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frozenjokes · 3 months ago

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mumbo jumbo jealousy arc

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“Tell me everything.”

Etho was expecting to get cornered by Scar at the first opportunity, but honestly, he thought he might get more than 24 hours given that Scar had a job. According to Scar though, ‘what else are lunch breaks for?’ He cited a concern that Etho might forget everything if left for too long, which seemed dramatic, but it was true that Etho never had the best of memories. However, most of Etho’s memory problems were due to an issue of Chronic Spacing Out, and there was none of that happening at the beach yesterday.

“Mumbo didn’t understand what Grian did with his face. Mermaids also shave. I don’t know why he was so confused. I just don’t think he liked it. That was his biggest concern yesterday.”

Etho knew that would get him, Scar cackling so hard that Etho was truly shocked he could manage to dial Grian’s number at the same time.

///

‘And while I was away? What did you talk about then?’ Mumbo was dying to know, and while he had planned to leave Altas and Etho alone while he tended to the humans, he couldn’t help checking back in on their conversation, needing to know every tidbit of information and human knowledge shared between them. Mumbo was just so curious, and learning about the humans from his original sources was great, but there was a certain catharsis in learning directly, having Atlas ask the questions and receive clear, direct answers.

But Atlas had been cagey in the few days that had passed after Etho’s visit, and while Mumbo had been hoping they would gain enough confidence to interact with a real human face to face, Atlas only cringed away at the sound of Scar’s voice above the water, more touchy than they were in the first place. Mumbo didn’t understand why. Sure, getting Atlas to change their tune about humanity as a species was a grand notion of optimism that Mumbo was not naive enough to play into too much, but this change was almost more unexpected; pure aggression to more of a.. discomfort? Disgust, maybe, like the smell of rot or infection.

Despite this, whatever was bothering them was kept tightly sealed. Though perhaps underestimating the power of human eyesight, Atlas did surface a couple days later to watch Scar and Mumbo in the shallows. Scar was playing some kind of game where he chased Mumbo’s tail, grasping at the fins. Scar’s grand move was a hearty leap to grasp his quarry, but a miss left Scar momentarily immobilized as he inevitably face planted into the sand. A perfect opportunity for Mumbo to batter Scar’s head with the very tail fins he was chasing. It was a good game, Mumbo quite liked seeing Scar flail and scream a little. As much as human noise could be a headache, something about it in the context of play made everything much more satisfying. Though, without this context, it probably sounded like Mumbo was ripping off Scar’s scalp with his teeth. Was Atlas wondering if Mumbo finally snapped?

Scar must have had a secret sense for when mers who hated him were around, because despite his engagement in active warfare, he noticed almost immediately, breaking off their game to wave, then deflating when Atlas retreated in the next moment. Scar sat in the swallows after that, arms wrapped around his legs with his chin on his knees looking distinctly sad, and despite Scar’s obnoxiousness when it came to Atlas these days, Mumbo couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. Humans were social and loud, and this one just really loved making connections, even if he didn’t always know how.

“I don’t mean to scare him off..” Scar mumbled, and while Mumbo didn’t know what he was saying, he got the sense the human was referring to Atlas, “I just want him to come around, right? To know it’s okay.”

Mumbo didn’t know how to help him. He couldn’t explain, though with how pushy and nosey both humans could be, Mumbo was sure they had already heard from Etho about Atlas’s distaste for their kind. However, Mumbo could sing, and that quiet comfort was the best that he could offer for a downcast heart. It brought Mumbo peace to see Scar relax under his song.

…

‘I just don’t understand how you can be so comfortable with it, let it so close,’ Atlas had started, the words coming out of nowhere, hours after Scar had left. This wasn’t the first time this sentiment had been expressed, but judgement was not at the forefront of Atlas’s concern tonight, the mer shrinking in their discomfort. ‘I don’t think it’s natural behavior for humans either, it should be afraid of you, not interested like it is, especially not in me.’

‘They’re curious things,’ Mumbo whistled simply in response, and while he was a little tired of this line of conversation, he really did want to be patient. This was deeply antithetical to everything Atlas had known back home, and honestly, without the harsh edge to their questioning, the repetivity of the matter bothered Mumbo far less. ‘Scars especially is a very curious thing. You won’t have the same problem with Red.’

‘I don’t like it. Your Scars. I don’t like the way it regards you.’ Atlas’s clicks carried an emotion Mumbo couldn’t quite parse. He communicated this with a small flick of his tail and fins, asking for elaboration. Atlas was quiet for some time, deliberating.

‘Ghost had a few things to say about that human’s interest in us.’

Mumbo’s curiosity was instantly piqued, though Atlas only looked discomforted when Mumbo goaded them on, like they were hoping Mumbo would pluck the answers right out of their mind. This was distinct in its oddness; Atlas was not the type of mer to talk in circles. Finally, Mumbo had to prompt them vocally.

‘Say what you mean?’

‘It has..’ the hairs on Atlas’s shoulders prickled, ‘Courting motivations.’

Mumbo imagined that if the humans heard this, they’d laugh so hard that their lungs would fail to support them. He himself let loose a delighted trill, much to Atlas’s alarm.

‘Did you know? Does it not disturb you? Why didn’t you warn me!’

Mumbo waved them off with his tail, ‘Scars is not interested in you, don’t be ridiculous. Their fascination with mermaids mirrors my own curiosity with humanity. Whatever Ghost told you, they exaggerated.’

Atlas was not to be persuaded. ‘They seemed certain.’

‘Human emotion is difficult enough to read on a human-born. Ghost is particularly difficult to decipher, and they do nothing to make it easier. If your intentions are to study the basics of human language once Ghost returns in their proper form, you’d benefit from spending a little time near the beach. They’re expressive creatures, Scars especially.’

Atlas didn’t need to say a word for Mumbo to know they hated the idea of that in any capacity. ‘That one worries me.’

Mumbo couldn’t help but snort. He hadn’t been intending on telling Atlas this as he knew he’d never hear the end of it, but Mumbo figured it would be worth it to quell this ridiculous anxiety.

‘If there were to be any courting between human and mer, it would be between Scars and I only. If Ghost was feeling snide, that’s what they were referencing.’

It looked like Atlas didn’t know if they wanted to snarl or flee. Mumbo got the message loud and clear, though a deep satisfaction turned his tail inward in a soft curl. He was pleased, even if the status of whatever relationship he and Scar had kindled was unclear. Mumbo didn’t particularly care! He quite liked the human casual, the relationship without commitments. He liked having Scar’s attention, far more than he’d ever cared for a mermaid’s. It was novel. Special. And honestly, human or mer, Mumbo had never known anyone else to hang off everything he did and said with such keen interest.

‘Surely you’re not serious,’ Atlas finally said, to which Mumbo purposely misconstrued the meaning.

‘We won't be trading scales any time soon, no, no.’

Atlas seemed to short circuit at the suggestion that this was even on the table, then clearly chose to ignore the sentiment, shaking themself off, ‘That human is not to be trusted. This- Practicality aside, this is deeply disturbing.’

‘If courting is all about practicality to you, I recommend you never find a lover.’

‘You can’t just exclude semantics from these discussions! What is it expecting of you? You of it? You can not mate, you can not occupy the same spaces comfortably- even besides the concept of interspecies courting being entirely antithetical, there is just no way something like this could work long term!’

Flippantly, Mumbo turned away, ‘I can do whatever I please.’ He could waste his time responding to all those questions, but what was the point when Atlas didn’t care for the answers. It wasn’t like Mumbo cared for the answers either, his interest solely in living freely and indulging in whatever was currently sparking joy. So what if he acted on fleeting whims, it’s not like he was hurting anyone.

‘I don’t trust it,’ Atlas said when they realized Mumbo would not be humoring them anymore, ‘Ghost spoke of an interest in the sea. Anything with fins, scales, and sharp teeth. They made it sound fickle.’

‘Ghost’s own disinterest in courting infects every word they speak about it, mermaid, human, or otherwise. Scars does not care for you; they will be too busy looking at me.’ Mumbo gave a pointed flick of his tail, all his fins now twitching in annoyance. Scar was outgoing, he went out of his way to put himself out there, but Mumbo would not consider him fickle. Whatever Scar and Grian got up to was none of his concern; as far as he knew humans were just like that, fighting over each other and mating with reckless abandon. There was still so much that Mumbo did not know about humans, but these weren’t the things that would keep him up at night. Mumbo was experimenting! He was having fun! As far as he could tell, so was Scar! It wasn’t- It wasn’t fickle! Fickle. Ridiculous.

Mumbo abandoned Atlas on the sandy floor, withdrawing in a huff to the burrow where he kept his things and slept.

His mind wandered. It took him down a path he hated to travel, though his thoughts lingered on the end of it all, defending Scar from the monster he seemed so eager to befriend. No one had been pleased about this, but Scar didn’t care at all, and while Mumbo had struggled to glean the meaning of everything he was doing and saying, Grian had admonished him for.. Scar had been chasing a monster whose scale had already been traded (metaphorically, at least. Mumbo had looked, and he saw none of Joel’s dark scales etched into theirs.)

Mumbo had been so startled by the question of mermaid monogamy that the implications hadn’t fully set in. Not that he was bothered if humans took multiple partners, honestly, that surprised him very little, but..

What if Scar really was only interested in fins and scales? It didn’t matter who they were attached to or the things they'd done to hurt someone.. Mumbo’s gut coiled. Was it so simple? If Etho had said it, insisted that’s really all Scar cared about- once Scar learned of Etho’s condition, had he pursued them as well?

Maybe Mumbo was the novelty.

