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The sun shone proudly as Sharpness casually frolicked about at spawn, passing through buildings and weaving past trees. Clouds drifted through the blue sky, and a shadow would occasionally engulf him if he stood directly below one. His hunger was sated after he ate lunch, something familiar along the lines of eggs and potatoes, and he decided that he wasn't so interested in going back to sword training afterwards. His heart desired to wander around, and he reasoned that he still had the rest of the day to spend at his dojo. So, there wasn't much harm in indulging in his free time to greet others and roam around.
The pep in his step faltered when his communicator beeped quietly in his pocket. Before he checked the device, Sharpness felt a wave of concern wash over him. He didn't know why someone needed to message him, nor was he sure if it was about a fight. He wasn't interested in fighting anyone, for he was extremely low on mats, and he did not have many people available in case if he required backup. But ultimately, he willed himself to swallow down his uneasiness and took a look at the message.
godispase whispers to you: are you free?
He felt relieved upon realizing that it was only Godis—who was known for being extremely harmless—as he began firing his response.
You whisper to godispase: sure
You whisper to godispase: why
godispase whispers to you: can you meet me at the church behind judes base
godispase whispers to you: you owe me a favor and i could use it now
He wanted to roll his eyes and sigh, already debating whether or not he should simply decline and run off. But his day had already been off to a good start, so he chose to stay a man of his word as he headed to the church. He wasn't very far away from it as the large building almost immediately came into view. The deep slate brick walls reflected under the sun, with shadows cast from the impressive, mangrove wooden roof. And although the roof was half griefed, he thought that the vines and plants beginning to take over the space made it look divine.
Godis was standing by the small pond to his right of the church, intensely gazing at the small fish as he stood in the swaying wheat that surrounded the water. He had on his usual gold-trimmed armor without a chest plate that he often replaced with an elytra. Sharpness often wondered what it was that made people like Godis so friendly and kind, especially in a world where dog-eat-dog to survive. Perhaps his addition, and the addition of a few others to this world, was what made everything balanced, and prevented collapse and destruction.
His jog slowed down to a walk once he passed Jude's base, and he wondered if Godis was something like the person his therapist wanted him to become—someone who was gentle and easy with everyone. But as Godis tore his eyes away from the fish to acknowledge him, Sharpness decided that Sword would have to suck it up and deal with him being a prick for the rest of time.
"Hi," Sharpness said as he stopped a few feet away from Godis.
Godis began writing something out on a sign, and Sharpness could only feel bad about how the man had to constantly do that to communicate with others. He either talked through a sign or through his communicator, and Sharpness wanted to ask if there was an easier alternative that worked for everyone. Maybe something like sign language would be more convenient.
The oak sign was placed down, and Sharpness read the words, "me and parker saw jude storm off to the lake out west", as Godis signaled toward the general direction.
He nodded, allowing him to continue, but Sharpness wasn't sure if he liked where the conversation was heading. Godis picked up the sign and wiped the charcoal writing with his hands before continuing. The sign was awfully inconvenient, he said to himself.
The sign was placed down again, and the words read, "he wont talk to any of us and we were wondering if you could try", and when Sharpness looked up at him, Godis only shrugged at his unamused expression.
Sharpness raised an eyebrow, "Seriously, why me? He kinda hates me, you know."
Godis only put his hands on his hips and made stern eye contact, to which Sharpness playfully challenged him by meeting his eye and copying his pose. They stood like that for only a moment before Godis sharply pointed towards the direction of the lake, demanding that he go. Suppose he didn't get a say in the matter. Sharpness gave up with a sigh as he ultimately made a decision. But before he walked away, he didn't forget to throw Godis a nasty look that truly held no real bite.
"Fine, but I don't think he'll talk to me either!" Sharpness called out over his shoulder as he walked around the pond and towards the direction he was forced to follow. The lake shouldn't have been too far from the church if he remembered correctly. He continued treading through the plain grass until the air began smelling more earthy and musky, and the still water came into view along with sugar cane. Amidst the tall sugar cane that stood proudly around the lake sat the back of a familiar figure, clearly sulking. Sharpness proceeded forward, although a bit unsure and reluctant.
