Let's Have A Tea Party {Killy, Wing, Fox, Cy, Kat}

[Bre]

When people run in circles . . .

It was a cold, blusterous winter day, the air outside not too much above freezing. Snow littered the canyon, pushed into piles around paths cut by simourvs, humans, and other beasts. While the wind whistled and howled outside, the inside of the kitchens and stores was snug and warm. Fires crackled in all of the hearths, heating the surrounding air and stone. One particular, normally unused, store, nice and warm like all of the others, was being used for a special purpose that day. Humming cheerfully to Jok, who waddled grumpily at her heels, Emi carried a stack of plates. She was setting the singular table that sat at the center of the small room. Covered in a clean white linen, it was a delicate sight to behold. The eyrie didn't have many pretty things she could borrow, but she had done her best with clean dishes and winter flowers out of the gardens.

"Today's the day! We're having a tea party;" Emi told Jok for the five billionth time. He really didn't seem to care, mood as dour as ever. However, what she said was absolutely true. She was having a tea party. In fact, she spun about and went to fetch the tea right then, the table finally set. She returned a few minutes later, carefully balancing a tea pot in her hands. She had painted it with pink flowers herself. Not exactly a professional job, but she thought that it looked pretty. Making sure not to spill even a drop, she set it in the middle of the table. Then she went to get the snacks. That was the last thing that she needed. She was already dressed, pressed and primped into a little dress of yellow with shoes and a bow in her hair to match. Returning with a tray of hot pastries and a plate of dried fruits, she set both down on the table.

At long last, Emillabbea settled herself into the chair at the head of the table. It was almost time to start. The others were supposed to be showing up soon. She had invited a collection of the candidates and winglets, all of them girls. No boys allowed. Seven of them, in fact, two candidates and five winglets. The table had three chairs on each side and one on each end, giving it just enough space for everyone. She was utterly sure everyone would be showing up. She had worked hard on the invitations, fixing up her shaky writing by the time she gotten to the end of the last one. Besides that, she knew exactly which room in the barracks to find every last person she had invited if they didn't show up. Attendance was strongly encouraged. Smiling wide, she folded her hands in her lap. "This is going to be so much fun!" Jok sat by her feet with a snort.

. . . it's a very, very mad world mad world.

[Kat]

Where exactly Morgana produced a lace-lined pink dress, who knew, but somewhere in her archive of old performance costumes, Morgana had one from when she had been playing a caricature of a doll, and even though the costume was one of the oldest the girl owned, Morgana fit into it. The dress was tight, so her chest heaved out of it amply, but Morgana had never been so afraid of showing skin. She had even pulled her hair up around a rather inexpensively carved tiara, so that her golden locks were arranged around the metal. In many ways, Morgana looked absolutely ridiculous, but she liked the way that she looked, and she thought it was very appropriate for a tea party. And Morgana, well, she liked to wear the appropriate costume for every occasion. Life was made for dressing up, and dressing to the occasion made everything all the more exciting. As Morgana stepped to leave her room, she waved towards Hamlet, who squawked unhappily. He wanted to go with her, but Morgana calmly explained that he had not been invited, and that although he was very well behaved, she did not think that he would be appreciated, and Morgana wanted people to appreciate Hamlet when they saw him. He was exceptional.

The girl slipped out of her room, then, and she shut the door as slowly and quietly as possible in order to prevent startling Hamlet further. He was going to be positively irritable when she returned, and she did not want to make it any worse. She held to her a small gift, as Morgana had always been told to bring gift to parties, and she was not entirely positive of the occasion for which this party was being held. To hide her ignorance, Morgana made sure that she covered all her bases, as upsetting little girls was not an activity that she wanted to perform under any occasions. In the box she gripped, covered in simple brown paper, was a pink and yellow scarf, which Morgana had never particularly liked herself, but which was pretty and expensive enough to be an adequate present, especially for someone that Morgana did not know. Little girls liked scarves pretty indefinitely, Morgana decided, so she was not worried that the garish color scheme might bother the girl, Emily—Emmabelle, Emmeline, or whatever the girl’s name was. And Morgana had used an old, tattered hair bow, one which she had worn many times, but which was beginning to lose its luster. It made a fine package bow, though, Morgana thought.

