Neven tugged on his tie with a slight air of distaste, well the clothing he had wasn't horrendous, but it certainly wasn't as good as he was used to. However the pitch black tie, combined with his black pants, black shoes and white button-up shirt did create a suitably pleasing effect. He sighed and made his way out to tea reluctantly, not the best he had looked, but probably the best he could get. When Neven arrived he noticed that two other students were here as well as the proctor/instructor/whatever. He looked at the food and resisted another urge to sigh, it looked dismal. Still he grabbed a cup of tea and grabbed a seat ignoring the others for now while sipping at it slowly. As he expected not nearly the quality he desired.

Well that was thoughtful of him she smiled to herself. "Oh thank you" she laughed "I'm actually on my way now, just leaving the apartments." She made her way out of the building and towards the cafeteria. "Alright I'll see you then." she said with a smile, ending the call and checking the time once more.

She strolled leisurely to the cafe, scrolling though the list of strangers, wondering about the types of people they would be when she had faces to match them too. Aaron and Julia were enjoyable enough so far...whereas Neven was..She couldn't help but giggle at the thought of the sourpuss, well he was something alright.. All in all she was hopeful.

She broke herself from her thoughts then and picked up the pace. She was excited to see Aaron and well as enjoy the tea with the others, but she was particular excited for the sweets and scones. She'd always had a bit of a sweet tooth. Luckily she found her way to the cafe easily this time. She still wasn't entirely acquainted with the school grounds but if there was any place she was sure to have found and memorized by the end of the day it was the cafeteria. Penelope always made sure the thank the lucky stars she wasn't the type to put on weight quickly. She did love to cook afterall. and who likes to cook and not to eat..? Well, not her certainly.

Peaking inside the door she could see several other students had already arrived. Scanning them for a moment made it easy to spot the only recognizable face in the bunch.

"Aaron" she called lightly, and began making her way through the others towards him. As she moved she noted quite the cute pair chatting away, and with a smile offered a "Good afternoon" in passing as she walked by.

She was about to do the same to the individual sitting alone when she realized it was Neven, looking just as grumpy as the day before. "Good afternoon, Neven" she nodded with a smile as she passed. As an afterthought she called over her shoulder lightly to the boy. "You know you'd clean up a lot nicer if you smiled every now and again." she said with a giggle.

@Aisling
"Yes, the two of us are looking rather good today," Blake said. "You are the prettiest girl here and I am, well, whatever I am."

He took another sip of his tea nonchalantly.

"You keep saying these confusing things," Neven said, the perplexment he felt obvious. "Just what is the phrase 'clean up better' supposed to mean? I suppose it's one of your hum-, one of those idioms but the meaning is unclear to me." He did ever so hate asking for help in anyway but he was at a sore disadvantage here, and he hated it when people spoke and he didn't understand them. It made him feel stupid. Besides Abelia had already shown herself willing to help him with his... social inadequacies. As long as the girl didn't think herself better than him than he would be able to live with it. However he would be sorely displeased if the girl- Abelia, got a swelled head just because he was asking questions.

@WileyCoyote

Aaron had just plated up a few scones and was examining them when Penelope's voice broke his concentration. He spun around to see her and his face lit up with a welcoming smile, slowly as he looks around his expression dropped to one of confusion as he couldn't see Julia.
"Hi" he says "Julia not with you?" He asks.

As he turns back to the table, his focus in his thoughts, he accidentally knocks his tea over spilling the warm liquid everywhere. "Oh Damn!" He curses under his breath quickly placing down his food and ripping out nearby serviettes frantically trying to dab up his spill and contain the flowing liquid.

"Arrgh" he grumbles noticing the spill had contaminated his shirt as he carries on.

@Aisling
"Talking can lead to a great many things," Blake said. "I do not know many things that cannot be lead to by talking."

Blake then took his hot tea and gulped it down.

"But we won't get anything done by just sitting here," Blake said. "And of course I'll go with you. I like you."

Blake stood up from the table and stood by Bessie. He wore a confident smile.

Centering herself between the two men she turned briskly on her heels to face Neven once more, while still within chatting range of Aaron. She pondered where Neven could have been from where the term had never been used even once. With a smile she beckoned him over as she explained. "Well, to clean up nicely means you look handsome in attire more formal than you'd wear everyday."

She turned to Aaron then, noting about Julia as well. "No, she's not with me. I don't think I've seen her all day. I should have asked over the phone if she had arrived already, we could have walked over together." she said with a pout.

"Anyway," she said turned back to Neven. "to clean up better just means you'd be even more dashing or charming" she said with a laugh, hoping he understood the gist of it. Well, if you smiled she reiterated in her mind.

The sound of dishes clanking behind her made her focus on Aaron once more. He'd spilled his tea across the table and himself. With a laugh she used this as another learning moment. "Aaron here would also clean up better if he could..well literally clean up better." she joked, swiping a clean cloth from the end of the table, and dabbing it around the spill to keep it from making it to the floor. With her body moving in between Aaron and the spill she casually slid in front of him tend to the mess quicker. With a few dabs the table was now only moist, and the floor was no longer in danger, but from what she could tell, the couple a few tables away had just stood and were probably headed over. She worked quickly to conceal the mess before they arrived.

