two british boys meet [DISCONTINUED]

[CHAPTER 11: GRIAN]

Things feel....very awkward, right now. Like, really awkward, and I hate it.
Being in awkward situations was never my thing, despite the fact I almost always cause them. I try to make a joke, people laugh. It goes back to being awkward again.
Dan keeps saying we could try and go out again. I told him no, we're not doing that. So did his wife. He's too restless, honestly. And I am too! I've gotten focused on something for way too long and forgotten to look after myself, but from how calm Jemma seems, it looks like this is a common occurrence.
"You look a bit concerned." She says, almost on cue.
"Does this happen often?" I ask.
"What do you mean? If you're talking about Dan getting absorbed in his experiments? Yes. Dan finding someone random in the middle of the forest and takes them in? Uh....somewhat?"
...What on earth does she mean by the last part?
"Somewhat?"
"He's been on some wacky adventures, let's just say that." Jemma laughs, and I do too.
"I think we both can relate on that one!" Dan's obviously listening into the conversation, as he happily walks over. "You've told me about that one server...what was it, Hermitcraft?"
"My home. With all my friends."
Dan lightly pats my back.
"And you'll be back with them soon, I promise." He seems thoughtful. "Hey, they're definitely looking for you too. Maybe our paths will cross, and this'll be over soon."
"Hopefully, yeah."
I miss them all. I miss Mumbo, I miss Iskall, I miss Stress, I miss Scar.
Scar was the last person I saw before I was kidnapped, actually. We were laughing about the blocky moustache I had carefully built on his lovely snail he used for a base...
~~~
"Hey! Grian!" I heard Scar running up from behind me and he gave me a good old pat on the back. I whipped around, seeing the purple cloaked wizard.
"Hey, Scar! What's the problem?" I noticed he looks as if he'd just been surprised by something.
"You- you put a mustache on my dear Larry!" Scar smiled, but his tone of voice was that jokey sad type.
"Oh! Do you like my little addition! I think it makes him look quite good!"
"Yes yes, he looks nice, but did you really have to add a Mumbo mustache?"
"Of course I did, Scar! It's so fun!"
Scar and I shared a good laugh while playfully arguing about the semantics of mustache attaching, but once it's calmed down, Scar speaks up.
"Well, it's been good figuring out who the Mysterious Mustache Meister is, Grian! I wish you a good day!" He tipped his wizard hat to me before shooting off.
"Bye, Scar!" I waved at him as he went, thinking to myself 'he's a great one, isn't he?'.
Then I headed back to my starter base.
Though honestly, I wish I hadn't.
~~~
"Grian? You alright?"
I come back to reality to Dan looking a bit worried in front of me. "You zoned out for a little there."
"Oh, yeah, sorry." I respond, and even I can tell I'm out of it. "I had a flashback there."
"Oh. You alright?"
"Yeah, it was a good one." I admit.
"Tell me about it!"
And so I explain the fact I put a moustache on Scar's snail.
"I'm sure he appreciated that!" Dan says, stifling a laugh.
"He sure did!"
I realise that despite all I say, I don't know much about Dan.
"Have you got any funny stories? With the others?"
Dan thinks for a moment.
"I have a lot, but here's one I shared with Justin and James a while back."
And Dan begins to narrate.
~~~
Dan had gotten back from doing business and went to the mini-lab he had built beside his base. Said base was in a small server that Dan, Justin and James had built, alone.
Trayaurus had come to visit Dan's base in this world, and Dan had built a mini lab for him to stay in.
One day, Dan came back to a stench, coming from this mini lab.
"Eugh Trayaurus, did you fart here?"
~~~
"Ah, a story about farting."
"I know, a beautiful story indeed."
"I...did not mean to say that out loud."
~~~
"What!? No I didn't!?" The villager denied it.
"Then why does it stink!?"
"I don't know!"
Yet 'Trayaurus' wouldn't stop farting, and Dan couldn't tell what was causing it.
This continued right up until the world was going to delete and Trayaurus, Dan, James and Justin were going to leave, however they went around the world before they left.
When they passed by the mini lab, Dan made an offhand comment about Trayaurus the chronic farter.
"Oh, I know." Justin smirked when he said this, apparently.
"H-how?" Dan asked.
"Cause I was the one who put the stink bug there."
"Wh- WHAT!?" Dan shouted while Justin and James burst into laughter.
~~~
That's a chaotic energy I didn't think I was gonna get from Think of all people, but here we are. (Though, I'm not sure what a stink bug is.)
"...I feel like I would do that." I comment.
"You would, honestly." Dan says. "You were saying how many pranks you pulled on your friends and all."
"Yep! Heck, I've even caused prank wars!"
