Don't Reap Souls, Pick Flowers!

What time-travelling shenanigans will Aldo'n'pals get up to next, I wonder?

Huuuh... Can I not get a minute's rest without Ilulu dashing off somewhere?

Lala-yay, yip-yay, ho-hooray, woop-di-day, ho-hey, ladidi-yay, ho-hey♪

Sounds like she's in a cheerful mood...

What?!

Hey Al! Look, I've made a new pal♪

Er, a new pal you say... What's their name?

His name's Ash! Or maybe Lee, haven't quite decided yet. I reaped him up earlier. You know how I can take soulzies out of bodies and all that? Well, that's what I did♪

Oh. Well, good to know you're working hard.

It's weird that there was a dead person in the vicinity though.

Unless... Unless you...

No, that's too horrible to contemplate. Isn't it, Ilulu? As if you'd steal the soul of a living person, ahaha...

Right on the money, Al! But you know it's not only human soulzies I reap; I can do elvish ones, dwarvish ones, all kinds!

Ilulu, what in the world have you...

Oh, and you know those blue guys in your era? I'll bet you my horns I can reap their soulzies too!

That's not the point. Those people are surely going to die without their souls, right?

Naaaaaaaah. You can usually go a day or two without a soulzie, pretty sure!

So don't'chu worry your pretty, lil' head, Al-pal!

"Usually"? "Pretty sure"?! I don't think we should be taking risks like that here?!

That's what I heard from Purrgory. "A day or two meowta be all right," he purred to me. What's your problem, Al? I just wanna take Ashley for walkies, since he's such a pretty soulzie.

That's...that's not a living person's soul, is it? Right?

Right on the money, Al! But you know it's not only human soulzies I reap; I can do elvish ones, dwarvish ones, all kinds!

Oh, and you know those blue guys in your era? I'll bet you my horns I can...

Hang on, there are more important things to think about now.

How can you just walk off with a living person's soul?

You can usually go a day or two without a soulzie, I'm pretty sure!

Well, I'm told people don't just die right away if you take it, but...

Yeah! So what's your problem, Al? I just wanna take this one for a walk, since it's such a pretty soulzie.

Walkies? This is messed up, Ilulu. Where is the person you took it from?

Uhhh... Somewhere over...theeeree? Uh-oh, that righteous look in your eye says we have to go back and look...

You've seriously forgotten?

N-No! I know roughly where the body is! ...I think...

"Roughly"?! You're not convincing me of anything here!

We're searching every corner of the palace if we have to; we must find them!

Wow, Al...

"Wow, Ilulu," more like! Anyway, it was someone in the palace, right? Male or female?

Ashley is a boy, so I guess... Oh, mmm...wait no, maybe Ashley is a girl? It's all the same when you're a soulzie!

...Your help in this matter has been invaluable. *sigh* All right, let's get searching!

Huh?

Sleeping there will net you a cold, my friend. Come on, get up.

......

Come on, don't be a silly billy.

Oh my goodness gracious! D-D-Dead? H-He's dead!

S-Someone, someone help!

Darn it, you've really raised a ruckus now!

What a silly billy she was! He's not even fully dead yet!

I don't think the one who did this can call others "silly billy" for being understandably freaked out. Return that soul!

But Al, I don't wanna. This soulzie is so prettiful, he's like a treasure to me!

Haven't you ever had a treasure you reeeally wanted to keep before?

Well actually, when I was a kid, there was that gem I found with Darunis. I used to take it with me everywhere...

...Look! You can't steal someone's soul just because it's "prettiful!" People's bodies aren't like treasure chests that you can just take the jewels out of.

Urgh, I dunno... But it's no fun seeing Al get his knickers in a twist. Fiiiine, I'll put the soulzie back where I found him.

C'mon, in ya go, Ashley.

*yawn* Oh... *cough* Ahhh! *hack* Hahhh!

See, he's completely and utterly and superduperly fine!

I wouldn't refer to the sound of someone nearly hacking up a lung "superduperly fine"...

*cough* *cough* Ah... Er... Huh? I'm alive?

Are you all right? That cough doesn't sound good!

Indeed... *ahem* Well, that was disorientating... I think I just had an out-of-body experience?

There was this, radical-looking girl with a scythe who came skipping along... She spotted me, got reeeeeeally excited, then... She attacked me! It could have just been a crazy dream, I suppose, but it was rather...life-like.

I'm sorry you had to go through that.

Not sure why you're apologizing? It was just a dream, there was nothing you could have done.

Y-You're right...Nothing I could've done indeed... Haha, haah...

Still, this is what I get for randomly taking a nap in the middle of the floor, I guess. Work has been slow lately, for sure, but I guess it's hitting me harder than I realized.

Having trouble with work?

