[x] Dodge the knife.
[x] Return the smile.

— - — - —

"Whoa!" You lean back as she slashes at you, her eyes locked on your throat.

Stumbling back, you find that she's licking blood from the blade.

-1HP

You realize that she nicked your throat. Any closer and...

And...

And...

You notice that you're bleeding quite badly.

-10HP

Your coughing only makes her grin wider. You grab your throat to stymie the bleeding. She did get you...

"How did... you even do that...?" That didn't even hit you. Not to that degree... You [i/]saw[/i] it miss.

She's silent, enjoying watching you suffer. Was Grandma... this bad...?

Renko Lv20 ?D/?MD/99999999999999999999999999999

Now that's more like it...

What is she wearing...?

You return the smile as best you can, though your heart isn't quite as in it.

Sam wraps around your throat, stopping the blood from exiting far better than you'd think.

The licking is distracting, however...

-1DT

— - — - —

[x] Take flight
[x] Use your knife to remove the "t" in "/ct" and add "l" "e" "a" and "r" with duct tape.
[x] Use your newfound command to "clear" the spellcard. I gave you the option to not.

— - — - —

You rise into the air.

-1DT -0DT/update

You are about to look for the knife, but find it to be in your hand already.

Well, that's creepy... Rumiaa better not have driven you delusionally mad or something.

Yes... YES! YE— You stab the act button, prying off the "t".

...

You look to your better half. "Gimme a few seconds. I've got something for you!" You find her eyeing the knife warily. Looks the same as the one she's holding, now that you think about it. And yours is bloodier! ...You think it's from when you, uhh... stabbed Mom. Not one of your best moments.

You grab the letters "l", "e", "A", and "r" from the pile of broken concepts. You can't just leave them broken, right? Sure, you're not a fan of recycling, but to repurpose broken things is another matter.

There. All done.

A grinning shadow looms over your shoulder. Sam is staring at you dryly while also staring at you dryly.

— - — - —

[x] Sam.

— - — - —

You smile down at your handiwork, looking back to the— You blink, shocked by the sight before you. "...Sam...?"

You find the handy shoggoth to have a knife buried to the hilt in one of its faces.

-999HP

That other you seems to be having trouble pulling out the knife, grunting as she tries to do so, twisting it back and forth.

-999HP

She stabs deeper.

-999HP

Her expression of assured destruction contorts into fear as said shoggoth forms a maw of sharpened teeth around the now enveloped hand.

Sam's all too red eyes look pained. If out of pain or sorrow, you're not quite sure, but that chirpy whimper is just depressing.

And then your eyes begin to glow. Evil you, not you you. Reminds you of that super hero. Super... Ma'am...? uhh... Wait, no, it was Super Man!

...Wait...

You duck under a laser. Why she didn't aim for Sam is beyond you.

— - — - —

[x] /cleAr.
[x] Disarm.

— - — - —

You quickly reach for the concept of clearing, more or less punching it. You hear the shattering of glass behind you, followed by the snapping of strong jaws. You fall on your butt, just about ready to pass out. You felt as you snapped jaws not your own. Looking to Sam, you find her to be looking a bit irritated and, well... toothy.

You pull the shoggoth of an arm into a half hug. "It's okay, Sam... We'll be okay... She's gone, and I won't become like her."

Sam looks to you, angry eyes no longer holding that same degree of aggression, though looking far from happy. She seems to be bleeding a fair bit, too, though you're not quite sure how you can tell her blood and jell-o flesh apart.

You look up as you hear a sigh from your mother. She pecks your nose. "You did well, Little Bunny." Though she's beaming, you can tell there is a sadness in her eyes. Sighing, she admits, "Yes, I suppose so." She reaches into her pocket, pulling out a mystery meat burger burger which she breaks in two in a show of physical prowess and intimidation, obvious. The smile looks more genuine now. "Here, for both of you."

Sam more or less just swallows her half whole, looking cheery once more, and you nibble at yours.

Picking you up, Satori begins to walk, going through identical hall after identical hal. "You did very well. So much better than I had ever hoped for, even..." Sighing, she begins to explain, "I'm sure you're wondering why that is my fear, yes?" She raises a brow as you shake your head. "Well... I suppose I have been heavy handed. Still, I'll explain anyways." You snuggle in, Sam wrapping around her waist as you enjoy your burger. Still spicy. Still hot, too, weirdly enough. Mom must just be that sexy! "Ohh, you..." She reddens a bit. "...But, in the end, my greatest fear is that you walk that dark path, as your Mother was forced down it. As your Grandmother walked down it."

