"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
Show & Tell
@theartofmadeline
PR's Tumblrdome
Fai_Ryy
cherry valley forever
occasionally subtle
wallacepolsom
Xuebing Du
izzy's playlists!
Origami Around
Sade Olutola
oozey mess
No title available
official daine visual archive
⁂
Keni
Love Begins
Three Goblin Art
Today's Document
seen from Türkiye
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from France
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Colombia
seen from Brazil
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
@purple-boxing-gloves
We know this by now
-✧-✧-✧-
Name: Knox
Alias: N/a (doesn't have one)
Pronouns: They/them with the occasional she or he
Sexuality: Doesn't know
Gender: Non-binary/genderfluid (switches between the two labels)
Powers: Elfialtiskinesis (ability to manipulate/generate nightmares)
Section: All and none
World: Hero villain au
-✧-✧-✧-
Tags -
New post - #new match
Reblog - #you here to watch?
General - #rp account , #oc rp account , #fable smp rp account
Out of character - #occ post
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
Oh shit - you okay?
"Yeah it just stings-"
I can get your cream-
"I'm alright, I think- It was only a few drops"
Okay, as long as youre sure
"Yeah I am"
[They look outside and hum at seeing it being almost completely dark]
"We should start cleaning up, it's almost completely dark out"
I can help
Thanks
"Thank you"
[They stand up and start to collect all their dishes and bring them to the sink]
[Once theyre finished cleaning up, Tharros leaves, saying goodbye to both of them]
I… guess i should explain earlier
[They sit down on the couch and nod, their tone being just a little hard]
"Mhm, you should."
I wasnt smiling about what you were saying, i smiled at what Uncle Ross said. He… when he says that he or his acquainances did business with someone, it means they roughed that person up. He runs a gang in the Nether, he does a lot of good and he cleans up the streets on his turf. I was smiling because someone in his organisation fucked up your dad
[They hum and stay quiet for a bit, their working eye doesn't give him even a clue what they're thinking about. Neither does their body language, probably things they got taught by their father which they never unlearned]
Im sorry i didnt tell you
[Knox sighs and stretches a little, they sound mentally tired and their muscles seem tense. They went to work about 5 am and didn't get home until 7, so their muscles have to be doing overtime for everything]
".. It's fine, my dad was a fucked up person so I wouldn't be surprised. And I don't trust my memory enough because I've forgotten everything before Kali and then a few years after her"
…we should get you to bed
"I'm fine Fletch- I have papers I need to grade"
Go to bed
"I have papers I need to grade, I can't tell my students to do everything expected of them immediately if I don't do the same"
You’ve been going for over 15 hours, you need rest
[They wanna keep protesting but it's obvious how tired they are with how much their eye keeps dropping down and how often they keep letting out small yawns]
[Fletch gets them up, walking them up to their room]
[Once in their room they climb into their bed, not even bothering to change into something more comfortable]
Good night
[There's just a hum from Knox, they're probably already close to passing out]
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
Oh shit - you okay?
"Yeah it just stings-"
I can get your cream-
"I'm alright, I think- It was only a few drops"
Okay, as long as youre sure
"Yeah I am"
[They look outside and hum at seeing it being almost completely dark]
"We should start cleaning up, it's almost completely dark out"
I can help
Thanks
"Thank you"
[They stand up and start to collect all their dishes and bring them to the sink]
[Once theyre finished cleaning up, Tharros leaves, saying goodbye to both of them]
I… guess i should explain earlier
[They sit down on the couch and nod, their tone being just a little hard]
"Mhm, you should."
I wasnt smiling about what you were saying, i smiled at what Uncle Ross said. He… when he says that he or his acquainances did business with someone, it means they roughed that person up. He runs a gang in the Nether, he does a lot of good and he cleans up the streets on his turf. I was smiling because someone in his organisation fucked up your dad
[They hum and stay quiet for a bit, their working eye doesn't give him even a clue what they're thinking about. Neither does their body language, probably things they got taught by their father which they never unlearned]
Im sorry i didnt tell you
[Knox sighs and stretches a little, they sound mentally tired and their muscles seem tense. They went to work about 5 am and didn't get home until 7, so their muscles have to be doing overtime for everything]
".. It's fine, my dad was a fucked up person so I wouldn't be surprised. And I don't trust my memory enough because I've forgotten everything before Kali and then a few years after her"
…we should get you to bed
"I'm fine Fletch- I have papers I need to grade"
Go to bed
"I have papers I need to grade, I can't tell my students to do everything expected of them immediately if I don't do the same"
You’ve been going for over 15 hours, you need rest
[They wanna keep protesting but it's obvious how tired they are with how much their eye keeps dropping down and how often they keep letting out small yawns]
[Fletch gets them up, walking them up to their room]
[Once in their room they climb into their bed, not even bothering to change into something more comfortable]
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
Oh shit - you okay?
