Messages From a Friend (Poofless)

43

~*Frags*~

"The ship ready, Mister Frags," Parah announces with a wide smile, nodding to me as I finish my descent down the stairs and make my way over to the kitchen.

"Already?" I look at her in surprise.

"Yes." The older woman nods enthusiastically. "Volunteers very ready. Big group come help."

I pause to consider her words. "Big group? As in, a large group of volunteers willing to help M'ayris and I?" Parah nods and I continue fleshing out my thoughts. "Minecraftian volunteers I presume. Do they speak Mespelí?"

"Fluently," a gruff, heavily accented voice speaks from somewhere in the living room. My eyes widen in surprise and I look over to see a large, blonde haired man. His brown eyes seem to glare into my soul as he bites into an apple.

"Thank you," I lower my head in gratitude toward him. "There have been a lot of-"

"Can it, Imperial," the man snaps, his glare growing colder by the second. "The only reason why we came to help is because Prince Woofless and Aceti made us." I bite my tongue to keep from yelling back at him. "You killing the emperor had no effect on our choices."

"Insult him again and I'll tear off your head before shoving it up where the sun doesn't shine," M'ayris snaps, and I turn to see her sitting on the counter eating an apple herself. Her blue gaze was icy as she glared at the man. My eyes widen in surprise at the sudden turn around for her. Wasn't she sobbing her eyes out just last night? What changed?

"I'm not scared of a little lady such as yourself, Sunshine," the man states, rolling his eyes at her. "What are you going to do, kick my shins?" And punch the living daylights out of you, but what do I know? I grimace slightly when I see a dangerous light shine within M'ayris' blue gaze. She's toying with him...

"The shins are not a worthwhile target," M'ayris states calmly, taking a bite out of the apple again. "The back of the knees, the nether regions, the solar plexus, those are worthy targets."

"This is going to be a fun trip if you're going along for the ride, Sunshine," the man states, flashing a wink at M'ayris.

"Try anything, and I'll tear you a new one," M'ayris states, tossing the core of her apple into the garbage bin nearby before jumping down from the counter. "But if you're lucky, Frags here will burn you to a crisp before then." A shiver runs down my spine as I recall the events that took place only a few days ago. It feels like it's been months.

M'ayris flashes me a smile as she walks over and over places a hand on my elbow. "We have a crew of eleven joining us." M'ayris speaks low enough to where only I could hear. "Eight men, two women, and that moron." She nods slightly toward the blonde who was staring at her backside with intrigue. I flash him a glare over M'ayris' head, and he turns his gaze away from her.

"Will they be professional?" I ask, keeping my attention focused on the blonde.

M'ayris shrugs. "I can't speak for the professionalism from the men, but from my conversations with the ladies, they should be able to keep the males in check."

"Let's hope that is the case." I let out a small sigh before turning my attention back to Parah. "When do we leave?"

"Evening."

"This evening?"

"Yes." The raven-haired woman nods before turning to the blonde and yelling something in Minecraftain. The man's eyes widen and bows to her before running outside through the front door. Parah sighs before turning her attention to M'ayris, a mischievous smirk growing on the older woman's face. "Men." M'ayris laughs softly at Parah, shaking her head along with the older woman. I couldn't help but smile at M'ayris enjoying herself. It's been a while since I've seen her that happy...

I have a bad feeling she's not going to be this happy again for a while. I don't know why I feel this way—but I do. What if this isn't the right thing for her? The thought seems to creep up out of nowhere, but it causes me to rethink my current planning of the situation at hand. The crew, the creep, they all come to mind. Thousands of different possibilities race through my mind. Hundreds of different ways she could get hurt—or worse.

"Hey, Frags." M'ayris' voice drags me out of the dark thoughts that were shrouding my mind. She was no longer speaking with Parah—in fact, Parah was no longer in the room. We were alone. "I'm sorry."

My eyes widen in disbelief. She, M'ayris of the Island Nation, the most ruthless and emotionless of all the friends I've ever met, apologised to me. For what? "Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that," M'ayris states, gripping her left arm tightly. "I was a horrible friend and should've considered how you felt about everything before falling victim to my own emotions."

I flash her an encouraging smile before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "The M'ayris apologised to me? Right after showing me she has natural emotions like every other living being, too? Careful, Sunshine, I might actually start to think you're actually a mortal being and not a warrior goddess sent to destroy the empire." I couldn't help but tease her.

"Call me Sunshine again and I'll kick you in the nether regions."

"That's the M'ayris I know!" I exclaim, pulling her into a tighter embrace before letting her go. "I'm sorry for getting you in-"

Before I could finish, M'ayris covers my mouth with her hand and narrows her eyes at me. "Don't."

"Why not?" I ask once I move her hand away from my mouth.

"The past is the past, Frags. You can't change that." She sighs before moving her hand away. "None of this was your fault. Anaihee is to blame." M'ayris' expression turns dark as she looks up at me. "She will pay for the pain she has caused us."

~*Anaihee*~

As I stand on a balcony and stare out onto the vast landscape below me, I feel a sense of bliss. I understand now why my father loved standing here so often. Everything, the land, the oceans, the animals, the people—this planet, even—belongs to me. I am in control of everyone, and everything. It's an amazing feeling... But alas, I do not yet feel complete.

I need more.

"You wished to see me, my empress?" A young voice speaks from somewhere behind me.

"Yes," I state with a smile, turning to look at the frail looking man in an oversized white jacket. "Fetch me the coordinates of this alien planet the Minecraftian people were researching on the islands."

"My empress, the translation efforts will take many months. I fear your father destroyed many Minecraftian books and movies, educational and translational sources included." The scientist keeps his gaze toward the ground.

"Leave the translations to me, Dr. Getcheab."

"Of course, my empress." He turns to leave, but pauses and turns to look at me once more. "My empress, if you don't mind me asking, why do you require these coordinates?"

I flash him a smile. "Tell me, doctor, what has the empire been famous for?"

"Expanding our reach, my empress." The man's brows furrow in confusion before is eyes widen in realisation of the point I was getting across.

"You just answered your question, doctor."

"I'll have those coordinates brought to you as quickly as possible, my empress." The man bows to me before quickly walking away. I smile to myself before turning back to look out over the balcony. Expanding our empire has been my family's mission for generations. It was the dream of my grandfather, and the task of my father. Now I shall continue my my father's task.

The universe belongs to the empire.