Chapter III. Fun & Game

After some rest, it was time for Jafar to stream.

He had to keep an eye on Frollo (after all, the man wanted to bug Hades' house) while finding methods to shut his audiences' mouths up when they asked: "Where's Hades?" So why not invite Frollo to the stream? Besides, the appearance of Frollo would be fresh-new to the fan base, so why not capitalize on his new dormmate?

Oh, how wrong he was for trying to capitalize on Frollo.

As the camera went live, Jafar settled into his familiar chair, surrounded by his gaming setup. The vibrant world of Minecraft unfolded on the screen, a pixelated realm filled with endless possibilities. He glanced over at Frollo, who had taken a seat nearby, his presence as enigmatic as ever.

"Starting the stream~Welcome, everyone. Today we're going to have some resource gathering!" Jafar greeted his audience with an exuberant smile. "And I have a special guest joining me today, my NEW DORMMATE Frollo. Say hello, Frollo."

Frollo nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze fixed on the screen as Jafar dove into the world of blocks and exploration. Jafar had to spare some of his attention for Frollo, making sure the man was still sitting next to him.

"Hey, Frollo, what do you think of this mine I just found?" Jafar asked, trying to draw Frollo into the conversation.

Frollo glanced at the screen briefly, his eyes scanning the digital cavern. "It looks like nuggets embedded in a stone," he replied, his voice devoid of enthusiasm.

"That would be gold ore, you bozo!" Jafar taunted, but he could hear his frustration in his own voice.

As the stream progressed, Jafar's commentary filled the airwaves, interspersed with barely any reaction from Frollo whatsoever.

"Fine, fine, this stream's purpose is to ensure Frollo does not try to bug Hades' house. It was FINE, he was still by my side." Jafar thought to himself. But he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease settle over him. Frollo's silence weighed heavy in the air, and Jafar's attempts to engage him seemed futile. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he had made a mistake by inviting Frollo to join the stream.

As the minutes ticked by, Jafar found himself struggling to keep up the energy for his audience. The absence of banter and camaraderie left a void that couldn't be filled by Minecraft's virtual world alone. He longed for the witty exchanges he had shared with Hades, the laughter and inside jokes that had made their streams so lively.

Frollo was simply NOT Hades. It should be the only truth, how silly was Jafar to not realize it?

"Folks, I apologize if this stream seems a little off today," Jafar admitted, his voice tinged with disappointment. "I...I was a bit under the weather today, pardon me."

He glanced at Frollo, who remained stoic and unmoving. It was as if he was a spectatour, observing Jafar's world from a distance without truly being present. The silent judgment from his eyes was just too much for Jafar to bear.

"I would be right back, let's have a break, shall we?" Jafar murmured, his voice barely audible. He reached over and pressed some buttons on his keyboard, bringing the stream to an abrupt break.

Silence enveloped the room as Jafar and Frollo sat side by side, their shared silence stretching between them. Jafar couldn't deny the disappointment he felt, both in himself and in the situation. It seemed that his attempts to include Frollo had only served to highlight the absence of Hades.

"I guess this wasn't such a great idea," Jafar said, his voice laced with regret. "I thought I could do these without Hades."

Frollo turned his gaze toward Jafar, his expression unreadable. For a moment, Jafar thought he detected a flicker of understanding in Frollo's eyes, a hint of remorse. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Jafar to wonder if he had imagined it.

"Maybe I should just go back to streaming on my own," Jafar mused, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "At least then I won't be constantly reminded of what's missing."

Frollo's silence persisted, and Jafar couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. The longing for Hades and the vibrant energy he brought to their streams were still present, but now it was accompanied by a sense of resignation.

Frollo was simply NOT Hades. It should be the only truth, how silly was Jafar to not realize it?

With a heavy sigh, Jafar rose from his seat, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He cast one last glance at Frollo, who remained motionless, before turning away and stepping out of the room.

Jafar re-entered his studio after 10 minutes, his eyes were immediately drawn to the golden casings on the wall, which seemed to glow even brighter in the scarlet sunset light shining through the window.

He knew Frollo was shining his gun in his bedroom. Good. At least the man was not thinking about bugging Hades' house or awkwardly sitting next to him.

He resumed the stream, back to the pixelated world of Minecraft. Looking out on the top of the build limit of the terrain, Jafar could see the badlands spread out below him in all of their orange and red glory. He could see the rugged cliffs and the narrow pathways that led through the mountains. A "pro" like him would know the joy of gliding with elytra, so he jumped and dived, pressing the spacebar to spread his elytra.

But the only thing that happened was falling-he didn't fly as usual.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The realization that he forgot to wear his elytra struck him mercilessly. He screamed in horror, as he did not want to die far away from his base. He switched to his water bucket and attempted a so-called "MLG" trick to land safely.

He succeeded in landing in the one-block water he placed on the ground, preventing him from receiving any fallen damage. Realizing he just saved himself, Jafar took a breath to steady his pulse and let out a shaky sigh of relief. He felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest, and he was still shaking a bit from the close call.

In that moment of relief, Frollo burst into the room, pointing his gun forwards.

Hearing the sudden noise, Jafar turned his back, confused and frightened. "What are you doing?" Jafar asked. He didn't know what kind of gun Frollo had in his hands, but he had seen him shining them just like Jafar shone his golden casings.

"You're all right?" Frollo asked, with his arms straight and firm. "I heard you screaming."

"Yeah, I'm fine-"Jafar answered, but before he could finish his sentence, the realization of Frollo bringing a gun into the studio cut him off.

-He brought a gun into the sight of the camera, the stream was DOOMED to be demonetized!

"NO, MY STREAM!" Jafar yelled, his heart racing. "My stream was about to be DEMONETIZED!"

"What does... 'demonetized' mean?" Frollo seemed confused at first as if he was having trouble making the connection between the gun in his hand and the stream. He was still pointing the gun at the camera, and Jafar could tell from the darkness in his eyes that he wasn't joking.

"That means that I won't get any money from today's stream!" Jafar shouted, and he put on his exuberant smile as a façade quickly, turning to the camera and speaking to the mic: "Sorry for the inconvenience, but it's a warp today! Thank y'all!" and clicked the button to end the stream before Frollo had even had a chance to say anything back.

Frollo lowered his head and seemed slightly remorseful, but as he turned to walk away, he placed a stack of cash on top of the desk next to Jafar.

"Next time, try not to scream so loud, you've scared me," he said as he turned back to Jafar, his tone still dismissive.

"Why do you have the audacity to say that you're scared?!" Jafar yelled, but it seemed that the question went unanswered as Frollo walked away.

And it looked like Jafar had to post apologies on every single media platform he was on.