Private What Is Tea?

[Aliris Tremiru]

The Jedi Temple on Coruscant had a kitchen.

Aliris was stunned by this revelation. Not just the kitchen, but the fact that the Jedi were allowed to cook their own food and, well, stray from their diet. The Ashlan's were incredibly strict about keeping to the diet given. There was no straying from the nutrition packs provided. No extras, no seconds. They needed to follow the diet to make sure they were able to keep up with the strict training regiment and be ready when assigned to fight against Bogan and it's followers.

Wake had already introduced her to some foods. And just being with the others had shown her some more, but now she was trying to figure out what she wanted to make. Which just had her staring blankly at the various utensils, supplies, everything.

She was overwhelmed. She knew she was overwhelmed.

Crap.

Aliris let out a sigh as she set down the whisk she was going to use to.. She wasn't even sure. She didn't know how to make anything. It seemed like it'd be simple, right? Just put some stuff together and mix, but she wasn't even sure where to start. Nor did she really want to ask people for help. That was probably the most intimidating idea of it all.

"Man where do I even start.."

Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: NJO Temple Kitchen
Tag: Aliris Tremiru

​

The teenage Kel Dor was also in the kitchen. Not really paying attention to anyone else around. Simply leaning back on a counter with a datapad in his hands and checking out some of the news in the galaxy. Near him there was a kettle of water that was close to boiling.

However, he started to sense some frustration nearby. Looking up from his datapad he noticed someone else, a younger blonde teen that he hadn’t recognized. Perhaps she was a new padawan learner. Ko didn’t know every padawan in the order but he had a good idea when someone was unfamiliar because they were new instead of just never encountering them.

Pocketing his datapad Ko decided to approach the girl, who didn’t seem much taller than his Godoan friend who he hadn't seen in some time. “Having some trouble there?” Ko asked with a rather friendly tone. Willing to lend some help if she wanted where he could. The Kel Dor wasn’t much of a cook since he didn’t eat very many proper meals and thus had little reason to prepare his own. Behind him the kettle began to steam, almost ready to start screeching.

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

Aliris jumped a little. She thought she was alone. No, just assumed she was alone. Had she gotten too used to being here that she forgot to look around? She squinted at Ko for a moment, gripping her whisk like it was some sort of weapon. Then let out a breath to at least calm down. No, he wasn't a threat or an enemy. None of the Jedi were, at least so far. So.. Yeah. Relax, don't stress.

Just breath.

".. Yeah. I'm not really sure what I need to make um.. Pancakes. Heh."

Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

​

Ko had no intention to startle the girl so when she jumped a little he gave a mild flinch. But he sensed that they were rather tense and possibly even a little defensive. Leading the Kel Dor to imagine that she might’ve been very new here. He listened as Aliris mentioned she wasn’t sure what to make, but also pancakes… possibly?

“Hmm, if I’m being honest I don’t think I’ve ever had pancakes. I’ve heard that they’re good though.” Ko replied before looking down to see what she was “cooking”. Even for someone like him, he could tell that she wasn’t going to be making much of anything with what she had. “Have you tried checking the holonet for any recipes? You could pull one up on a datapad and cook along with the instructions. I have to do that sometimes with my-” Ko’s words were cut off as a loud screeching noise came from behind him. The kettle of water was now boiling. “Well that actually..."

Ko thought that was some sound advice before turning away from Aliris and to take the kettle off the heater. Allowing the steam to not make such a ruckus either. There Ko began to prepare to start steeping in the hot water. Looking back to Aliris he added, “At least when I get a special tea or herbs, I generally like to look up instructions on the holonet to follow along with so that I don’t mess it up.”

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

"I.. Oh." Yeah. Right. The holonet. She hadn't even thought about that. She let out a sigh, reaching around for a datapad to at least start scanning. Then winced at the sudden shriek of water. She stared around, then towards the kettle as the Kel Dor started to move the water over. Then started talking about tea. Ah, yes. Tea.

".. Wait what's tea?"

Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

​

Ko snapped back with a puzzled glance towards Aliris. Did she really not know what tea was? Such ignorance never could’ve crossed his mind before. Perhaps there were more unfortunate souls out there in the galaxy who were unfamiliar with that type of beverage? The thought almost made Kel Dor shudder. “Tea is uhh…” He thought for a moment, never thinking he’d have to explain something like this to anyone. “It’s the greatest beverage in the galaxy.” Ko declared, was it a bit hyperbolic? Probably.

