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[hellish_butler]

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“You reached the residence of Sebastian Michaelis, butler of the Phantomhive Household. Please leave messages after the beep!”

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[whisted]

Trusting the relaxed atmosphere has been difficult. As genuinely soothing as everything was, there had yet to be a night Horatio didn't wake from panicked dreams, certain he'd find himself back in the scrap of a cave in the Arena.

But it's another tick in the Valley's favour that even the elegant and well-fed seem so quickly inclined to gentleness. Even work, the honest eking of a living, seems lined with direction and allowance rather than demand.

More than all that, of course, actually working was wonderful. Horatio barely heard the question to shake his head--a hamlet is a place, not a person, his mind buzzes idly--before setting himself properly into the blankness of work.

This is by far the lightest touch he's ever felt under supervision. That, more than the words, makes it easy to actually slow down when he's directed to, taking time to enjoy the familiar motion of the scythe or the friendly sensation of rich happy dirt on his fingers.

Even the question about home isn't enough to knock the beginning of a smile from the corner of his lips, gaze still lowered to watch the swing of his blade. "I am. From Panem. It's..." What's the word? "...not like this."

[hellish_butler]

Sebastian came from a relatively calm household, and when he managed servants. There was this maid who is prone to accidents due to having nerves especially when service demands of her.

But for now, Sebastian focused on loading all the crops into the basket. When the basket is full, he simply gets another one, and indicated, "Here, fill this one too, if you please." More baskets of crops shall be filled, more weeds to cut and clear with the scythe, it's one task after another.

"Oh? Panem isn't like this?" Curiosity filled the butler now. "What is like then?" He asked though he had a hunch it wasn't a peaceful world then.

[whisted]

Taking a new basket is entirely natural. The slow pace is new, but the demands of a working farm are utterly familiar. Even this isn't such a terribly difficult size for an operation of one or two to manage.

Still, it's a lucky thing that his hands can be put on autopilot. Panem might be the only home Horatio has ever known, but it had barely taken a week in this place to suss out that it was a particularly blighted home to come from.

"Bigger farms. Fewer owners."

[hellish_butler]

"I see." Sebastian can quite picture it, but that's not a lot. Still, he's not one to question it. He figured the young man has a farming background, which explains why he's pretty efficient with the help he provided.

Once the tasks are done and all the baskets are filled. "There we are, all of them are filled. I can ship the rest and my pick-up man will come to pick it later in the afternoon" He said.

"Well done, Mr. Horatio. You've been a big help for me, and I thank you. I hope I can repay you. If you're hungry, I have some lunch if you like to eat something. It's on me. And then I shall give you your pay and that's all the help I needed from you."