The ballroom looked magnificent. The walls were covered in floor-to-ceiling windows, showcasing the expansive lava pit lying beneath the fortress. The ceiling was tall and had a giant black chandelier hanging from the middle. It was purely for aesthetics, the lava giving off enough light to illuminate the room by itself.

It was truly a sight to behold and you felt weird standing in the middle of it. Many people of different kinds were conversing with each other. Some were dancing, some were laughing, some were eating or drinking. Pigmen, wither skeletons, and blazes filled the room and it made you feel like a bit of an outcast. People looked at you weird, you could feel their gaze even when you weren't looking at them.

This felt nothing like the parties you threw at the Gresham's mansion. You were nothing but a needle in a haystack there. Here, however, you stuck out like a sore thumb.

That's why the first person you went to was BadBoyHalo. He was kind enough to keep you company and even introduced you to his friend Skeppy. Skeppy was also one who stood out like a sore thumb, his sharp blue edges clashing with the dark theme of the fortress. No one seemed to care about him, though, their eyes were trained on you instead.

It was weird to be the center of attention but as time passed, you seemed to care less. The small alcohol in your system made you feel warm and fuzzy. You also felt a bit careless, not even thinking about the people staring at you anymore. It wasn't like they were talking to you anyway so why did you have to worry about it?

As time passed, the dance floor got busier, filling with people that swayed with drinks in their hands. You didn't dare to join them. Even in your slightly intoxicated state, you felt claustrophobic even staring at the crowd of people. Skeppy and Bad didn't seem to feel the same, though, because a few moments later they said their goodbyes and headed to the dance floor, leaving you on your own.

You once again felt isolated, only able to focus on the stares of other people and the empty cup in your hand. In an attempt to calm yourself, you glanced around for something to do. Away from the dance floor was another small group of people that surrounded someone who looked familiar. Technoblade was surrounded by people, dressed in a dark red suit. On his head lay the same large skull you first saw him with. This time, however, it was paired with a golden crown as well which complimented the golden accents of his suit and jewelry. The ears that stuck out from his long pink hair were also decorated in gold jewelry.

Technoblade looked more intimidating than when you first met him. Although, with the alcohol in your system, you didn't seem to notice a difference in your demeanor. In normal circumstances, you would have made sure to stay as far as possible but now you didn't seem to care. Instead, you continued on like normal, deciding to make your way to the food bar situated near the small group.

The food bar consisted of many different foods, some more... interesting than others. (Who serves baked potatoes at an event like this??)

You chose to be safe and opted to just refill your empty cup. Some more alcohol couldn't hurt.

After filling your cup, you took a sip, shoulders collapsing from the taste. The familiar warm fuzzy feeling settled again, clouding your mind from the events around you. It was enough to keep you feeling calm but you were still aware enough to notice the tall figure that settled next to you.

Technoblade stood beside you, grabbing his own cup of alcohol from the table. He must have escaped from the group of people somehow.

As soon as he took a drink from his own cup, he sighed, settling next to you.

Apparently, at this moment you felt confident enough to speak. You were pretty sure it was the alcohol. "You're very popular."

Technoblade looked at the group he was previously stuck in and shrugged. "I don't particularly like crowds."

"Well, it didn't look like you really had a choice," You chuckled.

The man only hummed in response.

You didn't take his lack of response as a bad sign, though, because he could have walked away at any moment but chose not to. Instead, you took a few seconds to reevaluate his appearance.

Underneath eyes were dark circles, the puffiness of them resembling the swollenness of a black eye. His whole demeanor seemed sluggish, tall, broad shoulders now slouched forward. The suit that he wore looked expensive and well-fitted but the tie was sloppily done. Technoblade's long pink hair was tied into a braid but several chunks have already fallen out.

Even though you were slightly afraid of him, the sight of him being so disheveled and exhausted made your chest twist. Part of you felt guilt. Ever since you arrived at the Nether, you believed that Technoblade was a scary, emotionless man. He never spoke to you after his interrogation, never asked how you were doing or gave you any updates about the overworld. It wasn't his job but it would have been nice, especially when you're a guest who's only in the Nether until the situation in the overworld is under control. Now that you look at him, you don't see that emotionless facade and it makes some kind of deep guilt form in your chest.

You also felt sympathy. From the lack of information, you could only assume that Philza hasn't shown up like you planned. His delay made you worried and kept you up at night thinking about where he was and how he was doing. You only knew him for a couple of days, you couldn't imagine how Technoblade felt. Based on your last conversation, you assume that Technoblade knew Philza. Whether he was friends or relatives, you weren't sure yet but regardless, his absence was clearly hard for him.

"Are you okay?" You asked, voice quiet under the live music.

Technoblade's dull red eyes ran over you. "Could be better."

You tried not to let the surprise of his response show on your face. You expected him to say 'None of your business' or 'I'm fine'. The man took another long sip from his cup.

Your mind ran with ideas of what to respond with. You couldn't just say 'cool' and move on because his situation is anything but 'cool' at the moment. The guilty part of you wanted to apologize for some reason. Probably because you misread him the first time you talked to him but it's not like he'd know that. The sympathetic part of you wanted to try and offer some kind of comfort but a party most likely was not the right place to do that. The logical side of you didn't get a say before the words started spewing from your mouth.

