Closed [Mhakula Teahouse] Cream and Sugar?

[Gemma Parker]

Spring 17th, 519av, 13 Bells

Gemma yawned and stretched. She had not made it home after work this morning, instead crashing at The Zintia Rest for her afternoon rest period. She was still tired, even after having slept for almost two bells, and she had classes in the evening. She huffed to herself and scratched her scalp, flopping back into the bed. She needed a break. She was stretching herself too thin with taking two classes, plus working, plus recovering from her injured shoulder. Everything she did was slower than normal, and while slowing down and being mindful was a great way to calm down, it wasn’t so calming when it was forced upon her.

From her horizontal position, she reached her right hand over to her left shoulder and closed her eyes to say a prayer to Rak’keli for healing. She knew it was a long shot, but she still trusted that her goddess would heal her, sooner or later. It seemed lately she had been choosing the latter option. Her gnosis mark lit up and shone silver even through her glove. She squinted against its light and groaned again.

Gemma rubbed her eyes and yawned again, debating whether she should just sleep more or get up and do something. She knew that if she slept too long she would have a headache in the evening for her classes, and she couldn’t have that. She sat up on her bed, deciding to start walking as she decided what to do with her precious few bells of free time.

She walked through the bustling streets of Zintila Peak, looking for something that might help her relax and decompress. As she walked, she saw a couple drinking a hot beverage and inspiration struck. She had not been to The Mhakula Teahouse since she was a small girl. Well, smaller than she was now. As she remembered it, it was a calming retreat from the business of the day. Her dad had taken her there frequently when she was younger, and at the time it had been too calm and too quiet for her tastes. But maybe now that was exactly what she needed.

She headed off toward the secluded tea shop and soon spotted it, enshrouded in its own cultivated gardens. She smiled as the low roar of Lhavit’s busiest peak slowly faded into silence as she neared.

Entering, she took a moment to breathe and appreciate the place. Why didn’t she come here more often? She would have to make it a point to visit whenever she could. This was in fact exactly what she had needed.

A server greeted her calmly and politely and led her to a table, where the Konti youth sat on a fluffy pillowed seat and subconsciously rolled her left shoulder to loosen it up.

“Do you know what you would like, or do you want a moment to choose?” The server asked.

“I want to relax, but I have class in a few bells so I can’t have anything too strong. Maybe Chamomile and Lemon Balm if you have it?” She suggested.

“Ooh, a connoisseur.” The server smiled. She probably wasn’t that impressed, but she did a good job of pretending for Gemma’s ego’s sake.

“Herbalism is kind of my thing, but I don’t drink enough tea,” Gemma admitted. “It’s mostly for medical purposes.”

“Is that so? Well, I’ll have to let Guzo know that a young soul has taken up the old man’s passion.” She smiled. “I’ll be right back with your tea.” She said, and left. Gemma closed her eyes and sighed. Yes. This was exactly what she needed.

[Estavar La'loon]

Estavar was up bright and early, already stoking the fire and getting the coals ready so that he could cook some toast and possibly burn it, while also boiling some eggs for a more filling lunch. The fire was already settling down now and it was getting to a good steady heat.

Estavar quickly poured some water into his pot and placed 4 eggs inside, he then got out the bread and bread knife and carefully sliced two hunks off of the loaf while trying not to cut his fingers off but still focusing on accuracy as well. He then got out the grill pan and placed the slices on top, being careful to leave room between the two pieces of bread. He then put a pinch of salt into the water to make it boil faster and closed the lid on the pan, these were all things his mother had taught him how to do for efficiency and he was getting good at them.

He carefully placed the pot over the fire and did the same with the toast. he then turned over his 5 chimes hourglass for the eggs and his 1 chime hourglass for the toast. He carefully flipped the bread over with a spatula and reset the 1 chime hourglass after 1 chime had passed, after another chime had passed he took the grill pan off to let it cool slightly on the stone floor of the fireplace. He then buttered the toast with a knife and ate the two pieces of toast. After the 5 chimes was up, he started the 1 chime hourglass again but flipped it three more times before taking the boiling pot out of the fireplace and onto the stone floor next to the pan.

Estavar enjoyed some tasty but slightly overdone boiled eggs then washed up, put the equipment away, got changed and headed out for an afternoon stroll. He had a look around a few places in Zintia, eyed a few street stores at the Azure Market selling capes and hoods, and decided to buy one just in case he got caught up in some bad weather.

He walked up to the store owner and asked "Hello, may I buy one of your capes please?" gesturing towards the pile of capes on the countertop.

