[VIDEO]

[dust_of_life]

[Fatima's standing in front of a mirror, showing off her fabulous new outfit, complete with her Devil's Trap locket. She's looking good. But more importantly, she's looking cheerful. Decidedly more cheerful than she's been in awhile.]

So, as our illustrious captains have discovered, the way to buy my affection and happiness is through clothing.

[It might be a bit of an oversimplification, but that doesn't matter so much, right now.]

Anyway, in the spirit of paying it forward, I have an enormous surplus of strawberries from the hydroponics garden. Does anyone have any creative uses for them? I guess I'm talking to the more culinarily-inclined among us.

But if you'd just like some strawberries, feel free to stop by.

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[jedimindtrick]

[ Obi-Wan is feeling free to stop by, actually, having seen Fatima's message. He's been watching the strawberries eagerly, as he has the rest of the garden, being that he often uses the botanical location to clear his mind (and to occasionally lose himself in what feels like an entirely different world).

He approaches Fatima, dressed in his usual robes, his hands tucked safely into the sleeves to keep them from fiddling with the foliage. ]

I've been monitoring your progress here. I don't think I've seen these plants so happy in months.

[ Obi-Wan offers a warm smile, tipping his head in greeting. ]

[dust_of_life]

[As much as she hates the word "monitoring," the garden is Fatima's pride and joy. It's more than just the fact that she can contribute to the community and her fellow...well, "prisoners" isn't the right word, but she doesn't know what is.

Gardening is her connection to her mother. To her bloodline. To generations of Merali girls who died in the service of the Order. Perhaps in this place, she's not the royalty she once was. But at least she's still connected to them. Somehow.]

A little blood magic goes a long way.

[jedimindtrick]

Blood magic?

[ He raises an eyebrow at that, but doesn't exactly appear particularly judgemental about it. Being that he's had to meet all types, particularly since arriving on the Moria, Obi-Wan tries to reserve judgement until he's gotten to know a fair amount of details about a person. ]

Interesting. I wouldn't think to make the connection. How does it work?

[dust_of_life]

[Back home, the Masquerade stipulate that the first rule of vampires is 'don't talk about vampires.' Which is one of the few reasons Fatima loves the multiverse. There's something to be said for the freedom. As if she has nothing to be ashamed about. As if she isn't that innately 'other.'

And, of course, there's the fact that she loves to show off and will take, literally, any opportunity she can get to do so.]

C'mere. I'll show you. Assuming you're not squeamish.

[She walks over to a bank of seedlings, nodding for him to follow her.]

[jedimindtrick]

[ More than curious, he follows her without hesitation, although it does make him wonder what might be in store for him here. ]

Squeamish? Not so much.

[ There are times when he approaches disdain akin to squeamishness, but it's been a long time since anything has set his stomach to turning that wasn't already very human in nature. ]

[dust_of_life]

Good. Watch the seedling in the upper, left corner.

[They're cabbages. Well, not strictly the most traditional cabbages. But they're a close alien equivalent. They look and sound and almost taste the same. The best she can do, really.

She folds her long fingers around the sunburst charm of her necklace, squeezing until a little blood starts to ooze out from between her fingers.

It's one of the most basic spells, she knows, really. Blood running down her wrist, she reaches out with her mind to the aforementioned cabbage. And the leaves begin to grow, opening and swirling like a flower in fast forward.]

[jedimindtrick]

[ Kenobi crouches down to get a better look, clearly fascinated by the process. He's seen a great many unique talents in his lifetime, but none quite like this, where blood is involved. ]

Astonishing. Truly.

[ When he stands again, he smiles at Fatima. ]

Is that a learned skill, or something you were born knowing how to do?

[dust_of_life]

[She feels like a kitten stretching out in a patch of sunlight. So liberated and so incredibly comfortable in her own skin. And if her smile conveys that a little bit, well, so be it. Occupational hazard.]

Little bit of both, I guess. My genetic predisposition allowed me to learn it.

[Unfolding her bloody fingers, she passes a hand over the bed. All the cabbages begin to unfold. They're way ahead of schedule. But that's fine. She can adjust the rest of her timetables accordingly. Anyway, there's plenty the kitchen can do with cabbage.]

[jedimindtrick]

Does it not take something out of you to do this?

[ He imagines if it didn't, she'd be increasing their output indefinitely. But then, he's been wrong before. And more than that, he's seen only a few cultures in his lifetime that could produce anything near the results he's seeing before his eyes.

It's always better to ask than assume. ]

Does it correlate to the amount of blood provided?

[dust_of_life]

Blood's only part of the equation.

[Although she has been pushing her own limits, out of her eternal desire to be useful.

To be needed, really. It's so terribly hard to do that in the multiverse, especially when you're as detached, as untethered as Fatima.]

The best word I can think of to describe the rest is "willpower."

[jedimindtrick]

[ He laughs a little. It's not so unfamiliar from what he's used to, save for the blood. ]

That sounds exhausting, my dear. Tell me, is it worth it? I hope you're thanked for your work regularly...

[ Obi-Wan could see where it might turn thankless are these parts. ]

[dust_of_life]

[She might say that she's not in it for the glory, that she's just trying to do her part. But that's only a half-truth. The fact of the matter is that Fatima needs to be needed. Proving herself and proving her worth has always been at the forefront of her mind.

