Tea for the Curious [Open to One]

    Saffron looked up as the little bell above the door jangled, to see the tall broad shouldered man walk in. Still in his motorcycle helmet, Saffron couldn't see his face, and couldn’t help but feel slightly alarmed. He carried a slight smell of gunpowder, largely overshadowed by the smell of burnt leather. There was also a faint tint of the smell of blood. Which worried her even more. His jacket, which she assumed was authentic leather, had a toasted look, like it had been burned. Aside from that, he looked like he belonged in a bar on the dock side and she pondered asking him if he was utterly lost for a moment.

But then he asked her to set him up with a tea. Surprise me, he said.

Saffron had a feeling that her lazy afternoon had just gone out the window.

    “I can certainly do that.” She said cheerfully, as though his somewhat terrifying presence did not bother her. From the shelving under the register, she pulled a small sign that read “AT LUNCH”. She set it on top of the counter, but made no move to do anything else with it.

    “Why don’t you come around here and sit, and make yourself comfortable.” Saffron told him, motioning with a hand to the delicate looking, backed, white washed stools that served as her counter chairs. Each was fitted with a nice plush cushion.

She paid him no attention for a moment, as she turned and looked through her giant shelf of teas and dried components.

    “Here, I take pride in crafting my own tea, with my own specail flavors. Some of these plants I grow myself.” Saffron began giving him the standard new customer tea speel. She twirled a lock of brunette hair that had escaped from her messy updo between two fingers as she decided what tea to make. “A customer can request a classic tea, one of my house blends, or I can craft an entirely unique tea for them.”

    Finally, her decision made, she set to work, using a small stool to retrieve several bins and boxes from the various levels of shelving before moving over to the brewing station. The much loved kettle was filled with water after the acquired boxes and bins were set on the counter and she turned up the heat. As the water warmed, she packed a diffuser with pinches from each little bin and box. The kettle whistled and she moved it from the heat to a waiting hotpad. She dropped the diffuser in and turned to recollect the boxes and bins.

    “That’ll take a moment to steep, but when it's done it’ll be nice and sweet. Would you like milk or sugar in your tea? I have almond and soy milk, if you’d like?” She asked as she returned the boxes and bins to their places.

    While she had bustled making the tea, he had sat. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, as his helmet had remained on.
    “Almond milk it is.” She said cheerfully as she swooped to get into the mini fridge that lived under the counter, extracting the container and setting it on the counter top.
    He’s a very large man, she thought to herself, and because of the fact, she found a teacup that was a little bigger than normal. She didn’t use the set often because it’s large size was off putting to most of her patrons. It was a lovely set, a soft blue adorned with fitting water lilies. She pulled a cup and saucer from the set and set it on the counter. A serving of almond milk was poured into a smaller serving vessel and that and a little dish mounded over with sugar cubes were set on the edges of the counter near him. She poured the tea and artfully slid the cup and saucer over the counter in a manner that suggested years of practice.
    “It’s not really that difficult. It isn’t a large shop, and I have a camera system.” She giggled. “And this way I never have to worry about employee drama. Since it’s just me, I know my customers are getting the best service I can offer.”
Saffron turned and walked over and retrieved her own tea and stool. She sat, opposite the counter from him.
    “That's chamomile with honey suckle and raspberry. Not a blend I keep made, but wonderful for relaxing.” She took a sip of her own tea.
    “Are you injured?” She asked, her blue eyes focusing softly on his helmeted head.

    “Am I supposed to call the police?” She asked. Taking a sip of her own tea, contemplating his ages from the glimpses of his mouth and chin that she had caught when he took a sip of tea, she leaned in. With the added width his helmet added to his head, her forehead was only about an inch from the visor of the helmet.

    “Am I supposed to be scared?”

    Saffron kept a serious face long enough to set her teacup down. Then burst into uncontrollable laughter.

    “Oh, sweet Goddess…...I haven’t…...laughed so hard….in ages.” She gasped out between bursts of laughter.

    “Sit, sit!” She said, waving him back to the chair, still laughing.

    It took a solid minute and a half before she got control of herself.

    “If I wanted to call the police, I would have done it when a big man in a bike helmet and a burnt leather jacket that smelled like blood walked into my shop.” She told him, grinning like a fox.

    “Want a scone? I have raspberry and lemon.” She asked. It had indeed been a very long time since Saffron had laughed so hard. Or even laughed. She was giving the curious air that it didn’t really bother her that much that he was a criminal. And it was entirely possible she didn’t mind one bit.

    “Lemon it is.” She said swooping over to the other end of the counter to extract the covered pastry.

    “That depends entirely on your definition of criminal.” She returned, uncovered the pastry and set it in front of him. “You don’t scare me. I’ve met much more terrifying people.” She grinned.

    “Would you like a fork?”

    “Well, if you have to be CAUGHT breaking the law, then I guess I don’t qualify as a criminal.” Saffron said with a grin. “So what in the world made you decide to pop into my little shop? It seems to me that you're the kinda guy that would go for a straight shot of Tequila over a nice hot cup of tea.”

    Saffron leaned over the counter.

    “Would you like another scone? That one’s getting personal with the inside of your stomach awfully fast.”