Foreword

Wow. I'm actually amazed. I can't believe we're already here. Well, I suppose I'll let the chapter speak for itself this time, and save my comments for the end. :)

Enjoy!

Chapter XVII

The Enemy of my Friend

««««« … »»»»»

Everything went black—as was expected when one closed their eyes tight. The sudden change from the sweltering heat of the Nether to the bitter cold of the night air was such a shock that Jesse winced. If that wasn't surprising enough, he felt something wet spatter across his face and nearly fell backwards. When he opened his eyes, he smiled at the sight.

Axel sat laughing in a pool of water, splashing water everywhere.

"I never thought I'd be so happy to see water," Axel said happily, then looked up at Jesse and threw more water his way. Jesse dodged, but less out of surprise this time and more out of playful resistance.

After the moment it took to adapt, it felt so good to feel the Overworld breeze on his skin. The water came up to his knees when he stepped into it, and as soon as he did he wanted to sit down and splash around too. He would have… but there was one problem. It was still nighttime.

It was common knowledge that travel through the Nether was faster than in the Overworld, but was it possible that time passed faster as well? The moon had still just barely peaked, but he could swear they'd been in the Nether all night. Could it have been a whole day, or had everything happened so fast he only felt like it had been hours? Had their whole world really been torn to shreds in mere minutes?

It was… still sinking in.

Olivia and Lukas walked out of the portal next and took in their surroundings. Olivia took in a breath of the fresh air with a smile, and Lukas… well, so as not to do anything he'd regret, Jesse thought it best that he just ignore Lukas for the time being. Reuben on the other hand, Jesse noticed go straight over with Axel to play around in the water.

They were in a forested area and the small lagoon they stood in spilled over the edge of a cliffside where moonlight spilled in as well. Jesse spotted a tiny pathway of stairs at the edge of the pool and he followed them out into the open. He was relieved to see there was no Witherstorm in sight. However he couldn't help but notice that there was no temple in sight either.

"Where are we?" Olivia asked.

Jesse looked around some more. "In the dark, in the middle of nowhere."

"Maybe we should bed down for the night," said Lukas. "It's dangerous to be out when it's this dark."

Axel met back up with them, a soaking mess. Well, they were all a mess right now, really.

"I thought we were headed toward a temple," he said.

Olivia answered him. "We're looking for a giant building. It should be pretty obvious."

"Ivor said—" Lukas tried to interject, but Axel interrupted.

"Oh, Ivor said…" Axel drawled in a sarcastic tone, "well then maybe this is the temple." He paused, then sneered, "I'm being sarcastic."

"Axel... come on," Olivia impatiently reprimanded.

Axel defended himself. "He called me stupid."

"No, I didn't," Lukas looked incredulous as he defended himself right back.

"But you wanted to."

"No I didn't."

"Huh, did you say something?" Axel feigned deafness.

Oh, this is getting stupid…

Jesse mistakenly intervened before his thought had finished forming. "We have to build—uh..."

Axel tried to finish his thought. "Uhhhh..."

"Shelter," Jesse finished.

"Shelter!" Axel finished too. "I was going to say shelter."

"We have to build a shelter," Jesse reiterated.

Lukas raised an eyebrow. "I thought that was what I said, but, uhh..."

"Yup that's totally…" Axel trailed off. "It's getting dark and stuff."

Correction. It was already dark and stuff.

"You're right…" said Olivia, "we should hurry,"

"I totally agree," Lukas agreed.

"Wait, but can I just say something?" Axel paused, then finally said with a smile. "I agree too." He supposed Axel didn't want to be outdone in compliments. Lukas had a strange way of making his compliments sound like insults and his regular random statements sound like compliments.

"I say we build a treehouse," Olivia said.

Axel argued. "That'll take forever and we'll be exposed while we do it. We just need a quick and dirty hut."

"Look, whatever it is," Lukas asserted, "we gotta do it fast."

Axel and Olivia both gave Lukas a look that either meant, 'only Jesse gets to interject in our random pointless arguments,' or meant, 'after failing so abysmally, you're trying to order us around?' With how annoyed Axel looked, Jesse was willing to bet on the latter.

Lukas raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Jesse didn't know if he was playing stupid, or if he just was.

Olivia ignored him. "In a hut we won't know what's coming until it's knocking on our door."

"A treehouse is going to be spider town," said Axel. "I, hate, spiders."

Jesse noticed he'd been frowning at Lukas when Lukas glanced over at him and quickly broke eye-contact. So did Jesse.