"And the bikini?"

"Well, every parent fears their child will turn out badly, yes?" She chuckles a bit. "But... in the end, you're a clever girl. You defeated one of the strongest monsters in Gensoukyou through the most unlikely means. You repaired a doll and talked her down from her anger, you defeated that ornery fairy and bottled her, you defeated the ghosts of children long since passed, Survived the fairy's wrath, defended Rumia — whose name is spelled R-u-m-i-a, by the way — talked down Rika at her strongest, actually successfully laid the groundwork for a harem not your own, and finally defeated me. ...You may have missed two secret doors by the stand and where I kept Hourai, but you did well regardless."

Health Fully Restored!

"What I'm saying is... I'm proud of you, little bunny."

Your mother's words fill you with Determination!

— - — - —

[x] Save.
[x] Be comfy

— - — - —

You snuggle into your mother's warmth, closing your eyes. Sam goes limp, having fallen asleep. Satori seems happy, judging by the way she pulls you deeper into her arms. You notice that Sam is making little burbly snores, making you snicker a bit. Today's been... long. Real long. Real, real long. What's been only three days feels like it's been far, far longer. "It has, hasn't it?" The fluff meister of a mind reader pecks your head. "Get some rest, alright? I want you to... leave at your best. Tired and hungry won't do."

You nod, letting yourself drift off finally.

Drip drop.

You look around at the great void plagued by naught but stars aplenty; the sheer scale is daunting, and the vast emptiness depressingly empty. Nothing is here — naught but you and unquenched loneliness. Naught but a feeling of the darkest dread, knowing yourself stranded here. Knowing that you will never leave here.

Knowing that this dream will end soon.

The you outside will live on, but this maddening loneliness, this you will bear till the end. That great, dread end, where the stylistic choices are made with no terrible end in mind so subtle. A fist of ham slapping on paper instead of the finest of quills... also slapping paper hamfistedly.

Drip drop.

You look to the terror of what you have become. Where once was the softest, most peach-like of shades, nothing but black remains. You drip by unseen forces and drift by an unseen tug. You are falling, though it is a slow descent.

You are falling, quite literally.

The stars zoom past as line-like streaks, and, eventually, you splat against the wall of a great dwelling not unlike the one you slumber within. Not unlike it, yet so terribly different.

— - — - —

Sam is...
[x] Your friend and, thus, more important than your own life.

— - — - —

You blearily open your eyes, finding yourself in a big, big bed, in a pink, pink room. Wait, no, it's a curtain. Your arm is purring a bit, as it seems your mother is stroking your hair. "Good morning, little bunny." You grin up at her, rubbing your eye—

splat

...Well, that's kind of gross. You pull Sam off your face as your mother grins at your accidental antics. Before you can get a word in, she picks you up. "Let's get you to the bath, now. Then a meal to fix your ankle again." Ankle? "Why, yes. It's sprained, isn't it?"

You try wiggling your ankle, wincing as you do.

"Then it's as I thought." As you thought? "Why, yes, it... A moment." She unwraps Sam from her bed's canopy. "There. Now, let's get going."

The path is long and treacherous, if only due to Sam constantly trying to prevent progress. Why, you're not entirely sure, but the fact remains that she is more or less grabbing anything — and everything — in reach. "Sam, are you alright?" You receive a chirpy whimper, like that of a sick bird. "That doesn't sound alright. Not even slightly alright." She seems to be quivering, so you hug her close to you, which results in her wrapping around you a few timesWHOATHERE.

You proceed to pull her out of your ear again. She seemed to be trying to hide in there, and you doubt that would end well.

With Sam distracted by snuggles, the rest of the trip is mostly uneventful. Just tile floors, weathered walls, sparse lights and even sparser furniture.

Before long, you've arrived at the bath, being placed down on the lip of the hairy tub from before. "Now, let me get this going and I'll start on something to eat."

"You aren't going to bathe with me...?"

