Tea

Txo Sighed. It had been a long day. When the tea shop first came into his hands, courtesy of his uncle, it had been a poor run down place. He could never have imagined turning paying customers away, but he had today, as he had for several weeks now. Everyone wanted tea.

It wasn't just that everyone wanted tea though. Txo suspected that he could serve warm water and people would still come. They wanted the serenity of the tea shop. The quiet moments of curling steam. They wanted the warmth and comfort only a tea cup can provide. Txo's were metal. They stayed warm for a long long long time. It was the atmosphere that had changed since his uncle's death, that was all.

He was afraid to move shop. Afraid that any small change might alter the perfect balance he seemed to have found. He had the money. He could move to the inner circle if he so chose. Txo sighed again. Rich customers are not good customers. The rich have exotic pets and dangerous Tszainkins. Perhaps just a bigger shop, or perhaps he would stay here and continue turning people away.

A tap on the glass. Txo turns to see a little girl.

"We're closed! Come back tomorrow for some yummy tea!" Txo shouts. The girl turns and walks away.

He winced. There was nothing worse than turning people away. Poor kid, she probably didn't have parents, and she certainly didn't have shoes. He went to the door and leaned out,

"hey kid?"

"Ya?" her accent is blood court, with just a hint of shadow.

"Hey - I'm closed right now but I've dishes need doing if you want to get your hands in hot water - and I'll pay you in tea."

The girl's eyes light up and she breaks into a wide misaligned grin. "Ya!" She runs back and into the shop stomping snow off her bare feet and shaking it out of her snarled black hair. Txo offers a cup of tea. She sits down gratefully. Small hands cupping the big metal cup. Steam curls quietly as she thaws. It mingles with the steam from the cup. Txo busies himself with wiping down tables and lets her warm a little by the fire.

"Do you believe in dragons?"

The little girl's voice startles him. He looks up briefly, towel pausing only a moment before resuming. "I think anything is possible. - What's your name little girl?"

"Zia - I think you might just have a dragon problem here."

"Well little Zia, if I have a dragon problem it doesn't seem terribly problematic to me. Are you about ready to wash some dishes?"

The little girl puts down her cup and follows him into the back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I could almost smell it. Curled somewhere, nostrils smoking. Hiding. Where was it hiding? I am patient. I waited as well, but I am not so patient as a dragon. How old is this one? Ten thousand? More? There are few beings in the world that make me feel young. Dragons make me feel young.

Still - I have a job to do. The kind tea master offered me warmth, and who am I, wearing the skin of an orphan, to refuse? Good guy. I pause washing for a moment and pad over to the pantry, open a bottle of nut butter, and drop an egg sized gemstone in. If I'm not much mistaken he makes a habit of this. He'll never know it was me.

"Zia - what are you doing in the pantry?" Of course he'd come check in on me now.

"Looking for dragons." He doesn't believe me. I open my mouth and show my pockets to prove I haven't stolen anything. He lets me get back to washing. Now he'll know it was me.

I wash dishes. I can smell it. Where is it hiding? How is it hiding? In the middle of my city, there's a dragon and it's hiding. Txo checks in on me a few more times. I act like a normal orphan girl, dreading the cold night and washing as slow as I can. This tea shop suddenly became wildly popular since the man moved in. Maybe he has something to do with it.

I pause my washing and decide to look. A gesture sends a thousand soap bubbles into the air around me, another practiced motion, this one inside, fills each with a picture. Each a possible future. I make a decision and watch what happens. Make another and watch that one as well.

A hand grabs me from behind and slams me into the wooden floor.

"Who are you?" Txo's eyebrows are fierce.

"A girl looking for a dragon."

"Why?" His tone is fierce. "What have dragons done wrong?"

"They aren't allowed here."

"Why?" His eyes are fierce "What is wrong with making people happy by selling tea?"

I'm confused. "There's nothing wrong."