///

“-one hundred years, Mumbo, one hundred years! The whole team got cursed by that goat, that’s why the Cubs never won a World Series for that long, but they pulled through! The curse is broken! Well, that specific curse at least. Apparently the Cubs have a lot of curses, like, a lot, Bdubs and I were looking that stuff up for a while last night, just all sorts of baseball stuff- sports fans are very superstitious it turns out! Who knew? One hundred years. Pretty cool!”

“Your ice is gonna melt, bud,” Grian called from where he was fiddling with his fishing gear; Mumbo was thrilled to see him back at his hobbies! Scar jumped to attention, looking mildly sheepish before babbling on.

“Well, I just wanted you to know where the name came from. Cub. Cubby Cub Cub. Cubby Wubby Cub Dub. Bdubs and I couldn’t stop with that last night, just Cubby Cubbing for like an hour, Etho just about killed us. But I was thinking about it, and I was like, huh! If this mermaid is sticking around for the foreseeable future, he needs a name! He- it- they- ohh, I don’t know what to call Cub actually! I wish you could ask them what they’d prefer..”

“I doubt it cares, Scar,” Grian said again, answering a question Scar did not ask. “People pronouns probably don’t mean anything to mermaids. Etho said gender was different for him, right? Probably the only reason he calls himself ‘he’ is because that’s what Joel started calling him.”

“Well I don’t want to call them it.”

“Then don’t.”

Whatever Grian had said must have made perfect sense, Scar shooting up like he’d had some great epiphany. “Great point! Anyway, I’ve been a little down because I know your friend doesn’t like Grian and I and that’s okay, but selfishly it's also extremely not okay to me and I need them to like me. I need it. But clearly my current methods aren’t working, so I was like, what else can I do? And then I didn’t come up with anything. So I called Grian! And Grian suggested delivering a gift through you, which was a great idea, but I was stumped on what to give them, y’know? I figured no human stuff, you like the humans stuff but- oh! That reminds me, I’ve got a trinket for you, don’t let me forget it- Anyway, I asked Etho, and Etho told me to stop calling him, but then after I called five more times he told me that Cub would never like me which was rude and also sad. After that though, he told me it’s really hot on the surface compared to the deep water, and that you guys have to travel a little ways out to actually hunt, and I thought well, why not give you a frozen treat! At first I was just gonna bring some still frozen fish in a cooler, but Grian, genius Grian, suggested I let you have the ice too! I got you a biodegradable bag for it and everything, but I hope you don’t try to eat that too. Do you like to eat ice? I do. Dentist said it was bad for my teeth and I had to stop, but sometimes I just can’t resist. Whatever kind of ice they put in your drinks at restaurants, that’s the good shit. Can’t let it go to waste.”

Scar retreated back to his and Grian’s bags, where he heaved a new container up off the sand, waddling back with it in his arms. Must’ve been quite heavy; Scar had never brought something like this to the beach before. Mumbo’s interest was piqued, though Scar never left the box’s side, making it frustrating to investigate. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to pull it off the beach and right into the water, then he could have his way. Scar seemed to anticipate this though (it’s not like Mumbo had a history of stealing! This was blasphemy!), using his body as a shield from Mumbo’s grabby hands and positioning his weight strategically so that he could fall on top of the box if Mumbo made a break for it anyway. Foul human, Scar never had any fun.

“Now, most of this is for Cub, but I have some for you too of course. Not even portions- I’m just trying to make a good impression here, I hope you understand.” Carefully, without turning his back on Mumbo, Scar opened the box, pulling out a- fish. Oh. Well, Mumbo was a little underwhelmed, he wouldn’t lie. It was quite stiff too, and almost shiny? Actually, now that he was seeing all this together, he recognized this box. Scar used to bring it often when Mumbo’s tail was busted; did he think he needed to provide food again? With all due respect, Mumbo hoped not. He wasn’t trying to be rude though, Scar must have hunted very hard for this fish! He took it, but nearly dropped it at the revelation that it was cold.

Now, this wasn’t entirely new, and fish given by the humans had always been a little cold, but never to this degree. The fish was nearly frozen solid- no wonder it was so stiff! Mumbo was utterly perplexed, but he didn’t want to give Scar the impression he was ungrateful, so he proceeded to devour the whole thing. It wasn’t unpleasant, not by any means, but seeing Scar’s delighted smile made all the strangeness worth it.

“Gift.” Scar started, and Mumbo perked up, paying closer attention now that Scar was actively trying to communicate with him. “For Cub. Gift for Cub.” Scar pointed across the lake, which was rippling in the light breeze. “For Cub.”

Was.. he trying to give something to Atlas?

“Gift for Mumbo.” Scar produced one bag from the box, handing it over gingerly. It was tied tight at the top, and cold. Holding from the bottom, Mumbo felt a lot of loose pieces inside. Scar pulled another, larger bag up as well, struggling to point over the weight of it. “Gift for Cub. Cub.”

Cub. Mumbo had never heard that word before, but Scar had been saying it quite a lot today. Is that what he’d decided to call Atlas? Mumbo gave him a thumbs up, relatively sure he understood Scar’s intentions, and briefly set down his own gift so that his and Scar’s hands would not have to touch in the exchange. He couldn’t help but notice that Atlas’s package was bigger than his own, but it was possible this was on the account that Scar had given Mumbo part of his gift early, showing off what was inside.

“Go now,” Scar said, almost shooing Mumbo back. He got the idea, though was a little confused why Scar wanted him to leave so abruptly.. it’s not like the fish were fresh. Regardless, Mumbo dutifully delivered the parcels, waking a sleepy Atlas on the lake floor.

Immediate suspicion was a given. ‘What is this.’ However, Atlas sensed the cold, sparking interest as they drifted closer.

‘I think Scars has realized they can’t reach you on the surface. This is a new method it seems.’

‘Scars..’ Atlas repeated the name, distaste prickling across the hairs on their shoulder. Whatever intrigue they previously possessed seemed to die, repeating themself. ‘What is it.’

‘Fish, I think. Can’t say I know why, but it’s not poison.’

Atlas’s tentacles twitched in their suspicion. Mumbo couldn’t blame them, clicking, ‘You don’t have to eat them. They’re odd, frozen. Not inedible, just different.’

Mumbo couldn’t tell if the gesture Atlas lent him was amused or mildly incredulous, ‘You’re crazy.’

‘Not the first or last time a mer will call me that.’ Mumbo made to undo the ties on his own bag, only to be frightened as tiny shards of ice floated up and out in every direction, along with one or two fish. Even Atlas looked surprised, though Mumbo was silently delighted at the little trill that left their throat.

‘Stupid, stupid animals.’

‘Effective at least!’ Mumbo tried, all in good humor.

‘I’ll just sit on mine in that case.’ Atlas curled around their own gift, melting over the cold with closed eyes. Mumbo hadn’t planned on speaking, but Atlas intercepted before he could have anyway. ‘Not a word. And don’t let that human trash float away, they’re always shitting up the water.’

And with that, Mumbo was quite pleased for a while. He didn’t care either way for the ice, though he did enjoy chasing and eating the floating pieces. However, Atlas really seemed to be enjoying the cold, which was great! Mumbo was quite pleased Scar had found a way to get through to them, even if the human didn’t know it yet. When the two mers first arrived here, Mumbo had really been getting fed up with Atlas’s whining, but this was the hottest place Atlas had ever visited by far, and Mumbo felt for them when Atlas was still suffering in the heat after Mumbo had long since adjusted. Mumbo was very glad he happened to bring them here at the start of the cold months.

Mumbo left them like that, returning to his humans. Despite the fact that Atlas would rather be skinned alive than tell any human they liked their little offering, Mumbo couldn’t help but give Scar a thumbs up. Scar’s expression of unbridled delight was worth the wrath of Atlas if they ever found out. Mumbo had to hand it to him, it was thoughtful, even if the ice wasn’t supposed to be the main event.

Mumbo felt less good the moment he realized how much bigger Atlas’s gift was than his. Atlas didn’t notice; at least Mumbo was pretty sure they didn’t, they weren’t even interested in the fish, but they certainly noticed the next day, and the day after that. It was absurd, honestly! And maybe it didn’t matter, it didn’t matter, this was such a stupid thing to get caught up on. Scar was working harder to befriend Atlas because they were the one he needed to prove himself to, it made perfect sense! Atlas benefitted far more from the ice anyway, Mumbo was glad they got more of it- he gave all his to Atlas anyway! Atlas wouldn’t even eat the fish, but- he didn’t know! It was about the principle!

He tried not to let Atlas see he was bothered. This was impossible, every itch of irritation painted clearly in the picture of his constantly flicking fins, but Mumbo did try. Atlas might’ve been nearly as uncomfortable with this as Mumbo was; the last thing they wanted was Scar’s attention, and they wanted even less to get between them, especially if this was courting behavior. Honestly- Mumbo really didn’t know!

It didn’t matter.

At first, Mumbo attempted to remedy his own insecurity by bothering Scar incessantly for the next few days. When this didn’t work, Mumbo ghosted him. But then Scar got sad, just wailing at the beach for hours (minutes), and Mumbo caved to a day of typical activities. Scar did not take well to being ignored, and not in the way Mumbo wanted either; he was just persistent, deterred by nothing but straight up aggression, and Mumbo wasn’t trying to be aggressive! Scar just needed a healthy dose of his own medicine, to have his feelings minorly hurt or feel like some kind of replaceable commodity or- whatever. Mumbo only wanted to stop feeling like Scar would be perfectly content with any other- No!

This was so stupid!

Mumbo would show him. Humans could be expendable too- Mumbo could love just about anyone as long as they had legs!

