We have this strange obsession / You have the means in your possession

[gotbottle]

Who: Rachel Conway and THE ENTIRE CITY, I guess. If you want.
What: Hanging out at the tea house for tea, conversation, and CR.
Where: The Shrove's Wing.
When: Shundi, from midday until well into the evening.
Notes: Note the time of day if it makes a difference to your thread.
Warnings:

Potential for people Rachel knows to get mashed together like Barbies IT'S FUN SHE ENJOYS IT OKAY.

Working the middle shift is a mixed bag. On the one hand, Rachel's day is pretty much shot for anything else; not long enough before her shift for much in the way of adventures, and while her later evening is free it's not like she has a circle of friends or dates or anyone to go out on the town with after.

But the trade-off in being there for this shift is seeing the customer base turn over, from the people doing lunch to the leisurely afternoon lollygaggers, from those arriving for midafternoon tea to the evening dates. A wide range of people, alone or with company, comes and goes over the course of her shift, and she's happy to wait on or hang out with them all.

She can be found manning the tea bar, or sometimes carrying pots, cups, and food to and from tables. Sometimes she even gets to crash at a table or in a booth for a few, or she gets to go upstairs to wait on someone in one of the private rooms. It's a busy day and there are a lot of people to see.

Comments

[gotbottle]

"Lex!" Her face lights up at the sight of him, and she clears a spot for him to sit at the counter. "It's good to see you, too. How've you been? How's your house coming along?"

[patricide]

Well that was certainly more enthusiasm than he was expecting. Lex returns her smile and accepts the offered seat. "It's great, actually. I was thinking about hosting a party when everything's done as a kind of celebration. I'm not sure how crazy people go around here for that kind of thing."

[gotbottle]

"Oh, I'm glad. Having your house wrecked can't be a good feeling--that's where you're supposed to have a refuge from everything else."

She smiles and adds, "I think a party's an excellent idea. I have a feeling it'd totally go over well, too, considering all the stuff the city's been through lately."

[patricide]

"The house itself is taken care of. It's mostly just aesthetics that I need to worry about, and that's infinitely more fun than worrying about something crumbling underneath you."

He does a quick survey of the tea room before returning his attention to her. "You seem like you're doing well for yourself. This is a nice place."

[gotbottle]

"Oh, totally. And it's gotta be, like, a huge weight off your mind to be at the part where you just have to worry about what the place looks like, as opposed to worrying something's gonna fall on your head."

She glances around too, with a good-natured shrug. "It's all right. I could've done a lot worse for work, I guess. The owner seems nice enough--don't really see him around much, though. And, hey--income. It's nice not living at the inn anymore."

[patricide]

"I can't blame you for not wanting to stay at the inn. It's nice having your own place, even without the added hassle of having to look at pamphlets provided by our dear Mrs. Burnworth."

He then takes a quick glance behind the counter at the various brews. "I do intend to be a paying customer rather than just take up space," he says lightly. "I'd like a cup of oolong if it's not too much trouble."

[gotbottle]

"It just didn't feel safe to me." She shrugs. "I know they want to help and it's nice that they give people a place to stay while they get settled, but with so many random people coming all the time, you just never know who's going to come through. And then I heard that right after I left the militia was in there, hassling people. No, thanks."

She smiles, and nods. "It'll be my pleasure. Excuse me just a moment." Rachel moves further down the counter, gathering the things she'll need to brew the tea. "Remind me," she calls over her shoulder, "have you found work yet?"

[patricide]

"I heard about that, I was staying far away from that myself." He lowers his voice a little in the event of unwelcome prying ears. "Did you find out what it was they were doing there?"

"I think I mentioned my job," he says casually, not at all offended. Rachel must encounter all kinds of people in the tea shop. "I work with an agriculture science business. Keeping food safe and plentiful and all that. It's the kind of thing I'm used to doing and biochem's a big interest of mine, so this marries everything quite nicely. It's a good job and has really afforded me the opportunity for those renovations." He watches the collected items with interest, curious as to how tea shops here compare to what he knows from home. "If you're free anytime in the future I'd love to give you a preview before the party and get your opinion, you've got a great eye."

[gotbottle]

Rachel pauses after tipping some loose tea leaves into the pot, both to gauge that it's the proper amount and to think over what Lex has said. "You're right," she says with a smile and a tip of her head. "You did tell me about your work. I think I just assumed it was only what you did before you got here. So that's my mistake. It's awesome that the city had that opportunity available for you. You must be very happy there."

She selects a timer from below the counter, setting it up on the bar with the sand-filled chamber on the bottom. "I don't know about my eye," she says, modest, a bit surprised. "But I'd love to see the place. Thank you."

Rachel pours hot water over the leaves in the pot and puts the lid on it. Then she turns the timer over. She gets a cup and saucer ready as the sand runs down.