A COURT OF WRATH AND FURY. acotar

vii. to be in somebody's presence

In another, two blurred armies fought. Weapons shone in the sunlight. Blood did, too, and their battlefield was soaked a dark red. Her steps faltered as she caught sight of the depiction, as she spotted a winged male who glowed with sapphire light as he swung his sword. Below him, what looked like a golden horned beast roared.

The paintings were beautiful. Terrifying. Skillfully painted.

Briar wondered if their creator was the same artist of her bathroom's roof mural.

Elain held a glass door open for her, smiling as Briar crossed the threshold and stepped into warm sunlight and cool breeze.

"Alright," Elain began. Her voice still wavered with nerves. "I just finished with the tulip bulbs and I was about to start on something new. But I'm not quite sure what will look nice next to them."

Briar nodded along as they walked down a cobblestone path toward Elain's planting site. Her spade and sacks of seeds were still littered across the path and patch of soil.

"What seeds have you got?" she asked.

"Well, right now I've got tulips, snowdrops, lilies, orchids, and grape hyacinths out. But there's more in the shed out back, I think," Elain pondered, "And we can always visit the shops if we need." It had apparently officially become a partner project.

Briar considered her words, the area of the garden. The climate of the Night Court, the plants that were native to the area. "The snowdrops and hyacinths would look pretty. And you could plant lilac bushes behind them. Even sage, those are good for winter."

"Lilac and sage," Elain muttered, "Okay."

"You could plant more grasses, too. To fill up the space."

Elain hummed, a finger at her chin and a hand on her waist. "Lilacs smell nice, right?"

"Yes. Very sweet."

"Those would be nice around the furniture then, maybe." Briar agreed. They would be.

And so they decided to begin with the hyacinths because Elain did not have lilac or snowdrop seeds and would have to buy them somewhere. Briar instructed her to plant the pointy end of the bulb up, digging holes about as deep as her hand. She practically basked in the sunlight and feeling of the dirt - as if she knew it. As if the already planted bulbs were calling to her, calling her name.

She supposed she could do more to help. Lilacs wouldn't be hard to grow from scratch - but Elain had refused when she offered, repeating Briar's words from earlier. "No, thank you. I want it to be like nature." So Briar relented and knelt in the dirt with the female, her white shirt already dirtied and hands filthy.

It was... nice, she supposed. It was nice being out of her room. Talking, even though she hadn't really said much. It was nice being in somebody's presence. Having them speak to her, merely exist next to her even though she could practically see the anxiety and wariness radiating from Elain's body.

Elain was scared of her, but it was still nice.

It was nice not being alone after her several days in solution. It was nice not being alone when she could not remember the last time she had been in somebody's company. Had been talked to. Had been listened to.

"So..." Elain began, "Is this the first time you've been to the Night Court?"

Briar nearly laughed at the question - as if this was a little vacation, a fun excursion. As if she had not come here with murder on her mind. But she could admire the female's kindness, her attempt to make normal conversation. "Yes."