Tea and Moon Bunnies

===> COH <===> 2/1/2020, 9:05:37 PM <===
Wing Kong Exchange - Office(#2753R)

	A modestly appointed office. The furnishings are sparse and spartan in style, although anyone in the know would be able to detect the hand of a practitioner in Feng Shui in the arrangement and placement of every single thing in the room. A small conference table with chairs. A large desk. Lamps. There's even a cot, tucked away in the corner. On the desk is a monitor connected to the CCTV camera that's positioned above the door from the street into the warehouse. Behind the desk? A bookshelf, laden with various books and objets d'art.

	**** WALL RATING: 5 ****


	Oblivion holds a /little/ less sway here, as if whomever spends a great deal of time in the space provides a sort of bulwark effect against the suffocating forces of the Great Big Nothing.

Contents:
Shiori
Obvious Exits:
  Warehouse <Wa>

	Danny had decided to return the favor, and extend an invitation to Shiori to join him for tea in chinatown. He'd have made preparations in advance of her arrival.
Shiori arrives on time, just a little after dark and finds herself at the door to the office, where she knocks, then steps back. She has been enjoying the evenings with Danny so she quite happily accepted the invitation tonight.

	Danny smiles and makes his way to the door, opening it to invite Shiori inside, "Please, come in and join me." He extends a hand to guide her further into the office, towards the table and chairs, where tea service has been prepared.

Shiori steps into the office, the pleated skirt of the custom made dress swaying around her legs daintily, "Thank you for the invitation. I was just considering what to do with my evening." She glances around, but smiles when she sees the tea service prepared. Light and graceful steps take her toward the table. "You're well tonight, I hope?"

	Danny nods, pulling a chair out for Shiori and offering her a seat. "Well enough, anyways. You'll take some tea with me? Purple yin, from Yunnan province. I have it brought in special."

Shiori takes a seat and looks up to Danny, "That sound wonderful. I'd love to share tea with you, Danny." Her smile is genuine and warm. She brushes a stray wisp of hair away from her face with a flick of her fingers.

	Danny pours out a cup of tea - the brewed liquid is a dark purple color, and stands out in the small white porcelain cup. He carefully hands it to Shiori, then he prepares one for himself and takes a seat. "Would you care to try some mooncake?"

Shiori takes the cup and holds it in her hands carefully. She waits for Danny though. The question causes her to smile again, "I would love to. Could you tell me how it's made?" Her eyes sparkle. "It sounds fascinating."

	Danny nods, reaching over to open a small pastry box. "A rich thick filling usually made from red bean or lotus seed paste is surrounded by a thin crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges, accompanied by tea." A smile as he cuts a wedge and sets it in a small plate, passing it over. "Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for longevity or harmony."

Shiori looks at the box, and then her gaze moves to Danny's face while he explains what a mooncake is. She takes the offered wedge, looking at it quickly as she sets it by the cup of tea. Her gaze lifts again though, expression one of fascination as she listens to the description. "And this one, what imprint was on top of it?"

	"Lady Chang'e on the Moon." Danny smiles, "And her companion the rabbit of the moon."

Shiori repeats softly, "The rabbit of the moon?" She shakes her head a little bit and glances at the wedge in front of her again, "Ok. I think there is an entire story to it. Would you share while we indulge?"

	Danny smiles and serves himself a wedge, then takes a noisy slurp of tea. "The moon rabbit or moon hare is a mythical figure who lives on the Moon in Far Eastern folklore. In East Asian folklore, the rabbit is seen as pounding with a mortar and pestle, constantly pounding the elixir of life for the lady of the moon."

Shiori follows Danny's example, lifting her own cup for a sip. Not as noisy, but she does slurp a little bit. Then she lifts a small morsel of the mooncake as she listens. "So the rabbit takes care of the lady of the moon?" She eats the morsel, savoring the flavor.

	Danny nods. "Yes. His faithful service keeps the lady of the moon immortal, so that she can share her light with those of us here on earth the middle kingdom."

Shiori swallows her bite of mooncake, and then says, "Thank you for sharing that story with me. Are there other stories of the far east that I should know?"

	Danny knocks back the last of the tea in his cup, savoring the bitter taste. He'll give a small nod, and then flip his teacup over onto the table, smacking the bottom of the cup with the palm of his hand. He then lifts the cup off and away, revealing the wet tea leaves that have arranged themselves on the table. "Probably, yes. There is much wisdom to be found in the old stories."

Shiori watches Danny turn the cup upside down, and then she studies the leaves curiously. After a moment she lifts her gaze, "Can you read the leaves?" She is intensely curious, perhaps having always wondered about that kind of thing. "And I would love to hear more stories, if you would share."

	Danny nods. "I can, yes. Nothing too inauspicious in them, tonight, but neither auspicious." A rueful smile and a shake of his head, "The etheric winds are too clouded for anything especially helpful."

Shiori tips her head a little bit to one side. It sets the crystals set in her hair to sparkling like trapped fireflies for a moment. "Do you think mine might say more, if you were to try to read them?" She holds the cup, a single drink left in it.

	Danny considers, "Perhaps. The etheric winds are fickle. Joss is slippery like that." A smile, "But I would be happy to make the effort on your behalf."

Shiori finishes her tea, and then hesitates, "Do I need to do what you did? Turn the cup upside down and smack it?" She holds the cup in her fingers delicately, as if afraid it will break despite how Danny treated his own cup just moments before.

	Danny grins as Shiori asks her question. "I would very much like to see you do that, yes. Perhaps you might even close your eyes and makes a wish on your fortunes."

Shiori raises both eyebrows, but then she laughs lightly. She turns the cup upside down and thumps it to the table, then slaps it, leaving her hand on top of it for a moment, as she closes her eyes, apparently making a wish. She lifts her hand with the cup in it as she opens her eyes and looks to Danny. The cup is set aside and she asks, "So what do you see?"


===> Server closed the connection. <===> 2/1/2020, 11:09:18 PM <===