Mumbo K. Jumbo

✌️❤️🌱 RP blog! INACTIVE

[mumbos-mailbox]

Main Tag : #hermit mailbox ask universe Find other mailboxes @hcmbu

This blog is not associated with Mumbo Jumbo and is a parody of the character. Support the actual Mumbo Jumbo here

Hi there! I am 🐾, and I run @mumbos-mailbox , @rendogs-mailbox and @skizzs-mailbox

This is a roleplay blog for the character of Mumbo Jumbo! He is based on Hermitcraft seasons 7 - 10 and the life series. All asks are seen as mail sent to him through the mailboxes from season 10!

I ask that any mail does not include NSFW topics, extreme talk of animal death, and for DSMP related blogs to DNI. I also ask that you keep in mind that hermitshipping / trafficshipping both exist on this blog! I recommend not interacting if that is something that bothers you!

[mumbos-mailbox]

[ it's a good thing it's not etho's birthday today because mumbo's birthday always requires grian's undivided attention. ]

[ mornings are meant for shenanigans- one's that grian may or may not have orchestrated but participated in, having to involve himself in the chaos somehow. even if involving himself meant tightening his schedule. ]

[ when he does eventually pull himself away, the urgency in which he has to do everything in is his own fault. but it's fine. he has farms! and he lets pumpkin and melon out of their room and they're so helpful, putting away things when grian's done with them. ]

[ the cooking wasn't difficult. and while he questions his gifts for the dozenth time (art supplies mostly, sketch books and fancy pens that will undoubtedly get lost and a framed picture of them when they wore the makeshift grumbo shirts last season), they're already wrapped and he doesn't have time to find new ones, much less think of any. or maybe he does. no- ]

[ it's a party for two. something small and intimate, purposely made that way knowing mumbo would probably want to wind down eventually. but grian still wanted it to be a surprise which means sneaking in and doing it all before mumbo got back. ]

[ when mumbo does come home, grian doesn't jump out of anywhere, he doesn't yell surprise. his wings do flutter, giving away his excitement but he doesn't move from where he stands, holding the cake in both hands, the candles flickering as he holds it up in offering. he smiles wide, giddy and nervous and full of so much love he wants to kiss mumbo so bad- ]

happy birthday mumbo.

[Despite grian not doing anything to purposefully scare him, Mumbo jumps when he notices someone in his house, having expected nobody here. He relaxes pretty fast seeing who it is, a smile on his face - the first one today with how long and terrible replacing his tools and armour had been]

Hi Grian

[He walks a bit closer, looking at the cake, then at grian, then at the cake again. He bends down slightly to blow out the candles, his big smile never changing]

Thank you. Did you make this?

[mumbos-mailbox]

[For the 12th time this week, he's back in the air with the geese. The wind is aggressive tonight, whipping past him, nearly knocking him off his happy ghast, who acts like the wind doesn't affect it as it floats beneath him]

[One of his geese had stopped flapping, wooden trapdoors stilled in the air. That was not what he wanted to see, an eyesore from the ground. Even the real geese that terrorise his fields don't seem to like the still wooden goose, honking louder than normal this morning]

[From all the way up here, Mumbo really shouldn't have much to worry about for damage. No mobs could reach this high up, no skeleton arrows or sneaky creepers to worry about. So when the damage starts, at first he just thinks it's Gem and Scar bothering him again. He peeks over the side of the ghast, wincing as another bunch of damage hits him. Wow, they're very good shots today.]

[The ground below is empty. Weird. Were they invisible? Were they also in the sky? He glances around, no other ghasts visible and no rockets audible. Another tick of damage hits him, worse this time.]

[He tries to stand up on the ghast just in time for another few hearts gone. He stumbles, reaching out to grab something to catch him as he falls forward, but the ghast doesn't come with railings.]

Mumbo was doomed to fall by Wrath of the GOAT!

[His death message reminds him of something he saw recently, but there's no time to question it now. He gets out of bed quickly, running up into his fields, trying to figure out where his things have fallen. The damage doesn't stop.]

Mumbo was killed while trying to hurt Wrath of the GOAT!

[Back and bed, and up again. His body hurts, trying to recover from the respawns, but still he doesn't pause to really think, so focused on getting back his things. He has so much in there, armour and good tools and -]

Mumbo was killed while trying to hurt Wrath of the GOAT!

[He doesn't get out of bed this time. The damage hits fast, leaving what felt like barely any time between each death. No matter how much he wants to, he knows he won't be able to grab his things before the damage takes all his hearts again.]

Mumbo was killed while trying to hurt Wrath of the GOAT!

[mumbos-mailbox]

[ biting the squish of his cheek. chomp. ]

[He yelps, swatting Grian away as he rubs his cheek]

"What was that for?!"

[mumbos-mailbox]

did youuuu have fun? [ he's trying to be casual about it but he's definitely fishing, trying to see if mumbo had really been okay with the game. ]

[he'd been trying to clean up from the game, he really had been-]

[- but then there were the shenanigans with ren, then he got a little bit lost in the maze they had made in his basement (he didnt even have a basement until today!) and finally he found himself here, watching grian fish and ignoring the mess that was left in his house]

".. Yeah! I did. Lot to wake up to though.. how did you manage to get so many people involved?"

[He isn't sure how he didn't wake up from that many voices, he'd only been a few blocks away. He wasn't that deep of a sleeper, last time he checked]

"Was this really talked about in the meeting?"

[He still isn't sure whether or not that was true]

[grians-mailbox]

most of us were already hanging out in the nether clearing it out and i think we all needed a break. [ he shrugs. ]

[ he doesn't respond at first and anyone else, it could be mistaken as him just being really concentrated on fishing and making sure he doesn't miss it. ]

[ except he was a fisherman. he didn't need to concentrate that hard. what it really is, is his singular braincell trying to get a wheel to turn and when he opens his mouth to speak again, he's failing to hide a smile. ] depends. would it be funnier to tell you the truth now or later?

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Now?”

[He just wants to know if he really is that bad of a listener during meetings. Because if he is that bad, might as well just stop to go to them (like he usually went in the first place.)]

“It’s in the meeting notes but I don’t remember hearing about it so it’s throwing me off-“

[grians-mailbox]

i suppose the bit has passed...

no, we didn't talk about it at the meeting. [ his tail swipes up mumbo's arm, comforting, as if trying to ease the truth just in case. ] we were just messing with you.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[He nods a few times, laughing]

“So my hearing is fine, and youre just all menaces-“

[Mumbo pushes Grian, sighing]

“If someone who wasnt there sees the edited notes and tries to add to my house again im making you come help me clean it up”

[grians-mailbox]

gaslighting you was a group decision-

[ grian playfully protests, shoving him back- then just keeping their arms pressed together, leaning against him. ]

[ oh a catch. he wrinkles his nose, handing off the saddle to mumbo. he didn't need it. ]

i was gonna clean it up originally but then you joined and... do you want some help with it?

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Oh you definitely had a big part in it, you’re you-“

[he laughs loud as he’s shoved back, before his laughs quiet and he smiles, leaning back against grian]

[he doesn’t have much use for a saddle, but he still tucks it into his inventory. It’s his now, he’ll figure it out]

“Maybe.. no, definitely. I would definitely like help- you all left such a mess in my house!”

[theres no real annoyance or anger in his tone, but his voice hits a higher pitch and raises in volume, trying to make it seem as though he was annoyed]

[grians-mailbox]

[ real or not, the pitch really helps sell it and grian's ears droop. he groans, tilting his head away and placing his fishing rod aside. ]

i'd like it to be known i didn't even place most of it! the perch was mine-

[ obviously. and some of the bookcases. ]

but i at least made a new space for my building. take away the trap door and it's like the basement doesn't even exist! easy!

[mumbos-mailbox]

“That’s how I mine down in a month and find a mob farm in there somehow-“

[He laughs, nudging grian with his elbow]

“The perch can stay, but you’re helping me clean up everything else- including filling in the basement”

[grians-mailbox]

well, i dunno, free mob farm then- no redstone required! [ he huffs, just to be stubborn and difficult. ] never say i don't make you anything nice.

[ this time his tail hits mumbo a little harder, a playful swat as he stretches. ]

[ he moves to his chests, shuffling through multiple of them before finding the stone. ] i'm not bringing anything home with me by the way- i've already got a baby chest monster growing here so you'll have to feed your own.

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Normally mob farms give me things, not take everything I own away because it keeps killing me.”

[he follows behind grian, contemplating whether the tail swat was purposeful or just part of the stretch. He’s trying to figure out whether or not he should swat back]

“My chest monster is being fed enough. If yours is still a baby, surely you need to be feeding yours more, grow it big and strong.”

[he chuckles at himself. He isn’t lying when he’s saying his chest monster is being fed enough, it’s quickly growing in his nook by the mountain, and he isn’t doing much to stop it despite having a nice house he could put a storage system in]

[grians-mailbox]

i don't think so!

[ he starts leading the way up the staircase. ]

it's like a gremlin. it's cute and harmless as a baby- awh it's not so bad, another chest won't hurt anybody- but you have to stop feeding it before things start getting really ugly.

[mumbos-mailbox]

Mine hasn’t reached the ugly stage yet.. I’m not sure I really want it to. Last season the one I had.. terrible to clean up

[he keeps close behind grian, fidgeting with his tie as they walk, tightening it and tucking the end into his vest]

Maybe we should give everything to scar. I heard he already has a storage system

[grians-mailbox]

i don’t know if letting your pet eat all your stuff counts as a ‘storage system’… but what do i know?

[ he’s no redstoner. if it gives them a place to dump their trash, he’s all for it. ]

[ the closer they get to mumbo’s base, the slower he gets, distracted by… the wheat fields? it hasn’t changed since he was here a few hours ago but- ]

you really should get a scarecrow. my “simple” face wouldn’t be of much use but a pumpkin can probably do the job.

[ he’s pestering just to be pesky, continuing up the stairs. ]

[mumbos-mailbox]

"i think it would be perfect as a scarecrow"

[he's properly thinking about it now, pausing on the stairs to look at his fields]

"a scarecrow could work, yeah.. keep any pesky birds away."

[he's back to walking, into his mess of interior. he truly does like some of it, he wasnt lying when he said that after first finding it, its just.. a bit confusing]

[mumbos-mailbox]

did youuuu have fun? [ he's trying to be casual about it but he's definitely fishing, trying to see if mumbo had really been okay with the game. ]

[he'd been trying to clean up from the game, he really had been-]

[- but then there were the shenanigans with ren, then he got a little bit lost in the maze they had made in his basement (he didnt even have a basement until today!) and finally he found himself here, watching grian fish and ignoring the mess that was left in his house]

".. Yeah! I did. Lot to wake up to though.. how did you manage to get so many people involved?"

[He isn't sure how he didn't wake up from that many voices, he'd only been a few blocks away. He wasn't that deep of a sleeper, last time he checked]

"Was this really talked about in the meeting?"

[He still isn't sure whether or not that was true]

[grians-mailbox]

most of us were already hanging out in the nether clearing it out and i think we all needed a break. [ he shrugs. ]

[ he doesn't respond at first and anyone else, it could be mistaken as him just being really concentrated on fishing and making sure he doesn't miss it. ]

[ except he was a fisherman. he didn't need to concentrate that hard. what it really is, is his singular braincell trying to get a wheel to turn and when he opens his mouth to speak again, he's failing to hide a smile. ] depends. would it be funnier to tell you the truth now or later?

