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Ever since she decided to pack up her things and try for a life on the road, Eggabell hadn't had a single predictable thing happen to her. It felt like everyday refused to end until something happened that Eggabell hadn't prepared for, especially with her new companion Liz by her side. Whether it be their car breaking down, or Liz getting stung by something and swelling up, or her medical supplies somehow catching fire, Eggabell felt like she could never catch a break. At the very least, Liz was optimistic, and never let these bumps in the road get her down, so it was a little harder to stay depressed around her. Sure, at times Eggabell liked the uncertainty, the adrenaline of being on the road constantly, but would it kill the universe to let some good things happen to her for once? Just a calm day where nothing goes wrong?
The most recent surprise was an unexpected new companion to their next adventure. Liz hadn't ever been shy about who she is or where she's from, in fact, she loved to pass the time by telling stories from her childhood (that is, after she ran out of daring tales to tell Eggabell of her escaping certain death in some grump-forsaken tomb). During these childhood stories Liz almost always mentioned another grumpus she grew up with, a younger boy who had some real issues standing up for himself. Most stories he was in had Liz helping him stand up for himself in some form or another, with only a few sprinkled here and there where it was the boy who was able to solve the problem. Truthfully, he sounded a little bit like a loser, but Eggabell would never say that to Liz's face, especially considering how fond she sounded of him.
Back to this new companion; before setting off for Liz's new adventure she had excitedly told Eggabell that she managed to convince a certain someone to come with them. Eggabell honestly had no clue who she was talking about, and, despite her many guesses, Liz never budged on telling her. It wasn't until they pulled into Liz's hometown that Eggabell started making the connections.
They planned to have a meeting at some chain restaurant, giving time for Liz and her friend to catch up, and then time to talk about semantics for their upcoming 'vacation.' So far this was the only person they knew would be coming, with all other invitations still up in the air. This expedition wasn't like Liz's previous ones - she planned to stay long term and so she needed a group to keep the home base safe and stable while she was away digging around the island. Usually she would only spend a few days to weeks in an area of interest, but Liz had made it clear that this expedition could go on for years. Eggabell was excited for the change of pace, but also very nervous about what dangers they may face.
As they pulled up to the restaurant Liz's face lit up at the figure standing outside. She hurriedly parked, unbuckled, and ran towards the person, grabbing them into one of her patten bear hugs. Eggabell trailed behind her, waiting for the introductions to begin.
"Here he is in the flesh, Filbo Fiddlepie!" Liz gave a grand gesture towards the teal grumpus as he nervously waved to Eggabell. "Filbo, meet my uhm-" Liz faltered, glancing towards Eggabell. Truthfully neither were really sure what to call each other - girlfriends sounded too casual for the amount of times they've saved each other lives, but neither had popped the question yet either so wives wasn't really applicable either. Liz seemed to land on something, though, as she quickly got back on track, "-partner! Eggabell Batternugget She's a certified doctor AND certified cutie. She's been saving my hide in more ways then one." Liz winked at that, and while Eggabell usually liked playing along with Liz's flirting, she was just a tiny bit more interesting in finally meeting the infamous Filbo.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Filbo. Liz has told me a lot about you." Eggabell politely reached out a paw for him to shake, and Filbo was quick to accept the shake as he nervously laughed.
"I uh- hope it was all good things...?" He glanced towards Liz, who just kept smiling and did nothing to answer his question. Instead she clapped him on the shoulder the second the shake ended, and barreled on as they headed inside.
"How have things been with you and your family? Hope you haven't been bored to tears sitting around here all day!"
Liz and Filbo did some catching up while Eggabell listened, and it was all normal childhood friends stuff. Eventually the conversation turned to planning for the trip and Eggabell listened as Liz told Filbo all about the Island they were going to explore. Liz had already taken a trip there to scope out the land and find a good place to settle, and had come back all jittery with a bandaged arm. Eggabell had tried to get a look at the injury but Liz wouldn't budge on saying it would be fine and to not worry so much, and, well, just a few days later Liz unwrapped her arm and it looked completely healed. Eggabell wasn't so sure Liz had been telling her the full truth, though, because from her shocked reaction at seeing her own arm there was clearly something she hadn't told her. Eggabell also couldn't help but notice that she didn't mention the arm injury when telling Filbo about the island.
She had now moved on to what Filbo should do to prepare for the trip when she said something that Eggabell hadn't been expecting at all.
