The Power of Magic [Shio/Meilin]

Shio sat calmly in the middle of his bed, one hand resting ever-so-slightly in a saucer of what looked to be warm water.  He didn't move them often, save a faint twitching.  His eyes were shut, his lips moving ever so slightly as his other hand slowly and meticulously tore at a pile of leaves, adding the torn remnants to another bowl, this one approximately the size of a hollowed-out watermelon.  The torn leaves rested on the bottom like some dark, murky sediment, and the shinigami continued to nimbly tear and crumple the leaves, taking great care to judge each one; perhaps one in every twelve leaves were set aside, gently folded and placed on the fabric of his bed.  Though his eyes never opened, he seemed well familiar with what he was doing, used to it after some while.  He finally withdrew his fingers from the water, letting the remnants of it dribble into the shredded remnants.  Finally, one eye opened slowly, carefully...and with smooth grace, he plucked out a few more shreds of leaves.  The remains fluttered ever so slightly as they landed on his bedspread, coating it in moisture.

Shio sighed, reaching behind himself to withdraw what looked very much like a traditional teapot.  Slowly, with an almost ritualistic look of contentment on his face, he began to pour water over the leaves, resting his hands on his knees and waiting patiently.  Like any day off, he couldn't imagine starting it without a nice strong glass of tea.  The leaves were properly picked and prepared, and soon enough it would be time for spices.  Next to his bed, on a small dresser, there were four or five containers of what could easily be identified as cinnamon and cloves.  The rest were...incredibly obscure, almost impossible to recognize off-hand.  He smiled ever so slightly, waiting for that ever-so-perfect moment, the exact right time to start adding the proper ingredients in the golden ratios.

Even moreso than his work as a shinigami, Shio truly did love a good cup of tea.  It was a luxury never afforded to him, growing up, and one he'd taken quite a shine to as of late.  He even found time to visit the human world, just to see all of their new and innovative methods of preparation.