When Maddie woke, she had been panicked. It took a few seconds before the night before returned to her memory and she relaxed. The woman laid there with a huge smile on her face as she realized her new situation. She was free but somehow also had food and a roof over her head with little effort. This man hadn't asked her for anything and didn't try to rob her in the night. 

She sat up sharply and poked out her head to see if he was awake. She wanted to surprise him with breakfast if she could, though the woman knew it wouldn't be easy to find her way. As she stepped quietly into the hall, she also scanned for any of the animals that also called the place home. Her hand pressed to the wall when she felt something strange. It was a switch, similar to the one by the front door. Her eyes widened and she looked up to the dark bulb hanging from the ceiling like a beacon. Another glance around didn't reveal the man's presence so she assumed he was in bed or out. 

Click.

A giggle escaped as the light came on, filling the hallway with the dull yellow light. 

Click.

It was dark again. Her lips curled up and she tried to contain herself. Tried to anyway.

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.Click.Click.Click.Click.Click.Click.Click.Click.Cli-cli-cli-cli-click.

She finally stopped, pulling her hand back feeling a bit embarrassed but also glad she didn't hold back. She rest a hand on her chest and looked up at the light bulb in excitement. Maddie reminded herself she couldn't keep playing. She stepped down the hall to where she thought she remembered where the kitchen was. Her head glanced into the new room. 

Click.

Lou woke up to the sound of a series of clicks and the giggling of a woman. At first he frowned, thinking someone had broken into his house, and started to sit up to offer them food or water or a bit of spare money or whatnot, but then he remembered the night prior and realized it was Madeline. What was she doing, though? Lou poked his head out of his door, silent as a mouse, to see her entering the kitchen and flicking on the light switch. Click. A grin spread across his face. He guessed she'd probably been playing with the light switch outside his bedroom door, the one for the hallway. He found that incredibly endearing and sat back down on his bed as he wondered what the day would bring. He had work today, but he'd woken up a little early and so had a good hour before he had to saddle up Kip and get the cab on the streets. He stretched out his shoulders and yawned, noticing with a smile that Rhino the pup had snuck into his room last night and fallen asleep on the end of his bed.

Yes, this was a good life he was living. And now he had someone to share it with, which made it all the more better.

Madeline was humming softly after she became used to the electric light buzzing softly over her. She was peaking into cabinets and soon had breakfast cooking on the stove. It was cheap as hell, but easy and something she knew she could make. He had a lot more than their kitchen had usually held but not so unusual she couldn't make him something better. She just didn't want to incase he had plans for using the food later. A good and simple breakfast was the perfect way to start the work day.

She thought she heard something and looked to the door frame behind her. Her head craned to the side to attempt to see. "Mister Lou? Cat? Dog?" Certainly she didn't expect the animals to answer but perhaps they'd come in if they were spoken to. She assumed the animals knew that she had mentioned them though she'd already forgotten their names, it had been too overwhelming the night before so only Lou and Kip had stuck with her.

Rhino snored as Lou heard Madeline calling for him and his pets. He yawned and slipped on his dressing robe, then poked his head out to look into the kitchen. "Good morning, Madeline," he called and checked in the living room to see if Betty was doing alright- and just as he opened the door, she slipped through the crack and his legs and sauntered right into the kitchen, Lou following close behind, smiling. He saw Maddie was making breakfast and earnestly thanked her, then went outside to get a pail of fresh water from the well behind the house. It was chilly outside and he'd forgotten his scarf in his early morning sleepiness, so he poked his head back in the door and called, "Madeline? Would you toss me my scarf, please? It's on the wall beside the stove."

Maddie was delighted to see and hear him. He wasn't angry she was already making herself at home, he even seemed pleased! The cat was there with him too. She smiled brightly and nodded her head to him. "Good morning, sir." She had already fallen into the mentality that she was his live in maid which suited her just fine. The woman never wanted much other than a solid structure in her life to live and not worry about her next meal or place to sleep.