"Why of course, that will be 2 Kina please, which colour would you like?"

"Black will be fine, thank you, here's the Kina." Estavar hands over the Kina, takes the cape, applies his Waterproofing Oil to it and then puts it on.

"Huh, pretty snazzy, I think I might wear it regularly now."

Estavar was getting tired at this point and wanted some piece and quiet so he thought about somewhere to go. "Ahah! The Mhakula Teahouse! It's very quiet there and I should be able to recollect my thoughts while drinking some amazing tea!"

Estavar walked along to the tea shop and took a moment to appreciate the scene of the tea shop, quiet and relaxing, perfect for getting ready for work.

Estavar entered the building and was welcomed by a server.
"Hello, I would like a table where I could think about things, but some company would be nice too. Would that be alright?" Estavar asked.

"Sure! One moment please!" The server had walked over to a table where a woman was sitting and seemed to be asking the woman a few questions then swiftly returned.

"If you you would follow me please." Said the server. Estavar followed as the server led him to the table where the woman was sitting at.

Estavar said his thanks then asked the server if he could have a pot of green tea and she obliged kindly.

"Well, I am sorry to be so sudden, but would you mind introducing yourself? I'm Estavar and I'm currently working at The Fleeting Comet as an apprentice cook."

[Gemma Parker]

Gemma looked up and blinked. Before her, about to sit down, was a boy. Not a man, but a boy. A youth, she supposed. She was so used to expecting people to be either older than her or children that it took her a few ticks to process the fact that the… young man? Before her was almost definitely younger than her, though not by enough to actually look younger than her. Konti women stopped aging at fifteen or sixteen, so she would always look like the youngest in the room, even when she was one hundred. Not only that, but he was ridiculously tall. She had first seen him standing up, but even now that he was sitting he was significantly taller than her.

The ticks ticked past with Gemma still staring dumbly. He had also introduced himself in that awkward teenage way. He probably didn’t know how to talk to girls, and probably thought she was younger than him. He also sounded like he was from Lhavit, but she didn’t remember seeing him in any of her classes at the academy. Maybe he’d had a different schedule.

“Huh,” she said almost under her breath before remembering her manners and shaking her head to try and snap herself back to normal. “I’m sorry, yes, please have a seat.” But then she realized he was already sitting. “I mean… never mind. Sorry. What was the question again? I’m Gemma. Was that what you asked? Sorry, I’m just a little out of it right now.” She stammered, trying to recover and be polite.

“I’m a medic at The Catholicon. Herbalist,” she added. “What, uh… Can I… help you with something?” She asked. She hadn’t really planned on company. She wasn’t totally against the idea, but this was so sudden. She wasn’t used to meeting strangers over tea. It was so… random… Had he been… watching her? Oh goddess. Was he a stalker or something? Had he been spying on her for years unseen only to reveal himself now and try to manipulate her into being his girlfriend? Her eyebrow twitched as she tried to keep a straight face.

’Be polite. You don’t know that he’s a stalker. He might just be a weirdo. Or maybe he’s just a normal guy. Why are you assuming there’s something wrong with him?’ She scolded herself.

“So… what brings you to the tea house?”

[Estavar La'loon]

"Wow, a Herbalist, huh? I haven't actually encountered anyone who's a herbalist before, I guess you encounter something new everyday!" Estavar laughed awkwardly at himself and then continued talking.

"To be honest, I don't really want much from you, I just wanted to talk to someone here so I didn't seem like a loner, you get what I mean?"
'Maybe you don't, but oh well.' Estavar thought in his head.

"I mainly came here to recollect my thoughts over a hot cup of tea and wind down before getting ready for work, but also to meet some new people and maybe become friends with them, seeing as so far the only friends I have were from my school but they've all gone their own ways now after I chose to leave home." Estavar spoke softly but quickly because he had just met Gemma and was getting a bit nervous, after all, last year, The Crone had advised him to be more cautious, so he still kept his wits about him among strangers.

"Do you mind if I ask what your hobbies are?" Estavar asked. He always started with this question because he felt it was the best way to get to know someone after a brief introduction.

As he was talking the server came back with the tea and placed the tea on the table, "Thanks." Estavar said. She then gave a curtious nod and went back.

Estavar crossed his legs and thought about who Gemma could be and drank some of his tea. He thought that this encounter might be promising for when he wants to go on quests, seeing as Gemma seemed to know quite a bit about Herbalism and could be helpful when and if he got wounded.

OOCYour inner monologues made me laugh so much! Well done!

