Watching and Listening - An Empires SMP AU

Almost normal

           Jimena rushed forward as soon as the explosion had settled. In the middle of the pile of rubble that used to be a street was a burnt and battered sheriff toy that didn't move when someone screamed his name. Jimena grabbed Jimmy and tried using her Watcher power to heal him but nothing was working.

           Martyn crouched next to her, staring at the toy. "I think... he's dead." He whispered in horror. "No! He's not dead! He can't be!" Jimena shouted and tried again. Nothing happened. "He's not respawning." False said sorrowfully, crouching down next to them and looking down at the sheriff. "They turned off the respawn." Jimena realized. "The Watchers turned off respawn."

           "Canary call..." Martyn muttered, his eyes glazed over like he was recalling a past memory. "First to fall. Forever caged in different walls." He looked at Jimmy and a lone tear rolled down his cheek. "Why did they always make you the first to die?" He whispered, as if mostly to himself.

           Jimena still kept trying to fix him, but nothing happened. Whatever she tried, nothing happened. "Do something!" She screamed, unsure who she was talking to. I can't. Herodias said softly. I don't know how to revive anyone. Only Qiron knows. He made sure he was the only one who knew. I'm sorry, Jimena.

           Jimena just shrieked again and clutched the lifeless toy to her chest, sobbing. False and Martyn cried too. They'd all gotten close to the sheriff, and now he was gone. Then Martyn looked at Jimmy again. "Why is he a toy?" He asked uncertainly. "Did he just reincarnate like this or-?" "It was a prank." Jimena sniffed. "He used to be human."

           "Then..." Martyn said slowly, "What if he's not dead?" He asked. False and Jimena whipped around to stare at him. "Toys aren't alive so they don't die." Martyn said. "But he's- he's not moving." Jimena stuttered, hope blooming from somewhere within her. "Who turned him into a toy?" Martyn asked sharply. "If we turn him back, maybe we can heal him or something. Just try anything!"

           Martyn was not surprised to find it out that it was Joel who'd I vented the potion in the first place. "Joel!" Martyn shouted as they ran through Stratos. "Martyn? How did you get here?" Joel asked. "Why are you tall- oh, nevermind, Joel, Timmy's dying!" Martyn snarled. Joel paled. "What? What happened?!" False quickly explained the situation and Joel quickly got a strange apple from somewhere.

           "Feed it to him and he's human again." Joel instructed. He dropped the apple down and Jimena caught it and instantly forced it down Jimmy's throat. For a few painstakingly slow moments nothing happened.

           And then Jimmy started growing. His wooden skin paled and softened until it was flesh again, hair began to sprout from under his hat, and Jimena had to put him on the ground once she realized he'd gotten too heavy for her to carry.

           Then the wounds quickly became apparent. Burns from the explosion, scratches from the barbed wire trap. Jimena immediately started healing him again, hoping beyond hope that it would work now that he was human and no longer a toy, and it did. Jimmy went back to normal and then he blinked.

           "Sheriff!" False and Jimena shouted at the same time Joel shrieked, "Jimmy!" and Martyn yelled, "Timmy!" Jimmy started and he sat up. "Wha- how'd I get to Stratos?" He mumbled in confusion, but he didn't get a reply as everyone was too busy hugging him in relief to answer his question. "Did I just die?" Jimmy frowned, and then he realized.

           He stared at his human hands in disbelief and then touched his face. He ran to the closest gold-covered building among many that Joel had egotistically built all around upper Stratos and examined his reflection. He squealed in delight as he realized. "I'm not a toy anymore!" "Yeah, you're not." Joel said, his voice laced with relief that the sheriff wasn't dead. Apparently even friends who constantly pranked you still cared whether you lived or died.