Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The ravager lumbered onward, the pillager raid party moving slowly towards their destination. Percy slotted an arrow into his crossbow, aiming it at a bird 20 meters away. He mimes shooting it, but doesn't pull the trigger.

Taking the arrow back out of it and setting it back into the quiver on his leg, he dangles his legs off the side of the beast, and watches the chicken from afar. The animal seemed unbothered by the party's presence, mindlessly pecking around and scratching in the dirt for bugs and seeds. It made a loud cluck, and several small chicks scampered out of a bush to scratch in the dirt with the hen.

He stared at them for a while, until they passed them altogether, the birds slipping out of sight.

"What'cha thinking about, Perc?" A much stockier illager, walking on foot and carrying an axe, catches Percy's attention.

Percy looks down, meeting his gaze. "Chickens." He answered, a stupid grin forming on his face.

The illager laughs. "HAHAAAH, you're just like your old man! Curious and weird."

"You think so, Sam?" Percy tilted his head, "I doubt he was as weird as ME!" He boasted, having a little bit of fun.

"Oh yes, and then some! But you're following in his footsteps for sure." Sam teased.

The pillager leading the ravager Percy sat on the back of chuckled. "Boy, is he. Although, it's nice to have some of that spunk still with us. Glad he left us someone with just as much personality!"

Percy nods. His father... He missed him. It's been long enough for the pain to fade, but his memories of the man were cherished. From his perspective, his father was kind, stoic, and patient, but everyone else who knew him spoke a different story. He's grateful for how much his father cared, though.

The other illagers let him zone out this time, refocusing on where they were going. They carefully made their way down a slope, the village coming into view. It was only then that they nudged Percy, who placed the arrow back into his crossbow and hopped off the ravager.

This was a place he was unfamiliar with, so he decided to take it slowly, sneaking around a building to get a good vantage point for his crossbow. He ducked through the sparse houses of the village, holding his crossbow steady. Looking out from behind the building he's stationed himself at, he sees the center of the village. He couldn't see anybody immediately, Except for someone in a pale blue robe in the distance. He wasn't sure who they were, but they were far out of range...

A sound startled him out of his thoughts, and he turned around to be face to face with an iron golem. It swung at him, knocking him to the side painfully. Clutching his side, he shot at its face with the arrow notched in his crossbow, landing a shot between its eyes. The lumbering golem flailed, attempting to dislodge the arrow, and Percy slotted another arrow into his crossbow, shakily aiming it. As he attempted to fire it, however, the crossbow shattered, sending splinters everywhere.

The golem pulled the arrow out, and glared him down. He dropped the broken shards of the crossbow, and stumbled to his feet, tripping and landing painfully. His vision twisted and turned, but he stood up again anyways, shuffling away from the golem, and away from the village.

He could hear the iron golem behind him getting closer, and then the thunk of an arrow into its metal shell. He slowed down to look behind him, another one of the pillagers having grabbed its attention.

"We'll meet you back at the foot of the mountain, Percy! Run for it!"

Percy nodded, picking up his pace slightly. There were trees, woods over there. He could hide in them for a bit, and then make his way back to the... mountain? ....Where was the mountain again?

He shook his head---and then immediately regretted it, as his vision went blurry and a headache began to throb---but nevertheless tried to refocus himself. He wandered into the forest, finding a suitable place to sit down and catch his breath. It was foggy, but that meant that he'd have a hard time being followed. He was safe for now. Taking a deep breath, He got a good look at his surroundings. He may have gone deeper in than intended, but he was still close to the edge. If he stayed in the forest, and veered to the---Left? Right? ... Which way was he facing.

......He decided on trying Right. He stood up, balancing with the tree behind him, and headed in that direction. The fog was thickening, and he couldn't see if he was close to the edge, so he just kept going, hoping he chose the right direction. But he'll see in time.

His vision didn't clear very much, and the headache only seemed to get worse, so it made for a very difficult trek. After a long time of walking, the fog began to clear somewhat, and he realized he was lost. Very lost. Sighing, he turns around, trying to go back the way he came. The forest didn't seem familiar at all as he passed through it, but he just kept going, figuring he should eventually make it out of the forest.

By the time he finally found a break in the treeline, the sun was beginning to set in the sky. There was no way they'd have waited for him that long. Maybe they'd sent out a search party? He hopes nobody gets lost because of him. He figures he should try and find his way back, or look for anyone still there. Or maybe find the village? He rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the headache. Just gotta keep going.

