Watching and Listening - An Empires SMP AU

Voices in her head

           Jimmy was cleaning up the guest rooms of the saloon. Flick was adorable and his cat, but all cats seemed to have this innate personality of being annoying. Flick had this habit of always sleeping in places he shouldn't be sleeping in, like the guest rooms. And since there weren't any litter boxes in there, there wasn't exactly a clean place for the kitty to do his business in. Which is how the sheriff ended up cleaning up cat excrement.

           Jimena suddenly respawned right next to him and Jimmy yelped in surprise. "Woah! Jimena?!" She awkwardly waved at him. "Hi, sheriff." "How did you...?" Jimmy trailed off. He was being silly as usual. There's literally only one reason why she'd respawn here. "Warden got me," Jimena said, rubbing her ears. Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, those are the worst, aren't they? Me and my friend Gem went mining once, warden scared us to pieces."

           Jimena got off the bed. "I need to get back to Cogsmeade. I hope False is alright." "Wait," Jimmy said, scrambling downstairs. He walked to the wall and showed Jimena the contraption attached to it. "I just got this fixed! It's a telephone. You can go call her." Jimena awkwardly dialed False's number; Jimmy had saved the numbers of all the emperors in it; and False picked up on the second ring.

---

           Jimena felt weird, holding a block to her head and trying to talk into it. It was weirder to imagine someone out there would hear what she was saying and be able to talk back to her. If she had ever used a telephone before, it would have been amnesia wiped her slate of experiences clean. Suddenly the ringing, dialing tone abruptly cut off and she could hear False talking.

           "Oh good, you respawned," False heaved a sigh of relief that sounded funny and staticky over the phone. "When I didn't find you in your room I thought-" "I respawned in Tumble Town," Jimena said. It's weird hearing her voice when she's not actually here, Jimena reflected. It feels supernatural, in a way, but I know that False can explain it away with her mechanical knowledge. "Did you get my stuff?" There was an awkward pause, and Jimena somehow already knew the answer.

           "No," False sighed, sounding so close it was like she was in Jimena's head. "I'm sorry." "It's okay," Jimena said. She didn't feel any loss whatsoever regarding her lost things. "I don't need all that stuff. I didn't have much on me anyway." What did I even lose? She wondered. After a quick inventory check, she found that she had dropped the map and elytra that False had lent her, the plastic wrap from the cactus sandwich, the mining equipment, as well as the lodestone compass, all of which False informed her could be easily replaced.

           "Since you lost the elytra, I'll come and pick you up. Tumble Town, right?" "Yeah," Jimena answered, looking at Jimmy, who cleared his throat. "Actually, I can take you thwre," He said, raising his voice enough for the telephone to pick it up. "That's the sheriff, right?" False asked hesitantly. "The one and only," Jimmy said proudly. "I've got a spare elytra; the two of us can fly to Cogsmeade. The big and strong sheriff will protect you!" Jimena smiled. "I can take care of myself, but thanks."

           Jimmy insisted on going, however, so the two of them spread their elytra wings and flew to the mountains. Jimena ended up being glad Jimmy was there; he'd memorized the route to Cogsmeade better than she had. In other words, he knew the way a little bit, while she didn't know the way at all. They chatted a little on the flight, bonding over their shared love of cats. Jimena didn't remember much from before she had amnesia, but she remembered random cat facts, like how all orange cats are tabbies. Maybe I had a cat before...

           False was looking for them when they arrived, still dressed in her miner regalia, and was as worried as a mother hen. She had Jimena set her spawn at her bed as soon as she landed, and then, since it was getting dark, invited the sheriff for dinner. He didn't refuse.