When The Chips are Down

Effundensque

Away from their jobs, all of the people who helped in the development of the empire that is Las Nevadas, had quite the quiet lives outside of work. The rattling chips in the slot machines, the yelling of drunkards being escorted off the premises, and the constant movement of the hotel and casino lobbies; still, throughout all that madness, there was still a home to be found there. 

It always took a while for Fundy to get to work if he decided to go home after the casino closed for the morning. He lived farther out from anyone on the SMP, and he grew to enjoy the exclusivity of being able to sleep without anyone coming to bother him. And then he woke up. He checked the clock on his wall

He checked the clock on his wall.

He checked the clock...

He...

A knock on the door woke him out of the state he was in. He shot up so quickly, he got a little dizzy. He sat there for a second, affirming he was in his home, far away from anyone else. Another knock, but Fundy could tell whoever was knocking wasn't in a rush. He slowly got out of bed, throwing his pillows back up onto his bed. "What time is it?" He checked the clock on the wall.

1:36, and there was light outside, so now he knew he had work in a couple of hours. Yet again another knock. This time, Fundy went to go answer. "Yes? Hello?" "Fundy? It's uh, Foolish." Foolish? Fundy was confused, as Foolish and him never really talked outside of Las Nevadas, they were surprisingly pretty close at work, but outside of work no one really talks to one another. "Uh, hold on give me a second, I uh- just work up." Fundy quickly threw on his hat and began making his house look a little more presentable. He quickly just threw the bedsheets on as nice as he could and threw some junk on the floor in a drawer in his wardrobe. He went back to the door, put his hand on the handle. He took a deep breath, because whatever dream he had, threw him off a bit. He checked the clock again, 1:39. Ok, this was real, Fundy was real, and everything happening was a real experience. He opened the door.

"Hey Fundy, sorry for bothering you before work." There was something about Foolish that Fundy quite liked, maybe it was his demeanor or his general happy tone, Fundy couldn't really place what it was. "Here, come in." "Thanks man." Fundy had Foolish sit on his bed while Fundy perched on a windowsill, the sun coming through the window felt warm on Fundy's neck. It's silent in the house, just the noise of the outside seeping in through the crack at the bottom of the front door. Foolish looked up, he was staring at his feet for a while, there was definitely something important on his mind"So, Foolish, how can I help you? It's quite a while before work?" Fundy just knew it was something about him, maybe he did something wrong, he couldn't place what he could have done to hurt Foolish in anyway.

"I just got back from talking with Eret." Right away, Fundy knew what this was about. "Look Foolish, I'm not ready to do all that again, I got my hopes up and they didn't come. And that's ok,  Eret wasn't ready and I don't blame them." Silence, Fundy was sensitive about this subject. "I just, I still need time, everything that's going on. It can be overwhelming."  Foolish let out a breath, he knew exactly how Fundy felt. That overwhelming crushing feeling when everything good in your life crashes down on you, and all you can do is pick yourself up and force yourself to move on. "Oh. Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry. Family can be a touchy subject and I didn't mean to hurt your feelings in any way." They looked at each other, they had a good friendship, maybe one that was good enough for them to consider a lot of trust in one another. Fundy broke the stare, he laughed, "Yeah, for some reason family doesn't feel like a word that works out for me. I just end up being alone in the end, always the friend that gets left behind." He took a deep breath, this wasn't something he was able to tell people so easily, but something was telling him that Foolish cared, there was a trust. Fundy didn't feel so alone in the moment.

"You know, my dad wasn't always there. He kind of left me to fend for myself, since growing up with so much power and responsibility on my plate, growing up in a pantheon. And then poof, all of that goes away when he decides you need to go out o your own. Then, there's Dream. Dream, the mischievous one, we were friends for a long time, brothers really. He's actually Puffy's son, and so she took me in, she saw something in me. Then the fateful day of that Wither cult, taking everything we had, but somehow I kept some power, and he turned on me. But after all that, I still had Puffy and Eret. They stuck by me when I was in my darkest times, and constantly pushed me to get back on my feet. Though they weren't immediate family like my dad or someone like Dream, they kept by me." Funny was kind of shocked, he had no idea Foolish had known Eret for a while, or that Puffy took him in even if he was someone to fear at the time. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you Fundy, though you may not consider me family to you, I just- you matter to me. You make working in a place like Las Nevadas tolerable, and I hope I am able to do the same to you. I just know how lonely it can be, being left behind when everyone craves this unattainable power."

Fundy stood up. It hit him that people would always talk down to him, constantly give him the blind eye. But not here, not in Las Nevadas, not with Foolish; people card about him. People actually cared about Fundy, and it didn't hit him till now. He looked up at Foolish, who had now moved next to him near the window. They just smiled a knowing smile at each other. They were safe- alone together, somehow... this was family.

And in silence, Fundy hugged Foolish. "Thank you Foolish, thank you for caring."