Erebus had ventured in Pajore to look for any new materials from traders coming into the city from overseas. The hybrid had started taking more private lessons with his grandfather in learning more about their trading business, how their cloth was the top quality in the area and the like, but he wanted to see what foreign textiles looked like as well. If there was some way to benefit from finding a partner who could bring in overseas materials then it would be well worth it for the family to investigate, especially if the material could become popular in the latest fashion and the like within the city. The day had started out fine enough with fair weather and Erebus finding some good samples to bring home for his grandfather’s inspection with several notes on typical costs versus what they were spending on local material already. He had even gotten some contact information down for the merchant ship that was currently docked in Pajore and would be there for the next few days to give them time to discuss matters. He just hoped his grandfather enjoyed the material, Erebus having taken painfully long to look over every thread of the various fabrics. Some of the material was a lot brighter than what one was accustomed to seeing in Pajore, but Erebus thought it actually was quite lovely and had potential if others would accept it. If not he had some pale colors like lavender and a mint green that he had picked up as well, all fitting in with the darker and duller colors worn by the locals. None of that would matter though if the material got ruined by the rain, the sudden dark clouds crossing the sky encouraging Erebus to run forward to try to find shelter wherever possible. There was no way that he would make it back to his home in time, he was on the other side of the city by the docks after all, and so the teen had to settle for scooting into a small tea shop that was nestled along the market.

“Oh, careful!” A petite Yaeli teen called out as she moved backwards to give Erebus room as the shop filled up with customers seeking shelter from the sudden onslaught of rain and wind. “Looks like the gods decided they had enough sun for the day.” She mused, shaking her head as she looked towards the fogged glass window that was being pelted by the warm summer rain.

“Thank you.” Erebus nodded his head as he tucked himself into the corner by some crates of unopened tea, hoping to avoid much notice as others settled into the building to wait out the storm. “Do you think it’ll be long?” He asked quietly, not wanting to be gone from home for the whole day because of this weather. Still, it looked like a rather nasty storm and with how some were grumbling about things it could possibly turn into quite a long day after all.

“Not sure. There’s some private rooms in the back if you’d like to wait there instead. I can brew a cup of tea as well.” Offered the girl, blinking as she actually looked over Erebus with interest. “You’re quite unique, aren’t you?” Unlike others who would have balked at his strange features the Yaeli seemed more intrigued than anything. “My name is Niala.”

“I…would appreciate that.” Erebus nodded, avoiding the commentary about his appearance with only a flush on his cheeks hinting that he had heard such a thing. “My name is Erebus.” The girl simply smiled before gesturing for him to follow her through a beaded curtain to a back room with a couple of tables.

“Most will probably want to be out in the main lobby to wait out the storm, but you can still hear the rain from inside. We’ll know once the storm passes over and can sit down here instead of dealing with all that.” She smiled as she gestured towards a chair, the girl moving to prepare them tea as well.

“Are you certain that it’s alright to just hang out back here?”

“Yeah. If anything I can tell my mother that I was trying to get some sales with samples.” Niala chuckled softly as she placed teabags in each cup and poured hot water over them. “If you feel bad you can buy some tea when you leave once the storm is over. Either way I win since it’s nice to have company once in a while instead of dealing with some grumps out front.” Her gaze was bright as she looked over Erebus. “You looked nice, so I’m trusting you to be decent company.”

“I…see.” Erebus could only shake his head slightly as he accepted the mug and watched as the water darkened from the teabag. “I’ll do my best then and it wouldn’t hurt to bring some tea home, I suppose.”

“See? Perfect.” Naila grinned as she settled into the chair across from him, the rain steadily thudding on the roof outside as they enjoyed some tea and waited out the storm together.

[855]