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Now?”

[He just wants to know if he really is that bad of a listener during meetings. Because if he is that bad, might as well just stop to go to them (like he usually went in the first place.)]

“It’s in the meeting notes but I don’t remember hearing about it so it’s throwing me off-“

[grians-mailbox]

i suppose the bit has passed...

no, we didn't talk about it at the meeting. [ his tail swipes up mumbo's arm, comforting, as if trying to ease the truth just in case. ] we were just messing with you.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[He nods a few times, laughing]

“So my hearing is fine, and youre just all menaces-“

[Mumbo pushes Grian, sighing]

“If someone who wasnt there sees the edited notes and tries to add to my house again im making you come help me clean it up”

[grians-mailbox]

gaslighting you was a group decision-

[ grian playfully protests, shoving him back- then just keeping their arms pressed together, leaning against him. ]

[ oh a catch. he wrinkles his nose, handing off the saddle to mumbo. he didn't need it. ]

i was gonna clean it up originally but then you joined and... do you want some help with it?

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Oh you definitely had a big part in it, you’re you-“

[he laughs loud as he’s shoved back, before his laughs quiet and he smiles, leaning back against grian]

[he doesn’t have much use for a saddle, but he still tucks it into his inventory. It’s his now, he’ll figure it out]

“Maybe.. no, definitely. I would definitely like help- you all left such a mess in my house!”

[theres no real annoyance or anger in his tone, but his voice hits a higher pitch and raises in volume, trying to make it seem as though he was annoyed]

[grians-mailbox]

[ real or not, the pitch really helps sell it and grian's ears droop. he groans, tilting his head away and placing his fishing rod aside. ]

i'd like it to be known i didn't even place most of it! the perch was mine-

[ obviously. and some of the bookcases. ]

but i at least made a new space for my building. take away the trap door and it's like the basement doesn't even exist! easy!

[mumbos-mailbox]

“That’s how I mine down in a month and find a mob farm in there somehow-“

[He laughs, nudging grian with his elbow]

“The perch can stay, but you’re helping me clean up everything else- including filling in the basement”

[grians-mailbox]

well, i dunno, free mob farm then- no redstone required! [ he huffs, just to be stubborn and difficult. ] never say i don't make you anything nice.

[ this time his tail hits mumbo a little harder, a playful swat as he stretches. ]

[ he moves to his chests, shuffling through multiple of them before finding the stone. ] i'm not bringing anything home with me by the way- i've already got a baby chest monster growing here so you'll have to feed your own.

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Normally mob farms give me things, not take everything I own away because it keeps killing me.”

[he follows behind grian, contemplating whether the tail swat was purposeful or just part of the stretch. He’s trying to figure out whether or not he should swat back]

“My chest monster is being fed enough. If yours is still a baby, surely you need to be feeding yours more, grow it big and strong.”

[he chuckles at himself. He isn’t lying when he’s saying his chest monster is being fed enough, it’s quickly growing in his nook by the mountain, and he isn’t doing much to stop it despite having a nice house he could put a storage system in]

[grians-mailbox]

i don't think so!

[ he starts leading the way up the staircase. ]

it's like a gremlin. it's cute and harmless as a baby- awh it's not so bad, another chest won't hurt anybody- but you have to stop feeding it before things start getting really ugly.

[mumbos-mailbox]

Mine hasn’t reached the ugly stage yet.. I’m not sure I really want it to. Last season the one I had.. terrible to clean up

[he keeps close behind grian, fidgeting with his tie as they walk, tightening it and tucking the end into his vest]

Maybe we should give everything to scar. I heard he already has a storage system

[mumbos-mailbox]

did youuuu have fun? [ he's trying to be casual about it but he's definitely fishing, trying to see if mumbo had really been okay with the game. ]

[he'd been trying to clean up from the game, he really had been-]

[- but then there were the shenanigans with ren, then he got a little bit lost in the maze they had made in his basement (he didnt even have a basement until today!) and finally he found himself here, watching grian fish and ignoring the mess that was left in his house]

".. Yeah! I did. Lot to wake up to though.. how did you manage to get so many people involved?"

[He isn't sure how he didn't wake up from that many voices, he'd only been a few blocks away. He wasn't that deep of a sleeper, last time he checked]

"Was this really talked about in the meeting?"

[He still isn't sure whether or not that was true]

[grians-mailbox]

most of us were already hanging out in the nether clearing it out and i think we all needed a break. [ he shrugs. ]

[ he doesn't respond at first and anyone else, it could be mistaken as him just being really concentrated on fishing and making sure he doesn't miss it. ]

[ except he was a fisherman. he didn't need to concentrate that hard. what it really is, is his singular braincell trying to get a wheel to turn and when he opens his mouth to speak again, he's failing to hide a smile. ] depends. would it be funnier to tell you the truth now or later?

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Now?”

[He just wants to know if he really is that bad of a listener during meetings. Because if he is that bad, might as well just stop to go to them (like he usually went in the first place.)]

“It’s in the meeting notes but I don’t remember hearing about it so it’s throwing me off-“

[grians-mailbox]

i suppose the bit has passed...

no, we didn't talk about it at the meeting. [ his tail swipes up mumbo's arm, comforting, as if trying to ease the truth just in case. ] we were just messing with you.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[He nods a few times, laughing]

“So my hearing is fine, and youre just all menaces-“

[Mumbo pushes Grian, sighing]

“If someone who wasnt there sees the edited notes and tries to add to my house again im making you come help me clean it up”

[grians-mailbox]

gaslighting you was a group decision-

[ grian playfully protests, shoving him back- then just keeping their arms pressed together, leaning against him. ]

[ oh a catch. he wrinkles his nose, handing off the saddle to mumbo. he didn't need it. ]

i was gonna clean it up originally but then you joined and... do you want some help with it?

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Oh you definitely had a big part in it, you’re you-“

[he laughs loud as he’s shoved back, before his laughs quiet and he smiles, leaning back against grian]

[he doesn’t have much use for a saddle, but he still tucks it into his inventory. It’s his now, he’ll figure it out]

“Maybe.. no, definitely. I would definitely like help- you all left such a mess in my house!”

[theres no real annoyance or anger in his tone, but his voice hits a higher pitch and raises in volume, trying to make it seem as though he was annoyed]

[grians-mailbox]

[ real or not, the pitch really helps sell it and grian's ears droop. he groans, tilting his head away and placing his fishing rod aside. ]

i'd like it to be known i didn't even place most of it! the perch was mine-

[ obviously. and some of the bookcases. ]

but i at least made a new space for my building. take away the trap door and it's like the basement doesn't even exist! easy!

[mumbos-mailbox]

“That’s how I mine down in a month and find a mob farm in there somehow-“

[He laughs, nudging grian with his elbow]

“The perch can stay, but you’re helping me clean up everything else- including filling in the basement”

[grians-mailbox]

well, i dunno, free mob farm then- no redstone required! [ he huffs, just to be stubborn and difficult. ] never say i don't make you anything nice.

[ this time his tail hits mumbo a little harder, a playful swat as he stretches. ]

[ he moves to his chests, shuffling through multiple of them before finding the stone. ] i'm not bringing anything home with me by the way- i've already got a baby chest monster growing here so you'll have to feed your own.

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Normally mob farms give me things, not take everything I own away because it keeps killing me.”

[he follows behind grian, contemplating whether the tail swat was purposeful or just part of the stretch. He’s trying to figure out whether or not he should swat back]

“My chest monster is being fed enough. If yours is still a baby, surely you need to be feeding yours more, grow it big and strong.”

[he chuckles at himself. He isn’t lying when he’s saying his chest monster is being fed enough, it’s quickly growing in his nook by the mountain, and he isn’t doing much to stop it despite having a nice house he could put a storage system in]

[mumbos-mailbox]

did youuuu have fun? [ he's trying to be casual about it but he's definitely fishing, trying to see if mumbo had really been okay with the game. ]

[he'd been trying to clean up from the game, he really had been-]

[- but then there were the shenanigans with ren, then he got a little bit lost in the maze they had made in his basement (he didnt even have a basement until today!) and finally he found himself here, watching grian fish and ignoring the mess that was left in his house]

".. Yeah! I did. Lot to wake up to though.. how did you manage to get so many people involved?"

[He isn't sure how he didn't wake up from that many voices, he'd only been a few blocks away. He wasn't that deep of a sleeper, last time he checked]

"Was this really talked about in the meeting?"

[He still isn't sure whether or not that was true]

[grians-mailbox]

most of us were already hanging out in the nether clearing it out and i think we all needed a break. [ he shrugs. ]

[ he doesn't respond at first and anyone else, it could be mistaken as him just being really concentrated on fishing and making sure he doesn't miss it. ]

[ except he was a fisherman. he didn't need to concentrate that hard. what it really is, is his singular braincell trying to get a wheel to turn and when he opens his mouth to speak again, he's failing to hide a smile. ] depends. would it be funnier to tell you the truth now or later?

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Now?”

[He just wants to know if he really is that bad of a listener during meetings. Because if he is that bad, might as well just stop to go to them (like he usually went in the first place.)]

“It’s in the meeting notes but I don’t remember hearing about it so it’s throwing me off-“

[grians-mailbox]

i suppose the bit has passed...

no, we didn't talk about it at the meeting. [ his tail swipes up mumbo's arm, comforting, as if trying to ease the truth just in case. ] we were just messing with you.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[He nods a few times, laughing]

“So my hearing is fine, and youre just all menaces-“

[Mumbo pushes Grian, sighing]

“If someone who wasnt there sees the edited notes and tries to add to my house again im making you come help me clean it up”

[grians-mailbox]

gaslighting you was a group decision-

[ grian playfully protests, shoving him back- then just keeping their arms pressed together, leaning against him. ]

[ oh a catch. he wrinkles his nose, handing off the saddle to mumbo. he didn't need it. ]

i was gonna clean it up originally but then you joined and... do you want some help with it?

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Oh you definitely had a big part in it, you’re you-“

[he laughs loud as he’s shoved back, before his laughs quiet and he smiles, leaning back against grian]

[he doesn’t have much use for a saddle, but he still tucks it into his inventory. It’s his now, he’ll figure it out]

“Maybe.. no, definitely. I would definitely like help- you all left such a mess in my house!”

[theres no real annoyance or anger in his tone, but his voice hits a higher pitch and raises in volume, trying to make it seem as though he was annoyed]

[grians-mailbox]

[ real or not, the pitch really helps sell it and grian's ears droop. he groans, tilting his head away and placing his fishing rod aside. ]

i'd like it to be known i didn't even place most of it! the perch was mine-

[ obviously. and some of the bookcases. ]

but i at least made a new space for my building. take away the trap door and it's like the basement doesn't even exist! easy!

