06 | closed action

[stefanged]

Who: Stefan Salvatore, Obi-Wan Kenobi, & Misty Day
Broadcast: Nah
Action: Lavandula
When: Backdated to earlier this week!

[It's not every day that Stefan gets to spend time with two of his favorite people in the entire Fleet. Okay, maybe he gets to spend more time with them than the average person, but a whole afternoon? That's rare.

They'd agreed to meet on the moon and take part in its services. The yoga, the meditation, maybe even a formal tea brewing ceremony if there's time. Stefan wants to take notes and bring it all back to the Center - and if he were pressed, he'd admit that he wants some time off. Between the Center, the lab, and even the blood drive, he's been running on empty (caffeinated) fumes.

He can't remember the last time he got to stop and breathe, so he sits on the steps of the main rehab center and pulls out his diary. Might as well get some writing in beforehand.]

Comments

[stefanged]

So... a ritual involving tea?

[Stefan shrugs.] I can roll with that.

[beardstrokes]

How would it work? I certainly don't know any tea rituals.

[stefanged]

Back home, there were a few countries that held them. There were ceremonies and titles and the whole shebang.

[Headtilt.] We could see if there's anything like that here.

[beardstrokes]

I suppose it can't hurt.

[mistyday]

And even if they don't have any specific rituals, at least we get some new tea flavors for the Interfaith Center, right?

[stefanged]

Exactly. Either way, we'll walk out of this with something.

[beardstrokes]

I suppose that is the main goal. At least we know where to start.

[mistyday]

[Misty jumps up and tugs at Stefan as she does.]

So what are we waiting for? Let's go!

[stefanged]

[It's tea ceremony time! Stefan's not sure what he was expecting, but a two hour ceremony on how the moon honored their patron goddess wasn't it.

There were refreshments and a light meal but there were also ritual motions and handshakes (??) and he could've even sworn he saw tea leaf readings. As the whole thing progresses, he just keeps slinking down. They're maybe ten minutes in when the mistress of ceremonies wants to read his leaves, but he's not really interested. If there's one thing he's learned, the future is best left unknown.

Murmured,] I think I'll pass.

[beardstrokes]

[ Obi-Wan knows his future. Several versions of them, though his particular future seems to remain the same. Still, none of that shows as he casually flirts with the mistress of the ceremonies and takes her hand, like a real gentleman. ]

I would be honoured.

[mistyday]

[Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Misty's skeptical about this tea leaf reading business. Reminds her to the tarot readings people do down in the French Quarter for tourists - completely fake of course. Real divination don't work like that, whether it's mild like hers or strong like Cordelia's. And in any case, she can sense much magic about this woman. Still, she's interested - after all, her world don't have vampires either and yet here sits Stefan, so she leans in to see what the woman says about Obi-Wan.]

[stefanged]

[The mistress doesn't seem perturbed by Stefan's refusal; if anything, she raises an eyebrow in amusement before moving onto Obi-Wan. His leaves fascinate her, she admits as she smiles and peers into his cup.

A giant mountain's the clearest: it indicates that he's a long journey ahead of him, with scattered symbols that mean both sorrow and joy. With great joy must come great sorrow, and she pauses halfway through her reading, as if she can't possibly be reading this right. She's never seen a broken anchor before - typically, an anchor means prosperity and lifelong companions; a broken one can only signal that those bonds will break, and the future ahead's an uncertain one.

She bows in apology, and it's with slight hesitation that she turns to Misty.

Stefan doesn't exactly like where this is going - it's clear that this woman believes in her readings, and it doesn't seem fake - but he's holding his mug with shaking hands. If he needs to compel this woman away, he will, with no hesitation.]

[beardstrokes]

[ Obi-Wan rests his hand on Stefan's shoulder lightly, shaking his head. ]

She hasn't told me anything I don't already know.

[mistyday]

[Misty watches them all with that disconcerting stare of hers, wondering if maybe this woman isn't as full of it as she first thought. At least, Obi-Wan seems to think there's some truth in it. And Stefan - she sees him shaking. Something's got him worried, so she takes his hand in hers, gently dislodging it from the poor mug.

When the mistress turns to her, she gives a slight shake of the head.]

I don't expect you'll like much what you see in my cup.

[stefanged]

Still. [Stefan furrows his brow, taking a deep breath. In and out, just like Ahsoka had taught in her guided meditation class...] It's dangerous to know what lies ahead.

[Even if it doesn't come true, it could lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Islam's outlawed this kind of thing for a Reason. If the mistress's insulted by Stefan's disbelief, she doesn't show it.

Peering into Misty's cup, she takes a moment to peer inside. Her cup's strange; beyond vague peaks that mimic the roar of a fire, there's nothing. Just like Stefan's cup, now that Stefan's peering into his: their patterns are identical.

With their fortunes (er, lack of fortunes) finished, she turns towards the back, indicating that she'll bring them free desserts for their trouble. Stefan shakes his head,] Ah, no, we'll pay for them. Thank you for your time.

[She heads out anyway, leaving the three of them to their devices for the next few minutes.]

[beardstrokes]

[ Obi-Wan watches her go, stroking his beard. It was an interesting way to interpret the future and certainly not one he had ever seen before. Looking into tea leaves . . . certainly he'd prefer it than the clouded visions the Force provides them.

Nevertheless, he's not bothered by visions of the future, or his place in them. He turns to the others with a congenial smile. ]

Maybe so but that certainly was entertaining.

[mistyday]

[Misty studies and Stefan's cups with great seriousness. Flames. Flames and nothing else. But that's not surprising, not for her - what is surprising is that Stefan's leaves are the same as hers. Without realizing it, her hold on his hand tightens.

When Obi-Wan speaks she looks back up at him, a small frown forming. His smile seems out of place.]

She read true for me.

[stefanged]

Yeah. I don't know if "entertaining" is the right word.

[He returns that hand squeeze, still peering down his cup. He suspects that the fire doesn't mimic a hearth. No, it's like gunfire. Or what had killed him the first-go round.]

If she couldn't read your fortune... I wonder. Is it because ours are harder to read?

[beardstrokes]

[ Obi-Wan shrugs. ]

It's possible that your futures are very much in motion. Difficult to read. My future, for now, is very much set.

[mistyday]

Or it's because I don't have one. No more than what Atroma chooses to give me, anyhow.

[stefanged]

Yeah, I exist outside time. It's possible that she can't see anything for either of us.

[beardstrokes]

It hardly matters.

[ Or Obi-Wan has hit the point where he no longer gives any fucks about the future. ]

[mistyday]

[Misty visibly bristles.]

Matters to me. I ain't got nothin' to go back to.

[stefanged]

It's not like he knows.

[Stefan's ready to jump in-between them if he needs to - as it is, he feels like he's watching a tennis match.]

I know that my fortune's impossible to read 'cause I'm dead, or undead, or whatever the hell I am, but you sound fine from here.

[beardstrokes]

[ He nods. ]

What I meant was your future isn't limited to what anyone says. It's only limited by what you choose.