THINGS from my Word Doc.

#5 - To sum it up: unhealthy habits.

( ehem- I stole the vaping head cannon from phoenix. sorryyy)

Grian was having a rough week. Is that not obvious?

His hearing aids have decided to just break, and he needs to go off-world to buy new ones, which is great because Hermitcraft doesn't really go off-world, because of their fame and such.

Hermitcraft also doesn't know why Grian would need to go off-world. Fun.

Anyway, other then that, his wings had felt horrid this week, which he had no way to figure out why without another fun trip off-world to his doctor.

Again, Hermitcraft doesn't know about his scarred wings because he glamours them to hide. They think he's human. Fun.

Finally, he'd run out of mint flavoring for his vape, which is the only good flavor, if you've ever existed near literally anything not inherently food.

This is quite the horrid combination, and it's all coming to a head today, on Saturday.

The day of the annual server meeting.

Oh, oh god.

~
Grian got there 10 minutes early. He landed, carefully adjusting the elytra so it would stop pressing directly into his wing-roots. The plan was simple : get a seat upfront, pretend everything was fine, and stay afterwards to slip through the hub portal.

Easy, right?

Not when you actively can't hear. He'd be relying on lip-reading & prayers.

....

Well, god save him!

~
The meeting started pretty quick after the assigned time. Doc & Mumbo, an unusual combination, ended up sitting next to him. That's fine, they're both quieter people anyway.

X starts the meeting, walking around his little stage while talking and moving the powerpoint.

Time for the charade.

Welcome, folks? To the annual server meeting!

As you know, we're already 4 months into Season 10.

Now, there hasn't been any large conflicts or issues, so I'll turn you all loose to just discusss..?, meet up with hermits you may have not seen in a while!

Ok then, dismissed!

Grian stayed in his seat as most everyone started walking around. He really didn't want to deal with speaking and potentially giving himself away. Unfortunately, this was more suspicious, because Grian only lasted a few minutes of watching MineTube on his communicator before Xisuma & Pearl finally noticed the lack of an energetic 24-year-old.

Grian! Your surprisingly inactive today- something wrong?

Yes, things are very wrong, especially because Grian can only read one person's lips at once & he has no idea how loud or quiet his speech is.

" Oh, it's fine! I think I got sick after building in the rain, you know: sneezing & coughing, my back hurts.."

Apparently, this draws more people, because now Stress & Scar have walked over.

Do you want some potions?, Grian presumes Stress is saying. With all these people, it's getting progressively harder to figure out what everyone's saying.

Oh, now, Scar, X & Pearl are arguing- or, Pearl & Scar are arguing, X is trying to be logical. Over what, though?

Grian is just helpless to watch, trying to decode something, anything.

~
" Maybe he's manifesting!"

" Scar, that's so far-fetched! It's just a sickness."

Pearl's moth wings are flaring slightly as she leans forward, staring at Scar, who refused to believe that Grian could just be sick. Maybe it was that one cold, back from EVO, the one even admins could catch.

" oookkkk, but,,, unexplained back pain? A minor cold? That's the same thing that happens when someone manifests!"

" Look, Scar, it's nice your thinking of such conclusions, but it's most likely a cold. Now, why don't we stop arguing and let Grian go back home."

Scar still doesn't seem willing to release the theory, crossing his arms. They'd reached a stalemate, finally. Just about everyone was watching the argument unfold when Doc appeared behind Grian.

" Scar's theory is certainly a conclusion, but a hybrid would've hatched by now. A cold is the most likely option, although if Grian had any other symptoms..?"

That was clearly a question.

Grian wasn't answering.

He couldn't see Doc asking, he didn't even know Doc had joined the conversation. Everyone sat in dull silence for a moment before Doc started speaking again.