by Ethulai » Wed Sep 13, 2017 8:48 pm
oh my goodness ressssss I've loved this darling since I saw them W.I.P <3
❖username: Ethulai
❖name: Aztekia, 'Teki'
❖gender: Female
❖what gives them heart eyes? their plant collection▕ ▏arts and crafts markets▕ ▏scented candles
❖what makes them feel loved? their pet 'Churro'▕ ▏attention from beautiful girls▕ ▏cafe locals ♥
❖will you keep them connected with arleen? could we hc/rp them in the future?: I've never hc/rp'd my characters with anyone before as I'm pretty shy and unsure of myself but I'd love to try!!!
❖impress me!: here goes!
xxx❝A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness;
it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.❞
— Gertrude Jekyllxx
Aztekia owns a small hybrid cafe and plant store that is called Frond 'n' Bean that locals have lovingly nicknamed 'Friend Indeed'. It is a labour of love, more than a successful career, with long hours and backbreaking work with little return in regards to monetary profit. However, all that matters to Aztekia is having enough money to pay the bills, look after herself and most importantly keep the cafe running. The only day she has off is Sunday, and every other day is dedicated to her little slice of heaven and ensuring everything runs smoothly.
Monday: 'Market Monday'
Aztekia allows local small designers, artists, crafters to set up a pop-up shop inside her cafe. Usually she's contacted via her Instagram for inquiries into whether there is space. Teki allows pop-up shop runners to have drinks on the house and although she refuses to take payment for the renting of her space, shop owners encourage her to pick an item or two from their collection as a thank you. Aztekia thinks this is better than a monetary reward anyway! Support local!
Tuesday: 'Tunesday'
Live music is the purpose of Tunesday, preferably local bands or singers who are looking for some exposure. If Teki has not managed to score any live music for the day, she makes sure her playlist has local bands and singers and lesser known artists from around the world. This doesn't mean the cafe doesn't benefit from music the other days, it's just that they are more themed around what she is trying to achieve. Friday's playlists are full of game, tv show and movie OSTs while Saturdays are dedicated to chill out and indie tunes (as Teki assumes most customers have had a big Friday night and would appreciate a space to relax).
- Chillhop Playlist
- Electro Swing Playlist
- Drum 'n' Bass Playlist
- Indie Playlist
Wednesday: 'WOM' (Word of Mouth) / 'Welcoming Wednesday'
On Wednesdays Teki allows her cafe/store to be rented out by local community groups or used for functions. Most of the time the people who have rented out the space ask Teki to organise some catering for them, which she is more than happy to do. She has a large community notice board in her waiting area that clients are welcome to add some advertising to. She secretly has two groups she favours above others - the local country women's association (who are always happy to share their baking recipes and Teki makes sure she serves the ladies high tea and scones in her best china) and the local pride group who appreciate having a safe space to relax in from time to time.
Thursday: 'Toastday' a.k.a 'Toasty Thursday'
Toasted Sandwiches are one of Teki's favourite things - especially gourmet style ones created by yours truly. Every Sunday she brainstorms new and interesting recipes to surprise her customers with on Thursday. Sometimes she demands that Arleen come over just to try one of her creations and give an honest appraisal. Thursday is also the only day where there is a 'Soup of the Day' on the menu. By limiting her menu once a week, Aztekia gives herself space to breathe and not become too overwhelmed.
Friday: 'Fantasy Friday', 'Freaks n' Geeks'
Aztekia is a lover of games from all walks of life, from console to PC to tabletop gaming to role playing. For this reason Fridays are dedicated to all things nerdy and geeky. She encourages customers to bring in their laptops and use her wifi for gaming, she has a bunch of tabletop games available for customers to play, and she is thrilled when a D'n'D group or LARP group decide to make Frond n' Bean their local. She loves the atmosphere of competition and escapism. Customers have over time either donated games or consoles or made sure Teki knew about local stores, markets or garage sales that had some good games or gaming items. Teki loves to dress up on Fridays in various gaming paraphernalia she has collected over the years (one Friday she might be happily serving customers in a Bulbasaur onesie, another Friday she might go all out and dress as Sinon's Cait Sith outfit from Sword Art Online).
Saturday: 'Brunch Club'
Saturday is Teki's most elaborate and ambitious work day, something she took a risk with that has fortunately paid off. She organises a large brunch get-together every Saturday, but there's a catch! You can only book for yourself and only once per month and the meal is a complete surprise. Brunch Club was inspired by underground restaurants and Teki's desire to form a casual and non-threatening space where community members could get to know each other. She believes too many people spend too much time interacting online and not enough time face-to-face.
Sunday: FUNDAY
Aztekia's only day off. She celebrates it in various ways depending on how she's feeling and the time of year. She loves to go on day trips and discover new stores, markets, suburbs and sceneries. She's particularly thrilled when she comes across a plant nursery that has a more unique and wider range than her own. During the warmer months you'll find her enjoying the beach or lakes while she's more likely to visit the woods and mountains during winter and autumn. Most of the time Teki will go exploring on her own, needing some 'me time' after being so social for her working life but occasionally she'll ask Arleen to join her in her wanderings.
