There was no one in the Dream SMP Technoblade admired more than Philza. No one he loved more, as his best friend and most steadfast companion. As the one person he could trust with his life. Which was why, if Phil had any favors he needed, Techno was happy to fulfill them. Such as care for his roses while he was away gathering materials for his next build.

Techno didn't know how odd he looked; a tall, scarred, heavily-built Piglin watering a thick hedge of roses. His enchanted armor glinted in the afternoon sun, his sword and axe hung in easy reach from his belt, his shield was slung across his back and several pouches of potions were neatly packed in his satchel that carried all his inventory. But no one was within miles of his home and therefore he didn't care how he looked.

Carefully he knelt beside one of the thorny plants, feeling its leaves and frowning at the small bugs that skittered across their surfaces. One thing he knew about plants from raising all those potatoes some years ago: you never let any bugs with teeth on them. Except ladybugs. Those were the predators of the insect world and very good for plants. Not whatever these little buggers were, though. Techno got to his feet again and trudged through the snow into Phil's house, where all the pesticides were kept. Technoblade's cupboards were too full of potion ingredients, weapons, books and building materials to hold plant supplies as well.

Grunting as he thudded to one knee, he began searching through one of Phil's smaller chests. He was pretty sure his friend kept what he was looking for in one of these....But it took nearly twenty minutes of pawing through varied chests and groaning over Phil's lack of organization before he finally found them and was able to return outside again.

He had to thrust his arms into the bushes on a few occasions, or he couldn't reach the back leaves with the safeguarding liquid. His hands were smarting from thorn scratches by the time he was done, but it didn't bother him much. He was pretty used to pain. "Alright, Phil, all done." He muttered as he got up once more and headed towards his house. Three days of taking care of the roses and only four more to go before Philza returned from his trip. He wondered how the angel was going to carry all the materials he was collecting and then laughed at the image in his mind of Philza flying through the sky trailing chests behind him.

Techno began the rest of his work for that day: feeding the dogs and Steve, repairing Edward's boat(the result of a teleportation accident), ensuring his fence was secure and most important of all, expanding his secret vault. "One can never have enough withers." The Piglin said to himself as he stood in the main room, surveying his walls of wither skulls with satisfaction.

Mooooooreeeee witherssssss!
Blood for the Blood god!
Lmao one of them's turned wrong
Skulls for the Pig lord!
XD you guys
Can we get an E?
E
E
E

"Yes, Chat, we're goin' to get more withers." Technoblade laughed, more than happy to agree with his Voices on this occasion. He went outside, closed the vault door, and headed off across the gleaming snow towards the Nether portal close by.

When he stepped through, the heat from that hellish environment closed around Techno's skin like a comforter. It never bothered him as much as other people. Philza joked that it was because he was actually a full-blooded Piglin instead of...whatever he really was. Techno didn't really know how much Piglin blood was in him compared to human, but he was pretty sure it was a lot. The only human features he possessed were his hands and the fortunate lack of a tail. Besides those, he looked just like any other Piglin, albeit one that was much more built than the usual specimen.

Techno strode down the path he'd built with Phil many months ago, heading towards the fortress that stood tall and dark amidst the lava. Wither knights congregated there by the dozens, each providing a chance for him to collect their skull, if he managed to kill them just right. It was a hard task to accomplish, but he enjoyed the challenge. As did the Voices. Their cries for blood already spurred him on faster, until he was sprinting down the causeway. He shot past blazes that hurled their fireballs at him, past skeletons that hissed and missed him with their arrows, and then skidded to a halt as he nearly collided with a Wither knight.

The usual grin was on his face, his teeth flashing in the golden glow the permeated the structure around him. Technoblade unsheathed his sword and sidestepped the simple chop from his opponent. It was terribly easy to beat the knight, and onward he strode, leaving a mere pile of bones and dust in his wake.

