WHO: Sebastian and Issy WHEN: Morning of 8/14 WHERE: Greenhouses and apiary. WHAT: Beekeeping! RATING: Low.
Sebastian treated the beehives as though he were courting them, as often as he brought them gifts. At first, he'd taken over the bees in order to keep using them to naturally pollinate flowers in the greenhouses after Helena left. Wherever it was possible, he felt it important to maintain a natural ecosystem. It wasn't long before he became absolutely devoted to them, if not enamored. Clever, fascinating little creatures, bees were.
It was difficult work, especially without his glasses, and the first few times he'd had bees walking over his bare hands and arms had been unsettling. He didn't wear the heavy gloves unless he was directly harvesting, however. They just didn't seem necessary most of the time. The veil was, he discovered soon enough. He'd been stung a few times, but only when bees got caught in his hair. For a very brief moment, Sebastian considered shaving his head for them... but he thought he'd look very odd as a bald man, and preferred to leave his hairline up to God, instead. The veil worked well enough, and he'd had no more stings since he'd started using it.
Summer heat did make his work somewhat oppressive, but Sebastian had always preferred hot environments to cold ones. He had terrible blood circulation, and a tendency to get chills very easily. That never happened in the greenhouses. He tried to mitigate the heat, however, by having the seamstress turn a pair of his slacks into a pair of shorts for him. When he'd worked at the labs, he'd had a strict dress code. Now, his work outfit consisted of slack-shorts, a thin long-sleeved, button-up shirt, the veiled hat, socks and shoes. He never could stand exposed toes, so hadn't been able to embrace the sandal as a footwear option.
In short, he tended to look ridiculous. Luckily, the bees didn't judge him on his attire. Some days there was little to do, but he still got dressed up to observe the bees, just out of respect. The way any man would for a date. This day was no different. Later, he intended to remove the veil and visit his plants, as well. If one were counting insects and greenery, he was quite a popular gentleman.