triskehale | thanksgiving is, after all, a word of action [set on 11/26]

thanksgiving is, after all, a word of action [set on 11/26]

Thanksgivings in the Hale house used to be quite the big deal. Feeding over a dozen werewolves, many of them teenagers was no easy feat. Derek loved all the chaos, and he helped out in the kitchen since he was old enough to stand on a step stool and reach the counter.

The first year after everyone died, he and Laura each got a rotisserie chicken and some biscuits, trying to hang on to some semblance of tradition, but the food tasted like ash. Laura went to bed early, and Derek pretended not to hear her cry. They stopped trying to do anything for the holiday after that.

It's been almost a decade since that disastrous attempt, and a few months ago Derek decided that he wanted to try again. While Laura and the rest of his family will always be the cause of this gnawing ache in his heart, Derek has a new family here in Darrow. He has so many people that matter to him, and care about him. It's more than Derek deserves, or ever thought that he would get, but he's grateful. He's thankful.

So he decides that he's going to do his best to put on a Thanksgiving of his own, and invite his new ragtag sort of pack. His new family.

The invitations go out and on the big day, Derek arrives at Semele's just after dawn. He puts two giant turkeys in the oven and quickly sets up the long table and chairs in the middle of the bar. With each chair he places, Derek marvels over just how many people he has in his life. It's astounding to him, and it's the perfect day to show his gratitude.

And then, all that's left to do is cook. And cook, and cook some more. If he's lucky, he'll have time to go shower and put on something nice before all his guests arrive.

[Hale pack Thanksgiving! Treat this as a gathering post. Tag in, tag around, give thanks! ♥]

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Kili is also pleased that he'd been able to make it, though he supposes he wouldn't have done anything else had he not been invited today. While he'd been aware of the holiday itself simply because his bosses had told him he'd be given the day off from work, he still isn't quite sure of the meaning behind the day. It doesn't seem much like Durin's Day at all, aside from the feasting, but Kili supposes that if nobody else seems to be paying much attention to anything but the delectable foods available to them, he shouldn't either.

Instead, he'll focus a great deal of his time on the table Bitty seems to have claimed for himself, and he leans closer to the table to breathe in all the scents that only serve to make his mouth water.

"Oh, the cupcakes were divine," Kili tells him, tone absolutely sincere because it is nothing but the truth. "I'd meant to save more than just a couple for my brother but as fate would have it, they ended up in my belly instead. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, I suppose, he seems perfectly content with what I gave him."

He licks his lips as he gestures at the pies with his turkey leg. "It won't be so easy to hide the number of slices I steal away today. I fear there may be a riot over who gets more of what pie."

There's really no greater compliment to a baker than someone physically incapable of eating your various concoctions so I can't help but smile as he tells me about keeping the cupcakes and cookies and pies from his brother, whom I've yet to meet. Hopefully I'll be able to fix that one day soon.

"I promise I won't tell him," I assure Kili before nodding back at the table. "I made more than I probably should've on purpose so don't feel shy in taking what you want. And if you tell me what kind you liked best, I'd be happy to bake you another later on. We'll call it my own contribution to an ongoing Thanksgiving. Or, you could just take more for your brother. Is he here?"

"Oh, yes," Kili answers brightly, taking a moment to scan the room before spotting his brother at the bartop and pointing him out. It isn't altogether difficult to determine that they're related, he supposes, seeing as they're the only two dwarrows that he knows of in the city; but even so, many folk do not seem to see the resemblance in their features, for which Kili cannot blame them.

He is, after all, significantly more handsome than his brother, or so Kili often likes to tease.

"He's there, Fili, I'm certain he'd be very fond of you if you were to meet and likely deem you an excellent influence on me." Not that he needs a better influence than Fili but then again, they have always been known to get into their worst troubles together. "As for your offer of baking me pie, Mahal knows it'll take me ages to decide on which I'd like best when all of them are so delicious. Perhaps you should bake me your favorite instead, if that suits you."

Edited 2015-12-01 06:05 (UTC)

It isn't difficult to figure out exactly who at the bar Kili's pointing to and I feel a little silly for not realizing it sooner. In my defense, aside from the short stature, they really don't look much alike at all.

I make a mental note to speak to him later if just to take a special order from him directly.

