A little slice of heaven

[Starburst]

A little slice of heaven... A tea shop sometimes nestled in the town of Canterlot. The shop itself is made of clouds, and is supplemented with glossy wood planking in the interior, so that non-pegasi can walk inside the tea shop. The furnishings inside are mostly made of clouds, columns and tables. On top of the tables are bottles of rainbow, situated near a candle that sheds a myriad of colors in multiple directions. In the back of the shop is a long counter-top, and behind the counter is a multitude of fine china. Saucers, teacups, larger glasses and plates. To the right side of the counter-top is a glass case, and inside are a multitude of fine-smelling pastries. In the center of the room, hanging from the soft, cloudy ceiling, is a large candelabra. The candelabra is obviously enchanted, from small cups at the top of the candelabra are candles, which are oozing rainbow colored wax onto a large ornate glass cup below them. Behind that glass cup a large candle is situated, which broadcasts a large myriad of colors on the cloudy white walls.

A myriad of wonderful smells assault the senses of ponies entering A little slice of heaven. The first that can most easily be distinguished is the multitude of fruit and flower fragrances that waft through the air inside the shop. The scent isn't overpowering, but it comes to the nose in layers. After the nose gets used to the fruit and flower smells, The smell of the baked goods begins to fill the room. Almonds, hazelnuts, chocolate, cinnamon, and sugary icing.

A purple maned pony with lighter highlights stands behind the counter of the tea shop, one typically dressed in a myriad of clothing, depending on her mood. Sometimes she chooses to dress in the attire of a maid, and other times she graces her purple mane with a hat of some kind. The rainbow dances along her white coat as she serves tea to the ponies who frequent her shop. The fruit scent comes from the tea, you see. The tea is blended with perfection to serve as a perfect compliment to the baked goods served.

Currently there's a special promotion she's holding. The shop recently arrived in Canterlot, after a long stint in Cloudsdale, and Starburst has given vouchers to Very Important Ponies. The vouchers entitle the holder to a free cup of tea with the purchase of one of her special baked goods. If you're in Canterlot, you've probably come across one of the coupons within the last few days. And the promotion only lasts for a week, so you better take advantage of the offer while it lasts.

[Conor Colton]

(hope you don't mind me joining)

The white pelted, blue maned Pegasus Colton Cloudkicker was enjoying a bit of rest and relaxation in Canterlot. Having just completed an important delivery to Canterlot all the way from Ponyville Colton thought both he, and his pet sparrow Sparks deserved a rest. The two were nestled on a cloud just above the city, Colton lay with his hooves behind his head as he rested and the little sparrow was perched upon his head, also resting.

The two were in the middle of their slumbers when Colton was awakened by a most peculiar sight, a strange piece of paper had appeared on his nose. He lazily took it off and examined it, to his surprise it was a coupon for a tea shop of all places. A little slice of heaven? He wondered as he observed the picture of the shop, "Well this place looks good, what do you think buddy?" Colton said as he raised the coupon to Sparks who then lazily nodded not caring either way, "Well come on, we better check this place out." Colton said as he dragged Sparks off of the cloud.

After a few minutes of searching Colton and Sparks had finally found the place, they both stared in wonder of the architectural layout which simply astounded them, "Well if it's this good outside, I can't wait to see the inside, come on." Colton said as he opened the door for his bird friend and quickly followed him. When the two entered their senses were almost immediately assaulted, they both stared with wide open mouths at the wonder that was this tea shop.

Colton quickly composed himself when he noticed that a purple maned pegasus stood behind the counter, he casually walked over leaving Sparks at the entrance still entranced. "Good morning Miss." Colton said as he hoped to make a good first impression, "I gotta say, this is a really nice place you have here." Colton said with a smile, he noticed he was getting off topic and decided to get to the point, he coughed slightly and then continued, "Well, uh, I found this coupon here and I was wondering if I'd still be able to use it." Colton said as he choose his words carefully.

[Starburst]

Starburst grabs the coupon from the pony offering it towards her and nods, smiling just a little. "O-of course, What kind of tea would you like, and what kind of baked goods would you like with that?" Starburst says, shifting her hooves a little. "It's.. best to pick a fruit that you like.. and I can make a blend for you." She says, shyly.

[Conor Colton]

Colton saw that the purple haired pony was nervous and he wanted to help ease the tension between the two, so he decided that introductions were in order before he proceeded with anything. "I'm sorry, where are my manners, um. I'm Colton, Colton Cloudkicker, pleasure to meet you Miss." Colton said as he held out a friendly hoof, just hoping that he didn't make a bad first impression.

