Val and Metody moved on-- Val back towards the basement and Metody apparently for the kitchen-- leaving Ellis with Hans. Ah joy.
He smiled politely. Small talk. That was fine. "Well, you enjoy cleanin' don't you? I mean... not enjoy precisely... but you know, it's kinda soothin'. Lets you feel you bein' productive I guess," Ellis said vaguely.
"So you got a lotta things to be productive on. Thass nice." Fixed smile at Hans. Hmm, one of the curses of undeath was that he couldn't go beg a glass of tea himself. Maybe blood but that was a just a wee bit presumptuous.
"Just fine, thank you," Ellis said smoothly. He was better at faking small talk than Hans-- one had to be if one chatted people up to lure them to be food-- and took a perverse pleasure in that fact now.
"Val's daddy an' them all visited an' that was real nice, showed them th' sights an' such, I figger he had a good time. An' we done fishin' an' gardenin' an' such an' so forth."
"Ah, that is good," Hans said, genuinely pleased. "It is nice that Valentine is spending more time with his father and siblings. Family should be close. I am pleased to see Ernst is taking a more active role in Valentine's life, if a bit late."
He struggled for more small talk. Gardening. Fishing. "So.... you have caught many fish? What do they have down there-- catfish, I know-- but other varieties as well, yes?"
Ellis stuck his hands in his pockets. "We caught a few, yes. Lots more'n just catfish. "We caught us bass an' drum an' shad an' crappies an' buffalo fish an' all sorts. Throw a lot of it back, what ain't good for eatin' an' such. Some of it Val ets altho really I just as soon take him to a restaurant where he can have it cooked by someone knows what they doin' an' not some fella who is liable to burn water."
He smiled politely. Small talk. That was fine. "Well, you enjoy cleanin' don't you? I mean... not enjoy precisely... but you know, it's kinda soothin'. Lets you feel you bein' productive I guess," Ellis said vaguely.
"So you got a lotta things to be productive on. Thass nice." Fixed smile at Hans. Hmm, one of the curses of undeath was that he couldn't go beg a glass of tea himself. Maybe blood but that was a just a wee bit presumptuous.
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Getting the mold off of things, for one.
He searched for some other topic with which to make small talk with Ellis, rather at a loss to begin with in such situations. "So."
A long pause.
"How have you and Valentine been enjoying your summer?"
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"Val's daddy an' them all visited an' that was real nice, showed them th' sights an' such, I figger he had a good time. An' we done fishin' an' gardenin' an' such an' so forth."
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He struggled for more small talk. Gardening. Fishing. "So.... you have caught many fish? What do they have down there-- catfish, I know-- but other varieties as well, yes?"
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Ellis stuck his hands in his pockets. "We caught a few, yes. Lots more'n just catfish. "We caught us bass an' drum an' shad an' crappies an' buffalo fish an' all sorts. Throw a lot of it back, what ain't good for eatin' an' such. Some of it Val ets altho really I just as soon take him to a restaurant where he can have it cooked by someone knows what they doin' an' not some fella who is liable to burn water."
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