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

[roseeclair]

🧙 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~!

Comments

OTA

[roseeclair]

Makoto can be found here starting early in the morning, of course. Those pastries aren't going to bake themselves, and the colder treats like the ice creams and agar need time to set as well. Not to mention all the plants need to be cared for, and customers to greet once things open up--actually maybe she could use a hand with some of those things. Still, Makoto doesn't feel stressed at all; she likes being busy, and she's happy that the place Naoto's worked so hard on is taking off. The whole time she's working, or even on break with a cup of rose tea and a pastry (usually cherry flavored), it's hard to find her without a smile on her face or even humming a little tune.

OTA

[divinereaper]

Naoto’s the earliest to arrive, rivaling Makoto. He’s got a limitation of a missing arm, so he’s working harder than most, especially because it’s his place, and he’s got teas to blend and mix. With the new decor and month, Naoto’s mood really can’t be ruined by anything, even stress. Find him experimenting with tea blends, cleaning up, or just enjoying some down time with tea and a slice of tart.

[suiseinosenshi]

Ami steps into the cafe, breathing in the heavenly scent of Makoto's baking. Nothing was better than Makoto's food, that's for sure.

She looks around the cute cafe, noting the use of greenery. It has a wonderful vibe to it. Ami's sure she's going to be spending a lot of time here between classes.

She spies Makoto flittering around behind the counter.

"Mako-chan, this place is wonderful! Have you been busy today?" Hopefully she has time to take a break. If not, that's fine, Ami understands completely.

Ami is also eyeing off those macarons...

[whatsamada]

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.

[starshower]

[Tifa stops by the café in the later hours of the morning after scoping out some of the area. Even after a month's passed, she still doesn't feel like she's seen everything she's wanted to, including this cute little café tucked away in one of Camelot's streets. She peers inside first, observing the humble and welcoming atmosphere through the window before she steps inside. The decorative plants catch her eye, and she's slow moving towards the counter while she takes it all in.

It's cute. She'll have to remember to come by here more often.

The girl behind the counter is swooping this way and that, humming away and keeping herself busy, so Tifa will wait until she has a moment, or when their eyes finally meet to flash Makoto a smile and lean her elbows on the counter.]

Red shiso leaves, huh? [She's eyeing the special drink on the menu. She's never really been much of a tea-drinker, and when she was, it was mostly the generic teas that she could easily find in the slums of Midgar... which weren't many.] Never heard of them. What's it taste like?

[roseeclair]

Honestly, perfect timing, Ami, Makoto had just finished setting things up so one of the other coworkers could take over while she had her break. She immediately lights up and waves as Ami walks in.

"Hey, Ami-chan~! And yeah, a little, but I don't mind one last customer before break." Wink~ "What can I get for you?"

She sees you eyeing those macarons.

[roseeclair]

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.

[roseeclair]

[Oh hey, a new customer~! It's not too long of a wait since Makoto keeps one eye out for the counter as she does her tasks.]

Hey, welcome to the Magnolia Café~! [As for the questions...] Shiso leaves are a plant related to mint and basil and other herbs in the same family, and they come in a lot of colors. So the juice has that same sort of minty flavor, but it's also kind of earthy and tart, and we add some sugar as we brew it for sweetness. If you've ever had hibiscus tea, it's kind of like that!

[Midgar would be absolute hell for her, especially with only one decent source of plants in the city.]

[tempredmental]

Keith had been meaning to check this place out. Karaoke wasn't really his thing, but a small café he could definitely do, so he popped in to see the latest once it was open for business for the day. Eyeing the menu, he realized that some of this stuff was definitely Japanese in flair, but that made sense. Being friends with Shiro for so long now had given Keith a sort of peripheral awareness of certain Japanese things, and Makoto was also Japanese, so he wasn't surprised to see her leaning on what she knew.

He frowned a bit, though, at one of the dessert options, the confusion obvious on his face.

"What's 'agar jelly'?"

[roseeclair]

"Oh hey, Keith!" Let her just finish wiping this down and make her way over. "So agar jelly is made using agar-agar, which is kind of like gelatin except it's made from seaweed. Looking at the anmitsu?"

[starshower]

I haven't, but it sounds delicious. [She lifts a finger.] I'll take one, please!

[But she doesn't seem to be done picking things out just yet! She came in for a snack too, and the macarons look appetizing. Something she could easily take home in a box and save for later when the craving hits again, too.

