Sweep ALL the stairs?

[Allan Warbeck]

Broom in hand, Allan made his way slowly and carefully across and down each stone step of the stairwell. One of these days all those steps would be the final death of him. Why did this castle have to have so many floors? And towers. So many towers. Just getting up there was enough work, before having to clean them out. Especially the rooms that went unused, or where things were stacked and piled to be forgotten and covered in dust and cobwebs.

He shuddered at the thought, and had to check himself before he missed his footing. At least he was most of the way down now. He pushed his glasses back up on his nose, and hummed to himself as he carried on.

[Elliestraaeln]

The scent of cedar announced Ellie's approach before she came into view at the bottom of the stairs. The sound of sweeping had caught her interest, and when she realized its source, she smiled.

"Oh! Hullo Allan!" She ascended a few steps, coming just close enough to be of use if he stumbled, but far enough away that she was not invading his personal space.

[Allan Warbeck]

Allan looked around and grinned when he saw her. "Hello, Ellie. Am I in your way at all?"

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie shook her head, the sprigs of evergreen in her hair rustling with the movement. "Not at all! I was just wondering what the noise was."

She quieted for a moment, content to just observe.

"How is your leg? Sore at all?"

[Allan Warbeck]

Allan smiled. That was just like Ellie, always concerned for everyone's well-being. As a good healer should be. "No more or less than usual. But stairs will always be the bane of my existence, it seems." He shrugged. "Occupational hazard, I guess."

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie's eyes traced the stairs from bottom to top and down again. She looked contemplative. "I do worry about the idea of you falling. You spend more time on these stairs than anyone else."

She tipped her head. "Perhaps we could get Headmaster Poulain's permission to grow ramps on the steeper cases? There are several species of vine that wouldn't flake or shed and it would make going from floor to floor much easier for you, dear."

[Allan Warbeck]

Allan mimicked her head-tip and smiled again. "I like the way you think. No time like the present. Or at least as soon as I'm done here." He moved down to the next step, trying not to sweep dust all over Ellie's ankles as he passed her.

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie's lips curled into a smile and she nodded as she stepped out of his way.

"May I help at all? Or would I just get in the way?"

[Allan Warbeck]

"I'd appreciate the help, if it's not too much trouble on your end." He didn't like imposing, since this was the job he got paid for, but she had offered. And his disability wasn't really something he could overcome, at least not without some kind of magical intervention to straighten out his foot. Which was, admittedly, an interesting thought... But the clubfoot was genetic, and he wasn't sure how magic would affect something like that.

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie smiled and extended one arm into a thickly bristled branch without warning, making an aromatic surrogate broom. "I'll go down one half if you take the other, and we'll get done twice as fast. Yeah?"

[Allan Warbeck]

Allan did a double-take as Ellie suddenly turned her arm into a cedar broom, then chuckled. "Works for me. Thank you very much."

He resumed humming as they worked, and once at the bottom he swept both of their dust piles into his dustpan, then tipped the lot into the garbage. "There we go, perfect."

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