The Perk, Wednesday Noon

[saddeserthermit]

This second Wednesday marked the first time Obi-Wan had felt anywhere near settled on this island. Perhaps it was because - outside of minor disputes in class - he and Anakin hadn't really had an encounter since Friday. But frankly, he wasn't here to think about that. Rather, he was looking for a distraction.

He settled into a seat at the Perk with a nice cup of tea. He'd picked a bag at random; tea flavors were both similar and entirely different on every planet he landed on, and he wouldn't make a fuss about it until he figured out which ones were actually drinkable.

So far, this one was fine. He drank it slowly, as he wasn't exactly in a hurry. Fandom's locals were almost all human, but they were still an interesting crowd. Sitting here allowed him the opportunity to people-watch. As the day went on, he found himself ordering subsequent cups, at least until he found a flavor that was completely and utterly terrible.

[[ open! around most of the day. ]]

Comments

[sith_happened]

Anakin was so focused on getting coffee (allllll the coffee. Christopher had been up five times in the night demanding water and Anakin was half-tempted to get the kid a hamster-style water bottle for the crib) that he didn't register the familiar presence until he was right in front of him.

"Oh."

Smooth, Anakin.

[saddeserthermit]

Obi-Wan took a sip of his tea.

"And here I was wondering if you were ignoring me," he said mildly.

Well. So much for that quiet streak, he supposed.

[sith_happened]

"I was letting you settle in without me interfering," Anakin said, taking the large black coffee from the barista, who went back to texting with Tino almost immediately.

"Which tea is that?" he asked, knowing Obi-Wan's habit on new worlds. "The Earl Grey kind of reminds me of you."

Shut up, yes, Anakin had also drunk tea in more maudlin moments.

[saddeserthermit]

And still Anakin was trying for friendly small talk. Obi-Wan wasn't certain whether to be frustrated by it, or impressed with his resolve.

Then again, Anakin had never lacked resolve.

But it had been nice and quiet today, and right now he lacked the will to do anything that might chance another encounter.

"Something called strawberry," he said, a little reluctantly. "I'm not sure how fond I am of it; it's awfully sweet."

[sith_happened]

Anakin wrinkled up his nose. "Yeah, not my thing at all. Good as a fruit, not as a tea."

He was happy to natter on about tea for an hour if it meant he got to talk to Obi-Wan without feeling judged to his toenails.

[saddeserthermit]

Unfortunately, Obi-Wan wasn't certain how long he could keep up nattering inanely about tea, considering everything still unresolved. "You were never much of a tea person as it is, as I recall," he said. "I didn't think you'd return here for your drinks."

He hadn't gone Force-blind over the past year. He could tell Anakin didn't sleep on the island.

[sith_happened]

"I have a cup with Rory before driving here," he said. "I need another before I can process paperwork."

[saddeserthermit]

Obi-Wan took another thoughtful sip of his tea. "I see," he said. "She's well?"

[sith_happened]

"Very," Anakin said. "She'd like you to come over for dinner at some point."

Possibly when they could be in a room together for a while without it becoming horribly awkward.

[imafuturist]

Tony's caffeine habits were not to be trifled with, so of course he knew where the coffee shop was. He smiled at the barista, shamelessly engaging in a little flirting as he paid for his coffee.

It was as dark and bitter as Doom's soul, just how he liked it.

And only then did he notice a fellow teacher there. Look, you weren't a source of coffee, someone to flirt with, or trying to murder him (yet), so welcome to second billing, Obi-Wan.

"I don't think I remember your name," Tony said, going with honesty on this one.

[saddeserthermit]

"I don't believe we've met," Obi-Wan said, "So that's hardly a surprise. I am Obi-Wan Kenobi."

He smiled wryly. "Ethics teacher."

[imafuturist]

"Tony Stark, science and tech," he replied, offering his hand to shake.

[saddeserthermit]

Obi-Wan gave it a firm shake. "No wonder I saw my co-teacher speaking to you earlier."

[imafuturist]

"Oh?" Tony replied, lips turning up into a playful smile. "Should I suspect ulterior motives?"

[saddeserthermit]

"No, he just hasn't met anything mechanical he hasn't tried to take apart and put back together," Obi-Wan said dryly, "Sometimes at the most inconvenient of times."

[imafuturist]

"That sounds so familiar. Though usually I'm the one the complaint is about."

[saddeserthermit]

"So what you are saying," Obi-Wan said, "is that I need to make sure whatever technology I pick up is kept well away from wherever the two of you are meeting."

[nuclear_snide]

Oh, look, someone new! Bob eyed the robes curiously. "You don't look like you're from around here."

[saddeserthermit]

"Don't I?" Obi-Wan asked, taking a contemplative sip of his tea. "How negligent of me."

[nuclear_snide]

"Sorry, were you trying to blend in?" Bob asked. "The robes give you away," he explained helpfully. "If not, then...well, you do you."

[saddeserthermit]

"I was not trying to blend in." Obi-Wan sounded faintly amused. "Not that there seems to be much of a shared aesthetic to blend into here as it is."

[nuclear_snide]

"Bound to happen, I suppose, when you throw this many people from different worlds together." Bob shrugged. "Most people seem to be sticking to turn-of-the-twenty-first-century western culture, though. Western Earth culture," he clarified, then frowned. "That doesn't sound right. A planet doesn't really have a west, does it? European and North American culture."

[saddeserthermit]

"Many planets have a west," Obi-Wan said lightly, "But it's an often arbitrary distinction, yes. I can't say I've quite mastered European and North American culture as of yet, but I'm making a day of it."

[nuclear_snide]

"Good luck," Bob said, not unsympathetically. "I've made a millennium of it, and there's still always something new. Speaking of new, you're another of the latest crop of teachers, aren't you?"

[saddeserthermit]

"I am," Obi-Wan agreed. "As are you, I take it." Also not entirely a corporeal presence in the Force, but he wasn't going to be rude and point it out just yet. "How are you finding the island?"