#anywhere

"I'll check back tomorrow, Ann Marie," Kerri says.

And he withdraws heading out of the bedroom and making sure everyone else is out too. When the door closes behind him, his wife says "And don't touch the laundry!"

He sighs but once, then looks at Brekke and Kerri, "I apologize, Mrs. Davidson, Mrs . King. Anne Marie is what we call a 'difficult' patient"

"Thanks again for stopping by." A gulp, and a worried glance towards the basement stairs. "Please tell Sylvia and Siv I said hi."

"A spirited patient, Dr. Lee," Kerri amends with a wink.

Is that a flicker of amusement in his eyes with concern.

Only a sluagh might hear the odd.. burble burble sound down below

"We will, Symon." Brekke nods, and the two women exit the house.

"Oh, would it be all right if I bring a casserole by later, Dr. Lee? Just to help out while she's ill...."

That from Kerri as she pauses on the front walk.

"She's probably the best cook around, after Ann Marie." He remarks to his father.

"Given how well your soup seemed to work, well, I suppose comfort foods and the li ke do have a psychological effect. A light one , please, Mrs. Davidson. Oh, and please tell your husband I'll be skipping the poker game at the bar."

O_O

Kerri blinks. "Of course!" A surprised grin, and then she and Brekke depart.

A discrete glance at his dad... does he even know this man?

burble burble...

"Simon, you and Dirk will have many tasks while Anne Marie recovers. I know neither of you will let her down. But do not neglect your studies." Ah, THERE his dad is

"You're right. Let me go check on my, uh, math homework now. " Edging down to his room, which is of course, in the basement.

He goes down... and realizes a foamy mess is threatening to spill further t han it already has. Darn it dad, the things are COLOR coded!

"Awww, shit." He quickly does what he can to mitigate the mess, setting the washer to stop and drain.

...And the damn Dokkaebi is cavorting in the foam, laughing!

And he feels a Frank-worthy headache coming on. "I thought we had an understanding. This is... not helpful." He asks, suddenly hopeful. "Unless - DO you know how to do laundry?"

Dr. Lee goes to look in on his wife, seeing she is sleeping. Good. He will..watch for a while. It's.. not very productive he supposes, but ..well, she always did like music... he puts on her favorite ones, starting with song number Seven . Look after you by the Fray. It seems to speak for him, and words do not always come easily to him.

It gathers up an armful of bubbles and huffs. "Mayyyyyybe."

Reaching out to pop a bubble with a fingertip. "Is there anything you want that you can't get in the house here?" Thinking. "I can trade you for some housework. Ann Marie is skilled, but no one does anything as well as a dokkaebik."

"Nobody!"

"That's right. But what gift can one give to someone who does everything so well? I mean, I don't want to do Ann Marie's work for her, I would just do a bad job. If only there was someone I could trust to do a good job. I'd owe them a favor, I would." Pause. "A small favor."

"Well, there's steamed buns...." A wistful sigh.

"Oh, yes. Mandu with bulgogi, or ground pork... oh, or the ones with bean paste. You know... I think there's a grocer that MIGHT have some of those..."

"Yes, yes, bean paste! Eight of them!'

"Four, and you'll mop too, but skip my room." He barters back.

Hissss. "Four is death! Seven!"

"Seven it is, because I'm in luck that you are here to help." He agrees smoothly. "You drive a hard bargain."

The goblin bows, and begins to hum as it mops up bubbles... still counting them.

It's still early, and Symon... he doesn't bustle around the house, sluaghs do not bustle, but he lurks through the kitchen, making a grocery list of staples they are out of. "Figure Dirk will be glad to go to the store if he gets to pick out what he gets to eat. And I know he like the butcher shop." Dishes put in the dishwasher, and he clears out the 'too ripe' items from the back tupperware in the fridge, replacing it with the 'fresh' off foods, so that nothing gets too stinky or botulism-y. A look around... just not sure what else she DOES, but knowing things are there.

Finally he just goes to the corner store and gets some flowers. They're not the kind he likes - they're alive, for one, but they're pretty, and Ann Marie likes pretty things. Slipping into her room, he quietly sets them on the side table for when she wakes up.