us both." She's persistent.
I sigh. "I'll give it a trial, and then I'll decide."
"Great!" She lets me go. "You shall start tomorrow."
"I'll try my best." I finish cleaning the spoon and place it to dry.
I then drain the water.
"Dido, I hope you find my company enjoyable." King George V takes a scone and holds it out to me. "Signing gift?"
The smell is overwhelming. "Y-yes, if it's not too much trouble..."
"I wouldn't offer if it was inconveniencing me." She sits down and cracks open some jam and clotted cream. "Please, join me."
I silently head over and sit opposite her.
"Ah, Dido, could you please cut these in half, I forgot the knife." She smiles innocently.
"Yes..." I stand again, retrieve a knife and begin slicing the scones.
"Mhm!" She leans in and watches closely. "Good...good."
I finish and find my hand shaking tremendously.
"Thank you, Dido." Her smile is intoxicating.
"N-no need to thank me..." I remark as I set the knife down.
She begins filling the scones with the jam and cream as I reclaim my seat.
"This is my own, unique recipe..." She says as she spreads the jam. "The mixture has got a generous amount of cinnammon in it."
"Sounds nice..." I continue to stare at the delicious-smelling cakes on the table.
"Glad you think so." She moves on to the cream. "We already have something in common."
"...Do you want some tea with that?" I suddenly blurt out.
"That would be lovely, but I'd feel bad about having you stand up again." She puts the lid back on the two jars.
"It's not too much trouble..." I go to stand again, but she beats me to it.
"Just wait here, I'll make it." George goes to the kettle.
She walks purposefully, but elegantly.
Two things I could never even hope to come close to.
I wish I wasn't me...
She's coming back with two cups of tea on a tray.
"Here you go." She passes me one and I set it on the table.
She takes her seat and divvies up the scones.
"No, no, you must have more than me since you made them." I slide three of mine over to her.
"Are you sure?" She looks at me with genuine concern. "I don't want you to leave hungry."
"I'll be fine..." I take a sip of my tea.
I've been speaking very smoothly to her for the past few minutes.
She's just one of those trustworthy people.
"Well, if you really think so..." She reluctantly takes my donation.
I bite into one.
...It's amazing!
"Wow!" I involutarily say.
She laughs. "That's the sound of satisfaction."
I feel myself start to blush slightly and I look down at the table.
"You know, you had a similar reaction to the Commander when he first tried one..." She puts on a pondering look.
Really?
Me and my Master are...similar?
No, that's too much of a leap in logic.
"G-guess he was just as much taken aback..." I play it off as best I can.
George looks me over. "You seem shy."
I jerk up and stare at her. "I-I guess so..."
"I promise, you have no reason to fear me." She shifts her tone to a comforting level.
"I-I don't..." I say as I avert my vision.
"Just making sure." She takes another scone. "Because you are very timid."
"It is just how I am..." I grab another one of my own to distract myself.
"Anyway, how are settling in?" She returns her tone to normal. "I gather that you're new here."
"I'm doing fine..." I lie.
"That's good." George leans back slightly. "Have you made any friends?"
"N-not that I know of..." I close my eyes. "All I have are my two sisters."
"Which are?" I hear her ask.
"Sirius and Black Prince." I reply flatly.
"Ah, those two..." I open my eyes to see her pondering again. "One Maid and one not-Maid."
"C-correct..." I build up my courage. "Why do you treat me so well?"
She stares at me for a few seconds.
"I'll be as direct as possible." She breathes. "For some unknown reason, I like you. I think you give off a good air."
"R-really?" I'm surprised.
"Yes!" She smiles again. "It wasn't entirely down to your speed that I requested you to serve as my personal assistant."
"S-so, you like me?" I can hardly believe what she's telling me.
"Of course." She takes a bite of her own scone.
She might be lying...
No, have a bit more faith.
"Why wouldn't I like to have an efficient, innocent Maid around me?" She sips her tea.
"I-I don't think I'm as great as you are saying..." I've never been praised like this before.
"Don't put yourself down!" She switches her tone to a morale-boosting one.
It's pretty hard not to...
"T-thanks for the encouragement." I struggle to show gratitude.
"No problem." She sets down her empty cup.
"...So, what about you?" I ask. "Do you have any sisters?"
"Yes." Her expression turns serious. "They are...not what I expected."
I might of touched a nerve here.
"I-in what way?" I apprehensively inquire.
"One is a nonsense-spouting, gothic woman." George looks me dead in the eye. "The other has yet to prove herself to me."
"S-sorry for asking..." I feel my eyes threaten to water.
"No, it's okay, you didn't know..." Her expression softens.
Suddenly, I realize that I've been chatting with King George V for way longer than I intended.
"What's wrong?" She asks, with genuine concern on her face.
"I-I was supposed to meet back up with Belfast in the lobby." I explain, well aware of my panicky voice.
"I'm sure you'll be fine if you go now." George stands up and helps me up. "Despite her position and demeanor, she is actually quite a compassionate soul."
"What about this?" I gesture at the tea tray on the table.
"Don't worry about that." She emboldens me to the door. "I'll clean it up."
Her smile tells me that I'm really okay to leave.
"Thank you!" I manage a little enthusiasm as I exit.
"Do not forget about tomorrow, Dido." She tells me.
"I will not." I stand to attention.
"Good." She begins closing the door. "Have a good afternoon!"