Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Detective Falsewell! Detective Grianlock!” 

The two detectives look up as their names are called, a familiar face walking through the door with a big smile. False grins as she puts some files away in the cabinet. “Well, if it isn't Mr. Ren Dog!” 

Ren flips his sunglasses up so they rest on the top of his head, flashing a toothy grin and resting his hands on his hips. “What’s up dudes! How’re my favorite detectives doing?” 

Grian lifts his head up from his laptop, hopping up and out of his seat to run over and hug Ren. He stumbles a little as he barrels into him, but he stands up straight and ruffles the shorter man’s hair playfully.

“Ren, we’re the only detectives you know.” Grian reminds him. He shrugs. “And? You’re still my favorites! I could’ve said...Sherlock or something!”

“But Sherlock isn’t real —“

Ren throws his hands up in the air. “Listen! I didn’t come here to debate detectives with you two! I have something for you, actually.”

He reaches into his coat and pulls out a beige folder, handing it off to False. “I investigated that case you got assigned earlier. I compiled as much information as I could find on the suspect, so it should be a little bit useful to you guys.” 

False, with Grian sticking his face in over her shoulder, opens up the file, full of papers of condensed information so it’s easier to digest and read, plus with some of Ren’s own notes and doodles scribbled in the margins. 

“Perfect! We were actually gonna head down there soon, so this’ll be helpful.”  False says as Grian takes the folder and looks at it himself.

“God, what would we do without you?”

“Uhhhh…dead, first of all. Secondly, your jobs would be much harder than they already are.” Ren says as he steps carefully around the detective office, False and Grian rushing around to organize everything in a quick manner. “Are you two planning on going right now?” 

Grian grabs his coat from where it’s draped over a chair in the corner. “I guess so? Might as well, while the daylight’s still out.” False in turn grabs her own coat, sliding it on with ease. “And knowing ourselves? We probably won’t do it unless we do it now.”

Ren tosses Grian his hat, the shorter stumbling to catch it. “Will you guys need me? Earpiece? Anything?” False shakes her head after thinking for a second. “I don’t think so, we’re pretty covered on the information and if we need any help, we’ll give you a call.” 

“Alright! I’ve got my own work to do, so I’ll leave you dudes to it! I’ll see ya later!” Ren waves with a smile as he already heads off towards his own space of their office, attending to whatever business he needs to. False turns her attention towards Grian, who’s adjusting the hat on his head. “You ready?”

“Yep! Let’s go!”  

It’s a brisk, cool winter afternoon as the two detectives walk down the street together, Grian speed walking to keep up with False’s long strides. The two crime solvers are siblings, both adoring detective media when they were younger, mostly thanks to their parents. Falsewell and Grianlock aren’t their real names of course, just some fun names they came up with to use when doing detective things. (They never refer to each other as such, though. They’d rather die.) They never really expected to end up in this profession, but years later here they are, some of the best detectives out there, successfully solving every case presented to them. From petty theft to gruesome murders, they’ll solve anything.

Scams and such don’t come up often, but it’s certainly not their first one. The case had been specifically brought up by the mayor , of all people, Scar, mostly because he got roped in himself.

“G, can you read off the file for me please?” False asks.

She eases her pace just a little, so Grian can keep up more easily. He pulls out the folder and flips it open, starting to read it outloud.

The suspect is a one Etho Slab, (False kicks Grian for snorting) suspected for running a scam business. Well, less scams and more general inconvenience and annoyance. He runs both Shade-E-E’s and Sneaky E-E’s respectively, and there’s been enough suspicion that they’ve been sent to investigate.

There’s also been some theft accusations and tax evasion stuff, but they’ll cross that bridge when they get there.

“Seems like we’re gonna be talking a lot today.” False says, putting her arm in front of Grian so he doesn’t walk straight into the busy street. He doesn’t remove his eyes from the file, quickly scanning over all the information. “Yeah, seems so. It’s definitely a nice pace change from last week though.”

False cringes at the memory. They were stressed out the entire time, running around sleepless trying to piece together a murder case. She’s never felt so exhausted in her life, but at least they successfully solved it and brought justice. “Guess you’re right. Let’s just hope it goes quickly.” 

They make their way towards the small building that houses Shade-E-E’s, False keeping Grian from blindly walking into traffic repeatedly. There’s an office at the top, probably where they’ll find him, at least they hope. They find the building quickly, mostly due to it’s almost gaudy decoration and exterior. It looks like a dice roll of different kinds of architecture, but somehow it works . 

“You know what one picture where you can’t name anything? That’s what this building feels like.” Grian says. False snorts, glancing between him and the building. “Sure is. Do we knock? Do we just go inside?” 

She walks up to the big double doors, and they swing open automatically without any push. Grian curses under his breath as False glances back towards him. “Guess we go inside?” She says, stepping in confidentiality. “Nothing good ever comes from doors that randomly open on their own.” Grian huffs. False shrugs, taking a good look at the small lobby they’re standing in. It’s empty, stock on the shelves but not a sign of a human life anywhere. There’s an elevator near the back of the shop, presumably leading to the top. 

The pair start making their way towards them, but something clicks underneath their feet.

“Did you hear that? What was that?”

All of a sudden, the floor drops out from underneath them. 

Grian shrieks, reaching out and grabbing onto False’s arm as they fall. They land on a stack of cushions and mats, rolling off of them and onto the ground.

“False. False, you’re crushing my spine.” He winces out, slowly lifting his head from where it’s squished against the ground. False rolls off and pulls him up from the ground, looking around where they landed. 

“One normal day. One normal day is all I ask for.” False groans.

Whatever trapdoor they fell down isn’t visible, they must’ve fallen a long way and it’s already shut on them. They appear to be in a long hallway, the end nowhere in sight. There’s old storage boxes surrounding them, metal shelves and other trinkets scattered around everywhere. Grian picks up a small bird figurine and quietly pockets it for himself.

“Are you stealing?”

“Hey, mind your business!”

False rolls her eyes and smacks him upside the head, starting to walk down the hallway. “Where are you going?” Grian shouts as he jogs after her. “Well, this is a hallway. We can only go forward from here, so it’s where I’m going.”

Grian scoffs, trailing behind her silently. The hallway is long , filled with even more boxes and things. 

“Oooh, shiny rock!” He says, going to pick up a crystal on a shelf. False smacks his hand away. “Stop touching things!” He boos loudly in protest. “Why must you deprive me of shiny rock?”

“Well, last time you took something shiny that wasn’t yours, we had a ghost problem for a month!”

“That wasn’t my fault!”

“It very much was ! Besides, you were put on this earth to torture me, so I am simply repaying the favor!”

Grian squawks in offense. “Hey! If anything you were put on this earth to torture me !”

“I’m older than you?!”

“Okay? You would stack things on my head while I napped in highschool!”

“That was funny—“

“That is DEBATABLE —”

They reach the end of the hallway while they bicker, a grey door standing in their path. “This can only lead to good things.” False sighs sarcastically, jiggling the doorknob. It finally gives, and the room on the other side is dark, but she can vaguely make out a mirror a few feet away. “You’re not thinking about going inside, are you?” Grian asks, hiding behind her. She shrugs, taking a small step inside. “Like I said earlier, there’s nowhere else to go except forward. Might as well go.”

“You’re too calm about this.” Grian huffs, reluctantly following her. 

“Eh, we’ve been in worse. College was definitely an experience.”

As she says that, the door slams shut behind them. 

They jump in unison, yelping in surprise. 

Purple lights blare on, illuminating their surroundings. 

“Oh, fuck this.”

They’ve found themselves in what appears to be a house of mirrors, multiples of their own reflections staring back at them. There’s a gap between the top of the mirrors and the ceiling, and there’s a large TV in the space that flickers on.

“Hello, detectives!”

Etho’s face pops on the screen, clearly in an office of some kind judging by his suit and spinning chair. He has a mask on, but they can tell he’s smiling as he clasps his hands together. 

“Where the fuck are we?” Grian asks loudly, spinning around in a circle.

Etho throws his hands up in the air dramatically. “Welcome, to my house of mirrors! I didn’t expect you guys to fall in here, if I’m being honest. This usually only happens to door-to-door salesmen!”

False blinks in confusion. “I have so many questions.”

“You get door-to-door salesmen? In a store?” Grian asks.

“You would be surprised!”

False raises her hand slowly. “Does this happen to customers? Do they drop down here when they try and enter?”

Etho shrugs and shakes his head. “Nah, this only happens when the door detects a threat.”

“Oh I have so many more questions than I did before.”

“No time for questions!” Etho says while waving his hand. “You’re trying to get to me, right? First, you gotta escape!” 

Grian seems more pumped than False, whooping in excitement. Meanwhile, False lets out a groan of annoyance, pinching the bridge of her nose. “We’re gonna be here for so long.” 

“Awww, come on! When was the last time we went to a fair and there was a house of mirrors? Years? This could be fun!” Grian insists, running around False in a circle. She sighs, face palming silently. “Grian, the last time we were in a house of mirrors we were in there for hours ! You kept getting lost and running around in circles, the staff had to come and find you! And now this is probably like, four times the size of that!”

Grian huffs and rolls his eyes. “You’re so negative! We’ll be fine!” False makes a strangled noise, gesturing like she’s going to choke him. “Fine! But the moment you start running into shit I am not feeling sorry for you.”

Grian takes off and immediately smacks into a mirror. False tries so hard not to burst out laughing. “Already off to a great start!” She says, clapping him on the back. Etho snickers silently. “Hey! Don’t laugh at me!” He says. 

“You could at least hold your arm out or something. Or maybe, I don’t know, looking where you’re going? ” She chuckles, taking the lead from him and carefully watching her surroundings. “Okay but, that’s not as fun.”

Etho pipes up from his little TV screen. “I will admit, it is very fun watching you run right into things.”

“Alright False I’m following you—“

Etho boos, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up on the table. “At least I can still torment you guys by talking.”

“Please. Please do not.”

Grian kicks at False’s shins. “You deserve it.” 

“Do you want me to do a clown impression?”

“NO!”

“ YES! ”

False feels her soul leave her body for a moment. Every day 

God tests her patience and doesn’t seem to be stopping today. Etho talks in a ridiculous clown voice while Grian laughs behind her, still somehow managing to run into things. She considered calling Ren, but there’s no service down here so it’s hopeless. 

“Therapy is gonna be so interesting after this.” False sighs, feeling like she’s been going in circles. She hears Etho hold back a laugh. “What better place to reflect than the house of mirrors?”

False is trying so hard to keep her composure while Grian absolutely loses it. “Hey Etho? I’m five seconds away from smashing some mirrors.” 

“I would very much like to see you try.” He says encouragingly.

False takes one of her shoes off and throws it at one of the mirrors full speed, expecting it to shatter but instead it comically bounces off and hits her stomach. She yelps, fumbling to catch her shoe. “This sucks. I wanna go home.”

“I don’t know, I’m having a lot of fun myself!” Etho says rather cheerfully. 

False throws her shoe again, this time at Etho’s TV, watching it crack the screen and bouncing off somewhere in the distance. Grian cheers and gives her a high five.

“Did you just shatter my TV?!” He shouts, leaning in the frame so his face is in the not cracked part. False grumbles as she realizes she’s lost a shoe and she doesn’t know where it is. “You deserve it!” 

“Good luck finding your shoe!”

“Fuck you!”

They go around in circles for a few more minutes, or what at least feels like circles, there isn’t much of a way to tell how big this room is. 

“Hey, uh...False? I think I lost you.” 

False whips around and sure enough, Grian’s gone and his voice distant. “When the fuck did you wander off?” She yells so he can hear her better.

“I don’t know!”

She groans, rubbing her temples in frustration. “Etho! You just let this happen?!”

“Yeah.”

“Alright—you know what? Grian, try not to die. We’ll probably run into each other eventually. At least I hope.” Grian shouts an agreement and heads off in his own direction. Etho can only watch as they head off in the complete opposite ways from each other, farther and farther from before.

More time passes, Etho making small talk as False realizes she is going in circles, deciding to backtrack the other way.

“False! I think I found your shoe!” Grian yells somewhere across the room.

She hears the sound of him bumping his head against a mirror, followed by a quiet grunt.

“Nevermind. It’s just the reflection. Should be around here somewhere though!”

False can see Etho holding his head in his hands out of the corner of her vision. “Grian, I swear to god, if you keep smacking into things I’m gonna make this experience worse for the both of you.” 

“Can’t get any worse than it already is!” False shouts. Grian flips him off and bumps up against a wall. “Fuck you! I forgot to put in my contacts today!”

“ THAT EXPLAINS SO MUCH —“

“Hey! I found your shoe for real this time!” Grian says as he picks up the slightly scuffed mary jane from where it’s in the middle of his path. “Nice!” False sees him in a mirror behind her, turning around and turning a corner and being surprised when it’s actually him rather than a reflection. He has his back turned, so she takes the opportunity to spook him as she walks up to him.

He shrieks, jumping up in fear. “Oh fuck you! My soul left my body for a second!” He complains, lightly smacking her on the arm as she laughs. She takes her shoe back and slips it on, dusting herself off. “Alright. We’re getting out of here before I slowly lose my mind more than I already have.”

“This reminds me of that time when I was younger I got lost in the store and you came and found me.” Grian sighs nostalgically. False snorts. “Yeah, I found you crying next to the toy aisle.”

“In my defense, I was five, lost and scared!”

She laughs loudly, patting the top of his head. “Oh, we gotta go back. We’ve been in his area before.”

“How can you tell?”

She points at the mirror. “There’s fingerprints and marks from where you ran into it.”

“Oh!” 

Etho claps his hands together. “Look at you two, working together!” 

“It’s part of the job, unfortunately.” False sighs.

“And being born.” Grian adds. “Yeah, that too.”

“My head hurts.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine why.”

They circle around a few more times before Grian sits down, complaining about his feet hurting. False lets out a heavy sigh, readjusting the beanie on her head. “I’ve accepted my fate. I’m gonna die here. We’ve gone around in circles like five hundred times! I’m starting to think there’s no exit.”

Even though Etho insists there is an exit, they haven’t found it after what feels like hours, so he’s obviously lying to them. Grian lies down flat on the ground, staring at the ceiling. “Do you think Ren will remember to feed Columbo when we’re gone?” He asks. Columbo’s their pet cat, yes 100% named after the TV detective, they have a branding they’re running with.

False kicks at a mirror in frustration, a small clicking sound being heard. The mirror swings to reveal it’s in fact a door, leading to a colorful hallway. “Hey, you did it! You found the exit!” Etho says cheerfully, hitting a button and a soundtrack cheering noise playing. False interalizes a scream. Grian does not.

“I’m not even gonna process any of my emotions right now. Let’s just go and get out of here.” False groans, dragging Grian by the arm. The hallway floor is lined with trampoline, the two detectives jumping to the other end. “Was the theme of down here a messed up circus fair or something?” False asks, struggling to walk normally across the floor.

Grian jumps, bouncing on his butt before landing back on his feet. “I dunno. I would’ve preferred this to the house of mirrors. More fun!” He jumps again, landing horribly on his back instead with an exaggerated flop. “Nevermind, my headache is worse now. I’ve made so many mistakes.” 

False snorts as she extends her hand out to help him up. “Hubris.” They stumble to the end, but instead of a door there’s a tube slide like in those indoor playgrounds. “You go first.” False says with a nod of her head. Grian reluctantly agrees, sliding down with her following shortly after. The slide ends in an office, the two sliding across the floor as they reach the bottom. 

Etho’s waiting for them at his desk, except he looks up from scrolling on his phone and quickly puts it down when he realizes they’re there. “Welcome! Have a seat! That took a while, but now we can discuss!” 

False and Grian glance at each other, quietly pulling up two chairs from the corner of the room. “I have so many questions.” Grian blinks. Etho hands him an ice pack. When the hell did he get that? Where did it come from? There’s so many more questions now .

False looks around at the space they’re in. “This is your office?”

“Yep!”

“How do you get in and out so easily?”

Etho points at a door in the corner. “I use the elevator.”

“The elevator. Of course. What’s at the top of the building?”

“My other office.”

“R...Right. I see.”

“I’m assuming we have more to discuss though?” He asks, leaning forward on his desk. They nod, Grian silently pulling out the file from his coat. “If you wouldn’t mind answering a few more questions.”

They sit on the steps outside of Shade-E-E’s, finally making it out from downstairs. Grian’s lying on his back, ice pack pressed to his head. False pulls out a small notepad and starts scribbling down what can barely be considered notes. “Did we even learn anything? Did he do anything illegal?”

“Tax evasion. The tax evasion was pretty illegal.”

“Ah, right.” She looks over her shoulder at him. “You doin’ okay?”

Grian groans in pain. “There is a small chance I have a concussion, but it’s fine. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” 

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. Worst comes to worst, Ren will probably heal you up if you asked. Speaking of...we should probably call him and give him an update.” She flips her notepad closed and sets it down, fishing in her pocket for her phone. Ren picks up shortly after she calls, cheerily answering the call. 

“Hey! How’d it go for you two?”

“Ren, I’ve taken so much psychic damage in the past few hours.”

“Oh. Not what I was expecting! W...What happened, exactly?”

False pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. “It’s a very long story. We’ll tell you later.” 

Ren laughs. “Alright, alright. How’s G?” 

False points her phone towards him, Grian just making another pained noise.

“Is he okay?” 

“Uh...not really, no. It’s another long story.”

“Can you hand me to him please?”

False hands Grian her phone. “Hi Ren.” Grian grumbles. “Hi! What the hell did you do?” Ren responds, tone quickly changing.

He mumbles something quietly.

“What was that?”

He does it again, just a little louder this time. 

False can hear Ren ranting on the other side from where she’s sitting. Grian scrunches his nose up and slowly hands her her phone back. 

Ren’s saying something about an absolute lack of self care and how they can’t run into conflict head first, but then he sighs. “He handed me back, didn’t he?” He asks.

“Yup.”

“Figured. I’ll just do it later. Anyways, are you dudes heading home?”

They probably sound absolutely exhausted, which they very much are. “Yeah, I think we will. We can always wrap this up tomorrow.”

“Alrighty! I’ll see you guys soon?”

“Yeah, see ya Ren.”

“Adios!”

False pockets her phone, clasping her hands together. “Alright, tell you what. There is...way too much to unpack right now. We can leave the rest of this to the cops or something, we can just deal with it tomorrow. How about we go straight home?” Grian slowly sits up, sighing heavily. “That sounds like a good idea.” False helps him up once again, letting him hold onto her arm for support.

“Let’s go home, then.”

Chapter Text

False and Grian speed walk down the street as fast as they can. They’re late to meet up with Cub, Mayor Scar’s right hand man and wealthy businessman. They’re friends, they knew each other back in school, but it’s still important to be cordial and on time. Grian finishes shoving the little breakfast sandwich they picked up quickly on their way over. They’re also dressed more casually, because they definitely didn’t sleep in on accident and definitely didn’t rush to throw clothes on. They frankly look like messes, False’s hair up in a messy ponytail, Grian’s hair is still damp from his rushed shower but it’s fine .

Ren’s also tagged along! Not in person, he’s communicating with them via an earpiece, mostly due to the fact he doesn’t trust them going places alone after last time.

“Oh god, I ate that too fast. I feel sick.” Grian groans, leaning up against a lampost as they wait for the crosswalk light to turn green. “Right, and who’s fault is that?” False asks.

Grian rolls his eyes. “Must you remind me of every bad decision I’ve made?”

“Uhhhh, yes. Very much so.”

“I’m gonna start reminding you of everything dumb you’ve ever done to see how you feel.”

False laughs. “HA! I’ve done nothing wrong in my life ever!”

They can hear Ren snort over the phone. “Oh yeah? What about the time you put tin foil in the microwave because you forgot to unwrap what you were heating up?”

“That was ages ago! It barely counts!”

“False, that was last week.”

Ren starts laughing loudly on the other end, False’s cheeks turning the slightest bit pink. She lightly smacks Grian on the head and keeps walking. “Moving on! We have business to attend to!” Grian jogs after her as the two round the corner. “Slow down! I can’t keep up!”

“It’s not my fault you have short legs!”

“You hogged all the height when you were born!”

“Well maybe you should’ve been born first then, I don’t know!”

“Can you two please stop bickering for once? I’m suddenly remembering why I don’t do this more often.” Ren interjects, holding his head in his hands. They can’t see him, but they can feel it. 

“. ..She started it .” Grian grumbles quietly.

“I did not ! That was all you!”

“I’m stopping both of you right there. Or I’m making both of you play the quiet game until you get there.”

They stop arguing. Ren’s the only thing keeping the two wrangled in and from going at each other’s throats at every opportunity. That, and maybe the fact they work a job together that would be a nightmare to do alone. They have to think about the important things here, like their paychecks.

They make it to Cub’s house shortly after, stepping up to the almost mansion in awe. They’ve been over here many times, but it’s still a surprise to look at every time.

Cub’s house is a bit further away in their town, near the suburbs and away from the hustle and bustle from the town center. It’s tall, 3 stories tall in fact, with a massive attic at the top. The trio have fond memories of this place, mostly due to the fact they’d come here often in high school. For Halloween

one year their entire friend group went up in the attic, turned off all the lights, and told spooky ghost stories until sunrise. Good times. 

The house was his parents’, but he inherited it when they retired and moved away. It’s still the same, with a few touch ups and additions you’d expect. Now they stand here, at the door of this house, but instead of ghost stories they have to talk about boring adult things like business and the sudden increase of crimes in the town . 

Grian rings the doorbell, tapping his foot impatiently. “I wanna go back to bed.” False sighs, huffing and checking her watch. “God, me too. Let’s just hope this doesn’t take too long.” 

They wait. They wait a little longer. Grian rings the doorbell again.

“Is he okay?” He asks.

“...He should be? Maybe he’s just running late?” False reasons, but her gut tells her something’s up.

“But he’s never late, usually…..”

They hear some typing from Ren’s side, followed by a confused hum. “I’m not sure what’s up. Maybe text or call him?”

False goes to pull out her phone, when the doors swing open on their own. Grian and False exchange a glance. 

“I’m going home.” Grian says, turning quickly on his heels and walking away. False quickly grabs him by the collar and drags him back to the door. “Nope, we’re doing this! And we’re doing it together!” False wraps her arms around him and picks him up in a firm hold. Grian helplessly squirms in her grip, kicking his legs and trying to wriggle free. 

“False! You know how I feel about mysterious doors that open on their own!”

“Yes, and that’s not stopping me from dragging you along! We’re doing this or so god help me!” She sets him down and pushes him forward, towards the inside of the house.

The inside isn’t the one they’re familiar with. It’s different. Normally, there’s a big open space where you could see the other rooms, like the dining room and kitchen but instead it’s just….a hallway.

“I’m getting a weird sense of déjà vu.” False says with a frown. 

The doors behind them slam shut.

“Yep. A strong feeling, in fact.”

Grian desperately jiggles the doorknob in an attempt to get the door open. He kicks the door in frustration when it doesn’t budge.

“Is this our thing now? Going places, getting locked inside, struggling inside until we get out?” False groans, rubbing her temples. Grian slumps onto the floor with an exaggerated whine. “I wanna go HOME .”

“Hold on, let me see something real quick. Cub should be here, I think I can get into contact with him. One second!”

Ren goes silent for a bit, leaving the two in an awkward silence. False walks over and gently nudges Grian with her foot.  “Grian, get up from the floor.”

“No.”

She sighs and hauls him to his feet, flicking him gently on the forehead. “Don’t be so dramatic. We’ll be fine . It’s not like he’s trying to kill us.”

“False, it’s Cub. He’ll find a way.”

She’s about to roll her eyes and argue when Ren interrupts them with a loud “AHA!”

Ren clasps his hand together, squinting at his own computer screen. “So! I managed to reach Cub via complicated tech things, he says something is messing with his computer? He’s not really elaborating and insisting he’s got it handled, but he told me you two just need to walk through this hallway and to the door at the end. He did say you two need to be careful when doing it, though.”

“Why’s that?”

As Grian starts to head down the corridor, he’s pushed back by a pulse of air knocking him off his feet and onto the ground. Hundreds of red lasers shoot out from the walls, intersecting and creating what can only be described as a really fucked up cat’s cradle, lasers softly humming ominously at them.

“What was that you said about him not killing us?” Grian puts his hands on his hips as he looks at False.

“To be fair, I wasn’t expecting this .” She huffs, throwing her hands up in the air. 

“Ren, can you see us?” Grian derails, looking around. “Uhhhh….yes! Yes I can! There’s a little security camera in the corner.”

Grian waves at the camera and does a little dance. False joins him.

He eyes the lasers cautiously. “Hey, Ren? What would happen if I hypothetically stuck my hand through one of these? Would my fingers get sliced off?”

“Um...No. However, if you do manage to touch one of those an alarm will go off and the walls will slowly start to close in on you if you don’t escape fast enough.”

“Oh what the fuck .”

False instinctively pulls Grian away from the shiny red lights. “I’m going to have to have a strong word with Cub about his security measures. How the hell are we getting through this?”

“Can’t we just...run through and hope for the best?” Grian suggests. False hums and shakes her head. “No, we don’t know how fast the walls close, there is the risk we won’t be quick enough.” She steps back and surveys the room, scanning for a clear path in all the lasers that’d be easy for them to slip through, but it seems like everything’s too interwoven for that.

“If one of you makes it to the end and hits that button, the lasers will deactivate and the other can just pass right through.” Ren points out to them, a red button shining next to the door awaiting them on the other side.

“Rock paper scissors for who has to go?” False suggests, already holding her hands out. Grian sighs, reluctantly playing along. He never had good luck at these kinds of things. “Best 2 out of 3!” 

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

False beats him paper to rock. 

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

He beats her rock to scissors. The pressure is on.

They try again, and again, and a couple more times, but they keep getting the exact same one at the same time. False huffs in frustration, face slightly red. “Alright alright alright! If this one just doesn’t work, we’re flipping a coin! Ren, stop laughing!”

This is the most stressful game of rock paper scissors Grian’s ever played. 

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot! ”

“NO!”

“ AHA! YES!”

False defeats him scissors to paper, pumping her fist in the air triumphantly as Grian curses and kicks at the air. “ Fine , I’ll go. Take my coat at least, I don’t want it to mess with the lasers and doom us to our deaths or something.”

He hands False his coat and jumps up and down to hype himself up, stretching out his arms and legs. “Alright, I’m going in. Wish me luck.” He ducks under one of the beams and steps over another, cautious of every movement he makes. He feels suddenly hyper aware of everything he does, how his fingers move, the hair standing on his arms, and how he feels the sudden urge to sneeze. 

False gives him some words of encouragement as he weaves through the lights. “You’re about halfway there! Just a little more!”

He ends up bent weirdly, leaning backwards but his foot is more forward and his arm is in an uncomfortable spot and it’s just reminding him of all the times he’s played Twister but it’s worse now and there’s potential lives on the line. He didn’t really have to worry about dooming himself or his sister when getting crushed under Ren and Stress when they fell over.

He’s close to the end, his hands are sweaty and his legs are tired but it’s just a few more feet away and—

Grian trips. Flat on his face. He groans as he hears alarms start to blare and stone grinding against stone. Ren curses under his breath, trying to see if he can do anything to stop it.

“Grian!” False runs right through all the lights, scooping him up in one arm as the walls start closing in, rushing towards the door at the end of the hallway. She punches the button and shoves the both of them through the door at the last second. There’s a cheering noise from Ren, who was practically biting his nails in anticipation.

“You okay?” False asks as she sets him down on the ground. Grian dusts himself and nods. “Yeah, you saved my ass back there. Thanks a lot.” She gives the top of his head a gentle pat. “Right, where the hell are we now?”

They’re in what looks like a completely normal study, lined with bookshelves, one of those fancy globes and a neat desk in the middle. There’s some weirder details around though, like a skull with glowing eyes in a jar and a robot bird in a cake that keeps squawking.

There’s a timer up on the wall that blares to life, displaying ‘60:00’ in bright red numbers. 

“You have 60 minutes.” A robotic voice says.

The timer starts counting down. “Is this like an escape room?” Grian says, already starting to look around the room. “One second….Cub says yes!” 

False rolls her eyes. “When you’re rich I guess you really can put an escape room in your house if you wanted to.”

“Hey, uh, Ren? What happens if we don’t get out of here in time?”

“Uhhh….looks like you die!”

“ Ah. Right. ”

False opens the desk drawer and starts digging through the things, looking for anything that could help them. “We aren’t getting paid enough for this.”

Grian sticks his head under the table curiously. “We aren’t getting paid at all, actually.”

“I forgot about that. This experience has suddenly worsened 300%.”

Ren guides them with what he can help, telling them where clues are and what things they need to find to unlock. Grian spots something on top of the bookcase, reaching up to grab it. The only problem is, it’s way too high for him. He starts looking for a stool or something, but False is sitting on the only chair in the room and he’s not about to ask her to move.

He jumps up, but it’s just barely out of his reach. He tries again, and again, and a few more times. He sighs, putting his foot on the bottom shelf to hoist himself up. 

“Do you need any help?” False asks, glancing at the spot he’s found himself in. Ren holds back a laugh.

“No, it’s fine. I’ve got it.”

False sighs and walks over, wordlessly lifting him up so he can reach. He grabs what he saw, an envelope with ‘ To the Mayor ’ written on it in fancy cursive, already opening it as False sets him down. “Thanks.” He mumbles, slightly embarrassed. 

“No problem. What’d you find?”

The letter inside the envelope is written like a ransom note, with magazine clippings of letters spelling out ‘Something bad is going to happen.’ Ominous, but the coloring of the letters correspond with a code they need to open a box so they don’t think much of it. 

They breeze through the rest of it, mostly due to Ren’s help, unlocking chests and finding keys and even having to talk to the robot parrot to get a clue. They’re left with a four number code and a fancy little key, but no door.

The only door they can see is the one they came from, and it’s blocked off. False’s eyes fall on the bookshelf in front of her, they’ve already flipped through most of them except for the higher shelves. There’s a turquoise book that stands out from all the rest, shiny and new, contrasted by all the other dark and worn out book spines surrounding it.

She pulls it out and she hears a loud click .

The bookshelf swings outwards like a door, revealing an empty doorway behind it. “Well! I guess I found our exit!” She says triumphantly. The clock on the wall stops counting down, with 20 minutes to spare. “Nice!” Grian hops up and down and gives her a high five energetically. “Nice one you two! Cub says his office isn’t too far from where you guys are, there’s just a bit more!”

The doorway leads to another hallway, this time filled with various paintings on each wall. The hallway is efficiently a dead end, the puzzle being to find the exit in this space. Grian goes to try and remove a painting from the wall, but it won’t budge.

False holds up the key in her hand. “Is there a hidden keyhole we’re supposed to find somewhere?” They go straight into investigation mode, looking around every nook and cranny they could possibly find. Ren’s gone quiet, helping Cub try and fix all the issues he’s got going on right now. They end up empty handed though, as it appears it’s really just a hallway full of paintings leading to nowhere.

“False? I think I might’ve found something.”

False looks up from the painting she’s in front of, and she has to rub her eyes and blink to make sure she’s not dreaming.

Grian’s arm has gone through one of the bigger paintings.

“How the hell did you do that?”

“I don’t know! I went to go touch it but my hand just went right through it! It feels weird.”

False walks over and puts her hand to the canvas, going right through it like it’s pure air. Grian’s right, it does feel weird, like the static feeling you get when a limb falls asleep.

“I only thought these things existed in movies.”

“Well, I thought those laser maze things only existed in spy movies, but I guess anything goes today.” 

Grian sticks his head in, pulling back quickly. “I think there’s where we gotta go! There’s another hallway down there.”

“God, why is this house a maze?”

“Rich people, I guess.”

Grian hops into the painting, sticking his hand out for False to grab. She’s pulled through to the other side, a buzzing feeling washing over her. She squirms a little at the sensation, but once her feet are on the ground it goes away.

“How much longer do we have to go?” Grian complains. False already starts walking. “Only one way to find out.”

They go on for a few more rooms, the house practically shifting as they move through it. There’s rooms that shouldn’t even be in a normal house, like one where the floor and walls are constantly moving. Ren joins back with them halfway through, pointing them in the right direction.

They stop at a door with a 4 number lock on it. False pulls out a sticky note from her pocket, the one from the escape room earlier, a 4 number code hastily written down. “I was wondering when we’d need this.” She quickly inputs in and yanks the lock off, opening the door with a big push.

Cub’s office is exactly the same from how they remember it being, except now there’s a very stressed Cub sitting at his desk. He looks up when they enter, a look of relief spreading across his face. “Hello! I am….so sorry about all this.”

“It’s out of your control, don’t worry about it. I do however have many questions about some of the rooms you have and your security measures.”

“We almost died like, twice.”

Cub laughs nervously. “At least you didn’t! Ren’s been helping me try and get everything fixed, the whole system’s been acting up and some of my files have gone missing and it’s gonna be a whole other ordeal to get them back but it’s fine. ”

“....Do we still need to have that meeting right now?” Grian asks quietly.

“...How about we reschedule to a better time, maybe the Mayor can be present as well, and I treat you guys to something for compensation?”

The two siblings exchange a glance. “Sounds good to me!”

False reaches into her pocket and brandishes the key from earlier. “What was this for?”

“Oh! That’s my house key! I was wondering where that went. I had to replace it because I couldn’t find it anywhere.”

Grian holds back a laugh. “Alrighty then. Ren, can you come along too?”

Ren makes a quiet thinking noise. “Sure, why not! I’m assuming the diner? I can meet you guys there if you want.”

“Sounds good! I can uh, show you guys how to get out now.” 

The house has returned to normal, the large staircase back in it’s normal place. Grian hops on the railing and slides down, landing on the floor with a stumble. 

“Hey. Hey False. Hey.” He says, tugging on her sleeve insistently. “ What? ”

“Race you there!” 

Grian takes off down the street, laughing as he gets the head start. 

“What! No fair! Get back here!” False shouts, speeding after him. Cub’s left behind at his house, now having to catch up with the two detectives.

“ Hey ! Can you two slow down or something? I didn’t even get a chance!”

Chapter Text

It’s late. Very late, in fact.

Grian glances over at the clock on his laptop, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. It’s a little bit past 2 AM on a weeknight, exhaustion slowly seeping into his bones. He’s got a hastily thrown on hoodie, his contacts swapped out for some round glasses, and his hair’s gotten long enough he can tie it up in a little ponytail in the back.

Their cat Columbo sits on the couch, curled up and fast asleep in a little ball. He’s sitting on the floor and using the coffee table to prop up his laptop, even though there’s a perfectly good kitchen table a few feet away. He thinks sitting on the floor is more comfortable, and besides, False is hogging all the space at the table with her papers and notes everywhere. 

He really should sit somewhere better though. As much as he likes the feeling of the cushions against his back, it always ends up killing him later and his posture is bad . False says he’s built like an onion ring. He cannot be inclined to disagree.

He sits up, not even realizing he was slouching until he started thinking about it. False sighs and puts her pen down. “Hey, I’m gonna make some coffee, want some?”

She shuffles over to the kitchen and pulls out a mug from the cabinet. False has a knack for just seemingly collecting mugs out of nowhere, unsure from where she got half of them. She insists it’s her mug collection, but Grian has his pick of favorites and she lets him use them all the time, so it’s really their mug collection.

“Yes, please. If you don’t mind.” Grian yawns, resting his chin on his palm. Working at home is better for them, he thinks, mostly because their entire kitchen is a few steps away, and they don’t have to worry about falling asleep in their office and then dragging their half awake bodies back home at ungodly hours of the morning. They fell asleep at their office one time and Ren wouldn’t let them hear the end of it for ages . 

Ren looks out for them, he always has. False and Grian like to bicker who’s more responsible, but in reality they both know it’s Ren who’s more responsible. He herds them around like cats, being there for them when they need it. He reminds them to take breaks when they need it, and he even brings them food when they forget to eat. 

Sometimes cases would end up with the two just a bit scuffed up and bruised, and Ren, who’s magically inclined out of the three, would wave his hand and they’d be magically healed with a quick and simple spell. They really would be dead in a ditch somewhere if it wasn’t for him. 

False walks over and hands him his coffee, poured in a mug that looks like one of the tea cups from Alice in Wonderland. False’s own mug is a little ceramic cat, the paw being the handle, an old gift from their parents she brought when they moved in. “Thank you. Have any luck?” He mumbles as he takes the mug. She gently pats him on the head. “Nope. Nothing’s making sense. How’s it going on your end?”

“Just a bunch of dead ends. It’s...been kinda tough, actually.” He sighs, taking a long sip of his coffee. It’s strong and bitter, perfect thing to keep him up at this hour. “Looks like we’re just gonna have to crack down then, hm?”

They’ve been working on this one case for what feels like ages, but it’s been more like a week. There’s so many suspects, testimonies, motives and other uncovered things they need to figure out. They’re also known for being quick and accurate, so they need to pick up the pace.

“Right.”

They fall into a familiar rhythm, the only noises in the apartment being the clack of keys on the keyboard, the purring of their cat, their occasional chatter as they discuss what they find. Grian gets up and refills his coffee several times, even pouring an energy drink or two to give it an extra kick. False moves from her spot to lie down face first on the floor for a few minutes before standing back up and carrying on like nothing happened.   

Columbo slinks into Grian’s lap, stretching himself out with a quiet ‘mrrp’ noise. “Hi bubby!” He coos, scratching the back of his ears. As he nuzzles up to his hands, both of their phones buzz at the same time. False checks the notification and winces a little.

“Who is it?” Grian asks.

“You can guess who.”

Grian reaches for his phone, still petting Columbo in his lap. As he expected, it’s a message from Ren.

2:45 AM

[ren diggity dog] ahem

[ren diggity dog] why are you two awake

[incorrect] i could ask you the same thing

[me] yeah smh!!!

[ren diggity dog] i sensed a disturbance in the force

[ren diggity dog] so i reiterate my question

[incorrect] i'm not awake

[incorrect] i’m in bed fast asleep rn

[me] snzzzzzzzz

[ren diggity dog] 🤨

False snorts as she sets her phone back down. “How much do you wanna bet he’s already on his way over here?” Grian scoops up Columbo in his arms and walks over to the window, peeking through the partially shut blinds. “Well, judging by the fact the lights to his apartment are off, I think I can make a reasonable guess.”

They’re gonna have to suffer the terrible fate that is Ren’s wrath, a.k.a being bapped lightly on the head and being told to go to bed. It’s endearing, but Grian’s body reacts to any sign of self care by going ‘NO!’ and squirming away the best he can. It never works out though, because both Ren and False have grips of steel while his is more of an iron grip.

Grian sits back down on the floor, awaiting for the familiar sound of Ren knocking on the door.

Knock knock knock!

“You have a key!” False shouts. Ren’s the only person they trust enough to give a key to. He casually shows up sometimes unannounced, but it’s never a bad time so they don’t complain. 

The door clicks as Ren unlocks it, swinging the door open with an exaggerated flourish. “Citizens of Apartment 127, I have arrived!” He says, doing a little hop as he does so. Columbo jumps out of Grian’s lap and scurries over to him, meowing and pawing at his feet. “Oh! Hello!” He picks him up as he closes the door behind him, kicking his shoes off and walking over to the two siblings. 

“Are you two working again?” He sighs, setting Columbo down on the floor. Grian slowly shuts his laptop. False slowly starts collecting all the papers littered on the table. “No. Not at all. What are you talking about.”

Ren pinches the bridge of his nose. “You know you two can’t fool me. Alright, have you guys at least had something to eat?”

“..... Have we?”

“We have! Don’t worry!” False reassures. “Yeah? Alright, I’ll trust you, even though that might be a mistake.” They did eat something, like 5 hours ago. Grian honestly forgot about it, he lost track of time the day he turned 16. 

“Do you two know what time it is?”

“....Morning?”

“Well, yes, but it’s 3 AM . You should be in bed.”

“Oh! That means the ghosts should be out and about soon enough.”

“You’re avoiding th— Wait, the ghosts? What ghosts?”

“Ya know. The ghosts. The ones that live here. You’ll hear them soon enough.”

The ghosts? They don’t talk about the ghosts. They start haunting the floors at 3 AM and don’t stop causing such a ruckus until the next hour. 

“If you’re here to tell us to go to bed, you could at least help a little.” Grian says with a pout. Ren sighs, padding over to the kitchen table. “ Fine . But I’m not encouraging this behavior at all.”

They’ve successfully managed to rope Ren into working with them, even if he does complain a little. Now that he’s here they goof off a little more, their focus being thrown off by their best friend being here. There’s a reason they only got assigned a group project together once in their entire history of school. They keep cracking up at dumb jokes they make, mostly because their sentences are all jumbled up and they’re just saying nonsense. 

Ren wanders over to where Grian’s sitting, resting his chin on the top of his head. “How are things going on your end?” He asks. Grian chuckles softly, rubbing his eyes with his fists. “Not well. I haven’t been able to focus since False said ‘party house is in the rock tonight.’” 

“Hey!”

“What!? It was funny!”

Ren laughs. “To be fair, it was.” Ren glances over the table he’s sitting at, papers scattered everywhere and his half empty mug leaving a ring stain on the surface. Ren squints, picking it up and inspecting it.

“Hey, Grian?”

“Mhm?”

“I’m not sure how, but you’ve managed to brew a potion of harming in this cup.”

False bursts out laughing. “You did what?! ” Ren hands the cup back to Grian, who stares at the liquid while he swishes it around. He can see little flecks of sparkling red in there, with the occasional bubble skull. 

“That’s weird. I didn’t know it’d do that.” 

He chugs it.

“No no no no no NO!” Ren shouts, snatching the mug back from his hands. “Spit it out! Spit it out right now!” He yells, shaking his shoulders. Grian swallows it, face scrunching up in disgust. “Oh god, that tasted bad.” 

Ren crosses his arms and frowns. “Grian-I don’t remember your middle name-Hawkins-Symmetry!”

False pipes up from her spot at the kitchen table. “It’s Charles!”

“ Grian Charles Hawkins-Symmetry! ”

Grian sighs sadly. “Did you have to whip out the full name?”

“Yes, it expresses disappointment.”

“HA!”

“Don’t think you’re out of this, False Katy Hawkins-Symmetry!”

False lets out an offended gasp. “You’re not my mum! Besides, I have done nothing except sit here and drink my coffee.”

“ YOU SHOULDN’T BE EVEN DRINKING COFFEE AT THIS HOUR— “

“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Ren sighs defeatedly, holding his head in his hands. “Okay, back to the main point at hand. How the hell did you even manage that?”

Grian laughs awkwardly. “Let’s just say we know what happens when I mix like, 5 energy drinks and straight coffee.” Ren pinches the bridge of his nose. “At least you know not to do it again. ….Don’t look at me like that, I know you’re going to now.”

He flicks his hand and little pink speckles shoot from his fingers, settling on Grian’s face and hair before disappearing. Ah, the casual healing spell while only being slightly annoyed, it’s been a while.

“It’s not the worst thing he’s done, weirdly.” False says. Ren moves to the kitchen, taking False’s mug as well. “What’s the worst thing he’s done?” Grian puts his chin in his hand. “I’m curious now! What is it?”

“One time I was up late chilling in the kitchen and you came in, poured yourself a bowl of mini M&Ms, and when I asked you what you were doing you just said ‘Baby need snack’ in a weird voice and walked away.”

Ren bursts out laughing. Grian looks offended. “Why is that the worst thing I’ve done?!”

“I don’t know, but something about when you said it gave me 23 psychic damage and I thought you were possessed for a good few minutes.” 

“But I do that all the time!”

“Eat M&Ms? Be possessed?”

“I was gonna say give you psychic damage, but that works too.”

Ren pulls himself a mug from the cabinet as the two go back and forth. The one he picked for himself is painted to look like a little mushroom cottage, a relic from their college days. He pours himself some tea, and quickly washes the other ones before pouring them some as well. He picks them up swiftly in one hand, before walking back over and handing them their mugs back.

“I’m just saying I’d make a good DND vi—when did you make tea?” Grian asks, taking the cup gingerly from his hands. Ren shrugs. “Just now. It’s chamomile.” He says with a smile. “Wow. Thanks.”

False snorts as he hands it to her. “Didn’t know one of your skills was stealthily making tea.” Ren laughs as he takes a seat. “I’m a man of many talents! And it looks like stealth tea is one of them!”

“Sounds like you’re very…...stealth-tea, huh?” Grian snickers.

“That was horrible. Never make a pun again.” False deadpans. Grian sticks his tongue out at her. “Fuck you!”

“Fuck you! ”

“Hey hey hey, both of you! Just focus, I’ll help as much as I can, you can get to bed sooner.” Grian and False huff, rolling their eyes and saying “ Fine .” in unison. 

They go back to work, falling back into that comfortable silence. It starts raining at some point, the rain quietly pitter-patting against the window. They also hear the ghosts occasionally, False even getting up and sticking her head outside to tell them to be quieter. She comes back and just tells them they’re probably gonna be haunted for the next month. 

Grian yawns, resting his head against the table. With the sounds of the rain, the tea fresh in his system, and the fact Columbo’s come over and started purring up against him, the tiredness is starting to hit him. Well, it’s more like getting hit by a freight train. 

The table’s feeling cozy.

He’s fighting to keep his eyes open. It wouldn’t hurt to close his eyes for a few minutes, right?

Yeah, should be fine.

He’s out like a light in seconds . 

A few minutes go by before Ren or False notice. False squints. It’s quiet. Way too quiet. “Grian?” She asks, looking over at him. He doesn’t move, head still down. She rips a piece of paper from her notepad and balls it up, tossing it at his head and watching it bounce off and land on the ground. “I think he’s asleep.” She whispers. Ren looks up and quietly laughs, walking over and crouching by his side. 

“Psst, Grian. Hey.” He whispers, lightly shaking his shoulder. He groans, face scrunching up and turning his head away. He chuckles, trying again. “Grian, buddy. Wake up.”

He slowly lifts his head, grumpy scowl on his face. “Wha? Huh?” He murmurs, face smushed from being pressed up against his arm. “Let’s get you to bed, hm?” He squirms away, sitting up with a yawn. “Nooo, it’s fine. I’m….” He starts nodding off again, “wide awake. Yeah. Wide awake.”

“Dude, you’re literally falling asleep right now.”

“I’m not!” 

He is. He very much is. It’s taking so much in his body not to curl up in a little ball on the floor and go back to bed. Ren sighs and sits down next to him, crossing his arms. “Yeah?” Grian nods quickly. “Yeah. I could stay up for hours.”

Grian rambles on for a few minutes, insisting he is very much awake and how he just needs to focus and soon they’ll be done. He scowls, letting his head fall against Ren’s shoulder. Ren cards his fingers through his hair ever so gently. His words silently trail off, and his eyes slowly fall shut. Yep, he’s knocked out completely. Ren’s done this before, let Grian ramble on until he eventually tires himself out, and then he’s tossed to bed and tucked in because he fights at the idea when fully conscious. Some things never change.

Ren scoops him up in his arms, wincing when he stirs slightly. He looks up at False, kicking Grian’s door with his foot. “I’m gonna put him to bed.” He says softly. False nods, sighing and starting to clean up her workspace. It’s nearing 4 AM now, it’s probably a good time to throw in the towel for the night. Ren tip toes into his room quietly, setting him down carefully and tucking him in. Grian rolls over and pulls the blanket closer to himself, burying himself under all the layers.

