Continental Breakfast Included

[kitchen_maid]

The King and Queen have a great many parlors at their disposal, ranging from the very grand to somewhat very grand.

And then there is this one, which is generally reserved for the use of the family and their closest personal friends. It is a comfortable, sunlit sort of room, where one may find the children's toys and the Amy's embroidery and Perry's carving projects.

It is also where Amy has instructed her staff to lay out a breakfast for her friends this morning. They were all shown back to their rooms for what was left of the night before after their adventures, to at least attempt to get some rest.

Amy herself is a bit busy at the moment catching up on Official Matters: giving reports to the Deputy Captain of the Palace Guard and the Court Historian, seeing to the palace's new ghost (she's settled him in the Northwest tower, which is, she assures him, a perfectly lovely place to haunt), and reassuring her husband that yes, darling, she really is perfectly all right. She'll be along when she can.

In the meantime, everyone is free to make their way into the parlor in their own time. When they arrive, they will likely find company, and definitely find a table laid with everything the kitchens could find to send up: bread and jam and marmalade, cakes and pastries, eggs and bacon and sausages, a giant bowl of fruit, tea and juice and milk.

Comments

[noteful]

Meg managed a couple of hours of sleep. Enough that she doesn't feel the need to actually prop her eyes open, not so many that she's not grateful to see the tea pot at the end of the table.

She takes some bread and a plum to go with her tea, and chooses a chair on the edge of the room, near a window and next to a small table. Someone has left a copy of Mother Goose on the table, which (at least until other people show up), Meg is flipping through.

The illustrations are quite lovely.

[parkerlee]

Parker--wearing a rather grand dressing gown over her pajamas--takes a seat across from Meg, setting down her own plate and cup of tea.

"Do you feel like you've just woken up from the most weird-ass dream?" she asks.

Parker does. And little wonder.

Since the 'weird-ass' had all been quite real.

[noteful]

"To put it very, very mildly," Meg says.

"I can't tell you how little I'm looking forward to explaining all this to my husband.

"How are you this morning?"

[alsoagreengrass]

"Hullo, Meg," Scorpius says cheerfully.

He's taking a break from babysitting his broom - which he has shrunk to doll-sized and set lose among Susan's toys, now - to sit on the floor besides the small table and pick off some of the proteins and carbs he has piled on his plate.

"How are you this morning?"

[noteful]

"Good morning, Scorpius.

"I'm all right, thank you.

"Still trying to convince myself that all of last night actually happened, a little.

"How are you?"

[parkerlee]

Parker usually makes an effort to make herself presentable in the mornings when staying over at friends' houses (even--or perhaps especially--when that house is a royal residence). But given what they pulled off last night, she's decided that she's earned a few more hours in her jammies, even if she's not in bed.

She'd found a rather grand dressing gown and pair of slippers in the wardrobe of her guest room, attempted to tame the bed-head, and then followed her nose to the breakfast laid out in the parlor.

Parker has a comfortable chair, a pastry and cup of tea sitting on a side table, and a few of Susan's finger puppets. She's placed them on her own fingers, and is idly waving them at her own face.

She's awake. Really.

[cutting_edgex23]

"Parker," X says, approaching her friend from the left.

Warily.

"You are not possessed?"

What?

It could happen!

Er.

"Or falling asleep."

[parkerlee]

"More the latter," Parker says, shaking off the finger puppets. "Only in reverse. Not quite awake, yet."

Parker looks Laura over.

"Did you get enough sleep?"

She looks....very much not like someone who is so tired she's playing with finger puppets.

[kitchen_maid]

"Good morning, Parker," Amy says.

Amy has not slept, but this fact doesn't show in either her bearing or her expression. (Though you can see it a bit around her eyes.)

"Not exactly the restful visit to a football game I invited you for, I'm afraid."

[parkerlee]

"Amy, hey."

Parker quickly shakes off the finger puppets and sits up a little more.

