Gift: Taking Out The Trash

Summary: The self-titled Super Maid Emalee faces her greatest challenge yet on her path to knighthood; a casual (and somewhat eldritch) octomaid summoned from another reality, honed in the skills of housekeeping! Their battle will be glorious! A gift for AltrixWrites, based on her series Our Unlikely Hero is a Maid!

[Story Listing]

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A shadowy council convened at a candle-lit round table. Chancellor Felton, surrounded by his most trusted confidants, was at the end of his rope.

"No no no, this wasn't how it was supposed to go!" He hissed, rubbing his forehead. "That flighty... maid is making a mess of our royal court! Our dignity, thoroughly soiled!"

"She calls herself a Super Maid, sir." One of the robed figures clarified.

"SHUT UP DEREK!" He shouted. "Whatever this Emalee calls herself, she's overcome every hurdle we've had to throw at her! We can't make her a knight! Maids can't be knights!"

"She only has one further trial to overcome." Another figure commented. "Then, by our knightly charter, she would be qualified to join our fraternity. This is a meritocracy, after all..."

"Why doesn't the charter give me a veto power!?" The chancellor slammed his fist. "We need to go all in on this last trial! We can't allow her to render our entire kingdom a laughing stock! I won't allow King Randolph to suffer this kind of utter humiliation!"

"Ooooh! I got an idea!" A short robed figure bounced up. "We summon a beast! A foul, evil beast! And make her fight it! That'll clean up the cleaner for us!~"

"Oh my g- Randall, every time we let you into these meetings, you want to summon some foul creature."

"It's a great idea if you just give it a chance!" The figure named Randall pouted. At least, the pout was presumed; it was difficult to make out anyone's expressions when their faces were shrouded in darkness.

"Who even invites Randall to these meetings?" Derek shook his head, muttering.

"He's dating Barbara, so he's been getting a free pass." Another figure whispered.

"Listen listen, get a load of this. Thrashing tentacles, snapping maw, can tear apart ships in seconds and drag victims to the watery deep! These are the spells, people! And I got all the materials to do a summoning circle! C'mooooon!"

"...Agh... we're running out of options." The chancellor muttered, rubbing his temples. "She keeps sidestepping all the other monsters we throw at her, what makes this one any different?"

"Well... she's been in close proximity to our finest knights all those other times. And if my intel is up to date..." One of the robed figures flipped through a clipboard. "...The rest of the girls, Jasmine, Gail, etc... they should all be far from the central kingdom."

"...Mm. And you can send back this foul creature from whence it came as easy as you summoned it?" The chancellor raised his head.

"Easy peasy! Just gotta pick a place outta the way, and I can get it set up in a jiffy! Then we make a pact, have a goat as a sacrifice, and bing bang boom we got a demon summoning!"

"...The king has an unoccupied estate by the lake. We'll summon her there. Let's be discreet about this." The chancellor sneered.

"Chancellor?" A hulking figure flanking him turned his head. "You're... taking Randall's suggestion? We've never summoned a creature of that caliber within our borders."

"It's fine. If Randall's so confident, we have nothing to worry about. Worst case scenario... we'll send in Gail to clean up whatever the creature leaves behind."

"Heh! Cleaning up the maid! Nice one, boss!" A figure cheered.

"Soon... this Super Maid problem will finally be behind us..." The chancellor tented his fingers.

---

"Huuuuuuuh. This is a weird spot for a summer getaway."

The illustrious self-described Super Maid Emalee stared at her summons. Of course, she had to drop everything to high-tail it out to the middle of nowhere; she received an invitation from the Chancellor himself for her final trial! If she followed through on this task with aplomb, the royalty would have no choice but to honour her as a true-blue knight of their kingdom!

Lack of combat skills, lack of sophisticated pedantry, and lack of elegant threads aside. She just needed a dumb little title so no one else in the kingdom could tell her, hey, you can't be out here, there's like, lava monsters and stuff. It'd be the beginning of her great quest to truly tidy up all the naughty things in this befouled kingdom.

She looked up, noting the modest building that sat before her; a cabin just on the edge of a shimmering lake. It didn't seem to be fit for royalty... though perhaps it was the property value that was important. Perhaps it was a holdover from a cushy childhood upbringing. Even if the exterior noted a considerable state of disrepair.

