"Monsieur Usopp?"

Usopp awoke with a start from his nap and looked up. "Madame Vivi!"

Vivi smiled and knelt. "I was wondering if you would tell me where the cleaning supplies are?"

"The . . . the cleaning supplies?" Usopp repeated blankly. "Whatever would you need those for?"

"For cleaning, of course."

Usopp sighed. "Madame Vivi, please understand, we don't want you working during your stay here!"

Vivi narrowed her eyes. "As I told Monsieur Sanji, I did the chores back at home while my father was at work or the market. You seem incapable of cleaning, so I shall do it in your steed."

Usopp hesitated. "Very well," he said at last. "If you would carry me, I could point them out to you . . ."

She picked him up and, on his directions, slowly went up the staircase.

"Here we are," he said at last. Vivi opened the door to reveal the cleaning supplies stacked neatly on shelves or resting on the floor.

"These are very nice," she said admiringly, examining a feather duster. "At my home we have only rags."

Usopp tsked in slight disapproval.

"Monsieur Usopp, how did you come to work here?" she asked, gathering up the duster and a broom and shutting the closet door.

"Oh, it's not that interesting," Usopp said dismissively. "I hail from Egypt, you see, and I had arrived in France not too long ago, looking for work. I came upon our Dame in the market and after some discussion it was agreed I would work here as the maid."

"Is that so?" Vivi said interestedly, setting him up on the banister in order to sweep the floor. "Both of my grandparents, may they rest in peace, hailed from Egypt as well."

"I can see that," Usopp remarked, looking her up and down. "When the curse hit that night, I was straightening up the dining room. Imagine my surprise when I suddenly have a pendulum in my belly and ticking hands on my face—not to mention that Sanji takes great delight in winding me up . . ."

Vivi began sweeping, but she had barely covered a meter from the staircase when the door at the end of the corridor flew open. It was the Beast.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, striding forward to glare at Vivi properly. Vivi took a step back nervously. "You are a guest here! You should not be cleaning the house! And you—" she whirled around to glare at Usopp, who squeaked in fear. "How could you let her take on such a task?"

"Madame, please forgive me, she insisted upon it," Usopp whispered.

"Madame Beast," Vivi said quietly. The Beast turned to Vivi.

"Your servants cannot perform their duties properly in their current forms," she said, looking directly at her captor. "If you refuse to clean this house, then I will do it myself, if only to prevent disease and make this dwelling presentable."

The Beast hesitated.

"Do as you will," she said at last, turning away. With a whirl of her cloak she strode back into her room, slamming the door shut.

"Goodness, she seems to be in a mood," Vivi remarked, leaning against the banister.

"Don't mind her moods," Usopp said reassuringly. "Right now I'm sure she's just—" he hesitated. "Er, she wishes to accommodate you and make sure you're comfortable, and I'm sure she does not find cleaning to be something pleasurable."

"Surely not all things in life can be pleasurable?" Vivi said, returning to her task. "Sometimes we all have to do things we don't want to."

"Mm, I suppose so," Usopp agreed. "If you're fine with doing the cleaning, by all means continue. Just, er—take care not to enter Madame Beast's room. She's very fickle with her privacy."

"Of course," Vivi said amiably.

She eventually finished sweeping and dusting the upper floor. Once she was done, she wiped her brow and brought Usopp back to his table downstairs. As she moved away to start on the lower floor, she caught sight of Brook the coat-hanger by the door, sleeping.

She smiled and approached him quietly. "Monsieur Brook?"

Brook awoke, blinking his hollow-looking eyes sleepily. "Madame Vivi," he said formally. "Good morning once again! Or is it afternoon?"

"It is morning," Vivi said. "Forgive me if this is rude, but would you mind terribly if I gave you a dusting? You seem to not have moved far from this spot since the curse was cast."

"Certainly, you may do so," Brook said.

Vivi began running the duster over his spindly form. "How did you come to work here?" she asked curiously.

"I had wandered this Earth for many years, searching for a place to call home," Brook said dramatically. "Unfortunately, my appearance is not that of a normal human's, and I was always either chased off or scared away whoever saw me."

"That's horrible," Vivi exclaimed. "Just because of the way you look!"

