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It was almost perfect.
He already had most of the essentials. Much of what was left to be done for their base was decorating, and unfortunately for Wemmbu, that wasn't exactly his strong suit.
They were close enough to a civilization that getting materials hadn't been too much of a hassle, but the question was what exactly to buy next.
Wemmbu framed the room using his index and thumbs as he tried to channel his inner Horace. A few bookshelves could be good. Maybe add in some more foliage, too. He'd have to ask Egg about the finer details—his best friend always had better aesthetic taste than he did.
"Yo, Wemmbu!" Egg spoke up from downstairs as if on cue. "Someone sent you something."
Wemmbu dragged himself down the stairs, finding Eggchan standing near the door. When he got closer, he waved a book and quill in front of the demon's face. "What is that?"
"I dunno. Some guy delivered it a minute ago," Egg answered. "It's a letter, I think."
"Who the hell would send me a letter? That's lame." Wemmbu snatched the book from his friend's hand, briefly inspecting it before he opened it to the first page.
He was expecting some sort of threat, maybe a challenge from the hundreds of randoms he could have offended, but the writing was oddly straight to the point.
Dear Wemmbu,
I need your help. If you can, please come to the Northern Council tomorrow morning.
- Parrotx2
Parrot? What could he want with Wemmbu? The last time they spoke was when he and the rest of their little ragtag group put Lettuce behind bars. It's been about a month since then, but surely he hasn't gotten himself into trouble already?
"Huh, you think it's something serious?" Eggchan asked as his giant eyeball read through the page from beside Wemmbu. "If he's asking you of all people, he must be at his wit's end."
Wemmbu raised an eyebrow. "You're making it sound like I'm just some sort of last resort."
"Bro. I could count with one hand the list of things you could reasonably help Parrot—of all people—with." As if to prove his point, Eggchan made a show of counting with his fingers. He seemed to get stuck after raising two. "Yep. It's either he needs you to mace someone, or to bomb a place."
"Okay that's definitely a gross underestimation of my very, very diverse skillset." Wemmbu said, but even he had trouble thinking of a reason why Parrot would need to summon him. "Maybe he needs me as some sort of political piece again."
"Didn't he already win the election? What else would you be used for?"
"Bro, how am I supposed to know? He couldn't be more ambigious in this letter if he tried." The demon shuffled through the other pages, trying to see if there was anything else written in there. But everything save for the first page was empty. "You don't think there's some secret code in here? Like, like—in those ARGs. That's a very Parrotx2 way of communicating I'm pretty sure."
Eggchan took the book from Wemmbu's hands, inspecting the whole thing himself. "I think if Parrot was desperate enough that he had to communicate through code, he would choose to communicate with anyone else but you."
"D'alright." Wemmbu rolled his eyes, but Egg was probably right. Guess he had no choice but to just go there tomorrow. "You wanna come with me and see what this is about?"
"Nah bro, you got this. I still have to build my epic base," Eggchan replied, gesturing to the mass blob of stone outside of their treehouse. He wasn't exactly sure what that thing was supposed to be, but he didn't really care, either.
"Okay, whatever bro. Just send me out to die, then."
---
When morning came, Wemmbu geared up as best as he could. Not that he thought Parrot would try and do anything to him—really, they were long past that. (He could even call them friends at this point. Though he would never say it outloud). But after playing on this server for so long, it really never hurt to be prepared.
After giving Egg a quick goodbye, he made quick work of the journey using his elytra. In the middle of a few thousand blocks of snow, the Northern Council stood right where he remembered it.
Unlike a month ago, all the craters left by his orbitals have now seemingly been fixed. Looking at it now, you really wouldn't guess that one of, if not the biggest battle this server has ever seen, happened here of all places.
As Wemmbu neared the entrance of the castle, he unequipped his elytra and landed using his water bucket.
Then, the first thing he noticed was the silence.
