Tea Party for Two [Finished]

[FlyingPanther]

Silvanus' tail could hardly keep from wiggling, the way it usually did when something exciting and fun was about to happen. After all the tragedy that had been happening the past couple of days, he could safely say that he had been looking forward to this day far more then he probably should have. His friend's unexpected pregnancies as well as Igal's refusal to speak to him again had really brought his moods to a dark a bitter place they had only been in once or twice in his younger years of life. It was hard to relive them. He wondered very breifly if he should tell of such events, and decided it was far to soon to reveal such things. Look at him already getting carried away!

He had shined up the wooden table so that it possitivly gleamed in the light of the fire that burned in the fireplace. It was an overcast day and Silvanus had needed to start a fire to keep the cottage a nice comfortible temperature. While not the best of days, it certainly was optimal weather for a nice tea party date! His tail continued to wiggle as he set out a nice lace table cover that had once been his mothers. She always pulled it out on such occations like this, but she usually had tea parties with some of her gossipy girlfriends, not so much for dates. She had been very loyal to his deceased father.

The pot screamed as heat escaped the spout, and he knew the tea was ready. Quickly with some mits he grabbed the pot and placed it on top of a coaster in the center of the table. The time for her arrival was soon, making him smile all the more. He really wanted this to go well. He even baked for her! Though the shortbread cookies wouldn't be done for a little while yet, he had started a little to late. He quickly set out his best china as he waited for her to arrive. He was simply extatic that she accepted his proposal!

[The Jenn]

Dymphna pulled her jacket tight around her, arms hugging the fabric close as the blustery wind tried to whip it open and send a chill through her. The pale gold petticoat that she normally wore fluttered and rippled with the breeze, hugging her legs tightly on one side and dancing out on the other. The sky blue coat, going to her thighs, always came out for brisk autumn days. For all that she had fur, she hated seeming messy and unkempt if she had any say in the matter.

Especially when she was going to meet someone she wanted to look nice for.

Her hooves clopped along the cobbled city streets and she smiled, feeling excited and enjoying it. She didn't often make the time for things like dates, especially outside of the palace, and especially with the Harvest Festival looming so near. But her Monday days off still stood, even in these hectic times, and...well...didn't she deserve a day of rest and relaxation amidst all the bustle of preparation?

Silvanus could be an exception to the usual rule, especially with her newly-acquired rank warming her chest. At least in her mind, it helped to ward off the cold that the wind was trying to drive into her. After a lifetime of work, breaking her back at home and in the Court, she had finally achieved a title of nobility. The victory was sweet indeed.

She arrived on what she believed to be the right street and tried to remember the precise location. She thought she had it. If not, she would just smile and apologize, then try again. Hustling up to the front door, she did her best to smooth the coat and then knocked politely.

[FlyingPanther]

Silvanus' tail wiggled like an alarm, alerting him to the sounds of the door knocking. He nearly jumped with glee, she was finally here! Good thing he had just finished setting the table to, he would hate to be in the middle of setting up everything as she came in. He wanted to get to interacting as soon as possible. Placing the last cup on the sauser, he quickly pranced over to the door. She might even have been able to hear the excited pattering of his feet against the wood flooring inside. He gave the room a once over with his eyes to make sure everything was nice, before turning to the door and opening it.

Like some bi-pedals, and as Dymphna had always known him, he was clothingless, but it was not at all a sexual reason. He simply felt more comfortible being more closely united with his animal self. He knew it wasn't exactly something that most people felt, but he was happy to be a deer, and why not show it? But that was not in his thoughts as he opened the door, giving Dymphna on the other side a handsomely white toothy smile. "Hello m'lady! I can't tell you how nice it is to recieve you for tea!" his voice was just as excited sounding as his facial features showed. He was genuinely happy to see her, after so much turmoil. It helped that he fancied her a great deal.

He opened the door widely, and with a hand beged her come inside, "I'm sure it's terribly cold outside, I started a fire...so my house should be a much better temperature." In the pit of his stomach butterflies began to fly, now that she was here, he was finding that his nerves were playing against him. He wanted to make sure everything went nicely, and that he didn't say something stupid. He did very much want to see her again if at all possible. He would have to find a crafty way to ask her out again. Her being so high in the courts, he was sure that she had more impressive suitors she could choose from, which put him at a great disadvantage.

[The Jenn]

Dymphna smiled as the door opened, her hands stilling their distracted smoothing of fabric and dropping to her sides. It was amazing how much more relaxed you could make yourself appear by taking the right kind of posture and portraying a different attitude. Hands anywhere but at the sides would indicate nervousness, defensiveness, or something equally anxious. She felt a touch of butterflies in her stomach seeing the handsome stag in front of her again, but her calmly pleased expression wouldn't show it. Court training came at a price, but sometimes it came in awfully handy outside of work.

