Chronicles of Eden - Act VII

by Alexander Gordon

  “So, what do you want me to do?”

  “You don’t have to do anything, Doku. Just relax while we clean up. This isn’t your home, you’re a guest with us, so feel free to sit and rest wherever you like.”

  “No, please, I can help too. I’m not that useless… well… I sort of am, but still…”

  “You’re not useless,” Kroanette reassured her. “But this isn’t your mess to clean up or your responsibility. Do not concern yourself with it.”

  “We’re good girls,” Cilia spoke up proudly as she popped her head up between the harpy’s breasts. “We can help too. We can. Let us help.”

  “Please, let me do something to help you,” Doku implored. “I don’t want to be a burden for any of you.”

  “You’re not a burden,” Triska said while focusing on removing the dirtied sheets and pillows. “But if you really insist on helping then just help out wherever you want.”

  Doku slowly nodded then looked around the room, seeing Alyssa checking through her alchemic materials and discarding what was damaged, Squeak and Falla going through the pantry which had its door hanging off the hinge and some of its rations dirtied from the flood, Specca slowly moving the table about while the chairs were lying toppled over near the wall, Luna mopping the same spot repeatedly while not noticing she wasn’t making any progress with cleaning the rest of the floor, and Clover who quietly whimpered while tied in her bed with a large wooden object up her ass.

  “This place is a mess,” Cilia said up to her.

  “Well, we simply cannot have that, can we?” Doku remarked shaking her head a little.

  She slowly walked over to Luna and tapped her on the shoulder with her wing. The butterfly looked to her curiously as the harpy held out her foot to take the broom, with Luna then slowly handing it to her with a curious expression. Doku ruffled her wings and looked around at the dirtied floor and muddy carpet below the bed then turned to Luna with a small smile.

  “Could you kindly get a bowl of fresh water and a towel ready for me?”

  “Um… okay?” Luna said with a shrug. She walked over towards the pantry to get a bowl, stopped, looked back, and then jumped in surprise just as did everyone. All eyes were locked onto Doku as the harpy was fluttering her wings rapidly to keep level off the floor while she furiously swiped the mop around using both her feet, the rapid thumping and squeaking from her cleaning the floor heard amongst the silence in the cabin.

  “Doku?” Specca slowly asked.

  The harpy cleaned a section of the floor to a polished shine, flew over to the entryway in a flash, wrung the mop outside, then zipped back over to another area of the cabin and cleaned the floor in a fluttering frenzy. The group watched her fly back and forth, going from spot to spot all around the room before she raced over and started quickly dragging chairs back into place around the table. Specca quickly hurried out of the way as Doku fluttered about a foot off the floor and arranged the table and chairs perfectly with her feet in haste.

  “What am I seeing here?” Triska spoke up in wonder.

  Doku flew over to the cupboard, grabbed a towel, raced back and wiped down the chairs and table with her feet all while her wing rapidly flapped to keep her in the air. Cilia watched with a keen eye from her bosom for any spots or blemishes as the harpy cleaned the furniture with a calm expression on her face. Afterwards she fluttered about in front of the bookshelf and quickly started pulling out and arranging tomes with her feet while tilting her head curiously at them.

  “Needs to dry, needs to go here, that belongs here, oh that’s a good one, I must read that later, this one’s ruined, what a shame, this goes here, that needs to dry, that might be okay still…”

  She quickly tossed over multiple books onto the table and arranged others in the shelf before she fluttered over and opened all the books and examined each one quickly along with Cilia. Keeping herself above the floor she raced over to Specca and halted in place, with the nixie squeaking in surprise as Doku had a curious expression on her face.

  “If you could be so kind, try to fan the pages of those books and help them dry.”

  “Um… sure,” Specca managed to get out before Doku raced over to the pantry, with Squeak and Falla quickly jumping out of the way the speeding harpy.

  Everyone watched in stunned silence as Doku began sifting through the shelves and rations with her feet, expertly examining each one before either placing it on the correct shelf or tossing it into the waste basket near her.

