aterat | Wandering Around in November

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Wandering Around in November

Who; Llewellyn and whoever!
What; November logs! (Open ones below the cut, closed ones in the comments!)
Where; The market, park, and all around
When; Mid to late November
Warnings; None but I will warn accordingly if something comes up!

There’s something to be said for the bustle of a market - Open to All

Between one job and the next, Llewellyn had found himself wandering the market with a pretzel in hand as he browsed the wares on various tables and through windows of smaller shops that had opened up over time.

It was quiet moments like this that reminded him of his world, in a way. If you tuned out the chocobos and other oddities, squinting just a little…

In many ways, it was better than his world, of course. Society was a little more relaxed here, for one. There were fewer things for him to hide. But he still felt out of place sometimes in other ways he couldn’t quite explain to people.

But there was something relaxing about moving from one table to the next, admiring the craftsmanship of one person’s work or chatting with another about what news or gossip there was to be heard while he bought a snack.

Llewellyn seemed to be on the lookout for something, though it was hard to say what at a glance. One might even wonder if Llewellyn knew what he was trying to find... But he was a bit caught up in some musings, brought on by the time of year. It was a complicated one for the detective, and he seemed intent upon keeping himself busy.

Sometimes Llewellyn would get so distracted with a thought or a conversation that, unsurprisingly, he’d almost bump into another person. “Oh- er… Pardon!” He uttered at one point, nearly walking into someone, only to awkwardly spin a little and lean around them instead. How he did so without falling over was something between extensive experience of almost walking into people and a small miracle.

Progress with a pupper at the park - Open to All

It was a brisk autumn afternoon at the park, leaves caught in breezes to fly through the air and eventually land to only be crunched underfoot. It had quickly become a favourite haunt of Llewellyn’s and his pup Pretzel alike. The open air, the space, the sounds of ducks or excited squirrels were pleasantly familiar. The man always felt far better outside than he ever did inside, often taking his casework on walks with him, even in his own world.

Today was not about work, though. Instead, he’d gathered up a few things from the apartment and hooked a leash to Pretzel’s collar. His intentions were to continue training his wrinkly companion, hiding toys and setting up trails for the dog to follow. He wanted to work the canine up to the point they could practice with people, hoping the dog would help with finding missing persons should such cases arise.

Of course, it had eventually devolved into tug-of-war games and Pretzel taking off at a run to burn off some energy or if another animal or person had caught his attention.

He was a sociable pup, good-natured and often confused over the idea that not everyone would want to be friends… So someone might be surprised by a dog tripping over their own ears to get to them to say hello.

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Llewellyn had eagerly been awaiting this opportunity, ever since speaking with Ignis the night of his friend’s wedding. The other man had expressed an interest in putting in a small garden, and, well… Llewellyn couldn’t help but offer his assistance with the project. He’d been working on his gardening skills for well over a year now, before arriving in this world and doubly so after Aerith gave him a job at her garden shop.

He was happy to help his friend, after all, and it would also give him a little more practice on planning one for when he was able to start his own one day… Something he found himself thinking about more often of late…

He’d gathered a couple of books on the arrangement of flowers and a notebook with some rough outlines of ideas he had for layouts. Then there was his book of preserved, pressed flowers to look at and suggest if Ignis needed any help with visualizing and pictures in books might not do. All of this was tucked carefully in his satchel… Well, carefully might’ve been a strong word. His organization skills were always a bit chaotic and messy, but it was still better than trying to carry it all around in his arms or in pockets.

Llewellyn wasn’t sure how much his friend would want to get into, considering the season, but he wanted to be prepared for anything. For the most part, he presumed a hot cup of coffee and an afternoon planning would be just what was needed to get ideas turned into more solid, helpful plans for the other man. It would be nice to catch up, and Ignis had promised recipes that might just be something Llewellyn could figure out how to prepare without setting things on fire.

Spotting Ignis as he neared where they agreed to meet, he offered a wave and a smile to his friend. “Hello, I uh- hope you haven’t been waiting long? Got a bit preoccupied with making sure Pretzel was settled. He’s been at my shoes again… Small apartments, as it turns out, do not make comfortable environments for growing canine companions.”

Ignis had gotten up early. This was one of the few remaining days off that he had, as he was on his honeymoon still. But the days went by quickly as he and Nida planned the house out or did some small repairs. He was more than sure the Hunting Lodge was running smoothly without him at the helm and of course he'd left plenty of plans in place for the crew members that would be carrying out in his temporary absence.

