T42 - Thursday

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando had expected there would be more work necessary when he went to check out the building. He blinked, quite a lot, when he saw how it had changed overnight. Cups gleamed, pastries sat temptingly on the counter, and the chalkboard sign along the wall was populating itself with prices. Hernando watched for a moment as the curling cursive script spelled 'rooibos' incorrectly. "It's spelled r-o-o-i-b-o-s," he said helpfully, then blinked when the script reversed itself to correct.

The quokka seemed pleased by his reaction and went zooming around. He looked around. The walls had been hung with artwork, carefully lighted to show it to advantage.

Hernando went looking for an 'open' sign, and of course he found one. He also found a folding chalkboard sign, already printed, with:

GRAND OPENING SPECIALS:
Buy 4oz of tea, get 2oz free.
Raspberry Earl Grey available hot or iced.
Lavender Earl Grey available iced.
Mulled Rooibos available hot or iced.

Come on in, the water's fine!

He put the sign outside, where it would be visible to passers-by. He also noticed that umbrella tables had appeared. They had not been there when he entered the store. Smiling a little, he went back inside, curious to see what the day would bring.

[OOC: Open!]

Comments

[magnusrushesin]

"Awww, man. I was hoping for a Starbucks!" Magnus was clearly not hipster enough for this particular establishment, but he was in there anyway.

Onward Istus soldiers and all that.

[hernando_fuentes]

"I'm sorry, my friend," Hernando said consolingly, "There appears to not be one on the island, that I have seen. On the mainland, there are many. Since you are here, may I get you something? Tempt you with a pastry, perhaps?"

[magnusrushesin]

"I am super down with a scone," Magnus replied brightly.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando glanced at the counter and offered, "It looks like we have some with fruit, perhaps blueberry, and some that are savory. Unless I am very mistaken, that one," he pointed, "is bacon, scallion, and cheese. Do you have a preference?"

[magnusrushesin]

"Gimme dat bacon!" Magnus cheered. "You're my new favorite person for this."

A beat.

"Don't tell Taako I said that. He'll magic missile me in the dick."

[1000yearstoolate]

It wasn't until Seivarden saw the chalkboard that she got the 'T42' name. It was the menu that caught her attention though, and made her excited enough to look almost cheerful when she entered.

"So," she said, upon entering, "is this a tea room?"

[I'll be slow today, but I couldn't resist having my tea lover stop by.]

[hernando_fuentes]

[not a problem, I am slow always]

Hernando smiled a greeting at the new customer. "It is. We have a large variety of tea. Also some coffee, but," he cautioned, "I wouldn't recommend the coffee. The machine seems grumpy."

[1000yearstoolate]

"And you serve loose leaf tea, I assume? Not that awful kind in paper bags?"

If the answer was 'no' she would leave, probably after some kind of rant.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando's head tilted to the side, trying to figure out wtf the customer meant by 'paper bags'. He answered slowly, "The tea is loose leaf, yes, but we put it in fiber bags to steep." He held one up. "Like so. It wouldn't do to have the leaf floating free in the water. It would oversteep and turn unpleasant." Considering it for a moment, he added, "Unless you want rooibos. It is almost impossible to oversteep rooibos. It is a very forgiving tea."

[1000yearstoolate]

"Oh, those are fine."

Seivarden made a gesture with a gloved hand. "I meant those prepackaged ones. I know you don't use tea flasks here, but I've had some really good teas on this planet. A pleasant surprise. Anything in particular you would recommend?"

She added with a laugh: "Nothing with glitter though. This place is obsessed with glitter."

[white_oleander]

Without any workshops, Thursday were definitely a 'wander around and sketch things' day for Astrid. And she prided herself, by now, in knowing the island pretty well from those wanderings, even if she didn't really interact with any of it beyond filling up the pages of her sketchbook with their facades and signs and intricate little details.

But she definitely didn't remember this being there before.

Sure, the Grand Opening sign explained a lot, but not everything. Not when there had been a hobby store where she'd picked up some watercolors after work on Tuesday. And trying to low-key check out prices. She hoped it wasn't expensive. It looked expensive...

At least she thought she had. Probably just another moment of the delusion that this place seemed to breed.

Still, she had to stop in and check it out, admiring the aesthetic, pondering how it would be nice to have another place to sit and have a drink and work on her art.