Grass crunched softly beneath his boots as he carefully toed closer to Jude. He made his steps loud and obvious to deter any unwanted surprises, which was shown to be effective when Jude's ears softly twitched in his direction. It was barely noticeable, but Sharpness saw how he curled into himself tighter, and it made him feel sorry for both of them. He didn't want to be here as much as Jude didn't want his company either.
Floppy ears were pressed to his dark hair as he sat with his arms holding his knees to his chest. There was no armor on his body, and Sharpness didn't like how uneasy it made him feel. It wasn't fair for someone to naked kill another, but even then, he didn't trust that it would keep the man safe from harm. But perhaps it was Sharpness's own personal preference speaking for the apprehensiveness pitted in his stomach; he rarely ever took his armor off unless it was strictly necessary.
Sharpness stopped two steps behind the brooding man. "Jude," he started, but the air stayed quiet and unmoving.
"Jude," he tried again, with a firmer tone. When Jude didn't respond or acknowledge him, he let out a huff, deciding to approach closer. Sharpness attempted to stand next to the rabbit because he thought that maybe it would draw his attention, but Jude only grumbled and turned his back away from Sharpness.
You've got to be kidding me, he thought. He felt a sudden urge to scoff or smile at the sight because the behavior he exhibited was none other than animal-like. It was an action he'd recognized from a long while ago, when was still a young kid; a snowy day, he recalled. He was out in the woods doing what any dumb kid would do, despite his mother warning him not to, for it was too cold and the winds were too harsh. But even with pink cheeks and blue-tinted lips, Sharpness wasn't able to resist the temptation radiating from the woods.
It wasn't anything exciting, really. Especially considering how lonely the forest got during the winter season. But he saw a pair of wild rabbits out in the distance, and thought that it would be a fair idea to take one home for dinner. He had an iron spear in hand as he stalked closer to the pair. At that age, it didn't quite hit him that it would be awfully cruel to separate a bonded pair. His family had the appetite of a predator, and that was all he worried about.
But he distantly remembered pausing a few meters away from them. The two rabbits were, in short, adorable. Their coats were all thick and soft to protect them from the cold, but stood out against the pale-white snow. It made them appear plumper and all the more appetizing.
He wasn't able to take anything back with him, though. Sharpness continued to watch with a curious eye, allowing them to interact and do their own shenanigans, which he wasn't sure if it was entertaining, but he continued to watch from beside a pine tree nonetheless. He didn't know why, but he saw one of the rabbits, the one with a warm brown coat, stomp its hind legs and turn its back to the other one. The behavior made him let out an involuntary giggle that reverberated through the forest and scared off his prey.
And although he eventually came back home with nothing but a pocket full of snow, the memory stayed locked in his mind up until now, as an adult.
It made him all the more aware of the fact that Jude was still part rabbit, and it nearly made him feel something akin to fondness. He then began to wonder what other behaviors he could have adopted, and although Sharpness didn't know much about rabbits, he suddenly felt the need to study them and compare them to Jude, to see what made them similar and different.
"Okay, let's not be like that." Sharpness put his hands on his hips, unsure of what to say or do. Not only was Jude offering him the silent treatment, but he was also stubbornly avoiding him. It made him want to purse his lips at the attitude thrown his way. Nonetheless, Sharpness was given a job to do, and he was feeling kind enough to owe it.
He placed down his ender chest and shuffled through his belongings. There wasn't much that he owned inside, having lost tons of resources and being—by definition—broke, but his hands eventually found what he was looking for. "Here. Take this, I know you want it."
His last spare strength was tossed in front of Jude, and as predicted, the greedy rabbit immediately collected the iron nugget upon recognition, but Sharpness froze once he caught sight of his hand. They trembled when they took the strength, and his thumb appeared bruised and swollen at the base of the joint, which made his mind conjure up multiple questions. Had he broken, strained, or fractured his thumb? How did it happen, or who might've caused it?