Ren comes back outside to False cleaning up Grian’s space, shutting his sticker covered laptop and setting it aside to charge. “Is it my turn?” She asks with a laugh. Ren snorts, nodding. “Yep. I can take care of the rest, if you want.”

She sighs, shoulders slumping slightly. “You sure?”

“Yep!” Ren draws a little circle in the air, sparkling purple and gold before dissolving.

“Did you just curse me or something?”

“Yeah, the curse of good dreams and a good night’s rest.”

False snorts, Columbo circling around her feet. “Are you gonna crash here for the night or go back to your place? It’s pretty late.” Ren glances out the window. “Uhh...the rain’s letting up. I think I can head home.” He says with a smile. 

“Alrighty!” False scoops up Columbo in her arms, keeping Ren company as he finishes cleaning up and puts his shoes back on.

He’s got one foot halfway out the door. “I’ll see you two tomorrow! Or….later, I guess.” He chuckles softly. False nods, petting their cat’s head gently. “Yep, thanks for coming over. You didn’t have to.”

“I mean, if i didn’t, you two would probably still be working right now.”

“Yeah, true.” False gives him a small two-finger salute as he steps into the hallway. “Good night, Ren!”

“Night night!”

Chapter Text

The sun is setting on another day in Hermitville, the sky turning a beautiful deep purple. The two detective siblings aren’t admiring the sight, though, they’re both in their cramped bathroom. Is it good for two people? Sure, debatable. Is it good for two people who are at each other’s throat every day? Absolutely not.

It’s not one of those times though, fortunately, as Grian’s sitting on the counter while False cuts his hair. It’s been getting pretty long, long enough he could tie it up, and he needed it cut. Only problem is he doesn’t trust anyone with his hair, his mum was always the one to cut it when he was younger, and now his parents moved a good ways away, so False is the second person he’d ever trust.

 There is a barber shop in town, but the moment he sits down in that barber chair he jumps out like someone put a cucumber next to a cat. Plus, when False cuts his hair they don’t have to pay for anything! 

“Hold still . Or else I’ll cut something wrong.” She huffs, snipping at his fringe. He squirms a little, swinging his legs against the cabinets. “I’m incapable of sitting still.” She sighs, brushing off some hair from his face. “I know, just try your best. There’s not much left.” He tries his best not to wiggle as False finishes up, snipping some bits in the back and stepping back to make sure everything looks okay.

“Alright, all done!” 

Grian turns around to look at himself in the mirror. False did a good job, but it’s to be expected. He looks like his normal self, his hair poofs the right way and frames his face just like it should. It’s him, alright.

“Thanks!”

He hops off the counter and scurries off into the living room while False cleans everything up. She’s fond of moments like these, they remind her a lot of growing up together, when she’d look out for him. From giving him a bandaid when he’d scrape his knees when he was a kid, to standing by his side when he was sick in the bathroom at some college party. She’s always kept an eye out for him, and he’s done the same for her. Just last week he made her soup when she wasn’t feeling well. A small gesture, but still appreciated nonetheless.

Grian’s curled up on the couch with his Switch in hand, probably committing some crime in Animal Crossing or something of the sort. In their apartment there’s a wall with framed pictures, most of their family and some from their school days, but there’s still some recent ones. The newest one is from a year or so ago, when Stress was the defendant for a case and they had to go to court as witnesses. She won the case, and it’s a bad quality photo of all of them posing together, like it was taken in a rush.

God, that day was a nightmare. They’ve never been so serious for so long. 

She looks over some other ones, a family vacation from when they were kids, Prom, just good memories all around. She’s about to walk away when she notices something that catches her attention, squinting at the frame.

“Hey Grian?”

“Yeah?”

“How long has this framed picture of Loona been here?”

“....8 months?”

“My god. Right. Okay then.”

She makes her way to the kitchen, sticking her head in the fridge. “What do you want for dinner?”

“Uhhhhh—“

“If you say I don’t know I’m kicking you.”

“....I’m not sure?”

She sighs, closing the fridge. “Well, I can’t blame you. I’m unsure too.” She flops onto a comfy chair in the corner of the living room, grabbing her laptop to go and watch something. She’s about to boot it up when her phone rings. It’s from the head of police in town.

“Hello?”

Grian picks his head up and looks over at her. 

“Yeah….Right now? ….Yeah. I understand. We’ll be there shortly.” She says, face quickly changing to a serious scowl. She hangs up and quickly puts her laptop away, getting up and looking for their keys. “What was that about?” Grian asks, putting a pause to his game. She tosses him his coat, toeing on her shoes hastily. “Get ready, we’re being called to investigate downtown. Sounds like some shit went down at the bookstore and it doesn’t look good.”

They rush out the door as quick as they can, sprinting towards the bookstore. False insists it’d be faster if they took her motorcycle, but Grian’s frankly scared of riding it and he’d much rather run than cling on for dear life. “What do you think happened? What could even happen at the bookstore?” Grian asks, panting and out of breath. An ambulance speeds past them. “It’s Hermitville. Anything can happen, I guess.” False says.

They make it to the town bookstore, Ye Olde Book Nook, and it’s frankly a disaster. There’s about at least one of every emergency vehicle present, and there’s the strong smell of smoke in the air that’s almost suffocating. False goes to ask someone what’s going on, but instead they’re ushered inside the store and they see what’s happened. 

There’s a hole in the side of the building. 

And not just any hole, it looks like an entire wall got blown out in an explosion. How the hell did they not hear anything? Grian wheezes as he inhales something , it’s not normal air or smoke, it’s almost electric and suffocating at the same time, burning his eyes a little. He tugs on False’s sleeve to get her attention. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” He mumbles quietly. She nods slowly. 

Magic.

They’re not the most familiar with it, they’re normal humans who aren’t magically inclined and they never had any proper training, but they’ve at least had experience around it. They’re friends with Ren, who casts spells regularly on a daily basis. Most of the time they’re on the receiving end of those spells. He’s more magical, on account of being part dog , but still. Looks like they’re gonna have to call him up. 

False puts her hand on Grian’s shoulder. “You go outside and call Ren, I’m gonna ask around and see if I can get a rundown on what happened.” Grian nods, taking his phone out as he makes his way back towards the front. He ducks past some cops and firemen, moving out of the way as some paramedics wheel away an unconscious person on a stretcher. Was that Keralis ? He’s very concerned, but he has to focus.

His phone rings for a few seconds before Ren picks up.

“Hello?”

“Hey Ren…”

“Oh! Hey! What’s up bub?”

Grian coughs and takes a shaky breath. “So uh, I don’t know if you’ve heard but, something happened downtown? At the bookstore?” He stops to sneeze. “We’re trying to piece together what’s going on, but one thing we know for certain is there’s magic involved, and it’s strong . We’re gonna need your help. Can you come down soon?”

Grian can hear the sound of jingling keys from his side of the line. “I’ll be there in a few. I’ll see you two soon!” He quickly hangs up before he can even say goodbye, clearly rushing over. Grian sighs and goes to rejoin False, bracing himself for the wave of magic about to hit him. He winces and squints as he walks up to her side, just finishing talking to some people on the scene. “Ren’s on his way. What’d you find out?” 

False gives him an abridged rundown; TFC, the owner of the bookstore was going to restock the shelves when he rounded a corner and it suddenly exploded , in a flash of colorful lights and smoke that blew out an entire wall. Nobody is in grave danger, just a couple got knocked unconscious from the blast, but no serious injuries, thankfully. TFC says he didn’t manage to see who caused it, he just saw a dark silhouette run through the hole in the wall and into the forest. That’s what happened at surface level at least, there’s more things to look into. False swears she can see a trail of magic leading off in that direction.

Ren runs up to then shortly after, frankly looking like an out of breath mess. “Are you two okay?” He asks. Obviously his first question of concern, as always. Grian nods, suppressing a wheeze as he feels more magical dust get kicked up in the air. False seems unfazed, just squinting a little. “Jeez, the magic is strong here.” 

Ren’s clearly noticed how much it’s affecting them, quickly channeling his own magic and casting a little immunity spell on them. “Should keep you two safe from whatever’s going on here. Can I get a recap on what’s happened?” They relay everything they just found out, Ren’s facial expression changing as he processes it. “Well then. Guess we have a lot to investigate, hm? Where do you wanna start?” 

“Well, I was hoping to maybe talk to TFC, some other people that were present to get a better grasp on the situation, there’s the strong traces of magic we should look at and then we can start looking at suspects...or something.” False says, counting off on her fingers before clearing her throat shyly. “Sounds like a plan! Do you guys wanna split up, I handle the magic and you guys handle the rest?” 

They exchange a quick glance before nodding in unison. “Should we just come find you when we’re done?” Grian asks. False is already pulling out a notepad. “Yeah! I’ll leave you two to it, then.” He gives the two a quick pat on the head before turning his attention fully towards the hole in the wall. False looks around, spotting TFC outside by an ambulance. She cocks her head in his direction, tapping on Grian’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

They walk up to him as he’s getting his arm bandaged, making small talk with the person tending to him. “TFC, hello!” False says cheerfully. TFC smiles at her fondly, slightly shifting to properly face the two. “Hello, False, Grian. How are you two?” They’ve known TFC for what feels like ages, he’s run the bookstore for as long as they can remember. He’s wise and knows many things, hell this probably isn’t even the worst thing that’s happened to him, but it’s still a shocker no doubt. “We’re pretty alright, thank you. How are you? Did you get scuffed up badly?”

He groans, lightly patting his bandaged arm. “Eh, just some scratches. It’ll take more than a little blast to take me down. I assume you two have questions?” Grian nods shyly, half standing behind False. “If you don’t mind. While it’s still fresh in your memory.” False adds, clicking her pen and lightly tapping it against her notepad. TFC chuckles softly, shifting in where he’s sitting. “Alright, alright, hit me. I’ll give you as many answers as I can.”

TFC really helps them, giving them some useful bits of information. He didn’t witness anything in particular, as he was mostly restocking shelves upstairs and in the back, but one thing he does remember seeing was the people already there, and the amount of times the bell in the doorway rang. It rang 5 times, but he’s unsure if it was people coming in and out of the store. He gives a list of who he last saw inside; Keralis, xB, Doc, and Cleo. That gives them a small group to investigate and ask questions to later. TFC also mentions something about the magic, how it felt off. Unnatural, almost. They jot it down and bid farewell, letting him go back to his business and returning to Ren.

“Hey! What’d you find out?” Grian asks as he skips up to him. Ren stands up and wipes his hand off, grunting in acknowledgement. “Okay so, dudes, this is like, weird. I was looking around and I noticed something. The traces of magic left here are all over the place!” He picks up some leftover sparkling dust from the ground and shows it to them. “There’s traces of a clearly powerful spellcaster here, but the spell itself was fabricated and unnatural. Like it was store bought or something.” He also picks up a small piece of blue glass, almost as if from a broken bottle or something.

“...Joe’s magic shop. He sells things like that.” False adds quietly.

“Do you think...he’s the one behind it?” Grian asks, scooping up some dust and inspecting it himself. It quickly dissolves in his hand, disappearing as he touches it. Ren shakes his hand. “No, I highly doubt it. Mostly because..” He picks up a charred book, the pages incinerated and all that’s left is the spine. “Everything from the magic section is gone. ”

False looks around at the bookstore. She didn’t notice it earlier, but the magic section specifically is what’s been blown up. All the other books, the fiction, the novels, completely untouched. Every book that held spells, old tales of magic and anything of the sort is just straight up destroyed, only some bits and pages surviving. “Huh. Interesting. Find anything else?” False says, stumped. Ren leads them outside, pointing at the floor. There’s the trail of magic False saw earlier, leading deep off into the forest and glowing blue faintly in the moonlight. 

“So, you see that little trail of magic dust right there?” Ren kicks at it gently with his foot. False nods. Grian looks confused.

He can’t see it.

It’s barely visible to him, almost like someone buried shiny rocks in the dirt and they’re shining when a hint of light is cast on them. What Grian does notice is a bunch of footprints. “It’s the mix of magic again, there’s the store bought spell and just regular powerful magic from someone who clearly knew what they were doing. But—“ He walks a little farther, starting to lead them into the woods. “The magic trail slowly starts fading around here , and it’s just completely gone here .” He marks a little spot in the ground with a stick. “But I did notice footprints, and they just keep going . I’d say we definitely have to look at where it leads.” 

False quickly jots everything down, names, the magic trails, as much as they’re gonna need for the coming week. “If we follow the trail, it’ll probably lead us to our culprit.” She says as she shuts her notebook and slips it back into her coat. They head out of the woods and back to the scene of the crime, already being taped off. False can see a news van out of the corner of her vision, reporting on what’s happened. 

“What did you two find out?” Ren asks as they return. “Okay so, TFC said he was in the back for most of the night so he didn’t really see who was in and out, he did however say he heard the bell jingle 5 times, so we have a vague idea of people coming in and out of the store at the time. We also have a vague list of people we can go and talk to. Probably in the morning though, I think most people are gonna be asleep by now.” 

It’s turned into late night as they’ve been investigating this scene, and besides a few stragglers who are just standing and watching, all that’s left are the police and first responders. “Should we pick this back up in the morning? Get up bright and early and tackle it then?” Ren suggests. Grian nods in agreement. “I think it’s a good idea. Besides, I don’t think people are gonna appreciate us hunting them down at this hour.”

“Setting an alarm as we speak.” False chuckles as she pulls her phone out. She lightly pats Grian on the shoulder. “Get ready to get up at 7 AM.”

“ 7 AM?” Grian whines, looking at her like she just told him he’s going to jail for some heinous crime he didn’t commit. “But that’s so early !”

“Okay? It’s not my fault you wake up at noon on a normal day! There’s crimes to solve!”

“False, you also wake up at noon on a normal day. Your sleep schedules are the same.” Ren adds.

“...I’m not involved in this conversation.” She says. “Don’t sling mud and expect it not to get thrown back at you!” Grian giggles, lightly smacking her arm. She pinches his ear in return. “Anyways! We should head home. We have an early morning.” Ren nods in agreement, chuckling softly at their antics. “Alrighty then, I’m gonna stay behind and do a bit more talking and asking around before heading back myself. See you tomorrow, you two!”

“Nighty night!”

The next morning comes soon enough, birds chirping outside as the sun starts to crawl up in the sky. Grian has to be dragged out of bed, quite literally, but they’re still out and about fairly early. They even have time to wear some proper clothes instead of hastily throwing stuff on, so they’re dressed their best to go ask some people if they’re responsible for what possibly counts as terrorism. 

Grian slips his hands in his overalls pockets as he kicks a rock along the sidewalk. “Alright, who’s first on our investigation list?” He asks as he watches the rock skid off into the grass. False has her notepad in one hand, glancing over everything she wrote last night. Half of it is very scrabbly and messy due to being written in such low light, but luckily she remembers most of it. “Doc, I think. If you think about it, he’s the most suspicious, right?” She’s right in a way, he was present at the bookstore that night, and he’s a creeper, they’re known for exploding things, but there’s still a lot of things that conflict with the possibility of him being responsible.

“I guess you’re right. I dunno, my gut says it’s not him though.” Grian finds another rock to start kicking as he walks. False grabs his arm to stop him from walking into ongoing traffic again. “Well, we can’t rule him out on just a hunch. Besides, your hunches aren’t right very often.”

“Hey! They’re right sometimes!”

“Grian, your last gut feeling told you that the trashman was the one that killed the postman, when in reality it was the baker!”

“Well that's different! I have my moments! ”

“Sure! Are you sure it wasn’t cause you thought th—“

“ ANYWAYS.”

False laughs, poking his cheek lightly. “Moving on, Doc should be…. here !” They stop in front of an old shop, a couple of blocks away from the bookstore. The sign on the store is so worn out and illegible from age, they don’t even know the actual name of it, just know that it’s Doc’s. “Who’s doing the talking, me or you?” Grian asks.

False snorts. “Me. Whenever you do the talking we end up talking about like, the Teletubbies or something for 20 minutes.” Grian rolls his eyes and scoffs, crossing his arms. “This is so unfair.” False rolls her eyes and shakes her head with a smile. “Let’s just go.” 

She goes to push the door open, but it doesn’t budge.

“It’s a pull door.”

“Shut up.” 

She pulls the door open with a huff. Instead of a little bell, the store has a tin can that rattles whenever you enter it. There’s like, at least one bell and three golf balls in there, and probably sand. Nothing like a DIY door alert thing to tie a place together. The store Doc owns sells a lot of junk, both literally and figuratively. There’s metal scraps and spare parts, tools and hardware for any mechanical work you’d ever need, as well as some random trinkets. Grian picks up a little wind up bird toy and blows the dust off it. The store windows are slightly tinted a bronze, casting a faint warm glow on everything. There’s a workbench in the corner for working on things on short notice, with various tools and metal things scattered on it. False ducks underneath some hanging potted plants and strides up to the counter, ringing the little bell on the counter.

Doc pops up shortly after, poking his head out from the back of the store. “Ah! If it isn’t you two. What can I get for you?” He says, clasping his hands and leaning over the counter. “Hello! I’m gonna assume you know what happened at the bookstore last night? We just wanted to ask you a few questions about it, if you don’t mind.” Grian slips the little wind up toy into his pocket nonchalantly. “Yeah, we heard you were there so we were hoping you’d know things that could help with our investigation.” 

“So, you’re looking to see who did it, eh?” He scoffs slightly, walking around the front of the counter, gesturing for them to follow him. He leads them to the little workbench on the far right of the store, pulling a few more chairs up for them to sit. “The back’s a mess, so this will have to do.” They sit in a makeshift circle of different chairs, all handmade from different pieces of wood and welded metal.

“Alright, wh—“

“Did you do it?”

“ Grian! ”

“What! It’s a valid question!”

False holds her head in her hands. Doc chuckles, shaking his head. “Strong start, I see. Well, no. I didn’t. Did you try stealing from me?” Doc pulls out the little wind up toy from his pocket, holding it up in front of his face. 

“How did you—“

“ GRIAN?! ”

Doc calmly winds it up and sets it on the workbench, watching as it marches in circles and peeps. “You really expected to steal in front of me and I wouldn’t notice? I’ll give you points for effort, I guess.” False huffs, smacking Grian upside the head with her notepad. “I’m revoking your talking privileges.”

“I WAS GONNA PAY HIM BACK—“

“I SAID WHAT I SAID! ANYWAYS—“ She takes a deep breath, readjusting her posture. “Where were we? You were present at the bookstore, right?” 

“Yes, yes I was.”

“You weren’t there by the time it all happened, correct? Was there anything or any one you noticed beforehand that seemed...suspicious, or out of the ordinary?”

Doc picks up a little metal sculpture of a goat, fiddling with the horns and joints. “Nothing seemed unnormal, at least that I noticed. There was just the normal expected things, people chilling, checking out books, what you’d normally expect when you go down there. Something did feel...off though. There wasn’t anything specifically that stuck out as weird, more of a gut feeling, like when you can feel a storm coming or something.”

The two detectives exchange a glance and nod. They've been thinking it, but neither have spoken up and brought it up with the other. There’s something generally wrong in town. It’s not obvious, but there’s an underlying unsettling-ness recently that’s been creeping around, like there’s something sinister going they can’t see. It’s just a hunch, but if they’re not the only ones who feel it, it must be more than that. 

“Right, um, did you catch who was there when you got there?” False asks as she quickly jots some things down. Doc pauses to think for a moment. “Honestly? Not really. As I came in, Cleo was just leaving, and Keralis was at the counter. I think xB also came in around that time as well.” It checks out, like how TFC mentioned hearing the bell ring five times. The last and fifth time would be the culprit walking in, surely. Grian sticks his head over False’s shoulder and skims over what she’s written so far. “Did’ya see anyone coming or walking in that direction as you left?”

Doc shakes his head slowly. “Nope. Just me.”

“Hm.”

“How much do you know about magic, Doc?”

Doc snorts, wiggling his metallic fingers. “Not much. I can’t do it myself, even if there is potential in me. Besides, it’s how I lost this arm.” He knocks on his metal arm, making a loud KLANG! 

“I thought you fought a god?”

“I did. Gods can do magic. That sure knew how to”

“Ah. Makes sense.” 

False’s face scrunches up as she thinks. Doc doesn’t actively participate in magic, and he wasn’t there at the time of the crime. It pretty much knocks him off the suspect list. “This is like, sort of off topic, but do you know anyone else who does magic? Anyone who could’ve been there after you?” Doc thinks for a moment, silently counting on his fingers. He gives them a long list, and now their suspect list has potentially grown by about fifteen people. “ God, why do so many people in this town know how to do magic. ” Grian grumbles under his breath, knowing how they’re gonna have to probably talk to everyone on that list. False lightly smacks him on the arm. “Don’t be so dramatic. We’ll probably split up the work up with Ren.”

False flips her notebook shut, clicking her pen and tucking it behind her ear. “I think that’s all the questions we can ask for now. Thanks for your help.” She stands up and Grian follows suit, awkwardly shuffling behind her. Doc nods, standing up and starting to put the chairs back. “No problem. If there’s anything else I can help with, just let me know. And Grian?” 

He makes a quick little ‘I’m watching you’ hand motion, squinting at him. Grian laughs awkwardly, foot already halfway out the door. “HAHAHA BYEDOCSEEYOUAROUND! ” False rolls her eyes and laughs, waving as she leaves. “I’ll keep an eye on him! Later!” 

They go around a bit more, hopping around from visiting Keralis in the hospital, who should be out in a day or so, who said pretty much what they already know, except for one thing. The last person to walk into the bookstore was completely unidentifiable, not like in the sense of a stranger, but there was some force , magic or otherworldly that was stopping them from being perceived. They felt familiar though, definitely not a stranger or someone out of town. They talk to Cleo and xB, and don’t learn much new that they didn’t already know. They stop by Hypno’s magic shop, which doesn’t deal with the magic they’re looking for, more of that stage magician kind of thing, but Hypno still knows magic so it was worth asking. Instead they got distracted with a card trick for about 20 minutes before False realizies how off topic they’ve gotten and drags Grian out by the arm.

“What’s next on our investigation list?” Grian asks as he skips down the sidewalk. “Uhhhhh…..Joe’s magic shop! The actual magic shop we’re supposed to go to.” False says, wiping some ink from her hands. “I think we had fun with Hypno!” He insists, putting his hands on his hips. False laughs quietly. “I mean, we did , but we’re also just a tad bit behind schedule.”

“Did we ever have a schedule?”

“It’s better for me to lie to myself about us having a schedule than facing reality, I think.”

“Fair enough!” Grian goes to pull the door open, but it doesn’t move. False slaps her hand over her mouth to hold back a laugh. “Not a word. Not a single word from you.” Grian points at her, squinting through his sunglasses. She sputters out a laugh, slipping in before him. “Whatever you say.”

They enter Joe’s magic shop, and they’re taken aback. They’ve probably come in here before, just forgotten due to so many other things clogging up their brains, but it’s...magical. Obvious, but that’s really the best way to describe it. There’s a tree growing in the center and up into the ceiling, leaves gently falling all around them. The walls are painted a dark, royal purple, but they’re mostly obstructed by shelves and shelves of just so many things . There’s different kinds of potions, splash potions fizzing and bubbling in their glass bottles, while normal potions are all showcased in funky little holders that remind them of vials in science class.

There’s little tables around as well, with rocks, herbs, and all sorts of powders and other things you’d need for magic. They’re both really wishing they knew how to do magic right about now just due to the amount of cool stuff they’re looking at. They gravitate towards the potions and bottled spells near the back. “This is partially responsible for what caused the explosion, I’m assuming?” False says, squinting at the names on all the bottles. Grian nods, crouching down to look at some that are on the lower shelves. “I think so. Ren did find those bits of glass at the scene. Hey, where’s Joe?”

Right on time, they’re interrupted by a voice from behind. “Howdy, you two! How can I help you?”

They turn around and he’s already walking over to them in long strides. “Mr. Joe Hills! Hello!” Grian says with a smile. False gives a curt nod. “Hey Joe! We’re just here to ask you a few questions, if that’s okay?” 

“Sure! Go ahead.”

False reaches into her purse and pulls out a small plastic bag, small bits of magical dust and some of the pieces of glass Ren found. “Does any of this seem familiar? Specifically the glass? We think it might’ve come from your shop.” She hands it off to Joe to inspect, the shop owner squinting at it as he brings it closer to his face. “This is...from here. Hold on.”

He walks over to the potions and spells, noticing how they’re all fully stocked except for one . He reaches up and picks up one of the spells in a bottle, one that practically buzzes with energy and fizzes like it’s about to combust. “This is from what happened at the bookstore, right?” Grian nods, crossing his arms and standing on his toes to peek at the bottle. “Did you sell anything to anyone yesterday? Or the day before?”

Joe thinks for a moment. “There’s a leather book on the counter, can you get it for me? It has a written record of everyone who’s come in here and bought something.” Grian shuffles off to the counter to find it, while he turns his attention back to the bottle. “Do you know anything about the dust?” False asks as Joe puts the bottle back in its place. He waves his hand over it, a blue light glowing from his fingertips. False watches as his face slowly turns into a confused scowl. 

“What? What is it?”

“This is from a summoning spell.”

“ What ?”

She swears she’s never seen Joe this serious in her life. “Whoever used the potion and cast this spell was trying to summon something . What that something is , I’m unsure of, but all the traces and signs are right here?”

“Hey Joe? The most recent name on here’s been scribbled out.”

Grian looks up from the book, thumb keeping his place on the page as he holds it up. “What? What do you mean?” He walks back over and hands Joe the book, and he’s right, there’s a name written next to the date for yesterday, specifying the exact spell and everything, but the name has been scribbled out in black marker. False watches as the gears turn in Joe’s head. “Do you remember who it was that came in yesterday?” She asks. Joe slowly shakes his head. “I know someone did of course, mostly because of the book, but whenever I try to remember a name or face it’s like--”

“...Some force is stopping you from perceiving them?”

“Yeah, that.”

The two siblings exchange a nervous glance. This might be more than they bargained for. “I’m gonna have to talk to Cleo about this.” Joe mumbles under his breath. “Is there anything else I can help you two with?” He shuts the book quickly, taking a deep breath. “I think...we’ve gotten enough information to unpack for now. Thank you Joe, I’m sure this is gonna help a lot .” 

Joe nods and bids them farewell, ducking quickly into the back. They hear some whooshes and flashes as they leave, Joe probably casting some magic in order to protect the store more. False takes a deep breath. Grian does the same. “We’re gonna have to talk to Ren about this.”

They do a bit more poking around, but they end up with barely any new information that they didn’t already know. They regroup with Ren back at their office, now equipped with their own little conspiracy board, complete with little ties of red string connecting things. They don’t have any physical pictures of any suspects, so they’re represented by some badly drawn stick figures on sticky notes. False nervously chews on the end of her heart-shaped sunglasses. “I feel like we know so much yet so little. ” She says dejectedly. Ren connects some strings himself, stepping back and getting a full look at it. “Yeah, we don’t even have an exact motive for why this even happened in the first place.”

Grian lifts his head up from where he’s face down on the couch. He stole Ren’s jacket and is using it as a blanket, probably seconds from falling back to bed. “What if whoever did it, got rid of the magic section on purpose because like, they didn’t want people finding out about something important?” They both turn their attention towards him, and he feels weird at the sudden attention. “...Or something. I don’t know.” 

“I mean, that does make sense, but I don’t know if we have any, I dunno, eldritch abominations running around town.” False says, rearranging some things on the board. 

Ren’s ears twitch in thought. “What if that’s the point? They don’t want anyone to know there’s something messed up among us.”

Grian lets out a tired giggle. “ Among us?

“ When the imposter is sus?”

Ren pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m stopping you two right there.” 

False snorts. “Alright, no verbal ping pong. I do think you’re onto something though. Out of all the theories we’ve had, it makes the most sense. Even though none of this makes sense.” Their workspace is an absolute mess, there’s papers and files everywhere, a hastily flipped through spellbook, a thrown away takeout bag shoved into the trash can, and even more ink covering False’s hands than normal. She wipes her nose and sniffs, definitely smudging some on her face. They managed to find a spell close to what both Keralis and Joe described, and they come to the conclusion that not just anyone could’ve cast it, it had to be someone who’s been doing magic for years . That at least narrows their suspect list just a bit. 

False flops down on the couch with a sigh, sinking into the cushions. “My brain is all fried. I think we should come back to this tomorrow in the morning.” Grian’s already asleep, snoring softly as his arm awkwardly dangles off the edge. Ren sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I think you’re right. It’s getting late anyways, and there’s more work to be done tomorrow.” They don’t bother cleaning up, it’ll just end up looking the same later anyways. They leave for now, hoping to come back tomorrow with a clearer mind and some brain cells that aren’t at half battery.

The next morning they’re once again up and at ‘em bright and early, ready to go once again. It’s a bit windy and overcast, whipping their hair around in the strong breeze. Ren also does some investigating on his own, more into the magic and talking with people more qualified about this stuff than they all are. They regroup a bit earlier in the afternoon back in their office, with just a bit more information.

“Okay,” False slowly takes off some more sticky notes of suspects that they’ve managed to clear. “We don’t have that many people left. Is there anything else we haven’t managed to check?” Grian’s eyes scan over some notes he has and the board. “There’s that magic trail we haven’t gotten a chance to look at yet. I’m sure that might have some answers to our questions.” He says, crumpling up some old notes and tossing them into the nearby trash can. “Yeah, we gotta look at that soon. Is there anyone we haven’t gotten a chance to talk to yet?” False takes a few more sticky notes off, leaving just three up on the board. “Uh...Cub, Scar and Wels.”

“Isn’t Wels out of town right now?”

She quickly plucks another sticky note off. “Alright, we’re down to two!” 

“So, we go talk to Scar and Cub and then investigate the woods?” 

They’re interrupted suddenly by the door to their office being swung open. A panting Stress stands hunched over in the doorway with an extra distressed looking Cub behind her. “Hey...um...pressing question? Have you guys seen Scar?” Cub wheezes, awkwardly leaning up against the doorway. “No? Are you two okay?”

“Oh, okay. That’s great. This is fine.” Cub says, rubbing his face with a groan. Ren stands up, ears now alert. “What? What’s wrong?” Stress takes a deep breath. 

“The mayor’s gone missing.”

The temperature seems to drop in the room. False feels her blood go cold. Grian feels his stomach flip. “Missing? What the hell do you mean missing? ” Ren demands, almost knocking his chair over. “I haven’t seen him in a few days. And the last time I did he was acting….strange? To say the least.” Cub says. Stress closes the door behind her so no one else will hear them. “We haven’t been able to reach him or anything. I checked by his house and Jellie was just...there. Waiting for him.”

“Okay, something’s definitely wrong. He’d never just leave Jellie like that.” 

Grian gets the strong urge to sit down. You get told a friend you’ve known forever just suddenly up and vanishes, it’s gonna hit like a truck. False fights back the urge to bite her nails. “When did you last see him?” She asks, gently patting Grian on the back. 

“Two days ago.”

Two days ago…..

“He told me he needed to go shopping for something. Didn’t specify what or anything.”

Something clicks in Grian’s head. It does in False’s as well.

“Was he….acting weird at all?” False asks as she nervously gulps. Cub thinks for a second. “Not that I noticed. I mean, I thought his eyes looked weird.”

False can see the realization hitting Ren’s face. “Weird?” Stress nods, piping up. “Yeah! I ran into him on the street, and I thought that too. They’re normally green, right? They were like, yellow almost.” 

The three exchange a knowing look. Scar must be the one who caused the explosion at the bookstore. But why? If his eyes were different, was it possession? A little magical influence? Scar is well-versed in magic, so whoever, or what ever did it knew who they were after. “Are you two thinking what I’m thinking?”

His thoughts are confirmed by their frantic nods. “I think we have an idea of where he could be.” Stress and Cub’s faces light up in relief. “Really?” Ren is already grabbing for his coat, False and Grian scrambling to their feet. “Just a hunch. Can you two go back to his house and check on Jellie? Hold down the fort till we get back?” 

Cub gives a firm nod. “Bdubs is already on it. We can go join him and...just wait I guess.”

Grian wraps his cardigan tightly around himself. “Are there any records of magic or stuff like that in town hall?”

“I think so, why?”

He already has a foot halfway out the door, Ren tossing him a flashlight. “Good. We’re gonna need them.” That’s probably vague and just a little bit ominous, but their brains are making connections and they’re in a rush. “We’ll hopefully see you two soon? And hopefully have Scar back with us!”

They break out into a sprint the second the leave the office, running directly to the bookstore. “Okay so, we can all agree Scar’s the one resposible, right?” Ren shouts. The wind starts to pick up. “Yep!” They shout in unison. “But why? What the hell is the motive for that? Scar never had any disdain for magic last time I checked!” Grian asks as the wind whips his hair. 

“What if it wasn’t Scar? Well, it was Scar but not Scar , ya know?” False struggles to tie her hair up to get it from flying into her face. Ren quickly glances at them over his shoulder. “We’ll just have to go and find out!”

The bookstore has been closed off for the time being, repairs haven't started yet and they’re still trying to work on getting all the books back and restocked, so the wide open hole is still there. Ren quickly waves his hand, casting some spell in a language they don’t understand, and a blue trail lights up at their feet. It leads right into the forest as they remembered, going deep into the trees to the point they can’t see it anymore. “I’m very glad I’m wearing the right shoes right now.” False sighs, kicking at a shiny rock with her sneakers. Grian seems to deflate as he looks at his own. “I shouldn’t have worn white sneakers.”

They hesitantly start to venture in, following the trail and turning on their flashlights when the trees start blocking out the remaining sunlight. They don’t really have a plan, they never do, they just hope to find Scar and get him back safely. He’s also gonna have lots of talking to do. 

“Where the hell does this even lead?” Grian complains as he stops himself from slipping in mud. The trail keeps phasing in and out so they’ve started relying on Scar’s footprints in the mud and dirt. “Is there like a secret shack in the woods or a cave or something?” 

Ren ducks as a bird zooms over his head. “Honestly? Knowing this town, probably.” It may be a small town, but there’s so much going on it wouldn’t be surprising if someone had their own little house in the middle of the dark woods. False winces as she steps in something wet. There’s the strong, strong smell of something metallic. She shines her flashlight on it, her face going pale at the red puddle staring back at her. “Hey, uh, just found blood. That’s not good.” 

They realize there’s some more splotches and puddles of blood around. They move faster. 

The air is getting colder, Grian shivering slightly as he realizes the cardigan he’s wearing isn’t exactly meant for the current weather. It’s getting darker, too. The sun’s probably gone down, the magic trail and flashlights being the only things lighting them up. “Hey Grian, remember when you said you wanted to be in a horror movie? How’s that dream workin’ out for you?” False asks as he helps him down from a little ledge. “Honestly? I was hoping to be in a slasher, not like, Slenderman or something.”

A stick breaks behind them. Grian yelps and practically jumps up into False’s arms. “It’s just a squirrel, you two!” Ren says with a laugh. “My reaction still stands.” Grian grumbles as False puts him down. An owl hoots in the distance, flying over their heads. He squirms as he feels his foot make a squelching noise. “Oh my god, my socks are wet now. This is terrible. Scar’s lucky we care about him so much.”

False snorts. “I mean, it’s also technically our job.”

“You know what I mean!”

They hop over rocks, jump over creeks, they keep following the trail for what feels like ages , until the trees start to clear up and there’s an actual path in front of them. A man-made path. The dirty footprints are clearer on them, leading up to a little wooden cabin. “Looks like one of your hunches was right for once!” False whistles. Grian rolls his eyes. “Hah hah. Funny. Do you think he’s in there?”

Ren confidently starts walking up to the door. “Well, judging by the footprints leading up to the doorway, I’d assume so! There’s also….a concerning amount of dripping blood so I hope he’s okay.” He tries opening the door, but it doesn’t budge. He jiggles the doorknob a little, but it just rattles a bit and doesn’t do anything. “Alright, door’s locked. What do we do?”

“Bust the windows down.”

“Break in.”

“Both of you are terrible.”

Grian throws his hands up the air in frustration. “Well we don’t have a lot of options! He’s probably not gonna answer if we knock, and we can’t get in!” False pulls a bobby pin out of her hair. She quietly picks the lock as they bicker, kicking the door open. They look at her with some sort of vague astonishment and confusion. “What? This isn’t my first time breaking in somewhere!”

College was a very fun time.

The inside of the cabin is an absolute disaster , like a tornado came into the room and wrecked everything. There’s lamps and books knocked over, and dirt and blood streaking the floor. Footprints lead up a staircase, weird claw marks on the walls and railing. “Scar?” Ren calls out, carefully looking around the place.

They swear they can hear some sort of shuffling noises from inside the place. They head upstairs and follow the footprints, stopping on a door at the end of a long hallway. The door’s locked once again. “Hey, Scar? Is that you? Are you in there?” They press their ears up against the door in hopes of hearing anything. They hear the sound of someone pacing, before slowly stopping and walking closer to the door.

“....Yeah?”

They all let out a sigh of relief. Grian flips a lightswitch on in the hallway. “Are you okay? Everything alright?”

Scar takes a shaky breath, starting to pace again. “Honestly? Not really! I’ve just been feeling weird recently, and all of a sudden there’s an explosion and I’m running and everything hurts.” He sighs. False hears his feet splash into a little puddle of blood. She quietly taps on the door. “Can we come in, or would you like us to stay out here?”

He hesitates for a second. They hear the door lock click. They take it as a sign to come in. “I am warning you though, things are...different.” Ren carefully opens the door, gently pushing it open. Scar stands awkwardly in the room, but there’s something off . His eyes are a bit more sunken in, his nails are sharper and there’s….tiny little blue wings sprouting out of his back. It’s painful, they can tell, but he still puts on a little smile.

“Scar, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but what in the hell happened to you?” Grian asks in bewilderment. 

“I don’t…. know .”

There’s a chair that makes a terrible squeaking noise as Ren pulls it out. “Care to tell us what you remember, at least?” Scar nods, and when he opens his mouth they can see he has little fangs now. “I’ll try my best.”

Scar tells them everything , how the last clear thing he remembers was being in his office a few days ago, when he heard something, some one , calling out to him. He felt like his actions weren’t his own, like he was a puppet for this being or whatever. He went to Joe’s shop, bought that potion, went to the bookstore and set that explosion off, while also managing to summon something , whatever gave him all these new features. He ran away here in both fear and the hopes of figuring things out, but instead he’s just been panicking and pacing for the past few days.

Ren pauses for a moment. “Scar...does the name the Vex ring any bells?”

Scar processes it before quickly nodding. “Yeah! Why?” Ren puffs out his cheeks as he exhales. “Okay so, it looks like whoever did this to you, A. wanted to get rid of all those books on magic, presumably to hide something, and B. summoned the Vex to give you these powers and just...I dunno, make life worse for you for a little bit?”

“So this was to incapacitate him? Why couldn’t they just like, stab him or whatever?”

“ GRIAN—“

“ What! It’s a question!”

False sighs as she rubs her temples in frustration. “Anyways, there’s obviously a deeper motive for this here than we don’t know. Is there anyone who could be out to get you, political opponent or anything?” A frown spreads across Scar’s face. “I hope not! I try to be nice to everyone and make Hermitville a good place. You think you know someone and they turn you half Vex!”

Grian lightly pats him on the shoulder comfortingly. “I’m sure we’ll find whoever did it. But more importantly, are you like... okay? Besides the whole blow a hole in the side of a building thing, pain? Any cool powers you found out about?”

“Well, my back is killing me. The wings are so small I can’t even fly! I can just buzz menacingly.” He flaps the wings on his back rapidly, making a weird insect buzzing noise. Ren quickly casts a healing spell on him to help. “But other than that...not really? I mean, I’ve got a sudden strong craving for cake. And when I drum my nails on the table they make that funny clacking noise! Oh! And I can do this!” He claps his hands and five little Vex appear in the air, circling around him. Grian hits the deck on instinct, ducking under the table. “Don’t worry! They won’t hurt you guys! ….I hope.”

False slowly lowers her flashlight from her weird attack position. “Well, if that’s all, would you like to come home? Jellie misses you.” Scar’s eyes light up at the mention of his little friend, the green now lightly flecked with shades of blue. “Jellie! Oh my god, is she okay?” He asks frantically, shaking Grian’s shoulders a little bit. Ren chuckles and shakes his head. “She’s fine, Stress, Cub and Bdubs are looking after her right now.”

A sigh of relief escapes Scar’s mouth. “Oh, good. I was worried for a second. I should clean up, shouldn’t I?” He looks at his bloody fingernails and cringes a little. “I hope no one freaks out a bunch when they see me.”

“Scar, we live in a town with Jevin and Doc. You’ll be fine.”

“Fair point! I’m gonna go….get rid of all this blood.”

Scar quickly cleans himself up, washing all the blood away and changing into a new, not destroyed pair of clothes. He does have to cut some holes for the wings though, his wardrobe is gonna need a lot of changes. They ask him if he wants help cleaning up the mess, but he says they can just worry about it another day, he just wants to get home.”

They call a car, after a lot of whining about having to back through the woods. Scar runs up to Jellie like they’ve been separated for several years, the cat jumping into his arms and purring happily. Turns out the claws are good for head scratches now. The town has to deal with a half Vex mayor now, but it’s not like a lot has changed. He’s just slightly funkier now! 

False and Grian don’t get much of a break though. They’ve solved the case, but only partially in a sense, as they don’t know who was the one controlling Scar or doing magic on him. There’s something sinister going on, a hidden evil lurking in the streets, disguised as a friend, or a foe, only time will tell. They just need to get to the bottom of it and find out who before it’s too late, they’ve already gone after the mayor, so anything goes from here on out. 

False takes a big swig of her coffee. It’s bitter, but it’s enough to give her energy for the next few hours. She and Grian have been hard at work researching anything and everything they can about Vex, possession, and anything that sounds about right. She clicks her pen and glances over at Grian, who’s laser focused on whatever he’s reading. This is gonna take longer to solve than they thought. 

They’re in this one for the long run. 

Chapter Text

“Mothers and fuckers of the jury!”

Stress clasps her hands with a big ol’ grin on her face, clearly very excited about today. It’s game night! A tradition they’ve carried on since they’ve all been friends, really. It’s a monthly, bi-monthly if they’re lucky, night they do, where the host rotates on a schedule. It’s always fun whenever Stress hosts, mostly due to her cool ass fish tank and insane amount of  games she owns. She has a cabinet filled to the brim with board games that they’re sure they haven’t even gotten to play all of them yet. 

Technically, they’re still supposed to be working, but they’d never miss game night, and Ren would have their heads if they didn’t take a break. Stress probably would too, maybe Mumbo would be chill. What’s the worst he’ll do? Bonk them with a paper tube? Game night may be a tradition with the five of them, but if they’re lucky more people will tag along. Iskall joins frequently, and Scar’s played a couple of times, but he always ends up losing and his excuse is “You can’t do this to me, I’m the mayor!” as they kick his ass in Mario Party or something. 

“You already know what day it is! We just have to decide what game to start off with!”

They browse over some of the games Stress has on her shelves. They really should make one of those wheel things and spin it so it can decide for them. “Just Dance?” Ren suggests, holding up the box. Grian scoffs. “Ren, you suggest Just Dance every time.”

“I like playing it!”

“And because you win every single time!”

“That’s just an added bonus!”

Stress yoinks the little box from his hands with a chuckle. “Fine! We’re playing it first just to get it out the way.” False and Mumbo already start pushing the little table out of the way of the living room. “Oooh, can we do the Tetris one?” False suggests. Mumbo scrunches up his nose at the thought. “I’m just gonna sit back and watch that chaos unfold, then.”

Stress sticks the disk in the game console with a satisfying click! “You’re not escaping this hell! Let’s dance!”

It goes about as well as you’d expect, they make it through a few songs all while laughing and yelling at each other. They do end up doing the Tetris dance which is an absolute disaster mostly due to how ridiculous it is. Turns out picking up Ren on short notice is harder to do than it seems! Grian spent most of the time on the floor laughing and practically on the verge of tears, luckily Mumbo managed to get a video of the whole thing. 

They move onto Uno, which is even more of a nightmare, mostly due to the fact they’re playing with the 7 and 0 rules, stacking and jump ins so friendships are definitely gonna be broken tonight. Grian’s down to one card, he called Uno a while ago and he’s so sure he’s gonna win, he has a Wild Card and Ren just needs to put down any colored number card and he’s set for victory.

He watches anxiously as Ren shuffles through his cards, tapping his feet on the floor. He tries to calm his rapidly beating heart, nothing gets your anxiety going like a good game of Uno. Ren squints at him and looks back at his cards. “Hey G, what color do you need?”

Grian looks back at his card. “....Red?”

Ren hums in thought.

He places two Draw 4 cards on the deck. 

There’s an uproar at the table. Grian makes a strangled squeaking noise as False yells and bursts out laughing, Stress and Mumbo both collectively losing it as Ren simply smiles at him and rests his chin in his hand. “What is it, Grian? Problem?” 

Grian’s never looked more hurt in his entire life. The betrayal, the backstabbing, years of friendship leading up to this moment. “ Ren! How could you !” He whines, slumping forward slightly. Ren still smiles, lightly drumming his nails on the table. “It’s what the cards decided! Nothing I can do about it.” 

He begins to protest. “But that’s so many cards!” Ren shrugs. False smacks the table as she laughs. “But—”

“Grian? You’re stalling. Draw.” He snarls, baring his fangs a little. Grian grumbles as he reluctantly draws eight cards. “This is so unfair.” Ren snorts as he sets his cards face down on the table. “All’s fair in love and war!”

“Hey, at least it’s not as bad as that time Scar had to draw thirty two cards.” Mumbo reminds them. They all wince at that memory. But still, somehow, he managed to win that game. It was wild.

“Grian you have no right to complain about drawing while I’m sitting here with sixteen cards. Speaking of! Ren, what color is it?” Stress says, lightly bapping Grian on the head. Ren shuffles through his cards. “Hm...Green!”

Grian groans loudly and rests his forehead against the table. He doesn’t have any green cards. His victory was so close and it was snatched out from under him like a rug. Ren is now on his hit list.

A few turns pass, Grian manages to get rid of a few more cards as he tries to get close to winning again. Mumbo smacks a card down, now down to one and mumbling a soft “Uno.” as he does so. It’s so quiet the others don’t hear him though. “Hey! Uno! Draw 2!” False says, pointing at his cards. “I already called Uno!”

“No you didn’t!”

“I did! Stress, you heard me right?”

“Nope.” She says, like a liar. 

False shoves two cards into Mumbo’s hands. “I’m going to eat these cards and you will be the only one to blame.” 

“Don’t eat the cards.” 

She yanks them away when he tries moving them towards his mouth. “Just take the cards!” Mumbo scoffs and yanks them back, reluctantly adding them to his deck. “I hate it here. This is a lawless land.” 

Mumbo manages to indirectly get his revenge when Ren surprises her with a draw two. She pauses and curses, plucking up two cards from the deck. “This sucks.” She grumbles. Ren snorts as Mumbo places his card. “You can’t gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss your way out of this one!” She lightly flicks him on the arm. “Oh shut up! You have twenty cards!” 

Several cards and broken friendships later, Stress manages to win after what feels like a three hundred year long game. They test their friendships even more after some games of Monopoly and Mario Kart, and they’ve eventually settled down to order some food together. 

