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Flawless.
Stunning.
Intelligent.
Beautiful.
Multi-talented.
Utter perfection.
Those are a few of the adjectives that Pin would absolutely, one hundred percent, without a shadow of a doubt or any form of hesitation use to describe herself. She hasn’t a clue as to why anyone would ever say the opposite about her. What has she ever done wrong?
…
Perhaps there are a few things, but surely they’re excusable. Coiny thinks so anyway, so no one else should think otherwise. Though it’s not like Pin particularly cares about how anyone besides herself, first and foremost, and him thinks. Why should someone as wonderful as her put any thought into the opinions of, say, that stupid Pencil, or that bossy bot Golfball, or that soft-hearted Book? It’s not like their approval matters.
None of them have ever done anything good for Pin in any way, shape, or form, that’s how she sees it; Pencil’s nothing but some phony who leads an alliance filled with those who were the reason behind Pin’s shrinking and loss of all autonomy episodes ago; Golfball’s rather annoying and far from someone who Pin would like to associate with, and it’s not like anyone else besides Tennis Ball likes her anyway; Book’s far too nice for her own good and yet was also too selfish and controlling to do something as simply and nice as allow Pin to swing with Ice Cube when she still had her limbs.
So who needs them anyway? Pin has Coiny, Coiny who had done whatever he could to help W.O.A.H. Bunch succeed and save Pin from the depths of the Earth when she’d needed it. That’s all of the approval that she needs, and she’s certain, now more than ever, that he has her back now that they’ve made up.
And maybe that’s why she’s going out of her way to find the thing that she supposes pushed her to apologize to the coin and made her realize something about the value of friendship, or whatever it was.
Person.
Person, not thing.
Person.
Not that she really acts like one.
But person nonetheless.
Admittedly, Pin doesn’t think she would’ve realized her… blunder without the aid of that leaf. So, she supposes she ought to go see her and, she doesn’t know, spend a bit of time with her as a token of gratitude before never crossing paths with her again. Surely that’s enough.
She sighs. This is ridiculous. Pin really has no need to be doing this. She really could be doing better things right now, but no, she’s traveling all the way to Yoyleland just to have a quick exchange with that hideous monster.
Pin should really add benevolent to her list of attributes. She must be doing Leafy such a grand favor, gracing her with Pin’s presence and grace for the second time in one day. Why, if Pin were in her place, she’d simply be so grateful she’d promise to do anything asked of her, that’s how overjoyed she would be if she were Leafy.
Especially after an interaction with Firey of all people. Pin believes herself to be a much better upgrade, so surely Leafy would feel nothing but blessed upon seeing her wonderful face following being forced to stare at Firey for an entire conversation. She can already imagine it: Leafy laying eyes upon the pushpin, stupid, already existing smile growing even wider in a ridiculous, pointless manner.
That’s what Pin had initially thought would be the case, anyway.
As she catches a glimpse of the leaf in the distance, before her is a sight she hadn’t expected in the slightest.
For whatever reason, Pin hadn’t fully processed the idea that Leafy could experience anything but positive emotions. She knew Leafy could feel angry, of course, since one would need to feel as such to be inclined to steal Dream Island, but somehow she couldn’t imagine the lemon leaf ever looking as dejected as she currently does, sat against the hand-powered recovery center staring down at the floor with her knees against her body.
It’s strange. She didn’t think she could make that face.
Pin rolls over slowly, eyes lingering over the girl as she does so. Leafy’s stare feels quite blank, blanker than Pin thinks she’s ever seen in, and it seems she hasn’t noticed the rather loud noises coming from Pin’s mech suit.
Which is strange. Usually people can hear it from a mile away.
Does Pin need to be louder to be noticed? Is she being ignored, perhaps?
…
She’ll just get closer and take a look.
The closer she gets, the more she feels a sort of uncomfortable atmosphere sticking to her and her wheels, a rather sour expression forming on the pushpin’s face.
“…Leafy?”
The lemon leaf flinches, seemingly in response to hearing her own name all of a sudden, and snaps upwards, meeting eyes with Pin. Her eyes are rather wide, Pin notices, clearly appearing to be startled.
“Ah, Pin! I didn’t notice you, haha, my bad!” Replacing her former, rather out of it, expression is a large smile plastered all over. “I knew you’d be back! You just couldn’t wait to see me again, huh?”
“I could have waited, actually.”
“Oh, but you decided to come by so soon?”
…
“I—”
“Awww, you knew where I was and everything, wow, you know me so well, see this is why we’re best friends Pin, aren’t we—”
“We’re not friends.”
“Say what you want. You wouldn’t have come to see me if you didn’t like me this much riiiiight?”
…
Pin should leave right this second.
She’s rather infuriated even looking at the expression on the other girl’s face, her already irritated look somehow growing worse. Although…
Hm. The more she looks, the stranger said expression feels.
