Despite the conjecture of the people Ghetsis had always intended these contemptible hands of his to cultivate. It was a far-reaching consensus that he had been driven only by the insidious seeds of evil, patiently awaiting the most auspicious moment to subvert their fragile peace. But there had once been those who had foolishly believed his preaching, hapless trainers who looked to their methods and questioned their morals. In a way, like he was now, he had been cultivating then too. With a diligent hand he tended to the fertile soil of Unova that had been thus far neglected, guiding those without a purpose to call their own to a prosperous future. It all seemed so futile now, shrunk until it could be contained within the confines of a lacquered flower-bed. He had watched Alder assemble it too, not offering even the slightest bit of help. Selfish until the end, it was almost infuriating that the retired-champion refused to acknowledge it. Ghetsis had come to the conclusion that he must have gotten a kick out of it━ he wouldn’t put it past the mulish old bastard.
“ Do you intend to stand there all day.” It wasn’t a question but the warmth ushered in alongside his company was a begrudgingly welcomed distraction. The more he toiled, the more his hands shook, defying his will. It roiled within him, that pitiful incompetence. Age had caught up with him, wreathing his hair with strands of silver and turning his very hands into obstinate defactors.
His tone is sharp with irritation but his mouth remains in an immutable smile. “ And here I had presumed you enjoyed being helpful.” A packet of forsaken seeds sat on the edge of the bed as the invitation was laid out before him; a slave to his pride until the very end. He would never ask for help, if only to deny Alder the chance to wear that gratuitously triumphant grin he so loathed. With a vague hand gesture he beckoned him over, unable to fully accept the absurd reality that the two of them would be spending the afternoon planting seeds; for the future━or something along those utterly inane lines.
It was something to distract him; how "the mighty" had fallen. After so many weeks of suggesting that of which Ghetsis could do in his plentiful spare time, he seemed to finally give in when Alder decided of his own volition to assemble flower beds.
Of course the former Champion would say nothing about it, he knew how fragile Ghetsis' pride was that if even the slightest hint of reliance on another, or giving-into a whim were to be made evident, then he would pull away five times over. So Alder had never made his intentions clear, simply doing and allowing the other party his own space to cast his influence over it. Even though Ghetsis was far from a fool and no doubt knew the reason for his companion's newest hobby, he could at least pretend it was otherwise, and that he'd not been playing into his hand.
So now Alder stood as casual as could be, large arms crossed over his chest as he basked in the light breeze and the brilliant sun. He was supervising, naturally, but to make it come off as less... "parole officer-y", he pretended he was merely enjoying the beautiful day.
A stark contrast to Ghetsis, cloaked from head to toe in thin cotton fabric and a large hat, not a single bit of skin exposed to the light.
"Haven't I been helpful enough?" He rebuts, unable to keep himself from a nostalgic sort of playful competitiveness.
Their lives had taken them down very different paths, and by no means should Alder have ever been expected to show mercy to Unova's number one enemy... but he was sentimental and foolish at heart. Perhaps a case could be made for him if he admitted that all of this was being done for selfish reasons.
Still, understanding the indirect want for help, Alder gave-in. He moved to kneel beside the man, grabbing the packet of seeds and giving them a curious once-over. Better to focus his attention on them than the way his companion's extremities trembled.
"Can't be so hard, can it? I mean, what, do we just sprinkle a few seeds everywhere?"
He's already tearing into the packet, peeking inside and even gently pouring some of the small seeds into the palm of his hand, which he then holds out for Ghetsis to scrutinise.
"You think these will grow well with whatever else we're planning to have?"
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