It wasn't very often that Chanda left the city proper. Most jobs involving fixing happened to be in the city, what with all the technology centralized in there, all powered by magitech. Magitech chandeliers flickering due to fuse issue, revamping a gas powered stove into a magitech setup, and the ever unfortunate occasion where she plays plumber instead of engineer? All things done in the city. On the outskirts, either people relied on smaller amounts of magitech, knew how to repair the things themselves, or just plain didn't bother with it.
There was one place she always tended to visit though, even if there weren't many repair jobs there. She had to go through a bit of jungle to get through there, though a dirt path made it easier to travel through. No jungle creature approached her, only eyed her through the thick vines and canopies until she reached the other side. Light blinded her as it always did, the woman squinting her eyes and holding her hand up to shield them before she saw the cottage up ahead. It sat next to plenty of farmland, a part in which she could have sworn she saw a mole digging up a few things.
When she approached, her nose twitched, a chocolatey, nutty scent filling the air. It overpowered the alliums, lavender, and violets that grew outside, tempting Chanda to come in. She licked her lips in anticipation and knocked on the door, eager as a beaver.
"Oi, Vi! It's me! Got a sec?"
The door swung open, Chanda nearly floored by the coffee scents now assaulting her nostrils. Standing between her and a whole pot was someone who stood above her and, if she was willing to put a bit of weight into it, could pick her up and haul her ass around the farm. She looked far too meek and kind to try, a gentle smile forming on her freckled face.
"Morning, Chanda!" she said. "Care for a cup of coffee? We just finished roasting and grinding some to brew-"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Chanda replied, as if she had just trekked through a desert to find an oasis. She pushed past her friend and stared down a French press hanging out near a bouquet of alliums. "Must be some strong stuff if I could smell it from out there."
"I did say I just finished roasting them," Vi said with a sigh, taking off her apron and folding it over a chair before sitting down. "I was experimenting a little with the myrrh solution Leanne gave to see if it affected the taste of coffee. I noticed that soil watered with myrrh tends to stay hydrated for a while before needing another drop."
Chanda's eyes widened, eyes sparkling with glee. "She putcha up to this, too, Violet?"
"It was more personal curiosity than anything," Violet admitted as she slowly pressed down the plunger of the French press and poured coffee into a mug decorated with butterflies. She passed the mug to Chanda as she grabbed another one with peonies. "I wondered how it would affect the soil, since it could have an impact on taste."
The engineer took in all the scents and smells before taking a hearty swig. Her eyes widened, suddenly hyperaware of everything around her. How did she not notice that hanging flower garden near the window, with a crystal attached to a sprinkler that gently rained down on the delicate things? When did those pictures of Gardenia and Silvania get up on her fridge? Why was there a lion in the house?
"Was that lion always there?" Chanda asked, the lion trotting on in with an empty coffee package in her mouth. She looked up, regarding Chanda with a smidge of curiosity before plopping the bag at Violet's feet.
Violet stared at her, confused, before she turned towards the lion and sighed in relief. "Oh, right, you never really get here after a roast. This lion's a Pyroar, a Pokemon from the Kalos region." The farmer placed a hand on Pyroar, the cat nuzzling her with her cheek. "Her name's Solaris, and she's my partner in coffee roasting these days. Flannery said I could probably have a fire pokemon help with the process since they're smart and, with training, will learn when to stop for certain roasts. She suggested Torkoal, but, uhm, I don't think it was... uh, appropriate. Maybe for steaming things, but..."
Chanda didn't understand a word of anything, but she smiled along anyway. Okay, maybe she understood the Pokemon part: it was a surprise that Agama attracted not one, but two gym leaders from outside to come here, these mysterious creatures used to show off their capabilities in combat. Granted, Flannery was helping with fire Pokemon research as far as she was aware rather than set up shop as an official Agaman Gym Leader. Still, the fact that she already found a good application for fire pokemon, never mind convinced Violet it was worth her time to get a whole fire cat, showed she knew exactly what she was talking about.
"I'm just surprised I didn't see her earlier! Did Flan give any other suggestions? Maybe I could use one of 'em to cut down on heating bills!"
"I don't think there's one quite like that," Violet admitted as she grabbed a tiny bowl and plopped sugar cubes in it before grabbing a tiny pitcher of half and half to place on the table. She poured some cream in her coffee and plopped a few sugar cubes, swirling the mixture as she continued, "but there's plenty of them to be discovered. Some might be in our jungles, its just that nobody was bold enough to find them and research them. We might find one that's good for cutting on heating, but I'm okay with Solaris roasting and Gaia digging." Upon seeing the confusion on Chanda's face, she clarified, "Gaia's the mole digging outside. He's grabbing onions and potatoes for me."
"Didn't think the Moleville Crew would letcha borrow one of their members!"
"H-he isn't. I adopted him from another trainer. I don't even think he has much of an interest in digging up ruins, though."
Violet saw the devious look on Chanda's face form in real time. "Well, maybe if he did, we'd discover the whole Airship underneath Agama a whole lot faster! I'd get to research it while ya did a whole hydroponics experiment up in the air and-"
The farmer nearly choked on her first sip of coffee, her poofy hair doubling in size in shock. "Chanda, you know their efforts aren't just to dig up things and take them apart! They're for historic purposes! And I don't think either of us could set it up so we could do a proper hydroponics experiment! Finally, even if they did dig it up, the first people who would do any research, whether it's taken apart or not, are the Magic Academy and the Archaeologist Society."
