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“Are you guys going to go, or what?” Philza questioned. “I need to get back to the cabin, go find someone in the main lands to follow.”
The murder continued to vocalize their frustration at him, flapping their wings and cawing loudly.
“I can’t stay up all night,” Phil reminded. “Come on. I’m pretty sure Techno went out for more firewood. Go find him.”
A couple crows flew off at the mention of the piglin, heading in the direction of the nearest spruce forest. The majority stayed behind however, before one stepped forward and puffed out its chest.
”Alright, alright…” Phil chuckled, drawing his hand into his pocket. He held out a set of small golden trinkets, watching the birds pick them out one by one.
“Only today,” Phil added pointedly. “I can’t keep using my gold like this.”
He got a chorus of caws in reply, and shook his head.
“You guys are ridiculous,” he huffed. “Now come on, get going. You’ve had your fun.”
The murder began departing, wings flapping loudly as a dark cloud of birds swept over his head. They flew in different directions, heading to somewhere unknown. Phil watched them go with a smile, waiting until the last of them drew out of sight. He then turned around, walking towards the rising smoke of a cabinet’s chimney.
The stars were bright that night. His wings bristled, itching to take off into the air. He forcefully brushed his feathers down, pressing them close to his back. Flying was out of the question.
He climbed up a steep hill that overlooked his home, sighing softly when the cabin came into view. He made his way down the hill, crushing snow beneath his boots. A familiar wooden gate greeted him at the bottom. He opened the gate and walked through, shoulders relaxing when he shut it behind him. No mobs could get within the confines of the fence. He’d made sure of that himself. When he turned back to face the cabin however, he spotted a figure on the roof.
Phil brought his hands close and opened his inventory, readying himself for a possible fight. His wings flared up as he marched forward, stopping just close enough to see who it was. The figure stood tall in a dark suit and a red tie, mismatched eyes glowing in the dark of the night. Phil recognized the half-enderman easily.
”Ranboo!” he called out. ”What are you doing on the roof?”
Ranboo didn’t respond. He instead turned to his left, and began shuffling from one side of the roof to the other. The sight didn’t help the crow’s unease, as he knew the roof was covered with a layer of ice and snow. It would be trivially easy to misstep and fall off, and Phil would rather not be witness to that.
“Ranboo?” he tried again. “You’re going to fall, mate, get down from there!”
He glanced around the perimeter of the house, and realised how strange it was for Ranboo to have gotten up in the first place. There were no pillars of blocks or even ladders that could’ve allowed him to reach the rooftop. Phil also knew the half-enderman was uncomfortable using pearls to travel, which left his method for climbing up a mystery.
Still, he was there now, and every second Phil was left ignored made him more uneasy. Instead of waiting for a response, he decided to act. He spread his wings out, stretching torn feathers and flapping them once. He had wanted to fly anyway.
Don’t fail me now, he thought to himself, before taking off into a sprint. He flapped his wings again, taking into the air and quickly falling off balance. He swayed in his track, feathers fluttering as he struggled to gain height without crashing to the ground. He caught hold of the roof’s edge, grunting as he gripped it with both hands and tried to pull himself up. His legs swung in the air, but he didn’t panic. He brought his hand higher and gripped the roof again, and then pulled himself up properly. He got to his feet, brushing snow off his clothes and pressing his hat down to his head.
”By Death…” he muttered, sighing heavily at the aching pain in his wings and back. Flying had felt freeing once. Less than a year ago it had been an effortless skip, something so natural that it had felt better than being on the ground. He hadn’t needed a running start, then. He’d always been faster in the air. But now his wings were tattered, feathers burnt too badly to keep him afloat. He folded them to his back, shaking his head mindlessly. He shouldn’t have flown at all.
He was alerted to a presence in front of him with the low warble of an enderman. He looked up, and was met with the glow of mismatched purple and green eyes. Ranboo was staring down at him, head tilted to the side and holding a grass block in his hands. Particles floated around his frame, sparking in the dark night.
“⌿⊑⟟⌰⋉⏃.”
The crow blinked. Ranboo’s voice was so distorted it didn’t even sound like the same person, speech turned into a strange mix of chirps and warbles. Ender.
“Ranboo?” Phil voiced. The enderman’s face scrunched up, before he suddenly shifted back. His slackened jaw unhinged with an audible crunch, particles sparking at the noise. Philza quickly ducked his head down, realising his mistake.
“Ah, sorry, mate. Didn’t mean to stare,” he apologised. “You feeling okay?”