“Okay,” Ren shoves a nacho into his mouth, quickly wiping his hands, “unfortunately I have to leave early! I have business to attend to, so I must take my leave.” They all protest as he stands up, Grian mostly upset by the sudden loss of person to lean on. “So soon?” Stress frowns, pouting slightly. “Yeah, sorry. Duty calls, you know. But it’s been fun!”

“Awww, bye Ren! See ya tomorrow!”

Ren quickly slips his jacket on and leaves, exaggeratedly waving and blowing kisses as he slips out the door. They finish eating and quickly decide what to play next. They play a rather painful game of codenames that makes them realize that none of them have the braincell, Ren probably took it when he left. 

“We should head home. We still gotta feed the cat.” False snorts after a little while, lightly smacking Grian on the shoulder to get his attention. Grian sighs. It’s always a shame to have to go home after having so much fun. “I guess you’re right.” Mumbo says he needs to leave as well, the three of them helping Stress clean up before they go. “It’s been fun! See you guys soon?”

“Mhm! Bye Stress!”

“Byeee!”

Mumbo splits off onto his own way home, the two siblings walking side by side. Spring has sprung but it’s still a bit cold at night so they’re wrapped up in their coats all cozy as they head back to their apartment. False walks in her long strides as Grian speedwalks to stay up with her. They talk and laugh quietly on the way, the only real moment of peace recently.

They’re still busy with the case of the Vex and whoever did that to Scar, but they keep finding dead ends. There’s no hints or clues or anything, it’s feeling hopeless. It’s extremely stressful and they’re both a few seconds away from cracking under the pressure they’ve put on themselves, but they’re fine . This break was needed, and now they’re all worn out and can go home and rest up.

“I’m just saying, I hope you don’t die. At least not soon.” False says.

“Why?” Grian asks.

“Because I’ll be first suspect, duh.”

“Are you saying if I die under mysterious circumstances you wouldn’t investigate my death yourself?”

“Well—”

She’s cut off by several police cars zooming past them, sirens blaring in the night. “...I hope we don’t get called for whatever that is.” She mumbles. Grian nods, picking up his pace. “As I was saying, I—“

She’s cut off by Grian’s phone ringing suddenly. Grian slowly reaches for his phone, wincing when he sees the contact. False slumps, already knowing who it is. “Hello?” He says. Grian pinches his nose and sighs. “Yeah, we’ll be right there.” 

“What is it?”

“We gotta get to the museum, there’s been a break in and something important got stolen, or something.” 

They rush to the local museum near the outskirts of town, an old building that holds tons of paintings and other things from the town’s history. They can already see a few cops and museum security investigating the scene as they get there.

They’re brought up to speed, a valuable painting has been stolen just a few minutes prior, and they suspect whoever’s done it is still on the premises. 

Grian opens his mouth to ask something, when he realizes everything around them is moving slower and slower until everything fully stops . There’s a museum worker who’s been frozen mid stride, the security they’re talking to stands mid sentence, mouth open. He looks at False, looking about as bewildered as he feels. “What the hell is happening?”

A loud voice shouts down at them from the top of the room.

“Helloooooo ooooo Detectives!”

They look up and hear the sound of glass shattering above their heads, three silhouetted figures stand at the giant window on the ceiling. 

They drop down onto the floor, capes billowing as they fall down. Dust is kicked up in their faces, obscuring their view momentarily. Grian sputters and wheezes as he tries fanning the dust away, finally able to get a good view of the figures that stand a few feet away.

They’re dressed in fancy suits and hats, masks covering their faces. The one on the left is themed around a fish, cape fashioned to look like waves and scale patterns all around his suit, with a matching scaley eye mask. The stranger on the right quickly pockets a pocket watch, probably what was used to mess with time, and grins. He’s decked out with flame patterns and various accessories and jewelry, his own cape styled to look like a blazing fire. His mask is lizard-like, almost like a salamander. 

Finally, the one in the middle, the leader presumably, is adorned with curly and fluffy patterns, a sheep’s nose painted over his own and an equally sheep looking mask concealing his face. He has a top hat, decorated with some flowers and two little sheep ears and horns attached to the sides. He twirls a small toy magician’s wand in his hand, tossing it up in the air and it lands back in his hand as a full staff, a little golden sheep skull glimmering at the top end of the stick. 

“Well well well, we’ve heard a lot about you two! Never thought we’d ever get to see the lot of you in action.” Sheep man says with a grin. They circle around them like vultures, Grian quietly shuffling to hide behind False. “Who are you guys?” False asks. 

“Us? We’re the….” He reaches into one of his pockets and throws a fistful of magical dust in the air, “Phantom Thieves of Hermitville!”

Grian snorts, stepping out a bit from behind False. “That’s a bit of a lame name.”

“Hey!” Sheep says.

“It is a bit lame, to be fair.” Salamander adds.

Sheep huffs and stomps his foot, shoe clacking against the hardwood floor. “There’s not a lot of good options! Cut me some slack!”

“I mean, when I asked for your names I kinda meant individually, but that works too.” False sighs.

Fish shoots her some finger guns. “You can’t perceive me in a way that matters.”

“Right. I’m gonna make an educated guess and say you’re the ones that stole that painting?” She asks, pointing to the giant empty wall behind them. Sheep claps his hands together. “Right! That’s why we’re here!” He waves his hands and the aforementioned painting appears in the air, before waving his hand again and it disappears into some kind of pocket space. “Yeah, we’ll be taking that, thank you!” 

“Not if we can help it!” Grian yells, pointing at them. False grimaces at whatever he’s just managed to sign them up for. “Oh yeah? Wanna bet?” Salamander challenges. 

“Not really—”

“Yes!” Grian says, fully stepping away from False and putting his hands on his hips. He’s not scared! He’s been in multiple fist fights in the diner parking lot and hell, he grew up with False his entire life, it’s all toughened him up a little!

“Grian, you can’t reach the top shelf without using a stool. Sit the fuck down.” False deadpans.

“ HEY! ”

The phantom thieves burst out laughing while Grian’s face slowly turns redder and redder. Sheep lightly bonks him on the head with his staff. “I'd like to see you try. I’m like a whole head taller than you!”

“Oh, bring it on! We’ll get that painting back some way, somehow!”

Salamander cocks an eyebrow. “Think fast.”

False can’t even react before some magical blast hits the two of them and sends them flying. She quickly flips onto her feet, scrambling to dodge another one whizzing past her head. It leaves a smoking hole in the wall, just barely missing another painting. This is the worst place to get into a magical battle.

Grian curses as his back hits the floor, groaning in pain. He manages to stand up as a flurry of playing cards shoot at him like throwing knives. He dodges by squeaking and running away, narrowly missing another magical attack. They’re definitely outnumbered here, if it was just pure physical strength they’d have better odds at fighting them but they have no magical abilities whatsoever, hell they probably can’t learn it if they tried, and they can’t call on Ren so it’s not looking that good for them.

Fish conjures up a blue glowing blob in his hands, launching it at the pair. They scatter, without a plan or any ideas of what to do. “Boop!” Sheep says as he zips past and lightly bonks False on the head with his staff. “Ow!” She yelps, managing to kick him and knock him back. 

“Hey, you wanna see a magic trick?” Salamander asks slyly. He pulls four rings out from his pockets, showing them off in the air. Grian blinks in confusion.

He holds the four rings up individually, before pushing them together and revealing that….the trick didn't work. The rings don’t link up like they’re supposed to, just clanking up against each other. “Aw man! It didn’t work!” He frowns, slumping his shoulders. “Oh well!”

He tosses the rings towards Grian, who can’t even react fast enough. The rings glow and expand, opening up and latching around Grian and successfully binding him together. He makes a choked out “ACK!” noise as he hits the ground from the sheer force. False whips around when she hears him yell. “Grian!”

Sheep slams the end of his staff into the ground, cracking a bit of the floor. “I think we’ve lingered long enough! We really should go, there’s business to attend to after all.” They jump up and make their way back towards the hole in the ceiling.

Grian struggles to free himself from his metal binds. “You’re not getting away with this!”

Sheep glances at him over his shoulder. He swears he sees his eyes flash yellow for a second. “We’ll see about that.” He winks, and with a dramatic swish of his cape, he’s gone off into the night. 

Fish salutes and follows shortly after, while Salamander stays behind for a second. He pulls out his pocket watch, clicking the top. Time seems to finally unfreeze, slowly coming back to normal. “See ya around!” 

False is already running to Grian’s side. She’s a bit scuffed up herself, but thankfully nothing horrible. “Grian, stop squirming . I can’t get you out if you keep moving.” She hisses, finally snapping the metal rings with her two bare hands. “You okay?” She asks worriedly. His back hurts and he’s kinda sore, but other than that he’s doing okay. He nods and gives a small thumbs up. 

There is...so much information to process. Magic, time madness, and those thieves that came in and messed with them before leaving mysteriously into the night. The people around them slowly look around and realize something’s off, mumbling in even more confusion than before.

“Grian?” asks False.

Grian groans quietly, leaning up against her for support. “Yeah?”

“We’re gonna have to talk to Ren.”

They decide not to call Ren that evening, they know he’s gonna be busy and they’re both exhausted , so they decide to meet up with him in the morning at the local diner. The Void Vibe, as it’s called, is owned by Xisuma and EX, and is one of (if mot) the best meetup places in town. It’s nice and quiet (for the most part, Grian likes picking fights with EX when he can) and the food is amazing . Their breakfast is some of the best but they don’t get to eat there often, so it’s nice they can today. 

The little bell jingles when they open the door, the two of them sighing when the smell of fresh food and coffee hits them. X looks up from where he’s rummaging behind a counter, hitting his head as he tries getting up too quickly. “Ouch! Good morning you two! Pick a seat anywhere and I’ll be right with you guys.” He says, rubbing the back of his head shyly. 

“Thanks X!”

Grian picks a booth and slumps into it, resting his head against the table. False sighs as she sits down, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Grian’s already nodding off. She lightly smacks him on the head. “Hey. Wake up, we’re waiting for Ren, remember?” He squints at her and grumbles, whining about wanting to go back to bed. 

“Good morning you two! Are you...guys okay?” A familiar voice says.

Zedaph spins around in his bar stool to face them. He smiles warmly, a look of concern on his face. Zedaph owns a pottery place down the street, making his own things of pottery and even offering classes in the summer for kids and adults who’d like to try their hand at it. Impulse and Tango also spin around, looking at the pair curiously.

Zedaph, Impulse and Tango are a tight knit group, they’re practically inseparable, and they’re a little chaos-causing trio everyone’s grown to know and love. Impulse likes surfing and runs a surf shop, while Tango works in mechanics and things like that. Tango also wears platform boots, and Grian really needs to ask him where he gets his shoes.

“Busy night?” Impulse asks, resting his chin in his hand. False nods slowly. “Yep. It’s been...a lot.” Zedaph tugs his sheep cardigan a little closer to himself. “Well, I hope whatever you’re investigating goes smoothly!” He says with a wink. False nods with a smile. “Thanks. Appreciate it.”

Xisuma comes around with two menus in hand, handing one off to False and placing the other in front of Grian. “I’m surprised to see you two here all bright and early. Special occasion or something?” He jokes. False laughs softly. “Yes and no? We got called for a case last night, and we came here to meetup with Ren and discuss things, so he’ll be joining us soon.” She lightly pokes at Grian’s head, the younger waving her off. “We’re super exhausted though, I think Grian’s actually asleep.” 

Xisuma chuckles and slides into the empty spot next to Grian, gently shaking his shoulder to wake him up. He lifts his head up, squinting at Xisuma’s blurry face. “Mornin’ X.” He mumbles. “Morning! Can I get you any drink or anything?” 

“Sleep. A bed.”

“Well, I can’t offer you that. I can however offer you...how about a latte? And EX can make some fun design on it?” He turns to look at EX who’s icing some cupcakes. “Right EX?”

EX just flips him off and goes back to work. 

“Yeah, he will! How does that sound?”

Grian weighs his options mentally. “...Yeah. That sounds alright.” Xisuma smiles, gently patting him on the back. “Good! And for you, False?” She laughs softly. “An iced coffee please.” Xisuma slides back out of the booth with a kind smile. “Alright, I’ll get those for you in a second.” 

“Thank you!” They say in unison as he heads off. Grian huffs as he rests his head against the table. “Any ideas for suspects?” False pulls out a notepad from her purse, flipping through it to the most recent page. She scribbled down a few important details, but most of it is messy and illegible due to the fact she was barely conscious when she did. “Not really, honestly. We don’t have a lot of leads or clues or anything.” Grian hums, glancing out the window at the street starting to wake up and be filled with life. “Hopefully Ren can help us with that.”

Grian perks up when he smells coffee as Xisuma comes back with their drinks. EX made a little smiling cat in the foam of the latte, he almost doesn’t wanna drink it because of how nice it looks. Xisuma sets False’s drink down, tucking the small tray under his arm. “What do you guys want for breakfast?”

“Just the usual from me.” False says. Xisuma taps on his brain. He’s got a lot of people’s ‘usual’s memorized. “Yeah, I figured. And you Grian? Pancakes like always?”

Grian nods. “Can you make them into fun little shapes?”

Xisuma looks over his shoulder at EX. “Can you?” EX looks up as he finishes putting the newly iced cupcakes in the display case. “What? No.” Grian pouts. “Why not?”

“Because fuck you, that’s why.”

“Oh boo! Fight me!”

EX smiles slightly, cocking an eyebrow. “You wanna go?” He starts rolling up his sleeves and hops over the counter. Grian and EX have developed a little friendly rivalry over the years, threatening to fight each other whenever they get the chance. “Oooo! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” Tango whoops, Impulse and Zedaph watching on in amusement. Grian starts to stand up, but Xisuma puts his hand on his shoulder and forces him to sit down. “No! No fighting in the diner!” He shouts, shooing EX away.

“Can we take it outside?”

“No you are not taking it outside! Stop it!” 

They have taken it outside before, and it ended pretty much as well as you’d expect. EX immediately picked him up and slung him over his shoulder like it was nothing . False still has the video of Grian getting tossed like a salad. It was fun at the very least.

Xisuma bonks the both of them over the head with his tray. “Back to business! You wanted pancakes, right?” Grian nods excitedly with a smile. False quietly raises her hand. “Since Ren is on his way can we order ahead for him?” 

“Ooh, good idea!”

“He usually gets the eggs, sausage and bacon right?”

“Mhm!”

Xisuma winks as he starts heading off to the kitchen. “I’ll get started on all of that for you guys.” Grian slorps up the foam cat from his latte as Ren finally appears in the door. “Morning my dudes!” He says cheerfully. He slides into the seat next to Grian, tail thumping against the seat happily. “Morning, Ren. Sleep well?”

“Yeah, pretty much! What about you two? You guys told me it was rough.”  

They both groan in unison. “It was horrible! Not a good time!” Grian pouts, poking at his latte. False sips from her iced coffee. “We can catch you up on everything that’s happened. Oh, we also already ordered food for you, hope you don’t mind.” Ren puts his hand over his chest fondly. “Oh, you angels. Now, tell me what the hell happened.”

They summarize everything best they can, from being called down, to the time stopping, the impressive magical ability and the most important thing: the thievery. Motive? Suspects? They’ve got nothing. They haven’t put much thought into it though, mostly being 3 8 awake after it happened. “I uh, took notes, but they’re not very decipherable. Our suspect list is big again because we’re once again dealing with people who do magic in general , not just the powerful ones.”

Zedaph, Impulse and Tango laugh about something at their seats at the bar.

Ren whistles in exasperation. “Yeesh, looks like we have a lot of investigating to do. Do you want me to compile a list of everyone in town who’s a magic user and we can start from there?” False puffs out her cheeks as she thinks. “It’d be a good start.”

“It’d also be a good idea to ask everyone where they were last night, see if they have an alibi and that sort of thing.” Grian suggests. False writes something down on her notepad, humming softly. “Yeah, you’re right. We should probably start asking around soon.” She clicks her pen and sets it down on the table, setting it aside with her notepad. “And this probably won’t be the last time they do this either, so we gotta stay on our toes and keep an eye out.” 

“And there’s still the Vex problem from last time.” Grian mumbles. False practically deflates at the mention of it. “Oh god, yeah. We have our plates full, don’t we?”

“Both metaphorically and physically!”

Xisuma comes back with 3 plates in his hands, all filled with fresh, hot food. A sense of relief washes over them as they’re handed their breakfast. Grian gets handed a container of whipped cream to put on his pancakes. “I feel like I shouldn’t trust you with this, but I will. Just for today.” Xisuma says as he gives it to him. 

Grian giggles evilly. Ren takes it and moves it to the other end of the table. “Thank you X!”

“No problem! Give a shout if you need anything!”

Xisuma leaves them be, and False and Grian immediately move to steal something off of each other’s plates. “Oh my god, you two are terrible.” False snatches a handful of chocolate chips while Grian plucks a strawberry off her french toast. If you don’t try to steal food from your sibling, are you even really related?

Grian manages to squeeze the whipped cream back from Ren, and he tries doing the thing where you pour some on your hand and try to flip it into your mouth, except it lands right in the middle of his face. False managed to catch the whole thing on video, Ren bursting out into laughter when it makes a sad thunk against his face. “This is why X said he didn’t trust you.” Grian laughs as he wipes it off his face. “Maybe. At least it was funny.”

They finish up their breakfast quickly, mostly laughing and giggling the entire time. They bid farewell to X and EX as they leave the diner, heading straight to work. False and Grian head straight to their office, pulling out a second board to put all their thoughts and theories onto. Grian thinks whoever’s connected to the theft is also behind the Vex incident, or at least puppeteering it. Ren compiles a list of everyone in town who can do magic, that they at least know of. It ends up being about half of the town, they definitely have their work come out for them.

They don’t hear much from the thieves for a few days, until there’s a calling card sent to the local bank. It’s a vague note about keeping an eye out, signed with a hoof, a little salamander foot, and a quick simplistic doodle of a fish. That’s from them alright. False and Grian do in fact keep an eye out, waiting inside the bank at night. 

“What if they don’t even show up?” Grian whines.

“They probably will. They sent the calling card, haven’t you ever played Persona 5?”

Almost as if on cue, they hear a crash from somewhere inside the bank. They spring up to their feet, running to where the crash came from. There’s a broken in window that Sheep jumps through, the rest following through. “Can you guys stop breaking glass?” False yells in frustration. They all jump back in surprise, not really expecting them to be here. “Well well well! If it isn’t Detective Birdie and Lionheart! D...Didn’t expect you guys to be here!” 

“Did you just assign us fursonas?” Grian asks.

“Not my intention, but if the shoe fits I guess!”

False shrugs. “I don’t mind it. It’s like that Girls Generation song.”

Salamander tugs on Sheep’s cape. “We’re getting off topic! We have business to attend to.” Sheep nods, turning back around to the two detectives. “It’s been fun chatting with you, but we must get going! Those jewels aren’t gonna steal themselves.” The three of them zip off into the hallways, the detective pair bolting after them. False dodges a magic blast thrown her way, throwing back a stray vase she finds on a table. “Whoops!” Fish says as he tosses a smoke bomb down. 

They freeze for a second, caught off guard by the sudden smoke. “We aren’t getting paid enough for this.” Grian coughs. False yanks on his arm before breaking out into a sprint again. “Unfortunately, we can’t linger. They’re probably already in a vault or something.” 

“Why does this fall on us, again? We solve the crime, not fight it!”

“Because the cops are incompitent, duh. Besides, it’s a bit fun in a way?”

“I guess. Better than doing paperwork.”

They run down a flight of stairs and turn a corner, before coming to a big open room where the three thieves are digging through one of the vaults. Sheep picks up some gems and wooshes them into pocket space. His eyes change colors again, but instead of yellow like last  they turn...blue? For just a second, it’s fleeting and gone in a blink. Strange.

“Hey!” False shouts. She cocks an eyebrow and crosses her arms like a parent that's found her kids doing something they shouldn't. “Aw man, you guys are back?” Fish groans, shoving some gold into a bag that doesn’t seem to be getting any bigger or heavier. 

Grian shrugs his shoulders and does a vague bow. “You can’t shake us that easily. It’s our job.” Sheep flips a coin in his hand, tossing it from one hand to the other back and forth. “We could offer you a better one, if you like.” 

“Wh….what?”

He holds out his hand and a few gold coins appear from thin air, falling into his palm. His eyes turn blue again, for longer this time. It’s an unnatural shade of blue, almost glowing through his mask. “How about you work with us? We could hook you up with our higher ups and you could get a hefty cut. What’dya say?”

False and Grian exchange a nervous glance. “We’re gonna...politely decline that, thank you. We don’t do crime.” False says softly. Grian makes a face. “Well—”

False lightly smacks him. “No. Shut up.”

Sheep frowns, pouting slightly. “Aw, I was hoping we could strike up a deal. Now we have to fight you again!”

“Scatter!”

Sheep summons his staff again and blasts magic at them, a small gnarly  tree growing from the spot he hit. False and Grian don’t really have a strategy beside dodging and hoping they can land a punch. They can’t really get the things they stole back either, since the thieves have their own special pocket space they can’t access. They might as well try to stop them from stealing more. 

Grian scrambles underneath Sheep’s legs and straight for the vault, hoping to shut and lock the door before they can realize what’s happening. “Hey!” Sheep yells, turning around on his heels and running after him. Fish and Salamander turn their attention towards False, charging at her with their spells readying. 

Grian squeaks as he ducks under a bright purple blast, running towards the vault door. He can see the big round handle he needs to grab, just needing to hopefully kick the door closed if he’s strong enough. “ Ohhh hohoho you’re not getting away with that that easily!” Sheep calls in a sing-songy voice. He reaches his hand out and shining purple light shoots from his fingers, hitting Grian square in the back. 

Grian doesn’t tumble to the ground, however.

Instead, he shrinks, and stays in the air.

He’s been turned into a bird.

He’s become a small little brown bird, no bigger than the palm of someone’s hand. He is outraged . He turns around and flies straight for Sheep, cursing him out in bird language that sounds like very aggressive squawking to everyone else.

Fish chuckles as he dodges a swing from False. “What’s he saying?” Sheep laughs nervously. “Some very nice words!” He shoos the little bird away, but he’s insistent and angry still, flapping wildly around him. “Alright alright alright! I’ll turn you back, stop yelling at me!” 

He snaps his fingers and Grian poofs back to normal, falling to the floor rather ungracefully. He winces when he feels his ankle roll, slowly standing back up. He can feel his ankle start to hurt a lot, but he can’t be distracted by that now. 

“Think fast!” Fish yells. He forms a giant water ball in his hands and tosses it up in the air, jumping and spiking it like it’s a volleyball. False yelps and bumps it back, exploding right back in his face. “Nice hit!” He says, wiping the water off his face. “Thank you!” False smiles, trying to knock out their feet with a sweeping kick. Salamander and Fish both jump and dodge, Salamander responding by shooting a flame column her way.

She barely manages to escape being cooked, the ends of her hair ending up singed. “You know, for someone who doesn’t have any magical abilities you sure are—ACK!” False gives him a kick that sends him flying into a wall. “...kicking our asses very well.” He groans. She grins as he slowly comes to his feet. “It’s the sheer willpower.” 

“That willpower sure is something! Fight’s not over yet though!” Fish says with a mischievous smile. False cracks her knuckles with a smirk. “Bring it on then!”

Grian cartwheels away from Sheep when he tries to blast him again. “You’re very quick! A worthy opponent I’d say!” He giggles and smiles as he swings his staff at him. “If you could learn some magic, this could get really interesting!” He tosses his staff up in the air and catches it in his other hand, smacking Grian across the face with it. He groans as he stumbles back, clearly losing here. He doesn’t understand how he can say he’s a good foe when he’s practically getting his ass handed to him. ...Actually, maybe that is why.

Grian needs a plan. Fast. He’s starting to feel tired and his ankle hurts even more now. He needs to close the vault door and lock it again. He gets an idea, it may be crazy but he has to at least try. He waits for Sheep to swing at him again with his staff, and he grabs it and yanks it out of his arms. He gasps when he feels a sudden surge of power, a magical energy flowing through him, almost like he’s getting electrocuted with pure magic. He drops it on accident, reeling from the sudden intense feeling. It clatters to the floor and he kicks it as hard as he can, far across the room and away from them.

“No! My staff!”

As he’s distracted, Grian sprints for the vault door, trying so hard to shove it closed. He should've expected it to be extremely heavy. His muscles scream, his body aches, but he still persists and pushes against it.

False sees what he’s doing and gets her own idea. As she’s getting attacked she runs towards him, dodging more magical attacks thrown her way. She ducks some playing cards thrown as if they’re throwing knives, watching as they embed themselves into the wall. She sees Salamander charging up a fire attack, and that’s when she speeds up. She runs right past the door and as she predicted—

FWOOM! CLANG!

Salamander’s blast manages to boost the door even more, and Grian manages to shut it with one final heave. He locks the door up again, reversing all the work they did to break the combination. Sheep walks over and slowly claps. “I’m impressed! Good work you two.”

Salamander stops to put his hands on his knees and take deep breaths. “ ‘Was a good fight.” Fish lightly pats him on the back. “We should do it again sometime.”

“No thank you—”

“Anyways! We must get going now. We do have a boss to report to, infact! Farewell, Detectives!”

“Wait!”

False barely makes it a step forward before Sheep throws down some sparkling magical dust on the floor and they’re gone as soon as it dissipates. She sighs, turning her attention back towards Grian. “You okay?”

He slowly nods.

She cocks her head towards the doorway. “C’mon. Let’s go home then.”

Grian’s foot hurts . 

He can barely step on it, he’s lagging behind and the only reason False hasn’t noticed is because she hasn’t turned around in a few minutes. He notices a bench coming up on the way they’re walking. “False, can we stop for just a second? I need to...sit down.” 

False turns around, eyes softening when she sees him leaning on the bench. “Oh, sure. Are you sure you’re okay?” She asks as she sits down with him. He takes a deep breath and nods. He doesn’t wanna worry her. “Yeah, I’m good. Completely fine. Just needed a little break, that’s all.” False squints at him suspiciously. “Alright, if you say so.”

Grian tries standing up again after a few minutes, except that his entire leg gives away when he tries to stand on it. False manages to catch him before he can faceplant on the sidewalk. “Okay, so you clearly aren’t fine. I’m calling Ren.” 

“Don’t call Ren! It’s fine! It’s just a sprained ankle I’ll sleep it off—”

“That is not how that works! I’m calling Ren! ”

Grian protests as she pulls her phone out. “He might not even pick up! It’s la—”

Ren picks up immediately. “Hey Ren!” False says with a smile, giving Grian a triumphant ‘I told you so’ look. “Yeah, um, Grian hurt himself when we were investigating—”

“I’m fine! ” 

False clamps her hand over his mouth. “Yeah, you know how he is. Is it okay if we j— oh my god did you just lick my hand why are you like this— Yeah! Yeah, we’ll be right over. See you soon!” She hangs up and lightly smacks Grian on the head, wiping her hand on her jacket. “Alright, hop on my back.”

“You don’t have to carry me—”

“Did I stutter?”

Grian sighs and reluctantly lets her carry him all the way to Ren’s apartment. Ren answers the door, half disappointed but still insistent on helping him. Grian flops onto the couch, propping his legs up against the arm rest. “Alright, tell me what happened this time.” Ren sighs, plucking a spellbook from his shelf. 

“I got turned into a bird, Ren.”

“Was it fun?” Ren asks as he flips to the right page.

“Nope. It was horrible. At least it didn’t last long.” Grian huffs as False puts a pillow under his head.

“Mhm. Which foot was it?”

“...the right one.”

Ren keeps him talking and distracted as he carefully takes his shoe off the right foot to heal him. “Learn anything useful?” Ren asks as he works his magic. Grian squirms as his foot feels all tingly and weird. “Not much that I can remember. False?”

False paces around the couch in circles. “I mean, we did learn they have a boss they’re reporting back to. It’s probably who they’re stealing stuff for. D’ya think it’s the same person who did the Vex magic on Scar?” 

“I wouldn’t doubt it. It’s highly likely. Hopefully we can just figure out who these people are and ask them who it is who’s truly behind this.” huffs Grian.

False snorts. “Fairly confident they’ll be cooperative. What if they don’t?”

“Why wouldn't they? We’re so charming.” Grian deadpans, but still a smile on his face. He puts his hands under his chin and flutters his eyelashes dramatically.

“Right. As if talking with you isn’t like a verbal tennis match but the ball is a hand grenade.”

“Hey!”

Ren slams his spellbook shut and clears his throat. “Alright, all done.” He says with a little triumphant smile. Grian cheers and immediately goes to stand up. Ren flicks his hand and some magical force pushes him back down. “Oh, you’re not getting up just yet. It’s gonna take some time for it to heal fully.”

Grian whines. “I thought you magiced it all better!” Ren slowly shakes his head. “I can only magic away minor injuries in an instant, like scratches and cuts and bruises. A sprained ankle? It’ll take a night or so before it’s fully healed.” 

Grian groans loudly. “Hey, at least it’s just a night! If it was normal circumstances it would’ve taken like a week.” False points out. Grian crosses his arms and huffs. “This sucks.” False rolls her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic. It’s not the end of the world.” 

Ren chuckles as he puts his spellbook back. “I would suggest not walking on it, of course. Let False carry you around or something.”

“...How about a sleepover?” False suggests.

“Sleepover!”

“You know what? A sleepover does sound nice. You two can stay the night if you want.” 

The two detectives gasp excitedly. They haven’t had a sleepover in so long, mostly due to being busy. “Have you two eaten anything for dinner yet?” Ren asks them as he moves towards his kitchen. 

They both laugh nervously. 

Ren shakes his head and chuckles quietly, pulling out a pan from the cupboard. “Figured. I’ll get started on something to eat.”

False hops to her feet. “I’m gonna stop by our apartment real quick. Need to feed the cat and I should probably get us some pajamas to sleep in.” 

“And I’ll sit here!” Grian says with a smile. 

False laughs quietly. “You do that. I’ll be back soon!” She waves and skips out the door, just heading across the street back to their place. Their impromptu sleepover goes pretty chaotically, when False returns from checking up on Columbo they stay up a little later than they’re supposed to, goofing off and laughing late into the night. Ren suggested they go over the case, and somehow they end up doing really bad Muppet impressions at each other.  Grian wakes up the next morning with his foot feeling better, even if Ren scolds him to still be careful. They get right back to work in the morning, poking their heads around, asking questions to people they know and anyone who might have a clue who’s behind everything.

They go to Ren for help after the third time.

They’re back at the museum, this time the thieves insist on showing them magic tricks. “Okay okay okay, stay with me here, pick a card from this deck.” Salamander says with a toothy grin, holding out his deck of cards to them. False takes a card from the middle, showing it to Grian. It’s a king of hearts. Should be simple enough. 

“You memorized that card? Stick it back in the deck!” 

False puts it back in and watches as he shuffles the cards. He even waves his hand and the cards glow faintly. “The top one should be your card….” He plucks the card that's on the top of the deck, revealing a 10 of spades. “Is this your card!”

Grian holds back a laugh. False bites back a smile. “No, sorry.”

Sheep and Fish burst out laughing, smacking Salamander on the back. “What! How?!” 

“You can do it! Just try again!” Grian encourages with a grin. He shuffles the cards again and pulls another card out, this time a 7 of hearts.

False’s face lights up a little. You’re getting there! It’s the right suit this time, at least.” 

“Okay okay okay, I’m gonna try one more time. If I don’t get it I’m giving up.”

Salamander focuses on the cards and shuffles them one last time, doing it for a really long time. He finally picks the card off the top, and holds up a king of hearts. 

“Is this your card!”

“ Yes!”

There’s an excited uproar between the five of them, False swears she’s never seen another group of people so happy over something. “You did it!” Fish says, patting Salamander on the back. “My turn! I wanna do a magic trick!” Sheep says, worming his way into the middle. “Oooh, are you gonna do the hat trick?” Fish says as he peeks over his shoulder. “Yes!”

Sheep clears his throat and takes his tophat off, holding it out in front of him. “Alright, as you can see, I’ve got a normal tophat here! Try and see how far you can stick your hand in there!” He hands it off to Grian, who tries doing just that. His hand hits the bottom fairly quickly. “It’s just a hat, right? Well let me just….”

He ghosts a circle over the brim of the hat and taps it lightly, the inside faintly flashing light before it disappears again. “If we try again you will see that….” He reaches his arm into the hat and it goes in deeper than expected, like he’s digging around for something. “Aha!” He pulls his arm back out and a little white rabbit sits in his hand. “Ta-da!” 

“Oh. Woah.” Grian says in astonishment. Sheep hands him the rabbit and puts his hat back on, clapping his hands together. “Well, this has been fun! You two sure do always entertain and humor us for a bit. Salamander! Fish! Hurry up and go! ”

They were so distracted by the hat trick they didn’t even notice that Salamander and Fish had snuck away and stolen a painting. “Hey, wait!” False starts, but she’s cut off by Sheep casting a spell on the both of them that slows them down. “See you later, Detectives!” He says with a grin, and once again disappears off with his friends into the night.

They’re long gone by the time the spell wears off,  stumbling as they’re still in motion when it goes away. “God, what do we do? We just have a rabbit now.” Grian says as he cradles the little creature in his arms. False huffs, puffing her cheeks out as she thinks. “Go to Ren, probably. This would only be so much easier if we could do magic ourselves— Wait. ”

“Wait what?”

“That’s it! I have an idea, quick, we gotta get to Ren’s!”

She starts breaking out into a sprint. “Wait! But what about the rabbit! We can’t just leave them here!” Grian yells, running after her. 

“Bring them! The more the merrier!”

They show up at Ren’s door a few minutes later, slightly out of breath from practically sprinting all the way there. “Wh...Are you two okay? What happened? Why do you have a rabbit?” Ren questions as he answers the door. Grian hands him the rabbit. “A gift. Don’t worry about it.” Ren awkwardly holds the rabbit, lightly petting its back. “O...okay? What’s happening my dudes?”

False and Grian exchange a nervous glance. “Listen, hear us out for a second.” False starts.

“We know we’re like, human, but we just think it’d be a good idea if—”

“Can you teach us magic? We probably won’t be able to or be that good, but—”

“We want to at least try and it might help with this case and in the f—”

Ren holds his hand up to stop both of them from rambling on. He shrugs slightly, ears flicking on the top of his head. “Sure, I don’t see why not.” 

“We c—Oh, really?” False stops, surprised by the fact he said yes . Grian shifts on his feet. “There’s no like, ‘You guys are human and can’t do magic’ or anything?” 

Ren thinks for a moment and sighs, gesturing towards the living room. “Alright, sit down. We have some talking to do.” He disappears into the kitchen for a second as they sit down, returning with a bit of lettuce for the rabbit. “So something I’ve noticed about you two is that you’re not exactly...normal? And like other humans in a sense?”

“You’re going to have to elaborate on that.” False snorts. 

Ren laughs softly, setting the rabbit on the table and petting it gently. “Well, what I mean by that is that you’re more magical than you think. You guys have done things most normal humans can’t . Like an example would be Grian, when you mixed those drinks and it came out as a harming potion? That’s not supposed to happen. That’s not normal. Normally you’d just get a really bad energy drink concoction. There were traces of magic in that stuff that I’m still floored as to how it got there.”

“And you, False, when you spotted that magical trail when Grian couldn’t see it well, normal humans wouldn’t be able to see it all . There’s something magical about you two, even if it’s just a little bit. So it probably won’t be too hard for you guys to pick up on it.”

“Oh! That’s cool. I’m gonna learn to curse you.” Grian giggles, jabbing False with his elbow. Ren lightly smacks him on the arm. “No! You two will not be cursing each other!” 

They boo in unison. 

“There’s a lot of magic out there, I don’t know all of it, is there any particular area you wanna get started on?” 

False and Grian think about how unevenly matched they’ve been in fights, their only defense their own two fists and hands. They’ve been easily bested and stopped by spells and enchanted items that they need something in their own power to fight back.

“Is there like….any shield spells or counterattacks you can teach us? Self defense kinda thing?” False asks as she drums her nails on the table anxiously. Ren thinks for a moment before snapping his fingers suddenly. “I should know something along those lines. And maybe I can teach you a bit of healing magic so you don’t have to keep coming to me when one of you gets hurt!”

Grian pouts slightly. “But we like coming to you! You give us hugs!”

False nods in agreement. “Yeah! Grian’s more likely to bite me if anything!”

“She’s not wrong!”

Ren laughs softly as he gets a book from his shelf. “It’s still a good skill to have, though. You never know when it’ll be needed on short notice!” He puts the book on the table and flips it open, setting the rabbit on the table. “Should we start?”

Grian gestures to the rabbit. “Aren’t you gonna give your new friend a name?” 

Ren stares at the white rabbit. It stares back, squeaking softly at him. “How about...Chardonnay?” 

“I think that's a lovely name.” False coos as the rabbit nuzzles up to Ren. 

“Right? Now, let’s get learning, shall we?”

Learning magic is a lot harder than they thought it’d be. And even more draining . Ren does it so effortlessly, he never even breaks a sweat, they didn’t expect it to practically knock them out just channeling something. False managed to make a little glowing orb appear in her palm before promptly passing out for about an hour. They keep coming over and practicing with Ren, while also juggling their own work. Is it incredibly tiring? Yes, absolutely. Do they mind? Nope! Sure, their self care drive has gone completely out the window these days, but at least they’re learning things!

“Alright, you’re almost there! You just need to learn how to actually summon the shield.” Ren encourages False on one night.

“Great! How do I….do that?”

Ren hums softly in thought. “Well, it’s a magical shield, right? Think of something you wanna protect. Something important to you.” 

False holds her hand out and closes her eyes, nose scrunching up slightly as she thinks hard. What is something she wants to protect? She immediately thinks of her family, their cat Columbo who’s always meowing and chirping at them happily. She thinks of Grian, who may be her annoying little brother but she still cares a lot about. They balance each other out and keep an eye out for each other in their own weird way, even if it’s mostly by threatening each other.

She thinks of Ren, who’s the one who keeps the two of them in line when they’re too focused on their work to take care of themselves. They say it often but really, where would they be without him? She thinks of their friends, Stress, Mumbo, Scar, and everyone else who manages to bring a little light to their lives, no matter what. That’s whats important to her. That’s what she wants to protect.

She feels the edges of her fingers tingle slightly, like static electricity is being pulled from the air. False channels all of her thoughts together, trying to imagine it taking a physical form. She feels something akin to a small shock, and a little glowing shield flickers out from her hand.

“Oh!” 

Grian cheers excitedly, jumping out of his seat and bouncing around the room. Ren looks impressed, smiling and clapping his hands together excitedly. “You did it my dude!” False laughs in triumph, pumping her fist in the air. “Yeah!” The shield flickers away, and False sways on her feet. “Uh oh.”

Her legs give away from under her, flopping unceremoniously to the ground. “Oh god. I’m dizzy. Very dizzy.” She mumbles. Ren walks over and helps her sit up on the couch. “Yeah, you’ll get used to it. The more and more you practice the more natural it’ll feel! And you won’t have to worry about passing out!” False nods, trying to blink away all the spots in her vision. 

Grian snaps, little bits of red energy flashing at his fingertips before fizzing out. He’s getting close as well, just struggling with putting all of his energy into casting a spell. “You okay?” He asks with a small smile, patting her on the back. She takes a deep breath. “Yeah, yeah I’ll be fine. I just didn’t expect that to actually work .” 

Ren tosses her a water bottle as he flips through his book. “You two are learning amazingly fast, I’m sure soon you two can start learning more complex things!”

Oh, they do. They sure do.

They spend most of their freetime practicing and studying, and they’re getting pretty good if they do say so themselves! Grian’s gotten the hang of healing and he learned how to make things levitate. He can only lift small things for short periods of time, but he’s still proud of himself nonetheless. Columbo’s been having fun with it, jumping up to paw at toys dangling in the air.

One day, False pokes her head into Grian’s room. “Hey, you wanna see something I stole?” She asks. Grian blinks at her in confusion. “What?”

She holds up one of the spellbooks from Ren’s place. 

“When the hell did you manage to steal that ?!”

False shrugs, flopping down on the foot of Grian’s bed. “Not sure! It’s not exactly stealing, just...borrowing without asking!”

“So, stealing?”

False rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Whatever! Besides, Ren never said we couldn’t take his magic books home to study.” Grian purses his lips, shrugging and turning his attention back towards his laptop perched in his lap. “Did you see anything cool in it at least?”

False begins to absentmindedly flip through the pages of the book. “Not really? It’s just the typical stuff, ya know. A love spell here and there, levitation, making it look like your rich husband died under mysterious circumstances so you get the inheritance—Ooh! There’s a section on brewing potions, think you might be up for that.”

Grian giggles softly, remembering the energy drink incident. “Absolutely.” False grins and rips up a scrap piece of paper she finds as a bookmark. They can always come back to that later.

They fall into a comfortable silence as False keeps flipping through the book, Grian doing whatever he does on his laptop. False comes to a page that catches her attention, stopping to skim it quickly.

“Hey, Grian? Hypothetical question.”

“Mhm?”

“What….what if we had telepathy?”

Grian looks up at her with a raised eyebrow, taking the book as she offers it to him. There’s a spell being shown to give two people telepathy, they just need to recite it while holding hands or something and it’ll work, they’ll keep the telepathic connection until they say the spell again to undo it.

Ever since they were younger they had a habit of doing the same hand motions at the same time and even saying the same thing at the same time that made most people around think they were actually telepathic. Now, they could make it into a reality. It could be fun, besides it could even prove useful in certain situations. Why not?

“You wanna try it?” Grian asks as he shuts his laptop.

“Wouldn’t hurt to try, no?” False says.

Grian tilts his head to the side in thought. “I guess not. Sure, let’s do it! Worst case scenario we’re just the normal flavor of telepathic!”

They shift to Grian’s mushroom rug on the floor, sitting across from each other with the book in between them. Grian rubs his hands together gleefully. “Alright, what do we have to do again?”

False squints at the book, pulling it closer to her face to read the text. “It should be fairly simple, I think. There’s this spell here we have to recite,” She slaps her finger to the little passage of bolded text that looks like it’s in a foreign language they definitely cannot speak, “We gotta say it while holding hands or something? I think we gotta be connected in some way for it to work.”

“Sounds easy enough! Let’s do this!”

Grian and False press their hands together. “Were your hands always this small?” False asks. Gtian rolls his eyes. “Oh shut up! I didn’t come here to get slandered in my own room!” 

“It’s not slander! Your hands are tiny compared to mine!” 

Grian huffs, puffing his cheeks out and pinching her nose. “Focus! We have a spell to be casting!”

“Right right, sorry.” They put their hands back together, struggling to keep a straight face. They struggle to say the first few words, bursting out into giggles and stumbling on the words and they’re unable to keep their focus. “Okay okay okay! We can do this!” False says after a few botched attempts, smacking her legs trying to focus. 

They start reciting the spell again, correctly and in unison this time, and they feel something zap at their fingertips. Grian jumps a little, but he keeps his focus. 

They manage to recite the entire thing, and they’re a little disappointed. “Aw man, nothing happened.” False frowns.

She speaks too soon. They feel a powerful force practically shocking the both of them, sending them reeling backwards. False slams against Grian’s bedside with a grunt, Grian getting sent tumbling across the floor. They’re both suddenly hit with a splitting headache, groaning in pain and holding their heads. “Okay—That wasn’t part of the plan.” False winces.

Grian whimpers as he curls up into a little ball. “ Owowowow why does it hurt so bad.” It feels like someone took a hammer and smashed it against his skull violently. False rubs her back and slowly sits up. “Do you think it worked? On account of...how much it hurts?” Grian presses the back of his hand to his forehead. “I sure hope so. Or else all of this pain will be for nothing.”

False rolls her eyes and holds her hand out, helping him sit up. “Don’t be so dramatic. Try thinking about something and I’ll see if I can hear it.” Grian sighs and rubs his temples in frustration. “Okay...I’ll try my best.” He closes his eyes and scrunches his face up, trying to shove the headache away. 

False hears something. She doesn’t see his mouth move. It sounded like his voice, but it sounded distant and fuzzy. “Do it again.” She says, squinting at him. 

She hears it again. It sounds like a faint mumble. If she strains her brain she can make it out.

“Again!”

She can hear it. Loud and clear. It sounds like when someone’s voice finally comes through on a call. His head voice echoes slightly, like he’s speaking in a big empty room.

“ My head hurts.”

False’s face lights up excitedly. A giant grin is spreading across her face as she realizes it worked . 

“ Go take an Advil or something, then.”

Grian’s eyes fly open in surprise, widening as False’s own voice echoes in his head. “ HELLO?!” False laughs, clapping in excitement. “ We did it! Oh my god, it worked!”

“ It’s very weird hearing you speak but not seeing your mouth move.”

“Well, get used to it. It’s kinda cool though, isn’t it?”

“I am going to use this to annoy the ever loving shit out of you from now on .”

“Oh no.” False says out loud. Grian giggles and starts thinking about whatever he can to annoy her. “Noooo! Stop it! This wasn’t the intent and purpose of this!”

“Too bad! Get used to it!” He says with a cheeky grin. False picks the book up and rolls her eyes. Their telepathy will come in handy in the future, like in situations where they can’t speak and still need to communicate, but Grian will absolutely be using it for shenanigans it seems. “I hope your headache gets worse. Anyways, what do you fancy for dinner?”

He’s got a big excited grin on his face as he shrugs. “ Not sure. You can decide. ” False gives him a thumbs up, tucking the book under her arm. She’s halfway out the door when Grian thinks in her head again. “ Thank you. ” Grian snickers as he thinks in a Kermit the Frog voice. She ducks her head back in and glares at him, struggling to keep a straight face. “This was a mistake.”

False and Grian adjust to this new ability they’ve obtained rather nicely, even if they use it to mostly mess with each other. They forget to tell Ren though, and they have to explain it to him after False tells Grian to shut up after neither of them had spoken out loud for a while. He was both scared and very much impressed. They’re such quick learners that they keep casting spells they shouldn’t!

Such as False accidentally turning Grian into a frog for a good while, she ran to Ren’s apartment with the small, brown frog cupped in her hands in a panic after that. She also managed to make a blue crescent moon purse she owns into a bag of infinite holding. She was just messing around in the kitchen one night when she accidentally blasted her purse that was sitting on the counter. She felt very winded and like she got the energy sucked out of her, but she shrugged it off like it was nothing.

That was until she tried to get something out of it and was greeted with a bottomless void when she opened the bag. She had asked Grian about it and when he managed to fall in , yeah they realized she had definitely done something. How False keeps accidentally doing things like this, she’ll never know herself.

Unfortunately, even if they are having all of this fun, they still have work to do. They’ve been focusing on the thieves case for a while, but they haven’t seen or heard of them stealing anything in a few weeks. Maybe they’ve been busy being normal people?

It’s a late night once again, and Ren chastised them to go eat something as he was heading to bed himself. They stand outside the diner, sighing heavily. The diner is the only place they know that’d be open at this hour, since it’s open until early morning. However, there is a rule about coming in after midnight that they’ll probably be the butt end of.

“How much do you wanna bet we’re gonna get scolded the moment we walk in there?” False snorts. Grian chuckles softly. “It’s a very high chance.” They step inside, the little bell at the door jingling as they do. EX looks up from where he’s scrolling through his phone and leaning against the counter, rolling his eyes and scoffing. “X! THEY’RE HERE!”

Xisuma appears from the kitchen, rolling his sleeves up. He rummages through some boxes behind the counter and pulls out a red squeaky hammer, hopping over the counter and over towards the two siblings. Ah, the after midnight rule, oh how they missed it dearly.

