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Minute had heard a little about 'Fish Bucket', a new member who had joined the ranks of the mafia and climbed the ranks quickly. Apparently they had been offered the opportunity to fight a diamond player and gain the ability to become one, and surprisingly they had refused.
Minute found that interesting, so he’d taken to scouring the lower levels, searching for this 'Fish Bucket' to get to know them a little better. Ash hadn’t taken Minute’s request to get to know the other mafia member too badly, even offering to call 'Fish Bucket' up himself.
Minute preferred this though, the searching through the sea of players, looking for one particular item to tick him off that he had found who he was looking for. He’d already caught the attention of several gold players, freezing for a moment before continuing.
Hit attention snapped to the side as two gold players flew down, landing on the ground. One of them was jumping around wildly, the other player simply stretching their arms and back. Minute watched them curiously, pondering their odd behaviour.
They stopped for a moment, pulling out two strips of fabric that Minute recognized as headbands. While definitely not as common as an item in the offhand, uniform changes were also used to help identify who one was in more casual settings.
The energetic one tied a rainbow bandana around their shoulder, as the calmer one tied a red one around their neck. They looked around for a moment, gaze locking on Minute for a moment. Minute held their stare.
They didn’t look scared like the other gold players, and the red one even put their hand up to wave at him, the rainbow one quickly following in the motion. Minute hesitantly raised his hand, waving back to the two gold trims.
They stared at him for a little longer than necessarily, turning to continue their walk. He watched them for a moment longer, observing as they also added items into their offhands. A fish bucket and a gold chestplate- FISH BUCKET?!
Minute moved quickly, jumping off the building and elytraing in front of the two players. They jumped for a brief moment before they relaxed, sighing as they realized it was just the diamond player they were waving at earlier.
"Salutations, Fish Bucket and Gold Chestplate, I’ve heard much about you.” Minute spoke calmly. He’d mostly heard of ‘Fish Bucket’, but he’d also heard of ‘Gold Chestplate’, their supposed ‘best friend’ who they always hung around. Minute saw where that came from now.
‘Fish Bucket’ glanced over at ‘Gold Chestplate’ for a moment, it only lasted a second but Minute felt like there was more communication in that one simple glance than he’d ever seen in any board meeting Ash had ever put on.
‘Fish Bucket’ (rainbow bandana? That seemed more individualistic than ‘fish bucket’) turned back to him, raising their hands and hesitantly signing back to him, ”hello, diamond player.” Their signing was clunky but Minute understood it for the most part. Good enough.
“I am… interested in your story.” Minute’s voice was level when he spoke, not allowing either of the gold players to read how he was feeling. His blank white eyes usually assisted with this, but strangely enough he felt like ‘Fish Bucket’ could read him.
Minute resisted the urge to tense up. Despite not being able to see their eyes it felt like ‘Fish Bucket’ was staring into his soul, ‘Gold Chestplate’ not as deep but still able to see emotional depth in his eyes that people had tried, and failed, for years to read.
It felt like they were dissecting him, laying the depths of his soul out on the ground. It didn’t feel calculated like Ash, poking and prodding at his organs. It felt… calming. Like instead of kicking his insides around they were helping him pick them up.
‘Fish Bucket’ raised his hands once more, ”Which one? The story of the gold player climbing the ranks or of rejecting a position among the diamond players?” There were a lot of pauses between the words. Minute understood, ‘Fish Bucket’ hadn’t been in the Mafia very long.
“Both. You interest me, Fish Bucket. Not many climb as fast as you, and even less reject a position like mine.” Minute shoved his feelings down, no matter how much their eyes felt like they were gutting him, he needed to stay calm.
Minute stood there in silence for a while, the two gold players occasionally glancing at each other and having another one of their mini conversations. Minute felt more perplexed by the second, how had these two climbed the ranks so quickly?
They seemed to stumble around in a way that Minute had always seen from the simple footsoldiers, idiotic and free in nature, the only thing the Mafia had yet to shame out of its members at such an early level.
They appeared free, like they could lose the uniform one day and Ash wouldn’t send hundreds after them, taking them back or killing them. It was unnerving to Minute, but at the same time it reminded him of a young no trim.
