Ekky's first day

[Ekky]

Ekky had finally made the leap back into servitude, and it felt GOOD!

For the last seventy nine years, he'd been at a loss for what to do. He'd become a nomad, wandering the countryside with a head full of thoughts far too philosophical for a house elf! He'd known of Hogwarts, the new wizarding school since it opened, (even before, for his magic was powerful) but he'd avoided it. He'd argued with himself for the past seven years, trying to decide if it really was a house elf's true calling to serve witches and wizards. He'd still not come to any conclusion, but he was lonely and growing older by the hour.

Now that he was here, a strange warmth filled him from his roughed-up toes to the tips of the fur growing on his ears. He had masters and mistresses to serve! It wasn't Master Strayde, but.... "Best we dont's be thinking along thems lines, Ekky" he muttered to himself as the sadness of his master's long-ago passing hit him once again as if it were just yesterday.

He'd wandered around the castle and gotten his bearings, picking up stray threads that had fallen from the students' clothing and polishing door knobs and suits of armour as he went. He found it quite to his liking. He had saved the best for last, of course. Kitchens had always been his favourite places. He asked a nearby portrait how he might find the kitchens of this noble establishment, and followed the directions until he came upon the painting that had been described to him. He tickled the pear and held his breath as the great framed picture swung open.

 

[Pipi]

Pipi and several other house elves shuffled about the kitchen, preparing food.
Even if it was time for breakfast, lunch or dinner, the elves would tend to make food in preparation for the next day.
Pipi was smiling.
She had a large white rag hanging from her scrawny waist.
She was in the middle of baking a cake as it was a students birthday the following day and Pipi liked to be ready long before the last minute.
She turned her head as she heard someone entering the kitchen and beamed when she saw it was a fellow house elf.
Pipi scuffled over, her rag so big it began to fall and she had to put in a lot of effort to hoist it up and over one shoulder.
"'Ello," Pipi said cheerfully, "I is Pipi." She wrung the house elf's hands happily. She was always pleased to meet a fellow elf.
"I is cooking.." Pipi scuttled back to the cake she was now decorating. "Is student birthday tommorow- Pipi never forget."

 

[Ekky]

The sight that met Ekky's enormous eyes was... glorious! Oh goody, oh yes, mm-hmm, yes! he thought as he watched a myriad of house elves, mostly taller than him, though younger, bustle around the kitchen, preparing food, cleaning, and generally creating an atmosphere of productive organised chaos. Ekky was in heaven!

He took a step forward and found his hand in the grasp of a scrawny young elf wearing an oversized rag. Realising she was introducing herself, Ekky memorised her face and shook her hand warmly and enthusiastically. His mouth split wide into a toothless grin and his face lit up.

"Strange name, is Pity, but a prettyful elf!" Ekky exclaimed, mishearing the young elf, as he did everyone who spoke to him. "Prettyful elf in a wondrous bigly kitchens-room! mm-hmm, yes, a goodly place for Ekky, this kitchens-room! That's me, is Ekky, is me. Today is Ekky's first day at Hoggywarts." Ekky added, trying to take in everything with his wide eyes. The delicious aromas reaching his squashed, crooked nose made his fingers tingle. He wanted very much to be a part of this place, and get started straight away!

"I is cooking.. Is student birthday tommorow- Pipi never forget."
"Ah yes, Ekky is looking also, looking is tingling Ekky's eyes! So much wondrous!" Ekky replied to what he thought the young elf had said. He was glad there was a student birthday - he loved doing special things for people on their birthdays - this would be a great start to his new career at Hogwarts. However, he was shocked to hear the elf had never learned to sweep a floor.
"Pity never swept? Oh, Pity, Pity! Ekky teach you!" A broom appeared in his hands and he immediately set about sweeping the floor, watching the other house elf to ensure she was watching him. He made another broom appear and held it out for her, so she could try.

 

[Pipi]

Pipi decided not to correct the old elf- She didn't have the heart to.
Pipi nodded, going along with what the house elf said.
She heard the other elves exchange whispers. Pipi turned to them, "Pipi going to sweep floor now, you finish cake."
She walked to Ekky and took the broom from him, sweeping at the floor, clearing all the dust into a pile and making it vannish.
Pipi listened with her bat shaped ears to the other elves who were finishing the cake.
She turned a horrible peach when she heard one of them say something nasty about her- "Pipi can't sweep floor for life."
They giggled and Pipi swept harder.

 

[Ekky]

Ekky was impressed with the young elf's quick uptake - she seemed to get the hang of it straight away. He didn't even need to tell her what to do once she had all the dust in a pile - she made it disappear without even stopping to think about it.

He noticed Pipi's embarrassment though, when some of the other elves made a comment: "Pity can't eat fork or knife" Ekky was bewildered by her reaction to such an inane comment but decided that, as she'd been so nice as to introduce herself to him, he'd take her side. He magically summoned all the cutlery in the kitchen and made it dance around in circles around the house elf who had made the comment and a few others who had laughed.

"Pity make fork and knife eat YOU!" he chuckled, as the knives and forks danced closer and closer to the house-elves. Suddenly, he let them all drop to the floor, making a tremendous noise that made the rude house elves jump in fright! "Hm, hm," he hummed "Pity sweep very goodly! Like expert!" He made the last comment loud enough for the other house-elves to hear. He wanted to let them know that, no matter what they thought of her eating habits, he approved of her work as a house elf.

Then, finishing the sweeping, and with a gleam in his eye, he asked, "Pity know why cannibals don't eat clowns?"

 

[Pipi]

Pipi was mid-sweep when she noticed Ekky suddenly making all the cutlery dance around the house elf who had been mocking her.
She was surprised by Ekky's behaviour but she felt he was only doing it because of the comment the elf had made.
Pipi laughed. Ekky was certainly a good house elf. He was fun too.
She now considered him a friend.

"Pipi thanks you, Ekky, Pipi tries her best." she replied happily to Ekky's compliment.
She was glad the other house elves seemed a little less confident now and they all seemed to be eyeing Ekky warily.
Pipi finished off sweeping with Ekky and heard him ask her a question- A rather odd one.
"Pipi know not why cannibals don't eat clowns." She tilted her head a little to the side.

 

[Ekky]

"...because they tastes funny!" Ekky closed his eyes in mirth and chuckled. He'd decided he liked young Pity.

After a moment, he noticed the other house elves had stopped work and were staring at him. He blinked, and the cutlery jumped off the ground and over to one of the large sterilising machines. Each knife, fork and spoon slid into place in the tray, then the lid of the steriliser clamped down and it began to hum. Ekky thought this new invention was great. It sure beat trying to search out every germ and make it disappear with magic. He knew there were some house elves who thought muggle inventions had no place in the magic world, but sometimes they did just make life easier. And cleaner! he thought to himself with a smile.

"Come one Elfies! Ekky and Pity will do all your works for yous if yous don'ts be keeping going!" he called to the other house elves with a friendly threat. They quickly began to busy themselves with the cake again, but the one who had said something strange about Pity before kept glancing up at him. Ekky grinned widely; Too serious, that one! he thought, and just by thinking of it, he made a dollop of cream rise out of the bowl and smear itself on the elf's face in a messy white clown smile. "A goodly big kitchen-rooms likes this is a place for working!" he announced seriously. Then with a giant gummy smile, he leapt into the air and flapped his right arm up and down with his left hand cupped under his armpit so it made farting noises, and giggled, "and we works better when we's having funs! What next Pity?"