Chapter Text
Collins stood before the mirror and gave himself a slow, appraising look. It was his first day of his summer job and he was expected to look well put together, handsome, and clean. He was dressed as a soldier – not a specific soldier, just a fictional version of a soldier. The dark blue jacket he wore had a high neck collar that framed his throat, along with a silk, silver ascot (he’d never worn an ascot before and one of the other boys had to show him how to tie it correctly). The jacket was tight on him and lined down the breast with silver buttons. It nicely accentuated his slim waist and helped broaden his shoulders out a little. The pants were a dark gray and the boots came up all the way to his knees. A black leather belt and sword sheath completed the ensemble. The perfect little soldier.
“Not bad, new kid.” A voice behind him teased before he heard a whistle of appreciation. He glanced over his shoulder with a smirk and eyed the other boy who was only half dressed. The white shirt beneath his jacket was still untucked and his ascot was hanging around his neck. They were assembled in a locker room, and each young man was in various states of undress and they were all chattering away amiably as they readied for their shift. One of his friends, Thomas, was busily buttoning up his jacket at his locker.
“Did I put everything on right?” He turned to let the other boy inspect him but was just given a dismissive wave.
“You look fine.” The boy gently shouldered him out of the way so that he could see the mirror to tuck in his shirt and finish tying his ascot. “First day, yeah?”
“Yes,” Collins fidgeted with the handle of his sword. He was going to have to get used to its weight. He’d never once held a sword in his life and was worried about dropping it during his shift. “I’m a little nervous.”
“Ah, nothing to be nervous about.” The young man had dark, tousled hair and green eyes. Collins supposed he was the kind of man that young ladies would think was attractive. “It’s pretty easy. You just flirt with the girls, put on a show, and make them feel special.” He finished tying his ascot and stuffed it down into the collar of his shirt before turning to offer a hand. “Jackson, by the way.”
“Collins.” He shook his hand and smiled. Jackson definitely seemed like a lady’s man. He had a confidence that girls seemed to love and Collins could tell he was a little bit older, too. Maybe even out of college though it was hard to tell. Most of the men employed at The Little Soldier Tea Shoppe were in college. It was one of the few jobs in the city that actually hired Ligarians like himself, at least for part time work, and college kids like himself were the best sorts for the job since the clientele were mostly women.
It had only been a few decades since the city of Epheas had allowed Ligarians and Brullians to co-mingle, and it was incredibly obvious why it had taken so long. Collins stood exactly 5.33 inches and most Brullians could measure their own height up to 6 feet or so. The extreme size difference between the two societies made it very hard for them to live in close proximity. Epheas was a little different, though. They had sections of the city dedicated to Ligarians and had even developed transportation, city amenities, and shops and restaurants for their tiny denizens. Five years ago, the local college had started taking on Ligarian students. That was how Collins had ended up here.
He’d grown up in a small farm town, far away from the big cities. Math had captivated him from a young age and he had gotten an eye for engineering. It wasn’t often that people from his city wished to pursue higher education and so they had all encouraged him to write essays and apply for scholarships. Fenwick University had just opened up their exchange program and Collins had sent in an essay, not expecting any sort of reply. Instead, he’d been given a full scholarship and a chance to move to a Brullian city for the first time in his life. The idea of living in such close proximity to people so much larger than himself had been daunting and he’d nearly let anxiety talk him out of it. His father, however, had told him he had to try it for at least a year before deciding if he wanted to stick with it or not.
Thank god for father. The first week had been rough being away from home. The following months had been drastically better. Collins had never felt more free than moving away and living in the dorms of the university. His whole worldview had been flipped upside down and the thought of ever moving back to the farm was inconceivable. The university still kept Ligarians and Brullians mostly separate. Separate dorms and common areas. Sometimes even separate classrooms with their own Ligarian professors. Several of his classes, however, were taught by Brullian professors. The small students usually had their own little alcove where they could listen to the lectures and take notes. He’d been here for almost a year and still had not had a full conversation with a Brullian yet, past the manager who had hired him for this new job. And now he was about to go out and entertain a table full of Brullian ladies.
