Commander's Rounds

Entry 30: Tea Service

"...You've got to be kidding me." Honolulu had a long stare at the fancy envelope that Sirius was handing to her. "...Is this why we couldn't go out into town?" She took it out of the maid's hands.

After she did, Sirius gave Honolulu a small bow. "Lady Hood saw you getting along with King George at the Christmas banquet, and became curious- so, she decided to invite you to the tea party she had been planning."

Honolulu opened up the invitation. It was as fancy and impeccably polite as she expected. "...I'd wanted to spend time with just you and Leander."

"I'm very sorry about the change, but I will be there, also." Sirius gave a bow. "So, I do hope that you attend." And then the maid went off to other duties.

Honolulu went back inside, flipping the invitation over in her hands, wondering what she should do. St. Louis watched her for a while, and then spoke up. "Nervous? Or worried about something else?"

The redhead sighed. "Okay, first, Brooklyn is better at this kind of international stuff, so I don't know why they'd invite me, and second, there's nothing in my closet that's fancy enough for something Royal."

St. Louis had an idea. "Well... Why don't we go out, and I'll find something for you?"

Honolulu shook her head. "No... I mean, you do know how to pick out clothes for regular kinds of fun, like parties or festivals, but these are Royals."

St. Louis let it go at that. "Ah... Well, my sister does seem to have her ideas about what they'll accept. But I think you should go, all the same. After all, your friend does want you to be there."

Honolulu shook her head. "Well, I just don't know who can help me out. I mean, there might be one person, but they're way more important than me and are probably busy."

St. Louis smiled. "But you should at least give it a shot."

Honolulu sighed, and started putting in the number. "I'm not that lucky."

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It turned out that luck was on Honolulu's side for once. The commander actually had some free time, and so asked Honolulu to meet him at a place in town- something that catered to those who wore dresses on the regular. She didn't have to wait long for the commander to show up- he had a strong notion of the value of time, both his own and other people's. "Good day, Honolulu."

Honolulu was a bit startled even though she was certainly expecting him to arrive. "Ah, hey there." She looked at the shop. "Wait, you're going to choose a dress for me?!"

He shook his head. "Me? No, obviously not. I'm not even that good for fashion for myself. However, I have called on someone else who is better for such things. My presence is mainly for moral support."

"Oh." And that's all Honolulu had to say.

"Anyway, you shouldn't worry too much about a tea party." He looked around for the third party. "It is, in a way, a social truce- there are rules that are respected, so it's not a place where you can expect to be humiliated or embarrassed."

Honolulu paused, and looked to the side a bit. "So... What if they break the rules of teatime?"

He crossed his arms. "Well, whoever makes that mistake can expect not to be invited."

"To what?"

The commander spoke up. "I had the same reaction, but the way it was told to me by Warspite, it was simply- They can expect not to be invited ."