Grabbing another cup and some extra different teas he began to prepare some for her if she wanted. “Would you care to try some? Teas are something I’m rather fond of. I’d love to share some with you Miss… um” Ko realized he didn’t know the girl’s name. Already excited to enlighten the girl on the wonders of what was essentially just boiled leafs.

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

The greatest beverage in the galaxy?

Aliris raised a brow right up. Was that possible? Was this the type of drink that could truly be claimed as the best? She seemed obviously skeptical, but at the offer she nodded far faster than she expected herself to. "Aliris. You must absolutely make me a cup of tea. I must know if it is the best drink or not." Pancakes were utterly forgotten now as she stepped closer to him, staring at the steeping liquid.

She needed to know.

Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

​

“Nice to meet you Aliris, I’m Ko.” He suddenly felt a lot more pressure to have the tea live up to what very well could be an unrealistic expectation. But he’d try his best to make sure that the tea he was preparing was the best he could be and too Aliris’s liking. “Well just so you know there’s a lot of different types of tea out there, as well as either or not to add cream or blue milk. Also how you might wanna sweeten it, if at all."

As Ko asked he looked back down at the girl. Trying to explain it to her. Letting their tea steep in the hot water. She was trying to make pancakes earlier, so he was thinking she might want something on the sweeter side. “Even the same type of tea can be prepared in many different ways. If you look there you can see it getting darker now.” Ko added pointing to the beverages. “It means it’s brewing, if you leave it in longer it can get more flavor, or just be more bitter.” He wanted to refrain from going on some long ass tangent about every kind of tea and what they’re purpose might be.

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

"So.. Tea is just an overarching term for a whole genre of beverages?"

Seemed complex. Aliris stared intently at the water, watching as it changed color with pure fascination. Food was surprisingly complex in ways she hadn't even dreamed of expecting. Changing the color and presumably the taste of just water alone with some heat and leaves. This galaxy truly was filled with some of the greatest wonders.

"What are the effects?"

Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

​

“Yeah pretty much…” He replied, confirming her statement. “You generally give them a few minutes to brew in the water, but some can be ready in a matter of seconds.” Ko said before looking away from the cups and leaning back some against the counter. Listening to her question he thought about how to answer it without going overboard and just rambling.

“Well a lot of people drink tea to sort of make them feel less tired. Doesn’t actually give any energy though, just feel less drained is all. That’s what I’m preparing for us now. Nothing really serious though. But others can have a more relaxing and soothing effect, nice for evenings before sleeping.” Ko said to the blonde girl. He thought a bit about more obscure kinds of teas before letting a small laugh. “Hehe, I know there’s some teas that the ingredients can be used to put the drinker in a sort of altered state. I haven’t tried any before, and I don’t really plan to. I might recommend you do the same.” Ko didn’t really know much of anything about the girl next to him or her troubled past. But even without that knowledge she was clearly younger than him and certainly shouldn’t go around drinking hallucinogens. Imagining it would be like going into some spooky Force Nexus cave, but worse possibly.

Turning back to the cups he grabbed a spoon and jar of sugar. Scooping some out for his cup of tea. Looking back to Aliris he asked. “How much sugar do you think you’d like with your cup?”

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

"Ah, yeah. Hallucinogenic herbs can be made into tea, then? I suppose that would be some of the drinks they've had before." They being the Sith. She paused for a moment before thanking herself for her choice not to just say the name of the group. Instead of lingering on it though she shrugged. Sugar, cream, she hadn't had tea before so how was she supposed to know how much of those she wanted?

Whatever they were, anyway.

"I'll trust your tastes for it, I think."

Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

​

Ko gave Aliris a glance as she seemed a bit familiar with the concept of hallucinogenic teas. That she knew someone or people that consumed it. Knowing how big the galaxy was it wouldn’t be hard for him to imagine it may have played a role in her background. She then mentioned that she’d trust him to decide for her how to prepare the tea.

The Kel Dor teen thought for a moment, before grabbing some cream and adding it to her cup of tea. Giving the dark fluid a more milky appearance before adding some sugar to it as well. She was planning to make pancakes earlier which he understood to be a pretty sweet food. His logic was that perhaps Aliris had a sweet tooth. If he remembered correctly his Godoan friend was similar.

Ko refrained from using cream in his cup. Grabbing Aliris’s mug he finally handed it to the blonde girl. “Here you go Miss Aliris, I hope it’s to your liking.” He said with a friendly tone. Before pulling out something from his belt, that seemed like a narrow bendy tube before placing it in his own mug. Needing to drink it from a straw. “Also be careful it’s still pretty hot, wouldn’t wanna burn your tongue. Might need to wait for it to cool still or at least take tiny sips.”

