Mouth-watering smells drifted out of the kitchen. Steve poked his head in and saw Null chopping vegetables and tossing them into a large pot. His movement were so quick and precise that it was like watching a machine operate. Null noticed Steve watching. "Hello. Would you mind helping me make dinner?" Steve hesitated, then nodded. "Excellent. Would you like to stir the soup?" Steve nodded again. Null handed him the spoon and Steve slowly stirred the combination of rabbit meat, chopped carrots, and bits of mushrooms.
Null reached into a furnace and pulled out a freshly-baked loaf of bread. He didn't have any oven mitts on and wasn't affected at all by the extreme heat. He just set the loaf down on the counter and started cutting it into slices. Steve had to remind himself to stop staring and focus on the soup.
Entity slid into the kitchen with an energized scream. He darted around, checking out everything that was being made. "What's for dinner!? What's for dinner!? What is it! What is it!" he repeated, bouncing up and down.
Null turned around and placed both of his hands on Entity's shoulders. "Calm, please. We're making rabbit soup and bread."
Entity stopped bouncing, but he threw his arms up in the air in celebration. "Yaaaaay!" he exclaimed. "Can I help!?"
"Sure. Can you set the table?" Null handed Entity a few bowls and spoons. Entity happily took them and started setting the table.
Herobrine walked into the room, rubbing his chest where he had been shot. A bit of white bandage peeked out of his short collar. "Oooh, that smells good!" he chimed.
Null took the pot Steve had been stirring and brought it to the table. Everyone sat down at their spots and waited expectantly while Null filled each bowl with soup. Entity passed out the bread, then everyone started eating.
Steve looked hesitantly down at the bowl in front of him. It looked and smelled absolutely delicious, so he decided to hesitantly try some. He put the spoon in his mouth and—oh. Oh wow. It tasted even better than it smelled, and it took every ounce of self-control Steve had to not just scarf the bowl down. He had learned that morning that it wasn't really socially acceptable to do that, so he made sure to take slow, controlled bites. It just meant that he could enjoy the flavor longer.
Entity noticed the bandage peeking out of Herobrine's shirt and gasped. "What happened!?"
"It's fine, just got a bit hurt. Nothing to worry about," he responded with a smile. "How was your day?"
"Great!" Entity chimed. "I helped Null a little bit with the garden then went into the forest looking for frogs. I found one!" Entity then proudly presented a fat, mottled green toad from his pocket. It blinked boredly.
Herobrine smiled at Entity. "That's great, but what did I tell you to do with the frogs you find?"
Entity sighed dramatically. "To keep them outside or otherwise they croak at night and keep everybody awake," he parroted.
"That's right. So, after dinner can you please go put it back outside?"
"Fine." Entity put the toad back in his pocket and took a big bite out of his slice of bread.
"What about you, Steve?" Herobrine asked, turning towards him.
"O-oh, uh, I…" Steve didn't really feel like admitting he spent the day sneaking around the house, so he just shrugged and looked down at his soup. "N-nothing, really."
"Oh, okay." Herobrine didn't press it any further.
"The rabbits are still getting in through the fence, even though I patched the hole. I don't know how," Null said, changing the subject. "They are eating all of our carrots."
"Maybe set up traps?" Entity suggested.
"I do not want to harm them, I simply want them to leave my vegetables alone," Null pointed out.
"Well, you don't have to get traps that harm them. Just put a few carrots under a box and prop it up with a stick, so they knock over the stick and trap themselves," Herobrine said between bites of soup.
"Hmm. That could work, unless the rabbits are smarter than that."
"They're rabbits. They aren't THAT smart," Entity remarked. "I could help you set up the trap! I've caught plenty of critters in my life."
"Yeah, we know. There's a frog in your pocket right now," Herobrine said with a laugh.
Entity snickered. "His name is Sir Bartholemew von Toad, for your information. He is the current king out of all my frogs because he's the biggest."
"Oh, sorry. My bad. Well, don't forget to put Sir Bartholemew outside after dinner so he can be with his subjects," Herobrine reminded him.
"I KNOW. You don't have to keep reminding me."
"Sorry, I just know that sometimes it takes a couple reminders for something to stick with you," Herobrine said with a shrug.
"It's true," Null mumbled.
Entity put a hand on his chest in mock offense. "How dare you question my intellect, sir! I am perfectly capable of remembering all sorts of things! Sir Bartholemew and I are deeply, deeply offended."
Herobrine laughed. "Oh dear. How ever will I make it up to you, Bartholemew?"
"Perhaps some ice cream after dinner will put us back in the Toad King's good graces," Null suggested.
"Yeah!" Entity chimed. "Okay, you two have been forgiven by Sir Bartholemew von Toad and me. Don't let it happen again."
Herobrine chuckled and ruffled Entity's hair. "I'll make sure it doesn't."
When the meal was finished, Steve helped Herobrine and Entity clear the plates. Entity grabbed a step stool so he could reach the sink and do the dishes, but even then he had to stand on his toes. Null put away the leftover soup for lunch tomorrow, then started dishing out bowls of ice cream. He gave one to everyone, then they sat down at the table.
Steve looked down at the white substance in front of him. "What is this?" He asked, looking up at Herobrine.
Herobrine and Null exchanged concerned glances. "You've never had ice cream before?" he asked.
Steve shifted uncomfortably. "N-no."
"Outrageous! Sir Bartholemew and I hereby decree that we have ice cream every night to make up for Steve never having it before!" Entity announced, raising his spoon in the air.
"Didn't I tell you to put Sir Bartholemew outside after dinner?" Herobrine asked, looking at Entity.
Entity's eyes widened in realization. "Oops, sorry! I forgot!" He got up and scurried outside.
Herobrine chuckled, then turned back to Steve with a sympathetic frown. "They treated you horribly in that circus, didn't they?"
Stev looked down at his bowl and refused to make eye contact. "N-no, not really. I mean, it would have been worse by myself. They gave me food and a dry place to sleep at night. Better than the streets."
Herobrine and Null exchanged glances as Entity came skipping in. "Sorry about that! Sir Bartholemew didn't want to leave my pocket—" he then noticed the tense atmosphere. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's okay," Herobrine said, putting on a smile. "Finish up your ice cream then start getting ready for bed, okay?"
"Okay!" Entity sat back down at the table.
Casual conversation resumed, but Stee really didn't pay attention. He didn't understand, what was wrong? Sure, he knew his life wasn't the most normal, but there wasn't anything wrong with it. The ringmasters always told him how much he cost to feed, clothe, and house, albeit suggesting that the cost was a waste. But there wasn't anything WRONG with that, was there? From the way Herobrine looked, the answer was yes.
If that were true, then maybe… maybe things were going to be a lot better here.