As soon as he opened the door and stepped inside, Will came up to him.
“Hi.”
The smile he gave Sage was tentative, but so very precious.Sage tossed his keys into a little bowl shaped like a strawberry.
“Hey.I’ve been thinking about how much you’re improving.”
Will came closer, and Sage saw him sniffle.Or is he…?No, he can’t be smelling me.Probably just some dust.I showered.I think I smell all right.
“Do you really think so?”
“Yup.Sure do.So what do you think about trying something new?”
Will rubbed his hands together and shuffled back two steps.“Okay.I can handle it.”
The smile he gave Sage this time was an uncertain one.
“Cool.Let’s head to the kitchen.”
Will took the lead, and Sage used the opportunity to sniff his own armpits.I’m fine.He definitely didn’t smell me then.Fuck, I’m getting paranoid now.
Will stopped by the sink and turned around, looking at Sage with wide, curious eyes.
“What do you want me to do?”
Sage squatted in front of one of the bottom cabinets and pulled it open.The bowl was at the very back.It was large and shallow, and not at all a kitchen utensil.He picked it up and put it on the table.
“Granny liked to go out to the pond and fill it there, but I think it scares the fish.Can you grab the watering can from the living room and fill this?”
Will nodded, and off he went to get the can.Sage, meanwhile, went through the kitchen cabinet that held sugar, salt, peppercorns, and vanilla extract.There was a big box of loose tea leaves in there.Sage had never drunk it.
It’s ancient.Lost all its flavor, probably.The last time I used this, Gran was still around.
Sage patted the box, and when he heard water splashing into the bowl he turned to watch Will finish pouring.
“More?”
Sage pulled up a chair.“Nah, looks good.Put the can down and sit.”
“Okay.Is that tea?”
“Really old tea.”Sage opened the box and sprinkled the dried leaves into the water.There was still a lot of tea left, but he wondered what he’d do once he ran out, what he’d do once the tea his gran had bought was gone.
“Are we going to make the water boil to make tea?”
Sage closed the box back up.“Better.You’ve heard about tea leaf reading, right?The human superstition about fortune telling?”
“I think so.”
“Right.What we’re going to do is called tea leaf casting.Basically, it trains your brain to make up spells on the spot.The aim is to make the tea leaves take a shape, but we’re going to keep the spell going between us, meaning you have to pick it up from where I stop so the leaves move smoothly.Got it?”
Will narrowed his eyes at the bowl.“I think so.I have to keep the verses going, make the rhymes.”
“Pretty much, yeah.And you have to build the spell around your intent, of course.Do you want to start?Or I can go first.”
Will nodded.“I’ll try.It’s like cleaning the mirrors.I can do that.”
Nice.I was never this eager to try this.“Go right ahead, then.”
