Chapter Text
“Where are you headed now?”
“I got to go see an old friend.”
“Goodluck.”
“Thank you.”
After saying his goodbyes to Parrot and then seeing off Wemmbu and his friend Egg going on their merry way riding off into the sunset or whatever—There was one thing he had to do, someone he needed to find, the one person he'd been doing everything for.
Lomedy—His ‘best friend’ whom he’d wronged, had gotten locked up in law's prison simply by just being associated with him.
Flame had been worse than a bad friend. It's not an overreaction for Lomedy to be mad at him. Honestly, his strong will and sense to adhere to his own principles is one of the main reasons that he really admires Lomedy as a person. And along the way he also realized that he somehow had become completely captivated by him—The way he smiles so dizzyingly bright, and the way he'd laugh like the most beautiful sound in the world. It all felt so utterly ridiculous how the bunny had secured a place in his heart by just being there. He'd never thought of ever describing any of his feelings as anything even close to ‘love’—
Love had always been such a foreign concept to him, it had never ever been in his mind ever since he was younger. But, that one time when Lomedy had kissed him under the glow of a rising sun, he had never looked back. Not a single time. It was so very beautiful, he could still vividly remember the cold morning air and the smiles on their faces. Yet it was so fleeting—Barely even tangible. He'd ruined it way too fast. The fact that Lomedy had even trusted him with such a fragile thing like love was already too much to ask. And he realized just how badly he'd ruined things way too late.
It wasn't just the talk he had with Lettuce and everyone telling him the same thing that had made him realize. But, during the battle at the Northern Council when he witnessed just how hard Theo was fighting to keep Parrot safe and tried to stick by his side all the time—It had reminded him of how he was completely unable to protect Lomedy. Infact, he himself was the one to constantly bring the bunny in harm's way. So he'd made up his mind and came up with a simple step-by-step plan.
First, he's going to see Lomedy.
Second, he's going to sincerely apologize to him and promise to change.
Third, he's going to try and change his ways and prove himself.
And finally, they're going to go on being the ‘best of friends’ and keep doing adventures together. They're going to go their separate ways. And he's fine with that! Because it's better than Lomedy being in danger all the time. It's better if the bunny doesn't have a trouble magnet like himself around him. Maybe he could teach him how to fight or something—But even then it wouldn't be enough, he can't ensure his safety at all times.
Okay, well. What's important now is that he needs to find Lomedy as soon as possible. The journey from the Northern Council to the law base isn't all that far. But to be honest, he's thoroughly exhausted—The war had dragged on for several days and nights of continuous fighting, putting a strain on him. His body was riddled in all kinds of injuries, from stab wounds, arrows, explosions. The dizziness that comes with blood loss isn't something that can simply be fixed by eating a mere golden apple or drinking a healing potion. And to make it worse all the adrenaline in his body had been completely spent, making the trek feel infinitely longer. Even more so when he thinks about how Lomedy is waiting for him at the end.
Arriving at the law base and looking around at the destruction…
Honestly it was all Wemmbu’s fault. The sheer destructive power of the orbital strike cannons are actually simply obscene, and the guy just hands them out like candy on Halloween night. Everything has been abandoned, it was so quiet, almost like a ghost town. Cool, adds even more Halloween aspects.
But, to not get off track he quickly heads to the law prison entrance. Lomedy probably kept himself behind those bars even after the massive prison break and all the lawmen going to fight at the Northern Council. He feels really guilty for not being able to bring back Lomedy’s other mace from Jaden—Okay so it's Wemmbu’s fault again. That stupid purple guy repeatedly got in between his fight with Jaden, not allowing him to fully fight against the pirate. But of course he was going to return the one he currently has to him, he just has to hope that he wouldn't mind. He'll just include it in his growing list of apologies.
“Why on earth should I trust you at all? You stole my mace, got my farm destroyed, and you keep fighting the law—Instead of just admitting that you're in the wrong!”
“Are you serious? Okay, so. You took my mace and okay. Oh that's great—Didn’t know I was friends with a thief.”
Every time he thinks about how they parted ways honestly stings quite badly. His wishful thinking of returning back to how they were was definitely impossible—If he could even see Lomedy occasionally and exchange friendly greetings it would be more than what he deserves. But now he just needs to do the right thing, return the mace to its rightful owner.
The inside of the prison is as dark as how they left it after the raid, traces of explosions and cobwebs still lying there as proof of the prison break. It's as quiet inside as it was outside, maybe even quieter without the breeze of the wind gently rustling the leaves accompanying him. Walking through the prison, he eventually reaches the jail cells.
“Lomedy?” His call was met with no response, almost echoing off of the empty, broken walls. He walks further into the prison to see if he's there, or even a single soul that can tell him about Lomedy’s whereabouts.
“Lomedy—Bro come out,”
Investigating further into the prison, he decides to look in the solitary confinement cells. There's still nobody there, just traces left from the break in.
“Look, law is over okay? You don't have to be in prison anymore.” His confidence wavers as the quiet solitude of the prison remains still and unresponsive, but where could Lomedy have gone? He was really insistent on carrying out his sentence, he wouldn't just leave without reason. So, he pulls through and ignores how badly his body is telling him to rest and recharge.