She sighs. "...It would be better if you leave here earlier rather than later. Later is when activity is typically greater." It sounds like she's hiding something. "No, no. I simply wasn't expecting you to go so soon."

Her clawed mit wraps around the valve, letting water pour into the tub. "I don't want you getting spotted by half those you might otherwise avoid. Man hunts rarely go terribly well for the huntee." When it's finally full, she places you in the hot waters. "I will return shortly, little bunny." Sam is wildly flailing about in abject terror. "I suggest you only rinse her, as I would prefer to avoid my bathroom being destroyed." At your half nod, she sighs, placing a pawlm atop your head. "It will be alright, little bunny. I'm not upset with you; I'm sad to see you go." With that, mom heads on out, leaving you to deal with Sam.

And me...

A̸̡̨n̸̵d͞҉ ͘͜ḿ̢͢e~

Right, right.

You quickly undo your ribbon, thankful that it's easy with one hand. How you will get it back on is beyond you, but for now you simply set it aside. You were feeling a bit naked without your hat, but now you feel downright scandalous! Wanting to get this over with, you proceed with your cleansing, acrobatically dunking your head under the water without dunking Sam as well ohhgodthewaterwentupyournose Ohh, that is so much better. Shaking your hair out of your face, you begin squeezing the shampoo out with your armpit. Sam's flailing is entirely unhelpful, but if you just squeeze it a liiiiittle more... There we go! Just a dab.

Carefully putting down the bottle, you begin to work on lathering up. As expected, magic rose soap — or whatever the heck this stuff is called — continues to be way more than enough. Which is, thankfully, just as you planned. Looking to Sam, you ask, "So, you okay with soap and shampoo?"

In the midst of flailing, said shoggoth nods, or so you think. She's moving rather quickly, so you're not too sure.

"Alright. I'll get out of the water a bit, and you help me lather up, okay?." You float on up, sitting on the edge of the tub. Sam calms down a bit, though is still shying away. This is pathetic. Just float above the water and clean yourself. You smell like rotting meat.

You sniff at yourself, but find that you don't really smell anything of the sort.

"Alright, Sam. I'm counting on yowowowow!" Sam proceeds to squeeze the suds from your hair, bonelessly scrubbing itseEElf as well AAas your EVEry noOOK and— "CRAAANNY!" You pull her away from there, red in the face. "Why are you focusing on making me squeak?!" Sam looks dejected and sad. Sighing, you pet your friend. "Look, I'll wash that place. You get the rest, okay?" Receiving a nod, you leave the tentacle to cleaning you thoroughly, while you struggle a bit with cleaning your back.

With that done, all that remains is the hard part.

— - — - —

[x] What's so hard about that?
-[x] Just ask.
-[x] Barter, if needed.
-[x] Realize that you lost your sense of smell like fifty updates ago.

— - — - —

You pat yourself on your new friend.

...Somehow, that sentence sounds weird. "Sam, if you get in the bath, we can smell nice." The shoggoth looks to the soap on itself. "Okay, yeah, that wasn't the best choice." You tap your lip with her, before saying, "Please...?" Sam looks at you. She then looks at the water, her fear looking considerably worse. She then tears two of her eyes from the water, looking to you again. "Pleaaaase? I freed your mom, which led you to, well... being, didn't I?" You get a little nod of her tip. "So, please?"

Sam stares at you a while longer, before inching towards the water, the level of her fright increasing with every inch. She presses the tip of her length into the water, and sucking some up. You can tell because she reminds of a black water balloon in the place it concentrates, before said slimy balloon drains, the water getting forced out of a few fresh holes you just gained. Feels weird, to say the least, but it does work. By the time the water is all gone, she's shiny and totally not as godawful on the nose.

Probably.

You think you may have lost your sense of smell. To check, you try smelling Satori's shampoo bottle's spout, learning that, yes, it most certainly does get you a bit heady over its rosey intensity. Yep! Seems potent!

You proceed to flop onto your butt with a splash, earning a shriek from your shoulder. Oww. Okay, that hurt. "Calm down, calm down!" You pat the startled tendril's possible head, ignoring that it's technically yours.

You find yourself enjoying the head pats quite a lot.

