genessia | Tragetea Averted - Teanie Teas is open again!

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Tragetea Averted - Teanie Teas is open again!

Who: Luke Triton, [Open]
When: July 25
What: Teanie Teas is open for business! Again! Luke's spent most of the month fixing his little shop up....and July 25th is the grand re-opening!
Where: Teanie Teas
Warnings: None so far

Luke has spent most of his time, now that he's out of bed and feeling better, cleaning up his tea shop. It's taken the better part of the month, but by the last Saturday of July he's ready to reopen. The shelves have been re-stocked, the tables have been re-set with the same mismatched china. All in all, the shop looks almost unscathed. The shop's young proprietor looks a bit weary, but it doesn't stop him from waving at any passers-by just the same.

"I've just made a fresh pot of tea, if you'd like! I thought I'd give samples out, since the shop has been closed so long. And free puzzles, too. Everyone likes solving puzzles!"

Not everyone, Luke. But go ahead and offer, maybe one person would like to work on your puzzles.

[ooc: people are free to swing by any time during the month of July. Starting July 12, Luke will be in the shop most days cleaning up, restocking, fixing broken china, and otherwise getting the shop back in order. You can catch him at any part of the day, before work or after, or even after the shop is open again! It's a free-for-all!]

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It's only Luke's second day back at the shop, and he's struggling. He'd wanted to call Mayu, but he's managed to keep forgetting. He'd thought of going to the gym, but the idea of the long walk made his side hurt before he even tried it. As such, contacting the judo instructor inadvertently fell by the wayside.

Even still, the young apprentice is trying to clean up Teanie Teas the best he can. Today he's working on the broken china. The shelf where he stored a lot of his extra cups and saucers must have been frozen, as there was a lot of broken glass on the floor near it; the wood itself is splintered down the middle.

Wearing gloves at least two sizes too big for his hands, Luke is trying to gather the larger pieces in hopes of salvaging a few things. The work is tedious and painful still, with bending and twisting and lifting still difficult, but he's doing the best he can.

The shop is obviously closed, but the front door is unlocked. Someone looking to come and chat with the pint-sized apprentice wouldn't have a difficult time getting in to do so.

"Hi again," Porrim said, noticing the little boy waving down new customers. "I'm not sure about everyone liking puzzles, but I'll certainly take a free sample. Why has the shop been closed down?"

Despite the dismal state of the business it seemed at least one person had decided they wanted a cup of tea. Perhaps it was some insensitive businessman who wouldn't even care when they saw a kid working hard to clean up their own damaged business. Blah blah, just get me tea kid! That sort.

But it wasn't an obnoxious voice that called out to the tiny owner as the door closed. "Goodness, it seems perhaps I've picked a poor time. Should I come back later?"

Though she'd been out of the public eye for so long, Mamizou was not gone. She had merely been keeping to herself!

Luke is fairly pleasant--anyone who comes to the shop must want tea. And he loves tea, and the person coming must love tea, so...

He carefully steps off the stepladder, eyes wide. He hadn't seen Mami in months. The apprentice looks worse for wear since their last interaction: his movements are the sort of stiff that comes after an injury. He's tired. Drawn. The cheerful face is there, somewhere--and there's a flicker of cheer at the familiar face.

"Miss Mami!"

"Hi, Miss Porrim."

Luke waves. "What sort of tea do you like? I'll make you some!"

A pause as he considers her question. "Oh. Um--the shop was closed because of those spirits. The shop got frozen...and then it all melted so then it flooded."

It was the woman's reclusive nature, as well as a bit of shame for allowing herself to be tricked by some simple-minded spirit, which had seen her keeping to herself. But there's only so much moping she could manage. Even with things going wild around her, she had still kept up her little hermit act, but it couldn't last forever. She liked the humans around her too much to just abandon them.

Any thoughts of simply leaving vanish from the woman when she sees how difficult it is to get off that ladder. "Despite what everyone might believe, I am not gone. I merely had a thing or two to think about. It looks like I may have spent too long with that, though." The state of the building, as well as the boy himself, spoke to that. "Do you need any help?"