“☊⍜⋏⎎⎍⌇⟒⎅... ☊⏃⋏'⏁ ⎍⋏⎅⟒⍀⌇⏁⏃⋏⎅ ⊬⍜⎍.”
“I don’t know Ender, Ranboo, I’m sorry,” Philza admitted softly. “What’s going on?”
Ranboo merely tilted his head again, not giving a verbal response. He straightened out his back and stood up to his full height, making Philza falter a step backwards. Ranboo was much taller than he normally was, closer to the height of an average enderman. The crow only reached the height of his elbows.
Ranboo looked out over the edge of the roof, claws digging into the grass block he still held in his hands.
“⏁⊑⟒⍀⟒’⌇ ⏃ ⌇⍜⎍⋏⎅. ⎎⏃⋔⟟⌰⟟⏃⍀…” he continued chittering in Ender, voice low and quiet. He shook his head. He looked down at the grass block he was holding, and paused. It was like he hadn’t even realised it was there before it had caught his eyes.
“Where did you even get that?” Phil asked with a light smile, waving a hand at the item. Ranboo lifted the block closer to his face, and then pressed it close to his chest almost as if hugging it.
“☌⍀⏃⌇⌇ ⏚⌰⍜☊☍,” he chirped, voice brighter in tone. The crow couldn’t help the small laugh that the enderman’s comment raised from him, even if the meaning of the words went over his head.
“You think you’d like to come down from here?” Phil asked. “The roof isn’t exactly safe right now, with the ice and all.”
Ranboo warbled something quietly, before turning his head towards the nearby mountainside where his house was.
“You thinking of going home, maybe?” Phil guessed, if only to fill the odd silence in the air. It had become very obvious that Ranboo wasn’t in the headspace to understand him. The enderman’s mood shifted to sour as he placed the grass block on the roof, chittering to himself. He gripped his shirt with clawed fingers and let out a hiss, tugging at the fabric over his ender pearl. Particles sparked around him intensely, seemingly mirroring his frustration.
“⌿⟒⏃⍀⌰…!” Ranboo snarled. “⌇⍜⎍⋏⎅. ⟟⏁’⌇ ⎎⏃⋔⟟⌰⟟⏃⍀. ⏁⏃☍⟒ ⋔⟒ ⏁⊑⟒⍀⟒…!”
His eyes gleamed in the night, and he only seemed to grow more annoyed as he released his grip on his shirt and lowered his arm down. He was trying to teleport, Phil realised.
“R-Ranboo,” the crow called weakly. “I don’t know if that’s going to work, mate.”
The enderman only made a distressed warbling sound, before taking a step toward the direction of his house. He didn’t pay attention to the ice he was stepping on.
“Ranboo, wait-“ Phil tried to warn him, but it was too late. The enderman’s leg slid on the ice and caused him to stumble backwards, sending him over the edge of the roof. Phil moved to catch him before he could fall, but his hand swished at nothing but a cloud of ender particles. Ranboo disappeared.
“Ah…! What-“ the crow stammered. “Ranboo?!“
He stopped again, hearing the familiar poof of a teleport from down below. He looked out to see Ranboo collapse to the ground in front of the cabins. Phil took out his shovel and grabbed the grass block the enderman had left behind, before spreading his wings once more. He jumped off the roof, nearly crashing down himself as his tattered wings struggled to slow his descent. He landed near the enderman.
Ranboo was shaking violently, elbows digging into the snow in an attempt to push himself up. Particles shattered and sparked around his frame, when suddenly one of his arms spasmed to the side and caused him to collapse back down.
Before Phil could move to help, Ranboo teleported again. He reappeared across the yard, barely grazing the ground before he was already surrounded by particles and thrown to the next location. The enderman kept disappearing and reappearing several times on different sides of the yard, like his pearl couldn’t pick a location. The crow winced when he heard the enderman slam into the wooden bridge between the cabins.
Phil ran over to meet Ranboo, half-expecting him to disappear before he could make it up the stairs. The enderman’s pearl finally seemed to have calmed down however, and somewhere between his repeated teleports Ranboo had shrunk back to his normal height. Phil stood by, unsure if he should move to help the enderman stand or let him gather himself. He decided to stand back, waiting as Ranboo pushed himself off the ground and leaned against the wooden railing of the bridge.
The enderman shuddered, shook his head, and then pressed a hand against his jaw to click it shut. The glaze of green and purple dissipated from his eyes, and his pupils returned to view. The purple hue on his left eye faded into red, and suddenly he was back to his normal appearance. Ranboo shook his head again, before finally clearing his throat with a sharp cough.
“Where… Where am I?” he croaked, voice still rough with static but notably speaking in English.
“Ranboo?”
The enderman startled, several particles fizzling out in shock as he turned back to look at Phil. They made brief eye contact before Ranboo ducked his head, stifling a warble with a hand over his mouth.
“Ph-Phil? Why am I on the ground…?” he asked, voice suddenly small.
“I didn’t-“ he choked on his words. “I didn’t a-attack you, did I?”
He stumbled to his feet and began backing away, tugging at the loose tie around his neck.
”No, no, no…” he whined, sounding close to tears. “I’m so sorry, Phil- I swear, I didn’t mean to…! I don’t know why this keeps h-happening, I’m- I’m so sorry, I’ll go pack my things a-and-”
He brought his hands to his face again, mumbling incoherently.
“Whoa, Ranboo- Slow down a bit,” Phil spoke up, holding his hands out in a calming motion. “You didn’t do anything to me. It’s alright.”
Ranboo froze up, hands halting where he had them pressed against his jaw. He lowered them down slowly, taking a shaky breath of air.
“Wh-What do you mean…?” he whispered, staring past Phil’s shoulder as his chest heaved with the beginnings of a panic attack.
“You were just wandering around on the roof,” Phil explained. “You seemed a little frustrated, sure, but I wouldn’t say you were aggressive.”
“On- On the roof?” Ranboo parroted, looking out to the ice covered cabin roofs. “Then… Why am I down here?”
“You teleported down,” the crow answered. “You should’ve told me you could, mate! You really scared me for a moment there.”
The enderman warbled, taking a step back and holding a hand over his chest. The way he clutched his shirt made Phil pause.
“...Ah. You’ve never teleported before, have you?”
“N-No…?” Ranboo stammered. “I didn’t think I could.”
“Well it sure looks like you can,” Phil hummed. “...You want to head inside, get out of the cold? We can-”
“Phil,” Ranboo croaked, interrupting him.
“Yeah, mate?”
”S-So… So I didn’t- I didn’t hurt you…?” Ranboo checked. “I didn’t do anything…?”
“Nah,” the crow laughed softly. “You’re fine.”
The enderman let out a harsh breath, slumping over and nodding in confirmation.
“Okay…” he murmured. “Okay… Okay.”
He crossed his arms, gripping his sleeves between his fingers and clenching the fabric tightly. He kept nodding to himself, almost like on autopilot. The crow sighed softly, opening his inventory to find the grass block left behind by the enderman himself.
“Here,” Phil said, walking closer to offer it to him. “I think this is yours.”
“Oh…?” Ranboo croaked, releasing his grip on his sleeves to accept the item. He took the grass block, and immediately dug his claws in the soft dirt of its sides. He breathed out slowly, and held the block firmly against his chest.
“Thank you,” he whispered, eyes glistening from the glow of his eyes in the dim night. Wind blew past them and made the enderman shiver. Phil huffed at the sight, sliding his wings out of his jacket and stepping closer to set the garment over Ranboo’s shoulders. The enderman snapped back to attention at the sudden weight, turning his head. Their gazes locked for a split second again, before Ranboo ducked his head and returned his eyes to the block in his hands.
“Let’s go talk indoors, yeah?” the crow offered, nodding towards the other end of the bridge. Ranboo was quiet for a moment, but eventually nodded in turn and followed Phil to the entrance of the house. The crow went in first, pushing the door open and stepping inside. He glanced back when Ranboo didn’t follow, seeing him lingering by the entrance as ender particles fizzled and sparked in the air.
“Come on in, Ranboo, I’m inviting,” Phil encouraged, waving him inside.
“Mhm…” Ranboo hummed, ears hung low as he ducked under the door frame and stepped through. He turned back and shut the door behind himself, while Phil shook snow off his feathers. The crow then went ahead to his kitchen cabinets, leaving his hat on the table along the way.
“Come sit down, mate,” he told the enderman. “I’ll make some tea, if that’s fine with you.”
Ranboo nodded and made another humming noise, then cleared his throat to answer properly, ”Y-Yeah. Tea is fine, thank you.”
He sat down, legs bent awkwardly to fit under the table and messing with blades of grass. Phil smiled and got to work, setting out a pot before pausing on brewing water.
“Ooh… Wait a minute. You can’t have this with water, can you?” he guessed, glancing back at the enderman. Ranboo continued staring down at the grass block on his lap.
“Um, I-I don’t know. I’ve never made tea before,” he murmured. “You… You boil it, right?”