Just the sight of it filled Emalee with a swelling sense of excitement. She wanted to get all over that fix-me-up and turn the place into a proper pick-me-up. She hurried to the front door and eagerly wrapped her knuckles against it.

"House keeping! By royal decree, even!~" Emalee chimed in, eager to get started.

"What!?" A voice called out from within. It didn't sound like the king, or the chancellor, or any kind of royalty. It just kinda sounded nasally. "Who's that? Who's there!? Don't come in yet, you got no business bein' here!"

"But... but I do!" Emalee asserted. "I'm the Super Maid, Emalee Winchester! The Super Maid? Y'know?"

"You're an hour early!!" The man blurted from within.

"Yeah! Professionally diligent!~" Emalee puffed her chest out. "I'll just let myself in here-"

"No don't-"

Emalee reached for the handle and looked around inside. What she found was... surprising.

The lighting in here was awful, on account of the curtains draped over the windows, depriving the common area of any natural light. Whatever dim lighting existed were due to a selection of small candles, placed strategically in a pattern. There was chalk dust everywhere, and the placement of rotting fish carcasses brought about a pungent, salty odour to the room. Emalee crinkled her nose in response.

"Oof, this is a picker upper. She glanced to the person on the edge of the setup, clutching a chalk that had been worked down to the nub. She flashed him a grin. "I can get started whenever you're-"

"DON'T. I've been up all morning on this summoning circle! Don't. Touch. ANYTHING." The hooded figured hissed, before hunching over to place the finishing touches.

"...Omigosh, Randaaall is that you??" Emalee beamed. "Gosh, I haven't seen you in aaaaages!"

"WHAT IS THE POINT OF WEARING CEREMONIAL HOODS IF EVERYONE KNOWS WHO I AM" Randall spat, more aggressively scribbling at the design.

"Are you still helping your mom out at home?" Emalee leaned forward. "Let her know that I said 'hi'!"

"YES I WILL, NOW DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!" He hollered again, putting down some finishing touches.

"...Gosh, there's chalk dust everywhere though..." Emalee muttered, her eyes drifting around the sorry state of the building.

"Just sit still. I'm almost done..." Randall muttered, scribbling aggressively.

"You're not drawing in the lines." She grimaced. Emalee wanted to clean up the edges of the summoning circle soooooooo badly.

"I am so drawing in the lines!" Randall retorted.

"...mmngh... grgh..." Emalee stirred. It was hard to watch, seeing something that was entirely in her power to clean, and she was being obstructed from doing her job. It was physically uncomfortable to remain on the sidelines like this.

"D̷̻̩̭͋e̷̛͇͔̞̳̦̗̠͇͍̅͒̍̈́̂̾͂̄͝ ̴̧̠͎̲́̑p̸͍̯̘̲͖̭̥̗̺̃͑͋͂̓̊̋ọ̷̐̌̅̈́̀̓̌̿͝͠ĺ̵̝̜́͂̈̽̕y̵̧̢̲̤̦̩͖̑̀́̂͆̚͠͝p̴̣̳̞̤͇͊͋́́̍̐́ȗ̸̝̩͕̟̫̩͒s̶͓̄͘ ̸̬̺̬̪̮͕͔̙̅̓m̴̧̞̮̬͂̒̈́͛̋͌͘͠ä̵̭̠̫̜̘̹̗́̓l̶̢̨̥̘̜͚̯͙͎̝̒͒͋̍̇̽̓ù̴̹̗̤͔̦͒͌̔̿̑̅̀͝m̶̢̳̦̘̊͒̅̉̿̊͆͝ ̸̤̭̘͚̬̲̯̒̿͋à̷̢̟͔̜̠͍͔́̐́̆͒̅̎̔̔g̶͔̘͋͐̍e̵̠͈͑̈́ȑ̴̨͖̟̘̺̝̙̯͒̃͐͌͒ë̷̯̤͔̘̙̲̭̗̰͉́̽...D̷̻̩̭͋e̷̛͇͔̞̳̦̗̠͇͍̅͒̍̈́̂̾͂̄͝ ̴̧̠͎̲́̑p̸͍̯̘̲͖̭̥̗̺̃͑͋͂̓̊̋ọ̷̐̌̅̈́̀̓̌̿͝͠ĺ̵̝̜́͂̈̽̕y̵̧̢̲̤̦̩͖̑̀́̂͆̚͠͝p̴̣̳̞̤͇͊͋́́̍̐́ȗ̸̝̩͕̟̫̩͒s̶͓̄͘ ̸̬̺̬̪̮͕͔̙̅̓m̴̧̞̮̬͂̒̈́͛̋͌͘͠ä̵̭̠̫̜̘̹̗́̓l̶̢̨̥̘̜͚̯͙͎̝̒͒͋̍̇̽̓ù̴̹̗̤͔̦͒͌̔̿̑̅̀͝m̶̢̳̦̘̊͒̅̉̿̊͆͝ ̸̤̭̘͚̬̲̯̒̿͋à̷̢̟͔̜̠͍͔́̐́̆͒̅̎̔̔g̶͔̘͋͐̍e̵̠͈͑̈́ȑ̴̨͖̟̘̺̝̙̯͒̃͐͌͒ë̷̯̤͔̘̙̲̭̗̰͉́̽... "

