Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The heart of humanity truly was a beautiful place.

Once the fog was gone what remained was a veritable paradise, an endless expanse of nature where everyone felt like their worries were so minuscule, so irrelevant...although they certainly weren’t small worries at all. With half of the Investigation Team on the brink of graduation, they had to try to set the course of their lives. At least it was easier to calmly think about it all when you were surrounded by clear waters, a gentle breeze, sunlight filling everything. There was no sun up in the sky, but despite that the TV World seemed to follow the lighting of the outside to some extent. Nowadays they didn’t even need their special glasses, even though they all carried them around anyway.

There still were some Shadows, but they were docile for the most part, staying away from the teenagers. Of course, the team kept their rule of not going into the TV World alone, as a precaution. Even though everything was peaceful, there was no guarantee there wouldn’t be trouble if you were by yourself.

Not that all being together had made trouble stay away.

Yu Narukami walked, salty water reaching up to his calves. He had been trudging through the water for a while along with the rest of the team, finding only a remarkably shallow ocean extending everywhere. It had all been misfortune, nothing more than that. Ten minutes ago, the grassy ground underneath the team had opened, a sinkhole swallowing them all, bringing them into unknown depths.

“Guys!” Yosuke had shouted, jumping back when the grass and soil crumbled, managing to reach the edge. His excellent reflexes almost saved him, but those reflexes also were his doom, as he extended a hand to grab the nearest friend to try to pull them to safety – Yukiko. Yukiko, though, caught offguard by the sinkhole, didn’t move, and her weight pulled Yosuke down. Yu, having been walking forward when the hole opened underneath them all, tripped and fell, hitting his face against a wall of earth, dazing him.

Behind him he could hear shouting, screams. Wind whipped them all while they fell, the daylight getting replaced by an inky darkness, as if they were sinking into a deep abyss in the ocean. The fall lasted only a few seconds before the surroundings started changing even though it was all still completely black. The air cooled down, warmed up, felt like it was getting so thick they were falling through molasses, was completely inexistent. The shouting was gone, but Yu couldn’t tell if it was that his friends had stopped screaming or if the surroundings were distorting, muting the sounds.

Just as suddenly as it had all started, Yu saw something deep below them all – blue water. They were going straight at it but instead of a freefall it was as if they were floating down gently, the surface of the water approaching very slowly. Before long, Yu reached the bottom, managing to turn himself in a way his feet made contact with the surface of the water, sinking down to his calves. The air felt strange, heavy, and above them there was blackness despite the daylight that filled everything.

“Is everyone okay?” was Yu’s immediate question. Even he was surprised he sounded calm! Inside him there was a disquieting sensation of unease. Turning around, he found his friends trying to get their footing in the water, walking slowly and glancing down like at any moment the bedrock would open and drag them down deeper.

“What the hell was that?!” Kanji exclaimed looking upwards. There was no sign of the hole they had fallen from – you’d expect a disc of light to glow far above them, but there was nothing!

“We got careless – but that’s irrelevant right now” Naoto said. She was adjusting her hat, looking around attentively, trying to find the right way. “We must find a way back, but I see no path we can follow”

“It’s like we’re standing in the middle of the sea!” Rise said. “Where are we, Teddie?”

“I dunno...!” the bear said, worried. “I had never seen a place like this one ever before, not even when it was all full of fog...”

“We can talk about what this is once we’re out” Chie said. “Rise, you can get us out of here, right?”

“I’ll see what I can do” Rise stepped away from the group, clutching her hands.” Persona!” It was her duty as the navigator of the team. Yu waited for the results of the scan of the area, expecting Rise to be able to shed some light about what direction they should go. At least there had been no hostile Shadows attacking them, but that was of little consolation when right now they were trapped far underneath everything they knew in the TV World. Just one minute was enough for Rise to finish scanning, but when her Persona vanished her friend’s expression didn’t foreshadow anything good.

“It’s...it’s strange. There’s something in that direction, but I’m not sure what it is” she said, pointing far in the distance towards their left.

“Is it alive?” asked Yukiko.

“I don’t think it’s alive, but it’s not too far away. It’s the only thing I sensed around here”

It was time to take action. “Then we should go in that direction. Keep your guard up” Yu said. “Everyone stick together and make sure nobody falls behind”

The only advantage of how barren and empty this area of the TV World was that it’d be easy to see anything harmful coming – but nothing happened. Everyone walked in silence, all of them watching different directions, prepared to release their Personas as soon as something tried to attack them. It just was that there was nothing at all! There wasn’t even anything in the horizon, the inky blackness didn’t change.

Ten minutes of walking later something finally changed: the blackness overhead started glowing with what looked like hundreds of distant stars – none of them could see what exactly were the objects, but they weren’t moving, merely floating far away from them. The salty expanse of water formed empty bubbles as large as a person, slowly ascending towards the endless blackness above, vanishing from sight once it was some distance away.

“Something feels strange about this place...” said Naoto, but even though she was right beside him Yu heard her as if she was some distance away. Yosuke said something in reply but no sound came from his mouth.

“Yosuke?” Chie sounded normal. “Yosuke, are you okay?”

Yu turned his head. All of his friends looked a little...off. Feeling a deep pang of worry grip him, Yu examined Kanji, who didn’t react at all. He was transparent – not enough to lose his shape, but he could see the vague outlines of Yukiko and Teddie at the other side of him. “Kanji, do you feel anything? Kanji?”

Kanji didn’t react at all, as if he hadn’t noticed Yu was talking to him. He was too busy shouting at others without any sound. Everybody was turning transparent, vanishing right in front of Yu’s eyes. Alarmed, Yu tried to reach for any of his friends, trying to grab them, but his fingers phased through them. Everyone looked scared, everyone tried to reach towards each other, their mouths opening without emitting anything until, all seven of his friends, looked in the same direction. Noticing it, Yu did the same, seeing what had gotten their attention all of a sudden.

It was a door. Was that what Rise had sensed? A stone door a dozen feet away, large and gray. Right before his friends vanished he saw how Yosuke and Rise reached towards the door. Everybody probably was going in that direction, towards the door to try to open it. Yu, now alone, did the same, approaching the door and examining it carefully.

Although the stone frame was elaborate and full of carvings, the door itself was little more than a slab of stone, without a doorknob or anything similar. There was a hole on the right edge of the door, right where the slab of stone fit into the frame. Sneaking his hand into the hole, Yu tried to open the door. Of course the door was heavy! Getting the other hand into the hole as well for a better grip, Yu pulled, the telltale grinding sound proving he was progressing, until he had opened the door just enough to pass through. Water leaked through the opened door, splashing beyond.

I hope everyone is okay thought Yu, forcing his way through the opening. Once he passed through, there were two things he didn’t expect at all.

One: that the door was embedded between a wall and a ceiling, meaning when he passed through he fell down towards the hard, rocky floor. He barely had time to protect his head before he fell, shielding it with his arms – it was just a three feet tall fall, but it hurt anyway.

Two: that everything was so cold! Ice and snow covered the surface of the rocks all around him, and a constant arctic breeze bit into his skin. Seeing his own breath, Yu stood up, rubbing his sore arms both to soothe the pain from the impact against the floor and to try to warm himself up.

There was little light wherever he was – well, a cavern, that much was obvious. Snowflakes fell through holes in the ceiling. Through those same holes he could see the sky outside was ashen. It possibly was sunrise right now. Had he walked in the TV World for that long? Confused and hugging his own body, Yu walked down the cavern, hoping for a way out. He knew: if he stayed for too long in that natural freezer he was done for.

Thankfully, he was able to leave before long! Rock gave way to snow before long. The mouth of the cavern was narrow, once again just enough for him to pass through. Narrowing his eyes, Yu placed his forearm right above his eyelids, trying to take a good look around.

Just as he thought: it was sunrise, a rather beautiful one. He could see an ocean, one that probably wasn’t shallow like the one he had waded through. Below him – he realized he was standing on a mountain, and quite high, too. It must have been high for all this snow to exist here – was a forest full of pines. Further than that pine forest, there...there was...what was there? Even though he could see the landscape, his head refused to work.

I can’t even think straight right now! Yu shivered, looking around, alarmed. He had to find a way down the mountain before he froze to death! Knowing his life was in danger, Yu started walking, looking for any path that would lead downwards. Anything was fine as long as it led to a warmer area!

His feet slid on the snow and the ice-coated rocks, his shoes unable to get a good grip. More than one Yu stumbled forward, making him fear he’d careen down the mountain. That’d be an awful way to die! Thankfully such a thing didn’t happen, but it didn’t matter much if he didn’t reach a lower height sooner. The sun started rising in the sky, brightening his surroundings, allowing him to have an easier time traversing down the mountaintop. This mountaintop was full of cliffs, making it clear if he did a wrong move it could be the last.

The possibility of suffering hypothermia increased when the wind started to blow. As if the temperature wasn’t chilly enough already! Yu wished he had winter clothes right now instead of his old school uniform. It simply didn’t feel right to enter the TV World wearing anything else – but now he wished he had something thicker. Closing his jacket and trying hard not to get snow anywhere inside, Yu continued his trip.

His teeth clattered, his head was full of thoughts about how cold he was. It was really hard to focus on anything except moving on. At one point, facing especially strong gusts of wind, Yu leaned against a rock wall and took a breather, knowing he was wasting valuable time by standing around, but he needed a break anyway. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the shade of something on the snow, making him look up. He was fully expecting to see some sort of Shadow flying up in the air!

Instead it was...he wasn’t entirely certain, but it sure looked like...toast. Bread. Something like that.

...I must be getting hungry. What other reason would be there for him to start seeing food moving nearby? It just was the intense cold numbed the pangs of hunger, he guessed. The flying bread didn’t notice him, he guessed, disappearing round the mountain. Yu stood there for a bit, rubbing his hands and evaluating if he should risk jumping up and down a little to warm up. No, continuing forward would be better.

Time passed. This was by far the coldest time Yu had experienced in his entire life. Of course he had seen snow before, of course he had snowy days, but he always had warm clothes and the possibility of finding shelter somewhere. Here he didn’t have such a thing.

“Guys! Yosuke! Chie! Someone...!”

He had been calling for them a few times during the descent, but there was never a response other than the howling of the wind.

Still...when he focused, he was sure he could hear voices. Voices coming from nearby, voices that seemed...they seemed to be repeating the same thing, over and over, but Yu wasn’t sure what they were saying. Were there people nearby? Were they the voices that in the past used to echo in the places those who were forced to be in the TV World created? It all sounded so aimless, so...repetitive.

But he couldn’t focus. He just couldn’t stop to listen carefully.

By now Yu was huddled all over himself, his arms wrapped around his torso. The energy he had when he started trying to descend the mountain was decreasing, sapped by the freezing conditions. His neck ached a little from always looking downwards, he had stopped brushing the snow off his hair. How far away was the mountain’s more temperate climate...? Even if he got there it wouldn’t get warm right away, he would still have to endure the cold, and that’d still be bad given he’d be on the brink of hypothermia anyway.

He hoped his friends were okay. They...they had to go through this too, right...? Teddie probably would be fine, with all his bear fur, but the rest...they weren’t any better prepared than him. But he hadn’t seen any of them! Where... did they go...?

Yu didn’t notice when he tripped and fell until he was already lying down. Luckily he fell on a flat section of the mountain, but that wasn’t of much help when he felt so weak. Yu managed to roll over, until he was looking upwards. How long had it been since he started trying to descend...? One hour? He wasn’t entirely sure how long a person could be in the cold without protection against it all, but he was pretty sure it couldn’t be more than an hour, or less, if the conditions were bad enough. Perhaps that even was a generous estimation. Lying amidst the snow certainly wasn’t helping.

...was this how it was going to end for him...? All of a sudden trapped on some sort of mountain, deep in...was he even in the TV World right now? He...must be...? If not, where the hell was he...? Yu sighed, planting his hands on the snow to get up, but the cold touch of the snow made him flinch. Without noticing, he closed his eyes a little – his eyesight blurred, the brightening sky seemed to dim.

The coldness of snow underneath him vanished, replaced by...he wasn’t sure by what. It wasn’t warm, it still was cold, but it certainly wasn’t snow in contact with him anymore. The sensation of weightlessness was unexpected, too. Only then Yu noticed the blurry form to his side wasn’t one of the countless cliffs he had been walking beside of. It was a mishmash of colors, and a pair of eyes. Yu blinked, still unable to focus too well.

“...thanks...” he mumbled. There was no sign whatever was holding him heard anything.

He’d think about it when he wasn’t on the verge of hypothermia.

-ooooo-

There had been no guarantees at all this strange thing carrying him was taking him somewhere warmer. For all he knew he was being carried up the mountain! Fortunately, whatever this was seemed to have realized he had been in a dangerous situation, and was now taking him down to more temperate places. On the mountaintop trees were scarce. Now he was seeing more trees. There were some snowflakes around, but it wasn’t overwhelming. For the first time in one hour he didn’t feel the chill of the wind against him. Yu just let himself be carried, watching the foliage get denser the further into the pine forest the creature carrying him took him.

The leisurely carrying ended when the creature laid him down on the ground. There was grass, no snow. Trees were the only things around himself. Pine needles carpeted some parts. Yu sat up just in time to see the creature vanish amidst the trees. “Wait!” he shouted, standing up as quickly as he could. Stumbling and trying to regain the function of his numbed legs, Yu ran into the bushes, trying to follow the creature, but he didn’t see it anymore. It just was gone!

It had saved his life and then just vanished into the forest. What even was that?! Yu leaned against a tree, trying to gather his wits – and increase his body temperature. Even though he wasn’t on the mountaintop anymore it wasn’t like he was out of the woods yet! Literally, in a sense of the word. Taking off his soaked jacket and Jumping up and down to force his blood to flow, he considered the recent events.

He and his friends had fallen deep into the TV World, in an area that not even Teddie had seen ever before. That was a huge red flag. The TV World may not be as dangerous and hostile as it once was, but he knew well taking their safety for granted would have been a bad idea anyway. Then his friends had faded into thin air, but they all probably had moved towards that stone door, and he had done the same. Did it mean all of them had crossed the door? Then why hadn’t he seen any of them, even though he crossed it as well not even a minute later?

Something strange had happened, that was for sure. He couldn’t even begin to guess what it was, but it probably didn’t have a simple explanation anyway.

Now, where was he? Still in the TV World? Stopping his jumping, Yu opened a hand in front of him. “Persona!” he tried to will his Persona to appear, like he had done countless times before. Nothing happened. Strange...no matter where in the TV World he was he could summon any Persona in his roster with ease. That he couldn’t right now, well, it could only mean he wasn’t in the TV World right now. In that case where was he? And what was that thing that saved him? If he had been in the TV World that would have been easily chalked up to a Shadow, but if he was outside then...what?

Well, perhaps that could be dealt with later. Right now he had to find the rest of the Investigation Team and then go back. He really wasn’t looking forward to having to climb that mountain again to go home, especially since he wouldn’t be any better prepared later. Regardless, it was time to get moving! Grabbing a long stick as aid for walking, Yu chose a direction and started walking.

Getting out of that patch of pine forest was easy. Before long Yu found himself in a more open area, flanked by stone walls. It still was somewhat cold, but it was far more tolerable now.  Dragging his wet jacket behind him, Yu continued the trek until he encountered something truly abnormal.

A rather large snail seemingly made of some sort of pastry. Yu approached the stone wall, looking at the moving food with attention. Was it...saying something? Yu still wasn’t entirely certain. Whatever it was it certainly wasn’t Japanese. English, perhaps? Did it have wordplay? It probably did.

“I should be more worried the snail that looks like it came out of an oven is saying something in the first place” he said aloud. Perhaps it was just its appearance – he sure wasn’t going to try to catch it to take a bite and confirm if it really was a pastry of some sort.

Not long afterwards he saw something flying high in the air: a few...things. What were those even called? He was sure he had seen those wooden instruments associated with honey somewhere before, but they sure hadn’t been flying nor had eyes. Drops of a thick, golden liquid dripped from them, splattering on the grass. Yu extended a hand, catching a fat droplet right on the palm of his hand. It definitely looked like honey.

A small part of him wanted to give it a try, just out of curiosity, but the more rational part nixed that idea in the bud. No way he was tasting this at all.

By the time he saw a very large cookie run by at full speed – proclaiming to everything and everyone who could hear it that it indeed was a cookie, or at least that’s what Yu understood. It really was English, these food-looking creatures were saying stuff in English! – Yu had to accept his surroundings were just full of moving, living food. Was that what the creature that saved him was made of? Was that why it was so full of mismatched colors?

Perhaps he was taking this all better than most people would. Yu wouldn’t freak out about any of this. It takes a lot to get a strong reaction out of Yu Narukami. After the sort of things he had seen since at least a year ago, living food wasn’t enough to make him do more than raise his eyebrows.

Feeling better despite having wet pants and shoes from lying on the snow earlier– at least he was merely cold instead of freezing, being at risk of a pneumonia instead of hypothermia – Yu reached the end of the path: a wooden bridge blocked the way. It was standing tall. Yu pushed with a hand against the bridge, testing how solid it was. Felt pretty solid! Looking around he found a lever that presumably would make the bridge go down. After having taken a look beyond the bridge just to make sure nothing was right on the other side, he moved the lever, watching the bridge descend until, with a thud, it fit right onto the other end.

Yu gave one, two steps onto the bridge when he realized what he was walking on. He was on a wooden bridge with a mechanism that made it move up and down. This was something someone made – more than one someone. There were people around here! Not only that, his friends probably hadn’t come down this way. If they had, the bridge wouldn’t have been up. It was likely they had gone in some other direction.

On the other hand, if he could ask other people to help him look for them it’d all go better. Wasn’t that over there a town? From where Yu was standing he saw wooden buildings! People! It’d be hard to explain how he had arrived to...wherever this was, but right now explaining that wasn’t his priority. He needed help. Having taken a decision, Yu advanced down the bridge, reaching the town in no time.

...it was...a ghost town. Yu’s shoulders dropped when he saw the round cabins covered with tarps and boarded with wood. The large building right to the side of where he entered looked like it hadn’t been opened in a while. Pushing the doors open a little Yu peeked inside. It was dark and dusty, definitely not a place anyone had been in for quite a while. He had stumbled upon an abandoned place. At least I have shelter he thought. The thought of being away from home for the night was awful – his uncle and cousin would be rightfully worried if he didn’t arrive home – but Yu had to plan ahead for the worst case scenarios.

One of these abandoned places had to be a good place to claim as shelter for later. Perhaps under one of the larger tarps...? Yu dropped his wet school uniform jacket and walking stick on the ground and lifted the edge of the tarp, peering inside, trying to see through the dim lighting filtering through the tarp. There were a few tables with heavy objects on them. Everything looked dry, without damage from water or anything like that. A good sign! Yu entered, stumbling upon a statue of...something.

Probably more food-related stuff. That had to be the defining characteristic of whatever this location was. Yu had been trying to figure out what exactly this was supposed to be when he heard noises outside. Grass getting stepped on, he was sure of it. Wasn’t this town abandoned?! Yu covered his face with a hand, as if the noise of his breathing could alert whoever was out there there was an intruder in the area.

...well, it could be a wild animal exploring an empty ghost town...another one of those food-like things. Yu slowly stepped away from the statue and listened to the steps on the grass, figuring out where they were at. Once he did, he carefully approached the tarp and crouched as much as he could, ready to lift the tarp just enough to look outside.

Outside was...Yu wasn’t sure what he was seeing.

It was very blue – cyan, perhaps was the right term. Fuzzy, big purple eyes, red nose...a sash. Yu strained his eyes, trying to read it despite how much the being was moving. ‘MAYOR’...more English.

A mascot! It wasn’t uncommon for mascots to have sashes further representing the city or town or establishment they were mascot of. Did it mean this mascot belonged to this ghost town? Or a nearby one, perhaps? Yu let go of the tarp, considering his options.

Well, it didn’t matter where that mascot was from. What mattered was that Yu couldn’t let himself be seen invading one of the tarps. Yu briefly glanced in direction of where he had left his jacket and walking stick, tempted to try to grab the stick as a means of defense if necessary. It was merely a stick but it was better than nothing!

He probably shouldn’t. It was already bad enough to be an intruder, being an intruder who whacks people with sticks would give an even worse impression. But still...

Yu moved quickly, crawling on all fours to the edge where he had left his stuff. He could see the walking stick right there – he managed to grab the end of it and dragged it under the tarp so fast he accidentally hit with his elbow the base of the statue right beside him. To Yu, that sound was deafening. Had it been audible enough to get the mascot’s attention?

Apparently it was. Yu heard the steps of the mascot coming closer to where he was. Rubbing his sore elbow Yu slowly stood up, taking a deep breath. Carefully, he held the stick to his side, trying his best to look casual. He was sure he could run faster than someone wearing a heavy mascot suit, anyway. Yu wasn’t too worried.

Besides, sooner or later he’d have to talk to this mascot to ask for help to find the rest of the Investigation Team. All he had to do was get out of the tarp and make it look like he arrived, because if he was found while under the tarp then...

...well, it was going to be hard to explain.

Chapter Text

Even though he was ready to be found Yu hoped it wouldn’t come to that. The tarp was thick enough for him to not be able to see outside despite the bright sunlight, he could only hear what was going on right on the other side. The mascot was right there, the footsteps on the grass proved it.

Silence. There was only silence for a moment. Only then Yu realized just how silent everything was – no birds, no insects...it was so strange, usually you’d hear the sounds of nature. All he could hear was the wind.

“...it’s all wet...”

That had to be the mascot’s voice. Yu held back a sigh when he heard an odd sound at the other side, sound he later realized was the mascot picking up his jacket. Right afterwards there were once again footsteps against grass, going back where they had come from.

Well, now he had one reason more to talk with the mascot: no way he could just leave his uniform jacket behind. Yu waited a couple minutes before getting out of the tent, blinking at the sunlight. How long was he under that tarp? The sun was already brightening everything.

It was time. Yu gripped the walking stick tightly for a moment, calming down. He was feeling rather nervous – something about being all alone and about to face the complete unknown was daunting to him. There was absolutely nothing familiar here. No point in just standing here he thought, stepping forward. Even though he had tried to feel prepared, his hesitant steps betrayed his nervousness.

The mascot was nowhere to be seen. Yu looked around, expecting to see a cyan form somewhere, but there was nothing. Before all he had seen was the building and the tarp, now he could see more of the town. It definitely was abandoned, but nothing was decaying even though it was mostly wood. Were those roofs made of...greenery? Vines? Something. It all probably had been abandoned not that long ago, relatively speaking. Not too far from where he was standing there was a fire pit – well, a place for a campfire to be at. Curious, Yu approached it, crouching to take a better look.

There was some ash here. The wind would have swept all the ashes away if they were old, meaning this had to be recent. Looking up, he noticed one of the cabins – one of the larger ones, being two-stories high! It even had a terrace of some sort – seemed to be far more well maintained than everything else he could see. The mascot probably lives there Yu thought, approaching the cabin and using the stick to knock on the wall right beside the entrance.

No response.

There was no door, Yu could look inside. Beyond the room right after the doorway there was a large round bed, under a staircase leading to the second floor. Yu saw cabinets, a large old-looking projector, and not even a hint of dust anywhere. Yu knocked again, louder this time, and waited, in case the mascot was on the second floor.

Nothing happened.  Going in wasn’t an option. The mascot probably was somewhere else. Stepping backwards, Yu noticed the sign right above the doorway.

Lizbert

&

Eggabell

Unusual names...probably not Japanese. Yu was glad he knew enough English to carry a conversation, even if he wasn’t a hundred percent proficient in that language. He would be fine.

Where did that mascot go...? “Hello?” Yu said loudly, looking around. “I need to speak with someone!”

Still no response. Well, even if Yu was wrong and they didn’t speak English here the sound of his voice should have been enough to get their attention! Or at least that’s what he hoped. “Over here!” he said in Japanese, just in case, stepping in direction of the large barn and the fenced garden at the other end of the town.

This is...such a small town Yu thought while he was coming closer to the garden. A village, to be precise. Inaba was a rural place, but even it was larger than this. You could cross this abandoned place in just a couple minutes – perhaps it was meant to be temporary and now it’s abandoned because they didn’t need this place anymore? That could be it—

“Eeeaaagh!”

Yu had been rounding the corner to approach the fence when he found just the person he had been looking for. The problem was that it had been so sudden the mascot had stepped backwards, tripping and falling, letting out a shout of surprise. Only Yu’s steeled resolve and experience with facing Shadows made him have enough courage to not back away like the mascot had done.

“I’m sorry for startling you. Are you alright?” Yu asked, extending a hand to help him – or at least he was sure this person was male, based on the voice – but the mascot didn’t take it, instead staring at him with the most surprised expression he had seen on anyone ever in his life.

Yu’s eyes widened when the mascot blinked. The face was moving, he was breathing, he...

...this wasn’t a suit, was it?

“Who—what—why—what—what in the world?!” the ma—the creature’s voice ringed in Yu’s ears. Was this how Teddie felt when they met him the first time? At least Teddie had the benefit of knowing what he was talking to, Yu certainly didn’t.

“Did I scare you? I’m sorry. Here, let me help” Yu hurried to offer.

“You’re talking!” he exclaimed. Just as Yu had expected, it was all English. Once again glad he wasn’t going to have a severe language barrier getting in the way, Yu nodded.

“Calm down, you’re going to hyperventilate”

“I’m—I---right, I gotta calm down...” he exhaled, inhaled, exhaled, taking deep breaths. Yu retracted his arm while the creature calmed down, patiently waiting for that. In the meantime at least he could get his thoughts in order.

Well, he tried to. One thought bounced in his head over and over: that wherever he was he clearly wasn’t anywhere in his world unless there was something really unusual about whatever spot of the planet this was – not completely impossible, just astronomically unlikely.

“Okay, I think—I think I’m calm. Calm enough, at least, hahaha...” the creature laughed. Yu silently offered a hand again, the creature lifting his head enough to look at it like he was being offered a branch of poisonous oak to hold onto. Yu could see the hesitation in the creature’s eyes. Well, he couldn’t blame him, being faced with what for him must be a bizarre and possibly scary life form!

Please, take it... he thought, hopeful – if the creature accepted the help they probably could get along. Something as simple as this could hint they’d be fine, or that this would be pretty difficult.

The creature grabbed it with surprising eagerness, his paw curling around Yu’s hand. With a smile slowly forming on his face Yu pulled, finding the creature surprisingly heavy – he should have known, he looked somewhat stocky!

“Here you go!” once he made sure the blue being was on his feet, Yu let go, giving him space. “As I said before I’m sorry for startling you”

“No, no! It’s fine, I...I just didn’t expect, uh...” he narrowed his eyes, thinking. He looked at a loss for words. Of course, how would one word such an encounter? “...an intelligent life form? Other than grumpuses?”

“Is that one of the food animals?”

It seemed like hearing there were beings resembling food scampering somewhere wasn’t of any surprise, because the furry fellow didn’t react at all to that. “No, no! I’m a grumpus. So, uh, can I ask kind of a rude question?”

Yu got on the fence of the garden – almost empty garden, now that he looked at it for a moment -- sitting on it and keeping his balance. He was very relieved they were actually having a conversation! As a first contact this wasn’t a bad one at all! “Go ahead”

“What are you?”

The unavoidable question. Yu tried to keep everything casual, for both of their sakes. “I’m a human. Does that sound familiar to you at all?”

“Nope. Doesn’t ring a bell at all” No surprise there. The creature looked at him up and down, taking in his appearance. He seemed to focus on his hair the most, staring at it as if he was trying to commit to memory its color. “Wait a second...I did see you before!”

“Really?” That part he hadn’t expected at all.

“W-Well, it was from a distance, and it was more of the shape of you, but I did see you! If I had known you could speak I’d have said something instead of freaking out and running away, hye ha ha!” he seemed to be relaxing “It’s kinda amazing we speak the same language...actually it’s really incredible!”

“I speak one and a half languages. This is the half” Certainly not fluent in English but he could manage, that they were talking now proved it.

“You’re really something!” he sounded very impressed. Yu couldn’t help it, he smiled. Once the creature calmed down he turned out easy to talk to. “I should introduce myself, right? So, uh...I’m Filbo Fiddlepie, th—the current mayor around here. And this is Snaxburg! Welcome!”

Although Filbo sounded cheerful when mentioning his job, it didn’t seem to Yu like he was particularly proud about it. Yu nodded and introduced himself – as usual, family name first and given name afterwards. Filbo nodded.

“Mr. You, alright--..” he said, but Yu interrupted him. Such formality was something he wasn’t that used to.

“Yu – and you don’t have to be so formal” he said, expecting him to use his family name.

“Yu, then”

Overly familiar this time, but it didn’t really matter anyway. It would be easier to call each other by their names and not worry much about that.

With some difficulty Filbo got on the fence as well, swaying back and forth while he tried to not fall. He definitely didn’t have the balance to hold on there – he had to grab onto the nearest post to avoid falling. “Where do you live? We have been all over the place and I think nobody ever saw any group of humans anywhere! You’re not the only one around, right?”

Apparently he thought there was a community of humans that managed to stay hidden until Yu came and revealed their existence. Of course there was no way Yu could set the record straight and say how exactly he arrived, but...this was his chance to ask for help.

“Had you never heard of humans before?”

“Never! Unless you’re Grumpfoot”

What was Grumpfoot even supposed to be? “If you see any other humans anytime please tell me as soon as you can”

Apparently Yu dodging the question didn’t go unnoticed. Filbo turned his head, looking at him with worried expression. “...uh...sure! I-I can do that!”

Yu stared back until he decided to encourage him. “If you want to ask something go ahead. I don’t mind”

“Oh. Do you have a place to stay at?”

Not really a question Yu had expected. He was glad he wasn’t the kind of person to wear his emotions on his sleeve or else right now he’d appear rather nervous he had slipped. “Why are you asking that?”

“You’re kinda...avoiding the topic of where you live? I dunno, maybe I’m just imagining things, but if you were living with humans somewhere here on Snaktooth you’d...you know, just go there? Instead of asking if I had seen any others before? So maybe something happened, and you came here because this is the only place to live in, and...I dunno...”

Pretty far from the mark, all things considered, but Yu could kind of see how he got to that conclusion. “It’s something like that” Yu lied.

Filbo brightened up. “If you need a place to stay you’re welcome here! I’ll figure something out, don’t worry about it”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t turn away someone who needs help. Besides you’re pretty interesting! I’d like to talk more with you, if that’s okay” he sounded so earnest, so eager to talk with this completely new lifeform Yu just couldn’t bring himself to say no.

Well, partly because, if he had to be honest, he also wanted to talk to Filbo some more. Filbo was a friendly face in the middle of an alien place. Somebody willing to extend a friendly hand – a friendly paw! --  was always helpful. Besides, someone like Filbo probably would be the sort of person the rest of the team would be glad to have contact with.

He could already imagine Kanji being absolutely charmed by Filbo. Kanji probably would ask if he could touch his fur; Filbo probably would say no, much to Kanji’s displeasure. It had been just a moment and he was already thinking about what his friends would be doing. In a way this was better than worrying.

“Thank you, Filbo” Yu replied. Obviously he’d rather not stay in this...world...more than strictly necessary because going missing from home was going to cause a lot of trouble, but if he had to, then he really would need a place to stay at.

-ooooo-

Yu Narukami was a quiet person.

He certainly wasn’t introverted. Yu had a knack for befriending other people, and a remarkable amount of patience for dealing with the kooks in his life. While he was perfectly capable of talking a lot when needed, such as when he had to prove a point to other people or take the lead in something, more often than not he let others speak. In the past many would have said he was distant, and although nowadays that had changed somewhat, in his day-to-day interactions he definitely preferred others to set the pace of the conversation.

Filbo was more than willing to do that. Yu didn’t even need to encourage him, Filbo kept talking and talking, eager to show Yu what Snaxburg was all about. Something about it warmed Yu’s heart, though – Filbo sounded so fond of the town, so happy to talk about it all it just kept making Yu smile. Of course the mayor would be so proud of this place, thought Yu while he followed his newfound grumpus friend around.

The purpose of this impromptu tour of the town was to introduce him to what Filbo said ‘could be his home away from home’. “That’s a positive way of looking at it” Yu had commented. He had to admit it sounded nice – having ‘a base’ of some sort in this strange and absolutely unknown island. Snaktooth Island, Filbo had said.

“It’s what Snaxburg is for! We arrived here just a couple months ago, and as you can see we worked hard to make it habitable” Filbo was beaming. Somehow he was making an abandoned village seem welcoming, as if his mere presence was enough to do that. From the way he was talking of everything it was as if this was a happy, almost idyllic place.

Perhaps to him it was, despite everything.

“That’s the latrine, it...doesn’t really need an introduction, I guess...” Filbo just vaguely pointed in direction of the outhouse. Certainly it wasn’t an interest point. Having shown the existence of the bathroom, Filbo showed to his left – the garden Yu had seen before. “This is Wambus’ farm! Here’s where he tried to grow veggies and food”

It possibly hadn’t gone according to plan, thought Yu, carefully entering the place. Soil squelched under his feet, soil that hadn’t been cared for in a while. There was one single thing growing, a large, colorful flowering plant a bit taller than Yu was. There was something in the center of the flowers, something red and strangely-shaped. Curious, Yu approached until he saw what it was:

A ketchup bottle. Pod. A ketchup something! “Is that sauce?” Yu asked, prodding it. The ketchup was wrapped in some sort of elastic shell, buckling under his finger. Sauce was growing in plants! Had this Wambus person planted tomatoes and somehow in this world that made a ketchup plant grow? This place made a little less sense with every single thing he found out!

Filbo didn’t seem to consider it strange at all, which was to be expected. He chuckled, leaning on the fence. “You never had seen a sauce plant before? What kind of place do you come from that doesn’t have sauce plants!”

“We have to make the sauce ourselves or buy it made in a factory”

“Right, there’s that too, but a lot of people like what the plant gives!” Filbo said. “Wambus tried growing a lot of stuff, but for some reason only the ketchup plant survived. He was about to plant other sauce types here, but then...uh...” he looked down, downcast.

Then this Wambus person left, Yu supposed. Asking for more details right now probably wouldn’t go too well. Instead he asked, distracting Filbo: “There are other kinds of sauce plants?”

“M-Many kinds!” Filbo’s voice went up an octave when he hurried to answer that. Pretty obvious he had noticed Yu had purposefully passed him a lifeline. “Sauce for every occasion! And it’s really filling, too, I know that so well by now. The problem is it doesn’t stop being, well...” Filbo makes a face of disgust. “...sauce. It’s—have you ever had a mouthful of ketchup ever before?”

“I can’t say I have” Yu said casually returning to Filbo’s side. “I don’t want to find out how that’s like”. He had eaten expired miso packets before – unbearably salty, a bad decision all things considered. But it hadn’t been ketchup. That probably would be a worse decision than the mouthful of miso.

Filbo just gave him a look of pity – the look of someone who knows sooner or later Yu would know exactly how it feels like. “It’s...it’s not great, just trust me on that one. Now look over here, this barn! This is Gramble’s barn. This is where he—where we all kept some Bugsnax”

“Bugsnax?” Yu said slowly, unsure he had heard correctly.

“You saw them before, right? They’re everywhere! And they’re amazing, you know? They’re delicious, and there are so many kinds. We all love Bugsnax. You should give them a try!”

Bugsnax...were they the moving food from before? Yu imagined himself holding the cookie he had seen skittering by and eating it. It didn’t look disgusting at all – it was a cookie full of cream, after all! He’d consider it. It probably was normal to eat these...Bugsnax around here, he’d just have to get used to it. No big deal. He would be eating a living cookie at some point, sure, why not? Was he too nonchalant about that? The rest of the team probably would have far more qualms about eating them, now that he thought about it, but he certainly was willing to try! Just go and grab one of the flying bunches of honey, why not? A mere hour ago he had been hesitant about trying some of the honey that had dripped from it, but now that Filbo had informed those indeed were edible and normal it seemed fine.

“You seem eager!” noticed Filbo, pleased, leading Yu to an open door on the side of the barn. “There are Bugsnax in here. You can’t eat them because Gramble asked me to babysit these for him, but you can look at them”

“They can be pets?” That made Yu be somewhat less interested in eating Bugsnax, to be frank.

“...Gramble’s trying. They’re...you know, bugs. I dunno if they can be pets, but they’re really easy to take care of – even I can do it” he said, leading Yu to a row of small, empty kennels on one side of the barn.

As soon as Filbo noticed there was nothing in there he gasped and climbed over the fence of one of the kennel, getting on his knees to look through a hole on the wall. Every kennel had a hole in them, hole that led to the outside of the barn. “They escaped! They—they broke through the wall and—they were here just an hour ago!”

“...Filbo?” It wasn’t hard to guess what happened. Giving up, Filbo stood up and grimaced.

“Please don’t tell Gramble about this. I’ll just fix this later”

“I’ll help you” Yu offered. Judging from how Filbo was silent for a moment, staring at him as if Yu had tried to blackmail him or something similar, he hadn’t expected at all the offer.

“A-Alright! If you wanna then I’m not gonna say no! I just...” he sighed. “Anyway, let’s continue” he quickly said, making it clear he wasn’t too willing to talk about this. Led near to the campfire Filbo tapped one of the larger boarded-up cabins. “This here is where the Cromdo Mart is at”

“A grocery store?”

“Heh...it wasn’t really a grocery store; it was more like a soda fountain! Cromdo had a way of getting Snakwater, and he used to sell it to us in exchange for Bugsnax. I think then he used those Bugsnax to make more Snakwater? I asked him about it once and he said you have to invest in your own business for it to grow!”

Those food things were the base for their economy? Yu wasn’t sure that was going to work at all, but it wasn’t like there was any other currency – or places to spend money at. Filbo continued:

“There also were all sorts of knick-knacks and other stuff, but I’m pretty sure he stole it all from our cabins when we weren’t looking. I-I once had to buy back from him a stuffed toy frog? It’s kinda my childhood toy, so...I just had to. Try not to give him an excuse to scam you”

Yu glanced at the cabins. Other than the boards there were no doors on them. Quite careless, if they knew there was someone among then who liked to steal objects from their cabins to sell them.

The larger abandoned building was next. “This is our mill! We haven’t used it in a while, but this is where we keep a lot of supplies and cut lumber in here” Filbo turned to Yu all of a sudden, hopeful. “Are humans strong?”

“Not particularly” How were you supposed to answer that with precision? Yu himself wasn’t exactly strong, at least more than the average teenager, that was all.

Filbo actually looked disappointed. “Oh. That’s—That’s too bad. We have someone who can carry tree logs all by himself, but, well, he’s not here right now”

Someone Filbo knew could just carry heavy logs like that? That was actually quite impressive! Perhaps grumpuses were generally a strong species. Filbo didn’t look particularly strong but appearances could be deceiving. “Can you do that?” a hint of wonder leaked into Yu’s tone, making Filbo laugh.

“I wish! No, no, definitely not. Well, there’s still plenty firewood and lumber, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it” Filbo led him to the tarps Yu had considered as a possible shelter. “And over here are the research tents. This is where Triffany and Floofty do their work!”

“Sculptors?” It’d explain the statue he had stumbled upon.

“What? No! Floofty is a...a...” Filbo narrowed his eyes. “They called themselves a gastro—gastroentosomething. From the first half of the word I’m sure it’s about food, but they didn’t really wanna to explain it when I asked more. You know, since you’re, uh, a new species, you should try to avoid them”

“Are they really that bad?”

“No, not really! I mean, I don’t think they’re a bad person? But they’re really hard to get along with, and their way to do science is...uh...unusual? There are so many rumors and I kinda think they may not be too far from the truth”

Something to keep in mind, Yu guessed. While Filbo guided Yu down to the end of the village he kept talking: “But Triffany is an archaeologist, and she has all sorts of neat stuff! And also some not-so-neat stuff. I’m pretty sure walking late at night over here and seeing a skeleton propped in there kinda shaved years off my life”

Yu actually smirked at that. He didn’t mean to make light of an incident that apparently had scared Filbo quite a bit! But he’d have found such a situation a little funny to experience himself.

“...Yu, please don’t laugh at that” It seemed Filbo had noticed his amusement.

“Sorry. Not good with spooky stuff?”

“Hahaha...n-not too much. So...that’s it. This is the end” Filbo turned, pointing to a cabin helpfully marked with a sign that revealed who the resident was: ‘FILBO’. Complete with a smiling face. “This is where I live, so if you need me and you don’t see me around I’ll be in there. And...we’re done” he morosely shrugged, turning towards Snaxburg. “This is Snaxburg”

Quite the attitude change. “...Filbo?”

“Sorry, I don’t mean to dampen things. It just is Snaxburg probably doesn’t seem like much right now. I mean...I’m literally the only grump living here, and everything looks like it’s falling apart” he laughs self-deprecatingly “I guess it’s fitting since it’s me keeping it standing but...it’ll all get better. I’m sure it will!”

To Filbo’s credit at least he sounded like he truly believed this was just a temporary lull! Without a shadow of doubt, it seemed. Yu just had to ask: “Do you have a plan?”

“I’m trying to get everyone back, they just...aren’t really listening. I’ll think of something, don’t worry”

“Any way I can help?” the question came out before Yu noticed he was asking. It was just like him to offer to lend a helping hand to the point it just was automatic. Even though he had some huge trouble to deal with, he still had to offer, and once he did he found he actually meant it. If there was a way for him to help then why not to help?

Filbo smiled sadly. “Yu, I don’t mean any offense, obviously, but, uh...you may wanna stay hidden for a bit? I mean, I dunno how the rest’s gonna react once they see you. I dunno how long you’re gonna be around here but we probably wanna take it slow”

He wasn’t wrong. Filbo had been...perhaps extraordinarily accepting of a human appearing out of nowhere, once he recovered from the scare from earlier. There was no guarantee everyone else would be as friendly as Filbo, avoiding trouble by not showing himself recklessly would be a good idea. It’d probably get in the way of finding the rest of the Investigation Team and returning home, but, well...he had no other option, did he?

Yu nodded.

Filbo added extending his paw for a handshake: “Welcome to Snaxburg, Yu! If you ever need anything you can tell me anytime! I’ll figure out where you can stay, even if I have to bring here a spare mattress from our supplies, build a bed frame for it all by myself, and make space for you in my own cabin!”

It was hard not to feel welcomed when he said stuff like that. Endeared by Filbo’s willingness to help him, Yu wasted no time in reciprocating the handshake – pawshake? Is that how it’s called around here? He thought – grabbing Filbo’s paw with a firm grip. It was such a curious sensation to grab a paw larger than his hand.

The warm fuzziness was like a confirmation all of this was actually happening:

He was trapped in this strange place, surrounded by wildlife resembling food, where fuzzy creatures called grumpuses resided, and he was probably the only human in existence – if the rest of the Investigation Team wasn’t around here.

Yu Narukami was alone.

The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. Closing his eyes, Yu let go of Filbo’s paw.

“Are...are you okay? You don’t look too good”

What was that supposed to mean? Yu felt a chill – he probably had simply gone pale and Filbo, not knowing what that was, perhaps thought he was going to faint or something. “I’m just tired” Yu lied.

“...right...so, I’m gonna have to leave for a while. I’m sure you’ll be just fine alone here for a while, but, uh...” Filbo seemed to be mulling something, like he was unsure if he should say something else or not, until he took a decision – seemingly to go ahead and ask: “Yu, have you see a gray grumpus anywhere? I mean, you probably have, right? Even if you didn’t know we’re grumpuses maybe you have seen her!”

He certainly hadn’t! How long did Filbo think Yu had been around for? “Sorry, I haven’t seen anyone other than you”

“Oh...I see. Of course. Sorry, that was a stupid question”

After that Yu just had to ask: “Who are you asking about?”

“I’ll tell you later. Don’t worry, I’ll also keep my eyes peeled for any other humans! Just remember to stay hidden for a while”

May as well stay in Filbo’s cabin, then! Yu nodded. Giving a smile in response, Filbo added:

“You know, I’m pretty sure Lizbert has a map of the island in her cabin, right over there! I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you borrowed it” he pointed at the only other cabin that was still intact.

-ooooo-

Gray clouds were starting to gather high in the sky. It had been a long while since Filbo had left, once again advising him to be cautious about being seen for the time being. It pretty much meant Yu was temporarily confined to Snaxburg, at least until Filbo managed to come up with a way of introducing him to any other grumpuses on Snaktooth.

Yu had to accept it: he wasn’t going to be back in his world anytime soon.

Just like Filbo had said there had been a map of Snaktooth in Lizbert and Eggabell’s cabin, rolled up and left on top of one of the cabinets. Even though Yu was curious he refrained from snooping around in this Lizbert grumpus’ home, simply taking the map and hurrying back to Filbo’s cabin. Once he was there, he extended the map on Filbo’s bed, taking a good look at its contents.

...so many biomes on one single island. Yu frowned, pretty sure this wasn’t how nature worked, but it was hard to deny reality. Now that Yu thought about it, from the mountain he did see a few of these places. The mountain was depicted very clearly on that map, including a note about its altitude. Not only that, there was a canyon, a desert, a beach, a forest...so many environments.

Snaktooth wasn’t too large, though, if the rest of the team was somewhere, it shouldn’t take long to find them. Still...Yu was still very worried. He probably had gotten lucky he had stumbled upon Snaxburg.

Rolling the map again, Yu looked through the empty doorway, in direction of the mountain, visible from the settlement. Somewhere up there was the gateway to his world – well, back to the TV World, and from there he would make his way back home. Stepping outside, Yu glanced up at the clouds, hinting it was going to rain very soon.

The place was as silent as before: not a single noise other than the noise of the wind among the leaves of the trees. Still no sounds of animals at all...and now that Filbo wasn’t around, Snaxburg truly felt like a ghost town. Brushing his gray hair away from his eyes, Yu inhaled deeply, trying to define what was that creeping sensation he was feeling right now.

“...something’s wrong” said Yu aloud.

Perhaps it was because not that long ago he had to make life-or-death incursions into the TV World with a deadline looming over their heads. The knowledge that if he dilly-dallied or got careless someone would die was one he had experienced over and over. How many times had he worried he was going to run out of time? That at any time there’d be rainy days and that’d seal someone’s fate before he and the Team managed to save them?

Now here he was in a situation that wasn’t normal at all. Was that why he was feeling dread? Because he was trapped on completely unfamiliar terrain, so to say? Or...was there something else going on, some sort of danger coming in the future?

All of a sudden Yu Narukami had a lot to deal with. In matter of hours it all had been thrown on his lap, and now he had to deal with it.

With some luck he was wrong and no huge trouble was coming. But if that horrible sensation of danger was justified then...

“What’s going to happen?”

Chapter Text

The wet school jacket was on the clothesline behind Filbo’s cabin. Yu had intended to see if he could see the nearest areas from Snaxburg, perhaps plan for an exploration at a later point and see if he could find clues about what he could find in those areas now that he had a general idea of what they were. Once he saw the jacket, set to dry alongside several spare mayoral sashes, Yu made a detour over there.

Of course Filbo had set it to dry. “I’m sure he was so puzzled about this” said Yu, touching the fabric, finding it damp. If all grumpuses were similarly shaped to Filbo then that jacket wouldn’t fit anyone – those capsule-shaped bodies were both too wide and round for this. It’d be like finding doll clothes all of a sudden in somewhere familiar. Noting it’d still be a while before the jacket dried up – and even more now that there was no sun for the time being – Yu directed his attention to the sashes, rubbing one between his fingers.

Obviously handmade. He could see the stitches joining the strip of cloth together – it seemed to be rather competently sewn together. Filbo probably had made these himself. Who’d have thought those big, goofy paws could grab a sewing needle in the first place? He really couldn’t picture how that was like! The writing on the sash was a little sloppy, but it was to be expected from using a thick brush. It could have been worse. Yu took all the sashes and his jacket, taking them into the cabin. If it was going to rain, may as well do this for Filbo.

With that done, Yu returned to what he intended to do. Map in hand Yu moved towards the end of the town, towards a rocky arch that had a rickety wooden pathway towards the more arid areas. Going over there would probably fare better than exploring the cold, tall mountain – or at least that was the idea, idea that was destroyed by a bunch of cactuses in the way. No way he could pass through them! Perhaps if he could find some gardening tool he could use to get them out of there...Filbo did say there were tools and supplies in the mill. That could wait for later, though, there was another path he could try.

Of course an island would have coasts. The path descending towards the beach was calm, almost pleasant. Rocky formations in hexagonal shapes lined the road, like basalt. Some water had gotten caught in natural basins, forming spaces that resembled hot springs. Yu walked around them, descending towards the beach, when he saw something a little unusual inside one of the formations:

A tiny cocktail umbrella planted on a sand bank.

Yu poked the umbrella, getting a blast of water to the face; a geyser exploding right in front of him! The umbrella, connected to something, was launched in the air, a very cheerful and shrill call as if it was greeting him. Yu wiped the water off his eyes, seeing the Bugsnak float upwards and reach its zenith before starting to float down. “Got it...!” Yu gripped the edge of the basin, pushing himself up and reaching upwards to catch the Bugsnak.

It didn’t resist at all in his hand! It was even purring softly while Yu observed the...the something! Whatever this Bugsnak was resembled a cocktail of some sort, staring at him with its googly eye, unblinking. It didn’t seem remotely concerned there was someone holding it. Yu frowned, growing unsure about these strange food insects Snaktooth was full of – or at least of this one. It looked like a glass of liquid, but the glass was flexible, reminding him a lot of those ketchup pods from Wambus’ farm. The liquid inside didn’t even move at all when Yu tilted the Bugsnak! Was it jello or something? Was he supposed to bite into the ‘glass’ or try to dig into it to reach the center? What about the umbrella? Was that supposed to be eaten too? Do grumpuses eat these Snak while their food stare straight at them?

...

“How does Filbo do this?” wondered Yu, letting go of the Snak. Although he was very willing to eat a lot of stuff he decided to wait for Filbo’s guidance. Sooner or later he’d have to take the plunge and eat one of these – after all, if these were the main source of food then he had to accept it!

Further down the wooden path there was the beach. Waves crashed against the coast and the rocks. Now he could hear the Bugsnax’s sounds and noises, livening up the area. He could get used to this! It just was that Snaxburg felt like a void in the middle of an otherwise lively island; everywhere else Snaktooth was teeming with life. The unease he had been feeling not that long ago was gone, replaced by a pleased contentedness. The sky was leaden, but the seascape still brought him some calm.

What were all those things on the beach? Little raspberries scuttled on the sand. So the Bugsnax weren’t limited just to processed food! There were fruits as well, could there be vegetables too somewhere? It was so whimsical, so...kind of cute, if he had to be honest! Would he find stick bugs that were actually leeks? Beetles resembling pumpkins? Perhaps butterflies actually made of butter, like those honey things from before? Yu was actually getting interested in finding out what else existed. Was that a crab over there? Crabs weren’t insects; it could be a normal everyday crab. If so then he could catch it later and cook it by the campfire or something, he supposed. 

The rest of the team would have some curiosity over everything. Yu could imagine Naoto studying the raspberries from afar, trying to make these somewhat logic-defying Bugsnax fit somehow in her understanding of the world. Yosuke, Kanji and Chie trying to catch the crab while Yukiko encouraged them. Teddie probably lounging in one of the huge natural basins, and Rise would be strongly considering going for a swim, maybe see if there were any Bugsnax underwater...

...he really hoped they were all okay.

Snapping out of that reverie Yu studied the surroundings, noticing an umbrella raising from behind some of the rocky pillars, an umbrella that definitely didn’t belong to a Snak unless it was a huge daiquiri. Someone must be nearby. It was time to retreat and return to Snaxburg. No way he’d risk being seen.

-ooooo-

It was past noon. Filbo still wasn’t back.

Being confined to Snaxburg made time go very slow. A drizzle had fallen not too long ago, but it lasted just a few minutes. Yu had already memorized the layout of Snaxburg, observed the huts from outside, read the name signs...by now he knew Snaxburg like the back of his hand!

He was starting to get hungry. Aware Filbo had mentioned there were supplies in the mill, Yu entered it, opening the doors and looking all over the place inside. The mill was very large, a two-stories building that held all sorts of tools inside. Lumber was piled to one side, firewood stacked outside of the mill. Boxes and sacks were stored deep in the first floor, seemingly without any sort of organization. In there the residents of Snaxburg probably would find anything they could need. Yu looked around in them, trying to find anything that could serve as food.

He probably wouldn’t eat anything right now – even though he was living here and literally nobody else other than Filbo was using any of these, taking something felt a little bit like stealing! What he found was trail mix. A lot of trail mix bags, seemingly untouched. At least a dozen crates of them! It seemed in the foreseeable future Yu would be eating so much trail mix once he was back home he’d renounce nuts and grains for a long while.

Filbo said he has been living here for a while, he may have something else to eat Yu thought. Or perhaps he had survived so far by eating Bugsnax. He’d have to find out.

For the time being, though, Yu took a blanket and pillow from the supplies, taking it to Filbo’s cabin. The deputy mayor had already said he was going to get these for him, may as well save him the effort.

-ooooo-

During the afternoon Yu had started to get somewhat antsy waiting for Filbo. As usual, he searched for ways to get busy. Deciding he’d apologize later to Filbo if this was not fine, Yu took a ream of paper, taking it to the cabin.

After a couple hours Filbo’s cabin was full of paper cranes. The windowsill, the edge of the headboard of his bed, the furniture, that plush frog, three quarters of the inner perimeter of the cabin, it all was full of paper cranes as big as his fist. Cutting in half every sheet of paper, carefully folding until the crane was formed, placing it somewhere...the repetitive movements were great to keep him busy and let time pass. Common paper wasn’t ideal for it, but Yu was skillful enough for that to not matter at all.

Nothing like paper cranes to let thoughts wander. Lining up paper cranes was almost hypnotic. Filbo probably wouldn’t appreciate much his cabin was full of paper cranes, but Yu would take them away later, no problem. Well, after seeing Filbo’s reaction, he thought while he made a large pyramid of cranes on top of his furniture. He had been arranging them when the earth tremor started.

Cranes rolled off the windowsill and the headboard. Yu immediately went outside, expecting the tremors to increase in intensity, but thankfully it didn’t happen. It had been strong enough to make objects tremble and rattle, lasting a full minute. Even after it was over Yu stayed outside, ready just in case there were more tremors, but nothing else happened. Yu rolled his neck and looked upwards, seeing the sky get tinted with red. It’s sunset and he still isn’t back he thought.

Nothing to do but wait for a while longer.

-ooooo-

What if grumpuses weren’t flesh, blood and fur, but instead were stuffed animals? What if instead of organs and the such inside they had a lot of fluff and cotton or something? Yu was pretty sure a long time ago he had seen puppets that moved their mouths like Filbo did. He hadn’t seen Filbo eat anything yet, maybe he was a living stuffed toy. Or he was hollow like Teddie used to be.

It was that kind of banal thought what made Yu pass the time while he sewed.

The clock on the wall indicated it was almost 9PM. Filbo still wasn’t back, and Yu was starting to get worried. He glanced down at his work, having tried to make a new sash for Filbo with fabric found in the mill. Anything to get himself busy for a while. There he sat, nested amidst paper cranes and examining one of Filbo’s spare sashes, studying every detail to try to replicate it himself. Turns out sewing isn’t one of Yu’s strengths! Yu stared at his injured fingertip, having accidentally poked himself for the sixth time since he started.

Perhaps he just wasn’t focusing right now. Leaving aside the half-made sash, Yu took a lantern from the wall and went to the path he had seen Filbo take in the morning. The moonlight bathed it all, illuminating the way. While the grumpus had said he should stay out of sight, right now he was going to throw caution to the wind and go ahead.

Filbo could be hurt. He may be trapped somewhere. He may need help. No way he was going to stay here and do nothing! Taking the walking stick he had left by the fence of Wambus’ farm, Yu walked the path upwards, towards what he remembered the map said were waterfalls. Anything could happen in such place. He could have fallen, broken a limb, gotten swept by water...

Foliage and bushes filled the dirt path. Pushing it all away with the stick Yu walked towards the waterfalls, looking around like he expected to find Filbo nearby. “Filbo!” he called, his voice echoing.

Nothing. While he walked Yu tried to listen around, trying to notice even the slightest hint of trouble anywhere nearby. There simply was nothing! No more than the sound of Bugsnax pullulating all over the place and his own steps crunching through pebbles and dirt. Yu hastened the pace, walking up slopes, having a view of the fields.

“Filbo!”

There was the sound of a camera shutter.

Yu immediately turned around in direction of the clicking sound, trying to look through the silhouettes of bushes and trees. Everything was blending together despite the moonlight, shades and darkness hiding everything. Bugsnax slithered across the ground – Snaks that looked like carrots.

“Filbo! Say something!”

It was no use. No matter how much Yu searched or where he went there was no hint of teal anywhere. Someone as colorful as Filbo probably would stand out even during the night, but there was nothing! Yu crossed streams and passed through a waterfall, not caring he was getting soaked once again, entering caves and coming out in places he had never seen before.

No sign of him at all! The lantern had extinguished by now; he was hauling it around uselessly. Everything looked much darker, blackness enveloping the waterfalls. Looking up, Yu noticed clouds were once again filling the skies, threatening to rain, covering the full moon.

“Not now...!” Yu looked around once more. Water fell in thin cascades against rocks, making streams that led to parts unknown of the island. This was bad, very bad – if he didn’t return now he could get trapped in a potentially dangerous area of Snaktooth, with little illumination and rain pouring down. Yu hated it, but there was no other option: he had to return to Snaxburg or else he’d risk serious injury to himself. If he knew Filbo was around here in the waterfalls he would search the whole night long if he had to! But without a lead...it was just too dangerous!

It didn’t go at all like Yu expected. Even though he tried to orientate himself and find the way back to Snaxburg, the darkness was too much by now. Droplets fell from the rainclouds, splashing on the streams Yu crossed on his way back. Before long he left the creeks and waterfalls behind, returning to the groves and fields he remembered were between Flavor Falls and Snaxburg, but he couldn’t find where exactly he had come from.

Holding the stick forward with one hand, just in case, Yu walked, touching the ground to find any defects on the ground he couldn’t see. The rain softened the dirt, turning some parts into mud that clung to his shoes. More than once he managed to save himself from any holes and slopes that could leave him injured, but it was pointless if he couldn’t return to the town. At least this time he wasn’t in mortal danger.

The rain intensified. His hair clung to his forehead, forcing him to brush it away with the wrist of the hand holding the extinguished lantern. Yu reached what seemed to be a viewpoint that gave him a view of a lot of Snaktooth. He was pretty sure he had been walking back for at least one hour, somehow! Narrowing his eyes, Yu saw shapes in the middle of the darkness. Was that Gramble’s barn? The mill? Well, those large shapes could be the larger buildings in Snaxburg, going over there would be a good idea. Now how do I get over there... he thought, examining the ground around him with the stick. No way he could just climb down, he had to find an alternate way—

Someone was watching him.

Yu grabbed the stick with both hands as if he had one of his usual katanas, his guard up. That definitely wasn’t a grumpus – the shape wasn’t similar to Filbo’s at all. The silhouette was some distance away, visible amidst the trees. Slowly, Yu approached, trying to distinguish more about whoever it was. So misshapen, so unnatural. There was a certain anthropomorphic quality to it, but it clearly wasn’t human—

The being who had saved him up in the mountain. That could be it.

“Wait!” Yu called, picking up the pace. Even though he hoped it was that being, there was no way he’d lower his guard until he was certain there was no danger. The silhouette moved through the trees, shambling, pieces of it falling along the way. Yu was close enough to see everything that fell skittered away – Bugsnax, that thing was made of Bugsnax. No matter how many times Yu called to it, the silhouette kept degrading, falling apart until, without warning, what was left of it crumbled away, all of its pieces running away with their usual name-repeating quirk.

Yu stopped, gathering his strength back. He had been saved by Bugsnax. Something made of Bugsnax had carried him down the mountain.

Looking around Yu noticed his surroundings. This place...it seemed somewhat familiar. Right, he was close enough he could get to Snaxburg even in the dark. Resigned to having to return to the town even if he hadn’t found any hint of where Filbo was, Yu descended the slopes.

If by morning Filbo hadn’t returned Yu definitely would go back to search for him again. That was not up to discussion, he just had to.

-ooooo-

An indescribable crashing sound amidst the rain awoke Yu all of a sudden, making him bolt up from the floor. Since sleeping on Filbo’s bed didn’t feel appropriate, he had slept on the floor, wrapped with the blanket he had taken from the supplies. The clock indicated it was around 5AM and, judging by how there still were a couple dozen paper cranes on Filbo’s bed, the grumpus hadn’t arrived during the night.

When Yu came out of the cabin, ready to return to Flavor Falls, he expected to find one of the buildings in Snaxburg had fallen apart – it’d certainly explain the noise – but instead he saw at the other end of the town what looked like a ship crashed against the rock wall. “Huh” Yu stared at it for a moment, deciding to approach. It was right where he was going to go, a small detour wouldn’t hurt.

Unsurprisingly the ship was mostly intact. It wasn’t too big, seemingly made as light as possible – and judging by the very large and deflated balloon he found, it was meant to fly in the air! No wonder it crashed there instead of near the sea! The chimney that provided the hot air was bent, almost destroyed, and still smoldering, used not too long ago. Climbing onto the airship, Yu found a bed but no personal possessions nor anything that could indicate to who the ship belonged to.

There was no sign of why it crashed or where its owner was. By the time Yu made sure the ship wasn’t going to go up in flames anytime soon nor it was going to fall off the place it had crashed at and crush what little remained of Wambus’ farm, the sun had already risen, brightening everything. The pathway towards the groves wasn’t so daunting anymore!

Breakfast went by in a hurry, pretty much shoving trail mix into his mouth while he put on his uniform jacket, ready for what could be a long day of exploration and checking every nook and cranny. Now he had eight friends to find, Filbo having been added to the list. It could take the entire day to have even an inkling of where any of them had gone to, and if he had to reveal himself to every grumpus he found along the way he would. Caution would just get in the way and there was no time to waste.

He barely got onto the path before he found Filbo.

Yu had just turned the corner, making way towards Flavor Falls when he saw three grumpuses coming. Filbo was at the front, while a tired-looking orange grumpus trailed behind him and a taller folksy-looking dark blue grumpus was way at the back, taking their sweet time reaching him. Filbo seemed to have noticed Yu had briefly gotten in sight because he immediately turned around, standing in the way and being unnecessarily loud – the cue for Yu to hurry and go away. “A-Ah, hey, guys! Snaxburg is right over there! You’re gonna be surprised when you see the settl—“

“Filbo, I lived in that darn town for two months”

“Oh. Right, y-you did...”

That was all Yu got to hear while he let himself fall down the nine feet fall between the platform where the airship crashed and the garden, running as fast as he could to cross the town before the grumpuses could come around and see him. Everything was such an open area, if Filbo didn’t hold them back for long enough they probably would see something dashing through Snaxburg to parts unknown! No time to look back, he completely focused on running, until he reached Filbo’s cabin.

Paper cranes crumpled under his feet when he entered; he made sure to stay away from the window. Was he fast enough? Or was Filbo right now hearing those two wonder what was that thing they saw cross Snaxburg? I’m going to find out soon either way Yu thought. Yu slowly peeked out of the door, carefully surveying the town outside.

For a few minutes there was nothing. Soon, Filbo and the orange grumpus appeared from somewhere else and stood near the extinguished campfire, talking. Filbo seemed...saddened? Awkward? Yu couldn’t tell very well from the distance. The orange grumpus seemed to be grilling him, maybe with questions about the town or about the thing that had crossed it at full speed. Having seen enough, Yu retreated and just in case hid behind the bed – someone could come and glance inside the cabin. Filbo probably would come there sooner or later, he just had to wait.

Before long he heard someone enter the cabin. “Wow, you were really busy yesterday!” Definitely Filbo’s voice. Yu peered from behind the bed, finding Filbo looking at the pyramid of paper cranes with interest, pleased. Oh, he liked this all, nice.

“Where were you?” Although Yu tried to sound relatively neutral, both worry and annoyance seeped into that question. Filbo must have noticed because he gave him an apologetic glance.

“Ah, right...sorry, Yu. I screwed up yesterday. I should have been more careful” he said. Despite everything it seemed Filbo had somewhat of an unreliable streak, thought Yu. Only then he noticed something had changed on his friend:

His forearms and legs had changed – replaced with food.

Red strawberries as red as his nose formed his forearms, stopping right by the elbow articulation – bright red shapes littered with seeds, contrasting against the light blue fur. Yu was pretty sure there even were a few, tiny triangular leaves in some places where the strawberries joined together! One of his legs below the knee was the same, but the other instead of a strawberry was orange and conical: a carrot, lumpy and larger than any carrot Yu had seen in his life. To see the grumpus that in just one day seemingly had gotten his limbs replaced with produce...it was disquieting. Almost alarming!

All of Yu’s outward reaction was to raise his eyebrows, though, shooting Filbo an inquisitive stare. Filbo extended an arm outward, staring at it with interest. “Oh, you noticed! Pretty neat, eh?”

“That’s a way of describing it. What happened?”

“W-Well, I was literally starving, so I asked that journalist for a few Bugsnax, that’s all. It looks worse than it actually is, honest!” he moved his arm towards Yu so he could take a closer look. “It’s a side effect of eating Bugsnax!”

“You turn into food?”

“Not into just any food, your body kinda turns into what you ate! I didn’t...mention that?”

He seriously was taking the change very calmly. How many times had Filbo experienced something like this? Did it mean at some point it’d all return to normal? While Yu grabbed and examined the arm Filbo kept talking with the same casual behavior you’d use to explain the plot of a movie you watched recently.

“Everything is still in there! The muscles, the bones, the—this here is like an outer shell to everything. I mean, of course there are some Snaks that turn your body into stuff that outright change your limbs, like hollow straws, and stuff, but when that happens your cells get rearranged to form it, or something like that. I...don’t really remember how Floofty and Eggabell had explained it all, but it’s okay, don’t worry about it”

Did that mean if he had eaten that daiquiri from the beach he’d have a glass instead of a forearm? Or an umbrella? Waiting for Filbo’s guidance really had been a good idea, thought Yu, pressing with his fingers the rind of the strawberries. It was so firm, so solid...if he sank his nails into it would strawberry juice gush out? Or would it be blood?

Not going to find out. Yu nodded, signaling he was listening.

“It starts going back to normal after two weeks of not eating Bugsnax. Eggabell and Floofty have made all sorts of tests, so we know it’s safe. Does it—does this scare you?”

Yu poked the seeds on the rind. They probably were just aesthetic...right? “Not really. If you say it’s fine then I believe you” these grumpuses had been living on this island for a long while, presumably eating Bugsnax all this time, and if anything wrong had happened then they wouldn’t eat them anymore. It all certainly didn’t make Yu eager to eat them anymore, though, unless there was no other option. He liked his limbs intact, thank you very much!

Seemingly satisfied with the examination Yu let go of the arm. Filbo pushed aside some of the cranes and sat on the bed. “The only unusual thing—“ The only one? Yu could think of several “—is that you don’t really feel pain on these. I mean, looks like all the other stimuli still gets registered; I could feel your hands touching me, but there’s never any pain. Eggabell had said maybe it was because the transformation would be painful if the nerves didn’t get numbed, but we don’t know for sure yet...”

