Chapter Text
~~
"Hey hey, wake up bird guy. We've a long day ahead of us."
Two tanned hands were pushing on Parrots body, rocking him back and forth in an attempt to wake him up. These hands were familiar, Parrot knew them all too well as this exact situation seemed to occur almost daily, unchanging for some odd reason. Fluttering his drowsy eyes open, Parrot begrudgingly started to sit up, using his weak arms to lift up his body while slowly crossing his legs and placing his back on the headboard behind him. There was nothing good about these mornings, nothing at all. The bird glanced at his hands for a second before using them to ruffle his hair, ridding himself of bedhead.
The room he was in was small, a single bed and a drawer occupied the little space that was available, the door hanging wide open and the curtains open, allowing the sunlight to beat down on Parrots face. The bedsheets were nicely made, courtesy of Wifies but the duvet was disheveled, flipped over and half hanging off the bed.
"Breakfast is in fifteen. Also shower, if you can. Wifies got new soap that hopefully won't be as sensitive on your feathers."
The other person looked at him with a slight frown before turning away and letting out a soft sigh. He started to take slow steps toward the end of the room, reaching the doorframe.
"Dean, when you're downstairs, please tell Wifies I'm thankful for that." Parrot croaked out, though deliberately avoiding eye contact.
Dean glanced at Parrot for a small moment, who was still meddling with his hair, before fully stepping out of the room, half closing the door on the way out.
"You should tell him yourself."
-
The three sat at the wooden dining table, silently eating their varying meals. Each one focused on the food in front of them, not a single word spoken. The still spoke louder than any words. All three had something against another and yet they were forced to live together in this small secluded house near the farlands. None of them knew how this house came to be or who had originally lived there, but it was convenient for them to live in, temporarily. Or so they had said to themselves, over a year ago. When they had found it, after using the community pearl canon, it was battered and there were clear indications someone had lived here before, likely someone who was a victim of the mafia. The house had its necessities, two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom, just about enough for the three. They frequently cycled through sleeping on one of the two beds and on the sofa, making it 'fair' for everyone but Wifies often took advantage of Deans poor memory, making him sleep on the sofa more often than not. Parrot had scolded Wifies for it several times but the topic was brushed off every time, it just wasn't worth the effort.
Dean was the first to finish his food, pushing himself back in his chair, the harsh scraping of wood on wood echoing in the room. Wifies frowned slightly at the noise, he hated it so very much, Parrot didn't particularly care all that much.
"Can you actually just lift up your chair when moving it?"
Dean, grabbing his bowl and spoon, didn't reply but rather went off to wash his dishes. He already was mentally prepping himself for what was to come as it had occurred a thousand times over.
"Hello? You can't just keep ignoring me."
"Can you please stop bothering me..."
Dean mumbled back, letting water run as he started the washing up, avoiding looking back at Parrot and Wifies. He wasn't trying to have another argument but it was clear Wifies was trying to start a fire between them.
"What was that? Nevermind, not hearing it from a mafia mem-"
"Ex mafia member."
"Yeah right."
Parrot wanted to interject and stop yet another pointless argument but didn't find it within him to do so, it would likely blow over in a minute anyway. Silence filled the room once again, the tap still running for a couple of seconds before Dean turned it off. Instead of returning to the table, Dean went off to the living room, sitting on the sofa and doing his own thing, as per usual.
Parrot peered at Wifies with a solemn expression painted on his face. Wifies didn't seem to notice as he was still eating. The constant fights was something he hated about this house, Parrot disliked Wifies for this but actively tried to not let it disrupt their friendship.
"Hey, Wifies.. uhm, could you..."
Parrot hesitated.
”Nevermind.”
Wifies glanced up for a moment before going back to his food.
"Hm?"
"It doesn't matter, thanks for the soap by the way. Dean told me you-"
"It's all cool, I knew you didn't like the previous one anyway."
The two both finished their shares and went to do their dishes, Wifies taking on Parrots for him, receiving a verbal thanks for it and the house would soon return back to its usual hushed state.
-
The sun was now high up in the sky, midday had just passed and Parrot was sitting on the edge of a riverbank with a fishing rod in hand. Wifies was slightly further away, tending to the crops on the small farm they'd created a couple months earlier. Parrot took this downtime to reflect upon himself, as he usually would. He told himself there was nothing he could do to change the past but often found himself thinking about what he could have done differently to avoid this somber outcome.
Most of his friends were either dead or had been indoctrinated into the mafia, the few remaining hiding were somewhere in the world and likely never to be seen again. He often considered joining the mafia, but his resolve held strong for the time being, he wouldn't let Ash get what he wanted for now.
