Word Count ~ 2.7k (whoops)
Timeline: September 2011
TW: Memory loss, mentions of death/blood/injury
BDubs had missed the sun so badly. He had very few memories of it, as most of his memories had seemingly wandered off into oblivion during the years he was left in the dark, but the one thing he could remember was the sun. For an unknown amount of time he had lay there, trapped in his own subconscious, hoping that someday he would have the strength to escape his coma-like sleep and get back to its light.
Now, it was ironic that the first thing BDubs did when he got out of the caves was sleep again, but the sun was already going down and it wasn't like he could help himself. Besides, he really didn't want to stick around when the darkness came back. So BDubs let himself sleep, and was relieved when he was able to open his eyes again in the morning.
As much as he just wanted to stay there, lying in the sun, BDubs felt somewhat obliged to thank the person that had helped him escape. However, the stranger seemed to be long gone, leaving BDubs alone once again. Not that he was surprised, the human surely had a life and a family to get back to... unlike him.
BDubs sat up, his mossy cloak slightly damp from the dew that clung to the grass around him. He took in his surroundings, beginning to plan which direction would be best to travel in, but that was when he heard the hissing noise from behind him.
Impulsively BDubs jumped, expecting a creeper, but when he turned around all he saw was a small, cozy looking fire with the human from yesterday sitting beside it. He laughed at BDubs' alarm, a warm, friendly laugh that calmed the Glare down a little. "Sorry, I didn't mean to spook you. Do you want something to eat?"
BDubs looked down at the fire, where a piece of meat that had been impaled by a stick was slowly being cooked over the flames. Although BDubs didn't need to eat, as he was able to gain most of his energy through photosynthesising, he was still capable of processing food and was admittedly curious of whatever it was the human was cooking.
BDubs moved a little closer, still too shy to talk but eager to show his interest, so the human tore a piece off and handed it to him. He hesitated only briefly before taking a small bite of the meat, and his eyes immediately went wide, stunned by the unfamiliarity. The outside was tough, and had a smoky taste where the meat had been burnt a little by the fire. But the inside was soft and chewy, its saltiness contrasting with the smokiness in such a strange yet brilliant way.
BDubs needed more.
The stranger laughed, quite amused by BDubs' excitement as he gave him another piece. "Alright, just don't eat too quickly now. There's plenty to go around, and I don't want you burning your mouth." He warned, watching as the second bit of meat disappeared just as quickly as the first. Then he smiled. "You're... oddly endearing, you know. I don't think I'm gonna mind having you in my company."
Then he held out a hand. "TFC, or Tin if you prefer."
BDubs stared at TFC's hand for a moment, before mimicking what the human had done by holding out his own hand. Unsure what else he was supposed to do, he sort of awkwardly high-fived TFC instead of returning the handshake. Which was actually quite a reasonable response, as BDubs didn't know what a handshake or a high-five was.
TFC shrugged, having figured anyway that the gesture would have confused BDubs. "Well, I guess that works too. Not much of a talker, are you though? Do you at least have a name?"
"BDubs." BDubs replied quietly, not used to using his voice after however long he'd spent in solitude. TFC raised his eyebrows, seemingly surprised that the Glare could actually speak but happy nonetheless.
"So you can understand me! I was starting to worry that I'd been rambling to myself this whole time." He laughed. "Alright then BDubs, do you have a home or a family I can help you get back to?"
Although the question was good natured and pure of intentions, it almost felt like a punch to BDubs' gut. A reminder that, no matter how hard he tried to remember, it was a question he couldn't answer. '"I... I don't know." He eventually admitted. "I can't remember anything that happened before I got trapped in that cave... I don't think I have anyone to go home to."
TFC's heart sank. He already felt strangely compassionate towards this little Glare, but learning that he too had lost all but his life to that system of caves nearly broke him entirely. "Oh. I'm sorry I asked."
"It's fine." BDubs sighed, before shrugging. "At least I can't grieve for someone I don't remember."
"Well, if it gives you any condolence, I don't really have anyone to go home to either." TFC admitted. "I was in those caves for 30 years, even if I found my way home I doubt there'd be anyone left."
"30 years?" BDubs repeated, horrified by the idea. "That... that's terrible."
