Poppin' Arms ~ Dorm Lounge

[DragonD]

"O-oh?" Kindle said as he turned around to face Icetailes, not having expected to be addressed by anyone in here, much less by pretty much the tea lover. "Oh, is you... Hello." Kindle bit his tongue. Hard. To try and get rid of that awkwardness, now was not the time. "It has been a good while, and oh... I'm looking for something to boil water, I heard this place had what I was looking for but I can't find anything like that." The fox said as he relaxed and sit down on his hind legs, holding up the flower with his tail while resting. "Where do you usually make it? Since you like tea so much, I guessed you would know everything related here in Cibus."

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales’ eyes seemed to glisten at the mention of tea, and his tails wagged. Come to think of it, he definitely fancied some tea at that moment, and he wondered if Kindle would have appreciated some company.

Well, there was no harm in asking.

“Ah. That is actually fairly simple,” he said, before closing his book and getting off of his seat. He approached the other Ninetales and motioned toward a nearby desk, which had various appliances of all kinds and purposes. “If thou desire to brew some tea, thou can use,” he pointed toward a hot water machine with his tail, “this water warmer. It is simple to use: put the cup on the plate, press the button, and voila! Hot water.”

After that explanation, he glanced at Kindle. “So, dost thou have some tea leaves, or should I use some of mine?”

 

[DragonD]

Kindle looked at the thing, cocking his head and causing one of the fur flails on his head to get in his eyes. He blew it off, before standing back up and going closer. So, this was it. "I got some..." He answered Icetales. Maybe they weren't exactly tea leaves, but they would do well enough. The ninetales took the teapot off the tail he was holding it on, and then put it in the plate like Icetales instructed, holding it in place with his paw above it as If he feared it would escape and run away if he didn't. The ninetales looked around a bit until finding the so called button, and pressed it with the other paw as he faced the other."What is that book you are holding there." He asked, both out of natural curiosity, and need to pass the time.

 

[Cresselia92]

“Oh, talking about this book?” Icetales held up the book that was in his leftmost tail — it had a dark blue cover with some star patterns, resembling a constellation. He glanced at it. “Well, it is a book full of information about the Moon of Cibus and space as a whole. I have… a fascination toward space, thou see, and with the news about what is happening to the moon, we…”

Icetales tilted his head, then shook it. Surely Kindle knew about that already. “Anyway, I am merely studying. That is one of the things I do best.”

He glanced temporarily at the machine, before looking again at Kindle. His gaze lingered on the flower on the other Ninetales’ tails. “Hmm… Dost thou like flowers and horticulture, sir?”

 

[DragonD]

Kindle's ears flicked as he heard Icetales' talking about his studies. He never had that much of an interest in space, his sister though... He wondered how would it be if Icetales and her were to meet. Surely something good at least.

"Oh?" Kindle answered, unsure where the question had come from. The fox followed Icetales' gaze and met his own tails, or rather, the flower he was carefully holding in them. "Oh, yes. Is just natural, given I lived with shaymins. I got to practice to be able to help out in some way, given my ice is meant more to kill plants than to tend to them, so I only have my paws." The ninetales answered as he balanced the flower on top of his tail, getting it closer to his snout and closing his eyes to smell it. "Is part of the reason why I'm almost obsessed with gracideas. They meant a lot for them, so they mean a lot for me too." As he talked, Kindle kept his paw on the teapot as it filled with water. When he smelt the flower, the muscles on his legs relaxed, pushing the teapot a little to the side, just a little. The fox heard something hissing, and turned around to see his paw now receiving the water jet. So, the machine served to boil it as he wanted.

It was boiling.

In his paw.

It hurt.

The fox recoiled so quickly he looked like an exhalation, holding his leg against his chest as he winced. How ironic, while talking about a green thumb, he had gotten a burned one.

