It had taken Lissa quite some time to realize that the third girl sitting at the tea table was indeed there and not just an illusion. After years of Maribelle insisting tea time was their special time and getting annoyed anytime Lissa wanted to invite anyone to join them anywhere, Maribelle had shocked her by announcing they would have a guest that afternoon.
Not that Lissa minded, of course. Olivia was a sweetheart, ever since she'd joined the troupe she'd wanted to get to know her a little better. But she was so shy that Lissa wasn't quite sure how to approach her without scaring her-and she was usually so good at approaching people, even the woman-fearing Lon'qu. Good thing Maribelle's the sort to take matters into her own hands no matter what anyone says. She looked over the rim of her teacup at the girl, who was holding a small cake in one hand and twisting her napkin with the other. Her body looked rigid, as if she was unsure how to sit in the straight-backed chairs.
"Um...thank you again, both of you, for-"
"Honestly, that's the fifth time!" Maribelle rolled her eyes. "Olivia, you must learn when enough is enough! To thank your hostess is well-mannered and polite, to thank her five times makes you seem nervous!"
"I am nervous," Olivia said, quite honestly. "You two are just...I-I'm so used to Khan Basilio, I-I've never taken tea with two noble ladies before!" She set the cake down with shaking hands and twisted her napkin harder. "I'm sorry, I-"
"Don't be nervous!" The words came out louder than she'd intended, Olivia gave a surprised squeak and Lissa instantly felt bad. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell." Maribelle sighed, stirring the depths of her tea with her spoon to cool it.
"Not you too, darling. I'm up to my ears in sorry and thank you this afternoon!" She smiled then, to show she wasn't truly angry. "Olivia, dear, I can understand why you're intimidated by me, but there is no reason for you to be afraid of Lissa! Why, she's the gentlest soul in all of Ylisse, she wouldn't hurt a fly!" Lissa fought back a blush, pretending to be especially interested in her own cup of tea.
"Aw, Maribelle...I-I'm not that gentle! You know what a handful I can be sometimes!" She giggled. "Remember the time I hid Chrom's practice sword? And stole his sweets? And yelled at Vaike for putting all that pepper in the potatoes?"
"Well, that's different! Playing tricks on your older brother is just natural," Maribelle said, "and Vaike deserved that tongue-lashing!"
"Oh, but nobody deserves to be yelled at..." Olivia nibbled at the cake in her hand. "Especially if they make a mistake."
"No, he did it on purpose," Lissa said. "Vaike needs to learn that just because he can handle all that pepper doesn't mean other people can."
"But that's neither here nor there! Why sour this lovely afternoon with talk of brutish men?" Maribelle smiled, taking a sip of her tea. "My point was, Olivia, that Lissa is nobody to fear."
"And neither is Maribelle," Lissa added. "Once you get past her harsh exterior she's very sweet. A total softie, even!" Maribelle blushed, but she was smiling as if she were on cloud nine. She always did whenever Lissa complimented her, even for the smallest things.
"Yes, well..." She glanced towards a blushing Olivia; Lissa and Maribelle's relationship wasn't exactly a secret among the army but Olivia was still the sort of person to blush over displays of affection nonetheless. "Perhaps we should discuss something more pleasant. Lissa, darling, this blend you've chosen is sublime! Isn't it, Olivia?"
"Er-yes, it's delicious! Vanilla with a hint of citrus, right? I-I can taste the citrus..." Olivia took a long sip and smiled. "Yes, orange!"
"Oh, thank you! I guess citrus has always been my favorite, but it's Maribelle who made me realize that," Lissa said. "And orange goes just so well with vanilla!"
"I-I'm afraid I don't know as much as you two about tea flavors..." Olivia poked at her mostly-uneaten cake with her fork. "Um, and these cakes...where did you ever find them?"
"Oh, Stahl made them," Lissa said. "I would've asked Gaius since he knows sweets better than anyone, but-"
"He would just want to keep the cakes for himself?" Olivia finished, then gasped. "Oh! Oh, that was rather mean of me, wasn't it..."
"No, dear, you speak the truth," Maribelle said with a laugh. "Stahl is far more generous about sharing. He was more than happy to bake these cakes specially for us." She took a bite and Lissa watched her chew, savor and swallow, looking like she was in heaven once again. Maribelle didn't make such a big deal over her food like some, but it was hard not to appreciate Stahl's cooking.
"Oh, he sounds very kind. I'm afraid I haven't gotten to know everybody just yet," Olivia said. "Everyone seems so busy and I don't want to be a bother..."
"Nonsense! No friend of mine is ever a bother, and you need to make sure they know this!" Maribelle said. "This evening you will introduce yourself to everyone you haven't spoken with yet, at the dinner table!"
"O-oh, but I-"
"And no stuttering," Maribelle insisted. "They're not all as gentle as Lissa is, but they're hardly monsters. They'll have far more respect for you if you're bold."
"Maybe just a few at a time?" Lissa suggested; she knew Maribelle meant well but she didn't want Olivia to be overwhelmed. "Start with Stahl and Sumia first, and Kellam. Well, if you can find Kellam, he tends to hide." Maribelle looked about to protest for a split second before nodding slowly.
"Er, yes. My darling is very knowledgable about these things," she said. "A few people it is, then, and you've picked some good ones to start with. Sumia is clumsy and silly but has a very good heart, and Stahl is a bit of a doormat but hard to offend. I'd suggest waiting a bit on those like Sully and Miriel, though, as Sully is very unrefined and Miriel is likely to talk your ear off. And of course, we've discussed Vaike rather briefly, and..." Maribelle prattled on, discussing the virtues and shortcomings of each army member as Olivia struggled to remember it and Lissa just watched.
Most people think Maribelle is difficult, but that's only her cover. She's not easy to get close to, but once you do you realize what a good person she really is. She always meant well despite her criticisms and complaints, and Olivia had been the second person after Lissa to really see it.
That was why Maribelle had let her in on their sacred tea time, Lissa realized.
"...so just do your best to keep that all in mind," Maribelle finished, then turned back to Lissa. "My apologies, darling, I didn't mean to go on that long. Don't think for a moment that I've forgotten you!" Lissa smiled and took a bite of cake onto her fork.
"It's okay. Just don't hog Olivia all to yourself," she teased. "I want to give her some advice, too...first and foremost, stay away from Chrom while he trains!" Olivia giggled a little.
"Oh, my...is there a reason for this?"
"I'll explain later," Lissa said. "For now, let's just enjoy our tea and not think about all the things Chrom's broken in the last month." That got another giggle from Olivia and a stifled snort from Maribelle; Olivia's body had relaxed somewhat and she was smiling for real now.
It would take more than one afternoon to fully coax her from her shell, but Lissa felt like they were already halfway there.