[Gemma Parker]

This guy was strange. But Gemma realized that most people thought the same thing about her, or so she’d been told. Maybe she wasn’t as suave and well-spoken as she wanted to believe. Maybe the two of them were somehow the same. For a moment Gemma was disappointed that he hadn’t even met an herbalist before. That meant he hadn’t studied anything in her fields of interest.

“Well you’re pretty bold to just walk up and start talking to someone. Aren’t you afraid of rejection? I could have asked you to leave me alone.” ’If it wasn’t rude, I still might ask you to leave.’ She thought, though her heart wasn’t in it. It was an odd encounter, to be sure. It was almost like when a little kid pulled on your pants to get your attention and said ‘excuse me, will you be my friend?’ Except this was an enormous teenager. Man child? Maybe. You never knew.

“Hobbies? I don’t know, I don’t really think about hobbies. I’m still really new in my career and I’m back at the academy again. I have a few hours free each day, but I spend that time either chilling or doing homework projects. Sometimes I help my dad with a project if he needs help.” She said, wincing as she stretched her bad shoulder a bit.

“I guess swimming could be a hobby, but it’s kind of obligatory being a Konti and all.” She said, gesturing to the scales on her face and neck. Did she really want to be sharing this information with him? There was no harm, right? Her thoughts raced about how he might somehow abuse the information she was giving him, especially if he was a stalker. But if he was really a stalker he would have already known her hobbies. Unless, of course, he was a stalker-to-be, just meeting her once to plan how to best stalk her. She fought once more to keep her expression from changing, but her eyebrow twitched.

She was debating whether or not to ask him about his hobbies to reciprocate when the tea graciously arrived. Gemma thanked the server with a smile and allowed the steaming cup before her waft its calming vapors up to her nose. She sighed and visibly relaxed in her seat. Lemon balm was the bomb. She would have to grow some of her own so she could feel calm like this more often.

Gemma closed her eyes and breathed, individually identifying the two components in the tea. And she thought she smelled a hint of something extra. Maybe it was the owner’s secret ingredient. She would have to taste it to see if she could figure out what it was.

She leaned back and tucked one foot under her other thigh, smoothing her dress in the process. She still kind of wanted to just sip her tea in peace, but now this person was sparking her curiosity. He didn’t seem like a stalker, but Gemma didn’t think she’d ever met a stalker so would she really know if she saw one?

“So?” She said expectantly. “What about you, ‘Es-ta-var’? She pronounced each syllable distinctly as if to say ‘if that is your real name’.

“You moved out, fell out of touch with your old friends, and now you’re a cook. Is that the dream?” She asked, trying to be equally detached and curious.

[Estavar La'loon]

Estavar was quite surprised at Gemma's remark, so he replied with a worthwhile answer, "No, not at all, if people don't want to talk to me, then that's their decision and I'll leave them alone, but I've been taught from birth to talk to as many people as I can so I have something to work towards in life." It was moments like these that really made Estavar question if it was worth it to be so open and supportive of everyone he met, or if he should take a more subtle approach like Gemma seemed to be doing now.

"Wow, you're a Konti? That's so cool!" Estavar had only met a few Konti before and was surprised to meet one so soon after leaving home. It would be even better if he became friends with Gemma now that he knew she was a Konti, but of course, he would have tried to befriend her regardless because of his social nature.

Estavar took a few more sips of his tea and then refilled his cup, taking in the pleasant fumes of the fresh green tea.

Estavar was slightly perplexed about why she said his name so strangely, but he just shrugged it off and went with the flow.
"Well, there's a lot of things I want to do, the Cooking is just a cash thing and so I don't need to buy street food in a pinch." Estavar took a deep breath as he got ready to start talking about his plans.

"I like to spar with people, that's one of my best skills, but I would love to learn magic, I just don't have the connections you see, I don't suppose you would?" He asked Gemma with extreme curiosity because of his passions of wanting to learn magic one day.

"I also like to sneak around the city and see what I can find, but it usually just awards me with some dirty looks if I get caught. Otherwise, the only thing I can think of is socializing and meeting new people plus I'd love to go on a quest where I can utilise my skills in combat." Estavar took another sip of his tea and relaxed into his chair more.

"So, do you enjoy staying in Lhavit? It's a beautiful city if I do say so myself, I just can't get enough of it, the views, the people, and the food of course. I personally think anyone who sets foot in the city will be blessed with good fortune for the duration of their stay here." Estavar smiled and waited expectantly for Gemma to reply to what he had said.

