Shimazu Teahouse

Having sensed the young woman's rather mixed feelings, with one's instinctual sense it did not make it difficult to determine someone was bothered by something. Even though the matron had not figured out exactly what ailed the young woman. As she spied the picture, she had imagined that she recognized her from earlier, an earlier patron. "I do believe I've seen this young woman, she was here some time ago and left. I admit I do not know a location." she had tried to help, though to little avail.

Meanwhile to Mima's second question for tea, she was quite fast to answer. " As for your tea, madam, I can gather the right blend for you. I won't be a minute, as the saying goes." it was much to her favor, she was rather spry for her age and headed off to gather the tea, which with any luck of hers, was already brewing along with several other popular flavors.

Mima took her seat in this humble teahouse. Sure, the tea sounded charming, but judging by the direction things were going towards, Mima feared the worst. A junior headed for vigilantehood with no experience and no training whatsoever smelled untimely doom.
"Bummer...", she thought. Going out of her way to find this girl would drag her income down for this month. "Let's think a second...", she pulled out a notebook. One thing or two was written inside: Lives in Librarius District, frequently seen walking about at the public park. That was all she really knew about the girl who was recently reported missing...
With a warm tea just ahead, Mima waited to down it before engaging in complicated thinking...

As Meilen returned with a cup of complimentary tea and dumplings as per the girl's order, she'd set it down on the table with a soft nod to her. "I've got your order filled and if you wish to ask for more, I will be all too glad to help you." saying this with a small smile, the elder matron stepped back and returned to her station as she laid back to her position at the near entrance. With Keikan in the kitchen, cooking would be a lot faster today.

Nodding to thank for the tea, the blonde thanked the elder beastkin for the service.
"Apparently no hints were left here...", she said to herself taking a sip of her tea. "No idea as to why she was depressed either. This place didn't provide much in terms of hints..." That said she started scribbling in her notebook: there weren't so many places where Youna could be at this time of the night. Youna was either sleeping in her home, or on the street. She'd likely choose some resting place in the park for that... "It's time I make my way.", she said after finishing her tea and standing up, calling for someone to arrive and deliver the addition: tea wasn't free.

Having come to the side of the table, the matronly Shimazu Elder had returned and stood with her hands folded before her, still a small smile upon her features as she delivered the small check. It within itself was only around 2 platinum dollars, suited to a fairly decent tea price granted the prices elsewhere were greater. "Will that be all, madam? If so then, it has been quite the pleasure to have you in our honorable business. Thank you for your patronage." the words fairly expected, a polite means of addressing yet another nice patron.

A tiny bit disappointed by the lack of actual information, she hadn't been disappointed by the service however. She gave a short but respectful bow to the matron "Thank you for the tea.", she said as she paid for the tea with some coins from her wallet. "Goodbye."
She then took her leave: still out of information, she needed to do something to find the missing girl, and fast...
----------------------(Out)--------------------->

"Thank you for your patronage." would likely have been the last words that the girl may or may not have heard, but Meilen had to admit, it was surprising to see so many youngsters on the move, all looking for some kind of information on various people. "What a world...that you must truly be a part of, my grandson. But I imagine you are prepared for it." she'd say this softly, smiling in a knowing way, at least it also meant that life would prove intriguing, even for her.

Shimazu...Shimazu... The name sounded familiar, somehow. Perhaps that's what drew the black-haired girl to the teahouse, spotting it on a map she stole and taking a quick jaunt through her corridor to reach it, coming out in an alleyway more or less right beside the establishment. No-one saw her doors. The privilege of an Observer was to move unobserved - which, when she thought about it - was itself a paradox of quantum physics-...

She was doing it again.

Ever since the sudden absence of the Takamagahara, Easy had been at a loss. There would presumably be no more Continuum Shifts, and so she no longer had to means with which to predict multi-causality/eventuality. Her brain felt dull, empty, and so she overcomplicated things that only made her feel even more troubled in an attempt to achieve that feeling of being a part of a vast, ever-moving, ever-changing web of realities. It was feeble.

Entering the teahouse, Easy was feeling annoyed with herself. She had to find something to do. Was drinking tea the best thing she could think of?