"Having fun, little bunny?" You find your mother to be amused at the entryway, just as she always is by your antics. "Well, you certainly are amusing. Is it so wrong?" She chuckles, plucking you from the bath and grabbing a towel. The next few moments are a whirlwind of toweling. You're glad that your mother is acting happier again. "I've... made my peace." She hugs you tightly. You make a little squeak as you struggle to breathe, but you return it in kind.

She holds you close for some time, letting out a long, drawn out sigh. Quietly, she tells you, "Be safe." There was no if, ands or buts about it. She wasn't asking so much as telling.

She sets about dressing you, embarrassing you for an entirely different reason than nudity. "M-moooom, I'm not a baby! I only have a sprained ankle, you know..."

Smiling, she says, "Forgive me, but I will not allow that as of right now." You blush a little as she allows no room to barter for the privilege of dressing yourself.

After you find yourself in your own steamed and ironed outfit, you get plucked from the ground. You feel fresh, clean and ready to tackle anything. "After breakfast, little bunny." Right. "And try to avoid literally doing so." Aww! Your mother chuckles as she carries you off to breakfast.

Before long, you find a familiar smell wafting to your nose.

"Brownies?"

"Why, yes. I had quite a lot of batter, you see. And, well... you're going soon. As such, I tried to make those eggs you spoke of." She smiles at your grin. "They were a simple enough dish, so I had none of the difficulties I did with the pie. Mind you, that was more due to distractions, but, well..."

Sam is wagging giddily as you get carried along. The trip is far faster, for Sam isn't trying to fuse to everything in your path. She's very good at that, though tasting a chair isn't much a priority of yours. Sam is just burbling peacefully against your belly, flipping from side to side every now and then. It's like if you had a particularly lazy snake for an arm.

Before long, you arrive, and find three trays of brownies, one of them seeming to be missing half. ...And bloody along the edge.

Yo͏u ͏spy͠ ̛a sat̡o͘ri͜ m̷uch lik͡é,͏ ̛w͡ell.́.͘. ̷Śat̴ori. ͢S̶he seem͝ş ͟t͠o ҉b̶e̛ ̡m͝un͏ching ͢o̡n̨ ̸a b҉r͡o̢wni̴e ͠w̡i̛th a ̕bi̕ģ, happ͡y̛ smil͠e on͞ ̕h̸er fa̷ce͏.

Ḩ̵͜͝e̸͝r͝͠ ̴̡̢́̀e̷̵͢y̸͘e͢҉҉̛s̨̡ ̸̕̕͞ą̵̴̴r̷̸̢͝͠é͜͏̢̡ ̨͢҉c̶͡ĺ̶o̡͏͞҉s̸̶͢͟͟é̵̡͢͡d̶́.͜͏

There is also a present on the table.

— - — - —

[x] Greet her
-[x] "Hi closed eye Satori I technically don't know the name of because meta knowledge kills people I care about"
[x] Eat

— - — - —

"Hi Miss Closed-eye-satori-I-technically-don't-know-the-name-of-because-meta-knowledge-kills-people-I-care-about!" ...What.

S͘a͟ìd ͡s̀a҉to̸r̴i ͞do͏ȩs̶n't ́r͠es̡p̧o͟nd ̢t̵o͟ you͠, iǹs̨tea̢d ̸j̨u̧s̶t͏ h͞ap͟p͠il̷y eat̴in̛g͝ h͠ęr̵ ͞po̶rt̨i̛o͠ǹ.

You sit down at one of the plates. You go for the smaller plate, thinking it to be the right choice; after all, Mom must want a lot, right? As big as she is, surely she has room. She, for her part, awkwardly clears her throat. Taking said seat before the heaping helping, she looks down at it. "...Little bunny, I believe there is something on your arm."

You look to your arm. Your arm looks to you. You look to Mom. "You mean Sam?"

"Ohh!" Still staring at the plate of eggs, she says, "My mistake, little bunny." She tries a bite of her serving. ...It seems smaller than you remember.

Your mother makes a smile of the most genuine sort. It certainly isn't forced to any degree. The twitch of her eye is clearly a sign of enjoyment. "It's... veryspicy." Her voice is a bit strained.

"I know, right?" You beam. "It took a while before I got the spiciness and sweetness perfect, but boy was it ever worth it!" Looking down to your own plate, you realize it's bigger than you thought. Will you really be able to eat all this...?