  “Good, bad, bad, good, looks tasty, good, bad, not sure what that is, good, bad…”

  She fluttered up and down, wings never seeming to tire or slow down as she rapidly sorted through the pantry and arranged everything accordingly. Her feet snatched up rations and dishes just as fast as they placed them in the correct location or discarded them entirely, all while Cilia looked around at all the food with a curious eye.

  “Am I seeing this correctly?” Kroanette unsurely asked as everyone watched Doku quickly fluttered to the side and moved the creaky pantry door back and forth with her foot.

  “Excuse me,” Doku kindly said to Squeak. “Could you please hold this upright for me?”

  Squeak slowly nodded with a bewildered look on her face then held the door up straight while Doku examined the hinges with a gentle hum. She then quickly used her hardened nose and pecked at one of the hinges with sharp clicks, with Squeak glancing to the loose bolt then to Doku with wonder as the harpy knocked the bolt back into place using her nose like a hammer.

  “There, all better,” Doku said before flying off. Squeak blinked then slowly opened and closed the door as it was able to move properly now. Looking behind she saw Doku landing down in front of the bed, with Triska, Kroanette, and Daniel quickly getting out of her way as she examined the muddy carpet below her.

  “Oh dear,” she worried with a frown. “I fear that may leave a stain. How unfortunate.”

  “Doku… how-” Daniel started to say before the harpy turned to Alyssa with a curious smile.

  “Alyssa, you surely have all manner of magical spells and potions at your disposal. Do you by chance have anything simple to clean a carpet with?”

  “Um… yeah,” Alyssa slowly replied. “I can take care of that.”

  “Wondrous,” Doku praised with a happy hop. She then flew over and quickly began dragging and rearranging the couch and chair to the side of the room while everyone continued to stare at her in awe.

  “Specca, you must hurry and help those pages dry, otherwise the ink may become permanently blurred,” Doku warned as she kept her focus on the furniture.

  “Oh, right,” Specca gasped before she quickly grabbed a fan out of a drawer and raced over to the table. She started fanning the pages quickly while Doku finished getting the couch and chair back in place.

  “Luna? Do you have that water and towel for me yet?” Doku kindly asked.

  Luna hopped with a startle then quickly fetched a bowl and poured some of their water into it. Taking it and a fresh towel over to Doku the others slowly looked around the cabin in wonder at seeing the harpy’s efforts to clean the place up working exceptionally.

  “Thank you, Luna,” Doku gently said as she took the bowl and set it on the floor. Using her feet she wet the towel and quickly began wiping the couch and cushions off while humming a gentle tune, all while Cilia was watching her curious eyes as she remained nestled in her bosom.

  “You’re… welcome,” Luna softly replied as she stared at Doku with wonder.

  “I thought she said she was horrible at cleaning,” Triska quietly mentioned.

  Daniel watched Doku with marvel as the harpy diligently cleaned the couch and chair with a calm smile on her face. After a few more scrubs she quickly turned her head to him and froze, seeming to lock up at seeing him watching her.

  “Is s-something… wrong?” she nervously asked.

  “No,” was all he managed to say with a small shake of his head.

  Doku nodded then hurriedly resu
med her work, seeming to be blushing slightly as she picked up her pace with cleaning the furniture.

  “Alyssa, if you could be so kind as to help with the carpet, then I could properly make the bed without it being atop such a dirty floor.”

  “Sure,” Alyssa slowly said before looking at the others with bewilderment. They all returned the same look and merely shrugged in response before she started going through one of her storage boxes with a curious eye.

  Doku wiped off the couch and cushions, arranged the smaller pillows on the ends with a delicate touch, brushed off the chair with her wing, quickly raced over and dumped the dirtied water in the bowl out the entryway, flew over to the pantry and used another towel to clean the bowl, set it in the correct shelf, placed the dirtied towels in a pile near the entrance, then fluttered over and landed down next to Clover.

  “I know you wish to punish her, and I cannot argue with your methods as they are your own, but could somebody at least move her so I may properly clean her bed?”

