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False tightened the bow of the apron, adjusting the shoulder straps and walking over to a booth near the window. Grian and Rendog- Pardon, Renbob sat.
Sitting at a table for two was Doc and Scar- Captain Angry Eyes. They looked over at the hippies with disgust, leaning in close to whisper to each other, False faintly saw a rolled up blue print in Doc's lab coat.
False didn't know exactly what was going on between the Hippie and Area 77 feud but knew it had something to do with Ren's machine. Their third hippie, Impulse, was sitting with Tango and Zedaph, still dressed in his hippie outfit. Tango and Zed both messed around with his flower crown as they waited.
"Hey there boys, what can I get ya?" False asked, walking up to the hippie table with a notepad and black pen.
"Hey Falsie!" Ren greeted her. "Just two orange juices. We ate a little while ago and are here to do some... planning." He glanced over at the Area 77 boys.
False giggled lightly as she wrote down the order. "You got it." She tapped the point of her pen against the notepad, looking at her messy handwriting.
The waitress (and manager) walked over to the pitcher of orange juice, pouring out two cups for Grian and Ren. The steam from the kitchen hitting her back. False took a glance at the clock and kept the time in mind. TFC came by every day for his cup of coffee.
False placed the drinks down in front of Ren and Grian. They thanked the hermit as she walked back. False took a glance in the kitchen window. Wels was busy making an Omlette while Beef stood near the fire extinguisher, shopping an assortment of vegetables.
False double-checked Keralis and Xisuma's orders then turned around when she heard the bell door jingle.
TFC walked into the diner, nodding at any of the hermits who greeted him along the way. "Morning, TFC." False greeted him, pouring him his cup of coffee. TFC sat down on the breakfast bar, not too far away from Xisuma, who gave him a wave.
"Morning, dear. Thank you." TFC spoke, taking the hot cup and blowing lightly.
False gave the hermit a curt nod and turned at the sound of a bell going off. Wels placed two dishes on the order tray, turning back to keep cooking. False grabbed the tray and checked the order sheet: Mumbo and Iskall.
She quickly made haste and walked towards the two redstoners, giving them their food. False walked back to the kitchen and stifled a laugh when Grian shot the end of a straw rapper straight towards Doc. The two hippies silenced their snickers while Doc mumbled something about 'those darn hippies'.
The day grew on and False closed up the diner after 1:00. Wels and Beef just finished cleaning up and left earlier. The hermits gave their thanks to the three of them as they left. It was nearing 1:03 when False locked the door and headed back to her house in Falsewell.
She looked at Area 77 in the distance, the government facility looming over her town. Falsewell was a tiring project, False remembered going to Scar frequently for help on city planning. Both of them shared the daily struggles of material grinding.
False walked into her home, threw the apron into the washing machine, and quickly changed out of her waitress clothes to her usual ones. The hermit grabbed her pickaxe and several shulker boxes, then walked back out.
~~~
"FALSIE!"
False moved her head up from the comfortable bed her body refused to move away from. Stress and Cleo dashed into her room, the zombie-human pulled on False's arm and tugging her to sit up on the bed.
"Heya, girls." False smiled, stretching her waist from side to side, Stress giving a weird look when she heard a few bones crack.
"We thought we'd give you a visit, it's been a while since we all hanged out together without the boys." Stress spoke up, sitting next to False on the bed, Cleo on her other side. "And we know how much this city is dragging out down as well." She continued with a sad smile.
"You can say that. But Falsewell isn't going to build itself." False added with a nod, grabbing out her book of ideas she had kept in her inventory with small sketches accompanied with margin notes in Scar's hand writing.
"Falsewell can wait, False, you can't just build until you drop." Cleo comforted the girl. "We notice your smiles fading when turning away from the others at the diner, how you're always so tired."
"Okay, you're right..." False cried out, she flopped back down on her bed.
"Falsewell has been so hard to keep up with. The materials are so grindy and time-consuming to get! I've been asking the other hermits to thoughts and tips and been going to Scar for help since he built Sweetberry but I don't want to drag time away from his projects.
"Not to mention the Area 77 thing. I love Doc and Scar, but they have to keep their experiments and whatever they are doing in there down a notch. There's also the diner I have to keep up with and Wels and Beef are saints for offering a hand but I feel like I'm just a... a burden?"
Her eyes were stinging with unshed tears. False pressed the heel of her wrist over her eyes and let out a small sniffle.
"False Symmetry!" Stress cried out, pulling her into a tight hug. "You're not a burden, False, and you never will be. You're out False, our bad-ass, mob kicking, talented False. All of us love you, and going to any of us for help doesn't make you a burden."
"Falsie, we're here to help, no matter what." Cleo joined in on the hug. "If ever you need anything, you can always turn to us or any of the other hermits, we love you."
False felt like she was going to cry some more. The hermit wrapped her arms around her friends, holding them tightly and letting a few tears roll down her face. "Thank you, I really needed this." False muttered, pulling back and holding onto their hands.
"Don't bottle up your emotions, False, if you need someone to talk to, just ask us." Cleo smiled at her.
Stress got a small ding from her communicator, she looked down and saw a message from Jevin and a sly smile appeared on her face, False cocked her head to the side, knowing the expression all too well.
"Hey, what about heading to the diner for drinks?" Stress asked False, Cleo nodding along.
"Um... sure, I guess." False wiped her eyes with a tissue handed to her by Cleo and was helped up to her feet by the two girls.
The three of them chatted on the way to the diner. False let her mind wander as she laughed at some joke Cleo made about her recent shenanigan with Joe. False walked up to the diner, testing the door to find that it was strangely unlocked.
"Weird... I sword I locked it up when I left." False turned to Stress and Cleo, who both shrugged.
False slowly opened the door, Cleo and Stress staying behind her by a few blocks. False heard small whispers and looked around the dark diner.
"SURPRISE!"
False jumped up in alarm, instantly firing an arrow right past... "Beef?"
False spoke up abruptly, seeing the slime man, force the arrow out of the wall and let it clatter to the floor. Wels stood next to him, holding up a cake. Around them stood the other hermits, all of them laughing and with large smiles on their faces.
The diner was decked out with streams hanging from the walls, balloons littered the ceiling and the tables were set up with confetti and flowers. The booth was filled with steaming hot food on platters.
"What-- What's all this?" False let out a light laugh, turning to Stress and Cleo behind her.
"We know you've been busy working on Falsewell and this diner." Wels spoke up, placing the cake down on one of the tables. "So all of us, and I mean all of us, planned a party for you."
"What? You guys knew this entire time?" False turned to Stress and Cleo, outraged but still smiling. "I swear to Notch, you're going to make me cry again."
"Wait, again?" Jevin spoke up.
"Never mind that-" False batted with a wave of her hand. "But really guys..." Her eyes deceived her as tears began to swell up. "Thank you."
"GROUP HUG!"
False let out a larger smile as several pairs of arms wrapped around her, all the the hermits had smiled on their faces, laughing and yelling out words of praise and support. False leaned her head against the side of Cleo and Stress's head, closing her eyes and smiling as happy tears ran down her face.
"You okay, False?" Wels asked, noticing the still-wet cheeks as they all moved back.
"I'm fine, really. Just, it's been a rough few days, so thank you, everyone." False looked around the group. "You guys are the best hermits a girl could ask for. Now what are waiting for? LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"