Will Renko conquer the mountain of food before her? Why is Satori so happy? What is in the giftbox?

Find out next time on Eastern Tale!

[x] "This is nice, no? All f̢͟i̶͡͠v́e̡̡ of us eating together like this, I mean." Never mind that you're three of them.
-[x] Offer Sam some food.
[x] "All we're missing is MaRika. Where is she? I see what you did there.

— - — - —

Your mother nods. "Yes, it most certainly is nice." She chuckles a bit at your observation. There indeed [i]are[i] three of you, after all. "Although, your friend looks hungry, doesn't she?"

Ohh! How rude of you! "Sam, want some chocolate eggs?" You nearly forgot to feed your arm!

Sam, for her part, looks gleeful at the prospect.

You fork up some egg, making sure to get them slathered in molten, spicy chocolate. Sam happily takes the bite. It's as delicious as if you ate with your own mouth, and, as a bonus, Sam gets to enjoy it as well. Assuming that she doesn't get to enjoy what you eat as well. It's difficult to tell when she doesn't talk.

Maybe you should eat with Sam more often! Although, you aren't too sure if you get fuller, or if you're just hand feeding with delicious benefits.

Still, you can't help but dig in; you've waited far longer than any sane person would to scarf down your mother's home cooking, regardless of her apparently making it exactly as you do.

Although, you may have some trouble. There must be at least a half dozen eggs on your plate, even ignoring the chocolate.

The taste of an oddly accurate rendition of your cooking fills onlookers with indigestion!

"I also have a gift for you, little bunny." Satori pats the gift sitting there ever so conspicuously.

The promise of a gift fills you with Determination!

You proceed to eat up all the awe inspiring cuisine that your little body can handle.

Sam swallows the rest, though thankfully doesn't touch Mom's portion. Woe to the one that steals food from a wampa, cute or otherwise...

— - — - —

[x] Open it flirtily.
[x] Open it excitedly.

— - — - —

You wiggle restlessly in your seat, barely able to contain your glee at the prospect of undressing the cute little package.

And by little, you mean as large as your head, were your head a box.

You think you'll keep that to yourself, however. You like keeping your far more round, package-sized head. Calling a girl fat is a good way to end up with a belly full of sharp things after all. Heck, maybe that's what set off Grandma! "Little bunny, you're going off on a tangent." Ohh! Sorry, Mom! "It's quite alright." She pushes the gift towards you.

You gently slide a finger along the crease of its folds. The tape here blocks sight of this place, and yet that only makes unwrapping it all the more exciting for it!

You start picking at the tape.

You continue picking at the tape.

You finally manage to pick at it enough to get purchase!

You start attempting to peel it, but sadly it rips.

Before you can try another corner, your mother decides, "I'll go get the scissors."

As she heads off, you look to the lovely package before you. "...I like your ribbon." You're quite certain that the package is blushing, though, due to its lack of blood, it isn't visible.

...Assuming that it's not full of blood.

"It's... cute. Very cute." Now you like to think that said package is doing the package equivalent of giggling. But, of course, being a package makes the queue so slight that even you can't tell, no matter how hard you stare at it. You eagerly trace the edge of the ribbon to the very end. Looking off to the side with a blush, you 'accidentally' tug it loose. You look back to the package, taking in the sight of what must be a naked package.

It's very... papery.

"I have returned, little bunny." You look to your mother, who is offering you a pair of rather heavy-looking scissors handle-first. "This should assist in you, erm... 'stripping' the present." Thanks, Mom!

You accept the scissors, but they fall from your hand, so heavy are they. Sam proceeds to pick them up. "Thanks, Sam." You give her your best smile, earning a happy tweet.

With that done, you quickly begin to cut the wrapping paper off with the awkwardness that comes with grasping scissors with a tendril. Within, you find a box. Dare you peer into the box? That safe haven, where only a chosen few may look?

You think you do.

Within, you find a fluffy white... blanket? Sweater?

"Scarf. I knitted it for you." Your mother looks expectant. You wonder when she found the time?

— - — - —

[x] Yes.

— - — - —

Well, there's only one option here!

You equip your scarf, after deliberating where to wear it for a moment. Sure, Sam could use clothes, but— Ohh, wow! This is toasty!

"Why, that's because it's enchanted." Your fluffy mom can't help but smile at the positive note on which you thought that.

