[PRP] The most awkward afternoon tea (Siddie & Barth) [FIN]

[prolixity]

"Don't squabble, I've got enough for both of you." Siddie giggled a little, watching two of her druttens wrestle on the grass between the tombstones. She leaned over and held a candy out; both minis immediately ceased their playfighting and sat up straight - well, as straight as a drutten can sit, which isn't very. Siddie gave the candy to Chili, then produced another for Curry. The druttens snapped up their treats and immediately returned to their roughhousing.

The shadow ghoul leaned back on the bench she sat on and watched her minis. Her next class wasn't for another hour. She'd taken the opportunity to come outside, let her druttens play, watch other students passing on the path near the little decorative graveyard, and think about nothing in particular.  

[Toshihiko Two]

Handsome snuffled along in the glass like a drooping, very small mop. Barth wasn't far behind. He was fond of the small woehound, but it presented a puzzle to him, because it was the first minipet to, well, survive this long. He'd learned a few more things about Minipets from Malcolm's class, but anything that needed more than an occasional pat had ended up for the worst.

Handsome had a sort of sense for disaster though, and always seemed to be in the right place at the wrong time.

Barth's feslime walked and fed itself, stooping to visit Barth on occasion. Handsome stuck close to Barth's heels, begging at meals and sleeping in his bed. They were both on this occasion, very slowly headed to one of the graveyard Crypts.

As soon as he saw Siddie though, he became instantly flustered. He turned around, with the full intention of heading right back to his dorm. It was a very long way, though. And mostly uphill. He turned back to Siddie. Alright...alright, this wasn't hard. Small breach in etiquette. He would just...just have to...he straightened, adjusting his vest, and said in a slightly squeaky voice that did not come off as casually as he had hoped,

"Hello, Siddie."  

[prolixity]

Siddie looked up. "Barth? Hi," she said, and smiled. "Did you walk all this way? You must be tired, wow. Want to sit down?" She scooted over on the bench, leaving a nice, handy spot.

She hadn't seen the sloth demon for a while; the last meeting she recalled was etiquette class, actually. Other than paintball, but that didn't really count. You couldn't have a proper conversation when both participants were trying to shoot each other. Not really.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Oh. Um. Yes please, thank you, err," Barth took a seat next to Siddie. Handsome sniffed at his ankles, then made little circles on the grass.

"I am sorry," he said awkardly.  

[prolixity]

Siddie leaned over a little to offer her fingers to Handsome to sniff, and was opening her mouth to say something about how cute the woehound was when she suddenly found Barth apologizing to her. She sat up hurriedly and turned to look at him, totally puzzled. "W-what? What for?"

Chili and Curry conferred in a rapid flurry of squeaks. The ice drutten began to stalk Handsome's tail; the lost drutten began to stalk Handsome's ears. Maybe. It wasn't easy to tell which end of a woehound was which.  

[Toshihiko Two]

He searched her expression. "You didn't- well, I suppose...normally the etiquette would have been to show up late, but I err, I got a bit distracted with- it's not important, I didn't mean to not show up at all."  

[prolixity]

"I don't understand," Siddie said helplessly, lacing her fingers together so she wouldn't fidget with her hair. "I don't - not show up to what?"  

[Toshihiko Two]

"The...meeting?" Barth tried. "You know. The one our parents- well, mostly my mom, I assume. I just sort of lost track."  

[prolixity]

Siddie froze as it dawned on her what, exactly, Barth was talking about; her stomach clenched into a tiny, cold ball and plummeted into her feet. Her cheeks went abruptly purple, the faint wash of color standing out starkly against the flat black of her face. She squeaked wordlessly, unable to get any words out at first. It took her several long seconds and a deep breath before she could get her voice back in working order. "I - I - oh Jack Barth I didn't know you were - I'm sorry!" she blurted, finally.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"You're sorry?" Barth asked, baffled. "What for? ...Did err, did something happen?"

His mom hadn't tried to call and lecture him, so he'd known something was up. ...Well, not lecture exactly, but make sad sighs and statements until he was wallowing in guilt at his own inability to even make the attempt to keep appointments.  

[prolixity]

"I, um." Siddie poked the toe of her boot at the grass, her cheeks going even brighter purple. "I kind of ditched both the appointments. So, uh. I wasn't there either." She peeked at Barth from under her bangs. "I didn't mean - I didn't know you were going to be there," she finished lamely.

Would it have changed her decision? ... well, probably not, but Barth was a friend, or at least an acquaintance on friendly terms. She would have apologized sooner, at least.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Oh," Barth said, "Well. That's a relief, then. Not that- just that we both weren't there, so that's alright. It's not that, err, nothing against you specifically, or as if I'd be opposed, it's just...err. Timeliness isn't my forte. Right. Well then."

He'd only had one appointment.

"...Who was the other appointment with? Out of curiosity."  

[prolixity]

Siddie nodded a little. "Nothing against you either," she said, and creased the ruffles of her skirt between her fingers nervously. "It's just - I love Sammy," she said, and swallowed hard to keep the tears from starting back up. "I don't - I don't really want to marry anyone. Not without loving them." She laughed a little, painfully. "I never thought about it much before."

"I'm not really sure," she admitted. "Mama arranged the meetings. A time demon, I think. I didn't get her name."  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Oh, love," Barth said dismissively. "I don't think that has anything to do with marriage, specifically. Or like marriage and dating are non-exclusive."

He hesitated.

"Sammy's... strong, though. I like her. We did our exam together, you know."  

[prolixity]

Siddie stared at Barth. "I don't ... um, okay," she trailed off. "I guess if you both think that way it's fine, huh?" She tucked one leg up under herself and spent a moment rearranging her skirt, trying to absorb the idea. It just didn't feel right. Not for her. But she really couldn't say anything about what other creatures did, and considering that she'd always just gone along with the idea of her marriage as something somebody else would decide for her ... ugh, what a depressing train of thought. She sighed.

"Sammy's really strong," she agreed quietly. "I should have told her. I just - didn't think about it."