Tea And Biscuits [Maria/Shouhei]

It was well into late afternoon during the weekend; the setting sun was that particular shade between orange and red as it painted the skies a mixture of purple and crimson haze.  Shouhei Kagawa had finished working at the bar All Night Long, cleaning and prepping the place for the all too important evening shift.  On his way back to his dormitory at Seven Stars Academy he picked up a few groceries as well, and was now ready to relax on his time off.

Once on campus he could hear the familiar sounds of gossip around him.  Blatant remarks about being a no good bartender and the like.  Unfortunately he didn’t have his headphones on him and was forced to hear the acidic commentary of the student body.  As he approached a gazebo overlooking a small pond, one of the students, a brunette, rushed towards Shouhei with a scowl on her face.

“Don’t you even dare of approaching Lady Maria, you no good delinquent!  Get away from her!” She shrieked, blocking the path to the gazebo.

Hearing that only made Shouhei want to disregard her, so he brushed her aside to approach the gazebo, and whoever “Lady Maria” was.  Once there he saw her, an azure haired and demure woman, he wondered what all the fuss was about, as the fan of her backed away in fear, as she was approaching too close to her idol.

Lady Maria was silently watching the pond, while having a cup of tea.  

“...Hey, you uhh… want some biscuits with your tea?” He asked, shyly looking away.  Shouhei had no idea what he was doing, only that he wanted to spite the fangirl of Maria and completely shocked himself at his own approach to her.

The weather wasn't a bad one, if only too chilly and breezy for her tastes. But its calm bite into her skin kept her from keeling over and in its own way, it was soothing and comfy as she sipped from her warm Earl Grey in a styrofoam cup separate from the thermos. The tea oddly complemented the weather for her instead of conflicting with it. The recent events for the Cadets have been a rather tumultuous one. It was crazy how fast things changed and how quickly the worst would come to pass. Such things really boggled her mind and threatened to become beyond her ken. Which was why this quiet was so necessary as a momentary rest from it all. It would be a nice peaceful day for once--until someone shrieked in the air, causing her to wince.


She blinked while turning her face back to the direction of the scream. Lady? A frown began to knit in her brow, since when did people start calling her that? It unnerved her, the respect that it held. Why would anyone grant her such loftiness? It was easy to recognize the source of that girl's ire was approaching the Cadet with arms holding what appeared to be a full grocery bag.

Not sure whether to believe it or not, Shouhei merely stood still for several moments to fully process everything. First of all, his approach worked. Secondly, Maria offered him tea in return. Finally, she either didn’t hear or dismissed the comment about him being a delinquent. Her blunt kindness and attractive looks definitely warranted a fanbase when he thought about it.

“...Yeah, sure, thanks,” he looked down into his grocery bag, hoping to obscure the flush of crimson tinting his cheeks. While attempting to overcome his own uneasiness around girls his age, he began to rummage and dig until he procured two bags, and he flashed Maria an awkward but sincere grin.

“I got pistachio and cinnamon flavored macarons. Which one would... pair better with the tea? Or… would you like both?”

"Oooh, macarons. Can't say I know anything about pairing it up with Earl Gray. I was meaning to try them at one point, never had them... If you don't mind, I would like to try both. But before you do, please have a seat. I can't imagine you'll have an easy time having tea with your groceries in your arms. Opening the wrapping for those cookies, no less." Maria said with an eager smile and a hand patting at a nearby seat. She procured another styrofoam cup from the wooden table and poured one out for him. She gingerly set the warm cup held it up towards Shouhei to take while holding out an eager hand for the purported cookies. "Say, are you a student here by chance? It isn't every day I see someone walking around with groceries in school. Unless someone has a project or party coming up, that is."

“...Never had macarons before?  I don’t think it’ll matter how it pairs with the tea, to be honest.  I think you’re gonna love it,” surprisingly Shouhei said, more than enthused, despite his nerves being tested.  He eased himself into the chair, setting down his grocery bag, and began opening the bags of treats.  In an exchange, with the same goofy looking grin on his visage, he gratefully accepted the cup of tea Maria offered and held the cookies open for her to reach herself.

“...But yeah, I guess I look more like a delivery guy than anything,” Shouhei noted aloud, as he was still in his bartending uniform.  “I’m a student here with a singing scholarship, so I’m shacked up in the dorms.  And what’s your story?  I heard that crazy chick call you ‘Lady,’ there something behind that?”

"Then I shall look forward in the first bite," The Cadet wryly replied as she took her batch of snacks after allowing him to take the cup of tea. Biting into one, it was nicely sweet and soft. At first glance she would've thought they would be more crunchy, but after getting her hands on one they are fairly soft with a consistency. They were rather tasty and went will with the subsequent sip of her Earl Grey. She murmured in thought. "Mmn... It appears that you're right. This might be the next new thing for me from now on. Perhaps I could try my hand at them in the next bake drive..."

She was drawn out of her reverie when the student had more to say. So he was here because of a scholarship? How interesting. It painfully reminded her of her awful singing skills back in the chapel. How every priest and nun there unanimously agreed that she needed to just stick to playing the organ. But beyond that, the postulant found herself raising an eyebrow at first before grimacing.

With a firm nod, just as Shouhei suspected, Maria more than enjoyed the macarons.  Even better, she planned on making them sometime.   A certain gleam came to his eyes, and a wide smile followed suit.  “...Nice, let me know when you have the next bake drive.  I’ll gladly buy and sample whatever you have to offer.  I’ll bring the tea when that time comes.”

After seeing her expression change to a more dour one, Shouhei realized what he had asked probably wasn’t the best topic to bring up in their conversation.  Then again, how would he have known if he didn’t ask?

“...Well, that chick seemed intent on protecting you from me, the big bad macaron monster, so if I’d hazard a guess you got yourself something like a little fan club.  Pardon me for not recognizing or hearing about you, but what do you do exactly?”

Maria seemed pleased that someone would actually want to stop by the Church. The old octogenarians within its walls would've preferred more devout people to fill the pews. But another customer to buy and to talk about the recent going-ons of the neighborhood was always such a nice thing to have. People take the concept of community lightly, but it was certainly a powerful thing when you could bond with people and work together.

Her elated expression quickly fell as the boy asked the question. She fidgeted in her seat while clasping the cup more tightly in her grip. The silence she adopted suddenly caused her to mull over a few thoughts before speaking to him.


Class Zero was part of the school, so she wasn't lying per se. But the Cadet wasn't going to reveal her professional or much of her personal life to a stranger from the get-go. There was no need for it, after all. It was then a single thought crossed her mind, prompting her to ask him with a slight flush of embarrassment, "F-forgive me. After giving me such a nice snack, I didn't even bother to ask for your name! I'm Maria, Maria Woodsworth."

Just as Maria had stated, Shouhei was one of those types that didn’t particularly care for religion or prayer.  While respecting people’s beliefs, he thought whatever Gods did exist were totally oblivious to the plight of their worshippers, especially in a world full of demons.  Not like he would rudely say that to her face.

“...You had me at ‘bake sale.’  Just say the word and I’ll be there,” to further cement what Shouhei said, he popped a macaron jovially into his mouth.

However as he saw Maria literally squirm in response to having others idolize her, Shouhei realized he struck a wrong chord.  Thankfully with a meek blush she skipped to pleasantries and formalities.

“...Name’s Shouhei.  Shouhei Kagawa.  Nice to meet you, Maria.  If I called you ‘Lady’ it’d still make sense since you’re with the church, yeah?  I didn’t even know this Academy had a clergy, to be honest with you.”

When the boy promised his attendance, a wider pleased smile began to crease on her face. Admittedly, she was a little excited to know someone else showed interest in the little side project she had for the Church. But, of course, she kept her composure as she took another sip of her tea. It was more than obvious to her that he wasn't really interested in religion, but that was fine. She liked to cook and bake, carrying on the old family tradition. After all, old habits die hard and some of them deserve to be enjoyed by the wider public. At the least, that's the most she can do for her family...


Her smile quivered as she spoke. It wasn't a lie... per se. She does volunteer her time to help out with the school's functions from time to time. It helped to pass time and give her a quiet moment to think than having to stay at the Church. Anywhere is better than having to stay at that place. The more they talked about this, the more she was getting a little uncomfortable about it. Because, after all, you didn't want to talk about your more grisly side of your life to others on a whim like some kind of light-hearted gossip, right?

"Shouhei... From Japan, right? We've had a lot of Japanese transfers as of late. Usually I heard there's been a lot of business going on from Little Tokyo. Hmm..." Maria mused to herself as she vacantly looked into the swaying of the trees outside. She suddenly addressed the transfer student. "How are you liking Endymion, Shouhei... kun? Is... Is that how you say it?"

“...That’s very sisterly of you.  Nice to know people like you are out there, helping out like that,” Shouhei said in regards to Maria’s activities.  He shot her a playful wink as he added,  “Maybe that’s why you got yourself a fan club- on account of your good deeds.  I’d join that club too, if that lady wasn’t so pissed at me.”

Laughing at his own comment, he paused to sip on the tea Maria prepared.  Earl gray was simple and smooth, and its heat refreshed him on this chilly afternoon.

“...Haha, ‘-kun’ is added to someone you’re either a senior to, or have familiarity with.  But I’m a third year here.  Unless you’re older than me maybe?  Or do you want to skip the formalities and be close to me, after all, we’re sharing tea and biscuits,” Shouhei waggled his eyebrows teasingly at Maria and chuckled heartily at that.

“...As for my stay here in Endymion?  It’s been… wild, to say the least.  Every day there’s something new going on, something to keep me busy.  I’m having fun with it though,” a simple grin lifted the corners of Shouhei’s lips as he thought about his time spent in this bustling city.

"W-well, I just do it because I just want to help when I can. It gives me something to do. So I don't really see how that would warrant me a fan club..." Maria murmured. She struggled to keep her cheeks from flushing. But no matter how much of the macarons she bit into, it wasn't going away that easily. To be venerated like this was confusing... and scary. It meant more expectations piled upon her among the others innately pinned to her person. It was getting tiresome, having to watch out for so much and having to meet these quotas. That aside, the unfortunate Cadet found herself flushing even harder from embarrassment, stammering and apologizing to him. "I--I'm sorry! I didn't know, that was silly of me! I thought it was something you just say to others as a courtesy... But I'm not against making new friends..."

The whole thing reminded her that through all of this migration, one of them joined the Cadets. For the first time, it made her wonder about the Tsurinai's origins and why Shiina came to join this city of all places when leaving her home country. When given some reprieve, the flush on her cheeks began to dissipate as she began to happily address him. "I'm glad you like the city. It's been a long time trying to keep everything together... After the Divide. I'm actually wondering though, how are things in Japan?"