There were small green tomatoes growing on the vine now.

Teige hit the ground on his back and fetched up against a post, striking his neck and the back of his horned head in the process, but he sat up immediately and said gamely, "Well, good job I've got this hard of a skull, yea? Else that'd be a--"

He stopped, because Luu had come over to stand in front of him, staff in hand. It was a deep purple dusk; just outside the pool of light that Luu and Teige were in, Vlad sat on the fence, watching and swinging his feet idly.

"Tell me something," Luu said, looking not the least bit amused. They crouched to look Teige in the eye, staff resting easily against their shoulder. "Why are we here?"

Teige recoiled, and when he didn't immediately answer, Luu continued, "Why do you insist on showing up every time? Why continue to waste your time and mine? Why do this at all?"

For another moment Teige didn't answer, breaking eye contact with Luu. Finally he muttered, "I have to."

"You do not."