#THANK YEW FOR THE ASK SARA!!!

[emblemartyr]

honesty - muse a wipes muse b’s tears away from under their eyes (if its easier you can place it post or during our thread 🫡)

TO BE GENTLE, AND TO ACCEPT GENTLENESS ・ accepting!

VULNERABILITY WAS A DELICATE FLOWER, naught to be unfurled by the reckless hands of another person lest they risk tearing the petals curled inwards over its heart. and that, truly, was all she could imagine as the boy broke into tears before her, his theatrics weakly caked into his voice to fruitlessly level what had already begun rasping and choking up. he made himself to be a sorrowful image; stepping away from her as he clutched onto his chest, as if to hug or curl in on himself.

had emmeryn said something she was not supposed to? all she could remember uttering was what he asked of her; an introductory to be shared between the pleasantry gap she had yet to bridge across. but, even a full sun after their last interaction, his wonderous eyes still water at the sight of her.

should she have given more of herself? laid her past, whether from her lips or anothers', bare at his feet until he was comfortable enough to poke and prod through it at his own pace?

the epitome of gentleness stepped forward, gloved hands raised to beckon and guide, to remind odin, once again, that she was a space of comfort rather than anguish.

"you. . . you poor thing. . . come," came her whisper, merely the ghost of an invitation, as her hands have already cradled the back of his head, gently pulling him closer until he was near enough to embrace. simply by instinct, had emmeryn's eyes closed, her focus entirely subjected to the physicality of something between them she could not understand. not yet, but she would learn to, until his gaze felt only the urge to brighten once fallen upon her.

his shoulders remained trembling when she pulled back, not far and not dismissive. instead, her hands moved in time with the soft curl of her lips, offering him an all - knowing and none - the - wiser smile as the pads of her thumbs brushed away the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. there was much to say, yet too little time to articulate any if all thoughts properly.

thus, confident in her silence, emmeryn whispered, only, "you are. . . are safe, oh━━━odin." before embracing the golden - haired man once again, canting her hand slightly to press against his as he shuddered and shook in her arms; sudden, came the memory of little sister clutching her skirts and sobbing until the fabric became wet with her grief. and, just as she had before, in the body she remembered nothing of, the former exalt gently held unto the back of his head and cared not for the dress his sorrow stained.

[dreamertrilogys]

omg huge congrats for your milestone maira!!!!! ilyyyy ( & can u make z for zoya nazyalensky😬) hope you’re staying safe angel!!

SARA!!!! HEBLO THANK YEW ILYVM!!!!!! I HOPE UR STAYING SAFE TOO OWO!!! Z IS TAKEN FOR ZOYALAI 😔 BUT FEEL FREE 2 SEND ANOTEHR ASK OWO

[dbleshot]

HANNA + XIN YI.

Catalyst Coffee 415 Remuera Rd, The Village Green, Shop 1A, Remuera, Auckland NZ

Do you remember the moment you fell in love with coffee? X: I was a nurse in Singapore when I got a scholarship to study in Sydney. That’s where I first came across specialty coffee - my friend ordered a coffee and asked me to have a taste. I took a sip and was so wowed by it. I didn’t realise it could taste like that because the coffee I knew back in Singapore was mostly very dark and bitter. H: I learned how to make coffee in Christchurch during the time when there were two (four time) national Barista champions based there - Luciano Marcelino and Carl Sara. Luciano, while preparing for competition made me an Ethiopian Guji coffee. It was the first time I’d ever had a coffee that tasted like blueberries. Legit blueberries. That was the moment when I thought, “What the hell? Is this coffee?”. To this day I still clearly remember the taste.

So you’re both 2014 National Barista Champions, Hanna for New Zealand, and Xin Yi for Singapore. Did you two meet at the World Barista Championship that year? H: Yeah that’s where me met! X: Tell her the story. H: Okay so the night before the competition, the Aussie and Kiwi competitors went out for dinner together and Xin happened to be at the same place with her coach. I was running really late and the only available spot was right in front of her. X: I didn’t even remember you being late. H: Yeah, we were totally lost. At the dinner table we didn’t really interact. I knew we were competing against each other so I was sort of avoiding conversation which would probably lead to talking about the competition. But the next morning when we were all backstage, Xin was right next to me. We couldn’t have planned that. So we starting chatting and that’s where our friendship began I guess.

Back then, were you both already considering opening up your own café? H: Well, the reason why I got into the coffee industry was because I wanted to start my own café. X: I think most baristas who are at competition level know what kind of coffee environment they want to be working in, me included. I wanted to be able to open something outside of Singapore because I wanted to live somewhere else - it can be such a stressful place and I couldn’t see myself living there for the rest of my life. So I started looking at other options and visited New Zealand in 2015. I knew Hanna wanted to open up something here so I dropped that idea and asked her what she thought.

What are some values that you have at Catalyst? H: Our standard is competition so everything we do has to be at that level. Everyday is like a competition to us. X: Yeah, that’s why even the way we dress is to a certain standard.

So everything is done with a level of excellence. X: Yes. We think if you can do that at a competition, why shouldn’t you be able to do it everyday?

One of the things that set you apart is your use of only full fat milk. Could you elaborate a little on that choice? H: I’ll let Xin answer that question haha. X: We tasted our coffee with a bunch of different milks and we just liked how full fat milk compliments our coffee. Our coffee only comes in one size, because that amount of milk with that amount of coffee creates a balance where neither one overpowers the other. Full fat milk provides the sweetness that coffee requires. If a customer is unable to drink this milk for whatever reason, we offer them a black coffee or a filter option. So they’re still able to taste the coffee the way that it is best represented. We always open up a conversation and do our best to explain to customers why we do what we do.

What was your thought process behind the design of this space? X: Since our focus is on the coffee, our space is purposely minimal. We wanted to keep it really simple. The bar was inspired by open kitchen concepts, where the diner is able to see the chefs at work and feel more involved. People love that kind of thing because they’re able to connect what is served to them to the process that went into making it. We wanted to apply that into our coffee making. The bar is low and has no borders around it because we want to create that sense of shared space. We encourage our customers to walk behind the bar, there’s nothing to hide. We don’t want our customers to feel any disconnect.

Why Remuera? H: We did consider opening up somewhere like Ponsonby or Newmarket, but we thought, nah that’s just not us. I used to live in Remuera and I know there’s so much potential here. It hasn’t taken off yet but I think it will, and I want us to play a part in that. I think it almost makes sense for us to be a little hidden. We didn’t even really want to be on the main road. We’re not mainstream. X: Ha! That could be your catchphrase.

I think that correlates really well with the name Catalyst - you’re seeing something for what it could be and not what it is right now. That’s awesome. X: Yeah. And this place? This isn’t the end. We know what we want to do in the future, we’re constantly looking ahead and looking for change.

Final question. If you could have coffee with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why? X: Would it be really lame if I said Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore’s first prime minister)?

No, not at all. What would you ask him? X: Honestly, I wouldn’t even want to talk, I’d just want to hear him speak. He’s so wise. He’s not perfect, but I mean, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for what he did for Singapore. H: I’d probably have to say my uncle. He passed away a couple of months before I became the National Barista Champ in 2014. Right before the competition I had gone to visit him. At that point I was already 2nd in New Zealand and when I told him I was competing again he said “Well the only spot left for you is the champion, right?”. Other that the added pressure, it really gave me that push I needed. So if I could, I would want to thank him for helping me to become a champion and make him some coffee.