“Alright, you two already know what’s coming.” He says. False and Grian sigh, bowing their heads slightly. Xisuma bonks them both on the head with the hammer, the squeaking resonating in the empty diner. “Now, what can I get for you tonight?”

False and Grian exchange a glance. “Dinner, please.” False says quietly. Xisuma nods, gesturing for them to take a seat. They slide into their usual booth, Xisuma joining them as EX sits at one of the barstools nearby. “You two have been really busy, right?” Grian nods tiredly as he rests his head against the table. “We’ve been working all week, it’s been pretty hectic.”

False nods in agreement. “We’ve been trying to solve the one case, and there’s still the mess with Scar we need to figure out. And we’ve been learning how to do magic in our spare time, there hasn’t really been moments to... relax .” She sighs, drumming her fingers on the table. Xisuma smiles softly and clasps his hands together. “Well, now’s a good time for that. What would you guys like to eat?”

“Please don’t make me cook.” EX deadpans. Xisuma smacks him on the head with the hammer. “Shush!” 

Grian pauses to think. “Cake?”

“That’s not dinner.” False says.

“I think it should be!”

EX snorts and hops over the counter and walks over to the little dessert counter a few feet away. “What cake do you want?”

False can hear the Red Velvet songs playing softly in his head. “ Get a slice of chocolate cake, I wanna steal some off of you. ” She thinks in his head. “ What? No! Get your own slice!”

“ I’ll let you steal off of my plate? ”

“.... Fine. ”

Grian rolls his eyes at her as she grins. “A slice of chocolate cake, please.” 

“And for you, False?”

“ Get something with fries, I want some .” Grian thinks.

False rolls her eyes, she’s gotta hold up her end of the deal. “Can I just get a chicken sandwich? You know the ones?” She makes a little square shape with her fingers to show what she’s talking about. “With the side as well?” Xisuma asks as he starts to stand up. She nods. “Yes, please.” Xisuma hops out of the booth and slides back over the counter, giving a small two finger salute as he does so. “Coming right up!”

EX walks over with a plated slice of chocolate cake, setting it in front of Grian and sliding in next to him. “Here. Your dinner.” He deadpans. Grian smiles softly at the dessert drizzled in fudge and little scoops of vanilla ice cream on the side. “Thank you!” He chirps cheerfully. False scoffs. “I still can’t believe that’s what you’re having for dinner.” 

Grian shrugs as he scoops a little into his mouth. “Hey, when you’re an adult you can do what you want!”

“I don’t think you should be able to do that.”

EX snorts as he grabs a fork. “Are you even gonna sleep tonight?”

“You underestimate my ability to just absolutely knock out when my head hits a pillow.”

“Fair enough.”

Xisuma comes back shortly with three plates of food in his arms, setting one in front of False, one in front of EX and one in front of where he sits down. “Food’s ready!” EX looks down at the hot plate of food in front of him. “You made us dinner?”

“Yep!”

He snorts. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Well, I was hungry and figured you’d enjoy some food as well. So you’re welcome!”

EX chuckles softly as he jabs at his food. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

They eat their meals quietly, occasionally exchanging words. Grian leans forward and plucks a few fries off of False’s plate, while she snatches a small bite of his cake. EX tries to sneakily steal some as well, but Grian definitely notices and it sparks an argument False just sits back and watches while Xisuma holds his head in his hands. Grian tries shoving EX out of the booth, but he doesn’t budge. He’s like a boulder compared to Grian, he’sl literally a whole head taller than him.

“Alright, talk detective to us. How’s that case coming along? Any closer to finding the culprit?” Xisuma says as he puts his fork down. False lets out a heavy sigh, pulling out her notepad from her bag. “I’m gonna be honest, we have basically no leads. I don’t know if our heads aren’t in the right mindset or something, but whenever we try and solve it we just end up with...nothing. It’s like we’ve magically forgotten how to solve cases or something.”

Magically forgotten.

EX hums as he takes a sip from his glass of water. “Do you think whoever’s behind it is purposefully making it so you do forget? Like, a spell or something?” 

“ Like what happened with Joe .” False thinks. Grian nods solemnly. “It is...very likely, actually. Now that we think about it.” Xisuma rests his chin in his hand. “Well, if the culprit is magically affecting you, it shouldn’t be happening here. The diner is warded against all evil magic after all.”

“EX is right here.” Grian says.

EX pinches his side in retaliation. Xisuma rolls his eyes and laughs. “I’m serious though. I thought I sensed some magic on you guys starting to wear off when you walked in. Maybe if you tried solving it here it’ll go smoother. What have you got so far?”

False flips to her notes. She relays the information they’ve gathered, even providing little doodles of the phantom thieves they’re after. She mentions how they’re obviously skilled in magic, and all seem to have their own theme going on. “Okay, is there anything to tip you off for anyone involved?” EX says as he starts moving plates out of the way. 

Grian huffs. “I think the closest to anything is that we visited Hypno’s magic shop a while ago because they seem to use a lot of props like that, but he said the most recent person that had visited at that time was Zedaph.”

“I don’t think he’s involved. It’s Zedaph .” False says.

“I feel like ‘It’s Zedaph’ is even more reason to believe he’s involved.” EX adds. Xisuma clicks his tongue. “He’s right. I think he could be that sheep guy you’re after. It checks out, see?”

Xisuma points at False’s notes. “He’s always had a heavy strong association with sheep, hell the day you two came in for breakfast he even had a sheep cardigan on, and he does like the color purple a lot, I can imagine him heavily using that as his color scheme. I think it makes sense.”

Xisuma is making a lot of sense. Was it always this simple? False writes everything he says down and Zedaph’s name next to her little doodle of Sheep. “Alright, that leaves two more.”

“Fish is Impulse. Has to be. Dude has a fish tattoo and everything.” EX says bluntly. “Oh my god, you’re kidding me.” Grian murmurs. He runs a hand through his hair stressfully. “Were we always this stupid?” False laughs nervously. Xisuma gives her a reassuring pat on the back. “No! It’s just there’s magic involved here! I’m sure if there wasn’t, you two would have it solved by now.”

Grian rubs his eyes with his hands. “Alright, one person left, who could it be?”

“I think that’s Tango by default.” EX says. “Those three are always up causing something .”

“I don’t think Salamander could be Tango.” Grian frowns.

“Why not?”

“He’s not as tall as him! Tango’s like, way taller than me.” 

Xisuma holds back a laugh. “Okay, there’s two things wrong with that. One, being taller than you isn’t exactly hard—”

“ Rude! ”

“—And two, you two are closer in height than you think. Tango wears platform boots all the time . Did you catch a glance at his shoes?”

Grian thinks for a moment. False watches as his eyes widen.

“ He was wearing flats. ” False and him think at the same time.

Oh my god. Oh my god .

They’re so stupid.

Grian holds his head in his hands. False pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration. All of the clues were right in front of them and they were oblivious the entire time.

“X, I think you broke them.” EX comments, lightly poking Grian’s shoulder. “How the hell did you basically solve this case faster than us?” Grian whines. “We’re built different, duh.” EX says with a smirk. 

“Are you sure you guys don’t wanna do the detective thing?” False asks with a light chuckle. Xisuma waves his hands and shakes his head. “No no, we could never solve a murder like you two do.”

“Speak for yourself!”

Xisuma rolls his eyes at EX. “Besides, running the diner is nice. And this town already has a crime solving sibling duo on their hands, it doesn’t need another.”

“You two are already disasters enough.”

“Oh shush! They’re doing just fine!”

“You just solved a case in twenty minutes that’s been taking us like two weeks.” Grian groans. “But thank you, really, for helping. We can start forming a plan now and what not.”

Xisuma hums as he starts stacking their plates. “But what reason would Zedaph, Impulse and Tango have to go around and steal all this stuff? Profit? General mischief?”

“They did mention something about a boss. Maybe they have someone they’re doing this all for? What if they’re all under magical influence as well?” asks Grian, who’s in the process of finding the comfiest way to lean up against the wall. False sighs heavily, tired and drained. “I guess we’ll have to ask them ourselves. We should go home.”

“Yes! Please leave!” EX says excitedly. Xisuma scolds him as he goes to put the dishes away. “How much do we owe you?” False asks, already reaching for her wallet. Xisuma shakes his head. “Nothing, it’s on the house.”

“But—”

“No buts! Now go get your butts home and to bed!”

False still shoves money in the tip jar just to thank them for the food and the help. They wave goodbye and good night, quickly hurrying out the door and into the night. “Alright.” False huffs, sticking her hands in her pockets. “We have a lot of thinking to do.”

They come up with a plan. Well, it’s less of a plan and more of a ‘Here’s what’s gonna happen’ moment. Their ‘plan’ is to simply wait until they try and steal something, catch them in the act, maybe flex their new magic powers a little, and then maybe stop them and sit down for a chat. It should be simple enough.

Luckily for them, they steal something again the next day. They don’t exactly announce it, but they know it’s happening, like a very strong feeling. Not to mention they had run into Impulse earlier that day and he was very jumpy to say the least. 

Town hall is where they’re headed that night, speed walking down the streets in a rush. “ Why am I nervous? Should I be nervous?” Grian thinks. “ We’ll be fine, don’t worry. I believe in you.” False thinks back, smiling at him smally. Out of the corner of his eye Grian swears he sees three figures hopping by on rooftops in the distance. “We should hurry.”

They break out into a sprint to town hall, the three thieves already there, discussing near the doorway. They speak in hushed tones, False and Grian can barely make out what they’re saying. False clears her throat loudly, making them turn around abruptly. 

“Oh! Hello detectives! Long time no see!” Sheep—Zedaph says with a grin. Grian smiles back. “Hello Zedaph, Impulse, Tango.” He says, nodding towards each of them. They freeze, exchanging nervous glances. “What ever could you mean?!” Impulse laughs nervously. Tango rolls his eyes and jabs him with his elbow. “Oh shut up, we weren’t exactly subtle about it anyway.”

“It took you two long enough! What tipped you off?” Zedaph asks, leaning up against his magic cane. They both laugh nervously. “Well...technically Xisuma and EX put the pieces together.” 

“Good for them! ….Now what?”

“...We fight? Do you wanna fight?”

Zedaph, Impulse and Tango all exchange a glance and shrug. “Sure, why not?” Impulse says with a grin. “Let’s place a bet! If you guys win, you can turn us in to the authorities or whatever, and if you lose you….don’t, I guess!”

“Deal!” Grian shouts, hopping up and down excitedly. They haven’t had a chance to use their newfound magic skills yet, and he’s excited to give it a whirl. “Don’t get too cocky, we’ve been preparing for this!” False smirks, cracking her knuckles. 

“Oh yeah?” Tango challenges. “Show us what you got!”

Grian turns to look up at False. She’s grinning excitedly. “ Do the thing!” He nods. 

False stomps her foot on the ground and a sheet of ice shoots out from it, surging its way towards the trio. They jump out of the way, mostly in shock. “When the hell did you learn to do that?!” Zedaph yells as he holds onto a bar on the ceiling. “A magician never reveals her secrets!” False winks, forming an icicle in her hand. She launches it towards Tango, just narrowly missing his cape as he dashes away. He starts melting the ice with his own magic. “Alright, let’s rumble!” 

The town hall quickly bursts into chaos as they start to fight. Grian giggles as he ducks out of the way of Zedaph’s magic blast, shooting one back at him. “Is that all you’ve got, birdie?” He taunts, grinning and spinning his cane in his hand. “Not at all!” Grian summons two glowing ball things and chucks them at him, both landing at his feet and blowing up in his face. Zedaph wipes some of the soot off his face. “Oh boo! You’re really in for it now!”

False is doing her best with Impulse and Tango. They’re jumping around her very quickly and frankly, it’s hard to keep an eye on them. They’re encouraging, at the very least. Impulse spikes a water ball at her and she throws up a shield just in time to block it and send it back. “Ooh, nice save!” He yells as he dodges his own attack. “Thank you! I’m trying my best right now!” She grunts as she narrowly misses a shot from Tango.

“For someone who just learned magic, this is really—IMPRESSIVE!” Tango shouts as he barely misses an ice spike. False creates ice, Tango melts it, and Impulse uses the water to his advantage. It’s a never ending cycle they’ve found themselves in. “Was it Ren that taught you?” Impulse asks as he slides past her. “Yeah! He helped us learn and we also did some studying at home—” False gets cut off as she slips on a melted ice puddle.

Grian catches it out of the corner of his eye, quickly tossing a magical shield her way so she’d bounce right back up. “ Thank you!” She thinks of him. Grian gives her a small smile and thumbs up as Zedaph wipes him off of his feet. “Ow!”

“ Grian, I think I have an idea. A plan, maybe.”

“ Oh? What is it? Hurry up because—” False hears him yelp out loud. “— I’m kinda getting my ass handed to me!”

“ Okay okay okay, hear me out! ”

False quickly explains her plan, one that’ll hopefully end their little brawl quickly. They circle back together, their backs pressed up against each other. “Ready?” False whispers. Grian nods. “Yep.” 

Grian faces Zedaph and Impulse head on, while False glares down Tango. Their plan is messy, sure, but if they can make it work they’ll win in no time. Zedaph stretches his arms out. “What are you two planning?” He shouts. 

“Get ready.” False whispers.

“3, 2, 1! ”

They both take off running in opposite directions, False towards Tango while Grian bolts towards Zedaph and Impulse. “Guess we’re charging!” Tango yells with a smile. They charge forward, readying their own magic attacks. False runs right past Tango and turns sharply on her heel. “NOW!”

Grian whips around and summons a glowing pink rope, tossing it towards Tango and watching as it wraps around him and he tumbles to the ground with a grunt. False forms an icicle and shoots it at Impulse, lodging it between his cape and the ground. She stomps her foot and freezes Zedaph’s feet into place. 

“Ou hey! We did it!” Grian cheers, collapsing onto the floor. They’ve definitely drained themselves with all the magic they’ve used. False feels really dizzy, sitting down suddenly. “Are you two okay?” Zedaph asks, very concerned. False rubs her eyes, seeing spots.“Yeah! Yeah...we just...haven’t used this much magic at once. Just a little bit tired, that’s all.”

Impulse crouches down and plucks the icicle from his cape, walking over to where Grian’s laying on the floor and breathing heavily. He helps him sit up and he makes a little water orb in his hands that he hands off to him. “Here, you can drink this. You look really pale, dude.”

Grian calls back the glowing pink rope from Tango and nods, popping it into his mouth. “Thanks.” He pants. 

“Hey...uh...I’m stuck.” Zedaph says. Tango looks over at him and laughs, False wincing in embarrassment. “Yeah, uh...I haven’t learned how to undo it yet. Sorry.” Tango walks over and melts the ice himself, Zedaph cringing at the feeling of wet shoes. “Thanks. Well, you did it! I guess you guys can turn us in now, or whatever.”

False shakes her head. “Nope, we don’t really plan on doing that. We don’t arrest anyone, we just solve the cases and move along. We’d be more willing to ask you guys a few questions, actually.” Tango takes off his mask and hat. “We can do that!”

They all end up sitting in a circle on the floor of town hall, criss-cross applesauce like a bunch of preschoolers. Zedaph runs a hand through his hair and reaches into his tophat, pulling out a box of fruit gummy packets. “Is your hat like...infinite or something?” Grian asks. Zedaph nods. “Yep!” He holds out one of the gummy packets. “Do you guys want one?”

“Yes please!”

They each get tossed a fruit gummy packet as Zedaph starts handing them out to the others. He tosses the box back in his hat and moves it aside. “Question time?”

False nods, pulling out her trusty notepad from her detective coat. “Question time.”

“Okay, first things first, why? Like, the costumes and everything?” Grian asks.

Impulse shrugs. “It’s fun! Spices it up a little!” Tango clips off his cape. “Yeah, we even made everything ourselves! Turns out sewing an entire suit is way harder than it seems, though.” False chuckles softly. “I can imagine.”

“Someone put you up to it, right?”

Zedaph thinks for a moment. He glances over at Impulse and Tango. “Yep.”

“Who?”

“..........We can’t remember .”

Oh dear. There it is again. Whoever’s behind everything is making it so no one remembers who they are. False purses her lips together. “Did you meet them at least? No memory of a face or anything?” Impulse sighs heavily. “I know we did meet them at some point to hand off everything stolen, but if I try and remember a voice or a face it’s just a blur.”

Grian hums as he quietly eats his fruit gummies. “It sounds like you guys were just puppets, then. I doubt you guys are involved with Scar getting Vexed, right?”

Tango nods quickly. “We were honestly shocked when we heard everything. Like, the mayor of the town? They went straight for the top!” False is scribbling all of the important stuff down. “Do you guys remember anything else of note? Height might be able to help us.” 

Zedaph frowns and shakes his head. “Nope. I’m sure if we remember anything we’ll tell you.” 

“Is there a reason you guys came to town hall today?” False asks, tapping her pen against the paper. “That I do remember! There’s that diamond vault in here we were supposed to check out, and something magical up in the bell tower?” Impulse says excitedly.

“Oh yeah, that magic rock! What does that do again?” Zedaph says.

“That’s what powers the magical borders of Hermitville. So nothing bad comes in.” False says softly. Grian’s face turns into a scowl.  “So whoever’s behind this is trying to hurt Hermitville?”

She slowly nods. “Yeah. Someone’s trying to take it down from the inside. The real question is: who .”

“Yeah. Sadly, that’s what we’ve been struggling to figure out.” Grian thinks back to when he swore he saw their eyes glowing yellow and blue. What could that even mean?

“Do we have any more questions?” False asks quietly, turning to Grian.

“....Do you have any more fruit gummies?”

Zedaph snorts and reaches into his hat, pulling out another one and tossing it to him. “Thank you!”

“No problem. Are you guys done here?”

Tango’s face lights up as he remembers something. “Oh oh oh wait! You guys have been learning magic, yeah? We’ve been trying to get better at magic tricks, do you guys wanna see one?”

False and Grian immediately perk up. “Oh absolutely.” False grins. Impulse groans with a smile, rolling his eyes. “Here we go again.”

Tango reaches into his pocket and pulls out a deck of cards. “Okay okay okay, pick a card, any card!” He says in his best magician voice. False barely bites back a laugh as she picks a card, showing it to everyone but Tango.

They spend the rest of that night messing around in town hall, casting magic and playing tricks on each other. They managed to solve the case of the phantom thieves, and they even get to have fun with their friends afterwards.

All in a day’s work, after all.

Chapter Text

“Grian! Hurry up and get out of bed!”

“Oh buzz off!”

Summer is in full swing on this hot day in Hermitville, bees are buzzing and birds are chirping their sweet songs bright and early in the morning. And False is currently trying to get Grian to wake up and start moving.

She pokes her head in his doorway, seeing he’s face first in his mattress with a pillow thrown over his head. “C’mon! We have places to be!” She says loudly, pulling the pillow off his head. Grian whines and blindly makes grabby hands for it. “Noooo, I’m coooooozy.”

“I’m gonna drag you away by the foot.”

Grian sits up and groans, crawling out of bed much to his protest. “Alright alright I’m going I’m going.” He rolls out of bed and stands up, shuffling to the kitchen to snatch something for breakfast. Their little friend group is planning to go to the beach today, and False is practically bouncing off the walls excited. False really likes the beach, and since it’s officially summer, it’s the perfect time to go with their friends. Besides, their work has been pretty slow, so there’s no harm in taking the day off.

They all planned to get up bright and early, mostly because it’s a two hour drive to the beach and they don’t wanna get stuck in traffic. However, Grian’s moving at a snail’s pace and False is ready to explode. Her phone buzzes in her pocket as she’s packing a bag.

10:02 AM

[ren diggity dog] ahem

[ren diggity dog] exsqueeze me

[destression] HURRY UPPPPPP

[destression] mumbo’s impatient!!

[bimbo jimbo] i’m leaving without you guys

[me] BLAME GRIANNNNN

[ren diggity dog] GRIAN

[bird boy (derogatory)] IM GOINGGGGG GIVE ME A MINUTE

[bimbo jimbo] YOU BETTER BE 

[destression] ooooo you’ve got mumbo typing in all caps it’s serious now

[ren diggity dog] just hurry up dudes 😔😔

Grian’s quickly hopping to put shoes on, stuffing things into his bag in a rush. “Ready!” He yells as he runs a hand through his hair. False had just put food and water into Columbo’s bowls, scratching him on the head. “We’ll be back soon! Watch over the apartment while we’re gone okay? Love you!” Grian picks him up and kisses his little forehead. “Bye bye bubby!”

They rush down the stairs of their apartment, trying not to trip on their own feet. Grian straight up holds his flip flops in his hand and False carries her floppy sun hat under her arm in the hopes of it not flying off. Mumbo, Stress and Ren are waiting outside by Mumbo’s van, Ren’s tail wagging impatiently. “There they are!” He cheers, running over to give them a hug. Stress sits up from where she’s lounging in the trunk of the van. “Hey! Took you long enough!” She says with a smile. 

They load their stuff into the van quickly, hopping in so they don’t waste any more time. “I call shotgun!” False yells, scrambling into the passenger seat. “Oh come on! You showed up late, why do you get shotgun?!” Ren whines. False shrugs and smirks, fastening her seatbelt. “I called it!”

“Mumbo! Do something!”

Mumbo just kinda shrugs awkwardly. “I can’t really do anything. She called it.” Ren tsks as he leans back against the seat. Stress is sandwiched between Grian and Ren, while Mumbo drives and False is of course in the passenger seat, bouncing her leg excitedly. “One quick thing,” Mumbo starts, holding up his phone. “Since it’s a two hour drive to the beach, you guys can each pick around 7 songs and stick ‘em in this playlist and we’ll blast them on the speakers. Just don’t...break my phone or anything.” He says as he hands it off to False.

“Hurry up! I wanna pick!” Grian pesters as False picks her songs. False pushes his face away from where he’s peeking over the seat. “You are in no place to tell me to hurry up! Calm down!” He huffs as he slumps back down in his seat. False eventually hands the phone to him, Stress and Ren crowding around him. They take a few pictures for Mumbo to find later, mostly blurry ones that just barely manage to capture the top halves of their faces.

“What are you three giggling about back there?” Mumbo squints at them through the rearview mirror. They suddenly sit up straight, Grian almost dropping his phone in surprise. “Nothing!” They shout in unison. They turn and look at each other, barely stifling their laughter.

Stress peers over Grian’s shoulder as he picks his songs. “Why are you picking just EXID songs?” Grian lightly flicks her on the arm. “ Shut! I’m picking other songs!” He hisses through gritted teeth.

“Loona. It’s probably Loona.” Ren pipes up from the window.

Grian huffs and shoves the phone into Stress’ hands. “Just stop calling me out and pick your own!” Stress makes a gremlin giggle as they crowd around her.

“ Ooooohh that song is so good I forgot it EXISTED— ”

“Right! I have good taste I think!”

“Stress, you cannot come for me for choosing mostly EXID when half of your picks are Twice songs.”

“Shut up!”

“My turn now!”

Ren definitely has some good picks as well, but they all giggle at his last choice. “You three are laughing again. That’s scaring me.” False says as she looks over at the back seat. The three of them all huddled together laughing like gremlins isn’t exactly unsuspicious, but Ren presses his lips together and holds back a laugh as he hands Mumbo’s phone back to False.

“Alright kids, are we ready?” False plugs Mumbo’s phone into the speakers, finger hovering over the shuffle button. There’s a chorus of “Yes!” from the trio in the backseat, and Mumbo grins and gives a thumbs up. “Let’s get this show on the road then!”

When False hits shuffle and they’re immediately hit with the first few notes of Megalovania, it really sets the tone for the rest of the car ride. Ren bursts out laughing, Mumbo groans and bites back a smile, and False holds her head in her hands. “This is gonna be a long trip.”

20 minutes in, Grian feels restless. He bounces his leg up and down, glancing out the window like he’s looking for something. Is he looking for something? Maybe, who’s he to say? Stress leans her head back against the carseat, fanning herself with a folding fan she stashed away in her bag. “I wanna build a sandcastle. Did you pack the bucket and shovel Mumbo?”

“Was that my job?”

“Yes! I told you!”

“....Whoopsie?”

Stress pouts and crosses her arms, slouching grumpily with a scowl. “I hate this family.”

Grian snorts. “We’re a family?” False nods with a grin, joining Grian in the leg bouncing. “Yeah, you three in the back are the kids. Grian, you specifically are the family dog.” Ren chokes a bit on his water. “Yeah Grian, you’re the family dog.”

“Why am I the family dog! Ren is right there! ”

“You have a specific feral energy that matches family dog more.” Stress adds.

“ REN IS LITERALLY PART DOG! ”

“Okay? And? Mad you’re not the cool older sibling like me, are you?” Ren eggs on. 

“THAT’S FALSE! ”

False turns around from the front seat. “You think I’m cool?” Grian huffs and sinks into the corner. “I’m with Stress now. I also hate this family. We should commit a crime or something.” Stress’ face lights up at the idea. “We should! We’re gonna commit so many beach crimes!”

“Please don’t.” Mumbo says.

“Do I need to remind you two that we solve the crime, not commit it?” False adds as he leans back in her seat. Ren sucks in a breath. “Well—”

“I already know what you’re gonna say. No. It doesn’t count.”

“But—”

“Nope!”

“Fair enough!”

Another few minutes pass, Grian is still bored and now he’s hungry. “I’m hungy.” He grumbles under his breath. Stress looks up. “We should go to Mcdonalds.” Ren sticks his head over Mumbo’s shoulder. “Mumbo!”

“What!”

“Can we go to Mcdonalds?”

“Why? There’s snacks literally in a bag at your feet!”

Ren lightly kicks said bag. “But that’s not as fun!”

Grian whines loudly. “C’mon Mumbo! I didn’t get to eat breakfast!”

Ren whips his head around to Grian. “You didn’t eat breakfast?!”

“No! I was rushing to get ready cause I was already late!”

False doesn’t even look up from her phone and raises her hand. “To be fair, I also didn’t eat breakfast for the same reasons.”

“Which is exactly why we should go and buy food!” Stress adds cheerfully. Mumbo groans, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing. “I feel like that dad that’s sitting there while his kids are changing Mcdonalds in the back seat.”

“That is essentially what’s happening, yes.” Stress nods.

“Fine.” Mumbo sighs heavily, pulling into the nearest drive-thru. “What do you guys want?”

They’re all satisfied a few minutes later, with food in their hands and stomachs and big dumb grins om their faces. They still have about an hour and a half to go, so their energy is high and they’re giggling and bickering over their food.

“I’m just saying Veruca Salt didn’t do anything wrong!”

Stress rolls her eyes at Grian. “Of course you’d say that you theater kid! You’re just saying that because you liked her song from the musical!”

“It’s not my fault it was good! Besides, those squirrels tore her to pieces! What the fuck!” Grian defends loudly, waving his hands around. Stress argues back, saying Violet Beuregard was innocent, Ren joins in, False eggs them on, and soon everyone’s talking over each other and bickering like a bunch of squawking seagulls.

Mumbo clears his throat loudly. “Here’s an idea! How about we all play the quiet game?”

They’ve never fallen silent so fast before in their lives. At least half of the bones in their bodies are competitive, and they’re gonna try their hardest to keep their mouths shut for as long as they possibly can. Ren glances over at Stress and Grian, who are both staring at him trying not to laugh. They all quickly glance away from each other, Stress clamping her hand over mouth in order to stop herself from bursting out into giggles.

Grian turns his attention towards False.

“Hey. Hey False. Hey. Guess what.”

“NOOOOOO SHUT UP. I FORGOT ABOUT THIS. GET OUT OF MY HEAD.”

“Booooo! I haven’t even gotten to say anything yet!”

“Grian, I know you. You’re gonna try and make me laugh or something.”

“I wasn’t going to but now that you mention it—”

“NO!”

Grian giggles, in his head of course, rubbing his hands together gleefully. “Let’s see...what voice shall I do today?” False can’t even cover her ears and block him out. “ Shut up!”

“Do you think I could think in Ren’s voice? Or Stress’?”

“Please no—”

False is struggling so hard not to laugh. She snickers quietly, hand clamped over her mouth. “Hey False—” He thinks in Ren’s voice, and she breaks, bursting out into laughter loudly. “Aaaand False is the first one out!” Mumbo announces, patting her on the shoulder. “Oh COME ON!” She yells, punching the dashboard in frustration.

“Don’t punch my van.”

“Sorry.”

She turns around and glares at Grian. “Alright, your turn now.”

“NOOO I DIDN’T EXPECT THIS TO BACKFIRE ON ME!”

False thinks for a moment, tapping her chin almost comically as she digs through her brain for something to say. Grian braces himself, puffing his cheeks out to stop himself from laughing. 

“Hey Grian?”

“Nope! No no no no nope!”

“A still image will warp back and forth until unrecognizable.”

Grian squeaks before barely being able to contain his laughter anymore, cackling loudly. “There goes Grian!” Mumbo snorts. Grian whines, shaking False’s seat. “That’s not fair! You cheated!” False smacks his hand away with her flip flop. “It’s perfectly fair! I’m just doing what you did to me!” Grian scoffs and crosses his arms, grumpily glaring out the window. 

False turns her attention towards Stress, who looks about ready to explode. “Hey Stress?”

“Yeah? DAMNIT! ” 

“Wow, I can’t believe Ren won the quiet game. I think that’s a first.” False snorts. Ren pouts, ears flattening to the top of his head. “Hey! I can be quiet!”

Ren slaps his hand over his mouth. “Yeah? That didn’t last long, did it?” Grian says with a grin. “Oh don’t look so cocky! You were literally the second one out!”

“At least I wasn’t the first!”

“I’m sitting right here! ”

Mumbo lets out a dramatic sigh. “The silence was fun while it lasted.”

The rest of the ride is just the normal flavor of chaotic, with little bouts of bickering and jokes breaking out between the five of them. They obnoxiously sing along to the music they’re playing, using water bottles like they’re microphones and hitting high notes horribly but they’re laughing and enjoying themselves so it doesn’t really matter. After their impromptu karaoke session, their destination just gets closer and closer as every song passes.

“We should play I Spy.” Stress says, half bored. Grian scoffs softly. “There’s not much to spy, now is there?” He’s not wrong, it’s mostly road, trees, and the other cars driving. “It could be fun! Ren, you have a go!”

Ren sighs, poking his head towards the window. “Alright alright, I’ll humor you. I spy with my little eye something that’s…...sand.”

“Sand?”

“Sand!” Ren repeats, pointing out the window at the sprawling sand and ocean appearing on the horizon. False looks up from where she’s scrolling through her phone. “Huh? We’re here?”

“Yep!” Mumbo reassures, pulling up to find a parking spot for them. There’s a resounding cheer from everyone as he does, all ready to finally get out of this cramped van. “Unlock the door already! Let us out!” Ren complains, jiggling the handle impatiently. 

False practically jumps out of the car, everyone else following suit. There’s seagulls cawing in the bright blue sky, and waves lapping up against the shore line. She takes in a deep breath of the salty air, a big smile spreading across her face. She turns her attention back towards everyone starting to unload their things from the van. “Hurry up slowpokes! C’mon, we have a beach to invade!”

They pick a spot a bit of distance from the shore, just so that when the high tide comes in their stuff doesn’t get washed away. Stress and Grian run off on their own to find somewhere selling sand buckets and shovels for them to use. The remaining three sit under the shade, talking about their plans for the day.  

“You know, I feel like this is the most excited I’ve seen you for something in months .” Mumbo says to False with a grin. False snorts, bouncing her leg up and down anxiously. “I am! I dunno, Grian and I have just had our noses shoved in case work these past few weeks, it’s nice to get some fresh air every once in a while. Besides, we’re far away from Hermitville, so hopefully none of the chaos will follow us here! Nothing bad ever happens at the beach.”

Ren makes a face like he’s staring right into the camera in the office.

“Something bad is bound to happen, just on the sheer fact we let Stress and Grian run off on their own. I bet they’ve already set a building on fire or something.” Mumbo snorts. Almost if on cue, Stress and Grian come running back, giggling and arms linked together. “We found buckets!” Grian says triumphantly, holding two plastic buckets up in the air. “And a hotdog!” Stress adds on.

“Where did you even get that?” Ren squawks.

“I stole it.”

“You stole a hotdog? From where?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Stress?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Grian drops the two buckets on the ground, flopping onto one of the beach chairs ungracefully. “So what have you nerds been up to?” False sighs, tossing him a bottle of sunscreen. “Well, Mumbo’s been making sure he doesn’t burn to a crisp, and I plan on going down to the water soon. What about you, Ren?”

Ren reclines in his chair, kicking his sandals off to the side. “I dunno, I might help build a sandcastle, dig a big hole in the ground, as you do.” Stress tosses him one of the little plastic shovels that came with the buckets, hitting him on the head. “Start shoveling then!”

Ren yelps and throws his hands up in the air, scrambling to sit back up. “Alright alright I’m going! It’d be faster with my hands anyways, I feel like I could snap it easily.”

“Oooohh, do it do it do it!” Grian encourages, resting his chin on Ren’s shoulder. “Noooo we just bought those!” Stress complains, whacking him with her flip flop.

“Ow! Fine! I won’t snap the shovel!” Ren turns around and gives Grian a wink, making him snicker deviously. 

Stress turns over to False. “False, can you get a bucket full of water to make the sand all compact and stuff?” False glances between her and the water, forming a few ice cubes in her hand before handing them to Stress. “Wait.” She says, and heads off towards the water.

Stress quickly drops the ice cubes into the sand with a surprised squeal. Grian’s too busy cackling to say anything. “You know what? We can get water later. Wanna make a giant hole in the ground?”

“What’s a beach trip without one?”

False comes back running a few minutes later. “Aborted mission: water’s cold as fuck . Are you guys really digging a hole?” Mumbo kicks some stray sand back towards them. “Yep. They’re doing it.”

“You know what? I’ve grown to expect this from you guys. Good for you. Just don’t get any sand on the chairs or whatever.” 

They continue on their little beach shenanigans, Stress, Grian and Ren build a sandcastle with a little moat, stepping back to admire it. It’s….not exactly the prettiest thing. Building with sand is a lot harder than they thought. Legos are much easier than this.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I really wanna destroy this sandcastle.” Stress says softly under her breath. 

“Honestly? Me too.” Grian agrees with a nod.

“Should we all jump on it at the same time?” Ren asks.

A volleyball bounces right into their sandcastle and slowly rolls away. “Sorry!” The person who kicked it yells as they run by, chasing after the ball. Stress clears her throat awkwardly. “Well that takes care of that!” 

“Aw, a shame! I thought it was a nice castle.” A voice from behind them says.

The three of them turn around and gasp excitedly when they see who it is.

“ Iskall! ”

They practically tackle hug him, squealing excitedly as he picks them all up with ease. “Hey! Fancy seeing you here!” False says with a smile. Iskall laughs as he sets everyone back down, Grian hopping up on his back and squeaking when he gets shifted around. “Guess I could say the same to you! I had a day off, and some of the other guys invited me so I tagged along.”

“Oh, fun! Do you wanna hang with us for a little bit?”

Iskall smiles fondly. “I’d love to!”

Iskall stays with them for a while, even helping with the sandcastle and hole in the ground. Stress stands in it and it comes up to her knees, patting the sand down with her feet. “I think we did a good job on the hole. I am also unsure if I can hop back out without slipping and dying.” Grian snorts and holds his hand out, helping her up with a dramatic heave. “Now what?”

“We cover it up again, duh.”

“Fuck. You’re right. Let’s do it.”

Mumbo snorts, watching as the pair get to work. “They’re having fun.” Iskall leans up against the little cooler they brought with them. “What about you? Gonna stay here under the umbrella all day?”

“....Probably, yes.”

“Mumbo!”

“What! It’s nice under the umbrella!”

False makes a scoffing sound. “You’ve been staring at the ocean since we got here.”

“Have not!”

“Have to!”

“Have not!”

“Have to!”

“Ha—”

Mumbo gets cut off by Iskall picking him up and slinging him over his shoulder. “ Hey! ” Mumbo squawks. Iskall shrugs and laughs, running off towards the water with him. “Wait! My phone is still in my pocket!”

Iskall runs back towards the umbrella and tosses Mumbo’s phone towards one of the chairs. “All clear!”

They watch as Iskall runs towards the water with a protesting Mumbo over his shoulder, dropping him in the water. Mumbo shrieks, flailing around like a fish. “Why is it so cold! Oh you absolute fiend! ” Mumbo gives Iskall a shove and sends him tumbling under the waves, laughing as it knocks him off his feet. A wave hits Mumbo and then sends him off of his feet and into the ground. Rem manages to catch it on video. 

Iskall and Mumbo help each other up, laughing as they do so. Iskall leans in and whispers something in Mumbo’s ear, Mumbo laughing and nodding along. They start walking back to the umbrella, leaving a trail of soggy sand where they go. 

“Hey, Grian!” Mumbo yells.

Grian looks up from where he’s sitting peacefully on the sand. “Hm?”

“You’re next.” Iskall shouts back.

False holds back a laugh as they start to approach. “I think that’s your cue to start running.” Grian gulps and nods, scrambling to his feet. “Yep! Later!” He takes off running, Mumbo and Iskall sprinting after him. “You know, when I pictured an Architechs reunion, I didn’t really expect them chasing Grian down on the beach while he screams for his life, but it also feels very on brand so I’m not questioning it.” Ren says with a wistful sigh. 

Grian returns a little bit later, soggy and cold. “I feel like a piece of bread.” He says, teeth chattering slightly. False hands him a towel to wrap himself up in. “You look like one.” He snorts as he curls up under one of the chairs they’ve set out in the sun. “Thanks.”

A few minutes pass, and Grian and Stress end up wandering the beach together. “Stress? I feel like causing some problems today.” He sighs dramatically, linking their arms together, which is a very sure sign they’re up to mischief. “I think that’s a normal day for you, though.”

“Well, yes, however , I dunno! I feel like causing some light conflict. Spicing it up a little!”

Stress thinks for a moment before snapping her fingers, like a lightbulb lighting up in her brain. She whispers an idea into Grian’s ear, a smile spreading across his face. “I am absolutely on board.”

Stress smirks, flipping her sunglasses down from where they rest on her forehead. “Perfect. Let’s roll.”

“Ren!” Grian yells innocently, running up to Ren. Stress stands a few feet behind him. Ren turns around, looking down at him in surprise. “Oh! Hey dude, what’s up?”

Grian lightly smacks him on the shoulder, almost like he’s smacking away a bug. “Tag, you’re it!”

And he takes off running . He shrieks, Stress already taking off before him. It takes Ren a second to process what’s happening, but he smirks and runs after them. “Ohhh, you’re in for it now!”

False watches as they run off together. “Oh god, I feel like I should go after them. Mumbo, feel like you can hold down the fort?” Mumbo sighs, flipping through his book. “Sure. Go make sure they don’t set the entire beach on fire or something.” False quickly slips her sandals on, quickly running after them. “Alright! Be right back!”

“GO GO GO GO!” Grian yells, clutching onto Stress’ hand as she drags him along. “IS HE BEHIND US?” She shouts as they duck past a group of surfers just standing around. “HONESTLY? I’M SCARED TO LOOK BEHIND ME RIGHT NOW.”

“FAIR ENOUGH!”

Ren shouts for them, and they yell and run faster than before. “Scatter!” Grian catches some familiar faces out of the corner of his eye and he ducks towards them.

“Zedaph! Impulse! Tango!”

Grian quickly dashes behind Impulse, who turns around in confusion. “Hello?” Grian shushes him, crouching down. “Hide me! Don’t let Ren know I’m here!”

“Oh! Um….okay?”

“Hey!” Ren runs over to them, pausing to take a breath. “Have you seen Grian or Stress?” Zedaph glances at where Grian’s hiding, trying not to laugh. “Nope!”

Tango points off somewhere in the distance. “I think I saw them run off over there? Ya looking for them?”

False catches up to them, sliding up using her ice. The sun is already starting to melt it behind her. “Hi. I’m here now.” She waves. Ren readjusts the sunglasses on his face. “I can’t tag you, can I?”

“Nope. Not playing.” 

“Fine. Well, I’m going after them! Later!”

Ren runs off towards where Tango pointed, leaving the five of them alone. “Hi, Grian.” False sighs, turning towards where he’s crouched behind Impulse. “Boooo! How’d you know I was here!” He complains, stepping out into the open.

False taps her temple. “ Just a hunch.” She thinks. He groans and rolls his eyes. “Telepathy was a mistake.”

“You guys have telepathy?” Zedaph asks, cocking his head to the side.

“Yep! It is simultaneously the best and worst decision we’ve ever made.” Grian says confidently.

“There’s not really a super cool way to show it off, is there?” 

“You could say something at the same time?” Impulse suggests. Tango gasps as an idea pops into his head. “Or! We could whisper something to one of you and the other says it out loud!”

“That sounds fun! Can we do it False?” Grian pleads, tugging on her arm. She sighs and rolls her eyes. “Fine. It wouldn’t hurt or anything, I suppose.”

Impulse thinks of something to say for a moment, before whispering it into False’s ear. “ What’d he say? ” Grian thinks at her. “... Tango has 10 inch platforms he uses to reach high shelves?” False thinks back, half confused.

Grian looks over at Tango. “You have 10 inch platforms you use to reach high shelves?” Zedaph bursts out laughing while Tango’s face turns red. “Impulse!” He hisses, smacking him on the arm. Impulse chuckles softly. “What! It’s all I could think of!” 

“Hey Tango? Where do you live again? I absolutely do not plan on raiding your closet or anything.”

“We should get telepathy!” Zedaph says, kicking a beach ball. Impulse catches the beach ball in his hands and laughs. “Honestly? That can either be amazing or horrible.”

False chuckles softly. “The spell’s not that hard, honestly. It was in one of Ren’s spellbooks and— Oh shit. ”

“What?”

“I….never returned Ren’s spellbook. Whoops.”

“Oh! Speaking of Ren, why was he chasing you down?”

Grian laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Stress and I started an impromptu game of Tag. Ren got tagged, and now we’re running from him.” False raises her hand. “I am simply watching and making sure they don’t die.”

“Ren’s coming back, you know.” Tango points off into the distance, where Ren is coming back running at full speed. Grian squeaks, ducking behind False. Ren stops for a moment, taking another quick breath. “Oh, hey Grian! Listen, Stress is it now, and she is fast .”

“Oh dear.”

“Can we join?” Zed asks excitedly. Ren nods, already taking steps to start running away. “Sure! The more the merrier! Oh god she’s right there—”

Stress runs up to their little tent, stopping right at the edge. “Hey boys! What are we up to?” She asks innocently, tilting her head to the side. Ren is already several feet away. “Hello! We’re joining your tag game now!” Zedaph says cheerfully. Stress laughs brightly and cracks her knuckles. “Great! I’m giving you a five second head start. ” 

“GO GO GO!” Grian yells, and they scatter like rats in a kitchen, screaming as they run off in different directions. “5,4...I’m not even gonna bother fully counting, I’m gonna go after them now!” She says to False with a big smile, taking off after the group of five scrambling guys.

“And I shall follow!”

They’ve played many games of Tag before, but that somehow was the most stressful and fun game they’ve ever played. The beach is essentially just flat, with people sprinkled about. Their only options were hiding behind others, or simply hiding in the ocean, which Impulse actually did. Grian’s attempt of hiding in plain sight worked out fairly well until Mumbo ratted him out and he got tagged.

Now, Grian groans from where he lies under the shade, fanning himself with Stress’ foldable fan. Being pressed up against Ren probably isn’t doing him any favors, but he’s been dozing in and out of consciousness and Ren is the resident friend group pillow, so you can’t really blame him either.

“Was it always this hot?” Stress complains, slumped over in a chair like she’s melting. False nods, taking a long swig from her water bottle. “Yep. Beaches are typically hot.”

“It’s as they say: So what, we hot, we young!” Grian says rather cheerfully.

“Stop looking at me like that. No one knows what you’re referencing.”

He sighs dramatically, sitting up slowly. “One day. I can only dream.”

False rolls her eyes, he looks way too proud of himself for that. Ren laughs softly, sitting himself up and patting Grian on the back. “Do you think there’s an ice cream place near here or something?” Grian’s face lights up. “There is! Some old friends from school run it! It’s probably five minutes or less from here.” 

“We can go and get everyone ice cream and come back, if you guys want. My hands can keep them cold so they won’t melt.” False says with an amused smile, making some frost appear at her fingertips. “Sounds like a good plan, I think. Where did Mumbo manage to run off to? Does he want anything?” Ren asks as he looks around. 

“Went off to play volleyball with Impulse, I think. I’m sure you can get him something.” Stress adds. False stands up, holding her hand out for Grian and pulling him to his feet. “Right, everyone drop your orders! We’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Grian leads the way to the ice cream shop, practically skipping down the beach. He mutters the ice cream everyone wants under his breath repeatedly, so he doesn’t forget. False sighs as she trails after him. “Who is it that you know at the iee cream shop again?”

“You’ll see!” He says with a smile, flip flops schlapping against the pavement. They’re out of the beach now and in the town right next to it, people on bikes and cars whizzing by. On the corner there’s a little shop simply labeled ‘ICE CREAM’, the bright pink and blue paint on the walls faded out due to time and weathering. There’s little flowers painted crawling up the walls, with some actual ones planted in the grassy spots near the front.

Grian hauls the door open, (not after trying to push it and False laughing at him) a little bell jingling as he does so. They’re hit with the cool blast of air conditioning and the smell of cold sweetness as they step in, a sense of familiarity and comfort washing over them. There doesn’t seem to be anybody in the front, so Grian rings the bell sitting on the counter.

“Coming!” A familiar voice shouts from the back, and a smile spreads across Grian’s face.

There’s a sudden crash from the back, followed by an ear piercing scream.

Before the two can even move, a tall blond lanky man runs out from the back in a panic, red gunk smeared all over his hands. “ SCOTT’S DEAD! ” He shrieks, fear in his eyes. There’s a soft groan from the back and the sound of someone slowly standing up. “I’m not dead, Jimmy. I just slipped and dropped something.” A blue haired man shuffles out, clutching his head with one hand. There’s something red dripping from his head, down his face and all over his clothes. 

“That’s not blood, is it?” False winces. They’re hit with the sudden smell of something sickly sweet. The man, Scott, reaches up and wipes some off of his face. “It’s strawberry syrup. Mostly. I hope.” 

“You hope?”

“...Actually there’s probably a bit of blood in there. I smell something metallic.”

“ Scott ! At least sit down!”

Scott waves Jimmy off as he ushers him towards a seat. “I’ll be fine. More importantly, hello Grian! Hello False! Didn’t expect you guys to show up here.” Jimmy hands him a towel to wipe his face. “What brings you two here?” He asks softly. 

“Jimmy, we work at an ice cream shop. I think we can guess.”

“Oh, right. Still! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Have you shrunk or something?” Jimmy says with a smile, ruffling Grian’s hair playfully. Grian squeaks, lightly punching him in the gut. “Hey! I didn’t come here to get slandered!” False snorts, hiding her mouth behind her hand.

“God you’re lucky my head hurts or I would absolutely be digging into you right now.” Scott groans, pressing the towel to his forehead. Grian gasps and snaps his fingers. “I can help with that! Watch!”

His hand glows softly as he presses it to Scott’s forehead, casting a small healing spell on him. He sighs in relief as the pain slowly starts to go away. “When did you learn to do that ?” Scott squawks in surprise. Jimmy looks equally as stunned. Grian giggles mischievously. “That’s a secret!”

