THE PASSAGE OF TIME

[wooliefrand]

WHO: All
WHERE: The Pasture
WHEN: Day 24 Morning thru afternoon

[THE STORMS HAVE FINALLY CLEARED and the life sliced so now what

how yall doin]

Comments

[debug_mode]

Hm... so you're not trying to figure out if I'm some sort of irredeemable figure, the kind loyal to the snake, whatever pain it might cause you all?

[catposting]

[ ah. his lips quirk, realization dawning. ]

No offense, but as far as villains go, the snake's kind of a rookie. Until he pulls a mass genocide, I really have no reason to believe that he's any worse than Blossom.

You're as stuck here as the rest of us, aren't you? Unless you're secretly one of the gods of this world, in which case — go ahead and laugh, it's not like I'd be able to stop you.

[debug_mode]

...That's not what I asked. At all.

[exasperated little huff]

[catposting]

[ shrug ]

No, I'm not.

[debug_mode]

[she sighs.]

...Are you sure?

[truth field.]

[catposting]

I'm sure.

[debug_mode]

That's a surprise. Anyway.

[truth field off.]

Do you see any kind of mind control with any weed, whatsoever? I'd think Leethe handed over the "weed playbook" long ago.

[catposting]

I don't exactly go poking around in every weed's business. Mind-control can be subtle, anyway. Blossom's is like that, if you're not actively looking for it.

So far, though — no.

[debug_mode]

Edgelord doesn't exactly make his presence hidden. And, don't you have your own weed living under your roof.

But, elaborate. What's this about Blossom and mind control?

[she's perking up at that.]

[catposting]

...

Has anyone told you about the uneasy feeling they get when they're away from their flock for too long?

[debug_mode]

...Are you serious?

[no truth field, just listening]

No, I haven't heard anything like that. You mean if... someone just leaves?

[catposting]

[ sighs ]

Yeah. Did you ever wonder why flockmates seem to bond so easily, despite arriving here as strangers? There's an inherent... 'familial' feeling attached to spending time with your flock. I've never had a family, so the sensation was completely alien to me. That's why I noticed.

[debug_mode]

I slept on the rec room floor and other places at night. Except one time Thistle let me sleep over.

And the club house isn't giving any feeling like that. A lot of the rooms are empty most times of the day, and night.

I keep hearing accusations of "We're here to cause chaos," but I don't know what that means. I'm sure weeds like Edgelord just do that with their personality. And I can guarantee you the Snake was not giving Patches orders.

So... going to give you a blanket "no," no subtle mind control.

Though, on that note, I couldn't tell you why what happened to Leethe really happened. I always thought he made a conscious choice, but I heard I was wrong.

[catposting]

[ listens, ears pricked throughout. ]

One — I had a feeling that Patches was just that kind of guy, but thanks for clarifying.

Two — Many of us are chaotic in our own way, so blaming the weeds alone for causing chaos seems silly to me. I'm not the boss of anyone else, of course, but that's my opinion.

As for the rest... right now, I have no reason not to believe you. So again, thanks.

[debug_mode]

Do you know, or have any idea, why what happened to Leethe happened?

[catposting]

No clue. I know that ritual rewards respond to subconscious desires in unexpected ways, so it could be something similar to that...

But that's just extrapolation. Akuki seemed happy enough with Rose, so it's hard to say.

[debug_mode]

Well. You know. ...This does make some amount of sense.

[catposting]

...?

[debug_mode]

You're always shoved together in those rituals. You can't help each other. You have to look after yourselves.

[catposting]

That we do.

Lily... tried to help Bluebell, I think.

[ we all know how that went. ]

[debug_mode]

Well, I don't know anything about that.

But if I were a cynical person, I'd think it was almost a sport. Like a gladiator arena.

[catposting]

Are you a cynical person?

[debug_mode]

When called for.

[catposting]

...

If I were a cynical person, I'd think that Blossom was sanctioning despair-inducing events on purpose for us all to overcome. 'Strong personalities' don't mean much when the situation is stale. Light shines brightest when there's darkness, et cetera.

[debug_mode]

...Well, okay, I'm not sure I'd go that far.

[awkward expression]

But, just to make sure we're on the same page... are you proposing something? Or are we just talking?