Orpheus

@pandakitty1 With a knowing smile, Phoebe points Orpheus towards a booth with the same general structure as the one he just finished constructing. It's located next to the river, where the fresh water rushes past between a waterfall and the sea. It seems Aen has only just finished putting it together; crates of supplies are scattered around the sand, waiting to be unpacked. Compared to the detailed decor Phoebe added to her stall, this one is quite plain; the only decorations Aen has added are bundles of fragrant herbs that hang from the structure's wooden frame.

Aen dips a blue-and-white painted kettle into the river's cool running water before pulling it out to set atop a low flame in a pit in the sand. It's at this point that he looks up and notices Orpheus approaching.

"I just put the kettle on, so it'll be a few minutes before I can serve anything," he says as he turns to unpack a crate carrying glass jars of dried herbs.

"Oh, no. That's not--" Orpheus flicked his tail, nervously. "I actually want to help you." Orpheus cracked a smile, hoping to ease the awkwardness he had just created.



"Well, Phoebe said that I could help you." Orpheus flew to the side of Aen and offered out his hand to help with the crates. "Oh, I'm Orpheus, by the way. I figure I should tell you that before you-- like give me a weird nickname-- or something", he chattered on, hoping that Aen would understand how much Orpheus was trying.

@pandakitty1 Aen returns Orpheus' smile with a small one of his own, and plunks a glass jar into his outstretched hand. Dried flower blossoms tumble around inside.

"Chamomile," Aen confirms. He points to a spot below the stall's counter; shelves are built in to hold product, and a few jars are already lined up in what seems to be alphabetical order. None of the jars are labeled, though, so it's up to the teamakers to know their ginseng from their ginger.

After a few minutes of unpacking, the kettle begins to whistle, and Aen trots over to take it off the flame. He rummages in another crate and pulls out two teacups to set on the counter.

"What's your favorite kind of tea?" he asks Orpheus.

Orpheus paused for a moment. The truth was he didn't drink much tea. He preferred coffee or just plain water. However, he remembered that his mother let him drink a type of tea when he was young, before she let him drink coffee and way before she let him drink the beverages served at the tavern. But what was the name of that tea? He puzzled.

"Do you have masha, like the green tea?" He hoped that was right, which it was probably not. Orpheus didn't know why, but he wanted to impress this dragon. Tea knowledge seemed like the way to go, but Orpheus knew he didn't have much of that... He didn't know what he would do.

@pandakitty1 "Oh- you mean matcha?" Aen asks, his expression startled before it turns sheepish. It's clear he wasn't expecting this answer; he seems to be quite thrown off. "I do have some, but it's not from the teashop..."

Instead of grabbing something from one of the crates, he reaches into a satchel slung around his waist, and pulls out a little wooden container with a whisk tied on with twine. Orpheus watches as Aen sidles up to the counter and begins to prepare the drink.

"My mentor isn't a fan of matcha, which is saying something - he likes all kinds of tea, even mint cactus -" Aen makes a sour face - "- as long as it's prepared properly. But for some reason, he doesn't like matcha, so he doesn't serve it at the teashop. I suppose I understand...it's prepared differently than other teas, so maybe it would be too much of a departure from what he and the customers are used to. But it doesn't ruin my enjoyment of it, of course! Just...decreases it. I have to go all the way down to Churnscar Wharf to buy it, and the merchant isn't always there when I have a craving..."

Aen finishes whisking the powder into the water, tilting the cup to make sure no residue is left, and pushes one cup across to Orpheus as he tidies up his tools before returning them to his satchel.

"Go ahead, take a sip! I'd love to know what you think...it's been a long time since I've had it prepared by someone else, so I hope I've been doing it right," Aen rambles on, his aloof persona seemingly dissipated. Maybe tea talk really is the way to go to get this dragon to open up!

Orpheus was embarrassed at first for getting the name wrong, but hearing Aen light up about tea soothed his embarrassment. He picked up the teacup delicately, so as to not spill it, and smiled a very genuine smile, the most genuine he's made this entire day.

He took a sip, and mouth agape, his upper body practically drooped over. That's better than I remember, he thought. He cleared his throat and regained his original rigid posture.

"It's amazing. Thank you." He gazed at the warm tea that sat in the palms of his hands. It seemed that he had finished talking before he opened his mouth again, "You know, my mom used to buy me matcha tea every so often after my lessons. It was always a treat for me. We would go to a coffee shop in our clan. My mom would gossip with the owner sometimes while I drank my tea, but the focus was usually on me." Orpheus took a long sip of tea. "My mom and I have always been close. Sometimes, though, I feel like I'm not treating her how I should. She's made so many sacrifices for me and has been so supportive, yet I find every single flaw in all of her plans. And even though she doesn't seem to care, I feel like I should be doing better. You know what I mean?"

Orpheus couldn't believe he had just opened up like that. "I'm sorry. You didn't need to hear all of that." He put his tea on the counter and turned his back towards Aen, hoping to forget about that interaction.

@pandakitty1 Aen looks quite proud as he watches his cousin visibly enjoy the tea; in between sips of his own, he listens to Orpheus with a calm expression. When Orpheus turns away, Aen sets his teacup down on the counter and speaks softly, haltingly, as if he's unused to giving others comfort in such a way.

