Work Text:
Attempt One: Mumbo
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Grian stared out the side of his glass bottle as he laid sprawled out on the floor. His hand periodically gripped the low grass that he had transplanted in order to give the place a little more life. Somewhere below, a cow mowed loudly, causing him to cringe. He should find a way to sound proof that room at some point…
He slowly sat up and leaned back on his hands. His comm buzzed and he was inclined to ignore it. It was probably a death message or someone mentioning something in the chat. It was rare he ever got messaged directly, the only time being from Mumbo really. Grian reached up and ran his hand through his hair, wincing when he caught a tangle.
He sighed and shook his head in an attempt to alleviate the stinging. The space where his eye should be ached from the migraine he was still attempting to get over. He briefly wondered if anyone had a strength or healing potion. He pushed the thought away the moment it showed up, deciding he could deal with it if it meant he was still safe under the water.
He trudged his way over to his chests, lifting up the lids as he searched for a way to sooth the headache. His eyes fell on the smooth porcelain that he knew all too well. ‘Worth a shot’ he decided as he reached in and grabbed it out of the chest. He started at the mask for a long time, longer than he probably needed to if he was being honest.
He shook his head and lifted the mask to his face, the glass like material immediately clinging to his skin without the need of a strap or spell. He paused at the brief darkness that surrounded him before his Eyes blinked into existence. He pushed most of them away, only keeping the one that rested in the middle of his mask.
The tunnel vision and took a long second to get used to, but after a moment he was able to walk around without much trouble. It was less seeing as it was Seeing. Everything was obsidian black aside from the purple outlining the area around him. It was unsettling to anyone who wasn’t one of Them. He sighed as the aching in his head began to fade, leaving only a small pressure in his skull. ‘Better than nothing’. His wings bristled at the sounds of damage echoing from outside.
He whipped around, opening a few more of his Eyes along his wings to better see what was dying outside of his base. He looked just in time to see Mumbo exploded into a pile of items and particles. Grian burst out laughing as he covered his mouth. He pulled his turtle shell helmet over his head and crawled out of the bottle to gather his friend’s items.
After a few minutes, Mumbo appeared at his base again with a sheepish look and no belongings. Grian teased him as he handed over the items, stepping back and closing all but one of his Eyes. Mumbo scoffed, but it was obvious that he hadn’t taken anything Grian said to heart. “Maybe if you’re entranced was bigger I could get in, mate.” He huffed as he pulled his armor back over his head and strapped the rest of his gear to his body.
Grian giggled again, still dripping wet from his swim in the ocean. “I built a tunnel to you for a reason!” He laughed as he watched his friend’s frown deepen. “Right, whatever.” Mumbo sighed as he pushed his hair away from his face. Be blinked at Grian and raised an eyebrow. The avian didn’t seem to notice his friend’s expression as he began looking through his chests in an attempt to find anything to dry himself off with.
“Hey, G? What’s that?” Mumbo asked as he caught Grian’s attention. The avian held the towel in his hands and narrowed his player eyes. “A towel?” He said, tilting his head to the side as he wrapped it around his shoulders and wings.
Mumbo shook his head. “No, mate, the mask, what’s that?” He rephrased in a deadpan. Grian’s wings puffed up in realization as it clicked in his head. “Oh, it’s part of the whole Watcher thing…” Grian said hastily as he pulled the mask off his face and winced at the sudden flashes of light and color.
He resisted the urge to shove the porcelain back over his eyes as he hooked it to his belt. He glanced back at his friend and sighed when he spotted the man’s curious expression. Out of all the Hermits, Mumbo knew him the best, but there were still times he had to explain himself.
“It’s like a filter. I have a lot of info going through my head and it can get overwhelming. Covering my player eyes usually helps. It can be anything, a blind fold, a bandanna, heck, your hands, the mask is just the most common.” He explained, wondering if that he’d been too long winded.
“Alright.” Mumbo said with a shrug. He luckily didn’t question Grian further as the taller man plopped down on the deck of the sunken ship the avian used as his base.