[Gemma Parker]

Gemma was genuinely taken aback at the boy's response. Did he really not care about rejection, or was he posing? But with what motive? Of all the vibes she got from him, arrogant was not one of them. He actually seemed very down to earth.

His excitement at her being a Konti made her smile genuinely, but her smile soured a little as she wondered what he might have heard about her people. She debated holding her tongue and just letting him think whatever he wanted, but finally, she had to interject.

"I'm not what most people think of when they think "Konti", though." She said. "Physically yes, and professionally, I guess, but I don't really fit the mold." She didn't know why she was telling him all this. Maybe she had already gotten over her reservations and suspicion that he might be a stalker.

Gemma set her cup down on the smooth wooden table and sighed. This place was supposed to be a retreat from her otherness, but now just in an introduction, she was allowing herself to be pulled back into thoughts of how she was not and maybe could never be enough.

The boy described his hobbies and Gemma was once more surprised. Sneaking around? Sparring? Was he a street kid or something? She'd never met someone who lived like Estavar apparently did. But it didn't seem that he was asking for a handout or anything. He seemed to accept his standing and position. But then the other shoe dropped when he mentioned his desire to get into the towers, and it all fell into place. Gemma leaned back once more, cocking an eyebrow and chewing on her lip as she thought about how to answer. For some reason, she felt defensive at hearing his goal to learn magic. But why? That was her exact goal. Maybe their magic schools would be different, but what was so different about them? So much. But with each point, she thought through from what little she knew of Estavar and realized that he was probably better suited to enter the towers than her.

Gemma wanted to learn magic to help people, but she had been turned down almost a full season earlier and had made no progress toward getting accepted since then. At every turn, she was faced with her self-doubt about whether or not her intentions were pure enough. It had been a hurdle too great for her to overcome. But when she looked at Estavar, she realized that he seemed to have no such internal conflicts. He seemed to be pretty simple, actually, and in a very good and refreshing way. He had only known her for a few chimes, but already he was telling her all about himself and his goals and even asking for help. It was something Gemma had not managed to do once since starting on her journey to enter the Towers. And now she realized that this defensive barrier she'd thrown up at hearing him ask for help was not so much out of protection for herself, but out of... jealousy? Could that be it?

She was lost in her own thoughts when a server came over to gently ask if they needed anything. Gemma realized that her tea was getting cold, and quickly gulped down the rest before asking for more with a forced smile and a thanks. The woman nodded and was gone again, weaving through the loosely packed tables of the quaint tea shop before slipping into the back room for the tea.

"Yeah, Lhavit's ok. Great." Gemma said absently, still thinking. She still stared off behind Estavar at the back room where the server had disappeared.

Finally, she looked back at Estavar and spoke.

"You know, Estavar, I think you're exactly what I need." She quickly realized how odd that sounded out of context and her face lit up red.

"I mean I'd like to help you." She corrected herself, raising her voice too much so that a few of the patrons of the shop shushed her. She shrank and waved an apology.

"Sadly, I don't have the connections needed to get into the Towers. Which classes were you hoping for?" She asked, trying to calm her racing heart after the embarrassing thing she'd said.

"See, I also want to study magic, but in the few chimes I've known you, you've already taken more direct action toward meeting our mutual goal than I have since I was turned away last season. You really aren't afraid of rejection." She shook her head in amazement.

"I may not have connections, but if we're both in the same boat, why not paddle together?" She said, thinking out loud.

"Do you have a plan for how to reach any of those goals of yours?"

[Estavar La'loon]

I think she seems to be warming up to me a bit more now, she seemed very defensive at first, but she's acting more like a friend now that I've explained everything that I stand for to her, especially the fact that I appreciate people's views on if they want to talk to a random stranger or not.

Estavar sighed as he heard Gemma reply to his question by saying she wasn't a normal Konti but thought that that didn't really matter at all, it was what you did with the abilities you already had that made you a better person, not banking on the skills you were born with. "You know, I wasn't born with any special powers or skills, but I'm still able to get by with hard work and discipline, even if I am not wealthy or powerful, it is what you choose to do and improve upon with the resources you currently have at your disposal that determine who you are and who you will be in the future." Estavar smiled as he said this, to make sure Gemma didn't feel bad about herself for not having the same abilities a Konti normally would.

"So", Estavar drank some more tea then continued. "What do you think about the tea here? Is it to your liking? I personally think it's the best I have ever experienced in my life. It's just so refreshing and perfect for relaxing and thinking, don't you think?" He put down his cup of tea and waited expectantly for Gemma's answer seeing as he had been going here since last season now.

