Rolling In Them Tea Leaf Fields [Mousey's Journal]

[RADI0 Mouse]

What a Curious Little Saying...
The Cookie

Sweet aromas of at least twenty-three different loose-leaf teas from around the world teased Tannis Roy's nose as she sat in the corner of The Teashop - a quaint little place she hadn't believed was real until she found herself at a table with a cup of her favourite roiboos tea. The shop was empty that day, save for the two energetic boys whose optimism left Tannis rather speechless. She wasn't a depressed lump in the log, herself, but their positiveness was borderline scary.

Scooping up her ceramic cup of roiboos, the young woman closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, enjoying the familiar scent of the tea that had started her obsession.

I wonder how Remi's doing? She wondered, staring into the depths of her cup. Her brother, Remington, was off on yet another trip to the farming villages of Africa. He volunteered regularly to help the farmers get set up with Fair Trade organizations and Micro Loan Banks, as well as helped them out with their farms after the deals were in place for them to thrive. Maudit... She scoffed, thinking - for once - in her other language, French. He'd better remember to swing by Furaha's and bring me back that bag of tea I gave him money for. She'd left a rather large wad of cash with her brother to give to her good friend in Africa who also made the roiboos that had made her a tea drinker. Though she had faith in her brother, the little sister in her couldn't help but think of the nightmarish times when he'd taken the lunch money she trusted him with in elementary school and bought himself an extra carton of chocolate milk. It was childish of her, yes, but she could never forget those days - or how he'd sacrifice her health for his favourite drink.

"Drifting in reveries, I see?"
A mellow and beautiful voice pulled Tannis's attention to a beautiful Chinese woman with... a... Pomeranian? On her head? The woman held in her hands a cookie with a delicately purple piece of paper peeking out from the inside of it.

"Oh, no." Tannis said, smiling up at the woman, trying her best not to oogle at her - the young woman was straight, but her eyes couldn't help but take in the beauty of the woman before her. She looked like the old pictures of her grandmother - dignified and wise beyond belief.

"Dreams are good things. They can often predict what we cannot see." And with that, the woman set the fortune cookie on the table by Tannis's tea cup and walked away. As the young woman watched her mysterious visitor walk away, she could have sworn the Pomeranian turned and winked at her before disappearing into its fluffy mass.

Without much else to say, Tannis went back to sipping at her tea, watching the cookie out of the corner of her eye. Though she wasn't much into cookies, this one just seemed to... feel right. She sipped slowly, looking at the cookie's distinctly hand-made shape. After a moment, she put the tea cup down and picked up the cookie. She looked around, feeling somewhat strange holding the thing in her hands. It felt warm - maybe it'd just come out of the oven? The woman was nowhere to be found and the two boys who'd seated and served her were off dusting tables and staring out the windows at the balmy spring evening outside.

Well, I'm sure she wouldn't have just left it here for no reason. Tannis thought, denying the fact that she was absolutely reluctant to let the cookie go for some unknown reason. She caressed it lightly, feeling the somewhat rough texture of the cookie and the smooth paper fortune that peeked out. She carefully pulled the paper clear, surprised at how easily it slid from the cookie.

"If you see a velociraptor at your window it is a good idea to move somewhere else."

What a curious little saying... Tannis thought, puzzled by the fortune, but somehow also warmed. It was good advice, of course, and maybe it was just one of those metaphorical things that fortunes tended to present at the most opportune moment.

She finished off her tea, pondering over the message she'd found in the cookie. Every time she read it, it seemed to just fit in more and more. It made sense. Grew on her, you could say. After setting the empty cup down on the polished wooden table, Tannis picked up the cookie - eyebrows raising at the fact that it was still just as warm as it was when she'd received it. One of those things, I'm sure.

"Well... Thank you, I guess?" She said softly, more to herself than to anyone (and there wasn't anyone) around in the shop.

Carefully, she bit into the cookie.

Cr-krnap!
Munch, munch, munch

 

[RADI0 Mouse]

What in Roiboos' Name?!
The Puppy

Tannis Roy awoke to what sounded like a hurricane.

Crashing, banging, clanking, whirring - things she didn't even know the contents of her room could do, such as barkin-- BARKING?!

The young woman of French-Chinese-Canadian descent bolted upright in her double-sized bed in her loft, just in time to blanche at the sight of her tallest bookshelf falling just short of her legs.

"What in Christ's name is going on?!" Her voice was somewhat strangled by surprise. She pushed herself out of bed and pressed herself into the wall, trying desperately to figure out why her flat was falling in on itself. Barton wasn't exactly known for fault-lines.

The noise grew louder and soon there were scampering sounds and barking approaching fast from the right. Tannis turned to see a purplish puppy, no taller than her knees (and she was short), barreling towards her - half the small appliances in the kitchen attached to her by their plug-ins.

The woman opened her mouth in a silent scream, clutching at the wall as though it could save her. The puppy launched itself with surprising force from the ground and tackled Tannis to the bed, dragging the mixers, mini food processors and juicers with her in a clang.

