Pekoe and the Tea Party

Ruhuna, the driver of Darjeeling's Churchill tank, was a superb tank driver, capable of getting the Churchill to achieve speeds and perform feats that would have given its designers a heart attack. She was also a quiet, mousy first-year who was far too much in awe of her seniors to even think of socialising with them outside senshadou practice. Even gentle Pekoe had never been able to persuade her to attend one of Darjeeling's afternoon tea sessions, and it didn't look like her current attempt would be the one to break the trend.

"Ruhuna-san, are you sure you don't want to come to tea today? Darjeeling-sama specifically asked if you were coming, you know?"

Ruhuna's green eyes opened wide, and her brown ponytail whipped from side to side as she frantically shook her head. "Tea with Darjeeling-sama, Assam-sama and all the other seniors?! No, I couldn't possibly go! I'll spill something on myself, or use the wrong fork, or say something completely inappropriate, or — "

Pekoe resisted the urge to sigh as Ruhuna teetered on the edge of hyperventilating. She could still remember how she had felt when she had felt when she first came to St. Gloriana's, after all. It took a while for most people to get used to the standards expected of a member of the Tea Garden and the senshadou team.

"Ruhuna-san, you're our crewmate. We just want to get to know you better and enjoy your company. Also, you're not the only first-year invited, you know."

Ruhuna bowed so deeply, Pekoe could see the back of her head. "Orange Pekoe-san! I'm really sorry, but I really can't come!"

This time, Pekoe really did let out a sigh.

That afternoon's teatime, hosted by Assam, was a particularly lively one. Assam herself was in fine fettle, with one joke following another almost non-stop. Rosehip had been reduced to incoherent guffaws halfway through, and Darjeeling was looking terribly amused. The rest of the guests had simply kept a somewhat fixed smile on their faces the entire time, though the first-years hadn't been completely successful at hiding their bewilderment.

"Pencil! Oh, that joke never gets old, Assam," Darjeeling exclaimed as she gently dabbed away a few tears with her handkerchief. "I still think the one about the bear was your best one yet, though."

Assam preened at the praise, even as Rosehip continued shaking with laughter, teacup waving from side to side. Darjeeling smiled, leaning back slightly and looking around the room. Jasmine was doing her best to avoid the drops of tea sloshing out of Rosehip's cup, even as she gave the still-giggling Rosehip the best glare she could muster. Across the room, Rukuriri was engaged in an animated conversation with Cranberry and Vanilla. It probably involved cakes, if the gestures in the direction of the Battenberg and the poppy-seed cake on the table were any indication. Peppermint, Rooibos, and Oolong, the first-years crewing Rukuriri's tank, seemed content to simply listen in on the conversation of their seniors, while Orange Pekoe was chatting quietly with Nilgiri. As she mentally tallied the number of people in the room, Darjeeling's forehead creased slightly. It appeared that she would have to give Pekoe her first task a little sooner than she had thought.

"Pekoe? Would you mind coming over here for a little while?" Darjeeling called.

Making her apologies to Nilgiri, Pekoe rose and made her way over to where Darjeeling was seated.

"Pekoe, didn't you invite Ruhuna for tea today?" Darjeeling asked quietly. Only Assam would be able to hear her conversation with Pekoe from here, especially if she kept her voice low.

Pekoe turned a rueful expression on her commander.

"Darjeeling-sama, Ruhuna-san still won't come for tea. I tried asking her, but she refused. She seemed to be rather nervous at the thought of attending, so I let her be."

Darjeeling nodded, picking up her cup.

"Let me tell you a proverb. 'You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink'."

She took a long sip of her steaming tea before continuing.

"On the other hand, it is also said: 'There is nothing impossible to one who would try'. This state of affairs cannot continue. If we are to function as an effective unit, especially in combat, Ruhuna must come to grow more comfortable with us. Pekoe, I want you to persuade Ruhuna to not just attend these gatherings, but to host one. It will be excellent training for her confidence. I leave the details up to you, of course."

Pekoe nodded slowly, face troubled but resolute. "Of course, Darjeeling-sama."

The tea party broke up soon afterwards, with everyone going their respective ways, mellow and full of good tea and cake. Pekoe was about to leave with the rest, but noticed that Darjeeling had not yet moved from her place.

"Darjeeling-sama, aren't you leaving? It's getting a bit late."

Darjeeling smiled, waving Pekoe on. "Go ahead, Pekoe. I will be staying behind to help Assam with the washing up."

Pekoe turned around, clearly intending to stay. "In that case, let me help too."

"Nonsense, Pekoe. I insist you leave it to us. This sort of thing helps with keeping one grounded. After all, is it not said that 'Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues'?"

Pekoe gave Darjeeling a wan smile. "That's from Confucius, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is, Pekoe. Now, you really should be heading off now. Don't you have an examination tomorrow to study for?"

Pekoe winced at that. "All right, Darjeeling-sama, if you insist. I'll see you at the next practice then. Take care."

As Pekoe left, Darjeeling rose, gathering the cups and other utensils from the table and carrying them over to the little pantry next to the sitting room, where Assam had already begun the process of cleaning up. As Darjeeling set them down by the sink, Assam turned towards her friend.

"So, is that her first task? Didn't seem very subtle to me, if you're still planning to go through with this crazy idea of testing Pekoe without her realising what you're doing."

Darjeeling picked up a freshly-rinsed teacup, wiping it dry before placing it aside for later storage.

"I'm hurt, Assam. Do you really think so little of my ability to dissemble?" Darjeeling sounded offended, but the slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth betrayed her true feelings.

Assam snorted, grabbing the next plate and scrubbing it fiercely. "I wouldn't dare, Darjeeling-sama, but someone's got to be the voice of sanity when Pekoe isn't around." Her tone softened as she continued. "Just let me know if you need me to help with anything. I have a feeling you'll need it soon."

"For now, just keep an eye on Pekoe for me, would you? That's all I'm asking."

"I would have done that anyway, Darjeeling. Don't worry."

A comfortable silence fell for a while, as both girls continued washing and drying.

"Thank you, Assam. For everything." Darjeeling's voice was quiet, but heartfelt.

Assam coloured slightly. "It's nothing. What are friends for, after all?"

Darjeeling chuckled a little. "Do you know this saying? 'Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods'."

"How on earth does Pekoe manage to put up with you and your quotes? In fact, how on earth do I manage to put up with you and your quotes?"