Wait a minute. Grian had legs. Yes. Yes! Grian had legs! And he would be back soon- oohhh this would be perfect. Sure, after shaving Grian had gone down a couple pegs in terms of attractiveness- not that this mattered, but come on! He looked like an infant! Something about the death of that mustache which sparked Mumbo’s original inspiration was so deeply tragic, but he would persevere for the cause!

Mumbo would break Scar, he would regret ever- ever- Scar would surely regret!

#hermitcraft #hermitcraft fic #hermitfic #gtws #goodtimeswithscar #cubfan135 #grian #mumbo jumbo #hermitshipping #redscape #mumscar #ethoslab #mumbomaid au

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frozenjokes · 6 months ago

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worst mumbo jumbo rescue mission ever

Of all his petty pastimes, Grian took a great bit of pleasure from ignoring his friends’ calls. It varied from person to person; for people like Jimmy, Grian loved to push his luck. Jimmy knew he was being ignored, Grian had admitted as much on multiple occasions, but this just fueled the fire of Jimmy’s determination, calling over and over until Grian picked up, only to say he’d misclicked and hung up again. But finding a balance was a tricky thing, because Grian actually did want to talk to Jimmy, very much so, so the game was simply a matter of pushing Jimmy’s buttons just enough, but not so much that the other would refuse to talk to him.

He did this with most people; Pearl, BigB, Joel, and Scar was no exception, especially now when the two of them were in an awkward state of mild irritation almost constantly, even despite Grian’s attempts at smoothing out some of the bumps.

Ah, yes.. the bumps..

Grian had quite a few things he wanted to say to Scar, but he had convinced himself he needed to put things back to normal before opening up a potentially sensitive conversation- for goodness’s sakes, Grian was already losing the battle for Scar’s heart to a fucking mermaid- and it wasn’t even that Mumbo was a bad guy or anything, but he wasn’t human! Grian hadn’t even considered that as an option, but apparently Scar liked the idea! Maybe! Honestly, Grian had no idea what was happening. Not that this was any different from a typical day with Scar. (That was actually something Grian quite liked about Scar; the constant shenanigans, making an adventure out of what would otherwise be an average, boring day. Scar knew how to have fun better than anyone Grian had ever known.)

However, opening his big mouth and telling Scar exactly how he felt was a task that loomed heavy on his shoulders, so intimidating, he was currently preferring the looming dread of watching Scar try and fail to flirt with a fish for fun.

Grian wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that. Jealous, decidedly. On both counts if he was being honest with himself; Mumbo and Scar seemed to be entertaining themselves with playing around and talking nonsense, perfectly happy with each other’s company and without Grian’s. To be fair, they had been doing this from the start while Grian fished at the edge of the clearing, but now Grian was anxious and wanting attention very badly and the two of them were too busy frolicking and bothering Etho to pay him much mind. In fairness, Grian could do something about that by bringing a swimsuit, but.. Well, Grian was allergic to solving his own problems. He’d need something mildly catastrophic to kick his ass into gear, as was typical. It would be great if he could force himself to do anything ever before the world crumbled down around him, but ah well.

Speaking of Scar and people calling him and Grian hanging up on said people even when he wanted to talk to them; Scar was calling.

Grian hung up. Scar called again, and again Grian hung up. He figured he could probably get away with that six or seven times; Scar was persistent as he was lenient.

‘Emergency.’ Scar’s text came through. Grian picked up the phone the next time he called.

“You need to come to the beach- maybe- I don’t know. Etho’s- do you remember when I told you about his magic half-mermaid kind of friend-?”

“Are you okay, Scar?”

“I’m okay. Mumbo’s gone.”

“Mumbo’s- what?”

“Etho’s half-mermaid kind of friend stole him- just- picked him up out of the water and left- no-“ someone interrupted Scar, Etho maybe, but Grían didn’t hear before Scar continued, “Etho’s half-mermaid kind of friend’s wife took him. It’s not as bad as it could be, maybe, but Etho’s really- we’re trying to figure it out. We’re trying. Do you have a boat?”

“A boat?” Grian half-scoffed, overwhelmed by all the sudden information, “Where does this guy live?”

“Island- It’s not on any maps. Magic island. Also Etho’s half-mermaid kind of friend might be a serial killer. We have to go!”

“I- okay, that’s a lot, Scar. I don’t think it’s a good idea to-“

“Do you have a boat?”

“I don’t have a boat. I never had a boat. If I was fishing on the ocean I was part of a crew, not-“

“I’ll have to rent a boat then. Okay, thanks Grian. I’m guessing you don’t want to come, which is fine by the way, I’m not expecting much- that sounded passive aggressive. I mean it. Etho thinks it’ll be dan-“

“Scar.” Etho interrupted so loudly that Grian heard him over the line, “You are not coming. I will not see you dismembered, I swear it.”

“Dismembered??”

“He’s being dramatic, Grian.”

“I do not know how to get it through your head that I am not exaggerating- I am not exaggerating, Scar!! You are not going!!!”

“If I’m renting the boat I’m going. You can’t rent a boat by yourself, you can’t talk to strangers without shriveling up, so I’m doing it.”

“Scar-“ Etho’s voice was strangled, but their bickering was starting to fade into background noise as Grian attempted to process what the fuck was going on. First. Most alarmingly??? Etho was friends with a serial killer(?????) And now said serial killer friend had Mumbo?? But it might not be that bad. Maybe? But Scar’s insisting on going to the serial killer island to get Mumbo back??????????

Scar was going to die before Grian could tell him he wanted to give this a proper shot. BAD FIRST THOUGHT. Scar was going to die Period and that was Bad because Scar Was His Friend and Grian didn’t want his friends to die. Complicated relationship issues aside.

Honestly, most days Scar seemed more likely than average to die to some fantastical accident of his own design, but Grian wasn’t sure if he could wriggle his way out of being violently dismembered by literal magic wielding psychopath(s). Magic. Fuck. That was still a hard pill to swallow. Etho being a mermaid was manageable, even the form changing wasn’t the most difficult thing to accept, but the idea of ‘magic’ like Scar had explained it to him- limitless and powerful and dangerous- it was something Grian had trouble imagining was real. But Etho must have seen it. Etho was forced to live with that guy for years, he must know. What was his name again.. Joel..?

And Scar wanted to go there, to that island, likely to give that guy a piece of his mind. There was no way. There was just no way.

Someone needed to look out for him. Grian was too much of a control freak to let Etho do it alone.

“Gem- I have a friend who owes me a favor. I’ll ask her, and you two can meet me at the docks. I’ll text you the address, Scar.”

“You’re coming?” Scar’s joy was overwhelming in all the best, warmest ways, and Grian didn’t think his heart could handle too much more of that, lest he get addicted to the feeling.

“I-I don’t know. Depends on the boat. You might need a driver, and Gem wouldn’t be so lenient as to let two people who’ve never manned the wheel to go out onto the ocean alone. How far is this place? What kind of boat are you thinking?”

“It’s not far, probably thirty minutes with a shitty motor,” Etho tripped over his words, speaking faster than his own tongue could keep up, “But neither of you are going. I could make it on a dinghy if I had one. It’s a nice day, the water won’t give me trouble.”

“Well you have a car ride to convince Scar not to go,” Grian conceded, gruff, “Otherwise you’ll have two idiots on your tail.”

“You can’t,” Etho’s voice broke, silencing even Scar on the other line, “I’m serious- this is serious. I don’t- I don’t know if being my friends is enough to save you from him. I don’t know what he’ll do. He doesn’t like humans, and he won’t like you, especially with what I’ve come to do. I already messed up with Mumbo. I won’t put anyone else’s lives at risk.”

After a small pause, Scar spoke, gentler in the wake of his high energy. “It wasn’t your fault, Etho. You had no way of knowing. If it were me, I wouldn’t have thought anyone could take Mumbo down.”

“I should have left.” The words were so quiet, Grian barely made them out over the line. “Please. Please don’t come with. Just let me fix this.”

Scar released a long breath, the superhero facade fading in place of something far more down to earth, reasonable, a tone of voice Grian didn’t hear often. “I don’t want you on the water alone. You can talk all you want about us putting our lives at risk, but the ocean is just as dangerous. If you set out in a tiny boat and something goes wrong; you slip, capsize, or the weather turns, you can’t swim. I don’t even know if you’d make it back in the boat if you fell off it. I know you’ve hoofed it out here alone for a long time, Etho, but those days are over. You’ve got people that care about you now, and if you end up drowned in the middle of the ocean before you can come home again, that’s no good. I won’t have it.”

“I’d never forgive myself if one of you got hurt. Or worse.”

“Then we won’t get hurt,” Scar said it so simply, so confidently, but continued quickly before anyone could say anymore, “Text me the address, Grian. We’ll see you there.” Grian didn’t get to respond before Scar hung up. Christ. He sure didn’t envy what that car ride between Scar and Etho was going to be like.

Well. As much as Grian agreed that Scar had a point about Etho, making empty promises wouldn’t prevent anything. Grian at least would do his very best to ensure nothing bad happened to any of the three of them.

…

Etho, predictably, did not end up convincing Scar to stay. He looked properly miserable, hunched and haggard- Grian had never actually seen him with his hair down, not counting the mermaid form at least, but it was tangled and matted looking, thematically framing his masked face and downturned eyes.

Etho hadn’t said a word since he and Scar had left the car, not even hello, but given the state he was in, Grian wasn’t too bothered. He was more preoccupied with Gem fretting over the boat and nailing directions into his head, as if he didn’t know how to drive a pontoon, really. But regardless, he let her explain away, redirecting the conversation to less boring chatter until both Scar and Etho looked like they were about to explode into a thousand bloody anxiety-ridden pieces. Listen, Grian couldn’t just send her on her way when she was doing him such a huge favor, so they were just going to have to cope. Mumbo’s life wasn’t in danger, so the only time-sensitive aspect of this journey was the ticking time bomb of Etho’s guilty conscience. Grian was sorry, but he was going to have to wait.