So, she skipped down to the kitchens, pleased with both her present and her outfit, practically singing with excitement. Morgana had never had a chance to have such fun events in her childhood. She never had the chance to have tea parties or other such festivities. Zephyrus had always advocated that Morgana not have very many friends, as they were moving too often to make friendships viable. When Morgana arrived, she grinned enthusiastically at the sight of the table arrangement, and she waved the present in the air in the form of an excited wave.
”Hello, I’m Morgana. I don’t think we’ve met.”
Morgana chirped as she examined the girl with her flashing gray eyes. The girl was adorable! And she had a goose! Morgana scanned the form of the bird, as her grin widened.
”What a handsome bird! I have a raven, myself. His name is Hamlet. If I had known you were bringing your bird, I would have brought him. He is very well behaved.”
Morgana said as she sat down on the left side of the table. Then, Morgana jumped in her chair, and brandished the gift over the counter.
”I brought a present by the way.”
Morgana announced as she flashed the little girl another grin. She was so ready for tea, now, and for the other people to arrive. Amira had received an invitation, and Morgana wanted to know if the girl was coming.

[Kilnarak]

The invitation had been unexpected, and T'gan had been caught off guard when she had received it. Even now, on her way to the tea party, she still toyed with the invitation card, turning it over and over again in her hands and examining the (now slightly smudged) ink print - her name, the place, the date, what was expected. Briefly she had toyed with the idea of declining the invitation - she wasn't really the sort one invited to tea parties, was she? Too much the tomboy, and she didn't own any fancy, frilly dresses or pretty things.

But Othokenph had insisted that she went, however - that she go out and have fun with other girls. The blue - now large enough to crowd the hallways - padded behind her toward the warmth of the kitchens; his wings were tucked tightly against his slim body and his posture was hunched as he tried to make himself smaller still. Soon, the young blue wouldn't be able to follow His about the confines of the Eyrie any longer - this thought distressed him a bit, but it was simply how things were. His could take care of herself well enough, the Eyrie wasn't dangerous: it was home.

Certainly, the Eyrie wasn't dangers, but at times it did cause some measure of distress. You look very nice, Mine! I'm sure they will all agree! Othokenph chirped, butting his head lightly against T'gan's shoulder. T'gan was still vaguely distressed by her lack of suitable attire, and after a good deal of rather uncharacteristic uncertainty over her wardrobe she had finally decided to simply wear the nicest clothing available to her. At the moment, that also happened to be the newest clothing available to her - she had gone out recently to buy winter clothes, and had chosen to wear a simple long-sleeved tunic and slacks made of thick felted wool - the top dyed a blue-gray, while the slacks were plain black. It wasn't dressy in the slightest, although at least it was clean and warm and didn't have any noticeable holes in it.

"I doubt it, Oth. An' even if they do, I'll prob'ly blunder somewhere else. I don't know anythin' about these sorts of gatherin'," she replied with a dry chuckle, her voice low and quiet, as they arrived at the kitchens. Once in the main room, Othokenph had a chance to relax slightly - it was difficult for him not to bump into tables and chairs, but he did his best not to make too big of a mess! At least the room was larger, with a much taller ceiling; he didn't need to keep himself as hunched over, he didn't feel as crowded.

T'gan had paused just inside of the kitchens, while Othokenph had continued on a few paces; the girl looked faintly lost. At a glance, she hadn't seen any sort of tea set-up; she didn't see M'rion either, although she did know her roommate had also been invited. As the girl looked back down at the worn card in her hands questioningly, frowning slightly at the smudged ink, Othokenph moved in further. The blue sniffed about, eventually poking his black and gray head into the store room that would hold the party. He blinked his wide olive-yellow eyes at the two girls inside, then chirped brightly - his mental voice still high and clear. Oh! Hello! he broadcast to the two girls, then back to T'gan, Mine, it is over here!

Othokenph glanced with a bit of disappointment about the small room while His padded over, then withdrew so that T'gan could pass inside. It is so small, Mine! It should be bigger. I don't think I'll fit. While he whined softly like a begging dog, Othokenph did not make any further demands to go into the room. Instead he set himself up in a careful sprawl beside the door - making sure neither his wing nor tail knocked down any of the nearby chairs, or jostled the tables. Perhaps he could just stay here? He could still hear the girls inside, and it was so nice and warm in the kitchens...

T'gan smiled apologetically as she passed her blue - I didn't know it would be so small, Oth - but he only shrugged off the apology. He didn't blame anyone really, it wasn't His' fault, and it wasn't the girls' fault, it was simply unfortunate. He was happy enough to stay where he was, and perhaps she might him some of those delicious smelling treats the smallest girl carried, later? He did not vocalize this, but rather seemed to suggest it through thought.

