"The crucial distinction here is: if I ask something of you that you don't want to do, and you said no, wouldn't it be better if I didn't get annoyed? Why would you have to not annoy me, and what right do I have to be annoyed?"

"...it's not about you having a right... it's just..."

"I... feel like if I ever do anything to upset someone then I should just go be a tree because it isn't worth having me in the world if I made another person unhappy."

She is scared of how genuinely uncertain she is about the possibility of murdering whoever made her feel like this.

"I think it is deeply unfair that other people are allowed to make you feel like you should be a tree. I think it is unfair that other people have this power over you. I think that it is really unfair that you feel like you have to do things you don't want because otherwise the person will make you feel like you should be a tree."

"...is it? I mean—I don't know. I'm just—used to it, I guess. It's not—the problem isn't that someone is making me feel like I should be a tree—it's just, how I've always felt, I guess?" She looks out at the lovely metal flowers without really seeing them.

"I think," She turns to look at the metal foliage. "that if somebody does something, and as a direct consequence of that you feel like you should be a tree, then that person has made you feel like you should be a tree." She pauses. "Being used to something and things always having been a certain way doesn't mean that that is the way that they should stay."

"I assure you I'm perfectly capable of feeling like I should be a tree all by myself in my own house just because I contemplated the abstract concept of inconveniencing someone."

"I did decide not to be a tree, though, when it came up. Because I... like being alive, I guess."

Something gives way inside her. She has to turn away to hide the burning in her eyes. "I'm very happy that you chose not to be a tree."

"...are you okay?"

"I-" Her voice hitches. "I know that I barely know you, but I want you around much more than I value my own moment to moment happiness or satisfaction, I-" She takes a steadying breath, she tries to find words.

Something tells her this is not a problem she can solve with strawberries. She waits.

"I'm ok. I just think that-" She's not sure what the right thing to say is. "I really do want to be inconvenienced if it means you have a better time. I just- I don't know if I'm really..." She trails off.

Is this the sort of situation where you wait for the other person to finish their sentence? She will proceed on this assumption.

"Ok, so what I think I'm trying to express is that I have a strong preference for you telling me no. I won't be angry, or upset or annoyed, in fact I think at this point I'd be pretty happy." She sighs. "When I said I didn't want to take advantage of you, I meant it, and I don't know how to say this in a way that doesn't sound mean. And if I'm off base here feel free to say it. But I think its really easy to take advantage of you."

"Well... I'll try?" she says. "I don't think that sounds mean at all."

"I mean, I've barely just met you, what do you think?"

"?"

"I mean, about being easy to take advantage of, do you think it's true? False? Or maybe it's more nuanced than I think?"

"I think... you're the first person I've met who has been this concerned with me not getting taken advantage of. Myself included. Does that answer your question?"

She tries to keep the sadness out of her voice. "Yeah, yeah I think it does." She turn back to the garden, lost in thought.

"...do you want to look at the maps some more?" she suggests tentatively. "I could try to get mine copied out for you to take home, and get yours copied out for me to keep... it'll take a while but that's no reason not to start."

"Yeah, yeah we should get started on that." She has an idea. "Listen, if saying no is too hard then maybe you could start with asking if it's ok to say no? Then we could talk it out, we can talk about each other's preferences and what needs we have and what are our feelings about it?" She starts walking back to the maps.

"Hmm... that does sound like it might be a good idea."

She follows.

She smiles at that. She has pretty much decided that she will protect her. Or protect her insofar as... she... they haven't exchanged names, have they? "Oh, we haven't actually swapped names, have we? My name is—"