)o(
Technoblade
It was the hardest thing technoblade ever had to do. To accept that he wasn't strong enough to take the whole vampire world on all by himself. It stung and cut deeper than he could let Tommy find out.
All he had was one play.
Once in this game where nobody told Technoblade if they were playing chess or bingo. All he could do was do his best to guess the rules.
His one play came in the form of a gremlin child with fluffy blond hair and a red tee shirt.
The way he figured it was that Dream had kids. His kids were Tommy, Drista, and Tubbo. For whatever reason Dream kept trying to get more but was failing. After supposedly killing Drista and exiling Tommy Dream still took the chance that technoblade would kill Tubbo when he saw him.
But for whatever reason Dream was desperate to get Tommy back.
Dream had his own weapon, a mind controlling egg.
This crap was insane.
Technoblade rearranged facts and tried to glue them together in his head a million different ways. But there were just too many blanks. Why Tommy and where the heck did the egg come from? How does the egg work in Dreams favor? What was the end goal here?
Technoblade sighed and fingered the crystal hanging around his neck. Why do the crystals block teh mind control? Why does Tommy insist on chewing the leather string that Technoblade attached a crystal to and made the raccoon child wear to protect him from the mind control. As far away from the red vines as they were technoblade took no chances.
Why couldn't Technoblade figure this out? He has solved way harder mysteries with less before.
Tommy tripped in the snow and Technoblades right hand twitched with the instinct of helping him up. Tommy compared to his own feet and Technoblade did brush some snow off the top of his turtle shell helmet. After all, the head was the most important part of the body to keep warm.
Technoblade desperately needed more information, another ace, maybe a bomb, something. Could he go back to the Greater Dream SMP Coven? No, that would be a suicide mission. Surely Dream was taking his army and his hostages back to his castle right this second. No doubt leaving behind people to protect the Sleepy manor should Technoblade return.
He could go back to Puffy's cottage. Surely she would know some bit of information she neglected to share. She was Dream's Mother for prime's sake. Puffy was one of the original vampires blessed by the goddess of death.
What was Puffy's blessing?
Technoblade almost paused in his steps. She never did tell him that did she? Quakity got luck, Phil was the first Vampire, Bad became the demon thing, Awsamedude got infinite supplies.
What was Puffy's gift?
Was that relevant or was it another wild goose chase?
Surely she would have thought to tell Technoblade if it was important.
Then Technoblade got an idea. If he was still around he would be a perfect informant. Someone he knows has yet to be under the influence of the egg. Someone was around during Puffy's time and must have known Dream at least a little bit, hopefully. Someone who was neutral but was good friends with Phil.
Technoblade stopped in his tracks, Causing Tommy to run head first into him, And took out his map. If they adjusted their course to the safe house by thirty degrees east they would hit-
For the first time Technoblade smiled, his mind racing with possibilities, assuming this person could help them.
Checkmate.
)o(
Tommy
Tommy didn't like being alone.
Exile was the first time he was ever really alone. Sharing a room with two other people for his whole life was very different to not seeing anyone for days that lasted years. Sometimes introverts would talk about the peacefulness of being alone. It only made Tommy's mind race too fast with nothing to distract him from every too loud thing. His chest felt tight and his arms itched for not scratches but pressure.
On the worst days he would curl up in a little ditch where the earth could press against both of his shoulders and back. It didn't really work, the ground was cold and hard and just made him cry harder.
Not that he cried.
Big men don't cry.
Shut up.
Sometimes in the manor those itches came back. The light ache that quieted the spew of nonsense that followed unfiltered from his brain to mouth. It actually made him think. Thoughts that made him hesitate and question and pause.
So Tommy would burst in on whatever songwriting session or politics crap he was doing and poke and prod him with all the pricklyness that resulted in him eventually getting all the love.
It was a perfect system.
Eventually Tommy got all the attention and hugs without having to poke at Wilbur for an hour.
Oh Tommy missed Wilbur.
One foot in front of the other. Cold seeped into his shoes and dampened his socks. Tommy clutched his cape tighter to his body and zoned out on the repeating motion.
