milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

abe no seimei,
teja

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Seimei has just been released from house arrest - a punishment imposed not by any mortal authority, but by the gods. He's going to be persona non grata in celestial circles for a while. But eventually the august personages at the Floating Bridge of Heaven will need him for something, and he will be welcomed (albeit grudgingly) back into their midst.

(It's not the first time this kind of thing has happened.)

So now he's in Milliways, taking a break from spirit world politics and enjoying a nice Cuban cigar.

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"This thing smells strange," Teja remarks. "I thought only tarot cards did that."

"Smoked cigars, you mean?"

"Indeed," Teja says. "The only one I ever saw doing that is Tower."

"There are few smokers of any sort around here," Seimei says. "The vices of Milliways guests are, generally speaking, not so mundane."

"Indeed," Teja says, "they start with drink, and end -- I know not where they end, and do truly not wish to know."

Some of the things that Weyland and Serafina!Loki are up to are probably fall into the latter category.

Edited 2012-09-21 23:04 (UTC)

"Would you like to try one?" Seimei asks. "A cigar, that is, not an unusual and disturbing vice. They're something of an acquired taste, but it's easier to acquire if you start with a good variety."

"Why would I wish to acquire a vice?" Teja wonders. "But then, why not?"

"It's relatively harmless as vices go," Seimei says, pulling a sleek black cigar case out of his coat, "because you don't inhale. Like with smoking a pipe. Of course, if you smoke more than a dozen a day like Sigmund Freud did, maybe it's not so harmless."

He opens the case and pulls out a cigar with a red band and a gold band. The text on the larger red band reads "Romeo Y Julieta."

"The smell of those is interesting, even in their present, unlit state," Teja says.

"It is, in fact, customary to smell the cigar before lighting it," Seimei says. He holds up the cigar, one fingertip at each end. "Like this." He lifts it close to his nose and inhales deeply, then offers it to Teja.

Teja imitates the gesture. "It does smell nice," he says, "but I have no way of telling the difference, yet."

"It's something you learn," Seimei says. "Although as a general matter, if it smells dry and dusty or otherwise 'off,' then it's probably not worth smoking. Now, please give that back to me for a moment - I need to cut it for you."

Teja hands it back, curious.

Seimei reaches into his coat again and pulls out an art deco cigar cutter - basically a small, spring-loaded guillotine - and lops off the end of the cigar near the bands. "You can also use a knife, but it's harder to get a clean cut that way. Some people use a punch, but that's not...well, not very proper." He hands the cigar back to Teja.

"The end I just cut is the one you smoke on," Seimei says. "You have to puff it while the other end is being lit. Have you ever smoked a pipe? It's like a pipe. You draw the smoke into your mouth and blow it out. Don't inhale, that's just going to be unpleasant." Seimei snaps his fingers, and a blue flame springs to life on the end of his thumb. "I have trouble using matches. Easier to do it this way."

"I have never smoked anything," Teja admits, trying to puff on the cigar.

"I think you've got the right idea," Seimei says. He holds the flame on his thumb close to the end of the cigar. Whenever Teja takes a draw, the flame moves in and touches the end. Within a few seconds, the tip of the cigar is cherry-red, and Teja is producing clouds of whitish smoke.

Seimei picks up his own cigar - which has gone out - and uses the flame on his thumb to relight it before shaking it out. "Take it slowly," he says. "It's something to savor. And you're new to this."

Teja slowly puffs on the cigar, savouring all the scents.

It is an odd sensation, but he does not cough, as he does not try to inhale the smoke, merely smelling it on his tongue.

"You might get a tingling feeling in your mouth," Seimei says. "That's normal. It's the nicotine in the smoke. Be careful when it gets toward the band: once it burns to that point, it's about finished. But you have a ways to go yet."

"This would take hours," Teja says.

"Oh, that's a Robusto size. It'll only take half an hour at most. And that's fine - you're meant to sit back and enjoy it, perhaps with some good brandy."

"I have seen Tower do that," Teja allows.

"Maybe I should talk to him one of these days." Seimei draws on his cigar and puffs out a few smoke rings.

"He would predict your doom," Teja says, "as that is what he does."

"Now, I'm not an expert at using tarot cards for divination, but from what I understand, the Tower does not necessarily represent doom. It represents change - very difficult and unpleasant change, usually, but it may ultimately be beneficial." Pause. "Or it may not. Sometimes it really does mean doom."

Teja is amused.

"Destroy, restart," he says. "That is his motto. But he does, indeed, glory in predicting gloom, doom, and downfall. He seems to find it fun."