(Untitled)

[unto_death]

[When Botta is upset, he's found it comforting to hang around the Plane's forest. And this has been an upsetting week. First the incident at Iselia Temple - which, if he must be honest, he doesn't entirely regret: especially after learning some details of the future from Emil, he hadn't really intended to go through with killing the Chosen. But

Comments

[ofunity]

[After a rather nasty argument with Kratos, Lloyd stomped away, angry and frustrated. He wasn't jealous, he really wasn't; Kratos just acted like he was so much better than everyone, and that kind of attitude just pissed him off.

Then he spots Botta kneeling in the flowers like he hadn't ordered his Desians to kill Colette and the two boys with her not long ago. Lloyd's jaw and fists clench, and his gaze becomes unfocused. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. The elf was nice to him when he first met him, showed him the world and told him how it worked. And he was against him that whole time... He wanted to kill Colette.]

Botta!

[His voice cracks just slightly, though who knows if it's from anger or sadness.]

[unto_death]

[He glances up at Lloyd, and nearly winces. He'd sort of been hoping to avoid this conversation - he really has no idea what he's going to say. If only he had known that Lloyd knew the Chosen...perhaps he could have given some warning.

It's too late for that now. He sits up, wipes his hands on his robe.]

...Lloyd. ...Before you say anything else, understand that had Kratos not arrived, I would have found another excuse to delay until I had a reason to retreat. [They did have reason to believe that reinforcements would be sent, after all, although Kratos showing up personally hadn't really been on the list of possibilities.]

The situation is more complex than you can know.

[ofunity]

[Lloyd listens. He owes him that much for explaining the Plane to him. He listens, and yet there's still an unhappy frown, a tug on his lips that betrays that it's something other than anger that he's feeling. This is Lloyd's first taste of what betrayal is like, and it doesn't feel good at all.]

... You sure didn't look like you were delaying.

[He shouldn't even be listening. Botta's a Desian. He could be lying to him right now. Lloyd wouldn't be surprised. Was he lying to him when he was so nice, too? Was the fact that Lloyd made him smile just an act?]

I don't see what's so complex about it! You're a Desian! I can't believe I didn't... [see it before. But how the hell could he have seen it? Botta as the one in charge of the Desians was the last thing he was expecting, and the elf probably saw it clear on Lloyd's face when he made it to the top of the stairs.]

[unto_death]

[Well, the soldiers with him didn't know, so he was cutting it a little close. But he meant well, really!

Botta shakes his head.]

...That's exactly what I mean. You don't even understand enough for me to begin to explain.

[pactum]

[Unlike a certain red-clad hero, Emil is actually pretty happy to see his half-elf friend on the Plane. Things are still a bit crazy at home, so he's done his best to clear his head and focus on what's going on /here/ instead. He shuffles toward Botta, though there's always a trace of hesitation in his movements; he doesn't want to interrupt him or something.

He's curious, though. He's... never seen someone pulling up plants like that.]

Hey, Botta. What are you doing?

[unto_death]

[Ah, it's Emil. Botta smiles at him, rather tensely.]

Hello, Emil. ...It's been a long time since I lived anywhere I could keep a garden.

[pactum]

There's no sun on the Plane. I wonder what makes the flowers grow.

[He's never kept a garden before. Still, he's interested enough to kneel beside Botta. He watches for a minute, tilts his head.]

... Why are you yanking out all those plants? I thought you were supposed to be-- well-- planting them.

[unto_death]

To be honest, I'm not sure.

It's to keep the flowers healthy. The soil can only support so many plants at one time, so a part of gardening is pulling up the weeds, the unwanted plants.

[dritte_tochter]

[did someone say garden? because here's a gardener. a very tsundere gardener]

No no no, you have to be more delicate, desu!

[it doesn't matter how skilled he is, she's going to assume he's horrible until she talks to him]

[unto_death]

[Ordinarily, Botta is a very patient man, tolerant of others' quirks and irritating tendencies. But he's had a bad day or two, so this slight against his skills makes his brow furrow in annoyance.]

I haven't done them any harm. These flowers grow near where I lived as a child - I do know what I'm doing.

[dritte_tochter]

[she doesn't trust him ; ;]

No? Most humans don't know how to treat plants at all. You don't look any different, desu.

[unto_death]

Perhaps you could make allowances, then, for my not being human. [In case the pointed ears didn't give it away.]

[ainsophaured]

[Oh hey there. Have an Emil clone passing through.]

Those flowers are very pretty.

[unto_death]

[Blink. Wasn't Emil here already?]

...Thank you. [Is there a way to say this nicely...?] Was there something you forgot?

[ainsophaured]

[Something he forgot? Aster assumes that Emil must have gone through this area recently. He can understand the confusion.]

No, this is my first time in this part of the forest. My name is Aster.

[unto_death]

[Oh. Okay. That's a little weird, but maybe there's an explanation. Heck, maybe it'll explain why Emil feels so weird to his mana senses - Aster, notably, feels exactly like a human should.]

And I'm Botta. I'm sorry for the confusion, then - you look just like someone I know.