Doradilla Garden

Against the Current

Each day brought him ever so closer to that one accursed night. Usually, this just distraught him and his plant friends, however this time, there was someone else to share that predicament.

He only had so long to warn WX, before he does something he'll surely regret. He won't allow that to happen. He had to somehow spit it out, despite...The strains it took on him.

There wasn't much time left to mull things over. He just had to find them...And tell them...Yes, he'll manage somehow. He has to...

Wormwood found WX not too far from the creek, they were crouched over, staring intently at something on the ground it seemed. Curious, he came closer, to find out what has caught the automaton's attention.

He stood over them, casting a shadow, tall and looming.

"OH. YOU'RE HERE." They said, unruffled by his presence, they didn't once glance over their shoulder. Their tone of voice was also off, It sounded like a mix of zeal and apprehension. A rather strange combination.

"LOOK–EHR..." They paused, remembering something suddenly, and loosing their poise. Instead, they moved away, for him to examine their discovery. "I MEAN– HERE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN TELL, BUT– THIS PLANT HERE, IT'S–"

-"alive..." Wormwood immediately realized. And it wasn't one of the carnivorous lureplants or those brooding plantations fuelled by shadows. It was a regular dandelion in a small patch of greener grass.

Needless to say, this left him in a state of incredulity. Was it...Really possible? Was his garden slowly growing back..? He didn't know what to say or how to feel, should he laugh? Should he cry? Maybe both... Honestly, he could barely move after such a revelation.

-"THAT IS CORRECT. ALTHOUGH...DUE TO THE RISING HEAT AND RECENT LACK OF RAIN, IT IS ALSO DRIED OUT...I'D HATE TO SAY IT BUT WE'LL NEED...WATER."

This managed to partially break his stagger, he swears he even sensed them tremble. Still, he focused mostly on their statement. Water...Oh, that's right.

-"...There's water in the creek " He pointed out, but that answer was apparently the wrong one.

-"ARE YOU SERIOUS? DO YOU EVEN REALIZE HOW TOXIC THIS WASTE IS?! THE MAJORITY OF ITS STRUCTURE IS LITERALLY COMPOSED OF HARMFUL OOZE! AND YOU WANT TO FEED IT TO YOUR PLANTS?! NO WONDER YOUR GARDEN IS DEAD! WHEN IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A STERILE WATER SOURCE!"

He felt himself shrink, chagrined. Was it really that bad...? He didn't even realize...He had failed his plant friends a lot, hadn't he? Even the live-ier ones, ultimately, weren't all that happy... He had one job, that was to provide them with love and lots of sun and water, yet he had failed them, in all aspects. He was a bad friend. A terrible friend...

-" Oh...I...I failed them that much...Didn't I...? "

His gloomy behavior had apparently surprised WX, maybe they expected a more aggressive reaction? But there was nothing to be angry about. It was true, he couldn't deny it.

The bot stayed silent for an unnaturally long period of time, before they spoke again, much quieter than their usual "...WORMWOOD. IT IS NOT TOO LATE FOR THIS PLACE TO BE REPAIRED, DESPITE ALL ITS FLAWS AND DEFECTS. WE'VE ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH, IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME NO LESS. EVEN I'M AMAZED BY THE RESULTS..."

Wormwood slowly turned his head in their direction. He must've looked more disheartened than he thought, because they resumed their speech shortly after, sounding slightly more unnerved now.

"WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS...SURE YOU MIGHT'VE FAILED A LOT WHILE TENDING TO SOME PLANTS, BUT IN THE END, THEY'RE PLANTS! THEY FOLLOW A CERTAIN ALGORITHM, THEY ARE FIXABLE...MOSTLY. UNLIKE OTHER FLESHLINGS."