"Then why don't you leave me alone?!" His claws are fierce.

My eyes grow wide.

"Who are you?" His tail lashes angrily and I see my newly washed teacups clatter to the floor. I reach out with a gesture and grab them, pulling them into bright metal bands that I send to pin his tail. With my other hand I bring the wooden floor back to life, sprouting shoots that wrap around his claws. He's a little larger than the kitchen now and I hear the roof begin to splinter.

"That's impossible." He breaths "Wood and metal are mortal enemies. No Tszain could master both!"

I meet his eyes. He shudders as he realizes. I see the anger as it releases, leaving nothing save fear.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No one seems to know what happened. People on the street say the shop simply exploded, sending wood shards and roof tile as far as neighboring fire court. The people in fire court are angry about the damages, but then the people in fire court always are. Our court took the damage with a more resigned tone. Life happens. No one was hurt, or at least no one so bad the blood Tszains on duty couldn't fix them in a heartbeat. Still the mystery remains.

That's my job. Kzakiel Morningblaze detective extraordinaire . Well, mediocre detective more like, but part of the guard nonetheless. I'd been brought in to look at the damages and assess the cause. Severe, and unknown respectively. I was also supposed to question witnesses and look for suspects. We can't just have buildings blowing up randomly now can we? I hate my job.

First witness. Young man, probably a halfbreed from the mountains with his strawberry hair and chest that could fight an air Tszain for oxygen and win. His voice annoys me.

"Just happened like that sir. Here I was walking by and boom. I hear a crunch. I  stop and look. I hear the roof crackling like its about to burst. And it does sir! And it does!" He looks pleased with himself, as if he deserves a treat now. It's not just his voice then. I send him away.

Eww. Second witness practically oozes false charm. This one is also wearing the dark colors of the shadow court. "Noble sir -- Well -- Here I was walking along minding my own business -" Translation - here I was sneaking along the rooftops spying on someone because that's what I do - "and suddenly the tea shop explodes. I was worried that people would be wounded of course so I thought nothing more of the explosion and hurried to help" Translation - I couldn't give a damn who lives and dies around here so I immediately searched the ruins for valuables and/or information I could sell.

"How much do you want." I hate my job.

He seems taken aback a moment - then recovers. "Oh, so you've heard about my poor dying grandmother? You are indeed quite the detective. Donations are always appreciated, we do have to pay the blood Tszain you know"

"No you idiot. To tell me the truth." I hate shadow court denizens with  passion.

"But sir,  you wound me. I've been telling you the truth all along, at least as much of the truth as I can remember right now, worried about my grandmother as I am." Translation - "Give me 100 Stoneknots - about as much as it would cost to pay for an ill grandmother, and I'll tell you."

"I'll tell you what. I'll donate a hundred knots to your wrinkly old "grandmother" if you remember anything more."

"Oh sire - that takes such a weight off my chest! Oh, I remember now! A huge dark shape crashed through the roof and flew into the clouds. I looked and looked waiting for it to come down but it never did . . . until almost a minute after I saw a shape swooping down across the city far to the east." Translation - "Give me more."

"200?"

"Oh thank you sir! - such a gift is welcomely warmed" Translation - "F**k you."

I sigh. I'm not giving anymore in bribes. "Listen here. If I don't get a real answer out of you I'm going to have to arrest you for withholding information."

"I swear sir! That's a truth!"

"Would you swear to it under truthlay?"

"Yes!"

Well damn. I have no idea what he saw then. I pay him 100 and move on. Occasionally a witness will second the dark shape in the sky. It's really too late to investigate this, a full two weeks after the accident. This feels supernatural to me, and it's too late now. The day over, I approach Kael, the cute new intern. She quickly makes her way away. I sigh for the hundredth time today and Eloztar, as crusty and weatherbeaten as I am, approaches me.

"Care to go out?"

"Sure? Where?"

"I hear there's a nice new tea shop that opened on eastside."

"Let's go."