Chapter Text
Ash’s castle loomed over the rest of the city akin to the dark tower of some children’s book. Intricately built, clearly by an experienced team, where it imposed itself upon the horizon, as if the mafia’s power could compare to the vastness of the free blue sky. It was also quite the walk, being the highest point in the entire headquarters. Or, it would be quite the walk, if Parrot didn’t have a much easier way of getting around.
Parrot landed just outside the gates, gently gliding to the ground, and landing softly. Two guards stood just up ahead, raising their swords at his approach. Parrot really did not have time for that nonsense. He had spent a considerable amount of time messing with his veil– another strange mafia fashion regultaion– to make sure it wouldn’t be blown away the second he took off. Not to mention the amount of time he spent fumbling with his tie before giving up. Altogether, Parrot was slightly worried he would be late for his very first assignment. Not that it was his fault. If the mafia valued timeliness, maybe they shouldn’t hand out tasks the second someone got the chance to breathe.
He took out the letter with his mission, and waved it in front of one of the guards, who grabbed it. After reading through it, they sheathed their sword, gesturing for their partner to do the same. Parrot was good to go through, then.
The garden was smaller than the one in Capital city, but far more elegant. Every bush seemed perfectly trimmed and every flower purposefully positioned. Statues were placed throughout, clearly carved by skilled hands, and similarly perfectly maintained. After admiring for a few minutes, Parrot started to find it a bit uncanny. There was such a thing as something being too perfect. An enticing beauty that lures someone in, only to lock the door behind them.
Parrot was so absorbed in his own observations, Ash noticed him first, coming around the corner. “Who’s there?” he demanded.
“Uh–” Parrot stuttered into silence. Should he be talking? All of the other mafia members he had met so far had been silent, and Parrot was supposed to be a part of that too now. Then again, Ash was the one who invited him here. It would be odd not to introduce himself. Parrot opened his mouth to speak, before closing it, conflicted.
Luckily, Ash made the decision for him. “Ah, Parrot, so you came. Good, good. We have so much to talk about. Walk with me,” He grabbed Parrot by the shoulder, yanking him along. “How do you like your arrangements, Parrot?”
A direct question meant Ash was likely expecting him to respond. Which, yeah, that made sense. There was no point pretending Ash didn’t know who he was. “They’re… good. For their purposes.” Was he trying to flex the mafia’s wealth or something? Because it wouldn’t work.
Ash laughed loudly. “So serious. You’re a very interesting bird, Parrot. It’s good to enjoy nice things. Especially when you’ve worked so, so hard to get where you are now– Like me! Take this flower, for example.” Ash stopped walking to reach over, into the bushes, and pluck a blooming peony from its stem. He held it gently in his hand, appreciating it. “You know, when you pick a flower, you’ve basically condemned it to death. This delicate, beautiful flower is going to die now. Because of me.” He turned to Parrot. “Why, then, shouldn’t I enjoy it, while it’s still alive?”
“You could just never pick it in the first place,” Parrot said, feeling oddly discomforted by the conversation.
“And for what?” Ash scoffed. “It would die anyway, all on its own, eventually.” The mafia leader dropped the flower, then raised his boot, grinding it into the ground under his heel. “Beautiful things are created to be appreciated, used, and then tossed away when they’re no longer of use to me. I would advise you to do the same. Enjoy what you have while you have it. Nothing in this server is built to last forever.”
“Yeah I’ll… think about it, bro,” Parrot replied noncommittally. “Is this what you brought me here to talk about? Flowers?”
“Haha. You know, aren’t Parrots just supposed to repeat whatever you say back at you? I didn’t know they could have this much attitude,” Ash sneered. “No, that is not what this meeting is about. We have much more important things to discuss.”
Ash led him through the gardens, and into the castle. He didn't spare another glance for the land that had been so perfectly curated for his eyes.
The castle was similarly grand, the halls intricately carved and adorned with artwork. Parrot didn’t get much time to admire it, however, as Ash rushed him up to the second floor and into what seemed to be an office. Bookshelves lined the walls, organized by careful hands that were certainly not Ash’s own, alongside a map of what seemed to be most of the server. Every central location was labelled, alongside any mafia outposts. It was perhaps the most impressive thing in the entire castle. Unstable was massive, with many civilizations built thousands of miles into the wilderness in hopes of escaping discovery. Clearly none of them had.
The mafia leader seemed to notice his staring. “I do love that map,” he commented. “It took so long to make, you know– and even now, it’s incomplete.”
“Incomplete?” Parrot asked.
Ash walked to his desk on the far end of the office, illuminated by windows and an open balcony. “Yes, incomplete. That is the important topic I brought you here to talk about, Parrot. Bringing new people into the fold of the mafia. Freeing them– if you will– from the struggles of this chaotic server.” He pulled out a chair. “Come, sit.”
