Purely Koraz

Chapter 2: Nightmares And Daydreams

Eric hummed gently as he pried open the door of the Greenhouse. It really did have terrible security, probably because no one in their right minds would dare trespass.

No one except Eric, that was. He had actually been specifically banned from entering without permission, but kept doing so for the exact same reason he wasn't allowed; pranks!

Tonight, though, he had no intention of causing trouble (shocking, really). He had left his notebook behind when visiting a few days ago, and now that he remembered, he simply had to have it back right away. Sure, it has nothing important in it and he had plenty of others, but he wanted that one. And he wanted it now.

His train of thought got a bit derailed once he saw the state of the greenhouse, instantly knowing something was wrong. A lot of people thought that Oliver didn't have much fun, was practically emotionless, boring and 100% practical at all times. Nothing could be farther from the truth; he was a chaos-loving, obsessive, funny, big-hearted mad scientist. He just didn't make facial expressions.

The part of his brain that told him to smile or scowl or cry, it was very quiet because most of it was caught up in his unstable powers. Which was how Eric knew something was wrong, since nearly every plant he could see was covered in dark thorns and dripping colorful (most likely toxic) ooze.

The Greenhouse, on the inside, was the size of a small island. Fields and jungles and Flora creatures filled it with an ecosystem of its own, all with winding stone paths in between. Eric walked slowly, careful not to step on even the smallest blade of grass, which was admittedly very difficult. Olivers 'Precious Ones' were dangerous at the best of times, though usually very friendly, and this could quickly end badly for him if they thought Eric was the source of their Creator's distress.

Things yipped and snapped and growled as Eric walked. It would be wise to turn back, but he had to check on Oliver. The other Mistblooms were gone, doing.... Well, actually, he didn't know what they were doing. He was the Assistant at the time, and had been too preoccupied helping them get ready for their trip to actually ask where they were going or why Oliver wasn't.

The Thief mentally cursed the Assistant's not-paranoid personality, continuing on his way. If Oliver was in danger, he'd only have-

He'd only have his Familiar and an army of plant monsters to help him. Okay, alright, maybe Eric was useless here. But he just had to be sure, even if it did end up with him writhing in the ground, a victim of some painful (but thankfully never lethal) toxin. He'd suffered worse for less worthy souls, and would do so again in the future. It was the price of the game.

"Olivebranch?" Eric whispered, going stone still when a particularly aggressive-looking monkey-fern-thing growled at him. It approached him, leaf-wings flaring as it hopped along the ground, a scar along its wooden jaw-

Oh no. He recognized that monkey, an unfortunate victim of a prank-gone-wrong. Eric had been tormented by that thing for a week as he helped take care of the greenhouse in penance. There wasn't any chance it was still mad at him, was there?

It was definitely still mad at him, Eric decides as he dropped to the ground, narrowly dodging a lunge at his face. He took off at a run, the screeching monkey behind him, the plants around him taking up the call to arms. Normally, the plants would've probably protected him, but they could feel Oliver's distress and, quite frankly, none of them were thinking straight.

Eric yelled as he was dragged into the air by a vine (or possibly a root, it was honestly hard to tell), his rough clothing thankfully protecting him from the poisonous (venomous?) thorns as they wrapped around his body. Something in the back of Eric's mind reminded him of his fear of being paralyzed, but he ignored it in favor of the horde of snarling creature-plants that had gathered around him.

It's official, he thought, as a crow that resembled purple lettuce started dive-bombing him, Florazoology is my least favorite subject.

Just as he was about to give up and Summon Mischief -- sorry for the impending destruction, Olivebrains --, a roar shook the Greenhouse, causing his little mob to scatter. As the monster that had been holding him up dropped him in its haste to escape, Eric slowly rolled over to look up at this new terror -- and up, and up, and up.

"H-hey, Bessie, girl. Long time no see, huh?" Eric gulped, looking at the long-necked 'reptile'. Small thorns covered her wooden body, the normally-green moss that covered and hung down from her back, neck, and head was a vibrant yellow with streaks of red. It was rather pretty, and he'd have to remember to paint it if he got out of here without a broken arm.