Her eyes drifted down and she couldn't help but smile as she nodded and spoke a quiet good morning to the cat. When he spoke again, she immediately rose to his face and then turned to locate the scarf in question. "Ah, here, sir!" She could have tossed it, but she didn't want to risk it to fall and possibly get dirty though the floor looked clean. She hurried across the room, careful of the cat, and pushed it into his hand. "Be careful, don't want you getting sick."

Lou grinned and took the scarf from Maddie with a slightly emphatic thank you. "Oh- and Madeline?" He poked his head back in. "No need to call me 'sir'. Just Lou." He then went out, drew the pail of water, and came back in, humming an old Scottish folk tune his neighbor in childhood (who was from Scotland) had taught him. The smell of breakfast rose his spirits further, and since the chill in the morning winter air had woken him up substantially, he felt quite well. "Good morning, good morning indeed!" he exclaimed as he breezed back into the kitchen and poured half of the bucket into a basin next to the sink. "For drinking water," he notified Madeline, "for the tap's a bit broken, but the handyman is coming later to fix it." He then headed into the barn and put the rest of the water in Kip's stall. Waking up his horse with pats on the head and gentle words, he noticed how Betty the cat had followed him into the barn and was meowing and stumbling a bit. She'd be ready to have her kittens today or tomorrow, he mused, and picked her up as he headed back indoors. Before heading back into the kitchen to see if Maddie was done making breakfast, he woke up Rhino and carried the terrier along with Betty down the hall. As he passed the switch he'd heard Maddie flicking earlier, he smirked, but determined to make no mention of it to her. Let her have her fun, why shouldn't he?

Maddie nodded to Lou when he returned. "Sorry, it's force of habit." She tried to be apologetic but also grateful as she watched him pour the water and already heading out again. "Ah, no worries. I'm quite adaptable. I've handled far worse." She returned to focus on the food and was putting it on plates when he returned. A strange but happy expression settled on her face when he returned. She cleared her mind and gestured towards the table.

"Breakfast is ready, wash up..' She sat before him, "You're quite a sight, always an animal in arm." She giggled slightly. "I hope one day they like me half as much as they do you, sir-Ah.. I mean Mister Dendy."

Lou frowned and stepped up to Madeline, ignoring the food on the table for a brief moment, despite how his mouth watered at the smells of a good, homecooked breakfast. "Lou," he corrected, and Betty jumped out of his arms and onto the counter beside him just as he moved to set Rhino down. If she let him, he took her hands in his own and offered a warm but slightly stern smile. "Just Lou, Madeline. Please." He glanced down at his feet where his terrier was rubbing his side against his human caregiver's leg and making a quiet 'ruff' sound as he looked back and forth from Lou's face to his food bowl. Lou let go of Maddie's hands and noticed he rather missed the contact, but thought nothing of it and went to feed Rhino and Betty their breakfasts.

Madeline looked embarrassed and nodded. "Sorry Lou.. I promise I'm not trying to offend you. It will sink in eventually.. though I might slip up again." She chuckled and watched him take care of the pets before he ate. Her chin rest on her palm as she stared. He was too innocent and sweet, she feared she would ruin him.

Lou smiled and nodded, stepping back, satisfied by her answer. "Mistakes happen," he replied, his typical cheerful demeanor returning and he went to feed the pets, then sit down for breakfast. As he started to eat, he chattered on a bit about his typical work day- he was working every day except Sundays from 7 am to 7 pm with a lunch break at noon -and how Betty would probably be giving birth soon. "You needn't worry about her, though," he reassured in case Madeline was uncomfortable or anxious at the idea of helping a cat have her kittens, "she'll find someplace alone and have them there, like she likes." He nodded sagely. "This isn't her first litter. She knows what she's doing-" Betty meowed up at Lou from the floor and he glanced down at her with a grin. "-don't you, darling?"