In Hindsight

To Build a House

The day after his conversation with Xisuma, Tommy sat on the ground just outside the borders of Decked Out's snowy landscape. Dirt covered his hands and clothes, and he picked at blades of grass, frowning thoughtfully. A shallow hole was dug out in front of him, and after a moment of staring at it, he moved to stand, then hesitated and sat back down with a huff.

"Having trouble?"

Tommy jumped and snapped his head around to find Scar standing behind him. "Ga—! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Scar chuckled. "Sorry. What're you up to?"

Tommy turned back to the hole. "Digging."

"I can see that." Scar sauntered up to the edge of the hole and peered in. "Gathering dirt?"

"No. . ." Tommy ripped up a handful of grass. "Xisuma said I could build a house."

Scar's eyes lit up immediately. "You're building a base?! That's great! This is a good spot, too, you're right next to Decked Out so you can play it whenever you want once it opens!"

"Yeah, I guess." Tommy tossed the grass into the hole.

Scar raised an eyebrow, then glanced around. "Hm. Where's Tango? I thought—"

"I don't have to be accompanied anymore," Tommy interrupted. "I'm not allowed to leave the server, but I can be on my own as long as I check in with the admins once a day. Once a week, if I behave."

"Ohhh." Scar's lips twitched knowingly. "Well, I still would have thought Tango would be hanging out with you. You two seem pretty close."

Tommy snorted. "I sent him away. He kept— placing shit."

"Placing—?"

"He was trying to build a base for me." Tommy rolled his eyes, but couldn't help smiling a little. "He didn't let me get a word in, just kept placing shulkers and going on about block palettes and structure and textures and shit— so I made him tear down what he had built and go back to working on Decked Out."

Scar laughed. "Gotcha, he was overly excited, huh? Well, if you do need building advice, there are a few dozen hermits who would be more than willing to help you."

"I don't want building advice, I just want to make something for myself. I just can't figure out how to start," Tommy said.

"Getting started is the hardest part." Scar hummed and carefully jumped into the hole. "What ideas do you have so far?"

"Hole." Tommy scowled.

"Well, that's better than nothing," Scar chuckled.

Tommy sighed and stood. "I want it to be deep. With like, multiple levels? But it could also have a top part, so it's not just a random pit in the middle of the forest."

"Okay, so basement-heavy. That's a good start! Any ideas for block palettes?" Scar beamed.

"I don't—" Tommy waved his hands around. "I don't fuckin' know, probably oak since it's in the area, and cobblestone— I don't know!"

"Well, you don't have to just use what's in the area. The shopping district has lots of block varieties to choose from, and if you have something else in mind, Tango or I could go grab it— this area was originally a spruce forest before Tango tore it down and turned it into Decked Out, so earthy tones could look good. Oh, or you could match it to your hybrid form, that would be sick! Maybe stripped crimson wood and skulk? Plus, the cyan would be on-theme with your neighbors, so maybe you could incorporate some warped wood as well—"

"Scar!" Tommy cut him off, exasperated. "I don't want building advice!"

"Right, right!" Scar threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay, you come up with the color palette, and I'll help you gather it—"