“So what’s up?” Grian asked as he settled next to his friend, his head propped up on his hand as he stared at Mumbo out of the corner of his eye. The man looked up and smiled slightly, his mustache shifting as he did so.
“Me and some of the other Hermits are having a potluck of sorts on Monday. I was wondering if you wanted to go with? It’s over at False’s base.” Mumbo explained, causing Grian’s stomach to drop. “Oh… Uh…” He drawled as he thought about whether to accept or not…
None of the Hermits had been inherently cruel. They were friendly enough to him despite his origin, but he still felt unwelcome among them. He cleared his throat and hummed as if in thought. “I might not be able to… I don’t really have any food to bring…” He said with a shrug as he leaned back slightly. Mumbo smiled at him. “Don’t worry about it, we can say we collaborated on my dish.” He winked, sitting up and crossing his legs.
The feathers behind Grian’s ears flattened against his head as he wracked his brain for an excuse not to go. “I’ll be offline on Monday.” He blurted as he glanced away from Mumbo. The man tilted his head slightly. “Really? How come?” He asked as he gave Grian a concerned look. ‘Now see what you’ve done!’ Grian thought as his chest burned at the implication of worrying his friend. “I’m going to visit a friend on another server… You likely wouldn’t know them…” Grain said as he shifted uncomfortably under Mumbo’s gaze.
The man seemed as through he wanted to question that, but he decided not to push. They thankfully swapped topics to where Grian wouldn’t be thinking about the lie he had just told and he would instead focus on something else. Now he just had to find an empty server to hide out in while the potluck happened…
——
Attempt Two: Zed/Impulse
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Impulse and Zed stared at the pile of items that used to be Tango. They shared a glance before they both burst out laughing. They honestly should have expected that to happen. Nothing good ever came of mixing gunpowder, a blaze hybrid, and idiocy.
They eventually hushed as they began picking up the items to keep them from getting lost in the crater that had just been created. They had a feeling that Tango was going to try and get them back for this and they welcomed his attempt with open arms. But just because they were going to allow it didn’t mean they were going to let him do it with ease. Where was the fun in that?
Impulse ran his hand through his hair and laughed again. The peach fuzz on the back of his neck stood on end at the sound of thunder vibrating through the sky. It seemed that th rain was on its way again. So much for the nice weather.
He stared up at the darkening sky, the clouds swirling and gathering around the sun. The animals had all left to hide away from everything, which probably should have been the first clue. He sighed, glancing over at Zed who had finished shoving all of Tango’s stuff into a chest. The blaze hybrid should be well on his way back by now…
Impulse cut that thought off. No, he probably wouldn’t if there was a storm rolling in. Zed had apparently come to the same conclusion as he began gathering Tango’s items out of the chest and back into his pockets. Impulse shifted over to help, stuffing them anywhere they would fit, pulling the extra armor over his head and against his preexisting armor. ‘That’s gonna be fun to fly in…’ Impulse thought as he shifted in the heavy diamond.
The two took off, Impulse going significantly slower than Zed, who was barely a dot on the darkening horizon. Another dot appeared, leading to Zed stop briefly. The second dot sped past him and was at Impulse in seconds. Purple tipped wings cut the sky, causing the player to pause.
“Can’ttalkgottagethomebeforethestormbye!!” Grian shouted as he zoomed past, his arms filled with things he had likely just bought from the shopping district. Feathers drifted down in a trail, which Impulse was pretty sure wasn’t healthy in the slightest. He stared after the avian as he disappeared around a hill, likely back to the modern district where he had settled.
Impulse spun around to see Zed at his side, circling around as to keep himself in the air. They shared a glance, wondering what that had been all about. Sure, Grian hadn’t been the most social Hermit on the server, but still, that was a little odd. Then again, Impulse could count on one hand how many times he had actually heard the guy talk.
