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Beffica Winklesnoot was nosy by nature, even she could admit it. Hell, if anything, she was proud of it. She was always like that, even as a grumpling, and it showed even today with her job choice. Journalistic photography was made for her, it seemed.
A grin found itself worming onto her face as she sorted through the latest scandal she had stumbled on, Lolam Lacecharm, some playboy millionaire known for his desire for attention from the public, hitting it up with up-and-coming actor Faytha Palmnom, taking up many secondary character roles recently. This was going to hit his reputation hard, no doubt, considering he was supposedly engaged. Doubly so, considering all the attention he brought to it, proposing in front of many cameras.
Justice was a heavy hitter.
She couldn’t stop the giggle that slipped out seeing the expression on his face once she was spotted spying on top of a tree, forever immortalised on a photograph. With that thought, she pocketed her camera, scooching off of her bed.
No one hid from Beffica Winklesnoot. No one.
Yet another friendship blowing up in her face, leaving her all alone again. Great. She let out a morose sigh, watching as they stormed off in a rage after what went down.
It wasn’t her fault they got all defensive after she started poking a bit of fun at their anger issues, it was just a bit of harmless fun, after all. It just went downhill after that, shouting in the middle of a public park where it was supposed to be calm and peaceful. She could count it lucky it was quiet today, no one could see her losing her cool.
Well, no point in dwelling, she supposed. They weren’t worth it if they just walked out over one joke. She brushed her bangs out of her face, looking to the sky in thought over what was next for her.
Her job was great financially, considering there was always something going down, and she had a knack for it, but that didn’t mean that it came with its own issues. She was certain that if she wasn’t so good at finding dirt, she’d be tossed to the side over something trivial because the higher-ups wouldn’t want their own secrets exposed to the world.
She grimaced at that. It was all the same, no matter where you turned to. Everyone had their secrets and would do anything to protect them, at the expense of others. A cold truth of the world. Even close friends could drop you at the slightest chance you knew.
She wasn’t exactly surprised by how everything turned out recently. Lolam, the entitled prick, had gotten word that she was the one exposing his cheating, and had publically spoke against her, pulling the victim card. Of course, people still called him out for cheating on his partner, but that wasn’t the end of it. Ever since then, things had been off.
She always felt like she was being watched. It wasn’t anywhere near obvious, and she had no proof, but she didn’t ever feel safe since he talked. She doubted it was him organising things, he wasn’t anywhere near influential enough for that, but maybe he was the catalyst bringing unwanted attention from less than savoury grumpuses.
She would never admit it, but she was beginning to fear her safety. She had to disappear for a while, and let the heat die down.
Still, where could she go that would let her fly under the radar?
As she thought that, her memory suddenly drudged up something she saw recently.
“I’m offering anyone with the skill set an opportunity to come with me on an expedition of a lifetime! Your dreams could be fulfilled, your big break could come through, it’s an excellent opportunity! All this, and whatever else you can reach for, on Snaktooth Island!”
Snaktooth Island. Infamous for the dangerous waters surrounding it, and the elusive nature of the island itself. That name was usually associated with another tragedy on the front page of GNN, with yet another warning to stay away from the island.
It was the perfect getaway. If she remembered correctly, Elizabeth Megafig was the one advertising the trip, so she’d have to hunt her down as quick as she could to hop along.
If Elizabert was half as what she depicted herself, the trip would be a cinch. If she was a liar, though, she’d back off and find another way.
She wasn’t about to join someone for the sake of their delusions.
Well, Beffica could confidently say Lizbert was the real deal, so she had no issues hopping along with her on the expedition. With no real dangers along the way as well, they managed to land safely and establish a small settlement in about a week.
Of course, it was far from comfortable, but she could deal with it.
The expedition team itself was an interesting bunch as well. There was Lizbert and her lover, of course, but she didn’t expect to see Wiggle Wigglebottom of all grumpuses coming along. That would be interesting to find out about, but that could wait until everyone was less likely to find out. Especially since they were all going to be here for a while.
Making enemies this early on would make this all a waste, anyway, so she’d play nice for now.
She found her eyes drifting, though, taking in the many grumpuses who came along with Lizbert for their own reasons, wondering why they’d go to an island known for ships crashing. An undeniable curiosity rose out of her, desperately wanting to know why.
Still, she’d hold back for now. There was no point in causing issues for herself in week one.
Though, there was one grump in particular that stood out to her.
Filbo Fiddlepie.
He got on her nerves, to say the least. He was off in his little world, mooching off of Lizbert while pretending to be a deputy mayor all the while. In short, what she despised. His happy-go-lucky personality was only the icing on the proverbial cake that was Filbo Fiddlepie, and she was going to get to the center of it one way or another.
