isleofavalon | Picture Me Upon Your Knee, Just Tea for Two, and Two for Tea (Magnolia Café Mingle)

🧙 WHO: Makoto Kino and all Magnolia Café employees and customers!
⚔️ WHAT: Café mingle!
🕒 WHEN: Any time during July before the event.
🗺️ WHERE: The Magnolia Café!
⚠️ WARNINGS: Copious amounts of tea and pretty desserts? No real warnings yet, but will add as necessary.

It’s officially summer in Avalon now, and not only that, but Camelot has passed Celliwig’s trials and helped with the solstice rituals to help keep the sun and moon going another year! And of course Naoto and Makoto took the opportunity to go on a shopping spree! What does this mean for the Magnolia Café besides tons of delicious iced teas? The houseplants and flowers decorating the indoor planters and outdoor seating trellises have a few new additions, including bonsai versions of metallic-wrought magnolias and stained-glass dogwoods, blown-glass orchids, and celadon succulents.

The menu also has a few new Celliwig flairs in addition to its usual offerings, including popping juice boba and agar jelly! July’s special tea is a sweet, minty, earthy and tart juice made from red shiso leaves, with a vibrant rose color and refreshing taste perfect for beating the heat! As for the dessert menu, there are not one but two special offers this month: delicate, freshly baked macarons in a variety of colors, or for those wanting a cooler, more substantial dessert, the café is now offering anmitsu with fresh summer fruit, agar jelly cubes and black sugar syrup from Celliwig, and house-churned ice creams based on a selection of teas!

So stop on by, order something refreshing to drink, chat with other customers, or your coworkers if you happen to be an employee! Bottoms up~!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Meanwhile, here Ken was, trying his best to figure out how to manage this new part time job of his. Between trying to figure out how to remember the orders and making sure that the customers were happy, it was definitely a struggle trying to do everything at once. No wonder people say that being a waiter was difficult!

That was why on his break, he just leaned back against his chair and gave a loud sigh. What did he sign up for? He didn't regret getting a job but at the same time? He was starting to question his choices.

Good timing; Makoto's just started her break too, and she takes her tea and tart to sit down next to the boy.

"Hey, Ken-kun~ How's it going?"

Boy looks a little tired.

"It's been going okay." He said before giving another sigh. While his actions might come across as rude, he was tired. However, he couldn't bring himself to be honest with Makoto as he didn't want to disappoint her.

"It's just....been a long day."

"Yeah?" Yeah no, she can hear how heavy that sigh is, time for dishing or... spilling the tea, thank god Makoto's a few decades before that phrase hit the internet. "Long how?"

"Since the start of the day." He said before mumbling a little. "I'm amazing that you and Naoto-san still have the energy to keep at it!"

He was suppose to be younger than them! How did they manage to have the stamina for such a long day?

That gets a light chuckle out of her, but not unkindly.

"I mean Naoto-kun and I are a little older than you, and we've had a lot of practice baking and making tea at home. You'll get there in time, just pace yourself."

Technically this place would be breaking some labor laws back home, letting Ken work like this, but then again she should be in school too, so...

"You really think so? When I see the both of you baking and making tea like it's nothing, it makes me kind of envious." He said with a small sigh. While he knew these things take practice, there was a part of him that hoped it wouldn't be a difficult as it seemed.

That being said, he allowed himself to give a pout. "I wonder how long it took you two to master it."

"Ah well... Naoto-kun and I kind of had to learn fast." Naoto's story isn't hers to share, but... "In my case, I lost my parents at a pretty young age. My mom was already teaching me how to cook and take care of a home, so I just picked up the pace so I could take care of myself."

There weren't any parents mentioned in that dream of her world back at the spring ball, actually...

For a moment, Ken didn't say anything. Instead, he gave a small frown and wondered if he might have said anything insensitive. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know that." Although he had to think of what else to say to ease the current dilemma he was in.

"However, it just means I could learn a thing or two from you right?" He said with a pause or two. "Especially from someone who lost their parents too."

Ah...

"I'm sorry." She gives his shoulder another squeeze. "Yeah, of course you can. That's what we're here for, right?"

In response, Ken shook his head.

"No, it's okay, I'm use to taking care of myself too." Although, he wasn't sure if he was being rude by brushing off her comment. The death of his mother wasn't something he wanted to think about and with that, he figured he should change the subject.

"But anyway, think you can teach me a thing or two about cooking?"

Her smile softens as she nods.

"Anything you want, Ken-kun."

In response, Ken just raised an eyebrow at her. He had to admit, for a moment, he couldn't help but be reminded of a certain someone he knows. He didn't say anything at first and gave her a confused look.

"Then do you think you can help me cook some fried rice? It shouldn't be difficult, right?"

"Oh definitely! Not to mention it's a great use for leftover rice!"

"Then you can show me whenever you can? I don't think it should be too hard to make right?"

He said before tilting his head to the side. Granted, he was only cooking based on the recipes he seen online but it shouldn't be too difficult to make, right?

"Sure thing! Do you live at the apartments still?"

Because she knows how dinky those kitchenettes are, thank goodness Usagi's ex-sorta-boyfriend bought them a house shortly after Makoto arrived.

In response, Ken shook his head.

"No, I live with my teammates now? We live in a house so it's us getting use to living together again." That and with two certain teammates, it sure feels like old times. However, he couldn't tell if that's a good thing or not. "Maybe I should surprise them with some cooking of my own..."

"Yeah, I think that'd be a nice surprise once you get some practice in."

Maybe not quite yet, because she knows how much worse having a new recipe not work out can be when you're expecting to serve it to people.

Picture Me Upon Your Knee, Just Tea for Two, and Two for Tea (Magnolia Café Mingle)

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