Next cometh Autumn with the sun so hot and piercing...

[light_of_the_world]

Back home, the court moved. Breguswith had explained it to Hild once, when she was a child and adamantly against such constant travel. She wanted to stay in a place long enough to learn its habits, to discover its secret places, to feel it with her whole skin. But as her mother pointed out, a king could not remain in one area for so long, not if he wished to keep his thegns in line with his powerful presence and keep his court from eating those thegns out of house and home. And so they had drifted from castle to castle, following the shifting seasons, keeping time with the different vills. Bebbanburg, Yeavering, Tinamutha, once, Brough, Sancton, Goodmanham, York.

But time did not need a changing landscape to move on. Hild found herself on the cusp of fall, without York, for the first time in more than a decade. Darrow did not have York's sweet apples or pears, nor its wars. It did have something called a pumpkin spice latte, however, which was almost as delicious as the overexcited barista had told Hild it would be. She had ordered two if only to calm the woman, but she had reasoned that anything that garnered such praise, mostly earnest, had to be passing good.

Balancing a tray of coffees and a few scones in one hand, Hild texted a few of her friends with the other, inviting them each to join her in the park, if they had the time. The first to arrive could have the spare latte. So she said. Hild had every intention of ensuring that each of her friends could share in the pumpkin spiced goodness.

Comments

[youfeelluckypunk]

It's for the best that Hild texts him when she does because Reid had spent about half an hour trying to get through one of the novels Luke had given him to read, only to get about three quarters of the way through. For a man who's capable of reading War and Peace in its original Russian over breakfast, this is highly disturbing; but considering the fact that he'd spent most of that half hour thinking about what it would be like to be reading the book with his back pressed against his boyfriend's chest, laid out on Luke's couch, Reid doesn't think he can really be blamed for how distracted he is.

He approaches Hild in the park with a wide smile, and this all feels very familiar except the last time they'd met in the park, he still hadn't committed to telling Luke about his feelings yet. Amazing, really, how much can change in a little over a month, and Reid is glad for that. He's glad for a lot of things lately.

"Drinking for two?" he teases, nodding at Hild's extra coffee. "If you got that for me, I might be tempted to hug you. I won't, but I'd be tempted."

[light_of_the_world]

Once she caught sight of Spencer approaching, Hild had put away her cell phone. It was an extremely useful creation, but she had noticed how the people around her often used the device to tune out the rest of the world, or attempted to divide their attention between the phone and their company. If anyone else texted her in response, it would wait. She was with Spencer now.

"I would not be opposed to a hug," she said, rising to greet him with a broad smile. "But it is a gift. I accept no hugs as payment." Working at Graymark Books, at the very least, was teaching her the language of business, or retail, which was its very own language almost separate from English.

"I hope you like the coffee. The barista says many times that pumpkin spice is the best."

[youfeelluckypunk]

"Maybe we can start with a handshake first and work from there," Reid says, and he realizes that most people wouldn't think much of handshake at all but for him, it's a big deal to be the one to put forth the effort. He knows and trusts Hild well enough by now to be willing to take what he might have otherwise considered a concentrated risk so he extends his hand, slightly quirking an eyebrow as he waits for Hild to respond in kind.

He's far past this point with Luke, of course, but Hild is the only other person he's willingly let touch him in Darrow so far. It doesn't come as much of a surprise to him, seeing as she had also been the only other name in his contacts list that Reid would consider an actual friend.

"Pumpkin spice?" he asks, taking the cup and giving the coffee a sniff. "I haven't had flavored coffee in a long time but if tastes as good as it smells, I don't think I'll be dissatisfied. It's the best gift I'll receive all day, thank you. Should we sit? You can tell me all about how it's going at the store, Luke says you're doing a great job."

[light_of_the_world]

Hild nodded her acceptance of his reasoning, perfectly content to accept a handshake in lieu of some other physical display of thanks. It did not sting for she herself was not completely at ease with how easily casual contact come to people here, now. It was surely a matter of the change of times for her. When every man one met had a knife at their hip, their back, their boot, and just as many reasons to kill one as to not, even a handshake might seem a risk, a dangerous choice that put one within killing reach. Hild mimicked the custom of offering a hand at every first meeting, because it was clearly the way of the world and few carried weapons, but her adaptation to the practice did not take away from its deeper meaning, for her.