T'gan was thus momentarily distracted by her blue as she hesitated just inside the door. She shook her head slightly, drawing herself out of the world of mental communication into that of the physical, and smiled a bit uncertainly at the two already there - inclining her head in something that hinted at a bow toward their hostess, the young Emi- Emil- ... Emi would do well enough. "Er. Hullo," she scratched awkwardly at the back of her neck. "Ah. I'm not late ta th' party, am I?" Her eyes caught on something bright the elder of the two waved about - a package wrapped and tied with a colorful ribbon. She balked a moment, then laughing self-consciously, added: "Were we s'pposed ta bring gifts? I could go get somethin', an' then come back?" ... or go get something and come back after this ordeal was over, perhaps? If we need a gift, I will go get it, Mine, Othokenph butted in, snorting quietly outside of the room. This would be fun and good for His! She couldn't just leave like that!

[Fox]

L’nan had brought food. Little cakes, ten of them, simple, but with preserve fillings that she’d begged off of one of the cooks that morning. It had occurred to her that there would definitely be food at this tea party- she still felt a surge of amusement every time at the thought- but a little more would hardly go amiss. And who didn’t like jam cakes? Honestly, when the invitation had come, Lea had hardly believed it. A tea party, in Eyrie? How adorable! It was only when she checked with T’ia to realise that the older woman had also received an invitation that the tawnyrider actually believed it. She’d actually begun to look forward to it, and had dressed nicely in accordance with that; A deep purple woollen top, with the sleeves ending at her elbows coupled with a lavender skirt and shoes with a tiny heel. Eoreph had watched her bonded putter about the room in amusement and slight puzzlement from her place curled up on the bed. She was already so big that even curled up it was a squeeze, at nearly twelve feet long and six feet tall at the shoulder, the tawny had definitely grown. It was a miracle that she still even fitted on the bed, as it was a favourite spot for her to curl up when Lea wasn’t using it. But, Eoreph still remained bemused by the antics of these humans, though she was glad to see Hers excited about something.

I’m sorry you can’t come with me.[/b] Lea said, pausing in her routines to shoot an apologetic glance over at Eoreph. The tawny was a slim creature, but her size was enough that moving around Eyrie’s hallways had fast become laborious. It felt wrong to have to leave her simourv behind, but L’nan would have to get used to it. After all, Eoreph would only get bigger, and the halls of Eyrie were not meant for simourvs. You’re going to be late, Mine.[/color] Was Eoreph’s only answer, as she curled up into a tighter ball on the bed with a contented sigh. A silent mental nudge indicated forgiveness, as it wasn’t L’nan’s fault that she couldn’t go. With a grin, the young woman slipped over to kiss the tawny on the beak before leaving the room, ribbon-wrapped box held carefully in one hand.

It wasn’t a long walk from her room to the kitchens, and Lea found herself at the appointed venue within a few minutes. It was clear that at least one other winglet had arrived, if the blue simourv crouched by the door was any indication. Amused, Lea sidled past the familiar blue- T’gan’s Othokenph- and greeted him briefly. ”Hello, Othokenph. ” Then she was past him and peered into the room. T’gan was here, as expected, and their little hostess Emillabbea (Lea had repeated the name several times over before she could remember it), and even a familiar blonde girl that the tawnyrider hadn’t seen since that night in the kitchens; Morgana. Suddenly hesitant, Lea smiled and stepped into the room to stand beside T’gan, box of cakes clutched in both hands. ”Hello!” She greeted cheerily, nodding politely to T’gan and to Morgana. She grinned at Emillabbea. ”Thank you very much for the invitation. I brought some jam cakes…” The hand holding the box lifted to show the gift, though it was really nothing special. Lea had just felt rather strange going without something in her hands.
[/size]

[Cy]

[/b] to be late.’[/I][/color] Shovaph clipped haughtily from her place against the wall, dull brown eyes staring critically upon her bonded as the female continued to lounge upon the bed. With her hair loose, feet bare, and body covered in little more than a simple slip, it was quite apparent that she was not even close to being ready. Even for something as childish as a tea party, the little green hoped to encourage some sense of punctuality in the winglet. She was a lady, and the oldest in her class even! She should be setting an example and, as of right that moment, the example was coming as horribly lazy. Shovaph was, rather unremarkably so, not happy.

T’ia, on the other hand, merely smirked and rolled her dark eyes at the pressing reminder before returning her attentions to the task at hand as she continued to pick at what little dirt remained beneath her nails despite her bath just moments before. Drawing a slow breath into her lungs, she released it in the form of a whimsical sigh. “I’m figuring out what I’ll be wearing.” She returned, raising her slim eyebrows and glancing over to the simourv who simply looked back at her with that fiercely unimpressed gaze. ‘No, you are not.’ It was fact. Shovaph knew better.