He thought players just weren't rendering in because he was flying, but now that he was on the ground, he could confirm that wasn't the case at all. There was simply nobody—guards or otherwise—anywhere around the place.
"Hello?" Wemmbu called out onto the open entrance, his voice echoing across the halls and back to him in reply. "Anyone there?"
Could Egg have been right? Maybe this really was something serious after all. Surely a king would have atleast a few people guarding the place he lives in. Was Parrot actually in trouble?
Just in case, Wemmbu equipped Gambit in one hand, and a totem in the other before sorting through his inventory.
Maybe he was being just the tiniest bit paranoid. He had already ensured everything was in the right place before he even left—he was more than ready should he need to fight.
"Okayyy, so since nobody is stopping me I'm assuming I can just barge in," he called out once more to nobody in particular before equipping his elytra again.
Wemmbu flew through the castle's corridors—the same place he and Parrot walked through when they originally foiled LettuceK's plan a few weeks ago. The same place where they also held a vote whether to spare his life or not.
Then he flew up the stairs, the same ones that led to that giant meeting room where they locked him up.
The same place where Parrot should be right now.
But when he reached the giant room, what greeted him wasn't Parrot, or any other player, but a giant mess of...clothes?
"Parrot? You plan on showing yourself anytime soon?" Wemmbu stumbled about the place, trying to avoid stepping on anything while also looking for the avian that summoned him. "Come out come out wherever you are, or something."
When he was still met with no answer, Wemmbu finally shifted his attention to his surroundings. Namely, the big fat elephant in the room: The huge heap of random clothes spread about everywhere.
Did Parrot get robbed? That was the most logical conclusion he could think of when looking at the place.
But aside from the ransacked clothing, everything else seemed to be perfectly in place. Did the robber just go through Parrot's closet? Was there nothing else in this castle that was more valuable? Were did all of it even come from?
Actually, were these even Parrot's clothes?
Wemmbu crouched down, picking up the nearest article of clothing he could. Huh.
It was... a coat. Not just any coat, but the type of coat he would wear. Definitely not something he has seen the avian put on ever.
He picked up a different piece: A blue waistcoat with embroidery detailing that most players in the server would fail to appreciate.
Wemmbu ran his hands across its fabric and, just as he thought, it was made of linen.
The other pieces scattered around struck Wemmbu's fancy much of the same. Capes and cloaks of different colors, wool tailcoats, cravats and neckties and the like—it was almost as though the whole collection was made especially to his tastes.
He has half a mind to consider if this was some elaborate trap, but the sight of a pretty purple vest in the far right of the room was more than enough to quickly distract him. Maybe the robber had some sense after all.
Wemmbu placed an ender chest and stuffed said vest inside. If Parrot was really in trouble, he feared he might have to wait until the demon finished sorting through this absolute goldmine.
"Wemmbu? Is that you?" A familiar voice broke through as the sound of footsteps came closer to where he was standing. "...What are you doing?"
Wemmbu quickly stashed his ender chest back in his inventory. He didn't have to turn around to know who that was—Parrot's voice was unmistakable.
How annoying, of course he just had to show up when he was about to cause some trouble. Typical Parrotx2 activities.
"Well, well, well... If it isn't the King of Unstable himself! How kind of you to finally grace me with your presence." The demon turned to face him, but whatever quip he had prepared flew out the window the moment he finally saw Parrot.
Well, what he was wearing, to be exact.
"Don't change the subject. Did you just steal something?" nagged Parrot, his bird feet tapping impatiently on the floor.
So these really are his, Wemmbu's mind supplied, but he could already guess as much. Especially considering the fact the bird was wearing clothing similar to those that were scattered on the ground.
It was the first time Wemmbu had ever seen him in such a get up. Usually he would just be in a giant poncho, or some sorry excuse of a jacket paired with pants that look like they're ready to burst at the seams.
Now, he was dressed in what Wemmbu could only describe as overt extravagance. He had on layers of different pieces, a hundred different accessories, and, to top it all off, a giant robe with fur lining, of all things.