“Yeah? Does that help at all?”
Ranboo clawed at the grass block, ears twitching.
”I think Edward said something about- Um… Something about water being unfamiliar?” he stumbled. “Um, when I asked why it burns us. I guess I should’ve- Um, should’ve written down exactly what he said, but… I-I didn’t want to be rude, seeing as he’s an elder- And um, uh-“ He ducked his head and flushed purple, switching topic, “A-Anyway. I think I’m a little better with it. With water. But… I don’t know- I don’t know by how much.”
”Probably not a safe bet then?”
“I-I don’t think so… Sorry,” Ranboo murmured, as if being allergic was something he had chosen.
“That’s alright,” Phil assured. “I’ll just make due. You’re not allergic to milk, right?”
Ranboo managed a small chuckle, “N-No. Would be pretty bad if I was.”
”I guess so,” Phil hummed, pouring milk in the pot before turning the stove on.
“There we go… Shouldn’t take too long,” he said, turning back towards the table. Ranboo was staring at the grass block again, flicking blades on its surface absently. He noticed Phil had turned around, and shifted in his seat.
“Um, d-do you mind…? That I-I have this, here?” he asked timidly, nodding at the grass block he’d mostly been hiding under the table.
“Oh, no- Not at all,” Phil assured with a warm laugh. “I don’t mind.”
“Oh,” Ranboo voiced, ducking his head down. “O-Okay.”
Phil frowned. “What is it, mate?”
“W-Well, I just…” Ranboo murmured, digging his claws in the dirt again. His ears pinned down to his head as he stammered for a bit.
“The L’Manberg cabinet didn’t… Didn’t like me doing this,” he admitted. “Bringing grass blocks into meetings, and… Pretty much everything else about me being an enderman hybrid.”
He shook his head, correcting himself, “Well, it was- It was mostly Quackity, that didn’t like it. I don’t… I don’t think Tubbo minded it that much.”
Phil scoffed, “Quackity has a lot of shit opinions. I wouldn’t listen to what he thinks.”
“O-Oh,” Ranboo said, ears flicking. “Okay.”
“He’s a hypocrite anyway,” the crow continued. “Has wings himself and has the nerve to go after you and Techno.”
His wings ruffled up in agitation, but he brought up a hand to smooth them down again. “But never mind that. He won’t be bothering you here.”
Ranboo nodded, and then the room fell silent again. The blowing of the wind outside was the only sound that remained.
“Sorry,” the enderman murmured at last, interrupting the brief silence. “For going along with the, um… The butcher army, thing.”
Phil glanced back at the table, brows furrowed.
“What are you apologising for?” he huffed, smiling softly. “You were pressured into it. I don’t hold any grudges against you, don’t worry.”
“I’m still really sorry,” Ranboo mumbled. “I should’ve… I don’t know. I wish I’d have done something.”
“Nothing you could’ve done, mate,” Phil brushed him off. “Techno doesn’t blame you either. No use feeling guilty over it now.”
“Mhm…” the enderman hummed, brushing blades of grass one way to soothe himself. He clenched the dirt under his fingers and held it close, before briefly setting it aside so he could open his inventory.
Phil glanced over to see Ranboo looking through his items, only to close his inventory and pat through his suit pockets instead. He seemed unsuccessful at locating whatever he was looking for, hands twitching at his sides. He pulled the grass block close and began clawing at it again, gaze drifting to the view outside the windows.
“Something missing?” Phil asked.
“Um.” Ranboo made an enderman noise under his breath. “I think I lost my communicator… Or left it at my house.”
“Ohh, that’s not good,” Phil grimaced. “Did you have it locked, at least?”
“Uh… Maybe?” Ranboo laughed weakly. “I’m not great at remembering passwords. Y-You know, as you can probably imagine.”
Phil’s silence made his ears flick down again.
“But I’m sure it’s just at my house…!” he tried to reassure the crow. “I-I think I fell asleep there. Before… Before this all happened. I hope so, at least…”
“Do you want to go check?”
“Um, no. It’s okay,” Ranboo assured. “I’ll live.”
“...Well, if you’re sure. Were you wanting to text someone?”
“No… I was just… Just checking. If I was missing things.” the enderman admitted, hugging the grass block tightly. He was silent for a moment.
“H-How… How did I get here, again…?”
“You mean on the roof?” the crow asked, glancing back at him briefly. Ranboo nodded.
“Honestly? I’m not sure,” Phil admitted. ”I didn’t see any way you could’ve climbed up there, no pillars or anything. I guess you might’ve teleported?” He shrugged. “No clue. That’s why I tried asking you.”
