It was warm out, and the air smelled of lavender and honey and other spices from far away. All in all, it was a beautiful day in Chrysanthemum Parish, and the perfect day for a tea party. Zaktrak flicked his tail nervously, and couldn't stop himself from glancing over his shoulders. Peg reached a long arm up and gently wrapped her fingers around his arm. "ACK" Zaktrak yelped and Peg tried to shush him with a ribbon-like finger. "Zaktrak," she said, in her low, whispering voice, "Zaktrak, it's fine. The Fontmen aren't around anymore." He sighed, and took a long look around at the rows of beautiful houses, the hanging gardens, the towers of Chrysanthemum. "Still never feel safe here." A few cats basked in the sun lazily, and children played in the streets. "Marielda's not safe," Peg replied, her eye caught on one lustrous black cat. "But it's a holiday." She patted Zaktrak on the back. "See? They're waiting for us." She pointed out to Coral, who was standing on the stoop in front of one of the tea witches' houses, waving merrily. The two of them hurried inside.
The interior of the house, one of the Tea Leaf Set's several, was delicately arranged, filled with shelves made of rare wood and stone and in several eclectic styles, filled to the brim with small boxes and containers and little pieces of burning incense, that gave the house a pleasantly sharp, almost electric aroma. Coral smiled warmly and led them through the house, stopping finally in the modest kitchen. Zaktrak hopped up to sit on the counter, and Peg curled up around the spindles and legs of a chair. "Sorry I don't have any netting in here," Coral said, "but there's some outside! We'll head out there just as soon as I get everything ready." She was busy at work mixing several ingredients and boiling water. Peg piped up "Thank you, that's very kind." She was idly playing with the little candles and bottles on the table there. Zaktrak glanced out the window, looking outside. There was a cute little table set up, with a small umbrella. Off by the side, there was a quietly burbling fountain. "Uh, when's everyone else getting here?" He asked, a little sheepish. "Oh, we've got one more coming, but I figured she'd be late. Everyone else is celebrating with Juno's newest brew, but Castille said that you all could probably just use a quiet little holiday." Coral turned around, tray in hand. "I figured we'd just wait outside, if that's alright."
Coral set down the tray with the cups and some cookies on the table and brought over the netting. Zaktrak smoothed out the tablecloth a little anxiously. Peg wound herself through the net and Coral sat down. "Well!" she said brightly, "It will be a little while before the tea is steeped and cooled, and I think we need one more ingredient anyway." Her eyes gleamed as she looked right into Zaktrak's and said, "I was wondering if I could get one more story out of you." "Us?" Zaktrak asked, incredulously. "But, uh, uh, we're not very important." "I think what Zaktrak means is, we don't get into the kind of obnoxious and dangerous shenanigans that the Six get up to." Peg grumbled. "That's quite alright," Coral said, "I think I've heard enough of tales of high adventure. But I'd love to hear a story of you. What stories have you been a part of?"
Peg and Zaktrak were quiet for a bit. "Y'know, ah, I think I've got one." Zaktrak looked quite pleased with himself. "Do you remember back when Red House Market first sprang up? Over in Canopy Row? Well, I didn't head there much, I think I needed to get something notarized, and they had great oranges. But that whole thing with the Pala-din made me nervous, so I didn't go back, even when the Six needed a few books from the bookstore there. But, uh, it's actually that bookstore that my stories' about? There was this little furry guy who I think ran the place? It was kinda hard to tell because he would just hide behind these big piles of books, but I got a coupon for the bookstore so I thought I would check it out. I was looking around, but it was kind of hard to find anything specific, so I was just in this one corner of the store where I think the theme was engineering? I found this one book about Cobbin history that caught my eye, and the shopkeep came out and was talking to me all excitedly about it, he saw the coupon and gave it to me for free, and we went to the little bar they set up with the scary bartender there and he showed me all the parts that he thought were interesting. But then it started getting a little rowdy so I took the book up to the roof and just read a little up there and caught the sunset." Zaktrak stopped for a second. "And I think that's the first time in a long while I got to just see the sunset here."
"That's a sweet story," Coral said. One of the cats, the gleaming black one, had come by and was walking along the fence around the backyard. It hopped onto her lap. "I think the tea's almost ready, but Peg, could you share one as well?" Peg stared at the cat while flipping a leaf through her fingers, back and forth. "Yes, I've gotten one ready, I think. This one's from a ways back. Do you remember back when they were trying to expand into the woods? Before everything got bad, or worse, before Samothes died. I was down in those woods, when I saw a ghost. The Six were busy planning some other job, trying to put Stones-Love out of business or something, so I didn't have anything going on and I decided to follow it. Unfortunately, I got lost." Peg shrugged. "But I figured that's just the way it is with ghosts. Everyone else was steering clear of the woods, what with the Gardeners and Cabot fighting, so I didn't see anybody for a long, long time. I just got lost. I climbed up to the top eventually to take a look out and get my bearings, once I'd decided I wasn't likely to find that ghost anymore, and I saw the city, shining in the sun. I looked out over the water, too. But it was nice to just be in the woods for a little bit. Some birds came by. And when I went down, the Weaver King said hello and helped me get back."
"WHAT" shouted Zaktrak, "you met the Weaver King?" Peg shrugged again. "They're not so much a king as, well, they're just important." Coral laughed, and stroked the cat on her lap, which remained silent. "Was there any more to your story? Did Zaktrak interrupt anything?" she asked. "No, I think that's all," Peg replied, taking a bite out of a cookie. "I'd love some tea." Coral clapped her hands, "Of course, of course! Let me pour us all a cup." Coral served Zaktrak and Peg first, set a cup at the empty seat around the table, and then finally made herself a cup as well. She took a light sniff, and Peg and Zaktrak did the same. It smelled lightly of fruit and cinnamon. Just as all three were about to take a sip, there was a loud sound, like of a small explosion, then a crash and a thud, and Aubrey burst through the back door to the house.
"Sorry!" she cried out, "sorry I'm late, sorry sorry, uh, sorry about your door, I'm so sorry!" "Aubrey!" Peg yelled, "what are you doing here?" "Audrey, uh Aubrey! I mean!" Zaktrak said at the same time, "you missed the stories!" Aubrey picked herself up off the ground and dusted herself clean of the green powder and dirt she'd acquired. "Thanks for waiting. Sige really wanted me to come along to the party, but it got pretty rowdy, so Castille said I could come here? Is that alright?" Coral motioned to the remaining chair. "In fact, we've been expecting you! Please, take a seat." Aubrey sat down, eyeing the tea. "Is there anything magic in here?" She asked, squiting and trying to take in a whiff. "Only a little," Coral said. "I think you'll quite like it. Shall we?" She raised the cup to her lips once again, and everyone followed suit.
"Ah," sighed Coral, contentedly. "Mmm!" said Zaktrak, and "Ooh," whispered Peg. "ACK!" barked Aubrey, "I mean, Ah, apple! Delicious! How did you do that?" And the cat, you would swear, just smiled a delicate, porcelain smile.