sticksandbonesmods | Let's go in the garden...

No. It's mine. I'm the one who let go.

( despite how soft and broken her voice is, there's a certain firmness too. like she can't budge on this- won't. she'll greedily take all the guilt in this exchange and won't share a crumb.

but once he begins to gather the drones, she stands up. she's not so far gone that the one she's holding will fall through her arms, but... )

If I didn't need your protection, we wouldn't be in this situation... the root of the problem is my own failure. [they're both too stubborn for this

he picks up the last drone, looking at it for a moment before stashing it away... then, he reaches down to pull a knife from his pouch. he flicks it on, a faint blue glow lighting up along the edge.

just in case. he keeps it palmed, holding the other hand out to Nene.]

Come on. Let's get you out of here.

Mn... okay.

( her hand will feel cold and tingly up until they enter the nexus of the mist and fog again. she doesn't hesitate this time, nor linger for too long- the sooner add gets to the grove, the better.

that said, once they enter that nexus, her hands seem to restore themselves. )

[This time around she'll be outpacing him... he's trying not to stumble, taking it slow to compensate for his addled mental state. He holds her hand tightly, glancing down at it every so often to make sure it's really there. One step at a time, easy does it...

... he wants to bring up his request again, but the timing feels awkward now. his resolve hasn't changed, but pushing her after a mess like that won't do them any good... he sighs, letting their walk go on in silence for now. if he can get her to come willingly, great. if not...

he doesn't let go, but he weaves their fingers together as they approach the edge of the garden, the precipice of the forest. this way, it'll at least be harder to let go by mistake, he hopes.]

( nene at least slows down when she notices he's going slower as well. she can't blame him, and wishes that she could give him rest, but- no. it has to wait. they can't stay here- but.

...

nene squeezes his hand in her own. )

You'll have to pay the toll again.

[He looks at her blankly for a moment. Toll?]

... oh, right. [Nothing happened last time, so he almost forgot... well, it'll probably be fine again. He'll worry about it later. He squeezes her hand back.] I'll be fine. Hold on tight, okay?

[They'll be back in the forest soon, and this time he won't let go...]

( they won't let go. but after the attack she'd seen, she doesn't think the forest is going to gentle about it. )

... I'm right here with you. Okay?

( who's comforting who? honestly... )

[He smiles, and in his mind he's not the one putting on a brave face. He's not scared... he doesn't even remember dying. It's like it didn't even happen. Does it count, if he can't remember it and came back to life? Nene is the one who had to watch. She's the one who would've suffered, not him.

Add fidgets with the knife in his hand, testing the grip, rotating it between his fingers in a practiced motion... anyway, if something does appear, he'll be ready. He's survived on his own before. He won't let go.

Together, they step out from the mist and into the fog...

It seems the same, at first... but there's something in the air that he can't quite place. The trees hang around them like a crowd, bumping shoulders, lightly tickling at his sides... was it always so dense out here? Did they take a different path? He stumbles, squeezing her hand so he doesn't lose it, lifting his head up to more branches—scraping, leaves in his face, another root blocking his foot.

Something isn't right. He stops, raising a hand to swipe the branches away, the edge of his knife glowing brightly—]

[the branches crack and twist like hands, impossibly strong as they bind around his arm—how stupid is he, really, thinking a tiny knife would be enough to save him? And yet he still struggles fruitlessly, trying to pull away from the snare. The roots coil at his feet, more branches creeping up from behind, encircling his chest, his neck, how can trees move so fast—

The only limb left untouched is his other arm... of course, it would be a shame if Nene didn't do her job. Imagine how tragic it would be if she let go, right here, while Add is in the forest's palm? She would do good to keep him still.

He's bound firmly in place, and for a moment he wonders if he's going to die again already... but the wooden bindings tighten no further, even if it would be oh so easy for them to snap his taut neck like a twig. He's not left wondering for long as a final ragged branch lowers itself, tips sharpened to a point, winding and twisting into a single, long, thorny stick that stays level with his eyes... it sways, as if deciding between two choices, then

flicker of movement, darkness, a searing pain in his right eye

thrashing instinctively but he's trapped like an insect under a pin, thorns digging inside his skull, scraping against his optic nerve. branches rattle around him like laughter. someone is screaming. the leaves tickle his throat and he tastes blood, dripping, getting in his eyes, claws that scrape and grasp and twist and pull

he doesn't see the forest recede, taking with it its mangled prize. he only feels his legs give out when the supports are taken out from under him.]

( she should have seen it coming, how brutal and how personal the forest would get. something in her giggles gleefully, whispering about how he should know better and so should she- she's the forest's, and she always will be. look how powerless your savior is in our branches! do you really think he could break you out? stupid. stupid stupid add and stupid stupid nene. but it forgives her.

it always does.

her grip is like a vice, as is his- it's perhaps the only thing that spares him as he's brought almost out of her reach, and she can only watch in horror- though the plants listen to her command, even she can't overpower the forest and it's greed. desperately, she tries to pull him back to her- )

No... no, no, stop! Let him go-!!