“Who is Eggabell?” Floofty had already been mentioned, but all Yu knew about Eggabell was that she existed.

“Oh! That’s Liz’s partner. They’re a couple, you know! She’s the doctor around here, but, well, she’s missing. Along with Lizbert. I had gone to try to find Lizbert, but, uh, obviously I didn’t find them”

So that was why he had left for so long...Yu wasn’t the only one looking for missing people. Filbo looked at Yu with attention for a moment and asked, noticing his somewhat plain expression: “You...don’t wanna eat Bugsnax anymore?”

“Not really”

“Don’t worry, I get it. Can you—can you keep a secret?” he asked, of course getting a nod from Yu. “I don’t really like eating them either. They’re so good, and everyone loves them, but I just feel bad about it. Of course I’ll eat Bugsnax if I don’t have any other food, and if someone gives me some I won’t say no, but I just...don’t feel like going out of my way to eat them”

“That’s a secret?”

“Kinda. Heh, everyone except Gramble and Shelda likes eating them. So...may as well join in and eat them too, you know?”

Peer pressure, alright. Understandable.

“Enough about that, now let’s talk about you” Filbo said. Great, it was time to find out what the future would bring for him. “You already noticed I managed to bring two grumpuses here” he gave Yu a bemused look of disapproval. Clearly he hadn’t liked Yu almost ran into them a moment ago. “I found a journalist out there! They arrived to the island earlier today, and they agreed to help me bring everyone back to Snaxburg! Now I can focus on fixing the town somewhat and on introducing you to everyone else”

“How will we start?”

“Right, I think that journalist should be the first one to meet you, once they’re back. Lizbert told me so much about them – they wrote all these articles about cryptids and monsters, so I think they won’t be too surprised about you. Who knows, maybe they even have seen humans before!”

Highly unlikely, thought Yu, but although he didn’t really care for being considered ‘a cryptid’, it did sound like that journalist was a good place to start. He nodded.

“If it goes well then it’ll be Wambus’ turn. He’s at his farm right now, getting it ready, so I don’t think he’s gonna come over here. He’s kinda grouchy but he means well, you’ll see”

Ah, the owner of that garden patch near the barn was back. Not bad, not bad. It certainly sounded like a plan – now that people were starting to trickle back into Snaxburg they had to slowly get Yu out there, so he would be able to move around instead of staying cooped up in Filbo’s cabin, hiding behind the bed like he was doing right now. Just a while longer, he had to wait for a while longer and he would have the liberty to move.

Filbo yawned while he carefully took the paper cranes off his bed and lined them up on the floor beside the bed. “Yu, I’m sorry, but...I think I’m gonna lie down for a while. Yesterday was a tiring day and I spent the whole night trying not to die in a pit, so...I think I need a nap”

So Yu really had reasons to be worried for Filbo’s safety! Wishing he had managed to find him last night, he smiled kindly. “I don’t mind having to wait”

“Thanks, that’s really nice of you” Filbo laid on his stomach on the bed, the capsule-like shape of his body making it hard not to have part of his face pressed against the mattress, and patted Yu on the head. Accidentally condescending, but Yu figured Filbo didn’t mean it that way. “I promise I’ll help you find your friends too, I just...need a bit of rest...please wake me up once the journalist is back”

In matter of seconds Filbo had fallen asleep, not even having told Yu which one of the two was the journalist he was supposed to be on the look for. Well, probably was the orange one, judging by the clothes the darker blue one was that Wambus farmer Filbo had talked about. Having nothing else to do for the time being, Yu took the half-made mayoral sash and the needle from under the bed – may as well try to finish it before the journalist arrived.

Stitching the fabric together went much easier this time.

-ooooo-

Hiding out of sight behind a bed was getting so old. Thankfully, the hours of doing that were over.

Hopefully.

The orange grumpus was very visible even from where Yu was hiding – they came from the path to the beach, trudging towards the firepit. Once Filbo was awake, he asked Yu to stay behind the wall while he went and talked to the journalist. Before long he guided the journalist to the hut.

Filbo entered first, smiling widely. He looked so excited to introduce Yu to someone else. “He’s right here! This is Yu...uh...wh-what was your last name like?” he stage whispered.

“Narukami”

“Yu Na-ru-ka-mi!” Saying the name slowly to avoid butchering it, Filbo pointed at Yu with both strawberry arms, as if he was introducing a showman on a stage. Taking that as indication he wanted him to appear now, Yu stepped forward, unsure what exactly to expect.

The journalist’s fur was a vibrant orange, certainly, and they were barely taller than Filbo. Their round nose complemented their color scheme, having such a vibrant blue it was hard not to look straight at it, flanked by two large fangs protruding from an overbite with too many teeth out of their mouth. His gray eyes blinked, but he didn’t show too much surprise when Yu stepped in sight.

“...the description isn’t accurate” they said plainly.

That was such a non-reaction Yu couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. The journalist entered the cabin, apparently having understood the human was to be out of sight for now, and looked at him up and down. “Wh-What do you mean?” Filbo asked.

“You said, and I quote:” he – possibly he; Yu couldn’t tell with complete certainty from his voice – did a surprisingly accurate imitation of Filbo’s higher-pitched voice. “’A creature as tall as lamppost, with that kind of intense aura that makes you think he’s about to say something really important’. He looks rather normal”

Tall as a lamppost? Filbo himself was taller than Yu, even if it was by just an inch! Grumpuses were pretty large creatures, just how tall did this guy make the human sound? Filbo chuckled awkwardly. “I-I may have exaggerated his height, I guess...but the other part isn’t far off the mark, right?”

“Probably not” the journalist seemed to have a carefully neutral face while he slowly approached Yu, “Nice to meet you”

“Same” Yu extended a hand. The journalist placed a paw as if he was reciprocating the handshake, but instead he pulled Yu’s hand closer to his face, turning it over.

“Curious. A paw wouldn’t fit here, so this isn’t someone wearing a costume. He’s too lanky for that, too, unless this is a very malnourished grumpus inside a mascot suit. He’s authentic” He curled Yu’s fingers, as if he was testing their flexibility, and looked right at Yu. Even though his face was as deadpan as it had been all that time, his gray eyes were sparkling now, full to the brim with admiration. The word he said next informed Yu very well what the journalist thought, said with a whisper:

“Amazing”

He was completely starstruck.

Filbo didn’t seem to notice the journalist’s reaction. “You’re taking this so calmly, buddy”

“He’s not going to bite my head off”

“Are you sure about that?” Yu replied with a teasing smirk. Judging by Filbo’s gasp, he didn’t find that too funny, but the journalist seemed to – if the twinkle in his eye was any indication --  tapping one of his own huge teeth with a paw. Was the journalist implying if he wanted he could bite Yu’s head off?

“You don’t even have the teeth for it, Narukami” the journalist said Yu’s last name perfectly. Maybe he could speak Japanese? Or...whatever was called the equivalent of Japanese in this strange, strange world? “My name’s—“

“Now that I think about it you weren’t surprised either, right?” Filbo asked Yu. “I mean, you had never seen grumpuses before but you didn’t react at all when we met!”

There was no way he’d explain that, leaving aside Teddie’s existence, in the TV World he had seen so many inhuman, strangely shaped, hostile and deadly stuff a grumpus was almost refreshingly tame and normal. Instead Yu decided to say something else that was also true and something he had thought:

“You’re cute, you don’t have any sharp teeth, and it’s hard to feel intimidated when you flail on your back like you did. How should I have reacted?”

While the journalist chuckled, amused, Filbo sighed. “Wow, I feel...flattered and insulted at the same time. Th-Thanks?” He went silent for a moment, narrowing his eyes while he probably was trying to think of a witty response to say about Yu, seemingly gave up, shrugged, and stepped outside of the cabin. “This went well! Since we’re done with this one it’s time for you to meet Wambus. I’ll prepare the terrain, you hang around his hut until I call you, alright? Come on, let’s go!”

Since Filbo was going to get things ready for introducing humanity to Wambus, the journalist and Yu were left behind. Yu had been about to step out after a minute when the journalist grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him back. Without even giving him the time to turn around, he said his piece:

“Filbo had a lot to say about you, actually. He admires you already”

“Really?” Yu didn’t expect to be told that at all.

“He says you keep your cool. He says you’re quiet but he feels like you’re truly listening to him, and that you’re surprisingly kind. He says you remind him of Lizbert, and not only because of the gray hair”

Again that name had popped up. Filbo had mentioned Lizbert and Eggabell were missing, but so far Lizbert’s name seemed to have appeared more than her partner’s. Yu didn’t say anything, waiting for the journalist to continue.

“I agreed to help him gather everyone back into Snaxburg just because it’d get me closer to finding Lizbert and getting an interview with her, but even though none of what’s happening is any of my concern I feel bad for him. I shouldn’t need to tell you what’s obvious, but here it goes anyway: Filbo is very lonely”

The paw on his shoulder tightened – for a soft paw, it sure had a lot of grip. Yu didn’t buckle, but he winced a little.

“Not to go into detail right now, but I have seen how other grumps treat him and I have reasons to suspect what I saw isn’t out of the ordinary around here. Obviously he’d feel lonely.

He already sees you as a friend, Narukami. Don’t disappoint him”

Yu was pretty sure that was a veiled threat of some sort, or at the very least a warning. “I won’t” Yu said, completely meaning it.

The paw released Yu’s shoulder and patted his back. “Great! I know I have crossed just a few words with you, but I want to think I’m a good judge of character. You seem like a decent person!” he said while he passed by his side, stepping outside and giving Yu a tired smile. “Wambus probably will take a liking to you if you show interest in agriculture. Just saying”

With that bit of advice, the journalist left in direction of the farm, leaving Yu behind. For a moment the human touched his shoulder where the journalist had gripped him, a little startled all that had happened in the first place, but it really seemed to him that orange grumpus had done this out of concern. No problem, then.

If Filbo needed a friend, then Yu was willing to be a friend.

It was the least he could do for someone who had welcomed him with open arms like Filbo had done.

Chapter Text

As expected, Wambus hadn’t moved from his farm. Filbo eagerly approached, observing him for a moment, waiting for him to acknowledge his presence. Yu observed from right beside Wambus’ hut – a two stories tall hut that Yu was pretty sure hadn’t been open when he woke up that morning. The journalist was right behind Yu, silently waiting for the time the human would be introduced to Wambus.

Wambus truly was the picture of a folksy farmer, thought Yu. Hard to think otherwise of someone wearing that hat and gingham; even had a stalk in his mouth. The dark blue fur, formidable height, and the sharp teeth curving upwards from the bottom of his jaw only added to the image of hardboiled strength. The fries and the ingredients on skewers ruined it all a little, though – half of each of his four limbs had been replaced by them. It was a bit of a miracle Wambus could hold the mattock and work with it, probably the result of practice. This hardly could be the first time the farmer had all sorts of food as limbs.

A minute passed with Wambus hunched over, making deep gouges on the soil with the mattock. Even though he most likely could see Filbo out of the corner of his eye he hadn’t bothered to say anything to him, preferring to focus on his work instead of on the grumpus trying to talk to him. Having had enough of standing around, Filbo decided to take the plunge.

“Wambus!”

“Hm?”

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet!”

Wambus exhaled. He still refused to even direct a glance at Filbo, digging with the mattock carefully. “I ‘lready talked to that journalist you stumbled upon”

“W-Well, of course, I was right there, I saw that. But I don’t mean him! It’s someone else. But, uh, you may wanna be open-minded for this one. Really open-minded” No response to that. Yu frowned. Wambus seemed very inclined to giving curt replies in general during conversations, but he had the nagging feeling Wambus tended to be especially curt with Filbo.

For a short while the almost inaudible sound of soil being dug into with the mattock was the only one that broke the silence. Even though Filbo had been so eager to do this, once he encountered Wambus’ unwelcoming conversation that eagerness had evaporated. There was Filbo, standing beside the fence, looking like he regretted a little having approached.

“If...if this isn’t a good time we can try again later” he said.

He finally looked at Filbo. “It’s not gonna be a good time for anythin’ if you keep beating ‘round the bush like that” he was getting impatient, most likely about to tell Filbo to scram. Filbo winced and nodded, walking towards Yu. He looked so disheartened Yu did feel bad for him, but it was obvious it didn’t take much to cow the mayor. Everyone probably walked all over him, and he just never had the spine to hold his ground. No wonder he considered Yu a friend already, appreciating someone hadn’t discouraged him like other people did.

“Alright, let’s just get this over with...” said Filbo, beckoning Yu. Wambus had followed him with his eyes, looking with disinterest – which of course changed when Yu stepped out from behind the hut. The disinterest was replaced with distrust right away.

Wambus left his garden in a hurry, standing in front of the arch of the entrance closer to them, holding the mattock like he intended to block the way with it. “Filbo, what’s this supposed to be?!” he demanded to know, as if Filbo had gotten a rowdy pet into the house.

“It’s a human. Uh, he’s a human. And he’s just like a grumpus”

There could be better ways to say he was a sentient species, but it seemed to have surprised Wambus enough, staring at Yu with his eyes wide open, giving Yu the time to say something:

“Hello. Can I approach?”

“...eeeeh...” mouth hanging open, Wambus was at a complete loss for words while Yu stepped forward with caution, showing his hands, hoping that was enough to hint he meant no harm.

“This is Yu Naru--Narukami” said Filbo. “Please don’t hurt him? He’s a really great guy”

Wambus slowly lowered the mattock, glancing back at the ketchup plant. Did he think Yu would leap over the fence and devour the plant? He finally closed his mouth, jaws snapping shut loudly, and sighed “...Good to meet you” he tipped his hat towards Yu. He hadn’t completely recovered yet from the surprise but at least he wasn’t chasing the human away! That had to count for something, thought Yu.

“Want me to go away?”

Wambus considered it for a moment before finally shaking his head. “I don’t get at all what’s goin’ on here or what you are, but yer people, ain’t you?”

“Of course”

“Then it’s all fine. Don’t eat my plants and we’re gonna get along just fine” Wambus looked behind Yu, where Filbo and the journalist were watching, hopeful. “What kinda introduction was that? You made it all sound worse than it was”

“What should we have said?” the journalist asked.

“Somethin’ about how you found another species who can talk! That makes a whole world of difference!” Fair point, all things considered. Filbo and the journalist approached, glad this hadn’t escalated. “Eeeeh...they said you had a name. What was it?” Once Yu told him his name again, Wambus nodded, mumbling the last name over and over, trying to get used to how it felt to say it. He seemed to be having trouble, until he just settled with: “Kid. Welcome”

“’Kid’? Really?” Filbo commented.

“Coulda be wrong about this, but he seems like a youn’ one. No matter what I’m willin’ to bet he’s not older than me” Not wrong about that, most likely. Once Yu clarified he was seventeen years old – and Filbo expressed a lot of concern about ‘practically a kid’ like him being abandoned to his luck on Snaktooth -- Wambus leaned on the mattock. “So, we done here?”

Definitely far less welcoming than the journalist and Filbo, that was for sure. Yu had a feeling that if he walked away now any sort of relationship between him and Wambus would be quite frosty, probably due to distrust. At least Yu had to try to smooth things over. Keeping his distance and feeling how Wambus never got his eyes away from him, Yu looked at the sauce plant from the other side of the fence.

“Where I’m from we don’t have sauce plants”

Even though Wambus looked like he didn’t feel particularly eager to talk, he couldn’t resist. “You can’t be serious”

“I mean it. My cousin and I kept a vegetable garden at my uncle’s house for a year. If we had some of these we’d have planted them” For all he knew maybe these sauce pods have some sort of benefit in the TV World. Cultivating sauce plants could have been worthwhile. “It’s growing really well”

“Something had to, after all the work I put on this farm” he said bitterly.

“Can I take some sauce?”

Wambus stared at Yu for a moment, a little conflicted, but in the end took a pair of pods of ketchup and extended them to Yu. “Careful with it or you’re gonna get ketchup all over you”

“Thanks” just as he thought: the ketchup pods felt like the daiquiri Bugsnak from the day before. Turning it over in his hands, Yu decided to go hard or go home: “If you’re planning to grow some of these here I’d like to help”

“That so? Why’d you want to help?”

“I haven’t done any farming since I moved back to the city” Yu lightly touched the tip of one of the leaves of the plant, nostalgic, the leaf bobbing up and down. “The garden’s a fond memory, so I want to give it a try again”

Wambus didn’t look very convinced. “You trying to butter me up?” Yu shook his head. Perhaps it was because this was the first time Wambus was seeing a human, but he seemed to have a hard time reading Yu’s face “...I don’t have time for this” he mumbled.

“W-Well, uh...good try, Yu?” Filbo offered.

“Come back tomorrow and we’ll see”

Yu nodded, satisfied. Wambus still looked pretty unsure about the human in their midst, but at least he didn’t reject Yu’s attempts to reach out to him. That was good enough.

He felt the faint stirrings of a new bond between him and Wambus.

“Alright! I think this is as good as it can get” said Filbo. “Now that you have gotten acquainted with everyone in the town so far, there’s one last thing to handle: where you’re going to sleep...”

“Don’t look at me for that; I don’t have a spare bed” Wambus said, kicking out old seeds out of the dirt with one of his transformed legs.

“I’ll try to build a bed frame for a mattress from the mill! How hard can it be?”

Probably harder than Filbo expected. His newfound DIY project was dashed when the journalist intervened. “Or he can sleep in the airship. It’s not like I’m going to be using that bed at all”

So that ship belonged to the journalist! Later he’d have to find out about how it got there. “Are you sure about that?” Yu wasn’t going to say no to getting offered the airship, but he wanted to make sure the journalist wasn’t going to regret it right away.

The journalist sighed, rubbing his eyes with a paw. He looked positively exhausted. “I’m lucky if I get to sleep two hours a night and I doubt that’ll change at all here on Snaktooth. Since I’m not going to be using that bed then may as well lend it to you”

Wambus pushed the mattock into the soil a little more forcefully than necessary, pushing the old seeds away. “Looks like you’re already getting along with ‘em. You’re gonna fit in around here just fine, kid”

He certainly was getting along with grumpuses better than he thought they would, Wambus’ reticence aside. Despite being a species that held very few similarities to humans, they sure were treating him far friendlier than Yu expected. Good! The situation still was dire, but there still were some silver linings in it all.

-ooooo-

A whole airship, just for him. It’s the best bedroom he could have hoped for on this entire island! Even though it was silly, the excitement was clear on Yu’s face when he got up on the airship, already seeing it as his own space in Snaxburg! Filbo was gushing about hoping to fly on it someday – sentiment Yu shared, that was for sure! Perhaps he should try to convince the journalist or someone else to fix the hot air mechanism so they could fly it around a little bit.

Sitting on the bed Yu could see the entirety of Snaxburg. Life works in mysterious ways – here he was, in a minuscule town. Not that long ago, just about a year and half ago, he had been...forced to live in Inaba with his uncle. Arrived with no attachments of any sort, to spend a year in a town he hadn’t even heard of before that, where he didn’t really have any plans nor expectations other than just coasting by and living one day at a time. Instead he ended having a rather wide circle of friends of all ages, and ended facing challenges he had never imagined.

Now he was in stranger circumstances in an even smaller town, once again with no attachments of any sort to anybody he had met. Even though he wasn’t the same person he had been a year and half ago this felt a little like a regression. “Here we go again...” Yu said to himself, sitting cross-legged on the bed, looking at Snaxburg. Like it or not, this was going to be his home for a while. Hopefully if it took a while to return home by the time that happened he would have some friendly connections with the grumpuses here, so everything was a little more bearable.

Hopefully it wouldn’t take a year to return home. Hopefully he could find the rest of the Investigation Team before long.

Hopefully there’d be no otherworldly challenges to face. Yu frowned, the nagging feeling of dread having resurfaced for a brief moment before vanishing away.

“What’s with that face?”

The journalist had gotten on the airship, noticing Yu staring at the town gloomily. “I was thinking about home, that’s all”

“Filbo told me the vague details about you not having anywhere else to go. For as long as I’m on this island you can stay here. I’ll crash somewhere else” he leaned against the rudder. “I asked Filbo to bring something you could use to cover this space. A tarp or something”

Not a bad idea – it’d allow some privacy and protection against the cold. Yu still didn’t really understand why the huts didn’t have any doors, that seemed like a bad idea.

“Can I ask you a question?” the journalist inquired. Receiving a nod from Yu, he lowered his voice and asked: “About Wambus, was all that you said about a garden at home a lie?”

“Of course it wasn’t” Yu was a little offended the journalist seemed to have thought he had come up with a lie to deceive Wambus and convince him to talk to him. Catching up Yu hadn’t taken that insinuation well at all, instead he said:

“You handled it really well. Weren’t you nervous at all?”

“I was screaming on the inside” Yu said, completely deadpan.

For some reason the journalist was relieved to hear that. “I couldn’t tell! I was looking at you and all the time I thought you had composed in your head everything you wanted to say, considered how Wambus would react—“ he frowned “--I’m not sure whether you were bottling your nervousness so perfectly is admirable or annoying”

That came out of nowhere! Stunned, Yu replied: “You’re giving it too much importance”

“Look, all I’m saying is that you had it all under control even though you had so much against you. To be blunt, I’m jealous”

“There’s nothing to be jealous about” the human was starting to be a little alarmed. That change of attitude had been so sudden, so unwelcome...the journalist had seemed like somebody friendly and affable, if a little strange, but now it was as if Yu had unintentionally broken something that was holding his composure together.

“With how well you handled it you should be the one who has to gather all the grumpuses and bring them here” Not that long ago he had said he had accepted because he felt bad for Filbo, but here he was complaining about it already. The journalist really looked annoyed, almost regretful. “I’m going to do it anyway because I really need to talk to all the residents around here and Filbo really needs the help, but what I even supposed to do to get everyone back?”

“Weren’t you working on that earlier?”

“Of course I was, but I’m not looking forward to more of this. I came to find out about Bugsnax and to get an interview with Lizbert; I didn’t come to pick up the pieces of a fractured community!”

The frustration was understandable, but at the same time it felt a little too selfish. Perhaps it was because he was complaining so openly not long after telling Yu not to hurt Filbo’s feelings, and now here he was saying stuff that, if Filbo heard it, he probably wouldn’t be too happy about it all. “Calm down and think about what you’re saying” said Yu firmly. The journalist was silent for a moment and groaned, burying his face in his paws. He stayed like that for a minute, until he finally lowered his paws.

“I know, I know. Sorry about that”

“Are you okay?”

“Just very tired, that’s all. Things aren’t going too hot at work. My career is on the line here, so that I have to do all this just to do my job is stressing me out. I’ll get over it”

The lack of sleep probably wasn’t helping either, but Yu didn’t mention that. It already was amazing the journalist was alive in the first place, if he slept so little. Yu stood up. “I’ll help” Why not to help? That Wambus, despite everything, was willing to give him a chance was quite encouraging. It was possible other grumpuses would be just as reticent – or more – but Yu was somewhat confident he could navigate anything they threw at him. If it made things a little easier for the journalist then it was worth it.

“Sure, why not? We can go around telling everyone you’re someone in a costume, that’ll do” his sardonic tone proved he doubted that’d happen “Only an idiot would fall for it but idiots like them exist, did you know that?”

“Seriously?”

“Of course. You’re looking at one right now” Sounded like quite the story! He’d have to ask for more details later. The journalist sighed. “I’ll think about it. It sure would be a lot of help – besides, Filbo told me something about you not knowing where other humans were at, right? Since you want to help me bring grumpuses to town I’ll help you with your human quest”

Yu frowned. Was he really saying he’d add once another burden on himself, just like that? “You shouldn’t”

“I don’t know the details or what’s going on with you, but by grumpus standards you’re not even an adult. We all should be looking out for you, so just let me do it. I don’t mind”

Whatever his feelings were, the journalist had judged Yu mature enough to tell him how he felt, even if it was so bluntly. Jealousy or not, he already had a good opinion of Yu, or at least Yu thought that, choosing to think if this orange grumpus disliked him, he wouldn’t be admitting his frustration towards him so openly.

He felt the creation of a faint bond between him and the journalist.

Still, the journalist was piling more responsibilities on himself and probably would complain about it later. This journalist definitely was a strange person, but Yu could relate to how he took way too much at once. Who knows...maybe the reason why he was so stressed out was due to burnout; having so much on his plate he didn’t know how to handle any of it.

Having reached some sort of agreement with the journalist, they waited for Filbo to return. He brought a folded tarp, throwing it on top of the airship. “Here we go. Uh, I could use a little help over here!”

“Fine, I got it” the journalist went out of sight, before long sounds on the back of the airship hinted he was climbing on top of it somehow. It wasn’t going to be anything too complicated – merely securing one end of the tarp on top of the airship and let the rest hang in front of the small room that housed the bed. The heaviness of the tarp probably would be enough to make it stay in place.

While the journalist secured the tarp, Filbo directed his attention at Yu. “Alright! You’re set. Now all that remains is to make sure to keep you fed”

When said like that it almost sounded like Yu Narukami was some sort of communal pet. “I was meaning to ask you what you eat since you don’t want Bugsnax”

“Ah...right, I said that” Filbo absent-mindedly observed one of his strawberry arms. “While nobody else lived here? Sauce. A lot of it, actually. Even if I wanted Snaks I’m awful at hunting them, so I had to survive by eating all the sauce I could find. Sometimes herbs? Herbs Liz had told me were safe for eating? But it was mostly sauce”

That sounded like an absolutely horrendous time! Glad he had the trail mix option now that it was clear it was his best shot, Yu thanked Filbo for his advice.

“Sure, glad to be of help! But, uh, you may want to give the sauce a try anyway. I know I said a mouthful of sauce isn’t great, but you should keep your options open. So for that, how about you try some of the ketchup Wambus gave you?”

Right, the ketchup pods Yu had left in a corner of the airship. They didn’t look like the most appetizing meal, to be frank, but on the other hand, Filbo was right in that sauce could feature a lot in his days from there on. “Once I return home I’m never touching a bottle of sauce ever again in my entire life” Yu took a pod, observing it. How did you even eat this...?

Noticing Yu wasn’t sure how to start, Filbo pointed out the cap on one end of the pod. “You can pull that off and drink from there, but, well, ketchup isn’t...known for being watery? Biting into it should do the trick”

“Like an apple?”

“Like a tomato-y apple, that’s right! But you should eat it outside or else you’ll get ketchup all over the bed”

Right, that probably would happen. Yu left the airship, standing in the middle of the pathway, holding the ridiculous ketchup pod with caution, as if at any moment the pod would explode and soak everything and everyone with sauce. This was going to get on his clothes once he bit, wasn’t it? Making the decision to stick to the trail mix from there on, Yu held the pod with both hands, moving it closer to his mouth.

He looked up. The journalist had finished unfurling the tarp over the entrance of his new room and was now staring at him with attention from the top of the airship. Looking forward to seeing Yu’s face when he gets a mouthful of ketchup? Interested in seeing what happens? Filbo was staring right at him, too, encouraging.

“Thanks for the food!” Yu said, biting the pod with defiance. No way he’d let a big pod of sauce defeat him! He had once licked the cover of a wasabi container; ketchup wouldn’t be a big deal!

The pod burst when his teeth punctured the flexible rind. Crimson, dense substance splattered over the bottom half of his face, thick drops falling to the dirt when Yu arched his back forward to try to avoid getting any of it on his uniform – the only clothes he had. It worked, for the most part.

Biting more to make the hole open, Yu consumed the sauce. It tasted so strong, so concentrated! Even though it was somewhat waterier than normal, everyday ketchup, he still had to dig into it with his teeth and tilt the pod to get the contents out, filling his mouth with ketchup. Swallowing it was like trying to swallow molasses! It took him several tries while he was getting assaulted by the taste! Yu was pretty sure his tongue was going numb from the taste!

“...how is it?” Filbo was concerned, having noticed Yu was having a bit of a hard time. In response, Yu gave a thumbs-up. There he was, with watery eyes, a mouth so full of ketchup he couldn’t speak, sauce splattered all over his chin and cheeks, holding the remains of the ketchup pod in one hand while with the other he gave the thumbs-up.

If this all a practical joke I seriously fell for it he thought, trying to drink the rest of the sauce in the pod.

Holding back laughter, the journalist shouted towards the farm: “Wambus! The human loved the ketchup! You’re going to have to grow so much ketchup from here on!”

Yu looked down the slope just in time to see Wambus appear in sight, the farmer making an odd sound that seemed like he tried to suppress a bout of surprised laughter with a cough. The right reaction to seeing Yu holding a half-eaten pod and very obviously contemplating these newfound regrets. “You two oughta act your age. Leave the kid alone” he said and returned to his farming.

“Gosh, uh...” Filbo waved at the journalist. “Please get some water for him?”

“I’m on it” the journalist jumped off the airship, going towards the creek that ran alongside the town. Filbo patted Yu’s back, as if he was trying to dislodge any sauce that could have gone into his airways – probably because Filbo had experienced such a thing before.

“Okay, so, that’s the sauce experience, Yu. I guess sauce isn’t gonna feature in your everyday meals, eh?”

Yu swallowed. It was going to be a while before his mouth stopped tasting like tomatoes and vinegar. “I have had worse stuff before” Not a lie, but that certainly didn’t mean he wanted to eat ketchup every day! The trail mix was his choice from there on, no discussion.

“You’re crying!”

“These are tears of satisfaction”

Filbo gave him one last pat on the back for good measure. “If it’s any consolation you’re doing better than I did the first time I ate sauce! I got the whole pod into my mouth and it burst and—well, I stayed away from the ketchup for a week”

Yu wiped the sauce off his face with the sleeve of his jacket. So much for not getting ketchup on his clothes. “I’m glad I did it anyway. New experiences make life fun” he said with a smile. It was not for nothing Yu was willing to do a lot of stuff, even if it ended badly. This was one experience more!

Still, that was way too much sauce at once. Filbo was right, it was very filling, perhaps a little too much. All that ketchup made him feel like he had eaten too much that day – now he wasn’t feeling too good. Shaking his head a little Yu sighed. “I’m retiring for the day”

“Already? It’s barely 4 o’clock”

“Sorry, I really need to lie down”

Filbo accompanied him back to the airship. “Good thing we placed the tarp already” he moved it so Yu could enter his room. “See you tomorrow, Yu?”

“See you tomorrow” Yu said with a smile and entered his room. The couple windows on the airship let just enough light for the room to not be too dark, now that there was a tarp covering the entrance. Sitting on the bed, Yu sighed, hoping his stomach would settle down a little before he got to sleep, got his elbows on his knees and hung his head downwards.

This had been his second day on Snaktooth. Not too bad of a day! But that he hadn’t been able to start his search made him feel kind of guilty. It wasn’t like he had a choice, but still...

...

Well...the rest of the Investigation Team wasn’t defenseless. They were capable and probably were just fine. Still...if he knew where they were at least he’d have some peace of mind.

That aside, he was now officially a resident of Snaxburg. He had a place to sleep, there was food for him, and he had two friends who not only worried for him and wanted to help him, but also were already treating him like they had all known each other for ages. It was the kind of friendliness that made the situation feel better than it actually was, and he was very grateful for that.

If he didn’t have Filbo and now that journalist...he probably would be taking everything so much worse.

From there on his days probably would be full to the brim with stuff to do. Yu took off the jacket full of ketchup, tossing it aside, and laid on the bed, closing his eyes. Just like the journalist probably had done, he had gotten himself involved in a lot of stuff at once. Leaving aside his goal of finding the rest of the team and going home, he also had told the journalist he’d help bring everyone back to Snaxburg – and had no idea how to do that, either – would have to see Wambus again the next day, and probably would help Filbo fix the town a little. There wasn’t going to be an idle moment for him.

It was better that way. The busier, the better.

Yu Narukami’s days on Snaktooth Island had begun.

-ooooo-

“Give ‘em back, damn overgrown—!“

Yosuke jumped again, his fingertips brushing the headphones a flying olive had stolen. They were there, hanging from its tongue, just out of his reach, as if the olive was mocking him! It probably was. He couldn’t tell at all with these food things this island was full of.

This wasn’t working at all. Taking from the grass the large butterfly net he had been given, Yosuke reconsidered his strategy. There had to be a way to catch it without breaking his headphones in the process. He just had to figure that out and then go back to hunting Bugsnax.

His new friend had said someone capable of hunting Bugsnax would help bring everyone back to the town.

Yosuke Hanamura’s days on Snaktooth Island had begun.

-ooooo-

This sauce slinger wasn’t really too great. In Chie’s opinion, her arms were far easier for this. She had a ketchup pod in hand, ready to throw it. One of those walking burgers had been getting too close to the garden, so of course, she had to deal with it.

A Shishkabug seemed to have gotten the same idea than the Bunger, peering out of the bush. “Not getting through this time!” Chie boasted, throwing the pod right at the bush, soaking it with ketchup. The Bunger, preferring the bountiful ketchup nearby instead of the one from the plants some distance away, tackled the bush, forcing the Shishkabug to move further away from the garden.

Her new friend hated these pests. She wanted to make his life a little easier.

Chie Satonaka’s days on Snaktooth Island had begun.

-ooooo-

Yukiko dusted the chalk dust off her hands, observing her work. She was very proud of it.

On the wall of the cave she had drawn one single takoyaki and a bento. She had been giving the final touches to a few tentacles coming out of the takoyaki to show what that ball was made of. Stepping back, Yukiko observed her drawings, tapping the chalk against her cheek while she examined it all with pensive expression, before finally taking a decision. Taking white chalk, she started drawing googly eyes on them.

Her new friend would love what she drew near that drawing of a hot dog. She had shown interest when she mentioned what sort of food there was where she lived.

Yukiko Amagi’s days on Snaktooth Island had begun.

-ooooo-

Kanji pushed the lumber into place. He made it look effortless! It was the last piece on a ramp, the final piece in an obstacle course a Strabby would have to complete. Truthfully he was looking forward to watching it happen. These fruit Bugsnax were interesting to watch, and that some of them could overcome obstacle tracks like this one was such an appealing thought he really wanted to see what else they could do.

It was too bad he hadn’t been able to cross a single word with the grumpus he had encountered. They didn’t understand each other’s language very well, but with some effort they had managed to establish some communication, mostly with exaggerated gestures on Kanji’s part and some basic English.

His new friend would have liked to hear that he could see why Bugsnax appealed so much to him.

Kanji Tatsumi’s days on Snaktooth Island had begun.

-ooooo-

Songwriting wasn’t really her strong point, but she knew a thing or two. Rise was trying to compose something in her head while she walked as quietly as she could across the beach, following the mound of sand crossing the place. Green leaves proved there was a Pineantula hidden there – Rise’s target.

How did anyone catch that pineapple creature...? She just didn’t get it. There had to be a trick to it. Neither this nor the impromptu songwriting were going too well. Apparently, eating a Pineantula could help think of something creative, but she was skeptical about it too. This island and its denizens were so confusing, both those that were food and those that were fuzzy creatures. Focusing on the pineapple spider, Rise felt a part of the lyrics she had in mind slip away.

Her new friend was right, composing songs was far more difficult than Rise had thought at first.

Rise Kujikawa’s days on Snaktooth Island had begun.

-ooooo-

Naoto looked at the stream of lava, studying it.

Well, it wasn’t lava. Apparently it was a different substance: fondue of some sort. That certainly explained how she could stand near it and not die. Touching it probably would give her very serious burns, but at least she was able to observe the cave it all came from. Little wonder this area was called Boiling Bay.

Naoto pointedly ignored the sound of hurried writing she could hear not too far behind her. She had decided not to acknowledge that – no point in dignifying such behavior by paying any attention to it.

Her new...acquaintance seemed decent enough, although perhaps a little too invested in their experiments, from what she could see.

Naoto Shirogane’s days on Snaktooth Island had begun.

-ooooo-

Teddie was lonely.

His friends had disappeared through that stone door – door he felt led out of the TV World, to parts unknown. Some other world? He had been about to enter as well, but a very bad feeling about that door stopped him just in time. Now he was staying away from it. There wasn’t much to look at in the vicinity other than that door, anyone would say there was nothing but empty space.

Anyone but him and Rise – and Rise had indeed sensed something. Now that a couple days had passed he could sense it too. He still couldn’t see it no matter how hard he tried, but he could sense something was there on that shallow ocean, amidst the floating bubbles, filling the area. Something enormous.

Something malicious.

It probably would be a while before he could distinguish what was there, but until then, he hoped his friends were okay.

Teddie was afraid.

Chapter Text

“Afraid?” the journalist asked Yu.

Not afraid. In fact, he was looking forward to the exploration a little, now that it was in broad daylight. The journalist had suggested they should start looking in Flavor Falls, although Garden Grove was closer. The reason, well...

“There’s someone living in Garden Grove and you probably shouldn’t meet Beffica yet”

Another grumpus, obviously. Yu had the stick ready, as usual. By now it felt like it was a good tool to have whenever he left the town, if only because it made him feel marginally safer. You never knew what could happen out there. “You think they’re going to react badly?”

“I don’t have the slightest idea what she’ll think of you. Maybe she’ll ignore you...maybe she’ll insult your appearance...maybe for some reason she’ll drag you kicking into her social circle for reasons you don’t understand...” he sounded largely ambivalent about this Beffica. “She’s going to be more trouble than it’s worth at this stage”

“Sooner or later you’ll have to talk to her to bring her back here”

“I know. I’m procrastinating on it, that’s all. There are another two grumpuses at the springs, so I’ll focus on them before talking to Beffica again” the journalist paused for a moment. “If I don’t stumble upon anyone else first”

The ambivalence certainly was tilting towards dislike. How bad could this Beffica be, really? Well, it didn’t matter – if the journalist said going anywhere near her was a bad idea, then they just were going to stay away from the grove. After all, the journalist was in the lead here.

The both of them turned towards the town to give it a look before leaving. Morning time made the village look so peaceful, although that probably also had to do with how empty it was. Filbo was already hard at work, painting some of the ruinous cottages, and although Wambus was unseen from where they were standing, he most likely was at the farm. The journalist had come to Yu to ask him if he wanted to go explore the island and search for humans now. Finally, time to get started on that.

“Alright, let’s get going. Over here” the journalist led Yu below a wooden structure, instead taking a secondary trail that probably didn’t see as much use so they didn’t have to meet this Beffica.

For around half an hour neither of them talked, following the trail through plateaus and rocky cliffs flanking them, getting deep into the wilderness. Bugsnax flew over them. Olives, lollipops, a banana that jumped from one cliff to another – it seemed there were no Bugsnax walking on the ground, it was all flying.

“Do you know where this goes?” Yu simply had to ask at this point. They had been walking for so long without reaching the waterfalls it was getting a little ridiculous.

The journalist shrugged. “Nope! I don’t have the slightest idea. I arrived to Snaktooth yesterday, remember?”

“So we’re lost”

“Call it an opportunity. I doubt anyone we’re looking for will be standing on the main path, so we going into the unexplored areas should be of help!” he said. Yu supposed he had a point. “Besides, the island isn’t that big, we’ll find our way back to Snaxburg before the day is over”. A pause. “Probably”

“Probably?”

“Maybe. There’s a good chance”

Better to stop that line of conversation before the journalist changed the odds from ‘pretty good’ to ‘no chance at all’. “Have you ever gone out here in nature like this before?”

“Several times. Didn’t Filbo mention it? I have written about all sorts of cryptids and mysteries, and most don’t really hang out in the middle of the city. If I get a solid lead and I don’t have an urgent assignment to write I like to follow those leads”

And probably one of those leads took him here, thought Yu. “How did you hear about Bugsnax?”

“Lizbert told me. She sent me this film and a few photos. The photos of course were blurry to the point of being useless, and the film although it showed a Snak briefly it went by too fast to watch it carefully, but it was a lead. I had to pretty much beg my boss to let me come, but honestly? Even if she had rejected it I probably would have come here anyway”

Yu climbed over rocks in the middle of the path. He could hear water in the distance – at least they were in the right area even though they hadn’t seen not even a drop of water yet. Behind him the journalist jumped from a rock to another, proving to be a little more athletic than Yu thought. “These Bugsnax, they’re...strange” said Yu.

“They are, but also they’re a great scoop, good enough to publish with my real name! And if I can get a big name in the field such as Lizbert to accept an interview, it should be enough to...” the journalist mumbled: “...solve an issue or two with the latest article I wrote about something mysterious”

“What kind of issue?”

“The kind that needs a public retraction from the editor”

Oh. Ouch. Yu gave him a sympathetic look, but the journalist ignored it. Something of what the journalist said, though... “Your real name?”

“Writing this kind of article is a side gig. I use all sorts of pseudonyms and get my work published all over the place -- not that it fools anyone, everybody knows what I write” he didn’t sound too happy about that. “Call me Dagbert. That’s the side gig pseudonym I’m using these days”

“Dagbert?”

“Dagbert Sourcake. Honestly--” There was a very thin trickle of water flowing over some rocks above them, splashing onto the dusty dirt on the path they were walking. Dagbert looked at the water and then all around himself, making Yu approach one of the rocky walls “—it’s all a mash of the names of a few adventurers, Lizbert included. She may be infamous, but people know her, anyway” he gestured Yu to hurry up and get closer.

“Is there something wrong?”

“I think we’re on a dry riverbed. If water rushes in we’re done for, so here” he put together his paws. “I’m hoisting you up!”

Alright then, no problem. Yu carefully placed a foot on the grumpus’ paws, getting a boost that enabled him to reach the top of the stone walls. There was grass there, strong enough for him to grab onto it and hoist himself up. “You’re so light. Are you healthy?” asked Dagbert. Grumpuses probably were generally heavier than humans, supposed Yu.

“Normal weight”

“Really? You humans seem so fragile”

Yu extended the walking stick towards Dagbert, he grabbing the end, forcing Yu to lie down on the grass – no way he could bring the journalist up if he was standing! It felt like his shoulder was going to pop off its socket! He wouldn’t be able to live that down, giving confirmation that yes, humans were that fragile.

Also he’d have a dislocated shoulder while in the middle of the woods, that’d be an issue too.

Thankfully that didn’t happen. Dagbert got onto the rocks, dragging himself up. “Alright, we’re on the right path. If this is a riverbed then there must be a source of water somewhere over there! Keep an eye open for anything that looks like a human” he pointed in the distance, parallel to the path they had been using until now. There were too many trees to see what could be in that direction.

“Someone trapped here in the woods would stay close to water” said Yu, hoping he’d be right. It just made sense someone would want to stick near something so vital! Dagbert frowned, a little confused, and started walking. Apparently something Yu said bothered him.

For a while there was no conversation, but the journalist couldn’t just stay quiet and not ask questions, especially if the answers were necessary for their search. “Tell me about the humans we’re looking for”

It was a direct demand, one that made pretty clear he wasn’t going to be happy with evasive answers. Yu would have to choose his words carefully, as saying the wrong thing would only invite more questions – as if that they were humans wouldn’t bring a ton of them already. “We’re a group of eight”

“All of them as young as you?”

“Pretty much. Kanji is one year younger than me, and he’s the youngest one. I’m one of the older ones”

Dagbert blinked. “...all of you can’t live in my airship, there’s not nearly enough space” That was his concern? That there wasn’t enough room for eight people to sleep in Yu’s room? He wasn’t wrong, but also there were so many other matters to settle if all seven were to be brought to Snaxburg! At least Yu was glad the issue was how to host them. Dagbert had accepted humanity very quickly. “How did you all arrive to Snaktooth? By ship, by airship, did you all burrow out of the ground like Rootles...?”

Oh. He had gotten to the conclusion they had arrived to Snaktooth instead of, for example, having a community of humans living somewhere in the island. Yu should have known any comments he made would allow a journalist reach potentially accurate conclusions. Since deceiving him would be difficult, perhaps a change of strategy was necessary:

Tell enough of the truth to confuse him greatly.

“We crossed this big stone door we found and next I knew I was on this island, about to freeze to death because that door was right at the top of that mountain over there”

Dagbert stopped walking, turning towards Yu. Although his face was inexpressive, the thick silence proved he was confused. “...sorry, I didn’t catch what you said”

Yu repeated what he had said, and added: “Then I was saved from death by this mass of Bugsnax carrying me down the mountain and leaving me in the middle of a forest” Even Yu had to admit it all made less sense the more he expounded about it. Dagbert only could stare – Yu was pretty sure his eyes glazed over for a moment while his brain tried to process the nonsense Yu had just said.

Then he started laughing. At first it started as awkward laughing, increasing in intensity until he was guffawing, laughing so hard he had to lean on Yu to not fall on his knees. Oh no, he had broken Dagbert’s mind; he had overdone the confusion plan.

Gasping for breath, Dagbert hollered: “You’re--messing with me! That’s it, you’re messing with me!”

“I’m not”

“This is some sort of ‘gotcha’ because--I didn’t stop you from biting into--the ketchup! Alright!”

“I’m telling the truth” Yu insisted, holding Dagbert and trying not to be bowled over by his weight. The laughter died down little by little and Dagbert exhaled sharply, an arm still draped over Yu’s shoulders.

“...now I understand even less than I did before. How can I understand less?!” all the response he got was a half-baked shrug. Dagbert made a strangled noise, like once again the guffawing was fighting his throat and trying to start all over again. “Fine. Truth is stranger than fiction, I guess. You know, even if I wrote about you, nobody would believe anything unless you appear in front of everyone. Would do me that favor?”

“Not a chance”

“That’s too bad. An article about you would be a good one. My second best, right below this Bugsnax assignment” he stepped away from Yu, smiling widely, and turning to continue the stroll into the depths of that area of Flavor Falls. “Let’s keep going. With some luck we’ll find one of your fellow humans being carried around by, I don’t know, a giant Strabby. Because nothing on this island makes even an iota of grumpin’ sense”

Should he be feeling some satisfaction from such a reaction? Yu wasn’t sure, but he certainly felt cheered up from how confused Dagbert was. Even more when the journalist mumbles under his breath, not realizing Yu could hear him:

“I guess I like that about this place”

He had a refreshing smile. Even though he was facing the prospect of a bizarre mystery in the form of food insects and now had to see a new sentient species spouting nonsense, he was having fun. Dagbert certainly had the heart of an adventurer.

Yu felt he understood the journalist a little better. Their bond had strengthened a little more.

Their spirits uplifted, they continued the trip alongside the riverbed. The trees around them had subsided, and waterfalls finally had started appearing. It seemed they had managed to get onto high areas, overlooking the place. Good! It’d make it easier to search. Telling Yu to stay back, Dagbert carefully inched closer to the edge, standing near it and looking over the landscape he could see from where he was standing.

“...nothing. I don’t see anything that looks like a human”

“What about camps or improvised shelters?”

“We’d have to go down to take a look. You think you can jump down from here?”

“No way”

Dagbert shrugged. “I was joking. A fall from this high would be risky for a grumpus too”

Yu poked the grass beyond some bushes with the stick, making sure the terrain was firm and wouldn’t have any unpleasant surprises such as sinkholes. Deciding it was safe, Yu passed through, making sure to stay far away from the cliffs. There was so much vegetation. The stick hit something in the ground, a mound that was moving around. The mound, apparently not having liked that, darted towards Yu, forcing him to retreat. He was too slow.

A vegetable wrap jumped out of the ground, hitting him on the chest and pushing him to the ground before vanishing underground. Yu, shocked, touched where he had been hit, almost unable to believe what had hit him. “What was that...?”

“I hadn’t seen that one before” Dagbert passed by Yu, eyeing the mound that was running away as fast as it could, disappearing behind trees. Taking out a strange-looking wooden trap from his backpack, he followed it, passing through bushes, out of sight. Yu was just standing up when he heard him call: “Narukami! I found ruins!”

Ruins? Yu ran behind him, finding the journalist in front of a few broken stone statues. None of them were standing, but they all looked pretty solid! Pieces had split in half, others had rolled and gotten stuck somewhere. Curious, he approached one he saw – this one was definitely of a Strabby. Those strawberries were everywhere! “This looks familiar...”

“Had you seen some of these somewhere else on the island? I saw some when I got here to Snaktooth, but it was too dark for me to take a good look. Also I had just been thrown off my airship”

“No, it was in—“ Yu remembered right then “—in Snaktooth! They’re in that big tent near the mill”

“So someone in Snaktooth knows about these. Alright, but how does that help you? These are just statues of Bugsnax, aren’t they?”

He wasn’t wrong, just because these were statues he had seen just two days ago it didn’t mean they were meaningful. Although...wait a minute he thought, taking a closer look. The base of the statue...

...Yu wasn’t entirely certain, but he thought he had seen a similar design on the frame of the stone door he had entered. Passing a finger over the carvings, he tried to recall how the stone frame had looked, but he hadn’t looked at it much. Still, this was a bit of a lead. A tiny one, but it was a lead.

“Finding out more could be worth it” Yu said. “I think the archaeologist is called Triffany, but I don’t know where she is right now”

“I’ll ask Filbo, and if he doesn’t know I’ll tell you once I find her. I’ll have to convince her to return to Snaxburg, so I’m sure I’ll figure out where she is” Dagbert didn’t seem convinced, but he was willing to help with that. “Will you be able to return here with her?”

He probably could. Yu nodded, glad this trip left him with even a bit of a lead about his situation. Even the smallest, inconsequential-looking clue could lead to something bigger, he figured. It was a start.

-ooooo-

Turns out they did get somewhat lost afterwards but, given Snaktooth was a relatively small island, finding familiar terrain didn’t take more than a couple hours, and they managed to avoid Beffica’s turf anyway. All things considered it was a decent exploration!

“I’m beat” Dagbert said, slumping against a rock right in the entrance of Snaxburg. “You happy, Narukami?” Yu nodded to that. “Good, glad to hear that. Today I scratch your back, tomorrow you scratch mine, got it?”

Hardly could say no to that even if he wanted. “Tell me when you want me to go with you”

“Sure, whatever. For now I’ll just...invade someone’s bed and rest, I guess” with effort Dagbert got away from the rock, trudging towards the back of the town. He didn’t mean that, did he?

...

Better leave him be. That journalist deserved a break. Figuring if he really went and slept on someone else’s bed whoever it belonged to would deal with it, Yu entered Snaxburg, noticing most of the huts had a fresh layer of paint on them. Everyone was so productive in this town! Better do the same and fulfill his own promises.

Wambus. He had told him to return the next day and they would talk again about farming. There he was, taking a break by the shade of the platform that held the airship, seemingly half-asleep while leaning against the rocky wall. Well, better now than never. Yu entered the farm, noting the soil had already been carefully moved, prepared, and probably watered. What else was left to be done?

“Wambus”

The farmer opened one ye blearily. “Hm? What?”

“I’m here. Let’s get started” he said decisively.

Wambus still didn’t seem terribly happy about Yu’s supposed interest in gardening and agriculture. “So you’re serious. I thought you were tryin’ to tell me what I wanted to hear” he said, his tone pretty much indicating that was what he still thought was going. Yu held the stare, a little intimidated, but he wasn’t going to back down. Seeing the human refuse to leave made him have to accept that maybe, just maybe, Yu wasn’t just trying to make a good impression the day before. “If you wanna get your paws dirty then let’s begin. Here”

The farmer picked up from the ground a quite large sapling in a bag, already having grown considerably. Buds that someday would bloom into brown flowers holding the sauce pods dotted the sapling. Brown leaves adorned the stem, giving it somewhat of an alien appearance. Does this world seriously have this kind of plant everywhere? It’d stand out like a sore thumb in a garden in his world, thought Yu. Taking the bottom of the bag, Yu nodded. “What’s this one?”

“It’s a chocolate sauce plant. Its fruit is far better than that commercial goop they dare call chocolate syrup; the flavor difference is like day ‘n night!” someone sure sounded adamant about that. “I want you to get this sapling into the soil. I already made sure it’d be easy to dig into; you shouldn’t have any trouble doing this mostly by yourself” Wambus scoffed. “Though if you start screwing up too much I will take over”

Was this a test? It was true properly planting a sapling of something was among the most basic tasks in farming and gardening, and although Yu was more used to growing stuff right from the seed, he had a general idea of how to do it. Once told where the new plant would be at, Yu left the bag on the ground, eyeing its size, and traced around it a circle twice as larger as the sapling’s diameter.

Anything Yu asked for Wambus gave it to him without saying a word. Just as the farmer had said, the soil was already loose, making it easy for the shovel to go in. Yu dug the hole despite having a strange grip on the handle, piling the soil right aside, until he judged the hole had the right depth. Wambus watched the human take the sapling out from the bag, carefully separating some of the roots and spreading the outer ones correctly.

Bit by bit, his vaguely annoyed semblance turned into more of a pensive one. While not exactly impressed – Yu hadn’t fallen into the obvious pitfalls inexperienced people probably would fall for but there were a couple noteworthy mistakes -- he had to admit Yu wasn’t full of hot air like he had assumed. Once Yu had placed the sapling into the hole and was going to start filling the hole with the soil, Wambus held the sapling in place, making it easier for Yu to work.

Once the hole was full Wambus moved to pass him a specialized tool for making sure there wouldn’t be any air pockets in the soil, but Yu simply did it with his hands, burying his fingers deep. “You don’t need this?”

Yu looked at the tool, unsure what he was looking it. Some sort of strange metallic prongs extending from a handle – nothing he had ever seen before. “What’s that?”

“For the air trapped in the soil” Wambus paused. “Guess you can do it yourself, I suppose”

“You can’t?”

“Didn’t you shake paws with anyone, kid? We got no claws, and the fingers are too thick and inflexible to dig into the soil. You got us beat on that regard”

Well that explained it. Yu patted the soil around the stem, pleased with how firm the soil was now. “I’m surprised you guys can hold anything at all with your paws!”

“Says the one who couldn’t grab that shovel correctly!” Wambus stepped aside, bringing a watering can usually reserved for when the whole farm didn’t need water at once. “Too thick fer the hands? Let me see yours” Yu showed a hand, covered with soil. “Not even a pad”

“Should I have one?”

“Next time you’re with, I dunno, Filbo, take a look at his paws--”

Yu interrupted: “He got them replaced with strawberries”

“Oh. Right, he did. Then ask that journalist. You’re gonna notice we can’t separate the fingers much from each other, and we got four. That’s why there’s this rougher pad on the palm, for grip. Things like handles and all that are thick so we can hold onto them”

So that was why that shovel felt wrong in his hands, thought Yu, the handle was thicker than usual. That all only made it more surprising Filbo could grab a sewing needle at all —and that everyone still could live their lives despite replacing their limbs with food. Dexterity was necessary when you eat Bugsnax, apparently!

Wambus watered the new plant, talking all the while. “You can’t see ‘em right now but my paws are all full of calluses because I’ve been farmin’ since I was younger than you. It’s proof of my experience on the fields. You probably know this already, but hard work...hard work changes you, kid”

Yu nodded, encouraging him to go on. Usually when someone started to say something like that to him, it was partly because they needed to say it to themselves for one reason or another. Some people tended to do that with him.

He continued: “Not just physically, it also changes your mind and how you face everythin’ out there. When you talk to someone you can tell how hardworking they are -- that’s how much it changes you, and soon it’s like the world itself rewards how hard you work”

“I guess you’re not wrong” at least it sounded like Wambus had given some thought to that.

Wambus left the watering can aside. “My hard work is all I gotta offer Snaxburg, and this farm here...it’ll be proof of what I can do” he said. “Since Lizbert is... gone, someone’s gotta handle the food situation. I’m startin’ with sauce, but I have plans”

“What kind of plans?” Yu asked. Filbo had said Wambus had been unable to grow anything except the ketchup plant. Perhaps he had figured out how to make the magic happen? Wambus stood proudly.

“Bugsnax-related plans. I hope that journalist will be willin’ to lend a helping paw”

He definitely had an idea and was confident enough about it. Yu tried to get the soil off his hands, observing the result of his work – he couldn’t help it, seeing the chocolate sauce plant sapling was making him proud. Wambus, somehow managing to be gentle with the plant despite having literal fries as paws, nodded with appreciation. “A’ight, that’s enough for you today. Feel free to come back whenever you want”

That was all he said about it, but it was enough. Definitely had reasons to be proud, if Wambus approved of his work enough to let him come back to the farm. The tacit approval said a lot already.

Yu sensed Wambus’ respect. Their bond had strengthened a little more.

“Next time you should remember the roots—“ the farmer had started to say, but Yu didn’t get to hear what he should remember about the roots. Wambus looked behind Yu, a deeply bemused frown invading Wambus’ face. “Kid, be quiet and move aside. Don’t get her attention on you”

Yu couldn’t help it: while he stepped aside towards the rock wall, trying to be as stealthy as possible, he looked back, seeing what had made Wambus react like that: another grumpus. The violet fur proved he hadn’t seen this one ever before, a shorter grumpus that walked with confidence, like they owned the town. Standing right in the middle of the path, without even giving a glance towards the farm, like it wasn’t even worth their time.

“Filbooooo! Oh, Filboooo~!” she hollered. Merriment was already spilling from her tone. Filbo, who had been out of sight, made his appearance, although he didn’t seem to be looking forward at all to talking to her. Pretty obviously holding back a sigh, he met her, somehow managing to bring a smile to his face – even though it was less genuine than usual.

“Hi, Beffica! Do you need something?”

“Oh, this is gonna be good. So, Filbo, do you have any big news to talk about with moi?”

Filbo’s eyes focused on Yu for a moment. Oh, if Beffica was paying attention that pretty much gave away where Yu was at. “N-No! No no, not at all. Other than my buddy there isn’t...really anything to report”

“Oh, really? If you say so then I guess it’s true” she said. Yu was certain she had a knowing smile on her face.

“Exactly! So...if that’s all, I think I should go back to painting Wiggle’s hut—“

“Uh, before you go to, like, get dizzy with paint fumes and pass out on Wiggle’s doorstep like the other day, you should take a look at this~” Beffica showed a photograph of some sort. Yu was too far to even see what it was, but judging by the way Filbo’s eyes widened it couldn’t be good. “What do you have to say about it?”

“What am I even looking at?!”

“You know, the strange creature you’re hosting in the town these days?”

“I have never seen it ever before” Filbo was trying so hard to keep a straight face. Grumpuses seemed unable to sweat – because if they could Filbo would be drenched, that was for certain. Beside Yu, Wambus sighed.

“You’re done for, kid. Filbo will spill the beans if she keeps pressin’ him” he said. While Filbo probably would be able to keep up a lie in most situations, this Beffica seemed determined to make him talk. Having proof must have bolstered her confidence.

“Reeeeally? Because he was shouting your name all over the place two nights ago. That’s when I took this picture. So tell me, why would this random lifeform start hollering ‘Filbo! Filbo!’ everywhere if you don’t know him?”

Filbo’s eyes once again glanced in direction of Yu, this time far less unamused. “Oh. Did he?”

“He did~. So how about you have a word with him about that? Right now?”

Yu’s expression hardened. It was transparently clear she was trying to bait Filbo into calling Yu, pretty much attempting to force him to unveil the human’s existence. It was such a transparent attempt Filbo could see it quite easily as well. “I still dunno what’s going on—“

“Ugh, cut it out! Do you really think you can keep saying that and fool me? I have another picture, you know. From yesterday, of you, my bestie, and that creature. So we can do this the easy way, or you can keep your lie up while I search for him myself. What will it be, Filbo?”

Behind Yu Wambus shouted: “Where are you going?!” The reason why was clear: Yu was already making his way towards Beffica and Filbo. Having been the first one to notice he was approaching, Filbo grimaced, already knowing this couldn’t end too great.

“Here I am” Yu stated once he was close enough. Beffica turned around, giving him a completely unsurprised look.

“Oh, you finally decided to come near me” apparently she had seen him with Wambus already. Had she badgered Filbo just for no reason? Looking at Yu up and down, Beffica hummed appreciatively. “Oh, he’s a tall one! I hadn’t noticed that before, but he’s quite tall!”

“Yu! You shouldn’t have!” Filbo really seemed to be wishing the human hadn’t approached.

“Don’t be like that, Filbo, you keep trying to hide him as if he’s, like, a puppy you don’t want your parents to see!” Beffica looked at him through what Yu thought was a camera, taking a picture without a care in the world. “So, what were you, again?”

“A human”

“Alright! What are you here for? Are you looking for anything specific? Are you out to eat any of us, maybe?”

Filbo seriously wished Yu hadn’t approached. “Beffica, no!”

“I’m not talking to you, Filbo” Beffica rolled her eyes, pretending to whisper to Yu but very clearly intending for Filbo to hear as well: “If you’re out for lunch this one here is a good choice. He’s so spineless his flesh most likely already comes tenderized, am I right or am I right?”

“Th-That’s...I...” Filbo was starting to get tongue-tied.

“Leave him alone!” that was all Yu said. Beffica, not really having expected the human she had come to snoop about to talk back to her like that, glared at him. To her credit she was courageous enough to look at him straight to the face and not back down at all, but right now? Yu really wanted her to go away.

“So that’s how this is...alright” Beffica looked at Filbo, raising her voice enough for Wambus to listen as well. “Am I really the only one who think there could be danger here?”

“Please explain” Yu requested.

“I don’t mean to be alarmist, but there’s so much happening I don’t like. I have seen old grumpus skeletons with teeth marks on them, and of course, I doubt anyone in town, like, went to bite old corpses for fun. Then Lizbert and Eggabell go missing, and some time later it turns out there are creatures other than Bugsnax here on Snaktooth? Creatures that have teeth, if you guys haven’t noticed”

“You’re implying I have been eating grumpuses”

“Not you, precisely. But it’s not implausible other humans have, is it? If you exist, then there must be other humans on Snaktooth, maybe hundreds” Beffica hemmed and murmured to herself. “I better not be sounding like Snorpy right now...”

If this Snorpy is known for jumping to conclusions then she is sounding like them thought Yu. Filbo, having found the capacity to speak again, trying his hardest to sound assertive:

“He’d never do that!” Filbo exclaimed. “Yu isn’t eating anybody!”

“Again, I’m not saying he did it. But alright, looks like none of you thought of that before” Beffica sighed quite theatrically. “I’m surprised my bestie didn’t. He’s a bright one, I dunno why I’m the first one to think about this”

Even though Yu wanted to cut the conversation short as soon as possible, he just had to ask: “Have you seen any other humans around?”

“No, not really. If I had I wouldn’t have come to see you specifically. Why are you asking?” She seemed genuinely curious about that. Yu couldn’t say it with certainty, but she probably wasn’t lying about that. Since he didn’t give her an answer, Beffica stared at his face with attention, maybe trying to decide something, until... “You know...you’re far more talkative than I thought you’d be...”

“Uh, he’s the quiet type but—“ Filbo started, but got interrupted.

“That’s not what I mean. I mean he’s actually talking with me. I figured maybe he was, like, repeating words like your name without knowing what they meant...but he seems intelligent. I’m actually unsure what to think now”

Even though that seemed to be meant somewhat of a compliment, Yu still felt kind of offended by that. “If you want to talk more we can do that somewhere else”

“I’m gonna say no to that, but I think I understand better what’s going on with you” Beffica tapped the side of her face with her Snaxscope, thoughtful. “Maybe you’re harmless, or maybe you’re just waiting for the right chance to eat someone here, I dunno...but you’re sentient, I get it now”

“You’re not gonna apologize?” Filbo prompted, but Beffica dismissively shrugged.

“Are you really expecting me, Beffica Winklesnoot, to say sorry? I mean, I guess I’m not giving the greatest first impression ever, but...” she sighed. “Whatever. Let’s just go on. I have taken a decision”

“A decision about me?” Yu asked.

“No, silly! I have decided to move back to Snaxburg”

“Really?” despite it being Beffica Filbo actually sounded kind of excited about that. “You’re always welcome here! Although, uh...as long as you don’t antagonize him—“

“Is my hut alright?”

“Uh, it’s...it’s freshly painted...”

Beffica sighed. “Then I guess I’m spending one night more in the cave. I’ll be coming back tomorrow with my stuff and then...I’ll find out all about you, my new human neighbor” she said, smiling as if she hadn’t been condescending to him less than five minutes ago. “There’s so much we should talk about—“

“I’ll think about it” Yu said diplomatically. To be frank, after this first impression he didn’t really have that much interest in engaging in conversation with Beffica, but he was going to live in her vicinity. He had to make an effort to get along with her. As long as she didn’t turn that sharp tongue in his direction things probably would be fine.

Relatively fine.

“That’s a start! Oh, with my bestie and now another intelligent species living here Snaxburg is overflowing with interesting stuff. OMG, these are gonna be some fun days” Beffica smiled at Yu. Although there wasn’t any malice in it, there was an air of flippancy that just made it hard to want to talk to her: “And just so you know, I believe you when you say you’re not gonna eat anybody here, but if for some reason you change your mind and one night you gnaw someone’s femur off or something, know I’ll make sure everybody finds out about it~”

“I already said I’m not going to eat anyone!” Yu insisted.

“Relax, I’m messing with you. See? I can be friendly too. Byeeee~” with a wink to Yu and without even saying goodbye to Filbo, Beffica turned and left Snaxburg. Yu waited until she was gone before sighing, for the first time since he arrived showing signs of weariness after talking to someone.

He had known at some point he’d meet a grumpus that wouldn’t take him seriously. It still didn’t prepare him for Beffica Winklesnoot. So this is why Dagbert was trying to avoid her, thought Yu. Was Dagbert seriously her ‘bestie’? He sure hadn’t shown to be too fond of her.

Filbo laid a ‘paw’ on Yu’s shoulders. It’d have been comforting if it hadn’t been strawberries. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Yu. You handled it well, though! Beffica is...”

“She’s a pain in the rear end, that’s what she is!” Wambus piped up from the farm. He had seen everything, of course.

“Well, yeah, she is—“ Filbo was saying. For a moment Yu thought he had heard wrong, he didn’t think he’d ever hear Filbo refer to someone as a pain in the ass, even if it was indirectly. “—but she still is one of us. She belongs here in Snaxburg and we should welcome her back. Somehow you...got her to want to come here, Yu! Thanks for that”

Maybe he really could help Dagbert bring other grumpuses back home, thought Yu. Even if this time it was a complete accident. “Are you okay?”

“About what?”

“She seems to really dislike you”

“Oh. That.” Filbo sighed. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just not very liked in Snaxburg, it’s...it’s fine” Sure sounded like he didn’t think it was fine at all, because then he hurried up to change topics: “A-Anyway, Yu? Uh, I know Beffica isn’t very likable, but could you try to get on her good side?”

“I can try” Whether it’d work was a different matter altogether.

“Good! Thanks, Yu. I know it’s not gonna be surprising, but Beffica really doesn’t get along with...pretty much anyone. I’m not saying you have to be her new best friend because...my buddy already has that covered, I guess?” he shrugged. “But maybe it’d mean a lot if you could reach out to her; see if that helps with anything...and who knows, maybe she can find out more about humans someday! It’s not impossible!”

Frankly Yu would have preferred to limit contact with Beffica, but Filbo was somewhat right: she was part of the community. Besides, Yu wasn’t really someone who shunned other people. Someday he’d have to actually try to hang out with Beffica. Perhaps she’d be willing to.

Or maybe she’d once again treat him like he had come to Snaxburg looking for a grumpus buffet. That could happen too.

