I almost made myself cry when I edited this-

Okay, but really this has been one of my favorite chapters I've written recently. 

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It was a beautiful day, as it always was in the Downside Up. Xelqua found himself at one of the fountains, abandoning his sandals beside him so he could put his feet in. He couldn't quite remember how it usually felt, but this time it was just the perfect temperature, cooling him off a bit but not too much.

"Enjoying the water?" A voice behind him asked. Before he could turn around to see who it was, the Watcher had already taken off his own shoes and sat beside him, also testing the waters. It was none other than Miesall.

Suddenly, this picture didn't make sense. As much as the creature smiled, Xel's heart felt as though it was being ripped out. "Miesall!" He exclaimed, embracing his friend. The creature's shoulders tensed up and his wings fluffed.

"X-Xel!!" The flushing male exclaimed, wiggling out of his grip. "Do not show such indecencies here! Have some self control or you will surely be..!"

Grian could only laugh at himself, releasing his friend fully. "Never change, Miel." He grinned, unoffended. With that, the two of them grew into a comfortable silence, as they often had.

It was Miesall who broke the silence some time later. "You know... we will always be together. No matter how far apart we are."

"But, we have to stay here together?" Xel asked, tilting his head slightly. He searched Miesall's half hidden face, finding his expression to be unreadable.

"Look at me, Xelqua. Grian." The Watcher said, looking directly at the other as he squeezed his hand. "In the future, you will come to face many trials. They will be... difficult for you. You will lose your way, you will not know which way to go. You will forget, you will think that you are alone." He explained, bringing Xel's hand up to his face almost as though he was going to kiss it. His gaze lowered to it as he cradled the hand in both of his own, signing onto it.

"Miesall, what are you...?" Xel began to ask, but he only continued.

"I want you to remember— promise me you'll remember, you are not alone. You will never be alone." The Watcher insisted, his gaze almost piercing. He paused before continuing, his voice less urgent now. "Here, I want you to have something." He let go of Grian's hand, stepping back. Out of his own body he pulled a purple crystal, holding it in his hands. His body grew ever so slightly transparent in the light of the glowing crystal. Using his magic, he created a thin line of flexible obsidian, using it as rope to thread through the crystal. He tied the ends together with his telekinesis before flying it up and over Xel's head.

"What is this...?" The once and future human asked, holding the crystal in his palm. He felt tears begin to prick his eyes. "Miesall, what are you talking about? We're— we're always together. We can never leave this place..." but a place deep in his heart understood this was not the case, even though his mind didn't.

Miesall gave a slightly lopsided, sad little smile. It was so uncharacteristic of him to show such emotion so blatantly right on his face. He hesitated before leaning closer, moving to put his hand behind Xel's earwings, cusping it like a precious flower. "Dearest Sunshine... I know— I know you do not want to remember right now. But..." he shook his head. He couldn't bear to tell his friend that this was only a dream, an illusion of wants and desires. "Please, promise me that you'll wear this necklace. Whenever you feel it on your chest, or see it with your two human eyes, you'll remember me. You will remember that you are not alone. No matter what fate may befall us in the future."

"I— I will—" Grian began confusingly, and that was the moment that he awoke from his dream. Opening his eyes, he had realized that it was his own voice that had woken him up. He hesitated before slowly managing to sit himself up, blinking back the tears that were in his eyes. It took him a few moments to get his bearings, to remind himself how he got here.

Suddenly remembering that the crystal was not from a dream, he rummaged through his inventory before taking it out to inspect. He had nearly forgotten about it, the last piece of his friend he had. Tears appeared all over again as he clutched it, holding it to his chest tightly. "I promise I'll remember you." He whispered with a watery gasp. Pain mixed with the feeling of love, his heart warmed but broken nonetheless.

He couldn't help but feel almost as though Miesall himself really had been there, talking to him. Whether a dream or not, it gave him a small bit of comfort thinking of it in such a way. "I miss you..." he admitted to the air, signing against the crystal, to no one at all because he was alone. He couldn't help the tears that slipped down his cheek even as he tried to swipe them away.

