[there's a knock on the door of Nagito and Ranger's room, a soft rapping that comes along with a voice.]
Mr. Ranger? Are you here?
[because in spite of this tragedy, she has a promise to uphold. she promised to show him something, and in this day, at least, the sun is bright and the wind not too strong, and the snow has been melting enough that she can feel plants under her feet and smell the earth. spring has come - where things become renewed, where they grow full of life and energy and will, and with how shaken he must be...
has he ever stopped to feel the sunlight on his face? they'll change that, if no.]
[ The last two days have been difficult at best. His patient isn't waking up, and so everything from cleaning the blood and dirt off to creating a set up for him has fallen on Ranger. For the most part, he's had no desire to leave their room for hope of something changing.
The sound of a door stirs him though, and there's a creak of a mattress followed by the sound of light footsteps. The sound of a knob turning comes next, and finally the door opens. He cracks it, then opens it fully upon confirming who it is. ]
... Hm? What's up?
[ He sounds tired. He's an AI, and so he doesn't really get tired, but there's a kind of emotional fatigue that's been building for awhile. At least, that's what he thinks it is. ]
[true, and simple. there's no need to hide it. despite the stress of the meeting, she looks calm, collected - just a friend, come to see him. not Nagito, him specifically.]
With everything that was going on, I missed the turning of the seasons to spring - but when I remembered, I thought of you, and I wanted to ask if you'd like to go take in spring for a little while.
[to come outside, and breathe fresh air, and enjoy the sunlight. to not be sitting there worried for who knows how many hours.]
[ Ranger exhales softly, and the knob clicks as he turns it a couple times. His eyes flick back to the best, but in the end he knows that continuing to stare at him will no more wake him up than trowing a rock at the moon's reflection in the lake will allow one to strike it. The most one can do is disrupt its reflection, and the most he can do by continuing this game is to create false hopes and imagined scenarios. He'd just get scolded for doing so.
She had promised to show him the seasons. ]
Oh, sure... [ It's a half-hearted agreement, not for a lack of want. He shakes his head, drawing in a breath before exhaling softly to recenter himself, and his voice returns to something more normal. ] Yeah, I could use some fresh air. It gets pretty stuffy in here... Ah, the flowers should be starting to bloom right about now, right?
Yes! Some of them are already out - you'll be able to enjoy what you see.
[she pauses, and her expression drops to something more sympathetic.]
...He'd want you to go. He told me, a little while ago, "spring is better with people." And then something about flowers blooming from people, but the essence of the thought remains.
[it's alright to put down his burden for a moment.]
[ The brief moment of silence is just as telling as the little frown that hides behind a face card. He inhales, holds the breath, then exhales softly before taking a step forward and tugging the door shut. The click of a lock follows. It really does sound like something he'd say, probably just before shoving him off. ]
... Ahaha, he'd probably think I was weird for staring at him while he's getting his beauty rest.
[ It's a small, humorless laugh. It goes without saying that it was major trauma, and so it's no surprise he's still asleep. If he thinks of it that way, then it's easier for him to prop himself up. He gives the door a little push to ensure it's fully closed before taking a step forward. ]
Well, I dunno about flowers blooming from people, but it's better with another person... Does anything grow around here other than the spider lilies?
[ It'd been late enough in the season when he arrived that the local flora was already withering. ]
Some things. And the garden club's been hard at work - my homeroom is where they meet, so I've been privileged to be able to witness their growth. I know it's not the same as being outside, but if you don't mind a longer walk, we could see if any of the sprouts have buds.
[it would take more time, but she knows the garden club would never mind someone else coming by to appreciate their work.]
Do you think soul trees allow cuttings? I mean, we could try, and see if that helps rejuvenate it any. At the worst, we'd simply have a second soul tree to work from...
[why is she not surprised that the poison hoarders have a poison garden. thank goodness no one knew earlier, or they'd be pawing through the greenhouse.]
Sure. There's no harm in it, right? We have plenty of space to work with now... Come to think of it, I think planting a new wisteria tree something Rantarou was interested in. It can't be good to just have the one.
