#viriosa

"Something feels off."

"Hm..."

"I can't put my paw on it..."

(Responding to: Lafayette, Cheshire, and Luanne)

. . .

*Ahem*

First things first, Lafayette… Unfortunately, I am going to have to deny your request of my silence…

Assumptions are the only thing we can do regarding you past lives, due to your group not wanting to talk more about who they were in life, which I should specify IS COMPLETELY FAIR!

It’s unreasonable to assume that those who died would even want to talk about their past lives and the personal events that happened in them, even more so when there are much more important issues to handle at the moment regarding Nettle.

However outside of the knowledge that you are all dead except for Nettle, and that your abilities to interact with the physical world are limited, the only info we can use to try to advise or help in this situation would have to come from assumptions…

Secondly, Chesire… You can intimidate me or spout poetry about how clueless we are for as long as you wish, but that will not fix Nettle’s current situation nor change our lack of understanding regarding this matter.

If you truly do care about our lack of knowledge, then perhaps you could spend less time being a poet and more time explaining to us the situation that your group seems to know about in detail.

That way less people will be clueless, and thus will be able to actually offer your group something of genuine value, since our current attempts so far don’t seem to have been making much progress…

Last but not least, Luanne… To specify on what I was talking about, I was referring to keeping the item obtained by the stranger but not eating it so that Nettle could use it against threats like ferals, but I am willing to concede this topic since you did bring a good point that if a person was to give him a poisoned berry, they probably aren’t just going to let him walk away without eating it, at least not without a fight…

However, I still believe that you or one of the other past lives that know how to forage could still inspect the berries offered and inform Nettle if they seem to be real berries or if they seem to be lookalikes.

Even if you don’t plan on keeping the berries as a part of an emergency ration, it could still make a good teaching moment for Nettle on how to properly identify if a berry is real or not, which could help him forage for food if needed.

As for being “better”, we simply aren’t…

In the same way your group has different past lives with their own unique experiences and wisdom, we have our own thoughts and ideas regarding on how we could help Nettle.

Some might be my poorly thought out poisoned berry idea, but some could be genuinely helpful advice that just slipped the mind of everyone in the group!

Because to put it simply, you can’t know what you don’t already know, and there can always be something that you just didn’t think of in the heat of the moment!

This isn’t a slight against any of you, nor is it a slight against your intelligence, it’s just something that happens from time to time, very few people are omniscient after all…

I appreciate your patience with my existence, and I wish you all the best of luck during these troubling times, we all do…

“That was not a request. It was a command. And you’d better follow it this time.”

Lafayette doesn’t bother to listen to what else you have to say to him.

"Hmph... so, you're ignoring everything thats being said to you," she takes a deep breath and let's it out, "I think I shall return the favor."

Chesire stares at you- almost blankly for a second before his eyes shift over to Lafayette and Luanne.

He clearly does not wish to speak more on the matter, but on the sight of the two older lives turning away, it seems he has decided to take a step forward.

His tone hums- bemused and soft in one even tone. Eyes still trained on the two lives.

"Listen to what I say, worm, for I am not an Educator. I am a Jester."

"You spout on our words- saying we do not need to tell you anything and then proceed to demand it in the same breath. We owe you nothing."

The story begins! Ask away!

"... you make me sound so great with words like that. You don't know me, you don't know how I think... I appreciate the kind words but I shouldn't be worried and fussed over..."

The old Mew sighs

"I should sleep... it'll take my mind off things..."

"Sleep forever if you would."

Chesire's tone is harsh and biting, but he doesn't spare Viri a glance. Looking up at you, his expression falls- less angry and more tired.

"You should worry about the others more. Castor, Mimpi- even Nettle- far better than worrying about her."

"If it weren't for the others, gladly, you crudmuffin."

"Goodnight to everyone except Chesire..."

"Zzz... hm...?"

The old Mew opens an eye and yawns.

"Another story? Well, I did mention Mago last time, so I suppose I could share how I met my beloved mate for life."

"I never realized how much I'd miss him..."

"It was a bright day, wind making the trees and tall flowers dance. I was helping some other members of my colony gather new moss and sticks to replace the old bedding for the elders when I bumped into something, dropping my findings in shock. Mago, accurately named after the berries, turned and immediately helped me pick up what I dropped. I thanked him and went on my way. I didn't expect anything to come from that one little interaction, but as time went on, he kept finding ways to help me with tasks he wasn't assigned to."

"I'll admit, I was a tad oblivious to his affections."