Chapter 57: The Play (I).
Juggling through studies, activities and having to practice with the young lord Einsel about their upcoming play for their booth- one could say that our heroine was drained but she tries her best to survive the sudden busy regimen with a little help.
The villainess has been helping her study and escorting her home.
At work… the restaurant was bustling, many patrons were drinking and asked their beautiful waitress for a refill. "Another cup of beer here please!"
"Yes, coming!" The heroine takes their empty cup, running to the back kitchen and then refilling it.
An elderly lady was about to eat her food but not until her shaking hands accidentally let go of her fork and her back weren't in a good condition to get under the table. Analissa sees that she seems to be in trouble and offers to help. "Can I help you with anything?"
The old lady shyly points at the fork under the table and then her food. "Oh um… I'm sorry for the trouble but can I have another spare fork dear… it seems that I lost mine. It fell down the table, and my eyes and back are not what they used to be now."
"I'll go ahead and get you a new one, please wait a moment." (Analissa) gave her best customer smile and it made the old elderly woman almost faint of how beautiful this young lady was.
"Oh, thank you so much." Bless her kind heart and may she find a wonderful suitor that would treat her right.
…
Lady Evelyn brought her work and their egg project with her in the café as she watched the heroine work her hardest just to earn minimum wage. Watching her work is the equivalent of watching a really beautiful play but for free. "..."
"Tweet." (Losimer) was on the side of the table, having his own little spot and plate of sunflower seeds to eat.
It was crunchy.
"Hmm…" The villainess observes the shell of their egg beginning to turn into the color orange with a mix of red.
"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, um… I'm just here to check up on you if you're all good?" (Analissa) wipes the sweat off her face while holding a tray in her hand. The people in the restaurant had lessened and now she had a bit of free time to make some conversation with her friend.
"You need not to worry about me, Miss Blanchet. I've already done a few of my work here and our egg can watch you work instead of being cooped up inside my room." (Lady Evelyn) stares at their egg who seemed to be making a bit of a progress of growing.
"That's true our egg must've been bored doing nothing… I hope the little one inside is watching me and that they're having fun."
"I'm sure they are." (Lady Evelyn) eyes her lovely figure before continuing, "By the way are your parents going to go to the school festival to watch the play?"
Analissa looked confused, "Um… are they supposed to, is it required?"
"We were given two tickets for each, did you not receive yours?"
"No… I wasn't aware that we had tickets for our parents at all." She scratches her cheek, wondering if she's missed something.
Lady Evelyn blinked in surprise, she wasn't given any ticket? Everyone was given a ticket pass for their parents just last week. "I thought you were already given one, that is why I never asked."
"Take mine for now."
"No um you don't need to. I can just ask our classmates for the tickets."
"Something tells me that would be more trouble. Please take mine, I'll just tell them I lost mine." (Lady Evelyn) takes the tickets out of her inventory, offering it to the girl.
The heroine bites her lip before taking the tickets from the villainess, a little traumatized from the bathroom incident. It was clear that her classmates didn't give her the tickets on purpose- if she asks for some would they also do something horrible to her too?
"Thank you, Lady Evelyn." She was really thankful for her considerate friend, she hides the ticket in the pockets of her uniform for safety.
"No problem, though I think you're being called."
Analissa hears her name, pats the egg of the shell softly in a motherly way, before getting back to her duties as a maid, waving a goodbye. "Mama will be back! My shift is almost over!"
"Pfft- good luck, mama." (Lady Evelyn) mutters teasingly when she knows that the blonde girl was out of earshot and went back to work with a huge smile on her face.
Losimer who was watching and hearing everything gave his master the biggest bombastic side eye he's ever made.
"Tweet~ chirp?" He asks his master if she's the mama. Does that mean Lady Evelyn is the daddy?
That question made her face flushed with red all over. The villainess takes one of the sunflower seeds that was in his plate before shoving it into his beak, this shameless little familiar should really stop teasing his father if he knows what's good for him. "Shut up."
Work was beginning to feel a lot lighter to do when she's in the restaurant than at home. Holding the quill in her hand, finishing the last of her work to be sent back home was done.
"Good." (Lady Evelyn) stretches her neck and drinks her cup of coffee, checking the window near her to see the time.
…
Meanwhile… in the kitchen.
"I-Isn't she… always here often?"
For the past two weeks and a half, the heroine has been walking home together with her friend as an escort that Farrah and her didn't have much time to hang out other than work.
"Oh dear someone ordered the special meal, can you make it for me, Farrah?" (Grandma Whitlock) takes the paper and gives it to the chef, she holds it in her hand and nods.
"Y-Yes, I can." (Farrah) shakes her head, forgetting all of those unnecessary thoughts because there was still work around the restaurant that needed to be done. She made the flame at a medium level of heat, putting in the butter into the pan to make the steak special that only took fifteen minutes to make.
Ding!
"Order up." The brunette girl rang the bell and saw Analissa walking towards her direction. She gives the brunette girl a smile before taking the tray with the table number on it.
"Ah this is for table number ten, I got it Farrah!" (Analissa) was a reliable waitress, she said she had no experience but after being trained given a few instructions she was quick to adapt in certain stressful situations.
"M-Mm." Their conversations… were getting shorter too and for some reason it's making her feel so lonely. "Hah." she sighs.
Analissa hums happily delivering the order to the right table, it was full of their old regulars visiting just to play some cards on the side. "Here is your special, be careful now grandma chio it's hot."
Grandma chio flicks her hand, a little annoyed at the blonde girl for telling her how to live her life being careful is for the young! She's already old, so being careful isn't in her dictionary. "You young ones worry too much, I won't burn off my dentures."