 

[Cresselia92]

As Kindle told about the flower and the Shaymin that took care of him, a smile began spreading on his face. It was lovely to hear how much the other fox appreciated his surrogate family — that was that it was, right? — and the importance of that flower. And while he wasn’t into gardening like Cynthian and Mellow, he had learned a few tricks by staying with them.

“Well, indeed. Ice can be harmful to flowers and plants, but I reckon that could be used to remove weeds—”

And then, Icetales did a double-take as Kindle recoiled from the machine, with his paw held close to his chest. Water dripped from his fur, and Icetales understood immediately what happened.

“Oh, goodness!” he cried out in concern, before holding out his paw close to the burned appendage. “Worry not. I can help.”

The noble fox closed his eyes and focused on his inner energy. A white glow radiated from his outstretched paw, and a pair of golden bells flickered into view. The Heal Bell chimed, sending a healing energy from Icetales into the other fox, which slowly made the pain from the burn dissipate. After a few jungles, the bells disappeared, and Icetales reopened his eyes.

“Feeling better?”

 

[DragonD]

Kindle moved his paw up and down a bit. It still hurt a bit, but it indeed had gotten rid of the burn. "Yes, thank you." Kindle coiled a tail to the other side of the teapot, and got it away from the machine. Luckily, none of his furs had gotten inside the pot when the water had given him a scald, so it would taste perfectly fine. "Remember that the last time we talked, I told you I would be the one offering tea in our next meeting?" Kindle said as he carefully put the hot pot on the table, and turned around the tail with the small flower wrapped in soft fabric on it, before starting to carefully unwrap it as if it was a present he was anxious to open, but afraid would be damaged if he acted too rashly.

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales nodded. “Yes, I remember. And I believe that meeting happened here, yes?” He grinned. “Well, I never say no to some teatime. So, if thou want to share a moment with me, well… I’ll gladly accept.”

Then, the noble fox became quiet when he saw Kindle unwrapping the flower in his tails. He tilted his head curiously, waiting to see what the other fox had in mind.

“If thou need any help… I am here,” he said reassuringly, but he still stood back as he kept observing the actions of the other Ninetales.

 

[DragonD]

Kindle nodded to Icetales as thanks, and then inhaled in preparation. The ninetales looked around for a napkin, and spread at the side of the teapot. He then took the gracidea between his paws, and smelt it one more time. Fresh, aromatized air filling his nostrils. The fox smiled, and then slowly separated the flower from the stem, before cutting said stem by the middle with one of his claws and putting both segments on top of his tails to hold it a bit, while looking at the flower itself as he held it before his eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly, the fox picked the petals of the flower one by one, separating them from the middle with the precision of a surgeon, putting the rounded petals on his tail as he accommodated them one besides the other to form an organized row of pink tepals on it while leaving him with the sepal on his paw. Kindle adjusted it between his fingers, before putting one of his claws inside, pulverizing the pistils along with the pollen as he moved the tail with the petals over the teapot, pushing three fragile tepals one by one with another tail to let them flutter in the air before falling on the surface, causing small waves around them as they fell in the hot water and floated on top of it, sliding over the surface as if they were tiny boats. Kindle held his paw back up, now with what could be called a little crowd full of pollen and gracidea dust.

The fox grabbed the two segments of stem he had in his tail, fitting both between his fingers as if they were chopsticks, and using them to grab the pollen from inside the sepal, holding the golden dust between the stems to put it on top of each of the petals floating in the water, spreading the contents evenly between all six petals, both the ones in the pot and the ones still in his tail. Kindle then put the crowd on top of the napkin, near the corner of it, followed by one of the stem segments. The ninetales then lowered his head to the level of the teapot to have a better perspective and using the other one to carefully press in the middle of each petal, where the pollen was, and submerged the middle section of the flowery boats in the water, seeing it get wet thanks to the contact, but not letting the borders of the petals sink to prevent the water from seeping inside the flower. The humidity would let the tea absorb the flavor of both the petals and the pollen, but the pollen itself would safely remain inside the petals to not contaminate the tea. Kindle repeated the process with each petal, so focused on the task of submerging them just enough that he wouldn't have noticed if a bomb went off in the hall. After what felt like an eternity for him, the preparation was done, the fox allowed himself to relax and lifted his head back up. He kept his eyes on the water as he put the second half stem beside the teapot, along with the other, to be ready to use them to correct any of the petals if they looked like they were about to sink.​

