It's only matter of Time...

Meanwhile...

Tubbo hasn't seen Ranboo in a little over a week, and quite frankly, he's concerned.

Sure, the young Enderian does go sleepwalking at night, and he has disappeared before, but the longest time he'd ever been gone was about 4 days.

This has been well over 4 days.

Tubbo has half a mind to look for him, but he's still got to look after their son. At least Philza's offered to help by means of his crows, but it's not been of much help yet. All he can really do is wait, so he does. In front of him, Michael plays in the frosted field, wheat and grass growing with a shiny layer of ice that adds a small crunch to each step. The little boy snorts happily, crouching down to admire a flower he'd found. An allium. Ranboo did plant a bunch of them in places all around Snowchester after Tommy had died; this may have been one. He hasn't shown up anywhere for a few days, either. That's...also concerning.

Tubbo suddenly feels the presence of eyes watching him, and looks up to survey the area. Maybe this is Tommy, finally coming to visit angain. Instead, he finds it's Dream, hands in pockets, staring at him near the tree line. Tubbo's ears lay back a little, wary, and he turns back to Michael, who thankfully hasn't noticed the man yet. "Michael, it's time to head back." He says, getting a small 'oink' in reply. They set off at a semi brisk pace, not a jog, but a little faster than a casual stroll. Once they manage to reach the house, Tubbo locks the door, puts Michael in his room, and draws a sword. He's sure Dream followed them, he doesn't just show himself like that for no reason. But what is that reason? What does he want? Sure enough, there's the crunching of snow, creaking of wood, and then a knock on his door. "Tubbo? I know you're in there. Don't make me break down this door, it's a nice one." Dream calls, tone oddly casual. Usually there's a more malevolent note to his voice, but this is different. It doesn't mean anything, though, Tommy's made him well aware of the man's tricks. "And why would I do that?" He replies, gripping his sword tightly. "Because I'm looking for Ranboo. He's missing, isn't he?" Tubbo freezes. Dream shifts in the silence. "I didn't do anything to him, if that's what you're wondering. And in fact, he isn't the only one missing. Sam, Sapnap, Bad, Karl, Punz, Techno, and even Tommy are missing, too." Tubbo furrows his brows. Are they really? He hasn't seen any of them in the past couple of days, too, after all.

"I'll take your silence as a good thing...can you open the door, now?" Tubbo hesitates, then grits his teeth. "I'm making a horrible mistake..." He mutters, opening the door and pointing the sword at Dream so he backs away. This allows Tubbo to step out and close the door behind him again. "Alright. What do you want with me, then?" He demands, keeping his sword between them. Likely wouldn't do much if Dream actually attacked, but it's a slight comfort in his hands if nothing else. Dream nods, shifting his stance and rubbing his hands together to warm up. Unlike Tubbo, the speedrunner is very unprepared for the cold climate. "Right. So, as I was saying, there's a whole group missing. And looking at who's in that group, I don't think it's normal for them all to get together. But they did. I...managed to speak with Quackity a few days ago, and he admitted that Karl had asked him to come and see him the day they were last seen. Something about a 'gathering he was making to get some answers', was how he put it. He had decided not to go, else I bet he would have disappeared as well. You know much about Karl?" Tubbo thinks. He doesn't actively close to the man, but he knows a little about him. "Not too much." He answers finally, not entirely trusting whatever scheme–believable as it is(though aren't they all?)–Dream's planning. "Okay. So, apparently, he's found a book, and it's allowed him to see things. From what I could gather, I think he's seeing different realities, maybe different timelines. So I think..." He pauses to inhale and take a breath. He'd spoken in such a rush Tubbo has wondered how much air he'd had left. "They used the book. Why, I'm not exactly sure. Maybe to help Karl get those 'answers'. But we don't know where, or, if they did go through time, when they are. Which is where you are going to help me." Tubbo regards him warily; surely it won't be good. "What do you expect I'll do? I'm not saying yes, but what is it you think you're going to get me to do?" The Hybrid questions. Dream makes a sort of calming gesture with his hands, putting them out and in front of himself. "Whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it. It's nothing too bad...I just need you to keep Wilbur from killing me. I'm going to ask Philza if I can sneak a look at his books, and see if I can find anything in the histories. Didn't Ranboo like books, too? He always seemed to have one with him." Dream asks suddenly, switching lanes so abruptly it takes the goat Hybrid a few seconds to understand. "Uh...yes?" Dream nods once almost triumphantly, then rubs his hands together some more. "You're clearly cold, why didn't you bring a warmer jacket? Phil's place is colder than Snowchester." Tubbo inquires, twitching his ear a little. "Honestly, I didn't think of it." The speedrunner admits. It's strange to him, how this man is the same one who was laughing as he chased Tommy around, trying to kill him, the one who had tried to control the server, exiled Tommy and taken his last canon life, and yet here he stands, making conversations and being so casual. Yeah, Dream has friends, they have fun, but he and Tubbo weren't buddy-buddy either. The opposite, actually. Everything is telling him to say no and make this man leave before he can do anything, but he also knows more than Tubbo does about what's happened, and he knows this may be the best way to get his friends back. Tubbo sighs, lowering his sword. "Wait here." He stomps back inside, grabbing the spare coat that Tommy often forgets. It'll be small, but maybe it only needs to go over his shoulders like a cape. When he returns, Tubbo shoves it into Dream, who accepts it gratefully. At least he thinks. With the mask and how he can poise himself, it's almost impossible to tell what Dream is and isn't feeling. "Thanks." He says, moving to let Tubbo pass him and head down the steps. "Don't thank me yet. If you want me to keep Wilbur from killing you, we're going to need a whole lot of luck."