Estavar was perplexed, he had never seen anyone be so defensive against the fact that he wanted to learn magic, maybe she had some bad blood with the art or was it something different entirely? "Why did you react so strangely to me saying I wanted to learn magic, do you have a bad history with it or something like that?"
Estavar was genuinely not expecting her to react to him with the way she was treating him at the start of their conversation. Or maybe it was something else, did she envy the fact that Estavar was able to just walk up to anyone and start talking to them without fear of being told to leave them alone.

Estavar was slightly worried about Gemma at this point because she had been silent for a while, she certainly had something very important going on in that mind of hers because whatever it was had certainly been taking its time to say something to him. Luckily the server arrived to break the silence and went to fetch some more tea for the both of them.

Estavar laughed at Gemma's comment and shrugged it off kindly then apologized to the patrons for Gemma's rudeness, while also making sure Gemma didn't feel insecure by saying "I would love if you could help me get into the Dawn Tower, even if you don't have the connections, I'm sure we can both help each other out with that, because two pairs of hands are better than one, as they say." Estavar sat up in his chair and straightened his back because the type of magic he wanted to learn was very dangerous and required a harsh initiation from what he had read and heard.
"I'm planning on learning Reimancy because I think it would help develop my combat skills as well as improve my reputation with the people I meet. Like you, for example."

"Well, I'm glad to see that I've already helped you with something within chimes of meeting you, I don't know about you, but I always feel great if I help someone accomplish something, no matter how tiny that one thing is, especially if I have only just met the person." Estavar relaxed and sat back in his chair again.

"At the moment, all I've got is talking to people, but maybe it would be more beneficial to talk to people of higher authority, like the Shinya, or the Priesthood, if that sounds like a good plan. I've not really thought about it much just yet though because of the fact that I only found my passion for wanting to learn magic after I left home so that I could be more responsible for my actions." Estavar really hoped that he could at least make the required connections this season so that he could go forward with the lessons next season. "Are you hoping to apply in a school this year? Or are you just waiting it out for now?" Estavar asked inquisitively.

"Which type of magic do you want to learn? I assume it's going to be something related to your passion for herbalism?"

[Gemma Parker]

Gemma was actually starting to get excited. She had judged Estavar upon meeting him. Now she saw that. But now that she was getting to know him, his perspective on life was so refreshing. Sure, maybe she knew some of the things he was saying in theory, but he seemed to be living the simple philosophy he had presented.

She perked up when he asked about the tea. "Well I'm a huge fan of tea in general. Being an herbalist I kind of have to be." She chuckled at her own joke. "But honestly I haven't been here since I was a kid. I don't think I was able to appreciate how good this was before. I think there's some secret ingredient or process he uses. Maybe he uses philtering or something." She mused aloud. "In any case, I will definitely be coming back here more often to unplug and disconnect." She said, nodding her head as she took a moment to look around at the gorgeous canopy of verdant growth that encompassed the whole tea shop like a mother bird sheltering her young with her wings.

"It's kind of a complete package, you know?" She said. "Like, you have the tea, which is out of this world, and you have this quiet, secluded space to enjoy it in." She looked behind Estavar. "Even though more people have arrived since you got here, I barely notice because the surroundings almost absorb the sound and busyness." She held her tea in both hands and breathed in the scent once more, finally calming down again.

"I really needed this." She said.

He mentioned that he wanted to get into the Dawn Tower. That was where they taught Shielding! Might they be classmates one day after all?

"Reimancy." She puckered her face as she tried hard to remember. "Which one is that again?"

He mentioned the Shinya and that reminded her. "Oh yeah, I sometimes volunteer with the Shinya, but they don't usually need my help. I had planned to work with them and maybe eventually get a recommendation, for the Towers, but they say that while it's helpful to have the Shinya behind your application, there's no guarantee of admittance just on their word. Still, at least for me, as a healer, they're kind of the most accessible. Everyone else I basically need to meet at fancy parties and I'm really bad at things like that." She scrunched up her nose.

Gemma laughed softly and scratched the back of her head when he guessed her motivation for learning magic. "Yeah, I guess I'm pretty transparent in that regard. You're right. I want to learn Auristics and Shielding, but they're taught in two different towers. They actually teach Shielding at the Dawn Tower, too. But Auristics is taught at Dusk. It's cool to think that we might one day go to the same tower, even if we're taking different classes." She nodded.

"So how did you decide to become a cook if you like fighting so much? It seems like joining The Shinya would have been a better bet."