Minute never got a name for the no trim, seeing as they barely communicated with the others of the mafia. They were free and fluid, jumping from place to place and cowering in the face of fights.
He never learned what happened to the player, Ash said that he spent months searching for anything but always came up empty handed. The mafia had found his bandana, a fade from a pink to a blue with a beautiful purple in the middle.
They found it in a blown up base, sitting among rubble and debris. Minute mourned the player he never even knew, the one he saw reflected so clearly in the two who now stood in front of him. The same bandana motif buzzed in the back of his mind before he pushed it down.
”You good?” ‘Gold Chestplate’ signed, and Minute could feel the concern coming off in waves. Minute worried for a moment, wondering how they could read him so well, before he remembered that he needed to reply.
“Yes, I was just thinking about an old mafia member. They used to wear a bandana like you both, but it was a lovely pink to blue gradient.” Minute didn’t know why he opened up like that, but it wasn’t like they could do anything to hurt him. He had a mace, they didn’t.
”Planet?” ‘Fish Bucket’ signed before ‘Gold Chestplate’ could stop the question. Minute’s face shifted before he could stop it, a look of calculated suspicion taking over his previously calm face.
“Explain. Now.” Minute said sternly, ‘Gold Chestplate’ sighing and turning to look at ‘Fish Bucket’. ‘Fish Bucket’ was frozen for a moment before signing. ”Can we go somewhere where we can speak?”
Minute groaned loudly, beckoning them both to follow him. As they walked he focused in on their steps, noticing how they kept a reasonable distance behind him, yet never falling back farther. He guided them into a building, closing the door and locking it once they entered.
He stood there, glaring down at the two of them and blocking the exit. They were trapped, and he needed answers. ‘Fish Bucket’ pulled his mask up slightly, just enough to expose his mouth. Minute suppressed his shock at seeing the same smokey skin as his own.
“Planet is… our friend. They’re not a good fighter, but they’re loyal when everything falls through.” ‘Fish Bucket’ said, his voice was a little dry from disuse, and Minute resisted every urge to run and grab him a cup of water.
“He’s safe,” ‘Fish Bucket quickly tacked on, “They’re probably out planting flowers and gardening. Me and Ma- ‘Gold Chestplate’ visit him sometimes when we aren’t on missions.” It was a slip up, but Minute now had the beginnings of a name.
“Ma?” Minute repeated, trying to draw out more. He pretended not to notice how tense ‘Gold Chestplate’ was. If he didn’t look at them then he could pretend it wasn’t happening. He could just as easily pretend he didn’t see ‘Fish Bucket’ flinch.
‘Gold Chestplate’ pulled his mask out, staring at Minute with a defiant stare. “Mapicc. My name is Mapicc.” There was a level of confidence it took to admit that, especially to someone as high up in the ranks as Minute.
Minute glanced over Mapicc’s form, noting that he was a Lava Demon. It was rare to see any of those around, but he supposed the two of them notoriously took on a lot of nether missions, so Minute supposed that’s how they kept Mapicc’s core burning.
Smaller, but still noticeable, were the small dog ears on his head. They seemed pinned down, and by anxiety or habit, Minute didn’t want to consider. He seemed significantly more closed off about it, so Minute decided that he’d not mention it.
‘Fish Bucket’ was a bit more difficult, his smokey skin could be a lot of things, and Minute severally doubted that he was a Voidling. Their species were rare as could be, and he doubts with their natural lust for power one would deny becoming a diamond player.
“I suppose that explains your… tendencies to take on missions in the nether much more than others.” Minute comments. Mapicc avoids eye contact a lot, he notices. He typically glances to the side, or just simply refuses to look at MInute in the slightest.
“And you, ‘Fish Bucket’? Anything you’d like to share with the class?” Minute says, his tone condescending in that way that people knew meant you didn’t have a choice. You either tell him what he wants or you perish begging.
‘Fish Bucket’ debates for a moment, considering his options for a little. He sighed, removing his mask and Minute tried his hardest to suppress the gasp. Guessing from Mapicc’s scoff, these boys can read him better than they let on.