The most he saw of him was when he would spot the avian in the shopping district, sneaking around as if he would be grabbed and thrown out for the crime of shopping or restocking his pickles. Impulse shook his head and nodded in the direction of Tango’s base, signaling to keep moving. The sky was beginning to sprinkle down water drops and neither of them wanted to be a caught in a storm.
Impulse shot off a rocket, propelling himself and zooming off in the direction of his friend’s base.
——
Attempt Three: Scar
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Ah, the sun.
Scar stared up at the sky as he let the light shine down on his skin, smiling to himself at the feeling. It was really a wonderful day, and compared to the week of rain they had received, it was a welcome one. He glanced over at Jellie and grinned at her perched on his shoulder. She licked at her paws as it seemed she too was enjoying the weather.
The exoskeletons attached to his legs popped as he began to move, walking towards the water’s edge. He spun his cane around his fingers as he hummed to himself. He had spent the last few hours touring the sever, seeing how everyone was doing, and picking up after the storm. Luckily, nothing big had been damaged; the worst that had happened was a few of the trees falling over and crushing things.
He stared down into the water, grinning as he spotted colorful fishes swimming amongst the sea grass. Jellie leapt off his shoulder and padded her way across the sand, briefly sniffing the water.
The waves lapped up at her paws, causing her to scamper back to Scar and plop herself at his feet. He chuckled at her as he leaned down and scooped her up into his arms, propping her back up on his shoulder.
She licked at her damp paws and Scar turned his attention back to the water. He spotted something he hadn’t been expecting.
Black wings propelled an avian forward in the water as he swam alongside a playful dolphin, the person periodically feeding the thing a fish. Scar blinked as Grian paused and began swimming to the surface. He had only briefly seen the avian at the beginning of the season, standing next to Mumbo and avoiding eye contact with everyone.
He was the Watcher, wasn’t he? X had been very vague on the whole thing and Grian hadn’t tried to add any additional context. The only other time Scar had heard of Grian was when the former had drowned that one time and the avian scooped up all his items and left them in a chest.
Scar shook his head as he watched Grian break the surface of the water, gasping for air as he kicked his talons to keep himself afloat. Scar smiled at him. “Well hello there!” He called over to the avain who immediately spun around to face him.
He watched him tense slightly as it seemed he preparing himself to bolt when Scar dropped Jellie to the sand, tied his cane to his back, and dove into the water to join him. Grian stared as Scar surfaced, shaking the sea out of his brown lock, and laughing to himself.
“Um… Hey…” Grian drawled as he shifted in the water, a limp cod still clutched in his talons. Scar grinned. “Thought I would join you! Jellie knows her way home.” He said as he nodded to the cat who was beginning to pad off in the direction of Scar’s bace.
He turned in the water still smiling. Grian hesitated, his eyes darting about nervously. Scar tilted his head before something seemed to click. “Oh, I don’t care that you’re a Watcher.” He assured the avian who still seemed hesitant to accept a treasure hunting buddy.
He eventually sighed and threw a handful of cod over to Scar who scooped them up and hid them away in his inventory. Grian nodded before he took a deep breath and dove back under. Scar followed suit, squinting open his stinging eyes.
He spotted Grian feeding a dolphin a fish, causing its body to shine. It darted off in a trail of white particles, the water whooshing around its sleek form. The duo swam after it, Grian seeming far more adapt to the water than Scar was. He supposed it made sense. From what he had been told, Grian lived in a bottle or something under the water.
He kept an okay pace behind Grian, whose large wings let him swim much faster. He was practically on top of the dolphin at that point. Scar turned his head to see millions of fish swimming by, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He understood why Grian liked it down here, it was beautiful…
By the time the dolphin lead them to the sunken ruins, Scar was quite far behind. Grian had already dove into the decrepit structure, pulling a shovel out of his inventory.
Scar surfaced for air and sucked down the oxygen. He shook his head, peering down into the water. Flashes of feathers caught his attention, leading him to plunging back in to help Grian out. He retrieved his half broken shovel and swam down into the same building.
