Chapter Text
Team Snakemouth sat on worn furniture, completely silent, as Hornet and Quirrel shouted at one another in the kitchen.
Hornet had started to make a very loud fuss almost immediately after stepping foot inside, but Quirrel had demanded they move to the kitchen in what was no doubt an honorable attempt at being quiet.
It wasn't working. And now it was awkward.
After a particularly loud outburst from Hornet, Leif turned to his team. "She speaks as if she's seen us before."
"Technically, she did?" Kabbu replied, sounding sheepish. "You were unconscious, and she thought we were grave robbers. I managed to talk her down...at least I thought."
It's not our fault! We didn't know this was her house!" Vi shot back, whispering so Hornet and Quirrel didn't hear. "We are completely innocent!"
Leif scoffed. "For once." Turning to Kabbu, he added, "You know, we know an easy way to cool her down, if you catch our drift." As if to demonstrate, Leif summoned a small floating ball of ice.
Kabbu shook his head. "No no no no no. Leif, no. This is the closest thing we have to a Queen here, we must treat her with respect!"
"She started it!" Vi cried, not bothering to keep quiet this time around.
“Try flipping the script. If strange bugs wearing masks appeared in the ant kingdom, what would have happened?”
Vi huffed and pouted, already knowing the answer. “...Elizant would send guards.”
“We suppose she’s only being cautious-” Leif agreed, pausing as the shouting grew louder.
“WHAT IF THEY HURT YOU?! WHAT IF THEY WERE LYING IN WAIT-”
“Are you implying I can’t defend myself?! I might be old, but I am not decrepit! Calm! Down!”
“...still, there’s being cautious, and then there’s being delusional.”
Bursting through the kitchen door, Hornet stormed into the living room. Quirrel followed close behind. “Miss Hornet, I believe you’re letting your paranoia cloud your judgment! I’ve been talking with these three for at least an hour! They’re intelligent, rational bugs who don’t deserve your negative attitude!”
“My paranoia has kept us safe! ” Hornet shot back, completely ignoring Team Snakemouth. It was if she didn’t even register their presence, or didn’t care if they heard. “So forgive me if I’m upset that three strange bugs are in my house!”
Team Snakemouth looked at one another, unsure if they should interrupt.
Finally, she acknowledged their presence. Turning around, she glared at the three bugs currently sitting on her furniture. Pointing a claw at Vi, she demanded, “You. Name.”
“Vi?”
Pointing at Kabbu now, “You. Name.”
“K-Kabbu. I am so sorry for-”
She didn’t let him finish, pointing at Leif. “You. Name.”
“Leif. Are you going to let us-”
“Get out of my house.”
“Miss Hornet!” shouted Quirrel, attempting to pull her off to the side. “You are being unkind, unwelcoming, unforgiving, and many other things that begin with ‘un’! You’re going to toss these injured bugs back into the Wastes?”
“If need be.”
“I-If I may!” Kabbu stood, approaching the two. Hornet stepped back, hand on her weapon’s handle. “Please, we’re very very sorry for entering your home, we were unaware of the fact. I spoke the truth when we fought earlier. We mean no harm to you or your town. Or your Kingdom.”
Hornet sucked in a breath, whirling around to Quirrel with a guttural hiss. “How much did you tell them?!”
“Only the basics.”
Turning back to Kabbu, Hornet continued to spit metaphorical flames. “Hallownest is not my Kingdom. Hallownest is a decayed corpse , do you understand? Intruders aren’t welcome.”
“I-I apologize! I-I wasn’t aware-” Kabbu was stumbling over himself to be apologetic, wringing his hands and keeping his gaze firmly at the floor.
Leif stood, subtly placing himself in between the two. “Hornet, was it? It’s our turn to plead our case.”
“This is not a discussion-”
“It is now.” Leif insisted, his tone blunt and frigid. “You seem intent on making many assumptions about us and our intentions, but have no plans on talking to us directly to get the full story. Instead of threats and demands, why don’t we have a calm, rational conversation?”
Hornet, taken off-guard by his blunt tone, was silent.
“Right. We’ll assume that is a yes.” Leif gestured to Kabbu and Vi. “We are Team Snakemouth, a trio of explorers and travelers. We mean no harm, we only wished for a place to stay and patch up our wounds. We understand the need to be wary, especially if you do encounter bandits and thieves and graverobbers, but acting this aggressively to bugs you’ve never met...what do you hope to gain here?”
Even Quirrel seemed surprised by Leif’s boldness. Hornet was silent for only a moment more, before responding, her tone dangerously soft. “I don’t like you. Either of you three, but especially you.”
