777/Tea Time at Mami's Episode 777: Cherry and Oolong

Tea Time at Mami's Episode 777: Cherry and Oolong
Date of Scene:	17 November 2023
Location:	Mitakihara Ward
Synopsis:	Lulu wants to be friends with Mami, so what does Mami do? She invites her over for tea and cake, of course! Lulu brought a present, and showers Mami with compliments that Mami has a hard time accepting. It's the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Cast of Characters:	Mami Tomoe, Lulu Adelstein

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Mami Tomoe has posed:
When they'd met a few weeks ago, Lulu seemed really interested in being Mami's friend. Mami absolutely wants more friends. They're what make life worth living, really. So, she extended an invitation to Lulu to come over to her Mitakihara apartment for tea and cake. It's Mami's favorite way to connect.

She rushed home after classes to pull the cherry sponges and cherry-infused buttercream out of the fridge. She'd made them the night before. She's always baking. The sponges get set out on the countertop and trimmed with a bread knife. Then she gets out a cake stand and her frosting spatula, and gets to work. In no time she has a fully frosted layer cake that looks perfectly smooth on the sides an on the top.

She gets piping bag and a tip and makes little rosettes of buttercream around the top of the cake, and then fetches a jar of cherries from the fridge, placing one in the center of each rosette. About half an hour after she got home, the cake was ready.

Okay, so maybe she went a little over the top. But she thought of Lulu and thought of red and so she made a cherry cake.

By the time Lulu arrives, everything is cleaned up and the cake is on display on the cake stand on the counter.

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
Mami's front door whips open forcefully, and Lulu is standing there in her school uniform, one arm raised up, as she calls out, "Moshi moooosh!" Yeah, she just kind of let herself in. She's one of those. "I'm here to be fed cake until I explode!"

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami Tomoe has her back to the door when it swings open. She's busy interviewing her cabinet full of tea, deciding just what she wants to serve. She glances over her shoulder when the door swings open and smiles. That was apparently what she needed to decide. She reaches in to grab her tin of Oolong, and then closes the cabinet.

She sets it down on the counter, and then turns to walk over toward the barely younger girl, giving her a wave. "Lulu-chan! I'm so glad you could come over! Did you have any trouble finding the place?"

She gestures over toward the low triangular table in her living space. It's near a sofa and some chairs as well. "Please, make yourself comfortable. I'll put the kettle on and serve up the cake."

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    Lulu at least has the manners to close the door that she opened if Mami doesn't get to it first. She plops herself down at the table and lounges lazily like she has hung out here a million times. "Naaaah. I had Linda draw me a map, and then because she knows I can't read a map to save my life she programmed my phone's GPS. How about you? Did you get lost on the way here?" Pause. "Oh! Oh. Oh, right. Right..." Took a second there.

    She kicks off her shoes belatedly, after having already sat down, launching them over towards the door and accidentally hitting said door with them. She winces. "Oops. Sorry. I don't see any marks, so it's probably fine." She reaches down her shirt, and pulls out a pendant of some kind, that she lifts over her head and coils up in her palm. "Got you a present! It's even pre-warmed, since it's cold out."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami does close the door, glancing outside it first for just a moment. Then she turns to head back into the kitchen while Lulu makes herself right at home. It delights Mami to see her new friend feeling so comfortable in her apartment. Obviously that's more about Lulu than the apartment, but it's nice all the same. Mami needs more friends.

"Oh that's so nice of her. I enjoyed Adalinda-chan's visit," she says with a smile and a little bounce of her head. "I especially appreciated her briefing me on this Super Witch you are all hunting." She shakes her head as she grabs the kettle and fills it with water, then sets it to boil.

She has a moment to pause and that's when Lulu offers her gift. "A present? For me?" She emerges from the kitchen and comes over to peer down into Lulu's hand, and her eyes get big. "Lulu-chan! That's beautiful!" She plucks it out of the other girl's hand and holds it up so the light catches the ruby pendant.

She immediately puts it on, taking very little time to fiddle with the clasp. Clearly she's adept at that. Of course she is. She even managed to change into a dress that was not her school uniform. A cute little yellow a-line. Simple. Elegant. And not too cold. Inside at least.

She looks down at the pendant where it nestles against her chest and she beams. "I love it!" She exclaims, and then kneels down beside Lulu to throw her arms around the girl in a hug. "Thank you so much, Lulu-chan."

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    "Ehhh..." is Lulu's entire response to the topic of the Super Witch. She is much more interested in Mami's reaction to the present, and very happy that Mami is happy. "Heheheh... It's customary to give a gift when someone invites you as a guest, and I wanted it to be memorable." She is smaller that Mami, so she is bodily moved a bit by the hug, but does her best to hug back while she grins with all her might. X)

    "I'm glad you like it! I was wondering, 'What would Mami like as a gift?' and power drills are surprisingly expensive, and I figured you already had enough tea." Also, she was informed that the 36-count case of Lipton's Iced Tea that she had imported at exhorbitant cost was not the kind of tea that Mami drinks.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami Tomoe squeezes Lulu's shoulders and then rocks back on her heels and stands back up. She moves like a dancer. "It was very thoughtful of you. You hit the mark, for sure," she says, beaming. Then she heads back into the kitchen to finish getting their little tea party prepared.

