Who Lies in the End?

Ch 36: 6 "I'm not leaving, and you've got limited time."

art by: blipnap

Ch 36 (6)

The early morning sun was the perfect lighting for the village. The bustling streets were filled with busy bodies and jovial voices, ready to face the day. Any traces of the raid the other day stayed behind the stone wall, leaving the pleasant air of the everyday villager intact.

Most people didn't pay him any mind as he walked down cobbled streets. The verdant hood kept his head and most of his mask from immediate view, but those that recognized him wouldn't fall for such a lazy disguise. He could feel their eyes linger on him and could hear their muttered whispers; although, their faces didn't twist in anger or resentment. Mostly, they were confused, and that was most likely due to yesterday. It's not every day that a wanted criminal defends a village and saves a duke... then lingers.

Dream smiled as he watched two kids fail to walk their dog. It tore out of the doorway and dragged them on their short lead. As the grey canine bolted past him, Dream reached out a hand and snatched the leash. The dog jolted back as the kids could finally catch their breath.

Their youthful eyes stared up at him in fear and confusion. He couldn't tell if that was because they knew who he was or if it was because he was some stranger in a mask. With the dog finally behaving, Dream released the lead.

"Keep your eyes on him, he might bolt again," Dream offered as he gestured to the canine who was already staring at the crowded venues.

"Okay!" they both chimed. As they continued on the walk, one turned around and waved, "Bye-bye, Mr. Smiley!"

Dream thought on the title for a second before nodding his head.

It wasn't wrong.

A few more buildings down was Dream's destination. After George had woken up, they both left the obsidian chamber and split ways. George had to pull together some papers with Bad, while Dream had to gather supplies; fortunately, Ranboo was supposed to have most everything anyways. So, after swiping an apple off of a passing cart, Dream slipped down towards the building where he supposedly worked.

The shop was rather nice on the outside. It was the same oak and mossy cobblestone as the surrounding buildings, but there was a beehive attached to the front, over a flower bed. Kind of odd to invite bees into your shop, but they didn't bother Dream, so he couldn't care less.

Inside was a cluster of chests, barrels, signs, maps, item frames, flags, and miscellaneous goods. It was eclectic on the surface, but as Dream glanced around, he could tell there was some sort of semblance of organization. Somewhere hidden in the space, a jukebox was playing 'cats'.

Dream walked up to the counter at the back of the room and rang the golden bell on the spruce counter. There was shuffling from a door behind the counter, and a second later, Ranboo appeared. Still dressed in a suit and wearing a golden crown, the half-enderman... thing stared at him with a smile.

"Hey, Dream!" Ranboo closed what Dream could see was a basement and approached the counter, "Karl told me you'd be in today: whatd'ya need?"

Dream rested his elbows on the counter edge, "Karl, did? I thought Bad would've said something."

Ranboo shook his head as he reached under the counter, "Bad typically gets caught up in other things, but Karl was here and warned me," he placed a leather book on the counter and plucked a quill from an ink well, "I'm assuming this is for the End trip?"

Dream nodded, "It's mostly prevision stuff, but we're going to need a fair amount since I'm assuming everyone is coming."

Ranboo flipped open to a fresh page and began writing, "You, George, Sapnap, Sam, Bad, Tubbo, Fundy, Karl, and myself: that's nine people. We're all going to need armor -but that shouldn't be too hard. Then we need rations, and perhaps some potions?"