He chose to go right this time, figuring that if he'd gone too far left, he'd need to compensate and go the other way. Ohh, if only he had a map, or a compass right now... He'd have already made it home. Oh well... With a sigh, he looks up at the scenery around him. ....Snowy. He's very glad that he's wearing leather boots right now. He does NOT want to deal with powdered snow.

He shuffles around the base of the mountain, seeing something in the distance. An end to the snow. He figures that's probably a good idea, he was starting to feel the cold nip at his fingers. He doesn't remember seeing any snow on the way to the village, though.... Urgh, it's hard to think.

Stepping out of the snow and onto the grass, there's a strangeness he notices in the area. Structures that are odd, and out of place, blast holes, one block wide holes, randomly placed torches... The structures themselves seemed alien, natural-looking in their connections to the earth, but twisting and turning, unnatural. Purposeful, actually. One of them was tilled and actively growing food, a wide archway made of dirt and soil. There was a path, too. Well-lit. That's what he was following, as it went underneath the arch and into the fog. He was too curious to stop now. Besides, it seemed safe to rest. Lots of light, not a lot of mobs would be here.

He kept following the path, noticing a building to the side, half in the hill, half tower above it. Unfinished. But at the end of the path---a wall. He got closer, touching it, finding vines. A wall of vines. The fog made it difficult to see what was up, or to the side. But the path went under the wall of vines. He decided to push through them to continue on the path. ...It seemed to lead to the very beginning of a messy stone staircase---tube? It looked like a huge tube just came up out of the ground, made of blocks. This seemed to be what the vines were growing out of, either way.

He climbed carefully onto the structure, slowly making his way up it. From what he could see through the fog, it just kept going up. And Up. The spiral was a little wonky, crossing over itself in places, the vines growing on it making another veil of plant life, which he pushed through. At this point, he'd been walking for so long, it didn't feel right to stop. He felt like if he did, he might never get up again. Was he dreaming? Was he dead? This didn't feel real. It terrified him to find out what was at the top, but he had to know.

He wondered if the afterlife was up there. He'd heard Elysium would be in the sky, but he'd always imagined the staircase to be gilded and perfectly cut. Was this purgatory, then? Would climbing this thing be forever? Would he never reach the top? He stumbled forward, a little bit of dizziness creeping in. No... This felt real. The stone beneath his feet was solid, the vines he pushed through real. The pain was real. There had to be something at the top of this structure! Some reason for it to have been built, gravity defying or not. So he kept going.

Eventually, the vines thinned, and the stone spiral was the only thing visible. It was clearer to see without the vines on it, and the fog began to dissipate at this height. He heard some sort of sound, sort of like....hooves on stone? Not quite. It was a soft thunk. A... Stony sound, alright. A pebble hit him in the forehead, and the pain shook him out of his thoughts. He looked down, at the pebble---no, that wasn't a pebble at all. It floated strangely, a perfect little cube of cobblestone. He picked it up, inspecting it. It looked... Like a miniature version of a cobblestone block. He turned it around in his hands, inspecting it. This was certainly... odd. It looked too small to have been a part of the structure. Had someone been carrying it with them? He held the strange object close to his chest, and continued. Maybe that person was up there.

He went up another section of the spiral, coming up above the fog. The sunset in the distance was almost over, the colors in the sky bright and vibrant. The dimming sunlight hitting the stone was golden, pushing the shadows on the structure to be dark and distinct. The sound got louder as Percy got closer, but he couldn't see what was at the end of the structure yet. He could see the end. It seemed to get---longer? Okay this definitely felt like a dream. He wondered if he really was hallucinating. He shook his head, and just trudged on, making his way to the very end of the spiral.

There was a person there. The golden light had tinted them orange, blending into the part of the sky Percy could see from a little bit below, making them almost invisible. But now, with a different angle, he could get a good look at them. They had their hair long, curly, and a little unkempt, with many eyes adorning them as jewelry. They had wide black eyes that almost seemed to stare through him, and they were... significantly shorter than him. They stared at each other for a little bit, before the stranger turned around, holding another little cube. They moved their hand forward---and a block of cobblestone that looked like the miniature appeared out of thin air, making the same sound that Percy had been wondering about as he climbed. He blinked, and then looked at the little cube in his own hands.

