fandomhigh | Good Omens...And Bad: Prophecy in Theory and Practice, Lab Eleven

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Good Omens...And Bad: Prophecy in Theory and Practice, Lab Eleven

Friday, December 1, Second Period

More fresh-baked goodies today. Gingerbread cake, apple spice bread, several varieties of scones and muffins. And of course the required hot beverages. The classroom rather smells like a coffee shop.

Aziraphale seems a great deal less fidgety than on Monday. In fact, he looks downright pleasantly distracted, and is humming to himself whenever he isn't lecturing. Probably you don't really want to know the reason for this, though.

LECTURE: "Today we're going to study my personal favorite type of divination: tea reading. Although you heretics in the class may use coffee grounds if you like. On the table you'll all find several handouts on reading tea leaves. It's somewhat like dream analysis in that there are particular meanings associated with the shapes or symbols you'll find in the leaves.

I would like each of you to please drink a cup of tea or coffee, and then have your partner use the leaves or grounds when you're finished to conduct a reading."

[OOC NOTE: The links above do provide lists of symbols and meanings, so you're welcome to create your own reading. Or, use this link to generate a random online reading. (Yes, you can get an online tea reading. Don't ask.)]

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: "You should all have ~~handwavily~~ received a packet regarding our class's participation in the upcoming school pageant. I'm certain you're all as excited as I am to have this opporutnity, and I'm only sorry that I won't be there to see it. However, we will have a rehearsal in class on Monday. So I'll need to speak with Mr Sandburg and Mr Dean Winchester regarding costumes and choreography, Mr Conner regarding the choral arrangements, and also Miss Halliwell, Miss Longstocking and Mr Joxer regarding the solo performances. Please let me know if you know you're going to be unable to participate."

[ooc #1: I'm going to send out emails regarding the pageant over the weekend. The details of the Prophecy class's presentation can be found here. Also, please please please! If you can't or don't want to be one of the "volunteers" listed above, let me know and I'll make the necessary changes!]

[ooc #2: ~~Please wait for~~ OCD threads are up, I will see you all in the morning.]

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"I'm good with helping." Blair said quietly and shrugged.

There was no bouncing. No bouncing meant something bad. Aziraphale frowned and looked solemnly at Blair. "What's happened, Mr Sandburg?"

"River and I..." Blair was sure how to explain it. He felt like they had broken up, even if the words weren't said. "I think we broke up, man."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Aziraphale replied. He frowned sadly. "Do you think...perhaps it's just that you've had a bit of a disagreement? I mean, it might could seem as though things are just terrible at the moment, but perhaps with a little bit of time, a few days, things will sort themselves out."

"She kissed Jack on purpose." Blair said worriedly. "She stole my fish and she kissed Jack and I think she wants a spare boyfriend in case I kiss Jude again."

Aziraphale blinked, thinking that perhaps he'd missed something in this exchange.

"Er...let me see if I understand this properly. You kissed Jude, and River kissed Jack. And she stole your fish, and you think she wants a spare boyfriend." He paused, trying to make sense of those statements when fitted all together. "Did River kiss Jack because of you kissing Jude? Or separately?"

"My kiss was on accident." Blair flailed a bit and took a deep breath, trying to explain everything all at once.

"There was protests and practice hugs and I don't even like guys! Then when I apologized to River she stole my fish and then went and kissed Jack on purpose. Totally on purpose. Which is sorta taking advantage of Jack and the fact that he likes kissing, I think. Plus it's really bad because she got upset at me for kissing someone and then she turns around and does the same thing. Plus Berthold could have eaten my fish. It's not like she was watching them carefully because she was all busy kissing someone who wasn't her boyfriend. Then when we talked yesterday she said that she knew I was going to kiss boys again which she totally can't know for sure unless she's a fortune teller and a pyschic and said she didn't want to be alone when that happened. So it sounds like she's getting herself a spare for when I screw up again."

Aziraphale patted Blair's arm. "All right, let's see. First off...I would say that it's a good thing River chose someone she knows enjoys kissing. Because it means she was interested in the act of kissing, not whether or not she cared about the person. And the fact that you're both upset about this tells me that you do still care very much about each other."