Randall was already reciting the cursed words. A hostile aura filled the air, filling Emalee with yet more anxiety.

"W... what's that bad feeling I'm getting?" Emalee glanced around. The entire building trembled slightly as he performed the rite.

"D̷̻̩̭͋e̷̛͇͔̞̳̦̗̠͇͍̅͒̍̈́̂̾͂̄͝ ̴̧̠͎̲́̑p̸͍̯̘̲͖̭̥̗̺̃͑͋͂̓̊̋ọ̷̐̌̅̈́̀̓̌̿͝͠ĺ̵̝̜́͂̈̽̕y̵̧̢̲̤̦̩͖̑̀́̂͆̚͠͝p̴̣̳̞̤͇͊͋́́̍̐́ȗ̸̝̩͕̟̫̩͒s̶͓̄͘ ̸̬̺̬̪̮͕͔̙̅̓m̴̧̞̮̬͂̒̈́͛̋͌͘͠ä̵̭̠̫̜̘̹̗́̓l̶̢̨̥̘̜͚̯͙͎̝̒͒͋̍̇̽̓... malyctus? Damn it."

He hissed under his breath, losing his train of thought. Randall turned to the eponymous Super Maid with a beleaguered expression.

"Listen, can you just, like, wait outside?? So I can do this? Just go wading into the shallows on the beach, there'll be a surprise for you soon."

"...Mmnn... y'sure? Okay..." Emalee sighed, making for the door. Randall went silent as his stared expectantly at Emalee's backside, watching her as she disappeared behind the door.

"...Finally." Randall sighed, turning back to the eldritch patterns before him. "Okay, where was I, where was I... tch, think I need to start from the top. Okay, calm down, you got this, one giant tentacle monster and you're on easy street into a career as a royal treasury accountant..." Randall took a few deep breaths, and held out his hands.

