A/N: And Tokidoki the unfortunate cabin boy appears again. Maybe he'll have better luck this time...
Chapter 3 - Kung Food: Enter The Lobster
"That hwas interesting," Louisa said vaguely.
Roberta swayed back and forth, supported by Theodora and Wilhelmina, one on each side. Her face was slightly green.
"Amazing how the claw just flew up and stuck into the ceiling," Wilhelmina commented.
"You didn't have to hit the poor thing so hard," Theodora muttered, trying to drag Roberta along and fix her hair at the same time.
"It wouldn't peel right," Wilhelmina grumbled sulkily.
"It was a LOBSTER," Theodora said, a bit horrified.
Roberta mumbled something.
"hWhat hwas that?" Louisa asked.
"Sounded like 'bloody Genuan cuisine' to me, Louisa," Theodora answered, daintily hiking her skirt up around her knees.
The bottle skittered on the edge of the glass. Tokidoki grabbed the glass almost before he was done pouring the drink and downed it in one gulp.
The drink was a highly alcoholic rice wine called, as far as anyone had managed to get out of anyone who had drunk it, "shakei". His father had been among the first to brew it, and he still had some forty year old bottles in the cupboard...
He was going to need them if he was going to put up with... THEM.
"Oh, my my, you do have some nice broad shoulders," Theodora purred in his ear, fanning him gently with a red and pink lace contraption.
Tokidoki let out a little scream and scrambled out of her reach, conveniently grabbing the shakei bottle as he went. "N-n-n-n-n-n-naniiiiiii?" he squealed, and then somehow managed to collect himself. He collected SOMEONE, at least. "How did you get in here? It's locked! There're signs!"
"I was bored," said someone's bustle, pretruding from his drinks cabinet, slyly labeled "Mops". "You have no idea where you can go with enough hairpins and a little experience."
"Besides," Theodora purred, sliding languidly to the floor, "Louisa is busy with Roberta and we have nothing to do."
"Roberta, meanwhile, has perfected the art of projectile vomiting," Wilhelmina said, back out of the cupboard. She held a small bottle of Shakei in one hand. She shook it experimentally and sniffed it. Her eyes lit up. "Do you have anything other than these little bitty cups?"
"Umumumumum," Tokidoki said eloquently.
"Never mind, I'll just drink it from the bottle," Wilhelmina said, setting to work on the cork. "Don't want to dirty one of your cute little handle-less teaparty cups."
"Those are thousand year old ceremonial Shakei glasses! They're priceless heirlooms!"
"Wow. Really? Blimey."
Theodora stroked Tokidoki's collar bone with her fan. "I like family men," she told him.
Tokidoki had a small private heart attack.
Chapter 3 - Kung Food: Enter The Lobster
"That hwas interesting," Louisa said vaguely.
Roberta swayed back and forth, supported by Theodora and Wilhelmina, one on each side. Her face was slightly green.
"Amazing how the claw just flew up and stuck into the ceiling," Wilhelmina commented.
"You didn't have to hit the poor thing so hard," Theodora muttered, trying to drag Roberta along and fix her hair at the same time.
"It wouldn't peel right," Wilhelmina grumbled sulkily.
"It was a LOBSTER," Theodora said, a bit horrified.
Roberta mumbled something.
"hWhat hwas that?" Louisa asked.
"Sounded like 'bloody Genuan cuisine' to me, Louisa," Theodora answered, daintily hiking her skirt up around her knees.
The bottle skittered on the edge of the glass. Tokidoki grabbed the glass almost before he was done pouring the drink and downed it in one gulp.
The drink was a highly alcoholic rice wine called, as far as anyone had managed to get out of anyone who had drunk it, "shakei". His father had been among the first to brew it, and he still had some forty year old bottles in the cupboard...
He was going to need them if he was going to put up with... THEM.
"Oh, my my, you do have some nice broad shoulders," Theodora purred in his ear, fanning him gently with a red and pink lace contraption.
Tokidoki let out a little scream and scrambled out of her reach, conveniently grabbing the shakei bottle as he went. "N-n-n-n-n-n-naniiiiiii?" he squealed, and then somehow managed to collect himself. He collected SOMEONE, at least. "How did you get in here? It's locked! There're signs!"
"I was bored," said someone's bustle, pretruding from his drinks cabinet, slyly labeled "Mops". "You have no idea where you can go with enough hairpins and a little experience."
"Besides," Theodora purred, sliding languidly to the floor, "Louisa is busy with Roberta and we have nothing to do."
"Roberta, meanwhile, has perfected the art of projectile vomiting," Wilhelmina said, back out of the cupboard. She held a small bottle of Shakei in one hand. She shook it experimentally and sniffed it. Her eyes lit up. "Do you have anything other than these little bitty cups?"
"Umumumumum," Tokidoki said eloquently.
"Never mind, I'll just drink it from the bottle," Wilhelmina said, setting to work on the cork. "Don't want to dirty one of your cute little handle-less teaparty cups."
"Those are thousand year old ceremonial Shakei glasses! They're priceless heirlooms!"
"Wow. Really? Blimey."
Theodora stroked Tokidoki's collar bone with her fan. "I like family men," she told him.
Tokidoki had a small private heart attack.