[SE] i wish you were right here

'cause I've been a devil, I've been a saint

It had been a while since they’d been home, and longer still since they’d done anything to contribute to King’s End aside from their work on their own house. And while Alys was all for a lazy day in bed, she also had to admit that it might be nice to actually do something useful - which was why this unseasonably warm Deepfrost morning found her standing in the Barrows, marking out a large plot with little wooden stakes.

She had worn her gardening clothes: pants with a variety of pockets, a ratty old sweater that had seen better days (it was fraying in a few places), and a pair of thick gloves that offered both warmth and protection from the soil that she was preparing to dig. She’d tied her hair out of her face with a bandana, and there was already a smudge of dirt on her cheek.

”There,” she said aloud, placing the last wooden stake and dusting off her gloved hands. ”Now we can get started,” she added, turning to her partner with a warm smile. She was determined to start a community garden - or at least lay one out, given that it was winter - and Talyson was here to help.

Alys

Tal was many things. A courier. A devoted partner. A hunter, when the occasion called for it. A bad influence when he probably shouldn't be. But despite growing up in Halo's frozen climate, he was also a somewhat decent gardener. After Loren had, er, left, a family friend had roped Tal into helping out with the Citadel's greenhouse and the Messenger had discovered that while his thumb wasn't wildly green, he did alright with plants. So when Alys had suggested a community garden in King's End, Tal had agreed without even pretending to be grumpy about the extra work.

She just had that effect on him.

Which is why he was out with his hair tied back and an equally ratty sweatshirt with several holes in it and his oldest pair of trousers in addition to the thick gloves they'd both brought. He had borrowed a hoe, a bow rake, and a couple of shovels and trowels for the day, and he held a shovel at the ready until Alys had finished laying out the space. "Wish we'd thought o' this afore th'ground froze solid," he admitted ruefully. "But I'll try an' get it turned over, if y'want t'come behind with th'rake or hoe an' break up th'chunks?"

And with that, he got to work!

'cause I've been a devil, I've been a saint

Gardening was among the many things that Alys and Tal had in common, and so she hadn’t expected him to hesitate when she’d told him her plans. It was regrettable that they were starting it during Deepfrost, of course - the work would be harder, and their choice of crops would be limited - but these days, it felt like it was now or never. Who knew when they might be home again for any length of time - except, of course, for LongNight. But she had no plans to be working during the holidays - no, this year, she had every intention of cuddling with her partner and emerging only for food or drink.

In any case, she made a face at his observation. ”It might not have been my best idea, to do this now,” she admitted. ”But at least there are a few cold weather crops that we can still work with.“ At Tal’s suggestion, the seer nodded and the pair began to work. It was a challenge, but as Tal turned the soil over, Alys dutifully followed behind with a rake to break up the chunks.

Alys

"Garlic, for one," the courier agreed, with the rare enthusiasm he saved for Alys, the Peregrine, and Mort. "An' carrots. An' spinach an' kale!" Just listing the tasty winter greens - and oranges - made the work go a little easier as he hacked away at the cold soil, chopping it up and then lifting it to turn it over. He dug down a full foot as he broke the earth into more manageable chunks for Alys to handle, lean muscles flexing with the repetitive motion until a thin sheen of sweat covered his brow. "I think folks'll appreciate it. An' at least there aren't any grass fires right now." He paused to shrug with a faint grimace, remembering the summer fire that had nearly burned Thorn and Zavien while they'd been building the trade road from the Boondocks.

He cleared half of the marked area before he paused for a break and a drink of water, shaking the sweat from his hair as he looked back to Alys with solicitous concern. "What d'you think? Should we break all th'ground first, or give ourselves a bit of a break an' do some plantin' afore diggin' out th'rest?"

'cause I've been a devil, I've been a saint

Tal’s enthusiasm was catching, and Alys found herself nodding along with a smile. There were plenty of things they could plant, if only they could get the ground turned over and the seeds buried. They turned to their work, each with their role to play, and before long, half of the marked area had been cleared and broken down.