Grian was shifting gravel and sand out from the bottom, his wings shifting to keep him from floating back to the top. Scar landed next to him and began to dig as well, his hair floating around his eyes and throwing him off slightly.
His shovel hit wood and he grinned, dropping the shovel to use his hands. Grian joined him as they both pulled at the treasure chest, struggling against the pressure all around them. It lifted out was a jerk, sending the two of them sprawling in a cloud of sand and gravel.
Grian gathered up the chest as Scar swam to the surface, taking even deeper breaths than before. He paddled over to his floating shovel, spinning at the sound of Grian finally emerging. The avian passed the treasure chest over to Scar who fumbled to grab it. It was light and about the size of his head. He worked at the seal for a few moments before it popped open and a flurry of papers and gunpowder flew out.
He grabbed the treasure map and smiled, looking up to see… nothing…
He whipped around, searching for his companion only to find himself alone. He tilted his head and frowned. Had he done something? He sighed as he glanced down at the damp map. He might as well finish the adventure. With one last glance back at the empty waves he began following the root.
——
Attempt Four: Xisuma
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Rain poured down out of the sky as thunder wracked the world, so loud that it left the admin’s ears ringing. Dark clouds loomed in the sky, removing any and all sense of time from the world. The wind whipped around, throwing anything light enough away from where it was supposed to be. The sound of rain hitting to roof of his shop was deafening, and causing his head to pound.
Xisuma sighed as he stared out the window, watching the rain fall in sheets. He had gotten himself caught here while working on a section of his shop and hadn’t bothered being sure the weather would be nice enough when he left. He drummed his fingers against his leg glancing down at the floor.
He looked up again and straightened. Was that who he thought it was?
Grian was slowly making his way towards the shop he owned, moving against the wind and rain despite the downpour. His hair lashed as feathers flew out of his wings and away into the air. Xisuma stood up from where he had been sitting cross legged on the ground. He moved closer to the window to make sure he wasn’t going mad and nope, that really was Grian out in the middle of the street with an arm load of pickles…
Xisuma just stared for a long time. What in the Dev’s name was he doing out there? Sure, the admin didn’t know Grian all that well despite his best efforts, but there had to be at least some form of self preservation in that little avian.
And why would he have come out anyway? Weren’t his wings going to get soaked? False mentioned all the time that water logged wings sucked, but then again Grian lived underwater so there was a chance that he had grown used to damp feathers. Even if he was used to it, he shouldn’t but walking around out there!
With his mind made up, Xisuma took off his extra armor and cracked open the door. It swung open violently, crashing into the wall with a loud thud. That had somehow caught the avian’s attention, causing him to spin his head around and stare at Xisuma. The admin waved for Grian to come inside, water raining into the shop.
The avian hesitated before reluctantly nodding and stumbling his way towards safety, his wings still loosing a concerning amount of feathers to the hash winds. Xisuma pulled him in, shoving the door shut once he had made it. Grian stood in the middle of the shop, his wings held close to his body and his eyes covered by that mask he carried around.
Xisuma had heard Mumbo mention it was something to do with the Watchers, but that was the extent of his knowledge. Actually, most of what he knew about Grian was from Mumbo now that he thought about it. He sighed sharply, glancing up at the avian and smiling slightly. “It’s ridiculous out there, isn’t it?” He said breathlessly, getting a small nod and a timid smile.
Well, that was more than he had ever gotten, so that was at least a positive. Grian’s arms were still filled with a ridiculous amount of pickles, but he didn’t seem to mind holding them. He shifted from foot to foot, still tracking rain water in the shop. Xisuma raised an eyebrow. “You can set those down if you want? It doesn’t seem like the storm’s letting up anytime soon so we might as well be comfortable while we wait.” The Voidwalker shrugged as he stepped into the back to find himself and Grian a towel.
When came trotting back in, Grian had indeed set the pickles down on the ground and sat down on the floor next them. “Heads up!” X called as he tossed one of the grey towels the avian’s way. He startled a little, but managed to grab it and wrap it around himself. “Sorry about the water…” He said as he used the towels almost like a hood, hiding his face. Then again, it wasn’t like Xisuma could even see most of his face anyway.
