Definition
Pleasure, delight, and enjoyment are all synonyms and all signify the agreeable emotion accompanying the possession or expectation of what is good or greatly desired. Why, then, use delectation, that not-so-familiar synonym? Because, as with most synonym groups, each word has its own subtle distinctions. Pleasure stresses satisfaction or gratification of the senses. Delight adds the idea of liveliness or obviousness in that satisfaction, often less enduring than pleasure. Enjoyment suggests a wide range of deep pleasure from merely transient, though complete, gratification to deep-seated happiness. Delectation (which is from the Latin word for "delight") suggests a reaction to pleasurable experience consciously sought or provided. More than all the others, it connotes amusement or diversion.
"Isn't this just lovely." My companion cooed at the frosted, glitter, cupcake monstrosity she currently held in her hand.
It was, in my humble opinion, not lovely at all. In fact, the more I warily eyed it up, the more I was convinced that this particular cupcake, with its mountain of frosting and inch thick layer of glitter, would either give you diabetes or metal poisoning.
She took a big bite of it and i felt bile rise up in the back of my throat.
"Is there even any actual cake amongst all that frosting?" I managed to wheeze out in what was a hopefully light, breezy and playful manner.
An awkward silence fell.
Luckily (or hideously) the tea room we were in was so filled with pink froufrou, dainty lace everything and so much floral patterning absolutely everywhere that it was actually hard to fit anything else in - even something as incorporeal as words. The whole place made me want to break out in hives. I felt incredibly awkward and godzilla like being surrounded by all these dainty girlish things - as if any moment they would overwhelm me and I would have no other choice except to go on a giant lizard type rampage, smashing everything in sight with my unseemly gait and reach.
By the way every waitress in this place was watching me like a hawk, I could tell they agree with this potential disaster zone assessment.
My companion patted at her lips with a dainty lace handkerchief.
I didn't know they even still made those.
I could feel my left eye start to twitch. I took a deep breath and clutched my hands together in lap, to keep them out of mischief.
"I just wanted to do something different together." She suddenly mumbled, looking sad.
"No, no, no. It's fine, it's fine!" I said hurriedly. "I'm having a, a, uh, lovely time."
She made a scoffing noise. "You're really not." She smiled, but it was the kind of smile you make so you don't cry.
God, I was scum.
"No, no." I said frantically. "I mean, yeah, it's not my normal sort of place but anywhere's fine as long as I'm with you." Even if it was hell disguised with pink tutu netting. I reached forward to take her hand.
And of course I knocked the whole pot of fancy petal and mulched flower water over.
I'd barely drunk any (on account of it tasting like massage oil only more disgusting) and it flooded the entire table, soaking the contents and dripping down the tablecloth, onto the floor.
If I was being completely honest, I can say I was too disappointed when the deluge simply dissolved the remaining cupcakes on the table.
The waitresses converged on our table, bearing an entire closet full of paper towels it seemed. I grabbed some and dived under the table with it, trying to hide my embarrassment.
She stuck her head underneath. "Sweetie, it's fine. Let them do it."
"I'm so sorry." i mumbled. "I've spoilt everything."
She smiled. "No, it's OK. I mean, if i'm honest, I kinda expected something like this to happen."
"Ouch."
"Oh come on, you've pretty much went straight into robot mode as soon as you walked through the door."
"mmm."
She ruffled my hair. "Come on, come out. the waitresses are looking seriously pissy to see one of their 'treasured guests' on the floor." She paused thoughtfully. "More pissed actually than when you knocked that vile tea over."
"I thought you liked the tea."
"It tastes like a posh lady's bathwater - after she'd used it. Who'd like that?"
"True," This time it was my turn to pause. "Hey, aren't we on the ground floor."
"Yeah?"
"Then where's all this tea going?"
We both stared at the tea, trickling away between the minute cracks in the floorboards.
"The basement?" She suggested uncertainly.
