Potpourri of Flavors [nottakenaway] [Dead]

[Silk Suture]

The morning was a beautiful one. It was pleasant and warm, and the skies above were a brilliant, bright blue with nary a cloud dotting its perfectly smooth surface and ruining its solid color. The summer brought with it vibrant colors all around, even though a city like Manehattan didn't get to enjoy the nature too much. Despite that it always found a way to creep in, the trees in the parks being in their full glory and the birds singing their pleasant little songs, the sounds mixing in with the business of urban streets. Indeed, Manehattan was already busy and full of life – and sounds – despite it being so early, clearly waking up at the break of dawn. Or perhaps, it never even slept at all!

Manehattan's train station was no exception. A large and busy city of course had a large and busy train station, with plenty of ponies already waiting to board a train to their new destination. Otherwise, however, were only just now stepping into Manehattan and its bustling streets, the night train having just now stopped in the city. The journey had been long, but luckily the passengers had a chance to at least sleep during the night... If they could do so despite the noise and clatter of the rails and wheels. Ponies in various stages of fatigue left with their belongings, carrying their bags and suitcases as they slowly were absorbed by the masses, almost as if becoming a part of the city and its inhabitants in mere minutes.

Silk Suture, luckily, was a more of a morning person and having to wake up this early wasn't really too bad for him. And that showed, with him presenting himself just as neatly as usual, his mane brushed and shiny. Of course sleeping in a train was a bit more difficult than usual due to the noise, but it was nothing too bad. He was a bit tired, but it was nothing that wouldn't pass with a little bit of time – and a nice cup of tea. The pegasus wasn't the kind who felt the need to eat right after waking up and his breakfast usually would come later in the morning, but now tea... That he required straight away! Luckily, a place like Manehattan had plenty of places he could visit for tea before he had to go meet a certain pony later in the day, so he was in no hurry.

Manehattan was a place Silk hadn't visited that often. It was large and had quite many ponies and buildings, but as someone who had grown up in Canterlot, it didn't faze him that much. Manehattan was just a train ride away, anyways, and it had just been a night since he had last been in Canterlot, his home. The pharmacist could almost fit Manehattan and look like he belonged there if it wasn't for his saddlebags he carried with him, the sign of his traveler status. Silk Suture traveled light, but he still did require certain items to be able to stay away from home and be comfortable! He wasn't planning on staying long, but still...

A certain sign managed to catch the pegasus' eye as he walked past with calm steps. A café, now that was what he was looking for. It wasn't the first one he had seen since he stepped in Manehattan, not at all, but it did certainly seem... Interesting. Exquisite, in a way. Café Potpourri. The facade seemed like that of a really fancy establishment for ponies with great – and expensive – taste, and well. Silk Suture might have been a pony like that indeed. Money wasn't a thing he was worried about in most cases and whatever the bill, he was certain he could pay it; a pony wouldn't travel around empty-hoofed, after all! He had just come to Manehattan anyways, he felt that he could easily deserve something very nice to start his day. The café was open, after all. 

With slow but certain steps, the stallion approached the shop and pushed the door open gently, stepping inside the café and giving the inside a quick look around.



((This is for Teaflower and Silk Suture, but if someone else wants to join then I suppose they should ask nottakenaway if it's fine. I'm fine with it myself, heh.))

[nottakenaway]

