I was abruptly jolted awake by a light kick. I slowly opened my eyes and let out a loud yawn, turning my head to where my partner was sitting. The soothing hum of the car had almost put me back to sleep again.

"You're not passin' out on me already, are ya?" Zombina asked, a slight smirk on her lips.

"Ugh," I groaned, taking a sip from my steaming cup of coffee before responding correctly, "Sorry, I was up late last night, and I'm still feeling the effects of yesterday's workout."

I'd experienced the unfortunate situation of falling asleep at the dinner table due to emotional exhaustion and Suu's comforting hug. For those who haven't tried sleeping in a hard, wooden chair, let me advise you: avoid it! This is especially true if you suffer from lower back problems (as I do, thanks to my father). It's not an experience worth going through, as there are far worse things you could do.

"So you're doing the workout thing, huh?" she pressed, looking me over, "Kinda surprised."

"Eh, I gotta get swole somehow, right?" I snorted, shifting in my seat, "Besides, Kuroko seemed keen on getting us all in the house to keep going. If she felt like it was something we needed to do, then I'll go along with it."

"'Kuroko'?" Zombina echoed, the smirk returning. "Didn't know you were on a first-name basis with the boss already."

"I didn't expect you to be so inquisitive today," I said, suppressing a yawn, "You didn't need to come along, you know. It's only Mandroot."

"Well, maybe I wanted to," Zombina shrugged, "Didn't see ya at all yesterday, so I figured I'd hang out with ya little."

"Careful there," I chided half-heartedly, "Someone could interpret that as being clingy."

She rolled her eyes. "Or you could take the compliment for what it is, ya dummy."

I chuckled a bit at that, but more seriously, it was nice to hear that she still wanted to hang out with me after our conversation the other night. I guess I was still feeling a bit exhausted, but...

"I'd be up for hanging out after we're done here," I said as the car jolted to a stop, "All I need to do is go clothes shopping and be home by four so I can take some of the girls to the gym later."

"I'd like that." Zombina smiled, and for once, there wasn't a trace of irony or sarcasm to it. "I got some damn good fashion sense if I say so myself!"

"Which you do," I commented as the two of us slid out of the car. I had been considering asking Miia for her opinion on what clothes to buy, as she had a knack for fashion. However, I realized that I could always go on another shopping trip with her if I wanted to, and I thought it would be fun to spend some time casually shopping with Zombina.

After requesting our driver to arrive in an hour, we made our way to the entrance, rapping twice before the warm visage of Oosawa welcomed us.

"Ah, Bando-san, Zombina-san, so good to see you both again," she welcomed us, bowing slightly in a gesture I mimicked.

"Likewise, Oosawa-san," I said as we walked inside, "How've you been?"

Oosawa told me sadly, "I'm afraid not much has changed since you called earlier. However, would you like to take a look at the photo of Mandroot and his friend that I mentioned? They looked so cute together!"

Before I could offer an answer, Oosawa was already reaching for a battered digital camera that had been placed on the hallway table. I watched patiently as her shaky, wrinkled fingers fiddled with the device while Zombina impatiently looked around.

"Ah, there it is," Oosawa eventually declared, tilting the camera's display toward me, "Do you see that fine, dearie?"

I nodded in agreement as I examined the picture. Mandroot was plump and bent over on the ground, but the expression of absolute delight on his face was easy to spot. His entire being seemed brimming with joy; I could barely make out the leaves resting on his head, but they seemed to glow brighter than when I had last seen him. His eyes were wide, and his smile was wide and radiant as he looked up at the girl before him.

If the blue-skinned, white-haired, black coat-wearing girl in the photo weren't Lala, it would be hard to believe. People often use this phrase to emphasize how sure they are of something. The dullahan in the photo had an animated pose, with her open hand covering her face and her left arm extended in a grand gesture. If one looked closely, there seemed to be a faint hint of a smile playing behind her gloved fingers.

"Yeah, that is pretty sweet," I told her, which seemed to please Oosawa, "Has she not come back since then?"

Oosawa shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not. She did say she would be in town for a while, though, and promised to stop by and visit. At least, I think that's what she said." The older woman shrugged, her voice tinged with confusion. "It was difficult to make any sense of it. She continued about a 'noble yet grim charge,' or some such."

Yeah, that sounded like Lala.

"Well, it looks like I'll have to do some digging to find out where Lala is," I declared, my curiosity piqued. After all, it seemed that she had some connection to the Far Side - and if my hypothesis was correct, then they might have been the ones responsible for my current situation. I had no idea how much the Harbinger of Death knew, but I was sure it was more than anyone else in this town. I had to find out the truth.

I was increasingly sure the girls wouldn't be too troubled about Lala's words concerning Kurusu this time, so I wanted to nip the second "D" debacle in the bud. To make sure this never happened again, I needed to have a chat with Kuroko as soon as possible.

"So, is it okay to see Mandroot now?" I asked.

"Oh, of course, dearie, of course," Oosawa nodded, gesturing to the back, "He's in his usual spot. And don't forget the ear muffs!"

"Yes, ma'am," I said, before looking at Zombina, "I'll holler if I need anything."

"Sure you will," she replied with a wink. At that, I headed out.

Once I stepped into the garden, I was astonished that all the flowers seemed much brighter and larger. Most of the bulbs were as large as my hand, and the white ones were even larger – almost the size of my head! I couldn't believe my eyes when I kneeled to examine a chrysanthemum that I knew hadn't been that big previously.

