14522/Come September

Come September
Date of Scene:	09 September 2022
Location:	Fontainebleu Antiques, Yonkers
Synopsis:	Willow gives the coin back to Henri, with some sound advice.
Cast of Characters:	Hellequin, Willow Rosenberg

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Hellequin has posed:
As usual, the inside of the Fontainebleau Antiques is filled with soft medieval music, with the gurdy predominating. And as usual, the store is empty - one would wonder if anything is ever sold in there. Nonetheless, the owner, Henri de Fontainebleau, is busy arranging the latest shipment of antique broaches and medals in the glass display. This is a really nice shipment, with silver and gold pieces, that must cost a fortune.

There is a sweet smell of fresh pastry also in the store, mixed with freshly brewed coffee. Occasionally, Henri glances at the door as if he was expecting someone. His glancing at the door suddenly becomes interested, as if the antiquarian knew someone was coming.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Unfortunately Willow didn't think of Henri and his sixth sense. Otherwise she wouldn't have picked up eclairs and coffee on the way.

Well, she might have regardless to calm her nerves.

Either way, Willow was nervous. She had intentions of talking to Henri about Heloise. And she did not expect the conversation to go without its bumps. Really she planned on winging it.

She still had the coin.

But other than that she didn't know which way to broach the subject. And now that she was outside his store she almost left before she went in! Holding the door handle she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Come on Willow. You can do it!"

And opening the door to cause the bells to ring the chimes, she made up her mind and stepped into the store. "I've got some.. oh.. You've got some." Now they both had some!

Hellequin has posed:
And Henri was right about someone coming, it being Willow Rosenberg did not surprise him. With his ability to detect magic users from a distance - which he compares to spotting a skunk in the night - the antiquarian literally sensed that such a magic user was approaching. And since they did not really seek him out, it had to be one he knew and that survived the encounter. Of which, there were only a few and Willow is one of them.

"Comme d'habitude," Henri says as his attention turns to the door and the visitor, "Please flip the Closed sign on the door."

Waiting for Willow to do so, Henri leans against the display, large arms crossed over his chest, considering the young woman. While he is not exactly smiling, Henri is not frowning either. His stance towards Willow has slightly evolved over the last month, from wanting to kill her on the spot to even teamingup with her. At some point, it had been made clear that Henri did not want to kill her - excuse, /could/ not kill her - and the antiquarian made his mind up about it. Still, Henri could feel her being somewhat wary of him.

"Come in Willow," comes Henri's deep voice. "Coffee is just ready. I know, cream."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
With a bag in her hand, Willow flipped the sign over. She sorta expected that.

"I thought you might like an eclair?' She holds up the bag. "I bought them at this little place around the corner so that our coffee would be hot." She knew that she was making conversation just to have some. "We can have two coffees?"

For all she knew the visit could be very short. Or very long. Either way they were prepared.

"I always wondered, you seem to be aware of me before I'm anywhere nearby. How do you do it? I mean, we Scoobies - well some of us - have the ability to sniff out demons and whatnot. But that's evil, and it doesn't quite work on those we have befriended. And most definitely not at the distances that you seem to have."

Hellequin has posed:
Trying his best to look amicable - after all, he is /almost/ on friendly terms with Willow, especially after she helped him, along with Nick, to save his paramour from a horrible death - Henri smiles. Yes, really, he does! Well, admittedly, it might have to do with the peace offering. Like the old saying goes, you don't catch flies with vinegar. And there a few things that would make Henri appreciate his eternal life, and eclairs are definitely one of them.

"You can have all the coffee that you might wish for," Henri says, finding a clean cloth to place over the counter, to place the bag and coffee on.

Considering her question for a moment, the Frenchman frowns lightly, thinking.

"Skunk," Henri states, still smiling. "Magic users to me smell like skunk, I can find them by their own odor. Remember, I am a hunter. Hunter of magic and evil." He pauses, visibly unsure if this makes sense, "As you would say, it comes with the job. Either I smell, or sense them. Or rather, their magic. You might compare to a shark sensing and detecting blood in the water."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Soooo, normal pagans, who think they do magic aren't affected?" Not that Willow is surprised. There is little m-magic, and big M-Magic, and for a long time now she was in the Big M crowd.

Coming to the back of the store, she hands the eclairs over to him. "You can have mine! I can always get another." Really the offer was why she had brought them.