‘Fish Bucket’ is a Voidling. Why he’d refuse the call to power, the lust to stand beside Ash, is unknown to Minute. Maybe he could ask him one day, maybe when the mafia doesn’t have all of them on a leash.
He barely entertains the thought, the mafia is too powerful to be simply taken down. Minute closes his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and calming the thoughts that had temporarily plagued his thoughts.
“My name is Spoke.” He says confidently, a level of such that Minute wonders if he even has in himself. He stares at Spoke for a long moment, something disgusting and familial curling in his chest and making a revolting nest in his heart.
It chips away at the years of rot, the years of cuts and blood that have sealed into rock lines. It cuts through them like they aren’t stitches made of netherite, but simply string on the floor of a jungle temple.
It aches. Minute can’t tell if he’s dying or finally living. It’s grotesque, it settles in his stomach like a home cooked meal. Spoke and Mapicc confuse him, he barely knows them yet they’ve already found a way to worm their way into the deepest corners of his soul.
“Spoke and Mapicc…” He tests it on his tongue. It feels wrong, like the taste of his mouth in the morning. It feels right, like the feeling of fruit in his mouth on a hot summer day. It’s a contradiction, it shouldn’t be possible, but it is.
Minute wants to run. He wants to go back to Ash and tell him that he needs to kill them. He wants to leave the mafia and bring the two boys with him. He wants to take them home. He doesn’t know where home is, but the words feel right.
“You’re more confusing than I first thought.” Minute eventually settled on. He needed Spoke and Mapicc out of the mafia now, he needed them somewhere safe. He would be speaking to Ash about establishing lava pools for nether hybrids.
The less nether missions they went on, the safer they’d be. The less missions in general they went on, the safer they’d be. Minute could train them, Ash would probably let him, Ash trusted Spoke and Mapicc enough.
That way, Minute could keep an eye over them, he could make sure that their missions were safe, and when they got dicey he could keep them safe. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but he’d make it work, he needed to make it work.
Minute focused back in on Spoke and Mapicc, noticing them nervously eyeing each other. Minute composed himself, taking a deep breath to relax the nauseating feeling that had made its home in his ribs.
He took a few steps closer to the two boys, slowing down and making his steps more purposeful as he noticed them flinch and tense. He stopped in front of them, looking at them and considering their expressions.
He reached into his satchel, pulling out two pins. They were given to all diamond players long ago, each design unique to each player. He pinned one onto the left pocket of both boy’s uniforms, nodding at both of them.
It was a small netherite bat, two small white gems embedded as eyes. He’d had them commissioned forever ago, small pins to claim other Mafia members as your own. Minute had seen many other diamond players do it over the years, he’d just never done it himself.
Both boys had a confused look on their face, Spokes more softer whilst Mapicc’s held much more suspicion. Minute could understand the suspicion, he was a diamond player and he had just given them something that they don’t understand.
“I will train you, my intrigue for you both grows by the second. I will meet you tomorrow on the top level. If a diamond player bothers you, show them your pin.” Minute said calmly. He ignored the looks on the boy's faces. ‘Fear’ something in the back of his mind informed
Minute turned around, unlocking the door and stepping out. He unfilled his elytra, taking off into the sky and back onto the top level. Minute ignored his thoughts that plagued the edges of his mind, warm thoughts that were nothing but hopeful at best.
Minute allowed the cold mask he always wore when talking to Ash to slip back on, one that had slowly slipped off as he spoke to the two boys. Minute sighed as he entered Ash’s residence, set on informing him of Mapicc and Spoke’s training.
He walked around the castle for a few minutes before Ash’s voice pierced the silence, crawling up his back, “My Champion, I take it your conversation with Fish Bucket went well?” Minute turned to face Ash, nodding firmly.
Ash held Minute’s stare, his gaze picking at his organs unlike the gentle presence of Mapicc and Spoke. Minute shoved that back down, he couldn’t be thinking about Mapicc and Spoke, especially not here. “You may speak,” Ash eventually nodded.