( but she can't pull him back when the thorn pierces it's target, nor can she free him until the forest lets him drop.

nene doesn't let go of his hand, but she drops to her knees before him, trying to keep him steady and hold him as best she can.

every day, she hates her keeper more. )

[he's shaking like a leaf, the remnants of a scream still pouring up from his throat. bile and blood makes its way onto the forest floor. he grips her hand until it hurts them both.

the world is dark and red and dizzy. it feels like a long time before he can think again—the pain is immense, no less than a 9 on his personal scale. his throat is sore and his hand still shakes when he brings it to his face, touching only the wet edges of the wound that burns at his fingertips.

calm down. breathe. you're a doctor, aren't you? this is exactly a situation you're prepared for. breathe. take it slowly. you can do this, just breathe...]

Pouch. Third pocket on the left. Red vial. Dynamo. [he mutters the instructions with urgency, stumbling over the words. painkillers. obviously, he'd have painkillers, this is exactly the situation for painkillers... Dynamo should have enough strength to handle the injection if Nene isn't good with needles. he's got this.]

( nene almost misses what he's saying entirely, but manages a shaky nod with a choked out sound that almost resembles 'okay'. its her non-dominant hand that has to find everything, pat him down with trembling fingers to find what he means, and she hopes that the vial shaking doesn't do anything to it. as she rests it in her lap, she pulls out a drone and does her best to follow the instructions-

but her hand is shaking too much to actually inject the dosage for him. )

D-Dynamo, please...

[Dynamo beeps weakly, shuddering in her hands, but it manages to float itself up into the air. It struggles for a few moments longer before severing the mental link—when it comes to delicate operations like this, it only makes sense to remove any chance for human error. It evens out its hover, checking power reserves, assessing the patient's condition...

All Nene needs to do is put the vial into Dynamo, and the drone will gladly guide her hand. Just one little jab that Add barely even notices. A simple, routine procedure.

He tries again to breathe, counting down from one eighty, one seventy nine, one seventy eight... time blurs together, but now that relief is within sight, it's easier to pull himself together. just a little more, just a little longer, hand held tightly in his own...]

We shouldn't linger. [his voice wavers, but even if he could stay and wait for the painkiller to set in... he can feel the eyes of the forest all around, the rattle of branches, a distant howl. he doesn't want to stay any longer than he has to. he wants this nightmare to end.

He tries to stand again, hand pressed to the bloody mess on his face. Dynamo supports the side opposite of Nene, for as little as it can do in its current state.] How much further... quickly...

( nene puts her other hand over his once dynamo begins to move. she only stops to carry dynamo once more in her free hand before they start to stand again, though her legs feel like jelly despite being the safest person in all the forest. she nods, and when she speaks her voice is shaky- )

I can't say for sure. But I'll lead you there as fast as I can. I promise.

( she doesn't take time to talk this time around, only leading add through the fog and mist of the early morning. how long does it take to travel? it might feel like minutes. it might feel like hours. it might feel like days. even she doesn't know, though add will feel no more tired than when the journey began, at least.

eventually the fog breaks, and the grove is visible. things are different. lanterns hang from different posts. there's a giant turtle resting by the well. a new building has appeared.

and a field of unusually large flowers all turn their heads to look upon the new arrivals. they dare not reach for the forest's beloved or her charge, though. )

[No more tired, but does it matter when he's already exhausted—physically, mentally? He moves with purpose but his steps are even more unsteady, like he's ready to collapse at any moment. Every little misstep, every stumble or slip makes his heart jump into his throat, ready for the worst, ready for the forest to come back and finish him off—

it doesn't (thank El it doesn't) and the painkillers do, eventually, start to kick in. The pain dulls to a distant throb... he's in no better shape, but at least he can keep going. He can ignore the pain, shuffle it off to a low-priority corner of his mind. How much further, how much longer...

The forest finally opens up, and his chest aches with something that isn't pain or fear. He wants to collapse onto his knees then and there, dig his fingers into the dirt... but Nene's hand is still firmly grasping his own. He allows himself a sigh, tiredly forcing his feet to march forward. The strange flowers barely even register in his mind, too focused on the singular task of getting back to his room where it might be safe.

... he hasn't asked yet if she'll stay. At this point, he almost doesn't want to.]

( she's not making any effort to split away, at least- nene ignores the new building entirely, gently tugging him to the inn. it's quiet, painfully so- is everyone in bed right now? hopefully they won't run into anyone in the hallways. )

Um- which one's yours? I didn't get to learn a lot from my Momma, but she did teach me a few things to help...

Let's go in the garden...

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cw: wow!!!! its eye-gouging time!!!!!!!

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