(OPEN) Lavendar Incense At Mad Hat Tea Shop (Belenos)-

The cool Iadlain air slightly wet from a recent rain was soothingly familiar as Dimel wandered leisurely through the streets ringed with vegetation which was always was trying to fill every niche possible as if the forest was fighting a silent war with the residents. However, it made Dimel feel some kind of peace as his better days were spent living here.

He wasn't wearing the trademarked Iadlain cloak with a brightly decorated inner layer, especially lining the hood. Yet, he wasn't entirely out of place as his outfit, with the gloves, scarf with it's plain pattern, and his simple tunic and jacket were of Reluir fashion. It was an older fashion, but on a dark elf, it looked perfectly at home.

He had just arrived with a private air ship, having piloted it from Koben through Tusa, into Iadlain. The benefit of having a special arrangement with the captain, allowed him to bring a few extra goods across the country without incurring taxes or inspections. It gave him the ample opportunity to transport small luxuries that might be prohibited or restricted into various cities along common airship routes.

The satchel over his shoulder contained a few bundles of interesting herbs and some traditional, expensive teas from other reaches of the empire. The tea kept well and herbs could be hidden in their own small packets amidst the tea leaves. No one suspected wrapped tea packages when their was no weight difference.

Dimel eventually made it to his destination, the Mad Hat Tea shop. He boldy entered ignoring the light smell of incense and approached Belenos. The contents of the satchel were meant for the shop owner as he was one of Dimel's business acquaintances.

"Belenos, are you dreaming on your feet again? I think the rain chased your patrons away, I brought something that might fix that."

((Really! Thank you! And thanks for your patience. I'm not always quick to reply))

Dimel was quick to reply with what anyone could consider a rude retort, "With a smile like that you might have scared them away." Yet, Dimel was always coming up with simple, but crude responses. He played with his friends and close acquaintances by spitting out rude retorts which were only meant to be taken with a good sense of humor as he was far from serious about his words. He even welcomed and equally rude retort, the wittier the better. Sarcasm was a love he enjoyed sharing, but tea was even better.

Pulling out the bundles he handed them over to Belenos with a smile playing at his lips, unlike his neutral or slightly grouchy expression he greeted strangers with as often and for as long as the sun rose and set in the day.

"Spicy would be great. I brought some Tusan Blood Orange in with this." Lowering his voice to keep it from traveling to other ears beyond theirs, he added. "The tea wrapped with the white linen had some of the hatters [mad hatter shrooms] added to it, dried and sliced thin, so you can't quite tell what they are. I was told it's got a great euphoric wave that comes slowly after the first few minutes, much like dreaming with your eyes open, but not completely hallucinogenic."

He nodded an affirmation to Belenos's request to tell a story or two of his travels while his eyes darted around to find one of his favorite seats empty. Dimel gave Bel a pat on the shoulder and sat down at the table, conveniently in a warm spot that wasn't next to any other table which had occupants.

"Linhythe has been stirring busily after the recent assassination [mentioned in the current events journal]. I've seen numerous old friends dusting off their blades and setting their nets down for more lucrative work with the Empire's army, should they need people."








((I imagine Tusan Blood Orange to be a medium to light spicy chai with a strong orange flavor and secondary apple undertones to it, making it as rich as a cider, but with a feathery weight of tea which is surprisingly good for hot weather or cold weather, equally depending on if it's iced or hot. ))

"Hmph," Dimel had to agree with Belenos's retort. While Bel was sifting through the leaves and inspecting them, Dimel noticed the familiar glimmer of delight to the human's actions that made Belenos look less lackadaisical and, instead, made him look crisply focused or diligent. spotted the delightful glimmer in Belenos's demeanor the moment he started inspecting the leaves. It didn't take any effort to guess which tea the human was going to indulge in the moment he had the chance. While his normal dislike of recreation drugs usually resulted in Dimel treating an addict like a dog, Belenos was an exception.

Whether Bel remembered or not, it was through working the streets of Linhythe as a thief to cover his assassin background, that Dimel crossed paths of Belenos. While he had never dealt with him directly until he found Belenos moved to Iadlain, he had learned to respect the man from afar. It was fortuitous that they managed to cross paths again in Dimel's travels and the relationship was both fruitful and entertaining. Belenos's calm attitude encourage Dimel consciously or not, to let go of some of his bitterness and he found himself enjoying the man's company more than he had expected.

"Thank you," Dimel belatedly greeted Belenos's approach. He stretched his arms outward for a few seconds to wake himself out of the reverie he was indulging during the wait. 

Sighing he explained, "Yah. I get the point about the Hydra. It's been like that for as long as I can remember. But, with the Emperor's sudden interest in Miras, the old hands are coming out of retirement so the streets are starting to flood with tension, if there wasn't enough already. Eventually, it's going to turn into political or at least criminal fires sprouting up."

Dimel picked up the teapot to pour. It wasn't because he didn't trust Belenos, although the man loved altered states of mind, but he felt the desire to do something kindly. 

"Just wait. I'll tell you when it explodes, which is likely going to be twice. First when war starts, and then if the war doesn't end in a few days, then people will make their move and the Hydra will be fighting itself while reaching forward with as many heads as it can to take more ground in Linhythe, unless Miras manages to scare the populace enough they pull together, but the that would mean Miras's fleet would have to assault Linhythe directly."

Dimel grimaced, "Not likely going to happen for a long time."  His frown turned and he gave his friend a long look, "I'm afraid speculating about war isn't the delightful story you might have been hoping for. What do you think of it anyway?"