“Welp! I should go make sure Beffica’s cabin is in top condition for tomorrow, but I think I’ll take a break before that. If you need anything feel free to come to me” feigning a smile, Filbo went in direction to his cabin. To Yu it really looked like Filbo was trying hard to hide he was actually feeling pretty hurt about the way Beffica treated him. The more Yu saw, the more he understood why Dagbert had warned him to not betray Filbo’s friendship.

The grumpus stopped in front of his cottage, looked inside, sighed, and turned around. “Nevermind, I’ll do it now” he said, resigned. A little curious, Yu looked inside Filbo’s hut, finding Dagbert was sleeping on Filbo’s bed, snoozing away.

For someone who insisted in treating Filbo well, Dagbert sure could be seriously inconsiderate towards him sometimes. Yu was pretty sure Dagbert really did want to be friends with Filbo, but still...

-ooooo-

“Sorry about that, Filbo. It’s a bad habit. When you’re exhausted any bed is good, you know?”

“I-It’s fine! But you really should get more sleep at night—“

“I’m okay! By the way, thanks for waking me up, Narukami. But next time please don’t do it by rolling me off the bed”

Chapter Text

The day before Dagbert had accompanied him in the search, saying it’d be too dangerous for Yu to leave the town and go into the wilderness all by himself. You never knew what could happen – and after Yu woke up due to another earth tremor shaking everything, he had to agree. The thought disaster could strike and injure him – or worse – while he was out there being a very realistic possibility. Although Yu had experience exploring hostile places and the such, it had all been in the TV World, where by virtue of having a Persona he was somewhat tougher than usual. Here he had no such thing. Yu was in good physical condition, but that was it.

This time Filbo said he would go with Yu. Dagbert had said he was still working on convincing the two grumpuses living on the beach, so the mayor offered to go with Yu and guide him around – although Dagbert seemed a little...unconvinced Filbo was the best company for exploring out there.

...frankly Yu thought the same, but he didn’t say it. Not-so-great company was better than going completely alone.

“We’ll be fine! Garden Grove is a very mellow area in general...as long as you don’t get any ketchup on you” Filbo said, guiding Yu on a wooden structure that seemed to have been built to have easier access to the upper areas of the grove.

“Is that where you almost died?”

“Uh...no, that was Flavor Falls. I’m pretty bad at exploring, among other things? But not so much I’d die on Garden Grove” even though Filbo said that Yu still was unconvinced. Perhaps he was right, though. If Yu had managed to navigate it in the dark while it was raining then it really had to be a tame area in general.

Along the way they found Beffica, who was already making her way to Snaxburg. Both Filbo and Yu greeted her as friendly as they could, but Beffica just gave a terse ‘hi there’ and hurried away. Not too far from the point where they had encountered her they reached once another structure that’d take them even higher upwards. Stepping onto the wooden planks, Filbo turned to Yu.

“Up here is where Wambus lived before he returned to Snaxburg, so this is a good place as any to get started. How about I start over there and take a look into the safer parts of Flavor Falls while you look down here and over there?” he pointed at slopes that led to terraces. So much of Garden Grove had been sculpted into terraces, both natural and artificial, making it easy to move and explore.

“Will you be okay?”

“That’s what I should be asking you! But I know we’ll both be fine, don’t worry about it” Filbo was overflowing with optimism. “If you ever need anything just holler and I’ll be right there in a jiffy”

“Don’t fall into any pits, Filbo”

“Right...don’t eat any flowers no matter how hungry you get. Let’s meet here in about one hour, or maybe two”

It was a plan as good as any. Having agreed to that, they separated towards the parts of Garden Grove they had agreed to search in. Honestly Yu was hoping Filbo would find someone – if there was a grumpus he could trust would be able to convince any of his friends to go along with them, it was Filbo.

The terraces of Garden Grove had almost no trees. Now that it wasn’t raining, Yu could walk along and observe the beauty of nature, noticing things he hadn’t seen before. He hadn’t noticed one of the mountains that featured on the island actually was a volcano. He could see in direction of the canyon beyond the patch of cactuses that had obstructed the way – looked like a whole bunch of arid natural bridges and holes, with a yellow-looking area right afterwards. The creek that bordered most of Snaxburg passed towards the springs he had seen two days ago.

In a way, it was as if Flavor Falls was a dead end. Unless there was something else in this direction, the waterfalls were surrounded by mountains and forests. Going from there to anywhere else would be foolhardy, perhaps even lethal, he thought. Better not to even try.

The somewhat even terraces gave way to crags – Yu was entering an area that probably didn’t get explored much. The human descended lower and lower, jumping down terraces and landing on overgrown grass, stepping over weeds and dandelions that littered the place. Bugsnax scuttled around, approaching with caution. Burgers, with large tusks, ran over the grass in his direction, but stopped whenever Yu looked at it, its legs coiled as if it was ready to run away the moment Yu made a move towards it.

It seemed almost playful, waiting for him to chase. They were beetles of some sort, he knew that, but the behavior was unlike any beetles he had seen before. Trying to catch them was...it was tempting. Yu actually observed it, trying to judge how quickly he could lunge at once, as if he were to try to capture one with his bare hands.

...would it taste like a normal burger? He had already heard grumpuses say Bugsnax tasted great, but would he think the same...?

Yu extended the walking stick towards the Bunger, trying to see its reaction. It didn’t even pay any attention to that, completely focused on the human it seemed to be trying to get the attention of. Only when the stick poked the Bunger right between its googly eyes it turned tail and ran away, cheerfully calling its name over and over. It definitely wanted Yu to chase it, he had no doubt.

Other Bugsnax seemed to be focusing on Yu to the point he was starting to wonder if he had sauce on himself and he hadn’t noticed. In the past days they hadn’t showed this much interest on him – at least when Dagbert had been there. Maybe it was now that he was alone that they were actively approaching him? Now that he thought about that, that daiquiri Snak he had once captured had just let it happen. Bugsnax were somewhat more docile than he thought they’d be.

The more Yu walked the more he heard the ocean. Garden Grove ended in terraces that led to a cliff overlooking the sea. Looking into the distance...there was nothing but water. Making sure to keep distance from the edge of the cliff, Yu walked alongside the terrace. Strabby after Strabby had started to appear, minding their own business while Yu passed by nearby. Yu made sure to look around, trying to see anything that could hint a human had been in the area ever before, but he just saw nothing.

At least until he saw the cavern. In a place such as this island it could be a good shelter. Holding the walking stick like he intended to block with it anything that could attack, Yu approached the entrance of the cavern, peering inside. It wasn’t dark at all, light filtered from holes on the ceiling and walls. Curious, this was the second cave he found that was like that. Maybe Bugsnax had dug through the rocks and made that happen. Yu walked into the cave, eyes always to the front, glad it was so narrow he didn’t have to turn his head to look at anywhere else.

This cave was far longer than the one he had arrived in. It curved in towards the inside of the island. Four hundred feet in and he still didn’t reach the end of it. His steps echoed in the empty air, reverberating. Was it even worth it to reach the end?

He didn’t even have to. Right when he was starting to consider turning around, he saw something: a stone platform embedded into the ground. It very obviously wasn’t natural; it was made of bricks of stone cobbled together. Carvings were made right below the edge – carvings just like the ones he had seen the day before. Yu took a closer look, once again passing a hand over them.

Two of these carvings on different places on the island. Three if he was right and the door he arrived through had them too. There was no way that couldn’t be significant somehow.  There was no door or archway or statues in the cave, but the presence of that platform maybe was enough to guarantee there was a connection of some sort?

I could bring Triffany here instead of going all the way to Flavor Falls—

Yu was weighing his options. Perhaps he had lowered his guard, but when he heard that strange noise behind him he immediately turned around, stick at the ready. The earth was moving, a mound forming near the platform, until it parted, something coming out of the ground: an ant. An ant made of a tomato, grilled meat and a mushroom – a Shishkabug, according to what it was saying. The surface of the Snak was covered with a transparent slime, giving it a rather unpleasant shine. The Shishkabug blinked, as if it was trying to get used to the dim light, and stared straight at Yu without a hint of the timidity it usually had.

“Gross...” it was disgusting with all that slime over it. Two, three, four more Shishkabugs popped up from the ground, stepping right beside the first one, always staring at Yu. Slowly, he stepped back, seriously not liking how those four ants were staring at him so...so defiantly. That was how he interpreted them standing there without moving, looking right at him: that they were defying him somehow.

When a far larger mound formed on the ground, hinting something else was coming out and was going to be bigger than a few oversized ants, Yu turned heel and ran. Behind him he heard many legs skittering, far more legs than a few Shishkabugs together would have. Something was pursuing him! Without stopping Yu glanced over his shoulder, finally seeing the Snak that was behind him.

It was a submarine sandwich. Literal food, even if it had eyes and could move! There was nothing intimidating or even creepy about it, anyone would laugh if such a thing got in their way! Then why was it making him feel so nervous? Was it the way it was staring blankly at him, with no discernible emotion in those googly eyes? The way it was slowly tilting to a side, like it was moving to cut his way once it got ahead enough? Or that this all felt a lot like an ambush?

No time to think.

He wasn’t fast enough to outrun the incoming Snak! The Sandopede ran on the wall! Even though it was a literal submarine sandwich, it was far larger than it had any right to be, its diameter easily reaching Yu’s knees. Perhaps it wouldn’t be too much trouble if it wasn’t so long. Segment after segment trailed behind the head, more than enough to surround him if it wanted to. With his instincts screaming at him that if he stayed still things would get quite bad for him, Yu focused on running.

The Sandopede passed by, running ahead of him and descending down the walls, blocking the way, extending from wall to wall of the narrow tunnel! The exit of the cave was right ahead! He could see it, a circle of light!  That was just a sandwich, he just had to jump over it and—

Yu didn’t notice the second Sandopede that had gotten through one of the holes in the ceiling, falling on his back. It was heavy! Yu lost his balance and fell forward, managing to protect his face with one arm when he fell. The other was gripping the stick – he could try to use it! As if the Sandopede currently on his back had realized it, it crawled on him until it held half of its body on the arm with the stick, right on the elbow articulation, pinning that arm to the ground. The other half was right above his shoulder blades, pressing him against the ground, making it a little harder to breathe.

Small toothpick legs that made his skin feel itchy moved on his hand – the Shishkabugs, he could see them! Two of them were crawling on his forearm, until one reached the hand and started prodding the softer spots with its tiny mandibles. It wasn’t terribly painful, but its intentions were obvious. Yu grit his teeth and tightened his grip on the stick, refusing to let go of it like the food ants wanted him to, even if it felt like very blunt needles were poking his skin, fighting against his own reflexes – the spots the Shishkabug was poking were making his hand try to open up.

The first Sandopede approached, lowering his head and pushing against Yu’s face while the other accommodated on his back. The crust of the bread felt rough, almost unyielding somehow, while the giant centipede sandwich tried to push him further into the cave. That was what he thought this bunch of Bugsnax were trying to do – they were trying to roll him deeper into the cavern, away from the exterior. Whatever was going to happen to him if that happened couldn’t be good, he suspected if he got defeated here he wouldn’t leave that cave alive.

His legs! His legs were free, he realized. If he could get a grip on the ground perhaps he could at least stand up and face the insects. Yu headbutted the sandwich, making it recoil just a little bit, while he flexed his legs, managing to get the tip of his shoes onto the rocky floor. Pushing with his arms – well, one arm and a bit more, given the other was still being attacked – Yu threw himself backwards, the second Sandopede clinging to his clothes. Its weight made Yu stumble backwards, this time falling on his back and on the Sandopede, forcing it to release him. Standing up and turning around for just a brief second, Yu pushed away that Sandopede with a foot and turned his attention towards the one blocking the way out. The Shishkabugs were inconsequential, that sandwich was the real obstacle there. Months of having to fight all sorts of weird stuff should have prepared him for this, but only now he discovered may have relied on his Persona a little too much for that.

Weak points, weak points, where were they?! Giving in to a hunch, Yu jammed the end of the walking stick right in middle of the Sandopede, in between the two central segments. The Sandopede divided in two, the halves moving into opposite directions. Right when Yu ran by googly eyes opened on the white crumb of the rear half, ready to go on. Yu ran towards the distant circle of light, having looked back and seeing the intact Sandopede and the other two halves pursuing. They still were faster than him, those legs made of onion and bell pepper were deceptively quick. This was ridiculous! He was fighting giant submarine sandwiches! How did things get to this point?!

The mouth of the cavern split in two – something had stepped right on the entrance. Shambling, deformed, as tall as Yu, he recognized it as the thing he had seen already twice. The one who had saved him from freezing up on the mountain peak. Why was it here now? Without stopping, Yu readied the stick in front of him, expecting the form to try to stop him. Once he was just twenty feet away from her he noticed the skittering echoing behind him had slowed down quite a bit. He dared turn his head around, just to assess the situation, not sure what he expected to see.

The Sandopedes and Shishkabugs had slowed down quite a bit, until they stopped. They all looked past him, at the strange form, staring at it for a long and nerve-wracking minute, until they left. The Sandopede separated into halves united together again before walking away, back deeper into the cavern, without regarding any further the human, until the skittering vanished into the distance. That danger gone, Yu faced the form, still with his guard up, and advanced.

He didn’t know what to expect. It could be when he got closer that thing would try to attack him – and he knew full well it was strong enough to carry him, so it had some strength despite looking like it’d fall apart at any moment. Perhaps a good jab through some of the Bugsnax that formed it would be enough? Slowly, he readied the stick like a spear, prepared to attack the moment it tried to harm him.

But it didn’t try to. Instead it just stepped aside, giving him space to leave.

The abundant sunlight outside was so welcome after the dim lighting inside the cave. Protecting his eyes from the light with his forearm, Yu faced the strange being, unsure what to even expect. For a brief moment it looked at him, but then it started going backwards, away from him. “Hey! Wait!” Yu pleaded.

The form didn’t stop.

“...thanks!”

That got it to stop. It was impossible to read it – having only flat, round eyes and literally nothing else meant it would be useless to even try, and there was almost no body language at all --  but Yu interpreted it stopping as it was listening to him. Did that mean it understood English? Yu said his piece anyway:

“If you hadn’t gotten me down the mountain a few days ago I’d be dead right now. I wanted to say thanks”

The thing didn’t say anything – could it even say anything? Now that he noticed...it didn’t make any sound at all, unlike Bugsnax usually did. It just stared silently. Without even bothering to indicate it had acknowledged what Yu said, it stepped back one, two times. Eyes opened all over it, all the Bugsnax that formed it coming to life, and in matter of seconds it all fell apart, everything that had formed it scattering away. “What...” It was the second time he saw this happen, but this time it had been right in front of him and it seriously unnerved him!

Why did it keep appearing in front of him? This was the third time, and it had even saved his life once. Did this time count as saving his life too? He probably would have managed to get away one way or another, but it appearing seemed to have made it far easier than it’d have been otherwise. Was it even a Bugsnak? What was it even supposed to be? Filbo hadn’t mentioned anything even remotely similar to this, so...either he didn’t know it existed, or he knew and didn’t think it posed any danger he should warn Yu about.

While Yu walked back to the meeting point, though, he realized there was a curious warmth inside him, a rather familiar one. Was he bonding with that thing? Well...perhaps that was fine. Yu had bonded with a fox in Inaba, this time it was with a strange Bugsnax monster. Weirder things had happened to him!

Although potentially almost getting murdered by submarine sandwiches kind of ranked up there, now that he thought about it.

-ooooo-

Filbo held the boards against the gaping hole on the barn -- the last one they had to fix. Since Dagbert had said he had progressed a lot with Gramble’s demands, he said he expected Gramble to be willing to return before the day ended. That had gotten the mayor to go ahead and start fixing the holes because Gramble probably would start filling the place with all sorts of Bugsnax, and them having an easy way out would make the rancher quite upset. Since Yu offered to help, now they were doing the task and discussing the misadventures of the day.

Unsurprisingly Filbo found nothing of use in his own exploration. He checked a lot of Garden Grove and explored some of Flavor Falls, with no findings that could indicate a human had ever been there. The only thing he brought back was Wambus’ scarecrow, which wasn’t really worth anything right now since no Snax approached Snaxburg anyway, for some reason.

Yu had shown him a pair of wounds on his hand – if they could even be called wounds. They were no more than a pair of pinpricks, minuscule circles of blood. The Shishkabugs’ toothpick mandibles had done that while they had been trying to force him to let go of his weapon. “How do you feel?”

“I’m fine, but I’ll inform you if any tomatoes start growing on my hand” Yu obviously wasn’t giving it any importance. Filbo, motioning Yu to hold the board as firmly as possible, reached for a hammer and nails.

“Gosh, I really dunno what to tell you. Of course there are—there are aggressive Snax? But none of them ever tried to drag anyone into caves or anything like that”

“They could have been planning to eat me”

“No, that’s impossible. Bugsnax literally can’t eat anything, they don’t even have mouths! Trust me, Floofty spent a week figuring out how they even say anything without having mouths or vocal chords. I...I heard too much about that” Filbo started hammering the nails in. He really had manual skills with his paws, although Yu was a little creeped out by the way the leaves at the end of the strawberry replacing his paw curved to grab the nail. “Maybe you did something that made those Sandopedes really upset!”

That was a possibility, indeed, but all he had done was examine that platform he stumbled upon. Were Sandopedes particularly territorial and he had the bad luck of entering in their territory? He hadn’t done anything wrong!

Filbo took another nail. “And about the...the Bugsnax thing you encountered? Uh...w-well I have seen something watching the town from afar? A couple times? But when I met you I thought that mystery had been solved! I thought it was you!”

...was that what Filbo meant when he said he had seen Yu from afar? Did it mean that shambling thing had been observing the town for a while already? “Do I really look like that?”

“It was watching from over there!” Filbo pointed at the top of the terrain right beside the airship. “It was too far to take a good look and since you have two arms and two legs, well...”

Fine. What was important is that he hadn’t been the only one who had ever seen it. Yu let go of the board once Filbo made sure it was secured to the wall.

“I’m sorry, Yu, I wish I could have told you something more useful than all this. There’s so much I don’t know...if Lizbert was here I’m sure she’d have been able to tell you all about them”

A good time as any to ask: “Who is Lizbert?”

That question was enough to make Filbo’s eyes lit up. “Oh, Lizbert is a very good friend of mine! She’s the leader of our expedition, the one who brought us all here!” he sounded more like he was talking about a childhood hero he had fond memories of instead of a real person. “You’d love talking to her – she’s a great adventurer who travels all over the place finding civilizations and hunting for mysteries. Everyone in Snaxburg loves her!”

“So you met her when you arrived here”

“No, not at all! I have known her since we were kids even though she’s six years older than me. We came from the same town!” he said. Forgetting the barn, Filbo kept talking, happy to inform Yu about the wonders of Elizabert Megafig. “I’m here because she asked me to come along. It wasn’t like I had anything else to be doing instead, so I said yes and now here I am!”

“She must mean a lot to you if you were willing to move all the way here for her”

“She has been there for me so many times!” he said, his smile getting replaced by melancholy. “...not having her around has been pretty hard, and not just because we’re all feeling lost without her. She always knew what to do, and when she was around you...you felt everything would be a-okay...”

And now she was missing. To not have someone you relied on so much...it must be so tough for everyone, thought Yu.

Filbo rubbed the back of his head. “You know...me being the mayor was all her idea”

“What do you mean?”

“Shortly after we got here she said it’d be good to have someone watching over the town while she was away. You know, since she was out hunting everybody’s food. I thought she was going to ask Eggabell because, you know, they’re a couple and Eggabell is the town doctor, but instead she asked me! She said I should do it!”

It wasn’t hard to guess Filbo had immediately accepted the role just because Lizbert had asked him. Yu nodded, inviting Filbo to keep talking.

“But the next day I started having all these doubts because I’m the second youngest one here, right? Gramble is the only one younger than me – and now you too, I guess. I was so worried nobody would listen to me, so...I told her all that” Filbo stopped, like what he was about to say was painful for him. “Then she...she said...

‘Filbo, you’ll do just fine! I have known you for so long and I know you have what’s needed. I know you can do it!’

...and she sounded so sure I wanted to believe she was right. Liz always gets people to do their best because there’s something about her that makes you not want to disappoint her...so I wanted to prove she was right. That I could watch over the town while she was out hunting...”

He went silent. Would it be merciful to not ask what happened next? Or would it be better to encourage him to talk? Usually Yu’s modus operandi was to do the latter, so he asked: “How did it go?”

“...it all was like I had feared” Filbo admitted. Whenever Lizbert was gone I would try to help with anything our friends needed, but they all just humored me. A-And the moment Lizbert was back they’d go to her to get her help as if I hadn’t tried to help them myself”

Filbo sounded genuinely hurt about that. Yu looked at the barn reparations – they were well made, no improvements necessary. Despite what Filbo says about himself, and despite being bad at a lot of things, he also had some skills and could do a good job if given the chance, but nobody had ever noticed it. That all must have taken quite a toll on Filbo’s self-esteem.

“Then a month ago Lizbert...she—she went missing. She and Eggabell went out hunting and...they just didn’t come back. So of course that meant I was in charge, right? So I tried to keep us all fine and help as much as I could, but...well, there was a strong earthquake, and everyone started fighting...! I tried to calm them down, but nobody—nobody listened to anything I said, and they...

...they decided being somewhere else was better than being here. Liz entrusted me with Snaxburg, and I failed. Not even one single day, Yu. I couldn’t even do that much. I hate to say it, but Liz was wrong about me”

“Snaxburg isn’t looking too bad” Yu said. It was true – even though the town still was somewhat empty, the buildings themselves looked like they had been taken care of well enough. They just needed some repairs. “People are coming back, too”

“Not because I did anything. It’s all thanks to you and my buddy. O-Of course I’m very grateful to both of you for your help! But I have to accept I just...am not the leader Liz hoped I’d be” he said. Yu was pretty sure he saw Filbo’s eyes water a little. “At first I was so embarrassed Lizbert would return all of a sudden and see how badly I had screwed up, but now after this long I...I just want her to be back with us again. Not only because I miss her but because...when Liz is around everything is fine. Not like now”

Admitting he had done a bad job must be very painful already, but Lizbert being missing is adding salt to the wound. Despite that, Yu could see Filbo still was trying as hard as he could. Even though he had given up and probably would tell Lizbert he didn’t want to be her deputy anymore, he still was trying his hardest until she was back. Wambus had said hard work changes you. Yu had no idea if Filbo had changed but he was working as hard as he could.

Having glimpsed the heavy worries Filbo carries in his heart made their bond get a little stronger.

Filbo took a can of pink paint. “Sorry about all that, Yu. I didn’t mean to go all depressing on you!”

“You shouldn’t repress what you feel”

“...I wasn’t trying to” he said, but that he apologized for telling it all as if he had been a bother made Yu worry. At least he should be encouraging, he thought. “Come on, we have to finish repairing this. Nothing like a layer of paint to hide the imperfections!”

Yu still couldn’t see any imperfections but nodded anyway.

-ooooo-

The barn was ready! At sundown Dagbert returned from Simmering Springs, going straight to Filbo to inform about his progress. Yu, who had been lighting up the campfire nearby, heard their short conversation.

“Gramble is almost ready. I’m going to have some last words with him and then he’ll come here. Is his barn ready?”

“It’s on top shape now! The paint may still be a little wet but that’s alright, right?”

“Sure. Wiggle is over there at the beach too, but she’s...not making it easy. I’m having some trouble with her. Sorry about that”

“Aw, it’s fine. You have already done so much – don’t think you have to bring everyone at once!”

If only you could be as forgiving with yourself as you’re with others, Filbo thought Yu. The campfire was lit now. He had just sat down to enjoy its warmth when Dagbert approached, sitting with him.

“Here you are. Did you have a good day, Yu?”

“I almost got eaten by sandwiches”

“Oof, a rough day! I was chasing after oranges all day” he said as if that was remotely close to what Yu had experienced. Still, Yu appreciated he was trying to sympathize. “I’m sorry for not having asked Filbo yet about Triffany, I have been so busy with Gramble and Wiggle’s demands I just haven’t been able to do that yet”

‘Demands’, he had said. What could they have wanted before they accepted to return to Snaxburg? Yu smiled nonetheless. “I haven’t forgotten I should be helping you with that”

“That’s exactly what I was here to talk to you about. Listen, Gramble is already in the bag, but Wiggle is surprisingly stubborn and the Snax she’s asking for are giving me trouble. How about you take over trying to convince her to come along? That way I get a load off my back and all this probably gets done faster”

Sure, why not? “How are we going to introduce to them?”

“I already told them a lot about you, so they know more or less what to expect. Reactions were...mixed” Dagbert frowns. “That’s why I’m asking you to talk to Wiggle. She seemed interested in talking to you”

Implying Gramble, for one reason or another, would rather not talk to him. Alright then. ”I’m ready whenever you want”

“That’s the spirit! When you grow up you should consider being a journalist, you already have the social aspect of it down pat” If being willing to talk to other people was a big part of it then indeed, he was already leaps and bounds over the bare minimum. Leading Yu out of Snaxburg and towards Simmering Springs, Dagbert told him the basic details about Wiggle’s personality and a tip or two of how to talk to her.

He even passed him an autographed photo! “She’s a celebrity” Yu summarized, folding the photo. Dagbert had suggested to pretend to be a fan of hers – there was no way that’d work.

“Exactly. From experience I can tell you they’re somewhat unpredictable, but as long as you’re appropriately starstruck she should be willing to open up to you”

“One of my friends is an idol” it was true Rise was easy to get along, but Yu hoped the experience of being friends with her would prepare him somewhat for Wiggle’s eccentricities!

Dagbert stared at him blankly for a moment. “I’m...going to guess that’s some sort of celebrity. Anyway, she probably is waiting right there” they had gotten to the steps right before the beach. Dagbert pointed at the umbrella Yu had seen back in the first day – so that’s where Wiggle resided! Not having walked further that day really had been a good decision. “While you talk to her I’ll talk with Gramble and see if he needs any help to go back to town. It won’t be more than five minutes”

“So this all is simply to introduce me and prepare her for talking to me again in the future”

“That’s exactly right! You catch up fast, Narukami. I don’t expect you to convince her to come back today, but if you somehow do I doubt Filbo will complain. Try your best and everything will go just fine”

Easier said than done, but fortune favors the bold. Yu nodded, stopping right behind the stone wall that divided Wiggle’s temporary home and the slope they had come from. Gesturing Yu to wait while he announced the human’s presence, Dagbert went to the other side.

“Lovely evening, right, Wiggle?”

“Darling, it certainly is! The skies are clear; the stars are starting to shine...beachside nights are truly beautiful”

She sounded somewhat upbeat, if a little flowery in language? Yu crossed his arms, trying to figure out more of what he’d have to deal with in a moment. He could imagine Dagbert nodding along to that.

“They certainly are. Have you reconsidered the refusal to return to Snaxburg?”

“I mustn’t! My thirst for art requires I stand my ground, and my thirst for pineapples is unrivaled as well”

Yu guessed she probably had asked him for a Snak that resembled a pineapple. “Even though Gramble will be returning to the town tonight? He’s not going to be around anymore”

“Although it pains me to not have his lovely~ company nearby, the path of the entertainer is lonely~ and challenging~” the melody of her voice went flat for a moment: “Besides, I’m not barred from Snaxburg, am I? I can visit Gramble and his barn full of delectable Bugsnax anytime I want”

“True enough! Feel free to visit, but it’d be great if you decided to stay”

“I’ll think about it. Now, do we have anything else to talk about, dear?”

Any interest Wiggle maybe had in a conversation with Dagbert clearly was gone by now. The journalist could see that as well, because he directed the conversation towards Yu’s existence: “I have brought with me the human I talked to you about! The one you said you wanted to meet, remember?”

“Oh~!” she definitely sounded excited!

“I’ll leave you with Narukami while I talk to Gramble. Be welcoming, alright?”

That was Yu’s cue to enter. Rounding the corner, Yu saw Dagbert’s somewhat apologetic smile towards him, and then he entered Wiggle Wigglebottom’s abode.

Another orange grumpus, this time female, and just as tall as Yu. She even had an overbite like Dagbert’s, but the lack of huge fangs made her seem far less intimidating at first sight! Wiggle was sitting on a beach chair, leg crossed over the other, nonchalantly drumming her fingers against the arm rests. She really had built herself a comfy, almost cozy place, even though it was exposed to the elements. When Yu saw her he couldn’t tell from her eyes what she thought of him, since they were hidden behind star-shaped sunglasses, but she sounded positively delighted when he appeared:

“My, look at him! He goes far beyond my expectations! To think such a marvel was hidden on this island all this time and nobody was ever the wiser!”

“Such is life. Alright, time for me to take my leave. Get along, you two” still with that apologetic smile Dagbert waved farewell and walked further down the beach, towards a fence and whatever was after it. Wiggle and Yu were left alone. The human wasn’t entirely sure how to feel, but Wiggle seemed friendly enough! It could be worse.

Wiggle stood up, looking at him up and down like everyone else had done. “Oh, such a striking presence! You exude confidence! That unflappable attitude! That journalist’s description doesn’t do you any justice, dear!”

“Thanks!” Yu had to admit that was a really flattering reaction!

“Could you spin around once? Slowly. I want to take a good look at you”

Yu obeyed, Wiggle growing more elated by the second. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but it seemed to be making Wiggle happy, so sure! No problem. Once he was back facing her he found Wiggle once again sitting on her beach chair, humming to herself. Patient, Yu waited for her to acknowledge his presence again, instead taking the time to observe the surroundings. Hard not to hear what was in her head given she was murmuring and bursting into moments where she tried to chain together a few notes, always ending in disappointment.

“Gray—something about gray or...hm hm hm...unusual, uh, unusual and strange on—no, this...that won’t work at all...!” she sighed. “Not even a small spark. Looks like not even you can compete with the wonder that is Bugsnax...”

“Wiggle?”

“Oh, you know my name!” she smiled pleasantly. “I see my work has transcended so much it even has reached other species!”

She sounded so happy and proud of herself Yu chose not to mention it just was the journalist had told him her name. “It’s nice to meet you”

“Same, my dear, same. When that journalist said Filbo had discovered a new species on this island that isn’t Snax I didn’t expect much! But then he described you and I knew I couldn’t wait to meet you!” she made a wry face. “I thought seeing for the first time something completely out of the ordinary would help me come up with something new, but clearly it didn’t work. It’s not your fault, the blame is aaaaaall~ on me”

“What are you talking about?” asked Yu even though he already could make an educated guess. He just figured she’d like to say it with her own words, in her own bombastic way. Wiggle loved the sound of her own voice, that was for sure!

“I’m talking about ins-pi-ration~! That’s all I’m looking for! It’s the reason I came to Snaktooth, and I’m not leaving without something new that can reach the top of the charts once again!” she was overflowing with passion for her craft. Were all entertainers so overwhelming, thought Yu somewhat affectionately. Wiggle reminded her of Rise to some extent – there weren’t that many similarities but the few that existed made him think of Rise to a T.

Behind Yu Dagbert walked by, accompanying a short pink grumpus who had his arms full of Bugsnax, with others following him. He even had a hat resembling a Strabby! Dagbert indeed had been successful at convincing Gramble and now were on their way to get back. Gramble kept his eyes on the Snax he was holding, although when he passed by Yu he glanced at the human. For a moment their eyes met, just for a second, before Gramble looked in any other direction and hurried to reach Dagbert. Yu wasn’t entirely sure, but he thought Gramble was trembling a little.

Was he afraid of Yu?

It didn’t take long for those two to leave the beach, going out of sight. Behind Yu, Wiggle sighed, closing her eyes. “Oh, Gramble...I will miss having you nearby”

“Are you two friends?”

“Good friends, with me hoping for a little more! I set my living space here because Gramble set his ranch nearby” she sighed. “We met here on the island. At first I didn’t think much of him, but once I knew him better I realized he’s a one of a kind grumpus! You don’t come across hearts as gentle as his often!”

She sounded genuinely fond of him, that was for sure. Wiggle made a face of resignation.

“But he only has eyes for the Bugsnax. I understand that! I’m just the same! But...still...”

Yu was starting to have a feeling lives revolving around Bugsnax was a bit of a common theme on Snaktooth. It was to be expected given that was what they all came for in the first place, but after having been attacked by those Sandopedes and Shishkabugs he was starting to look at these food insects with a lot of caution.

“You could come back to Snaxburg and be closer to him” Yu pointed out. Wiggle sighed.

“Don’t start you too with that! As I told that journalist, I will return to Snaxburg only once I find my muse~! All I need is time...relaxation...and Bugsnax~.”

“How long have you been here?” Yu had an idea of what to say. Perhaps if this worked...! Wiggle, tilting her head, answered:

“Ever since that fight a month ago. Why?”

“Haven’t you experienced after one month everything the beach has to offer?”

“Oh...that’s true...”

“Now Gramble isn’t here, giving you one reason less to stay. Meanwhile the town is constantly changing, and people are coming back, bringing something new every day. You’d be find more varied experiences over there than here”

Wiggle seemed to be considering what Yu was saying, so he continued:

“By staying on this beach you won’t get any closer to finding your muse! You must return, and only then inspiration will reach you!”

“Oh, you believe it’s so easy. You don’t have the soul of an artist” Wiggle said. Yu’s argument hadn’t worked. “You do have a point! But while you were talking I realized you’re so mistaken. There’s something new I can gain on this beach!”

“What is it?”

“You, my dear. You will help me find a muse! And that journalist will bring me the Snax I crave, the ones I need to get my creative juices flowing! With you both helping me, I will craft a tune and lyrics that will make Wiggle Wigglebottom’s name rise to new heights of musical skill~!”

Yu was unsure this was a good result. “We can do that in Snaxburg”

“Oh, but in Snaxburg your attention would be divided. You’d be busy not only with your own life, but also with anyone else you have to spend time with. Instead here on the beach I’d have your full attention whenever you come to see me!”

Oh. Yu was starting to see where this was going now. He probably had made a mistake. “...what are you getting at?” he hoped he was wrong.

“How about you come every once in a while and help me with my inspiration problem? In the meantime, I’ll keep asking that journalist for Bugsnax to help me reach that state of nirvana that will spark a new song. With the two of you helping me here, with your undivided attention since there’s nobody else in the springs, my creativity block will be left behind!”

Definitely made a mistake. Yu was silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to proceed – but Wiggle took the chance to pounce now that Yu was a little befuddled. Steamrolling through his doubts, she asserted her will:

“You both want me to return to Snaxburg. To that I say I won’t leave this beach until I have something to show as proof of my talent! You know what that means, right, dear?”

“I have a feeling” And he didn’t like it.

“That’s right! The more often you both come the sooner I’ll get my song, and only then I’ll return to Snaxburg” It wasn’t like she was trying to be manipulative – he hoped, at least -- but Yu could clearly see she was a little proud of having come up with a way to get what she wanted. “I’ll be looking forward to all the good meals the journalist will give me and all the attention – and the help – you will provide~!”

So instead of she coming back once Dagbert sated her hunger for Bugsnax, now she had raised the bar and demanded Yu to aid her in creating a song she can be proud of. In the span of one conversation he had managed to get her to dig her heels more and make even more demands before she’d be willing to come back to Snaxburg.

Dagbert wasn’t going to like that.

Chapter Text

As expected, Dagbert had quite a few words to say once Yu told him Wiggle’s requests. Yu didn’t catch half of them because he mumbled them into his paws. In the end he just lowered them, grimaced, and said:

“You’re not getting out of this one, Narukami”

Since he had gotten them into this mess, he had to do his part to get them out of there. How long could it take to aid Wiggle enough for her to be satisfied and decide to come back? The human would have to find out.

“I’m not known for my creativity” said Yu while they went down to the beach. The sooner they got started, the better. Dagbert, still annoyed, gave him a flat stare.

“That’s not my strong point either. I’m a journalist, not a storyteller. Wiggle needs creativity and Snax, and I can handle the latter. You do the other thing, alright?”

Not like he had a choice.

Wiggle was really pleased those two came to the beach the next morning, as if trying to get her to return to Snaxburg was the #1 priority they had. “Welcome! Are you both ready to set a light to my creative spirit~?”

Dagbert held back a sigh. “A Pineantula, right?”

“That’s exactly right, darling! This Snak has brought me nothing new” she passed a paw over the mohawk she had. That was something a Bugsnak gave her? “A change of looks is just what I need!”

“It’s a plan and that’s what matters” Dagbert lightly pushed Yu forward. “I’ll go hunting. Have a good time, Narukami, and please don’t make her change her demands to an entire album of songs this time” The journalist wasn’t going to let go of this blunder for quite a while, apparently. Yu nodded. While he wasn’t entirely sure what exactly Wiggle had in mind, he had to do his best anyway.

While Dagbert tried to coax the Pineantula out of the sand right over there, Yu faced the always-wiggling Wiggle, ready. “I’m ready. How can I help?”

“Oh, darling, you have to tell me: do you...make your own music where you’re from?” There was something a little rude about asking someone if their civilization was advanced enough to have music, but Yu could see Wiggle had tried to be tactful. It could be forgiven, facing a new species like humans for the first time.

Yu simply nodded affirmatively. Wiggle was quite pleased! “Great! Then go ahead, Narukami!” she must have remembered the name from hearing Dagbert say it. “Show what your pipes are made of and siiiiing~ something!”

Oh. Not only he didn’t know any songs in English, meaning if he sang anything it’d be in Japanese – and it wasn’t like he listened to a lot of music at home -- and therefore it’d sound like gibberish to Wiggle; she probably wouldn’t draw any inspiration from that. Averting his eyes, Yu considered his options, although Wiggle smiled kindly, waving nonchalantly.

“You have nothing to worry about, darling! I’m not the kind of person who looks down on others”

That was quite encouraging – if only because if it was of no use, Wiggle would be polite enough not to outright say it was useless. Fine. If she wanted him to sing, then may as well sing the first thing that comes to mind. Preparing himself, Yu sang a fast, cheery jingle:

Anata no, terebi ni, Jika-netto Tanakaaaaa~

Mi-n-na no, yoku no tomo~

He gave it his all, of course! Wiggle hardly could find anyone who sang it with as much enthusiasm as Yu did, singing with gusto all of a sudden – and just as suddenly as he started, it ended, he giving a little bow at the end. Wiggle just stared at him, confused.

“I...didn’t understand a word of what you said. So that’s the language of humans...!”

“I know it probably didn’t help—“

“Nonsense! I’ll always appreciate you showing me more of human culture! That song you just offered was a beauty of a cheerful tune. It almost made me want to sing too!”

Yu refrained from mentioning it merely was the jingle of a TV shopping show.

“Now that I have heard a sample of what humankind has to offer, I’d like to know more~ about you specifically. Do you play any instruments?” she asked.

“I can play the trumpet and I played the recorder in grade school”

Wiggle didn’t seem terribly enthused about Yu’s musical experience. “That’s going to be hard to work with, starting because I don’t have any trumpets for you. But what about more...commercial music?

Naturally that was what Wiggle was interested in the most! To that Yu only had one to say, a smile coming to his face. It was a rather fond memory, one among many he wouldn’t ever forget: “I once played the bass when a friend had to sing in an event” Not only him, everyone else in the team gathered together and forced themselves to learn a one-minute and half long song despite having no experience with their instruments. That it went well was truly a miracle! But it was one of the many moments that united them as friends.

“Yes, that’s exactly it!” after considering it for a moment, Wiggle took out a banjo, extending it with care towards Yu. “This isn’t a bass, but try to play it. Don’t forget to sing!”

Singing was out of the question mostly because he didn’t remember the lyrics, but his muscle memory took over. The banjo was clunky, almost alien in his hands, but he tried his best anyway, fingers sliding over the strings while he tried to play the same notes he had memorized back then. The banjo made it all sound strange, almost dissonant, but for a brief moment it felt like he was back in time. The beach sun felt like the summer sun, the banjo felt like the bass he was lent for that day, he almost could hear the cheer of the public. Two days of hard work that led to a minute and half of glory! Yu couldn’t stop smiling while he played the banjo, at peace with everything.

When his playing was over, he was smiling so serenely Wiggle decided not to mention he hadn’t sung like she had asked, or that the banjo made Yu’s playing sound off. She could tell he had been going down memory lane! Instead when he was done, she sat on her beach chair and invited Yu to sit on the towel she had placed on the sand. “Lovely work, darling. I believe if we give it some work we can make it sound just right” she offered. Yu, holding onto the banjo like he was sure Wiggle usually did, sat down cross-legged.

“Is this any good for your inspiration?”

“...you want me to be honest, don’t you?” Wiggle shrugged. “It’s not helping as much as I thought – but that’s fine. Let’s take this calmly and sooner or later the universe will grant me something truly great~!  But for now I don’t mind spending some time like this. It’s been a while since I tried to relax...at least with anyone that wasn’t Gramble. Some socializing will do me good”

This wasn’t at all how Yu had expected things to go. Wiggle had seemed very focused on her wish to get inspiration, and somewhat egotistical. He appreciated she was willing to take things calmer. For a while they both sat there, Wiggle giving him the pointers for correct banjo-playing while he tried to figure out how to make that brief stint of bass-playing fit in this instrument he wasn’t familiar with.

It wasn’t hard to guess Yu felt a bond start to form between him and Wiggle.

Some time later Dagbert coming back interrupted the peaceful moment, he carrying under an arm what seemed to be a pineapple with many eyes.

“Here you go. You have no idea how troublesome it was”

“I can imagine. I could watch you pursue Pinenantulas all day~” she leaned on her paw, a bit of a teasing smile sneaking on her face while with the other paw she took the Snak she had requested. “You’re a star, darling~! Your efficiency at capturing these delicious bugs is just what I need~!

“I live to please” Dagbert said flatly and turned around to yawn, probably wishing he didn’t spend one hour attempting to catch a ridiculous pineapple. Yu, still attempting to figure out the strings, watched Wiggle hungrily devour the Pineantula in mere three bites. She was acting as if this was her first meal in months! Yu wanted to look away but he couldn’t! Especially once the change started to happen.

From the top of Wiggle’s head green, pointy leaves began to sprout. One after another they popped up, growing out right from her skull, standing tall. The mohawk she used to have was gone, having turned green and extended rigidly, giving her a messy hairdo that looked really off on the otherwise glamorous grumpus. Even though the leaves looked healthy, Yu felt a little unease at the sight of how the leaves had grown in matter of seconds! Wiggle, sated, touched the leaves, giggling. “How do I look?” she looked at Yu.

The human barely could nod, instead choosing to stare at the banjo. “I’m sorry, it’s strange”

“That’s exactly it! With something as novel as this new head, the ideas will flow~!“ she practically ripped the banjo out of Yu’s hands, standing up and holding the banjo as if she expected a song to just pop into her mind. The excited, almost manic smile held only for a few seconds while she tapped her fingers against the strings, clearly unsure how to even start, until with a sigh and let her arms fall. “...I don’t get it; it should have worked! Ugh, the flow is more like a dribble!”

“Give it time” Yu suggested.

“I can’t give it time! I need--I just need something else. If I went for sour fruits this time then now I should go for something meatier. That’s right!” getting an idea, she faced Dagbert, raising her voice. “Sandopedes! Bring me a few of those and then the melodies will fiiiiill the aaaaair~!”

Yu’s fingers tightened when Sandopedes were mentioned. He seriously didn’t want to see any of those for a long while – but if Wiggle wanted them, then alright. Once Yu informed Dagbert of where he could find Sandopedes and, just in case, warned him to stay away from any caves, the journalist left, leaving them alone once again. As soon as Dagbert was out of sight, Wiggle prodded the pineapple leaves on her head.

“...there must be a Snak that’ll move something in my head and just...bring me the song I need. I just have to find the right one!” she turned her head, finding Yu was staring at her. Worry was obvious in his eyes. Worry for her? “...you just don’t get it, dear. You just don’t get it”

“If you say so” Yu wasn’t convinced, but who knows...maybe Bugsnax really would bring her some inspiration. Still...he was really bothered by the pineapple leaves. Was it healthy for the side-effects of Bugsnax to happen on your head? So close to something as vital and delicate as your brain?

“How about you teach me the song of your people? The one you sang a while ago!” she requested. Willing to try to think about something other than Bugsnax for a moment, Yu nodded, ready to turn Wiggle into a fan of the Tanaka’s Amazing Commodities jingle.

Hard to not think about them when the person in front of you had leaves growing on her head, though...

-ooooo-

At least Wambus wasn’t letting the Snax literally get to his head. If Yu had to choose between growing something on his head or getting his limbs replaced, the latter was definitely his choice! It didn’t even seem like you would have much trouble continuing with your everyday life – despite having fries that pretty much amount to one huge finger in each paw, one square and the other spiral – he still could tend to his plants with no issue at all. Yu just had to stop and stare at the way he tied stakes to the sauce plants that now were starting to grow on one end of the farm.

“There. The ranch sauce’s awful for eatin’ but I reckon you can hunt many Bugsnax with it”

Yu had been tasked with planting a few seeds nearby – more sauce plants would be growing there. “How can you even do anything with your arms like that?”

“Any farmer worth their salt can do this sorta thing with their eyes closed! I’m not going to let somethin’ as silly as these arms get in the way of my farm” He was determined, that was for sure. Giving the stake a light push to ensure it was well planted on the soil, he gave it an approving nod. “Everything’s finally going just like it should be. Did you notice already?”

Yu took a moment to take a look around, wondering what Wambus was talking about, and then he saw it: there were eyes protruding from small mounds of soil on the other end of the farm. He couldn’t help it: he felt a shiver down his spine. Perhaps the Sandopedes’ chase had bothered him more than he thought at first. “Is this the plan you were talking about?”

“Sure is. I planted a root and a fruit over there. Once they work I’ll branch onto other kinds of Snax, and before long this barren farm will turn into a bountiful harvest” he sounded so confident about it already, like it was a given that this would work and that was it. “I have seen Bugsnax pop out of the ground, all slimy; I know I’m onto something here”

Yu blocked the googly eyes with a hand. “But you have never seen a Bugsnax plant, have you?”

There was a thick silence at that. Wambus slowly turned his head and glared at Yu – like he was ordering the human to take back that question, but Yu didn’t look away, instead looking back at Wambus with a steely resolve. Answer that, Wambus he thought. With a weary growl, Wambus flicked his hat, breaking the eye contact. “No. Never. But it’s gotta be the only way any of this works”

“What do you mean with that?”

“Nothing else but sauce has grown on these lands. I got here with all sorts of seeds. Fruit trees, vegetables, some tubers, and nothing grew! There’s nothin’ wrong with the soil, I made sure to make it rich and good. But it’s like Snaktooth’s challengin’ me!” he spat on the soil, a truly annoyed expression filling his face.

“It’s worth a try anyway. I’ll help you with it”

“Kind of you to offer, kid. Let’s leave the Bugsnax gathering to that journalist, and once somethin’ sprouts we’ll see what we can do” at least Wambus wasn’t telling Yu to leave the Snax alone. “But you gotta admit I have a point, ain’t I?”

“What point?”

“The only thing that grew here was sauce. It ain’t like I wanted to grow it, some sorta seed must have gotten stuck to my fur while I was exploring out there and then fell here on the soil, and then it turns out a lot of Bugsnax like the sauce. They eat nothin’ but they absorb the sauce! This island is their land, of course only stuff Bugsnax can use would grow over here”

So far it wasn’t too bad of a point. Perhaps Snaktooth was an ecosystem of its own or something, unfit for growing anything the Bugsnax had no use for.

“Nobody’s figured out how Bugsnax reproduce, and if the island itself doesn’t want to grow the normal stuff, the soil probably is only for growing Bugsnax and the sauce they feed on. I must be onto somethin’ there”

That part of the logic...didn’t really make as much sense as Wambus thought, in Yu’s opinion. Maybe it just was that a farmer would try to figure out stuff in a way that made sense to their profession. Work with what you know – or maybe he was lousy at explaining. But it wasn’t like there was any guarantee Wambus’ plan would work. Giving it a try was definitely worthwhile, but after what Yu had seen – the way new Snax had popped from the ground like that – maybe they just bred underground, maybe they just laid eggs beneath the soil and once they were grown they went above ground. Bugsnax were, well, bugs, after all!

Although he was growing wary of Bugsnax, Yu had to admit he was starting to get rather curious about the mysteries surrounding them. He was the leader of the Investigation Team, of course he’d start to get interested in a mystery such as Bugsnax!

“...besides at least it makes more sense than...” Wambus mumbled something under his breath while he made sure the Snax he had planted were snug in the soil.

“What did you say?”

“I said it makes more sense than what Gramble does!” he said with vitriol, looking in direction of the barn right at the other side of the central path through Snaxburg. “He’s trying to breed them like the livestock they are. Fine, I could respect that! But—something about that rancher just keeps ticking me off! It’s the way he keeps treating them like they’re these cuddly pets instead of our food!”

Oh. It seemed asking anything about Gramble would be like setting off a bomb. Wambus wouldn’t need much to start ranting about him. “I was thinking they may lay eggs” Yu said, hoping that’d lead to a change of topic.

“They got no organs, kid!”

...ah. That certainly made that even more unlikely. It seemed that even bringing this topic was enough to make Wambus rant about Gramble, because without further provocation he pointed at that barn and said, animosity in every word:

“But he keeps trying as if all of a sudden they’ll grow parts! You’d think he hasn’t gotten told about the birds ‘n the bees!”

“Calm down” Yu said firmly. For some reason those two words were something he had to say a lot while socializing with others – perhaps people in general were encouraged to rant and let their emotions run wild because he was willing to listen. Wambus, not having expected to be told to calm down, looked ready to go into another tirade, perhaps adding that Yu had no right to tell him to calm down, but instead he bit so hard the stalk in his mouth bent. Narrowing his eyes, he chewed on the stuff he wanted to say to Yu now, but instead took a deep breath.

“I’m gonna make this work. I’ll show him, I’ll show Triffany, I’ll show that journalist, and I’ll show you”

Nobody couldn’t say Wambus wasn’t determined. Yu could easily sense his determination. It almost was intimidating how much Wambus was invested in this all already. Yu simply nodded and mentioned how he was looking forward to seeing how the Bugsnax farming would go.

“You better be, kid. Now come over here, let me check how well you planted those seeds”

While Wambus kneeled to take a closer look at the soil where Yu had worked at, Yu kept looking at the mounds where the farmer had buried his first attempt to farm these edible insects. The googly eyes weren’t moving at all, staring up at the sky without moving, but Yu almost had the uncanny feeling they’d blink at any moment.

Perhaps Bugsnax were starting to seem a little unnerving to him.

-ooooo-

Yu was starting to see why Filbo liked to hang out at the campfire so often: there really was something pleasing about sitting near it while the moon started to come out in the sky, feeling the fire’s warmth while the temperature all around him dropped down a to a pleasant chill. There was something comforting about it, that was for sure. Right now Yu was alone, though. Filbo was nowhere to be seen, probably dealing with something somewhere else in the village, and Wambus had decided to do some work on the buried Bugsnax just in case. The only company he had was Beffica, who still hadn’t directly talked to him since she moved back – although he could feel her staring at him from not too far away every once in a while, like she was tracking his position in the town. Did she expect him to do something in particular?

He wasn’t really eager to approach her unless she did it first. At some point this silly waiting game had to end.

Yu rubbed his hands together, already feeling the bite of the cold night, and sat closer to the fire. He was getting comfortable again when Dagbert sat on the log right behind him, looking over his shoulder at Beffica. “Why don’t you come closer?”

“I’m good” Yu heard Beffica’s response from somewhere behind the nearest cabin, and after a minute of silence they heard her walking away, her steps on the grass being the only indication she had moved.

“...you know, I was hanging out to keep her busy so she’s not spying on you, but she’s not as bad as I thought she’d be...at least not with me” he said. “So, did you find anything today?”

“I got too busy to explore so all I found was a thing or two about Bugsnax” data that made Yu want to start figuring out more about those insects. Of course, Dagbert asked for more details, taking out a journal to write everything Yu told him. It was just about how they don’t have any organs, but Dagbert was quite surprised, writing faster the more Yu talked.

“That’s the good info I’m looking for! Wambus said all this...?” he sounded actually surprised about the source. Yu raised his eyebrows.

“You haven’t talked to him about that?”

“I have been too busy bringing people to town to interview anyone yet” Dagbert tapped the pencil against the journal. “Narukami, I have to be honest with you for a second here: I’m starting to have doubts about if I should bother at all with these grumpuses”

That made Yu turn his head around. “Why?”

Dagbert frowned. “Yesterday Gramble had barely gotten settled in and Wambus was already hassling him. There’s also Beffica getting into petty fights with everyone, and Filbo unable to get anyone to take him seriously. I keep seeing all this and I just start to wonder if getting everyone together is futile” he threw his paws in the air. “What if three days after everyone’s back they once again go their own separate ways again? Am I being selfish in thinking maybe I’m just wasting my time?”

“Yes. Somewhat” Yu’s blunt response made Dagbert stop, chance Yu took to ask: “Are you going to stop trying to get them to return?”

“No! I’ll keep working on it, but I’m...” Dagbert trailed off. There was no way he could talk without forgetting how selfish he had seemed just now, that was for certain. “Sorry. I just hate wasted effort. I have been starting to think about how I should start focusing more on the Bugsnax than on the people around here, but—“

“Not you too!” Yu blurted out. “I have been hearing all day how some people here’s lives revolve around Bugsnax. It’s starting to make me worry a little”

“...I see” Dagbert patted Yu’s head. These grumpuses needed to stop doing that, it still felt condescending. “I can see why it bothers you, but you should remember these people came here specifically to find out about Bugsnax – and they have been here for at least three months already. Whether they realize it or not, their life revolves around Bugsnax now” he shrugged, smiling sardonically. “It also doesn’t help there’s no other food, but I’m sure they saw that one coming!”

“Right. Sorry, I’m a little pent up about this now, and after what happened yesterday Bugsnax don’t seem as great as everyone says they are”

“Feeling a little better now that you said it?”

Yu leaned back, planting his hands on the ground. “I do. I had to get that out of my system” It wasn’t often he got to complain! This was a rare moment – one he didn’t want to repeat too often. He was the one people relied on most of the time, and although he knew others welcomed him speaking his mind about what bothered him, he preferred not to. Perhaps it was Dagbert was easy to talk to. Something about him just made Yu feel like he could rely on the journalist.

Dagbert stared into the fire. He was calm, smiling pleasantly. “I guess we both don’t have anyone else to talk this sort of stuff with. You just know Filbo would have been so sad if he heard me I think getting everyone could be wasted effort. He’d say something like...” he once again did a very good imitation of Filbo’s higher-pitched voice. “’We won’t fall apart again!’ He’s optimistic like that”

Yu looked up at the night sky. “He’d tell me I just had to get used to Bugsnax and maybe suggest I should try eating one”

“Would you?”

“I think so, but I wouldn’t want to try without you two being there”

“Of course” Dagbert said. “You know, I’m glad you’re here. I don’t know what I’d have done if I had all these thoughts inside me without someone to tell me I’m being selfish. Maybe I’d give up partway through about this whole ‘get everyone back’ plan and I’d just go try find Lizbert by myself”

“You’re probably better than you think you are” Even if Yu wasn’t around that didn’t mean Dagbert wouldn’t fulfill this exhausting endeavor.

“...I’d like to think that” he said “Here we are, the two outsiders of the bunch airing grievances to each other. Since nobody else will be in our position we’ll have to rely on each other. If you ever want to rant or something I’ll listen”

Really, for as much as Dagbert liked to complain and to say something was wasted time and effort, he kept reaching out to others. Yu wasn’t sure the journalist realized it or not, but it kept happening.

Cheered up, Dagbert extended a paw towards Yu, closing it in a fist. “Here, hit this with a fist. It’s something younger grumpuses do—“

“We have fist bumps where I’m from”

“Then what are you waiting for?” he shook his fist impatiently. Of course Yu couldn’t leave him hanging, he connected the fist bump.

To be frank, he still wasn’t 100% comfortable among grumpuses and their strange world. It was partly because of Bugsnax, and partly because he felt like an outcast amidst this group of fuzzy creatures – and probably he’d keep feeling like that for as long as he stayed on Snaktooth. Dagbert’s camaraderie was always welcome, that was for sure. It made him feel like he really was cultivating a friend.

“What was that about younger grumpuses? You’re not that old” Yu went quiet for a second before asking for confirmation: “Right?”

“Next year I’ll be thirty. My own teenage years feel distant by now” Dagbert idly thumbed through his journal, writing down something Yu couldn’t see. “Listen, both of us have our own problems to solve. I really need to dig into the mystery of Bugsnax as much as possible; you need to deal with your whole thing about humans. We’re both probably going to need as much help as we can get, so how about we compare notes?”

“Help each other, you mean?”

“Exactly. Let’s sit here every night at this hour. We can tell each other what we have discovered and share information, and little by little we’ll get what we want. How about it?”

“I accept” there was no reason not to! With Dagbert promising to give him any new information on a nightly basis, Yu would have more to work with. It’d be foolish not to accept such a proposal.

Satisfied, Dagbert passed Yu his journal, having opened a pair of pages. “Awesome! Since we’re a team now, Narukami, here’s something as thanks for what you told me about those bugs’ lack of organs” he said while Yu took the journal. “I went to take a look over there, in direction of that snowy mountain. It’s blocked off right now, but along the way I found another two grumpuses. They’re living together in the same cabin; a little isolated from everything else but they have been in the area for a while.

I know you wanted to talk to Triffany, but I recommend you go talk to them since they’re more readily available” he looked towards the bridge that led to Sugarpine Woods – the bridge Yu had used to arrive to Snaxburg. “You said you got to this island from...from that mountain? Maybe other humans did as well. Ask them if they have seen anything. They seem decent enough people, maybe you won’t have too much trouble talking to them”

It wasn’t too bad of a plan while Dagbert got in contact with Triffany. Yu examined the pages the journalist had left open to show him, finding two sketches of grumpuses he had never seen before. For a moment he wondered if perhaps Dagbert had taken some artistic liberties with them – one looked so full of muscles, the other had legs so long they were almost comical. The sketches probably were accurate enough, although right now on paper they seemed like quite strange-looking individuals. Yu had been about to ask for the names when he found them written underneath the sketches, committing them to memory:

‘Chandlo Funkbun and Snorpy Fizzlebean’

Chapter Text

The path to the pine forest Yu had been in at the start of the week had seemed rather safe – especially because no Bugsnax had paid any attention to him while he was walking down the road to Snaxburg – but Dagbert insisted in not letting Yu go by himself. “There’s no way we’ll let a repeat of that incident happen again” he had said, referring to what had happened to Yu while he had been alone even on one of the safest areas of the island. “You’re not going out there without supervision”.

The problem was that it also meant any journey outside of Snaxburg was tied to someone else’s availability. Filbo had a town to take care of, and when he wasn’t performing maintenance around, he was checking on everyone to see if there was anything he could do for them. Most grumpuses around, having literally no other option since Dagbert outright refused and instead told them to talk to Filbo for anything town-related, were starting to make requests and ask him for stuff, meaning the mayor was starting to get rather busy.

“Sorry, Yu, I kinda think I can’t today. Maybe tomorrow if you still need me to go with you!” he had said while he gathered stuff from the supplies. Still, he looked pleased as punch! Other people relying on him for once was making him happy, even if it was because they had nobody else to turn to.

Dagbert said he wanted to start interviewing people around, but that he’d be free on the afternoon. Wambus of course had his paws full with his farm, and Beffica...well, she certainly didn’t have anything better to do, if she following him around was any indication, but when he asked her to accompany him, she had said she wasn’t very good at going out of the town. She even begrudgingly admitted Filbo was better at it than her, and that said a lot.

Nothing to do but wait until the afternoon so the journalist would take him to meet Chandlo and Snorpy.

Something Yu had come to appreciate was the silence. Since stepping out of Snaxburg meant being surrounded by an island full of life, the relative calm of the village was almost welcome, if only because he didn’t have to pay attention to his surroundings to watch out for any Bugsnax that could be coming nearby. Yu walked alongside the creek bordering the town, finding the waterfall it all came from. Other than the wind this was the only source of noise in the area, but it was particularly quiet for a waterfall.

Perhaps it was because it was so quiet that he heard the repetitive chanting of Bugsnax nearby. Looking around Yu noticed where he was standing: behind Gramble’s barn. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t crossed any words with him yet. Gramble always had hurried to leave whenever Yu was nearby – he still looked scared. Not even when Yu called after him the rancher stopped, instead locking himself in the barn. It was starting to kind of hurt Yu’s feelings, but he had to admit Gramble’s behavior was what he had expected the most. That and scorn.

Following the sound of Bugsnax, he found the corral. He had never seen anything in it ever before, all the time it had been empty. Now there were half a dozen bugs roaming in there, aimlessly wandering around. Strabbies, Bungers, a yellow Peelbug from the beach, an Inchwrap. It was so strange to see fruits and cooked meals be in the same place like this, but it seemed they didn’t mind each other, instead crawling around and giving each other some space.

The Inchwrap crawled near the fence, where Yu was standing. So that’s what hit me on the chest the other day... he thought and crouched, taking a better look through the fence. Out of the ground like this it was almost harmless-looking, but since it could burrow into the ground it could escape anytime...was Gramble aware of that?

Speak of the devil! Out from the side door of the barn came Gramble, humming in a good mood. That cheerfulness froze when he saw Yu. For a moment they stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Gramble looked like a deer in the headlights, Yu was pretty sure his pupils even had shrunk when he saw the human lurking around his barn.

The Bugsnax were the only ones breaking the silence, uncaring these two were being so distrustful of each other. Yu leaned on the corral fence, deciding it was time to try to dispel the bad air between them. “Sorry. Am I in the way?” Yu asked.

Gramble really seemed like he’d like to answer that yes, Yu was in the way and should step away. Still...he didn’t do that. He looked down, intertwining his fingers together. Filbo had mentioned Gramble was the youngest grumpus around, and at a time like this he really seemed younger than everyone else. His short stature and his timidity made him seem like he was of the same age as Yu, even though he actually was around five years older. After a bit of staring at each other, Gramble finally replied, even though it was more of a mumble than a conversational response:

“...do you wanna pet ‘em?”

The moment Yu heard Gramble he forgot what he was going to say. That voice...it was so similar to Teddie’s. Accent aside, if he had been looking somewhere else and Gramble had approached him from the back and said something, he’d have thought Teddie had somehow arrived to Snaxburg. Yu stared at Gramble, like at any moment Gramble would change from pink to blue and turn rounder, but of course, no such thing happened.

“...could you stop starin’ at me like that?!”

That snapped Yu out of his daydreaming. Yu blinked, feeling a very curious sensation of disappointment welling inside him. “Sorry, you reminded me of someone I know” he said.

“I was askin’ if you wanna pet the Snax” A tinge of impatience seeped into that question, like if Yu didn’t answer soon Gramble would give up. He was trying his hardest! If it didn’t lead anywhere he probably wouldn’t try again in a long while.

“Sure. Let me try”

“Just hop over the fence and approach them slowly” he instructed. Yu didn’t hop, instead he got on the fence and carefully descended into the corral. Even though he was uneasy around Bugsnax, he crouched, waiting to see if those insects would approach as if they were shy dogs. The Inchwrap, still nearby, crawled towards Yu, extending its leafy, plump body towards him while it looked at the human.

Slowly, almost sure at any moment the Inchwrap would jump in the air and slam into him, Yu extended a hand and pet the vegetable wrap right behind the googly eyes. How curious...it really felt like the leafy surface was a real leaf. How was the filling not leaking out from either end? The Inchwrap calmly repeated its name. Yu had to admit it was kind of a cute critter, even though it made no effort to lean into his hand like some animals would.

“I think it likes you!” that was the happiest he had ever seen Gramble be. He even approached! “I have always thought Bugsnax are good judges of character! If they like you, you probably are okay”

Wambus had been right, Gramble really spoke of them as if they were pets. It was sweet – now Yu could see why Wiggle was saying Gramble had a gentle heart. Yu relaxed, letting the Inchwrap crawl away. The rancher gave Yu a good look.

“You really are like somethin’ out of my nightmares...” he murmured. What was anyone supposed to say to that? Gramble winced, realizing what had come out of his mouth. “Tell me I didn’t say that aloud!”

“I take no offense”

“Really? Well...I’m so sorry, I really am sorry” at least Gramble seemed to really mean it. “I...I was so scared about talkin’ to you. That journalist said there was something in the town that wasn’t Bugsnax but also wasn’t a grumpus and I just...thought of some stuff I think I have dreamed with before. Then I saw you with Wambus and figured maybe you were like him” those last few words were accompanied with a truly spiteful glance at the garden on the other side of the road. “...I probably wasn’t givin’ you a fair shake”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it” Yu said. While it perhaps wasn’t fine, he was willing to just brush that aside, for the sake of civility.

Gramble dared to smile a little. “I shouldn’t have said that aloud, but at least we probably all look like your sleep paralysis demons!”

Nothing farther from the truth, but Yu didn’t say that. What mattered was that now they were starting to get along. Gramble certainly looked far more at ease now, picking up a Peelbug, the insect rolling into a ball. When like that it really looked like an orange, all the wedges fitting perfectly together.

The rancher, eager to bury the hatchet, decided it was time to introduce himself: “You’re...Narookahmi, right?” Close enough. “I’m Gramble Gigglefunny! I’m an aspiring Bugsnax breeder, and this...!” he swept a paw all over the corral, at all the Bugsnax minding their own business. “...this is my family!”

Just as Wambus had said: Gramble considered the Snax as something more than everyone’s supply of food. It was understandable, all things considered, although...Filbo had sounded somewhat skeptical about it. Gramble probably knew something about Snax neither Filbo nor Wambus knew; something that made them desirable pets, thought Yu.

Since Yu had been introduced to the wonders of Bugsnax as something else than food, Gramble passed him the Peelbug, who still refused to unfurl. “Aw, look at this li’l fella! It’s all shy!” Gramble cooed. Yu passed a hand over the surface of the Snak – and felt a little silly, this really felt a lot like he was petting an orange the size of his head! “I dunno if you got any plans, but if you got some time I wanna ask you for a favor”

“What is it?” He probably would have time until the afternoon. Besides, it was in his nature to not turn away anyone asking for his help!

Gramble would have twiddled his thumbs nervously if he had some. “When...When Lizbert was ‘round, she used to come to the barn to help me with the Snax. We used to train them! It didn’t really go too well because the li’l ones are...very stubborn? But we were tryin’, and that journalist’s gonna bring me more of them, so...could you help me train them? Or at least watch over them?”

“Me?” Yu was actually surprised about that. This grumpus had spent two days rather scared of Yu, yet now here he was, asking him to lend a hand with raising the Bugsnax!

Gramble nodded firmly. “It’s not like I can ask anyone else! Everyone would try to eat them, and I can see you haven’t eaten any! For now, at least. That journalist is already helpin’ me, I can’t ask him for more help”

Oh. There it was – he was asking because there literally was no other choice, just like with Filbo and trying to keep the town standing. This wasn’t a very flattering feeling, but Yu nodded anyway.

“You will! Thank you! I-I’m glad to be workin’ with you! I know you’ll keep my little ones nice and safe!” his eyes narrowed. “...or else!”