Work of course was paramount but he'd had plenty of opportunity to gather more ideas for foods that he wanted to try out once he got back to running things. There were nights when Nida lay on Ignis' chest exhausted and the advisor simply steadily ran his fingers through his husband's hair to lull him to sleep. And if he himself found sleep elusive, he would carefully extract himself and grab the notebook Llewellyn had presented him with on his wedding day and write his ideas in it.

So he carried that and a few pens with him as he headed out to meet the detective.

Now though as the man neared, the advisor nodded. "No, I've just arrived myself, so no worries at all." Looking at the dog then, he couldn't help but smile. "I suppose for a dog an apartment isn't a good fit. But you'll fix that I'm sure."

Llewellyn relaxed a little to hear that, adjusting his grip on his bag and the leash Pretzel had been towing him along on. “Excellent, I’m uh- glad!” He was. His concept of time had never been great. His pocket watch was about the only thing that kept him from being entirely late when it came to appointments.

That and the odd reminder…

But he shrugged a little. “I’m… working on it? Seems more difficult to figure out than I originally thought.” He added with a small gesture. Finally, talking to Rhy about it had helped, at least. Finding a place was an overwhelming task for someone who’d never had somewhere to call home before… The detective might have built up the pressure a little too much there, trying to take care of the matter on his own and find something that was right.

“The larger he gets, the more uh- small things seem. Especially when gets a case of the zoomies.” He chuckled softly at that before pressing onward. “Now, where would you like to set things down? I tried to gather up what I could of my things, so I should be able to give you a few good ideas?” Gardens were… Well, something he often thought about. Even before arriving here, even before considering the idea of getting a home.

"It's quite a lot of work and research." Ignis replied with a nod. "Which was precisely why I had Nida do the looking around. My only concern at first was a large kitchen in which to cook." And he felt no shame admitting that. Nida was the heart of the two of them or so Ignis considered his husband as such.

But Pretzel only got an affectionate smile from the strategist. "He'll need more room to run in time, but if you need to look at places and your husband isn't there, I can either offer you my services or those of my own husband." That word was still a bit odd to say, but he could only smile every time he said it.

To the question, Ignis nodded. "The house isn't far, and I've made us some snacks and some tea. I thought sitting down and having plenty of room would be helpful." The smooth light wood table had been a gift to the couple, and it was pretty big. "I do believe Nida has some drawings done as well that I can show you just for ideas."

“Mm… I don’t think I realized how much, before now.” He smiled wryly, “I wasn’t really sure where to start, or what might be considered a good place for us.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a free hand, slouching a little as though the weight had re-settled for a moment. He straightened (as much as he ever did) as he continued speaking. “But! We’re discussing possibilities, what might be nice and what we’d like to see in a place we’d live. I’m going to um- take Rhy to some of the addresses you suggested, I think?”

He smiled a little at the idea that Ignis’ largest concern was the kitchen. “I think that a large enough kitchen for you to enjoy your culinary skills makes a lot of sense? One should have space to do what they love.” Llewellyn shrugged a little. “For myself… I kept getting preoccupied with space outside the home. More space for Pretzel to run, certainly… But I’ve also never spent much time indoors. I think that’s why it was somewhat challenging to figure out what the inside of the house should be like. I would like to work on a garden I used to imagine… And I want to plant roses for Rhy.” A symbol of the man’s family, for all that Llewellyn wasn’t about to share that secret. But he wanted something that reflected both of them… The garden would be theirs, as much as the house was. Which was why he was eager to assist someone else. It would be good practice, and it was nice to help a friend.

“So, uh- on that note, I will let you lead the way and we can begin!” Llewellyn grinned a little, gesturing for Ignis to lead him towards this house. Llewellyn wasn’t much for tea, but he had at least learned over the years that you accepted it in polite company. It was best, in his opinion, with more milk and sugar than tea. Snacks, of course, would always be welcome.

“I’d like to see what he has drawn, then? I, um, have a few outlines I tried to put together but… Without seeing anything, it was difficult. I did bring a couple books on arranging what flowers go well together and what make nice boarders and edges.” He smiled, “As well as my mm… collection, for visual references.” Samples of flowers that had caught his attention over the last year and a half pressed carefully between papers in a notebook.

"That is precisely why I asked Nida to accompany me, to make sure he loved the place." Ignis was used to living in a Citadel but that wasn't really something he tended to bring up so he didn't. "But I'm sure you and Rhy will find something that will work for both of you." Initially Ignis hadn't been crazy about this place. But seeing it through his husband's eyes gave him the ideas to work with what he had.

He smiled at Llewellyn stating that he should make room for the things he loved and that was of course what he was trying to do everyday by making meals at home. Sometimes he was trying them out on his husband for ideas for the Lodge, but that was because he didn't want to stick to just one thing.