“You… You did?” the enderman stammered, looking as if his pearl had frozen over.
“Yeah, just a moment before you snapped out of whatever trance you were in.”
“O-Oh…” Ranboo breathed, shoulders slumping. “I… I don’t remember that part.”
”Mm. How much do you remember, actually? You seemed pretty confused earlier.”
“Um… I only remember waking up on the bridge. I-I don’t know what I was doing before that,” Ranboo admitted, picking at the grass block again. Phil nodded in acknowledgment, simultaneously turning the stove off and picking up the pot.
He brought it over to the table, setting it down before speaking again, “You seemed different, yeah. More enderman-like, I suppose.” He went to fetch mugs for the two of them, whistling softly as he began opening cabinet drawers.
“You were talking too, actually,” he added. “While you were... What, sleepwalking?”
“E-Enderwalking,” Ranboo corrected. “That’s- That’s what I call it, at least…” He pulled Phil’s borrowed jacket tighter around his frame. “What did I- What did I s-say, though?”
The crow shrugged, opening another cabinet and grabbing two mugs from the bottom shelf.
“You were speaking Ender,” he explained, turning back from the kitchen with the mugs in hand. He walked over to the dining table, setting the mugs down on it.
“I’ve never learnt any myself,” he continued with a thoughtful hum. “Techno knows some, I think. Should maybe learn it too, if you’re going to be speaking it.”
He went to grab tea bags for them both, whistling again.
“Um, no- Th-That’s really not necessary, Phil,” Ranboo quickly protested. “I… I don’t plan on speaking Ender, um… When I’m awake, a-at least.”
“Well it’s still good to be prepared, right?” Phil countered. “Even if it is just for rare situations.”
Ranboo didn’t respond. Phil returned to the dining table, where Ranboo sat with an open inventory putting his grass block away. The item disappeared and the enderman closed his inventory again, sighing quietly. Phil poured a drink for the enderman and then for himself.
“You okay, mate…?” the crow asked, wings folding close as he sat down. Ranboo opened his mouth, then closed it. Ender particles buzzed close to his frame as he tugged at his suit sleeves, ears flicking once. He grabbed the cup of tea the crow had pushed to his side of the table, closing his hands around its rim.
“I…” Ranboo croaked, ducking his head low. He watched heat rise off the tea cup, eyes glistening in the dim lantern fire of the cabin. “I don’t know.”
“That’s alright too,” the crow assured. “You don’t have to know.”
Ranboo took in an uneven breath, and Phil was sure that if he had eyelids, he’d be blinking rapidly. The enderman exhaled slowly, claws retracting into his fingers. He tapped the ceramic of the cup, as if testing that they wouldn’t return.
Finally he spoke, voice hushed like he almost didn’t want an answer, “What day is it…?”
Philza frowned.
“Thursday,” he answered, before glancing at the clock hung over the entrance door. “Well, nearing midnight. Almost Friday now.”
Ranboo slumped down in his seat, lifting one hand off the teacup and pressing it against his forehead.
“O-Okay…” he murmured, nodding repeatedly. “It’s still- It’s still the same day.”
With another shaken exhale he leaned back towards the table, pulling the cup of tea closer to himself and tentatively pulling the tea bag out of it. He glanced at Phil almost nervously, but the crow simply smiled and motioned for him to give the item over so he could throw it out.
There was silence for a while as Phil went and disposed of the tea bags, while Ranboo took his first sip of the drink. The crow was quick to return to the table, brows furrowed in a much more serious expression. Though the subtle twitching of his feathers still spoke of his obvious concern.
“How often does this happen, Ranboo?” he asked in a hushed tone, catching his own teacup between his hands.
“Y-You tell me…” Ranboo laughed, though his voice wobbled. “It’s n-not like I remember.“
His hands shook over the sides of the teacup, and he gripped the ceramic more tightly. Another laugh left his lips, before his eyes suddenly filled with tears and he ducked his head down with a slight hiccup. He winced as the first stream of tears made their way down his cheeks, lifting one hand off his drink to hastily try to scrape them away. More were already welling up in his eyes, and he was quickly forced to stop and cradle his burning hand. His elbow knocked against the side of the table, threatening to topple over their drinks.
“Sorry-” Ranboo blurted out, rushing to steady his teacup. Phil shook his head, unphased.
“Nothing to apologise for, mate,” he assured, gaze focusing on the purple scarring that began forming on the enderman’s hand. His shoulders slumped.
“Ranboo…”
The enderman sniffed, tightening his hold of the teacup.
