Chapter Text
Grian finds himself sitting on one of the chairs within Mumbo’s study, hands set on his lap. His lips are set in a firm line as he stares down his feet. He feels heavy, like someone has draped themself over him and is laying there. His shoulders are sagging low, to the point that he can draw a perfect slope from them if he so chooses to. He sits and stares at his hands, hair hanging around his face as he does. It’s still wet, water droplets dripping on the cotton t-shirt Mumbo has let him borrow.
A white towel is held out to him, along with a quiet yet slightly awkward cough, “E-Erm, here. So you can dry off.” Mumbo says, and when Grian looks up at him, he glances away.
“Oh, thanks.” He takes the towel from Mumbo and first unties his hair before rustling the towel around to dry it.
Mumbo hovers for a moment, as if he’s unsure of what to do with himself. He watches Grian before clearing his throat and moving to sit in a chair opposite him. He doesn’t speak for a moment, simply taking in the other’s appearance.
Grian is dragging the towel through his hair carefully, squeezing it to remove the excess water. Though he’s moving slowly, movements almost methodical and robotic. When he throws it over his entire head and shuffles it, the towel only makes his hair even messier than before. He doesn’t seem to care much. Mumbo takes a look at his eyes, and finds that they’re still rimmed a slight red. He just looks so… sad.
Mumbo finds himself fidgeting with his hands, unsure of what to do here. Grian seems to know, however, as he stands and hands Mumbo the now damp towel. Fumbling to accept, Mumbo ends up setting the towel on the back of his chair. Grian settles back into his seat, taking to looking around the room.
Neither one of them speaks at first.
The vampire shifts in his seat, glancing at Grian and then glancing away. It happens more than once, and Mumbo can’t remember the last time he’s ever felt so awkward in someone else’s presence. Which is rather odd, considering he and Grian have interacted before.
Maybe it’s because the circumstances feel different. He’s invited Grian into the house rather than pushing him out. They’ve broken the mold, a mold that Mumbo has had in place for years. It had taken him forever to put together, trial after trial, after painstaking trial. But eventually he had figured out the right tools he needed to put that mold together, and to find ways to make it hold.
Yet to his (unfortunate) surprise, Grian has completely broken it with no regard for all of the work Mumbo has put into it over the years. He’s left Mumbo scrambling to fix the mold, leaving him trying to find a new way to shape it.
Not to mention how upset Grian seems. Mumbo has a faint suspicion he knows what’s happened, but he doesn’t want to ask. He still doesn’t know Grian, he has no idea how he’d react.
Thankfully, Grian seems to take pity on him. He sits up in the chair, inhaling through his nose and exhaling. When he looks at Mumbo, there’s determination burning fiercely in his eyes, causing him pause. “Alright. Talk.” He says, and his voice leaves no room for argument. Not that Mumbo was planning on changing his mind (he doesn’t even think he could if he wanted).
He sighs quietly, settling down. This? This he can do. This is familiar, and it’s easy to fall into the ease of a conversation like this one. “I’m guessing you’re already aware there’s a murderer on the loose.” He says, and Grian snorts.
“Well aware, yes.” He mumbles, his eyes flashing with guilt.
Mumbo frowns slightly, but he carries on. “Right, and considering you followed me a few nights ago, you’re also aware that this person isn’t just targeting humans. It’s monsters as well.” He says, and he reaches for the papers on the table. “Officially, the Vampire Council hasn’t released any information to the supernatural public. It’s er, a rather messy situation.”
Grian looks at him at that, confusion flitting across his face. “Vampire Council… you’ve mentioned that before, right? How are they involved in all this?”
Pausing for a moment, Mumbo tries to come up with an easy explanation. His brows knit together as he thinks. “The Council is our equivalent to your government. They’re the ones in supernatural society that have the most power, everyone answers to them; vampire or not.” Mumbo explains, “The Council is made up of the thirteen vampires that led in the big rebellion against the Fae King.”
Looking at Mumbo, Grian straightens up in his seat. “Hang on, a rebellion? You’re telling me there was a supernatural rebellion right under our noses?!” He exclaims, his eyes going wide at the very thought. Surely there would have been something going around if that was the case, right? There’s no way the general population would miss an entire rebellion.