"Gardens are wonderfully versatile things. You can plant food or flowers. And given enough room you may be able to do both if you've the space and patience." The only thing that Ignis knew was off limits was strawberries. Anything else that he knew of was totally acceptable.

The advisor nodded and they made their short way to the house. Ignis pulled the door open and nodded at the detective. "After you."

And once they were inside and Llewellyn was talking about the books, he headed into the kitchen to listen, grabbing the tea and snacks, and set each down on the table. Of course there was tea and he had made about two dozen pretzels. More sat in the refrigerator if they were needed.

Once all of that was set out. Ignis took out his own notebook that the detective had gifted him with a smile. "I daresay we might be here for a little bit."

“Quite, it’s just a matter of arranging them in a pleasing way that encourages growth.” He hummed a little, considering something else. “I had wondered if you intended to grow any vegetables or herbs. It would probably be quite convenient to have on-hand with all the cooking you do.” He added thoughtfully, some herbs were quite pretty to look at.

Llewellyn followed along, slouching a little as he shuffled the bag from one shoulder to another as Ignis led them towards the house. He was rather curious to see the place, having not been invited to see someone’s new home since Murdoch’s… Though part of that had been for a case due to an unfortunate situation with a ‘potato-cooking-room’ as George had called it. Ducking his head in a small nod, he grinned at the invitation. “Thank you, it looks like you’ve both been busy.” He added, eyes darting around curiously once they entered.

He unshouldered his bag to hang off the back of his chair, flipping over the flap to begin pulling books out. A couple of papers may have escaped out of the sides of one, floating forgotten to the floor… That was normal, he tended to leave a trail of notes in his wake wherever he went. There were a few books he’d managed to scrounge up from the historium that were familiar to him. Titles such as ‘The Gardeners Kalendar,’ or ‘Hardy Perennials and Herbaceous Borders’ could be found in the stack. Then there were his notebooks full of pressed flowers and a few notebooks he’d scrawled notes with ideas.

Taking off his hat and hanging it from a doorknob out of habit, he turned back a moment later to see Ignis setting out tea and far more pretzels than he would have expected to see. It was a pleasant surprise, his brows shooting up almost comically at the sight before smiling a little. “Oh, I expect you're right, much to think about and uh- discuss. Snacks are a must for optimal productivity!” He turned his chair slightly, sitting down and resting his arm on the back of it. “And those look delicious, Ignis.”

Ignis nodded. "Indeed. But I have to confess that I've not tried an herb garden, as much as it would be beneficial to me." He did grow vegetables back with the lads, and he could still see the young king's displeased face in his mind, even if the memory still made him smile even as it did right at the moment.

He couldn't help but smile at the detective's statement. "Yes we've been busy nesting as it were." Of course the bird reference was meant as intended, but given Nida's fondness for birds in general it went with that intention as well. In fact one of their conversations involved Nida stating he'd like a bird as a pet. Somehow he ended up with a cat with a bird sort of set of feathers.

Ignis had noted the detective's notes falling out but he'd pick that up later as he was busy with the snacks and tea at the moment. But Llewellyn didn't seem overly nervous because his hat was hanging on a doorknob as if he lived within these walls. And of course that attitude was completely fine with the advisor. He wouldn't want Llewellyn to stand on ceremony or ask if he could sit or anything formal such as that.

Still, he nodded at the compliment as he set the snacks down and started getting the cups ready for tea. "Well I have to thank you for the inspiration of course."

“Then we’ll have to add that to the list for consideration.” He responded with a little grin, quite pleased that the idea might be beneficial to Ignis and his kitchen. He liked to think he was getting good at this idea and planning thing. It was nice to have some area of knowledge that wasn’t… Coloured by his other job, which didn’t tend to be rather pleasant most days.

The hat situation was… More because he didn’t know what to do with his hat most of the time. He knew in polite company hats should be removed indoors, and just putting it on the table was considered rude by some… So it found a variety of homes over the years. The door handles, lampshades, vases, the morgue skeleton and/or dummy on more than one occasion… He tried, but as long as he could get it easily if he needed to run then that was the priority for him at the end of the day.

If Ignis pointed out the notes, he’d actually pick them up rather quickly since who knew if they were important or not… It was just once he was focused on one thing, he tended to forget himself. Still, he’d appreciate that Ignis wasn’t being prickly at him about his scattered methods. Most people were.

But he grinned a little at the comment, “Well! I’m happy I could inspire if it means a delicious snacks, especially these.” He added, snagging a pretzel for himself. “There’s something about a freshly baked pretzel that always puts one in a good mood.” Well, it did for him, anyway.

“This… Should be everything.” He added, closing the shoulder bag he’d brought his books in once everything was set on the table for them to go through.

