A Maiden's Teatime Interrupted (Private w/ Rika)

"Today has been such a lovely day. It would be perfect to have some tea outside in the Courtyard. Sakura thought happily to herself as she entered the Courtyard of Syne Academy. The Courtyard was an extremely beautiful place with various flowers and plants planted in the numerous floral beds and gardens which had been arranged beautifully by the academy's Gardening Staff. Sakura often spent a lot of time here after class as it reminded of the flower garden that her Mother kept at home with the assistance of her eldest sister, Violet. It didn't take Sakura long before she arrived at her favorite spot; an extremely large Sakura tree located in a quiet area of the Courtyard.

After arriving at her favorite spot, Sakura then laid out a picnic blanket on the floor before resting the case that held her Aegis MK 10s down next to her. Soon after, she set down a small case which held one of her favorite tea sets. This tea set had a white glaze and was decorated with very ornate floral design. Her Mother had sent it to her as a reminder from home. Along with this, her Mother has sent her a large container of expensive White Tea which Sakura had been wanting to try for a long time. Sakura was more than excited to try out this White Tea.

Sakura then quietly took out her teapot and pour some hot water into the tea pot to warm it up. After waiting for it to warm up, Sakura then poured the now cool water into a plastic cup she brought with her before watering the flowers with it. After this, Sakura added nine teaspoonfuls of White Tea leaves into the teapot as it has a capacity of 8 cups. This was enough for 8 cups of tea. After this was done, Sakura the set her teapot next to her so it can seep. Sakura then leaned back against the Sakura tree thinking about her reunion with her old friend/younger sister figure, Nyx.

Rika watched the dormitory building, waiting for her little surprise to go off on the occupants of one of the dorms. The cat faunus had surprisingly avoided getting into any mischief so far at the academy, though that was soon about to change. The girls that she targeted had been playing loud music all the night, as well as telling her to mind her own business when she asked them to turn it off.

So, the pigtailed faunus was more than willing to get a little bit of payback, and set a little trap meant to go off at a time she knew the two girls would be inside. Rika wasn’t happy with either girl, but she didn’t want to hurt them, and they seemed to only turn it up higher when she had tried to confront them. So, she’d opted for a less conventional way form of confrontation. She’d had to ask some help from a tech major student, but it would be well worth it.

However, before the trap could go off Rika was distracted by an unfamiliar smell from below her. She didn’t know what exactly it was, but it smelled good. She climbed down to a lower branch, undoubtedly knocking a few leaves loose and making some noise as she did so. When she reached on that was low enough, Rika decided to hang down from it, rather than climbing off the tree, bringing her face to face with an unfamiliar pink haired girl. She looked down to see the tea set before continuing looking back at the other girl. Almost as if on cue, a loud pop came from the window of one of the rooms from the dormitory building, before some notably green smoke seemed to begin escaping from the windows.

A few minutes later, two girls that appeared to have been dyed green would burst out the dormitory building before looking around for the cause of their new coloration in obvious anger.

"The tea should be almost ready." Sakura thought quietly to herself as she smiled before admiring the flowers. It was currently Spring on Bellmuse, so most of the flowers were in full bloom. In particular, the Sakura tree that she was sitting under was in full bloom. The flowers were an extremely beautiful Cherry Blossom Pink color. This reminded Sakura of her home in the Kingdom of Atlas. Her Mother keep a couple of Sakura trees in the private greenhouse. After a few minutes of admiring the flowers, Sakura checked on her teapot once more to check on the status of her tea. The tea was perfectly brewed and was ready to drink.

As Sakura was getting ready to pour herself a cup of tea, she soon heard the sound of rustling leaves and the sound of moving branches. A few moments later, Sakura found herself face-to-face with a girl who had red-haired which were tried in pigtail. Sakura then saw that she was hanging down from the Sakura tree she was sitting under. Instead of acting surprised or irritated, Sakura decided to be civil and polite about the whole matter.

"Good Afternoon, Miss. Would you like to join me for some Afternoon Tea?" Sakura asked politely to the red-haired girl. Sakura has noticed that she was interested in her teapot. In addition to this, Sakura didn't mind having a guest join her for tea since she had made enough tea for herself and any guests that decided to join her.