"I...was sure you'd gone home, nobody had seen you..."

A pause as Luke blinks, tilting his head. "Oh--no, I'm okay. Most everything is back in place now. The shop is open today, too."

He tucks his little stool--an everyday accomplice in his business, as Luke can't reach a darn thing without it--into a little nook in the row of shelving and hurries over to her. He's tempted to grab her and drag her over to a table to sit but instead just gestures to an empty spot.

"What sort of tea do you like? I'll make it for you!"

Luke even pulls the chair out for her, the movement awkward and stiff. Just because he's uncomfortable doesn't mean he won't be a gentleman.

Or try.

Perhaps she'd kept herself away for too long. It wasn't like she had a large amount of friends to begin with, allowing the ones she did to think she was gone wasn't exactly the epitome of kindness.

But worries like that aren't evident on the woman's face as she to takes the offered seat. "Aren't you the little gentleman?" She does not sound like she's trying to be mocking, but rather as if amused. "I fear that you know more about tea then I do, though.. When I prepare it for myself, I normally just drink green tea. Perhaps something with a hint of sweetness to it might be nice. I'll leave the details up to the expert!"

"Hmm..."

The young proprietor considers her explanation and then excitedly heads to the counter. "Oh--I think I know just what you'd like!"

Luke putters behind the counter for a few minutes. It's not even been five minutes before he returns with a streaming china cup of tea, carefully placing it in front of her. He gives her honey as well, smiling.

"This is green tea and chamomile, but there's also some mint in the blend too. It's really nice for resting."

Luke gets into the chair beside Mami, smiling tiredly. "I'm glad you're okay, Miss Mami."

Patiently, the young woman waits as her tea is prepared. Even if she didn't like it, she would of course say it was good.

When it is presented to her, she leans over slightly, to take in the aroma. "It DOES smell pleasant." Thankfully, if that scent was anything to go by, she would not have to tell any lies.

"I do apologize for worrying you. I should have said something I suppose." She takes a small sip from her cup, letting the tea rest on her tongue a moment before swallowing. "Oh, as interesting a combination as I had hoped. Probably the best tea I have had since coming here. We had some who specialized in it back home, but alas, not many from home are here. Some are, though. I know you are familiar with the young satori, after all." She folds her hands in front of her. "I am curious, though, if you have been able to use this to piece together anything about me. This, combined with having seen me change my form, are rather large hints."

Luke is quiet, carefully spinning an empty spoon on the table as he considers her question.

"Miss Satori and Koishi are...um," a pause, the spoon clattering to the table. "Youkai. And Koishi called you Miss Raccoon--she picks silly nicknames, but they still mean something..."

He rests his chin on his palm. "But Miss Satori and Koishi...they have um--the thing--"

His gesture indicates that he means their third eye.

The woman nods. He's with her so far. As for why she's even doing it, perhaps it was because she felt the information wouldn't be at risk. Besides, Luke deserved to know why Satsuki seemed to have some manner of respect for her.

"I assure you I am not one of them." It is obvious she has no distaste for the satori, at least since the sisters seemed content to NOT share her secrets with everyone around her. "Bur you are fairly close to the truth. If you knew a thing or two about the myths of Japan, it would be fairly simple to figure out the truth. With a little coaxing, Miss Kiryuin was able to so. But I suppose she had a fairly large advantage, seeing as she has lived in Japan most of her life."

She takes another sip of her tea before speaking. "Little Koishi is right about one thing, though. I am no more human then she is."

"My, that does sound like a problem. Well I'm glad it's all sorted out now. Do you have chamomile?"

A few months ago and Luke would've been scared by the comment. Now he just nods, mostly curious.

"Oh."

He tilts his head, thinking. "I don't really know anything about myths in Japan."

Or England, really. The supernatural tended to unnerve him. Of course he'd avoid the stories that involved such things.

