Ayy guess who got her electronics back? That's right. This girl.
Let's play a game this chapter. Find the internet meme, whoever says it first gets a cookie! By the way, I decided to play with the characters' personalities a bit in this chapter. I'll talk about it more after the chapter, but just keep in mind that this isn't how I perceive them to act irl. Enjoy!
Mitch walked into the UHC arena, Jerome on one arm. It was a perfect day for some old-fashioned PVP- the sun was shining, birds were chirping, and there were clouds in the sky. Mitch sighed at the beautiful sight. He wished he could just sit and admire the view for a while, maybe even for eternity- that would certainly solve his "my life is literally the hunger games" problem. But alas, he had a mission today, and winning UHC was just a side goal. Today was the teams of three competition, and fate had decided to treat Mitch right. Adam, Jason, and Ty had teamed; so had Seto, Husky, and Kermit. That left Mitch, Jerome, and Ian, but Ian couldn't make it. How lucky that there was one girl looking for a teammate, someone Mitch and Jerome already knew- Ashley. She had rolled her eyes and agreed ("It's not so bad being with the lovebirds," Adam assured, "just make sure they don't start making out behind your back.")
Mitch normally would have objected to the sarcastic girl but he had a plan. An ulterior motive, one might say. Mitch needed to gained the trust of this girl so she would believe the relationship Mitch and Jerome had. That frown she had shown the other day was bad news for the both of them, so Mitch intended to fix it. And what better way to bond then by murdering your closest friends?
"We need a team name." Jerome announced in the lobby.
"Team Merome?" Mitch suggested.
"Hey, I do exist. We should be The Penguins." Ashley says firmly.
"Power Moves Squad!" Jerome yelled.
Ashley raised an eyebrow. "PMS? If you're going to be this immature, I'll jump off the first cliff I see." Jerome frowned and crossed his arms. "How about the Poofy Lovebirds?"
Mitch laughed. "I can see that name backfiring. Alright, I agree." Jerome muttered something about girls being no fun and Ashley smirked. "Do we have any type of strategy?"
"Don't die, get apples, stay away from mobs. Bows are OP, don't bother in head-to-head combat, and loopholes are the best strategy."
"You seem very knowledgeable." Jerome noted. "Maybe taking pity on you wasn't a bad idea."
Ashley glared. "Someday I'm going to push you off a cliff."
"Mitch, can I talk to you in private?" Jerome said urgently.
Mitch rolled his eyes. "Sorry, excuse me." Jerome dragged him across the room. "You are quite possibly the rudest person I've ever met."
"Next to her?" Jerome shot back.
"You can't make period jokes in front of a girl! It just isn't right!"
Jerome sighed. "Fine. I'll just make every "getting wood" pun possible."
"I hate you."
"No, you love me."
Mitch glared daggers at him. "We'll talk about this later."
"When we're making out?" Jerome hoped.
Mitch restrained himself from punching the bacca. "I may join her in pushing you off a cliff."
"Love you too." Jerome hugged Mitch and dragged him back to Ashley.
"I hate him." Mitch said under his breath.
"Join the club."
"Hey, hey, I'm a very loveable person!" Jerome insisted. "Who wouldn't love a furry bacca?"
Mitch and Ashley both raised their hands. Mitch caught her glance and half-smiled. At least this was something they could agree upon.
"You know, I'm offended. I came out here to have a good time and I'm honestly-"
Mitch's vision went black as he teleported to the arena. His feet touched something soft as he plummeted to the ground. He heard something above him but had no time to react before a familiar pressure filled his chest.
"Again, Jerome?" Mitch grumbled.
"Oops, sorry Mitch." Ashley said as she climbed off him. "Awful rude of them to spawn us on top of each other."
Mitch got up and dusted himself off. "Where's Jerome?"
"Help!" A voice called out. Mitch looked at Ashley and dashed to the sound. He looked around but laughed when he found the owner. Jerome was on a 1-by-1 block hanging at least 20 blocks above them.