Always will be.

She was, after all, born to be a queen.]

These people rescued me. Scooped me out of pretty much literal hell. I'm trying to make my rescue worthwhile, I guess.

Anyway, they used to have me working as a field medic and that was a huge mistake.

[jedimindtrick]

Does your talent not translate quite the same when it comes to humanoid life?

[ Just a guess, really. He knows not everyone is cut out for taking care of other people for various reasons, most of which he's not entirely comfortable asking about directly. ]

[dust_of_life]

Doesn't translate at all.

[And she's never had a need for doctors. Sure, she got all her shots and everything. But when it comes to injuries...well. Dhampir can take care of themselves.]

And I have zero first-aid training.

They might as well have made me the ship's engineer.

[jedimindtrick]

[ A slow nod. He understands. ]

When they give out job assignments here... it feels as if they fill a need, versus assessing what each individual might be best suited to do.

I would not have decided on language instructor for myself, but someone felt it was appropriate.

[dust_of_life]

Language instructor?

[She raises an eyebrow at that.]

No offense, I'm sure you're great at it. You have that whole "teacher vibe." But doesn't that kinda feel like...busywork? I mean, we have translators.

[jedimindtrick]

I couldn't agree more. But, of course, you haven't seen me complaining over it, else I find myself with something even less appealing.

[ Like transporter pilot. ]

So, what do you plan to do with all of your produce?

[dust_of_life]

[She smirks slightly. Complaining is kinda what Fatima does best, these days. This guy is just...way too chill.

There's one in every multiverse.]

It's for the mess. The food around here could use a facelift. Not that I'm complaining about having food but...there's something to be said for variety.

[jedimindtrick]

I can't argue against that, no.

[ Although, to be fair, he's never had much of an urge to seek out great varieties of things. At the temple, they ate what they're given (within reason), and usually that's something very basic. Occasionally not, but those instances were rare. ]

Desserts mostly? They smell very sweet, the strawberries.

[dust_of_life]

[She laughs softly.]

Don't knock the power that a sweet treat can have on morale. Believe me. I have experience with these things.

[Anyway, the strawberries have sentimental value. A surge of melancholy nostalgia washes over her, thinking about Sam and how much she misses him.

Stupid Winchesters.]

[jedimindtrick]

[ Obi-Wan feels as if he senses an undercurrent of something, but he doesn't go chasing it. Instead, he tucks his arms into his sleeves and tips his head in acknowledgement. ]

Of course. There's nothing quite like a treat when things aren't necessarily at their best.

I tend to enjoy teas. Do you happen to grow any leaves suitable for brewing?

[dust_of_life]

[Her mood lifts a little. When presented with the chance to do her thing, it almost always does.]

I've been experimenting with a couple of herbs that seem to pass for tea. Over here.

[She walks to one of the far banks, tucked almost in a corner.]

What kind of flavor profile do you prefer?

[And it's more than just a question of finding the right leaves. A person's preference in tea says a lot about them.]

[jedimindtrick]

Something with a light body. Mildly herbal. Not too sharp.

[ It's never been Obi-Wan's way to go for something strong unless it's meant to be strong. And to him, tea is not meant to be strong. It's meant to be subtle and enjoyed carefully for that subtlety. ]

And yourself?

[ Now he's less worried about obtaining tea, and more interested in obtaining someone to drink tea with. ]

[dust_of_life]

[Fatima crouches down by her tea leaves, tenderly sorting through them until she finds one that she thinks he'll like. They're all alien types of tea, so she's made up her own names for them.

She calls this one "Moiran breakfast."]

There was a time in my life when I lived off of chai tea. That's a black tea, native to my homeworld, mixed with fresh cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorns, and sugar. Sometimes cloves.

It has a kind of...

[How to describe it?]

...creamy taste.

[jedimindtrick]

Creamy.

[ He's not quite dubious about it, believe it or not. Few of the ingredients sound familiar, but being the type to bound around the galaxy, it's no stretch to imagine something just a little bit alien. ]

I should like to try some if ever the opportunity presents itself.

[ In the meantime, he'll be taking one of those leaves to sniff at it, obviously interested in its possible application. ]

[dust_of_life]

I haven't been able to find comparable spices yet. Not for all of them. But I'm definitely gonna do my best.

[She needs it. A little taste of home. Drinking herself to death in rum only goes so far. Especially since the rum now reminds her of Sam.]

What do you think of that one?

[jedimindtrick]

It's very nice. I should very much like to try it if you ever find yourself with excess beyond its necessary use.

[ Of course, what he can offer in return is very little, so it's not as if he's going to negotiate. ]

[dust_of_life]

[She makes a vague gesture.]

Take it. That's what it's there for.

[It's not like people are clamoring down her door for tea, anyway.

Or much of anything else.

But she can't think like that. She can't let the loneliness get to her.]

[jedimindtrick]

[ He presses the leaf between his fingers, quietly considering. ]

Once I have it dried properly, perhaps we can try it together. Tea is as much a social event as a personal tradition where I come from.

[dust_of_life]

[It's like he's reading her mind. She looks over at him, startled, but at the same time, a little bit grateful.]

That would be...great.

Yeah. Let's do that.