He clung even tighter with his other hand to his one little beam of hope, the one that served as a reminder of dream Miesall's words. He wasn't alone, even though he felt like it. His friend was watching down from... somewhere. He wasn't sure where. Regardless, he was watching.

He froze as he heard noise from the hallway. His heart skipped a beat; was it Mumbo Jumbo? Or perhaps someone else? He stared at the wall expectantly, his heartbeat quickening, pounding on his rib cage. As he realized it really could be anyone, he dashed into the corner most hidden from the false wall. He stuffed the crystal in his pocket again for safekeeping. He pressed his ear against the wall, closing his eyes.

Two voices he heard. Jumbo's, he thought, and another. It was hard to listen, even with his efforts the voices were muffled to the point they were hardly distinguishable.

His breath began to escape him again, his throat tightening. His legs began to shake and he began to feel light headed. He had to place his hand on the wall to steady himself as he realized that any moment now, they could walk in and see him. He needed to think, and fast.

The answer came to him a few moments later as the voices grew louder. He was certain now that one had to be Jumbo Mumbo. The other belonged to another male, one with a silky smooth voice that was almost tauntingly calm.

"Just checked... sleeping..."

"We'll just... back later..."

Yes, the answer was obvious, though it disgusted him just thinking about it. His wings moved on his back, almost as if to point out this dreaded solution even more. He only sighed.

Gathering what little magic energy that emitted from him despite his power draining wraps, he focused as much as he could. It took him a minute, but he has finally able to do it; to open two of his Watcher eyes. It nearly nauseated him at first as tried to readjust for it, but he moved them to get a better angle anyway.

Standing there was Mumbo, dressed as he always seemed to in his black suit and tie. Beside him was a man in a wheelchair and a not-quite-so-fancy getup: a brown explorer's outfit with what looked to be a fedora. The poor man was decorated in scars; he must have been in a terrible accident the blonde figured. When he caught a glimpse of his eyes though, he froze. Such bright shining emeralds... he knew he had seen them from somewhere.

Was this man important, he wondered. He had seen countless humans; it would be weird if he could recognize one otherwise. But then all at once, it clicked. He couldn't help but fall over in shock, crashing to the ground. That was the Convex! What was the Convex doing here?! His body screamed out in pain, but even so he barely felt it, as if he had gotten hurt in a dream. What he did feel instead was the way his lungs seemed to freeze up. They wouldn't pump air, he forgot how to breathe, and as his oxygen began to lessen. This only caused him to panic more, trying and failing to remember.

One block of the false wall broke away. It was all Grian could stare, his mind going completely blank. Along with breathing, he had forgotten how to move; how to think and act. How was he even supposed to act in front of (what was essentially) his god child?

"Grian?" Mumbo asked as he broke the second block. He came rushing in, gasping as he saw the winged man half against the wall, his feathers scuffed up against it, one wing half open and the other shut. His elbow was up against the wall and the rest of him was sprawled out. He had clearly fallen, and the long gaze he had told why. "Oh Grian! We didn't mean to scare you mate!" He exclaimed, beginning to feel terrible. "I— I just checked on you a few minutes ago and you were asleep!"

This hadn't been how this was supposed to go at all! "We— I— was going to ask you if you wanted to meet someone! I didn't mean to scare you!" And by ask, it would have involved pushing him to, and although that still likely would have made him panic a bit, he had hoped it wouldn't be this bad.

"I won't bite, I promise." The silky voice said from the other side of the wall. Yes, that made sense— the Convex had to be marketable to people, good with his words. The man hesitated before peaking his head in. "I know that you're scared, but it's okay. I'm not going to get you banned or anything. Promise." He grinned.

Grian found that he was still frozen, unable to speak. His heart had been beating  wildly, but he found that it slowed just a bit at the reassurance. There was a way that the human's words had a calming effect on him, it would seem. "But— you're—"

The man chuckled, making sure to do so quietly as to not startle the panicking Brit. He slowly moved himself fully in the room. "A man with a secret." He winked, holding a finger to his lips. Grian couldn't help but wonder if he knew somehow that he had saved him. The thought was enough to choke him, but the cursed former child dispersed his fears once again. "You probably have your own secrets, don't you? Well, you're in luck— all of us here on this server are running from something. So please, don't worry. We would all see would ourselves in you. We know how it feels."