"Greet you madam, welcome to the Pale Lotus Teahouse, may I help you?" the word about from the matronly Shimazu Elder, as she stepped to the side to greet the woman, she would gesture with her hand to her right. "Please choose any table you wish, a menu is present on each table." She was prepared very simply for the business as it might be. It was a surprisingly busy day.
And while something had caused her senses to feel a little off, she was not really sure what caused it, the new guest was perhaps one with special gifts. It was nothing of her concern, since the young woman had likely come for patronage and little more.

Easy glared up at the old woman for a moment before skulking off to a table in the corner. She knew to be respectful to elders, but she was going through an existential crisis, and figured that a little rudeness was acceptable.
"I'll have the..." Easy squinted at the letters on the page. "Ugh. How do you pronounce this... Oh-ooh-long tea. ...Please," she added, after a long pause. "Do you serve cuttlefish? Do cuttlefish exist in this timeline? Agh." Easy buried her face in her palms, biting her lip hard before she regained her composure. "I'm sorry. My head's all messed up."

As the Elder Beastkin ignored the present rudeness, it was nothing that she'd waste any thought over, since the obvious fact about dealing with worse; she'd given a soft nod to her words and more the order itself. That was the really important detail that she'd follow. "Of course, madam, we carry both Oolong Tea and a serving of Cuttlefish for you. I shall have it out to you as soon as is possible." Giving a soft head bow in her direction, she'd stepped back and headed to the kitchen. She'd tell Keikan to prepare the cuttlefish while she took care of the tea. It wasn't a commonly asked for dish, bu they did have some on hand.

Easy sat back in her chair and glanced out the window. She wasn't even sure if she needed to eat to survive, now she had no job, she figured she could relax on some of the necessities. Whether she needed to or not, she could certainly eat for the taste, and today she felt like cuttlefish. Perhaps she'd have it tomorrow, too; or maybe some grilled steak, or a potato dish. It was ironic that her role in life had been to consider all causal eventualities; but only now did she start to think about her own options.
I'm doing it again, she thought with a sigh.

Shortly after their nap at the guest rooms of the Shimazu family, Es decided to be a bit bold and check out the teahouse that was nearby, also owned by the family. It seemed like a nice place, with the elder Shimazu woman serving the drinks and scones, a nice scenary and, as of now, it was quiet and empty... save for a few lonely customers, including an especially confused girl nearby.
Es, whom was still dressed in the yukata she`d gotten from the Shimazus, was silent, and paced around the teahouse slowly, taking in the sight.

The girl in gothic dress barely seemed to notice the busty Prime Field Device that had just strolled into the teahouse. There were too many ultra-powerful beings around - Easy had a hard time distinguishing one from the other, and the constant barrage of sensory energy-spikes had made her sense for that kind of thing rusty. While she waited for her cuttlefish and oh-ooh-long tea, she reached out for the complimentary sugar mill and poured the tasty substance into her mouth.

After pacing around the teahouse a few times, she finally sat down, folding her hands and gazing over the menu.... finding no cuttlefish, which confused her, but she didn´t know what to order anyway.
Thankfully, she still had the money Kageo gave her- because she was lacking pockets, she had put it in her stockings, which had still been there after that... adventure in the Red Light District.
"Hm... what should i order..." She muttered quietly to herself.

While the Matron of the Shimazu Clan made her way back into the open of the main room, she would smile at the sight of yet another guest. Well this must have been a fortune, though the yukata was from their household. It did tell her that the young maiden had been a guests of the family's, after all none just wore the particular style of yukata normally. "Here you are mada, your Oolong tea and your cuttlefish." the elderly beastkin would set the food down and set the tea next to it, with the teapot full of the rest of her tea at its side. "I hope you enjoy it." the generic line was still spoken kindly, and as she left Easy with a small head bow, she would move to Es; if anything to greet her.

"Hello young miss, I am Meilen Shimazu, I believe you've met my grandson, may I ask if you've enjoyed your stay with us thus far?" The simple gesture of course, meaning that she would treat the young blond woman with courtesy, even more than the honored patrons of the Pale Lotus.

Easy took the cup and dish almost as soon as the old woman's hands left them, dragging them towards her and shielding them with her arms on either side.
"Thank you," she said automatically, though it was intoned as though she'd said the words 'go away'.
Easy dumped the entire contents of the sugar container into her Oolong tea, then grasped the mug in both hands and drank deeply, clutching the brim to her lips for five long seconds before setting the steaming cup down with a contented sigh, ignoring the heat. The cuttlefish looked appetizing, too; and she started to eat the disembodies tentacles with her fingers, apparently unaware of the knife and fork beside the plate.