"Are you ready to talk now?" Sharpness said instead, unable to voice what he had really wanted to ask.
"Hm…" Jude pretended to contemplate, and Sharpness nearly felt a weight lift upon hearing his voice, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had come when he heard the next few words come out of his mouth. "…Only for another strength." Sharpness felt his eye twitch as he stared at Jude. Of course, he wouldn't be easy. Sharpness wasn't sure what level he was currently on, but he assumed that Jude would warm up to him after one offering. That bastard.
"Dude, that was my last extra. I don't have any left." He tried to look at Jude, attempting to move anywhere that wasn't directly behind him, but the stubborn man only turned his head away with his chin held high. The message was clear. Either he offers something more, or he will be given the silent treatment again. Sharpness wished that he could be rewarded for his mighty patience.
He made the decision step around his ender chest and cut in front of Jude to kneel, but before the man could choose to turn away again, Sharpness gripped his chin firmly and forced his attention on him. Instinctively, the rabbit let out a low growl that wasn't more than a soft rumble and tried to pry Sharp's hand off using the hand that was hurt. His reaction was immediate, and he let out a stifled grunt. But Sharpness, again, heard the sound and noticed his small wince. There. That was his opportunity to get Jude to open up to him.
Jude's knees fell to the ground, and he sat in a loose, cross-legged position. Sharpness used his free hand to gently pry Jude's hand away from his wrist as he released his chin. His eyes watched the faint, red prints of his fingers that lingered on his jawline and parts of his cheek before they faded under soft skin, mesmerized. Jude only raised an eyebrow at his unnecessary staring, and Sharpness felt his cheeks heat up and returned his attention to the hand.
There was, indeed, a broken thumb on Jude's hand. His own gloved fingers carefully caressed the bruised joint, which caused the hand to twitch and threaten to shy away from his touch. Sharpness only mumbled an apology as he carefully checked his other fingers. The rabbit’s palms and fingers sported a few callouses, and he thought about what they would feel like if he took his gloves off. Sharpness didn’t have any of his own due to his gloves and that alone made him more curious. There were a few small, harmless cuts, his ring finger was jammed, and his knuckles were scabbed and raw from what it appears to be brute contact against something. But aside from that, the only thing he worried about was the broken thumb.
He shifted until his bottom was resting on his ankles in a comfortable sitting position. "Jude, can I wrap your hand for you?" Sharpness asked, shifting his gaze to meet Jude's, which had already been looking back.
"Um, sure. That would be nice," he mumbled nervously.
Sharpness searched his inventory for his first aid supplies before setting down a pair of scissors and a roll of tan-colored bandages.
The roll was still fresh and thick with disuse. He located the end of the roll and peeled it from where it connected to the rest of the bandages, and carefully held Jude's hand in his as he placed the end of the roll to his thumb. He began looping it around to create a secure base at the injured joint, before bringing it around to the wrist and wrapping it around twice. On the third go, he brought the bandage back to the thumb, looping it around, before bringing it back to the wrist and wrapping it around once more. Sharpness then cut the bandage from the roll and pressed it down to connect to the wrist.
He prodded around for a moment or two, checking the stability of the bandaging to ensure that it would help ease the pain. Pushing down on his open palms to make sure that the bandages weren't too tight, Sharpness was satisfied when he saw blood flow comfortably beneath the skin as it returned to a healthy color.
"Feels better?"
"Yeah—thank—thank you, Sharp," he replied as he flexed his hand and inspected it.
He chewed on his lip, in thought. "You're not hurt anywhere else, are you?" Sharpness glanced up at Jude. His cheeks were flushed a soft pink, and his eyes refused to meet his, but he wasn't sure why. "Don't lie to me."
"No—no… just the thumb."
Sharpness exhaled the breath he hadn't known he was holding in. "Okay, just—um… be sure to change the bandages out regularly, and talk to someone if your thumb is not healing properly."
Sharpness gently squeezed his hand, just for good measure. To be sure that he understood what was being asked of him was all.
