[LOG] Tea Time In The Forest Who: Minato and Balfour When: October 4 Where: Kitchens and then forest. What: Minato accidentally takes Balfours favorite mint tea and goes back to find a distraught man on the countertop taking apart the cupboards. Tea is had and warm conversation ensues. Warnings: None. Open or Closed: Closed Observable: Possibly. If someone was snooping in the forest.
~*~
The mint tea was gone. All of it. It wasn’t where it usually was, nor was it where other types of tea were. It...wasn’t anywhere in the kitchen, and that just pissed Balfour off. Where the hell was the mint tea?
Currently, Balfour was kneeling on the counter, raiding the cabinets, pulling everything out before putting it back in, growling to himself about decent tea. He knew damn well he hadn’t used the last of it, since it’d been a brand new box the last time he used it.
Which meant someone took it. That just wasn’t cool.
“Looking for something?” Minato asked, tilting his head curiously, a box of tea in one hand. He’d grabbed the wrong one and had come back to find another more to his preference. But he had been running late and hadn’t expected to find someone raiding the kitchen. Desperately searching for something. At least this person wasn’t making a mess.
“Ah...hello...” Balfour looked surprised, confused, and embarrassed to be caught in the middle of his search, on his knees on the counter, elbow deep in the cabinet. He blinked at the stranger, then chuckled.
“I was just looking for my preferred tea. It seems to have disappeared...until now.” He laughed, turned around, and hopped off the counter. At least he had put almost everything up, and what he hadn’t quickly went into the cabinet once his feet were on the floor. He turned again, then, and offered a hand.
“I’m Balfour.”
“Balfour.” Minato nodded his head and took the offered hand.
“I’m Minato. And I’m guessing this belongs to you.” He smiled and held up the box of mint tea. “You didn’t happen to see some green tea, Gyokuro, in there while you were hunting?”
“Oh, thank goodness. I was starting to wonder if I’d gone insane and just imagined a new box,” he said with a laugh, pulled out of his bad mood by the appearance of his favorite tea. He took the box in both hands, as if it were a treasured possession, and placed it on the counter before nodding enthusiastically at the question, climbing back up on the counter to get to the top shelf, pulling out a similar green box.
“This what you were looking for?” he asked, handing it down.
“Yes. Thank you.” Minato smiled even brighter, relieved. Things were difficult enough without having to forgo his favorite tea. Nothing calmed him as well as a nice hot cup of Gyokuro. “It’s a pleasure to meet another tea enthusiast. Would you like to join me for a cup? I was planning to train a bit in the forest and I’ve taken upon myself to borrow a tea pot and I wouldn’t mind the company.”
Never pass up the opportunity to meet new people, have a nice conversation, gather more information, and possibly make a new friend.
Balfour nodded a little, shutting the cabinet as he slid off of the counter. Minato’s name had the same ring as Itachi’s, Shisui’s, Izumo’s, and Genma’s, so he wondered, silently, if they were from the same place. Such had been true thus far.
Then again, he could have a similar name and be from a different place.
“The forest is a great place to train,” he said, grabbing a few bags from his box of tea before depositing it back under the counter, where he had originally found it when he had come here. Why it was down there, he never knew, but he kept it there. “It’s very peaceful, and god knows, I could use some peace right now.”
Which was to say the common room had been a bit too crowded, as was the cafeteria, and he was sick of his room.
“You and I both.” Minato smirked, tucking several bags of his tea into his pouch and depositing the box back into the cupboard for later. He led the way out of the kitchen and slowed to allow Balfour to catch up and walk beside him. “May I ask how long you’ve been here?”
“Hmm, I’ve been here a few weeks,” he responded thoughtfully, trying to tally it up. Couldn’t be more than a month, could it? It didn’t feel like he’d been there more than a month. Couldn’t be two, he knew that.
“Honestly, I’m not sure.”
Which concerned him. He should be tallying up the days he was in this strange place...but he found it pleasant, here, despite the games.
“Are you new here?”
“Yes.” Minato smiled. Softly, a little sadly, definitely a little tiredly. But then he breathed deeply and brightened up a bit. Too many things weighed heavily on his mind since his arrival and he forced himself to focus on something more pleasant. A new person to talk to. His favorite tea. The chance to train in terrain that was more familiar. Tree’s, leaves, nature. “And you’ve found this place....comfortable enough to forget how long you’ve been here?”
The question was asked simply out of curiosity. No judgement in the tone of Minato’s voice. Some of the people he’d met seemed relaxed and unconcerned with their predicament and he was interested in the reason behind that mindset.
“I...guess,” he said softly, shrugging a little bit. “Perhaps not exactly comfortable, but I do have some good friends who have enabled me to forget.”
He smiled softly at Minato, shrugging lightly as he led him out of the building.
“I guess it’s more the fact that I just...didn’t think to count the days? It doesn’t matter much to me, to be honest. I like it here.”