He stepped forward, and they turned around again. He offered the cube. They looked at it, and then at him, smiling. Their eyes actually seem to see him this time. It was... warm. Nice. They gently take the cube, and place it down on the structure. He wondered if they were some sort of angel.

After a little bit of watching them build, the sun set below the horizon. They stopped, and looked at the rising moon, as if they hadn't realized it was getting so dark. They put the cube they were holding in their pocket, and offered their hand to him, smiling. Slowly, he took it, and they began leading him down the spiral.

The walk down the spiral was a blur. His head throbbed, and his vision blurred. He stumbled, and they put his arm over their shoulder, offering him support. He wondered how in the world he even made it to the top. But, suddenly, he was at the bottom, and they were walking down that path again, the other way. They led him to the unfinished tower, as it began to rain. He usually didn't like rain, but the sound of it hitting the ground above them was lulling, and muffled. The inside was round, and softly lit with lanterns, with a lot of dangling chains and eyes and beads. They sparkled mesmerizingly in his blurred vision, distracting him while the stranger sat him down on a bed in the side of the room.

They inspected his eyes, tilting his face gently, and sighed. They patted the bed, trying to tell him to lie down. He blinked, a little confused, and obliged, but not before taking his shoes off. They placed the blanket over him, and climbed up the stairs of the building.

He felt a lot better lying down. He deduces they might have figured out how much of an injury he had from that golem, and if they only looked at his eyes---wait, would that mean he has a concussion? .....He sighs. He was an idiot for walking so far, and climbing that spiral, too. He rubbed his forehead, wincing at the pain in his side from doing so. ....He must have kept the adrenaline in his system by walking nonstop. Now, he didn't even want to move. His thoughts slowed, struggling to keep his eyes open, before he gave in, and slipped into unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

The pain had only slightly died down when Percy woke up the next morning. The stranger walked down the steps in the center, completely drenched. It was still raining. He sat up, watching them as they took their shoes off, flipping them upside-down as the water in them poured out. They wrung the water out of their shirt and pant legs and tail, not seeming to care too much about wearing wet clothes.

Eventually, they sat down on one of the steps, and tried to untangle their long hair, struggling.

"You not have a comb?" Percy asked, putting his shoes on with some difficulty.

The stranger looked over to him, tilting their head in confusion.

"Do you not know what that is...?"

They paused, looking away for a moment. They eventually stood up, and trotted over to a wall of chests three blocks tall. To reach the top one, they climbed up the wall, and stuck half their body into the chest, looking for the item. Their tail wagged absentmindedly. They really were small... Percy wondered just how old they were. His best guess was early teens.

They hopped down, trotting over to him and holding something out. A Honeycomb.

"Ohhh. I can see why you'd get confused.. This is a honeycomb. They've similar names, but the comb I mean is a tool made to style and untangle hair." Percy clarified. "I could probably make one for you, but it'd take a bit... and some wood and a carving knife."

The stranger stood there thinking for a moment, almost staring into space. Then, they put the honeycomb back in the chest, and searched around for more materials. Percy couldn't quite see what they were doing, but they wandered over to a crafting table, and with their pockets full of items, they put together something. They held up a (fairly large) knife, pointing to it inquisitively.

"That might be a bit big of a knife, but maybe I could get it to work?" Percy replied, tilting his head.

They thought for a little bit more, pocketing the large knife somehow and pulling out more items. Were they making the knives there? How? It was bewildering. Made his head hurt a little bit more. They held up another knife, much smaller and more suitable for the job.

"Oh! That's perfect!"

They beamed in response, and offered him the knife and a large wooden plank. He took the items, trying to visualize the next step. The stranger sat down next to him, staring. A little bit nervously, he began to trace out the outline of the comb with the edge of the knife, and then started whittling away to separate the part he'd work with from the rest of it.

He worked on the comb for a good part of the day, his new friend watching the process most of the day. Halfway through, they left the room, coming back with bread---some of which they offered him. Nothing else of note happened through the day, but the stranger did eventually fall asleep. Percy smiled, shuffling the blanket on top of them as he moved to the floor to finish the project.

When the general shape was done, he looked at it carefully. ...he wondered if he should stain the wood? It was light enough in color to take even a light yellow, maybe. But he doesn't know if there's anything to dye it with. ....instead, he looked at the jewelry the stranger wore, and the many decorations around the house. ....There were a lot of eye-shaped items. It was a little bit unsettling, now that he thought about it---but he hadn't seen any other people here. Did they live alone? ...He considered the possibility that the eyes made them feel less lonely. He'd have to ask once they were awake, but it does give him an idea for what to carve on the surface of the comb.

