"What does the mission entail?" The monotone of his voice did well to mask his confusion but it does little matter when his guests have known him for as long as they have.
"I can read your concern from the far corners of the room, Technoblade. You needn't worry so. The queen does not require you to bury those of your own kin. It is rather quite the opposite."
The comment had yet to lessen his confusion but now it warranted him his self preservative instincts. Why must they seek that he is comforted and calm before giving him a task that could be so life altering? He would much rather know what it is he is to do before getting to it so that he is prepared.
"You act as though I will scream or squeal at the sight of whatever it is you wish me to see."
"You might not but someone will. We've brought your mission with us. Now, we want you to take care of it."
Out from behind the cape and armor of his most quiet guest came something that he did not expect. Something that would have set all his instincts off if he were fully piglin. Still, something inside of him was reeling. A mixture of bafflement and unease crept along his mind, freezing his body and eyes.
"Heh?" The only word he could muster as he could just barely get himself to look around the room. This had to be some sort of jest, the queen would not have sent an order for what he thinks she did. Right?
"It was quite fortunate that we managed to find one of your kind. They can't usually dwell in the surface world. We thought we'd take this one as it might help you adjust into your tasks."
In the hands of one of his long time superiors was a tiny, vulnerable, and chubby piglin child. The child seemed to have zombified before the queen could cure the piglet as bits of fur was peeled off in peculiar patterns and replaced by a layer of green. Around the child's feet, the green went up from between the split in the child's hooves that then went around and down the sides. On the child's head was a leaf crown shaped scar that he hadn't seen be zombified on a piglin before.
"Was the child alone?" Technoblade almost didn't want to know the answer to his question. He was alone before but it wasn't by choice, this child's scars told him that if the child was abused. The shaped of the zombification had to be carved in order for it to be that way. Would they have left the child so they didn't face a life in prison? Were they forced to give the child up?
Either way, it felt dangerous. Was the abuser the child's parents or was the child kidnapped from the child's sounder? He could only hope that the mental pain of the child could be fixed over time.
"We are under special instructions to not answer that question." They were told to withhold information from him even after the years he spent here, huh. That was rather aggravating but he couldn't not blame them for following orders.
The tea he had brewed was probably over boiled by this point. "I am sorry to interrupt this moment but I must get the tea from the furnace." Techno got up and headed towards the kitchen.
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"That went well so far." The first knightly figure said.
"Do you really think he's ready for his missions yet?" A second voice questioned.
"The boy has been reading the books we gave him thoroughly. You've seen the pages of summaries he writes until he fully understands the subject despite not understanding why we gave him such a book." A third voiced piped up.
"You know how well the other subjects do, how most fail and how the queen deals with them." The second voiced tried to reemphasize the need to worry.
"He will not fail, he cannot. He is a piglin hybrid, you've heard the stories of how they get with young." The third voice tried to illustrate their reason for full faith in this subject.
"I... How can you be so sure he is the same way? You seem to forget who he was before he came here."
"Then, he didn't have the stability he has now. His instincts will begin in a matter of time, maybe even when we leave his home." The first voice incorporated.
"I would feel best if he were also training though. Instincts will only do so much when it comes to outside forces. We have permission from the queen to train the other subjects, why must we refrain from doing so with him?" The second voice fretted.
"He needs an attachment before he is trained or he'll be a flight risk. We would hate to waste the queen's time and ours by him escaping." The first voice seemed to share all the big ideas the other two hadn't thought of.
"If he was a flight risk, one would think he'd of tried to escape by now." The 2nd voice put in their last two cents as the sound of hooves clacking against the stone floor met their ears.
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Techno came back to the sounds of muttering. He brought tea back with him although it was mightily hot with steam visibly escaping from the cups. He preferred it scalding though, it reminded him of a very young point in his life.
He carefully made his way into view through the open hallway. He didn't like that the only doors to the place were the ones that kept the outside outside but he couldn't create good doors for the inside. The rooms had circular arches to indicate going into a separate room. Admittedly, it wasn't good if there was ever a theif or if the child was a toddler.
"So... How old is the child?"
"We were hoping you'd know because you're a piglin. Well.. Half piglin bu-t you get what we mean." The second guest awkwardly brought up.
"I guess we'll find out when the child grows their tusks." Technoblade came to the conclusion that it's easier to identify age by the time they grew their tusks in. Piglin children were all considered to be 5 when they first sprouted tusks, even it they weren't so in terms of lava cycles.
"Speaking of the youngling, we need to name it." The third visitor brought up. His words words almost bringing a growl out of Technoblade. He used it like the piglin child was not a being who could grow up in the same world as they did, like the piglin child was incapable of having emotions, like piglin child was just an object to throw around and use at his whim. No being deserved such treatment, ever.
"Do we know what gender the child is?" Technoblade instead asked. His answer was the silence that only the crackle of the fireplace seemed to interrupt. The first guest gave him the bundle that held the child.
"How about you go check in the bathroom? We'll be waiting here to explain a few more things before we go." Technoblade felt a little out of place now. Sure, he was part piglin like the child but he wasn't exactly an expert on children and he would feel awkward if the child was female. Still, he cradled the child as he walked slowly to the bathroom.
Technoblade carefully took the blanket that wrapped around the center of the child. They hadn't even given her a pair of baby clothes! He could feel his rage boil, piglets were not meant to be in the overworld. It was far more cold than the nether and it was becoming colder as the seasons shifted. Who ever had taken her from her home had no decency and would not be given any amount of mercy if he met them. His visitors weren't much better because they hadn't given her clothes but they had also said they hadn't know what gender she was. Whoever brought the child would be getting some serious talking to.
The piglet began shivering as soon as the blanket was removed. He couldn't help but hug the piglet close to him as he wrapped her back up like a pig in a blanket. He had no reason to but it felt... Nice? Don't get him wrong, he wasn't one to openly hug any random orphan he saw on the street. This one was different.
"Well, I suppose we'll have to find a name for you, little one." Wait... What did he call her? That was not intentional. He'd have to find a name fast before he accidentally kept finding nicknames for her.
He did notice how she reacted to the nickname, though. Her little hooves moved back and forth, her tiny arm moved up towards him, and she nuzzled herself closer to his chest. She seemed to find peace in this place she didn't know as he held her.
"You coming back, Technoblade?" One of his guests called, snapping him out of whatever that was. He made his way back through the manor that was this house to the living room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. What's up?" Clearly his mind wasn't all with him but his guests, thankfully, didn't say anything.