Turning to Quirrel, she hissed, “You gave them Lifeblood. Their wounds should heal within two days. Get them out of my house.” Before Quirrel or anyone else could object, she stormed out of the house, slamming the front door behind her.
Vi was the first to speak. "...yikes."
Sighing and rubbing his temples, Quirrel said, "I know Miss Hornet can be quite... difficult."
"We would have used ‘intense’ ." Leif muttered under his breath.
"She's usually not like this, I promise! She just...she's very distrusting of strangers."
"I can understand." Kabbu nodded. "Even if we are at the brunt of her distrust, I can understand her stance. We are strangers in her house, after all."
"Are you gonna kick us out?" Vi asked, wiggling deeper into the chair she was sitting on.
Quirrel hummed in thought. "Well….she didn't say anything about letting you three back inside … How about a tour around the Kingdom?”
“You want us to climb down a gross, old well?” Vi asked, peering down the stone structure.
Quirrel chuckled, “It used to be a well! But the bottom fell out, and there’s more space down there, and so Dirtmouth just sort of...extended down!”
“You’re still going to make us climb though.”
“Well...yes.”
Kabbu hoisted Vi onto his shoulders and began scaling down the well. “Are there more bugs down here?” he asked. “The upper levels of Dirtmouth seemed a bit...empty.”
“Hm...slightly! Most of the merchants live down here.” Quirrel replied, starting to clamber down as well.
Leif hesitated at the top of the well. He flicked bits of ice from his fingers, considering his options. He could float down using his magic, but perhaps that piece of info should be tucked away for now.
“Kabbu? If we jump down, can you catch us?” he shouted down the well, already stepping over the short, rock wall.
Kabbu set Vi down, looking back up. “Uuuh, I believe so! Let’s do it on the count of 3-”
Leif jumped down, landing on Kabbu’s back, causing the two to crumple to the floor. “...good catch, Kabbu.” Leif deadpanned.
“You should have given me a heads up!” Kabbu groaned, pushing Leif off.
“We did. We asked if you could catch us.”
Vi started looking around, seeing all the merchant booths set up, selling different wares. “Cooool, it’s like the tavern mixed with the Ant Plaza! I wonder what badges you guys sell down here…”
As she turned back to her team, Vi was spooked when she instead came face to mask with a little bug with black eyes staring right at her. It had a white face, two horns, and a grey cloak wrapped around its form.
“Whoa! Whoa whoa, you can’t just sneak up on people like that!” Vi shouted at the little bug.
The little bug with dark eyes was eerily silent, its large head lolling onto its shoulder. Vi Mimicked them with a frown, antennae twitching. “What’sa matter? Weevil got your tongue?”
“Ah!” Quirrel chimed in as he helped Leif to his feet. “That is Ghost! They’re mute.”
“Mute?” Vi echoed, poking Ghost’s head.
Kabbu bent down to be closer to Ghost’s level. “Small little thing! How old are they? Where are their parents?”
Quirrel made an awkward noise. “Well, uh! See, we...don’t actually know! Their age, their parents, all of that is a bit of a mystery! They seem to be at a very young age though, and we’ve just accepted it.”
"We can keep them." Leif assured him, patting Ghost on the head.
Ghost swatted Leif's hand away, darting to hide behind Quirrel.
"Hm, no, I don't think they'd like that." Quirrel chuckled. "And their sister-"
Ghost tugged on Quirrel's arm, pointing to Team Snakemouth. "Oh, right! Ghost, this is Vi, Kabbu, and Leif!"
Little Ghost reached for their back, beginning to unsheathe a sharpened blade. Quirrel placed a hand on their head. “No, no need for that. We had enough of that from Hornet.”
Ghost sheathed their blade.
“Want to join us? I’m going to show our new guests around the Crossroads!”
Ghost hopped up and down, grabbing Vi’s hand and beginning to drag her along. “W-Where are they taking me?” Vi asked, sounding a touch concerned. She dug in her heels, trying to slow them down.
“They probably want to show you their friends!” Quirrel chuckled, following close behind. “They’re very excitable, and they don’t have many friends their age...ish.”
“Cute!” Kabbu cooed. “I babysit bugs their age, they can be very energetic! Shame about having no peers, are there no other kids here?”
“Not really, no.”
“Hey Ghost, show me where to buy some souvenirs!” Vi demanded, easing on dragging her feet.
“And something to eat,” Leif added. “No doubt, we missed dinner back home.”
Quirrel stopped, reaching around his bag. “Not to worry, I have some jerky. Is Tiktik alright? That's all I have right now.”
