Charlie felt himself mirror Matthew’s mischief in his own expression. The Hatter certainly presented himself as an odd ball, but the more Charlie got to know him, the more he realized that he would never hurt anyone. “I’ll be sure to keep my eye out for any additional Hatters, so that you can potentially hunt them down Van Helsing style,” he told him with a chuckle as he took another sip of his tea. He went ahead and poured himself a bit more from the tea pot at his table as Hatter mused on ways to fly. “Wings, man-made machines, being born on different planets…we have a few things that we know for sure causes flight. Though, I’d leave the testing to professionals,” Charlie said, giving the older person a playful look as he set the tea pot down again.
“There’s nothing wrong with cold tea, just like there’s nothing wrong with cold coffee, as long as it is intended to be cold,” Charlie said, making his point by stabbing the table with his pointer finger. “Hot tea gone cold is literally trash. I’m talked about tea, real tea, not a fruity herbal thing, brewed hot and then put on ice. It it pretty much the same process, but I would definitely brew it fresh the same way you do with hot tea. I’m not an expert on tea, of course, but I’d love to help you out with this if you really want me to.”
The idea was actually pretty exciting. It was a creative project (something he didn’t frequently dabble in) and it didn’t have any of pressures or deadlines that usually weighed on him. Maybe Hatter had the right idea, setting up shop like this. Sure it wouldn’t be all rainbows and kitty cats, but it would be his. Maybe his father’s money had some use after all, but it was certainly a matter of what the store would be -or if he dad would even let him do it. The thought was a whim, and he tried to brush it off but it wouldn’t go. “I’m sure you’re fine. I’m certainly not saying you should put everything in the hands of a new comer. Just maybe the cash register,” Charlie said, a lightly teasing tone in his voice.
Charlie gave the hatter a small smile as they turned the focus towards his woes. Though, he had to admit, Hatter seemed to be doing well for himself. His little metal spoon turned idly in his tea, and he focused on that as he spoke. “All of it? I suppose. My dad has a big thing about the future. My future. He’s always had ideas of who I was going to grow up to be, and I feel like I can’t reach the goals he’s set for me. Worse still, I’m wondering whether I even want to,” Charlie says with a short laugh turning his eyes towards Hatter. “I’m starting to think maybe I’m just a fuck up. No girlfriend, no school, no fancy job. What does that leave me with?”
❝Well, of course I want you to help me on this little adventure we have going on. Who else can I trust with my terrible attempts?❞ And so as it seemed, the idea of cold tea stuck more better than what Matthew would have thought. Or so the idea of attempting such a thing stuck more firmly. If it didn’t work out then they wouldn’t try to get it to bend their way. A simple knowing hot tea would be the only thing was enough to keep the shop somewhat relevant even in the warmer months. ❝Plus you’re the one who came up with the idea. I can’t take any credit for that, dear. Oh well... That is if you do actually want to help. My parents always said I have an overbearing sort of grip on people. Then again I just see it as being too firm with people expanding their mind. It’s quite boring just looking out the same window every single day, you know.❞ Of course, they knew just how pushy they could be and yet, they found a way to work with it.
Then of course, it seemed almost quite comical how Matthew was a person who didn’t mind giving out a helping hand and yet, they didn’t want to get help in return. A stubborn little fool, that much they knew. ❝Hmm... I truthfully don’t want to know how much I get on people’s nerves so maybe just maybe I could potentially set up an ad and see what noise it makes. No harm in trying something new, I suppose. Why do you know someone then? It can’t be something people actually talk about.❞ The internal conflict really sounded more like it was an outward conflict at this point in the Hatter’s ramblings over a simple and easy position of cash register.
Which was how they were more thrilled in learning the exact worries of Charlie’s life than the never ending race of thoughts that filled their head over the easiest things. Making decisions was never a strong aspect of their life. ❝And does your goals in life intermingle with your father’s? Because if not, then why follow them? Going through a door marked for you when a different door calls for you isn’t the smartest thing, you know. That door might shrink and you’re stuck being miserable in a dull boring gray world.❞ Sometimes and only sometimes, did it feel like Matthew had quite a decent head on their shoulders. Or that might’ve just been their own experiences talking instead. ❝Oh, you aren’t fucked up just because this isn’t the greatest chapter of your book. Would it be nice to have all of that? Probably. But then you might not have your dog and you most certainly wouldn’t have met the greatest tea shop owner. It sounds like you just need to do something unexpected. Something on a whim.❞ A easy grin followed at their ideas of what Charlie could do. ❝My expertise really only includes smoking and tattoos. Though I have been wanting to try cliff jumping -- just always seem to forget. More importantly, what do you want to do?❞
