Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea.

[royalpassport]

Who: Jefferson, Cassian, Rhiannon, and anyone who feels like visiting the tea shop.
Where: Go Ask Alice
When: Any time in April, barring events.
What: An open catch-all log for goings on at the tea shop!
Warnings: N/A, just put them in your comment headers as needed.

[Open]

The town seems livelier these days, owing in part to everybody's recovery from the recent plague that went about. And a natural outcome of the warming weather and bustling activity is, of course, the tea room seeing more business-- which is something of a mixed bag to Jefferson, off-putting and antisocial as he can be at times.

Customers equal money: good!
Customers equal Jefferson having to deal with people and responsibilities more often: not so good.

But at least the shop's running smoothly-- or, at least, as smoothly as a place staffed by a rebel spy, a garbage eating bird, and the Mad Hatter can be. They've even started hosting occasional events, like open mic nights for poetry and creative writing and music. All in the name of cultivating the arts in Wayward Pines! Such as it is. (It's definitely not an excuse for Jefferson and Rhi to snicker behind the counters.)

So come on in and have a cup of tea. Or, well, anything else on the menu. And enjoy the music (and the staff selected music). And... the company of the (occasionally, to varying degrees) helpful staff.

Comments

Cassian Andor & YOU (all threads open to customers & coworkers)

[ouzel]

one: a mostly empty shop

When the shop is empty and Jefferson is not too grumbly about it, Cassian tends to change the music. It's all fun stuff, and pretty upbeat, it's just not...in English. For the most part.

But he knows all the words and his singing voice isn't that bad, actually, so. Win-win?

When he's not sighing at Rhiannon for literally eating out of the trash can, or gently trying to figure out if Jefferson needs food, caffeine, water, space, or just a quiet padded room where no one can bother him, he's usually trying to manage the inventory or actually baking in the back.

Somehow he always ends up with flour in his hair. It's rather frustrating; Kay would have something to say about how inefficient he is with this civilian life.

two: an event!

Cassian flat out refuses to participate in open mic night. Sure, he'll serve and bake and clean up after (though Rhiannon has first dibs on all foodstuffs) but standing up there? Reading poetry? That he's supposed to have written, or enjoys? No. More like hell no.

He does listen with rapt attention, though, occasionally shaking his head at Jefferson and Rhi and their snarky commentary. It's probably a good thing, to give people an outlet. He just wonders how long it'll be until every poem is an attack against the powers that be, or a reach for memories that aren't quite right (or that someone doesn't want to be right.)

three: a card of wild design

[ This is the choose your own adventure option! Since Cassian is more or less management, he's here...nearly every day. ]

ONE

[royalpassport]

It's a good thing Cassian makes sure to handle a lot of the nitty gritty involved in running a business, because if left to Jefferson, nothing would get done with any regularity. His skills, it seems, lie less i management and more in knowing way too much about tea (and tea parties), fussing around the front of the shop (making sure everything looks right), and in... looking like a dapper anachronism? Wait, does that make Jefferson the shop mascot?

It doesn't help that he has just enough of his memories back to be a pain in the ass, but not enough to direct his more irritating tendencies towards anything particularly productive. (On the plus side, he doesn't seem to care to hoard all profits for himself, so his staff are well compensated to deal with his moods and his 'approach' to management.)

And so, on one slow day, Jefferson's leaning against the counter, enjoying a cup of tea and tending to the occasional customer as Cassian handles the inventory. When the other man returns to the front of the shop-- possibly to inventory the teas on display behind the counter-- Jefferson speaks up in a thoughtful voice:

"I'm thinking about taking hot chocolate off the menu."

[ouzel]

[ Cassian tilts his head sharply in a way that Jefferson probably recognizes to mean I think that's foolish, not quite frowning but definitely not too thrilled. ]

No less than four people have asked about hot chocolate in the last two weeks. [ He starts counting the teas, marking ones on a list the need reordering. ] A better idea would be to make it available year round, and offer several varieties in winter instead.

What brought this idea on?

[royalpassport]

[ Jefferson shrugs a little, then gestures grandly to all the, well. Tea. ]

Because this is a tea house. Not a... coffee shop. If people want hot chocolate, they can go there.

[ He sounds a bit sulky as he explains his reasoning. It's almost like Jefferson's taking the demand for hot chocolate personally. ]

I should take coffee off the menu while I'm at it.

[ouzel]

[ Someone who didn't know Jefferson as well as Cassian did might have asked him if he was crazy, in that moment. Instead, Cassian's eyebrows looked like they were going to attempt parkour off his face, onto his hairline and into the air. ]

Problem with that.

[ Cassian starts ticking off his fingers, slowly. ]

One: Rhiannon would quit, probably stating that she worked in a hostile work environment.

Two: We have no fewer than seven regulars, including your landlord, who drink our coffee.

Three: Do you have any idea how many pots I make in a day? Especially a day when Rhi and I are both working.

You're not taking coffee off the menu. Not if you want to keep your employees.

Is this about Emma? [ Because she comes in, every day, and asks Cassian about hot chocolate. Every. Day. ]

[royalpassport]

[ What? Why is Cassian countering with reason and facts, laid out point by point? Jefferson glances down at Cassian's fingers as he ticks off his points, eyes narrowing as if they're offending him by... counting.

But Jefferson does want to keep his employees, as he's quite certain he couldn't run the place without them. Even if they are coffee-chugging traitors. So he frowns and shakes his head, as if clearing his mind of the silly notion of taking coffee off the menu. ]

Fine. The coffee can stay.

