[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.

Comments

[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.