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Jeremiah Hamilton:
It was a lazy Monday evening at the Green Room, with the staff taking advantage of the lull to tidy things up around the cafe. Jeremiah was doing his part, of course, with a tray of cutlery and napkins to wrap them in front of him and humming a jazzy little tune to himself as he worked.
Aya Jabir:
Aya had come in a subdued dark blue dress and lighter blue matching hijab, not quite as eye-catching, perhaps keeping a lower profile than usual in those designer sunglasses that are large enough to help obscure her face, worn in defiance of the hour. But a few steps in the door and she takes them off before gazing around the space.
She smiled when she noticed Jeremiah, and began walking over to say hello.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
Jeremiah glanced up at Aya's arrival, giving her a warm smile as she headed over. "Hey there. How are things?"
Aya Jabir:
She nodded to him and placed her right hand over her heart in greeting, "Hello! Things are going quite well for me. I hope you have been doing well, too?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Been well enough, all told." He motioned for her to take a seat if she'd like. "Working on some personal projects which have been going smoothly thus far."
Aya Jabir:
She moved over to take the offered seat, "That's good to hear. I think I'm taking a break from my projects for right now-- writing, I mean. Still doing my work in city hall and my other work. But trying to take more time to think things over."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
He nodded, finishing off a few more silverware rolls before setting them aside for one of the servers to collect. "What sort of writing are you working on?"
Aya Jabir:
"It's a kind of synthesis of all my previous works, so there's a certain level of referencing back that I do, trying to put together my Grand Theory of Peace." She smiles warmly but with a tiny smirk that gives away a degree of knowing how naive it sounds, "My connecting of the dots; valuing life, looking out for each other, peaceful resolutions, restoration, and reconciliation, making a world where everyone has a fair shot and can always do some good, and how it's the only way to attain a true peace, as opposed to the false peace created by force or threat of force."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Ah...sounds like it would be an interesting read." He nodded with a small smile of his own. "That's been a goal of mine as well, pushing back against the inequities of the world and allowing people to flourish without having the weight of surviving day to day hanging over them."
Aya Jabir:
She nods, "So many social problems trace back to the simple need to just get by and having difficulty doing so." She sighs and shakes her head, "And how much good we lose out on! We know malnutrition hurts kids' development, we know it kills."
"How many Hawkings or Einsteins have we lost? How many Da Vincis, Kahlos, Goghs, how many Homers or hooks?" She looks about half ready to launch into a speech.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Exactly. So much has been put on humanity's shoulders to weigh it down and keep it from truly being, stuck dealing with all the bullshit instead of finding their true potential." He let out a slow breath, running a hand through his hair. "It's incredibly frustrating."
Aya Jabir:
"Indeed," She takes a deep breath and sighs again, "We can all only do our part, but.. the rate of progress can be ponderous."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"That it is. Each little step forward we make is worth the effort, though, one more candle whose light pushes back against the darkness."
Aya Jabir:
"Agreed." She chuckles, "I need to keep my candle lit with some coffee. I will be up late tonight."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"You got it." He smiled, hopping up from his seat. "Your usual, I presume, or do you want to change it up?"
Aya Jabir:
"Keep it nice and strong. I mean it," She wags a finger and smiles playfully.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"One shadowlands coming right up." He chuckled, grabbing the silverware tray along the way to set it up behind the counter before fixing the drink himself, coming back a few minutes later with a cup for each of them. "Added your usual amount of sweetener," he said as he offered her one of the cups before reclaiming his seat. "If you need more let me know."
Aya Jabir:
"Thank you very much," she accepts the offered coffee, still smiling, and takes a deep sip. "Mmm.. coffee is a great blessing, very useful for meditation. And it's always interesting to try it in different parts of the world."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Agreed." He took a sip of his own, a content little "mmm" slipping out before he continued. "I've become a bit of a coffee snob since I opened this place, I'll admit. Getting good product in and serving it properly is important, though, otherwise we're no better than the bigger chains."