Wemmbu couldn't help it. He burst out laughing.
"Why—what, what are you—hah!—" he tried to compose himself, but he was already doubled over the table, cackling like a witch. "What—what the hell is that?"
Parrot, on the contrary, hardly seemed amused. "...Stop laughing bro."
"How am I—like, what was the vision here?" Wemmbu gestured to the mess that is the server's current ruler. "You're not even color coded! Are you trying to out-rainbow Spoke or what?"
He didn't even know it was humanly (birdly?) possible to make something look this tacky.
Parrot had layered on a bright green vest on an equally bright blue shirt. The coat he wore had a red plaid pattern, and he had a second, much shorter black coat on top of it. His trousers were a bit better—just a typical boring brown. But his accessories could barely even match with anything on the outfit, much less with each other. And to top it all off—his robe was more than a few sizes larger than the bird was. Instead of making him look imposing, it only shrunk him even further.
"Are you done?" Parrot said, but Wemmbu could hardly take him seriously when it was so obvious that he was embarrassed, too. "If you could just stop making fun of me, maybe I'd be able to explain why I called you here."
"Well I can definitely name one thing you need help with right now," Wemmbu joked, delivering another jab towards the avian. "But sure, enlighten me, won't you?"
Parrot, despite being given the silence he asked for, didn't speak. Or he couldn't. You could see in his face that he was trying to find the right words to say, but whatever it was, he was clearly failing to do so.
And then it clicked.
"Wait. No way." Wemmbu drew closer to Parrot as the realization slowly set in. The clothes on the floor that coincidentally matched his own style, Parrot's mess of an outfit, and a letter asking him, specifically, for help. "You summoned me here for—for fashion advice?"
The avian didn't meet his gaze. He shuffled in place, almost as though he was being forced to finally talk. "...Yes, pretty much."
Wemmbu couldn't help it. He burst out laughing again.
"Okay I know this sounds ridiculous, but—" Parrot tried to interject in between his rambunctiousness. "—this is for the good of the server. And you're the only one I know I can ask."
"Bro, don't pull your 'last hope' bullshit on me now. It's not gonna make this any less funny." Wemmbu finally found it in himself to calm down, atleast enough to have a proper conversation. "Who even put you up to this?"
Parrot took off his giant, ridiculous robe, and tossed it into one of the many piles of clothing on his feet. "Mainly Theo's idea. Said I had to 'look the part,' especially since it'll be my coronation speech later."
"Wow. I didn't take you to be someone so vain."
The avian chuckled. "Well, he isn't exactly wrong. If I want Unstable's players to acknowledge me as their king, the least I could do is dress like one."
"And that's where I come in? The most stylish player in all of minecraft?" Wemmbu replied with a spin, even though all he was currently wearing were mismatched netherite and diamond armor on top of the first shirt he could grab that morning.
"Sure bro, whatever floats your boat," Parrot deadpanned. "So will you help me or not?"
Wemmbu thought about it for a moment. It was definitely an unexpected request, but not exactly an unwelcome one. It sure as hell was easier than having to go out on some random quest, or having to go fight some random person. Not like he had anything better to do than continue building his base, anyway.
"...Okay, whatever. I guess I can humor you, your royal highness." Wemmbu looked over Parrot's current clothing once more. "First order of business, like, get rid of whatever that is. Also, I'm keeping everything in this pile."
Parrot sighed in defeat, but did as Wemmbu asked. Soon enough, they were both hunched over the floor, hunting through the different stacks of garments for something that could make even Parrot look good.
The whole thing was strangely... mundane. Absolutely not something Wemmbu would willingly choose to do regularly, but participating in something unremarkable once in a while wasn't so bad.
The bird wasn't lousy company either, though his taste in clothing was questionable. Wemmbu had always been pretty chill with Parrot—they've had their fights, sure, but they still somehow keep finding their way back to each other. It was almost poetic, really, when they couldn't be anymore different.
