Mumbo was bored, to say the least. All the pebbles he had on his cell floor were now in the corridor, stuck there once they wouldn't bounce back into his reach.
And with the guards around? He didn't dare show off that he could touch the enchanted iron just to reach his pebbles.

So he fidgeted with his tie, undoing and redoing it in fancy patterns, racing himself to see just how fast he could make a decent knot. And when he grew bored of that, he hummed meaningless tunes to himself, only to be told off by a guard once the 2nd hour passed and he was still humming.

Mumbo pouted, sighing dramatically as he began to undo and redo the buttons on his suit jacket, though one of them must have been lose and it popped off easily. He stuck the button in his pocket and decided to keep the rest of his jacket fastened, lest anymore fall off.

God, who knew prison was so boring. How long had be been there? 3 hours? 4? It felt like forever.

"Dust."

Mumbo perked up from his oh so elegant position on the floor, splayed out like a starfish as he stared up at the ceiling.
"Hmm?"

"Red made a deal for your safety." Thorn spoke softly, his voice deceptively gentle and kind as if trying to hide the horrors he committed.

The words should have been relief- Grian was alive and went out of his way to protect Mumbo. But he couldn't help but wonder what exactly the deal was. And if Thorn was as predictable as Mumbo thought he was, he wasn't getting any details about what Grians deal was.

"If I remember correctly, you enjoy to invent things, yes?"

Mumbo nodded. "Yeah but why do you ask?"

"Would you like to get out of this cage as well as work alongside Red?"

"What's the catch?" The redstoner frowned, sitting up properly now and crossing his arms as he stared down the king.

"There is none. You work alongside Red on a team of researchers and inventors to find a way to get more magic into this world- preferably a reliable source- and once the pair of you are done, I let you go." Thorn said simply.

"Why don't I believe you."

"We had a bad first impression." Thorn lamented.
"I only want to save my people. If the magic disappears from this world, everything you see will fall apart." He explained, "I need the pair of you more than I care to admit. I always did notice how often Red turned to you for ideas. I think you could help immensely and speed up Red's progress."

"May I speak with Red before I decide?"

"You will have to wait until he has a free moment, but yes. I will allow you to speak with him. Until then, you remain here."

Well. What was a few more hours?

~~~~

Scar did not expect this many people to come the hundreds of miles just to hear an explanation.
But as the faces of nearly every hermit stared back at him, he figured he should explain why they were having a meeting in quite possibly the worst meeting room ever.

To fit everyone comfortably, they had to move to the roof for goodness sake. Their meeting room didn't have a roof or 4 walls, much less a table and chairs for everyone to relax in.

"Right. Umm. You're probably wondering why I asked you to come." Scar started, his anxiety clear as he fumbled for words. Thankfully, everyone was patient with him and they stayed silent.
"I didn't want to explain everything but I think Grian needs help.
"See- about a month ago, I accidentally discovered a secret that Grian didn't want us to know- which is why I haven't told anyone until now. But he needs help and I can't explain how I know that he does, but he needs help."

"That's great and all, but where is Grian? Why not call the meeting in the shopping district? It's definitely an easier location." False chimed in, the diamond blade at her hip terrifyingly sharp.

Scar swallowed a gulp as he eyed the sword and False (not so helpfully) rest her hand on the pommel.
"Because he's not in this realm anymore. There's a faerie ring on the jungle floor that I think is our way to Grian. Unfortunately, it kills any living thing that steps inside, which is why we're standing on Grians roof. Mumbo's base is over there." The wizard pointed to the other hanging house, not as elaborately decorated and full of little redstone gizmos.
"I don't think Mumbos here anymore either."

Doc spoke up. Something seemed off about the cyborg, but now wasn't the time to focus on it. "What does this have to do with Grians secret?"

"Grian is fae. I think he either ran away or found himself back in his old world. And I don't think that his world is doing too good if a faerie ring to that world is killing everything it touches."