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Who: Audrey and Once-ler
What: The traditional response to calling a person a "disgusting monster" is to present the Cupcakes of Forgiveness.
Where: wherever they live idk
When: Wednesday morning

[Audrey wakes up on a park bench Wednesday morning with a vague recollection of what had just happened and a perfectly crystallized memory of telling off Mr. B-- no, it's Mr. Once-ler now, isn't it? That... is going to require some words. And possible bribery so she can go back into the house. Sleeping on a wooden bench isn't nearly as fun as it sounds.

One quick trip to the bakery later, and Audrey is walking back to her house, a box of cupcakes in hand.]

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[that's a dirty trick. he's done a lot of horrid things but he's not about to add "finger smashing" to the list.]

...Not as bad as I think. Right, okay. When I say that everyone and everything is gone, that's just me exaggerating and in no way alluding to the fact that I'm the reason why everything's gone to heck and back.

[he opens the door a little wider so she can see his totally deadpan face.]

This is just me being being melodramatic.

There's one left.

[yes, that is appropriately cryptic.]

[he's just about to shoot back with an of course there is, but catches himself just in time to look at her with a curious mix of disbelief, apprehension and distrust. seems like he's not the only one who's been holding back here.]

...How do you know that? [he takes another step back, letting go of the doorknob. in hindsight, maaaaybe not the best course of action if this is Audrey's way of revealing that she's a crazed stalker or something.]

Right now, in the middle of Thneedville, the last truffula tree is growing. It's not really big, but it's there and it's a start.

[she pushes open the door a bit.] So, you can come out of your room. Or at least turn the lights on.

[being too busy engrossed in that mental image, he just lets her. his hands are at his side, fingers quivering and curling as he imagines the seed sprouting. the very same one he attempted to plant himself not even a week after the company went under. of course, he knows how well that worked, which is why the distrustful look intensifies when Audrey opens the door.]

That's not true. [he shakes his head, slowly.] You can't do anything with that seed. Believe me, I tried.

[- although his irritation does not extend as far as him calling it worthless. that would feel like betrayal, somehow.]

We buried it in the ground and poured water on it, and a little while later it started to sprout. That's definitely something.

[part of her wants to grab his hand, to reassure him, but it's already taken her long enough just to get inside. she doesn't want to spook him. instead, she clasps her hands in front of her.]

I wouldn't lie about something like this. It's too important.

I'd say it's more than just something. [he exhales and raises a hand to rub at his temples.] Look, maybe you don't get how messed up everything really is. I don't know if you've ever been outside the town, but the valley? It's sick. That's the best way I can put it. Nothing can grow in the ground; it's too stony. And the air's so toxic. And when it rains, it's like...

[he cringes.]

It just...it feels really weird on your skin. It itches when it dries; that can't be good.

Point is, nothing can grow out there, so what makes Thneedville any different? [he crosses his arms.] And how did you even get your hands on it anyhow?

I have seen it, and it is sick... But, it's been a really long time, maybe there are parts that are... less sick than others? I'm not sure how it happened, but it definitely did.

[a shrug] I don't know; Ted went out of town and got it from someone, but he never told me who.

[he ponders that for a few moments and starts relaxing, quite visibly. it makes sense.]

It's still impossible. [- but he doesn't sound too convinced of that anymore.] Anyway, it's mine. It's all I have left from the forest. No way I'd ever give that up, especially not to some kid that I don't even know.

[his shoulders slump.] If I can get it to grow, maybe...maybe he'll come back. And all the other animals, too.

... If Ted stole it from your corpse, I'm really sorry about that! [because clearly that's the most logical explanation.] He was doing it for me.

[she frowns] Who's "he?"

[w h a t] Oh, that's cool. Sometimes we do crazy things for our best friends. I'm sure if I got to know you better, I'd loot a corpse for you, too.

[no, he wouldn't. he really, really wouldn't. and now he's going to have to grow eyes in the back of his head when he gets home in case any kids come along and try to murder him for his seed.]

You know. Him. The Lorax.

... Who?

You know, the Lorax? The guardian of the forest? Embodiment of nature? Mr. I-Speak-For-The-Trees? That guy?

[wow. something tells him that he'd find this whole thing really ironic coming from Once-ler if he was actually here right now.]

Don't they have, like, legends about him or something?

I've never heard of him. But, I don't think people would really understand a forest guardian if there weren't any forests to guard.

Well yeah, but I imagine he was around for a really, really long time before I came along. There's gotta be at least one person in town who'd know about him back when Greenville still existed.

The older people might remember, but nobody really talks a lot about that kind of thing.

...So everyone really did forget.

[he was expecting that and in a way it's a whole lot worse than anything else he could have imagined. being forgotten is much, much worse than dying, if he's to be honest with himself.]

Is it the same with me?

[She looks vaguely uneasy about the question, as if she doesn't really want to answer.]

... I'm sorry. Even I didn't know who you were.

[well. that answers one question. now he feels really silly for withholding his name from her for so long.

so much that he just starts chuckling.]

[well, that wasn't the reaction she was expecting.]

Why are you laughing?

'cause it's so - [snort.] - it's so dumb. All this time, I thought you'd hate me; you and everyone else in town. That's why I gave you that fake name and you...you bought it!

[by this point, he's flat out laughing.]

Seriously, Bob-ler? SERIOUSLY?

How was I supposed to know? [by thinking about it for more than five seconds.] And of course I don't hate you! Why would you think I would?

Have you ever heard of anyone named Bob-ler? I want you to think about that for a minute before you answer. Really, let it stew.

Because everyone does. Do you know how many people lost their jobs after the company went broke? How many more people hated me for what Thneed production was doing to the environment?

[pause]

Rhetorical question, but you get the idea.

I've never heard of anyone named Once-ler, either.

Maybe they do. They have pretty good reasons to, and it just happened to them. [she looks up at him, a serious expression on her face.] Are you sorry?

It sounds a lot more normal than Bob-ler, though. Rolls right off the tongue.

[his first impulse is to shoot something impulsive back. isn't it obvious that it is? he'd like to think so.

but instead, he thinks about it; really, really thinks. he looks over at the window, at the cloudless sky behind it, how much he'd rather be out there than in here.]

I think about it every day. If I could take it back, I would. And I want to, more than anything, but I've tried. I've done everything I can, in every combination I can think of, and I've... [a pause.] Sometimes I wonder if he'd be happy with that. The Lorax, I mean, if he just knew how hard I was trying. Maybe it'd be enough, you know? Maybe he'd come back.

[he looks back at her.]

But he hasn't, so I...I gotta try harder. I just don't know how. And I'm sorry I don't, and that I'm even thinking like that to begin with and - and...gosh, everything. Especially rambling. So...sorry 'bout that, too.

[it feels sort of necessary. he glances down, shyly.]

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