~ BASIL! #omori

"...Not sure if i want to 'smell' omori, to be honest..."

He quietly shakes his head. Come to think of it, wasn't there a photo album he had earlier in the dream world? He'll probably have filled them with just more pleasant memories from a better time. Wonder if it's also here. ...

Basil shrugs. "No.. It happened before... I n-need to stop being reckless..." His self-hatred is only swelling up even more. They had a decent conversation, and he just /had/ to ruin it because he couldn't stay sane for a few seconds. Negative thoughts fill his mind. He avoids eye contact. ...

//Apologies for my slow responses...

Basil gives her a little nod, sweat visible on his forehead. Combined with the dirtied trousers and his outburst earlier, he knows his words aren't convincing in the slightest. He doesn't want her to start prying and prodding at what's really bothering him, but if they keep hanging around...

With nervous steps he arrives at the door. He gazes back at her with a slow tilt of his head, with dull cloudy eyes. He really isn't feeling good, but he's putting on quite a defense. Maybe she'll just wait it out. If given a close enough friend, he'll spill his worries to her eventually...

"But I am.. hm..." He mumbles the rest of his sentence. Even he has trouble ignoring it. Compared to anyone else here, he's a complete disaster. "..." He averts his gaze. He doesn't like talking about it. It makes him feel even more exposed and vulnerable than he usually is. ...

"Y-yes, sure..." He mumbles, looking at her with blank eyes. In reality, he's desperately trying not to freak out by not thinking about anything. The broken pot, a nearby tree, Natsuki, anything will do. If he focuses on that, he can't dwell on anything unpleasant and unravel again. ...

Basil nods despite all evidence proving otherwise. He's an absolute wreck, but quickly his mask slips back on and forces a smile back on his dirtied face. It's almost as if he's ashamed of his own suffering. He looks worse than ever. ...

"Wow... tastes so -urk- good...!" He forces a smile on his face after eating it, trying to look as polite as possible. It's not convincing in the slightest, making him feel nauseous.

He takes a small bite of the fruit... A painful grimace. Whereas the scent was first at a safe distance, now it's right into his mouth. Oof. That's not pleasant, at all. He desperately pretends to enjoy it.

The sudden commotion draws a glance from the gang, but they quickly lose interest. Thankfully, the flower boy landed behind a car right out of sight. He looks utterly defeated. His face scraped against the hot gravel, dirt smeared across his head... he feels like he deserves it. ...

"Oh, hello... Uhm... Wow, Is that a durian? I could smell it from a mile away... These are a rare find!"

He nods, looking off to the side, looking concerned. Clear answer... Though he isn't going to elaborate on it. Maybe later. He is on the verge of a panic attack, drawing a glance from the cashier from fix-it. He's keeping the door open. He tenses up, preparing to take a step. ...

He nods, holding the plant close to himself, in a similar fashion as a plushie. He looks immensely afraid. "Yes... I have everything. Hm-hm... and that's h-her. And her gr-group..." As for her question, he pauses for a little and then nods. He looks on the verge of a breakdown. ...

Basil eventually wraps up his purchase, placing his newly bought pansy in his pot. He sees her gazing off to the side... could it be? He quickly recoiled, seeing the pink rebel further up ahead at Gino's. "H-hey, Natsuki..." He says in a hushed tone.

"Depends on the amount of plants that need watering... Oh, and maybe there's a-also stuff like sprinklers, but..." He trails off, letting her finish her sentence instead. "Ah! But I'm going to be okay here... I like it here." He says in a strangely peaceful tone. ...

Basil nods to her statements, even if he has trouble believing her. He remembers overwatering that potted thyme recently... it wilted and had to be thrown out. He sighs a little. "Hmm-hmm. H-hoses can be such a ha-hassle sometimes. Sometimes I just like to use the old watering can..." ...

Basil looks a little red in the face, followed by a little shiver. It's been a while since he last got a sincere compliment. He lets go off the shelf, feeling a bit better right now. "Haha... thank you. I uh, do my best..." Intrusive thoughts try to tell the blonde otherwise, but...

Basil nervously scratches the back of his head, eyes briefly glancing to the side. "I-Really? Thank you..." He mumbles. "I do like gardening, but I don't think I'm all that good at it..." He taps his finger against the shelf, presumably to calm himself down. ...

Basil holds onto a nearby sheft, as if for emotional support. He briefly closes his eyes, and takes a few sharp breaths. He looks flustered having to do this in front of someone, but it works with keeping his nerves stable. He looks a little more relaxed now, and opens his eyes. ...

The more she questions the blonde, the worse his nervousness gets. More shivers and twitches. He passively takes a step back, despite her short statue he seems intensely afraid of her for some reason. It's a far cry from the more welcoming boy in the other side. ...

With every new sentence she speaks out, his anxiety seems to worsen. As if he expects her to abruptly snap at him at any moment. He can't put up his weak facade by now, as if everyone doesn't know of 'that' truth by now...

