New Roots

[Demeter]

Diego crooned as he stroked a plant leaf. These plants were not liking their new home but he only imagined that it was because he'd taken them from their nice, cozy beds in his greenhouse and exposed them to the elements. They'd adjust because that is what they did. Diego ran a finger down a gentle green stalk, bumped it over the currently dull thorns.

Anyone not of the blood, for this family at the very least, would end up impaled on these thorns once the plants were mature. They'd be planted around the compound walls and would have to be babied for a year, a job he intended to see to himself, but they'd grow fast and they'd grow strong and they'd clamber along the walls and keep people from climbing over.

Diego shuffled, on his knees, over to next plant with it's roots loosely wrapped in burlap and set to the task of planting it and twisting together the roots with it's neighbor. Once the labourous tast of planting was done, he'd have to introduce the plants to all the family members and anyone they considered needed. A labourous task itself. And not all together unpleasent.

Diego thought of the single daughter of the house and the wife of the heir. Both very pretty ladies. He'd already been warned off the wife with a snarl and serious threat to his manhood if he even went near her. And then the wife had grinned at him while petting a sycthe. He'd decided to admire her from a distance.

He'd been told to stay away from her but no manhood had been threatened. Besides, she was pretty. Okay, so she seemed a little skittish but he'd didn't mean skittish.

Diego dusted off his hands on his dirty, ripped jeans and reached for the burlap wrapped plant. He exposed the rootball, crooning at the plant while he gently settled the plant into the hole he'd dug. The daughter, Kura, he believed, was like one of these plants. Had to be gentled along until they were strong enough to handle whatever came at them.

[Shinigami]

Kuraku was wandering the grounds, dressed casually for once in authentically worn-in jeans, her boots, and a form fitting shirt that had some wise crack about "going green" - a gift from her cousin Hawk. Her long hair was braided an pulled forward over her shoulder, and she had her ever present daggers hidden in their various places. She had just been out to see her Aunt Belladonna to get more of the poison that had been created for her. Now, with the little box holding her treasure tucked under her arm, she was heading back home.

She slowed to a stop as she neared the house, noting the numerous newly added plant life now surrounding the walls. Kura had been gone since the afternoon before, so the sight was a bit of a shock. She wondered what kind of plants they were, and why the hell they were being planted around the house. There was a little spark of hope in her that they were poisonous plants... she did -love- poisonous plants. In fact, she had contemplated asking Bella to teach her how to grow and care for them so she could have her own collection.

Kura walked along the wall now lined with young plants. She reached a hand out towards them, but was careful not to actually touch them. After all, she had no idea what kind of plants they were. They certainly didn't look like any natural species.

As she neared the end of the wall she finally noticed the man kneeling among the plants and carefully settling another one. He looked familiar, and it didn't take her long to realized that she had seen him enter and exit her father's office a few times in the past few weeks.

After a moment of waiting and watching, she realized he was speaking to the plants. She couldn't hear the words, but by his actions and the tone of his voice, she assumed he was trying to sooth them. It amused her, so she adjusted the box under her arm to make sure it was still secure and watched, wondering when the man would actually notice he was being spied on.

[Demeter]

Diego, gently pushing soil back into the hole, knew he was being watched. That tiny part of him that was magic user was tied into the plants and they told that someone was standing nearby. He stroked the violently purple leaves as a thank you for the information. He peered over his shoulder, noted it was the daughter watching him, and grinned. "You can come closer. They're not going to attack anyone. Not yet at least. Give them a year or so and they'll stab their spines through anything that tries to climb up them. Most likely your father's way of discourging any suitors for you."

Diego tamped the soil down and poured a little water over the plant, amused when the plant shook its leaves free of water. "You'll have to meet them sooner or later. One never knows when one is going to leave her keys to the front gate somewhere and will need to climb over the wall. They'd probably give you a boost."

He shuffled along to the next plant, not interested in leaving the plants out of the ground for too long. "Would you like to help?"

[Shinigami]

Kura felt a little rumble of excitement at hearing that the plants had violent tendencies. That was just as good as them being poisonous. She snorted when she heard the man's theory as to why her father had wanted them planted. She was sure that had something to do with it on some level, but there had been some unrest among the Custoss that lived in Hell so it was most likely a precautionary measure.

It was obvious this man knew who she was. He would have been told by Rhy, if only just to warn him to stay away from her. Knowing that they weren't mature enough to do her much harm, she decided to touch one. Kura ran her finger very lightly along the underside of a leaf as she spoke to the currently unknown man. "I very rarely forget my keys to the gate, but it would be fun to get a boost over just because." She flicked her eyes from the plant to the man. "Do I get to know you're name? Or should I just call you 'Gardener'?"

As she waited for his reply she moved herself over to his other side, settling herself on the ground with one leg curled under her and the other bent at the knee. Kuraku sat the box down beside her, instinctively makes sure she was at least arms length away from the man yet still near the plants that had not been planted into the ground. She hadn't exactly said she would help, but she at least wanted to stick around and learn more about the plants for a bit.

[Demeter]

He peered over his shoulder. "Diego. You can call me 'Gardener,' if you like, as I'll be around for the next year. Ow!" He turned to glare at the plant. He shook his hand, grumbling when a finger started to bleed. "Repugnante poco híbrido," he muttered as he sucked on his finger.

"I bred them to have a mind of their own. Apparently it worked. Do you plants?" he asked while stroking the plant to reassure it that he still love it. "If you would like to help, you can unwrap the plants from the burlap and set them in the holes. I'd go around after you and finish the job. What's in the box?"

[Shinigami]

Kuraku raised an eyebrow in amusement as one of Diego's own plants caused him to bleed. It also left her curious as to what language he had spoken. She gave a little grin and eyed the plant that had made its caretaker bleed when she found out they had minds of their own. It would much more fun getting to know them, then.

"I love plants actually. Especially the ones that are poisonous or violent." Kura contemplated helping him, but she didn't take long before she shifted onto her knees and began carefully unwrapping the burlap from the next plant. She was being mindful of the fact that they were not used to her.

As she was carefully settling the plant into the pre-dug hole she answered Diego. "Its a unique blend of plant poison that I tip my daggers with. My Aunt Bella made it for me, though I've been meaning to have her teach me how to do it myself."

[Demeter]

Diego perked up. "Bella? Belladonna Delorme?" No wonder the wife had looked so damn familiar, he thought. He'd had the chance to work with Belladonna once and he hadn't even been attracted to the woman. Well, he'd been attracted to the way the woman's mind worked in her attempts at breeding plants that gave off snake venom.

He grinned at Kura. "Violent is my specialty. And you are lucky to have such a woman for an aunt. I'd give my greenhouse to be related to her and I love my greenhouse." He glanced at Kura before returning to his plants. "But I know how to handle poisonous plants. I could teach you. Maybe not the mix that Belladonna uses but I could teach you how distill and brew your own poison."