[ Or maybe it is? If they're where the souls in this place is held, they would get cleared out pretty fast if they were to get rid of it. ]
The last I heard, it sent everyone to sleep who got too close, but maybe if we moved really fast...or perhaps, if we got a helper to assist. Like one of the drones, or Dynamo. They might be immune.
[if Dynamo or the Monokuma drone was up for the task.
the pair of them are headed not to their previous spot just yet, but Ranger will know that going to the school doesn't mean classes today.]
Mr. Kazuki told me that with trees, sometimes you need to take off some of the dead branches to give vitality to the rest of it. You can see it - are there dead branches we might remove to be helpful?
Hm... They can move through the blue flames just fine, and they could go in the forest too, so they oughta be able to handle the wisteria tree just fine too.
[ Well, hopefully. It's not like there's a guarantee. But the forest caused others to pass out in a similar way, and the blue flames sap one's life away in the same way that the students in the other school do, so it stands to reason that the wisteria tree would operate in the same way. ]
It could use a pruning, [ He agrees, ] Since it got struck by lightening it's been looking a little rough. It should recover from it, but there's parts that are just dead now.
Then those parts are the ones that need to leave. We could maybe use the dead wood as firewood if it gets cold...or fashion it into something else. I'm no good with woodworking from the sharp tools, but I have a friend who knows how to make the most charming objects.
[ah, Yogen, where you can responsibly reuse parts of your soul tree.]
-Ah! Do you hear that?
[not yet, for Ranger, but very soon. they have to keep going this way.]
[ They're recycling it! There's the soft crunch of grass beneath his boots and the gentle breeze that brushes against him, but nothing more just let. He's quiet for a moment as he listens before answering. ]
[ Ranger's hearing is better than that of a human, and so if he listens carefully he can hear the chirps as well. That's right, it's about the time when they would be hatching. It's surprising that new life could be made in purgatory, but then it's also not when when trees grow just as well. ]
Sure. We can always come back around to the plants. It's not like they're going anywhere.
[ It'll might be harder to approach the birds later though. He'll change the trajectory of his footsteps now, starting in what he hopes is the direction of where he thinks he heard the sound coming from. ]
[this far off, it's hard to tell if they're actual birds or if it's some video someone is playing, but hope blooms in her chest for them. if they really are new life, she'll be delighted, but she's been disappointed in the past, thinking someone might have encountered a kitten and discovering it was just on someone's phone.
perhaps that's why she's not charging ahead, but trying to stay close to Ranger, as if seeking to extend the time they spent on the journey. anticipation can be so easily dashed, after all.]
[ It's hard to say, but with each step they get closer to the sound. It's taking them past the boundary of the forest, where branches and grass and other pieces of nature crunch beneath their feet. He wonders if they ever nest on the school or the dorms. It's not uncommon for birds to be found hiding on roofs and in drains, and a lucky few may even find their way inside.
He keeps his voice low as they carry on, not wanting to add much more noise than they already are, offering conversation to pass the time, ]
You ever had a dream that you didn't wanna wake up from?
Often enough. But I always do - either my alarm wakes me or my body does.
[and there were enough dreams that held on too tight, that she fled from. dreams were odd things, brought up from the very spirit, and never quite aligned well enough with reality.]
[ That's all that March was in the end, albeit he believes that more wished to awaken from their dreams than not. Still, had the dust not settled in the forest and sickness begun to seep it, it might have been possible for those trapped to be within their dream worlds for the rest of time. If they waited long enough, maybe the sort of dream that they wished for would come. ]
Hm... Yeah, it's not like you really get a choice in the matter. Kinda mean-spirited, don'tchya think?
[ It's like a taste of what you desire yet can't have. He doesn't have to worry about such things not normally. ]
So if you had the option to not wake up, would you take it?
[ That is, would it be better to live in a dream world than the real one? ]
No. Eventually, one does have to get up - if I kept dreaming forever, I'd wither away without doing anything real, without actually trying. It would be an utter waste of a life, even if it would be easier.
[what is easy isn't always the best for you. what is difficult sometimes must be fought for. you have to wake up, in the end.]
Would you keep dreaming? I won't judge if our answers are different.