Gem did leave eventually, Grian slipping in a word or two about his friends being in a bad way, desperate for a fun couple hours, and she seemed to understand, waving them off and wishing them a good time. Thankfully, neither Scar or Etho heckled him for the delay, so they were on their way in no time.

And suddenly, Etho wouldn’t stop talking. About the island, about docking, about the rocks he was sure Grian would crash the boat into, about the currents, about the waves. Honestly, the more Etho talked, the more Grian was sure he wouldn’t have made it on his own, and that was just about the water.

“The island is worse, much worse. It’s swampy, the terrain can be treacherous, and I doubt either of you would make it through alone without getting snapped up by one of the gators. It’s alright though, I know where all of them live, and honestly, that’s far from our worst problems. Joel used to live on that island alone, but now they’ve gone and made him a partner in crime, and given I know nothing about her, she’s arguably more dangerous. But she doesn’t use magic.. at least not much, so that’s something in our favor. You might be able to hide from Lizzie, but you won’t be able to from Joel-“

“Wait, seriously? Lizzie and Joel? And they’re married?” Grian cut in, unable to help himself. Etho side eyed him, looking irritated, but Grian continued, “I know a Lizzie and Joel. What an odd coincidence.”

“Oh really? That’s so weird!” Scar added, vindicating Grian in the face of Etho’s sour disdain, which was split on both of them now.

“Great. Whatever. But Joel can feel your footsteps through the ground, and even your weight on the trees- he knows exactly where everything is all of the time, and his reach goes far if he pays enough attention. We can’t have him knowing either of you are there, so you’ll have to stay on the boat.”

Etho continued to ramble on, Scar interrupting to argue from time to time. The stress of the two of their bickering started to weigh on Grian until he had to ignore them all together, focusing instead on the noise of the water and the wake of the pontoon. He heard a thing or two about Lizzie; large, dangerous, the definition of a predator. Not to run from her or do anything else that might set her off. Apparently she was some kind of fish creature, almost a mix between mermaid and human, which didn’t bode well for the Grian and Scar in the boat. Not that Scar was very happy about being confined to the water, but in this case, Grian was definitely on Etho’s side. He was in no hurry to meet this Joel fellow, and Scar’s argument for coming in the first place ended at getting Etho where he needed to go safely

However, despite all Etho’s dramatics, Grian found he wasn’t over exaggerating about the water. It was almost supernatural how rough the waves began to get once the fog of the island was in sight, sharp rocks peeking out from just behind the haze. Grian was determined not to let his strain show even as he struggled to keep the boat under control, but it was very safe to say that he was listening a lot closer to Etho’s instructions.

Etho was nothing less than neurotic about exactly where and how Grian laid anchor, not too close, not too close, which was quite frustrating and even more stressful, but eventually, still white knuckling the wheel, the anchors were set by Scar, and the boat rocked silently over the rocky waves while the three of them released too-long held breaths.

Grian turned off the motor, standing up on shaky legs where he might get more air, and backpedaling slowly to the other side of the boat to lean on the railings. Woof.

And then the boat stopped rocking.

And then the boat rocked hard, Grian nearly toppling over the railing with a shriek, stopping only because he bumped into a hard, wet wall. He felt breathing at his back, stealing the air from his own lungs before a hand fell across his shoulder and light hair flew across his vision, sloshing even more muddy water into his face. She was so tall that she could lean all the way over him and meet him eye to eye. They were yellow. Huge. Curious. She opened her mouth to reveal equally yellow teeth, and Grian was sure she intended on swallowing him whole.

“Well hello there!” Scar’s loud cadence spooked Grian so badly that he jumped, his head colliding hard with Lizzie’s and both of them reeling in silent surprise and pain. Scar, however, was not perturbed, speaking just as brightly as he might have to an old friend, “Why, look at you! You know I heard great things, great things, but nothing could have prepared me for the sight of you in person. Goodness me, you’re positively stunning. Jaw droppingly gorgeous, if you don’t mind my saying so, wow.”

Lizzie seemed to falter, mouth hanging open in her confusion as her attention shifted securely on Scar, though Grian felt no more safe with her clawed hand so close to his throat.

“Who.. How do you know me? No one knows me- they’re not supposed to anyway.” Lizzie’s gaze flicked past Scar to Etho, who was currently cowering and half soaked from their rough docking, balled up on the floor. Scar followed her gaze, frowning only briefly before his entertainer’s smile returned, radiant as if he were the happiest man in the world.

“Why, I heard about you from Etho, of course! We’re friends, good friends, and when he called me to meet him on the beach, he was just so overcome with emotion- ‘The most beautiful woman he’d ever seen,’ that’s what he said to me. He wished he’d had the nerve to tell you, but your stature and radiance were just so intimidating- he couldn’t bear it! And here he is now, reduced to nothing in your presence once more.”

Lizzie made a face, and Grian spotted a glint of sharp teeth just above his head. “That can’t be true. Etho doesn’t like me, wanted to keep his friends all to himself. Doesn’t like to share.”

Scar hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “Yes.. Yes, he can be selfish. They say our worst qualities befall us when we’re under a lot of pressure, and in your presence, he was simply so flustered that he couldn’t help but get off on the wrong foot. He wanted to come here to apologize, to bring his friends so that they could see you too, give him courage. Of course, that didn’t work out for him, did it. And look, poor Grian too. You’ve done him right in. Come, come, they have no manners.” Scar reached for her hand, Lizzie flinching at the touch of his fingers, but to Grian’s great horror, Scar was persistent, taking the hand that had previously rested on Grian’s shoulder in two of his own and guiding Lizzie forward, “I won’t leave you on the edge of the boat now, no, no, that won’t do! Why don’t you sit?”

“Oh, I guess I could..” Lizzie’s whole demeanor had changed, suddenly nervous in light of this unexpected encounter, “Are you human? Joel doesn’t like humans very much, he says they crash their ships into his island from time to time. Not very smart.”

“Oh, no, no, I’m not human. My friends? Arguably. But I’m a magician. I can do magic.”

At this point, Grian had no idea where this was going, and most of him would rather throw himself off the boat and not find out how this all backfired horribly, however that would draw a lot of attention his way, so instead he just.. slowly.. sat down. (The other, extremely small part of him was a little turned on.)

“Magic! What kinds? Joel can do magic too, and so can I! Not as cool as him, though. Can I see? Can you show me?

“Of course! Allow me to show my hand!” Scar made an incredible spectacle of himself, hiking one of his legs up on a seat then swinging his arm back, slowly pulling a small deck of cards out of his back pocket. Grian was sure he saw the light in Etho’s eyes die.

Scar fanned out the deck and began his trick, flourish after flourish accentuating his ‘magic.’ He walked Lizzie through the entire thing, holding her rapt (if not a little confused) attention. She picked a card, and Scar made a spectacle of not seeing it before shuffling it back into the deck, then presenting it in a grand motion.

“Is this your card?”

“Whoa! Yes! How did you do that??”

“A magician never reveals his secrets,” Scar winked, but Lizzie looked more confused than anything.

“That’s not true? Joel shows me things all the time. He talks about his magic constantly, teaching me all sorts of stuff.”

Scar laughed, unaffected, “Well this magician doesn’t.”

“I-Okay,” Lizzie seemed to accept this with some hesitation, but she quickly shook it off, fins raising along with her expression, “What else can you do?”

“Oh, that’s it.” A stark moment of silence followed those words, but Scar’s confident demeanor remained, “Cool, isn’t it?”

Lizzie glanced at Grian, then at Etho, looking awkward. “Uh, yeah. It’s cool.” It took all of Grian’s self control to keep his head out of his hands.

“Anyway!” Scar jumped up, making Lizzie jump in turn, “I believe you’ve made a new friend today, one of Etho’s pals, correct? Selfish, selfish thing that was of him to be so rude, not share his friends. It’s a good thing we’ve come across you, impressive as you are! I haven’t seen Mumbo- that’s his name- in ages! Is he still around?”

“Mumbo.. She did say that.”

“Who?”

“Mumbo did.”

“I’m confused.”

Lizzie didn’t seem concerned with entertaining Scar’s confusion, continuing on, “Well she’s settling in well, a delightful little thing, really, very good friend material in my opinion. Joel’s got those spells that break language barriers, so talking with her was great! We even got to sing, isn’t that fun?”

“Mumbo sang with you..?” Etho spoke up for the first time, but cowered again when Lizzie turned his way.

“She did,” Lizzie replied coolly, “and I bet she likes me a whole lot more.”

No one wanted to challenge that. Lizzie seemed to take this as a win, tail swishing and chest puffed out triumphantly.

“I’d love to see him- uh- Mumbo, if he’s still around,” Scar tried, a hopeful look about him, only bolstered when Lizzie brightened.

“Alright! Let me just run and find Joel!” Lizzie hopped to her feet, practically dancing across the water.

“Ah- No no! Not necessary!” Scar tried, but Lizzie was already skipping away.

“It is! I have no idea where she’s run off most of the time, but he’ll find her right away!”

Grian saw Scar open his mouth to say something, but he faltered, something about his posture slackening. It was uncanny, seeing him try and fail to speak, almost like something had crawled into his brain and switched the wires around. Grian squinted, eyes watering against some kind of disturbance in the air before he followed Etho’s eye to Lizzie, humming as she skipped into the tree line.

Etho set his jaw, tense. “This isn’t good. I don’t know if it’s worse for me to try and intercept him or stay here. I don’t want either of you to be alone.”

