[Julius]: "Mmmhgahhh~"
His eyes stung as the bright, golden sun breached through the windows and into his room, forcing him to cover his face using his hand. When that didn't work to block out the light, he tried burying his head under one of the countless pillows surrounding him.
[Julius]: "I don't wanna get up just yet. Gah..."
It took all the power his body could muster just to get himself out of bed, trotting off to the ensuite.
The soft splattering of water fills the small bathroom as he flips the tap handle, and splashing his face to wake himself up more, and pushes his hair back off of his face, taking a good look in the mirror.
[Julius]: "Despite going to bed at whatever hour it was last night, I think I actually... slept great."
He gives his eyes another rub just to make sure he's actually awake, half expecting to be somewhere else entirely again when he woke up, but the familiarity of his new room was comforting to say the least.
[Julius]: "I really need a clock in here, should I ask for one?"
Stepping out of his ensuite after flipping the tap's handle again, he decides its only polite to make his bed now that he's up. He straightened out the thick sheets, and reorganized the pillows around the bed-- although he wasn't quite able to remember their original positioning.
He takes a moment to admire his work, standing back with his hands on his hips and breathes out a sigh of pride.
His self admiration is cut off when he hears a knock at his door, consisting of five rapid thuds. The speed and hardness alone was enough for Julius to deduct who it was.
[Julius]: "Hah... Lisa."
Walking up and quickly opening it, the light from the hall shines through into his room, and he is quickly met with a piece of cloth that is thrown directly at his face, covering his head and startling him enough to fall back onto the floor of his room.
[Lisa]: "HIYAAH!"
[Julius]: "W-WAH!"
Sitting up, he removes the light blue cloth from over his head, looking down at it-- It was of similar material to his yukata, and seemed to be another piece of clothing.
[Julius]: "What was that for? And what's this?"
[Lisa]: "Just thought I'd surprise you!."
[Julius]: " Well you certainly succeeded."
[Lisa]: "Meheh~ That's called a haori! It'll be cold today, so mom told me to give it to you."
He inspects the haori given to him, holding it up to get a better look. The haori was a soft, baby blue color, and had a white embroidered symbol resembling a three leafed flower on the back and a smaller one on the front right side, likely the Astoria crest.
[Julius]: "Ah, that's very thoughtful. Please tell her I said thank you!"
[Lisa]: "You could tell her yourself, she's just downstairs. Lucille is about to start breakfast, so she also told me to come grab you."
[Julius]: "That sounds great right now, I'm starving."
His arms shoot through the sleeves of the haori one by one, and after a quick swish of the fabric, he already had it on, and found that it fit perfectly.
Trying his best to get a look at himself, Julius spun around a few times, proving to both show Lisa how it looked on him, and failing to achieve any view of the back without a mirror.
[Lisa]: "Looks like it fits!"
[Julius]: "It does! That's both times now that Muriel has gotten my size right, she didn't even measure me first."
[Lisa]: "Mom is a pro when it comes to getting people's sizes right, she's the best one out there when it comes to fashion!"
[Julius]: "I can tell, the clothes she wore yesterday were... well, very eye catching."
Muriel was a noble woman, and she took great pride in that status, clear in every aspect of her presence. It was only fitting that she wore very over the top fancy clothing to further fit her image.
[Lisa]: "It's called, being the bestest there is! Meheh~"
Lisa motioned for him to follow her to breakfast, elegantly making her way the room with a stride, leaving little time for Julius to catch up.
Upon passing the doorway to his room and following Lisa, he was startled as he felt a strong grip on the back of his collar, keeping him held back as the holder leaned in ever so slightly to speak.
[Lucille]: "Hold it. You're gonna spend the day with me today."
[Julius]: "Uwahgh! O-Oh, it's just you. Did you have something planned for me?"
The lack of footsteps had led Lisa to turn around, bouncing back over with a smile as she sees Lucille.
[Lisa]: "Lucee! Good Morning! What are you, uh... Whatcha doin' with Julius?"
[Lucille]: "He's going to cook breakfast with me."
[Julius]: "Eh? But I'm... Not that great of a cook, you know.."
Julius forced out a nervous chuckle, still somewhat lifted off the ground by Lucille, who made it seem as if he weighed nothing at all.