Still, here they were, arguing over whether purple or red could make you look more kingly.
"Bro, bro—listen to me. You just can't pull off purple. It clashes too much with your feathers." Wemmbu argued. Somehow, someone who couldn't even tie a corset on his own 30 minutes ago now thought he knew better than the stylist he appointed himself. "You're whole being screams 'nature vibe' and you want to go with the most unnatural color alive. Are you actually stupid?"
"But historically, purple is always attributed to royalty. This makes the most logical sense." Parrot shoved the suit in front of Wemmbu, as though doing so would convince him. "If you ask me, you just don't want me to wear it because you want it for yourself."
"Okay, maybe, but I thought you didn't want to go too hard on the 'royalty' thing? Like, what happened to keeping it humble?"
"I can still look approachable in purple."
"I'm literally purple. Do I look approachable to you???"
Parrot, in all his wisdom, seemed speechless by that. Wemmbu almost felt offended.
"Okay fine. I'll try on the red one and we can see and compare. Happy?" The avian said, raising his hands in mock surrender.
The demon threw him the ensemble he specially picked out. "Very much. Now hurry up."
Then, he waited (while snooping around to steal more clothes), as a good, law-abiding servant of the king does.
When Parrot finally came out from the next room in his new attire of red and gold—he looked just as Wemmbu expected: Good, regal, dignified, and every bit the king he now was.
It was actually scary how easy it was to turn someone like Parrot—good ol' Parrot with his shitty PvP and overly optimistic view of the world—to someone that looked like they could change this server with just a single word, all with a few pieces of clothing.
But that was the end goal, wasn't it? To turn him into someone else—someone the players could look up to as their ruler. That was what he was here for.
Strange. He got the effect he wanted, so what was this uneasy feeling? Is your vision of what a ruler should look like supposed to be so familiar?
"Well, I guess I can admit when I'm wrong. This looks pretty good." Parrot said, stiff as a board in the unfamiliar getup. "What do you think? How do I look?"
Wemmbu's breath hitched.
No words came to him. He just stared at Parrot, wide-eyed like a deer in headlights.
"Wemmbu?"
It was great. He looked great. There's no reason he wouldn't, he picked that damn outfit. All he had to do now was give his approval and not stand there looking more like an idiot by the second.
He looked like a king. A spoiled, haughty king. A king who'd get so drunk on power and be so blinded by their own trust issues that they'd send a loyal partner to build a colony that they'd eventually destroy themselves.
A king who'd betray Wemmbu.
A king who has betrayed Wemmbu.
"...You look—"
—like PrinceZam.
"—fine," he choked out instead. "Try the others out, too."
Parrot's gaze lingered, just for a moment too long, and Wemmbu thought he would almost say something. But he just grabbed the purple set he was fighting for earlier, and wordlessly went back to the other room to change.
He could feel some of the tension leave his body, but being alone in this big, silent room suddenly made Wemmbu all too aware of his present situation.
How could he forget? He had done this all before. Except back then, he was the one in Parrot's shoes, and someone else was in his.
If we're going to work together, the least you could do is look the part.
Wemmbu never used to care for frilly shirts, or suits with overly complicated buttons. He didn't care when his bangs would grow too long or that the only thing that looked nice about him was his cherished tiara. If it didn't serve him practically, he really couldn't be bothered less.
But when he came to that empire and stood in front of PrinceZam on her throne, he had to lay down some of his pride and go along with her indulgences.
He had never really been sure why any of the things she taught him stuck, but Zam had her way of worming into the crevices of his mind. So much so that even here, almost two years later, he couldn't tell if his actions were truly his or just another consequence of her influence.
"This one is pretty good, too, you know. I don't think it looks that bad with my feathers at all." Parrot eventually came out of the other room again, and once more, he asked Wemmbu for his opinion.
The demon mumbled something in agreement—or was it disapproval? He didn't really know. Wemmbu could barely register his own words anymore.
