Chapter 28: tea shop(1)

[THIRD POV]

After having an important conversation with his brothers Solon paid for the tea and left the shop, heading towards the tent he was given to stay the night.

Once he got inside he came face-to-face with an old man looking like he was in his 80s with dark skin and a short white beard.

Solon could sense the pure power the man's body hid behind the old shell he called a body.

Once the man saw Solon he smiled, showing his yellow teeth.

"My name is che, we will be roommates for the near future. Nice to meet you." He said with his high, energetic voice.

"Hello." Solon said while thinking.

He immediately walked to the bed that wasn't occupied and sat down trying to meditate.

Che saw the way Solon was acting and his smile dropped with worry.

"What's on your mind?" He asked with curiosity.

"You are a poweful bender right? Then tell me, if you learned that you were influenced by someone to do something that doesn't actually affects you. Would you fight against this person or allow it to continue?"

Che looked at Solon for a whole minute and then smiled once again.

"I would do whatever I wanted. You don't have to think too much about it. Just make the decision you believe you won't regret in the future." He said keeping the smile on his face despite the serious tone he had.

Solon thought about it for a while and then smiled back at the old man.

"Thanks, I needed that."

The man just laughed without answering.

Solon continued to meditate in place while thinking about what he wanted to do.

[SOLON POV]

Asking a weird but poweful old man about my problem was a decision I took randomly, hoping for an outside opinion to help me decide.

I didn't expect him to answer me seriously and try to help me and I also didn't expect his advice to actually be of help to me.

Do whatever I want as long as I don't regret it.

It seems I have confused age with experience.

Just because I am hundreds of years older than a human it doesn't mean that I am wiser than him.

What do I want to do?

I want to obtain new knowledge. However I can do that by slowly studying the concept I can control -without using the record- and the particles that constitute everything that exists.

I came to the human world to experience the world, so I need a way to interact with humans and spirits alike while travelling at the same time. I also need to get a hobby in order to pass the time.

Hmmm….

What can cover all of these requirements?

[THIRD POV]

While Solon was meditating Che looked at him while doing nothing. He just stared at the man in front of him while thinking.

After an hour of doing nothing Solon got up excitedly and said aloud.

"I will open a tea shop."

Che just looked at him and started laughing maniacally.

"Good for you lad, you found out what you want to do. Now go to sleep you have to work in the morning."

Solon lied down and slept for the first time in his life.

****

In the morning, Solon's eyelids slowly opened as his mind started to work once again.

'The experience is different from fainting due to exhaustion.' He thought as he got up.

After looking around and seeing that Che wasn't present he used his power to extract water from the air in order to deep his face into it and wake himself up.

Immediately after, he dried himself up and went directly to the largest building in the town, which he assumed was the town hall.

Once he got inside he saw a large number of people walking around either carrying different materials like, wood and fabric in rooms filled with other people that used those materials to create necessities for the people.

Solon walked towards a random counter with a woman working on some scrolls she passed around the building through earth bending.

"Hello, I would like to make a question." He said, going straight to the point since he was aware that the woman had work to do.

"Ask away I will help to the best of my abilities." She answered without looking away from the scroll in front of her.

"I would like to open a tea shop. Could you tell me the requirements."

The woman paused for a single moment before using earth bending to send the scroll in front of her away and turned to Solon.

"You need to pay a certain amount of money to obtain the land for the shop. Other than that there is nothing you need." She said seriously.

"If you don't have the necessary amount of money you can also help the town's infrastructure for some time instead." She continued while taking a new scroll from next to her and writing something down.

"Here, take this and head towards the door in my right. There you will meet the one in charge of the land, talk to him and choose a piece of earth for your shop. After that he will take the payment in either form."

"I see, thank you for your help." Solon said as he took the scroll and headed towards the door.

After he got inside he saw a man about 30 years old with red hair going through some scrolls that moved around the room by sand.

'That must be Gaara's father.' Solon thought after seeing the red hair that was extremely similar to his disciple.

"Why are you here?" The man asked calmly.

Solon immediately passed him the scroll without answering.

After looking through the scroll the man turned to Solon once again.

"You want to open a tea shop. Tell me, do you have any requirements for the shop's placement?"

Solon thought for a while.

"Yes, I would like for it to be at the outskirts." He said seriously.

"Very well, follow me."

~~~~{chapter end}~~~~