 

[Cresselia92]

The lounge seemed to have become silent, as the two Ninetales focused on their respective tasks: Icetales, studying the movements of his comrade; Kindle, preparing the floral tea with uncanny hyper-focus. For a moment, Icetales almost felt like he was seeing a duplicate of himself, preparing a refined tea for Her Ladyship.

The attention to details. The meticulous attention. The precise cutting of petals. All of that felt familiar and relatable.

By the heavens, it looks like we share more than just species…

After minutes of silence and bated breath, the sweet aroma of Gracidea filled the air, with a few grains of pollen giving a golden glow above the tea. Icetales leaned forward to observe better, taking in the scent with his sensitive nose. But in the process he ended up smelling some pollen, and he was forced to turn his head to sneeze.

“Bless me…” he muttered, before focusing again on the tea. “I am impressed, Sir Kindle. Thou really know how to prepare a flower tea, dost thou?” He smiled. “I could see the passion in thy movements, thy desire to do a good job. And, even if I have yet to taste that tea, I wager thou indeed did swell.”

 

[DragonD]

"Thank you." Kindle said smiling as he picked up the three petals inside the pot with the help of the stem chopsticks, before putting them to dry in the napkin beside it. The ninetales then grabbed the three he had in his tail and one by one put them in the place of the previous ones, giving the water a slight twist to make them spin in place. "I can't afford to mess up with this one, I would need to wait another month for a flower to be ready and that would kill me a little inside."

Kindle watched the second row of flowers float like the first ones as he pressed in the middle to repeat what he had just done. Halfway through the making. Luckily he was only making tea for two persons, or else a single flower wouldn't be enough. "May I ask, where did you get your like for tea from? I got mine from my shaymin family, and so did my sister."

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales hummed in thought. That was a question he didn’t hear too often.

“Well, I come from a noble family, and teatime was one of the most sacred traditions. Every day at five, we would share a good cup of tea with biscuits and snow scones.”

The Ninetales sighed, a nostalgic gleam in his eyes. Those were among the few moments he felt like belonging to a family. Funny how that was just one big facade, with hidden snakes conspiring against him…

Though, he shook his head and flashed another small smile, refusing to spoil the moment with those foul memories.

“Other than that, I studied to become a butler, and learned every trick and method to brew the perfect tea, no matter the leaves and spices.” His smile became more radiant and his tails wagged. “That did nothing more than strengthen my passion toward tea, and made me discover the joys of tea making.”

 

[DragonD]

Kindle hummed as he heard the other ninetales. Family, it seemed like both of them shared that tea passion because of familiar reasons."I give faith that you indeed brew perfect tea, I had a taste that last time. I bet everyone you serve tea to says the same." Kindle said as he picked out the three leaves after the tea was ready. The ninetales' tails visibly wagged as he started to serve the tea, leaving a trail of ice behind him as the hot liquid released small clouds when it fit in the two cups. Kindle put the teapot aside, before offering Icetales a cup of his familiar gracidea tea. "I hope mine isn't too bad." The fox said apologetically as he waited for Icetales to drink first, despite being almost dying to taste the familiar flavor after months without it.

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales bowed with respect, before getting the cup in his leftmost tail. “Much appreciated, good sir.”

He brought the tea to his muzzle and inhaled the aromatic vapors, almost as if he was foretasting the beverage. It smelled delightful.

Then, he took a sip. And another. One more, and he left the tea rest in his mouth. He closed his eyes and hummed to himself, taking in the flavor of that unknown tea.

Sweet, with an aftertaste that reminded him of honey and hibiscus.