"I don't know your mother enough to say for certain, but I imagine she wouldn't have invited you to come along if she were truly bothered by your attitude. And I must say, criticism is plenty important in any field of work; if you hadn't liked the matcha, I'd appreciate your honesty far more than empty platitudes." He pauses and regards his own teacup, which is a few short sips from being empty, with a faraway look in his eye.

"I haven't seen my parents in many years, but there's no shortage of parental love in my life...still, there's nothing quite like connecting with someone who's known you since birth. I'd think if you told her what you told me just now - reflecting on how things used to be, and how they've changed - she might have some thoughts to share from her own perspective. I'm not well equipped for conversations such as these, but your admission is far from the most shocking I've heard from customers at the tea bar." Aen chuckles lightheartedly, hoping his attempt at bringing Orpheus' mood up was a success.

Orpheus peeked over his shoulder at Aen. "You really think I could talk to her?", he asked. He wasn't used to opening up, and he definently wasn't used to receiving advice. I will try my best, he thought.

--Phoebe and Orpheus alone (excuse me for making it unnecessarily long)--

He finished his tea before finding his mother by the creekside, washing colorful glasses in the cool water. Phoebe looked up and smiled at him as he approached.

"Mom, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, honey."

I-I uhm." Orpheus didn't know what to say.

"Orpheus, you can tell me anything", Phoebe said. Orpehus paused and took a deep breath before continuing.

"I was thinking about when I was a kid; we were so close. We always put each other first, but now I feel like things are a bit too far from that now. And I feel I'm bitter towards you and find faults in everything, and I just feel bad, but I don't want you to be mad about it, and--and--"

"Oh, honey. Don't feel bad. I'm not mad at you about anything. Come here." Phoebe pulled Orpheus into a hug before pulling away, "Your grouchiness is not a bother to me. Your ability to find faults actually helps me sometimes. And I dont think we've lost any of the closeness between us. Perhaps, it's just a different kind of closeness. I mean, unless there's anything I need to do?"

"You're right. It's okay." Orpheus sighed. "Maybe I don't need to worry about anything."

"I love you, Orpehus." Phoebe brought him into another hug. "I'm so proud of you for telling me how you feel."

"Thank you, Mom. I love you too." Orpheus buried his head into his mom's neck.

--Orpheus and Aen, finally again--

Orpheus helped Phoebe finish with the dishes before returning to Aen's stall. By this time, the sun was nearing the horizon.

"Thank you, Aen. I don't think I could have done this without you", Orpheus was telling the truth, "Oh, yeah. I kind of ran off earlier. Sorry about that. Is there anything I can help you with?"

@pandakitty1

When Orpheus returns to the tea stand, Aen is finishing up organizing the last crate of tea ingredients. The shelf behind the bar is almost fully stocked; some ingredients are best when fresh, so he plans to fetch them just before the reunion begins. Aen brushes the counter free of some errant grains of sand with a thoughtful look as as Orpheus speaks. After a moment of silence, he replies.

"I think I'm all done here, at least for today. But I'd be happy to welcome you back if you'd be so kind as to offer some help during the reunion...since you clearly like doing dishes." He gives a knowing smile, and Orpheus realizes he must've seen his encounter with Phoebe from a distance. Somehow it doesn't make him feel embarrassed, though, to know Aen witnessed him in a moment of vulnerability.

"Or," Aen continues, "maybe you could bring Phoebe over for a cup of matcha. It's not on the menu for the rest of the guests, but I think I can make an exception for you two!"

...
Meanwhile, Orpheus darted from Pheobe back to Aen back to Phoebe and back to Aen again, as they prepared refills. Finally, Phoebe urged him to work with Aen for the rest of the evening, and so he did.

"How's your day been?", he asks Aen, hoping this is a good way to start a conversation.

@pandakitty1 "...Busy," is all Aen can has to say as he pours the last cup of green tea from the teapot in his hands. "Excuse me - I'll have to get a refill, no one wants to drink the dregs." That's virtually all the conversation Orpheus and Aen are able to have during the feast; they see plenty of each other as they rush up and down the table, providing refills and fetching empty cups. After the feast, there's a second, smaller feast exclusively for the chefs and other volunteers, with fresh dishes that have been set aside and kept warm for the duration of the main event.

"As I was saying," Aen says in between bites of fig-stuffed turkey roast, "It's been busy. I'd hoped to have more time to attend the events like last year, but with the tea stand's popularity I've barely been able to get away to eat and sleep. Not that that's a bad thing - I'm glad it's gone over well, quite the difference from last year." He takes another bite, chewing thoughtfully.

"How have you been faring? Enjoying the events?"

"I've enjoyed the reunion a lot more than I thought. I didn't think much of it when my mother mentioned it to me originally, but I can say that I was presently surprised." Orpheus looks down at his claws, an unconscious grin spread across face. "I only really attended one event other than the feast, but it was still a lot of fun. I feel like you can enjoy the reunion even without the events. Hmmm?" Orpheus took a sip of the matcha tea Aen had prepared for him and gnawed on the ant clusters on his plate.