Wary, Parrot made his way over, sitting across from Ash and parallel to the map. “If by bring into the fold you mean take over, like you did mine…”
Loud, sudden laughter interrupted him. “What, are you still salty about that? I only wanted to help you, Parrot. I made a whole city just for you! If you hadn’t flown away, we could’ve made up so much sooner,” Ash said, brushing off the whole disaster like it was nothing. “Instead, I had to send out the bird hunting squad. Though, Red seemed to have fun with it, so I can’t say it was a total waste of time… unlike that traitor.” He scoffed.
“Maybe, if you had taken a different approach, things would’ve turned out differently, bro,” Parrot suggested. It was only slightly passive aggressive. Mostly, it was genuine. With its power, the mafia could do so much good– they just needed to do it.
Ash grinned. “Oh? And what would that be?” Then, before Parrot could respond, he added: “No! Be quiet, I have a much, much better idea. You can just show me!”
Parrot huffed, crossing his arms and leaning back. “How would I show you, bro?”
Ash seemed undettered. He rifled through one of the drawers in his desk, picking out… a dart? “Consider it a… test of your abilities. You showed me you could conquer your fear. Now, I need you to show me you can do what needs to be done.” He stood, walking over to the map. “We have a very distant target, quite far out, made up of a band of righteous freaks. They’ve been a thorn in my side for far too long. Now, we’ve found them. All we need to do is take them over.” Quick and precise, he threw the dart, directing Parrot’s attention to exactly where that target was. Then, he turned. “What would your different approach be, Parrot?”
This was it. His first chance to make a real difference, and show Ash there were other ways to go about his plans that didn’t harm innocent people. He took a breath, thinking deeply before he spoke. “They’re very far out, but it’s in a single direction. They wouldn’t expect an attack from the side. If you take them by surprise, and make a big show of strength, anyone smart would just surrender. That way, no one would get hurt– On either side.” The mafia leader seemed contemplative, but not overjoyed, so he continued. “If you really need to, you could destroy the outer edges of their city, as a fear tactic. Show them that you could destroy them, but you won’t.”
Nervous, Parrot grit his teeth to keep his face from betraying him. If Ash thought he was trying something, or perhaps even planning some scheme, it would definitely not end well for him. He had to put on a brave face. Still, the longer it took the mafia leader to respond, the more his anxiety rose.
“You know, Parrot,” Ash started, voice serious. “Mercy is also a skill. Knowing when to wield it, and when to withhold it. That ability. That is power.” That sharp smile was back. “I like how you think! This– this will be fun. I can’t wait. Those idiots have been so, so annoying, and now I get to see them all afraid for their lives, be the one who holds those lives in my hands. And of course, I will spare them. I’m gracious like that.”
Parrot barely kept himself from letting out a breath of relief. “...Sure,” he agreed. “Yeah. Mercy. Uh, speaking of.” As he had been observing the map, Parrot had noticed something. A small dot millions of blocks out in the middle of nowhere. “What is… the Farming District?”
“Oh, that?” Ash said, looking back at the map. “Yes, we were able to take over one sector, but I’m sure there’s more. A whole civilization in the Farlands. I’m certain of it,” he declared. “Why? Does it mean something to you?”
“There was–” Parrot shifted uncomfortably, suddenly realising how odd it was to have Ash stood, looking down on him. “A friend of mine, in the mining city, who said he planned on heading to the Farlands once he was… Free.”
Ash gave him a critical look, intrigued. “Did this friend of yours give you a location?
“No, but…” Parrot hesitated, unsure if he wanted to give out such personal information so freely. Luigi had trusted him with the location of his house. Would it really be right to just give it away? To someone who had a hand in his death, no less.
“Parrot.” Ash’s voice was commanding, fitting for the leader of the most powerful organization on Unstable. “If you truly wish to become a valued member of the mafia, you will tell me everything you know. There is no person– No one– you should trust more than me. Anything you do, anything you learn, anything you achieve, it should all be in the name of the mafia.” He stepped forward, placing a hand on his desk as he leaned down over Parrot. “Everything is for the greater good of the server. Personal values have no place in that.”
Parrot couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly, trying to relieve some of the weird tension in the room. It was obvious Ash was trying to intimidate him– unfortunately, it was working. “What are you doing, bro? It’s not that serious.” He smiled nervously. “He didn’t even tell me where it was, just that he knew it existed, and where to meet up with him once we got out of there. Obviously that never happened, but…”
“But you assume he must have had some sort of plan, or something to guide him there.” At long last, Ash took a step back, no longer looming– as he tended to do. “Interesting. Very interesting. I knew there was a reason I picked you. Go on, then, where is it? This location you mentioned.”
Seeing no point in dragging this into an argument, Parrot told him. “Don’t break anything, though. He was… He doesn’t deserve that.”