That was… good.

“My, Sir Kindle! This tea is,” he opened his eyes, which were sparkling like azure stars, “wonderful.”

 

[DragonD]

Kindle blushed so much he could have been mistaken as a fire ninetales. The fox tried to answer, but he gave up and decided to take a taste himself to relax. The familiar flavor bathed his mouth, soft, always so soft. He drank a second sip. Fresh and relaxed as morning dew, yet having that sweet flavor behind it as he drank it. When the fox paused the simplicity went away, leaving only that liberating, fresh, and sweet once he had accepted it. Kindle said that it tasted like the sky would if it was a drink, his sister laughed, so he asked her what did she think it tasted like.

She said it had a taste of life.

The fox closed his eyes to just enjoy the taste, balancing in place back and forth while memories played inside his head. Some sweet, some painful, all part of him, some related to the tea itself, but most were just connected to those others. For the first time, he could see why his sister said it tasted like life.

The ninetales opened his eyes, blinking a little. He had finished the cup without noticing and was now looking at the empty interior. "Oh..." It had been great while it lasted. "Thank you, Icetales." He said softly. "It does mean a lot."

 

[Cresselia92]

Ah, yes. Icetales knew that expression all too well. He smiled as he saw the other Ninetales, entranced by the fresh aroma of the flower tea, and took another sip from his own cup.

Hmm. Yes. That hit the spot.

Then, he saw Kindle stare at his empty cup, probably disappointed that it was all over. Icetales gazed at his own tea, debating whether he wanted to finish it or not. It tasted so good, but… probably the other Ninetales would have appreciated another ride. So, he placed the cup on the table, still showing a pleased smile.

"Thank you, Icetales." He said softly. "It does mean a lot."

“Oh, thou art welcome, Sir Kindle,” he said, wagging his tails. “I merely gave my humble opinion, and I much appreciated thou sharing this lovely moment with me.”

Once again, he stared at his tea. He brought it back to his muzzle and sniffed the scent.

“I had no idea that Gracidea could make such a flavorful tea. It is like… I would not know. A grateful taste of nature, I wager.”

 

[DragonD]

Kindle turned red again. If there was something that could make the fox more ashamed than compliments, it was compliments being stated as facts. "Yeah... I suppose it is because is really easy to mess up, being so fragile. And gracideas aren't as common as to try so many times." The fox said as he put the cup aside, looking at the empty teapot. One more month and he could taste it again. "It reminded me of my world, and my family. Tea has a lot of memories attached." The fox said as he turned to Icetales again. "Do you miss your world, Icetales? Your home?" He asked as he grabbed the napkin he had the dried petals in, wrapping it into a small triangle with the flower petals still inside, they would make lovely aromatherapy for later. "I often ask myself how much will things have changed when I come back, or if the changed one will be I. Do you know what I mean?"

 

[Cresselia92]

Icetales blinked curiously. Had nobody informed Kindle about that detail? “I would not worry much about that. From what Sir Diyem told us, we will return to our worlds at more or less the same time we were picked from, and we will have little to none memories of our time here. So, in a sense, it will be like we never left our worlds.”

Now, for the other question… How did Icetales feel about it? Sure, there were many moments in which he missed his friends and customs back home, but there were also painful memories that were tied to his world. And after his conversation with his sister, about what was waiting for him there…

His claws dug through the floor, a serious expression flashed on his muzzle. “I have conflicting feelings about my world. Some of them are genuinely good, most of them are frightfully bad. There have been times I wished I could leave my life behind and start something new here,” he looked away, “but I cannot. I have obligations in my world. Matters that I must take care of. People I need to help and assist.”

Icetales sighed and shook his head. “So, I… go along with the tide, we could say. Spend my time in this world as much as I can, and prepare myself for what is awaiting me at home.” He took a sip of his tea to relax somewhat, then looked again at Kindle. “A fairly awkward situation, is it not?”