“It’s alright. You couldn’t have helped it.” X said as he began to dry his armor off. He kept an eye on the avian as they sat in a very… very awkward silence…. “So…” X drawled as he drummed his fingers along the desk. “What’s the mask for?” He asked, deciding he would get the info from the man himself.
Grian moved his head to look at X. “It’s a filter?…” He said hesitantly, like he wasn’t sure why Xisuma would ask such a question. The Voidwalker narrowed his eyes slightly. “So why are you wearing it?” He continued, hoping he could at least get some kind of conversation going without needing to look up convo staters…
Grian tilted his head. “It’s cause of the rain. I couldn’t see very well so I used my Eyes instead of my eyes. Plus it means water doesn’t get stuck in my sockets and cause an infection.” He said, rocking back and forth slightly. X gaped at him, thought Grian didn’t seem to notice as he pulled the mask off his face and clipped it to his belt.
He shook out his hair before he glanced over at Xisuma, who still stood wide eyed at him. Grian’s eyebrows furrowed before he put together how mortifying the idea of getting water in your empty eye holes and causing an infection might be to a non-Watcher. “I just realized that might sound a little morbid…” Grian mumbled.
X shook his head. Well, the images of infected eye sockets were going to haunt his dreams for a while, all good. He lowered the top part of his helmet, revealing his void tipped hair and purple eyes. He didn’t move the lower half since he still needed to, you know, breathe.
The awkward silence returned as the two sat there, the rain plummeted down on the roof. “I heard you went treasure hunting with Scar. How was that?” X looked to Grian, who was still hidden in his makeshift towel hood. Grian’s shoulders tensed. “Yeah… it was… Nice…” He nodded, pulling his legs closer to his body.
His expression turned to one of shame, “Sorry, I probably upset him…” Grian sighed as he put his head in his hands. Xisuma sat down on the floor, leaning against his desk. “Scar said he wouldn’t mind doing it again”. He mentioned as he began to mindlessly do a few check ups on the code to make sure the constant storms weren’t some kind of bug.
Grain’s wings shifted. “Really?” He asked, seeming stunned as he stared at the admin with a bewildered expression. X nodded. “He’s a friendly guy if you get to know him. A little morbid, but he’s always up for a good time…” X trailed off when he realized the unintentional pun he had just made…
Grain snickered. It was hardly audible, but it was heard nonetheless. X smiled slightly. The avian sat back a bit, but let the towel hood fall off his head and to his shoulders. “I might ask him to go again… it gets kind of lonely…” Grain hummed as he stared out the window at the pounding rain.
“He would appreciate that.” X assured him. Grain smiled, his eyes seeming far off and distant, like he was thinking of a dream he had never had…
——
Attempt Five: Tango (success!)
—
He needed back up.
Tango was still salty about being blown up the other day, even if Impulse and Zed and brought back the majority of his lost items. Still, he wanted payback. He had asked around the server to see if anyone wanted to join, however he had turned up short each an every time.
That was why he was now at Mumbo’s base, sliding down the latter into the man’s bunker. It was a pretty sad thing, but Tango wasn’t about to critique his fellow redstoner’s building skills.
Mumbo was curled up next to one of his farms, fast asleep and likely AFK. Tango waltzed over, dodging the dozen or so chicken swarming the base and filling it with enough noise that his head hurt. He crouched down in front of the man, his tail swatting away the chicken attempting to pick at his boots.
“Mumbo?…” He called as he raised an eyebrow and leaned over to poke at Mumbo’s arm. The man stirred, but did not wake. Tango muttered to himself. “Mummbboo?…” He drawled as he began to shake the guy. Mumbo shot up, bleary eyed and stunned as he whipped his head around.
