bitter water // dreamnotfound

twenty two

now that the town had been silenced into believing the culprit had been apprehended, merchants and performers began to crowd the squares once again with eased minds.

The day was unusually bright. It had been storming like the gods were punishing the people in a great rage, so the sudden sunshine was unexpected for most everyone. Two children, in particular, were especially thrilled about the warmth. It meant they’d get to participate in their favorite activity. Well, at least Tommy’s favorite activity, that is.

"Theft!" Tommy roared, flinging his arms up in the air with a playful grin, Tubbo dawdling behind him with a half-excited smile.

When days were warm, it meant that many people would be outside. When lots of people are outside, merchants set up their shops. When merchants set up their shops, lots of prankish young children or wandering individuals take part in swiping a few loaves of bread, a pair of shoes, or a tunic or two.

However, when it came to Tommy and Tubbo, the notorious fiendish duo, they didn't go for morsels of fruit or clothes they would never wear. They went for the things they could boast about. The things that were tricky to get and risked them getting caught very easily, but gave off a great sense of attainment and pride if pulled off.

They had "enduringly borrowed" heaps upon heaps of small items with little to no value. It had gotten boring fast. It wasn't fulfilling showing someone you wanted to impress that you had stolen a few apples if they wanted to see some gold coins.

Pumped full of enthusiasm, the two raced past a few groups of people, dodging fences with crumbling white paint that appeared as if they were always looming to collapse. Tommy had been waiting for a certain merchant to come by the town for months.

He babbled to Tubbo nearly every day about how outrageously painful it was to have to wait so long. Tubbo initially didn't want to come, but seeing Tommy so eager for something he had been waiting moons for changed his mind fairly quickly. It wasn't often they got what they wanted, anyway.

Upon entering the square, the two squeezed through groups of straggling people, trying their utmost to find what they were looking for. Or more accurately, what Tommy was scanning the square diligently for.

"Tubbo, I'm gonna look over here," he waved his hand over to the west of
them, "you go look over there, okay?" Tubbo didn't exactly want to leave his friend's side while surrounded by so many people, but he truly did want Tommy to find his precious shop.

Now, what was this shop, precisely?

Of course, it had to be something noble. Tommy wasn't going to settle for something trivial. He had been waiting for months for a weaponry specialist from the adjacent kingdom to bring his very own crossbow.

He had craved one for as long as he could remember. However, if he was seen with a crossbow anywhere under the age of sixteen, he'd be jailed and fined. As much as Tommy relished in performing hazardous acts, he didn't exactly want to spend a few months in a stuffy cell and have his already nearly depleted pockets drained even further.

So, surprisingly, Tommy waited until he turned sixteen. He had been anxiously anticipating taking that bow ever since his birthday.

While Tommy investigated the square for his dream bow, Tubbo roamed about on the opposite side, tentatively looking around so as to not appear suspicious. At first, nothing had specifically caught his attention. It all seemed to mesh together in a way that Tubbo could not comprehend.

He couldn't make out the signs that listed what was for sale or figure out what anyone was saying to one another. It was all too loud. Much too intense for someone hesitant to be alone in a large group of people. It was dizzying.

Tubbo concluded he needed to rest for a moment, dreading he might fall over otherwise. That would draw even more attention towards him and that was the slightest of his desires. The boy staggered towards the nearest booth, which appeared to house foreign animals, and rested against the flat, wooden side.

Some of the creatures, such as large birds, were used as trained hunting guides, while others were just uncommon household pets for the wealthy. It was a frequent occurrence to see noble households with unusual pets. They aspired to flaunt their wealth in the strangest of ways.

An umbrella cockatoo perched upon a decaying rod of sapwood was first to acknowledge his presence. The poor bird looked like it had been through several perilous sandstorms. Its
darkened beak appeared to be chipped and its feathers were caked with muck. Not to mention, its wings had been incorrectly clipped, preventing it from flying; it appeared as if it wouldn't ever be able to fly again.

What a tragic thing, for a bird to be unable to fly. To be condemned to a life of constraints away from the one thing you knew by someone who just wanted to use you for their own shameful, personal gain.

Tubbo and his fascination with other living things knew quite a lot about the umbrella cockatoo at first glance. They were typically only possessed by emperors who had either been gifted them or obtained them through traders in Italy, so it was quite odd seeing one in an unrestricted shop environment in Europe. Though still expensive, it was rare for an ordinary person to own a feathered creature.

The feeble bird seemed so weak and miserable. It pained Tubbo's heart just to glance at it. That's when Tubbo decided what he wanted for the day.

---

"Tubbo. You want a fucking what now?"

"A bird! It looks so messy and unhappy, that merchant clearly isn't taking very good care of it."

Tommy and Tubbo were convened beneath a tree on the outskirts of the square, presenting their plans for what they both wanted to get. Tommy had been developing his plan for ages, he had no issue with how he was going to go about seizing his bow. The only obstacle was how they were going to pull off stealing an entire animal.

Tubbo unquestionably had his heart set on removing the bird from that environment. Even knowing he wouldn't be capable of taking impeccable care of it, it would still be better than being abused. At least the poor thing would be with someone who genuinely cared for it.

Tommy was fidgeting with the grass beneath him, trying to conjure up something. "Here, Tubbo, let's make a deal." Tommy snickered, laying back against the tree, arms behind his neck. Tubbo looked up with a glint of hope in his eyes. "...Yeah?"

"I'll help you get your silly little quail-"

"Umbrella cockatoo."

"Yeah, whatever- I'll help you... but only if I get to name it."

Tommy had a history of naming every single thing he came across the same exact thing. "Don't tell me you want to name it Bi-"

"Big Man!"

---

author's note //

hello :D
back to updating frequently again, this week has been rough

again, apologies for any formatting issues, i did it from my phone and it always messes things up </3

hope you're all doing fantastic! im holding a book cover contest (with prizes) in my discord server for the new covers of agent 03 and bitter water if you haven't yet been made aware! info on my message board :] (March 12, 2021)