38 – It’s Always Tea Time


    It was strange to see Calcine get excited, but there was no other way to exin how they acted as they approached the outskirts of Turrfield. She had a bounce in her step as she hid under the umbre, and Sparky and Brandy were both getting bumped by the hard Rock Pokémon. They''d had to hug her to stop her from giving bruises, bouncing along with her, and sshing puddles together. Silly but fun. It made Calcine''s good mood infectious, and they were all smiling if muddy and damp when they got into town.


    Brandy had been trying to puzzle out what date ns Calcine actually had. Turrfield wasn''t exactly a big ce. If not for all the local mines, it likely wouldn''t even have a Gym, and Poké-center dates didn''t cost money. Booking one was a pain on short notice, so even if she''d bought some gifts, it still couldn''t be that.


    Where there were humans and Pokémon, people provided ways to increase their bond. Turrfield had a much bigger emphasis on outdoor activities. However, with the rain still hammering down, she doubted Calcine would be excited about anything like that. It also ruled out the local swimming pool, which Brandy waspletely fine with after her experience with Mahi. She''d probably boil the pool away with blushing if she had to be reminded of that messy experience in the pond so soon.


    Really, the only time Calcine had been out of their sight was at the Poké-center, which meant if she''d made date ns, it had to be with someone from there. Not really narrowing it down, considering how full it was, so Brandy just had to keep guessing until they actually got to the spot.


    The ce wasn''t even in the center of town but on the outskirts, which was typical for Turrfield. People loved to have an excuse to invite people into their homes, and Scoria''s book club had started for that reason. Well, that and probably there was someone her Poké-mom had been after who also loved books, and it''d just stuck around after that shameless lure.


    Even by Turrfield standards, the ce was quaint, a house made of different colored bricks with a mossy te roof that shone from the rain. Large windows were trimmed with immactely painted white wood. Red and white flowers absolutely covered every ledge that could take them. It looked like it''d traveled in from the past, a purposeful antique.


    Sparky gave a loud snort as she read the name of the ce. "Pretty & Pip Tea Room? Oh, this is so cheesy."


    "It''s nice," Calcine said, "ssic for the area."


    "I was expecting something sexy!" Sparky bumped her head against Calcine''s chest. "I''m making ns next time. You suck"


    "Let''s try it first," Brandy said, ruffling Sparky''s hair. "I could go for cute and rxed. Warm tea and afy chair sound my speed right about now."


    "You won''t be disappointed," Calcine said, giving Sparky a light punch on the arm. "Trust me."


    "All right, all right. But if this is boring, I''m going to cause trouble."


    ---


    The inside wasn''t at all what Brandy had expected. She''d thought it would be some kind of cafe with tables and a counter. But the ''Room'' part of ''Tea Room'' was very literal, with some tall backed chairs withfy looking cushions arranged around a huge center table with a white cloth. More like a mini banquet, with silver trays with bell-like coversid out ready for them, and the room lit by so many candles it gives the whole thing a brilliant, warm glow. The scent of freshly baked pastry and berries hung in the air. It was enough to remind Brandy that she hadn''t eaten since breakfast, and now she really was hungry.


    "All right," Sparky said, "This is a little nice. Very romantic."


    "So we get a me-" Bandy''s words die in her throat when their hosts walk in. Clearly, a partner pair, Pokémon and Human, both looking very cute in matching maid outfits. Not the puffy, frilly kind, but more utilitarian. For the human woman, a simple ck dress with a white apron tied off with bows. She''d tied her white hair back in a fat ponytail, and the white nicely contrasted her tanned skin. She was pretty, and Calcine and Sparky weren''t hiding their interest.


    But that wasn''t what had gotten Brandy. Because in the red maid outfit was a face she still remembered in passing from The Poke-center. The Scorbunny was unmistakable, with her long white ears with red tips. The cute little ster on her nose and the tall, athletic body may be a little self-indulgent to like someone who matched her own tall, sporty look, but Brandy lived by a truth. Pokémon were hot, and Bunny girls were hot. The two together were just double the hotness. Especially if they had a big, stupid smile for them.


    "Good afternoon!" the Scorbunny said, an excited bark to her voice as she tried to curtsey and did a really terrible job of it. Brandy forgave it immediately. She could do no wrong.


    Her human partnerid a hand on her chest, speaking a lot more as a maid should. Calm and professional. "Thank you foring by to Pretty and Pip''s Team room. I''m Pip."


    "I''m Pretty!" the Scorbunny said with a swish of their arm.


    Sparky and Brandy were already looking at the staff with awe, so Calcine stepped up to do introductions, . "Calcine, Sparky, and Brandy. You probably remember these two from the Poké-Center. Sorry for their behavior. They''re terrible around attractive-looking people."


    "Am not!" Sparky said, shaking her head. "I''m only terrible for exceptionally attractive people. I can handle regr hotness. Unlike Brandy. Look, she''s drooling."


    Brandy pped her mouth to check she wasn''t. But she could have. ''Pretty'' was just the perfect name.