She actually found his lack of clothes appealing. Covering would have somehow detracted from the roguish 'maleness' he projected, that carelessly handsome appearance, all fur and hoof and antlers. Clothes could be very decorative, and were certainly a must for thin-skinned human forms, but sometimes they just weren't necessary. The Avington buck was a perfect example of that.

"I'm so glad I was able to find time this season," she agreed with a small laugh, entering as he waved her inside. "Well, make time would be more truthful, I suppose. But I was looking forward to this meeting far too much to let the opportunity pass us by. And Dymphna, please. If I can call you Silvanus, I at least expect the same informality." The words were softened by her expression.

The warmth from the fireplace hit her only a few steps in the door and she sighed happily, moving to shed her coat and hold it loosely over one pale-sleeved arm. Already she could feel it banishing some of the windy chill from outside. Her eyes scanned the room curiously, their investigation subtle as she turned back to Silvanus, taking in the table with place settings and steaming pot of tea set neatly to the side. She couldn't quite smell it, so it must be freshly made. Even better. "What should I do with my coat?" she asked lightly, the red 'J' on her chest only just visible as it peeked out from under her bodice's neckline.

[FlyingPanther]

Make time. That was a good sign in some ways right? It ment that she really wanted to be here, and her next comment confirmed the thought even more. Silvanus was very pleased with this insight, though he tried to control his 'happytail'. Silvanus was more pleased that she confirmed they were now on first name basis, "Of course, Dymphna. Forgive the formality, I'm not to familiar with court niceties, though I try to be as much as I can. I figured it wouldn't do to be informal if you were at all expecting formality. Not that I completely dislike calling you m'lady either." he winked a bit, a small flirtacious move. Afterall m'lady was just short for my lady, and while he was not trying to be possessive, he was more subtily trying to suggest that he wouldn't mind her being 'his lady' in the general sence of the saying. Silvanus was always a bit awkward...sometimes his flirting worked...and othertimes it didn't.

"Oh dear! How rude of me, let me take your coat and put it to hang in my closet. So it doesn't get dirty. I can get it for you when you need to depart." with a smile he took it from her slender arm, feeling its lovely texture as it slipped into his hands. "This is an excellent coat! With the weather as it is...a good coat is nessesary. I should probably purchase one for myse..." it was at that exact moment he noticed the bit of J peering up from out of her clothes. His eyes widened for a moment and he blushed...realizing he was staring...and not in the most forgiving of places. He shook his head in explination. "I don't mean to come off as a pervert, but...is that a Jack symbol I see?" his face was red with embarrassment. He was not so embarrassed by the fact he was in the face of a much higher ranked card then he anticipated...but mostly the fact that such a symbol was placed in a mighty unfortunate area to attempt to appear polite about. And he had stared a little to long....

[The Jenn]

Dymphna handed over the coat and watched his expression curiously, rather charmed by his awkward little flirts. They were so much nicer than some of the more lewd and boorish suggestions she received occasionally from some of the men at court. Others, of course, were complete gentlemen about their attentions. She most certainly preferred the latter to the former.

His pause mid-sentence and subsequent stare made her blink...and then she laughed as she realized what he was looking at so very intently. "It's fine, of course. I'm sure it was a surprise. I still pause every time I see it in the mirror myself, surprised it's even there. It all feels like a bit of a dream." She reached up one hand to run a hoof-tipped finger across the fur, so very please. "I was given my title just last week," she admitted with an almost dreamy happiness in her voice, then realized how silly she sounded and laughed again. She could keep her dream-fulfillment to herself. No need to dredge up the silly thing right now.

"But please, I wouldn't want to hold you up while the tea is steeping." She waved a hand at him, a playful shooing gesture, done with a smile. "You take care of the coat, I'll just sit down over here and wait for you to return." Of course, the second he left her line of sight, she would be in front of the mirror and making sure her fur looked alright after such a windy day.

[FlyingPanther]

He nodded, glad for the dismissal...weather it be formal or just playful, it gave him a moment to be embarrassed by himself, and collect himself before coming back without a hint of the previous blushing. He smiled at the happiness she showed from her achievement. He had to admit that he had never been that ambitious, and was perfectly happy with the rank that he was born with. True, it wasn't in the courts, but he had heard horror stories from his mother that made him want to steer clear. Not to mention his rank wasn't really ALL that bad. Middle class, nothing to special...but it wasn't exactly an Ace either. It allowed him to move from place to place without much notice. He enjoyed that freedom.