Leif, not one to turn down free food, nodded. “I’ve never heard of Tiktik Jerky before, what is it?”
Quirrel handed him the dried meat. “Oh, nothing special! Tiktik is a local creature around here, Hornet catches it and dries it-”
About to take a bite, Leif frowned. “Wait. Catch?”
“What type of plant do you catch?” asked Kabbu.
Quirrel was confused. “Plant? No, Tiktik is an animal! As in meat.”
Leif dropped the jerky as if it burned his shell. “Meat?!”
“As in DEAD BUG?” Vi shouted, pulling away from Ghost. “YOU EAT BUGS?”
“Oh dear, do you not?” Quirrel asked, sounding both apologetic and curious. “I didn’t know you were vegetarians!”
Kabbu cleared his throat, speaking in a hushed tone, “Eating meat is very taboo where we’re from!”
“Is it? Interesting! Meat is a staple food here. If not for our omnivorous natures, we would have surely starved.” Quirrel explained. “Many bugs here are omnivores but may lean towards carnivorous or herbivorous tendencies. Hornet, for example, is very carnivorous!”
“So she was gonna eat us.” Vi said, horrified.
Quirrel shook his head. “No, she wouldn’t have.”
“No, we agree with Vi on this one.”
“No. She wouldn’t have.” Quirrel reiterated. Then, he sighed. “I apologize for making you three uncomfortable. Later, when we make dinner, we won’t use any meat.”
Eager to move on, Kabbu nodded, “Yes, thank you! I-It’s very appreciated.”
Ghost grabbed Vi’s hand, once again trying to pull her along. When she pulled away, Ghost continued to eagerly hop around her, occasionally fluttering white wings. “W-What are they doing?”
“They want to show you something.” Quirrel translated.
“They must be so excited for a new friend!” Kabbu practically squeaked. “Vi you made a friend!”
Ghost hopped over to Kabbu, tugging on his clawed fingers. “They’re so light!...and cold. Are they usually this cold?”
“Yes.”
Kabbu shrugged it off, picking up Little Ghost and placing them on his shoulders.
The merchants gave Team Snakemouth a curious, if a bit wary, of a stare. They all had masks or a hood to cover their faces.
A smaller merchant waved them over. “H-Hi Ghost, hi Quirrel!” She was small, a little bit taller than Ghost, with a round body and white mask. “Who are those s-strangers?”
“OK. If we can’t take Ghost home, can we take her?” Leif asked.
“W-What?”
“Myla, this is Team Snakemouth! An exploration team that happened to stumble into our little town, they’ll be staying with us for a few days.” Quirrel began the introductions. “Myla, this is Vi, Kabbu, and Leif. Everyone, this is Myla!”
Ghost hopped off Kabbu’s shoulders, ran around to the back of the stand, and all-but tackled Myla in a hug.
Vi peered at the counter and the wares placed on it. “These are some beautiful crystals! I’ve never seen purple ones! Blue and yellow ones, but never purple!”
Leif picked up a smaller crystal, carved into intricate shapes. “Indeed. Where do you find these?”
“I-I mine them! In the peaks! A-And then I carve them.” Myla answered, sounding proud.
Vi reached into her ruff of fur, setting down berries on the table. “Alright! How much? I’m buyin’!”
Myla and Quirrel stared at the berries on the table. “...Erm…” Myla reached forward, picking up a smaller berry. “T-Thanks?” She placed the berry underneath her mask, where it vanished from sight. “I-It’s a bit bitter, but not bad!”
Now it was Team Snakemouth’s turn to stare. “Vi, I don’t think they use Berries as currency here.” Kabbu whispered to a horrified Vi.
“You use food as a form of currency?” Quirrel asked, incredulous. “That seems like a terrible thing to use, berries rot. ”
Myla counted the berries, taking a small pile for herself. Then, she gently pushed a smaller, carved crystal forward. “L-Let’s call it even. Here you are! T-Thank you for your p-patronage!”
Vi was silent, mortified at the thought of eating money. Still, she took the crystal, tucking it - and the remaining berries - away into her ruff. “N-No problem.”
Quirrel coughed, then nervously chuckled. “Let’s move on with the tour. Myla, do you care to join us?”
Myla set up a sign on her table in a language Team Snakemouth couldn’t read. “I-I could take 15 minutes!”
Hornet felt like she was moments away from blowing a blood vessel. She had left Quirrel and the three nuisances in an attempt to cool down, but the more she thought about it, the more enraged she became.
She didn’t want strange, potentially dangerous bugs in her home, why was that so hard for Quirrel to understand?
She was the Protector of Dirtmouth and Hallownest, not a goddamn dinner hostess.