The Little Soldier Tea Shoppe was a novelty cafe for the upper Brullian class. Ladies would come to dine on fancy cakes, exotic teas, and little sandwiches. All the while, tiny Ligarians dressed as soldiers would be their hosts and flirt with them on their tabletops and put on a little show. Collins’ friend, Thomas, had gotten him the job as he’d been in dire need of pocket change. The scholarship covered boarding, classes, and his meals but nothing more.
“It’s your first day,” Jackson continued. “So you shouldn’t stress too much. You’ll just be mirroring one of the other guys and learning. They don’t make you do anything on your own until a week or so in.”
“Good.” Collins leaned to see if his friend had finished dressing. Thomas was just finishing up looping his sword belt around his waist. The brown-haired boy caught Collins’ eye across the locker room and waved. Jackson followed his gaze.
“Friend of yours?”
“Yeah, he got me the job.”
“Thomas, yeah. I know him. You both go to Fenwick, right?” Some of the boys were now exiting the locker room and Jackson moved in that direction, motioning Collins to follow. They fell in step together.
“Yes, first years. What about you? Do you go to Fenwick?” Collins definitely wouldn’t mind another college friend.
“Gosh, no,” Jackson laughed. “Didn’t have the brains for that. I’ve got looks and not much else.” He winked at Collins as they stepped through the locker room into another world.
The kitchens of the tea shop were busy, loud, and Brullian size. The ceilings vaulted up high above them, and they had a whole view of the small team of men and women with aprons on, pouring tea and carefully assembling tiered tea services with fruits, cakes, and sandwiches. Smoke from the various stoves had stained the ceiling and gas lamps were scattered throughout, keeping everything bright. The Ligarians had their own table to the side with their tiny locker room, bathroom, and a break room to hang out in during lulls. For now, they were all gathering on the top of the table in the open for what seemed to be the opening shift’s warm up. Collins tipped his head back to look all around him, taking in the sights and amazing smells of the kitchen.
A moment later, Thomas was by his shoulder, grinning. “Sometimes they let us take home the extra food at the end of the evening,” he whispered.
“It smells amazing,” Collins murmured.
“Yeah, just try not to get too hungry. We’re going to be surrounded by food in a moment.” Thomas gave Jackson a nod hello. “It’s all really easy, Collins. As the ladies come in, we get assigned to a table as a group. Then you just make the girls happy. You’ll see, it’s pretty fun. And the tips are amazing.”
A shadow fell over the table and Collins glanced up at the Brullian man that had walked up to them and was now towering over them. He was dressed in a vest and tie, with the sleeves of his button up shirt folded up. He was slightly balding and had a hawk-like nose, skinny and tall but well put together. “Gentlemen,” he greeted. This was Basil, head waiter for the tea shop, and the man that had hired Collins. He’d liked him immediately.
“The ladies are being seated now.” Basil motioned to several large stands near them on the table made of ceramic and metal. They were the platforms the young men would stand on to be brought out to the tables, each with a large carrying handle for Basil and a set of bannisters and handholds to keep them from falling over during the transport. They matched the tiered tea services and gave the men a dedicated place to stand on the table when they weren’t wandering between plates and teacups. “Here are the groups for the current tables.” Basil started rattling off names, pointing to each of the platforms in turn. The young men began to climb up into their respective spots.
“Jackson, Thomas, and Amos. Last platform. Collins, you’re with Jackson today.” Basil nodded to the last platform. “I know we went over all of this when you were hired but just remember to watch him and learn today. Stay far away from the teapots and the teacups until you get a better sense of the layout as well as the heat they emanate. Jackson, you’re the lead on this. Collins, just follow along as best you can. We assign one man for every woman so you’re an extra on this table today. If you don’t know what to do, just stay on the platform and smile at the ladies. There’s no pressure.”
