#and also writing mumbo and cub's dynamic makes me giggle

[funkyplantguy]

Maybe Permit Manager Cub giving Mumbo special treatment because he likes him? (Bonus if Grian is a little jealous in the background xP)

ohohohoho...yes...incredible, thank you very much... - mumbo liked to think that he was a man who had a fairly standard daily routine.

most days, he started his day off with breakfast. usually an apple (golden), or some other piece of fruit or bread - something easy to eat quickly and on the go. he was a very busy man, after all - he had quite a few farms and projects that he needed to check in with on a regular basis, and one very pesky neighbor who seemed intent on derailing him at every step. (not that he minded. it was just grian, after all - and who was he to deny grian?) next usually came lunch, then the afternoons were typically spent goofing off in some way or another with grian or scar or any one of the assorted hermits he called family. then dinner (mumbo staunchly believed in three full meals a day), then a quiet evening tinkering around in his base until it was time to call it quits for the night. pretty straightforward, all things considered, with only the occasional event or festival to derail his carefully laid out plans.

nowhere in his routine was getting practically eye-fucked by cub as he sat, squirming awkwardly, across from him at his desk, but hey - mumbo could be flexible! he could allot time out of his day for...whatever this was.

what this was, grian had explained earlier, in a huff of bristling feathers and irritated whining, was a negotiation. grian wanted a raise - that is, to be paid at all for the "very important work" he was doing as the assistant to the permit office manager - and for some reason, he thought bringing mumbo along would help him plead his case. unfortunately, all it had seemed to do so far was distract cub. "mumbo? mumboooooooo? mumbo, you in there? hello? anyone home?" mumbo jolted, banging his elbow (quite painfully, thanks for asking) on the desk as he wrenched around to look at grian. his face flushed a deep red as he was met with both grian and cub's direct attention - though varied, in the expressions adorning their faces. grian, for one, looked furious - earwings fluttering in irritation as he stared at mumbo incredulously. cub, however, looked deeply, concerningly satisfied, and not at all like he'd been paying a lick of attention to what grian had been saying, either. "are you listening? i was just telling cub about all the countless hours i spend on making sure that all of the shops in the shopping district are up to snuff, and how just the other day i spent at least 6 helping you restock that god-awful gold shop you have!" that...was not entirely true. mainly what grian had done during those 6 hours was perch on mumbo's shoulder and complain that he wasn't giving him enough attention. but if grian considered that "helping"... "huh? oh, yes, quite." "see?" grian exclaimed, turning back to cub. "he agrees - the work i'm doing here is very important, and deserves to be compensated." cub hummed noncomittally, and mumbo was suddenly drawn to how relaxed the other man looked, reclining slightly in his chair. poor grian. "i don't know, g," he mused, eyes flickering from grian to mumbo, then back again. "i think that mumbo here has just as much of a claim for compensation as you do. he helped you with that sign out front, didn't he?" "the pop-up purge sign?" grian responded, his voice climbing in volume. "the one where he added an ass to your likeness?"

"correct." "i really don't think that -"

"to be fair," mumbo mused, more to himself than anyone else. "it was quite a nice ass." "it was a nice ass. thank you, mumbo." "you're welcome, cub." for a moment, grian just stared at the two of them, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. cub stared back, blue eyes unblinking, as if challenging him to disagree. mumbo, for his part, opted to stare at anything but grian. then the moment had passed, and grian let out a huff, pushing his chair back and standing to his feet. "you know what? fine. compensate mumbo, for all i care. but don't come crying to me when the shopping district goes to shit with just scar and skizz in charge. i quit!" and with that he was off, soaring out the window and into the distance - no doubt going to scar's base to seek comfort (and to complain his ear off for the next several hours). mumbo let out a surprised laugh, then turned back to cub, freezing as he took in the way the other's gaze was now locked solely on him. "so...," cub started, and mumbo felt a shiver run down his spine at the tone. "it looks like there's an opening here at the permit office. interested?"