“Huh? What? Yeah?” He slurred as he blinked the fog out of his eyes and stared up at the blaze currently standing over him. “Good.” Tango said as he stood up and grinned. “Wanna help me prank Impulse and Zed?” He asked, offering a hand to the man. Mumbo took it but seemed hesitant on agreeing to the proposal.
“Uh… I’m not sure…” He said as he reached back to scratch his neck. Tango sighed, slumping slightly as his flames lowered. “Alright.” He huffed as he pulled his elytra out of his inventory. Mumbo’s hands moved in a panicky motion before he grabbed Tango’s wrist.
“But!” He said, his eyes crinkling at the corners, “I know someone who loves pranks.” He continued letting go of Tango’s arm and stepping back. The blaze’s eyes lit up. “Who?” He asked with new found vigor, trying to think of any prankster Hermit who he had yet to ask. “Grian!” Mumbo said.
Tango paused. “…Grian?…” He asked, wondering if he had heard the man correctly. Really? Grian? The introverted Watcher who hardly came out of his bottle unless it was to gather resources? That Grian? He loved pranks? Tango couldn’t wrap his head around the idea. Mumbo nodded hastily.
“Back in our test world we would mess with each other all the time! He’s a manse, and a sneaky one too! He’s perfect!” Mumbo said, spreading his arms slightly. “Really?” Tango asked, still confused on how Grian of all people was a prankster.
“Yeah! I can call him if you want?” Mumbo said as he grabbed his comm off of his crafting bench and scrapped it to his wrist. Tango thought a moment before deciding ‘what the hell?’ And nodding. The worst that could happen was Grian saying no, right? So it should be fine.
Mumbo grinned at him from under his mustache and began typing away at the device on his wrist. Tango really hoped he wasn’t going to regret this…
—
Grian stared at the ceiling of his bottle, his eyes half lidded and bored. He sometimes regretted the fact that he chose to hide away, but every time he spotted a Hermit out and about, he couldn’t help but feel anxiety and fear pulse through him. He still couldn’t tell if they liked him there or not. He still felt like a freak among them, and the purple pupils in his eyes and tips of his wings didn’t help with that mentality.
Then again, neither did the looks he got when he was spotted going about his business on the server. Sometimes it was fear, sometimes it was anger, sometimes it was plain pity. He hated it. It made his skin crawl every single time.
A wary glance from Doc or Xisuma, a pitting look from Zedaph or Scar, a frightened look from Stress or Impulse. He hated it. He hated Them! Not the players, the Watchers who made him like this. The Watchers who contorted his body and mangled it until it was unrecognizable, only to sew it back together into something slightly similar.
The ones who gave him these stupid (yet infuriatingly helpful) wings. The ones who left him with holes in his skull in the place of eyes. He hated it all. His hands dug into the grass as hot tears attempted to roll down his face. He bit the inside of his mouth to keep himself together. He could, in theory, cry without the eyes of the Hermits (or Devs forbid, the Watchers) seeing, but he couldn’t bring himself to be that vulnerable.
Never.
He sucked in a shaky breath, the feeling of his scratchy throat making him want to cry even more. And top of everything, that stupid storm had gotten him sick! He groaned and rolled over onto his side, his wings wrapping around him.
His eyes slowly shut only for them to shoot back open at the vibration on his wrist. He sat up, holding his comm and narrowing his eyes at the words.
Mumbo Jumbo whispered to you: “Hey G, wanna pull a prsnk?”
Mumbo Jumbo whispered to you: Prank*
Grian couldn’t help the giddy grin that spread across his face. A prank? With Mumbo? He couldn’t help the way his hands shook with excitement as he typed out the answer.
You whispered to Mumbo Jumbo: Yes! Where at?
He drummed his fingers along his knee as his wings puffed up. The reply came near immediately.
Mumbo Jumbo whispered to you: My base
Grian was on his feet in an instant. He faltered as the world spun and he stumbled. After a moment he gathered his bearings and began sprinting down to the tunnel he had unintentionally dug to Mumbo’s base. His talons clicked against the stone as he ran, but he could hardly hear it over his excitement.
