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A small wall of stone had been built around the fountain the beautiful cherry blossom tree stood in, and someone had built a small pedestal to hold the raven and ram masks, which Taako thinks is a nice touch. He takes off his shoes and sits on the wall, dipping his feet in the cool water. The long branches of the tree hang high above his head, making him feel separated from the rest of the world; a little universe all of it's own, just him and the tree.
"So, uh, hey," he says. He takes his hat off and holds it in his lap. "It's me. It's Taako. Or Weaselman, as I'm more popularly known around here." He smiles a little, remembering the way Hurley had laughed when he refused to take the mongoose mask off after the race. "It's been a while, and you're both... still a tree. So I thought I'd give you an update while I was in town.
"We've been destroying all the Grand Relics, like you wanted us to. Most of them without even destroying a whole town, so, y'know, that's an improvement. You two ever hear what happened to Phandalin? Because that one was definitely on us." He pauses, looking down at his hat. It's gotten a little worn after all their adventures, but he's still pretty fond of it. It's whimsical. "I guess I could probably tell you what happened for real, now. I mean, we could talk to Noelle just fine, and I don't think you two are-" He hesitates to say that they're not alive, but... well, they certainly aren't in the traditional sense, even if their tree is. "Oh, hey, if you're on the Astral Plane, tell Kravitz I said hi. He's a friend. I mean, kind of. I don't think he hates us anymore, so. Yeah. Anyway.
"Okay, starting at the beginning- there's 7 Grand Relics. Your belt thing was one of them, and it's destroyed now. Hooray. Along with, like, four others? I think?" He counts them off on his fingers. The Phoenix Fire Gauntlet. The Oculus. The Gaia Sash. The Philosopher's Stone. The Temporal Chalice.
"Yeah, yeah. Five total that we've destroyed without too much trouble. Except that one Magnus ate. We had a horrifying time getting that back out again."
A faint breeze moved through the branches of the tree, though Taako couldn't feel it himself. It seemed to effect the tree exclusively.
"I know, right? It's a miracle he didn't get taken in by the Thrall of it." He pauses thoughtfully. "All of the relics have this... thing about them, that makes them almost impossible to resist. Which is why you couldn't let it go, Sloane. And why Captain Captain Bain tried to poison us after the race- Oh, yeah, that happened. I guess you weren't there for that. That happened. But we were all fine- I mean, HE'S not fine, but whatever. Not his fault, either. Our boss says Magnus, Merle, and I are the only ones who have ever been able to resist the Thrall of these things."
He looks down at his hat again, almost... shamefully.
"I... didn't. With the sash. I was this close to just taking the damn thing, even after you two tried to help. If Magnus and Merle hadn't been there..." He sighs. "I guess it just feels shitty, knowing that, after all you'd done, I still almost blew it."
He's been thinking about it a lot since then; it's shaken his confidence a little bit-- not that he'd let anybody else know that. But he hasn't been able to stop thinking about what would have happened if he'd been alone, if Magnus had been just a few seconds slower, and he managed to escape with the sash. Would Killian, Carey, and Noelle be sent to hunt him down, like they'd done for Lucas? Would Magnus and Merle have joined them? Would any of them be able to stop him? If the tragic end of his cooking show was anything to go by, he already had more magic power than he had control. What horrors could he do with limitless power over nature? He can't think of any satisfying answers, but the questions keep coming back, and countless worst-case scenarios have found their way into his night terrors.
Above him, the tree branches rustle again, and something falls out of them, landing with a small splash in the fountain. Taako goes to look at it, and finds a small wreath, made from carefully entwined branches of the tree.
"Oh," he whispers, "I- ...thanks."
He gently puts the wreath on his head, and suddenly feels a wave of comfort wash over him. He feels... better.
"You did your best," says Hurley's voice in one ear.
"Just because you needed help doesn't mean you failed," Sloane says in the other.
Taako feels tears pricking at the corners of his eyes and blinks them away.
"Thank you," he says, "I-I should go meet up with the others before they start to worry. But... thank you."
"Keep up the good work."
"You can do it, Taako!"
"It's Weaselman, I think you'll recall."
Hurley laughs, and Sloane laughs, and the tree branches rustle again in their unseen breeze, and the three sounds meld together into one.
"We're proud of you," Hurley says. Taako nods in acknowledgement. He's surprised by how good it feels to hear.
He gives the tree's trunk a gentle pat before parting, the crown of tree branches still firmly resting on his head.