Tales of the Pearly Kingdom (Pearly Tales Vol. 2)

170. Tea Party and Dress-up

A/N

Sorry this Chapter took so long to come out. It is a super long one so I hope it helps. I'm consolodating chapters so that they will fit within the 200 chapter limit. Hopefully I won't have to start a "Part 2" for Pearly Kingdom just to put in the last few chapters. So please forgive me for taking so long. I have no intention of dropping this story. 

-The Captain

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"So what happened after that?" Cal asked Dakota when he came to report that evening.

Dakota felt a little awkward because of the scene. He was in Cal's house and had to stand at attention while Cal, Shayley, Ophelia, and a stuffed fox sat around a pink round children's table sitting in tiny pink chairs. Ophelia sat comfortably while both Cal and Shayley looked completely unnatural and unbothered to have their knees bang against the edge of the table while Ophelia poured them fake tea.

"Thank you." Cal said accepting a tiny cup from Ophelia and made a loud sipping sound.

"Pinky, babe." Shayley touched Cal's knee lightly reminding him of some arbitrary manners Ophelia decided on.

"Of course." Cal nodded sagely he held his tiny cups handle with his pinky extended and displayed it for Dakota to see.

"Well-" Dakota started but Selene walked in from the kitchen.

"Excuse me, I brought the finger food." Selene said as she kneeled next to the small table and placed a plate full of tiny sandwiches and pastries on the table.

"Oo oo!" Ophelia exclaimed. She looked up at Dakota with big sparkling eyes. "These are the Best! Join us, uncle Dakoda!" Ophelia moved the stuffed fox from the chair while Selene took the other available chair.

"The tea is also quite exquisite." Shayley nodded gracefully as she used a tiny spoon to add three scoops of invisible sugar to her toy cup.

How was Dakota supposed to say no? At least she wasn't beginning him to let her play in the bilge of the company ship with the funny shaped barnacles to trade scary stories. Whatever this tea time play was, it was going to be much easier and much less smelly than playing with his niece Loca.

After he sat down, he accepted a tiny plate with a jelly topped pastry and a tiny cup. Ophelia played hostess and beamed after she poured him "tea" and waited for him to try it. He found himself nodding. To which the other adults raised their cups... and nodded. He made sure to appropriately hold his cup with his pinky extended and all of them made 'play' sipping sounds.

"How is it?" Ophelia asked.

Dakota leaned down and whispered conspiratorially, "Don't tell my sister I said this, but this tea is superior to hers in every way."

"Really!" Ophelia beamed even brighter.

"Truly." Dakota took a loud sip and gave a gratifying sigh. "When she started learning how to make tea from her husband, she got pretty good but is also the only person I ever met who burnt the tea." He winked.

Ophelia giggled and kicked her legs cutely as she took a pastry and shoved the entire thing in her mouth. "MMMMMM!" She made a noise to exclaim how good it was, and Dakota could have sworn he saw the maple leaves in her vine green hair flap.

Cal cleared his throat to get Dakota's attention since Ophelia was obviously distracted by the sweets. "After the ambush on Vera's party, what happened next?"