Brooke's Musical Emporium and Tea Corner

[tapdancinskelly]

Who: Brooke and You
Where: Brooke's Music store/Tea corner
When: This Afternoon
Summary: Brooke is bored and business is slow at his musical store/tea corner, so he sips tea and plays the piano waiting for somebody to walk through the door.  Whether as just a visitor or a customer, is up to you.
Warnings: Brooke may ask you if he can see your panties

Comments

[heavenly_earth]

'Lunch break' was another new, foreign concept Neji couldn't grasp the necessity of, but although he worked in a low stress environment, his coworkers seemed keen on taking advantage of the break to eat and socialize

I'm sorry this is so late >_< migraines suuuuck

[tapdancinskelly]

Brooke nearly leaped from his piano chair not having noticed the young man enter his shop since he had been so caught up in his song. A customer had finally arrived! Although without his staff today, he was slightly undermanned, so he did the only thing he could. Brooke grabbed a waiter's apron, a pencil and paper, and dashed over towards his tea area.

"Good evening young man, I am indeed the owner of this establishment and my name as you saw on the sign outside is Brooke. What can I do for you today? We have a fine selection of teas, coffees, and delightful pastries. I'll also take any song requests you like while you are here, since I can play just about anything, and you are our first guest."

No worries. I hope you're feeling better <3

[heavenly_earth]

Neji blinked, stepping back, the movements rapid as the man's appearance registered- unnerving, strange, and impossible. Veins crept to his eyes on reflex, confirming the skeletal figure, and his mouth set in a firm line. Tense, awkward, he couldn't read the expression, although Brooke's demeanor seemed outwardly pleasant. The moment was broken by the entrance of a young woman, and his nerves settled somewhat.

"...Unfortunately, my knowledge of music is somewhat limited. However, I would be interested in looking over your tea selection."

[tapdancinskelly]

Brooke smiled, or as much of a smile as you could call it when you have no face. This lad's eyes were a bit strange looking to Brooke, but Brooke wasn't going to comment since he had no eyes at all. The skeleton bard pulled out one of his tea menus and handed it to the young man.

"That's quite alright, if you don't have any requests, then I'll simply play whatever comes to mind. Here is our tea selection good sir, take as much time as you need, and if you would like anything else, just ask."

The menu was also in the finely written calligraphy and it contained almost every single type of tea a human being could want. From Early Grey, to Green tea, to Lipton lemon tea bags, they even had something called Jamaican Blackberry Pine.

[heavenly_earth]

A nod, he accepted the menu and settled down, finding himself somewhat distracted by the appearance of an animated skeleton. But his attention turned toward the menu, eyes scanning over the selection and subtly impressed by the sheer varieties available. Most of them were foreign or had otherwise different names he wasn't accustomed to. Adapting was a constant effort.

"I'll have some Jasmine tea if you would, then." Hopefully the lack of business wasn't an indicator of poor service.

[tapdancinskelly]

Brooke bowed politely and headed towards his kitchen area in the back of the store. It used to be for private living area use, but when Brooke took over the store he converted it into the tea and coffee area. The bard put on a pot of boiling water and got out everything he would need. He made sure to not put the water on too hot so to prevent the tea from tasting bitter, but not too cold so that it would be a healthier tea. There were three things Brooke prided himself in, in this world, music, swordsmanship, and tea.

As the skeleton waited for the pot to boil he headed back out to the tea area with his violin in hand, and began to play. The song went a little something like this. He played it just loud enough that it would reach everyone in the store, a little bit outside, not enough to hurt the ears of guests, and the tune was soft enough that he could still hear the whistle of a kettle.

[heavenly_earth]

The skeleton was an adept musician, he noted, though he still couldn't grasp how such a thing could exist. No joints, muscles, or tendons to pull the bow over the strings of the violin, eyes to take in surroundings, or vocal cords. For that matter, standing upright would be near impossible, though Brooke still managed to have an outstanding amount of hair despite his lack of everything else.

Was it the result of this world resurrecting the dead? Of course, no one had specified just how dead being were brought to life, or what state they were in when it happened. There were far too many questions, and the constant shift in perception of possibilities was straining.

[tapdancinskelly]

Brooke heard the distinct whistle of the kettle and finished his piece heading back into the kitchen. He then came out with a tea pot full of Jasmine tea and poured two cups at the young customer's table. Brooke then sat down across from him and sipped his own cup of Jasmine tea.

"You don't mind if I join you, do you? Business is a little slow today with most people thinking we're closed due to my employees not being here. If you'd rather drink your tea without the company and conversation though, that's fine too."

[heavenly_earth]

"It's fine." Neji said, resisting the urge to ask just how he managed to drink tea without a digestive system. But maybe he could find a way to make inquiries.

"I'm just on break at the moment. This seemed like a quiet place to enjoy tea in the meantime..."

[tapdancinskelly]

Brooke grinned as he sipped his tea. "Well I do pride myself a little on my atmosphere for my tea corner, although I wouldn't mind it being a little busier. So what do you do for a living good sir? Or in my case, a dying. Yohohoho!"

[heavenly_earth]

The humor slipped by him, instead distracted by the phrasing and the uneasiness associated with the odd cackling. Neji took a drink of tea and decided he couldn't detect anything strange about it, although with some admiration, found it was a perfect temperature.

"Office clerk, I believe the term is, though the level of technology is different than what I'm used to, I'm growing accustomed to using various machines needed to complete tasks. It's a new position, but I hope to advance quickly."

[tapdancinskelly]

Brooke tapped his chin thoughtfully, never having worked in an office before. "It sounds like a tough job, but then again I've always been a bit of a free spirit. I like a job where I can express my creativity, so this place is rather ideal for me. How long have you been working here? Are you a local or did you get dragged here too?"

[heavenly_earth]

Neji shrugged slightly. "It's mostly paperwork and organization." True enough, but it was the first thing he found and at the very least, a place to start. "I started working Monday, so not long at all. I've only been here for roughly two weeks. How about yourself, then?"

[tapdancinskelly]

Brooke chuckled slightly. "Yohohoho, I too have been here roughly two weeks. I was very fortunate to find the former owner of this place to be very willing to sell. Well actually, he didn't even sell me the place as I recall. He just gave me the deed and asked that I please don't take his soul to the underworld. I tried to explain to him that I didn't want his soul I just wanted to buy his music store, but he ran off and I haven't seen him since. I feel rather sorry for the poor fellow. I didn't mean to scare him, but this cursed body of mine does tend to give people the wrong impression."

[heavenly_earth]

The Jounin blinked, the story somewhat incredulous, but Brooke's appearance could certainly frighten the average person. It had already disturbed him on a number of levels- though more because it defied basic concepts rather than fear.

"I see." Another sip of tea. "I'm certainly interested in knowing how you acquired such a unique form."

[tapdancinskelly]

Brooke leaned back sipping his tea, trying to think of the best way to tell this story. "Well you see, in the land I come from there are fruits from a tree that are cursed by the devil. These fruits are called devil fruits and they are cursed to give various powers, but those who eat them can no longer swim. I ate one such fruit that made it so when I died I would be brought back to life. However, I died in a place that was perpetually covered in a deep fog, and it took my soul a full year to find my body. By the time it did, I was nothing but bones, but that wouldn't stop the power of the cursed fruit. So here I am, as you see me now."