the least babette could do after the storm was help out with the clean up team. she wasn't going to get her nails ruined or anything but she helped by offering hot drinks and snacks thanks to victor and her both being in agreement for the enchanted rose cafรฉ to be present in the town clean up efforts.
babette was making her rounds around the crowd with a tray of drinks and sandwiches. "hi, would you like something from the tray?"
Arthur stood at the edge of the square, watching the townspeople move back and forth through the wreckage the storm had left behind. Broken shutters, splintered beams, and soaked bundles of belongings were piled haphazardly along the street, and the air still smelled of wet earth and rain. No one spoke much; they simply worked, faces drawn with exhaustion, hands raw from lifting and sorting what little could be saved.
He was so absorbed in the scene that he almost didnโt notice the woman approaching him. She was unfamiliar to him, her cloak damp and muddied at the hem, but she carried a basket filled with simple food and moved with quiet purpose as she offered it to anyone who passed.ย
โDo you mind if I take two?โ Arthur asked, his voice hesitant and low, as if embarrassed by the request. He swallowed, then added, โI havenโt eaten in nearly three daysโฆโThe words felt heavier than he expected as they left his mouth, hanging between them while the sounds of labor and distant voices continued around them.