It took Grian a second to blink away his daze, but he shook it off quickly, “Well, if we damage this boat it’s going to wipe my savings and put me way into debt. As far as I’m concerned we only have one option here, especially if this guy’s got a temper.”

“Well..” Etho looked nervous, biting his lip under the mask, “Dare I say your life is more valuable than this boat.”

“This has already gone to shit. If I’m going to be in that much debt I’m better off dead.”

“I- hey, I don’t know about that.”

Grian grunted, noncommittal, “I’m barely making rent as it is. Let’s just get this over with.” Grian made his way to the gate at the front of the pontoon, rolling up his pant legs then deciding better of it, biting the bullet and jumping into the water. It was damn cold, up to his knees.

“You’re making me nervous, Grian. You didn’t have to come- actually, we could probably still leave. You two just go home, I’ll stay. Well-“ Etho stopped, mumbling to himself- “He’s got quite a bit of range. I don’t know..”

“I’m here for Scar. He needs to survive this so I can pussy up and tell him what’s what. Oi. Scar, come on or you’re paying for the boat.” Grian splashed him, Scar jumping when the water slapped across his legs where he was spacing out.

“What? We’re going?” Scar didn’t hesitate before hopping the railing, no thought to the splash he’d create that, inevitably, drenched Grian. A little flustered, Etho was in seconds later, scrambling ahead of the both of them toward the shore.

“Watch where you step. I’ve sprained my ankle about a hundred times out here, and this is the most hospitable part to dock up. This entire place is a nightmare.” Etho looked onward, mumbling something Grian didn’t catch before pushing forward. Scar followed close behind, Grian taking up the rear with a hand firm across the satchel he’d brought along to take with.

Grian had expected muck and mosquitoes and horse flies and frightening noises from unknown directions, but he had not expected the island to be beautiful. And not the naturalistic type of beauty that came with every remote piece of nature, though that was certainly present. High rock walls surrounded them on either side, filled with intricate engravings and statues carved painstakingly into the stone, impossibly complex and beautiful. There was no exact path- the terrain wasn’t even crushed down like a high traffic area would be, but the artwork left a path to walk, almost like it was meant to be seen by crowds of hikers and tourists, guided subtly from statue to statue. It gave the impression of a long abandoned series of shrines, overgrown and beautiful, but at the same time every vine and bit of greenery was so meticulously placed that it couldn’t have possibly happened by accident.

“This is insane,” Scar breathed, and Grian had to nod his agreement. Etho shrugged, turning to glance back a bit awkwardly.

“All of the outer spaces are decorated in one way or another by now. Joel works from the outside in, typically. It’s pretty cool.”

“Joel does this? All of this?” Grian asked, surprised when Scar nodded, though Etho answered.

“Yup. He says this is what he was made for, in a very literal sense. He terraforms everything, it really is incredible. It’s a shame there’s no one else around to appreciate it, though, I guess he’s got Lizzie now; she’ll see it all soon enough. You know, if I wasn’t shitting myself over the two of you being here, I think I’d really like to show you the whole place. There’s just so much..” Etho trailed off, but the pause was more thoughtful than stressed, “Stuff I’ve made as well. Contributed, at least.” Etho stopped with a short gasp, tripping and landing hard on his knees. “Joel-“

Grian didn’t understand until he saw the root around Etho’s ankle, three others constricting his free ankle and wrists before Etho could pull away.

“Nice of you to introduce me,” Joel growled, Grian knew it was Joel right away, he knew because it sounded uncannily like him- what the hell-? Where- Where was the voice coming from-?

The only thing that kept Grian from running right there was Scar’s hand on his, yanking him forward. Grian startled, whipping around to see who was behind him, but there was nothing there, no disturbance in the earth or anything. He nearly snapped at Scar before the other inclined his head, and Grian saw glowing yellow eyes from the shade of the tree line above them. Oh.

Scar smiled at him, like nothing was wrong, like everything was going to be okay, and Grian envied his confidence. Or at least his ability to hide his fear, to talk on his feet.

It occurred to Grian he should probably be paying attention to what Etho was hurriedly saying to Joel, but he didn’t get the chance before Scar interrupted, speaking as if he was addressing a crowd.

“Joel! We’ve heard so much about you, not great things, I don’t intend on lying to you, but goodness, I was not expecting all of this art! Beautiful, truly, you are a talented-“ Scar didn’t get to finish, one of the decorated rock walls careening forward and nearly crushing him where he stood. Scar startled out of the way, staring in wide eyed shock at the place he’d stood just seconds before. For that reason, he failed to see the statue across from him slide off its stand, building speed before slamming into Scar’s side and sending him flying into the wall opposite. Grian screamed, running toward him before he could think not to. Etho might have yelled as well, but somehow the small snicker under the noise stood out louder.

Grian didn’t process much else before a hard weight slammed against his shoulders and back, so fast, he didn’t even have time to break his fall with his hands. His ribs cracked against the dirt, at least he was pretty sure it was his ribs, he couldn’t breathe regardless. Had he hit his head as well? Served him right, doing the one thing he was told not to. But the weight was gone as soon as it had come, dust spraying Grian’s face in the wake of Lizzie’s footfalls.

“Joel!” she shrieked, and again Grian felt a certain disturbance, though his eyes might have been watering from the dirt. “Why- Why did you do that?”

“What.” Joel deadpanned, interrupting whatever he and Etho had been arguing about in the perifere.

“She hasn’t done anything wrong. She didn’t even crash her boat! They parked it very nicely, didn’t hit any rocks! I watched!”

“They’re all trespassing. If Etho wants to bring his friends, he can watch them die.”

“I didn’t want them to come!” but Etho’s plea fell on deaf ears.

Grian released a short, strained breath, narrowing his eyes. He still couldn’t see Joel and didn’t know where his voice was coming from. Etho was staring pretty firmly to his left though, so that had to mean something. Grian moved slowly, pushing himself up just enough to reach for his bag.

Grian was distracted by Lizzie peeling Scar off the ground, alarmed to see how limp he was in her arms, but Grian breathed a long sigh when Scar groaned. Softly, Lizzie began to sing.

“Come on, Lizzie, he’s fine.” Joel grunted, ducking out from behind one of the rock walls and slithering into the open, but Grian was having trouble focusing, trouble seeing. Joel was a mermaid, Grian had almost forgotten that’s how his pact with Etho worked, but despite having his contacts in, his eyes just wouldn’t focus, almost like he was stuck in a dream. It must have been Lizzie’s song- something about it causing this effect, similar to how he’d used to think mermaid song worked, though, Grian didn’t feel compelled to be eaten or anything. He saw Scar relax in her arms, the spell affecting him as well, but the connection was weak enough that Grian felt he could fight it, closing his eyes tight and shaking the fog away. He had to do something before this got out of hand, but when Lizzie started to speak, his focus started once more to wane.

“She’s been nothing but delightful! She’s not even human! He can do magic just like you can though it’s- well-“ whispered, she added, “He’s not very good..”

Joel scoffed, “Humans are liars.”

“This one’s good!”

Grian’s fingers, moving slowly, just barely brushed the barrel of his concealed pistol when the sun caught something bright and red in the stream behind Joel, but even the next moment when Joel whipped around was too late to stop the massive mermaid from lunging forward out of the water, barreling into Joel and sending both of them rolling. Joel screamed, and Etho yelled in turn, finally able to break free from Joel’s hold.

“Mumbo!” Etho yelled again, cradling his shoulder- when had he gotten so badly injured? Grian hadn’t been paying that much attention, but he was shocked he missed the blood seeping through Etho’s coat- What had Joel done to him? Grian scrambled to his feet, pistol now freely in his hands, but he couldn’t shoot now, not when Joel and Mumbo were so hopelessly tangled. Grian nearly dropped his gun when Lizzie wailed, rushing forward to intervene, but again with his eyes firmly shut, he managed to shake the spell. Etho didn’t seem to react to Lizzie’s song at all, at least not in this form, but Mumbo certainly did, stopping in his tracks and idling so still, Lizzie had no trouble pulling Mumbo off, holding him limp in her arms.

“Why- Why did you do that? Not friends, Mumbo, we don’t eat friends-“ Lizzie spoke in a rush, but Mumbo’s fins were so still, he didn’t give any indication he’d heard.

“Something’s wrong with him,” Etho heaved, the words coming through pained. There was another growing patch of blood that Grian hadn’t noticed before on his shirt, bleeding down his side, reminding Grian exactly what he needed to do, the opening he needed to take before it was too late. “Wh- Grian, where did you get a gun-?”

Grian glanced back at Scar, currently struggling to sit up from where Lizzie had dropped him. He was okay. He would make it out of this okay.

Grian fired five shots. Three made their mark.

Joel fell backwards, the scream so like his friend’s that it set the hair at the back of Grian’s head on end. But maybe that would have happened regardless, with anyone. Grian had never shot anyone before. He’d shot fish if necessary, but this wasn’t the same, even with his own life on the line.

“Etho-!“ Grian didn’t expect Scar’s shriek, not nearly as shrill as Lizzie’s but somehow more bone chilling. Scar ran past Grian in a blur, but his entire world was moving slower than the rest. Etho was on the ground, bleeding heavily from his stomach- chest, maybe, Grian couldn’t tell. When Scar, limping, finally made it over and lifted Etho upright, Grian saw three bullet holes dotted across his front.

What-

Out of the corner of his eye Grian saw Lizzie holding Joel tightly, the other trying weakly to push her away, mumbling something Grian couldn’t hear. Lizzie looked up at him, eyes wide and terrified, fins flat against her body. Then, out of the dark, Mumbo looked up, fins catching a dapple of light before lowering. He looked frightened. Grian wondered if he remembered the gun, if he now connected what it could do. What Grian had wanted to do. He found himself struck between Mumbo and Etho- what could he do? There was a first aid kid in the boat, but Grian didn’t know if he could get it fast enough, or if that would even be enough- how had this even happened in the first place?

