Draconic tea parties are all the rage

[cutting_edgex23]

It's a sunny day, something that Norman appears to much appreciate as he sprawls across one corner of the castle courtyard, spreading out his wings to soak up as much of the heat as possible.

Susan and X, meanwhile, are perched on one of his forearms, using the steam he is exhaling to heat the tea.

Well, X is taking care of the tea, at least. Susan's job is to hold X's feather boa out of the way of any potential flames.

It is a very important job.

Comments

[merry_heart]

Best. Tea. Party. Ever.

Susan is taking her job very seriously.

(Her Royal Daddy and Mama would be proud.)

"It's very nice of you to help us, Norman.

"Cold tea is not very nice at all."

[ordinary_sorts]

"You are very welcome, Susan."

Speaking of tea --

"Cold tea is even more difficult to get a taste of than hot. Though if you would be so kind, steeping mine for fifteen minutes would be much appreciated. I don't like the taste of plain hot water."

Manners at a tea party are very different from manners the rest of the time. Norman has taken notice, at least as well as any dragon (who cared) could.

"And maybe next time I could have a feather boa, too? I'm sure there are many birds who would not mind being plucked for a bit of decoration for a dragon."

[cutting_edgex23]

"Do not snort," X interjects quickly.

"I do not want to lose my grip on the teapot."

Norman subsides, at least for the moment.

Then X turns to Susan.

"You will pick a color? For Norman. I think it will be easier for me to bring a boa. For next time. Instead of making one here."

Please, someone think of the chickens. And the eagles. And the sparrows. And the --

[merry_heart]

Susan gives this matter a Great Deal of Thought.

"What about yellow?" she asks, finally.

"It's very cheerful.

"And it's a color that's okay for boys."

Pink would be silly.

[ordinary_sorts]

"Cheerful?"

Norman sounds affronted.

X reaches out and shoves at his muzzle, making sure the steam from his snorting does not go anywhere dangerous.

"Cheerful. Hmm."

He exhales meditatively, and X shifts the teapot to make good use of the heat.

"Do I look like a cheerful dragon to you?"

[cutting_edgex23]

"You do not look miserable," X offers, after a moment or two of careful study.

"And I think it will match your daisy crowns. When you have them."

[merry_heart]

Susan frowns just a little, the way Mama does when Something Does Not Make Sense.

"Why wouldn't you be cheerful?

"Aren't you happy?"

What's not to be happy about?

He has a pretty good life for a dragon.

[ordinary_sorts]

"I'm sure I don't know."

He exhales meditatively, though this time he does take care to keep the steam centered on the teapot.

"Could I be cheerful and ferocious, do you think?"

The tip of his tail twitches back and forth, back and forth, almost in rhythm with his breathing.

"With feathers in appropriate colors for each?"

[cutting_edgex23]

X tries very hard not to look dubious.

"You could wear one that is not yellow after you have been ferocious."

She flicks a look at Susan, head tilting ever so slightly.

"So you do not have to worry about setting it on fire."

For one.

[merry_heart]

Susan gives this even more Thought.

Lots and lots more.

And then . . .

"I don't know what fairosuss is."

Or whatever they said.

[cutting_edgex23]

"It means fierce," X says, cutting off any explanation Norman might offer.

He likes illustrative examples, and Susan is very small still.

"Like me. It is why Norman is very good at protecting the castle."

[ordinary_sorts]

"I am bigger than you," Norman says, resettling his head on his free forepaw.

"Even if your claws are sharper. But yes, Susan. Ferocious means fierce, when it doesn't mean savage. And human definitions of civilized or not, I like when interlopers know to fear me. It does a dragon's heart proud."

[merry_heart]

"You're bigger than everyone," Susan says.

"And I don't know what savage is, either.

"Or intaloupes. Unless they're like cantaloupes. But I don't know why you'd like it if melons were afraid of you."

[ordinary_sorts]

"I am bigger than everyone," Norman agrees, pleased as punch. "Even among dragons. I am so glad you've noticed."

He does not deign to explain what savage is. Or intaloupes. That, his silence seems to say, is X's job.

[cutting_edgex23]

"Savage is like fierce," X offers, picking up the slack. "But more violent."

Beat.

"Interlopers are people who are not supposed to be in a place. Like thieves. Or spies. It would be effective if they were disguised as fruit, but I do not think they are. Usually."

[merry_heart]

"They're sneaking," Susan says, understanding dawning.

"And they should be afraid of you.

"Are they?"

Does the palace have many intaloop

interalo

enterlo

sneaky people?