Rika grinned at the offer, while she wasn’t necessarily an expert on tea, she could smell that whatever the other girl was making was probably good. She didn’t know anything about tea, or shmancy stuff like that but the pigtailed faunus wasn’t prone to saying no to free stuff. Besides the pink-haired girl seemed nice, even if she seemed to be talkin’ all weird like.

“Alright!” The pigtailed girl exclaimed before flipping off the tree, landing with what would be surprising grace to an outside observer. The pigtailed girl turned around, not the least bit concerned with the green-colored girls searching for her as she unceremoniously sat down next to the pink haired girl. “What is this stuff anyways? Don’t smell like no tea I’ve ever drank?” The redhead asked. She wasn’t really an expert, but she’d had tea before from herbs found in the forest she’d grown up in this one didn’t smell anything like those.

The cat girl sat cross legged as one might do for meditation, a habit practically ingrained in her at this point despite her dislike of the boring mental exercise. She poured herself a cup of the tea before grabbing it by either side, nearly dropping it due to the heat. “ah hot, hot, hot!” The pigtailed girl managed to just set it down, though a small amount of the liquid spilled onto the picnic blanket.

After a few moments, Sakura watched as the red-haired girl grinned after hearing her offer. Soon after, Sakura watched as the red-haired girl exclaimed enthusiastically before flipping off the tree. The red-haired girl then gracefully landed on the ground. Sakura couldn't help but let out a very lady-like giggle after seeing how enthusiastic her guest was. As the red-haired girl turn around, Sakura noticed that she had a cat tail. This told Sakura that her guest was a Faunus. However, this fact didn't matter much to Sakura as she considered all Faunus to be people and as people, they deserved to be treated with respect like everyone else.

“What is this stuff anyways? Don’t smell like no tea I’ve ever drank?” The red-haired girl asked curiously as she sat down next to Sakura. Sakura noticed that the red-haired girl was sitting cross-legged which reminded her of her Butler, Alexander, when he was meditating. Soon after, Sakura put away that thought before answering the red-haired girl's question.

"To answer your question, Miss. The tea that I was brewing was White Tea. It is an expensive form of tea which is made from the top leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant. It has a rather delicate and subtle aroma and flavor which people find really enjoyable." Sakura explained in a very polite and lady-like manner as the red-haired girl poured herself a cup of tea. As Sakura poured herself a cup of tea, she saw that red-haired girl nearly drop her cup of tea due to how hot it was.

"Are you alright, Miss?" Sakura asked in a very polite yet concerned fashion. Sakura had seen the red-haired girl spill some of her tea. However, this didn't brother Sakura as she could get more White Tea at any time. Sakura's main priority was to make sure that her guest was alright.

“Explains the shmancy cups.” The pigtailed girl commented at the description of the tea’s origins, the pigtailed girl didn’t really have an opinion on that matter one way or the other, she still didn’t really get the weird way of talking but had already opted to shrug that off as unimportant for the moment. The pigtailed girl blinked at the other girl’s concern before answering the question. “Ah, it aint nothing, jus’ surprised me was all.” She frowned realizing the formal address, not really understanding it due to her simple lack of experience with such. There had never been any reason for the pigtailed girl to learn of formal methods of addressing someone before, and as such being called “Miss” was a bit weird.

“Hey, why ya callin’ me that anyways? The name’s Rika.” She had a confused expression on her face. Obviously not really taking offense to the formal address as much as not understanding it. The pigtailed girl blew on the tea trying to cool it down, this time grabbing the teacup by the handle rather than the sides. She took a sip, smiling a bit more at the taste before setting it down. “Wow this stuff tastes great!”

Sakura soon relaxed after the red-haired girl replied with “Ah, it aint nothing, jus’ surprised me was all.” Her guest was not hurt. As the hostess who invited the red-haired girl to tea, Sakura had an strict obligation to make sure that her guests are both content and safe. Due to this obligation, Sakura often made it a priority to check in on her guest's happiness and safety. Soon after, the red-haired girl asked Sakura a question before introducing herself as Rika Titania. Sakura let out a smile in response as she thought that Rika's name was a nice one.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rika. My name is Sakura A. Brynhildr." Sakura replied in an extremely polite tone as she set down her teacup down gently on its saucer. Rika was the second person that Sakura had met at Syne Academy. The first person Sakura met on Syne Academy was a young woman by the name of Daphne Fodille. Like Daphne, Sakura could tell that Rika was a nice person at heart. However, Sakura couldn't help but giggle in a very lady-manner at her lack of knowledge on formal speech.