Panting slightly from exertion - and thinking that of the two of them, poor Tal had had the worst of it - the seer stretched her arms over her head, popping her back. ”Planting sounds great,” she said, reaching for her own water. After she’d slaked her thirst, she turned her attention back to the field. Gathering up some seeds, she handed Tal a few varieties while holding onto more for herself. If they each planted a little section, then they could meet up in the middle before picking up on digging where they’d left off. ”I’ll start over here,” she announced, shooting her partner a sweet smile before doing just that.

Alys

Tal watched Alys stretch with concern that shaded to appreciation and then a wince as he rolled his neck to crack it, too. He was admittedly relieved when she voted to do break up the monotony of soil prep with some planting in between and the courier visibly perked up as she handed him some seed packets, including a bag full of tiny bulbils. "Lessee... oooh, I did get the garlic!" he announced, holding up the packet like a prize. "Y'really do love me!" He winked at her, teasing and full of affection for his partner.

He got to work on his rows, raking a channel in between his planting lines and then using his thumb to poke holes in the freshly-turned soil for the seed garlic to be dropped in. A few worms, groggy from their winter hibernation, moved slowly to rebury themselves before the birds could make a meal of them, but Tal was pleased with the naturally rich, black earth of King's End. He finished his rows of garlic and started on his next packet of seeds, a faint hum of song escaping him from time to time. "Which one are y'lookin' forward to most?" he asked his partner as they worked in companionable tandem.

'cause I've been a devil, I've been a saint

If she’d known that all it would take was a packet of garlic bulbs, she might have suggested that they do this sooner. As it was, she grinned in response to her partner’s glee. ”It was the garlic that gave it away, huh?”

Taking one last swig of water, she got to work. The soil was well-prepared and, thankfully, not as hard as it might have been, and she poked holes to sprinkle seeds into easily. The work went quickly once she got into a rhythm, and it was easy to keep a conversation going. ”Garlic is probably the most interesting,” she mused. ”But leeks are good, too.”

Alys

"Well, that, an' a few dozen other things," Tal agreed cheekily, practically glowing under Alys's grin - and the comforting weight of the future garlics in his hand! He gave his partner a big wink and then tossed the satchet high and caught it in high spirits before joining Alys in the joys of planting. The earth was cold in spite of the unseasonably warm weather of the day, but they had sturdy gloves and Tal's Frostbite Cuff kept the chill from his fingers.

"Ooooh, I do like leek soup," he agreed. "Mom used t'mix in some potatoes an' it was just perfect." It was fun to talk about childhood favorites and the potential new recipes they could try together over LongNight as they worked, and before he knew it he was out of seeds and contemplating the other half of the community garden plot that they'd staked out a few hours earlier.

Taking a deep breath, Tal cracked his neck and then his knuckles and reached for the shovel again. "Alright, one last big push!" he declared - and then set to work on the hard Deepfrost soil with renewed vigor!

'cause I've been a devil, I've been a saint

Tal’s high spirits were infectious, and Alys hummed as she worked, focusing her efforts on spacing the seeds out enough that they would have room to grow. ”We can make some during LongNight,” Alys said as she worked. ”These probably won’t be ready, but we can pick up the supplies in New Haven or the Refuge.” It might not be exactly like Tal’s mother made, but they could give it their best shot!

Standing, Alys dusted dirt from her pants and grabbed the rake she’d been using before. She was glad they had taken a break to plant things; it had broken up the monotony of tilling the soil, and given them some time to rest. Now it was, as Tal said, just one big push before their little garden was up and running.

Alys

"That'd be great," Tal agreed happily as he began to turn the soil once more. Sure, this was intended to be a community garden, but he wouldn't be too disappointed if he and Alys got the most use out of it for a little while. "Hail, we can grab some fresh leeks an' taters on our next Halo run. Th'greenhouse there always has stuff fresh an' in season."

It wasn't easy to talk while they worked on preparing the soil, and the next little while was spent mostly in silence as they toiled. With Tal in better spirits, however, he moved faster even if he was more tired. Between the two of them they soon had the soil ready for the last batch of seeds. Planting, at least, was easier, and the pair filled the time with happy discussion of what to put on their LongNight grocery list. The community garden would take a couple months to bear fruit - or at least, herbs and roots and leafy greens - but in the spring they could expand it and next year they'd be ready to get the Deepfrost crops started sooner.

~Fin