[Lisa]: "That sounds amazing! You should feel so honored, Julius! Lucee never lets anyone cook with her! I'm so jealous."
[Lucille]: "Right. Such an honor... Come on then, there is much to do."
[Julius]: "Woa- Wahh!"
Julius's head spun as Lucille had effortlessly thrown him over her shoulder, carrying him off down the hall, his upper half held behind her faced towards Lisa.
She waved at him with a radiant and envious smile, eliciting a small wave back from Julius, accompanied with a nervous smile.
[Julius]: "You're only doing this because Muriel told you to keep an eye on me, aren't you?"
[Lucille]: "You think I'd willingly let someone touch my kitchen? Especially someone with zero cooking experience."
[Julius]: "Hey, I do have a little experience! I used to help my mom cook during the few times I was at home."
[Lucille]: "Oh-hoh! Mama's little cook assistant, huh? Well, any experience means less that I have to teach you, and I hate teaching, so you better be good."
Julius bounced on Lucille's shoulder several times as she stepped down the stairs.
Her walk was not as elegant as the Astoria mother and daughter duo, her step was strong, dominant and almost purposely annoying for anyone she would happen to be carrying against their will.
[Julius]: "I wouldn't say I'm bad at it, kinda... What are we making for breakfast anyway?"
[Lucille]: "Given that it's the last day in the manor for a week, we'll be making Lisa's favorite: pancakes."
[Julius]: "Last day in the manor?"
[Lucille]: "You haven't been told? Muriel is a strong advocate for Cataphrania's troubled children. Kid's that lost their parents or were abandoned, even Lawrence and I were taken in by her at a young age. She donates a lot of money to orphanages, such as the one just outside of Cataphrania that we'll be going to-- We all travel and stay there every three months."
Julius listened intently as she continued to drag him through the halls, holding up with a single arm.
[Julius]: "So she's a charitable woman too, huh. Will I be going too?"
[Lucille]: "And leave you at the manor alone? Of course you're coming."
[Julius]: "Eheh, good, good."
Lucille threw the kitchen door open, stepping only one foot inside before dropping Julius straight down onto the tiled floor.
[Julius]: "Ow! You couldn't have just put me back down on my feet?"
[Lucille]: "It was funnier to drop you."
[Julius]: "You're too cruel."
[Lucille]: "Heh."
She chuckled once, a single time, as if the act of throwing him around brought her amusement, and was the only time Julius had seen her smile-- as short lived as it was.
Picking himself off the floor, he spun around to take in the large kitchen he found himself in, surrounded by counters and pots and pans larger than he thought one could ever need.
[Julius]: "I should have expected Muriel would have a kitchen like this."
[Lucille]: "You're still surprised by that? Come over here, and stay close. Don't want you wandering off."
[Julius]: "Yeah, yeah."
After watching her rummage through one of the many pantries around him, she thrusted a large bag of flour into his arms, then stacked cartons of eggs atop it.
[Lucille]: "Lay those out of the counter, don't drop them."
[Julius]: "How little do you think of me? Of course I won't drop them."
[Lucille]: "I've thought less, you're lucky I'm even speaking to you."
Julius neatly arranged the bag and cartons on the counter, organized and placed with way too much care.
[Julius]: "Hm... A quick question, how long are you going to drag me along to do stuff with you."
[Lucille]: "After breakfast, you'll help me dust some rooms and change sheets, then we will make preparations for our leave in the morning. It will take all day."
[Julius]: "Great!"
[Lucille]: "Why do you ask?"
[Julius]: "Because, I'm making a promise."
Julius smiled, turning around to point at her with a bold stance.
[Lucille]: "Hm?"
[Julius]: "I promise that I will make you like me even just a little by the end of the day!"
She leaned back with crossed arms, and smirked.
[Lucille]: "That so? I accept the challenge."
[Julius]: "That's the first time you've smiled without hurting me. Already making progress I see."
That statement only earned him a strong smack to the side of his head, coughing out another "Ow!"
[Lucille]: "There. Now it counts."
[Julius]: "Ehh..."
Lucille's sweet scent wafts past him as she glides by, receiving two large bowls and shoving one into Julius's arms.
[Lucille]: "You do know how to make pancakes, right?"