She scoops the tea out into the teapot, and then the kettle beeps. It's not quite boiling, but it's heated up for Oolong. She pours it into the pot and puts the lid on. Then she gets out a knife and cuts slices of the cherry cake, each with two cherries, and sets them on plates. The cake slices, the teapot, and two teacups with saucers are all arranged on a tray and brought over to the table.

Mami sits down around the corner on the short side of the table, facing Lulu. She starts to move plates off of the tray, setting the cake in front of Lulu. "Whatever we don't eat of this while you're here, you can take home with you," she says. "I made the cake just for you."

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    Lulu gets star eyes like +_+ when the cake and tea are brought out and put before her, her hands up alongside her head and fingers wiggling like she's just going to dive in and eat with her hands. Thankfully, she does not! "Oh-hooooh! You made it just for me? That's a lot of cake!" She does not seem unhappy with the prospect, as she seeks a fork to eat with. "I like the color, and I love cherries. There's a barbecue sauce I'll have to get for you to try sometimes, made with cherries. Put that on some lightly grilled pork, and... Mmmm!" But now is not bbq time. Now is cake time.

    Immediately taking a big bite and chewing happily, with enjoyment noises while her cheeks bulge like a child who has tried to eat too much at once. ~u~

    "You are awesome. Thank you so much!" she says once she has swallowed, before nomming another forkfull. With frosting on her face, she looks over to Mami, wearing the pendant she was gifted. After another swallow, she says, "I am so jealous of you."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami Tomoe claps her hands and smiles as Lulu gives the cake such a wonderful review. A little color rises in her cheeks. "I don't know about awesome," she says, her eyes turning down toward the teapot.

And then a timer in the kitchen goes off. Beeping just a couple of time before silencing. Saved by the bell. She reaches for the teapot and pours tea into both of their cups, and then sets Lulu's in front of her.

"Why are you jealous of me? I'm a little jealous of you, too, you know," she says.

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    "Ehhh? Jealous of me?" she asks incredulously. "You know how to cook, and make tea, and dress stylishly, and you have waaaaay better manner than I do (even I can tell that much)! Also, you've actually lived through all those Witch battles, right? There's a lot who haven't. I needed an entire team and I've still almost died so many times... When Madoka, Amy, me, and Yellow Pearl Voice went after a dual-Witch Labyrinth to rescue a friend of Madoka's, I was ready to die in there, if it meant everyone else getting out. But they reached out to me, and convinced me to live. So, with everyone's help, and Kyubey's telepathy to coordinate us, here I am today!"

    Omnomnom cake. "On top of that--" she has apparently decided that talking with her mouth full is toally okay. "--you are drop dead gorgeous!" She goes back to chewing with her mouth closed. Not to mention... she thinks as she eyeballs Mami's figure in comparison to Lulu's own. She swallows again and mutters, "It must be all the cake..."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami finally takes her first bite of her cake as she listens to Lulu explain why she's jealous. The cake turned out so well. She's very pleased with it. She's so pleased with it she also has a second bite immediately. It's just so cherry.

Which is a flavor that goes well with the tea. Of which she has a sip. And it's good that she does that just as Lulu's finishing her story about the fight.

She's about to say so many dismissive things be cause she can't take a compliment, and tell Lulu just why it is she's jealous of her, but then Lulu goes on. Mami blushes. "Oh, you're so kind," she says, demurely, as if she doesn't know she's smoking hot. "But I've learned how to do all these things because I've had to. I've been on my own for the last three years and some."

She takes another sip of tea, just to give herself a moment to calm down from all the compliments, and she says, "I'm jealous of you, because you Teresia-senpai and the others."

She has a team too, now! But she thinks it's probably better if she doesn't mention it.

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    Lulu shrugs. It doesn't seem like a big deal to her. They have a team of five now and still haven't managed to kill the Witch that destroyed their hometown. Everyone but Teresia was helpless against it. What good is she compared to Mami?

    "And that's my point," she says, gesturing at Mami with her fork, "you did all that alone. There are a lot of solo hunters out there, apparently. Not everyone is adaptable, skilled, or lucky enough to make it solo. Being forced to and managing to do it are two different things." She puts down her fork, to wipe frosting off her cheek with her finger and eat it off, while reaching for the tea. "Hm. So how does one drink tea? I think there's a special thing you do with your pinky? Or was it your middle finger? Or is that one only for when you're drinking tea with an enemy? Like, Laura from the track team back home. God, what a bitch."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
The tea is served in the traditional style cups with no handles that are usually used to serve green tea or Oolong tea. Mami lifts hers up again, her finger tips touching the top of the outside of the rim where it's not too hot and brings it to her lips so she can take a sip. No pinkie extended. Not this time.