Thus it always was with Technoblade, the Blood god. Possessing a skill for combat that surpassed any other, he conquered everything in his path. A little planning here, a little preparation there, and not even a nation could stand up to him. Admittedly, it wouldn't be quite the same without Philza. Having an ally, a friend, he could always count on was an enormous comfort to Techno. He wouldn't have gotten as far as he had without Phil.

By the time he was ready to leave, Techno's satchel contained fifteen wither skulls. He was happy with his run and climbed back up to where the portal stood, open to take him home again. He felt tired and looked forward to some quiet cooking when he got home. Maybe the Voices would tell him stories, if they felt like it. More likely they'd beg him for some. The Piglin smirked and stepped through the portal.

It was close to dark when he got outside and a freezing cold wind smacked into him as he emerged in the other side. Techno yelped and clasped his arms around him, his body too used to the heat of the Nether to handle the sudden temperature change easily. The snow glistened and crunched beneath his hooves as he trudged back home, his teeth chattering. The house was a welcome sight, with Phil's right alongside it and the torches brightening up every section of the yard. A dog or two noticed his approach and began barking, whereupon more dogs took up the welcome, howling and yapping according to their temperament or size. "Alright, alright, I got it!" Technoblade called. "You're happy to see the one who gives you food. Hang on and let me warm up first; I'll get you somethin' to eat in a minute."

The hounds frisked at the end of their leashes, each eager for the pets and affection he always gave them, especially the small ones. Animals held a special place in Techno's heart, though he would firmly deny it to anyone but Philza. Technoblade stamped his hooves on the mat outside his door and swept inside. He grabbed his cloak and the bag of fresh meaty bones and went back out again. The dogs barked, growling or whining as he tossed their food to each of them, and the Piglin smiled to hear the loud cracking sounds as the creatures set their teeth to the hard bones.

Techno went next to Steve, the huge polar bear he'd tamed some time ago. The massive animal snuffed and grunted as he approached, holding the bear's supper in a large pail. "Calm down," Techno murmured, rubbing Steve's nose, "I'm not about to forget you." He poured the contents of the pail out upon the snow, whereupon the bear immediately chomped down into the mess of meat slabs and whatever else had been left over from Techno's last hunt.

Technoblade sighed, turning towards the house again to go wash his hands, which were stinging in the cold. His creatures were fed, his house was quiet, Phil would be back soon, and there were no governments being set up. All was right with his world.

His hands still stung as he ran the warm water over them. Apparently what cuts he'd gotten from Phil's rosebush hadn't healed yet, which puzzled him. Techno carefully dried them off and went to stand at a window, looking out over the snow. Philza's roses were probably the oldest living things Techno had ever encountered, besides the angel himself. Apparently they'd been a gift from Kristin way back when. Maybe they had some special "thing" that made his cuts heal slower than usual.

The dogs finished eating in minutes and were soon yapping again, eager for playtime. Techno grunted, came out of his daydream and trudged back outside again, where he let the dogs out of their pens to run and fight and play as they pleased. Unsurprisingly, most of them included him in their frolicking, tugging carefully on his cloak with their teeth or dancing around him in circles. The bigger ones leapt up to rest their forepaws on his shoulders and lick his face, while the smaller dogs chased their tails or darted between his legs in pursuit of each other. Technoblade eventually gave in and gave them the attention they were looking for, running races with them and wrestling the stronger dogs to the ground. The sounds of growls, yips, barks and snarls echoed across the tundra, combined with occasional shouts from Techno as he urged on his dogs in whatever play they were engaged in. To an outsider, it would have looked as though an all-out war was being waged between the dogs, with Technoblade being an occasional casualty. But it was only rough play and the Piglin was well used to it.

Hours passed and no one tired. Techno considered this a challenge, keeping up with his dogs and their seemingly boundless energy. But by the time the sun had lowered in the horizon, just grazing the tops of the trees in the distance, he was completely tired out. The Piglin collapsed in the snow, letting the last hound flop on top of his chest.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he chuckled, fondling the dog's snout, "one day you'll be too tired to play anymore too. And no calling me old, you hear? I may be three times your age but I've got a long way to go yet."

