I hum to myself as I walk along the wooden path in L'manburg. The sun shines brightly, not a cloud in sight, and a gentle breeze carries the sound of sheep baaing in the distance. It's a perfect day—so perfect it should have warned me something was about to go wrong.

I push open my door with a smile, feeling无缘无故 happy, just because the day is beautiful. That smile immediately drops when I spot who's waiting by my chests.

Fundy and Quackity stand there with arms folded, expressions stern and unyielding. My stomach twists into a knot. People don't look like that without reason, and that reason is rarely good.

"Uh, hey guys!" I say, my voice trembling despite my efforts to sound casual. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

Was that too forward? Not casual enough? I've never been good at these social situations.

"Oh, nothing much," Quackity says, his tone unnaturally subdued. That's not right—Big Q is always emotional, full of energy. This quiet version sends shivers down my spine.

"We just had a few things to ask you," Fundy cuts in, his tail flicking with agitation.

"Oh, well that's fine then, ask away." I chuckle nervously, hands twitching at my sides. They're my friends, right? They wouldn't hurt me.

Quackity stands up from where he'd been sitting on my crafting table. "Alright. We will. Do you happen to know why Techno has all his armour back?"

My blood runs cold. Images flash through my mind—snow falling around a lonely house, Technoblade looking better than he had in weeks, the weight of his gaze as he asked for his armour back. Shit.

"Uh, what do you mean?" I stall, hoping to maintain the illusion of ignorance.

"I mean—" Quackity steps directly into my personal space, eyes darkening as his mouth twists into a snarl "—why does Technoblade, our enemy, have the armour that we stole, and that you had in your enderchest?"

Each word drips with venom. I flinch back, but there's nowhere to go.

"I don't- I don't know what you're t-talking about," I stammer, the lie obvious even to me.

Fundy scoffs. "Don't try to pretend. We know you gave it back to him. We know you betrayed us."

Panic claws at my throat. This isn't how today was supposed to go. We were supposed to gather supplies for the Christmas Festival, joke around, have a good time. Not this.

"I didn't!" I cry out, hands raised defensively. "He threatened me, I swear! He said he'd kill me if I didn't!"

"Then why were you even there in the first place?" Quackity demands, his voice rising with each word.

"You have no excuse," Fundy snarls. "You betrayed us, the people who welcomed you into our country, who trusted you. Pathetic."

I shrink back as their accusations wash over me. This can't be happening.

"I'm sorry, Ranboo," Quackity says, straightening suddenly, and for a moment he looks almost regretful. "But I'm going to need you to come with me."

"What do you mean?"

"He means we're taking you into custody, for treason and betrayal of L'manburg," Fundy clarifies, as if stating something obvious.

Quackity reaches for me. I recoil instinctively, terror flooding my chest as I realize with absolute certainty that I need to escape. Now.