On that note, Anna placed the salad fork just where it belonged - belly up on the plate. She struggled in her seat a bit, trying to get her feet to touch the floor. It was only when she saw another fork heading down that she decided it just may be best to sit still and just let herself be. She steadied the fork and put it back in its proper place. She studied the belly-up salad fork. What was so different from it than the other fork? Wouldn't it both serve the same purpose? She felt like a flower. A short, tiny, lavender-colored lollipop looking flower. Maybe she should have gone with the black dress robes.

She stared down at her soup and licked her lips, wondering what goodies would be brought in for the main course. She hoped it would be chicken! My how she could use a good piece of chicken right about now. The meals served in the Great Hall lately had left something to be considered.

Steelsheen nodded in acknowledgment to the Professor's advice. But just how many wizarding households are like hers? she mused as she lay her salad fork down. Steelsheen figured that just as dinner hosts select their guests, this guest will have to be selective of the dinner party as well.

"Let's move on to the main course. I had the elves prepare something a bit unusual, but I thought it might be fun to eat as fancy as you all look," Rae gestured slightly for the main course. "Duck a la orange with wild rice."

Anna's eyes widened at the sound of the word. Duck a la what with rice that was wild? She didn't even know rice could be wild...or tame for that matter. Then again, when it's sitting next to an orange duck on a platter waiting to be eaten, who knew where it came from. She'd never eaten duck before either. Hopefully it wasn't one of those foods she'd seen in the library books that were served with the little legs still sticking out of it.

She craned her neck, trying to see over the heads of the other students. My how she'd hoped for chicken. Was duck one of the foods that tasted like chicken no matter what it actually was? Maybe that would be a fair trade-off.

Duck a la orange, hmmm, interesting. She never really had an interest in eating duck, mostly because she loved them so much. She tried her best to hide the digusted look on her face, and looked aroundto see eceryone elses reaction. She saw Anna's eyes widened.
"Maybe I'm not the only one who doesn't want to eat this." she thought.

Tommy hide her disgust at being served duck. Brits and their strange eating habits. She looked around to see if anyone else was going to eat it.

Pretending the House Elf isn't there. Mentally, Issy scoffed. Even Spot was treated like an actual service person in her home - though he wasn't an actual person, they adressed him and spoke with him.

Headmistress Rae announced that the next course was coming up and she found herself perking in her seat. Oooooh! She hadn't eaten this fancy in a while! There was that one night at home with her friends, but it was best that she didn't think on that night right now... Duck! When prepared well, that was one of her favorite meals...

Ohhh! Now she was excited for the main course. Again her hands clapped lightly and she watched her plate expectantly. Mmm, if they were eating this fancily, she could only imagine what the pudding was going to be. Suddenly, her desire for pink iced cup cakes was far from her mind.

Amelia had been trying her hardest to be very ladylike at the table. Perhaps it was an age thing, or maybe it was the fancy robes, but she actually felt as though she was doing quite well. She grinned over to the house elves as they appeared with their courses. The seventh year actually was pleased with this lesson because due to the changes in the great hall at her house table, she hadn't had much an appetite since arriving. Finally, some decent seating and food in her empty stomach!

Carefully spooning the soup as she was directed, she was actually more starved than she thought she would be. There was a soft Clink! made as her soon reached the bottom of the bowl. Oops! That's what she got for trying to get the last drop. Blushing, she laid her spoon carefully on the under dish and waited gleefully for the next course. At least they were getting fed; perhaps if there was quidditch this term she could persuade the Headmistress to do this again right before her first match...

Salad! Ooh yummy vegetable-y goodness! She rubbed her hands together but then stopped herself and placed her hands back on her lap. Ladies don't do that, she reminded herself sharply. After a few deep breaths to recollect herself, she picked up her salad fork, making sure to go from the outside and began to eat. Once that was finished, or close to it, as she realized it was rude to eat everything on the plate. One should always leave a small amount; at least that's what she was told. She then set her fork gracefully on the plate and waited for the main entree.

