|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 11:41 am
"You must be exhausted," Toby urged, "Really, it wouldn't take long by myself. Once I get going I keep going." That much was true. There was nothing else in his world right now but getting this place clean.
Dari appeared in the doorway then, watching them curiously. "Spring cleaning?"
Toby snorted, then stopped. "I guess so."
"Would you like me to help?"
"Sure. Sweep for me." The two of them traveled back to the washing room and returned with a broom, dustpan, and vacuum. He could finish himself in two hours, but with the three of them it probably wouldn't even take one. He was filled with dread at having to do all of this but he knew it would be over quickly at this pace.
"When you're done with the counters, come on up and I'll show you how to vacuum," he called into the kitchen, then up the stairs he went. Bedrooms first, then the floors downstairs. Did he have it in him to clean the bathrooms? Probably not.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 11:57 am
Maia said nothing for a long moment, instead raising an eyebrow at Toby. "Are you trying to get rid of me?" she teased. "I'm no more tired than you are." She looked up from her work when Dari appeared in the doorway.
"I don't think he really hates cleaning," she said, once Toby had gone up the stairs. "He's far too excited to hate it." She finished the counters and headed upstairs. "Okay, ready to teach?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 12:01 pm
Dari laughed softly. When Toby got something in his head, it stayed there. For some reason he'd been struck to clean. Maia had presumably offered to help and now she was stuck doing it too. It never took long. Toby had a rise in energy and was dragging his feet by the end. As far as Dari could tell, he really did hate cleaning.
Toby was already there amidst the whirring rumble of the vacuum cleaner. He could hear Maia's voice above the din but politely turned it off to hear her. He was only halfway through with his room. "Sure. It's easy. Not very exciting, either." He gestured to a long, broad button with his toe. "This turns it on and off," he said, and then gestured to a smaller one, "and this makes it tilt back." That one he demonstrated. Was he really teaching a selkie to clean? Was this entity abuse? He stepped aside to let Maia try nonetheless.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 12:19 pm
"Of course it's not exciting, you're used to it," Maia said, taking the vacuum cleaner and doing as demonstrated. Huh. It was pretty easy, after all. "It'd be more fun to clean while music was playing," she mused. "I'm sure we'll be done soon, with all three of us working together."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 12:26 pm
Toby nodded and smiled. It was definitely better with music, but Maia wouldn't be able to hear it very well over the vacuum. Not only was it a roaring machine, it was picking up little bits and bobs every few seconds and clattering too. It wasn't exactly the newest model.
His bedroom was bigger than necessary for just one man, and the bed could easily fit two and then some. The decoration was less immaculate than in the guest room, though. He wasn't trying to impress anyone with it. In a moment Toby was at his bedside table, retrieving his iPod and its dock.
"Come get me if you need me, okay? Do both rooms and the hall, and I'll meet you down there. If you want you can leave the vacuum and I'll come get it." Selkies, bulky equipment and stairs didn't necessarily all work together.
With a smile the man headed down the stairs and to the dining room where he set the mp3 player in its dock, plugged it in, and let randomized music flow loudly from a space where everyone should be able to hear it. Dari had abandoned the broom and Toby wasn't sure where he'd gone until he heard splashing water. Doing the bathrooms. What a champ.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 12:47 pm
Whatever Toby thought about cleaning, Maia was enjoying the vacuum. She vacuumed Toby's room, then the hallway, and hers. She started to lug the vacuum towards the stairs, but that didn't seem to be working. She left it at the top of the stairs and wandered down. "I left the vacuum at the top of the stairs for you," she said. No need to mention that she'd intended to carry it down.
"Now what?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 12:52 pm
Dari was up the stairs soon after to work on the upstairs bathroom. People got so squeamish about excretions. It was silly. It didn't bother him at all, though, so he'd happily take up the task nobody else wanted to do.
Now the music would be audible to Maia at least, and Toby smiled when she came down.
"Let me go get it," he said, and went up and came back down with only a few unsure steps and clunking sounds. He plugged it in again when he got to the living room and looked to Maia.
"Do you want to vacuum or mop?" This was all going incredibly quickly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 1:08 pm
Maia waited for Toby while he went upstairs. "I'll vacuum," she said, when he asked. She didn't know the first thing about mopping, and vacuuming was easy. "You want me to vacuum the livingroom?" she asked. She took hold of the vacuum and prepared to use it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 1:14 pm
"Yes, please. And the hall? I know it's wood, but it's much easier than sweeping." He'd finished the kitchen and the dining room himself. All they;d have to do is mop and it'd all be over. Why hadn't he taken on boarders before?
No, Toby, that was wrong. You shouldn't use people for your own benefit... but he had, and it had worked, and he wasn't sure how to feel about it.
While Maia continued to vacuum, Toby found the mop and bucket and went to work, dancing to the song pouring out of his iPod as he did.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 1:30 pm
Maia cheerfully did as asked; she saw no problem with helping. Once finished, she brought the vacuum back into the living room. She looked around for Toby, wandering into the kitchen. "Done," she said. "Is there anything else I can help with?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 1:32 pm
Dari came down not much later and washed his hands and a bit up his arms. Toby shook his head, still dancing.
"Take the slimebag and set up your computer," he said, smiling and stopping the movements a moment. "Thanks for your help, Maia." But he was almost done, so he was happy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 1:47 pm
"You're welcome!" she beamed at Toby. "If you need help, tell us."
Maia looked over to Dari, "Ready to set it up?" she asked. She hadn't opened the box yet, even. She took it out of the bag and held it out to Dari. "How do you get it out?" she wondered. "Do you need a knife?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 1:52 pm
"Possibly," Dari said. He was shirtless again and without shoes or socks, so he pulled up the debris under his feet and entered the kitchen. Knives made him slightly more nervous thank scissors and so he grabbed the latter out of a drawer and returned to Maia. Back on the couch he sat down with a little bounce and took the laptop's box into his hands. He broke the seal on the outside and loosened the lid but did not pull it open. Maia should get to do that. He smiled and offered it out to her.
In the dining room, the volume of the music lowered. Toby was being polite.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 2:05 pm
Maia took the box and opened it eagerly. She noticed the laptop was wrapped in some kind of filmy foam stuff. Huh.She lifted it out and removed the foam, offering it to Dari. "Oh. It probably needs this, too," she said, offering him the cord. Was there anything else in the box? She looked. Didn't seem like it.
"Do you want me to get the mouse?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 2:10 pm
"You can if you want," Dari said, but stood and got it himself, handing it off to Maia. "Plug it into the wall with the tree prong, put the plastic nub in the nub-hole, and then the metal cylinder into that hole at the back of it there. I'll be right back."
He disappeared upstairs then, rummaging through a drawer in Toby's room and coming out with a few install disks. He was pretty sure he still had a couple of installs left on these Office disks and Maia had wanted to do research. Presumably she'd want to be able to save documents too. He returned to her smiling and flashed the CDs as if they'd mean anything to her.
"Did you turn it on?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
