Chocolates
The Feast of All Spirits is a holiday in Gallia that is honored and known to all. It is said that at this time, the ancient spirits who were once driven from the Darcsen calamity, return to the land anew. Through the years, certain traditions were practiced by the citizens of Gallia to commemorate this event. One such tradition is the exchange of gifts between lovers.
Sgt. Melchiott figured to do something different this year, deciding that instead of working alone, she'll gather the females of squad seven to form a team dedicated to giving unique gifts to their loved ones. She felt that this was necessary to encourage her fellow women to act, to separate from their shyness, to finally take lead. She also saw this as a good opportunity to bond with her squad.
It came in a whim, actually, but her group decided to make chocolates as gifts for those they saw interest in. Alicia showed no complaint after seeing the excited look on her squad mates' faces. Everyone was being cheery and glee, even the normally spiteful Rosie acted a little more lightheartedly in the atmosphere of the kitchen.
During the few nights that came before the feast, Alicia and her group secretly produced chocolate bars using ingredients they purchased from the nearby city market. Of course, with all of this done in secret, none of the men knew about it.
On the night of the feast, the girls lead the boys into a room where a feast of chocolate goodness was prepared, or supposedly so. As the lights came on in the dimly lit room, horror and anger had befallen on the faces of all.
"What's going on here!" Rosie shouted in anger at the sight of Ted Ustinov and Melville Young, their faces covered in chocolate.
Needless to say, the two boys were frozen in place, scared of the wrath of the women before them. The men that stood behind shared varying expressions, some of confusion, some of anger, and some of pity.
"We're…" Ted wanted to apologize first, but…
"Wait. Did you guys eat everything?" Alicia interrupts, her hands at her hips.
"Y-Yes." Melville answers as he timidly wipes the chocolate off his face.
"We—We're sorry, we didn't… didn't know these were for… yeah…" Ted says, lowering his head.
The two boys have just realized the situation.
"Hold on." Alicia blinks twice. "You ate even the beetles I prepared?"
"Y—Yeah." The boys nod. "The chocolate beetles were the first thing that caught our attention, they were actually… delicious… and… uh, crunchy."
The reality of the situation finally digs in. He and Melville were tempted, distracted, and attracted by the inviting scent of freshly made chocolates. Their will was too weak, and they succumbed to temptation without thinking of the consequences.
"…"
Alicia looks up at Welkin standing next to her. Her mouth hangs open as her gaze returns to the two boys.
"Wait, what made you think those beetles were made of chocolate?"
I find it ironic how I wrote this while listening to 'Those who Succeeded'.