“I guess you can say a little doggie taught us.” False says with a chuckle. Scott’s mouth falls open. “ Ren ? No way!” Jimmy lightly jabs Scott in the side with his elbow. “We should get him to teach us! It’d be cool!”

False makes an ice cube in her hand and hands it off to Scott. Scott puts it on his head. “Now that’s cool.” Jimmy giggles.

“Speaking of, you guys came for ice cream! We should get you guys that.” Scott slowly stands up, making his way back behind the counter. Jimmy hops over, doing a funny little pose and resting his chin in his hand. “What can we get for you?”

False turns to Grian, who blanks on what everyone wanted. “Uh. I forgot…” Scott snorts, False rolls her eyes and pulls her phone out. “You know what? You three can catch up, I’ll go call Stress and see what everyone says.” She ducks out the door and paces the front of the store as she waits for Stress to pick up. 

“So, you kids having a beach day?” Scott asks as he leans on the counter. Grian nods, laughing softly. “Yep! We need a beach day, so we came down here and have just been chilling all day. And I just happened to know the best ice cream place in the area!” Jimmy coos, tilting his head to the side. “Well aren’t you just the sweetest!”

“I’m an absolute angel and I have done nothing wrong ever!”

False pokes her head in. “That’s debatable!”

Grian lets out an offended gasp. “Hey!” She smiles innocently and waves, ducking back outside. “Our shift’s almost over, we could come and join you!” Jimmy says excitedly, hopping a little bit. “I also need to shower. I’m like...gross.” Scott winces, patting his cheek.

With the red strawberry syrup all smudged over his face and clothes he looks like he just murdered someone. Not the best look for someone working as an ice cream man, really. “You do look like you’re hiding dead bodies in the ice cream.” Grian nods along. Scott gives him a wink. “Scott, no.”

“Scott yes .”

False comes back shortly after, somehow with an even longer list than they had originally. They chat a little bit longer with Scott and Jimmy, who promise to pop by the beach later. False casts a spell on everything they’re holding so it doesn’t melt on the walk back. “Who do you think invented magic?” Grian asks.

False opens her mouth to say something but quickly closes it.

“Was it invented, or was it discovered?” 

“Shit, you’re right. That’s a good question.”

“It’d be discovered, wouldn’t it? Because I’m assuming someone had to have like, waved their hands and said some funny words at the same time and something happened.”

“Was magic always there? Is it something you can invent?”

False kicks a rock into the sand. “We can probably ask Ren. Why’d you ask in the first place?” Grian makes a clicking noise with his tongue as they step back onto the beach. “Well, I was gonna say thanks to whoever invented magic because it’s made carrying all of these cones easier, but then I started thinking about it and now we’re here!” He levitates the cones out of his hands and they float close to him, almost like they’re planets in a solar system.

“That’s cheating.” False scoffs. Grian smiles and rolls his eyes. “And you freezing them isn’t?” He retaliates. She nods confidently, quickly walking in front of him. “Yep! I have never cheated or done anything wrong, ever.” Grian lets out a boisterous laugh, and False shoots him a sharp glare. “I’m gonna put a bathbomb in your stomach.”

“I was planning on doing that anyways!”

“Of course you were.”

“I appreciate your fun threats, at least.”

“Thank you, I try my best.”

Everyone enjoys the ice cream they bring, Iskall even showing up again and being the source of one of the extras they brought. Their day at the beach is going pretty well, they’re relaxing and chilling with friends and it’s pretty uneventful, not counting all the problems that have been intentionally started. That is, until Cleo walks up to them.

Stress and Grian are both crouched down in the sand hunting down seashells, False and Mumbo are playing tic-tac-toe with sticks in the sand, and Ren is taking a well deserved nap back at the umbrella. “We need to stop tying.” Mumbo sighs as all the spaces in the board get filled up. Neither of them has managed to win yet, and whenever one of them does get close the waves wash it away. Stress wails as the pretty shell she had just picked up is knocked out of her hand and washed away. False starts drawing another tic-tac-toe board in the sand. “We won’t tie this time, then.”

“You’ve said that the last five times.”

“...Sixth times the charm?”

That’s when Cleo comes running up to them. “Hey!” She shouts, waving them down. They all look up at the same time as she makes her way towards them. “Hey, Cleo! What’s up?” False asks, leaning up against the stick she’s using. Cleo looks a bit nervous, glancing between all of them anxiously. “Nothing much! Grian, False, can I...talk to you guys for a second? Alone, preferably?” False and Grian look at each other awkwardly before shrugging. Grian stands up and hands Stress the seashells he’s collected and False tosses her stick to the side. “Sure, I guess.”

Cleo pulls the two of them away to an empty area of the shore, huddling them together in a little circle. “Alright, something’s up. What happened?” Grian whispers. Cleo takes a deep breath, patting her knees rhythmically like a drum. “Okay so, I might need your guys help? You know that...magical amulet I’ve always had? The very important one I need for casting the magic I do?”

False can see where this is going already. “Yeah?”

“It has gone missing.”

Cleo’s one of the town’s best magic users, working with stands and dolls and things and dabbling a little bit in necromancy, nothing too big. If the amulet has gone missing, that means trouble.

“Oh. Oh no.” Grian mumbles. Cleo nods. “Yep. I... I don’t know how it happened. I never take it off. I got this weird feeling I was being watched and then...I don’t know what came over me, first thing I know I’m setting it down and next it’s not where I put it. I hate to ask this of you guys when you’re on your day off, but can you help me find it? Please? I can only dread what’d happen if it falls into the wrong hands.”

The siblings exchange a inquisitive glance with each other, discussing it mentally, “Sure, we’ll help. Any ideas on who might’ve taken it?” Cleo stressfully runs a hand through her hair. “Honestly, I don’t care if you find who took it. I just want it back.” False nods, standing up straight from their little huddle. “We’ll find it, don’t worry. Do you have...any clue where it might be?”

“...It has to be someone from town. No one else would know about it, I hope. And I know there’s a fair bit of Hermits here, so the list might be a bit long.”

“Will we ever investigate anything where the suspect list isn’t like 20 people long?” Grian groans in his head. False lightly smacks him on the arm. “We’ve dealt with worse, remember?”

“I’d rather not for my own sanity.”

“Fair.”

False puts a comforting hand on Cleo’s shoulder. “Listen, we’ve got this handled. You go back to enjoying the beach and we’ll find it and bring it back to you.” Cleo takes another deep breath. “You’re sure?” Grian nods, putting his hands confidently on his hips. “You can trust us! We’re very good at our jobs, after all.” 

“He’s not wrong!” False adds, giving him a little high five. Cleo lets out a sigh of relief. “Thank you guys so much, honestly. I trust you two. Also, don’t let the word get out it’s missing. I don’t know who exactly to trust besides Joe, who’s the only other person who knows it’s gone, and that amulet is really powerful. Bad things could happen. Anyways, good luck and thank you again!” Cleo jogs off and their brains immediately shift gears into detective mode. They flip their sunglasses down in sync and head off down the shore, gears already turning in their brains.

“First things first, who from town is here?” Grian asks. False huffs silently as she puffs out her cheeks. “The five of us, Zedaph, Impulse, Tango, Cleo, Joe probably and god knows who else. At least there’s an easy way to find who’s from town.” False tugs Grian down from a volleyball flying past their heads. “And what’s that?”

“They say hi when we walk past!”

Almost as if on cue, Beef calls them over to say hello. “See what I mean?” She says with a smile, dragging Grian by the arm. They find a few other hermits along the beach, Keralis, xB, Hypo and Jevin respectively all scattered about and helping them as best as they can. They’re a bit vague with their questions, so it doesn’t surprise them when their answers aren’t that good either. They’re mentally trying to connect pieces, like there has to be connections to everything that’s happened before. Powerful magic rock going missing? Sounds pretty par for the course with them.

“I feel like every day everything makes less sense than it did before.” Grian sighs, kicking at some rocks in the sand. False takes off her sunglasses and pinches the bridge of her nose. “We’re missing something. Like there’s some clues dangling right in front of our noses and we’re missing them.” A seagull flies way too close to their heads for comfort, cawing right in their ears. Grian winces, hands flying to his ears. “We’ll find out. We always do.” False stops, crossing her arms. “No case has taken us this long though. Besides, almost monthly another cog gets thrown into the machine and the trail gets even blurrier.”

“There’s not much we can do though, can we? There’s no clue to point at anything or anyone, and even if there is we’re clearly not catching on. And we don’t even know who could’ve taken the amulet!” 

Their little plight is interrupted by someone calling out to say hello.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the town’s star detectives!” A loud and familiar voice says. 

They turn their heads towards the sound of the voice, and they’re greeted by the warm faces of Pixl and Zloy, who run the town’s news channel. They smile, a sense of relief washing over them. “And if it isn’t the town's favorite news anchors!”

“We’re the only news anchors.” Zloy snorts, flipping a page in his book. Grian rolls his eyes and puts his hands on his hips. “Whatever, my point still stands! How are you guys doing?” Pixl moves his sunglasses to the top of his head. “We’re pretty good! What’re you guys looking for?” False blinks, raising an eyebrow. “How’d you know we’re looking for something?”

“Really good intuition.” Zloy says dryly. There’s a thought forming in Grian’s head, but Zloy flips another page in his book and it’s gone before he can think harder on it. Must’ve been nothing. False laughs nervously, awkwardly fiddling with her hands. “You guys haven’t seen a purple and green heart shaped amulet around here anywhere, or anything?”

“You mean Cleo’s?”

“...Maybe?”

“Did you guys have to be smart?” Grian grumbles, kicking at the sand. Pixl chuckles softly, shoulders shaking slightly. “Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. As for the amulet itself?” The two newsmen exchange a glance, shrugging in unison. “I think we saw a seagull fly by with something like it? It was following someone, I think. And judging by the yelling ang squawking we heard earlier, it was probably chasing Bdubs.”

That’s the most useful information they’ve heard all afternoon. “That’s a big help! Thanks! We’ll see you around!” Grian says, waving as he starts to drag False away. “Yeah! Uh, bye!” She yells as they both start running. They had seen Bdubs earlier when they were running around playing Tag. They’re looking for Bdubs. Bdubs who works for the town government. Bdubs who works for Scar . Scar who was turned into part Vex.

...It makes sense? 

The details are a bit blurry right now, if they think about it too long it starts seeming a bit far fetched but it’s fine, they have more important things to worry about, like getting Cleo’s amulet back. They hear some faint yelling and seagull squawking, so they know they’re on the right track. They exhale in relief when they see Bdubs in the distance, looking like he’s fighting with a bird.

Scar’s sitting nearby underneath an umbrella looking on in amusement, Jellie curled up in his lap peacefully. He’s cheering the bird on as it swoops at Bdubs, something glittering in its talons. 

They know what it is. The seagull is holding Cleo’s amulet. That’s what they’re looking for.

“Hey!” False yells, getting both Bdub’s and the bird’s attention. “Hey guys!” Bdubs yells as the bird caws at him, pecking at his hair. “LEAVE ME ALONE YOU DUMB BLOB OF FEATHERS!” He shoos it away, squaring up with it when it comes back. Scar laughs and turns towards them. “Hello friends!” He says with a wave. Grian waves back smally. “What’s going on?”

“I was just walking down the beach, when this FIEND started swarming me and it hasn’t stopped s— STOP PECKING ME! ” Bdubs shouts, running away from it. So Bdubs isn’t actually directly involved, more just weirdly being roped in and chased by a gull. The bird keeps trying to drop the amulet on Bdubs, like it wants to frame him or something. “ STOP IT!”  

“What do we do?!” Grian asks, tugging on False’s arm. “Uhhh...Talk to it! You got turned into a bird, right? Do bird things!” False suggests, pushing him forward. Grian looks at her like she’s insane. “What?! I can’t do that!”

“You can at least try! Whistle or something!”

Grian huffs and walks over to Bdubs and the seagull, putting his fingers to his lips and letting out a sharp whistle. The seagull’s head snaps up, its mismatched blue and yellow eyes boring into his soul. It stops attacking Bdubs and instead turns its attention towards Grian, stopping and fluttering to the floor, staring up at him with its empty eyes.

“Um...hello! Can I have that little amulet please?...” He asks, holding his hand out. The seagull caws, flying up and landing in his hand. Grian flinches and makes a squeaking noise, stepping back as the bird tilts its head at him. It drops the amulet in his palm, pecking at his hand before cawing again and flying away. “Wow, didn’t expect that to actually work.”

“My god, my little brother’s a bird whisperer.” False mumbles under her breath. Grian walks back over to her and holds the amulet triumphantly in his clenched fist. “I did it! You hold onto it, I don’t trust myself with it.” He hands it off to her and she scoffs, putting it in the pocket of the light woven cardigan she’s wearing. Bdubs lets out a huge sigh of relief, while Scar boos quietly. “Oh I can’t thank you guys ENOUGH for that! What the hell was up with that bird?!”

False shrugs, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly. “Honestly, I’m not sure at all, but at least it’s gone now! How have you guys been?” Scar stands up, walking over towards the three of them. “Well, we’ve been pretty good, haven’t we? Aside from the very funny bird attacks. Cub was supposed to join us but he wasn’t feeling well so he decided to stay home.” He says with a frown.

“Aww, that’s too bad. Hope he feels better soon.”

“Yeah, sucks. How have you two been though? Enjoying yourselves?”

“Pretty much. For the past half hour we’ve been running around looking for this .” False holds up the amulet before quickly pocketing it again. Bdubs squints. “That’s Cleo’s, right? How did it go missing?” Grian makes a strained noise. “It’s...a long story.”

“We should probably go and get this back to her.”

“Right!”

Grian already starts heading down the beach. “Thanks guys! We’ll see you around!” False yells before running after him, not even giving them a proper chance to say goodbye. They almost run over Cleo when they find her again, practically scaring her out of her skin. “Oh my god, I can’t thank you two enough! Sorry for all of the trouble.”

“Don’t worry about it! It’s our job.” False reassures her. Cleo puts it back around her neck, patting it securely. “Let’s just hope this doesn’t happen again. I’ll have to keep an eye out, I guess.” False and Grian nod, waving as they head off to rejoin their friends. 

Their day is winding down, and the sun is starting to set on their beach trip. The sky is beautiful shades of oranges, yellows and blues, casting a soft warm glow on the horizon. It’s nice. Grian stands at the shoreline, waves lapping at his feet as he gazes at the sunset. False comes up behind him quietly. “Hey. You ready to go?”

Grian hums softly, not taking his eyes off the sky. “Yeah. I’m just thinking, that’s all.” False turns her attention towards where he’s looking. “What’re you thinking about, then?” She asks quietly. Grian sighs, biting his lip. “I dunno, isn’t there just something about the beach that makes you so existential for life?”

“I think I get what you mean.”

There’s something about staring at the ocean reflecting the warm colors of the sky, that makes him think about everything. He thinks about his family, False standing right next to him, his friends who bring so much joy and laughter into anything they do, the townspeople, the place they call home. Every little thing, there’s so much good in the world, the way the sun warms his face, the flowers growing in the fields, the cold water at his feet, he wants to cherish all of it.

He likes sunsets. Sunsets are good. He remembers something his dad told him, how they’re practically forever. No matter what happens in the world, the sun will still rise and set. It’s been happening since the planet existed, and it’ll continue even after they’re long gone. They’re fleeting things though, you blink and all of a sudden there’s new colors in the sky and everything feels like a dream.

“False?”

“Mhm?”

“I don’t wanna ever die, I think. Life’s too good for that to happen.”

She smiles fondly, putting her arm around his shoulder. “I won’t let it happen, then. Not on my watch. Now come on, let’s head back before they leave us stranded here.”

They regroup with their friends, helping carry and reload everything into the van. They’re all tired, very obvious by the less than enthusiastic response to Mumbo asking if they’re ready to go. He chuckles softly, silently starting the van and starting the drive home.

It’s mostly quiet, soft music playing from the speakers and the occasional tired words of nonsense being exchanged between them. Ren sits in the middle this time, Stress resting her head on his shoulder and starting to doze off. Grian rests his head against the window, staring at the darkening sky and trees whizzing by.

“False?” He thinks. He doesn’t have the energy to say words right now. She lifts her head up and turns around in her seat to look at him. “Yeah?”

“I feel weird.”

“About to throw up weird or gut feeling weird?”

“....Gut feeling weird. I just...I dunno. I feel like there’s this weird anxiety clawing at my stomach and I don’t know where it’s coming from.”

She pauses for a moment before thinking again. “Could it be from the existential beach feelings?”

“No, it’s different, I think. I can’t explain it well, stuff just feels off. Sorry.”

She reaches and gives him a little pat on the head. “Don’t worry about it. Wanna try napping it off? You look tired.”

Grian hums, out loud this time, yawning and rubbing his eyes. “Maybe. Isn’t it too late to take a nap though?”

“Eh, worst comes to worst I’ll knock you out myself.”

Grian snorts, leaning back in his seat. “Alright then, good night.”

“Sleep tight, bub.”

Grian falls asleep quickly, but he doesn’t sleep well. He has a nightmare, doesn’t remember specific details, probably for the best, he just remembers this horrifying sense of danger, hearing screams and blood on his hands. He doesn’t wanna dwell on it too hard, but his gut feels like it’s churning and his heart is beating rapidly. He gasps and jerks awake, startling everyone in the car. 

“You okay?” Ren whispers. Grian takes a shaky breath, nodding slowly. “Yeah. Just a nightmare, that’s all. It’s fine.” He’s clearly shaken up about it, but he shrugs it off. Ren frowns, patting his shoulder. “Here, you can go back to sleep if you want.” Grian rubs his face and sighs, resting his head on Ren’s shoulder tiredly. Ren may be currently sandwiched between Stress and Grian, but he doesn’t mind. 

He draws a little magic circle in the air in front of Grian’s face, the purple light dissolving quickly. Blessing of good dreams, after all. Grian does dream better afterwards, no pain or agony, just some giant pretty magical buildings and fields, the sky various shades that remind him of a sunset. It’s very nice, he doesn’t mind that dream.

Ren falls asleep too, and False manages to sneak a few pics of the three of them in the backseat all piled against each other. And maybe False sleeps for a little bit too, but Mumbo’s the only witness and she has a reputation to uphold. 

They’re closer to home when they start waking everyone up again. Grian feels his shoulder being lightly jostled when he’s partway through a dream, snapping him to reality. The horrifying concept of being conscious. “Morning.” Ren says with a snort. Grian glares at him, grumbling something under his breath about being interrupted. He looks out the window and it’s fully dark outside, no light except for the headlights of the van, only the dark silhouettes of trees being illuminated by a faintly glowing gray sky. 

He partly feels like he’s still dreaming. “What dimension are we in?” He mumbles. Stress snorts, having woken up a few minutes ago. “The third one, I think.”

“Oh.”

Grian sighs as he sinks back down, slightly curling up in his corner of the car. “We still need to get dinner. Where do you guys wanna go?” Mumbo asks as he looks through the rear view mirror at them. False drums her fingers on the dashboard. “How about the diner? Probably our best bet.” 

“Sounds good to me. What about you guys?”

Grian makes a tired noise of agreement, Ren nods, and Stress holds a thumbs up before letting her arm flop back down. Mumbo laughs quietly. “Alright then, diner it is.”

Sure enough, they pull back into Hermitville a little while later, straight to the diner where they enjoy a nice meal together, just the five of them, tired and hungry, and Grian can confidently say it’s the best meal he’s had in a while.

Chapter Text

Leaves crunch under their feet as False and Grian make their way down the streets of town, towards the park for the local autumn festival. The air is crisp, the weather is nice, their outfits are exceptionally stylish today, and life is good. They’ve been taking it easy these past few months, and they’re honestly doing pretty great for themselves. They’re happy, feelings of stress and worry pushed away as they step a bit back from their work.

And besides, they’d never miss the festival for the life of them. They have many traditions in their friend group, and this is one they’ve been doing since they were practically 4 years old. The festival is always filled with different games and activities, typical ones you’d find at a carnival they can get really competitive over and try to beat each other in. 

“Where are we meeting up with everyone again?” Grian asks, shivering slightly. False has her phone up against her ear, hand covering the other so she can hear Stress on the other line better. “What was that? The big tree in the middle?” She turns to Grian and gives a nod of conformation. “The big tree in the middle! Okay! We’ll see you there!” She hangs up and quickly shoves her phone into her jacket pocket, taking Grian’s hand and speed walking. 

“Are you cold?” She asks as she can feel Grian trembling. He huffs, and he can see a tiny puff of his breath. “Little bit. It’s fine.” He can feel the goosebumps forming on his arms, cringing slightly. His outfit may be cute and well coordinated, but it definitely isn’t made for the weather. A flowy collared blouse, light pink cardigan, knee high socks, and a cream colored beret with a maroon ribbon that’s threatening to fly off his head aren’t exactly the best for winds and breeze.

“Do you want my jacket? It’s not exactly a good time to be wearing shorts.” False is dressed a bit better, baggy pants with chains and many pockets, a sweater with a puritan collar on it, and a big, almost oversized hoodie drooping off of her frame make her feel pretty cozy. 

“I’ll be fiiiine .”

“ Grian—” She says sternly. He waves her off as she starts shrugging her jacket off. “I said not to worry about it! Besides, we’re almost there.” They turn a corner and surely enough the park stands in front of them, a giant grassy area with a big brick and metal fence surrounding it. The grass is a bit brown and dry, but it’s mostly covered by the orange and red leaves falling from the trees around the park, so it’s fine.

There’s a little playground in the corner with a sandbox next to it where a bunch of kids are playing and laughing, making giant leaf piles and jumping into them. There’s a few booths and games set around the park, people from the town all out and about. False’s eyes scan the scene and fall on the big oak tree, where Stress and Ren are waiting for them. “Hey!” Ren shouts with a big grin, tail wagging excitedly.

Stress tackle hugs them as they run over, smacking them on the back. “You’re here!” Grian giggles as he gets picked up. “Of course we’re here! Where’s Mumbo?” Ren leans on the tree and chuckles. “He said he’d be here soon, just running a bit late.” False looks around. “Hope he gets here soon, then.”

Someone leans down and pokes their head between Ren and False’s. “ Boo .”

They both jump, Ren yelping as he’s startled. Mumbo laughs loudly, patting both of their shoulders. “Whoops, definitely meant to scare you. I’m here now!” They all cheer as the five of them are all together now, struggling to decide what to do first. “Okay, do we hit up the games or the corn maze first?” Stress asks as she skips ahead of them, sneakers crunching the leaves under her feet. False groans. “Oh I’m dreading the corn maze. Let’s save it for the end.”

“Oh come on, we had such a good and amazing time at the last maze we were in!” Grian snarks, elbowing her in the side. She scoffs and rolls her eyes, dreading the memories of the last time they did a maze. Well, they were more forced to do it, but still, horrible experience. Never again. “If you get lost in that maze, I am not looking for you and I am going to leave you for dead there.” Grian lets out an offended gasp, putting his hand on his chest dramatically. “How dare you! Who’s gonna rescue me, then?”

“Ren, I guess.”

“Don’t throw me into this!”

“ Ren ! You wouldn’t leave me, would you?”

“....It depends.”

“Depends on what !”

“I dunno, if you behave I guess.”

“What does that mean!”

Ren makes a vague gesture at him. “You have a good sense for starting trouble.”

“I’m perfectly well behaved, screw you!”

Stress laughs loudly, slapping her hand over her mouth. Grian glares at her. “At least I’m not as bad as Stress.” He grumbles. Stress gasps, punching him in the arm. “Excuse you! I am perfectly good and have caused no problems ever!” Mumbo snorts. “Let’s not start telling lies now.”

“ Mumbo! ”

They bicker and bicker as they wander around, still laughing and goofing off with each other. They play a few games, collecting prizes slowly but surely. There’s a giant teddy bear tucked under Stress’ arm and there’s a tiny little frog plushie sticking out of Ren’s coat pocket. Grian managed to get a slap bracelet and he continuously slaps it on and off of his wrist. It’s like Dumb Dumb, he had said, and everyone rolled their eyes and laughed. 

“Okay, who’s going in the corn maze?” Mumbo asks as they reach it. There’s a hill at the edge of the park that leads to a big field, and in that field is where the corn maze always is. It’s massive, there’s so many twists and turns they’re bound to get lost. “Not it! I’m not bringing my new friend in there!” Stress says boastfully, hoisting her teddy bear over her shoulder. “Why don’t you two go? A second attempt to make up for last time.” She playfully bumps Grian with her hip, jabbing him in the side with her elbow.

“Absolutely not.” False deadpans.

Grian giggles as he jabs Stress back. “Let’s do it!” False rolls her eyes, crossing her arms. “We’re gonna get lost again.” 

“C’mon! There’s no mirrors, and no Etho pulling all the strings!” 

“Knowing our luck, he’s probably in there.”

“Oh don’t be silly! I’m sure it’ll be fine!” Stress reassures, putting an arm around False’s shoulder. “It could be fun!”

“And you’re not coming because….?”

“I have to watch my son, duh.” 

She sighs heavily. Grian tugs on False’s sleeve. “Let’s do it! Please?” 

“Stop making puppy eyes at me, it never works.”

Grian pouts slightly. “I can certainly try! Besides, you’re smiling! Come ooooooon, drop the serious facade for once! Loosen up a bit!” False struggles to bite back a grin. “Alright, alright! I’ll go! If you get separated I’m not finding you, though.” There’s a little cheer as they stand at the opening of the corn maze. 

“You guys better be paying for our dinner or something.” False says, tapping her foot and raising her eyebrow. “No promises! Good luck!” Stress waves as they start heading in. Grian jumps up and down excitedly, waving back. “We’ll wait for you guys by the exit!” Mumbo says.

Ren sighs. “I’m going in after them. I don’t trust them.” Mumbo snorts, patting him on the back. “Just don’t get lost yourself. Good luck.”

“I feel like we’re already lost.” False groans.

Grian huffs, running his hand over some of the corn stalks. “Don’t be silly! We haven’t hit any dead ends yet!” Just as they say that, they turn and hit a dead end. False makes a face at him. “Okay so, maybe I spoke too soon! It’s fine though, we’ll be fine!”

“You said to hug the right wall and you’re currently going left.”

“Shit.”

False takes the lead, speed walking down the corridor. Cornidor, if you will. “Is there even anyone else in here?” Grian asks as they trudge through. It’s quiet, but the corn maze is always insanely popular and tons of people go. It’s just a slight bit off putting.

“Just you, me, and all of this corn. What a way to go.”

“We’re not gonna die in here!”

“It seems likely.” 

About 20 minutes pass of them walking around, turning back and running into dead ends, False groans. “I think we’re going in circles.”

“We can’t go in circles. This thing is a giant cube.”

“Shut up, you know what I mean.”

“I’m having fun, at least!” Grian says cheerfully, kicking at the leaves at his feet. There’s little stations riddled around with little pieces of paper and riddles to keep people entertained. However, there has not been a single map or anything to indicate where they are. Are they near the end? The middle? Closer to the start? Who knows! They also haven’t found anyone else yet, which makes the situation feel more like a weird ass dream,  one where they’re sent to wander around an endless corn maze for the end of time.

“Lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it?” Grian asks, breaking their silence. False scoffs lightly. “It sure is weather.” Grian starts to say something, but he’s cut off as they turn the corner and False runs directly into someone.

“Oh! I’m so sorry—Oh. Oh no .”

“Well hello there!”

“What are you doing here?!”

Before them stands Etho, wrapped up in a cozy windbreaker with a fluffy collar, patches all sewn around the sleeves and chest. It’s a nice casual change from the colorful suit they saw him in last time, but it’s still a surprise they’re seeing him at all . Etho shrugs, pulling his face mask up. “I’m navigating the corn maze, obviously.”

Grian pokes his head out from where he’s hiding behind False. “Didn’t you get arrested or something?” Etho walks ahead of them, and they reluctantly follow. “Yeah, but some dudes bailed me out so I’m here now.”

False and Grian exchange a glance. “Who bailed you out?” Etho mumbles a quiet ‘I dunno’ noise. “Just some dudes with a lot of money. Feel like I met them, but I can’t remember.” Odd. False makes a mental note of it. 

“Oh. Neat. How...uh, how have you been? Besides the jail thing.” False says awkwardly. Etho hits a dead end and turns around. “Honestly? Pretty good! Business is alright and life’s been treating me well. What about you guys?” Grian fiddles with the sleeves on his cardigan. “Not bad, I think, Work has been a bit messy, but...we’re getting by.”

Etho plucks the beret off of his head and puts it on his own. (“Hey!”) “Nice. How long have you guys been wandering around here?”

“300 years.”

“20 minutes.”

“Well then! You guys wanna get out of this maze together?”

False scoffs. “I don’t trust you after last time.” Etho holds his hands up in the air defensively, looking fake hurt. “You still remember that?” False makes a squawking noise. “ YES! It was horrible!” Grian stands on his toes in an attempt to get his hat back. “To be fair, it was a bit of a pain.”

Etho holds the beret over Grian’s head. “The past is in the past! Besides, I can’t even do anything here! Except holding Grian’s hat above his head.”

“Give it back!” Grian whines and jumps, grabbing at Etho’s wrist, yanking his hat back. He huffs and puts it back on his head, except Etho lightly pulls it down over his eyes. “Hey!”

False can’t help but laugh. “Okay, fine. We’re getting out of this maze together, except I’m taking the lead. I don’t trust either of you.”

“If you say so!” Etho says way too cheerfully.

It goes about as well as you’d expect. False actually spends most of her time wrangling the two in, making sure they stop doing stupid things. Etho straight up picks one of the corn and asks if he can eat it. False slaps it out of his hand. 

“I’m gonna cut through the corn.” Etho says.

False pulls him away from the corn. “Stop it! You’re gonna get ticks or something!” Grian attempts to do the same, but False yoinks him back before he can. “God, it’s like herding geese with you two.”

Grian picks up a leaf from the ground and twirls it around on its stem. “Isn’t the phrase herding cats?”

“Geese is more accurate.”

Etho makes a honking noise. Grian does the same. False sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I hate it here.” Etho holds back a snort. “I dunno, I think it’s pretty a-maze-ing.” Grian laughs loudly, smacking him on the arm. False groans.

“What? Too corny?”

“ Murder is illegal, murder is illegal, murder is illegal—” False repeats to herself under her breath. Grian’s laughter sounds like a bunch of squeaks and squeals as he tries not to lose it. “Hey. Hey False. Hey.”

“ What , Etho?”

“This place is a bit ear-ie, don’t you think?”

Grian bursts out laughing, mostly due to the look on False’s face. “Etho? Hey Etho? I’m going to take your spine and slowly tear it apart as if it was made from LEGO bricks.” She says, smiling and gritting her teeth. “Ooh, does that mean we can make a little house out of my spine?”

“We’ll find out, just a matter of time.”

“Grian, help, I’m being threatened.”

Grian’s too busy laughing to provide any help. He wheezes and doubles over, looking like he’s on the verge of tears. “Look at what you’ve done, Etho. You’ve broken him!” Grian shakes his head, covering his mouth with his hand as he snorts. It just makes him laugh even more, and False bursts out laughing. “I need—I need a minute—” He wheezes, face bright red. Grian walks back into a corner and crouches down, holding his head in his hands. 

“What a great bonding experience we’re having. Trying to get out of a corn maze and breaking Grian.” Etho smiles, patting him on the head. “Okay! Think I’m better now!” Grian says after a deep inhale. False pulls him to his feet and they keep moving, probably even more lost than they were before. “I still wanna cut through the corn.” Etho grumbles under his breath. False rolls her eyes. “You’re not cutting through the corn!”

“Okay, but what if I rolled for it?”

“What the hell do you mean roll for it—Oh my god why do you just have a D20 in your pocket.”

Etho holds up a shiny red and blue D20 in the palm of his hand. “You never know when you’re gonna need it!” He shakes the dice in his fist and crouches down near the ground, Grian and False joining him. “Alright, what’s the roll for cutting through the corn?”

“Make it a 20!” Grian says excitedly. False snorts, messing with her shoelaces. “I like those odds.” 

Etho rolls the dice on the dirt ground, lightly landing on the floor. They stare in anticipation as it rolls around, finally slowing to a stop. 

“ HAH ! THAT’S A NAT 1!”

“NOOOOOO!”

Etho holds his head in his hands as both False and Grian lose it. “The odds of that! Oh my god!” Grian cackles, slapping his hands on the ground. False nearly falls over from laughing too hard. Etho grumbles and puts the D20 back in his jacket pocket, kicking at a corn stalk as he stands up. “Rigged. This is rigged.”

“What are you three up to?”

They all jump when they’re interrupted by a familiar voice, seeing Ren standing nearby, arms crossed and tail wagging. “Ren! Hey!” Grian says cheerfully, standing up to give him a hug. False slowly stands to her feet. “What’re you doing here?” Ren smiles in amusement. “Well, I went in after you two to make sure you wouldn’t get lost, but then I got lost, and I’ve managed to come across the exit 3 times before finally finding you guys. Hey Etho!”

“Hey!”

“We’ve been wandering around for so long! Do you remember the way out?” False says in exasperation. Ren looks back at the direction from where he came from. “I think so? We’ll see!” Ren leads them back, also playing chaperone and keeping an eye on Grian and Etho from wandering off. After several twists and turns, even more dead ends and meters of corn, Ren swearing he’s lost again, they make it out, all of them sighing in relief. Mumbo and Stress run up to them, practically tackle hugging them. 

“Took you guys long enough!” Stress says cheerfully, picking up Grian and spinning him around. “When did Etho get here?” Etho waves smally. “I just showed up, kinda. I go now.” He slinks away quietly and then he’s gone, disappearing off to god knows where. “Did you guys do anything while we were gone?” False asks as she ties her boots. 

Mumbo holds up a plastic pirate sword. “I obtained things.” Grian gasps excitedly. “No way! I want one!” Ren raises his hand. “I would also like one.” Stress tugs on their arms as she bounces up and down. “C’mon! We’ll show you where we got them!”

They manage to obtain their own plastic pirate swords from one of the festival games, running around and giggling like idiots as they smack each other with their swords. They run across Doc and Bdubs, who has his own pirate sword strapped to his belt.

“Bdubs!” Grian shouts at him, pointing his toy sword at him. Bdubs looks around for where his name is being called from, eyes landing on Grian and grinning as he unsheaths his own sword. “Yes! What is it!”

“I challenge you to a sword fight!”

False rolls her eyes, but Bdubs gladly accepts the challenge. “Oh you’re on!” 

They move to an empty area of the park, a shady spot under a tree for their duel. They swing at each other, plastic hitting plastic as they fight like they’re actual pirates battling for their lives. It’s a bit dramatic, dodging and rolling out of the way of each other’s swings and jabs. 

Bdubs manages to catch Grian off guard and smacks him square on the back, knocking him over and aiming his sword at his throat. “I win!” Bdubs cheers, helping Grian to his feet. “Oh boo, no fair!” Grian complains, stamping his foot lightly on the ground. False turns to Ren who managed to record the whole scuffle. “I think any day I get to see Grian get his ass handed to him is a good one.”

They spend the rest of their day at the fall festival, meeting their friends and goofing off. They even have a little impromptu picnic, all sitting around in a circle like a bunch of kids at circle time. 

“Where are we meeting up next week again?” Mumbo asks as the day comes to a close, all of them milling around the entrance to the park. Next week is Halloween, and they always go all out. They haven’t even told each other what their costumes are, wanting to surprise each other.

“We meet up at Stress’ place before we head into town!” Grian says excitedly from where he’s riding on False’s back. Mumbo nods, pulling out his phone to make a note of it. “I gotta remember to tell Iskall.”

“Right! You two are matching, aren’t you?” Stress asks, hoisting her giant teddy bear over her shoulder. Mumbo nods, giggling excitedly. “Yep! It’s gonna be great!”

“See you guys then?” Ren says with a smirk, already turning to head home.

False readjusts herself so Grian’s not sliding down her back. “Yep! See you guys then!”

“Later!”

It’s Halloween night, and so far Grian, False and Ren are crammed in their bathroom. Ren showed up a bit early, already ready so he sits in the tub, his thick, bright blue goggles resting on his forehead as he scrolls through his phone. He’s dressed as a mad scientist, wearing a ripped lab coat covered in various colorful splotches, along with some splattered on his face. He has a few equally colorful streaks in his hair, and a few pipe cleaners and hair clips sticking out of it. His hair is poofier than ever, frizzy and voluminous to really round out the look.

Grian and False are still running around and getting ready, trying not to panic and rush. Grian’s dressed as a vampire, his hair slicked back and wearing a flowy white blouse with a lace ascot around his neck. He has a pair of red, velvet pants on and a black blazer is draped over a chair in the living room he’s supposed to layer over later. He’s already stuck the fake vampire teeth in, and is currently in the process of sticking some red colored contacts in his eyes.

False, on the other hand, is dressed as Alice in Wonderland. She handmade the dress herself, sewing it together for what feels like ages. The dress is a dusty, pastel blue, accented with white lace details on the sleeves and peter pan collar. Her apron has a little pattern of the different card suits on the bottom, and she has a big poofy petticoat underneath to make the skirt part look fuller. She doesn’t wear dresses often, but when she does she tries to spare no expense. Her tights have swirling blue patterns on them, and she has the signature black ribbon headband sitting atop her head as she puts some card suit earrings in.

Columbo wanders into the bathroom, slinking past the two siblings and jumping into the bathtub with Ren. “Can I borrow one of your eyeshadow palettes?” Grian whispers as he shuffles through his own makeup bag. False starts looking through her own things. “Uhhhh, the one with all the dark reds and blacks?”

“Preferably, yes.”

“Fuck, I think I left it in my infinity bag. One second.” She runs out of the bathroom and rushes to find her purse. “Why the hell did you put it in your infinity bag?” Grian questions. “Because! I was running out of space to put things! Infinity bag has infinite space!” She runs back into the bathroom, tossing Grian the palette as she starts looking for one to use herself. 

Ren’s busy playing with Columbo, cooing as he holds him like a baby. “Baby. Baby boy baby. Little stinker man.” He says, scratching the top of his head. Columbo meows and nuzzles his face against Ren’s, purring softly. “Sorry we’re taking so long.” False says as she dusts some of the falloff from her makeup brush by smacking it against the palette. “Oh, no worries. Take your time.” Ren says, clearly preoccupied with playing with their cat.

“False? Where’s the fake blood again?” Grian asks as he finishes his own makeup. It’s dark and blended out, face contoured just a little bit to make himself look a bit more dead. False kicks one of the cabinets as she blows on the glue on the fake eyelash she’s holding. “Should be in there.”

Grian quickly finds it, adding some to his face, around his mouth and dripping down his nose. He adds two red dots on his neck to show bite marks and he’s done, quickly rushing and cleaning up his side of the counter. “Don’t forget your gloves!” False reminds him as she also finishes, glueing the last fake eyelash on. Grian slips on his blazer and buttons it up, slipping on a pair of black lace gloves. He slides on his shoes, a pair of shiny black heeled boots that are honestly a disaster waiting to happen, but they tie everything together so it’s fine.

“How do I look?” He says with a grin, doing a little dramatic pose. False chuckles softly, fighting the urge to ruffle his hair. “Like you’re giving Twilight a run for it’s money. Not bad.” Grian snorts. “I’ll take it, thank you. Not so bad yourself, either.” False does a half curtsy, she’s fully coordinated everything from her vibrant blue eye makeup to her black mary janes. “Do you remember where I put the white rabbit bag I was gonna use?”

“Uhhh….last I saw it was on the rack near the door.”

“Thanks!”

Grian pokes his head into the bathroom, where Ren’s still playing with Columbo. “Pssst. We’re almost ready.” He hisses, gesturing for Ren to join them. He looks up in surprise, not having gotten a clear look at their costumes until now. “Well, look at you! Don’t you look amazing?” He says with a grin, Columbo jumping out of his lap and padding out of the bathroom. Grian holds his hand out and helps Ren to his feet and out of the tub, smiling shyly. “Thanks.” 

False returns with her bag, a white rabbit stuffed animal decorated to look like the one in the story that also doubles as a backpack. “Are we all ready?” Grian nods, running off to the kitchen and grabbing a wine glass filled with a deep red liquid. “Are you gonna be walking around with a wine glass all night?” Ren snorts.

“It’s not wine!” Grian says, putting a hand on his hip. “If it was wine things would not end well for any of us. It’s just….water with food coloring. Besides, I enchanted it!” He walks over to the sink and dunks it out, and the glass slowly refills itself. “It’s a refilling glass!”

Ren looks impressed. “Wow, you’ve been getting better at magic. I’m proud of you!” Grian giggles. “Why thank you! Now come on, let’s go!”

They head off towards Stress’ apartment, where the rest of their friends are already waiting for them. The apartments all have decorated doors, some have candy bowls set out while there’s some people with their doors open just ready to give anyone candy who passes by. Stress’ door has a Halloween wreath, purple and orange and covered in spiders.

False knocks on the door and it swings open, a smiling Stress standing in the doorway. She’s dressed as Raggedy Ann, her hair dyed a red-brown with the classic long blue polka dotted dress, white apron layered over and matching red and white stockings. She’s tied some of her hair up into a little bow, and she’s even painted the red triangle on her nose. She’s basically the spitting image of Raggedy Ann.

“You’re finally here! OH MY GOD YOU GUYS LOOK SO GOOD!” She says excitedly, ushering them inside. “And you look absolutely adorable!” Grian squeaks, standing up to her. With the heels he’s wearing, he’s now the same height as her. “And when did you grow?” She asks, looking him up and down. He laughs loudly. “Just for tonight!”

“Well well well! Last to arrive as always!” Iskall says, turning around from where he’s sitting on the couch. Mumbo snorts. “Some things never change.”

Mumbo and Iskall are dressed up as an angel and devil pair, with Mumbo as the devil and Iskall as the angel. They’ve done their own spin on it though, Mumbo wearing a red tailored suit, with a matching headband with red horns and tail hooked around his belt. There’s a plastic pitchfork resting in his lap, and some leather fingerless gloves over his hands. Iskall’s the opposite, wearing a white flowy top with a matching pair of knee high boots. He also has a headband, a little halo stuck on top of it and a pair of wings glued to his back.

“Well look at you two all matching!” Ren says, running over and putting his arms around their shoulders. “You look great! We should take a really bad bathroom mirror selfie together.” They squeeze into Stress’ bathroom, taking some shaky and very bad mirror selfies, but their smiles are all wide in them and they’re laughing loudly together so it’s okay. “Alright!” Stress says, clapping her hands together to get everyone’s attention. “Let’s go!”

They head out onto town, Halloween in full swing. There’s tons of people about, all dressed up in costumes from tiny kids, adults, and even pets. Hermitville goes hard for every holiday, and Halloween is no exception. There’s a haunted house, and lots of activities around from ghost tours to costume contests. “What’s first on the list?” Ren asks as he bounces around. Stress raises her hand, jumping up and down. “Haunted house!”

“Yes! Let's do the haunted house!” False adds, spinning around and her dress swooshing gracefully. There’s a bit of hesitation from Mumbo, but after a bit of convincing they head off to where the haunted house is. The haunted house is set in an old empty building near the edge of town, redecorated fully inside and out. There’s a different theme every year, and it seems the theme for this year is simply “Monster Mash.” Ominous and vague, but that’s to be expected.

“Okay, how about we make this into a challenge?” Ren starts, and everyone groans. “No no wait, hear me out! How about we pair up when we go in there, and the pair who say, screams the least wins!” 

Mumbo leans up against his pitchfork. “What’s the prize? Bragging rights?”

“I dunno, candy?”

“I’m sold.” Grian and Stress say in unison. False laughs and rolls her eyes. “Doesn’t sound terrible, I’m in.” Iskall snorts. “What are you guys? Children?”

“As the one who ends up babysitting a lot, yes.” Mumbo sighs. “Listen, how can you say no when you’re offered candy?!” Grian says defensively, flinching when he hears some screams from inside the house. “Grian, I can only hope you never end up in a Hansel and Gretel type of situation.” Ren deadpans.

“I’m hoping the same for my sake.” False laughs. 

Ren clasps his hands together. “Alright! Pick your pairs!”

Mumbo and Iskall latch onto each other, and Stress and Grian link their arms together while False and Ren high five each other. Iskall chuckles softly. “That was fast.” 

Stress looks over at Grian, who she feels shaking a little bit.  “Are you scared?” She asks. Grian laughs nervously. “Scared? Me? No! What makes you say that?” Iskall leans down and whispers “Boo!” right into his ear, making him yelp and jump up in the air. Stress laughs, giving him a pat on the back. “Just a hunch?”

Grian shakes his head. “Just nerves! Jitters! I’ll be fine!”

“Remember, for the candy!”

“For the candy!”

False and Ren go in first, and they can hear the faint screams coming from inside. They wait a bit before an employee tells them it’s their turn, and Grian takes a deep breath before he braves in with Stress. The inside is decorated to look like a fancy mansion, and there’s blood and footprints caking all of the surfaces. “Okay so Stress, I might be a little bit scared.” He yells to be heard over the loud music and sound effects.

Stress squeezes his arm reassuringly. “I might be too. Do we try to speed run it?” Before they can move another step forward, they’re jumpscared by a zombie jumping out of a painting hole. They shriek, holding onto each other and running away. “NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE! FUCK THE CANDY FUCK THE CANDY!” Grian yells, struggling to sprint in his heels. 

They cling to each other as they run through, screaming and jumping at every scare. There’s a room where a vampire pops out at them, and Grian screams louder than he’d like to admit. “Care for a bite ?” The vampire coos, holding a fake bloody heart out. “NO THANK YOU I DON’T KNOW WHAT BLOOD IS!” Grian shrieks, voice jumping up an octave as he runs after Stress.

They make it out, terrified and running on pure adrenaline. False and Ren are waiting for them when they get outside, looking amused. “Wow! Didn’t expect you guys to make it out alive.” Ren teases, giving them gentle head pats. “That was...a lot scarier than I thought it’d be.” Stress wheezes, taking deep breaths. Grian holds his arms out and walks over to False.

“ HhhhhhFalsecanIhaveahugplease— ”

False laughs fondly, gesturing for him to step closer. “Of course, c’mere you big baby.” Grian nods and practically buries himself in her arms, letting her scoop him up in a hug. At the same time, Mumbo and Iskall run out, cursing and laughing at each other. “Oh that was horrible !” Iskall huffs, pausing to catch his breath.

“Who won?” Mumbo asks curiously. 

“Definitely not us.” Stress snorts. Grian slowly nods as False paps his head. False turns to Ren and raises her eyebrow. “You screamed quite a bit.” Ren looks offended. “Hey! Don’t act like you didn’t either!” False smacks him on the arm. “And you two?”

“I didn’t even jump once. ” Iskall says confidently. Mambo rolls his eyes and mouths “ He did. Definitely did. ” 

“Alright, rock, paper, scissors for the prize?”

“Deal!”

False and Iskall engage in an intense game of rock, paper, scissors for the candy prize, staring each other down as they keep tying. “ False, do rock next . Trust me .” Grian thinks. False looks a bit confused but she shrugs. “Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” False throws out rock, Iskall throws out scissors, and they all collectively lose it. “We win!” False cheers, high fiving Ren and winking at Grian.

“Best 2 out of 3?”

“Nope! We win!”

“Oh boo!”