"How are you, anyways? It's been a while since.. you know." Willow ducks her eyes. "I didn't know what to say when we got back. And you kinda needed your space. And there were my jobs. And getting ready for my Master's degree.."

Hellequin has posed:
The back store is quite large, it has a little table for four, and chairs. Taking the bag of eclairs, Henri places it on the table before pulling a chair for Willow. That done, the antiquarian turns to a small kitchen counter where the coffee is ready. After a moment, Henri brings back two cups of coffee, one having cream added to it.

"The /normal/ pagans, as you call them, do not call to me. Their infantile magic rarely carries malice, it is close to just being superstitious, like carrying a rabbit-paw as a key chain. No, they do not matter to me." He pauses, sitting down, "Unless. Unless they increase their use of magic, or add malice and ill-intent to it, or produce evil sortileges. THEN, they will appear on my radar, so to speak."

Reaching for the bag, Henri picks up one of the decadent eclairs. They are fresh and look so good.

Raising an eyebrow at Willow's second question, the Frenchman thinks for a moment. It is rare that anyone asks him how he has been.

"I have been perfectly well, thank you. The same every day." Indeed. "Master's degree? And what do you study, if I may ask?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Taking her seat, Willow gets comfy. "Thank you for the coffee. You can throw out the ones from the bakery if you want."

She nods as she compares his notes with her own. Except for the vernacular (such as superstition) they were pretty on the same page. "My friend Wanda is very magical.. well, my former friend? What do you call the sister of your former boyfriend anyways?" She shakes her head.

When he mentions nobody asking /him/ about his days, her face falls. "Nobody? That's so sad. Don't you have friends?" For the moment the question about her Master's is forgotten.

Hellequin has posed:
"Thrown them out?!" Henri replies, looking a bit confused. It's the ones from the bakery that Henri is after. Which he takes time to eat, listening to Willow before answering her question. The mention of Wanda Maximoff seems to give him pause for a moment, but otherwise the antiquarian doesn't elaborate on the topic.

"Why would anyone worry about me?" Henri finally asks back, surprised. "I do not have friends, they all died at some point and after a while, I got tired of burying friends. I do have some acquaintances, and that is it." Then the Frenchman laughs briefly, very briefly, if not a tad sarcastically. "Most people like to go out after work, have a drink, have fun. Which, of course, I cannot do. This kind of limits friendship."

Then Henri pauses, sipping some of his coffee, his eyes looking at Willow as if to determine what it is that she really wants. "And why do you seemingly care that I have friends or not?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow grins about the coffees! "I'm glad you didn't decide to throw them out. There's something about buying from a shop that makes it so decadent. When I had to pay my tuition, back in first year, this was one of my extravagances. Coffees, eclairs, sage, and candles - they were all I could afford."

As to people not wanting to be his friend because of the hours he keeps, Willow guffaws. "That's the Scoobies' schedules for the most part. Those vampires don't come out in the daytime, you know!" Silly Henri. "I could be your friend if you wanted?"

Like he would find that acceptable.

Why did she care?

"Well.." Willow thought about her answer. "It's kinda sad that you have lived this long and even with people dying, it must be sad for you to be alone. I have been wondering about that since Heloise."

Hellequin has posed:
As long as it's fresh and well prepared, Henri can eat almost anything. Surely, Willow will remember the kind of food that was served back then at his hunting place: boiled cabbage and carrots with some pieces of meat. Period.

"Yeah, vampires, loups-garous - hrm, werewolves, that is - all come out at night, the witching hour. Like the Scoobies. And myself."

Then Henri studies Willow for a moment, as if she just made an indecent offer. But the young woman has a point, it gets lonely at times.

"Since it has been established that I cannot kill you, nor want to, and considering the help you and your friend provided, I can tell you that you are not my enemy. I can even help you monetary if you need. As for friendship?" The antiquarian pauses and seems to seriously consider the matter, "Maybe it would take a few more eclairs." And at that, Henri laughs well-heartily.

The laughter soon ends, at the thought of his dead Heloise. "Do not worry about me," Henri states, "I have had hundred of years to get accustomed to being alone. At least now I know that justice prevailed and that she did not die in the flames." Which, when Henri thinks about it, seems to raise a question.

"I find it strange, that while I witnessed all my friends die over the years, I never saw Heloise pass away. Don't you find it strange?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow is quiet for a long while. Drinking her coffee, and eating her eclair.

