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Agott was the first to arrive.
She always was, as her usual diligence allows her to afford that single day of time-off (which wasn’t even a whole day’s worth) by sorting-out all her other business beforehand. Not that the past week of work she busied herself with in preparation wasn’t any lighter a load from her usual rounds.
But because she was first, the responsibility fell upon her the duty of setting-up. Inside the case she had carried with her was the furniture to be used: A table and four chairs, all shrunken by magical means to which she laid them all down on the grass beneath the shade of a silverwood tree, and then also fit it with the tablecloth—white and bearing a pattern of cool blue waves, it’s design woven more complexly this year.
Richeh was the next to arrive, exactly on time. Though, that’s mostly enforced by how, from the nature of her work having the most little things to manage, she has to keep herself to a schedule. But that was only a consequence to what she wished to enact with her position.
She didn’t greet Agott (neither felt any need to with each other, unless it was a needed formality at an official function) and only waited until after the latter to finish before adding her own contribution: crystalware plates, teacups, and even the teapot. These were not ones brought on her person, but were rather created right there on the spot. Made consistent as from when they first started this little tradition.
And at last was—
“Sorry I’m late!”
—of course, Tetia.
While technically being the most excusable of the bunch due to having the greatest volume and variability to what her projects asks of her time-wise, that circumstance becomes a lot less viable as a defense when the primary reason why she ends up tardy is because she dithers over what fruits of her work she’ll choose to prepare as the food.
For this year, it was a bit more literal. “Sunset Marmalade,” the pink-haired witch exclaimed, thrusting forward the basket which contained the item as if that was already enough of an explanation for the other two witches to accept her tardiness.
…Though the smell of fresh cap-scones also nestled therein was certainly more convincing. But not enough to be excused from their usual banter about it.
“You could just use magic to keep these fresh. You don’t have to always prepare them the day-of.” Agott pointed out.
Tetia pouted. “I knooow, but, if I want to understand the Unknowing, I still think it's best that I engage with their culture without magic. Did you know they have to harvest the fruit for this with a boomerang right as the sun is half-way down? And not only do they have to not hit the fruit itself and instead the stem, but they have to catch it still after so it doesn’t go splat!”
“And multiply that by how many needed to fill that jar you brought, it must have been quite the undertaking. So let’s get this tea party on the way and honor those efforts by enjoying it, shall we?”
The one who spoke these words was the last of the attendees to be accounted for. But that didn’t mean Coco was the last to arrive; no, it was more… as if she was there the whole time.
The three other witches weren’t surprised as they got into their seats. Clockwise from Coco went Agott, then Richeh, and then Tetia—though, the latter had to first swiftly set-up her share of foodstuff and the silverware that were needed to enjoy it.
And if that seemed like it left Coco as the only one without a contribution, the current absence of the eponymous ‘tea’ for this tea party would be swiftly rectified.
She took the lid off the teapot and, with a beckoning gesture directed up above, a gust swept through and shook the crown overhead in a cacophonous rustle that had blown off quite a number of leaves. Which was the intent as, almost like it was following an invisible stream, the air currents colluded to catch and funnel their harvest into the opening of the teapot, even condensing the ambient water vapor and filling it up to full.
Without missing a beat, Agott activated the heating spell in the table’s underside, beginning the brewing. Though, it takes quite some time to fully steep, so in the interim…
“You could try lining the arms with air-accelerating spells.” Coco suggested. “Ones pointed to where its center of mass would be in order to not change the handling, but hopefully to make a vortex just strong enough to pluck the ripe fruits right off.”
Tetia’s eyes glinted as she’d immediately followed-along and saw the vision, and with having a coincidental (or perhaps providential) example she could draw on for the mechanic in action had her already at the final product. Which, of course, had to have a catchy name: “A Twirling Whirl-A-Rang!”
All these years, and this girl’s naming sensibilities have stayed the same. Was that a comfort or a concern?
“Please call it a ‘Gale Boomerang’ instead…” Agott deadpanned, cutting into a cap-scone and swiping a spread of the marmalade on it. The colour stayed remarkably vivid even as a thin smear.
“That works too!”
“Quite tangy.” Richeh stuck her tongue out in mild distaste, opting for a direct sampling. “And did you use up a lot of rind? Because it’s also pretty astringent.”
“It’s a traditional recipe of the country. They don’t have too much options in terms of sweeteners, but their sunset quinces are really quite packed with nutrients. In fact—”
It seemed that Tetia was about to start exposition about their place of origin, but someone had a bit of umbrage that needed to be let known first.
“Ah, so it’s the one to the south? I know you’re keeping the directive to ‘Bring the Blessing of Magic to the People’, but it’d be nice if you at least kept from inducting two new languages to our fold in the span shorter than a year.” She tried a bit of the spread with the pastry and found it much more agreeable to her palate. “And while translation work is hard enough as-is—it’s a miracle your retinue of envoys are able to keep up with you—but creating lesson plans suited to their culture is a different beast entirely.”
