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There's a part of Wifies that never thought he'd get this far. For all that he played the part of the all-knowing Director, he's always had some level of doubt. Doubt that all the pieces would fall into place. Doubt that he'd have the strength to do everything he needed to.
Doubt that Parrot would survive long enough to fall into his grasp.
For all that the Director could control, there were a thousand things he couldn't. He could use people's greatest fears against them, stalk Parrot from the shadows and track his inventory like a hawk, but at the end of the day, Parrot was always one too-long fall, one mace attack, one careless mistake away from being banned from the server forever. It made Wifies sick with worry.
That's what Paragon is supposed to fix.
Parrot is quiet on their way to the prison. He seemed to realize that trying to appeal to Wifies’ conscience was getting him nowhere, so he settles into a bitter silence, perhaps hoping that his silent treatment will compel Wifies to speak instead. Wifies does not. He's much too busy enjoying his hard-earned time in Parrot's presence. He's missed the feeling of walking alongside him.
Thankfully, Parrot doesn't try to make any ill-thought escape attempts. Even when Wifies has him throw an ender pearl into a pearl cannon, he finds Parrot waiting patiently on the other end when he arrives seconds later. (Though of course Wifies had a backup plan if that wasn't the case.) It seems the threats against his friends were enough to make Parrot behave, as Wifies knew they would be.
They arrive in Paragon through an underground tunnel, one that Wifies makes a point of blocking up with obsidian as they walk through. This is necessary, as he can't have Parrot seeing the outside walls just yet.
Parrot makes no outward indication of fear or awe towards the impressive obsidian panopticon, only glancing at the central lava-surrounded pillar with slight contempt.
“Really, no cell? Just a big pillar surrounded by lava? That's a bit crude for you isn't it?” Parrot snarks, clearly trying to get some kind of reaction out of Wifies. Wifies just shoots him a blank look.
“It gets the job done.”
Parrot scowls, but says nothing more. When Wifies gestures for him to board the flying machine, he does so without argument. He's being so compliant. Or rather, overconfident. He's walking into the prison assuming he can escape, assuming Wifies hadn't thought of literally everything. Wifies imagines, if Parrot knew the truth about this place, how inescapable it really is, he would have had to be dragged in, kicking and screaming.
Wifies has put a great deal of thought into how exactly to contain ParrotX2. He could've kept it simple, chained him up in a cell deep underground, with constant mining fatigue and 24/7 surveillance. Hell, he could have kept him in a 1 by 2, with just enough room to stand and eat and breathe. Nothing else.
But he didn't. For a couple reasons. The first being that Wifies doesn't want to break Parrot. His will to escape yes, but his curiosity? His sense of humor? His smile? Those are things Wifies can't live without. He'd never dream of taking them. That'd be no different from letting Parrot die. So Wifies designed Paragon to be engaging, beautiful, a world for him and Parrot to explore. Safely.
There was another reason that Wifies didn't just lock Parrot in a cell and throw away the key, though. If he did that, Parrot wouldn't ever give up on escape. Quite the opposite. He'd always be convinced that if he could just bide his time long enough, that something would slip. Wifies would screw up. He'd spend years plotting escape plans, fueled by the hope that one day Wifies would let his guard down.
No, Wifies wants Parrot to accept that there's no escape. Which means that, counter-intuitively, he needs to let Parrot try. That's just the kind of person Parrot is. He needs to try and fail and try and fail, over and over again, until he's tried everything he can possibly think of. Only then, after he's exhausted every avenue, will Parrot finally accept his life in Paragon with Wifies.
That's why he designed the first cage. The obsidian pillar, never meant to hold Parrot forever. It's meant as an appetizer. A puzzle for Parrot to solve. (Wifies knows how much he loves puzzles.) With the items that Wifies knows Parrot smuggled in with him, it shouldn't take him too long to escape the pillar and discover the greater walls of Paragon. And once that happens, once he gets his hopes up for escape, only to find himself in another cage, he'll never know if beyond Paragon's walls are just more layers, cages around cages around cages. His hope will start to crack, and in that crack, acceptance will take root. And that's when they'll finally be happy.
