A City of Secrets and Masks

-Eight- Over the Months

//from here on out, a gun tw and a needle tw will be in effect. This stays for the rest of the story, and ill be putting it in the description. stay safe!!

Five months passed before anyone knew it. Summer turned to fall, which turned to winter.

A lot had happened in the meantime, for all of our groups.

Tommy and Tubbo got their stuff from home shipped and made their shared apartment a home. Tubbo started a few hives of bees on the roof of the Hub, after a failed attempt at the apartment. Tommy moved on from a wooden bat to a metal one, which one of the new guys at the hub (Snapmap, if Tommy remembered right) helped him weld nails onto.

 The job at the Hub involved more than they thought it would. They worked with Phil for another three months. They both learned how to actually fight, along with getting very physically fit. They also memorized the entire Guardian handbook, down to the letter.

Actual hero work was not what they thought it would be, either. They were expecting battles against villains and rescue missions. They ended up handling noise complaints, running paperwork around, or just handling things the other heroes didn't want to do. It paid well though- The duo had plenty funds now.

Patrol nights were the best. They'd go out with the Sleepy Bois every Friday and patrol. Usually, it was calm. Illosia was fairly warm year-round, so it wasn't too bad during the winter. Even if nothing happened, they got to hang out. 

The duo hadn't expected the heroes to be so friendly. They found nothing but kindness from everyone at the Hub. Finn and Fundy helped the duo get used to the hero process. They often found themselfs hanging out with the new intern, Karl. 

The Sleepy Bois gained a sort of brotherly relationship with the duo (Informally named the Clingys because they stuck together so much). They frequented each others apartments and often ate meals together after work.

They did see some action, though. Mainly, it was fights with minor store robbers, clean-up, and people resisting arrest for small crimes. It was enough for Tubbo, but Tommy wanted to do more. When Techno asked what more meant, Tommy just shrugged. 

He didn't know what more was yet, but he knew he wanted it.

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Sleepy Bois had their own issues.

Mostly, the rise in crime. Attacks like the one they fought off the night they met the Clingys started happening left and right. The only thing that changed was the addition of calling cards. They were all similiar- the skull-biohazard symbol, but with a twist. One was pink, one was crowned, one was wildly multicolored, one had headphones, one was beaver-tailed.

No one could figure out what they meant. The best guess came from Wil- he figured it could be different members of a group. The woman who'd dissolved had mentioned something about "The Assembly." Maybe they were doing this as some sort of organized crime. That's the only theory that made sense.

But why did they want blood? Was it a statement? That was still a mystery.

Techno trained with Phil and the Clingys a lot. He liked to show off to Tommy. He hadn't been so sure about the fanboy at first but he had to admit, it was nice to have his ego appealed to. He worked on strength training with Tommy the most. Tommy was doing really well.

Techno could just about bench-press both of the Clingys. He appreciated Tommy's efforts, though.

Wilbur was doing a lot of stuff. He was investigating the recent attacks, mostly. He met George, who was the main record keeper for the hubs and worked closely with him. Apparently, George's roommate was attacked, but survived. Wilbur tried to meet up with this guy, Dream, but they never seemed to be able to pick a time.