scratched lenses of my knockoff ray-bans

Halo had been here for how long... nearly a whole season? Was that right? The passage of time was strange to her, and she... she was strange to it. The grey had been strange, coming and going as it did. Still, it had spent longer gone than Halo was accustomed to. Was she getting better? Was that possible? Still, there was the way it had kicked back up and reared its ugly head not so many days ago. Better... better was a stretch. Certainly not worse, though.

There were things she needed to ask Sirius permission for, things that were on her list. She'd promised Sparrow, from Abaven, that he could come see her garden if the Warlord said it was okay. Halo wanted to show him how the natural irrigation worked, and how she'd planned the plot to work with the different light it got during the day. There was the question of Inoki, too-- could she spend time with them this winter? She was still workshopping how she would pitch that one to Sirius, promising him that she'd be no trouble at all, and Halo would take care of everything. Halo was worried about the fate of her friend in the winter, no matter how mild the winters in Boreas may be.

Still, one question repeated over and over and over in her mind. It was one that she was almost scared to ask. Heck, Halo was scared of the answer. Was she... was she doing enough? Was she putting enough time in, enough effort in? Was there more she could or should be doing? Was Halo living up to the Warlord's expectations? Maybe she'd disappointed him after all. Maybe she wasn't doing enough. Self doubt seemed to be a good friend of hers, lately.

Carefully, Halo pulled a large glass jar that she'd left to sit, brewing in the sun. It was filled with dandelion and mint tea. After Sedna had shown her how to make it and the different herbs that could be included, Halo had been perfecting her recipe. This seemed to be a particularly good mix, and she was fond of it. With the help of her raccoon friend, she tightened the lid on the mason jar, stashing it a loosely woven basket. Along with it, she stashed some pretty red flowers that she'd grown in her garden. While technically for dye making, they were pretty on their own. She hoped Zee would like them. After all, it would be rude to go calling on the Warlord emptyhanded.

Gently but firmly, Halo reminded her raccoon friend to keep an eye on the fire, pointing to the safety bucket and reminding him to dump it into the pit should anything happen. From there, the walk to the Warlord's den wasn't long, and was a rather pleasant one. It was mid morning, and she could hope that he was in. If not, she'd drop the basket by and be spared the uncomfortable conversation for another day... actually, that wouldn't be such a bad thing either. Halo took a deep breath, trying to chase the anxiety from her system as she neared. At a reasonable distance from the foot of his den, she stopped. "Sirius, are you home?" It was a gentle call, no urgency, just typical, soft Halo.

"Halo"