They reach the obsidian pillar with a dull thump. Wifies offers a hand to help Parrot as he gets off the flying machine, but he ignores it. Parrot moves to the center of the pillar, instinctively putting distance between himself and the edge. His wings flutter anxiously behind him.
“So, is this it? You're just gonna leave me here?” He finally asks, the first he's spoken in hours. His voice cracks at the edges with words unsaid. Wifies approaches until he sees Parrot stiffen, feathers ruffled. There’s still a good five feet between them. He doesn't like that Parrot is so afraid of him now.
“For the time being.” Wifies replies. It’s a vague answer, giving Parrot nothing to work with, which only serves to make the bird angrier.
“This isn't gonna work, dude. I escaped Proton. You think I can't escape this?”
“We escaped Proton.” Wifies corrects, eliciting a scowl. “With outside help.”
He takes a few steps forward, closing the gap. Parrot makes a move to step back, but stops himself, apparently intent on holding his ground. A foolish king in check.
“You won't be getting that here.”
Parrot grits his teeth, but says nothing. He stares at Wifies, blue eyes piercing. If Wifies had to guess, he’d say Parrot is looking for some hint of the old him, lingering below the mask of the Director. He won’t find anything. Wifies had made sure of that.
After what feels like too long, Parrot huffs, turning away.
“If you're not going to let me go, then leave. I'm done talking to you.”
He would want Wifies to leave, wouldn't he? Not because he's actually fed up with him, no, but because he wants to make his first attempt at escape. He probably thinks it'll be easy to fly across the gap once Wifies’ back is turned. It's a little sad. He doesn't know what's coming next.
---
Wifies The Director is still watching him. Like he’s waiting for something, something that Parrot can’t quite name but he can sense is to be avoided at all costs. He wants to scream. For hours now, he’s been under observation, probably for longer than that. Ten minutes. He just needs ten minutes alone and then he’ll be out of here, flying to freedom beyond the horizon and then… then he doesn’t know what he’ll do. A naive part of Parrot’s brain thinks he can forget this, just go back to his old life like nothing happened. But what even is his old life? It’s certainly not with BAT. Nor is it secluded in an oak house, completely and utterly alone.
No, his old life… is standing right behind him.
“Just leave, bro.” Parrot snaps, refusing to turn around, paranoid that his face will give something away. He hopes he isn't being too obvious. As soon as the Director leaves, he’ll get to work. He’ll use a few smuggled items, toss them over the gap between the obsidian pillar and the staircase to freedom. Once he’s sure there aren’t any traps, he’ll fly over and run like hell. And if there is a trap, well… Parrot will think of something. He always does.
Unfortunately, the Director still hasn’t moved. Parrot can feel the eyes burning a hole into his back, pinning him in place. Like a bug on display.
“I’ll leave in a second.” The Director says, finally. “I just need to do one last thing.”
In the coming weeks, Parrot would kick himself for not catching the sudden change in tone.
“What-”
Parrot hears the potion bottle shatter before he feels it. A wretched sound, not unlike a scream. He dives to avoid the splash, but it's already too late. Thick black liquid coats his skin for just a heartbeat before sinking down into his bloodstream. The effect is immediate. Parrot falls to his hands and knees, and even that's hard to maintain. His muscles shake and spasm until he collapses under his own body weight, laying flat on the ground.
Weakness potion. A strong one.
Parrot wonders briefly how Wifies the Director got his hands on such a powerful potion, but he's quickly distracted by the sight of boots a few inches from his face. Above him, the Director sighs. Then the boots are gone and Parrot feels a weight settle down on his lower back. The Director is sitting on him. That seems to break through his shock. A panicked cry escapes Parrot’s throat.