“Grian!” Scar screamed, and Grian’s first impulse was that he was angry, that Grian had done something irredeemably horrible and had no idea what it was. And then someone slammed into him, something dark and sharp and snarling. And still, Grian’s mind was so behind itself, he was still wondering what he’d done wrong as Mumbo’s sharp teeth snapped at his face.

Belatedly, Grian had the sense to fight back, instinct carrying him further than his shock-addled mind, but his pistol had been knocked out of his hands, he had nothing to defend himself. Teeth fastened themselves in Grian’s shoulder, and for the first time he screamed, clawing helplessly at Mumbo’s eyes. The pain was worse when Mumbo released him, Grian tasting his own blood as it splattered past his own mouth. He shoved his hands between his own face and Mumbo’s, but Mumbo was so strong, he was so strong, Grian couldn’t stop his teeth from landing in his wrist, but it didn’t stay that way, released quickly in favor of snapping at Grian’s throat.

And then the ground collapsed underneath him, and all Grian could taste was dirt. He thrashed, but the ground didn’t give. He tried to scream, but there was no air. The feeling was more hopeless than being torn apart by Mumbo, and more than ever, Grian was sure he was going to die. And then he was moving, the whiplash nearly tearing him into unconsciousness.

And then he was above ground on his knees, the change so sudden that he fell forward, but when he tried to catch himself, pain like electricity lit his veins, his arms collapsing. Another pair of hands caught him, steadying him, but not without leaving bloody handprints on his arms. Scar. Scar was here. He.. wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“Put.. your clothes back on.”

Scar might have laughed, but Grian was too dazed to tell. A glance to the left revealed Etho, along with exactly where Scar’s shirt had gone. He was laying on his back, eyes shut tight with a hand over Scar’s shirt against the bullet wounds, and Grian couldn’t even tell if he was breathing. Shakily, Grian raised his hand to look at what was wrong, but Scar took his forearm before he could see it.

“Don’t worry about it, you’re okay.”

Grian didn’t feel okay. The fear in Scar’s tone only served to heighten his stress. He felt lightheaded.

“It’s a damn good thing I carry this shit on me now,” Joel grunted behind him, making Grian jump, but Joel didn’t pay him any mind as he slithered past. “Out of my way.” Joel pushed past Scar, who looked very much like he wanted to argue, but graciously stayed quiet. Joel settled himself beside Etho, ignoring them wholly.

“I think.. I’m going to pass out,” Grian mumbled, hardly aware of anything outside of his sphere.

“Lay down, G, I think you’re in shock. Stay awake, you’ll be fine.” With a little force, Scar laid him down, though Grian whined when his fingers grazed his shoulder. “I’m going to try and curb the bleeding there a bit. You’re okay. Almost looks like a big cat’s got you, that’s pretty awesome. You know big cats are responsible for the largest portion of zookeeper injuries and deaths? I think. They’re up there at least. Either way, it’s a pretty awesome way to go in my opinion. Or to lose a couple fingers, uh- but it’s fine. You’re just fine.” Grian didn’t get the chance to process that before Scar was pressing his palms against Grian’s injured shoulder, pulling a strangled scream from his throat, but Scar was persistent, cooing and talking low until Grian calmed down.

“That’s right.” Joel mumbled, gruff. Grian wasn’t sure if he was talking to him or Etho.. probably Etho, they were supposedly friends after all. God, this was stupid. Grian was going to take a fat fucking nap after this.

“Hey.” Scar’s voice took a hard edge, and Grian startled when he opened his eyes to see Joel looming over him. God, he was frightening looking, massive with that gray skin and dark eyes. At the back of his mind, Grian wondered if he looked like his Joel as a human.

Joel was still coated in the blood from his injuries, but he wasn’t moving like he was injured. “Move.” he grunted, but Scar didn’t budge, “Move. You’re in my way.”

“Don’t go,” Grian heard the words leave him, felt his breathing quicken, but the ground beneath betrayed them, rippling in a wave that set Scar off balance, tumbling backward with a sharp yelp. Grian tried to get up, get away, but suddenly he was being held firm by roots around his arms and ankles, fighting only serving to send shots of pain up and down his both arms.

“Ungrateful,” Joel huffed, but Etho appeared behind him, looking about twice as haggard and bloody.

“Be gentle, please,” Etho sighed, a deeply tired, deeply resigned sound.

“Maybe if he didn’t want to get maimed he shouldn’t have shot me. I didn’t even do this. And he really scared Lizzie too, I’ve never seen her so upset. He should be grateful I’m doing this at all. He nearly killed you.”

“You were trying to kill him,” Etho replied flatly, but Joel only huffed.

“If you’re bringing people here now, I have to make sure they never want to come back. It’s nothing personal. Though, this is kind of ruining the point. They were meant to run on home, lightly bruised, but now look at them. What a mess.”

“Trying to crush Scar with a boulder would not cause light bruising. I wouldn’t be surprised if you broke bones the way you hit him the second try.”

Joel only responded with a noncommittal grunt, removing a handful of some kind of powder-herb mix from a pouch on his side. Grian coughed as some of it fell near his face, but most of it went to his shoulder, a breathy scream leaving Grian’s lips as it started to eat away at his skin.

“Come on, it doesn’t hurt. That one won’t even scar, probably.”

“It doesn’t feel good,” Etho insisted, but Joel waved him off. “You’re such a fucking asshole,” Etho mumbled on, but Joel didn’t acknowledge him.

“Now this is going to scar.” As the stinging at his shoulder started to ebb, Joel repositioned to Grian’s arms. With a quickly building sense of dread, Grian realized the root fastening his right arm still was positioned quite a bit further up than the other. For the first time, he lifted his head to see. The sight of bone in multiple areas was enough to make him light headed, another breathy yelp forcing itself from his throat.

“You are so annoying.” Joel growled, the roots on his limbs doubling, as well as a new addition over his chest.

“Calm down, Grian, it’s okay. Just stay still,” Etho urged, but Grian’s mind was all static.

“It’s okay. Grian, it’s okay.” Scar’s voice cut through the haze after some amount of time (seconds, minutes, hours?), and Grian felt his hands, distinctly textured by scars. He felt his own hand, tingling in the aftermath of the healing. Something was wrong.

“My- My hand-“

“I can’t grow your fingers back, at least not with this spell. Unless you want to ask Mumbo for ‘em back, though I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” Joel grunted, but Scar quickly started talking over him.

“Hey, you know we’re kind of matching! It’s a small miracle I still have all my fingers, but do you know how many times I’ve been bitten, scratched, stung, bitten, goodness some animals just have a taste for human hands. You could say a snapping turtle got you! A huge one, like an alligator snapping turtle! Have you seen one of those? They’re awesome. People’d be surprised you got away with just your thumb and your pointer- well, a bit of your middle as well, but-“

Even healed, Grian couldn’t help the sob that escaped him, the pressure and the stress crashing down in one crushing blow. Etho mumbled something to Joel and the roots quickly subsided, Scar swooping in to scoop Grian off the ground. He was afraid to look at his hand. He was so afraid.

“Why did he do that? Why did he attack me?” Simultaneously, Grian loathed and couldn’t care less how pathetic he sounded, beaten down and whimpering. He just didn’t get it. He didn’t understand. Most of all, he didn’t expect Joel to answer.

“She’s got some influence over sea creatures I think,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head, “I dunno. Whenever she’s swimming around she’s always got a dozen or so fish around. I was a bit worried I’d be influenced as well, but I think I’m immune? Might be a different spell to keep us from hurting each other though. A couple of mine don’t work on her either.”

“I never felt anything,” Etho pinched his brow, looking thoughtful, “Don’t see why I’d be immune since your spells don’t transfer over the soul bound.”

“Huh. Don’t know then. She definitely doesn’t know- I don’t think she even knows she’s doing anything at all.”

“I felt.. something..” Scar mumbled, like he was unsure if he was welcome in this conversation, but when no one stopped him, he continued, “I don’t know. I have these little gaps in my memory when she would get upset- when she was singing, too. On the boat I think I nearly went overboard. I was so out of it. I just kinda wanted to be near her, y’know?” And Grian remembered it, eyes squeezed closed. The song. It was the song.

“Hey, you know Grian was a little spacey too,” Etho turned, but despite still being shaken, the bit of normal conversation helped a little to ease Grian’s nerves. Slowly, he shook his head.

“Not like that, not for me. I felt.. something.. but it was more like an itch at the back of my brain. I could ignore it.”

“Oh! Maybe that’s ‘cause you’re gay!” Scar lit up, clearly convinced this outburst made the entire interaction make sense. Thankfully, after a few moments of confused silence, Scar continued, “Well, humans have a different idea of how mermaid song works compared to how it’s really like, so maybe Lizzie’s like the human version of a siren. If the power is meant to affect people who are specifically attracted to women, that could be what it is. I like women, Grian’s gay, and Etho hates everyone, so as far as spectrums go it makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“Okay, I don’t hate everyone.”

“I.. guess so..?” Grian wasn’t sure if he was entirely following, but given that he’d just endured a somewhat traumatic experience, he wasn’t exactly thinking at full capacity, “It doesn’t make much sense to me why a siren’s song would only attract people with an affinity for a specific gender though, at least from a biological standpoint. Why not just.. everyone?”

“My Makers work from a cultural point of view, as far as I can tell,” Joel mumbled, thoughtful as he lost the gruffness to his voice, “They may have been inspired by human media. Generally, I wouldn’t expect any of their creations to make sense. They work carelessly.”