While she mulls over the dessert selection, she brings up the tea again, just to make conversation.]

There isn't a lot of different teas where I'm from. At least, not in the lower parts of the city. It was pretty hard to come by, so this is all new to me. Most of the time, it'd just be regular green tea. None of these special flavours.

[worldsokayestdad]

Kratos is another one of those early risers that comes into work at the crack of dawn, mostly because he has no life outside of work and quests. He's not the most social guy ever, usually just briefly greeting the other employees before busying himself with opening duties until opening time. He's finished with his tasks earlier than usual today though, and not wanting to just stand around until it's time to open up, he tries to make himself useful.

He finds Makoto doing whatever it is that she's doing, trying not to seem too awkward as he approaches. He's not the best at basic human interaction ok.

"Excuse me. I'm a bit ahead of schedule today, is there anything you could use some assistance with?"

[whatsamada]

"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."

[roseeclair]

[And off she goes to pour Tifa a shiso tea, once she confirms whether the young woman wants it for here or to go.

Oh awesome! In that case, we have plenty to try out; Naoto-kun blends all the teas himself. [She's so proud of her boyfriend~] We also have lots of treats to go with them in you're interested.

[Don't think she doesn't notice you eyeing the macarons~ There are quite a few flavors to choose from too.]

[roseeclair]

"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?"

[roseeclair]

Ah, right, Kratos. She's been curious about him, but he's always been on the quiet side and focused on work, and the cafe usually required a lot of attention to keep running. She's pleased as he approaches, giving him a warm smile and nod.

"Yeah, sure thing. How much of a baker are you?"

[inemeraldfaith]

Aerith, surprisingly (or perhaps not so surprisingly) rarely leaves her flower shop except when she's making deliveries. She's heard many a thing about the Magnolia Café, however, and can't resist poking her head in to take a look around. It's a cosy, welcoming sort of environment and it doesn't take her long for the rest of her to follow.

She's here to visit Makoto today and maybe steal her for some time if she can manage to spare it, but the first order of business is to greet all of the plants that Makoto has on display. And eventually, she makes her way over to her real priority.

"Did you make everything here?" After a pause, she points to Makoto's collection of various pastries. "Those, I mean."

[tempredmental]

"Uh, yeah..." Though... seaweed jelly? He frowned a bit, almost wrinkling his nose. He grew up in the desert of a landlocked state. Seaweed anything wasn't something he'd had very often. "That uh... that sounds weird. No offense." Granted, he'd try almost anything once, though, if she could talk him into it. It probably wouldn't take much. He'd eaten some pretty weird stuff over the last several years of his life... downright alien, to be honest.

[starshower]

[It'll be after a small bout of consideration before she decides it'll be to stay. She wants to soak in every bit of this place that she can!

Tifa's cheeks flush when Makoto points out the treats—oops, she's been caught! Sweets were always her favourite thing to bake back at Seventh Heaven, so naturally she's more drawn to them everywhere else, too! How long has it been since she's had one of these?]

I'm all ears. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in these macarons, though... but I wouldn't mind an expert opinion.

[worldsokayestdad]

He's a little more talkative with the customers, at least. A little. He kind of sucks at small talk, which is most of the reason why he doesn't really like. Chat. With anybody. It's not because he's unfriendly, he's just awkward.

"Passable, at least. As long as I have direction, I do well enough."

[whatsamada]

"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?

[roseeclair]

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...

[roseeclair]

[One tall, cold glass it is, not needing much ice since it's already chilled, leaving more room for the drink. And a little red shiso leaf for garnish.]

Well, the expert is extremely biased... but the macarons are pretty amazing. Naoto-kun makes them himself! Then again, so are most of are offerings! Im the mood for a particular flavor?

[roseeclair]

Keith, you lived off goo that tasted of raw okra and blue-green algae for months, you'll be fine.

"Uh... none taken?" No, really, she's not offended, just a little puzzled. Japan uses a lot of different forms of seaweed in its cooking. Island nation. "It doesn't add a taste to the jelly at all, really. And we just use water and a little sugar to make it, so it's a nice, smooth palate cleaner to the other parts of the anmitsu."

[roseeclair]

"Perfect!" Right now she's working on apple tarts, so she scooches a bowl of Granny Smiths over to him. "If you could peel these and cut them into thin slices, that'd be great."

She'll keep one eye on him as starts working on the dough, just in case he needs help or corrections.