Chapter 1 - New Beginnings
"The Amber Teahouse...?"
Hu Tao glanced at the sign as she passed by, noting that this had to be a new establishment. A new tea shop? They were either stupid or stupid confident in their ability to compete with the other tea joints in Liyue Harbor.
Judging from what little she could see through the window; it didn't seem like anything fancy. The counter showcased a simple display that lent it the appearance of a cafe of sorts. She would normally pass a place like this up, but...
She looked at the sign that conveniently said 'Closed.' Meh. Wouldn't be the first time she's ignored a sign. She gave the ol' doorknob a bit of a turn and was delighted to see that it wasn't locked.
As she stepped in, a tiny bell chimed overhead signifying approach. Inside, the interior was better than she'd expected. Now that her vision wasn't blocked by a few mangy curtains, she could appreciate how well-lit the place was. The tables themselves were ordered neatly and the booths alongside the wall still provided a nice view outside.
There was also her next victi-...er, a young black-haired man with glasses handling a few products on the counter. He stopped setting up one of his appliances mid-way as he blankly stared at Hu Tao.
"Can't you read?" He said, jabbing his finger at the door.
Her eyes glanced back at the sign, inching back to flip it without hesitation.
"Sure can. Says you're open!"
"Look kid. If you're thirsty, I'm sure there's a few establishments right around the corner that you can go bother."
He walked around the counter, ignoring Hu Tao as he got to the door, flipping the sign back to 'Closed.'
"I've got a long day ahead of me, so I'd really like it if you gave me some space." He raised his left hand, trying to shoo Hu Tao away. "I've got drinks to prep, so go on now. Scram."
Now that he mentioned it, Hu Tao did feel a tad thirsty. "Come now, think of me as your first customer! A little assistance to prep you for whenever you open."
She stuck her tongue out as she situated herself on one of the stalls next to the counter, before giving it a whirl as she spun in place.
"Besides, I don't know about you, but you're pretty daring to open up a Tea House in Liyue Harbor." She stomped her feet, giving her spin an abrupt stop. "That means you've gotta have a little ace up your sleeve, right? So hit me with it!"
The man groaned as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "If I do this, will you go away?"
"Of course! Oh, and I'm willing to pay obviously. It wouldn't do for your first customer to hit you with a drink n' dash."
The man held out his hand as he stared at Hu Tao. Grinning, Hu Tao placed her hand atop his, all the while playing coy. "If you wanted a dance, all you had to do was ask."
He pulled his hand back, rolling his eyes in exasperation. She was hoping for more of a blush, but she got the reaction she wanted.
"No, you goblin! Mora! It'll be 50 mora. Consider it an advance payment for bothering the hell out of me."
She nodded. "Fine by me. Oh, and I'm not one for sweets. So, a drink with something more of a mild taste would be great."
She dropped the coins in his hand as he pushed off the counter with the same, visible frown. He began to rummage through some of his boxes before pulling out an odd-looking appliance. It nearly shook the sturdy counter as he placed it down and began flicking a few of its switches before setting a mug on the platform.
Wait a second. A mug? Not a teacup?
Hu Tao's curiosity got the better of her as she leaned in to look, but the man stopped her at the shoulder, giving her a light tap as she sat right back down.
"No can do. Trade secret." He stopped fiddling with the machine before glancing at Hu Tao. "Can you uh, turn around for just a bit?"
"You act like I'm the type who'd go around blabbing secrets."
"Are you telling me you're not?"
He got her there. The young man was more perceptive than she thought. With a giggle, she spun on the chair once more, listening to the flips of a switch as well as a mechanical grind. Wait a second. A mechanical grind?
"And here it is," he said after a few minutes, prompting her to turn back around.
Her eyes narrowed at the cup as she gave it a look see. This wasn't tea!
"This is coffee!"
"Yep."
"But your sign says Tea House."
He shrugged. "You're not wrong."
Even so, Hu Tao was rather perplexed by the drink that lay before her. It's looks screamed coffee, but its scent spoke otherwise. A subtle aroma tickled her nose carrying floral notes reminiscent of both citrus and something familiar. She didn't understand! Wasn't coffee supposed to be black muck that left a stupidly bitter aftertaste? The contents seemed to think otherwise.
"Aren't you going to give it a shot?" The man spoke up.
Well…, there's no time like the present or so they say! Picking up the small mug, she sipped its contents, surprised at the flavors that assaulted her taste buds. Contrary to the bitterness she expected, the aroma was complimented by its own fruity taste, along with delicate hints of berries and an earthly finish.