Traveling through the Fungal Wastes in order to sulk in Deepnest, she stopped, seeing familiar bugs pacing around the mushroom-strewn lands.
Landing behind them, she gave a curt greeting. “Tiso, Cloth. I was under the impression you were hunting-”
Tiso spun around, almost stumbling over his own two feet. "You have GOT to stop sneaking up on us like that! You're so quiet-"
"I've grown to accept it, Hornet is just super quiet when moving." Cloth shrugged. "Still a bit startling, Hornet."
Hornet rolled her eyes. "Right. What are you two doing here? I thought you two were hunting?"
"We were ." Cloth gave Tiso a pointed glare. "But someone wanted Garpede meat."
Tiso groaned, "Oh great, here we go."
"So Tiso had the brilliant idea of luring a Garpede out of Deepnest and into the Fungal Wastes, where we proceeded to lose it-"
"MY PLAN WOULD HAVE WORKED IF YOU HAD DONE AS I SAID!" Tiso snarled, wildly gesturing with both hands.
Hornet felt a headache beginning to bloom. She put pressure on the bridge between her eyes. "Let me make sure I have this correct; there is a Garpede . Loose in the Fungal Wastes?"
"Yuuup." Cloth drawled.
Sighing, Hornet replied, "Look, I don't have the time nor capacity to care for this. Garpedes tend to wander, I'm sure it'll find its way back to its nest."
"You...alright?" Asked Tiso, tilting his head slightly. "You seem tense. More than usual."
"...no." Hornet answered after a moment of hesitation. "Outsiders came to Dirtmouth, and Quirrel had the bright idea of inviting them into our home."
Cloth and Tiso winced. “Oh no, you must’ve hated that,” said Cloth, trying to sound reassuring. “I know you don’t like outsiders, did they seem dangerous?”
Hornet glared at the floor as she recalled. “They were injured, but I’ve seen dozens of bugs try to enter Hallownest. I knew that they were capable fighters at best, thieves at worst.”
“Did they fight you?! Did you get hurt?” Cloth nudged Hornet’s face, tilting it to get a better look at any possible injuries.
“That’s the thing!” Hornet hissed, making no attempt to stop her. She knew Cloth was just worried. “They didn’t fight back! They made no attempt to even defend themselves!”
“...so you attacked innocent bugs that didn’t fight back.” Tiso echoed.
Hornet hissed at him. “They could have been deceitful! Pretending to be injured to lower my guard! Spouting nonsense about surface worlds and other kingdoms-”
“Whoa, wait, hold on.” Cloth stopped her, sharing a look with Tiso. “The ‘surface world’ isn’t nonsense, it exists. I've never visited it personally, but it exists. And there’s lots of other kingdoms! Lots and lots! Some underground, some above ground!”
“Above? Ground?” Hornet’s headache was in full swing. “No. No no no, other kingdoms cannot exist. Anything past the wastes will wipe a bug’s mind, making civilization impossible! That was what I was told!”
Cloth put a hand on Hornet's shoulder. "Hornet. Where do you think me and Tiso came from?"
Hornet started to answer, but whatever explanation she had died in her throat. She had never given it too much thought before.
"Yeah, there's tons of other kingdoms and just, groups of bugs." Tiso agreed, arms crossed over his chest. "I came from an ant colony. Hated it. Left looking for adventure and glory and for screaming, adoring crowds-"
"Back to the point." Cloth said, deadpan.
"Right, right. I hated my old colony, so I left, and I found Hallownest! Hallownest is way, way underground, Hornet."
Cloth nodded. "And I came from the South, far far from here. There are lots of kingdoms and bugs that live everywhere! It's just... Hallownest is...well-"
"Hallownest is kind of a shithole, sorry Princess." Tiso shrugged.
"Sounds like you owe our new guests an apology!" Chirped Cloth. "Because it doesn't sound like they're bad bugs, and they weren't lying about where they came from."
Hornet didn't answer.
Tiso sighed. "You're not going to apologize, are you?"
Hornet still didn’t answer, folding her arms over her chest and huffing like a child being forced to apologize. “Why should I apologize to them? They’re going to die in Hallownest regardless, I’m not going to apologize to a corpse, why apologize to them now?”
“Wow.” Cloth said, disappointed. “Well, you better start being nicer, can you at least do that?”
Grumbling under her breath, Hornet begrudgingly replied, “I will no longer be actively hostile to them. Happy now?”
Sounding smug, Cloth answered, “Yes. Yes I am.” she picked up her club, swinging it onto her shoulder. “C’mon, let’s rustle up some dinner.”