"According to the building schematics, this property doesn't have a basement. it should be solid beneath here."
"You looked up the building schematics to the cafe for our date?"
I shrugged. "Occupational hazard."
"Wh-". She started, then stopped and just shook her head. "You know what, I'm not even going to question anymore."
"Probably for the best." I said apologetically. I clambered out from under the (obviously) pink tablecloth and handed the sodden paper towels to the thunderous looking waitress.
"I think I got most of it." I said meekly.
"Guests shouldn't be scrambling around on the floor." She practically snarled at me. "You should leave that to the staff."
"Yes ma'am."
With another thunderous glare in my direction, she stalked off.
There was a deep sigh behind me. I turned to see her rising up from her chair, putting her napkin on the table.
I rushed over to her. "No, no, we can stay!" I said frantically. "I don't want to ruin our date, I can behave!"
"Pft!" She let out a snort of laughter. "It's fine, I appreciate you trying." She eyed me up thoughtfully. "Besides, even if we leave now, I know we'll be coming back later."
"Ummm."
"I know that look." She said sternly. "How long have I been your partner for now?"
"This is a date." I said stubbornly. "We're having a fun and lighthearted time doing romantic and, and, frilly stuff.Not working."
"Uh-huh." She said.
"That's right." I said.
"Hmmm." She moved towards the counter. "It's true I love the frilly stuff, as much as you hate it - although I truly do appreciate the fact you will attempt to endure it for me, but I also love the other stuff. It's why," she said with the feral grin that had made me fall for her in the first place, "I love my job."
****
The tea shop at night was both more and less disturbing on the eyes. The darkness hid all the various shades of pink and flowers - turning them all to shades of grey and black smudges, but the diaphanous nature of the various lace, tulle and silk strung about the place, along with the sweeping table covers, made it feel like we were trespassing on some deep underwater lair.
I half expected the sea witch, Ursula, from the Little Mermaid to swoop through an open door, belting out a dance tune or two.
I was almost disappointed she didn't. Hands down the best singer in the entire film.
"Where do you want to check first?" My partner whispered to me.
"I checked the schematics - there's definitely no sign that a basement was ever included in the original design so that's where we need to check first. Let's check backstage for any stairs leading down."
She shook her head. "I've got a better idea" She said and led me to the table we'd sat at earlier that day. "While you were mopping away, i noticed fine cracks in the floor that didn't match up with the wood grain in slightest. I think the reason the waitresses got so pissy with you." She grunted as she shifted the table to one side. "is because the trap door is under here."
I squinted at the almost invisible cracks in the floor as I shone the red light down. "I really can't see anything." I said doubtfully.
"That's because there's no such word as 'subtlety' in your personal dictionary." She said bluntly. She pulled out a knife and seemed to stab it into the floor. Before I had the chance to ask her what she was doing, she gave it a quick twist and the basically invisible trap door sprung up, nearly hitting me in the face. I managed to catch it at the last moment but it had been a close thing.
Yep. She was still pissed about the whole cupcake thing.
"Told you so." She said smugly.
"Yeah, yeah." I said. "Lets go."
We crept down the stairs, hands on our weapons, our lights on the dimmest red light setting. There was a door at the end of the stairs. It was open a crack and white light poured through. Sidling up stealthily, I put my ear to the door and listened carefully. No sounds from within. I risked looking through the crack in the door - the room beyond was empty.
Of people at least.
She whistled softly when she saw what was in the room beyond. "How much coke do you think this is?"
The walls were lined and packed with it. More crates, dumped haphazardly on the floor, we also filled to the brim with further packs.
"It could just be, i don't know, fancy cupcake flour?" I guessed. "Oh no, wait. those cupcakes didn't even have cake in them so I guess it must be coke."
She shot me a look. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." She trundled over to a workshop set up at the end of the room and riffled through the papers. "Yup, according to the paperwork, this is premium grade." She snorted. "Although I think we've both been working for our boss long enough to know the good stuff when we see it."