When Volz woke up, it had gotten dark again, and the pillager they'd invited inside had fallen asleep leaning against the wall. They should have expected they'd fall asleep again, having not slept the night before at all. Shuffling to the edge of the bed, they got a proper look at him. They couldn't quite describe his face too much, but his nose was really long. He had also placed the small knife and the project he was working on to the side. It had many long tines.... They supposed that did look like it'd be effective for untangling hair.

Oh! He'd carved some eyes into the handle! They looked like the eyes were smiling. That was a nice touch, they thought.... They picked it up, feeling the grooves in the wood, and the workmanship. They turned it over, to see the other side. There was what seemed to be a failed attempt at an eye, that he'd turned into a bird. There were more birds of different shapes, too... They wagged their tail, smiling. Did he like birds? Like they liked eyes? ,,,,

Standing up, they moved over to their furnace. Heating up some glass, and grabbing some dyes, they began using little tiny metal sticks to shape and dye a small blob of glass... a green and blue hummingbird with open wings. They haven't really made anything other than the eyes with glass before, but it came out pretty good they thought.... Setting it to the side, they began to make another one. A hen! And then a blue parrot.... And then they ran out of glass. They figured this block of glass would be used up pretty soon, considering just how many beads they made.

They let the birds cool, and approached the bed. They should probably make sure their sleep schedule isn't terrible.... Looking over to the person sleeping against a wall, they grabbed a blanket, draping it over him. Satisfied that he'll be slightly more comfortable, Volz hopped into bed to sleep through the rest of the night.

Percy regretted falling asleep sitting up. Waking up was a pain, literally. His back ached. He stood up, stretching carefully. The pains in his side were a little bit better, but his headache was persistent. Definitely a concussion of some sort. The stranger was off doing something again, he assumed, as they were nowhere to be seen. He placed the blanket back onto the bed, and found a place in his belt to hold onto the carving knife. The comb---he needed to find something to waterproof it slightly.

They'd pulled out a honeycomb earlier---wax could be a good sealant. He'd want to dye it first if he ends up doing that, though. He walks over to the chest, but pauses when he bumps something on the floor. Bending down carefully, he picks them up. ....Glass.... birds? Three of them. He turned them around in the light as they glittered nicely. The dye in them was uneven, but it made for a fairly pretty mottled pattern. He smiled, inspecting the details of each of them, momentarily forgetting about his project.

The stranger came through the door rather suddenly, covered dandelion fluff and attempting to shove more in their pockets. Percy blinked, pausing to stare.

"....Dandelion season?"

They nod, walking over. They dig through their pocket, disturbing even more dandelion fluff, which they incessantly stuff back into the pocket.

"...I don't think your pockets are a good place for that, if there's other stuff underneath......"

They pouted, but eventually resolved that he was right, shuffling to pull all of the fluff out of their pockets. As Percy expected, there was an absurd amount of fluff in there. ...He wondered just how long they were collecting it to get this much....

Once they seemed to have it all out, they moved to the crafting table, and placed several of those small blocks in a pattern. This made a chest, for reasons Percy didn't know. He was beginning to wonder if this WAS a concussion-induced hallucination after all..... The stranger took the chest, and began shoving the fluff inside this instead of their pockets.

"Do you...want some help...?" He offered, setting the glass birds down on the bed.

They paused, and shrugged. He figured he might as well help anyways, so he crouched down and began scooping up the soft seeds into the chest. When they'd put as much as they could get in, the stranger shoved the chest to the wall---Wait, he can't keep calling them a stranger in his head, he needs to know their name! He refocused his gaze to them, as they pull more stuff out of their pockets. Baked potato!! They offer it to him.

"Oh! Uhm, thank you---!" He stammers, watching them slide the doors open and sit on the steps just outside. He follows them, sitting down. ....A plain potato isn't very appetizing, but it's food,,, They seemed to be eating it plain too, though, so he figured they don't have anything to go with it.

He looks out over the area, eating the baked potato slowly. He can see now where they got so much dandelion fluff---the surrounding area was covered in dandelions. A whole field of them. There were mountains to the right, but to the left, there was yellow and white as far as the eye could see. It was the most wide-open space he'd ever seen. There were sheep wandering the fields a little ways away, and some cows... And he could see that the archway with garden on top kept going, winding around all the strange structures, and fenced off on the outside. He could also see all of the stone spiral that he had seen his new friend building yester--wait, no, two days ago.