[Starburst]

Starburst manages a weak smile and lowers her eyes to the teabags and tea leaves she keeps neatly arranged below the counter. She fidgets with them a little and turns around, grabbing a teacup and a saucer, pouring hot water into the cup, steeping a blend of tea leaves for a few minutes. "So.. what kind of.. fruit..?" she says, looking down at the floorboards, averting eye contact with the new pony and his outstretched hoof, not out of dislike, but out of fear.

[Shyriath]

(If I may? This is the first RP thread I've actually entered into here, so apologies in advance for any blunders...)

A unicorn mare paused at the ramp that led into the shop.

She'd been strolling along the street, enjoying the sunshine; she rarely had the chance to do so, living a rather nocturnal lifestyle. But today she had woken up early, and was using the opportunity to bask in the light before dusk came. It never ceased to amaze her how different things looked during the daytime.

This certainly looked different. She made her rounds along this street every night, but she hadn't noticed this place before.

The mare levitated a voucher out of one of her saddlebags. Somepony had given it to her, but she hadn't paid it much attention; at the time she was normally awake, only certain shops were open. She hadn't gotten around to getting rid of it yet. But this certainly seemed to be the right address...

"Free tea with baked goods, is it?" she mused. "That's worth looking at."

---

The mare walked in shortly after Colton began his order. She was a very pale green, with a pale-blue-and-white mane, but with vivid orange eyes. She wore a pair of heavy-looking saddlebags, and slung across her back with a strap was some kind of pole with curious metal shapes at either end; with a brief flicker of orange-red light from her horn, she unslung this and rested it by the door, not wanting to accidentally break anything with it.

Giving the occasional wary glance at the wooden floor, she looked around with interest. She'd never really seen any pegasus architecture before, and wondered what happened if a pony were to forget herself and try leaning against one of the cloudy walls.

"Hello," she said. "Don't either of you feel you have to hurry, I.. er..."

Her gaze had shifted up to the shop's candelabra, and then to the candle and the colorful glow it was casting. Her eyes fixed on it with an odd intensity.

"I... I mean to say," she continued, in a distant sort of voice, "I've got... plenty of time. Yes. Plenty."

[Starburst]

Starburst flashes a sincere smile at the new mare, and prepares another pot of hot water to make tea for her when she walks in.

"Welcome to a little slice of heaven, What kind of tea can I serve you today?"

Starburst loses her initial fear of the first stallion when another mare comes into the shop, stepping into the back of the shop to recover some cinnamon buns from her oven. After putting on some hoof-mitts and removing them from the oven she covers them in hot icing, and places them behind the glass in the front of the store, removing her hoof-mitts and hanging them on a hook.

"It takes approximately four to six minutes to steep a pot of tea, so you can both order now and I'll bring the pot out to you when it's finished." Starburst replies with a newly fearless smile.

"There are sugar cubes on each of the tables if you want something sweet to snack on while you're waiting on your tea.. or if you prefer your tea sweet. And if you have a coupon, I can go ahead and set you up with one of my fresh baked sweets while you're waiting as well." Starburst trots back into the back room to retrieve some candles, and then trots back into the dining room, replacing some of the nearly burnt out candles with the fresh candles of a different scent.

"So what can I get for you?" she says, looking towards flickerlight, while also throwing a glance over towards Colton, propping her hooves under her chin and staring in her direction.

[Conor Colton]

Colton wondered if he had said something wrong, as he seemed like he had unintentionally intimidated the purple haired pony. He tried to think of something to say that would ease the obvious tension but his train of thought was interrupted when a new mare entered the shop.

He turned his head and gave a smile to the new arrival, similar to the one that the purple haired pony gave her. He saw that the mare seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, he was about to stand out of the way and let the new mare order first, until the purple haired mare suggested otherwise.

He choose his words carefully and got straight to the point, less he say something wrong. "I'll have a..." He paused to observe his selection, "A....blueberry blend, and one of these cinnamon buns please." Colton said as he gave a courteous smile. He wasn't sure if he should introduce himself to the new mare or not, giving his apparent bad luck with introductions today.

[Starburst]

Starburst nods while looking away and mashes some blueberries into a pestle, dripping the juice into the steeping teapot.

She also grabs a pair of tongs with her mouth and deposits one of the cinnamon buns onto a saucer. After doing so she picks up the saucer by sliding it onto her wing and deposits it on the counter in front of Colton.

"Six Bits please." Starburst says with a smile.

[Conor Colton]

(Just a side note here, is there a posting order? Because if I broke it by posting this I'll take this one down )

Colton took the required amount out of his backpack and presented it to the seemingly eager clerk, he was hoping that any tension between the two had broke down, but he wasn't as worried of it at this point, "There you go, six bits." Colton stated with an equally friendly smile.

Colton was about to walk off to get a seat so both him and his pet could enjoy this, even though his pet was still floating at the entrance still shocked by the shops décor. But he had forgotten to thank the clerk, he remembered his manners and turned his head back towards the counter "Thank you by the way Miss...." Colton realized that he never got the clerks name, "Oh I'm sorry, uh, I never got your name." Colton stated as he choose his words carefully.

