Ranboo was definitely not what I thought he would be, based on his appearance.

Despite his menacing height, he was a very kind and shy person. At first, he didn't say much, listening to my tour. But as he got more comfortable, he began brightening, like a flower exposed to the sun.

He bloomed in front of me, showing off his warm-hearted, caring personality. His smiles softened his face and his ears twitched when he laughed. Unlike Tommy or Tubbo, his innocence showed less.

I also noticed that he avoided long eye contact with me, despite being comfortable with me.

About halfway through our walk, I noticed how he was making a map, "Ranboo, would you like me to get you a map so you don't have to write it all down?"

He paused his hand that held the pencil, peering down at me, "Yes, please."

I smiled at his manners, leading him back towards the Community House. We paused in front of the large spaceship and the glass beam that connected it to the ground.

Telling Ranboo to wait at the bottom, I quickly climbed up the ladder in the purple beam. The spaceship was built by another teen, Purpled, acted as a map room after the boy moved to the other side of L'manberg.

After grabbing a filled map of the land, I returned to Ranboo handing over the map. He looked slightly confused, staring at the map in his hands.

"What's wrong? Is the map messed up?"

"Oh, no, I just don't remember why you gave me this."

I scrunched my brows together, now confused as well. I hadn't been gone more than two minutes.

When he noticed my confused expression, a bashful smile appeared on his face. What I assumed to be a blush, grey replacing pink, rose onto his cheeks. "Oh, I forgot to mention, I have short-term memory loss."

"Oh, okay. So you have trouble remembering small details?" He gave me a shy nod, "I have an idea but we have to continue on our tour to reach it."

We continued walking, as I showed him every place from Eret's castle to Skeppy and Bad's mansion. As we walked back towards our final destination, I poked my head into the Embassy.

It was silent, the house members out somewhere. I snuck in, grabbing an empty book and quill from a chest, hoping Tommy wouldn't mind. He probably wouldn't even notice its absence.

I came back out to Ranboo, holding out the book, "Here. You can record anything you need to remember."

The strange blush appeared again but a warm smile spread across his face, "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

As we continued through the small tunnel that winded towards L'manberg, he talked to me about his past. He couldn't remember what brought him here, or much before then, but he did tell me about his biology.

"So you're part enderman, and you don't know the other half?"

"Yup. I once knew the other half, but it's been so long that I can't remember."

My eyes lit up with excitement, "Wait, do you have any powers that endermen have?"

He laughed, his ears pitching a little higher with the movement, "I actually do. I don't think I can teleport, but I can pick up things without changing their state."

"So your hands have silk touch?"

He laughed once more, looking up towards the sky. The colors of the sunset gave a colorful hint to his paler side, "Essentially, yes. I can also speak Ender."

I gasped in amazement, "That's so cool!"

"A downside is that I can't look at people for a long time. That's all I know, but I could have more. I may just not be able to remember."

I nodded, my smile slightly disappearing as we came to the edge of the stairs. Ranboo peered at the destruction at our feet in confusion.

The area looked slightly less disheveled. It was probably cleaned up by the small figures that moved around the nation, dots in our vision from the distance. Piles of rubble had been moved, green grass able to poke through the thick layer of dust that still lingered.

I swept my hand towards the nation, "And this is L'manberg. Well, was. It was recently destroyed by its creator." My voice was solemn as I mentioned Wilbur. Despite our rocky relationship, I still couldn't be mad at the man.

"Why would the creator of that place destroy it?"

"He was in a very dark place and was in a lot of pain. But don't worry, no one got hurt." It was half of a lie. Two people had gotten more than hurt, but I didn't want to frighten Ranboo since he was so new.

We stared at the nation in silence, the sky slowly growing darker with the setting sun. No clouds were in the sky that night so the stars were able to shine brightly. They twinkled against Ranboo's crown.

I called a cool breeze with my magic to keep the bite of heat away. The temperature was dropping with the coming night but I still felt hot from my trip to the Nether. The wind kissed my cheeks with freshness.

Ranboo glanced around, "What was that?"

I tilted my head back to look up at his tall form, "Hm?"

"Did you feel that?"

"What, the breeze?"

"No, there was like a ... shift in the air. Or not the air, but around me."

An idea struck me. "Did it feel like a wave of something rolled in around you?"

"Yes, that's exactly what it felt like. Do you know what it is?"

A slow smile spread across my lips in realization, "You can sense my magic."

"What?" His multicolored eyes darted to my own for a second. "You have magic?" I could see the curiosity dancing in his hunched over form, peering down at me.

"Ah, I forgot to mention it. I have powers, fire, wind, earth, water, some mind-stuff, and recently I discovered lightning." I wiggled my fingers at him, making him laugh, "There could be more. It never fails to surprise me."

"And I can sense it?"

"Well, it seems so. You aren't the only one who can, Dream can too. You two are somehow able to sense my magic, unconsciously. Like, when I'm not trying to make its presence known."

He nodded, looking back out at L'manberg. It was too dark to see the figures moving, but lights began to appear. They must be placing lights down to work through the night.

Ranboo looked like he was about to say something, but he was cut off by someone yelling my name. I turned to the source, facing away from L'manberg.

