Tea Talkin'

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

It was interesting where life took someone. Eva stared with her blue eyes into the stone wall of the tea shop, lost in her mind and day dreams. A brief remembrance of her brother. Her mother and father - the holomessage that she received the night before with a request for her to come visit them.

It'd been a few months since her last visit - she did need to see them again. But her father's blank stare was something she couldn't shake since her brother died. But maybe she had a blank stare, too? Eva shook her head in an attempt to get the ideas out of her head.

She'd book a passage in a few days. She heaved herself up, her hooves clopping on the stone and wood as she stretched. Her hair braided down her back and in her usual purple attire, she decided to seek either [member="Kay Arenais"] or [member="Doyle"] out. She wasn't sure if Doyle was back, or what Kay was up to. But, she wanted to talk them about taking a couple weeks off.

And discuss a potential tea that she thought about. And their current inventory. And the pretty large orders they were taking for fairly large organizations. Plus, it'd be nice to just talk with her employers some. Get to know them, a little.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was in the back, out of the view of customers. She liked to hide there at times. Paperwork kept her distracted from her pain. It was much simpler paperwork than she had when ruling over dozens of worlds. Less paperwork than ruling over even one. Here there was just orders to be filled and supplies to manage. Thank the Force she had a warehouse attached.

She sipped her Sapir tea, the hot liquid soothing her like a warm hug, just as it always did. Kay was in need of that now more than ever. Here she was isolated, which was more of a good thing than bad. Why go anywhere where people knew her? Why face their harsh judgements or criticisms of her decisions? She wasn't supposed to be alive right now anyways.

Perhaps that was why she felt like a ghost. Kay felt empty, her heart and spirit shattered into a dozen pieces. If it weren't for her business to keep her occupied, she'd probably just sit in an apartment and stare out a window all day long until she ceased to exist. The tea shoppe gave her a small amount of purpose.

[member="Evangeline Delias"] caught her attention. It was hard not to as her hooves on the stonework clacked. She looked as though she had something on her mind. "Is everything alright, Eva? No customers are bothering you, are they?"

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Eva let her hands fiddle with each other as she walked towards the back of the tea shoppe. [member="Kay Arenais"] was likely there - out of sight from the customers and busy doing managerial duties like... Paperwork or what have you. Evangeline didn't want to disturb her, but with everything on her mind...

It'd be nice just to have a conversation with someone. Someone who wasn't a customer. Eva noticed that emptiness in Kay's eyes. An emptiness she sometimes saw in her mother's eyes. Kark, Eva probably had a similar look too. The galaxy was just so harsh, and in truth she could only hope Kay hadn't been through something too terrible.

She gave a small smile to Kay as she leaned against the entrance to her office. She shook her head, "Oh no, everything is okay. No bothering customers. At least not yet," she said with a small chuckle as she moved further into the room. Customers were always finicky creatures. One minute they would want something, then something else, and somehow you were supposed to read their minds. It was the name of the game, though. At least most of their customers were nice. Of course, the tea itself helped in that Eva supposed.

"I was just checking in - lots of big orders coming through! You doing okay?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Well that eas a relief. Even in a tea shoppe, some customers could get roudy. But that was mostly due to some of the types of tea that they sold. Some carried the same effects as alcohol. While others were the same as spice. But that could be because one of their teas DID contain spice.

Kay leaned back in her chair and gestured for [member="Evangeline Delias"] to sit on the sofa if she wished. She cradled her tea cup in her hands. "I'm doing as well as can be expected. And yes, we've got a lot of orders coming in. Much larger than I had expected so soon. I'm thinking of investing in some charity or perhaps even making up a new one. We're acquiring quite a bit of profit already. What do you think?" Orphans came to mind. Or maybe she'd even send some of the money to the Mandalorians. Or maybe she'd just give some of it to...no. Kay couldn't put her name to anything or make a name for herself. The less that people knew that she was around, the better.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Eva gave a little nod as [member="Kay Arenais"] motioned for her to take a seat. The click clack of her hooves continued until she laid down on the sofa, her legs bending somewhat to her sides. The equine portion of her laid against the back of the sofa. Her hands were held inside each other as she settled herself in.

A smile approached her lips as Kay spoke. Investing in charity would be a pretty good idea. It'd help business gain more of a foothold, although she wasn't quite sure how popular Kay actually wanted her shoppe to become. She didn't know much about Kay, mostly due to her lack of any real reading and studying in any type of history. Really, she should probably change that... But, she did know she was a Queen! And something about an Empress? Not that any of that mattered, really. At least not now.

