LOSING GAME ➳ dreamwastaken

𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞

The plan was set in stone. More than once, Tommy offered to sneak into L'Manberg with Reverie but Wilbur shot him down every time, stating that it was too dangerous for more than one of them to return to L'Manberg as a group would easily attract attention. As well as this, Reverie knew that this was something she had to do alone. Speaking with Tubbo was not the part she was worried about—she had no idea how Dream would react upon seeing her again, especially if they were alone.

The last time Reverie had seen Dream was the day of the elections, and multiple other people had been there too and, although a few months previous Reverie truly believed that Dream would never hurt her, after everything that had happened she would be surprised if he didn't snap at her.

Wilbur, Tommy and Technoblade walked Reverie to the edge of the forest, as night had long since fallen and it was not at all safe for Reverie to be alone in the dark. Once the trees thinned and the lights from buildings in the kingdom met their eyes, Reverie said her goodbyes and made the rest of the journey alone.

Technoblade had made her a diamond sword, which she tightly clutched as she walked, and she had also taken her bow and quiver of arrows. Unfortunately, Pogtopia was low on their supply of arrows, so if a complication arose in which Reverie would have to shoot, she would have to be careful to conserve her arrows and only fire when she had a clear shot.

Due to the destruction of the walls, Reverie hadn't even noticed that she had arrived in L'Manberg until she almost walked right into the Camarvan. Biting back a gasp that had almost escaped her, she leapt behind a tree and crouched down, steadying her breathing in her moment of panic.

When Reverie left L'Manberg, she and Tubbo were still living in their cottage by the pond, but she had no way of knowing if he had since moved into the White House. Would Schlatt allow his Secretary of State to live with him, or was the White House reserved for the president and vice president?

Reverie came to the decision that the smartest approach would be to check the cottage first. It was close to the Camarvan—both were situated by the pond—and her chances of being spied by Schlatt were significantly less if she went to the cottage instead of the White House.

No light was emitting from the cottage and the curtains had been drawn over the windows. With a feeling of intense anxiety swelling in her chest, Reverie raised her fist and rapped her knuckles against the wooden door.

A lamp inside flickered on and Reverie's heart missed several beats at once. Mere seconds later, there was a clicking noise as the key turned in its lock and the door swung open to reveal Tubbo, his eyes half closed with sleep, donning blue striped pyjamas. He let out a cry of shock when he saw that it was his sister who had turned up at his door in the middle of the night.

"Hey—" Reverie began, but Tubbo had seized her wrist and dragged her inside before she could finish her sentence.

"Are you insane?" Tubbo reprimanded in a hiss. "What are you—what if Schlatt sees—where have you been?"

The cottage had been completely finished. The walls of the kitchen and living room were painted green, accompanied by dark oak wood furniture. Various potted plants were scattered throughout the house, adding to the cozy atmosphere, and the last flames of a dying fire crackled in the hearth.

"Wilbur sent me," Reverie told her brother.

"Wilbur?" Tubbo repeated, his voice swimming with disbelief. "That's where you've been?"

When Reverie nodded in confirmation, Tubbo struck her with another question. "Where are yous staying? Is everything okay?"

"We're okay. We've been better, sure, but for the most part, we're fine," Reverie assured Tubbo, then she placed her hands on his shoulders and dropped her voice to a whisper as though she feared that Schlatt was somewhere in the room, lurking in the shadows, listening to Reverie's every word. "I don't have much time—there's something else I have to do before I go back to Will, so I need you to listen very carefully."