[hernando_fuentes]

Given the fluid dynamic of the store thus far, it wouldn't have surprised Hernando to find out it had been an open and functioning store just days before, even if it had been in a state of decay when he found it. He was fascinated by how things kept happening, and was eager to see what it would do next.

The shop prices were reasonable. Far more reasonable than Starbucks, for tea, and the coffee was even cheaper - but then, the coffee was pretty awful.

He smiled a welcome when the blonde girl walked in with her sketchpad, "Welcome! Is there anything I can get for you?"

[white_oleander]

"Hi." Astrid turned and blinked at the man, as if surprised to see him, even though she sort of expected eventually someone would sort of nudge at the kid wandering the store to make sure she wasn't just loitering. "Um, what can I get for..." She bit her lip, dipping her hand into her pocket, pulling out a few bills and counting it, nearly dropping some change, "uh...two dollars?"

She had more than just the two she'd extracted, of course. But you always started with the lowball.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando blinked slowly, and then glanced up at the prices written on the chalk lining the top of the wall. He had to - he had no idea what prices the store had set, or if it would change them.

"A mug of tea, or a small pastry," he answered. He glanced at the counter, trying to figure out what the sign meant by 'small'. Was 'small' a scone or muffin? Was a danish, somewhat between the two, small or large? He had no idea.

[white_oleander]

Two bucks for a mug of tea still seemed pretty extravagant for Astrid, but, then again, her brain had yet to catch up with 25 years of inflation and popularity, Still, you paid for atmosphere more than anything in these places, so she nodded and set the money on the counter.

"A mug of tea, then, please," she said. "That Earl Grey one from the board outside sounds good."

[spectre_alenko]

Kaidan noticed something on the way back to the shop after his run. The art supply store had transformed, almost overnight, into some sort of cafe. That was interesting. He went inside and asked, "Hey.. didn't this used to be an art supply store?"

Then he scanned the menu, because hey, while he was here, might as well check out the new cafe.

[hernando_fuentes]

"It was, yes," Hernando answered politely, "I was told it went into bankruptcy. I bought the building and now it is tea and beauty."

The quokka that boinged across the floor did some damage to the gravitas of that comment. Hernando gave a tiny sigh. Leave it to Dave.

[spectre_alenko]

Kaidan glanced at the quokka, wrote it off as 'cute; not a threat' and went back to the conversation. There was something about the guy, the way he was looking at everything and even the way he had sighed at the quokka. "Are you new in town?" he guessed. Then he put a palm over his face, "I'm so sorry. People have been asking me that for a month. I can't believe those words just came out of my mouth."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando watched the way Kaidan zeroed in on and almost as quickly dismissed the quokka. He had seen similar before, in Mexico, among soldiers. The question was normal but Kaidan's reaction to his own words made Hernando smile a little. "Did you want an answer, or would you like some tea?" he asked, trying not to be too amused.

[spectre_alenko]

"If I say yes to one, does that mean I don't get tea?" Kaidan asked, putting his hand down and offering a lopsided smile instead, "Because honestly? I'd like both. It would be nice to have someone else be 'the new guy' in at least some of the conversations."

[sharp_man]

It was difficult to miss a new store, and this one seemed promising. Hannibal strolled in, looking around, pleased at the art and the tea menu both. The decor was a trifle busy and commercial for him, but then, it was a commercial venture.

[hernando_fuentes]

"Hello," Hernando greeted the new customer, "Welcome."

A quokka went tearing through the place with a leaf in its mouth, dashing out through the pet door. Hernando pinched the bridge of his nose. Dave was being a bitter pill. "Please excuse him. He's in a mood today."

[sharp_man]

Hannibal raised an eyebrow at Dave. "So I see." He held out his hand. "Doctor Hannibal Lecter. I assume you are a new resident, to go with the new business?"

He dressed better than many, Hannibal was pleased to see.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando shook his hand with a warm, unchallenging grip. "Hernando Fuentes, professor and, now, tea merchant. It's nice to meet you, Dr. Lecter. I am, as you guess, new in town. It wasn't a planned stop on my trip, but it was almost love at first sight."

He was, indeed, dressed a cut better than anyone he'd seen prior to Dr. Lecter. He gave the suit a discrete once-over. It look bespoke, and he thoroughly approved.

[sharp_man]

It was indeed bespoke, as was all his standard wardrobe.

"Mr. Fuentes, a pleasure," Hannibal said. "Or is it Dr. Fuentes? How did you end up on Fandom, then?"