on the digestive nature of tangleweeds
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#1
OIA'I'O
and i asked myself about the present:

“Records indicate that this area has been under the barrier for 308 years and 2 seasons. It was lifted in 309 Flowerbirth, though a description of how this came to be does not seem to be readily available.” I say. I have no feelings about this assignment, nor any great expectations. I am here to watch, record, and learn what I can.

Standing before the scarred line that delineates the Hollowed Grounds from the rest of the world, I kneel and place my fingers upon the budding shoots of grass. Indeed the sprouts that grow where the barrier once was , feel more brittle than their counterparts only a few inches away. I studiously note this, as well as colour, texture, and—after plucking a blade of grass and chewing on it momentarily—taste and mouthfeel. I make sure to keep one of my toes tapping slightly so that I do not disappear into the grasses, thus rendering this sample of earth contaminated by my presence. Others might judge this as a nervous or anxious trait, but it is far from that. I experience little sentiment or emotions having trained myself long ago to brush them away as one might seedlings caught in a spring breeze.

“Have you thought about how we should approach them?” I ask Kai, knowing that he likely has. Though we differ in many things, in dealing with them (read: anyone not us), he has a more intuitive and successful track record.

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep
Scientist

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#2
so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear
“That’s such a long time!” Unlike Oia, you find this assignment incredibly exciting. “What d’ya imagine it did to the things living here? Are they totally different species now? What sort of adaptations would they need to last so long in such an enclosed ecosystem?” To live somewhere so hostile and still manage to grow is amazing, and you feel a swell of pride for the life that persisted inside the dome.

Kneeling in the grass next to your twin, sit down, cross-legged, in the barren scar of earth. The melting snow doesn’t bother you overly much: it’s what’s underneath that you’re trying to reach, the new life that pushes on the frozen earth. It’s so very empty, so dead and decayed. One of your hands rests on the dry side, the other in the lush, and while your twin takes samples and writes notes on what is, you focus on what could be.

Closing your eyes, you exhale deeply, feeling for the life in the ground around you. As you do grasses begin to sprout, long and nourished on one side of the scar, drier but still trying, and you admire it for that, cheering it on. “There ya go, you got it!”

You’re so caught up in the grass’ success that you almost miss Oia’s question. “Oh yeah! We should probably find, um, like a city center? And whoever’s in charge? To let ‘em know why we’re here and see if they need any help n’stuff.” You have thought about this, as much as you think through any of your plans. Better to start out on the right foot, because it’s easier to help people when they know you’re offering.
Kaimana
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#3
OIA'I'O
and i asked myself about the present:

”Mutations certainly.” You reply, but Kai knows this of course. His exuberance is not lost on you but nor do you reciprocate it. “If I knew what it did we would not need to be here, nor will I imagine it. I don’t need confirmation bias skewing my results.” But then, because you know how he is, you add: ”I imagine their lungs are better at purifying the air, given the lack of appropriate ventilation within the barrier.”

As Kai breathes life anew into the ground you give him a passive look and deliberately slide down a few feet having not yet finished your notes. You don’t raise your eyebrows, purse your lips, cock your head, or any of those other things people normally do to convey confusion. Instead, like normal, you merely communication it: “Confusion.” Then you explain. “We are not here to help them.” And then, ”Do they have a leader?” You flip through your notes to confirm. “There is nothing written here indicating one.”

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep
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#4
so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear
“I bet you’re right! Maybe- I wonder if the plants are better at makin’ good air? ‘Cus there isn’t as much natural circulation.” You appreciate Oia for engaging with you, and show it with an absurdly vibrant smile. A smile that falters a little as she says she’s confused, an appropriately chagrined look crossing your face. Shrugging haplessly causes some of the mushrooms that have grown over your shoulders to bob in time.

“I mean- I know we gotta observe ‘n take notes ‘n stuff, but after.” Do they have a leader? You’re not really sure, actually, you just kind of figured it was a thing people tended to do. Pulling yourself up onto your knees, you scoot your way over to peer at Oia’s notes, endlessly impressed by how meticulous your sister is. “Or d’ya think we shouldn’t say why we’re here so that they don’ act different? Y’know. To avoid bias.” You’re very pleased with your use of the word, and hope your scientifically minded twin will be, too.
Kaimana
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#5
OIA'I'O
and i asked myself about the present:

”After there will be a new assignment.” You say, and then pause. “Unsure.” You add, to give some clarity to the statement since your voice often doesn’t do that for you. You believe that there will be another assignment, because that’s how it has always been. But the past isn’t always indicative of the future, and though this has shaped your world view thus far, you aren’t so ignorant as to believe infallibly in it.