 

[DragonD]

“I would not worry much about that. From what Sir Diyem told us, we will return to our worlds at more or less the same time we were picked from, and we will have little to none memories of our time here. So, in a sense, it will be like we never left our worlds.”

“...I see.” It looked like someone had indeed forgotten to tell him some little details. Oh well, probably had to be with the fact that he came in soon before a big fight happened. And after that things were as chaotic as expected so he couldn't really blame anyone. "Do you believe in truly forgetting? That when something is out of your mind is like it never happened?" Kindle then asked as he finished wrapping up the petals, and put them under his nose to smell them. Fragrant as the tea, and unlike it they wouldn't get ruined by getting cold, perfect. "Or do you think that a part of it stays with you even if you forget is there?"

His claws dug through the floor, a serious expression flashed on his muzzle. “I have conflicting feelings about my world. Some of them are genuinely good, most of them are frightfully bad. There have been times I wished I could leave my life behind and start something new here,” he looked away, “but I cannot. I have obligations in my world. Matters that I must take care of. People I need to help and assist.”

"Responsibilities, they always bug you wherever you go." Kindle chuckled as he grabbed the teapot, taking a peek inside, wondering if there was anything left. "Sometimes it is a blessing to be tied to something, sometimes it isn't." Kindle felt as if he was luckier than Icetales in that department though. While Icetales had some good feelings and many bad ones, Kindle was the opposite. This was one of these moments where he questioned if the luck he had in life would have done better to someone else.

Icetales sighed and shook his head. “So, I… go along with the tide, we could say. Spend my time in this world as much as I can, and prepare myself for what is awaiting me at home.” He took a sip of his tea to relax somewhat, then looked again at Kindle. “A fairly awkward situation, is it not?”

"A fine decision," Kindle said as he put the teapot back down, it was empty. "Sometimes I wonder if the same would do good for me, but then I remember I'm an idealistic fool who wouldn't accept something like that." He said, laughing at his own self-awareness. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm indeed a fool for wanting to be happy. Life always comes sacrifices, and I wonder if I'm strong enough to endure them."

 

[Cresselia92]

"Do you believe in truly forgetting? That when something is out of your mind is like it never happened?" […] "Or do you think that a part of it stays with you even if you forget is there?"

“Hmm… I reckon that we will not forget everything. A part of our experience here will live on, as either a faint dream or some subconscious flash,” said Icetales, his tails swaying with an hypnotic pattern. “Though, from what I’ve understood, the amount of memories we will carry with us will vary depending from individual.” He glanced at the floor. “I hope the courage I have gotten here will transcend space and reach my world, too.”

"Responsibilities, they always bug you wherever you go." Kindle chuckled as he grabbed the teapot, taking a peek inside, wondering if there was anything left. "Sometimes it is a blessing to be tied to something, sometimes it isn't."

Icetales chuckled. “Thou tell me about that. As a head butler, I had plenty of responsibilities and assignments, which pushed my mental and physical stamina to my limit.” He smirked. “Though, that is somewhat helpful on the battlefield, too — my endurance and ability to carry on multiple moves very quickly has been most valuable.”

"Sometimes I wonder if the same would do good for me, but then I remember I'm an idealistic fool who wouldn't accept something like that." He said, laughing at his own self-awareness. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm indeed a fool for wanting to be happy. Life always comes sacrifices, and I wonder if I'm strong enough to endure them."

That comment made Icetales halt for a while, and he looked at the other Ninetales in wonder and puzzlement. “I do not see why thou should not seek ways to be happy, nor why such quest would be considered foolish.” He tilted his head. “Like, indeed, life is not all rainbows and sunshine, but I do not see why thou should not look at the diamonds hidden among charcoal.”

He beamed a reassuring smile. “I am confident thou art strong enough to handle whatever life might throw at thee. Thou just need to learn how to bend and not snap.” His smile widened and became even more radiant. “Hast some faith and perseverance, good sir, and thou shall find great success.”