[PRP Oba] The Tea Shop Next Door [Arima/Talori]

[Fluffesu]

((Slack RP between Fluffesu and Sabra Knight))

Talori Post 1

It was only just midday, a time Talori always dreaded. Yes, it was the most peaceful time of her day. It meant she could evacuate school grounds for just a while and head to the tea shop immediately next door to enjoy a quiet, soothing lunch break, where her peers weren't likely to bother her and she could spend the moments daydreaming about what her life could have been like if her father and sisters were still around... It was peaceful, and she hated it. Whenever she took a seat in the little shop, she always struggled to get back up and return to her class.

No one would miss her if she went home for the day, or even spent it wandering the markets. She could 'skip' the rest of her afternoon entirely and it wouldn't matter to anyone. Except she was frightened of falling behind.

The years had made it such that she felt like she had something to prove. She still hated the class, and everyone in it hated her, but they ought to know she was better than them. She would prove it, and they would see. It was the only thing that kept her returning to her classes after lunch each day.

Lori decided not to let her mind wander too far off this day. She'd brought her notebook, and if she started her script assignments now, there would be less to do when she returned home in the evening. She flipped the book open, took out a quill and set to writing as neatly as she could while she waited for one of the shop servers to come by.

Being in the nicer part of the city that it was meant that the prices of drinks here weren't the cheapest. Lori had no means of income, herself, and had to rely on her mother's good graces to provide coin for pleasantries like tea. Which she did. Once a week. If Lori tried to take her break here without coin to spend, they would send her away, refusing to allow a Matori female to take up space in the shop, if she wasn't a paying customer. So Talori only came only once a week when she had money to spend.

Like today. Or-

Her fingers flew to her breast pocket just as a server came to her table. It was the day she usually asked her mother to spend just a little extra, but her mornings could be so rushed, and she didn't always remember all that she ought to... She hadn't asked Malila for money, and so had not been granted any. Her cheeks heated as she stared at the server, and the woman, seeming to realize there was some sort of situation, asked more hesitantly than usual, "Can I get you anything...?"

She considered ordering her usual mug of tea, anyway, and just seeing how it would play out, but she liked this shop, and didn't want to be barred from future entries. "I, ah... I seem to have forgotten my money at home today, so..."  

[Fluffesu]

Arima Post 1

"She will be sharing a blooming lotus tea with me." A clear yet gentle voice came from behind the server, "That is unless she wanted something else." A pale gold gaze peered over the server's shoulder and towards the younger Matori girl. Dressed in layers of fine silks with gold pieces in her hair the mage looked like any Oban noble minus one thing - her race. But the shop apparently was accustomed to the sight of the pale Matori woman as the server automatically bowed her head respectfully.

"Miss Arima...I didn't realize this was a guest of yours..." She began with doubt laced in her voice. Yet one look from Arima stalled any further comments, "I'll prepare your usual snacks but for two while you decide on the rest."

As the server disappeared Arima pulled out the other chair to the table and sat down, "Forgive me for abruptly joining you but I happened to notice that you seemed a bit at loss just now." She crossed her legs ever so slightly at the ankle as she settled into the seat, "I hope it wasn't too bold of me to intrude, but you seemed so content that I didn't want them to push you to leave." Arima had a small smile, "As a scholar of sorts myself I enjoy noticing someone being so studious. I couldn't resist helping out."  

[Fluffesu]

Talori Post 2

They would have, Talori noted quickly. As the woman took the chair opposite her, Lori had to concede that she would have been removed from the shop if not for the other woman joining her. But that in itself was something else, wasn't it? For all the times Lori had visited this little tea shop herself, she did not recognize the other Matori, and she surely would have if she'd seen her even once.

With unnaturally pale skin and hair, she would've stuck out even among those of her native island nation. More than that, though, Talori couldn't believe that she was being treated with such respect. She'd assumed being different was looked down upon as if it was a sin, and being Matori here had certainly never won Lori any favors.

A spear of frustration threatened to twist her features. Why could this woman get away with it when she could not?

