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Blistering heat scorched the open pits of lava for some time. Sometimes, Iris wonders how long it takes for the coarse rock to surface into such a dense area. How long it takes for something so beautiful to form.
“Iris!” A gruff, semi-familiar voice calls out from behind her. Her wings twitched with a sense of trepidation.
Rushing up, she used her palm to push her up from the netherwrack. She likes the way the block stings her legs and hands as she sits, heat boiling into her skin that hurts but not long enough to leave a wound. If King noticed, he hasn’t said as such.
He eyed her messy appearance for a moment, her hair amuck and the cobalt sweater vest tattered after her last excursion with the color gang. “Yes, King?”
Iris’s voice wavered in a way that still didn’t register correctly to King Mango. “Follow. We have work to get done, no more sitting about. Okay?” It wasn’t really a question, Iris figures.
But nonetheless, she pushes a face of determination and pushes to follow after him.
His monologue continued with quick precision. “So, since I have been able to convince the piglin hoards to follow our word, which—“ He flows a hand up from his side to a gesturing motion, almost bored yet still hyper vigilant. “—was far easier than I surmised it to be. They’re very simple creatures…” Iris kept nodding, occasionally he’d look at her for a split second and she’d always flash a smile.
He’d look away, and the cycle would repeat. It was a nice way of going about things, Iris contains to herself. It was familiar, so familiar in fact it reminded her of a sense of comfort.
Suddenly though, Iris looks to the side and sees them entering one of the bastions. Something she’d never done in her own time. She nervously, almost on instinct, grabs the cape of King Mango. Before he looks back though she’s quickly pushed herself off his back and towards his side. A quick save.
“Sounds fascinating, King! So we’re able to—“ and before she could get a word in further, she felt the swing of a golden axe penetrate her side. She blocks her face and falls backwards, the sudden tension of snorts and oinks filling her hearing.
King Mango shouted something at the supposed piglin, and suddenly what was stepping near her backed away. Iris looked up blearily with hazy vision.
“Iris, are you okay?” He asked, kneeling to her side. It was a different tone, but his same gruff expression and voice pierced the whole situation. “I’ll have them take you to where the medical supplies…”
Before any other phrases could really get past her, her vision was black.
Was it the heat? It had to be, she never passed out so quickly upon injury. Perhaps she’s gotten weaker, another thought Iris was very familiar with the nagging of.
No matter how many strangers she threw herself into the arms of, she doubts she’ll ever get the same attention she did with her mother.
A strangled whimper left her twisting form, and she felt herself against something soft yet a little twiggy.
Iris recalled back when the nether update first released, and how she consistently felt herself coming back to the thought— how do the animals in the nether sleep?
So how did she, in all places, feel so comfortable? Iris shifted and felt a sharp pain; clutching her side and curling over further.
With the hiss of her breath, Iris turned and squinted to see Mango waiting at the entrance of a netherbrick room. She also realized that she was in a nest of some sort.
There was a gentle thrum of noises, til her pained eyes caught King Mango’s attention. “Oh, you’re awake.” Quickly, he walked to her side and knelt down on his knee.
An abrasive hand reached her forehead, testing out if she was still overheated. “You… should be fine now. Take it easy, okay? I didn’t—.. know they would do that.” He put it simply.
It wasn’t an apology, but why should he apologize? He just failed to protect her. That’s all.
Iris nods, her expression was one of contorted confusion. “It- it, um… s’ okay.” There was no apology, stop saying it’s okay.
King Mango looked down at her once more, his eyes never wavered, never flickered uncomfortably. So why did it feel so bad?
He strained himself for a second to stand, old bones and all. And went to leave, before he felt a tug at his cape. It was weak, passive. Not entirely there.
Turning to look at her, the obvious source of the motion— Iris stared down with a slight grimace and wet eyes.
“…Don’ leave, please.” Was all she could muster, before gently leaning her head back down against the nest made for piglins.
He paused.
In fact, he kept pausing until he found his body moving with a begrudged but not entirely controllable movement to sit next to her in the nest.
Iris grabbed his cape once more, nuzzling her head into the side of the cloth she held weakly.
King Mango made a strangled noise, before leaning his head against the hot brick wall.
-
“Mango! Maaaaango!” Iris chanted through enthusiastic laughter, clapping her hands like she depended on it.
He and Iris were trying desperately to find something to do in the heat of the summer that kept them inside.
Iris suggested, a bit unsure if it would please him, that they could play on the old game systems he had lying around. Instead of leaving them to grow dust!
Mango sighed with a smile, nodding at the idea and suddenly— two hours later, they found themselves absolutely engulfed in whatever version of street fighter this was.
Its pixel-y graphics reminded Mango of a lot of things. Things that he wasn’t entirely sure of in a definitive way. Maybe of home, maybe of family.
Either way, he had both in front of him.
Or well… beside him, at the moment.
“You won again! How’d you get so good at this? I thought you were a total geezer!” Iris laughed, playfully leaning her shoulder against his in a moment of excitement.
He shook his head, putting the controller down on his leg for a moment. Mango could never keep up with her animated nature.
Mango hummed, thinking. “I suppose it’s all those years I spent in arcades as a kid… though I think that makes me more of a geek than a geezer, dear.” He teased.
Waving her hand, Iris dismissed the idea. “You are a total nerd! But a geek? Not sure, the definitions do differ, y’know…” she focused back on the screen, going through the player select screen.
The moment was warm. Mango couldn’t help but find himself shaking his head with amusement, the smile never leaving his face.
This kept up for a while, until Iris finally won.
With a shriek of delight, she began tugging on his t-shirt; stirring with kindled eagerness. She was talking, Mango thinks. But all he can feel is the tugging.
He recalls all the times she held herself back. Mango has had that habit as of recent, recalling Iris and her many moments of apprehension. So much unease, always jittered.
So when he sees her sitting here, rambling about how she used the right button combination and found a playable character that fits her play style…
He felt proud.
“Isn’t that just awesome? Maybe I’ll finally be able to beat Crim or Viri! Ooo, I’m so excited!” She squealed.
With a huff, he raised his hand and ruffled the top of her head. She couldn’t stop herself from laughing more.
With a check of his watch however, he looked back over to her. “We’ve been playing for nearly 3 hours now! That's a lot of progress in one day, but uh… it’s getting late, let’s make dinner.” He said in a matter of fact demeanor.
Iris liked how Mango functioned on schedules, made her life feel a lot easier and well controlled. She nods, pulling herself up to turn the TV and game system off.
“Thanks, Mango.” She said while walking back, a more gentle smile had replaced her very loud one just a moment ago.
He stood up himself, looking down at her with a bit of confusion. “For what?”
“Being here.”
Iris said simply, and began waltzing to the kitchen. She already had a meal in mind for dinner.
Mango sighed. He was almost sure that this was the home and family he was recalling not too long ago.