“Of course,” the mafia leader said smoothly. “I’ll send some of my men to go check that out. At least one gold, just to make sure the job is done right.”
Parrot wasn’t certain he had made the right call, giving up such important information, but if he wanted to make any changes in the mafia, he needed Ash to trust him. If he gave some ground now, it would be easier to push for more important things later. He just needed to bide his time. Parrot wasn’t known for patience, but if it was for the good of the server, he would do his best.
Ash slid back into his seat, a cheery smile on his face. “Well! That was all of our most important topics. Still, we have quite a bit to go over, given your position in the mafia. I’m so– I know I’ve said this before, but I am just so, so glad you made the right choice. I think you’re going to do very, very well here.” He folded his hands on the desk. “So, allow us to continue.”
“Yo, I’m back,” Parrot announced, pulling off the suffocating veil. It made no sense to him, considering the invisibility already did that, but he guessed it was slightly less weird than seeing a bunch of headless armor sets walking around.
He hung the veil off a coat rack by the door, taking a moment to stretch his wings and breathe in the feeling of being visible again, before realising his friend never responded. “Wifies?” he called out.
The word echoed, unanswered. Maybe Wifies was asleep? It wasn’t that late, though, and Wifies didn’t sleep very often. It was something he had noticed during their travels together. Helpful, when they needed someone to keep watch. Less so when Parrot would wake up in the middle of the night just to see Wifies staring at him… That had been an awkward conversation. Apparently clones didn’t really understand personal space.
”A bubble?” Wifies clarified.
Parrot nodded, exasperated and exhausted. “Yes, you’re in my bubble, bro. I need you out of my bubble.” It was a stupid, childish way to explain why what Wifies was doing was weird, but it was the first thing that came to mind.
“But… if that’s true, you’re in my bubble all the time,” Wifies pointed out.
“What? When am I ever in your bubble, bro, seriously.”
Wifies began to rattle off categorized examples one by one: “When you yank on my arm to get me to run, or put a hand on my face to get me to shut up, or shake me when you’re scared, or–”
“Okay that’s different!” Parrot laughed hysterically. “That’s different, bro, it’s different!”
“How is that at all different.”
“It just is!”
He laughed a little at the memory, then realised how strange it was to be laughing to himself in an empty house. Or, theoretically empty. Parrot still wanted to check and see if maybe Wifies somehow hadn’t heard him.
A quick check of the kitchen revealed nothing. The rest of the common rooms were similarly empty, both devoid of Wifies and life in general. Parrot doubted anyone had been assigned this house before them. It didn’t have a single personal touch. Either way, that left only the upper floor, where the personal rooms were.
Considering Parrot had already cleaned up and gotten ready by the time they were assigned their missions, leaving before Wifies, it would make sense if Wifies was simply taking a bit longer to complete his, and had yet to return. Despite that, his absence gnawed at Parrot. It was an uncomfortable feeling. He had grown so used to Wifies constant, steady presence at his side. Always ready to support him whenever he came up with a crazy new plan. It just felt wrong not to have him there, as if a vital part of Parrot was missing. Wifies and Parrot. Parrot and a Wifies. Some time ago, those two names had become inseparable.
Perhaps he was just worried because of what happened earlier that day, when Wifies had lied to him. There was no address for the letter. That would be absurd, considering how important anonymity was to the mafia. He had shrugged it off, and decided not to confront Wifies, since he trusted his friend had their best interests in mind. Surely Wifies would tell him eventually. Besides, he had more pressing concerns, like how to begin pushing his own agenda in the mafia.
Despite that, his friend’s safety still worried him. Had Wifies taken the other mission on purpose because he knew it was dangerous? What if he had gotten badly injured, and that was why he hadn’t come back yet? Too many possibilities swirled in his brain akin to a whirlpool of information.
Parrot tried to be productive while he waited for Wifies to return. He explored the rest of the house– finding that the last room on the second floor was a dual office– and looked through the files Ash had given him. Reports on how many soldiers there were in each rank, what their strengths were, and how many successful missions they had completed. All knowledge he would need to properly assign forces. He was hardly absorbing it though, instead waiting anxiously for the click of their front door opening.
In fact, he was so busy thinking about why Wifies wasn’t home, he almost missed the sound of a door opening downstairs. It took him a few moments to register what that meant, before he was flying down the stairs. Files be damned.
“Wifies!” he exclaimed. “Dude, I’ve been waiting for you! Where–”
Parrot stopped dead in his tracks at the bottom of the stairway, joy all but falling off his face as he paled.
The figure in the doorway looked nothing like his friend. They were still invisible, having just entered the building, and were fully clad in netherite armour. None of that discouraged Parrot’s excitement. What did was the blood. Dried onto the dark metal, and staining the edges of their veil.
Despite that, the figure spoke with Wifies’ voice. “Oh, Parrot. You’re back. How did the meeting go?”