Not much had changed for Patton in his new life in the noble's home. Roman had stopped by later when Patton had begun to grow stir crazy and showed him around. A lot of rooms were simply storage or unused so Roman skipped most of them, including the basement. He stuck with the main areas Patton would need to know, including the garden. It wasn't a complete mess in all honesty. It was a bit overgrown with weeds and most of the plants were still alive, but it didn't look like it had the proper upkeep it deserved. Patton had been told that the old gardener, Emile, had taken very good care of it. That is, until Remy, the cook, had swept them off their feet and eloped one day. They apologized and said their goodbyes before moving on to settle down together, alone.

Learning about that whole love story was rather... interesting. Patton watched as Roman and Virgil bickered back and forth. Logan and Roman thought the two were quite obvious about their feelings, but Virgil was convinced that there was no warning before the two ran off together. Roman insisted that they were not-so-subtly pining for each other and that Virgil was completely blind to it all. And while Patton hadn't been there for very long, he was starting to agree with the messenger. Even he had noticed the way Logan would watch Virgil on his patrols of the grounds. He held the same look that Patton had seen in himself as he quickly fell for Roman. He eventually wrote all his musings and thoughts down in letters to his family, but he did not plan on delivering any of them. He wanted to write back something of note to them, something exciting and adventurous like he had dreamed. Moving a few days away to settle down doing the exact same thing he was doing back home wasn't what he wanted to tell his family. He wanted to spin an adventurous tale for them to justify why he simply left without warning.

As for Patton, life was a lot of the same as it was before. He managed to distract himself by weeding out the garden and keeping himself busy, but he quickly found he missed a lot of things he once had. He missed waking up and checking on the chickens. He missed giving his mother a quick kiss before heading out to the market. He missed Mrs. Morris and her gossip. He missed his sisters and telling them stories. He missed his father and making sure he wasn't overworking himself. The ambient noises to all of that as well were gone now that he was out in the middle of nowhere.

Most days, Roman did come to visit while he worked. That was a huge motivator for Patton. He wanted to try harder knowing that the other was there watching him and rooting for him to succeed. Patton managed to bring some plants back to life, but not all. He even was able to ask for a few things to maybe improve the garden. Emile had left behind some books that Patton had been reading before bed at night and learned a lot! He missed the fairy tales he used to read, but Roman would still come by and share stories with him from time to time. The quieter days were when Roman would leave for a while to the nearest town to restock on supplies for them all. Besides that, nothing changed much in their home.

As for Patton's relationship with Virgil, it was just as he had said. Patton managed to get him to smile or laugh after a joke, but he kept his distance and remained skeptical for a few weeks. Patton tried not to take it personally. It was his job, after all. Patton showed up one day and just inserted himself in their lives; there was room to be suspicious, he supposed. His relationship with Logan as a little bit better, at least. The nobleman had opened up to Patton pretty quickly, asking him questions about things he wished to see and adventures he wanted to go on. Logan was very formal and a bit stiff, but he would listen to Patton ramble on and on without objecting or simply tuning him out. It was nice to have someone to talk to, even if Logan would lock himself away to work on papers.

While it wasn't exactly the life Patton was dreaming of, it wasn't terrible. There were days like today where he had spent all morning in the garden. The feeling of urgency that he had to be somewhere else was gone and Patton found he could relax a lot more and really focus on his current task. His days started to slip by as he became focused on his work until someone interrupted him to make sure he was taking care of himself.

"Patton!" Looking up from the current patch of dirt he was weeding through, Patton perked up as he saw Roman excitedly run up to him. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Roman! Sleep well?"

"As well as I could have, I suppose." Roman smiled softly and Patton's heart began to flutter as he turned away. "And you?"

"Like a dream." Roman would offer to help or ask questions before Patton had to shoo him away begrudgingly. He loved his time with Roman, but he proved to be very, very distracting.

"I was wondering, Patton, if you could do me a favor?"

Patton perked up immediately. "Of course!"

Roman laughed and shook his head. "Shouldn't you ask what it is first before agreeing?"

"Oh, right, sorry." Patton blushed in embarrassment. "What is it, Roman?"

"I was wondering if you could go talk to Logan? He's a bit lonely without Virgil and won't admit he's moping."

"Sir Virgil is not around?" Patton removed his gloves carefully and stood from the ground. "Has he gone somewhere?"

"A small trip, nothing to worry about." Roman turned back toward the towering home and threw out his arms dramatically. "However, Logan is acting as if he is never coming back! I understand they're best friends, but my goodness!"

"Best friends?" Patton let out a soft sigh. "So you don't see it either."

"What? See what?" Patton smirked and dusted off his hands on his pants before heading inside. "Patton, see what? What am I missing?!"

"A lot of things, apparently," he mumbled softly to himself. "Nothing, Roman. Don't worry about it."

Patton made his way to Logan's office. The noble spent a lot of time inside of it lately. Roman had made a comment about how unusual that was, but Patton had the feeling he might have been the cause of that. Patton knocked on the door and turned, wondering exactly when Roman had stopped following him before he turned back to the door. The floorboards creaked and the knob jingled before Patton smiled down at the face of the lord.

Logan blinked in a bit of surprise before holding the door open just a bit more. "Patton, I was not expecting you."

"Hey, I um... was wondering if we could just... talk? Maybe get to know each other a bit better?"

Logan stared at Patton a bit before taking a step back and motioning to the room. "Of course. Please, do come in."

Patton hadn't been in the office since his arrival and took the opportunity to inspect it a bit closer. The desk was lined with papers and seemed a bit messy, but everything else was rather organized. Patton wondered if Logan was just the type to know where everything was as long as it was within his reach. "You've been rather busy lately."