"Ungh..." Tannis groaned, shaking her head to make the blender that landed on her face fall off to the side. As she shook her head, she felt the puppy pad its way up her torso. She opened her eyes to see aqua eyes and a startlingly turquoise nose centimeters from her face. She froze. What the hell...

The pup stared at her, long and hard, and Tannis couldn't help but feel like the thing was judging her like some fluffy version of Simon Cowell. After a tense staring contest that felt as though it could have lasted for hours, the pup attacked Tannis in kisses, her soft paws padding all over the young woman's neck and face.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Tannis laughed, despite her situation, and tried to detangle the dog from the wires of the kitchen appliances. After she finally got the thing free from the plug-ins, she lifted the mysterious animal up into the air to get a good look at her. "Where did you come from, little one?"

She could have sworn no one had puppies on her floor - and especially not ones with purple fur, aqua eyes, white... hair? And a... hairband?!

Cute...

With those big eyes and soft paws, Tannis Roy's heart melted into a puddle of puppy loving mush.

"Okay, you... C'mere."

* * *

Despite being a completely mysterious little thing, the puppy proved to be a good girl. Though she stuck her nose in everything and tried to re-arrange Tannis's furniture by headbutting the sofa for a solid twenty minutes, the dog just felt right to the young woman. She'd never really wanted a dog, but the pup made her feel alive and safe.

Tannis spent a good few hours cleaning up the mess the pup had caused, but she couldn't bring herself to be mad at the thing. But it did come close after the dog headbutted a nightstand packed with pictures from her trips to Africa with her brother.

"What, you?" Tannis demanded after she'd finished straightening out the photos. "You've caused enough trouble on this end - go and play on the bed, or something." She made shoo gestures at the pup and gathered up the kitchen appliances once more and headed for the cupboards.

Huff.

Tannis turned at the sound of a sigh and a light pumph. The pup had plopped herself down beside the table and fixed her gaze a few meters behind it. She broke her staring contest with the ground a few times to flick her eyes to Tannis, making sure the woman was watching. When the pup knew she had the human's attention, she huffed again and pointed her ears in the direction behind the table.

"What are you...?" Tannis waked over, a confused expression on her face, the appliances still gathered in her arms. She looked from the pup to the table to the place where the dog was staring. If she moved the table over there, it'd be right underneath the large painting of a red roiboos tree.

That would be a good place to put it. She thought, nodding slightly. Then she looked down to see the pup headbutting her leg gently, as though she was saying "get a move on it, already!".

Tannis shook her head and moved her leg out of the way just a the same time the pup went for a harder headbutt. The fluffy thing rolled forward in the cutest somersault known to man. She sat up and shook her head out, an obviously confused look on her face. Then she huffed even louder than before and stomped around to look angrily at Tannis.

"What?" The woman asked, shrugging her arms, causing a rattle from her load. She jerked her chin in the direction of the painting. "That's where the door is. If I put the table there, everyone'll knock the photos over with their coats and stuff - not to mention I'd wreak havoc with my yoga mat Monday nights."

The dog paused mid-huff, almost exactly like how a human would - a serious thinking expression ruffling its brows. Then she turned sharply and trounced off, head cocked as though she was still thinking about what had been said, to the door. She stood beneath the painting, looking from the door to the table and back. After a few of these, she sat down in front of the door, still with that confused face.

Then she huff-whined the loudest that Tannis had ever heard and proceeded to roll around on the floor, tussling up her hair and wriggling her legs about.

...I-is that a... tantrum? Tannis thought, shaking her head. No, a dog couldn't possibly be throwing a-

The pup let out more huff-yelps that sounded like she was definitely throwing a tantrum.

Wow...

There was only one place in Tannis's mind that made sense for her to visit next.

* * *

"Hello?"
Tannis poked her head into the Teashop's main parlour. It was completely deserted, not even the twins were there. The pup, who had been extremely well-behaved despite having thrown a tantrum before leaving the house and trying to drag the table of photos with her before Tannis picked her up, poked her head in past the young woman's leg. After a quick look around, she bolted into the shop, running around the tables, bumping into chairs and yapping loudly.

"Hey! Quiet down, you!" Tannis shushed the dog, pressing her finger to her lips and crouching down to pick the thing up. "We don't know if there's something like a meeting going on in the back!"

"'You'?" A familiar voice floated towards the duo, stilling the pup's struggles instantly. "That's certainly an interesting name for her."

The woman with the Pomeranian stood at the kitchen entrance, her arms crossed and her expression amused. Tannis set the dog down quickly - but gently - and brushed herself off.

"Ah, well, you see - she's not mi--" Tannis was cut off by the lady.

"Not yours?" She said, walking towards the young woman, her expression growing only more and more amused. "Oh, really? And yet there's no one you know who might have accidentally left a puppy in your loft?"

"How did yo-?" Tannis was once again interrupted.

"Have you even thought of naming her?" The woman asked, and the Pomeranian stared at Tannis with a glint in its eye that just screamed that it was laughing at her. "It would be impolite not to name her - she is, after all, important to you."