"I know, I know I'm just here for you when you need to refill your water okay?" (Analissa) takes the water pitcher out refilling their glass. Everyone at the table was loving the new ambiance of the place ever since they hired the girl.
"Oh thank you, they really hired a good staff. Not only a lovely lady but also a kind one too." One grandpa takes his refilled water and everyone else soon follows with his agreement.
"Mnhmm." They all nodded in unison.
Analissa chuckles shyly at their compliments, "Thank you, grandmas and grandpas. Enjoy your game! Call me if you need anything."
It was a tough day at work pleasing everyone, making small talk and trying to remember everyone's name. The heroine halo seemed to be active as she worked to the bone.
"Farrah, is there anything else left to bring back there?" (Analissa) peeked into the kitchen to see the well built girl shaking her head.
"N-No there is none."
"My shift is almost over, I should get changed." The blonde girl unties her long braid and was relieved that work was finally over. She could feel the knots in her shoulder and wished they would be gone, her hands started to get a little rough and wrinkly.
The blonde girl stops, suddenly noticing something on the look of Farrah's expression.
"...?" For some reason, Farrah didn't seem to look too happy today. "Is there something wrong?"
Farrah's heart suddenly dropped but she replied nonetheless, "N-No… it's nothing um… we just haven't had a chance to hang out together outside of work that's all."
Analissa recalls all the times they've been together and it was definitely all work, nothing else. "Ah… right we really didn't."
She tries to think of a way to spend some time with Farrah and remembers the ticket the villainess gave that was meant for their parents.
'In the game the heroine's parents didn't come for some reason, so it should be okay to give this to Farrah.' (Analissa) takes the ticket from her pockets and offers them to the girl.
"Ah right, I'm supposed to give you this."
"...?"
Analissa tucks in a loose blonde hair over her ear, "You know in school we're going to have our festival and we each get a booth activity to do. Well… we're also supposed to invite our parents but I don't think mine can come."
"If you'd like, can you come over to our event and watch a play?"
"...!"
A date?!
"I won't play any eventful roles, just a tree. I just couldn't think of anyone to give this ticket to but you." With the sudden offer, the effect was clear.
Farrah smiled widely while taking the tickets, her sad frown was gone and began to look forward to the day of their play. "I-I would love to go on a date- on the play with you." She had to cover her face with the ticket and the Japanese streamer found her to be so adorable.
"Great! The date and time is already noted down per instruction including which room we'll be using to conduct the play. The festival lasts three days but our play will be held on the first and second."
The third day were reserved for dueling competitions as a show, everyone is required to attend and watch. "It's for the students, so they can have more time to enjoy and look around."
"I-I'll definitely come and watch. A-After um… will you be doing anything?"
"After the play? Nothing I think."
"C-Can I… can you show me around your school?"
"Of course, I would love to. We can go around the school stalls and eat too."
"..."
Farrah thought it was going to be a friend date between them, the idea of it was making her heart flutter and began thinking if feeling something like this was normal.
"I'll go ahead and change now though, my friend is waiting for me so she can walk me home."
"Oh… um. You don't… need me to walk you home anymore?"
"You can walk with us if you'd like?"
Farrah realized that it would be rather intimidating to walk with the Duchess… and her stares at her were sort of peculiar so she politely declined. "N-No, no. I'm alright, please be safe when you get home to your dorms. Tell my grandmother goodbye before leaving, she'll be sad if you don't."
"As if I'll forget to say goodbye to her. I'll see you tomorrow at work, Farrah!"
"Y-Yes… see you… tomorrow." (Farrah) held on to the ticket with her number seat on the side, it seemed to be VIP tickets meant for parents.
Analissa quickly changed her hair into a low ponytail before running to the owner of the restaurant. "Bye grandma Whitlock my shift is over I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Oh-! Already? See you soon, dearie! Get home safely you hear!"
"I will!" Packing her bags, getting outside with her casual clothes on a common brown dress that's not supposed to attract any other unwanted attention.
Grandma Whitlock gets inside the kitchen, seeing her granddaughter holding something in her hand and looking so happy. "What are you smiling for, dear?"
"I-I um… I'm just happy, grandma."
"Oh! That's wonderful."
…
Analissa finally got out and saw the villainess, still waiting at her table. "Thank you for waiting for me, Lady Evelyn. I had to give something to Farrah, that's why I took a while."
"What did you give her?"
"You know the personal tickets for our play meant for our parents?"
"You gave her yours?"
"I don't really think my parents can visit the school to see me in a play, I don't want to bother them I'm just going as a tree," But in reality, she was just hiding the fact that she doesn't really remember who her parents are and what kind of people they are.
There was a picture of her parents that she found but that was all, she kept it hidden now just in case unwanted intruders would get in her room again. "Farrah is one of my closest friends so I thought it was fine."
The villainess nods in understanding, "Mm, a wise choice. Honestly, now I'm even more nervous that she's going to watch. I hope my bad acting won't bore your friend."
"Hey I saw you act, you were really good." (Analissa) rolls her eyes at the villainess for being negative, Lady Evelyn laughs as she packs up her things and stands up from her seat to leave.
"I really am not." (Lady Evelyn) replies.
"Tweet~ tweet." (Losimer) told them to wait up because he's going to be using that long blonde beautiful nest as his temporary nest. He nestles in Analissa's head, flapping his feathers.
"I hope you weren't too bored in here just watching me work, Losimer. How are you holding up?" She uses her finger to caress the bird's chin who was satisfied with her actions.
"Tweet~" He coos into the heroine's touch, enjoying every moment of it before sticking his tongue out at his master who looked a little jealous right where she stood. "Bleh."
The villainess popped out a nerve as they all went home. 'I'm going to cook him one of these days.'
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