"It's from Aristotle, by the way. Pekoe would have known that."

"Oh, put a sock in it, Darjeeling!"

Pekoe had started out by asking the other first years in the senshadou team about Ruhuna. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to give her much help.

"Ruhuna-san? We don't really know that much about her, Pekoe-san. She mostly keeps to herself. Isn't that right, Peppermint?" Oolong, loader of Rukuriri's Matilda II, was a blunt, no-nonsense girl who kept her black hair in a pageboy cut. She was currently giving Pekoe a puzzled look, as if she wasn't quite sure why she was even being asked the question.

Peppermint nodded her assent. The cheery brunette served as the gunner in the same tank as Oolong. The two of them were as different as chalk and cheese, but they seemed to have formed an unlikely friendship, and were rarely to be seen apart.

"She's a nice girl, as far as I know, but she's very quiet in class, and she almost never spends any time with us. I would have thought you'd know more about her than us, Pekoe-san, since she's the driver of the Churchill and all," Peppermint added.

Pekoe frowned a little. Apparently even the other first-years weren't all that close to her. Oh well, she'd just have to go direct to the source then.

"Is that so? Do you at least know which class she is in?"

Oolong brightened up a little. "Oh, she's in our class. Class 1-1, of the General Studies program."

Pekoe smiled, bowing slightly to the two of them. "Thank you, Oolong-san. You've been very helpful."

As Pekoe walked away, Peppermint nudged her friend. "Why'd you think Pekoe-san wants to know about Ruhuna-san?"

"Who knows? Besides, it's really none of our business. I'm sure Pekoe-san knows what she's doing."

Peppermint looked a little disappointed. "We should keep our ears open though. I'm positive that something interesting is going on."

Oolong groaned. "Yes, Peppermint, we all know you think that the Noble Sisters are doing something real hush-hush. No, I don't think it has anything to do with their love lives, or their supposed plans to buy a Tortoise tank, or that they're even plotting anything at all!"

Peppermint crossed her arms and pouted. "Just you wait, you skeptic. You'll see. And when the time comes, you'll be sorry you didn't listen to the great Peppermint-sama."

"Fat chance! Now come on, class is gonna start soon!"

Ruhuna had been avoiding Pekoe, forewarned by some sixth sense, but her luck ran out a few days after the tea party. She was leaving English class, so engrossed in figuring out why she had scored so badly in the oral test (Why wasn't 'entrepreneur' pronounced the way it was spelt?!) that she completely missed Orange Pekoe waiting patiently beside the door. At least, until she nearly collided with her.

"Wha — Pekoe-san! What are you doing here?" Ruhuna began glancing about wildly for an escape route, but the corridor was too crowded with students to allow for a clean getaway.

"I came to see you, actually. Would you please come with me, Ruhuna-san? I just want to talk for a little while." Pekoe's smile would have melted a heart of stone, and Ruhuna was completely unable to say no to her.

"A-all right, Pekoe-san. I have a free period after this anyway."

As they left, a few curious eyes followed them.

"Say, Oolong, wasn't that Pekoe-san with Ruhuna-san just now?"

Oolong looked over at Peppermint, and immediately paled when she saw her friend's eager expression.

"Peppermint, whatever it is you're planning to do, it's a bad idea and you shouldn't do it. Peppermint? Peppermint! Get back here right now! PEPPERMINT!"

Orange Pekoe and Ruhuna made their way over to an empty room, Ruhuna noticeably nervous. Once they were inside, with the door securely closed, Pekoe turned to her tank's driver.

"Ruhuna-san, might I ask if you could do me a favour?"

"Ehhh! Me? W-what is it, Pekoe-san?"

"The next tea party for the team is in a week's time, and we would appreciate it very much if you could act as the hostess for the upcoming gathering. I know it's a bit sudden, but Darjeeling-sama thinks it would be good training for you, and I agree with — Ruhuna-san, are you alright? Would you like to sit down?"

Ruhuna collapsed into the chair behind her, face blank with terror. A moment later, she found her voice.

"Pekoe-san! No, no, no, no, no! I couldn't possibly do it!"

"Ruhuna-san, I think you're perfectly capable of acting as a fine hostess. We've seen you in battle, and you've been nothing but exemplary there. Why are you so uncomfortable with interacting with us outside of senshadou? Darjeeling-sama is worried about you, you know." The open window rattled a little, probably from a stray gust of wind. Pekoe frowned at the noise.

Ruhuna was looking more and more frantic as the conversation progressed. "Ahh, umm, Pekoe-san? D-do we really have to discuss this?"

"I'm afraid we do, Ruhuna-san," Pekoe said, keeping a serious expression on her face.

Ruhuna tried to avoid Pekoe's gaze, fidgeting more and more as the seconds crawled by. Eventually, the silence became too much for the first year to handle.

"I-It's just, umm — I've always found it hard t-to talk to other people! Trying to interact with other people scares me, especially people like D-Darjeeling-sama. She's just so... so perfect!"

Now that Ruhuna had started, it was as though she couldn't stop herself. "It's the same with Assam-sama and the other members of the team as well! They all seem so, so calm, so elegant, all the time! Well, except Rosehip-san, but she's so confident and full of life! If they all knew what kind of a person I was, they'd never want to associate with me. I'm plain and clumsy, I can't make witty conversation, and I can't behave like a proper lady! They'd throw me out of the Tea Garden if they realised all this!" She buried her face in her hands, shaking a little.

Pekoe was feeling a little stunned. She had expected to be dealing with a nervous Ruhuna, not one undergoing a full-blown meltdown. "But what about when you're driving? You never seemed to be this uncomfortable with us at those times."

"It's different then! Driving a tank is the only time I've ever felt confident!" Ruhuna's voice was wavering, but she still continued. "Even in elementary and middle school, it always came easily to me. Tanks don't j-judge or make nasty remarks about you, after all. When I was accepted to the senshadou team and started driving for Darjeeling-sama, I felt so honoured! The commander herself, wanting me to drive her tank! I couldn't possibly let her down, so I redoubled my efforts at practice. A-and then she actually invited me to her tea parties! I couldn't bear to attend and embarrass myself the way I knew I would! Darjeeling-sama would never let me in her tank again! How could I ever think I could host a tea party?"

The first-year stopped there, panting a little after her outburst. She looked a little stunned at just how much she had said, Pekoe thought. The poor girl must have been holding all this in for weeks, if not months.

