[SRP] Teatime [FIN]

[Melomar]

This is a private solo that takes place in an ubiquitous place and springtime. It is all about tea.

It is unfinished for now.

Final WC: 1553

 

[Melomar]

Three soquili sat under a blooming apple tree in the middle of a field, with legs tucked underneath them and facing one another: two cerynei and a draft. A gentle, fawn-like green female. A tall teal-colored female with northern night sky marking her fur. A turquoise female with purple tribal markings and black mane and tail. They sat in silence with varying expressions of confusion, dubiousness, and puzzlement as they stared at the ground before them. There, before each mare sat a decorative tray with matching kettle, teacup, and saucer. Also available were sugar lumps and honey, small cakes on a platter, and in plentiful supply, spoons.

There was a gentle breeze and the sky was covered in a uniform sheet of greyish-white that provided only neutral light. The white flowers and petals wafting down from the tree seemed to glow in the near twilight anyway. The grass whispered as the wind passed, the mane and tail of the draft female crackled in near-silent upset.

"So, what are we supposed to do with them?" the draft asked. She sniffed at her cup and was unsure that its contents were even edible.

"You drink from the cup and eat from the plate," the teal cerynei replied with a flick of one ear. It tickled, oh did it tickle.

"You may add sugar or honey Cemre," the other, pale-green cerynei added, unaware of her friend's distress. "And the cakes should taste good with it."

"There's a flower on your ear, Aurora," the first mare, Cemre, offered. "I could try to get it off for you."

"No, I'm sure it will be fine." Aurora's ear flicked again. It was not an impulse that she could control. When she moved her ear forward or back, the flicking continued. The stubborn flower would not fall off on its own.

"Perhaps if you just left it, for now." The third female suggested. It was not entirely unbecoming to have feathers decorating a person, was it? Why, she had several petals on her shoulders and back that seemed to be fine where they lay.

"I-- am sure-- I can get it." the teal cerynei grated as she concentrated on removal. She flicked and even tossed her head. But finally she sighed in resignation and tried to ignore it. She was more interested in what they wanted to do than what her ear wanted to do. "Fine, I'll just leave it. If you would continue, Vesna?" she asked of the fawn-marked female.

The draft mare giggled and leaned over to the poor cerynei and licked the flower off of her ear. "There," she grinned and stuck out her tongue, which now included the flower stuck to it.

"Good luck getting it off," Aurora muttered with a smirk.

Cemre looked down at her tongue, crossing her eyes a little. "Hm. You have a point."

Vesna and Aurora shared a chuckle and Cemre giggled again.

WC: 485

~ * ~

 

[Melomar]

Cemre was not sure about this whole tea thing. She did not understand the significance of tea and cakes. Aurora and Vesna were old pros at this but getting an explanation was difficult. There was always a lot of cryptic words and giggling on their part.

She sighed and sniffed at the tea again. Not only was she unsure about its palatability-- it smelled bitter-- but judging by the steam rising up from the cup, it seemed very hot to try to drink.

"I suppose I'll give it a try," she said softly. After all, she had offered to help the other two with a scheme they had hoped would work. She was their guinea pig, for better or worse.

She leaned down and winced in preparation for the jolt of pain. But it never came because the tea had been served at just the right time. Not only was it drinkable, but it slid down Cemre's throat like silk. But it certainly was bitter. Her tongue lolled out for a moment as she pulled away.

"Try the sugar or honey," Vesna suggested again.

"Oh. Right." Cemre's cup was not very full. She added several sugar cubes anyway. Gently she maneuvered the little cubes into her cup and stirred it, all with Soquili Magic (TM) and a little ingenuity. She tried it again. There was still a bitter hint to it, it never completely went away, but the sweetness of the sugar seemed to enhance the herbs' mingling flavors. Her look of surprise seemed to bring smiles to the two ceryneis' faces. "Okay, I'll admit it. This is very tasty."

"Now try a cake."

