From behind, Lily couldn't help but panic a little and couldn't help but forget about her appearance for the moment. Moving over to the door, Lily quickly knocked three times on the open door and called out, "Madam, it's Lily and Ava. Sorry for intruding." Closing her eyes, Lily couldn't help but look to the side and prepare for the worst.
But after a few brief moments without anything happening, Lily couldn't help but crack one eye open, followed by the other, before finally looking through the door to only see Ava looking back at her with an inquisitive expression. After letting out a sigh of relief, Lily lit up with a slightly embarrassed blush and walked up to Ava, saying, "Whew, it looks like the Madam isn't in. We better get out of here before she gets back. We can come to find her later, but you can't just barge in like that next time Ava! You almost gave me a heart attack. Can you imagine what the Madam would-"
*Clack*
Stepping out of the private bathroom, the Madam looked at Lily with a funny expression. With a slightly amused expression, the Madam asked, "I'm quite curious to find out, Lily, what I'd do if I found you."
Moving over to a counter beside her desk, the Madam washed her hands in a small basin of water, "I'm quite flush out of ideas. I'd be happy to hear one."
Stuttering, Lily slowly turned around to see the Madam behind her calmly washing her hands, "I, I, uh, you would nicely listen to what Ava wanted to say?" With each successive word, Lily's voice became quieter until it was no louder than a mouse's squeak.
Letting out a slight laugh, the Madam brushed off her hands before moving in front of her desk and leaning on it, and looking at the two girls in front of her, "Alright, we'll do it that way. What do you have for me today, Ava?"
Letting out a curious glance at Lily, who was acting oddly, Ava turned towards the Madam. "I want a job."
Letting out a series of coughs at the same time, Lily and the Madam looked at Ava incredulously at the same time. After a brief moment, the Madam spoke up first, "Um, not to say I don't think you're talented, but Ava, don't you think you're a bit young?"
Confused, Ava looked at the Madam with a strange expression before realizing what the Madam meant. Letting out a slight smile, Ava shook her head, "I meant a normal job. Um, I can help deliver messages, clear tables, and cook. Whatever you need, really."
Before the Madam could speak up and ask why Ava suddenly wanted a job, Lily ran up from behind Ava and hugged her lightly, "Ava! Why do you suddenly want a job? You can just stay and enjoy yourself as long as I'm here-"
Shaking her head lightly, Ava looked at Lily with a small smile, "Silly. If you want me to stay, eventually, I'll have to do something. I can't just stay here and live under your banner forever, can I?"
Slightly stunned, Lily didn't know what to say. It would indeed be a little improper if Ava stayed here for free forever, but at the same time, as a friend and as someone she had taken as a little sister, Lily felt weird asking for Ava to work or pay to stay. After all, there were cheaper places to be, and Ava was only here because of Lily.
On the other hand, the Madam looked at the scene in front of her with an interested expression. To be honest, she normally did punish the girls a little if they walked in without announcing themselves. It wasn't that she didn't want them to come to talk to her, but she believed in good behavior and proper boundaries.
After all, she cared about them and wouldn't do anything to harm them if they went a bit over the line, but with certain clients or individuals, it would become a bit of a headache if any of the girls inadvertently offended them. She had given Lily some leeway this time around because they had a guest and because she was quite pleased with the fact that Lily had recently tried to quit smoking.
Actually, when she heard that Lily was trying to quit smoking because of Ava, she had already been quite pleasantly surprised at the relationship between the two, as this was something she had been trying to get Lily to quit for years to no avail. But seeing the scene before her, she couldn't help but reevaluate again.
Breaking the silence, the Madam spoke, "Although I'm honored that you'd be willing to work here and join our family, I'm afraid this isn't really what you're interested in, is it? Considering your care for Lily, if there's anything you're passionate about or want to pursue, I'd be happy to try to help you find a connection or see if there's anything around here that would be more suitable."
A little bit surprised, Ava couldn't help but think for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't really know what I want. I'm still looking." Sneaking a small look at Lily, Ava continued, "But if you're asking what I'm good at…."
Tilting her head, Ava thought for a second, "I should be decent at killing and alright at sewing. Although I don't think I can be considered a professional at either."
Startled by this odd answer, the Madam couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, well, I don't know if I can help you with your first strength. If you're interested in sewing, I can try asking the tailor who makes the dresses for our girls if she'd be interested in teaching you. If that doesn't work out, you can just help out with odd jobs for a while until you can figure something out."
Receiving this reasonable offer, Ava let out a nod, "Alright."
To the side, Lily couldn't help but let out a small frown, but in the end, she couldn't think of anything to say.
Clasping her hands together, the Madam stood up from her leaning position and said with a slightly lazy intonation, "If there's nothing else?"
Thinking for a moment, Ava let out another nod and grabbed Lily before heading out the door. Just as they were about to exit, she heard the Madam say, "Oh right, thank you for taking care of Lily, and do close the door on your way out."
Turning her head back, Lily saw that the Madam was already behind her desk and working on a pile of papers. Letting out another nod, she stepped out while closing the door.