[mumbos-mailbox]

“That’s how I mine down in a month and find a mob farm in there somehow-“

[He laughs, nudging grian with his elbow]

“The perch can stay, but you’re helping me clean up everything else- including filling in the basement”

[mumbos-mailbox]

did youuuu have fun? [ he's trying to be casual about it but he's definitely fishing, trying to see if mumbo had really been okay with the game. ]

[he'd been trying to clean up from the game, he really had been-]

[- but then there were the shenanigans with ren, then he got a little bit lost in the maze they had made in his basement (he didnt even have a basement until today!) and finally he found himself here, watching grian fish and ignoring the mess that was left in his house]

".. Yeah! I did. Lot to wake up to though.. how did you manage to get so many people involved?"

[He isn't sure how he didn't wake up from that many voices, he'd only been a few blocks away. He wasn't that deep of a sleeper, last time he checked]

"Was this really talked about in the meeting?"

[He still isn't sure whether or not that was true]

[grians-mailbox]

most of us were already hanging out in the nether clearing it out and i think we all needed a break. [ he shrugs. ]

[ he doesn't respond at first and anyone else, it could be mistaken as him just being really concentrated on fishing and making sure he doesn't miss it. ]

[ except he was a fisherman. he didn't need to concentrate that hard. what it really is, is his singular braincell trying to get a wheel to turn and when he opens his mouth to speak again, he's failing to hide a smile. ] depends. would it be funnier to tell you the truth now or later?

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Now?”

[He just wants to know if he really is that bad of a listener during meetings. Because if he is that bad, might as well just stop to go to them (like he usually went in the first place.)]

“It’s in the meeting notes but I don’t remember hearing about it so it’s throwing me off-“

[grians-mailbox]

i suppose the bit has passed...

no, we didn't talk about it at the meeting. [ his tail swipes up mumbo's arm, comforting, as if trying to ease the truth just in case. ] we were just messing with you.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[He nods a few times, laughing]

“So my hearing is fine, and youre just all menaces-“

[Mumbo pushes Grian, sighing]

“If someone who wasnt there sees the edited notes and tries to add to my house again im making you come help me clean it up”

[grians-mailbox]

gaslighting you was a group decision-

[ grian playfully protests, shoving him back- then just keeping their arms pressed together, leaning against him. ]

[ oh a catch. he wrinkles his nose, handing off the saddle to mumbo. he didn't need it. ]

i was gonna clean it up originally but then you joined and... do you want some help with it?

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Oh you definitely had a big part in it, you’re you-“

[he laughs loud as he’s shoved back, before his laughs quiet and he smiles, leaning back against grian]

[he doesn’t have much use for a saddle, but he still tucks it into his inventory. It’s his now, he’ll figure it out]

“Maybe.. no, definitely. I would definitely like help- you all left such a mess in my house!”

[theres no real annoyance or anger in his tone, but his voice hits a higher pitch and raises in volume, trying to make it seem as though he was annoyed]

[mumbos-mailbox]

did youuuu have fun? [ he's trying to be casual about it but he's definitely fishing, trying to see if mumbo had really been okay with the game. ]

[he'd been trying to clean up from the game, he really had been-]

[- but then there were the shenanigans with ren, then he got a little bit lost in the maze they had made in his basement (he didnt even have a basement until today!) and finally he found himself here, watching grian fish and ignoring the mess that was left in his house]

".. Yeah! I did. Lot to wake up to though.. how did you manage to get so many people involved?"

[He isn't sure how he didn't wake up from that many voices, he'd only been a few blocks away. He wasn't that deep of a sleeper, last time he checked]

"Was this really talked about in the meeting?"

[He still isn't sure whether or not that was true]

[grians-mailbox]

most of us were already hanging out in the nether clearing it out and i think we all needed a break. [ he shrugs. ]

[ he doesn't respond at first and anyone else, it could be mistaken as him just being really concentrated on fishing and making sure he doesn't miss it. ]

[ except he was a fisherman. he didn't need to concentrate that hard. what it really is, is his singular braincell trying to get a wheel to turn and when he opens his mouth to speak again, he's failing to hide a smile. ] depends. would it be funnier to tell you the truth now or later?

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Now?”

[He just wants to know if he really is that bad of a listener during meetings. Because if he is that bad, might as well just stop to go to them (like he usually went in the first place.)]

“It’s in the meeting notes but I don’t remember hearing about it so it’s throwing me off-“

[grians-mailbox]

i suppose the bit has passed...

no, we didn't talk about it at the meeting. [ his tail swipes up mumbo's arm, comforting, as if trying to ease the truth just in case. ] we were just messing with you.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[He nods a few times, laughing]

“So my hearing is fine, and youre just all menaces-“

[Mumbo pushes Grian, sighing]

“If someone who wasnt there sees the edited notes and tries to add to my house again im making you come help me clean it up”

[mumbos-mailbox]

did youuuu have fun? [ he's trying to be casual about it but he's definitely fishing, trying to see if mumbo had really been okay with the game. ]

[he'd been trying to clean up from the game, he really had been-]

[- but then there were the shenanigans with ren, then he got a little bit lost in the maze they had made in his basement (he didnt even have a basement until today!) and finally he found himself here, watching grian fish and ignoring the mess that was left in his house]

".. Yeah! I did. Lot to wake up to though.. how did you manage to get so many people involved?"

[He isn't sure how he didn't wake up from that many voices, he'd only been a few blocks away. He wasn't that deep of a sleeper, last time he checked]

"Was this really talked about in the meeting?"

[He still isn't sure whether or not that was true]

[grians-mailbox]

most of us were already hanging out in the nether clearing it out and i think we all needed a break. [ he shrugs. ]

[ he doesn't respond at first and anyone else, it could be mistaken as him just being really concentrated on fishing and making sure he doesn't miss it. ]

[ except he was a fisherman. he didn't need to concentrate that hard. what it really is, is his singular braincell trying to get a wheel to turn and when he opens his mouth to speak again, he's failing to hide a smile. ] depends. would it be funnier to tell you the truth now or later?

[mumbos-mailbox]

“Now?”

[He just wants to know if he really is that bad of a listener during meetings. Because if he is that bad, might as well just stop to go to them (like he usually went in the first place.)]

“It’s in the meeting notes but I don’t remember hearing about it so it’s throwing me off-“

[mumbos-mailbox]

did youuuu have fun? [ he's trying to be casual about it but he's definitely fishing, trying to see if mumbo had really been okay with the game. ]

[he'd been trying to clean up from the game, he really had been-]

[- but then there were the shenanigans with ren, then he got a little bit lost in the maze they had made in his basement (he didnt even have a basement until today!) and finally he found himself here, watching grian fish and ignoring the mess that was left in his house]

".. Yeah! I did. Lot to wake up to though.. how did you manage to get so many people involved?"

[He isn't sure how he didn't wake up from that many voices, he'd only been a few blocks away. He wasn't that deep of a sleeper, last time he checked]

"Was this really talked about in the meeting?"

[He still isn't sure whether or not that was true]

[pearls-mailbox]

Figuring some of you are wondering if we're gonna keep our mailboxes next season, since Etho and Tango and I are probably gonna switch it up from being postal workers– I'm excited to inform you that we have a plan!

We'll be setting up mailboxes "behind the scenes" in future seasons, and everyone will be taught how to maintain the mailbox system so P.E.T. Postal can do our own things (though we'll still be available for help!).

So no worries– mailboxes are here to stay!

(mod disclaimer: in case it wasn't clear, this is NOT CANON! I was discussing how to maintain the "mailbox" pretense in future seasons with some of the other mailboxers and this is the solution we settled on!)

(additionally, you might see some mailboxes around taking the opportunity to do "fall cleaning" and reset some or all lore/storylines they're not happy with!)

[mumbos-mailbox]

Grian: mumbooo

Grian: i’m coming to pick you up

Grian: warning you now you’ll wanna be somewhat presentable

Grian: not like

Grian: in your whole suit or anything. just not covered in redstone

Grian: see you in 20!

MUMBO : pick me up for whta MUMBO: i guess ill see you then?

['not like in your whole suit or anything']

[huh. thats like saying he shouldnt be in his skin. he doesnt remember the last time he hadnt worn the suit out- so he doesnt change it now. well actually he does change his suit, finding one a bit less stained. he does his best to brush his hair, giving up on the cowlick after way too long of sitting there staring into a copper block]

[with his hair somewhat better, and his suit at least not covered in redstone, he sits outside on the steps of his house, watching the chickens run around- he hadnt killed them all. too much work. he's sure MINED will have a need for them]

[grians-mailbox]

baa baadaa…

[ he’s singing that darn hold music before he’s even in the vicinity. perhaps a little spring to his step, coming to a stop when a chicken decides to pass by him, patiently waiting until it passes before continuing. when eyes fall on mumbo, he perks up, earwings fluttering. ]

mumbo!

[ he doesn’t look too different himself; maybe his sweater is a different shade of red? and the black feather is partially curled around his neck, held together by a necklace instead of clipped to his sweater. ]

[ he chirps, coming to a stop in front of him and offering his hand to help him up. ] hi handsome.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[he can’t stop his lips from twitching up into a smile, taking the offered hand and letting himself be helped up. He doesn’t release the other’s hand once he’s up on his feet; instead lacing their fingers together, eyes squinting as he smiles]

Hello gorgeous

[he replies back, voice soft as he takes in the necklace. It makes his unbeating heart warm in his chest with pride, seeing his feather so beautifully worn by such a beautiful man]

You never told me where we’re going, by the way. Is this a surprise, or something I forgot about?

[grians-mailbox]

[ and grian’s lucky he has the vocal range of a bird because there’s no words to express just how happy hearing that, or seeing the way mumbo looked at him, made him. he lets out a little trill: partly flustered, partly delighted. his smile softens to something more affectionate. ]

mmh. [ he lifts his free hand, making a half and half motion. ] where we’re going isn’t the secret, it’s more the why. it’s been so long that you might have forgotten, which would make it a surprise— anyway—

i do believe i owe you a date, mister mumbo. [ he lifts the hand in his, pressing a kiss to the back of it to hide his smile. ] if you’re free for the rest of the night?

[mumbos-mailbox]

do you owe me a date?

[he doesn't remember when this had happened, but he doesn't argue against it, his smile growing as he feels the kiss to the back of his hand. He can feel his face going pink, watching that smile]

well, you're lucky. seems my schedule is all clean. a miracle, really, with how busy of a man i am.

[he's never that busy, playing it up for the fun of it. he pulls grian a bit closer, wanting to see that smile just a bit closer. he could stare at that face forever, taking in every detail and never getting bored. he's sure it terrifies others, with those deep dark eyes- but he's never seen anyone as gorgeous]

If the location isn't the secret, are you going to tell me where we're going?

[grians-mailbox]

[ grian lets himself be tugged closer, going easily, happily even, with a little hum. ]

yeah! actually, i’d love to hear your thoughts on it. i- i’ve been trying to think of something for months now and i’m not even sure if this qualifies- [ it’s something he would have asked mumbo for help with, if it hadn’t been a surprise for him so it’s a relief to be able to confide in him about it now. his alternative hermits were scar or skizz but they were also the last two he’d trust with keeping a secret. ]

[ he keeps his gaze leveled with the red tie in front of him, a finger reaching up to idly play with it. ] i brought some in ingredients from off server. i thought we could head to my place, make dinner together— maybe try baking something for dessert. then i can show you the nest, when we’re ready?