“More than home?” Minato turned to watch Balfour, a thought forming. Far fetched, but he hadn’t ruled out any possibility. Not yet. But what if the Machine the scientists spoke of brought people from war ridden worlds or places where life was considered unpleasant as a twisted way to provide a better home? It was only a passing thought, something he didn’t believe to be true. “Or have you settled on this as your new home because you don’t think you can return home?”
“Both worlds have their perks,” Balfour said placidly, smiling softly at Minato. No, that was a secret, he’d decided. Only Izumo knew. Itachi and Shisui could guess at small parts of it, but only Izumo knew the truth. Sure, he missed his world, but he liked it here in Pacis Urbs because he didn’t have to pretend. He was learning who he was, here.
“Ah, but this isn’t home. I just don’t think I’ll be able to earn enough as a medic to get home, so it’s not really...a big concern for me.”
He laughed and shrugged. Such was life.
“Not that returning is impossible, but it is very expensive.”
Minato hummed softly, considering Balfour and his words. “I suppose, if I had to find a perk, it would have to be meeting people from my own world. It doesn’t feel as lonely.” Although, honestly, he still felt lonely. Especially after his fight with Itachi and not having the opportunity to speak to Shisui or Izumo. Genma had been the only one who had come looking for him. But if he considered this a mission he could view it with a different mindset. A mission could be very lonely and that was something he was used to. “Another would be meeting people from other worlds and having tea with them.”
“There is no one else from my world here,” Balfour admitted shyly. There was no harm in that information, at least. “But meeting people from different worlds and different cultures is amazing. One of my friends taught me how to make rice balls. I’d never had them before!”
And it was all his closest friend’s fault for feeding them to him.
“It can get a little lonely, here, though. I mean...” Well, actually he had no idea what he meant.
“But tea with strangers is definitely a perk!”
“Rice balls are definitely a nice treat.” Minato smiled a real warm smile. Because Balfour deserved that much from him. Life here could get lonely without familiar faces. But it was nice to see the man doing his best to make the most of his situation. Minato knew he should do the same, but his desire to protect, his instinct to fight back against anything that would trample on his freedom, the freedom of people who had no choice other than to accept their situation was not something he could change.
“If you’re interested I could introduce you to other foods from my world. Do you mind if I ask who this friend is?”
“Strange foods in general are a great treat,” Balfour said with a laugh, shrugging a bit. “I quite enjoy trying new foods. I love rice balls, and you have Izumo and Genma to blame for that.”
Another laugh, and Balfour just beamed at Minato with a shrug. Who knew, maybe it would go well?
Then again, maybe Minato didn’t like Genma and Izumo.
“It seems we have more than tea in common. Izumo-san and Genma-san are from my village and I consider them friends. You’re in good company with both. Although, I have to admit, they know me better than I know them.”
Minato led them into the forest, near to the place he favored more than any other. It was almost as secluded, enough to give the illusion of privacy. Usually he would place clones on the perimeter and leave sensor tags to alert him of any presence approaching, but he had company today and wasn’t planning to work on anything too secretive.
“Is this comfortable?” he asked, looking around the small clearing.
“I only recently met Genma, but Izumo I’ve found to be a great friend,” Balfour said with a grin, rolling his shoulders a little, then looking around the clearing that they were in.
“Oh, yes. Quite cozy,” he said, settling down on the ground and putting his hands in his lap, pulling a tea bag out to roll between his fingers. It beat playing with his gloves, after all.
“Did you know Itachi and Shisui, too?” Naturally, he asked because Izumo and Genma were mentioned, and they were all from the same world. “There are a lot of people here from your world. You must like that.”
Well, he had said that it wasn’t lonely.
“I’ve met Shisui and Itachi, yes. It’s nice to have people from home even if we’re not from the same time period. And at the same time it’s upsetting because I know they’re here not by choice. They should be at home with loved ones.” Minato sighed, taking a seat facing Balfour and pulling out a small scroll. He unrolled the scroll a bit to reveal a small seal and pushed a bit of chakra into it to make the small contained fire appear. Water was poured into the pot and set over the fire as he handed Balfour a cup.
“Would you like some sugar with your tea?” he asked, pulling out a small bag with sugar cubes in it.
“For some people, this is the better place to be, I’ve found,” Balfour murmured quietly, watching Minato summon the fire, his legs crossed, elbows propped on his knees. It was the truth, at least for some.
“No thank you. Some tea with sugar is fine, but mint tea with sugar is just too sweet.” He smiled up at him, trying to relax.
Minato could accept this might be a better alternative than a persons own home world. But it still wasn’t freedom. His own people were top priority, of course, but as a shinobi he couldn’t ignore the fact that there were others here who could potentially be offered a new home if he found a way for all of them to leave this place.
Without the machine it would take all of his chakra to transport that many people.