"Until we get a ship and everything set up, how about you move in with me and Eggabell? It'll be much easier to plan with you close by, and you won't have to make the long trip from here to the city!" Eggabell, in the middle of taking a sip from her drink, sputtered and gave Liz a shocked look. She didn't want to be rude and outright reject allowing Filbo to stay with them to his face, but she just met the guy! Liz gave her a look while Filbo seemed more concerned that she might've choked on something.
"I- uh, sorry it's just you didn't tell me before that Filbo would be staying with us." Eggabell didn't want to start an argument with Liz, she knew how much Liz cared about the guy, but they're partners! Communication matters.
"I didn't? Sorry Bell, but I promise he won't be too much of a bother, now will you Filbo?" She turned to address him as she spoke.
"You won't even notice I'm there!" He smiled wide to show his sincerity. Eggabell hesitantly returned the smile as Liz began listing off what items Filbo should pack.
Great, another surprise to add to the list.
----
Their short-term apartment wasn't built for three grumpuses, and Liz knew she'd be kissing Eggabell goodbye if she offered to let Filbo sleep in the only bedroom with them, so he had taken up residence on the couch. Eggabell kinda felt bad for him - the couch was definitely not that comfortable, and it must be hard living in the common space where everyone was in your business all the time, but he never seemed to mind. Eggabell got the feeling he was used to not having much privacy, so her guilt over having him sleep there wasn't too bad.
One morning Eggabell walked blearily into the kitchen to see Filbo happily cooking on their stove. Yes, he made them breakfast every morning. Yes, Eggabell appreciated it. Yes, it was still a little weird.
"Morning Filbo," Eggabell greeted. She wasn't exactly a morning person, but she learned to be from her years in medical school.
"Good morning Eggabell!" He cheerfully flipped an egg in the skillet - he also always made eggs, which didn't go over Eggabell's head. After he finished plating the food, he and Eggabell ate in near silence. Liz probably wouldn't be up for a while; Eggabell hated to make her stop resting, even if she wasn't recovering from anything at the moment, so the two would just have to eat breakfast without her.
Eggabell hadn't had many chances to speak with just Filbo, so she took to opportunity to try to get to know him better. "So, you excited for this trip?"
"Oh yeah! I haven't traveled outside of the city for a long time, and have you read Liz's research notes? Apparently this place has a rich history!"
"Mmmhmmm..." Eggabell hummed while eating. She was more worried about what potential dangers they'd face - being an unexplored island it probably had its own unique dangers, and no one had researched any treatments for them yet. She'd probably have her hands full if too many grumpuses decide to come with them, and she wasn't looking forward to that too much. Being the only doctor would be exhausting. "You guys just be careful. It's fun to poke around but if you think anything dangerous is around, you better get out of there."
"You don't have to tell me twice! I'm pretty good at uh-running away." He smiled sheepishly, but there was clearly some sort of self deprecating meaning behind the words. Eggabell chose to ignore it, not too confident in her own ability to dissuade others' insecurities.
"Yeah? Well, at least that's one person who'll listen to me. Liz seems allergic to doing what keeps her safe." She rolled her eyes at that, but her tone was playful. As Liz's medic it was their little song and dance; Liz gets hurt doing something brave and stupid, Eggabell patches her up and scolds her for being brave and stupid, repeat, repeat, repeat.
"Oh, I know what you mean. When we were little she always would wander off where we weren't supposed to go, and I'd have to follow her to make sure she didn't get lost." He sounded genuinely glad that someone else saw Liz's reckless side and found it worrying.
"Sounds like Liz. Guess she hasn't changed much." Eggabell leaned back in her chair, her eggs gone, and relaxed as the conversation lulled. She then realized what Filbo's words meant, and quickly sat back up. "Hey, do you have any embarrassing stories about Liz from when you were kids?"
"Uhmm... Oh! Did you ever hear about the time she got gum stuck in her fur? And it kept spreading so much that she had to get like half her body shaved?"
"No, lemme hear it."
----
Well, Liz officially had her crew. She didn't want too many or too little, so she and Eggabell landed on having 13 grumpuses total, her and Eggabell included. Originally Liz had only a few people in mind she was set on inviting - a scientist she had some contact with previously, an archeologist she had worked with before, the famous singer Wiggle that she and Eggabell loved, and a body builder who she planned to have help with any heavy lifting they'd need. Once the invites went out, a lot of them returned by asking if they could bring a plus one, and Liz couldn't say no to them. Besides, the more the merrier. Apparently this island was something special, though, as Liz eventually started using less 'conventional' means of recruiting grumpuses, such as TV ads and even a raffle. When Eggabell asked her about it she just smiled and said something about it being a once in a life time opportunity that she wanted to share.