"I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me all this, Ruhuna-san. Let me assure you that no one will be throwing you out of the Tea Garden or the senshadou team, so please don't fret."

Ruhuna's lip was quivering. "Pekoe-san? A-are you sure?"

"I most certainly am. You're a part of the team, and we're glad to have you on it. I might just be a first-year as well, but I can assure you that Darjeeling-sama would never do anything like that. Now, would you like me to help you with the tea party? If you're worried about organising it or being the hostess, I'll personally teach you everything you need to know, so you don't need to worry yourself about that. I'm not sure what happened back in your previous schools, but if anyone tries something rotten like that in St. Gloriana's, none of us will stand for it."

"Y-you'd do that? For me?"

"Of course, Ruhuna-san. We're friends, aren't we?"

Ruhuna's breath caught in her throat, before she began sniffing, then outright sobbing. The first-year looked at Orange Pekoe through teary eyes, babbling out her thanks.

Pekoe fished out a handkerchief and handed it to Ruhuna. Once she had blown her nose, Pekoe gently took the first-year's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Now, off you go, Ruhuna-san. Go and wash your face, then come meet me when you're feeling better."

Still sniffling, Ruhuna slipped out the door, but not before giving Pekoe a grateful smile. Once the door shut once more, Pekoe let out a sigh. She hadn't realised that Ruhuna had been feeling so insecure. What would Darjeeling-sama do in a case like this? Probably recite some obscure proverb and leave everyone baffled, then cook up some ridiculous plan that would somehow manage to give Ruhuna enough confidence to make a Saunders girl seem insecure. Oh well; she was no Darjeeling-sama, but she would do her best anyway. But first...

Pekoe coughed, and lifted her voice slightly. "I know you two can hear me. Please come in now, and shut the window before that."

The window immediately slammed shut. After a short while, the door creaked open again, and two guilty-looking first-years slunk in, eyes firmly fixed on the floor.

"How'd you know, Pekoe-san?" Peppermint muttered. Next to her, Oolong just groaned in dismay.

"It wasn't that hard to spot you two at the window, you know. It's also a little counter-productive to make so much noise when trying to eavesdrop." Pekoe placed her hands on her hips, fixing the two of them with her best stern look. "Peppermint-san, Oolong-san, I'm disappointed in you."

The two first-years shifted uneasily. Even if it was a fellow first-year reprimanding them, Pekoe was still Darjeeling's loader, a position of some influence in the team, and both Peppermint and Oolong knew they were in the wrong here.

"We're sorry, Pekoe-san. We let our curiosity get the better of us. We won't tell a soul, I swear." Peppermint sounded contrite, at any rate.

"I should hope so! Anyway, I'm enlisting the two of you as helpers in training Ruhuna-san. I expect to see both of you here during your afternoon break for the next few weeks. That should remind you not to listen outside windows." Pekoe was rarely so forceful, but she was feeling rather indignant at the moment. Ruhuna's struggles had touched a chord with her, and having people eavesdrop on such a private moment felt very wrong.

Oolong attempted to stifle another groan, though she didn't do a very good job.

Pekoe raised an eyebrow. "What was that, Oolong-san? Would you prefer me to take it up with Darjeeling-sama instead?"

"Ah, uh, nothing, Pekoe-san. Can we go now?"

Pekoe nodded, and the two first-years fled the room. Sighing, Pekoe soon followed. She had a lot of planning to do.

Ruhuna was kept very busy over the next few weeks. Orange Pekoe was gentle, but relentless in her training. How to pour tea elegantly, how to make polite conversation, the proper way to invite guests — Ruhuna would master how to do all this and more under Pekoe's able guidance, assisted by Oolong and Peppermint.

Well, that had been the plan, at least. Ruhuna was a quick learner, but her constant second-guessing of her own actions did her no favours. Pekoe had to constantly remind her that yes, it was fine to make mistakes while learning, and that she wasn't about to give up on her so soon.

Today, she was attempting to teach Ruhuna how to properly make small talk, all while pouring tea for others. Unfortunately, Ruhuna's nerves meant that she couldn't manage both at the same time, either pouring the tea in total silence while staring at the teapot, or babbling away and letting the teacup overflow. Pekoe wasn't quite as obsessed with tea as Darjeeling, but she still had to consciously refrain from wincing after the fifth time in a row Ruhuna had let the tea spill.

"No, no, Ruhuna-san. You need to focus a bit more on the cup when you're pouring. Now, let's try it again."

Ruhuna hung her head as she mopped up the spilled tea. "I'm just not cut out for this, Pekoe-san!"

"Nonsense," Pekoe said firmly. "I have full confidence in you, Ruhuna-san."

"If you say so, Pekoe-san," Ruhuna mumbled.

Off to the side, Oolong and Peppermint exchanged a look, moving slightly away from Pekoe and Ruhuna so they could speak unheard.

"You know, Oolong, I really do feel bad for Ruhuna-san now. Yes, I know we've never actually done anything to her, but we did leave her completely to herself all this while. I don't think she has a single friend in class. If it wasn't for senshadou, I don't think I'd even have spoken to her. And now that we've been spending a bit more time with her, she really is a sweet girl, isn't she? It's a shame she's so shy and nervous."

Oolong tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I agree, but what can we do about it? We're already helping Pekoe-san to train her in etiquette, and it's not exactly been a raging success."

Peppermint's eyes were gleaming. "Don't worry, Oolong! I have an idea."

"Your last 'idea' didn't work out too well, you know," Oolong pointed out in a long-suffering voice.

"It'll be fine, Oolong! Stop being such a wet blanket. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?"

Ruhuna sighed as she trudged back to her dorm room, after yet another unproductive training session with Orange Pekoe. She honestly didn't know how Pekoe-san was able to stand it, trying to teach a dunce like herself how to be elegant and cultured. It was like trying to get a Maus to cross a wooden bridge without breaking it — all but doomed to failure.

Maybe she should just quit the team. It would be better than being thrown out once everyone realised how inept she was at everything except driving a tank. Oh sure, Pekoe-san had promised otherwise, but she was only one person. No matter how close she was to Darjeeling-sama, Pekoe-san couldn't go against the rest of the team and the Tea Garden by herself, not to mention the school alumni. Ruhuna might have been a first-year, but even she knew how much St. Gloriana's prized its traditions, and she was pretty sure that the way she was bringing shame upon the school broke at least three-quarters of them.

