The Kettle, on the outside, looked like your average Mom and Pop tea shop. Nestled near a city street corner between an Italian restaurant and book store, it had a white storefront, a dark window with the name and logo in gold lettering, a red door, and a brown hanging sign with the name and logo written in white in the same script as the window.
Inside the shop there was a welcoming, small business feel to it. The wall were pale green with a dark wooden trim, the door were all of the same dark colored wood as was the counter with the register and the glass cases of pastries and small sandwiches. Behind the counter, along with the typical stove, kettles and other items needed to prepare tea, was a large shelf, made from the same wood, filled with cups, saucers, pots, plate, as well as a large number of jars filled with the various tea leaves. Alonng the opposite wall were more shelves, still of that dark down wood, decorated with various tea china from around the world, as well as small containers of tea leaves and other items customers could purchase. There were also several small round tables with white table cloths and chairs around them positioned around the room, as well as a small private tea room in the book used for special events.
All in all it was a nice little place, but sometimes people wondered how the owner manged to keep the Kettle open when there were much larger chains of coffee and tea shops. They didn't know that the Kettle's owner didn't just sell a good cup of tea to regular mortals. She also operated a very successful apothecary, where witches, vampires, and any other member of the supernatural community could buy potions, herbs, ingredients, charms and amulets, and other small magical items. Aggie Brier's real business was thriving, not just because the products were good but because she was reliable and most importantly discreet.
It was just after lunch time, and quite a few people had stopped by that afternoon. Most of them had returned to work or gone home when their lunch hour had finished, and currently her only customers were three elderly human ladies at one of the tables. The three of them were nibbling on tea cakes and sipping chamomile while they gossiped, as they did every week when they came. Aggie was in the middle of restocking the orange cranberry scones, smiling a bit as snippets of the old ladies' gossip found its way to her ears, when she heard the bell above the door jingle. She looked up to see another one of her regulars striding into her shop with an easy grace and a crooked smile. Even if she didn't know him she would have been able to tell on sight that he wasn't one of her human customers.
Ian Moreau's smile was handsome and dangerous as he leaned against the counter. "Hey, Aggie. How've you been?"
"Same as ever," Aggie replied casually as she set down the box of scones. He was charming, like vamps usually were, but she'd known him for too long and she knew him too well. "What about you? Getting into any trouble?"
That made him chuckle. "No more than usual. Got my order?"
"Yep. In the back. Give me a minute." It was a quick trip to the store room and she emerged with a small brown bag that had the Kettle's logo printed on it and the name Moreau written neatly in permanent marker in a corner. Inside were some small drawstring pouches filled with a mixture of herbs, both magical and benign, that were used to cure stomach aches. It was a mixture powerful enough to work on vampires and other non-humans. "For your mom?" she asked curiously as she handed it to him.
"Nah, my sister. She accidentally drank some...thing not so good for her." Ian cast glance over his shoulder at the trio of ladies, as though suddenly aware of them for the first time. He handed over some cash and then dropped the change she gave him into the glass tip jar. He gave her another smile that parents warned their daughters about as he gave her a salute, and Aggie rolled her eyes but couldn't stop from smiling. "Anyway, thanks a lot, Aggie. You're the best in the business."
Inside the shop there was a welcoming, small business feel to it. The wall were pale green with a dark wooden trim, the door were all of the same dark colored wood as was the counter with the register and the glass cases of pastries and small sandwiches. Behind the counter, along with the typical stove, kettles and other items needed to prepare tea, was a large shelf, made from the same wood, filled with cups, saucers, pots, plate, as well as a large number of jars filled with the various tea leaves. Alonng the opposite wall were more shelves, still of that dark down wood, decorated with various tea china from around the world, as well as small containers of tea leaves and other items customers could purchase. There were also several small round tables with white table cloths and chairs around them positioned around the room, as well as a small private tea room in the book used for special events.
All in all it was a nice little place, but sometimes people wondered how the owner manged to keep the Kettle open when there were much larger chains of coffee and tea shops. They didn't know that the Kettle's owner didn't just sell a good cup of tea to regular mortals. She also operated a very successful apothecary, where witches, vampires, and any other member of the supernatural community could buy potions, herbs, ingredients, charms and amulets, and other small magical items. Aggie Brier's real business was thriving, not just because the products were good but because she was reliable and most importantly discreet.
It was just after lunch time, and quite a few people had stopped by that afternoon. Most of them had returned to work or gone home when their lunch hour had finished, and currently her only customers were three elderly human ladies at one of the tables. The three of them were nibbling on tea cakes and sipping chamomile while they gossiped, as they did every week when they came. Aggie was in the middle of restocking the orange cranberry scones, smiling a bit as snippets of the old ladies' gossip found its way to her ears, when she heard the bell above the door jingle. She looked up to see another one of her regulars striding into her shop with an easy grace and a crooked smile. Even if she didn't know him she would have been able to tell on sight that he wasn't one of her human customers.
Ian Moreau's smile was handsome and dangerous as he leaned against the counter. "Hey, Aggie. How've you been?"
"Same as ever," Aggie replied casually as she set down the box of scones. He was charming, like vamps usually were, but she'd known him for too long and she knew him too well. "What about you? Getting into any trouble?"
That made him chuckle. "No more than usual. Got my order?"
"Yep. In the back. Give me a minute." It was a quick trip to the store room and she emerged with a small brown bag that had the Kettle's logo printed on it and the name Moreau written neatly in permanent marker in a corner. Inside were some small drawstring pouches filled with a mixture of herbs, both magical and benign, that were used to cure stomach aches. It was a mixture powerful enough to work on vampires and other non-humans. "For your mom?" she asked curiously as she handed it to him.
"Nah, my sister. She accidentally drank some...thing not so good for her." Ian cast glance over his shoulder at the trio of ladies, as though suddenly aware of them for the first time. He handed over some cash and then dropped the change she gave him into the glass tip jar. He gave her another smile that parents warned their daughters about as he gave her a salute, and Aggie rolled her eyes but couldn't stop from smiling. "Anyway, thanks a lot, Aggie. You're the best in the business."