"I'm not quite sure how well it would grow, but I'd be more than willing to try my hand at it." Ignis smiled. He really appreciated the detective's grin because it gave him a small but of encouragement. And that would go pretty far with Ignis honestly. "But with the colder weather coming, that might have to be a project until Spring."

He wasn't sure if he could somehow raise them in the house. He'd heard of such a thing but knew nothing of it as far as he personally went.

Hearing Llewellyn's pleased comments about the pretzels had Ignis smile in return. "I will certainly keep that in mind." Of course he could always stop by the Agency on his way in to work if he had time. But naturally with a chocobo under him it would take absolute zero time to accomplish that task. They really did make his life and commute so much easier now.

But his green eyes noted the notes and books on the table and he nodded, finishing making his guest a basic cup of tea and then sliding the rest over so Llewellyn could make it to his personal liking. "Seems like quite the project, but it's one I'm looking forward to. So I thank you in advance for bringing quite a bit of material."

“Yes, I had rather been considering that… But it’s nice to get plans set now, gives you more time to get everything you need for when the spring months roll around again. Plus, it gives one something to do over the winter.” He responded with a small hum. “Though for the herbs you might be able to keep small planters along a window inside to start with, many of them do grow rather nicely indoors. I believe you should get decent lighting In that window there.” He added with a small nod to one of the kitchen windows.

The winter was going to pose a problem for Llewellyn, himself. Gardening had become a necessary hobby, something a little more positive and soothing for his nerves… The season meant he was going to be left with less to keep his hands busy. Winter was already his least favourite time of year for very specific, unfortunate reasons… Rhy was thinking of teaching him to sew, at least, but it was still going to be a time of year in which the Detective might seem a little… off sometimes.

The thanks get a brighter grin though, as Llewellyn waved a small vague gesture at it. “Think nothing of it, as I’ve said… I’m happy to offer a little assistance with this to a friend. It gives me a little more um- practice on the planning side of it.” He responded, looking at the tea and proceeding to add so much cream and sugar that some would suggest there was very little ‘tea,’ to be tasted in it. “And it’s always nice to spend an afternoon catching up with a friend, hm?”

"That is rather true." Ignis replied, now getting his own tea ready. But then he looked at the window indicated by the detective with a small nod. "Yes, that one and another nearby seems to get the most sun during the day. So that would be quite useful as far as them being in the home." Until they could be turned loose outside though that might take some careful planning but of course Ignis was up for that. Plus as had been mentioned, he had all Winter to figure out a good and decent transplantation process.

Turning back to his tea, the advisor worked on it and reached over for plates. Setting one over for Llewellyn, he then took one for himself and placed a few of the pretzels on it before sitting down and grabbing the nearest book and his journal.

He smiled at the detective and nodded. "Indeed. It is rather peaceful to enjoy spending an afternoon with a friend and getting plans ready for Spring." While it was cold in the Winter, Ignis did enjoy the mornings where he had time to snuggle with Nida. And of course they'd need to figure out where to put their tree this year and various other things.

The winter celebrations were wonderful, but with Nida they truly transformed into a kind of magic.

Llewellyn glanced at the plate, offering a quick thanks to his friend before setting the pretzel he’d been eating down on the plate. Grabbing a few books to open, he started flipping through absentmindedly.

“Yes, gives one something to look forward to once the season finally returns and uh- all the greenery wakes up.” He responded with a small dip of his head, nodding in agreement. “I find it rather helpful to keep busy at this time of year, myself. Though I suppose most people have more than a few things to occupy their time during the season.” He responded thoughtfully, knowing that most people were about to get in to the holiday mindset. It was… Complicated for him compared to other people, to say the least.

Picking up the pretzel again to take another bite, he settled on another notebook of his and tapped the cover thoughtfully. “Have you considered what colours or flowers you’d like to plant? Or are you still undecided about that?”

He smiled and picked up a pretty good sized tome as he nodded along to the part about the greenery. That must be why people packed trees into their homes because they missed that sort of thing when the cold weather and snows came. But he just smiled at hearing that people had things to occupy them.

"And what do you do for christmas? Do they have that in your world? Or is it something completely different?" Ignis knew they had deities and he hadn't really heard of anyone even passingly familiar with that with the exception of Nida. Here, people insisted on one god and had all sorts of prayers. He even was treated to hearing some children recite prayers over the meals he gave to them when they showed up at the lodge. And of course he made sure they had a chocobo ride home in a cart that he had the hunters construct for such occasions. And some children came for food for their hungry families.

But at the inquiry about the flowers he nodded. "I've thought about planting some of the ones that were at our wedding." And that of course was a surprise for Nida.