The threat was a little gratuitous, all things considered, but Yu nodded again. Gramble was willing to give him a chance and leave behind the fright he felt towards Yu, and to be honest after hearing Wambus’ criticism of the rancher Yu had grown a little curious how warranted it was. Maybe Wambus was onto something and Gramble was barking up the wrong tree, or maybe Gramble really knew what he was doing and his way of doing things was the right way. It’d be a chance to find out, and in the meantime bond with Gramble somewhat.

“I can get started now. How do we start?”

“Really? Right now?” Gramble didn’t seem too elated about Yu’s offer. He looked down, nervous. “I was hopin’ I could get some time to prepare. Talkin’ to you right now was...it was a lot of effort. I wanna run away right now because I can’t believe we’re actually talkin’”

“I get it, it’s fine” Yu smiled, but inside he wondered if he really looked that intimidating Gramble had to mentally prepare himself to talk to him again. ‘Intimidating’ was never a word anyone used to describe him, so that Gramble apparently seemed to think that seemed a little silly! But he couldn’t hold it against him.

Apparently Gramble didn’t expect Yu to be understanding about the request, because his eyes widened. Swallowing loudly, he shook his head, taking a decision: “...no. Nevermind, we can get started now”

“Are you sure?”

“We’re gonna be livin’ in the same town. I don’t wanna have to live like I’m afraid of you. I kinda still am, but I gotta get over it!” he breathed deeply. “Come into the barn! I’ll introduce you to everyone. I had just gotten Charwee and Ashwee settled into their pens!”

“You give them names?”

“’course I do! It wouldn’t feel right not to!” he said, cheerful, and approached one of the roaming Bungers. “We also need to give all these Bugsnax names. It’s harder than you’d think!” he tried to pet the Bunger, but it simply walked away, leaving him with a paw extended. Gramble’s smile faltered for a fleeting second before focusing back on Yu. “They still have to get used to their new home”

Getting rejected by a walking burger must hurt thought Yu, leaving the rolled-up Peelbug on the ground.

-ooooo-

While they were walking to the other end of Sugarpine Woods, Yu quietly took the decision to prove he wasn’t hopeless out there in the wild. That way he could leave Snaxburg without having to get someone to accompany him. That way he wouldn’t be leaving after 5:00 PM. Even if he managed to have a talk with Chandlo and Snorpy, he probably wouldn’t have long to talk to them – by the time they got to the cabin in the woods it was almost sunset.

“I could leave on my own if I need to” insisted Yu, showing the by-now very familiar walking stick. It was better than nothing in terms of usefulness, but it wasn’t like there was anything better he could get.

Dagbert, sighing as if he had expected Yu to say that at some point, shook his head, guiding Yu up a slope. “Seriously? After what happened in Garden Grove you don’t think going accompanied out there is the right way of doing this?”

“I have experience in exploring hostile places”

“Really? You should tell me more about that someday” the journalist grabbed Yu by the shoulders. Even though Yu was taller by a good ten centimeters, Dagbert somehow managed to make it seem like it was the other way around – and once again his paws proved he had quite the grip. “But that’s not enough. Did you forget Lizbert and Eggabell went missing? Lizbert and Eggabell – a professional adventurer acing in both physical health and cleverness, and a doctor who most likely knew a lot about surviving out there. Two very capable and tough grumpuses went missing, don’t you get it?”

There was no rebuttal at all that could be used. Dagbert’s point was realistic, hard-hitting, and one Yu couldn’t deny at all. All he could do was nod grimly.

Satisfied there was no further argument, Dagbert’s expression and grip softened. “It takes only one mistake, Narukami. If you went out there alone and you ended injured, maimed, or even dead I don’t think any of us would be able to forgive ourselves. We just want you to be safe” It was nice to know they worried for him so much despite how annoying and inconvenient it made things when Yu had to leave the town. Knowing he had no argument, Yu decided to change the topic:

“What’s today’s plan?” The cabin was on sight; no more than a few minutes of voyage were needed before they got there.

“I’m working on getting these two back. They both must agree” he frowned. “The problem is that Snorpy is really reclusive. He didn’t even talk to me, even when Chandlo vouched for me. I don’t know if he’s always like that but right now he just wants nothing to do with me”

“Do you think he’ll be willing to talk to me?”

“...it’s hard to say, but it’s worth a try. Chandlo is willing to return to the town only if Snorpy wants to, but if he doesn’t even try to talk to me then...we’re stuck”

In other words, Snorpy was the obstacle here. Yu wasn’t too certain he’d be more willing to talk to a human, but trying it was better that than just giving up. “Fine. What about you?”

“As I said, the path to the mountain is blocked. I’ll try to solve that while you meet with these two. Don’t worry about Chandlo, he’s as chill as it gets” Well at least there was someone who would be willing to talk to Yu.

The cabin was small, a square and solid-looking building. A chimney let smoke out of the cabin, hinting it was currently occupied. Dagbert took a breath of fresh forest air – crisp and a little cold now that it was sunset. “Time is a-wasting, Narukami. As usual perhaps you should hang back while I get everything ready for you—“

The instructions were interrupted when a tree fell down, its trunk and branches falling apart in the middle of the road. Splinters and pine needles flew in the air with a radius so wide some of them even fell on Dagbert and Yu.

“...nevermind, Chandlo is right over there” the journalist mumbled, trying to brush pine needles off his fur, finding they were stuck to him like velcro. And indeed, it didn’t take long for a grumpus to appear from between the trees, dragging a truly impressive amount of lumber behind him.

That sketch in the journal definitely didn’t take any artistic liberties. Lime green and with muscles that would make anyone think Chandlo routinely drags trees around every day, he was every bit the definition of a meathead. He even had quite the sharp-looking tusks, almost reaching his chest! If he were taller then he’d be by far the most intimidating grumpus Yu had ever seen. Dagbert waved at him, shouting: “Chandlo, I’m back!”

He turned his head towards them and spoke. Any intimidation went out of the window immediately – Chandlo had a very laidback cadence that contrasted with his appearance. “Woah, you really are! And...you’re bringing somebody new? Hey, how’s it going?” he also noticed Yu and didn’t even look surprised at all, like humans were the most mundane thing in the world. It was giving Yu some hope – maybe he really had seen humans before!

Dagbert seemed to be having the same sort of thoughts, because he asked: “You’re not going to ask what he is? Aren’t you surprised?”

“I really am! But if he were dangerous I’m sure you wouldn’t be with him. He must be a new friend” The logic was sound enough, really. Chandlo approached, still dragging heavy lumber with him as if it was nothing. “You must be Naru...kami. I’m Chandlo!”

“Nice to meet you” Yu said politely, extending a hand. Chandlo glanced at it with something very close to pity.

“Bro, if I shake that paw it’d get crushed like a leaf” not a bad point. Yu had been about to lower his hand when Chandlo changed his mind. “Oh what the grump, come over here!” and he grabbed it, reciprocating the handshake.

It was a good thing Chandlo knew his strength quite well – he tried to be as gentle as possible, but Yu felt his hand be compressed almost painfully in that paw! Once Chandlo let go Yu flexed his fingers, as if making sure nothing had gotten broken. Not having noticed the physical discomfort he had caused, Chandlo faced Dagbert, leaning back on the lumber. “What brings you both here today?”

“Has Snorpy, well...said anything about going back yet?” asked Dagbert.

“Sorry, Dawg, he still refuses to say anything. Even to me!” he said, concerned. “That’s not normal. Even when he’s busy Snorpy takes the time to tell me what he’s working on, but this time he’s got his mouth shut. Something must be really wrong!”

“I could try talking to him” Yu offered immediately. Chandlo’s pink eyes immediately filled with gratitude, as if he had already decided Yu’s offer was the solution to it all.

“You would? Bro, that’d be great! Come on, let’s give it a try!” leaving the lumber behind, Chandlo waddled to the cabin, standing right beside the door while Dagbert and Yu reached him. It was obvious Chandlo was athletic to no end, even at a leisurely pace he had left them behind. “Alright, everybody ready?” Having made sure Yu would be standing in sight of anyone who opened the door, with Dagbert standing nearby casually, Chandlo knocked on the door. “Snorpy! Hey, Snorpy!”

No response. Chandlo knocked again.

“Snorpy, there’s someone you should see! You won’t ever guess who it is!”

Judging by how Chandlo stepped away, he heard someone inside the cabin approach the door and got beside Yu, ready to introduce him. The top half of the door opened, revealing a yellow grumpus with some rather complicated glasses. A thick miasma of paranoia and distrust leaked through the open half of the door. Snorpy found Yu and Dagbert right away, stared for one, two seconds, and slammed the top half of the door without saying a word.

Chandlo sighed. “I’m sorry, bros. Snorpy isn’t good with strangers, but normally he’d be willing to give a chance if I’m there. I dunno what’s wrong”

“Have you asked him?” inquired Yu.

“I asked him a couple times already, but I guess he’ll talk when he’s ready” he crossed his arms, drumming his fingers against one of his biceps. “But I’m starting to get really worried...if he doesn’t snap outta this soon, I’m gonna have to force the issue outta him somehow. This can’t go on like this” Probably due to the refusal to talk to even him. If it wasn’t for that, Chandlo probably would have a lot more patience. Despite that, he really looked at a loss of what to even say to him.

“I’m...I’m sorry to hear that, Chandlo. It’s hard to know what’s the right move” Dagbert hummed, looking up at the darkening sky. “I think I’ll go take a look at the mountain path. You have half an hour, Narukami” he said, leaving to go deeper into the woods.

“Half an hour for what?” asked Chandlo while they were walking back to the lumber left in the middle of the path.

Knowing the time was limited and that if they took too long they’d have to return to Snaxburg while it was all dark, Yu decided to go straight to the point: “Have you seen anyone like me around here?”

“Like you...?” Chandlo thought for a moment, giving Yu some hopes perhaps he had, but in the end he just shook his head. “Sorry, dude, you’re the first one I have ever seen”

“How long have you been here?”

“Since the fight a month ago, but Snorpy wanted to build a cabin out here from the moment we built the town” he said. Every time he mentioned Snorpy his voice seemed to turn a little fonder. “He said he wanted a base out of Snaxburg for security reasons, and I wanted space to exercise. There’s almost no space for a good B-ball court in town!”

“So you have been here since before that?”

“We come and go from time to time! And Snorpy has ways to keep tabs on everything going on around here. Like a radio, and a few devices. He’d have known!”

Meaning that if, for some reason, there had been humans time before Yu and probably his friends had arrived to Snaktooth, Chandlo and Snorpy would have noticed. Once another dead end – at least at first sight, it wasn’t like they had explored the place to check for any hints anyone from the Investigation Team had been in the area, but at this point Yu was starting to get really worried:

They all had gone through the door at the same time. Everything about that door was a complete unknown, so perhaps it was foolish to even expect logic from that, but since they all entered the door they should have been on the island. If there was no sign of them anywhere then...had they been on the mountaintop too? And if they did...

...were they...okay? Yu seriously didn’t want to think something awful may have happened to them. No, no way it did! They had to be somewhere on the island!

But the more he found dead ends, the more afraid he got. True, it was still possible someone was in Flavor Falls or in Garden Grove, he couldn’t say they had checked every inch of those areas, but still...

“Dawg, are you okay? You look like you got a stomachache”

Yu took a deep breath and passed a sleeved arm over his forehead. He was sweating somewhat. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it”

“When someone tells me not to worry about something there usually is a reason to worry after all. Are you sure?”

“I’m fine!” Yu insisted. “Just disappointed”

“Sorry, bro. I’ll keep my eyes wide open for you, and if I see more like you, you’ll be the first to know” he said, eager to help. Yu had to appreciate that. “You know, the journalist said you were a huge man, but you’re as tall as some grumps I know”

“I haven’t hit all my growth spurts yet” Yu said, managing to keep a straight face. Chandlo probably just misheard Dagbert when he said Yu was a human, but there was no harm in joking a little!

Chandlo, of course, believed it without question. “You’re gonna be huge when you’re done growing up! Cool! Come over here!” he guided Yu to a flat rock on the side of the road. “Let me see how strong you are! Let’s do some arm wrestling!”

The price for some friendly ribbing at Chandlo’s expense: Yu was going to get completely humiliated at arm wrestling. There was no way he was stronger than Chandlo! Still, not being one to back down, Yu nodded and got into position, trying to firmly get his elbow on the rock. Chandlo did the same and gripped Yu’s hand with a paw. “I’m ready whenever you are”

“One...two...three!”

The E sound had barely left Chandlo’s mouth when the back of Yu’s hand hit the surface of the rock. He did try to endure the onslaught, but there was nothing to be done against Chandlo’s strength. While Yu rubbed his hand, Chandlo was as easygoing as usual: “Don’t worry, I know how to be careful with the horsepower”

Good to know Chandlo wouldn’t inadvertently break his bones. “How did you even turn this strong?” No other grumpus had come even close to this level of strength, at least from the ones he met! Yu certainly couldn’t imagine, say, Filbo dragging trees around. Not even Wambus, who had considerable strength, would be able to do that! Probably.

“Lots of training and—“

“Chandlo!” Snorpy’s voice cut through the air, breaking the friendly atmosphere. He had come out and was now standing outside, although he kept looking above him like he expected to see something. Chandlo, not wanting to leave Snorpy waiting, returned to the cabin right away, just to be ushered inside. “Excuse us” Snorpy at least had the courtesy of saying that to Yu before closing the door – or at least trying to, accidentally leaving it ajar, enough for Yu to be able to hear them from outside.

“What’s up, Snorpdawg? Can we talk now?”

“Chandlo, why are you fraternizing with that?”

“What? Naruk—“ Chandlo stumbled a little with the name, instead settling with a pronoun: “He’s alright – you should give him a chance”

“You really should think twice. You don’t know where it came from”

“At least say hello to him!”

“You don’t get it. Chandlo, something’s going on”

“I won’t get it unless you explain. Come on, just say it already!” Chandlo’s voice sounded a little strained. He was trying to be understanding, but at the same time he was starting to get impatient, wanting to understand why Snorpy was being so unwelcoming and distrusting, even for him.

“It all started yesterday. There’s this constant transmission signal all of a sudden, coming out from somewhere. Why’d there be a signal on Snaktooth? We’re too far from any mainland to receive any!” Snorpy said, talking rather quickly, almost frenzied. Yu got a little closer, trying to listen more. He had no idea if this was pertinent to him or not, but just in case he should find out more! “Then this grump appears a few hours later, one we don’t know at all, and now there’s a strange lifeform right outside! There are too many abnormal events happening in a row! I-I really don’t think it’s a coincidence”

Well, to Snorpy’s credit Yu had to admit he appearing out of nowhere like this probably was as abnormal as it could get. Chandlo seemed to think so too, because he sounded calmer, a little soothing: “I guess I can see that...then what do you think is going on?”

“...I have no idea. It can’t be good, but I don’t know what’s going on” Yu could imagine Snorpy having trouble admitting that. “I suspect this is an artificial lifeform, created by certain bad actors perhaps here on Snaktooth--”

“I dunno about that...”

“Or a genetically modified grumpus, kidnapped and having undergone a series of drastic experiments to create what you see! Very cruel experiments, if the result is anything to judge by”

That was uncalled for! thought Yu. He really preferred what Wiggle had said about him having a confident and striking presence. “I can hear you!” Yu shouted, hearing a yelp from inside the cabin.

“And it’s speaking our language! Someone must have taught—“

“Don’t be like that, he probably is nothing like that. You should give him a chance!”

“You’re too trusting sometimes, Chandlo...I worry about that sometimes”

Silence while someone did something on a table. Yu couldn’t see anything.

“...we should return to Snaxburg” said Snorpy. Yu, glad to hear that, got a little closer to the doorway. This was good! Despite everything it seemed these two had decided to go back to the town!

Chandlo seemed surprised, though: “Really? Let’s do it, bro! But why did you change your mind?”

“We’re unsafe here. I don’t want to put everyone in Snaxburg in danger, but we need some safety in numbers while we try to find another place to stay at. In the meantime I’ll keep working on catching the signal I’m getting and see if that unveils what should be the next move! Or what the Grumpinati’s plans are, it could be that”

Yu played with the cuff of his sleeve, unsure how Snorpy would react once he found out the lifeform he had gotten so paranoid about was now a resident of Snaxburg. Would that help assuage his fears or make them worse? He couldn’t tell, but they’d find out sooner or later, apparently.

Snorpy didn’t want to leave yet, though, and he made that very clear to Chandlo, saying he wanted to pack his devices carefully and keep working on building something to receive the signal. That was good enough, Chandlo didn’t insist, although before stepping out of the cabin he did say something it seemed he hoped would reach Snorpy. “I don’t really get too well what’s going on, but if you ever want to talk I’ll listen”

“I know you would” Snorpy’s muttered response was so soft Yu wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly.

Chandlo would have hugged the human as soon as he exited the cabin if it wasn’t because such an impromptu action would shatter his spine. “Did you hear that? We’re going back!”

“He doesn’t sound too happy about it” said Yu. That was an understatement, but right now? He just was glad these two would be returning to Snaxburg. Filbo would be pleased!

“I know” Chandlo turned his back to the cabin, awkwardly refusing to look inside right now. “I’m sorry about all this. Snorpy isn’t usually like this; I really don’t get what’s happening now. I’m sure if things were different he’d be fine talking to you”

“He seems scared of me”

“He is...” Chandlo’s muscles tensed while he closed the door, and led Yu some distance away from the cabin. “Snorpy’s got mad social anxiety, but he wasn’t that rude ever before. I’m so sorry for all that”

“He’s not the only one who has been scared of me”

“Why’d anyone be scared of you? You’re cool” Chandlo lightly punched Yu on the arm, making him sway to a side. “And I really appreciated you wanted to try to talk to him! If you get the chance please try to be kind to him. Sooner or later he’ll accept you, you’ll see!”

“How do I convince him I’m not a genetically modified supersoldier out to get him?”

Chandlo shrugged. “Beats me! Snorpy has a lot of worries and says a lot of stuff about shady organizations, but he’s trying to handle it all the best he can. He’s a truly wonderful person, you’ll see” There was absolutely no doubt in his voice, like it was matter of time before Yu found out how swell of a person Snorpy is, and all this paranoia and fear would be left behind – at least the part that involved the human.

Besides, anyone who was willing to give Snorpy a chance was in Chandlo’s good books. Although Yu would still do it anyway, that it helped Chandlo and strengthened the budding friendship between Yu and this grumpus was quite the incentive. Yu didn’t hesitate, he nodded immediately. “I promise I will try to talk once he’s in town” and of course, he’d fulfill that promise.

“Thanks a lot, bro! No matter what you are you have your heart in the right place!” Chandlo was overflowing with gratitude. Yu simply had to smile at that, glad meeting Chandlo had gone quite well, even if meeting Snorpy hadn’t at all.

It was because of that that it wasn’t surprising he felt a faint bond with Chandlo begin.

-ooooo-

“Well done getting those two to come back, even if it was by scaring the wits out of Snorpy -- but he’s got a point! It’s really strange there’s a signal around here”

The campfire roared. Filbo was sitting nearby, apparently exhausted after a long day of having to deal with a bunch of problems, while Wambus just sat there in silence -- he seemed to be in quite the bad mood, staring at the fire as if it had insulted him. Yu and Dagbert fulfilled their agreement of discussing their findings, although in the meantime Yu was also busy picking pine needles out of Dagbert’s fur and tossing them into the firepit. Turns out getting all of them out is difficult when you have paws, so he was forced to ask Yu to fish out the ones that were still clinging to him, especially on his head.

“I doubt he’ll want to tell me what it’s about but I’ll try to find out anyway” Yu said. Investigating sometimes meant facing people who are wary of you. Snorpy was a bit of a special case in that his paranoia was by far the strangest Yu had ever faced, but he was going to try, either way! “Did you discover anything new?”

“I sure did, but...” he gave a cautious look at Wambus. Right, he had said he was going to interview the farmer, it could be he had found out something useful he didn’t want to repeat in front of him. Once Yu stepped back, announcing he had gotten all the pine needles – “You humans are lucky you have long fingers” the journalist had said -- Dagbert loudly asked Filbo, perhaps a little too unsubtly: “Filbo! Mind if I borrow a brush?”

Filbo blinked, apparently having fallen asleep for a moment. “Uh? Um, sure, buddy, it’s—it’s in the first drawer?”

“Got it. Have a good night” nobody bothered to reply, not that it mattered. Subtly indicating Yu to come along, Dagbert went into Filbo’s hut, opening the drawer and taking out a quite large brush. “I interviewed Wambus and he confirmed what you said about Bugsnax. Apparently if you cook them they turn into flavorless mush, which is really odd. I’m not sure what that means, but it’s strange”

“You have to eat them raw no matter what?” that was the conclusion Yu got to – one he wasn’t sure he liked very much.

“Exactly! And while they’re still alive and kicking. I have no idea how these grumps got used to that, but they sure did” Dagbert started brushing his orange fur, trying his best to put some order back into his fuzzy coat after Yu pretty much rooted through it to get the needles out. “Also, Triffany is Wambus’ wife”

“Really?” Then Wambus definitely had to be the best bet to find out where exactly she was! Guessing what Yu had just thought, Dagbert chuckled, turning an arm to brush it well.

“It won’t be so easy, Narukami, they’re not getting along too well these days. I knew since long ago because it was one of the first things Filbo told me about Wambus, but I didn’t think the wound was so fresh. I mentioned her in the morning and he still is in bad mood because of that”

In other words: talking about Triffany with the farmer was going to be like walking on eggshells. Not that it’d be a problem for Yu Narukami! He nodded, understanding the difficult problem he’d have to deal with the next day. “Did he have any idea of where she is?”

“All I got from him is that she’s messing around with skeletons” Right, Triffany is an archaeologist. That should narrow down her location! When Yu expressed that, though, Dagbert made sure to burst that particular hope. “This island is full of grumpus skeletons, for some reason. I fell from my airship at Flavor Falls and two minutes later I had already stumbled upon one. She could be anywhere!”

Right, that reminded Yu about something Beffica had said: “Did it have any bite marks?”

“Bite—what? I don’t think so, but I didn’t take a close look. Why that question?” Once Dagbert was informed that Beffica had mentioned something about skeletons that had been gnawed on, Dagbert stopped brushing, tapping the back of the brush against one of his tusks while he thought the implications of such a fact. “That doesn’t sound good. Did she give any details?”

“I’ll ask her more about that” Yu said. It seemed he’d have to be the one to start a conversation with her after all.

“Do humans gnaw on bones or, you know, eat carrion or something?”

Yu hurried up to deny such an idea! “Definitely not!”

“Then it had to be a grumpus – there are no wild animals anywhere on Snaktooth. Probably some ancient civilization eating each other or something. Only an expert would be able to tell for sure” he resumed his brushing. “Everything keeps coming back to Triffany”

It certainly did, more stuff to ask her about kept piling up. The mention of Triffany, though, made Yu remember something he had heard not long ago – something Filbo had said:

“But Triffany is an archaeologist, and she has all sorts of neat stuff! And also some not-so-neat stuff. I’m pretty sure walking late at night over here and seeing a skeleton propped in there kinda shaved years off my life”

The human looked at the research tents covered in tarps. Could he be lucky enough there’d be some answers in there? What were the odds he’d find in that tent a skeleton with bite marks on it? He knew it was almost impossible there would be human bite marks on it – he hoped so, at least – but he couldn’t dismiss something just because it seemed impossible. If it turned out they were, then...well, it’d prove humans were around at some point. The fresher the bite, the more worrying that’d be.

It was just curiosity. That, and a desire to maybe find out a bit more of information that, albeit unlikely to be of use, would be good to have anyway.

Regardless, it seemed the next day Yu Narukami would commit some breaking and entering onto Triffany’s research tent.

Chapter Text

Procrastinating the unpleasant things in life almost is a coping mechanism. Yu always tried his best not to fall into such behavior, and seeing how he had to deal with two potentially unpleasant situations that day, he decided he couldn’t leave it for another day.

Besides, it had been a week since he found himself on Snaktooth. So far there had been no hint or any progress in finding the rest of the Investigation Team, and the more time passed, the more worried he got. How long could any of his friends last out there by themselves? If they were all separated, that is. For all he knew one day he’d turn the corner and find all seven huddled around a fire in some corner of Garden Grove.

He wanted to think that.

As soon as Yu stepped off the airship he once again felt the pang of dread he was starting to identify as a bad omen. It was incredibly vague; just a feeling that something very dangerous would be happening in the future, but it was startling enough to make him stop. His instincts screamed he should be careful, that a tragedy was going to befall Snaktooth. Perhaps it was because of that that Yu Narukami had gone headfirst into all sorts of things. If he could at least have an inkling of what kind of horror was coming, he could do something about it.

Besides, if he managed to find that out, find his friends, and solve the issue of going home all at the same time then even better. The disappearance of eight teenagers was going to rock Inaba to the core, that was for certain. He didn’t want to imagine the disarray and worry the town most likely was immersed in right now.

No time like the present! In a hurry to try to get his mind off these grim thoughts, Yu jogged to the garden, finding Wambus about to start the daily routine. The ranch sauce plant they had planted just a couple days ago was growing wonderfully, and Yu could already see little sprouts where the seeds for more sauce plants had been laid at. The Bugsnax, though, showed no change at all, just a bunch of mounds of soil and mud. The eyes hadn’t even moved; Yu was pretty sure of that.

“Wambus?”

Wambus looked up from the sauce plant tending. He seemed to be in better mood than the night before. Yu almost felt bad he was going to ruin it. “You here to work a little, kid?”

“Today I can’t. I just wanted to ask you a question and I’ll be on my way”

“Spit it out”

“Where’s Triffany?”

As soon as that name was said, Wambus’ mood plummeted down. “How would I know?” was his bitter reply.

“I thought you could have an idea of where I could find her. I have something to talk about with her”

“Then you can find her yourself”

Definitely bitter. It was just as Dagbert had said, the wound was still fresh. Yu was silent for a moment, considering the moves he could take. Prying too much probably would make Wambus refuse to say anything else, being too soft would give him a chance to build up a wall and refuse to talk about her. He had to apply some pressure without crossing a line.

Sure would be easier if he knew where exactly that line was. “Did something happen?”

Wambus sighed. “It’s not that something happened. We just aren’t seeing eye to eye right now. We have...different priorities”

Asking if that meant the marriage was over probably would go wrong. Yu thought of his uncle, with whom he had lived with for almost a year. Talking about touchy topics with him had been a labor of months of growing his relationship with him, until he had decided to talk, even if it hurt. Now here he was expected to reach the same result in matter of minutes. Yu certainly didn’t want to spend months on Snaktooth no matter how hospitable the grumpuses were.

Somewhat at a loss of how to proceed, Yu decided to try to keep things somewhat positive: “How’s Triffany like?”

“What’s with that question?” apparently it wasn’t the sort of question Wambus expected, because he straightened up, giving Yu his full attention.

“I know nothing about her. I wanted to hear about how she’s like”

Wambus’ anger diminished, replaced by a decidedly more nostalgic outlook. “Triffany knows what she wants. She takes a decision and gets it done, but even when she’s busy she takes the time to talk to you and show she cares. There’s something really warm about her presence that makes you feel like everythin’s going well...and when she tells you one of those jokes she knows, it’s...it’s like everythin’ gets brighter...”

“She sounds wonderful”

He cleared his throat, like he was trying to get rid of a knot on it. “She is. I know she’ll like you once you meet her”

Yu didn’t like bringing this up now because he thought it felt a little like guilt-tripping, but he had to anyway. “I really need to talk to her about some ruins. It could help me return home; I really need to get her help. Please tell me where she is”

“It’s that serious?” Wambus, resigned, motioned Yu to come along. “Fine. I really would have preferred not to talk about this but I’m not gonna get in the way of you going back where you came from. There’s gotta be folks wonderin’ where you went”

Fair enough that Wambus reminded Yu of his loved ones after Yu dug into Wambus’ heartache. Yu followed the farmer to his cabin, passing by a double bed with a half that looked like it hadn’t been slept in for quite a while. The room after it had a spiral staircase that led towards a second floor, and underneath the staircase there was a round table with a photo in a frame – and a tall cactus near to the wall, dressed with clothes that definitely fit an archaeologist. Seeing Yu’s raised eyebrows while staring at the cactus, Wambus tapped the table. “Eyes over here, kid” Once Yu had mumbled an apology, Wambus showed the photo.

“I know she had started a dig site at the Scorched Gorge. If she’s not there I dunno where she could have gone”

The photo was a mock-up of some painting Yu had seen at some point even if he didn’t remember the name of it. Wambus was right there, of course, and to his side was a green grumpus, with the same clothes as the cactus. “Thanks, Wambus”. Dagbert would have to keep an eye out for any hint of green while he explored Scorched Gorge, then.

Wambus sat down to the table, taking the photo and slowly turning it over so it was facing away from them. “The way to the gorge’s blocked with cactuses. I’ll get them out of the way later”

“Take your time...are you okay?” Yu simply had to ask that. Wambus, taking off the hat and putting it on the table, passed the curly fry paw over the top of his head. He seemed quite old when he let his melancholy invade him.

“No” Well that was straightforward. While Yu pondered how to even approach this, Wambus said, a little forcefully: “This whole thing hurts, kid. Leave me alone”. Silently, Yu nodded and obeyed, walking out of the cabin – although when he got to the entrance he just couldn’t stop himself from looking back, seeing Wambus staring wistfully at where the cactus was at.

Asking him had gone a little easier than expected, but Yu didn’t feel glad about it. Instead of being shouted at like he thought would happen, instead he had reminded Wambus about his loneliness and how much he wanted Triffany to be back.

Hard to feel accomplished when you knew you had hurt a friend like that.

Dagbert was currently out arranging the last few details with Chandlo – and Snorpy, if that one finally felt like talking to other people instead of locking himself in the forest cabin – so informing him about Triffany’s possible location would have to wait. That hardly was going to be quick, so Yu decided to get started with the other thing he had to do, and he really hoped Wambus wouldn’t find out about it. He hardly would approve Yu snooping around in his wife’s tent, no matter it was currently abandoned.

Before that, though, making sure Beffica knew what she was talking about would be a good idea. Where was she? Yu found her in her hut, hanging photos from a clothesline placed at the far end of her hut. She even was humming to herself, quite relaxed. The photos depicted many of the grumpuses in the town, very clearly taking without them noticing: Gramble trying to carry around a few Bungers, Wambus talking to his cactus wife imitation, Filbo in the middle of falling after slipping from his seat near the campfire...and Yu reading with vaguely amused expression the newspaper. Right, he had found in Lizbert’s hut a copy of the Grumpfoot article that had gotten Dagbert in so much trouble. It had been...something.

“Beffica”

She turned around, surprised. “It’s you! You still need someone to go with you out of town?”

“I wanted to hear more about the skeleton with bite marks”

“The bites? Why?”

Good question. Why? Because he felt it could be useful information? Because he wanted to see what he could infer from that? “I’m trying to investigate and I need all the information I can get”

That seemed to be an answer Beffica liked, because her dismissive attitude changed a little. “Really? You’re investigating?” Yu nodded. “Like, a detective? That’s what you’re playing at now?”

When she put it like that it seemed a little silly, but Yu replied that yes, like a detective. It’s not like it was wrong, to some extent! Beffica was really delighter to hear that.

“OMG, this isn’t at all what I expected from you! It’s almost too funny to be true” Dagbert had said Beffica wasn’t so bad, but so far she seemed as hard to talk with as usual. “Alright, if this is what you want to do I’ll help. After all, I’m an information specialist~” she winked.

“You are?”

Beffica ignored the question, instead going straight to answering what Yu had asked for: “Anyway, I was living in this sweet cave in Garden Grove. Of course that meant I had to go find my own Snax because nobody else would get them for me, and while I was searching, I found this old skeleton. One of its arms, like, it had been torn away from the rest of the body, and when I looked at it...” she jumped and grabbed onto Yu’s shoulder, forcing him to bend down as if she was going to tell him the juiciest secret ever, and whispered into his ear:

“...I saw these gnarly bite marks on its arm. Something had eaten the flesh off that poor grumpus’ bones! Or something like that. It’s just a guess”

“You thought it had been me?”

“You still remember that? Of course it couldn’t have been you, unless you eat bones. Maybe you do, I dunno” she let go of Yu. “I didn’t take a close look because...I didn’t want to approach it, but I know those were bites”. It was all far less precise than Yu would have liked. Not even when he asked if she remembered where exactly on Garden Grove she had found it she could say much, instead saying she probably wouldn’t be able to figure out where the chasm was.

A little disappointed, Yu thanked Beffica and left her, instead deciding Triffany’s tent had better odds of showing him something useful – and that wasn’t even a guarantee at all! Once he had acquired the lantern he had in the airship for lighting, it was time to delve into the depths of the research tent!

Just in case, Yu decided to enter the tent from the end closest to the fence to avoid being seen by Wambus. Lifting the tarp, Yu crawled under a table that was right where he had entered, dragging himself through dust and dirt, until he was in the center of it all. Dusting himself off, Yu looked around, evaluating the place.

It was just as he remembered it from a week ago. Tables formed a perimeter near the tarp itself. Rocks, relics, a piece of a statue, they were all left on top of the tables, carefully laid there as if they were invaluable relics. Maybe they really were. On one corner there was the statue he had noticed when he had hidden under this tarp when he arrived to Snaxburg. Right, the carvings...!

Yu touched the statue, trying to feel with his fingers in case his eyes weren’t enough in the dim lighting of the abandoned tent. Nothing. This Strabby statue had to be just a part of something else, he couldn’t tell anything at all. Rubbing his fingertips to get rid of the dust accumulated on them, Yu decided to look for a skeleton. It shouldn’t be too hard to find—

“I knew you’d get in here”

Yu’s blood ran cold but he managed to not turn around. Giving Beffica that modicum of petty satisfaction was something he’d have preferred not to do. “I thought you’d come along” he bluffed.

“Of course I would~! I can tell when someone’s scheming something and you have a scheme in mind. Rooting through Triffany’s stuff for investigation reasons?”

“Pretty much. I’m looking for a skeleton”

“Wow, you’re serious! I didn’t think the skeleton bite tale had freaked you out that much~!”

Yu turned around, finally facing Beffica. She looked so satisfied about being right, but at least she didn’t look like she was judging him for it. It seemed more like a playful sort of satisfaction, the kind you’d see in someone who was pleased to have found out a secret but didn’t have plans to talk about it.

Beffica pointed towards the end of the tent, right onto the division that separated it from Floofty’s tent. “I once saw a skeleton, like, lying on a table right over there. Take a look”

Although he didn’t really trust Beffica, it wasn’t like he wasn’t going to check over there at some point, so may as well just go. Just as Beffica said, there was a grumpus skeleton lying on a table. Yu wasn’t an expert, but even he could tell these were some really old bones! Placing the lantern right beside the skeleton, Yu took a look and, deciding Triffany probably had cleaned it thoroughly already, dared to touch it. The texture was smooth, finding bite marks probably shouldn’t be too difficult.

“You should check the limbs. Just trust me on that one” said Beffica. What was that even supposed to mean?

“Because of the bite you saw?”

“I saw Floofty bite into a severed leg last night, flesh and all. Who knows...maybe if you do find something it’s because they came here to have a late night snack on these bones~?” Beffica was saying it so casually, for someone who was tattling on somebody else committing cannibalism not even twelve hours ago.  She probably was just trying to freak him out, he decided.

Nothing. The bones were really smooth. No matter how much Yu looked he couldn’t see any marks of any sort. While he searched, he heard the shutter of her Snaxscope go off and, from the corner of his eye, Beffica having taken a picture of him handling the skeleton in the middle of the dark. “Oooh, this photo is a keeper~” she murmured, looking at the picture.

“Do you know where Triffany has dig sites?” he decided to ask. Anything to keep her distracted instead of letting her take pictures of him in the middle of dubious acts!

“I may know a thing or two~” Beffica dragged from underneath a table a cardboard box, full to the brim with all sorts of old trinkets – and some journals. Browsing each one, she said: “I’m sure I once saw something like that around here...”

“You have been snooping around here”

“’Snooping’ is such a harsh word! Triffany may dig literal dirt and skeletons around, but I dig the real dirt and discover what sort of skeletons people have in their closets. Don’t be surprised if you ever see me in someone else’s cottage~” She waved a dirty-looking journal. “Besides if I didn’t, how would you have ever found this?”

“What’s in that one?”

“Any pro like Triffany will keep records. This here is where she wrote down “interesting” spots for digging. I don’t care about that at all, but maybe you’ll be able to tell if it’s any good” Opening the right pages, Beffica placed the journal on a table, took Yu’s lantern to give it better lighting, and started taking pictures of each one.

For a while both of them worked on their own tasks in silence, the only thing breaking it being the shutter of the Snaxscope and the rattling noise of Yu moving the bones to take a better look at some parts. It was so curious, thought Yu. If a grumpus skeleton ever surfaced in his world there were enough structural differences nobody would think not even for a second it was a human skeleton. How would the experts in his world think the creature that left such bones looked like? Perhaps they would never be able to get right how a grumpus looks like. It all was definitely built for holding the capsule-shaped body together, with a wide ribcage and a surprisingly thick spine...

But no bite marks anywhere. That was to be expected, admittedly – what were the odds – but Yu felt a little disappointed anyway. This particular point would be a mystery for a while longer.

“Nothing over here”

“That’s too bad” Beffica closed the journal, having finished. “I’ll give you the photos once they’re ready – buuuut~ it’ll cost you one Bugsnak. Because this is the first time I’ll even let you give me whatever Snak you want”

He should have known Beffica wasn’t helping him without expecting something in exchange. “I can’t go hunting”

“Then ask my bestie for one! You two are friends, right? I’m sure he’ll be willing to help you with that, especially if it’s for me~”

Fine. That was the price to pay for some progress in his own investigations. Funny how life works – days ago he had started just searching for his friends and a way to return home, now he was fooling around with the skeleton of another species and trying to bribe an information specialist for photos of someone else’s research journals. In just one week he had been pushed into a mire of mystery he hadn’t intended to delve into at first.

Such is the life of Yu Narukami, all things considered.

Beffica left the journal back into the box she took it from and, taking dust from a nearby table, smeared it on the cover, disguising someone had ever grabbed it. “BTW, don’t even think of taking it with you. That’s stealing. People like you and I must have some standards instead of being a thief like Cromdo”

“Like...you and I?” frankly Yu didn’t expect her to mention him on the same level than her in anything.

“Y’know, investigators. I used to do something like that professionally, but mostly about celebs. Former GMZ writer with the skills, right here~”

At least that meant she wasn’t going to judge him for getting into Triffany’s research tent. Silver linings, he supposed. Deciding that had been all he’d be able to get in such a place, Yu decided it was time to make his exit, crawling under the tarp and helping Beffica get out unnoticed.

It was...strange, even after all this he didn’t feel any bond with Beffica yet. She must have quite the walls around herself, he supposed.

-ooooo-

At least Dagbert had a Snak to spare.

At some point during the afternoon three grumpuses made their way into Snaxburg. Snorpy, looking around nervously, hurried towards the mill, opening the doors and giving one glance around. Of course, he saw the human, who currently was standing on the terrace of Lizbert and Eggabell’s hut, not intending to keep himself hidden. Snorpy narrowed his eyes and entered the mill, apparently understanding Yu was going to be part of his daily life from there on, even if it was just from a distance. They’d have to accept each other’s presence.

Chandlo, carrying most of their stuff all at once, and Dagbert, carrying only one suitcase, went behind him, disappearing into the mill. Before they did, though, Yu noticed Chandlo had several changes on him. His arms, formerly green and noticeably full of muscles, had been replaced by thick twisted masses of cooked dough, sprinkled with icing and cinnamon. His legs had changed too, from the knee down looking like thick dippers oozing honey, leaving a trail everywhere he went. That’s got the most impractical one yet, thought Yu, everything will get sticky. Cleaning after himself will be a chore.

But if Chandlo was fine with such a thing, then alright, let him be.

Once the journalist came out of the mill Yu got Dagbert to give him a Kwookie, recognizing it as the cookie thing he had seen back in the first day. Once Yu had it in his hands the legs retracted and its eyes closed, making it look like a particularly large cream-filled cookie sandwich. It...really looked tempting, Yu had to admit. These Bugsnax were really good at looking appetizing.

Trying to forget how Beffica’s forearm had been covered with a disturbingly solid layer of cream, Yu focused on his work, reading the text in the photos Beffica took. He had managed to pin Lizbert’s map onto the wall of his airship room, marking with a pencil every place the notes indicated. Most of them indeed were on Scorching Gorge, with a few other points of interest in middle of a desert area helpfully named Sizzling Sands and a couple ones in the middle of a complicated-looking network of streams and waterfall in Flavor Falls. Plenty of places, if it turned out Triffany wasn’t in the gorge.

Yu was rereading the pictures, trying to see if he had missed a place. He barely heard the sound of someone stepping on the wooden planks of the airship, so he didn’t look up.

“How’s it going, Yu?”

Ah, Filbo! Yu looked up, welcoming. “Did something happen?”

“I noticed you have been working hard for a while in...something here. Wanna take a break?” A break wouldn’t hurt. Leaving the photos aside, Yu nodded, and Filbo showed something he brought: a ream of paper. “Wanna make more of those paper birds you filled my hut with?”

Yu certainly would like to! Paper cranes were his way of killing time. Emptying your head was so easy when you had to focus on folding paper. “Did you throw those away already?”

“W-Well, no...I put as many of them in one of the drawers. I mean, they were kinda a gift, right? You left them all over the place” it was meant to be more of an oddball, harmless prank to see his reaction, but Yu didn’t say that. Filbo took a piece of paper and asked Yu to teach him how to make paper cranes.

It could have gone better. Filbo was already having a hard time due to using common paper instead of origami paper. Yu could make paper cranes with napkins, but Filbo lacked all of his finesse – and having strawberries as paws made it harder to fold the paper properly. Thankfully, he didn’t get frustrated, although his enthusiasm tempered somewhat.

While he pressed some of the paper down he brought up what he apparently came for: “You have been here for a week already. How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine. Still, looking for my friends”

“Have you...progressed with that?” he looked at the map pinned on the wall. He probably thought all the X marks Yu drew were potential human hideouts. Yu clarified that was something tangentially related at best, and Filbo lowered his eyes back to the deformed cranes he was making. “I’m sorry to hear that, Yu”

“It’s fine. I’ll keep searching” perhaps a little forcefully because he didn’t want the reminders he hadn’t progressed at all in finding the rest of the Investigation Team, Yu changed topics: “You look happy”

“O-Oh! You noticed!” Filbo’s face lit up, smiling widely. “People are coming back! I have gotten really busy because there’s so much to do, but they’re finally asking me for help! But...” the smile wavered a little. “I know it’s just because there’s nobody else to ask”

“You can’t know that for sure”

“You don’t get it – I was told that right to my face” he said. Yu exhaled, annoyed. That he couldn’t take a guess who would say such a thing right at Filbo said a lot about how badly the mayor got along with everyone else. “But I don’t mind! What matters is that I’m doing my job, and—and that’s it. I actually am feeling kinda fulfilled with all this!”

Yu modelled a wing. “Are you happy?” asking straightforward like that was Yu’s way of doing things. Subtlety was better left for other times.

Filbo, apparently not having expected to be asked like that if he was happy, just couldn’t bring himself to lie or be vague. “I...I guess not? But it’s fine. I mean, they’re relying on me now, so sooner or later things will get better. It’s not like I’m doing this for praise! But I wish I got a thank you or two from time to time...”

He sounded so resigned, as if he had already come to terms with helping everyone without even getting an appreciative word in response. Yu finished a paper crane, making sure the beak was nice and pointy, and decided to do it: “Thank you”

Filbo said nothing, instead preferring to pull from the crane he was doing so badly.

“Thank you, Filbo” Yu repeated.

“...I didn’t say that so you, um—so you would say it” he mumbled. He seemed uncomfortable.

“It’s not because of that. I mean it. It’s long overdue after how much you have helped me out” Yu tried his best to be as sincere as possible – it didn’t come too hard; given he really did mean to thank Filbo for all his help.

Perhaps it’s because of his efforts to be grateful that Filbo looked up. For a moment he stared at Yu, a little conflicted, like he was trying to decide if he should accept the gratitude or not. The gruumpus opened his mouth. Yu expected him to say something in response, maybe accept the thanks, or maybe just ask him to stop, but instead he just slowly closed his mouth. Even when he got something he wanted, he couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge it.

Maybe he thought he didn’t deserve it.

Yu accidentally made the relaxed atmosphere get tense. Filbo placed a very badly made paper crane on top of Yu’s bed and tried to start another. “A-Anyway! I was coming here because I wanted to talk to you about something!” he insisted. “You know, I had kinda thought you’d manage to find your friends by now. I’m surprised you haven’t, and that you’re still around. IT’s not like I don’t like you being here, I just...am surprised”

“I’m still working on that”

 “I know! So while that’s happening I just—gosh, how do I say this...” it was obvious Filbo had something in mind he wanted to say, but the right words just weren’t coming! “I guess I’m your caretaker? W-Wait, not me, I mean, we’re all looking out for you. I just made it sound like I’m trying to adopt you or something, that’s not—can you even imagine that? I’m no father material! Others here probably would be better for that, not that, uh, not that you need--what am I even saying—?” he was nervously crumpling the paper between his strawberry paws. He definitely was overthinking whatever he was trying to say!

Yu stopped him, taking the crumpled paper out of his transformed paws. “Calm down. You’re getting tongue-tied”

“Uh, right, right...” Taking a deep breath, Filbo tried to start from the top. “So, uh, since it’s been a week and it looks like you’re gonna be here for an indefinite amount of time so...I...I wanted to remind you that, well, you can count on me for anything. You’re living here, I’m the one in charge, obviously my door is open if you need help with anything. Even if I kinda failed you yesterday, but that’s...”

“Don’t worry about it”

Filbo, starting another attempt, folded a piece of paper. “I’m the mayor of this town, for better or for worse, and for as long as you’re here, you’re one grumpus more in my eyes. I wanted to remind you that, in case you were feeling a little out of place. I-I know I’d be, if I were in the middle of a world of humans and I was the only grumpus around, so I just wanted to say that to you because, well...I know I’d want someone to say that to me”

So that was what this all was about: Filbo was worried for him, now that a week had passed and he still had to live in Snaxburg. Despite how busy he was getting nowadays and despite his own problems and trouble, he still took the time to think of him and come all the way to the airship to give him reassurance he was welcome for as long as he needed. Filbo didn’t need to do that, thought Yu, but at the same time he really appreciated he had bothered to do so.

He’d thank him again, but Filbo probably still wouldn’t accept it, so instead Yu tried something else that hopefully would drive the point that he was growing to consider Filbo a good friend. “You said the Bugsnax wears off if you don’t eat some for a while, didn’t you?”

“I sure did!”

“Then when your paws return to normal come back here. I’ll teach you how to make a crane once you have something better to work with”

Judging by Filbo’s face, he understood.

The rest of the day was spent talking about how well Yu was getting along with the rest of the population of Snaxburg. His hopes, his concerns, how others had treated him, Filbo left no stone unturned, listening to everything Yu had to say. Yu sensed Filbo’s sincere helpfulness, having no doubts at all it was a true, real attempt to make sure the human knew he had someone to rely on. Their bond strengthened a little more.

Despite the grimness of having made no progress in his search for a week already, Yu felt comfortable for a while, leaving his worries behind.

Filbo showed Yu a paper boat as if it was a triumph of the origami craft, having given up with the cranes for now. “You know; I’m thinking of hosting a welcome back part for all the grumpuses around here. It’d be great if you come along too! It’ll be fun!”

“If you want me there I’ll be there”

“Of course you’re welcome! Why wouldn’t you be?” he said, leaving the boat aside. “I was thinking three days would be enough time for my buddy to bring more people here”

It seemed now he had something to do on the night of the tenth day. No problem.

-ooooo-

Snorpy congratulated himself. He had done it! He had finally managed to catch onto the transmission! Not that it was too difficult, he thought while he turned some dials on the device he built on his work table. The Grumpinati should have tried harder to hide their schemes if they didn’t want him to catch on. Of course he was going to pounce on the opportunity! Setting a tape recorder next to the speaker of the radio device he built specifically to receive the transmission he felt anticipation building inside him, the elated satisfaction of having done a good job. Tuning in, Snorpy activated the recorder and pressed a button, ready to get the fruits of his labor.

The first second was a brief shout from a voice that...reminded him of his own. Somehow. He’d have to analyze it later, once he listened to the recording. Another voice came in; one he definitely hadn’t heard before. A male voice...? Possibly male. Snorpy leaned closer to this device, as if that would help him listen better, and paid attention to what the voice was saying. This was it, the secrets he had been pursuing since his meters and machines detected the transmission beginning to be broadcasted...

“Mr. Fizzlebean, is this on...?” that was a whisper. Snorpy couldn’t hear a response, but that it was his last name worried him. Was the voice talking to him, listening now? Was this transmission meant to be for him?

The voice cleared his throat and started speaking. He had a calm, professional diction, the voice of someone who is used to giving concise arguments and plan several words ahead – ‘sophisticated’ was the word that came to Snorpy’s mind.

“You may be surprised. I cannot go into detail at the current time, but if the word ‘human’ is familiar to you in any way, whether it’s by hearing it ever before or by meeting one, you must contact me back” there was a rustle of paper. “What I will say now is a series of instructions and requirements for the radio transmission device you will need to send a message back. Listen carefully and follow every single step to the letter”

When the voice said there’d be instructions Snorpy was very glad he had a tape recorder – but he took paper and pen anyway.

The instructions the voice mentioned were highly technical specifications and steps to build a radio transmission device both for receiving and transmitting. Curiously enough, he could do every single step on the device he was using right now, needing only a few modifications before it could use the same frequency to send a reply. Snorpy didn’t believe in coincidences, it couldn’t be a coincidence the voice’s instructions fit so well the device he had built. Did that mean this transmission really was directed specifically for him?

How devious.

What was even more noteworthy, though, was the mention of humans. That was what the journalist had said that strange maybe-genetically-modified-or-maybe-not lifeform he had seen yesterday was called, its species name. Apparently it had a name, just like grumpuses do: Yu Narukami. Sounded eastern. Like the grumpuses from the far east. No matter the language it was a constant all grumpuses’ last names were a combination of two words. ‘Narukami’ probably was like that but in one of the eastern languages, he supposed.

If it wasn’t for the possibility he’s another species, he’d have taken that as proof Narukami was a grumpus who got cruelly experimented on. Well, he wasn’t ruling it out just yet.

“Please reply as soon as possible if you have heard of humans ever before. It’s imperative you do” the voice made sure to emphasize it. The calm, almost didactic voice was tinged by a more personal tone with the next part: “And if you can get in contact with a human, please tell them...

...tell them Naoto Shirogane is doing well”

Was this ‘Naoto Shirogane’ the voice’s identity, or was it someone else? Snorpy had no idea.

“Perhaps the name won’t mean anything to them, but if it does, it probably will take a weight off their shoulders. It’s a selfish request from a stranger – but please consider doing so if you can.

Contact me back as soon as possible”

There was a pause before the message started looping again. It seemed the transmission was just a constant loop, waiting for whoever tunes into this common frequency to listen and follow its instructions. Turning off the radio device, Snorpy considered his options.

This could be a trap. Contacting back could give away his position and compromise not only his life, but everyone else’s. This had to be treated with the utmost caution. On the other paw, by feigning compliance at least for a while he could get more information and trace a plan of action. It wouldn’t take much to modify the radio device and send a reply. Pacing around, Snorpy weighed the pros and cons, until he reached a decision based on one single factor that changed everything:

Yu Narukami.

This could be a chance to find out more about what was going on with that being. If it wasn’t for that, Snorpy would have decided it was too dangerous to reply. But if he wanted to find out more about this...’human’, then cautiously following these instructions was the only option that didn’t involve talking to him.

He wouldn’t tell Narukami about the message for him, though. At least for now. That could wait until he was more certain what he was dealing with.

Three days. He’d do it in three days. That should give enough time to make some progress on this.

Chapter Text

“I was starting to think you guys had forgotten about me!”

It had just been a couple days, thought Yu. Wiggle seemed a little...high-maintenance.

Because Filbo wanted to host that part in matter of days Yu decided to see if he could finish his deal with Wiggle and get her to return before it was party time. Having asked Filbo to accompany him to the beach -- and sending him back right away, once they got to the destination -- Yu found Wiggle in her hammock, swaying and humming a tune offbeat.

“I’m sorry. I have a lot to deal with”

“I thought so, dear. I hope you have managed to find your kin” before Yu could say he hadn’t yet, Wiggle had already gotten off the hammock, eager to get started. It seemed she had something in mind. “I was waiting for you so I can introduce you to the unique, delightful musical style of Wiggle Wigglebottom. Once you have given it a listen I’m sure you’ll get inspired!”

“How are you going to do that?”

“With this!” she showed a vinyl record. “It’s a compilation of my best songs. It has everything you need to know about my style” she said while she got a record player from behind the hammock. “Everything! Do the Wiggle, Wiggle’s World, Wiggle Baby One More Time...”

Yu was already starting to see the pattern.

“...Do the Wiggle the remix, Do the Wiggle ballad version, Do the Wiggle electronica bonanza remix, Do the Wiggle acoustic version...”

And a preferred song. Wiggle didn’t seem too pleased while she named every single one of the man remixes and versions in that compilation of best hits. Even when she ran out of fingers to count them with she kept going, her expression turning more and more annoyed with every variant of the same song, until, with a sigh, she finished the list. Yu politely took the vinyl record and set it on the player. It was time to find out about Wiggle Wigglebottom’s talented career!

Wiggle’s banjo definitely set the pace. Yu didn’t think he’d like listening to that particular instrument! But there was something about the way Wiggle played it in her music that made him feel full of energy. Even though he had started listening because he felt he had to, he actually was starting to enjoy the music! And that was only the first song! Do the Wiggle was fun. Perhaps a little vapid, but really fun!

Watching Yu move his head at the beat of the song made Wiggle smile. “What do you think?”

“You’re really good, Wiggle!” Yu praised sincerely, actually looking forward to listening to more.

“I can recognize in your eyes the shine of someone who would join my fanclub right away! Thank you, darling, thank you” Eager, Wiggle made the next song start – Wiggle’s World. Yu listened intently, having really high expectations after getting introduced to the Banjo Pop genre Wiggle claimed to have invented.

Wiggle’s World was...it wasn’t bad, but it felt a little...bland, at least when compared to Do the Wiggle. Yu certainly wasn’t moving his head while he listened. At least he could appreciate the lyrics had somewhat more of a meaning.

“...what’s the audience’s verdict?” Wiggle asked, a little hesitant. Yu’s diminished enthusiasm hadn’t gone unnoticed. Turning the words in his head, Yu tried to make his opinion sound as fair as he could, while also not pulling any punches:

“It doesn’t feel the same”

“Of course it doesn’t feel the same” Wiggle said “But is it in a good way? Maybe it touches your heart, or maybe it makes you feel something?”

“It’s less memorable” he certainly wasn’t going to have Wiggle’s World stuck in his head for a month. Wiggle probably was used to hearing criticism, but she seemed especially bemused by Yu’s response.

“Alright, that’s fine. Everyone’s wavelengths are different” she sighed, swooning theatrically “It’s a traaaagedy~ when your work doesn’t get praised like you thought it would, but that’s the life of a musician”

The third song didn’t fare much better. Yu definitely thought it had better lyrics than the last two, and there was an effort to sound peppy, but it was somewhat outdated. It wasn’t that he disliked it, it was that after Do the Wiggle it was like...

“...like eating raw tofu right after eating eel” said Yu.

Wiggle put a paw right over her heart, groaning. “Oh! That one hurt~! Darling, don’t get into the music critic business, you’d be ruthless~!” she definitely was playing up her mannerisms a little to hide how that one did hurt somewhat.

“I’m so sorry, Wiggle”

“Don’t be sorry! It’d be wrong of me to have any grudge against you for having an honest opinion. In fact!” she hurried to take the vinyl out of the player. “That’s enough of my music for a while”

“What about the rest of the songs you had mentioned?”

Wiggle turned the record in her paws. “They’re just remixes and other versions of Do the Wiggle. After that single came out there were so many requests to make duets with me; everyone~ wanted to do their own versions of my most famous song. How else do you think it managed to stay top of the charts for so long?”

Yu nodded.

“Of course I couldn’t say no! So many talented musicians turned fans of mine, wanting to have Wiggle Wigglebottom singing with them! And I always~ have time for my fans. But I find myself unsatisfied” she spun the record. “I had to beg for the producer to let me include these two songs in this disc. They’re fit for a greatest hits compilation! Yet I had to beg!”

The indignity! Still, Yu had to admit it was a little ridiculous a greatest hit album had at least twelve different versions of the same song. How would they work with this? Wiggle seemed a little dissatisfied with her best single, so he assumed they’d have to work on something more of the style of the two songs she fought to include. When Yu said that, expecting her to agree, instead she shook her head, the pineapple leaves bobbing up and down.

“No! We need something of the caliber of Do the Wiggle! Just...with a little more spirit, a little more of that special touch that makes earworms happen!”

“Are you sure?”

“Very sure, dear. I need a successful single! Not...not a failure like the other two” she begrudgingly admitted. “The public didn’t care for them”

“So the plan is to eat as many Bugsnax as possible until you can think of a song? Wiggle, that doesn’t seem like a great plan”

“It’s not a great plan, it’s a fantastic plan! Darling, you won’t get it until you eat one. Each Bugsnak is like an explosion in your mouth~! You feel like you get in touch with a part of yourself you didn’t even know you had!” she opened her arms. “I can feel it, I can feel if I keep going, I’ll finally grasp onto the idea I need so badly! I just...need more time. And Snax”

“And my help” Yu asserted and smirked, taking the vinyl record. May as well listen to it fully later.

“And your help, that’s right. Now that you listened to my music did that bring you a spark of inspiration?”

Unfortunately no. Yu was no songwriter nor a composer at all, he had no idea what Wiggle was looking for. Once he told her that, she smiled supportively.

“Don’t beat yourself over it, darling. I’m not expecting you to compose something for me, but I’d be charmed if you kept trying to help. I’m sure between you, me, that journalist, and all the food, my magnum opus will appear before long”

It was good to see that even if he was next to useless at coming up with music she still wanted him around. Her pride at her entertainment profession was obvious, her dedication almost inspiring...and her desperation incredibly transparent. “I’ll be there with you until it happens” Yu promised.

“That’s precisely what I wanted to hear!” Taking her banjo, Wiggle played a few chords in quick succession, bombastic and proud of it. “Help me find my inspiration, darling!”

Yu could sense Wiggle’s energetic dedication to her craft. Feeling inspired, Yu definitely wanted to keep coming back whenever he had some time – and cultivating the bond needed time, of course. It was progressing, getting stronger little by little, but there still was a long way to go.

Wiggle fine-tuned the banjo, thinking. “There’s got to be some sort of plan we can use here...! Bugsnax will help, but they’re three quarters of the job. The rest is myself trying to make sense of what they bring, putting it all together into one good song. How can I do it?”

Good question, thought Yu. Good question.

No way they’d be done in time for Filbo’s party.

-ooooo-

When Wiggle gets an idea in her head she just can’t let it go. High-maintenance, indeed. Kind and easy to get along with, but also with a tendency to steamroll over others. Yu didn’t really mind it, but it was tough to get put on the spot because he still had no idea about music, At least she accepted to keep trying to teach him a little more about banjo playing – and he was proving to be a quick learner. It certainly made the time pass quicker than he expected, until it was sundown. He hadn’t gotten any closer to convincing Wiggle to return. In terms of progress on helping rebuild Snaxburg’s community, the day was wasted. In terms of socializing and feeling accomplished, it wasn’t too bad! Wiggle guided Yu back to town, understanding he had been told not to go into the wilderness by himself.

There was a strange heavy mood when he entered Snaxburg. Filbo, checking everywhere, seemed a little panicked, while off in the distance Yu could hear Gramble calling many names. The human recognized them: the names they had both given the Bugsnax Gramble was calling his family. “Is there something wrong?” Yu asked once Filbo was close.

The blue grumpus looked around aimlessly. “Some of Gramble’s...family? They escaped” Oh. Just like it happened the day Yu arrived to town some of the Bugsnax had just left the barn area somehow. “Chandlo is already searching outside town, and...and that’s it? The rest don’t wanna help because this is like the eighth time this happens...”

“I’ll help”

“Don’t worry about it! There’s something for you --  my buddy wanted to show you something, and he said he has to talk to you about the canyon” That settled it: no way he wouldn’t go talk to Dagbert right away! Maybe he had already found the archaeologist. The night before during their daily meeting he had given the journalist the map, and of course, Dagbert said he’d go the next day and check out the gorge.  “He’s in Lizbert’s cottage right now, so...once that’s done maybe you can help?”

There were many things Yu expected when he entered Lizbert’s cabin. Finding Dagbert all singed and with patches of soot on his fur wasn’t one of them. “Dagbert!”

“Oh. Welcome back” Dagbert looked from where he was sitting. He had been messing with the projector. “I have—“

“Are you okay?!” he looked like he had tried to sleep on the campfire or something! Of course Yu had to ask. Dagbert shrugged.

“I’m fine. Never been set on fire?”

Actually yes. Getting hit from anything ranging between small bursts of flame to pillars of fire extending up to the skies was nothing new, but he survived them only thanks to his Personas. “What happened?”

“I had to retreat. There are Bugsnax that can set you on fire. If you see anything like a scorpion don’t approach them at all” he advised. “You should worry about yourself; at least we grumpuses have the fur to endure that for a bit. You sure don’t!”

When Yu heard about the Scorching Gorge he never thought there’d be stuff that could make it be literal! This really was obstacle after obstacle. Yu didn’t really expect anything different. “Don’t push yourself too hard”

“I won’t, just give me a while to recover, I’ll be fine. Besides, I wanted to show you this” he patted the projector. “I have actually been interviewing people around and thanks to them I got my paws on a few interesting reels. I already gave them a watch, but I thought you’d like to watch them yourself instead of me giving you secondhand retellings”

Yu had never seen anything like the projector ever before. Of course he had seen reels before, but this machine was so antiquated he was surprised it even worked! Maybe on this island it was needed because there was no electricity at all except a generator or two in the mill. Sitting beside Dagbert, he watched the journalist fiddle with the projector and turn it on.

They watched in silence. Lizbert, apparently having gotten a cut on her paw and needing first aid given by Eggabell and trying to keep a daring, interesting attitude towards the camera, while Eggabell told her to be careful. So these are the two missing ones... thought Yu, crossing a leg over the other. All he had known about them before was the name and the praise Filbo heaped over Lizbert. Now he was finally associating faces to the names and finally got to have a glimpse of their personalities.

‘...after a narrow escape from a pack of vicious Bugsnax! Just in time for a gorgeous doctor to treat my grievous wound...’

She seemed like a nice person, teasing the doctor. Eggabell worried for her, trying to stop Lizbert from being too reckless.

‘I just want you to be in peak hunting condition!’

When the reel ended the journalist put a second one, letting it play, and got a third one ready to be shown.

Eggabell, depressed and lying on the bed. Yu glanced at the real, physical bed, visible from they were sitting. To think at some point in the past Lizbert stood there, trying to console Eggabell.

‘...a story for you! ...Bell...are you okay?’

‘I’m worthless’

‘That’s not true. You’re just having one of those days.’

‘Every day is one of those days.’

From the first reel he had never thought he’d see Eggabell so down in the dumps. She had seemed well put-together on the first reel, perhaps even assertive. To hear just how depressed she actually was hit Yu like a shower of freezing water.

‘Thanks, Liz. I’d fall to pieces without you.’

Yu felt bad, and when Eggabell said without Lizbert she’d fall to pieces...he couldn’t help it: he really hoped they were okay out there.

Before now he hadn’t given much thought about these two. Now he hoped they were fine.

The third reel – without Lizbert, only Eggabell and Chandlo exercising and Eggabell lamenting she can’t keep up with Lizbert, and that she wants to be able to capture Bugsnax on her own. Her poor physical condition was blatant – or perhaps it just was Chandlo’s superb physical condition greatly overshadowed hers, Yu didn’t really know. The conversation afterwards, though...

‘I’m just so sick of feeling like an empty shell. I want to stop relying on everybody else. I want to keep up with Liz for once in my life!’

‘...respect. I know things are tough with Liz right now, but dawg, she loves you. You two will be back to normal in no time’

‘But I don’t want to go back to normal! I don’t want her worrying about me anymore...’

‘When you love somebody, you never stop worrying’ about ‘em!’

Chandlo really had tried to be supportive, Yu could see that, and Eggabell seemed to appreciate it. Yu hoped these feelings she was dealing with got solved before...before their disappearance. When the reel ended, Yu crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.

These grumpuses...all of them seemed to be dealing with some quite complicated stuff. Even though this was another world, it all felt so...human. Which was an odd adjective to be using when talking about another sentient species, but then again, Yu was pretty sure when describing him they all would use their world’s version of such a word.

“...do you think they’re still alive?”

Dagbert’s question made Yu’s eyes open. That was quite the question, thought Yu. “I want to think they’re alive” he replied.

“I do too. It’s been one month and they’re tough ones...although I suppose if Eggabell was like this then it’ll be harder to survive out there” Dagbert was very serious. Until now Yu had always seen him with a glint of snarky playfulness in his eyes. It was gone right now, replaced by a gloomy demeanor that didn’t really fit him. “What do you think happened? What made them go missing?”

Was he seriously asking him to make a theory out of the blue like this? “If Eggabell was this worried about catching her own Snax she may have gone out of town without Lizbert knowing to try hunting. Then later Lizbert realized her partner was gone, and went to look for her”

“Did something happen to them both?”

Yu thought of how he almost got pushed deep into a cave by Sandopedes. It wasn’t impossible something did. Still, he shrugged. It was pointless to make wild guesses, the next more negative than the last.

Dagbert didn’t seem to think that just yet, though. He went on, having some trouble getting the words out of his throat. “If something happened to Eggabell I don’t know if Lizbert would be okay. Maybe something did happen to her, and Lizbert didn’t feel like she could bear returning to Snaxburg after that and decided to hide somewhere--“

“Let’s stop talking about this” Yu requested. This would only end in them filling each other’s heads with bleak thoughts.

The journalist exhaled noisily. “...you’re right. Sorry. I just had never given any thought to what could have happened to these two. I always took for granted I’d find Lizbert and get my interview. Not even once I thought about what may be happening to her”

“You shouldn’t think about it” that was Yu’s opinion. Talking from experience, he said, standing up. “When you have something you must do and it involves saving someone, you can’t waste time thinking about what may be happening to them right now. You must always think about the final result: that you either succeed or something bad happens. Always work towards succeeding, but never forget you may not have as much time as you’d want. Stopping to think what may be happening to them will only make you feel bad”

If the Investigation Team had spent a lot of time wondering if the next person to rescue from the TV World may be suffering it wouldn’t make them more courageous, it’d only scare each other. Focusing on their goal had helped them go on no matter what, and this here on Snaktooth didn’t have to be any different!

Dagbert stared at Yu for a bit. “Narukami, you’re such a strange kid. I don’t know what to think about you” Not the first person who had ever said something like that about him. “You’re right. I’ll focus on the goal and keep working towards it. You know, to me it sounded like you have gone through hard times before. Did you?”

