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Since they'd been called the "Ginger Breadmen" - or maybe because of that - Grian and Gem had taken to a snowy taiga in the north, and transformed a handful of chunks into a fairytale forest of custom trees. And in its middle, a Gingerbread House.
Now that Doc was standing beneath the pine canopies, he was sure that their main source of inspiration were the illustrated pages of "Die Märchen der Gebrüder Grimm" of his childhood. As a teenager, he'd seat Gem, barely past the age of a toddler, on his lap and let her marvel at the pictures while he roughly translated the tales that she'd heard oh-so-many times.
He didn't have much peace of mind to stand outside and marvel at the trees, because the ruckus that came from their little cottage was very much on brand for the two chaotic gremlins and their visitors. (As the Hermits were one huge polycule, many of them had non-Hermit partners; Gem and Grian both had a thing with Solidarity, and everyone knew Grian and Pete pined for each other from dawn to sunset)
When he knocked, Pete was overly polite, as if his formalities could overshadow the very obvious shenanigans going on in the background.
In all his niceness, the slime led him to their kitchen table, offered him something warm to drink (he denied), then went off to get the others.
Within the brouhaha that followed, Doc couldn't have made out anything even if he wanted to. But it didn't take more than a few minutes until Pete came back, the frowning shape of Grian thrown over his shoulder. He plopped him on the window still to the side, and whispered something in his ear that Doc was pretty sure was either a sexual promise or a threat.
"You were right, Doc", Gem said when she joined them, Jimmy (or was it Timmy?) in taw, "Grian does have a dysfunctional waffle"
"Excuse you, it's a very pristine waffle!" And an elbow to the side from Pete.
"Ow! And what does that even mean?"
His sister started giggling, then, with less mirth, turned to Pete, "Didn't you offer Doc some tea?"
"I really-"
"You don't have a choice, you're drinking tea with us!"
Well, that settled that then.
He got out a bundle, and checked that it was filled to the brim with bottles of honey, "There's a German saying: Einen an der Waffel haben, literally having one across the waffle. Means as much as hallucinating all sorts of weird sh-stuff", then gave it to his sister, "Here's the honey you asked me for"
Doc didn't need to look to know that Grian was beet red in the face, but held his tongue because of Pete and his Death Stare.