Brook chuckled. "Oh, it doesn't matter," he said dismissively. "If you saw me, I'm sure you would understand. In any case, I came to this mansion desperately seeking shelter, covered up in my cloak. Madame Robin kindly let me in and our Dame came storming down the stairs, demanding to know who I was and, 'For goodness' sake, remove that cloak at once!' When I removed my cloak, everyone was frightened, and at first our Dame would have had me thrown out, but then Monsieur Luffy took a liking to me, bless his heart, and asked that I stay. I offered to play for them and Madame Beast, after hearing my music, decided to let me stay here."

"But you cannot play like this?"

Brook sighed. "If only I could! But I have no hands to hold the bow, nor a shoulder to rest the instrument upon! I was tuning my viola in the ballroom when the curse struck, and Madame Beast decided to move me here for convenience."

Vivi sighed. "I do wish I could help break this curse."

"Perhaps you can," Brook said, looking at her thoughtfully as she finished. "It will take time, however . . . ah, thank you, I feel much cleaner."

"It's no trouble," Vivi said, smiling. "If you'll excuse me . . ."

Vivi eventually reached the fireplace room, where she began dusting the mantle and the chairs, and, of course, Luffy.

"Hey, that tickles," Luffy said cheerfully. Vivi finished and knelt.

"Good morning, Monsieur Luffy," she said, dusting off the table where he sat.

"Morning, Madame Vivi!" he said happily. "Oh, you're doing the cleaning? Isn't that Usopp's job?"

"Monsieur Usopp is a clock, and clocks typically cannot clean houses," Vivi reminded him.

"Right," Luffy said, nodding. "I remember I was sleeping in here and Zoro and Sanji were fighting when the curse hit us . . ." he grinned. "Sanji started yelling just because I almost fell over and set the room on fire."

"That sounds like a perfectly reasonable thing to yell about," Vivi pointed out. "Tell me, how did you come to work here?"

Luffy rocked in place a bit. Vivi kept an eye on him to make sure he didn't fall. "Well . . . basically, my dad flew away to a new mountain, and I had to find a place in a human town to live. It was a bit of a problem, since I couldn't speak properly, but I found this mansion eventually!"

"I'm sorry, did you say your father flew to a new mountain?" Vivi said, sure she was mishearing things.

"Yeah, I was raised by a dragon," Luffy said as if it were the most normal thing to announce. "Dragons have to migrate every so often, did you know?" he grinned. "I'm not too smart, but dad taught me a little bit of flame magic, and Franky and Robin taught me how to talk and read and write, and Usopp showed me all sorts of gardening things, so now I know a lot of stuff!"

"That's wonderful," Vivi said, smiling. "Flame magic, you say?"

"Usually I use it to light up the fireplace," Luffy said, glancing to the cold and empty chamber. "I used to, that is. Sometimes I set a little bit of the lawn on fire, but I can put it out really fast!"

Vivi continued dusting, suddenly noticing the faint burn marks around the room.

"You were raised by a dragon?!" she exclaimed suddenly, staring at him with wide eyes and an open mouth.

Luffy frowned. "I said that a while ago."

"Yes—I'm sorry, it only just sunk in," she said, laughing to herself. "And here I thought dragons were the stuff of legend!"

"No, they're real," Luffy said. "I only ever knew my dad, but I'm sure there are others out there."

"Do you ever wish to see your father again?" Vivi asked, thinking of her own father back at her home.

Luffy looked like he was struggling to move, but soon gave up with a sigh. "I'd be shrugging if I had shoulders," he explained. "I don't know, Madame Vivi. I miss him, but I don't even know where he is, and besides, I like it here. If I ever hear that he flew back to our mountain, I'd ask our Dame if I could go visit him . . ." he frowned. "That is, if the curse is lifted by then."

Vivi was quiet. Luffy glanced up at her.

"Oh, right, your father," he said quietly. "I'm sorry about all this. I bet you'll get to see him again soon!"

"Do you think so?" Vivi asked.

Luffy grinned. "I don't know! But if you think positively, it's sure to happen!"

Vivi smiled.

"Let's have some light in here!" Luffy exclaimed. He turned on his light, bathing the room in a dim glow.

Vivi finished dusting and sweeping with the help of Luffy's light and moved on to the next room, bidding the gaslight farewell.