They all laugh about it, heading back to the main part of town where everyone is. They run around a bit more, finding friends and things to do. They manage to obtain some candy, and False and Ren are kind enough to share with the others. Grian and False fall back, walking next to each other. 

Grian sips from his water filled wine glass. “False? You remember that weird feeling I had at the beach? The anxiety clawing one?” False rips into a fun sized Kit Kat bar, crumpling up the wrapper and tossing it into a nearby trash can. “Yeah?”

“I’m feeling it again.”

False stops walking, turning her full attention towards him. “Is it like, something bad is about to happen feeling? Or something else?” Grian purses his lips, pressing his tongue against his fake vampire teeth. “Something bad is gonna happen feeling? Like, I just feel super paranoid and nervous, might be from the haunted house, I don’t know, I just feel off .”

False hums, handing him his own fun sized candy. “Knowing you? Probably more than the haunted house. We’ll keep an eye out for anything suspicious, and whatever gets thrown at us we’ll deal with.” 

Her words are reassuring, but the feeling still isn’t shaken. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” She smiles and pats him on the head. “False! Grian! Come on, hurry up!” Stress yells, gesturing for them to keep up. Grian takes a deep breath, and follows after False.

They take a break at the park, standing around in the grass in a circle. Grian appreciates the break, his feet had started to hurt, and he gets to listen to his friends ramble and bicker with each other. He hasn’t been paying attention, he just hears Stress yelling at Ren “WE’RE VOTING YOU OFF THE ISLAND!” while he tries his best to defend himself. 

Grian feels a chill go down his spine. It wasn’t cold before, was it? He feels a crackle in the air, like a strong force of magic is brewing, almost overwhelming to his senses. He looks over at False and Ren, and they feel it too. They don’t know where it’s coming from, but there’s a strong feeling of danger around. Grian opens his mouth to say something, when it hits them.

There’s a loud BOOM from somewhere off in the town, and they all look up in unison. “What was that?” Iskall whispers. Ren’s ears prick up, straight and alert. “I don’t know, but it’s probably not good. We should go and investigate—”

There’s a strong magic blast that hits them all, knocking a few of them to their feet. The wine glass smashes to the floor into a million pieces. Grian screams, first out of surprise but then in agony as a blinding, searing pain sets into his body. He collapses onto the ground, curling up into a tiny ball and whimpering in pain. “Grian!” False yells, rushing to his side. 

Mumbo stumbles, grunting and clutching his forehead as he leans up against Iskall. Stress yelps as her legs give out from under her, flopping face first onto the ground. “Ren, you take care of them! I’ll be with Grian!” False yells, shooing him away. Ren nods and rushes to Stress’ side, helping her up.

“Hey hey hey hey, what’s wrong? What happened ?” False asks as Grian clutches to her arm. He tries to say something, but instead a pained wheeze leaves his mouth as he curls up even closer to himself. His skin feels like it’s burning, his head is pounding and he feels so dizzy he can’t focus on anything. “ I-I…..I don’t know what’s wrong. Everything hurts and I feel like death .”

False tries her best to cast a healing spell, but judging by the noise he makes, it just makes it worse. “Guys? I can’t feel my limbs.” Stress laughs awkwardly, struggling to stand back up. Mumbo blinks blearily, groaning in discomfort. “You okay?” Iskall asks, supporting him up. Mumbo slowly nods and sighs. “I’ll live, what the hell was that?”

Ren turns over at False and Grian. “False, are you okay? Feeling fine?” False nods, holding Grian close. “I feel fine. And you? Nothing affecting you?” Ren shrugs, shaking his head. “No? I...I can’t tell what that spell was or what’s wrong. It seems to be affecting everyone differently.” Ren feels a spark of something shooting up his spine, and False feels a weird tingle in her fingertips. It’s probably gonna start affecting them soon.

Stress stands up in order to get to Mumbo and Iskall, and she moves like her limbs are jelly, almost like she has no bones and there’s nothing supporting her. Stress is human, but she’s not moving like one, her steps, shaky as they are, are way too fluid for any person to do.

Almost like a ragdoll.

Ren thinks he’s thinking too hard into it.

“Grian? Your hands are really cold.” False whispers. Grian takes a deep breath, lifting his head. His pupils shrink, and he’s overwhelmed by the strong smell of blood . His throat has never felt so dry in his life. He runs his tongue over his teeth and they feel sharp , sharper than the fake vampire teeth he had put in earlier that night. He feels it puncture his tongue, spilling blood.

“False? False, stand back.”

“What? Why?”

“Just, trust me. Something’s…..Something’s wrong.”

False steps away from him, giving him his space as he weakly stands up. “You okay?” Ren asks him, holding a hand out. Grian looks sickly pale, and his eyes aren’t the dull red from the contacts, a vibrant scarlet making up his irises. 

“No. Hold me back.”

Grian lunges at False, and everything moves so fast. False jumps back, and Ren immediately wraps his arms around him and drags him back. “Grian! The fuck’s gotten into you?” He yells, struggling as he tries wriggling away. False takes a deep breath. “Ren? I don’t think that’s Grian .”

“Let me go. Ren!” He hisses, thrashing in his arms. “I think you should let him go!” Mumbo says cheekily. Iskal jabs him in the gut with his elbow. “No! Shut up!” False is surprised at Mumbo’s suggestion, but she stops and thinks about it for a moment. Stress, running basically on ragdoll physics, Mumbo encouraging an obviously bad idea, Iskall disagreeing, and Grian’s….entire situation going on, things start clicking in her brain.

“Ren! The linen is blurring the lines!” She says, pausing and eyes going wide. “What the fuck just came out of my mouth.”

Ren squeezes Grian a bit tighter, shoving his head away. “Repeat that?” False clears her throat. “Linen is blurring the lines, cloth is changing and chittering about, the veil is shifting around and we are the veil! What is happening to me.”

“Did you get possessed by The Riddler or something?” Stress scoffs. False looks confused. “My vernacular is jumbled and fumbled, these strings are not the ones spilled!” False looks like she’s in pain. She shakes her head, clapping her hands and shaking her legs out. “Okay! A game of charades we shall play to determine the words I’m trying to say!”

Stress raises an eyebrow but goes along with it. “How many words?” False pauses and shrugs, making a vague hand motion. “Alright, this might take a while.”

False gestures towards their little group. “Everyone?” Stress asks, tilting her head. False nods excitedly. She points to Mumbo, doing a little horn motion with her fingers. She points to Grian, and makes a similar motion mimicking fangs. She gestures to Stress, and makes her limbs all limp. She does another vague motion Stress doesn’t understand, and Stress just looks even more confused.

“Mumbo’s a devil, Grian’s a vampire, and I’m Raggedy Ann? You’re just explaining our costumes to us?” Stress asks, visibly puzzled. False shakes her head, gesturing for her to keep going. After a few more vague motions, Stress seems to get it.

“OHHHHH WAIT! PEOPLE ARE TURNING INTO THEIR HALLOWEEN COSTUMES!” She says loudly, pointing excitedly as she guesses it. False jumps and high fives her, except her skin feels like cloth and the weird kind of squishy. “Stress, the cloth is becoming one with your flesh.” She points out, mentally cursing herself for the quip.

“So everyone’s becoming their costumes?” Ren struggles as Grian tries biting at him. “Makes sense!” Their suspicions are confirmed when they look around and the chaos around them sets in. There’s a group of teenagers all dressed as zombies moaning and chasing after another screaming girl in a cheerleading uniform. There’s a cackling witch overhead flying on a broom, and some little kids dressed as superheroes having the times of their lives right now.

“So how do we break the spell?” Iskall asks. Mumbo frowns, walking over to where Ren is struggling with Grian. “Do we have to break it?” He puts his hand in front of Grian’s face, and he snarls and tries biting at him. Mumbo quickly retracts his hand. “He’s bitey!” 

“Don’t let him drink any blood!” Ren shouts. Mumbo pouts as Iskall yanks him back. “Why not?”

“We don’t know if doing anything while we’re all changed will affect us when we turn back! If he drinks any blood, he might stay a vampire! And even if he doesn’t, he’ll probably regret it later!”

“The dog speaks the truth!” False yells, then slapping her hand over her mouth as she remembers she’s stuck speaking like this. Stress gestures vaguely at Grian. “But why is he so….feral? I guess you could say?” Grian’s head snaps up as he smells something. One of the zombie kids managed to bite someone, and Grian’s caught the strong smell of blood.

“LET ME GO, YOU BITCH!” He screams, struggling to get his arms free. “Wrong kind of dog!” Ren grunts. “Okay you know what? I have an idea.” He sets Grian down for just a moment, and before he can even move a muscle a giant purple glowing hand wraps around him and hovers a few feet above the air. He freezes up for a second before going right back to struggling. 

“Should keep him occupied for a bit. Anyways, my theory is, we’re all turning into our costumes right? False’s costume is a normal human, so she’s not experiencing any physical changes. She’s just stuck speaking in rhymes and riddles, I guess.”

False frowns and nods.

“My costume is essentially just me in a fucked up lab coat, so I’m pretty much the same except for the fact I am 5 seconds away from THREATENING TO DO SOME UNETHICAL EXPERIMENTS ON A CERTAIN BLOODSUCKER IF HE DOESN’T STOP SCREAMING! ” He yells, voice getting louder and louder as he turns around to glare daggers into Grian. Grian scowls and sticks his tongue out at him. 

“Stress, you’re like….human adjacent? You’re turning into Raggedy Ann, who’s obviously just a human but a doll, and it’s why you’re walking like you have no insides, but still you’re pretty okay I think? Iskall, you feel pretty normal right?”

Iskall pats himself down and shrugs. The wings on his back flap once. “I think so? I feel like I usually do, just that my protective instincts are through the roof right now.” He says as he reels Mumbo in from wandering off and going to cause problems.

“Great! That leaves Mumbo and Grian, and Mumbo’s a demon, obviously. He felt the physical pain of the horns growing in and he just has the tail now . Speaking of—”

The same kind of magic hand that’s trapping Grian wraps around Mumbo and lifts him right beside Grian. Mumbo protests, starting to squirm away. “Just in case, ya know. Now what I think happened to Grian, is that he obviously got turned into a vampire. He felt all the pain of turning, and the first thing he needed when turned was blood. Vampires can’t thrive without it, and we’ve kinda deprived him of it since he got turned and he’s very much not happy about that. Probably why he’s a bit... feral right now.”

Grian groans from where he’s being held. “C’mon flea brain! Put me down, I don’t bite!”

Ren scoffs and rolls his eyes. “You very much do! You tried biting me several times!”

“So what if I’m curious what dog blood would taste like! Is that so much of an issue?”

“ Yes ! I need my blood, actually!”

“But you have so much! You can spare some!”

“If you don’t shut the fuck up, I am going to pressure wash your insides.”

“And I’m going to make a nice jump rope out of your small intestine! Are we even?”

Ren turns away, no longer wanting to deal with him. Grian decides to start an argument with Mumbo instead. “Were vampires always mean? He’s a bit snappy.” Stress whispers to Iskall. He snorts and shrugs. “Might be a bit cranky from not having the chance to eat anything.” 

False raises her hand. “I….have a query.” Ren gives her an affirming nod. “Go ahead.”

“With the metamorphosis of my kin, does this imply he’s...exterminated?” False looks like she loses 30 years off of her life for every sentence she says.

“What the fuck does any of that mean.”

“I think she’s asking if it means he’s technically dead.” Stress translates. False nods quickly. “Oh. ….Maybe? I hope not.” Ren hisses through gritted teeth. Iskall stands up, putting his hands on his hips. “I think that’s a problem we face when we get there. First, we need to find out how to break this spell. The town’s a mess, and it’ll probably only get worse the longer it’s unattended.”

“True. Where do we begin though? Who do we know that could cast this powerful of a spell, one that affects the entire town?” Ren asks, starting to pace around. “We could always try looking where the blast came from first! Maybe the person who casted it is still there and keeping it active?” Stress pipes up.

“Good idea! Do you guys remember where it came from?”

“The east!”

“Then, to the east we go!”

“Yeah!” Stress starts to walk but ends up face planting, scraping her hand on some of the shards of the broken wine glass. Her skin rips easily, and instead of blood, stuffing pours out. She shrieks. “Oh god. Oh jesus. Oh what the fuck what the fuck .” Her insides aren’t even human anymore, just fabric and stuffing. Ren wonders if she has the candy heart, but he doesn’t wanna jinx it. Besides, not the best time for jokes as Stress freaks out over her lost humanity. False reaches into her white rabbit bag, pulling out a mini sewing kit. She quickly stitches up the tear, and luckily Stress doesn’t feel any pain.

“Time is of the essence. Quick, before the skies darken.” False mumbles quietly. She turns to look up at Grian. In her thoughts, she can speak clearly.

“Hey Grian, still you up there?”

She hears Grian’s voice clear in her head, unlike the one they’re hearing out loud. He wavers slightly. “.....Yes. I’m scared, False.”

False’s face softens. “Don’t worry, we’ll fix all of this soon enough. Just a little longer.”

 Iskall picks Stress up, Ren tightens his fists, and they start running towards where the initial magic blast came from. They don’t make it very far, probably just a few steps down the sidewalk, when they hear the same BOOM from before, and a few seconds later they’re hit with another magical blast.

Grian and Mumbo fall to the floor, and they’re all thrown onto their backs as the blast knocks them over. Ren quickly sits up, ears swivelling around and on high alert. “Everyone okay?” Stress sits up, squeezing her hand and wiggling her fingers. Skin! She stands up and she’s back to normal, walking around in circles just to double check. “I’m okay!” She says cheerfully, helping the others to their feet. She looks at her palm and the stitch has been replaced with a faint scar.

“Did the spell reverse?” False asks, and her face lights up when the words she’s trying to say actually come out of her mouth. “Safe to say so, I think!” Iskall slowly stands on his feet, helping some of them stand up. Mumbo lifts his head up from the grass and groans. “Mumbo!”

Iskall and Stress help Mumbo sit up, while Ren and False run over to where Grian lays unmoving. “Is he okay?” False asks worriedly. Ren quietly checks him for a pulse, and he sighs in relief when he feels his heartbeat and his breathing. Color’s slowly coming back to his face, and his hands start feeling warm again. “He should be fine, just a little knocked out.”

Grian then sits up suddenly, gasping loudly and bursting into a coughing fit. He takes deep, gasping breaths, sputtering and wiping at his mouth. “Oh god, that was terrible . I take back any time I said ‘I wish I was a vampire.’” He looks up at False and Ren and sighs. “I am…. so sorry.” Ren lightly pats him on the back reassuringly. “Not your fault, don’t worry about it.”

Mumbo seems to be fine too, just a bit rattled from everything. “We should probably go and investigate whatever the hell just happened.” Ren says softly. False and Grian nod together in unison. “We’re not detectives, but we sure as hell can try!” Stress says with a smile. Grian smiles, fake fangs poking out. “Alright, let’s go.”

They discover the blast came from town hall, where Scar is currently having a standoff with...someone. They run closer and realize it’s Hypno . There’s something wrong about him, his full eyes glow yellow, and his movements are janky and sharp. False catches a glimpse of a few people behind him, but she can’t seem to make out how many. Scar yells something they can’t quite decipher, and Hypno smiles an unnatural smile. He whips his cape and he disappears in a blink, the figures disappearing as well.

“Scar! What’s going on?” Ren shouts as they run up to him. Scar looks relieved, wiping some sweat off of his forehead. He’s dressed as The Mandolorian, and Jellie sits in a brown satchel bag in a Baby Yoda hat, fur bristling in anger. She calms down when she senses the danger is gone, meowing and flicking her tail. “You guys are here!” He gasps, the glowing blue magic from his hands slowly fading away. “Listen, I don’t know what just happened, but it’s definitely not good. Hypno...I don’t think it’s him. It’s weird, he’s definitely not in control of his own body. Something destroyed the magic borders of the town. I don’t know who or what, but it’s definitely malicious. I’m...worried.”

Grian looks over at False in concern. “Guess we better start investigating.” Mumbo shyly raises his hand. “Is there any way we can help?” False snaps her fingers. “Okay, I’ve got a plan. We split up and talk to people, witnesses, alibis, anyone who might’ve seen anything or any clue possible to help point us in the right direction. It shouldn’t be too hard, just strike up a conversation with your fellow townspeople! Ask about if they’d seen Hypno, or anything else suspicious tonight. General things to help us know what’s going on. Scar, just check and see if everyone’s okay. I know a couple of people might’ve gotten messed up because of that spell.”

They agree to the plan, pairing off and splitting into different parts of town to tackle as much as they can. False and Grian walk quickly and in unison, Grian’s heels clicking against the sidewalk. “You’re walking faster than I thought you would in those things.” False comments. Grian laughs quietly. “I’m surprised I haven’t tripped and died yet. But hey, you’ve had to run in worse, right?” She rolls her eyes and smiles. “Yeah, yeah. Still, speed walking in heels. Impressive.”

“I think the height is adding to my ego, actually.”

“‘Course it is.”

They walk around, asking anyone they come across. They see many of their friends and others they’re not that acquainted with. It might be a small town, but there’s so many people living there that it's hard to keep track. They run into Xisuma and EX, Xisuma dressed as a bee and EX in a witch’s hat. They say they didn’t see anything out of the ordinary and the spell didn’t even affect them that much. The sentiment is appreciated though, and they keep asking around.

There’s a small group of teenagers huddled around a bench, one dressed in a king’s cape and crown with split dyed white and black hair, another wearing overalls with sunflowers sticking out of them and sheep ears and horns on his head, and the other dressed as a sheet ghost with the hood pulled off his head. “Hello!” The sheep one says cheerfully, waving. 

“Hello! We were just hoping to ask you a few questions, if that’s alright.” Grian says with a toothy grin. The ghost one scoffs, looking them up and down. “Who are you?” The siblings reach into their pockets in sync and pull out a pair of badges, showing them off. “We’re detectives, and we’re investigating the events that happened just a few minutes ago.”

“Is this an interrogation?” The one dressed as a king asks, raising his hand. Grian has to crane his neck to look at his face. “Um...not really? You haven’t done anything wrong, I hope , it’s more like…..a Q&A?”

The ghost also raises his hand. “Can we ask questions?”

“Depends.” False says curtly.

“Depends on what?” The sheep one asks.

“If it’s a good question.”

“Does ‘If you’re detectives, why are you dressed like that?'’ count as a good question?”

“No, it’s Halloween. Next question.”

The king robed one speaks up again. “Are we gonna be brought into a police station?”

“We’re not cops, besides we just intended on staying here.”

The ghost points at Grian. “Why is he so short?”

False bursts out laughing, while Grian looks so offended. “That’s a good question!” False says with a big smile. Grian’s ears are turning red. “No it’s not! I’m not short! I’m literally taller than him!” He says in exasperation, pointing at the sheep dressed boy. “Tubbo doesn’t count. Besides, you’re literally wearing heels.” The one dressed as a king points out. Grian squawks, looking at False for help. “Don’t look at me!”

“What’re your guys names?”

“Well I’m Tubbo, that one there’s Tommy and that’s Ranboo!” Tubbo says, pointing at each of them biting back a smile. 

“Tommy? You’re on my shit list.” Grian deadpans.

“Hey! What’re your names anyways?”

“I’m False, and this is my horrible little brother Grian.” False asks, patting him on the head lightly. Grian scowls and crosses his arms. “Little sure is right.” Tommy snorts. Grian mentally tells himself he can’t fight this random teenager. “We’re getting off topic!” He says, flustered. “The explosion! The spell! That’s why we’re here!”

“Right! Back to the main point at hand!” False says, clapping her hands together. “Did you guys manage to notice or experience anything...just, out of the ordinary?” The three of them exchange a glance and shrug. “I died for a little bit. Got turned into a ghost.” Tommy says quietly. Ranboo nods along. “Yeah, it was when that magic blast hit. I know a little bit myself, but it was...weird. I think you know that though.”

“We were walking around when it happened, we’d just left the town hall area around that time. Ranboo didn’t feel anything, but when Tommy started going transparent and I started feeling really bad head pains we started to worry.”

“The magic borders around town broke, right? I felt it when it happened. Kinda like a rubber band breaking, but in the atmosphere.” Ranboo adds softly. 

False pulls out a notepad and starts writing stuff down. “Yeah, they went down right before the spell hit. It hit the whole town.” 

“ The whole town? ” The three of them whisper in unison. False nods. “Yep. He tried biting me.” Grian hums and gives an awkward thumbs up. He thinks quietly for a moment before saying anything. “Catch anyone shady walking around? Like…generally looking suspicious?”

Tommy looks over at his friends and shrugs. “Not that we can remember? At least I think.”

“Did you see Hypno at all?” False asks, tapping her pen against her notepad. The trio huddle up and whisper to each other. “ WhichonesHypnoagain? ”

“About this tall, dressed vaguely magician adjacent, last seen with weird glowing yellow eyes?”

“ Ohhhhh! No wait yeah, we did see him! He was following after these weird dudes!” Tubbo says excitedly, bouncing on his heels. False and Grian both perk up. “Weird dudes? Do you remember what they looked like?”

They shake their head no.

“Did you catch the number of dudes?”

“...No. We can’t remember.”

Grian sighs, combing his hand through his hair. “That seems to be par for the course. That was…more helpful than I thought it’d be, actually. Do we have any more questions?” He asks as he turns towards False. False clicks her pen and puts it away. “Not that I can think of? We’re really grasping at straws trying to investigate here.”

“If you’re done with questions, can we go back to insulting Grain?” Tommy says slyly. Grian squawks. “ No! That’s not even my name!” False hides her mouth behind her hand, trying not to laugh. 

“Why can’t you insult False? Why is she excluded from this?”

“Cause she’s cool.”

“Yeah Grian, I’m cool.” False says with a smirk. 

He lets out a defeated sigh. “This universe is stacked against me.”

“We can’t stay here and insult the detectives, guys.” Ranboo says with a laugh. 

“Why not!”

Ranboo waves his phone around and points at a car parked across the street. “Cause Wilbur’s here to pick us up.” Tommy’s eyes go wide. “Oh, shit. We gotta go.”

False snorts. “Well, thank you for the help. Enjoy the rest of your night, boys.” The three of them wave as they run off, leaving False and Grian standing there. “Nice kids. Can’t believe you let yourself get insulted by a teenager, though.”

“I didn’t let it happen! It just did! ”

She rolls her eyes and laughs. “Right, right. Well, valuable information was obtained. We can discuss it later when we regroup with everyone.” Grian sighs and trails after her as they ask a few more people before meeting up with their friends again. Iskall and Stress pretty much learned the same thing they did, with Hypno following after these strange figures no one seems to be able to place. Ren and Mumbo managed to find Jevin and ask him about Hypno, and even he said he’d been acting all weird and skittish the past few days. 

False writes everything down. “Well, we can’t thank you guys enough for the help. I think the two of us can handle the rest from here but,” She shuts her notepad shut in one hand, “How about we enjoy the rest of our Halloween?”

“Hell yeah!”

Everyone in town seems to be slowly recovering from that hiccup, but it doesn’t seem to dampen the mood too bad. Halloween is still in full swing, and they run around causing their own problems. They end their night at Iskall’s place, deciding to watch some movies and even playing some Uno, impromptu game night, and it’s absolute chaos.

They’re all super tired, so they’re just yelling nonsense at each other and laughing at every small thing. False has a video of Grian yelling “ MAN I FOING TO KILL U SO BAD SUCK UE BLOOD NOSFERATO!” at Ren while he flips him off when he makes him draw cards. Stress is cry-laughing in the background, clutching her splitting sides. There’s a few Twilight insults thrown about, Grian and Ren get very offended when Iskall calls them Edward and Jacob, and about a thousand more inside jokes spawn from that night. 

Grian ends up passing out, curled up on the couch next to Stress and Mumbo. False kindly carries him home, and he struggles to take off all of his makeup half awake. “False?” Grian groans, smudging away all of the fake blood on his mouth.

“Mhm?”

“I lost the teeth.”

“You lost the teeth?”

“....They’re not in my mouth anymore.”

False sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Well, wherever they are now that’s their problem. I’m not even gonna begin to understand how that happened. You just hurry and finish up and get yourself to bed.” He hums and nods, quickly wiping the rest off and shuffling to his room. His face is a bit stained, but that’s a problem for future him to worry about. His feet hurt , and all of his muscles are starting to feel like jelly. He flops face first onto his bed, and falls asleep the moment his head hits the pillow.

It’s a few days after Halloween when Grian starts dreaming. They’re not nice dreams of course, they’re nightmares. They’re similar to the one he had on the ride back from the beach, ones that grip his heart with such fear and anxiety it shakes him to his very core. He sees flashes of things, hears familiar sounding screams, and he can’t help but notice how cold he feels. 

He’s thrown into another nightmare, and he sees a familiar sight in town. He feels cold again, and he feels something sticky on his hands. He looks down, and he sees the unmistakable sight of blood. He screams, jumping back in terror. He sees a body a few feet away. He can’t tell who it is, but it’s definitely someone familiar.

Someone close.

He catches sight of a wispy, shadowy figure in the distance. It starts looming towards him, and he’s seized by fear. He turns in his heel and starts running , sprinting through the dreamy, blurry streets of the town. He doesn’t know where he’s going, just away from where the danger is. He feels like a coward, but he doesn’t know what to do. 

He trips, yelping as he plants face first onto the concrete. He stands up, blood dripping down his face, feeling a presence behind him. The shadowy figure is staring him down, reaching a spindly, thin claw at him. He screams, screwing his eyes shut and bracing for the worst.

It never comes.

“ GRIAN!”

Grian feels two firm hands on his shoulders, snapping him awake. He takes deep, gulping breaths, wheezing as he realizes how much he’s trembling. His throat feels all closed up, he can’t breathe and his face is wet with tears. False sits at the edge of his bed, pure concern in her eyes. “Hey hey hey, you okay? I heard you screaming and came running.” She wipes away some of his tears, and he blinks, more falling down his face.

He takes a breath, and breaks. He wails and buries his face in her shoulder, and she immediately hugs him tightly. She whispers reassuring words to him, rubbing soothing circles into his back and holding him close until he stops crying. He stops crying when he’s all out of tears, his sobs reduced to hiccups and sniffles. He pulls away and wipes at his tears with his fist, shakily breathing as he tries calming himself. 

“Nightmare?” False whispers.

Grian nods silently.

“You wanna talk about it?”

He shakes his head. “I feel...sick.” He says hoarsely. False presses the back of her hand against his forehead and ncck. He’s practically burning to the touch. “Bathroom?”

He nods and slips out of bed, rushing to the bathroom where he promptly heaves into the toilet. False is right behind him, patting him on the back. He shudders as he feels a weird chill down his spine, gagging and forcing his stomach back down. “Fuck.” He groans, massaging his temples.

False helps him up after they clean up, Grian tiredly cleaning his face. “Hey, come with me. I have an idea.” She says quietly, holding her hand out for him. He reluctantly takes it and follows, as she leads him to the kitchen. Grian sits on the floor, knees pressed to his chest and back pressed to the fridge. He’s wrapped up in a thick, fluffy blanket, face just barely peeking out. He smells some of the tea False is brewing.

False crouches down and hands him his favorite mug, some nice, warm tea steaming in the cat mug. He relaxes as the steam warms his face, False sitting next to him silently. “Chamomile. I can’t do Ren’s blessing of good dreams thing, but I sure can make you a nice cup of tea. And also give hugs. I’m good at those, I think.”

Grian’s entire face softens, smiling slightly. “Thanks, I appreciate it. You do give very good hugs.” False laughs softly. “I try my best.”

They fall silent, Grian quietly sipping on his tea. He wants to say something but he’s unsure what, his brain is so exhausted and scrambled he just wants to shut down. He really hasn’t been the same since Halloween. 

“I was dead for a while.” He says finally, voice barely above a whisper. False is surprised, raising an eyebrow and pursing her lips. “That you were….what’d it feel like?”

Grian thinks for a moment. “Cold. Empty.”

“Sounds about right.”

“I tried attacking you. ‘M sorry.” He murmurs, staring off into space. False puts a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it. It wasn’t really... you . It was the effects of a spell you couldn't control, and we’re lucky it got reversed before anything really bad happened.” 

Grian sighs, gazing at his reflection in the tea. “I know, just...I was so scared, False. Whatever I tried saying or doing just...didn’t happen. Almost like the opposite. It felt so wrong . It was really painful too. I…..I don’t know. I didn’t like it.”

They fall silent as False thinks about what he said. 

“I don’t wanna die. Or again, at least not again . And I don’t want you dying either. I...care about you too much.” Grian pauses. “I think Halloween has made me even more in my feels about mortality.” 

False laughs softly. “It sure has. Don’t worry too much though, it’ll take more than some magic spell to take me down. If Death comes knocking, I’m not going down without a fight! And I’ll still keep an eye out for you, no matter what.”

“I’m down to my second life.” Grian snorts.

“You are, aren’t you?”

“...What do you think happened to the kid who got bit by a zombie?” Grian says after a while. False snorts. “What?”’

“The kid who got bit by that zombie. You ever wonder what happened to them?”

“....Hm. Not really. Hope they’re okay though. Must’ve sucked.”

“Yeah.”

The kitchen goes quiet again as they sit together on the floor, Grian quietly finishing his tea. Columbo comes over a few minutes later and curls up in his lap, purring softly and butting his head against his knee. He’s a sweet cat, always knowing when something’s up and providing comfort. 

Grian stands up after a while, holding his mug tightly in his hands. “I think I’m gonna head back to my room. Try and sleep again, ya know.” False nods, scooping up Columbo and standing up. “You okay?” 

“I will be.”

“I mean right now, Grian.”

Grian hesitates. “I’m fine.”

“You’re absolutely positively sure?”

“....Yes.”

False touches his forehead again. “You’re still burning up. You don’t want any medicine or anything?” Grian nods, shrugging her off. “I’ll sleep it off.”

“Grian—”

“It’s fine , False. It’s probably just a fever, it’ll go away soon.”

“It’s not fever season.”

“I don’t think that’s a thing.”

“Probably is, besides, taking something would help.”

“I’ll be okay. I promise.”

False lets out a heavy sigh. “I worry about you. You’re very worrying.” 

Grian’s hard to read sometimes, he doesn’t open up about his emotions a lot, it’s a rare occurrence, and he brushes most bad things off and keeps moving. False tries to peek into his head, see any of his thoughts, but she can’t hear anything, they can only see the thoughts they share to each other. Nice to not have someone who can constantly dig around your brain and see all of your thoughts, but still. She’s a concerned older sister looking out for her idiot (but sometimes very smart) brother.

She knows there’s something deeper bothering him, but she’s not one to pry. 

“You don’t have to worry about me—”

“I’m your older sister, Grian. It’s kinda my job to worry about you.”

“....I’m going to bed. Night, False.”

She frowns, letting out a sigh. “Night, Grian. Sleep well.”

“You too.”

It’s a crisp, November day when they get back to work. Grian ended up getting sicker, and turns out it wasn’t even a fever. He got hit with some weird magic sicknesses, Ren had to get involved, they think it’s due to the ones currently behind everything, it was a whole ordeal. A lot to unpack. He’s doing good, honestly never been better, and he walks in sync with False down the street.

Their fits are coordinated, albeit accidentally, but it works with the vibe they have going on. False wears a white button up with puffy sleeves, wiping down her layered over dark blue argyle sweater vest. She hasn’t worn a skirt in a while, so she decided to spice it up and wear a dark gray tennis skirt that swooshes whenever she walks. Her black sneakers are coordinated with her black handbag, one that holds a few case files, her laptop and notepad. Grian has a similar color scheme, a white turtleneck layered under a dark blue overcoat. He has a few bits of jewelry on, ones that jingle and jangle when he moves. The cuffs on his comfy light brown pants are rolled up, and his loafers shuffle quietly against the floor.

They’re working today, but they’ve decided to get some fresh air at the same time. There’s a cafe in town with some outdoor seating and really good donuts, so they’re hoping to hit up there and get cracking. It’s a fairly empty day anyways, so there’s no worry about anyone hearing something they shouldn’t. They flip their sunglasses up in unison as they enter the cafe, looking way more dramatic than they need to. 

They choose a table outside, coffee and donuts in hand as the sun shines on them. It’s not too hot, there’s a breeze blowing that ruffles their hair and keeps everything cool. “Okay,” Grian starts as he takes a sip from his coffee, “Where do we begin?” False pulls out her notepad and a few case files, flipping through them. “Well, we’ve learned quite a bit since last time. Guess we start there.”

False hands him her notepad, and he glances over some of the notes. “Alrighty then, what have our culprits been up to?” He asks, flipping back near the beginning. False takes a small bite out of her donut. “Well, we’ve learned that it’s not just one person. However, we don’t know how many. It’s anyone’s guess I think, until we find more concrete information.” 

Grian hums, putting the notepad down. “Is that all we’ve got? Is there a connection between everyone that’s been affected? Like, Scar getting vexed, Zedaph, Impulse and Tango stealing all of those paintings, Cleo and Bdubs and the seagull, Hypno, the sickness...can we count Etho? Or the incident at Cub’s house?”

False pauses to think for a moment, crossing her arms. “Etho…maybe? He said he got bailed out by some people, safe to assume it’s the same people we’re after. Might be a reach, but it makes sense. As with Cub? That one might be a bit of a reach, but it wouldn’t surprise me.”

Grian pauses for a second. “....Cub got vexed as well.” False slowly nods. Cub didn’t get his as hard as Scar, but it was still painful. That day at the beach a few months ago was when it happened, and nobody had seen him for a few days after that. He’s okay now, luckily, but now the town has two Vex government figures to deal with. Scar and Cub have gotten more paranoid, and they’ve told Bdubs to be more careful, just in case they’ll be after him next.

“The only connection I can think of is that these are people we know .” False reasons, bouncing her leg anxiously. “Do you think they’re getting everyone around us, to later reach us? ” Grian suggests. He thinks it’s a bit ridiculous of an idea, but at this point anything goes. False snorts. “I dunno, we haven’t done anything wrong to constitute it, have we?”

Grian gives her look. “Well….”

She huffs, throwing her hands up in the air. “Okay, that was a bad question. Still, there’s gotta be some other connection between them. Some sort of end goal these people have.”

“Well, they’re all magic users. Hypno’s the strongest out of all of them I think, judging by the fact he casted a spell that hit the entire town . End goal? Bring the town down from the inside.” Grian says, waving his pen at her. “They did purposefully destroy the magic section of the bookstore. There’s probably something in those books they didn’t want anyone finding out.”

“They’d have to be powerful themselves, to...ya know, occasionally possess people, make people forget who they were, destroy the town borders, and probably other things we haven’t managed to realize yet.”

“I think they’re trying to snipe out the powerful magic users as well. Like, trying to get their hands on Cleo’s amulet with undoubtedly would let them fuck with a lot, and now dragging Hypno to their side.” Grian mumbles.

False starts writing a bunch of stuff down, a bunch of scribbles that she connects with very messy lines. “There’s also the yellow and blue thing, another constant in all of these.” She huffs and holds her head in her hands. “But that could mean so many things! Eyes, favorite color, general color scheme, who knows!”

Grian takes another sip of his coffee, swallowing hard. “So we’re looking for a group of people, who are extremely proficient in magic and know their way around town who also have some kind of yellow and blue connection. It’s somehow specific and yet not enough at the same time.” 

False makes a noise of frustration, blowing her bangs out of her face. “At this point we’re better off making a dart board with everyone in town’s names on it and throwing a dart at it and going from where it lands.” Grian laughs. “Even then, there’s bound to be some contradictions that’ll just end up pointing us further away.”

“God okay, I feel like I’ve asked this 100 times but, suspects?”

Grian doodles on the edge of False’s notebook in thought. “Potential group of people who know powerful magic…the nHo?”

“Them? Don’t think so. Doc and Beef can’t do magic, and while Bdubs and Etho are semi-involved, they can’t cast spells of that caliber and I doubt they wanna destroy the town.” 

“Mhm, fair. I’m blanking on groups of people….the only one I can currently think of is our friend group.”

False snorts. “Grian? Is there something you’d like to share?” He smiles and scrunches his face up as he smiles, shrugging. “I dunno! But...do you think Hypno would be consistently involved? Like, we’ve seen him a fair bit with the other cases, he’s powerful when it comes to magic, likes yellow? Kinda fits the description.”

False brings her coffee cup to her lips. “Mm, plausible but I don’t think so. Only reason I say that is that we remember Hypno. Another consistency between all of these is that they cannot remember who did it. I feel like if it was Hypno, we wouldn’t have seen or remembered him being there.”

“Shit, you’re right.”

“Speaking of, has anyone seen him since Halloween? Has he just gone missing at the moment?”

Grian tears a piece off of his donut. “I called Ren earlier and he said no one’s seen him. His shop’s been closed and locked up.” False blinks at him. “...Do you think we could break in and find some stuff?”

“We’re not breaking in!” He whispers harshly. False frowns. “Fine. But what does that leave us?” Grian puffs his cheeks out and sighs. “Guess we can ask his closest friends? See if he said anything to them or if they noticed anything.” False hums, flipping through her notebook and writing more stuff down. “I think we should also try and find Hypno, maybe question him and snap him out of whatever spell he’s potentially under. Hopefully he’ll remember something that can help us.”

“Yeah, but they’ll probably make him forget everything. I’m guessing that because he’s so magically proficient, he’ll either remember more than the rest or even less, and I’m leaning towards less.”

“Yeah, fair.”

They go silent as they both try and think. “I can’t help but feel like we’re missing something.” False says in frustration. 

“ False.”

She’s startled by him suddenly speaking in their heads, but he’s looking around all skittishly that it concerns her. “Hm?”  

“Do you feel that? That like, being watched feeling?”

She stops and glances around, and she does. It’s a gut feeling of eyes boring into her soul, but she looks around and she can’t see anyone.

“I do now. We should keep our voices down.”

“Good idea.”

False leans forward, dropping her voice to a whisper. “We’ll probably have to call up Ren and make another suspect list.”

“We really should stop throwing those out every time.”

“Yeah, we should just pin it to the board at this point. What else are we missing?” She says quietly. Grian shrugs, also leaning closer. “Our information is scarce. Somehow we have a lot yet not enough to go off of.”

“...Do you think we’re forgetting things because whoever’s behind everything is making us forget?” False suggests. Grian’s face goes pale. “Oh my god, that didn’t even cross my mind. On purpose, maybe. But oh my god. Upsetting but probably true.”

False purses her lips and bounces her leg. “We’re gonna have to figure out a way to bypass that. Find something out, immediately take note of it or write it down.”

“Are you two engaging in a really intense staring contest or something?” A voice says.

They look up and see Zloy and Pixl standing a few feet away, having just walked up to the cafe. They relax a little, leaning back in their chairs. “Oh, hello! Not really just discussing work….things. Yeah. What are you guys up to?” Grian asks, tilting his head to the side.

Pixl smiles softly. “Well, we’re moving today. Needed some coffee as a boost so we came here!” False frowns. “Aww, you’re moving? Will you still be in town?” He nods reassuringly. “Yep! It’s just a small place on the outskirts of town, and we’ll still be here doing news and the usual things we do.”

“That’s good! Hey, can we ask you something?”

“Go for it!”

“How much do you guys know about magic?” Grian asks them, dropping his voice a little. Zloy and Pixl exchange a glance before shrugging. “Honestly? Not a lot, if I’m being honest. Our knowledge on it is very vague and we’re not the best spellcasters ourselves.” Pixl says, a little bit disappointed. Zloy snorts. “He can’t even levitate a cup for more than 3 seconds.”

“Hey!”

“Why do you guys ask, though?”

False laughs nervously. “Case things. We’re just looking for people who know a lot about magic, that’s all.” Pixl raises an eyebrow, looking over at Zloy. “Well, we’re always here to help if we can! If we see anything, we’ll let you guys now.”

Grian grins, feeling put at ease. “Thanks, we appreciate it. Good luck with your move as well! If you need any help moving boxes, you can always ask us to help.” Zloy smiles, ruffling his hair slightly. “We’ll keep it in mind, thanks you two.”

“See ya around!” Pixl waves, and they disappear into the coffee shop. “Nice dudes.” False says quietly. Grian nods in agreement. “Nice dudes. What do we do now, though?” False huffs, slipping her notepad back into her bag. “I’m not sure. We have to come up with a plan, though. And hope we don’t start forgetting things. I think we should also start asking people where they were when these things happened, narrow down the suspect list even more.

“Guess this means we have some more cracking down to do?”

“Yep. Grab your food and come on, I wanna go find Ren.”

They quickly clean up their table and head off into town, hunting down their doggy friend. After a brief phone call, one that involved a riddle, Ren messing with them and some vague directions, they meet up with Ren at their office and start getting to work, removing some stuff from their board while adding some more stuff they’ve learned. 

“God, your handwriting is so bad.” Grian whispers over False’s shoulder as she writes some names down. She glares at him and pokes him in the cheek with her pen. “I’m writing fast! Besides, yours isn’t any better!” Grian gasps offendely. “Nuh uh! At least mine is legible!”

“On a good day it is!”

“Not true!”

“Both of yours are illegible.” Ren butts in, not looking up from his laptop. He smiles as they start to bicker, finding any way to start an argument over the littlest things. “Hey, at least your handwriting isn’t as bad as Iskall’s. Pure chicken scratch right there.” 

“I’m gonna tell Iskall you’re slandering his name while he isn’t here.”

“Noooo!”

They burst into laughter, before Ren reminds them to focus and get back to work. They’re compiling a bunch of names and other information to help, they plan on doing some proper investigation later in the week, they’re just mapping out a plan before they do anything.

It’s getting late, and Ren sighs as he shuts his own laptop. “Alright, gonna make an executive decision and say this is our stopping point for tonight.” He glances over at Grian dozing off, snapping right next to his ear and startling him awake. “Huh? Wha?” He mumbles blearily, rubbing his eyes with his fist. False sighs and runs a hand through her hair. “Probably a good idea. We can always continue in the morning.”

Life was starting to get too good for them. 

They’re up late one night in their apartment for no particular reason, not past midnight late but time was still creeping there, simply doing their own thing and enjoying each other’s company. They’ve gone head first into their work this past week, and sometimes they need a few moments to wind down and chill out. 

Grian lays on the couch, watching some movie on his phone. False is off doing...False things, he doesn’t really know where she is right now, just knows he can feel her presence in the apartment. He’s spacing out a lot, having to go back and rewind to see what he missed. He’s seen this movie so many times, but he doesn’t like missing parts anyways. 

Columbo pads up to him, jumping on his stomach and smushing his face against his. Grian yelps, giggling as he picks him up. “Well, hello baby! Stinky little boy!” He pauses his movie as he pets him on the head, the cat purring softly. Columbo meows at him, kneading his paws on his sweater. “What? What is it?” Grian says, voice high pitched as he does the special voice he always does with him. Columbo bites at him, and he laughs as he moves his face away. “Hey! Rude!”

Columbo’s a very friendly cat, always walking up to people and asking for attention. He likes climbing all over things, mostly them , but it’s still endearing. He meows loudly again, pressing his cold nose against Grian’s face. “What! I don’t speak cat, bub. Ren probably does, but I’m not him!” He laughs, waving him around in the air. He waves his arms around, making it look like he’s dancing. Columbo slinks out of his grasp and rests against his chest, purring warmly. “Alright, someone just wanted attention. You wanna watch a movie with me?”

He gently strokes Columbo’s back as he unpauses his movie, resting his head against him. False comes out from the bathroom, she looks like she’d just been crying, but she just takes a deep breath and acts like it’s nothing. “Hey, uh, what’re you up to?” She asks quietly. Grian’s face softens in concern. “Watching Fantastic Mr. Fox. You okay?” Columbo looks up and walks over to her, sitting at her feet. 

“You’re watching it again?” She laughs softly. 

“The question, False.” 

She shakily sighs, rubbing the back of her neck. “I’m okay. Hey, do you wanna go take a walk or something? I need to go do something before I decide to impulsively cut my hair and give myself a mullet and then I’ll regret it in the morning.” Grian smiles, pocketing his phone and picking up Columbo. “Yeah, I could use some fresh air. Let me just get my shoes.”

False smiles as he runs off into his room, crouching down to Columbo’s level. “Bring a hoodie as well! It’s cold!” She yells after him, scratching under Columbo’s chin. He tilts his head and mewls at her, pawing at her arm. “Don’t you worry about me, kitty. I’ll be fine.” He bites at her finger, and she yelps and pulls her hand back. “Hey! Rude!” 

She slides on her shoes as Grian comes from his room, pulling on a red hoodie. “Alright, I’m ready. And you?” He asks as he shuffles over. She shrugs. “I’m all good.” She picks up Columbo and sets him on the couch. “We’ll be back shortly, okay? Don’t destroy the apartment while we’re gone.” She says jokingly, booping his nose lightly. Grian presses a tiny little kiss to his forehead. “Later, bub!”

They didn’t know they wouldn’t be returning home for a while. 

They lock the door as they slip out, running down the staircase. Grian decides to slide down the railing, and he falls off and lands on back. False bursts out laughing and helps him to his feet as he awkwardly brushes himself off. “Not a word.” He grumbles, cheeks pink in embarrassment. False rolls her eyes and pats him on the back. “No promises.”

It’s a calm night in town, leaves crunching under their feet as they walk down the sidewalk. There’s a light breeze blowing through the air that ruffles their hair, chilling them and making them shiver just a little. The moon is full, bright and next to the twinkling stars of the dark, twilight sky. There’s faint shades of purple and blue in the sky, making everything feel even more dream-like. 

A lot of the stores in town are closed, the diner’s open of course, Xisuma waves at them through the window, but the streets are relatively empty and dark. They’re illuminated by street lamps, shadows dancing about as the lights flicker. There’s something both eerie and magical about the town at night, when there’s no one around and just the two of them wandering around. 

“Honestly, I don’t think you’d look too bad with a mullet.” Grian says after a while. False snorts, raising an eyebrow. “Really? I dunno, I might. I haven’t cut my hair since high school.” She had it short back then, a little bit longer than her chin, but she hasn’t cut it (except for trimming the edges) since. “Wouldn’t hurt to try it, I think. Short’s not that bad on you.”

“Why thank you! I’d have to chop off so much though, I’ll probably have to think about it a lot.” She gets an idea and laughs. “Concept, I cut my hair and you let yours grow out for a little while.” Grian giggles softly. “Not a bad idea. I kinda wanna dye my hair again too!”

“Oh yeah? What color are you thinking?”

“Hmm...I’m not sure! I kinda miss the pastel rainbow I had a year ago, but I think red streaks would be fun as well.”

“Okay, tell you what. When we finish this case, figure everything out, and then we can cut my hair and dye yours together.” False suggests, kicking a rock along. “Deal! That’ll probably be in like, years , though, judging by how this case is going.” Grian groans, spinning around a lamp post like Mary Poppins. 

“Hey, I have a feeling we’re getting closer! I feel like we’ll solve it soon, maybe in the coming months. It’s a gut feeling! Besides, if we’re getting impatient I don’t doubt you’ll just walk out of the apartment and come back 20 minutes later with a box of hair dye before locking yourself in the bathroom for half an hour before coming back out with new hair.”

Grian coos and puts a hand over his heart. “You know me so well! Your gut feelings are never wrong either, I suppose.” False grins proudly. “And neither are yours! See, we’re very smart. We’ll solve everything soon enough.” Grian side eyes her and scoffs. “You say that, but we literally struggle with push and pull doors.” 