"Yeah it just stings-"
I can get your cream-
"I'm alright, I think- It was only a few drops"
Okay, as long as youre sure
"Yeah I am"
[They look outside and hum at seeing it being almost completely dark]
"We should start cleaning up, it's almost completely dark out"
I can help
Thanks
"Thank you"
[They stand up and start to collect all their dishes and bring them to the sink]
[Once theyre finished cleaning up, Tharros leaves, saying goodbye to both of them]
I… guess i should explain earlier
[They sit down on the couch and nod, their tone being just a little hard]
"Mhm, you should."
I wasnt smiling about what you were saying, i smiled at what Uncle Ross said. He… when he says that he or his acquainances did business with someone, it means they roughed that person up. He runs a gang in the Nether, he does a lot of good and he cleans up the streets on his turf. I was smiling because someone in his organisation fucked up your dad
[They hum and stay quiet for a bit, their working eye doesn't give him even a clue what they're thinking about. Neither does their body language, probably things they got taught by their father which they never unlearned]
Im sorry i didnt tell you
[Knox sighs and stretches a little, they sound mentally tired and their muscles seem tense. They went to work about 5 am and didn't get home until 7, so their muscles have to be doing overtime for everything]
".. It's fine, my dad was a fucked up person so I wouldn't be surprised. And I don't trust my memory enough because I've forgotten everything before Kali and then a few years after her"
…we should get you to bed
"I'm fine Fletch- I have papers I need to grade"
Go to bed
"I have papers I need to grade, I can't tell my students to do everything expected of them immediately if I don't do the same"
You’ve been going for over 15 hours, you need rest
[They wanna keep protesting but it's obvious how tired they are with how much their eye keeps dropping down and how often they keep letting out small yawns]
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
Oh shit - you okay?
"Yeah it just stings-"
I can get your cream-
"I'm alright, I think- It was only a few drops"
Okay, as long as youre sure
"Yeah I am"
[They look outside and hum at seeing it being almost completely dark]
"We should start cleaning up, it's almost completely dark out"
I can help
Thanks
"Thank you"
[They stand up and start to collect all their dishes and bring them to the sink]
[Once theyre finished cleaning up, Tharros leaves, saying goodbye to both of them]
I… guess i should explain earlier
[They sit down on the couch and nod, their tone being just a little hard]
"Mhm, you should."
I wasnt smiling about what you were saying, i smiled at what Uncle Ross said. He… when he says that he or his acquainances did business with someone, it means they roughed that person up. He runs a gang in the Nether, he does a lot of good and he cleans up the streets on his turf. I was smiling because someone in his organisation fucked up your dad
[They hum and stay quiet for a bit, their working eye doesn't give him even a clue what they're thinking about. Neither does their body language, probably things they got taught by their father which they never unlearned]
Im sorry i didnt tell you
[Knox sighs and stretches a little, they sound mentally tired and their muscles seem tense. They went to work about 5 am and didn't get home until 7, so their muscles have to be doing overtime for everything]
".. It's fine, my dad was a fucked up person so I wouldn't be surprised. And I don't trust my memory enough because I've forgotten everything before Kali and then a few years after her"
…we should get you to bed
"I'm fine Fletch- I have papers I need to grade"
Go to bed
"I have papers I need to grade, I can't tell my students to do everything expected of them immediately if I don't do the same"
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
Oh shit - you okay?
"Yeah it just stings-"
I can get your cream-
"I'm alright, I think- It was only a few drops"
Okay, as long as youre sure
"Yeah I am"
[They look outside and hum at seeing it being almost completely dark]
"We should start cleaning up, it's almost completely dark out"
I can help
Thanks
"Thank you"
[They stand up and start to collect all their dishes and bring them to the sink]
[Once theyre finished cleaning up, Tharros leaves, saying goodbye to both of them]
I… guess i should explain earlier
[They sit down on the couch and nod, their tone being just a little hard]
"Mhm, you should."