[Starburst]

Starburst pulls her neck in, shrinking at the request for her name. She looks away towards the floor and shyly responds, "St-..ar..burst..."

[Conor Colton]

"Starburst?" Colton asked just in case he didn't hear it right, he assumed he did and responded quickly, "Well thank you Starburst." Colton said as he walked towards a vacant table, he saw Starburst's apparent shyness and he once again assumed that he was to blame, as he assumed he said something he shouldn't have.

He rested his head onto the table as he was joined by his pet bird, Colton felt odd but Sparks couldn't care less and he almost leaped into the blueberry blend as Colton sulked and took small bites from the cinnamon bun he had ordered. He didn't say anything as he quietly ate the bun, whilst Sparks loudly slurped the blueberry blend but Colton interrupted the birds rude behaviour with a slight nudge.

[Starburst]

(Tea takes about six minutes to steep before being served.)

Starburst finishes steeping Colton's Blueberry tea and brings a teapot out to his table, lifting it with her mouth by the handle. She slides a teacup off of her wing onto the table and tilts her head forward, pouring the tea into the cup. After she pours the tea, she sets the rest of the pot onto the table on a doily, and moves back behind the counter to attend the next pony.

Soon after she addresses Flickerlight. "What can I get for you today?" she says, beaming.

[Shyriath]

Flickerlight blinked, and pulled her gaze away from the lights; she hadn't stopped looking even when Starburst had replaced the candles. "Hm? Ah. Er. Sorry, I was a bit... distracted." She shook her head as if to clear it. No staring at the pretty lights again, she told herself. Not right now, anyway.

She glanced around the shop again, giving a friendly nod to Colton, and making a point of of not looking at the candles again. Striding up to the counter, she placed the voucher down. "If you have a good mint blend, I'd like to try it. And to go with it..." She hesitated. What kind of baked goods would go with mint? "...something lemony, perhaps?"

[CrossStitch]

(( I'm just going to pop my head in here as well, hope that's not a problem :3 ))

Gladwin kept a steady walking pace, trying to avoid bumping into anypony on the streets of Canterlot. He had been in the town for a while now, and was starting to get used to maneuvering the streets. He was out on a mission though, well, a mission to himself anyways. He was on a mission to find the best joints for a bite, or drink, in all of Canterlot. "That doughnut shop I visited the other day was amazing." He said to himself, remembering the delicious taste all too vividly. "That was a good place to eat... But where would this town keep their best drinks...?" Gladwin stopped in place and put his talon to his chin, thinking deeply. As he gazed up though, he saw what appeared to be a building made of clouds. He shut his eyes tightly and shook his head, thinking he was seeing things. When he opened his eyes, he was sure of it. There was a building made of clouds in front of him. Pleasant memories of Cloudsdale and their cloud buildings flowed into his mind, and pushed his body forward without a second thought.

He walked through the doors after reading the sign, eager to see what kind of place it was. "Yo!" Gladwin said as he walked in, hoping he made a friendly entrance. Gladwin saw two other ponies inside. He couldn't look long though before he noticed the decor of the shop. It was all so much like Cloudsdale, the owner must be a frequenter of the place, or so Gladwin guessed. Pleasant scents filled the griffin's nostrils. He let out a sigh of pleasure, "Jackpot." He said to himself, thinking he had indeed found a great place to get a drink. "Sure does smell great in here!" Gladwin announced. He looked again at a pony who was at a vacant table. His head was on the table though, so Gladwin couldn't get a good look. He leaned slightly to see if he could get a better view, but to no avail. He then looked around for another empty table, but also wondering in his mind what the place served.

[Starburst]

Starburst mixes some mint leaves with one of her finer blends of black tea and lets the pot steep. She moves over to the baked goods and pulls out a lemon tart, depositing it on a plate for Flickerlight. "Four bits please," she says, smiling. She exchanges coins with the pony and escorts her to a table, pulling out the chair and pushing it in after she takes a seat.

After a few minutes have passed, she walks out, with some very expensive looking china, slides a saucer onto the table from her wing and places a teacup ontop of it, pouring some tea and sitting the tea on another doily. "Enjoy your tea!" she says, beaming at the mare. She sees a Griffon enter the tea shop and politely asks if he'd like to take a look at the menu, trotting behind the counter, retrieving a menu from a receptacle and handing it to the new customer.

On the menu are very appetizing items, but the things listed that appear to be most expensive are the Cinnamon buns, at Six bits each, and a pot of Oolong or Darjeeling costs about 30-60 bits, due to the rarity of the leaves and the taste.

