Just Call It Death Tea

Hal knew it very well - if he didn't manage to lift his best friend's spirits up, then it's time to bring in the treats.

"Shall we start now?" he beamed after a brief pause, catching everyone's attention.

Hal then glanced at Allen who just simply nodded before proceeding to serve the savories. Eli visibly perked up with that, relieved that they did her the favor of commencing the party. She wasn't really used to events like this, much less holding them. Fortunately, both Hal and Allen are affable hosts who're quite experienced at dealing with gatherings.

Three silver trays full of luscious desserts were neatly placed on the table - a colorful array of macaroons, a sweet mix of cookies and brownies, and a delightful variety of pastries. Along with them is a single, steaming teapot made out of rare porcelain.

"Now that I think about it, where do you get the money to pay for these stuff?" Eli asked Allen who's in the middle of pouring her tea.

"The Student Council budget," he replied with a smile and an innocent-sounding voice, making her choke on her saliva out of surprise.

"G-Graft?!"

"You're supposed to laugh at that, Angelica."

"Oh."

Eli almost fell for that. For a second there, she really believed that these venerable Champions were using the school funds for their own personal indulgence. But then again, it's not much of a loss from the academy's part, considering that these people were always protecting the students from the shadow. Rather than the Student Council budget, however, her assumption that Hal and the others were using their own wealth as noblemen was more plausible.

"Thanks for the food!" Noah enthused out of nowhere, surprising Eli and Zeke.

At the moment their snacks were served, the blonde turned a one hundred eighty almost instantly. He suddenly started gobbling up a cookie before munching away with his head on cloud nine. Hal and Allen weren't as surprised as them, which Eli somewhat expected since they knew one another for a long time now. Watching Noah lower his guard down like this made her feel a bit glad, though. After all, it's been a while since she saw him smiling genuinely.

"The tea looks weird for some reason," Hal thought out loud, squinting his eyes at a hot cup of tea before taking a sip.

Then, he gagged.

Caught off guard, everyone's now looking at Hal as he spat out the tea. He then erupted in a fit of coughs, his entire frame trembling. Allen immediately poured him a glass of water while Noah pat his back. Seeing this, Zeke tried tasting the tea and drank it with one gulp, only to threw up the same way as Hal.

"What on earth...?!" he bolted out in flummox before wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his denim.

"T-The tea..." Hal trailed off, pointing at his teacup with a horrified look.

Baffled by their reactions, Allen reached out for his own and took a small sip. His expression then instantly contorted into a bitter one - the face of someone who just tasted something extremely stomach-churning. At this point, the three boys are acting crude and churlish for some reason, grumbling and mustering dreadful expressions all the while.

"Is it poison, perhaps?" Zeke muttered, hooded eyes narrowed in suspicion.

That's until they heard a small whimper from the side. Turning their heads to its direction, everyone found Eli fidgeting and visibly sweatdropping. With cheeks as red as a tomato, she stammered out a faint apology that almost came out unintelligible with how low and wobbly her voice was.

"...A-And well, it's my first time brewing tea. I-I did it the same way I made coffee for Dad..."

Then, silence.

In an attempt to hold back his guffaw, Hal ended up making a deadpan expression instead. He remembered that Eli was never the wife material. There was not an ounce of domesticity running in her veins, nor did she have half the basic qualities of a woman. She relied on nothing but books when she found herself lacking and unknowledgeable on a particular chore, which often turned out to be as easy as ABC.

Feeling self-conscious at the moment, Eli just endured their pitiful gazes for what seemed like an eternity. She felt like digging a hole at that very second and burying herself alive. This gnawing feeling of mortification would probably haunt her dreams for the rest of her high school life.

"I'm really, really sor-"

Eli then abruptly paused at the sound of slurping.

Confounded, she immediately swerved her head to Noah's direction. Her eyes bulged in panic and surprise upon finding him quietly sipping his tea with an impassive look. As he continued drinking in silence, everyone was only watching him in bewilderment. It takes a few more seconds before the scene eventually sinks in her head.

"N-Noah! You musn't!"

Eli then snatched Noah's teacup away from his grasp, snapping him out of his daze. Flabbergasted, the blonde just blinked at her while she tried to put the tea away. He then suddenly reached out for it and took it back, making her jump in surprise. Dumbfounded, she exchanged looks with him for a moment before attempting to steal the teacup again.

"Don't add to the number of victims, Noah! What're you doing?" Eli voiced out incredulously.

"Drinking," Noah answered, matter-of-factly.

"You can't! Didn't you see them throw it up?"

"I'm thirsty, and I'm already used to this taste."

Then, she stiffened.

Flummoxed, Eli only stared at Noah, eyes as wide as saucers and mouth slightly agape. She eventually loosened her grip around the teacup, letting him slip it away from her hand. He then resumed quenching his thirst with it, indifferent to the questioning stares he's receiving at the moment. As awkward silence sprawled amidst them, everyone just continued looking at him as if he grew two heads.

"Noah... Were you that thirsty? We still have water, you know," Eli voiced out absentmindedly, earning an incredulous expression from the blond.

"What's the big deal with what I drink?" Noah retorted, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Then... You have a thing for poison?"

"Huh? What do you think am I?"

"A masochist?"

"No, I'm not!"

While Eli and Noah continued on their mini guessing game, Hal and the others burst into laughter out of nowhere. The two stop at this, puzzled by their little moment of mirth. Eli then went back to brooding over her failure while Hal only made fun of her even more. He started telling about her clumsy beginnings as a library keeper who couldn't properly use a mop. As the boys guffaw at this like there's no tomorrow, Noah just watched in silence until his lips slowly curled into a small smile.

Unknowingly, he's starting to enjoy the company of this new circle.