Parrot's next few fittings went by in a blur. Wemmbu almost felt like he was floating—because he wasn't really there in that big room in the Northern Council anymore.
Instead, he was back in PrinceZam's Empire, when his biggest concern was trying to differentiate between satin and chiffon. Or when he got his first ever mace, failed spectacularly at using it, then eventually had to burn it. Or when they chased after Spoke across the whole server, and finally chunkbanned him after his little scavenger hunt.
Back in PrinceZam's Empire, when he still thought Zam actually saw him as a friend.
"Wemmbu!" Parrot snapped his fingers in front of the demon's face. "Earth to Wemmbu? Are you still there bro?"
"What? Bro, I'm right here. Stop overreacting." He tried to play it off as cool as he could, but Parrot wasn't stupid, and he was starting to notice. "What were you saying again?"
The avian had that annoying look in his face where you could tell he was debating whether he was going to say something or not. It was at times like these that Wemmbu wished Parrot didn't live up to his title of 'Minecraft's Smartest Player.' "This brooch, bro. Can you help me put it on?"
"What, you can't even put on a brooch?" Wemmbu hoped the ground would just swallow him whole. "What will become of Unstable now with you in charge?"
He took the brooch from Parrot's hands—a red ruby with an oval cut, surrounded by gold detailing in the shape of feathers.
A suprisingly good choice? Perhaps Parrot was finally learning something.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Parrot perked up. "Most of the clothes and jewelry here were donations from Fymada and the people of Capital City, but that brooch in particular was commissioned by Theo. A 'congrats on becoming king gift,' he said."
"Huh. Didn't take him for someone with taste."
"I'm not gonna lie, I didn't think the color would suit me," Parrot took a step back and spun around, showing off the outfit he seemed to have settled on. "But you've changed my mind."
Wemmbu scoffed. "You're so corny."
The avian now wore a cyan blue suit that went above his knees. It looked a bit childish—if Wemmbu wanted to look like a ruler, he would go for more darker tones—but he could see that it was very much Parrot-like. It suited him annoyingly well.
Then, instead of the heavy robe he had on earlier, he topped the outfit with a deep red cape and gold jewelry. All matching well with both the crown on his head and the brooch in Wemmbu's hands.
Parrot had always been a fast learner, but even the demon was impressed at the massive improvement of his current outfit versus what he had on when he first saw him. It reflected his position well, but still allowed his personality to shine through. An overall perfect fit.
Wemmbu gestured for Parrot to come closer. When he did, he fixed the jabot hanging on the avian's neck, before lining the brooch so it sat perfectly in its center.
"Hey Wemmbu, I have a question."
"Hm?" The demon replied as he worked on putting the complicated trinket on.
Parrot sucked in a breath, almost as though he was preparing to go to war. "...Do you think I'll make a good king?"
Wemmbu's hands froze in place. "Isn't it a bit too late to be getting cold feet?"
"Well, no, I'm not scared—just, worried, I guess. Anybody would feel a bit pressured when the fate of the server is in your hands."
Wemmbu shrugged. He wouldn't really know—he could care less about the well-being of the server. But even still, he found himself contemplating Parrot's question.
Looking back on it, Parrot was one of the few people who had been here since the start. From Spoke, to Boosfer, to The Mafia—they've taken down their fair share of wannabe villains together.
Then came that time he fought Flame and faked his death to go under a new identity. It had been fun for a bit until Parrot ruined all his plans and revealed him to the entire server. Parrot was convinced Wemmbu never liked him, for some reason. He never really understood why he did—he thought they were pretty solid.
But then he got hunted by Law, put in that miserable prison, and then apparently got scheduled for execution. Wemmbu didn't like Parrot then—why would he? He put him in that mess in the first place. So when he came to the Great Sea to ask him for help, Wemmbu had made up his mind to finally ban him off the server.