Collins nodded as he pulled himself up onto the platform, settling his shiny new boots onto the ceramic and gripping the polished silver banister. Basil knelt down, resting an arm on the edge of the table as got closer to Collins’ platform. His voice dropped from the sharp command to something more gentle. “Remember,” he spoke directly to Collins, “they aren’t allowed to touch you or pick you up. Not without consent. You’ll see a lot of the boys hopping into their hands, but you do not have to do that if you aren’t comfortable. Just have fun. Flirt. You’ll do great.” Basil gave him a wink before straightening up.
“Platform One ready.” He grabbed the first platform holding four young men and lifted it carefully before pushing his way through the swinging door that led to the dining room.
“Yeah, you don’t have to let them pick you up,” Jackson drawled, leaning against the banister, “but you get way better tips if you do.” He winked at Collins and gave him a teasing nudge. Collins chewed at his lower lip. He’d never spoken much with the Brullians and he certainly had never been held by one. Perhaps today wasn’t the day to try anything new.
“And you just. . . flirt?”
“We put on little shows,” Thomas explained. “Little swordfights, sometimes. Or we call them ‘princess’ or ‘my lady'. You know, just really ham it up.”
“For the ugly ones too,” Amos spoke for the first time. He was an average looking man with sandy-blond hair and tired looking eyes. He was fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve where a button had come loose. “You can’t just flirt with the pretty ones.”
“Yep,” Jackson agreed. “The ugly ones pay just as much to be flirted with. Actually, they are usually the ones that tip the most. Get them fawning over you and you’ll be golden. That’s my advice to you, new kid.”
Collins wasn’t sure how he felt about cataloging women by their looks but he nodded to show he understood. He was starting to feel the first tremors of anxiety as his hands shook a little. Why had he taken this job? He certainly didn’t know how to flirt with girls his own size, much less ones the size of buildings. Nevermind the fact that he’d also never been really up close to any Brullians yet, despite being in their orbit. Maybe this had been a bad idea. He had the feeling that he was about to embarrass himself on a monumental scale.
The door to the dining room swung open and Basil reappeared. “Platform four, you’re up.” He reached for Collin’s platform, waited for the lads to grab the handrails, and carefully picked it up. Collins gripped the bannister to keep himself steady as the whole thing was lifted into the air. While he'd never been held by a Brullian, he had become used to having platforms like this moved for him. He was starting to get his ‘sea legs’ as Thomas called it.
“Let’s do this!” Jackson cheered. Collins gulped and tried to swallow his nerves as Basil stepped into the dining room.
—------
The Little Soldier Tea Shoppe was bustling with activity. There was an assortment of tables scattered around the shop, with frilly tablecloths and vases of fresh flowers. Each spot was set with gleaming silver utensils and flowery teacups and plates. A large glass window showed the outside world where various Brullians walked the sidewalks and street cars and horse drawn carriages filled the roads. It looked a bit rainy outside but inside it was warm and inviting. Several of the tables already had young ladies settled at them and Collins quickly scanned the room, wondering which would be theirs. The room was filled with quiet conversation and the occasional shrill of laughter.
Basil veered towards a table near the back where three girls were sitting, all in pretty dresses and all leaning excitedly to see what the waiter was bringing to their table. The ceramic platform was set right in the center of the table and Basil cleared his throat. “My ladies, please let me introduce you to your hosts: Jackson, Amos, Thomas, and Collins. Remember to please keep your hands to yourself, and enjoy your time with them. Your tea should be out shortly.”
Collins looked up from the table and tried not to tremble as three giant ladies stared down at them, each one beaming and flushed with excitement. Collins froze immediately and his mind went blank. He simply stood on the platform, gripping the banister with both hands, looking up at the ladies slack-jawed. Lucky for him, he wasn’t the one in charge here.