But she glanced back to her notebook, and schooled the expression away. Uninvited stranger or not, the older Matori girl had stepped in to help Talori when she'd needed it... There was no point in being upset at her. Besides, maybe she'd worked hard and built the reputation for herself. It would be worth more respect than frustration, if that were the case.

So, breathing a slow breath, she lifted her gaze back to the woman. "Thank you for stepping in. I'm only able to come to this shop once a week, so I do enjoy the time I can spend here... Usually my classes keep me very busy." She smoothed a hand over the messy braid that tied her bangs and tried to neaten in. It was true that she wouldn't look poor in the expensive hand-me-down uniform from her school that Malila had purchased, but it still wouldn't do to look lesser than this woman while in her presence.

"Er, my name is Talori, and you are...?"  

[Fluffesu]

Arima Post 2

"Quaint little shop, isn't it?" Arima glanced around thoughtfully, "I used to frequent here often but in the past couple of years only get to stop in on the evenings or during a rare afternoon like today."

Arima nodded her head at the thanks, "You are most welcome. Believe it or not..." She glanced around before lowering her voice, "I understand that sometimes situations can be tough on Matori in this area." Arima crinkled her nose in distaste, "You think they would be over it by now, but I've had a few conflicts here and there still." Her cheeks flushed lightly as she forced a smile, "Look at me rambling. I was just so excited to see a young Matori studying here...now I just seem strange don't I?"

"Let me try again. My name is Arima and it's a pleasure to meet you Talori. If there's anything in particular you like to have feel free to order it. I owe you for interrupting your quiet moment after all."  

[Fluffesu]

Talori Post 3

She did believe it. Even though years and years had passed since the war between their peoples, the older generations of both races still had discriminatory tendencies. As far as Talori was concerned, Obans had never been kind, and Matori citizens were far from inclined to forget as much. Because of that, racism persisted. Children mimicked their parents and then ended up teaching their own offspring the same. Undoing generations of slavery was not something that could be tackled in the span of a few years, perhaps not even her entire lifetime...

"I don't live in this area of the city," Talori admitted. "My mother and I live, well, a bit farther to the south. It isn't quite as bad in our neighborhood, and I don't often have to deal with crass behaviors when I'm at home. But I go to school here." She gestured toward a window, where the side of the building could be seen. "I'm the only Matori girl in my class, so most of my peers tend to take issue with that."

But she likely didn't need to go into more detail than that. Arima probably understood without as much being said.

"You don't seem strange at all. At least, not for interrupting me." Stranger was her clothes and her voice and posture... She acted as though she were as proud as any noble. "And you owe me nothing. If anything, I owe you for saving me from being kicked out... It would've been so embarrassing, and I wouldn't want to give my classmates the chance to see any such thing. You said you were 'something of a scholar,' yourself, so did you go to school here? Or in Matori perhaps?"

"I've still never been out of Oba, so I can't help but think it would be so much nicer over there. And maybe the subjects would feel more relevant."  

[Fluffesu]

Arima Post 3

"Ah, I see." So their situations were a bit different after all yet Arima still reflected on all the times her Oban mother had brought her to gatherings and how the daughters of other noble houses tended to have strong opinions about her presence there. Just reflecting upon it made Arima want to sigh, "At least you can go home away from it. School here?" Blinking Arima glanced towards the window, "I see." Did the girl have a sponsor or simply a hard working family? Either way Arima was intrigued, "You know they have more bark than bite at times...as long as you don't turn your back on them. Snippy comments and a few small pranks can be easily countered." She pursed her lips, "Yet you have to be cautious of your own actions..." Arima shook her head, "Just keep your chin up no matter what may happen you are getting a great opportunity and they don't matter."

Her gaze lowered towards the table sheepishly, "Sorry. I suppose I had some experiences myself that make me riled up when speaking of them." She waved a hand as it to dismiss it. It wasn't like she could preach change into those girls. That much she remembered from her own experiences.

"I'm glad to have been of assistance then." Arima smiled with faint amusement at the question before shaking her head, "My mother was too protective to allow me to go to school so she hired private tutors instead. When I was older I discovered I had magic so I went into apprenticeship under an Oban healer and have been working with him and the army ever since. Lately I'm at home in the city since I have little ones to care for and with the Dretch it eases my mother's mind to keep me close at home." Her mother...how did one even go about mentioning that their mother was a wealthy Oban noble again? Arima opted to skirt around that fact for the time being. She didn't wish to bore the other girl with her life story after all.