"But if Koishi calls you Miss Racoon that must be part of it." The other hand joins it's mate on the table, and Luke closes his eyes. "I don't know what part though."

A few months ago she might not have even made that comment. She doesn't want to scare the poor kid. She didn't come here to frighten him, she came here for a tea and a bit of conversation.

"Well, then let me give you a little bit of an education about youkai in general. The one thing they have in common is that none of them are human, but they are otherwise widely varied. A lot of them look similar to humans, of course, like the satoris. Some of them are spirits, awoken inside of ancient objects. Others are animals that have been infused with so much magic over the years that they have ceased being mere mindless beasts. There are others, but it is that second type that matters right now.

In Asia, there is a certain animal called the tanuki. While it looks similar to a raccoon, they are actually very different animals. Centuries upon centuries ago, long before you were born, certain ones among them ceased being mere animals. Those able to assume a human form became known as 'bake-danuki', though calling them tanukis is also not wrong. It should be obvious why I mention this particular type of youkai.

There's a puff of odorless smoke and a swirl of leaves that vanish into nothingness, and suddenly the woman is wearing a different outfit as well as sporting some rather unique additions in the form of ears atop her head and an extremely large tail which was obviously the source of Koishi's nickname for her. "I am one of the most powerful of them. Legends have been written about me. But don't let that make you treat me any differently!"

Let's talk about priorities. Luke's priority right now?

Mami just turned into a big fluffy raccoon. Well--that's not right. He knows it isn't because she's said so herself. But big fluffy raccoon.

"Bake...danuki. Or tanuki. Or youkai--but a different kind."

The puff of smoke had startled him of course, but Luke didn't want to let that be known, instead pretending to be totally relaxed. Sort of.

"Most powerful?" Luke blinks. He really is preoccupied by the level of fluff. "...wow."

Very eloquent, kiddo.

Fortunately, that response was just in line with what she had hoped for. She wasn't expecting him to simply nod and be like 'oh, is that so', she had wanted a response, and she was not disappointed.

An amused chuckle escapes her. "There aren't too many who have seen me wear this form, but I thought considering all that has happened, you deserved to know a bit more of the truth. Besides, there may be a time when someone other then Satsuki having this knowledge might come be useful. Of course it should go without saying I would prefer it to not be common knowledge. It ruins the mystery if just anyone knows about it, after all."

Somehow despite all the fluff, she doesn't seem to be shedding fur everywhere. She is even wiggling her tail a bit, an amused little swooping of fluffiness to accompany her tea.

After Luke left that hot cocoa and was just generally thoughtful ~~despite the thing with Roman~~, Weiss had decided to stop by once she heard it was reopen. She'd given herself enough time to at least manage to start acting normally again, even if it still hurt, and Luke had been kind to her.

Which is why she's carrying Frost in both of her arms since she figures that Frost probably missed Luke too.. particularly since she's kind of been hogging all of the little dog's attention to help herself feel better.

"I suppose I can try a puzzle."

Mayu didn't have the energy to do much after the ordeal with the spirits. He wasn't sure if it was possible to recover from the emotional scarring. He still had physical wounds. He wasn't the only one.

He had to leave the house, though. The mood was suffocating. He figured he would check on Luke, or try to. His student was younger, and one of the few people in Genessia from a world without supernatural horrors.

It helped that the door was unlocked.Once inside,he noticed the small boy struggling to clean up the wreck of a tea shop. Those pieces of glass looked dangerous.

"You shouldn't push yourself."

Startled, Luke jumps, bumping his head on the shelf he's partially under, letting out a surprised yelp. "Ah--ow!"

A moment later and he carefully gets to his feet, using the gloves to brush small bits of glass from his pants. He still moves with the stiffness of someone who was hurt, but a bit of color has returned to his face. Luke meticulously removes the gloves he's wearing and hobbles over to Mayu, eyes wide. Almost panicked.

"M-Mr. Mayu!"