The mafia controlled most of the world, with almost every person belonging to the mafia in one way or another. Most people were invisible for their entire lives on the server, not getting a single chance to live a normal life, but instead being forced to stay silent and unseen, their lives on the line if they even thought about leaving the mafia. Parrot thought it was the worst fate of all, at least he did so a year ago. Every day it seemed like he became more complacent with the idea of joining, after all he had been invited many times before and all his friends were there.. maybe he could even see them again.
Parrot shook his head, snapping back to reality and pushing his thoughts to the side as he felt the line on his fishing rod pull. He swiftly reeled in the fish, it was on the larger side which made Parrot smile, ever so slightly. He took the fish off the hook and placed it into the metal bucket beside him, casting the line back out and drifting back off into his own mind.
Life near the farlands wasn't easy, but it definitely wasn't too hard, just repetitive. All the days seemed to blur together as they were all the same. The same people, the same food, the same place, the same arguments, the same old Parrot. The only differences was the occasional mafia member who flew over the area, unaware of the people living there. Parrot hadn't even eaten meat in a year, the mafia had taken all the animals and only fish were left. There were only so many meals one could make with fish, wheat and potatoes.
Wifies and Dean were decent company, at least for the time being. They argued often and a lot, leading Parrot to naturally tune out their shouting voices. From Parrots understanding, Wifies hated Dean because he didn't do all too much here, he sort of just lounged around most days as he didn't have the survival skills the other two had, in Wifies eyes, a weakest link. Dean also used to be part of the mafia which Parrot didn't consider a valid reason to hate him for as Parrot knew he was likely indoctrinated upon arrival to the server. Many times, Wifies had tried to tell Parrot they should ditch Dean but every time Parrot refused, he wouldn't leave another innocent player to fall victim to the mafia.
Another tug on the fishing line, another fish. This one wasn't as large, but still good enough. Once again, placing the flopping fish into the bucket, watching the energy drain from its movements as it slowly died. Parrot stood up, clutching the bucket and the fishing rod, making his way to Wifies, who was replanting some seeds.
"Wifies, you need any help? I'm about done here and I'm tryna head back."
Wifies looked up at Parrot, smiling broadly.
"I'm all good, I'm nearly done anyway."
Parrot stood and watched his best friend replant seeds for the next couple of minutes, a comfortable silence being shared between the two. After the task was complete, they started the journey back to the house.
Dean was watching tv as the others arrived, the door swinging open gently. Parrot placed the bucket down in the kitchen, making his way to the living room with Wifies. Parrot sat next to Dean and Wifies say next to Parrot, all three focused on the tv as evening started to come around.
-
A light knock.
A foreign sound to the three. Nobody had ever knocked on the front door before, at least since they moved into here. They'd almost forgotten what it sounded like. The farlands were usually quiet, with barely anyone inhabiting its plains due to the difficulty journey it took to get there, especially without the usage of a pearl canon as they’d been previously destroyed by the mafia. Another person stumbling across this place was definitely intentional.
Dean instinctively walked up to the door, placing a finger on the doorknob before Wifies grabbed him by the collar, pulling him back before any mishaps could occur.
"What are you doing?! We don't know who's out there and what they're capable of."
Wifies whispered, reprimanding Dean for his brash actions. Dean grimaced slightly but seemed to acknowledged his mistake at least in Parrots eyes. Parrot looked at Dean, then Wifies with an unreadable expression before sighing softly.
"Let's get what remains of our armour so we have it at the ready, I'll open the door, take the front and do the speaking."
Parrot stated, the others agreed and heading upstairs to grab their enchanted diamond sets. The same ones they'd used when they first arrived here in the farlands, the same ones damaged by the mafia in their relentless battles from over a year ago. Deans chest plate was far too damaged to be used anymore, slashes littering the front and some parts bent inwards awkwardly. There weren't enough resources in the house nor the time to craft a new one, so Dean had to go with a chest plate made of iron. The rest of the armour pieces were relatively worn down but nothing a little xp couldn't fix... if they had access to any. The trio put on their armour sets, distributing weapons between themselves in case of an attack. It wasn't anything crazy, but it was enough to allow them to escape if needed.
Parrot, standing in front of Dean and Wifies, took a long drawling breath, staring at the door handle for a few seconds. He placed a hand on the door knob, his heart rate starting to increase and tensions rising. Finally, he turned the doorknob, opening the door, the trio looking to see who was on the other side.