Legacies || Hermitcraft

Chapter XVI - The Traveller

Timeline: April 2015

Word Count: 4.5k

TW: Mild Violence, Mentions of Abuse/Experimentation, Mentions of Death

(This is another one of those very heavy/upsetting chapters. Please be warned.)

When Xisuma was in a bad mood, it was as if the world itself seemed to reflect his emotions. It had been raining almost constantly for the last three days, and whenever it wasn't, depressing grey clouds obscured the equally grey skies. Whenever he anxiously paced along the paths of the village, which he had been doing more often than not these days, the wind seemed to blow with an unfamiliar intensity that worried the Hermits.

In particular, Joe and Cleo were worried. They both knew that something an intervention was needed, but with one of them being dead for two hundred years and the other being Joe, neither were sure how to go about doing it. In spite of this, they had collectively decided that their love for Xisuma was far stronger than their lack of social skills, and that their best attempt was better than none at all.

"Xisuma...!" Cleo exclaimed, awkwardly drawing out the third syllable of his name as she struggled to think of what to say. "I-is everything okay...?"

"It's as 'okay' as it can be." Xisuma admitted, leaning against a fencepost. "Not to say that I'm okay at all, which I'm not, but it's not like there's anything I can do about it right now."

Xisuma still had yet to disclose what was going on, and his vague, terse answers gave no hints or suggestions to it either. And, although Joe and Cleo typically refrained from prying into others' business, they were too concerned about Xisuma's wellbeing to let him continue spiralling like this. Cleo, evidently unsure how to respond, turned to Joe for guidance.

"Well... we just thought that you could use someone to talk to. Or just something to give you a distraction for a while." Joe suggested.

"I'm sorry Joe, but I don't have the time for distractions right now." Xisuma sighed. "There's so much going on, I can't just drop it all... what if something else happens? What if he..."

Xisuma trailed off, on the verge of finishing his sentence, but the last few words were left unsaid. He needed to talk to someone, and all three Hermits knew it, but none of them were brave enough to admit it.

However, Xisuma was tired of the endless waiting, the perpetual anxiety and the unwavering fear of facing his brother, and perhaps a distraction would end up being very helpful. After all, how could he run a server, care for his Hermits and eventually work up the courage to talk to Ezra if he couldn't even think straight?

"You know what, I think you're right." He confessed. "I need to do something else, just... just talk to me about whatever you want and I'll listen."

Joe and Cleo looked at each other, lost for words. Neither had expected their plan to succeed in the first place, let alone to get this far, and if there was one thing harder for them than socialising, it was impromptu socialising. Cleo was the first to say something, awkwardly rocking back and forth on their heels. "I- uh... what did you guys eat for breakfast?"

"I don't need to eat, Cleo." Joe reminded her. "Neither do you."

"Right." Cleo mumbled beneath their breath, pinching the bridge of their nose as they tried to think of something else to say. Thankfully she didn't need to, as Joe's rather out-of-pocket comment prompted Xisuma to ask a question of his own.

"Joe, please don't take this the wrong way, but... what are you?" He enquired. "I've known you for two and a half years by now, but with all due respect, you still confuse me to this day."