“Where is Mumbo?” Scar interrupted before Joel could say any more, apparently having moved on to the next issue while Grian still sat reeling about being attacked in the first place.

“Off with Lizzie I’m sure,” Joel shrugged, but his fins twitched, lowering, “He’s been trailing her since we got here, she only lost him in the trees. But you’ll be leaving now. I’ll have no more of this.”

“What! No!” Scar shot up, undeterred even when Etho started gesturing frantically behind Joel to stop. “We came here to get him back! He’s under some- some spell!”

Joel groaned, throwing his head back, “This is why I wanted to scare them, Etho, look, now they want to stay.”

Grian shrunk away when Scar bristled, “No! We aren’t leaving! Not before-“ he didn’t get to finish, the ground trembling underneath Scar before it shot upwards, launching him in the direction they’d come. Scar landed hard on his back, somersaulting backward onto his stomach with a groan.

“You will leave, and you will not come back,” Joel growled, eyes dark, even as Etho hurried to Scar’s side and helped him to his knees, “I suggest you do it now before I break your ankles and make you walk.” The silence was long as Etho supported Scar while he stood, legs shaky, but from what Grian could tell, still mostly uninjured. But even helping Scar, Etho was looking back, fixing Joel with a look that held a lot more meaning than Grian could parse from knowing only their brief history.

“Don’t look at me that way.” Joel grunted, breaking the silence.

“Fine.” Etho returned the gesture coolly. Turning away. But Scar replaced Etho’s eye with a fiery glare of his own, frightening Grian into speaking before he could continue to argue.

“I want to go. I want to go home.”

And thank god, thank everything, that was enough. Scar deflated, giving Grian a deeply sad, deeply defeated look. Scar hadn’t believed things would end this way. He’d really, with his whole heart, believed he’d be able walk in and make this work. Talk his way through, bring Mumbo home. Scar didn’t take well to failure, he tended to push and push and push- Most days, that stubbornness ended in a new scar, but even then, he’d still be smiling.

Scar approached him, still limping, but he was gentle when he took Grian’s good hand, squeezing. “Let’s go home then.”

When Grian looked back, Joel was gone. Etho, ahead of them, gestured to follow.

The walk felt long and cold. Grian hadn’t remembered it being cold; too wired, too nervous, but now he was shivering, glued to Scar’s side under the guise of helping him walk, but the both of them knew who really needed the support.

“Are you hurt, Scar,” Etho muttered after a while, breaking the steady silence.

“I don’t think so, not too bad. I think I pulled a muscle, but I’ll stretch it out later. Shouldn’t be much more than sore.”

“That’s a damn miracle.”

Scar brightened a little, never one to let a conversation die, “Most frequent comments I get on my videos are that I’m indestructible. Well, that’s not true, most people are surprised I’m not dead yet, but it’s in the same vein. My life is a miracle, I’ll tell you that.”

“I’d say so. You don’t know when to stop.”

Scar was quiet for a moment, but shrugged Etho off, shaking his head, “We’ve all got flaws.”

“You’re not coming back, Scar,” Grian muttered the words, more conviction in them than he even knew he could muster in this state.

“No,” he sighed, “I’m not.” Scar closed his eyes, nearly toppling over Etho when the other stopped suddenly, stiff and alert. “What? What is it?”

“I hear someone. Lizzie- I think it’s Lizzie.”

“I don’t-“ Etho shushed Scar harshly before he could continue talking over the noise, Etho creeping forward in the wake of the heavy silence. Grian didn’t particularly want to follow and find out, but his crutch did not share these reservations, Scar staying close behind.

“Come on,” was the first thing Grian heard from Lizzie as the trees started to thin out, the clearing to the muddy beach opening up, “You need to go. You need to go home.”

“What is it, what is she doing?” Etho nearly bumped heads with Scar when he turned to ask, Scar laughing in turn, quietly startled. Grian, meanwhile, was staring straight ahead. Lizzie was there, standing on the water next to their boat and struggling to get Mumbo up and onto it. They were damn lucky this was a pontoon; Mumbo would have capsized anything smaller, but that didn’t mean he fit, either, not that he looked like he particularly wanted to be on the boat in the first place, shimmying off even after Lizzie got him laid nicely across the floor.

“Mumbo, no! Be good, won’t you? You can’t stay here!”

Instead of answering Etho’s question, Scar pushed ahead suddenly, pulling Etho back before emerging out of the treeline. Etho gasped sharply as he stumbled and fell onto Grian, but there was nothing either of them could do.

“Lizzie! Mumbo! Hello! We were just leaving, what a coincidence it is to see you here!”

“Oh!” Lizzie turned around, and to Grian’s great relief she looked pleased to see him, if not a little tired, “Hello, Mysterious Magician Man! It’s good you’re here- I’m trying to send your friend home, but he’s being stubborn with me.. I don’t..” Lizzie bit her lip, “Something’s wrong, I think. I don’t know why.. I didn’t.. I don’t think she should stay here. She won’t even talk to me.”

“Ah, yeah,” Scar shrugged, arms loosely behind his back, “That wasn’t any good, was it.”

“No.. I just don’t know why. I don’t want her to hurt anyone else.” Lizzie looked dejectedly down at her feet, Mumbo swimming in circles below her.

“I think she really likes you,” Scar conceded while walking closer to the water, “You were right, more than any of us, certainly. Do you mind if I come and see him?”

“Please do.” Lizzie’s shoulders sagged unhappily, but she stepped back as Scar started wading into the water. Perhaps predictably, Mumbo followed her under the surface, and Lizzie ended up backpedaling in circles in an attempt to get Mumbo to stop.

“Mumbo!” she cried, though there was laughter there, Lizzie dancing around on her toes while Mumbo breached the water playfully around her. “She’s so sweet,” Lizzie sighed, bending over and plucking him out of the water like he weighed nothing. “It’s really too bad I can’t understand what’s happening with her. She’s not even acting like a person, not even talking. C’mon, Mumbo, you can tell me what’s wrong.” Lizzie held him out, but he remained limp, only staring blankly.

“Hey, Mumbo! It’s Scar! Why don’t you come home, buddy?” Scar called, waving, but when Mumbo looked his way, there was no reaction, no recognition. Grian couldn’t help but dread how powerful that spell was, even when Mumbo was exposed to it for so little time. A couple hours at most, surely.

“Maybe she does have extra influence over sea creatures,” Etho mumbled, watching just as carefully as Grian was, “But mermaids have incredible hearing, too. I’m sure any mermaid could hear those screams in a mile’s radius, especially if they’re sensitive to the frequency.”

“She might still be upset, too,” Grian mumbled, “If part of the spell is sensitivity to her emotions, that could be why Mumbo’s attached at her hip.”

“Well if Joel wants us to go so badly, he’d better dispel it.” Etho huffed, but there was something under that, something hurt that Grian didn’t want to touch with a six foot pole.

“Lizzie, drop the mermaid. You’re going to get bit if you don’t.”

Grian nearly shrieked at the sound of Joel’s voice behind him, Etho startling in turn. He was right there, right in the stream behind them, somehow silent in his approach.

“I- Oh!” Lizzie looked up, not nearly as distressed as the rest of them. In her arms, Mumbo relaxed, content as ever. This did not change when he was unceremoniously dropped, sinking in the shallow water and returning to swimming in lazy circles. Then suddenly, Mumbo stopped swimming, emotion returning to his fins as they flared back to life. There was anger there, or fear maybe when he realized who was above him, but when he had seemingly decided fleeing was his best option, he saw Scar, rearing up and out of the water in his surprise.

“Hi, Mumbo!” Scar waved despite the two of them only being a few feet apart, nothing less than positively delighted. Grian could see the stress in Scar’s muscles as he restrained himself from running over and swinging Mumbo around in a crushing hug. Mumbo, however, didn’t seem to quite return the sentiment, whirling between Lizzie and Scar with an expression of great alarm, fins flared and quivering more intensely than Grian had ever seen.

“Stop! Stop it- Stay away!”

Dead silence.

Mumbo looked confused at the change in atmosphere, Lizzie looking delighted while Scar was gaping. Mumbo had spoken in his own language; Grian had heard the whistling, but above that-

“Ah! Thank you, Joel!” Lizzie waved to the brush, but when Grian turned around, no one was there. He bit his lip, slowly moving forward out of the undergrowth with Etho at his side.

“What.. Did he do..?” Grian asked, tentative as he revealed himself, only further stressed when Lizzie startled, all of her fins flattening in an expression of great fear. But it was Mumbo’s turn to startle, looking back and forth from Grian and Lizzie, eyes wide.

“Joel has tools to cross language barriers,” Etho mumbled, speaking slowly, almost warily, like he thought someone was trying to sneak up on him, “I don’t know why he’s cast this spell, but..”

“Obviously it’s so we can talk with each other!” Lizzie piped up, clearly sharing zero of the reservations the rest of them had.

“This is.. extremely odd,” Mumbo said, and while his voice was notably lacking the same tone the rest of them spoke with, his hesitance was clear in his body language. He strayed toward Scar, fins still flared protectively, but neither Scar nor Lizzie seemed to pay that any mind.

“You’ve got a British accent! Why do you have an accent?” Scar threw up his arms, like this was the craziest thing he’d experienced all day, “It’s been 90% Etho and I teaching you English, why are you British?”

“I- I do not know what this means.”

“Do mermaids have accents?” Grian asked, unable to help himself from humoring the thought- out of all the things for Scar to say when he got the opportunity to speak to Mumbo without barriers for the first time. That was so him, wasn’t it.

“Well..” Etho rubbed his chin, “They do, kind of, but we so rarely travel that you almost never run into different accents and dialects and languages. I used to sound a lot more like Joel, though. My accent has shifted a lot since I’ve moved.”

