Tea Time! (Toby)

[Bell Connelly]

Well, goodness this was certainly going to be fun now wasn’t it?



This was the over riding thought going through young miss Connelly’s head as she went about preparing everything for today’s festivities. It was easy to see that Bell was nothing if not a perfectionist , evidenced by the table laid out in front of her, a bright white table cloth was laid out in front of her with bowls upon bowls of treats, sweets, food and everything in between ever so neatly laid out before her and of course a large old time teapot in the middle of the table steaming ever so softly sitting besides two teacups sitting on two pristine white saucers,



Oh, yes. That right Bell had busted out the fine china...

[Tobias Croft]

Afternoon tea. Established by the British, it was a small meal consisting of savouries, sweets and of course buckets of tea. An elegant affair, the tradition had long fascinated Toby; Of course the treats that came along with it were a factor, but it was more the whole elegance and feeling of prestige and tradition that was reminiscent of a time long past. Toby had once felt that his adoration for such an event would be pleasure he would have to bare alone, but since becoming a member of Bellefonte Academy's staff... Toby had found a partner in tipping the teapot.

Toby grinned widely as he approached the door to Bell's apartment, unable to prevent the giddiness from pouring from his expression; He simply adored Miss.Connelly's touch on the time honoured tradition. He'd of course dressed for the occasion, in a brown tweed jacket and suit pants, a deep green bow tie adorning his collar. He stepped up to the young woman's door, taking a moment to tweak the tie to make sure it was in place, before knocking in a rhythmic tune... The secret tea code. Well more it was just the same knock Toby usually used on Bell's door, but since that usually meant tea, he had come to decide it was some sort of secret tea club knock.
He put his hands behind his back, rocking back a little on his heels as he waited patiently for the door to open.

[Bell Connelly]

Well, what could Bell say? She did enjoy her little creature comforts, anything that could be considered warm and cosy, Bell Connelly was a fan of. Tea, Warm blankets, kitties….wool...knitting, all those things and more you can pretty much list among Bell’s favorite hobbies..

...She was a woman of great many tastes…

So when she found that her good friend Toby, shared her interest in a great many of her hobbies she simply had to invite him over for a little playdate of their own. She did so enjoy socializing especially with members of the staff...ever since the “Incident” they had mostly stayed away from her, so it was a pleasure to see that at least someone wanted to talk to her.

When she heard the knock on the door, she made sure to just slightly adjust the tea set before opening the door, and once she did and beheld Toby standing there, she couldn’t help but let out a quick giggle which she quickly hid pressing the palm of her hand against her mouth in a typical dainty fashion finding his attire quite amusing especially considering that Bell herself was in her typical attire of homemade sweater “Well, you’ve caught me a little under dressed, but I can’t say I don’t disapprove. You look wonderful. Very dapper I must say” Bell nodded with approval”

[Tobias Croft]

At the sound of the door opening, Toby fiddled with his jacket, quickly making sure it was in perfect position before abruptly putting his hands behind his back to hide his clumsy fumbling. His friend emerged, in far more casual clothing then he was wearing, her light giggle causing some sort of embarrassed flutter somewhere deep down in Toby's stomach. He pouted sheepishly, before taking both ends of his bow tie in either hand and tweaking it with a raised brow. "You don't go to the house of a lady without looking your best!" He declared, giving a resolute nod. Of course Toby DID look his best; A man in his view in a tow tie and fetching tweed was always well prepared for an afternoon of tea in dainty and elegant company... And Bell was the definition of those descriptives.

With a goofy grin to the redhead however, he then looked down to his clothing. "... Um, y-you don't think it's a little much, do you? I mean, we're having afternoon tea, and afternoon tea always calls for tweed, right?" He chuckled a touch embarrassedly, bringing a hand to the side of his flicked up hair and gripping it a little, one of his nervous traits. Toby then blinked, realising he had missed the most important factor when visiting the home of a dear female friend for hot beverages, sweets and savouries; Completing the host. Although if Toby gave out all the compliments he wanted to for Bell, he'd be stood on her doorstep until the morning. "But you, dear lady Bell, are by far fairer then I!" Toby grinned, dropping his arm and sweeping it out to bow in a theatrical fashion. "That knit is most... What's the word... Becoming!" He then stood back up straight with a wide grin, blinking at her excitedly. "I have a present for you!" He then felt a sudden flush of embarrassment sweep him before he could prevent it, causing the teacher to shrug his shoulders and look away, as though the idea of giving the young woman a gift was no big deal. "I mean, it's only a small thing... I went to the tea shop in town and got us..." He narrowed his eyes, glancing one way then the next, as though what he was about to say was highly secretive. He leaned in closer, putting his hand to the side of his mouth. "Breakfast tea... From Britain."

