Chapter Text
“A woman with antlers?……..LAUMA!. OH MY ARCHON, WHAT IF SHE HURT!?”
The moment the realization hit him, Wemmbu took off without hesitation. His feet pounded against the ground as he sprinted toward the house, panic written all over his face.
Wemmbu rushed past Eggchan so suddenly and so fast that Eggchan barely had time to react, stumbling backward as the gust of wind from Wemmbu’s movement nearly knocked him over.
“Wemmbu—!” Eggchan groaned, catching himself just in time before falling. “Sorry about that!” Wemmbu said quickly, wincing as he glanced at Eggchan.
By the time Wemmbu reached Lauma, his chest was rising and falling rapidly, his breath uneven from both the sprint and the surge of worry.
“Laumaareyouokaydidsomethinghappenareyouhurtanywhere?” he blurted out, words tumbling over each other in his urgency.
“Columbina, Columbina—I’m okay” Lauma said quickly, lifting her hands slightly in a calming gesture. Her voice was steady, though there was a hint of surprise at his sudden concern. “Really, I’m fine. Nothing happened”
Wemmbu stopped in place, blinking as if trying to process her words. For a moment, Wemmbu searched through her body for any sign that she might be hiding an injury. When he didn’t find any, he let out a long, shaky breath.
“…You’re sure?” Wemmbu asked more quietly this time.
“I’m sure” Lauma replied with a small, reassuring smile.
Wemmbu’s shoulders finally dropped, the tension easing out of him as relief settled in. “Good… that’s good”
A moment later, Eggchan caught up, slightly out of breath. He slowed to a stop nearby, glancing between the two of them with a puzzled expression, clearly trying to piece things together.
“You… know her?” Eggchan asked, raising an eyebrow as his gaze shifted from Wemmbu to Lauma, then back again.
Wemmbu nodded without hesitation. “Yeah, I do”
He turned toward Lauma and gestured lightly in her direction. “Eggchan, this is Lauma—my friend. We go way back”
Lauma inclined her head politely, her posture straight and composed despite everything that had just happened. “Greetings to you, Eggchan” she said, her tone was calm and formal.
Eggchan blinked at her for a second, caught off guard by the formality.
“Whoa, whoa—no need to get that formal” he said with an easy smile.
Lauma blinked for a moment, before lowering her gaze slightly. “Ah… I’m sorry” she said, her voice soft and a bit uncertain, as if she wasn’t entirely sure what she had done wrong.
Wemmbu let out a quiet sigh, not out of annoyance, but more like he was trying to figure out how to explain things without making it awkward.
Noticing his reaction, Lauma glanced at him and tilted her head slightly, her expression thoughtful. “Would that be a problem?” Lauma asked genuinely curious.
“Maybe” Wemmbu replied after a brief pause. He put his hand on his chin before continuing, “Well….almost everyone here, most of the players-tend to use slang or just keep things really short and casual. It’s…..kind of the norm”
Lauma listened carefully, taking in his explanation. She gave a small nod, her expression turning more contemplative as she processed it.
“Hm… I see,” she murmured quietly, as if filing that information away for later.
“Anyway, I’ll be crafting a netherite armor for Lauma” Wemmbu said, glancing between the two of them. He hesitated for a brief moment, as if making sure everything was fine before leaving. “So… I’ll be right back”
With that, he gave a small nod and turned away, quickly heading off and leaving Lauma and Eggchan on their own.
Eggchan couldn’t help but feel curious about Lauma—he hadn’t even known Wemmbu had other friends. In fact, Wemmbu rarely talked about his past, so this was all new to him.
Lauma broke the silence first. “How long have you been friends with Wemmbu?”. Lauma asked, tilting her head slightly as she interested about Wemmbu’s new friend.
“Oh, about a year now” Eggchan replied. “We met kind of by chance, but we just stuck together after that. I trust him and he trusts me”
Lauma nodded, a faint smile forming on her lips. “I see… I’m really glad he made a new friend” she said warmly, her eyes glancing briefly in Wemmbu’s direction.
