[they don't—]

[how many people have you killed, Zash?]

[I've never—]

"Wrong."

How many people have died because he spared a murderer? Didn't pull the trigger? Because he couldn't bring himself to hurt anyone? How many people have died because Zash was trying to do too much at the same time and didn't do anything well enough? Because he was trying to juggle too many things at once?

How many times has Zash failed?

He's so happy about being Zash the fucking Stampede, so happy that people love him and that he fixes everything without hurting anyone. [you don't. you can't save everyone, so you just don't choose and then people die anyway Zash.] He doesn't prioritise. He doesn't think about what's better. He doesn't think about what happens next, about what happens tomorrow. He heals their sister in this nowhere town and then does absolutely nothing to prevent the townspeople from hurting their other sister.

Because Zash is a coward.

He joins the song again, to argue with Nai. His own heart goes into it, a counterpoint to Nai's, his own anger and hurt laid bare again.

[I've still killed fewer people than you]

[I wasn't trying to not kill them. I never claimed I wanted to.] He didn't. But the thing he did want to do, he succeeded at. Between the two of them, Nai is the one that has anything to show for the past fifteen decades of work. And Zash? Was he hoping his friends' arcology would cook up a miracle before Nai killed all humans? [that's pathetic, Zash.]

...ow. Ow, ow, ow.

[...I would've died. if all our sisters die I'll die, too. I can't, I can't go on in a world where they're dead, Zash! I can go on without humans, I can go on without food and water and breathable air but I can't go on without them. without you.] And so he fucking prioritised.

And, and he's a damn plant, too! He knows this! He knows that if he let himself care, he'd care. If he let himself care about the humans, they'd mean as much to him as they mean to Zash. As much as their sisters mean to him. And he can't do that! He can't be split two ways! If he cares about humans and he also cares about plants then he'll just die because he can't save them both. [I can't. we can't. that's the answer to your question, little brother.] You can only care about one thing above all else. There can only ever be one thing you can never lose.

Because if there are two then whenever they pull in different directions you're torn apart.

[if you don't choose the world chooses for you. and I chose.]

[...we can. have everything. we can have our sisters, and the humans. everyone can live. we can do that.]

Zash always has lots of nice words. He's so inspiring. [and I still don't believe you.] He's better at being convincing than at being right, so Nai just doesn't listen to him anymore.

[how can I prove it to you?]

To him? Nai isn't the one Zash has to prove it to. Zash needs to prove it to the world, and to himself. Nai does not give a fuck—

—(he does, actually, a little bit, and more with each passing day)—

—whether Zash can save everyone or not because Nai has already chosen. There can only be one thing you care about above all else, and to Nai that is his family. That's who he'll always prioritise, that's what he'll always pick. The one who is trying to care about too many things at the same time is Zash, so the only one to whom Zash has to prove he can do that is Zash himself.

[how do you know that Knives is the best you could be, to save our sisters?]

...Knives isn't a person. Knives is a process. Knives is Nai continually figuring out how to best help his sisters.

[how?]

[what do you mean, how?]

By gathering information, by looking at the world. By keeping track of the data of red plants all over the world, in individual settlements as well as in aggregate, per plant type and versus population. By seeing what the humans are doing, what's working and what isn't. By keeping track of the trends in the data, and projecting them into the future.

[...you've been doing that?]

Yvette did that. A lot. She had graphs.

That is a stupid question, Zash. Of course he's been doing that, that's what it looks like to actually care about the results above anything else. There's a reason he hasn't stolen the Julai plants and it's not because he thinks the Julai Military Police could stop him. The plants in Julai are doing fine. They're happy, they're doing meaningful work, they're healthy and networked, they sometimes push themselves too hard but Zash of all people should know what plants are like, and they're not in any danger.

Up until Conrad figured out how to do two-way gates, which changed the game completely, Nai only rescued plants that needed rescuing. And the reason he thinks all humans are going to die is because that's what the data shows. If the trends of the last several decades hold, even the most optimistic projections aren't looking very good for humans.

And the wanton murders?

He can't care about humans. He's said that. So when he's being Knives he... doesn't. He prunes that away. He becomes someone who only cares about plants.

He doesn't do wanton murder. He stops people from risking his sisters, and if they prove dangerous to his sisters he stops them.