"Yeah." TFC agreed, before going silent for a moment or two. BDubs watched him, only noticing for the first how old and worn he actually looked. He'd lost so much of his life to those caves, BDubs almost felt lucky that he hadn't been there for more than 5 or 6 years. Then TFC looked back over at him, smiling a little. "But if neither of us have anywhere to go, then maybe we could go nowhere together."
BDubs couldn't help but smile back. He'd been scared of what awaited him if he ever woke up, scared that he'd have nothing left and nobody to return to. That nightmare had almost come true, but BDubs couldn't be more grateful that he now had TFC by his side. Even if he barely knew him, he could tell that this was only the beginning of what would soon become a strong friendship.
"Yeah... maybe we could."
And that's exactly what they did. They picked a direction, and began to walk in search of a new home. Both slowly reacquainted themselves with the world, TFC fascinated by the changes in society and technology since the 80s, and BDubs ecstatic to be reunited with the plants and creatures of the Overworld.
They passed through many villages and settlements on their journey, but TFC felt surprisingly reluctant to speak to the other humans there after so many years spent alone. Which worked perfectly well for BDubs, as most of the humans 'othered' him in a way he didn't particularly like and both had very little interest in staying in one of the villages.
So they simply kept walking, as days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Winter came and went, the New Year arrived, and in late April of 2012, nearly 8 months after their journey began, BDubs and TFC found themselves in quite an interesting place. It had been nearly 2 weeks since they'd last seen any signs of civilization, as if they'd wandered into a part of the world that was left untouched and undiscovered.
It was as if a myriad of biomes had been forced into the one area, broken up by various rivers that led out into the sea. There were deserts, jungles, forests and mesas, all far too small and close together to seem natural, but still quite unique in their own way. TFC watched as BDubs' eyes went huge, the way they always did when he was excited, and had a feeling that this might be the place to settle.
Or maybe not, TFC thought, as he was stopped in his tracks and a sword was held to his throat.
False sighed as she watched the person she'd found at the Stronghold, who's name she'd since learnt was Xisuma. He'd been silent for the better part of an hour, staring rather intently at a nearby beehive the whole time. False was glad that he seemed to be okay, given that this was the closest he'd come to expressing contentment since she found him two weeks ago, but she was also beginning to worry about him.
"Hey, Xisuma?" She called, careful to keep her voice soft and low, but Xisuma still visibly flinched. He didn't say anything, he rarely did, but turned to look at her so that she knew he was listening. "Do you mind if I check your injuries again? I know you said they feel better, but I want to make sure they're healing properly."
Xisuma hesitated, before nodding and walking over to her. He still didn't like being touched, but occasionally agreed to let her look after his wounds when he couldn't. She was always very gentle, and explained exactly what she was doing to avoid alarming him with any sudden movements. Xisuma appreciated her kindness greatly, but could never find the words to express his gratitude.
A few minutes later, he felt False withdraw her hands. "I'm done now. The wound on your head has closed over, but there's still a little bit of blood stuck in your hair. Let me know if you want help cleaning it out."
"Thank you."
False seemed surprised by Xisuma's response, understandably so. It had been 5 days since he last spoke to her, and this was the first time he'd started a conversation of his own accord. She smiled, shrugging a little. "It's nothing really."
"But... you didn't even know me. Why bother helping me?"
Speaking to her twice in one day? Xisuma must have been feeling more confident than usual, and False was glad to see it. "Does it matter?" She asked. "You were on your own, and you needed help. I'd never leave someone in that situation behind."
False cast her gaze over the valley surrounding them, and frowned ever so slightly. "Besides, I'd much rather stick around here with you than go back home. There's nothing there worth returning to."
"Well, that would make two of us." Xisuma sighed. False was about to reply, but instead went completely silent as she heard a rustle in the nearby grass. Something that most would pass off as the wind or an animal, but False recognised it as a person's footsteps, quite possibly two people. Xisuma seemed very worried as he watched her draw her sword, and she motioned for him to go back to the nearby tent they'd pitched.
Holding her breath, False ducked down low into the grass, quickly spotting the two strangers in question. The first was an older man, with a long grey beard and a sturdy pickaxe by his side. The second was a shorter, younger man, his entire body seemingly engulfed by a large, moss-like cloak. A Glare, if False didn't know any better.