[Julius]: "Um... It can't be that hard?"
She lets out a frustrated huff, reaching for a nearby cook book and holding it out for him. Julius is taken back by the baffling size of the book-- about the same thickness of an encyclopedia.
His adoration is cut short right after he takes it as a blue apron is thrown over his head, covering his eyes. The apron matches her own, that she's already put on herself by the time he recovers his vision.
[Julius]: "huh? How'd you get that on so fast?"
[Lucille]: "It's just about all I do. Put yours on and open that book to page two forty three. Try to keep up, okay?"
[Julius]: "R-Right! I'll do my best!"
The kitchen turns to a frenzy as the two immediately get to work. Julius pushes himself for speed, but his attention is continuously drawn by Lucille-- Her rapid yet precise movements and the way she dances her way around the kitchen, every tiny action each with its own purpose.
By the time he cracks his first egg into the mixture, Lucille has already finished mixing and had moved onto pouring it into the pan, creating a soft sizzle as it sets perfectly.
[Julius]: "What the-?! You're already done?!"
She shoots him a smug grin, leaning back against the counter with crossed arms. Her perfect mixture sears a beautiful melody, as if taunting his failure of a puddle, made from flour and egg.
In an attempt to catch up, Julius snaps into motion once again, this time with more speed, adding more ingredients and mixing his batter as fast as his body would allow.
One tiny slip in his rushed movements causes the batter to splash out of the bowl, coating his apron and face, dropping the whisk and leaving it to fall back into the bowl.
[Julius]: "Agh-! I got it in my eyes!"
She lets out a sigh, watching him with an unimpressed expression from across the counter.
[Lucille]: "Useless."
---
Just outside the kitchen, everyone has already found their seat at the colossal dining table, with Muriel at its head like she always was.
Seated patiently around her, was Lisa, Lawrence, and even Yuri who had joined them inside today.
[Muriel]: "They're sure taking their time in there. I wonder if she's worn him out yet, fufufu~"
Muriel laughed behind her fur tipped hand fan, the same one you'd never see her without. The fan would always serve to blow her golden hair in such an ethereal way that never failed to steal the room's gaze.
[Yuri]: "I hope he's doing okay, you know how overwhelming that girl can be. I hope he isn't dead just yet! Ah~, It's like I can already hear his screams!"
[Lisa]: "Come on, I'm sure he's more than capable of cooking alongside her. And who knows? Maybe Julee's cooking is just as good as Lucille's!"
[Muriel]: "Okay, don't get ahead of yourself dear."
As if conjured by their topic, the kitchen door slams open, and from within, come Lucille and Julius, each carrying a large tray, topped with a silver cloche.
[Muriel]: "Ah, goodie, you're alive!"
Lisa drools as they get closer with the food, and Yuri is practically on the edge of his seat, desperate to discuss with Julius about what transpired behind those doors.
[Lucille]: "Good morning everyone. Seeing as today is our last day at the manor, I've prepared Lisa's favorite. Pancakes."
[Lisa]: "Wah!? Really! You're the best Lucee!"
[Muriel]: "That time of the year already? Goodness, where did all that time go? Please, sit, sit."
Julius places his tray next to Lucille's on the table, Lisa's eyes affixed to them as Yuri scooches over to the next seat to make room for Julius.
Julius slumps into the chair, clearly exhausted from Lucile's extreme chef training. On either side of him is Lisa and Yuri, who are both just as eager to see the pancakes they've prepared.
Lucille slowly steps around the table, finding her own spot next to Lawrence who drags the chair out for her.
[Muriel]: "I see that haori I had put out for you fits well."
[Julius]: "Oh- yes. It fits perfectly actually, thank you. I admit, it's very impressive that you've gotten my size right both times now without even measuring me."
[Muriel]: "Hmhm~, of course it is"
She gives another blow of her hand fan as she glows with pride, her brown eyes filled with a hubris that consumes the table.
[Yuri]: "The poor man looks tired, shall we eat already?"
[Muriel]: "Yes! Seeing as you both prepared today's dish, how about you both reveal them to us at the same time?"
[Julius]: "Oh, uh... Sure."
Julius and Lucille stand to unveil their dishes, and at the same time, the cloches are removed, filling the table in the sweet scent of syrup as the pancakes are uncovered.
