The desk hadn't entered her mind much at all.
America had seen it when she moved in, of course. Kate had made sure all the rooms in the warehouse were outfitted with basic furniture, just in case. It was a nice enough desk, but she'd been more focused on getting everything out of the boxes and setting up her bed, and she didn't really have any need for it. She'd figured that she'd take it over to Billy and Teddy's room sometime, see if Teddy wanted it for a drawing space, but it just gathered dust off in the corner.
Now she was glad she'd procrastinated. It was just the right size for what she needed.
The cloth she chose was nothing fancy, red and blue with a white star pattern. It felt right, though, and according to the women at the bodega, that was really all that was needed.
America was putting up the marigolds when Kate slipped in, shutting the door behind her.
Kate whistled. “That's quite a set-up you've got there.”
“Yeah. Just figured it's getting close, might as well do something.”
She didn't look up as Kate came and sat next to her on the floor. The altar space was coming together well, a picture of both her mothers sitting in a nice frame in the middle of two Catrina statues. When she left Utopia, she'd just jumped through a portal without thinking twice. She didn't regret leaving at all; she couldn't, with all the people she'd been able to help. Sometimes, though, she couldn't help but think of everyone and everything she'd left behind, even the pictures of her family. So she'd gone to their resident artist and asked Teddy if he could draw her mothers with just a description and the quick glances he'd had during their road trip, and he'd more than delivered. It was a simple pencil drawing, but they both looked just as she remembered. Nothing like the brainwashed mockery Mother pulled together.
“So, did you need me for something?”
“Nah, not in particular,” Kate said quietly, fiddling with one of her bangles. “The twins are downstairs bickering over what to do for Halloween and it was giving me a headache, so I thought I'd see what you were up to. I can leave if you want, though.”
“It's okay. I wouldn't have left the door open if I wanted to be alone. Besides,” America said with a grin. “You're just in time for me to add the best part.” She pulled a plastic bag from under the tablecloth and brought out a small Wiccan action figure, placing it off to the right side in a star she'd made of candles.
“Really ties the table together,” Kate snickered. “You gonna show Billy?”
“After it's done. I'll let him find it on his own.”
“I'm serious, though,” Kate added, smile softer. “It does look really nice. I bet they'd like it.”
“Thanks.” And she meant it; Kate didn't give meaningless platitudes or false comfort. She always knew where she stood with Kate, and she appreciated it. She could feel the archer staring at her, though, waiting for her to continue. “I just felt like doing something this year, I guess.”
“Just this year,” Kate questioned gently.
“I've always kept my mind off it, gotten involved in something else so I didn't have to deal with it. Dia de Muertos is an Earth holiday, but we have something similar in Utopia. I jumped ship through a portal right after I was told, so I never celebrated our remembrance. I never gave it any thought at all; I don't think I was ready to.”
Kate shuffled closer to press against her side, warm and supporting. She knew this wasn't easy for America, being this open about her past. “I'm glad you are now.”
America huffed a laugh. “After the shitshow we've been through this last year, I wanted something about my mothers that didn't make me cringe, or piss me off. I've been avoiding it too long anyway.” She backed off to stretch and stand, taking in what she'd put together. “All that's left is the food and the sugar skulls.”
“Want some help?” Kate stood as well, pushing her hair back over her shoulder.
“Sure thing, princess. I don't have the patience to do all that detailed icing on my own.”