"Charity would actually be a good idea. Share some of the wealth, as they say. I know the Mandalorian sector is in pretty bad shape..." After the Sith attack, she was half surprised Mandalore wasn't fully destroyed. "It could help expand business opportunities, too. Nothing helps growth like showing you care about people." She paused, "But, there is plenty of people suffering on this planet, too. We could find some groups in the cities, if we want to have a good but smaller impact," she offered after a moment.

 

[Kay-Larr]

"If we gave to the Mandalorian sector though...I fear the Sith Empire might steal it. I'd have to go through back channels to get it into the proper hands." At least [member="Evangeline Delias"] seemed keen on the idea. And she didn't seem to have a hatred for Mandalorians like some.

Her other idea eas a good one as well. Kay sipped her tea. "It would do well to help those here first. We can't ignore our neighbours, afterall. How about if we offered a special cookie, with all the proceeds going towards helping the communities here?" Customers had been asking for food items to be sold with the teas. It was better to follow their suggestions. Afterall, without customers there'd be no business.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Evangeline gave a small nod. "That's very true..." She shivered slightly as she thought about the impending Sith occupation. They wouldn't stop at Mandalore, everyone knew that. Whatever the Mandalorians did to deserve the Sith wrath, they wouldn't stop until... [member="Kay Arenais"] knew that too, Evangeline was sure of that.

She sighed as the memory of her parent shaking her awake when she was a child. Maybe it would be better to not get the Sith more interested in the tea shoppe. Last thing they needed was that. "Yeah, I think that would do much more well. A little something for our neighbors," she said with an agreeing nod.

"Hm, that actually sounds like an excellent idea. What type of cookie do you think we should produce? Any special properties?" She tilted her head slightly, inquiring. Something like that would be perfect - and it opened the door to more cookies and other products with the start of production being like a charity.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay brought her cup to her lips and had a sip. The tea was soothing as always. It was as close to a hug as she got these days.

[member="Evangeline Delias"] agreed with her cookie idea. Hopefully she wasn't the type to agree with everything Kay would say. She always valued various opinions. They tended to help her solve problems and puzzels. It was when she had to deal with it all alone that she tended to mess up.

"I'm not sure what kind of cookie yet. Something delicate yet rich. As for properties, it should have something a little special. Maybe something to trigger the feelings of joy? Or to rekindle a happy memory?" Was there such a thing? Possibly. She had done some research on spices that could erase memories. Why not have something that could gently do the opposite?

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Evangeline began to braid her hair as her and [member="Kay Arenais"] spoke. Often times she found herself playing with her hair, especially if there was nothing else for her to do with her hands.

She perked a brow, unsure if such a thing could exist. Even if someone used something with the Force, or alchemy, or something of the like. Feelings of joy? Sure. Rekindling a happy memory? That sounded more like some type of mind game.

Eva thought about it, nibbling on her lip as her mind rolled through the possibilities. "My only concern is that everyone defines happy in a different way. And a happy memory could just as well be attached to the saddest memory of all. It could be a liability if someone blames us for someone else actions." Her brother came to mind. She'd love to have some special memory come up, but she knew the sadness of knowing he was, bluntly, dead.

Of course, the other teas they had made people feel a certain way. Perhaps it wasn't much different than that, anyways.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay chewed the inside of her cheek a little as [member="Evangeline Delias"] pointed out a flaw in her plan for the cookies. "Sometimes certain smells or tastes can rekindle good or bad memories in people too."

She had another sip of her tea, glad that her newest employee was comfortable around her. Kay knew that she wasn't the same as she used to be. She didn't want to be a leader anymore, yet because she owned a company, that meant that in a way she sort of was one. But at least there was no politics involved.

"What would you suggest the cookies should be?"

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Evangeline gave a little nod in response to [member="Kay Arenais"]' comment. "That's very true," she'd reply with a bit of a sigh. In truth, anything could have a drawback. That was the reality of the universe, a fundamental truth.

"Hmm," she whispered as she nibbled on the edge of her lip. "Perhaps something that instills a sense of pride? Since we will be using the proceeds to help those on Altiria, it could help boost sales. We could even make the shape into some form of national monument or identity that Altirian's have."

"Otherwise, I think the idea of a memory would be a much better option." They had options - and that was the beauty of it.

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Oh yes, I like that idea, Eva. A sense of pride would do well. That too could spark a happy memory and they could want to buy more...." Everyone wanted to feel good, didn't they?

Kay took another sip of her tea, pondering on Altiria and the sister continent called Anarris. The two had been at war for centuries. Only in the present day did things seem to calm down. Anything could spark tension and war once again. Hopefully they wouldn't be the cause of it.

"I think that we should share the charity raised equally among the two continents. Even though our shop is here, it would probably serve us better to look after both." She looked to [member="Evangeline Delias"] , wondering what she thought on the subject. How much or how little that she knew of war and politics, Kay had no idea.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Eva beamed with a smile. [member="Kay Arenais"] liked her idea, and that rocked. "Indeed, I would imagine so. So long as they buy more," she said with a little wink. That was her role, right? Getting them sales.