((You did beautifully. ))

((Welcome! Welcome! Squee! Cass! Bel will probably love Cass. You had to walk up behind DimDim, lol. I think Ghoulsnap should post next if you want to keep a turn-based rp going with the three of us. Example: Belenos > Dimel > Cassair. OR whatever you two prefer. ))

The shop owner thoughtfully placed a couple fingers on his tattooed cheek, looking to his friend, and searching his eyes somewhat as he spoke. How did he evaluate his own situation in these times, Belenos wondered. The elf seemed pretty heavily immersed in the nation's politics. Though surely it could be concerning for his business, the brunette supposed, but who know's what else the pilot had his fingers dipped into to worry about. They had been friends for sometime, at least five years now, which was just a blink in the elvish lifespan, compared to a human’s. In the time after Bel was gone, Dimel would still have to be affected by what happened in the near future. A good clause to be concerned~

He then softened his expression into a gentle grin. "I assure you, you are not ruining the conversation~ I just haven't really put too much thought into it, my mother always scolded me for my thoughtlessness you know~"

Belenos' gaze focused on the teapot in his guest’s hand, turning the question over in his head as he did so. It was true, the healer did not pay much attention to the idle chattering of war. Especially now, living so far removed in a city like Iadlain, with it's isolated population as well as mindset, political debates just didn't seem to find their way into his daily life.

However, he heard a decent amount of gossip (a favorite Iadlish pastime), even if it was most likely just opinions from local's, lacking the experience of Linhythe's criminal underground, let alone the Kingdom's notions right across the sea. Two mismatched eyes drifted to the ceiling as the man went to share his thoughts, studying the tips of tree branches up there as he did so.

"I have heard stories of great tragedies from the past. In this day and age, the events that plagued the continent had torn apart many a family, created rifts among many a friendships, and torn through the lives the masses, often with a serrated, bloody edge... Political unrest, corruption, war, massacre; there would be a never-ending stream of tragedies within our world... should a war occur... I would just hope-- that none of my friends would get drowned by it and lose themselves."

When Bel looked back down, a blonde figure had appeared behind his friend, spooking the healer, before realizing who it was. By Atros! He thought it was a specter! Come to haunt him for not pointing his shoes away from his bedside or putting out fresh water for the fairies to bathe in!

The rain had seeped through his hood, soaking his hair and face from underneath, as well as soaked into the majority of his robes, giving him an eerie appearance after being coupled with his many scratches and thorns. The look was iconic for the enchanter and Belenos was, never the less, always delighted to host the Count, believing him to be a freshingly odd, unique sort of company~.

The healer nodded his head in acknowledgement and mustered the biggest smile, "Good afternoon, Cassair~ It has been awhile since you've visited my shop~" he chirped, his Koben accent softly evident.

"Though, how long have you been here? I don't think I saw the door open... I just prepared the perfect tea for a chilly day such as this one, Dimel my friend here, has lovely tastes~"

(( Ahhh thank you guys! (●´∀｀●) And yep, that turn order sounds good to me! ))

Ah, Belenos always smiled so nicely. Unaware of the small frights or tensions his appearance might have triggered, Cassair kept his own smile and gave the shopkeeper a tiny, slightly quizzical head-tilt in return to his query about how long he’d been there for. This was not something that actually needed answering, he thought - people usually did not seem to want to know, even if they said otherwise - so he made no reply and after a second Belenos chatted on.

At the mention of Dimel’s name, Cassair smiled down towards the elf, even though he was not visible to him from this angle, and made a thoughtful, humming sound. So they were friends. Was that why Dimel was here today? For fun and not for work? For fun would be nice.

Come to think of it, last time he had seen Dimel, he had turned down the idea of having a drink with him too. He considered Dimel’s brief invitation now - was it an invitation, even? - and mused that perhaps he should accept today.

He looked back up at Belenos. “Okay,” he said, simply and amicably, and drifted sideways to the unoccupied edge of the table. Not bothering to remove his cloak, despite how water-laden it was and what conventions might exist before sitting down at a table, he perched in the empty chair there and settled both elbows on the uneven wood in front of him. Propping his face in both hands, as if content to just watch the other two like this, Cassair glanced thoughtfully between them with only a mild - and actually quite blank, though for him it was meant to be mild - expression.

“Does Belenos usually have fresh tea from Tusa?” he wondered curiously, his thoughts on something of a tangent now as he looked over the shopkeeper. Belenos had sidled quite well into town life here overall, but there were still those little hints here and there that he was not from these parts originally, and Cassair observed him now as if nonchalantly dissecting him. He would prod at Dimel’s mystery later, or in a moment, perhaps; checking out this shop had still been his first, albeit arbitrary, purpose.

Belenos wasn't the only one who was wondering what was the purpose of the Count's visit. The kid had been here, in hiding, otherwise Dimel would have seen him. It was no less than irksome that Dimel hadn't noticed the Count's presence. As he handed the teapot over to Bel his eyes swept the area and he didn't notice any puddles that he couldn't account for by matching them to the patrons that had been in the store. He was an assassin, he was suppose to be alert, aware, observant, and not shown up by a kid fond of illusions. Far too powerful ones at that.

As the chat continued Dimel turned his attention to Cassair who was perching like a bird with his dripping wet cloak. The kid hardly took good care of himself with all of the scratches on his skin, yet he didn't look overly sickly. With his magic, Dimel could guess he would be quite fierce if he needed to be, yet 'kid' suited that airy juvenile look to his face and the pleasant, curious, smile.

"Roasted or salted nuts would taste well if you wanted something salty or crunchy. You know, Belenos, the honey sounds like a good idea. If the Count is hungry, I'd recommend bringing out some apples or pears if you had any too," Dimel added.

He turned his attention back to Cassair, "How have you been?"