Well... I was thinking of growing some new flowers. But I'm not sure which seeds to choose. It's a tough decision. Do I want to mix the youthful greens of Palsifalian Tulips with some purpley Ratledils? Or maybe some crimson Kerurian Carnations?

Oh, are you the palace gardener then?

Will be one day. Just an apprentice for now.

Oh I get it now! I liked his soulzie because he's got a passion in common with me. We both love flowers!

You liked my what now?

Don't worry, Ilulu here has a perfectly sound mind. She's just a little kooky.

Well, I've got to say. It's good to know that you've got something you like other than soulzies.

Flowers are my thing♪ Flowers make me sing♪ La-di-dah-yay♪

How about we go flower-picking then? You can show me what kind of flowers you think are pretty.

Oh, Al! You have all the best ideas!

If you're surrounded by things you like, I'm hoping you'll feel less inclined to go on soul-snatching sprees.

My Al-pal's ever the thinker, ain't he? I agree with ya though, having nice flowers nearby, oughta cool my thirst for soulzies.

Okay, this is good! This ought to improve the safety of souls in their bodies nationwide.

Should we get some nice ones for the palace too while we're at it?

Oh, that'd be a swell idea, my lady! If you could bring me a bunch of fragrant flowers, that'd be most helpful.

So the nearest place to here with fieldfulls of flowers... Ah, the Corinda Plains!

You lead the way, Ilulu.

O-Oh! You're alive?! ...You're alive!

Yup, plenty of funky-wunky, dreamy-weamy flowers around here! We're gonna get the fragrantest of flowers for that guy!

You feeling okay? There's nothing but mushrooms, as far as the eye can see.

Oh yeah...there are mushrooms too. But Al, we didn't come for mushrooms, we came for flowers. Remember?

Yeah I know... But this whole field just looks like a big mushy, misty mess to me.

Oh, I see my Al-pal doesn't know how to use his nose♪ Y'see, flowers smell nice, and mushrooms... Well, they smell all mushy.

Huh... I think your sense of smell must be sharper than mine, but all right, let's give it a sniff.

...Hey, you're right! I'm in awe of your nasal capabilities, Ilulu. I'd never have been able to sniff this out straight away.

You really are a flower fan, huh? I take back what I said about this place being a mushy, misty mess.

Thanks a bunch, Al-pal.

What's the appeal of flowers for you, anyhow?

Oh boy, tough question. Gonna have to use me noggin for this one... Mm, well, flowers are kinda like soulzies... but they've got their own special kind of sparkliness, if you know what I mean.

Have flowers always been your thing?

Always? Like, since when? I don't remember my whole life so...

Not that my life until now's been anything special. I've been working the whole time, ever since I was born in Purgatory one day. Anyhoo, I don't remember a time when I ever saw a flower without getting warm fuzzies.

You were born in Purgatory?

The guys in Purgatory have had you working ever since you were born?

Yep, I'm a sort of like a Purgatorial spirit being...thing, a Purgie you can call me if you want. Me and the other Purgies' job is to send off the soulzies so they can have new lives.

My earliest memory is of going out on a mission to track down a lost soulzie. Don't know what I was doing before that...

Ilulu...

Seems my life's meaning is just to keep looking after the soulzies. What else would it be?

......

It's only natural given the life I've had that reaping prettiful soulzies is my hobby.

Yeah, I see...

Wait, no I don't! You almost lured me in there, with your breadcrumb trail of unsound logic!

Heheh, I guess there's no getting past Al-pal, protector of the logic fortress.

It wasn't nice of you to try and fool me, Ilulu.

Oh well, if it makes ya happy Aldo I'll sacrifice my soulzies for you. Work is always a doddle, and when I'm not working I just be collecting them flowers. So it's fun times for Miss Ilulu either way.

Well, the idea of coming here was to pick something. Can you see any you like? How about something for the palace?

There was one cute li'l mushy guy, but he won't grow properly in the palace I guess.

I don't think "mushy" is the vibe the palace gardeners are going for. Let's leave it.

Hi-ho, back to the palace we go♪ Oh wait, we have nada to show♪ At least we got filled up with warmies, thanks to the prettiful mushrooms.

Warmies sound like a good reward for a day's adventuring to me.

Do you really want to go back? Or should we search somewhere else?

Somewhere else? Like the Zol Plains for example? Good idea Al!

Oh, the Zol plains might be good. Sure, let's go.

(Wait, did I just say the Zol Plains might be good for flower-picking? Am I feeling all right?)

'Sup Al-pal? Seen something ya like?

Nah, I was wondering what got into me when I agreed to come to a place like this to pick flowers. There's not much here, is there?

How can you say that Al-palkins! We're surrounded by prettifulness of the most intense variety.

I don't think these, uh, flowers...would look quite right in the palace alongside the elegant marble and linen and whatnot.

These aren't the ones I'm saying to take anyhoo.