If they decided to cause trouble or get too close to Xisuma, the Glare could be taken down relatively easily. It was the older man that worried False, specifically the pickaxe he carried. She'd hate to take a hit to the skull from that thing. Of course, it was also possible that these people weren't a threat, but False didn't like taking chances, especially now that Xisuma was with her. Many people would pay good money for the blood of an End native, and she wasn't going to let any bounty-hunting scum near him.
The older man froze as her sword was held to his throat, the Glare also hesitating in panic. Neither made an attempt to fight back, suggesting that they weren't bounty hunters, assassins or weaponry professionals of any kind, but False still held her ground. "State your name and business." She demanded.
The older man frowned. "...Excuse me?"
"State your name and business." False repeated. "Who are you, and why are you here?"
"TFC, and this is BDubs." The man replied, pointing towards the Glare. "We're only passing through, we aren't looking for any trouble."
"You're in the middle of nowhere, people don't just 'pass through' this place." False pointed out, before spotting the bag TFC had with him. "...Give me the bag."
TFC shrugged, having remained surprisingly calm throughout the whole conversation, and handed it over. "Alright, but I'm telling you kid, there's nothing in there worth stealing."
False scoffed, almost offended by his assumption. "I'm not a criminal, and I have no interest in robbing you. I just want to make sure that neither of you are criminals either before I let you go again."
She opened the bag, and like the man had said, there were no weapons or items of value inside. However, there was something that caught False's eye. A small card, old and worn, bearing the picture of a young man who must have been TFC. it wasn't the photograph that surprised False, it was what was written below.
STORMHILL MINING CO.
ID: 3318502
TINFOILCHEF
Stormhill was an enormous mountain, far east from where False and Xisuma had set up camp, and beneath it was an even bigger cave system that had been exploited for its resources for decades. False was only familiar with it because Cogsmeade used to own one of its mining branches, and would import most of their copper from it. That is, before the whole company was shut down in 1981 following a deadly cave in.
But this man still had a worker's card. False doubted that Stormhill was continuing operations illegally, but she had heard rumours that of the 12 men killed in the cave in, only 11 bodies were found. It was merely a coincidence, TFC probably just kept the old employee card as a strange, eerie souvenir of sorts.
False lowered her sword, tossing the bag back to him. She didn't want to look at that card any longer, it gave her chills. "Alright, you can keep going." She told the two of them, before turning around to go back to Xisuma and instead crashing headfirst into him.
Being significantly taller than her, Xisuma didn't seem too fazed by the impact. False frowned, surprised he'd left the tent and slightly worried as to how long he'd been standing directly behind her. But before she could ask any of these questions, Xisuma asked one first. "False? Who are they?"
"They're... they're nobody Xisuma, they're leaving now. Come on, let's-"
"Do they need somewhere to stay?"
TFC was visibly confused and slightly intimidated by Xisuma's sudden appearance, but shook his head nonetheless. "No no no, we're just about to-"
"Yes." The Glare bluntly interrupted, and TFC audibly groaned. The Glare ignored this, still watching Xisuma. "How did you know?"
Xisuma looked back down at False, who vigorously shook her head, taking his hand and attempting to lead him back to the campsite. "No, absolutely not." She argued. "We're not helping random strangers who could be dangerous."
"But I was a random stranger, False, I could have been dangerous. They're on their own, and they need help. And we'd never leave someone in that situation behind... right?"
False fell silent. Why did Xisuma have to repeat her own words back to her? And why did he have to sound so convincing when he did it? False had already confirmed that these two strangers were unarmed, and it wasn't as if this vast valley didn't have room to spare. She'd be going against her own morals to at least not offer them a place here.
Xisuma noticed the change in her mood, and for a moment, False even thought she saw the ghost of a smile on his face. Then he held out a hand to the other two. "It's nice to meet you, my name is Xisuma and this is False. We're making this valley a home for people who have nowhere safe to go, and there's room for anyone who needs it. Would you like to join us?"
TFC stared at Xisuma's outstretched hand, before glancing down at BDubs. The Glare only smiled, nodding his head. TFC returned the handshake, smiling warmly. "It's nice to meet you too Xisuma. I'm TFC, this is BDubs, and we'd both be more than happy to join you here."
Well, that chapter ended up being longer than expected. My bad.
- Xan