Now there was a complicated question that Llewellyn had largely avoided answering when all this world travelling began for him. “Mm… Well, uh-” He rubbed the side of his face thoughtfully, “It does exist in my world, but not everyone celebrates. It depends on the person and their beliefs, or situations.” The detective took a moment to think.

“I um… I didn’t really get to know much about my family, my sister left me when I was young… So I grew up in a household that did celebrate Christmas, but it wasn’t really the way most people seem to celebrate? We didn’t really have much, but the woman who took me in sometimes stuck an orange in our socks, and sweets if she could, as a surprise. The food was delicious though, she was a very good cook.” He smiled a little. That much was a nice memory. “But after she passed away, and some uh- things happened.” One of his adoptive brothers got murdered, and because of complications around the case, he and Daniel had to pretend that they didn’t know one another… Clearing his throat a little, he continued. “So I didn’t really celebrate it much after that. A colleague invited me to his celebration one year.” And then he’d also been murdered.

Humming lightly, he gestured a little. “Then I discovered shortly after that my family was actually Jewish.” He didn’t expect Ignis to know what that even was based on most people’s worlds. “There was a kind family who helped me learn more about what I’d missed growing up... In December my family would have celebrated Hanukkah, and they invited me one year.” If his sister had bothered to tell him anything about their family or heritage before she abandoned him… He at least could have grown up knowing that much already. Instead, he had to learn himself, years later, from a stranger when he recognized a Yiddish lullaby his mother used to sing…

“It’s an eight-day celebration. We light a menorah to symbolize the eight days that the oil lasted. It’s um… A multi branch candelabra?” He wasn’t sure how to describe it to someone who might not have seen it. “It has 9 candles, and every night you light one. They also make a lot of fried foods, the latkes in particular were delicious. Sometimes I wish I knew how to make them... There was a game, as well, played with a top called a dreidel. Though I’m not particularly good at games. But it was nice to learn about it and the other traditions for the holiday… Helped me feel a little more connected to my family again.”

But… then he’d lost the last family he had and gotten mixed up in a very messy case that had sent him spiraling in a bad way. “Then other things happened, and I confess I haven’t really celebrated either holiday since. Not um… the way everyone else does, anyway.” Too many things had happened, too many people dead or lost in some way… So his holiday spirits had been dashed. Then the Sphere had happened, and it was easier to focus on surviving in a strange world.

“I don’t like to bring other people’s spirits down, though. So if I’m needed somewhere I do try…? But otherwise I tend to keep busy with work.” He shrugged a little, grabbing another pretzel. “Rhy’s world doesn’t have either holiday, or anything similar, so it… worked well for us both. His world celebrates New Years, and so did mine… So we celebrated that together.” A more genuine, fond smile finally returned. “It was actually the night he proposed. So… I look forward to celebrating the new year and the anniversary of that night more than other things, I think.”

Llewellyn considered the flowers Ignis had intended to plant, and that gets a little nod. “A lovely idea. I think having things that mean something to you both in a garden is a wonderful idea. It’s why I intend to uh- take up cultivating roses for Rhy when we find a place. We should be able to find a lovely way to arrange them as well, perhaps find some things to compliment them as well.”

Ignis paused and laid the book top over his arm as Llewellyn started to explain. For some reason this seemed pretty damn important and he said nothing. He did take a sip of his coffee as he listened and nodded as the man went over points. Obviously this was personal and he felt bad for his friend as he described the sock and all of that. Still, he was happy the woman who had taken care of him was a good cook.

Food was important after all.

However, this whole new religion of Hanukkah was a new word he didn't know of course and he cocked his head to the side in interest as the menorah was described to him. So when the detective paused, Ignis asked a single question. "I beg your pardon. But you mentioned eight days that the oil lasted. What oil?" His scholarly mind was turning this story over, trying to make sense of the whole story. But he was of course enjoying hearing Llewellyn go over all of this and talk about it.

"Latkes? Do you know what they're made from?" Food was definitely something that piqued his interest. He wasn't sure he'd find anything about them in this world but he'd definitely try if his friend didn't know. And then of course the unfamiliar dreidel word was brought up. But he was silently delighted to hear about a game. And Ignis smiled to hear that all of these things helped the detective feel connected to a family he didn't really know.

And then the man brought up his husband and Ignis was happy to hear the two celebrated the New Year. After all, he'd celebrated with Nida last year and that had been really nice. Ignis let out a small laugh to hear about the proposal, taking another sip of coffee. "And how long after he proposed did you two marry, if you don't mind my asking?"

The flowers were brought up and Ignis nodded. "I'm sure you and your husband will find a lovely home. But what colour of roses are you looking at getting?" Because the scholar in him was indeed a curious sort.