She gave a little nod. Indeed, Evangeline didn't know much about politics or the history of the planet she was currently calling home. But she knew enough that the planet was in wars, especially between the two species. But besides that, she wasn't sure.

"Yeah, it should be shared equally. We don't want to show any favoritism or such between the two."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded as she had another sip of her tea. "We don't need tensions to build between the two sides. At least none more than usual." War breaking out would be very bad for business. And for them too. Perhaps if the company got large enough, they could open up another shoppe on Anarris.

She tilted her head to the side a bit as she looked to [member="Evangeline Delias"] , an idea coming to mind. "Would you like to travel to Anarris with me? We could leave Doyle to handle the shoppe. Make it a girls' week out? I could teach you some other aspects of the business. And we could shop for more unique ingredients for our teas and baked goods. Would you like that? Just don't feel pressured to say yes. But we could go by train. I hear it's a beautiful ride." And more discreet than just flying. There was no need for them to rush their journey.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Eva gave a little nod. "What sparked all the tension, anyways? I'm afraid I'm not one for history..." She admitted, somewhat sheepishly. In some ways, ignorance was bliss. In others, it was a serious handicap. Nonetheless, it seemed like Kay knew that so at least she didn't have to worry too much about an international incident arising from herself.

She perked a brow at the sudden look of an idea on [member="Kay Arenais"]'s face. Genuine joy slipped across her face as she clapped her hands together, "Oh, I would love too! I haven't had a girl's night, let alone a week in ages," she commented with excitement. "I've also never been in a train, so that would be absolutely lovely too."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay knew what spawned the tension well enough. It was the same kind of tension that drew [member="Darth Tacitus"] to her and nearly had her executed along with her followers that his assassins had already beheaded. "They fight over what name this planet should have. Whether it be Altiria or Anarris. Each wants it named after their own continent...." She sighed. "And that's it." There was no big politucal plot, no secret missions where one stole the resources or wealth over another. No. The people just fought over a name. She figured that here would be the safest place for her; and one of the last places that her enemies would look.

She smiled as [member="Evangeline Delias"] approved of her idea of them going away on a trip together. "Wonderful. I'll get it all arranged. You needn't worry about anything but to pack your own luggage. Everything else will be taken care of. " It could be good for the both of them.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Evangeline blinked at her summary of the planets quarrels. She was serious, wasn’t she? Over a stupid, bloody name? She shook her head after a moment. “Sometimes sentients are the most dumbest things,” she muttered.

Either way, Eva clapped her hands ever lightly at the confirmation of their trip. “Oh, I am so excited! I can’t wait!” She smiled, “Are you sure? Is there nothing I can do to help?” If there was something she could do to help, she'd love too. Wouldn't be fair to make [member="Kay Arenais"] to do all the legwork... Not when she had 4 legs, anyway!

 

[Kay-Larr]

Of course Kay overheard the mumbles that [member="Evangeline Delias"] had uttered. Afterall, it wasn't noisey in the office. "I know what you mean. I had lost an Empire through similar means. All over a name...It's quite stupid if you ask me. But for some, a name is a very powerful thing."

At the lady's request to help plan for the trip, Kay just smiled and shook her head. "Oh I'm quite sure. We'll tend to the shop in the meantime and get some batches prepped for Doyle to take care of before we go. There's really not a lot to do. Everything on the Anarris end will be done through the datapad." The legwork wouldn't happen until they got there, afterall.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Evangeline gave a small, but concerned smile. "Lost an Empire?" She, of course, had heard of the battle between the Eternal Empires... But she didn't really know much more than that, although she had heard that [member="Kay Arenais"] was an empress or someone close to it. "Yeah, it is pretty stupid," she agreed after a moment.

"Well, alright, but promise you'll let me help if needed?" She said with a little smile, her hands moving to re-braid her hair. Gotta do something with those hands, after all. "I do hope this will give us, especially you, a moment to relax and enjoy."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay sipped her tea and then nodded sadly. Losing an Empire wasn't exactly enjoyable. So much death and murder; she should have died right along with it. But Lord Mayhem saved her. And so she lived with a different purpose. Yet deep down she felt as though Death was stalking her, waiting to strike that final blow which would see her time in the Galaxy come to an end. And in some small way she welcomed it.

"Yes I'll let you help when I need it. As for relaxing; that doesn't come so easy these days. There's still too much trauma...if it weren't for some of these teas, I don't think that I'd ever get some sleep." Kay hadn't really opened up to [member="Evangeline Delias"] about her past, recent or otherwise. At least not in any detail.