No Problem Can't Be Solved [Finished]

[carcinoGeneticist]

Hadn't had...? Well, that was a strange statement, wasn't it? Raina's expression shifted slightly to one of confusion, her fingers twitching at her sides.

Then she listened, the only movement of her body in the subtle changes of her expression and the way she tilted her head as her interest was piqued. So she'd be going to the Yarrow, dealing with a Yarrow woman, and gathering a valuable Yarrow flower with which to make a Yarrow tea. She was abruptly more happy than ever about the state of her sex chromosomes as well as the fact that she'd somehow managed to be born as a delicate, feminine Solandrian, something that had often made Seth laugh that deep belly-laugh of his.

It had bothered her before. Now it was a damn blessing. A small smile blossomed on the young woman's expression. She took the picture and looked it over closely, then accepted the paper.

"It's beautiful. It would be an honor to bring to you, if it's what you'd like of me." The woman thought things over quickly - the Yarrow and back, that would take about a day of travel on its own. Then there was the time consideration for drying and processing the flower into tea. That would take... A short enough time that she would hopefully not get too sick from the toxicity of the land. "I should be gone for ten days maximum, Your Majesty. I look forward to seeing you upon my return." Then, hesitantly, she reached out for Donnie's hand and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it, eyes shining.

And with that, the woman was off. It didn't take her long to arrange for a coach, and by the time it was ready she had a small suitcase packed with everything she would need for her trip in the Yarrow. The trip there was nice enough, though Raina was rather happy for it to end for a number of reasons once the coach finally came to a stop, not the least of which being the fact that her butt was getting rather numb from sitting for so long. It felt wonderful to finally stretch her legs out.

Glancing at the paper Donnie had offered her once more, she looked up at the home she'd been dropped off at. This was the place, for sure. Slowly, the young woman made her way up the drive, then knocked lightly at the door.

[The Jenn]

After a few moments of waiting, the door was opened by an extremely tall bipedal bird of a woman, probably one of the tallest birds Raina had seen. It would make sense, what with her being a harpy eagle. The classic feathersplosion halo around her head made quite the frame in pink for piercing yellow eyes. The red Ten of Diamonds on her chest stood out nicely against a patch of white and all of the Yarrow colors swirled over her in large patches and broad stripes.

"Yes, hello? Can I help you?" Her frame effectively blocked the doorway, probably on purpose, but the words were spoken with a polite smile as she gave Raina a quick and less obvious once-over.

It wasn't too hard to believe that this woman was related to Donnie, all things considered. Something about the eyes seemed very similar, and not just color. The slight resemblance crossed their species. She looked older, possibly in her fifties.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Sometimes, it was impossible for one to really mask their emotions, especially when presented with a sight as striking as the one that had appeared in front of Raina. The young woman blinked, resisting the very strong urge to take a slight step backwards, but only barely. She was vaguely aware that her own genes left her at least part eagle, but this... This was an eagle of an entirely different sort. Bigger, for sure.

Taking a deep breath to ease her trembling, Raina managed to ease a friendly smile onto her face, her eyes sparkling in the dim light. She might not have been a Diamond herself, but they would give her a little bit of an advantage in this meeting. "Miss Esmera?" She said without glancing at the paper, wanting to make sure this wasn't someone else who lived in the home. At the first indication that this was the woman that the Solandrian was looking for, she continued.

"My name is Raina. I am currently employed at the Court of Spades, working under Her Majesty Donalda. I'm here to ask of you a favor on both of our parts." With any luck, this would go smoothly and easily. Those eyes... It was amazing how much they reminded her of Donnie. That put her at ease, ever so slightly. "I'm currently undergoing my Quest to become her King, and she sent me here to ask about a flower that she would very much like to have fresh tea made from." Rummaging in her bag for a moment, Raina procured the picture she'd been given, offering it to the glorious eagle.

[The Jenn]

Human forms were so little. The bird blinked down at her and the smile around the edges of her beak widened when she stated her business. "Donnie? I haven't heart from that little minx in months. How cute that she would send one of her lackeys out to talk to me." The statement was followed by a laugh that had a grating edge to it, but she seemed genuinely amused. It was a species thing. "And what a lovely little lackey. Please come in."