“I plan to train them, I have given them both my pin. Both ‘Fish Bucket’ and ‘Gold Chestplate’.” Minute’s voice was level, and Ash nodded calmly. “I shall inform the other Diamonds of this new revelation.”
Minute nodded, “thank you, sir.” Ash hummed softly, considering his words for a brief moment before turning away. “I’m surprised you finally picked someone, much less two.” Minute opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short by Ash’s voice.
“I can smell it on you, the care, the affection, the protectiveness.” The more Ash spoke the more Minute tensed. “I’ll grant you this one mercy, but only because you’ve been so loyal, and Fish Bucket and Gold Chestplate have proven themselves.”
Minute nodded deeply, bowing slightly to further extend his gratitude, “thank you, sir… I won’t let you down.” Ash regarded him with a nod, “You better not, they’re promising, do not tarnish what I’ve built.”
Ash walked away, shoes hitting the tile of the floor and echoing in Minute’s soul. He let out a shaky breath. Minute turned around, walking through the cold halls of the castle and out the main gate. He approached the group of Diamond player houses, pushing open the door to his.
The house was big. Back when he first became a Diamond player he loved it, his Voidling instincts basking in the show of power, but soon after his long suppressed Dragon instincts ached and yearned for others to share the space with.
Minute wonders if Ash will let him take the two boys to live with him. He doubts it heavily but maybe Ash will take pity on him once more, he has been moping around for years about how empty his house felt.
Climbing the stairs he arrived at his nest. It was mostly made up of blacks and a few grays and whites, and he’d always enjoyed it, but now that he looked at it he couldn’t help but feel like it was too dull.
Spoke’s rainbow bandana popped up in his mind, followed shortly after by Mapicc’s own red one. Minute didn’t own much color, so he’ll have to go out and get some more dye, or maybe even buy some from the market or a trader.
Minute wonders about Spoke and Mapicc. Spoke had seemed pretty purely voidling, but now thinking about it Minute swears that his eyes have little stars in them, similarly to how starborns do. He’ll make sure to look at them tomorrow.
Mapicc was obviously a Lava demon, the facial markings and horns enough to prove that alone, but the dog ears that laid flat on his head intrigued Minute. He wondered briefly if Mapicc had a tail, as both dog and Lava demons do.
Thinking of it again, does Spoke have a tail? He wonders if they’d like his nest, Lava demons and Voidlings aren’t that known for nesting, but Dog hybrids have been to on occasion. Minute’s tail wags from side to side, entertaining the idea briefly.
The feeling is back, rotting in Minute’s soul, but it doesn’t scare him this time. Maybe it’s because he’s in his nest, he’s safe, and it’s safe to think like this. It’s safe to entertain the idea of taking Spoke and Mapicc away from here, somewhere safe where they can grow.
He’s aware that Mapicc and Spoke aren’t babies, nor are they really that young, but they aren’t fully grown. Minute can see it in the way that Spoke can’t fully hold his form when stressed, and in the way that Mapicc’s horns are still so short.
He closes his eyes with the thought of the boys fresh in his mind, one of his wings extending as if to cover someone. Minute will ask Ash in the morning about seeing if the boys can live up here, phrasing it about ‘more training’ or something.
Ash will see through it anyways, but Ash isn’t stupid enough to continue letting one of his most favored Diamond Players mope around for the next several years. So they’ll probably end up living with him one way or another.
Somewhere in the lower levels of Mafia City two gold trims wake up. They had been curled together in the corner of one of the houses the night before, a mess of limbs in the dark space. One sits up, yawning as the other groans, blinking excessively.
Mapicc and Spoke haven’t been in the Mafia for long, but they’ve already made their mark, a big enough one to apparently get noticed by Ash and a Diamond Player. Even more so they’d been invited to train under him.
Mapicc pulled some chorus fruit out of his inventory, offering it to Spoke who tiredly took it. He pulled out some of his own golden carrots, munching on a few of them to start his day. They sat like that for a bit, in silence and eating.
Eventually they did have to get up, equipping their elytra and taking off up to the diamond layer. It would be bad if they just didn’t show up. The Diamond player had been trying to hide their emotions, but Mapicc could read them a bit.
