Under a Moonlit Path

1. Before Dusk

Drip

Drip

Drip

Drip

It was almost always quiet here.

Drip

Drip

Drip

Drip

He really wished it weren't. He usually woke up like this; damp, in the dark, and alone. He didn't like the silence, because he knew he was the only one here who felt it so deeply. Endermen are not very well known for making noise, which meant the Ender cities, despite being densely populated, were often as quiet as a ghost time even during their busiest hours. He shivered once, and pushed himself up, foot brushing up against something soft.

The something hissed, and he flinched, exasperated. Alright, so perhaps he hadn't been alone. There was clearly a very grumpy ender cat by his feet. He stared at it knowingly. If he could, he would provide something for it, but he was in the same situation.

Drip

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Right, he had plans for today.

He pushed himself off the ground and glanced at the roof of the cave, at the stalactites providing a steady drip of water into the cup he'd placed under it the night before. He didn't like the water either, but it was the only water he could consume and also touch without feeling like he'd been burned. Like everyone else in the world, he had a morning routine, albeit a much shorter one than the average ender. He sipped on the water, clear and sweet with minerals, and switched his mask. He tightened it, hoping that it would work today too.

If he were lucky, then today would be another day where his- frankly quite stupid- pursuers wouldn't recognize him after the switch, and he could continue working out his plans to leave this godforsaken place. There was little here for him to do, and now he was confident enough to finally leave.

Drip

Drip

It turns out that his "luck" today was more grumpy than that Ender cat. He didn't even have a half hour of stalking the Ender markets when he'd heard a choked yell followed closely by a loud thump and the sound of heavy footfalls. He tried not to look and see who it was, he knew it from the laughing and the sound of things falling, those trashy friends. Or as his one friend loved to call them, "those rotten vegetables."

He made eye contact anyway, despite his effort not to, glancing just once at the havoc they'd wrecked and the poor lady clutching her knee. No doubt she was the one who'd let out that choked yell before. The guy he'd made eye contact with- the ring leader, he knew, with obnoxiously sharp facial features- froze, and he saw his face morph slowly from a wide smile to an aggressive sneer. One short yell and the point of a finger and both they and he took off running.

He really did feel bad for that innocent lady...

This was part of his routine too. The running, the yelling, and the chorus of shouts. The whole chaotic chicken chase went through the entire Ender market, knocking over shelves of fabric and stocks of fruits or precious minerals. He could feel his heart pounding as he huffed, listening to the cacophony of falling market items, his running feet, and the still-far-too-close sound of their running. He jumped over a low wall, touching down smoothly on the other side. They scrambled to climb over it, shouting things that would make old ladies cringe. He ran through the alley, and they ran in right after him. He had a destination in mind, he just had to reach it first without getting caught. And after all his years of running, he'd accidentally become quite dense with muscle.