"Why aren't you sleeping in?"

[cutting_edgex23]

X only really needs an hour of two of sleep a night, which is why she really looks no different than usual as she makes her way into the room.

It only takes a moment to pour a cup of milk, spread some jam on a few pieces of bread, and add a few strips of bacon to her plate. Balancing a serving of fruit is really not that much more difficult.

Then, fully prepared to camp out with food for quite some time, X makes her way to a comfortable chair near a reasonably sized table.

It helps not to have to worry about spills.

[noteful]

"Good morning, Laura," Meg says, taking a chair on the other side of the table.

She has her hands wrapped around a cup of tea.

"How are you today?"

[cutting_edgex23]

"No one died," X responds, taking a sip of milk.

"I am okay."

Beat.

"You do not want to go back to sleep?"

[kitchen_maid]

"X," says Amy, holding her hands out to her guest by way of greeting.

"It seems we find ourselves once again in your debt.

"Thank you."

[cutting_edgex23]

"Amy," X says.

Then, several seconds later, she reaches out to shake Amy's hand.

"You are welcome."

Beat.

"I like when you are safe. And your kingdom."

[alsoagreengrass]

Scorpius does not look the least bit tired in the morning. Despite having stayed awake half the night to fiddle with the brooms they'd rode out on. But what hours he did get? He slept soundly. So:

One well-dressed, bushy-eyed wizard in a cheery mood wanders into the parlor for breakfast. He's also got with him one of the brooms he'd been working on.

It seems to be a bit more ...alive than it was yesterday after their flight, sweeping over to the table alongside Scorpius and - more or less - observing as he piles food onto a plate.

It tries to spear a sausage and knocks over a jug of milk.

[kitchen_maid]

"Good morning, Scorpius," Amy says cheerfully, stepping back a neat half step to avoid the milk now dripping off the table. "And friend," she adds, to the broom.

She studies it curiously for a second and then turns back to Scorpius.

"Does the broom eat?"

Because she has no idea what a broom would eat, or how, but she has a palace kitchen at her disposal, should they need it.

(Or it can help itself to sausages.)

[alsoagreengrass]

"Morning, Amy," Scorpius says, sheepishly righting the mess with a wave of his wand before anymore milk spills to the floor.

"Sorry about that. It wasn't actually supposed to be so, er - Well. Sentient."

He overdid it with the magic, just a bit.

"I wouldn't worry about feeding it. I think it's just trying to get a feel of the place."

It bumps against Amy as it sweeps away from the table.

[parkerlee]

Parker appears with a napkin or three.

"Who's your date?" she asks with a tired grin.

[alsoagreengrass]

"Er, I haven't got a name? Yet."

Scorpius takes the napkins and sets to wiping up the mess.

For about two or so seconds before he gets milk on his hands and then he takes care of the rest with magic.

He takes in her wardrobe with a grin.

"Did you manage any sleep last night?"

[cutting_edgex23]

X, who has come up to the table to get a refill on her glass of milk, pauses to watch the broom.

She blinks once, gaze flicking toward Scorpius, then back again.

"You think you will need to escape from the palace, too?"

[master_bruce]

Bruce wanders into the parlour late, having stayed up last night to sort out his utility belt so that it'll still be in order when he gets home. He still looks a bit sleepy, despite having clearly just got out of the shower. Caffeine would help, only he doesn't really drink coffee.

There's a general wave in the direction of everyone, and he heads to the table. Fruit is the order of the day.

[kitchen_maid]

There's tea.

(There's always tea.)

"Good morning, Bruce.

"How are you today?"

[cutting_edgex23]

X looks up from her own plate as Bruce enters, though she doesn't speak.

Sometimes quiet is good.

She will, however, tilt her head very slightly once she's able to catch his gaze.

Should she move over?

[noteful]

"Good morning, Bruce," Meg says.

And then, after a second, she adds, "The plums are very good."