He saw surprise when they realized Spoke was a voidling, shortly followed by some sort of disgust and then cold calmness. Mapicc couldn’t really tell if it was disgust, but it was the closest thing that he could describe it to.
Mapicc could feel as he regarded their dog ears, pressed down onto their head to the point that they almost blended in with his hair, but he knew that the Diamond player saw them. He was minorly relieved that he had chosen not to call him out though.
They landed on the top layer, holding onto Spoke’s hand tightly. They wandered around for a moment, considering where to go. A Diamond player approached them, not the one who called them up there, but one nonetheless.
Mapicc tensed, and he could feel Spoke grab his hand a little tighter. The Diamond player regarded them with a level of condescension, but not the violence that Mapicc had grown to expect from those who were above them.
The Diamond player motioned over to one of the houses, “He’s waiting for you, do not delay.” They spoke sternly, walking away shortly after. Mapicc felt Spoke loosen up slightly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze of comfort.
Mapicc and Spoke take deliberate steps towards the house the Diamond player pointed them to. Mapicc pushes down the worry that fills his guts, and he doesn’t doubt that Spoke feels it too. They hadn’t been in the Mafia for long, but they understood the power dynamics all too well.
Mapicc brought his hand up to the door, knocking on it. The knock was short and curt, three quick hits against the wooden doors. They stood there for a quiet moment, listening closely to the sounds from inside the ornate house.
The door opened a short while later, the Diamond player standing there. He was lacking his usual Diamond uniform, but was still in a semiformal outfit. Mapicc registered just a second too late that the Diamond player was a Voidling like Spoke.
The Diamond player opened the door some more, beckoning the two inside. “Come in, come in, I’ll get some food out for you both,” the Diamond player spoke calmly. He closed the door behind them, not locking it.
Mapicc walked in, a tenseness in his body. Spoke was dragged behind him, gaze locked on the Diamond player. It wasn’t a shock that Spoke was interested, considering that they were both of the same species. That explains the odd emotional expressions.
He sat down at a small table in what looked like a kitchen, three chairs seated around it. Two of them were closer to each other than one, so Mapicc assumed that those two chairs had been set out for him and Spoke.
Mapicc stared down at the table, memorizing the grain and color of the wood. The Diamond player sat a plate down in front of him and Spoke. The plates were a dark purple that almost looked black.
There was some food on the plates, and Mapicc recognized the familiar shine of golden carrots and steak on his own. It was considerate, not only offering him food, but food that fit in his diet instead of just whatever was available.
He glanced over at Spoke, his plate having some chorus fruit and a little bit of what Mapicc assumed to be a fraction of a Nether Star. Mapicc felt grateful that the Diamond player was also treating Spoke nicely.
The Diamond player sat down across from them, his own plate possessing the same chorus fruit and Nether Star but with some added magma cream and steak. They sat in silence for a while, Mapicc and Spoke slowly eating.
“So,” the Diamond player started after a moment, “I’ve decided to train you both, and to ensure that you both are dedicated, you will be staying with me while I train you.” Mapicc nodded, Spoke following his action at a slight delay.
“That means you will also be living with me,” the Diamond player looks up at them, checking in on their expressions. Spoke seems relatively calm, maybe a little tense but definitely not as much as Mapicc.
The Diamond player picks up their dishes once they’re done, starting to wash them in the sink. “I can either set up a room for you both, or you can stay with me in my room, choice is yours.” Mapicc glances over at Spoke, trying to read the thoughts in his eyes.
Spoke seems decently accepting of both options, probably because the thought of being around a Diamond player is dulled by the feeling of being around one of his own. Mapicc is leaning more towards separate rooms, but he could tough it out.
Mapicc figured that the Diamond player would get tired of their presence in his room eventually, and that would lead to them ultimately getting kicked out into their own room anyways. Mapicc figured no harm could come of a few weeks sharing a room with the Diamond player.
“We’ll share with you,” Mapicc states curtly. The Diamond player’s tail swishes slightly in what Mapicc briefly considered to be happiness, but the thought is so outlandish that he barely entertains it at all.