It was important, really. Llewellyn wasn’t prone to sharing, he went out of his way to not share most of the time. The last world had been… Terrible for forcing things from him. But this was something that he still had shared with very few people. Rhy, certainly, and a couple people in his world at most… But when he was in the right kind of mood, and with a friend he trusted, and it seemed like an explanation was owed… He at least tried.

It was still a bit clumsy, random details blurted out between bites of a pretzel or sips from his drink. But at Ignis’ questions, he does his best to explain, wishing he had more to refer to for his friend. Especially since Ignis seemed interested to hear about this, it was nice to share. So Llewellyn explained the story of Hanukkah from what he could remember when the family who’d offered to teach him more about what he didn’t get to learn from his own family…

About the victory of the Maccabees who retook the temple from those who wanted the Jewish people to give up their beliefs. How when they went to light the menorah to re-dedicate the temple, there had only been enough oil for one day. How it had miraculously instead lasted for eight nights until new oil could be prepared properly. “So every year families gather in honor of that. Each of the eight nights at sundown they gather to celebrate with food, games and lighting the menorah.” He ended, smiling a little as he hoped it hadn’t been too confusing of an explanation. It wasn’t something he’d had a lot of practice with, it wasn’t something easily spoken of in his world.

“Latkes are mm… these fried potato pancakes. You serve them with sour cream or applesauce, they’re quite good. I’d offer you a recipe, but I’m afraid I don’t really have one.” He responded, before breaking off another piece of a pretzel to eat. He wished he had some memories of his parents during such holidays, but it was sadly not meant to be.

The laugh gets a clumsy grin and a soft sound. “Mm… I confess I was quite surprised.” Delightfully so, of course, after he’d asked a few times if Rhy was sure about the proposal. Because… Well, he was him and Rhy was… Better than he deserved, in Llewellyn’s opinion. “I don’t mind, we liked the idea of a spring wedding- well… as much of one as we could manage, considering there weren’t seasons at the Sphere. We were married on April 2nd, which perhaps was sooner than expected but… Well, we had a lot of friends who helped.” He just wished that they could have been there when the date actually arrived… But the nature of these places was so unpredictable. Instead, they had a private ceremony and then invited everyone who was there to join them for the reception. It had been fun, and both he and Rhy had taken a moment to remember those who couldn’t join them.

Llewellyn was happy to speak on the subject of roses. He’d grown rather fond of them, after all. “Ah, red and perhaps a nice golden yellow… They’re um… Rhy’s preferred colours.” They were the colours of the Maresh family, and roses a symbol… So he wanted to at least give his husband something nice that meant something to him. “I’m hoping to work on a hybrid… A colleague of mine- back in my world, I mean, his wife, is a rosarian. She grew these beautiful hybrid tea roses. They were pink with hints of red in them.” And it seemed to him that something similar in red and some hints of yellow might be nice to look at. He hadn’t really been exploring his interest in flowers back in those days, so caught up in work and trying to forget other things. Otherwise he could have probably asked…

Although Ruth Newsome was… a lot. So it was hard to say how much he would have learned from her.

Of course Ignis listened to all of the details with his scholarly mind. It was interesting to hear of something else being celebrated besides christmas. And he had heard of the Winter Solstice from a few people. But no one seemed to be fighting over which holiday was the correct one as some folks seemed to suggest which helped out. "And on each of these eight days, is there a gift exchange? Or is it simply food and games?" He wasn't going to write any of this down in front of Llewellyn, but Ignis was going to make a note or two to study it further to appease his scholarly curiousity.

The advisor found he'd snacked on more pretzels than he'd planned to while listening respectfully, but of course he had more just waiting to be eaten. And of course he might try to start quietly asking about these Latkes. But when Llewellyn apologized for a recipe, he only smiled. "Well I will see what I can find out."

Hearing about the marriage only made him smile. "Perhaps the two of you can celebrate your wedding anniversary here along with the season." And if he could, he'd plan an anniversary dinner for them, just them two. But that was a discussion for another day and another time.

At hearing about the roses, he had to think. "I can't say I've ever heard of a golden rose. But if one could be cultivated here, that would be delightful." He nodded along to hearing more about Rhy and was especially interested in hearing about this new hybrid of rose that Llewellyn knew of. "I can't say I've ever heard of a tea rose." And he searched his memory banks at getting the details of what would've been Noct's wedding but the bride was going with her native blue Sylleblossoms.

Llewellyn hummed a little at the question voiced, “Mm… Gift giving isn’t a part of it, no. Though in the last world, I did read in future years that some people do introduce some form of small gifts, but it’s really not a tradition of the holiday during my era. It’s very different from the holiday of Christmas.” He presumed it might have something to do with the fact that it sometimes fell very close to Christmas, which might get confusing for some.

