Welcome to Gaia! ::

The pale, red-headed young man glanced up from his book at the gentle mental nudge from his guardian. As usual, he had been so engrossed in what he was reading that he had not been paying the least bit of attention to his surroundings. Somehow, in the course of the last few pages, his feet had taken him into a district he had never been to before. At least, he did not think that he was familiar with these shop fronts. In and of itself, this was not surprising. Alexei was not a native of Sunderland and he did not know the all ins and outs of its capital city. What was surprising, however, was the fact that Sumerki was pointing out a certain shop to him.

At his query, an image of a steaming cup of tea flashed through his mind. Then, he remembered why he was out in the first place: he wanted to buy a new blend of tea for his sister. Anna was doing much better than when they had first arrived, but she had been feeling rather blue of late. She might think she could hide it from him, and he might sometimes be oblivious, but he was no idiot. If he knew anyone, it was his twin, and it was obvious to him, at least, that Anna was sad. What better way to cheer her up than to offer her a new tea? A small gesture, perhaps, but it was one he was certain she would appreciate.

Alexei eyed the shop front curiously. It was not a typical store. Oriental, unless he was very much mistaken, and he saw no indication of tea in the wares displayed in the window, but if his doe said there was tea to be found there, it must be so. Her keen nose would not mislead him. So, without further ado, he stepped through the door.

Sumerki flicked an ear back and gave the buck a haughty look as though to reprimand him for his lack of manners. However, since he was inside, she also took the liberty of daintily stepping into the shop, brushing past both buck and man despite her chosen's protests. She eyed the room like a queen taking in her domain.

"Ah, hello," he said with his slight but obvious Belastranan accent. Giving one last despairing glance at the doe, he turned to fully face the woman behind the counter. "I do apologize for Sumerki. I'm afraid she can be impossibly difficult at times."

His eyes wandered around the shop, taking it all in before he exclaimed, "Ah! Manners. I am Alexei. Could you show me to your tea? Although, perhaps she would prefer one of your fans..." He muttered the last mostly to himself as he noticed them towards one side of the shop.

Alexei stared at the buck's antics, amazed that nothing was being broken. He would have expected fragile dishes to be shattering left and right with the way the guardian was twisting around. Sumerki sniffed delicately at some of the objects on the shelves and walls, studiously refusing to acknowledge such juvenile behavior.

"A pleasure," he said. When she inquired about the recipient, he could only offer her a good-natured smile.

"My sister," he corrected. "She has been less than herself of late. I was going to bring her a new blend of tea to cheer her up, but she likes fans, too..." His eyes drifted to the colorfully painted fans once again and he frowned in thought. Which would Anna prefer? Perhaps he should simply get both?

The doe sidled and quietly huffed at the buck, giving him a firm reprimand for his casual acquaintance with her person. She was not some dewy-eyed yearling out for a jaunt about the shop. She was a lady and she refused to be treated otherwise.

"Black, with a light flavor," his answer held no hesitation. Anna was his twin. He might not know everything about her, but he knew enough. Much more than he knew about anyone else, at any rate. "Though she enjoys herbal, too."

He considered Juhua's suggestions. A fan and some tea samples would be perfect. A little bit of each, and he would not have to worry overly much if she found that a blend was not to her taste. There would be others. As for the specifics, well, he was not certain exactly what was troubling her, but it could as easily be homesickness as downheartedness.

"Perhaps a bit of each?" he said as he followed her. "Some for comfort and some for homesickness. And perhaps something to help her relax, too."

"I will trust your judgement," he said. "I'm afraid I've no real expertise with tea." Some tasted better than others, it was true, but he had no real notion of which was which. Well, not unless Anna told him, but it was not the sort of thing he went out of his way to learn.

Alexei blinked and stared at the guardian who had decided to examine him. After giving him a good ear-scratch, the man maneuvered around so he could better see the fans, as Juhua had suggested. As he did so, he spoke to the proprietress.

"If you will permit my question, how long have you been in this country?" In some ways, he found it easier to relate to others who were not native to Sunderland. They were easier to understand, being in a similar situation to him.

"You know your business, I would assume. I certainly trust your judgement in these matters more than my own," he said easily. Not that it took much to be more knowledgeable about tea than he was, but as a shopkeeper, she would surely know her wares.

His gaze roved over the various fans, each a delicate piece of art in its own right, and wondered which might please Anna most.

"Not at all," he said, surprised. He had asked her a somewhat personal question. It was only fair that he offer the same information in return. "You are quite correct. Though I have been here close to two years, I was born in Belastrana. Might I ask what brought you here?"

Ah, a family business, then. Not surprising, he supposed. Most seemed to go into the trade of their forefathers - whether that was an actual trade or a station in life hardly mattered. Everyone seemed bound by their history. Not that Alexei thought about his own situation in such terms. Not really. It was just an odd little working of fate that he had become more aware of lately. In that sense, Juhua was perhaps an exception. She may be continuing her father's business, but she seemed to be seeking something more, too. He wondered about the freedom she spoke of.

"Of course," he agreed, supposing that he could always ask his question later, assuming it was appropriate to ask. He was not quite sure. Anna would know. "It is farther north that this place and its winters are much colder. I have heard many describe it as harsh, but I have never though of it quite like that. To me, it simply is." He shrugged. "We survive and that is what matters."

He paused, wondering what parts of his homeland would be interesting to a stranger unfamiliar with the land. "Ledograd is very beautiful," he said at last, recalling Anna's awe of the place. "In the winter, it looks like it is made of ice."