{ Video }

[sapphiremiracle]

Since everyone seems to be in the spirit of introducing themselves... { Vincent looks as out of place as possible. He is obviously wearing Victorian clothes - of such a cut that they are obviously expensive - and he is resting in the grass under a great tree. }

I am Vincent Phantomhive. I have never owned a farm, though I was set to inherit a manor.

{ Let it not be said that he is completely lazy, however. Nearby, some planting has been done and there is a shovel resting against a rock. }

Are there any other nobles about? How are you faring with your physical labor?

{ He finds the idea of nobles laboring amusing, okay. }

Comments

[sapphiremiracle]

{ He sits up and pats the spot beside him on the grass. There is a book laying beside him, already half-read. }

Did you think I was being underhanded? { Grinning, he shakes his head. } You should know I would say it to your face if I felt you should leave.

[somakemelaugh]

[Somewhat reluctantly, maybe playfully so, he makes his way to that spot that was patted. He can see the movement and he knows what it indicates, even from this distance.]

Not at all. I expect you to tell me just how you feel, but you should expect me as well to tease you at all chances I can get. It's only fair.

[sapphiremiracle]

{ Vincent laughs and tugs on Undertaker in revenge, trying to overbalance him before he sits down. }

All teasing is permitted! { That's a law he abides by dutifully. } How much do you know about planting? Should I put the seeds in the dirt, water them and let nature take its course?

[somakemelaugh]

[Did... this boy really never learn the basics of... Oh, for... He'll let himself be tugged down and land on his hands and knees in the grass.]

That all depends. Just what do you think should happen with a seed?

[sapphiremiracle]

{ Yes. And no. He doesn't play nicely with his friends or his toys, unfortunately. But Undertaker will find himself halfway embraced, an arm around his shoulders, after his fall. }

I imagine they often sprout of their own accord. Or not. A farmer can only do so much.

[somakemelaugh]

[And he's still surprised, every time, when there is any contact between them of this manner. When had Vincent become so close to people? He's not disappointed, just delighted, in a way.]

They do, milord. One can only set forth so much encouragement, but it is up to that seed to decide if or not it will take the nutrients you give it, if you give it the correct ones, and grow from them.

[sapphiremiracle]

{ It had happened after the death of his mother. Vincent had started seeking good friends, allies and companions then. Maybe that's because he now realizes what it feels like to be alone. }

It feels like a metaphor. { He dusts off Undertaker's robes for him and picks up a packet of seeds. } Do they look ready? Should we hide them from the world for a little longer?

[somakemelaugh]

[He's glad to see it either way. It will set him apart for the rest of his life from all of England's society, even if the rest of that life happens here now, on this farm.]

It can be if you look at it just right. [He'll hold still for that dusting and look down at himself. Maybe he should have taken back to his common wear instead of the mortician's garb. But no, he can always wash the stains from this better anyway, and he's not doing the harder work today.] Oh, they're quite ready. We only need set them in the dirt and give them water. Would suggest something out of the shade though.

[sapphiremiracle]

{ That is destined to happen regardless. Vincent is an oddity - a useful oddity for the crown - but maybe he can be a more loving and affectionate man in the future. His twins will certainly demand that! }

I can see it. { He likes Undertaker's fashion. Why be like everyone else when you can stand out? } I thought so.

{ Rising onto his feet, he walks over to an area where holes have been recently dug. }

Will this plot suffice?

[somakemelaugh]

[He knew that in the man and he knew more and less of Vincent then than he did while the boy was in university. But it will be a closer look that he takes at the Earl in this place, in a new setting, but Vincent won't change. He didn't in Riverview, why would Undertaker expect him to do so now?]

See there? You're a smart one, yes.

[He settles onto his side in the grass in the shade and watches the dark shape that Vincent is move to spots on the ground that had been disturbed, so he can see from their own dark blobs.] It's in the sun, milord. If we keep it well watered, I see no reason why it shouldn't.

[sapphiremiracle]

{ He may seem like a man that is hard to know - hard to peg down - but Vincent's core never changes. It's just that so few people know who he really is that he seems to the majority like he is practically intangible. }

You're teasing me. { He wrinkles his nose as if he is offended, but the light in his eyes never fades. } That's all there is to it...

{ He picks up a watering can and gives the seeds ample moisture after he has patted the dirt down. }

There must be an art to it.

[somakemelaugh]

[He grins and squirms to lounge himself back against the trunk of the tree rather than sprawled in the grass.]

Of course, milord. Who would I be if I couldn't make humor of near everything? [Who, indeed? He watches what he can of the teen watering his new crops and breathes the air in deeply, enjoying the day for what it is.]

There's more attentiveness to it than art. Knowing what to look for, when the ground is dry, when the plants droop, why they droop. You do a lot of looking after these things, since they can't rightly look after themselves. It's a lot like having a child about, but one who is forever silent.

[sapphiremiracle]

{ Undertakers aren't usually in such bright, happy environments. The sight is amusing for its rarity and Vincent makes his way back to the other man. }

I think you would be mad. { ...er. Neither of them are sane based on normal standards. } We all must cope with the lot life has given us.

{ He dusts off his hands and shakes a few rebellious strands of black hair out of his eyes. }

What do you know about raising children? { The question isn't stated rudely. Vincent is genuinely curious. }

[somakemelaugh]

[He didn't pick this home for himself any more than he would have picked Riverview or even London. It was just what he was given, and he doesn't have a problem with it yet. But he is what he is.]

In more ways than one, I imagine. Still, I haven't been entirely sane these past years. [He might well be talking about the weather for all the concern he has over that.]

Little more than what I learned growing up and what I've seen in day to day life, is what. [He's not lying about this, he doesn't think.] It's a long stretch between what it is a child needs and what a plant needs. Why?