She took his hand in hers, made warm from holding onto her own cup of coffee, and smiled similarly. "You are very welcome," she said, a line smooth and well-practiced, an indication of how her time at Luke's bookshop had gone.

"The barista says pumpkin spice is the best thing in fall," Hild said as Spencer examined his cup. "I cannot imagine what she compares it to, but I thought I should at least try it."

She did indeed sit and made a motion for Spencer to join her as she did, a wholly unnecessary gesture, as Spencer had broached the idea, but one she could not help engaging in.

"Luke is very kind," Hild said simply with a smile, but she would not openly poke fun at their friend's good opinion, no matter what she thought. Her confidence was strong enough that she knew was doing a good job, even if she would not venture toward great. "He is patient and teaches me good. Well. He teaches me well. That is the correct way to say it, yes? So many exceptions in English. It's very strange," she interjected with a disapproving, wrinkled nose. "He is a good boss. I am lucky to work for him first."

[youfeelluckypunk]

Well, he supposes that if Hild were to learn anything other than English during her time working at the bookshop, she could do worse than good customer service. Reid's heard her deliver the line to customers before when he's dropped in to see Luke, which isn't rare itself, but the ease with which he'd heard it roll off her tongue hadn't led him to think much on just how practiced it might be. It's clear to him now and that brings a fond smile to his face because it's a good reminder of just how hard Hild tries.

She could easily fall into the trap of speaking mostly in Latin with both him and Luke, but the mix of English she uses impresses him more and more every time he sees her again. Hild is a quick learner, which comes as no surprise to him, but she's also tenacious, the kind of woman who wouldn't let anything stand in the way of what she wants. He admires her for that and if he's honest, Reid thinks he might have even learned a bit of that from her before going to Graymark Books a few weeks ago to finally admit his feelings to Luke. He may not owe his entire relationship with his boyfriend to her, but she'd helped, whether she's aware of it or not.

"The best thing, that's a bold claim," Reid says, taking his first sip and wrinkling his nose once the sweetness hits his tongue. It isn't as if he doesn't pour large quantities of sugar in his coffees but the flavor of this one is bold, though he wouldn't say he dislikes it. He imagines it's more of an acquired taste but even so, he takes another sip and now that he anticipates how sweet it really is, he can admit it's pretty good. "Okay, having tried it, I wouldn't say it's the best but I can see the appeal."

At her mention of Luke being patient, a good teacher, a good boss, Reid ducks his head to laugh as he nods his agreement. "That is the correct way to say it, yes, he teaches you well. He's been very patient with me, too, so you can add 'good boyfriend' to the list of things he is."

[light_of_the_world]

His look of mild displeasure as he sipped the coffee drew a soft chuckle from Hild, who had tested the drink herself with inquisitive sips as she waited in the park. She loved to eat sweet things as much as any might but most things called sweet in Darrow tasted overwhelmingly so to Hild's own tongue. Hild like it, some times, but it took some getting used to. Spencer's expression was not too far off from her own at first sample, but steady, small sips had steadily coated her tongue with the spiced syrup until now she found she did enjoy the taste. She likely would not try the drink again this season, owing to her desire to try everything on the coffee shop menu when she had the craving for coffee; Hild had worked her way down the menu, line by line, which the friendly, observant baristas had noticed. Come next fall, however, were she still here, Hild thought she would indulge again.

"I think this also," Hild agreed. "I am happy to have it now, but maybe not again."

Some time has passed now from Spencer admitting his feelings to Luke and the two men becoming a pair, but not enough time to dull the novelty of it for Hild. She knew Spencer felt the same, could see how he still buzzed with a kind of joyful energy when the other man was mentioned. It warmed Hild's heart to see people she cared about happy, a warmth that bubbled up in her chest and stretched a cheerful smile across her lips.

"I see him when he buys flowers for you," Hild admitted. "He says he hopes he is a good boyfriend. I think you two will be perfectly happy if you do not worry about being good boyfriends but only worry about being good to each other. Boyfriend seems like such a .. strange title. It is not very clear."