Duck!? Interesting... the seventh year never had duck before but the word 'orange' made it certainly more appetizing. Besides, her stomach was still telling her it was okay to eat more since it hadn't eaten a proper meal in a few weeks now. She grinned as Rae said, as fancy as they all look; ooh that made this lesson even more special that she almost forgot it was a class!

Hesitantly, she took a small bite of it for starters...

Steelsheen snapped out of her reverie when the Professor mentioned the main course. Well she's had rice plenty of times, and she's heard about duck being quite a delicacy. But as she stared at the meal on her plate, she began to wonder what are the other fancy cutlery needed to eat it. She was growing impatient again, fighting the urge to just rip off the duck leg.

*Hearing what the main course was, Sheeta cringed. She had never had a problem eating beef or chicken. But whenever she saw something like a pig or a duck on a plate, she had felt sorry for the poor creature. She closed her eyes to make sure she couldn't see the food on the table.*

"Jade, can you serve me the food?" Sheeta said squeamishly.

Missus was going to have words to say to Beezley later, that was for sure. Beezley had got caught up in the kitchen and was late serving duck. The little house elf ran in as fast as her wobbly legs could carry her, all the while balancing the plates of duck on the little tray she'd retrieved from the kitchen cabinets. Her little elf eyes were wide with shock and fear. Oh why, oh why could she not have done this right for the Missus. Beezley was late, but Beezley's duck was sure to be a treat.

"Beezley sorry, Missus! Bad Beezley!" the little elf wailed from across the room. "Studentses have what is called duck a la orange now!" Beezley scurried around the table, sliding in plates of the main course in every place a studentsee sat. "Beezley prepare good food for studentses! Studentses should eat with happiness!"

She slid in the last plate of duck a la orange and then scurried back around to the professor. "Will Missus need anything else now?" she asked.

Rae leaned over and had a quiet word with Beezley before she dismissed the little elf. "If you need salt or pepper, please ask the person sitting nearest them to pass them. Salt and pepper must always be passed together, and you never lean for them. Enjoy your duck."

Elodie frowned down at the table infront of her. Why on earth where they learning how to eat correctly in DADA? Was it going to scare off dementors? How about Hinkypunks, just offer them a soup spoon and you'll get of scott free? She sighed, school at Belle's was a little wierd.

Beezley's little elf eyes grew wide and danced in pure excitement and happiness. She nodded as the Missus spoke with her. When the Missus was done, Beezley stepped back a bit, bowed, and turned to leave. Oh, she could just jump in the air and click her little elfy feet together now.

Allie started eating the duck, and with every bite the urge to throw up became stronger. Not becuase of the taste, it didn't taste that bad. But because every time she took up bite she couldn't help but imagine little ducky's swimming in a pond. She wasn't a vegitarian or anything, not at all, she loved meat. But ducks were one of her favorite animals. Not wanting to be rude, she ate everything on her plate, and placed her fork down on top of it.

Melly stared at the house elves as they moved. Merlin, they looked so... awkward. And quite ugly in a way. The girl grimaced. A princess never had that kind of servants. Not at all. Quite on the contrary, a proper princess had gorgeous young men and women who'd actually have a life and would not punish themselves in such a violent manner when doing something wrong.

Ugh. She would have to do something about that. Now the question was what? And who'd help her? Yes, because she would definitely need help if she wanted to help those poor little creatures, but she doubted anyone in there would aid her for all of them seemed to be at ease with what was happening. Hmmm... Well, she'd have to get through to their heads. After all, she was certain Issy wouldn't like to live in the condition those house elves did. So, all she had to do was to explain the situation to her and a few more students (perhaps even the professors if she had the guts) and then they could all help the elves to live a happy life.

But that would all have to wait. It was now time to eat.

"Guess we won't have to go to the Great Hall for supper today," She murmured to Issy with a small smile, her eyes set on the dishes.