Okay, chill out, Jesse, he ordered himself.

Jesse realized he wasn't wrong to be mad, but he needed to get over it. His anger was starting to affect his thinking. As much as it grated against his nerves, Jesse did his best to remove Petra as part of the issue and just focus.

We were all freaking out, he told himself. He was panicking, the world's never ended before, and being angry will do no good. We're all in the same boat now. I just need to focus on getting everyone to safety.

He drew a deep and flustered breath, but as Axel and Olivia continued to argue, Jesse couldn't seem to focus, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't not think about Petra.

I… should have saved her.

No. He couldn't think about that now. He'd done everything he could. Petra wouldn't want him to blame himself. But… what would she want him to do?

"Okay look," she had told him mere hours ago. He could still remember her commanding tone and even now felt like she was straightening him out. "I know you've had your tiffs, but Lukas is my friend, and I'm not just going to let you hate him without giving him a decent chance."

A decent chance… he'd given him a decent chance. He'd practically saved his life, and Lukas…!

Lukas was her friend. She was the one who'd stuck up for him. Then again, he wondered if she would stick up for him now.

What was he thinking? Of course she would. Petra wouldn't want him to blame himself, but she certainly wouldn't want him to blame Lukas either. Even if he was the one to blame… Petra would want Jesse to be nice to him—she had asked Jesse to be nice to him. If this frustration—this anger—was all about her… did Jesse have a right to stay mad at him? Wouldn't it be insulting to not only disregard what could possibly be her last wish, but turn around and do the opposite? Treat her friend with contempt? When he thought of it like that, it was an easy decision.

Jesse bit his lip and pushed aside his excuses.

He just had to… play nice. That didn't mean he had to like him, though.

Well… it would be nice to get Axel and Olivia to stop arguing about nothing for once.

Whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not, Lukas had beaten them nine years straight for a reason. He was always the best builder there, and now, he was the best builder here. Jesse wanted to resent that fact, but with his newfound revelation in mind, he determined instead to use it.

Jesse was solid on not letting Lukas' failure influence the way he treated him, so he sighed and said reluctantly—and admittedly not completely devoid of annoyance—"What do you think, Lukas?"

Lukas looked surprised and somewhat confused. "Huh?"

"Yeah, huh?" said Axel, also confused and not at all trying to mask his own annoyance.

"You're asking me?" Lukas wondered further, pointing at himself.

No, I'm asking the bush behind you whose name happens to be Lukas, Jesse wanted to say, but refrained from it and instead said something equally patronizing and potentially regretful. "Your name is Lukas, right? That hasn't changed in the past ten minutes?"

"Uh, well, no…" Lukas stammered, looking at the ground and rubbing the back of his head.

Okay, so maybe not the nicest thing to say…

Jesse took a breath. He had to stay cool. If not for practicality's sake, then for Petra's.

"Look, I know you guys don't want to hear this," Jesse said, "but Lukas is the best builder we have. So, Lukas, what do you think we should do?"

Lukas hesitated, looking slightly nervous with all eyes now on him.

"Well," he started, "Dirt huts are quick, but… they're not the most practical for all intents and purposes. A treehouse gives a better vantage. Not to mention it's more comfortable and—if you build it right—spider-proof." Lukas paused. "And… fireproof."

Jesse quirked an eyebrow at him, trying not to scowl.

Nice, Lukas. Reeeal nice.

"Okay," said Jesse. "We're building a treehouse."

Axel wilted and drawled, "Great."

« … »

They began by punching wood. Since he didn't have a fist to punch with, Reuben kept guard.

It was weird actually building with their building rival of an entire a decade. Jesse had seen what he could do with a plan, but now he was seeing what he could do freestyle. While Lukas mostly fell in line behind what Jesse did, he had a thought process all his own.

For the most, part, they didn't communicate much.

As they gathered more materials, Lukas extended a hand and a block of wood to Jesse. As he did, he wore an expression that looked almost pleading, almost as if he were saying, 'Give me a chance'.

Jesse exhaled in determination. He took the block, managing a slight smile.

Okay.

« … »

"If I wake up with a spider on my face," Axel grumbled, eyeing Olivia, "I'm gonna expect you to deal with it."

Olivia crossed her arms. "Lower your expectations, Axel."

Lukas randomly cut in with, "Well maybe if we had built into the tree a little bit more—it could've…" Lukas noticed all of them giving him looks ranging from, 'Seriously, dude?' to 'Oh shut up,' and quickly backpedaled. "Never mind. It's—This is fine. It's good."