You aren’t prone to pride, though you do feel confident as Kai glances at what you’ve been writing, knowing that it is indeed meticulous. “What would we say then?” You ask. The obvious answer is probably something like a cover story, but you’re horrible at lying so that probably isn’t an option.

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep
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#6
so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear
It would be easier, you think, if you could remember last time, but the absence of those details doesn’t bother you overly much. Every new adventure assignment is an exciting one, a chance to learn and explore and evolve. “Then before after, I guess.” What a ridiculous statement, but then, you’re a ridiculous boy.

You know that Oia is a terrible liar. It’s a trait the pair of you share. Squishing your face into a thoughtful expression, you hum aloud as your brain continues to work, rapidly producing a hundred thoughts from which perhaps one is good. “Well… we could tell ‘em we came from somewhere else, I guess? That we don’t remember?” This much is true, at least. “An’… an’ that we wanna spend some time here an’ learn about stuff. That seems like enough, yeah?”
Kaimana
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#7
OIA'I'O
and i asked myself about the present:

Then before after./ You give your brother a look and then slowly and awkwardly, you tighten the muscles of your cheeks so that they pull back towards your ears. You are smiling. He has said something silly, silly replies are meant to make you smile, and so you do. It feels strange and your facial muscles aren’t used to it, so you let them relax back into your resting btich face regular expression.

“We have no way to tell if that’s enough at this time.” You explain with pedantic seriousness, though your monotone isn’t meant to be a criticism so much as an observation. You can’t really help stating the obvious; it’s one of your most prolific (and annoying) traits. “But it is a starting point and if you have no other suggestions, then I suppose it is what we’re left with.” Plucking a few blades of grass to include in your notes about the scar in the earth—with a reminder to return and see how Kai’s additions have impacted the surrounding environment—you stand, carefully putting away your notebook.

“I do not believe they will know who we are, or much of Rae given their seclusion.” You have no thoughts about this. “We will need shelter and food.”

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep
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#8
so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear
“D’ya really think they’ll ask more’n that?” Which is another dumb question, because Rae knows you would. The ability to ask a million questions is perhaps your prolific, annoying trait (one of them, anyway) but it’s what you were made for, quite literally.

You stand up when Oia does, mirroring her movements and shaking aggressively to dislodge the dirt and mushrooms and leaves that have sprouted in your hair. The place in the scar where you were sitting is remarkably green, all things considered, and happiness cuts a grin on your face as you look down at it, feeling pleased with your lack of work.

In a sentimental act that Oia may or may not appreciate (but you do, maybe enough for you both), you reach out to grab your sister’s hand, beaming up at your taller twin. ”Well, should we get started?” You’re not really sure where to find food and shelter, but you trust your twin not to lead you astray, following along with complete confidence, dark eyes sparkling as you try to see absolutely everything at once.
Kaimana
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#9
OIA'I'O
and i asked myself about the present:

“Wouldn’t you?” You ask, a bit pointedly and were you the joking type, you might have smiled, because of course Kai would (and will). Allowing your hand to be taken (though only Kai has this privilege), you clamp your fingers around his as he’s taught you to do. It’s probably too strong, possessing none of the finger-presses and subtle strokes that normally accompany a proper hand-hold, but to your mind, you are doing it correctly.

“Discontent.” You say as you walk. “Without our memories, I do not know what I do not know. Further, I don’t even know what I don’t even know, what I don’t know..” You’re on the verge of a regression that could go on for hours, and in minute display of actual emotions, your fingers unhappily twitch in Kai’s.

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep
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#10
so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear
Maybe the twitch of her fingers is subtle, but to you it screams louder than her statement of discontent. You might be loud and brash and obtuse, but when it comes to your twin you’re basically a mind reader at this point. Squeezing back reassuringly, you turn an empathetic smile to the tall girl who is spiraling so fantastically, hoping to catch her before she falls too far. “But that’s ok! We’re not s’posed to know- we’re s’posed to learn. So the less we know the more we get to know, y’know?”