"Enchanted?"

She nods, confirming, "Why, yes. I figured that a more portable option would be the most reasonable. It is snowing out there after all." Snow?! They have snow here?! Is there a lot? "Why yes, little bunny. Feet of it, in fact. Were you unable to fly, you may have difficulty even leaving, let alone actually getting around." Quietly, she comments, "Part of why I intended to train you."

You frown a bit. "Sorry, Mom..."

She forces a smile. "It isn't a reason to be sorry. ...I seem to have underestimated you is all." Once more, quietly she adds, "As did I underestimate your grandmother."

You hug her waist.

After a moment, she places a pawlm atop your head, smiling a bit. "Thank you, little bunny." And then the scritchiesbeginohhyesrightthereyessssss. "You're a kind child." She smiles a bit.

Y̕͘ơ̡͘u̸̕̕ ҉҉̸̀h̸̢͘͜͢e̕͟a̵̢r̶̸͢͠͞ ̵̛͢͞͏ś͢͝ó̢͘m͏̡͟e̶̶͡͠w̷̴h̸̶͢a̡͢t̨̡͟҉ ̴̨́͘j̷̨̛͜͠ȩ̀a̴͟l̵̀͟ó̀̀ú̡̧̧͟s͞͠͝ ͘͟͞ǵ̴r̶̡͠u̶͟m҉̶̡͟b̢̛l̶͏̢̛͠i̢͘͘͜ņ̷́͡g̷̀͜҉ ͏҉̵̷́f̡́͢r̷͜ơ͟͏m̡̀͟ ̧́͜҉t̛̕͜͞h́͜͝ȩ̶͞ ̵̢̛͡͡t̛̕á̴̵b̢͏ļ͘e͡͏̵̨.̴̕͢

"Are you ready to go? Returning will not be easy."

— - — - —

[x] Unroll the scarf to your side, as if offering it to someone else.
-[x] Smile and make a suggestive noise while looking at the scarf.
[x] Now I'm ready.

— - — - —

Your mother blinks as you loosen your scarf, spreading it off to the side. At its length, it should reach well enough to wrap around even one as large as Mom. Your mother sighs, knowing just what you intend. You know she would decline. She knows you know she would decline. She knows you know she knows it isn't an offer for her. However, she does look slightly wounded regardless, as you didn't try to ask her to come anyways. Before you can ask, she says, "I cannot. ...In truth, my sister should not as well, but... she does either way. She would either way."

I̴̵͞t̡̨ ̧̛̀i̛͘͢s̕͢͝͏̴ ̨͘͜͏̡y͠͡ơ͡u͢͡r̵҉ ̛̀͡f̨̡͞à̢҉́u̵͟ļ͘t̷̨͟͝͡

Your fluffy mother winces at her words. You're starting to remember that she is there. That your actions on subconscious alone were enough to get your conscious mind near enough to seeing that which goes ignored. You can't see her, but you can remember that she's there. Her sister, that is. Mom's sister. You remember the meetings you've had as clear as day.

Your arm begins to tweet for attention in that oddly butchered tongue of shoggoths.

Tekekoi-shi! Tekekoi-shi!

You feel that Sam doesn't quite understand the concept of subtlety. You wolf whistle to show her how it's done.

Ỳ̨͞ơu̢ ͞w͢͢an̸͢t ͝҉ḿ̵e ͘t̵͘͞ǫ͘͠ ̀͠͡c̢͡͏o͞m̵͟e ̨͡ẃi͢͞th ̀y̡͝o͠ų̢͞?̵

You look to the direction of the not-whisper of the satori whose name is not quite as confusing. When you notice your mother pouting, you look to her instead, saying, "I-in a good way? It's a cute name. Just a bit... redundant."

She sighs. "Yes, I'm aware that the word has multiple meanings." She still looks a bit hurt, regardless of your mental assurances of her fluffy awesomeness. You give her waist a hug as you feel your new and awesome scarf getting tugged at a bit.

Looking to it, you find that absolutely nothing is wearing it.

Furthermore, nothing is looking particularly comfy.

To be continued...

You offer a hand to the only mother you've ever had. "If not coming with me... want to at least see me off?"

