Welcome to Gaia! ::

It wasn't a large building, but there was plenty of seating, separated into three different areas. The main area, which sat in front of the counter had about four large round tables, four chairs, all mismatched, but all comfy, around each. There was a large window across from the entrance that displayed a nice outdoor seating area, with less comfy chairs, but a nice garden atmosphere and a fire pit in the middle. Apparently this area was prepared for use after dark. The back area, which could not be seen from up front was a slightly darker room occasionally reserved for private parties. But right now it was open to the public.

Japi heard the sound of customers entering the little tea shop and spun around to greet them. To her surprise and pleasure, she knew exactly who they were. "Mary!" she waved from behind the cash register. "And Lucy!" She greeted both of them cheerfully. The area behind the cash register was large, with an espresso machine to one side, and a wall shelf filled with jars of tea leaves, each labeled with a nice handwritten and decorated sign giving the name of the tea on the other side wall. At the back, there was a small refrigerator and several blenders, along with an ice maker all sitting on the counter. The back wall itself was a large menu. The counter the cash register rested on was a large glass case filled with all kinds of sugary goodies, also labeled with the same decorated script. Several paper menus sat along the top of the counter.

The kitchen area could be glimpsed off to the side (the same side as the espresso machine), but it was hard to tell exactly what was inside without looking closer. From the menu, both on the back wall and the paper ones on the counter, it was evident that there were quite a few meal items here as well.

It was hard to tell what the theme of the decorations of this place were. There were lots of far eastern wall paintings and beautiful tapestries hanging from the walls, but it also had a vague middle-eastern feel to it. The music that played through the speakers had an almost Egyptian feel to them, though that would only last until the next day when Japi would pick another type of music to play. On Mardi Gras, she even played jazz.

Japi gave the two a moment to make their way over to the counter. The first time they'd met, it had been at the bookstore where Mary worked. Now, it was Japi's turn. "So, what'll ya have?" she asked them with a wide grin.

Japi smiled brightly at the both of them while they spoke. Poor little Lucy was all in a huff. But a calming tea, they had that, and more.

"Well, we've got chamomile, and that's usually pretty calming, but I'd recommend," she turned to the wall of teas and selected one labeled 'Lady's Choice' and twisted off the top, offering it forward. "Smell it. Lady's Choice is for calming nerves and relaxing the mind and body. And it's also good for getting rid of cramps," she added. Of course she'd used it for that before.

The rule with a child being rude was to ignore them, though she could have easily told Lucy that Erik was in the back room, she decided that it would only be complying to her fit. So, she decided to ignore her, just looking straight at Mary. It was an understanding gaze. Both Addy and Erik had been through that kind of stage already. With all this sound, Erik was bound to overhear anyway.

Ignoring the swear and Lucy's chastising, she answered Mary's question. "Lavender, Linden Flowers, Chamomile," she touched each of three fingers as she recited the ingredients, stressing 'chamomile' and pressing the corresponding finger further than the rest, since it was the plain tea she had offered first. "Rosemary, Valerian, and Clove," she recited the rest of the ingredients.

Erik did overhear the little girl in the front talking loudly. He recognized that voice. He left the brainteaser toys and little instruments Japi had brought for him to play with on the table and walked toward the corner past the back room's opening. And there he saw her. It was Lucy from before. She was with her mother and she was asking about him. He guessed that it made sense if Japi was there that she'd look for him. He'd been in a rotten mood lately and found it hard to maintain his brooding with her around the corner. She made him nervous. He hid back around the corner and moved back to what he was doing. Gotta look casual.