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Late update sorry lol, I still have school
Chapter Seven: So Empty (Living Behind these Castle Walls)
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The world wasn't at all what Slimecicle expected it to be. In all honesty, he was pretty happy about experiencing it all and meeting Iris, Ranboo and Tommy. But something still felt... off.
Like something was missing.
Or someone.
The world's great, Slimecicle realized as he bounced along behind Iris, sporting a wide grin. He maintained his enthusiasm even as his heart felt like a black hole. It's great. Except not really.
It'd be better if people weren't so coldhearted, cruel, ignorant or selfish. Yeah, it'd be better if everyone loved each other.
Although very young, according to the Whitecoats of the L'Manberg Institute of Science and Skills, in a way, Slimecicle understood something when he met Iris, Ranboo and Tommy.
The world was beautiful. And it was a bad, bad place.
Slimecicle was good at reading people's emotions. It wasn't a Skill, or any kind of special ability. It was kind of just him as a being.
Iris was heartbroken. Slimecicle saw, when Iris thought no one was looking. Brief moments of hope and care. Flashes of a happy, loving boy in a cold, expressionless face. Dullness in the eyes of a flawless young man who was broken deep inside. Someone had loved him very much, but hurt him even more, so Iris built a fortress around his heart to prevent anyone from getting in again.
Tommy was tired. He appeared to be a carefree, optimistic, loud boy, quick to shout and quicker to smile. But Slimecicle noticed the lines of weariness edged his laughter, and sometimes when Tommy was alone his grin would fade. He was a bird whose feathers were soaked by pressure and expectations, doing his best to sing, trying his hardest to fly.
Ranboo was lonely. He was worried for the future, scared about his past. He needed a friend, someone to share the burden with, someone to hold and lean on. A simple enderhybrid feared by many for others' wrongdoings, just seeking compassion and companionship. He was falling without anyone to catch him.
All that from only a day of knowing these people, and they already have taken spots in Slimecicle's heart. It was all so obvious to him; is the world really so oblivious, so selfish, so stupid as to not notice?
Or even worse, not care?
Surely, surely there had to be someone like Slimecicle, someone out there who noticed and cared.
Like Charlie. Slimecicle missed Charlie. He missed xem so much. He wished xe was here to comfort him, to tell him what to do, to smile and encourage him.
Slimecicle missed Charlie, but what was the point?
It was fruitless. Charlie was gone.
But it might not be too late for the others, Slimecicle thought buoyantly. No, it's not too late. I will help them, as Charlie helped me. And we'll travel the world together.
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"Wow, that's so amazing!" Slimecicle gushed. Argent ivory seemed to drip from Tommy's onyx feathers, the wings spread gracefully. "Your wings are so pretty."
Tommy beamed. "Thanks." He looked like the living embodiment of Icarus; beautiful and golden.
Iris peered at the wings, mildly impressed. "Son of Zephyrus, Phillip Craft," he noted. "Elytra Avian, right?"
"Yep." As Tommy finished stretching, his wings folded down neatly against his back. "People don't see them often, b'cuz my dad taught me how to retract them using witchcraft, and they just kinda disappear."
"Witchcraft?" Slimecicle echoed. "What is that?"
Tommy grimaced, then sported a goofy grin. "Not actually witchcraft, but I don't really know what we use to retract our wings, so I call it like I see it."
"May I?" Ranboo asked shyly, gesturing to Tommy's back. He nodded, and Ranboo gingerly trailed his finger down the gleaming feathers. "They're very silky," Ranboo murmured.
"Thank you." Tommy smiled warmly at the hybrid boy, who turned away, flustered. "But we should probably get going." Tommy snuck a glance at Iris, who looked a bit impatient.
Slimecicle felt light inside as he watched the three teenagers. They were people he wanted to befriend. "Yeah, we should. Iris, will you lead us?"
Iris didn't reply, only nodded and turned around, starting to walk away from Las Nevadas into the forest. The black mask still covered his lower face. Slimecicle wanted to reach over and pull it off; it felt like a boundary, a wall keeping Iris away from trust.
With time, Slime thought positively. Hopefully with time, we'd become friends.
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As the four walked along, Iris kept in front, silent, while Tommy, Ranboo and Slimecicle dissolved into friendly conversation, getting to know one another.
