T42 - Thursday 6am-6pm

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando was definitely on the mend. He hummed to himself as he set about putting the pastries out. Many of them seemed to be pumpkin or apple based. They perfumed the air with spices.

The store had decorated itself for Halloween. Fake cobwebs - so he hoped - were strung between the art on the walls. Skeletal animal figurines adorned the tables and the front of the counter. "You know arachnids don't have skeletons," Hernando informed the store. He was amused by it.

The store responded by adding more improbable animal skeletons. Take that, caretaker.

Hernando chuckled and went to get the sign. It too had been decorated. Purple and orange LED rope lights spiraled up the wooden sides. There was no obvious power source. Hernando had learned not to question little things like that.

SPECIALS
Apple Cider Chai - hot or cold - 50% off
Campfire Assam - orange, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon with a roasted black Assam - hot or cold - 50% off


Description of shop is here.

[Open!]

Comments

[justice_undone]

Breq had heard about the new teahouse, but as she didn't want to seem obsessed with tea, she hadn't visited until now. As she entered, she assumed a pleasant smile, looking around the place.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando looked up and smiled when Breq came in. "Breq! How are you doing?"

[2_old_for_this]

The spices in the teas on the board caught Peter's eye, and he detoured into the shop, smiling as he looked around for Hernando.

[hernando_fuentes]

"Hello, Peter," Hernando said with a smile, "Is there something I can get you?"

[2_old_for_this]

Peter gave him a little wave. "The assam with spices sounds great. How have you been?"

[hernando_fuentes]

"I've been well, other than a cold last week," Hernando answered while he busied himself with the tea prep, "And you? I have not seen you in some time."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter shrugged. "Not much has happened with me. Well, I had a panther in my apartment, but it was really a person that was temporarily a panther, so even that's pretty normal for this place."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando blinked a little. "A.. panther? I heard that Zack became a puppy and Kanan became a cat, but a panther? That sounds dangerous. I am not so certain I would wish to see one in my apartment. Is everyone in your home ok?"

The tea finished steeping so he placed it on a saucer and slid it across the counter for Peter.

[2_old_for_this]

"Everybody's fine," Peter assured him. "She mostly took over the couch for a while." He paid for the tea and picked it up. "A lot of folks have been animals recently. Sometimes it seems like it's going around."

[hernando_fuentes]

"It does," Hernando said, bemused by this. "I am glad I did not change into anything this week. I have made no provisions for care of my store nor the quokka should such event occur. It seems I shall have to do so sooner rather than later."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter nodded. "It helps to have plans. Though my shop largely seemed to take care of itself when I couldn't. The island's good about that."

[hernando_fuentes]

"Mine might also do this but I think it would miss me," Hernando said simply, "I should not wish it to be sad. The quokka seemed to take care of themselves before when they were alone but they are not now."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter glanced around at the quokkas. "It's good you're helping them out, but I'm sure they'd do fine if they had to for a few days. If you're worried, though, maybe you should find someone who can step in if they need to."

[hernando_fuentes]

"That is now my plan," Hernando admitted, "It seems a way to safeguard against future transformations should they last more than a few days."

Dave made a grumpy face when Peter looked at him.

Dave!

[2_old_for_this]

"That must be the grumpy one," Peter said, making a silly face back at him.

[hernando_fuentes]

"That is indeed Dave," Hernando said with a small sigh and an even smaller frown at the grump.

Who looked at the two men and calmly ate a carrot with his grumpy quokka face.

"He is very old. From the information I have found on the internet, he is a great deal older than the other quokka so I suppose he has a right to his grumps and growls," he said.

After a moment and a glance around the store, Hernando asked, "Does the island do anything.. strange.. for Halloween?"

[2_old_for_this]

"We have to make allowances for the elderly," Peter said with a straight face.

"Not much stranger than usual?" he answered. "Sometimes there are little weird things, but nothing catastrophic while I've been here." He looked at Hernando a bit more closely. "How are you holding up? We've had a few weird things in a row lately, even if none of them were that bad on their own."

[hernando_fuentes]

His smile was decidedly lopsided, "I am holding up better than I was. The island seems to have left me out of its mischief since the shadow though I understand that was not the case for many people lately."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter nodded. "It's been quiet for me, too. Until the panther, anyway. Not a bad thing."

[hernando_fuentes]

"That is good to hear," Hernando said.

Almost immediately, he followed it with, "Unless that is boring for you? I have heard some people enjoy the .. incidents. Even me, when they are harmless."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter laughed a little. "No, I don't mind boring. It sometimes makes me feel like I should be doing more, but until I can get back home, I'll take boring over people getting hurt."

[hernando_fuentes]

"I would also prefer none to get hurt," Hernando agreed. He smiled a little wryly, "At least there is a 'more' you could do. I am not so useful. I could provide tea but that is about all."

[2_old_for_this]

"Never underestimate a good cup of tea," Peter said, smiling a little. "You could learn something, though, if you want to. Maybe first aid or researching things - a lot of times that's really helpful."

[hernando_fuentes]

"I am a professor," Hernando said simply, "Research is something I am good at. Here, I would have no such idea where to even begin. Things I know of as natural laws and history do not so much seem to apply."

His glasses were pushed up so he could rub the bridge of his nose with a fingertip. "First aid is also a skill I have but only at a basic first responder level. It was required at my university for all faculty to know this." His smile was a little tired, "Mexico City is not always such a safe place. Stabbings, shootings. Muggings. Especially around the university where students with their expensive computers are."

[2_old_for_this]

Peter nodded. "When things start to get bad around here, even that can help. And knowing how to research is more important than knowing what. The what is always something new. There's usually a whole gang of people in the library trying to work things out. Which mostly consists of reading and a lot of tea and coffee."

He smiled. "There wasn't a lot of that this last time, but even all the things I can do didn't help much, either. Don't count yourself out yet."

[hernando_fuentes]

"I could bring tea," Hernando mused, "though the coffee..Well, no, the coffee is terrible but only because it is strong and that might be welcome also."

He would have to make it to the library someday.

[2_old_for_this]

"Strong is definitely good," Peter agreed. "See? Don't count yourself out."

[hernando_fuentes]

"You've never had the coffee my shop makes, have you?" Hernando asked. His mouth was twitching in something that could have been a restrained grimace or smile.

[2_old_for_this]

"Not yet," Peter said. "Why?"

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando silently filled a white ceramic mug with coffee from the dispenser and slid it across the counter for Peter to try.

The coffee is terrible, it should be said. By whatever standards coffee can be judged, it is not good. It is however very strong.

[2_old_for_this]

Peter gave him a curious look, then sipped it.

"It's strong," he noted.

Strong was good, right?

[hernando_fuentes]

"Also bitter and metallic," Hernando noted ruefully, "but also strong, yes. People who enjoy coffee do not like this coffee."

[2_old_for_this]

"I'll take your word for it," Peter said, "I'm not fussy. But strong is the important part when folks are up all weekend researching."