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Fandom Counseling, Friday

Today began Parents' Weekend. That didn't mean Hannibal wasn't going to open his practice. He was making bets with himself whether people with nobody coming or people with family members coming might need more therapy.

He wasn't bothering to bet with himself whether they'd show up and ask for it, but you never knew.

Joni was pouncing on dust motes in the office, Beethoven was lounging in a window in the sun, and the flamingo he refused to name was on the stoop preening itself and looking even more glittery than usual.

In between clients, Hannibal was planning a menu for a dinner party and wondering if he should do one for Halloween.

Fandom Counseling was open!

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Seivarden wasn't here for counseling, but seeing her roommates and everyone else welcome visitors and having no one show up for her, she didn't want to be alone. She wanted to drink good tea with someone like a civilised person, and apart from Tisarwat she knew only one person on the island who appreciated that, which was why she was here, knocking on Hannibal's door.

Hannibal opened the door and smiled. "Seivarden, please come in." He waved her in and headed for the teapot, which had a pair of gloves next to it (royal blue today, to match the pinstripe plaid of his suit), which he pulled on. "I don't need to ask which beverage you would prefer, but I have a decent black, a very good green, and a smoked leaf. Which are you in the mood for?"

Seivarden automatically smiled, a genuine smile. It was such a relief to have someone who put on gloves without having been asked, just to make her feel comfortable, and even better to be concerned about the style.

"Let's try the green," she said, following Hannibal inside. "I hope I'm not interrupting. I don't have any guests this year, but most people seem to have."

It felt that way when you really missed someone.

See what happened when you weren't an asshole about it, Seivarden?

To be fair, Hannibal was always concerned about style, though.

"Green it is," he agreed, and started setting it up. "And not at all; I doubt I'll have many patients today, and I have none scheduled. I have no guests, either, not that I was expecting any. My world is closed off."

He set a timer and left the tea to steep, then came and sat in one of the chairs instead of behind his desk. "I sometimes wonder if these weekends are harder on those of us with no guests, or those of us with them. I should think it depends entirely upon who those guests are."

Seivarden smiled a little, taking a seat too.

"Oh, I can think of a few I'd rather not have show up. Normally I had hoped that Breq would be able to make it, but she went on a diplomatic trip and I can't reach her right now."

"That is a shame," Hannibal said. "Are things going well back home, then?"

"It's a bit of a stalemate where everyone is waiting for the Presger to announce a Conclave to decide whether AIs are significant beings or not," Seivarden said. "Breq decided that looking for allies outside the Radch would be wise though, since we don't know how things will play out."

She leaned back, relaxing a little.

"And the Presger are another government? Or another species?" Hannibal asked.

"Another species," Seivarden said. "The kind that tears ships and crews apart for fun without anyone being able to stop them. That's why keeping the treaty with them is so important that The Lord of the Radch won't invade Athoek. If AIs are considered a significant species attacking them would mean breaking the treaty."

She smiled a little. "That's the short version of what's going on at home. I just hope some people won't end up at each others throats while Breq is gone."

"I share that hope for both your sakes," Hannibal said politely. The timer went off, and he stood to finish making the tea. "Do you take lemon or sugar?" he asked. "Or milk, I suppose, although that isn't usual in green tea on Earth."

It might be just a polite response, but choosing politeness was still something that Seivarden could appreciate.

"I never add anything to my tea," Seivarden said. "It's an Earth custom I see no reason to take up, especially since you can find such good teas here if you know what to choose."

A Radchaai response to someone who, surprisingly, in most ways acted civilised.

Hannibal nodded, taking no offense at that. He was actually pleased that she'd acknowledge Earth had good teas. "The customs here vary from culture to culture and from blend to blend." He poured them both cups and brought the tray over to set between the chairs.

"Do you drink herbal tisanes as well, or only actual tea?" he asked, curious. His lips quirked. "And are you horrified by iced tea?"

"The iced tea that is served here, yes," Seivarden said, "With lots of sugar and made from bad tea." She shook her head.

"I know that in hotter climates some have taken to make ice tea of good quality though, although it would hardly be something you served your guests. And no, no tisanes. I don't think even people to decide to go native on remote planets do that."

"The phenomenon known as 'sweet tea' is an entirely separate concept from actual tea," Hannibal freely agreed.

"Some tisanes can be quite good, once you get over people calling them 'tea'," he said with a chuckle. "Different herbs can have different medicinal effects as well, so there are reasons to drink them apart from taste."

"I suppose they aren't as bad as something pumpkin-spiced," Seivarden said, wrinkling her nose slightly. "It smells like drinking a cake."

"Really?" she continued. "Medicine? I've heard about people on," annexed, "other planets that use that, but it didn't seem to work that well."

Granted, compared to Radchaai medicine, it didn't.

Hannibal nodded seriously. "I will have to take back the pumpkin spice tea I was going to give you, then."

He smirked.

"Yes, not so much in lieu of medicine, but as mild sedatives or calming agents, anti-inflammatories, stimulants for those that don't handle caffeine well, hallucinogens, and other things." He gestured. "If there is a plant on Earth, at some point, someone will likely have tried to steep it."

"Sounds like it could be a dangerous experiment," she said, amused, reaching for her cup. After a sip she continued:

"I do think your teas are among the best plants on this planet, though."

That would always have been true, of course, but it struck her that not too long ago there would have been some drugs not far below on that list. The thought was uncomfortable for several reasons, and for just a moment she tensed, unconsciously. Then, just as quickly, she returned to a smile.

"Have I ever talked about medicine in the Radch? I imagine that as a doctor you would find it interesting."

"Occasionally very dangerous," Hannibal agreed, "but when has that stopped humans?"

He sipped his own tea. "I would be very interested, yes. I imagine it's quite far in advance of what we have here, given the state of your technology and the number of planets you have access to."

"Most illnesses can be cured," Seivarden said. "And it used to bother me that body parts couldn't be grown back."

She made a face. "Lose a leg and it's gone forever. Although some people don't have the patience to wait for it to finish doing that and end up hobbling around on temporary prosthetics."

There was a bit of concern and frustration in her voice.

"That's Breq, in case you wondered."

Hannibal smiled. "Impatient with her own body? How long does it take to grow parts back? Is it an induced biological process or more physical?"

"More physical," Seivarden said. "You place correctives on a wound and it heals, although when growing back larger body parts it's a process that can take months, if it's something like a leg."

She smiled a little. "Yes. Impatient with her own body is a good way to put it."

"Well, if it will take months, I can certainly understand that, although it must be frustrating to need to constantly adjust a prosthetic for the growth," Hannibal noted. "What happened to her leg?"

"It's a long story," Seivarden said. "But in short she was hit by a mine when shooting at another ship. I know it could have gone worse. It was a terrible plan to begin with, but it ended up working."

She took another sip of tea, her fingers fidgeting.

"It's not the first terrible plan she's had."

Hannibal raised his eyebrows. "Terrible because they don't go well, or terrible because she has insufficient regard for her limits?"

"She doesn't realise how much people care for her," Seivarden said, some of her worry and frustration audible. "How much people depend on her. I think it might be a ship thing, at least partly. And she understands it better than she used to."

She fell silent, looking down into her cup before taking a sip, unaware of how easily she had slipped into talking about this.

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Fandom Counseling, Friday

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