The rains of the past few days had given way to a fresh, glistening world.  Most of Hogsmeade was still dripping, the diminishing patter of droplets falling from drying eaves accompanying her as she picked her way through the small town's glimmering streets.  Here and there, bodies were about -- customers finally making the rounds to run their errands, shopkeepers setting out their merchandise or putting up the first bare hints of holiday decorations.  She'd never spent a December in England before, but the red, green, and white already seemed too familiar.

It was not as cold as Raizel had expected for a chilly day in northern Scotland, but she still felt a thrill at the surging warmth that greeted her as she stepped into the small tea shop.  She looked around curiously as the bell rang to announce her arrival, slackening her grip on the long black coat that she normally kept wrapped so tightly around herself.

It was her first time in this particular establishment -- the Sleeping Dragon Tea Shop, which seemed like either an intentional contradiction or an unspoken threat of what might happen if the residents of Hogsmeade didn't buy enough tea.  Normally, Raizel wouldn't have given the small store with its leafy arrangements a second look.  Tea was, after all, an inherently British drink, and from what she had been able to tell of the markets back in London, it was nearly impossible to find the fresh leaves that she was most familiar with here.

She hadn't come here to shop for herself.  It had been a long time since Raizel had felt obligated to purchase a present for someone else; even the rare occasions when she was willing to celebrate a birthday usually just resulted in one or two gifted rounds.  But this upcoming week marked Dreogan Eleor's birthday (as well as that of Jonas Trevelyan, although for some befuddling reason, she wasn't supposed to admit that she knew about that), and for better or for worse, something about her current relationships with both men made her feel as though a purchased drink wouldn't be quite enough.

That was what had brought her here today, at the very end of her shopping rounds.  Raizel had stopped in front of the register, regarding the teas along the wall with a very intent look.  Dreogan was inordinately difficult to shop for, and she'd been at a loss -- until she'd finally happened upon the idea of buying the diplomat more good tea.

"Good afternoon," she said politely, each syllable clear and precise as she addressed the only other person present in the shop.  It was a wizard -- she presumed that he either had to work here or know something about tea, or else why would he be frequenting a tea shop alone?  Normal people certainly did not.  "Do you work here?  I'd like to buy some tea."

It had been the first weekend since he took the post at Hogwarts that Neville had been able to come back home for a little bit of relaxing. The shop had been well taken care of in the meantime, though he hadn't expected anything less from it's staff. He had spent the morning attending the plants in the greenhouse in the back, the more sensitive ones had been transplanted to the castle with him but the older and sturdier plants stayed behind. Due to his early morning activities Neville was covered in a thin layer of soil that was rather common to him.

He came to the front of the shop to tidy up some before the other staff arrived to take over. He hadn't noticed the bell chime as the young woman walked in. He was too focused on getting dirt out from under his fingernails. He started when she spoke splashing a bit of water on himself. He turned the tap off and addressed the woman with a smile, "Uh yeah actually I do. Work here that is." He padded his hands dry and came to the front of the counter to serve her better.

"Well if you're looking for tea you've come to the right place." His smile was wide and tinted with a light blush that was barely visible under the layer of dirt on his cheeks. He had never been very good with talking to girls, safe for Luna but he supposed that was a special case. The shop itself had been a place for calm and relaxation for him, a place to implement his talents in Herbology while still being able to help people. Sure it wasn't on the same scale of the help he provided as an Auror but it was a comfortable job he could see himself retiring in. That was of course before he was given the incredible opportunity to teach at his Alma Matre.

"Did you have anything particular in mind?" He pointed up to the board behind him. Written in a neat script in different coloured chalks was a wide variety of teas the shop sold. Each type was available for single serve, as a pot or in a take home satchel and underneath each there was a small description of what the tea was best used for. Many were used for relaxation, though there were also those for healing, those for energy, those to enhance certain traits like wisdom, creativity and much more (though only temporary)

Raizel gave a haughty shrug; her gaze had already moved past the wizard to the rows and rows of neat chalked letters on the board behind him.  Herbology and potions had never been subjects that had much interested her.  Back in school, she'd always thought of them as decidedly not flashy enough.  Slaving away for hours over a potion in a dark corner or spending months carefully cultivating a particular plant had not been nearly as appealing as mastering a new spell that she could use to show off at the Dueling Club. 

"I want to get a gift for a friend," she replied, her eyes flicking back to meet his.  That was a safe negotiating tactic; buying for someone else always meant less of a commitment than buying for oneself.  If the prices were too high, she could simply threaten to walk away and find something else to give as a present.

Truth be told, she didn't know anything about Dreogan's tea drinking habits, other than that he seemed the sort of mage who would have them.  Tea could be used in divination, but it was also used to relax and soothe, and played an important role in many social occasions.  It was multipurpose, and Raizel liked that.  She also liked that it was obviously superfluous -- it would be clear that she had thought ahead of time and gotten Dreogan a gift.  That was most of the point of giving, after all: to make sure that the other person knew that you had bought something specifically for them.