Yes, quitting was the best option she had. She could quietly tell Pekoe-san about it tomorrow, and then she wouldn't have to worry about any of this ever again. She could go back to a quiet, obscure life, and not have to deal with all this attention and expectations. She'd never have to see the...tanks...again...?

Ruhuna paused as the implications of quitting the team sank in. True, she would be free of any expectations, but she'd never again get to sit in the driver's seat of her beloved Churchill again. She'd never again listen to the rumble of the engine as it started, more soothing than a kitten's purr. She'd never again hear the grind of the gears, or feel the gentle shudder of the tank as she eased the Churchill into a turn. Ruhuna had driven other tanks before, but the Churchill...something about it just spoke to her. It was silly, considering she had only been driving it for less than four months, but she already felt as if she couldn't give it up.

With a start, Ruhuna also realised that she'd even miss her other crewmembers, intimidated as she was by them. Darjeeling-sama, the epitome of what it meant to be a St. Gloriana's girl, and the person whom Ruhuna, in her heart of hearts, wanted to be like. Assam-sama's quiet but steady presence, calming in its own way. And Pekoe-san, of course. Ruhuna couldn't remember the last time someone had taken so much trouble over her worthless self. She couldn't possibly disappoint Pekoe-san by quitting. Then again, wasn't she disappointing Pekoe-san and the others now? Argh, why was life so difficult?!

Ruhuna's muddled thoughts came to a halt as she caught sight of something unexpected. Wasn't that the tank hangar? How had she ended up here?! The dorms were in the opposite direction! Had she really been that distracted?

Looking at the hangar and the adjacent practice grounds, Ruhuna felt a wave of mixed emotions run through her. She had put the Churchill through its paces there for the first time, under the watchful eye of Darjeeling-sama. She had been so happy when Darjeeling-sama smiled and nodded at her after she got out, telling Pekoe-san that she, Ruhuna, looked like she would be a fine driver for their tank. Senshadou had not been very popular in her middle school, and there certainly hadn't been anyone who actually praised her for showing any skill in it.

She moved towards the hangar, half lost in memory. If she was going to quit, she wanted to see the Churchill one last time and say goodbye to it. It was no less than it deserved.

As Ruhuna arrived at the door, she realised that she could actually hear what sounded like voices from within the hangar. Was it just her imagination? There wasn't supposed to be anyone in there right now, especially since practice wasn't scheduled till tomorrow, and maintenance had been finished yesterday.

She carefully pushed open the door, wincing as the hinges squealed in protest. It apparently had been a while since they were oiled. Finally, the entrance yawned open, revealing the dark, cavernous hangar. St. Gloriana's senshadou team didn't exactly lack for funding, and the hangar easily held all of the school's tanks and assorted support vehicles with room to spare.

Ruhuna's ears pricked up. Those sounds she had heard were definitely voices. So there was someone, no, several someones inside the hangar. From the sounds of it, they were arguing, though it was impossible to tell just what they were arguing about. Ruhuna bit her lip, unsure as to what to do now. She really should see what was going on, but it sounded like they were really angry! She didn't want to get involved in something which got people that worked up. Even as she dithered, snatches of conversation drifted over, interspersed with clanging and banging.

"Hurry up, you slowpoke!"

"I'm hurrying as much as I can! You try poking around the guts of a tank without light while trying to stay quiet! See how long it takes you!"

"Well, if it takes you any longer, someone's gonna come in and find their precious tanks in pieces, and that's not going to end well for us!"

That clinched it. It sounded like they were doing something to the tanks! Even if she was a failure of a St. Gloriana's student, she couldn't just stand by and let them sabotage the tanks. Trying her best to look intimidating, Ruhuna marched forward into the hangar, flicking on the lights as she did so.

"H-hey! W-who's there? This facility is for use of the se-senshadou team only!"

The apparent intruders immediately fell silent, or at least quiet enough that Ruhuna couldn't hear them any longer. Nevertheless, she steeled herself and headed towards the section of the hangar the sounds had been coming from, which happened to be the section where the Crusaders were parked.

When she got there, she immediately noticed that a couple of Crusaders had been tampered with. Their hatches were open, and one had its engine exposed. Various parts and tools were scattered around as well. A nearby side door was left half-open as well. The intruders must have fled through there when they heard her coming.

Ruhuna inspected the tanks with growing dread, which was soon replaced by relief when she realised that no serious damage appeared to have been done. Apparently she had come just in the nick of time. Nearly sagging in relief, she pulled the side door shut and locked it carefully. She had better inform Darjeeling-sama about this right quick. While nothing had happened this time, security for the hangar needed to be tightened to prevent any repeats. In a way, Ruhuna was glad this had happened. At least her last act as a member of the senshadou team would be something that helped the team.

As Ruhuna's footsteps faded away, Oolong and Peppermint, hiding inside another Crusader shared a silent grin. It had been a bit of a scramble to get to the hangar when they had seen Ruhuna heading there. They'd been lucky that they had managed to get ahead of her, and even luckier when Ruhuna had actually decided to enter the hangar upon hearing voices from inside. That said, the plan seemed to be working perfectly so far, even if it was ahead of schedule. Anyone should get a major boost to their confidence after chasing off dastardly saboteurs, right?

Now if all went properly, Ruhuna should go and report the incident to Darjeeling-sama, then Darjeeling-sama would praise her, raising her confidence even more! With her confidence boosted, Ruhuna would then be able to absorb Pekoe's lessons, and then successfully host the tea party. It was a masterpiece of a plan, even if Peppermint was too modest to say so herself. In her opinion, the best part had been that staged argument. It had been a little tricky changing their voices to prevent Ruhuna from recognising them, but obviously all that time in her middle school's drama club had paid off. That voice changer gadget Oolong had scrounged up had helped too, of course.

The sound of the main doors slamming shut echoed through the hangar. Oolong took that as her cue to scramble out of the Crusader and hop to the ground.

"Peppermint, let's get out of here. I doubt anyone's coming, but best that we make ourselves scarce quickly. You've got the key to the side door, right?"

Peppermint nodded as she emerged from the hatch.

"Yeah, I've got it right here, see — whoops!"

Oolong stifled a groan, face clearly betraying her exasperation.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Peppermint! What on earth possessed you to drop the key into the tank?! Where's it gone now?"

"Don't worry, it's here somewhere! Give me a sec, I'll find it."

On that reassuring note, Peppermint disappeared back into the Crusader. Oolong simply let out a long-suffering sigh.