    "I admired your attempt to keep things calm, and it was nice speaking to you in the queue, Calcine. At least until it got messy. But don''t worry about that. Getfortable!" Pip said with a p, smoothing over the situation effortlessly. "We''ve got finger food for you to start and will bring tea in shortly. Calcine said you were working on your rtionships, and we think we''ve helped plenty a lot grow closer here."


    "That''s the n," Calcine said, taking Brandy''s arm and pulling her in for a quick kiss. It was worth a try to get Brandy back in the real world, but it took a long moment before the kiss even registered, and she remembered what she was doing.


    "We need to make a list of Pokémon we can''t fight because Brandy''s going to be too busy gushing over them," Sparky said, "And hope it isn''t longer than the list of the ones we can."


    Prettyughed with full boisterous energy, hands on hips and ears bouncing as they enjoyed it. "I''ll try not to distract her too much. You''re a good-looking bunch. Pip will bundle me in the kitchen if I get in the way."


    "I''d never. You''re such an excellent host." Pip once again tipped a hand to the table. "Please sit. Getfortable! We''ll guide you through things as we go."


    Calcine had to tug Brandy over to a seat, the Trainer pping her cheeks to shake some sense into herself as she got a seat. Sparky immediately moved her seat around the table to get to Brandy''s side. After a thoughtful pause, no doubt judging if it''d be rude, Calcine moved her chair to im the other side wedging Brandy between them.


    Pip found it funny,ughing politely into her hand as she opened up the trays to reveal a lot of little cakes. Puffy treats with a thickyer of icing and a colorful berry nted on top. Brandy saw the blue Rawst Berry Cakes right away. They''d always been a favorite of hers, and she was shameless in snagging one for herself before the others beat her to it.


    It didn''t help because Sparky leaned in and just took a bite of it while it was in her hands, teeth prickling Brandy''s fingers as the Joltik chomped down. Her mouth closed around them as she looked up with all four blue eyes creased up as if she could get away with it through sheer cuteness.


    "I think there are some Figy Berry Cakes here," Calcine said. "Hold her down. I''ll make her eat one."


    Sparky muffled a panicked cry around Brandy''s fingers. A clear call for her to be spared a spicy snack, but Brandy grabbed her yellow hair as she tried to pull away.


    "I''m not eating one with a bite chewed out of it. Finish up." Brandy said, staring down at Sparky. The Joltik squirmed against her side, eyes lighting up. Did she like that? What had Brandy done?


    "Ooh, you sure you need our help?" Pretty said, "That was smooth."


    Brandy had no idea what she''d done, but Sparky licking her fingers was enough of a fun distraction she didn''t worry about. She took the chance to grab another Rawst Berry Cake and kept her eyes on the Bug menace she was dating so she''d actually get a bit of this one.


    Calcine came out of her line of sight to bite down on it as she raised it to her mouth, orange eyes glowing as she bit down on Brandy''s fingers.


    "Unbelievable!" Brandy huffed, leaning in to butt heads with Calcine. Her stubby horns made that a bad idea, Brandy rolling her stinging forehead to get between them so she could press down instead. "Dating a pair of thieves! Terrors!"


    Pip left to get tea while Pretty watched her partners lick her fingers clean, her leg thumping against the ground unconsciously as the Scorbunny''s cheeks blushed.


    "Persistence, I guess! Try for a third." Pretty said, "You can bite it while they''re distracted."


    Brandy rolled her eyes and tried to shake her hands free of her partners'' mouths, but they were relentlesslypping up the cakes and grabbing her wrists, so they pinned her there. Useless to fight it. When the two got into mischief on the same wavelength, Brandy was just outnumbered.


    Pretty''s idea wasn''t terrible, even if it was hardly graceful behavior for the setting. Brandy leaned in to nab a third Rawst Berry Cake, taking a few fumbling bites before she got it in her mouth and leaned back. How she would eat the thing was a question in itself, but from the crumbs that tumbled into her mouth, she could tell why the pair were mauling her fingers. These things were delicious.


    Dipping her head back and fore to bnce the cake on her lip, Brandy got the problem solved when a hand turned her head, and she was looking up into the excited orange eyes of Pretty. The Scorbunny gave her a big, mischievous smile before she leaned in with her mouth open and bit off a huge chunk of Brandy''s cake.


    The shock was second only to Brandy''s indignation that another cake thief had joined in. She wasn''t about to just let them get away with it, pressing on Pretty and forcing her tongue between Pretty''s lips, turning the kiss into a cake-sharing mess as the Scorbunny all but copsed onto herp, twitching with excitement at the rough kiss.


    It was a magnificent cake, but the situation may have impaired Brandy''s critical judgment. Scorbunny lips were soft, and Brandy felt she''d more than earned a treat, so she darn well enjoyed them. The tall Pokémon wasn''t that heavy a weight on her, and she''d finally found someone with a tter chest. Sure, they were ridiculously hot in other ways, but there were a lot of small victories being had right now. She was taking the win.


    As she got mauled by three Pokémon, Brandy just let herself rx. She had no idea what Calcine had signed them up for here, but she was warming up to it <em>very</em> quickly.


    Wait. This was just her mother''s book club, wasn''t it? But with cakes!


    Calcine had definitely arranged this date while expressing her Fire side. This wasn''t a date. It was a double date!