Chapter 5: Seb had a little farm

Moving with a woman and a child is far easier, than moving alone. Elisa, who refuses to tell me her last name, has been renamed Leroux quickly. Not as my wife, but as a long-lost sister. It is wonderful, what a little wink and some money could do.

Nico seems to love her already. He trails after her like a little duckling. I let them be. Apart from the two times per week, when I drink from Elisa, I leave her be.

With what do I occupy my days, then? Well, with farming. I have two mouths to feed. One that I need alive, to feed me, and another, who I have grown fond of. Little Nico, with his attempts to upturn the soil, so we could plant something before the weather turns, is adorable.

How I miss potatoes. I wonder if there is a New World equivalent in Moria? Or, will the potatoes come from Earth, piggybacking on a reincarnator. Not that I can even eat, anyway.

"Nico, go back inside, and take a bath," the breeze has turned into a strong wind. This farm, so close to the coast, will be one of the few bastions of health in Somer. I don't care who comes knocking here.

"Oh, but I want to see you plant the cabbage," Nico whines, and I smile at him.

"Go and tell Elisa to make you some egg cream," with the few chickens I got off the market, before the merchants had the chance to take the infected livestock from the ships, we make do.

Then again, both Nico and Elisa are thin. I would need to get them a steady source of protein, before they develop something like anorexia. Is there even anorexia in this fantasy world?

"But we are running out of sugar," Nico still doesn't make to move. I wave him away.  

"And I will get more. Now, go and take a bath, Nico. It is getting cold," with that, I go back to turning the soil. The local lord charges me an arm and a leg for the secluded farm. Then again, he is smart. He knows that he can squeeze a lot out of me, and my little family.

Maybe I should pay him a visit?

I hear footsteps, and see two travelers coming down the road. Now, I really don't want Nico to see how I deal with travelers.

"Just go inside, Nico," I smile at him, and he finally goes inside the farm house. A wonderful stone building, with a big porch, and an even bigger garden. With the fields not too far. Just a fifteen-minute walk.

I keep on working the land, as the two travelers come ever closer. When I hear the clearing of a throat, I turn around. Well, look what the cat dragged in. I smile at Gaius, who smiles back.

"Why, hello there, stranger. Long time no see. Did you find yourself a blood bank?" Gaius lets go of the hand of the woman next to him. She has her allure, but again, can't hold a candle to Gaius.

"Not as good, as what could have been," I meet Gaius halfway, and offer my hand. He takes it, and rather than shaking it, he kisses my knuckles. I roll my eyes at the silent apology.

"You were right."

"I know. So, you want a safe heaven?"

We hold each other's gaze for a while, and he nods at the woman.

"My sister, Belladonna," I let the lie stew, with an arched eyebrow, to show him just what I think about the mummers play.

"I, too, have a sister to take care of. She is named Elisa. So, Bella," I turn to the veiled woman. Her hair is covered, just as it is the custom in these lands. Elisa put up a fuss, when I made her go with uncovered hair. I just wanted to have some piece of my old life in this desolate land. "Do you feed your brother, or should I?"

She gives me a knowing smile.

"He doesn't want my home cooking, anymore," the dusky beauty says, with a heavy sigh. "For the past week, it has been more of the same. That vampire flirted back, that vampire got away, instead of chasing after me. You worked him up in a frenzy, love."

"Did I now? And what does that mean for you?" I smirk at the woman, who smirks back.

"That the days when I had to perform my chores are over," with this cryptic message, she makes her way to the house.

"She really shouldn't think that feeding me is a chore. What would you think, Sebastian?" Gaius lets my name roll through his lips, as if it is something sweet. Sweet, like honey, and just as sticky.

"She is like us?"

"Us?"

I smile, running my fingers over Gaius exposed muscular chest.

"You know…" I let my words trail off. He chuckles.

"I have been dreaming about you, Hero of Ultimate Fate," he presses his lips next to my ear, and then breathes out a puff of air. "Dreams that will turn you into a blushing maiden, if you only knew what went down in them."

"I can imagine," I distance myself from him, and then begin to upturn the soil once more. "This is an honest farm, Gaius. Everyone in here pulls their weight. I would expect that you and Belladonna do the same."

"I am no stranger to farm work," Gaius looks around, and sees Nico's shovel. He takes it, and then begins to upturn the soil. I can see that he has a wooden hand, over his stump. I really am keen to learn the story behind this.

Was it an angry morsel? Or, did he know how to fight? Yet, I do not pry. It simply feels rude to.

When we both have two rolls of soil upturned, I go to the pots with the cabbage sprouts, and begin to slowly plant them in the soil.

"How do you suppose that you will feed your humans, now that the city is in Death's grip?" Gaius's voice snaps me out of my motion. I look up at him, and then tilt my head to the sea.

"Fish, I presume?" I more ask than state. He smiles then, a small smile, as if he wants to argue, but doesn't have it in him. A smile of someone, who depends on someone else.

Is it fair of me, that I feel a slight pang of jealousy because of Belladonna?