“Have you tried Gyokuro? It’s naturally sweeter than most green tea’s.” Minato smiled, popping a sugar cube into his mouth and testing the teapot with the back of his knuckles. It felt hot enough, so he held it up to offer to fill Balfour’s cup.
“Back home there is a tea shop that specializes in foreign tea’s. I think I’ve tried every tea they have in stock. Perhaps you could work as a medic and open your own tea shop.”
“No, I haven’t tried that,” he said softly, shaking his head and making a mental note of the tea. He wasn’t too terribly fond of sweet teas, despite the fact that he was quite fond of his brownies and other sweet desserts.
“I might do that, open a tea shop,” he said with a shrug. No need to mention he was already working as a medic.
“If I didn’t already have a full time job I think I would open a tea shop of my own. Maybe someday when things settle down.” Minato mused softly to himself, first filling Balfours cup and then his own.
He opened a packet of his favorite tea and set the bag in the water, enjoying the peacefulness for once of having tea with someone and not worrying about training or jutsu theories or future decisions or the war back home.
“I don’t think things are going to settle down here,” Balfour said softly, assuming that was what Minato was talking about. He plucked a tea bag from the box of his tea and dipped it in, poking at it with the small straw he had brought along for that purpose. They didn’t have any in his world, but he quite liked them. He could stir and steep his tea, then sip at it from the same little straw.
“I see no need to not do something you enjoy while here. I absolutely love tea, but I love food even more. It’s a rare time when I’m not in the kitchen.”
If he wasn’t, he was probably in his room or wherever Izumo was.
“You enjoy cooking?” Minato asked, thinking of Kushina and how much she loved cooking for him. He missed her deeply. His friend and someone he imagined spending the rest of his life with. Kushina understood him. Was patient with him. She was even stern when he needed her to be. She was loving and kind and warm hearted and full of energy and she was hot headed. He loved everything about her.
“I love food and what better way to be exposed to it than to cook,” Balfour said with a shrug. “And I’m not terrible, at least, so I can eat my cooking.”
He was one of the few Airmen who could cook, and while that amused him, he saw no need to mention it.
“I rarely ever cook back home. Kushina, my friend and the woman I’m going to marry, she likes to cook so I’ve learned to keep my ass out of the kitchen unless I’m being asked to help.” Minato smiled and laughed, thinking of the last time he got himself kicked out of Kushina’s kitchen. “She’s a fiery redhead with a mean punch.”
Balfour laughed softly at the description, sipping at his tea once it was steeped properly--or almost so. He had no patience when waiting for tea to steep.
“Was she a good cook?” he asked, tipping his head slightly to the side, observing Minato’s expressions, his laughter. It must have been a good memory.
“She is. She loves to cook meals for us to share when I’m home.” Minato picked up his tea and blew softly over the steaming liquid before taking a sip. It was always a nice relaxing feeling in that first sip. The next question he considered for a moment before asking softly, because it was private and could be painful for Balfour. “Do you have someone special back home?”
Balfour gave that question some consideration, sighing softly as he shifted. Could Adamo be considered a ‘special someone’?
“No, not exactly,” he said softly, shaking his head. “I mean, I had a crush on someone, but it went unrequited, which is fine, really, especially here.”
He was becoming rather attached to someone here, so it was definitely better that he didn’t actually have someone back home. He would feel guilty, having what he had with Izumo, if it were that way.
“Ah. So you’ve met someone special then?” Minato said slightly teasing, but honestly curious. Although, it wasn’t his place to pry and Balfour didn’t have to share with him any secrets. But it was the thought of that feeling. The one you get when you’ve met someone special. And having that feeling returned. “Mutual?” he pressed gently, blowing softly on his tea and taking a sip.
“Well, no, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to,” he said with a quiet laugh. He figured it was best to just not mention Izumo. “Who knows, right?”
Minato smiled softly into his cup of tea and hummed his agreement to that. Who really knew what the future offered? Genma was from the his future, but that didn’t mean Genma’s past was really his future. If things changed between now and then. If different decisions are made. Different paths presented. Different challenges. There were so many different futures that could be set into motion simply by meeting another tea love like himself.
Balfour was nice and easy to talk to. He hadn’t had that in a long time. Not outside his current relationships back home. And the only person here he’d been able to relax around was Genma.
“I’m glad I accidentally took your tea, Balfour.”
“As am I. You’re good company, Minato,” Balfour said with a soft smile, going back to sipping at his tea. “It’s good to meet new people, you know?”
“It is.” Minato agreed so softly.
Especially people he isn’t obligated to kill. For the mission. For the village. And it’s much nicer to sit with living souls as pleasant as Balfour instead of washing the blood from his hands from his latest victim.
He smiled and pushed away those thoughts. The tea seeping into the corners of his mind and body, allowing Balfours comfortable presence to calm him deep into his soul. The forest, the smell of earth and trees, the scent of tea and Balfours company was really what he’d needed to recenter himself.