The cinnamon buns are widely regarded as one of the best baked goods in all of Equestria. The specially made cinnamon buns are so soft and the icing so tasty, that even the canterlot elite frequent the tea shop to eat them. Starburst makes many dozens of these per day, and always has some baking, because they're one of the first things she sells out of.during a day. They're available by the dozen at 60 bits, for a discount of 12 bits per dozen. There are still three sitting in the glass cabinet, which is a surprise.. but she did just open the shop for the day... so that might explain it.

( First post updated with a menu. )

[Conor Colton]

Colton lifted his head from out of the cinnamon bun when he heard signs of someone new entering the shop, he was shocked to see that it was a griffin, but even more shocked to see that he had previously saw this griffin. He knew it was the same griffin as Colton was the type of pony who would never forget a face....or wings as it seemed.

He pondered nervously whether he should say something as he didn't want to make things worse for himself. He listened to his thoughts, trying to think of ways to proceed with his current situation. He thought that he should be polite and say hello to Gladwin anyway, he got up nervously and walked casually over to the griffin, he took a very clichéd gulp and hoped he didn't mistake this griffin for another.

"Uh excuse me....Is that you Gladwin?" Colton said as he waited for a response

[CrossStitch]

Gladwin's attention was pulled from the menu he was suddenly handed, somepony had said his name. He looked up, only to see a familiar face. It was Colton. "Sure is!" He said, almost with a superior looking posture. "I was just walking by, looking for a nice place to have some tea, and it looks like I found a great place." He said, again surveying the shop. "Reminds me a lot of home..." Memories of Cloudsdale, again, bombarded the griffin's mind. He shook his head, "Anyways, what are you doing in this place?" Gladwin asked, as he skimmed the menu. One item stuck out to him, he was sure he had never tried it. With a shrug, he sets the menu down on the counter.

"If it's not too much trouble, could I have a cup of the 'Oolong Blend' please?" Gladwin asked, with a warm smile. Oh I hope I worded that correctly... Gladwin didn't drink tea often, so he didn't exactly know the correct vernaculars when ordering. Memories of a certain coffee shop he visited hit him hard. They had changed the terms 'large, medium, and small' for some kind of crazy mumbo-jumbo.

[Starburst]

"I would be glad to make you a cup. However, due to the price of the tea itself it doesn't qualify for the promotion I have running for a limited time." Starburst says.

[CrossStitch]

"Oh?" Gladwin said, looking up to the owner. "And what kind of promotion would that be?" He asked wit ha tilt of his head.

[Starburst]

Starburst reaches behind the counter and hands Gladwin a voucher.

The voucher reads:

"Free cup of tea with the purchase of baked goods."

Oolong or Darjeeling not applicable towards offer.

[CrossStitch]

Gladwin took the voucher in his talon to inspect it closer. A small 'Hm' was heard as he put the voucher down on the counter, "Well, can't argue with a deal like that." He said, looking back to the menu for a second, "Well, if that's the case, could I get a cinnamon bun, and a..." He squinted his eyes and looked closer at the menu, "Chai blend?" He said, unsure if he pronounced the name correctly. "If that's alright, Miss...?" Gladwin awaited for a name to call the owner of the shop.

[Conor Colton]

Colton stood patiently as he waited for Gladwin to finish his order before responding to the griffin's earlier question, he decided to pass the time and observe the décor of the tea shop in greater detail. Just as Gladwin had said this place seemed very much like something you would see in Cloudsdale, this made Colton remember all the good times he had travelled to Cloudsdale, and then that's when he thought something, Wait...I think I've seen this place before... He thought as he tried to remember how he could possibly have remembered a new shop.

He snapped out of it when he overheard Gladwin ask for Starburst's name, he expected that Gladwin would get a nervous response much like Colton had got, but regardless he still waited patiently for the two to finish their business

[Starburst]

Starburst reaches behind the counter, pulls a pot of tea off of a hot plate behind the counter, and pours a cup for the griffon. After placing the teapot back on the hot plate she places a cinnamon bun onto another saucer, hot icing dripping off the surface of the moist bun.

"Six bits please." she says, smiling.

[CrossStitch]

Gladwin smiled, "Uh, th-thanks." he said with a nod of his beak. He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out six bits. "Not a bad deal." he said as he placed them on the counter. That could of gone better... Gladwin thought as he took the first sip of his tea. Guess somepony's are just shy. He turned back to Colton, "So, Colton, how's Flux doing?" he said, taking another sip of the tea. Oh wow, that IS good. He thought to himself. He gave a warm smile to the owner, "This is great. I only wish I had found the place sooner." He turned back to Colton after the remark, unsure if the pony would even respond. Colton seemed to be caught up in something. Was he inspecting the shops decor? It did look quite nice, as Gladwin had said to himself time and time again. He took one last sip of his tea, awaiting Colton's response.