Flowers and roots are too risky to let someone else handle. I can't give you an anatomy and physiology run-down with the time we've got, but— well, you were in sports. I'll do it.

[ It isn't the whole truth, but it functions as a reason and contributes to his motives. When dealing in lives, he can be a successful liar - at least when it comes to omission.

He nods quickly, mouthing his words of thanks without voicing them and immediately setting to work in prepping Akashi, pocketing his newly created supplies to slash away the vines curled around the other redhead's arm. The roots beneath are grotesquely dark, thick, alive enough to bring him pause.

His promise to Kuroko is enough to push him towards making the first cut around a root, slicing through layers of skin to expose pieces of the twisted, dark plant matter. The resistance he faces when he tries shimmying the knife between root and muscle makes his stomach turn. This isn't anywhere close to safe, sterile, optimal.

It's just all he has. ]

I need you to clear some space. Collect your things and burn any traces of flowers, seeds, vines - anything you see. And... talk to him. Don't look yet, just talk. It might keep him still, it's - it's worth a try.

[ It's hard for him to swallow down the knowledge that his last order was given more for Kuroko's sake rather than Akashi's. ]