After a couple of minutes had passed without Peppermint's reappearance, Oolong climbed back up onto the tank, poking her head into the Crusader.

"Peppermint! Have you found it yet?"

"I see it, but it's wedged in really deep! It's practically rolled into the driver's compartment! Hold on, I've nearly got it...ow! Stupid sticking out button! Why'd they put it at head level? Anyway, I've gotten it, Oolong!

"Good, now let's — Peppermint, why has the tank's engine just turned on?"

Before Peppermint could respond, the Crusader lurched forward suddenly. Caught completely off guard, Oolong overbalanced and toppled into the tank, right onto Peppermint.

"Oww! Get off me, Oolong, you oaf! I think I've sprained my ankle! You're going to have to help me get out!"

With no response, Peppermint squirmed about till she could see Oolong, who was...sleeping? Her eyes were closed, at least.

"Hey, now's not the time to play dead! Can you hear me, Oolong? Oolong? Oolong?! Are you alright? Wake up!"

Peppermint was starting to panic. Oolong appeared to be out cold. Did she hit her head on something? At least she was still breathing, though. Peppermint wriggled out from under Oolong's unconscious body as best as she could, cursing several times as she hit multiple awkward corners and protruding parts. Finally, she managed to extricate most of herself, though with plenty of bruises to show for it. Her ankle was starting to throb painfully and swell, but Peppermint thought she could probably get out of the tank — if she was very careful about it — in order to get someone to help the two of them.

...Wait, was the tank moving?

Ruhuna was walking away from the hangar, mind churning with the implications of what she had discovered. She'd have to go to Darjeeling-sama immediately, sabotage was no minor matter! But wait; Darjeeling-sama was probably terribly busy and wouldn't have the time to see her. Plus, she had absolutely no idea where to find Darjeeling-sama in the first place. What should she do, what should she do?!

Wait! Pekoe-san! Didn't she mention something about heading to the common room after she was done with Ruhuna's training? Yes, surely Pekoe-san would know what to do.

With her mind made up, Ruhuna turned towards the Tea Garden building, a short distance away. She had only made it halfway there before one of the walls of the tank hangar exploded and the Crusader shot out at full speed onto the adjacent practice ground.

Rooibos, the driver of Rukuriri's Matilda II, had been having a wonderful time at the newest cafe to open aboard the ship. True, it might have been a bit of a walk from the school, but their eclairs and scones were exquisite, and she couldn't find the words to describe the wonder that was the shop's chocolate parfait. She was savouring the last spoonful of bliss-inducing chocolate and wondering if she had room for just one more plate of eclairs, when her phone began buzzing.

Glancing at the caller ID, Rooibos smothered a momentary flash of irritation before answering. If this was yet another attempt by Peppermint to get her involved in some crackpot spy scheme, she was going to make the girl regret it. Who did she think she was, James Bond? Honestly, Oolong let that girl get away with far too much.

"Hello?"

"Rooibos? Help! I've sprained my ankle and Oolong isn't waking up and we're stuck inside the Crusader and it's running by itself and it won't stop!"

"Peppermint? Is that you?! What's happening?"

"We're stuck inside a Crusader that's running wild! Just get help! I think the tank is on Practice Ground One, I'm not too sure!"

"Just hang on, Peppermint, help's on the way!"

Rooibos ended the call and began dialing Darjeeling's number, only to get no response. She tried Assam's number instead, with the same result. Next, she called Pekoe, who answered on the third ring.

"Pekoe-san? Is that you?"

"Yes, speaking. Is something the matter, Rooibos-san?"

"Oh, thank goodness you picked up the call, Pekoe-san! There's an uncontrolled tank running wild on Practice Ground One, and Peppermint and Oolong are trapped inside, apparently. I've tried contacting Darjeeling-sama and Assam-sama already, but they didn't respond. What should I do?!"

"Where are you now?"

"About 20 minutes from the school, 15 if I hurry."

"In that case, get back as quickly as you can, and try and find and notify Darjeeling-sama. I'm in the Tea Garden building, so I'll make my way down to assess the situation before we do anything else."

"Y-yes, Pekoe-san!"

Rooibos ended the call and sprang up from the table, pausing only to throw a couple thousand yen down before breaking for the door. It looked like it was going to be one of those days.

Down at Practice Ground One, Pekoe had joined a rapidly growing crowd of girls who were gawking at the Crusader tearing around in zig-zags.

"That's the experimental Crusader! The one we were tinkering with!"

Rosehip's voice was unmistakable, even over the din. Suppressing a sigh, Pekoe shoved her way through the crowd as the hubbub grew louder. Eventually, she reached Rosehip, who was standing a little way off from most of the crowd with her fellow Crusader commanders, Vanilla and Cranberry. Her expression was an interesting mix of envy, excitement, and horror as she watched the Crusader zoom about.

"Define 'tinkering', Rosehip-san." Pekoe's tone was as soft and polite as ever. It could also have frozen boiling water.

Upon seeing Pekoe, Rosehip let out a squawk, then turned as red as her hair.

"Umm...we...we...wemighthavetakenoutthelimitersandthebrakes!"

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard. I could have sworn you said you took out both the limiters and the brakes."

"...we did."

"And just why, pray tell, were the brakes removed?"

"It was only supposed to be temporary! We were going to put in a new set that could actually stand up to the new top speed! We didn't actually think anyone was going to go inside before we were done!"

Pekoe took a deep breath and counted to ten before she trusted herself to speak again.

"Be that as it may be, how did the engine even get started? It shouldn't have been possible."

"Welllll...we might also have been tinkering about with a new quick-start system for the engine?"

Pekoe simply dropped her face into her hands, as the crowd of students continued to grow larger and louder.

"The tank! It's gonna hit something!"

"Is that smoke?! The engine's gonna blow, isn't it?"

"What do we do, what do we do?"

"Where's Darjeeling-sama?"

"Aren't the recovery vehicles all undergoing maintenance this week?!"

"What if the tank comes over here and runs us all over?!"

That last one got the crowd particularly nervous, and the girls in the front started trying to move backwards, but the number of people had grown too large to make that easy. The crowd was getting more than a little panicky, and Pekoe knew she had to nip it in the bud before anything happened.

"Calm down, everyone, calm down! We are St. Gloriana's girls, and we will act like it, instead of behaving like the sky is about to fall down!" Pekoe's shout could barely be heard above the noise of the crowd, but the hubbub did began to diminish and the crush eased slightly.