[mumbos-mailbox]

[there’s a small pause before he responds, laughing quietly]

Would.. us together, making a meal, go well?

[but he’s smiling widely, leaning forward a bit to a press a kiss to grian’s forehead]

Looks like we get to find out at least.. though i do hope your kitchen won’t flood at least

[hungry hermits was an experience, lets just say that]

And.. im very excited to see the nest too

[grians-mailbox]

it won’t flood! [ he huffs, a little pouty. they can be a good team, he knows it! they won’t be on a timer or on limited lives or- or whatever else— they’ve made it work before, just the two of them. it’ll be fine. ]

[ and he lives right by a river, if they need to put out any fires. ]

it’s not all done yet, [ he explains as he pulls mumbo to his side, starting the walk back to his place. ] i’ve left you space to do the redstone without worrying about the clutter but i think i’ve fussed over everything else enough for it to be presentable.

[mumbos-mailbox]

I do hope you also don’t have a walk in freezer. I don’t feel much like running to save you tonight.. or needing to be saved myself

[he keeps their hands tightly tangled as they walk, curiously looking around scar’s base with how its on the way. Been a while since he properly walked around magic mountain; while his elytras did have a breaking problem, he made do, refusing to walk everywhere]

Even if its not done, im sure it looks amazing. You do a good job on them

[he smiles brightly, all the fangs out]

[grians-mailbox]

[ a playful, agonized groan came in response to that, accompanied by a shiver of his feathers. it took days after for them to get them back to feeling normal. ]

[ he’d followed mumbo’s gaze to scar’s base but that smile gets his attention again. handsome. he bumps their arms together, leaning against him. ]

if you want, we can go inside on the way back. [ into the zoo he means. ] i haven’t seen the volcano yet, have you?

[mumbos-mailbox]

There’s a volcano?

[he sounds extremely surprised by that- and he is. He hadn’t flown over it recently, had scar really built an entire volcano]

Was that not the plan for the mountain though..? Are we going to have multiple volcanoes around here? That doesn’t sound safe..

[he thinks over grian’s offer for a few seconds, then nods]

I think I’d like to look around, yeah. Would love to see what scar is doing over there

[grians-mailbox]

[ considering his base was built onto the side of the pending volcano, it wasn’t looking good for him no matter how many were around. he hums softly. ] ‘kay.

[ when they get to the stairs up to his base, he walks a little faster to go ahead of mumbo. still guiding him by the hand until reaching the door, letting go and gesturing him inside, wing reaching out to guide him too. ]

you miiiight wanna take off the jacket. and roll up your sleeves? unless you don’t care about maybe getting them stained? you work with redstone so i guess you’d be used to it—

[ nervous isn’t the right word. but he’s definitely all strung up. calling this a date versus what they usually do, like hanging out, sets the bar pretty high. ]

[mumbos-mailbox]

[he doesn’t really want to take off his jacket- not with the butterflies in his stomach feeling they will tear out of him if he removes the layers keeping them in]

[but also it has redstone on his sleeves, and he doesn’t want it getting on everything. He steps inside the house and slips the jacket off, unbuttoning his sleeve cuffs and pushing his sleeves up as far as they’ll let him]

Might as well take it off

[it’s comfortable in grian’s house, calming. He looks around, trying to spot anything new, and a soft calm smile comes to his face. His cold hand flexes a few times, already missing the warmth of grian’s hand holding it, but he busies his fingers with the buttons of his vest to ignore that]

Do you have a plan for what you want to make for dinner?

[grians-mailbox]

i thought it'd be fun to pick it as we went.

[ meanwhile grian flits over to the kitchen. it's still only a corner of the open space but he's put some blocks down to make an island for more space. and though candles are still abundant, he's gone ahead and put some copper bulbs for proper light, the orange starting to weather since he put them in, blending with the warped blocks. ]

i bought a bunch of stuff so we have options. [ he grabs one of his heftier cookbooks and turns to face mumbo, leaning back against the counter as he does. he opens and holds it to his chest to show it to him, a claw pointing at the page. ]

if it were up to me, all three meals would just be dessert. [ he bought a bunch of fruit for that. ] but i also already threw meat in the furnace since i don't think we wanna be touching that raw so that's also on the table.

for main dishes, we got soups, dumplings, stuffed pumpkin, fish stuff- [ which he scrunches his nose at- ] burgers, steaks, meat pies- [ he holds it a little higher for him to see, smiling up at him. ] we can alter any of them to be vegetarian, if you wanted. craving anything specific?

[mumbos-mailbox]

[the thought of touching raw meat right now makes him want to rid himself of skin privileges, but hearing grian already cooked makes him much more relieved. he looks down at all the different options on the page, reading over them all quickly]

maybe a sort of soup and we can have bread as a side? You have that giant wheat field, we may as well use it.

[he doesnt mention the offer of vegetarian. if he's honest, he'd probably love that- but after season 8, he realised its probably best not to go vegetarian again]

[grians-mailbox]

[ his eyes narrow in a playful glare. ] i’ve told you before— those fields are for decoration, mumbo! [ it wouldn’t hurt to take some; he suspects multiple hermits have already helped themselves to it. ]

we can do an extra fancy schmancy chicken soup, if that sounds good to you. [ he guides him behind the island, setting the open book on its stand. he rummages through his barrels before producing a pot and handing it to him. it was pretty big so he’ll leave it to mumbo. ]

you can use the sink to fill this up. the campfire is already set up so just hang this over it when it’s done. then you can help with the chopping.

[mumbos-mailbox]

Oh well replant it, you won’t even notice that we took any in a few hours-

[a mischievous grin finds its way onto his face, but it turns a bit softer as the pot is popped into his hands]

Chicken soup sounds good

[might as well eat as much chicken as possible before it’s considered cannibalism]

[Mumbo brings the pot to the sink, filling it up. He turns slightly as he does, just watching grian. He has a little smile on his face, looking almost goofy as he admires the other for a second, turning back to the pot just in time to stop it from overflowing. He dumps a bit of water out so it’s not at the top, and hangs the pot over the campfire as instructed before returning to grian’s side to see what needs to be chopped]

[grians-mailbox]

[ he’s not the only one being goofy. grian lifts his chin to look at him when he approaches and warmth colors his cheeks but he doesn’t hide the blush, smiling up at him. it made him feel all fluttery having mumbo here, seeing him in his home. ]

[ and thankfully he can express it even with his hands busy— a wing coming up behind the redstoner to usher him closer to grian’s side. ]

when it comes to ingredients, we can pile in whatever we want. [ he pulls out the things as he names them, handing them to mumbo to place down. ] onions, carrots, celery, i’m partial to potatoes but if you’re tired of them, we can skip them— or anything else you don’t like.

[ he opens some drawers (still unfamiliar with the space but hopefully he’ll use it more in the future) before producing two knives and handing one over. ] it can be as chunky as you want. no wrong way of doing it.

[mumbos-mailbox]

Potatoes in soup sounds good- potatoes by themselves sound less good

[he chuckles, perfectly happy being ushered close to grian’s side, taking the knife from him and looking over all the veggies he had set down on the counter. He’s not the greatest at cooking, so his chopping is gonna end up being pretty uneven, but he just hopes it works out-]

[he starts with the potatoes, getting to chopping. He hums as he does, the s8 car song- something about this, potatoes and warmth, just reminds him of the good times from that season]

Do you have anything specific you want in the soup?

[grians-mailbox]

‘sides those, not really. not gonna lie, i’m more excited for the dessert.

[ but according to some people (pearl and sometimes mumbo himself), bowls of fruit didn’t make a meal no matter how much you eat of it. once he’s finished peeling the carrots, he slides them to mumbo before moving to his other side to steal the sliced potatoes. he moves to the pot, dumping them and the meat inside, careful not to let it splash. his claws can endure the close proximity to the bubbling. ]

[ still, that reminds him. he searches through his cabinets— birdbrain snagging on the catchy song mumbo was humming and making him repeat it back to him— before letting out a triumphant little aha. ]

here. [ he doesn’t really give him a chance to reject it, looping the pink frilly apron around mumbo’s waist and tying it in the back for him. with his dozens of replicated sweaters, grian doesn’t need it: ] you can wipe your hands on it. it’s meant to be dirtied so don’t feel bad.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[he laughs at that]

We haven’t even started making that one

[he starts to cut up the carrots without any question, sliding the cut up chunks to where his sliced potatoes used to sit]

[having the pink frilly apron suddenly wrapped around him startles the poor man slightly, and he looks down at the apron in surprise for a few seconds before he chuckles]

Why do you have this laying around?

[before grian can walk off, his tail loops around him, gently dragging him to mumbo’s side]

[grians-mailbox]

my closets are vast, mumbo. [ he speaks as he lets himself be pulled in, easily saddling up to mumbo’s side again. ] i can’t remember the reason for everything in my storages, just that it all becomes useful again. eventually.

[ said every hoarder ever probably. ]

it was for some sort of housekeeping bit i reckon. [ the memory is there but not solid enough for him to be certain so he shrugs. ]

[ he picks up a carrot, the piece crunching when he takes a bite. he tilts his head, looking at him from this angle now. hopefully he doesn’t feel pressure being stared at cause grian is staring. ] looks better on you for sure. [ he teases, smiling wide. ]

[mumbos-mailbox]

For such vast closets, why is it I usually see you in the same old red sweater?

[he laughs as if he doesn’t own like 4 of the same suit]

[his cheeks redden at the compliment, his hand pausing where it’s cutting. He lets out a little huff of air, chuckling quietly before looking over to meet grian’s eyes]

Well we don’t know that. I think we’d have to see you in it again before we make a decision on that.. and I’m sure you made sure it looked good on you before you chose to keep it

[he finishes with the carrots, grabbing the celery that had been left on the counter, starting to cut those up as well]

[grians-mailbox]

[ it was the reaction he wanted and he giggles, jostling him by bumping their arms together. he stays pressed to him. his own tail lifts, wiggling underneath where mumbo’s was around him so they can intertwine. ]

maybe i’ll wear it next time. i think we should make a thing of this.

[ he doesn’t move until the celery is done too, nodding his head at them. ] come put those in. [ he takes the carrots, moving to the pot and putting them inside before letting mumbo do the same. ]

you wanna craft the bread? i’ll do the chicken.

[mumbos-mailbox]

We should definitely make a thing of this

[how much longer would they be able to do this? He was getting older every day, and the database was nearly done and soon- he pushes all those thoughts from his mind, focusing on the present. It doesn’t matter how much more time they had, just that they can do it at least one more time. Mumbo follows behind grian to the pot, putting it all into the soup. He looks over at Grian at the question, and nods]

Sure. Do you mind if i step out really fast to get the ingredients then..?

[the grin of a man who will keep making the joke of stealing from grian’s wheat fields. The little anger the other offered at it every time made him smile too much not to]

[grians-mailbox]

yeah, go a—

[ he pauses when it hits him and promptly turns his head to glare. ] you have my permission this ONE time, buddy. [ his tail tugs on his before letting it go. ] and make sure to replant!