Something’s off.
She looks… rather normal, what, with her oddly dramatic leaning and exaggerated movements, but…
But whatever, actually. This is none of Pin’s concern.
“I don’t like you. I simply wanted to say that Coiny and I made up and that I guess you played a part in it.”
“Awww, are you thanking me—”
“No! I’m just telling you what happened since you were talking about it so much earlier. Thought you wanted to hear.”
…
“…Good for you, Pin! See, what did I tell you?”
“Whatever.”
Leafy’s gaze seem to drift over to the side, presumably in the direction of the HPRC in her peripherals. There’s still something… different… about them. Pin’s fairly certain of that, anyway. They seem less… sparkly than usual.
…
Pin’s probably being ridiculous. She doesn’t care that much regardless.
“So the yellow tomato worked, then?”
As if startled once more, Leafy jumps slightly as her eyes snap back to the girl in front of her.
“Oh—Yes! Awww, you noticed—”
“You're green now, duh. I’m not blind.”
“Well I never accused you of that, did I?”
“Sure sounded like it.”
“Noooo, I just think it was sweet,” she coos, hands cupping her own face as she does so. “See, it’s nice that there’s someone paying attention to me.”
“Yeah, and that isn’t me.”
“Pin, do you see anyone else here?”
“I’ll leave too if you don’t quit—”
“Don’t do that.”
A hand suddenly reaches for Pin, attempting to latch itself tightly onto her top edge. Pin instinctively rolls back, a shiver traveling down her plastic body as she glares at the now standing lemon leaf stumbling over herself. On Leafy’s face, her smile remains, although it seems much less authentic than before, eyebrows furrowed and corners of her mouth unstable as if they were holding up the weight of the world. The whiplash between the sentences preceding this tone switch of Leafy’s startles Pin greatly, her uneasiness making itself apparent through drops of green ooze forming towards her top edge.
“Don’t touch my—”
“Pin, don’t leave.”
Her tone lacks any sort of emotion, instead overtaken by a bout of shakiness as she speaks at a rapid pace. It’s as if she’s barely taking breaths between words, unsettling Pin in a rather irrational way.
“Pin, you can’t leave, I need you right now.”
…
“What?”
No she doesn’t. She doesn’t. There’s no reason for her to ‘need’ Pin at all right now.
Pin?
Pin?
It’s odd. Pin’s fairly certain she had gone out of her way to help get that yellow tomato so that the leaf could reunite with Firey, or whatever it was she wanted to do. Make it so Firey would remember her. Something stupid along those lines. Why isn’t he the one here? Why is Pin the one that Leafy, quote-unquote, “needs?”
Obviously Pin is wonderful and amazing and should be viewed in high regard, there should be more people who need her and wish this badly for her company, but…
This is weird. This is freaky. This is strange.
Yet at the same time, she can’t bring herself to tear her eyes away from the leaf, nor physically roll any further back. For whatever reason, she doesn’t quite want to leave her be just yet. It could be out of personal concern, perhaps even for the concern of the other contestants, both still in and eliminated from the game, whatever it is, she herself isn’t sure.
“Pin, you’re the only one I can rely on right now and I need someone.”
“Leafy—”
“You’re the only one who will talk or hang out with me, no one else was even kind enough to repay the favors I’d done for all of them—”
“Okay, but they were probably just—”
“You played on the seesaw with me, you planted seeds with me, you climbed that giant plant with me, you were the one to help me when I needed something—”
“I simply had nothing else to do—”
“I mean, really, if I can’t even trust you to be a good friend then who else even is there when everyone else simply takes from me and runs off the first chance they get, you’re clearly the exception and therefore—”
“Why on Goiky do you need me, is Firey not enough for you?!”
…
…
…
In a way, the sharp silence is even stranger to Pin than the sudden tonal shift from moments ago, Leafy’s voice suddenly dissapating into nothingness the minute Pin had done so much as mentioned Firey’s name.
…
Huh.
…
“Isn’t that what the yellow tomato was for in the first place? So he’d recognize you, or whatever—”
“The tomato didn’t even matter in the end. I'm still just… a stranger to him, or whatever it is he wants to convince himself of.” She suddenly steps forward again, face mere inches away from Pin’s own, far too close for comfort, as she continues rambling, not a care in her body. “But who needs him, right? I mean, I shouldn’t care about him. It’s not like we were best friends and hung out every single day and it’s not like—”
“Back off—”
“But I don’t need him! Not if I have you, since you keep on coming back and—”
Pin shoves the girl away with the right wheel of her mech suit, heart pounding as Leafy stumbles backwards, shock overtaking her expression. After glancing at herself for a moment, the leaf’s gaze shifts to Pin, expression unable to make up its mind and decide on one singular emotion for a moment. Anger, frustration, sadness, hopelessness, all of it stirs together until she eventually lands on another small, intoxicating smile.
