Dressed lightly for the warm Spring evening, Ava stepped into the Autumn Hollow with a handful of minutes to spare before Nathan and Mhairi were set to arrive. Her attention was turned inward, but some thought was paid to the brick walls encircling the Hollow like arms or the flickering torches that reinforced the fading light of the day. The study area, the root cellar- their fantastical nature had long since been normalized by exposure, the hedge bounty Ms. Jasons tended looking to her like any other garden, if more dangerous. What else would Autumn's private hearth look like, feel like? It could still use work, could still be more, and she herself had been remiss in adding her private research to it, but that could be rectified.
She walked the perimeter, brushing the ivy on the wall with her fingertips and considering the ways in which the Court might change. How were her own relationships going to change? Would it still be possible to find new friendships, with such a title resting on her shoulders? The image of herself and a new, faceless Lost trying to get to know each other over incidental coffee felt strained, suddenly. Should she content herself with the ones she had, the ones who would understand when she tried to cement her title of Dread Queen instead of disparaging the use of fear? She wanted to be terrible but fair, someone even the Gentry feared; there may be precious few friends on the way to such a thing. If it was even possible.
Grimacing, Ava stooped to pick up a leaf from the ground, turning the stem between her fingers. If forging new relationships seemed difficult, she would need to push harder; there was no excuse not to, and to say otherwise would breed complacency. The easy way was hardly ever the best. And if there were misunderstandings along the way, she would explain them. People would listen.
Leaf tapping against her lips as she thought, the Dread Queen stood near the blood stained table and mused, her thoughts finally turning back to the matters that would soon be at hand. Titles, positions, opportunities. Another piece in the future of the Autumn Court.