Renovatio

Part 2

There was a soft drum of hushed voices. Jennie paused as Chae handed her a plate. Eyes turning to the far corner, she saw the other two cleaning servants whip their heads away. Sighing, Jennie turned forward and dried the plate. The kitchen doors clattered as more dishes were brought in by another cleaning servant. Each time the doors opened a waft of heat from the adjacent room would creep in. The shouts for ingredients followed it too.

"You okay?" Jennie nodded and Chae leaned in to give her a kiss on her cheek, "Don't let them bother you," she whispered and reached out a hand to the cart of dishes.

"But they're making it so obvious," sighed Jennie. Her eyes moved to the two servants again. This time the one with the short hair glared at her.

"Ignore them," said Chae as she passed another plate. Frowning, Jennie decided not to give the servants a piece of her mind. But she did make sure to catch the staring eyes of the short-haired servant and returned the glare the girl had given earlier.

Diligently they continued to do their cleaning duties. Though she was washing the plates as quickly as she could, Chae internally groaned when a new cart of dirty dishes was rolled in. If only she could just use a spell. Then neither, she, Jennie or even the servants would have to stand here for hours doing nearly unending work.

"Is there a reason you won't tell me?"

The slightly frustrated voice brought her back from her thoughts. Eyes shifting to the right, she saw Jennie waiting for her. Quickly she tried tracking back what they were talking about. The new rolled in cart had diverted her attention. Reaching for another dirty plate, she shrugged her shoulders.

"There's nothing to tell."

"Then how did those cuts and bruises get on your hand?"

"What cuts and bruises?" Chae looked at her innocently and Jennie's sense of annoyance increased.

"Don' do that," she placed the dried plate down, "Don't make me out to be a fool."

Guilty eyes lowered, "I didn't mean to," said Chae. Jennie's eyebrows furrowed.

"Did Jackson bother you again?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter," said Chae as she turned to take another plate. But the tension in the taller woman's jaw did not go unnoticed. Jennie placed the drying cloth down to address it.

"Ms. Kim. Ms. Park," came a stern voice. Lifting their heads towards the door they saw the head of cleaning looking at them, "You're 4 hours are done. You may leave and report back to Commander Chaerin."

Nodding, Chae dried her hands before they moved to the door. Saluting the head of cleaning on their way out. They began to head to the main building. The air was slightly colder with the late afternoon sky dimming.

"It does matter, you know," Chae turned to the brunette who kept walking with her eyes ahead.

"It does matter to me if you get hurt. By anything or anyone," continued Jennie as she met Chae's gaze. Grasping her hand, Jennie squeezed it tightly, "I don't know why you don't understand that," she finished. Jennie didn't let go of her hand but Chae could cut the silence with a knife.

Bowing her head, she felt conflicted. She didn't want to burden the brunette anymore. Peaking at her, Chae's heart tinged. Even with that confliction, she hated being the cause of any of Jennie's unhappiness. When she gained the right words, Jennie was already knocking on the doors of her mother's office. As their hands separated, Chae knew what she had to say would have to wait. Hearing permission to enter, Jennie pushed open the doors and they walked inside.