Bloom

41: The Reunion

Not a second goes by before Tulip runs into Pepper's arms. The two timber over and land on the soft soil.

"Ouh!" Pepper giggles. "Tulip, I'm... happy to see you, too!"

Tulip peppers them with quick kisses on their face, which makes them giggle more.

"Hey! It tickles!"

Dante, unsure how to react, stands off to the side while scratching the back of his head. Once Tulip stops, they both sit up. Pepper examines their attire with worried eyes. Then the wounds on their skin. Tentatively they reach for an arm.

"What happened?" They hold their arm gently.

Tulip appears to want to say something, but instead they direct their attention by pointing to the forest. Pepper frowns.

"Sorry I got the directions wrong," they say. "The times that I've been there, other than today, the season changed its landscape."

An 'ahem' is heard from beside them. Dante has a closed fist up to his mouth. He lowers it to reveal an impatient expression.

"Peppermint, right?"

Pepper stands up. They're in the same protective posture as the first time they met.

"You are correct, Dante. Call me Pepper, though."

"Oh, sorry, Pepper," his face softens slightly. "So... Tulip has a new name."

Pepper blinks. They lower their gaze to Tulip, who's still sitting down. Dante waves a hand in the air.

"It's not a bad thing! Besides... I think it's for the best. I'm guessing Tulip doesn't remember their name prior to the accident."

"'Accident'?"

He lets out a long sigh.

"I'll tell you what I told Tulip."

----------

For several minutes Dante explains what happened. Each minute that passes Pepper's eyebrows pinch more and more. It's as if the story pains them physically. Once Dante finishes, there's a brief pause for Pepper to collect their thoughts.

"I see..." they nod. "So you were both close companions."

Dante fiddles with his hair. He nods with an 'mhm'.

Pepper looks between the two. Then their eyes meet Dante.

"You're being completely honest?"

Dante looks like he wants to strike like a viper. He tries to keep his composure.

"If I wasn't, I would've captured Tulip long ago and taken them to Stellalume."

"Captured?"

He nods while looking away. "I eavesdropped a bit on her and Torrentus's conversation. To put it simply, she wanted me and Tulip all to herself, like prideful trophies."

"But that... goes against..."

He shakes his head. "Not for anomalies it doesn't. The rules to them are simple: we're the enemies. They want us out or away to not taint the so-called 'perfect' world."

"Hah..." Pepper presses a finger to their chin. "It sounds like what my mother would've said."

Tulip listens with intent. They feel their heart sink upon those words. Then Pepper springs back to giddiness. They bend down and pluck a wilted sunflower, which barely had enough energy to sprout with its neighbouring flowers.

"There is no such thing as perfect, though. Look at this," they show the flower to the two. "Just like in the living world, we have things here that don't account to the utopian theory."

Dante lets out a 'psh'.

"Try telling that to the deities here. None of them care and are stuck in their dumb fantasy bubble."

Pepper cradles the flower in their hands. The petals are so dry they flake off in the wind. They look at it fondly, then place it back down.

"Not every deity, though," they say.

Dante raises an eyebrow. "Hm?"

Pepper smiles warm. They look down at Tulip, then hold out their hand to them.

"Both of you, come with me."

"To where?" Dante asks.

Pepper helps Tulip up, then interlocks their fingers with theirs. They turn to Dante. "Back to my home."

"You're not serious, right? What about the other deities-"

"They're no longer there, except for one." They look back at Tulip. "Don't worry, this isn't a trap."

Tulip reads into their expression. It tells them Pepper is expressing full honesty. Dante, on the other hand, remains wary.

"Stellalume is still waltzing around this area," he says, "she's patrolling like a griffin guard."

Pepper lifts a finger. "There's an alternative to that,"

"Oh?"

With their free hand they point to a specific area.

"A shortcut."