Your mother stares a moment, before frowning at something that she heard. You aren't quite sure what, though. "...Yes. Yes, that would be alright." She takes your hand, and you begin to walk along, your hands each totally not occupied by fluffy mits.

As you are led by Satori, she squeezes your hand snugly. You look to her, and spy a troubled look on her face. "Mom...?"

"Yes, little bunny?" Her eyes remain ahead, though the third one peeks at you. "What is it?"

You hug the arm as opposed to holding the hand. "I love you."

Your mother's heart throbs. Literally. "...I know, little bunny. I still don't think I deserve such a thing, but... thank you."

The trip has a cheerier mood from this point forward, though another ball of fluff isn't grumbling at your other side.

Eventually, you come to stairs, uniformly the color of the ruins: purple. This is odd, as they seem vastly different from the rest of the building, which seems to have been built on top of them, if you had to guess. And, if this place is as old as it is, that must mean the ruins are yet older still.

At the base of the violet descent, you find a narrow tunnel. Narrower than the ruins proper, though still spacious enough for even your mom to fit through with ease.

When you travel through, you find numerous scorch marks surrounding a pair of doors. They, too, are also quite like the ones found in the ruins. The doors, anyways.

"This... is where I fought them for their right to leave. Many children pass these doors. Sooner or later they are found, and..." Sighing, she simply says, "Only the one has managed to escape." She places her hand to it, and it swings open easily with the slightest of apparent effort. You're a little jealous, what with how hard it can be for you to do the same.

Sam gives you a whap, earning an awkward chuckle. "Sorry, Sam. I guess you're also strong, aren't you?" Sam proceeds to be grasped again by a hand which never grabs it.

With that, the four or more of you head on, eventually arriving at another flower patch. Rika's Flowey Tank's face peeks up from among the smaller, realer flowers.

"Rika?" You smile at the sight. You were worried she was still a bundle of tears and eyeball.

The flower doesn't say anything at first, though she does unwind a tendril towards you. Ohh boy! Flowey... hugs?

The tendril stops shy of you, holding out a familiar smartphone. When did she get your phone...? Your mother chimes in, "I had her fix it while you slept."

Averting her eyes, the flower says, "I, umm... I fixed it for you." As you take it, she adds, "I also added a screen protector, shock absorbers and a case."

"It does seem a bit more... tanky, I guess." Tanky is putting it lightly... It reminds you of a brick of metal!

The flower smiles a bit, returning the tendril to the ground. "Yes, I felt you might appreciate not losing it in your travels. I used bulletproof glass and titanium in the designs for the case." More like armor...

"Thank you, Flowey!" You head over to give her a hug, but she yelps and retracts into the ground. "...Flowey?" None, flower or eyeball, answer your call.

There appears to be a hatch on this patch of flowers, too.

— - — - —

[x] Can I come inside?
-[x] Please! I'll take responsibility!

— - — - —

"Flowey?" Receiving no answer, you press harder. "Rika...?"

From deep within, you hear a muffled, squeaky, "Stop that! I nearly... nearly...!" She sounds distraught by the actions of yesterday..

"Can I come inside you, Flowey?" Wait, is that how you phrase it? Flowey's the tank, but Rika's the girl. You have to respect both their wishes, right?

You hear a quiet shriek from within, followed by the comparatively low-pitched shriek from the flower part as it rises to the occasion. "What?!"

You give her pleading eyes, Sam joining in. "Please...?" At her recoiling at your best puppy eyes, you add, "I'll take responsibility for what comes of it!"

"WHATAREYOUEVENTALKINGABOUTAREN'TYOUAGIRLWHATISWRONGWITHYOUWELLYOUAREHERKIDMAYBEYOUACTUALLYHAVEAPE—"

"Rika." Your mother's stern tone causes the eyeball-controlled flower to go stiff. "Calm down." Looking to you, she says, "Now, please explain yourself."

"Well, I want to—"

"Descriptively."

"Well, I feel like if I don't get it out, I'll explo—"

"And without the words 'come,' 'explode' and 'inside'." Her words cause Flowey to eye you with a huge blush. You're not sure why it's blushing, assuming Rika is making it blush. ...Somehow that seems insensitive.

You scratch your chin. "Uhh..." Thinking a moment longer, you explain, "Well, I want to apologize by giving you a hug! Again! You seemed so sad, and I think you deserve another chance! I want to be a good girlfriend, and—"

"G-g-girlfriend?!"

