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It was one of those days where the sun is out but it's still too cold; where the wind blows just enough to make you think twice about going outside. But not bad enough for Zedaph of course! To him it's the perfect day for shenanigans and experiments. Well… it would be if it wasn't for the death game he's in.
“We place-a this like so” Zedaph says to himself as he places down the slime blocks for his trap. The trap is about as Zedaph as it could be, with player launchers, sheep and some weird unnecessary gimmick. He knows the joy is going through the soulbound but can't bring himself to care other than curiosity on how that even works.
Zedaph realizes he's gotten distracted when he hears footsteps. The sun shines a little brighter when it turns out to be Jimmy. “Hi soulmate!!” Zedaph calls out, making Jimmy smile. He ruffles the sheep hybrid's hair who of course leans into it.
“Jeez, what have you been doing all day? I haven't seen you at all!”
“just making a little contraption”
“Thats awesome!” They end up finishing up the trap together. Of course there was a stumble or two where Jimmy got confused and Zedaph laughed about it. It's one of those sunny moments that will be told as a funny story over campfires later on.
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Jimmy sits curled up in his nest watching his arm. He watches the marks appear like magic knowing it's just Zedaph. The doodles and diagrams he doesn't understand makes everything in this “game” feel alright. He smiles and adds his own little note on his arm knowing that his soulmate's face lit up from it.
He mindlessly doodles on a blank spot on his arm as he thinks. It's almost a little weird… he hadn't even met Zedaph before just weeks ago yet he can't imagine life without him. He remembers before in a previous game that feels so far away now, when Tango would sit in their ranch telling him about all his friends including Zed. That's when Jimmy first learned about the sheep hybrid, now he can't imagine life without him.
The lines he’s drawing turn into simple flower petals. This might be one of his favorite games yet. He almost feels safe.
Jimmy smiles when he realizes he's drawn a daffodil. Yeah that fits well.
That night ends with Zedaph curled up next to him in his nest, it felt just right. Was it just his anymore?
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It's almost like a final bell rings when most pairs get on there red life. Tensions grow on the server and notes get rushed. Even the sheep and the birds go quiet.
It's night time of course when it happens. Why would it not be? The games dont like letting people have peace for long. Everyone knows it's getting towards the end. Well maybe most people; Zedaph of course is acting just like he always does, no blood lust or anything. If anyone had a clear enough mind they wouldn't be surprised.
Things go as you may suspect, people fall in traps, fight to the death, or just hide away. But not Zedaph because why would he? He builds a trap here and tries to say hi to Tango there. More and more players get out till someone stumbles into a trap the sheep hybrid made (it has sheep launched around and… peanut butter? How and why are questions that people won't bother asking anymore) and it's just the two of them left.
Maybe as they stand there together laughing Jimmy figures out what the missing piece is. Maybe when they end up laying in the grass playing drawing games on each other's skin Zedaph feels something click that he never realized was wrong. Maybe… well just maybe this did finally feel right.