Tommy was walking towards the two of us with a wide grin on his face, hands in his pockets. When he got closer he waved, "Hey, y/n!"

He turned to Ranboo, tilting his head up. He didn't have to tilt it as much as I did because of his own height, but still slightly, "Oh, hello, who are you, big man?"

Ranboo nervously looked around, his eyes landing on me for help. His words failed him, not looking towards Tommy.

I gave him a gentle smile, reassuring him, "It's alright, Ranboo. This is Tommy," I gestured my hand between the two, "And Tommy, this is Ranboo. He recently moved here."

Tommy gave Ranboo a skeptical look, squinting his striking blue eyes. I was about to tell him to stop cause it was making the latter nervous, when he said, "Were you born before or after April 2004?"

Ranboo's eyes darted to Tommy, a small smile hinted on his lips, "Before."

Tommy's brows scrunched together and he threw his hands up in the air, "Oh, why am I still the youngest?!"

Ranboo and I fell into a fit of laughter as we watched Tommy pace in anger, throwing out some swear words. His accent seemed to fly higher with his pitch in emotions.

When I could breathe after laughing, I said, "Tommy, relax. Did you need something?"

He stopped pacing, his anger pausing, "Oh yeah. Do you guys wanna do something fun?"

I crossed my arms, "Tommy, sometimes your definition of fun isn't always safe or allowed."

"C'mon, it'll be fine."

I couldn't deny the excitement in his eyes, so I caved. The boy had been through so much and I knew he wasn't fully healed from being exiled. Some fun could do him good.

Tommy saw it and began to walk back the way he came. I signaled to Ranboo, the two of us falling in step with the other.

-

Tommy brought us to a small house beyond the Nether portal. It was in the direction of our old camp from the first war, but the house was much closer.

It was built out of red and white mushroom, accented with a wide spruce arc that crossed over the top. A small bridge crossed over a man-made pond that had lily pads sprouting from it.

I had never seen it before and had no idea who it belonged to. Or why we were here.

Tommy led us across the pond, bringing us closer to the house. He didn't hesitate when he drew towards the front door, entering it without knocking.

Ranboo gave me a nervous look, not following Tommy inside. I felt anxiety tug at my heart as well but I hid it for my friend's sake. We waited outside for Tommy instead of going in.

A strange sense told me that this was not Tommy's house.

That in fact when he walked out of the house holding some golden apples and potions, he was stealing them.

"Tommy, what are you doing?" When he had said fun, I knew it wouldn't be legal.

His eyes twinkled with adrenaline, "Having some fun. But don't worry, this isn't the best part."

He pocketed the stolen items, replacing them with the red block of netherrack. My mind instantly knew what he was doing with them.

"I don't think this is the best idea, big man." I watched as he placed the blocks down in an L shape on the small plots of grass. He placed two on each side of the bridge, stopping just before the fence.

He walked back over to us, "It's fine." He waved his hand in dismissal, "We're just making L's."

Two flint and steels appeared and he pushed one into Ranboo's hands. The other hesitantly took it, staring at the item. Tommy continued, "The fire won't spread, so we aren't doing any real harm."

"Ranboo, you don't have to."

Tommy walked off to place more netherrack around the base. Ranboo stared for a moment longer, "Maybe this could be fun. It's only a small prank, right?"

To Tommy, yes this was a prank. But if there's one lingering spark or ember, then the whole house could be lit. There was danger in what the boy was doing.

But instead of denying Ranboo bonding time with Tommy, I let it go. "Yeah, it'll be fine. Go have fun." I gave him a smile as he ran towards the other. He reached him within seconds because of his long legs.

I monitored the flames they were igniting on the netherrack from afar. I sat on the small bridge with my legs dangling over the side, inches above the blue water. Tommy shrieked with excitement while Ranboo laughed.

Whoever's house this was, wasn't going to be happy about the 'prank'. But, they could clean it up.

Sighing, I pulled a small object out of my hoodie pocket. The compass was still dull, with no purple film surrounding it yet. I hoped it would come alive soon, I missed Techno.

Tommy's yell filled the air once again, but this one lacked the previous excitement. I quickly pocketed the compass to twist around. My eyes widened, making me stand quickly.

Fire had spread from the blocks of netherrack to the house. The red and white mushroom was crumbling under the flames, spreading to the spruce oak. In the dark sky, the fire burned brightly like the sun.

"Tommy!" I ran over to the two boys, pulling them away from the fire by the back of their shirts. "What did you do?!"

Tommy stared at the flames, the light reflecting in his blue eyes. Ranboo did the same from my side.

When they didn't respond, I summoned as much water as I could, throwing it on the ruby flames. Sizzles followed my action as the fire was doused. It was too late though.

Ugly, black marks ran up and down the mushroom parts. The spruce arc had turned into gray ashes, floating down like snow.

Ranboo glanced at it nervously, "It's fine! It's fine!" He sounded like he was trying to reassure himself more than us.

"I think we should get out of here before the owner comes back." Tommy said, chucking the flint and steel back into the house. He began to walk away from the destruction he just caused, waiting for us on the other side of the bridge.