“Does crying hurt you…?” Phil asked, feeling insensitive for not realising before.
“‘S water,” Ranboo choked out, motioning at the line of scars on his cheeks. “H-How do you think these appeared?”
“Mate…” the crow lamented, feathers twitching.
“It’s-“ Ranboo sniffed. “It’s n-not- Not that bad… Just burns a bit, eh…”
His attempt at a laugh was more of a stifled sob, and he swiped a shaking hand over his wet cheeks. The motion only burned his hand more. The crow’s wings twitched again, and he stood up from the table.
“Hold on,” Phil said. “Let me get something for that.”
The crow turned around and made his way to a double chest pressed against the wall of the cabin, opening it. He looked through it for a moment, before pulling out a singular potion and a cloth. He walked back to the enderman, who was trying to wipe his tears into his sleeve.
“Here,” the crow murmured, offering the items to him. Ranboo looked up, staring at the swirling red liquid that he recognized as a potion of healing.
“Looked like you needed it,” Phil said simply, giving him a gentle smile. The enderman glanced at him, lifting his hand up to accept the item. He stopped halfway, folding his hand into a fist.
“But isn’t this… Won’t it t-take… The ingredients…” he trailed off, visibly swallowing as he counted the needed materials in his head. His hand hovered in the air, before he dropped his arm down entirely.
“You shouldn’t waste your potions,” he whispered. “It’s n-not like it’s going to heal it, I-I’ve already tried.”
Phil sighed and shook his head, taking his hand and pressing the potion into it. He held out the cloth, brows furrowed sternly. Ranboo looked up, opening his mouth to protest.
“Just take it,” Phil cut him off. “It’s not a waste. It’s not even that many materials, we can always make more.” He paused, softening his expression.
“Come on, kid,” he murmured. “I’m offering here. It may not do much about the scars, but it should at least help with the pain.”
Ranboo stared at the potion, eyes glistening with more tears. He looked closer to his age than ever before. All disguises were off.
“Techno won’t mind either,” Phil added, sensing his lingering hesitance. “Trust me, mate. He may act like he’s annoyed, but it’s just a front. If he was really bothered, he would’ve told you to leave before you ever set up house.”
Ranboo clenched his jaw and nodded tightly, before finally accepting the items Phil was offering to him. The crow smiled, leaning back in his chair and waiting. Ranboo held up the cloth in his hand, pouring some of the potion onto it. He then lifted the cloth to his face, pressing it against his scarred skin. A hitched breath left his mouth, as the burning sensation increased. The pain diminished quickly, as the potion did its work to try and minimise the damage.
“I don’t know what to do, Phil…” he admitted, voice meek as new tears threatened to rise to his eyes. He sniffed, lowering the cloth from his face and setting it down on the table.
“I-I keep forgetting things... At first it was just- Just small stuff, stuff I could write down and- And check. But it keeps getting s-so much worse.” He held his hands out in front of himself, watching his fingers shake violently. “I have these- These moments, wh-where I- I black out.
“I’ll go to bed, a-and I’ll wake up somewhere completely different- Sometimes it’s been hours, s-sometimes entire days…! Some of my items go missing, e-even ones I’ve kept in my ender chest- I find my tools half-broken in my inventory, a-and-“ He hiccuped, leaning against the palms of his hands and trying vainly to control his breathing. “And I have no idea what I’ve used them for…! What if I hurt someone…? What if I hurt you, or Techno? What if I hurt Tubbo?”
“Ranboo…” Phil murmured. The enderman began to sob, smoke rising off his cheeks as his tears burned into his skin with a loud sizzle.
“Kid,” the crow whispered. “Can I hug you?”
Ranboo managed a stiff nod. Phil went around the table, pulling him into a hug. The enderman stilled, but was quick to collapse into the hold and let his tears get soaked in the crow’s woollen sweater.
“S-Sorry,” Ranboo sniffled. “I w-wasted the potion-“
“Don’t worry about that, mate,” Phil hushed, drawing circles into the enderman’s back.
“I’m s-scared, Phil,” Ranboo admitted weakly. “I don’t want this to keep h-happening- I don’t w-want to forget anymore…!“
“I know you don’t, kid…” Phil murmured. “I know.”
The enderman clutched shaking fingers at the back of his sweater.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” he whimpered.
“You won’t,” Phil replied firmly. “I very much doubt you would.”
“H-How can you know that?”
“Because I know the type of person you are,” Phil argued. “And the Ranboo I know would never intentionally try to hurt someone.”