And it truly was fact. She had not been, but being called out on it spurred her to action anyways as she threw her slender limbs around and pushed herself up to stand, gracefully moving to glide across to her wardrobe. “I am,” she insisted, digging through her things with careless hands. “and I’ve figured out just what I’ll be wearing – aha!” She exclaimed as she impulsively tugged out a dress of bright green. Grinning madly as she looked over the design, she felt rather pleased by it. The stitching was beautifully done with thin gold thread while the back of the bodice was laced with strings of a similar golden shade. She was quick to slip into it, hunching forward just enough that she could reach back to tie herself up as tightly as she could, a pleasant little bow sitting between her shoulderblades. With a squeal of delight, she pulled her wavy hair up while she slipped on a pair of sandals, putting on the finishing touches with dashes of gold at her throat and wrists. Oh, she felt absolutely divine.

With all of that done, there was nothing more to be said as she wiggled her fingers good-bye to her lovely green and fluttered happily out of the room. Meanwhile, spaces away in the candidate’s barrack, Amira was putting the final touches upon her own blue-checkered dress. There was hesitance in her long fingers as she carefully tied the red sash about her thin waist. She hadn’t been positive about attending the party. She’d hardly been that sort of person in recent weeks, though she’d been recovering as best she could. However, seeing her roommate dress up with such enthusiasm and feeling guaranteed to not be the only candidate present as a result, she’d slipped from her bunk to put together something nice. Brushing her hands over her strawberry hair once more, she darted across the room to pluck a bud from one of the flowers continuing to grace her bedside table, fitting the blue and white flora behind her ear before twirling on her toes and heading out of the room to make her way to the stores where this thing was supposedly meant to be held.

It wasn’t until she spotted a familiar patch of light blue that she was brought to a halt, her eyes widening. Othokenph? That meant T’gan. She was here? At a tea party? Her insides both churned and fluttered with the thought, her breath suddenly lost from her lungs as she started to reach a hand up to touch fingertips to the soft petals of the flower in her hair. It didn’t get far, however, before it was snatched suddenly out of the air and she was being dragged the rest of the way to the destination before she knew it. “Come now, no lollygagging, a party awaits!” T’ia exclaimed with a bright grin, her own tendency for dawdling overshadowed by her usual purposeful stride as she dragged the stranger around the blue Oth and into the store room – just in time to hear a pair of beautiful words. “I do believe someone just said jam cakes.” She stated with growing eyes, dropping the pale hand of the candidate to continue forward, her own hands rising up, palms facing outwards as she made her way to the source of the declaration. “Lea!” She exclaimed, brightening even more with the sight of her friend, and what a sight she was. “Did you pick that out on your own? Not too bad, I’m sort of proud.” She teased and complimented in the same breath, moving a hand up to boldly touch two fingers to the midwife’s chin as she leaned in to brush a light kiss against her cheek before straightening up and sweeping attentions to the rest of the room. “So now, is this everybody that was invited?” She questioned, glancing to the seated Morgana and then the youngest girl sitting at the very head of the table. And the goose.

Amira fidgeted with her sash as she remained to the back, faint smile tugging at thin lips.[/ul][/size]

[Bre]

Bright and early for their daily races . . .

"Hello! Jok snaps on occasion, but he is really quite the gentleman." Yes, that was Emillabbea's greeting to Morgana. It made utter sense in her mind. At her feet, Jok gave a quack of greeting, looking unenthusiastic about what was happening. Standing up, she scuttled about the room with a hop to every last one of her steps. She never really moved without a bit of a skip to her. Grinning from ear to ear, she accepted the present that she was offered by the candidate, blinking only once in surprise. She hadn't been expecting to get any gifts, especially one that was so nicely wrapped with a pretty bow. It was just a tea party. She used to have lots with her stuffed animals. Sometimes her mother or siblings would attend them. It was at that time that another person arrived, T'gan, right on time, distracting her from what she was holding.

"Oh, no, not at all. It's just a tea party;" Emi assured the bluerider, quite convincingly. She didn't want to put anyone out over anything. "However, I'm quite sure this is lovely;" she added, indicating what she held, petting it lovingly for the sake of Morgana. She didn't want to seem rude or ungrateful; presents were very nice, especially so when they were unexpected. Setting the package down, she unwrapped it eagerly and pulled out the scarf within it. "Oh, it is!" She wrapped the gaudy garment around her neck. Even though it didn't go with her dress, she found it pretty and it kept her warm. She petted the edge of it, enjoying the feel. Picking up the paper and ribbon, she set them nicely to the side, out of the way. "Thank you;" she told Morgana, sounding absolutely pleased. Then she wheeled around to greet a new guest.

