Season

[Chamomile]

Year 1
Winter Day 18
3:00

A dampened rag in hand, Laurel set to work wiping down her tables and counter in the tea house. She had a little business; just needed to find more ways to bring people in. These villagers didn't understand the use of tea, how good it was for you, and how natural it was. Either way, some business was nothing to complain about. Winter wasn't the best season for business of any kind.

Finishing up, Laurel placed a hand to her mouth, stiffling a yawn. In annoyance, Laurel shook her head, and tossed her cleaning cloth to Topaz, who caught it on the stem on her head. The best cure for exhaustion Laurel had at hand was right in her kitchen. With an unsteady walk at first, Laurel made her way over to behind the counter, and looked up at her stores of tea.

She pulled out her bowl of Norad Mint tea, took a pinch of the dried leaves, and threw them in a small tea pot. Placing it back, she went to heat up some water, and grabbed a cup for herself. Soon, the kettle was whistling, and Laurel let it sit for a moment to cool just a bit. Tea was best made with hot, but not boiling water. Then, she poured the water into the pot, let it steep for a couple minutes, and poured herself a cup of sharp, mint tea. The mix of mint and black tea was enough to wake anyone up, despite the lack of sleep.

Em and Topaz wobbled over as Laurel took a big gulp of her tea. Usually she'd have this blend with a dash of milk, but Laurel was impatient today, as she normally was. A little energy boost would keep her up and running until she had to close. Placing her empty cup down on the counter, Laurel looked out at her shop, and had a little difficulty seeing straight. Angrily, she poured herself another cup of tea.

[Seth]

Today, Domovoi had set two hours aside to see the progress of Laurel Flourites small tea shop, Miele Nettare. At approximately 2:50 he had cleaned the slight imperfections from his suit and set out towards the shop. It was not that far from his house, Domovoi mused as he turned a corner and was presented with the market street. As he approached the small establishment, Domovoi began to wonder how the workload was treating Ms. Flourite, for running a business alone was no laughing matter. It wasn't particularly amazing that there were no customers outside the Miele Nettare, as the owner wasn't exactly lining people up with her marketing skills. I won't have many people rushing to get business done with our apothecary either, for the mysteries of marketing still elude me. Perhaps Darkstride can assist with that Domovoi thought as he opened the door and was greeted by a nearly empty room, with Laurel Flourite standing at the counter, pouring herself a cup of tea. The establishment was spotless and had a scent of tea in the air, giving it a relaxing feeling. There was nothing relaxed about the owner however, since she seemed equal parts angry and tired, her posture slightly bent and eyes unfocused. Bowing low, Domovoi wondered how she would react to seeing him. After a moment, he straightened and softly placed himself at a table close to the counter, not wishing to have Ms. Flourite make long trips to serve him, for Domovoi was indeed a customer at this moment, not having realized he had gone without lunch until now.

[Chamomile]

Year 1
Winter Day 18

Laurel heard a slight ring as the door to her tea house opened. A customer at last? Not many came around this hour. Kamille seemed to think that tea was only for the morning, or evening hours. Laurel always shook her head at that. Placing down her cup, she looked to see who it might be, and then regretted such an action. As she had feared, it was the man she was to be forced to work with eventually, Domovoi Vane.

But, today they were not business partners, as she was not merely Laurel Fluorite. Today, she was the owner of this fine establishment, and was determined to prove that she could do her job right to this man. So, hiding her cp of half drunk tea away, Laurel pulled out a menu from a shelf under the counter, and strode over to his table, putting on the air of a professional businesswoman. One could not be prejudiced when running a business, else one would never get any customers.

"Good afternoon, sir." She said with a slight bow as she placed the menu on his table. Standing up, Laurel felt her head spin yet again, but refused to aknowledge it. Instead she kept on a rather plesant smile, one that barely suited the woman yet seemed to fit nicely. "Would you like a moment to decide what you would like to order?" Patience was key, especially in a place like this. Though, in the back of Laurel's mind, she dearly wished this wouldn't take long. She wanted to rid herself of this man's company as soon as possible.

[Seth]

Domovoi quickly glanced at the menu and picked out which items he wanted. "I will have the silver wolf needles tea and an order of honey toast, if you please." he said with a polite tone as he glanced back up at Ms. Flourite. His thoughts wandered as he waited for his order. Domovoi thought first of his current obligations with Evan darkstride and Laurel Flourite. At the current moment he needed to set up a meeting with Darkstride and make a transaction so as to let the business begin to flourish. Then he snapped out of his thoughts and noticed the posture of his business partner, which was slightly bent, showing exhaustion. For a moment Domovoi thought of saying something, but then decided against it, for he would have to wait for the best moment to bring such a thing up. Decidedly, he sat back in his chair and allowed the smell of tea to wash over him.

[Chamomile]

Year 1
Winter Day 18

Well at least the man had good taste. Silver Wolf Needles was one of Laurel's best black tea blends. And, honey toast to go along with it; a bit of sweet to counteract the rich spice of the tea. Whether he knew it or not, Domovoi Vane had made an order that Laurel admired. With a slight bow of her head, Laurel muttered,

"Very good, then. It will be ready in just a moment." Laurel took back the menu and walked back behind her counter. If anything, that counter was her hideaway, a slight lapse from the business. It smelled of clove, herbs, and honey, something that always calmed Laurel down, and brightened her mood. Taking a deep breath to take it all in, Laurel pushed aside her exhaustion to ready her customer's order.