[Bell Connelly]

God, she really has been looking for it, it had been such a pleasure to have this take her mind off of things that have been going wrong for her over the last few months, it was good to take something of a palate cleanser and she was glad she had such a good friend like Toby to guide her through to such a hard period of time….Really sort of one of the few friends she did have here and, he certainly did seem to clean up well. Tweed apparently suited him quite well….

Well, he did say he wanted to “Dress up” for this and certainly it seemed that when he “Dressed up” He didn’t do it likely and Bell wished she didn’t find the entire attire so terribly amusing, after all he seemed quite proud of the way that he was dressed, so far be it for Bell to damage his ego “Oh nooo” Bell was quick to tell Toby “You look very dashing indeed She insisted...

She had to giggle a little at his flamboyant way of complimenting her, crossing and recrossing her feet in place a somewhat embarrassed flush coming to her face, “You’re too sweet” She said shaking her head a little brushing off her head before clapping her hands together giddy once Toby revealed the tea “Oh we have to use it right now!

[Tobias Croft]

The princess that was Bell Connelly had been dealt far more then her fair share of cruel hands... Toby had given it his all to support her in what ways he could; It was one of his reasons for indulging so much and making such a fuss over their afternoon teas. He hoped it provided her with a distraction... Even something small. It wasn't much, but it was something. He wished he could do more for her... She was one of the strongest people he'd ever known.

At Bell's compliment, Toby felt a swell of pride in his chest and a warm flush sweep his cheeks; She may be merely saying it, but at least his fancy and dashing outfit had made her smile. "Um... W-Well, yes, thank you dear lady!" He declared in response, putting a hand on his chest. "You flatter me so! Dashing was what I was going for." He gave her a light hearted wink, and while he was desperately trying to keep his cool, keep it casual... Toby's heart was thundering from embarrassment. The teacher then grinned widely at his co worker's excitement regarding the tea, his smile turning slightly lopsidedly goofy at her adorable mannerisms. "YES. It simply must be done!" He declared, delving into his shoulder bag, plucking out from within the beautifully packaged loose leaf tea; Wrapped up in brown paper and tied with a gold bow.

Toby may or may not have gotten it gift wrapped. Well, this was an occasion for elegance, after all... And it was a gift for Bell.

The teacher grinned, holding out his gift with pride. His glasses slipped slightly down the bridge of his nose, and he quickly pushed them back into place. "Shall we get this party started?"

[Bell Connelly]

Yes it was hard to deny that Bell has been having a hard time of it recently her depression hitting her more and more and it was slowly creeping in through her work and it certainly showed to say the very least and the rest of the teaching body was starting to show, so much so that a lot of the teaching body had begun to avoid her, all except Toby who had been nothing but sweet to her, which if nothing else Bell really did appreciate and had quickly grown close to….

It was all Bell could do to bite her lip and hide her smirk when Tobias started his mini monologue really getting into character, and suturing like a teenager it was all quite amusing once he was done he clapped her hands hands together in applause “Very Good! Did you rehearse that? I honestly can’t tell!

“Oh lets!” Bell said with aplom taking the box out of Toby’s hands with a smile “Oh wait, a-ba ba-” Bell said slowly leaning forward gently grabbing his lapel and straightening it slowly before leaning back with a bright smile “NOW you’re perfect”

[Brooklyn Fisher]

With no warning Brooke burst into the front door of the apartment. "Oh my God! Bell!" She declared as she crossed through the living room toward the kitchen as if she was the resident of the apartment and not Bell. She moved along, her sleek, black heels making her long, slender form even taller. With a grumble of frustration she shrugged off her jacket and tossed it, along with her purse onto the couch on her way. "I swear it seems like every single moron in Montana woke up today and decided they were going to make my life a living hell." She threw up her arms in disgust and moved on without paying the company any heed.