[ he mumbles under his breath as he pulls the chicken from the furnace, something about skizz and impulse— too bad the scarejumbo wasn’t weird enough to keep the hermits out of his poor wheat fields. ]

[mumbos-mailbox]

Not like I’ve really gotten permission before- you can’t always keep an eye on the fields

[he laughs, feeling bold for a second and quickly getting closer to press a kiss to the top of grian’s head before he’s leaving the apron here (he doesn’t want any dirt on it) and heading out the door, flying to the wheat field]

[it takes him a while to get what he needs since Grian wants it replanted, but he’s back as soon as possible, pausing by grian’s storage system to put away the extra seeds he had gotten and then returning to the house]

[grians-mailbox]

[ he's found his way to his jukebox in mumbo's absence, rummaging through the barrel next to it looking for a disc. he chirps in greeting. ]

there are bakeries in the hub server that do the whole bread process by scratch buttt that's not really something i wanted to get into. you can go ahead and just craft it like usual.

[ something plays, the volume low as he comes back. there's bowls on the counters already and now that mumbo is back, he moves them to the pot to fill them, handing one over. ]

i don't have a table or anything. [ he smiles a little sheepishly. ] there's the couch though? or just the counter-

[mumbos-mailbox]

I believe making bread from scratch will take longer than we have time for

[he moves to the nearby crafting table, quickly crafting up a few loaves and setting the warm bread onto the counter. He takes the bowl, smiling softly at grian.]

The couch sounds comfortable

[everything about this just feels so soft and warm to him, he loves it]

[mumbos-mailbox]

Grian: mumbooo

Grian: i’m coming to pick you up

Grian: warning you now you’ll wanna be somewhat presentable

Grian: not like

Grian: in your whole suit or anything. just not covered in redstone

Grian: see you in 20!

MUMBO : pick me up for whta MUMBO: i guess ill see you then?

['not like in your whole suit or anything']

[huh. thats like saying he shouldnt be in his skin. he doesnt remember the last time he hadnt worn the suit out- so he doesnt change it now. well actually he does change his suit, finding one a bit less stained. he does his best to brush his hair, giving up on the cowlick after way too long of sitting there staring into a copper block]

[with his hair somewhat better, and his suit at least not covered in redstone, he sits outside on the steps of his house, watching the chickens run around- he hadnt killed them all. too much work. he's sure MINED will have a need for them]

[grians-mailbox]

baa baadaa…

[ he’s singing that darn hold music before he’s even in the vicinity. perhaps a little spring to his step, coming to a stop when a chicken decides to pass by him, patiently waiting until it passes before continuing. when eyes fall on mumbo, he perks up, earwings fluttering. ]

mumbo!

[ he doesn’t look too different himself; maybe his sweater is a different shade of red? and the black feather is partially curled around his neck, held together by a necklace instead of clipped to his sweater. ]

[ he chirps, coming to a stop in front of him and offering his hand to help him up. ] hi handsome.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[he can’t stop his lips from twitching up into a smile, taking the offered hand and letting himself be helped up. He doesn’t release the other’s hand once he’s up on his feet; instead lacing their fingers together, eyes squinting as he smiles]

Hello gorgeous

[he replies back, voice soft as he takes in the necklace. It makes his unbeating heart warm in his chest with pride, seeing his feather so beautifully worn by such a beautiful man]

You never told me where we’re going, by the way. Is this a surprise, or something I forgot about?

[grians-mailbox]

[ and grian’s lucky he has the vocal range of a bird because there’s no words to express just how happy hearing that, or seeing the way mumbo looked at him, made him. he lets out a little trill: partly flustered, partly delighted. his smile softens to something more affectionate. ]

mmh. [ he lifts his free hand, making a half and half motion. ] where we’re going isn’t the secret, it’s more the why. it’s been so long that you might have forgotten, which would make it a surprise— anyway—

i do believe i owe you a date, mister mumbo. [ he lifts the hand in his, pressing a kiss to the back of it to hide his smile. ] if you’re free for the rest of the night?

[mumbos-mailbox]

do you owe me a date?

[he doesn't remember when this had happened, but he doesn't argue against it, his smile growing as he feels the kiss to the back of his hand. He can feel his face going pink, watching that smile]

well, you're lucky. seems my schedule is all clean. a miracle, really, with how busy of a man i am.

[he's never that busy, playing it up for the fun of it. he pulls grian a bit closer, wanting to see that smile just a bit closer. he could stare at that face forever, taking in every detail and never getting bored. he's sure it terrifies others, with those deep dark eyes- but he's never seen anyone as gorgeous]

If the location isn't the secret, are you going to tell me where we're going?

[grians-mailbox]

[ grian lets himself be tugged closer, going easily, happily even, with a little hum. ]

yeah! actually, i’d love to hear your thoughts on it. i- i’ve been trying to think of something for months now and i’m not even sure if this qualifies- [ it’s something he would have asked mumbo for help with, if it hadn’t been a surprise for him so it’s a relief to be able to confide in him about it now. his alternative hermits were scar or skizz but they were also the last two he’d trust with keeping a secret. ]

[ he keeps his gaze leveled with the red tie in front of him, a finger reaching up to idly play with it. ] i brought some in ingredients from off server. i thought we could head to my place, make dinner together— maybe try baking something for dessert. then i can show you the nest, when we’re ready?

[mumbos-mailbox]

[there’s a small pause before he responds, laughing quietly]

Would.. us together, making a meal, go well?

[but he’s smiling widely, leaning forward a bit to a press a kiss to grian’s forehead]

Looks like we get to find out at least.. though i do hope your kitchen won’t flood at least

[hungry hermits was an experience, lets just say that]

And.. im very excited to see the nest too

[grians-mailbox]

it won’t flood! [ he huffs, a little pouty. they can be a good team, he knows it! they won’t be on a timer or on limited lives or- or whatever else— they’ve made it work before, just the two of them. it’ll be fine. ]

[ and he lives right by a river, if they need to put out any fires. ]

it’s not all done yet, [ he explains as he pulls mumbo to his side, starting the walk back to his place. ] i’ve left you space to do the redstone without worrying about the clutter but i think i’ve fussed over everything else enough for it to be presentable.

[mumbos-mailbox]

I do hope you also don’t have a walk in freezer. I don’t feel much like running to save you tonight.. or needing to be saved myself

[he keeps their hands tightly tangled as they walk, curiously looking around scar’s base with how its on the way. Been a while since he properly walked around magic mountain; while his elytras did have a breaking problem, he made do, refusing to walk everywhere]

Even if its not done, im sure it looks amazing. You do a good job on them

[he smiles brightly, all the fangs out]

[grians-mailbox]

[ a playful, agonized groan came in response to that, accompanied by a shiver of his feathers. it took days after for them to get them back to feeling normal. ]

[ he’d followed mumbo’s gaze to scar’s base but that smile gets his attention again. handsome. he bumps their arms together, leaning against him. ]

if you want, we can go inside on the way back. [ into the zoo he means. ] i haven’t seen the volcano yet, have you?

[mumbos-mailbox]

There’s a volcano?

[he sounds extremely surprised by that- and he is. He hadn’t flown over it recently, had scar really built an entire volcano]

Was that not the plan for the mountain though..? Are we going to have multiple volcanoes around here? That doesn’t sound safe..

[he thinks over grian’s offer for a few seconds, then nods]

I think I’d like to look around, yeah. Would love to see what scar is doing over there

[grians-mailbox]

[ considering his base was built onto the side of the pending volcano, it wasn’t looking good for him no matter how many were around. he hums softly. ] ‘kay.

[ when they get to the stairs up to his base, he walks a little faster to go ahead of mumbo. still guiding him by the hand until reaching the door, letting go and gesturing him inside, wing reaching out to guide him too. ]

you miiiight wanna take off the jacket. and roll up your sleeves? unless you don’t care about maybe getting them stained? you work with redstone so i guess you’d be used to it—

[ nervous isn’t the right word. but he’s definitely all strung up. calling this a date versus what they usually do, like hanging out, sets the bar pretty high. ]

[mumbos-mailbox]

[he doesn’t really want to take off his jacket- not with the butterflies in his stomach feeling they will tear out of him if he removes the layers keeping them in]

[but also it has redstone on his sleeves, and he doesn’t want it getting on everything. He steps inside the house and slips the jacket off, unbuttoning his sleeve cuffs and pushing his sleeves up as far as they’ll let him]

Might as well take it off

[it’s comfortable in grian’s house, calming. He looks around, trying to spot anything new, and a soft calm smile comes to his face. His cold hand flexes a few times, already missing the warmth of grian’s hand holding it, but he busies his fingers with the buttons of his vest to ignore that]

Do you have a plan for what you want to make for dinner?

[grians-mailbox]

i thought it'd be fun to pick it as we went.

[ meanwhile grian flits over to the kitchen. it's still only a corner of the open space but he's put some blocks down to make an island for more space. and though candles are still abundant, he's gone ahead and put some copper bulbs for proper light, the orange starting to weather since he put them in, blending with the warped blocks. ]

i bought a bunch of stuff so we have options. [ he grabs one of his heftier cookbooks and turns to face mumbo, leaning back against the counter as he does. he opens and holds it to his chest to show it to him, a claw pointing at the page. ]

if it were up to me, all three meals would just be dessert. [ he bought a bunch of fruit for that. ] but i also already threw meat in the furnace since i don't think we wanna be touching that raw so that's also on the table.

for main dishes, we got soups, dumplings, stuffed pumpkin, fish stuff- [ which he scrunches his nose at- ] burgers, steaks, meat pies- [ he holds it a little higher for him to see, smiling up at him. ] we can alter any of them to be vegetarian, if you wanted. craving anything specific?

[mumbos-mailbox]

[the thought of touching raw meat right now makes him want to rid himself of skin privileges, but hearing grian already cooked makes him much more relieved. he looks down at all the different options on the page, reading over them all quickly]

maybe a sort of soup and we can have bread as a side? You have that giant wheat field, we may as well use it.

[he doesnt mention the offer of vegetarian. if he's honest, he'd probably love that- but after season 8, he realised its probably best not to go vegetarian again]

[grians-mailbox]

[ his eyes narrow in a playful glare. ] i’ve told you before— those fields are for decoration, mumbo! [ it wouldn’t hurt to take some; he suspects multiple hermits have already helped themselves to it. ]

we can do an extra fancy schmancy chicken soup, if that sounds good to you. [ he guides him behind the island, setting the open book on its stand. he rummages through his barrels before producing a pot and handing it to him. it was pretty big so he’ll leave it to mumbo. ]

you can use the sink to fill this up. the campfire is already set up so just hang this over it when it’s done. then you can help with the chopping.

[mumbos-mailbox]

Oh well replant it, you won’t even notice that we took any in a few hours-

[a mischievous grin finds its way onto his face, but it turns a bit softer as the pot is popped into his hands]

Chicken soup sounds good

[might as well eat as much chicken as possible before it’s considered cannibalism]

[Mumbo brings the pot to the sink, filling it up. He turns slightly as he does, just watching grian. He has a little smile on his face, looking almost goofy as he admires the other for a second, turning back to the pot just in time to stop it from overflowing. He dumps a bit of water out so it’s not at the top, and hangs the pot over the campfire as instructed before returning to grian’s side to see what needs to be chopped]

[grians-mailbox]

[ he’s not the only one being goofy. grian lifts his chin to look at him when he approaches and warmth colors his cheeks but he doesn’t hide the blush, smiling up at him. it made him feel all fluttery having mumbo here, seeing him in his home. ]

[ and thankfully he can express it even with his hands busy— a wing coming up behind the redstoner to usher him closer to grian’s side. ]

when it comes to ingredients, we can pile in whatever we want. [ he pulls out the things as he names them, handing them to mumbo to place down. ] onions, carrots, celery, i’m partial to potatoes but if you’re tired of them, we can skip them— or anything else you don’t like.

