``` --[[Notice!]]-- Loading Document from External Media... External Media Recognized! --[[Info]]-- You are currently viewing: "Baba is You"::"Forest of Love levelpack"::[[Lurking]] ``` A single row of a town. Identical houses. Identical faces. The same face, actually - some green bushy looking thing with only two eyes and two legs to its name. It was copied, over and over, doing various activities, like a hivemind. Some were just enjoying the fresh air, others were conversing, talking about... something. In the wind, you could hear whispers about the signal-thing - that strange radio dish at the top of the only visible mountain in the area. But, there was another thing you could hear amongst the breeze - not a name, no, but a pronoun. "Her". Ika, Mako, and Kayako were all heading into the town, at the idea of Kayako. "The head Fofo here will surely know something about how to get up to the signal thing!", it said, but Ika was hesitant. Mako, trusting as always, wanted to follow through, and so Ika was outvoted. When they stepped in, though, all that activity stopped. Heads were turned. Silence was given. The winds came to a standstill. Everyone stared at Ika and Mako. Right, they were still. The trio continued down the lane, without so much as a word. Ika was super creeped out by the whole thing. "Kayako, do they hurt...?" The whispers started again. "Did that thing really just call that Me, 'Kayako'?", "What *are* those two? They look like freaks.", "They should leave, honestly..." It was really starting to get to Ika. Mako could handle it just fine, but Ika? Though she was in therapy just before this, it still rattled her brain. The whispers, the sayings, the words, she had no choice but to let them in, to have them poke and prod at her brain, annoy her, irritate her, until- She was brought back to her days as a fighter. As an arbitrator of death. Participating in a war she was forced into. A war against people she should have never taken issue with. The people were looking at her - him? - waiting for an answer, waiting for a response, waiting for a plan to end them, to just take a pot shot at a whole portion of a species and just squash them like a damned bug, to just draw a blade, to just- "Fine, fine, I'll kill them!", is what she blurted out in the end, raising her sword in the air. A stunned silence. This time, nobody spoke. Nobody wanted to spread any rumors. The bushy people all stood in an unspoken union. Mako gripped Ika's free hand, a reminder of their love, but also a reminder that she'd be ready on the defense if need be. Kayako was taken aback. "I-Ika, what the- What is *wrong* with you?" Ika snapped out of her trance and looked at the ground. "S-sorry... Bad memories... I won't harm anyone, I swear..." Kayako wouldn't hear it. "You need to leave, Ika, *now*." Mako butted in. "No, Kayako, she has every right to be here. It's all of *their* faults for making her uncomfortable!" "Hey! Hey!", said a bushy, gravelly voice. "That's enough out of *everyone*." Everyone looked to face the newcomer - just like the others, it was, leafy and green, but slightly more lighter on the green. "I'm the head Fofo here. What's all the commotion?" "It's nothing, your... highness?", Ika replied, sulking. "I'll leave. It's alright." "No, no, please-" from within the bristle of the head Fofo, a small branch, almost like a hand, extended out. "We're all friends here. What's your tale, stranger?" It took a bit, but eventually the four of them sat on the ground and talked about their lives. The head Fofo was very nice, endearing, very much deserving of the title. He talked about how he cared for the tribe in the town, helping assist them in gathering food and supplies. In turn, Ika talked about her own past, about the war she was forced to partake in, and how she was trying to rectify that. Mako, then, recounted how she dropped out of schooling early, in favor of living on her own, sometimes having to couch surf before deciding to build herself her own cabin to live in. Then, it came to Kayako, who didn't have much to say - his life was relatively short until now, all he did was wander around, make friends, break bonds just as easily, and occasionally have some fun with people. "I was just in the trees when you two appeared,", Kayako mentioned, "...and that puts us back here! Woah." "You know, Kayako, I have to say, you have a boyish charm about you.", Ika said, offhandedly. Mako smiled a bit, covering her grin with a hand. "Don't tell me you're starting to like *boys* now, Ika.", she teased. "No, no, not like that, by the knights." Ika brushed some dirt off of her clothes. "Kayako, he- it- I'm sorry, what are your pronouns?" "Huh?" If Kayako had eyebrows, it would raise them. "If I were to refer to you, what would I say? Are you a he, are you a she, like, what's your gender?" "What's a gen-dyr?" Ika thought to herself for a moment. She had defined herself pretty hard by her gender identity - in fact, becoming "Ika" was a very pivotal and necessary step to recovery, she believed. But then, here was Kayako, who had never even heard of the concept. Even putting the strange visual dichotomy aside, they were clearly so far different, that it was a wonder they met at all. But that's what happens when you fall into a magical portal, now isn't it? "Don't worry about it, Kayako.", is what she ended up saying. "I just think you're a cute kid, is all." The head Fofo drew her attention. "Listen... Eee-ka, was it?" "It's pronounced 'aye-ka', sir." "Ika... About earlier. What exactly happened with you?" Ika looked to the side, a little nervous. "You mean...?" Fofo's eyes answered it all. "Right, yeah. Sorry. I just didn't have much of a good life until now. Mako understands - right, love?" Mako nodded, but stayed silent. Fofo continued. "I understand the pain, but, in these lands? There's a time and place for everything. Can't be just... loudly blurting something like that out loud." Fofo looked down at the ground, in dismay. "Why, if I had a word for every time I've needed to..." he paused, for a moment. "Ika, Mako, Me... er, Kayako, right? I've had to get rid of a lot of my own people because they kept bogging things down. They were nice people, really..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, perhaps a hateful one, but one that ultimately came out of love. "Good people. Just didn't know how to keep it inside. Wish I could have helped them... but I'm only one Fofo, ain't I?" ``` --[[Notice!]]-- Media Related Information Obtained! --[[Bonus Hint]]-- Kayako, the scarfed Me, is the center of all things. (9, -8) ```