Fallen Towers, Silent Ruins | Dream Smp

6

Rose and Techno were sitting across from each other in their makeshift camp. There was a small fire between them, and the two stared at each other for a few awkward minutes before Rose finally decided to break the silence.

"So, what's your history?" She asked him.

"What's your history?" He repeated back.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Funny you say that, 'cause I don't want to, either."

Rose frowned at him, but he kept eye contact with a blank expression. It was still the middle of the night, but Rose wasn't tired due to her napping during the day. She didn't know whether Techno was staying awake because she was, or just because he wasn't tired either.

"You can, like, go to sleep," she suggested, "I slept through the whole day, so I'm not tired."

"I would go sleep if I could," the male responded, "sometimes I just can't. Today's just one of those days. Why do you think I was walking around in the jungle in pitch darkness? Not for fun."

"Oh, so like insomnia?"

He considered her words for a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah. Sort of."

Rose nodded in understanding and then the two fell into silence again. A couple years ago, she had been plagued by nightmares and bouts of insomnia almost every night, and it had been a nightmare itself to live through. She understood the frustration and annoyance associated with it. However, it didn't mean that she was going to share this information with Techno. He was still a stranger to her. Rose shifted her legs and leaned back onto the palms of her hands.

"I—uh—I found this thing while traveling here," Rose told him, reaching for the pocket of her jacket, "It's a necklace. I think it might be yours."

Techno's eyes widened. "You found it?"

She shrugged and grabbed the pressed-flower necklace, holding it out to him in her palm. The male studied it carefully for carefully taking it from her and holding it towards the fire, turning over the glass pendant in his hand.

"Thank you. It is mine," Techno said softly, "This necklace...it was a gift from a close friend of mine. I thought I had lost it forever."

"It's very pretty. Did your friend make it themself?"

The pigman nodded. "She made it as a farewell gift; right before I became a wanderer."

"That's nice." Rose watched as Techno unclasped the necklace and wrapped the chain around his neck before clasping it again in the back. He let it fall to his chest and tucked it inside his white shirt. Then, he glanced over at the girl and found her staring at him.

"I think I'm going to try to sleep, myself," Rose announced quickly, "I'll see you in the morning, Techno." She scrambled to her feet and looked back for a moment at the pink-haired male. He muttered goodnight and waved to her. She turned and walked over to the tent that the pigman had prepared for her and ducked inside.

Rose laid down on the cloth floor of the tent and leaned towards her backpack, sliding her hand inside and pulling out the pillager arrow. She ran her fingers down the length of the dark colored wood, and then stared at the metal point. She had washed her blood from the point but if she held it close to her face, she could still smell the familiar metallic scent.

Her thoughts drifted from the arrow in her hands to Techno. She thought of the glass pendant and the pink flower carefully pressed inside. Rose found herself blankly placing the arrow back inside her backpack and searching through the front pocket for a different item. Her fingers brushed over the silky surface of the bracelet and she took it out, sitting upright in a cross-legged position and staring at the object in her palm.

She had almost forgotten that she had it. The embroidered patterns in the strings of the bracelet had faded slightly, from vibrant blues and greens to duller versions of the same colors. Rose questioned herself, wondering why she even still kept it. She shook the thoughts away and tried to forget as she slipped it back inside her backpack.

"You were supposed to forget," she whispered to herself, "You were supposed to never think about that again. Dumbass." She harshly pulled the small white pillow beneath her head and shifted to face away from her backpack and stare at the thin black walls of the cloth tent.

Techno, having heard her words, quietly walked away from her tent and returned to his own. As he tried to fall asleep as well, he wondered what the girl was talking about.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Morning," Techno muttered groggily. Rose hummed in response as she took a seat to the male's right. He handed her a piece of bread, which she took from him, and took a bite.

"Kinda stale," she mused.

"Where do you expect to find fresh bread out here?" He deadpanned, "I don't look like a farmer, do I? Or a baker?"

Rose frowned and chewed on the bread. This man had no sense of humor. "Well, anyway, can we go look for the treasure? It must be hard if you hadn't found the treasure yet."

"The ruin covers a large surface area," Techno explained, "there's a puzzle at the entrance that I've managed to crack but it leads to a large courtyard filled with puzzles. There's a door that requires three keys, and I've found one of the three."

"Sounds fun." The thought of unsolved puzzles and searching the ruin was peaking her interest, and heart started beating slightly faster in excitement. She glanced over at him. "I'm ready whenever you are. I can eat on the go."

"Give me five and I'll be ready," he replied. Rose nodded and sat by the smothered fire pit as the pink-haired male walked over to his tent. When he disappeared from view, the girl realized that she was going to need her supplies as well.

She quickly ran over to her tent. She slipped inside, grabbing her backpack and sword before exiting. Rose had yet to take anything out of her bag, so she knew that everything she needed would be in there. She looked in the direction of Techno's gray tent until his figure emerged from within.

There was a large brown bag slung over his shoulder and the scabbard of his sword swinging from the grip of his right hand. Techno studied her for a moment, mostly in surprise that she had reappeared with her supplies faster than himself.

"So?" The girl asked.

"Let's go." Techno waved a hand for Rose to follow him. The two left the camp and began to trudge through the jungle. The underbrush was thick and dew drops sparkled against the thin sunlight that snaked through the canopy above. The male had his sword in front of himself, swiping at the hanging vines and the large leaves.

Soon enough, Rose spotted a color that stood out from the rest of the green rainforest. A mix of tans, browns, and grays. "Is that it?" She asked while pointing a finger in that direction.

"That's the ruins," Techno confirmed with a nod. After a minute longer of silence, the two adventurers stepped out of the rainforest and into a large treeless area dotted by crumbling towers and age-old buildings. Rose's wide eyes became lost in the sight as she scanned the area.

The large front doors, built from dirt and cobble, had long green vines hanging from it. But the doors were slightly ajar and Rose found herself walking towards it with slow, deliberate steps. Almost as if she was magnetically being pulled towards it.

Her hands rested on the rough surface for a moment. She could hear Techno following behind her. Rose pushed on the door and let it swing upon with a loud creak.

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A/n - Helloooooooooo :D
It's been almost a month, I know, but I've been so busy 😭 as you probably know if you looked at my author's note in Bee Boi
Hope you enjoyed this chp :)
Love y'all <3
~Echo