"Looks good, guys." Jesse said, and they made their way inside.

« … »

A small fire burned steadily in the center of the small wooden room, providing warmth and light to an otherwise dark and chilly night.

Lukas had managed to pick up some of the rocky red stuff from the Nether which he called 'netherrack', and between his netherrack and Jesse's flint and steel that he just happened to have, they were able to get a fire going. For something he'd had no reason in taking with him, the trinket sure was coming in handy. According to Lukas, netherrack burned forever, so they wouldn't even have to worry about feeding it.

How a fire up in a tree worked, Jesse didn't know, but apparently Lukas did. Fire spread quickly though, so if it was going to, it would have burned down by now. Jesse seemed to recall Petra telling him that it could be useful to have a good builder around—no matter what personal issues he had with the guy. Maybe she was right.

After the fire was going, Jesse, Olivia and Reuben sat together besides it, embracing the warmth. Axel on the other hand had elected to stay standing, leaning against the wall, while Lukas had chosen a spot on the ground by the corner, away from them. The group had since fallen into silence. The quiet suited him just fine. The time to think did his mind good.

Axel walked by them to the other side of the room.

"Oh, man," he said out of nowhere, sounding shocked.

"What?" Olivia asked.

Axel's tone remained the same as he said, "I'm going to tell you something. You have to promise not to freak out."

Jesse inhaled nervously and asked, "What is it?"

Axel pulled something out of his pocket and climatically announced, "I… have cookies."

Jesse stopped holding his breath. Well that was a relief. Both for his fragile psyche, and his wambling stomach.

"One for me…" Axel said, separating one from the others, then walked over to Olivia and handed one down to her. "One for Olivia…"

Olivia took it with a smile, and next he walked over to Jesse. "One for Jesse."

Jesse smiled. "Thanks, Axel."

Just as he was about to bite into it, Jesse thought he felt eyes on him, and glanced up to see Lukas huddled in the corner against the wall, staring at him. Lukas turned away in embarrassment as soon as he saw Jesse return the look just as Axel offered a cookie to Reuben.

"And one for Reuben." Axel looked over at Lukas. "Sorry, Lukas," he said without a hint of sorrow in his tone. "I only have four."

"Oh, no, it's—it's all right," Lukas stammered, clearly trying to sound nonchalant and doing a pretty unconvincing job of it. "I'm not that hungry anyway. I'll just… grab something in the morning. Or something."

Jesse felt a pang of guilt as his better nature kicked in, and the selfless, do-gooder in him awoke, whispering, "Give him the cookie…"

Oh, but… cookie… his stomach complained.

Jesse stared down at his cookie, and the cookie seemed to speak to him.

"Jesse," the cookie said. "You know what you have to do."

I mean… it's one cookie, Jesse argued.

"If you were in his shoes," the cookie questioned, "how would you feel?"

How would he feel?

If… if Jesse were in his shoes… if the roles were reversed—If he were stuck with the Ocelots without Axel, Olivia, or even Reuben…

That would be awful!

Then the other side of his brain kicked in, the side that really wanted that cookie, and he started reasoning.

Yeah, but my friends aren't the Ocelots! Aiden is a jerk, Gill and—whatshername are almost just as bad… My friends aren't like that, they're awesome. They're not bullies.

But when it came down to it, if Jesse's friends were missing while he was stuck with another group, it wouldn't have mattered to him if they were the nicest people ever. He probably couldn't even go on. Heck, he could be with the Order of the Stone and still feel alone if he had lost everyone he cared about and didn't even know if they were still alive.

That would be… awful…

Jesse was reminded of what he was thinking earlier, that they were all in the same boat, but then he realized…

Oh… We're not all in the same boat.

They all had in common that they'd all lost their world—their homes… but Jesse had his friends. Lukas had no one. Thinking about it like that, it was amazing that he was handling it as well as he was.

If I was in his shoes… I would have fallen apart by now…

Jesse stood to his feet and made his way to the cold corner where Lukas sat alone. Jesse held his cookie out to him, prompting from Lukas a look of surprise.

"Take it, Lukas," Jesse said.

"Oh, no, no," Lukas muttered, averting his eyes. "I—I-I can't do that."

Great! exclaimed his inner cookie monster. Works for me!

Jesse immediately kicked the thought right back out of his head. He couldn't give up now. The cookie would kill him.

"I insist," Jesse said with a smile, and before Lukas could refuse again, Jesse shoved it into his hands.