"...Do you live alone?" Percy asked, turning his head to them.

They shook their head. "Who do you live with?"

They pointed to him. "...I don't think I count. I feel more like a temporary guest. And I'm going to go home eventually..."

They seemed to think it over, staring absently at the flowers. They shrugged.

"...Do you not have like... a father, or mother?"

They tilted their head.

"Do you not know what that is?"

They shrugged.

"Well. Uhm.... They're called parents. And.. Parents are people who're much, much older than you---who raise you, and teach you how to live. They pass their skills to you, and protect you, until you're capable of living on your own."

They stared into space again, looking over the fields. They point to a lamb, and the Ewe it followed.

"Yeah. Sort of like that. Do you have someone like that? Or knew someone like that?"

They shake their head, seeming wistful.

"So no family at all...?" He tilted his head, looking at them in worry. He's met with another headtilt.

"Ah---Family is a broader term. A family has parents, children---siblings, aunts and uncles, grandparents...."

Wide-eyed stare.

"Are you not familiar with any of those words?"

Another head shake.

"Well... Children refer to the people that parents take care of. Anyone who is not an adult yet. Siblings are other people who are raised by the same parents! And usually are related by blood, too. Aunts and uncles are the siblings of parents, and grandparents are the parents of one's own parents."

They point at him.

"Me? I---Used to have my father, and that was all. I've got people who act like aunts and uncles, but aren't really related to me. I never knew my mother."

They tilt their head again. He's unsure what that means, so he tilts his head back. They go back to staring at the sheep.

"So... Do you have a name..?"

They turn back to him, nodding! They attempt to mouth the syllables.

"V...alsh?" They shake their head. "Volsh?" They pinch their fingers together, signaling that he was closer. "Vol....z?"

They nod their head vigorously.

"Volz! Nice to meet you, Volz! My name's Percy."

Volz beams, tail wagging enthusiastically. Percy giggles, smiling wide. For a moment, it's quiet, and Percy goes to finish that baked potato that Volz had given him.

Fog rolls over the fields in the far distance, the wind picking wisps of the clouds up and twirling them, slowly lifting bits higher into the sky. The breeze itself is gentle, and not all that cold, dispersing some of the dandelion fluff, which floats off delicately. It was a beautiful place. ...A lonely place. There weren't any other buildings nearby that he could see, other than the strange structures. How long had Volz been living alone for? If they'd never knew parents, would that mean their whole life..?

Percy looked down at Volz again, eyes widening to see tears dripping down their face. "---Volz, are you okay?" He placed a hand on their shoulder.

They looked up at him, eyes round and shiny from the tears. They smiled, and nodded, rubbing their face.

"...Are you sure..?"

They nod again, more enthusiastically, letting out a short, muffled giggle. Percy relaxed, smiling back softly. He still wasn't entirely sure, but they insisted, so he'll let it be. For now, he continues to stare at the flowers....

Volz eventually stands up, and wanders into the field, off to do who knows what. Percy remained on the steps, just watching from afar. he'd already finished his potato, so he didn't have anything else to do... that he could remember. So for now, he just sat on the steps, watching them go. They were pretty fast, darting to and fro on the fields, carrying items and placing little green plants. Lots of different kinds of greens.

He stayed there, watching Volz do various activities and even build another strange structure (A circle of oddly stacked cobblestone, with another circle around it). But eventually they returned, a new twinkle in their eyes. They beckoned for Percy to come inside. Tilting his head, Percy followed. They led him up the stairs, to an empty portion of the tower. Here, however, the stairs became smaller... Made out of floating slabs. It was a wonder how they managed to get them to do that! He waved his hand through the gaps to see if they were really floating. He was astonished to discover that they really weren't supported by anything.

Volz, while he was marveling at the impossible feat, placed down a green bed, a little table, and a chair. They tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention again, and he turned around to observe the items they had placed.

"What are those for?" He tilted his head.

They pointed to him, giggling at his obliviousness.

"Oh! Right, I suppose that makes sense..." He chuckles lightly. "Oh, you got the bed to be green? How did you do that?"

They grinned, pulling some things out of their pockets. Green and yellow dyes. Percy blinked, almost as bewildered as he was to see the floating blocks. "Dyes?"

