Persephone hummed softly to herself as she swept the dining room. In the doorway stood the maid who usually did this work, staring and fidgeting with her hands. Persephone had recently taken it upon herself to learn how to housekeep properly, half-because she wanted something to occupy her near-endless spare time, and half-because she thought knowing how to clean and cook were important skills to have, no matter your social status. The maid had tried twice so far to get Persephone to let her do the work as she was hired to do, but the young woman waved her off and told her to take a break, stroll the garden out back, or something. "You will still receive your pay, of course," she said as she pushed a heap of minute food scraps into a dustpan, and the maid relaxed before taking the offered respite.

Just a few minutes after Persephone had dumped all the dust, dirt, and whatnot into the trash bin and had changed out of the simple sheath she'd reserved for cleaning and cooking, she heard her doorman speaking to someone out the front door and she looked out the window of her bedroom to see Dr. Witaker. A smile grew on her face- what a lovely surprise! He was a kind man, and she'd found in the last few days that she'd rather missed his pleasant company. She did up her hair quickly and came down the main stairs just as he entered her home. "Dr. Witaker," she said with a warm smile, "what a pleasure!"