I wasnt smiling about what you were saying, i smiled at what Uncle Ross said. He… when he says that he or his acquainances did business with someone, it means they roughed that person up. He runs a gang in the Nether, he does a lot of good and he cleans up the streets on his turf. I was smiling because someone in his organisation fucked up your dad
[They hum and stay quiet for a bit, their working eye doesn't give him even a clue what they're thinking about. Neither does their body language, probably things they got taught by their father which they never unlearned]
Im sorry i didnt tell you
[Knox sighs and stretches a little, they sound mentally tired and their muscles seem tense. They went to work about 5 am and didn't get home until 7, so their muscles have to be doing overtime for everything]
".. It's fine, my dad was a fucked up person so I wouldn't be surprised. And I don't trust my memory enough because I've forgotten everything before Kali and then a few years after her"
…we should get you to bed
"I'm fine Fletch- I have papers I need to grade"
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
Oh shit - you okay?
"Yeah it just stings-"
I can get your cream-
"I'm alright, I think- It was only a few drops"
Okay, as long as youre sure
"Yeah I am"
[They look outside and hum at seeing it being almost completely dark]
"We should start cleaning up, it's almost completely dark out"
I can help
Thanks
"Thank you"
[They stand up and start to collect all their dishes and bring them to the sink]
[Once theyre finished cleaning up, Tharros leaves, saying goodbye to both of them]
I… guess i should explain earlier
[They sit down on the couch and nod, their tone being just a little hard]
"Mhm, you should."
I wasnt smiling about what you were saying, i smiled at what Uncle Ross said. He… when he says that he or his acquainances did business with someone, it means they roughed that person up. He runs a gang in the Nether, he does a lot of good and he cleans up the streets on his turf. I was smiling because someone in his organisation fucked up your dad
[They hum and stay quiet for a bit, their working eye doesn't give him even a clue what they're thinking about. Neither does their body language, probably things they got taught by their father which they never unlearned]
Im sorry i didnt tell you
[Knox sighs and stretches a little, they sound mentally tired and their muscles seem tense. They went to work about 5 am and didn't get home until 7, so their muscles have to be doing overtime for everything]
".. It's fine, my dad was a fucked up person so I wouldn't be surprised. And I don't trust my memory enough because I've forgotten everything before Kali and then a few years after her"
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
Oh shit - you okay?
"Yeah it just stings-"
I can get your cream-
"I'm alright, I think- It was only a few drops"
Okay, as long as youre sure
"Yeah I am"
[They look outside and hum at seeing it being almost completely dark]
"We should start cleaning up, it's almost completely dark out"
I can help
Thanks
"Thank you"
[They stand up and start to collect all their dishes and bring them to the sink]
[Once theyre finished cleaning up, Tharros leaves, saying goodbye to both of them]
I… guess i should explain earlier
[They sit down on the couch and nod, their tone being just a little hard]
"Mhm, you should."
I wasnt smiling about what you were saying, i smiled at what Uncle Ross said. He… when he says that he or his acquainances did business with someone, it means they roughed that person up. He runs a gang in the Nether, he does a lot of good and he cleans up the streets on his turf. I was smiling because someone in his organisation fucked up your dad
[They hum and stay quiet for a bit, their working eye doesn't give him even a clue what they're thinking about. Neither does their body language, probably things they got taught by their father which they never unlearned]
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
Oh shit - you okay?
"Yeah it just stings-"
I can get your cream-
"I'm alright, I think- It was only a few drops"
Okay, as long as youre sure
"Yeah I am"
[They look outside and hum at seeing it being almost completely dark]
"We should start cleaning up, it's almost completely dark out"
I can help
Thanks
"Thank you"
[They stand up and start to collect all their dishes and bring them to the sink]
[Once theyre finished cleaning up, Tharros leaves, saying goodbye to both of them]
I… guess i should explain earlier
[They sit down on the couch and nod, their tone being just a little hard]
"Mhm, you should."
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
Oh shit - you okay?
"Yeah it just stings-"
I can get your cream-
"I'm alright, I think- It was only a few drops"
Okay, as long as youre sure
"Yeah I am"
[They look outside and hum at seeing it being almost completely dark]
"We should start cleaning up, it's almost completely dark out"
I can help
Thanks
"Thank you"
[They stand up and start to collect all their dishes and bring them to the sink]
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
Oh shit - you okay?