[ After all, what is life if not an attempt to find a lasting happiness? By the same token, if it weren't that ideal it wouldn't be worth keeping. Still, he thinks that most people would share Helena's view. ]
If it's a good dream, then I won't even be aware that it is one, so I could just be happy without questioning it. Not a half bad deal, though for most people the effect would be ruined the second they had to accept that it was fake.
[ Accept being the key word there. Who would up and believe it if they were up and told that everything in front of them was fake? ]
That depends on if you can convince them, right? People like to gravitate towards what is beautiful, even if it's a lie...what makes them feel best, what they can draw strength from.
[she shrugs, thinking that it could only work if there were little discrepancies. no happiness without unhappiness, or how would it be measured?]
If your dream is convincing enough, who's to say that's not your reality to stay?
Right... That's the problem, ain't it? Perception is reality, so as long as you believe it anything can be.
[ There's a philosophical debate to have about what constitutes reality and what is a part of it, but from a raw psychological standpoint reality is nothing more than how a person perceives the world. It makes it all that much more important to approach them where they stand.
He sets the thought aside for a moment. The sound of chirping is louder now. His footsteps slow, then stop as he mumbles, ]
It sounds like they should be somewhere around here.
[she stops with him, turning her head one way and then another. she doesn't hear another person, so that must mean...unless someone left a recording somewhere, which wouldn't be out of line for Yogen, but if they're real, that means Ranger can see them. Ranger, who needed to see the seasons. what better way to take in spring?]
Look upwards, and see if anything looks out of place. It might be hidden...I've read of that in the past.
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4/14, ranger
Mr. Ranger? Are you here?
[because in spite of this tragedy, she has a promise to uphold. she promised to show him something, and in this day, at least, the sun is bright and the wind not too strong, and the snow has been melting enough that she can feel plants under her feet and smell the earth. spring has come - where things become renewed, where they grow full of life and energy and will, and with how shaken he must be...
has he ever stopped to feel the sunlight on his face? they'll change that, if no.]
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The sound of a door stirs him though, and there's a creak of a mattress followed by the sound of light footsteps. The sound of a knob turning comes next, and finally the door opens. He cracks it, then opens it fully upon confirming who it is. ]
... Hm? What's up?
[ He sounds tired. He's an AI, and so he doesn't really get tired, but there's a kind of emotional fatigue that's been building for awhile. At least, that's what he thinks it is. ]
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[true, and simple. there's no need to hide it. despite the stress of the meeting, she looks calm, collected - just a friend, come to see him. not Nagito, him specifically.]
With everything that was going on, I missed the turning of the seasons to spring - but when I remembered, I thought of you, and I wanted to ask if you'd like to go take in spring for a little while.
[to come outside, and breathe fresh air, and enjoy the sunlight. to not be sitting there worried for who knows how many hours.]
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She had promised to show him the seasons. ]
Oh, sure... [ It's a half-hearted agreement, not for a lack of want. He shakes his head, drawing in a breath before exhaling softly to recenter himself, and his voice returns to something more normal. ] Yeah, I could use some fresh air. It gets pretty stuffy in here... Ah, the flowers should be starting to bloom right about now, right?
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[she pauses, and her expression drops to something more sympathetic.]
...He'd want you to go. He told me, a little while ago, "spring is better with people." And then something about flowers blooming from people, but the essence of the thought remains.
[it's alright to put down his burden for a moment.]
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... Ahaha, he'd probably think I was weird for staring at him while he's getting his beauty rest.
[ It's a small, humorless laugh. It goes without saying that it was major trauma, and so it's no surprise he's still asleep. If he thinks of it that way, then it's easier for him to prop himself up. He gives the door a little push to ensure it's fully closed before taking a step forward. ]
Well, I dunno about flowers blooming from people, but it's better with another person... Does anything grow around here other than the spider lilies?
[ It'd been late enough in the season when he arrived that the local flora was already withering. ]
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[it would take more time, but she knows the garden club would never mind someone else coming by to appreciate their work.]
If nothing else, we can grow other things.
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[ Well, really Ranger had built it. Komaeda figured out how to get the poisonous plants though, so that's teamwork enough. ]
We could... Ahaha, I wonder what we'd grow? The wisteria tree is looking pretty rough, maybe we can plant a new one.