All that being said, Liz had somehow managed to round up the strangest group of people Eggabell had ever seen. They all were widely different in terms of personality, but at least they all seemed to respect Liz and her plan.
They set out on their ship the same day the last person arrived - the mysterious Shelda who immediately mystified the body builder Chandlo with her strange speeches - and Eggabell was already second guessing if all of this was a good idea. Floofty and Snorpy refused to be within 10 feet of each other, Beffica kept getting caught snooping through the other grumpuses luggage, and Cromdo wouldn't stop asking Liz what the most priceless artifact she'd found was.
They haven't even reached Snaktooth Island yet.
Eggabell had been staying by Liz's side so far for the trip, and she could tell Liz was already getting a little frustrated with her new band of misfits. She leaned towards Eggabell to tell her something when she was cut off by Filbo leaving the lower cabins with a large piece of paper.
"Everyone, I've been working on a map of our settlement, if you want to help me decide where to put your hut, come talk to me!" He then sat on one end of the ship and like moths to a flame every grumpus was huddled up next to him in an instant. Eggabell excused herself from Liz's side to check out what Filbo had been working on - he hadn't mention any settlement plans to her or Liz. As she approached she could hear Snorpy speaking as he pointed to one corner of the page.
"Why do I have to share the mill house with Floofty? We may be siblings, but we do not get along. Besides, I haven't had to share a room with them in over a decade." He upturned his head away from the mentioned sibling while they merely raised an eyebrow in response.
"Oh uhm, sorry when I made this I didn't realize you guys weren't... close. I put Floofty there so they could have easy access to the research tent, would you rather I move you somewhere else, Snorpy?" Eggabell was close enough now to see the layout of the settlement and could see what the two were talking about. On one side of the settlement was a larger hut with the words 'Snorpy + Floofty' written over it. Next to it was a smaller hut labeled 'Chandlo', and another one on the other side labeled 'Gramble', while closer to the middle was the aforementioned research tent.
"Mmmmm..." Snorpy nervously shifted his weight and glanced toward Chandlo, who, as per usual, was just absentmindedly listening. She wasn't exactly sure if the two were dating, but since meeting them they'd always been right by each other's side, so she had just gone ahead with assuming they were. Because of this Eggabell quickly picked up why Snorpy was hesitating; he was already as close as possible to Chandlo's hut, moving him anywhere else would put more distance between them. She was about to ask if something else could be arranged when Floofty spoke up.
"I'll just swap with Chandlo, that way I'll be closer to the research tent, and not have to deal with Snorpy. Problem solved." Floofty didn't betray a hint of realization for what this new arrangement meant for Snorpy and Chandlo, but considering they were siblings to Snorpy, she figured they already knew and were playing cool.
"Oh, uh, are you sure?" Snorpy sounded relived, but still held onto a bit of caution in his voice.
"Yes, now accept it before I change my mind."
"Oh alright, I guess me and Chandlo will keep being roommates..." His tone didn't sound disappointed at all despite his choice of words.
"Awesome, I wouldn't have it any other way," Chandlo smoothly responded, which led to Snorpy silently backing away, probably out of embarrassment. Eggabell wondered if those two were bigger flirts then her and Liz.
The conversation moved onto whatever Shelda was talking about - "One does not require your restrictive walls!" - as Eggabell continued to examine Filbo's map. It had everything the others had talked about needing, there was even a cute little outhouse tucked away in the corner. She was impressed by how much thought Filbo had put into the design, and by the looks of the little smiley faces on each corner he was proud of it too. There was just one thing on the map that confused her and so she decided to bring it up once the conversation opened up again.
"Hey Filbo, how come you gave me and Liz different houses?" Right by the center there were two separate huts labeled 'Elizabert' and 'Eggabell.' "You do realize we're like... a couple?"
"Oh uh, well, yes I know, it's just as resident doctor I figured you'd have a visitor every now and then, and I wasn't sure Liz would want them in her hut. And I wanted to give you guys your own huts since you're both the leaders!" He smiled at that, and Eggabell couldn't help but laugh a bit at his sincerity.
