[You were watering the small plants outside the greenhouse, listening through the closed doors as you cared for each stem. You liked sticking near where the action was, just in case you were needed. Usually, it was easy to see into the greenhouse, but, not today it seems.]
|You were happily digging up some dirt with your comically oversized shovel for your little body. But that didn’t matter! This was your garden! You had a nice sun hat, and antlers! You wanted a big shovel, you got one. The plants were really restless today, though, why’s that?|
<You were sitting at a table, in a covered patio out of the sun. Your eyes were closed as you mindlessly shuffled playing cards in your hand. You’re not much of a gardener yourself, you liked helping out, sure, but you much prefer cards.>
"-An Islander you say?"
[The voice is muffled by the greenhouse. Again, usually it’s as easy to look through the greenhouse glass as looking through your own glasses! But now it's like there is fog you can't get through. You felt the body talking, responding.]
"Yeah! They raised me. If it wasn'---t----em--"
[You pause watering the plants, stepping back, shaking your head. Something's not right. . . Starsdammit. You bang on the greenhouse door. You need to see what's going on!!!]
|Is everything okay? You walked up to them. You want to see too, what's going on?|
[Now's not the time, you're, trying to focus on what's going on. You bang on the door. Try to open it.]
|Shh, I’m listening. . .|
". . --uld help, after all, just let me take a lo-- a--"
[What are you doing you idiot. What's going on?!? You knew something was up and you shouldn't trust those two, what was that dumbass doing!!!]
|I'm scared, you're scaring me, what's going on?|
[S-sorry, kiddo, I'm sorry I'm trying to remain calm. I just. . .]
". . . -Deal."
[You feel your body shake someone's hand.]
|. . . . . .|
[. . . . Do-]
<Something wrong. You bounded over. Something's very, very wrong!>
[In a blink your mindspace had been invaded. There was a man standing in your garden. He wore a tattered school uniform of some sorts. His hair was a mess, and his body was covered in scars. He was looking around, crouching to see the plants. Who are you! What are you doing here?!?!]
(You turn around. . . Oh! Hello! I didn’t expect to see company! Don’t mind me, I’m just doing some spring cleaning.)
<Sorry but this is a members only garden. You threw a card at the stranger. The card burst into flames midair. What, what in the. . .>
|Get, get outta here!! The plants don't like you, you, y-you BATFACE!!!|
[Why are you here?!? Explain yourself!!]
(No, no I don’t think I will. . . You think for a moment, ah part of the deal was. . . Yes, to help them get stronger and clear up their head! And that meant that, well, sorry, but that means you need to go.)
[In an instant you feel the world warp. The garden you had spent so long to maintain was being, changed, unearthed. Vines were overgrowing.]
<You tried swiping at the stranger but you were just thrown back. No, not going to work, greenhouse! You run to the greenhouse, it wont open- Dammit there’s a lock!!>
|I'm scared.|
[What are you doing?!?!? WHY are you doing this!?!?]
(It won’t hurt, I promise. Just relax, it’s just a long, long nap.)
[You feel the earth open up beneath you. You fall into the dirt, the world closing in around you. You open your mouth to scream. Nothing comes out. You can't escape.]
[You're buried alive, in your own mind.]
[. . . . .]
[. . . . . Can, anyone else hear me?]
[. . . . .]
[. . . . You're getting sleepy.]
[. . .]
[. .]
[.]
>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>
[Your hand pierces the topsoil for the first time in what feels like months, years, even. Yet at the same time it was like only a few moments passed! Your whole body, head, mind, soul, all felt so tired and dead and exhausted and. . .]
[. . . . The garden. . .]
[Your plants, so carefully tended to, all dead. The gardens were all overrun with mint. Mint that was slowly dying. You look around, everything was a mess, and the sun was gone. Maybe that's why the mint was finally dying. . . Wait.]
[A few feet away there's dirt trying to move. You pull yourself out and walk over. With a hand you find whatever's in the dirt. Please be okay please be okay please be okay- Jasmine!!! Are you okay?!?]
|Sniffle. Alex. . . Alex my garden. . .|
[I'm sorry Azzy, stars I'm so, so sorry. I don't know what happened I'm, oh stars. . .]
|Are, a-are we gonna be okay?|
[. . . We're going to be okay. We can rebuild the garden, okay?]
|Okay. . .|
[. . . I need to go check on the greenhouse. You'll be okay, Jasmine, okay? I just need you to do something for me, okay?]
|O-okay?|
[Can you try and find Altiare for me?]
|M’kay! I c’n do that!|
[Alright, good luck, talk soon. You walk to the greenhouse. There was a lock on it that had long since rusted. You force the door open.]
