They had sugar bowls with the sugar in the shapes of soft green leaves, red blossoms, and yellow bells for the season. The colour didn't affect the taste at all, and the shapes were a tiny delight in the bleakness of winter. Snow was still piled up outside all over the city, though the streets and sidewalks were clear, and the spectre of that big blizzard could still be felt.
But not in here, where there were blooming flowers, warm tea, and adorable sugar shapes.
Julian sighed and tried to appreciate his privilege, to be able to be in here with the elite instead of out there with the workers. He'd have to do a share of his own trekking around outdoors to harvest winter berries when the time came, not just for Alex but the Grower's Guild as well, but he'd always have comfort to come home to at the end.
Julian shook off the dark thoughts and fixed up his tea, sipping it slowly and tasting the fine Darjeeling, no doubt expensive and rare. They never really worried about the bills at such places, another privilege, and Julian sent up thanks to whoever was listening for it.
"Well," said Father Stephen, once they were all settled in with their cups, "I've been doing mostly the same things I always do. The Small Good class has been going very well this time around,with a lot of interesting ideas. It's always humbling to realise that youth can have as much wisdom as old age, without the same layers of time obscuring their vision."
"You're the most modest man I've ever met," said Alex. "I suppose that helps keep you that way, though."
"What new ideas have they brought you, Father?" asked James. He had a fizzy drink, though Julian had gone for tea, feeling too chilly in the grey day for cold drinks.
"One of our acolytes carries around stickers with positive if rebellious messages on them to cover bigoted graffiti with," said Father Stephen with a chuckle. "Apparently there's been a small rash of stickerings on the train, and theirs cover the unpleasant ones just fine."
"That's clever," said Jacques. "Not that we take the train much anymore, but I do remember our acolyte days, taking trains and buses from temple to temple."
"Another told me of a new thing popping up, little free libraries and art galleries, which are tiny windowed boxes with doors that open, and you may take or leave either books or art," said Father Stephen. "A truly delightful addition to the landscape when libraries can seem very far away, and art galleries unwelcoming to the average person."
"Everyone deserves a bit of art, or something to read," agreed Julian. "Maybe I'll see if we can put one in my community garden, or one of each. There's a few spots where the plants are beautiful and supportive but not edible, and we could stick something in."
"We certainly don't need one on our home ground," teased Alex. "But really, that's a lovely idea."
"We're considering adding a few to temples, if we can figure out how to keep the acolytes from reading on the job," said Father Stephen with a chuckle.
"We could support that," said Julian. "I mean, with a donation. And then you can acquire me a pair of boxes for my garden at the same time."
James laughed. "Efficient and generous, that's usually Alex's game."
"He's taught me well," teased Julian.
Servers arrived then with everyone's soup, and they spent a few minutes just enjoying the food. The cheese was melted atop the softened bread, and the soup was a beautiful clear broth that sang on the palate. Julian sighed over the luxury of good, hot food again and tried to cheer himself up that he was going to do some small good.
"I think Julian's just feeling the winter," said Alex. "We might also donate somewhere that gives away coats and the like."
"Oh, yes, there's a non-denominational spot for that I can recommend," said Father Stephen. "Not that you two haven't earned the luxuries with your generous hearts and the risks you take for others."
"I'm not sure being so annoying that someone poisoned me is a risk I took for anyone but me," said Alex dryly. Then he launched into the tale, not of the mystery, but the vision he'd had and thevery clear message he'd been given to just be patient for his new magical abilities to settle.
Father Stephen was keenly interested there, so Julian just sent Alex a thread of love and support and went back to his food.
"I've heard more mages have started eating here when they can," said James, when that was done and they'd been served their main courses. "Someone let it get out that they don't judge when you eat a mage's portion."
"They don't, it's really nice," said Julian, cutting into his first steak. He'd been given one big plate of steak and asparagus, but Alex had to juggle two plates with his eel pie steaming gently on its own. "This looks delicious as well as sustaining."
The steak was perfectly browned on the outside and tender as anything inside, well-salted and covered in buerre blanc sauce and, he thought, some extra butter as well in the cooking. Julian felt a little bit of the cow and its farm, and the decent life it had lived before becoming dinner, and he sent up another feeling of thanks, this time to the spirits that he knew existed, and the magic of life itself. The asparagus was in the same sauce, and Julian bit off one succulent tip and then wolfed down the rest, making a happy sound at the roasted green flavour.
"You look happier now," said Alex fondly, sending love along the bond. "Perhaps you just needed to be fed."
"Having a plan to help people also works," said Julian, sticking out his tongue. "We'll get that info from Father Stephen and have our accountant send over a donation."
"Places like that can always use a surprise infusion of cash," said Father Stephen. "I'm afraid the Temple has grown used to you two donating regularly, or I should say you two donating time and your Victor sending along cash."
"Does he still do that?" asked Alex. "Huh."
"Oh, yes, we got a nice little donation yesterday since you were being Guarded again. He's very conscientious, your brother." Father Stephen looked pleased as he dug into his own food, just as delicate in his manners as Julian.
"He's always been that," said Alex. Julian gave the bond a teasing little tug, enjoying this extra communication with his mouth full of delicious steak. He didn't want any of it to get cold, though the plates were warmed to keep that from happening. Even a place as posh as the Atrium couldn't afford keep-warm charmed plates for hundreds of settings, so it would happen eventually if he didn't keep eating.