The whole table appears shocked-- both the stacks of pancakes look identical in every way. Countless pancakes, wide and tall flooded over with syrup and topped with butter. The sight causes Lisa's jaw to drop almost unnaturally low.
[Lisa]: "Huh?! They're the same?!"
[Julius]: "Eheh..."
[Yuri]: "There's no way... You made these Julius?"
Julius rubs his neck, breathing out a nervous laugh as the table marvels over both stacks.
[Julius]: "Well... Actually-"
[Lucille]: "both of these dishes were made by me. Julius added too much butter and ended up burning his."
The silence that followed her admission was like a spear to Julius's heart, and only pushes him lower into his chair.
[Muriel]: "Makes sense."
[Lisa]: "Aw man, I had so much hope too."
[Julius]: "Hey! In my defense... She definitely turned my oven up too high!"
Julius points an accusatory finger over the table at Lucille, who only turns to face away from him.
[Lucille]: "Hmph. Miss Astoria, he's clearly lying."
[Muriel]: "Somehow, I don't believe that. Enough dwelling over it, Lucille has gifted us with another of her flawless breakfasts, and Julius... Well, tried his best."
He slumps back, leaning an elbow onto the table.
[Yuri]: "I know you'll do just fine next time. And hey, you can always come by my place in the front yard for some tips.
[Julius]: "You know how to cook, Yuri?"
[Yuri]: "Ah, well... I cook for myself most days, and I make up all the food for our drakes."
[Julius]: "Is that for humans too by chance?"
[Yuri]: "It can be."
Julius shoots him a thumbs up, with a renewed life in his eyes.
[Julius]: "Then definitely."
Each person at the table takes turns cutting from the pile of pancakes, taking piles onto their plates. They all start to dig into their breakfast, mostly Lisa, who has already tore through her plate's worth of food with a feral passion for her maid's cooking.
[Lawrence]: "Julius."
[Julius]: "Hm?- Oh, yes?"
[Lawrence]: "Seeing as we'll be leaving tomorrow, I thought I'd ask you to join Lisa and I in our sparing session tonight."
With his question out in the open, Julius has his full attention on Lawrence, using the same monotone voice that he had grown accustomed to already.
[Julius]: "You mean just to watch, right?"
The nervousness in Julius's voice got a soft chuckle out of Yuri beside him.
[Yuri]: "Haha, you should definitely join in, Julius! It'd be a great source of entertainment at least."
[Julius]: "Huh?!"
[Lawrence]: "As true as that is, I could never allow a guest of Muriel's to be burnt to a crisp under my supervision. The request is purely for your viewing."
[Julius]: "Ah, I appreciate that. I mean, if Lucille gives me time to, I'd love to watch."
Lucille looks across at Julius, a fork still between her lips as she takes a moment to swallow her food before speaking-- A degree of politeness that Lisa lacks.
[Lucille]: "That depends entirely on how well you perform."
[Julius]: "I see..."
After a moment of disappointment, Julius watches as Lucille stands, her plate finally empty, and walks around the table towards him.
[Lucille]: "Stop looking miserable. If you want to make time, then we will begin todays duties right away."
[Julius]: "Right now? But I've only just started eating."
[Lucille]: "May we leave the table, Miss Astoria?"
[Muriel]: "Go for it, dear."
Lucille closes the distance after being given permission, dragging Julius up from his seat by his Yukata's collar again.
[Julius]: "Wah- Wait, I'm still hungry!"
[Lucille]: "No time, if you wanna watch Lisa and Lawrence fight each other for the sake of 'training', then you'll have to start our work right now, and you're gonna work your ass off."
She drags him down the dining hall, having pulled him out of his chair so fast that he's still on the ground, being carried along by the maid.
[Julius]: "Huh?! Lisa! Help me! Somebody!"
His screams are quickly muffled out as the large dining room door slams shut, and his plea's for help disappear down the hall, leaving the table in amused silence.
[Muriel]: "...Five dollars says she kills him before sunset."
[Lisa]: "Deal."
---
Somewhere in the manor, Lucille leans her back against a doorframe, waiting for Julius to emerge from within the changing room.
[Julius]: "This is ridiculous!"