Mumbo can’t help his light chuckle at Grian’s reaction, finding it amusing, “Not quite. It happened roughly eight hundred years ago? Long story short, the first fae ruled over all supernatural beings. Of course, each supernatural group had their own spokesperson, but things got, ah, complicated, with the Fae King.”
That has Grian relaxing slightly, and he slowly nods. “So these thirteen vampires fought in this rebellion, and were chosen to create the Council?”
“Basically.” Mumbo hums, “Each vampire on the Council had a hand in dethroning the Fae King, and now the current ruler of the fae only governs the fae. But that aside, the Council is attempting to keep the murders under the radar, as to avoid causing any panic.”
Grian’s nose crinkles at the idea, finding it hard to believe it’s a good one. “And they really think that’s going to work?”
“Doc doesn’t, and neither do I.” Mumbo huffs, shaking his head.
“Doc?”
“Ah, he’s a member of the Vampire Council.” Mumbo waves the papers in his hand around, “The Council has plenty of supernaturals watching their every move, so their actions are rather limited. Hence why I’m acting under Doc’s will.”
Grian finds himself thinking back to the other night, when he had followed Mumbo and overheard that conversation. “So… is that why you were interrogating that one supernatural that night?” He questions.
“Yes. Right now, we’re trying to find leads on these murders. Doc has a few theories, as do I.” Mumbo says, lips turning down in a frown.
Nodding in agreement, Grian leans back in his chair, “It definitely isn’t a human, unless there’s a guy capable of growing fangs and sucking out blood.” He hums, and Mumbo huffs.
“I can assure you, there is not.” He begins to shuffle through the papers in his hands, skimming over the words on the pages. “There’s a few supernaturals I’d like to speak to, namely Ren and Martyn. They’re practically experts on enchantments.”
Grian blinks, “Enchantments?” He questions, and Mumbo nods.
“Yes. Enchants are… well, think of them as spells that you can attach to things, like weapons and armor. They’re magic that can be used by anyone, as long as you know how to read the language.” Mumbo explains as he sets the papers down and crosses his arms. “Ren and Martyn are well known experts here in Aqua Town. I want to see what they know about enchantments being placed on a monster.”
Grian lifts a brow at Mumbo’s choice, not missing the way he uses the word ‘monster’. That’s twice now that Mumbo’s said it. He hadn’t caught it the first time, but he picks up on the way that something dark slips into his voice as he says the word. His voice twists the syllables of the word ‘monster’, making it personal and rooted with… something. Grian isn’t sure what, but he knows that it’s there. He makes a note of it.
For now he puts it aside, instead looking at Mumbo, “Right, so when will we be going?” He questions, not letting Mumbo get out of taking him along. He sees the vampire open his mouth to argue, but Grian simply squints at him, “I told you I was helping, no matter what you said. Besides, I’ve got an article to write based on all of this. So what’s the plan?”
“Hold on, article?” Mumbo questions, frowning.
“Yep! I’m a journalist, and my boss wants me to cover the murder investigations going on. So all of this will be a great help.” Pride laces Grian’s voice as he speaks.
Mumbo’s eyes narrow slightly, “I hate to break it to you hu – Grian, but any information you get from this about the supernatural cannot be published.”
A similar frown dances along Grian’s lips as he looks at Mumbo. “Relax, I already thought about that. Zed would probably recommend a doctor if I started talking about the supernatural. There won’t be a lick of that in my writings.”
The vampire deflates at that, shoulders sagging as the fight leaves him in an exhale. “Right… well then, first I have to meet with Doc and see what he wants to do.” He answers, and Grian nods.
“When will that be happening?” He asks.
“Tonight, technically.” Mumbo frowns as his eyes drift over to one of the windows. It’s covered by curtains, but he can clearly hear the rain pelting the window just outside, “Though I’m not at all looking forward to meeting with him with this storm.” He grumbles. He turns his attention back to Grian, frown still dancing on his lips, “You can’t exactly rush any of this, you know. Doc is an individual who’s watched very closely.”
“Because he’s on the Council?” Grian inquires, watching Mumbo’s expression. And because he’s paying attention to Mumbo’s face, he sees the way it sours.
“There are… other reasons.” Mumbo answers, fists clenching. We also have to be careful of him. “I have some notes I can give you in the meantime, perhaps you can add something with your… human knowledge.” He suggests, moving to pass the papers over to Grian.