[You cover your nose and mouth as soon as the smell hits you. It was metallic, bloody. You smelt rotting, and fertilizer. Metal, rot, fertilizer. Someone died here.]
[. . . . .]
[. . . You step inside.]
[You bolt upright in bed gasping for air, startling someone at your side. You're in your room, YOUR room. The one in your guardians house, not your dorm in Jouvente. The person, two persons, beside you are confused. One tall girl, one kid, both dark skin, similar jewelry.]
". . . Oh thank Change Ramos you're okay." [The taller one sighed.] "We were getting pretty worried there!"
[. . You blink.] "I. . . What. . ."
"Y'got hurt or, uhm, something like that, in 'Frins head." [The kid responded.]
[What? You don’t remember that. Or remember coming home, or a ‘frin’, or who these two were! You look at the two of them, then rub your head. Names, names names name names! You never had any memory problems before, why now- RIGHT. That ASS.]
“PERCI!” [You jump up out of bed.] “Where’s that sonnofa-!! I’ll beat his ass so hard he’ll WISH it was only stars he’ll be seeing-”
“LANGUAGE!!” [The taller one shouted.] “Listen so would I but lie DOWN! You just recovered!”
“From what?!” [You walk to the closet and look for fresh clothes.] “In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t know who you two blinding are!”
“. . . Oh Change.” [The older one put her head in her hand. The smaller one walked up to you.]
“. . . You feel okay?” [They ask.]
[You pause for a second, looking at them.] “Well, apart from losing. . .” [You look at a calendar on the desk.] “. . . five months of memory? I’m feeling pretty good!”
“Five months?!?” [Tall one again.] “We only met you like, three months ago!”
“And in that time I guess I finally went and changed.” [You grab some clothes, and go to a mirror, looking at yourself.] “. . . not my style, but. . . Not bad. So, I'm not Jasmine any more? Alright. What about you two?”
“Pétronille (she/her). Just Nille’s fine.” [She walked over to you.]
“Boniface (they/them). Or just Bonnie.” [They pouted.]
“Bonnie and Nille, got it.” [You hold up a vest- wait.] “Bonnie? One of the saviors?”
“Uh huh!!” [Bonnie nodded enthusiastically.] “Only the crabbin’ best outta all of ‘em!!”
“Langu- oh forget it.” [Nille shook her head.] “Yeah, we’ve all been traveling together, us three, Mirabelle, Isabeau, Odile, and Siffrin.”
“Heh, glad they’re all still-”
“CRAB!!!” [Bonnie jumped and ran to the door.] “IF YOU’RE FINE THEN ‘FRIN AND THE OTHERS ARE IN TROUBLE!!”
“AH CRAB!!” [Nille ran to join her sibling, then turned to you.] “Listen, ah, I know you don’t know me but I know you! We gotta check on the rest of our party now! Five minutes to get ready and meet downstairs! We’re probably gonna be fighting that sonofacrab, alright?”
[You grin back.] “Make it three minutes.”
[Those two left the room. The logic was already connecting in your head as you got dressed. Ramos makes a deal with Perci. Perci locks you and others in the ground. Ramos lives life, no need for imaginary friends. Somehow that actually affects your memory. It’s just daydreams, so why would it affect your memory? And why did being buried alive feel so real? Stars. . .]
[You use your bandana to tie your hair into a ponytail. Well it was probably some craft that affects the head, and your head then interprets that in your daydreams. So maybe if you’re daydreaming and someone crafts you, and buries your imaginary friends alive, that affects you? So what-]
|AAAAALEEEEEEXXXXX|
[You look over in the greenhouse, Jas? What’s up.]
|TTTHHHERES A BIG BUG!!!|
[. . . What?]
|THERE’S A BIG BUG AND NOT A NORMAL BUG!!|
[Is it dangerous?]
|I DUNNO IT LOOKED AT ME THEN RAN AWAY!! IT LOOKS COOL!|
[Change, well, I can’t help with that right now just, run if it seems angry at you, okay?]
|M’KAY!! IMA MAKE FRIENDS WITH IT!!|
[You’re done getting dressed, you grab Ramos’ tonfas and hook them to your belt. Stars, you're out of practice. You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with these. You walk over to the desk and look for your favorite pen. You twist the ink cap, and a thin, sharp blade springs from the front; a hidden knife. You twist the needle back in and put it in your pocket.]