"I was thinking that maybe he would like some tea.  Good tea," she added, with a warning look to the shopkeeper that implied that just because the tea would be good, it still shouldn't be expensive.  "What kind would you recommend?"

Neville smiled to cover up the little sigh that was trying to get out. It was always this way during this time of year. He preferred the other seasons when customers came in with a passion for his goods, wanted to try something new or exciting or just wanted to chat. There was nothing more frustrating in the shopping world than the 'Gift Giver'. The situation usually went one of two ways. Either they were so lost that any sort of influence or nudge in any direction was gladly appreciated and they bought whatever was suggested or the complete opposite. The type of shopper that no matter how well you sold something, or recommended it, the product was always too expensive or not what they had in mind or they wanted to try somewhere else swearing they'd be back and you'd never see them again. Neville was worried she was in the latter category. Still, he was happy to have the opportunity to try and no one knew this stuff better than he did.

"Do you know what kind of tea they usually drink?" Step one was always getting a feel for where the customer was comfortable, whether they were buying for themselves or for someone else. If her friend liked to experiment there were a few brews he could suggest or perhaps she already knew they're favourite kind or when they liked to have cup. If they were a habitual drinker or casual drinker. Hopefully she could give him something to go off of, it tended to help him keep the sale and the customer happy. Having to throw out suggestions in the dark was almost akin to asking them to leave.

"Is this a close friend, casual friend, boyfriend?"

The Cursebreaker barked out a laugh, her teeth flashing in a smile as she eyed the shopkeeper.  "Not a boyfriend," she said definitively; this was both the truth and good negotiating tactics.  People had a way of spending ridiculous amounts on those closest to them.  She did not want to get that confused. 

"Just a friend.  A friend's older brother," she said succinctly, for clarification.  Not that that definition really fit Adon, either, for it ignored the high percentage of the time when she wanted to strangle him, but it was good enough.  Short, concise, and not anything close enough that would make the shopkeeper think he could cite higher prices.

She had no idea what sort of tea Dreogan usually drank.  The older mage's habits, as was true for most of his life decisions, utterly baffled her.  She wasn't even certain that Dreogan drank tea, although he and Akiva certainly offered it to her quite frequently, and it seemed like the sort of thing that he'd be suited to.  But she knew definitively that she did not want to buy him something that he usually drank.  That would defeat the purpose of this present, which was to look thoughtful and yet also extravagant.  If she was going to purchase tea, it was certainly going to be the best (and yet most reasonably priced) tea that she could conceivably purchase.

"I don't know what he drinks," she said with a dismissive shrug.  "And I don't want to get him anything usual.  Do you have any sort of tea for sleeping?" she asked, eyeing the containers behind the counter with considering intent.  "Or for -- clarity?  Clear thoughts or clear sight?"

Neville decided at once that he liked her laugh. It was an honest one, one she hadn't meant to give which made it that much more likable, a true genuine laugh. He shook the thought from his head, gave her another smile and nodded. Then he stored the information of her being single in the back of his mind for possible future use. She may not have been completely single and he knew he shouldn't have been thinking that way but her reaction to the word boyfriend alone was enough to suggest she wasn't tied down.

The further clarification of who she was shopping for told more about her than she probably knew. This person she was shopping for was a friend of sorts but it was more of a friend of a friend. Someone you felt obligated to buy for. Perhaps there was a Christmas party she had been invited to and needed to make sure she brought a present for the host so she didn't look like a complete wad. It certainly didn't seem like the kind of person that she shopped for on a regular basis. In a way that made Neville feel better. If this was someone she wasn't used to shopping for he could be more open with his suggestions while also not having to give her anything too complicated.

He moved out from behind the counter, subconsciously wiping his hands on his jeans even though he had already cleaned the dirt off them. He moved over to a simple wooden display shelf off to the side that was decorated for the season and covered in gift baskets. All were beautifully wrapped in clear cellophane to show the contents inside while still being festively presentable. Neville motioned to a few of the baskets, picking up one that contained an ornate looking pot and a few canvas satchels of tea leaves, "This one's great for peaceful nights, one cup and they'll be off to dream land as soon as they're head hits the pillow." He exchanged it for another that had a pair of festive looking mugs and another set of canvas satchels, "This one's preferred by most Diviners, clears the mind of distractions, focuses the thoughts and the leaves can be used for tasseomancy." He placed that one back and picked up a third, an ornate wooden box packed full of the small canvas satchels, "And this is just a nice mix of all our specialty blends from sleep aids to clarity mixes. Each one is unique to the shop itself and everything is made from fresh ingredients we grow in the back."