MCYT RANDOMNESS 2

Partners in Crime

PoV: Cub

The hermits can never avoid a good excuse for a party, and Valentine's is no exception. And though Christmas and Halloween are always the largest; the declarations, surprises, and costumes of the Hermit Valentine's Day Party make it the most memorable of the year. No one will forget Keralis appearing in nothing but underwear with 'KISS ME' tattooed across his chest, Etho screaming the lyrics of 'Lost in the Woods' towards Joel, Joe's elaborate poem for Cleo that accidentally just insulted her. Of course, all of it is lighthearted, a little in jest, never seriously romantic.

Which is why I'm nervous about what I'm planning to tell Scar.

I stand in front of a mirror, adjusting my tie and considering using a hairbrush against whatever's happening with my hair. I run through a few ways of bringing up the topic, rejecting every single one. All of them sound forced, unlike me. Or too much like a joke. Or...

'Oh, Cuuu-uub! My wonderful, amoyzing Valentine's Day date! The party awaits, my partner in crime!'

I pause, unable to stop smiling at the sound of Scar's voice. I grab the bunch of torchflowers and orchids from next to my desk, slip a letter into my pocket, and hurry down to greet him.

'Hello? Is that the voice of the most handsome man on Hermitcraft?' I call back. Scar giggles. I reach the doorway, passing Scar the flowers. He hugs me. 'Happy Valentine's, Scarwalker.'

'Happy Valentine's, Stargazer. These are beautiful!'

'Cheers, man. Just something I thought you'd like.'

'But of course,' Scar pushes from the hug, beaming. 'Not as beautiful as the man who gave them to me... your suit looks amoyzing, Cub.'

'It's nothing, it's nothing... it's only the tie you gave me that makes it good... But yours, though...' I whistle in appreciation. Scar glances down at his trousers and white shirt, all embroidered with hundreds of hand-stitched hearts and flowers, intentionally matched to the tie he embroidered for me. 'Where do you find the time, man? Between that, and your zoo...'

'Honestly, I don't know. But, what I do know is that we have a party to get to, and I do not want to miss it... come on! Let's go!'

Scar grabs my hand, dragging me along after him as we run towards the shopping district. I laugh, protesting as I try to keep up.

My hand grips the letter in my pocket tighter.

Don't mess up now.

The party's only lasted half an hour, and already everyone's acting crazy.

Of course, the bar doesn't help matters, nor the fact that Keralis doesn't seem to understand how big a shot is, nor the fact that all of the Lifers are here too. But three proposals, six kisses, and a Shakespeare monologue is a new record, even for the Hermits.

In the corner, Tango is grinning, inviting everyone who steps within 5 metres of Skizz to kiss him. Martyn's throwing foam arrows at people, seemingly forgetting the match-making side of Cupid in favour of annoying everyone. Every time anyone speaks to Etho, he just mumbles 'taken', and glances obviously at Joel.

'Honestly, I don't get why it's such a big thing when only Joel and Lizzie are actually a couple.' Gem admits to Pearl. I listen in, staring at the ground. 'Yeah, Jimmy and Tango have their Rancher thing and Ren... honestly, I don't want to know what's going on with Ren, and I don't want to, but the rest of us?'

'Hey, Cub, I got a little something-something...'

I glance over to see Scar, with a mischievous little smile, holding a small bottle of bright blue vex magic.