September Catch-All

[friendlyflower]

Who: Flowey & Emporio, Anasui, Akechi, Firoza, and maybe YOU!
What: Quests, discussing Theories, hearing stories, and rumors of a certain boy's birthday (aka-- I decided Flowey's birthday is on the Undertale anniversary, September 15th)
Where: Furnace Mountain, in & around Death Blood Murder Skull Town
When: Throughout September
Warnings: Potential Pokemon battling (violence/injury), Flowey's trauma (mentions of/themes of depression, depersonalization, guilt, child death, murder)

Comments

[offtracks]

Ah, I never had at all before just now! [ If that qualified as a celebration? ] Of course, I did not know what it was, but celebrating birthdays is not a regular occurrence at all in Hisui.

[ He pauses for a moment, looking at all the gathered Pokemon. ]

It seems important to people here, though?

[friendlyflower]

Seems like it. [It's weird to think that people are here 'celebrating' him. They're 'grateful' to him. What a joke.]

... say, Ingo. Weird question, but... do you feel like you're a different person from before you lost your memory?

[offtracks]

...that is something I have always wondered. Emmet says that I am essentially the same, but I...I am not sure, myself. I do not even know if that is possible.

[ What is a person if not the sum of their lived experience? Perhaps he is still physically that man, but can anything ever truly bring back the Subway Boss of old? ]

Why do you ask?

[friendlyflower]

[... Does he 'trust' Ingo now? Well, it's not like it's a secret, anyway.]

I died once. [More than once, but the first was the one that stuck.] This birthday belonged to the old me. Haven't celebrated it since!

[offtracks]

Oh - ! I am terribly sorry to hear it!

[ That's better than the first time he found out that people here could come from death, at least. It's lucky for everyone involved that Ingo already knew this was a possibility. Flowey is terribly young, true, but...well, Ingo is from a long time ago. It's not that bizarre. ]

Do you still consider it your birthday at all, then?

[friendlyflower]

[He thinks about this. He had gotten to be his old self for a while again recently, even somewhat 'reconcile' the two... but he had still thought of Flowey as the 'worse' version.]

No. But the weirder thing is the idea that I'm aging again at all.

[offtracks]

Had you not been?

[ These seem like personal questions, but given that Flowey is the one who brought it all up to begin with, Ingo feels tentatively okay asking about it. He is keeping something of an eye out for anyone else who might approach, though. ]

[friendlyflower]

[... Golly, that's just the other part of it, isn't it?]

Nope! Remember how I told you about 'determination'...? The power humans had in my world to change fate?

I wasn't human, but I had that. After I died, I got brought back as a flower! And to make a long story short... I was given the power to 'reset'. I could go back as many times as I wanted! Never far back enough to undo my first death, of course, hee hee.

[... and he couldn't feel anything. And he use that power to kill countless times. But one thing at a time.]

That's how I became 'Flowey'! Boy, I don't know HOW long I spent doing THAT before I got brought here.

[offtracks]

[ Ingo's eyebrows raise. ]

That is quite a remarkable ability! You must have been able to do a great deal with it!

[ It's a shame he couldn't save himself, but at least no one else would have to die an unnecessary death! ]

[friendlyflower]

Hee hee hee... You could say that!

[He can feel an evil smile and maybe even full monologue about to come out. Repress, Flowey, repress.]

Anyway! Can't do THAT anymore. But I can join you in the 'getting old' club! What a waste. A thing like me, having some kind of 'happily ever after' when everyone wanted that for my old self.

... that kid is long gone. I don't even have my soul anymore. I'm a husk. I don't feel anything. This entire thing is meaningless to me. You hear me? Meaningless!

[offtracks]

[ Ingo blinks, clearly taken aback by this sudden turn. But... ]

...you seem upset about it.

[ Souls are a metaphysical matter that he can't really speak on, but Flowey has never once struck Ingo as unfeeling! In fact, he's starting to think maybe he is actively unhappy about this party? ]

[friendlyflower]

... upset? Can't you see my big smile, buddy? I'm having a great time!

[He's not even really convincing himself.]

[offtracks]

[ His point had been, at least partially, that Flowey obviously does feel things. But that doesn't seem worth an argument right now. ]

.....you do not have to stay if you do not wish. You could sneak off.

[friendlyflower]

[He's quiet for several moments. He takes a breath.]

... It doesn't matter. I'm fine. You go have a nice time. Eat one of the sweets.

[offtracks]

No - no, I think that I am on my way out, regardless.

[ It would not feel right to stay here and mingle, knowing that Flowey himself is having a bad time! ]

[friendlyflower]

... go if you want to. But there's something else.

[He grumbles... and then sighs.]

I can feel, but nothing that counts. I can't feel love, or empathy, or anything good. It's hard to CARE about anything or anyone. And when I had that power I told you about. The power to change fate. I...

[Now he sounds sad.]

... did some... messed up stuff. Haha. So it's not worth caring about me.

[offtracks]

[ This is quite a lot more to take in! Overall, though - would someone who was all that horrible really be confessing right now? Ingo hadn't even suspected anything! He just sounds...like a sad young boy, really. ]

...come now. I do not believe that is up to you!

[friendlyflower]

Are you really still not mad at me? After all that?

[Other people have chosen to 'forgive' him. Believe in him, even. But it never gets easier.]

[offtracks]

Hm, well...I think you must feel badly about all of that now, at least a little. Why else would you tell me at all? So I do not see that getting angry at you would do much good.

[ Besides which, it's all rather at a distance. And Flowey is newly thirteen? There must be some other things going on, if a child is doing all of that! ]

[friendlyflower]

... Okay. Whatever. [He's been down this path before, demanding to know why others still trust him despite all he's done, trying to burn the bridge now before he can burn it later. He's trying not to walk it again.]

Ingo... thanks. I should've just said that from the start.

[offtracks]

[ Ingo smiles, an expression that really barely shows except in his eyes. ]

You are very welcome, Flowey. And I hope that you do have a good day, regardless of whether it is truly your birthday or not!

[ Really, though, he's still willing to help sneak the kid out! ]

[friendlyflower]

[Ingo is halfway out the door when Flowey speaks up again..]

Maybe we can ditch for just a LITTLE bit. C'mon!

[He hops up and lets Ingo catch him.]

[offtracks]

Ah - !

[ He lunges, but manages to get beneath Flowey enough to catch him! It does help that he's quite small. That done, though, he lets out a short bark of laughter. ]

Very well, then! All aboard! What is our destination?

[friendlyflower]

Take me somewhere cool! [He doesn't really have anywhere in mind. It seems like he wants to be away from here though for now.]