"D̷̻̩̭͋e̷̛͇͔̞̳̦̗̠͇͍̅͒̍̈́̂̾͂̄͝ ̴̧̠͎̲́̑p̸͍̯̘̲͖̭̥̗̺̃͑͋͂̓̊̋ọ̷̐̌̅̈́̀̓̌̿͝͠ĺ̵̝̜́͂̈̽̕y̵̧̢̲̤̦̩͖̑̀́̂͆̚͠͝p̴̣̳̞̤͇͊͋́́̍̐́ȗ̸̝̩͕̟̫̩͒s̶͓̄͘ ̸̬̺̬̪̮͕͔̙̅̓m̴̧̞̮̬͂̒̈́͛̋͌͘͠ä̵̭̠̫̜̘̹̗́̓l̶̢̨̥̘̜͚̯͙͎̝̒͒͋̍̇̽̓ù̴̹̗̤͔̦͒͌̔̿̑̅̀͝m̶̢̳̦̘̊͒̅̉̿̊͆͝ ̸̤̭̘͚̬̲̯̒̿͋à̷̢̟͔̜̠͍͔́̐́̆͒̅̎̔̔g̶͔̘͋͐̍e̵̠͈͑̈́ȑ̴̨͖̟̘̺̝̙̯͒̃͐͌͒ë̷̯̤͔̘̙̲̭̗̰͉́̽... D̷̻̩̭͋e̷̛͇͔̞̳̦̗̠͇͍̅͒̍̈́̂̾͂̄͝ ̴̧̠͎̲́̑p̸͍̯̘̲͖̭̥̗̺̃͑͋͂̓̊̋ọ̷̐̌̅̈́̀̓̌̿͝͠ĺ̵̝̜́͂̈̽̕y̵̧̢̲̤̦̩͖̑̀́̂͆̚͠͝p̴̣̳̞̤͇͊͋́́̍̐́ȗ̸̝̩͕̟̫̩͒s̶͓̄͘ ̸̬̺̬̪̮͕͔̙̅̓m̴̧̞̮̬͂̒̈́͛̋͌͘͠ä̵̭̠̫̜̘̹̗́̓l̶̢̨̥̘̜͚̯͙͎̝̒͒͋̍̇̽̓ù̴̹̗̤͔̦͒͌̔̿̑̅̀͝m̶̢̳̦̘̊͒̅̉̿̊͆͝ ̸̤̭̘͚̬̲̯̒̿͋à̷̢̟͔̜̠͍͔́̐́̆͒̅̎̔̔g̶͔̘͋͐̍e̵̠͈͑̈́ȑ̴̨͖̟̘̺̝̙̯͒̃͐͌͒ë̷̯̤͔̘̙̲̭̗̰͉́̽... D̷̻̩̭͋e̷̛͇͔̞̳̦̗̠͇͍̅͒̍̈́̂̾͂̄͝ ̴̧̠͎̲́̑p̸͍̯̘̲͖̭̥̗̺̃͑͋͂̓̊̋ọ̷̐̌̅̈́̀̓̌̿͝͠ĺ̵̝̜́͂̈̽̕y̵̧̢̲̤̦̩͖̑̀́̂͆̚͠͝p̴̣̳̞̤͇͊͋́́̍̐́ȗ̸̝̩͕̟̫̩͒s̶͓̄͘ ̸̬̺̬̪̮͕͔̙̅̓m̴̧̞̮̬͂̒̈́͛̋͌͘͠ä̵̭̠̫̜̘̹̗́̓l̶̢̨̥̘̜͚̯͙͎̝̒͒͋̍̇̽̓ù̴̹̗̤͔̦͒͌̔̿̑̅̀͝m̶̢̳̦̘̊͒̅̉̿̊͆͝ ̸̤̭̘͚̬̲̯̒̿͋à̷̢̟͔̜̠͍͔́̐́̆͒̅̎̔̔g̶͔̘͋͐̍e̵̠͈͑̈́ȑ̴̨͖̟̘̺̝̙̯͒̃͐͌͒ë̷̯̤͔̘̙̲̭̗̰͉́̽...!"

'

"Y'know, Randall? It'sgonnabugmeifIdon'tdoanythingaboutthisonespotrightherelemmejustgetinthereand-"

With no warning, Emalee rushed in with a dampened rag and slid over, already on her knees, to clean up the edges of the pentagram.

"D̷̻̩̭͋e̷̛͇͔̞̳̦̗̠͇͍̅͒̍̈́̂̾͂̄͝ ̴̧̠͎̲́̑p̸͍̯̘̲͖̭̥̗̺̃͑͋͂̓̊̋ọ̷̐̌̅̈́̀̓̌̿͝͠ĺ̵̝̜́͂̈̽̕y̵̧̢̲̤̦̩͖̑̀́̂͆̚͠͝p̴̣̳̞̤͇͊͋́́̍̐́ȗ̸̝̩͕̟̫̩͒s̶͓̄͘ ̸̬̺̬̪̮͕͔̙̅̓m̴̧̞̮̬͂̒̈́͛̋͌͘͠ä̵̭̠̫̜̘̹̗́̓l̶̢̨̥̘̜͚̯͙͎̝̒͒͋̍̇̽̓ù̴̹̗̤͔̦͒͌̔̿̑̅̀͝m̶̢̳̦̘̊͒̅̉̿̊͆͝ ̸̤̭̘͚̬̲̯̒̿͋à̷̢̟͔̜̠͍͔́̐́̆͒̅̎̔̔g̶͔̘͋͐̍e̵̠͈͑̈́ȑ̴̨͖̟̘̺̝̙̯͒̃͐͌͒ë̷̯̤͔̘̙̲̭̗̰͉́̽AGH DON'T TOUCH THAT-"

Randall was just at the end of his ritual too, and she was getting all up in his grill!