They nod vigorously.

He grins, giddy. Perhaps he could dye that brush yellow after all! "How did you make the dyes?"

Volz grabbed his hand, bolting down the stairs.

"Auh---careful! I've still got a concussion!" He winces at the sudden motion, as it causes throbbing pain in his forehead.

They slow down, giving him an apologetic expression. Percy rubs his head as they lead him outside, and pick a yellow dandelion!

"You can turn the dandelions into dyes?" Percy stared wide-eyed at the flower in the other's palm. His bewilderment grew even more when they closed their palm, and opened it again---the flower turned into dye. "You---was that a magic trick? Did you switch it out for the dye in your pocket without me noticing?"

They shook their head, giggling. Picking another flower, they place it in his hand, and look up at him expectantly. He looks from them to the flower and back, before eventually making the same motion, closing his palm over the flower for a moment before opening it again. ....But, nothing had happened. Volz stared at it in confusion, tilting their head. They cup their hand around his, closing his hand and opening it again. Still, nothing. Percy tilted his head.

Volz pulled him back inside, to the crafting table, and pointed in the middle square. Percy wasn't entirely sure what they meant by that, though. Did they mean to put the flower there? They poked it insistently, so he figured he would try it. Placing the flower on the center, he waited for something to happen, peering at Volz, who seemed just as bewildered as him. They picked up the unchanged flower off the crafting table, looking at it closely before putting it back down on the crafting table---only for it to turn into dye this time.

"It seems only you can do the quick crafting,.." Percy picked up the dye, inspecting it. "...That's okay! I can still make things, albeit slowly. I'll figure out how you turn the flower into dye eventually." He smiled reassuringly, patting them on the head. This didn't seem to cheer them up very much, but they did seem to appreciate the comfort.

"Now---how about we dye that haircomb yellow?" He offered, smiling.

This seemed to grab their attention, as they nodded and peered at said comb which had been left on Volz's yellow bed, next to the glass birds.

Percy walked over and grabbed both the birds and the comb. "I think the best way to do this is to soak the comb in the dye---so we'll need some water, and maybe a bowl?"

Volz nodded, and opened the middle chest to pull out a bowl and a glass bottle. Handing the bowl to Percy, they skittered out the door excitedly. Percy chuckled, walking up the stairs to place the little glass birds on the table. It felt surreal, like he was dreaming. Such a strange living situation, really. But, it was the most interesting thing to happen to him in his whole life. So really, he wasn't one to complain. Shuffling back down the stairs, he checked if the comb would fit alright in the bowl---and it did seem like it would. He made it to the bottom of the stairs, and Volz clambered back inside with their glass bottle now filled with water.

Percy mixed some of the water and dye in the bowl to make a paste, and then he made sure the comb was completely coated. There was still some dye left over, though.

"Okay! Now we wait. Overnight might be long enough?" He contemplated. "What do you want to do with the leftover stuff? It's about the consistency of the paint my dad used to make to decorate the walls of the barracks at home."

Volz tilted their head.

"Do you want to paint pictures on the walls?" Percy grinned, to which Volz perked up.

Volz chose a spot near the door, smearing the paint-like paste in an eye pattern. They giggled giddily, and painted more eyes. Percy painted some stars, and a little moon. There were eventually little birds, too, and some trees and mountains. Lots of little things. Eventually, though, Volz paused. They had just a little bit left, and they were deciding what to draw with it. They looked to Percy, who was finishing a slightly more detailed bird with eyes on its feathers and a long neck. Volz smiled, getting an idea of what they would draw.

Eventually. though, the paint did run out. There was the stuff coating the comb, but they didn't touch that. Percy looked at all the little paintings they'd made, smiling. It was nice. Staying here with Volz was fun! He did miss the guys back home, though. ....A little bit of sadness crept up in his chest. He really did miss them. They were the last people he considered family. The sun crept through small holes in the door, a golden color. It was sunset. He turned around to go up the stairs, but something caught his eye.

The sunlight illuminated the base of the stairs---where Volz had drawn something. Two figures, one taller, one shorter. All smiles. Who were they? Hadn't Volz said they didn't remember having any family---? ..Hold on. That was him. wasn't it? .....Did Volz consider him family? He supposed it would make sense for them to do so. They were alone until he came by. He was the first person to stay with them, at least.

He had a lot to think about.