Bessie swung her mighty tail and stomped her four tree-trunk-like feet, but there was something gentle about the otherwise terrifying display. Her neck craned down, her head level with Eric. The green-purple sensory growths that were more-or-less eyes stared quietly into his own. He knew from the lectures Oliver gave, that he pretended not to listen to, those weren't her only 'eyes'. Merely the biggest.

Bessie turned her head, and Eric blinked in surprise. He'd ridden the giant before, but he hadn't expected such an offer while she was being affected by Oliver's powers. Was it even safe, with the thorns..? Oh well, Eric quickly pulled his gloves out of his pocket, slipping them on and hopping onto Bessie's head.

Eric whooped as he was lifted high into the air, Bessie surprisingly being her normal, gentle self. He suppose it made sense, Oliver's emotional powers didn't effect the more intelligent plants as strongly, and Bessie had always been more intelligent than a simple riding beast. Eric grinned, watching the world below in fascination as Bessie took him somewhere, presumably to Oliver.

The Lantern Brothers were fast asleep in their field, somehow having slept through everything. That damned scarecrow was running around its field as well, squawking and flapping, but thankfully unable to fly. Oliver's more dangerous pets, the ones that had to be locked up at night, were rattling their kennels with enough ferocity to make Eric press himself closer to Bessie. The Greenhouse was beautiful, no doubt about it, but it was terrifying all the same.

At least it was dark. If Eric had to go through this while it was light out? Now that would have been scary.

Eric caught sight of Oliver's pet Cerberus Flytrap, and knew he'd found his friend. That things three heads were too fiercely protective to do anything but guard Oliver. As he touched down to ground, he thanked his fortunes that they as well knew him well enough to let him pass, albeit with some warning growls.

Eric entered a small area that was encased by trees, finding one of Oliver's 'nests', as he like to call them. Scrolls, ancients times, sketches, and history papers littered the floor. It was the sort of organized chaos that only an addle-brained genius like the Mad Scholar could achieve. When Eric caught sight of the pile of blankets in the middle of it, he barely managed to hold down a laugh of disbelief, relief, and slight annoyance (as well amusement, but he always felt that).

Oliver wasn't in any danger, he was just having a nightmare! His pink overstimulation headphones firmly over his ears (which explained why he didn't wake up from all the noise), Oliver was flailing around, punching and kicking at some unseen foe. Despite this obviously distressed state, his face still had that flat, almost judging look on it. It was creepy, really.

Lily was easing to find, the Flowering Tree Frog dozing in a bowl of what looked like water but smelled a little like -- oh no, they were testing sleep potions again?!

That explained why both Lily and Wand were remaining unresponsive to Oliver's plight. Which left Eric to deal with it, but he didn't really know how. When his sister had nightmares, he woke her up and took her stargazing. But with someone like Krissi, getting close to her when having bad dreams could be hazardous to your health, and he had to rely on soothing music instead.

Making a mental note to ask Oliver's sisters how best to help the historian, Eric inched closer. Patches of the other boy's skin had turned rough brown or soft green, and his hair was slightly longer than usual with a pink tinge, both signs of his powers overwhelming him. Mindful of the vines that Oliver could still subconsciously control despite Wand's unconscious state, Eric slowly eased off the headphones.

"Olivebranch? Buddy, wake up, you're having a bad dream." Eric gently pushed Oliver, scowling when he just flailed more. That would've been more than enough to send Eric jumping out of bed, though he had admittedly been traumatized to that point, and while he loved his life he really couldn't wish for Oliver to be like him.

"Come on, He Who Makes Monsters!" Eric groaned, the nickname slipping out without him noticing. He shoved Oliver, rougher this time. "Dandelion Tamer, wake up!" Now the other was making distressed noises, but still wasn't waking up.

It occurred to Eric that Oliver might've gotten the sleeping potion dosage wrong, and Wand might not be the only one affected by it. Ignoring his worries of accidentally invading others' personal space, Eric climbed onto Oliver's chest and held down his flailing arms, at this point legitimately worried the boy was going to injure himself.

