It can only bloom in wholesome bodies.

But right now, in this moment... the tangibility of those adult things - pain, and the desperation to escape it - are hitting her full force. She never imagined her heart could feel so bad. It's such a heavy, awful sensation... and though she's experienced similar emotions only once before, she'd almost managed to forget them - or at least, she'd forgotten exactly how they felt, under her skin and in her soul.

"...Mmm..." Ib hums uncertainly as she looks up at Garry, unable to find the words she wants to say. Has Garry really forgotten her? Even though he was always so kind... maybe, just like the adults have told her over and over, what happened back then wasn't real at all. Just her mind playing tricks on her. That thought scares her, but she's too distracted by her bewildered sorrow to really focus on it.

"Garry... please don't say that. Lying is bad. You... you do remember me, don't you?"

so basically, in this verse ib was the only one to escape the gallery, taking place after the forgotten portrait ending. she doesn’t remember the events of the game, but is still intensely traumatized by what happened - her parents, of course, notice the change and are scared and worried for her, doing everything they can to support her and figure out what happened. but none of them can seem to do anything at all to help.

two years later, when ib is eleven, garry and mary both mysteriously return to the real world. they, unlike ib, remember everything that happened in the gallery - except for how they managed to escape/come back to life. (mostly an excuse so i don’t have to figure something out yet atm LMAO...) as far as everyone can recall, garry never went missing - and on top of that, mary is now garry’s sister. everyone remembers them as having always been related, but garry and mary don’t have those false memories and both know the truth about what’s going on.

after some confusion and horror from those who know garry that he seems to have abruptly forgotten his sister, he eventually pretends that he got into an accident and is suffering from amnesia regarding the last two years of his life. he also pretends to “remember” mary and claims it was a concussion that had him acting so strangely - reluctantly realizing he has to live with her now, despite being terrified of her and what she did to him.

he meets ib again and as soon as that happens, ib remembers everything that happened in the gallery. they’re both overjoyed to see each other, but ib’s parents are deeply mistrustful of garry, so they don’t get to meet often except on occasional supervised visits when ib begs them to allow it.

it’s been nine months........ and all of a sudden i am missing ib..........

Even with knowing that kids can sometimes ask rather straightforward questions, it still catches Garry off guard a bit. There’s a nervous chuckle. 

“Ah, well… It’s normal for parents to be a little careful around strangers. They don’t quite know me that well.” That’s the only logical reason Garry can come up with. It’s not like he did anything bad or inappropriate around the young girl’s parents to make them hate him or something. He’s sure they’ll warm up to him eventually.

 “I wouldn’t worry about it to much, okay?” 

“Mm...”

Ib makes a noise of discomfort, clearly not satisfied with Garry’s response. Garry isn’t a stranger! ...It’s not like she can tell her parents how she met him, or how she can be so sure he’d never hurt her, though. They’re just trying to look out for her... but even so, it’s painful to see them look at him with such distrust.

“I don’t want them to hate Garry.” Ib says, looking at the floor. She’s always had the habit of avoiding referring to people as “you”, using their names instead, even though her Mother always tells her not to. She says it makes her sound younger than she is, but Ib doesn’t get why that matters... But then, she breaks her own habit, looking at Garry and saying-

     He looks down immediately at her voice saying his name, single pale eye watching those intense reds with both curiosity and concern. In all the time he’s known her she always looks rather serious, but something in her stare this time is troubling, and he’ll do anything to fix it.      The sketchpad he’d been adding to with a loose approximation of a dress they’d passed in a shop window is returned to an interior pocket in the familiar coat as he offers Ib a reassuring smile. Upon her question it rather quickly falls. Ah. A troublesome thought he doesn’t quite know how to address. He wants to assure her that it won’t happen again, that she doesn’t need to worry, as she deserves nothing but happiness. But he cannot promise that and he won’t lie to her. Ib is the one person he will never lie to.      ❝Ib…❞ So how to proceed?      A short sigh before he settles on wrapping the truth in comfort. He kneels before her, eye to eye, and does his best in a soft yet resolute tone, just as back then. ❝I can’t say for certain as I don’t entirely know how or why it happened.❞ He has a theory regarding his relation to Weiss but that doesn’t account for her, and this isn’t the time or place for it.

     ❝I don’t believe it will, so please don’t dwell on it, Ib. But if it does I will be there for you.❞ And she for him, as if he’s truly honest with himself he needed her just as much. She was his lifeline to sanity. And yet these days he knows that too is a promise he cannot keep, for as much as he would rather be by her side forever her parents won’t allow it.      And thus, ❝And if by chance I’m not, you’re an incredibly brave, smart, and resourceful girl who I’ll always believe in. And you’ll have these.❞ He reaches into another coat pocket, retrieves a blue-wrapped piece of candy, gently presses it into Ib’s hands, then does the same with a pants pocket and a familiar lighter. He doesn’t mind giving it up as he’d gone and bought a spare to be sure that it running out of oil would never be such a disaster again. If he must be back down to one for the sake of Ib’s safety then so be it. Even if he does acknowledge that under normal circumstances giving a child a lighter is perhaps not a good idea, and certainly won’t endear him to her parents.      Soft smile pulls up on one side, a somewhat mischievous tone entering his voice when he suggests, ❝Although let’s let the lighter be our secret.❞ (yet another secret to keep) before standing back up, looking around, then back down at Ib with a grin. ❝Ah, how about another? There’s a lovely bakery not far from here. Before your parents can scold me for it, would you like to get some macarons, Ib?❞ Perhaps that would take her mind off the Gallery.

Ib tenderly holds the lighter and the candy in her hands, looking down at them as if they’re the most precious treasures in the world. ...Of course, she may be a kid, but she’s not stupid. She knows that Garry can’t be with her all the time - so that means there’s always a chance that one day, she’ll become trapped on her own. But... Garry’s trying to make her feel better... and he’s even given her his precious lighter, the same lighter that had saved their lives once before.

They got out before. That means that if there’s a next time... Ib can be sure that there is a way out.

So Ib looks at Garry, and smiles. It’s a small smile, but for Ib, it’s a large one. And she nods, excited at the thought of macarons, before exclaiming-

“Yeah!”

And then, after a moment, she adds, in the serious tone of a little girl-