“That doesn’t count, doors are hard.”

That garners a laugh from him. “Yeah, they are. Thank god no place in town has those revolving doors, I’d get stuck in those all the time as a kid.” False smiles as she remembers little 4 year old Grian, struggling to escape one of those. “You cried! I had to go in there and pull you out myself.”

Grian lightly shoves her shoulder. “I was scared! I got scared a lot! And very easily!” She laughs cheerfully as she jabs him back. “And that somehow didn’t stop you from going into the woods in the middle of the night!”

“Well, I was young, ambitious, and had an idea! Besides, you wanna know how I did so well during that?”

False tilts her head to the side. “How?”

“Because I had you and Ren by my side.”

False thinks back to that one night, just a little over a decade ago. It was a school night, she remembers it so clearly, they were just barely preteens. Grian had shaken her awake, and when she had finally blinked the bleariness out of her eyes and hissed out a “ What?” , she saw Grian standing right over her, one flashlight in hand and another illuminating his face.

After he had managed to convince her to sneak out with him, they ran over to the other side of the street where Ren’s house was. They threw rocks and pinecones at his window until he finally answered, poking his head out very grumpily. When they snuck Ren out, the three of them had wandered out into the woods, looking for….adventure. Or something, their goal wasn’t very clear. Just itching to do something, she supposses.

Grian had shaken in fear but he still held his head up high and led the way. Was it extremely dangerous? Maybe. Yes, absolutely. There was probably tons of unseen danger in that forest waiting to feast on young kids, but they made it out alive with barely any scratches. At some point their dad had woken up in the middle of the night and poked his head into their rooms and saw they were both missing, freaked out, and shortly after a mini search party was started for the three missing kids.

That’s another moment she remembers vividly, when their parents found them. Ren had slidden down the tree they had just climbed, wiping dirt off of his knees. False gagged as she could feel mud seeping through her shoes and onto her toes. An owl hooted up high on a branch, echoing through the trees. They all giggled with each other as they kept walking down the path, or something that can barely even be considered a path.

“Wait, stop.” Ren had said, holding his hand out towards the both of them. “What? What is it?” Grian whispered, starting to hide behind him. Ren’d ears swivelled around as he listened at the sudden noise he had heard. They then heard it. The faint sound of their parents calling their names, and the distant glow of flashlights. “We’re in soooo much troubleeee.” False mumbled.

And she was extremely right. Their parents were a mix of relieved and fuming, scolding them for sneaking out and doing something so dangerous. They were even more surprised when they found out Grian was the one who suggested the whole thing, and they got grounded for a week. Ren was lucky enough that his parents didn’t ground him, so he snuck them out a few times and stood outside their window to talk to them. False holds that memory so fondly. What’s it called, core memories? She likes to think that’s one of hers.

“Really now?” She asks in amusement, snapping herself back to the present. “Guess it makes sense. Still, pretty brave of you to do that. Never would’ve guessed you’d be the one to ask to do that kind of thing.” He shrugs and grins. “I was feeling adventurous! I was absolutely terrified, though. I wouldn’t have done it alone.” False laughs, putting an arm around his shoulder. “What would you do without me and Ren?”

Grian snorts, smacking his palm against her forehead. “I’ve probably said it so many times but, honestly? Probably be dead. I’m only half joking with that.” False smiles, removing her arm and casually slipping her hands into her jacket pockets. “Me too. You and Ren have got me through a lot, I don’t know what I’d do without you guys.” She sniffles, wiping her nose. “God, it’s too late to be getting sentimental.”

“Awww, are you getting emotional?”

“No! Shut up!” She stutters, shoving him slightly. He laughs, holding his arms out. “C’mooon! Give me a hug!” False chuckles as she reluctantly accepts the hug, surprising Grian by slinging him over her shoulder. “Hey! Don’t turn the tables on me!” 

“I think I will! Just for fun.”

She puts him down and they walk around town more, exploring the dark empty streets in the night. They see a couple wild animals, some birds crossing the street and deer wandering around where the town and woods meet. Grian thinks there’s something magical about the stray cat that walks up to them, meowing softly and purring as they pet it. 

“Hey, you wanna go to the park for a little bit? Chill at the playground for a while before going home?” False asks, pointing off towards the familiar park in the distance. Grian thinks about it for a moment and shrugs. “Yeah, sounds fun. Let’s go! I’ll race you there!”

False gasps as he giggles and takes off, already having a head start. “Hey! No fair!” She smiles and speeds after him, trying not to trip on her own shoes. She activates her magic and uses some ice to slide even faster, gaining the lead. “What?! That’s cheating!” Grian yells after her, struggling to think of his own way to speed up.

False laughs as she touches the big slide. “Can’t be cheating if we didn’t establish any rules.” Grian rolls his eyes and huffs. “I guess so. Whatever.” 

The park is essentially the same from since they were younger, just been cleaned up and touched up a few times over the years. There’s still the spot where Ren scratched a smiley face into the equipment when they were toddlers. “Man, is tonight nostalgia night or something?” False asks as she runs her hand over it. 

“It is Thursday.” Grian snorts. He walks over to the monkey bars, squinting and staring them up and down. “Man, I used to love these. Do you think I still got it?” False joins him, looking up at them and back down at him. “Wouldn’t hurt to try. I think you’ve got it.”

Grian climbs the rungs of the ladder, having to crouch a bit to not hit his head. This was definitely scarier when he was younger. He puts a hand on one of the bars, his other hand quickly joining and he moves his feet so they’re no longer supported on something. His feet hover over the mulch covered ground, he’s definitely taller than last time he did this. He swings through a few more before pausing. “Wait. Idea.” He swings his legs forward and hooks a foot through one of the bars, eventually doing the same with the other. He releases his hands and hangs upside down.

“Hey, I did it!” He says with a grin. False snorts. “I think it’d be funny if that bar broke and you fell down.” Grian blinks and quickly goes rightside up again. “Not chancing that!” False laughs as he makes it all the way to the other side. He looks up at the top of the bars, and starts climbing. He worms his way up, sitting on the top of the bars and dangling his legs over the edge.

“Didn’t know I could still do it!” He hums cheerfully, swinging his legs. False looks up at him and scoffs. “I’m not joining you up there.” She says, crossing her arms. “Why? Scared?” Grian snickers. She rolls her eyes and bites back a smile. “No, you just need someone to catch you when you come down.”

“Just like old times?”

“Just like old times.”

Grian takes a deep breath, inhaling the cool, fresh air of the night. “I’ll stay here for a little bit. I like the view up here, and I get to be tall.” False chuckles softly, leaning up against the ladder of the monkey bars and looking up at the sky. “I’ll leave you to it then.”

Grian gazes at the stars, taking in all of the twinkling, far away lights. He feels so small, in the scheme of it all, but so big at the same time. He smiles fondly as a breeze blows through his hair, and he lets out a deep sigh. There’s so much to be sentimental about in the world, and he finds the sky is definitely one of them. He kind of wants to pluck a star from the sky and keep it for himself, but he knows he can’t.

“....Can you help me down please?” He murmurs finally after a while. False grins and holds her arms out, slowly helping him down from the top of the bars. “Still as light as a feather, I see.” She jokes. 

“Nah, I think you’re just buff.”

“That I am!”

They move towards the swings, sitting together as they weakly swing back and forth. “You sure you’re okay False? I mean, I know you worry about me, but I think I’m allowed to worry about you too.” Grian says softly, kicking some mulch up off the ground. He thinks about how he saw her crying as she came out of the bathroom. The two are very similar in the sense neither of them like talking about emotions much, both have a tendency to bottle things up, but False is much quieter about it.

Whenever she cries it’s silent, no hiccups or sobs, just occasional sniffles as tears roll down her face. She’s strong, or at least tries to be, for him and for everyone else. Doesn’t stop him from being concerned for her though. She always tells him it’s bad to keep things inside and it’s okay to let it out sometimes, but she never follows her own advice. False doesn’t like showing anything that can be perceived as weak. She holds her title of older sister proudly, holding her head up high and watching out for others before herself. They’re lucky for Ren, who doesn’t let her get away with it often.

She takes in a shaky breath as she clutches the chain of the swing. “Yeah, it’s just...I don’t know. I stared at myself in that bathroom mirror for a while and I just got hit with a sudden wave of emotions and next thing I knew I was crying and 5 seconds away from grabbing a pair of hair cutting scissors and chopping half of my hair off.” She puffs her cheeks out and exhales slowly. “I think it’s stress or something, I don’t know. Been barely holding it in these past few days. I’ve been optimistic so crushing reality doesn’t hit me like a truck everyday.”

Grian frowns, digging his feet into the ground to stop himself from swinging. “False, if you needed a break you could’ve said so sooner!” She makes a noise of discomfort, twisting the swing away. “I know! I know, I tell you all the time to look after yourself and here I am, not doing that.”

“Don’t think I don’t know when you stay up after I go to bed researching case things!” Grian says, holding his head up high grumpily. False’s eyes go wide, blinking at him. “H...How’d you know that?” Grian smiles and taps his head. “You let your thoughts slip through sometimes. You probably don’t mean to, but I hear things sometimes. Even then, my gut feelings are always right!” 

False sighs, tilting her head down and staring at her feet. She should’ve known they can’t exactly keep secrets from each other, not just the fact they’re really horrible liars, but the other’s bound to find something out eventually. They’re too smart and know each other too well for that. “Guess you’re right. I think I gotta start keeping better track of my thoughts, then.” Grian laughs, leaning back in his swing. “Noooo it’s funny! I think it’s amusing!”

“What’s the worst thing you’ve heard?” She asks nervously. 

“I can start listing things—”

“Not a list! ”

Grian laughs again, except it’s more like a cackle as False’s patience starts running thin. “I can’t believe Ren says I’m the no thoughts head empty one when he hasn’t heard half of the shit to come from your head.” False takes her shoe off and smacks him with it. “Hey!” Grian snickers as he hides his mouth behind his hand. “I didn’t know you thought about pangolins that much.”

False blushes, shoulders slumping slightly. “They look so polite! Have you even seen them?! When they hold their little front claws together they look so nervous and how they wanna ask you a question but also don’t wanna bother you!” False goes on an unexpected pangolin rant, and Grian just sits back and watches in amusement. “I wanna hold one so bad and—I’m surprised you haven’t stopped me yet.”

“No no, keep going. This is entertaining.”

She scoffs and rolls her eyes, picking up a handful of mulch and throwing it at him. “Ouch!” He scoops up a handful himself and retaliates by throwing them back, squealing as False throws some more back. They burst into giggles as they treat it like a snowball fight, except it’s essentially wood chips instead of snow. 

They fall silent again, brains starting to go down memory lane. “You know what I miss about school?” False asks softly. Grian pauses and thinks for a moment. “What? Demise?” Demise was a game the seniors always did, involving nerf guns and teams and complex rules of when you could shoot other players, extremely fun but also stressful. Their friend group all tried their best, but they got sniped down one by one. Save for Iskall, who actually managed to win the whole thing.

False laughs quietly, shaking her head. “No, but Demise was fun anyways. I miss all the chances I had to embarass you when you were doing choir and theater things.” Grian was both a choir kid and theater kid, yes he was an absolute nightmare, but it meant he had a lot of rehearsals, specifically ones False could crash and tease him in front of his friends at. She remembers one day during their senior year, Grian had after school rehearsals for the Spring Musical, he forgot his lunch, and False brought it upon herself to bring it to him.

She had taken the opportunity to embarrass him the moment she walked in the door. There was a group of starry eyed freshmen who had been following Grian around, looking up to him for being one of the best people in the program. False huddled up with them and managed to spill as many embarrassing childhood stories as she could in a span of mine minutes before Grian started pushing her out the door and going “OKAY THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD APPRECIATE IT PLEASE LEAVE NOW HAHA.”

“You were a menace.” Grian says as False laughs. “It was fun! Besides, don’t act like you didn’t do the same to me too!” Grian was very guilty of it as well, doing the exact same thing False did except he did it at her sports practices instead of show rehearsals. “Okay well yeah but—”

“No buts! You’re not 100% innocent yourself!”

“Because you tested me!”

“Not my fault you’re easily provoked! I do miss it a bit though. Saying ‘fuck you’ to your face doesn’t hit the same.”

Grian lets out a sigh. “It really doesn’t. There’s not a lot of opportunities for us to do stuff like that! Mostly because we work together and have the same job.” False snorts, swinging herself forward. “That’ll do it. We had a lot of fun in school though, didn’t we?”

Grian thinks back fondly on so many memories he has from those times. “We sure did. Also kinda sucked though.”

“Oh, terrible.”

“Horrible.”

They look at each other and laugh, they know they’re being dramatic, sure it had its ups and downs but they can safely say their highschool experience was pretty alright. Their friendships got even closer, there’s some inside jokes from back then that they still reference to this day, and their memories are treasured warmly.

“Ya know, I don’t think anyone expected us to become detectives.” Grian mumbles. False shakes her head. “Nope. It certainly was an interesting choice.” Grian looks over at her and smiles, holding his hand out for a high five. “I’m kinda glad we did it though, it worked out well for us.” False high fives him, clasping their hands together. “I think so, too.”

Normally, that’s where the story ends.

On a good day in a good world, they would simply head home, back to bed, and move on with their lives. Except that no matter how much good is in the world, all of the love and smiles and pretty sunsets, nothing can stop the bad crawling out from the shadows and crushing the good in it’s cold, unforgiving claw.

They had stayed at the playground for just a bit longer, lying in the grass and staring at the sky, talking about whatever came to mind. False had gotten the feeling it would rain soon, so they quickly stood up and started making their way back home.

“You know, I’ve started thinking more about my own mortality.” She says as they start walking home. Grian raises an eyebrow. “Really? Is it my fault?” She chuckles, shaking her head. “A little bit, honestly. Halloween kinda fucked me up. I thought about you dying a lot, and how precious of a thing life is, ya know?” Grian nods slowly in understanding. “Like, every little thing we do is so impactful and we bring so much life and love into the world, and then one day we drop dead. Just like that. Crazy, right?”

“It’s such a weird thing to think about, isn’t it? It makes you start wondering about yourself and everything around you and what’ll happen after you and all that jazz. It’s kinda existential.”

False nods, pressing her tongue to the inside of her cheek. “Absolutely. I should stop thinking about this before I feel like laying on the floor and never getting up again. I shouldn't have been given a brain, oh god.” Grian laughs. There’s an owl that hoots in the distance. “If you didn’t have a brain I would’ve died to several cars over the years.”

“True! You gotta start looking where you’re going.”

“No promises!”

They come up across a giant grassy field, where the bandshell is at the far corner. The area’s mostly used for big community events and small performances, but it’s also great for picnics and hanging out with your friends. 

Grian gets a weird sense of deja vu. He’s been here before. This is just like the nightmare he had. He instinctively reaches for False’s hand as they start walking past the area. He feels a temperature drop, one that sends goosebumps breaking out over his arms and fear into his heart.

“False? I don’t feel good about this.”

Judging by how she uncomfortably shifts and looks around, he can tell she feels the same. “Me neither. Let’s hurry up and head home before anything bad happens.”

They start speed walking, when out of the corner of his eye he catches movement. There’s a bird that flies by their heads, except it slows down and stops mid air. That’s definitely not right. Grian shakily gulps, his throat going dry.

“False. False look.” He says as he points it out. False looks at it in shock, walking around in circles trying to find whoever’s behind this. She freezes when she sees him. Grian follows her gaze and does the same thing when he notices.

On the stage, under the bandshell, is Hypno, swinging a stopwatch back and forth.

They recognize the stop watch.

“It’s like Tango’s from all those months ago.” False whispers, clutching his hand tightly. Grian silently shuffles behind her and pokes his head out from behind her shoulder. “The same one or a completely different one?” He whispers. False’s protective instincts are currently through the roof. She inhales a big, deep breath. “I don’t know. And I’m almost scared to find out.”

Hypno catches the stopwatch and hops off the stage, pocketing it as he starts walking towards them. He stops in the middle of the field, arms crossed behind his back. There’s something off about him, and it’s increasingly obvious the more they look at him. His eyes glow a faint, hypnotic yellow and his movements are jarring, almost like a wooden puppet on strings. 

“Possession?” Grian asks quietly.

False shakes her head. “Possible. Betting on hypnosis, though.”

“Ironic.”

False tries to see if there’s anyone else there at the field and the bandshell, maybe hiding in the trees or something, but she can’t seem to make anyone out. Maybe it’s for the best. “Hello, detectives.” Hypno says. It sounds so weird , like there’s three Hypno’s talking at the same time. He smiles, but it’s not the kind and welcoming one they’re used to. It’s almost malicious, the way he grins at them like that. 

False steps forward, she doesn’t know why, in fact she wants to run away, but she steps onto the field and Grian reluctantly follows. “What do you want?” She asks bluntly. She can feel Grian start trembling. Hypno laughs, tossing his head back. It’s an unsettling laugh, one that echoes throughout the field and off the nearby buildings in town. “What do I want? Nothing much, really. My boss just told me to come over and give you some hell. Slow you down for a little while.”

“Oh yeah? Don’t you mean bosses? Who are your bosses?” False asks him loudly. 

Hypno laughs again. “Well, that’s classified information, now, isn’t it?”

“We’ll pry it out of you somehow!” Grian yells before turning to False. “Are we supposed to fight him?”

“I think so? I’m not sure.”

“I don’t like our odds.”

“We’ll be fine, we outnumber him 2 to 1.”

“Not that good of odds. Besides, it’s Hypno. ”

Grian steps out from behind False’s back and looks up at her with worry. “I’m scared, False.” She gives him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, smiling down at him. “Don’t worry. I believe in us. And if anything happens, I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

Their little moment is cut short by a blast being thrown their way.

“SCATTER!”

They both barely manage to jump out of the way, the magic blast hitting a tree and incinerating it. “ Plan?” Grian shouts mentally. False scrambles to her feet and makes some ice spears in her hands. “Get the stopwatch and destroy it! It should make time go back to normal!”

“Got it!”

False swings with her spears, Hypno blocking with his forearms. Grian takes the opportunity to run up behind him, forming a glowy explosive ball in his hands and kicking it at his back. Hypno immediately turns around, managing to knock False off her feet while hitting it back at Grian. He barely has a moment to react before it hits him right in the stomach and explodes in his face.

It stings just a little bit, but he gets up and keeps going. Grian’s magic makes things that don’t last very long, so he specializes in explosives and things of the sort, but he decides to make a sword and throw it at Hypno. It...doesn’t work, instead it bounces off of him rather comedically, but False swoops in and catches it, slashing at Hypno’s leg, just in time as the sword starts disintegrating. 

Hypno winces as blood starts running down his leg. He grabs his leg and it slowly starts healing, the wound closing up as he stands back up straight. “Oh, fuck .” Grian whispers in fear. “Still confident in our odds?” He asks False. She hesitates and gulps. “Not really, no.”

Hypno raises his hand up and a long, glowing staff appears in his hands. “Let’s make it interesting, shall we?” He grins, spinning it around and leaping towards Grian. Grian ducks and rolls away, breaking into a sprint. False shoots a spear at Hypno, lodging into his side as Grian runs over and joins her. Hypno stares at the spear, not before pulling it out and tossing it to the side. 

False and Grian are already out of breath, pausing to take some deep gulps of air. “We haven’t done this in a while.” Grian chuckles. False laughs tiredly. “Yeah, at least now we have magic on our side.”

Grian forms an axe and grips the handle. “How do we get to the watch?” False stops her foot, sending ice across the floor in an attempt to freeze him in place, but Hypno jumps out of the way just in time. “Either we tackle him and snatch it out of his pocket or we hope he brings it out himself and we can take it from there.” Grian twirls the axe in his hand. “I like the sound of the first one!”

Grian runs forward and throws his axe, expecting it to hit him right in the chest, but instead Hypno catches it easily. Grian curses loudly, screeching to a halt and hesitating. Hypno tosses the axe to one side, looking down at him with a sly grin. “How about we even the playing field?” 

False barely has any time to react as Hypno brings his staff up and hits Grian right in the chest with a bright, yellow blast. She screams as he’s thrown to the ground, reaching out towards him. Grian groans and slowly starts to stand up. He shakily stands upright, slowly turning around to look at False. 

False feels her heart drop.

Grian’s eyes glow yellow, the same shade of yellow as Hypno’s.

Oh no. Oh no no no no this can’t be happening—

“Ever fought your family, False?” Hypno asks, tilting his head to the side. False clenches her fists. She’s trying not to be blinded by rage. “You absolute bastard. ” She says lowly, charging at him with a yell. She makes an ice sword and swings right at Hypno, backing him up towards the stage. She senses Grian coming up behind her and ducks, his sword missing a swing at her head. She conjures up another sword, she’s fine with dual wielding, however she is not fine with having to fight her little brother.

She holds off Hypno as she turns her attention towards Grian. “GRIAN! COME ON, SNAP OUT OF IT!” She yells at him, blocking a knife he throws at her. Her words don’t hit him as he makes another axe in his hands. She thinks as she quickly disarms him again, the axe disintegrating into shiny pink specks of dust. A realization hits her. Thinking. Thoughts...they share those.

“GRIAN!”

He hesitates, pursing his lips. It might be working. She grabs him by the arm and makes a shield to protect the two of them from any Hypno attacks. “GRIAN, I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE. COME ON, I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU’RE STRONG AND YOU KNOW IT!”

On the other side, Grian walks through a mansion. It’s all weird and blobby, like a dream where he’s moving underwater. He stands in a long corridor, where fancy paintings line the walls and there's small bits of furniture strewn about. How did he end up here?

He walks forward, and his movements are all slow and sluggish. Did Hypno send him here or something? Is he even awake right now? He goes to pick up a vase sitting on a table, but his hand passes right through it. Weird. Everything about this is weird, yet it feels….warm and cozy at the same time. He tries peeking his head into one of the rooms, but all of the doors are shut.

He feels a hand on his shoulder.

He can’t move. He’s frozen in fear. Why is he scared? Should he be scared? He feels someone lean in close to his ear. They whisper something, he can’t make it out, and the next thing he knows he’s shoved forward and his face hits the floor and then he’s in a black void.

He frowns. The mansion was nicer than this. He looks around, and it’s truly empty blackness as far as the eye can see. He walks forward, but it feels like he’s walking in place. He feels weirdly calm. Why is he so calm? What was he doing just a minute ago?

He decides to keep walking. 

He doesn’t know how long he walks until he hears something. He can’t understand it. It’s too far away and muffled. He stops walking and looks around. He hears it again. The voice sounds familiar. 

He hears it again.

“GRIAN!”

Ah, that’s why it sounds so familiar. 

Grian gasps as he’s snapped back in control of his own body, no longer under Hypno’s hypnosis mind control thing. “Oh fuck, oh my god .” He wheezes, clutching his chest. False looks so relieved, smiling and giving him a hug. “Are you okay?” She asks. Grian hugs her back.

“Not really! Did I hurt you?”

“You tried , but weren’t very successful.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, we have other things to worry about.”

She says that as her shield is rattled with another magical blast from Hypno. “Right!” Grian yells, jumping to his feet. False drops the shield and they split off, filled with a new sense of adrenaline and determination. They can do it, they can get the watch. Hypno makes himself levitate up in the air, giving him the high ground. 

Grian creates a bow and arrows and shoots at him, hitting right on target. He gets angry as he has to spend more of his magic on healing himself. False does some weird hand motion and hits him right in the side with some ice magic, making him hesitate as he starts melting it off. 

“Do the baseball thing!” She yells at Grian with a smile.

Grian grins as a baseball bat and ball appear in his hands, except the ball is a hand grenade. “Batter up!” He yells as he tosses the grenade in the air, hitting it with the bath and sending it right at Hypno. It sends him out of the sky and tumbling to the floor. “Nice shot!” False shouts as she starts to run towards where he landed. 

“Thanks! Get that watch!”

Hypno stands up quickly, sending a blast that knocks them off their feet. “This is starting to get annoying.” He says as he wipes himself off. His hands glow brightly as he’s now enraged, any slight hint of playfulness he had before gone.

“Oh. Oh no. ”

He hits False right in the stomach, and she screams in pain as she tumbles and hits the floor. Some blood splatters on the grass, but she winces as she wipes some blood from her face. “FALSE!” Grian yells, distracted as he runs towards her. 

Hypno charges up another attack, this time aiming directly at him.

False sees it happening and moves quickly, her body going before her brain.

“ NO! ”

Everything seems to move in slow motion. 

She runs and throws a shield in front of Grian, one more powerful than she expected, and a blinding pain rips through her body as she shoves him out of the way. They both hit the ground, except False doesn’t get up.

Instead, she lays unmoving. 

Grian barely processes the blast, turning his attention towards False. He screams, rushing to her side. Her eyes are closed, and he can barely see her breathing. 

Panic starts to set in.

He shakes her, tears forming in his eyes. “False? False come on, what’s wrong? Fight’s not over yet!”

“A shame, really.” Hypno says with a frown. “Now it’s down to 1v1.”

Grian clenches his fists in anger, weakly half-picking up False and dragging her to a safe spot under a tree. “You bitch .” He growls, a giant sword appearing in his hands. Hypno raises an eyebrow in amusement. “You’re fucking paying for this.”

“In your dreams.”

Grian yells and charges, fueled by adrenaline and rage. Hypno struggles to parry the sword swings, being thrusted back. Grian stands a few feet away, replacing the sword with a handful of throwing knives, aiming straight for his coat.

The knives dig through the coat and embed themselves into the ground. He’s trapped. Hypno pulls at his coat, and the pocket rips off. Grian makes one of those sticky slap hands and launches it, sticking onto the pocket and bringing it back towards himself. He picks it up and turns it upside down, the pocket watch falling right into his hand.

He drops it onto the ground, and crunches it under his foot.

Time goes back to normal, the bird keeps flying through the sky, the wind rustles the trees, and there’s a faint rumble of thunder in the distance. It starts to rain as Grian stares Hypno down.

“Time’s up.” He says dryly.

Hypno laughs, amused by the whole thing. “I guess it is.” There’s still some fight left in him, as he hits Grian with a blast. It sends him flying, blood flying from his mouth as he tumbles to the floor. 

“Until next time.” He says, and disappears into the night with a blink.

The panic fully sets in.

“False...FALSE!”

Grian runs towards where he left her, still unconscious. She’s pale, fingers just barely twitching. Her hands are starting to feel cold. Grian starts to cry, tears streaming down his face as he struggles to think of what to do. He makes an umbrella and holds it over her, so the rain doesn't hit her.

Ren. He should call Ren. He’d know what to do.

Grian can barely see through his tears as he scrambles to find his phone, struggling to unlock it and find Ren’s contact. “Pleasepickuppleasepickuppleasepickup—” He mumbles as it rings and rings and rings.

“Hello?” He hears Ren groan from the other side, clearly having just woken up.

“ Ren—”

“G? What’s wrong?”

Grian sobs as he tries his best to explain. He’s shaking so much. “Help—False, she— Fuck , and t-then Hypno—”

“Woah woah woah, I’m gonna need you to take a deep breath and slow down.”

Grian gasps as he takes a breath, wiping his eyes incessantly with his sleeve. He tells him everything, struggling to keep his composure as he tries to speak slowly.

Ren goes silent.

“I’m scared , Ren.” He cries.

“....Where are you?”

“You know that field next to the bandshell—”

“I’m on my way.”

Ren hangs up, leaving him alone once again. His head is starting to hurt from crying so hard, and millions of thoughts race through his mind. He tries casting a healing spell, hopefully it’d help just a little, but his hands are shaking too much and it fizzles out before it can take any effect.

Ren runs up to him, umbrella in hand and stern look on his face. Grian exhales in relief, standing up quickly. Ren frowns and looks between him and False. He lightly touches his cheek, healing any injuries he was too busy freaking out to notice. “Will she be okay?” Grian whispers, holding onto Ren’s arm.

Ren crouches down next to False, casting some sort of healing spell on her. It seems to work, he can see the color returning to her face. Ren looks up at him, he’s never seen him so serious in his life. Normally if one of them gets injured, he cracks a joke or lightly scold them to brighten the mood, but none of that is present. This is clearly something incredibly serious.

“I don’t know. My magic can’t do much in this situation. Looks like it’s internal damage. We’ll have to take her to the hospital.”

“Ren—”

Ren hands him his umbrella as he goes to pick up False. “Here, I’ll carry her.”

Here Grian stands, in the pouring rain, shivering and terrified with blood on his hands, clutching onto the umbrella like it’s his life line, speckles of dark red staining the pristine white peter pan collar of his sweater, sobbing as his best friend picks up the unmoving body of his sister.

They run to the hospital.

Chapter Text

Grian never liked hospitals.

They always came off so cold, nothing warm or welcoming about them. Bright lights and white walls, dead silence, everything feels so inhuman and sterile. The kid’s section is always friendlier at least, with colorful patterns painted on the walls and things like that. They’re not kids anymore, though.

Grian’s loud sobs are the only sound in the empty waiting room, aside from the faint clack of the receptionist’s keyboard. Ren walks over to him silently, a wipe in hand. He crouches down to his eye level, the serious look on his face softening as he looks at Grian’s face. He’s trembling, both from anxiety and the fact he’s freezing right now. Ren can hear his teeth clattering as he sniffles and cries. 

“Hey.” Ren says quietly. “Can I see your hands for a second?” Grian looks up, slowly unclenching his balled up hands and holding them out for Ren. Ren’s heart breaks when he sees how much he’s shaking. He can barely hold his hands straight. “Here.” He says softly, wiping the drying blood off of his hands. Grian jerks his hand away, flinching a little at the feeling of cold wetness on his hands. “Sorry.” He mumbles, slowly putting his hand back out. Ren smiles warmly, trying his best to be reassuring. “It’s okay. Don’t worry.”

He silently wipes the rest of the blood off of his hands, even getting some dirt that got onto his face. “Thanks.” Grian rasps, taking a shaky breath. Ren nods, tossing the wipe away and sighing. Next up, making sure he’s no longer cold. “Grian, can you take off your hoodie for me? It’s all soggy.” 

Grian hesitates before peeling his hoodie off, handing it off to Ren. He curls in closer on himself, being hit with a blast of cold air from the AC. Ren quickly takes off his own coat and puts it around Grian’s shoulders. The insides are lined with fuzzy material, quickly warming him up as he slowly stops shivering. “There. Feeling a little bit better?” Ren says quietly, face soft and reassuring. 

Grian’s lip trembles, and he’s bursting into tears again, burying his face in Ren’s chest as he sobs and wails. He’s never felt so hopeless before. Ren immediately wraps his arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. “It’s okay, everything’s gonna be fine. We’ll be okay.” His voice is gentle, whispering reassuring words to him as he holds him. He lets him cry in his arms until he pulls back. “I’m so scared, Ren. What if—God what if she doesn’t make it —”

“Hey. Look at me. She’ll be okay. It’s False we’re talking about right now. She’s so stubborn she’s probably fighting off the pain through sheer spite and willpower. Besides, the doctors here are some of the best like, ever. She’s in good hands. She’ll be okay, I promise.” He says softly, firmly gripping Grian’s shoulders. Grian sniffles and wipes at his eyes with his sleeves, melting right into his arms. “I’m just….worried.” 

“I know you are. There’s not much we can do right now, just take some deep breaths and we’ll wait until we can go see her.” 

Ren helps him off the floor and onto one of the chairs, where he falls silent. It’s weird, Grian’s usually so loud and hyperactive, bouncing around and practically yelling when he gets excited, and now he’s just…dead quiet. He holds himself tightly, staring at the floor. He blinks back tears, quietly sniffling as he wipes his face.

Ren decides to update their friends.

12:05 AM

[me] hey 

[destression] gasp

[destression] ren awake at this hour? the universe is off balance

[bimbo jimbo] i’m just about to go to bed myself

[bimbo jimbo] what’s up ren?

[me] haha yeah i do tend to go to bed early

[me] so

[me] the thing is

[me] false is currently in the hospital

[destresstion] What

[bimbo jimbo] oh. oh no

[bimbo jimbo] what happened? will she be okay?

[me] she’ll be okay, i think. (i hope) it’s a long story that i don’t really understand that i’ll have to ask grian again later

[destression] oh god grian :(

[destression] im guessing he’s with you? how is he?

Ren stops and glances over at Grian. He looks exhausted, emotionally and physically, and tears still silently stream down his face. 

[me] he’s….not taking it well

[me] i’m honestly a bit worried for him

[destression] oh :(

[bimbo jimbo] is there anything we can do? 

[me] not really, not besides just visiting. i think grian needs a bit of company right now and we haven’t even been able to see false since we got here

[destression] the hospital’s on my way home rn i can swing by

[me] you’re still at your office?

[destression] ….not important right now!

[bimbo jimbo] i can come in the morning 

[bimbo jimbo] i. honestly don’t know if i’ll be able to sleep now

[me] try at least :(( we’ve got it handled from here

[bimbo jimbo] alright

[bimbo jimbo] good night guys, i’ll see you in the morning :]

[me] sleep well dude

[destression] rest easy mumbo :]

[destression] and i am currently omw (￣^￣)ゞ 

[me] see you soon 

Ren sighs and pockets his phone, running a hand through his hair. He looks back at Grian, still silent as he sniffles and cries. “Stress is on her way.” He says to him softly, holding his hand out. Grian looks over and wordlessly takes it, humming quietly in response. Ren squeezes his hand reassuringly. 

Stress shows up a few minutes later, shivering and out of breath. “Hey.” She says with a smile, running up to the two. Grian doesn’t say anything, just immediately goes to hug her. She hugs him back, looking over at Ren. “Hi.” He says back, trying to smile. “Any updates?” She whispers as she lightly pets Grian’s head.

Ren shakes his head. “Nope. Still nothing.” She frowns, sighing sadly. She pulls back as Grian looks like he’s about to burst into tears. “Anything I can do right now? Need me to check on your apartment or anything?” Grian sniffles and pulls out his keys from his pocket, pressing them to her palm. “When you get the chance, can you check on Columbo? I know it hasn’t been that long since we last saw him but...I—I’m worried about him.” She gives him a reassuring smile, taking the keys and putting them into her pocket. “Of course I will. Don’t worry any more than you already need to.”

Ren leans over and whispers something into her ear, something Grian can’t hear and at that moment he wishes he had Ren’s sense of hearing, but Stress just nods and gives a thumbs up. “Tell you what, I’ll stay until they call you in. Then, you guys can go see her and I can go and check on Columbo. Sounds good?”

Grian just silently nods and rests his head against her shoulder. “Thanks, Stress.” Ren says, patting her on the shoulder. She gives him a thumbs up, patting Grian’s head. “No problem.” Stress stays with them, striking up a quiet conversation with Ren in the hopes of lightening the mood just a little. Grian doesn’t say anything. 

A doctor walks out shortly after, and they immediately jump to their feet.  They get told they can come in, and Stress waves as they enter the room. Grian’s heart feels like it shatters into a million pieces. The sight of False, unconscious and just barely breathing in that hospital bed just makes him feel sad . Ren talks to the doctor while Grian walks over to her side.

“ False. ”

Silence.

He sighs. He doesn’t know why he thought that would work. He silently reaches for her hand, it’s no longer cold, warmth is slowly starting to come back to it, sighing and squeezing it. Ren walks over shortly after, resting his chin on his shoulder. “What’d he say?” Grian whispers as Ren leads him to a chair to sit down. “Well, good news is she’s gonna be okay.”

Grian sighs in relief. 

“She should be out soon, can’t use magic for a few days, but she'll live.” Ren says quietly.

“So now what?”

“…We just have to wait for her to wake up.”

“How long will that take?”

“I’m not sure. It’s the waiting game from here on out.”

“Oh.”

Grian shakily exhales and holds his head in his hands, hunched over in his chair. “Fuck. Okay. This is fine. Yeah.” He feels almost numb, he can’t feel his fingers and he’s vaguely nauseous. He’s telling himself not to start crying again. 

Ren manages to calm him down, reassuringly putting his arm around his shoulder. They fall silent, the only sound in the room being their breathing and the quiet beeps of hospital machines. 

“Ren,” Grian mumbles, breaking the silence. “Can I ask you something?”

He silently nods his head yes.

“Healing wasn’t always your thing, right? How did you like, get into that exactly?”

Ren sits up straight, and Grian can feel him tense up. He smiles though, and exhales a laugh. “It’s kind of a long story.” He drops his voice to a whisper, almost like he’s worried of anyone else listening in on them. “Do you remember what we did before the three of us became detectives?” Grian laughs dryly, wiping his face with his sweater. “How could I forget?”

Ah yes, the elephant in the room. The bull in the china shop. The wolf amongst the sheep. The imposter among us. Any other metaphor along those lines.

Grian and False weren’t always detectives. Before, they worked as spies and in other espionage deals. False doesn’t like talking about it much, but they can’t exactly erase the past. They actually worked for Scar at that time, going around and getting information for him. They were a trio, always had been, got nicknames ‘The Mayor’s Watchdogs’ for a while, that was until False and Grian dropped out of it.

Grian doesn’t remember the exact reasons why they did, but that ended up with them drifting apart from Ren for a while. It wasn’t a great period of their life, but then they picked up detective work and then Ren found his way back to them and now here they are.

“It was because of that, actually.”

“Really?”

“Yeah it’s…..” He pauses, pursing his lips and hesitating. Grian reaches out and holds his hand. “So, after you two left, I got a partner. We did a lot of jobs together, always looked out for one another, that sort of thing. That was until…one job in particular. They uh, ended up hospitalized from their injuries while I couldn’t do anything to help. And…”

Tears start forming in his eyes as he tries holding himself together. “They didn’t make it. And I thought to myself, I didn’t wanna see that happen to anyone I ever cared about, so I learned as much healing as I can.” He takes a shaky breath and looks over at False. “Can’t say if I’m successful or not though.” 

He looks back at Grian, and he can see he’s crying now. “I just don’t want to lose anyone ever again.” Grian hugs him, and Ren breaks. Ren’s on a whole other level of bottling emotions up, and he finally lets himself cry for the first time in ages.

Maybe False isn’t the only person he cries for.

“I’m sorry.” Grian says quietly. Ren sniffles. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” He pulls back and laughs, wiping at his tears. “God, look at us. Just two dudes crying in a hospital room.” Grian snorts, failing to hide his smile. “A sight to behold.”

The room goes quiet again as Grian tiredly rests his head on Ren’s shoulder. “What do you think will be the first thing she says when she wakes up?” Grian asks, voice barely above a whisper. Ren laughs quietly at the question. “I’m betting on ‘Can I go home?’ or something along those lines.”

“Something like ‘Why are you looking at me like that. Stop it.’ or whatever.”

They both laugh, and Grian sighs sadly. “I’m worried about her.” He murmurs. Ren comfortingly squeezes his shoulder. “She’ll be okay, don’t worry. Speaking of—” Ren glances down at his watch and stands up. “We should get you home. It’s late.”

“But—”

“Grian, I can assure you that she is not going anywhere right now. You don’t have to worry about anything happening while you’re gone. Besides, your clothes are still wet and you’re still shivering. I don’t want you catching a cold.” Grian anxiously looks between False and Ren a few times, before reluctantly standing up and following him. Ren kindly walks home with him, Grian clutching his hand as his mind races with 100 thoughts a minute. What if she wakes up when they’re not there, or what if she gets worse, what if—

“Grian.”

“Huh?” He doesn’t realize they’re outside their apartment, and Ren’s already opened the door and is waiting for him to go in. “Oh, sorry.” He shuffles in awkwardly, normally he feels relieved when he gets home, but now it feels….wrong. It’s emptier now.

“Oh hey! You’re back!” Stress says cheerfully, Columbo slinking through her legs and right up to him. “Hey. How was he?” Grian says quietly, scooping the cat up in his arms. He immediately starts purring and looking around for False. “Very needy! I walked in and he immediately started screaming at me for attention. But he’s okay, just a little lonely.”

Grian frowns as he sets him down on the floor. “Sorry, buddy.” The cat meows loudly, poking his head out the door as Ren goes to shut it. He knows False went out and didn’t come back. He’s looking for her. Oh god, Grian’s about to start crying again. Ren sadly smiles and picks him up, quickly closing the door behind him. “She’s not here right now, little guy. She’ll be back soon.” Columbo sadly meows and nuzzles his face against Ren’s. 

“Alright, You. ” Ren snaps his fingers and points at Grian. He jumps slightly in surprise. “Go take a shower. Preferably warm.”

“But—”

“No buts! You need to change out of your wet clothes and you’re like, 5 seconds from catching a cold.”

“I’m not gonna—” Grian stops mid sentence to sneeze, “catch a cold!”

“Right. Just go.”

Grian sighs, shoulders slumping forward. “Fine.” He shuffles off towards his room and digs around for some warm clothes, reluctantly taking a shower. He feels a bit better, he’s no longer freezing and he feels rather comfy, but then he remembers False is still in the hospital and his mood is soured again. He quietly walks back to the kitchen, surprised when Stress hands him a plate of food.

“Eat.”

“What?”

“Eat! Self care! All that jazz!”

He knows there’s no use in arguing, especially when it comes to Stress and Ren, so he just takes the plate and slumps down into a chair. Ren looks up from his phone and smiles slightly. “Hey, blue sweater Grian! Long time no see!” Grian holds back a laugh and rolls his eyes. “Shut up.”

“Just been a while since we’ve seen you in blue.”

“….Yeah.”

Stress has never seen someone eat a sandwich so sadly before. Grian stays quiet and relatively to himself, not speaking much as Stress and Ren bicker and try their best to lighten the mood. It alleviates some of Grian’s stress at least, but he doesn’t even finish his food as he starts to nod off from where he’s curled up and Ren is kind enough to (gently) drag him to bed. He doesn’t notice how tired he feels until he realizes his eyes aren’t even open anymore as Ren leads him to his room.

He flops face first onto his bed, not even bothering to move the covers over himself. Ren kindly tucks him in at least, promising him they’ll go back and see her again tomorrow. Grian mumbles a reluctant good night, and Ren quietly leaves when he thinks he’s asleep. 

In reality, Grian’s head hits his pillow and he’s suddenly fully awake, too anxious to go back to bed. He groans and throws his arm over his eyes, he’s not gonna be able to sleep tonight. He doesn’t know any of those sleeping spells Ren manages to do, and he doesn’t wanna get up and ask, he’s pretty sure he heard him leave a few minutes ago so he lays awake awkwardly, staring at the ceiling.

He doesn’t sleep that night.

Ren checks up on him in the morning, finding him still in bed. He sighs and jumps on the mattress, jostling Grian slightly. “Morning.” He says with a grin. Grian doesn’t lift his head up, just groans tiredly and rolls away. “What time is it?” He asks.

Ren glances at his watch. “11 AM.”

“Fuck. At least it’s not past noon.”

Ren gets up and opens his blinds, letting sunshine in. “Well, rise and shine then!” He lightly tugs on Grian’s arm, who just groans louder and squirms. “Can’t. I’m in my flop era.”

“What?”

“…Depression arc?”

“Oh! I’m still dragging you out of bed.”

Grian wiggles and complains still, Ren giving up and flopping back down next to him. “Alright, alright. You haven’t even told me what happened fully, you know. I mean you did , half of it was just unintelligible ‘cause you were crying so hard.” Grian finally lifts his head up and sighs, shifting so he’s laying on his back.

“Your shoes are on the bed.” He comments quietly.

Ren quickly moves his feet off the bed.

“I got possessed and attacked her.”

“…Oh.”

Grian takes a shaky breath. “Yeah, uh, long story. We went on a walk late, and when we were coming back home, that’s when Hypno showed up and froze time and then we just kinda….fought. At some point I got possessed, False told me what happened afterwards but I just remember having this weird visions of things and then she managed to snap me back and then…ya know, even after I attacked her she risked herself to protect me and now she’s in the hospital so….that’s the basic rundown of what happened.” 

“Oh. That’s not good.”

“Yeah. It wasn’t fun.”

“What were those visions you had? Maybe they could be like, be premonitions or something.”

“Well, I was in a mansion. It was weird, kinda felt like a dream? Everything was so sluggish and like I was moving through jello, and whenever I tried to touch anything my hand just went through it. There was someone there too, and they said something to me, but I didn’t understand it. And then I ended up in the void, but I don’t think that counts as anything.”

“What if the people we’re after own a mansion?”

Grian pauses and thinks for a moment. “Who do we know that owns a mansion?” Ren shrugs, brushing some hair out of his face. “Guess that’s something we need to figure out. Which starts wiiiiiiiith—”

“No—”

“You getting up! Come on!” He says cheerfully, pulling on Grian’s arm. “I know you’re all bummed but staying and moping won’t do much!” Grian groans again, letting Ren drag him along. “But…..bed cozy……”

“You can get cozy later! Besides, we still have to visit False later, remember?”

“Ehhhhh hhhhhh —”

“We can go and get breakfast at the diner?”

Grian reluctantly sits up and rubs his eyes. “Give me 5 minutes and I’ll be ready.” A smile spreads across Ren’s face as he starts to stand up. “I’ll wait for you, then.”

Grian spends the next few days miserable. Ren tries his best to stay optimistic, someone has to, but it’s still rough on both of them. It’s a small town, and word travels fast, so he’s met with sympathetic looks everywhere he goes. He manages to pick up a hobby though, making bracelets with beads to pass the time. He makes a blue one for False when she wakes up.

He doesn’t have to wait very long for that.

He’s visiting at the hospital one night, it’s a little bit late, he brought his laptop in the hopes of making some work progress but instead he’s been dozing off for the past few minutes. He hasn’t slept the entire week. He’s been running off of coffee, energy drinks, and just pure anxiety. It’s honestly surprising to him he’s still standing. 

He’s about 5 seconds from falling asleep in his chair when he feels something shift in the room.

False blinks her eyes open, groaning as she sits up and rubs her eyes. She looks around at the hospital room, before her eyes land on Grian, who’s staring at her wide eyed. “Good morning.” She says hoarsely. Grian blinks. “…Morning.” She goes quiet for a second as she runs a hand through her messy hair. “What time is it?”

“11:35 PM.”

“Oh. Close enough.”

She sighs and looks back at Grian. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” Grian says, tears forming in his eyes.

“Are you crying?”

“ No !”

She rolls her eyes and laughs, holding her arms out for a hug. “C’mere, you big baby.” Grian quickly puts his laptop aside and practically tackle hugs her. “Fuck you, I was so worried about you! I thought you were gonna die!” He wails, False laughing at him as she gives him a hug. “I’m not that easy to kill, you know!” Grian rubs at his eyes with his sleeves and pouts. “Just glad you’re okay. How do you feel?”

False looks down at herself and stretches her arms. “Everything vaguely hurts. I feel like if I get up I’ll just explode. How long was I out?” 

“Like, 4 days.”

“ 4 days!? Oh my god, we have so much work to catch up on….That can be a problem for future False. Do you happen to have my phone on you?” 

Grian plucks her phone off the bedside table and tosses it at her. She opens her phone, ignoring all of the unread messages, she’s not about to backread all of that, and opens the groupchat they have with their friends. She takes a quick picture, one that’s a little blurry and only shows her face from the eyes up. She just captions it “i lived bitches” and hits send, setting her phone aside as it starts to buzz with notifications.

“So!” She scoots over and makes enough space for Grian to sit next to her, patting the spot next to her. “Did I miss anything important?” Grian lies down, resting his head against the pillow and staring up at the ceiling. “Not that I know of? I was, as the kids say, going through it. I made you this at least!”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small bracelet, with beads various shades of blue. False gently takes it and slides it on her wrist. “Is for me?” She asks in a silly voice. Grian rolls his eyes and snorts. “Yeah.”

