harmonize_rpg | (no subject)

Who: Chloe and Miyume
Where: Female Dorms
When: Monday, April 4, 2022
What: Neighbours being neighbours

Moving in had been a simple affair. Since Chloe didn't really have much in terms of personal belongings, it had been a matter of getting there, unpacking, and then grumping around the room. She was by no means social, so going outside and 'meeting people' wasn't exactly high on her priority list. After the warm reception she got yesterday, what with all the stares and whispers that some people didn't even bother trying to hide, she was pretty sure what kind of people the school was populated with. The German knew from the beginning what kind of reaction her presence would elicit so she couldn't say it was entirely unexpected.

For the moment, classes hadn't started yet so she was laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling while lost in thought. How the heck had she been accepted here of all places? If she thought grade school surrounded by Japanese people whispering about her was bad, it was probably nothing compared to what was to come. She was a total outsider here. Sure, she could speak their language, but most, if not all of them, hated her guts without even talking to her. The German let out a heavy sigh before closing her eyes.

This was going to be a long few years...

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"Sure!"

Miyume brightened at the invitation, not just because she didn't want to go back to her lonely room right now, but because it broke the awkward silence. She smiled at Chloe and waited to be let in.

The German awkwardly opened the door wider and stepped in, holding the door for the other girl so she could enter. What was it that people usually invited people in for? Ah, tea. She had tea that she could make. Did this neighbour of hers like tea? Why was she offering tea? Why was she offering her to come inside? Chloe silenced the questions racing around in her mind.

"... tea?"

"Tea? Oh, I love tea!" Miyume exclaimed.

Not the most brilliant conversation opener but she was nervous and wasn't used to talking to anyone except Ayana. The edge of anxiety her bad dream had yet to dissipate, too.

"What kinds of tea do you have? Do you mind if I sit down?" she babbled on.

Chloe motioned to the available seating at the small table. She had many types of tea, but most of them were somewhat obscure compared to what others might be used to.

"Black."

Was her response as she moved around getting things ready. She had a small electric kettle that boiled water off on the one side that she stared up. Reaching into a personal cupboard she extracted a small bowl of... what appeared to be somewhat cloudy and translucent rocks before placing them on the table. Two cups were set out, and Chloe stopped the water before it could fully come to a boil. She placed loose black tea leaves in the bottom of a teapot she had extracted from her cupboard, pouring the not-quite-boiled water over the tea leaves. The aroma was almost immediately apparent; a strong black tea smell with curious bits of spice and other smells.

The German's cool blue gaze fell on Miyume, almost as if she were assessing something about her. She looked... somewhat tired. Nervous. Stressed, even. That settled it then; Chloe steeped the tea for five minutes for a more calming brew. Once the tea had steeped, she turned to look at Miyume.

"Sugar, cream?"

"Sugar, please."

Miyume waited at the table, fidgeting with her skirt a bit like a little kid who couldn't quite stop fidgeting. Her expression remained warm and cheerful, however, absent of all traces of disdain. She peered curiously at the cloudy, translucent rocks Chloe had placed on the table.

"What are these?"

She pointed to the rocks.

"Kluntjes." Chloe responded, wondering how best to describe what they were. "...basically sugar."

Once the tea had steeped for five minutes, she topped the pot of with boiling water. Chloe then placed a few Kluntjes in each cup, one at a time, before beginning to pour the tea through a sieve over the rocks. They made a pleasant crackling sound as the hot liquid hit them and the aroma of tea filled the room. The German reached over to a small cooler beside her bed and pulled out what appeared to be a packet of thick cream. Using a spoon, she dolloped a bit into her cup from along the edge of it, letting it spill into the tea from left to right. It gave the dark tea an interesting cloudy quality. She did not stir it, and she looked to Miyume, politely waiting for her to take the first sip.

Miyume's tea would begin a bit bitterly, but would even out to a pleasant sweetness. The tea, since it was not to be stirred, had three levels to it in terms of taste; a person would taste the cream first which would help them prepare for the bitterness of the tea that came next, and then the cup would finish sweetly with the kluntjes at the bottom, ready for another cup. The kluntjes would last for quite a few cups, so it was also a cost effective way of sweetening tea.

Miyume took a sip from her cup. It had more of a bite than she'd been expecting at first but she began to taste the sweetness soon after. The taste was a bit strange to her but still very pleasant. She decided she liked it.

"This is really good! Kurundojesu are very tasty! Thank you," Miyume said, mangling the foreign word practically beyond recognition but she smiled with such earnest pleasure, it was clear she'd truly tried her best.

The mangled word either didn't seem to phase the German in the slightest, or she just didn't care. She sipped silently and calmly at the tea, leaning back slightly in the chair. Her gaze fell on Miyume's face. She really did look drawn and tired. Inwardly, she felt a small pang of concern for the much smaller, much frailer girl. Whoa hey where had that even come from? The German pushed it back down.

"The cream helps with the bitterness."

She offered in a (hopefully) helpful tone. Not that she didn't think Miyume could handle the bitterness; she had already expressed that she liked the drink, so it was more of a 'you can also try it this way'.