[youfeelluckypunk]

He can't disagree with her there, the term really doesn't encompass all that Luke means to him or what they are to each other; but it's one Reid is nevertheless satisfied enough with and unless Luke tells him differently, he has no real problem continuing to use it.

"You're right," Reid tells her, ducking his head to hide a laugh, "but neither of us have come up with anything else so I suppose it'll do for the time being."

It brings a flush of pleasure to his cheeks to hear that Luke had worried about being a good boyfriend when he'd already had flowers in hand, and Reid fondly rolls his eyes because there hasn't been a moment since they'd shared their first kiss that he's wondered if they'd made the right decision to be together. He'd wasted weeks fretting over whether this might ruin their friendship or make things awkward between them but when Luke's lips had met his, every concern had simply disappeared. In that moment, he'd felt like nothing existed but him and Luke.

"I think that's what he means by wanting to be a good boyfriend," Reid says, brow furrowing in thought as he taps at the side of his cup. "It's like how I would hope to be a good friend to you. In truth, it is about hoping that we're good to each other. There was an author named Elbert Hubbard who said that 'a friend is one who knows you and loves you all the same.'" He offers Hild a shy smile, shrugging a shoulder. "That seems to be the way I judge my own friendships. The people who stay after they get to know me are the friends worth trying for, the ones worth keeping."

[light_of_the_world]

In her own opinion, Hild thought the word "lover" was a perfectly acceptable term. But she could see how that too might pose problems, given that the English word "love" carried so many different levels and types of love. It remained one of the more confusing aspects of English. For all that it took and borrowed from other languages, it had not seen reason to take other words for love and all its varieties into its arms.

Hild considered Spencer's words and the quote as she sipped her coffee. The meaning seemed obvious and she agreed with it on first hearing, but she did not like to take Spencer's words, however quick they might be, for granted.

"Still I say, do the thing and do not waste time with the worry," Hild replied with a fond smile. "But these are good words. It is right to value more those that will stay by your side when you are at your worst more than those that flit in and out of your life. And by this you know that I will always be here to help you," she said earnestly. "Even when you might be a struggle. Not that I have seen this yet."

[youfeelluckypunk]

Do the thing and do not waste time with the worry.

He has to bite back a smile at that, though he nods as his smile widens, genuine in its affection. "I will do the thing," he promises, "and I won't waste time." Reid thinks he's getting better at that as the days pass. He'd like to hope so, anyway. The day Luke had brought him flowers, they'd taken another step in their relationship and while they haven't been intimate with each other yet, the way his boyfriend had touched him that evening had been unlike anything Reid had experienced before.

Granted, it's been a long time since anyone has touched him like that, but he doesn't think it could possibly have been the same with anybody else. While he's never disrespected the opinion of those who believe in fate, Reid has never believed it himself. Only once has he truly questioned whether there could possibly be a higher power, when he'd died those few minutes after what Tobias Hankel (Raphael, rather) had done to him, and seen the supposed light at the end of the tunnel. He's remained steadfast in his commitment to science and rationality but now, faced with the intensity of his feelings for Luke and the knowledge that this meeting couldn't have happened in their separate worlds, he wonders if he's really just been waiting all this time for this man.

It's a fleeting thought, one he doesn't need an answer to because what matters is that he is with Luke. If there's a bigger reason as to why, Reid can live without knowing it.

When Hild says she hasn't seen a worse side of him, though, Reid lets out a burst of laughter. "No, not yet," Reid says, "and while I hope you're never subjected to any of my mood swings, they do exist." For the most part, he thinks he's good about keeping them under control but when he's under a great deal of stress, when he's trying to keep his head straight in the face of something that hits him hard on a personal level, it becomes more difficult. He's never been quite as good at that as Hotch or Gideon or even Emily.

After a second of hesitation, he gives Hild a nudge with his elbow. "For you, I think I can muster the will to try harder not to be a struggle."

[theduff]

I like Hild, and I don't need a bribe to spend some time with her, but say the magic words and I'm there in a flash. (Well, more like fifteen minutes because I had to take a bus for a short part of the ride and then walk a couple blocks, but I'm there as fast as I humanly can be.)