He shouts from behind the door, clearly embarrassed from what she's ordered him to do.
[Lucille]: "Manor policy. You're gonna be doing butler work, you gotta wear a uniform."
[Julius]: "But this?!"
[Lucille]: "Just put it on and get out here already!"
After a moment of silence, the door clicks open, and Julius emerges. Lucille takes a few steps back with a smug smile to drink in the sight of Julius, now wearing a maid dress that matches her own.
[Lucille]: "Looks good on you."
Julius writhes uncomfortably in the dress, starring up at her through his lashes.
[Julius]: "Tell me why I can't wear a suit like Lawrence? This is so embarrassing, what if someone else sees me wearing this?"
[Lucille]: "You gotta earn that suit. For now, you wear this, no more complaints."
[Julius]: "Tch... Alright, fine. What do we have to do first."
Lucille tosses a large feathered duster at him, bouncing off his chest before fumbling to catch it.
[Lucille]: "Dusting. You'll dust every bedroom, every shelf, and every trophy in Muriel's office. And if you break anything in there, you'll never be taking that dress off again."
[Julius]: "Jeez, shouldn't you be the one to have that responsibility?"
[Lucille]: "What happened to making me like you?"
That single question changes his demeanor instantly, and he stands up straight with a determined look, as hard as that is with what he's wearing.
[Julius]: "I'll absolutely make you like me! Even if I have to wear this humiliating outfit!"
[Lucille]: "That's more like it. Come on then, lets get you to work as Miss Astoria's newly hired maid."
The mocking term makes him shiver, but to win over Lucille, and in turn, Muriel, this is what he must endure.
Over the next few hours, Julius works tirelessly as he dusts and cleans what feels like every room in the manor. Every bedroom, every ensuite and bathroom, not a single inch of the manor remains untouched by his eye for cleanliness, which surprisingly, Lucille takes a noticing to.
[Lucille]: "You're quite the clean freak, I would never have taken you for one."
[Julius]: "Clean freak? I wouldn't say that, I just like things to be presentable. You know, back home, the doctors would always catch me out of bed against their orders since I liked to tidy up my room. I'd get in trouble constantly, heheh."
[Lucille]: "Doctors? You got some kind of disease or somethin'? It's not contagious is it? I'd have to kill you."
Julius jumps back, holding his hands up in submission to nervously explain.
[Julius]: "No! Nothing like that. It was cancer, a type of sickness. I had a growth on my brain that kept me bound to a hospital bed for most my life. My room was small, but I tried my best to make the most of it, heh. I don't really expect you to understand that though, Lisa said last night that it's not something you have here."
[Lucille]: "A sickness?... Were you born with it?"
Her tone shifted lower, lacking its mockery or distain-- Now more like genuinely curious. The switch caught him off guard, and he tried his best to understand what the emotion in her eyes was.
[Julius]: "Ah, well... No, I don't think so. Honestly, I must have just been unlucky, not a lot of people get it, especially not at the young age of four."
[Lucille]: "Just four? How did it affect you?"
[Julius]: "I never thought you'd be so interested."
[Lucille]: "Just answer it, or I'll hit you again."
[Julius]: "Oh! Um, okay! I uh... I guess it made me lonely. I was never able to play with the other kids. I made some friends every now and then if they stopped by my room to say hi, but none of them would ever stay long."
Lucille simply stared at him for a while, taking his responses in. It was only when Julius started to once again feel uncomfortable in the silence that she spoke.
[Lucille]: "I'm surprised you're so well mannered after growing up like that."
[Julius]: "Is it really that unbelievable? I guess I got it all from my mom. My dad didn't stick around too long after my diagnosis, so my mom was really the only one who raised me. She was a really nice person..."
[Lucille]: "...I see."
[Julius]: "Everything alright? Why so many questions all of a sudden?"
[Lucille]: "It seems Muriel's caution was unnecessary. And it seems your trip with Lisa late last night was fine too."
Julius straightened back up, his eyes glimmering with hope as he feels himself starting to get through to her.
[Julius]: "Really? So you'll spare me from this humiliating work?"
Lucille grins, her arms crossed in her signature stance.
[Lucille]: "Oh no... In fact, that just means I can push you harder. Now that the dusting is done, we're gonna change the sheets on every bed in the manor. And we'll do it in just two hours!"