~Teaflower~

Teaflower woke up before Celestia raised the sun each day in order to begin what she loved most - tea making. There was much to do with tea, as the presentation of tea was equally important as the wonderful aroma of the tea was equally important as the delightful bitter taste of the tea was equally as important as the intended effect of the tea, whether it be to wake, calm, invigorate, refresh, make sleepy, or all at once paradoxically. In order that her tea would be perfect, Teaflower also freshened herself up with a shower and the brushing of her mane and teeth. Once groomed, the tea-making officially began for her; to Teaflower, the "most important meal of the day", breakfast, must be eaten with the most important drink of all, prepared in the best way possible.
    With guests, she would elaborate the ceremony as much as possible, but as she lived alone Teaflower saw no need for the entire affair, seeing as it was intended to honor guests. Instead she simply retrieved her mortar and pestle and set it in front of a mat. She went downstairs to steam some water, poured it into a teapot, then took the kettle upstairs by balancing it on a tray, holding the tray with her teeth. After she took some green tea leaves, she went upstairs and then knelt down to grind the leaves into a powder. The process was long, but the wait had her appreciate the deliciously bitter result; she poured a little bit of water into the crushed leaves, stirring all the while to be certain she did not add too much water. Once satisfied with the color (she preferred a light green), she then picked up the wooden cup with her hooves and drank it. It wasn't fancy, but it was her preferred breakfast. Not by itself, of course, as Teaflower loved sweet things too much to not have a leftover jelly-center cookie afterwards. But bitter-sweet was just the ticket to waking up.
    After her little party for one, she cleaned up and put the mat away; as of now, Teaflower had not thought of performing a real ceremony for anypony other than relatives and close friends, as evidenced by her lack of preparation of chabana or kanji. With a smile, she closed the tearoom door, not expecting to go up there again until tomorrow morning, and then went downstairs to restock the pastries and put some water on to boil in case of a surprise early customer. She expected yet another slow day, as she had had all week, and today put out the same amount of goods that the days have proved she'd need - very little. Celestia had risen the sun above the horizon by now, and the day was bright, casting beautiful rosy orange colors through the stained glass. Teaflower noted to herself that the water was bound to be cool now, and thought that she should wait until somepony arrived to boil it for before she raised her electric bill even farther, when the orange light shifted and white light was left in its place by the door.
    She had an indigo-colored visitor, a skinny pony with a neatly cut mane and saddlebags weighing on his back. Her mind was made up, and she deftly turned the knob on the stove to high before going around the counter. "Good morning," she called out in a hushed tone, then approached with what she learned was a charming smile. "And welcome. Cafe Potpourri primarily offers tea for sale, whether packaged or brewed; with what may I interest you in today?"

[Silk Suture]

Silk Suture allowed his eyes to pan around the café interior, in a slow and calm manner, yet still taking in all the information for further reviewing as he silently mused. A lot of care had gone to the café's décor, and it showed. The atmosphere was quaint and elegant, and surely the interior decorating hadn't been too cheap. Everything seemed well-made and crafted from the best materials, creating furniture that surely would be to the liking of the pickiest and snobbiest ponies around. Even the lighting had been thought about, the sunlight creating beautiful shades of orange as it filtered through the stained glass.

One other thing the stallion noticed was that there was no one occupying the café. No customers. Perhaps it was a bit early, but surely some of the ponies in Manehattan would enjoy having their breakfast in a comfortable café before they headed out for work? It was all rather strange and something Silk couldn't not think about as his eyes scanned his surroundings, pondering. But he was not alone, and the sound of a mare calling out to him caused his ears to perk up and swivel in the direction of the voice as his eyes slowly turned to follow his ears, his demeanor still calm rather than excited.
"Thank you. And good morning to you, as well," the pegasus replied and thanked for the warm welcome, nodding as he closed his eyes for a moment, returning the mare's politeness as she approached. Obviously he had ran into someone who worked in Café Potpourri, but that was no surprise. A café without someone serving wouldn't really be doing that well...

"Tea, you say," Silk Suture mused mostly to himself, his voice quiet and more of repeating what the mare had said than asking if he had understood her words right the first time. It was a pleasant surprise to hear, honestly. The fact that tea was Café Potpourri's specialty hadn't been obvious from the start, so the stallion honestly had no idea what to expect. But now this, it all had turned out better than he had expected.
"I am pleased to hear that, as good tea was what I was hoping to get," he looked into the mare's eyes with what could even be called a small smile on his lips,
"It is rather early and I was hoping to get something that would help me to start my day fully awake, so I was thinking of having a blend with ginger," Silk continued as he narrated what he had in his mind, understanding that entire new possibilities opened up in front of him now that he was dealing with a professional tea brewer...

"Of course, I'm not picky. I am fully open to any suggestions and special blends you might have in mind," the pegasus nodded, comfortable with giving someone else the choice. He did like his teas and did his own blends, yes. He knew more about that process than your average pony, but to him, it was still a hobby. A passionate hobby, but a hobby nonetheless. This pony however worked in a café that specialized in tea, so surely they would be a professional. Their opinions, taste buds and skill could be trusted to give Silk Suture exactly what he wanted.