"I actually..." Here Arima found herself flushing, "Have never had the chance to go to Matori. I do hear it is lovely and have often wished to go but my duties kept me back." She forced a small smile, "Though I don't want to completely agree about the lessons. All education is helpful as long so you utilize it to fit your needs. Though if you are wishing to do something more Matori or ocean inclined I could see physically being there as an asset. However reading is reading no matter where you are. Same goes for writing and numbers." Arima rubbed the back of her neck with a soft chuckle, "Watch me go in like this. Maybe I should have been a teacher..."  

[Fluffesu]

Talori Post 4

Well, it was true that she could return home at the end of each school day, but to Talori being away from it for however short a period of time was not the same as being entirely unburdened by the jibes, jeers, and laughter of her peers... Yes, she was free of them in her own home, but it was almost worse, she thought, to have a comfortable, safe space away from them, only to be forced to return each day... If the Oban students would treat her with the same sort of steely indifference and competitive nature that they treated each other, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

But to them, she was not worth even that much effort. One Matori girl was nothing. She was worthless, going nowhere, not a threat, or an interest. Just a nuisance. A distraction. They thought she was in their way, but could easily be pushed aside. Lori still waited for the day when she could prove them wrong.

And somehow Arima managed to say the same things as her mother. 'A great opportunity.' Talori pinched her lip hard in her teeth and returned her attention momentarily to her notebook, where she scratched down a few sentences with her quill. She wanted to demand of this woman what 'opportunity' she thought she was getting. Why was it an opportunity to learn with a bunch of stuck-up Oban children who didn't want her around? It was true that it was an education, but she could get that anywhere, and surely it would be passable for whatever she came to decide she'd do with herself in the future!

But Arima didn't need to hear all that.

From just her looks, she probably understood more than anyone else Lori had ever spoken to how difficult it could be trying to make her way up in this world... However, if she was a mother, with children and parents, and private tutors... Something about the way it was all said made Talori think Arima had never felt quite as alone as Lori did now. Her father and sisters had moved away. She had no friends. The people she saw on a daily basis hated her... It was hard, and she had trouble believing the 'opportunity' was worth it.

"If it is the same regardless of where you are, it seems less than beneficial to endure added stresses of strife and cruelty," Lori muttered softly. "But... Perhaps in a few years I'll be given a chance to explore elsewhere. My father lives in Jauhar with my sisters, so I'm hopeful he'll let me visit very soon."  

[Fluffesu]

Arima Post 4

Arima's gaze softened, "You do have a point but I would guess that no matter where you go there is always some form of trouble. Nothing is paradise after all." She shook her head, "I just try to find something positive and rely on that."

She smiled, "That sounds delightful. I would love to go and see another country. I hope you can go." As she spoke the server returned and placed plates of delicate sweets on their table, little pastries and some cookies that melted in ones mouth, "Thank you." Arima gestured towards the snacks, "Feel free to try some. I shouldn't be eating so much on my own...no matter how tempting it seems."

"So do you have any interest or ideas about what you want to learn outside of Oban guidelines and typical education?" Arima asked with a slightly teasing smile, "Unless of course you simply plan on excelling in the etiquette of the Oban nobles."  

[Fluffesu]

Talori Post 5

Perhaps it was true that trouble was all around and could be made just about anywhere, but to Talori, being here felt like it was others consistently pushing trouble on her. Her mother insisted she go to a school with children and teachers who disliked (maybe even hated) her, her father and siblings had abandoned her, and if that wasn't enough, she didn't even consider Oba her homeland.

Somehow, it would just be better in Matori. The people there would not look at her like she was trash, Lori was certain of that.