First was the tea. Laurel set her kettle on once again, and went to take a small tea set off one of her counters. It was a lovely work of pottery with handle-less tea cups, something reminiscent of the eastern culture. Laurel liked to brew each tea in a different set, exhibiting the difference between them even more to those with a less refined taste for tea. Placing the small pot and cup on a wooden tray, she took a pinch of the silver and red needles and tossed them into the pot.

Next was the toast, which was simple enough. Laurel just sliced off two pieces of the fresh bread she bought from the baker yesterday, and set them in the toaster for a minute or so. When that was ready, she set the toast on the plate, and brushed them with honey before sprinkling the bread with some sugar. Hearing the faintest whistle from her tea kettle, Laurel moved from the toast to the tea, and poured the water into the small teapot. Silver Wolf Needle Tea was best served hotter than most so she didn't bother to let the water cool off before pouring it. But, now that everything was finished, Laurel lifted up the tray and brought it over to Mr. Vane's table. Setting it down, she lifted up the teapot, and poured the first cup of tea for him. There was probably enough left in the pot for at least another three cups of tea.

"Will that be all, sir?" She asked, trying to seem as refined and businesslike as possible. Of course, now that the rush of brewing tea was past her, Laurel felt even worse than before. There weren't enough distractions today...

[Seth]

Domovoi picked up the tea cup, slowly putting it to his lips for a small drink. It was hot, as was expected, but the taste was a refined, if bitter, variety. After a moment of savoring, Domovoi set down the cup and looked into his business partner's eyes. He saw a coldness that could at best be indifference, at worst hatred. A momentary epiphany happened where he realized that his partnership was based on nothing but mistrust and mutual gain. After the moment had passed, his mind started to override that thought with logic, like the fact that all business partners were like that.

As Domovoi returned his gaze to the table, he picked a piece of toast up and tore a small piece off before putting it into his mouth. Suddenly he remembered that Evan Darkstride was coming with the shipment tomorrow. Domovoi himself had just gotten wind of the arrival himself this morning, along with the meeting arrangements. Straightening his posture, Domovoi returned his gaze to Ms. Flourite's face. “I have received word that Mr. Darkstride will be here tomorrow and has arranged for a noon appointment in the main square, where the shipment has been scheduled for delivery. I believe he attempts to accomplish two tasks at once." Domovoi said flatly, reaching for his cup once more.

[Chamomile]

Year 1
Winter Day 18

Instead of getting the reply she expected, Laurel listened as intently as she could to Domovoi's news of his "friend" Mr. Darkstride. He was to be bringing supplies for the apothecary, another factor Laurel had to think about when planning her working schedule from now on. With the way the Tea Shop had been going, she'd probably be able to manage both jobs. There wasn't much business here anyway, and aside from a few sleepless nights, it wasn't much work in the end.

"Good to hear." Laurel half sighed, the edge of her mouth twitching up in a smile. While she wasn't too pleased to be meeting the man, especially since he was a friend of Mr. Vane's, Laurel did want to put some of her attention into the apothecary. "I will make plans to arrive at the square tomorrow then."

Mr. Vane hadn't answered Laurel's initial question, but it slipped her mind for the moment, as she turned to walk away. But, Miss Fluorite didn't get very far, as she was soon faced with a rush of exhaustion and a stab of nausia. Her vision blured and her head spun as she gripped the edge of the counter for support. It wasn't much help however, for her weak grip even faded, and Laurel Fluorite slid to the floor, barely conscious.

It seemed the exhaustion was more of a complicated than she initially expected.

[Seth]

Domovoi set down his cup quickly, with fear plainly written on his face, and moved to Laurels aid. He didn't even ask if she needed assistance, just slid his arm under hers and gently helped Laurel to his chair. The moment he began to do so he started making up reasons he knew weren't true. In that split second that Ms. Flourite slid to the floor, he felt a pang of worry. So, as a normal decent being would, he assisted her. But of course he would reject that thought almost immediately, almost.

As Domovoi seated himself across from Ms. Flourite, he pushed his untouched portions of food towards her. "Eat. Then rest. If you don't, you're likely to be immobile for quite some time. You need someone to assist you. It's not a possible task to keep such an establishment running and clean to your standards. Not without help." Domovoi said matter-of-factly. As he had talked, Domovoi's mind was waging war. His emotions were fighting for control against his cool intellegent mannerisms. All of this was unnoticable on the outside, of course. But for him, it was quite frightening.

[Chamomile]

Year 1
Winter Day 18

Laurel shivered, but felt her body temperature rising as she leaned against the side of the counter, breathing shallow. But, she soon felt the chill of human arms against her body, and her mind found its way back to reality. Mr. Vane was helping her up, and moved her to a nearby chair. His chair, to be precise. And he was barking some orders at her as he slid his plate closer to her.

Laurel furrowed her eyebrows, trying to make sense of the situation.

"It would be impolite and improper of me to eat the food of my customers..." she managed to mutter. Then she heard him saying something about resting, and getting help for her shop. No! Laurel was perfectly capable of handling this establishment herself. She barely got business anyway. She was an independant woman, and was not going to let a man like Domovoi tell her what should be done.

"I can handle this myself..." Laurel muttered again, her emotions spewing out through garbled sentences. "I can handle everything myself..." And with that, she pushed the plate of toast away, and slammed her hand against the table. Laurel tried her hardest to stand up again, but only managed to get onto her wobbling legs for a few seconds before her knees gave out again, and Laurel found herself clinging to Domovoi's jacket for support. How pathetic.

"I don't need... your help..." she continued to argue, certain that she could handle the situation just fine. Her stubbornness would be the death of her one day.