[ he opens some drawers (still unfamiliar with the space but hopefully he’ll use it more in the future) before producing two knives and handing one over. ] it can be as chunky as you want. no wrong way of doing it.

[mumbos-mailbox]

Potatoes in soup sounds good- potatoes by themselves sound less good

[he chuckles, perfectly happy being ushered close to grian’s side, taking the knife from him and looking over all the veggies he had set down on the counter. He’s not the greatest at cooking, so his chopping is gonna end up being pretty uneven, but he just hopes it works out-]

[he starts with the potatoes, getting to chopping. He hums as he does, the s8 car song- something about this, potatoes and warmth, just reminds him of the good times from that season]

Do you have anything specific you want in the soup?

[grians-mailbox]

‘sides those, not really. not gonna lie, i’m more excited for the dessert.

[ but according to some people (pearl and sometimes mumbo himself), bowls of fruit didn’t make a meal no matter how much you eat of it. once he’s finished peeling the carrots, he slides them to mumbo before moving to his other side to steal the sliced potatoes. he moves to the pot, dumping them and the meat inside, careful not to let it splash. his claws can endure the close proximity to the bubbling. ]

[ still, that reminds him. he searches through his cabinets— birdbrain snagging on the catchy song mumbo was humming and making him repeat it back to him— before letting out a triumphant little aha. ]

here. [ he doesn’t really give him a chance to reject it, looping the pink frilly apron around mumbo’s waist and tying it in the back for him. with his dozens of replicated sweaters, grian doesn’t need it: ] you can wipe your hands on it. it’s meant to be dirtied so don’t feel bad.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[he laughs at that]

We haven’t even started making that one

[he starts to cut up the carrots without any question, sliding the cut up chunks to where his sliced potatoes used to sit]

[having the pink frilly apron suddenly wrapped around him startles the poor man slightly, and he looks down at the apron in surprise for a few seconds before he chuckles]

Why do you have this laying around?

[before grian can walk off, his tail loops around him, gently dragging him to mumbo’s side]

[grians-mailbox]

my closets are vast, mumbo. [ he speaks as he lets himself be pulled in, easily saddling up to mumbo’s side again. ] i can’t remember the reason for everything in my storages, just that it all becomes useful again. eventually.

[ said every hoarder ever probably. ]

it was for some sort of housekeeping bit i reckon. [ the memory is there but not solid enough for him to be certain so he shrugs. ]

[ he picks up a carrot, the piece crunching when he takes a bite. he tilts his head, looking at him from this angle now. hopefully he doesn’t feel pressure being stared at cause grian is staring. ] looks better on you for sure. [ he teases, smiling wide. ]

[mumbos-mailbox]

For such vast closets, why is it I usually see you in the same old red sweater?

[he laughs as if he doesn’t own like 4 of the same suit]

[his cheeks redden at the compliment, his hand pausing where it’s cutting. He lets out a little huff of air, chuckling quietly before looking over to meet grian’s eyes]

Well we don’t know that. I think we’d have to see you in it again before we make a decision on that.. and I’m sure you made sure it looked good on you before you chose to keep it

[he finishes with the carrots, grabbing the celery that had been left on the counter, starting to cut those up as well]

[grians-mailbox]

[ it was the reaction he wanted and he giggles, jostling him by bumping their arms together. he stays pressed to him. his own tail lifts, wiggling underneath where mumbo’s was around him so they can intertwine. ]

maybe i’ll wear it next time. i think we should make a thing of this.

[ he doesn’t move until the celery is done too, nodding his head at them. ] come put those in. [ he takes the carrots, moving to the pot and putting them inside before letting mumbo do the same. ]

you wanna craft the bread? i’ll do the chicken.

[mumbos-mailbox]

We should definitely make a thing of this

[how much longer would they be able to do this? He was getting older every day, and the database was nearly done and soon- he pushes all those thoughts from his mind, focusing on the present. It doesn’t matter how much more time they had, just that they can do it at least one more time. Mumbo follows behind grian to the pot, putting it all into the soup. He looks over at Grian at the question, and nods]

Sure. Do you mind if i step out really fast to get the ingredients then..?

[the grin of a man who will keep making the joke of stealing from grian’s wheat fields. The little anger the other offered at it every time made him smile too much not to]

[grians-mailbox]

yeah, go a—

[ he pauses when it hits him and promptly turns his head to glare. ] you have my permission this ONE time, buddy. [ his tail tugs on his before letting it go. ] and make sure to replant!

[ he mumbles under his breath as he pulls the chicken from the furnace, something about skizz and impulse— too bad the scarejumbo wasn’t weird enough to keep the hermits out of his poor wheat fields. ]

[mumbos-mailbox]

Not like I’ve really gotten permission before- you can’t always keep an eye on the fields

[he laughs, feeling bold for a second and quickly getting closer to press a kiss to the top of grian’s head before he’s leaving the apron here (he doesn’t want any dirt on it) and heading out the door, flying to the wheat field]

[it takes him a while to get what he needs since Grian wants it replanted, but he’s back as soon as possible, pausing by grian’s storage system to put away the extra seeds he had gotten and then returning to the house]

[mumbos-mailbox]

Grian: mumbooo

Grian: i’m coming to pick you up

Grian: warning you now you’ll wanna be somewhat presentable

Grian: not like

Grian: in your whole suit or anything. just not covered in redstone

Grian: see you in 20!

MUMBO : pick me up for whta MUMBO: i guess ill see you then?

['not like in your whole suit or anything']

[huh. thats like saying he shouldnt be in his skin. he doesnt remember the last time he hadnt worn the suit out- so he doesnt change it now. well actually he does change his suit, finding one a bit less stained. he does his best to brush his hair, giving up on the cowlick after way too long of sitting there staring into a copper block]

[with his hair somewhat better, and his suit at least not covered in redstone, he sits outside on the steps of his house, watching the chickens run around- he hadnt killed them all. too much work. he's sure MINED will have a need for them]

[grians-mailbox]

baa baadaa…

[ he’s singing that darn hold music before he’s even in the vicinity. perhaps a little spring to his step, coming to a stop when a chicken decides to pass by him, patiently waiting until it passes before continuing. when eyes fall on mumbo, he perks up, earwings fluttering. ]

mumbo!

[ he doesn’t look too different himself; maybe his sweater is a different shade of red? and the black feather is partially curled around his neck, held together by a necklace instead of clipped to his sweater. ]

[ he chirps, coming to a stop in front of him and offering his hand to help him up. ] hi handsome.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[he can’t stop his lips from twitching up into a smile, taking the offered hand and letting himself be helped up. He doesn’t release the other’s hand once he’s up on his feet; instead lacing their fingers together, eyes squinting as he smiles]

Hello gorgeous

[he replies back, voice soft as he takes in the necklace. It makes his unbeating heart warm in his chest with pride, seeing his feather so beautifully worn by such a beautiful man]

You never told me where we’re going, by the way. Is this a surprise, or something I forgot about?

[grians-mailbox]

[ and grian’s lucky he has the vocal range of a bird because there’s no words to express just how happy hearing that, or seeing the way mumbo looked at him, made him. he lets out a little trill: partly flustered, partly delighted. his smile softens to something more affectionate. ]

mmh. [ he lifts his free hand, making a half and half motion. ] where we’re going isn’t the secret, it’s more the why. it’s been so long that you might have forgotten, which would make it a surprise— anyway—

i do believe i owe you a date, mister mumbo. [ he lifts the hand in his, pressing a kiss to the back of it to hide his smile. ] if you’re free for the rest of the night?

[mumbos-mailbox]

do you owe me a date?

[he doesn't remember when this had happened, but he doesn't argue against it, his smile growing as he feels the kiss to the back of his hand. He can feel his face going pink, watching that smile]

well, you're lucky. seems my schedule is all clean. a miracle, really, with how busy of a man i am.

[he's never that busy, playing it up for the fun of it. he pulls grian a bit closer, wanting to see that smile just a bit closer. he could stare at that face forever, taking in every detail and never getting bored. he's sure it terrifies others, with those deep dark eyes- but he's never seen anyone as gorgeous]

If the location isn't the secret, are you going to tell me where we're going?

[grians-mailbox]

[ grian lets himself be tugged closer, going easily, happily even, with a little hum. ]

yeah! actually, i’d love to hear your thoughts on it. i- i’ve been trying to think of something for months now and i’m not even sure if this qualifies- [ it’s something he would have asked mumbo for help with, if it hadn’t been a surprise for him so it’s a relief to be able to confide in him about it now. his alternative hermits were scar or skizz but they were also the last two he’d trust with keeping a secret. ]

[ he keeps his gaze leveled with the red tie in front of him, a finger reaching up to idly play with it. ] i brought some in ingredients from off server. i thought we could head to my place, make dinner together— maybe try baking something for dessert. then i can show you the nest, when we’re ready?

[mumbos-mailbox]

[there’s a small pause before he responds, laughing quietly]

Would.. us together, making a meal, go well?

[but he’s smiling widely, leaning forward a bit to a press a kiss to grian’s forehead]

Looks like we get to find out at least.. though i do hope your kitchen won’t flood at least

[hungry hermits was an experience, lets just say that]

And.. im very excited to see the nest too

[grians-mailbox]

it won’t flood! [ he huffs, a little pouty. they can be a good team, he knows it! they won’t be on a timer or on limited lives or- or whatever else— they’ve made it work before, just the two of them. it’ll be fine. ]

[ and he lives right by a river, if they need to put out any fires. ]

it’s not all done yet, [ he explains as he pulls mumbo to his side, starting the walk back to his place. ] i’ve left you space to do the redstone without worrying about the clutter but i think i’ve fussed over everything else enough for it to be presentable.

[mumbos-mailbox]

I do hope you also don’t have a walk in freezer. I don’t feel much like running to save you tonight.. or needing to be saved myself

[he keeps their hands tightly tangled as they walk, curiously looking around scar’s base with how its on the way. Been a while since he properly walked around magic mountain; while his elytras did have a breaking problem, he made do, refusing to walk everywhere]

Even if its not done, im sure it looks amazing. You do a good job on them

[he smiles brightly, all the fangs out]

[grians-mailbox]

[ a playful, agonized groan came in response to that, accompanied by a shiver of his feathers. it took days after for them to get them back to feeling normal. ]

[ he’d followed mumbo’s gaze to scar’s base but that smile gets his attention again. handsome. he bumps their arms together, leaning against him. ]

if you want, we can go inside on the way back. [ into the zoo he means. ] i haven’t seen the volcano yet, have you?

[mumbos-mailbox]

There’s a volcano?

[he sounds extremely surprised by that- and he is. He hadn’t flown over it recently, had scar really built an entire volcano]

Was that not the plan for the mountain though..? Are we going to have multiple volcanoes around here? That doesn’t sound safe..

