Afternoon Tea [Dated to 5/12]

[madeofstories]

It's taken her an entire day and most of the morning as well, but Grace is almost certain that everything is perfect. The table she's borrowed is set up in the clearing between her own hut and the stage, each place setting with its own small plate and tea cup (though some are mugs, as she's had to make due with what she could borrow from the

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[wishesandsmoke]

Eden doesn't really expect to get mail, although she checks most days just because she's in the Compound anyway, so the invitation comes as a pleasant surprise. Since it's for Jason, there's no question as to whether or not she'll go. Besides, it's not as if she has anything better to do, nothing that sounds like more fun than putting on a sundress, a little green bow in her hair, and turning up to celebrate a friend who's been spectacularly kind when she's badly needed kindness.

Once in attendance and seated at the table, she looks over the offerings and smiles. "This is lovely."

[prodigaljaybird]

Jason manages a grin that's tentative and happy all at once, like someone's going to accuse him of picking the pink theme of the invitation at any moment, and then he'll be forced to pretend he isn't enjoying himself. He's been moody since he came out of the ground, halfway to unlivable with the few unfortunates that have crossed his path and lingered there, but he feels better today, shocked, perhaps, out of his funk by all the cake.

"Even the cakes are small," he says. "I bet I could fit two in my mouth."

[wishesandsmoke]

"Oh, come on," Eden says, an undertone as she leans toward him, "I could fit two in my mouth. You could get like three in there." They're delightful, though, with the little flower petals and the frosting, and she's enchanted with the whole set up. It may not be what she associates with Jason, but it's still lovely, the kind of thing she never counted on attending. Even now, it's nice to see, she can add firsts to her list.

[prodigaljaybird]

For a moment, it seems he's in danger of actually trying, Jason's gaze on the cakes calculating before he looks away again. Lux still isn't here yet - it'd be a waste of a suit if she doesn't see him before he's managed to ruin the effect with a faceful of frosting.

Tugging his sleeve down over his cast, Jason thinks that everyone looks nice, nicer than anything Jason's seen since long ago charity events he'd been forced to attend with Bruce, and his gaze catches on the flower in Eden's hair. "You look nice."

[lonewolflives]

Arya wasn't entirely sure how being buried alive and having an afternoon tea gathering were related, aside from one thing: she thought she'd have preferred the burying part to the formal attire.

But she was there, nonetheless, and not just because she'd gotten the impression non-attendance would have had unfortunate consequences in Cardio, later.

Although it hadn't formed an inconsequential part of the decision.

She'd even found a dress, one of Rosalind's, that she'd stuck in a corner of the room after that had all ended. She'd worked on it. It had acorns on it, and it was mostly free of creases now. She wore it with her hair down and a look of defiance, as if daring someone to comment on it as she sipped a cup of mint tea.

She was considering the whole thing an exercise in calm as still water, at this point.

[prodigaljaybird]

"Hey," says Jason, almost wary given the fierceness in her expression. He himself had arrived similarly nervous, but a few of those cakes have gone a long way towards loosening him up.

He cocks his head, realizing suddenly that like him, she's dressed well outside what he's used to seeing her in. "I had to dig for three hours to find a blazer."

[lonewolflives]

She cracked a smile at that, although she maintained the defiant cant to her head, shoulders back; she was in a dress, but she wasn't about to compromise any further than that. "What, this wasn't your idea? The invitations seemed so you."

[prodigaljaybird]

"Those pink things?" Jason asks, his ears glowing a similar color at the memory of Bucky bringing it home, eyebrows raised damn near off his head. "Matches the cakes, anyway," he grins, pulling the plate of them closer to snag another. They're so little, not that Jason's complaining. "More frosting per square inch," he says and pops one in his mouth.

[onlyapassenger]

With the amount of time he's spent in England and the number of Brits he counts as friends, Bucky Barnes is well-acquainted with the ritual of afternoon tea, even if he doubts anyone would peg him for the sort to enjoy sitting around nibbling on crumpets (though enjoy's probably not the right word, even so). That said, the invitation had come as a surprise, more so because it was being held in honor of Jason than anything else; he's pretty sure the kid doesn't even own a proper pair of shoes, let alone anything that could be counted as formal attire

[prodigaljaybird]

"What are the saucers for, anyway?" Jason asks, lifting a brow at his own, teacup held carefully in his left hand. He's discovered he likes the tea a lot more than he thought he would, though the sugar he put in it likely helped.