I shrugged. "Eh, drugs have never really been my thing."
She rolled her eyes. "I know that idiot - but just cause you don't use it, doesn't mean you're not around it. And, for the record, those cupcakes did have cake in them." She paused. "Just not a lot."
"I still can't believe you willingly ingested that much glitter. What on earth is your stomach going to look like?"
"Fabulous, that's what."
Time to move on from this conversation I thought. It was not one I was ever going to win.
"What should we do with all this?" I gestured at the room. "Tell the boss?"
"I'm sending him the photos now." She said, whilst taking photos. "Can you see any gang tags? This definitely isn't the boss's stuff - even if it's on his turf. When I mentioned it to him earlier he had a totally blank expression - and you know how shit he is at lying."
"Which is appalling considering he's the biggest game in town."
"Thank God he's got the best lying bastards in the country for lawyers is all I can say." Her phone started vibrating aggressively. "Speak of the devil. Hey boss!"
Loud screeching from the other end. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I know. That's why we sent you the photos in the first place, casue we didn't think it was yours. Yeah, yeah, no. We came here on a date and just found it by accident."
Sudden, ice cold silence on her part.
"What's so funny about coming here for a date?" She asked, her tone now completely sub-zero. "Is it so wrong to introduce your partner to new experiences they may enjoy and share the things you love with them."
Oops.
A long stream of extremely apologetic sounding gibberish sounded tinnily through the speakers.
"Hmmm." Was all she said in response. "Anyway, how do you want us to handle this? I don't know if it's a private operation, if it is they should definitely be paying tribute to us for operating on our turf and I am sure I can just convince them of the error in their judgement. But there's so much stuff here, I doubt it's just a couple of people, seems more like a rival gang and I don't want a start a war unless we're ready for one."
She listened intently for a while and then grinned. "I see boss, we'll do that then."
She hung up.
"What's the game plan then?" I asked. "Recon and then regroup or....?"
"Boss wants more information." She explained.
"Recon it is then." i started to get up but she held up a hand.
"From the infra red scan we did before, there's only a couple of people in the building."
"Yeaaah." I said slowly. "But didn't you say you didn't want to start a war?"
"Yup." She agreed. "But the boss said as this is clearly an undercover op in our turf, without our permission, then whoever gave the OK made the first transgression. therefore we're completely within our rights to investigate and retaliate. But he needs to know who it is."
"So we can go through the paperwork."
She waved at me dismissively. "Oh that'll take ages. You know the easier thing to do is to just ask."
I stared at her. "You know it's still my fault that the date was ruined right? It wasn't really the tea shop's fault."
"Oh really? Really? Then why are we here working and investigating a secret drug den instead of continuing the lovely romantic date into the evening as I had planned. Huh, huh? Plus the waitresses were ultra rude and the tea tasted like shit."
"We could have investigated the drug then tomorrow?" I suggested.
She glared at me. "Yeah, cause a date with a partner who has more than half their mind on something else is so much fun." She snapped.
"Ah."
She sniffed and started taking more photos, stabbing at her phone screen with more aggression than usually warranted.
"Well," I said uncertainly, "the night is still young. I mean, after we finish this, we could go see a movie or something. What about that one with the kittens that sing or are orphans, or maybe singing cat orphans that you wanted to see. We could go see that? And then maybe a late dinner after?"
She brightened instantly. "Really?" She asked, as bright and giddy as a school girl that had just discovered the amazing side affects of food colouring in sweets.
"Sure." I said, slightly surprised by her sudden sparkliness. Perhaps the glitters was now trying to ooze out of her pores.
"Then lets get this done!" She said happily, uncoiling her whip from her waist and snapping it out. A small puff of (hopefully normal household) dust puffing in its wake.
There was a creak in the stairs.
She looked at me and put her finger to her lips, her cheshire cat grin lighting up the whole room.
Ah. I guess dates weren't such a bad thing after all.
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