Aya Jabir:
She clearly enjoyed the strength of the drink, and took in a deep breath through her nose after her next sip, taking in the smell. "Not one thin dime to a chain, especially one who does not let their workers unionize. But I've always enjoyed coffee, though once I became involved in my spiritual practices I definitely became much more interested."
She gave a chuckle, "I learned the aftertaste of most artificial sweeteners provide too much distraction, for one."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Just from the meditative standpoint or something else?" He asked curiously, nodding in agreement as she continued. "Feel you there. I've got a major sweet tooth, and I'd rather have the real deal rather than the artificial stuff."
Aya Jabir:
"From the 'staying awake for long periods of time' standpoint. My meditations can go on for four, sometimes even six hours. It's tiring and long work: purifying one's soul, disciplining one's ego, listening to inner wisdom."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Ah...very true." He gave another nod. "Some of the work Kay and I can do takes that long as well, and keeping your focus up throughout the process is paramount."
Aya Jabir:
"Oh? You do some of the same, or something different entirely?" She leaned in with an intrigued look on her face. "I've mostly ever confronted my inner demons, so to speak."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Bit of both." He smiled, clearly loving that sudden burst of enthusiasm. "I've had a few long talks with my personal demons and they've been fruitful overall, and some of the longer-term projects can take hours of concentration to make sure everything comes out smoothly."
Aya Jabir:
"Yes, I understand that one can go in very interesting directions, mentally, if you're not careful." She let out a happy sigh, "Ah, but it's good to know there are still places to explore, yes?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Indeed. It's easy to get lost in there if you don't know what you're doing." He nodded, smiling in return. "That it is."
He thought a moment, looking her over with a little spark of excitement in his eyes. "There's something I wouldn't mind showing you at some point, if you'd be up for it. It's a technique that allows for a little peek behind the curtain, as it were."
Aya Jabir:
"Really?" Her eyes are just a bit wide at this. "How does it work?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"It's a guided meditation that I learned from an old mentor of mine. Going more in-depth than that would be better elsewhere, though."
Aya Jabir:
She nodded and raised her coffee, "I would definitely be up for this; at the very least, in learning more. But you certainly have my interest," she says before taking her sip.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
Jeremiah raised his cup in return, smiling warmly. "Good to hear. It takes a bit of set up, so let me know when you're able to come by and we can make it happen."
Aya Jabir:
"Will do, will do. Hopefully, it can provide the insight I need to make more progress. And better than more progress, perhaps I can make more of a difference." She leans back in her chair.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Here's hoping. I've run a few people through it and they each found it enlightening in their own way. I'm curious to see how you take to it."
Aya Jabir:
"The ones you've done this with, were they particularly experienced with things 'behind the curtain'?" She rests her chin on her right hand, taking on the Thinker's pose to a minor degree, as she carefully considers the ways she's asking her questions.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"To varying degrees, yes." He nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "It's a solid way to ease those who haven't had exposure yet into things without putting them at risk."
Aya Jabir:
"So there's typically risk? But this mitigates it?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Mmhmm. Part of the weight on humanity's shoulders is an inability to grasp what we can do, making them forget or rationalize away what they see, and that can cause mental breaks if it's a strong enough effect. Those who have their own talents aren't subject to the same issues, though."
Aya Jabir:
She nods, "Talents like mine?" She finishes the coffee with a satisfied sigh, "My compliments on that cup, I think it will do the job."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Indeed." He nodded, smirking. "Picked that one up from a post online, funnily enough. Just ask for a shadowlands if you want it again."
Aya Jabir:
"I even like the name," She chuckles one more time. "I think I'll be on my way; I'll be in touch about meeting up soon?" She moves to get up from the table, checking her purse to cover her coffee.
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Sounds good." He smiled, waving her off as she went into her purse. "On the house."
Aya Jabir:
"Alright, but next time I catch you somewhere else, I'm paying." She gives him a wave, "Ma’a salama."
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