paradisalogs | And the wind smells slow and sour when it blows

Who: The Once-ler and YOU!
What: Nightmares
When: Friday
Where: HIS MIND
Rating: Uh PG/PG13.

[You'd be forgiven for thinking you've entered a pleasant dream, rather than a horrific nightmare here. You've arrived in Truffula Valley, a peaceful, wonderful place that almost puts Paradisa's created beauty to shame. Forest creatures are scurrying about, singing and playing and generally going about their business.

The sky is bright blue, the sun is shining and the waters of the nearby river and pond are crystal clear. And most importantly there are miles upon miles upon miles of Truffula trees. For anyone the Once-ler described these trees to, he wasn't kidding. The touch of their tufts really is softer than silk and that comforting, wonderful smell? Fresh butterfly milk baby.

Nothing good lasts forever, and there's a general unease about the place. A disjointed sort of feel, like someone's putting on a play and you've already been told everyone dies at the end]

[[ooc: Sections: Pretty Valley | Dying Valley | Dead Valley ]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Probably Paradisa's fault.

Seriously, what is it with this place and the mind games? [Ugh and the smoke is seeping in under the door now, great. Just great]

Maybe it likes to read a lot of psychological dramas.

[he stares down at that smoke, coughing a bit more]

About how bad is the air outside again?

It really needs to learn a lesson in manners, then.

[He frowns again, concerned at that coughing. The Lorax TOLD him about the air, and like everything else he didn't pay attention. And now it's not just the animals who are suffering for it]

It's bad enough that some guy starts selling bottled fresh air.

Yeah, you tell it to get right on that.

[Good job Onceler. Zelos meanwhile is definitely not used to this level of pollution. Meltokio certainly had some dirty air and pollution, but it was a pre-industrial society. Meaning it was pretty much nothing compared to this]

Wonderful. And if we don't have that or the fan system - we'll be fine, right?

I'll be fine. I've worked in the smog for years, any damage it's going to do to me has been done already.

[He's stealthily avoiding telling Zelos that HE'LL be fine. Because chances are, we won't]

Right. And me?

[NICE. TRY.]

[NO Zelos, that's cheating. The Once-ler's frown deepens]

I don't know. If the people in Thneedville had to buy their air supply, it must have been pretty darn bad for them. And they're just regular humans. I don't know what effect the smog would even have on you.

[That's his roundabout way of saying there's a slight chance you might die out here, Zelos. But he doesn't want to say that out loud, in case he makes it true. He doesn't want to lose anyone friend though his own stupid, careless actions]

[....]

I do breath air like a human, Onceler! I'm not that different!

[yes, that's what matters in this situation]

I know that, Zelos. But the smogulous smog has a weird chemical compound. You might breathe like a human, but it might treat your cells differently.

Like the swans. [Don't ask him what happened to the swans, dear god don't ask him what happened to the swans. You won't like it]

[Ugh right okay maybe that's a valid point. But you know what onceler? HE"S ASKING]

Like the swans? What happened to them?

[Zelos you shouldn't have asked about the swans]

It stopped them from singing. The Lorax said something about the smog being stuck in their throats, and it stayed there.

[Then there's a pause because this is a delicate subject with Zelos and he knows there's a high chance he'll freak out]

And it made all their feathers drop out.

[ -- y.e.p. in fact he'll even blurt out before he has a real chance to think about it]

Seriously!? This stuff could make me lose my voice and feathers?!

[Oh right. The wing thing. He'd forgotten about that. The Once-ler winces]

I don't know, maybe. I mean, you're not a Swomee Swan, so you might luck out?

[He sees that wince and instantly feels bad. He tries to calm down, habitually taking a deep breath- which causes him to have another coughing fit. ]

-- Whatever. Don't worry about it.