Twenty Eight Truffula Trees

[whichwayyoulean]

[Friends]

[He'd meant to do this yesterday, but the Lorax arriving had thrown him off. Still, the forest guardian had done him some good. It meant he had to try to piece himself together again, or at least start to. But there was something more important to attend to now. After losing Zelos and House (the memory of watching the latter die engraved on his brain and refusing to leave) he needs to know...]

Okay guys, if you could tell me if you got out of that mess now would be a really great time. Don't make me come looking for you, because I'm pretty sure someone in here will drag me back to bed before I can pathetically shuffle as far as the door. We'd be at it all day.

Just...check in.

[Mom]

[He didn't want to make this filter. He'd rather her not know where he is. Perhaps, even, he has the smallest hope her visit in the castle was brief. Enough to shake him up before she went home again. One last wonderful stab in the chest to remember her by.

...But she's still his mother. And he still needs to know if she's okay]

I asked after you. Where were you? Are you still here?

Comments

Once-ler

[courageous_wit]

I'm glad to hear your voice. Are you up for visitors?

Hermione

[whichwayyoulean]

Likewise. And sure, it's better than sitting here staring at the walls.

Once-ler

[compromisedarrow]

I'm here. In one peice.

[And, despite the heavyness evident in his voice...]

How's that no space rule going?

Clint

[whichwayyoulean]

Good to hear.

Pretty badly right now. I think I'll write a strongly worded letter to the castle telling it no more space or no more delicious emotional stress or something.

Friends/Written

[whistles_the_blues]

Here.

[He's not sure he can get more to the point than that Once.]

Blues

[whichwayyoulean]

Great. How'r you holding up?

Once-ler

[not_mafia]

Hey.

[He's not going to say he's fine or anything, because he's not. But he might as well let him know that he was around and hadn't been one of the ones who'd lost their lives.]

How's your side and leg?

Tsuna

[whichwayyoulean]

[And the Once-ler knows only too well, if there's one thing everyone here is NOT, it's fine. He won't even ask that question]

Still broken. How about you?

Filter

[save_the_souls]

[He was banned from the clinic for three days by James, so it will be a dictated answer. At least after some sleep and the world's longest shower, he doesn't sound like he's on the verge of death or psychosis]

I'm fine, thank you for checking.

How are you? How's your injuries?

[......What that doesn't count a work related questions right?]

forever!

[whichwayyoulean]

[As he should have been, the guy needed to do that thing called sleeping]

Just wanted to make sure.

[Pause] Aren't you supposed to be resting? I'm pretty sure that counts as a work-related question.

Once-Ler

[heal_theworld]

[This is dictated, because Dr. Watson had kicked her out of the clinic as well. At least she's slept a few hours and had a shower and some food now, so she's in a much better mood than she had been in, though there' still a somber quality to her voice.]

You know I'm still in one piece. How are you doing down there?

Martel

[whichwayyoulean]

[The Once-ler approves of all the clinic staff getting banished. They need the sleep, after all]

Missing my dark tower and my own space a little, I'll admit.

...The Lorax showed up yesterday. [Just gonna put that out there, yep]

Once-ler

[hellofist]

How are you? Did you get hurt?

Cass

[whichwayyoulean]

[He won't respond to that first one, because wow is he still not okay in any way shape or form. But hearing her voice releases a knot of tension he wasn't even really aware he was carrying. She's still alive]

Got a busted knee and some broken ribs. It could have been worse. You?

Once-ler

[tapshoetomove]

I'm still here.

...How are you, Mr. Once-ler?

Luke

[whichwayyoulean]

[That's probably as much as they can hope from anyone]

I'm still here, too.

[cyan_maid]

I'm okay-

[Hold on a minute. Drag him back to bed? But he promised he wouldn't...!]

...Did you get hurt?

[whichwayyoulean]

[And now Jane gets to learn one of life's hard truths: the Once-ler lies]

Kind of.

...And by kind of, I mean yes.

Once-ler

[unstitched]

I'm alright. I'm not hurt, I just...

[... having a hard time dealing with all of this. He is hurt-- on an emotional level, but that wasn't what Once-ler was asking about.]

I'm not hurt.

Five

[whichwayyoulean]

[He understands, he really does]

Good. Still one of us squishy humans?

[Once-ler]

[rose_of_battle]

[Sheena's is also dictated, though her voice is tired and rough from crying. She had seen him in the clinic the day before from a distance, but had fallen victim to exhaustion and sought out her room before she could see him--which makes that visit the first thing on her list today.]

I was just coming to see you. How are you feeling?

Sheena

[whichwayyoulean]

Still like I've been through a crazy ship destined to hell.

...But I'm still here, so there's that.


You?

[ino]

[ SNEAKIN' IN THROUGH A BACK WINDOW. HI. ]

[whichwayyoulean]

[Ino what are you doing? La la la, not noticing her]

Once-ler

[heloise]

[ She shouldn't see that filter, not anymore. He must hate her, why is she still talking to him? She should have learned her lesson with Stephanie, everyone turns out like her. ]

You were hurt.

Lucrezia

[whichwayyoulean]

[She does belong on this filter because, after all, the Once-ler knows only too well the sting of regret. The feeling of wronging the people you care about most.

But he still can't get the image of her killing House out of his head. House was his family, even if neither of them willingly admitted it most of the time. And it hurt. He speaks to her, but there is a distance in his tone]

...Yeah. I got off lucky.

[Once-ler] should i backtag sdkjfa im sorry im so slow/lost rn

[mom_ler]

I'm here, alright. Against a lady's better judgement.

I was doin' that thing called thinking, Oncie, maybe you know it.

Mom lol it's ok, le plot is over but she'd need to have been somewhere

[whichwayyoulean]

You were... you were thinking.

[He stares at the journal for a moment. It's been a rough few days. He's lost one of his best friends, and the only man he ever considered a father. He looks down at his cast leg, feels the pain in his ribs, and something inside him snaps. His tone is cold when he replies again. Much like the tone she uses herself.

...Because he is far too much like his mother than he is willing to admit]

Yeah. Sorry. For a second there I thought you might actually care. My bad. I'll leave you to your thinking.

[ Once-ler ]

[fantasies]

I was asleep.

[And he's not happy about it.]

Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Do you need something? I can bring it.

[He wants to help.]

Henry

[whichwayyoulean]

Good, that was the best place to be.

[Child stop being the most adorable thing in the universe, just stop]

I got a broken knee and broken ribs, but I'll live. I promise.