The prison is really quite larger than what he’d thought. He hadn't paid much attention when he'd broken in but after searching through various places it's getting quite ridiculous. No wonder Wemmbu managed to escape from within, why do the inmates even have all these stupid job rooms?? And what's up with the training grounds with the cloud wallpapers—The design choices are, well. Odd. Even though he knows nothing about interior design. Searching through the guard rooms there's still nothing at all, not a single trace of Lomedy.
The elder guardians stationed all across the prison are not completely gone, by this point he'd been wandering around for so long—The additional mining fatigue combined with his general fatigue is making his body ache even harder, multiplying his dizziness. Coming out of the prison, everything's still the same as it was. Completely unperturbed—Still the same rustling sound of leaves and the gentle wind. Amidst the ruins with the setting sun, the sky bleeds a fiery amber, casting an orange glow upon everything—it feels poetic almost. He had spent an entire afternoon searching, yet he's still unsure of Lomedy’s whereabouts or where he possibly could've gone. The prison and its surroundings are completely empty and barren. Would he have left after all the chaos and commotion? Maybe he only refused to leave because it was him who offered to break him out.
“No I'm not going with you bro. From everything you put me through—”
“Why would I—You would—You’re not going to change, Like. Why should I trust someone who's not willing to change?”
He glanced back at the ruined law base as he left its premises. Moving forward, he remembered that his base is right next to law’s territory—It’s possible that Lomedy went there? Even if the bunny's mad at him, he could've stayed there as a shelter temporarily. The sudden thought somehow manages to fuel his body to not completely shut down, falling over, and collapsing. One step after another, he can see his base getting closer.
Entering his house, everything seems to still be exactly where they were left, including the hole that Wemmbu had dug in his roof. That guy again. There's probably something wrong with that guy's head, honestly baffling—There’s a perfectly fine and working front door. Checking through all the rooms, they're all completely untouched.
Okay, so…
He quickly leaves and decides to head to Lomedy's farm. This might be the only time he wishes he owned an elytra instead of letting his pride get in the way everytime. The fast travelling speed would be an actual lifesaver in this scenario, but he had to settle for running.
By the time he arrived at Lomedy’s ruined farm it was well past into the night. Looking around and seeing the farm they had worked so hard on being blown up by lawmen made his heartache even worse. He wished he could've fought harder, been stronger—Not failing and disappointing Lomedy so thoroughly.
“You’re a failure to your own name—You're not even that skilled,”
Honestly, all the hurtful exchanges they’d shared didn't hurt as much as this moment. Where he, so bloody and battered, can only reminisce about all the bitter memories that they'd shared together.
It doesn't even matter anymore, nothing matters if he can't find Lomedy. He didn't even need to search the farm to know already that he's just not here—Even so, he stubbornly pushes himself past his limit and searches anyway. Just in case Lomedy had left him something, even a single clue on where he is. His movements had become so sloppy, almost as if he'd crumble like a clay pot with the force of one single push. His body is getting colder as time passes, from straining himself as well as his terrible temperature regulation. At this point, he's beyond exhausted. So he finally wisely decides to listen to his body and rest.
Making his way down the shoveled path and walking into the house he'd shared with Lomedy, which was thankfully unharmed from the onslaught of the law. Entering their bedroom, he has neither time or ability to properly clean himself up—Usually, Lomedy always maintains a strict rule of cleanliness—No sleeping without showering first. But it's just himself here, without the bunny fussing over his wounds whilst tending to them.
He chooses to sleep on the floor with a blanket draped over himself anyway. Even if Lomedy’s not here to yell at him, doesn't matter. He takes off his blindfold and places it right beside his head. All the fatigue he'd been holding crashes upon him like a tsunami, the aches all around his body feels much more apparent. He feels wary and alert at first, the cold wooden floor doesn't exactly do a great job at soothing him. But eventually the drowsiness catches up to him and lulls him to sleep. He doesn't dream about anything.
He woke up when the sun had just risen from the horizon, despite the bone deep exhaustion. His body still ached without his injuries properly tended and from sleeping on the cold hard floor. The sun shone blindingly through the windows, lighting up every corner of their bedroom. He just laid on the floor whilst looking at the clock on the wall, its constant ticking noise being the only company he had. The buzzing of his own thoughts were getting stifling, he never liked not being occupied with something since it quickly leads to his thoughts spiraling and suffocating himself—So he finally cleans himself up until he's decently presentable. Before Lomedy took over the task of tending to his injuries after battles he'd always carelessly patched himself up. And right now, without Lomedy’s presence it feels much more real when his bandage work is done haphazardly and he can't find where the bunny is.
He takes his time to lay down on their bed. It wasn't warm, due to it being unoccupied for so long. Since, well. One of them was in jail and the other one was fighting a war. But it still preserved the smell of Lomedy, having the effect of warming his heart. He wasn't even thinking about going back to sleep but it just came so naturally this time, buried in this comfortable scent.