No way Dagbert would ever understand anything about the TV World or Personas, so Yu simply said part of the truth: “My friends and I investigated to catch a serial killer in our town last year”

“Are you serious?” Dagbert quickly decided that yes, Yu was very serious about that. “I suppose that made you mature really fast! You’re so levelheaded it’s almost scary to me” the glint in his eyes was back.

“I have always been like this”

“That makes you even stranger! I bet even among humans you’re a strange one”

“I’m sure some people have thought that before”

“And for good reasons!” Dagbert smiled a little. “Thanks for the help. Talking to you really clears my head sometimes”

He was trying so hard to get his usual attitude back, even after the grim thoughts the reels had brought. Yu sensed that somehow he had managed to lend some support to Dagbert, making him able to order his thoughts and focus on important stuff. Good! He really felt the journalist was growing to trust him and was now starting to confide his thoughts and worries.

Although if he had to be honest, the reels did make Yu worried for the missing grumpuses’ wellbeing. They had to be okay, right? Just like the rest of the Investigation Team. They were all fine, if probably not together in the same place, but fine nonetheless. Right?

...right?

-ooooo-

Given this was the eighth time Gramble lost some of the Bugsnax in his barn and corral maybe it was a foregone conclusion the search would bring no result at all. Yu indeed had joined them once his conversation with Dagbert was over, but it didn’t change anything at all.

Perhaps it was partly because any Bugsnak they found was virtually indistinguishable from each other. How were they supposed to find the right ones, exactly? They didn’t acknowledge the names at all – but Yu certainly didn’t know the right words to tell Gramble this was futile. The rancher probably wouldn’t want to hear that, and soon, when Filbo tried to kindly say it, all that happened was that Gramble went and closed the barn early, ignoring what the mayor was trying to say.

To be fair, saying ‘Uh, Gramble, I-I don’t think they even understand they have a name’ wasn’t precisely the height of grace and understanding.

Of course, Yu decided to try to go talk to Gramble, see if he needed any support, but no matter how much he knocked on the main doors the rancher refused to open up. “Gramble! Gramble, it’s me, Yu Narukami!”

No response. That had to be a bad sign, but Yu wasn’t going to force his way through a window or anything like that. If Gramble didn’t want to talk, then he wasn’t going to make him to.

“I’ll be at the airship if you need anything”

Having said that Yu retreated to his airship. He was done for the day anyway – and since he had just offered to talk to Gramble he wasn’t going to wander too far. For a couple hours all he did was read the few newspapers he managed to scrounge around. Something about the news of this world – of one New Grump City, the name giving him a moment of amusement – seemed both so familiar and so alien to him. If it wasn’t because of the silly names – among them Dagbert’s real name, if the one appended to the Grumpfoot article was it -- the photos, and the occasional mention of some of the very much non-human traits grumpuses had, he’d feel like those newspapers could be from his world.

Maybe that’s why they didn’t really keep his attention. Doodling unfitting mustaches on grumpus faces ended being his way of killing time.

A couple hours later it was clear Gramble wasn’t going to come. Yu decided to turn in for the night, listening to the beginning of a light rain start falling on Snaktooth. He had been about to fall asleep when he heard the sound of someone walking by nearby. At this hour of the night? Yu blearily sat on the bed, wondering if he had imagined what he heard.

No harm in taking a look outside.

Jumping off the airship Yu looked around while he adjusted his school jacket, trying to look around and ignore the coldness and the water in the air. He had gotten off just in time to see someone turn the corner towards Garden Grove. This late at night? Uneasy, Yu got ready with his improvised weapon and followed, unsure if this was even the right thing to do.

Droplets of water splashed around, turning the dirt trail into a muddy mess. Trying to keep the lantern dry, Yu held it high, always making sure not to lose from sight whoever was ahead. They didn’t have a light at all, meaning they were walking in the dark...it wasn’t like grumpuses could see in the dark, right? Only when Yu got close enough he finally was able to see enough features to identify who had gone into a nightly stroll. Only one person in town had a red hat like a Strabby and pink fur.

Gramble. Perhaps he had gone to search for his missing pets...at midnight.

Yu extended an arm, intending to touch Gramble, but a sudden, increasingly loud noise of vibrating wings interrupted him. Looking up, he saw what it was: several lollipops as long as his forearm, hovering in the air above their heads, flying in circles, red and white almost glowing in the darkness. One of the variants of Sweetieflies, he remembered. Yu observed, his guard up, waiting for them to make the first move.

They did, gaining speed and starting to tilt towards them. “Move!” he shouted at Gramble, who didn’t react at all – didn’t seem to even notice the Bugsnax descending in spiral towards them, moving in circles around their heads.

Waving the stick with excellent aim he tried to keep them at bay, away from them. One after another the Sweetieflies were swatted away, spiraling towards the trees and crashing unseen somewhere else. The raindrops falling everywhere made it harder to see, but Yu could see the lollipops swerving in the air, unsuccessfully trying to dodge the stick.

One after another the Bugsnax couldn’t land on either him or Gramble! He managed to swat them away, wood hitting against candy with a strange sound like gravel being stepped on. Five, six, seven Sweetieflies blended with the darkness, their droning cries being the only indication of their presence around them.

It felt like a whole swarm of them was between the trees, right there hiding behind the leaves and amidst the branches – for a place that was supposedly tame Garden Grove was quite dangerous that night! Getting his weapon ready, Yu looked around, trying to figure out how many Bugsnax were around them and where they’d be coming from – but it was useless.

One single stick against what could be two, three dozen Sweetieflies – if that was all there was nearby. There could be other kinds of insects lurking, ready to pounce the moment they got careless! Even if they were just giant lollipops flying around by sheer numbers they could get overwhelmed.

The only sensible option was to retreat, decided Yu. You must know when to pick your battles.

“Gramble, we’re getting out of here!”

Still no response. He kept just shambling forward, without even bothering to look around or to acknowledge anything of what was going on!

Starting to get worried, Yu laid a hand on Gramble’s shoulder, shaking him.

There was no time for fooling around, they had to leave – Yu could already see the Sweetieflies starting to come out of the trees! More than he could count at a glance!

Gramble gasped, looking around wildly. “Come back!” he shouted, extending a paw towards the darkness. Yu had been about to tell him to be quiet when he noticed...it was quiet now. No Bugsnax out there made a noise – there was no droning of Sweetieflies out there. In fact, they were nowhere in sight. The whole swarm was nowhere to be seen. There was only the sound of the light rain around them. Confused, Gramble looked around. “Wait...oh no, again...?”

“What’s going on here?”

Yelping, Gramble turned around, relaxing when he saw the human. “Oh! I hope I didn’t wake you up...”

Yu looked around for any signs of danger. “Again, why are you out here?”

Gramble rubbed the back of his head, ashamed. “I got a problem with sleepwalkin’. It’s not strange for me to wake up in the middle of the woods—“

“I see” Yu turned around towards where they had come from. “Stay close to me”

“What?”

“It’s dangerous out here, we have to return to Snaxburg right now and we must stay together. I’m not risking leaving you behind”

“Narukami, I’m not five”

Fine, fair point, but Yu had to insist: “I really don’t like what’s going on out here”

Something about Yu being on guard – someone Gramble had seen so far be very levelheaded and friendly – got the rancher to start getting worried about whatever could be out there, so he didn’t argue about it. Once they got both going, braving Garden Grove at night during a drizzle, he had to ask: “Wh-What’s out there? It’s not a monster, right? I have seen some spooky stuff out there”

Note to himself: ask later what kind of spooky stuff. “Just Bugsnax. Right before you woke up we were about to get swarmed by Sweetieflies”

“That’s impossible! They’re harmless!” Gramble definitely didn’t believe Yu about that. “And they’re not even out at this time. Are you sure those were...?”

“Completely sure”

“I dunno, that’s not how any of this works”

Yu didn’t like at all that Gramble was so insistent in that Sweetieflies wouldn’t even be around so late at night. That’d mean the behavior he observed – the swarming, their mere presence – was highly abnormal, but what worried him the most...

...was that they were gone pretty quickly once Gramble woke up. He really was starting to have a feeling the aggressiveness of Bugsnax was something that happened only as long as he was alone. If any grumpus was in the area – and conscious -- they behaved like normal. That was seriously alarming – a sign of intelligence? Or was it because they sensed something was off about him, feeling he didn’t belong to this world? Or maybe he just made them angry just by being around?

Well, Dagbert really was right in that he shouldn’t be going out there alone. Lollipops and sandwiches were out to get him. He just had to crack a smile at such a thought – it sounded hilarious now that he wasn’t being actively harassed by them right in this moment!

“I’m sorry you had to come wake me up” Gramble said. At least he was keeping his eyes wide open in case something was about to pop up at them. “Usually I just walk ‘round for a while and then return to bed? And other times I just trip on a root or somethin’ and I chip a tooth”

“You should get the sleepwalking problem looked at”

“It’s not a big deal! I’m used to it” he mumbled: “I just haven’t gotten a good night of sleep in a long time. Lots of stuff keep me up at night, and when I fall asleep I just have all these nightmares. And now bein’ in Snaxburg I have to watch out for any hungry grumpuses tryin’ to sneak into the barn”

“Does that happen often?”

“Way too often. Everyone thinks my barn is a grocery store! It’s outrageous!” he vented, rightfully upset about it, in Yu’s opinion. “And then I look away for a moment and—and my little ones aren’t there anymore!”

“I’m sorry to hear that”

“I know, I heard you outside the barn. By the way, thanks for that offer” at least it seemed Gramble did appreciate he had tried to talk to him. “They must be so scared, out there all lost...”

“Do you think they escaped by mistake?”

“’course that’s what happened! In my barn they have all the sauce they can want, there’s shelter, there’s warmth, and I’m there. That’s all a Bugsnak could want, right?”

Hard to say. It could just be Gramble got careless and the Snax escaped, wandering around aimlessly. Perhaps they really did like to be in that barn. Gramble probably did know something the rest didn’t, Yu wanted to believe that.

Gramble, fiddling with a stray thread dangling from his sweater, kept talking: “...I was dreamin’ with them a moment ago. I was there at the barn, and then suddenly all the Bugsnax just...started fading away, right in front of me! I tried to grab one of them, but my paws just...” he stared at them. “They passed right through them. The lil’ ones kept lookin’ at me, like they were beggin’ to not disappear, and I couldn’t do anything about it, and I...”

Snaxburg was now on sight. Getting back wouldn’t take more than a couple minutes more of walking, so Yu stopped to listen.

“...then I woke up over there, all cold and wet. Nothin’ like openin’ your eyes and seein’ only darkness and the rain”

“You should lock your doors”

“I know! That’s what I have been doing! I just can’t stop gettin’ out somehow” Gramble seemed a bit at his wits’ end. “What am I even supposed to do?!”

Losing his Bugsnax – well, his little ones, his family – for the eighth time, having to deal with a village of hungry grumpuses, and unable to even sleep well...Gramble really was dealing with too much. How could he turn his back to this? Yu couldn’t just do nothing about it. While he couldn’t do anything about everyone’s hunger or about the loss of Bugsnax, maybe he could try to solve what little was within his reach – even though he didn’t like at all what he was going to say:

“I could guard the barn for a night”

“Wait, really? Why?”

“I’d make sure nobody comes in for a snack and you can try to have a good night of sleep”

Gramble narrowed his eyes, clearly not trusting Yu enough to accept such a proposal right away. “How can I know you’re not gonna do anythin’ funny like eatin’ them?”

“You’d know in the morning if I did” Yu pointed out.

“Well...that is true...and so far you haven’t eaten any Bugsnax...” Gramble shivered. The drizzle didn’t show any signs of stopping, and now that the town was in sight he probably just wanted to return home and try to forget this night had happened. Maybe that’s why he didn’t think for too long and just accepted: “Alright...tomorrow? How ‘bout tomorrow?” Once Yu agreed, Gramble brightened up a little. “It’s really kind of you to offer! I dunno if I’m gonne get any sleep but it’s worth a try!”

It was a deal: for one night Yu Narukami would guard the barn, try to keep anything from escaping and ensuring nobody would be getting in, and Gramble would try to get much needed sleep. Not too bad of a plan. Still, that Gramble was willing to trust him a little bit felt like they were starting to get along better. It was something to be glad about, at least!

Gramble shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. “Thanks for gettin’ me before I went too far into the woods. We should get going already...”

Yu had been about to nod, agreeing – it was quite late, after all, way past midnight – but before he could do so, not too far behind Gramble, on top of the rocky walls near his airship, Yu saw a familiar silhouette. What was it Filbo had said...?

“It was watching from over there! It was too far to take a good look and since you have two arms and two legs, well...”

The thing! The one that had saved him! Just like Filbo had said it was watching from the spot right above the airship! Perhaps... “You go on ahead” Yu said.  Gramble didn’t seem to like that very much, but Yu insisted: “I need to check something. It won’t take long”

“If you say so. Don’t...go get attacked by Sweetieflies”

No promises on that regard! Giving Gramble a few reassuring words, Yu ran back, looking for a way to climb upwards to the rock outcrop above the airship.

Climbing around in the rain was a really bad idea, but he tried anyway. When would be the next time he saw this being around? He had to take this chance. Grabbing onto the rocks, almost feeling his fingernails cracking under his own weight, Yu found a somewhat safe way to get up there without much hassle. There! The Snaxquatch!

It was standing there, staring at the town, with nobody none the wiser. Yu, making sure to put the stick on the surface of the rock as a show he meant no harm, decided to call out softly: “Hey”

The Snaxquatch’s head turned around almost one hundred eighty degrees. Thankfully there was no sound of bones snapping or anything like that, but it made Yu get a little tense. Having seen the human, the Snaxquatch stepped back, like it was considering running away.

“Sorry. I don’t mean to bother” Yu reassured.

Could the Snaxquatch even say anything? It didn’t try to run away anymore, at least. Sitting down, Yu tried to keep the tone conversational.

“You come here often?”

No nod, no attempt to deny it either. The Snaxquatch was looking at him, as if it was expecting this strange human to jump and try to attack it or something.

“I heard from a friend. You have been around here for a while” Yu looked towards Snaxburg. “It’s a nice town but you probably should stay away” He had no idea if the Snaxquatch would be okay with how everyone in there eats Bugsnax. Maybe the reason why it was watching over the town was precisely because it didn’t like that at all and meant to cause trouble so they would stop eating its brethren.

Maybe it even had been the one to free Gramble’s pets. It wasn’t impossible.

“Did you free them?”

It was really hard to communicate with something that kept staring at him and doing nothing else. Yu scratched behind his ear, trying to figure how what he could even do. This wasn’t getting anywhere!

“I know you can understand me. I’ll try to figure out a way for us to talk, but we won’t get anywhere unless you’re willing to try”

The Snaxquatch’s body seemed to be about to crumble. Some of the Bugsnax forming it threatened to make it fall apart. Was it trying to make its escape?

“If I see you standing here I’ll try to come. Don’t go into the town, just stand here. I’ll make sure to look up here from time to time”

That way if the Snaxquatch wanted to interact further Yu would know. It’d be a sign it was willing to try to interact further, maybe see if they could reach some sort of understanding. Watching carefully for any sign it understood, Yu waited, patiently giving the Snaxquatch a chance to do something.

For a long minute the Snaxquatch did nothing. Could it even do anything? Until...one of its horns  – a Bugsnak that resembled a cone of ice cream – fell and splattered over the rock. As if to reaffirm what it had just done the Snaxquatch’s foot smeared the splatter back and forth, right where it had been standing.

A mark. The Snaxquatch had left a mark.

Yu wasn’t entirely sure what it meant, but he dared to be optimistic about this. He stood up. “I hope it means we’ll meet again”

Just a blank stare in response.

“I’m Narukami”

The Snaxquatch made sure the splatter stayed on the rock despite the drizzling rain and, for good measure, planted the wafer cone right on top of it, like a marker. Despite the current impossibility of communicating with each other, they were trying to meet halfway – although with far more effort from Yu’s part, that’s the impression he had. If he didn’t, the Snaxquatch would continue being as elusive as it had been so far.

Developing this strange relationship was all up to him – and so far it was progressing a little bit -- but that it was willing to try too was quite encouraging.

He hoped that was what it meant, at least.

Chapter Text

Today was a day to spend with Gramble. Yu made a promise, after all – but also he wanted to confirm something: did Bugsnax behave differently when the human was around? Since he would be alone with a few of them during the entire night trying to figure that out was a good use of his time, and perhaps spending the day doing the training Gramble had suggested would show him how they normally behaved.

Well, to be frank, also he was worried about Gramble. After finding out just how much trouble he had to deal with he couldn’t help want to lend a hand. The resident farmer wasn’t Gramble’s biggest problem on Snaktooth Island, that was for certain.

Once Yu had managed to reach some sort of agreement with the Snakquatch he returned to the airship, soaking wet from being for so long in the rain. The blue towel he found on his bed was a surprise. At least it had a note that explained how it got there:

thanks for bringing me back and please give this back tomorrow

It was unsigned but the doodle at the bottom was as good as a signature. It was a Strabby... “...is it?” murmured Yu. It wasn’t a good doodle at all.

To try to get on those bugs’ good side perhaps he should just take a page out of Gramble’s book and provide them with sauce, and of course, that’d require talking to Wambus. Yu made his way down to the farm, expecting to find the farmer already hard at work there.

Him staring at the bunch of buried Bugsnax wasn’t really what he expected, but once Yu got close he saw why: there had been absolutely no change at all. By now there should have been some sort of sign Wambus’ theory was correct, but right now? Nothing at all. Not even the slightest sign of a sprout. Of course Wambus would be there, staring at the mounds, confused.

“We’re missing something” Yu suggested from the fence.

Wambus glanced at Yu, acknowledging his presence, and nudged with the mattock one of the eyes. There was no reaction at all. “I can’t even tell if they’re alive or dead...”

“Are we going to get them out?”

If anyone saw Wambus’ face they’d think Yu had asked him to quit farming for the rest of his life. “Of course not! These are gonna stay in there and that’s that” he turned away from the failed Bugsnax crops, instead immersing himself amidst the plentiful sauce plants. “We’re doin’ something right with the sauce plants. All we gotta do is do with the Snax the same thing we have been doing with these”

They literally hadn’t done anything different – as far as Yu knew, at least. Still, he refrained from saying that. Instead he chose to try to direct it to something a little less...contrarian – anything that could imply Wambus didn’t know what he was doing would go really badly, he judged. “These aren’t normal plants – we may have to do something different”

“Could be, but I doubt it” he said. Good! He didn’t take any offense. “Most plants follow the same general principles. Some may need nutrients in different measures, but in general it’s all about adjustin’ what all plants need to suit what you’re growin’”

Alright then. Wambus was the one with the farm, not Yu – all the human knew was about small gardens, that was nothing when compared to the farm Wambus probably had before coming to Snaxburg. When Yu said that, though, Wambus snorted. “I’ve been farmin’ my whole life but I never said it was at my own farm, kid”

“Then where?”

Wambus examined the leaves and the buds of the hot sauce plant and asked Yu to come over. Once the human was there, taking a good look at the traits of the plant that had just started to sprout buds that’d turn into flowers with hot sauce pods in it, Wambus talked, without stopping his examination of the plants:

“My old man had a farm. A small one, nothin’ too impressive, but to my family it was the whole world. We never lacked anythin’ and there I learned everythin’ I know”

Moving on, he pointed at the soil below the peanut butter plant so Yu would dig in there and check the roots.

“After he passed I worked on other folks’ farms. Even when Triffy and I moved together to her home I kept doin’ that, lookin’ for farmin’ jobs in the area” he said.

Yu, still having some trouble holding the thicker handles of the tools Wambus used, said: “So this is your first farm”

“Right. Only now I gotta chance, and not for lack of tryin’. I don’t expect you to know how much it costs to have a farm back in the mainland” Wambus said, taking the spade and carefully revealing the roots of the plant. “Lands ain’t cheap. Add to that the taxes, the maintenance of the crops, the—the money you need to survive while everythin’ grows. I wasn’t aimin’ to have a huge farm but I never could afford it”

“Not even one of this size?” It wasn’t like Wambus’ farm in Snaxburg was particularly large.

Wambus sighed. “Not even this much” he admitted, ambivalent. Satisfied with what he saw, he carefully covered the roots back, shoveling the dirt with the french fry paw. “Comin’ here was Triffany’s idea, but once I talked to Lizbert myself I felt this was a chance I couldn’t let pass. I’m not lookin’ to get rich from the land, or to turn into some kinda pioneer for when the whole Bugsnax discovery gets shown to the world and grumps start flowin’ in. All I want here is a nice, plentiful farm to call my own – and if it helps us all survive then even better”

It wasn’t a lofty dream; it felt very plausible, in Yu’s opinion. Wambus certainly seemed willing to pour blood, sweat and tears into his farm until it became what he envisioned, and Yu could respect that. “I’m sure it’ll work”

“Darn right it will! This is what I was born for and no walkin’ food is gonna stop it from happenin’. I just need to figure out the right trick, and once I do this is gonna go fine”

This wasn’t just because it was the goal Wambus had made for himself, it also was a matter of pride. Now that he had his own farm failure wasn’t an option – after all, after working so hard for his entire life, was anything other than the bountiful Bugsnax harvest an option?

Feeling he understood Wambus a little better, Yu hoped what the farmer was aiming for would come to fruition. It was hard to believe it right now, though! When all you had to show was a bunch of mounds with googly eyes it certainly didn’t feel like it could turn into what Wambus wanted. Approaching them again, Wambus kneeled, observing the soil a little closer.

“We gotta do somethin’ about it but I ran out of fertilizer. Ain’t like I can get more from the mainland, though...”

“How about compost?”

“It’s gonna take at least a month to get a good one goin’. I probably could get sawdust and plant scraps easy enough, but there’s gotta be a faster way...” Wambus thought for a moment, a frown slowly overtaking his face while he came up with some sort of plan. “Welp, it’s time for the drastic measures”

“So what’s the plan?”

“...you don’t wanna know” Wambus admitted. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll get that journalist to handle it all”

Probably a Bugsnax-related plan, thought Yu. If the journalist was going to get involved it couldn’t be anything else. Wambus probably was going to make mush with them or something in place of compost, he supposed.

“Just let me deal with these. These Bugsnax are tougher than planned, meanin’ I’m gonna have to do all in my power to make this work. You just wait until the plants start growin’”

Meaning Yu had been relegated to sauce plant duty. The plan of letting him help with the Bugsnax crops was gone, Wambus having decided to handle it all by himself. That...couldn’t be a good sign, he thought. Whether the farmer didn’t want to admit it or not, Yu took this as a sign he was getting worried.

With some luck something would sprout, but if nothing happened...well, hopefully Wambus would be okay.

Having serious marriage trouble was already hitting him hard. A failing farm would be quite the additional blow to his pride.

-ooooo-

The sauce gathering took far longer than expected but since it meant helping Wambus he didn’t mind. Perhaps it was for the better – when Gramble opened the barn doors Yu had to step back, a little horrified.

Grumpuses were all covered with fur. That meant some things are almost impossible to notice, among them eyebags – or at least that’s how it’s supposed to be. In Gramble’s case the dark circles under his eyes were distinct enough to be seen even amidst the unkempt fur, giving him a quite gaunt appearance. “Did you get any sleep at all last night?” Yu asked while he entered the barn, leaving aside the sack of sauce bottles he had brought.

“Not...not really. I kept jolting up and it’s...” Gramble rubbed his eyes, holding back a yawn. “Do I look that bad?”

“You look like you’re on your deathbed” Yu said, taking out the towel. A bit of an exaggeration, but he hoped it’d drive home the point.

Taking the towel, Gramble mumbled a thank you and buried his face into it, just taking a moment to rest his eyes. Had he even been outside yet? While Gramble attempted to soothe his poor aching eyeballs, Yu took a look around, checking out the barn now that Gramble was home.

It hadn’t changed that much, all things considered. Perhaps it was because most of the Bugsnax that had been there had escaped, but right now it was almost like when Filbo had shown it to him. A Kweeble wandered around aimlessly, prodding everything with the fork stuck to its face. A lone Bunger, trapped in its kennel, seemed to be snoozing – did that mean Bugsnax really did sleep? Other than those two there was nothing else. Not in the corral, not inside the barn.

“...that’s Charwee. Ashwee isn’t here anymore” said Gramble when he noticed Yu staring at the Kweeble. “You’d think I’d get used to these little guys not being around after it happened so many times, but...it never gets any easier”

“It isn’t your fault, Gramble”

“I know it isn’t!” he shouted. “I have done nothin’ wrong, I just...” Gramble watched Charwee start prodding the sauce bag, probably sensing there was some chocolate in there. Yu had to grab the walking kiwi to get it to stop. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s that everyone’s sabotaging me. That they set the Bugsnax free just so they can eat them later! They know I’d catch them if they ‘gain tried to break into the barn!”

“They’re not sabotaging you. They just—“

“I had asked Filbo to take care of a few and instead he ate them! Did he think I wouldn’t notice his arms and legs? I’m not blind!”

At this point Yu didn’t really know if it was better for Gramble to believe Filbo had eaten them, or to know the truth – that they had escaped when Filbo got a little careless. Better to try to change topics just a little bit! Cradling the Kweeble, Yu asked Gramble to tell him everything he should know about the two or three Bugsnax that remained in the barn area.

Somehow that got Gramble talking for more than an hour, expositing both about the useful information Yu should remember and gushing about little things related to his beloved Bugsnax. “Charwee is very assertive! It’s not afraid of getting close to the more aggressive Snax and poke them with the fork!” his eyes were positively sparkling, so proud it was almost overwhelming.

Just like Yu had planned Gramble took the chance to introduce Yu to the finer points of Bugsnax training, telling grandiose tales of how Bugsnax can perform simple tasks and are cleverer than most people think. The practical demonstration, though, was less than successful. No matter what Gramble did his pets refused to follow any sort of instruction – or even reacted to anything he did. The laser pointer didn’t work, the spoken instructions didn’t work...the grumpus could be standing right in front and they’d just look around aimlessly and wander away! So many times Gramble, flustered, had to grab them again to place them back in front of Yu.

For someone who tried to breed these bugs he sure had difficulty handling them. Seemed a bit over his head, thought Yu.

“These ones mind their own business as long as you don’t got any ketchup. As soon as they see some they go crazy for it!” Gramble gushed, trying to carry the Bunger. The Bunger looked like it couldn’t care less. It seemed quite heavy.

“So they’re not aggressive?”

“Not really! They’re real strong but they’re not out to break your bones”

Yu rubbed his chin, considering something to test his growing theory about Bugsnax aggressiveness. “Could you leave for five minutes?”

“Leave? What for?”

“After what happened last night I want to figure something out. Just go somewhere else out of the barn”

Gramble’s suspicions were obvious – he probably thought Yu was asking him to leave so he could have a feast on a kiwi and a burger. Reassuring him eating them was the last thing in Yu’s mind, Gramble’s paws curled into fists, defensively bringing them to his chest. “Fine...! Five minutes and not one more. Don’t let ‘em escape”

If this didn’t work it probably would be because Gramble was peeking through a window, thought Yu, but it was worth a try anyway. He watched Gramble leave, closing the doors behind him. This was it, they were alone. Yu, unsure what would happen, stood near the wandering Bunger, watching it.

Just days ago he had encountered one in the wild and it had seemed pretty harmless. Perhaps even a little...disarming. It sure got him to lower his guard somewhat back then – what if it had been a way to make him less wary in preparation for the ambush?

This one seemed just as harmless. It walked around, exploring the barn and hitting the walls softly with its head, always mumbling its species name. “...hi?” Yu tentatively said. The Bunger did look in his direction but kept its tackling around, apparently more interested in scratching the walls of the barn with its onion ring tusks.

Right when Yu was starting to think perhaps he was wrong about something, the Bunger focused on him, slowly walking until it stood a few feet in front of him. Yu waited, expecting the Bunger to do something.

Staring, waiting, looking into its googly eyes, its blank stare, checking its limbs for the first sign of danger.

‘Bunger?’ it merely said.

“What’s going through your head...?” murmured Yu, crouching and getting closer to eye-level with the Bugsnak. Well, it didn’t even have a brain, supposedly, but still...

‘Bunger?’

Hardly a conversation. There was no rhyme nor reason about it. No syllables, always the whole name, and only once. While it did seem capable of giving some inflections to its chanting – this one sure sounded triumphant every time it had hit its head against the barn walls – to Yu it always sounded...questioning? Somehow?

The Bunger dashed forward, towards the human. His eyes widening, Yu raised his hands, intending to push back against the Bunger, but it was deceptively strong! Even with his hands ready to grab onto its tusks all it did was soften the blow somewhat. Lowering its head as much as it could the Bunger ran, ramming upwards, a strong tackle that few could endure. Yu’s hands grabbed onto the tusks – they were so crispy, so...like the onion rings they were! – but that was too little, he was propelled backwards when the Bunger forced the back of his hands right against his chest and lifted him off the floor, throwing him backwards.

He sailed through the air! Not that much, given he had his guard up and could soften the blow somewhat, but for a brief moment Yu’s feet weren’t touching the floor anymore, he felt himself fly in an arch, crossing a good twenty feet of barn before he fell back to the floor, his feet failing to save him. Yu tripped backwards and fell on his back, trying to roll somewhat. Small victories: he managed to. Yu’s limbs unfurled after one single roll, he ended sprawled on his back, staring up at the ceiling, at the boards that formed it.

‘Bunger!’

That definitely was a triumphant cry. Yu had no doubt of that, and it was only confirmed when the Bunger got on top of his torso. How heavy! He had no trouble breathing but it still was truly unpleasant to have the Bunger standing right on top of you! Yu lifted his head, finding himself face to face with the gigantic burger. Up-close it really seemed like its silly eyes were little more than something pasted on food. There just was nothing in there – no spark of life, no sign of understanding, nothing. All he could see was his own reflection in them.

It didn’t seem like it could hurt him, though...maybe this was somewhat of a warning, a demonstration even a single Bugsnak could have power over him in the right circumstances.

Or maybe he was giving them too much credit, he thought while he laid his head back on the wooden floor.

The barn doors opened and he heard the creaking of wooden boards under fuzzy paws. “...Narukami? Why are you lyin’ ‘round?” Gramble was back.

Yu didn’t move but he felt the Bunger get off his body and run away to some corner of the barn. He blinked once, twice, closed his eyes, and simply stated:

“Bugsnax hate me”

That had to be it.

-ooooo-

Something about sunsets on Snaktooth was truly beautiful. Even through a window on the second floor of Gramble’s barn Yu thought they were really beautiful. Gramble was going around lighting up the lanterns, preparing everything for Yu to stay the night.

“Are you sure you wanna do this...?” Gramble has asked Yu once he made sure the lanterns were ready. “You don’t hafta if you don’t wanna. It’s okay”

“You really need the sleep” was Yu’s response. While it may be true, Gramble didn’t seem terribly happy about his friend losing his own sleep over this.

“People keep tellin’ me that. Wiggle, especially. Then I wake up and the little ones are all gone. Especially when Wiggle is around” he said. Yu tilted his head, suspecting a certain musician was letting her hunger for Bugsnax get the better for her. Did Gramble really not make the connection or was he just in denial? “I’m not gonna stop you but I also won’t be upset if you leave durin’ the night to catch some Zs”

“I’ll stay” Yu insisted, having made his decision many hours ago.

It seemed Gramble realized there was no point in arguing, because he merely nodded. “Fine, it’s fine. I’ll be up here if you need anythin’—“

“Gramble, sleep” Yu insisted firmly. “I’ll handle everything – you can trust me”

“...I hope I can. If I wake up and I find you ate them I dunno what I’ll do, I just...” his face contorted with a painful mixture of grief and anger. It wasn’t anywhere close to murderous, thankfully, but Yu had a feeling there’d be hell to pay. Exhaling and trying hard to calm down, Gramble nodded. “Sorry. I’m so tired of losin’ my family over and over and over...it really takes a toll on ya, y’know?”

That was pretty obvious, certainly.

Once night descended onto the island Yu left Gramble to try have some sleep, descending down the steps to the first floor of the barn. Charwee and the Bunger had been left in their kennels full of straw. Gramble had reassured him they wouldn’t be escaping their kennels to torment him – and given they were Gramble’s beloved family Yu absolutely didn’t want to lay an aggressive hand on them even if they did attack him – but after knowing they broke through the outer walls of the barn it sure seemed like the flimsier-looking boards of their individual kennels wouldn’t hold up to the food insects’ strength!

Well, he wasn’t going to die. Probably. It just would be humiliating to be soundly defeated by food.

Gramble had said Bungers weren’t an aggressive sort – more playful than harmful as long as you don’t provoke them. Even when Yu insisted he had done nothing to provoke its attack Gramble kept believing the human had accidentally or intentionally made the Bunger upset enough to attack. After a lot of insisting he finally acknowledged the possibility, although he said something else:

“I hope this doesn’t sound bad, but maybe they’re attackin’ you because you’re a...um, what did you say you are?”

A human. That Bugsnax attacked him because of what he was really would be the simplest answer, therefore it probably was the right one. Bugsnax were used to grumpuses as their predators and saw humans as...equals on the food chain? As something below them? It sure seemed like Bugsnax were hunting him.

He certainly hoped it didn’t mean humans were below grumpuses in the food chain. It was really hard to think of them as apex predators of any sort, but if they are the sapient species of this world...well, they probably have the same spot humans do. Fine, then.

It was going to be a long night, though Yu while he settled against the doors of the barn. At least he had stuff to do – organize all the sauce he brought from Wambus’ garden, try to figure out a way he could both sleep and still be able to do what he promised to Gramble...

...and above that all, read the encyclopedia Gramble had given him.

Gramble had said it was a bestiary, a collection of his thoughts and any information that maybe could be of use. Although it was focused mostly on ideas on how to train them and take care of the Bugsnax it was more information Yu should be aware of. The encyclopedia was just a bundle of paper, written with steady hand and peppered with drawings that once again confirmed Gramble lacked artistic abilities.

The more he read the more Yu wondered if perhaps he had underestimated how troublesome Bugsnax could be. Some were enveloped in fire; others froze anything that touched them! Also a limited number of them could shoot fire or ice – and although the writing indicated it was all a defensive mechanism there was a very good chance he’d be attacked just by being in the area by himself. It seemed all of the Bugsnax that could do such things were in the areas he hadn’t explored yet, thankfully. Even with company, getting hit by the elements like that could be quite dangerous.

Hours passed. Outside Yu could see from the window the full moon starting to go up the sky. The noises of grumpuses and their daily lives quieted down once midnight came closer. Lanterns were extinguished, submerging Snaxburg into the dark. Opening the window to get some fresh air, Yu leaned on the windowsill, looking outside.

It was...so calm. Now that the corral outside was empty the town was once again silent most of the time. The only sounds were the Bunger and Kweeble’s usual chanting, and if he focused hard enough, some light snoring coming from the second floor. Gramble was asleep and there was no floor creaking, meaning he probably was on his bed. So far this was a peaceful night.

Leaning his face against a hand, with his elbow propped against the windowsill, Yu felt he was dozing off somewhat. The cool air outside was soothing, the waterfall behind the barn was almost like a lullaby. Yu closed his eyes, losing track of time.

He didn’t know how much time had passed by the time he opened his eyes again. Looking behind him he found the Bugsnax still were in their kennels. The snoring was still there. Outside there was no change either...

...but on the spot above the airship there was a silhouette – one Yu had hoped to see again. Somewhat more awake, Yu knew it was the Snaxquatch. It was here! Yu closed the window and exited the barn from the lateral door, making sure to leave it well closed. He knew it was kind of irresponsible to be leaving the barn, but failing to fulfill his promise to the Snaxquatch could make it unwilling to return in the future. He had to take the decision right then and there. Sorry, Gramble he thought while he jogged up the path, towards the same place he had used to climb up to the platform the night before.

As expected, the Snaxquatch awaited on the platform. Yu hauled himself up, finding it once again staring right at the town. There still had been no change at all down there, everyone was still sleeping – probably. Yu sat down, deciding to let the Snaxquatch be the first one to react.

...now that he thought about it, even though it was a bunch of Bugsnax stacked one on top of another, the Snaxquatch had never shown any hostility towards him. The complete opposite, in fact! It had saved his life! Yu just couldn’t understand what was up with these strange food creatures.

Just like the night before the Snaxquatch turned its head around. Now that it had noticed him, Yu decided to start trying to establish communication with it. “Let’s do this: blink once for yes, blink twice for no. Do you understand?”

There was no blinking at all. Its googly eyes stared right at Yu without blinking at all. Could...could Bugsnax even blink? Either that or he had been wrong and the Snaxquatch couldn’t understand a word he said. Had he assumed wrong?

“Nevermind” said Yu, changing ideas. “Bugsnax can say their species name. Could you make words with that?” Common Bugsnax used their whole names, perhaps this amalgamation could use the syllables? It was worth a try.

That suggestion got a bit more of a reaction from the Snaxquatch. All of the eyes of the Snax forming it opened at once – a dozen pair of round eyes popping open, so suddenly Yu briefly wondered if he had made a mistake, and that was before the noise.

All at once the Bugsnax composing its body said their name. Perhaps it was because there was no other sound in the area, but to Yu it was like all of those bugs screamed their name, syllables merging together into an amalgam as confusing as the Snaxquatch itself. Yu covered his ears, actually feeling a chill go down his spine.

That was a suggestion he wouldn’t make again. No way he’d ask it to talk again! But at least this meant it really did understand his language. He could communicate with it; it couldn’t reply back. Good enough?

“Tap your foot on the rock twice if you can understand me” he requested, unsure if that’d damage the Bugsnak forming its leg.

The reaction he got wasn’t what he thought it’d be. Instead the Bugsnax forming the head rotated until it was almost ninety degrees. What was that supposed to mean?

“...turn to the right for no, turn to the left for yes? Did you understand”

That seemed to work! The head rotated to the left right away, a clear affirmative action. Alright! That was a start! Encouraged, Yu kept going: “You keep coming back to Snaxburg. Are you trying to do something?”

Yes.

“Do you need help?”

The head turned to the opposite direction so quickly Yu thought it’d fall from the body. So it didn’t really need help. Alright then...

“Have you made contact with anyone else?”

No.

“Do you want to?”

The head slowly returned to its neutral position. Was it...undecided?

“I could accompany you—“

The head rotated several times towards the right – no, no, no, no, no. It was such a clear negative Yu shut up immediately. Well, given everything that was going on in the town, with how the grumpuses ate Bugsnax without a care in the world, perhaps it feared it’d be eaten. Fine, then.

Alright! That was progress. The problem was finding out what it was it wanted to do. Asking yes or no would take quite the long time, he had to think of a better way to commuicate. Still, there had been at least some communication. What made Yu somewhat wary of the Snaxquatch, though, was that it refused to let others meet it. He could be the liaison between it and the town, maybe?

When he suggested that, though, the Snaxquatch once again made pretty clear it was very against that idea. Yu was the only one who could interact with it. Either he was getting into some sort of trap, or he had done something that made the Snaxquatch trust him.

Either way he had succeeded: he was building the bond a little more. That was good enough.

“I’ll figure out a way to talk. Give me a while and I’ll come up with something” Yu requested, standing up. This had been a rather short conversation but he wasn’t going to be able to figure this out that night – and he wanted to return to the barn, anyway. He needed time. Having asked it to give him a few days Yu stood up, ready to leave.

Little by little he’d try to find out what was going on with the Snaxquatch. All it needed was ingenuity and some cleverness, he thought. How hard could it be?

-oooooo-

Perhaps he was lucky despite his brief departure from the barn no Bugsnax escaped nor Gramble got out of the barn. As soon as Yu had closed the door and intended to get comfortable again he heard someone start walking up on the second floor. Soon Gramble descended the stairs, eyes closed and moving slowly, very obviously sleepwalking, Yu stopped him and carefully guided him up the stairs, leading him back to the bed, until the grumpus crawled on the mattress and began snoring once again.

He didn’t seem to be having good dreams. If the sleepwalking wasn’t enough to hint something was going on in his head, the twitching sure proved it. Yu went back downstairs, gathered some straw from the kennels that weren’t being used, and tried to make a seat right beside a wall. Sitting down and leaning against the wall he relaxed his eyes a little bit, to prepare for the rest of the night.

Instead he fell asleep. He should have known that’d happen.

The next morning Yu woke up when he once again heard the sounds of someone walking around, this time much faster and noisier. Stretching and trying to ignore how badly his back was aching from sleeping against the wooden wall of the barn Yu opened his eyes, seeing a pink and blue blur dash down the stairs and towards the kennels.

“Oh! Oh, thank grump, they’re still here..!”

By the time the human managed to wake up completely and stood up Gramble was already in front of him, adjusting the Strabby hat.

“...you don’t look too good” the rancher said. That was to be expected after such a bad night, but it wasn’t like Gramble was looking much better – the circles under his eyes were gone and this time he had made an effort to make his fur look presentable, but he still looked exhausted. There was improvement but certainly not enough.

“Slept well?”

Gramble grimaced. “No. Actually no. Once another bad ‘un” he said, adding hurriedly. “But my Snax are still here so...thanks for takin’ care of them”

Bringing the sack of sauce they started feeding the Bugsnax in silence, letting the pods of ketchup and chocolate sauce fall into the kennels. Even though he just woke up Gramble already seems down in the dumps, frowning all the time and staring longingly at the Bugsnax soaking in the sauce. “You look sad” said Yu patiently. If Gramble didn’t want to talk about it that was okay.

“...I feared they wouldn’t be here when I woke up”

“You still don’t trust me” Yu said. Alright, that was to be expected.

“No, that’s not what I mean!” Gramble placated, raising his paws. “What I mean is...well...it’s not the first time my little ones aren’t there when I wake up”

Oh, thought Yu. Right. Filbo had said this had happened around eight times already.

Gramble continued, leaning on the kennel. “Sometimes it’s because someone comes to eat ‘em, other times they escape...and...once I’m pretty sure I ate them while I was sleepwalkin’. That one messed me real bad, I didn’t leave the barn ‘til the Bugsnax wore off”

“That’s horrible!” it sounded like a bland response but frankly how else do you call waking up and finding during the night you ate the Snax you were taking care of?

The rancher nodded pitifully. “It is. It breaks my heart over and over. Just...wakin’ up and findin’ out someone you thought would be there isn’t...isn’t there anymore. You’re left wonderin’ if you did somethin’ wrong, or if it wasn’t meant to be”

Charwee seemed to be absorbing the sauce by standing on it, leaving small chocolate footprints wherever it went in its kennel. It seemed rather happy, at least.

“The nice thing about Bugsnax is that they’re very pure. They aren’t mean to you on purpose, they just get lost, or they escape by accident, so nothin’ wrong with tryin’ again, right? Until you finally get it right!” Gramble said, trying hard to make a smile come to his face, but it was obvious it was taking a lot of effort.

“...you’re right” Yu decided to say. Even though he wasn’t entirely sure he felt perhaps encouraging Gramble was what he needed. Still...Gramble had tried to open up his heart a little bit. Maybe it was because of Yu’s willingness to aid him and to try to understand Gramble’s point of view in the whole matter that the rancher had let down the walls somewhat, and what Yu could see now was heavy. Heavy and harrowing.

He wanted to find out more. No way he could not talk to Gramble more after having glimpsed how much he was dealing with.

Gramble appreciated the encouragement, at least. “Thanks for keepin’ ‘em safe. I know you said nothin’ happened but I wanna think you made the difference last night somehow!” he leaned forward towards Yu a little bit. “But let’s not do that again. You look like you had a bad night too”

“It wasn’t a bother”

“Don’t lie, I can tell! Come on, go sleep!” without waiting for Yu to insist it was all fine, Gramble pushed him towards the barn, bodily throwing him out of the building. “We can do some more Bugsnax raising once you sleep for a while. Go!”

“I’m going, I’m going!” somehow Gramble was strong enough to push him with ease! Or maybe the human really was too tired to stop it from happening. Once they crossed the doorway and Yu stepped right onto the daylight Gramble stopped, satisfied.

“Take care of yourself! You deserve it!” he said, turning around. Fine then! He had gotten barred from the barn for the rest of the day with no possibility of rebuttal – and right in front of Wambus, who was leaning against the fence.

Amused, the farmer chewed on the stalk in his mouth. “You got him seein’ red, kid? Did you insult the foodstuff?”

“It’s nothing, Wambus” Yu said, walking down to the firepit. Even though he indeed was tired there was no way he’d just go and sleep – there was too much to be done to waste it in naps and sleeping!

...although he’d feel more confident about that if his legs weren’t literally shaking every time he stood still. His body, hating how he had spent a few hours sleeping on a rough, hard wooden floor and wall, demanded rest! Is this how Dagbert feels? He wondered. Having to sleep but also having too much on your plate to really indulge on some sleep? Because if so then he was gaining some newfound respect for the journalist!

Tired, Yu went to the creek bordering the town, intending to splash some water onto his face in an attempt to keep himself somewhat awake. Along the way he encountered Filbo, who very obviously had eaten Bugsnax recently – one of his arms now was wrapped in aluminum foil, from the shoulder to the elbow articulation. The foil even was getting under the fur on his torso, making Yu very glad the blue fur hid the worst of it.

“There you are! My buddy left the map in the airship last night!”

“Thanks, Filbo” Yu said. He knew the moment he went to check it out he’d be so tempted to sleep. That was pretty much a guarantee. Having informed Yu of that, Filbo went on to start his day, leaving Yu to his own devices.

Speak of the devil, there was Dagbert crouched by the creek washing his paws, scrubbing them as if he wanted to remove the fur. He even looked very disgusted, for some reason. Dipping his hands in the water, Yu didn’t really intend to start conversation, but it was unavoidable once the journalist noticed him. “I found Triffany” was what he immediately said.

Despite the tiredness Yu managed to snap alert as soon as he heard that. “Where’s she?”

“There’s a dig site in the Scorching Gorge. You’ll have to pass through dangerous lands but as long as we avoid the Scorpenyos we’ll be just fine” Dagbert smiled. How did someone as sleep-deprived as him manage to still be able to hold conversations so easily? Yu seriously didn’t understand, now that he was experiencing how it was like to be half-asleep on your feet.

“Are we going now?”

“Is there any hurry? I was thinking we shouldn’t today – Filbo’s party is tonight, remember?”

Oh. Right. There was no way he’d miss that party, but part of Yu felt somewhat saddened the hope of a long night of sleep had gotten dashed right away. Yu opened his hands fully, sighing at the contact of the cold water against his fingers.

“You don’t look too good. Had a bad night?” asked Dagbert. Was it really that noticeable? Yu nodded. “Take it from me, you should get a nap when you have a moment. You’re not experienced enough to survive the day without getting it”

“I know” Yu said and turned his head towards the way Dagbert kept scrubbing his paws. “What happened?”

Dagbert bared his teeth in disgust. “Wambus asked for a favor. Narukami, if Wambus ever asks you to feed anybody just say no, okay? Especially if it's a Spuddy. You know, the baked potatoes with foil. Don’t think about it, just say no”

“Why?”

“It was a whole deal about getting fertilizer for his farm. I don’t want to talk about it” Dagbert straightened up. “I won’t be able to look Filbo to the face for a while...” with a wave, the journalist left Yu alone.

It took him just a few moments to connect the dots and realize what Dagbert implied. ...no, there’s no way thought Yu. He really hoped he had misinterpreted something along the way! Still, shuddering a little and certainly not from the cold water, he moved upstream somewhat, far from where Dagbert had been washing his paws.

This was already shaping up to be a not-so-great day.

Chapter Text

“You don’t look so good”

This was the third grumpus to say that to him and it was getting so old already. Yu wearily nodded, deciding to not acknowledge it. He knew he probably didn’t look too great; the constant reminders weren’t necessary. Wiggle didn’t mean to hammer that further; it was just the comment she received the human with.

Dagbert placed a paw over Yu’s eyes as if he was trying to shield them from the sun. “He’s aware already”

“I know that lack of energy. It’s the same kind I see in Gramble so often”

“It’s exactly that kind”

Honestly Yu was starting to wonder if perhaps he should just chalk this day as a lost one and retire to sleep, but something about doing that made him feel guilty. What if while he was snoozing away there was some sort of new development? What if someone from the Investigation Team was found? He couldn’t afford to sleep, he thought.

Going to meet Wiggle was his way of trying to force himself to stay awake. Wiggle was such a vibrant person he hoped being near her would help shake some of the sleepiness off him, but so far? It wasn’t really helping, mostly because she sounded so concerned for his wellbeing. Don’t get him wrong, it was appreciated, but it wasn’t what he had hoped for.

Dagbert took his paw off Yu’s face and showed his backpack, ready to present the Bugsnax he had brought – the Sandopedes Wiggle had requested. Yu made sure to step aside, watching him hand very docile-looking Sandopedes to Wiggle, a little concerned they would get aggressive just by his mere presence. Wiggle grabbed the sandwiches tightly, bringing her close to her body.

“Oh, here they are! Aren’t they wonderful? They’re exactly what I need!”

“Will you return to town now?”

“Of course not! I haven’t even gotten started with my song! The right lyrics keep eluding me!”

Dagbert’s face was the perfect picture of a poker face when he nudged Yu with his elbow. The unsaid request was obvious: ‘get working, champ’. Fine then, it was time to get started. Once the journalist departed to hunt nearby, Wiggle sat on the towels right beside her hammock, poking the Sandopedes’ little onion feet.

“They’re adorable! Oh, the kind of songs they must be filled with!” she murmured and, grabbing one of them with both paws, munched on them with a ravenous hunger that frankly unsettled Yu a little forcing him to look away. He hadn’t seen any of these grumpuses eat Bugsnax with such enthusiasm!

Or desperation. May as well be desperation. She probably wasn’t even tasting them.

By the time Yu looked at her again her legs below her knees were submarine sandwiches. Thankfully, they stayed put together even when she stood up. “Ooooh, that was delicious! Darling, I knew they were the right choice for me”

“Did you get your inspiration?” Yu asked.

“That’s what I’ll find out now” Wiggle took her banjo, paws already plucking a few notes from the strings. “Come on, dear, give me a word. It’s a simple word association game, but we have to start somewhere”

If she wanted him to throw words at her then alright, he could do that much. Yu decided to give her a few easy ones, just so she could get warmed up. “Home”

The musician should have given a word in response – anything! But instead her expectant smile slowly withered, replaced with confusion. Humming dissonantly, she gestured with a paw, indicating Yu should toss him another. Get another word going!

“Dream”

Wiggle frowned. Nothing? Yu raised his eyebrows, a little surprised. He really thought by now Wiggle could have said something in response.

“...Gramble?” he suggested.

“Oh, that one is cheating. I aaaaaalways~ have time and inspiration for dear Gramble”

Funny how she had no issue thinking of something fitting for Gramble but everything else eluded him. Was that a sign of love? Yu wasn’t sure – the process of song composing was a complete mystery for him. “Then you could work more on that one”

“It’s a work in progress. Besides, I’m...not too keen about writing about something that comes from the heart. The public is not interested in that” Bitterness steeped in sadness filled her voice while she stepped around, kicking up the sand with her newly gained sandwich legs. “I need an audience, and the audience doesn’t want that. They’re like us all, asking for the best Bugsnak we can find! I must make my songs be the Bugsnak they’d crave!”

There probably was no other choice – the world of entertainment was cruel; Yu knew that much – but it still was kind of sad she had to chase what she figured the public wanted instead of what she’d have wanted to write. Wiggle was stuck in a rut with no easy way out, and all he could do was watch. No way his paltry attempts to help her could aid her in getting out.

Wiggle had to escape that rut herself, somehow. All he could do was be supportive until she managed to do so...if she ever did.

Leaving aside the banjo, Wiggle relaxed on the towels, inviting Yu to sit alongside her. Staring at him,Wiggle seemed to be thinking of something, until... “I’ve got it...darling, I believe I’ve got it!” A song? Did she finally think of one?! Yu asked what she meant, so of course, she had to clarify: “No! I may have figured out a way to make my head think of a new marvel of the banjo pop genre!”

Good enough. A method was almost as good as a finished result. “How will we do it?”

“I must return to the basics. The summit of my career started when I sang Do the Wiggle, so obviously what I must do is recreate the circumstances that made me create that song! Darling, I had tried it once before without results, but here on this island, with Bugsnax, with you, with everything...this time it will work! I know it! We must try!”

“Of course! Gladly!” Yu could feel the enthusiasm radiating from her! “What do we need to do?”

“I was so stressed about coming up with a song I stayed awake for five days and nights in a row. Then I stumbled into the recording studio, all dazed and without knowing for sure what was going on, and started singing! At the time I didn’t even know where I had picked up the banjo!”

...grumpuses on this island really needed to stop depriving themselves of sleep. Then again, after the shenanigans he had taken part of the night before Yu felt like a hypocrite recommending to sleep.

“Are you serious?” Yu had to ask that. He hoped she didn’t mean any of that.

“Very serious, my dear!” she passed a paw over the pineapple leaves on her head. “I still remember it as if it was yesterday. It felt like the words were flowing~ through me! The universe itself was making songs through me, bringing to light a genre never seen before! And when I was finished singing everybody swarmed me, telling me it was a brilliant song!” she preened, elated. “At the time all I could do was nod and smile. I couldn’t even remember anything I sang”

“How am I supposed to help with that”

“Weeeell...~” Wiggle’s smile was quite wide when she said: “I’m going to need someone making sure I stay awake for that long”

No way. There was absolutely no way he’d cooperate. Yu was willing to play along with so many things, but losing five whole days of sleep was definitely beyond his goodwill. “No”

“Aw, come on, darling! I’m not saying only you have to do it! That journalist can help too. Between the two of you I’ll reach the five days of insomnia” Wiggle excitedly stood up, trying to see where Dagbert was at. “I’ll also need Snax, many of them. It’s such a pity there’s no coffee Bugsnax, but the closest drink would be soda, no? Even if that’s sugar instead of caffeine”

“I suppose?” were there any other drinks in this place other than the soda Bugsnax and water? Well, the daiquiri one, but other than that...?

“Then that journalist will need to bring me many of them! A dozen! A dozen will be good!”

“Wiggle, stop!” Yu blurted out standing up as well, grabbing her arm. As soon as Wiggle claimed she wanted a dozen Bugsnax all at once he got seriously alarmed. Was there even enough of Wiggle’s body to transform? Most of her limbs were still intact, but once those were transformed as well what’d happen next? Would she keep going, eating the soda cans, until there was no more grumpus left to transform? Was that even possible?  Whatever. Yu didn’t want to see it, he didn’t want to think it, he didn’t want to imagine Wiggle so consumed by her obsession there was nothing of her except Bugsnax!

“Why?” Wiggle sounded genuinely confused, making Yu wonder if he had gotten alarmed over nothing. When he said what had worried him, she chuckled, although there was something deeply sorrowful about her expression. “Oh, Narukami...you’re so sweet”

“How are you fine with how you’ll look like?”

“...I’m not. I hate it”

The confession caught Yu offguard. He let go of her arm, befuddled. “What do you mean by that?”

“Darling, I know full well how grumps who eat a lot of Bugsnax look like. It’s not a pretty picture” she says “The physical changes are...a little unsightly”

It wasn’t too difficult to imagine how a fully transformed grumpus would look like – Yu imagined them as a more cohesive version of the Snaxquatch. Instead of shambling, they were a little more...stable. Several kinds of inanimate foods stuck together, forming a body unmistakable as a grumpus, but at the same time so alien it’d make anyone wonder if it was a person. ‘Unsightly’ wasn’t really the word Yu would have used if his imagination was accurate!

“But it’s fine. Sacrifices must be made for the sake of art”

“Wiggle...”

“I’ll do anything to get out of this...this block I’m in! I just need one single successful hit more, that’s not much to ask! So if to get it I have to look like I lost a fight against a factory of straws then I will embrace my fate~!” She even sang the last few words, like that was her way of adding emphasis.

There was no room for doubt: Wiggle really was willing to go to all sorts of lengths to get the tune she was looking so hard for. At some point, to Yu’s eyes, it all started changing from a sort of respectable goal, to something borderline unhealthy. This couldn’t be good; this really couldn’t be good for her.

But...at the same time...he was willing to be there for her during such a journey. At least in some measure, if she wanted him. Keeping her awake for five days, meaning he also would lose five days of sleep as well? That still was beyond what he considered acceptable. But maybe he could find a way of making it happen with relative safety. Relative being the keyword because there was no way it was going to be healthy and nice.

Despite it all, Yu felt he understood Wiggle better, which is why he nodded and said: “I’ll help you with one condition”

“What is it, dear?”

“Don’t eat a dozen of those Bugsnax”

Wiggle frowned. “I don’t appreciate you trying to ask that” she said bluntly, but gave it some thought anyway. “Ten”

“Six”

“Eight. It’s five days and nights, I need the sugar boost”

It wasn’t like Yu could really do much other than ask her to be moderate – what else was he going to do? Tackle her if she went over a limit? – but he was glad she was willing to consider it! So he just nodded. Eight still was more than what was left of her limbs, but at least it wasn’t a dozen. Yu nodded.

Now the conundrum was to find a way to help her stay awake for that long without having to do the same.

...

Dagbert. He’d help. As if just thinking of him was enough to get him to approach, the journalist appeared, carrying a Crapple. “Good hunt today! Gramble’s going to be happy...what’s up?” he asked, noticing Wiggle and Yu were staring at him.

Wiggle was the one to break some of the news to him. “Just in time! I need eight soda Snax. Any kind is fine! Make sure they’re eight!”

Dagbert gave Yu a rather bemused look, as if he was blaming him for such a request. “...I’ll get working on that” he said measuredly. If that was his reaction to getting asked that, Yu really dreaded to ask him for further help.

No time like the present, though! Asking Dagbert to come along, Yu led him aside, to where Gramble’s beach ranch used to be at. “What do you need?”

“I need your help to keep Wiggle awake for five days”

Dagbert blinked, scrutinizing Yu’s face for any signs he was kidding, anything! “...beg your pardon?”

“Wiggle wants to stay awake for five days in a row and I can’t do that by myself”

The journalist took a deep breath, clutching his paws together. “...did you already promise you’d do that?”

“I already did”

Dagbert brought his grasped paws to his face and slumped his face over them, resting it all on that single point, paws right between his eyes and above his nose. He stood like that for a minute, like he was having trouble accepting what Yu had gotten into now, until he finally raised his head. “...fine. Fine! I’ll do it! Fine!”

“It’s not fine, is it?”

“Not really!” Dagbert groaned. “Narukami, just go take a grumpin’ nap already. You don’t know the things you’re promising”

“I don’t—“

“Look! There’s Gramble’s old hammock! Sleeping there is great – trust me, I know. Go there, take a nap once and for all, and when you wake up think about the nonsense you got yourself into” before long Yu found himself getting pushed towards the hammock, the journalist pretty much forcing him to get on it. “Have a good sleep!” he said and stomped away, muttering under his breath.

Yu hardly could blame him. It seemed every time the human talked to Wiggle he found new and novel ways of making things more difficult for Dagbert! He wasn’t doing it intentionally, it just happened! Not wanting to wear down the journalist’s patience any more Yu decided to give a nap a try.

It was...so peaceful...to lie there in the hammock, listening to the sea nearby, the waves crashing against the beach. Dagbert was right, this was a good spot...

In matter of minutes Yu fell asleep, falling into a dreamless void. Just what he needed.

-ooooo-

There were a lot of apologies once Yu’s head was clear enough to realize what he had gotten himself into. Still, it was too late to take it all back: they’d have to do what Wiggle asked them to. That was a bridge to cross when they got to it, before then, just thinking about it made Yu feel silly.

The return to the town made the human feel like he had stepped into a new location. Colorful strands of colorful triangles were tied between posts. Groups of balloons decorated empty spots, and a boombox had been placed on a table. Filbo was already underway with his preparations for the party! Of course, being all in the middle of the town, it hadn’t gone unnoticed: Beffica was looking around with barely disguised contempt. “Feh. It’s going to be, like, a total disaster” she said to Yu.

“He’ll try his hardest”

“It’s Filbo. Do you really think he could host a good party at all?” she said, walking into her hut. Nobody else was paying any attention at all to the decorations, going on with their lives as if they weren’t there. Nobody cared about what Filbo was doing.

...Yu hoped Filbo didn’t realize that.

Thankfully it seemed he didn’t, or he didn’t care, because Yu found him at the town entrance near the airship, tying a banner right onto the entrance gate. “Yu! It’s almost time!”

“Can I help?”

“Of course! Here, just hold this over there...” he instructed, making Yu hold the banner while he tied it up onto the gate. “It’s been so long since I hosted a party. It’s gonna be great, Yu, it’s gonna be great!”

“Do you do this often!”

“W-Well, not all the time because I only had so much money, but I liked to have parties in special occasions! Not that...I had that many people to host them for” he admitted.

“How about family?”

“I did live with my family before coming here to Snaktooth, but it’s not a big family” he said, trying to make the knot as sturdy as he could. “The parties were fun, though! Everybody had a lot of fun in them, so I’m sure this one will go great too”

It was nice to see there was something Filbo seemed to have confidence in. After seeing how little faith he had on his own abilities and work that there was something he could say he was good at was a welcome reprieve. Yu smiled. “What kind of special occasions?” he asked, wondering if maybe grumpuses had celebrations humans didn’t. It wouldn’t be strange if they did!

The response wasn’t one Yu expected, but in hindsight perhaps he should have seen coming. “Well, uh...mostly welcome back parties for Lizbert” Unlike before, though, Filbo sounded far less enthusiastic when talking about his old friend. “She’d come back to the town every few months. Everybody always wanted to see her again! Lizbert was—uh, she is so awesome everyone in our hometown loves her”

Filbo stepped back to observe their work, still talking. “There’s people out there saying she’s a scammer, or she’s a liar, but we all know better! We all know the kinda person she is and that’s why we love her! Which is why I dunno what I’ll tell everyone once I see them again”

“You don’t have to bring them bad news”

“They’re gonna ask anyway. I dunno how to tell them that she...that she went missing. They’re all gonna be so heartbroken and, well, you know me: I wouldn’t even know how to deliver the news” he said, nodding approvingly at the banner. Welcome back, indeed. Leading Yu towards where the Cromdo Mart used to be at, he took a large jug of water from the creek and kept it open, ready to finish the preparations:

“No party is complete without drinks! Now how does Cromdo do this...” he held a Bugsnak: pickles suspended inside a jar. “He makes Snakwater with this stuff. Does he just...squeeze it? That seems a little cruel”

“You said he made it all with Bugsnax”

“I know! But I never really asked how he did it. He’d have said it was, uh, a trade secret?” after thinking it for a moment Filbo simply scooped the pickles and let them fall into the jug of water, closing it tightly and placing it on the table. “That’ll do the trick! By the time the party starts this will be a good drink!”

...would it? Yu hoped so. Seeing a bunch of pickles floating around in water didn’t look like a great drink, but Filbo probably knew what he was doing, Yu thought. After all, Filbo was the resident party expert, the one who knew what everybody probably would be looking for in one.

It was all relying on him.

Once the sun set the party started, the boombox already blasting music. Yu and Filbo waited for the turnout, seeing the population of Snaxburg come out for the welcome back party! Everyone except Snorpy, that is. According to Chandlo, Snorpy hadn’t shown any interest in coming, instead too busy working on something else. “W-Well that’s fine...” Filbo had said, disappointed, but at least thanked Chandlo for coming. The green grumpus seemed pleased to attend the party!

Nobody else seemed to be too glad, though. Gramble trudged out of the barn, giving Filbo and Wambus a very wary glance before settling near Lizbert’s cottage. Wambus, having arrived a while ago, looked pretty uncomfortable, as if he was waiting for the party to be over so he could leave. Beffica hanged out near the drinks table, having tried the bug juice and immediately leaving the cup aside, clicking her tongue with disapproval, and Dagbert...well, he seemed pretty neutral about the whole thing. Not unhappy, but also he wasn’t too supportive either.

“Uh... tough crowd” Filbo whispered to Yu and Chandlo. The three of them had been to a side, welcoming everyone who came. “I really thought by now someone would be on the dance floor...” there it was, empty. After how long it took to remove the firepit just for tonight!

“Chill, bro, it’s early” Chandlo said “Give ‘em time”

“I know, I just...am kinda nervous”

Sure looked like he was, paws fidgeting while he glanced at everybody. This was it, this was his attempt to do something he was good at and try to bring good times to the town. If it went wrong he probably would take that quite badly, Yu thought. No, that couldn’t be allowed to happen. Before Filbo could go forward to the dance floor, Yu put a hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll handle it” he said.

“You can dance?!”

Better than Filbo would ever guess, that was for certain. Giving him the most confident nod Yu had given anyone since his arrival to Snaktooth, he stepped forward to the dance floor, standing right in middle of it all, where everybody would be able to see him. The terrain was relatively flat, and although it’d be harder to dance on the ground than on a real floor, he felt sure he could manage it. Skills are all about using them even in unfavorable situations, and this one? Perhaps it was. But he was going to do his best.

He could already feel some grumpuses’ eyes on him. Yu gave one single loud clap to get everyone’s attention and extended his arms, turning his shoulders a little to try to get himself as limber as possible, preparing himself. Closing his eyes, he tried to catch onto the rhythm of the music coming from the boombox; try to envision the moves he’d make, ready to bring his best to the dancefloor!

“What’s he doing...?” he heard Beffica wonder, Gramble’s response going unheard.

“Come on, Narubro! You got this!” Chandlo encouraged.

He did. Slowly, Yu raised an arm high, pointing hand open to the sky. The air felt so nicely cool, the night was so calm, and now, he was going to set it all in metaphorical fire! Yu flexed his fingers, listening to the beat, until he caught the right timing, slowly lowering the arm while his leg bounced, until his arm was at face level. This was it. Time to start.

Once Yu Narukami got dancing it felt like he had shed all his worries behind. Limber, moving freely, Yu slid his feet around on the terrain while he moved back and forth, side to side, a carefree grin coming to his face. It had been a while since he danced like this, it felt...liberating!

Arms swiveled while he spun, trying his hardest to seem inviting. This was meant to bring everyone to the dance floor, after all! Yu spun around, extending his arms, moving with a fluidity born from some pretty intensive dancing training. The lights, the huts, it all was a blur, a blur that made him feel like he was floating, like he had let go of the ground!

“Wow, look at him go, bro!”

“I guess he’s more flexible than a grumpus”

“I’d crash on my face if I tried somethin’ like that”

Yu slowed down, finding himself at the center of the dance floor. He had showed off enough already, now he had to try to bring people in.  For a moment he danced on the same spot, expressively moving an arm in front of him while he gauged interest, trying to figure out who’d be eager to come. Wambus definitely was uninterested in dancing, even though he was looking at Yu with attention. Other than that maybe anyone could work!

“Let’s go!” Yu joyfully exclaimed, he squared his shoulders and advanced, keeping the beat, every step bringing him closer to the edge of the terrain before pulling back, warming up, swinging his arms and bouncing on the balls of his feet, until, with long strides, he advanced towards Beffica, pointing at her for just a couple seconds.

She hadn’t expected him to target her! For a moment Yu could see a spark of interest, so knowing she wasn’t reticent anymore about dancing, he returned to the center, advancing backwards, with a practiced spin changing directions and choosing a new target: Gramble.  Same way, pointing him for a couple seconds before retreating, drawing large circles with his arms while his feet shuffled backwards, back to the center.