Bump! Her elbow knocked aside one of the rotting fish, causing it to splatter to the floor.

"Oopsiedoodle." Emalee chirped. Being a bit clumsy was in her nature, so it kind of came with the territory. Randall's eyes narrowed.

"YOU STUPID IDIOT! YOU'VE DOOMED US ALL!" Randall shouted, absolutely pissed off.

"Awww, it's just makin' a stink in here. Don't be so dramatic-"

VOOOOOOM!

"Ohhhhh."

A rupture in space and time formed in the middle of the room, at the center of Randall's intricately crafted summoning circle. It warbled and roared, the spark of inhuman life rendering it increasingly unstable. Energy crackled and sputtered, lightning striking in all directions.

"...Should we run?" Emalee's mouth flattened at the show playing out in front of her. She glanced to her side. Randall wasn't there.

Slam! She flinched as she heard the front door slam shut... followed by the panicked wailing of the nasally-voices would-be occultist. The screams were growing faint with distance.

"...okay." Emalee whimpered. "I'll just... stay here and... clean up the meeeess...!"

It was hard to hear her thoughts over the crackling energy, the room quickly being consumed by the tear in time and space. A bright light filled the room.

"Ah!" Emalee shielded her eyes, pressing her back against the wall! The light bled white through her fingers.

"...aaaaaaAAAA!"

Emalee's mouth flattened. She could hear another scream. But it didn't belong to Randall. It initially sounded distorted, as if ran through several filters. A wet smack hit the floorboards; the rumbling, the shaking, the warbling all quieted down, and the light died down.

"Owww..." The voice muttered again, now more clear. Emalee could make out some strange popping sounds. Emalee peeked through her fingers.

"...W-What the heck? Is that an octopus??" The extradimensional visitor muttered in a decidedly feminine voice.

Emalee tilted her head, taking in the strange sight. Eight slimey red tentacles tensed and curled along the ground, connected to a single figure. The base of the tentacles disappeared under a familiar frilly get-up. Kind of like a maid outfit...

"Ugh, and what's that smell, did something die in here?" The newcomer muttered, her tentacles shuffling as she looked around; her suckers popped quietly as she glanced around.

From the torso up, the figure kinda looked human; she had long, scarlet hair done up in a practical bun. But as she pivoted to look around, Emalee observed that her skin was as red and slimy as the tentacles. From her torso, Emalee found yet more tentacles instead of arms; one of them was clutching a feather duster!

The two glanced at each other in the room, studying each other quizzically.

"...Oh heeeey. You some kinda maid?" The tentacled maid wondered aloud, tilting.

"Ah... I-I am! Emalee Winchester, Super Maid!" Emalee summoned her resolve, ready to make a good impression and to pedal her skills. "And you must be, some, some kinda alien maid! From another dimension!!"

"...Uhhhh, I dunno about alien... " The newcomer rose a tentacle to rub the back of her head. "Cora Wagner. I'm... also a maid. I'll get it done in a breeze, by land or sea. Did you call me to..."

Cora glanced around the room. The wormhole the summoning ritual conjured up really made a mess of the place; the curtains were torn up, dust had been kicked up and cast everywhere, and... unmentionable sprays of gross ooze was left in streaks around the walls. A foul odour filled the room.

"...For this?" Cora blinked. She was almost impressed by the state of this room.

"I-It was like this when I got here!" Emalee stammered. "It's cuz this guy, Randall, he was making some kinda doodles on the ground with chalk? I thought he was just making pictures, but then he made a tear in reality, and you kinda popped out??"