Jude softly grinned, "You sound like a mother—or something, I'll be fine."
"What? I'm not your mom," Sharpness tried to dismiss.
"No? Not even gonna kiss my hand to make the pain go away?"
An awkward laugh was shared between them because they both knew that he was only joking. It was only a part of the joke when his voice got softer and increasingly unsure towards the end of his sentence. So when Sharpness cupped Jude's bandaged hand with both of his gloved palms, he would insist that it was only a joke when he leaned over and pressed his lips against the soft skin of his back hand.
He allowed his lips to linger for just a moment longer, to promise that his thumb would heal smoothly and for the cuts not to scar. Lips reluctantly parted from skin with a soft smack as he lifted his head, and his right thumb whispered over the center of Jude's hand where his lips had just been.
Sharpness suppressed a snort once he brought his head back up to see that the flush on Jude's face only intensified. It looked like he was about to explode, with his eyebrows raised high and his chin dipping to hide beneath his grey neckerchief, and his shy eyes darting anywhere but at him.
”Like a true gentleman…” whispered Jude, and Sharpness couldn't help the laughs and giggles that threatened escape.
"Jude—haha—Jude…" his voice trailed off to a smile at the sight before him. There was a kind of sincerity and intimacy that he hadn't felt since they were still close teammates, and Sharpness suddenly forgot why he was so reluctant to come to Jude in the first place. Perhaps if he had known that he would get to see Jude like this again, so real and just as sweet as he remembered, then he would've run to the man himself without question—he would've done anything that he could ever want.
For something so fleeting, he wished that he could capture the moment in a jar and lock it shut, to never slip from his grasp again. He wanted so badly to have an abundance of it, but Sharpness didn't know why he wasn't able to have it. At least, not forever.
He decided to cut the train of thought before it teetered the line of "dangerous", instead, he busied himself with cleaning up his first aid supplies and putting it back in his inventory.
Sharpness retreated his palms and let Jude's hand fall away. It fell limply, as if he didn't know how to move it anymore. He wasn't sure if Jude remembered how to function anymore, actually.
"C'mon, let's face the lake again. Tell me about what happened."
A hand was placed on Jude's shoulder to gently guide him back to the direction of the lake, and Sharpness shuffled around until he could comfortably stretch his long legs over the grass. Jude still sat with his legs criss-crossed, but he allowed his arms to stretch out behind him and support his weight. The sun was still high in the sky over their heads, telling them that it was still only early in the afternoon.
"Jude, did you eat anything yet?" he asked, his voice soft and quiet enough for only Jude to hear.
"So like… no." He paused, "But I'll refuse whatever you have to offer. You don't have a good rep when it comes to food."
He opened his mouth to attempt to say something, but immediately shut it upon how foolish it would've sounded from his mouth. Perhaps he'd save it for another day.
"Dude, what? You need to eat at least something," he said instead, and Sharpness retrieved a shulker box from his ender chest that still sat a couple feet away from them. Digging through it, he searched for something that Jude might accept. "Would you eat a golden carrot?"
"Not even an apple?" muttered Jude.
"Well… I'm kinda broke," Sharpness held the carrot out to him, "just eat it."
Jude accepted the carrot in his hand, sitting up straightening his posture.
"I thought rabbits liked carrots? Why don't you eat them more?" Sharpness teased, and Jude let out a disbelieving huff.
"Dude, you know that's just a myth."
Jude took a bite of the tip of the carrot, the sound of the vegetable snapping and crunching in his mouth. "Where do I even begin…" he mumbled as he swallowed the bite he took.
"Don't chew with your mouth open. That's rude." Sharpness complained.
"I can do whatever I want, Sharpness," he said with another bite of golden carrot in his mouth. Their banter came naturally, easily. and it made him really miss how things used to be.
The lake was slow and calm before them. It made Sharpness realize that, in a way, this would be a solid place to sulk by, so he understood why Jude had chosen this spot. Although, he would've personally picked somewhere further away from everyone. More secretive. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he had another person by his side.