Ranboo and I followed him, the three of us quickening our steps. I didn't want to be anywhere near the house when the person returned to find their house burnt to a crisp.

"Tommy, whose house was that?" I asked the boy as we neared L'manberg once more.

"A bitch's." He smirked at me. I just rolled my eyes at his response.

-

Before I parted with the two boys to return home, I followed them into L'manberg. Sleep began to settle over me as the moon moved higher into the sky.

Tubbo, Quackity, and Fundy were still working even though they had been for hours. Torches were placed on the ground around the crevice, creating blooms of light. The three now stood near the pond, trying to clog the water.

Tubbo's green tie hung loosely from his neck when he leaned over the water. Tommy sped ahead of us towards his best friend, "Hey, Tubzo!"

The latter smiled at the nickname, standing up straighter. They definitely made some progress in the area. Less water streamed into the pit, now being contained in small pools.

I didn't support the government, but at least they were making the land less of an eyesore.

"Look at the progress we've made!" Tubbo looked around L'manberg with pride.

Tommy clapped his friend on the back, "It looks great, big man! I'll start helping tomorrow."

Tubbo nodded, his head turning towards me. He waved at me but then paused when his eyes landed on the boy to my side.

"Oh hello, who are you?"

Ranboo looked to me for help. I gave him a reassuring nod, "I'm Ranboo. And who are you?"

Tommy trailed behind Tubbo as he walked over to us. The latter placed a hand to his chest, giving Ranboo a gentle smile, "I'm Tubbo." He paused for a second and then continued when he remembered something, "Oh, and this is L'manberg. It's not much right now, but welcome."

Tommy looked at his best friend with pride, "Tubbo is the president!" The teen squared his shoulders, "And I'm the big VP!"

I stayed quiet throughout this conversation. It made me slightly uncomfortable when they talked about the government but I didn't say anything. If Ranboo didn't mind the government, then that was his opinion.

Tubbo pointed towards the two figures moving towards us, "And that's Quackity, with the beanie. The one with fox ears and a tail is Fundy."

When they got closer, I noticed a third figure next to them. But he didn't look solid, looking more like a shadow in the dark night.

The others noticed as well, making Tubbo hesitate. He glanced up at Tommy for a moment, concern painted on his face, "Um, and that's Ghostbur."

Tommy whirled on his friend, "Who the hell is Ghostbur?"

Before the other could respond, the others arrived in front of us. I ignored the two humans to stare at the third, which wasn't human.

A person who I recognized was next to Quackity, their bright yellow sweater contrasting with the grey skin of their face. A soft, calming expression was on the man's face, unlike how he looked when I last saw him.

Ranboo looked around at us in confusion from not knowing who this was. But Tommy and I stood still, staring at the ghost.

Tommy hesitantly stepped towards the third, "Wilbur?"

His previous energetic emotions had been replaced with uncertainty. If I felt weird, I couldn't imagine how he felt seeing his dead brother. The last he had seen of him was Wilbur dead in their father's arms.

The ghost's face brightened with a friendly smile, "Oh, Tommy! I'm so glad to see you! How are you?"

There was no response from his brother. He stared at him in wonder with a hint of pain in his eyes.

"How are you here?"

"Well, I woke up in a really bright place. Then a woman's voice came out of nowhere and told me that I was going back." He tilted his head like a puppy, "I wasn't sure how I even got there or why I was going back, but then I appeared here."

That's when I remembered Noemi's words. She was sending Wilbur back as a ghost as a gift for Karl and I. She was probably the woman who had spoken to him in the Inbetween.

I hadn't seen Tommy this still in a while. Only when he slept was he still, but constantly moved whenever he was awake. Whether that meant tapping his foot or jumping up and down with energy.

"So you're a ghost now?"

"Yup. By the way, I'm Ghostbur. I'm different from the other you knew."

I could see the emotions running through Tommy's face. There was pain and grief but also wonder and surprise.

I was about to reach out to him when a smile spread across his face. I couldn't tell if it were real or if it were fake, "Oh, well that's pretty poggers."

The small group started talking about something while I whispered to Ranboo, "That's Wilbur, er now I guess Ghostbur. He was the creator of L'manberg."

Ranboo had to bend down to hear my hushed voice, "He's the one that created that pit?"

"Yeah. But now he's back as a ghost." I observed the ghost's mannerisms for a moment before continuing, "And he seems much kinder than Wilbur."

Memories of maddening stares and daggers circled in my mind. The faint kiss of cold metal pressed against the scar that ran below my ribs. I placed a hand over it absentmindedly.

I glanced up at the moon, which was almost in the middle of the sky, "Ran, will you be alright to stay with Tommy and Tubbo? I'm getting tired."

He nodded, glancing towards where a laugh erupted from the group, "Yeah. I actually think I want to get to know them. And maybe assist them in their work."

I smiled, "Say goodnight to them for me." Before I left I lowered my voice once more, "And make sure Tommy doesn't slip about the incident."

"Okay. Goodnight, y/n."

"Goodnight, Ranboo."

~~~~

a moment of silence for the mushroom house

sorry for updating two days in a row, I'm just excited :)

stay hydrated!