(and/or)
Fanny had gone missing. Again.
Tree had figured out that this was going to be the inevitable conclusion pretty much from day one; that electric fan always complained mightily about anything and everything, especially the whole death prevention stuff that their entire team was named after. Every single time they messed up in even the slightest, most inconsequential way, she'd always be there to tear them apart and shout any number of colorful insults in their direction. Whenever they found time to talk, to regain their bearings, she'd rant about how this whole business venture had effectively been doomed from the start; how the whole nature of the competition made it impossible to keep everyone alive at all times, how everyone's cavalier attitude towards death and the existence of recovery centers made the whole thing pointless and obsolete, and how their constant efforts have only garnered misery and anger from both within and beyond. "You just can't save *everyone*!" The one with the spinning blades often went back to that point. "Really, some of these people just *SHOULDN'T* be saved!" The big bit of foliage would try to calm her down, explain that what they do has *some* value to it, but she was never really one to be attentive; she always focused on her big mouth rather than her ears. Then the whole charade repeated again the day after, and the day after that, and so on and so forth.
Eventually, *eventually*, one of them had to snap, and it was only natural that the mechanical device, the one known for hating anything and everything under the sun, was the one to go first. One day, when Tree corralled everyone in the morning to lay out at least the *illusion* of a controlled plan, he found that they were one short; with their numbers already drastically plummeting as is, the rest of the day ended up being an exhausting, draining manhunt; they eventually found her hiding in some inconspicuous bush, muttering to herself about how much she hated everyone and wanted them to just go away. Or at least stop bothering her. Much of the night was then spent dragging her back, and with her constant resistance to the whole thing they may as well have been lugging a one-ton weight for 2,763 miles.
The shambling remains of Death P.A.C.T. (Again) hoped that the whole incident would be a one-off; the whole thing completely took them out of their whole routine, and the effects would've been *disastrous* if it just so happened to be one of the days where Two finally decided to wake up and start another episode. Every second they wasted on trying to track her down is a second someone could've spent acting recklessly, endangering themselves and others, and most likely getting someone killed in the process; if they want to maintain their already-terrible reputation, they couldn't afford another fiasco. They also hoped that she'd see sense and at least *tolerate* them for the time being; in a world where an algebralian can just snap people out of existence the moment they get eliminated, there was at least *some* justification to hang onto this sinking ship. They hoped that common sense would win out, that they would live to prevent death for another day.
But what part of the Battle for Dream Island makes *anyone* think common sense has *anything* to do with it?
-
Tree really, *really* didn't want to resort to doing this, but with their manpower lessening and weakening by the day, it seemed like it was a necessity.
Though he'd try to hide it, he knew deep in his heart that death prevention was a thankless, hopeless endeavor that he wouldn't wish upon even his greatest enemy; the only reason he even puts up with it still is because... well, *somebody* has to do it. Bottle had made it well and clear that the reason she split off from the team was because it just wasn't as fun as any of the other available offerings. Tree had made peace with that fact, and had already moved on from the whole thing. They still emerged with the same number of hands on board, anyway; what matters if they were *slightly* different? Though they were now on different teams and worked towards different goals, the living plant tried his best to stay on her good side. She *was* a former death preventer, after all, and she was also a great friend. You never know when you need a loyal ally by your side.
Like right now.
"Oh!" Bottle was laying on the ground when she saw Tree. "Hiya, Treeyee! Been a while, hasn't it?" "I suppose." Tree sat down. "How's that whole 'fun' thing? Been having plenty of it with your new team?" "Yep!" Bottle smiled. "There was this whole thing with Winner and Clock that's been a real joy to listen to; also, Yellow Face trying to sell his products has been a laugh and a half!" Tree nodded. "Glad to hear that." He'd smile too. "You're still trying to prevent death, right? Even though you're not with us? It isn't something that's limited to one team, after all." "I sure do try!" Bottle exclaimed. "Sometimes. When I remember." The big collection of Leafys tried his hardest to maintain his smile. "That's about as well as I could expect." He'd mutter to himself. "Hey! Speaking of death prevention, how's that going for you guys?" Bottle asked. "Saw that you guys weren't doing so hot; you guys working on that?" Tree sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, we are." He'd take a moment to photosynthesize. "It's definitely been a rough patch, but I'm sure we'll get past it; if there's something that can survive even the harshest conditions, it's that innate desire to care for others. To love one another, and..."
Awkward silence.
Tree cleared his throat. "Speaking of, by the way, you mind helping us out with a little... errand?" Bottle raised an eyebrow and frowned slightly. "Tree... C'mon. You're no fun." She'd remark. "That's the whole reason why I split off, you know? I don't wanna do any more errands!" "Yeah, yeah. I know." Tree nodded. "I just figured, it's been a long time, maybe you can help out just this once..." Bottle folded her arms. "I suppose..." She'd hesitate. "But you gotta do something for me in exchange, alright?" "Well, what *do* you want?" Tree asked; Bottle then leaned in and whispered whatever it was, and he'd attentively listen. He thought about it for a moment, and smirked.