“Keep to your own space,” states Pin, tone demanding despite the ooze sweating down her face. What on Earth is Leafy’s issue? “Look, I get that you’re upset because Firey doesn’t remember you, but aren’t you just acting ridiculous?”
“Oh, so he can act as if nothing ever happened between us and he’s normal, but when I say I find his actions to be very cruel and selfish, I’m the one being ridiculous?!”
“Frankly, I think you’ve both been—”
“In what way is that fair?! I thought you were different, Pin, I thought you could understand, I thought maybe you would be able to sympathize with me, but I guess you're no better than—”
“You’re the one who insisted I was this perfect person for you just because I came in this direction, you convinced yourself of this, and while I am perfect, you can’t possibly expect me to agree with—”
“Then just leave, why don’t you, I don’t care.”
…
Ridiculous.
“You obviously do. Do you think I'm stupid?”
This entire conversation.
“No, but clearly you don’t want to hear my side, so why am I even trying to get you to stay?”
This entire meeting, actually.
“You were just talking about how alone you were and would probably take anyone who even speaks to you. I’m not nearly as desperate as you are for company, though.”
It’s all just so, so, so stupid.
“That’s because you already have all of the company you need, and clearly there’s no space for me in that group. So go on, leave! I'm used to it.”
What a waste of time.
“If I stay longer will you shut it and calm down?”
…
“Huh?”
“Why are you acting all shocked now? You were basically begging for my prescence.”
“I'm going to ignore your choice in words, but you were clearly just saying that I deserved to be alone forever and—”
“All I did was disagree with you. Maybe you’d be able to get that if you just sat down and used your brain for more than two seconds.”
“I’ll sit if you sit with me.”
“I can’t sit.”
“Then be next to me.”
“You were this close to threatening me with a knife just a moment ago.”
“But then you passed my test of trust! Silly Pin, did you really think I would hurt my very very very best friend, I would never. And as far as that push from earlier went…” She sighs, sugary sweet expression back on her face despite her rather weary sound. “You’re lucky I haven’t felt any other objects in a long time. It was almost nostalgic.”
“You’re acting all dreamy over a shove, by the way.”
“I could change my mind and stab you if you want that instead.”
Leafy leans back against the recovery center, returning to a position similar to the one Pin had found her in upon arriving. She pats a spot to her left as if asking for Pin to join her.
…
Sour pout on her face, Pin obliges.
What other choice does she have here, really? It’d be inconvenient if Leafy were to react to anything again. She may as well waste a little bit more time here since she’s so generous and all.
Though apart from that…
She doesn’t know. There was something about Leafy’s words, as insane as they were, that seems to be drawing Pin in, forcing her within the girl’s radius as if she were a scrap of metal to a magnet.
Something about those words made Pin feel rather important. Important in a way she herself isn’t entirely proud of, the very idea worming its way into her and controling her every move as she continues to interact with the social outcast of BFDI and preventing her from running away.
“I’d rather you not do that.”
“Aw, are you sure? I thought maybe it’d be a sign that you trusted me to not kill you and then our friendship would be solidified and everything will be—”
“I don’t trust you.”
“Rude—”
“Especially not with that knife and its semi-sharp point. Get it away from me.”
“Semi-sharp, who are you insulting??”
“It’s not nearly as pointy as it could be. I would know, of course, as the person with the sharpest point around. My point is very sharp. It can puncture quite a lot.”
“Oh, I’m sure it can. So can my knife.”
“Where do you even get those?”
“If I tell you that, you might cut off my supply, and I don’t really want that.”
“Didn’t you say friendship was about trust?”
“Didn’t you say we ‘weren’t friends?’”
“Are you really weighing in on this now?”
“If you’re gonna pick and choose and claim we’re not friends and then hang out with me this often, I’ll do the same.”
There’s a large grin on her face as she leans back against the recovery center, eyes making direct, unbreaking contact with Pin’s own.
“This is like when you used to make up rules in chess and claim they were valid because you said so.”
“Aren’t you doing the same thing as me now, though? That example doesn’t work here.”
“Oh my pin factory, don’t compare your wretched, ugly self to someone as wonderful and pretty as me.”
“You say that a lot about yourself, don’t you?”
“You tell yourself you’re the nicest person ever all of the time.”
“Because I am! Are you saying I’m not—”
“I mean, there’s a reason no one likes you.”
“I’ll have you know, I—”
“Besides, did you just insinuate that I wasn’t pretty? That wasn’t nice, was it—”
“When did I say that, you’re clearly just trying to take the words out of my mouth and manipulate them so that way you can—”
“You’re the one who decided to comment on my harmless statement without any prompt whatsoever in a rather negative tone—”
“How was it negative in any way?”
