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Gardening wasn't something that came naturally to Theo. Not through lack of care or interest; quite the opposite. For when he did remember that he now owned a nice, spacious backyard, the idea of growing things and eating them was wild and primal and therefore more than a little exciting. There were just a few problems. One problem was that he had trouble adapting to the gentle care plants needed, as opposed to a more rigorous form of love Theo had intended. He'd been told that he was too enthusiastic about them, multiple times from one friend of fine gardening repute. Too likely to drown them in water or prune them too thoroughly or treat them maybe a little too well with plant feed. The second problem was that he often forgot he had a garden at all. In defence, he had never had a back yard before, and he got so busy besides that. Working, helping out around the Haven, seeing friends...it all added up and, every few weeks, his busy schedule left him kneeling amongst the grass, staring at some dead or dying plants and feeling more than a little bit emotional about the whole thing.
This time was no exception; even as he walked across the lawn, he could see how fragile and yellow the leaves were. A night shift at work had triggered his memory of his little collection of plants this time. Just a few minutes earlier, he had found himself asleep on his sofa in broad daylight, having apparently drifted off sometime after arriving home. His very first thought upon waking was his garden and how he hadn't done anything with it for a week or so. Now, he was crouched down next to his small array of crops, gently cradling one of his plant's broad, yellowing leaves in the palm of his hand. What kind of plant it was, he had no idea. His method of planting involved scattering a lot of seeds and hoping for the best, but either way he felt a little teary holding this dying thing in his hand. "Hey little guy..." he mumbled sadly, shifting the leaf around and squinting at it for signs of life. It was withering again, along with all its brothers, and he couldn't help but feel tremendously crestfallen. It was just last week he'd been watering these guys, all still alive and fresh and lovely, practically dancing for him in the breeze. Now, they were probably beyond saving. Letting out a brief sigh, Theo shifted his weight onto one hand and started to hoist himself up from the cool, shaded grass. Oh well. Time to move on. Just as he was almost onto his feet, however, something caught his eye through a gap in the tangle of fragile foliage. Something red and small and, in the brief moment he saw it, shockingly like a berry...
Like being brought back to life, he felt himself take a sudden, sharp intake of breath, muscles jerking back to alert tension. Could it really be...? Hope rising in his heart, he let himself drop quickly to his knees again with a dull thud, looking excitedly around for where he saw that little burst of colour. Heart quickening, he violently thrust the wilted greenery aside, knocking off leaves and snapping brittle stems, clawing his way to that flash of red, until-
The greens and yellows parted before his eyes, revealing three small berries, hanging within a shock of dead brown leaves. Theo audibly gasped, shocked to stillness for a second. He stared, wide-eyed and still, before the realisation fully hit. He'd done it! He'd made something live. It had been months and nothing had grown but now - he felt his chest fill with pride, bright and warm as the sun beating down on his back. Excitement made him thrust his hands forth to grab his crop but, last second, he stopped and halted his excited outreach. No, he couldn't be rough with them....gentle hands. He curled his fingers back, staring awe-struck at this one sign of beauty and life; nature's bounty, nestled and bright within the dead and dying. Delicately now, he reached forth and pulled the first one from its yellowing stem with two fingers, easy as plucking it from thin air. Then the second. Then the third.
He pulled back from the bush, standing now in the warm sunlight and watching the berries roll around his palm. "You're so beautiful." he spoke softly, as if scared his voice would blow them away. Theo leaned in close to stare and smile at what he now saw were either wild strawberries or grossly undernourished regular strawberries. He considered his options for a second, as the initial excitement started to die down. The overwhelming desire was to eat them right away and he teetered on the edge of doing just that, until another thought crossed his mind. He almost dropped the berries when he realised: he had to show Irithyll.
Mind made up, he cupped the strawberries in hand and sprinted back into his house, barely able to stop grinning at the thought of how he kept something alive. Irithyll had labelled him a lost cause almost immediately; you couldn't keep plants alive with the power of love alone, he said, and yet! He still managed.
He ran all the way: from the house, across the front yard, across the pavement, over the road, right into the much-better kept lawn of Irithyll and finally, up to the doorstep. No longer in danger of tossing the berries onto the ground, he uncupped his hands and used his left hand to jab incessantly on Irithyll's little doorbell. In his excitement, he completely forgot how much the more restrained man would hate such a barrage of rings, as opposed to just the one. He could barely contain himself and, when the door was finally opened, he didn't even look to see who it was before speaking.
"Irithyll...Irithyll I made life." he choked out, holding out his grass-stained hands to reveal the three wild strawberries, tiny and delicate and sweet just to look at.