The enderman shuddered, leaning more heavily against him and letting out a breathless sob.
”You’ll be alright, mate,” the crow murmured. “I’ll keep an eye out if I see you wandering around again. This could just be stress making your instincts act up.”
Ranboo nodded into his shoulder, choking down the last of his tears before eventually pulling off from the hug.
“S-Sorry,” he said again, clumsily drying his tears into his sleeve before Phil stopped him.
“Don’t apologise,” the crow murmured, grabbing the cloth off the table and giving it to Ranboo again. The enderman patted the cloth against his face, fingers trembling.
“I think you should get some rest, mate,” Phil mumbled. “You look exhausted.”
“No,” Ranboo croaked, shaking his head. “No, Phil- Sleep is what’s causing it, I enderwalk when I’m asleep…! What if-”
“Ranboo,” Phil cut him off, gently. That explained it then. The countless hours the enderman spent mining, digging tunnels looking for ores despite already having more than enough resources. It was just an attempt to keep busy, to ward off the need to sleep.
“Kid,” the crow murmured, wings twitching before eventually falling downwards. “…Okay. How about this then? You can sleep here on the sofa, and I’ll stay up. If you try going anywhere, I’ll just drag you back. Sound good?”
“But… Wh-What if I teleport again…?” Ranboo whispered, clutching the front of his shirt over the location of his pearl. His defective, quiet pearl, that most endermen couldn’t even hear. Only elders, the ones with the keenest ears, ever heard the low hum from his chest.
“I don’t think you’ll get very far. It didn’t seem like you had much control over it earlier,” Phil argued. “But getting no sleep isn’t an option either, Ranboo. You’re only going to feel worse.”
Ranboo swallowed visibly, lower lip trembling. He pressed a hand against his cheek, letting his tears flow over his fingers instead of burning his face.
“O-Okay,” he sniffed at last, defeatedly. Phil made a noise akin to a bird coo, feathers twitching behind his back.
“You really have to stop crying, mate, you’re going to make those scars worse…” he lamented, lifting a hand to carefully swipe tears off the enderman’s cheeks.
“I know…” Ranboo murmured, nodding minutely.
Phil brought his wing over Ranboo’s shoulder and let his feathers glide down his back.
“I-I should probably go get a blanket from my house,” Ranboo managed, moving to stand up. Phil moved first, holding up a hand and shaking his head.
“Don’t be silly, mate,” he said softly. “I’ll just grab one from upstairs.”
The enderman paused mid-motion, hands fidgeting in front of his chest as he stammered, “B-But-“
“It’s fine, Ranboo,” the crow assured. “I’m used to living in the tundra, I’ve got plenty extra. I’m not forcing you to walk out in the cold now.”
Ranboo slumped back into his chair, purple dusting the tips of his pointed ears.
“Oh,” he said quietly. “…Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Phil hushed, pausing to grab the healing potion off the table.
“Remember to use this,” he added, giving the item over to the enderman before making his way to the ladders next to the entrance door.
“Th-Thank you, Phil,” Ranboo repeated, clutching the neck of the potion tightly.
“No problem, mate.” Phil turned to grab the ladders leading upstairs, quickly disappearing to the second floor.
Ranboo watched him go, and then shifted his attention to the potion Phil had given to him again. Hesitantly he poured another portion on the cloth piece, and pressed it over the scars on his face. The pain nearly made him cry again, but he held his chin up and stifled the emotion down. He couldn’t afford to waste anymore of the potion, not after how nice Phil had been to let him use it.
Why the crow went through the extra effort to help him, despite having already offered him a place of residence and even convincing Technoblade over it too, was beyond his understanding. Then again, Phil had always been weirdly nice, even in L’Manberg.
Ranboo set the potion and cloth back down on the table. He shifted anxiously in his seat before glancing at the borrowed jacket still hanging loosely over his shoulders. He swallowed, standing up to take it off. He hung the garment on a rack by the doorway, pulling at his suit sleeves before gripping the front of his shirt tightly. He resisted the need to take out the grass block again, not wanting to drag any more dirt into Phil’s house.
It was going to be fine. He would get some sleep, and everything would be fine. Phil would stop him if he enderwalked again, and he wouldn’t be able to go anywhere.
He fidgeted with his hands, picking at a loose string on his right sleeve. His mind was still racing, going through all sorts of ideas for what he could’ve been doing in his enderwalk state. Phil had said he’d done nothing, but he couldn’t have been there from the very beginning of the enderwalk. What had he done before the crow had found him? Why had the enderwalk triggered today? Why had he gone to the roof?