"Well, the funny thing is..."
-
"Weeeeee! Wee! Haha!"
Black Hole was the perfect person to do all the heavy lifting when it came to finding that stubborn one; he was focused, hard-working, had a great skill set, and can... well, *fly*. Last time, they went with having him roam the skies while everyone else covered the ground; that ended up just exhausting everyone while the living vortex managed to find her just before sunset; a great plan in theory, but given their dwindling numbers, and the area to cover... maybe not so much in practice. So, new plan: what if *everyone* could search from above?
Again, it was great in theory; constantly orbiting around Black Hole meant that things were constantly moving around in their vision, making thorough searches for little blurs on the ground effectively impossible. But given the entertainment value of being able to fly around without a care in the world? It might just work out.
Tree felt like he hadn't had a single day-off in his life since he started in this whole death prevention business; after all, recklessness works 24/7. Even in times he specifically cleared out to relax, justified by saying it's to build up morale and strength for the next onslaught, all he could think about was just how much shenanigans were going on just beyond what he could see, all the deaths that could be happening that he didn't have even the slightest chance of preventing. Every waking moment, from sunrise to sunset, felt like a living nightmare. That resulted in a sort of weird, twisted way of thinking that allowed him to stay on track without going completely off the rails; constantly being swung around by gravitational pull, always fearing that you might get flung off or fall down? In some strange sense, it was relaxing.
And it certainly helps to see Bottle having fun; she always was someone to find the joy in even the most dire scenarios, and it especially made her shine. She was always a beacon of happiness, a bit of light on the cloudiest days. With basically everything else being a blur, all Tree could focus on was her, always laughing and giggling. Despite the competition all around them, all the stresses and what-not, she always had a genuine smile on her face.
It took Tree an awfully long time to truly come to terms with her leaving Death P.A.C.T.; on certain days, deep down in his soul, he'd admit that he still hasn't.
"Alright, I found her." Black Hole announced. "Fun's over; I'll put you down to confront her." "Aww." Bottle remarked. "Can we do this again after, though?" Tree opened his mouth to respond, but hesitated; he didn't wanna be a buzzkill. The black hole would gradually bring them back down to Earth; Tree did a little delicate maneuver to land on his feet, while Bottle was content with just sliding onto the ground. "Ah." She'd smile. "I missed you, grass!" Tree sighed as he regained his bearings. "C'mon, let's go." He'd interject. "You know her; she'll run away as soon as she sees us." "Ah, I'm sure she'll be fine." Bottle remarked. "You know, sometimes all you need is a nice, pleasant chat!" Tree blinked. "...We've already tried that."
The three of them began cautiously approaching the completely ordinary bush that was not peculiar at all, not in the slightest; already, within several yards of the thing, they could already hear the electric fan complaining to herself about something or other. As Tree listened in to make sure she wasn't planning anything funny, however, he noticed that her tone was... different. It didn't have the same lingering anger that every other time she's spoken up had; it was softer, more emotional. Affectionate, even. A *very* strange thing indeed for someone that feels like the only emotion they express is pure, uncontained rage.
Tree and Bottle stopped just short of the bush, and the former would give it a swift kick to get it rustling; the fan would immediately jump out of her hiding place and start running, only to be confronted by Black Hole. "Outta my way!" She'd shout. "You're not gonna suck me in; you don't have the guts!" Tree and Bottle were then quick to surround her, making sure there was nowhere to run. "Fanny..." Tree sighed. "I don't get it." "I don't get *YOU*!" The one that hated everything shouted back. "Why do you keep looking for me? You already know what's gonna happen!" "Why do *you* keep running away?" Tree asked. "You know that it isn't gonna do you any good. "Yeah." Black Hole remarked. "If we don't find you, Two will; do you fancy your odds with that?" "Well, maybe!" The angry one shouted back. "*Anyone* is better than you guys at this rate!" "*Really*." Tree folded his arms. "Then why are you here, so far away from everyone else?" "Yeah!" Bottle chimed in. "You could hang out with us for a change; I'd even help you hide from Tree!" Tree glared at her, to which she'd respond by just happily chuckling.
"Well..." The fan lost the words in her head; she'd grow flustered, going red not from overheating. "They're just as obnoxious as everyone else!" She'd finally find that thread she'd lost. "I'm looking for someone that just doesn't care; someone that's fine with just repeatedly dying, just lives with it! Someone that's the exact opposite of you!"
Tree and Black Hole looked at each other, confused; who could that be?