“It sounded judgy—”
“For all you know, I could’ve been agreeing with you, has anyone ever done that, I wonder?”
“Of course they have—”
“I mean about you being pretty.”
“Excuse me?”
“Has anyone besides me told you you were pretty?”
“Are you this audacious with everyone you speak to?”
“How else do you expect me to get people interested?”
“Huh?”
“There’s no reason for people to talk to me if I don’t have anything to offer, right? People won’t want to talk to you if you aren’t nice, you know.”
The atmosphere seems to have shifted again, for perhaps the third time in the past few minutes. It’s rather uncomfortable, with Pin’s eyes seemingly unable to linger on Leafy’s rather neutral expression as she explains her thought process for more than a few seconds at a time. She’s running out of things to say, and the less ideas she has, the greater her impatience with the leaf grows.
“Really? So is that why Firey didn’t want to speak with you?”
“What?”
Her eyebrows furrow as her body physically stiffens at Pin’s comment.
It’s odd, Leafy’s relationship with being ‘kind.’ Pin’s never been able to find it as authentic as she thinks she’s been meant to. Perhaps a part of the leaf does wish to be a good, kind person who can be relied upon, that Pin doesn’t fully doubt, but this doesn’t negate the rather exploitative nature she can show.
Above all else, Leafy seems to want to be seen in a good light. Someone perfect who could do no wrong and deserves to be loved by all no matter what because again, what has she ever done? It’s ridiculous, really, and something Pin can’t fully respect.
It’s ironic, almost. How much can Pin truly speak on this subject? Doesn’t she, too, believe herself to be above all others? Someone who has suffered so much she should be able to do as she wishes simply because she should be able to inflict the pain done unto her onto others?
…
She doesn’t want to think too hard about it.
She can’t prove Leafy right.
“Now you’re starting to sound like me!”
Since the moment it had been spoken, the phrase had echoed itself throughout Pin’s head, almost floating around as if it were in a chamber of sorts, bouncing back and forth and reminding Pin of its presence every time she did anything as small as make a decision.
But how hypocritical can she truly be if she decides to push this thought away? If she pretends to look away and acts as if she’s not similar in the slightest, then surely she isn’t.
Ironic.
“Did you not have anything to offer? Or was he just not able to fall for your fake kindness? Which do you think it was—”
“You don’t know anything about what happened—”
“Maybe not, but I know you and how you interact with—”
“You have no background and you’ve seen nothing and—”
“When was the last time you interacted with anyone without having to force anything onto them?”
“When was the last time you interacted with anyone besides Coiny and I without them being forced to talk to you?”
…
“There’s a difference between us.” Pin turns to face Leafy directly, visibly irritated gaze forcing itself to match hers. “I don’t need anyone else. I’m happy where I am.” She points at the other girl’s direction. “You focus so much on trying to make everyone else like you. I’m not like you at all.”
“Oh, but if you were alone and sad and had no one else for years on end, you’d be just as content?”
“Well, I—”
“Really?”
“What are you trying to say, exactly?”
“All I’m saying is we both clearly need someone there, right? You need someone to be important within your life just as much as I do. You’re fine because you have Coiny, who would dig to the center of the Earth just for you and would do whatever he could to make sure you were alive and safe in the midst of a competition, right? Who do I have?”
“You know very well that you thought that ‘person’ would be Firey after you got your stupid tomato—”
“I don’t really want to talk about Firey right now, Pin.”
…
Leafy’s gaze shifts upwards, towards the night sky a moment after saying this, eyes softening as she does so. There’s something wistful in her expression as she looks up at the stars twinkling above the recovery center, the ones that had been shining down onto the pair the entire time they’d been there.
Pin doesn’t fully get it. She doesn’t fully understand what clicked. She couldn’t even put it into words if she tried, neither verbally nor in her head. This concept is almost like an abstract work of art. Something that she, upon looking at it, couldn’t squeeze a definite meaning out of, but somewhere inside her heart, she can feel a sort of resonance between herself and the splotches on the canvas.
And perhaps that’s the reason why she’ll continue to sit here, regardless of the various other thoughts in her head telling her to do the opposite.
“Then fine.”
“…Huh?”
“Talk about something else. Not like I have anything better to do.”
“I thought you said you’d rather be pointing or something.”
“I’ll point in the morning. Be lucky I’m making time for you right now.”
…
“Consider me blessed.”
For some reason, some ridiculous reason, the smile that cracks on Leafy’s face is the most pleasant Pin thinks she’s ever perceived it.
…
She’ll stay until morning. Until the Sun rises and this peculiar leaf is asleep. And then that’s it. That’s as long as she’ll deal with this.
If no one else plans to step up, then perhaps Pin can play the role of “hero” for just this small moment, no matter who it may be for.
Fin.