seasonality ✦ tsuyukusa

[commandertoolbelt]

Comments

[commandertoolbelt]

[ that's fine. we can spend one last night under the stars before this whole thing ends. ]

We had a party on the roof of Winter on Sunday. [ . . . ] Before they texted you that stuff. Iris said sorry for that, by the way.

[branches]

Why would Iris say sorry for it, I thought it was Caleb and Molly?

[commandertoolbelt]

They set up the actual text, but it was her dare to let someone else send something from my phone.

[branches]

It's not like it even did anything...
[Tch!!]

A real tree would be too afraid of you, anyway.

[commandertoolbelt]

Ouch.

[ it's the fire and he knows that but. ouch. ]

The dryads back home aren't afraid of me, you know. I would never hurt an innocent tree.

[branches]

Well Dryads aren't just a tree, right? They're like me, and can tell you're not dangerous. A normal plant isn't going to have that sort of sense.

[commandertoolbelt]

...Do regular plants have emotions like humans do, then?

[branches]

It's not really the same, but sort of?

[commandertoolbelt]

Riiiiiight. I'll have to take your word for it.

[ leo valdez speaks many languages but plant is not one of them. ]

Why'd you want to come here, anyway? Did you just want to look at the stars, or what?

[branches]

I guess.

I still feel as useless as I did yesterday. Maybe more. Everyone yelled at me.

[commandertoolbelt]

Everyone's always yelling for some reason or other. And - honestly, I know you were frustrated, but you were pretty mean to Lila.

[ EVEN IF HE IS FACTUALLY CORRECT leo doesn't know that yet. ]

But I think a lot of them didn't really understand why it's such a big deal for you, either.

[branches]

I didn't- I didn't really mean that. I just got upset and said something stupid.

I don't know why everyone keeps saying it's a big deal for me.

[commandertoolbelt]

I know, I know. Everyone gets upset a lot faster in those situations than they would normally, though. It sucks that they all kind of dogpiled you without trying to understand.

[ ...and leo's not going to try to mansplain tsuyu's own feelings to him so he just won't reply to the second part. ]

Seems like they got what they wanted, though, so. No need to yell anymore.

[branches]

... Yeah.
[Frowning.]

I just... Something about this ending seems off to me.

[commandertoolbelt]

Anything in particular, or...?

[ he has a guess, but tsuyu should say it himself, before anyone more assumptions. ]

[branches]

I don't know. It just made me think of the yakou. I mean, don't get me wrong, I hate the yakou. It messed with me and my friends lots of times. But when I realized that one time how it was jealous of me, of my father. Because it was lonely. It was just the AI Shinonome had written, warped by the people he gave it to. Angry and sad, waiting for him to come back for him...

I don't know. I felt bad for it. And Shinonome was able to save it. Turn it back into what it was before.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ yeah, that's it. not surprising at all, so leo just nods. ]

Sounds like we didn't really have much an option here, though. It was asking us for an end, right?

[branches]

I guess? But maybe just because it couldn't imagine a better option? If it's been lonely for a long time... Or we didn't have the right person here.

Anyway, I think taking frustrations out on it is just... That's wrong no matter what.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ well, it isn't like leo can't see the appeal in wanting some kind of revenge. he'd be a hypocrite not to. ]

Or maybe it did know about the other options and just didn't want them?

[ shrugs. no arguments here, though. ]

Those are big words coming from someone who said he used to kill any humans. [ leo nudges him playfully. ] I think that's part of what they didn't understand - or didn't want to, maybe? That you've been there, I mean. But honestly, I do think it's a good thing you brought it up. It's good to consider it from all angles.

[ and it says a lot about tsuyukusa. good things, things that make leo sure he really does like this dumb tree, even if he's still as flawed as anyone. ]

[branches]

It didn't matter... Everyone was already decided in doing that before I said anything and me saying it didn't change that.

Since I've never been reliable before no one took my experience seriously, I guess.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ honestly, this hits really close to home... so leo is just going to come over and sit next him so their shoulders are touching, and just lean into him a bit. ]

Trust me, I know how that feels. And I know how it feels being the one who said something the others don't want to hear, too. That doesn't mean it shouldn't have been said.

[branches]

[Leans right back against Leo.]

I just... what if things could have changed? What if Nona could have been saved? Even if it wanted things to end now... I don't know. There were times when I thought... I mean, it's only been a few years since Byakuroku died. If I'd kept living the way I'd had, just wallowing in him being gone...
[He shakes his head.]

I guess it doesn't matter.

[commandertoolbelt]

It matters as long as you're not going to get stuck on what could have been forever. But I think the worry was that... "saving" Nona would have meant leaving the story open for a sequel and letting this whole thing happen again. And nobody's going to wish what happened to all of us on anyone else.

But I guess it's over now, either way. [ nudges him gently. ] What are you planning to do first, once we're out of here?

[branches]

I already promised I'd go back with you and help with that prophecy thing.

[Though now he's frowning a bit because he's worrying about all the other Amatsuki NPCs.]

Though if I use my wish to save all the people in Amatsuki instead of just me... they'll need a lot of help getting resettled in Higan...

[commandertoolbelt]

Yeah, about that. I'm... not actually sure what I'm going back to, right this second? Last I remember, I got blasted off my own ship and then I woke up here in Wiwaldi.

[ HAHA... moving on... ]

But hey, assuming the prophecy thing works out, maybe I can come and help you guys with that. Getting a bunch of ye oldes settled into the modern world is going to take all the help you can get.