Employee

"Easy?" Teanna took a step back from the girl, looking her up and down. "Do you even see yourself?" She noted the sweat beads forming on her forehead and nose, and the small drops that were now trickling down her temples, to her cheeks. There was chocolate syrup on her clothes, and flour, and so many other stains which were caused by ingredients Teanna could no longer distinguish. And the girl's hands... Oh those hands. She could've hit her for taking such poor care of herself. Teanna always took the greatest care of her body. Always clean, always soft, smooth skin. She looked like a 'rich kid'. Despite her years of work, she looked like someone that spent days in a row at the spas. She liked to look like that. Because then nobody could comment.

Teanna would rarely walk out of the kitchen with her apron on, and if there were any stains on her sleeves or anywhere on her shirt, she'd put something over it or roll it up. She'd always look her best. No matter what. Teanna then grinned at Noah and shook her head "You're Noah Senior from now on." She then burst out laughing. It sounded so final, so definite. 'Senior'. It meant old. Noah wasn't old. Despite his wrinkles, and his serious countenance, he was so very handsome, still so very young.

"Mommy, can I have a muffin?" She heard Bella's soft voice. Teanna quickly turned and shook her head. "Hon, no. I'll make you some later. Those are for the customers." Bella pouted and crossed her tiny arms, mumbling something around the lines of 'no fair'.-

Noah's eyes turned upon Rhian, and he would siphon through his thoughts, making sense of the obscurity of them. His mind's peculiar like that; each thought would float through his mind like a cloud, or a fish in the calm oceans, and sometimes they made little sense. Sometimes Noah doubts his own sanity. Rhian seems to nervous. Noah turned his head, hues seeming to discerningly observe his children, but his attention was elsewhere. So nervous, and yet inexperienced. Noah, in the past, was nervous and socially awkward, but intelligent, and eager to learn. Perhaps that is where the similarities end. Noah seemed to nod to himself at those thoughts.

Then Teanna's words made Noah look up, and a smile flitted across his solemn counteance, "Senior?" He made a face. It sounds so old! Noah chuckled, "I'll admit myself a senior the day I turn forty." Something behind Noah's dark eyes manifested affection, and he fixated his gaze upon Teanna. She's had two kids for him now. They've lived together for awhile, and even though she has a naturally born petite frame, Teanna is so beautiful. She is the liveliness to his lifestyle; if not for her, Noah would've lived quite mundane a life. They say opposites attract.

Noah slid upwards, plopping down upon the counter. He picked up Bella, placing her lightly on his lap. Little Noah climbed up his father's back, frail arms wrapped around his neck to hold him there.

*Rhian looked at both of them then her appearance and felt sad yet angered at the same time*"Teanna....I may not be as perfect as you, I may not have the best clothes or the best skin. But I am a good cook and thats all that matters. I don't care about my appearance. That is true. I never had a reason too. No one gave a second look at me, so I do the same. And I am sorry if what I look like is not what you think is right. Actually wait..I'm not sorry because this is who I am."*She took off the apron throwing it on the counter and walked out of Eclipse. She really did feel bad for the how she didn't care about herself, but she hated when people judged her mainly on appearance. She couldn't take care of herself or put on better clothes. Because frankly she didn't have any clothes, money or a home.*

*Instead of walking straight out of town she turned right and walked into a large field ontop of a hill. From the top you could see many smaller hills and small houses with horses down the way. She sat in the grass, laying on her back letting the cool grass envelope her. Maybe she had made a mistake for getting mad, especially in front of the kids. But she kept a strong stance and didn't curse. It could be worse.*

-Teanna didn't much care about her words. They were just strings upon strings of syllables and sounds, but before Rhian pulled her apron off, Teanna grabbed at her hand. "I would like to help you. If you're ever uncomfortable with being a daughter of the wind, without shelter, without food, with no safety; if you're ever tired of being dirty and being looked down upon, then come back here. I'll help you. I judge you now, because it's you who is letting yourself down. You hate being judged, yet you do nothing about it. I'm offering you help. If you wish to ever come back, well...I shall always welcome you."

Teanna smiled a bit as Rhian then removed her apron. She knew she hadn't been to harsh. That's just the way Tea was. She had spoken her mind, and she had offered help. To her it seemed that Rhian felt unworthy. And because of that, nobody took a second look at her. Yes, Teanna was quite cold at times, but she spoke in honesty, and her next step would've been to help her. Sadly, she'd walked out. Teanna then turned towards Noah, "Sorry."-

Noah observed composedly, eyebrows lifting at each word that caught his attention. He loosened little Noah's grip on his neck, plucking him lightly over to put on his lap. Noah's slender hands lingered against his children's back, feeling the warmth that emitted from their small bodies. When Rhian walked off, Noah offered a bow of his head. Whether she saw it or not, was irrelevant. He did his part. No one can stand for her, but her. Noah turned to Teanna, silently contemplating. At her apology, Noah smiled wryly, "For what?"

His eyes, honest and calm, stared into Teanna's affectionately. He's been around her so long, that he knows her disposition. Straight-forward and honest at best, blunt at worse. But she is kind. Noah does not love Teanna in spite of sometimes her sharp words, but he loves her because of it. It's something to admire. "You did your best. We should be satisfied with that." Noah offered a rare smile, one of which shows whenever he secretly stares at Teanna. The man behind the smile chose lady and love, over land and power; to be an item smith, to get his hands dirty, rather than to leave her.

"How're you today?"