Welcome to Gaia! ::

Most days at the cafe were good. Most days were actually great, if Halia was being honest. Today, however, was not one of those days. She had had a late night moonlighting as Aruna, had spilled freshly brewed drip coffee on her arm, messed up at least two orders, dropped a latte, and burnt a pastry. Needless to say, Lady Luck was not on Halia's side today.

The bell of the door jingled and Halia did her best to smile cheerfully at the tall blonde who walked in, though weariness was evident in her eyes. "Welcome in! I'll be with you just a moment." She turned back to the coffee machine behind her and finished what she had been doing before giving her full attention to the customer. "What can I get for you today?"

Halia smiled softly, thankful that the customer was kind and patient. "Hmmm. For the fruit ones, I would suggest these three in the front personally. This one here is an apple chai and it's probably my all time favorite of the fruit ones." She gestured to the row of pastries in front and then to one at the top of the case. [colol=olive]"Would you like to try a bit of it first just to make sure you like it? I know some people aren't a fan of super strong spice flavors."

She seemed thoughtful at being asked her top five pastries, however. "I like most of everything we make... but I do like this cream one the most. It's simple but there's something decadent about it. There's a chocolate cream filled one here that I really like too, and a coffee cake as well that I really like when i get a hot chai." She carefully packaged each of the pastries as she spoke, taking her time to make sure they wouldn't get smashed against each other.

"We do some seasonal items too, and I think we will likely be coming out with new ones soon. I've been meaning to ask the owner what he has in mind, but whatever he comes up with is usually amazing." Despite the clear exhaustion on her face, she clearly spoke with fondness both about her job and about her boss.

"Your fiance is lucky to have such a sweet partner like you." The words left her mouth before she realized exactly what she was saying. Even so, there was a soft, warm smile on her face at the thought of something so loving. "What sort of flavors do they like? Maybe I can make a suggestion that would be suited specifically to their taste?" She didn't know the man before her, nor did she know his fiance, but something about how he looked as he spoke of them made her want to see even more of that soft smile.

"I'm not sure if we will ever sell it here, but my favorite sweet is the baklava my grandfather makes. It's always dripping with the honey syrup he uses and I think it just gets better and better every time he makes it for me." Halia seemed to light up as she spoke of her grandfather. The man was truly one of the few bright moments in her dismal life, and had always been a safe haven for her as a child. "Maybe I should suggest baklava to Keiran to sell....though it's really time consuming and expensive to make." She seemed thoughtful, planning to at least suggest the idea to her boss at the least.

"I believe we do. Instagram, tiktok, and I think a facebook. I've never used social media so i haven't checked them out, but I'm sure they're all there. My boss is usually really on top of things, as are my coworkers." Social media had never been allowed while she was growing up. Or at least not for her. Her sister was the one who got the newest phones and devices and was allowed to do whatever she pleased. Even two years after being on her own, however, Halia had still yet to venture into the rabbit hole of social platforms.

The mention of green tea made her perk up, however. "Well, that depends on if you mean regular green tea or matcha. While matcha is definitely a type of green tea, it's definitely different than normal green tea. It has a richer, smoother flavor." She realized, belatedly, that she was infodumping and her cheeks colored as she softly cleared her throat. "But I'm sure we will have something. Matcha is sweet without being overly so. Both in food as well as a drink. I could...make you a sample of the tea if you'd like to see what you think of the flavor?"

"Cannoli are to die for, so that is honestly a very understandable thing to be preferential to." She laughed softly and slipped an extra one into the bag. "I like anything sweet and cream filled, myself. Eclairs, boston cream donuts, cream puffs, all of that. Fruit wise, it really is hard to go wrong with apple based things, I think."

She nodded in agreement. "Good things take time, and labors of love truly are time consuming." His next question made her head tilt thoughtfully. "Berry and floral as in drinks? Or more pastries? Because drink wise, I think we have a butterfly pea flower tea still. It changes color from a dark blue to a really beautiful violet when you introduce anything acidic into it, like lemon juice." She smiled brightly at him, glad to be able to suggest her current favorite. "In terms of food, I like to think this berry tart is perfect. I'm not sure we have anything floral though, food wise." She glanced at the case, just in case she had forgotten anything that was in there.

"Regular green tea is fairly light and refreshing. It's usually really good with citrus and other things. Matcha is heavier and smoother and is brewed from a powder rather than a leaf." She smiled brightly and set the various pastries down along with the tongs before busying herself with making him a small cup. "It has a natural sweetness to it, though some people like to add to that. Lavender is also a popular flavor to accompany it as well, though I prefer just the matcha on its own." She spoke as she worked, excited to make if for him.

As she turned back to the counter and set the cup down for him, she shook her head with a warm smile. "I don't mind at all. You're really nice to talk to." She gestured at the cup for him, excited to see what he thought. The drink was a much darker color than regular green tea, and wasn't translucent like the regularly brewed beverage. "Traditionally speaking, matcha is properly done with a special bamboo whisk, and is used for ceremonies in japan as well. This isn't quite as fancy as all that, but it's comforting, in my opinion."

At the clarification, Halia nodded. Lavender was something she was familiar with. "Lavender is good with a lot of different flavors, though I'm not sure we have anything at the moment with it." She smiled cheerfully though when he said he would like the drink she suggested. "Just so your fiance can see the colorchange in person, I'll make it in two separate cups for you to add together at home." The more she talked to him, the more she seemed to come out of her shell. Despite looking tired and seeming shy when he had first come in, she was almost vibrant now.

"Mm. Unfortunately, that would definitely take too long for us to do here in the cafe. That being said, I'm sure there are tea houses somewhere around that make it in the traditional way." Not that she had looked for herself, but she knew there was quite a bit of diversity in the city so it truly would surprise here if there wasn't such a place. Her eyes lit up, though, when he said he liked it. "I'm glad! It always feels soothing when i have some. Not quite like how hot chocolate is like a warm hug, but something similar I think.

Halia shook her head, smiling warmly at him as he apologized. "Please don't apologize! I.... actually really like my job, and I'm happy to meet people who are as nice as you are. I'm really enjoying chatting with you as I work, too." There was definite warmth and sincerity to her smile as she turned away briefly to fix the drink for his order. When she set the two cups down, she pulled out a sharpie and, in perfect, neat writing, labeled the small container of lemon juice. "The tea on its own is really good, but in addition to the color change, the lemon juice gives it just a little extra brightness to its flavor."

Placing the drink in a carrier to make it easier, she paused. "I'm... Halia, by the way." She had realized as she looked down that her nametag was missing, most likely pinned to the cardigan she had been wearing that morning, and she figured she should at least give her name in case she ended up forgetting anything and he called the store.