(Good, so you haven't completely lost your marbles.) Okay, so which ones?

Those! Look, there's a whole crew of 'em!

Cool, let's see.

(A crew of flowers? Okay, on second thought, some of those marbles are definitely missing.)

Check out these flowery fellas!

Ilulu, these aren't flowers, they're monsters. Well they're also flowers, sure. Flower-monsters then. That's not what we came for!

The guy asked for "gnarly" flowers, Al. We can't be too picky and choosy. What's wrong with having flowery monsters in the palace, anyway? I think they'll add some lifey-ness to the place.

I'm not questioning their lifey-ness...

I'll show you, Al. These flowers are as gnarly as can be.

One, woah-go-go!

Two, hey-ho-yo!

Three, hee-ho-hee!

Four, hey-ho-roar!

Pip-pop-pep-pow!

See? They've got some groovy moves on them. I'll give them a 7.2 on the Ilulu groovitude scale.

I think you've just gone and riled them up. Looks like they're gonna attack!

Attack?! Bad flowers! Let's put 'em down, Al-pal!

All is bright and cheery now.

Look what I've got, Al-palkins.

Looks like some seeds.

They're seeds for Dancing Blossoms.

If we plant 'em in the palace, guess what'll happen?

They'll grow up...and look just danderific?

Exactly, my dear Aldo! No need to worry about them turning into monsters, since we just bashed their soulzies into oblivion.

Oh, good to know. I'll leave that sort of thing to you, Professor Ilulu.

Now to deliver the most fragrantest, most grooviest, most danderific flower seeds to the gardener!

Hihihihi, flower seeds for you.

Aw man, this is great!

These are some dank seeds you've gathered up. They seem sorta...dementedly jolly.

Yep, and you bet they're gonna be dementedly jolly when they grow up too. Mweheheheh.

Ilulu, you better not have been telling porkies about the soul oblivion thing, or there'll be big trouble!

Have you heard of the Dancing Blossom, Mr. Gnarly Gardener?

Darn straight I have. I know gardeners that would sell their souls for a fistful of those. If you're trying to boost the dandiness of your garden, you can't go wrong with a danceflower. Raising them up is tough times though man.

Yep, which is why you never see them out in the fields, right?

Darn straight! As it happens, my boss is delirious about danceflowers. If I'm able to raise up a dandy bunch of 'em, I'll put in a good word and see if he'll be willing to give ya some of his Miglance Goldenroses.

Sounds like this will be a good test of your skills. They might be a good choice for the exhibition as well, I guess?

Not a bad idea man. Only problem would be if they got all the judges dancing. Then everyone would forget it's a flower exhibition and we'd end up with a dance party instead.

Sounds great, I can't wait!

Oh Al-pal, I really can't wait. What fun it'll be when the flowers are all grown up and dandy.

Yeah, I think so too. So hey, how about you focus on your flower collection, and drop the whole renegade soul-reaping thing?

Why not do both! I could even put the two things together to make a soulful flowery combo collection.

Al-pal, it's almost as if you don't want folks to die...even though they've gotta die sometime anyhow, you know?

Yeah, I do know. And it's precisely because we're going to die one day that we should live life to its fullest.

Just like how you'd want a flower to bloom instead of withering straight away.

Weeeeeeeelll... When you use a flowery metaphor like that, I kinda get it.

You know, you're pretty good with them wordsies, Al!

......

Al-pal, you've gotta teach me all sorts of stuff from now on, okay? You've already taught me so many cool things, like how life is important and whatnot. Don't stop, okay?

Will do!

Al-palkins, would you get warmies if I lived my life to the max too?

Sure, that'd make me very happy. (It'd make me even happier if you started calling me Aldo instead of Al-palkins.)

Heehee! Hooray!

Y'know, Al, I've been wondering... Why is it that you're so nice to me?

You're sort of like a little sister to me I guess. I feel like you've got to be looked after... Since you're kinda reckless. I wouldn't want you hurting someone else's soul, or your own.

Huh, oh I see. So it's like a family thing?

I can't say I know much about being a part of a family, but hooray for warm fluffy feelies♪ These are some crazy warm fuzzies I'm getting right now!

Waaahhh! Yeah, this is just too much for me!

Control yourself, Ilulu!

Nay, I must play...

Take Al-pal's soulzie for a walkies, right now! I just love it so much! It's fine, right? I'll give it back in a jiffy, I promise, just wanna give your soulzie a biiiig hug! Maybe squeeze its cheeks!

No! No! Anything but that!

Bleeerrrrp.

...... Oh...

Oh my gosh! Why hasn't your soulzie left your body, Al? I don't get it!

Ilulu, how could you do that straight after we had that whole life chat?!

Oh boy, I've gone and enraged Al-palpops.

New nicknames won't appease my anger here...

...Although, actually... What happened there? Why weren't you able to reap my soul?