Luke is all of one third of Mayu's size, at best--he stays a few paces away so he doesn't need to look directly up. "I--I'm sorry I didn't call! I was still in Nova City 'til a few days ago, because the doctor said I couldn't go yet. When I got back, I thought I'd just check the shop and look--" He gestures vaguely at the broken glass, the tea leaves, the stains all over the place. His shop has seen better days. Someone tends to prattle when they're nervous.

One hand comes to rest against his side, the other balled into a fist. "'m sorry I didn't call, Mr. Mayu." His voice gets quieter as he looks away, uncertain. "Are...are you okay?"

Mayu kneels down near Luke, making sure he's not on top of broken glass. He looks the boy over, to make sure he didn't miss any pieces.

"I understand.You're hurt. You need help," Mayu responds. Honestly, he doesn't think Luke is in any condition to do any work. He contemplates what kind of favor he could do for Masayuki, to get his help.

"I haven't even checked the gym. I kept it closed when this..." he continues, with a shudder. "Horror happened. Not okay."

He sees no reason to say otherwise.

Up close it's clear that there's no missed glass on him, but it's also clear just how bad of a beating Luke had taken. He was lucky he hadn't been drained by the spirits and was just left for dead by them. His memory of his wrrival to Nova City and the evacuation center are fuzzy, but he knows that there were stitches and intravenous fluids and needles and lots of time in bed with a nurse watching him nervously. It's been half a month but his size hasn't done Luke any favors--he isn't like the walking dead, but that's not saying much.

"I...I'm okay. I'm not sure how I'm going to fix the shelves b-but--I just.." Luke wobbles slightly, feeling Mayu's shudder through the hands on his shoulders. "I couldn't sit in my flat anymore alone. I couldn't."

It suggests that he might have been bored or lonely, but the hint of panic in Luke's expression says otherwise. He wasn't lonely, he was scared, and the only solution that was immediately available was to leave.

Since Mayu's kneeling Luke can inch closer, frowning. "Did you g-get hurt too?" Somehow the apprentice has been spared the details of the drained persons, replete of emotion and morality. He doesn't even know that's the result of what happens with the spirits. He still thinks they attack violently and move on.

Luke is quickly bending behind the counter, looking for his puzzle book, when it clicks that he recognizes the voice. He snaps up, eyes wide.

"Miss Weiss!"

Puzzles later--and this is Luke we're talking about here! He hurries over to her, movements just restrained enough to hint at the still healing injury hidden beneath his sweater.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry--I didn't recognize him right away...when I did he'd been walking with me for a while and when I tried to get away he just walked faster--"

Oh. Clarification would be better, but Luke is talking about his encounter with Torchwick, how he would never have done what he did of his own accord. If he'd stated with the information it might have made more sense.

"I'm so sorry! He just kept walking with me and I..." He was scared. That's the real answer.

Luke swallows, hesitant to reach out and pet Frost or meet Weiss' gaze. Instead he decides a swift change of the subject might be in order, and folds his hands in front of him. He hiccups nervously. "...um...do...what sort of puzzle do you like?"

Dairine had been walking through Genessia every day, trying to get used to the city's layout since her arrival. It was a much bigger city than the town Paradisa had, so there was a lot of ground to cover. Still, she had passed by the Teanie Teas shop before.

Today, though, she is surprised to see the shop open and a young boy waving at her. It strikes her curiosity, and hey, she hasn't gone into many of the shops yet, so why not?

So Dairine slows down in front of door, hands in her pockets. "I guess I'll bite. What kinds of tea do you have?"

"Hire a pro," is Mayu's suggestion for fixing the shelves. It's rather obvious that Luke is not okay. His injuries are worse than Mayu's. Passing out on the ground while carrying a larger person is not a gentle process. It's also obvious that Mayu hasn't been getting enough sleep.

"Yeah," Mayu responds. "So did my brother, and my boyfriend and his best friend.I couldn't stay home either."

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Tragetea Averted - Teanie Teas is open again!

July 13, Closed to Mayu Nozaki

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July 13, Closed to Mayu Nozaki

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