"Well, I couldn't guess how I could be positively influencing you," I say with a quiet laugh. "Except with sugar and carbs. Oh, but how do you feel about peaches? I love a good peach pie and I'd be happy to make you one! And how are you doing these days? It's so great to see you!"

"You are very gracious and kind, which my mother had always hoped I would be, though I do not know that she would say I succeeded in that," Kili says. As always, there's a melancholy flicker in his eyes when he mentions his mother but it doesn't last long, seeing as it's his own fault she's come up in the first place. He carries the rune stone she'd given him before he'd left for Erebor with him again, having retrieved it from Beth after Fili had been returned, and Kili slips his hand into his pocket to wrap his hand over it.

Return to me, the stone reads, and he'd certainly failed in that but as for the rest, he hopes to continue on in Darrow in a manner that would have made her proud. Except when it comes to Fili, of course, for some relationships simply cannot be changed. As much as he loves his brother, Kili can say with confidence that he will always eat the last cupcake or cookie or slice of pie, even if Fili is the one who's brought it home; but that is his role as the youngest, and he plays it well.

"In any case, you're very much like a friend I knew from home. He was called Bilbo, and he was a hobbit, but do not let that deter you from thinking it a compliment. He was the best hobbit I ever had the pleasure of meeting, and quite brave, at that." Kili doesn't know the first thing about Bitty's mettle but never mind that, he'd prefer to think Bitty would never have to show it at all. "A peach pie would be excellent, though, and as for myself, I've been well."

His face falls a little, though his smile doesn't entirely disappear with it. "I do know that there have been many who've suffered as of a late, some friends of mine included. I was fortunate to have escaped those horrors, I do hope you were, too."

For a moment, I want to argue with him. We haven't spoken much so far, but Kili's been nothing but kind to me since the moment we met. We really don't know each other very well at all yet, but I feel like I could. Hopefully. In fact, I'm sure we could, especially if he's in Derek's pack, too. We have him and a love for baked goods in common.

Speaking of Derek, it's only as Kili continues that I realize with a jolt just what book Derek had meant when he'd mentioned knowing them. Goodness, of course. Though I haven't read it and I haven't seen the movies so I don't feel too terrible for not knowing. In fact, I'm glad I don't! It's probably bad enough that I've heard of Bilbo and sorta know what a hobbit is. It's clear I don't know anything about his world though considering I likely would've guessed he's a hobbit if he hadn't called himself something else a few times already and also makes being a hobbit sound like something distasteful.

I don't mention it though, instead feeling my own smile slip when he brings up what I can only assume is the events of that other Darrow. "Oh, uhm. No, I was there," I tell him, careful to keep my voice quieter now. It won't really keep Derek from overhearing at all, but I can only hope he's too preoccupied with another conversation to be listening. I just don't want him to be reminded of that terrible place, especially not today. "I'm so, so glad you didn't have to endure any of that -- it was awful! I'm really only alive because of Derek. And Neil, honestly. If I'd gotten stuck there alone, I don't... gosh, I really don't think I'd be here right now."

Kili's heart sinks a bit when Bitty admits to having been subjected to that awful place. What Beth had told him of it had been horrible enough, and he's selfishly relieved that he hadn't been forced to endure it himself. He knows what he would have seen: his brother and uncle, accusing and chastising; his mother and father, disappointed in his failures as an heir of Durin; and perhaps even himself, the part that's still flooded with guilt over the fact that he hadn't been there to save his brother. All his life, Fili had been the one to keep him out of trouble, even if he was right there causing it with him; but that day, on Ravenhill, Kili should have been able to do the same.

There's no need to be in the other Darrow to face the demons inside him, he supposes. He does it enough to himself right here.

Which makes it all the more necessary to shift his focus to things of a brighter nature. For a little while, especially when Fili had been angry with him for keeping his own death a secret, Kili had worried that he wouldn't be able to pull himself from the self-pity and sorrow he'd been feeling. It'd been with the help of his friends that he'd managed to keep his head held high, as a rightful Durin's son should. He doesn't know Bitty very well yet but in troublesome times, Kili thinks it is most helpful to be surrounded by those who mean nothing but the best; and so, if he can help lighten the weight on Bitty's shoulders in any way, he is happy to do it.

"But you were not alone," Kili says gently, reaching out to lay a comforting hand against Bitty's arm, "and I am glad for it. Being safely returned here makes this Thanksgiving celebration all the more important, does it not? Though I must admit, for me, it's more to do with the food than anything else."

