15487/A Patience for Tea

A Patience for Tea
Date of Scene:	29 July 2023
Location:	Fourth Floor: Lounge and Sitting Room
Synopsis:	When the Magdalena wants tea, Nettie's happy to provide.
Cast of Characters:	Patience Alperen, Nettie Crowe

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Patience Alperen has posed:
It's a Friday evening and the weather is still more than 'just balmly'. The kind of heat that makes people want to get outside for all of ten minutes, tops. After that they just want to sit inside with the A/C on the coldest setting and drink equally cold drinks while pitying anyone unlucky enough to have to be outside.

The door to the Candle opens and Patience enters moving more gingerly than her usual self. With a look around showing that Nettie isn't in the shop she begins to ascend in search of her favorite Old Crowe.

Finally on the fourth floor the dark haired warrior nun (just don't call her that to her face) lets out a sigh of relief at finding the other woman.

"Hello Nettie." She offers a smile and moves into the lounge wearing a vintage white Rolling Stones tee with black sleeves, frayed denim shorts and canvas sneakers.

In her hands is a very antique looking wooden box that has been stained a rich dark color. In the lid is a hand carved image of Chamomile blooms.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Nettie was in a rare state; it had been a week going over what her familiar spirit (a man supposedly hung for piracy, but actually perished from an STD in the 1600's) had encountered on his brief revisit to Hell, and resting from hosting a session on 'why you don't use Necromancy to make familiars' for the JLD at large.

    The regular Justice League was also invited, but only Shazam showed up.

    She glances up from where she was seated on afloor cushion in the sitting room, with a platter stacked high with different cheeses and thin pieces of toast to eat them on, along with some varying summer fruits, and gives a smile and a wave to P atience.

    "Miss Alperen!" she calls out cheerily, "Patience, come have a seat. Cheese?" she questions in offering.

    Corvax, the aforementioned crow-with-the-soul-of-a-man looks up from his perch -- on a new (novelty) skull scrimshawed out of plaster with varying herbs on it, and flaps his wings.

    "Oi Patience. Been a bit."

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen smiles as she continues into the room. "Oh, that sounds nice." Sitting, she settles herself. "How have you been? I'm sorry I've not be around" she apologizes with her curiously mingled Nova Scotian-Irish accent. She offers over the wooden box, "But I do come bearing gifts?"

Looking toward the crow, "Hello Corvax.." the bird has never been her favorite 'feature' of the shoppe but certainly not her least. "You look as handsome as ever" she says as she aims a smile his way.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    Which is odd, because so many people are weirdly attached to Corvax that they make him clothes. Nettie does her best.

    "Oh, you know. Encountered Skin Walkers with Superman's son and Miss Kinney. Ended up headin' a team to save a minor god in the Himalayas, old friend of mine from my youth." Nettie explains, sliding over the platter of crackers and cheese and fruit, and pouring a glass of something that is frightfully pink and iced and minty.

    FRIGHTFULLY Pink.

    "And how about yourself, duckie? Out adventuring? Canoodling?" she offers as a brief joke, and then gives a nod to the box. "Fancy, that box is. If it's full of spring-loaded snakes might make an old woman like me cry." she gives a grin. She's wearing a beat-up Beatles T-shirt, and swishy skirts to keep the airflow going while she's moving around. The latter pools around her almost elegantly.

    "Yes, well body's not a week old yet. Give it another month or two an' I'm sure I'll get some decent scars from heroic battles."

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen listens attentively to the exploits of the League and of Nettie. "It sounds like I missed some interesting events, then" she offers a wry smile then looks curious. "A week old?" Looking at Nettie's drink she wonders, "I'm not sure if I should ask.."

Looking to the box, she traces fingers over the carved lid. "Yes. I found it while I was in Chelyabinsk Russia for... Church business." A pause, realizing she has no reason to avoid topics with anyone in the League. Usually. "There was a vampire coven trying to expand in the region."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "He took a hit meant for Miss Kinney. I had to give him a new body, completed the ritual last Friday, so he's in a new body since his old one..." Nettie brings her fingers together, and then makes an explosion gesture "Poof! Feathers everywhere."

    "Nettiiiiiee..." Corvax complains, then grabs a small bunch of grapes and flaps up to the rafters overhead.

    "Oh? A Russian Vampire Coven?" Nettie inquires, and makes a face. "not my favorite thing to deal with. I hope they didn't give you too much trouble. You *can* ask any of us to go with you, on the sly as it were. I'd cover expenses for any League members who decide to go."

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen blinks. "OH!" She laughs. "I.. thought you were speaking about yourself" shaking her head she looks back to Corvax, "Still that does not sound very good at all" she agrees as she offers the bird a more sympathetic glance.

"The Church sent a number of the Garudina to assist me." She pauses. "I'll admit I'd prefer any one member of the League over a half dozen of them." Fidgeting with the box she adds, "They're like special forces for The Church, trained specifically to work with" she then mutters softly, ".. supposedly -for- .. the Magdalena." The tone of her voice makes it easy to figure out where the loyalties of the Garudina truly lay.