It was working! The tense atmosphere that once filled the party thawed, slowly becoming far more festive, more like what Filbo had been hoping for! Yu’s energy, his attempt to make everything a little less hostile, it was all working! Filbo’s eyes were shining with appreciation, starstruck, and Dagbert, having sat down to watch, kept the beat tapping a paw against his knee.

“Get into it, everyone!” Yu shouted, feeling truly alive. This was the best night in a while! It was exhilarating, to be moving with such ease, to turn on his heels so easily anyone would know from a glance it had been a move he had practiced a lot, while he slowly shuffled to gyrate around, giving everything a good look. Ah, Snorpy! He was out of the mill and he was approaching the dance floor! Perfect!

Snorpy was coming closer, walking straight at Yu. “There you are! You—“ without giving him time to talk Yu bounded towards him once Snorpy stepped onto the dance floor, grabbing onto Snorpy’s arm and pulling him closer, to the center. Snorpy barely could keep it, tripping over his own feet while he tried to find his balance. “Hey—Hey, wait!”

“Go, Snorpy!” Chandlo cheered.

Snorpy’s hat fell to the ground; he barely was able to keep his glasses in its place! “Help! I’m falling!” he tried to regain his balance. Thankfully Yu was there to catch him, making sure to leave him back on his feet before dancing around him, keeping some distance to avoid bowling him over or accidentally kick him away when Yu lifted a leg for a second, getting impulse to move in the opposite direction.

“Good to see you, Snorpy!” Yu said, rhythmically swaggering near him.

“W-w-w-well, yes, but—listen—listen! Stop for a moment and listen!” he insisted. Yu didn’t stop dancing, but at least he stopped down to moving only in one spot.

“Do you need anything?”

“I dare say so. I presume the name Yosuke is familiar to you?”

Upon hearing that name Yu tripped and fell on his rear. One moment he had been dancing, the next he was sitting on the ground, the mere mention of his best friend’s name being enough to catch him by surprise. He owlishly looked up to Snorpy, having a bit of a hard time believing that, all of a sudden, one of his friends had been found! “Yosuke...?”

“Perhaps the last name Hanamura jogs your memory?” Snorpy seemed quite satisfied to be saying the name, if that smirk was anything to judge by.

Yu hurried to stand up. “Where’s he? Did you find him?”

“I believe I did. Come to the mill!” and without awaiting for further response, Snorpy took his hat and left, returning to the mill, immediately followed by Chandlo who was asking him what was all that about. Finally, finally a lead! Or more than a lead – another human had been found! Yu felt a strange warmth boil inside him, a weird wave of both relief and concern. Yosuke was found! He thought.

The problem with Snorpy coming to reveal this was that literally everyone heard him. Yu looked around, finding the relaxed atmosphere he had worked so hard to create was replaced with both confusion and expectation. Beffica already had her Snaxscope out, Dagbert stared wide-eyed at the mill like he was trying to find a second human looking out from a window, and Wambus and Gramble both seemed about to tell Yu to stop dilly-dallying around and go see what Snorpy had found.

Filbo, though...he wasted no time in approaching Yu. “That’s great! At least one of your friends is okay!”

“I have to go. I’m so sorry, Filbo, I have—“

“Aw, come on, Yu! That’s more important. Leave the party to me!” he encouraged Yu. Having confirmed Filbo didn’t mind he was leaving the party despite having offered to help with it, Yu ran to the mill, unable to take his time. This was it! Yosuke had been found! Maybe he even knew where everyone else was!

He could only hope.

If the doors of the mill hadn’t been open Yu would have slammed them. Instead he ran through, finding Snorpy and Chandlo talking right beside the stairs that led to the second floor. “Ah, here you are!”

“Bro, Snorpy is awesome! He found other humans!” Chandlo proudly told Yu while Snorpy went upstairs to try hide how those few words of praise were making him his day.

Yu felt his heart leap. “More than one?”

“Come up here and you’ll see!” Snorpy shouted from the second floor. Giving Yu a pat in the back that almost launched him into the staircase, Chandlo told him to hurry and to remember to thank Snorpy, as gratitude really would make Snorpy happy. If this turned out to be as meaningful as it sounded at first Yu would give him as many thanks as the inventor could want! While Chandlo exited the barn to return to the party, Yu ran upstairs, finding Snorpy’s workshop to a side.

There was no other human waiting around. Instead, Yu found Snorpy talking into a microphone, a device with a speaker and a quite long antenna placed against the wall. “...the wait. He has arrived” Snorpy beckoned Yu, telling him to sit down and press the button of the microphone to speak. Pressing the button Yu, feeling his throat dry all of a sudden, swallowed and spoke. “Yosuke?”

“Partner? Yu, is that really you?!” there was no mistake, that was Yosuke’s voice! Speaking Japanese, too. Yu smiled in relief. “I’m so glad to talk to you again!”

Glad to talk his native language for the first time in days, Yu had to remind himself to keep the button pressed. “Yosuke, where are you? Are you on Snaktooth Island?”

“I sure am! Don’t worry, I’m fine – I’m with some really great people”

Really? Maybe he had found some of the grumpuses that still were yet to come to the town. “Come to Snaxburg. There’s so much we need to talk about”

The pause that followed to that made Yu frown. There was no reason to hesitate, Snaxburg was just fine. Yu had been about to say that, but Yosuke replied before he could. “...about that...dude, this is gonna sound hard to believe but trust me on this one”

 If Yosuke ever said something like that it meant the rest should pay attention. After all, it wasn’t often Yosuke said such things. “Go ahead?”

“I’m already in Snaxburg”

Yu let go of the button, unsure what to think about that. Yosuke wouldn’t be messing with him at a time like this. Then what did that mean? Finger hovering over the button, Yu tried to figure out what to say in response.

“Partner? You still there?”

“Since when have you been here?”

“Here? In Snaxburg? Since the first day”

That was plainly impossible. There was just no way Yosuke and Yu had missed each other in such a tiny village for ten days in a row – and more important, that nobody had seen him.

“I dunno what’s going on. Naoto had a really strange theory and I’m not sure I get it, so you’re gonna have to talk with her”

“Naoto is with you?” How many humans were milling around in Snaxburg without he knowing?

“Not...not exactly. Look, we all are gonna have to talk about it tomorrow morning. I’m so glad to get in touch with you, a meeting with the team wouldn’t have been the same without you, right, leader?”

Yosuke sounded genuinely confused, like he didn’t even know where to start explaining. No point in asking for more details, so Yu instead focused on the – to him – more important part: “Have you talked with everyone else?”

“Almost everyone, and they’re okay! Teddie’s the only one we haven’t found yet. Naoto’s already on it”

Everybody was okay. Everybody was safe and sound. For the first time Yu felt like he could breathe with ease. His friends...they were fine! And the next morning he’d be able to talk to them, and together they’d create a plan of action – a way to return home.

And, perhaps, to figure out what’s going on with this strange world they all found themselves in.

“We thought we should gather and compare notes. We’ll be using this radio device Snorpy made. What time’s good for you? I’ll inform the rest” Once they decided what the time for their meeting would be, Yosuke relaxed. Yu could pretty much imagine him so glad to have found his partner. “Hey, I know I said we should all talk tomorrow, but how are you holding up?”

“Everything’s fine. I got to Snaxburg right away, so I have been safe all this time”

“Good! You getting along with the grumpuses? Strange bunch, huh? Strange in every way possible!”

“I think I’m friends with almost everyone I have met so far”

“I’d be surprised If you weren’t, you have always been good at getting along with people” Yosuke said. “I bet Kanji was going all crazy when he saw how fluffy they are! I can’t wait to tease him about it”

“You don’t think they’re cute?”

“H-Hey, what I think doesn’t matter!” he hurried to say. Yosuke definitely thought grumpuses were cute but didn’t want to admit it, that’s for sure. “But yeah, between these guys and the Bugsnax it feels like I’m trapped in a cartoon for kids”

“What do you think about the Bugsnax?”

“Those aren’t nearly as tasty as Filbo made them sound”

That made Yu’s blood run cold, pressing the microphone button with a hurry. “You have eaten Bugsnax?”

“I sure have. Either way, I should get going. There’s this party going on and I promised Filbo I’d be there. Talk to you tomorrow, partner”

“Wait, Yosuke—“ Yu pressed the button, but there was no further response. Yosuke had eaten Bugsnax...and also he was at Snaxburg, where a party was happening, and knew the same people Yu knew. Something was going on, he could see that much. When it was about the TV World nothing was clear cut, and he guessed that extended to the world they had found themselves into now, but it still made him wonder if perhaps things weren’t as simple as they had seemed at first glance.

Well, not that being trapped in a world full of a different sentient species was simple at all.

Yu stood up from the chair, very relieved to have found out his friends were alright. That was one huge worry less! Snorpy was waiting nearby, having been listening. He didn’t look terribly happy, but when Yu approached, the annoyance in his face turned into a more neutral expression. “Snorpy, thank you. I can’t tell you how much this means for me”

“Ah? Uh, hm, it was nothing” Snorpy’s eyes darted around the room for a moment. “What was that language you were both speaking?”

“...Japanese?”

“That word means nothing to me” If Japanese existed in this world it probably wasn’t called the same, supposed Yu. “Would you teach me speak this ‘Japanese’ you mentioned?” Where do you even get started? Yu didn’t have any idea. Upon his negative response, Snorpy sighed but seemed to accept it. “Alright then, I won’t pry. Can I ask what you were talking about?”

Obviously he couldn’t tell Snorpy about the odd things Yosuke had said, but he decided to mention the most important thing. In the background, Chandlo ascended up the stairs, quietly going towards the rack of lifting weights placed to a side of the workshop. “We wanted to find out where each other is at”

“Is that so? Do you mind if I meet this Yosuke human as well?”

Yu crossed his arms, trying to figure out how to reply to that. He wasn’t even sure he’d get to see Yosuke in person! Before he could, Snorpy seemed to sense that Yu was going to say no, because he nodded and seemed to accept it:

“That’s fine. Listen, I’m aware your peers want to talk to you tomorrow morning. That’s fine! You’re welcome to use my radio device tomorrow”

“Thank you, Snorpy”

“With one condition: I want to find out more about you. Come see me and we’ll have a nice long chat” he said. “It doesn’t have to be tonight or tomorrow, come whenever you’re ready. Then I—I mean, we will get to the bottom of the mystery of humans!”

“I don’t need to get to the bottom of that”

“No, but if you want to continue using the radio afterwards you’ll have to accept my conditions. So? What do you say?”

What option did he have? If he said no, then Snorpy would forbid him the only method of communication available. As much as Yu disliked it he had to accept. With a nod he extended a hand, intending to seal the deal.

“Glad to reach an agreement with you, chum! But, ah, it’s customary to seal agreements with a hug. It’s a cultural thing, surely you understand” Snorpy spread his arms. “Come here!”

“I didn’t have to hug anyone else so far” Yu said but made no move to get away, instead opening his arms with surprising naturalness. If Snorpy wanted a hug then alright, a hug he’d get.

“Well then you shouldn’t say no to our intricate social customs!” Even though Yu was a tall person, Snorpy still managed to be taller than him, even if it wasn’t by much. Without much awkwardness he patted the back of Snorpy’s head. Was this really a grumpus cultural custom? Well, it didn’t really matter, he supposed, it wasn’t like he minded hugging. He just had to get used to it. Besides, there was something nice about this all, like he was hugging a firm stuffed animal. Probably it was the fuzziness of their fur.

After a few seconds of hugging Snorpy let go, looking quite satisfied. “There we go! Now that we have performed our social pleasantries I should introduce myself. My name is Snorpy Fizzlebean, a completely unremarkable resident of Snaxburg. You’re...Narukami, right?”

“Yu Narukami”

“Nice to meet you, Narukami. I spend, well, all of my time in here, so if you ever need me you know where to find me”

Yu scratched the back of his head. “Do I make you nervous?”

“What? No! Not at all! At least not as much as before...if only because you have made no attempt to spy on me. Yet. Believe me, I know you didn’t”

The paranoia wasn’t a terribly endearing personality trait but it seemed harmless. Yu hoped it’d stay that way. Still, that Snorpy was inviting him to return to his workshop and room, even though he still seemed somewhat anxious about the presence of the human, was quite encouraging. So what if it was all a transparent effort to find more about the human? Yu could work with that, he thought.

Well, the bond forming between him and Snorpy was a good sign as well.

“You may return to your nocturnal festivities. I’m sorry for not joining you all, but I’m not good in that kind of situations” Snorpy apologized, taking a screwdriver and sitting to the radio device, lowering one of the many pairs of magnifying lenses over his glasses. “Chandlo’s better suited for them. Isn’t that right?”

Right, Chandlo was over there. Yu faintly remembered having seen him return. Chandlo, busy lifting a quite hefty looking dumbbell with one arm, shook his head. “Bro, the party’s over” he said. For some reason Chandlo sounded quite annoyed.

“So soon?” Yu asked. It had been just half an hour! Filbo had mentioned to him he wanted the party to last quite a while. “What happened?”

“...how do I say this...” Chandlo let go of the dumbbell, the floor under it creaking dangerously once it hit the wooden planks. “It was Filbo. Look, I like Filbo. He’s a really nice guy but he really should get his snaks together, you know what I mean?”

“Not really” What was that even supposed to mean?

“I believe in the mainland they’d use a crude word in that sentence” Snorpy said, dismantling the radio device and taking out a tape from inside. Having gotten the clarification Yu looked out of the window. Indeed, there was no trace of the party anymore. “I can’t say I disagree, though...”

“Filbo’s trying as hard as he can” Yu said.

“Sometimes your hardest isn’t enough” Snorpy murmured, putting the tape into a drawer and taking a new one out.

“I hate to admit it, bro, but Snorpy’s right. I feel bad for Filbo, but sometimes I wanna know if he realizes he’s out of his league” Chandlo said. “I like that he’s trying, but it’s like he’s crashing against the same wall over and over”

Yu had heard enough. Obviously something had happened in the half an hour he had been talking to Yosuke and Snorpy and it was bad enough it ruined the entire party Filbo had worked hard on – and as if that wasn’t enough, it seemed Filbo himself had been the cause. Not even bothering to say goodbye Yu jumped down the steps of the stairs three by three, running out to where the firepit usually is at.

There was no more music. The boombox had been turned off and left aside. Bunches of balloons swayed in the breeze, one of the strings of colorful decorations had been untied but hadn’t been picked on. The table of drinks was turned over, the jug with water infused with that Pinkle had a hole in it, leaking liquid and forming a wide puddle. The tablecloth was soaked and almost ruined, and once Yu looked closely enough, he found something that looked suspiciously like drops of vomit staining it.

There was only one grumpus around: Filbo. The mayor was sitting against the wall of Cromdo’s hut, knees to the chest, staring at the ground. Yu had never seen him so...distraught. Depressed. Disheartened. Yu approached slowly, definitely having noticed whatever happened had seriously hurt his friend. Once he was close enough, Filbo looked upwards. It didn’t seem like he had been crying but that meant nothing when everything else hinted he was having a hard time.

“...what happened?” Filbo very obviously wasn’t okay, so Yu instead decided to ask what went wrong.

Filbo didn’t say anything. Instead he brought his knees closer to himself. Yu sat down beside Filbo, staying in silence. Hopefully he being there for him would be encouraging for his friend, but...it was hard to know when Filbo didn’t react at first.

It took ten minutes before Filbo finally asked something: “...Yu, do you...do you think I’m useless?”

“Of course not”

“I screwed up. Again”

Filbo wasn’t useless, in Yu’s opinion. True, he wasn’t good at a lot of things, but it wasn’t like he was unlikable! And it wasn’t just because Filbo had welcomed him into the town, he genuinely liked Filbo as a person. He knew Filbo had a low opinion of himself, but he hadn’t ever seen him so disheartened. “Was it that bad?”

“...at this point I dunno” Filbo admitted. “I thought I could handle this. I mean, I’m supposed to be good at hosting these parties. I should have been able to do it. But, uh...” Filbo’s voice trembled for a moment, he had to visibly compose himself before he could talk again. “Where do I even start...”

“Start from the top”

Filbo let go of his knees and passed a strawberry paw over his eyes, like he was trying to make sure he wasn’t about to cry. “...it was a little while after you left. I’m sure you know this already, but Wambus and Gramble don’t really get along”

“I know a thing or two” Yu said. You’d have to be oblivious not to see those two completely despised each other.

“After you left I tried to keep the party going, you know, trying to look out for everyone and just...doing my best to keep the cheer up. That’s what parties are for. Well, I, uh, I said the wrong thing. To them. They started fighting, and, you know, going for the throat. Only with words, but it was really ugly”

“Did you step in?”

“W-Well...no. I didn’t get to before Chandlo did. Chandlo saw me hesitate and went and got them to stop” Filbo said. “I was so glad he did because if they had started fighting, well, it’d all have been ruined. So to try to fix things up and all I thought some drinks and some Bugsnax would help”

Yu winced a little. He didn’t offer any Bugsnax to Gramble, did he? There was no way Filbo could do something so careless.

Thankfully, it seemed that wasn’t what happened. “I went around offering them, and I...” Filbo stopped for a moment. He probably was feeling a knot in his throat. “...I convinced my buddy to try eating Bugsnax”

“Dagbert?” so the journalist probably had a transformed limb right now, thought Yu.

Filbo narrowed his eyes. “My buddy, the journalist. Is that his name? He gave me a different one...” Well, that didn’t matter. “Anyway, he tried to say no at first, but I insisted, and he took what I was offering and, you know, he ate it. I dunno what even happened...”

“Where’s he?” Yu asked. It would be easier to ask Dagbert what happened, he thought.

“...he’s in the outhouse. Looks like he can’t stomach Bugsnax”

Oh.

Filbo raised his voice, distressed. He seemed to be feeling quite guilty about having inflicted that on Dagbert. “It happened so suddenly, he just...fell over! There at the table! And everything fell to the floor, and he started wheezing, and I hurried and tried to get him back on his feet but he was holding his stomach and—and then Beffica said something like ‘oh em gee, you poisoned him’, and I panicked!”

“Filbo...”

“I was freaking out but I froze there where I was standing, I just watched everyone else move! Chandlo helped my buddy get up, and everyone else went to make sure he was okay. I just...stood there, doing nothing, and then Gramble went to get him some water and my buddy managed to get himself to the bathroom, and...” his paws curled, the strawberries making strange squelching noises when the rinds grinded together. “I did nothing!”

Yu put a hand on the tinfoil shoulder. “Deep breaths, Filbo”

He didn’t breathe deeply at all, though. Anger boiling over, he shouted: “I just stood there while everyone else helped him! Then Wambus came and demanded I take some responsibility for it, and I knew he was right but I didn’t know what to say! I just stood there like some idiot, and Chandlo said the party should be cut short, and everyone left!”

“You couldn’t have known Dagbert would have a bad reaction”

“That’s not the point! The point is...it’s...” Filbo shut his purple eyes tightly “...I just can’t do anything right. Just look how tonight went...” his fur stood on end. “I should have tried to get the party going, but you’re the one who stepped in! I should have tried to get everybody to get along, but Chandlo’s the one who did it! I should have helped my buddy after I made him sick with Bugsnax, but literally everyone else handled it!”

Yu gripped Filbo’s shoulder tighter, the tinfoil crinkling under his fingers.

“That’s how it’s been all the time! Lizbert has saved my fur so many times since we met! My buddy’s the one gathering Snaxburg together after I failed to lead! I’m being so useless, and I don’t like it!”

“So what are you going to do now?”

Filbo sniffed, leaning his head back on the wall behind him. “...I dunno. I know I need to do something, but I dunno. I just need to do something”

“Filbo, you’re better than you think you are. Right now it all looks awful, but I’m sure you can face it all”

“...I hope you’re right, Yu”

Yu stood up and extended a hand towards Filbo, intending to help him get up. The grumpus didn’t take it, though. Filbo stared at that hand for a moment before bracing a paw onto the wooden wall and getting up by himself.

“I’ll think of something. But, uh...Yu, I think...I think it’s about time I accept it”

“Accept what?”

Filbo gulped and, with shaking paws, he took off his mayoral sash, holding it up to Yu. “...I quit”

“You quit?!” Yu exclaimed. Filbo did mention he had his doubts about the job, but he hoped his friend would manage to overcome them. That he was quitting...frankly, Yu didn’t expect that part.

Filbo nodded, glancing longingly at the sash. “Lizbert made a mistake appointing me. It’s about time I accept that and step aside so someone else can do the job. My buddy should be the mayor. Or maybe you should! You’re working just as hard as he has – maybe even more because you were also looking for other humans!”

Yu pushed Filbo’s strawberry paw back. “I’m not taking it. Filbo, that’s yours”

“Then my buddy—“

“Dagbert won’t take it either. I’m sure he won’t”

Filbo’s eyes flickered between Yu and the sash, like he was trying to figure out a way to get the human to take it, but in the end he simply dropped the sash onto the dirt, sighing. “Fine. Do whatever you want” he morosely said and made a move to leave but Yu stopped him before he could step away. “What?”

“Before you go I wanted to remind you of something”

“What is it?”

“Filbo...you’re the one who welcomed me into Snaxburg” The former mayor blinked, giving Yu the chance to continue. “I had nowhere to go. I didn’t even know where I was, and I didn’t even know yet there were no other humans around. You didn’t care I was something no grumpus had ever seen before; you gave me a place to stay at while I tried to deal with everything else. Filbo, you have looked out for me during these ten days I have been here in the town, and I’m really grateful to you for that”

“Anyone would have done the same”

“I really don’t think so” Some of the other grumpuses may give him a chance, but Yu really doubted anyone else would have welcomed him as warmly as Filbo did. “I owe you for all your help”

Filbo went quiet, but he tilted his head, listening intently.

“No matter what happens I’ll believe in you. I’m sorry if I did anything that made you feel like you were useless. I want you to know I believe in you”

“Yu, I...I dunno what to say...”

“You don’t have to. Just let me stick with you until you feel you can stand on your own two feet” No matter how long it took.

These were hard times for Filbo, very hard times. His own mistakes and how everyone seemed to be stuck cleaning after his errors had overwhelmed him, and even though Yu hadn’t intended to, it seemed his own actions had helped push Filbo closer to distress. He had to at least make sure Filbo understood he wasn’t as hopeless as he thought he was.

Even in these rough times, Yu felt like he was able to give support to Filbo when he needed it.

The blue grumpus nodded, managing to force a pained smile. “Thanks for telling me, I guess... I’ll figure out something. I know I can’t just...do nothing and get all stagnant. Even if I’m not the mayor, when Lizbert comes back I want...I want to be able to face her. That’s gotta be a start, right?”

“It’s something to aim for” Yu encouraged.

“Right! So I’ll do my best! I’ll stay up and clean up this whole mess, so you go and get some shut-eye, alright?” looking cheered up, Filbo waved at Yu and approached the upturned table, without having bothered to pick up the sash he dropped. It looked so sad, strewn on the ground like discarded trash. Did Filbo...really mean what he said about not being the mayor anymore?

Yu decided to pick up the sash. He knew Filbo had spares, but still, if Filbo changed his mind then may as well give this one back at that time. Once again wishing Filbo a good night Yu walked up to the airship, leaving the sash in a corner, along other many trinkets and items Yu had gathered so far.

Ten days. Finding the rest of the team had taken ten days. Now for once Yu felt like he could sleep with ease.

-ooooo-

Yu couldn’t say with certainty but he thought an earth tremor woke him up for a brief moment at some point during the night. That was quickly forgotten once he sank back into a calm dream, huddled under the covers of his bed.

When he woke up, though...that bad feeling invaded him once again. He didn’t even get to sit on the bed, Yu felt a cold, unnerving sensation deep inside him, a bad feeling so strong he almost feared leaving the airship. Every other time it was like a nagging feeling something was wrong, but this time it was such a strong sensation he wouldn’t forget it in a while. Forcing himself to get out of the airship, Yu descended to the town – he had to go get ready for the meeting with the rest of the Investigation Team, after all.

The first sign something was deeply wrong was that the party decorations were still there.

Balloons, already deflating, sagged sadly at almost ground level. Having pushed away by the breeze the streamers and the decorations swayed, and the firepit still hadn’t been made once again. The upturned table was back on its four legs and there was no sign of the jug or the ruined tablecloth – just a naked wooden table.

Getting his arms into his jacket to put it on, Yu decided to check on Filbo after the meeting. Maybe the night before he got depressed again after Yu left to sleep.

“Hmph” he heard from a side. There was Wambus, pushing a cluster of balloons away. “You’d think he woulda picked all this up”

“Good morning Wambus”

“Morning, kid. You missed a mess last night. Lucky you”

A mess was a charitable word to use, all things considered. Yu buttoned up his jacket, feeling the chill of the morning. “Wambus, do you hate Filbo?”

“What’s up with that question?”

“I’m curious” he said. Wambus chewed on the stalk in his mouth, deciding to answer:

“It ain’t like I hate ‘im. Filbo’s a good lad and he tries hard, but that doesn’t matter when you can’t get the right results. Besides I got no patience for spineless people like him”

“That’s rough”

“Yeah? He’s the mayor, kid. Or deputy mayor, or whatever he’s callin’ himself. These ain’t times to be playin’ make believe. If he can’t do a good job then he should step aside and let somebody else take charge”

“Somebody like who?”

Wambus scratched his face while he considered the options. “I dunno. Lizbert would be the right answer, but she’s gone, maybe even dead. Without her we’re all left behind to rot”

Quite a gloomy outlook about the situation in Snaxburg, thought Yu. This town seriously was full of trouble and issues.

Dagbert, who presumably was much better right now than he had been the night before, appeared all of a sudden, running from parts unknown of the town. He had no signs of Bugsnax mutation, his entire body was just as orange, fuzzy and pill-shaped as it should be. There wasn’t not even a hair out of place. He didn’t greet them, immediately asking a question:

“Have either of you seen Filbo?”

“No.” Wambus replied, Yu simply shook his head. Dagbert whimpered, looking uncharacteristically panicked, he nervously gnawed on his paw. Another unseemly bad habit, probably. The grumpus equivalent of biting your nails?

“He’s not in his cottage?” Yu asked.

“Obviously not!” Dagbert spat. “He isn’t anywhere in Snaxburg! Filbo is gone!”

“Gone?” Wambus for once didn’t sound as lackadaisical as he did during normal conversation. “What do you mean gone?”

“He’s not here! He’s absent! He’s missing! He hasn’t been seen since last night!” Dagbert seemed to be on the verge of screaming at Wambus.

“You didn’t seem him last night after you left the crapper?”

“What do you think?!” the journalist tried to calm down, breathing sharply. “I crashed and fell asleep behind Shelda’s gazebo, okay? So like an hour ago I woke up and found all this strewn around. Didn’t you think it’s really odd that Filbo didn’t clean up the party stuff?” Dagbert had a point there, Yu had to admit. Filbo wasn’t the sort to leave everything disorganized. The objects left all over the place seemed a little more sinister now. “I had been looking for him all over the place and then I found...” he looked in direction of the path that led to the beach.

“What did you find?” Yu asked.

“The tablecloth and the jug were over there, all cleaned up but lying around. I’m about to go search for him down in the springs”

“Don’t forget the bay” Wambus said. “So you can’t say for sure Filbo’s missin’”

“I can’t but everything is pointing out that something happened” Dagbert was finally calming down. “Lizbert and Eggabell are missing; I think we should be alarmed if a third grumpus may have gone missing as well”

“...got a point there” Wambus admitted.

Yu really hoped Filbo was alright, and that he indeed hadn’t gone missing in the dead of the night. In the span of one night he had managed to get in contact with his friends, but then not long afterwards one of his newer friends had disappeared.

He really hoped Dagbert would find him.

Chapter Text

To be honest Yu was quite torn. He wanted to look for Filbo, make sure he hadn’t gone missing like Dagbert suspected, but he also had a meeting with the Investigation Team. Labeling one as more important seemed like a disservice to the other. What other choice did he have, though? At least Dagbert had said he’d handle it, going to search for Filbo immediately.

Yu really hoped there’d be results. For now, though, he had fellow humans to meet. Going up to the second floor of the mill he found Snorpy already waiting for him. “There you are. Are you prepared for your reunion?”

“As ready as I can be” Yu said. Filbo’s disappearance had made him far less enthusiastic than he should be.

“Alright. I have already made the adjustments, so sit here. You won’t have to press the button anymore once you turn on the radio”

Yu sat down to the radio device and slowly turned his head towards Snorpy, who was still standing there and looked to not be in any hurry to leave at all. “Snorpy, I’d appreciate if you left” Yu said. Even though he was polite, he didn’t really feel in mood to be too tactful.

“I see. Alright, I will step over here” he said, moving to his bed some distance away and sitting down. Yu could feel his burning stare right on the back of his head. Snorpy wasn’t going to leave him alone, was he? Well, they were going to speak in Japanese anyway, so it probably didn’t matter. It wasn’t like Snorpy would understand a word of what they were saying.

Probably.

Knowing there wasn’t really much point in pondering that when his friends probably were already waiting for him Yu pressed the button to turn the radio on. It was time. Voices sounded through the speakers of the radio, voices that immediately made him feel happier and relaxed.

“—as big as my head! I really would like to know if any Bugsnax look like meat bowls. They can’t be deeper than the ones from Aiya” That definitely was Chie. Her lively voice was unmistakable, and so was her interest in meat dishes.

“Everything looks very Western so far” Yukiko, on the other hand, was far calmer. She managed to sound very normal, as if talking about the appearances of Bugsnax was a topic she routinely touched.

“I know, but surely there’s Bugsnax for all tastes, right? Maybe it even would be an undiscovered kind of Bugsnax!”

“Am I interrupting the meat discourse?” Yu asked. He was a little glad this was via radio, that way Chie and Yukiko wouldn’t see the teasing grin on his face. The meat discourse, as he called it, ended immediately.

“Yu! You’re okay!”

“Oh! Hello! Are you alright?”

It didn’t take long for both girls to start asking how he had been, if he was hurt, if the grumpuses were treating him well...everything they could think to ask. Yu quickly assuaged any concerns they may have had, although, notably enough, Yukiko asked several times if Beffica was giving him any trouble. Deciding to ask about that later Yu instead decided to ask if he was the last one to arrive.

“Yosuke was here a moment ago” informed Yukiko “The rest should be—“

“Hello, senpais!” there was another one. Rise was as bubbly as usual; the strange situation hadn’t changed that not even a little bit. “Am I late?”

“Not at all! We got here a moment ago, actually” Chie told her. “Yosuke organized everything. You should have heard him last night, trying his best to be organized. Now that’s something you don’t see every day”

Yukiko’s muffled laughter crackled through the speakers while an annoyed Yosuke piped up. “I’m literally listening right now, Chie”

“Don’t feel--called out, Senpai” Rise supported, although judging by how she interrupted herself for a brief moment she was holding laughter back too. Before Yosuke could reply to that, a fifth voice appeared.

“I see even during these times you all still manage to joke around” Naoto sounded really fond, even relieved. “I find myself nostalgic, if I have to be honest with you all”

“I think the same” Yu said. It really felt like they were all sitting around a table at the food court at Junes, ready to tackle once another meeting to discuss the latest developments in the serial murder case they investigated. That they were all separated and forced to use radios didn’t diminish at all the camaraderie they had cultivated during all that time and a couple adventures more. “Only Kanji and Teddie haven’t arrived yet”

“I haven’t heard anything about Teddie yet. Perhaps my recorded signal was too narrow – I did mention only humans” Naoto said. “I’ll record a new version, asking to be contacted if anyone has seen a blue bear, in case he never showed himself out of his costume”

“Alright, but where’s Kanji? He better not have forgotten—“

Yosuke seemed about to complain, but the last member of the team to be joining that day finally got into the conversation. “Hey guys. Sorry about that. There’s someone I’d like you to meet” That definitely was Kanji.

“I can’t understand anythin’ you say!” Yu raised his eyebrows when he heard that one. It was Gramble speaking English. “Iiii’ll wait outside” He presumably left right afterwards.

“What’s going on, Kanji-kun?” Yukiko asked.

Kanji sounded really disappointed when he replied. “I wanted to introduce you guys to my friend here, but we keep havin’ trouble with the language. You guys speak English, right?”

“I know that feeling...I have such a hard time trying to communicate” Rise said. “I’m never underestimating English ever again”

“You should ask Mr. Pricklyrind to be an interpreter. He’ll handle it” Naoto suggested. Pricklyrind? Must be some grumpus he hadn’t met yet, Yu thought, a grumpus that spoke Japanese. “That aside, I suggest we get started immediately. There’s plenty we have to discuss” Yu leaned towards the speaker, focusing. Strange...whenever anyone spoke, right afterwards, Yu was pretty sure he heard a murmur in the background, but he couldn’t determine what it was...or who it was.

“So...where are you guys? Yukiko said she’s in Snaxburg but the times I have gone there I haven’t seen her at all” Chie asked.

Rise suggested: “We should all gather together. Maybe even get a new headquarters!”

Naoto didn’t share the enthusiasm, though. Her reply was tinged with a grim tone: “Gathering together...that’s exactly what I wanted to discuss first. It probably won’t be possible to meet at all”

“Naoto and I had talked about it last night. Guys, if she’s right we’re...we’re in a lot of trouble” Yosuke said. “It’s nothing like stuff we have handled in the past”

“Partner did say that last night” said Yu. Was it really that unbelievable...? “What’s the current theory?”

Everyone had gone silent. Even though they were eight lively teenagers – well, seven right now – they always managed to have some very civil discussions. Patiently giving Naoto time to speak, they heard her sigh, as if she was trying to think her thoughts one last time before voicing them aloud.

“...what’s the last thing you all remember before you found yourself on Snaktooth Island?”

“We were about to pass through that weird-ass door” Kanji said.

“Wait, but before we did, most of you looked like you were...fading away” Yukiko added. “I was so scared...so much I hurried through the door thinking that’s where everybody had gone through”

“I did try to call to you all but it was like nobody could hear me...” Rise’s voice trembled a little. “Something was really wrong, I just knew it and I couldn’t do anything about it”

So far it sounded like everyone had experienced just the same thing Yu did, watching his friends go transparent and fade away, their voices not reaching each other. Yu repeated his own experience, at the end commenting: “But I did notice we all reached for the door. It seemed right”

“So we can all agree this abnormal situation started before we entered the door. I’m not certain what happened back then, but clearly we’re missing important information. Regardless...” Naoto sighed. “...we got separated from each other. We all passed through that door and got to Snaktooth Island. Tell me, didn’t you all think it’s strange? That we all claim to have been in the same places, known the same grumpuses—“

Yosuke interrupted: “Yeah, it’s really weird! But that theory—“

“I know it’s outlandish, but we all know nothing involving the TV World or anything in it is largely an enigma to us. It’s not impossible”

“And that theory is...” Rise gasped. “Wait...you don’t mean we...Naoto, are you serious?” Did she catch onto what kind of outlandish theory Naoto had? Yu leaned closer to the speaker, ready to hear it.

“I believe there’s a chance we’re all in separate versions of this odd world”

“What do you mean separate versions?!” Kanji shouted.

“...call it parallel worlds. Worlds that are mostly similar, if perhaps with some very minor differences”

That...certainly could explain it all, if it worked like he thought this did, thought Yu. That’d explain how everyone could say they were in Snaxburg. That explained how they seemed to know the same grumpuses. That explained why he had heard from Yosuke about he going to a party at the same time Yu should have been in one.

Parallel worlds. Similar events. And each member of the Investigation Team was in a different one. Why? How? And perhaps more importantly:

Would that make it harder to return home?

“Look, if that’s true there’s absolutely no way it happened randomly” Yosuke argued. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, but we’re talking of—of—it can’t have been a coincidence!”

“I agree. There must be something going on” Yu backed him up. “We all can agree that much”

“Then of course we need to figure out what it was. Come on, guys, let’s put our heads together” Chie encouraged. It was useless, though. They had literally no information. All they knew was that something had happened. The cause, any further effects, the reason, all of that was one big mass of unknown factors. There was one Yu was inclined to believe, though:

If the cause was...someone instead of something, then it had to be extremely powerful. Entities with that much power were always a challenge.

The thick silence that invaded the meeting fell over everyone like a blanket. Even if they wanted more information, how to even get it in the first place? And if they got it, how would they be able to use it? After all there was no guarantee it’d allow them to return home.

“...alright, let’s cut the crap, guys” Kanji’s voice cut the silence like a knife. “We know jack shit but that’s fine. All we have to do is work towards finding out what we can”

“Kanji is right” said Yu. “The Investigation Team is back in action once again”

“You got it! Now let’s see...” Yosuke snapped his fingers. “Let’s figure out how to go back home. Everyone in Inaba must be worried sick, so let’s try to solve that first”

“If we got here through the doors then...why don’t we just go back by passing through them again?” Rise suggested.

“That’d be easy! We’d just have to walk through it” Yukiko said. Almost everyone else said the same thing, saying they could pass through it anytime.

“At first I thought about entering but I just couldn’t bring myself to. Not when you guys could still be somewhere on the island” Chie said.

“We should enter all at the same time” said Naoto. “The collective unconscious can be only one, but given what happened there’s no such thing as too much caution.”

It seemed that almost everyone had their entrance doors within reach, which is why Yu had to say: “Mine is at the top of the mountain”

“What?

“It’s at the mountain summit. It’s going to take me a while to make preparations to get there without dying”

“Mine is at the beach, but it’s underwater. That’s gonna be a pain” Kanji said as well. True, it’d be difficult. Opening the stone door already had been hard, having to do it while underwater would make it even harder.

“Well...I guess we can stick around until Yu gets ready. There’s no way we’re risking leaving him behind in some strange world” Chie said, statement that, of course, got everyone else agreeing. They were in this together. They’d return home together!

...leaving aside that, if passing through the doors worked, leaving Yu to make his way alone through the TV World and back home was an incredibly bad idea. No way they could do that.

At least everyone agreed that their best bet for returning home was to simply pass through the doors. Yu would have to make his preparations, but that was easier said than done: there didn’t seem to be any winter clothes anywhere. Grumpuses had it easy, all that fur sheltered them from the cold. Yu certainly had no such luxury – and the last time he had been up there he almost died. He had to figure something out.

“Now that we have agreed to wait there’s something else I’d like to address, if that’s okay” Yukiko requested. Yu could imagine her, politely trying to get their attention in the meeting. “It’s something I have been feeling for a while already”

“What’s wrong?” Yu asked.

“I...I don’t know” Yukiko hesitated. “It’s this strange feeling something’s very wrong. I have been getting it from time to time”

“Wait, I know what you mean. I feel chills down my spine” Rise said. “It’s not often but when it happens...”

“You mean recently?” asked Yu. This could be significant! “Have all of you felt something like that?”

It turned out everyone had felt such ominous feelings every once in a while ever since they arrived to Snaktooth. There was no way this was a coincidence. All seven, having similar feelings? It confirmed to Yu this wasn’t just a mere bad feeling. At first he had thought maybe it was his sharpened instincts warning him of something, but now that he found out everybody felt similar things...

“Do you guys think something bad’s gonna happen here?” Chie wondered.

 “If there will be trouble here I can’t just sit around and do nothing” Yukiko said decisively. No way she’d change her mind, even if they tried.

“There’s no guarantee anything will happen, but this feeling...it unsettles me” Naoto said, pausing for a moment before adding: “I believe we should take this seriously”

Yu, passing a finger over the rim of the speaker, frowned, thinking about what this all meant. He had thought once he managed to find his friends and form a plan to go back home everything would be smooth sailing – to some extent. Now that he knew everybody else had the same strange, unnerving feeling of dread welling inside them every once in a while, he couldn’t ignore that any longer. It was one thing more in a growing list of strange things.

“I must tell you all something” Yu started. “I don’t like any of what I have found out”

“Senpai?” Naoto sounded surprised. “What did you find?”

And so, Yu Narukami spoke of all the little details. Every single thing that had started to make him wonder what was happening on Snaktooth Island. About what would happen in the future. And about the residents of the settlement.

He spoke about the tensions among the residents of Snaxburg.

He spoke about the aggressiveness of the Bugsnax towards him.

He spoke about the Snaxquatch. He spoke about how he had tried to communicate with it.

He spoke about how Dagbert mentioned there were grumpus skeletons all over the island.

He spoke about the lack of wildlife.

He spoke about the skeleton Beffica had seen. About how an arm was torn apart from the body, and about the bites on the bones.

He spoke about how Dagbert theorized any bite marks must have been done by a grumpus.

He spoke about the growing fixation on Bugsnax so many people had.

He spoke about the rumors Floofty ate a leg.

He spoke about Elizabert Megafig, Eggabell Batternugget and, possibly, Filbo Fiddlepie’s disappearances.

And, more importantly, he spoke about how he didn’t want anything bad happening to all these people. Not only because caring about any potential ill fate that may befall them was just how he was, but also because he already considered them his friends.

If something awful was going to happen on Snaktooth Island, then he wanted to find out what it was.

Once Yu finished explaining everything for a while there was silence. Yu closed his eyes, lying his arms on the table, and hunched over, feeling strangely at peace. It was nice to finally talk about everything with the rest of the Investigation Team. It had been just ten days, but their absence in times of uncertainty had started to get under his skin.

“...impressive as always, partner!” Yosuke broke the silence. “That’s far more than I found out – and I have been going all over the place”

“You know, when put all together like that...it really sounds like something is very wrong on this island” Chie said. “I don’t like the sound of any of that”

“Guys, you don’t think the grumpuses are...they’re eating each other, do you?” Rise’s voice was muffled – Yu guessed she had her hands in front of her mouth, horrified.

“No, no way! They wouldn’t...” Yukiko said, although there was a bit of doubt in her voice. “At least I haven’t seen any indication they would. They’re all eating Bugsnax”

Better try to calm them down, thought Yu: “It’s too soon to get to that conclusion. Don’t worry about it”

“I have seen no indication Fizzlebean has eaten any legs!” Naoto said. Even she sounded freaked out, even if she’d usually try to hide it. “Don’t come up with random grisly scenarios!”

“Damn it, why did someone have to suggest something like that?!” Yosuke complained, perhaps rightfully. “Look, if there’s something brewing over here I don’t wanna just let it happen if I can do something about it” Yosuke said. “Especially if it’s bad for the grumpuses”

“Wow, Yosuke, you sound like you got attached to them” Chie commented, her tone rather casual. Yosuke seemed to take it as a bit of an insult, though, because when he replied he sounded defensive:

“You didn’t? I have been living with them for a week and half, of course I’d care about them”

“I’m grateful towards a couple of them, I just am a little surprised you said something like that...”

“Well guys, I think the same as Yosuke-senpai” Kanji agreed. “I don’t really get along with ‘em, especially after last night. But I’m not gonna sit around and let something bad happen”

Soon it was unanimous: if there was going to be trouble on Snaktooth Island, everyone in the Investigation Team wanted to do something about it. No idea what it could be, no idea what would be the cause, or if they even could do something, but that wasn’t going to stop them from trying.

Seven worlds, eight if they found Teddie in another one. Even though they had the same people in them, nobody could deny every single one of those residents was real. They weren’t copies, or fake versions. Every single grumpus was a real, breathing person, their lives had value and therefore the team had to do everything in their power to help, if disgrace truly was coming.

It was almost overwhelming, thought Yu. Lives could be at stake.

“Looks like we all agree. I’ll try to hurry up with getting myself ready for climbing the mountain and looking for the door, but in the meantime let’s find out as much as we can” Yu proposed.

“So what’s the plan? How are we going to do this?” Chie asked.

“We should take advantage of our situation to gather information. What a grumpus may hesitate to answer in one world may be easier to find out in another” Yosuke said.

“Senpai is right. I don’t know well some of the grumps here, so if you guys can handle talking with them that’ll make everything so much easier” Rise agreed. It was likely each one had tighter bonds with specific grumpuses, thought Yu. If they needed something specific perhaps they could delegate it on the member of the Investigation Team who got along best with that grumpus.

“Talking to them is—“ whatever Naoto was going to say was forgotten when Yu heard a voice that didn’t belong to anyone in the Investigation Team.

“Sorry for interrupting, but are you sure I should be translating everything you’re talking about now?” The voice said. Only then Yu noticed three things.

One: the murmur he had been constantly hearing throughout their meeting wasn’t there anymore.

Two: this voice was speaking Japanese.

Three: he recognized the voice.

“Please continue doing so” Naoto replied. A good time as any to ask:

“Naoto, is that Dagbert?” Yu inquired – because he had no doubt, that had been Dagbert Sourcake’s voice. Dagbert really could speak Japanese!

“Dagbert...?” Naoto sounded confused.

“Who is with you?” Yukiko asked.

Naoto made a noise – Yu guessed it was of frustration. “I didn’t mean to hide this from you all, but I have Mr. Pricklyrind as an interpreter. He’s translating this meeting for the Fizzlebean siblings”

That only made more questions pop in Yu’s head. Yosuke voiced one of them, though: “What? Why?! They shouldn’t be listening to this all!”

“I’ll apologize as much as necessary later. I assure you this wasn’t an easy decision to take”

“Why are you letting them listen, Naoto?” Yu asked calmly.

“Because I have told them a lot about our circumstances” she said and added: “Nothing ‘personal’. I trust you all understand what I mean” Ah. Yu was pretty sure that was a subtle way for Naoto to say she hadn’t told them about Personas or anything related to them. Everyone else seemed to understand – or didn’t voice their doubts. Taking advantage of their silence, Naoto added: “It’s thanks to them I was able to get in contact with you all in the first place. I decided to repay their aid with privileged information”

“That should be fine, but who is Pricklyrind? I don’t think I have met this one before...” Chie inquired.

“You haven’t met him?” Naoto sounded surprised! “Camembert Pricklyrind, journalist”

“N-No...I know a journalist? But his last name is Sweetspice”

“That isn’t it either—!“ Yosuke tried to say, just to get drowned by Rise saying the exact same thing. Before it all could devolve into confusion Yu remembered a tidbit, one that probably explained this little issue:

“Writing this kind of article is a side gig. I use all sorts of pseudonyms and get my work published all over the place -- not that it fools anyone, everybody knows what I write. Call me Dagbert – Dagbert Sourcake. That’s the side gig pseudonym I’m using these days”

So that was what was going on... “The journalist has many pseudonyms. He must be using a different one in every world” Yu asserted. That explained it quite handily!

“Can I answer that one?” the journalist’s voice piped up. Upon receiving permission from Naoto he delivered his explanation in such a casual manner, as if he was speaking with someone he knew instead of to a bunch of humans spread throughout a handful of parallel worlds! “I probably haven’t told any of you my real name. If we have talked then I must have given you a pseudonym I have used at some point of my career” Clearing his throat, he stepped away, his apology to Naoto barely audible.

“Wait...I thought we all were in identical parallel worlds” Yukiko said. “Then doesn’t that mean our worlds aren’t exactly the same?”

“What if there are some differences between our worlds? Or between the events that happened?” Yosuke suggested. “Clearly the journalist’s different names prove that’s possible”

Kanji asked: “Then...what else could be different between our worlds?”

Now that there was undeniable proof of a difference between their worlds what if there were others as well? Well, now that Yu thought about it, that each one of them was in a world was a difference by and of itself! That would make two differences so far. How many more existed?

What was for certain, though, was that the worlds were largely the same – it seemed the exact same grumpuses were present in all worlds, meaning their personalities, goals and desires were always the same. Events such as Filbo’s party the night before also seemed to have happened in at least two worlds, since Yosuke had mentioned it.

Only one way to know for sure: “How about each one of us talk about everything we have seen during these ten days?” Yu suggested.

“That should be fine. So...I’ll start” Yosuke offered. Yosuke’s tale would come first.

Yu got comfortable, ready to listen to Yosuke Hanamura’s life on Snaktooth Island.

-ooooo-

Dagbert, journalist of many pseudonyms, approached the wooden barrier dividing Boiling Bay and Simmering Springs. He had never gone past it ever before but there was a chance Filbo had done so the night before. Crouching, he searched for any signs the door had been opened very recently, anything that could indicate the former mayor had passed through!

There was nothing! No scrapes, no splinters, nothing. Filbo wasn’t anywhere in Simmering Springs, he had confirmed that much, and now it meant the odds he was beyond the barrier were pretty low.

...

No. He wasn’t going to take that for granted. He’d get over there and explore the area. Filbo still could be over there.

Dagbert didn’t even get to stand up when the door of the barrier opened, revealing a plum-colored grumpus, with large glasses and a bowtie. One of their legs was missing right below the knee, replaced with a peg leg. “If you’re done snooping around then step aside”

Dagbert bit his tongue to not reply back. He had no patience for Floofty’s insulting behavior towards him. Instead he decided to ask what he came here for in the first place. “Floofty, have you seen Filbo today?”

“The incompetent deputy mayor? Not at all. I haven’t seen him since last night, if you must know”

Last night...at some point after the party? Dagbert stood up, elated. “Perfect! Please tell me all about what you talked—“

“That’s none of your concern. Now step aside and let me pass through; I’m in the middle of moving” as if to prove it, Floofty stepped aside, showing a suitcase they had been dragging along. Dagbert’s mind immediately connected the dots, knowing what this meant:

“Wait...are you going back to Snaxburg?”

“That’s exactly right, so unless you’re going to guide the way, let me pass. I have no time for idle chatter” fed up with waiting, Floofty pushed Dagbert aside and passed through with their suitcase, swiftly making their way down the beach.

“Wait! Floofty, just listen to me!”

“Your insistence is vexing” they said without stopping at all.

Seeing how Floofty wasn’t going to stop Dagbert decided to go straight to the point, hoping it’d get Floofty to at least slow down! “Filbo may be missing”

It worked. Floofty stopped and turned around, letting go of the suitcase. “What do you mean with ‘Filbo may be missing’”

What kind of stupid question was that?! “It means he’s not in Snaxburg!”

“...I see. Strange. From what I’m aware, Filbo is not suitable for exploring the wilderness, therefore meaning he should be in the town at almost all times...”

“Yes, that’s exactly why I’m looking for him. If you saw him last night please tell me everything you know”

Floofty adjusted their glasses. “We talked for just a few minutes when I went to Snaxburg to check on my research tent. I found him washing some things, so I asked him to come along and help me pack, and he said he’d be right behind me in a minute or two. I returned to Boiling Bay and waited for him, but he never came”

“You didn’t wonder what happened to him?”

“I figured he decided to ditch me. It didn’t matter” Floofty grabbed their suitcase once again. “Regardless, the tremors that happened almost right afterwards forced me to focus on an unfortunate spill that threatened the integrity of an experiment I’m working on, so I forgot about Filbo until now. That’s all I know”

So Floofty had been the last person to see Filbo anywhere before he presumably disappeared, but they didn’t have anything worthwhile. Dagbert frowned, taking a deep breath to calm down and gather his wits. “Alright. Thanks”

“I can guarantee Filbo hasn’t gone into Boiling Bay, but if you don’t believe me then go ahead” they gestured towards the open door of the barrier and gave a twisted grin, like saying this brought them some satisfaction: “Just don’t touch anything buried in the sand. The beach served as a convenient way to dispose of the remains of some Bugsnax I dissected”

With that dreadful warning Floofty left in direction of Snaxburg. They didn’t seem to really care Filbo had gone missing, fact that infuriated him. How indifferent could they be?! But there was no point in trying to get Floofty to care. Knowing that, Dagbert decided to go explore Boiling Bay and confirm by himself his friend hadn’t gone over there.

There had to be clues somewhere! Anything!

Hopefully.

Chapter Text

Yosuke Hanamura looked up at the sky once he stepped out of the door. It was dawn. There was no way they had spent an entire day in the TV World, right? He didn’t feel that tired! At least the sky indicated he most likely was back in the real world...somehow leaving it without using a TV. Just in case he even checked the door for any sort of hidden screens or anything that could explain his presence wherever this was.

The only thing he found were strange, silly-looking statues near the door. Was that a strawberry? Really?

“...maybe I’m not out of the TV World after all” he muttered, touching the statue. What else explained something as ridiculous as finding stone statues of strawberries just lying around on a pedestal in the middle of the wilderness?

...wait...the wilderness?! What?!

No mistake, this was the wilderness. Yosuke stood near the edge of the cliffs, looking around. He was on some sort of rural area; he could tell that much. The sound of creeks and waterfalls filled the area, hinting water was nearby, hopefully clean water. Nothing looked even remotely familiar. It wasn’t like Yosuke explored the areas outside Inaba much, though, so maybe he was closer than he expected. All he had to do was find a highway or a street and he’d be set. No big deal.

Where was everyone else, though? Did they really go ahead without him? “Not cool, guys! Come on!” Yosuke shouted, his voice echoing throughout Flavor Falls. No point in getting frustrated, though, he had to catch up to them and then he’d be as upset as he should be.

........

He thought he’d be more likely to find roads if he went down the cliffs. So far? No hint of a road at all. Not even a trail! He’d take a trail if he found one! He did manage to find a creek, though – a creek of clean-looking water. Although he was willing to take his chances if necessary he wasn’t too eager to drink from the first place he found.

He was getting so hungry, though...! The sun was starting to raise up in the sky, signaling how much time had passed. By now it had to be past noon! Perhaps even the middle of the afternoon. Yosuke grimaced when his stomach growled – he had no breakfast that morning, so he was starting to feel just a little woozy. What was he supposed to do, though? Go foraging for wild berries or something and risk poisoning himself? He hoped to delay that for a while longer.

Walking beside the creek Yosuke blinked when something crossed his path. Something red and alive. “The hunger is getting to me...” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

It was a very large moving strawberry.

Very juicy looking strawberry, looking up to him.

Yosuke wasn’t immediately thinking about eating it, but...maybe he should catch it? And consider his options? “Better this than nothing!” he shouted, taking a decision: today he was hunting for this fruit. He’d think later about what was going on! But at least this guaranteed he was in the TV World, no doubt. “Persona!” he shouted, hoping to use it to ensure this strawberry Shadow wouldn’t be able to get away.

Nothing happened. Spooked by the shouting, the strawberry scampered away, repeating over and over something Yosuke didn’t understand. “H-Hey! Wait!” Yosuke didn’t even have time to be baffled by the failure to summon his Persona, he had to pursue that thing!

For a strawberry it was startlingly fast! Yosuke was pretty spry, but he still had some trouble keeping up with it – probably because it had the advantage on the terrain. It had no trouble crossing the creeks, climbing from rock to rock, going through the grass with such ease it was as if it could phase through any obstacle in its path! And Yosuke, following a few meters behind, trying hard not to lose sight of his target. So what if he got the cuffs of his pants wet and probably got more and more lost with every step he gave, with every rock he jumped over? He needed food urgently!

The chase ended once the strawberry crawled into a bush, vanishing from sight, but not quickly enough for Yosuke to be deceived! Yosuke stopped right beside the bush, catching his breath while he got on his knees. “Gotcha...!” he wheezed, snaking a hand into the bush. It had to be in there...!

If there was one thing that Yosuke Hanamura’s life proved was that his luck stat was remarkably low. Misfortunes featured often, but despite that Yosuke still managed to pull through one way or another. He’d manage to do it again. So what if the strawberry crawled out of the other end of the bush right after he got his hand into the foliage? So what if all he could do was watch it run away? So what if when he tried to pull out the arm he found he was stuck?

“H-Hey!” Yosuke tried to pull his arm out, finding the branches hooked onto the sleeve of his jacket, trapping him as if he had touched velcro. “Come back here! Shit, now what...?”

-ooooo-

Yu shook his head with a bit of disappointment, emboldened by how he couldn’t be seen at all by his friends. This was more or less how he expected Yosuke would fare in this world and out there in the wild. Then again, it wasn’t like Yu had done any better.

Rise had something else to say, though: “Senpai, were you really going to eat that Strabby without even knowing what it was?”

“I was too hungry to care about that. Look, I’m a city boy through and through, alright? I know nothing about survival” Yosuke defended himself.

“So...Flavor Falls, huh?” Chie confirmed. “That’s not too far away from where I found myself at. Do you think that could mean something?”

“It’s too early to know for sure, but perhaps we should keep track of where each one of us exited the doors at, or who we met first...” Naoto suggested. Yu could already hear her scribbling something.

Regardless, so far Yosuke’s tale didn’t paint a very flattering image. True, everyone already knew he was a bit of a mess, but he was making no effort at all to make himself seem cooler or more composed than he actually was. Yu couldn’t help smiling a little at that – Yosuke had matured so much since they met at first, trusting everyone else enough to show himself like he truly was! Or maybe he was trying to make an example out of himself so everybody would be as honest as possible with their own stories. You could always rely on his partner!

“Anyway, I wasn’t thinking straight back then. I was hungry and kinda upset; it all clouded my judgment. But looking back I think that’s what allowed me to accept the whole...you know, the whole ‘being the only human around here’ part?” he said, sounded a little embarrassed.

“Did you find a grumpus quickly?”

“I did. I met Filbo almost right after that – although it was more like I saved his life”

-ooooo-

All he earned from his attempt to get something to eat was a few scratches on his hands. Yosuke winced when he felt the stinging sensation of water against fresh wounds, trying to clean them up in the creek as well as he could. Should...he be dipping his hands into this creek in the first place? He didn’t know.

Well, regardless, he was lost. Very lost, with no idea in what direction he should be walking. He didn’t even have any idea if he was in the TV World or not! So maybe for now he should just...walk. See what happens. And try his best not to get more injuries, he had enough of them already.

“Yu! Chie!” Yosuke shouted, shaking his hands to dry them up. The only noises he could hear were the strange droning he couldn’t understand a word of. Choosing a random direction, Yosuke walked, trying to keep his energy and ignore how increasingly hungry he was.

Took ten minutes before he heard something else: the noise of someone who seemed to be in distress. Yosuke turned his head towards the direction he was sure the sound had come from, immediately going in that direction. The voice...hadn’t sounded familiar at all? But even if it wasn’t one of his friends it could be somebody in trouble. Nothing could have prepared him to see a grumpus, much less one stumbling around clumsily, tripping with every rock his clumsy paws could find!

Yosuke moved to a side, keeping his distance. This blue creature didn’t seem to notice him, too busy splashing into a creek and crawling out of it. Should...should he approach...? It could be aggressive. It could be a Shadow, about to attack and try to obliterate him, and since didn’t have his Persona available for some reason he’d be at a serious disadvantage. He couldn’t get careless now!

The creature crashed against a wall, falling on its back. Okay, perhaps he wouldn’t be at that much of a disadvantage. Filbo rubbed his nose with both paws, turned around and just...started shouting:

“Lizbert...? Lizbert?!” he shouted, of course receiving no response. He mumbled: “Oh grump, what am I even doing...?  I can’t see!”

The last three words were literally the only part Yosuke understood. That was English, right? How was it, again...? Subject, verb—wait, weren’t two verbs there? Think, what were the rules of grammar—

His thoughts about English grammar went out of the window once Yosuke realized what Filbo was lumbering towards: a large pit, quite deep-looking, lined with craggy rocks. Yosuke wasted no time: he ran at Filbo, not caring about anything but stopping him from a potentially painful fall! If he had moved just a second later he wouldn’t have reached him in time – Filbo got to a mere inch of the rocks before Yosuke’s hands got his arm, pulling him back and away from the hole. “Are you okay?” he asked with one of the few English phrases he knew.

“E-Eh?” clearly he hadn’t expected someone to come and catch him! “What? What’s wrong?”

Yosuke had to think quite hard to remember what was the right word to use. “...one hole. There” he said, pulling the grumpus further back. Only then he saw that something was quite wrong with the grumpus’ eyes:

The pupils were the size of pinpricks, surrounded by purple irises. No wonder he couldn’t see!

Of course, Filbo immediately had questions about who this stranger was, saying he didn’t recognize Yosuke’s voice at all. Yosuke tried to answer them the best he could, making sure to pass Filbo’s arm over his shoulders and forcing Filbo to hold on. It was so surreal...Filbo was so warm, so...alive. This wasn’t a Shadow. This was a real living being!

Today was going to be a strange day, thought Yosuke.

........

Walking with a grumpus hanging onto you wasn’t a fun time but after an hour they managed to reach Snaxburg. At first Yosuke had been wary about entering a town, given it could be full of more people like Filbo, but once he noticed it was a ghost town he accepted to go in. Finding the right cottage was easy; soon Filbo was left sitting on his bed, starting to recover from whatever had made him lose his eyesight temporarily.

“...w-wow, that flower really wrecked my brain, hya ha ha...!” he had muttered when he turned his head and looked at Yosuke. Oh, how to even explain this one...?

Having saved Filbo’s life did a lot to make Yosuke gain the grumpus’ appreciation, though. Given that, it wasn’t too hard to establish some rapport.

Once it was sunset they sat to the campfire, Filbo having told Yosuke to stick around for the night if he didn’t have somewhere else to go. Having no other option of course Yosuke accepted!

“W-Well, even if you don’t speak my language too well I can see you’re trying hard! I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it soon” Filbo encouraged, stoking the fire. All Yosuke could do was smile and nod, having understood two or three words in that entire sentence. He was a little uncomfortable with being spoken at without having much of an idea of what was being said.

At least it seemed Filbo didn’t mind! His pleasant chatter was interrupted when Yosuke’s stomach growled once again, reminding him he hadn’t eaten anything at all that day! He was starving! And now that it was nighttime the possibilities of finding food out there were nil.

“O-Oh! I’m such an idiot...you sound like you haven’t got a good meal in a while. Here, take this! As thanks!” Filbo said, presenting a Strabby to Yosuke.

“Are you sure?” Yosuke asked, grabbing the Strabby. The food bug didn’t fight at all; all it did was look up at Yosuke with its googly eyes. Were these any other circumstances he probably wouldn’t dare sink his teeth into it, but right now? After enduring this hunger for the entire day? If Filbo gave him permission he was going to have a feast on this!

“Try it! Bugsnax are awesome, and they taste great. It’s what we came to this island for!”

The word ‘awesome’ sure sounded promising, and right now he was too hungry to really mind the googly eyes staring at him. Holding the Strabby, Yosuke nodded and psyched himself up for the task of eating this sizable walking fruit. It was now or never!

“Thanks for the food” Yosuke said and bit into the Strabby, it being too big to swallow in mere two or three bites like grumpuses did. As soon as he took a bite the Strabby just...sat still. Let it happen. He wasn’t sure he liked that too much, but food was food.

It...wasn’t nearly as good as Filbo said it’d be, he thought while he hurried to swallow to take another bite. In fact, it tasted kind of stale. Maybe it just was this specific Bugsnak was starting to go bad or something, he guessed, but after this he couldn’t say he was in a hurry to have another.

Five minutes or so were needed to finish the Strabby. Once Yosuke was done, unsure if he was glad or not to have tried this so-called delicacy grumpuses seemed to have, he hunched over, feeling a little woozy.

“...it is...good?” Yosuke said, holding his stomach while he tried to judge if humans really should be eating those.

“I knew you’d like it!”

Yosuke stood up, intending to walk around a little. Before he could, though, he felt a very curious tingling sensation spread through his forearm. It was as if he had dunked it into warm water. The sensation lasted for a couple seconds before the sleeve of his jacket swelled up with a bumpy, uneven shape. “W-What...?”

Alarmed, Yosuke pulled from the sleeve, revealed what was underneath: a string of strawberries where his forearm used to be, even replacing his hand! He had just revealed one and a half strawberries but he already could guess it went up to the elbow. At the sight of it Yosuke went pale, starting to breathe quickly. What had happened to his forearm?!

“Neat, huh?” Filbo really was unaware of the growing terror Yosuke was feeling. Yosuke looked at him, unable to hold back anymore:

His scream of befuddled terror echoed through the town and its surrounding areas.

-ooooo-

“I can’t believe you’d eat Bugsnax, senpai” Kanji said to Yosuke.

“Once I wasn’t hungry anymore I couldn’t believe it either, but you know what? It isn’t so bad. It’s like my arm is here under the surface” Yosuke said, much to Yu’s surprise. Was he serious?! When Yu expressed his disbelief, Yosuke chuckled, a bit bashful. “I’m serious, it’s not that big of a deal! It doesn’t feel any different to having your normal arm, once you get used to how it looks”

“Please don’t eat more” Rise pleaded.

“I have eaten a few more but they have never been as good as everybody else say. Strange, right? All of them taste different but there’s always this...weird staleness to them” Certainly was nothing like what the grumpuses said.

Now that Yu thought about it, may as well ask right now: “Has anyone else eaten Bugsnax?” How uneasy would he feel once he found out the answer? Because it turned out to be more of his friends than he’d have liked:

“I...I gave them a try but I agree, they don’t taste all that great” Chie admitted.

“Perhaps it was reckless, but it was a necessary action given the...circumstances” Naoto said, sounding quite ashamed of herself.

“Even if it isn’t good food It was the only food I had” Rise seemed to be on the defensive.

Four! Four out of the seven members of the Investigation Team present right now had eaten Bugsnax. Yu, Yukiko and Kanji were the only ones who hadn’t...yet. Yu decided to intervene, for the sake of avoiding more mutations among the team. “That’s enough. Please don’t eat Bugsnax without a good reason”

“I gotta agree with Senpai here. I really dunno how you guys were able to eat ‘em in the first place!” Kanji said, sounding quite unsure about his friends’ willingness to eat living food.

“Beffica offered me some but I felt so bad for them...” Yukiko admitted. “If it hadn’t been for that I’d have tried them, just out of curiosity”

Fair enough, Yu admitted he had felt tempted too, back when he stumbled upon the Snaquiri, but... “They probably are harmless but you guys have to remember the effects last for a while. Everyone in Inaba will wonder what happened if we return with fruits instead of limbs”

“Fair enough” Yosuke said and cleared his throat, ready to continue his story.

While he did that, though, Yu considered what he had heard. To his friends Bugsnax tasted bad. Maybe it was because they were all humans? All the grumpuses were acting like those were the most delicious meal ever, maybe it really was due to the difference in species.

Something to keep in mind, he supposed.

-ooooo-

It was quite a relief someone on this island could speak Japanese even if he insisted it wasn’t called that. Yosuke, sitting along with newly arrived journalist Hudbert Peppercorn, a yellow grumpus who had arrived on an airship, listened to Filbo trace a plan to gather everyone back. It all relied on something surprisingly simple: as long as someone was capable of hunting Bugsnax everyone would come back!

Maybe.

It turned out Yosuke had somewhat of a talent to catch Bugsnax, proven when on the second day he went to capture some. “Humans were hunters gatherers ages ago, how hard can this be?” he had told Filbo. After a while he had returned with several Bugsnax he found in Flavor Falls, proudly showing them to the mayor.

“Yosuke, that’s awesome!” Filbo praised. “I bet you’re as good as Lizbert is at hunting Bugsnax!”

“It wasn’t too hard. I lost my headphones once, but that’s dealt with” he said, proudly leaving the sack of Bugsnax in the barn.  Indeed, one of the Snax he caught included that flying olive. It involved climbing a tree and leaping on it – not at all how you were supposed to catch a Lolive, but Yosuke did things in his own way.

That had made Filbo think a plan to get people to come to back to Snaxburg. Starting with Wambus and Gramble, to get their food sources going, and then work from there. “They don’t get along but they’re our best bet, right? So let’s try to get them back!”

