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“Hm… There was an error in the ordering, this is the wrong percentage that I asked for…” Burnet mused as he stood in the kitchen. He stared, pensive, at the block of chocolate, wrapped in wax paper and silk, and sighed. “It's too late now to replace it until the next shipment of our supplies but it would be reprehensible to waste. What is a chef to do?”
Lamentation after lamentation… Lapis’ ears pricked from the parlour and so, she got curious and wandered into the kitchen.
“Everything okay, Burnet? I can hear you from outside.” Lapis laughed.
“Ah, Lapis, hm, well everything is fine but I could be better.” Burnet said and he showed her the chocolate that he was holding. He peeled back its soft casings and showed off the tag, “It’s one-hundred per-cent cocoa dark chocolate. Excellent quality, of course, but a bit… Not to my tastes to work with.”
Lapis’ eyes widened. One-hundred per-cent pure cocoa? That sounded amazing. She wasn’t versed in the grading of chocolate but the ones she had been fortunate to eat as a child had left her confused regarding the stellar reputation of the confection. They had been chalky and poor quality so something which got complete marks… Her mouth watered. She wanted to taste it.
She couldn’t believe Burnet, a gourmet chef, was turning his nose up at chocolate of such clear and premium quality. The selection he showed off glistened in the afternoon sunlight. The colour was rich and earthy, dark as dark could be.
“I’ll take it.” Lapis said. “I’ll eat it.”
“You will?” Burnet exclaimed, his jaw dropped.
“Yeah, it sounds good.” Lapis replied, confused by his reaction yet more. Artists… They were all eccentrics! Or at least that was the best conclusion Lapis could come up with.
“Well… If you say so but don’t feel bad if its not to your liking.” Burnet said.
He handed over the chocolate and Lapis graciously accepted it. She broke a corner off the cube and popped it in her mouth. No big deal. Yet Burnet’s reaction was intense with disbelief.
Lapis mulled over the taste. It was… delicious! She finally understood why chocolate was perceived as such a luxury. Difficult to grow, hard to cultivate, and so much care went into preparation, mixed with cream and cardamon, warmed and boiled and cooled again and all for this divine moment.
Oh, Lapis could have swooned over the chocolate. It had an earthy taste which brought a test of strength, almost, between the chocolate and her taste buds. It was exciting and new.
“Mm, so good. Thank you so much, Burnet, I’ll treasure it.” Lapis appreciatively replied. “Ah! I know. I should go share it with Citrinne, she’ll love it.”
“She will?” Burnet asked, astounded that one person could enjoy chocolate of this type, let alone two.
“Yes, I’m sure. Thank you, a gift for me and a gift for… Citrinne.” Lapis replied and she did her best not to swoon at the mention of her beloved. “I’ll be going now, thanks again.”
“Alright, I’ll be seeing you…” Burnet said.
With that, Lapis was on her merry way and Burnet continued his unpacking of groceries in the communal kitchen. Lapis rewrapped her chocolate and had more of a skip in her step than compared to before. It had been a rather humdrum morning but now she had something to make it just a little bit more special.
Today, her and Citrinne’s routine had been out of sync. Though they were retainers to Prince Alcryst and partners on the battlefield, and outside of that, romantically entwined, it was no good to spend too much time with one another. They required different regimens to hone their strengths, different rests but the plan had always been to enjoy some cloudwatching not too far from the orchard together once they had gotten their individual chores and errands done.
Lapis had been taking an easier day, focusing on homemaking and laundry, boring things like that. She had earned her stripes yesterday at the gymnaeseium. Meanwhile, it was the opposite for Citrinne who had tended to the gardens and animals yesterday but wanted to practice her magic today. Lapis hoped she had had a good time doing that because as she made her way through to the Somniel to their promised place, Lapis found herself thinking… She had had a great day today and wanted to share that with Citrinne.
The orchard glistened in the sunshine. There was a slight breeze and the perfume of soon-to-be ripe fruit in the air. Citrinne stood on the edge of it and flagged her down with an excited wave and wondrous smile.
“Oh, Lapis, there you are.” Citrinne welcomed Lapis upon seeing her.
“I didn’t make you wait, did I?” Lapis asked as she got closer.
“Not at all, I only just arrived myself.” Citrinne assured her. “Marvellous weather we are having today, isn’t it?”
Lapis smiled, “Yeah, it's great.”
They walked past the rows of trees and found a sunny patch of grass to sit down at. Lapis plonked herself down but Citrinne took her time, preening and rearranging her dress and boa, anything to not get dirt on her but she sat close once she was ready.
“I know we saw each other this morning but I already missed you today.” Citrinne laughed.
Lapis blushed slightly. Citrinne leaned into her and nuzzled against her face, her lips brushed past her and sent a tingle down Lapis’ spine. Everything about Citrinne was so soft and pampered, deep down someone as rough and tumble as Lapis couldn’t get enough of it. The scent of her perfume, the tone of her voice.
Surprisingly, it was nice to be missed, Lapis realised as she toyed with the packaging of the chocolate that she had brought along. Once upon a time, she couldn’t imagine anyone missing little old Lapis but she knew that, past Citrinne’s hoity-toity airs, she was genuine and true and hopelessly in love.
“I-I’m glad,” Lapis murmured, “and I have a present to share with you.”
“You do?” Citrine exclaimed and leaned back.
“Yes, some premium grade, one-hundred per-cent cocoa chocolate!” Lapis excitedly shared with her.
Citrine’s jaw dropped, “D-Did you just say… one-hundred per-cent cocoa?”
“Yes, isn’t it amazing?” Lapis replied. “I can’t believe that Burnet didn’t want it, all because of some kinda mix-up in the shipping order.”
“Well, yes, I can imagine. That kind of chocolate is the worst.” Citrinne said.
“Huh?” Lapis blinked. Now it was her turn for her jaw to drop.
Citrinne stared at her in confusion.
Lapis stared back at her with disbelief.
The moment persevered. Pure and awkward, neither one knowing how to approach the odd topic of conversation until Lapis took heart to overrule Citrinne’s all too polite nothingness.
“B-But its one-hundred per-cent…?” Lapis pointed out. “That’s the best score you can get in, like, anything!”
“Well, yes, that’s true but chocolate is better in moderation, especially as a dessert or garnish.” Citrinne clarified.
“Are you sure? Because it's delicious?” Lapis said.
She broke off a piece and popped it into her mouth. Once more, Lapis was beguiled by the taste of the chocolate. It was overwhelming and bitter, had an earthy taste to it and its flakiness was just divine, turning to silk as it warmed inside of her mouth before a decadent swallow.
“Yeah, so good.” Lapis defended herself.
Citrinne laughed, “Oh, sweetheart, well… I have never met anyone before who enjoys one-hundred per-cent cocoa chocolate before. What a daring palette you must have. Ah, no matter. I suppose that just makes you one-hundred per-cent… you.”
She leaned in and kissed Lapis. Lapis pouted, she felt outside of the joke or cultural knowledge that only the upper class, or those who served them in the kitchen, would know. But at the same time, she couldn’t complain. Citrinne tasted just as good as this premium grade chocolate that she had been skiting up.
Citrinne was aromatic and piquant, with a gentle technique. She melded softly against Lapis’ lips and coaxed her to kiss back. Which she did, with relish. Their kiss met in the middle of these dulcet delights. Lapis felt her heart begin to pound in her chest as Citrinne’s taste devoured more and more of her senses until she was all that she could think about. They went back and forth with decadence until Citrinne withdrew slowly.
She smiled and touched her lips, “My, I quite like the taste of such rich, dark chocolate on you, my love.” Citrinne confessed.