wheatencrown | A Visit with Felix and Louis

Demeter opens the front door of the Bar onto her potting shed, which is full of drying herbs.

The shed is a structure that looks like it shouldn't be standing up as bright sunlight slants through the slats in the wood and she turns to grins at them,

"We'll walk through the garden and get you settled. Then I've made some lunch and I have lots of maps so you can explore as much or as little as you'd like."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

mr_gaeta

The smell is unlike anything Gaeta's smelled before -- or smelled in the last several years, perhaps. Eyes closed, he tips his head back and inhales without even being quite aware he's doing it, taking in the sharp scents of the herbs around them.

"Sounds good to me," he says. "Thank you, Lady."

From:

faithful_lt

"Thank you," he echoes.

It appears to be all he can say, in fact. Hoshi's eyes are wide with wonder and delight, and he's looking around as if not entirely sure that he's not dreaming.

From:

wheatencrown

She looks at them and laughs before pulling down too slightly dusty straw hats and handing them over,

"There, that should do for now,"

Then she opens the door onto the garden, the potting shed is near the vegetable garden.

From:

mr_gaeta

Gaeta blinks down at the hat she's handed him, then blinks up at Louis.

And, with a smirk, reaches to settle the hat on the other man's head.

From:

faithful_lt

He grins and pushes the brim up just the tiniest bit.

"So? How do I look?"

From:

wheatencrown

"Charming and this way you won't get freckled unless you want to. Now come on, you'll have to tell what you like best so we can pick it from the garden and orchard on our way to the house,"

There are some basic things laid out in the kitchen, but its nicer to eat what's freshest.

From:

mr_gaeta

Gaeta was thinking less charming and more fondly, utterly ridiculous; straw hats and BDUs are not the most fitting of matches, shall we say. He tweaks the brim of Louis' hat before casting an amused glance Demeter's way.

"Aren't you always telling me I'm too pale and don't get enough sun?" he says, following after her.

From:

faithful_lt

Hoshi hurries after them both, and cheerfully plops the other hat on Felix's head from behind.

"So you don't overdo the sun at first, then."

From:

wheatencrown

"Oh, you'll get quite a lot of sun when I'm done with you, this is so you don't burn at first,"

Demeter doesn't believe in bathing suits and picks up a basket,

"Now tell me what you want with your lunch."

From:

mr_gaeta

"Thanks, dear," says Gaeta to Louis, dryly. He falls back a pace to keep even with him and bumps his shoulder against his.

"I don't know, um..." He casts his thoughts about. "Do you have any oranges around?"

From:

faithful_lt

"You're welcome ... wait."

Only now does it appear to sink in, and Hoshi stops in his tracks, staring at Demeter.

"Lady, did you say we're to be picking things from your garden?"

He looks and sounds both awed and utterly delighted at once.

From:

wheatencrown

"Where do you think you are, child? We'll pass the orchards on the way to the house, but this area is best for tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers,"

Hoshi looks so confused that she beams at him and gestures to the garden they're standing in that seems to stretch for acres.

From:

faithful_lt

He'd been thinking of something much smaller, like the kitchen garden that one of the fishery managers had kept going. He hadn't quite realized until just this moment--

Hoshi feels strangely dizzy, almost as though he's going to faint from sheer delight and awe combined, and the grin that bursts over his face is bright and beaming.

From:

mr_gaeta

Gaeta glances up at Louis. (Or, well. Glances up as best he can around the outsize brim of the straw hat.)

His smile softens at what he finds, and he reaches to take his hand, twining his fingers through Louis': to help ground him, to share the joy, to prove they're really here.

From:

wheatencrown

Both of the hats are rather old so there might be a hole or two for peering up. Demeter smiles at them and starts picking tomatoes,

"Louis, the basil is right near your hand start on that. Felix, you're about to step on a cucumber, pick that for me."

From:

faithful_lt

"Yes, Lady," he says, immediately. Hoshi squeezes Felix's hand, and then lets go as he crouches down next to a bright green plant and considers it dubiously before starting to pick a few leafy stems.

From:

mr_gaeta

Close behind, nearly overlapping, Gaeta echoes, "Yes, Lady."

Cucumbers are fortunately rather easier to identify than basil. He backs up a somewhat hasty step to leave the vegetable clear, then, keeping a hand on his hat, bends to retrieve it.

He sneaks a quick glance to Louis as he does.

From:

wheatencrown

Demeter is picking tomatoes and the basket is just between the three of them.

At some point, she sits on the ground to watch the two men, the sun suits them and soon Felix's skin will be a lovely dark olive and Louis might freckle.

From:

faithful_lt

Eventually, he pushes his hat back on his head as far as it will go and yet not fall off.

Hoshi eyes the plant, puts the last sprigs in the basket, and sits back on his heels to just look around and take everything in.

From:

mr_gaeta

Gaeta's moved on to gathering a few more cucumbers, adding them to the basket. As he passes by Louis, he brushes a light hand over his shoulder and smiles down at him.

Are you all right? asks the gentle look he gives him.

From:

wheatencrown

If either of them look over, Demeter will be hidden by tomato vines and smiling, they have needed this.

She wonders how long it will take to get them to jump in the pool.

From:

faithful_lt

He reaches up and puts his hand over Felix's, smiling back.

The delighted joy in his eyes isn't only for the sheer miracle of the planet they're standing on.

From:

mr_gaeta

"Hey," he murmurs, and stoops to take off the hat so he can kiss Louis' forehead.

As he straightens, he catches sight of Demeter from the corner of his eye, and his smile angles a little toward the sheepish.

From:

wheatencrown

Demeter beams at them and stands up,

"Here, I'll take care of these and pick some oranges on the way. Take your time. Also if you follow the pebbled path to the right, you can go through the orchards and there's a lovely glade among the olives."