"Figured you'd appreciate something a little fruitier, considering you said you didn't like sweets and all. That's a special blend involving-,"
"Violetgrass," Hu Tao interrupted. That was the scene she couldn't pin down before. She knew Violetgrass could be used in fish dishes like Black-back Perch Stew or the Wanmin's specialty boiled fish. Still, to think it could be used in coffee as well? This was a first.
"You got it. Though I figure it'd be pretty easy for you Liyuean natives to tell it apart." He continued to explain.
Hu Tao felt disappointed as she leaned the cup in for another sip only to find she practically downed its contents in that small timeframe. She set the cup down, beaming a smile at the barista.
"Color me impressed. You might have just earned yourself a regular."
The man heaved a sigh of relief, leaning back into the wall as he wiped a beat of sweat from his forehead. "Glad you like it. I was a bit worried to be honest."
She flicked the mug, producing a small clink as she chuckled to herself, "Have a little confidence, would you? Whatever this coffee of yours was, it was great! I don't dole out compliments easily, you know."
"Sumeran Desert Oasis."
"The what now?" Hu Tao replied.
"The name. Er..., of the coffee that is."
Wait a second! That was rather silly of her. She'd gotten the name of the coffee before the name of her server! Now that wouldn't do. She leapt into action, leaning forward as she propped her elbows on the counter – and then flashed a wink of the eye.
"Forgive my lack of manners," she began.
"You sure don't look sorry."
She laughed his response off as she continued, "What is your name by the way? I don't see a little name tag on that apron of yours. It wouldn't happen to be Amber, would it? I don't see a lick of amber around the store, and it sounds a little too feminine for your looks," she paused. "Not that I'm not one to judge."
He mulled over it in his head, wondering if it was worth the trouble. But if this gremlin in human skin already declared herself a regular, there was no avoiding it. He sighed, "It's Christopher. Chris for short if you wanna go with that."
She offered a hand. He gave it a penetrating stare before speaking up. "You're not going to pull some weird crap again, are you?"
She rolled her eyes playfully, tilting the chair back as she reached over the counter to grab his hand, giving it a firm shake. "I'm Hu Tao. Hu as in 'who am I to tell you how to run this place?' And Tao, as in 'get outta town if you're going to serve this slop!'"
He snickered as he returned her gesture with a shake of his own, "You're giving me a few mixed signals here, Hu."
"Oh, and since you don't seem to be entirely familiar with Liyue, my name doesn't work like that. Hu is my last name. In Liyue, we put our family name first. So technically speaking, Tao's my given name."
He pulled his hand back, scratching the back of his head as heat crept up to his neck and ears. Well, that was a little embarrassing. His first attempt at a playful nickname with a regular and he already mucked it up.
"S-sorry about that."
She laughed it off. "Hey, don't worry about it! It's why I'm here to show you the ropes. First customer privilege and all that. Not everyday you see a coffee shop in Liyue after all. Though I've been meaning to ask," she tilted her head back to glance at the inside of the shop, "you own this place?"
"Yep, and proud of it. This business was supposed to be kickstarted a few months ago." He sighed. "Though the whole fiasco with the giant snake god-thing kinda put that in the shitter."
Hu Tao groaned in her seat as she recounted the events, "Ugh, you got that right! You would think that a near life-threatening event would send customers my way." She threw her hands up out of annoyance, "but nooooo, if anything it deterred them!"
He stared back quizzically, while using his sink to wash the mug Hu Tao had used earlier. "And what exactly is it that you do?"
Her eyes gleamed as she pulled out a flyer, slamming it onto the counter. "I'm glad you asked. I'm the 77th Funeral Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!" She sized up Chris as he reflexively recoiled back under her not-so-subtle ogling. "You're not much of an adventurer, but you do make a mean drink. That puts you at bamboo tier!"
"Bamboo tier?"
"That's right! Which means that the first order on a coffin you make will come with a discount on the collection service that will follow your untimely demise!"
He blanched. "That makes it sound like you're out to murder me! And why would the discount matter if I'm already dead!"
She snorted, thinking it was the most obvious answer ever. "I mean, someone's going to find your body and it's not like they'll be the ones paying for you."
He set the mug on the sink rack, allowing it to dry off. "I'll consider it in a decade once I start overworking myself to death."
"You mean it!?" Hu Tao yelled as she pulled out a notebook. "I'm penning this down. I'm holding you to that!"
"If it makes you happy, then sure. Ideally, I'm making enough bank by then to offset however damn expensive your stupid coffin is."
"And noted!" She finished it off with a small flourish, pocketing both her pen and notebook as she smiled back at Chris. "Enough about me, let's get back to you. So why here? Wouldn't Monstadt be a better place for something like Coffee?"
