Stop Thinking (Open/Liang)

(Sorry for the delay! Easter kept me tied up)

Even in the midst of some of the most difficult training a fighter could undertake, everyone needed a break sometimes. Liang was currently inside of Tiger Tea, and in an especially good mood. His training with his visiting Master had been going very well and kept him in high spirits as of late. The result of this was a not-so-regular special he'd decided to run where a rather large section of the menu offered a second helping for free if you could finish the first, as well as free refills on the more specialized blends of tea. It had worked wonders for business. Returning faces were always a joyous sight to see; regulars brought in family and friends to try and get them hooked on South City's tucked away new hangout, while first-timers came in not knowing what to expect and ended up with a treat. The staff was there in full force and even Liang had personally gotten himself involved at each station throughout the day, brushing up his brewing and cooking finesse and having a blast while doing so. Strom had returned from a short vacation to go back to running the hibachi grill, Xiapai had come in early to prepare for the rush because of the special and took care of the noodle bar, while Liang and a few other staff members focused on brewing the tea. 

With all of the stress on his mind lately, it truly was something he desperately needed. After the events that had taken place on the moon between KAOS and Reikiko, he'd been particularly on edge; he was however developing a habit of doing things like this to be surrounded by friendly faces. Mingling with customers, both new and returning, was a very easy way to make him happy. He'd been taking a short break in his office with his arms folded and head down on his desk, snoring away. Sleep hadn't come very easily lately, even with all of the exhaustion that came from his new circuit of gravity training. Bags had developed beneath his eyes (yes, all three of them), and so far nobody had bothered trying to wake him. He'd been hard at work for the past couple of hours, and a once-warm cup of tea was placed near his left elbow. The sound of the front door's bell set off by its opening caused him to stir, and Xiapai snuck in to offer him a few quick taps and a shake. ''Liang? Hellooo? Wakey wakey! We have another new face in the shop. Why don't you go say hello? First impressions are everything!'' Being tossed back and forth lightly from the shake, Liang lazily pawed at the air, smacking his lips and rolling his head back and forth across his arms.

''Nn-aaaahhhh....'' With a hearty yawn, he sat up into a slouch and rubbed his eyes, taking a sip of his cold tea. He pinched the bridge of his nose at forgetting about the fresh cup he'd brewed to bring into his office which was now effectively less than room temperature. That wouldn't do at all. ''Mm-hm. I'll be right out. My tea's cold.'' Xiapai withdrew his other hand from behind his back, swapping them out in a flash. ''You know me too well. Thanks, Pai.'' ''I'll go warm this up so you can finish it later. No sense in being wasteful, Liang.'' ''Yeah, yeah. I know. Are you on break?'' ''Not really. I just figured i'd check up on you because i've got a spare minute.'' ''Right. Thanks. I'll go check on the new face.'' Grasping his tea firmly, he'd tip the cup back and take a refreshing, waking gulp of the beverage. It was a honey vanilla blend, one of his personal favorites, and perked him right up. Stepping out of his office and swiping up a menu with his free hand, he looked through the crowd until he spotted the unfamiliar face; a Zoan, by the looks of it. 

Approaching with a soft smile, he'd gently lay the menu before the newcomer. ''Hi there, welcome to Tiger Tea! I'm Liang. I'm happy to let you know we're offering a two-for-one special on most entrees right now, and free refills on our various special blends of tea. I know the place can be a little overwhelming on your first trip in, so take all of the time you need.'' With a friendly smile he'd take a seat on the opposite side of the counter in case the Zoan had anything to say or any questions to ask. Every fresh face was always an exciting thing to see in the tea house; he'd met a lot of very interesting people since its opening.

He laughed in a friendly manner toward the comment from the new customer. ''Honestly? This place is taking off more than I ever thought it could have. I get a good view of the place moving from station to station and checking on all the customers and my staff, and i'll admit that we ought to hire a few more helping hands around here. The place really blew up, it seems like. It really gets me excited.'' Of course, he was unaware that Puery didn't realize he was the owner. ''If you'd like, i'd be happy to get you an application. I could use all the help around here I can get. The staff's all friendly and really patient; they're pretty welcoming toward new people on the crew. Also, nice to meet you Puery. It's a pleasure.'' He began to think of how odd it must feel being in her shoes. She'd walked in at one of their most busiest times, only to feast her eyes on a swarm of people all acting like they knew each other perfectly well. It had to feel a bit odd, and he made a mental note to work better on the welcoming committee portion of employee coaching. He decided he'd keep her company if all the other patrons were tied up, and got comfy in his seat across from her as he patiently awaited her to peruse the menu, sipping his tea happily. He absorbed the atmosphere as she looked on before setting her menu down and raising her head, announcing she'd just have a fan favorite. He began tapping his chin in thought before he gently flipped her menu around to face him, tracing down the list to the section he had in mind. There were a lot of things the regulars ordered over and over, but he had one in mind that could let her try a bit of everything for a good price.

''Where is it...hmm. Oh! Found it. All of the entrees in the noodle bowl section come with baozi, which are hand-rolled and can be stuffed with all sorts of things. Vegetables, different meats, even just rice if you wanted. Then we have the tea menu. Tea is our big specialty around here, so there's plenty of variety. I don't know how you are on sweets, but what i'm enjoying right now is a honey-vanilla blend. If you're looking for something a bit more bold, we do have herbal blends, made with hand-crushed herbal mixtures.'' He'd slide a smaller menu out of the food menu's back pocket and open it up, letting her look down the list. He used the bought time to make a decision on what she should try out. Vi-Poi's order came to mind; he was a bit off the fence when it came to eating meat, and a lot of his zoanthrope customers were the same way. While she made her decisions on tea, he'd nod to himself. ''A close friend of mine really enjoys the vegetarian wheat special. It's a placeholder name as it's a recent creation, but it consists of thick and chewy wheat noodles, and a ruddy broth of light garlic mixed with diced onions and mushrooms. It's pretty good, and it does come with a side plate of baozi. You could give that a try, if you're a bit opposed to eating meat. I know a lot of zoans are, but I don't mean to judge a book by its cover. If not, we do have the same dish in the non-vegetarian section that offers a choice of meat.'' 

He didn't call over a waiter just yet; he didn't want to make her feel rushed, and wanted to make sure she was plenty comfortable in the busy new setting. ''So are you new in town? We've mostly grown by word of mouth; i'm surprised and delighted both that you inquired about helping out here. If you stay for a while and like the place, we'd be plenty glad to have you on board!''