likesthecoat | (no subject)

Ianto nods, and moves his coffee table out of the way to clear an open space. He places a cushion on the floor, as well, and then gets a serving tray out of the kitchen.

He Is Ianto. He Gets Things Done.

Teyla sets about unpacking the items they will need from Ianto's ~~bag of holding~~ satchel.

She folds the cloth over the tray, suddenly much more somber than she has been on the rest of the trip.

"Do you want music or candles or anything like that?"

"Candles if you have them," Teyla says quietly. "No music."

He gets out two tall beeswax candles (he likes the scent) and wood candlesticks.

Teyla begins to set the items on the tray: the two cups, side by side on one end, the sugar and kiras seed on the other and the box with the terron cakes between them. She hands the pot to Ianto. "It is best with an herbal tea, but anything will do."

"I have mint, will that do?"

She considers this for a moment. "Yes. That should be fine."

He gets out a tin of tea leaves and a strainer. "I've black as well but I think mint is better suited, really."

[ooc: Bedtime for me. Is late.]

"Yes, I believe so," Teyla says, watching him as he works.

[ooc: Goodnight.]

Ianto does his Ianto-ish thing with the tea and sets the pot on the tray.

"There. Is everything read?"

Teyla glances over the tray (which looks, more or less, like this). "And a small spoon," she says.

he gets a small spoon from the drawer and sets it on the tray. "There."

"Perfect," Teyla says softly, sliding a hand over the cloth. It's...comforting, to have something so familiar. Melancholy too, in a way, but mostly comforting.

He watches, waiting for the next step. He's taking it very, very seriously. He doesn't want to mess up anything for her.

"Do we sit on the floor or at the table?"

"On the floor," she says, gesturing to the area he cleared. "It is traditional for the one who has experienced a loss to be waited upon, but if that makes you uncomfortable, it is not something I am adamant about."

Ianto chuckles. "You sit. I'll do it, if you'll just tell me what needs doing."

"Thank you." She lowers herself carefully onto the cushion he'd placed on the floor.

"You sit opposite, me, with the tray between us."

He obeys, and takes off his shoes so he can sit cross-legged more comfortably.

"First, you must add a spoonful of the kiras seed into each cup, as a reminder of the bitterness of the loss."

He does so, and looks at her for the next instructions.

"Then the tea," she says quietly, nodding in approval of his actions.

He pours carefully.

"And now mine is placed in front of me, and yours in front of you."

It's quite strange to walk someone through this ceremony. Teyla was very, very young when she first learned it.

He places the cups, trying not make as little noise as possible.

"We don't . . . deal with grief like this here. Sometimes I wish we did."