"Yeah it just stings-"
I can get your cream-
"I'm alright, I think- It was only a few drops"
Okay, as long as youre sure
"Yeah I am"
[They look outside and hum at seeing it being almost completely dark]
"We should start cleaning up, it's almost completely dark out"
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
Oh shit - you okay?
"Yeah it just stings-"
I can get your cream-
"I'm alright, I think- It was only a few drops"
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
Oh shit - you okay?
"Yeah it just stings-"
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
I know, i’m good at my job
"Mhmmm, you are"
[They take a drink of their water and hiss slightly as a couple drops touch their skin]
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
I didnt go easy
I know, Fletch, you never do
"You really didn't- It took a bit for my nose to actually stop bleeding"
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
Is that all?
"Mhm, I'm good at dodging and predicting where people will hit me"
[ Its a few weeks before Fletch’s uncle is available to have dinner with them, and when the night rolls around, Fletch is making sure everything’s perfect. He’s cooked a lot of Nether food and gone on a little cleaning frenzy, just excited to see his uncle again and introduce him and Knox ]
[ When Knox corners him, they’re finishing up yet another batch of curry (this one less spicy for Knox) ]
@nether-fighter
[Knox has been watching Fletch, they're smiling a little bit at how excited Fletch seems. They walk into the kitchen and pull out a bottle of water from the fridge]
"Excited to see him?"
Oh yeah-
[His smile widens]
I havent seen him in a while and he’s just awesome-
[They laugh a little as they open the water bottle and start to drink it]
"I'm to meet him, you met Kali's family and how- loud her little brother is"
Yeah, he’s a good kid. And, just before my uncle gets here, can i just give you a few tips?
"Mhm, course"
First, he’s gonna make a lot of eye contact when you first meet him, especially during handshakes. Thats just how he is. Second, he doesnt like self-deprecation from anyone, try to talk positively about yourself. And third… relax. He’s gonna love you
[They make a little nod]
"I'll..sure try with eye contact, that's probably my least favorite thing to do with anyone"
He’ll give you some grace because youre ender but he’ll still try to get at least a little bit. He always said you could tell a lot about someone just by their eyes
".. Yeah you can- alright-"
[Knox looks around before grabbing one of their glass eyes and putting it in and then an eye patch over it]
[The doorbell rings and Fletch lights up, fixing his clothes and all but running to the front door]
[They stay where they are, they don't exactly know what to do]
[There’s some quiet talking in piglin before Fletch brings an older looking piglin over. His black hair is streaked with grey and he’s wearing a nice looking suit - white trousers and waistcoat and a black shirt. Despite that, it’s obvious he was a fighter at some point, due to a few scars and tattoos… and the lack of a right ear]
Uncle Ross, this is my roomate and friend Knox, Knox, this is my uncle Ross
{T} Tharros Briar, nice to meet you, Knox
[Tharros holds out a hand, making eye contact with Knox, a kind smile on his face]
{T} Fletch has told me all about you
[They smile slightly and shake his hand]
"Knox Stryker, nice to meet you too. Fletch has told me a little bit about you"
[He holds the eye contact for a minute before letting go of their hand]
{T} This is a nice place, Fletch says you two fixed it up together?
[Their hands go to rest in the pockets of their shorts]
"Yeah- we did, there wasn't much we needed to do besides panting everything and getting furniture and appliances"
{T} That’s still a lot of effort for a very nice turn out. You two did a very good job
If you two go set the table, you can get to know eachother a bit more while i finish up in here?
[Knox nods and goes to set up the table]
"Thank you, it became mostly an issue with me being tall and having to get custom made things"
{T} I understand, one of my partners a few years ago was ender and we had to get things custom made. By the way, did the person I put Fletch in contact with do a good job with it all?
"They did- Especially with my bed, I'm not home a lot so having a comfortable bed is nice"
I’m glad. You’re a fighter and a teacher, correct?
"Yeah- teacher and fighter. I mostly teach over here in the nether but sometimes the end and only occasionally aether or overworld"
Overworld? That cant be safe for someone like you
".. Not exactly. I look too nether to always be allowed in and too end to where people don't believe me when I say I'm a teacher"
You dont have to tell me all that, i’ve lived long enough to expreience plenty of it myself
"Mhm"
[They finish setting up the table and stretch, Knox had just gotten back from work so they've been bent down a lot of the day]
[It’s perfect timing. Fletch starts bringing in latge bowls and plates food, putting them on the table]
Okay, everyone can dig in - Knox, the smaller bowls and stuff are for you, its less spicy
"Thank you"
[They sit down and start to eat, they have a slightly fresh looking scar on their side so it's probably from work]
That looks nasty, are you alright?