“What- what the hell did you just do!? Get off me!” Parrot tries to struggle, but his body isn't listening to him. Every muscle helplessly yields to the poison flowing through his veins. He might as well have 200 pound weights strapped to each limb. Even his wings, powerful as they are, lay limply on either side of him. To his absolute horror, he feels the Director begin to pet his left wing softly, running his fingers through the colorful feathers. The touch is so gentle, so much like how Wifies used to-
“This won't take long.” The Director says. His voice is blank, utterly devoid of any emotion. As Parrot twitches and growls, fighting against the potion keeping him still, the Director pushes gently but firmly against the joint of his left wing, forcing it to extend to its full length.
“What won't take long!? What are you doing!?”
The Director doesn't need to answer. Parrot knows what he's planning as soon as he sees what he pulls from his inventory. Glinting in the lava light are a sharp pair of shears.
No. No no no nonononono-
“NO!” Parrot screams, attempting to get away with increased vigor, his heart pounding in his ears. His left finger twitches.
“This won't hurt. These feathers don't have nerve endings.”
Parrot knows that. He told Wifies that. Back around the time they'd first met. Parrot's wings had gotten singed in the Nether. Wifies had been beyond worried, until Parrot assured him that he couldn't feel it. But even if that weren’t true, somehow Parrot knows they still would have ended up here.
The Director- Wifies flattens his primary flight feathers against the obsidian floor. The Director- no, it's Wifies- is digging his knee down into Parrot's back to keep him pinned. Wifies is ignoring his cries. Wifies is holding the shears. Not the Director, Wifies. Always Wifies. His friend, his enemy, his Director, his Wifies.
Wifies is going to clip his wings. And Parrot can't stop him.
“Hold still.”
“W-WIFES-” Parrot screams, then forces himself to stay calm. He can talk his way out of this. He has to. He always does. He just needs to say the right thing- “Wifies- if- if you do this… if you do this, I will never forgive you.”
Wifies should care about that, right? Parrot would, if their roles were reversed. But he looks at Wifies’ face and… the mask isn't lifting. His voice- his words- his ability to talk his way out of trouble, none of it matters here.
“I know.” Wifies holds the shears to Parrot's wing and Parrot wails.
“Wifies- NO- WIFIES PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS- PLEASE!”
Snip. Parrot screams. Snip. He begs Wifies to stop. Snip. He can feel the brush of feathers where they shouldn't be. Snip. A tuft of green blows across the obsidian pillar, into Parrot's line of sight. He gags. Snip.
By the time Wifies has finished with the left wing and started on the right, Parrot has gone silent, save for a few pathetic chirps each time Wifies cuts another feather. It's an involuntary sound, instinctual. Both for self soothing and an attempt to appease.
The logical part of his brain, always running, always trying to come up with the next plan, tells him that it's okay. As long as the damage isn't too deep, clipped wings can grow back within a year. He can deal with this. It'll be hard, but he can wait until his feathers grow in again and soar out of here.
Yeah.
Until Wifies cuts them again.
---
Parrot is despondent by the time he finishes. The only indication he's still alive is the stuttered rise and fall of his chest. Wifies takes a moment to peer at his face. Parrot's blue eyes are open just barely, staring straight ahead. Unblinking and unseeing. The weakness potion probably still has a few minutes left.
Wifies frowns. He didn't love hearing Parrot so upset, but it had to be done. Now Parrot will be safe, at least.
Slowly, so as not to agitate Parrot any further, Wifies stands up. They've really made a mess of the pillar. Green, blue, and orange feathers are scattered in every direction, a reminder of what had just taken place. Surely, Parrot will not want to be reminded of this once he’s come to. Wifies would prefer that they both move on from this unfortunate business as quickly as possible, so he gets to work, gathering up the cut feathers in his arms.
He finds one in particular, a massive blue primary with a glossy, almost holographic finish. So beautiful… so very Parrot. Wifies can't help himself. He stashes the feather in his inventory. Then, he approaches the edge of the pillar, holds the rest of the feathers out, and opens his hand.
He doesn't watch as they all flutter gently into the burning lava below, though he does spare one last glance at Parrot.
He still hasn't moved. He looks like he never will. Wifies shakes his head. He'll be fine. Give him a few hours.
This won't be nearly enough to break ParrotX2.
He's counting on it.