There was no way someone that cheerful had some darker secrets, and uncovering stuff like that was her speciality. The only issue was, making sure no one knew it was her right away.
Truthfully, she didn’t mind being cast aside for it, if it meant finding something worthwhile. She was used to it, and that was how it went. But she at least wanted to do it on her terms, not when she just got started on her “vacation”.
All she could do was mark down those that caught her eye in her journal, then. She grinned as she pulled it out, doodling a little drawing of the cyan grumpus before circling it with force.
She was going to find out everything about everyone, but Filbo was first.
“What the grump are ya doin’ here, ya little brat!?” Cromdo’s harsh voice cut in, interrupting her filtering through his trunk. “Why’re ya stickin’ yer grimy paws in my stuff!?” Thinking quickly, she stood up, grinning cheekily as he entered the room.
“Well, Mister Sticky Paws, you have no right to talk considering your little habit you’ve got going on.” She leaned on one paw, brushing her bangs out of her face. “Besides, I’m betting most of the things in there aren’t even yours, creep.” He sputtered out half-baked words, trying to think of something to say, before growling in frustration.
“Agh, you little grumpin’... All of that stuff in there’s mine, fair and square, and you accusin’ me of stealin’ is really insultin’ my credibility here, Beff.” He walked to the trunk, slamming it down quickly. “Besides, there’s nothin’ worth much here.” She lifted what she took from the trunk at that, grin widening as his expression morphed into shock.
“I’m sure Floofty would love to hear about why you have some of their beakers, then.” She said, waving it in front of him. “Thinking of trying to get a quick buck once you got off here?” He glared at her, before lunging suddenly.
“Gimme that!” He shouted, desperately trying to grab the beaker from her paws. She took a step to the side, keeping it out of reach as he slammed down on the floor beside her. Seeing no point in staying around, she turned towards the exit, and booked it, leaving an angry, raving Cromdo behind.
After making sure she wasn’t going to be followed, she let out a breath, relief hitting her.
“Nothing gets by me… Nothing.” She lifted the beaker, trying to see if there was anything strange about it. Of course, it was just a regular beaker, but with all the hearsay around Doctor Fizzlebean, anything was possible. “Hm… No point in keeping this, then, I guess.” She pocketed it, for now, taking the first few steps towards the makeshift tent Floofty spent their days at.
Not even a month in, and things were already being stolen. This was going to be interesting.
She had to admit, the cave she found herself in was getting boring.
Snaxburg had dissolved quickly once Lizbert had gone missing, and Eggabell along with her. She always knew she’d be done in by her lover. It didn’t mean she liked being right, though.
Such is the true nature of grumpuses, a field she had far too much knowledge of.
There wasn’t any point dwelling in right now though, she had other things to worry about. Namely, food.
She couldn’t catch many Bugsnax on her own, unfortunately, and there wasn’t even many around right now. Strange, considering the abundance of them normally, but it wasn’t like she could materialise one in front of her magically.
Instead, she’d have to find something else to satiate her hunger, something with easy access.
Almost immediately, a single place entered her mind, the perfect place for someone of her skill set.
Wambus’ farm. The sauce there was abundant most of the time whenever she passed by, so it wasn’t like she’d be doing anything wrong with just… Swiping some when he wasn’t looking. He’d probably just blame the Bungers or something predictable like that.
She’d have to wait a few more hours, then, when he’d be at the very least drowsier than normal. She didn’t know too much about him because of how quickly everything started to unravel back in Snaxburg, but he treated his crops like they were his children sometimes. Always watching over them, always making sure they were healthy or whatever.
It would have been admirable if they were grumplings, not plants. No wonder Triffany left him. The image of Triffany being ignored over plants made her snort.
She had a look around her cave, where the blank cave walls met her eyes. Maybe that was playing a part in her boredom, having to live in a cave with no personality.
She could change that.
“Time to give this cave the Winklesnoot touch.” She declared, reaching over for her pens.
Well, staying out in her cave didn’t last long at all.
A waste of all the time she spent decorating the walls with her art, but it wasn’t the end of the world. She was leaving her mark on the island if nothing else.
Instead, she was looking forward to what was going to happen soon. Her bestie was committed to bringing everyone here, despite their less than enthusiastic attitude, but it wasn’t like they were trying to hide the real reason why.
They were one of the good ones, and that’s why they were her bestie.
But Snaxburg was quiet, and she had little to do other than dig through the abandoned houses again. She wasn’t going to find anything that she hadn’t already found, but it wasn’t like she had much else to do while her bestie was occupied.
