Volume Control
"Pardon my interruption, but are you tired?"
Tojo's gentle voice roused her. Celes blinked away the sleep from her eyes, lowering her knuckles from her cheek. Fading ruddiness was left in wake of her knuckles imprinting against her pale skin. With a quick clearing of her throat, Celes was back to her proper self.
She sat upright, her heels clicking against the tiled floor of the cafeteria. She glanced up at Tojo, who was dutifully pouring her another cup of milk tea. Celes grinned, delighted that Tojo already knew what she wanted. If only her other prospective servants had Tojo's keen intuition, then she was certain that her dream mansion would be perfect.
"I suppose I am a touch weary," Celes said, and she thanked Tojo for the tea. Cupping the warm drink, she blew away the steam and brought the rim to her lips. Sipping, she immersed herself in the tastes of cinnamon and nutmeg spicing her tongue.
Tojo's masterful craft of various kinds of milk tea had opened Celes' world. New spices and sugars added flavorful textures to her tea, bringing out flavorful sensations to her taste buds. With additions such as a cloves or ginger to every cup, Celes felt like savoring each drop of tea.
Licking her lips, Celes set the cup back on the silver coaster as her harmony would not last forever. She scanned the cafeteria, finding Mioda and Chabashira incessantly encouraging one another to continue their passions. In another corner, Momota, Kuwata, and Oowada were trying to pummel Ouma, and she noticed they each had black paint staining them from the tops of their heads and down their backs. It seemed they had triggered one of Ouma's many traps while she nodded off. Ouma's maniacal laughter echoed as the three rushed after him, almost overpowering the screeching of Fukawa. She stood up from one of the nearby tables, jabbing a shaky finger at Ishimaru and shouting that he was trying to harass her for not showering. Ishimaru matched Fukawa's shrillness as he attempted to defend himself, claiming he was only trying to help. Enoshima, who was clearly Ikusaba in disguise, tried to quell their argument, but she ended up joining their shouting match after Fukawa snapped that she was a skank. Five visiting children from the extended elementary school were causing havoc at Enoshima's command as each of them colored on tables, walls, and whatever else they could scribble on as Enoshima laughed.
Overall, it was just another averagely loud day at Hope's Peak Academy's cafeteria, and Celes absolutely hated it. Meal times were meant to be casual affairs, but her classmates and students from other rooms transformed lunchtime into a mosh pit. Intense voices and high octane energy traveled to every corner, intensifying the chaotic clamor.
Celes rubbed her eyes, feeling an unladylike vein press against her temple. She sighed, recalling that she had little sleep last night from working on an assignment with Asahina. Scarfing down her donuts as "energy food," which is what Asahina insisted their midnight snacks were, left her groggy. Her head hummed as voices clashed and slammed together like waves crashing down on the shoreline of her mind.
Tojo leaned forward, gripping her Celes' shoulder and asking, "Are you sure that you are not tired? If you'd like, then I can escort you elsewhere."
"No, no. That's perfectly unnecessary, but thank you for offering," Celes replied, her dainty smile quivering slightly as Mioda's guitar riffs struck her eardrums and were quickly followed by Chabashira's cheers for Mioda to continue. Inhaling deeply through her nose, Celes attempted to regain her confidence and blew out her frustrations. She snatched her cup and sipped, a sliver of tea trickling down her chin.
Tojo placed her hands on her lap as she sat down next to Celes. She fixed her skirt and watched Celes suck down her tea, the crease in Celes' brow alerting her that she clearly was not satisfied. She glanced over her shoulder at the rabble causing such a poignant ruckus, observing Oowada wrench Ouma off his feet and shout that he was going to kill him. Momota snapped that Oowada was being out of line and that Ouma just needed to be noogied, leading to an argument. As Kuwata attempted to calm them down, Tojo withheld her snicker as Ouma shot her a peace sign and scampered away like a swift rat.
"At least one nuisance has gone away," Celes mumbled, "but even with a lone fool gone, the rest of them just increase their noise to cover his disappearance."
Nodding, Tojo replied, "Do not worry. I will handle this situation and return it to an orderly meal time."
Celes was rarely left speechless, but the ominous tone lingering in Tojo's proclamation made her confusion shrivel up and die in her throat. She set her hand to her cheek, tempted to ask what she meant when Tojo stood up. Celes marveled at Tojo's striking posture, the crispness of her back and the strength in her jaw as she flicked her chin upwards.
Taking in a breath, Tojo closed her eyes. Her shoulders slowly raised, but then, in a booming echo, she shouted, "Quiet! All of you!"
Immediately, all sounds died as if the very air left the cafeteria and suffocated them. Not even Fukawa could utter a squeak. Everyone turned around, eyes wide and bodies shuddering, to gaze at Tojo.
Celes' mouth fell open and appeared like a dime. She raised her fingers to her chin, feeling her heart pound and her cheeks turn rosy red. She glanced down at her milk tea, catching her quivering reflection and quickly took a sip, banishing her flustered expression.
Tojo bowed her head, remarking, "Thank you for your cooperation. The noise level was becoming a little unacceptable. Everyone, please continue with what you were doing at a proper volume."
"F-forgive me for my inability to compose myself! I was acting immature!" Ishimaru barked, the first to reply after a moment of tense silence. His body seemed to snap in half as he bowed.
"Uh, I don't think you have to bow for that," Ikusaba said, crossing her arms.
"W-wow. Wh-wh-what a-a loudm-m-mouthed maid. Didn't expect th-that," Fukawa mumbled, her fingers fidgeting.
"Aw! That big gothic lady ruined our fun!" Kotoko snapped, tossing her markers to the ground with the other children agreeing and whining.
"That's okay, kids. Let's go draw on the cars in the parking lot. This scene was getting despairingly boring anyway," Enoshima offered, quickly validated by her wards' cheering.
"H-hey! Ouma got away!" Kuwata shouted, jerking his head in every possible direction, and he led Oowada and Momota out of the cafeteria, leaving splotches of paint following them.
"Ha! Those stupid menaces can't control their voices. It's a good thing Tojo-san took care of them," Chabashira sneered, evidently not realizing she had also been loud, and Mioda laughed, carefully plucking her guitar strings next to her.
Tojo smiled down at Celes as calmness returned to the cafeteria, asking, "Is this an appropriate volume?"
Celes nodded. She pulled the chair closer to her, replying, "Thank you. Seeing you silence them was like the buttercream icing on a red velvet cake."
Tojo tilted her head. "Would you like some cake?"
Last night's sugary donuts infiltrated her thoughts, and queasiness gripped Celes' stomach. Shaking her head, she beamed as Tojo sat down, and they shared afternoon tea in comfortable silence.