"— Or like an Anzio student who just learned that dinner was cancelled," Cranberry added sotto voce to her companions.

Vanilla snickered at that, while Rosehip broke into a full-out laugh before subsiding sheepishly at Pekoe's glare.

"Not the time, Cranberry-san!" Pekoe hissed as her thoughts whirled. This wasn't looking too good. Darjeeling-sama and Assam-sama were probably having classes, and she was apparently the most senior member of the senshadou team around. Well, Well, maybe not the most senior, but the most responsible one, at least. Something had to be done, but what?

Ruhuna huddled miserably in the middle of the crowd, half wondering if she should try and slip away quietly. She could have done it earlier, before anyone else had shown up, but nooo, she just had to stand around and stare like an idiot at the Crusader tearing up the training field! It was too late now; the crowd had swelled immensely, and trying to push her way out would almost certainly take forever, as well as draw attention to her that she really didn't want.

Just then, the Crusader's engine went up in flames, accompanied by a loud bang which almost drowned out the shrieks from the crowd. The right track snapped as well, sending the tank into a violent swerve, directly into the large canal which bisected the practice ground. Thankfully, it hadn't rained for the past week, and the canal was dry. Unfortunately, this also meant that the engine fire was still burning. The carbon coating in the crew compartments would keep the two girls inside safe for now, but even it couldn't hold out forever.

Ruhuna glanced about, desperately hoping to see Darjeeling-sama or Assam-sama appear, hopefully followed by a miracle, but all she saw were girls looking worried, or ashen-faced and tense. Even Rosehip-san and her friends were looking serious for once, while Pekoe-san was biting her lip and glancing around, looking very troubled. Wait, had she seen her? She had! And now she was coming over! This was a disaster! Well, it already was one, but now, it was an even bigger one!

Pekoe's thoughts were racing frantically as she considered her options. The fire needed to be put out quickly so Peppermint and Oolong could be gotten out safely, but the sides of the canal were too steep for anyone to go down directly without risk of injury, and the maintenance stairs were too far away to be able to get there in time. The recovery vehicles could have gone down or winched out the tank, but they were all undergoing maintenance. She could try and get another tank down there, but it would end up trapped there as well. There didn't seem to be be any good options at the moment.

Pekoe glanced about, trying to take in the mood of the crowd and whether she'd have to evacuate the rest before trying to rescue the two girls, when her eye fell on a familiar face in the middle of the crowd. Wasn't that Ruhuna?

Wait.

Ruhuna was there. Ruhuna, the driver of the Churchill tank.

The Churchill. Of course! The Churchill should be able to handle a climb of even that angle, though it would be a tricky thing. Getting Ruhuna to help might be difficult though, judging by the look on her face. She was looking absolutely miserable, though Pekoe had no idea why that was so. Persuading her to help wouldn't be easy; but then again, nothing worth doing ever was. A quote from Roosevelt, if she wasn't mistaken? Pekoe sighed internally as she squeezed through the crowd. She'd been spending too much time with Darjeeling-sama.

Ruhuna was on the verge of panicking as Pekoe arrived. What did she want? Was she in trouble? It was a Crusader in the ditch, right? It must have been the fault of those saboteurs! Ruhuna had failed again! She had discovered them, but hadn't reported them in time. Why was she such a screw-up?!

"P-pekoe-san! Is there s-something you need?"

"Ruhuna-san, please come with me."

Without even waiting for an answer, Pekoe took hold of Ruhuna's hand, and firmly, but gently, pulled her away from the crowd. Ruhuna, surprisingly, put up no resistance at all. Once they were clear of the rest, Pekoe turned to her crewmate. Ruhuna winced, bracing herself internally.

"Ruhuna-san, I apologise, but I need your help. The only thing that could possibly rescue Peppermint-san and Oolong-san before something serious happens is the Churchill, and you're the best driver we have. Please, we need you."

Ruhuna let out a small "Eep", even as her hands flew to her mouth. What! It was Peppermint-san and Oolong-san in the tank?! How had that happened?

"Peppermint-san and Oolong-san...are in the Crusader? What? How? What's going on, Pekoe-san?"

Pekoe's face betrayed her frustration, even as one hand massaged her temple. "I'm afraid your guess is as good as mine, Ruhuna-san. Nonetheless, we can worry about that later. Please, can you help?"

Ruhuna stood there, paralyzed by doubt and indecision, but only for a moment. She hadn't been too close to them before, but she had been getting to know Peppermint and Oolong these past few weeks of training with Pekoe, and found to her surprise that she quite enjoyed spending time with them. These days, they always made sure to include her in their conversations in class, or invited her out for snacks after training. It had been...nice. The thought of something happening to them because she didn't do anything was unbearable.

Ruhuna clenched her fists, before looking directly at Pekoe. "I'll d-do it, Pekoe-san!"

Pekoe smiled, partly in relief and partly in joy. "Wonderful. Now come on, there's not much time to waste."

She turned to where the three Crusader commanders were trying not to eavesdrop too obviously. "Vanilla-san, Cranberry-san, I'll need the two of you to go with Ruhuna, as you know the Crusader's interior better than me, and bring a fire extinguisher. Rosehip-san, I need you to get the Humber ready, and be on standby to rush the girls to the hospital if necessary. Let's go!"

"But what about you, Pekoe-san? Won't you be coming with us?"

"Much as I would like to, I'm afraid I need to contact the school authorities. I believe Darjeeling-sama and Assam-sama are both at their classes at the moment, so the task falls to me instead."

Seeing Ruhuna's wavering face, Pekoe fixed her gaze on her.

"You can do it, Ruhuna-san. I believe in you. After all, I've been training you in elegance all these weeks, haven't I? Remember what Darjeeling-sama told us all at the start of the term."

Ruhuna still didn't quite get it, but Cranberry had already grabbed her and started hustling her towards the tank hangar. She followed Vanilla and Cranberry as quickly as she could, even while she mulled over Pekoe's words.

Elegance? What did elegance have to do with all this? She could drive a tank well enough, but now more was at stake than just the outcome of a match! How would all that etiquette and elegance training help her?

What exactly was Pekoe-san referring to anyway? Darjeeling-sama's speech at the start of the term? She wracked her memory, even as they entered the tank hangar, then suddenly it all came back in a flash.

"Now that you have been accepted into the senshadou team and the Tea Garden, always remember that elegance is at the heart of St. Gloriana's senshadou, and you are to continually strive towards that elegance at all times."