[he thinks over grian’s offer for a few seconds, then nods]

I think I’d like to look around, yeah. Would love to see what scar is doing over there

[grians-mailbox]

[ considering his base was built onto the side of the pending volcano, it wasn’t looking good for him no matter how many were around. he hums softly. ] ‘kay.

[ when they get to the stairs up to his base, he walks a little faster to go ahead of mumbo. still guiding him by the hand until reaching the door, letting go and gesturing him inside, wing reaching out to guide him too. ]

you miiiight wanna take off the jacket. and roll up your sleeves? unless you don’t care about maybe getting them stained? you work with redstone so i guess you’d be used to it—

[ nervous isn’t the right word. but he’s definitely all strung up. calling this a date versus what they usually do, like hanging out, sets the bar pretty high. ]

[mumbos-mailbox]

[he doesn’t really want to take off his jacket- not with the butterflies in his stomach feeling they will tear out of him if he removes the layers keeping them in]

[but also it has redstone on his sleeves, and he doesn’t want it getting on everything. He steps inside the house and slips the jacket off, unbuttoning his sleeve cuffs and pushing his sleeves up as far as they’ll let him]

Might as well take it off

[it’s comfortable in grian’s house, calming. He looks around, trying to spot anything new, and a soft calm smile comes to his face. His cold hand flexes a few times, already missing the warmth of grian’s hand holding it, but he busies his fingers with the buttons of his vest to ignore that]

Do you have a plan for what you want to make for dinner?

[grians-mailbox]

i thought it'd be fun to pick it as we went.

[ meanwhile grian flits over to the kitchen. it's still only a corner of the open space but he's put some blocks down to make an island for more space. and though candles are still abundant, he's gone ahead and put some copper bulbs for proper light, the orange starting to weather since he put them in, blending with the warped blocks. ]

i bought a bunch of stuff so we have options. [ he grabs one of his heftier cookbooks and turns to face mumbo, leaning back against the counter as he does. he opens and holds it to his chest to show it to him, a claw pointing at the page. ]

if it were up to me, all three meals would just be dessert. [ he bought a bunch of fruit for that. ] but i also already threw meat in the furnace since i don't think we wanna be touching that raw so that's also on the table.

for main dishes, we got soups, dumplings, stuffed pumpkin, fish stuff- [ which he scrunches his nose at- ] burgers, steaks, meat pies- [ he holds it a little higher for him to see, smiling up at him. ] we can alter any of them to be vegetarian, if you wanted. craving anything specific?

[mumbos-mailbox]

[the thought of touching raw meat right now makes him want to rid himself of skin privileges, but hearing grian already cooked makes him much more relieved. he looks down at all the different options on the page, reading over them all quickly]

maybe a sort of soup and we can have bread as a side? You have that giant wheat field, we may as well use it.

[he doesnt mention the offer of vegetarian. if he's honest, he'd probably love that- but after season 8, he realised its probably best not to go vegetarian again]

[grians-mailbox]

[ his eyes narrow in a playful glare. ] i’ve told you before— those fields are for decoration, mumbo! [ it wouldn’t hurt to take some; he suspects multiple hermits have already helped themselves to it. ]

we can do an extra fancy schmancy chicken soup, if that sounds good to you. [ he guides him behind the island, setting the open book on its stand. he rummages through his barrels before producing a pot and handing it to him. it was pretty big so he’ll leave it to mumbo. ]

you can use the sink to fill this up. the campfire is already set up so just hang this over it when it’s done. then you can help with the chopping.

[mumbos-mailbox]

Oh well replant it, you won’t even notice that we took any in a few hours-

[a mischievous grin finds its way onto his face, but it turns a bit softer as the pot is popped into his hands]

Chicken soup sounds good

[might as well eat as much chicken as possible before it’s considered cannibalism]

[Mumbo brings the pot to the sink, filling it up. He turns slightly as he does, just watching grian. He has a little smile on his face, looking almost goofy as he admires the other for a second, turning back to the pot just in time to stop it from overflowing. He dumps a bit of water out so it’s not at the top, and hangs the pot over the campfire as instructed before returning to grian’s side to see what needs to be chopped]

[grians-mailbox]

[ he’s not the only one being goofy. grian lifts his chin to look at him when he approaches and warmth colors his cheeks but he doesn’t hide the blush, smiling up at him. it made him feel all fluttery having mumbo here, seeing him in his home. ]

[ and thankfully he can express it even with his hands busy— a wing coming up behind the redstoner to usher him closer to grian’s side. ]

when it comes to ingredients, we can pile in whatever we want. [ he pulls out the things as he names them, handing them to mumbo to place down. ] onions, carrots, celery, i’m partial to potatoes but if you’re tired of them, we can skip them— or anything else you don’t like.

[ he opens some drawers (still unfamiliar with the space but hopefully he’ll use it more in the future) before producing two knives and handing one over. ] it can be as chunky as you want. no wrong way of doing it.

[mumbos-mailbox]

Potatoes in soup sounds good- potatoes by themselves sound less good

[he chuckles, perfectly happy being ushered close to grian’s side, taking the knife from him and looking over all the veggies he had set down on the counter. He’s not the greatest at cooking, so his chopping is gonna end up being pretty uneven, but he just hopes it works out-]

[he starts with the potatoes, getting to chopping. He hums as he does, the s8 car song- something about this, potatoes and warmth, just reminds him of the good times from that season]

Do you have anything specific you want in the soup?

[grians-mailbox]

‘sides those, not really. not gonna lie, i’m more excited for the dessert.

[ but according to some people (pearl and sometimes mumbo himself), bowls of fruit didn’t make a meal no matter how much you eat of it. once he’s finished peeling the carrots, he slides them to mumbo before moving to his other side to steal the sliced potatoes. he moves to the pot, dumping them and the meat inside, careful not to let it splash. his claws can endure the close proximity to the bubbling. ]

[ still, that reminds him. he searches through his cabinets— birdbrain snagging on the catchy song mumbo was humming and making him repeat it back to him— before letting out a triumphant little aha. ]

here. [ he doesn’t really give him a chance to reject it, looping the pink frilly apron around mumbo’s waist and tying it in the back for him. with his dozens of replicated sweaters, grian doesn’t need it: ] you can wipe your hands on it. it’s meant to be dirtied so don’t feel bad.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[he laughs at that]

We haven’t even started making that one

[he starts to cut up the carrots without any question, sliding the cut up chunks to where his sliced potatoes used to sit]

[having the pink frilly apron suddenly wrapped around him startles the poor man slightly, and he looks down at the apron in surprise for a few seconds before he chuckles]

Why do you have this laying around?

[before grian can walk off, his tail loops around him, gently dragging him to mumbo’s side]

[grians-mailbox]

my closets are vast, mumbo. [ he speaks as he lets himself be pulled in, easily saddling up to mumbo’s side again. ] i can’t remember the reason for everything in my storages, just that it all becomes useful again. eventually.

[ said every hoarder ever probably. ]

it was for some sort of housekeeping bit i reckon. [ the memory is there but not solid enough for him to be certain so he shrugs. ]

[ he picks up a carrot, the piece crunching when he takes a bite. he tilts his head, looking at him from this angle now. hopefully he doesn’t feel pressure being stared at cause grian is staring. ] looks better on you for sure. [ he teases, smiling wide. ]

[mumbos-mailbox]

For such vast closets, why is it I usually see you in the same old red sweater?

[he laughs as if he doesn’t own like 4 of the same suit]

[his cheeks redden at the compliment, his hand pausing where it’s cutting. He lets out a little huff of air, chuckling quietly before looking over to meet grian’s eyes]

Well we don’t know that. I think we’d have to see you in it again before we make a decision on that.. and I’m sure you made sure it looked good on you before you chose to keep it

[he finishes with the carrots, grabbing the celery that had been left on the counter, starting to cut those up as well]

[grians-mailbox]

[ it was the reaction he wanted and he giggles, jostling him by bumping their arms together. he stays pressed to him. his own tail lifts, wiggling underneath where mumbo’s was around him so they can intertwine. ]

maybe i’ll wear it next time. i think we should make a thing of this.

[ he doesn’t move until the celery is done too, nodding his head at them. ] come put those in. [ he takes the carrots, moving to the pot and putting them inside before letting mumbo do the same. ]

you wanna craft the bread? i’ll do the chicken.

[mumbos-mailbox]

We should definitely make a thing of this

[how much longer would they be able to do this? He was getting older every day, and the database was nearly done and soon- he pushes all those thoughts from his mind, focusing on the present. It doesn’t matter how much more time they had, just that they can do it at least one more time. Mumbo follows behind grian to the pot, putting it all into the soup. He looks over at Grian at the question, and nods]

Sure. Do you mind if i step out really fast to get the ingredients then..?

[the grin of a man who will keep making the joke of stealing from grian’s wheat fields. The little anger the other offered at it every time made him smile too much not to]

[mumbos-mailbox]

Grian: mumbooo

Grian: i’m coming to pick you up

Grian: warning you now you’ll wanna be somewhat presentable

Grian: not like

Grian: in your whole suit or anything. just not covered in redstone

Grian: see you in 20!

MUMBO : pick me up for whta MUMBO: i guess ill see you then?

['not like in your whole suit or anything']

[huh. thats like saying he shouldnt be in his skin. he doesnt remember the last time he hadnt worn the suit out- so he doesnt change it now. well actually he does change his suit, finding one a bit less stained. he does his best to brush his hair, giving up on the cowlick after way too long of sitting there staring into a copper block]

[with his hair somewhat better, and his suit at least not covered in redstone, he sits outside on the steps of his house, watching the chickens run around- he hadnt killed them all. too much work. he's sure MINED will have a need for them]

[grians-mailbox]

baa baadaa…

[ he’s singing that darn hold music before he’s even in the vicinity. perhaps a little spring to his step, coming to a stop when a chicken decides to pass by him, patiently waiting until it passes before continuing. when eyes fall on mumbo, he perks up, earwings fluttering. ]

mumbo!

[ he doesn’t look too different himself; maybe his sweater is a different shade of red? and the black feather is partially curled around his neck, held together by a necklace instead of clipped to his sweater. ]

[ he chirps, coming to a stop in front of him and offering his hand to help him up. ] hi handsome.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[he can’t stop his lips from twitching up into a smile, taking the offered hand and letting himself be helped up. He doesn’t release the other’s hand once he’s up on his feet; instead lacing their fingers together, eyes squinting as he smiles]

Hello gorgeous

[he replies back, voice soft as he takes in the necklace. It makes his unbeating heart warm in his chest with pride, seeing his feather so beautifully worn by such a beautiful man]

You never told me where we’re going, by the way. Is this a surprise, or something I forgot about?

[grians-mailbox]

[ and grian’s lucky he has the vocal range of a bird because there’s no words to express just how happy hearing that, or seeing the way mumbo looked at him, made him. he lets out a little trill: partly flustered, partly delighted. his smile softens to something more affectionate. ]

mmh. [ he lifts his free hand, making a half and half motion. ] where we’re going isn’t the secret, it’s more the why. it’s been so long that you might have forgotten, which would make it a surprise— anyway—

i do believe i owe you a date, mister mumbo. [ he lifts the hand in his, pressing a kiss to the back of it to hide his smile. ] if you’re free for the rest of the night?