"Calm on, Mad Scholar, I have things to do tonight." He tried to take on a rude tone, the one he knew reached that arrogant Mage part of Oliver's mind and demanded retribution, but he wasn't entirely sure he got there. Worried and without a conscious audience, Eric's acting abilities weren't his usual standard.

Still nothing. Now Eric was really worried. For all his genius and precision, Oliver was notoriously bad at magic. If he had been testing a magical sleeping potion, instead of a normal one, who knew what it could do to him? "Come on, dude. Just wake up already."

Eric slumped onto Oliver, trying to more effectively pin down his arms. He laughed. "You know, you're surprisingly strong, Chickpea. I thought you had muscle damage? Oh well, maybe it's your magic trying to protect you or something. Do you think I could recognize the antidote if I went searching through your stuff?" He didn't expect Oliver to answer, he was just rambling in the hopes he could annoy the boy into waking up, as well as 'rubber ducking' his way to a solution.

"Maybe I should call for help. I don't have my Songstone on me, though, didn't want any alarms going off, clever Weed. I don't think I could get out of here without a fight, and I'd hate to hurt any of your little babies or pets. Your pets less so, they're absolute beasts to anyone but you and surprisingly Ames. That makes sense, though, everyone loves Amelia. Would cold water wake you up? You're probably used to that cause of your sister, huh? And what if it damages you, you're a plant after all! Or part plant, or whatever. Mutant nerd."

Eric paused, getting no response, but he wasn't really expecting one. "Could I slap you awake? I've seen that work, and you could even slap me back if you wanted to. Only once, though, after that I retaliate harshly. Lyla asked me to make sure I don't get hurt without a really good reason, but helping a friend's a really good reason, right? Oh! You're asleep, I can tell you a secret! This'll be fun."

Worry pushed aside for a second, amusement taking its place, the Jester presses his face close to the sleeping (still trying to flail) boy's. "Lyla and I are dating! Shhhh, it's a secret." Eric winked. "Not that we're ashamed or anything, it's just, well... Lyla thought it'd be funny. Can you imagine? Hiding our relationship as a prank! That's why she's my dream girl. My parents know, of course, as do Mischief and Beem, but no one el-"

Eric stopped, sitting up while still holding Oliver's arms down. He got quieter. "Actually, Charmer knows, as does an old friend who I can't really tell even a sleeping you about. But enemies and masters don't count." He shook his head, clearing his suddenly bad mood. "Anyways, I bet you figure it out first. Well, maybe my sister or one of the Fasttechs will be first, but you won't be too far behind. You're smart, Schollie Ollie, a genius. You want to hear how we got together?"

Oliver said nothing, just made some more distressed noises that sounded slightly closer to awake than before, which Eric took to mean yes. "Well, I overheard Peter warning Lyla that she shouldn't trust me and that he even though he loves me like family he wasn't sure if I actually cared about him or if I was pulling a years long con and would someday betray him for nothing but my own amusement."

Here, Eric shrugged. "I really do love him, it's like he's a cousin who's like a brother. I'm so glad he cares about her enough to warn her, even though he thought of it as a betrayal. I don't blame him, I'm a hundred percent capable of what he fears, even if I'd never willingly do something like that. It makes me sad, and a little angry, but I'm glad those I care about are smart enough to not trust me. It means that when the Boss finally forces me to betray you all, you might see it coming. Maybe."

Eric sighed. Oliver had gone a bit quieter. Maybe the nightmare would end without him waking up? "Anyways, Lyla knew I was there, but she wasn't mad that I was eavesdropping. I made a little bit of a speech to Peter, basically the same thing I just told you with a little more, then walked off. Lyla followed me, I ranted that Peter was right and that there was no way for her to ever fully trust me, and no one can ever trust me, and even though I want to believe her when she says she does, I just really can't. And I've been told I'm being an idiot before, and I've been shut up in a lot of interesting sometimes-painful ways, but a kiss was certainly a new way of doing both."

Eric trailed off, lost briefly in his own memories of that shocking moment. He cleared his throat, getting back on track. "After she'd realized what she'd done, my darling leopard apologized and ran off. I don't know if you know this, but that unfortunately wasn't my first kiss. Some girls don't know how to take no for an answer, let's just say. I've always broken character and retaliated in a panic before it went too far, but those instances have left their mark on me, and Lyla knows it. Being kissed by surprise certainly got my adrenaline going, and it brought up those not-so-great memories, but..."