[ Jefferson pinches the bridge of his nose with a huff. ]

No. [ Pause. He drops his hand and looks at Cassian. ] Yes. Kind of. She's not the only one.

[ouzel]

[ Because this is what Cassian does, it's how he helps you organize your business, Jefferson, (and sometimes your life) into smaller, easier to tackle pieces.

It's why you hired him. Probably. ]

Thank you.

[ Cassian gives Jefferson a little bit of a half-smile. ] If it makes you feel better, there will probably be a boost to profits, and ingredients aren't any harder to get year round. Plus she'll be paying you for it.

Also, pettiness after a certain age is just a signal of suffering.

[royalpassport]

[ It is definitely why Jefferson hired him. Look at your boss, Cassian: he's a hot mess on two legs. But... at least he's a well-dressed mess? ]

I don't care about profits. It's really more the principle of the matter, this being a tea shop and all. [ He does, however, like the idea of Emma paying him more after the grief she's given him! So, that brings a little smile to his face, even as he totally misses the point on that remark about pettiness. ]

You think she's suffering? [ After all, EMMA'S THE PETTY ONE HERE. Jefferson waves off that thought with a dismissive hand. ] What if I upcharged the cocoa? Made it more expensive than the tea?

[ Yeah, so much for not caring about profit. ]

[ouzel]

[ A very well-dressed mess (but a mess, nonetheless). ]

I don't think anyone would stop considering this a 'tea shop', so I wouldn't worry too much about the principle.

[ These are Cassian's eyebrows, doing that extremely expressive thing. Way to go Jeff, ya missed the point. ]

Probably. Everyone is suffering on some level. [ And a scoff. ] Get a variety in the winter, upcharge on that. Leave the basic cocoa as it is.

[royalpassport]

[ He's watching Cassian's eyebrows go up, a little frown pulling at his lips because now he's feeling the judgment. But Jefferson's just going to shake his head as he steps back from the precipice of compromising on the cocoa. ]

Or I'll leave it off the menu entirely. There's not enough demand, just certain people being loud about it.

[ You MIGHT need reinforcements. ]

[ouzel]

[ Cassian sighs, which is just the noise and not the full body experience of some; as it is, however, he is seconds away from asking if Jefferson even knows why he and Emma are so antagonistic towards each other, like it's making his brain hurt.

The age old question: why are you like this? ]

Alternatively: we poll people who are not those 'certain people being loud about it' and see what sort of result we end up with.

[royalpassport]

[ Jefferson inhales sharply through his nose, as if he's gearing up to protest the suggestion... but then he waves his hand. ]

All right. Fine. We'll poll people.

[sirnyxalot]

[Shortly after Cassian's call Nyx is stepping into the store and coming to an immediate halt as the decor assaults his eyes.

This is certainly not a place he'd ever walk in willingly on any other circumstances. He's the type to hang out in dingy dive bars, not fancy tea shops, and his outfit certainly makes him look out of place. But he's doing a favor for a friend so he bites his lip and finally lets the door close behind him.]

I hope this drink is worth it.

[ouzel]

It's worth it, don't worry.

[ The only one who's outfit doesn't look out of place is probably Jefferson; Cassian keeps to denim pants and button-up flannels, so it's definitely not him who matches the decor.

Either way, now that Nyx is here, Cassian can get on with making the drink (Jefferson doesn't make the drinks, unless they're tea and he's there, and he doesn't feel beleaguered by customers, which means Cassian makes the drinks, really. ]

[sirnyxalot]

[He feels better seeing Cassian similarly out of place. He strolls up to the counter and leans his hip against it, hands tucked into his pockets.]

So what am I even trying?

[royalpassport]

[ As if on cue, Jefferson steps out from the back office, where he probably retreated to sulk for a bit. Why is he being harassed so much over cocoa? It makes him want to take anything and everything with chocolate off the menu out of spite.

Arms crossed, he looks between Cassian and Nyx, from one to the other, then back again and--

Oh. To his credit, he manages not to make too startled a face at the sight of Nyx, because he recognizes him from... some vague memory that can't quite piece together yet. But he's pretty sure it involved nudity. Clearing his throat a little, he looks at Cassian again. ]

He's unbiased, right? Nonpartisan?

[ Sorry, Nyx, talking directly to you is too awkward right now. ]

[ouzel]

Hot chocolate. Good stuff, not that powdered just add water mierda you find at the store.

[ Okay what...was that expression, Jeff, because now Cassian is feeling self-conscious. Has he said or done something to indicate his level of personal interest in Nyx? Do the two of them (Jeff and Nyx) have previously-unrecalled history? Which really just leads to him standing a bit straighter and his eyebrows being less expressive.

It's like a proto-Cassian mask has slipped into place and it works so well it's difficult to tell it's a mask in the first place. ]

He's my friend, but he's only had the coffee. [ Which Jeff is NOT taking off the menu, so Cassian feels safe in pointing this out. ] Nyx this is Jefferson, my boss and the owner. Jeff this is Nyx, he works for your landlord at the gym.

[sirnyxalot]

[Nyx sees Jefferson and is too busy staring at him to notice Cassian's expression shift. He...recalls significantly less scarves. Less everything, in fact. He licks his lip, glancing away at the shop itself and crossing his arms.

Under his breath:]

Well, this is awkward.

[You know...an ex-girlfriend is one thing, but if he's going to be getting intimate memories of other people he'd rather have been an active participant in his own life.

It's fine. This is fine. It's not really a Thing if he doesn't make it one. He turns back, expression pleasant.]

I'm expecting literal magic here, you know.