“He has a kind heart but he used to be socially awkward. I remember that one time when I was introducing him to my colleagues and he got overwhelmed with their questions that he started hiding behind me” Lauma said, reminiscing about the memory. She was concerned that Columbina was uncomfortable but he reassured her that it was okay.
Eggchan was surprised because what do you mean Wemmbu?. The loud and confident Wemmbu is socially awkward. That’s like saying Boosfer isn’t a ragebaiter.
Lauma noticed Eggchan’s shocked expression. “Judging by your reaction. It seems like Wemmbu has changed?” Lauma questioned.
Eggchan nodded. “Yeah, Wemmbu is loud, sarcastic, and competitive”. Now he thinks about it. The thought of Wemmbu hiding behind Lauma like a little kid makes him chuckle a bit.
“It’s only been a year since we last saw each other… yet he’s changed so much. Lauma said quietly, her voice mixed with nostalgia and disbelief.
Lauma couldn’t believe how much Columbina had changed. Loud. Sarcastic. Competitive. Those are words that Lauma would never use to describe him.
And yet, despite her surprise, she felt a quiet sense of happiness for him. Columbina finally seemed to have a personality he could truly call his own, something real and unmistakably his.
“How did he use to be like?” Eggchan asked. Now he was curious about Wemmbu’s past.
“He’s kind and gentle” Lauma said softly, a small smile forming as she spoke. “He always wants to help anyone he can, even if he doesn’t really know them”
Lauma paused for a moment. “Sometimes he gets a little confused about social etiquette… like what’s appropriate to say or do” she added, her tone warm rather than critical. “But even then, he always tries his best. He really does”
Lauma’s gaze softened slightly. “That’s just who he is”.Her eyes drifted absentmindedly in Wemmbu’s direction—and then suddenly stopped. She blinked, her expression shifting to surprise as she actually spotted him standing there. “Hm?!”
Eggchan followed her gaze, turning his head quickly. The moment he noticed Wemmbu, his eyes widened in disbelief.
“Wemmbu?!. How long have you been standing there?!” Eggchan asked.
“I thought it was rude to interrupt someone while they’re talking?” Wemmbu asked, tilting his head slightly. He seems genuinely confused.
Eggchan blinked multiple times, unsure how to respond.
“It’s only really considered rude if you’re interrupting to dominate the conversation or to shut someone else down”. Lauma explained, her voice has a calm and patient tone.
Wemmbu listened carefully to each word. He tried to piece it together. “I see…” Wemmbu murmured, glancing between the two of them.
Eggchan let out a small laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “Bro, you really take this stuff seriously, huh?”
Wemmbu looked at him, still a little uncertain. “I just don’t want to do something wrong”
“BRO WHY THE FUCK DID I SAY THAT” Wemmbu thought
For a brief moment, none of them said anything, the conversation fading into a quiet pause.
Then, almost as if he had just remembered, Wemmbu turned toward Lauma and held something out to her. In his hands was a enchanted netherite armor.
“Oh, thanks,” she said, her voice soft with appreciation. She reached out and took the armor from him and give him a small nod.
Without much hesitation, she began putting it on, adjusting the pieces so they fit comfortably.
“So….what do you guys want to do?” Wemmbu asked to Lauma and Eggchan. He’s started to get bored.
Lauma shook her head. “I don’t have any ideas—I would usually doing my duty by now”
“Duty?….Lauma have some kind of job?. Wait, am I the only one whose unemployed?!” Eggchan thought.
“Bro, do you have any ideas?” Wemmbu asked, snapping out of Eggchan’s thought.
“Can we go fishing?” Eggchan asked politely. He been wanting to go fishing with only Wemmbu for a while but he doesn’t mind another company.
“I think it’s a lovely idea” Lauma said thoughtfully.
”Fishing…..Okay. I’m in”