<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/kzMof6y.jpg)   </div>Bao-li giggled and blushed, hiding the lower half of her face beneath the long sleeve of her furisode. It was an unconscious, nervous gesture, but a charming one. The bashful little blonde was the newest employee of the House, but it wasn't hard to tell what Avelle had seen in her. "Of course,<em>Master Scarab,</em>" she said, a playful lilt to her voice despite her nervousness. She gave the charming southerner a small bow before spinning away and disappearing through the kitchen door.<br/><br/>"Seeeeee? I told you he wouldn't have forgotten you," said the Western girl, flashing Bao-li a teasing grin when she saw the little blonde's giddy smile.<br/><br/>"Wait,<em>that</em>'s the guy in the Crane Room?" a black-haired girl asked, peeking out through the curtains that blocked the door. "Dragon's breath, how do we keep forgetting him?"<br/><br/>"Down girl," scolded a white-haired young woman who appeared to be of northern stock, "the newbie called dibs, you'll just have to wait your turn Saeko."<br/><br/>Bao-li endured the good-natured teasing with little more than a blush and a giggle as she scurried about the kitchen, carefully preparing the tea. Leafs in pot, water on leafs, wait, wait, wait, wait...perfect! She poured the tea into a delicate porcelain cup with a careful, practiced motion, momentarily ignoring the talk of her coworkers to avoid spilling a single drop.<br/><br/>Before long, Bao-li reemerged from the kitchen bearing a lacquered tray laden with the night's meal. She deftly wove her way through the crowded tea room, sidestepping a few coworkers and more than one patron who'd been hitting the saki a bit too hard. It was rather impressive, until she tripped over her own feet just a few steps away from Scarab's table.<br/><br/>- - - - - - - - - -<br/><br/>Avelle only saw the movement out of the corner of her eye, but she was moving almost before her mind registered what had happened. She moved like smoke, slipping past the red-haired terrestrial who'd spent the last half hour thinking he was very charming. A dive turned in to a somersalt which closed the distance between her and her employee and she rose in a blue of navy and silver silks, half-registering a discordant sound as the musicians abruptly stopped their song. For a heartbeat the tea room was silent as all eyes turned to see Avelle, one arm holding Bao-li as if she'd just dipped the girl in the middle of a dance, the other holding the tray, nary a drop out of place.<br/><br/>Applause broke the spell and Avelle straightened up, pulling Bao-li along with her. Flashing a charming smile to the guests, Avelle bowed low, and ot her credit the serving girl followed along, as if it had all been part of a show.<br/><br/>Up close, Scarab could see the panic in Bao-li's eyes though, until Avelle leaned in close. "Stay calm, it's all right," she whispered, her voice soft and soothing. "It happens to everyone sooner or later."<br/><br/>The mistress of the house flashed her mortified employee an encouraging grin and a wink as she gently placed the tray back in Bao-li's hands, then casually crossed back to continue distracting the handsy Dragon-blooded.<br/><br/>The blonde's cheeks were practically burning, but Avelle's words seemed to have staved off any real panic. "I...I am<em>so sorry</em>Sir," she said as she placed the tray down before Scarab with exaggerated care.