Nellie had hardly been listening, merely nodding vaguely until she heard 'Judge Turpin'. At that, she perked up considerably and tuned in to what Noreen was saying. So she and dear Mr. Todd weren't the only ones that had problems with the Judge? She was a little relieved at first, having perceived most people to have some sort of affinity for him, though when she really thought about it, such a thing sounded ridiculous. After a moment, however, Nellie was starting to wonder about the rumor of which the girl spoke, though she knew it wasn't any of her business, and she didn't want to be like those prying, meddling little ladies, so she kept her mouth shut.

"I'll be certain to pop by your shop, when I'm not... busy, of course," she finished lamely. By the way she'd stated it, it sounded like she'd be there every hour of every day. "Well... I mean... you know what I mean." Nellie gave a small laugh, then looked at her lap, feeling awkward and uncomfortable as she mentally reprimanded herself for speaking without first thinking.

However, she didn't have long to contemplate how that 'think-then-speak' process would go, for she was asked what her secret was, and that happened to catch her off guard.

"My... my secret?" she asked stupidly, then hoped that Noreen didn't think she was faltering because 'her secret is dreadfully awful', more 'she's just contemplating whether or not she should tell me what her secret is'. "Well, you know, it's a family recipe, but there's a bit more coriander than is found in most other pies," she offered with a smile before giving herself a mental pat on the back for quick thinking.

"Ah, trust me, dearie- there's no better baking than your mum's," Nellie said in hopes that it would be a good save for just moments ago.

The days seemed to just drag on endlessly. That was about the only thing that Nellie was able to conclude from her recent lack of business. Barely anybody showed up asking for pies around her shop nowadays and she feared the worst- that times were going back to the way they'd been before. Not that she really had a problem with that, she supposed. It was nice to have some quiet time, though did it have to always be this quiet? She sighed as she ascended the stairs from the bakehouse with yet another tray of pies, trying to come up with a reason to convince her why she kept baking day after day, even though half the pies weren't sold.

Oh yes... Mr. Todd.

She was about to have a fit about it when she saw a small boy standing in her shop. Immediately all of her anger disappeared and she smiled at him. She'd always had a soft spot for children.

"Why hello there, dear," she said, going to the cupboard straight away to fetch a plate for his pie. "I imagine you're here for a pie, are you? Have a seat, love." Nellie grabbed one of the freshly-baked pies from the tray that she'd just brought up and placed it on the plate, which she then set on the table. She knew she had to get the boy something to drink, too, though she wasn't sure if he was at all like Toby.

"What'll you have to drink, dear?"

((That was lovely for your first English RP! Great job!!!))

Toby leaned over, grabbing more of the crumbs from the messier tables. Didn't people have manners nowadays? He wondered to himself quietly. Soon, it was clean and he moved onward. He didn't even noticed the movement outside from Mrs. Lovett coming down the stairs. When he heard the door open however, he looked up to find her walking in. He paused from his work slightly, giving a huge smile to her. She seemed exhausted, maybe even a bit saddened? Toby knew that people weren't coming in like before, but sooner or later, business had to pick up. He hated seeing his Mum like this.

When she ruffled his hair, he couldn't help but chuckle a bit. " 'Course Mum, can't 'ave this place lookin' like a mess… plus, that's wot I'm 'ere for…" he said. His cheeks turned bright red when she said 'her boy'. Hadn't had anyone call him that since he left his family. But they was all in the past now. Mrs. Lovett was his family.

She seemed bothered now, he noticed. "Right Mum…" he said, getting back to wiping the indoor tables. There were only a few left now, then he could get to sweeping. She sat down and Toby tried his absolute best to not stop and sit with her. He wanted to get the job done so that way he would have a little extra time with her before anyone came in.