"Do you realize how hard it is to get any sort of designer products all the way out here?" Brooke waved a dismissive hand as she sauntered across the kitchen, her heels clicking smartly across the floor. "The dry cleaner down the street ruined both of the dresses I was going to wear this weekend. Both of them!" Brooke pulled open the door to Bell's fridge and reached as far in as she could. When she pulled away she revealed a large, glass bottle of clear liquid. "Now what am I going to wear, Bell? Huh?" It was a travesty of the highest order if one were to listen to the tone of Brooke's voice. She turned, set the bottle on the counter and produced a jar of olives before moving to the cupboard and withdrawing a cocktail shaker from behind a row of glasses. "I swear. Some people just don't know how to handle the finer things in life."

Lost in her own world as she spoke, Brooke set about mixing the olive juice and the gin from the glass bottle, mixed it in the shaker briefly before pausing to look at it. She glanced to the bottle and lifted it to her lips in one hand while deftly pouring the contents of the shaker into a martini glass (which she had also pulled from a seemingly random spot in Bell's kitchen). With a huff, Brooke turned to finally take in Toby and Bell. Her head tilted curious as she noticed Toby. "Hey." She said, offering a casual wave before turning her attention to Bell. "You should have told me you had company."

[Tobias Croft]

Toby's heart was drumming a funky rhythm at an increasing pace throughout his little stuttered speech. The fact he'd managed it without stuttering completely into inaudible words was quite the achievement. The trainer then however flinched slightly when Bell in a truly adorably elegant manner clapped her hands in appreciation; Toby blinked at her, before a lopsided grin erupted over his lips. "U-Um, it was more, you know, improv?" He answered quickly, doing a quick flurry of jazz hands; Yes... MERELY IMPROV. He wasn't just stuttering and talking a touch too rapidly because his heart was threatening to burst forth from his chest out of embarrassment. Thankfully a distraction came in the form of Bell taking the tea box, which earned her a bright smile from the trainer. But just when his heart seemed to be calming down that funky beat, his friend moved closer, taking hold of his lapel and giving it a slight tweak into place. Toby tensed upright slightly at her touch, his gaze wide; if his complexion could possibly turn a deeper shade of scarlet, it did so now. "U-UM... I... I YES, Thank you, my lady! I can't be looking scruffy for tea now, can I?" He spoke, ducking his head down in the hopes it would hide his flushed cheeks from view, speaking again a little too fast, as he smoothed his own hand over his lapel. "So shall we-"

However, the elegant, perfect afternoon spent with Bell that Toby had been looking forward to the entire week was then shattered,
by a clanking of heels, intense black hair and the clinking of a martini glass. The trainer was momentarily dumbfounded, blinking like a rabbit in headlights as the woman, whom he was certain he recognised as someone he met in a club, strutted into the once calm and serene afternoon tea parlor that was Bell's kitchen and frankly, made herself completely at home.
Toby watched. Toby blinked. Toby snapped his eyeline to Bell, before looking back at the woman in question. ".. Hey," He grinned, offering her a slight wave of his hand, before slowly leaning towards the redhead, his voice lowered to a whisper. "Sooo... Bell... I don't mean to alarm you... But there's a random woman in your house..."

[Bell Connelly]

“No you most certainly can’t” Bell couldn’t help but agree as she finished the straightening of the tie, satisfied by her handy work “Do forgive me, I’m something of a perfectionist” she admitted with a slight shrug wondering if Toby was feeling well he did seem to be ever so nervous and he was sweating too. Bell was a little taken aback by how he was acting

“Toby are you running a fever? I ca-”

But Bell was count off by the all too familiar sounds of high heels stomping through her house which has become something of a fixture of her house these days, she never really knew how Brooke did that. How she could just stroll through her house like that? Where did she even get a key? Bell certainly never gave her a key, to her..

Bell head turned towards Brooke watching on with disbelief as she went around her kitchen like she owned the place, She quickly shot Toby an inquisitive look as if he could explain what was happening, before she eventually was able to speak out “Brooke….I’m kind of preoccupied at the moment” She said gesturing to Toby “We have plans, so this really isn’t a good time…”

[Brooklyn Fisher]

Brooke stood, bottle of gin in one hand, martini glass in the other, as she looked back and forth between Toby and Bell. She recognized Toby, obviously. She may have been the type of girl to fling herself about here and there in order to get a free drink or rid herself of some creepy guy at the club but she wasn't one to forget a face. What she couldn't wrap her mind around was, exactly, what it was this familiar face was doing in her best friend's apartment.