Grabbing another pretzel for himself, he had definitely noticed that Ignis had snacked on his fair share. It was good to see them being enjoyed, especially where Ignis had put so much work into learning to make them. He should be enjoying them just as much himself, in Llewellyn’s opinion. He’d be quite touched if Ignis did find a good recipe for latkes, of course. “I’ll be interested in hearing if you do find something.”

Llewellyn certainly liked the idea. An anniversary was something he never expected to have cause to celebrate… And here they could enjoy the actual change in seasons. He was already looking forward to the spring and saying goodbye to winter, but the idea of having a small special celebration with Rhy was a nice idea. “I rather like the thought of that… I’ll have to give it some consideration and bring the idea up with Rhy.” He commented thoughtfully, a vague mental image of a nice quiet dinner, perhaps in their own garden if they had one by then. Ignis’ thought was definitely a kind one that Llewellyn would not have expected of his friend, but he wasn’t used to friends thinking of such nice things.

“Oh- no, I don’t imagine I could ever figure out a true gold rose… That seems a bit more er- magical for someone like myself.” A world without magic had his mind considering more… symbolic colours than literal. “So I’d try for something more in a similar shade, I suppose. A golden yellow colour would likely be the nearest I could achieve.” He smiled a little. It would still be a fun challenge… His ever curious mind would enjoy that, especially as it was a puzzle that would be more positive to solve than most of his usual work.

At Ignis’ comment, though, his brows perk up again. Putting the Pretzel aside for a moment, he awkwardly tugged his notebook out from under a pile and flipped it open. Dozens of pressed flowers were preserved between wax paper between each page. “A tea rose is um… Like this, well, they look a little nicer when fresh, but I’ve rather been mm… sentimental, I suppose, in preserving flowers as I happen upon them.” He was so prone to grabbing and picking at plants, needing something to fuss with when walking or explaining something. So… rather than drop them to death, some ended up pressed and preserved between the pages of his notebook.

"I see." he replied in reference to gift giving. Different things for different people even here he knew. He himself would be hard pressed to find anyone who knew some of the deities that he did. But as fate or luck had it, Nida had happened to be the one person who had a familiarity. It was a one in a million shot of a chance and Ignis knew that.

Shifting a little in his chair, he couldn't help but smile. "I've written myself a note to see what I can find for recipes." Ignis replied with a nod. He also intended to quietly inquire among the hunters as he usually did. A well placed question on a slow night or if he found a hunter that was chatty would be all that he would need, should they prove to be knowledgeable about such a thing. The advisor was definitely good at his research and knew what to do and how to do it as far as questions went. His court training had provided that.

Having married friends was never something that he ever planned for in his life. Back home his goal had been to become the general of the king's armies, but that idea got shunted off to the side while keeping Noctis safe was of the highest priority. Marriage and settling down just wasn't in his cards, until he got here. And even then he'd had no idea what fate had in store for him. But that was the same fate for everyone here and he knew that. "Well if you do decide to celebrate, and need a place, the Lodge is always open to you and your husband."

However, the gold rose and magical made him smile, but he was quick to hide it under his scholarly gaze. Maybe magic and the detective weren't friends or just not a thing that happened back in his world. And of course his own curiousity would have him look things up too, much like the other was doing now.

Green eyes looked at the roses the detective produced and he curiously peered at them before looking up at the other man. "Why they're lovely. They'd be a very fine addition to anyone's garden for certain."

He wasn’t sure if Ignis would find anything; it seemed fairly rare on these world jumping events to run into people who had more than a vague passing knowledge… But he appreciated that the man was going to try at all. It’s not an offer anyone’s made before. “Thank you, Ignis.” Llewellyn responded with a small duck of his head, and he meant it…

He considered the idea. The lodge was a lovely setting, after all. Perhaps if they still didn’t have their own place by then… The lodge would be a nice place to have dinner. “We certainly appreciate that offer, Ignis. Both Rhy and myself have enjoyed it in the past, depending on what this year holds for us… I think that would be lovely if we still don’t have a place by then.” Even if they did, he still might want to ask for a little assistance from Ignis. There were a lot of things he liked the idea of, but dinners were not something he was particularly good at beyond enjoying them. Rhy had made it further than he even had, after all.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t fond of magic… He simply came from a world where its existence was questionable at best, despite what some people in this world insisted. If anything, Llewellyn felt it more likely that Rhy was correct and his world was simply the ‘Grey’ version of Rhy’s, where magic had been cut off and lost to time. Otherwise… It was something he didn’t have, nor did he quite understand. It had gotten to be something of a… complication for him of late. His usefulness feeling a little obsolete where magic seemed able to do so many things more quickly than his methods. His curiosity and feelings aside, at least gardening, were something he could understand, and it soothed some of his anxieties.

