Emmeline moved swiftly from bin to bin of dried herb and spice, plucking leaves, stems, and petals of what she needed and carrying them over to the mortar and pestle she kept behind the main counter. They were too dry to become a paste without any liquid introduced, but that's not what Emmeline was going for as she ground the plants down into manageable broken pieces beneath the polished granite of her pestle.

"You'll need an infuser for this since its not bagged," she said, speaking more to herself than her customer as the scent of peppermint began to fill the air. "I don't sell those here, unfortunately, but you might just tie the tea off in a coffee filter and toss it into the pot."

She glanced up and offered a friendly smile. "Echo. That's an unusual name. Lovely, though," she went on, pouring the newly crushed tea mixture into a plastic bag. "I've been to Seattle. I rather liked the rain. But it didn't feel right to stay... didn't feel right until I found this little place, as it happens."

She held the bag of tea aloft. "Here you are. On the house," Emmeline told her, eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiled. "Your mother is right, home grown is always better than what you'd find in most stores. Luckily I grow this all myself, so you get the best of both worlds."

"I don't live in the trailer park," Emmeline went on. "I've had a house built out on Hobson street. I've never been fond of the more temporary structures. Sometimes difficult to create a safe space."