But Matori wasn't even her goal. She wanted to go to the place where the rest of her family was. It wasn't fair that they all moved away and left her behind and were probably enjoying themselves a great deal more than she was... Jauhar, before she went to Matori, she would go to Jauhar, and maybe never come back. "But I've heard it's dangerous," Lori admitted with a stiff shrug. "Because we're in the desert now with few towns between here and there, travel is hard, and the jungle is no cakewalk, either, from what I've read!"

At the introduction of food to their table, Talori could not help but be immediately mesmerized. She'd never ordered anything to eat from here, before... She couldn't afford it. Arima hardly had the invitation from her mouth before Lori's fingers snatched a little cookie from a plate and drew it toward herself as though she expected it might be stolen from her. Without hesitation, she popped it into her mouth and hummed in quiet delight. Nothing cold match her father's cooking, of course, but these treats did taste a bit sweeter just from having something usually out of reach.

"Ah, no," Lori admitted once she'd swallowed. "To be honest, I'm not sure what I'd need any of this for... If I could be a... a world traveler, or a pelt-collecting huntress, or even a fisherman, that'd be enough for me."  

[Fluffesu]

Arima Post 5

Arima smiled with amusement, "Dangerous? Oh yes I definitely would agree with that. Though what country isn't?" She accepted a small tea cup and watched as the server poured hot water into it. Inside curled 'pearls' made up of herbs and flowers began to bloom as the hot water soaked into them. "I suppose I tend to forget about such things. I serve as a healer for an army unit that often tends to attract all sorts of trouble."

As Talori ate the food Arima smiled. At least she could be helpful to the younger girl. If anything she remembered her own struggles with trying to match Oban nobles. She was fortunate that her mother had kept her from the school. Admittedly that was a much darker time since Arima's childhood was right when slavery was still going on in earnest. Thoughtfully Arima's fingers went to touch her neck where once before her favorite necklace had lingered. How was she , someone so sheltered from the world, to realize that her mother had given that to her so others wouldn't try to steal her as a slave?

At least times were better now. Arima focused on Talori before grabbing a treat for herself, "Seems simple enough." Arima chewed on a pastry thoughtfully, "Only time will tell. Who knows where you will end up? That's the beauty of youth after all."  

[Fluffesu]

Talori Post 6

With a thoughtful hum, Talori collected another cookie and ate it a bit slower as she mulled over her answer. "Yes," she agreed after a moment. "I suppose most places are. But even if Oba is dangerous, it is a familiar danger, and one we have learned to handle and be wary of in our years living here. Jauhar's whole terrain, it's whole country is so different than the desert we live in now. Visiting there would involve uncovering new methods to cope with new struggles. Survival there is a whole 'nother tactic than survival here..."

Her lips pursed, and she squinted at the bitten cookie now in her fingers. It sounded like she was arguing on the same side as her mother, now. Malila was frightened of anything that may lay beyond Oba's borders, and Talori did understand that on some level, but that didn't stop her from wanting to see those places, particularly when the rest of her family had already achieved survival there. So far.

"An army unit?" Talori repeated, her brows creasing as she considered Arima's words. She knew military was something Oba prided itself on, and that there were families who'd served it for generations.

But there were no wars left to fight, and no enemies left to face that would require the force of a battalion to stop them. Pride and tradition or not, she didn't understand why Oba still sported an 'army' at all, let alone one needing multiple units and healers. "Can I ask if there's been any trouble lately that you've been called to attend to?"  

[Fluffesu]

Arima Post 6

Arima nodded, "A valid argument." She replied thoughtfully. This student was rather impressive to the healer. It would have been a shame to pass education on this girl, not that she would tell her that considering the girl's current expressions against going to school in Oba. "Yet from a tactical advantage if you forever stay in your comfort zone then how would you ever learn more about those around you? Especially if they can prove dangerous one day?" Arima shook her head, "Not that I would ever wish another war upon anyone. I simply believe that sometimes you must expand your knowledge despite the risks. It's how we function and survive...by adapting to new things."

Ah, there was some reaction to her occupation revelation. At the question Arima picked up a cookie and simply twirled it in her fingers, "Bandits, patrols, matters such as those. We function more to defend against possible threats, especially now that those monsters have appeared." Her expression shifted, "Sadly it seems even in a world that is supposedly at peace there will always be some threat or dabger to disturb it so the army continues to try its best to protect the people."

