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Theo pulls his wings in tight even as their twitch tells Parrot that they want to fluff up. "You know what, Parrot?" Theo spins around, mouth pressed into a thin line, eyes hard. "You're wrong."
Parrot feels his own wings spread at the challenge. "What?"
"You're wrong," Theo repeats as if Parrot didn't understand him and wasn't just asking for clarification.
"Are you trying to argue that Flame is a good person?" Parrot huffs a humorless laugh. "Be serious."
"No," Theo says. "Maybe. Doesn't matter."
Parrot scowls. "Of course it matters!"
"No, it doesn't." Theo lifts his chin. "No-one deserves to be lied to and used, bad person or not."
Parrot rolls his eyes. "Theo, come on. He's probably done the same thing a million times to other, innocent players."
Theo gives an upset chirp. Now, he loses the fight against his instincts, and his wings shudder and lift behind him, a mirror of his emotions. "That still doesn't make it okay for you to do."
Parrot turns away. This whole argument is stupid. He doesn't know why Theo is siding with FlameFrags of all people, but whatever. Flame will help them get the vault, whether he realizes it or not, and then Theo will see reason.
"At least I'm doing this for a good cause," Parrot mutters.
"Intentions don't matter if you're still hurting people."
Parrot bristles. He turns back around to face Theo, wings flaring. "I'm helping people."
"Yeah?" Theo mocks. "Maybe we should ask Flame if he thinks you're helping him."
Parrot's hands curl into fists, talons biting into his palms. Theo is purposefully misunderstanding the point, and for what? To help Flame to even more violence and killing?
"Not him, obviously." He makes a wide, sweeping gesture vaguely towards Spawn. "The people that need it."
Theo takes a step back, wings settling down but his expression tight and unhappy. "Obviously."
Parrot sighs, shoulders and wings dropping. He doesn't want to fight with Theo. Why can't he just trust Parrot to know what he's doing? His plans worked the last few times, didn't they?
"Look, Theo," he tries to reason, "We need him to get the vault. After that-"
"We don't, though," Theo interrupts. "We could come up with a different plan. Didn't you say you were the smartest person on this server? I'm sure you could find another way."
Parrot's feathers prickle with annoyance. "Sure, but we already have a plan. I'm not going to throw that away just because you feel bad for Flame. He doesn't deserve for you to feel bad."
Theo shakes his head. "You're wrong," he repeats stubbornly, then he turns on his heel and leaves towards their temporary bolthole.
Parrot sighs but lets him go. He'll give Theo some time to cool off and think, then he'll realize Parrot is right.
When Theo enters their little base, his blood is still boiling hot enough to rival the lava just a few dozen blocks below his feet. Smartest player on this server, yeah, right. Parrot is an idiot. Theo knows Parrot is a good guy who genuinely wants the best for the people on this server, but god, he's so fucking stubborn. He just can't accept that he doesn't know everything. If Theo thought it would help, he'd knock some sense into Parrot, but that never works. Maybe some time to think will help Parrot realize that Theo has a point.
"Hey."
Theo startles out of his thoughts. He expected Flame to still be afk, not sitting in the middle of the shoddy base with his sword in his hands, staring at his reflection in the dark netherite. Theo sighs and tries to put the argument out of his head. "Hey, Flame. Didn't know you were back."
Flame doesn't answer immediately. Then, quietly, "Thank you for standing up for me there."
Theo winces, wings drawing tight around his shoulders. "You heard that? Fuck."
Flame laughs. It sounds like talons scratching over stone. "Yeah, heard all of that. Good to know what you guys really think of me."
Theo shifts uncomfortably. "Sorry. That wasn't very nice of us."
Flame studies him for a long moment. He's weirdly calm. Theo doesn't know Flame well, but from what he does know, he would've expected Flame to explode and confront them about three words into that conversation.
"I'm not stupid," is what Flame finally says. "I know I'm not- I know people don't like me. But at least they're usually too scared to mess with me."
Theo sighs and plops down onto the netherrack opposite Flame. "Parrot's smart, but he's also really, really stupid."
Flame snorts. "I've noticed." A brief pause. "You know, I almost went out there and killed him when I heard all that." Theo's head shoots up, wings flaring, but Flame doesn't move. He gives Theo an amused grin. "Chill. If I wanted him dead, you would've noticed."
Theo relaxes. "I wouldn't have even blamed you. Hell, I'm not sure I would even stop you. I'm still mad at him."
"I'm not gonna. It would just prove Parrot right. Not that I care, but..." Flame snorts. "I thought about leaving and selling you out to Clown, too. Still might, I'm definitely not helping you anymore. Would serve you right."
Theo grimaces. "Can you at least warn me if you do that? Unfortunately I still care about Parrot's feathered ass."
"I'll think about it."
Flame is staring down at his sword again. Theo's eyes catch on the band of purple wrapped around the handle, so out of place in comparison to Flame's dark, fiery color scheme.
"You should ask Parrot," Theo blurts out.
Flame looks up, a sour look on his face as if even the mention of Parrot's name makes his mood drop into the negatives. It probably does. "What?"
"You should ask him about Wemmbu." Theo nods at the sword. Flame's grip on it tightens. "He doesn't know anything I don't think, but if anyone can find out, it's him."
Flame stares at him. "He's not gonna help me."
Theo shrugs. "Find something he wants. He's been really into getting rich and then giving it all away recently, so if you have something to pay him with, who knows."
Flame stares harder. "That's stupid."
"Tell me about it," Theo mutters. He's still a little bit mad at Parrot about that.
Another silence settles in, but this time there is a tension in Flame that Theo thinks might be hope. He makes a calculated decision to stay seated when Flame gets up. If Flame attacks him now, he'll be at a disadvantage, but he's giving him the benefit of the doubt.
"I'm going to talk to Clown first," Flame tells him, "So this is your warning to get out of here. But... maybe, if Clown doesn't know anything, I'll come by the potion shop some time."
Theo nods. He might have just signed himself up for another ghost hunt - very literally, this time - but when he watches how Flame's thumb runs over the purple band over and over, like he doesn't even notice he's doing it, he can't bring himself to regret it. Parrot might be less than happy, but Theo can deal with that.
"Maybe stop robbing us if you want our help," he quips.
Flame flashes him a grin, all sharp, white teeth, before he turns towards the exit. "Where's the fun in that?"