“Oh, uh, sure.” Just as Grian reaches to take the papers from Mumbo, the door creaks open. He tenses, freezing in his spot.
Both he and Mumbo look over to the door, seeing two heads poking in. Grian stares into a pair of twin dark blue eyes, and he instantly recognizes one of those pairs of eyes. He relaxes slightly, offering the boy a small smile and a wave.
Almost instantly, the door is pushed open further, and Jrum is running over to the pair. “Grian! What’re you doing here? Are you and Mr. Mumbo friends now?!” He asks, face lighting up with excitement.
“Jrum! You shouldn’t just run in like that!” The second boy scolds, and if Grian had to guess, he’d assume the boy is Jrum’s brother. He’s slightly taller than Jrum is, at least by an inch or two. He’s dressed similarly to Jrum, with black pants rather than shorts.
Mumbo sighs, “It’s alright, Grum. How long were you two listening in?” He questions, and Grum looks guilty at his question.
He doesn’t argue, simply turning to look at him, “Not very long..?” He says, his phrasing leaving it as a question more than anything.
Jrum turns away from Grian to look at Mumbo, “Are you two friends now? That’s the important question!” He exclaims, very much looking like he isn’t going to let Mumbo get out of answering him.
Mumbo looks over at Grian, and Grian can only give a half smile and a little shrug. Mumbo glowers at him before looking back at Jrum, “We’re not friends, no. We’re just er, working together temporarily.”
Grum perks up, “Because of the murders, right?” He questions.
“Oh we’re going to have a very long talk about eavesdropping later.” Mumbo grumbles under his breath. “Yes, because of the murders. And after that’s taken care of, we’ll be going our separate ways.” He gives Grian a rather pointed look at that, and Grian doesn’t know what to make of it.
He had been so focused on everything with Taurtis that he hadn’t stopped to even consider his dilemma with Mumbo. He still wants to be his friend, that goal hasn’t changed. If anything, this conversation with Mumbo has only made him want to befriend him even more. He feels like he’s gotten a glimpse into the real Mumbo, not the act that he puts on when he’s trying to scare humans away. He wants to continue to get to know him.
Jrum frowns at Mumbo, before he looks over at the window. His look turns thoughtful, “Whoa, it’s really pouring outside!” He observes , before looking over at Grian. “Can Grian stay the night, Mr. Mumbo? He shouldn’t walk home in the rain!” He questions, and Grian pauses.
He looks over at Jrum with eyes as wide as saucers, not having expected him to ask such a thing. Mumbo looks equally surprised, staring at Jrum with his mouth hanging open.
“Jrum!” Grum exclaims, face palming.
The boy doesn’t pay Grum any mind, intent on staring at Mumbo for his answer. For his part, Mumbo still seems startled. “U-Uhm,” He stammers, tugging slightly at his collar. He looks like he’s hesitating, though Grian can see the discomfort on his face.
With how uncomfortable Mumbo seems with humans, it isn’t surprising that the very idea of Grian spending the night in his safe space is an uncomfortable thought.
He decides to take pity on him, “I appreciate it, but I should probably go back to my own home.” He says, drawing three pairs of eyes on him. Mumbo directs his surprise at Grian now, though it isn’t as obvious as before. It’s his eyes that shine with shock, and Grian offers him a slight smile. “I kind of just left Pearl by herself at the hospital, so it’d be wrong of me to stay here and leave her all alone.” He hums. “In fact, I should probably get going.”
“Awww.” Jrum whines, his shoulders sagging in disappointment.
Grian chuckles softly, “I’ll be coming back, don’t worry.” He isn’t sure why he promises it, but he doesn’t want to leave Jrum feeling disappointed. He looks over at Mumbo for approval, “Is that.. alright?” He asks.
Mumbo blinks, “Oh, er, yes. We have work to do after all.” He says, nodding. “Though if you’re going to head home, you should take my umbrella else you’ll get drenched again.” He offers, summoning an umbrella for him.
Grian frowns slightly, “Don’t you need that later for when you meet Doc?” He questions, and Mumbo pauses. “It’s alright. I survived one walk here, I can survive the walk back.” He smiles, and Mumbo lowers his hand.
“If you’re sure.” He says, and Grian nods in reply.
“I am. I’ll return your shirt, too.” He stands up from the chair, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mumbo!”