The engineer blinked and chugged more coffee before she asked, "But after that, then we could research-"
"I don't think they'd willingly give up an ancient airship to a local handywoman and a local farmer."
"Buuut they would give it to Kobbers, right?" Violet wasn't sure if Chanda was perky because of a genuine interest in them, or because of the coffee. Maybe it was both. She made several big gestures with her hands, pantomiming just how the acquisition would go. "They help out with the dig, they find the ship, the council thanks them while they study the thing, then they give it to the Kobbers as a gift! And if we get into their clique, then it's basically ours to study!"
Violet's mouth hung open, unsure of how to take this sheer amount of optimism Chanda was putting out. Was there a point in arguing this? Solaris pawed at her foot, trying to snap her out of her shocked state before Violet said, "I, uh, don't think that will happen. There's no guaruntee that the Kobbers would help with that, specifically. More importantly, there's no guaruntee there's even an airship underneath our feet. It would take a giant effort to dig up something like that, especially if it's buried deep underground. And there's only so much the moles can dig up, especially in half a year." She watched as the enthusiasium drained from her friend's face, though at least Chanda looked like she was thinking harder on it rather than pouting. "I won't say its impossible, but it's improbable, at least," she finished, unable to totally crush her friend's hopes.
Chanda crossed her arms, though not before finishing the rest of her coffee. "Yer right on that part. Maybe we oughta look elsewhere. Or maybe start smaller." She looked down into her empty coffee up, then back at Violet, then over to the French press. "Least we found out that myrrh's good at enhancing coffee. Somethin' about it just made me perk up more!"
"Oh?" Violet stared at her cup and sipped, smiling as the smooth drink slid right on down. "Oh, you're right! It doesn't taste any different, but it energizes you in a different way than caffeine! It kinda feels... refreshing, least to me. Maybe the more magical properties of Myrrh are kicking in here."
"If it can charge my tin can cat, then no wonder it can charge us up, too!" Chanda's face lit up with excitement. "Maybe this could be a good drink for the college kids!" Just as quickly as she lit up, though, she tempered herself and groaned. "Wait, ain't myrrh hard to make anyway? Damn, don't think the kids would be able to afford something like this after all."
Violet nodded along with a frown. "Yeah, unfortunately, there's a few problems with production. The Myrrh Trees are not only located in very dangerous areas loaded with forgotten, terrible histories- or so Leanne says-, they only give up a single drop of myrrh every two years. There isn't enough supply to meet demand, and uprooting such a tree would be a problem. Not enough adventurers bold enough to grab the myrrh stick around to test the soil quality and collect data on what environs the tree prefers to grow in." She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "If we could find a tree and transplant it, I could work with the Magic Academy to research it in more detail and see if aspects of it couldn't be bred or gene spliced into other plants that could possibly produce more myrrh, or at least produce it more often."
Chanda stood up from her seat and cracked her knuckles, Violet looking up and seeing a grin plastered on her face. "Well, I've been dyin' for an adventure and a chance to crack a skull or two! We grab Suma and Flan and tag team our way through one of these danger hotspots! Gotta ask Leanne if she could point us in the right direction. Suma would be in it for the big bucks, you and Leanne can research a tree, I get some thrills and get to look at all yer efforts, and Flan can maybe grow some confidence!"
"Chanda!" Violet said, eyes widening in shock.
"What?" came the confused reply. "Flan could use some. Sure, she's got that leader flair or whatever, but somethin' 'bout the way she talks about herself makes me think somethin' left a scar in her heart. Like her dad's talked down to her her whole life, y'know?" After a full minute of Violet gawking at her as if she committed a social crime, she rubbed the nape of her neck and said, "Guess I shouldn't be sayin' things like that, but you notice it too, right?"
"Y-yeah, but it seems to be a very personal thing," Violet admitted. "I just prefer to help her out by bringing her apple tarts. She seems to like those a lot, and they're easy to bake!
But you don't intend on finding those trees now, do you?"
Chanda opened her mouth, raised a finger, closed her mouth and sat back down. "Nah. Haven't had lunch yet, and ain't no point adventuring on an empty stomach." She sat up and eyed the fridge. "Ya got any leftovers? Heard from Suma you made a healthy helpin' of chicken pot pie!"
Violet got up to open the fridge, taking out a big tin covered with foil before revealing the delicious looking chicken pot pie underneath. "I made a few big ones and figured you'd want one for yourself if you dropped by. I can make some potatoes au gratin, too: Gaia should be almost done harvesting right about now."
Chanda nearly drooled with delight. "And you'll make more of that myrrh coffee, wontcha? Maybe you should brew it with myrrh!"
"I don't think I have myrrh left to test that, Chanda..."
"We can ask Leanne-"
"She doesn't have an infinite supply, Chanda."
"Damn, more reason to hunt those trees down. Well, I don't mind hangin' 'round for lunch, at least! I can even lend a hand if ya need me to!"
With a smile and a nod, Violet coached Chanda outside, the engineer helping her new friend, Gaia the Drilbur, with her potato hunt. She looked back towards the cottage, watching Violet cover the edges of the pie with foil before placing it in the oven to reheat, licking her lips in anticipation before sinking her hands into the soil and digging up only the best potatoes she could find. It would take some time to bring them back to her friend with a handful of onions and set the table with a red gingham tablecloth, but it would all be worth it for the scent of chicken pot pie and cheesy, onion-y potatoes.
It was always a long trip to Violet's from Agama, but the coffee, the food, and the chats made the trip always worthwhile.