“They are, most of these…” Llewellyn flipped a few pages. There were quite a lot. He was so prone to picking flowers to fuss with when out and trying to think. “I collected in the last world, aside from more recent notebooks I started here. I believe we could find seeds or starters for any of them to plant. Should you see something you like? Well-” He paused, tapping one page. “Not this one. This one will only bloom for the person who gave it to me, and she's not here.” He'd met some interesting people... It looked a lot like a red carnation, but somewhat different as well… He’d done his best to preserve it, though, even now. Sometimes, he supposed, he was a bit (a lot) sentimental.

"I'm happy to help." Ignis smiled. Really helping Llewellyn or his husband out was no trouble at all. He would be more than happy to cook something special for the two of them or whatever he was directed to do. He could shut the place down so that they had the entire place to themselves and that would be a thing too. Of course he'd thought about adding a more private dining area as well so that something like that could happen.

Well this might just be the occasion in order to get that project going.

Right now though, he leaned over to look closer at the pages that the detective was flipping. And of course he could only smile because it really was quite the collection. Of course he was curious about the person who wasn't here and about the flower, if it had any sort of significance, but Llewellyn could choose to share that story or not as he saw fit.

"I daresay you have quite the collection and I do know some people that might be able to obtain some seeds to get this gardening idea off the ground.

A private dining setting would probably be considered quite nice to many people around, as more arrivals found their place in this world and made connections… And both Llewellyn and Rhy would probably prefer that to shutting down an entire business for one evening.

“Thank you, I have uh- been collecting for a while… A whole year in the last world, and longer in mine, I suppose. But it was more important to me at the sphere…” He hummed a little. “I don’t always have the best memory sometimes. I er- forget things. Conversations, sometimes people.” He gestured awkwardly, blundering on. “And with how often people tend to disappear from these places, I liked keeping things that reminded me of them or of occasions.” He would gladly share stories if Ignis pointed something out and asked him. There was the flower from before, from the goddess Persephone, bits of a friendship bouquet that he’d made for several people, some blooms from the courtship one he’d made for Rhy... There was a lot.

Llewellyn hummed a little, “There are a few nice shops in town a friend and I went through earlier this year. They had excellent seed packets. For starters that are already prepared for going to the ground, I certainly recommend Aerith. I’ve been working with her when I’m not at the Gullwings, and she’s quite experienced.” And there was something about her talent with growing things that amazed him. It was downright magical, in confusing and beautiful ways.

He listened and nodded. "That is quite an excellent idea. A way to remember others that we've known." Ignis looked at his notebook, the one that the detective had given to him. "I could write things about people I've known here that have disappeared. And should they by some chance come back there would be stories I could share with them whether they remember them or not."

Yuna, Namine and Caelan came to mind immediately of course.

But he didn't really have any questions even if he would quietly take note of one or the other. He wasn't trying to be nosey and get into memories that Llewellyn might not wish to share and so inquiring even politely was out of the question. And he could only smile as he heard Aerith's name. "I had her assistance at the wedding. She was recommended by that Cloud fellow that seems to follow her around." It was adorable and Ignis never said as much because it was just simply none of his business to be honest.

Llewellyn nodded, “Yes, it’s quite helpful I find… And even if they don’t return, it’s a nice way to remember them…” Even if you might not remember them after a while, memories were a funny thing for him to begin with… And sometimes he found that since arriving in this world, certain names and faces from the last had faded. Whether that was a result of being transported between worlds or his own spotty memory was uncertain, but he at least liked that he had vague impressions of those he’d known still.

The detective beamed a little to hear that Aerith had helped with the flowers for the wedding. It made sense to him. She was the best in the city, in his opinion, and she had helped add on to his own knowledge since arriving. A small, amused expression crossed his face at the mention of Cloud. “Mm… Her bodyguard and odd-jobs-man? An interesting man… I’ve only met him once myself.” Most of Llewellyn’s experiences had been with Aerith thus far… And her stories about the man. He seemed a tad grumpy, and an excellent target for the woman’s teasing. “But I’m not surprised he would recommend her. She is the best in the city… And they seem rather close too.”

It was rather cute, in his opinion, that she seemed able to rope the man into various projects and things.

Wandering Around in November

Closed to Ignis

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Apologies for the length, pls know I trimmed this a lot before posting OTL

No worries!

<3

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Sorry for the wait!

Never late!

Thank you! <3

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Should we start moving this towards a close?