Spoke’s tail swishes in that way that Mapicc recognizes as ‘I am going to ask a question that might get us killed’ and he mentally prepares himself to prepare damage control on whatever is about to exit Spoke’s mouth.
“What’s your name? You know ours, can we know yours?” Mapicc almost slaps a hand over Spoke’s mouth in that very moment, so caught off guard by the amount of stupidity Spoke must have to ask a DIAMOND PLAYER their NAME.
The Diamond player laughs lightly in a way that Mapicc prays doesn’t mean ‘you are dead’. He turns to look at them, a soft expression on his face that shocks Mapicc. “My Name? Well, everyone calls me Minute.”
Mapicc lets out a breath of relief, pretending not to notice the way Minute’s gaze fixes on him with concern and not annoyance. Spoke looks at him, placing a hand on his shoulder and Mapicc decides it’s best to let it go for now.
Spoke takes it upon himself to apologize for the question, trying his best to quell Mapicc’s worries, “Sorry for the question, I just… couldn’t help wanting to learn more.” Minute quickly waves him off, saying something about how it was no big deal.
“You both are what, early twenties? You’re bound to be curious.” This time it’s Mapicc who decides that now is the perfect time to open his big mouth and say something that definitely won’t make the situation better.
He looks over at Minute, “Actually, I’m 17 and Spoke is 16,” he says before he can process what he said. By the moment it’s finally clicked that he had just confessed to someone that he and Spoke were but minors, Spoke is already looking at him with his mouth wide open.
“YOU’RE TEENS?!” Minute exclaims, majorly more distressed than the other two appear to be. His wings (he had wings? Mapicc just thought they were a part of his suit…) were now perked up and his stance with defensive.
Minute started pacing in front of the table, mumbling to himself, “I knew you two shouldn’t have been in the Mafia, especially at such a high rank! You two are definitely getting reduced missions, and I’m waiting until you’re both at LEAST 18 before I send you on death missions!”
Mapicc and Spoke stood shocked at Minute’s behavior, and in that moment it finally clicked. It wasn’t disgust, it was fear. Minute felt familial to him and Spoke in some way, and he was scared about how that would affect him.
Minute approaches both of them, reaching like he’s about to pick them both up before pausing and taking a deep breath, “Okay, you’re both coming upstairs with me, now.” He offers his hands to both of them.
Spoke took his hand almost instantly, accepting and willing. Mapicc froze for a moment, buffering and conflicted. He eventually put his hand in Minute’s, allowing him to guide the two boys to the higher levels of the house.
Spoke allows himself to be guided up stares and through hallways, glancing back occasionally to check on Mapicc. Spoke could imply that what was happening wasn’t bad, Minute had seemed too concerned about their welfare to kill them now.
Eventually they arrived in a room, it smelled like comfort, and out of the corner of his eyes he could vaguely see Mapicc relax as the smell washed over him. Spoke looked around, noticing a nest. That explained why it felt so safe in here.
Minute guided them both into the nest, letting them cuddle up together as he adjusted the nest around them. Spoke glanced up at Minute, and for a moment he forgot about the Mafia, he forgot that tomorrow he’d be back to fighting for his life.
Spoke closed his eyes and nuzzled against Mapicc, not flinching when he felt Minute into the nest behind him. Spoke was reminded of when he was a young voidspark, the arms of mother void holding him gently so he could grow to his voidling form.
Minute’s wing laid gently across Spoke and Mapicc, and Spoke almost jumped as he heard Mapicc’s tail rhythmically thumping against the nest. Minute’s arm reached over, pulling Spoke closer and gently petting Mapicc’s head.
Mapicc had repressed his dog instincts for so long, it brought Spoke a level of joy to watch him just exist and be himself for once. A soft purr emitted from his chest, soon being matched by a much deeper one from Minute’s own.
Spoke slipped into sweet unconsciousness, feeling more at home than he’d felt in years, Mapicc following soon after with similar thoughts of safety. Minute was the last to fall into his slumber, taking a moment to enjoy the moment before even he was claimed by sleep.