[mumbos-mailbox]

do you owe me a date?

[he doesn't remember when this had happened, but he doesn't argue against it, his smile growing as he feels the kiss to the back of his hand. He can feel his face going pink, watching that smile]

well, you're lucky. seems my schedule is all clean. a miracle, really, with how busy of a man i am.

[he's never that busy, playing it up for the fun of it. he pulls grian a bit closer, wanting to see that smile just a bit closer. he could stare at that face forever, taking in every detail and never getting bored. he's sure it terrifies others, with those deep dark eyes- but he's never seen anyone as gorgeous]

If the location isn't the secret, are you going to tell me where we're going?

[grians-mailbox]

[ grian lets himself be tugged closer, going easily, happily even, with a little hum. ]

yeah! actually, i’d love to hear your thoughts on it. i- i’ve been trying to think of something for months now and i’m not even sure if this qualifies- [ it’s something he would have asked mumbo for help with, if it hadn’t been a surprise for him so it’s a relief to be able to confide in him about it now. his alternative hermits were scar or skizz but they were also the last two he’d trust with keeping a secret. ]

[ he keeps his gaze leveled with the red tie in front of him, a finger reaching up to idly play with it. ] i brought some in ingredients from off server. i thought we could head to my place, make dinner together— maybe try baking something for dessert. then i can show you the nest, when we’re ready?

[mumbos-mailbox]

[there’s a small pause before he responds, laughing quietly]

Would.. us together, making a meal, go well?

[but he’s smiling widely, leaning forward a bit to a press a kiss to grian’s forehead]

Looks like we get to find out at least.. though i do hope your kitchen won’t flood at least

[hungry hermits was an experience, lets just say that]

And.. im very excited to see the nest too

[grians-mailbox]

it won’t flood! [ he huffs, a little pouty. they can be a good team, he knows it! they won’t be on a timer or on limited lives or- or whatever else— they’ve made it work before, just the two of them. it’ll be fine. ]

[ and he lives right by a river, if they need to put out any fires. ]

it’s not all done yet, [ he explains as he pulls mumbo to his side, starting the walk back to his place. ] i’ve left you space to do the redstone without worrying about the clutter but i think i’ve fussed over everything else enough for it to be presentable.

[mumbos-mailbox]

I do hope you also don’t have a walk in freezer. I don’t feel much like running to save you tonight.. or needing to be saved myself

[he keeps their hands tightly tangled as they walk, curiously looking around scar’s base with how its on the way. Been a while since he properly walked around magic mountain; while his elytras did have a breaking problem, he made do, refusing to walk everywhere]

Even if its not done, im sure it looks amazing. You do a good job on them

[he smiles brightly, all the fangs out]

[grians-mailbox]

[ a playful, agonized groan came in response to that, accompanied by a shiver of his feathers. it took days after for them to get them back to feeling normal. ]

[ he’d followed mumbo’s gaze to scar’s base but that smile gets his attention again. handsome. he bumps their arms together, leaning against him. ]

if you want, we can go inside on the way back. [ into the zoo he means. ] i haven’t seen the volcano yet, have you?

[mumbos-mailbox]

There’s a volcano?

[he sounds extremely surprised by that- and he is. He hadn’t flown over it recently, had scar really built an entire volcano]

Was that not the plan for the mountain though..? Are we going to have multiple volcanoes around here? That doesn’t sound safe..

[he thinks over grian’s offer for a few seconds, then nods]

I think I’d like to look around, yeah. Would love to see what scar is doing over there

[grians-mailbox]

[ considering his base was built onto the side of the pending volcano, it wasn’t looking good for him no matter how many were around. he hums softly. ] ‘kay.

[ when they get to the stairs up to his base, he walks a little faster to go ahead of mumbo. still guiding him by the hand until reaching the door, letting go and gesturing him inside, wing reaching out to guide him too. ]

you miiiight wanna take off the jacket. and roll up your sleeves? unless you don’t care about maybe getting them stained? you work with redstone so i guess you’d be used to it—

[ nervous isn’t the right word. but he’s definitely all strung up. calling this a date versus what they usually do, like hanging out, sets the bar pretty high. ]

[mumbos-mailbox]

[he doesn’t really want to take off his jacket- not with the butterflies in his stomach feeling they will tear out of him if he removes the layers keeping them in]

[but also it has redstone on his sleeves, and he doesn’t want it getting on everything. He steps inside the house and slips the jacket off, unbuttoning his sleeve cuffs and pushing his sleeves up as far as they’ll let him]

Might as well take it off

[it’s comfortable in grian’s house, calming. He looks around, trying to spot anything new, and a soft calm smile comes to his face. His cold hand flexes a few times, already missing the warmth of grian’s hand holding it, but he busies his fingers with the buttons of his vest to ignore that]

Do you have a plan for what you want to make for dinner?

[grians-mailbox]

i thought it'd be fun to pick it as we went.

[ meanwhile grian flits over to the kitchen. it's still only a corner of the open space but he's put some blocks down to make an island for more space. and though candles are still abundant, he's gone ahead and put some copper bulbs for proper light, the orange starting to weather since he put them in, blending with the warped blocks. ]

i bought a bunch of stuff so we have options. [ he grabs one of his heftier cookbooks and turns to face mumbo, leaning back against the counter as he does. he opens and holds it to his chest to show it to him, a claw pointing at the page. ]

if it were up to me, all three meals would just be dessert. [ he bought a bunch of fruit for that. ] but i also already threw meat in the furnace since i don't think we wanna be touching that raw so that's also on the table.

for main dishes, we got soups, dumplings, stuffed pumpkin, fish stuff- [ which he scrunches his nose at- ] burgers, steaks, meat pies- [ he holds it a little higher for him to see, smiling up at him. ] we can alter any of them to be vegetarian, if you wanted. craving anything specific?

[mumbos-mailbox]

[the thought of touching raw meat right now makes him want to rid himself of skin privileges, but hearing grian already cooked makes him much more relieved. he looks down at all the different options on the page, reading over them all quickly]

maybe a sort of soup and we can have bread as a side? You have that giant wheat field, we may as well use it.

[he doesnt mention the offer of vegetarian. if he's honest, he'd probably love that- but after season 8, he realised its probably best not to go vegetarian again]

[grians-mailbox]

[ his eyes narrow in a playful glare. ] i’ve told you before— those fields are for decoration, mumbo! [ it wouldn’t hurt to take some; he suspects multiple hermits have already helped themselves to it. ]

we can do an extra fancy schmancy chicken soup, if that sounds good to you. [ he guides him behind the island, setting the open book on its stand. he rummages through his barrels before producing a pot and handing it to him. it was pretty big so he’ll leave it to mumbo. ]

you can use the sink to fill this up. the campfire is already set up so just hang this over it when it’s done. then you can help with the chopping.

[mumbos-mailbox]

Oh well replant it, you won’t even notice that we took any in a few hours-

[a mischievous grin finds its way onto his face, but it turns a bit softer as the pot is popped into his hands]

Chicken soup sounds good

[might as well eat as much chicken as possible before it’s considered cannibalism]

[Mumbo brings the pot to the sink, filling it up. He turns slightly as he does, just watching grian. He has a little smile on his face, looking almost goofy as he admires the other for a second, turning back to the pot just in time to stop it from overflowing. He dumps a bit of water out so it’s not at the top, and hangs the pot over the campfire as instructed before returning to grian’s side to see what needs to be chopped]

[grians-mailbox]

[ he’s not the only one being goofy. grian lifts his chin to look at him when he approaches and warmth colors his cheeks but he doesn’t hide the blush, smiling up at him. it made him feel all fluttery having mumbo here, seeing him in his home. ]

[ and thankfully he can express it even with his hands busy— a wing coming up behind the redstoner to usher him closer to grian’s side. ]

when it comes to ingredients, we can pile in whatever we want. [ he pulls out the things as he names them, handing them to mumbo to place down. ] onions, carrots, celery, i’m partial to potatoes but if you’re tired of them, we can skip them— or anything else you don’t like.

[ he opens some drawers (still unfamiliar with the space but hopefully he’ll use it more in the future) before producing two knives and handing one over. ] it can be as chunky as you want. no wrong way of doing it.

[mumbos-mailbox]

Potatoes in soup sounds good- potatoes by themselves sound less good

[he chuckles, perfectly happy being ushered close to grian’s side, taking the knife from him and looking over all the veggies he had set down on the counter. He’s not the greatest at cooking, so his chopping is gonna end up being pretty uneven, but he just hopes it works out-]

[he starts with the potatoes, getting to chopping. He hums as he does, the s8 car song- something about this, potatoes and warmth, just reminds him of the good times from that season]

Do you have anything specific you want in the soup?

[grians-mailbox]

‘sides those, not really. not gonna lie, i’m more excited for the dessert.

[ but according to some people (pearl and sometimes mumbo himself), bowls of fruit didn’t make a meal no matter how much you eat of it. once he’s finished peeling the carrots, he slides them to mumbo before moving to his other side to steal the sliced potatoes. he moves to the pot, dumping them and the meat inside, careful not to let it splash. his claws can endure the close proximity to the bubbling. ]

[ still, that reminds him. he searches through his cabinets— birdbrain snagging on the catchy song mumbo was humming and making him repeat it back to him— before letting out a triumphant little aha. ]

here. [ he doesn’t really give him a chance to reject it, looping the pink frilly apron around mumbo’s waist and tying it in the back for him. with his dozens of replicated sweaters, grian doesn’t need it: ] you can wipe your hands on it. it’s meant to be dirtied so don’t feel bad.

[mumbos-mailbox]

[he laughs at that]

We haven’t even started making that one

[he starts to cut up the carrots without any question, sliding the cut up chunks to where his sliced potatoes used to sit]

[having the pink frilly apron suddenly wrapped around him startles the poor man slightly, and he looks down at the apron in surprise for a few seconds before he chuckles]

Why do you have this laying around?

[before grian can walk off, his tail loops around him, gently dragging him to mumbo’s side]

[grians-mailbox]

my closets are vast, mumbo. [ he speaks as he lets himself be pulled in, easily saddling up to mumbo’s side again. ] i can’t remember the reason for everything in my storages, just that it all becomes useful again. eventually.

[ said every hoarder ever probably. ]

it was for some sort of housekeeping bit i reckon. [ the memory is there but not solid enough for him to be certain so he shrugs. ]

[ he picks up a carrot, the piece crunching when he takes a bite. he tilts his head, looking at him from this angle now. hopefully he doesn’t feel pressure being stared at cause grian is staring. ] looks better on you for sure. [ he teases, smiling wide. ]

[mumbos-mailbox]

For such vast closets, why is it I usually see you in the same old red sweater?

[he laughs as if he doesn’t own like 4 of the same suit]

[his cheeks redden at the compliment, his hand pausing where it’s cutting. He lets out a little huff of air, chuckling quietly before looking over to meet grian’s eyes]

Well we don’t know that. I think we’d have to see you in it again before we make a decision on that.. and I’m sure you made sure it looked good on you before you chose to keep it

[he finishes with the carrots, grabbing the celery that had been left on the counter, starting to cut those up as well]