Page 83 of Broken Chorus

“Never been to a tea party before,” Micah admitted, “but this has all the makings of something truly unique.”

“Seriously,” Kelly replied. “I’m loving the outfits.”

“Same,” Cade replied. “I’d wear this on a date. I’m gonna ask where he got it from, see if I can find something like it for sale somewhere.”

“Yeah, I’ve got half a mind to do so myself,” Kelly admitted as Hawk finally took in how Cade and Micah were attired.

Aaron had chosen a black and crimson top hat and a classic tux ensemble complete with tails and a walking stick for Cade. It had a strikingly steampunk vibe, complete with shimmering crimson and chrome accent pieces, and with the man’s hair worn loose beneath the hat, he had a sort of gothic vampire vibe that mixed edge with elegance.

For Micah, Aaron had chosen roguish attire with a purple and black vest over a black shirt Micah had chosen to wear open at the collar. His tailored black pants and open, black trench coat with the wide cuffs and ornate twilight-colored buttons made him look edgy and dangerous. There was a highly detailed design on the collar of the coat and the cuffs too, all of which gave Micah a dashing hint of danger. All of them were sporting some semblance of Victorian vibe, and when they stepped into the Thoughtful Spot, it was to discover that the place had the same sort of décor as the costumes chosen for all of them.

“Welcome to Monsieur Remy le Nounours’ tea party extravaganza,” Aaron said by way of greeting. He even sketched a low bow, while Ella curtsied beside him. There was a basketon her arm too, and she smiled as she straightened up and approached them.

“May I crown you?” She asked, allowing them to see the unique and freshly made flower crowns she had for each other them.

One by one they knelt and she slipped the crowns over top of their hats, the sizes fitting so perfectly that someone, probably Aaron, must have measured the sizes they’d need before she made them. He even lifted Ella up so she could crown Declan, who smiled and bent, bowing over the table in response.

“C’est un plaisir pour moi d’être ici, Mademoiselle Elle, Tu es belle aujourd’hui. Merci de m’avoir invité à votre fête,” Declan said in perfect French.

Ella’s eyes got wide, and she smiled brightly even as she tugged on Aaron’s sleeve.

“He speaks French like you do!” She declared. “What did he say, what did he say?”

Aaron looked just as shocked, but he quickly shook it off to answer her. “He said it’s his pleasure to be here and that you look lovely. He also thanks you for inviting him to your tea party.”

She twirled in her fancy French inspired dress with its flounces and ruffles, looking quite pleased with his words. “Someday I want to learn to speak French too!” she declared. “It’s so pretty. Please join us. There are name cards at each of your spots.”

Micah hurried to find his spot, while Cade wheeled Declan over to the space between two huge teddy bears that had clearly been reserved for him. Dani was there in an equally poofy dress, complete with her fairy wings, while Liam was wearing a mini version of what Hawk had on, which was utterly stunning.

“Okay, I’ve got to ask this ‘cause damn,” Micah said as they got comfortable. “Where the hell did you guys learn to speak French?”

Aaron chuckled as he helped Dani pour tea from one of several decorative tea pots that adorned the blankets they’d spread out in the clearing. “Well I don’t know about Declan, but I leaned online and so did Hawk, only he speaks Norwegian instead of French, or Italian, like Kelly.”

Micah threw up his hands up looked around the blanket. “Did you guys make it your personal mission to learn as many languages as possible?”

“Naa,” Hawk said as he sat beside Liam. “We each chose one so we could translate for the rest of the band when we were staying in certain countries.”

Aaron nodded in affirmation, with Kelly nodding along with him.

“I just love to flirt that way,” Declan admitted.

“That and our maternal grandparents are from France, so we grew up speaking the language,” Cade added.

“I loved it over there,” Aaron admitted. “We stayed in a floating village in Pressac when we were recording our third album. I cannot tell you how amazing it was to wake up with fog wrapped around my cabin and nothing but me and my guitar to focus on. The way the music dances across the water was unbelievable and at night we’d race model sailboats and dine with our feet in the water.”

“It was pretty magical,” Hawk said, recalling the sunsets there.

“Whoa, that does sound amazing,” Micah remarked. “Should I go out on a limb and assume you recorded in Italy and Norway too?”

“Pretty much,” Hawk said. “But not just there. We spent six months in a Ryokan in Kyoto and another four in Amsterdam.”

“So I’m going to guess that your former band members speak Japanese and Dutch?” Micah said.

“Pretty much.”

“Wow…that’s…the things you guys must have seen,” Declan mumbled.

“And done, and photographed,” Aaron added in, chuckling.

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