“It’s not a bad idea, but I guess it’s up to me to point out the issue here” Hudbert gestured at Yosuke’s presence. “He isn’t a grumpus and he doesn’t speak the same language the rest of us do. See the problem there?”

“...o-oh. Right. That—That will make it a little tougher...”

“Then you come with me! With you talking and me hunting we’d be a team” Yosuke suggested to Hudbert, nudging him. It’d be perfect! While the journalist handles everything that involved appealing and convincing – and introduced him to everyone – Yosuke would handle all the hunting, and in the meantime Filbo would keep the town up and running. Between the three of them they’d be closer to fulfilling Lizbert’s role in the town! An infallible plan, if he says so himself!

Hudbert opened his mouth, probably to find a rebuttal, but in the end he slowly closed it and nodded. “...that may work! Alright, count me in. Anything to have a talk with everyone”

“Really? You’ll both do it?” even though he had been the one to make the suggestion Filbo sounded like he couldn’t believe they had agreed! Spurred by that, Yosuke stood up, officially making his declaration:

“I’ll do all I can to get all your friends back here. I dunno if it’ll be the right way to do it but you can count on me”

They all had their own goals to achieve but that didn’t mean they couldn’t help each other. After all, by agreeing to help Filbo gather everyone back Yosuke would have a way to explore the island as much as possible to look for the rest of the team, Hudbert would get in contact with grumpuses who perhaps would have information he needed to find Lizbert, and Filbo would have his community back. Everyone would benefit.

Hudbert shrugged, although he seemed quite relieved to not have to be the one who had to handle the brunt of the hunting work. “You take the lead. I’ll play second banana”

“...that’s...!” Yosuke had turned around quite swiftly upon being placed as the leader of their association. That wasn’t what he had wanted! “...alright then.” Truthfully Yosuke was more used to being the advisor, so he had hoped Hudbert would be the one to call the shots, but now? He had been placed upon the leadership seat.

But he couldn’t back down now, could he? No, he had to do what he could.

.........

Something about how Hudbert had said he wasn’t fit for talking to the rest of the grumpuses kept gnawing at him. It was true, but also it hurt. But nowadays just mulling things and sitting around wasn’t Yosuke’s way of handling anything. Nowadays he preferred to take action. At times like these you sink or swim, and Yosuke Hanamura was going to swim as hard as he could!

And that involved learning English as quickly as humanly possible. Or...grumply possible, he supposed. As soon as he could, anyway!

Every day from there on, while they were exploring the island, Yosuke asked for English lessons. At first Hudbert tried to argue he wasn’t made for teaching, but after some insisting he caved in.

Yosuke was never known for being a good student despite his intelligence. He never put much effort into it, feeling it wasn’t worth doing all he could. Here, though, he had no option. He had to overcome the language barrier no matter what! Little by little Yosuke struggled to increase his vocabulary, memorize words, try to remember all those rules he had never tried to commit to memory, all so he’d be able to talk to the grumpuses.

It was...so much work. But seeing his own progress was quite encouraging.

“This is Filbo’s house” Yosuke recited slowly to make sure he got the pronunciation right, pointing at his friend’s hut, and adjusted the sack of Bugsnax he was carrying. “Filbo is a blue grumpus, and is the mayor of Snaxburg”

“Right. Now tell me about Snaxburg” Hudbert requested while he led Yosuke towards the north of the town.

“Snaxburg is where the grumpuses live. Many left a month before, after a fight”

“Close enough” he conceded. Both of them stopped right beside Wambus’ farm, where the farmer was hard at work trying to get his sauce plants growing well. They were all starting to bloom, but he didn’t seem satisfied. “Now tell me about him”

Yosuke left the sack on the ground. “Wambus Troubleham is a farmer. He grows food from plants, and he’s taller than me”

“If you’re gonna talk about me then try not to do it right where I can see you” Wambus said even though he didn’t look up from his plants. Having been noticed, Yosuke took out of the sack a Rootle and a Strabby, caught not too long ago, and passed them to the farmer.  “...you really caught ‘em. I shouldn’t be surprised”

“You doubted him?” Hudbert asked.

“It ain’t that I doubted he’d be capable of it. I doubted he’d bother”

Biting back his annoyance at getting told that right to his face, Yosuke pushed the Bugsnax onto Wambus’ chest. He didn’t learn English to be able to understand when someone spoke like that of him. “If you need anything else then tell me”

“I’m good for now. Thanks, stranger” Even though he didn’t really say much to Yosuke – Wambus had been pretty distant with him ever since the moment they met, distrusting the human – he could feel he did appreciate Yosuke’s efforts. That was good enough, he thought. Better that than not being acknowledged.

Having fulfilled Wambus’ request, Yosuke grabbed the sack and got ready to move to Gramble’s barn to fulfill the rancher’s request for Bugsnax. He had just gotten to the doors of the barn, about to knock on the door, when Filbo came by. He had in his eyes the glint of excitement he always had when he came up with something. “Hello Filbo. Everything going well?” Yosuke greeted.

“Snaxburg is coming together! Beffica just got settled. It wasn’t...” he gave a wry smile “...too great of a conversation, but she’s here and that’s what matters”

“Don’t talk more, I already know plenty” Yosuke sighed, recalling how demanding Beffica was. She didn’t care he was a human, all she cared was that he was able to bring her the Bugsnax. Refreshing in how seemingly accepting she was of him, although she did turn that sharp tongue of hers in his direction a couple times. She reminded him of some girls he had worked with.

If it hadn’t been for all his experience working in retail, he’d have lost his patience with her long ago. That Hudbert translated his words into something even more diplomatic helped too.

Hudbert raised a paw to his mouth as if he was trying to hide some laughter with a cough when he said: “Maybe Beffica’s bestie should go and talk with her”

“You shut up! Don’t remind me apparently I’m her new best friend”

“Say it like it is, Hanamura: you’re her BFF”

“I dunno what beefef even means!”

But...it really was nice to see the residents of Snaxburg starting to gather together again, Yosuke had to admit that. Especially since he was contributing quite a bit to making it happen. It was a little selfish to feel satisfaction that way. Still, he also was glad for the grumpuses.

Filbo, especially. He was in quite high spirits since a few days ago. “W-Well, anyway! I was thinking, and you know what we need? A welcome back party!”

.........

Apparently the news that there was a human in Snaxburg reached beyond the town, because the day before the party the bridge that led to Sugarpine Woods got lowered. From that path came two grumpuses, one green and one yellow, bringing a box with what turned out to be a radio communications device. Getting it set onto the second floor of Lizbert’s hut was easy enough, and although Filbo asked if they’d stay, they both refused.

Well, that his body showed he had been eating Bugsnax may have helped to get Snorpy to not distrust him that much, perhaps. One of Yosuke’s legs was now entirely transformed, displaying pieces of oranges and potato chips. Yosuke was so thankful to be wearing long pants: he wouldn’t have to be looking at his leg most of the time. It unnerved him.

Getting in touch with Naoto Shirogane was great! Between the both of them they agreed Yosuke would keep an eye on the radio communications during the evenings. It’d free Naoto from having to stay with her device all day long. Yosuke knew that could interfere with Filbo’s party, but Filbo had been pretty okay with Yosuke being absent, although he did look rather disappointed.

The night of the party Yosuke stood in the terrace, watching everyone arrive to the party. Gramble, Wambus and Beffica had been the only residents who had returned so far. None of them seemed too excited for the party, and Yosuke really hoped they’d get a little more enthusiastic. Once the music started sounding from the boombox he returned inside, ready to spend an evening hanging out with the radio device. Three people were still missing – Yu, Rise and Teddie. Naoto had said Teddie probably wouldn’t be found with her message, but they had to watch for the other two.

It was quite lucky Rise and Yu both got in touch in less than two hours! With Teddie remaining, all he had to do was arrange a meeting with the entire group the next morning and they’d be fine! Yu had already been informed, he simply had to send messages to the rest of the team and get them to drop anything they had planned for the next morning. That shouldn’t be too difficult, he figured.

When he exited Lizbert’s hut, intending to join the party, what he found was an empty place. The music was still on but nobody was there. Other than Filbo nobody else was around – and Filbo was taking off the party decorations. The drinks table was upturned and the ground was wet with diluted Snakwater. “Woah, it’s over already?”

“Yeah, pretty much. It didn’t go too great” Filbo admitted, taking some of the balloons. Even though he did look disappointed at least he seemed to be in an okay mood. “Gramble and Wambus fought and...you know how those two are. It kinda dampened the mood”

“You mean they ruined the party?”

“’Ruining’ doesn’t seem about right...it hadn’t even gotten off the ground, so it’s not a big loss” Filbo shrugged. “Besides that’s sometimes how it goes! Not every party can be a smashing success, you know? I’m sure there’ll be a good one someday!”

Quite the optimistic way of looking at it, all things considered. Still...Filbo’s efforts had gone wrong. No matter how Yosuke saw it that was unfortunate.

“Besides I feel bad about Hudbert. He...he can’t eat Bugsnax, I guess” he said. “He’s in the restroom right now, so I’m just...gonna stay around here to apologize once he’s out”

That got Yosuke’s attention, though. “He can’t? What happened?”

“I dunno. He got sick. He ate a Strabby and then it was as if I had punched him right in the gut! It...” he rubbed the back of his head. “...it freaked me out! But he said it was fine...”

Strange. Yosuke would have thought that he, as a species different to grumpuses, would be the one unable to eat Bugsnax, but instead the journalist was the one who got sick from it. Something to tell the team, he thought.

Just to make sure his friend was fine after the failure of a party, Yosuke asked: “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine! Don’t worry about me, but...thanks for asking.” He seemed to prefer not to talk about the failed party. “Now come on, tell me about your friends! I have been thinking we’ll need so many new cabins for you all. I still haven’t figured out where we’re going to build them, but I’m sure we can make some space for it”

........

“And that’s pretty much it” Yosuke finished, talking to the microphone.

Right to his side he had all the tools he used for his newfound hunting ability. The Snaktrap, the net, different kinds of sauces wrapped carefully to avoid having them burst while carrying them around...he really had learned how to use all of the tools effectively, and so far? Everyone was satisfied with his work. As soon as the reunion was over he’d explore the Scorching Gorge.

He was sitting against the guardrail on the terrace of Lizbert and Eggabell’s hut, having dragged the microphone as far as it could get. From where he was sitting he could see everyone in Snaxburg going on with their lives. It was so peaceful looking, and to know he was contributing to it...it was giving him a nice sensation of fulfillment. Filbo, walking around, looked up, saw him, and waved.

Yosuke waved back.

Yosuke Hanamura was thriving.

-ooooo-

Yu felt a quite strong pang of sadness when he heard about the party. It seemed that in Yosuke’s world the party failed but Filbo didn’t take it as badly as he had done on Yu’s world. In Yosuke’s world – and presumably in everyone else’s worlds – Filbo had been able to actually do something during the party to try to keep it afloat instead of seeing other people solve the problems that arose and see his own efforts ruin the party.

For a brief moment Yu wondered if maybe the reason Filbo wasn’t around was because he ran away instead of going missing, before swatting that idea away. No, Filbo wouldn’t run away like that. It’d be understandable, but Filbo was no coward, that Yu was certain of.

“I’m gonna keep exploring Snaktooth – I got a job to do. If I find anything worth telling you all will be the first to know!” Yosuke promised. Good! Since it seemed Bugsnax were nowhere as aggressive towards him as they were towards Yu, perhaps he could rely on Yosuke to check areas beyond the town. It was worth a try!

“I’m so glad you’re in good health, Yosuke. You sound happy” Yukiko noted, pleased.

“I wanna go home as soon as possible, but I think until that time comes I like it around here” he said. “At first I was worried I’d look down on Snaxburg because it’s even more backwater than Inaba, but I like the grumpuses. Speaking of that...Partner, can I ask you a favor?”

“Go ahead”

“You said Filbo went missing where you are, right? Could you...try to find him? I’m worried”

“I never thought you’d get attached to any of them” Chie said. “You’re a really nice guy, but I thought you’d keep your distance from all the grumpuses”

“Well...I gotta be honest with you guys: I see a lot of myself in Filbo” he said. “I have been talking to him a lot and...I dunno, when I talk to him I feel like I have been in the same kinda situation as him. Maybe I still am.

It makes me want to be there for him the same way you all have been there for me”

“You know; you can be so sweet sometimes. I’m sure Filbo loves talking to you” Chie encouraged.

“Helping him is part of why I’m trying so hard to hunt Bugsnax and get the grumpuses to return. That’s it, that’s my story so far”

Yu nodded, even though Yosuke wouldn’t be able to see him. “I promise I’ll look for him. I’m worried too”

“Thanks, Partner. So, who’s next?”

“I guess I should talk now” Chie said. “I’m not close with Filbo. To tell the truth I get along with Wambus. I’m not even in the town”

“Where are you?” Yu asked.

“Garden Grove! Wambus has a farm here and I’m keeping it safe while he works in Snaxburg. It’s so weird to have the place only for myself but I don’t mind! It’s a place to live!”

Of course! He should have guessed everyone would get along better with a different grumpus. Chie and Wambus, though, wasn’t a pair Yu expected – Wambus welcoming anyone wasn’t what he expected, in fact. With his elbows on the table, Yu leaned towards the speakers, intending to listen to every word.

-ooooo-

Fine, he had to admit it: Filbo wasn’t here in Boiling Bay. Not that he thought Floofty had been lying, he just had to make sure not to leave any place unsearched. He even entered the caves full of scalding hot fondue, feeling his fur go flat from the heat. Uf, heat this intense would make any grumpus collapse from heatstroke in ten minutes, that he was sure about. This could be deadly!

Thankfully, no sign of Filbo. He had to be in a safer place.

No point in searching further in the bay, though. After giving everything one last look, Dagbert swallowed his apprehension and decided to return to the town. Hopefully the rest had managed to find some sort of clue, if not the former mayor himself.

How far could that grumpus have gone in the middle of the night, especially when apparently he had absolutely no survival skills? He couldn’t be that far!

Right?

Chapter Text

Chie Satonaka is brave and headstrong, but of course there are things that make her pause. Fears, mostly. She’s no coward in the slightest, though. Even if she sees something that scares her she’s not going to let it step back. Still...that the current situation was hitting her fears as if it was all laser-directed at them really bothered her.

The darkness that received her once she stepped through the door was one of those things. It wasn’t really the dark itself what bothered her, it was more that it was dark in an unfamiliar place. Inaba at night didn’t bother her that much. This cave? There was almost absolutely no way entering a cave from the TV World would lead her to anywhere even remotely familiar. Of course she’d be nervous.

Then it was the bugs.

Chie got off the stone platform, looking around with some apprehension. She chose a direction and walked, keeping her steps steady. Of course, she paid attention to her surroundings, alert to anything that may seem suspicious – or could indicate one of her friends passed through here before she did. That was when she saw a shape almost blending amidst the rocks, a segmented shape that made her hurry up her step: some sort of giant ant. Oh, that’s it, she was getting out of here!

Luckily for Chie she chose the right direction! Her brisk walking led her to the exit of the cavern, getting her to Garden Grove. Terraces led to the cliff facing the sea, leaving only one direction she could go to. That certainly made things easier.

.....

The day went on. Garden Grove wasn’t that large, but Chie wasn’t sure how far away she should go. Parents say when you’re lost you should stay where you are so you’re found easier. The problem is that Chie isn’t the sort of girl who stands and does nothing. She’s far too active for that. At the same time, though, there was always this feeling that maybe if she got too far away from the stone door she’d miss her friends somewhere in the vicinity and cause trouble for them.

Exploring the surrounding areas seemed like a decent compromise. It’d fulfill her need to do something about her situation, and at the same time would stay close enough to not miss the rest of the Investigation Team if they were nearby.

What she didn’t expect was to find a farm.

Not much was growing, but the scarecrow was a clear indication there was people nearby. Good, thought Chie! They could help her! Looking around she didn’t see a farmhouse or anything else – nor space for there to be one. Garden Grove had limited space; from what she could see.

“Hello? Anyone?” she shouted, looking around. It was daytime, whoever was in charge of this little farm probably was nearby! But nobody came. She was still alone. “Are you serious...?” she muttered before raising her voice again: “I just need some help and then I’ll leave! I don’t mean to intrude!”

Nothing.

“Where did everyone go...?” First her friends are nowhere to be seen, now there was nobody else here. It really felt a lot like when that red fog invaded Inaba in the middle of the night. Only those with Personas stayed. Was something like that going on? There was no fog in sight but that meant nothing. Just in case Chie put on her special glasses, finding no difference in what she was seeing.

Well, that was a mystery to solve. Right now, though, there was another mystery that caught her eye: what was that thing in the flowers of that tall plant? Approaching, Chie looked closely at the buds growing on the flowers, poking one with a fingertip. So squishy...! Was this ketchup? Lifting her glasses to see if the buds would look different without them, she carefully took one of the pods, examining it. What an odd thing--!

“Hey! Git outta here!”

Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back. Such an excuse wouldn’t be well received by this farmer, though! Chie turned around, clutching the ketchup pod so tightly it was a small miracle it didn’t burst! There he was – Wambus Troubleham. Tall, blue, and particularly upset there was this odd creature messing around with his ketchup crop.

He was holding a rake, arms at the ready, apparently prepared to whack at Chie if she tried to attack him or the plants. That was as good as a warning, and Chie, looking between the pod in her hand and the farmer, realized what this looked like: he probably thought she was stealing whatever this was!

Wambus stepped forward, intimidating. “I dunno what you are but I’m not lettin’ you mess with my crop!” he shouted.

Chie, after having had Teddie in her friend circle for more than a year, recovered quite quickly even though she had never seen a grumpus before and he was shouting gibberish at her – although it was partly because she knew she had messed up. Better make amends as soon as possible! Bowing her head and extending her hands with the ketchup pod, she said one of the very few sentences she knew: “I am...I am sorry, mister”

“...what...?”

She, still with her head bowed, didn’t see Wambus loosen his grip on the rake, surprised about this weird creature not only staying there after he shouted, but also apologizing and giving back the pod. It could talk! Wambus warily took the ketchup pod as if he expected Chie to suddenly jump and try to scratch his nose off, but of course, she didn’t do such a thing. Instead she stepped back and, once she was some distance away, said goodbye. She’d have time later to think about what she had just encountered.

“Wait!”

She heard the farmer yell that. Unsure what to expect she turned her head around, ready to see him brandishing that rake to shoo her away, but instead he saw the ketchup pod extended towards her. Not having the slightest idea what to say, she stared at Wambus.

“You hungry?” he asked.

Just those two words were the first step in the friendship between Chie Satonaka and Wambus Troubleham.

.......

It wasn’t like Chie was very used to talking to her elders, even less to someone who spoke a different language. That meant their conversations were quite short, sparse to the point of ridiculousness. Wambus seemed to prefer that. He wasn’t a talkative man, after all. Besides, Chie’s actions said more than words did!

Once she was instructed about what to watch out for she was quite good at keeping the pests away from the ketchup crop. Wambus didn’t even ask her to help, she took the initiative and somehow managed to communicate she would aid him for a while! She did seem interested in sticking around in Garden Grove, for some reason, but Wambus didn’t ask questions.

Mostly because she wouldn’t be able to answer.

Still, as long as she kept using the ketchup wisely he was fine with her. After all, a few pods used now to keep the Bugsnax away would mean a good, steady crop in the future!

As for Chie she was content with helping. This farm seemed to be right in the way towards where she had arrived to this island, meaning that if anyone from the Investigation Team came this way she’d see them. Simple enough! Besides, there was something satisfying in shooing these weird food bugs away. All in all, not a bad deal!

She did try to find her way through the island and saw a town in the distance, but wasn’t too sure about approaching it. She had understood there were no humans around here, so waltzing up to that town probably wasn’t a good idea. Still, she didn’t expect Wambus to give her a place to sleep for the night! It was just a small cave, but it was good enough.

There was a very rickety cot there, property of the farmer, of course. Still, he tried his best to make a pile of cloth for Chie to lie on. Sitting on it made her feel a little silly – as if she was a pet cat being given a temporary bed. It wasn’t flattering at all but it was either this or nothing. She’d think about getting a better bed if it was confirmed she’d have to stick around for longer.

“There you go. I dunno what’s up with you but...the company’s nice, I guess. And you keeping ‘em Bugsnax away saved a few days of work. This is all a thanks from me” he said, piling the cloth. How cute, he seemed a little bashful. It seemed Chie wasn’t the only one who felt awkward. That she didn’t reply to that and instead just nodded only seemed to make the air feel even more awkward. “Feels like I’m talkin’ to a wall” he mumbled.

Truthfully he hadn’t planned to host her for longer than that night, having intended to repay her help that day with an okay-ish place to sleep at for a few hours. It all changed when, very early the next morning, they heard the sound of something very large cruising above them and hitting some rocks outside of the cave, on top of the hill. Chie woke up, startled, and found Wambus grabbing his hat and intending to go check.

“Wait! I’ll go” Chie said, gesturing Wambus to wait – it could be the rest of the team, after all. The farmer didn’t seem to like it much but he nodded.

“Take care” he said. Taking a deep breath and gathering her courage, Chie stepped outside and searched around for anything that could tell what had made such a loud noise.

...there was nothing. No matter how much she searched there was nothing! At most she found rocks that fell from higher spots, and that was it. Nothing else. Frustrated what seemed to have been just some rocks falling woke them up, she returned in direction of the cave, passing by the farm. Bungers, several of them, were rooting up some of the newer plants. “Stop!” she shouted, taking some fresh ketchup pods from the few blooming plants. How dare they attack the farm taking advantage of their sleep!

Well, saying ‘attacking’ was giving them too much credit, she knew that, but still!

There were way too many Bungers! Chie counted seven of those, carving around in the soil with their tusks, threatening to uproot the plants if they got excessively close from the delectable sauces. Thankfully, their fondness for ketchup meant getting them away from the farm was easy. All she had to go was make a path of ketchup spills leading away. Easy!

Aiming, Chie splattered ketchup on the soil, in direction of Flavor Falls and waited for a couple Bungers to go towards it. “Now the final touch...!” she said to herself, taking aim to throw the ketchup on an arch and beyond the farm, away from Wambus’ hard work. There! Now that was it—

Usually the ketchup pods falling into the ground make quite the curious splattering sound. Even if it was far away, the surroundings were silent enough for Chie to have been able to hear it hit the ground. Instead she hear something different, something that made her freeze:

“Ow!”

From where she was standing she got to see a lighter blue form, full of ketchup, stagger back before falling over the fence that guarded a slope. “Woah! Help!” she heard whoever that grumpus was shout right before she heard the sound of him falling down the slope.

Chie winced.

-ooooo-

“Of course I ran to see what happened to that poor grumpus! So I leaned over the railing and I saw Filbo at the bottom of this cliff...” Chie sounded genuinely regretful.

Stunned silence. What other way was there to respond? Yu sighed, breaking the silence. “Was he okay?”

“Well...he broke an arm”

Yosuke was the one to scold her once she said that: “What the hell, Chie?! You threw him down a cliff and broke his arm?!”

“Without the town doctor that’s not good” Kanji said. “Is he okay?”

“Right now he’s okay. Guys, I’m telling you this because there’s something about Bugsnax you should hear”

Such words were never to be taken lightly. Yu listened, unsure if it was going to be good or bad. With Bugsnax you never knew for sure.

-ooooo-

Honestly Chie thought it was pretty amazing this Filbo guy wasn’t complaining about pain or anything like that. He did whimper often, of course, and he had his eyes full of tears, but he wasn’t screaming in pain nor looking like he was about to faint.

“I have, you know, I have good pain tolerance” Filbo said, struggling to smile while Wambus, Chie and some red-furred journalist – apparently named Marbert Sweetspice – took him towards Wambus’ temporary home. It was as mild as a bone fracture could get, even if it had been near the shoulder. The arm wasn’t even deformed. If it wasn’t for Filbo immediately making clear he had gotten very injured, you’d think he was fine.

Of course Wambus had questions when Chie ran and got him to come with her. “How did this happen?” he asked.

Filbo, already on his feet and making sure not to move his broken arm, didn’t answer immediately. It was dark but Chie saw how Filbo’s eyes flickered at her for a brief second. He knew. He knew who was most likely responsible for his serious injury. Still... “I-I tripped. It’s so dark and—uh, I was too close to the fence, so I fell over it”

“Darn it, Filbo...I don’t mean to kick you while you’re down, but pay more attention where you’re walkin’”

“I will. I’m so sorry...”

“Come on, let’s get that fixed. Too bad we don’t have Doctor Batternugget around anymore...” Wambus chewed on the stalk in his mouth. “Welp. We gotta fix that somehow”

That was why Filbo was now sitting on Wambus’ cot, about to be subjected to a farmer trying to do his best. Wambus already had all he needed to splint the arm – thanks to Chie donating her green athletic jacket for the cause. While he worked on an increasingly fidgety Filbo, Marbert silently grabbed Chie’s wrist and led her right outside the cave, looking back to make sure nobody was listening.

Once he revealed he spoke her language, having heard Chie speak it a moment ago, he went straight to the point: “You’re lucky, you know that?”

“I’m not feeling very lucky right now” Chie said defensively, pulling her wrist out of Marbert’s paw. He really had quite a grip.

“Filbo didn’t say you’re the one who got him hurt”

“He...he didn’t...?” Chie glanced at the inside of the cave, where Filbo was biting his other arm to not cry in pain. “Why? I thought he had said I had thrown sauce at him”

“My guess is that he realized it was an accident. You looked pretty guilty when you rushed to where he fell” he said. Oh. Well, that was true. Once Chie noticed what had happened she really freaked out and rushed to the base of that slope. “It was an accident, wasn’t it?”

“Of course it was! I wouldn’t hurt anyone like that”

Marbert stared at her. “...I can’t read your face at all. Well, I believe you, anyway. Sorry for doubting it for a moment. You know how it is, wildlife eats the injured and aging”

Chie’s eyebrow twitched. “What are you trying to say?” Chie was starting to lose her patience. This guy was strange and she wasn’t sure she liked him very much.

“Calm down, that was a joke” he gave a pretty unconvincing smile. It seemed Marbert wasn’t too happy with Chie, for obvious reasons. “Now tell me: have you see a gray grumpus around?”

“Gray...? No, not really. I got here yesterday”

Marbert narrowed his eyes, like he was gauging if Chie was telling the truth, but it wasn’t like he had any choice other than believing her. “Okay. If you see one tell me as soon as you can” he said and then under his breath, but loud enough for Chie to hear it: “Hopefully someone injuring the mayor isn’t going to make any of this harder for me”

Chie bit her tongue so she wouldn’t acknowledge what she heard. Now she was sure: she didn’t like Marbert.

From the cave Wambus called for them. For someone who woke up at three in the morning he sure sounded like the early hour in the morning wasn’t a problem at all. “If you two are done talkin’ over there I need you two to bring Bugsnax”

“Bugsnax? Why?”

“I’ll explain once you bring ‘em. Just go – any will do”

Marbert left while Chie entered the cave. There was Filbo, with a splint on his arm, partly made with Chie’s sports jacket. It was as if he had eaten a green Bugsnax. Filbo’s other paw was twitching, like he was consciously making an effort to not touch his injured arm. He refused to look at Chie, though. She couldn’t blame him if he had any hard feelings towards her. Now that Chie took a good look...why did this guy have food for limbs?

“He is okay?” Chie asked. Wambus understood that well enough.

“I’m no doctor” That had to be a way of saying ‘I dunno’.

It didn’t take long for Marbert to return with a Bunger, making Chie feel quite sheepish. Those burgers now were reminders of the accident she had caused. “I have a couple other ones” he said, giving the Bunger to Wambus.

“Not for me, for him!”

“Why?”

“Some time ago my...” Wambus cleared his throat. “Someone I know broke her leg. Doctor Batternugget nursed her and I dunno the details, but I reckon after splinting the leg she fed her Bugsnax until the leg transformed. Probably helps with the healin’, or somethin’”

“They can do that...?” Marbert was quite amazed! “Fine then, it’s time to eat. Open wide the mouth hole, Filbo”

It was later that Chie heard all the details from Marbert, he accepting to explain what had happened. How eating Bugsnax transformed your body, and that Wambus had insisted to use them as aid in healing.

Strange things, those insects.

-ooooo-

“So the Bugsnax have restorative capabilities to some extent...?” Naoto sounded very intrigued! How not to be, thought Yu, if it turned out these Bugsnax can heal you then they were far more than just walking meals. “So that’s why...”

“Why what, Naoto?” Yukiko asked.

“...it’s nothing. I didn’t expect that theory to have a basis”

As usual it seemed Naoto was working with information she was reluctant to share. There was absolutely no doubt Naoto trusted her friends, but she had a habit of not sharing all the information she had. Her discretion was admirable given her job, and Yu was certain if it was relevant she’d be telling everybody, but sometimes it made him feel like she distanced herself from the rest.

“Did it work?” Yosuke asked.

“I’m...not too sure. Eggabell probably did something else” Chie said. “Filbo has no pain and he makes sure not to move the arm, but...” It probably wasn’t the optimal treatment for a bone fracture. Luckily for Filbo it seemed to be mild, for a fracture, but still...

“Why don’t we ask the grumpus who broke a leg? She’d know how that went” Kanji suggested. Not a bad idea, really. “Any idea who it was?”

“From what Chie-senpai said he didn’t want to talk about her, so...doesn’t that mean it was his wife?” Rise said. “He’s all salty about it”

Triffany again...it was such a curious thing that so many matters were starting to revolve around her. Reaching out to her turned out to be even more of a priority for Yu.

Chie seemed to agree, because she said she’d talk with Triffany and figure that out. It seemed that in Chie’s world Triffany had already returned to Snaxburg!

That wasn’t the only change amidst those who had returned to the town, though.

-ooooo-

It had been a few days since Chie’s arrival to Snaktooth. So far she had been living alongside Wambus in the farm at Garden Grove – thanks to Chie working hard to protect it, Wambus had decided to stay there and make the ketchup plants grow, for the sake of keeping everyone fed.

One day Marbert returned to the farm to once again ask Wambus if he’d return to Snaxburg. He once again refused, yet the journalist didn’t leave. Instead he asked Chie to come along with him to the town, reassuring her it’d all be fine – it wasn’t like anyone in town would run at her mere presence, mainly because other than Filbo and him there was nobody else.

She thought the journalist would ask her to convince Wambus to return, but instead he brought up a different topic. “Since Filbo is resting his snakified arm all he can he hasn’t been able to make some repairs around town. He says he’d like to have that done before the owners of those huts come back”

“You want me to do them?” Chie asked. She was willing to help with the repairs, no problem.

Marbert’s face wasn’t kind at all when he answered that. “I’d really rather you didn’t. You have made things hard enough already”

Ouch. It hurt to be told that right to her face, but she didn’t really have a leg to stand on, she thought. She did cause trouble, even if it was an accident. Chie shuffled her feet awkwardly. “How is he?”

“He’s not upset with you, if that’s what you’re worried about” he said. That wasn’t why she was asking, but fine. “If you’re nervous about talking to him don’t be, but I think he’s kind of scared of you”

That made her feel worse than if Filbo had been upset.

“He mentioned there’s this grump named Chandlo Funkbun. We’re going to try to get him back and convince him to help” Marbert said.

“And...what if he doesn’t accept?”

“Then I suppose there’d be no choice but to ask you to repair stuff. You do kind of owe it to Filbo” and as he mentioned before, he’d prefer not to ask Chie. Fine then.

Once the bridge was down it wasn’t that long of a walk to a cabin in the woods. Surprisingly, Marbert’s decision to take Chie along made it far easier for Chandlo and Snorpy to accept to come along. Marbert’s pleading convinced Chandlo, and Chie’s existence seemed to have gotten Snorpy’s attention quite well. “I suppose by moving to the town I’d be closer to finding out more about you” he reasoned. Chie just smiled and nodded.

While Snorpy had been interested and not too wary, Chandlo turned out to be more on Chie’s wavelength. Once they were settled back in Snaxburg he took her and Marbert aside, saying he had felt the human was a force to be reckoned. “Come on, let me see what you got!”

“A-Are you sure? I don’t wanna hurt you” she said.

“Don’t worry, I’m way sturdy” he said and shielded himself with his arms. “Hit me as hard as you can!”

Alright, if Chandlo wanted that then fine. She still wanted to hold back, but...he probably would figure out if she did. Chie started bouncing on her feet, readying herself. One, two, one, two, and, without further warning, she ran and jumped, unleashing a strong kick onto Chandlo’s crossed arms!

He didn’t stagger back, but when he lowered his arms he rubbed the spot where Chie had hit. “I felt that one...I really felt that one! You’re strong!”

“Did I hurt you?”

“Not at all! But...daaaang!” he seemed very impressed. Chie, flattered, laughed and touched her shins. Several months of attacking with greaves strengthened her legs, that’s for sure. “That’s a mean kick. I haven’t known a grumpus who can do that at all!”

Well, that was a given. With the shape of their bodies them kicking couldn’t be as easy as it was for humans unless they had long legs!

“Not only you’re strong, you convinced Snorpy to come too! Not anyone could have done that!” Chandlo was bursting with praise for Chie, making her laugh again nervously.

“It’s not like I did anything! I mean...Marbert translated everything. He should get the credit”

Judging by Marbert’s face while he said those words he agreed. Still, once he said that, he interrupted his translating and said to Chie, less hostile towards her than he had been so far: “You’re giving yourself too little credit. Snorpy probably thinks you’re an evil agent, and that’s why he wants to keep an eye on you”

“Then it wasn’t anything I said!”

“No, you don’t get it. I think if you had said the wrong thing he could have gotten even more paranoid. That he’s here means he’s comfortable enough despite suspecting you. That’s no small feat, in my opinion”

“If you think so then I’m glad it helped somehow”

“I dunno what Marbro said to you but, dude, Snorpy being wary of you isn’t bad! As long as he talks to you then you’re doing something right”

Fine! If they both thought Chie had done something right, then she had to accept it, she thought. Hopefully she would continue being relatively okay in Snorpy’s eyes. Anything to keep the first grumpuses to return to Snaxburg in the town.

.........

Wambus still didn’t want to return to Snaxburg. It was the seventh day since Chie arrived to Snaktooth Island.

When she somehow managed to ask Wambus why he refused to return he said it was because he had his paws full with the ketchup crop. That was what Chie understood after some effort, but it all left her quite unsatisfied in a way she was sure wasn’t just because of the language barrier.

It was how getting Wambus to talk was like pulling teeth. It was the way he kept his eyes on the plants instead of looking at her while talking. It was his excessively firm tone when talking about how he was fine with the farm in Garden Grove. Chie could tell Wambus wasn’t being entirely honest with her. He probably meant all he said, but that didn’t have to mean that was all there was to it.

Filbo was the one who told her all.

Usually she spent many hours at the farm, guarding it from Bugsnax. In any other circumstances it’d be a complete bore! But given how relentless they were Chie stayed busy most of the time, having to keep an eye out for the Fryders and Bungers, and come up with clever ways to shoo the Shishkabugs away given they didn’t like ketchup. It was a lot of busywork! And when there weren’t any she kept herself busy by training. Nothing like physical activity to do that.

Late in the afternoon usually Wambus would tell her he could handle things and that she should go rest. Instead she’d go to Snaxburg to see how things were going. Chandlo had already finished the repairs Filbo had wanted to make and gotten settled with Snorpy in the mill, definitely choosing to stay in the town. Snorpy, though, had locked himself up saying he was busy with some sort of mystery signal. Well, as long as he didn’t move away it was all okay.

Marbert looked more and more exhausted. In his own words: ‘I didn’t come to this island to be part-time caretaker to anyone. I want to do my job.” It seemed he was getting exasperated, having done almost no progress at all in his own investigation.

It wasn’t like Filbo needed a nurse to be following him 24/7, but given his insistence in not staying idle perhaps the reason why Marbert was so exhausted was because he had to keep an eye on the mayor, making sure he wouldn’t get more injured. Filbo was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but, well, it just was harder to do when you had to make sure not to use one limb at all.

There was Filbo, trying to clean Lizbert’s hut despite only using one paw. Of course Chie got him to stop. “S-Sorry, I just...don’t like being idle, you know?”

She knew. She understood that. Chie made him sit on the bed so he’d take a break. Even though a conversation wasn’t possible between the two of them without Marbert right there working as an interpreter – although the journalist didn’t seem remotely happy about that – she was glad to at least be able to talk to him to some extent. Even though Filbo very obviously was scared, judging by the way he inched away from her and how he almost never looked at her to the face, he still tried to reach out to her and be friendly.

That really made her feel guilty.

That was when Filbo told her about Triffany, about how Wambus was having a hard time. Was that why he refused to return? Shame, or...something? She didn’t fully understand, but if Wambus had trouble then she should do something about it, as thanks for having helped her. Who knew what would have happened to her if he hadn’t welcomed her...

“So where’s she?” she asked.

......

Day eight.

The Scorching Gorge was just as scorching as the name indicated. Chie wasn’t too sure if being soaked in water helped or made things worse, but it wasn’t like she had any other option, given all the cactuses that had been blocking the way. It didn’t matter, really. What mattered was that she found Wambus’ wife.

Many would be cautious if they were the only representative of their species and they had to make contact with someone else without knowing how they’d react. Chie was no exception to that. She coming here had been an impromptu plan, she didn’t ask anyone to come with her. The Bugsnax of the canyon didn’t really pay any attention to her at all, letting her be. Hiding behind a corner, Chie peeked, seeing the dark green grumpus digging a hole. “Hello?” Chie called, still hiding.

“Oh, hello! Your voice doesn’t sound familiar. Are you new around here?” Triffany asked in response. She really didn’t bat an eye at the sound of a stranger’s voice all of a sudden. Chie felt a little bad having to deceive her by not showing herself, but her goal was to get her to return to Snaxburg one way or another. If she thought she could do it while showing she was some sort of cryptid then she would.

She had gotten Marbert to teach her a few sentences she could use. This was going to be a one-sided conversation given she had no idea what Triffany was saying, but what mattered was the archaeologist heard her. “My name is Satonaka”

“Satonaka...? What an unusual name”

“You need to return to Snaxburg”

Triffany sighed like she expected to hear that. “What for?”

“There’s something you should find out. Please come to Snaxburg”

“...I’d rather not. I mean, look here! I found a mass grave and I’m about to start examining the bones within. It’d be a shame to step away now! I’m sorry, I’ll have to say no”

“It’s urgent. We’ll be waiting” There. Those were all the sentences she practiced. As if to try to sweeten the deal she extended a hand onto sight, waving and hoping Triffany was watching and would feel curious about the strange appendage. With some luck Triffany had said she’d be there, she thought. Having said her piece Chie ran towards Snaxburg. All she could do now was wait.

It was very lucky the accidental insistence Chie displayed in not listening was what made Triffany decide to make the trip. It was almost sunset when the archaeologist arrived to town, making her grand entrance. Chie wasn’t sure what to think when she saw Triffany climbing the rocky archway, jumping over the cactuses and landing startlingly close to them. She could...just wade through the creek, she thought, calling over Marbert and hiding.

“Snaxburg’s looking pretty empty. If I didn’t know better I’d think this is an abandoned settlement from the last group of colonists” she commented, looking around and raised her voice. “Satonaka? I’m here. Can we...hurry this up a mite?”

......

It wasn’t hard to get Triffany to show interest in humans. What was hard was to convince her to stick around for a bit when she found out there really hadn’t been an urgent reason to call for her to come all the way to the town. She was pretty miffed, even starting to leave, and only didn’t when she was told Chie was living in Wambus’ farm up in Garden Grove.

“Is that so...? My, I didn’t expect to hear that one” Triffany said, walking with Chie, who nodded. She could make an educated guess what the archaeologist said. “Wamby looks brusque but he can be very soft sometimes. I didn’t expect him to be kind to a new species, but...I’m glad he welcomed you”

“Wambus is nice” Chie said.

“He is” Triffany smiled fondly. Even though the relationship between those was quite strained it was pretty obvious they both longed for the other. During their walk they got to Wambus’ defunct farm in the town, both leaning on the fence, staring at the empty patch of old soil. “How is he? Is he okay?”

“He is okay”

“I’m so glad...! Even though I’m still so mad, I have never stopped thinking about him. When you have spent years of your life married to someone you just can’t help wondering about ‘im” Triffany reached at the only plant growing on the dead garden, touching its leaves. “I wanted him to come with me to the ruins there in the Scorching Gorge, but he refused to. He said he had a farm to take care of. And now look at this, there’s no farm at all here. Even though he specifically said this was the reason why he wouldn’t come, he just let it behind and went somewhere else all by himself!”

Then Triffany sighed and said:

“Stubborn fool”

Chie nodded. At this point Triffany was pretty much talking to herself, Chie’s befuddled silence being perfect for introspection. It helped that there were no distractions around and she was looking at the garden. Touching the edge of one of the petals, Triffany kept talking, forlorn.

“I dunno what’s going on...since a while ago I have been seein’ sides of Wambus I didn’t know existed. Ugly sides. He’s gotten irate and defensive towards other people. He’s never been rough with me, but I see him yellin’ and going all red in the face. Especially towards poor Gramble...”

Triffany sighed and also said: “When we all got here I thought those two would be friends, but it turned out to be nothin’ like that. I have been seein’ them at each other’s throats, shoutin’ and gettin’ all hoarse. I had to get in the middle of their arguin’ so many times”

“Really?” Chie said. It seemed like a harmless thing to say while someone else talked.

“Really! I knew everyone left, but I always thought Wambus would stay. He had been so adamant about his garden I thought he’d be back in a day, tops. I...I gotta be honest with you, he being here was a big part of why I didn’t want to come”

Triffany left the plant alone.

“That’s pathetic, yeah? Dreading seein’ your husband because you fear it’s not gonna do anyone any good. When you think about it, does that mean what we had is...is it over?” Triffany swallowed, very obviously gripped by fear. “It can’t be over, right? We...we’re still together, we must be. It’s just a temporary lull, that’s it”

Chie hesitated but, slowly, extended a hand and patted Triffany on the back. The grumpus turned her head at her and smiled, understanding she was trying to comfort her. “Oh, you’re too kind, dear. You know, now that I think about it, he taking ya in gives me hope. He’s been so nice to you. He still is the man I love”

For a while they stood there, watching the sunset over Snaktooth. It was about time to be returning to Garden Grove – walking in the dark was definitely not something Chie wanted to do. It seemed like Triffany still wanted to talk, but Chie didn’t really have a choice.

Before she could leave, though, Triffany said something else – something Chie later found out was quite positive:

“You know...I think I’ll stick around for a couple days. Could you tell Wambus I’ll be here? If he wants to talk I’ll be waiting. The double bed is gonna feel so big while I’m by my lonesome, but...it prolly will be worth it, yeah?” It seemed she wasn’t too willing to come to Garden Grove to see him but was trying to compromise. Despite being willing to attempt reconciliation she was stubborn enough to not want to do that.

But it was better than nothing, Chie supposed while she returned to Garden Grove later. It was a start.

-ooooo-

“Wambus went to talk with her the day after that! And pretty early, too, I think he knew this was his only chance to try make things right. I dunno what they talked, but Wambus returned later and said he was going back to the town!”

“Really? They made up?” Yukiko sounded very surprised.

“I think they did. He seemed happier when he returned to Garden Grove”

So it wasn’t impossible for them to make amends, thought Yu. That was a relief! And from the sounds of it it wasn’t a herculean task. Given how to get everyone back into the town those two would have to get along again, knowing it was possible was good. It certainly worked for future reference.

“Then we found out Filbo was planning this party. It was going to happen right when Wambus would be moving back to town, so I thought I could come along”

-ooooo-

There was a welcome back party for Wambus, Triffany, Chandlo and Snorpy – although of course Chie and Marbert were invited if they wanted to come. The decorations were sparse and the drinks were pretty mediocre, but it was forgivable given how he couldn’t use one arm. Despite that it turned out to be a nice time.

Chandlo, Snorpy and Filbo were on the dance floor, while Wambus, Triffany, Chie and Marbert stayed to a side, talking to each other. The mood was cheerful, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves! Marbert was the only one who didn’t seem to be too into everything, too tired to enjoy himself. “Look alive, stranger! Tonight is a good night” Wambus tried to get him to stop being a bit of a sourpuss, but Marbert gave him a decidedly sullen glance and sighed.

“Sorry. I know I have been a jerk these days”

“Havin’ a rough time?”

“I’m just so tired. Ten days and I haven’t gotten anything done” he said, even glancing at Chie when he quickly translated that.

Chie stared at her insipid Snakwater. That was...kind of her fault, wasn’t it? “Sorry” she said. Marbert, apparently having expected that apology, grunted in acknowledgement and decided to change topics.

“Whatever. So what’s going to happen with the human?”

Triffany, who was sitting beside Chie, observed her with attention. “Should she be living on her own? She seems like a young one. To be honest, guys, she living alone worries me”

“It’s fine. She’s far more capable than you’d think” Wambus said. When Chie heard that translated she hid her thankfulness behind a sip of the drink. Ugh, this really was like drinking mere water.

“She’d be so far from the town. Are you sure, Wamby?”

“She says she wants to help. I say we let her”

“Having two farms would help with the food situation” Marbert agreed. “It’d need you going back and forth between Garden Grove and Snaxburg every day, though”

“I can do that. I’m good at what I do”

It was nice to be trusted, really. Wambus had made pretty clear he was very attached to his farming, so that he was willing to entrust Chie with the Garden Grove farm was really encouraging. Perhaps she should build a fence or two, to help against Bugsnax during the times she wasn’t in that farm. Also should learn some gardening, to help take care of the plants.

It helped that her friends had been found. With that halfway solved she felt like she had a worry less to deal with.

She had just finished her cup of Snakwater when Filbo approached, looking tired from dancing. He was panting and his legs trembled from exhaustion, but he looked really satisfied. “Hey guys! Having fun?”

“It’s a fine party, Filbo” Triffany said kindly. It wasn’t anything extraordinary but generally it seemed almost everyone was having a good enough time.

“Glad to hear that! How about you?” he turned to Chie. “Are you enjoying it?” It was the first time Filbo looked at her to the eyes since they had known each other. Chie nodded. “Great! By the way, if you wanna live here in Snaxburg you’re welcome anytime”

“She already said she’s stayin’ in Garden Grove” Wambus said, perhaps a little too forcefully. They did just finish discussing that. Filbo, catching onto the tone, chuckled nervously.

“A-Ah, alright! That’s—that’s great” very obviously desperate to not ruin the good mood he went for something else. “Hey, how about you try Bugsnax, Chie? You have been eating only sauce, right? Something else should do you good!”

He wasn’t wrong, she really had been eating ketchup three meals a day. Wambus wasn’t good at catching Bugsnax and Chie found out herself they weren’t the sort of creatures you could just grab. Sauce was awful to eat but Chie found it strangely sating. Maybe the goop from those plants was more nutritious than you’d expect ketchup to be!

There was the part about your limbs turning into food, though...should she really do it? She looked around at the grumpuses around her. Only Snorpy had snakified limbs, everybody else looked pretty much intact. That meant it was temporary...alright.

“I want some” Chie said.

........

Unfortunately Snorpy insisted in having the radio transmission device in the mill, meaning if she wanted to talk to the Investigation Team she had to go all the way to Snaxburg. Sitting on the fence lining a slope, she waited for Wambus to arrive. He’d take care of the Garden Grove farm in the mornings, as agreed. Good thing! That’d give her the time to go to the meeting with her friends.

Not too far from her there were several holes dug into the ground. She had made them, preparing everything to build a fence near the plants and stop any Bugsnax. She even intended to make it in a way that’d hinder Shishkabugs! With some luck Chandlo would provide the lumber...and also accept to help her carry to Garden Grove.

That reminded her she wanted to ask Chandlo if he wanted to train. She dared to say they were friends. She liked Chandlo, he was very encouraging.

Swinging her legs, Chie waited. In the distance she saw Wambus making his way towards the farm. Today was going to be a good day.

Chie Satonaka was thriving.

-ooooo-

It was kind of nice to know Filbo’s welcome back party had been successful in one of the worlds. It was of little consolation given what was going on in the world he was in, but still...!

“Great! This means we have someone who can talk to Wambus and Triffany if we need to talk with them” Yosuke said. “Thanks, Chie”

“There are a lot of things I need to talk with Triffany. If she doesn’t answer them then Chie can handle it” Yu said. Yosuke was right, they really could use the different worlds to have many chances to find out information if in one world a grumpuses refused to answer!

One thing was alarming, though...from the way Chie described the journalist in her world it seemed to Yu he was getting closer and closer to the end of his rope. In ten days her version of Dagbert apparently hadn’t bonded with anyone, not even with Filbo. Yu knew how resentful Dagbert could be. Unable to do his job – and seeing how his career was in danger – the resentment had gone unchecked in Chie’s world. If the situation was left alone it probably would get worse.

Hopefully it wasn’t too late yet.

“Chie, please talk with Dagbert”

“Marbert?”

Right, that was his pseudonym over there. It was so fortunate all of his pseudonyms ended with the same syllable or else they would be so much harder to keep track of. “He needs someone to talk with. I know you’re not in good terms with him, but try to get him to open up to you” Even if it was ranting that should help him somewhat, he figured.

“I will. I’ll talk to him once we’re done here”

“By the way, did you say he’s red?”

“Yeah, very red. Why?”

“The journalist is green” Yukiko said.

Thankfully that didn’t turn into a discussion of what color the journalist was, because Naoto said: “Mr. Pricklyrind told me he dyes it. His natural fur color is orange”

“Did you have to say that?!” Yu heard Dagbert’s voice. Apparently the secret behind his different fur colors was a bit of a secret! “I like to vary, that’s all!”

“He also shows signs of being self-conscious about his fur”

“Shirogane!”

Yu smirked, amused. Ah, sometimes it really felt like Dagbert was part of his friends group. It was nice to see others got along with him too. “Yukiko, your turn. What have you found out?”

“Oh, right. So...how do I say any of this...” Yukiko seemed hesitant.

“Is there something wrong?”

“I don’t think it’s wrong, I just wonder if what I have is useful in any way”

“Don’t worry, Yukiko-senpai! You never know what info will turn out to be important!” Rise encouraged.

“That’s true. Alright, here I go”

Yosuke had informed about how it felt for humans to eat Bugsnax and proven Filbo’s party failing didn’t automatically mean he’d get as disheartened as Yu had seen him. Chie had talked about the potential restorative qualities Bugsnax had, and about how it was possible for Wambus and Triffany to reconcile quickly. They both also had forged bonds with different grumpuses.

What would Yukiko bring to the table for the Investigation Team? Yu was eager to find out.

-ooooo-

“I got nothing, dawg”

Chandlo seemed truly sorry he hadn’t found anything that could help find Filbo. He had tried his hardest, Dagbert had no doubt about it, but...it was disappointing anyway. Nothing in Boiling Bay, nothing in Simmering Springs, and nothing in Sugarpine Woods.

It didn’t take long for him to check with the other grumpuses who had gone to look for Filbo. Nothing! It was as if he had gotten swallowed by the earth itself, he just...had completely disappeared.

Dagbert pressed his paws against his face, forcing himself to take deep breaths. Getting upset wasn’t going to help anyone, he had to calm down! Deep breaths, deep breaths...slowly, he lowered his paws and exhaled.

“Let’s gather. We should discuss what to do now”

Chapter Text

This is going to be such a time, thought Yukiko, climbing out of the door. The door was lying down on the ground, forcing her to have to pull herself up – quite the bizarre situation, given one moment she was walking and the next she had to hold onto the edge of the door.

Before long she was lying on the grass outside, watching the sky go from ashen to a pleasant blue tone. What had...just happened? She remembered watching everyone pass through the door, and now she was alone.

Nothing to do but go on, then. She wasn’t going to find them if she spent her time lying around on this nice, comfortable grass. Standing up, Yukiko brushed off herself the bits of grass that clung to her red clothes and prepared for whatever may come. It was time for Yukiko Amagi to make her incursion into the wild! It was kind of exciting, to tell the truth!

From what she could tell she was on top of a grassy plateau. A few sparse trees dotted the place. She could hear the strange droning of...something in the trees, and before long, a cob of corn jumping from one tree to another. When Yukiko saw that, all she did was blink, stop, and observe it for a while, like she was watching a particularly interesting spectacle in the TV.

Huh. How curious. A cob of corn jumping around and making sounds. How about that.

Yukiko was never one to freak out loudly at the sight of oddities. It merely was living corn, nothing to scream about. Now that she thought about it, maybe Teddie would come up with a seriously bad pun, one so bad that not even she would laugh. Still, she was curious if he’d come up with something! Better mention it once she saw him!

The plateau seemed to be on a high place – she could see her surroundings quite well. An island! No cities in sight! Was that...over there a town? It was a town! Yukiko tried to focus, trying to look at it better, but it was a touch too far away to see. That definitely wasn’t Inaba, but it was the place to go, she decided. Now, how to get off this plateau...

Yukiko walked, making sure to look around in case anything was going to ambush her. Other than more food there seemed to be nothing! During her walking she reached the edge of the plateau, finding a bowl-shaped area, flanked by craggy cliffs. There was a trail leading to the bottom of that basin, where...what was that...? Yukiko tried to distinguish what exactly was half-buried in the grass, peeking through the soil. It was an off-white object, divided into...many sections? She wasn’t sure.

...wait...was that a skeleton? A very deformed skeleton? Yukiko stepped back. She really liked horror stories but she wasn’t a morbid person. The sight of a real skeleton was enough to unnerve her! Nope, better find a different way to get off this plateau! No way she was getting close to that!

-ooooo-

Yu interrupted Yukiko’s retelling. “Wait, Yukiko! You said you had seen the town, right?”

“That’s right...”

So Yukiko’s door was located somewhere in Garden Grove, but also was close enough for Snaxburg to be on sight. That meant she possibly was in the vicinity of that cave Beffica was living in – Beffica, who had mentioned she had seen a skeleton with bite marks. Could it be that skeleton?

When Yu asked her to give indications of how to get to the right place, though, Yukiko was unable to help for the time being: “I’m sorry, I don’t recall where it is. But if you really need that, I can try to find the place...” She didn’t sound eager at all to go hunt for a grumpus’ mangled skeleton, that was for sure.

“Is it because of what Ms. Winklesnoot mentioned?” Naoto asked Yu.

“I don’t really want to take a look at it myself, but...” Yu winced and  took a deep breath. He had already touched an unharmed skeleton, one that had the bites on it shouldn’t be much different, right? Hopefully! “...I’ll do it”

“I’m not a coroner but if you’d like I could go and check the bones”

“It’s fine, I have something in mind” This meeting certainly had been useful for tracing their plans of action! So much stuff yet to be done. With some luck they’d be able to complete everything quickly enough – the more time they had to piece everything together, the better!

Just what exactly was going on Snaktooth Island? To what extent did Bugsnax have anything to do with the oddities of the island? Was disaster really going to befall this place?

Yu still had no solid idea for any of those questions, but he felt several steps closer to the truth.

-ooooo-

Keeping her distance away from that skeleton was easy enough. All she had to do was walk to the other direction. With some luck she wouldn’t be getting too far away from that town, but still...she wasn’t going to get there by staying on this plateau. Somewhere around there had to be a way to get off it.

What she found instead was a hole on the ground. Yukiko originally was going to ignore it. She walked beside the hole, intending to give it wide berth to not fall in it, but when she was on her way she glanced at the hole and noticed there was a cave, and in that cave, there were objects. Manmade, modern objects! Intrigued, Yukiko carefully approached the hole, looking down and into the cave.

There was so much that didn’t belong in a cave. A shelf with several notebooks and books, a sleeping bag, what seemed to be boxes of crayons, other varied stuff. It all seemed very well-cared for, this wasn’t stuff that got abandoned in some random place. It had to mean there was someone nearby!

“...is that really a good thing...?” Yukiko mused, making sure to lie down in case she’d be too visible if she was standing up. Just because there was a person around it didn’t mean it was good. It could be a fugitive from the law, hiding in the wilderness to avoid capture. Or maybe it could be a hermit, leaving a past life in a community to have a very misanthropic life all alone in a cave! It could be anything, really.

...well, the one thing she was sure about was that she’d get seen if she wasn’t careful. Yukiko always was relatively introverted. She wasn’t afraid of people nor was socially maladjusted, but she always was somewhat socially awkward. Despite having quite the great reputation, she didn’t have much practice when it was about talking to anyone other than her friends – which, other than Chie, she bonded with relatively recently -- and everyone at her family’s inn. And also customers, but that’s all in a professional setting. A random person living out here? That perhaps was a tad above her paygrade.

No, she had to find another place. First a skeleton, now this. The places she should be able to descend from kept dwindling down!

She didn’t get to walk away before she saw someone approaching. Hiding quickly behind a bush when she saw someone, Yukiko peeked from it, trying to see better who it was. She expected to see a rugged person making their way through the wilderness, or maybe a bandit. She didn’t expect to see a fuzzy-looking magenta creature. How charming! There it was, walking and entering the cave. Yukiko knew she shouldn’t, she knew she should go on with her attempt to get off the plateau, yet part of her wanted to stay around and see it better.

The hole on the ceiling of the cave was just right for that. Yukiko peered into the cave, seeing the creature get a deck of cards, starting to play solitaire on the floor of the cave. Wow, it knew card games! She had to tell everyone else about this, she just had to. They’d probably believe her.

Yukiko placed her hands on the grass to stand up. When she did, her weight made a couple rocks from the edge of the hole detach and tumble down into the cave, making enough noise to get its attention. The grumpus, startled, let go of the cards and turned around, a paw on her chest as if trying to calm down her beating heart. Yukiko made an ‘eep!’ squeak when she was seen. For a moment grumpus and human looked at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move – which Yukiko did.

“...uuuuuuh...”

Not the best first contact ever.

........

Politeness and flattery can do anything. Yukiko was good at smoothing over trouble, partly because Yukiko is always trying to keep the peace to some extent, and partly because her docile demeanor was disarming even if it also invited other people to try to steamroll over her – and fail, because Yukiko had grown more capable of facing people.

Beffica, in contrast, never hesitated to impose her own thoughts and march at the beat of her own drum. Yukiko’s firm politeness gave enough resistance, but still gave leeway for her to feel like she had the upper paw. No wonder they started getting along!

Of course, Beffica demanded answers when all of a sudden she found some weird thing staring at her from the hope on the ceiling. Yukiko dropped into the cave and, with aching ankles, she sat down, bowing her head and apologizing for the intrusion. Beffica absolutely wasn’t the kind to back off just because the person she’s talking with is contrite, though. What made her listen was that Yukiko asked her for help. It caught her so off-guard she shut up, chance Yukiko used to insist:

“I don’t ask you to host me or anything like that. All I want to know is if you have seen other hum—“ she frowned. “Other people like me. I didn’t mean to invade your home”

“It’s not like this is my home. It’s a vacay spot” Beffica said. Her voice was steady, hiding how confused she was now.

Vacay...? Yukiko spoke English quite well – despite being generally inexperienced at doing it often -- but she knew almost nothing about slang. “Regardless, I’m sorry. I’ll leave once I have an answer”

She was in no position to make demands, Yukiko knew that, but now that she was facing Beffica she couldn’t just meekly back down without at least trying. Turns out it was the right decision, because it made Beffica interested in her.

Before long they were talking amicably and actually getting to know each other! Beffica seemed very surprised this decidedly different creature felt a lot like a normal everyday person! And she was happy to explain to Yukiko everything about the grumpuses and Snaxburg. She had a lot of dirt, may as well instruct this newfound oddity about what to expect of the rest of the expedition.

Yukiko listened, paying attention to everything Beffica said, hanging onto every word! She even allowed her to stay for the night. The next day she continued, changing topics from life on Snaktooth to the residents of the town, until an interruption made its way from the direction of Wambus’ farm. Beffica, seeing them first, went silent mid-sentence about the frustratingly stubborn farmer and muttered under her breath, dislike seeping into her voice immediately: “OMG, what’s that squeeb doing out of town?”

“Who?” Yukiko turned her head to try to peek only to be stopped by Beffica pushing her back gently.

“The useless mayor! He’s out there for some reason. You’d think he’d stay in town so he wouldn’t, like, starve to death somewhere?” she stepped out of the cave, waiting for Filbo and a green stranger to arrive. Yukiko couldn’t see anything else because she was hiding, wondering if those two grumpuses would enter the cave and find her, but all she heard was quite different.

“Ah...h-hi, Beffica” Filbo greeted. He was obviously not too happy about encountering Beffica but he made a token effort to be courteous. Beffica, though, had no qualms in almost biting his head off!

“I got no time to waste talking to you, Filbo. You two, keep walking!”

“Beffica?”

“Did I stutter? Get lost already!”

Silence. Yukiko had to lean towards them to hear what Filbo said quietly to whoever was with him. “I’m so sorry, buddy, I think she’s...not in mood to talk...?” he explained while they walked away. Yukiko heard them step to parts unknown, maybe to Snaxburg. She didn’t dare make a move until Beffica entered again, sighing.

“Great! Now that those two are gone we can talk a little more!”

“...that was very rude” Yukiko said.

“That? Oh, no no no!” Beffica seemed kind of surprised Yukiko had brought that up. “I had to get them to scram because otherwise they’d stick around and see you. It was aaaall to make sure they’d get out of your hair, bestie~”

“Bestie...?” Note to herself: learn slang. Well, it didn’t matter. Yukiko stood up. “There had to be better ways to get them to leave us alone”

“There isn’t a better way. Look, you need to tell things as they are or else they totes won’t care what you say. That’s how you deal with this”

The human couldn’t say Beffica was entirely wrong but it still made her feel a little annoyed how rudely she pushed them away. Oh well. It probably was just a bad first impression, a one-time issue. Beffica had been treating her rather nicely, she had been so unwelcoming out of concern for the human creature hiding in her cave.

Yukiko really wanted to believe that was it.

........

It had been fun to draw on the walls. Beffica had explained Bugsnax, remarking how delicious they were, and mentioned how Weenyworms were her favorites. Yukiko had to admit the idea of a hot dog crawling around was an amusing idea! She actually liked that a lot! It made her picture some common Japanese street foods as Bugsnax, explaining them cheerfully to Beffica.

“...and the balls of takoyaki would all join together into a caterpillar! Usually there are six at once, all of them piping hot, but they’re full of squid, so I guess they’d be in the sea!” her eyes were sparkling while she spoke of how she imagined the Takopillar – provisional name, she couldn’t think of a pun. Or Cateryaki, maybe? She couldn’t decide – to be like.

At least it seemed Beffica liked to listen to her! She listened attentively, nodding and actually paying attention to every word Yukiko said. She even joined into her fantastical proposal. “There’s a place beyond the springs that’s so hot it’d make any grumpus overheat. It could be living there!”

“Oh, I want to take a look!” It was so unlikely a takoyaki Bugsnax existed but if it did she sure wanted to find out! Possibilities were theoretically endless! What could be out there? She actually was looking forward to finding out!

That was why Beffica took her out to hunt. Once she made sure no other grumpus would find them, she guided Yukiko around, looking for a Bugsnax even a complete novice at hunting such as Yukiko could handle.

“Usually I go for the easiest ones? But if you know how to hunt we could try something else”

“I have never hunted anything before” outside of the TV World, at least. Yukiko followed Beffica around, letting her newfound friend show her the ropes.

“Then let’s stick with the easy meals~ Look! Right there!” Beffica pointed at something hanging on the rock wall, right beside a waterfall. From what Yukiko could see it was some sort of bag full of chips? It wasn’t moving at all. There really could be nothing easier than that. “Normally I get them off by throwing pebbles at it until they, like, let go of the wall and stuff?”

“Is it really that easy?” Yukiko seemed surprised. Surely these food things wouldn’t just stand around until a grumpus came by to eat them! But once she got reassured that yes, catching this particular sort of Snak was that easy, she nodded, looking up at the bag of chips with interest. “I’ll try”

“That’s the spirit, bestie. There are pebbles—“ Beffica had been about to get some for her, when Yukiko took out a folding fan, extending it slowly. “...what?”

“Steady...” Yukiko said under her breath, focusing. She hadn’t ever done this outside the TV World but it was worth a try! With practiced skill, having done this countless times in battle, Yukiko spun, letting go of the fan once she completed the spin, the fan flying through the air, colliding against the Snakpod, forcing it to fall onto the grass! “I did it!”

“You...wow. Just wow” Beffica held back laughter, but she couldn’t argue with results! She got the snack. Picking it up, as well as the fan, she returned to Yukiko, who definitely was pleased with herself. “You need to teach me how to do that”

“It took a lot of practice” she took the fan, folding it away. She couldn’t keep a bright grin out of her face!

Beffica, sharing her enthusiasm, extended the Snakpod at her. “How about you take this one? I’ll get another snak later. You deserve it”

The offer wiped the grin off Yukiko’s face. She...didn’t want to seem rude, but Bugsnax and their effects kind of worried her. Also that these little food things could see her and stuff really made her feel bad for them. Bugsnax probably were like lifestock but such a thought never made her feel any better. She just...didn’t want to eat them while they were watching her.

“Thank you but I’m not hungry, Winklesnoot-san”

Beffica frowned. “Aw, come on, call me Beffica. It feels so, like, stiff to be called by my last name”

Oh, right. Western customs. It’d take a bit to get used to that, but alright.

Beffica didn’t really make much encouragement to eat the Snakpod all by herself, getting a potato chips arm in exchange. The sight of it made Yukiko uncomfortable, but...grumpuses probably had everything under control.

Not much later Yukiko had been returning to the cave Beffica had invited her to live in, intending to get settled in. She had been thinking about how to solve the problem of not having a sleeping bag like Beffica’s when she heard the noise of a camera going off behind her. Turning around, greatly annoyed, Yukiko forced herself to calm down when she realized it was Beffica.

...no. She couldn’t be angry with her. Beffica simply didn’t know any better, she thought. Taking a deep breath, Yukiko stayed polite. “Please don’t take pictures of me without asking”

“Something wrong?”

“I just...feel uncomfortable when someone takes pictures like that” pictures of her being taken without her consent? That was a line she seriously wasn’t willing to see crossed. Beffica, nodding, put away the camera, although she didn’t seem to have taken too seriously the request.

Yukiko noticed that but decided to brush it off. Beffica had been so kind to her, she probably didn’t realize it made things awkward. It was forgivable. It probably was a one-time thing.

Hopefully.

.........

Turns out if you refuse to eat Bugsnax then your options for food are pretty limited. Yukiko had no experience surviving in the wild and Beffica was by no means an expert either. That meant a lot of foraging – if you even could call it that. For the last few days Yukiko had been eating a lot of leaves she should consider herself lucky she could stomach. It wasn’t fun to go into a very basic, very herbivore diet all of a sudden, but you did what you had to do to survive and avoid eating Bugsnax.

“I dunno how Gramble does it. He has survived all this time without eating them, and last I checked? He’s not a fan of sauce” Beffica had commented while Yukiko slowly munched on a leaf the grumpus had certified safe. It was unfortunate Yukiko couldn’t just go and ask him how he did it.

While they were having their shared lunch of herbs – Beffica having joined her out of solidarity, not because she was fond of trying to bite into plants – they heard the telltale sound of someone’s steps. As usual, Yukiko made sure to hide out of sight in case someone looked from the entrance of the cave. Beffica had insisted she should always stay hidden, and really, Yukiko couldn’t disagree. It felt...lonely, though.