WC: 273

~ * ~

 

[Melomar]

Vesna was the one behind the cakes. She had worked hard to make such tiny, delicious morsels. Each cake was at least a mouthful in size, and not much more. The idea was not to choke, more like to encourage taking smaller bites. In dismay, Vesna watched Cemre eat each cake in just one bite. Well, she was a draft mare, Vesna reminded herself. She had a bigger mouth.

Once Cemre had tasted her first cake, she nodded her head a little.

Vesna could tell she was getting ready to give a review. The cerynei's ears perked up. "Yes?"

"It was really tasty. A bit spongy and spicy. It just fell apart in my mouth and filled my nostrils with cinnamon."

Ahh! "I'm glad you like it, Cemre." She was so proud of herself. She was glad she could share it with a friend. Eating all of the cakes had been an almost irresistible temptation. But Vesna had overcome it and now she had just pleased her friend. It was more than worth it.

Meanwhile, Aurora's experience was about the same. She wore a similar expression to Cemre's. She was searching for an accurate description. Vesna understood this and waited patiently for Aurora's response.

"It's good, very good. I tried the spice cake. I like the raisins. Didn't you use apple?"

"Yes, I made applesauce then added it to the batter."

"I like it. Apple isn't very strong but there's a fruity hint and a moisture that would be hard to capture otherwise." The dark-teal cerynei nodded too, with Cemre, who was listening intently. "It doesn't crumble, it stays together with some elasticity. I agree that it is spongy."

The next cake was chocolate-chocolate swirl. What they didn't know was that a white swirl through the cookie was made with cream cheese.

It did not take Aurora long to notice, however, and she asked about it. "Which did you use, cream cheese or yogurt?"

Vesna leaned back, surprised. "Why, yes," she replied mysteriously.

The other two mares laughed.

"Okay then." Cemre thought she was done, but unbidden she began her review anyway. "I like it. It's almost as dense as a brownie. Moist and fluffy, crisp around the edges. I'm trying to place something else, too, a thick texture. Is it yogurt or cream cheese?" Or perhaps both? She hadn't thought of it until just now.

Vesna feigned impatience. "Okay, I will tell you…"

WC: 404

~ * ~

 

[Melomar]

The tea was all Aurora's doing. She had a friend who supplied her with all of her teas. Aurora knew more about etiquette than specifics on teas, so her moth friend was a great asset, especially since she liked to share her knowledge with Aurora. Her friend knew specifics about flowery tea, herbal tea, black tea, green tea, and even more. Aurora did not know what made a good blend or what herbs to use but she had these tea bags filled especially for her tea party today. They had been careful to pick out something that would befit the occasion and go well with cake. It seemed complicated and perhaps assigned more importance to the occasion than necessary, but everyone seemed to like the tea, so Aurora was satisfied.

She sniffed and savored the flavor of the tea while the other two talked cakes. She tilted her ears in their direction when Vesna offered recipe details for the cakes. Aurora was definitely interested. Perhaps she could make some cake next time she wanted tea. Perhaps she should invite everyone over and they could bake together! That sounded like great fun.

"Aurora, what was it your friend was saying about the tea?" Vesna asked. Aurora could not honestly recall what the other two were talking about. What about the tea?

"What's her name, by the way? Calling her 'Aurora's friend,' is nice and all, but what about her real name?"

Aurora hesitated before saying the moth soquili's name. She was starting to become overwhelmed. So she gushed out an answer and then some. "Kaven Fazenti. What about the tea did you want to know?" She paused, only for an instant. "Say, would you two like to come back next week and do this again? Maybe we can pick out the tea and bake the cakes together, ahead of time? You could meet Kaven yourselves."

"That sounds fun! We'd need to have a sleepover, in that case." Cemre chuckled with a sly grin.

"I suppose you're right…" Aurora nodded.

They shared several moments of quiet then, just savoring the treat, the atmosphere, the company, and thoughts of a future adventure. Everyone was reaching a state of complete calm, when Aurora spoke up again.

"I think we should set up a tea shop. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Cemre and Vesna stared at her.

WC: 391

~ * Fin * ~