The buzzing of the myriad insects filled the air, the bees humming a mesmerizing beat as they flitted between the flowers. I took a deep breath, and the air seemed to taste sweeter like I had stepped into a small corner of paradise, a tiny fragment of the Garden of Eden.

So this was the potential power of a dryad to alter the land around them, even without being deliberately invoked by Mandroot, but simply as a result of his presence and attitude.

"Amazing," I breathed.

Mandroot himself was in the same place as Oosawa had indicated - nestled in the corner of the garden, surrounded by brilliantly-white chrysanthemums. As I approached, the large leaves that crowned his head began to move and rustle in the breeze, causing me to press my ear muffs more firmly against my ears in anticipation of what would come.

"SKREEEEEEEEE!"

Ah, up he goes.

"Hey, buddy," I greeted as I kneeled to his level and removed the ear muffs, "How've you been?"

"G-G-Good," Mandroot shyly greeted back, adjusting himself so that the thick root behind him wasn't at an awkward angle.

"Glad to hear it." I made a show of checking out the rest of the garden. "You've freshened up the place, huh? Is it because a certain someone dropped by?"

A faint blush could be seen through his earthy cheeks. "You heard?" he softly asked.

"It's all Oosawa-san can talk about," I said jokingly as I carefully sat down in the dirt beside him, taking care not to trample any of the flowers. "She even showed me a picture of the two of you together."

"She d-d-d-d-did?!" Mandroot squeaked, covering his face with gnarled hands, "I h-h-hate pictures...."

I couldn't help but laugh at that, feeling a sense of joy and satisfaction that he was emoting more than he had been the last time. Although I could not take all the credit for his improved emotional expression, I was proud of my contribution.

"So, is she the same friend you mentioned earlier?" I asked. He nodded shakily. "What's her name?"

"Lala," Mandroot answered with a warm smile, his previous embarrassment forgotten. I was still slightly suspicious of how he knew someone who would soon play such a pivotal role in the plot, but I had to trust him for now. I decided not to press him for more information as I needed to find Lala to get my sought answers. "She said she'll be around for a while but didn't explain why..."

"She's a dullahan, right? Then I'm pretty sure she's in the Exchange program, going off what I've heard," I offered.

Mandroot nodded. "That would be nice," he said softly, "To have a familiar face around...."

Just then, a thought occurred to me. It might've been presumptuous, but perhaps... Hmm, I'll have to poke around for details first.

"Speaking of familiar faces, sort of," I started, seeing that as good enough of a segway, "I just realized I don't know where you're from."

"Oh, um, I think...." He looked down. "I think you call it Portugal...."

I echoed, "Portugal?". I hadn't expected that answer. I had always thought dryad myths originated from Greece or somewhere similar. However, he was from a subspecies of the dryad, and he might have been from somewhere else. I wasn't sure if most dryads were even in Greece, as I found this somewhat doubtful.

"Mhm," Mandroot replied, "That's where I was born... There are some other mandragoras there, but Momma was the only one I knew before I left."

I quirked an eyebrow. "You all weren't in one place?"

"We, mandragora, usually keep to ourselves," he replied, scooting over to a flower and gently caressing one of its petals. The flower seemed to luxuriate in the gentle touch, leaning into his stubby fingers. "We only l-leave our h-homes for the most important things, such as a Grove Gathering."

"Grove Gathering?"

"Hm? Oh, s-s-sorry. It's, um," Mandroot's face scrunched in thought, "It's w-when all the d-d-dryads get together to talk a-a-about important stuff."

I scratched my head as I pondered the situation. I had many questions, but I doubted Mandroot could provide my sought answers. It made sense that Mandragora would not have a strong sense of community, given their extreme reclusiveness. It seemed the dryads did not have any ruling organization or hierarchy either. So, were the Grove Gatherings the closest thing they had to a governing body? It reminded me of the Quakers and their meetings, but I suspected they differed.

The Grove Gathering would provide an effective platform to explain how the dryads, a species without a formal governing system, could participate in the Interspecies Bill. It was pretty remarkable to witness every dryad, mandragora, alraune, and other subspecies form a collective consensus in such a large gathering. However, I must admit that this could be attributed to my own cultural biases as a human. Damn you, ethnocentrism! Was that the correct term to use?

"Is it truly every dryad?" I asked, lifting my knee and resting my arm relaxedly. "With so many people present, it could be difficult to accomplish anything."

Mandroot shook his head, causing the leaves around him to rustle. "D-Dryads have a d-d-d-different way of d-doing things than o-others. If it's just us, then we d-don't communicate in the same manner as others. Instead, it's like..." He sighed and pawed at the dirt. "I d-dunno how to d-describe it. We communicate through our scents and aromas, I guess." He shrank into himself and hid his face. "S-Sorry, I'm not so good at explaining this..."

"No, it's fine," I assured him, "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable." If I was interpreting him right, dryads could communicate wordlessly through the chemicals they produced naturally. I wasn't going to pretend I was an expert on plant communication, but I was at least aware of the subject—something to do with certain hormones. But still, the information was fascinating, especially since it was one of the more "alien" things I've learned about liminals since I've come here.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I had likely delved too deep into the information on mandragora and dryads if Mandroot's anxious expression was anything to go by. Oh no, I thought to myself.

"Hey," I said warmly, shooting him a smile, "Wanna show me how the garden's grown since I was last here? Some of the flowers are almost as big as my head now!"

That seemed to do the trick. Mandroot's face lit up, and he eagerly nodded as we stood.

To be continued...