Wemmbu was glad he didn't go through with it. He may not have understood it back then, but he never wanted to kill Parrot.
Especially not when Parrot had been the only one to face him, and say the words he would never admit he wanted to hear.
I'm sorry.
He wondered if that was what he wanted to hear from Zam: An apology. Maybe he had hoped they would be able to sit and talk about everything, somehow. But between getting stuck in prison and fighting Lettuce—there hadn't exactly been much time to spend on a little heart-to-heart with an old enemy.
It hardly even mattered now. They've both changed, for better or for worse. She was no longer that power-hungry emperor, and he was no longer someone she could mock and call weak. She even acknowledged such a fact, back when they were stuck together in that wretched Law prison.
He could only wonder: If it was Parrot in Zam's shoes, what choices would he have made? Would he also get high off his own power and let it consume him whole, or would he rule with the justice and fairness he spent his days preaching about?
If it was Parrot in Zam's shoes back then, would he have betrayed Wemmbu?
It was a stupid thought. Zam had made her choices. No amount of what-ifs could change what happened between the two of them, or undo all the hurt he still refused to say outloud. Maybe one day they would see each other again—maybe, one day, they would talk about it.
But that was Zam, and this was Parrot.
"I think," Wemmbu started, choosing his next words carefully. "If someone had to do it, you would probably be the best choice."
He paused, checking to see if Parrot would speak. When he didn't, Wemmbu continued.
"I mean, honestly like—I still think Unstable shouldn't have anybody ruling over it. This whole king thing still feels a bit stupid. But you know, since it all happened anyway, I'm glad it's you on the throne." The demon rambled on. He wasn't used to comforting anybody, much less give words of encouragement. "Don't tell Egg I said that, though. Like bro, I've seen him rule an empire, and it didn't exactly go as planned."
Parrot laughed, light and easy. "Sure bro, my lips are sealed."
With a click, Wemmbu was finally able to put on the stupid brooch, and the whole look was complete.
"So, you ready?"
The avian spun once more, making sure everything was in the right place. "I think so, yeah."
"Parrot! You done yet? I just got back but—wohohoho!" Theo's loud voice boomed from the entrance of the room. "Wow, uh, you look, like—like a king!"
Right, Theobald. Wemmbu forgot to ask about where he was—or why the castle had been empty since he came. Oh well, it probably wasn't important.
Now that his job was done and Parrot's trusty bodyguard was here, Wemmbu turned to leave—scanning the room of any windows he could jump and fly off of. When he found none, he resorted to just equipping his pickaxe and digging out the good ol' way.
"Are you seriously griefing my castle?" Parrot asked, somehow noticing him creep off even though he was deep in a conversation with the other bird.
"I'll put the blocks back!"
"Dude, you're not staying for Parrot's speech?" Theo butt in. "This is your king now, you know."
"Nah, he got it," Wemmbu waved him off, digging through the last layer of the castle's wall. He equipped his elytra back on, fireworks in one hand and totem on the other, fully ready to leave until Parrot cried out.
"Wemmbu!"
The demon looked back at the avian. He looked every bit the king he now was, and this time, that was who Wemmbu finally saw—not a shadow of Zam, or anybody else—but Parrot.
King Parrot.
"Thank you, for the fashion advice," Parrot said. "And for what you told me. I'll do my best to live up to it—you have my word on that, atleast."
Wemmbu could only laugh at that again. Seriously, who else but Parrot would promise the well-being of the server to its most notorious criminal?
Still, he had to admit atleast to himself—this was the reason why he was quite fond of the dumb bird.
Wemmbu grinned. "Sure bro, I'll hold you to it."
Then, he flew off.
---
When he eventually landed back at his treehouse and continued his little building project, Egg would ask him if something good had happened.
"You're weirdly smiley," Eggchan observed.
Wemmbu shrugged it off, as he usually did, but even he couldn't deny the fact his heart now felt a little lighter.
But that fact was his to keep, and let it be one of the few good things he does.