  Triska walked over and lifted the elf in her blanket off the bed and held her in her arms, the bound girl whimpering and looking to her with a quivering lip as Triska stepped off to the side.

  “Please take it out,” Clover grunted shutting her eyes tightly.

  “Only Alyssa can take it out,” Triska replied with a shrug. “Just be quiet and think about what you did until she does.”

  Doku looked towards the elf with a sympathetic frown then began removing the dirtied sheets while Triska held Clover in her arms with a hint of empathy for the girl.

  Alyssa mixed together a few pink and blue liquids in a bottle then sprinkled a small amount of dust from a satchel into the mix, the concoction glowing with a soft white light as she lightly swirled it around with a careful eye on it.

  “This should do the trick,” she mused before pouring it onto the carpet in a wide arc. Holding her hand down to it she focused her magic, slowly drawing an angular pattering on the floor before a white glow came from her fingers touching it. Slowly a rippling wave of light spread out from the witch along the floor, the dirt and water lifting off the carpet and dissolving while trailing specks of blue light behind it for a few seconds. The group watched as the carpet was slowly cleansed of all the filth and water before the lights faded away.

  “That’s a neat trick,” Kroanette commented with an impressed nod.

  Doku gathered the sheets and covers from the corner bed and piled them up near the front of the room before quickly flying over and collecting the ones from the big bed the others had already pulled off.

  “I’m sorry, but where are your fresh linens at?”

  Kroanette looked over to the top of the wardrobe where sheets and covers were neatly folded atop it. She walked over and grabbed a few then turned to Doku with a small smile as the harpy placed all the dirty linens by the front wall.

  “You don’t need to trouble yourself like this,” Kroanette mentioned before Doku quickly flew over and grabbed the sheets from her.

  “It’s no trouble, I assure you,” Doku promised as she raced over and made Clover’s bed with clean sheets and a clean pillow. She patted it down with her wing with a proud smile then looked to Triska and waved her over to it. The teen gently set Clover back down on the bed with her blanket covering her, the elf whimpering and watching them with teary eyes while her rear wiggled behind her.

  “Look at that, Clover,” Triska mused with a smirk. “Fresh sheets, just for you. Aren’t you so lucky?”

  “I’m not sure that’s the word I would use to describe her current state,” Doku sympathetically remarked for the elf. She sighed then quickly flew over to the main bed where Kroanette had placed new sheets and pillows on it.

  “Doku, wait,” Daniel said, grabbing her by the wing and halting her with a squeak. “You don’t have to do all this for us. Please, this is all too much.”

  “If she wants to clean then I say let her,” Falla reasoned with an impressed smile at the room.

  “She is doing a fantastic job,” Specca complimented as she continued to fan the books on the table.

  “Oh dear,” Doku worried with a frown. “Did I do something wrong? Did I miss a spot? I’m sorry, I promise I can-”

  “No, that’s not it,” Daniel insisted with a weak smile. “It’s just… you don’t need to do all this for us. Really, you’re being too kind.”

  “May I at least finish making the bed?” Doku curiously asked. “I don’t mind. I really don’t.”

  “But the bed is broken, you don’t need to worry yourself over it.”

  “It’s dirty, you can’t sleep in it yet,” Doku said with a timid smile. “Please, if it’s alright with you, allow me to make it more comfortable for you tonight.”

  “No. I’ll finish up, it’s no trouble for me. All of you girls please just rest and take it easy.”

  “Please let me help!” Doku pleaded as she quickly clung to him and buried her face in his chest. Everyone watched in surprise as the harpy held her wings onto Daniel and whimpered while nuzzling against him. Cilia said something but her voice was muffled as she was pushed deeper into Doku’s bosom to be properly understood.

  “Doku, you’ve already done more than enough,” Daniel promised as he gently held her.

  “Take it easy,” Triska encouraged with an amused smile. “You’ve been nothing but great to us since we met you. You deserve to rest.”

  “But I have to finish making the bed,” Doku whined while shaking her head. “And the corners of the room are dirty, I need to sweep them out. And I need to dust, and-”

  “Stop,” Daniel ordered with a small laugh. “You don’t have to do any of that, alright? Please, we can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done already, you don’t need to do any more.”

