Cast off the Cliff

The Stray

The only universal language is violence, Techno had that much right. Phil, Techno, Niki, and for whatever reason, Conner, were all standing on the bridge that connected Phil and Techno's homes together. They were all as quiet as the rest of the smp was- none of them knew what to say. Techno stared at the setting sun as he leaned on the railings of the bridge, his axe that Ranboo gifted him was leaning on the rails next to him. A light breeze was blowing and it was getting colder out as the sun began to hide behind a hill.

"So... h-how did it happen?"

A soft, timid voice quietly asked. All eyes fell on Niki who was sitting on the top of the railing. She was staring at the intricate flooring beneath her and her hair was swaying softly with the wind. She asked the question they were all thinking but none of them were brave enough to ask. They all knew the answer anyway, Sam killed Ranboo during the prison break, yet it was still the question that had to be asked since none of them really saw what happened- well except Techno. The stoic figure that stood amongst them looked over at Phil, who was standing next to him and had already been looking at him at this point- he then focused his eyes down at the ground and after a few seconds of silence, his monotone voice began to articulate an explanation.

"It happened so fast. Everyone was screaming and running all over the place.- While Dream and I were trying to sneak away I lost sight of Ranboo. It was only for a few seconds but when I looked back to see if he was following us I saw him standing next to Sam, with his armor was off and his weapons on the ground. Sam was using Ranboo as leverage to get Dream back, I guess."

Techno briefly paused as he tried to recall the events and beyond that as he tried to tackle his own emotions that were flooding his mind. He hadn't really had time to look back on all the things that had happened- but he continued on regardless.

"I should have killed Sam... B-but I froze when I saw him holding a sword to Ranboo's throat. I never freeze, I'm not sure what happened."

At this point, Techno was just thinking out loud and the other three had never seen Techno not have a clear and precise explanation of things- let alone see him stumble over his words- well maybe except for Phil but it didn't happen often.

"I looked back to see where Dream was and I saw him already on a horse. He wasn't going to turn himself in, which I already knew, but he wasn't even going to try and fight for Ranboo."

His monotone voice became a bit harsh when speaking about Dream and his cowardly actions.

"By the time I had looked back at Sam he was staring down at... Ranboo-..."

Techno stopped and looked back to where the sun had been slowly disappearing- it now being out of sight- tucked behind the hill. The rest of the story was clear at this point and Techno didn't need to finish. They all knew what the outcome was- and so Phil set a hand on Techno's back and decided to cut the rest of the story short and attempted to somewhat change the topic.

"Does anyone know why he was in prison, to begin with?"

"I'm not sure why he was in there but he was a really nice guy. And I probably wasn't the best company. I didn't do a great job at comforting him when he needed it.."

Conner commented and made brief eye contact with Techno, but Conner quickly broke it almost out of what seemed like guilt. Techno stared at Conner then suddenly straightened up and glanced at Niki and Phil before his eyes landed back on Conner.

"Conner. How would you like to join a little organization we have."

God knows why Techno would ask Conner to join their Syndicate. Maybe it was because he wasn't thinking straight, maybe he made such an impulsive decision because he felt bad for Conner and guilty for letting Ranboo die, maybe, however slim, Techno saw potential in Conner and thought he'd be a great addition to the Syndicate. Whatever the reason was he made the decision to ask Conner. He looked at Niki and Phil who both gave him an approving nod. Niki didn't seem as trusting as Phil but nevertheless, they both still agreed and trusted their friend's choice.