"Ohhhhh." Cora nodded. "Yeah, I guess he didn't dot the i's or something. S'okay, happens a lot." She shrugged.

"...Does it?" Emalee tilted her head. "How many wormholes do you get sucked into??"

"You'd be surprised. I don't mind, I gotta hustle for new gigs in this economy. You know robots are trying to take our jobs, right?" Cora flourished her duster.

"Robot maids!? Jeez, alternate dimensions are something else..." Emalee frowned.

"Yeah, gotta stretch all ten tentacles just to stay ahead." Cora muttered.

"RANDALL! How're those drawings coming along!?" A familiar, aggressive voice blurted out from the other side of the door.

"Ah! Chancellor Felton!" Emalee turned her head towards the door. "R-Randall stepped out for a bit, he... went to get lunch??"

"'Chancellor'? Is he important?" Cora tilted her head.

"EMALEE!? You're not supposed to be here yet!" The chancellor bellowed. He rattled the door handle until the door swung open, nearly tearing off its hinges.

"Now see here, Miss Super Maid..." The chancellor emphasized with increasingly sarcastic finger quotes. "You can't just go where you please, you should at least let us set up the trial before you... you..."

He trailed off, looking over the strange half-woman half-octopus being. Cora waved a tentacle with a can-do smile.

"Heya! Your guy Randall rang for two maids??"

"...I guess he did." The chancellor muttered, absolute gobsmacked.

"Oh! OHHHH, I think I get it!" Emalee bounced up and down. "You wanted to put me into a proper test of my maid skills, right?"

"...uhhh..." The chancellor was drawing a blank. Cora glanced between the two of them, just as confused.

"You couldn't find a better maid in aaaaaaaaall of the vast continent of Holdria, so you got Randall's help in summoning a powerful competitor from another dimension to prove a worthy adversary! To test me in everything I had learned up to now!" Emalee leaned a little closed, poking her head. "Weeeell? Did I get the gist of it?"

"...Is that what this is about? Guys, I just got here, I need some catching up too..." Cora pouted.

The Chancellor glanced between the two of them. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place here.

"Yes. That is exactly what I had intended." He uttered, not entirely sure of it himself. "P, precisely that. I have to go, this place just absolutely reeks, just, just sort it out between yourselves, I need to-"

He was already fumbling through the front door, slamming it behind him. The two maids glanced at each other, each of them rather befuddled.

"...okay, so, um, I'm getting paid for being here, right? Are you getting paid?" Cora pointed a tentacle over at Emalee. "Cuz I feel like this is a thing we ought to be getting paid to do..."

"I'm not getting paid! I'm in it for the experience, and to prove myself!~" Emalee clutched a broom giddily in front of her.

"...oh goody, you work for exposure..." Cora sighed. "Well, this place is rank, and it would be nice to do something about it. You just wanna get at it?"

"Sure! But lemme tell you up front, when it comes to being a Super Maid, I don't lose." Emalee got into a fighting stance, twirling the handle of a mop in her hands.

Cora blinked, raising a tentacle to rub the back of her head. "J-jeez, I'm not really used to this much intensity in the workplace... but I like your spirit! I guess I just gotta try to set the pace, huh?"

As Cora said this, her tentacles began to elongate on their own, growing girthier at their base. Their reach had doubled, and it appeared that they could effortlessly stretch and reach all through the room around her. Her torso rose into the air as her tentacles grew.

She reached behind her, throwing a suitcase onto the floor. It unlocked and opened upon impact; her tentacles converged towards the suitcase, rapidly pulling out a number of tools: a mop, a broom, a dustpan, a cordless vacuum...

"W-whoa... so this is the power of an otherworldly maid!" Emalee watched, astonished. "With so many tentacles, you can do so many tasks at once!"

"Yeah, it's pretty convenient! So this is a race, huh?" Cora smirked. "I'd say you're gonna eat my dust, but there ain't gonna be any dust left when I'm through."

Emalee's eyebrows furrowed as she got into a competitive stance; she produced a set of rubber gloves, affixing them to her hands with a confident snap!. "Don't underestimate the power of a bonafide Super Maid!"