"Well, Miss Rika. My Mother has taught me that is is very unladylike to call anyone by their first name." Sakura replied in the same polite tone of voice. Sakura had been raise to address everyone in an extremely polite and lady-like manner. In addition to this, Sakura felt that it was extremely disrespectful to call a person by their first name unless if she has a close relationship with him/her.

Rika didn’t get why the other girl was laughing, and while part of it made her feel a bit self conscious, wondering if she was doing something wrong or something Sakura hadn’t said anything. So the pigtailed faunus had decided shr didn’t mean anything bad about it, besides she couldn’t be laughing at Rika could she?
Rika nodded at the girl’s name, committing it to memory, since it was better than “That girl with the tea and stuff.” Or any other nickname Rika might have given her. The explanation of why she spoke so strangely only served to confuse Rika even further as she didn’t have much of a reference for the concept, and she’d yet to meet anyone else who talked in the same way that Sakura did. “Don’t got a clue whatcha mean by that, but guess ya can talk how ya like.” At least it was some improvent. Rika didn’t know how she felt about being refered to by a title like “Miss.”
Were somebody to pay attention to the two green-dyed girls they would notice both storming towards the redhead and pink haired girl with angry expressions on their face. One shouting out at the pigtailed girl just as she took a sip of her tea.

“HEY. YOU DID THIS DIDN’T YOU!!!!” The taller of the two yelled as she approached, Rika turned to look at the source of the yelling, and when she did her reaction was to spit out the tea she had been drinking. Before collapsing to the ground in laughter.

After Sakura had explained the reason why she spoke so formally, she noticed that an extremely confused look appeared on Rika's face. This confirmed the thought that Sakura had about about Rika not knowing formal speech and etiquette. Sakura could understand this as she was the exact same way when she first saw her eldest sister speak in a formal fashion after he was officially adopted by her mother. It took her Mother and Mentor approximately a year to teach her formal speech and etiquette. Despite of it, Sakura really enjoyed these lessons.

“Don’t got a clue whatcha mean by that, but guess ya can talk how ya like.” Rika replied after recovering from her sheer confusion. Sakura responded with a smile before sipping her cup of tea. As she did so, Rika picked up her cup of tea. Rika was about to take a sip out of her cup of tea when two girls angrily approached. Sakura couldn't help but noticed that they both seem to be covered in green dye. The taller of the two was shouting at Rika angrily. After seeing the girl, Sakura quickly looked at Rika who spit out her tea before collapsing and rolling on the floor laughing. Sakura was not sure what was going on but she decided to unlock the case which held her shields.

"Pardon me for the intrusion, Miss. Is there a problem I can help you with?" Sakura asked politely as she got up and walked up to the girl who was shouting at Rika. Sakura was the type who preferred to talk things out first and foremost. However, she had her Aegis MK 10s on standby just in case she needed to protect herself or Rika.

It took a couple minutes for Rika to regain composure, though she was still extremely amused by the appearance of the two girls. She had forgotten all about the prank, her limited attention span having been diverted by Sakura’s tea. The two girls were not nearly amused at her, and Rika was surprised when Sakura ended up confronting them, it wasn’t like she hadn’t done it, and Sakura didn’t even know anything about what had happened.

“That girl did this” At the word this the girl, this time the shorter one gestured to either of them, making it clear what was meant. “She’s crazy!” Rika took offense to that and decided to make the wittiest reply she possibly could. “Did not!” She responded before sticking out her tongue at the two girls maturely. “Why do ya think I did it anyhow!” To anyone else it would be obvious Rika had in fact been the responsible person and the two green girls were unconvinced.

“Just move out of the way, we’re just getting some payback” The larger girl would say before trying to shove past Sakura.

The two girls didn't reply to Sakura's question immediately. From their expressions, Sakura could tell that they were not amused and that their ire was directed towards Rika. Sakura wasn't sure about the reason why the two girls were there trying to confront Rika, but she could tell that they wanted to deal with the situation in a rather non-diplomatic fashion. Sakura didn't care what Rika did to upset these two girls, but she was not the type to just stand by. Sakura was always the guardian type who watch over and protected everyone that she interacts with.