His smile froze. "Promise me you won't laugh?"
"Cross my heart and hope to die."
"Dim sum. Liyue Harbor has really good dim sum."
That was why? She was inclined to agree, but for dim sum?
"Don't do it." He warned, pointing a finger in her direction.
Hu Tao prided herself in being socially aware. Sure, she does a few weird things in public here and there. But unlike some of the other rabble that mingle in the streets she knows full well what she's getting into. And thus, it is here that she chose, not fail to hold, to break into laughter.
"Yea, yea. Laugh it up. Get it out of your system and then get out while you're at it."
"No, no! I'm sorry," Not really. "But that was the last thing I expected to hear. A new slate! The atmosphere! Maybe even a quest for love! Dim sum? You're just like another chef I know."
He reached down into a box behind the counter, rummaging through appliances as he spoke up over the noise. "You act as if you haven't had Third-Round Knockout's Lo Bak Go."
"Or their Cheong Fun," Hu Tao followed up.
"Can't forget about their Fung Zao."
"Don't get me started on their Hai Kim."
"Xiao Long Bao's also a classic."
"What about Har Gow?"
"I love shrimp, but I'm more of a meat guy. Though admittedly, their Cheong Fun like you mentioned is still one of my favorites."
Hu Tao coughed, realizing she was pulled right into Chris' pace. Nonsense, that was her job, not his!
"See! You do understand!" he proclaimed.
The two now laughed in earnest, as Chris thanked the Archons in light of this experience. Truth be told, given that this was his first business venture, he wasn't exactly confident when it came to serving customers. He could go around talking to people easily enough. Though, the dynamic between a server and their customers served a different purpose he needed to get used to. He sighed, counting his blessings that someone like Hu Tao managed to be his first customer. Not that he had any real choice in the matter. He had to admit Hu Tao's eccentric temperament did help break the ice when it came to approaching that sort of 'relationship'.
"Alright, you got me. But there's gotta be more than dim sum, right? Maybe you're here to get over your first heartbreak. Or maybe, you're a noble looking to lay low after a political scandal~"
"Nothing that serious," he remarked as he pulled up yet another odd appliance on the counter and began wiping it down. "I actually wanted to be an Investigator for the Adventurer's Guild before this."
"I worked pretty hard for it too. I worked on my physique, built up my stamina. Hell, I'm not that bad in a fight either. And the idea of finding unexplored wonders spoke to me on a personal level." His voice came off nervous and distracted now, a far cry to the laughter the two of them shared a moment before.
"So, what changed?" She asked.
"It's… complicated. Let's just say I went on an expedition one day and got scared out of my mind. Handed in my badge the next day and called it quits from there. A coward's act, as simple as that."
"And why would I think that?" She spoke softly to assuage his concerns. "My grandfather once said, 'Live in life, die in death. Follow your heart, do what you can.' If your heart told you being an Investigator wasn't for you, then why doubt it?"
A smirk played on her lips, turning the mood around with a quick 180. "Though it's a shame, should you have died on the job, it might have meant putting a few more coins into my coffer."
His frown made way for a smile of his own as he tapped the side of his own register. "Guess I should be happy I'm the one taking your coins instead then."
The conversation remained silent after as the two went about their business. Chris, as he continued to set up his shop. And with Hu Tao continuing to observe the specimen in front of her.
She never was one for serious conversation. Well, she could but her 'eccentricities' as her colleagues like to put it tended to give people the wrong idea. Not that she'd really go out of her way to accommodate them. She wore her heart and emotions on her sleeve. It isn't her fault people choose to misinterpret them.
Bah, as entertaining it was to watch him work, sitting around and doing nothing always left an ugly feeling right in her stomach. "So aside from your coffee, what else do you have planned for the store? Got any food in mind? Pastries?"
"Nothing too complicated, to be honest. The plan was to operate it as a normal café. Hand sandwiches for an easy bite. And some cakes to allow for the sweetness to help accompany the flavor notes of the coffee."
She stared blankly. "The name of this joint is The Amber Teahouse. Yet you don't serve tea, and you're calling it a café. I feel like you can get hit with false advertisement here, buddy."
He nodded in understanding, sulking like a teacher scolding a student. "I-I know the naming scheme isn't exactly there, but the name's important to me! If it gets me into trouble down the lane, then I'll just incorporate it somewhere else if I have to."