[ordinary_sorts]

"Yes," Norman says placidly, as X begins to pour the tea into two tiny cups and one that is roughly bucket-sized. It's got a great many talon-marks carved into the sides. There's only so careful a dragon can be, really.

"Remember, mine has to steep for fifteen minutes."

X merely pats the side of Norman's muzzle and gets on with it.

Meanwhile --

"Most of them have heard of the Royal Dragon of Ambergeldar and are appropriately cautious and fearful, which means they stay away. The rest I get to eat."

Do Norman's eyes get a little wider? Maybe.

"Or I would, if anyone would let me. Your mother and father generally don't."

Did he do that right, X? Did he? Little humans are so complicated.

[cutting_edgex23]

"I do not think there have been interlopers in some time," X says, reaching out to pat Susan's shoulder.

"They are afraid of Norman. And of me. And of the fact that your mother and father are very smart. They pay attention."

She hesitates, flicking a glance back at the palace.

What would Amy like her to say?

"And they are nice, too. People like them. And you. And your brothers."

Beat.

"You do not have to be afraid. Or worried.."

[merry_heart]

"I'm not," Susan says, cheerfully.

She's perfectly safe.

All sorts of people make sure of it.

"Norman likes a lot of sugar in his tea," she adds.

"And Mama says there are apple pastries in the basket. One for me and three for Laura and forty-six for Norman."

Norman is very fond of apple pastries.

[cutting_edgex23]

"Good."

Beat.

"I am sure Norman will give you another half. If you want."

X blows on one cup of tea to cool it a little before passing it to Susan.

Carefully.

"There is enough time before dinner."

[ordinary_sorts]

"I -- "

One of Norman's enormous eyes meets X's look and, after a momentary stare, the dragon resettles his bulk and re-curls his tail up.

"If you like, Susan. Forty-five and a half apple pastries will be enough for me."

But that second half of the forty-sixth would have tasted the best.

He's sure of it.

[merry_heart]

"Really?"

Susan's eyes get big.

She never gets more than one.

(Nurse Marta never lets her have more than one.)

"Thank you. That's very nice of you."

(She probably won't finish it, though, so Norman is likely to get forty-five and nine tenths apple pastries, anyway.)

[ordinary_sorts]

"Well."

Norman fidgets a little, careful to keep his forearms where they belong.

"You chose a very nice color for my feather boa, so I suppose that's all right."

Gratitude is a very strange thing, for dragons. They never know where to put it.

[cutting_edgex23]

X merely reaches into the basket and sets out the first set of apple pastries.

(Introducing the concept of 'sharing' to dragons is one best done slowly. Very, very slowly.)

"I will make sure to cut it evenly in half. When we get there."

It is a solemn vow.

Even if X knows it is unlikely to matter in the long run.

[merry_heart]

Apple pastries are just about the only food Her Highness the Princess Royal is allowed to throw (and only under certain conditions).

But the apple pasties are so small they're hard for Norman to pick up, and it's easier (and safer) for Susan to toss them to him than to get her hand that close to his teeth.

Susan throws the first pastry with wonderful enthusiasm and terrible aim.

[ordinary_sorts]

Norman's jaw opens wide, though he still has to tilt his head to the left in order to catch the pastry on his tongue.

Success!

The look he gives X might be said to be a little bit smug.

[cutting_edgex23]

X is quick to relocate the teacups and teapot to a safer location.

Then she moves a little behind Susan.

"There are more useful ways to throw. If you want to learn. Here."

She will demonstrate in a moment.

But first --

The aerodynamics of apple pastries are different from those of a baseball.

(Or a knife.)

She has to go through at least one round of practice.

Fortunately Norman is a very patient dragon.

[merry_heart]

Is she kidding?

Of course Susan wants to learn.

Susan pushes her hair out of her eyes and puts on her most Focused expression, paying very very close attention to what Laura is doing.

[cutting_edgex23]

"Norman," X says, after a few moments of considering the mechanics of the situation.

"Lift your head. Please."

The dragon obliges, opening his mouth at the same time as if to say 'this wide, or wider?'

He is a very helpful dragon. And he takes good care of his teeth.

X, meanwhile, hefts the apple pastry in her hand, checks the wind, shifts her weight for a moment, then throws it into Norman's waiting mouth.

Hmm. Significantly to the left of where she wanted it to be, but serviceable.

[ordinary_sorts]

Norman swallows, tongue curling lazily to wipe off what are definitely not stray crumbs. Impossible.

"Try to throw a little less hard. My tongue is very sensitive."

Unfair, X. Unfair.

X, meanwhile, hands another pastry to Susan and starts moving the little girl's throwing arm into the appropriate position.

Sometimes that is enough to start helping.