“That girl did this”  The larger girl replied. Soon after, the shorter of the two girls then commented about Rika being crazy. This offended Rika greatly. Sakura also took great offense to this as she hated it when people mistreats or offends one of her guests. This trait was one of the traits which defined Sakura and made her who she was.

“Just move out of the way, we’re just getting some payback." The larger girl spoke as she tried to shove past her.

"Then, I must apologize, Miss. Miss Rika is my guest so I have an obligation to make sure that she is safe and content." Sakura replied in a polite tone of voice as she deployed one of her Aegis MK 10s and used it to shove the larger girl back. The girl was knocked back about 5 meters due to the combination of Sakura's innate strength and the weight of her shield.

Rika didn’t really know much of what to expect when the two girls tried to continue. But she did get a bit upset at them shoving Sakura, who had been She did whistle appreciatively however when the pink-haired girl knocked the green girl back quite a distance. She didn’t really know how she felt about getting Sakura involved in her fight.

“Er, ya don’t gotta get involved in this ya know, don’t wantcha gettin’ hurt for me or nothin’.” The pigtailed girl said, feeling a bit bad about things escalating this quickly but she hadn’t really started this. The two looked at Sakura, as well as Rika before apparently deciding that they should probably leave rather than try to fight both girls. “We’ll remember this,” The shorter girl said, before they both began walking away back to the dorm. “Shouldn’t’a been a couple’a jerks!” Rika yelled back at them cheerfully, not particularly concerned by the threat.

"There is no need to be concerned, Miss Rika. I will be alright." Sakura replied reassuringly as she walked over to Rika before sitting back down next to Rika. As she did so, Sakura rested her Aegis MK 10 against the tree. Soon after, Sakura took a sip out of her cup of tea before speaking once more. Sakura was extremely irritated at how rude the two girls had been to Rika. However, the girls were both gone now. Personally, Sakura would have preferred to resolve it in a peaceful manner, but the girl did push her.

"My first priority is the safety of my guests." Sakura explained politely as she put her cup of tea on it saucer before smiling at Rika. After seeing that Rika's cup of tea was empty, Sakura gladly poured her another one before opening the teapot to check on how much tea and hot water was left. Currently, it was almost empty.

Sakura then put in a tablespoon of White Tea to replenish the tea leaves before pouring in some hot water from the thermos she carried with her. Soon after, Sakura then set the teapot down to let it brew before smiling at Rika once more.

Rika was glad that Sakura hadn’t gotten hurt for her, she’d feel bad about that. She hadn’t thought much about what would happen after her little prank, but she knew she wouldn’t like it if someone had gotten hurt because of her. The pigtailed girl did feel a bit weird about someone other than Siegfried worrying about her but shrugged off the oddity. “Aw ya don’t gotta worry ‘bout me, I’m pretty tough myself.”

She had either arm behind her head, grinning in a carefree manner. “Sides’ they mighta been kinda right ‘bout what they said, but they shouldn’t be such jerks.” She huffed, still annoyed the girls had tried something like that. She wouldn’t have minded a fight herself but dragging someone who wasn’t involved was just messed up. Besides it wasn’t like her prank had hurt anyone, and the dye was supposed to be easy to wash off…probably.

The faunus was distracted by something suddenly, noticing the object Sakura had used for the first time. “Wait, ya use a shield…kinda weird weapon ain’t it…”

“Aw ya don’t gotta worry ‘bout me, I’m pretty tough myself.” Rika replied in an attempt to reassure Sakura that she could take care of herself. After hearing this, Sakura couldn't help but giggle in a very lady-like manner. It was not like Sakura didn't believe that, but Rika's demeanor during this little incident gave Sakura the totally opposite impression. Soon after, Sakura took a sip of her tea before answering the question Rika asked. She had noticed Sakura's Aegis MK 10 which she had laid down next to her.

"You are quite mistaken, Miss Rika. The purpose of my shields is to protect myself and the people I cared about. My Father and I found it quite befitting to my protective nature and very defensive style." Sakura replied politely as she explained the true purpose of her Aegis MK 10s. They were not designed with offensive in mind. Instead, they were designed providing defense for Sakura and the people she was protecting.