"How does this always happen to me?" Jerome sighed.
Ashley laughed. "Serves you right! I won't even have to push you off a cliff!"
Mitch went over the ways he could get Jerome down. "We could make a staircase or get a bucket of water."
"Nah, that's pussy crap. I wonder if this will kill me..." Jerome speculated.
"Jerome, don't you dare!" Mitch ordered.
"I'm going to do it!" Jerome launched himself from the block onto the ground. "Ha! I survived."
"With one heart, you doofus!"Ashley yelled. "You put the team at stake for your own curiosity?"
He shrugged. "Pretty much."
"You are an arse!" She screamed and ran off to go punch a tree.
"Someone has anger issues..." Jerome noted.
"You really are an arse, or whatever she called you." Mitch said.
"A loveable one!"
"Yeah right." Mitch joined Ashley in chopping down trees, his eyes constantly scanning for apples.
"Yes! I got an apple!" Jerome yelled.
"Least he's good for something." Ashley muttered.
Mitch laughed silently. This was going to be a long UHC.
"Cave song, cave song, singing a cool cave song, cave song-"
"Shut up." Ashley snapped. "If anyone is around here, they'll hear you."
Jerome frowned. "Cave song, cave song..." He whispered to himself.
Mitch silently thanked Ashley for having the guts to tell Jerome to shut up. What was up with him today? They'd have to have a talk later. Mitch scanned the area for any signs of diamonds but found nothing. Just as he was turning back to the group his eyes caught on something. A piece of wood was partially exposed behind some stone. "Guys, I think I see a mineshaft!" He called.
"I don't know if that's the safest thing to go in..." Ashley trailed off.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" Jerome insisted. "Mineshaft song..."
Mitch walked in first, Jerome happily following and Ashley cautiously trailing behind them. She constantly placed down blocks to ensure no mobs could plan a sneak attack on them. Mitch took it upon himself to look for mobs and spawners, leaving Jerome the jobs of ores. They were nearly set on iron and would have full armor once they found a place to settle down and smelt. All that was on anyone's minds were diamonds, and Mitch had every intent of finding them soon.
"Look! A chest!" Jerome called, rushing towards a minecart. "And it has two diamonds!"
Ashley frowned. "Jerome, I didn't block off that area yet-"
"Watch out!" Mitch yelled, but it was too late. An explosion rocketed throughout the room, sending a flash of lime green before Mitch's eyes. Mitch swore he saw the bacca but the ceiling before he came crashing to the ground.
"Biggums!" Jerome yelled. A cannon sounded, and he was a mere pile of items.
"Grab his stuff!" Ashley called. Mitch nodded and ran to the pile, collecting all that he could. He followed Ashley into a corner that she frantically covered up with cobblestone. Once she was sure they were safe, she stopped to catch her breath. "Creeper?"
"Yeah."
She sighed halfheartedly. "How much health do you have?"
"Nine hearts." Mitch said. "Thankfully the creeper only took one."
"I lost half a heart." She shared. "Our new goal is getting gold for an apple for you. How much do we have?"
Mitch searched through his belongings. "Two cooked, three uncooked. Looks like Jerome found some in that chest."
She slid down the wall and sighed again. "Team Poofy Lovebirds is down a member."
Mitch chuckled. "I told you that name would backfire."
"Sorry your lover sucks at PVP-based games." She shrugged but smiled playfully. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to start smelting."
Mitch smiled. Maybe UHC wouldn't be so bad.
Friendships are happening... yes. So I decided to add a bit of attitude to both Jerome and Ashley 's personalities. I'll probably explain why they act as they do soon, but if I don't I just wanted to let you know I don't think either of them are mean. They're quite the opposite, actually. Remember to find the internet meme in order to win a cookie!
~Scarlett
PS: Just a few chapters before stuff gets real... Oh boy.