"Just like that," she says, with a bright smile, before setting it back down. "Next time, I'll serve a black tea, in the European style. That is the sort of tea you drink with your pinkie out," she says with a giggle.

She takes a bite of her cake then, and chews it, along with her thoughts. "I wasn't alone that whole time. I had a partner for a while. But that's part of why I'm so jealous of you all. My experience is that Puella don't work together well, long term, try as I might to make it happen."

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    Lulu follows Mami's example precisely. More or less. Kind of. She is definitely holding it at the part where it's hot, but she just turned off her sense of pain so it's fine if she gets a bit burnt. It's nothing compared to being turned into barbecued pork, like the fight story she was just regaling Mami with! "Maybe they don't." she admits. "But Teresia makes it work. It feels totally natural with her, like there's no other way it could possibly be. I feel like I belong there, fighting at her side. When she's not there... Things starts to fall apart. We're no longer synchronized, we make more foolish decisions, take risks we shouldn't..."

    She sighs as she drinks the entire cup of tea down in one go with no regard for any damage it does. She can just repair it with magic if she needs to. "But anything seems possible with her leading us. Like she's already seen everything played out a million times before, and knows exactly what to do, and all we have to do is believe in her and it will all work out somehow. Most other magical girls... Don't have someone like that. So I don't blame them for not teaming up. There's only one Teresia. A living miracle like her doesn't come around more than once a century, probably. Not that I've asked Kyubey to verify, but that's just my feeling."

    She puts down her tea cup, and smiles thinly, a bit sadly. "I'm jealous of you, because you're just plain better than me. But I can't even feel jealousy towards Teresia, because she makes me feel so happy to be with her." She looks down at the empty cup, toying with it loosely. "It really isn't fair of her, that I can't even envy her."

Mami Tomoe has posed:
If only Lulu knew just how envious of Teresia Mami was. She surely felt enough envy for both of them. That girl was everything Mami aspired to be. She was a good senpai. Just listen to Lulu talk about her. She inspires her teammates to be better.

Though only when she's there.

Mami puts that thought out of her mind and replaces it with a bite of cake. Om nom nom. Sweet and tart cherry flavor fills her mouth. Her eyes lid and she takes a deep breath. Then she opens her eyes and smiles. "Mm. I do love how cake can be a whole experience," she says.

She looks at Lulu for a long moment and then she smiles. "Maybe what you need to get better is some new instruction. Get some fresh insight. I'd be happy to work with you some." She smiles. "I'd be happy to help you figure out more solo strategies, or even take you on a hunt with me."

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    Lulu's semi-shadowed face from being hunched over her cup brightens, and so do her ruby-red eyes, as she sits up and looks at Mami in surprise. She'd spend time helping me to become better? So I don't have to rely on Teresia in order to help people or keep my friends alive? So that I can fight Witches on my own merit too? And she was willing to be my friend too, as soon as I asked. Mostly.

    Finally, eyes glittering and a smile spreading across her face, Lulu nods her head in agreement so forcefully her little puppy-dog tails bounce on either side of her head. "Mm! I'd really like that, Mami! Ahh... I guess I should start calling you Mami-sensei, huh?"

Mami Tomoe has posed:
It's difficult to describe the rush Mami got from hearing Mami-sensei because it was so intense. There is nothing Mami wants more in this world than to help people. She wants little more than to be a good senpai, or dare she think it, sensei. She just doesn't believe that she actually is. It's never worked out well so far.

"We're in the same grade, Lulu-chan," Mami says with a laugh. She is a little older, but not quite old enough to be in Grade 10. She picks up her cup for a sip of tea, and then says, "But I suppose you could call me that, at least when we're working. I think you might get weird looks at school."

She sets down her teacup and takes another bite of cake. This one has a cherry on it! Mmmmmm.

Lulu Adelstein has posed:
    Lulu cups her chin with one hand, and thumb upraised, in a sort of 'L' shape, as a sparkle forms above her head. One eyebrow raised, the other down, she grins and says, "Oh-hooooh? So it's like that, huh? Naruhodo, naruhodo." She does not naruhodo at all. "Very well, I will call you 'Sifu'! And the rest of the time, I'll call you whatever you want me to!" This is going to go great.

Mami Tomoe has posed:
Mami Tomoe giggles, but she has cake in her mouth so she doesn't say anything right away. She reaches up and wraps her fingers around the pendant, and looks at Lulu as she finishes her bite.

"Sifu," she repeats back with a laugh. "I like it. And we're friends, right? You can call me Mami-chan. Or Mami-san, I suppose, if you want to." It's pretty clear which she would prefer. They're friends after all.

She brings her hands up in front of her and claps excitedly. "Oh, I'm so glad I met you, Lulu-chan! This is going to be so good!"