Tea party

"Mademoiselle Chai, would you be so kind as to pour me a cup of your tea?" Emilienne asked politely, holding out a delicate, intricately decorated little teacup.

With a "phwee"-noise and a proud flick of her tail, the little Potiphant trotted across the table, before gingerly curtsying in front of Emi's cup, and filling it with tea.

“Merci, Mademoiselle~” she smiled, bowing her head at the Potiphant, who gave her a polite “phwee” in return, before returning to her two sisters, who were both resting at the opposite side of the table. Both of the resting Potiphants seemed to roll their eyes, as Chai gracefully curtsied yet again, before laying down next to them.

“Now now. Chamomile, Ginger. La, you should not roll your eyes at your sister’s good manners,” Emilienne said sternly to the two Potiphants, who looked up at Emilienne from where they lay, and responded with a "Phwo."

"Nay, I do not want to hear any excuses nor any talking back," the little girl insisted, trying to sound a bit like her maman sounded, the few times she had seen it necessary to tell Emi off for something. "You best behave, young ladies. Or I shall have to ask you to please leave the tea party prematurely. That would be a dreadful shame, would it not?"

With how serious Emilienne sounded, one would be forgiven for thinking that this tea party had been planned many days in advance, with important guests from several noble bunbat families. But it really wasn't. This party only consisted of Emilienne herself, her Potiphants, and a few of her dolls.

The set-up was very idyllic. Like something out of a children's movie about princesses. A small table in the middle of the room had been neatly set, with a lovely porcelain tea set, whose detailed pattern beautifully matched that of the tablecloth. The dolls, all in fancy little suits and dresses, were placed neatly on chairs, each with their own little cup and saucer. A bouquet of colourful flowers, picked from the Scarletwing Manor's own garden, served as the centrepiece (no proper table was complete without a centrepiece, the staff had always told her). The three Potiphant sisters were each resting on their own soft, ornate pillow, which had been moved from their little beds and up on the table for the party. The finishing touch was the early afternoon sun, shining in through the large windows that lined the wall, casting a serene glow over everything. Truly picturesque.

“I am sorry, Lord Silverwing, but you cannot have a third helping of tea," Emilienne said with a frown directed at one of the dolls in suits. "The rest of us have hardly begun on our second cup. You will simply have to wait a while longer before we serve more. Begad, tea should be savoured, not gulped down with no regard for the taste. 'Tis quite rude to Mademoiselle Ginger, who made you that tea. Is that not true, Mademoiselle Ginger?"

Ginger, who was half asleep, really didn't care. Partially because she was trying to nap, but more importantly, none of the dolls actually had any tea in their cups. That would've been a waste of perfectly good tea, as well as effort spent on cleaning their cups afterwards. Still, Ginger opened an eye, and nodded, not fully sure what she was agreeing with here. Emi pouted, sensing that it was seemingly only Chai and her who were taking this pretend tea party seriously.

"Ginger, please. I must practice this," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "And 'tis much harder to do, when you aren't engaged properly, what? You must act like it is the real Lord Silverwing who just insulted your tea! And then I go 'Good sir, you have yet to cease being rude to my beloved Potiphants. I am sorry, but I really must insist that you leave now!' and then he makes a big fuss and complains about it, but I persist and stay calm and tell him to leave, until he goes away."

“Phwo, phwo, phwo.”

“Oh don’t give me that,” Emilienne grumbled, rolling her eyes. It was so hard to get the Potiphants to understand simple etiquette rules. Though… Perhaps it was due to them being Potiphants.

“You really must help me, though,” she said, looking at her Potiphants. “My etiquette must be flawless, and I cannot practice it at the Tea Club any longer.”

“My lady?”

Emilienne flinched, startled by the voice. She had been lost in her thoughts and hadn't heard the door open. The sound of it brought her back, and she quickly turned around.

It was the ageing butler, Mister Ascotfluff, who was standing in the doorway, holding a plate full of chocolate cookies. His usual stern expression was laced with a bit of concern.

“I beg your pardon, my lady. I know you are not fond of interruptions to your tea parties. Would you mind if I came in?"