“When did you pick up bracelet making?”

“I needed to do something with my free time otherwise I would’ve evaporated into nothingness.”

“Ah. Makes sense.”

“X and EX made you cookies too, I think! I uh, don’t know where they are though.”

False laughs quietly. “Are you sure you didn’t eat them?”

“I’m very sure!” Grian insists, cheeks turning pink.

“Alright alright, I’ll believe you. Anything else?” 

Grian sighs, staring up at all the bumps on the ceiling. “Not really. What about you? Have any weird dreams or anything?” False hums softly, thinking for a moment. “I did, actually. I had a lot of dreams. Some were memories, actually. I didn’t realize how much shit we got up to back then.” 

“Yeah?”

False smiles fondly as she reminisces. “Yeah. The new dreams were weird though. The first one I can remember is that I was in this big fancy mansion thing? I was in the big main room I think, there were some stairs leading up to a balcony thing, and there was someone there . I couldn’t see who they were though! They were this weird shadowy figure and then they said something to me, but I couldn’t make out what.”

Grian blinks. It sounds familiar to that vision he had when he got possessed. “I think they’re messing with us.” 

“Who, the ones behind everything?”

“Mhm. I saw something similar like that too.”

Grian explains her weird vision to her, and she scrunches her face up in confusion. “Do you think it means something?” She asks quietly, fiddling with the new bracelet on her wrist. Grian sighs, closing his eyes for a second. “Probably. Everything means something around here.”

“Hmm…final battle in a mansion?” False suggests with a grin.

Grian opens an eye and exhales a laugh. “Could be fun. They don’t trap us in mazes like they used to.”

False laughs softly. “They sure don’t.”

“What were the other dreams you had?”

False walks him back down memory lane with the things she remembers, from finding him quietly crying in a bathtub at a highschool party, a camping trip from a few years back, and to even a game they played one summer. It was hide-and-seek-tag, except it was the middle of the night and they were in the park just armed with flashlights.

“That was so fun!”

“It was terrifying ! I vividly remember being with Cleo and then  we saw your silhouette in the distance and then you started sprinting at us at full speed! And it was pitch black outside!”

Grian giggles, hiding his mouth behind his hand. “At least I didn’t tag you!”

“YOU LITERALLY DID!”

Grian can barely hold his composure. “Shhhh! No yelling in the hospital!” False clamps her hand over her mouth and holds back a laugh. “Do hospitals work on library logic?” He makes a confused face and shrugs. “I think? I remember Dad shushing us the last time we were at a hospital. It’s also the middle of the night.”

“Oh, right. Speaking of...did you ever tell them I’m here?”” False says quietly, lowering her voice. 

Grian laughs nervously. “Ummm....no! I forgot and I feel like they’d both have a heart attack if I did.” 

“...Good point. That’ll be a fun story to casually bring up during Christmas time.”

They both laugh and quiet down, False staring at the ceiling. “Grian?” She whispers, lightly tapping on his arm with the back of her hand. “Mhm?” He hums, eyes shut.

“When can I g—Are you falling asleep?”

Grian blinks rapidly and shakes his head, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. “Nope. What makes you say that?” He tries keeping his eyes open, but he keeps nodding off instead. “ Grian. ” False says sternly, voice full of concern more than anything. His head ends up falling against her shoulder. “Yeah, I haven’t slept in four days straight.”

“ GRIAN !”

“I was too nervous!”

False makes an offended scoffing noise, aggressively pinching his cheek. “Get some sleep. Right now. Or I’ll knock you out myself.” He laughs quietly, shifting and getting comfortable. He can’t be bothered to move from the hospital bed. A bed is a bed, anyways. “Night False.” He murmurs softly. She smiles fondly, pulling some of the blanket over him. “Sleep tight.”

She takes a moment to breathe, staring up at the ceiling. She pretends all the little bumps are stars, and she’s staring up at the night sky. Maybe a shooting star passes by, and there’s a bird flying nearby. Like Grian, she was never a fan of hospitals either. And now that she’s practically stuck in this room she feels like she’s gonna be miserable the rest of her time here. But hey, that’s a problem for future False.

She closes her eyes, brain wandering off to pretty places like a beach at sunset, a big pretty clocktower that gongs when it strikes the hour, and a—

Buzz buzz.

She’s distracted by her phone buzzing. She sighs and feels around for where she tossed it, quickly snatching it up and relaxing back down. She turns her brightness down, why on Earth was it up so high it was blinding , and checks her texts. All notifications from their group chat all excitedly yelling.

11:35 PM

[me] Sent an image.

[me] i lived bitches

[ren diggity dog] HELLO??????

[destression] FALSE!!!!!!

[destresstion] HELLOOOO!!!!!

[bimbo jimbo] FALSE??/?/???

[bimbo jimbo]   god what a first message back

[ren diggity dog] how ya feelin false :D

She snorts at the warm welcome back.

11:51 PM

[me] HI SORRY I WAS WITH GRIAN

[me] honestly? kinda in pain rn like my insides hurt

[me] but other than that pretty ok!!

[ren diggity dog] at least u’re okay :]

[destression] yayayaya!!!!

[destression] how’s grian doing? cause last i saw he was Fucked up but emotionally

False takes a picture to send, one where her face is barely poking through the side of the frame and you can clearly see Grian asleep, her finger poking at his cheek.

[me] Sent an image.

[me] he’s passed tf out

[destression] DAW

[ren diggity dog ] aw good, i was worried about him

[bimbo jimbo] need anything rn false?

[me] UHHHHH not rn!!!

[me] im honestly kinda. bored

[destression] well we can keep u company!!

[ren diggity dog] do u want any of us to come over rn?

[me] i think im good ill probably end up falling back asleep soon anyways

[me] oh god i forgot how much grian moves in his sleep

[ren diggity dog] GOOD LUCK!

[me] NOOOOO SAVE ME IM BEING SQUASHED

[me] ive been conscious for barely 20 minutes and i already wanna go home

[destression] FALSE 😭😭

[me] PLEASE

[me] I WANNA GO HOME. WHEN CAN I GO HOME

[bimbo jimbo] BWHEVENEEVHE???2????

[ren diggity dog] PLEASERENE

[ren diggity dog] im afraid idk falsie TT

[me] WAILS

[me] how’s columbo i miss him :((

[bimbo jimbo] oh!!! i’m actually cat sitting at your place right now

[bimbo jimbo] Sent an image.

[me] WAHHHHHHHHHH

[me] oh i'm gonna cry i miss my little boy

[destression] BABY

[bimbo jimbo] he saw your selfie and started sniffing at my phone lol

[me] starts crying

[me] pls i wanna go home even more now

[ren diggity dog] u’ll have to wait until the morning to find out i think

[me] hghRGRGGGG

[me] REN STOP TWEETING ABOUT ME AND EXPOSING ME

[destression] BAHAHSHDBRHDB

[bimbo jimbo] PLEEBSBSB?/?/?

[ren diggity dog] PLEASE U WOKE UP AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED SAYING U WANT TO GO HOME

[me] BECAUSE I DO!!!!

[me] im gonna vague tweet about u now

[ren diggity dog] NOOOOOO

[destression] hey u guys wanna play crazy 8

[bimbo jimbo] STRESS

[destression] WHAT!

[destression] IM ASKING A QUESTION

[me] HELP I LAUGHED TOO HARD AND I WOKE GRIAN UPDJDKFN

[ren diggity dog] FALSE

[me] HE’S GLARING AT ME

[bimbo jimbo] omg tell him i say hi

[me] told him mumbo says hi and he said “fuck you” 😭😭

[destression] BAHAHAHA

[bimbo jimbo] FUCK YOU TOO THEN??????

[ren diggity dog] someone’s cranky!

[bird boy (derogatory)] shut up

[ren diggity dog] HELP

[destression] HELLO?:!:????

[me] he

[me] he fell back asleep immediately 

[ren diggity dog] yeah sounds about right

[me] i think im gonna do the same actually

[me] night!! ill see you all in the morning :]

[ren diggity dog] night falsie!!

[destression] NIGHT NIIIIGHT

[bimbo jimbo] sleep well!!!

False is pretty much miserable for the next few days. She hates being cooped up in a room, with an underlying ache in her bones. Grian laughs as he hears her complain and whine about wanting to go home, and she’s absolutely ecstatic when she’s allowed to leave. She’s advised to not use magic again for a week, as the overuse of it last time felt like she burst several blood vessels and she still needs to recover. She practically cries when she gets home and Columbo jumps into her arms, purring happily. And once she gets home, she insists on going back to work.

“When was the last time anyone saw Hypno?” False asks one day at their office, chewing on her pen. Ren looks up from his laptop, drumming on the table. “I think he was last seen the night he attacked you both, right?” Grian pulls a stool over with his foot and steps up on it, looking through a file cabinet. “That’s the last I’ve heard of him. That was like what, over a week ago?” 

“We need to come up with a plan for when we see him again.” False mutters, doodling something in her notepad. “Well, while you two were busy at the hospital I managed to find a spell that might be able to help us.” The two siblings look up in unison. “Oh?”

Ren pulls out a piece of paper and draws a symbol on it. “I found a spell that can break any hypnosis and mind control on someone, the only problem is: getting Hypno to stand still for me to cast it. It’ll also probably knock me out for a day or two depending on how strong the hypnosis spell is.”

“How long until I can use magic again?” False asks quietly.

“3 days.”

“ Shit . I was gonna say I just freeze him to the ground and you hit him while he’s stuck, but that won’t work.”

Grian hops off his stool and walks over to where False is sitting. “We could probably be a good distraction while Ren strikes. I’ll just have to keep tossing you weapons, I guess.”

False snorts. “What happens if he shows up and you’re not with us?” Ren pauses and thinks for a moment, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a shiny silver whistle. There’s purple swirls engraved on it, glittering as the sunlight from the window hits them. “A dog whistle?”

“Yeah, basically! It’s supposed to only sound for me though, so dogs don’t start howling when you blow it.” False looks at it curiously, back at Ren, then back at the whistle before blowing on it. It doesn’t make a sound, but Ren yelps and covers his ears. “Those are so much louder when you’re right next to them.” He winces.

“Oh, whoops. Sorry.” False cringes, putting the whistle in her pocket. Ren reassures her it’s fine, and crumples up the piece of paper. “Well, it looks like we have a plan now!” Grian rolls his eyes and snorts. “It’s an absolute shell of a plan.”

“It’s better than nothing!” 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

They see Hypno again a few days later.

They’re once again out and about town, it’s the middle of the afternoon and they’re sitting on a bench near the bandshell. False bought one of those surprise blind bag toys at the store and she rips the bag open with her teeth, purely because she saw there was the possibility of getting a little cat holding a tambourine and she decided she needs it. Grian also got one, but instead he calmly sips on his iced coffee.

“What’d you get?” He asks curiously as she dumps all the pieces onto the bench. She sighs sadly. “The raccoon with a flute. It’s still cute, at least.” She grumbles as she starts putting the little pieces together. “What about you?” 

“Haven’t opened mine yet. You can open it for me!”

He hands False the little bag, which she also rips open quickly and dumps out the little pieces. “It’s…a possum with a drum.” She says as she starts putting it together. “Aw, it’s still cute!” False sets the raccoon and possum next to each other, crumpling up her trash and throwing it into a nearby trash can. “We’ll get the cat one day.”

“Knowing our luck? I give it 3 months.”

“No. Shut up. You’re jinxing me. You’ve jinxed us.”

“Whoopsie!” 

They both laugh and go to stand up, when they feel a breeze rustle the branches in the trees above them. The sky’s weirdly gray, and the town does seem emptier than usual. “Oh. Oh no.” False says quietly.

“Hello there. Long time no see, you two.” Hypno says, leaning up against a tree. They both tense up, Grian setting his cup down and False stuffing the raccoon and possum into her pockets. “What do you want?” She asks bluntly, crossing her arms. 

Hypno dodges the question, simply standing up straight and walking towards them. “I’m surprised you’re still standing, False. You took a pretty hard blow the last time we met.”

“It’ll take a lot more than that to kill me.”

“It seems so.” He smiles, unnaturally, it’s not his smile. “Well, I’ve been sent to finish the job. I’m feeling pretty good about my odds, with one of you unable to do magic it shouldn’t be too hard.”

Grian quickly forms a sword and hands it off to False. “Don’t get too cocky. We’re getting to the bottom of this if it’s the last thing we do.” False nods, gripping the hilt firmly. Hypno conjures up a staff, leaning up against it. “Is that a promise, or a threat?”

False reaches into her pocket and pulls out the whistle Ren gave them, blowing it sharply. “A promise.” She says with a smirk. A few seconds later, Ren appears, and he’s not alone. He’s riding on the back of a large dark purple wolf, stars sparkling in it’s fur. It’s almost transparent, like it’s made of constellations. “Hey guys, how’s it going?” He says cheerfully, hopping off the wolf’s back and patting it on the head.

“Wh….when did you get that?” Grian asks quietly. “Oh, this? This is Merlot! I uh, managed to learn some more things while you guys were busy.” Ren pets Merlot on the nuzzle, and the magic wolf barks happily. False walks over and does the same. “Well, isn’t that nice!” Ren waves his hand and Merlot nods, dissolving into a bunch of sparkles and glitters. 

“Hi there, Hypno.” Ren says, rolling up his sleeves and crossing his arms. Hypno nods and acknowledges him. “Hello, Ren. Fancy seeing you here.”

“I’m moral support.”

Grian clears his throat, making a staff for himself. “Anyways! Whoever it is that’s rattling around in Hypno’s brain and puppeting him around, stop it! We would like our friend back please!”

Not-Hypno laughs, twirling his staff in his hand. “Easier said than done.” 

He swings, and they all jump out of the way. False yelps and stumbles, swinging her sword and it smashes into pieces. “God, these aren’t fighting shoes.” She grumbles, digging her shiny red heeled boots into the dirt. Grian quickly tosses her another sword, this one longer and pointier. “We’ll be fine!” He yells reassuringly, just as he’s hit in the stomach and knocked off his feet. Ren swings, a magic glowing fist smacking Hypno in the side. 

Ren manages to dodge a blast, scrambling to his feet. “Remember the plan!” He yells, running off further away. Hypno tries following after him, but False kicks him right in the face and forces his attention back towards them. His eyes burn bright yellow, and she manages to flip out of the way as he swings again. “What? Are you giving up already?” She yells and smirks.

“You wish!”

Grian throws a bomb, and it explodes in Hypno’s face. He growls and tries blasting them, the same type of blast that mind controlled Grian last time, but he throws up a shield covering the both of them. “You’re insistent, aren’t you?” He shouts, kicking another grenade towards him like a soccer ball. Hypno grabs it and throws it back. False takes the opportunity to kick him, shoving him to the ground. If this were a normal fist fight, False would’ve won a long time ago.

Hypno grumbles and quickly stands back up, almost too quickly for it to be natural. “I don’t have time for this. I’ll make it quick.” 

He slams his staff into his ground, a big wave of magic hitting both Grian and False. Grian wails and tumbles, while False falls onto her back. She quickly stands back up, clenching her hands into fists. “You know what? Fuck it! We have better things to do!” She grumbles, and she casts some ice spell on the ground that freezes Hypno’s feet to the ground. She immediately regrets it, doubling over in pain. “Oh jesus christ I shouldn’t have done that—”

Grian groans and make a rope, using it to grab Hypno’s staff and pull it out of his hands. “Ren! NOW! ”

“You’ve got it!”

Ren reappears, a spell charged up at his fingertips. He hits Hypno right in the back, and it’s so powerful it melts the ice and knocks him over. His eyes stop glowing, and they slowly flicker back to his normal brown color. Ren feels pain, like a powerful headache, one that feels like his brain is being crushed by a powerful claw. He sits up slowly, wincing as he clutches his head. “Everyone okay?”

“Yeah!”

“Hypno!”

False and Grian rush to his side, helping him sit up. He gasps loudly and lurches forward, clutching his head. “Oh god, where am I—”

“Are you okay?” Grian asks, voice full of concern. Hypno blinks slowly, patting his arms up and down to make sure he’s real . “I— No . I—I don’t know when the last time I was in control of my body was.” Ren crawls over and sits next to them, quietly healing up any injuries he managed to sustain in that mini battle. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I—It was the day before Halloween? What day is it now?”

“It’s November 15th.” False says grimly.

“ November 15th?!?! ”

“Yeah…..”

He takes a deep shaky breath, pulling his knees to his chest. “Oh god. Okay. That’s fine. That’s totally fine. I’m….I’m sorry for any trouble I caused.” Grian smiles reassuringly, patting his hand. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. How much do you remember from that vague 2 week period?” Hypno’s face scrunches up as he thinks. “It’s like everything’s been wiped. I can’t….remember anything. There was people, I think? And there was a house? A big fancy one. Everything else is just… gone .”

“That’s certainly not good.” False says softly. She stands up, and they help Hypno to his feet. “If you remember anything else, be it the smallest detail, call us or something. Any piece of information could be useful.” Hypno sways on his feet for a second, and Ren and Grian let him lean on them for support. “Let’s…get you somewhere safe. And I’m sure everyone else will be glad to see you back.”

“…Thanks.”

Somewhere, on the outskirts of town, in the room of a fancy mansion, someone casting a spell drops to the ground, with an excruciatingly painful headache.

Chapter Text

“When’s it gonna start snowing?”

Grian looks up at the sky, wrapping his coat tighter around himself. It’s winter now in Hermitville, and the grass is starting to lose its color and leaves are dying. False sighs, rubbing her hands together to create warmth. “Soon. You better watch out though. Once there’s enough snow to start throwing, I’m not holding back.” 

Grian snorts, shivering slightly. “Oh yeah? I’m gonna dunk your head into a pile of snow the moment you turn around.” False seems amused by the idea, kicking a rock across the sidewalk. “Can you even reach?” He gasps in offense, lightly shoving her arm. “Yes, I can! Very much so!”

“Try. Try it right now, I dare you.”

Grian huffs and walks straight up to her, reaching to touch the top of her head, but as he does she stands on her toes to stay even further from reach. “Wh—Hey! That’s cheating!” He whines, standing on his toes. False ducks out of the way and laughs as he stumbles. 

“False! You know what, no, fuck you, I’m stealing your nose.” He pinches False’s nose and starts walking away quickly. “Wh—Hey get back here I need that!”

Grian starts walking faster. 

“Grian!”

Grian starts walking even faster. False starts running after him. Grian squeaks as he also breaks out into a run, False not far behind him. They always managed to turn little jokes like that into full on shenanigans, so it’s no surprise when Grian’s giggling and laughing as False chases him down. He notices Ren up ahead and goes straight for him, ducking and hiding behind him. “Hi Ren! Don’t ask! Hide me!”

Ren blinks, startled. “What?”

False comes running up to them and practically skids to a halt. “Hi Ren!” Ren glances between False and Grian cowering behind him. “Hi? What did you do?”

“Grian took my nose.”

“Oh. Grian, give it back.”

“No! She’s bullying me!”

“Are you bullying him?”

“No!”

Grian tugs on Ren’s sleeve so he leans down and whispers something into his ear. Ren snorts. “That’s kinda funny.”

“ Ren! You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“Am I?”

“ REN! ”

Ren looks between the two siblings and sighs. “You know what?” He pinches Grian’s nose, much to his complaint, and then boops False’s. “Problem solved! Everyone has noses now! Don’t we have work to do?”

“But what about y—”

“You’re not stealing my nose.”

“That’s what you think!”

Ren gently smacks Grian upside the head. “No! I’m keeping an eye on you!” He turns to False and makes the ‘I’m watching you’ hand motion. “And you as well, because I don’t trust you!”

False lets out an offended gasp. “Ren Dog I have never done anything to wrong you in my life—”

“Do you want a list? I can pull up a list.”

“ WHAT! ”

Grian bursts out laughing as they start bickering. “I wanna see the list!” False huffs and flicks both Grian and Ren on the forehead. “We don’t have time for this! There’s work to be done!”

Ren smiles and rolls his eyes. “Oh so now you wanna go work—”

“Shut up or I’m gonna start stealing other body parts of yours!”

Grian raises his hand to get their attention. “Can we at least go get coffee first?” False nods quickly in agreement. “Please!” Ren fails to hide a smile, rolling his eyes in fake annoyance. “Fine, before more body parts get nabbed.”

Once again, they’re up late in their office, a normal part of their routine at this point. There's a few empty coffee cups on the tables scattered about, and even more crumpled up pieces of paper in the trashcan and some on the floor that managed to miss. Ren’s sat on the floor up against the wall because that’s where the nearest electrical socket is and he feels the floor is rather comfortable. Grian groans as he’s face first in a stack of papers, slumped over the coffee table. He has a headache forming, and he feels utterly exhausted . False paces the room rather stressfully, muttering to herself quietly.

They’re close to figuring things out, she can feel it, if only they could remember details. They’re being messed with, toyed with, and they’re at their wits end at this point. Ren’s starting to doze off, and Grian’s about 5 seconds from passing out himself. “Alright, making an executive decision to continue this in the morning.” False says as she looks over at them. Ren rubs his eyes and sighs, resting his head against the wall. “Sounds good to me.” Grian just grunts in response.

“Let’s just leave the papers where they are, it’s too much work to pick them up if we’re gonna spread them all out a—”

There’s a knock at the door. 

They all look up in unison, exchanging confused glances with each other. “I’ll….get it?” False says nervously. It’s like 1 AM, who the hell is knocking on their office door at this hour? She quietly walks over to the door and opens it, and she’s very shocked with who she sees on the other end. 

“Cleo?”

“H….Hi. Is this a bad time?”

Cleo’s awkwardly standing at the door, but she isn’t right . Her orange hair is as wild as ever, but her skin is no longer pale and instead is various shades of blueish-green, stitches lining the spots where the colors change, like she was stitched together from various colors of skin. There’s also a gaping hole in her side where they can see her skeleton poking out.

“Wh—Come inside, what the fuck happened to you?”

Grian and Ren both scramble to their feet, as shocked and equally confused as they stare at her. “So…uh…funny story? I think I got murdered?”

“You think? ” Ren repeats in disbelief. Cleo huffs and throws her hands up in the air. “I don’t know! I don’t remember a lot! First thing I know is that I’m standing in my house and the next I’m here without a pulse and cold hands!”

False ushers her to sit down and take a deep breath, does she even need to breathe anymore, oh god, this is gonna get confusing. “How much do you remember? Try and walk us through it the best you can.”

“Okay so, I was in my house, about to go to bed when I heard a door opening. I thought that was weird so I went to investigate, and then I saw a figure, they’re so familiar their name is on the tip of my tongue but I can’t remember , then next thing I know something magic hits me and I’m dead , then I wake up on the ground and they’re gone. That’s the extent of what I remember.”

She sighs and runs a hand through her hair. “I came here hoping, that somehow , you could solve my murder.” False curiously takes one of her hands, surprised when it’s extremely cold to the touch. “I think…we can do that?” 

“I think we should go right now. See if there’s any clues lying about that we can pick up on.” Ren suggests. “How do you feel? Are you….okay, at least?” 

Cleo snorts. “Well, I guess I’m okay as I can be. It’s really...weird? I don’t need to breathe but I keep inhaling anyway. I’ll...get used to it I think. I’m alive? But also...not? Yeah. It’s weird.” 

False pats her hand reassuringly. “Just glad you’re here with us, at least. Care to lead the way?” 

“Gladly.

Cleo leads them to her house, where the door is left slightly ajar from when she ran out. The main hallway is a mess, there’s a vase shattered on the floor, blood smeared on the ground, and even a white tape lining where Cleo’s body was. “That was there when I woke up. I can’t explain it. It’s very weird.” She says when Ren questions it. 

“This is all so strange.” Grian mutters to himself in disbelief. He steps aside from a small puddle of blood on the floor with a wince. Ren’s already looking around for any potential clues, but there doesn’t seem to be much. It’s been practically wiped clean from any evidence that could point to a proper culprit, except for the muddy footprints from the doorway.

“Very rude of them to track mud in here right before killing you.” False says lightheartedly. Cleo snorts, stepping around the footprints. “Right? Now I have to clean them up in the morning.” Ren walks over and squints at the footprints, crouching down and inspecting them. “Whoever did it wasn’t alone.”

“What?”

“There’s two different sized sets of footprints here. One of them stops halfway.” 

“So there’s multiple culprits?” Grian questions. Ren nods, and False takes a note of it. “Whoever did it wasn’t alone, at least. Know anyone who has anything out for you?” 

Cleo thinks for a moment, and shakes her head. “Not that I can….remember? There’s probably some memories that are being fuzzed up right now.” 

False pauses for a moment and sighs, tapping her foot on the floor. “I don’t think there’s anything else we can find. It looks like we’re gonna have to do some investigating around town by asking people tomorrow. Or, today, I guess.” 

Grian quietly turns his attention towards Cleo. “How are you holding up? Do you know what you’re gonna do?” She sighs and stares at the white tape outline on the floor. “I don’t…. know . I can’t exactly walk outside like this and not expect 30 questions. I’ll probably hide in here for a few days until I figure this all out internally.”

“What if we need you at the office? Should we just come here?”

“Nah, I’ll figure it out. Cover of night, potion or spell of invisibility, I’ll sneak out around. Don’t worry.” She says with a smile, it falters for just a second, but she tries her best to look reassuring. False nods as she flips her notepad closed. “Does anyone else know? Or is it just us?” 

“I tried calling Joe, but he didn’t pick up. I texted him too, but he hasn’t read it yet. Which is weird, ‘cause he’s usually a light sleeper.” Very weird. The air in the room is off, like no one is sure what to do. Well, that’s probably because one of their close friends is standing beside them, but still. “I feel like….this is so much to take in. Let’s reconvene in the morning.” Ren says grimly. They all nod in agreement, Cleo heading off into her room and the three heading back home. They have more than enough work to do in the morning.

The three of them can barely sleep that night.

In the morning, bright and early, they’re up again, running on pure caffeine and anxiety. Cleo made her way as well under the disguise of an invisibility potion, and she’s awkwardly sitting on the couch as the others rush around. Grian hands her a sticky note that just says ‘CLEO MURDER’ on it and gives her the honors of adding it to their board. 

“Alright, where the fuck do we begin?” False says as she claps her hands together. 

“Suspects!” Ren yells as he raises his hand.

“Possible motives!” Grian adds.

False sighs, and flips open her laptop. “Okay, jesus fuck, there’s so much to go through. Suspects are always a nightmare around here.” 

“Wh…Who’s on the suspect list?” Cleo asks.

“Essentially? The entire town.” Ren says with a sigh.

“Oh. Great.”

False sits herself down in a chair, spinning around in it by pushing herself around with her feet. “It’ll be hard to narrow it down, but we should be able to do it. We will. We’ll find out who did this.”

“Thanks. I…trust you guys.”

“We won’t let you down!” Grian says with a little salute. “Now, let’s get cracking on this suspect list!”

They work throughout the entire day, cracking down on their big list of everyone in town and seeing if any memories are unlocked. Unfortunately, their attempts don’t seem to work. Ren swears there’s a few names missing from their list anyways. Joe even shows up for a little bit and tries his best to help, but his knowledge is limited and there’s not much he can do.

It’s frustrating, trying to solve a murder case when there’s memories being messed with and important details are missing. 

They get a rather helpful clue on the second day.

False and Grian are out and about town, clearing their heads and also picking up some coffee and snacks for all of them. Grian’s phone buzzes in his pocket, and when he checks it he sees he has a voice message from Zedaph. He stops for a second and puts his phone up to his ear, but quickly realizes False needs to hear this too.

“Hey! Uh, Grian and False, it’s Zed!” They can hear the sounds of metal clanging and laughter in the distance, and Zedaph is clearly trying to stand as far away as he can so his phone doesn’t pick up most of the noise. “We were talking this morning, and we managed to remember something! Impulse said h— Impulse what are doing —

“Impulse no! That doesn’t go there or is supposed to DO THAT !” Tango yells in the background, followed by Inpulse’s loud laughter. “I don’t know what I did wrong! Quick, Zed, catch!” 

“Wh—Don’t throw shit at me! HEURGH— ”

There’s the sound of something being thrown and making a loud thud, and they can hear Zedaph struggling to pick it up. “I’m recording a voice message! This is important! L— NO DON’T THROW THAT AT ME! ”

There’s more laughing and shuffling, and Zedaph inhales loudly. “You know what? Impulse! You do it!” There’s the telltale muffled mic sound of the phone being handed off, and Impulse sounds distant. “What am I doing?” 

“What we remember!”

“Oh! Right!”

“This is an absolute mess.” Tango chuckles in the background. “What we remember…what was it again? Oh yeah! I don’t know how much this helps, but the people behind everything? There’s two of them exactly, yellow and blue eyes, which sounds like it should be specific enough, but we somehow can’t think of anyone in town who fits that description. And I don’t know if they’re the only ones, but those were the ones that talked to us.”

Tango steps closer to the mic. “I don’t know if this’ll help either, but I remember the heights! They were both like…taller than me but around the same height as Zed and Impy? Yeah, I think that’s right! I figured more information was better than none.”

“…Did we do it?” Impulse asks.

“I think we did!” Zedaph says cheerfully. 

“Now wh—Hey! Don’t throw things at me! HEY! ” 

Zedaph giggles and they can hear the sound of his footsteps as he runs away. “Alright that’s all we got I’m gonna go fight for my life good BYE—”

The voice message ends there. 

False snorts. “That was…very messy, but that could help us. Physical descriptions are useful around here. Let’s head back as quick as we can, I think the coffee’s gonna start going cold.”

Things seem to click into place faster than they thought. 

It’s a few days after the help from Zedaph, Impulse and Tango, and they had been trying to talk to as many people as possible. Hypno even called them, doing much better after the whole ‘not having control of his body for 17 days’ thing, and he said essentially the same thing. 

Cleo’s made herself comfortable in their office, the chair next to the couch practically hers at this point. They’ve gotten off topic somehow, joking around and laughing loudly with each other and lightening the mood. Cleo cackles and slaps the arm of the chair, wheezing and resting her hand on her chest.

She freezes as she realizes something. 

“Everything alright Cleo?” Grian asks as she puts a file down. 

“M…My amulet’s gone.” She gasps. “Oh god how did I not notice it was gone— ”

“It’s gone ?!”

“It probably disappeared when I died, god knows who has it now and what they’re doing with it.” She says as she starts pacing the room in a panic. False does her best to attempt to calm her down. “Hey, we’re getting closer, we’ll get it back!”

“Nothing bad has been happening around town, if it’s any consolation. Except the, you dying part, at least.” Ren says with a warm, comforting smile. “Whoever has it hasn’t done anything with it, at least that we can tell.”

Cleo flicks her hand, and a spark shoots out before flickering and disappearing. “Yep. No casting spells from me until I get it back.” She groans and holds her head in her hands in exasperation. “This is worse than I thought. The description is somehow so vague yet so specific at the same time, if only I could remember—“

Cleo’s in clear distress, she saw the person who murdered her clear as day yet she can’t remember who it was, and now she’s lost her magic and things are potentially taking a turn for the worst. 

“Ren, do you know any magic on memories and making people remember?” Grian asks curiously. Ren thinks for a moment, going over to a box where he put a bunch of spellbooks when they first started learning. “I…maybe? There’s a chance but I don’t really…remember. Probably on purpose.”

He pulls out a thick book, one that practically slams into the ground due to how heavy it is. He skims the table of contents, finding a section simply titled ‘Memory’ and flipping through the book to find it. “I might have found something!”

“Oh?”

“Almost there…aaaaand—Oh. Oh. ”

The entire section has been ripped out of the book. 

There’s a chill that runs through all of them. They’re basically being toyed with at this point. “I guess I…don’t. Fuck .” 

Grian takes a shaky breath, now being the one to start pacing the room. “Great! Great. This is great. Very good for us indeed.” He says in a panic. He’s about 5 seconds away from snapping. “What the hell are we gonna do?!”

“Grian, we can’t be panicking—” False starts, but Grian stops pacing to whip around to face her.

“False, we’re literally trying to solve the murder of one of our best friends while she’s sitting here with us, when none of us can even remember important details because we’re being messed with, sabotaged, whatever, and we’re ALSO trying to piece together whatever has been fucking up the entire town and essentially trying to take it down from the inside! It’s all connected but we can’t even figure it out! It’s essentially impossible! I think it’s as good a time as ever to start panicking!”

Grian pants and sighs heavily, pinching the bridge of nose. “Sorry, I just, I think the stress is starting to get to me or I’m starting to overthink or something.” Ren comes up to him and puts a hand on his shoulder, a soft glow emitting from it. A wave of calmness washes over him, letting out a quiet, tired hum. “I think we should take a break. Just for the rest of the day today. I think we all need it.” Ren says softly as Grian leans up against him. 

False and Cleo share a glance before nodding in unison. “I think that’s a good idea.”

The next day, they finally figure it out.

It’s late, as always, and they’re busy in their office pouring over this case again. Grian stands in front of their big board, taking notes on things, glasses falling down his face, there’s a big pile of sticky notes that managed to miss the trash can when he threw them in. Ren’s hunched over his laptop, typing away at something and False is scribbling her own notes on her big notepad. And once again, Cleo is here, doing her best to help and sitting on the carpet of the floor.

There’s a tv in the corner of their office that’s on as background noise, and it vaguely smells of coffee in there. They may be absolutely stressed, exhausted, tired, any other synonyms for those words, but there’s something about the atmosphere that’s a bit nice.

“Okay, the amulet. Who knows about it being super powerful and stuff?” Grian asks.

“I think just everyone in our close circle? Unless there’s someone that knows that I don’t remember telling.” Cleo says, making a little boat out of a piece of paper. False chews on her pen and bounces her leg. “The last time there was an incident with the amulet, it was that day at the beach, right? Could it have been someone from there?”

“I…maybe? We never found out who took it, did we?” Cleo says, starting to trail off. Ren lifts his head up from his laptop. “Who did you guys talk to that day?”

Grian thinks for a moment, digging back to that day months ago. He lists off everyone they saw from town, counting off on his fingers. “…Jevin, xB, Beef and…..I feel like I’m forgetting someone…..”

False thinks for a moment, tapping her pen on the table. “You’re right! Who was it….uhhh…..Oh! We saw Zloy and Pixl too!”

Grian makes an exasperated noise, biting his nails. “Oh yeah, we did see them! How could I….”

Something clicks in his brain. It clicks in False’s too.

“…. forget .”

Ren and Cleo realize at the same time. They match the description, yellow and blue eyes, vaguely tall, and they also know everyone in town. It…it makes sense . 

“No way, them?!”

Cleo stands up suddenly, like all of the fuzziness of her memories has been cleared by this realization. “Zloy’s the one who did it that night! He’s the one that killed me! Oh my god he’s even a zombie himself—He has to be!”

There’s a loud noise from the tv, a news broadcast starting at that exact moment.

Zloy and Pixl are the ones that run the news.

They see Zloy’s smiling zombie face, he’s way too happy about this, at this hour, as he starts to speak. He’s reporting on Cleo’s death, saying how she was murdered in her own home a few days ago under mysterious circumstances and is currently being investigated. By False, Grian, and Ren, no less. Zloy promises updates on the situation, and says he’s signing off. 

He winks at the camera, like he knows they’re watching. They’re not the ones watching him, he’s watching them .

“But—How do they know all these things about everyone? Like we’re the one’s solving your murder, or all of the previous events that have happened?” False questions, trying not to freak out. 

“They’re the news people.” Ren says as he stands up. “It’s their job to know everything about everyone as it goes down in the town. They clearly have a way of getting information they’re not letting on about.” 

Grian thinks for a moment, and goes towards the file cabinet where he knows there’s information on everyone in town. He quickly looks through them and finds files on both Pixl and Zloy, looking at the magic section on both. “It’s….It’s been scribbled out.”

“ What?”

“Did Pixl put a fucking :3 face on his?” False points out.

“It looks like it! I think this is why we always managed to skip over them when looking at people who do magic. We could never…well, remember, that they can.” Grian says quietly as he stares at the papers.

Cleo scratches her head awkwardly. “Now what do we do? Go fight them or something?”

At that moment, a note slips under the door to their office.

Several, infact. There’s four little envelopes sealed with red wax seals, each of their names written on them in fancy calligraphy. False opens the door and pokes her head out, catching a glimpse of a dark blue jacket turning the corner, a shiny purple something glittering from where it hung off a chain.

“These look like…invitations.” Ren says quietly.

Grian opens his and reads it, realizing it is in fact, an invitation. Grian clears his throat and starts reading out loud. 

“ Dear esteemed Hermitville citizen, we cordially invite you to a night of fun and partying on December 15th, at 8:00 PM, over at 12084 Hermit Road, at the house on the top of the hill. It’ll be a masquerade ball, so make sure to dress your best and have a matching mask or you won’t be let in because it’s for the themeing. See you guys there! Signed, Zlobert Xperience and Pixl Riffs .”

There’s a silence that hangs in the air after Grian finishes reading it. He turns to Cleo, who looks like she’s practically fuming. “Alright, what’s the plan? Are we going?”

She scoffs and cracks her knuckles, her brain already forming ideas.

“Oh, we’re going alright. And we’re going to kick . their. asses .”

Chapter Text

Everyone in town got the same invitation. 

And of course, since they don’t know what they know, they decide to go.

They go too, of course. Might as well entertain them.

It’s a familiar feeling, False and Grian both in their bathroom getting ready as Ren waits for them. False finishes fighting with a curling iron, finishing with her hair while Grian sits on the counter and does his makeup. 

They’re no stranger to going all out for special occasions, and this is absolutely no exception. False easily could’ve just bought a dress, and Grian could’ve easily just not decided to entirely alter his suit, but they’re extra and also incredibly petty right about now, so it’s deserved they get to go a little bit overboard. 

False’s dress has a long, poofy and flowing white skirt, with a dark red gradient on the bottom. The top is a flower patterned porcelain corset, lined with gold and small red gems. She slips on some red velvet gloves, and rushes to put on her heels. Her hair is mostly let down with two little buns at the top of her head. 

Grian has a simple suit with a gradient blue tie, with some golden and blue detailing on the lapels, sleeves and bottom of the suit. He hand stitched it himself, adding all of the little beads and glittery pieces while hunched over on his bed. His neck still hurts from it, but it’s fine, sometimes you suffer for fashion. His hair is slicked back, similarly to how he did it for Halloween, but it’s…different this time. Less for a fun costume and more of a ‘nice hot revenge’ moment. 

“Ready!” He says with a smile, setting down the makeup supplies. He hops off the counter and scrambles into the living room to find his own shoes, passing Ren as he does so. Ren also wears a suit, with similar gold detailing, lining the lapels and down the middle of his suit jacket and even some on the shoulders. There’s some purple sparkles thrown in as well that match his patterned tie, and some flowing sheer lilac fabric attached to the bottom of the jacket. His long hair is tied up in a neat bun, and there’s a cat purring in his arms.

“Well, look at you! Don’t you look fancy?” Ren says with a smile, scratching the top of Columbo’s head. Grian smiles as he puts his shoes on. “Why thank you! You’re getting cat fur all over your suit.” He points out. Ren looks down and snorts, pressing a kiss to Columbo’s little kitty forehead. “Sometimes sacrifices must be made for this sweet little precious boy.”

False rolls her eyes and sets her phone down. “He’s a little menace, that’s what he is. But we love him.” She scratches underneath his chin, the cat purring and gently biting at her fingers. “By the way, Cleo just told me she’s already on her way there. We should start leaving soon.” 

Ren puts Columbo down on the floor, the cat circling his feet as he tosses the siblings their masks. They all have an animal theme going on, False’s mask is a white cat, Grian’s is a bird, decorated with feathers, and Ren’s is a solid black wolf. “All ready?” Ren asks with a confident smile. Grian and False exchange a glance, before firmly nodding. “As we’ll ever be.”

They take Ren’s car, the air tense and anxious as they try to come up with a plan. “We can’t kill them, can we?” Grian asks quietly as he fiddles with his fingers. False leans forward from the backseat and smacks him on the shoulder. “No! That’s illegal! ” Grian shrugs defensively. “They literally killed Cleo! I think that’s pretty illegal!”

“Can we even kill Zloy? I think if we just whack Pixl on the head hard enough he’ll be easy to take care of, but like, can you kill someone that’s already dead?” Ren asks, ears twitching above his head as he thinks. False sits back and huffs, staring at the trees as they zoom past. “I guess that’s something we’re gonna have to find out. We’ll have to talk more with Cleo when we get there.”

Grian shifts awkwardly in his seat, almost like his suit is uncomfortable. “I’m nervous. A little bit scared.” Ren gives him a small glance, patting him on the shoulder gently. “We’ll be fine. I believe in our abilities, and besides, you two are much more skilled magically than you were 7 months ago.” Grian sighs, pressing his forehead up against the glass of the window. “I don’t know, I just have a feeling someone’s gonna die tonight or something.” 

False scoots forward and rests her chin on the shoulder of Grian’s car seat. “We just have to make sure that that someone isn’t one of us.” 

The rest of the ride is quiet, they’re all too equally nervous to say anything.

“Jesus fuck, why is their house so big .”

They all stand at the bottom of a large staircase, gawking at the house that sprawls across the grass above the hill. “This is a mansion. They moved to a mansion.” Grian says in disbelief. False snorts, shoving her hands into the pockets of her dress. “Some fuckin’ small place out of town this is.”

“Do we just…go in?” Ren asks quietly. 

“I think so.” Grian responds. 

False takes a deep breath and hands both of them their masks, sliding them on in unison. “Alright. We can do this. Let’s go.”

They walk up the staircase, feeling that familiar sensation of being watched. They look around and see no one there, just them, the moon and the stars. No doubt Pixl and Zloy see them right now. They stop outside the large door, probably twice their size, and Ren goes to knock but the doors swing open on their own, inviting them in.

“Oh I don’t trust this at all .” Ren murmurs under his breath. False confidently walks in, leading them down the long entrance hallway. There’s paintings on the walls that eyes seem to follow them, never giving them a moment to breathe and making them always feel like they're under a sharp gaze. 

False swears she sees a statue blink. She walks even faster.

At the end of the doorway there’s a big door, leading down another staircase which leads to what looks like a ballroom, filled with people from town. Everyone might be dressed all fancy and masked, but they quickly pick out who’s who. Stress immediately notices when they walk in, gasping excitedly and running up to them. Her mask is a big asymmetrical butterfly, wearing a beautiful purple dress with puffy sleeves and matching purple heels with butterflies on them.

“Hey! You’re here! Took you long enough!” She says with a grin, fussing over all of them. “Uh…fashionably late?” Grian says awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. Stress twirls him around and laughs. “You can say that again! God, you all look amazing! False, you literally look like a princess, you’re just missing the crown!”

False blushes and makes an embarrassed, flustered noise. “W—T-Thank you! What about you? You’re like a fairy!” Stress also makes an embarrassed noise and does a little twirl, the skirt of her dress swooshing around. “You really think so? I thought I looked more like a weird bridesmaid or something. But, that’s not the point! Come on, we’ve been waiting for you three!” She grabs Ren by the wrist and starts dragging him down the stairs, the two siblings reluctantly following. 

They quickly spot their friends as Stress runs over, leading them to a small table where they’re sitting. “Oh, hey! You made it!” Mumbo says cheerfully, pushing his dragon mask up his face to smile at them. Iskall waves happily, bouncing his leg up and down. “Better late than never, right?”

“Are we really that late?” Grian asks as he sits down. Ren glances at his watch. “By 30 minutes. I guess that’s late.”

“I’m also very impatient and it felt more like 30 years.” Stress says defensively, tapping her hands on the table. Grian looks around at the ballroom, at all the people and tables set up around the walls. He can easily spot Team ZIT, wearing their old phantom thief masks and goofing off with some other friends. He sees X and EX, bickering about something, EX saw the masquerade theme and decided ‘Yeah a gas mask will work’ and threw on a blazer over a shirt. Gotta respect that. 

“Oh my god, there’s cake. False there’s cake.” He whispers, tugging on her arm repeatedly. False lightly smacks him on the arm. “No. It’s probably poisoned or something.”

“But False , it’s strawberry shortcake— ” He starts whining, but Stress interjects before he can continue.

“Wait, why would the food be poisoned?”

Ren quietly slaps his hand over his mouth. “W…We never told them, did we?”

Mumbo exchanges a concerned glance with Iskall and Stress. “Told us what?”

False sighs heavily as she claps her hands together, scooting her chair closer to them. “Okay, you know what, you guys go find Cleo, I’ll do my best to explain everything to them.” Ren and Grian nod in unison, and both scurry off to go find Cleo in the sea of people.

“She shouldn’t be too hard to find, right?” Grian asks as he grabs Ren’s arm so he doesn’t lose him. “Well, her hair is easy to find. We can probably look for that. Do we know what she’s wearing?” 

“Uh….nope!”  

“Alright! Let’s just…hope we find her quickly!”

They weave through the crowd, getting distracted by people stopping to talk to them, but they finally manage to find Cleo chatting with some other friends from town. Her bright hair is tied up in a braid with flowers in her hair, a gold trimmed jacket with a skirt layered underneath and knee high boots. Her mask is something ala Phantom of the Opera, but it’s half of a skull with patterns engraved on it. She looks ready for some stylish murder.

“Hey Cleo!” Grian yells, waving excitedly and hopping up and down. She turns and smiles, excusing herself from the conversation she’s having and jogging over. “Hello! Glad you’re here.” She says with a grin, setting down the glass she’s holding on a nearby table. 

“Hey! God, what is it with everyone tonight and just looking incredible?” Ren says excitedly, giving a respectful nod. Cleo rolls her eyes and grins. “Pshhh, shush. I just thought ‘I’m dead! I should get to treat myself to something nice’ so I bought this for tonight! I’m getting off topic—where’s False?”

“She sent us to find you! She’s uh, kinda catching up Stress, Mumbo and Iskall on the whole… everything thing.” Grian says cheerfully. Ren laughs awkwardly and scratches the back of his neck. “We were going to but we….”

“Forgot?” Cleo finishes for him. 

“Yeah….”

“I figured. Well, lead the way!”

Grian gives a little salute and takes off, running back towards where they left their friends, Ren and Cleo in tow. They return to their table, doing that one Will Smith gesturing pose towards Cleo when they get there. 

They immediately huddle together, pushing all of their chairs in and leaning in close. “False filled us in. What’s the plan?” Stress whispers. Cleo shrugs, making a face and tapping her nails on the table. “I don’t really know . Some fort of confrontation is needed, duh, but we have to time it .”

Grian raises his hand smally. “Aren’t there speeches at events like these typically? Like, in movies and stuff.” Bbh

“We don’t exactly live in a movie, Grian.” False snorts, leaning back in her chair. 

“False, I want you to look back at everything that’s happened to us over this past year, then look me in the eyes and tell me that a dramatic speech like a movie is not plausible.”

“…Alright, fair enough. If there’s a speech we interrupt it?”

“Have any of you even seen them? Are they even here ?” Cleo asks the table. Ren takes a sip from a wine glass he managed to pick up. “They fuckin’ better be. Ever since I got here I can feel eyes staring directly at my soul and I don’t know where it’s coming from.” Iskall tugs at the watch he’s wearing. “I could’ve sworn that I saw them earlier. They’re definitely here, I think.”