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The smell of the ocean flooded Wemmbu's senses as he approached.
He didn't know where Eggchan was, he told him not to wait up and to keep walking, that he needed to do something alone.
The rain never seemed to stop now. At least, Wemmbu didn't notice when it did. He much preferred the rain now. It made it seem like he was still here, still talking.
Everything seemed a bit duller too. Like instead of life being sucked out of just one man, the universe lost a little as well. It was mourning the loss of him too.
His knees gave out, and next thing he knew, he found himself kneeling in the sand, waves whirling around his pants and rain hitting his back.
Distantly, thunder clapped, but he didn't even flinch. His eyes stayed glued to the waves like he couldn't move them. No sounds were around him, all animals and players taking shelter from the rain.
Tears finally started to fill his eyes, lip quivering. It wasn't long before the drops began to roll down his cheeks, leaving a sticky feeling in their absence.
"Jaden," He whimpered out, voice cracking and weak.
"God, I hate you." Sand fell out of his clenched fists, leaving his nails digging into bare skin. His voice carried no anger, despite the words coming from his mouth.
He wasn't sure how to mourn.
Nobody close to him had ever died, he protected them with every ounce of power he had, and he still failed Jaden. He didn't help enough.
Mourning wasn't something that came easy to him. Emotions weren't either.
Yet here he was, sitting with his hands coated in disgusting wet sand, rain soaked, and crying like a baby.
His chest heaved with the effort of breathing, and for a second he wanted to give into the water and be carried away to a new place by the angry waves.
"You said you would catch up."
The waters reflection was murky, swirling dirt and shells in the wave; yet Wemmbu could almost see himself, stained with the blood of those he couldn't protect.
"You said you would. Why didn't you catch up?"
Thunder rumbled in the distance, like a tease, making Wemmbu all the more aware of the lack of his friends.
"You've never gone back on your word. You said you would catch up. You said it and it was a promise. You'd never break a promise."
His voice was shaking, barely audible to even himself over the pouring rain and rapidly increasing waves. Wind blew his hair all over his face, chilling his wet body to the core to match his cold heart.
"I'm sorry I didn't come down and help. I should've." He mumbled. The great Wemmbu, one of the strongest players, torn down by guilt and grief. Power ripped away from him by the emotion he told himself he would never feel— that he prided himself on not feeling.
He was strong enough to take all of them, Jaden was weaker, and he still hadn't helped. He still thought it would be okay; he still kept flying like Jaden told him to. Because he was too lazy and too prideful to just mace a couple weaklings.
He never wanted to touch his mace again. Jaden was killed by a mace. He never wanted to be affiliated with one ever. It was tempting to throw them into the ocean now, but he knew he couldn't.
Instead, he slid something smooth out of his inventory— Jaden's trident.
One of the first things he'd done when everything calmed down was mended it along with his armor.
He found himself holding the weapon a lot, excusing it as an easier way to fly when it was raining.
No matter how much he held it, it wasn't going to bring Jaden back.
No matter how many tears he cried, or people he killed, or things he did, he was never getting his friend back.
He kept Jaden's hat in his ender chest, only bringing it out on the rare chance he could sneak brushing his fingers against the gold trim.
Eggchan saw him do it once, while they were restocking. They'd both fallen quiet, and while Egg didn't say anything about seeing the hat, Wemmbu knew he had.
He tried to hide his emotions the best he could, but to his best friend, he was easily readable. The sudden need to never let him out of his sight, watching him while he slept, always staying close enough to brush shoulders while they were walking; it was all so obvious to Egg. Fortunately, the angel never brought it up. Sometimes he'd even walk closer himself, or wrap an arm around his shoulders, like a silent 'I'm here, I'm okay'.
He stopped listening as much. Not like he had before, but now he really just couldn't pay attention to whatever his friend was saying, all senses constantly locked on the horizon.
Small things continued changing, things that didn't change him overall, or permanently, but something that would leave a scar.
He hoped the gaping wound in his chest would heal into a scar one day, but he wasn't ready for it to stop bleeding yet. Maybe that was weird, but the sadness almost felt welcoming. The emptiness that resided where Jaden had wormed into his heart was familiar now.
Nobody said his name anymore. Sometimes he or Egg would start mentioning him, and catch on their words. Egg gave him a worried glance whenever someone mentioned him, like Wemmbu was some fragile thing that couldn't handle a word.
Sometimes he even caught himself wondering what Jaden was doing, like he was still there, with Codmaster, or wandering off on some pirate-ly adventure.
He didn't know when his sniffles had turned into full blown sobs, every choke drowned out by the sounds of the ocean, knees pulled up to his chest and face buried in them. He didn't know how he didn't notice someone approaching until their hand was on his shoulder.
Too weak to do anything else, he just opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) and shot a dirty glare. His eyes met Eggchan's own and he froze. Egg had never seen him in such a state, and he really didn't want him to ever see him in such state.
"Wemm.." He mumbled, pity lacing his voice.
Warmth engulfed him as the much drier one of them pulled him into a hug, and Wemmbu let himself break. He sobbed into his friend's arms weakly, burying his face in his chest.
"He said he'd come back, Egg."
"I know." Egg's voice was smooth and reassuring against the wild storm around them.
"He promised me he would catch up."
"I know."
"He- He never breaks promises." He hiccuped, each word hurting his chest even more.
"I know, Wemm, I know." A hand came up to brush hair out of his face, gently petting his head. Egg's hands were always so warm, a comforting feeling to the poor thing you couldn't call a warrior.
He'd never been a warrior. Only a fighter. A weapon.
"You'll see him again one day."
"I want him back now."
"I know you think you can have everything, but I dunno about this one, man." Egg laughed gently, making Wemmbu's head bounce against his chest.
"I'd give it to you if I could." He whispered against the wind, voice softer than he had ever heard before. Maybe Wemmbu wasn't supposed to hear that part.
Silence fell over them, apart from Wemmbu's hiccups and harsh breathing. Occasionally, Egg would mumble something simple, like "It's okay," or another "I know", hand never faltering as it ran through his tangled purple hair, much too gentle for someone like him.
Eventually, his sobbing turned into uneven breathing, and the rain had let up just enough to signal it wasn't done yet, but giving them mercy.
Neither of them spoke as they stood up, sand stuck all over their clothes. They didn't speak when Wemmbu embraced Egg in a tight, suffocating hug, and they didn't speak on the way to where they'd build their new base.
Only when they got there did Wemmbu pull the hat out of his ender chest and hand it over to Egg.
He deserved to mourn too, even if he didn't know Jaden as well.
Egg smiled simply at it, twisting it around in his hands before sticking it on Wemmbu's head.
"Pirate hats suit you."