The Tributes (Sable)

Tea & Biscuits - Part I

Sable was not used to the kind of smile "Eve" was giving her at all... smiles that were polite or welcoming or nice without any other meaning behind them...

Sable looked back at the food and drink. And now that her face was out, the rich sweet scent of the biscuits and whatever that yellow water was made her body remember just how hungry it was. On cue, her stomach cramped and growled loudly, making her wince.

"There, your body knows what it needs. Eat and drink up."

Sable glanced up at the woman still sitting a respectable distance away on the floor, then looked back at the food. Then she snatched a biscuit up and almost swallowed it whole. She couldn't control what happened later. But for now, she could at least eat.

The first biscuit was utterly divine. So sweet and so crumbly! And she wasted no time in snatching up three more and eating them as quickly as possible. Her hunger had taken over most of her senses. And right now, whatever happened later, she was going to eat it all.

She slowed down after the fifth biscuit, though. Mostly because she noticed the woman, Eve, again – who was now leaning back on her palms and humming a tune at the ceiling.

She caught her looking though, and smiled again. "Glad you like them."

Sable had no idea how to respond to that. But Eve didn't seem to mind as she went back to humming at the stone ceiling. 

Sable slowed a bit after that, but not much. She went through all ten of those biscuits, sated but sad that they were over. 

But then again, these biscuits would have been a luxury in her village. And not just for her either. So the fact that she got to enjoy so many of them in one go was something she had never imagined.

Now, all the biscuits were sadly gone. So she gingerly picked up the hot yellow water that shone almost gold. Sable might have been suspicious of it since she'd never seen such a drink before. But the steam was sweetly redolent in a different way to the biscuits. And the cup was warm against her cold hands.

She took a cautious sip and... Oh...this was sweet too, the warm liquid soothing her throat...

Her shoulders, unconsciously high and hunched against her neck, dropped a bit. She breathed in and took another, longer sip.

Oh...it felt like a quiet was descending over her... Like a warmth was flowing into her and making the fear fall out of her mind like tumbling leaves.

Sable kept drinking, and with each sip, she felt more of her tension melt away, her vision not quite unfocusing... but feeling less sharp around the edges...

Actually, everything was starting to look less sharp... she felt less sharp... she was all smooth now...

"Have you finished your tea? Drink it all up and pass me the plate and cup, OK?"

"OK..."

Oh. Her voice sounded kind of smooth too.

"Good girl. Now come out here, please. That place is too small for me to see you."

Sable obliged, then stumbled when she stood, overbalancing, and didn't flinch when a hand grasped her upper arm.

"Easy does it. Why don't you come sit and warm up."

Sable sat where she was placed. The entire room glowed bright and gold from the fire in the fireplace, and there was a sweet flowery scent in the air.

Sable couldn't remember precisely why she was sitting there at the moment. But she also couldn't care to figure it out. Another cup of warm, yellow tea was placed in her hands, and she drank it willingly, sinking further into that quiet and thought-free un-sharpness...