The flower boy quickly swivels around, nearly knocking over a flower pot. "Huh... ah!" He hastily steadies the pot with his shivering hands, before returning back to the pink girl. "Ah... I'm okay! I'm okay!" That's not very reassuring. ...

Basil smiles a little, this time a bit more sincerely. His gesture is very appreciated, and he makes his way back to the road, ready to head for presumably Sunny's home.

Despite her gentle approach she scared the flower boy good. Wide eyes meet hers as he shivers, stuttering nonsense before swiftly going back to his senses. "A-aub...! Oh ... Sorry about that... The garden hoses are on the rack next to the garden tools, opposite side..."

"Oh-oh that? T-that's for my friend, Sunny!" He says, his voice cracking a little bit. "I h-hope he likes it..." He sounds more than a little nervous.

Basil walks into the store, not noticing her in the slightest. He walks in a straight line past the diy tools and rolls of wallpaper, towards some point all the way at the back of the store. There's an opening there, with gentle beams of sunlight past it. ...

Not that many folks pay any attention to her, not realizing her predicament. Getting a closer look at the cozy suburban town as a whole, it's located in the middle of the woods, from the looks of it. It's not very big, so if he's here, it's not going to be a rough search. ...

Nobody nearby seems to respond to her lying on the grass like that, but then again, she is a little hidden between the shrubs. The sun is hanging somewhat low over the horizon. It must be ... late morning, probably. The air feels warm and pleasant, a waft of pollen drifting in the air. ...

Basil passes him by, giving him a little smile before moving on. What was that flower he's carrying? Might be worthwhile to chat with him about it... or just move on.

As she gradually unveiled her plan and made it clear she'll execute it right now, his eyes widen in horror. "N-no... please!" Basil freaks out, letting go of his rags and makes a mad dash towards her to stop herself. Stranger stares at the two, unfazed...

"That... is more or less the truth, yet that doesn't make this place meaningless..." There's a reason this place still holds strong, and with such strength. One has to wonder how strong the dreamer's mind is to create a world like this. ...

Stranger just nods at her statements, confirming her theory that this world is illusionary, a blanket to conceal whatever lies below.. He won't elaborate any further, though. "It's true. Basil... or anyone here, are based on real people. The only person that's real are Sunny... And you." ...

~ Basil statue #omori

Oh no! He got extra crispified!

"Omori... is a lot more complicated." Unlike her, he just stands perfectly still, staring at her with unblinking eyes. "I know of the truth, but I cannot speak it. Revealing it would bring the darkness to the surface, destroying it." ...

The terrified Basil raises his voice. "Y-yes... that's His n-name..." With the stranger nodding in agreement. Stranger:"Omori and Sunny are the same person. Sunny is protected by him, which is why you likely will never see him..." Basil looks slightly less terrified. ...

"On a technicality, yes. You are a visitor..." He remains eerily still when speaking, a sharp contrast to the lively flower boy huddled in bed. He carefully keeps an eye on the two. "Him? Are you maybe talking about Omori...?" His bright eyes narrow, his head droops slightly. ...

He gives a quick nod, sadly realizing he doesn't have a pen and paper anywhere nearby. Wouldn't that make sense to have? Like parents, friends, school... After this event, anything goes. It almost feels like he's living someone else's life. He wouldn't know where to begin what to write down. ...

Basil shrugs. "They're not nightmares. The moment I try to explain, I suddenly find myself elsewhere... Someplace i don't know, with no way out. Time gets hard to tell, either he comes back to end me, or... I just stay there..." He trembles, coming back to the one question...

He nods. "I've-i've seen dark riverside, a pink forest with no sky, docks om a pitch-black sea, a-and the neighbour's room, but it's all messed up... And sooner or later, he'd come back for me... only to kill me. ...Are these memories even real? Why do i remember them now...?" ...

"No, I do not remember... But... I did remember dying, and if so... How am I still here? I just ..." He still treasures the photo album, even if the memories grow more distant every day. It's certainly neglectful, but he's terrified to raise his voice against Him, lest he gets banished. ....

//Sure, I'll give this another try.

A lot has been revealed, but sadly it only adds far more questions. And strangely, the flower boy feels the same. A lot of realizations hit him, ones that he never considered before. Did his friends truly love him? Why does he tend to this garden, for who? And how long has he had his own home? ...

With the vibrant cyan leaves on the trees outside, the shoe home, the odd bright sky, it sure does feel like she stepped in another dimension. Or perhaps she's just dreaming, or something else is at play. If so... Maybe she could bring him over to her world? What would happen then...? ...

He gives her a nod. "Yes-y... One time, it's a river colored in black and white... A pink field... They're usually all a-alone, sometimes there's past me... dead... a-all messed up... I'm scared..." He sputters out. He huddles into his blankets, shuddering in a fit of panic. ...