"You told me about that, didn't you?" Dan tilts his head to the side. "What was it...you versus Doc? The creeper hybrid?"
"Yep! Team G against Team Star. And Doc's a creeper hybrid, yeah. He's super cool, despite our many rivalries. He even did a rap with the rest of his team against us!"
"He sounds pretty cool." I don't know whether Dan is referring to the creeper hybrid part or the rap he did in the war, but it's no matter. Doc is a cool person.
I take a moment to lean carefully on the desk where Melbot sits in the centre. I never noticed it, which I should've, but there's this massive green ball at the high point of the dome. I wonder how Dan got up there, since he doesn't appear to use an elytra. He doesn't appear to use...anything too modern, really. I'm not complaining, though, he's making do with all the contraptions he has, and it's fair for me to mention he hasn't used much redstone for these either.
"Hello, Grian. How may I help?" Melbot asks out of the blue, making me jump.
"Oh, she's activated by touch. Don't worry about her." Dan explains.
"Hey! I think you should worry about me, thanks very much!" Well, I never. An AI having a distinct personality? It's never something I've seen before! She even had a level of expression in her voice.
"Oh, alright then, Mel." Dan teases, then sighs.
Despite his laughable exterior, Dan's obviously a lot smarter than he lets on. I'd love to be able to make an AI like Melbot, even if it takes some help from the redstone masters like Mumbo.
I'd have to wait until I can get back to Hermitcraft though.
Wherever Hermitcraft is.
I then remember something, that kind of concerns me.
"..Hey, shouldn't Justin be awake and moving by now?" I ask.
"What do you mean? That taser takes about 5 minutes to wear off." Dan looks at me, confused. I'm shocked.
"5 minutes?!" I exclaim. "They should only last for 5 seconds, maximum!"
"Uh-." Dan gains a shifty look of fear on his face. "I mean...it's never had a lasting effect...so..?"
"Yes, but I don't- it just seems unhealthy."
"And that's why we've got Rachelle checking on him, you see. He's uh...he's strangely resistant to these things."
I could say the same to you. I think, but I don't say it out loud.
"I'm right here, you know!"
The high pitched voice comes from behind Dan, and it makes me jump, again.
"Oh, you're okay!" Dan says, in his surprise.
"Yes, yes I'm fine. And no Grian, I think it's okay, but you'd have to ask Dan for that." Justin turns to me. "Thanks for the concern."
"How long were you waiting, Justin?" Dan questions.
"Waiting behind you? Uh...about when you were talking about Melbot. I was about to get your attention but you were invested in your conversation, so I didn't bother." Think confirms. "Oh, and what I was originally meant to say was well..to apologise. That evil me came out, again."
Wait. Evil him? What?
"What do you mean, evil you?" I ask.
"Oh, nothing, nothing. I assume you're going to continue with the experiment, Dan?" Nice dodging of the question, Thinky.
"Yes, probably! Tomorrow though, I'm being forced to stay in today." Dan jokes. I pout but don't say anything.
"Well, I probably won't join you. I don't want to risk anything, plus I'm still not in the most stable mindset right now."
Ah, so he's not following us. Understandable, frankly.
"That's fine, Justin. You can stay behind if you want." Dan pats Justin on the shoulder before turning to me. "You're coming, right, Grian? If we run into a certain bunny, I've got a...plan, per se."
I'm too scared to say no, so I say sure.
"Perfect! When James comes back in, I'll ask him too. And then we'll go! Tomorrow, that is."
"Yes..." Justin mutters, eyes dropping down to Dan's hands. "Don't make those wounds any worse, alright?"
"Yes, yes, I get it." Dan laughs, and Justin and I exchange glances of concern.
"Uh...can y'all get off of my desk now!" Melbot exclaims.
"Sure, Mel." I go and stand beside Justin.
And whew, most of the awkwardness has been shaken off.
Things are uneventful for the rest of the day. James comes in from outside, he confirms he's joining us tomorrow. It's going to be Dan, James and I tomorrow and we're all sticking together.
Hopefully nothing too bad happens.
But hope is a fragile thing, and it's fate I need to focus on, am I right?
~~~
We're just waiting, it's too close to call.
We'll need to wait until that bunny is gone. We're not the nicest of people, sure, but even we know he's a disgrace.
Let's just hope he's not too angry with us.
~~~
A/N
OH HEY YANDAN UPLOADED A CHAPTER
I'm so sorry this chapter took so incredibly long! I lost motivation to write this book specifically after the last chapter was uploaded, and it's been difficult to get it back, but I'm back on my stuff and I'm going to try and continue updating, cause I have a lot of plans for this book!  Thank you for sticking with me!
- YanDan