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Wato sees the bright plumage of Parrot before they hear him. They look up, shielding their eyes from the sun.
“Parrot,” they greet, and do not expect anything from him. They turn to keep placing down wheat seeds. Maybe he’ll go on another spiel about an unworkable plan, or maybe share another bit of news that is supposed to give hope but is really useless.
“Wato,” he returns, shuffling uneasily, voice low and hesitant. He pauses. “I don’t know how to break this to you, man.” Wato tilts their head up, an eyebrow raised. Parrot hesitates some more, unable to meet their eyes. He casts his gaze to the side. “Wifies is dead.”
They freeze. They stare at Parrot, expression akin to a deer caught in headlights. What— how— why—
“What do you mean, he’s dead?” Wato demands, and it sounds desperate and frantic to their own ears. They search Parrot’s face, any sign that this is a lie. Parrot’s eyes flick to Wato’s, and just as quickly looks away.
“Bro— I— I don’t know what to say to you. He’s gone,” Parrot repeats, sounding just as lost as Wato feels. Wifies. Dead. They stand there, stunned. Wifies. Dead. Forever. Wifies, with his undying loyalty to Parrot, his quiet intelligence especially in escape rooms, the way he would walk into a conversation and blend in seamlessly like he'd been there the whole time. Wifies, silent, sweet, quiet, tactical, caring, careful, loving.
They leave Parrot, equipping their elytra and running, anything to escape. They fumble slightly getting their fireworks to obey them, nearly clipping into a tree. The wind’s in their ears and they can hear nothing. Ken, is their first thought as they soar numbly through the clouds, does she know?
Their second thought is what happened?
~*~
Ken hears the whizz of a firework and looks up, uncaring of the sun shining in her eyes. Wato descends, elytra folding behind them as their feet hit the ground. They look soulless in a way she can’t even begin to describe.
“Ken,” Wato manages to gasp out, pausing, and then half-stumbles, half-crashes into Ken’s arms. She’s shocked for a tick before wrapping them in a hug. Wato’s mouth is right next to her ear, choking stifled sobs as Wato lays limp in Ken’s embrace.
Who did this to you, Ken thinks, vowing to hurt whoever hurt Wato. What happened, is something else she wants— needs— to ask.
“Ken— Wifies,” they breathe, nothing but pain lacing his name, “he’s gone.”
“Gone where? Wato, Wato talk to me.” Ken pulls apart from Wato, looking them in the eyes. They avoid eye contact, looking down at their trembling hands instead of Ken’s face. “Wato,” she pleads, and they fall silent. Nothing leaves their lips. There’s something horrible lodged in their throat, blocking full sobs or screams or anything. Any sound sucked into a black hole.
Never mind hurt, she’s going to murder anyone who touched Wifies and Wato. What do they mean, Wifies is gone— he was right next to Parrot, alive and well the last time she saw him! She vaguely thinks that she’s ignoring the worst case scenario. She loves thinking of worst case scenarios, but she doesn’t want this one. Not Wifies. Never Wifies.
“He— he’s dead, Ken.” Wato whispers, despite it all. Despite her internal bargain for denial. Their eyes remain firmly away from Ken’s face.
Ken stops. Everything just… stops. The flicking of her tail, the anxious jitters of her limbs, the expression on her face. It’s like the world could be crashing down on her. Wato hates it— because Ken never stops moving, but now she’s frozen and still and it’s horrible because it looks and feels a bit like she, too, is dead.
Wifies… dead? Dead. Gone forever. She’d never see Wifies again? She’d never see his tentative smile or hear his quiet laugh or feel his warm presence next to her ever again?
It’s not an analogy anymore. Her world is crashing down on her.
Wato starts to cry, shoulders hitching and breaths heaving for their friend. Ken stands there like a statue even as Wato, now, is the one to wrap their arms around her in a hug.
At the contact, Ken breaks, and her knees buckle, and Wato is too weak to hold the both of them up, and they crumple into a sad puddle on the floor. Ken feels cold sting her cheeks and— oh, she’s crying. The two of them— it used to be three, why is there only two, please let the third come back— huddle there until they have no tears left to cry.
Maybe time has passed. Maybe time stopped. Wato never wants to move again. They want to go home (but where is home on this server?) and sit on a bed and cry some more. They want to spend the rest of their days withering away as a recluse and wishing Wifies was alive. They want to join Wifies, the slightest bit. Is Wifies okay? Is he hurting? they think, and wish they were there to hold Wifies’ hand.
Ken wants bloody murder. She wants revenge on whoever killed Wifies and Parrot who let it happen and this whole stupid universe. She wants to know what happened to Wifies, question Parrot until he breaks like a particularly bad escape room.
She wants Wifies back. She can’t have Wifies back. She needs Wifies back. She wants to find a way to revive Wifies, make everything right again.
More than anything, she needs to leave, pretend this never happened, pretend Wato never told her, pretend Wifies isn’t ten feet under. Ignore the teartracks on her face and Wato’s sad, empty, devastated eyes.
Ken stands abruptly, and Wato’s hand is left reached out for her. Always chasing. They’ve just lost Wifies. They can’t lose Ken too. Ken looks back at them, certainly red-eyed and the personification of grief itself, and her eyes soften and it looks like she’s going to reach back, but then she pulls away.
It feels like their heart is tearing itself apart, a chasm in the place where there used to be Wifies. They can’t move. They feel like a spectator in their own body, feeling only a dull sting of the cold where there was previously warmth.
They hear glass shattering as Ken douses herself in invis again. They hear fireworks as Ken flies away, ever impeccable elytra skills, even in grief. They feel the ghost of Wifies cradling their cheek, wiping away tear-stains, breath whispering sweet nothings, but they don’t know what’s real or a lie anymore.
They fold into themself and cry.