Lukas returned Jesse's smile with a slight, almost guilty smile of his own and tilted his head down. "Thank you, Jesse."

Jesse walked back over to his place and sat down, feeling good about himself despite his persistent hunger. He knew he'd done the right thing, and at least he could rest a little easier knowing that.

"That was for you, Jesse. Not him," Axel said, crossing his arms.

Jesse gave Axel a disapproving look, hoping he would get the hint to drop it. Axel did, but if the scowl he wore was any indication, he didn't do so willingly.

Reuben looked up at Jesse sadly, then dropped his cookie in front of him and nudged it with his nose.

Jesse smiled in endearment. "No, Reuben. You eat. I'll be fine." He scratched Reuben's head.

Reuben sniffed at the cookie several times before he finally ate it.

The quiet returned as the four of them ate their cookies. The whole room descended into a somber sort of tension as Axel continued to stare disgruntled at the wall and Lukas continued to stare thoughtful at the floor. Finally it was Olivia who broke the silence.

"If you had to…" she said, and Jesse looked to Olivia. Olivia was looking to Lukas, "which would you rather fight…?"

Lukas perked up, raptly looking her in the eyes.

"A hundred chicken-sized zombies, or ten zombie-sized chickens?"

Jesse wondered if Lukas had ever faced a chicken-sized zombie and raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Choose wisely," Jesse inserted, a slight grin on his face.

Though he still looked forlorn, Lukas chuckled softly. "Heh… That's… a good one. Let me think."

"How can you guys joke at a time like this?" Axel grumbled. At first he just sounded angry, but as he went on he slowly started to sound sad and vulnerable, and even his face changed to match his tone. "Petra is still out there. She's all by herself… there's nothing positive about that."

Jesse understood where Axel was coming from. Jesse hated to act like everything was just fine too, but they couldn't let themselves fall into despair. All they could do right now was hope and pray that she would be okay, and try to stay strong for her sake.

Axel was just letting off steam, but Jesse couldn't stifle Olivia's effort to withhold their team sanity just because of Axel, so Jesse took a breath and said reluctantly, "We can't just mope. We gotta keep our spirits high."

"No, we should be moping," Axel said. "That's exactly what we should be doing."

"Axel," Olivia rebuked.

"The jokes are…" Axel trailed off. "I don't know… it doesn't feel right."

Jesse empathized.

If that's how you feel, buddy.

"All right," Jesse conceded. "No more jokes, then."
Hopefully Axel would feel better later, but Jesse didn't have the energy to push the issue further.

Axel's face fell downcast, and he wandered away again. "Sorry, I'm just…" but he didn't finish.
Jesse decided to spare him and affirmed, "We all are."

Another moment of silence.

"Fine. Then, uh…" Lukas got to his feet and walked up a bit closer to the fire. "We should get some rest. We've gotta start looking for this temple as early as we can." Jesse watched as Lukas, seeming somewhat awkwardly nervous, went on. "Now, my guess is, if we start at the portal—and kind of split up—"

"Woah, what are you doing?" Axel cut him off.

Lukas frowned, taking up a more assertive posture with his hands to his hips. "Did I do something to you?" he wondered rhetorically. "I'd really like to know. Because you keep getting on my case for what seems like no reason."

Axel glowered at him. "It's more what you didn't do... don't you think?"

Jesse tensed as he watched the scene unfold and silently pleaded, Don't make me take sides in this.

If this conflict escalated, he knew he would have to, but he really hoped he could squelch the argument before then. For the time being, he couldn't agree with anyone and stop the argument, so he just said, "We'll figure it out in the morning."

"Maybe you're right," Lukas sighed. "I'm pretty exhausted."
Yeah, Jesse thought, You and me both.

"We should just—" Lukas started, but Axel cut him off again.

"Jesse means us, not you," he barked.

Jesse gave Axel a stern look. "Axel…" he emphasized, repeating slowly, "we'll figure it out in the morning."

This was supposed to be a time of peace, a time of rest. After everything they had just been through, why did Axel have to turn this into an argument?

Axel scowled again. "I'm sorry Jesse, but I'm not gonna sit here and listen to this guy telling us what's what."

He's gonna make me take sides…

Jesse drew in a tired breath.

He knew who he wanted to side with. He knew who he should side with. He was loath to side with either of them. However at this point it would never end if Jesse didn't step in.

"Axel," Jesse said, "Lukas was just trying to help."

"See?" Lukas said, gesturing to Jesse.

"No. I don't," Axel grumbled. "All I see is a jerk who thinks he can walk into a room and start bossing everyone around."

