====== Gem ======

===== Smiling =====

//Crush, snip, slice, blend.//

It has taken a long time for these gestures to stop being haunted by a spectre of //her//; for the scent of herbs not to evoke rust-sweetness and a vial outstretched. 

//Mash, mix, swirl, combine.//

But now, this is a beautiful set of motions. A choreography of tea-making, belonging to a spider who weaves flavours rather than webs, who blends her faultless service with smiles that no longer feel as false.

//Stir, steep, swirl, pour.//

The travelling tea saleswoman, of two faces and spidery skirts, is starting to resent her home a little less.

It is nice to have somewhere to return to. It is nice to have a friend, truly loved without fear of treachery. It is nice to feel forgiven.

It is nice to see Teishi smile.

The tea seller’s faces do not always smile – sometimes they are dragged down by a strangling weight, by a self-conscious scowl as tea leaves stain the fingers, or by the occasional blood-cough of a contract once broken. 

But when they do smile, it is genuine. 

Gem does so now, as tea swirls into mugs shared, and dregs settle with the finality of a fate fulfilled. 

Teishi is smiling. That is what matters, really.