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[why is she not surprised that the poison hoarders have a poison garden. thank goodness no one knew earlier, or they'd be pawing through the greenhouse.]
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Sure. There's no harm in it, right? We have plenty of space to work with now... Come to think of it, I think planting a new wisteria tree something Rantarou was interested in. It can't be good to just have the one.
[ Or maybe it is? If they're where the souls in this place is held, they would get cleared out pretty fast if they were to get rid of it. ]
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[if Dynamo or the Monokuma drone was up for the task.
the pair of them are headed not to their previous spot just yet, but Ranger will know that going to the school doesn't mean classes today.]
Mr. Kazuki told me that with trees, sometimes you need to take off some of the dead branches to give vitality to the rest of it. You can see it - are there dead branches we might remove to be helpful?
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[ Well, hopefully. It's not like there's a guarantee. But the forest caused others to pass out in a similar way, and the blue flames sap one's life away in the same way that the students in the other school do, so it stands to reason that the wisteria tree would operate in the same way. ]
It could use a pruning, [ He agrees, ] Since it got struck by lightening it's been looking a little rough. It should recover from it, but there's parts that are just dead now.
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[ah, Yogen, where you can responsibly reuse parts of your soul tree.]
-Ah! Do you hear that?
[not yet, for Ranger, but very soon. they have to keep going this way.]
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[ They're recycling it! There's the soft crunch of grass beneath his boots and the gentle breeze that brushes against him, but nothing more just let. He's quiet for a moment as he listens before answering. ]
I don't think so. What am I listening for?
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[little birds chirp in a different key - higher, a little sharper - but any birds would feel like a marvel, truly springtime come to Yogen.]
I know we said we were going to see the plants, but if you hear it at all...could we change our plans and follow it?
[the whole idea of being out today was life, after all. and if there are small birds, then that's even more certainly something to admire.
there's a tiny, tiny pang in her heart when she thinks of Keigo's doves. wherever they went, she hopes they are well.]
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Sure. We can always come back around to the plants. It's not like they're going anywhere.
[ It'll might be harder to approach the birds later though. He'll change the trajectory of his footsteps now, starting in what he hopes is the direction of where he thinks he heard the sound coming from. ]
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perhaps that's why she's not charging ahead, but trying to stay close to Ranger, as if seeking to extend the time they spent on the journey. anticipation can be so easily dashed, after all.]
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He keeps his voice low as they carry on, not wanting to add much more noise than they already are, offering conversation to pass the time, ]
You ever had a dream that you didn't wanna wake up from?
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[and there were enough dreams that held on too tight, that she fled from. dreams were odd things, brought up from the very spirit, and never quite aligned well enough with reality.]
I try to remember them as best I can.
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Hm... Yeah, it's not like you really get a choice in the matter. Kinda mean-spirited, don'tchya think?
[ It's like a taste of what you desire yet can't have. He doesn't have to worry about such things not normally. ]
So if you had the option to not wake up, would you take it?
[ That is, would it be better to live in a dream world than the real one? ]
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[what is easy isn't always the best for you. what is difficult sometimes must be fought for. you have to wake up, in the end.]
Would you keep dreaming? I won't judge if our answers are different.
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[ After all, what is life if not an attempt to find a lasting happiness? By the same token, if it weren't that ideal it wouldn't be worth keeping. Still, he thinks that most people would share Helena's view. ]
If it's a good dream, then I won't even be aware that it is one, so I could just be happy without questioning it. Not a half bad deal, though for most people the effect would be ruined the second they had to accept that it was fake.
[ Accept being the key word there. Who would up and believe it if they were up and told that everything in front of them was fake? ]
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[she shrugs, thinking that it could only work if there were little discrepancies. no happiness without unhappiness, or how would it be measured?]
If your dream is convincing enough, who's to say that's not your reality to stay?
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[ There's a philosophical debate to have about what constitutes reality and what is a part of it, but from a raw psychological standpoint reality is nothing more than how a person perceives the world. It makes it all that much more important to approach them where they stand.
He sets the thought aside for a moment. The sound of chirping is louder now. His footsteps slow, then stop as he mumbles, ]
It sounds like they should be somewhere around here.
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Look upwards, and see if anything looks out of place. It might be hidden...I've read of that in the past.
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