Fear Garden 2: Scarlet's Bloom (An IDFB Fanfic)

Helping Hands

⚠️ TW: HEAVY GORE. I'll leave a mark around the parts where this goes down, but uh. Please read with caution.  ⚠️

Also, sorry this is over 9k words guys. IM SORRY!!!!!!!

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"How many batches have you made?"

"A few dozen! Not all of them are the same!"

"Huh.. I thought they were just.. Bread?"

"..No?! They're all different, silly! Besides- I moved onto the muffins!" Smiling, Saw placed an oven-mitten over her hand, carefully lifting the steaming tray of muffins from within. She placed them on top of the stove, letting them cool off as she turned off the oven.

Beside her, Gaty observed her lover's movements, wanting to help with as much as possible. She wasn't much of a baker herself, but Saw refused to leave her out- not now, and not ever- so she asked if she could give her a helping "hand" with these freshly baked goods of hers.

These weren't for themselves after all.

With ease, Gaty would take the cooled loaves of banana bread and slicing them into pieces, wrapping them in little storage bags. Saw looked down at the steaming batch of muffins on the stove, gathering any fragments of courage she had left.

"That garden they found," she said. "That's why she went after all of them?"

"Yes."

"What did they do to it, then?"

It was a childish question- ridiculous, to say the least- yet, Gaty nodded solemnly. "I think they burned it down. I know that they found it- this was around the time you were exploring- but I saw a cloud of smoke coming from the forest. Judging from where it was... man. I don't know how she could've done it."

"I know that," Saw pouted. "But I do not understand."

"Understand what?"

A chill went up Saw's spine. "I guess... what they found- or, why she did it..."

"Saw... are you sure you want to-"

"Yes, yes! Just tell me!"

"Well, not a lot of objects saw it; I swear, I heard Barf Bag talking about... hands, in the garden? Bodies, too... she told me that Bracelety was the one who found it. I can't imagine how she must be handling it right now."

The steam was beginning to dissipate, with the cold air washing upon their bodies like the waves of the sea. "I thought Pin was nice..."

"The others said she was bossy."

"Do you think they'll bring her back?"

Those periwinkle eyes were locked onto hers. She couldn't help it, but Saw swore that she could find herself becoming lost in the sea of stars within her lovers' eyes. It was enough for a blush to burn at her face, but Gaty shook her head, placing a newly-wrapped loaf on a tray. "I hope not. I don't think I'd feel safe with someone like her existing in the same plane as I am."

"I feel like that wouldn't be fair to- oh, the muffins can be packed, here-"

"Got it!"

"Thanks. Okay, uh- like I was saying, I feel like that wouldn't be fair to the others... the objects who died. Wouldn't they want some sort of vengeance for what she did?"

"It'd be best if we leave that up to them, Saw. After all- we weren't there to experience what they had to live through."

Saw's lips puckered at Gaty's response. She wasn't a violent person, and she never wanted to be. But after hearing the horrific deeds that were executed by that familiar thumbtack, she couldn't help but share that anger and pain that the recovered folks carried. The woman felt horrible, and what was worse, she didn't know how to help them.