Es blinked, and looked at the beastkin with a suprise, before bowing deeply and nodding. "Y-yes, th-thank you so much... We´re in your debt, both me and Lambda..."
Deeply grateful, it took several seconds before she raised her head again, the yukata-clad Prime Field being slightly red in the face afterward.
"I´m just... looking over the menu now, i...i´m not used to oriental dishes and drinks.." She quietly added, blinking briefly as Easy´s comment sounded almost rude to her. Though she was very grateful toward the family, and didn`t like it when someone was rude to them in any way.

Leaving Easy to her meal was simple enough, as the grandmother turned from her patron once she'd had her food well in hand, her attention would return to the blond guest of her family's.
It was nothing of course that she hadn't been used to, Meilen ignored the words, the time as it had gone out, she'd smile at the small blond and had bowed in turn, for a number of moments before rising, though of course waiting until perhaps a split second later. She was really impressed with Es's modesty, she thanked her and had showed her respect rather gracefully. "As our guest, there is no rush dear child, take your time. You are our honored guest and it is a pleasure to serve you." she'd beam a soft smile, before stepping back to await her order.

Easy ate loudly. At first she only sampled bits of cuttlefish and sipped her Oolong tea seperately, but within minutes she was shovelling food into her mouth, slurping tea before she'd even swallowed the last mouthful of fish. This was incredible: She had all the time in the world to do whatever she wanted to. No duty, no allegiance, no obligation to overthink things. Sure, everything seemed strange right now, but that would pass. For now, she had to taste life's flavors - even if that meant nearly choking on cuttlefish and burning her throat as she washed it down with tea, spilling a good deal of liquid onto the expensive tabletop within Es's field of view.

Es was about to retort to Meilen with a thanks, but then she blinked as Easy seemed to spill half of her tea onto the tablecloth while eating her fish at the same time. She gasped, her mouth gaping open, and she stood up.
"Miss Shimazu, i`ll help you clean that up... its the least i can do for staying here."
That woman seemed out of it- really, really out of it... as Es stood up, she leaned toward Meilen a little bit.
"Uhm..." She whispered quietly. "Do you think she´s... on drugs, or something? She seems spaced out..."

There was a lot of things going on, as she looked on the way her patron ate, her wish to correct the young miss's manners arouse for just a second. But this was no child of hers, the young woman had likely never picked up on the simplistic means of eating properly. She was in no place to judge a patron, granted they'd be paying for the meal and services rendered. "As you wish, I will accept your assistance. But if I may ask, what is your name?" she'd say this with a light smile in Es's direction, she had not gotten her name just yet.

While Es had been whispering to her, it left a small smile upon her features, one more of amusement as she returned the gentle whisper. "In truth I do not know, but she is not a regular young woman." she'd say this with a small shrug, the patron would eat and then go aobut her business.

Easy was munching on the last cuttlefish tentacle, which dangled over her lip and wiggled comically with each chew. At the sound of Es's voice, her indigo eyes flashed upwards, and she stood with her palms flat on the tabletop. It took her a few more seconds to swallow the mouthful of fish, but then she scowled and pointed at the Prime Field Device.
"Got a problem with me!?" she demanded. Her covered arm itched badly under its cloth.

The prime field smiled a tiny bit and bowed to the beastkin woman.
"My name is Es, its... a short form of something complicated... thats what people call me."
But then things escalated.
Es visually jumped and stepped back, shaking her head hectically.
"N-n-no! I... i didn´t mean it, i just... just thought it was..."
Her heart raced and she raised her hands defensively- everyone in Kagutsuchi was looking for fights, and she didn´t have a weapon on hand- dodging and teleporting would be her only chance should it come to that.

Meilen cleared her throat and looked to her patron, the girl obviously had a bit of an issue with leaping up about things. Rather hostile in her nature or at least the kind to seek what was about, the beastkin was careful to approach a situation with care. As professionally, anything destroyed came from the allowable budget; which wasn't very big in itself. "There is no problem here, madam, if you please to remain calm and return to your meal." the simple gesture was set in motion to calm things. She was sure that Es wasn't seeking any trouble, naturally she'd move to protect both her guest first off; wishing to leave things still ending peacefully.
She wasn't going to have her patron's nature decide any outcome towards anything of this nature.