Pumpkin spice lattes. I didn't even know they had them here, let alone realize the PSL season had started.

It doesn't take me too long to spot Hild on one of the benches in the park, and like I said, I'm happy to see her. But I'm even happier to see the second latte she has.

"Would it be strange to label you my favorite person in the entire world right now, this early into our friendship?"

[light_of_the_world]

The weather was not yet cool but not as hot as it had been only the week before. All the same, Hild had taken care to wrap the cardboard cup in napkins and stopper the lid so that heat would not escape and the latte would still be warm for when Bianca was able to join her.

She chuckled at Bianca's question, assumed the barista had been correct in calling this an amazing drink, and held up the cup for the other girl to take.

"All things in this city are strange," Hild pointed out. "Much more strange than me being your favorite person. I think this very normal. I am very cool."

[theduff]

"You are so very cool," I agree. I'd admit that even if she wasn't handing me one of the best things to ever happen to coffee.

I take the latte happily and sit down next to Hild, glad that a day that started mostly with me studying has led to something pleasant. Even though I've made some friends here and there's no lack of things for me to do, it's hard to take that first step out and start exploring on my own sometimes.

"How's your day been so far?"

[light_of_the_world]

"Good," Hild answered, her voice warm with her smile. Her life in Darrow differed greatly from her life at home. Though she would never say that she hated life at home, not truly, the novelty of this life in Darrow could not be shaken off soon. She had lived eight years as seer; it would take more than a few months as a simple woman before she would be satisfied.

"I work in the afternoon. I do not tell you this. Luke gives me job at his bookstore. Garroway Books." She nodded in the direction of the shop, though on this side of the park, the store front was obscured by greenery fast fading gold and red with the change of season. "It is not.. very busy. And this is good. My English betters, but is not that good yet."

[theduff]

"I am so jealous you get to work at a bookstore," I tell Hild. The sip of latte I take after saying so cuts through the envy pretty damn quick. "And your English is sounding pretty good. You speak English better than I speak Spanish."

Yes, I'm aware my Spanish is mucho shitty. It's just nice to pretend I can get away with a few words here and there.

[light_of_the_world]

"Yes, I see you are jealous," Hild laughed, noting that Bianca's expression was far from angry. "But, Luke gives me this job so I can try.. Try a job, as we do not do things like this at home. He wants me, maybe, to try a different job later. If I do, maybe you can work at the bookstore." It was only a maybe, a perhaps, but even so Hild did not think Luke would have any problem with the offer. Bianca was smart and kept her wits about her even when dropped in the middle of a foreign city in nothing but a robe. Customer service would not be beyond her.

"When I learn English, I will ask Derek to teach me Spanish." She had other plans for other languages -- French in particular -- but Spanish was mentioned. "We will practice with each other. We can both learn."

[theduff]

"Oh hell yes, put a good word in for me." I love even the possibility of working at a bookstore. I'm still not sure exactly what path I want to go down, but what honor roll nerd like me wouldn't want to work in a bookstore? It's a dream job.

"Derek speaks Spanish?" I don't know why I'm so surprised; I know a lot about Derek, but you can't know every single thing about someone, especially when you've only known them for a couple of months. (See: my secret friendship/relationship/whatever-ship with Wesley. My best friends since childhood had no idea about it, but that probably had more to do with me not talking to them for weeks.) "I had no idea. Maybe we can make him tutor us."

He probably would. He's a big ol' softie like that.

[light_of_the_world]

Hild nodded and sipped her coffee. "His mother speaks Spanish. I think she teaches him," she said. That was their first conversation, Hild remembered, only a few months ago but it felt as though such a long time had passed. Those few months were full of so much learning, so many new things, it was dizzying for her to look back on.

"We will make him teach us," she decided, and gave Bianca a sideways smile. "He cannot say no to the both of us together."

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

She felt confident in the use of her mobile phone now, and enjoyed the photos that Hild was prone to sending. They were of pretty elements of nature, always. A bird on a branch, a leaf that shone in the sun, or a family of ducks feeding on the shore. When her mobile phone made its odd noise, she pulled it out of her pocket, wondering if she had sent another. Instead she saw that Hild had invited her to join her in a "latte", which was one of the strange coffee drinks.