She huffed but nodded. "Well, you do bring cookies... Of course," she said, waving a hand. "Please sit down. You can have Lord Silverwing's seat, he was being dreadfully rude, so he was just leaving anyway," she added.

“Thank you, my lady." The butler's low, gruff voice, and very deliberate movements as he placed the plate on the table showed no indication that he wasn't treating this tea party with the same utmost seriousness as Emilienne. "Let me show you out, my lord," Mister Ascotfluff said, picking up the Lord Silverwing doll, and placing it in the toy box. He turned back to Emi and proceeded to bow and sit down on the now-empty chair. It was much too small for any adult, but Mister Ascotfluff made no fuzz about that. "The people one has to invite. Lord Silverwing is certainly an example that even a good family can have bad seeds."

Emi snickered a bit, before regaining her composure with a clearing of her throat. "Thank you so much for joining us, Mister Ascotfluff," she said, daintily taking a cookie and putting it on her plate. "What tea would you prefer?"

"It is hard to choose. However, I do find the tea that Miss Chamomile brews most delightful."

Emi nodded. "Mademoiselle Chamomile, if you please?"

Mister Ascotfluff bowed his head, as the Potiphant trotted up and poured him a cup of tea. After taking a sip, and giving an approving nod, he turned back to Emi, that hint of concern more apparent now.

"My lady, may I ask you a question?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, before nodding. "You may..."

"Thank you, my lady. Now, I don't mean to eavesdrop, of course. But right as I entered, I couldn't help but overhear you mentioning that you could not practice your ettiquete at the Tea Club," the elderly butler started. "My lady, if I may be so bold... Why is that?"

Emilienne blinked. She didn't expect that. Her face flushed red, either from anger or embarrassment, and she looked down with a pout.

“... If you must know... I was humiliated... The picture in that... Tabloid of libel!" She glared at Mister Ascotfluff, but the ire in her eyes was not directed at him. "And that... That fripouille was sitting right there at the table with the rest of us! They were not even asked to leave!"

The butler got a very grave expression on his face. "The nerve of some people."

"I know! 'Tis preposterous! Bah!" She snapped and quickly looked down again. "... But la, that is why... I thought the Tea Club was for polite company, but 'tis clearly not, if some crook pretending to be a journalist is allowed..."

Mister Ascotfluff nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed. I see the problem," he said. "... Another question, my lady?"

"Go ahead..."

"Do you enjoy going to the Tea Club?"

Emi paused. "... Aye, I do... 'Tis very pleasant. I enjoy talking to my peers, and the tea and treats are always delicious. Not to mention that the practicing of good manners is most stimulating."

"... Would you like to hear an old butler's opinion on the matter?"

"..." She wasn't sure. Getting advice from grown-ups was always a bit... Hit-or-miss, as her peers might say. A great lot of them didn't seem to take issues quite as seriously as she thought they ought to, and would merely tell her that it didn't matter so much. But... Mister Ascotfluff was usually on her side... He had been teaching her about proper mannerisms since she was quite small, and he had taught her dad as well. He was a bit like the grandfather she had never had. So...

"... I would."

Mister Ascotfluff nodded. "I think, you should not let it get to you, my lady," he said firmly. "A proper noble does not allow crooks to get to her, and she most certainly does not allow them to prevent her from doing the things she enjoys. She holds her head high, and she keeps going, undeterred," his stern expression softened, and he smiled at Emi. "My lady. You are as noble as they come. Trust me, I have seen many people in my days of serving your family. Few are as good and proper as you. You should not let those undeserving of your attention bother you so. That is just a win for them."

Emilienne watched as the butler spoke, feeling a sense of determination well up inside her. He was right! She couldn't let such things keep her from having fun. The Tea Club was one of her favourite places. She had the right to go there, and she would continue going there, no matter what happened.

She once again quickly went back to a more composed expression and picked up her tea cup. "I shall consider your opinon, Mister Ascotfluff." She said calmly, taking a sip of her tea. "... Thank you."

The butler smiled and nodded. "I am glad to be of assistance, my lady."