[You take one last look at yourself in the mirror. Ramos. You’re Ramos now, huh? Not Jasmine. Not Alex. Ramos. Ramos is your name now. . . Eugh, that didn’t feel right. But, fine. You walk to the door, muttering to yourself; you’ll be alright, you’ll be alright, you’ll be alright.]
[Ready.]
>>>
[While You, Nille, and Bonnie were running to the library, they caught you up to speed. Ramos, mind craft, got controlled, turned into a sadness, saved, joined them, the inn stuff, fighting Merlon and Perci; it was a lot to take in, but you took it. Good thing too, because you didn’t have much time.]
[You knew these streets like the back of your hand. Jump over this fence, take this backroad, skip over the creek here. And in no time, you were at the library entrance. There was a housemaiden struggling to stand, that’s Mirabelle. Isabeau was knocked out on the floor, and there’s a cloaked figure kneeling on the ground, who by process of elimination, must be Siffrin. You grimace at Isas unconscious form, but you had to move quickly!]
“FRIN!!!” [Bonnie yells. Siffrin turned, eye wide. You dash past them.] “‘OZ IS OKAY!!”
“T-they’re-” [You can see the look of relief on his face.] “Oh stars above-”
“What in the-” [Merlon was taken aback as you dashed towards her.]
“Hey, Merlon.” [You hold out your paper sign, and swing. Before pulling back at the last second, instead you stab with your pen, [Page Turner!] Merlon doubles over in pain.]
[You take the chance, and run past into the library. You ignore Merlon yelling after you, where was he?!? WHERE. WAS. THAT. BITCH!?!?!]
[Like a hunting dog finding prey, you found him, an old lady sitting across from him. Both were catatonic to the world. You dash at him, and grab him by the back of the head-] >>> [-WHAM. WHAM. WHAM.]
“ARE YOU FUCKING SORRY YET?!?”
[You throw Perci back, taking a second to breathe. STARS your heart was beating a mile a minute! At least your body was kept in good shape. You hear the old lady stand up behind you.]
“Hey! Lady!” [You turn to look at her, grinning.] “You alright? You can have an existential crisis later but if you can still fight I’m gonna need you.”
[Your smile spreads to a grin.] “The one and only!”
“I highly doubt that.” [She grabbed her notebook and walked around the table to join your side as Perci got up.] “Not just a few hours ago you were catatonic.”
“Funny, because for me a few hours ago I was still in Jouvente!” [You laugh.]
“What?!?” [She looks at you in shock.]
“You blooded animal!!” [Perci finally got up to a knee, holding his nose, broken. His mask was slipping.] “How DARE you!!”
“Ha ha.” [You roll your eyes.] “Well at least he matches how he looks in headspace now!”
“So he does.” [The lady comments, smirking.] “Well, Ramos, it’s good to get reacquainted! My name is Odile.”
“Charmed!”
[The library entrance doors blast open, Merlon running in and was next to Perci in a blink. Behind her, Bonnie, Nille, Isabeau, Mirabelle, and Siffrin were all following. The later three were all still hurt from their earlier battle, so you should finish this quickly.]
“Look at me. Look at me Perci.” [Merlons concerned yet commanding voice boomed through the library. Perci looked up at her, she grabbed his nose, and with a twist and some craft put it back in place.]
“MOTHER OF-” [Perci yelled, then stood up fully, glaring at you in hatred.] “Why are you all being so DIFFICULT!!”
“Dear.” [Merlon turned to look at the five who had gathered on the opposite side of the room. The Monets were pinned.] “We should leave.”
“TH’ CRAB YOU ARE!!!!” [Bonnie yelled.] “WE’RE GONNA BEAT YOU TO A CRABBING PULP!!!”
“Let’s go! Everyone!!” [Nille called confidently to the others.]