“I remember that! Your accent used to be so strong!” Scar jumped up, so expressive that Grian couldn’t help but laugh.

“I am extremely overwhelmed.” Mumbo cut in, clicking in quick intervals under his breath and glancing around.. Yeah, maybe this wasn’t the most Mumbo-friendly conversation they were having. Behind him, Lizzie was looking similarly out of her depth. She seemed like she was looking for something to say, brightening a little when Scar spoke, and cowering whenever Grian talked. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak, meek in comparison to her previous energy.

“I think I should go..”

Everyone in the clearing relaxed at the sentiment, but apparently Scar did not get the memo, “Awh, no! You can hang out- look at this, all of us, this is great!”

“No.” Mumbo said flatly, having zero reservations about shutting Scar down. “Leave. Forever.” Lizzie looked hurt, which almost made Grian feel bad, though Scar had just as little trouble speaking his mind as Mumbo did.

“Well.. Maybe for now, that’s for the best,” Scar waded past Mumbo, who at first hurriedly moved out of Scar’s way, but when he saw where Scar was going, his alarm kept him following close behind, breathing down Scar’s neck with a wide eyed fear. Grian himself gaped when Scar moved to take Lizzie’s hand, and Mumbo looked just about ready to shit himself. “But you should visit! I’d love to see you again. You’re not stuck here like Joel is, right? Do you have a phone? I’d love to stay in contact.”

“You- Scar!” But Grian did not get to finish.

“Oh, I don’t! But Joel does! Would that be okay?”

“Oh,” Scar laughed, a devilish kind of thing that suggested he was going to do horrible things with this information, “I would love nothing more.” Missing the Intention entirely, Lizzie rattled the number off, Scar pulling a pen out of nowhere and writing it on his arm. Horrendously, Scar kissed the spot he’d written the number, and Grian was seconds away from strangling him when Scar waved goodbye, making his way to the boat to climb on. “Can’t wait to see you again!”

Lizzie blinked, suddenly unsure what to do with herself, fiddling with her hands in a flustered sort of way. At this point, Grian’s head was entirely in his own hands.

“Uh, yeah! You too!” With that, Lizzie took off on the water, hopping to shore and fleeing back into the swamp. Scar watched her go with a small smile, everyone else looking on in varying degrees of horror and confusion.

“What do you think my chances are?”

“She’s married, Scar!”

“That is not what I asked.”

“Was that human courting?” Mumbo asked, making Scar laugh.

“I hope not,” Etho grumbled, Grian refraining from saying any words before he regretted taking part in this any more than he already did.

“Am I learning things about humans or am I learning things about Scar.” Mumbo’s question was followed by silence.

“I don’t know,” Etho said, Grian nodding his agreement.

“No idea. Are mermaids monogamous?”

Mumbo’s fins fluttered, maybe surprised by the question, maybe amused, “Not necessarily, but we’re going to have problems if Scar’s after that —-“ the last word failed to translate, probably because there was no English equivalent, but Grian got the message regardless, especially with Etho snickering next to him.

“Okay, okay, I’m not looking for a long term gig here, I’m just interested in flirting with pretty women, there is nothing wrong with that.” Scar put his hands up in a great defense, batting at the air like he was deflecting judgment, “If Lizzie happened to sing me into a bout of accidental mind control and did as she wished with me, well, I can’t say I’d be any bit upset at all! I’d be eager, even. Surely someone else here is on the same page. Come on. Grian? Come on.”

“No. Absolutely no way, Scar.”

“What if it was a really attractive fish man?”

“I do not want to be mind controlled!! Ever!!”

“Don’t say that..” Scar made the saddest looking face, like this was the most devastating thing that had ever come out of Grian’s mouth.

“What?” Grian couldn’t stop himself from laughing, “Were you planning on using your secret mind control on me? Just waiting for permission?”

Scar scoffed, “I don’t need mind control, you’re needy enough as it is.”

“I am not needy.”

“You whine for-“

“Enough! Enough.” Etho cut in, fingers in his ears for emphasis. Grian rolled his eyes, to which Etho pushed him, and laughing, Grian pushed back, dancing out of the way of Etho’s second retaliation, only to be nailed in the face with a ball of mud.

“Stop- Stop fighting!” Mumbo was quickly between them, fins flared and anxious, but Etho shook his head, keeping his good nature.

“It’s fine. This is how humans play sometimes.”

Mumbo stopped, looking a little bewildered, but slowly his fins lowered, like he was connecting the dots slowly but surely. “Oh. This makes more sense. It is not easy to tell. Humans are violent and loud.”

“It’s really hard to tell,” Etho agreed, “A lot of really upset and really happy faces and sounds are exactly the same. I would assume play first, though. Ask if you don’t know.”

Mumbo was quiet for a moment, processing. Grian realized it must be difficult for him to keep up with a faster paced conversation, even if he was hearing it in his language; beyond the simple language barrier, there was so much context and slang and missing pieces Mumbo still had to parse on his own.

Finally, Mumbo spoke, “It is so nice to be able to talk like this.”

Grian made a small noise of assent, Scar nodding in his enthusiastic agreement, “It’s great! I know you probably had a pretty shit day; ours wasn’t great either, but sitting here, all together.. I don’t know. It all just feels worth it to me. I want to tell you things before I can’t anymore! I want to explain stuff- I want to do couples things! I mean- I don’t know if we’re together or anything, everything has been super unclear in general, but I really like you! I’d love to kick it casual style with you- not anything serious really, and if you’re not interested, that’s of course okay- Gosh I’d love to kiss you, is that crazy? I want to so bad! Do mermaids kiss each other?” Scar rambled on and on, but Grian had stopped listening, mind caught on the whirlwind of today, rubberbanded back to the anxiety and stress and horror and hopelessness. He did not feel good. This did not feel ‘worth it.’

He couldn’t stop looking at his hands. The tearing on his left wrist that had scarred somewhat, but his right hand was so far gone, the aftermath of being bitten and maimed clear all the way up to his elbow. It still felt tingly and numb. All of it, horrible.

Grian didn’t know if he would ever forget that. His hands being the only defense between Mumbo’s teeth and his own throat.

He hadn’t noticed the clearing grow quiet. He hadn’t noticed when Mumbo was suddenly so close, Grian nearly screaming when he looked up and saw Mumbo sitting there, too consumed in the spiral of his own mind. But Grian’s fear was obvious enough. Even Scar looked ready to hop off the boat to make sure he was okay.

“Did.. I do that?” Mumbo asked, and even void of tone, he was quieter than usual, fins laid back. “I don’t remember you. I remember blood. I hurt someone.”

“You really went after Joel,” Etho tried, but his heart wasn’t in it, too quiet, too awkward, “Bit him a couple times, got him good.”

Grian didn’t have the will to lie. “You tried to kill me.”

Mumbo stared for a long moment, processing maybe, or feeling something else. Grian didn’t really know. Too sad. Too tired.

“How do I make it better.”

Exhausting. A question like that was utterly exhausting. “I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault. I just.. I think I need to go home. I need to be alone for a while. Or maybe.. You guys can talk. Keep talking. I’ll nap on the boat.”

“No,” and it was Scar this time, calling from his place at the stern, “Let’s go home.”

“Humans talk too much,” Mumbo seemed to agree, turning around and swimming back toward Scar. “I will go home as well. It’s been too long. Too long on the surface is bad for me. Physical. Mental. Touch your human friends, forget me for a little while. Be good. Love well.”

Grian frowned, stung despite the sweetness. “I don’t.. You don’t have to go, Mumbo.”

“I will come back. I need some time. To feel safe again.” Mumbo glanced back toward the island, then ever-so-briefly at Etho, but even the small stutter of anxiety in Mumbo’s fins was enough to make Etho shrink away.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I really didn’t know, but even then I should have- I shouldn’t have-“ Etho didn’t get to finish, cut off by Mumbo’s approach, who apparently had far less issue touching Etho than he did Scar and Grian. Firmly, Mumbo took hold of Etho’s hands.

“I made my decision. You would not have changed it. Next time we might choose differently. What’s done is done. Go home, see your human. Love well.”

“Love well..” Despite hearing the words in English, Etho spoke the mermaid language to himself, quiet. “That’s how you say it.” Mumbo blinked slowly, flicking his tail.

Almost unconsciously, Grian tried to repeat the words himself, but he couldn’t snap, couldn’t recreate the clicks on his right hand like he was used to doing. It was a moment of distress; feeling his missing digits, knowing the motion like the back of his hand, but failing to make the noise.

Well.. Maybe he didn’t know the back of his hand anymore. He looked down at his wrists, frowning at the dark scars twisting through his skin. They weren’t attractive things, pinching and warping his forearms.

When he looked up, Mumbo was staring. “I hope you come back.” And that was a small comfort, knowing he’d be missed. Grian was never sure these days with Mumbo had Scar, if they really cared to want anyone else. They didn’t need anyone else, did they. Grian wouldn’t have even come here to rescue Mumbo if he’d had the choice. As it stood, he wished he hadn’t.

But.. well. As Mumbo had said, what’s done is done. Grian would have time to think bitterly later.

“I will.”

Mumbo gave a flick of his tail, acknowledgment, Grian was pretty sure at least, before diving back into the water, swimming away. Apparently mermaids didn’t linger on goodbyes, or even say farewells at all. (Or maybe they did, and Grian just didn’t know what it looked like.)

Silently, Etho took Grian’s left arm. Grian let him walk him to the boat, letting Scar pull him up. Scar offered to drive, but even beyond having to put in the effort to teach him, Grian just wanted to take care of it. To watch the water ahead, and think of nothing else.

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