"That's sweet of you," Eggabell found herself saying that a lot in response to Filbo," but me and Liz always bunk together. Besides, I'll probably be making house visits considering how close everyone is. Why don't you just combine the two huts?"
"Okay! Oh, and I bet we could add a little balcony if we combine your huts! Yeah, that'll look cool." He began scribbling away on the paper, fixing the drawing to one hut instead of two.
"Whoa Filbo, this looks awesome!" Liz suddenly appeared, admiring Filbo's handiwork. "I love the little campfire you made. Very homey." Moving the paper closer so she could see better, Filbo positively beamed under Liz's compliments. Eggabell easily understood the feeling. "You know, I didn't think about our settlement at all, but you've put a lot of heart into this. I think you should be the leader of our little town. Bell will have enough to worry about what with being the doctor, so we'll need someone to keep the peace. How does that sound, Filbo?"
"Oh, really? Are you sure I'll be able to do that?" He looked absolutely star struck.
"Of course! Look at how you've pulled us all together to check out your map. You're a natural leader Filbo." Liz clapped him on the shoulder, a gesture she did whenever she felt affectionate, and Filbo looked like he was just about to say something before getting cut off.
"Uh- I hate to end this little touching scene," Beffica suddenly butted in, pointing to the other end of the ship, "but Lizbert if you're here, who's steering the ship?"
At Beffica's words all the color drained from Liz's face before she bolted back to her post, swearing under her breath.
----
Construction on the Snaktooth Island settlement (lovingly titled Snaxburg by Filbo) was coming along nicely; every building had its foundations down, and the fence around the settlement was almost done. It was kind of slow going at first because of how new almost everyone was to living 'off the grid.' Beffica complained the most about not having any internet access, but she must've gotten used to it after a while because her complaints stopped. The bugsnax living on the island that Liz had been keeping as a secret certainly did wonders to calm everyone's nerves the first few weeks, Eggabell included. She was used to this sort of operation, but what she wasn't used to was having a bunch of strangers breathing down neck while she worked. She enjoyed the time she had to herself as much as possible.
She was helping Chandlo collect supplies for the huts when Filbo hurriedly trotted up to her, holding a rolled up piece of paper in his paws. He'd apparently taken on the duty of architect (and mayor from the looks of the sash he started wearing after Liz reminded everyone that he was in charge when she was gone) and had been going around helping everyone finalize what they wanted their huts to look like. Gramble's hut was probably the one with the most changes made, as once he started adopting every bugsnax he could get a hold of, one little hut wasn't going to be enough. He and Filbo had spent some time by the campfire one night planning out his new barn style housing. Now it seemed he wanted to talk to Eggabell about her and Liz's hut.
"Hi Eggabell, hi Chandlo," he greeted once he came to stop next to them.
"'Sup," Chandlo responded as he continued to lift entire logs like it was nothing.
"Is it okay if I borrow you for a minute, Eggabell?" Eggabell glanced towards Chandlo to make sure he didn't need any help currently - he just nodded slowly - then followed Filbo as he led her back towards her hut's foundation.
"What do you wanna talk about?"
"I just want to make sure this layout is good for you two. I meant to catch Liz before she left to ask what she thought, but she was gone before I woke up this morning. Hopefully you can speak on her behalf...?" He handed her the paper, eagerly watching as she unfolded it.
Scanning the sketch he provided, Eggabell was blown away by how detailed it was. It seemed he knew how much Liz loved her old fashioned filming, as he had made sure to have an area in their hut set aside for it. The second story study was a nice touch, and Liz would definitely benefit from having a room dedicated to her research. He even followed through with his plan of adding a balcony; it was situated at just the right spot to overlook the entire camp. Liz would absolutely enjoy their little hut.
"It looks great Filbo!" She handed the paper back, careful not to smudge any of his hard work. "And I'm sure Liz will like it too." Filbo responded with that same beaming look on his face for whenever Liz compliments him. "It's really cool how much thought you put into this."
"Thank you! Yeah, I tried to think through everything with 'what would Liz want?'" He sheepishly scratched the back of his head and laughed, a habit Eggabell noticed for when he was feeling bashful.
"Oh, and by the way," Filbo continued, with a look in his eyes that Eggabell couldn't quite place, "I made sure to give you guys a little more privacy in your bedroom for when you and Liz wanna have some 'fun' together." He winked.
"Ah," was the only response Eggabell could manage.