HtH112 – Jules And The Morning Scrub
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Bugs. Jules asks for help.
Scrubscrubscrubscrubscrub...
That is the sound of a brush going over the red and black argyle tiles of the theatre house's kitchen. Kneeling over in the kitchen with a big bucket of suds is Jules, who wipes off the sweat from her brow. The girl peers closely at the shadowy bottoms of the kitchen cabinets, as if her gaze would pierce through any tiny gaps where many-legged interlopers might reside.
There were no such gaps to pass through.
However, Jule's diligence is not deterred, she pours off the dirty water and starts anew again, a torrent of tap water splashing into the bucket!
(water splashing into a bucket)
(sound of a window being lifted higher)
"Good day, my dear friend of this glittering realm!" The person who is peeking in through the window is none other than Hikari, who is out for one of her morning walks! The looks upon the chef who oozes intense look on her face, far too intense for the mundane act of filling a water bucket! With the way Jules is staring at the tap, you would have thought that somewhere a vast orchestra was playing a heart-pounding and wide-sweeping arpeggio, tension building up with every furious beat!
"What might the maestro of our house's kitchen have prepared for breakfast this morning?"
Hikari leans in, expectant.
Jules doesn't look up.
"There's no breakfast."
Hikari lifts the long sleeve of her purple kimono to her mouth, slightly taken aback!
"Ah, an unexpected note is played --- Could the pantry reserves have been depleted?"
"No Hikari, that's because..."
Jules twists the water tap off, against a backdrop of (imagined) choral sighs!
"... we're at war. 🔥 "
This is certainly a scene new to Hikari, for she recalls that Jules runs the kitchen like a well-tuned instrument, never missing a meal. Today, the kitchen looks even more sparkly than it usually is, if that is even possible!
"What exactly might we be on unmatched resonances with this morning?"
Jules sets the bucket down with a thump, squeezing a sponge dry, and pointing one finger downwards,
"Bugs."
Hikari leans in closer, but she cannot see any trace of the aforementioned interlopers. Instead, she looks back at her confused face reflected in the finely polished argyle tiles. However, she is not one to douse the chef's fiery conviction, who has begun to work on the corners of the main kitchen worktop, not sparing even the undersides! Seeing that she is not able to interfere in Jule's expedition against an unseen enemy, Hikari begins her quiet retreat!
"It will be a shame to miss your culinary prowess --- I eagerly await the next chorus of delight played by your skilled hand. For now, Hikari bids adieu, and shall leave this stage for a morning promenade..."
"Wait!" Jules hurries up to window, snatching off a piece of paper from the ticket rail, passing it over to Hikari, "If you're going to town, then..."
It was a little hard for Jules to say it out loud, but while the great work was ongoing, she couldn't use the kitchen.
So she needed help!
Normally, there would be one other person she could call upon for help in the kitchen.
However, that person has graduated from the house since spring! [HtH77]
Even now, the words are a little hard to say out. For so long, Jules has ran on her own. Asking for help seemed like a form of weakness. What's more...
What if they say no?
That was the scary part. She would have to carry the weight and the rejection, all by herself again. It might have been better if she didn't ask at all.
Still, the girl tried.
She hoped against hope and poked out the window, waving the ticket in hand,
"Could you... could you find something like this in the town? Doesn't have to be exact, but something similar will do!"
Hikari gently plucks the ticket from Jule's outstretched hand. Clearly, Jules had put some thought into making sure the house was fed before she started her invisible crusade. The ticket wrote of a small breakfast menu, a little downsized from the normal lavish affair that Jules puts out daily, but definitely full of heart and cheerful nutrition!
There's bread from The Gilded Crust, the little bakery near the fountain. Ablam would love that. You can't have toast without toppings, so Jules has already planned that out. There's a listing for soft butter from the Dairy Lane, hand-churned by the couple who lives there. In Hikari's heart, she knows she will choose the salted one. That one tastes better.
A little further down the list, there is a listing for blueberry jam as well. Had they run out of Jule's handmade batch already? That was rather fast! So long as she was popping into town, she could pick up something from Mrs. Elmsworth's Corner Store. There was also a listing for fresh herbs and eggs. Holloway's Hens should cover that, Hikari enjoys the little stories that the man who names his chickens.
"Just one egg, Jules?"
"We still have some, but I think we will be short by just a little. It doesn't hurt to be safe," Jules replies, leaning out the window, a little relieved that Hikari is looking over the list so intently. "I also wouldn't want you to carry so many burdens on the way back."
Ah. So the chef had thought of that too.
Hikari smiles, receiving Jule's intent.
Today's breakfast will be a simple, warm and gentle affair.
Perhaps with some brought-out lawn chairs and tables.
She can already see the scene through Jule's neat, somewhat cramped handwriting. It is Jules planning this after all--- practical, specific, and unexpectedly kind..
"Your kind words lift my spirit high, I shall endeavor to make today's picnic a success too!"
Jules watches Hikari slip the ticket into her long sleeves, giving a small bow.
"Thanks, Hikari."
Jules lets out a breath of air she didn't know she was holding.
A sense of relief washes over her, the chef feeling a little invigorated, burdens released from her shoulders, just a little. She watches as Hikari departs, and waves back when Hikari crosses the bridge into town.
For now, the war against the bugs rages on.
Scrub...
Scrubscrub...
Scrubscrubscrub...
However, the scrubbing seems lighter, like the brightening morning outside.
Recall
[HtH77] Monsiour Incognito has left the house, departing the stage on a flying car!
We are trying something different! This is a simul-posting at the same time as the Scribblehub release! Go check out the entire series at this link!