She wanted them involved with her snooping. She couldn’t do too much because of all the distrust, but they had nothing involved with all this. They could get what she wanted, and they could share a laugh over it.
She stole a glance from where she was over to the farm where Wambus was in the middle of tilling the soil, grinning at the thought of what he was hiding. The fact that he was using a cactus of all things drove how lonely he was, so there was no doubt more to dig up on him.
Snaxburg hadn’t seen the last of Beffica, not by a long shot.
She couldn’t believe it. Cromdo had the gall to show his face in Snaxburg again, after all she’d done to show just how much of a sleazebag he was. On top of that, he had set up shop as if nothing had happened.
True, she couldn’t blame their bestie for bringing him back, they did promise to bring everyone after all, but just the sight of him made her shiver.
If she hadn’t gotten used to seeing the scum of the earth by now, no doubt she’d have snapped, but she was better than that. She’d just have to try it from a different angle, then.
…
The things she had discovered were rather lackluster so far if she was honest. Wambus using a cactus wife was pretty sweet for a first find from their bestie, and Wiggle sneaking into Gramble’s barn at night made a whole lot of sense considering how the pair acted around each other, but aside from that, she couldn’t find much.
It didn’t help that everyone kept their lids shut whenever she made herself known.
She sighed, pinching her nose in annoyance. She wasn’t going to get anything done with moping, so she'd just have to up her game, and get her bestie to help again.
She’d seen Cromdo moving around midnight before everyone left, so maybe she’d find something damning enough to get him out for good this time. Maybe he was digging around people’s belongings like usual.
She giggled at the prospect of that, catching her bestie’s attention as they passed by her.
“Ah, Beffica.” They said, expression neutral. “Still going at it?”
She grinned impishly. “Hey there, bestie, got a new target…”
Despite having a Snakpod to ease her stress, she still felt hollow inside.
She just couldn’t believe that Chandlo had nothing on him. The nicest guys were always the scummiest, they put on such a kind demeanour for that exact reason. To hide their true nature.
But not Chandlo, apparently, he just had to be exactly what he was.
There had to be something, anything, she could dig up, but… She just didn’t have the energy anymore.
She wasn’t happy with her life, she could admit that much to herself, but she had to do it because no one else would. Because every grumpus on the planet was always lying to each other's faces, always having ulterior motives to everything. That was what kept her going, putting aside everything to expose the truth.
Maybe that was why she found herself in her last job.
No one was genuine, and anyone who portrayed themselves as that was the worst kind of grump. Or at least, that was what she believed until an hour ago.
At least the Snax didn’t have anything to hide, they weren’t smart enough for that.
She wasn’t sure what she could believe anymore, or what she was going to do after this, but she just didn’t want to move from where she laid on her bed.
Nothing was right anymore. Everything she thought was true had been shattered.
First, her own belief in life was shattered with the whole thing with Chandlo, and now she was forced to leave the island with everyone else before they were massacred by the Bugsnax swarm. She thought they were all she could rely on, but nothing, nothing, was true.
It was a wonder she kept her composure so well when holding them off with Cromdo, the very same grumpus she hated more than anyone else. Now she was leaning into his side like a newborn grumpling, staring blankly at the state of her body.
Her throat burned as the stinging tears began streaming down her face, unable to keep herself calm any longer. They got away, but two grumpuses were left behind, changed into that monster, and no one was really happy after everything.
Why did it have to end up like this? Why did she have to go through all of this so quickly? She stifled another sob as Cromdo rubbed her shoulder awkwardly with his Snakified paw.
“Ah, geez, Beff… I got ya.” He whispered to her, holding her closer. “I got ya…”
She couldn’t bring herself to say anything in response.
It took a long time to get over what had happened to everyone. Between having to recover from her transformation, not being able to eat food without having memories dredged up from the dark corners of her mind, and having to reconsider her life priorities, she had a lot on her plate to deal with.
But she did. Or rather, she had gotten a grasp on it. She wasn’t likely ever going to move on from what had happened, but she could function again and that was what counted.
Cromdo had been with her more than most others, always checking up on her and lending a helping paw whenever she had another sleepless night. She wouldn’t say it to his face any time soon, but… He was more of a father than her biological one ever was.
Filbo had made something of himself as well, even back then. She didn’t want to dwell on it, but Filbo grew as a grump from everything. He’d become mayor of New Grump City, for grump’s sake.
That was the first good thing she had heard in a long while from anyone related to that expedition.
But, she needed to get a job again. She couldn’t live off benefits and savings forever. Maybe a photography job away from sensationalising every little thing would be good.
She didn’t know what her path was now, even after all the time spent reflecting, but one thing was for certain.
Beffica Winklesnoot wasn’t about to give up on life.