It had been the first time Ruhuna had seen Darjeeling since she had been accepted into the Tea Garden. As she spoke, her poise, confidence, and yes, elegance all made her seem the perfect exemplar of what a St. Gloriana's girl should be. At that moment, Ruhuna had wanted nothing more than to be like her. However, another first-year, with considerably more boldness and much less awe, had piped up as Darjeeling finished speaking.

"But Darjeeling-sama, what is elegance?"

Darjeeling had simply smiled. "Have you heard this saying? "Elegance is something more than ease; it is more than a freedom from awkwardness or restraint. It implies, I conceive, a precision, a polish, a sparkling, spirited yet delicate."

Behind her, Orange Pekoe added softly, "That's from the British writer, William Hazlitt."

"Huh?"

Darjeeling continued speaking. "Indeed, it is also said, 'Self-command is the main elegance' and I have always found that to be true. Elegance is the heart of senshadou, but senshadou is not only practiced in a tank. Constantly keep these things in mind, and you will always be elegant members of St. Gloriana's."

At the time, Ruhuna hadn't quite understood Darjeeling-sama (not that most people had, to tell the truth) and had simply let it slip by. But now, after all that time training with Pekoe-san, she thought she understood. To be able to control one's self, to do everything with poise and self-control — that was the true elegance that St. Gloriana's sought. Whether it was shown in senshadou, or in social events, or the rest of life was immaterial.

Even as she climbed into the driver's compartment of the Churchill and began going through the familiar motions of starting up the tank, Ruhuna's mind was miles away as she pondered Pekoe's and Darjeeling's words. Did that mean even she was elegant? She had just begun driving out of the hangar, still somewhat lost in thought, when she was jolted back to the present by the crackle of her intercom. It was Cranberry in the turret.

"Ruhuna-san, you're the one with the most experience with the Churchill here, so you're going to have to take the lead on this. Ruhuna-san? Are you there?"

"Ah, s-sorry about that. I was distracted. A-are you sure about this, Cranberry-san? You're more experienced, after all."

Cranberry snorted. "Yeah, but I've also never been in the Churchill before this. I have no idea of its capabilities, and neither does Vanilla. You, on the other hand, are the best driver Darjeeling-taichou has ever had. She never stops mentioning it whenever we have team meetings. So yes, I'm quite sure."

Ruhuna tried to hide a blush, even though she knew neither of the two girls in the turret could see her. "If you say so, Cranberry-san."

Well then. If Darjeeling-sama and Pekoe-san believed in her, then who was she to gainsay them? With a smile on her lips that she didn't realise was there, Ruhuna gunned the Churchill's engine and set a course for the stricken Crusader.

As they reached the canal, Ruhuna slowed the Churchill almost to a stop, before gently easing it over the edge of the canal. There was a large pipe sticking out at that spot, which should both break the drop on the way down, as well as serve as a ramp when the time came to go up.

"Cranberry-san, Vanilla-san, please brace yourselves. The Churchill is going down now."

"Noted, Ruhuna-san — Whoa!"

The shock of landing nearly jolted Ruhuna out of her seat. She used all her considerable skill to try and minimise the impact, but the suspension still let out a groan of protest. Slowly, she moved the Churchill off the drainpipe and onto the floor of the canal proper, before driving as close to the Crusader as she dared.

The intercom crackled again. "Ruhuna-san, Pekoe-san has contacted us to let us know that the hospital is ready and waiting, and so is Rosehip in the Humber."

"Understood, Cranberry-san. We're as close to the Crusader as I can bring us right now, so I think you're good to go and rescue Peppermint-san and Oolong-san."

"Got it. Let's go, Vanilla!"

As the hatch opened, Ruhuna peered through the vision slots. She soon saw Cranberry and Vanilla climb into the burning tank, then emerge minutes later with Peppermint and Oolong. Both of them looked unconscious, and Peppermint had a nasty cut on her forehead, but one which thankfully looked to have stopped bleeding. Cranberry and Vanilla carefully carried the two girls down, then back to the Churchill one by one. After they were carefully brought into the turret, Vanilla and Cranberry hopped in after them.

"Ruhuna-san! We should go, the fire's too strong for us to put it out with our extinguisher! We need to get these girls to the hospital as soon as possible, just in case."

"Roger!" With that, Ruhuna carefully turned the Churchill around, then gunned the engine. Getting up on the pipe was easy, but getting from the pipe to the top of the canal proved to be a trickier task. Ruhuna tried several times, but the angle was just too steep.

Panting, Ruhuna wiped her sweaty hands on her blouse and took a deep breath. Calm down, Ruhuna. It wasn't a big deal. She'd done climbs like this before, though not as steep. She could do it.

Right. Calm. Patience. Elegance. She gunned the engine one more time, but the Churchill stubbornly refused to move forward. In fact, she could feel it rolling backwards a little.

Breathing heavily, Ruhuna leaned on the controls. Why had she ever agreed to do this! This was hopeless! She was hopeless! She was going to end up toppling the Churchill into the canal, and then they'd all be in even worse trouble. She should just give up now and avoid making things worse...

A small voice at the back of her head (which sounded like Orange Pekoe, for some reason) whispered 'No, you aren't hopeless. All of them believe in you, now you need to believe in yourself. You are already as elegant and skilled as you will ever need to be.'

Right. She couldn't give up. Peppermint-san and Oolong-san were depending on her in order to be rescued. Darjeeling-sama and Pekoe-san had taken a chance on her as well, and disappointing them was right out.

"Cranberry-san, Vanilla-san, secure Peppermint-san and Oolong-san, then hold on tight!"

Face resolute, Ruhuna stepped on the accelerator once more. The Churchill's engine roared, as the tank strained upwards once more.

Almost...there...

Putting forth all her skill, Ruhuna squeezed more power than she'd ever thought possible out of the Bedford engine, and ever so slowly, tracks screeching, the Churchill clambered out of the canal at a nearly vertical angle. Gravity soon reasserted itself, and the front of the Churchill slammed back onto the ground with a resounding thump, as well as the less welcome sound of something in the Churchill's tracks giving way with a groan.

As her heart slowly settled down to a less frantic tempo, Ruhuna's only thought was that the mechanics were going to kill her for what she'd probably done to the Churchill's suspension.

Pekoe was currently enduring a very stressful phone call with the headmistress of St. Gloriana's at the moment, who was not pleased at all about the situation. Darjeeling would have had the headmistress wrapped around her little finger in no time, but whatever skill allowed her to do that was something Pekoe hadn't managed to pick up yet.

