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“C’mon, girls, it’s your time to shine.” You’ll depend on the original duo to handle this tricky situation.
“First, I have to know. What’s up with your eyes?” Grace can’t keep that inside her anymore.
“Uhm, I don’t know what my illness is called, but my pupils, cornea and iris are turning transparent. I can see no problem, but it freaks people out…” Ivanna didn’t want to share that.
“Doesn’t the president have something similar?” Mirjam recalls.
“Mhm.” Ivanna nods but doesn’t care about that detail one bit.
“Good.” Grace is acting like she’s interrogating people. “You. What did she do to you that she’s blaming herself for?” She’s pointing at Bert.
“I-I don’t wanna say!” Bert won’t be cooperative.
“C’mon, your cuteness will run out if you keep acting like that.” Grace frowns.
“F-Fine… The… The other kids made me pull a prank on her.” Bert is ashamed of himself. “I panicked when I saw her face... And now nobody wants to be around me anymore.”
“Oh no, you moved orphanages!” Grace acts like this is one of the worst things that can happen. Bert is surprised she found out with so little information.
“Did you <span class="mu-i">crrry</span>?” Mirjam knows if he did, he’s dead meat. Bert’s silence says everything. “Oh nooo…”
“What was the prank?” You wonder.
“I-I had to pretend I was going to give her flowers, then put mud on her face instead…” Bert is not much of a saint now knowing that bit… But by the looks of it, he really didn’t wanna do it.
“Ah, a classic. Makes you paranoid for later confessions though.” Grace finds the abuse not that bad. Everyone else seems to agree to an extent. You don’t know how to feel. “That’s enough, I think I know what you two have to do!”
“Make peace!” Mirjam nods profusely. “You need to stick with each other!”
“Y-Yeah, sure!” Grace WASN’T thinking that! “No more stunts either, I don’t see any point in gaining their affection now, besides, lil’ Bert hates doing them – and what’s the point if lil’ Ivanna ends up all alone.” Grace nods. “What you kids can do instead is to find ways to split the bigger group.”
“Look out for the weaknesses in their power dynamics! Then attack their weakest flanks!” Mirjam cheerfully agrees.
“You can always bribe people into friendship if you have the right food, AND if they’re lonely enough. But don’t push other kids to do stuff, they have to come to you naturally…” Grace continues giving the two kids more manipulation instructions…
The Tomato Duo gives these two kids a lesson on Orphanage Survival 101. It’s coercive, manipulative, and subtle. You think it kinda tarnishes what the tomato sisters’ unity is like…