It was dark when Techno finally got back indoors. He knew Philza would have scolded him for staying out in the snow after so much activity, but he was too exhausted to care. Dinner even seemed to big of a bother to prepare right now, so instead Techno climbed the ladder to his room, unbuckled his armor and let it fall into his Ender Chest. He sat down on his bed and gave one tap to the bell that hung next to it.

A slight pain shot through his fingers as the metal gave a single soft note. "Ow." Techno glanced down at his hand, frowning as he realized the cuts on it were still not healed. His weariness gave way a little as his mind began to work to understand why his usually quick regenerative abilities weren't working. Hesitantly, he touched one of the cuts. It stung again, but nothing else happened. None of the wounds bled, but neither had they closed at all. Techno grimaced. "What do you guys think?"

The Voices, who'd been having a field day with the dogs earlier, now spoke their own opinions.

Drink. Milk.
Kristin murder Pog?
Don't insult Mumza!
Milk cures anything
What's with those flowers?
Ew, that's gotta be infected
Can you call the last guy a nerd?
Bruh

Milk was a good idea. Technoblade rose to his feet, swaying a little because he was still tired, and made his way back downstairs. "Nerd." He muttered, as his version of a thank-you to the Voices. He heard a few distant laughs in response and an "awesome".

Milk. Techno searched through two chests before finding the one that held the precious liquid. Ice coated the sides of the wooden case and vapor escaped as he opened the lid. "That'll work." Techno said to himself, pulling out the glass bottle. "Hopefully." Not wanting to screw this up by being stingy, he downed the entire bottle, then got up and put it in the sink.

"I need to have a talk with Phil about his roses when he gets back." The Piglin grunted, closing the chest again with a quick kick and returning to his bed upstairs. Maybe his friend would know what was happening and how to fix it. Phil knew just about everything, it seemed sometimes. Technoblade fell asleep in the middle of planning what he would say to Philza later.

+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×

Far, far away, a young Crow flapped her wings, soaring downwards on a current of wind that seemed as playful as she was today. She bobbed and fluttered, curving her flight to land at last on the chest of a man who lay sleeping beneath an oak tree. His blond hair was desperately tangled and his tanned skin was stained with sweat and dirt. The Crow, like all birds, had a terrible sense of smell, though, so she wasn't bothered.

Dadza. Dadza get up. The sun has risen. Time to wake up. She tapped him again, earning a groan and a weak laugh as Philza opened his eyes to see her hopping about on top of him.

"You rascal!" He reached up, scratching under the bird's chin. "Waking me up when the day's barely started. Now I'm going to laze on purpose, just for that."

The Crow croaked merrily, nuzzling her master under the chin. She tucked her feet under her and sat on his chest, gazing out towards the shining golden globe in the sky with him. Phil rubbed his thumb along the Crow's back.

"It's funny," he said after a few minutes, "I miss Techno already and it's only been a few days. Can't imagine what I'd do if it had to be longer." He sat up, carefully holding his Crow in both hands. "At least it's just four days more."

The bird bobbed her head in agreement, but remained quiet. Philza smiled affectionately down at the precious creature. This particular Crow was usually quiet in the mornings. "Hey." He ran a finger down her wing. "What're you thinking about?"

Krah. I miss Mumza, Crowfather.

Phil closed his eyes. "I miss her too. One day, Rovfågel. One day we'll get to see her again. Until then, it's just the Murder, me and Techno. Will that do for now?"

She tilted her head against his finger and shut her own bright eyes in quiet contentment. Yes, Dadza. Am happy with you and Brotherblade.

The angel grinned. "I'll tell him you said that." Ignoring her immediate squawk of protest, Phil rose, scooping the bird onto his shoulder. "Let's get to work, shall we? I'm yearning to get home."