An Unexpected Tea, Barty

Bartholomew rubbed the back of his neck, blinking the weariness from his eyes. His day, like the one before it, had been spent familiarizing himself with the school and it's grounds. He still couldn't believe that he and Abigail were here, and that he had actually been offered a position at the school. Teaching, no less. Was he even qualified to be a teacher? Apparently some thought his life skills were useful enough to teach to the students.

But none of it mattered right now. He was on his way home, where Abby would be waiting from her daily swim to cook dinner with him and maybe enjoy a little 'dessert' afterward. He smiled at the thought, reflexively touching the wedding band on his hand like it might not really be there. It felt like they had moved so quickly. But nothing about it felt wrong.

Barty looked up from his inner thoughts when a light shown up ahead of him. Was he that close to home already? No, he couldn't smell the sea water quite yet. And this light wasn't on the path. A bristling climbed Barty's neck, a not so old fear. Then, a sense of calm. Was this a student, perhaps? He should go and see if they need help. That's what a teacher does, right?

Cautiously, Barty stepped off the path, walking toward the orb of light. "H-hello. Are you, um, are you alright? Do you, uh, need any help?"

Barty continued to follow the little light, his mind waning between transfixion and lucidity. He blinked a few times, unsure of himself. Was this light playing tricks with his head? Yet he continued to follow, partly to satisfy his curiosity and partly to figure out what he needed to help with.

As Barty's head fully cleared up, his own psychic barriers knitting themselves back together after whatever kind of assault they had fallen under, he blinked several times. He faltered mid-step and tripped through the doorway, landing with an unpleasant slam as his jaw clipped the floor.

Standing himself back up and looking rather defensively at the very strange looking woman who had apparently brought him here, Barty opened his mouth to speak but no words would come out.
Shaking his head, he tried again. "Just. Who. What.
Where. The hell. Ah... T-tea party?"

Looking the woman over, she didn't seem like a student. Was she school faculty? Or just a really strange citizen? The memory of the warnings about the dangers of the woods flooded back, and Barty began mentally kicking himself for letting his guard down. But shouldn't he let his guard down here? This was meant to be a safe place for non-humans. This was the whole reason he and Abigail had come here. Was he being rude and assumptive?

"Uh... I'm sorry. I... Who are you? And, ah, where exactly... are we?" He took a tentative step towards the table, his body ready to bolt out the door at the first sign of trouble.

Barty stood stock still as he contemplated making a run for it. But a quick glance over his shoulder confirmed his fear that the door he had stumbled in through was no longer there. There were other doors around the room, but who knew where those might lead. He would have to talk his way out of this situation.

Mentally letting out a string of curses as he crossed the room, Barty inspected the chair that was offered to him before cautiously sitting down. He sat at the very edge of the seat, his legs tense and ready to bolt should the chair come to life and attempt to devour him. It wouldn't have been the first time. "The... Duchess..." he repeated slowly, unsure of how to respond. She was royalty of some kind? Did Manta Carlos have royalty? He squirmed slightly in his seat, uncomfortable at the prospect of engaging with someone from the upper class.

He stared from the cup of tea offered to him up at the woman. Was she a woman? She certainly resembled one, albeit one made of stitched together sea creatures. With a calming breath, he worked up a smile and took the cup with a grateful nod. "Um... Thank you very much." Truth be told, his throat was kind of dry, even more so with this new and slightly terrifying situation.

"I think I will just have the tea though, thank you. My wife might, ah, be upset if I spoil my appetite before dinner." Was that a good enough excuse? He brought the cup close to his face, smelling the concoction for any obvious hints of poison or tampering. Of course there were none. Speaking of which, he needed to get home soon so Abigail wouldn't worry. But how?

Barty was tense, and he would continue to be tense until he was safely back on his way home, hands glued to the sides of his head so he couldn't see any more weird things off the path. He took a tentative sip of his tea, and found that it was quite good. He still couldn't be certain that it wasn't poisoned, but he couldn't just not drink it. Who knew what this woman might do if he offended her.

He eyed the woman suspiciously when she mentioned a 'party favor' for him and Abigail. What on earth could she have to give them? He found himself smiling absentmindedly though as she asked him what his wife was like and his thoughts drifted to Abigail. "Oh, she's... wonderful. She teases me a lot, but she's so very sweet. And her voice... I just don't even know where to begin. Perhaps you two should meet."

Wait, what was he saying? He blinked and stared into his coffee. No, it was tea. And he was sitting in some fancy mansion in the middle of the woods. With a... duchess... or whatever she was. Barty rubbed his eyes. When was the last time he had slept? He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.