Patton heard Logan let out a sigh as the door clicked shut. "Not as busy as I would have hoped." The nobleman turned and gave a sad smile. "I would normally be out and visiting the lands, but I have a responsibility here for a while."

"Is that were Virgil has gone?" Patton watched Logan tense up a bit. "Sorry, Roman mentioned he wasn't here currently."

"No, Virgil is out checking on something for me." Logan walked over to his desk and began to organize it a bit. Patton stared at him as he fluttered by. "I am probably being a bit overcautious but a big responsibility was bestowed upon me and I want to do my best." It was then that Logan looked over at Patton and noticed is silence. "Are you alright?"

"You're wearing a dress."

Logan looked a bit confused as he looked down at his own attire. He donned his usual style of vest as normal on top. "It's just the skirt, actually." Logan reached down and tugged at the long, flowy fabric with a smile on his face. "It's quite stuffy in here so a skirt is usually beneficial when I'm working. Is this a problem?"

"No! No, I just..." Patton cleared his throat and smiled. "My sisters have made me play dress up before so I've worn them myself but they usually treat it like a joke. I guess I just didn't expect it to... I dunno, be an option?"

Logan nodded in understanding and continued to shuffle around his paperwork. "It simply is comfortable for me to wear so I don't see the point in arguing about it."

"They are a bit comfortable but I dunno if I'd ever go out of my way to wear one again."

"That is completely understandable. I am not asking you to, however. Just as you are not asking me to change. I don't wear them often, especially around Virgil, so I seized the opportunity."

"Why don't you wear them around Sir Virgil?" Logan grew still at his desk and Patton began to panic. "I mean, you don't have to tell me! I was just curious, I'm sorry."

"It, ah... it is because he tends to avoid me when I do, it seems. I do not know why it makes him as uncomfortable as it does. He has mentioned it does not bother him and has even complimented me, but I notice he acts a bit different when I do." Patton shook his head and smirked as Logan explained the 'strange' behavior. "It is a better reaction than I have had in the past and for that I am grateful."

"I guess it's strange because people make you think it is." Logan looked over at Patton who smiled and shrugged. "I mean, I never thought about why I couldn't wear one but there's no harm in it, right?"

Logan smiled as he watched the man in front of him. "Would you like to join me for a walk around the grounds? I'd love a bit of fresh air and you can show me your plans for the garden if you wish."

When Sir Virgil returned home about a week later, he found Logan out back in the shade under a tree while enjoying a cup of tea. There was not a book in his hands, however, as he was talking to both Roman and Patton. The garden was in a better state when he had left and Patton seemed to be taking a bit of a break on the side, laying on his stomach and enjoying the shade as well. He noticed Virgil standing at the exit of the back door and waved.

"Virgil, you've returned!" Roman threw his arms out and smiled. "In one piece, I see!"

"Glad to have you back, Sir Virgil," Logan smiled from his seat at the base of the tree. "By your behavior, I assume it all went well?"

Virgil smiled and nodded, shifting the wrapped package in his hands to the side. "I have and you were correct. I found nothing of concern."

"Excellent, as I knew you would."

Virgil rolled his eyes and turned toward Patton before holding up the package. "I have a present for you."

"Me?" Patton stood up and eyed the paper wrapping carefully. Twine wrapped around it, tying some parchment to it as well.

Virgil held it out and Patton took it carefully in his hands, eyeing his name swirled on the paper. "I did promise that I was going to dig into your past to make sure you were trustworthy. It's from your family." Patton looked up in shock, gripping the parcel closer to his chest. "They were happy to hear their eldest son was working for a nobleman and wanted to send something back."

"You visited my family?" Virgil nodded and smiled before motioning to the package. "Thank you. Are they alright?"

"Your father is stubborn and a bit sore from overworking himself a bit. Your mother wanted me to reassure you that she had him on bedrest for at least a week after." Patton laughed and shook his head at the news. "Your sisters told me a bunch of stuff but I'm just going to summarize it to 'we miss you come tell us bedtime stories or I'll be mad for forever' or something like that."

Patton threw back his head as he laughed, a huge smirk on his face. "Ahh, that's my family alright!" Patton wiped a tear from his eye, the smile on his face not budging at all. "Was there anything else?"

"Just the package." Patton turned his attention back to the present he was cradling in his hands. "Said it was very important that you got it in one piece."

Patton untied the knot with a little bit of difficulty before looking at the letter. He glanced at it, reading a few lines before he folded it in half. He took a moment to collect himself and placed it down in his lap. "I'll, uh... have to read that later. It's a bit too much for me right now." He could already feel the tears stinging his eyes from what he was able to read. "Okay, now for you!" Patton tugged at the paper that tied the package and found it was covering some thin cloth. He pulled it back and gasped, staring at the old book that was falling apart at the seams, literally. The tile stared back at him in the faded, curvy lettering he remembered as clear as the day he got it. The Tale of the Nefarious Sorcerer and the Witch. A classic, his favorite book to read to his sisters and the first one he managed to read all on his own. "M-my book?"

"They said it wasn't the same if you couldn't read it to them." Patton looked up and saw Virgil smiling back at him. "You have a wonderful family, Patton."

This time, Patton couldn't stop the waterworks as he held the book to his chest as close as he could, tears streaming down his face. "I do, thank you. For bringing this to me, thank you so much."

"I promised you that I'd make sure you weren't a threat and you're not. Figured I should make it up to you for my harsh behavior somehow." Patton nodded and smiled up at him before carefully wiping the tears from his face. He sniffled as well and smiled back down at the book. "Welcome to the Thatch residence, Patton."