[Julius]: "Huh?! How does that make any sense? Dusting alone took me two hours!"
She gave him an evil smile, determined to push him as hard as possible.
[Lucille]: "This is how you'll prove your trust. Push yourself, work had for me, and Miss Astoria. Only then will you be granted permission to stay with us!"
[Julius]: "Only then huh? Alright... I'll do it!"
His determined gaze, fueled by his goal of getting Lucille to like him, and to prove his trust to Muriel fought her own look of amusement.
Lucille watched and ordered him around the manor, room after room as he ran around gathering sheets.
The door to the room Lucille had moved to slams open, revealing an out of breath Julius, a large roll of sheets tucked under each arm as he breathes heavily.
[Julius]: "Hah... Okay... I got them."
[Lucille]: "Tch, you idiot! This is a master guest bedroom, those sheets are linen! We need silk!"
Julius has no time to react before a large pillow flies across the room, planting itself against his face and throwing him to the ground, dropping the sheets.
[Julius]: "GAH!"
Upon hearing an unfamiliar set of footsteps, not produced by Lucille's high heels, he removes the pillow from his face, groaning and looking up dazingly from the floor to see Lawrence leaning over him.
[Lawrence]: "You're still alive after all. Hm... It seems I'll have to pay Yuri ten dollars."
[Julius]: "You're betting on my life?!"
[Lawrence]: "Harmless fun. May I ask what are you are wearing?"
Remembering the outfit currently clinging to his body, Julius tries to cover himself with his hands, failing to spare him from the embarrassment of being seen by Lawrence of all people.
[Lucille]: "I'm glad you asked! He asked to wear a uniform like mine, so I gave him one."
[Julius]: "Huh?! No, that's not true at all!"
[Lucille]: "Hehe."
She covered her mouth to laugh as Julius shot up from the ground, hiding behind the door as he spoke with his head peaking out.
With no emotion able to be read by Lawrence at any given time, it was almost convincing that he had already moved on from Julius's apparel.
[Julius]: "So uh, what brings you here?"
[Lawrence]: "It's time for Lisa's training session. I've come to ask if your duties have been fulfilled yet, though it seems like you'll be working for a while."
[Julius]: "Huh? It's been that long already? Damn, I've still gotta prepare for the trip tomorrow."
Lucille approaches from behind and pulls the door open, causing Julius to stumble out from his only hiding spot.
[Lucille]: "Just go."
[Julius]: "Wait, really? You'll let me go early?"
[Lucille]: "You've done enough for today. But don't think for a second that you wont be put right back to work once we're home from our trip."
Julius shines with gratitude as he gives her a wide smile, feeling like he owes her everything for letting him off easy.
[Julius]: "Right! Thank you so much!"
She returns his smile, albeit a much smaller one before gesturing for him to shoo.
[Lucille]: "Yeah yeah, just get out of here."
Julius rushes off with Lawrence, leaving Lucille in the silent room by herself.
She slowly sits down onto the stripped bed, falling back onto the mattress and lets out a sigh.
[Lucille]: "... Dammit."
---
[Julius]: "You mind if I get changed first? I can't bear to let anyone else see me like this."
[Lawrence]: "That's no problem at all."
Passing by Julius's room, he ducks in and shuts the door, leaving Lawrence outside for a small moment before emerging back out in his normal clothes-- The white Yukata, blue haori, and white slippers prepared for him in the room.
[Julius]: "Right! Ready!"
[Lawrence]: "You're out of breath, you didn't have to rush yourself for me, you know, I was happy to wait."
[Julius]: "Ah, sorry. Thank you, I'll keep that in mind for next time, heh."
Lawrence guides him down the halls once more in silence, before leaning over to Julius, half covering his mouth as he speaks in a whisper.
[Lawrence]: "If you'd prefer it, I could have Muriel provide you with some more feminine clothes. I wont judge."
Lawrence gives him a thumbs up, as if to convey some sort of friendliness.
Julius glows bright red as he leans back in embarrassment, babbling out words loud enough for the whole manor to hear.
[Julius]: "Huh-! No way-! I don't-!... AGGGHHH! DAMN IT LUCILLE!!!"
---