The ladders on his left creaked suddenly, bringing his thoughts to a halt. Phil was on his way back down, but had stopped at the top of the ladders.
“Catch?” the crow asked, holding out a blanket to him. Ranboo looked up and nodded, catching the cloth in his arms as it was dropped down. He then stepped back, letting the crow descend the rest of the way down. Phil stepped down onto the ground floor, whistling softly before turning to face the enderman.
”Sorry it took a minute,” the crow apologised. “Looked for the biggest blanket I had. It might not be enough for your legs though.”
“That’s okay…!” Ranboo insisted, waving his hand in emphasis. “I-I don’t get cold easily anyway, I th-think- Enderman genetics, y-you know… Besides, uh-” He hid his face behind the blanket in his arms. ”Still got my suit, right? I’ll be fine.”
”Yeah, about that…” Phil murmured. ”You sure that’s comfortable to sleep in? I’m sure I could find some of Wilbur’s old things… You would’ve been about the same height.”
“No, no it’s fine-“ Ranboo insisted. “I’ll um- I’ll be okay. Thank you, Phil.”
“Alright. If you’re sure,” Phil gave in. “Let me know if you change your mind though.”
The enderman nodded, and then they fell into silence. Phil expected Ranboo to start moving towards the sofa, but the enderman merely stood still in the middle of the room like he was waiting for his permission to move. Phil chuckled softly, waving him off.
“You can go to the sofa, mate,” he said. “You don’t need to ask.”
“Oh. Right,” Ranboo sputtered, laughing weakly as he turned around and speedwalked to the other side of the room. Phil shook his head with a fond smile, before moving himself. He walked over to grab his ender chest from the opposite corner next to the entrance door, carrying the container to the dining table. He sat down where Ranboo had been earlier, placing the ender chest in front of him and opening it.
Meanwhile Ranboo lay down on the sofa, all gangly limbs and a blanket that barely reached his ankles. He glanced curiously at Phil, who had taken a small box from within the ender chest, but the crow merely shook his head with a soft smile and told him to sleep.
“Just going to read some old letters, Ranboo. I won’t bother you,” Phil said, tugging the box lid open and picking up a crumbled paper from within it. Ranboo hummed tiredly, turning to face the wall and tugging the blanket over his head despite how it left his knees uncovered.
It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, and soon the cabin fell into calm silence, save for Ranboo’s quiet breathing and the sound of lantern fire.
Phil leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. He clutched the old letter in his hands, breathing out slowly.
Not the easiest night, he thought to himself. He hoped to not have a repeat of the events in future days, but who could say what would happen? Things never seemed that simple around these lands.
When he opened his eyes again, he found the ink had stained his fingers. Phil frowned, carefully prying the paper off his hands and setting it back over the stash of letters. He picked out another letter, letting his eyes wander over the words. He didn’t read for long, too distracted by the day's events to focus.
He placed the old letter in the box and shut it, picking the container up and putting it back inside the ender chest. Phil then turned his head towards the sofa where Ranboo was, watching as the enderman shifted to his side and the blanket slid down from over his head. The crow fluttered his wings at the sight of his open eyes, glazed over in green and red.
Right. No eyelids. That’s why he had covered his face.
Ranboo turned again, expression twisting into a grimace as a slight whimper rose from his throat. Ender particles floated in the air around him, buzzing like little sparks of electricity. Phil frowned. He hoped the kid wasn’t having a nightmare.
He tried to distract himself by looking out the window, watching snow drift over the backyard of the cabins. But at the sound of another whine from the sofa, Phil turned back and stared at the enderman across the room. Ranboo was shivering now, breaths coming out in sharp gasps as he turned and shifted in his sleep.
Definitely a nightmare then, Phil concluded. By Death, the kid couldn’t catch a break.
The crow stood up, looking around for the jacket he’d borrowed to Ranboo earlier. He quickly spotted it on the clothes rack by the doorway and went to grab it, whistling to himself. He went over to the sofa and placed the jacket over Ranboo’s legs.
The enderman shifted in his sleep, wrinkling his nose before settling again. His ear flicked at the sound of Phil’s humming, and for a moment the crow feared he’d woken him up. But as soon as Phil went quiet, Ranboo seemed to grow distressed again, shivering minutely and turning towards the edge of the sofa with a soft warble.
Tentatively the crow tried whistling again, bringing out a chair to the enderman’s side.
Ranboo chittered quietly and his scrunched expression finally smoothened out. Phil smiled, sitting down beside the sofa and continuing to hum into the silence.