"Important?" Tannis looked down at the pup, who was staring up at the woman with her little mouth agape and eyes wide. It as almost as though she stared at the woman like Tannis would want to, but had the decency not to.

"Yes. She's yours."
And the Pomeranian gave a hearty bark.

 

[RADI0 Mouse]

Riddle, Meet World
The Naming

It was almost just like the last time she'd been at the Teashop. Sitting in the corner, no one in the parlour besides herself, the twins and now, the pup. She sat across from Tannis, staring at her intently, an expectant look on her face. A steaming cup of roiboos tea and a plate of dog biscuits sat between them, but Tannis felt like the dog was right up on her face, again.

"What?" She said, looking at the pup.

Huff.

"Huff?" Tannis raised her eyebrow, trying desperately to keep her mouth straight, but failing to stop herself from smiling a tad. The pup was just so cute - even though Tannis wasn't easily swayed by cute things, she just couldn't help but love this one. She reached out to pet the dog, but when her hand neared the girl's hair, the pup huffed and pulled back. "Hey!"

"Miss?" One of the twins appeared at the table side. He smiled at Tannis and nodded politely to the pup, who nodded back, a rather haughty expression on her face. "Would you or your companion like something else to eat or drink? A fluffy lemon-raspberry parfait, maybe?"

"Oh, no, we're good wit-" Tannis was cut off yet again. The pup's ears perked at the mention of the parfait and she barked excitedly.

"Ha ha, one parfait it is." The twin bowed and retreated to the kitchen, a skip in his step.

"You." Tannis pointed at the dog. "Don't cost me any more than you already are. I'm a starving HR professional, you know?"

The dog rolled her eyes - rolled her eyes - as though to say "Psh, so? I want my parfait". Tannis blinked, her hand still outstretched. The pup was more like a human than an animal. She leaned back in her chair, picked up her cup and watched the dog curiously as she sipped her tea. The pup stared back, a bit confused, but still huffy.

After finishing her cup of tea, the boy still hadn't come back with the pup's parfait and Tannis still hadn't decided what she thought of the dog. But the dog knew exactly how she felt. Impatient. She huffed again and yelped in the direction of the kitchen, glaring at the door and stamping her front paw.

"What, another of your tantrums?" Tannis was half-astounded, half-ticked off at the little thing's antics. True, she was more human than some humans, but she was a lot more princess-y than Tannis expected from a dog. "You're supposed to be a rugged little thing, aren't you?"

"Still referring to her as 'you', are you?" That familiar voice made both Tannis and the pup jump. They'd been so intent at glaring at each other that they didn't notice Qian En and her Pomeranian arrive with the lemon-raspberry parfait. She leveled a contempt gaze at Tannis. "Have you no civility at all, young lady?"

"Look, ma'am." Tannis said, gesturing to the pup. "I still don't know where this little thing came from. What if she's someone's dog?"

"She is someone's dog." The owner flicked a gaze up at her Pomeranian, who in turn flicked its gaze to Tannis. "We told you before - she's yours."

"How can you-?" Again with the interruptions.

"You ate that fortune cookie, didn't you?" Qian En looked somewhat bored, but you could tell that she'd been through this process before - many times.

"Y...yeah..." Tannis wondered what rabbit hole she'd fallen down this time.

"I hand-bake those." The woman turned and headed back to the kitchen, gesturing and speaking as she went. "I would know that the pup that sits before you is yours and yours alone."

She paused at the kitchen entrance and cast the duo - both equally confused, though the pup was much less desperate-looking than Tannis - an even more unimpressed look than before. For all her beauty, she seemed to have the capacity to have quite the cool gaze. "Figure out a name, Ms. Roy. First thing in your mind is usually the best."

Tannis stared, slack-jawed, at the kitchen entrance for the longest time after Qian En disappeared into its depths. She only closed it because she felt soft paws pressing on her face - almost slipping into her mouth. She jerked out of her confused haze just in time to catch the pup. The little one had walked across the table and tried to push her master's mouth shut. In Tannis's arms, she looked up at her with a somewhat chiding and somewhat loving gaze.

Keep your mouth shut, or you'll make... me... look bad? Tannis's brow furrowed at the strange thought that crossed her mind. The dog licked her hand, then pushed against her and scrambled back across the table to her side, where she sat on the tabletop and sipped at the special straw in her parfait.

"Name, huh?" She toyed with her teacup, watching the pup as she happily sipped on her parfait.

"If you see a velociraptor outside your window it is a good idea to move somewhere else." The fortune floated through Tannis's mind. It was so strange. The cookie, the fortune, the dog... The owner, saying that they all belonged to her and her alone... It was almost like a...

A riddle.

"Riddle."

The dog's ears perked up and she looked at her master, still grasping the parfait's straw in her tiny little mouth. Her aqua eyes stared into her master's story grays. Something clicked. The name was right.

"You're Riddle." Tannis said, and she held out her arms to the pup. After a long sip of lemon-raspberry parfait, the pup sauntered over.

And Riddle plopped herself into Tannis's arms. Pup and Master, portions of the same soul, finally re-united. For better, or for worse.