"I'm just trying to get ready for tomorrow," Lukas argued.

"You're the only one wearing that stupid jacket." Axel snipped. "Don't tell us what to do."

Lukas looked down at his Ocelot jacket in shock as though Axel had just spit on it. From the look on Lukas' face he may as well have. Lukas' expression darkened, and he articulated slowly and deliberately, "Take. That. Back."

Axel shrugged. "Can't. Wouldn't."

Lukas snapped. "You know what? I get to wear this jacket because I know how to build, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to break things."

Jesse was surprised at first, but that only lasted a moment. Now that he was starting to understand the flip side of this issue, he really wasn't all that surprised.

"Your threats don't scare me, now that we know how you really are," Axel boasted, crossing his arms.

For the first time in their lives, they were on the offensive against Lukas, and from Lukas' perspective he was entirely outmatched.

Lukas then turned to Jesse and blasted, "Jesse, your friend is way out of line! I wasn't going to bring it up, but I can only take so much."

Here we go…

Jesse couldn't believe it had come down to this. Here they were, Lukas had just threatened his friend after failing at the most critical moment, and Jesse was not only about to defend him but he was about straighten out Axel, one of his best friends. Why? Because Jesse was the leader, and having time to think he'd realized his own mistake. In snapping off at Lukas in the Nether, he'd given license for Axel to do the same. In a way, he felt responsible, and he was going to fix this.

As for the threat, if any threat to Axel meant him getting hurt was actually possible, Jesse might have been a little worried. As it was, Axel could still kill Lukas by sitting on him, and Lukas wouldn't stand a chance against the three of them if he actually decided to attack him. Axel knew that, and he was trying to provoke him. Any other day, under any other circumstances, Jesse might be on his side anyway, but not now. What Jesse said now was critical, and their cooperation with each other was essential.

So, Jesse refrained from heaving a deep, frustrated sigh, and pushed himself to his feet, mentally preparing for the backlash he was about to receive.

"Take it easy, Axel," Jesse said.

"Easy?!" Axel questioned, seemingly in disbelief that he wasn't being supported. "He threatened me!"

"He's not gonna do anything," Jesse insisted.

Axel glared at Lukas again, stalking over to him and explicitly ignoring everything Jesse said.

"Haven't you done enough damage for one day?" he demanded, then coldly added, "Petra might be dead because of you."

Axel shoved Lukas back a step and Lukas stood there looking more furious by the second. The two of them refused to break eye-contact.

Olivia got up and stood beside Jesse. "You're taking this too far, Axel."

Lukas glared up at Axel, seething, and even trembling slightly. Right when Jesse thought he really might snap, finally Lukas mustered in a level tone, "I don't have to take this."

Lukas turned away from Axel and started toward the hatch to their treehouse. "Listen, why don't I just leave, and let you guys hash this out?"

Olivia shot forward and blocked his path. "You can't leave!" Olivia insisted, seemingly in disbelief, her face suddenly awash with worry. "It's dangerous out there!"

"I can take care of myself." Lukas glanced back at Axel. "It's what Axel wants, right?"

Axel crossed his arms and callously grumbled, "Let him leave, if he wants to leave."

"Axel!" Olivia gasped. "Jesse, stop this! Tell them they're being stupid!"

If Jesse understood one thing, it was making decisions. If Lukas wanted to leave, it wasn't Jesse's place to deny him that choice. However, at the moment, this wasn't about whether Lukas wanted to stay or leave. This was about how Jesse's team saw him. Up until today, Lukas had been their enemy, but right now, they didn't need enemies. What they needed now was support. What Lukas needed was support, andJesse needed to make it clear to them that Lukas was part of their team, bluntly, or painfully if need be.

Jesse steeled his nerves and said, "You're not going anywhere."

Axel frowned. "But Jesse—"

"That's enough!" Jesse snapped at him, putting his foot down and stating with the final authority. "We're all on the same team now. He's staying."

With that, amazingly, everyone fell silent.

That was it. Jesse himself hadn't realized the truth and severity behind his words until he spoke them. Lukas was part of the team now—part of his team.

When finally Jesse sighed and took a seat again, everyone but Axel settled back down. While Olivia took up her place by the fire again, Lukas chose a spot a block away from Jesse, instead of staying secluded by himself in the corner. It seemed he too realized that for good or ill, they had to stick together. They had no choice… but at least they had cookies.

After a long moment's silence, Lukas spoke up again.

"Zombie-sized chickens," he said. "That's what I would fight."