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

Aliris watched in fascination.

Cream changed the color. It made sense, given the drastically different colors of the two liquids poured within, but seeing it versus expecting it was a whole different thing. She took the cup carefully, looking it over. Inspecting it from top to bottom before, finally, daring to take a small, tentative sip.

It was good. She smiled bright as she took another smaller sip, being careful not to burn herself in the process.

"I like this. It's good."

Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

​

Ko waited a bit longer for his tea to cool down since he couldn’t really blow on it to cool it down. He watched as the girl took some sips of the hot beverage, hearing that she liked it brought a hidden smile to his face. “I’m glad, and there’s just about an infinite amount of ways to make and prepare teas too. Some are more herbal and others can have a more fruity taste.”

The Kel Dor thought for a moment, it made him happy to introduce Aliris to a passion of his. “Tea kind of holds a special place in my heart. I worked a lot in nature, seeing the beauty of many forests. But without my mask and goggles they would be extremely toxic and deadly for me. Teas sort of allow me to feel connected to the worlds I visit despite how inhospitable they are for me.” Ko explained that there was a bit of tragic irony in the fact that the natural world he adores so much is so dangerous to him. He’s able to be in the presence of a majestic forest, but unable to even enjoy the fresh air it provides to life there.

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

Ah yeah. Different species had different tolerances and such to air, atmosphere, the like. A shame that he was so limited though. Did that mean he couldn't enjoy the food like she could? Maybe. She hummed, taking another tentative sip of her drink before, finally, smiling.

"Well, it sounds like you found your own way. That's really impressive."

Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

​

“Thanks, I didn’t have a master to teach me for a good while. So I had extra time for hobbies and other activities and Tea was one of them.” Ko explained some to the young girl, glad that she seemed to be enjoying the drink. “If you ever want anymore I’m certain you can find ways to prepare tea on the holonet. Sometimes if I’m working with one I’m unfamiliar with, I do that.” He added, trying to give some advice.

There was a question that was in the back of his mind that he wanted to ask. He finally decided to now. “If you don’t mind me asking Aliris, are you new here? I haven’t seen you around the temple any.” Ko was decently familiar with a lot of his fellow padawans. So she definitely stood out as a new face to him.

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

"The holonet does seem to have a lot of recipes."

She wasn't too knowledgeable about the holonet yet, but she'd already learned how to pry through the information she needed to try and find solid leads on her family's lost artifacts. It should be plenty easy to holo tea recipes, right? Her smile dipped a little as she took a longer sip of the tea at his next question. She didn't really know how to answer that properly. Was she supposed to be honest? Not? How much was she allowed to say?

"I.. Am, yes. New."

Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

​

“Oh that’s nice, I was brought into the NJO very young and have lived most of my life with Jedi. I hope your time here has been pleasant so far.” Ko replied, he understood that many new Jedi come from various backgrounds. It wasn’t uncommon that they were more troubling than his own. The Kel Dor actually found it fortunate that he was taken into the temple as young as he was.

“I’m guessing you don’t yet have a master to help train you yet? Personally it took me a while before I could become an actual apprentice.” The Kel Dor said. Then again he did spend about a half dozen years in the agricorps which put a lot of his other trainings on hold. He finally grabbed his cup now that it had cooled down some. Inserting the straw into his mask, Ko began to drink his tea.

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

"I.. Don't think I have a master?" Tirin Raene came to mind, but he seemed to be more of a caretaker for her than her actual Jedi master. Perhaps that was something for them to talk about at some point?

Not now, though. Instead she nodded. Frowned, just a little a she stared at her tea. "I'm still.. Adjusting. It's a lot more free here with the Jedi than I expected."

Ko Vuto

 

[Ko Vuto]

​

“Yeah I understand that and you’re still adjusting to life in the order. There’s always new people coming in from different backgrounds and ages. I was lucky enough to have been inducted into the NJO when I was about six or so.” Ko explained to her, possibly putting into perspective how the Jedi were to him as an organization and even a family in many ways. More so than the vast majority of his own blood relatives.

Hearing her explain how much more freeing it was to be here than where she might have been before made Ko think some. “I’m glad to hear that it seems to be working out well for you. Many people who aren’t within the order can have a lot of preconceived notions on what life as a Jedi is like.” Ko never really blamed many outsiders however, historically the Jedi have never been on the cutting edge of transparency with the rest of the galaxy.

Aliris Tremiru ​