Tea Party

[likes_to_bite]

Sunny was dressed in her prettiest fairy costume for the tea party.

Fancy dress was a rule, and anyone not obeying would hear it from her. Or she'd sic Banky on them. In case anyone didn't have fancy clothes, there was a box of them to borrow right at the front of the party: crowns, top hats, capes, scarves, gloves that went all the way up to your

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[stoicsidekick]

Bush had gleaned that there was to be some sort of children's celebration going on in the Hidden Hamlet and had originally planned to avoid it - much to the protestation of others. But in all honesty, it would likely be better for himself, for the children, and even for the tea if he avoided standing awkwardly around the edges and smiling politely at small children who would probably be gathering there.

Unfortunately, as he came out of his hut he found the party already in full swing.

There would be no getting out of it now.

[youngestqueen]

"Lieutenant Bush," Lucy said, for a moment solemn before a smile crept back over her face. She knew the importance of addressing a sailor properly, though his rank was not a Narnian one. "You're not dressed like a fairy. Would you like a ribbon?"

[stoicsidekick]

It was only moments before the girl greeted him. Bush clasped his hands behind his back and raised an eyebrow, glancing suspiciously at the ribbon and then back to her face. It might have been an enemy standard for how he looked at it. "Miss Pevensie, hello. I wasn't aware that I was supposed to, ah, come dressed."

[youngestqueen]

Her smile grew at the way he looked at the ribbon she'd held out to him, pursing her lips for just a moment in order to school her face into more serious features. "Oh, Sunny insisted. Everyone has to be a fairy."

[stoicsidekick]

Once again, Bush glanced down at the ribbon. "And how would one go about doing so?" He was terribly certain he knew the answer to that question. "I wasn't planning on staying long," he added quickly, though with little hope of actually dissuading the girl.

[youngestqueen]

The ribbon was a lovely shade of pink, deep and bright, the ends of it curling. "Around your neck perhaps? In a bow?"

[stoicsidekick]

Bush blinked. The girl was nice enough, and clever enough at that. The sailor was at an utter loss when it came to children, but he liked Lucy, for all her fancifulness.

But there was depths to which he would not stoop, not even to please little girls. He took the ribbon as if he were afraid of catching something from it. "Ah, I'm not sure that's the best place for it."

[youngestqueen]

"About your hair then?" The man was obviously uncomfortable in the situation, and Lucy wanted only to make him less so. She may, perhaps, also have been amused. Perhaps.

[stoicsidekick]

To be fair, it was an odd situation for the former sailor to find himself in, especially quite so unexpectedly. Still, he managed a smile as he looked down at her. "That would do, yes," he agreed, tying it to the end of his queue.

He tried not to think about the number of people who would see him like this.

[youngestqueen]

"Sunny might like you to wear wings as well," she managed to not smile or show the glee she felt. "You'd look more like a fairy then."

[stoicsidekick]

Bush looked momentarily horrified. "I think Sunny can ask me herself, if that is the case," he answered quickly. If he remembered properly, the small child hadn't quite reached the point of full sentences yet, so that seemed safe enough.

[youngestqueen]

For a moment she wondered if she could get Sunny to ask, but that seemed too silly for Lucy. Lieutenant Kennedy perhaps. None of it showed on her face as she nodded seriously. "Of course. Have you been out sailing lately?"

She loved sailing, for all that they couldn't get very far here. It reminded her of Narnia, and that out there it seemed very much that she was free.