The first thing Slimecicle noticed about the other three was the height differences. Slime, Tommy and Iris all stood at a wobbly line, with Iris being the tallest in the trio and Tommy a close second. However, Ranboo was freakishly tall, a few good, solid inches towering above them.
As Tommy cracked jokes about the heights, it seemed Ranboo was warming up to him. At one point, Ranboo picked an allium out of the grass and gave it to Tommy. The latter was a flustered, stuttering mess, causing Slime and Ranboo to tease him.
Through the new friendships, Slimecicle learned that Thomas Innit Craft had an older brother named Wilbur who played guitar, and his cousin was the one-and-only Technoblade. Tommy was very intrigued by Greek mythology, and his favorite hero was Theseus.
Ranboo didn't know much about his family or his past. He knew his mother was Enderman, which kind of explained his height and build, but didn't know who and what his father was. Surprisingly, Ranboo liked colors, and his favorite color was wisteria blue. He used to have a friend named Toby(?), but the two fell out of touch at some point.
"Iris? How about you?" Slime suddenly started.
Iris flinched, as if startled. He turned his head and stared at Slime with a surprised look. "Tell us a bit about yourself," Tommy agreed.
"I'm Iris," Iris replied, almost questioningly.
"Is that your real name? Do you have family members?" Slimecicle pressed.
"No, it's not my real name. My brother and I were orphaned when I was three. I don't know if he's alive or not since he went missing a few years ago."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Slimecicle murmured. Then the foursome walked in silence for a bit.
Ranboo coughed hesitantly. "What's your favorite color?"
"Purple."
"Do you play any instruments?"
"Yeah, I'm self-taught on the mandolin, and my brother taught me a bit of guitar."
"He sounds cool, what was he like, if you don't mind sharing?"
"His name is—was—Luke, but everyone called him Punz. He was a bit immature, but took care of me for years. He took me to Nevadas when our parents were killed." Iris paused, as if remembering something. "Punz wasn't really a spiritual person, but he did believe in the afterlife. Kinda taught me to believe in them too."
"I do too, a bit."
As Ranboo eased his way into conversation with Iris, Slimecicle watched, surprised. Iris hadn't appeared to be one to chat, but the two were now engaging in quiet small talk. Still, Iris appeared wary and cautious, even as Ranboo spoke warmly with him.
"So," Tommy started, breaking the ice between him and Slime. "You think we could get to know each other a little more?"
"Yeah!" Slime grinned. "What's your favorite color?"
"Red. I really like the color red," Tommy replied, hands shoved in his jacket.
"What's yours?"
"Green. Hey, speaking of green, why do you wear that bandanna? Is it something special?"
"Yeah, actually! It matches with my friend's," Tommy laughed and glanced down at the fern-green bandanna around his neck with pride. He reached behind his neck and untied the knot, showing Slime the little bee embroidered on a corner. "My good ol' chum pal Tubbo has a matching one. His is red with a small music disc design instead of a bee."
"Tubbo?" Ranboo slowed his step to walk alongside the two. Iris pulled ahead, falling into his own thoughts again. "Can you describe him?"
"His name is Tobias, but people call him Toby. Tubbo was the name he chose on his tenth birthday. He's kinda short, has brown hair and wears green shirts. Not quite as handsome as me, but a nice lil' boy. He doesn't have a nice dad though."
Ranboo took a long moment to process the description. "That sounds... familiar," he whispered, a distant look in his bicolored eyes. Then he cleared his throat. "I might've met him somewhere. My memory's not that good anyway."
Things started to quiet, and pretty soon, the quartet trudged along in complete silence. Rusty red rays of sunlight started filtering through the leaves, golden droplets creating a dancing pattern on the pine needle carpet. The solo melodies of a few early-waking songbirds slowly shifted into intricate harmonies as the forest woke up.
When the foursome stopped for a break, it surprised Slimecicle when Iris ignited conversation. "Those birds have mated." He nodded towards a tree, and Slimecicle strained his eyes to see. Two small birds were perched on a branch in the thick leaves, grooming each other.
"Northern cardinals are very loyal birds. Once a male wins over a female's trust, the two are together for life," Iris explained.
"That's really sweet, most songbird mates don't last long," Tommy commented. Iris nodded briefly and seemed to tune out the world again, sitting down and not speaking any further.
The question is, will he be loyal like those birds? Or are we gambling our lives with him?
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Next update on Wednesday :L