"You aren't the first person who I have met who is out of time - so to speak. Some have gone back in time from the future, and some have immortality from the past. I can't say that everyone did fall in love, but they have had friends. Even though everyone was taken from them eventually. They always found the relationships were more beneficial than not having them."

Which is /not/ the answer for his question at all.

Then she goes on..

"Somebody had to place her, you know."

Hellequin has posed:
Henri also enjoys the eclairs and coffee - he would never say no to fresh pastry - while listening to Willow.

What Willow explained makes sense and Henri can relate. Aside from Heloise, he loved his faithful horse - the one that is now seen with the Hellequin's. So in a way, he never had to grief over the animal.

But just as he was about to comment, mostly concur with her statement, Willow's last sentence gives him pause.

"What in God's name are you talking about, Willow?" Henri asks, or rather, demands. "What do you mean, /to place her/?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Of course her forehead wears a worried expression.

"Heloise could not return to her house." Willow was careful how she approached it. "You did know that, didn't you?"

Hellequin has posed:
Henri is already frowning, visibly not liking the way this seems to unfold. But the Frenchman has no clue where this is going.

"Of course not," Henri says, "The villagers had already burned down the house and any attempt to return would have meant a certain death."

Pausing and visibly remembering the events that happened centuries ago, Henri thinks for a moment. Last he saw Heloise, after her rescue, he told her to find a safe place and live happily. For weeks, months, years, the Hellequin had tried to find her, to make sure she was safe.

"I looked for her everywhere, but could never find her. I think she found a very safe place."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow nods very carefully.

"The you back then, couldn't. And I had the coin in this time. I.." How to say it. "I never brought it up to you, because you seemed to have moved on. So I didn't mention it - either Heloise, or the coin."

And Willow didn't know how Heloise would take it, to meet Henri in this time.

Ai-ai-ai!

"I hid her in a convent in France. Le Grand Andely. It's not open to the public anymore."

Hellequin has posed:
Alright, coffee and eclairs are forgotten for the time being. Henri has always been curious about Heloise's fate, and it seems that Willow has some information.

"A convent, you say," Henri says, frowning lightly, "I hoped she would have married and have a family. Enfin, a convent is a nice, safe place, and she had a quiet life dedicated to God. Thank you."

After a moment, the Frenchman extends his opened hand, "If you do not mind, I would like the coin back now."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Before I give it to you, there is something you should know."

Actually several things, but who's counting?

Willow holds the coin in her hand. "She was never meant to stay there. After the flames she had much to think about. I thought it was a quiet spot for her to rest and think about what she wanted next."

Still Willow has not told him the truth.

"I visited her only once. And, she seemed resigned to her fate. She spoke of you with such love.. I had to wonder, if she were able, would she welcome you into her arms, even knowing what you had become?"

Hellequin has posed:
Alright, now if he had been on his horse at the moment, Henri would have fallen off it. At least, that's how the Frenchman feels as he stares at the young woman.

The mention of her visiting Heloise, in itself, would have raised many questions, but the last part of her sentence really hits a nerve.

"Willow," Henri states as he pushes his chair back and gets on his feet, "Why did you ask her that?! How could it possibly have made her feel better and move on with her life? It wasn't your place to reveal to her who I am now, it could only distress her. She saw me as a specter, she knew I was already dead."

And again, the hand is extended towards Willow. "Give me the coin now. No more time travelling, leave Heloise in peace."

And no, it doesn't seem to concern him, what Heloise's answer had been to Willow's question.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Oh!" Willow blinks. "I didn't ask her. She talked about you, and was mourning. It made me think, to myself, what she would have done with another chance."

/STILL/ she held onto the coin.

"I said she was resigned. And sad, even though she tried to keep it to herself. If I give to coin to you, you must promise to use it, one time. Just to see her. You don't have to visit her, just see her? Okay?"

Hellequin has posed:
Now, Henri is positively annoyed, frowning. Albeit not menacing.

"Willow," Henri almost sighs, "I will not hassle with the terms to have what is mine returned to me."

But since they are on friendly terms, and after all, she and Nick helped save Heloise, the Hellequin decides to concede a little, where he could have forcibly taken back his due.

After a moment, sighing, Henri adds, "Give it to me. I do not promise anything. I will need to pray and seek God's advice on this." That's all he can promise for now.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"You didn't seem to care that I had it this long!"

You could hear the foot stomp of her voice.

Willow frowned. This was not going so well. Reluctantly, she held it out. "I guess.. Just remember to thank me when you do it. And not take too long to decide."