Winter had blanketed Palisade in a thick layer of snow. At first, children had played outside with their parents, but with the rumors of Wolves and the worsening weather, everyone was staying indoors.
Juhua only left her store to buy necessities and pick up shipments, so it was no great hardship, but the rumors of Wolves made her as uneasy as everyone else, if not more. As a stranger and a foreigner, she had not grown up with stories of Guardians and Wolves; she knew only enough to figure out that once, deer like Seathi and Chosen like her had fought the Wolves, and that responsibility, combined with her lack of knowledge about the Wolves themselves, made her anxious. Her usual response to fear, as well as stress and uncertainty, was to work -- and since the number of window-shoppers had dropped off precipitously, she'd taken things into her own hands.
Now, every week, Golden Flower Imports hosted a tea-tasting, open to anyone who wanted to come. There was safety in numbers, and the attendees were able to talk and gossip over tea, in the comfort of a warm, well-lit shop. It didn't hurt that an antlered Guardian was present as well. While Juhua knew they weren't fighters, and would not be able to fend off any Wolves that might manage to make it to Palisade, his presence was comforting for her and many others.
And Juhua herself was able to listen in, gather information, and draw conclusions. Rumors were rarely reliable, but they generally had their roots in the truth, and right now rumors were all she had to go on, so they would have to do.
One afternoon, she bustled about her shop to set up the weekly tea-tasting. She set out chairs and small, low tables, measured out the teas she was offering, and attached hand-written labels to the sturdy teapots. Seathi followed close behind, investigating each tea blend gingerly. HIs antlers were large enough that he might get them snagged on something, but somehow he managed to avoid disaster.