[Chronic Fatigue Syndrome] Aztekia, though a positive and happy-go-lucky kalon, suffers from a condition that is as frustrating as it is debilitating. For a number of years now, she has been dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome, and is somewhat relieved to have a name for her condition after visiting a number of specialists and doctors over time - some of who seemed to suggest that she was either a hypochondriac or that it was 'all in her head'. Thankfully, she now sees a doctor who is sympathetic to her condition and has helped her to develop a good management plan. At first Aztekia was reluctant to talk to anyone about her issues, feeling that either others wouldn't understand or start treating her as an invalid, but she has confided to Arleen with the help of the spoon theory. On the rare ocassion that Teki finds herself without the energy to go to work she texts 'no spoons!' to Arleen who springs into action and takes over the running of the cafe on that day.
[Insomnia] Aztekia often does not get enough sleep which is both detrimental to her health and well-being. She believes though her insomnia is mainly caused by her chronic fatigue, it is also due to her anxiety and stresses in her work and personal life. Her brain also doesn't seem to want to switch off. She's constantly thinking about her menu and stock and looking after her plants as well as all the things she has to do at home. This causes her to take a significant amount of time to fall asleep, if she even manages to fall asleep at all. Some days she just does everything on auto-pilot, having had either a very interrupted or not enough REM sleep. For the moment she seems to be coping, but she's worried that one day everything will just crash down around her and she won't be able to continue her normal routine. This is her greatest fear.
[Commercialism] Aztekia, a supporter of local business and owning a small business herself, is mostly afraid of being swallowed by larger coffeehouse chains who in her opinion do not care about their products or customers but solely work on the premise of trying to gain the most profit. Though she herself buys and uses only local ingredients, or those from interstate/overseas that are provided by ethical growers, it is far more costly to run her business this way. It is a constant source of frustration to Teki that companies buy their products from overseas countries who are exploiting their workers instead of supporting homegrown goods grown and nurtured by national farmers which would result in a better economy for all.
x[Gardening / Plants] Aztekia, for as long as she can remember, has had a love of plants and gardening. Her mother, who worked at a plant nursery, and her grandmother, who was a successful florist, taught Aztekia all they knew so you could say it's in her (green?) blood. Her indoor, outdoor plant nursery and cafe was a lifelong dream come into fruition - Aztekia firmly believes that not enough Kalons know the joy and comfort plants bring which is why she wanted a space where she could not only display her flora but also sell some stock to enthusiastic and wanna-be green thumbs. A lot of her own plants have names, and she sings to them when no one else is around.
x[Travelling / Exploring] Though times are currently tough, what Aztekia would eventually love to do is travel the world. She believes that to truly enjoy and experience life has to offer, one must be immersed in different places, different cultures and different histories. Since she can not currently afford to travel as it is beyond her means, she settles for the occasional weekend trip away somewhere easily accessible by car or other public transport or simply day trips on a Sunday to local markets, festivals, exhibitions, club events, and other community get togethers (preferably free). Sometimes she'll drive to a part of town she doesn't know and go wandering the streets with Churro, looking at everyone's gardens and gaining inspiration for her own business and home. Her mother always used to tell Teki that she had a wanderer's soul and it was impossible to keep her in one place as a kit.
x[Cooking / Baking] Aztekia has always had a love of baking and enjoyed cooking for herself and for friends and family. As she grew older and the compliments and demands for her food and treats grew, so did the little seed inside of her that harbored a secret desire to run a small business. Teki both enjoys replicating recipes by well known cooks and bakers but also loves tweaking the classics and putting her own signature spin into the mix - whether that involves flavours, textures, ingredients or methods (or a mixture of one or more of those elements). Though Dynia helps out with a lot of kitchen preparation and Aztekia has shared certain recipes, she furiously guards her sauces and many dishes so that most of the produce in the display cabinet (especially the desserts) is made by herself daily. Teki hates waste so she only cooks and bakes what is required and whatever is left over at close of business is taken to the local homeless shelter.
Arleen wrote:
Dynia wrote:Dynia has been working for Aztekia for over six months now, but still remains somewhat of a mystery to her and the cafe patrons. He showed up one day asking for a job, with a questionable resume and tired and haggard appearance. Aztekia, always the bleeding heart, was prepared to give the mysterious stranger a chance even though her instincts were telling here there was a story here that wasn't being shared. Her interview consisted of asking Dynia to make a number of dishes with what was available in the kitchen and a few different coffees to test the cooking and barista skills he claimed to have. Needless to say he passed with flying colours. He has a quiet and gentle manner and is especially deferential to his boss who he realises took a risk with him that others might not have. Dynia is an exceptional worker and Teki, seeing how much he has helped and assisted her over the last few months, doesn't know how she managed before he came along.
Bahlam wrote:Bahlam is one of Aztekia's favourite cafe regulars. He is publicly an eccentric and well-off community member, but those cluey enough to connect the dots are able to determine his success comes from manipulation and being a highly strategic and sophisticated con artist. That's not to say he would ever risk the wonderful service and delicious coffee and food at Frond n' Bean, Aztekia is one of the very few Kalons he has a true fondness for so he doesn't wish to harm her or her business in any way. In fact, Bahlam is actually extremely protective of Aztekia and often comes into the cafe not just to see her but also check up on the mysterious Dynia, who he doesn't trust at all. Since Teki is extremely fond of both boys, this makes for something interesting friction. Bahlam has a secret love of plants and has an impressive indoor jungle in his mansion and he trusts Teki to have sage advice if anything goes wrong with his Kalon-made habitat.
Churro wrote:xx
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Everyday is Halloween ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
"Hell is empty and all the devils are here."- Shakespeare,
The Tempest
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