Olivia perked and asked in a curious tone, "Why's that?"

Lukas seemed to get smaller and muttered weakly, "Because I'm starving…"

After Petra saved him from the little zombie in the forest, Jesse couldn't agree more.

"Good choice."

Thunder sounded in the distance. Not a minute later, rain began to fall, and they… didn't have a roof. He hadn't thought about rain. Well, it was a good thing netherrack couldn't even be extinguished by water.

"Of course…" Olivia moaned.

"Rain is better than monsters." Lukas said, and Jesse nodded in agreement. Another long moment passed, and Lukas muttered, "Thanks for keeping me around, Jesse."

Jesse gave him a soft grin. "Yeah."

After all was said and done, it was finally sinking in that in light of the situation, Lukas really was part of their team now, and as long as he was, Jesse was responsible for him. Whether he liked Lukas or not. But… if Jesse was honest with himself… he didn't hate Lukas. Not anymore.

« … »

But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.

— Luke 22:26

Author's Notes

And there you have it. The scene that made me fall in love MCSM that I still use as an example of one of the most well written and effective scenes I've personally ever seen. It has everything, payoff for foreshadowing, subtext, symbolism, a balanced atmosphere, beautiful music, a steady build up in tension with a climax to the scene that makes its mark flawlessly regardless of the choices you make, and it does all of those things superbly. Just this scene alone is so underappreciated that sometimes I feel like there isn't another soul on this planet who could really understand just how perfect this scene truly is for this story. Needless to say, this is without a doubt, to this day, my favorite scene in the entire series, because of everything I said before, and because it just so perfectly, simply, and succinctly encompasses everything that makes Minecraft: Story Mode such an amazing story that I still hold in my heart as one of the best in the world. It's quiet while speaking volumes, it's simple yet infinitely complex, and it is what you make it. It's… well… it's Minecraft. :)

So you may have noticed that aside from taking out the zombie at the beginning and a few other very minor things, the events of this chapter were borderline exact to the ones in the game itself. That's because of all the aforementioned reasons, and out of respect for one of the greatest scenes in the entire game. I really tried to only change things when necessary, and I'm honestly quite sad that there's no possible way to see the other ending to this scene where Jesse lets Lukas leave. I love both endings and the results, and it's unfortunate that sometimes I have to choose between phenomenal and astounding. But hey, I guess that's why we have the game itself. :)
And finally, because I've been growing quite fond of these, I leave you with this: "Oh man," Jesse muttered as he reached into his pocket. "I'm going to tell you guys something, but you have to promise not to freak out." Everyone stood on edge and finally Jesse said, "I… have carrots." Everyone wilted in disappointment and Lukas piped up, "Yeah, I think I'll pass, thanks."

That's all for now! Have a wonderful weekend y'all! And I'll see you in two weeks! ;D

- How the Cookie Grumbled — The cookie was such an iconic part of this scene that we actually still call it simply, 'The Cookies Scene'. I really wanted to draw a lot of attention to that cookie decision, and with that being said, the cookie 'talking' to Jesse wasn't something I planned out or anything. That just kinda happened. XD

- Lukas' OCD — I was really tempted for the sake of flow to take out the part with Lukas criticizing the build, but even that I couldn't bring myself to change. 3': This whole part is just so perfect! I really wanted to include it because this is the first and most classic example of Lukas being super nitpicky, and I didn't want to lose it. XD Seriously, no matter which one I choose or how hard or fast I mash that button, he always criticizes my build! DX

- Out of the Fire, into the Zombie — Yeah I took that part out because this way is better for painting a literary picture, and it was only there for a game prompt anyway. XD

Choice Notes

- Build a Treehouse —You have no idea how tempted I was to just have Jesse say, "Guys, this is freaking Minecraft, let's just build a dirt hut on top of a tree!" XD But yeah, I did this one because… well, reasons, but primarily because I thought it was what Lukas would pick, and Axel not getting his way feeds more into the explosive argument that he instigates, so it was more fitting. (Especially if Lukas was the reason he didn't get his way. I don't think Jesse thought that far ahead. ;P)

- Give Cookie — Wait, did you not give him the cookie? What kind of monster are you? :( And what world do I live in where I have to explain why I wasn't stingy with a digital cookie? Oh, for the story? Well… because… Jesse isn't a piece of trash. Like SOME people. ):[ Haha, kidding, kidding. XD Still, I shouldn't have to explain this one. ;P And For those wondering why they didn't just split the cookie, that… doesn't work in Minecraft. :P