"But we survived. Mostly." There will be a few new faces in the Garudina break room soon. "And this.. I stopped at a small tea shop in the Old Town"

Smiling, she holds out the box toward Nettie. "And I thought of you. So I brought it home. It's full of loose leave Russian black tea grown in West-Central Russia."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "HA!" Nettie laughs "No, no, this body's still a hundred and sixty-eight years old, only way I'm escaping it is shuffling off the mortal coil, but I don't think Death's ready for *me* yet." Nettie gives a bright smile. She looks over to Patience, and sips on her own Frightfully Pink drink with ice clinking in her glass. "I see your coworkers have a different idea of the chain of command. Don't much care for the Church -- partially responsible for the murder of my family you know -- but it must be very lonely to be in your position. I don't envy you in that, Peche."

    Peach in French, sounds like 'Pay-shh' the way Nettie pronounces it. Short, naturally, for Patience.

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen gives a wan smile. "It's more that they do respect the Church's chain of command and they believe that I don't. But as long as I wield The Spear I am the Magdalena. They need me for what I am able to do. And they resent me for how I choose to do it. They want a mindlessly obedient agent that does not question motivations or intent. A weapon that they wield instead of a woman who not only often tells them 'no' but 'hell no'.." she says with a more impish smile.

"I serve the intention of the church. I do not directly serve The Chuirch or its officers." One day that will probably catch up with her.

The smile turns regretful and sad. "I'm sorry for what the Church did to your family. So many wrongs have been committed in the name of God."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Eh well, to hear some of the others tell He's a bit of a wanker anyway." Nettie blasphemies.

    Nettie settles against the wall, turning her side to Patience.

    "Centuries before you were born, poppet. You're no more responsible for it than I'm responsible for the Fall of Rome." she states with a little wave, "so fret yourself none. My anger's aimed at the forefathers who would use my family's talents with one hand and condemning us with the other. Anglicans, Catholics, Baptists, like a certain biblical King they'll all turn to witches of Endor to satisfy their needs and damn us the instant we stop being useful. I've escaped too many angry men to hold the young pups responsible." she states with a small smile, and then gives a wink.

    "You keep tellin' them Hell No. If they decide to end your contract, as it were, you come to us, adn we'll make sure you're out of their touch an' ability."

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen has heard worse things said of God. "Where The Church would seize on outrage, I see that you and everyone else are entitled to your experiences and beliefs. We all know that there is more to the universe. One cannot deny that there are many gods and we each must choose whether to worship one of them, some of them, or none of them."

She offers a small smile. "Not all of Christianity is the way you describe your experiences. But I say that of other religions as well. There are always peaceful representations to be found. When religion becomes militant out of self-righteousness is when I believe it becomes dangerous."

After a soft sigh, she looks at Nettie and shrugs. "I have no contract. The Church believes I serve at their pleasure and when that no longer happens that it's their right to replace me with another descendent of The Blood who will. That I work with them is probably more than I should. But it is difficult to ignore the degree of information and knowledge they can obtain quickly from the most remote regions of the world where I am needed. So. For now we have become uneasily allied."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Your contract *is* your blood. I was speakin' Metaphorical." Nettie gives a toothy grin, and at last she reaches over and takes up the wooden box.

    She opens the box, and cautiously takes a small whiff, and then a long sniff, and breathes out.

    "The stuff I buy in bulk doesn't begin to compare to the small batch stuff." she states gently.

    "And aye. Met many in all religions who turned militant. Their way was The Way. And we both know how that ends." she frowns. And takes up her glass again, finishing the iced tea.

    "New skulls on someone's mantle." she jokes, referencing her own number of skulls and skeletons in her closet.

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen smiles at the clarification and nods, "Yes, it's true. And The Church has the blood of many actions on its hands that it must one day answer for. Whether to God or to man still remains to be seen."

As the box is opened, it is clear that there are several blends of tea in the box and that it has been crafted to keep the leaves as fresh as possible. "If I remember correctly..." Patience leans over to lightly gesture, "The left side is black tea." The other half of the box is divided into three smaller sections. "If I remember correctly, the back is blended with wild berries, the middle with lemon, and the front with mint. I thought it might be fun for you to have a variety to choose from." Moods and tastes change after all.

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "... this is a very thoughtful gift, Patience. Thank you, both for the gift and thinking of me on your way out of Russia." Nettie comments quietly, and she gives a small smile, taking a deep breath, and letting it out slowly. "Oh, become somewhat sentimental. Or maybe it's the smell. Scent-amental?" she questions, and then she finally motions to the glass she's poured for Patience.

    "It's Butterfly Pea Flower Tea. With lemon. Brewing the tea makes it blue. The introduction of acid to the mix after the fact makes it that pink color. I promise, nothing untoward in it."

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen smiles. "You're welcome Nettie. If we don't remember our friends, what use is living life?" That whole lonely thing is real.

"Oh my god. I completely missed that you poured me a cup!" Moving to pick it up she listens with interest and takes a sip. "Oh.. that's really nice. Very different than it looks. Not that I am sure I knew what I was expecting."

Nettie Crowe has posed:
    "Ha! All good, poppet. You take your time with the tea." Nettie gives a smile, and stretches one arm up, and gives a yawn.

    "This old witch should probably mozy down her five flights of stairs and get some beauty sleep though... busy, busy, busy." she jokes.