Kili reaches out to rest a hand on my arm and I feel some of the anxiety quiet a little as I let out a breath. Trying for a smile, I shake my head. "I wasn't alone, no. And I can't think of anyone better to be with down there than Derek. Except maybe you," I add with a grin. "I mean, you're a warrior, right? I bet you would've helped protect me. And I promise I'd have repaid you with neverending baked goods for the trouble."

In truth, I'd be more than happy to do that anyway. As nice as Kili's been already, I'm more than excited to supply him with as many pies and cupcakes as he could ever want. Plus, with Derek hiring me on at Semele's full time, I'm going to be baking almost non-stop and he won't be able to sell all of it, probably. I'd hate to see any of it go to waste.

Lifting a brow in surprise, Kili cannot help the pleased smile that turns up the corners of his mouth at Bitty's praise. "It's kind of you to call me so," he answers, "but I can only hope that I could be the warrior here that I was at home."

It's true that he spends a great deal of his free evenings patrolling the area around Candlewood for any vampires that may be feeding on the innocent, and he does make a habit of practicing with his bow in the woods when he can; but for the most part, they're fortunate enough to live in a world where awful creatures like Orcs and trolls and wargs do not exist. If every they do happen to arrive, though, Kili will be ready for them. By Mahal's beard, he swears he would not fail to protect those closest to him again.

"Still, I most certainly would have done all I could to protect you, with promise of repayment or not. Though I suppose if I could not be there, Mister Derek is a suitable replacement." He says the last part dryly, offering a wink at the baker.

"What makes here so different from home?" I ask him, my smile slipping to make way for open curiosity. "Aside from the obvious, I mean. This place is different from everyone's home. But why would being a warrior here be all that different?"

I can feel my face flush a little pink when he winks at me. I'm not sure if he's trying to imply anything when he says Derek's name like that or if I'm just reading into things. But I nod all the same, fighting the grin that threatens to break across my face. "I'm just glad we both got out alive and that we can be here to celebrate the day with you. There were some pretty scary moments in there."

"There's nothing so vile as what I've seen in battle in Arda, for one," Kili answers, and it may sound grim but the corners of his lips twitch in amusement, "which we should all be grateful for, let me tell you." He sobers a bit then, his smile fading. "It's for the best, really, that things are so different. I was not so fortunate as to survive the last battle I fought before I arrived in Darrow."

Noting the flush on Bitty's cheeks, Kili chooses not to dwell on what had happened on Ravenhill, for it can only ever lead to a sullen sort of feeling that he always despises. It's been nearly eleven months since Mahal had given him second life, and Kili thinks he's done considerably admirable things with it so far.

"But never mind that, I think being a warrior here equates more to being a good friend than anything else, and I try to be just that. Which isn't to say that I won't still knock a Man down in a pub for being disrespectful, I most certainly will, as Derek well knows."

My eyes widen at the implication in his words and the question is right on the tip of my tongue before he waves the discussion away. It shouldn't surprise me so much, I know. After all, I'm friends with someone who's an actual ghost and I don't understand how Kili could've died back home and not be a ghost here, but I suppose there are still many, many things I don't understand about Darrow. And maybe I never will.

Lips twitching into a smile again, I let out a laugh. "Have you actually knocked someone out at Semele's before? Why? What'd they do?"

Somehow, it's not a difficult thing to imagine even if Kili has been nothing but kind since the day we met. A person can be nice, have an immense appreciation for baked goods, and still know how to fight. It's been obvious from the start that Kili is just that sort of person.

"Not at Semele's, in Durin's name, no. I'd be a rather terrible patron and an even worse friend if I were to allow that to happen." Briefly, Kili's attention is caught by the turkey leg that'd gone forgotten in his hand, and he takes a rather satisfying bite before looking back at Bitty to continue his story. "This was before Derek became owner of Semele's, I was in another pub talking with Doctor Newt when a man saw fit to mock me for what I am."

That would have been deserving of a punch on its own but what had truly gotten Kili off his feet had been the insult directed toward his mother, which he simply could never have allowed to go unpunished.

"As it turns out, the man was not alone so when I went at him, the coward called for his friends to fight, as well. Mind, I could have taken care of them all myself, it just would have taken a bit more time. I suppose it did turn out in my favor, though, I had more than a few other friends come to my aid, including Derek, though I just barely escaped being taken away by the police." He grins cheekily. "It was a very fun evening, my brother and I used to get into scrapes at the tavern at home all the time."

