Fall from Grace | Hermitcraft x Empires SMP AU

Grian: Denial

Life goes on, and there's nothing you can really do about it, Grian had learned.

Denial is one hell of a drug, he supposed. If he pretended that nothing had gone wrong, then Grian could pretend that season 9 was the perfect season. He could work on The Entity, and work on the beginnings of his megabase, and pretend that everything was okay.

The Entity bore a stark reminder to Mumbo's absence, the now overgrown and worn down vault near it, to the point where Grian had decided on moving The Entity entirely so he was't continually reminded of his friend.

The shopping district was elsewhere anyways, which was Grian's excuse. But most hermits knew the reality of it anyways. 

But it was okay, Grian was okay. He had to be, because Mumbo would return soon, and then he could fix up his starter base, and turn that silly memorial into his megabase, just like Mumbo had planned. The red wool had been there for a reason after all.

Now it was in a chest, by the aforementioned memorial.

Grian had wished that Xisuma and the other hermits would just leave it be. Because Mumbo would come back eventually, he had to. And Mumbo wouldn't be very happy at losing his outline for his base.

Scar had theorised that the Rift under Grian's base had something to do with it. The glowing purple crack in the world had been there when Grian had searched for Mumbo, after his initial disappearance, and was the sole reason for Grian building his base where he had. Grian wasn't sure if Scar was right.

But on the chance that he was, it was nice to have priority over everything to do with the Rift.

---

They were sitting on top of Mumbo's vault, looking up at the sky. The stars glittered and the moon blinked down upon the two hermits, Grian leaning into Mumbo's side as he wrapped his wings around them both.

The purple feathers brushed against Mumbo's arm as the wind stirred, and the redstoner pulled Grian closer to him, an arm around his waist. He looked over at Mumbo, smiling up at him. "It's beautiful out here, at this time of night."

"Indeed it is, Gri. I'm glad to share this with you." Mumbo smiled back at Grian, the two turning back to the stunning skies above them. In the corner of his eye, Grian noticed a shooting star trail across the inky blackness of above.

"I wish this would never end," Grian murmured, but his eyes were growing heavier and heavier. And when Mumbo next spoke, he oddly sounded of Scar.

"It's time for you to wake up now, Grian."

---

When Grian woke, his face was wet and he couldn't breathe. Scar was sitting nearby, Jellie curled up in his lap. The cat's head perked up when she heard Grian gasping for air, and Scar manuvered the two of them over to Grian's bed. Jellie jumped off Scar's lap and landed bu Grian, pressing herself up against him.

And Grian took that small comfort, holding the cat close to him as he sobbed. Scar just placed a hand on Grian's back, another small act of comfort, but it meant the world to Grian nonetheless.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sympathy dripped from Scar's voice, though Grian had a hunch that Scar already knew what it was about.

Mumbo's disappearance had impacted the entire server for the worst, but it was no secret that Grian had taken it the hardest. He'd even resorted to begging Xisuma to try and work some sort of admin magic, but nothing Xisuma had tried had worked.

Mumbo wasn't even on the whitelist anymore, an act that Xisuma had sworn he hadn't done.

Usually the death of a player was what removed someone from the whitelist, if it wasn't because of an admin.

Grian was trying to keep his hopes up.

"I had.. I had a dream about him, Scar." He swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. it didn't work. "It was like a memory of something that happened a few months ago, before he.. you know."

Scar nodded, taking it in. "Go on."

"We were stargazing together. And it was so nice Scar, and I just, I just..." Grian pulled his knees towards his chest, hugging Jellie tighter. The grey cat just let it happen, mewling quietly.

"I want him back." Grian whispered.

Scar sighed, not unkindly. "I know, Gri. I think we all do." 

Grian turned to face Scar, releasing Jellie and letting her return to Scar. "Can I touch you?" He asked, and Grian nodded, stretching out his arms. Stumbling from his bed, Grian took the invite, letting Scar hold him in a hug. And Grian's throat tightened, and he started to cry again, but Scar just let him, doing nothing more but hold the winged hermit, and whisper sweet nothings to try and comfort his friend.