Placing the coat in his closet quickly and checking his own fur and mane in the mirror of the bathroom as he passed it, he was soon back at the table were Dymphna now was. "I expect the tea is at perfect drinking temperature now, I had just taken it away from the fire when you came in." he smiled, pooring the tea into the white china cub he had placed for her. It was plain...not nearly as elaborate (or frightening) as the china at the palace, but the handle sweeped in a simply elegant way that made the plain set very pleasing to the eyes. He poured himself a cub after her, and remember the cookies, smelling them from the kitchen. "I also baked us some shortbread to go along with the tea, nothing to much, but I felt like baking this morning." with that comment he headed into the kitchen to check on the progress. He opened the oven to reveal beautiful golden white cookies. Perfect. He smiled at his own little triumph, hoping Dymphna enjoyed shortbread, and taking it out with some oven mittens, placing them on a decorative plate before finally bringing them to the table and setting them down. He took his seat and began sipping on his warm tea. "I managed to find some very nice Cranberry tea like you requested. I hope it is to your liking." he looked at her as he took another sip. "Congratulations on becoming a Jack, by the way. It sounds like you are very happy with your new position. Someone doting upon you for once?" he asked politely. After all...as a Jack...it didn't mean she had to cater to everyones whim anymore...did it?

[The Jenn]

The rich reddish-brown tea contrasted very nicely the with simplicity of the china, Dymphna thought. It was interesting to notice the little things like that, and how graceful his artisan's hands looked as they carefully tipped and held the pot, tiny scars still visible all over if she looked closely enough. She really did like his hands, almost more than the rest of them. If she'd been more forward, she would have reached out to touch one of them as they set the pot back down. As it was, she carefully picked up her own cup and took a small sip.

At mention of cookies, she looked up at his face hopefully. Rather like tea, she had slowly become fond of sweets and pastries since coming to the palace, more from exposure than anything else. Serafino liked little snacks with his teas, especially sweet ones. Now that he had mentioned the baking, in fact, she could smell faint hints of it on the air, and as soon as he opened the oven the mouthwatering buttery smell began to seep into every corner of the room.

She practiced restrain as he placed the little plate in front of her and waited a sip or two before taking a cookie. It warmed her fingers, which she found absolutely delightful. Could you get anything fresher? A bite, another sip of tea, and she began to honestly relax instead of just pretending. This was very nice. "The tea is delicious," she agreed with a smile, "as are the cookies. I didn't realize you baked." She didn't know much about him at all, really, beyond his profession, his talent, his soft-spoken yet charming manner, and his good looks.

His last question made her laugh a little, almost involuntarily. "Oh, it makes me very happy, but I don't really get doted on. I suppose I don't have the time to lay around and let someone do something for me, not with everything I need to get done for His Majesty. Just because I'm a Jack now, that doesn't mean I don't still serve as his attendant. Still, it...makes everything a little bit brighter, to have finally made it. I've been working towards a title since before I can remember."

[FlyingPanther]

Silvanus smiled as he watch her visibly relax to a new level. "I don't bake very often. To be honest, I usually only bake when I'm nervous, but in the case of today...I couldn't find anything nice at the bazaar to serve, so I decided that something homemade and fresh would be better. The recipe is one of my mother's actually. She used to make them for me when I was little all the time." he gave the kind of smile one gave when remembering something fondly, before returning his attention back to her. "I'm sorry to hear that, really. I would have thought that you might have gotten a bit of a break with your title, but still...attending the Queen must be something you enjoy or you wouldn't do it...right? I suppose I'm more ignorant of court politics then I assumed I was." he scratched his neck a bit, nervous in his words. "Reaching a goal such as that though, I can imagine, is so gratifying. For that, I am very happy for you. I have yet to accomplish any of my own goals, but...I suppose...that is natural for someone like myself. I tend to drift with the wind, such is my personality, it makes getting goals completed hard as your constantly drifting in different directions." he wanted to add that his normal 'drifter' life had come to a hault...but decided it was better not to speak of such things. It would lead to questions he didn't want to answer.

"What do you plan to do now Dymphna....that you are a Jack?" he asked kindly, with a small sip of tea. He had said far to much about himself not to ask at least one question for her to answer.

[The Jenn]

"I... really do enjoy all the hustle that comes of assisting His Majesty," she agreed, munching slowly on another cookie. "There's no one in the palace I don't know on sight, and I can usually remember their names with a moment's thought. I've met embassadors and high-ranking nobility of other Courts as well, and really, the networking is just amazing."

She was also very fond of the Queen, his occasional bouts of violence and moods notwithstanding. As a person, he was interesting, and trying to unravel bits and pieces of his past to uncover the reasons he turned out the way he did was really rather fun. His uncle was a sweetheart, too. These thoughts she kept to herself.

A small sip of tea followed the last bite of her cookie, and she considered his question for a moment before answering. "I'm not too sure that anything will change, really. I can be more sure of my welcome in many places, more comfortable in the company of the nobility I once served. It's gratifying to see the bows, but also to tell friends they aren't necessary. Perhaps I can focus on other things now, like finally acquiring a human form or working on some magical training. I've never really delved too deeply into that area before, but with King Bernard offering to teach me... I may have to take him up on it, when time permits. And what about you? How have the last few weeks treated you, Silvanus?"