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 Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:54 pm
Satika arrived exactly twenty-seven minutes early, while the wind outside gusted and grabbed, snatching at the hem of her skirt, the long trailing sleeves of her shirt. She was wearing black and gold, an off the shoulders top that revealed her dark skin, and a skirt that reached her ankles. Her hair was woven through with delicate gold chains and sparkling diamonds, and a brush of golden powder sparkled at her eyes and on her cheekbones. Her fingers, hidden almost completely beneath her sleeves, flashed rubies when they peeked out.
She had been to the cafe once before, on a previous date. The man had been strange, as men on Gaia were, but not overly rude or forward. If she had not liked him, she had thought he might serve well enough as a potential husband. But there had been no second contact. And so, she'd gone back to her solitary ways.
This new potential match had come as a surprise to her, but she'd arrived as bidden, early as was appropriate for a woman attempting to please a male guest. With soft words to the woman behind the counter she organized an array of small sweets and pastries on a tray at the table, arranging them into a pleasing pattern. The drinks, she indicated should not be brought out until the gentleman arrived, so they would not grow cold.
And then she waited, her hands resting delicately on the table in front of her, her eyes demurely lowered.
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Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:52 pm
The folks at the dating service had found him a potential match and he was curious as to what was in store for him. Because of this, he found himself completely dressed and prepared for heading on out to the cafe a while before he had to head that way. Phineas was always one who valued puctuality when it came to appointments or meetings or, as in this situation, dates. He could only sit still and dressed up in the living room for so long before the red head up finally decided to head out early. After petting his tabby/ siamese mix goodbye, grabbed an umbrella, just in case, and he was on his way.
Phin was glad that he had checked the weather earlier, because if he hadn't he would've just left his jacket that was tailored for his extra appendages. He tugged his coat smooth and looked at his reflection in the outer glass door. He nodded at his reflection, pretty happy with the way he turned out. His hip length green coat complimented his hair and eye colors while his white long sleeved shirt played up the dark tan of his skin, received from many days of work in the sun. Dark blue pants and clean black boots completed his date wear.
Phineas arrived at the cafe roughly ten minutes early, his umbrella tucked under one of his four arms, while a free hand attempted to smooth his wind toustled hair. Before he had left, he had managed to tame it to a decent extent but the wind had other ideas for him. He looked up and scanned the cafe for a free table to wait for his potential match to arrive, but he blinked in surprise when he spied a woman who looked like the letter described sitting quietly at a table with a tray of various sweets and baked goods.
Her dress was exotic and very nice. He felt a little underdressed, but didn't let it bother him. He had bought new gold earrings and found a necklace that his mother had given him, a simple jade pendant hanging from a gold chain, so he wasn't entirely bland. Phineas approached the table at which the dark skinned and dark haired woman sat in her garb of gold and black. He smiled warmly. "Hello. Excuse me. Are you Satika? If I'm not mistaken, of course. I'm Phineas."
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:40 am
Early. Satika was surprised, though it showed little on her carefully schooled expression. Her black eyes swept briefly over Phineas, though she managed to never quite meet his gaze, or indeed, even look him directly in the face. If she thought anything of her date's extra accompaniment of limbs, it didn't show.
"I am Satika." She conceeded, as she stood in a gentle swirl of skirts and flashing jewelry. The appropriate thing to do here would be to prostrate herself at his feet. However, it had made men of this place uncomfortable in the past, and in the end, the appropriate thing to do was that which made the man most comfortable. So she did not.
She did, however, bow, her dark hair falling in her face to the gentle tinkling of bells, for those too were woven through the strands. "You honor me by arriving, sir. And so early."
She indicated the table with the slightest nod of her head. "I fear I do not have drinks waiting, I did not know whether you would prefer coffee or tea."
Her voice was soft and low, quietly but clearly accented. She enunciated carefully. "If you would like, I will get them now."
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 1:24 pm
Phineas' smile widened a little at having found the proper person with his first guess. Lucky for him. He blinked a little caught off guard by her bow once she rose. Giving a little shrug, he dipped his head in a bit of a bow to her himself. Bowing wasn't something he saw very often, but he gathered by her dress and her demeanor that she was of another cultural set. This would prove interesting for him, as he always wanted to learn of other cultures and races. "Oh, you're very welcome. It's not a problem. I'm glad I arrived early, I wouldn't want to have kept you waiting for too long."
He waved a slightly dismissive hand at her words. "It's quite alright. I really don't mind. Those sorts of drinks are best served fresh and hot." He looked between her, the table, and over towards the service counter. "Let's get them together. The handful of cafes I've been to, only a few have the particular sort of tea that I've been particularly partial to lately. How about that?" He asked as he hooked the handle of his umbrella over the back of one of the chairs at their table.
Phin swept a hand toward the service counter and took a step to the side. "Shall we?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 6:45 pm
Satika's expression continued to be one of quite interest as Phineas spoke. Her gaze rested somewhere about at his collarbone and did not lift, nor fall from that point. When he offered to accompany her to get the drink she indicated her acquiescence with only the slightest of shifts, a deferential lowering of her head, a fluttering of her fingers.
"Then you are a connoisseur of tea?" She asked, by all appearances fascinated by this possibility. She gave every indication of being impressed by this possibility. "I fear I am woefully undereducated in the local pallet."
This was only something of a lie. Satika had of course studied those foods that were regularly eaten outside of her small, seclusive neighborhood. She had learned to cook them, too. She had not, for the most part, developed a taste for them. And so discerning 'good' food from 'bad' food was difficult for her. It made judging the success of her own attempts rather troublesome.