"Yeah- I'm alright, one of the kids I work with just had a fit because I asked him to finish his assignment before he could take a piece of candy from my desk"
Ah, children. They can be difficult
Hey-
I still have scars from you and your freakishly sharp teeth-
[They give eachother what seems like an angry scowl before laughing]
[They smile a little bit]
"Children can get very fussy- my little brother was not a fan of the end for a good couple of years. He also tried to use his tusks on me when he was 3"
Young piglins are always difficult when theyre teething or having a tantrum, im surprised it was only once
"My little brother or the kid? My little brother didn't do anything because by the time he was born I already had scars from boxing and with the kid it's because I'm quick on my feet, he got taken out for the day by his parents"
I meant your brother. Fletch has told me about him too. He’s a fighter also, correct?
"Mhm, he's also a fighter. Not a clean fighter, at least not until recently"
He’s the one who got me with a razor blade
Ah, that troublemaker? It prepares him for the real world, at least. Not all of his fights in life will be clean and fair
"Mhm, but me and my mom are trying to convince him to stop. Of course with me still fighting I'm being a hypocrite, but he's 15. He can pretty much start new or get friends where he can box, not box people who are my age or older"
I own a boxing dojo here in the Nether, everyone is welcome but we have division nights where only people of a certain age can come fight. We’d be happy to have him if he’s interested, there’re plenty of others his age who come
"I'll ask him"
[They finish eating and hum before standing up]
"Excuse me, I'll be right back"
[They walk upstairs]
[Both him and Fletch nod and keep eating]
[They come back downstairs with their hair pulled up into a ponytail as well as a different glass eye being in, they don't have an eye patch on to cover it though]
[Fletch grins at them]
This food is very good Fletch-
[Knox gives Fletch a look]
"Don't even-"
[They grab the water bottle they had taken out of the fridge and takes a drink]
"He does make good food"
I should hope so, i’ve been trying to teach him since they almost burned the house down
I was twelve years old and my hand was broken, you expected that to go well?
[They make a little laugh and go to sit down again, they're just listening to the two of them]
"Well he won't be able to here here and if they do I'll be able to pay for repairs"
I know
"Good- but you do genuinely make good food, I didn't have lunch today so-"
There’s more low spice stuff in the kitchen if youre still hungry
"I'm alright- If I eat too much I'll get sick"
[They take a drink of their water]
I dont want to repeat that, Irene will be on your ass about it
Irene? Is that a partner?
"Mom would and I'm terrified she would yell at me-"
[They look to Tharros]
"Irene's my mom's name, she's- very protective of me and my brother, Emris. Every time I've been sick she comes to take care of me"
Ah, my apologies. I understand where she’s coming from, you two must be quite precious to her
".. We are, she and my father didn't have a happy marriage. She was 15 when she was pregnant with me, my father was 20, and then ten years later she had Emris"
[Tharros’s eyes harden for a moment but it passes so fast, Knox isnt sure it was there in the first place]
She has my condolences. I’m sorry she had to go through that and you and your brother had to deal with it
"... Fletch would slap me if I said it was fine so thank you. He passed about a month ago"
[They hold up their necklace which has his ashes in it]
"After almost 20 years of fighting because of him, I can choose if I want to keep fighting or not"
It must feel nice to have that choice after so long. I’m sorry you went through that
"Thank you.. I don't know if you ever would've heard about him, he stuck to his..fucked up group"
I hope i never have. He seems… detestable
"You likely never did, his name was Daksh Stryker"
…the name feels familiar but I dont believe i ever met him
[He leans back, wiping his mouth]
Maybe one of my associates met him at some point, did business potentially
[Fletch tries to hide a small smile at what? There’s nothing funny about what’s been said… is there?]
