Together We Can, Alone We Will [Origins SMP/Modded SMP]

What Does Home Mean?

Jack ran his palms against his eyelids. An unfamiliar headache coming on and yet he couldn't truly feel it.
It wasn't an uncommon occurrence he supposes.

Jack glanced at Max. His red hair blended in nicely with their surroundings.
His thumb repeatedly scratched at the inside of his pointer finger with his fist closed. As if he was trying to light a lighter.

His golden necklace dangled helpfully and harmlessly down the front of his toga.
He was older than Jack. How much older he doesn't quite remember. Just... Older.

The 2 made brief eye contact and Max leaned forward.
"Stay hidden kid, no matter what you hear," Max instructed.
Jack cocked his head.

What was he going to hear?

Max's eyes were unusual. A scary kind of gold that helped him in situations with Piglins.
He was a mesmerizing man. 24 if Jack recalls correctly.

At least had was when Jack last saw the man.

He sighed, pressed a sparkly blue, white, yellow, and purple star in Jack's palm.
"Ooo, sparkly!" Jack found himself saying.
"Yep, and you know how important sparkly is down here, yeah?" Max replied.

Jack nodded.
"Good, keep it safe and don't lose it, ok?" Max grinned.
Jack agreed easily though he doesn't remember even opening his mouth.

So Max left.

It was as if Jack had super hearing. It felt as if he could hear everything. The piglins squawks, the thunderous feet of an army, the yells of their leader, and even... Max's final words, "maybe he'll have better luck in using it."

He even heard the "there!" And the gut-wrenching quelch that followed it. The coughing and the vague weak, "you'll never find it."

Next thing he knows he's running. A star with 4 points cradled delicately in small hands and small stubby legs beating effortlessly to push him forward.
Too effortlessly. He was fast. Really fast.
Too fast.

How was he supposed to stop?!

It got him over a lava river, past some piglins, even between 2 ghasts.

"Tango?" A voice hit his ears unpleasantly, with a ring that made him cry.
He wasn't being followed anymore but he still ducked into a cave nonetheless.

The sound was something he's heard before. Yet never in his life had he heard it.

The voice was soft, caring, tender, low. A man most definitely.
"Tango, bud, you ok?" He asked his voice ringing over and over.
Too many times.
It made him want to puke, almost gagging as if he had just been thrown on, through, and then off of a dollar coaster too quick.

"You've been quie- Oh my G*d, are you crying?!" He asked squawking.
"Tangy? What's wrong?" A second voice asked a similar reverb coated his words except, somehow, it felt more muffled as if he was under the lava trying to talk, this voice was even deeper than the other one.

"Who is this?" Jack whimpered.
Silence.
"Hewlo?" Jack choked.
"Hi, buddy! My names Wels, what's your name?" The first guy asked his voice hitching up a few octaves to talk to him, it was softer now too.

"J-Jack-" Jack stammered with a whimper.
"It's nice to meet you, Jack! How old are you?" 'Wels' asked.
Jack paused.
How old was he?

"A'most 6!" Jack puffed up his chest.
Ok wtf, he wasn't 6?! He was 16, you doofus.
"Wow! So big! 6, that's a really important age!" Wels boasted and praised.

"Mmmhm! An' Max gave me a ve'y 'portant mission! It sparkly an' I need to p'otec it!" Jack proclaimed too loud.
Too loud.
Shhhhh.
Shhhh.