Posted by Civilian Cort Belanger (Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.) in Ash & Petal Teashop - Weeks After Opening

Posted by Civilian Taren Veyl (New Arrival) in Ash & Petal Teashop - Weeks After Opening
Talen was up early morning before the morning light even shone on his shop. For the moment, he lived in the same place he sold his precious teas at. With little extra funding for a place of his own, and being so new to colony, he decided that for the moment staying at his shop was the best option. It also helped him speed up the process of making subtle changes in the opening weeks. With plenty of customers having shown support for him, he found their input in the experience helpful.

The shop itself was quite the feat. He had seen very few others with the kind of mobility that this building had. That’s not to say that the building itself could move off on its own. But the interior had the remarkable engineering built in to it so as to shift furniture, tables, chairs, and even the path that his calming water river took.

He stepped downstairs from his living area, deciding to keep the current layout for the rest of the week. As he stepped down, he could hear the quiet bubbling of the water fountain in the center of the room. It was simple with a top, middle, and bottom tier. The floor was transparent, revealing a path for the water at the bottom of the fountain to take. It flowed from the base and traveled a delicate winding path leading to the edge of the building and following the perimeter until it came near Talen’s ordering station. As the path neared, it pivoted 90 degrees and led its way to the fountain once more. There the water flowed to the top of the fountain and fell back to the base to recirculate.

The floor was covered with planks of greyish white wood, smooth and polished to fit. Where the small creek flowed under the building, the floor was thick transparent glass. The walls were also lined with planks of wood, though this color was a darker brown. Near the four corners of the large shop were lights shaped strung up in a way to resemble tree branches, and each small light like a leaf on that part of the tree.

Strewn about were five long tables. Two were tall with seats typical to a restaurant. The other three were smaller in height. One had mere cushions for seats. The other two had slightly elevated cushions with a backing for support.

The wall furthest from the door was transparent, viewing the large garden beyond where Talen grew his own herbs and spices for his various concoctions. His own serving station was on the left wall perpendicular to the main two door entryway. It was in the shape of a half circle with some seats present as well. Behind the counter were various mixes of tea. He was willing to sell his his mixes, though he typically enjoyed serving his customers personally. A menu was available to any who asked, though his own preference was to engage his customers and guess what tea they might need.

He moved to his serving station and put on a pot of oolong tea to heat. He added ginger and a bit of ginseng to help him wake up and get focused. He then gave it a splash of honey to smoothly counteract the tartness of the other ingredients. It was a classic morning tea for him, helping him get his work day started. As the flavors blended, the aroma soon filled the air around him. He breathed it in deep and let it out. “Perfect,” he said aloud as the strength of the scent came to fruition.

He poured himself a cup and took it barefoot outside of the front entrance. He sat down with it in hand and gently sipped on it as he admired the view of the rising sun and the beginning bustle of the morning.

-Taren Veyl

Oed’s weather (or lack thereof) never really bothered Cort, though he did look forward to the day when they had real weather. That would be a massive milestone that came long after several other important ones for the colony.

As far as his athletic training went, today was a rest day. Still, he liked moving first thing in the morning and expecting to be able to do so later in the day after work was done was ridiculous in his line of work. Thus, he was dressed for work and out for a casual stroll, taking the long way back to the Tower when a new shop caught his eye. He hadn’t been down this side street recently and he tried to remember what had been there before. The previous occupant escaped him. But a tea shop was intriguing even if he himself mostly favoured coffee. Eela was always sliding her on concoctions towards him and as usual, she had him pegged. It was amusing all told. Partly for himself, and partly for him to gather info for others that might be intrigued by the place, Belanger stepped inside.

Cort was a fairly Human male with piercing grey-blue eyes and cinnamon brown hair that matched the neatly trimmed beard. He wore a impeccably tailored grey suit with a navy button-down shirt with a subtle paisley pattern in an even darker blue. The outfit was complete with black shoes and a silver paisley. He took all of two steps inside and stopped, looked around and said, “Huh. Not what I was expecting.” Then he broke into a smile that lit up those pale eyes of his. “Lovely place you’ve got here,” he said as he took in the person at the counter.

Cort Belanger, Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.

Talen Veyl had set his cup down by this point and had been making some minor adjustments to his spices behind the counter. He turned to find the newcomer. “Hello there, and thank you. What brings you in here?” he asked curiously after wiping his hands off on his chocolate colored apron.

Talen stood with a small smile, his eyes gentle as he took in the sight of the man. His wavy hair was done up in a bit of a messy bun, making his trill markings more evident from his temple down. The sleeves of the loose, white button up shirt under the apron were rolled up to his elbows. His broad shoulders seemed to emphasize his healthy physique. All in all, Talen was a worker.

-Talen Veyl, Owner of Ash & Petal