Kili takes a big bite of his turkey leg, chewing as he tells his story and I stare, wide-eyed, trying to picture it all. As often as Derek's told me how he took over Semele's, it's still hard to imagine a time when it wasn't his, but it's a lot easier to imagine Kili getting into a fight over someone dishonoring him.

"I'm almost sad I missed it," I tell him, unable to fight my grin. "Though I think if I ever saw a fight break out, I'd run and hide in the kitchen. To be honest, I'm pretty happy to stay back there most of the time for that very reason. I'd be useless in a fight."

The topic reminds me of the discussion of learning self-defense I'd had with Thomas the other week and I perk up a little. "Actually, how are you at teaching that sort of thing? Maybe... maybe not fighting so much, but self-defense."

Kili's idea of fun when it comes to a good pub fight is vastly different from most, he thinks, but it's as good as a favored pastime at this point. In truth, he and Fili both had been surprised it'd taken them that long to come to blows with anyone in the first place. Now that he thinks about it, the time does seem just about appropriate to find himself in another, though he certainly wouldn't go looking for one.

Not without a few ales in him first, at least.

"Not to worry, Mister Bitty, if you were to run into the kitchen to provide us with a hearty meal after a fight, your contribution would be just as great. Likely even more important, and I'm not just speaking from my stomach."

The question of teaching self-defense is a new one, though, and it catches him so off-guard at first that he sputters for an answer. "You'd want to learn from me?" he asks, his hand with the turkey leg dropping to dangle at his side in his surprise. "I've never taught much of anything before, I was very nearly always the youngest of those I spent most of my time with so my education was a continuing one." His eyes narrow thoughtfully then. "Although, I do suppose I could give it a go, assuming you're as patient as you seem."

I have a feeling I'll never really stop liking the way he calls me Mister Bitty. I'm not even sure why except that no one's ever called me that before and, from him, it sounds like an honor, not condescending in the slightest. Also, if Kili isn't speaking from his stomach, I'd like to ask him what he is speaking from and I almost do just that before he suddenly gets all flustered.

"Oh, you don't have to if it at all makes you uncomfortable," I rush to tell him. "I just thought I could pay you in baked goods if you'd like. Not that I won't be more than happy to give you any number of pies or cookies your heart desires, of course. There's no pressure at all. It's just that, after what happened a few weeks ago, I feel like it might be good for me to learn some things. I'm not gonna be able to rely on Derek all the time and if I'm gonna live here on my own, I should... I should be able to hold my own, you know? It's a big city. And you're a warrior, so I thought... I don't know. Is it a stupid idea?"

"Not at all!" Kili insist, shaking his head vigorously, as if it's enough to prove his point. "Truly, I am honored that you would even consider asking for my help. I would teach you all I could without taking even a single baked good as payment, though if you'd simply like to make them for me, I suppose it would be rude of me to decline." He grins cheekily, gesturing with his turkey leg at the spread of pies on the table. "Please do not take offense when I say I do think you could likely stop a fight with one of these pies better than you could with your fists, but I am happy to assist you all the same."

There's the clearing in the woods, where he goes to practice his archery, that would be a fairly good place to practice. The days are much colder now, and he expects there may soon be a layer of snow on the forest floor, but Kili always feel so much freer there than anywhere else. On the rare days that he feels overwhelmed with all that's going on around him, that is where he goes to escape. Perhaps Bitty will find that it provides him the same level of comfort.

"Do you have an idea of when you'd like to begin?"

There's no way to hide my reaction when Kili agrees, a smile breaking wide over my face as I practically jump and start clapping with excitement.

"Oh goodness, I don't know! As soon as you'd like? I know you're probably busy right now with holiday things and I'm gonna be starting up full-time at Semele's here soon so maybe after the new year? That should give me time to get my own routine sorted and my wits about me. Gosh, Kili, thank you!"

I nearly launch myself at him but stop just in time, head cocked curiously. "Wait, do you do hugs? If not, we can just fist bump." I hold my hand out into a fist in demonstration.

Edited 2015-12-18 17:04 (UTC)

To see Bitty smile so only make Kili's own grow wider, and it never does grow tiresome to know that he can help a friend in need. That is what he considers Bitty now, after all, especially after they've come to this agreement, and they may have only encountered each other twice but it's hardly the length of time of knowing someone that is important.

