songerein | Tea For Who?

Entry tags:

Tea For Who? - OPEN

Who: Iroh and whomsoever wants to find him
Which: Open Log
Where: Not far from the fountain
What: Iroh enjoying sharing tea with strangers.
Warnings: Possible angst, themes of loss, possible war/death/betrayal mentions.

Iroh had found that he had been able to help people during the crisis in a number of ways. But one of them had been tea and talking. Just being there for people with a calming drink and an open ear. So he was trying that again now, once again by the base of the fountain.

Between conversations he was sipping his own tea and considering what it might take to open a tea shop here. For however long he was going to be here, that was...

For anyone who wanted to find him, he is near the fountain with a small comforting camp fire over which the tea pot is heating and a pair of large picnic style baskets, one of snacks and one of teas and tea fixings. So that he can have enough for every taste and stay a while for whoever showed up without over steeping the tea.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Everywhere except closer to victory, because I suspect you play this game without any mercy whatsoever," he replied, with a chuckle, making his own counter move.

He chuckled as well. "There are ways to win, aside from winning."

He makes his next move, arching a brow at Iroh.

"And now I'm really interested to know what that means."

Iroh chuckled, making is move slowly as he spoke.

"It could mean a lot of things. It could mean that sometimes you lose a single game, or a battle, in order to win a tournament. Or a war. Sometimes it means you lose to someone to get them to give you what you want. Or to flatter a pretty young girl." he chuckled. "Not that you're a pretty young girl," he added. Then his smile widened as he withdrew his hand from the board.

"Or maybe it means that I wanted to distract you from the game long enough to give me that opening."

He looked down, frowning. He couldn't see the opening, if indeed it was one. But if it was, he'd realize it soon enough.

"But I do like to flatter pretty young girls. Well, one, at least," he replied, making a bold counter.

"Only one? At a time or at all?" he asked, making his move to build on his last move.

"Just the one," he replies with a small chuckle. "And I think you know that."

He's working on a defence, in part because he can't tell whether it's an offensive Iroh's launching, or a trap.

"I know that for now, but you're still young. Past live's loves don't count. You have lots of years to live and get to know many fine young women," he said. Then he moved a piece. "So long as you play better than that you do, anyway," he said with a chuckle.

A bluff? Or had Aang actually missed something, letting him build to... whatever he was building to?

He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I will undoubtedly meet many excellent people. But in terms of love? Pretty sure I know the course I'll be sailing, there."

Part of the benefit of being the Avatar, really, is a sort of instinct, in the moment. Perhaps forged of so many lifetimes.

He held his chin in his hand, the other hand propped on his knee, watching the board intently. And finally, he moved in return - an airbender's move, small but opening up a new dimension on the board. Not a direct confrontation. Not yet, anyway.

"Perhaps, but you know that the water and the air do not always take a ship where you expect them to, not unless you are prepared to row against the elements themselves. Life is a journey, a feast. And you should allow yourself to sample its many delicious offerings, even if you return to your favorite blend at the end. You'll both be more well rounded for it," he said with a laugh, patting his belly for emphasis.

He'll smile and nod in response, but Iroh doesn't have the certainty of the Avatar, in this regard - though he doesn't think for a moment it won't be a complicated, winding river by itself.

And now he builds on his previous move.

"You make me almost wish that I could remember being young," he said with a chuckle as he sprang his trap.

He sighs, his own stratagems falling down around him.

"I see it now, but I still don't believe it."

He chuckled. "Do you wish to continue, or should we start a new game and you can watch to see if you can spot how I set it up?" Of course, that would be made harder by Iroh having no intention of playing the same strategy again so soon...

He thinks for a moment, then nods.

"Play it through to the end. That's the only way, right?"

"Sometimes there are better ways. Stubbornness can sometimes lead one down to a path of ruin. But sometimes it is wisdom hidden within pride." He played his move.

"There have been multiple times that I could have played things through to the end. My life would have been very different had I played a few specific things to the end, after learning the wisdom of trying something different."

Ba Sing Se, for example.

"Here I just thought it was a tradition of games - even if you're losing, you don't just give up. You play it through, learn all you can from it."

He played his own, the endgame unrolling to Iroh's tune now.

"But that only counts for games, Monk Gyatso always used to remind us."

"Ah yes, well... games play by their own rules sometimes. Just beware, not everyone is playing the same game you are."

"Some of them with ancient, ancient traditions of their own," he replies with a smile, making what will be - by his reckoning - his second to last move.

Iroh considered drawing it out, but decided to have mercy on the by, by showing none on the board.

"Yes, that too."

And so it comes to an end, and he nods, agreeably.

"Well played."

"You also played well. Hopefully a lesson learned. Shall we try again?"

He grins.

"Absolutely."

"Very well, should you like to play first?" he asked with a smile.

He nods, and makes the first move. A Fire Nation opening.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject