He couldn't believe it.
How was Ranboo here?
How?
What?
Tommy's grip on the blade lessened slightly.
"How are you here? How did you find me?"
"⍙⊑⏃⏁ ⎅⍜ ⊬⍜⎍ ⋔⟒⏃⋏? ⍙⊑⍜ ⏃⍀⟒ ⊬⍜⎍?"
("What do you mean? Who are you?")
"I-It's me."
Tommy lifted the mask up hesitantly, it was still on but Ranboo could now see his face.
"⏁⍜⋔⋔⊬?"
("Tommy?")
"I-I mean I don't go by Tommy anymore but yeah. It's me!"
"⍙⊑⏃⏁ ⏃⍀⟒ ⊬⍜⎍- ⍙⏃⟟⏁. ⍜⋏⟒ ⌇⟒☊⍜⋏⎅."
("What are you- wait. One second.")
Ranboo closed his eyes and scrunched up his face slightly. Purple particles came from his body and he shook his head, opening his eyes once again.
"There we go. You should be able to understand me a bit easier now!"
"Did-did you just switch language?"
"Well I mean I can, and I usually do speak the ender language when I'm alone, it's just a bit more comfortable, you get me?"
"I guess?"
"Anyway what are you doing here? And how did you get into the temple? How did find the mask? I-I. oh my withers how? Just how?"
Tommy grimaced and put the mask back in to cover his face.
"Umm, I don't really know how to answer that without getting a bit umm, deep? I guess?
Where do I start?"
"How about when you left Logsteadshire?"
"right, that-that's a good idea. Well I left- I left umm, how many days ago?"
'5 days. It has been 5 days since we first talked to you.'
"5 days ago. Right. Well, I left logsteadshire, went to Techno's, stole some stuff I thought I might need, traveled to the stronghold, found the mask, killed a few people, went back to the stronghold, woke up, had a panic attack, fell asleep, woke up again and now I'm getting stuff to be able to patch up the stronghold because it is a tip." Tommy gasped, he had said it all in one breath. "Is that a good explanation?"
"How did you find the stronghold?"
"The spirit told me where to go."
"The spirit? You mean nightmare?"
"You know his name?"
Ranboo nodded.
"Yeah, I've known him for quite a while, we don't talk too often but he's fun. Rude. But fun."
"So how DO you know nightmare?"
"Well I go to the temple quite often so he kinda just talks to me when I go there. We speak the ender language though so that's probably why you could understand me."
"You keep calling it a temple, why?"
Ranboo hesitated. "I don't think that's my place to tell you. Nightmare will tell you when he's ready, I've known him for a few years and he only told me a few months ago."
'I will tell you eventually my child, but not yet.'
'Okay.'
There was an awkward silence in the air, neither of them really knew what to say.
"So... you killed people?"
"Uhhhhhhh... yeah. Yeah I did."
"Nice. Who was it?"
"...the residents of the farmhouses just north of the stron-temple, the temple."
"Oh! I know them! I'm glad you killed them they were arseholes."
"Pfttt. Wait! You're glad I killed people?!"
Tommy laughed. Out of all the reactions he did not expect this to be the one Ranboo went for.
"Did you kill the kid?"
"What?"
"Did. You. Kill. The. Kid."
"I-I did..."
Tommy looked down.
"Thank you."
His head snapped up to look at the enderman halfbreed.
"Thank you?!"
"Yeah! That kid was the worst! He used to attack me and throw water on me when I was trying to help his parents. Honestly even his own parents didn't like him."
"So you don't hate me?"
"Why would I hate you?"
"Because I left? Because I made everyone think I was dead? Because I abandoned everyone? maybe?"
"If you're happier with nightmare then so be it, who am I to hate you for being yourself."
"I-I... Thank you"
Tears sprung at his eyes, it didn't take much honestly, he was so scared that everyone would hate him, not that he thought he would ever see any of them again.
Wait.
Ranboo knew about him. He knew he was alive. He could tell the others.
As if reading the others thoughts Ranboo said
"I wont tell anyone. You know that right?"
Tommy looked up shocked. "You-you're not gonna tell anyone?"
"It's not my place to tell."
And with that he simply turned around and headed off in the direction that he had came, just like that he was gone, as if he was never there in the first place.
'Nightmare?'
'Yes child?'
'Will I still be safe?'
'You will. Ranboo is very similar to us, he will not tell anybody what has happened here today. I mean he's never told anyone about us before, why should he start now?'
'I suppose'
With that Tommy headed off in the opposite direction to the enderman halfling and continued to gather even more materials, even once the sun had set and the sky was littered with hundreds of stars.
'Come now child. Lets go home.'
.