She took the paper that Raina offered, glancing down at it as she turned and moved inside. It was a smaller home in a cottage style with a living room that displayed a variety of very nice and dusted clutter. There were little glass figurines on shelves, several vases around the room, an old dried wreath of flowers that looked like it needed disposal, and several worn but nicely framed pieces of furniture. She was directed to a large armchair decorated with cream floral fabric and a heavy oak frame. All of the furniture looked to be 'sturdy' and the air was predictably full of floral scent.

Another moment of glancing at the paper and she sighed. "Alright then. I would have preferred that she come in person, but I know she's been busy what with her title and all. Can I get you anything to snack on? Drink? I actually have some of this particular tea right now, if you've never had it before. It's one of the regional delicacies. Nearly impossible to find still potent out of the Gardens."

[carcinoGeneticist]

If it wasn't for a childhood spent with brothers who had full-and-partial beaks, Raina would have utterly missed the smile that lined the woman's face. Somehow it managed to soften her overall appearance, and a faint blush lit up the human's cheeks at the compliment. "You're too kind," she replied demurely, raising her eyes back to the bright yellow ones of the eagle. Then she stepped into the room, looking around it. It was a home that had been lived in, that was for sure, so different from all the places Raina had lived.

It came as almost a surprise when she realized that she'd only ever lived in rooms at Courts - first, the Court of Hearts, and now... At least it was hers now, rather than her family's. The smell in the air was thick and cloying, and in a way, it reminded her of her familial home in the summertime, the perfume of the rose garden permeating every little section of the Court. It was a nice memory, and a wistful little sigh escaped her as she sank into the offered chair.

Wow, that was nice on her sore rear.

"She'd much rather see you herself, but Court matters make it very hard for her to get away," she said with a small nod of her head, a hint of an apology evident in her voice. "If you like, I can pass the message along to her." The next statement was a lovely surprise. She was curious about this tea, after all, especially if it was something precious enough to be used as a King's Quest.

Granted, by this point, Raina fully understood that she'd been given one of the easier Quest. That was fine with her. "I would love that. If it's good enough for her to send me all this way to get it for her, it must be amazing."

[The Jenn]

Oh, how demure. Look at that little downward glance. It made Esme think on whether this 'King' was for the Court or for Donnie. Or possibly both. It didn't matter so much to her as a Diamond, but she couldn't help but wonder if this was an informal 'letting my cute little thing meet the family' move on her niece's part. Meh. Time would tell.

"Oh yes, I'm sure she'd much rather visit her aunt's dinky little place than live in a castle," she said scathingly, but couldn't hold the tone and expression for more than a few seconds before bursting into another harsh laugh. "I'd appreciate if you did that. I'll let the rest of the family know she's thinking of us. Or at least, of me." Another smirk and she fluffed off to the kitchen to put on the water.

She returned after a few moment, but hung in the doorway so that she could have an easy glance towards the kitchen, which looked to be painted an odd shade of mauve from the little Raina could see. "I always made sure Donnie got a cup when she visited us as a girl. Do you know, she came here for a month every summer? She stayed at my mother's house for the most part, but she would do the rounds and visit all of us, and we would all go there for at least one get-together. It's no wonder that she's after the tea, if she can't have everything else that went with it."

[carcinoGeneticist]

Perhaps it was safe to be a little more relaxed and genuine around this woman. She had an oddly charming laugh that filled the room, reminding her of her father. She settled back a little further into the chair, her smile broadening as she watched the woman slip into the kitchen. "I grew up in the Heart Court and moved right from there to the Spades. There's a lot to be said for a "dinky little place", as you put it." There was, too. The place was comfortable in all of the best ways, ways that Raina had only experienced from time to time at Seth's little apartment.

She wasn't going to mind staying here for a week, she was sure. Assuming she was invited. If not, she'd find a nearby hotel, and that would be fine as well. She crossed her legs beneath her dress, watching the woman move into the kitchen and back.

Her purple eyes sparkled as she considered what was being said.

"That sounds like it must have been lovely. It's hard being away from family, especially with the Court being the way they are. My family - they got lucky, with pretty much everyone being in the same place. When I left it was a big change. I'd imagine that even if the tea itself wasn't amazing, Donnie would still send me to get it, just for the memories attached." She glanced down at her hands, lightly lacing her fingers together. In some ways, it was odd thinking about Donnie as a little girl. It was even hard to imagine her as a girl of Raina's own age. "She misses you all very much, I'm sure."