And they were off to the races! Cora managed to open every window in the house simultaneously to air out the rank, dead fish smell from the place as Emalee zipped around with a trashbag in hand, stuffing as many of the carcasses into the bag as she could. Emalee had a lot of ground to cover, so she turned her back to Cora, who was confidently banging off the dust from a rug, dusting the overhead shelves, and wiping down the windows with a myriad of flexing tentacles, all at once.

With the wooden floorboards freed up, Emalee rushed around the room with her broom, doing a clean sweep in record time, conjuring up a bucket of soapy water, splashing it, and flexing a mop to make her rounds, ensuring the floor was polished to a mirror sheen! Though perhaps she was a little too enthusiastic to make her rounds...

"Ah? W-whoa-"

Emalee slipped on a stray puddle, staggering on one foot as she glided across the floor. Her clumsiness was coming to the fore at the worst time!

"Ah? Easy there!" Cora lowered one of her tentacles to put a stop to Emalee's sliding, flashing her an easy-going grin. "We're making good time, let's not lose our heads here."

"A-ah, that was clumsy of me... but hey, the floor's ready!" Emalee smiled back, puffing out her chest.

"Cool, cool, I'm about done with dusting. Cora's suckered tentacles popped against the ground as she shuffled about. "Uhhh, y'know if there's gonna be a party later? I see a big dining table that could use a spread..."

"Hmmm... I dunno! I guess the dishes could use a wash." Emalee hurried to the kitchen.

"...I guess I can swap the table cloth." Cora moved to check the cupboards, eager to busy herself with a nice setup. "Maybe a nice seashell-inspired decor..."

---

Before long, both girls were struggling to find more work to do around the modest cabin. It had undergone a rapid transformation; with the light streaming in from the washed windows and the lights inside no longer obscured by a layer of dust, the interior was so much warmer and vibrant.

"Ah..." Cora inhaled deeply, glancing around to catch her handiwork. "It smells so much nicer in here without the dead fish mucking it up. We're next to a lake, right?" Cora turned to Emalee with a grin.

"Yeppers! The waters are soooo pristine, and so clear. It's a great vacation spot... I guess that's why the royals have this cozy lil place too." Emalee rubbed her chin. She glanced around. "Hehe, this place is spotless now!~"

"Yeah! So, uh, who won?" Cora tilted her head.

"...eh?" Emalee blinked. "Whadaya mean?"

"I dunno, nobody stuck around as a scorekeeper or anything..." Cora fidgeted, coiling the pair of tentacle that comprised her arms together. "We kinda just ended up splitting things up and staying out of each other's ways..."

"Yeah, it was a bit of a team effort, so... hm..." Emalee rubbed her chin.

"...Wanna just call it a tie? I wanna hit the beach while I'm here." Cora shrugged.

"Mmmmmyeah. A Super Maid needs to be super good at super... lounging... eheh, sound better in my head." She chuckled, scratching the back of her head. "You can tell me about where you came from!"

"Me?" Cora raised a tentacle to her chest. "Aw, it's nowhere too special. We got cities above and below sea level, so I got kind of used to working wherever I was needed. Getting transported to a whole other world doesn't seem all that strange when you think about it..."

"Woooow. So cooooool!" Emalee's eyes sparkled. "I meet a lot of strong, cool girls, and you're definitely one of the coolest! G-granted, most of those girls get into fighting monsters..."

"Monsters?" Cora cocked her head to the side.

"...A-ah, not like you, I mean! You're, um, nice, and just wanna make money, and..."

Emalee babbled to herself anxiously as Cora stared, not quite comprehending where Emalee was coming from. Emalee quickly abandoned the thought she was chasing down, and hurried to take one of Cora's tentacles by the hand. It was slimy, but she didn't seem to mind, getting up into dirtier business than this.

"C'mon, I'll show you the lake! You'll love it!" Emalee bounced up and down.

"O-oh, um-" Emalee had some grip; she was even managing to tug Cora along, despite her suction-cupped tentacles adhering to the floor, popping with every step.

"A, a nice swim sounds nice... thanks Em." Cora smiled.

Cora wasn't entirely sure how she'd be getting home at this rate, but getting stuck in another world didn't sound so bad. She had already made a new friend...