“My ladies!” Jackson waved to them all, hopping down from the platform and sweeping into an ostentatious bow. “To what do we owe the pleasure?” He looked at them all in turn. Amos and Thomas followed suit, hopping off the platform to bow. For a moment, Collins merely watched them, at least until the ladies glanced his way, and then he remembered himself. Right. He had a job to do. He scrambled down off the platform and bowed awkwardly.
“It’s my birthday,” the center girl answered bashfully.
“Well, happy birthday, my dear.” Jackson held out his hand and the girl shyly offered her fingertip. He cupped it and kissed her nail. “My name is Jackson and I’m going to make sure that I shower you with all the attention you deserve. This here is Amos–”
Amos stepped forward and he bowed to the girl to the left and gave her a wink.
“And this is Thomas.” Thomas did the same, sweeping into a bow to the girl on the right.
Jackson swaggered over to Collins and threw his arm around his shoulder, dragging him forward. “And this is Collins, my squire. You must forgive him, he’s quite new at this.”
For some reason that made all three girls giggle and Collins felt himself blush. He gave them a smile and dipped his head in a slight bow. This seemed correct because the three girls looked pleased.
“Now then,” Jackson let him go and stalked closer to the ladies again. He had full command of the table, his arms spread wide as he made a spectacle of himself. Amos had offered a hand to his own lady and kissed her fingertip and Thomas was blowing his lady a kiss. “Tell me what teas you ordered! And you, what’s your name, beautiful?” He pointed to the birthday girl and flashed her a smile.
It went from there. Jackson was very good at what he did, and Amos and Thomas were quick to follow his lead. They asked the ladies about their teas, about their favorite type of cakes, and their favorite flowers. Collins said very little, and just floated behind Jackson like a lost lamb, feeling awkward and out of place. When the tea arrived, the boys retreated back, giving Basil plenty of room to set down the scalding hot teapots. Another waiter set down a three-tiered tea tray that was filled with all sorts of goodies. For the first time, Collins realized that the tea service had small Ligarian-sized steps running up the inside handle, giving them access to every tier, should they need it.
When the ladies served themselves cake, the boys were quick to offer to ‘cut’ it for them, using their swords to slice through the little cakes in front of them. They were already bite-sized to the young ladies, barely coming up to Collins’ knees, but Jackson made a show of gallantly slicing his in half and the ladies seemed impressed. At one point, one of the ladies shyly held out her hand to Amos and he hopped into her palm without missing a beat, posing there with his legs shoulder length apart and his hands on his hips. He kept his balance as she lifted him up to get a better look. Collins stared, wondering if he’d ever be brave enough to do something like that. He was glad that the ladies seemed mostly focused on the three of them and not himself.
Near the end of the tea, Thomas and Jackson began to teasingly quarrel over the birthday girl. Swords were brandished and they had a mock fight along the tabletop, up into the tiered trays, up the steps, and then to the top where Thomas teetered on the edge and cried out, “My lady! Save me!” The birthday girl gasped and leaned forward, holding her hands open just beneath him. He then dramatically fell backwards into her palm. Jackson stood triumphant, saluting the birthday girl with his sword and bowing as the others clapped.
“That was incredible,” Collins commented later, once their platform had been swept away and returned to the kitchens. The four of them were lounging on it still, taking a quick break between tables. “How did you learn all that?”
“You just kind of pick it up,” Amos answered with a shrug. “You play off each other and off the girls. Sometimes we don’t have the sword fight; sometimes we do. Sometimes we pick fights with whatever fruits they’ve left behind and we stab that instead.”
“Once a woman wanted me to sit on her shoulder for half the tea,” Thomas chimed in. “It was a little weird. It’s not like she could see me or anything, but it seemed harmless. So that’s where I stayed.”
“Do you remember that one girl who scooped Michael up and held him the whole time we were at the table? Basil kept giving him looks to make sure he was fine and Michael would just give him a thumbs up.” Jackson laughed, flopping backwards onto his back.
“Is it common for them to want to hold you?” Collins asked nervously.