Time to get her in her element. A distraction, that’s what your twin needs, and up ahead? If that’s not worth studying you don’t know what is. Up ahead is a whole little herd of…. Sticks? With legs? That may or may not be moving on their own? Are they animals or plants? Or both? You have no idea, but you’re fascinated to find out.

Pulling your twin to a stop, you lower your voice and point at the flock (garden? Bed? pod?). “Look, ‘I’a! Whaddya think those are? Are they sentient, y’think?”
Kaimana
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#11
OIA'I'O
and i asked myself about the present:

This is precisely why you adore your twin so much despite your many, many differences. He is brilliant in a way that you will never be, his optimism giving him insight that you will always lack. ‘More to learn…” You repeat, the beginnings of a smile on your face before you catch the twitching muscles and school them into a more neutral expression.

“Sentience is a sliding scale.” You answer immediately, kneeling down to observe the tangle of stick-like limbs from a different angle. Immediately you pull out your notebook, scribbling notes like mad as if anticipating the herd? pod? flock? to take off at any moment. In a flurry of markings upon the page you note the size, colour, assumed density and material composition, before looking towards Kai. “Let’s try and get closer.” You suggest entirely without fear. You aren’t sure whether it is something about the two of you specifically, off-spring of the god of nature and all that keeps you protected, or if it has simply been luck. At this point, given that you can’t remember, you decide to leave it up to your brother.

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep
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#12
so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear
You wish that she would smile more: she looks so radiant when she does. But Oia’s lack of expression does not bother you overly much, maybe because very little bothers you overly much. It’s a little absurd, how easy going you are, and it’ll probably get you in trouble one of these days.

Maybe it already has. You can’t remember, after all.

Oia’s note taking brings a wide, slightly smug grin to your face, infinitely pleased to have been able to distract your sister successfully. You’ve got a notebook too, of course, but it’s much less used than your twin’s, rather more full with artfully abstract representations of the things you’ve seen, and fantastically impractical names.

When Oia suggests the two of you get closer you nod immediately, the idea of refusing never crossing your mind. It is remarkable that nothing has managed to grievously injure you yet, though honestly even if it did you probably wouldn’t be too perturbed. It’s natural for things to protect themselves, and you can’t fault any part of nature for that. With a remarkable amount of quiet and calm you begin to approach the herd-or-pod, keeping your body low and steady with all the practiced skill of someone who has done this a hundred times before.
Kaimana
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#13
OIA'I'O
and i asked myself about the present:

Oh, you’re aware of your brother’s strange nomenclature for the world around you. Rarely does it make sense, never is it consistent, and always is it a mouthful. One day, he’s argued in the past, it will be up to the two of you to name everything, when Rae is gone. You explain that Rae never will be gone, but he just shrugs, happy to talk about eventualities that you know will never come to be. It’s like a game you play just for him. Imaging worlds is not something you are interested in, but for him, you will imagine, rusty as you are at it.

The tangleweeds blow, keeping their potential sentience to themselves as four sets of eyes look on. Cocking your head to the side, eyes narrowed slightly to focus your mind specifically on one twig-sphere in particular, you begin to let your mind unravel. “Given that there were few places to hide when the barrier was up, it is possible that the natural camouflage of the local flora and fauna has increased.” Though the tangleweed really is basically a conglomeration of lonely sticks, you treat it as if it might expand at any time to reveal rows of teeth controlled by a predatory brain. “If that is not the case, then perhaps the rate of population increase and decrease was stabilized intentionally?” Whether by Rae or the humans, you aren’t sure.

how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep
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#14
so hold my hand & i'll walk with you, my dear
Oia finds one of the stick ball things to focus on, and you begin to wander off toward another, listening as she explains her reasoning with an attentive pursing of your lips. “Hmm… lookin’ like a kinda unappealing bush would be a good way to deter predators,” you agree, squatting down into the grass about arms reach from one of the tangleweeds. For the moment you just look at it, head moving like a birds.

The idea of a controlled population size seems less likely, but Oia is smarter than you are and you have no problems discussing her ideas. “D’ya think the people here did it, then? Or- or the herald? Frey? Or maybe their predators, but I dunno if they would be prey for carnivores or herbivores yet, or if they even have natural predators- do you think any big predators coulda even survived in such a limited ecosystem?” This is your talent: stringing along questions into an endless brigade, your mind running a mile a minute and your mouth following along in suit.

That, and poking things you really shouldn’t. Like the plant thing. Right now.
Kaimana


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