He had pulled a few pranks on the server, mainly just egging people’s bases in a bad chicken costume, but he had yet to pull anything truly fun. He skidded around a corner, his wings held close to his body in the claustrophobic tunnel.
He shot out of the tunnel and into the beginnings of the base. “I’m here!!~” he called, his voice higher and slightly more sing song then usual. He opened the door with an over dramatic flourish, his wings flying out in an attention grabbing manner.
He peaked open one eye to see Mumbo standing there with a giddy grin on his face. But he wasn’t alone.
Tango blinked at Grian, seemingly taken aback at the entrance. The avian’s wings dropped slightly when he registered what he was seeing. “Oh, I’m so glad you came, mate!” Mumbo said as he trotted over and wrapped Grian in a bear hug, lifting his talons off the ground. It was comforting, but it also kept him from bolting off.
Grian hated how well Mumbo knew him at times…
“Hey… yeah, not a problem…” He drawled, his wings lifted awkwardly. He had toned down his voice, back to its more reserved level. Mumbo put him down, but held his hand and led him over to where Tango was standing, rolling back and forth on his heels.
“Tango here wants some help with pranking Zedaph and Impulse! I thought you’d be a perfect candidate for helping him out!” Mumbo said enthusiastically, motioning to Tango with a grin. The blaze waved at Grian, his tail swishing from side to side and scaring away the chickens that curiously peck at his boots. The avian was about to decline when he saw the expression on his best friend’s face.
He was hopeful, excited. He had explained from the very beginning that he wanted Grian to interact more with the other Hermits and had been doing his best to coax him into accepting. This was likely another one of those time. But seeing the disappointment on Mumbo’s face every time he refused had gotten unbearable…
So… he nodded.
Mumbo’s eyes got much bigger before his smile returned. He leaned down and hugged Grian again. “Good! Wonderful!” He said as he stood back up to his full hight. Tango was staring at Grian in utter shock and honestly, the avian was in the same boat. He too was surprised that he had agreed to do this.
“Well,” Mumbo said, clapping his hands together, “I’ll let you two get on with that! I’ll be just here if you need me!” He spun around and returned to his AFK platform. Tango and Grian sat in an awkward silence for a log time before the blaze cleared his throat. “So,” he said, “any ideas on how to prank Zed and Impulse?…” he asked with a shrug. Grian thought a moment, narrowing his player eyes.
“Well…” he said slowly, staring up at the ceiling. “Well should probably do them both at the same time so the one can’t warn the other.” Grian began as he paced around the room. He took into account what he was up against. He had a sheep hybrid and some kind of human… that didn’t give him much information now that he thought about it…
“They both do redstone, right?” He asked, looking up at Tango. The blaze nodded, shifting his hand in a so-so motion. Grian hummed to himself. “We could rig whatever project they’re working on?” He suggested, causing Tango’s eyes to light up. “That could work…” he agreed, the flames around his head and tail shifting into a lighter shade.
“Alright, but when? It can’t be too far from now since they would get confused on you holding a grudge so long, but it can’t be so soon that they suspect anything…” Grian hummed, more too himself then it was to Tango. The blaze scratched at his chin. “They mentioned they were going to build a creeper farm tomorrow?” Tango drawled, causing the avian to nod.
“Yeah, that will work…” He agreed. The two shot ideas back and forth with each other until they decided on a plan. They would wait till the farm was built, and when the two went AFK Grain and Tango would break the lower parts of the farm so the creepers would pile out. They would then build a tunnel up to the AFK chamber and let the explosions happen.
Grian turned to grin at Tango who returned it with a smile of his own. The avian hesitated when he saw the smile. It looked genuine. He was actually smiling at Grian. It wasn’t a glare, or a passing grimace, or a pinched expression. It was a smile…
Grian couldn’t help the fullness in his chest at that. He didn’t let it show on his face as he allowed Tango to lead the way to the location of the creeper farm… Grian smiled to himself… maybe these guys weren’t so bad?…