Overstepped

Bloom

  "Dear Genji... The shrubs around Master's lodge bloomed suddenly--apparently, they're called 'tea olive' or 'osmanthus'... I didn't actually know that was a real plant... Anyway, they're pretty but won't last long now, Master says that osmanthus usually bloom in the autumn. Something something, fleeting feelings and emotions, something poetic. Master is watching me write so I'm trying to look serious. ...But now that I think about it, the unexpected blooming does remind me of when I thought my powers were coming back when I discovered Lúcio's music... Only for them to disappear just as suddenly. Ugh, that sounded so cheesy. Anyway, the osmanthus flowers are the most gorgeous orange color I've ever seen, so I've pressed a few petals for you to keep. Hope to see you soon, and hopefully things are well at Overwatch. Sincerely, Addie."

~

"Again, thank you for your help, dear little ascetic. You simply must take some of the fruit you helped me harvest!" As she spoke, the old lady handed over a hand-woven basket piled high with fruit to the "ascetic", who in turn, waved their hands in a polite refusal. "Ah, that's quite kind of you, Ma'am, but I'll have to refuse. I still have errands to run in town and wouldn't want these to spoil or get taken by birds while I'm doing that." "No? Then here, take some money for being so good. Your master must be so proud!" Replied the old woman, pinching the latter's cheek after handing over some compensation. They offered a smile and nod to the old woman before turning to leave, making sure they were out of sight before letting out a sigh. "At least she paid me good..." "Ah, Addie! There you are!" Ren's voice called from somewhere further in town. By now, it was really starting to look like a festival--a few weeks had passed already. Addie quickly made her way over to Ren, figuring he needed something... "I started gathering things from merchants, what do you think? I think these wood figures'll be a hit with the village kids!" "Hm... I don't know, really. The craftsmanship is quite nice, but I don't think kids'll appreciate it," Addie replied honestly, observing the figurines. Ren gave a defeated sigh before replying, "So that's a dud too... What am I supposed to do with these things? If nobody'll try winning 'em, the festival will be boring!" "Well... They seem pretty sturdy," Addie began, thinking fast, "Perhaps you could make a game out of them? Maybe a ring toss or some type of mini bowling?" Ren was silent for a moment, but eventually he nodded and replied, "Yes, that's genius! Addie, thank you!" "It's nothing, keep up the good work over here, yeah? Hopefully I'll find more folks to help you soon," Addie said, taking her leave after. What else did they have to do... They'd already visited the post office, already helped Ren and a few others... Ah, right, Zenyatta needed them to pick up some spices for dinner. This should be the last of it before heading back, Addie figured, so she went about gathering the requested spices quickly. Finally, it was time to make the trek back up to the lodge. After the rather uneventful day in town, Addie wasn't expecting much...