[merry_heart]

Susan would totally do all that testing of heft and checking of wind stuff if she'd had any idea what Laura had been doing.

Instead she just waits until Laura has finished positioning her arm and then throws the next pastry.

(It's definitely not thrown as forcefully as Laura's was.)

Her aim isn't nearly as off as it was last time.

"Like that?"

[ordinary_sorts]

"Eth," Norman says, before closing his mouth and swallowing the pastry.

Mmm. Tasty.

"Did someone remember to keep track of the time for my tea? I would like some with my pastries."

[cutting_edgex23]

"Three minutes," X says promptly. "Or two pastries."

She's still crouched behind Susan, keeping track of the motion of the little girl's arm as she throws.

"That was much better, Susan. But try to keep your hand like this -- "

Here she holds out her own hand to demonstrate.

" -- at the end of your throw. It is useful for direction."

[merry_heart]

"All right," Susan says, and does her best to do so.

She beams at both of them.

"That was lots better, wasn't it?"

[cutting_edgex23]

"Yes," X says, very firmly. It coincides with Norman's response of 'Eth', again, just before he swallows.

"You are getting very good. Practice will help, too."

She pulls another pastry out of the basket, handing it over.

"There are enough pastries left to be useful."

[ordinary_sorts]

"After my tea," Norman reminds, just this side of petulant.

X obligingly reaches over, keeping half an eye on Susan as she does so, and fishes an enormous tea-strainer out of his bucket-mug.

"Thank you," he says, delicately picking the mug up. There is a somewhat moderate shriek of claws on metal, but the mug does not explode.

It is very well-crafted.

And after that --

"If you could try throwing more to the right, it would be much appreciated. I am afraid I'm starting to get a crick in my neck."

[merry_heart]

Susan has taken this opportunity to retrieve her own (much smaller) teacup, which she sets down on its saucer to consider the request.

She looks at Norman.

Looks at both her hands.

Looks back at Norman.

Turns to Laura.

"Which one is right?"

[cutting_edgex23]

X reaches out, very carefully, and tugs lightly at Susan's right wrist.

"This one. But there is an important question to ask, first."

Here she looks at Norman, head tilted very slightly.

"Susan's right? Or right from where you are sitting?"

[ordinary_sorts]

"Susan's right," Norman sniffs, setting down his bucket of tea.

"Any other way is too confusing."

For Susan, for Norman, for most tiny humans, for everybody?

Who knows.

[merry_heart]

Susan's eyes widen a little.

"I have my own right?"

Isn't right . . . well, right?

"Does everybody?"

Or is this because she's a princess?

[cutting_edgex23]

"Yes," X says, very seriously. "You do. And so do I. You will let me show you?"

She reaches from behind Susan, letting her right arm overlap the little girl's and holding them both up.

"I am facing the same direction you are. This is my right. And yours. Please keep your right hand held out."

Then she shifts so that she is facing Susan, keeping her own right hand lifted so that it touches Susan's left shoulder.

"Now this is my right. And I am facing you. But yours has not changed."

Beat.

"Do you see?"

[ordinary_sorts]

Norman yawns, jaws stretching wide.

"Tedious. This is why wingward, legward, headward, and tailward are much more useful."

Silly humans. Three-dimensional standardized direction giving makes so much more sense.

[merry_heart]

Susan nods. "I do see!"

At least, she thinks she sees.

"It can change."

She considers Norman.

"And if you turned around, your tailward and headward would be different.

"What do you do when you're all curled up and your tail is under your head? Are headward and tailward the same thing then?"

[ordinary_sorts]

"It's the base of my tail that tailward refers to."

Obviously, Susan.

"And our directions always refer to the person giving them. None of this 'whose head do you mean' business. Dragons are sensible."

Hmmph.

[cutting_edgex23]

X lets out a quick, horrible barking sound.

This is, sadly enough, her version of a laugh.

"I think they are directions when dragons are flying, Susan. They do not do much walking. Except Norman."

Beat.

"But that is because you and your family are not dragons."

[merry_heart]

Susan wrinkles her nose up, thinking very hard.

"But what do you do if you can't see the person giving the directions? What if he's flying behind you?"

[ordinary_sorts]

"Dragon magic," Norman says portentously, "is beyond human understanding."

He sniffs, finishing off his bucket of tea.

"Now, if you would be so kind as to help me finish these delicious pastries?"

[cutting_edgex23]

"Maybe it does not translate well into human language," X offers.

She is resolutely not smiling.

[merry_heart]

"Maybe," Susan agrees.

She's very skeptical, though.

But only for a moment.

Then she has to get back to throwing apple pastries to her right, with help and instruction from Laura.

Best. Tea. Party. Ever.