Tetia seemed a little discouraged at those words, but scarfed through her own piece so as to embolden herself from her efforts in order to present her rebuttal. “Yeah, but every month that passes are more lives that could have been helped earlier. And if we don’t hurry, then, for some, it could be too late!”
“I know. And haste has a price.” Richeh said, drawing small circles through the crumbs on her plate. “Consider, too, if I started taking shortcuts in order to keep up. Would you be fine if we start rolling out our policies saying ‘speak our language, do it our way’ just so that we can give to them all the benefits of magic ‘sooner’?”
“Because Richeh…” She cleared her throat. “I do not want to ever have parents raise a child without their own tongue, just so that they would be more ‘correct’ with the ‘better’ culture were made to adopt.”
The others at the table let her a moment to breathe. They didn’t need to stop her from going off to sulk—she’s long since grown out of dealing with her problems by avoiding them—and she did speak up again once she was more composed.
“Sorry, Tetia, that might have come from somewhere… a little personal.”
“Mmmh… well, it’s not necessarily wrong.” Tetia seemed to take it in stride, though now looking a bit sheepish actually because of herself. “And I guess I am one of the bigger factors to your guys’ work, huh?”
“Development of new devices that mesh well into their society also takes time and careful consideration.” Agott added. “Giving them Sylph Shoes could also be a solution, but the whole thing might possibly for a problem only we deem. Is the price worth paying to make the traditions they’ve cultivated over generations be obsolete just for a higher yield? Though, I do agree to the idea for aiding through increasing efficiency of their existing methods would be for the best.”
Her mental timer happens to have reached its end as her piece was finished being said, she so she shifted the heating mechanism to make the spell’s output strength be as ‘keep warm’ rather than ‘brew’.
Coco also had her own countdown running, so she took the teapot and poured for everyone their cups, starting with Tetia and going anti-clockwise to leave herself for last. She picked up her own and raised it towards the center.
“That talk is for the future, but, in the here and now, why don’t we focus on celebrating this past year’s achievements?”
The other three converged to clink all their cups together, though, only the one who proposed the toast had drank from the blackened brew.
“Apprentice reassignments still happen,” Richeh reported, re-filling Coco’s cup, “but mostly with the new masters, and even then it’s hardly any common an occurrence. In the new territories, I believe we’re doing enough to educate the populace and let them handle their own selves, however…” Her eyes slid over to the one on her right.
And as cued, Agott continued. “Accidents that need intervention can occur at any time—which is equally true for non-accidental incidents as well. Though we have given everyone the liberty to choose, we must also enforce what the consequences are for choosing poorly.”
She brought her cup up to her nose and took in the aroma.
“Thankfully, we have not had any involving the intentional misuse of magic for this year.”
Though her mouth was behind the drink, all three knew that there was a smile of satisfaction hidden as an open secret.
In compensation, Coco beamed brightly. Not that she needed another reason to as she already would from the welling pride upon hearing all about their accomplishments. Though, her expression had tinged a touch wistful as she gave the one granting them shade an equally grateful look as she downed her second cup.
“That’s good to hear, and to those who are no longer with us to witness the peace of today they fought so hard for, may they find it in their hearts forgive us who still live by knowing that we’re paving the way for that peace to continue long after we ourselves are gone.”
Those were always the words she used to mark the denouement of their little tea party. No less poignant, and encapsulates the resolution made upon conflict’s end. So it was over some more minor chatter that the cap-scones were consumed, the marmalade was reduced to streaks of smears on the side of its containers, and only the spent leaves remained of the tea.
Though, that winding down did lead up to quite a finale as, once the four have had their fill, Coco stood and approached each of the other three.
Starting with Tetia, she took her hand and planted a supplicative kiss upon its palm. “To my kindest Wise in Friendship, may your hands continue reaching out to touch more lives and bring about their betterment.”
She then moved over to Richeh, to whom she bestowed a benedictive kiss upon her forehead. “To my most understanding Wise in Teachings, may your insights continue allowing all who are willing to find their way and learn the wonders of magic.”
Then finally, with a kind of kiss they needn’t name. “…And to my bravest Wise in Principles, may your voice continue being that of reason which speaks out and stands against any trespass or transgression.”
And once she reached back to her seat, the three bowed their heads and gave their gratitude. And none of them were surprised when they lifted their heads and she was no longer there. Not a trace for the presence of her ink-stained existence.
Richeh left right away as she had a schedule to keep to, with Tetia being the one to keep the created crystalware—they usually make for a rather nice diplomatic gift—but was also off soon after as their little get-together gave her quite a number of things for her mind to work on.
As for Agott, after stowing the tables and chairs for their use the next year, she gave the silverwood tree a long look before fixing-up her hair under her winged cap and returned to her duties.