Private To the gardens!

Jeremiah was where he always was now when lunch rolled around. He didn't need to eat, and so he was just as happy to be out in the gardens or the greenhouse, tending to the plants and keeping the animals company. That was where he was currently, holding a jar in his hand and watching the caterpillar inside slowly weave itself a cocoon. It was still far too early for her to be let loose, even when she finally emerged as a butterfly. She would die in the cold, and he wasn't happy with that idea.

Hearing a noise, Jeremiah noticed a young looking woman walking among the garden herself. She immediately reminded him of Carmin due to her appearance, though she was more ethereal and light than the boy with a pansy for a head. Still... he didn't want another plant person to freak out over him keeping the caterpillar alive.

Standing up, he quickly hid the jar in one of the massive pockets inside his coat and greeted Mystel with a smile. "Hello hello! A good day for a walk in the garden, yes?"

Jeremiah smiled wider, steepling his fingers together as he stepped closer to Mystel. "Ah, yes. I find the forest much more peaceful, but I love the colors of all the flowers. My name is Jeremiah."

He offered his hand to Mystal, palm up, and gave her a little bow since she was a bit shorter than him. "It's very nice to meet you, Miss Mystel. Are you a student?"

Everything about her appearance was interesting though, and he found his curiosity prickling the back of his neck. He wondered what kind of flower that was in her hair, or the leaves that she wore like a dress.

Jeremiah gave her hand a small shake, up once and then down, and planted a small kiss on her knuckles. "Ah, I see. I haven't ever needed to go to the nurse's office. That would explain why we have never met, then. It is very good to meet you then."

Straightening up as he released her hand from his, Jeremiah's smile fell ever so slightly with a hint of sadness. But then it radiated again as he used his usual trick of focusing on the good memories. "Ah, I did... once. I lived on a small farm with my parents. We cared for all kinds of plants and animals. It was... I think the word Da used was 'pastoral'."

"I don't really have a preference. My parents taught me respect for all of nature. They used to say that we're part of nature, so we need to treat it as well as we do our own bodies." His smile brightened further, remembering his younger days and the times he had been frightened by an animal as a child.

"I got many odd looks when I was younger. The adults in the nearby town would be frightened of a snake, and I would just go pick it up and carry it elsewhere, where it wouldn't hurt or be hurt by anyone."

He shifted gears though, not wanting to just focus on himself. That seemed selfish to him. "How do you enjoy being a nurse? Da was a healer; people from town would come with ails fairly regularly. Also, would you like to keep walking?" Jeremiah added, gesturing to the path that looped through the garden, connecting the buildings of the school.

"Ah, he was a hedge witch so his remedies were magical in nature, yes. But he also knew more traditional medicine, and freely blended the two." As they walked, Jeremiah basked in the warmth of the sun, which contrasted the cool breeze on his cheeks. It was such a wondrous feeling, feeling again. It still amazed him how going without sensation had made him appreciate even the little things once again.

"He taught me a lot about herbs and traditional medicine. I think he wanted me to take over his work when he was too old to do it. Which would have been a lovely way to spend my life, I think."

But that hadn't worked out. He wondered, as he did from time to time, what was left of his old home. The farmhouse, the barn... the gardens. Maybe Mother or Grandfather would let him go see someday.

"I could help you, if you would like. Da always told me that I should extend a hand to help those who need it. And you seem like a lovely woman, kind and considerate, so it would be like a public service as well." Jeremiah turned to look more deliberately at Mystel as they rounded a corner close to the lake. He smiled all sunshine and sugar at her, as he did with everyone.