Eric grinned, softly, the sort of smile that was never genuine before he met Lyla. "It was nice. I'd wanted to do that for so long, and yeah, she should've asked or at least given some warning. But I really wouldn't mind more surprise kisses from Lyla. They're exciting in the way that playing chase or planning a trick is, but with that safe feeling she always brings me. Is that how it is for you and Jackie? No, it wouldn't be, we're too different. But I've seen the way you lose control of your powers when you aren't expecting one of his kisses. You and the half-elf really are adorable, Oliver."

Oliver's eyes twitched, and Eric stilled. He'd been trying different nicknames in the hopes that pure annoyance would wake Oliver up, since he both loved and hated his various nicknames, but maybe that had been the wrong direction.

"Hey, Oliver," he was rewarded with another twitch, making him grin "wanna know what happened after that? I followed Lyla and told her all of those things. Then I told her that I'm physically incapable of fully trusting anyone besides Mischief, but as much as I'm capable of trusting anyone I trust her. She didn't need to go under a truth spell or any other if her insane suggestions to prove that she trusted me, I'd believe them less than I believed her anyways. I trust her as much as much as I do my own family, moreso in some cases."

Eric bit his bottom lip, a subconscious act more than a real habit, but indicative of his feelings all the same. It wasn't too often that he felt guilt, but he did about that. He supposed it was because he and Lyla had a relationship forged in fire, but that didn't make him feel any less bad that he'd believe her word over his own family's. He'd still choose his family over her, save his sister before he saved Lyla, and she knew that. She was okay with that, and he loved her all the more for it.

Oliver had stopped flailing, so Eric rolled off him and laid next to him instead, sighing. "I'm in a bad situation, friend. A really bad one. Lyla knows, she's helping me get out of it. Entering into a relationship was maybe not the best idea, and we talked about it, but... I'm so happy. And I think this might be the hardest non-forced secret I've ever kept. I want to shout from the rooftops how much I love her, let the world see how vulnerable I am, and it goes against every instinct I've ever had. She gets me and helps me find who I really am, under the acts and mindsets. I love her. If we had never gotten together, both grown up and married different people, I'd still stay by her side as her best friend. If we break up I'll still do my best to be by her side, and you know how weird that is for my people."

Oliver was breathing calmer now, the plants around him curling gently, his nightmare officially over. Eric smiled, getting up. "See you later, Greenbean. That was a nice chat, thank you." And with that, he left, whistling as he strolled through the now-peaceful greenhouse. He even played with a few of the beasts as he neared the door.

***

People tend to think Oliver is bad at lying. He's obsessed with accurate records, and will give up even embarrassing personal information without the slightest attempt at hiding it. He is honest, bluntly so. But that's a choice, not a necessity. In truth, he was as good a liar as Eric. Having to actively learn and think about your facial expressions and body language tended to do that to a person.

Oliver sat up, putting his glasses on. The plants around him changed to bright colors, curling and softening. "So, the Trickster and the Captain finally got together?" He mused quietly to the sleeping plants. He'd woken up partway through Eric's explanation. Enough to get the gist of what it was about. He could feel enough remnants of his powers, and see the shrinking patches on his skin, to guess he'd had a nightmare.

Eric Stargem, Thief and Trickster, had soothed him from a bad dream. Probably risking harm to do so. Oliver was clever enough to know that Lyla was the only one outside his family that could really trust Eric, he'd lie to and trick anyone else with glee. But he was clever enough to know that Eric would always protect those he cares about, even from themselves.

He'd have to get the full story out of both Eric and Lyla, of course, but maybe he'd do something nice for them first. Make a special new plant species to celebrate their relationship, perhaps? Or study the history of Soulbinds entering monogamous relationships, help Eric and Mischief deal with the possibility that Eric and Lyla would eventually become intimate?

He'd figure it out after the Sunbeasts' lovely rays were visible, he needed rest for now. As his eyes fluttered shut, he could feel the sleep potion working its way through his veins. He really needed to stop testing his experiments on himself...