"Ooh, jam cakes! Yummy!" Fingers nimble but youthfully delicate, Emi slipped the box from the tawnyrider's grip so she could set it on the table amongst the other things that already adorned it. Food was even better than a present. It could be shared with anyone. Of course, if someone wanted to borrow her new scarf, she would allow them. Food simply spread good feelings and warmed hearts too. "It's lovely to have you;" she told L'nan with a wide smile, the same one that had yet to really leave her face for even a moment. While the words were directed towards that one girl, they were really meant for everyone. She was already having fun. She had heard people greeting someone outside, but she didn't have time to say hello to him; she had only caught a glimpse of him through the door. T'gan's blue was very pretty.

Another two guests had arrived as Emi was speaking, so she turned to greet them, grin at the ready. The interactions of everyone were interesting to watch, but the young herder had just enough ego to boldly step forward and garner attention and control for herself. She had to play hostess. "No, this isn't everyone, but I believe the others may be busy and joining us late." She didn't really think that, but it sounded good and polite to say. Anyway, it made sense, what with one of the missing guests being the newest grayrider. "I'm Emi and we've got Morgana, T'gan, L'nan, and I believe Amira and T'ia?" Dress colors gave a couple of hits with the winglets and she was good with names. "Now, if you'll all take a seat, we can have some tea?" Slipping forward, she grabbed Amira's arm and pulled the candidate over to sit next to her.

. . . going nowhere, going nowhere.

[Kat]

And the girl’s greeting made absolute sense to Morgana, who nodded her head enthusiastically. She was sure that Jok would be a perfect gentleman for the tea party. The blonde wished that she had brought Hamlet to the event, even though, the more she thought about her raven she realized that leaving him at home was probably best. The goose, if he did tend to snap, might not take kindly to the raven, which was well behaved, but still a bird. But Hamlet was missed, and Morgana thought that this little girl would probably enjoy meeting the showy creature. Morgana liked showing Hamlet off to everyone she could. Morgana grinned, and she dropped her head in a nod to Jok, as it was only polite to greet such a creature, especially if he was a gentleman. Morgana was, after all, quite the lady.

The candidate glanced around at the people as they arrived. Amira was here, and L’nan, too, so Morgana would at least have so knowledge of some of the party attendees. Morgana would not have liked it if she knew no one. It would be terribly isolating. She did not know many people in the Eyrie, because Morgana, despite her gregarious nature, had not yet worked on meeting people and finding friends. After the girl who was hosting accepted her gift, Morgana fluttered to an open seat, as close to the hostess as possible, and flashed the little girl a wide grin. Morgana positioned her skirts around her body as she sat, so that the delicate lace and silk was not crumpled by her position. Luckily, her chosen seat was right next to Amira, at whom Morgana smiled and nodded, to show that she was glad she was sitting next to her friend. It was nice to be sitting with the only other candidate who was invited. Morgana did not want to feel out of place among all of the winglets, who always flaunted their simourvs as if the creatures were God’s grace to them. It was tedious.

As the girl opened the package, Morgana beamed. It really was a perfect gift for this kind of occasion. Something that Morgana did not want, but which the girl would love. Morgana’s lips twitched, wiggling a bit into a hesitant line, before reverting back to a smile when she was told that she was not supposed to bring a gift. Morgana had not know that. She had never been to a tea party before, and so she did not know the correct etiquette. The more time that Morgana spent at the Eyrie, the more she realized that her childhood had been exceptionally unusual and that she had missed out on a lot of typical activities that girls did.
”Oh, I’m sorry; I’ve never been to a tea party, and I thought it would be best to be safe rather than disappointing. But I hope you like the scarf. I may have some more old things, you know, trinkets, if you would be interested.”
Morgana announced, as she eyed the approaching girls. She was glad when the little girl provided an introduction to the other women, because otherwise, Morgana would have only known the names of Amira and L’nan. She scanned over the other girls critically, but she was not ready to make any official judgements. She thought that the green-dressed girl was fabulous in appearance, and that her fashion choices were the most exciting. The girl in the blue clothes, who must be Amira’s T’gan, was kind of drab looking. Well, the girl was pretty, but she was not very flashy. Morgana was interested in the fact that the girl was T’gan, though, who Amira talked about so positively. Morgana had high hopes about this event, even if the winglets rambled on and on about their simourvs.