Suits knew, Raina missed her own family, even if her departure was of her own choice and for the best in her life.

[The Jenn]

The compliment wasn't lost on Esme and she preened a little bit. "Oh, the Hearts? Was one of your parents a noble, then, and that's how you became interested in your own suit? Our family hasn't had anything to do with Hearts for a few generations. Not sure about Donnie's mother, but she's a Spade so I haven't a clue. I never talked to Portia all that much. She was sweet on my sister and helped tone down her temper, and she sang like a dream, but we never had much of substance to talk about. After Jolie died - that would be Donnie's father, a Seven of Diamonds when she passed - we never saw much of Portia. A shame, really. If she'd visited more then maybe her other daughter would have as well."

Talkative by nature anyway, the eagle felt comfortable in this girl's presence. Something about the exotic purple eyes, more Yarrow than Solandrian, just seemed to draw her in and encourage her to chat. It was rare that she met someone she liked so much right off the bat, especially without an ounce of Diamond charm in them.

She opened her beak, and then noticed that the kettle was getting ready to boil and quickly moved over to turn off the heat and pour it into the pot before it could. A minute spent fussing with the cast iron lid and preparing the cups, and she called out from the kitchen as she watched the clock. "Now, this tea goes best without anything in it. If you're one of those die-hards who just can't drink anything without sugar in it, though, you let me know before I pour." It only took a minute and a half steep time before this particular blend was ready to serve.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Well, that was the kind of reaction Raina liked to see, and her smile relaxed somewhat. It was looking entirely natural on her face, by this point. "That is indeed the case. One a noble, one a bodyguard hired by the nobles." Any more detail than that, however, would have to be prodded for. The girl was fairly certain that a Yarrow woman would not exactly approve of the current situation between her parents and much of the rest of the Court of Hearts.

She didn't have a chance to mill it over, however, because the older Eagle had seemed to open up eagerly to her. Raina was enjoying this, she quickly found. This was giving her insight to Donnie that she likely would never have obtained, and some part of her was curious. Was this all a part of a ploy by the woman? It seemed entirely possible, and if that was the case...

Well, then. Raina would have to take this opportunity to shine in as many ways as she could. If she was going to be the Queen's King - and her lover - she wanted to show Donnie that she was useful in informal situations as well.

As the woman fussed with the kettle, Raina leaned forward, clearly interested in what was going on. When she heard the cry, she - rather regretfully - pushed herself out of the chair, walking towards the kitchen and standing in the doorway, one eyebrow raised. "No sugar, please, I find it often interferes with the natual quality of a good tea, and it would be a shame to do that to a brew as valued as this one." She smiled lightly, giving the woman a small nod.

When the brewing was finished, she'd accept a cup graciously, taking a deep breath to better smell the warm liquid before she took a small, testing, sip.

[The Jenn]

"Good, good. I couldn't agree more." Esme fussed with the kettle, which upon inspection was decorated with a flowing Yarow script in faintly etched writing. It looked to be calligraphy of some sort, but it wasn't deciperable to those who didn't know the language's written form. There were a handful of tiny flowers etched into the iron as well, painted with a faint gold that looked as though it had been worn by time and use.

The cups were much more simple, white porcelain with a gold lip and gold around the thinner base. She offered the cup to Raina and watched as the woman sampled the scent before the liquid. Good, very good. The water would be hot but not boiling.

"We call the tea itself Moonchild Bouquet," she offered as an aside before she also slowly sipped at her small cup. "As I'm sure you can tell, it's the fragrance that's really the beauty. Just lights up the whole inside of your head. This is a Yarrow blend at its finest, only two weeks old. The younger the better for this, so long as it's been properly prepared beforehand. And I know how to prepare my tea." The stuff would be utterly toxic to a Bog-dweller, like drinking a fragrant, distilled poison.

She set down her cup for a moment and looked thoughtful. "So will you be staying with us for the whole time, dear, or would you rather stay at an inn. I'll warn you now... my mate isn't in the best of health. It's nothing contagious or any such nonsense and you probably won't even see her, but I'll be distracted for a good amount of the time and I might not be the best company if something goes wrong. I never mind having guests, I welcome it really, but... well, you'd probably get quite bored while I was tending to her." This was said with the sad resignation of one who was used to the company and hadn't been able to host to her own standards in quite some time.