  “I’m quite curious,” Kroanette spoke up. “You mentioned before you were horrible at housework, and yet you cleaned and polished this place with what appeared to be no effort on your part. How is that?”

  “But I am horrible at it,” Doku insisted at her. “There’s dirt and grime in here still, there’s laundry to take care of, and I need to fix the bed frame so you all can sleep on it tonight. I haven’t finished yet, I’m taking too long to clean this place. I’m sorry. I’m trying, really I am, I promise I’ll-”

  “Doku, enough,” Daniel pleaded as he shook her lightly. She hopped with a squeak as he slowly shook his head with the realization. “You are much too hard on yourself. With everything you do you think it’s not enough, that you’re not good enough. You’re always too critical about what you are doing and capable of.”

  “But I’m not-”

  “Yes you are,” he assured her, halting her words as she timidly held onto him. “You are a great person, Doku. You’re very skilled with your magic, it’s helped us out more than you can imagine. Both with your spiritwalk which was able to help us with Kitten and you healing Kroanette’s leg earlier. You cleaned this place faster than all of us combined, and you did so without even trying. I speak for all of us when I say you’ve been nothing but wonderful to us ever since you came into our lives.”

  “Daniel… I-”

  “You’re not a harpy,” he lightly jested with a smirk. “You’re an angel, Doku.”

  Doku froze up with a short gasp, her face turning bright red as Daniel smiled kindly at her.

  “I don’t think your sisters in Red Peak were putting you down,” Triska wondered as she walked over to them. “From what I’ve seen you’re a very talented and kindhearted girl. I think you just obsessed over doing too much back home. They were probably trying to tell you to take it easy, that you were pushing yourself too hard and not giving yourself enough credit. They may have even been jealous of how good you are at everything.”

  “Please, Doku,” Specca kindly requested. “Take a seat and rest. You have done more for us than ever could have been asked.”

  “I don’t think we could have gotten this place cleaned up so fast like you did,” Luna complimented as
she looked around at the cabin.

  “Yeah,” Alyssa commented while eyeing the room curiously. “You’re actually making us look pretty bad here in some ways, so please stop doing what you’re doing.”

  “But… I…” Doku shakily breathed out, her lip quivering as she tried to insist with continuing her housework. “Daniel… please, I… I can…”

  “I know you can,” Daniel said as he gently moved aside her bangs, revealing her golden eyes watching him with adoration as she kept quietly voicing something under her breath. “However you’ve done more than enough. So please, be our guest, and rest.”

  Luna and Specca took hold of her shoulders, the harpy turning to see them smiling kindly at her before they guided the speechless girl over to the table. She sat down along with Luna, with Cilia watching from the harpy’s bosom as Specca resumed fanning the open books with a calm expression.

  “I can help, if you like,” Doku softly offered.

  “Please don’t trouble yourself any further,” Specca replied shaking her head. “I can manage this just fine.”

  “It’s no trouble, really.”

  “No more working for you,” Triska playfully ordered as she walked over behind the harpy. “Seriously, you’ve done enough, Doku.”

  “But… I…” Doku worried, turning her head to look around at everyone with a small frown. “Please, let me help you. I can do it, I know I can. Give me a chance…”

  “Daniel, she’s too helpful,” Kroanette mused with a smirk. “I fear she won’t stop working all through the night unless we do something.”

  “I know,” Daniel agreed with a curious eye on the harpy. “I can see how other humans would exploit their generosity and devotion. We’ll make sure they’re treated better once we speak to the queen in Rockhelm.”

  Triska gently patted Doku’s head then looked to Daniel with an amused smile.

  “If we find more monsters who are this kindhearted and talented we’ll win her support for sure.”

  “Please let me help!” Doku wailed before quickly racing past Triska with a small gust of wind. Everyone watched in surprise as the harpy flew across the room and snatched hold of the basin next to Alyssa with the glowing green liquid that was giving off thin vapors smelling of burned grass.