"Why does a cup need a little plate to sit on?" Bucky seems so good at this already, and Jason wonders if parties like this are something he went to back home. It doesn't quite mesh with the Bucky he knows, but then, he's smart enough to know there's a shitton that Bucky will never tell him. He looks comfortable at any rate, wearing his suit so casually that Jason feels better in his own, hoping it makes him look like he belongs like Bucky does. "What's wrong with just putting them on the table."

[onlyapassenger]

"I honestly have no idea," replies Bucky. It's not something he's ever thought to question; teacups go on saucers, it's as simple as that. "It's just one of those things, I guess. A tradition gets passed down long enough, and eventually you just stop trying to analyze it, so even stuff that no longer has a use sticks around... Like a little plate for a cup to sit on."

[prodigaljaybird]

"And wearing a shirt and a vest and a jacket and a tie," Jason adds, grinning openly at Bucky and trusting that he won't retaliate too harshly in the presence of tiny flowered cakes. "Aren't you hot?"

[halfscarlet]

Even if it weren't for someone he was fond of, Billy would have attended the tea party on the invite alone. It was incredibly pink and fancier than most things he was used to, and the fact that it was all in honor of Jason just made things that much better.

He'd pulled on a red button up shirt and black slacks, the only clothes resembling formal he had, and showed up to the tea party in a relatively good mood.

[prodigaljaybird]

Jason spends about five seconds being jealous that Billy hadn't had to put on a blazer, too, but he doesn't actually mind his own so much anymore. It hides most of his cast, letting him pretend that when his right hand is in his lap and hidden by the table, he's totally fine.

"Check out these puff things," he says, pushing the plate of volauvents Billy's way. "They taste like bacon, it's awesome."

[halfscarlet]

"These have bacon?" They looked too delicate and cute to have something as delicious as bacon in them. Billy picked one up with two fingers, and looked over it at Jason. "Are you sure?"

[prodigaljaybird]

"Tastes like it," says Jason, pushing another into his mouth just to be sure. "Probably boar," he adds around the mouthful. "S'good."

[prodigaljaybird]

Even now, Jason's not sure what to make of all this. When Grace had proposed they experiment to find out if there was a sort of party Jason could like, he hadn't expected them to start with tea. The nearest thing he can equate it to is something from Alice and Wonderland, which he's not sure would be any less surreal.

But at Bucky's firm suggestion, Jason's put on a suit like Grace asked him to, a gray number that's not too heavy in the heat, has combed his hair, and even managed to coax something nicer than motorcycle boots from the clothes box for his feet. He feels more than a little silly in the getup, but he hasn't gotten food on it yet, which he'll claim for a victory.

Nervously, he picks up one of the tea cups with his good hand. They're so small and fragile, and the food spread is so, well, pretty. There are even flowers on each tiny cake, so nice looking that Jason's not even sure he's meant to eat one, but that doesn't stop him for long. He feels better for the burst of sugar on his tongue, and soon he's eaten three

[curiously_cora]

"Can I hug you or are you too hurt?" Coraline asked curiously, looking at Jason with his tiny food and tiny tea cup. Coraline smiled brightly at him, trying not to laugh. He did look quite a bit ridiculous with the tiny tea things but she didn't want to make him feel bad. Not when he was hurt and not when it was his party. "And guess what? I got to fly on a dragon because I'm awesome."

[prodigaljaybird]

He doesn't expect the question, nor the volley of information that comes after it. "It's just my arm," says Jason after a beat, lifting his casted hand off his lap. His fingers are healing, and his knee's back to normal. His bruises and scrapes are fading and he is, at this juncture, one hundred percent huggable. He's just not sure how to start.

"You flew on a dragon? Seriously?"

[curiously_cora]

"Yep, it was brilliant. We flew really high then dropped suddenly and it was so scary but then Toothless opened his wings and we coasted along the water. It was so cool Jason," Coraline said smiling happily at the memory. There were good days and bad days on the island and sometimes the good days outnumbered the bad and sometimes they didn't. Coraline wanted Jason to have more good days. "When you're healed properly I can ask Hiccup if you can fly on Toothless too but only when you're fully better. And you're not hurt. Okay, I'm going to hug you now prepare for the worst."

Coraline wrapped her arms around Jason, hugging gently just in case he was still hurt and he was being brave about it. She just had to make sure he had more good days then they could both forget about the scars they wore.