His words were enough to make Grian pause. He took a few moments, trying to steady his breathing as he sat up. He found himself looking at Mumbo, seeing as he already knew the other's. "You... have your own secrets?" He asked, to which Mumbo nodded.

"Some of us have opened up about our pasts after awhile, but each of us were in your position not too long ago." Mumbo explained. Admittedly, most of them— all of them, maybe— weren't as scared as Grian was, but that didn't matter.

"We have a code among us— a sort of creed. We keep each others secrets if we know them, but we don't have to tell ours, either. If we say 'Hermit code,' the topic is off limits. No questions asked." Scar explained.

It was all Grian could do to stare. How could a place such as this exist? His subconscious ate at him, telling him it was too good to be true. Humans had the capacity to lie, so surely this must be one. His chest tightened at the thought, but then another part of his brain made itself known. Maybe it was illogical, he wasn't sure anymore, but it wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, this place could be just as wonderful as he dreamed it could be. To determine which part of him to listen to, he asked a simple question when he remembered how to open his mouth: "Is... that why the fire wall...?"

Scar only nodded, smirking in a way Grian recognized from the Convex's childhood. "Yes. We all need protection." He explained. "Lest our demons find us and hunt us down."

Grian still was quite unsure, but he desperately wanted to believe these two. His body still trembled with anxious thoughts, but he could breathe. He could move. He would be okay... probably. Hopefully. The other two seemed to sense this, seeing as the wheelchair user's smirk smoothed into a smile.

"I almost forgot! I got you something!" He exclaimed. He dug around in his inventory for a few moments before taking out a pan full of cake. "I made it to welcome you here! I hope you vanilla." The man chuckled to himself. He had always loved cake, it was half of what he ate as a child. Grian knew this so.

For one reason or another, the little angel felt tears prick his eyes all over again. Why was it that he seemed to cry so easily now? He wasn't even sad... was he? Admittedly, he had no idea what he was feeling anymore. He quickly wiped at his tears, his face growing a slight pink in embarrassment. "But... why?" He asked, trying to steady his breathing so his voice would come out clear.

"Well, I figured when I first arrived, this all that I wanted." Scar admitted, still holding the cake. His words were so simple, so innocent and even selfish that Grian couldn't help but to giggle. Of course, he had known this man his whole life; he may not have heard him speak before but this seemed to be just like him. All grown now, but he could see the child within. 

"All you wanted was a cake?" He asked, finding an edge of what almost felt like teasing. Was he teasing? He sure sounded like it. Ryan (did he still go by that if he was in hiding?) reciprocated it, humming a laugh.

"For the most part, yes. And hugs! Hugs are also nice to have." He replied. A part of Grian longed for that too, his heart almost hurting at the thought. At the same time though, he wasn't so sure he desired one from these acquaintances. 

"Right." He smiled a bit weakly. Trying to shake to feeling of sadness, of longing for those who had passed -- the people he would really want a hug from. It took effort for him to keep it on as began to get up.

"Oh— let me help you!" Mumbo exclaimed, joining back in the conversation. He reached for Grian's hand before helping him stand. It felt almost weird bring touched. even though Grian knew it didn't mean anything, he couldn't help but notice the warmth in Mumbo's grip. Touch among the watchers was so infrequent, even for Miesall, that each one was to be cherished by him. It was enough for him to tear up all over again as he was led over to the bed to sit upright (in that way, he would not need to be moved if he tired).

"Are you okay?" The other male asked, having followed the pair. He must have noticed the tears in Grian's eyes, His voice came out as almost a whisper, and there was a certain tenderness to his eyes. "Would cake make you feel better?" It was all Grian could do to nod, trying to wipe at his tears again. Being treated this way made him feel good, but it also felt as though he was being babied. It was embarrassing that his inner self seemed to be craving the gentleness these two strangers were giving him to such a degree. It made him feel helpless. Regardless of this, in the end, Grian could only nod ever so slightly.

It was when the cake-bearing man placed a plate containing a small piece of cake on his lap that he snapped out of his thoughts. "Here you go," he said. "Maybe this'll help. It always helps me, at least."