Truth to be told, she wasn't a big fan of duck but she wouldn't mind eating it. After all, it wasn't like she was at home and could refuse to eat. On that place, with that dress, she was ought to act perfectly and that involved getting in her stomach whatever she was given and that was what she was going to do.

And there was the food! Oh! Salivation! Eyeing her plate, Issy felt a whimper build. This was so like royalty - fancy meals and service and clothing and everyone was being so well behaved. Glancing around, she found that the salt and pepper were near Juni. And proper ladies did not reach.

"Melly?" she asked the girl beside her. "Can you have Juni pass the salt and pepper?" A giggle followed as she found her Scottish accent mingling with something posh. She probably sounded absurd in a most amusing manner. Beneath the table, out of sight, she continued to swing her legs.

No, the lesson had nothing to do with the Dark Arts or dueling or the such. What could one do, though? If Professor Rae was instructed to do this class, so she would. It was better than her resisting, getting fired, and having the She-Devil Clara Belle herself come teach it, right? Issy shivered - thinking of Clara Belle always made her think of Minister Cooper which made her think of the toga portrait, which made her feel ill and she couldn't gag at the table. That would not be proper in any setting.

Fork in left hand, knife in right, she gently stabbed the breast, pleased with the crispy skin. These House Elves sure knew how to cook! Cutting off a small piece, she brought it to her mouth and sighed. This... was fantasitc.

Whimper.

"This is fab..."

Duck? Since when did she eat duck, not since the incident at home she remembered, a small smirk appearing on her face as she listened to Professor Rae speak about the main course. Her mouth watered at the thought of wild rice and she looked down eagerly, though still unsure about the whole duck thing. She was canadian, give her a burger and fries and she'd be happy.

Nevertheless she picked up her fork, well she thought it was the right one and carefully took a bite, not wanting to be rude to the hostess. It tasted weird to her, though it could be the orange flavour of course she mused as she washed it down with a sip of water. She didn't like the duck, but she was hungry, famished actually and so ate it without complaint, knowing it would be rude to do otherwise, even if the professor had said diffrently.

Boy she missed chocolate.

Placing her fork and knife onto her plate when hse was finished, she dabbed her lips with the napkin, barely casting a glance at her bright yellow dress robes before tlooking up at the Headmistress ready for further instruction. She turned her head and couldn't help but giggle at Issy, who seemed to be enjoying herself immensly. That girl had been awful chipper the last few days, well, with good reason too if their plans were to actually work...

Anna sighed, deciding now was just as good of a time as ever. She picked her up her fork and poked at her duck a bit, trying to decide exactly how to go about eating it. It wouldn't be so hard, except...it had a little part in the center that looked like a rack of ribs, still in the same position and in tact as they were when the duck was still alive. Then there was the little part sticking out of the front of it that looked similar to a spot where the neck may have once been. What on Earth did the house elves do to this thing? Behead it, defeather it, rip its little legs off, then throw it in? Eww.

It can't be that bad, though. Anything the professor would serve them had to be good. Then again, if the duck was anything like the silverware Gryffindor had been provided with this year, then all students beware. Gryffindors were brave, were they not? With that thought in mind, Anna cut into her duck, speared a piece with her fork, and then took a bite. She chewed slowly, halfway because she wanted to get a feel for the taste and halfway because she fully expected a feather to be still on there somewhere.

Wow. It was actually good. All things considered, ducks weren't half bad. Anna speared another piece and popped it in her mouth, nodding to the girls around her that it was safe to proceed. No caution needed.

Standing hairs on the back of her neck gave Issy the pecuiliar feeling that someone was watching or looking at herself. Swallowing her bite, she glanced up curiously, glancing around, before finding that Ari was the one who'd given her the shivery chill. Without thinking, a grin already split her face. The Hogwarts Brigade had that kind of bond.

With a twinkle of her fingers, she waved. "Are you enjoying?" she asked. Fortunately, Ari wasn't far down the table. "This reminds me of home - when Daddy has big business parties, this is what we'd eat. And it's just as juicey as when Lorelei does it and the skin nice and crisp. Took me a short while to get used to it when I was younger, cos of the orange. But once you get used to it, it's really good."