He paused, thinking that possibly the fish were an important part of the problem, but not sure he had any advice in that matter. "I think...River took your fish because she knew they were important to you. As a revenge for what she saw as you taking something important of hers and giving it to someone else. And perhaps the kissing Jack wasn't so much revenge as her trying to see why it might have been that you wanted to kiss another person. And for the part about her saying you'll kiss another boy, and wanting to not be alone...no, you're right, she can't know that. But at the moment, she may feel that she isn't getting any assurance from you that it wouldn't happen again. What do you think? And I'm not talking about just boys. I'm talking about whether you feel that you might decide you want to kiss someone else, that you want to stray outside of your relationship with River. I do realize that this time perhaps it wasn't like that, but the next time it would be, wouldn't it?"

"I apologized and told her that it was accident and that I didn't mean to kiss him." Blair shook his head. "I learned the first time that when you date a person you just date that person. I didn't mean to hurt River by kissing Jude and I didn't have any intention of going back to kiss him again. I'm not-" There was a pause as Blair bit back the words like my mother and he shook his head. "I'm not like that."

"Have you told River that? What you just said to me, I mean, about knowing that isn't how you want to conduct yourself."

Aziraphale paused, thinking about himself and Wilson. "You know...one thing that might help is if you give her something, some symbol of your relationship. Something that can exist as a tangible sign that she is the one you're dating, and that you're not interested in playing the field. Perhaps it's just that River is in need of reassuring. Just because you can read a person's thoughts, doesn't mean you can also always understand what those thoughts mean. And in fact, it may make things that much more difficult, because you have to sort the random ideas from the thoughts that really do have meaning."

"I think I told her yesterday, but I'm not sure." Blair said with a shrug. "I was kinda thrown off by the whole spare boyfriend issue."

"Do you think that fish stealing and non-boyfriend kissing and trying to get a spare boyfriend is..." Blair lowered his voice and leaned closer. "...crazy?"

"No," Aziraphale replied, raising an eyebrow at the question. "I think it's the sort of thing a person does when they're upset, and don't really know how to react. Or how to show that they're upset. I know that River has some problems, and that she isn't very well socialized. But I don't think that she simply does things without any sort of logical reason. I think she just has difficulty expressing those reasons to people who don't think the way she does."

He smiled sympathetically. "Turn it around for a moment. If River had kissed another girl, and you found out, and she didn't give you what you felt was an adequate explanation or assurance, how might you react? What might you do to demonstrate your anxiety?"

"I..." Blair thought back to when Molly kissed Cam and the subsequent fight he almost started. "I'm not sure, man. I might meditate or try to talk it out or..."

"Stealing fish and getting a spare boyfriend seems not...reasonable."

"The stealing fish may have been a bit over the top," Aziraphale agreed. "Although...she didn't kill the fish, only stole them. Which rather tells me that she planned on seeing you again. And as for the spare boyfriend...are you certain that's what she means? Or does she just feel that if you're going to possibly be kissing other people, she wants to know there's someone she can go kiss as well, so as not to feel neglected? I know it seems strange to your way of thinking, my dear. But it really does sound to me like River is trying to insulate herself against being left alone."

"Is that what she wants, though? Just someone that will kiss her and make it so she's not alone?" Blair knew Aziraphale didn't have the answers for that, but he asked anyway. "Then it's not really me that she wants to date, just someone who will be with her and kiss her."

"My dear," Aziraphale replied softly. "I think you're confusing physical intimacy with heart-felt affection. Do you date River because she kisses you? Do you think that's why she dates you?"

He sighed a little, wishing he actually had some real experience with the whole dating thing to draw on. "I don't know what River truly thinks, and I don't know what's in your heart either. But I think that the two of you need to talk some more. And to listen, and try to understand what the other is saying. I hate that I can't explain it to you, or tell you what might fix the situation, but you do need to talk. That much, I can say from experience."

"I didn't think that but now I'm not so sure." Blair shrugged and thought for a moment. "Talking seems good. Do you think the counselor does couple counseling."

"I'm certain she'd be willing to sit down with the two of you," Aziraphale replied, nodding approvingly. "If River is important to you, Blair, I wouldn't give up just yet. I would try and work it out first."

"I'll talk to River about it and see if she's willing." Blair shook his head. "She's important to me."

"Then don't give up," Aziraphale replied. "I've...always been too prone to that myself, and it's caused me a great deal of grief in the past. If you think River is worth fighting for -- not literally, perhaps, but undergoing a struggle for -- then I think your idea about some counseling is a very good one."

"Not literally." Blair agreed. "Thanks, Az...Mr. Aziraphale. I appreciate you talking to me."

"Any time you need, Blair," he answered, smiling. "You're very welcome, and I really do hope the two of you can find a way to work things out."

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Good Omens...And Bad: Prophecy in Theory and Practice, Lab Eleven

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