"I am sure we can find a more suitable cafe if this one doesn't serve to your tastes." She added. The counter was not far, and she was prepared enough to follow him there. He would find, however, that she kept a step or so behind his own movements.
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:49 pm
Phineas gave a bit of a chuckle. "Ah, I don't know if I'd go so far as to say I was a connoisseur. I just prefer tea over coffee and like trying new things. Generally, I'm willing to try just about anything once and those things that I do take a shine to will regularly show up in my menu be it consciously or no." He shrugged with a smile. "No worries, Satika. I can try to bring you up to snuff on the local flavor. Of course, everyone has their own particular preferences. Its what makes all these sorts of places so interesting."
Being essentially a country boy, he occasionally still found himself marveling at some aspect or other of city life, be it good or bad.
Phin lead the way to the counter, not really noting the fact that Satika walked a step or two behind him. In the back of his mind, he rationalized that it was to take up less space so people could pass by from the counter to some free table or couch around the cafe.
He siddled his way up to the counter, making sure to leave room for Satika to come up along side of him. He turned to her while folding two of his arms on the counter top. "If they don't have what I've got a hankerin' for, I'll just have whatever you're having."
The woman behind the counter turned her attention to the pair with a helpful smile and asked them what would they be having.
The red head nodded. "Um, yes. Before we order I have a question. Would you happen to have or know how to brew up some Kashmiri Chai Green Tea? If not, it's completely alright. I've always got a back up plan."
The woman thought about it for a moment and looked briefly through their stock. She returned to them with a smile. "Yes, indeed we do. Would you like us to fix up a small pot for you? Our small pots yield about four cups of tea."
"That would be great thanks. And it'll be delivered to our table or will one of us have to pick it up?"
She blinked. "Well, it can be delivered to your table if you'd like, sir."
Phin smiled. "Perfect. I would like that. Thanks. One small pot of that, please." He turned to his dark haired date. "And what will you be having, Satika? Anything specific tickling your fancy?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:04 pm
Such colorful language they used. To 'tickle ones fancy' indeed. It sounded a bit to familiar to Satika. But, it was hardly her place to speak of such things. At least the gentleman had cultivated tastes. Most women of her people would say that an uncultivated man was simpler to tame, but Satika preferred the sort that could string a few words together.
The less said about her previous husband, the better, when it came to that matter.
"I will take coffee, thank you." When she addressed the woman, her tone was more authoritative and confident, though it certainly wasn't rude. She was simply a woman accustom to leading a house full of servants, and generally waitstaff fell within such a category in her mind. After all, any faults in the service would reflect badly on her control of the situation.
"But if you will allow it, I would be thrilled at the chance to try the tea you're fond of."
"Might we sit then? I have yet to have the chance to learn more of you than a name."
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Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 10:51 am
The woman behind the counter nodded at Satika's order and informed them that their drinks would be out soon. Also that customers pay before they leave, when Phin went to fish for his wallet.
Phineas smiled. "Oh, certainly! I'd love to share my tea with you. I don't think I could drink four cups of tea in one sitting anyway. I'm not that thirsty right now." He turned to the woman behind the counter. "I'd like a second cup sent over with my tea please. I'll be sharing it. I'd appreciate it greatly. Thanks."
With that he returned his attention to Satika. "Yes, we may." The red head gave a bit of a laugh as he turned away from the counter. "Well, I'm up for telling you whatever you want to know about me. Simply ask away." Phin lead the way back to their table and pulled a chair out for Satika to sit. "Feel free to start anywhere."
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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:32 am
There were those women that would be charmed at having their seat held out for them. Satika was not one such, as it was, more or less, the action of a servant. Still, though her expression grew perhaps a little more remote, it was hard to tell. She was still smiling, a small, gracious smile. She sat in a careful, elegant motion, her skirts sweeping about her feet.
In front of her was the array of sweets she had earlier arranged, and she noted that one of them had settled at an angle more awkward than she realized. She was, she thought, losing her touch. Mayhap she should not be hunting after gentlemen if she could not, in fact, even arrange a decent table. Her mother was right. The death of her husband, the quiet days with her daughter, these things had spoiled her.
"How did you get into woodworking?" She asked, thinking back to the profile that she had read on the man. Carpentry was a talent that she in fact admired when applied in the way the man had indicated he applied it. It was an art she could understand, the taking of something raw and making it beautiful.
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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:23 pm
After scooting her in a little towards the table, Phineas assumed his own seat and folded two of his hands on the table. Satika had prepared a nice little set up of confectionery goodies of various sorts and nothing seemed out of place. It appeared to him as good as anything that was on TV or in magazines.
The red head smiled at her question with the flood of fond memories that it conjured up. "How did I get into woodworking?" He echoed her question with a bit of a chuckle. "Well, my grandfather was the one who got me started with carpentry. He lived just down the road from home and we'd go visit him all the time. I used to love watching him work as a kid and as I grew a little bit older he invited me to try my hand at it. I took to it like a fish to water, so to speak, and he took me under his wing as an apprentice. My old granddad taught me everything he knew." Phin's face was relaxed and had a look of easy contentment across his features.
"Yeah, he got me started. Nowadays I make custom pieces for folks to help pay for my house and what not." Phineas nodded a bit. "I've also fixed up some of my previous clients pieces if they need maintenance or if some other wooden piece of furniture of theirs needs a bit of touching up then I do it for them for little to nothing. I enjoy making things for people to enjoy for a long time and possibly even hand down to their kids."
He picked up a small lemon tart and glanced over to Satika. "If you'd like, I could maybe show you a few of my pieces sometime. I've got a few projects running at the house, but there are a few here in there in a handful of businesses. I'm not saying immediately, but eventually."
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