Wilbur was not a wrong un.
Ever even considering the possibility that he could be was stupid. Wilbur was so cool with his peppy music that was actually angst as hell and he was so effing smart. Wilbur was just having a bad day is all. Phil did say he was sick. Tommy himself gets weird when he gets sick so that's what was happening. It just tasted bad because that was the last interaction Tommy had with Wilbur before Techno made him run away. Wilbur simply wasn't given the opportunity to say sorry. That was all.
Tommy hugged the cloak tighter.
He missed Wilbur.
Tommy glared up at Technoblade. It was all his fault. He made them run and when Tommy, good old Tommy Innit, tried to make pleasant conversation with Techno. He was shut down!
Sure they had been walking all day and Technoblade had talked with Tommy for many hours because he always got tired and inevitably went off to read a book. It's not Tommy's fault all this awesomeness was not introvert friendly.
The more Tommy poked the more Technoblade got irritated instead of amused. And what was Tommy supposed to do with that? The itches didn't care that Tommy didn't know.
One foot in front of the other.
)o(
Fundy
They did not go back to The Greater Dream SMP Manor. Fundy didn't know why they didn't. Maybe there was some sort of satisfaction in making your enemies home your military base. Fundy wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. But Foolish built the cells and was building a more permanent prison .
Fundy walked into the ballroom and his heart was pounding.
Dancers twirled around him with ease, like was not even seen, the only one who didn't know the dance.
There were so many people living inside and outside the manor. Going from just a few people living within the walls in peaceful merriment to hustle and bustle like a big city. Even though he was the only one who lived here only seventy hours prior now he felt out of place. Running around doing odd jobs for Punz. mostly showing where the extra pillows were and other things.
Older fledglings in gold or silver flower crowns chased each other about, or held hands skipping in circles in an attempt to mimic their sires dance. Younger fledglings sat in their sires lap hiding their faces in their sires neck, overwhelmed by boeing out of the nest and around so many unknown people.
Fundy hasn't even talked Dream since that time on the swing. There was no one to ask what the whole egg mind control thing was or where the vampire Dream promised would sire him.
The vampires sipped on champagne glasses, tilting their fancy gem embedded ceremonial masks that did not look like half a Dream mask. They drank all the exotic bloods Technoblade and Phil had hunted and preserved. They drank Black Bear, Elephant, Cheetah, and Unicorn. All consumed by the masses in minutes.
If Fundy squint hard enough he could imagine it was the winter gathering that always happened at the Sleepy Manor. But instead of Phil sitting in the throne at the head of the room it was George.
Fundy didn't have a clue why they still pretended George was the coven head.
Dream hung off the right side of the ornate throne. The throne that was Phil's. He would nudge George's crown so it slid off his head and would watch the ball. Sapnap stood on the other side in a drunken stance with bright red eyes. Laughing a little too hard and a little too loud at jokes Dream made.
At the foot of the throne there was a boy wearing a fledgling flower crown with a toddler in his lap. The teenagers arms were shimmering with green and gold dust. The little kid was squirmy but the teenager held on tight, chin resting on the littles pink hair.
The music died down and Coven Head George Found steps forward. Everyone quiets to listen to him.
He raised his hands high like he could embrace all the people in this room at one.
"We won."
The people go crazy cheering and downing their blood glasses in toast.
George had a way with words.
)o(
Ranboo
They were okay.
A little imprisoned and starving but they were okay.
"Pyre, darling, you're alright." Ranboo imagined the little girl curled up rocking herself back and forth to match the sniffled he heard.
She was struggling to say the least, seemingly getting worse by the hour. Frog was getting cranky and Phantom was stoic as usual.
Nikki, Jack and Ranboo all sat close to the bars leaning against the wall separating them to whisper to each other. "They are too young to be out of the nest and now their sire is dead." Nikki whispered. "I'm worried this is going to damage their development."
Pyre's crying got louder with gasping breaths.
"If Frog is right then Pyre is only three months fledged, and Frog six. Phantom might be okay but." Nikki sighed frustratedly. "We have to do something or Pyre might just die of neglect."