The rays of the early morning sun bled softly through the curtains of the cottage's first floor window, creating a tranquil atmosphere. Philza sat at the kitchen table, sipping at his coffee as his mind wandered. The pitter-patter of small piglin feet met his ears presently. The man turned in his chair to find his grandson, Michael, stood outside the guest room's closed door. The little piglin reached high above his head, swaying back and forth as he tried to grasp the doorknob. "Papa!...Papa!"
"Papa's sick, Michael. Let your father sleep."
The piglin pouted, his shoulders sagging in defeat. Michael didn't have to wait long- the forbidden door slowly opened to reveal the tall figure of a familiar black and white creature. Michael craned his neck upward and grinned, making grabby hands at the humanoid. "Papa!"
The enderman hybrid stared down at the child, his mind still foggy from sleep. Michael. Right. He had a son. Ranboo gave the piglin a small smile before he took the child up into his arms.
"Oh, good morning, Ranboo," Philza greeted. "How are you feeling?"
"Uhm, a little dizzy, but not bad," Ranboo replied. While he balanced Michael on his hip, the sentient walked over to the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Waking up was weird, though. I don't remember how I got here."
Philza took another sip from his mug. "Ah, yeah. Techno walked you over."
Crash! "Papa!"
The creature's body flinched so hard in surprise that he had lost control of his hands for a moment. He had dropped his mug on the floor, spilling coffee all over. He'd nearly dropped Michael too, but thankfully, his instincts kicked in at the last minute. Michael squealed in delight, thinking it was some sort of game. "Uppies, Papa! Again!"
Ranboo didn't respond, eyes wide with terror. He had walked here. Did Philza mean he'd enderwalked? What else had he done last night?
"Eh, Michael, why don't you go play with your toys? Your dad and I will be along in a minute."
Ranboo slowly placed Michael back on the ground, and gave the boy an encouraging pat on the back to send him on his way. "Bye, Papa!" And the piglin was off, skipping happily towards his toy room.
Once the child was out of sight, Ranboo drew in a shaky breath. "Did I...Did I enderwalk, Phil?"
The other shook his head. "No. What I meant was Techno carried you over."
All the air in Ranboo's lungs left his body in a deep sigh of relief. Thank the gods. But when his eyes fell down to the mess he'd made, the relief instantly turned to guilt. "Oh, Phil. I'm- I'm so sorry about the mess-"
"Don't worry about it. I'll clean it later." The elder gestured to the empty seat across from him as he took another sip of his coffee. "Have a seat." Ranboo complied.
"So," Philza began, "Do you have any idea who started the fire?"
The creature groaned, laying his head on the table. Anxious fingers dug their way into his hair. He couldn't tell Philza it was him, not in a million years. Ranboo had the utmost respect for Philza Minecraft, especially in regards to how the man handled his troubled family. The humanoid was mortified of confessing to the old man, thinking it would put their father-son type bond in jeopardy. His role in the fire would have to remain a secret...at least, for now.
"No," the sentient lied. "No, I don't."
"Do you have any enemies, then?"
"Of course I have enemies, Phil," Ranboo replied. "Ever since Tubbo and I founded Snowchester, there've been people lining up to overthrow us."
Philza hummed in thought. "Burning your house down just doesn't make any sense," he commented, "especially since you're all the way out here."
Ranboo sighed, running a tired hand down his face. "All we wanted was a nice vacation for Michael, and then this happens..."
Philza reached across the table to place a reassuring hand on the boy's arm. "It'll be alright, Ranboo." Ranboo nodded more out of politeness than agreement. He certainly hoped it would be, but he had his doubts.
"Listen," Philza spoke, "Techno and I were going to go back to the house and see what can be salvaged. You can stay here if you like-"
Ranboo slid out of his chair to stand next to Philza, hands behind his back and feet shoulder-width apart. "No," the being answered. "I'm coming with you."
The elder paused. "Eh, okay, but someone has to stay here and watch the child. I'll have Techno go with you, and I'll stay with Michael."
Ranboo placed a hand on his father in-law's shoulder, offering him the gentlest of smiles. "Thanks, Phil." With that, the sentient was off, set on his way to revisit the once quaint house.
Little bit of Michael being adorable for you all. <333
I wonder what Ranboo will find in the ashes?? Something important, perhaps??
RIP coffee mug. Vote to replace it Lol.
Also thank you so much for the attention this little story is getting. I did a lot of lore research today and yesterday, so there's gonna be a lot of interesting references!! Stay tuned!!
[Image Credits] "Coffee mug Refill" (Cropped Slightly) by Andy Rogers (https://www.flickr.com/photos/23765024@N05/8457359180)