"So that's how you two met," A white-haired man began, "Satya told me it'd sound better if you told the story!" "Indeed," Zenyatta replied before turning to face the woman beside him, Satya, "It was a joy to host her back then." "I think fondly of that time, as well," Satya agreed, "I learned much from you." From behind a nearby tree, Addie watched the scene... Just who were these people that their master was talking to?! He appeared to know them--or at least, one of them well... "I have to say, I'm curious about that apprentice of yours! You spoke highly of her, after all," the white-haired man commented after a moment. "I believe they should be back any minute, unless they've got caught up in something," Zenyatta replied, slightly turning his head to the side. It was at this moment that Addie realized he knew she was there--but the others were none the wiser. "Guess you can't sneak up on a monk," Addie thought, releasing a small sigh. They took just a moment to gather herself before taking a few steps back to make it look like they were just coming up from the nearby trail, proceeding from there. "Ah, there you are," Zenyatta began, "We were just speaking of how lovely it would be if you joined us." "I, um... Had trouble finding a spice you wanted, but I got it," Addie said quietly, mostly directing their attention to Zenyatta while sneaking small glances at the latter two. "That's good to hear. Now, Addie, I would like you to meet Satya and Niran. Satya is a friend of mine, and Niran is a friend of hers." "Pleasure to meet you, Addie!" Niran greeted with a small bow. "Namaste. Zenyatta told us that you've been training well under him, it's nice to meet you," Satya followed up. "Peace be upon you both," Addie replied in a tone slightly above a whisper, somewhat mimicking Niran's bow back to the two. "Shy, are we? Don't worry, we don't bite," Niran teased with a small chuckle after. "It's all right, Addie. Why don't you take a seat and I'll go get some tea for you three?" Zenyatta offered, gesturing to the spot where he previously sat. Addie nodded lightly, taking a seat with the others as her master left. For a few moments, Addie was silent. They were awful at ice breakers--and with some of the most gorgeous people Addie had ever seen sitting right across from them?! She was, understandably, intimidated. "Addie, do you have a favorite flower?" Niran asked suddenly. This question caught Addie off guard, and they fumbled for a second--though it did make her forget about being anxious, which was likely Niran's goal. "Oh, there's so many... Ah, um... Dandelions, I guess?" "Ah, a symbol that nothing lasts forever, right?" Niran replied, "I've never had anyone respond with that, actually. I think it's a rather underrated choice." As he spoke, he used some kind of light-based technology to create a small dandelion. He handed it over to the latter, who looked enamored by it. "How'd you do that?" Addie asked. "It's hard light," Satya replied, "A type of technology that Vishkar specializes in." "Wow... That's pretty cool," Addie said after a moment of admiring the dandelion. "It can be used to create a variety of things," Niran explained. Addie nodded, seeming to understand. "So, Zenyatta spoke a bit about it himself, but how did you two meet?" Satya asked. "Oh, um..." Addie averted their gaze, thinking about the best way to answer this. Could they tell the full truth? "I... Time traveled. To go after my brother's killer. And I... Lost my powers and fell into the worse depression I'd ever experienced. So now I'm here, as like a... Rehabilitation, I guess. My friend Genji introduced us, and... I think it's the best thing that's happened to me since time traveling back in March." "Oh, my... That's awful. I'm glad you're turning things around, though. I'm sure your brother would be proud of you for healing," Niran said, offering a small smile. Addie initially got a sour taste in their mouth when Niran said this--but he meant well. She still blamed herself for their brother's death... And didn't really want pity. But they accepted it with a small nod. "Did you... Succeed in taking your revenge?" Satya asked slowly, watching as Zenyatta returned with tea. "No," Addie answered, sighing. "Is it still a goal of yours?" Satya followed up, seemingly still curious. Addie opened their mouth to respond with "Obviously", but... Instead, they paused, closed their mouth, and thought for a moment. If killing Kiyoshi would truly do nothing... Was there a point on stooping to his level? "I... Don't think so," they eventually answered, "I just want to ask him why he did it, if killing him will do nothing for me. Originally, I wanted him dead so I could return home... But that's not a possibility anymore, since I believe him to be originally from this timeline." "I see your mindset has changed over the two months we've been training for. The choice is still yours, I hope you know, and I wouldn't want you to make it based on what you think I would prefer," Zenyatta commented, taking a seat beside his pupil. "It's not that you influenced it fully," Addie replied, "It's just that... I feel like if I devote my life to trying to kill Kiyoshi, then I'm not living. I'd be spending every waking moment hung up on the past, suffering. If I managed to get my powers back, and went right back to chasing that damn ninja--then what would I be learning from this? It'd all be for nothing, wouldn't it? I...want my powers back to bring forth healing, not hatred." These words flowed from Addie with barely any thought--like an overflowing sink. Spilling and spilling, unable to stop. But when they did, eventually, stop... It was quiet. Addie felt they'd overshared and wanted to curl up and dissolve, but instead... "That's a very mature answer, my student. I didn't expect a revelation like that again so soon from you. I'm confident you'll be able to handle what I have in store for the future, now," Zenyatta said with a small nod. "We need more healers in this world," Niran stated, "More people to nurture the spirits of others. After all, a flower can't bloom without water and sunshine, right?" Addie offered a smile to Niran, along with a nod. "That's a good answer," Satya eventually said, "Sorry for asking such a personal question, I was just... Very curious. But it was a clear and decisive answer, so thank you for that." "Don't worry, I think I needed someone to ask me that again. When Master brought it up before, it was... I think the first day of training. I was still stuck in my ways. I hope I continue to grow from here..." "I'm sure you will. You'll grow, and bloom, in no time! But remember to be patient with yourself, too," Niran replied. Again, Addie nodded. Zenyatta was pretty adamant about patience as well... So they wouldn't soon forget this. For now, it was time to make dinner, which Zenyatta needed the spices for. As it turned out, Satya wanted to help make dinner, since she and Zenyatta had been planning this meeting for a while. Addie wished he'd told her, but it was true that life wouldn't always prepare you first... Besides, they were having some kind of curry, so they couldn't complain.

Addie enjoyed getting to know Niran and Satya more over dinner, learning about how the two met and how Satya met Zenyatta. They supposed it was nice to have company sometimes, but this also made them miss Genji more. They'd been writing back and forth for a while now, and Genji said he'd love to take some time to visit in his most recent letter, but apparently things had started intensifying with Null Sector as of late... Addie felt terrible for not being there to help, but without her powers, she couldn't do much anyway. This was one of several reasons why they needed to get them back... For now, Addie hoped Genji (and everyone else with Overwatch) would be all right. Regardless, Satya and Niran stayed the night, since no more trains would be coming through, and Addie showed off their hosting skills they'd learned from Zenyatta. When morning arrived, it was time to say farewell for now, but the group agreed to do this again at some point. "Again, it was nice meeting you two!" Addie said, giving a brief wave. "The feeling is mutual! Take care of yourselves, now, and hopefully we'll meet again soon!" Niran replied before quickly ducking into the train. Addie wasn't certain, but it looked as if he was trying to hide his face... "Don't give your master too much trouble, all right? I do want to see what that festival is about, but I'm worried there might be...just a bit too much going on. I'm unsure if I will return for it," Satya said after, shaking her head lightly. "I feel that, I get overstimulated in big crowds too. I don't blame you for being on the fence," Addie agreed, "And I'll be good... For now." This earned a small laugh from Satya as she waved again. "Take care on your way. It was lovely seeing you both," Zenyatta commented before Satya headed onto the train herself. This reminded Addie of when Genji had dropped them off... Two months had already passed. What else could the future have in store?