[Knox looks at Fletch, their working eye harding before they let out a sigh]
"I wouldn't know, while he lived with me, he was drunk more than he was sober so I tried to stay away from my own house"
[Fletch mouths “sorry i’ll explain later”]
You shouldnt have had to deal with that, you have my sympathies
[They give him just a small enough look that says "good"]
"Thank you"
[They point to a scar on their lip, it seemed to have never healed properly and maybe was even infected at one point]
"He gave me that scar after..after a friend of mine passed. I was messy with my fights and he didn't like that"
I am so sorry. You should never have had to experience that
".. Thank you. I shouldn't have been born to a man like him, but I was, so now all I can do is live and change for the better in spite of him. As much as I don't want to"
[The last part gets mumbled slightly]
[Fletch reaches over and puts a hand on their shoulder]
That is true
[The hand that has the tattoo on it rests on his hand]
"My little brother had it..I wouldn't say worse, we both had different experiences with our father, but I would say more of a struggle. He resembles our father more, I look more ender and have the difficulties that comes with it like being allergic to water"
That sounds rough. It isnt fair
"It isn't..but life isn't fair. Our father already fucked him up enough on making him fight and be into substances, all I can do is be his older sibling that supports his decisions"
It sounds like youre doing a very good job. I respect what you are doing for him
[Fletch can feel Knox's breathing spike slightly at hearing "good job" before it calms]
".. Thank you"
[Fletch squeezes their shoulder gently]
Lets move onto a happier subject, shall we?
"Yeah- um- I haven't really learnt about Fletch's childhood, or life before I fought him and bruised his ribs"
[Therros’s smile widens and he lights up as Fletch visibly shrinks into his sear]
Ah, now there’s something fun to talk about!
Oh gods save me-
[Knox smiles a little laugh]
"Mhm, once we're done with Fletch I can probably talk about me and Emris as kids"
Well, what do you want to know about Fletch? There’re so many stories
Too many-
"Just anything really? Just to embarrass him I wouldn't mind learning anything"
Hm… baby stories or teenage stories?
"Baby stories first?"
Why dont i just curl up in a ball and die?-
Well, when I first took him in, he was a little rascal. He was around three years old when he came to live with me and wasnt house trained at all, had no idea what a knife and fork was even-
Oh not this one-
[They smile]
"That must've been interesting"
And he decides the ultimate best way to tell me he didnt like wearing shoes outside and not inside was to-
Please dont say it-
-take a pair of my shoes and try to eat them-
".. Fletch-"
[He sinks down into his chair]
I was three and it was my first time living inside, i had adjustment issues-
And some issues with how clean I kept the place too-
[They laugh a little, chuckling softly]
"Oh lord"
[Tharros chuckles at the memory]
He believed a room being clean was wrong and unsafe so refused to sleep in his bedroom, instead opting for outside against the trash cans
"How long did it take for you to convince him that a room being clean was good?"
It took about a month and a half before i got him sleeping in his room and over a year to get his room to stay clean for longer than two minutes
[They nod]
"I'm glad- and I'm happy he had you"
I’m grateful for everything you did, Uncle… even if youre a pain
Right back at you, trash goblin
Hey-
[Knox laughs a little bit]
Just because i lived in a dumpster doesnt mean you can call me trash goblin-
I can call you the other one
I will kick your ass-
"I don't think that'd go well for you Fletch-"
It wont
I know-
"I won't call you trash goblin but I absolutely will tease you over it"
Its not my fault i was dumped in there-
"I know but I absolutely will tease you-"
Would you rather shoe muncher?
No-
[They chuckle a little bit]
"Show muncher and trash goblin, lovely nicknames"
Look at what you’ve done, uncle-
What? Its funny
"It is funny- I agree. If you want let's move to teenager stories?"
Happily
[Tharros starts recounting a whole bunch of stories about Fletch, all of them making him sit lower and lower in his chair]
[Knox laughs and teases Fletch occasionally, looking slightly relaxed]
[By the time Fletch’s complaining shuts diwn the stories, its getting dark out]
[They look outside and hum]
"Fletch and Tharros do both of you want to see pictures of me and my brother before we maybe clean up?"
Sure
Alright
[Knox pulls up two pictures, the one of Knox seems like one after a fight while the one of Emris looks like it was taken after he was done playing. Knox also has their tusks out, looking more happy than they do as an adult, they also look more fem as they have a skirt on]
You two look cute-
"I think I was 5, maybe six when mine was taken while Emris' I know was taken when he was 5- I didn't start hiding my eye until I was 7 years old. Emris' hair also didn't become more of pink instead of a purple until he was ten"
Such tender ages
"Mhm, Emris wasn't the rascal he is now until ten and I- have already been like this. Not exactly a fan of being social or talking"
This one wasnt either
[He ruffles Fletch’s hair]
[They smile a bit]
"When we fought I didn't make a sound, I didn't blink either"
It was scary
Impressive, i hope he wasnt going easy on you
"No they weren't, he got my nose to start bleeding and in general made me feel sore"
