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I stood there, wind blew my ears to the side as I was anticipating for her to answer my request. I knew she wouldn’t turn it down, nobody else was able to be by her side at the time. The air felt thick and hard to breathe In, it was weird for both of us to be here.
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“Fine” Poppy responded to me firmly, she seemed upset but I knew it wasn’t because of me, it’s because of her current circumstances.
“ Sooo- what to do first on your death row vacation?”
Hehe I know, i know it’s bad to crack jokes at a time like this. The girl only has like- a few more hours to live? She should have the time of her life in these next few hours with me.
“ Yeah...” Poppy gave me a cold yet soft look before slowly walking towards me. Of course I held out my hand so I could hold onto her shoulder so she wouldn’t tip over like a bowling pin.
“I don’t have a specific place, just take me anywhere but here”
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Our first stop in this labyrinth was a makeshift marketplace, makeshift toons talked around and sold eachother food and snacks.
“Do you want anything? I have plenty of tapes!” I pointed towards the fur around my neck, since it’s the only place I can store my own stuff and trinkets in.
“ … no, I don’t have an appetite anymore”
My ear drooped a bit at her saying that, I really wish she was her usual self but I’m sure that wouldn’t be able to happen due to her current condition. I walk over to a brown stand with a mysterious toon behind it and buy my own snacks for later.
“Are you sure ya don’t want nothin? I have as many tapes as you need”
“I..I’m sure, thank you.”
I sighed.
I walk back over to Poppy and prepare myself for our next location
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I took her to an empty makeshift field, the area smelled of flowers that the labyrinth decided to create,is it just me that wonders why some of these labyrinths are safe while others aren’t?
“Do you like flowers Poppy? I know that your name is the same as some really pretty ones! ”
“..Flowers? I think so.”
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It’s REALLY akward between us at the moment, but i cant blame her for these responses, i would act the same way.
“That’s good to hear! Do you uh- have any favorites in mind?”
I picked up a flower off of the ground and brung it towards my nose to smell its scent. It was a marigold.
I played with it until I heard Poppy respond to my question
“… uh- potentilla flowers”
I have to be honest I have NO clue what type of flowers those are, but they seem like something she would like!
“…they uh- remind me of the bright sun” I hear Poppy walkover as she slowly tried to kneel down to look at the flowers,I heard her fall in the process.
PFFT… “sorry, sorry I’ll help you up”
I smiled at her since I couldn’t really tell how she fell, While I will admit it, it was a LITTLE funny to see her tumble all of a sudden, to my surprise however she was giggling slightly aswell.
“Are you ok? No scratches right?” I brushed off any grass that might’ve been on her dress
“No- no..I’m fine, I promise.”
“Good! Wouldn’t want any more missing limbs now!”
I heard her chuckle slightly. It made me smile even more knowing that she was enjoying her time with me.
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I walked with her through the empty marketplace,all the other random toons seemed to have left- or been disintegrated I have no clue.
“ … Poppy do you have a favorite color?”
“… pink”
“I should’ve know hehe- do you have a least favorite?”
“…uh- black.”
I gently grab her arm, well—more like her nubs that remained. I could understand why she didn’t like the color that reminded her of ichor and what she had lost. Black can resemble many different emotions at the same time.
Me and my younger brother taught about art back during ‘99 so we know everything about colors and what they could be hiding behind just a mere thing we see.
“That’s reasonable, Black would be in the middle for my favorite color list, not too cool but still cooler than most colors!”
Listening to the environment around, now I understand why I wanted to ask her here, it’s peaceful and quiet here. Dying in a place like this would be a dream,it’s like you’re already in “heaven”.
“ … Poppy, how many hours do you think you have left.” I’m starting to worry that she’ll pass out any moment now, she seems uneasy and more dull than usual.
“ I don’t- I don’t know.”
I could feel her getting closer to me, like she was scared of something.
“ Hmm- just to be safe I’ll take you to the special place I had saved for this moment!”
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The beach. This was the only place in the labyrinth that felt like the most peaceful place to slowly pass away in. A nice slip away from the harsh reality around us. The smell of the waves and the feeling of sand on my paws made me feel at ease.
“Be honest with me, are you afraid of death Poppy?”
“I don’t know.”
I could hear her quietly trying to sob to herself, I think she doesn’t know that my hearing isn’t almost gone. I can still hear the smallest details if I’m close enough.
“Fair point. Are you afraid of what will happen to you after?”
“I- I’m not sure.”
I knew she was scared, she will turn into one of them and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. It truly hurt to think about but this is the best option for her. It truly hurt knowing I couldn’t do anything to truly save her in time.
“ I know you’re scared of this, it’s ok.”
I could tell that she was shocked, I heard her sobbing stop for a moment as I heard her steps coming closer.
“Hehe, I know you’re scared Poppy, I’ll be by your side no matter what.”
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I’m guessing these would be her final minutes being a normal toon. I don’t know what will happen to here or what she’ll turn into, but I don’t want to let her go. I can’t let her die without something good going on for her,I let her down once and it won’t happen again.
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I held her in my arms, her body felt limp and cold against mine. I could feel her breathing slowly, trying to preserve the amount of time she had left.
“Are you ok?”
I’m worried that she’ll drop cold at any moments
“…I’m not sure.”
I guess that’s a better answer then no, I still don’t want this moment to end.”
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I think it’s time I used that little ability Vee helped me out with. I’ve never used it but it seems promising since she is a pro at programming.
I touch a button on the middle of my waist gem, allowing me to see for the first time after the incident.
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Poppy was laying down in front of me,her hair no longer being held back by a bow. It was free and flowed slowly with the wind, her eyes were dark yet something about them was so—beautiful to me. It was the only sign of her somewhat being here with me still.
I hugged her tight as I knew she was gone before I knew it, I just wanted to be the last thing she was able to properly be close to. I wanted to be the last good thing in her life before it was taken away from her. I don’t know what she’ll turn into but I will make sure a part of her follows me no matter what.
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“ … I promise I’ll remember your name, Poppy.”
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“I love you.”
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“I’m so sorry
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“Your ribbon hasn’t left my side ever since you left, stay with me.”
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“Please.”