You pause, wilting before her volume. "...We went on a date, didn't we?"

The flower speaking for Rika says, "I, uhh..." She extends those sexy, sexy vines of hers for the express purpose of nervous fiddling. She laughs a bit nervously, looking nervous. Nervously, she says, "I, uhh..." The laughter trails off. "I don't think I can return that..."

"What...? Why?"

"I'm..." She looks confused. "I tried to hurt you."

"So has everyone in the past several days."

That gives her pause. "...I'm still getting used to feeling. I haven't felt... really much of anything in a long time..." The hatch opens. "...If you really are so... Determined to make it the case..." She quietly mumbles, "M-maybewec-couldhaveanotherd-datesometimewithjustus...?"

— - — - —

[1] Wait, really?
[1] You aren't kidding?
[1] Really?
[1] Seriously?!
[3] WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
-[2] Youhadasuccessfuldateholycrud
-[2] Youneedtotellmomaboutit
-[2] Ignoringthatshe'srightthere
-[1] Alsohugseveryoneneedshugs
-[1] GETOVERHEREINEEDTOHUGYOUYESYOU

— - — - —

You blink. You blink again. You blink a few more times for good measure. Even Sam blinks along with you, though she may just be feeling left out. "Wait, really?" Your voice is quiet. "You... aren't kidding, right...?" You begin to tremble with joy. "R-really?" You break out into a huge grin. "Seriously?! You're serious, right?"

Peeking her shiny eyeball of a face out of the open hatch, Rika answers, "Yyyyeah...?"

You let loose a great cry of joy! "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!" Sam, of course, joins in, your ear soon ringing on that side. This must be a clear show of joy, obviously!

You think your ear may be bleeding, though.

-1HP

You bounce up and down, your grin only growing, even as Sam distractingly cleans your ears. Holycrapyouactuallyhadasuccessfuldatyoureallyneedtotellmom aboutthisbecausesheobviouslydoesn'tknowasit'snotlikeshecanread mindsoranythinglikethat— Ohhhhhhyesrightthere... "Goodness, little bunny. You're not unlike a small dog with piddling issues." Her words cause you to look down. "I meant that in jest..." You give Mom a big, one-handed hug.

"WAAAGH!" Rika finds herself getting grappled towards you by Sam. "R-Renko, stop that! Wait, why are you even hugging me? Let me... go!" She begins to struggle. "I'm going to hurt you, you jerk! And then you'll be like me, and it will be the worst thing possible..." The batty eyeball droops quite a bite, earning a far larger hug from your mother.

Stroking the smooth, peach-like surface of Rika, Mom shushes her gently. "There, there."

You join in on the hugging. "I can't help iiit! You're just so huggable, and I want to hug you, and I want to hug both of you, and Sam and the tank and the othertank and Mystia and Rumiaa wait no her name was Rumia wasn't it and the ghosts and Hourai but not that bitc—"

"Breathe." Your mother places a finger on your lips. making this more difficult than it should be, if only for a moment.

Following your mother's advice, you do just that, gasping for sorely needed oxygen

Releasing you, your mother says, "Little bunny, I believe it's time you go." She begins rummaging a bit, before offering up a small sack that smells of spice, grilled meat and brownies. "For the road." You blink, before realization hits you. ...It's time to say goodbye, isn't it. Your mother sighs, patting your head with a free hand. Her heart quite literally throbs, leading to the doors sliding open. "Think not of it as goodbye." The snow comes up to your chest, the door having carved a section away. "Think of it as..." She sighs. "A... temporary parting." Her words don't sound so certain. "They aren't. ...I'm not. ...But... I have faith in you." Quietly, she adds, "My child."

Above the snow, you spy a forest of pine and skies not like those you are used to. It's as if it's day and yet not. There is light enough to see normally, and yet things aren't terribly bright.

The sight of a new horizon fills you with Determination!

— - — - —

AN: And, with that, you're nearly caught up! We're around a fifth done with Thread 8, but I started a new thread when we hit Act 2, which is why this one's tiny. Sorry I took so long to catch you guys up, but it was tedious to do so, as it amounted to copy/pasting the threads. I excluded the status screen on updates, as it's not terribly helpful in this instance.