And then it hit her.

Brooke's brilliant, emerald eyes slowly began to widen. Ruby lips parted as her jaw dropped from the sudden realization. She actually did a little wiggle of excitement at what was transpiring in front of her. How could she have been so dense? Of course she'd walked in on something. Turning she placed the bottle of gin on the nearest counter and made her way toward Bell, excitement evident in her face. "Oh. My. God. Bell. Finally!" She beamed at her redheaded friend much in the way a parent would on the first day of kindergarten. "Okay. Now." She got serious for a moment as she eyed Bell warily. "He's cute, he's smart and he's funny. That's the trifecta right there. But you're co-workers, so be careful." She pointed a finger sternly at the diminutive Academy teacher. "Don't sleep with him unless you're absolutely sure he's not going to go psycho stalker on you, okay?" He looked at Bell until she caught some sign of understanding. Even though there was none to be found, Brooke nodded curtly and turned to regard Toby with a look of curiosity.

"And you." Brooke down the rest of the martini in the glass and went to set it beside the bottle of gin before making her way toward Toby. She smiled sweetly and gave a short wave. "Hi." She said. "I want you to understand one thing." She said, her tone still sweet and cheery. "That's my best friend over there." She pointed to Bell even though her eyes never left Toby. "She's easily the sweetest, kindest person I've ever met." She leaned down to fiddle with the collar of Toby's shirt, smoothing it out even though Bell had already done that to perfection moments ago. "You better take this dating thing seriously and treat her right." Brooke grip on Toby's collar suddenly tightened and her gaze steeled, growing cold and determined. "If you hurt her I'll make sure a German shepherd named Rocco has your balls for lunch." She smiled sweetly before adding. "Literally."

And with that Brooke pulled away, turning to stride toward the apartment door just as whimsically as she had came in. There was little care given to responses or reaction. Brooke's work here was done and nothing was going to keep her around. She had things to do, of course, and one of them was to allow things to get done in Bell's apartment. "You two lovebirds just remember to use protection." She said as she leaned halfway back in through the door to give the two a sly smirk and a wink. Then, just as quickly as she had appeared, Brooke slipped out and closed the door behind her.

[Bell Connelly]

No, this wasn’t what Bell had in mind for this evening’s festivities. Not that she would say that the company of Brooke was unwanted. Oh no no no. That would just be rude to say something like that. Brook was more than welcome to join anything she saw fit...but, she knew she wasn’t a tea women. She was more a….social drinker and tea wasn’t her drink of choice she much preferred  something…..a little stronger than tea, but that was perfectly ok if she enjoyed that particularly lifestyle….but that wasn’t Toby’s and Bell’s….

Well, that wasn’t their cup of tea…..

“Oh I’m sorry, Toby this is Brooke, She lives just next door to me….She likes to pop in on me….as a surprise” Bell shrugged a little bemused and somewhat apologetic towards him, not knowing why exactly Brooke felt the need to walk in on her unexpectedly like she did, or what Bell had to offer her, but who was Bell to say she can’t? She had a hard time telling anyone no. How can she say no someone like Brooke?

A frown formed on her face, once Brooke seemed to get excited, seemingly coming to some kind of conclusion…. tho what that particular conclusion was, alluded Bell somewhat...maybe she finally realized that busting in on Bell wasn’t exactly a welcome distraction...but then again her words were….what? Bell felt like she was missing something here...Like there was a crossed line somewhere and they weren’t connecting “....I wasn’t aware we needed….Wait what?! Bell’s head zipped up her eyes going wide. and her mouth forming a perfect O shape in shock once it became apprently what Brooke thought they were planning to do, which….NO. Just...Just No. Bell said shaking her head back and forth and before Bell could come to grips with what just happened Brooke was already out the door.

Brooke didn’t say anything for a good long moment,, a light red tinge coming over her cheeks before she clutched at her neck forcing a cough out…”Yes, Well...That was Brooke….She. She likes to...Joke….Probably”