Her tasks at the stable were complete and her chambers were neat, so she went to the park to meet her friend. When she saw Hild, she saw both the cups and a paper bag, which was surely containing baked goods.

"Well-met, dear friend," she said warmly in their shared tongue. With their continuing acquaintance, she and Hild understood each other very well, though Eowyn still thought each might find the other's accents and word choices strange from time to time, perhaps always.

[light_of_the_world]

"Well met, Eowyn," Hild replied, smiling. It was not the common greeting among her people, but it rolled off the tongue well and she liked to follow the small habits of her friends, to make them feel more at ease. Not that such measures were necessary with Eowyn, but only nice.

"Are there pumpkins in Rohan?" she inquired as she offered up a still-warm cup of coffee, milk and seasoning to her friend. "I have never heard of such a plant, but the woman at the coffee shop insisted that this is a delicious drink."

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

Eowyn took the cup from Hild and sat down near to her, close enough for good friends but not so close as to disallow either of them to stand and fight if needed. She did not think it would be needed, but she preferred to be prepared.

"Thank you. There are," Eowyn agreed. "Though they were not so large as those I see at the markets here. And we did not put them into drinks."

She carefully sipped her drink and then perhaps made a face, for she did not know what she thought just yet.

[light_of_the_world]

She could not help but laugh at Eowyn's face, but it was warm and soft, not at her expense but companionable. Hild had a good idea of what the drink would taste like, even before she took her own experimental sip.

"It is sweet," she agreed, without Eowyn having said so much. She liked sweet things, of course, but had found that the modern world, with its seemingly inexhaustible supply of sugar, like its sweet things to be dripping in sugar and syrup. "And different. But I think I might like it. The mochas are better. Not so sweet."

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

"I have become fond of chai tea lattes," Eowyn replied, though she had to speak in Westron to say the name of the drink. Rohirric had no name for such things, and she had not yet decided if any of the words she knew could be stretched to fit. She did not think so. She would have to continue to speak in Westron for such things.

"There is a spice to them that reminds me of drinks around the firepit in the coldest winter months. Our cook would never tell me the recipe, though many times though I did ask and cajole her."

[light_of_the_world]

Hild marked the name of the drink, already planning to show up at Eowyn's work one day, when the sky was dreary and the horses would be restless, with one of these chai tea lattes to warm her friend's day a little. Hild would try one soon; she liked to go down the menu list when she went to the coffee shop, to try every item once. Chai tea lattes would jump the line

She made a noise halfway between a wistful sigh and moan of pain. "These winter months will be hard," Hild said, not speaking of the weather precisely. "I miss the hall, the dozens and dozens of people all around even on good days. When the wind grows cold and I most want to sit at a fire between people, I'll have to sit in front of my heater." It was a difficult exchange, the past for the future, the crowded feeling for the lonely one. She was finding the balance more and more every day, but there were little things like a communal feeling of outlasting the winter that, she realized, she would miss.

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

Eowyn sipped her drink once more. Yes, too sweet, but she tasted the bitterness of the coffee beneath it. It could have been balanced had it a bit less sugar, and she did not think she had ever known a pumpkin to taste so.

"They will be," she agreed. "In such times, perhaps we must come and sit with each other in front of heaters. It will not be the same as having an eored crowded near, drinking and grabbing pinches of the serving-women, but it will be better than sitting alone."

[light_of_the_world]

Nearly laughing to herself at the imagery that Eowyn's words brought forth, Hild leaned closer to the other woman, closing the small distance between them for a moment to butt her shoulder against hers, rest there for a second. Hild had always relied on her friends to keep her grounded, to remind her that she was not only a seer and a lady and a font of knowledge but a woman who needed to care for herself as such. They kept her sane. All her friends here did similarly, but Eowyn with her familiar-but-not words and her reassuring sensibilities always cheered Hild, lit up a small space inside of her she hadn't known had darkened.

"Maybe we can go to Semele's instead, drink beer and pinch Derek," Hild suggested, grinning. "He would probably mind, but not too much."