Shuffling the old cup and saucer away she prepares three new cups, one for each of them. "Take your jacket off?" She suggests to Aaron, carefully pouring the liquid into each other their cups, and then her own. Hopefully he hadn't been burned by the tea. She decidedly takes her cup with just a pinch of milk, but makes a note of adding 2 extra sugar cubes to Neven's before offering it to him in exchange for his old cup. Maybe that'll sweeten him up, she giggles to herself.

Back to Aaron now, she shuffles through her small bag for her personal kerchief, and dabs at the boys shirt gently. "What'll Julia think if she comes in to find you making such a mess, and before tea has even formally began no less!" she poked fun at the boy before stepping back and admiring her work. He still had a small stain but it wasn't terribly noticeable if you weren't looking too hard.

"Thankyou" Aaron repeats multiple times as he tries to help Penelope clean up his mess but does little but get in the way. Finaly surrendering to her lead he steps aside and lets her take charge.
He could only smile in reply as she spoke while tidying up his shirt, a slight fluster in his cheeks. Dissapointment of his clumsy error, mixed up by the unusual and slightly embarrassed sensation of someone fussing over him. To top it off, the back of his mind was ticking over with calculations of cost for his error.

"Thanks so much" he says for the last time picking up his plate from earlier and examining his shirt. Aaron had just taken a bight of a scone when he noticed Bessie approaching. Quickly wiping the crumbs off his hand he reaches it out to her in greeting while trying to quickly swallow his food.

Blake stood behind Bessie and Aaron, and kept a notable eye on Aaron. They were only shaking hands. That was good. Such contact was innocuous, and www less physical than he was actually used to. And good thing if anyone tried to take Bessie from him he'd rip their damn head off.

Now that was an odd thing to think. He wondered what exactly it was that made him think like that. He must be still a little tired.

@Aisling@ZB1996
"Only if you let me cook something." Aaron replies to Bessie. He notices Blake watching from behind her, reaching around her he offers a hand to shake. "The names Aaron, nice to meet you."

Neven nodded his understanding of the idiom and took the tea from the giggling girl, albeit somewhat suspiciously. However on second thought poison would be stupid for a number of reasons so he concluded he had nothing to fear. Neven wondered if smiling would help as much as she suggested it would, he was unfamiliar the the movement required. He would have to practice later. Neven sipped at the foreign liquid cautiously and was pleasantly surprised to find that the taste was faintly not bad. What was that word again Aaron had just said it..., ah yes, "Thank." Neven said nonchalantly and took a brief look around the tea room. It seemed the others had formed pairs, Aaron and Abelia, Blake and ... the other girl. It seemed Aaron was making a fool of himself and trying to recover by being polite. He thought of the various topics he could bring up for conversation and subsequently discarded them. Neven had nothing of interest to say and so far neither did anyone else, so he merely sat quietly observing.

"Don't mention it" she assures Aaron. "it happens." she said, noting the couple had indeed come to greet them, or at least Aaron anyway. With neither of the two making an effort to address her or Neven she took a step back then, suddenly remembering what she had been pondering before the commotion.

Collecting her tea and saucer she closed the space between them and took the seat just beside him, placing her cup down lightly, and folding a napkin gently across her lap. "I was wondering, Neven" She started in between silent sips "where are you from?" She had admittedly found him rather abrasive their first encounter, but it didn't take long to realize he simply wasn't accustomed to the ways things worked here. She found his little quirks rather interesting, as she herself had been born in southern France before having moved to the states years ago. She even still had the slightest tinge of an accent, even though she rarely spoke the language.

@Dark Light @Aisling

"And a nice meeting to you to," Blake said to Aaron.

Then Mictlantecuhtli came down with his plan. Blake was not happy.

"This is your plan," Blake said. "Perhaps you may like to meddle in our lives, but I do not. At least, I do not wish to indulge in your masquerade!"

Neven paused at Abelia's question. Could he answer truthfully? Was that in some part against the rules? If they had to take a bride then they would find out anyway right? "I'm from H-" his response was cut off by Mictlantecuhtli speaking about the masquerade and the.... forced 'dating'. It seemed Blake was complaining for no reason, if he didn't want to go to the masquerade he didn't have to, the only reason to go was if you wanted to and to get your allowance. Neven's interest of course was in attending, perhaps he could have some fun acting as another person, it could be so tiring being perfect. Keeping silent as he currently had no interest in belittling Blake he simply sipped at his tea- and found he was fresh out. Disappointing, and he had no idea if Abeila had simply grabbed the cup of tea from somewhere or made modifications to it because he wasn't paying attention. How unfortunate. Sighing he waited patiently for Mictlantecuhtli to continue.

Aaron looks upset at Bessie's reply. "I just wanted to help cook something." He says disappointedly.
Annnd then there was the speech, while others complained Aaron looked excited at the concept. He was up to the challenge and learning opportunities.
He casually collects a few more sweets while continuing to listen.