"Aside from that, I've already got some of the stock lined up. I already met up with some of the locals who agreed to help me out, provided I have enough Mora to pay it off." He pulled out a piece of paper with a bunch of names that Hu Tao managed to recognize. "Got an agreement set with Changshun for a supply of sugar and some other goods for cheap. And I even got a deal with the Liuli Pavilion to help secure some food items in the morning market if it means I feature some of their simple dishes."
Hu Tao looked at his contacts but seemed to wonder why he had to go through all this trouble to secure his position in the markets.
"Do you not have anyone else to help you with all this?" She voiced her thoughts out loud.
"Yea…, about that. Unfortunately, I'm sort of a one-man army."
Hu Tao's eyes widened as she looked back down at his list. Now it made a lot of sense. Given how big Liyue Harbor is, he'd have no choice but to rely on the local help. Geez, the amount of work that went into this must be exhausting!
"I know you said you weren't ready to order a coffin, but with the amount of work you'll be putting yourself through just to function? Ugh, you're going to be needing one reeeeeal soon." Still, she watched curiously as he continued to push himself in and out of the kitchen, carrying a new appliance in his hand each time.
She sighed. Is this what they meant when people said men were stubborn? She enjoyed being busy herself, but not to the point where she wouldn't be allotted any free time whatsoever. And looking at this man's schedule, he'd be working from sunup to sundown. Eh, it was his shop, not hers.
"Good luck with your business then, Chris. Looks like you're really going to need it. Oh, and for the record," she dropped another 100 mora on the counter. "You might want to increase the cost of your coffee. You may not realize it, but you're undercutting just a bit there."
Fifty mora was the equivalent of a candy bar at a store. And if it's one thing Hu Tao learned working at the Funeral Parlor, it's that everything should be paid for what they're worth.
"Ah, thanks! You can tell I'm still pretty green at this."
She slipped off the chair with a smile of her own. Gotta love it when life throws new friends right at you. She began to walk past the counter when she noticed a newly placed jar from the corner of her eye.
"Hey Chris! What's this?"
He poked his head from out the kitchen. "Oh, that? That's a tip jar!"
A tip jar? The thing where people put in extra cash if they like the service? She winced, knowing this was more of a Monstadt way of doing things.
"You're not going to want to put that there."
He raised a brow. "W-why?"
"Let's just say that it may offend a few of the locals. Again, you're new here, but we don't really tip. And I also suggest you don't do the same when eating out at others."
As funny it would be to see Xiangling react to receiving a tip, she shouldn't bully her new friend too much. Only just a little bit.
"Do that and you're saying, 'the mora in my wallet means a lot more to you than me.' Or that you're calling yourself a charity case by leaving your own jar out in the open."
He seemed to catch on to the idea quickly as he shuffled over to the tip jar and placed it underneath the counter. "Duly noted."
She giggled as she finally began to make her way out. "Now, I'll leave you to your devices. Try not to be a stranger the next time we meet! I get first customer privileges!"
"W-wait! Before you go!" Her hand stopped at the door as Chris called out.
"What is it?"
"Are your eyes supposed to look like flowers?"
She blinked, tilting her head, almost a tad flustered. Almost.
"Yep! Pretty, isn't it?" She lifted her chin proudly. Only she would have the audacity to compliment her own weird eyes.
"Am I allowed to agree?"
She rolls her eyes teasingly, "I'm not one to turn down a compliment. Plus, it'll help in retaining your customer base."
She opened the door, the bell signaling her departure as she found herself back in the streets of Liyue. Hu Tao looked in through the window, observing Chris as he got back to work on his café. She wouldn't admit it to him directly, but this place almost reminded her of Wanmin's.
The selection of the food wasn't there. And the café could use a little touch up when it came to appearances. And Chris was a little awkward. But! It held the same pulsating warmth for its customers you don't get in many other places.
Er, excuse me. She thought. Customer without the S. For now, she gets to pride herself in being the only customer for The Amber Teahouse. Here's to hoping it manages to stick around.
Chris watched the door close, realizing he already felt lonely. God, that made it sound like he was pining for his one and only customer already. Ugh.
If it's one thing he can chalk his failed dream up to, it's that it rewarded him a more able body than most. Even with all the furniture that needs to be moved around and a refrigerator and other crap to set up, his muscles were working with him all the way through.
Still, it was fine. Instead of unexplored regions, now he gets to tackle unexplored taste buds! Instead of traveling to Sumeru for the guild, now he can give all his customers a taste of the land itself. He may have failed in being an investigator, but he'll be damned if he fails in this. He wouldn't be able to look himself in the mirror otherwise.
Not much to say other than I thought I'd take a crack at trying to peer into the life of those without a vision. The normal passerbys whose lives are affected by the events around them. Give it a shot and leave a comment if you've got the time!