Beaming, she took a careful sip from her goblet, proud of herself for not making any messes so far. How awful she'd feel if she messed on one of these lovely sets of formal robes.

OoC: Heehee, hey guys. Don't worry about your charries being upset that the duck still looks like a duck - duck a la orange is actually just the duck breast.

Callie had noticed Proffesor's Rae nice dress when she walked into the class earlier but she never expected it for this. Looking at the duck that had formed on her plate, she felt like she was at home once more for new years eve just a bit early. It was a family tradition to have duck on New Year's eve and she never complained. She loved the stuff.

Seeing IssyC a few feet down asking for some salt and pepper and figuring her duck would need some salt she called down, "Hey Issy when your done with the salt can you pass it down here." Being polite was on her mind. After all why be stingy and mean for such a fine meal. It wasn't like she was at some fast food restuarant or a hole in the wall place.

Ari bit back her laugh knowing it would be rude to do so. a proper lady never laughed. Giggles yes but not laugh. And she was so ... not ... a lady. She twinkled her fingers right back at Issy and grinned, "I am enjoying myself, I admit it's much better than dueling, though I do miss that too." she chuckled as she sipped her water, her food growing cold.

She glanced down at her half eaten plate of food, the rce all but ogne and a few nibbles of duck taken. "I'm not fond of duck, it's too ... weird for me." she gestured at her plate with a slight frown. "My mother made me go to a few fancy dinners, where I spent most of my time with younger children. Getting apple sauce thrown in your hair is not fun." she explained shrugging slightly before nodding

"Wow, you've eaten duck before?" She asked, slightly in awe over anyone eating something so interesting as this. "The most interesting thing I've ever eaten was pheasent. Very tender I might add." she nodded before dabbing her mouth with her serveitte again.

Kayla picked up her knife and fork and very gently and sedately she cut pieces of meat away from the bone and ate small mouthfuls at a time. It wasn't the burger she had been dreaming about but it was excellent nevertheless. Once she had finished she placed her cutlery on the plate and dabbed her mouth with the napkin and waited for the rest to finish.

"For your good behavior, my dear ones, I've had the elves prepare you a very special treat," Rae sighed and pushed the remnants on her plate aside. "Dessert. It's a trio of my favorite desserts, and you're sure to find something you like on there. Consider it my gift to you."

Would it be snide for Issy to tell Callie that she wasn't supposed to be calling down the table? Hmm... craning her neck, she attempted to see if there was any salt or pepper down where she was but decided that she ought to just pass hers down there. To Becca to whoever was beside her and beside her and beside her and beside her down to Callie. Which was a lot of passing and might seem rather annoying, she realized.

But a proper lady was not rude and Issy was doing her best to be a proper lady.

"Here Becca," she said, grabbing the two shakers and passing them over to the girl. "Pass these down to Callie."

This suddenly seemed like the "So and so like so and so pass it on!" secrets...

Grinning, Issy bit down on her lower lip, happy that her friend was enjoying this class so much. It was disheartening to see so many students being uncooperative or talking back to the Headmistress - it wasn't her fault she had to teach this kind of class. And it wasn't really unnecessary... "Me too," she agreed, happily. "I love dressing up and playing Lady. Isn't it fun?" Maybe they'd get to learn stuff in the next lesson.

Her nod came with understanding - not everyone liked duck. For some, it was too fatty or the flaour was just too odd for them. "At least you tried it," she pointed it, glancing at some plates of food that had hardly been touched. "And the rice is fab." Another grin split her face as Ari asked about her eating duck.

"Phesant is really good, too. We've had all sorts of different foods. Daddy likes to have fancy meals when he comes home from long trips." The small girl's cheeks flushed lightly - she didn't usually talk about anything that gave away her family's financial status - her friends had been awed by her house.

Bowing her head, she finished the last of her duck, leaving a few bites of the rice. Was the pudding on its way?