"Yes, headmistress. I understand. Yes, we will launch an investigation into the circumstances as soon as possible."

Out of the corner of her eye, Pekoe saw Rukuriri signalling frantically at her, but before she could excuse herself to find out what was the matter, the sound of the Churchill hitting the ground and the cheering that began almost immediately after told her the whole story.

"My humblest apologies, headmistress, but it appears that I am needed right now. I'll be sure to keep you updated on the latest developments. Please excuse me."

Pekoe hung up and began making her way to the canal as quickly as she could with a slightly lighter heart. After this chaos was finally over, she was going to lock the door, then relax in the onsen alone and undisturbed for at least a couple of hours and let the world deal with itself for a change. She'd earned that much, at the very least.

Before the Churchill's engine had even been turned off, Rosehip in the Humber lorry had pulled up next to it, while Cranberry and Vanilla carefully carried the two unconscious girls out of the turret. Once Peppermint and Oolong were loaded up and secured in the back, Rosehip sped off to the hospital, only barely keeping within the speed limits. A pair of Red Cross members rustled up earlier by Rukuriri rode along to keep an eye on them, although their condition didn't look too serious.

Back at the Churchill, Ruhuna emerged from the driver's hatch and climbed down to the ground slowly. She would have dismounted faster, but her legs were wobbling too badly to let her. The adrenaline had worn off, and now she felt like she could do nothing else other than collapse into her bed and lie there for the next couple of days.

The noise she was greeted with when she reached the ground was completely unexpected, though. Almost the entire senshadou team and even more curious onlookers had managed to show up while the rescue was taking place, and the crowd had swelled even further. All of them were cheering and shouting her name. They were cheering for her!

"Three cheers for Ruhuna! Three cheers for Ruhuna, St. Gloriana's best driver!" Rooibos yelled at the top of her voice. The crowd was more than happy to comply.

Before Ruhuna could react, they surged forward and lifted her into the air. The senshadou team hoisted Ruhuna onto their shoulders and paraded her around Practice Ground One, chanting her name repeatedly. The rest of the crowd followed, continuing their cheering. Ruhuna herself found tears coursing down her cheeks, but somehow, she didn't care at all. She finally felt like she was truly part of the team.

Finally, they placed Ruhuna down, and Cranberry motioned for silence, though without much success. Ruhuna's sniffles finally slowed, though her smile was broader than ever.

"E-Everyone in the senshadou team! I'll be hosting a tea party tomorrow, for the whole team! Please come! Thank you all!" she choked out, bowing deeply.

The cheers of the crowd had been loud before, but now they shouted and whistled and stamped loud enough to wake the dead. The celebration lasted for a while more (with spontaneous cheers breaking out every now and then), but eventually the crowd began dispersing, especially since most of the excitement was over. The senshadou team lingered the longest, alternating between thanking Ruhuna and making sure she knew she'd never have to pay at any cafe session from here on out (Rukuriri was particularly adamant about that part); but eventually they too took their leave.

Once the rest of the team had finally drifted off, Ruhuna sought out Pekoe, who had been watching from the side quietly, proud smile on her face.

"Pekoe-san! Thank you so much! I could never have done it without you!"

Pekoe shook her head, still smiling. "You always had the potential, Ruhuna-san. I merely assisted you in allowing it to blossom."

"Even so, thank you! I'll never forget it! How can I ever repay you?"

Pekoe beamed. "Just put all you have into anything you do, and do it with elegance. That is St. Gloriana's senshadou, after all."

From a balcony on the third floor of the Tea Garden's building, Darjeeling had been watching the impromptu parade through a set of field glasses, while Assam stood behind her. Finally, she turned and walked back into the room, putting aside the field glasses and sitting down at the table, where a full teapot and two cups were waiting. Assam soon joined her, filling Darjeeling's cup and then her own before sitting down.

"Well, Assam, all's well that ends well, as the English say. I do wonder if your data could have predicted this particular series of events, though?"

"Not likely! I'm just thankful no one was hurt badly. As it is, only the Crusader is a write-off, and even then I'm pretty sure that we can repair it quickly enough."

"Indeed. I didn't expect those two first-years to get involved so...dramatically, even if I did happen to mention in front of them that Ruhuna might feel more confident if she could do something to impress me. Pekoe managed the situation magnificently, though, especially when we were indisposed."

Assam nodded, taking a sip of the tea. "Your little test somehow managed to blow up into something bigger, Darjeeling. It was Pekoe's leadership that managed to keep things from escalating even more, especially since we were in classes until just now."

"I must admit, I did feel quite concerned when I checked my phone and saw all the missed calls and the messages. The minute I read that Peppermint and Oolong were involved, I realised what must have happened. If I hadn't seen Pekoe's final message saying that the crisis had been resolved, I would have rushed down there immediately."

Assam took another, longer sip. "What's more, the girls could never have been gotten out in time if it hadn't been for Ruhuna being there and Pekoe persuading her to help. In my opinion — "

A beep from Assam's phone signalled the arrival of yet another text. Assam glanced down, then looked back at Darjeeling with a smile.

"Cranberry's just texted me. Ruhuna's going to be hosting a tea party for the senshadou team tomorrow, she just announced it to the whole crowd. So, as I was saying, Pekoe's more than passed this first test of yours, even if it did end up being way more dramatic than it had to be."

Darjeeling smiled, lifting her teacup in salute. "So she has, so she has. It appears that Pekoe'll have no problems managing the morale and cohesion of the team, and being a leader in times of crisis. There's a lot more to being a commander, but she's off to an excellent start. To Pekoe!"

Assam echoed Darjeeling's toast, and the two of them drained their teacups.

A/N:

Ruhuna is apparently Darjeeling's canon driver, but absolutely nothing else is known about her. She doesn't even have an illustration, unlike Earl Grey (commander of St. Gloriana's the year before Darjeeling). She's practically an OC in all but name, so I took the liberty of making her an insanely talented but extremely insecure first-year.

Peppermint and Oolong were initially just background extras, but they grew on me as the chapter expanded, which resulted in their much-enlarged role.

Writing Darjeeling is fun, but digging up suitable quotes for her can be a challenge. Still pretty fun though.

Edited in May 2020 to fix formatting issues as well as the fact that Pekoe is canonically a first-year as well. Not much was changed except for the way she interacts with the other first years