Feathers and Eggs

Chapter Six

His head pounded with every cry of his alarm. In one quick motion, the alarm that was on his bedside table was hit, stopping the sound and breaking it. That's the fourth one. Who knew heroes and villains had to waste so much money on alarms, Grian thought. He wasn't ready to wake up. He wasn't ready for the day. He wanted to go back to sleep and dismiss the fact that his headache was from none other than a long night of spying on Mumbo and flying around looking for someone to hit with eggs.

The feeling of fluff brushing close to his face caused him to open one eye and pet the brownish cat on top of his chest. "Yeah yeah. I'll go get you guys some food Maui. I can't do that if you're on Daddy's chest though, now can I?" he cooed. The cat let out a loud understanding meow and jumped off of Grian's chest, using him as a boost. "Oof! Hehehe thanks for being so considerate," Grian laughed. He got up and tended to his cats. Pearl brushed against his foot in thanks, and the two cats began to eat. Afterward, Grian prepared himself for a long day of work.

The light haired brunette threw on a plaid shirt and some jeans, then grabbed his hard hat and supplies. Less than thirty minutes later, he was out the door and on his way to the newspaper office building. I don't really care for overseeing renovations on a normal basis, but I think in this case I'll make an exception, Grian thought and grinned. As he walked, he spotted a small coffee shop that seemed to be hidden between the tall buildings on either side of it. "It wouldn't hurt to stop for a little tea. I don't want to look tired at work today," he mumbled to himself.

He entered the shop and made his way to the cashier. The woman with short, dark, brown hair and bright brown eyes grinned. "Welcome! What can I get you today, sir?" The architect ordered, and took a seat in a booth with his warm tea. Behind him, a bell jingled as people stepped through the door. "Hi, Stress. Some of your specialty tea for my friend and a muffin for me, please," a familiar voice ordered. Grian turned around and was surprised at who he saw.

"Iskall! Hey, bud! How have you been?" Grian greeted. The brown haired, bearded man turned his head and smiled, his eye attachment seeming to glow brighter. "Grian! How's it going?" He headed over and the two hugged. Grian glanced at the black haired man beside Iskall. Iskall seemed to notice, for he quickly introduced the two to one another. "Grian, this is Mumbo! He's a reporter for the same paper as me. He's actually the one that writes all of the Eggman- I mean- Poultry Man stories. Mumbo, Grian's an old friend of mine. We were both going to be architects, but I changed my mind and decided to pursue being an editor," Iskall explained.

Grian and Mumbo shook hands. "It's nice to meet you, Mumbo. Your articles are always very well made and enjoyable to read. But what's this about a Poultry Man? Is that a new name for the Eggman?" Grian asked. Mumbo nodded. "Yes, I am actually writing today about an interview that I had with him recently! And an architect you say? What are you working on at the moment if you don't mind me asking?" Grian grinned and looked between Iskall and Mumbo. "Well funny enough, I'm actually going to be working around your building as part of those renovations you might've heard about."

"Really? That sounds great! I'm sure you'll be able to make our building into a fantastic monstrosity," Iskall said excitedly. Grian and Mumbo exchanged some looks, then Mumbo spoke up. "Iskall, I don't think you quite understand the word 'monstrosity'." Grian did his best to hold back his laughter. "How did you get to become an editor again?" Iskall crossed his arms at this. 

"Hey, my English is definitely getting better! Also, I hardly have to correct anything because everyone is normally good at not having mistakes. Hey, I was just thinking: since we're all going to the same place, do you want to walk with us, Grian?" The shortest man nodded. "I'd love to lads. Thanks!" After finishing, the three talked as they made their way to the newspaper building. Once there, Grian said goodbye as he headed toward the areas closed off.

By the time it was his lunch break, Grian was tired once again. He sat at a two person table as he ate his lunch. Should I take a break tonight from Poultry Man...? Maybe that's not a good idea. After all, I'm still looking for- A light tap on Grian's shoulder stirred him from his thoughts. He turned around to see who had tapped him and was looking up at the raven haired mustache man himself. "Hello, Grian! I see we have the same lunch break. Mind if I join you?" Grian smiled and gestured to the seat across from him. "Not at all, Mumbo. Iskall has his break at a later time, right?" Mumbo nodded. "Yeah, it's a shame we can't all eat together, but I'm glad the two of us can at least talk! I normally spend my break alone... which isn't bad!" Mumbo quickly added.

Grian was about to say that he did the same when Mumbo's phone began to buzz on the table. The shorter man curiously glanced at it, wondering who was calling Mumbo at such an inconvenient hour. The caller ID read "Doc". Oh yeah, I forgot they were together, Grian remembered. Mumbo excused himself and answered the call at a considerable distance from the table. The reporter's surprised expression and finally loud laugh were all Grian were able to pick up on. At last, Mumbo returned to the table.

"Ah, sorry. That was a friend of mine. He was just making sure I didn't leave work for investigating. Quite honestly the thought hadn't even occured to me until he mentioned it," Mumbo chuckled. Grian raised an eyebrow. "Friend"? But surely that was the very same Detective Doc that went searching for Mumbo and stayed at his apartment last night. There must be some way to ask without getting him suspicious of me. "You seem like quite the popular guy! Got any special people in your life?" Mumbo smiled and shook his head. "Not yet! There's this girl that I've been liking for some time, but I haven't told her. I will one of these days. Also, I'm not very popular. I have a few friends, but definitely a lot of connections."

Grian took the last bite of his lunch. "I suppose that is fairly important for a reporter. I normally don't have casual conversations with people. It's been a long while since I've seen any of my friends," Grian explained. Hopefully I'll have more time to talk to friends here than at Evo. I just have to find- He stood from the table, ready to get back to work so that he could leave soon. "I think I'll be going now, Mumbo. It was nice to see you again! I have lunch at the same time everyday this week, so feel free to join me whenever you want." Mumbo bid him farewell, and the two shook hands once again.

I won't fail this time. Besides, he's weak from our encounter in Evo. I won't get too cocky, but I'm sure that I'll find him soon and get rid of him for good. Poultry Man won't make the same mistakes twice. Grian finished the work day and quickly made his way to the abandoned sewer tunnel that took him to Poultry Man's lair. He watched the sun flee behind buildings from his monitors, then prepared to leave as the first star came out. He grabbed one more egg, went above ground, and flew into the dark sky.