“Eh,” Jackson shrugged from where he was lying. “There’s almost always a lad that doesn’t mind. If someone asks to hold you and you don’t want to be held, we usually just step in for each other. It’s pretty rare that every man at the table doesn’t allow it. Most of the girls are too shy to ask, honestly.”
“Has anyone ever been picked up without consent?”
“Of course.” Amos, this time. He was chewing on a fingernail. “Basil is quick to stop them if we signal him. They usually get a warning. Second time, they take us off the table and allow the girls to finish their tea without hosts. I heard they once kicked someone out but it wasn’t while I worked here.”
“They’re pretty strict about how we’re treated,” Thomas gave Collins a reassuring smile. “You did really well.”
“I felt like I didn’t do much at all.”
“Nonsense.” Jackson jabbed a finger up in the air, snapping attention back to himself. “You smiled and flirted. That’s all they want.” He sat up and turned to clap Collins on the shoulder. “You’ll get the hang of it.”
The day flew by for Collins as he shadowed Jackson to each of his tables. Sometimes there were only two girls and only two hosts. Sometimes more. At one point, they had a party of eight at the largest table. Three different platforms were set out and there were practically three different shows going on, depending on where you looked at the table. Collins was quiet for the most of it, though Jackson would sometimes encourage him to speak. He allowed Collins to cut some of the cakes, and even had him hike up to the top tier of the tea service and spear a raspberry on the tip of his sword to bring to one of the ladies.
By the third table, Collins was bowing in sync with the other hosts, and gently kissing the offered fingers of the women at the tables. He’d called several of them ‘my lady’ and even had the courage to wink at one of the girls when she teased him. At the fourth table, one of the ladies reached for him, offering him her open palm. When he froze, Jackson quickly pushed him aside and hopped into her hand himself, “No, my lady. You needn’t bother with my squire when it’s a real soldier you need.” She had giggled happily and Collins had retreated shakily back to the platform to catch his breath. He wasn’t sure he would ever get used to giant hands coming towards him even if it did mean bigger tips from the customers.
Halfway through his shift, Basil separated him from Jackson in the kitchen. “Take a break, Collins. There’s food in your break room. Are things going well?”
“Yes sir.” Collins began to unbuckle his sword belt as he made his way to the break room that sat at the far end of the table. “It’s been really good so far.”
“Good. Let me know if you need anything. I’m going to send Jackson back out with another group. It’s slammed out there today. Take a twenty-minute break and then we’ll get you back out on the floor.”
The break was sorely needed. Once in the break room, Collins dumped his sword on one of the benches and then slumped down at a table to catch his breath. He’d been running on pure adrenaline and it was nice to be alone for a bit, soothe his nerves, and get some food into him. Jackson was a wonderful teacher but he was also incredibly high energy and this was only Collins’ first day. He needed a moment to decompress.
The food ended up being one of the sandwiches from the tea service, chopped into tiny Ligarian-sized bites, as well as some of the fruit. Collins helped himself to a wedge of ham and bread, a single chocolate chip, and a raspberry. He’d been eyeing the food all day and was absolutely starving. He grabbed a cup of cooled tea and tore into the food with little in the way of manners, barely tasting any of it. Three more hours in his shift. He could do this, right? He’d get used to the rhythm eventually, but the first day had already taken a lot out of him.
Five minutes before his break was supposed to be over there was a tap at the break room door. Collins stood and moved over to open it, peering outside. Basil was leaning down, looking stressed and pulled in many different directions. “Collins, I’m sorry. I know you’re on break and I know it’s your first day but we just got another client. She’s all alone and she’s a regular, really nice girl. Would you mind giving it a shot?”
“By myself?” Collin froze.
“Yes, by yourself. It can be a bit of practice for you. As I said, Miss Olivia is a regular. She knows all the scripts, all the plays. You can just be yourself and flirt with her a bit. Is that alright? It would really help us out.”
Collins swallowed and reached to absently wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. He’d learned long ago that when someone in charge asked you to do something, you did it if you were able. This was his first job and he wanted to impress. “Let me get my sword.”