"He'll show up. Phil always does, right?"

Once you realized what you said, the panic set in. How could you say those words to him? Even if you repeated those words in your head every night, using Technoblade's own words to try and comfort him seemed awful. No matter your intentions, the fact that you went to him and was like 'I may have only known Phil for a day or two but he will show up because you told me' made you feel awful (especially if he was doubting himself at this point). With whatever dignity you had left, you tried to salvage the conversation.

"I-I mean, I only spent a couple of days with him but Phil is obviously intelligent. He's very skilled at swordsmanship and knows how to brew different potions. He's also charismatic so I'm sure he could talk his way out of anything—"

Technoblade started to laugh, causing you to end your mini-rant. Your mission to recover from your previous comment must have been a success but it didn't save you from the embarrassment that set in.

After his laughter calmed down, you spoke up again, "Uh, what I meant to say was even though I've only known him for a limited time, he's obviously very skilled and knows what he's doing. He might be late but I'm sure there's a reason for it. If he needed us, then he'd find a way to tell us."

"Yeah."

A man of many words.

His response would have made you feel worse if it wasn't for the ghost of a smile on his face. His demeanor also seemed to change from sluggish to more collected. His shoulders were not as slouched as before and his head was held high. There was a sense of calmness between you two, even as both of you remained silent.

The silence didn't last for long (it never does) as a small figure wiggled its way between Technoblade's back and the food bar.

"Shh!" Tyche hissed, crouching behind the tall man with a circular object held tightly to her chest. "Hide me."

Technoblade didn't move, only rolling his eyes playfully at her antics. It didn't take long until another person ran up to them.

The blonde boy was tall and lanky, wearing a white blouse with a red vest overtop. He wore black suit pants and loafers, though the strings to his shoes were untied. His face was red and his gasps of air were probably the cause of it.

"Technoblade!" He spoke rather loudly, catching the attention of people nearby. "Tell Tyche to give me my disc back!"

The man took a long sip from his cup before setting it down on the table behind him and looking at Tyche. Without him even having to say anything, Tyche started to try and defend herself.

"But dad," She whined, "I just wanted it to play in my room later."

So, that confirms your suspicion. Technoblade is related to Tyche.

The two hybrids had a stare off but Technoblade came out victorious. Tyche pouted, complaining that her dad was no fun, and handed the boy his disc back.

"That's right!" The kid laughed, "Can't say no to the Blade."

Tyche glared at him as he ran out of sight. When he disappeared, Tyche moved from behind her dad to between the two of you, arms crossed and a pout on her face.

"You shouldn't steal stuff Tyche," Technoblade advised, giving her a pat on her head, "And if you do, you need to be more discreet."

Tyche grumbled, obviously not liking what he had to say. "I'm sure Dream will help me next time."

Technoblade shook his head and smiled at the girl.

You felt a bit out of place next to the two. It almost felt like you didn't belong there. They got along so easily. Even if what they said seemed out of line, they were obviously being playful about it.

You started to look around again for another place to escape to but was stopped when Tyche turned her attention to you.

"I like your outfit," She grinned.

"Really?" You mused, "I heard you were the one who picked it out."

"Mhm! They look similar, don't they?" She rose the fabric of her dress to your outfit, comparing the color of the two. Unfortunately, the way that Tyche pulled on her dress caused her to stumble into you, making you take a few steps back to regain your balance. While this was a simple mistake, it was one that saved your life.

Screams echoed in the ballroom as shattered glass tumbled to the ground. The loud noises made your head pop up, your heart racing. Suddenly, all the warm effects of the alcohol were gone. The column you were standing in front of before Tyche pushed you had an arrow lodged in it, right at the height of your head.

The sight of it was so spine-chilling that you could barely tell what was happening around you at that moment. All you could do was pull Tyche tightly to you, shielding her from any other potential arrows. Your grip on Tyche's shoulder remained even as someone dragged you across the ballroom, approaching the door you entered through mere hours ago.

You were still in a state of shock, your feet stumbling over one another as your mind tried to catch up with what was happening. Tyche gripped onto you tightly, an obvious tremble going through her hand. Her reaction seemed to make you more aware of your surroundings, realizing that Technoblade was the one leading the both of you into the hallway swiftly.

As soon as he pulled the two of you into the hallway, a familiar man in a green suit was rushing down the hall, stopping right in front of the three of you.

"What happened? I heard screams?" Dream's breathing was slightly labored, indicating that he must have run over after hearing the commotion.

"Take Tyche and (Y/n) to my room," Technoblade ordered, pushing you gently towards Dream, "Stay with them at all times. If anyone you don't know comes by, you have permission to kill."

Dream nodded and without any questions, grasped your shoulder gently as he led you down the hallway quickly. Tyche was sniffling, obviously distressed by what just happened. You thought that you were finally done with that mess, done with running away and being hunted. You were sadly wrong. If it wasn't for Tyche, that arrow would have gone right through your head.

•••

:)