She blinked as an afterthought and glanced to Talori, "Why do you ask?"  

[Fluffesu]

Talori Post 7

She really had been arguing from something closer to her mother's standpoint rather than her own. Talori held up a hand to pause Arima's words as she quickly shook her head. "I do not want to forever stay in my comfort zone!" She assured quickly. "It's my mother that doesn't want to leave, though I admittedly don't think it's because she's frightened of the people in Jauhar or what they're capable of..." Lori herself wasn't especially concerned of needing a 'tactical advantage' over Shifters, either.

"It's just that... my mother is near-blind, so it is difficult for her to navigate new places well, and I imagine it would be near impossible in Jauhar, given how dark the forests are said to be, and how uneven and treacherous the terrain..." Not that she needed Malila's guidance. Talori didn't know why she couldn't journey to the jungles on her own, for just a little while... To see her father and sisters.

As their conversation went back to the army, Talori's gaze darted up to Arima's, then quickly away. Perhaps it was unfair, since she'd never suffered as much as her ancestors, but she still found that she didn't really trust Obans with their armies. For a war-minded people to be allowed to keep any great amount of military after the lives they'd ruined with their idea of conquest...

Talori didn't much understand.

What she did understand was how downplayed the atrocities were in her school books. Her father had always had much to say about Oban cruelty, and it contrasted wildly with the information she was presented in her studies. Never midn that she actually lived among their children and could see with her own two eyes how they detested her. She didn't trust Obans. She trusted their armies even less.

"No reason," Lori murmured softly, rather than admit such a thing to the woman who worked with them. "Curiosity, I suppose."  

[Fluffesu]

Arima Post 7

Her gaze widening in surprise the woman halted as TalorI held up her hand. So she was repeating her mother's words and not her own? A protective mother...that was something Arima knew well. Her expression did soften at the explanation, "I see. Why Jahaur? Does she not wish to visit Matori? Surely it isn't so dangerous as Jahaur and I hear the ocean breeze is a wonderful thing." Why not start with small steps? Just easing into the world little by little.

Arima's gaze narrowed as she studied the other girl thoughtfully. Still instead of pursuing, as typical to her own curious nature, the woman simply lifted her cup of tea. "Your tea will get cold, you should try it." She commented lightly before pausing again, "You know I never thought highly of many after finding out the truth of Oba but after working with this unit for so long...it's interesting to see how despite their rough exterior they do care about others. Though at first they loved to have at a nobles daughter who is also a Matori. I learned that their teases simply meant affection after a whole though."  

[Fluffesu]

Talori Post 8

Lori groaned softly and rolled her shoulders noncommittally. "There's nothing in Matori for her," she retorted. "My mama isn't the adventurous type, so going to far away places just to go to them isn't really enjoyable for her. Plus, she has a job she needs to tend to if she wants to keep having any money to send me to this school..." As much as she hated to admit it, Talori did understand a little of where her mother was coming from. They did have lives here, and Malila worked so hard to fulfill all their family's needs.

It was just that Talori wanted more. She wanted to be with the other half of her family. She wanted to know her sisters and experience the world in more ways than through a schoolbook. Maybe she was a little young to want for so much, but here she just felt smothered and unpleasantly restricted.

One day, she would go to Jauhar. She just needed to survive this first.

With a brisk nod of realization that she did want to taste the tea, it was why she'd come, after all, Lori allowed herself to lapse into silence and drew the cup to her lips. It was a more expensive, decorated variety than what she could usually afford to order here, and one she'd never had before. It tasted almost perfumey in its flowery fragrance, and that somehow wasn't... bad? It felt like it should be. It sounded like it should be. But it wasn't.

Her green lashes flicked up and her glance went back to Arima again. "You could never claim to say something so simple and encompass an entire race," she muttered. "'They do care about others.' 'Their teases simply mean affection.' Even if it's true for some, it isn't true for all, and it certainly isn't true of anyone I've been dealing with." Lori scoffed. Affection? From these noble wannabe brats? She doubted they had affection for anyone, especially not the one odd-girl-out among them.