The Tea Maker
Title: The Tea Maker
Fandom: Heroes
Rating/Genre: G/gen
Characters: Angela & Peter Petrelli, Jodi (original character)
Written for:10iloveyou
Table: Mystic
Prompt: 1. Sanctuary
Word count: 1 391
Summary: Angela wants to help her son relax, and to take his mind off of things, she brings him to her friend Jodi, a tea maker…
Note: I plan to take each prompt in the order they are written on the table. But this turned out a little less “mystic” than I had intended. I had something completely different in mind… and this turned out to be kind of… fluffy!
Spoilers/Warnings: None. Just a little inspired by the events in Season three.
“Where are you taking me?” Peter asked, as he followed his mother down the busy street. Sometimes people with big umbrellas or with their eyes fixed too steadily on the sidewalk bumped into each other, but Angela led the way steadily, without hesitation or accidents.
“You’ll see soon”, she said, “I have a surprise for you. You’ll like it, trust me.”
“Yeah, thanks”, Peter said, “but do we really have time for this? What if Nathan… what if Danko…”
“No, don’t worry”, Angela replied and smiled reassuringly at him, “this won’t take long, and nothing will happen. And we’re here now.”
Angela stopped and nodded to a window with baby blue curtains, between a drugstore and a comic book store that proudly advertised second hand copies of 9th Wonders. On the window with the curtains were golden letters written that formed the words Jodi’s Heavenly Tea House.
“You’re serious? A tea house?”
“Peter”, Angela said as she opened the door and pushed him inside, “just relax. Look, this is my favourite place to unwind. My own little sanctuary, you could say.”
Angela folded her umbrella as Peter looked around. There were tables of all sizes and shapes; sofas, chairs, pedestals with green plants, and even some mahogany coloured book shelves. The walls were covered with dark wooden panels, but the atmosphere was not at all gloomy, as the soft sofas were covered with cushions in bright colours. The place wasn’t crowded, but the people who were there seemed to be enjoying themselves, talking calmly while they were drinking their tea. Behind the shiny glass of the counter were cakes and cookies of all kinds.
“All right”, Peter said, “if you say so…”
Peter chose a small table in a corner, as far away from the window as possible, sat down in a dark green armchair, and Angela took off her coat and seated herself on the small couch on the opposite side, and relaxed against the cushions.
“Angela Petrelli!” a voice exclaimed, and she looked up.
Jodi, both owner and waitress, clasped her hands together and smiled warmly, and then she kissed Angela on both cheeks and told her how glad she was to see her.
“I haven’t seen you in such a long time”, she said, “you must have been very busy.”
“Yes”, Angela replied, “there’s a lot of things going on right now… and you, Jodi, you’re careful, aren’t you?”
The woman in her mid thirties nodded quietly, and then she turned to Angela’s son with a smile.
“You must be Peter”, she said.
“Yes”, he replied reluctantly, his voice dripping with suspicion.
He’s afraid, Angela thought. It almost broke her heart that he was afraid of Jodi. Peter, the boy who always saw the good in everyone. The boy who always wanted to help everyone, who had believed that anyone who wanted could save the world, and that everyone would want to do the right thing if they only knew what the right thing was.
Sadly, most people choose themselves and not the world if they must make a choice.
“I never supported you enough”, she sighed. “When you were younger…”
“What? It doesn’t matter. We’ve all done what we had to do, I guess.”
Angela smiled. It was so easy for him to forgive; perhaps too easy.
“What can I get you?” Jodi asked, and gently adjusted the tablecloth a little.
Peter looked at her; the fear was already gone from his eyes, and Angela smiled approvingly at the young woman.
“We’ll take whatever you recommend”, she said.
“In that case, I’ll give you a piece of Ginger and lemon curd cake, and a pot of Midsummer Night Dream. That’s a new one; I made it earlier this week.”
“Jodi makes her own tea blends you see”, Angela explained to Peter, “and she is a very dear and trusted friend of mine. I helped her set up this place about ten years ago.”
“Sixteen years, Angela… and it has been a great success ever since. But of course, looking at you, one could think that it’s only been ten years. You haven’t changed a bit.”
“Neither have you”, Angela stated, “you’ve always been such a sweet liar. That’s why I love you, of course. Now, will you go get us that tea?”
“Yeah, two Midsummers coming right up!”
Angela looked at Peter; he seemed more relaxed now, and he smiled a little as he met her gaze.
“This is nice. It smells delicious in here. It feels a little old fashioned and cosy… I’d never have thought of you in a place like this…”
“But I love it”, Angela said. “I love it because it’s so different from the glamorous places your father used to take me to…”
Jodi returned with a tray. She placed the plates with the cake in front of her guests, the large ceramic cups, and the tea pot. Then she poured the tea into their cups; an almost glowing amber coloured fluid filled the cups, smoking hot.
“There you go”, she said, “enjoy!”
Angela took the large but not too heavy cup in her hands, lifted it to her face, and closed her eyes as she breathed in the lovely scent.
“Ah”, she whispered, “Peter, can you feel it?”
She opened her eyes and watched her son as he lifted the cup to his mouth and tasted the tea. She watched as the incredulous look on his face turned to amazement, then back to incredulous, he looked around, and looked at her.
“What is this?!”
“It is midsummer”, Angela replied calmly. “Don’t be afraid, it is not harmful in any way, quite the opposite, I promise.”
Peter took another sip of the tea, and then another one. When she saw that his disbelief melted away, that he started to enjoy the tea, then she started drinking, too.
And it was a midsummer night in the room. There was no way that she could describe it in words, she thought, but that was the great thing about it. She simply was there, in the middle of it, and she took another sip from the cup. The scent of fresh green grass and flowers. Tranquillity. Bird song. Peace.
“We’re still here!” Peter exclaimed.
“Yes, of course”, she answered.
“But I mean”, Peter said, “we’re here at the table in this tea house, and I look at this cake and I want to taste it, and… and yet I’m somewhere else. It feels like summer in here. It’s… it’s beautiful, it’s amazing!”
“Yes”, said Angela, “it is beautiful. It’s the tea. I told you, Jodi makes it - it’s her ability. If you wanted the first day of spring, she could give it to you. If you want a luxurious spa or a winter holiday, she could give it to you. She’s a tea maker… Now drink your tea while it’s hot, and don’t forget the cake.”
“What does the cake do?”
“Nothing. It’s just yummy.”
Peter nodded, and said no more. They drank their amber coloured tea and enjoyed the sudden summer breeze; allowed themselves not to have any dark thoughts at all for a while.
Angela didn’t know what Peter felt, but she felt like meadows and forests, and fairies and music, and a vague feeling of warmth and pleasure.
She didn’t want it to end, but she knew that it had to. It ended shortly after the tea pot was emptied by their thirst.
She looked at her son; her youngest, and drew a deep breath and told him that the break was over and that they had to get back out there, into the real world.
“So, what is this?” he asked, “it’s not really hallucinations - I thought so at first, but it’s something else… is it addictive?”
“Not more than any other tea. It simply reinforces the emotions the name of the tea gives you. And Jodi only makes beauty, sweetness… joy.”
“I see”, Peter said. “And imagine; Nathan wants to lock this woman up, just because…”
“He does not know about her. And he will not know about her.”
“All right”. Peter stood up. “Let’s go, we can’t stay any longer. But I think I really needed this, I’ve been so tense lately…”
“I know”, Angela said, “that’s why I brought you here. I told you, it’s my secret sanctuary.”