Bilbo, for instance, had only been with the company for just over a year while they'd journeyed to the Lonely Mountain, but he'd become dearly important to Kili much quicker than that. He'd felt it his duty to protect the hobbit, to see to it that no harm would fall upon their burglar, and thinking of him now, Kili only hopes that Bilbo has returned to Bag End to tend to his garden, to read his books, to live out the rest of his life as he pleases. He hopes that Bilbo is happy, even in spite of all the horrors he'd seen. Likewise, to see Bitty beaming and knowing that he is responsible for it warms him.

When Bitty holds his fist out, Kili merely blinks at it, not at all comprehending what it is he's meant to do, though he supposes the term 'fist bump' is clear enough. "I've never done such a thing," he admits, forming his own fist and lightly tapping it against Bitty's. "Was that right? I do accept hugs, as well, if that is preferable."

For a second, Kili only blinks down at my fist, but the term is a pretty easy one to understand even without explanation and he balls his own hand into a fist and taps it against mine.

Grinning wide, I lightly take his wrist with my other hand, guiding it. "Knuckle to knuckle," I tell him before bumping mine against his. "Like this. It's a bro thing. But I'm gonna give you a hug, too."

And I make good on my promise, quickly wrapping my arms around Kili's shoulders and drawing him in tight.

"Knuckle to knuckle," Kili repeats, nodding his understanding. It's a strange custom, but he's hardly phased by the existence of such things in Darrow anymore. As most of them go, this one seems quite tame. Before he can say as much, Bitty is throwing his arms around Kili's shoulders, and Kili lets out a delighted laugh.

The hug is warm, genuine and meaningful in a way that Kili isn't used to. While his own kin have never failed in giving him comfort with a hug, he's met just as many others who are disappointingly poor at offering something so simple. He tightens his own arms around Bitty, letting go only when he thinks it might go on long enough to be considered lingering, then bounces on his heels as he grins up at his friend.

"Is a hug not a 'bro thing,' as well?" he asks curiously. "I do hug my brother often enough, even if it is usually to make up for something I've done."

"Oh, it can be!" I assure him, beaming as we pull away, his smile just as wide as mine. "In fact, in hockey, a huge group hug is an essential part of a celly so, in that case, it's as bro as you can get. But even so there are some guys who would never dream of hugging another guy off the ice. It's honestly really silly and all part of protecting masculinity and... and stuff like that. I wish my friend Shitty was here, he could explain it all so much better than I can, but take it from me, a fist bump is almost always preferable to hugs back where I'm from. Between guys, at least. Unless within a sports-related moment of celebration."

I finally pause for a breath then, but I still haven't stopped smiling and I let out a laugh a second later, shaking my head. "I can't believe I just got to teach someone from another dimension about fist bumps! Never in all my life could I have predicted this!"

Kili supposes he understands a thing or two about maintaining some sense of masculinity. It'd been instilled in him from the time he was a dwarfling, after all, to act the part of a proper son of Durin. Of course, he'd been told more than once that he'd disgraced the name of their kin in times he'd gotten into trouble (which was fairly often), but Kili had never taken it very seriously. Still, even hugs had not been something to admonish, but something joyful to share in--even if they occasionally were accompanied with a butting of heads, particularly in the case of Balin and Dwalin.

"I think I prefer the hug," he decides, nodding firmly. "The fist bump seems rather meaningless, while a hug is universally understood to be an expression of care." It doesn't seem to a matter of extreme importance, however, even if he is pleased to see Bitty smiling as he does. "You can teach me about more of Man's stranger customs while we train together, if it pleases you. I'd quite like to understand as much of this world as I can."

It's been quite a few months since his arrival, but Kili continues to find that he learns something new practically every day. Who better to teach him than one who seems well-versed in sport and cooking?

I absolutely love the way Kili talks, how it's completely unlike anyone I've ever met before, unlike anything I've heard outside of movies, and I can't contain another laugh as I nod in agreement. "We'll just keep to hugging then," I tell him, still thrilled that he's agreed to teach me how to protect myself. "I'm not sure I'll have much wisdom to share about our customs, but I'll do my best! In the meantime, I'm afraid payment will largely come in the form of baked goods."

I tack a wink onto that statement as I'm pretty sure Kili has no complaints about that much, at least.

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thanksgiving is, after all, a word of action [set on 11/26]

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