"T-thank you..." Grian managed to say. It was all he could do to keep his tears from spilling over as he grabbed the fork and dug into the corner of it. "You guys are... too kind.... To me..." what did he do to deserve this kind of treatment, anyway?

"We're just paying the favor forward." Ryan assured, Mumbo nodding.

"We've been in your place before. The other Hermits— that is, people in this world— helped us. Now it's our turn to help." Mumbo concurred as the former Watcher cautiously tried a bite. He found that the cake was soft, the cream as smooth as velvet. It was sweet, but it was also not overwhelmingly so. Had cake always tasted this good? He couldn't recall, the memory too far away from him. It was enough to push him over the edge, tears spilling over his cheeks.

"It's... good..." he admitted, finding a smile despite his tears. All of this was too much for him, it would seem. "Thank you—" he looked to the scarred man. He wanted to thank him by name, but he wouldn't be surprised if he had abandoned it like he abandoned Xelqua.

"Scar." The man replied, tipping his fedora just a bit. "Good Times With Scar, to be exact."

"My name is Grian... but you probably know that, don't you?" He breathed a laugh despite the tears.

"It's nice to meet you, Grian." The man replied, extending a scarred hand to the Brit to shake. "I hope you can find a home within our borders." And so did the runaway.

"It's... nice to meet you too — Scar." He found himself saying, pausing to ensure he used the right name.

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Grian ate the rest of his piece of cake, Mumbo and Scar easing him into small talk. They spoke nothing of importance, just whatever came to their minds. They shared old memories together on this server they called Hermitcraft, talking about the other 'Hermits' that lived there. On the other hand, Grian stayed quiet about his past. Instead, he asked them questions about the people they spoke of, and the adventures they had.

"He... was a rather corrupt judge, I must say." Mumbo had said at some point.

"I mean, sure I may or may not have taken a bribe, but I imprisoned them anyway, didn't I?" Scar only chuckled.

"So you do admit to taking bribes!" Mumbo exclaimed in victory. Grian found himself laughing, not just at that, but so many things. Tension gradually eased from the room, and a feeling began to grow in Grian, little by little. All of these people, he could tell that they were close; to the point that they might even be a family. The feeling was a longing, longing to have that for himself, even if maybe it was a selfish desire.

"They... sound like nice people..." he admitted quietly after his plate had remained empty for a long time. He had suddenly found that interesting, as opposed to the two faces that were sitting right in front of him.

"They really are." Mumbo agreed, a certain sparkle in his eyes that was seldom seen in humans. It was fondness, but one so deep and vast it could hardly be described with such a shallow word. It was the same sparkle that this Good Times Scar had at this very moment.

"You know, Grian..." the man began, hesitantly reaching over to hold the avian's hand. The motion caused his black eyes to meet his green ones. "You should really meet them. I think — no-- I'm sure they'd love you. You could even become a Hermit!"

The motion caused Grian's heart to pound for two reasons: firstly, because the thought terrified him. Secondly, because the thought of belonging was all that he could ever ask for and more. With these two conflicting emotions, he wasn't sure whether to smile or frown, or which one he chose to listen to. "I... could?" He asked, the conflicting emotions clashing within him. He wasn't sure if it were smart to trust this, but his heart wanted it so deeply.

"Yes!" Mumbo exclaimed, catching on Scar's plan. "Let's do it tonight! I'll message everyone right now." He already was on his communicator, typing up the announcement.

Now the fear was the one of Grian's emotions that took off. "Wait!" He found himself exclaiming, but Jumbo didn't stop. "I-isn't this a bit... soon?!" What if this really was too good to be true? Nothing good ever seemed to happen to him; why would that change when he became a traitor?

With a buzz of Scar's communicator, Mumbo only said, "annnd sent!"

Suddenly, the air was beginning to get thinner, and Grian's pajama collar began to feel awfully tight. Maybe he had just made a huge mistake. That's when Scar placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know it's scary. We were exactly where you were, remember? We got through it, and so will you. I trust every single one of them with my life. I would never suggest this unless I trusted them fully to accept you." His god child promised.  And with that, the time when Grian was destined to meet his family drew ever nearer.