My eyes shifted back to the teapot. I could smell the hemlock. Being undead, Jeremiah wouldn't flinch from the poison. But half of that infusion would certainly kill me.
Qli's porcelain hand rose slowly to lift the pot. Against her will she decanted the brew. She filled less than half a cup before moving on to the next.
"Miss Qlippothic?" My father grinned, hoping to trap my daughter in the haunting by alerting the spectres to an apparent breach of decorum. "Have you forgotten.."
Qli continued to partially fill a third cup, then a fourth, and the final fifth cup. (The last cup was shattered and unusable..and one of the ghosts encircling the table was surely the remains of the terrified guest that did so.)
"Dr. Jeramiah Mason? Dr. Darien Mason? Mr. Sinister Hydra? Mr. Dexter Hydra? Your tea is served."
Ah, smart girl, my Qli. She knew the names of the serpents and addressed them as guests. She also poured a drink for herself, even though her doll form doesn't absorb nutrients..or poison..from what she consumes. Instead of a full cup of poison I was served less tha half a dose..which I might possibly survive..and Jeremiah received more than half. And since my teapot was for a toy set, there was not a drop left to spare.
The elder Mason carefully accepted the tea. She then offered a cup the serpent to Jeremiah's right. I smiled. How will this creature possibly accept the cup?
I blinked as one of the massive skeletal dragon wings on Father's back slolwy extended to delicately curl a digit around the cup. And all this time I thought those wings were vestigial! The other serpent accepted a cup with the other wing, and they buth nodded their spined heads in a semblance of decorum. Qli then offered me one of the teacups, delicate, chipped, Qli finally poured a cup for herself.
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