The "I Definitely Won't Fall Asleep" Nap

"He was... weird..." Astrid murmured, mystified at the customer who came in, downed a cup of tea, and bolted. 

"Is this common here, Valencia?" Astrid turned and asked, handing the money over, "I mean, the people certainly are as nice as you've said, the first lady paid double and he paid... ten times the price? Just, is the... nervousness normal?" 

"No..." Valencia denied, her brows furrowing as she took the money. "It's not really normal. Though I didn't have many customers while you were still sleeping, all of them were quite easy-going and... normal." 

Valencia knew it was about to be a long day. She wasn't blind, she could recognize the emblem on the notepad and pen sticking out of the man's pocket as he ran off. The emblem had only confirmed her suspicions. It was Eugene, frontline investigator and member of the independent task group in the Library of Truth. Someone on a similar level to Adelyn. 

Why did all the powerful people who would bring trouble with them have to come on the same day?

Shaking her head as she rinsed the two empty tea cups, Valencia stored them back into the cupboard before grabbing one for herself. 

"I have a... feeling. Sure, let's call it that. I have a feeling that we'll have some more customers around noon, but it'll probably enter a lull period now, so want to sit and have some tea?" Valencia shrugged, turning to Astrid who had gotten out of her seat and meandered her way over. 

"Ohh, sure, sure. I'd love to have some tea with you," Astrid returned to her seat while dragging another one over for Valencia. "We can finish the pot you made earlier!" 

Sitting down and pouring herself a cup while refilling Astrid's, Valencia laced her fingers with Astrid's. "So what do you want to talk about? I can tell you a bit more about the store if you want?"

Raising Valencia's hand to give it a kiss like a prince greeting a princess, Astrid grinned and squeezed Valencia's hand as her eyes formed a pair of happy crescents. "I want to hear about how you finally became good at brewing tea!" 

Choking mid-sip, Valencia set down her tea while coughing and sputtering. "Really? I... I feel like there isn't much of a story. I didn't have much to do while you were... you know?" 

"Mhm... Nothing to do? Did you miss me~?" Astrid nodded with a smug look as Valencia shook her head laughing. 

"There's that damn mischievous smile," Valencia retorted as Astrid coughed and looked away with her best 'innocent aggrieved kitten' look. Pressing a finger to Astrid's lips, Valencia couldn't help but smile. "Don't look away now, you were the one teasing me first. Though... I was wondering how long it'd take you to whip one out." 

"Don't worry about it," Astrid shook her head, taking a sip of her tea while raising her eyebrows. "I'm innocent, I swear!" 

"Sure..." Valencia shook her head, sipping her tea as she leaned back into the high chair. She didn't have the power to resist Astrid when she looked so cute peeking over her tea cup anyway. "Anything else you want to ask about?" 

Setting her cup down with a quiet clink, Astrid tapped her chin for a moment as she stared out to the street through the far windows. "Not really... Where are you getting the water and the tea leaves?" 

"Well, the water is simple," Valencia explained, motioning towards the sink in the corner. "The water served to everyone in Marcen's Cliffs works really well for tea-making naturally. So I just use the sink, then boil some water." 

Pointing to the shelf next to the sink, Valencia continued, "Those fancy boxes holding the different tea leaves are actually custom-made. I have a connection to someone named Sylvia. She has some really fancy plant-related powers, so she's the supplier. In all honesty, she probably raises the quality of any tea I make by a couple of levels..." 

"Mhm," Astrid nodded with a sip and a wise stare into the distance, "So that's why your tea-making skills have improved so much..." 

"Oh shut up," Valencia laughed, squeezing Astrid's hand, "It's not that much! I did learn and improve! I swear, I'm going to continue getting better!"

Squeezing Valencia's hand back, Astrid beamed, "Well, I'll just look forward to the tea then~" 

With the two doubling over laughing after their little exchange, they both steadied themselves against the counter as they wiped some tears. The lack of customers, though, didn't bother the two as they delved into random topics of conversation. 

---

Engrossed, Valencia and Astrid didn't notice as the morning passed. Quiet, slow, and without much note. Contrary to Valencia's predictions, a fair few people did come in later in the morning. It wasn't enough to be considered a rush hour, but it was still enough to keep both Astrid and Valencia awake. 

Sipping her tea as the clock ticked towards noon, Astrid leaned back into her chair with a long sigh. Life was good... Astrid had spotted some birds soaring and swooping! Other than the birds, she had also seen some people walk by, just talking and living life! 

Astrid never expected life would've been this relaxed. Last time she was awake she was stressed about school and future work while also trying to dodge some random god's... "desires."

With her legs criss-crossed, Astrid let out a long yawn. Picking up a hair brush she'd had Valencia get for her, Astrid turned and looked around as she ran it through her hair. It was close to noon, so the supposed visitors Valencia had predicted should be arriving soon. 

Setting the brush down, Astrid looked around, Valencia wasn't in sight. Astrid theorized Valencia was organizing something upstairs, but who knew? 

Bored—and without anyone around to judge her—Astrid laid her head down against the counter, she was just... a little drowsy. A little rest couldn't hurt could it? 

She definitely wouldn't fall asleep. 

For sure. 

Valencia, on the other hand, was upstairs, busy as ran through the chores she had neglected. 

Floor? Clean. Laundry? None to be done. Tables, lights, and more? All dusted. 

With her bed made, Valencia checked Astrid's room just to find Astrid had also made her own bed earlier. Done with all the cleaning she could think of at the moment, Valencia made her way downstairs, noon was coming and she could sense two deities approaching from a distance. 

Sighing seeing Astrid slumped over at the counter, Valencia shook her head and took off her jacket. Patting her jacket down to ensure it was dust-free to the point it could pass microscope inspection, Valencia draped it over Astrid before leaning down and planting a kiss on her forehead. 

Caressing Astrid's delicate features, Valencia sighed. With a hopeful smile dancing across her lips, Valencia brushed Astrid's out of her face. 

"Sleep well, my love..."