That’s it, she decided: a hermit life isn’t for her.

Listening to the conversation was unavoidable – it wasn’t like Beffica cared even a little bit about discretion around her. “Wambus has a cactus wife?” Yukiko was pretty sure she understood incorrectly. Maybe she wasn’t as proficient at English as she thought.

“I got you the dirt. Are you coming back to Snaxburg yet?” it was a male voice – she was like 70% sure it was male.

“Sorry but no! I’m not going back!”

There was a muted and quite loud groan of discontent. “...why?! I spied on that farmer at midnight for you! What else could you want?”

“I’m just not interested. I got better things to do here than hanging out in the town”

“Do you want Snax? I can bring you Snax! Just name them and—“

“Sorry, leave your message after the tone! Buh-bye!”

Yukiko folded one of the leaves, hearing the other person walk away, most likely frustrated and upset. Beffica had used him to gather dirt. Spying on the farmer, too. That’s probably where he got dirt, from that farmer’s turf. Why Beffica wanted dirt from a specific place Yukiko didn’t know, but that was none of her concern. Maybe she needed rich soil, who knows.

Once she had made sure the other grumpus was gone Beffica entered, looking so unbearably smug Yukiko felt a momentary burst of disgust. Ugh...she was thankful at Beffica for everything, but she really was starting to realize Beffica was an unpleasant person. That she hadn’t directed any of that unpleasantness at her was a minor miracle.

“...you should return to that town” Yukiko said.

“What? Why would I?”

“Wouldn’t it be better than living out here? It seems they miss you”

She scoffed. “They don’t. Trust me, we’re all better separated. The air in that town is, like, so suffocating” Beffica sat down beside her cards, intending to continue her game of solitaire. She hadn’t progressed much in days. “Besides you need someone to help you, right? I’d rather be with you than among so many geminis. Sagittarius and leo are meant to be friends”

Yukiko really hoped her astrological sign wasn’t why Beffica was so interested in being friendly towards her, but it wasn’t like rejecting the help was an option. She really needed all she could get to survive.

“Are they really so bad?”

Beffica rolled her eyes. “They’re awful. Filbo is a total mess who pretends to be friendly just so others overlook how much of a screw-up he is. Gramble believes our food are all his pets and, like, gives you the evil eye if you have any of these” she waved her potato chips arm. “Wambus is as prickly as a cactus, and now that journalist? He’s dangerous for you. If I don’t keep him away he’s gonna find you and then he’ll, like, write an article about you for everyone in the world to read. Trust me, I have read what he writes”

“But surely they aren’t all bad” The silence after that could be sliced with a knife. Yukiko was sure Beffica was right about all that, but people weren’t flat. Unsure why Beffica was so silent, she added: “There must be something good about them”

“...I guess they’re not scumbags. They’re boring but they’re not horrible people”

That seemed like the bare minimum! But it didn’t seem to Yukiko like Beffica hated them. She just...preferred to be away. Frankly the impression Yukiko was getting was that Beffica didn’t like being away from everyone else but didn’t see any other choice. Yukiko crushed the leaf to see if she’d like it a little more if she didn’t have to taste it while chewing, and said: “I could go with you to Snaxburg”

“Why would you?”

Well, she was aware that could go wrong in so many ways, but she wanted to show Beffica some support. She really seemed lonely.

“Nope! We’re staying” Beffica said, and that was it. No more point in talking.

Two days. That lasted only for two days more, and it was that journalist’s fault.

The lack of food is what changed Yukiko’s life here. She had been busy plucking leaves off an edible bush, focused on her task, trying to gauge how many she’d need for the incoming days. The muted gasp behind her stopped her. That made her freeze, and although she knew it was unlikely, she really hoped it was Beffica.

It wasn’t. Instead when she turned around she saw a green grumpus staring at her, wide-eyed. “...hello?” he said slowly, like he didn’t expect a response. That voice! It was the one Beffica had sent to get dirt! And now he had seen her, the gig was up.

“...oh! G-Good morning!” Yukiko hid her apprehension and bowed respectfully. “I’m sorry, did I startle you?”

“I knew there was a reason why she was pushing me away like that” he said, approaching slowly. His face had taken a far more neutral expression, but his eyes were so full of admiration Yukiko let her guard down. “Amazing...”

Before long they were sitting together, talking about Snaxburg. The journalist – who introduced himself as Saerbert Candylime – didn’t hesitate to invite her to come along. “Are you sure? I don’t think they’d react well to me...” Yukiko pointed out. She did want to go to the town! But she was aware sometimes it’s hard to accept different stuff.

Saerbert didn’t seem nearly as afraid of that. “If Beffica accepted you then everyone else probably will. Trust me on that one”

“I doubt it”

“Fine then. If you’re so hesitant about it then how about I prepare the terrain?” Saerbert took out his Snaxcope. “Let me show them a picture of you. If they’re open to meeting you then we can try”

The proposal immediately made Yukiko want to say no. Something about getting a picture of her taken and shown around like she’s a cryptid really rubbed her the wrong way, but...here she was. All alone, on an island with no other humans. If she didn’t get some friends then she was going to be in trouble. Beffica was good, but having more grumpuses to rely on could be nice.

Perhaps this was a bad decision, but what could she do?

“...I guess. Go ahead”

......

She didn’t tell Beffica at all about meeting Saerbert. She was absolutely certain it’d only lead to trouble. When Beffica asked how the foraging went she just shrugged and lied, saying it had gone completely unremarkably. Nothing to report.

The next day, Yukiko cooked up an excuse to go foraging once again, deciding to wait for Saerbert in the same place they had met before, hoping Beffica wouldn’t think of following her or anything like that. “Be careful, bestie” Beffica said while she wrote in her diary. She didn’t even look up, she didn’t seem to suspect anything. Alright! The coast was clear.

Thankfully the journalist did go to the same place they had met. Yukiko waited, unsure if he’d even come, but before long she saw something rustle amidst the bushes. There he was, hiding...in the foliage in an attempt to camouflage in case Beffica was around. Prudent, she guessed, but also a little silly.

Well, she couldn’t deny it, it was kind of fun to hide there. She had to hold back a giggle of elation when she sneaked into the improvised hideout. There was Saerbert, little branches and leaves peppering his fuzzy green coat. Only he could look so serious while looking like he had just rolled down a hill.

“How did it go?” Yukiko asked. She wasn’t sure if she hoped for a positive or a negative reaction. Now that she apparently had Saerbert among her allies maybe she could settle with that for a while.

Saerbert nods. “It’s ready. You’re welcome to come, but I should warn you people are a little...unsure?”

“Unsure?”

“How would you react if a grumpus appeared all of a sudden in the middle of wherever you came from?”

That’d be a valid question if she wasn’t someone who had to handle a serial murder case involving the collective unconscious you get to through the TV, and also Teddie – a literal stylized bear – existing. She decided to not answer the question.

Saerbert seemed to take her silence as she realizing his point. “Exactly. I did what I could, but if you don’t make a good impression they’re not going to want you around no matter how sentient you are. They’re not into the novelty of having you there”

Fair. Oh, this could go so wrong, and she didn’t feel like she was prepared, but...everyone in that town now knew about her existence. Staying hidden was pointless. She had pushed for this, and she didn’t really have any regrets – not that the butterflies in her stomach were notified about that. Alright then, time to face it.

“I’ll behave”

-ooooo-

“I’m sure you gave a good impression. Nobody could hate you” Chie said a little hastily. Saying it that early made it sound like she was trying to console her for maybe not having been liked. Yu knew Chie didn’t mean to make it sound like that, of course, but still...

Thankfully it seemed Yukiko didn’t take it that way. Instead she seemed quite proud of herself when she replied to that. “I won’t say I was anyone’s favorite right away, though we got along. Every time I mentioned Beffica-san they all just...kind of refused to talk to me more?”

“Why?”

“...I think they thought I was there to spy on Beffica-san’s behalf”

Oh. No wonder they walked away as soon as her friend’s name was mentioned! Beffica’s reputation preceded her and it seemed to have gotten on Yukiko like a goop she couldn’t remove right away, even if Yukiko didn’t deserve it in the slightest. Thankfully, it seemed despite that she had managed to make enough of a good impression to not be chased out of town five minutes later.

“...Beffica-san wasn’t happy at all when I mentioned to her I had gone to Snaxburg. Even less when I suggested she should move back. I don’t think she’d have accepted if I hadn’t said I was thinking of moving there myself”

“She would have preferred you two to stay together in that cave” Rise said.

“I know! It’s not like I’d have been against being roommates over there; I just thought it’d be safer to be in the town. I told her that, I told her we should all stick together.

She said some really unflattering things about everyone on Snaktooth. It wasn’t even that she insulted them, it was more like...like she felt there was no point in even getting along with them. She didn’t tell me what was going on, she just talked about them and about all the soil she got from them, until I told her to please stop”

“It’s not personal, Yukiko” Yu said.

“That’s what I think. I don’t think Beffica is being mean for the sake of being mean, I just think she’s...disillusioned? Could that be it?”

Well, something was up with her, that was for sure. Yu quietly took the decision to try to give Beffica a chance. He wasn’t too fond of her right now, but from the sounds of it that grumpus was in sore need of someone to talk with.

He really was piling up so many things he had to do. At this rate he wasn’t going to have the time to fulfill all of his goals!

-ooooo-

“Don’t take pictures of me without my permission!”

Yukiko didn’t hesitate to raise her voice. This was the third time she had to tell Beffica not to do that. It wasn’t like she was doing anything in particular – she was simply setting the radio device in Lizbert’s cabin, near the bed – when all of a sudden she heard the click of a shutter, turning around and seeing Beffica still with the Snaxcope to her face.

Beffica shrugged. “Sorry! Force of habit”

“You need better habits” Yukiko said coldly, leaving the hut without looking back. There was no word of apology from Beffica. She really didn’t seem to be taking Yukiko’s request seriously.

Three days had passed since their arrival to Snaxburg. Yukiko Amagi was starting to be fed up with Beffica Winklesnoot.

It wasn’t only that she had shown a disregard for a simple request such as not making her uncomfortable by taking pictures of her without her noticing – although now she was wondering if perhaps she had other photos and she hadn’t noticed Beffica taking them. It was possible. It was also the way Beffica kept sneaking into people’s cabins, the way she kept sticking her nose into other people’s business, the way she talked of the rest of the residents of Snaxburg like they’re a sketchy bunch with ulterior motives. Even though almost every time Yukiko managed to get Beffica to admit they weren’t as bad as she was making them sound, one time Beffica had said something different:

“Maybe you’re too sheltered to know for realsies, but people aren’t going to show their worst sides in the open. They’re good people but they’re not the soft grumps you probably think they are”

That Beffica was talking of good people’s bad sides like that irked Yukiko, mainly because of the way she treated said hidden sides. Shadow Selves were their real world selves’ hidden qualities, most of the time being concentrated bundles of negativity, sometimes representing issues to overcome. Yukiko had seen the Shadow Selves of most of her friends – and even her own! And frankly the thought that Beffica would have thought every single one of those hidden, private moments was a piece of delicious drama kept coming at her.

She could imagine how Beffica would have reacted if she had heard about hers. The heiress of the famous hot springs inn wants to send her responsibilities all to hell! Rebellion, dissatisfaction, turning her back on it all to do who knows what! The thought of Beffica enjoying all that made her sick.

No way she’d tell her about any of that, even if all that had been left in the past and she had embraced her future in the inn.

Regardless, all that meant she was starting to actively avoid Beffica. They shared the same hut, Yukiko sleeping on a mattress brought from the mill. It was cramped, but it didn’t matter. Eevery time Beffica was there Yukiko would usually leave in a hurry, saying the bare minimum to her friend. Usually she spent her time with Gramble, having started to get along with him. She liked his gentle nature. It was relaxing, and Gramble was slowly starting to accept her presence around the Bugsnax.

“Oh, you’re back!” Gramble greeted her while she watched the Bugsnax scuttle around in the corral outside. “I didn’t think you’d be back so soon”

“I hope I’m not getting in the way...”

“No, not at all! The little ones will be happy to see you!” Gramble opened the side door of the barn, ready to let her in. “But...did something happen? You seem tense”

Yukiko really didn’t want to go into detail, so she was succinct with it: “It’s Beffica-san”

“Oh. Right” Gramble seemed to understand immediately. “Y’know, I thought you and she got along better than this”

Yukiko entered the barn and looked around like she expected to see Beffica spying on them with her Snaxscope. Now that she thought about it...you hardly could call a friend someone you were starting to get paranoid about. Sighing, Yukiko said:

“I did too”

.........

A party! Yukiko tended to be introverted but she couldn’t say no to attending Filbo’s party. It could be a nice time! Although everyone just stood around like wallflowers Yukiko ignored that, deciding to try to enjoy herself the best she could. Away with awkwardness!

Which was why she grabbed some Snakwater. She stared at the liquid and asked Beffica – the nearest grumpus. “Is this alcoholic?”

Apparently that question made Beffica’s already sullen mood get a little worse. “Humans have drinking age?

“I’m not twenty yet”

“Usually this should have but Filbo made it. It’s as harmless as creek water”

Ugh, she had to mention Filbo. That guy really seemed to be Beffica’s favorite target for her snide comments, thought Yukiko while she downed her Snakwater. Beffica was right, though, this was nothing more than water! Well, the drinks may not be good, but everything else probably would go well.

It didn’t at all. Yukiko watched Filbo try to get the party going but nobody seemed willing to even try. Only Saerbert was socializing, approaching everybody, Yukiko included. “...are you okay?”

“I’m fine! Why?” Yukiko asked.

“Your face is getting as red as your clothes. Can humans change color?”

“What? Nooo, not at all!” Yukiko touched her face. It did feel a little hot. Saerbert glanced at the Snakwater currently in her hand, confused.

“...that’s just water...you can’t be tipsy”

“I’m not! I’m just relaxing over here. Good party!”

“Yeah, it’s a fantastic party” Saerbert said flatly and decided to sit near her. “Sorry, I think I should keep you company”

“I’m standing right here too” Beffica said. She seemed to be in somewhat better mood now – or maybe that was just the impression Yukiko had. Things were a little hazy by now. “I guess humans are lightweights! You must be if you get drunk with something like this. This is pretty much water!”

“Amagi, are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

“I’m fine!” Yukiko claimed, watching everything unfold. At least the journalist stopped her from taking any more Snakwater.

It wasn’t long before Filbo tried to get everyone else socializing now that Saerbert had relegated himself to watching over Yukiko. It went really badly, accidentally sparking an argument between Wambus and Gramble. Yukiko, frowning, pressed a palm against her forehead and closed her eyes, trying to focus. Ugh, those two were fighting again...

“Ooooh, this is getting good” she heard Beffica say under her breath. She was...she was enjoying it. Beffica was enjoying their argument. Of course she was, what did she expect?!

“...had the spine to lead us, everyone would still be here!” before long she heard Wambus shout that at Filbo. Uf, poor guy. He hosted a party and all he got was getting yelled at.

Then it happened:

“Don’t you mean Triffany would still be here?” Beffica asked, as if it was the most casual question ever.

“...the hell up.”

She felt Saerbert’s paw on her shoulder. “Amagi, what was that?”

“Did she say something?” she heard Beffica’s voice. Later she’d realize she sounded concerned, but in that moment? Yukiko didn’t care. She stood up and shouted at Beffica:

“Shut the hell up!”

Silence. Wambus and Gramble’s argument was forgotten immediately, both of them staring wide-eyed at Yukiko, who faced her possibly former friend. “Excuse me?” Beffica didn’t back down at all.

“All you have done since I have known you is go on and on about what everyone else do or don’t do! And now you’re...egging them on! Are you enjoying it?!”

“I’m not enjoying anything”

“You are! This is what you like! You’re awful!”

“I’m awful?!” Beffica seemed to be in disbelief – because it was Yukiko shouting at her. Her bestie!

Yukiko nodded. “Yes! Every day I have been around you is all about all the dust you get from them, and what you dig, and—I’m sick of it! I can’t stand you anymore!”

“That sounds like a you problem!”

“And you don’t even care! I have tried so many times to get you to—“ Yukiko’s train of thought derailed, many grievances jumping to the forefront of her head, enough she wasn’t able to grasp any of them. There just was too much, she couldn’t focus on anything! She could see Beffica’s challenging expression, dripping with anger. The days not that long ago when she still considered her a friend seemed so far away now.

“So? You’re not making yourself look any better! You’re acting like a spoiled child!“

“Then I’m out of here!”

“You can’t just leave!”

“Leave me alone!”

No way she could return to the hut she shared with Beffica. Without bothering to give more than a passing glance at everyone else who had been staring at their shouting match, Yukiko left the party, walking with sure steps into Lizbert’s cabin, at least until she reached the back of the hut. With shaky steps from sudden exhaustion, she sat down halfway up the staircase, arms on her knees and hunched over to rest her forehead on them, taking deep breaths.

Now she had done it. She had never lost control like this before. Sure, it wasn’t the first time she shouted at someone exactly what she had in her mind – even though Yukiko was considerate, patient and tried to never hurt other people’s feelings, she never tended to lie or be dishonest about her thoughts.

But it had never come out like this, even when she was upset. Maybe that light buzz in her head had reduced her inhibitions somewhat. May as well blame the drinks! Even though there was nothing alcoholic about them!

She had no idea how long she spent sitting there. At some point she heard someone’s steps come in. She made no effort to look up, though.

“...um...are you...are you feeling better?” she heard Filbo’s voice. Oh, the mayor. She hadn’t talked much with him.

“No. I feel awful”

“W-Well, uh...I guess I shouldn’t be surprised...”

Yukiko looked up. Indeed, there was Filbo. Saerbert was not too far behind, waiting from the entrance of the hut. “...I’m sorry for ruining your party like that”

“N-No, it’s okay! It wasn’t going too well anyway. If it’s any consolation all that stopped Gramble and Wambus from saying anything else?”

“I have to apologize to them too. I’m so ashamed”

“You should sleep. This bed here is good enough” Saerbert suggested, gesturing at Lizbert’s bed. A bit shaky, Yukiko descended the staircase and reached the bed, sitting on the edge. The buzz was pretty much gone by now, leaving behind the realization of all she had said.

“Seriously, I’m so sorry about that. Usually I’m not like that, I promise”

“Don’t worry, I can tell! But, uh, maybe you should apologize to Beffica” Filbo suggested.

At the mention of her name Yukiko nodded. “I can’t believe I shouted at her like that. I just got so angry when I noticed she was actively encouraging the discord, and I just...” she sighed. “I must have sounded like I’m crazy”

“Well...I’m not gonna say it wasn’t kind of scary but it’s fine. But, well, Beffica was surprised too. When you left I saw her look pretty hurt”

“She was hurt...?”

“She probably didn’t expect you to shout at her like that. She does call you her bestie” Saerbert said.

“Oh no...!” the guilt in Yukiko increased.

“Beffica is too stubborn to take an apology just like that but you should try anyway”

She wouldn’t take that apology in quite some time, Yukiko knew that. This had ruined their friendship, she thought, she had singlehandedly torched it beyond recognition. How could she have done that...?

.......

They were avoiding each other now. Yukiko didn’t get to talk to her, the most they did was cross paths while she prepared herself for the meeting with the rest of the Investigation Team. For a moment Beffica and Yukiko stared at each other, then choosing to each go on without even saying a word.

Repairing this friendship was going to take a while.

“I’m going to try to befriend her again” Yukiko declared through the radio to her friends.

Yukiko Amagi wasn’t doing too great.

-ooooo-

That of all people Yukiko was having trouble surprised Yu. He knew fully well how mortified she probably felt right now, and thankfully, everyone else understood as well. Nobody chided her, nobody said she should go and apologize, they all knew she had reached that conclusion long ago and that she’d try to deal with it all.

“Everything will be okay” Chie said.

“I know. I’ll make it be okay” Yukiko said. At least she sounded determined. “I’m not letting us stay in bad terms.”

“If it makes you feel better, Yukiko-senpai, I had a fight too” Kanji said.

“Wait, seriously?” Yosuke asked. “What happened?”

“It wasn’t too different from that. I...I’d have preferred not to talk about it but I’m not gonna be left behind while everyone else talks about their blunders”

Alright then, someone else also got in trouble. Wondering exactly with who Kanji fought with, Yu settled to listen.

Perhaps it really had been too much to hope everyone in the team had been doing equally well.

-ooooo-

Not too far away from the barn there indeed was another meeting. Every grumpus in town, with Snorpy and Floofty being the only exceptions, had gathered to discuss what to do now that Filbo was missing. Dagbert had just finished saying he had found no trace of the former mayor anywhere on the beach. The rest hadn’t fared much better.

“This doesn’t make sense...Floofty was the last one to see him. There should be something about him on the beach” Dagbert pondered. “He can’t have gone missing much later than that”

“What are we gonna do?” Gramble asked. “We got no idea where Eggabell and Lizbert went, and now Filbo is gone too? You guys don’t think something bad happened to them, right?”

“Who knows” Beffica looked genuinely worried. “Filbo is a total squeeb, but you never know. Maybe he’s good at survival”

“Relax, guys” Chandlo said, soothing. “All we gotta do is keep our eyes open”

“I have to go all over Snaktooth. I’ll keep looking for him” Dagbert said. It was true, he had yet to bring back a good handful of grumpuses. All he had to do was stay aware of his surroundings and perhaps he’d find a clue of Filbo’s whereabouts. It was better than nothing.

“A’ight, guess most of us are gonna wait and see what happens, but what are we gonna do with Snaxburg?” Gramble asked.

Oh, right. The town was without a mayor now, and it wasn’t like Filbo had appointed a deputy for himself nor anyone had been interested in such a thing. They were effectively without a leader now.

Beffica turned to Dagbert. “Why don’t you take the gig?”

“I’m not interested” Dagbert replied immediately.

“Come on, you’re already more of a mayor than Filbo ever was. Just do it”

Dagbert blinked, took a deep breath, and talked. His voice trembled subtly – he was holding back anger. “Filbo has done more for this grumpin’ town than anybody else here. Look at yourselves! Nobody hasn’t stepped forward to lead now that Filbo isn’t around!”

“We all have our things to do. I got a farm to run” Wambus pointed out, but that didn’t seem to deter Dagbert:

“Right, of course! Then everyone should at least have gotten off Filbo’s back! I have been here ten days and all I have seen is everyone pushing him around!”

“Now hold on, you’re trying to paint us as some sorta bullies!”

“You were!”

Gramble smushed his paws together. “...maybe I shouldn’t have been so cross with ‘im. He wouldn’t eat my little ones just because they were there, maybe he had a good reason...”

“Dawg, you’re being kinda unfair. Nobody’s out to get Filbo” Chandlo said to Dagbert.

“You almost make it sound like you think he ran away from town because people’s mean to him” Wambus said, narrowing his eyes. “I’m not gonna claim I haven’t been rough with him but he’s not so thin-skinned”

“I hate to say it but Wambus is right” Beffica agreed. Filbo may be a pushover but he wasn’t going to go hide no matter what other people did.

Dagbert rubbed his paws against his head, mussing his fur. “Sorry...I’m just worried about him, alright? He’s my friend, and I don’t want to think he’s dead right now or something. I didn’t mean to lash out”

“If that’s you lashing out then you’re no good at it”

More like he showed a lot of restraint. Even when Dagbert vented and let out some of the poisonous thoughts he always tried to keep locked inside his head, he attempted not to be hurtful. That Beffica could say that proved he was doing better than he expected on that regard.

Or maybe she just had seen people being more dramatic and loud when they lash out, it could be that. He didn’t know for sure.

“Well if we can leave that behind for a sec...” Dagbert mumbled, “...let’s try not to leave Snaxburg. We don’t want any more grumps going missing”

“Then what about you?” Gramble asked him.

“I have to get the rest back here one way or another. I’ll try to take care”

“So...aren’t we forgetting something, hm?” Beffica said. Nobody seemed to catch onto what she was saying, making her add: “I think we may be forgetting a little something”

“What’s it, Beff?” Chandlo asked.

“Filbo went missing days after something very unusual and very strange happened: we found another sapient species here on Snaktooth. Or...more like Filbo found it. Who says that’s not related?”

Dagbert bit his paw, a little nervous, but got himself to say it straight:

“You think the human had something to do with Filbo going missing.”

Chapter Text

By all means this should be impossible. Just a moment ago the water was just up to his ankles, now it was everywhere! He had simply crossed that stone door and then he found himself immersed in salty water! Kanji swam to the surface, almost panicking, gasping for breath. Augh...! What the hell?! Thankfully the coast was right there. Kanji wasted no time in swimming in that direction, clothes pulling down from him, until he reached the shallower water.

Panting, Kanji stepped heavily onto the sand, going forward four, five steps before collapsing with a groan. He didn’t care he was getting wet sand all over himself, he needed a break! Sudden swimming wasn’t good for him!  “What...what happened...?” he murmured, feeling the sun start to rise above.

For a while Kanji laid there, gathering his strength. Uf, where was everyone else? They couldn’t be too far, six waterlogged teenagers and a bear that probably looked like a drowned rat right now would be hard to miss. He wasn’t too worried about missing them. By the time Kanji recovered from the ordeal of suddenly finding himself in the sea the sun was already warming up everything.

Recovered, Kanji stood up and looked around. No prints on the sand anywhere – at least from a person. What he could see was a crab some distance away, a crab carrying a pineapple. Ah. He had no idea crabs liked pineapples!

...or that there were pineapples growing around in the wild in Japan. He knew jack shit about what grew where.

Kanji ignored the crab once he passed by. He had more important things to worry about than about some crustacean. The surroundings sure looked like the usual deserted coast – the TV World must have left him quite some distance away from Inaba, but he wasn’t too worried. He’d find the way home.

Only when he encountered a grumpus he started wondering if maybe he was taking things a little too calmly.

Kanji saw him from a distance – a pink creature with a sweater and a red hat, playing around with a strawberry inside a buggy ball. It was such a strange scene! If he didn’t know better he’d think he stumbled into some sort of book for children! But no, this was real, completely real. He was seeing something that looked like a plushie walk around, playing with living fruit!

“Okay, Sprout, now over here! Follow the pointer! Well done!”

And it was talking gibberish with Teddie’s voice. Okay, maybe Kanji hit his head or something, he thought. Just in case he didn’t dare to show himself in the open – it felt like he almost intruded in someone’s home somehow. Better find another way.

Walking on the shallow water to try to find another way was simple enough. There was a wooden wall in the distance, blocking most of the way. Forcing his way through was going to be impossible...unless he climbed the wall and tried to get to the other side that way. There was a door – door he was unable to open, and he didn’t really dare to try to break it. What if this was someone’s house? He just got wherever this was, random crimes would be frowned upon.

Also it was closed, unlikely the team had passed through here. No choice but to go back, then.

The plants beyond the many hot springs in the area were cluttered too close to let him pass, too. It was as if the nature was trying to keep him constrained to the beach! Giving up and having gotten a bit lost amidst the vegetation, Kanji found himself on a large hot springs basin, splashing past it until he got to the edge. On the other side there was...a platform? Platform he jumped onto, using it to get onto the ground.

This seemed like a place stuff had been built on. Ramps, wide staircases, a meandering path...huh. “What’s up with all this?” Kanji wondered, looking around. Almost felt like he got on a place he shouldn’t be at. Where was the way out? All he could see in his surroundings were rocks, plants, and this pathway ending on that lookout platform over there. Well, if he could get a grip on the top of that platform getting himself up there would be easy enough.

There! He was up! Kanji dragged himself up, finding himself face to face with the Strabby in the buggy ball. There it was, just two inches from his face, staring right at him while he crawled onto the wooden surface.

‘Strabby!’

“Sprout? You wanna give the circuit a try again?” the creature with Teddie’s voice turned the corner, finding a human covered with leaves, still wet from ocean and hot springs water, splinters on his clothes, and looking like he was about to stand up and leap somewhere else. That was exactly it, as soon as Gramble saw him Kanji was already weighing how quickly he could just run far away.

“...hi?” Kanji said with uncertainty. Alright, no reason to freak out, maybe this wasn’t as bad as it looked—

Gramble screamed.

“Okay this is bad” Kanji stood up. “Dude calm down! It’s all okay, I’m not gonna hurt you--!”

Gramble leaped forward, grabbed the buggy ball and scooted away, protectively holding Sprout. There was this weird thing shouting these noises at him and it looked like it was about to attack! “Someone heeeeelp!”

“Stop screaming! I’m—“ Kanji really was at a loss of what to even do. The more flustered Kanji got, the more he shouted and the redder his face got, making Gramble more scared! This had goneso bad really fast! “Aaaaagh, just be quiet and listen! Look at me already, will ya?!” he roared and waved his arms, trying to snap Gramble from screaming his head off.

Needless to say, it didn’t work. Kanji’s ears were ringing, how loud could this fuzzy guy scream?!

“Gramble? What’s wrong?!” Kanji heard a female voice come near. Oh, crap, the pink guy had gotten someone else to come. With some luck it’d be someone who wouldn’t flip their lid once they saw him! From not too far away came an orange creature, holding a banjo. Apparently she had come running, having heard the shrill screaming, and there she found Gramble curled over his kin, trying to protect it with his body, while some unidentified creature towered over him, looking like he was about to try to devour him!

So of course she did the only thing she could do.

Obviously afraid but being as willing to try to protect Gramble like the pink grumpus was willing to try protect Sprout with his life, Wiggle stepped forward, holding the banjo up. “Stay away from Gramble!”

“H-Hey, what are you gonna do with that?!” Oh this had gone bad. Kanji held his arms in front of himself, expecting Wiggle to swing that banjo at him at any moment. She wasn’t understanding him any better than Gramble!

“Shoo! Stand back! Gramble, stay behind me!” Wiggle swung the banjo, too far away from really trying to hit Kanji, but the threat was obvious!

“I-I’m gonna gather my little ones to run!”

“I’ll keep it away from you!”

“What the hell’s going on here?!” Kanji shouted, earning another swing of the banjo, this time close enough to graze his jacket. Oh, he should have known this was going to happen.

-ooooo-

It was undeniable Kanji Tatsumi had an intimidating appearance and the attitude to make people be afraid something’s going to happen when he starts shouting and stuff, but Yu had hoped his first contact with grumpuskind would have gone better than this. That Kanji had scared Gramble out of his wits and almost gotten Wiggle to whack him with her instrument was...far worse than he had ever expected!

“Kanji...are you living alone in the wild or something right now?” Chie asked, concerned.

“No, there’s no way!” Rise hoped “Wiggle is much more understanding than you’re giving her credit for! Right, Kanji?”

“Uh...well we did manage to calm down. We didn’t understand each other for shit but at least we weren’t trying to get the other to take a hike”

“Did you punch anyone?” Yosuke asked.

“No, but Wiggle did hit me with the banjo. That one hurt, but we stopped shouting right after that, so it’s all okay”

Well, guess it was to be expected not everyone in the Team would be able to get along with the grumpuses right at the first minute. Hopefully that was the last incident Kanji suffered, or else his time in Snaktooth would be exhausting.

-ooooo-

Kanji kept touching the back of his head with his fingertips, checking to see if he had stopped bleeding. Wiggle had jabbed forward with the body of the banjo, the round part pushing back. He hadn’t realized there was a wall behind him, so when he backed away he accidentally hit the back of his head against the rocks. It was a shallow injury but still...when Wiggle saw the blood her eyes widened. “Oh, no!”

That stopped the confrontation. It wasn’t long before Kanji was sitting against the wall, taking a breather, with Wiggle and Gramble talking nearby. They were lowering their guard, thankfully.

“...I feel bad now. I didn’t mean to cause trouble” Gramble was saying. “It’s wearing clothes, right? It’s not some sorta wild animal”

“I don’t know what it is but you’re most likely right” she whispered to Gramble. “We may be in the wrong here” Wiggle plucked a quick, sorrowful tune and sighed. “I don’t even know how to begin to apologize”

“It doesn’t even seem upset at us. Or, uh, he? I dunno”

“I’ll see if I can get something to clean the injury” Wiggle said, leaving. Gramble was left alone with the unknown creature, although he still kept his distance. He couldn’t know if he was misinterpreting something! Sprout, having been left on the sand a while ago, rolled up to Kanji, nudging his leg.

...this strawberry was strangely cute, Kanji decided. Cute in a way strawberries probably shouldn’t be. Kanji had intended to sit around until the opportunity to run away would present itself, willing to wait even if he was getting a little impatient already, but something about Sprout distracted him from that. “What are you supposed to be?” he asked, receiving only the usual response from the Snak.

“...I think he likes you!” Gramble exclaimed, hoping to see a positive reaction from Kanji. There was none he could tell. He couldn’t...really read that face. “I have always thought Sprout’s a good judge of character so...you probably are alright...”

Although it sure would help if they could talk to each other. Maybe gestures would work! Gramble stood around awkwardly, looking back and forth as if silently praying Wiggle would return soon. She did, bringing one of her towels, now soaked with seawater.

“Here. Let’s try to be careful” she advised, slowly walking towards Kanji and showing the extended towel. “Please don’t move” she said, soothing. Luckily for everyone that she kept her calm made Kanji acquiesce, he just sat there and let her approach until she carefully tried to clean the injury.

“Aw, shit, that stings!”

Wiggle worked carefully, at any moment expecting Kanji to start fighting or something, but that moment never came. Relaxing somewhat, she talked to Gramble without looking away from Kanji. “Gramble, we should go back to Snaxburg”

“What?! Why?”

“We may be intruding in this being’s territory. We better not make it upset”

“But what about my little ones? Maybe he can make an exception for them?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to keep your little ones in Snaxburg? Don’t worry, I’ll be there too”

Perhaps she was right. It was such a pity, though, he had only just gotten settled properly here! Building everything for his Bugsnax had taken so long! Couldn’t there be another way? Thinking it was worth a try, Gramble approached Kanji, pleading:

“Can I and my kin stay? Please? I’ll do whatever you want!”

No response from Kanji other than a bemused stare.

“...feels like I’m talkin’ to myself here...but that wasn’t a no, right?”

That was a sentiment that lasted for the entirety of the next day, even though they managed to start communicating by using gestures. Gramble had been really glad when he discovered they could communicate somewhat, although the awkwardness continued.

.........

Taking care of the Bugsnax in this ranch was almost a full-time job for Gramble – mostly because there were no walls to keep them limited to one place. Snax walked and rolled all over the place, making Gramble run around all day trying to keep “his family” at home. Kanji, quickly understanding this was some sort of daycare for these strange food creatures, lent a hand whenever he saw Gramble losing his breath from running around.

Bugsnax were really funny, he thought! They were all kind of cute, with those silly eyes and the way they said stuff with those silly voices. Even though they looked like food – and they were food, he had seen Wiggle devour one – Gramble refused to, and Kanji...well he didn’t want to either. These were pets, why would he?

Whenever Gramble had a moment he’d sit back to knit. Always sitting on a place he could watch his little ones wander around, so it wasn’t really a moment for relaxation, but he tried. Kanji approved such a hobby! He should have known Gramble had made that sweater and the hat all by himself, those truly had the marks of a handmade item. Kanji really wanted to take a look at Gramble’s level of skill. Perhaps they could trade some techniques!

One moment Gramble had been chasing some of his Peelbugs around, Kanji approached the rock table Gramble had left his knitting supplies on. From the looks of it he was making some sort of apron – possibly to avoid slathering his fur with sauce, poor guy had to spent time soaking himself in the hot springs to not have all his fur matted with ketchup. It was relatively simple in design, just one solid blue color, although a few orange polka dots decorated the front. Peelbugs, maybe?

“Gloves would go great with this” Kanji said. Yes, gloves to avoid getting sauce all over his paws. He had never made knit gloves for paws but he could figure out how to do that. Where was the wool...

“Hey, those aren’t toys!” Gramble was returning from a long soaking in one of the hot springs, still damp. It was odd to see him without any of his distinctive items. “You can’t play with those!”

Kanji had been about to take some of the wool. What...did this pink guy say? Kanji retracted his hand, knowing it was useless to ask for clarification. Maybe he said he could go ahead. Gramble rooted through a box of clothes, looking for a clean sweater, barely getting to put it on when he saw a Crapple carry away the Pineantula he had been trying to train. “Hey, put Piny down!” he shouted, running after the retreating Crapple.

...anyway, now where are the needles...?

It took a while for Gramble to return, without having managed to recover his pet. He walked, intending to try to take a much needed nap, and found Kanji in the middle of knitting. “I told you...wait...” the pointless scolding went forgotten once he saw what Kanji had in his hands: an oddly-shaped bundle of wool. Kanji, having seen him approach, beckoned him. “Just in time. C’mere, I have to check something” he said. Having understood the gestures to tell him to approach, Gramble came closer, confused.

Kanji grabbed Gramble’s paw and put the half-made glove over it. “The size seems right. Those fingers are gonna be strange. It’s gonna be more like an oven mitt, that fine?”

“This is for me?” he patted his chest, trying to communicate the question. He could tell it was a glove, there no doubt of that much. What was more, it was impossible he had learned it from watching Gramble or something, this left no doubt the creature was sentient. He had already suspected it, but still!

Kanji nodded.

“Gosh, I dunno what to say...thanks!”

Kanji understood the gratitude quite easily. Giving Gramble a thumbs up, he resumed his knitting, Gramble getting out all of his knitting equipment. May as well accompany the being for a while, see how he does this! He could even learn something from it!

The awkwardness that had been in the air since they met started to evaporate.

........

Once Kanji helped him build a better course for Sprout he started feeling like maybe this could work after all! Kanji had no choice but to try to stick around, suspecting if he tried to go somewhere else it’d all only get worse for him. At least these two tolerated his presence, and he was willing to pay back the kindness by lending a hand with the wood and heavier materials. Gramble could have done it by himself, but Kanji’s help completed it faster and more efficiently!

Kanji had been securing a wooden beam to ensure the platform wouldn’t fall apart when Gramble ran onto the platform overlooking everything. “Hide! Someone’s coming!” Gramble stage-whispered, gesturing frantically – so frantically Kanji didn’t understand the message at all! He interpreted as Gramble telling him to hurry up with the securing!

“Have some patience!” Kanji shouted. “These things need to be done right!” Not that he knew anything about carpentry!

He still was fitting that beam onto the platform when the journalist arrived. Kanji turned around, finding a blue grumpus staring at him, and Gramble a bit behind, muttering something in panic, probably ‘why didn’t you hide?!’.

“That’s not a Bugsnak” the journalist said. Behind him, Gramble laughed nervously, subtly trying to pull from his shoulder to get him to look away. It wasn’t working at all.

“There’s nothing to see here!” he insisted. “Come on, uh, we can talk somewhere else”

“What is that?”

Oh well. The Snak was out of the bag. “I don’t know. I found him here yesterday. He’s so strange, right? I don’t understand a word he says!”

“Words...?” the journalist sounded intrigued while Kanji climbed out of the circuit for Sprout.

“I think they’re words. They’re not...noises, they sound a lot like he’s trying to say something”

That certainly got the journalist’s attention. Getting close to Kanji, he raised a paw and extended it towards him, trying to evaluate what the cryptid would do. Kanji didn’t have any doubts: he gave a handshake. “This may have been a fluke” he said. For all he knew this monster could just be replicating the gesture, it didn’t really mean anything.

“Nice to meet you, whatever” Kanji said just for politeness’ sake, knowing there was no chance these grumpuses could understand—

“Same to you”

“Wait, you can understand me!”

“I’m as surprised as you are!”

“Wait, you can speak to him?!” Gramble asked, very surprised!

“You were right, it’s another language – which makes this even stranger. Let’s try to get some answers here” the journalist already was smiling with excitement; he couldn’t wait to interrogate what could be the only sentient lifeform in Snaktooth other than grumpuses! This island was full of surprises!

Kanji was so glad to finally be able to talk to Gramble, thanks to the journalist – apparently his name was Olbert Melonbite – translating every word. Explaining his circumstances was a little tough, yet he managed to tiptoe around the details that’d be difficult to explain.

“Okay, so, in summary: Tatsumi here is a human. He comes from some place far away from Snaktooth, and he had never seen grumpuses before. He came out from the sea and is very sorry for any misunderstandings. Alright. I think we have a grasp of it all” Olbert said to both of them, using both languages. For a moment he thought, face scrunched in concentration. Kanji pretty much could see the cogs turning in that head, tapping his paws on his knees while he thought, until he finally said it, the fruit of all his pondering and trying to make the pieces of the puzzle fit:

“Do you have gills?”

“What? What kinda question is that?!”

“I dunno what you’re thinkin’ but I don’t think Kanji is a fish” Gramble said, a little confused.

“He hasn’t said no!” Olbert argued.

“Of course I don’t got gills! What do you think I am, a frog?”

“...there goes my Grumplantis theory...” Olbert sighed while Gramble gently corrected Kanji that frogs don’t have gills in the first place. “Well, what matters is that we have a few answers. Tatsumi seems like a decent person, so...welcome to grumpus society, I guess”

“Can I ask something?”

“Sure! What’s the question?” Gramble was quite happy he finally could make conversation with Kanji! He was glad he had been right about how Kanji was a sentient person!

“M-Mind if I pet either of you?” Kanji asked, a little bashful, he even was blushing a little. Grumpuses were cute, with those big eyes, and their fur looked so fuzzy. He just had to ask!

Olbert translated the sentence, slowing down a bit more after every word, like he was having some regrets about translating that part. Gramble and him exchanged a look as if Kanji had asked if grumpuses could survive under lava or something equally ludicrous.

“Yes,” was their flat response.

........

Didn’t take much to convince Gramble to return to Snaxburg – partly because Wiggle insisted. Even though it was made clear Kanji was no threat and also no humans would pop out of the woodwork to evict them from their temporary homes, she thought it’d be better to go back. That she was willing to do that despite her wish for a hit song spoke volumes.

Admittedly, Gramble had his own reason to agree, too. He sat around, knitting something with a very familiar red tone, accompanied by Wiggle and her music. Kanji had been left in charge of watching the Bugsnax – a huge sign of trust from Gramble. “...my family’s gonna need more space – and it’d be nice to give Kanji some space too. He’ll like that”

“He is a big guy. I almost can’t believe he’s taller than I am! And I was so proud of my height!~” She wasn’t upset about it, though.

“I think Wambus is a bit taller than him. Sure’d be nice for the old coot to pick a fight with someone his size” he said, his face curling into barely repressed annoyance.

“Well I’m sure Tatsumi will be happier in the town. As long as that journalist tells them he’s harmless everyone will accept him”

“Of course they will! I’m not gonna let ‘em mess with Kanji!”

Wiggle crossed one leg over the other, looking at Gramble carefully for a moment. “Well! I’ll gladly accompany you back to Snaxburg. You’ll need help taking all your delicious Bugsnax to the barn, and I’m sure your son will like a friendly face while he gets settled”

Gramble nodded, his mind not really catching onto what Wiggle said. He just continued knitting, trying to give shape to his work, until with a gasp what Wiggle said dawned on him. “What?! I didn’t adopt Kanji!”

“Are you sure you didn’t include him into your family, my dear?”

“Of course I didn’t! I’m hosting him but that doesn’t mean he’s—“

“You’re knitting him a hat like yours right now”

It was true – Gramble extended the object to check how it was going. Indeed, it was a hat just like the pink grumpus had. The goggly eyes hadn’t been added yet, but once he did it’d be no different to the one he had on his head right now. Gramble looked up to Wiggle’s knowing smile. “W-Well that doesn’t mean anything! I thought he’d like it!”

“Calm down, I was joking – but I do think you and him get along great. And look at you! We’re spending time relaxing together for the first time in ages! Doesn’t it feel like you’re on paaaaaradiiiiise~ right now?”

It was nice, he had to admit, and also it was true he trusted Kanji enough to believe when he returned he’d find the Bugsnax still there. Kanji was reliable. They’d be there. Still, he wasn’t adopting Kanji! Right?

No, he was making Kanji come along as a helper, perhaps kind of as a bodyguard too. It was nothing like what Wiggle was joking about.

“I do wonder when I’ll receive a hat of my own. Wouldn’t it be great to have Wiggle Wigglebottom in your family as well~?”

“W-Wiggle, please!”

“You’re cute when you get flustered~” Wiggle laughed. “Aw, stop hiding behind that hat and look at me, Gramble!”

.......

Just as Wiggle predicted, Olbert’s good word removed most of the reticence the few Snaxburg residents had towards Kanji. It did nothing to stop Beffica’s probing stares, but at least she seemed willing to listen to her bestie’s opinion. Wiggle’s return made Filbo’s already welcoming attitude brighten up even more, too. By all means it should all be going well!

Or at least it’d be if it wasn’t for Wambus...and for Gramble himself.

“And this time I’m not gonna let you take ‘em” Gramble said coldly, narrowing his eyes. They had just arrived to Snaxburg and gotten settled, and Wambus had ‘greeted’ him. It was all pretty much resuming their rivalry. “I’m not alone in this barn anymore”

“Yeah? Is the singer gonna move in?”

“No! Now I have someone you can’t just bully around to get what you want, Wambus Troubleham” Gramble said. “If you try to sneak into my barn again you’re gonna regret it”

“Don’t tempt me, Gramble” he said, completely undaunted. Nothing Gramble said would threaten him enough, the rancher could see that. Gritting his teeth, he said something else:

“That was a warning. We’re not gonna go over this again” he said, stepping back into the barn and slamming the doors shut, hitting it with his forehead and groaning from all the barely pent-up frustration. Oooh, that farmer didn’t know what he was messing with! If he tried to take any of the Bugsnax again then he’d regret it, he’d make sure of that!

Kanji, managing to wrangle a Sandopede with his bare hands despite its best attempts to toss him aside, glanced at Gramble when he closed the door. “Something wrong?”

“...I should try learnin’ your language” Gramble said, walking past Kanji and up the staircase to the second floor. Not knowing what happened, Kanji simply shrugged. All he knew was that Gramble was really annoyed about something.

“...was it something I did?” he wondered, adjusting his hat. He had been so grateful when Gramble gave it to him – a sign he had accepted his presence. Given the situation that was very reassuring! Everyone else had been very wary, though. Kanji had noticed the way their eyes followed him, as if they suspected he’d do something criminal.

Even among another species he couldn’t escape people’s judgment, apparently. Another reason to be very appreciative Gramble accepted him.

...ugh, there were bits of ranch sauce on his clothes. He had to go remove it, something about having sauce on himself felt so gross! Holding back the instinct of trying to clean it off with his hand, Kanji opened the doors, stepping outside.

Wambus was right there in his garden. Ah, the surly farmer. Kanji didn’t really mind him. The sentiment didn’t seem to be mutual at all – Wambus gave him a dismissive stare.

“Guess the cult is growin’” he mumbled, looking at the hat, and continued working on the field.

“...what’s your problem?” Kanji spat, feeling slighted by his attitude. He didn’t understand at all what Wambus said but it wasn’t hard to guess it hadn’t really been nice given the way he looked at the hat.

With neighbors like this one who needs enemies?

-ooooo-

“They didn’t treat me like some zoo animal but I didn’t feel welcome either” Kanji said. “Not that I can blame them”

“Yeah, it’s hard not to feel intimidated by you at first sight” Yosuke said. Even though he meant no offense by that, Kanji took umbrage with it:

“You don’t have to say it like that! And that wasn’t even what I meant! I mean I was some sorta weird monster to them!”

“We all were” Yu said.

“At least Gramble accepted you! You almost became Kanji Gigglefunny!” Chie seemed to have tried to be encouraging by saying that – and once again Kanji didn’t take it that way.

“I’m not gonna change my last name! And it ain’t like Mom’s gonna marry him!”

“Damn, dude, that’s a thought!” Yosuke already was picturing Kanji’s mother marrying Gramble, Yu could tell just from his tone of voice.

...you know, may as well say it! “Filbo was a little flustered when he talked to me. He slipped about not being father material. Do you guys think he was considering adopting me?” he said, as if he didn’t know fully well that had simply been Filbo tripping with his own words.

“What? Oh, that’d be hilarious!” Yukiko said and laughed, her incontrollable laughter chiming into the conversation. “I can imagine him so lost about what to do with someone like you as his son!”

Rise giggled and said to Yu, knowing fully well how it’d sound like: “Hey, Senpai, remember you promised to marry me after high school. I don’t know if I could get used to having Filbo as my father-in-law!”

“Wait, partner, you did what?!” Yosuke shouted, making Yu wince. Oh no, he was going to want to know how exactly things led to that.

“Nobody’s getting adopted by grumpuses!” Naoto cut the bantering short. “Can we return to what we were talking about?”

“Thanks, Naoto” Kanji said. “Everything went kinda okay until the party. I avoided Wambus but ain’t like I wasn’t gonna go to the party. Then I ruined everything”

-ooooo-

If there was one thing Kanji had learned from the tribulations from while he was investigating alongside everyone else the serial murder case it was that he had to make an effort to get people to understand him. No more hiding around skulking about how everyone judged or didn’t judge him, he had to go out there and face the world and society, head-on! Grab that bull by the horns and force it to look right at his face and accept Kanji Tatsumi!

He wasn’t an idiot, though. Kanji knew getting everyone else in Snaxburg to accept him would take effort, so perhaps he should start with the easiest ones and go up bit by bit. Once he had their support he could tackle the more reticent grumpuses.

That meant talking to Filbo first and foremost. His party seemed like a good time for that.

It was far easier than Kanji expected. With Olbert translating they managed to hold a lively conversation, Filbo’s cheerful nature making Kanji feel at ease. He didn’t seem to have much prejudice towards the human, just...

“I-I was kinda afraid of you but you’re really a cool guy. I dunno what I was afraid of anymore!”

...some wariness due to Kanji’s imposing appearance. Nothing Kanji hadn’t handled before.

“Told you. Kanji looks scary but he’s really soft inside”

“So kinda like the opposite of some grumps!” Kanji had no idea who Filbo was thinking of, but yes, that was pretty much it. The human nodded.

“Damn right! I’m not gonna go wrecking the place. I left those days behind”

“Wait what”

“Anyway!” apparently Olbert couldn’t resist relying what Kanji said even though then he hurried to change topics. “Tatsumi, aren’t you going to ask something to Filbo?”

“Something like what?”

“You know. Pet him?”

“He wants to pet me?” Filbo sounded like he wasn’t sure he heard correctly.

Kanji looked like he had been granted his innermost wishes. He didn’t dare to say anything in case it’d make Filbo refuse, giving the chance to Olbert to continue talking, with impish expression: “From what I can tell humans pet each other as a sign of camaraderie. It means they accept you”

He was lying, all Olbert wanted to see was the human pet someone, that was for sure. Filbo chuckled awkwardly. “I...I guess? If it makes him happy!”

“He says you can pet him” the journalist said to Kanji.

At first Kanji couldn’t believe he had been granted the chance! As if to confirm it even further, Filbo leaned forward a bit, his head closer to Kanji. Suddenly feeling a nervous tingling in his chest Kanji raised a hand, drawing it closer to the cyan grumpus, until he finally could touch the fur. It was...it really was as fuzzy as it looked! Kanji felt strangely at peace, drawing his hand back and forth, just enjoying the softness. No hint of ears, it really was all a half-circle. “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this!” When Olbert translated that the journalist visibly struggled to hold back laughter.

“Y-Yeah, it feels a little bit strange but it’s not bad” at least Filbo wasn’t tense. Once Kanji had been satisfied with the petting, he sat back, giving Kanji a wide smile. “I guess that means we’re friends! Should I pet you now?”

“Tatsumi, it’s only fair if you let him~” Olbert said. This was great, these two dorks trying to make their friendship official by patting their heads! Almost made him a bit jealous, but it wasn’t like he could ask to join in, it was just too embarrassing.

“Wait, uh...I-I guess. But I’m not fluffy”

“Nonsense, just—“

Olbert sighed when he got interrupted by a by-now familiar bickering, not too far from where they had been talking. “Your ‘little ones’ are the food we need so badly, Gramble!”

“Take it back! You can’t farm anythin’, so instead you try to take ‘em from the barn! I won’t allow it!”

“It’s your fault we’re in this mess in the first place!”

Olbert facepalmed. “They just never shut up, do they?”

Looking past his blue friends Kanji could see Gramble and Wambus, once again arguing, not too far away. Beffica was watching with interest, as if she was watching a soap opera on TV, while Wiggle stood on the other side of the drinks table, waiting for them to be done shouting. This probably was something she had seen way too many times before – Wiggle looked very annoyed.

“...what are they saying?” Kanji asked.

“Really? What does it matter?”

“Just tell me, I wanna know if he’s bothering my friend.” It was pretty clear Wambus didn’t really think too highly of Kanji. That was fine, he didn’t mind even though he was aiming to at least try to give a better impression if he could. If this farmer was harassing Gramble, though, then that was a problem. Olbert obviously wasn’t pleased with the request but complied anyway.

“Bugsnax are our food! You can’t hoard them and leave us all to starve to death!”

“Nobody’s gonna die!”

“Stop getting attached to these walking meals!”

“Maybe you should try being good with your farm, you old coot!”

“Tatsumi, wait!” Olbert shouted. Kanji was already making his way towards the arguing pair. He had every intention to try to stop them, having heard enough already.

He had to admit Gramble was in the wrong here – as much as Kanji sympathized with him, the way he was yelling at Wambus wasn’t okay. “Yo, calm down” he tried to placate him, gesturing at him. “This ain’t the way—“

“Kanji says you’re being a dang fool, Wambus!” Gramble shouted.

Wambus laid a paw on Kanji’s shoulder, forcing him to turn around and face him. The farmer’s face was so close Kanji felt his breath. “You stay out of this” he growled threateningly.

“Don’t touch me!” Enraged by the touch and by how obviously antagonistic Wambus had been at him, Kanji batted that paw away.

“Can’t argue for yourself, Gramble? Had to call your henchman?”

“W-Wait, Wambus, this is a misunderstanding—“ Olbert tried to smooth things over, Filbo hanging back and looking pretty unsure of what to do or say.

“He’s not my henchman, he’s my friend!” Gramble shouted.

“Tatsumi, you should—“ Wiggle started, Olbert saying it almost at the same time, only to get interrupted.

“All you did was brainwash ‘im! Tell ‘im to back down!” Wambus tried to push Kanji out of the way, but he didn’t let such a thing happen, instead he grabbed Wambus’ arm with both hands. “Let go!”

“You’re not gonna hurt him!” the human yelled. Wambus was looking more and more irate. In Kanji’s opinion it was matter of time before this would have turned into a physical fight between Wambus and Gramble – and as much as he hated to admit it, the odds weren’t on the pink one’s side! So Kanji did what he thought was right.

He pushed Wambus back.

He really would have preferred not to, but he thought a warning would get him to back down. Once it was all over he’d greatly regret it, realizing he had escalated a misunderstanding even further, but in that moment? He thought it was necessary to protect Gramble.

Wambus hadn’t expected the physical contact. He had been treating Kanji roughly but he hadn’t intended to get into a fight! So when the human did a pretty obviously hostile gesture Wambus couldn’t just let that go. “I’m not gonna hold back” he declared calmly, way too calmly.

Kanji and Wambus grappled each other, trying to get the other to back down, pushing and using their strength to defeat the other. No punch was thrown – even though Wambus said he wouldn’t hold back all he decided to do was try to subdue Kanji, and Kanji, not wanting to punch a middle-aged grumpus unless he had no choice, attempted to be the one to throw the farmer to the ground. Both were quite strong despite their ages, pushing and digging their heels, unwilling to back down, just grabbing wherever they could lie a hand to get a grip.

The human bit the paw pushing his face, spitting fur away while he got a hand onto Wambus’ face, forcing him to look away! It was hard to get a grip on anything when he had Wambus’ other arm against his torso, pushing him downwards! It took all his strength to keep his knees steady without buckling, without losing any terrain. Far easier said than done! Wambus was proving to be tougher than he expected! Gritting his teeth, Kanji pushed back, hearing Wambus’ breathing get a tad labored, it was only matter of time before he won!

“Stop!” Olbert and Wiggle didn’t sit around to watch and wait, though. They were already there, trying to get Wambus’ paws and Kanji’s hands from each other. Kanji had to be careful not to move too roughly or those two would get shoved away! Wambus’ hat fell to the ground; he had lost the wheat stalk long ago. Losing his grip thanks to Wiggle pulling from him backwards, Kanji stepped back, holding one of his hands. He had a bit of a cut from one of the teeth Wambus had protruding from his lower jaw, but other than that he was unharmed.

“Have both of you gone insane?” the journalist shouted.

“You must calm down!” Wiggle agreed, getting between Wambus and Kanji.

Easier said than done, though. Even though Kanji obeyed and didn’t try to reach Wambus, the farmer still had something to say. “How are you guys okay with what Gramble does? You wanna starve to death?!”

“Grambie is just trying to get a family—“ Olbert started, Wambus spitting in response.

“He’s outta control! He threw the human at me!” the farmer glared at Kanji, very obviously blaming him for that! “I’m not gonna stick around to wait until they both go crazy and hurt someone!”

“That doesn’t mean what I think it means, right?!”

“I’m leavin’ Snaxburg!” Having said his piece Wambus swatted away the journalist’s attempts to stop him, turning to the path that’d lead out. The garden he had started to cultivate would be left forgotten – Wambus was so fed up with Gramble he was willing to abandon his Snaxburg farm and go back to Garden Grove if it meant being away from him.

“N-No! Wait, Wambus, you can’t!” Filbo reached Wambus, trying to get him to stop, yet Wambus merely shoved him aside.

“Outta my way!” he shouted, leaving the party grounds, throwing aside the ‘welcome back’ banner. It didn’t matter it was the middle of the night, he just wanted to leave immediately.

Nobody went after him. Everyone was left behind, the disastrous result of the party dawning on them all. Kanji breathed heavily, muttering ‘shit’ under his breath over and over. Odbert couldn’t believe his efforts to get the residents back to Snaxburg had just taken a setback. Wiggle looked pretty upset with Gramble, the first time anyone around had seen her angry with him. Gramble was despondent, refusing to look at anyone, clenching and unclenching his paws while he tried to calm down, and Filbo just...hung his head, discouraged. For a moment nobody spoke, just letting the heaviness in the air settle down.

The silence broke. “...five out of ten, I guess” Beffica said. “You don’t often see that kinda guy storming off like that”

For a brief moment Gramble seemed quite guilty, probably he never intended to make Wambus lose his patience like that. Without even a word of apology he just left, entering the barn.

“I’m sorry about that” Kanji said to Olbert – the only one who could understand a word of what he says. Olbert gave Kanji a decidedly unamused look, chewing on what he’d like to say and probably couldn’t for the sake of not making the night worse for everyone involved.

“Go to sleep. Go, before you do something else you shouldn’t” he said, turning his back to Kanji and going to talk to Filbo. It probably would be a while before the journalist would forgive Kanji for his role in that mess of a party.

Kanji turned to the only person who seemed to be willing to have him around right now: Wiggle. The musician had grabbed a cup of Snakwater, drinking it with something verging on desperation. “I’m sorry” he said to her.

“...darling, I don’t have the slightest idea what happened” Wiggle said. Her eyes were kind of damp, the events of that party seemed to have hurt her somewhat even if none of it had been directed at her. At least she had the decency of looking at Kanji. “Tonight was supposed to be a pleasant night of cheer for us all...and now we’re looking worse than a debutant with a failed performance”

She took a swig of her drink.

“I can’t blame you for getting involved, Tatsumi, and I can’t be upset with you for getting physical with Wambus. After what I did when we met saying anything about your actions would make me a hypocrite” she said. “You just wanted to protect Gramble. I have no doubts” at the mention of Gramble she threw her head back dramatically. “I can’t believe he behaved like that! I had never thought he’d be capable of this! What I saw tonight was like a sour note in a familiar melody! What...what happened to him?”

Kanji sure would be asking himself the same thing later, when he barely managed to tell Olbert all Wiggle said and asked him for a translation.

.....

Next morning the atmosphere in Snaxburg still was tense. Wambus wasn’t in the town. He really had fulfilled his threat of leaving. Kanji left Gramble’s barn, taking the short walk in direction of the mill, intending to go to that meeting with his friends. Along the way he encountered Filbo.

The mayor looked as cheerful as usual. That didn’t stop him from hesitating when he saw Kanji, though. He greeted the human as if nothing had happened the night before, but Kanji had noticed the short pause before the greeting.

It was going to be a while before everyone felt like the ghost of the party was hanging above them.

Kanji Tatsumi wasn’t doing too great.

-ooooo-

Yu frowned very deeply while Kanji told about the party. It was a little hard to accept that the grumpuses who had behaved so belligerently were the same grumpuses he knew. They were the same people through and through, it simply was the circumstances were different. Still...it didn’t stop being a bit of an unpleasant shock.

“Too bad I didn’t get any important info” Kanji said.

“On the contrary. I believe Mr. Gigglefunny and Mr. Troubleham’s actions can be useful to know” Naoto said. “The rest of us will be aware of what can happen if those two are left unchecked”

“Will you be okay, Kanji?” Rise asked.

“Sure. Ain’t like I’m gonna let this drag my mood down”

“Well...at least I didn’t get into a fight with anyone. I don’t think there’s that much to report but I suppose it’s my turn” Rise said. It seemed to Yu like she was trying to distract them so they wouldn’t talk much longer about Kanji’s experiences given how they had turned into such an awkward situation. Sometimes Rise could be quite considerate – it really helped she was attuned to people’s emotions and had good social skills.

Without even waiting for everyone else to agree, she started talking.

-ooooo-

“Is it really that hard to guess maybe he had something to do with Filbo going missing?” Beffica asked. She almost seemed to be enjoying the attention! “I dunno about you all but I think it’s something we shouldn’t forget”

“But we’re talkin’ about Narukami! He wouldn’t hurt anyone!” Gramble was pretty willing to argue on the human’s behalf. “I mean...not that long ago he was in my barn all night. If he was goin’ to hurt someone it’d be me, right?”

“Did you tell anyone he would be there?”

“Of course not! It was a bit of a secret”

Apparently that Gramble hadn’t told anyone kind of went against Beffica’s theory, because she frowned. “Whatever, that doesn’t change anything”

Wambus wasn’t going to stay quiet either. “Hate to admit it but I agree with Gramble. That kid ain’t the kinda person that’d hurt somebody”

“And what reason do you have to say that?”

The farmer thoughtfully hummed, crossing his arms. “...call it a hunch. I’m not gonna blame ‘im for Filbo bein’ gone”

“That’s, like, your opinion”

Chandlo’s eyes flickered to the mill. “Beff, why do you wanna suspect Narubro?”

“I’m just saying we know nothing about him. He’s hiding something”

“But without proof—“ Gramble started, Beffica shutting him up with a dismissive gesture.

“I saw him and Filbo speak after that mess of a party. I wasn’t close enough to listen, but it means Narukami saw him some time before he disappeared. Who says that was their last encounter last night?”

“Floofty was the last one to see him”

“Maybe it isn’t even his fault. It could be other humans thought we captured Narukami or something and they kidnapped Filbo for, like, revenge or something”

“You sound just like Snorpy” Wambus said. Apparently that offended Beffica greatly, because she huffed and turned her head around.

“...I-I don’t wanna distrust Narukami” Gramble declared, leaving, having enough of this gathering.

“You can’t truly know a person in years. How can you expect to know someone in two weeks?” she insisted, even though by now it was clear Wambus and Gramble had decided to trust Yu no matter what. In their eyes Yu was trustworthy and almost guaranteed innocent of any wrongdoing; they didn’t want to suspect him in the slightest. Chandlo, though...

“I’m going back to the mill, bros” he said. Even though he didn’t sound any different the way he walked a little faster than usual betrayed how he did have doubts – at least enough to worry perhaps Snorpy was in danger right now. Other than that he probably was neutral on the whole matter.

“Sooooo...what do you say, bestie?” Beffica asked Dagbert. “You see what I mean, right?”

“Ain’t you the one here who is closest to the human?” Wambus reminded him, as if the journalist needed the reminder. “How can you doubt him?”

“That guy is hiding a ton of stuff. I have a nose for that kind of thing, I can tell”

Wambus simply stared at Dagbert, daring him to say something against Yu.

Cornered and forced to take a stance right now, Dagbert gulped, took a deep breath, felt his throat dry up. He tried to say something, but it came out as a strange croak while he tried to articulate his thoughts, finally managing to do so.

“...sorry, I can’t not suspect him”

“You can’t be serious” Wambus said, disappointed.

“I know! I don’t want to think badly of him, but I can’t ignore the possibility...and that’s why I’ll do all I can to get to the bottom of this” he said. “I will dig until there’s no more reason to distrust him, so nobody can have any doubts. That’s my promise as a journalist and as his friend. I’ll either unveil his schemes, or I’ll prove there’s nothing to fear”

“...not sure I get it, but I guess you know what you’re doing” even though he said that Wambus didn’t seem too certain of it. Having decided that was all there was to say, Wambus departed to go back to his farming, leaving Beffica and Dagbert alone.

Neither of them had any ill feelings towards Yu, that was for sure, but it didn’t stop them from believing there was a chance he was responsible for Filbo going missing. Now that everyone else was gone Beffica finally allowed herself to relax a bit, lowering her guard. “...I know saying that can’t have been easy for you. Good to have you on board, bestie”

“Do you really think Narukami did something?”

“I dunno. All I know is that he’s hiding something huge. It could be this; it could be something else. That’s what we’ll figure out”

“So, what’s the plan?”

“This needs the Beffica touch~! You’re already close to him, but I’ll try to befriend him too. He doesn’t know me yet. He won’t have his guard up like everybody else” she said.

“Uh huh. You do that. I’ll do things my way”

“And, uh, if you find out something?” Beffica lowered her voice. “I don’t mind being the one to tell everyone” she smiled a little self-satisfied, but there were traces of something else there: dissatisfaction. “Nobody hates you. They all dislike me already. Since Narukami already got the hearts of some people here I can take the flak of denouncing him”

“Beffica...”

“It’s fine, just let me do it. Anything for my bestie” at least she seemed kind of sincere about that.

It was true Dagbert had warmed up to Beffica after the lousy first impression she made. Having her support meant a lot to him, it gave him strength to face what could be a truth he didn’t want to accept. If it turned out Yu Narukami had bad intentions...

...he’d feel so betrayed, that’s for sure.

“What will you do now?”

Dagbert thought for a moment, making sure to leave his bias behind to chart his course properly. “Last night Snorpy said he had found other humans. I had planned to ask Narukami directly about it, but clearly that’s not an option anymore if I want to be subtle. I’ll see what I can get from Snorpy”

“If you’re not going straight for Narukami then I will. Leave it to me”

“Sure, if you think that’s for the best. I’ll go capture a couple Charmallows to bribe Snorpy”

“Bring me one too! I haven’t eaten one of those delish Snax in, like, forever”

“Fine”

Dagbert stepped onto the bridge to Sugarpine Woods, full of determination. Things seemed so straightforward just two weeks ago. Go to Snaktooth Island, interview Lizbert, find out if Bugsnax were the amazing discovery they seemed, and go back home with an article that probably would put Elizabert Megafig’s name back on the map. Well, the part of how people don’t tend to return home was a bit of a fearsome thing, but if Lizbert managed to return to advertise Bugsnax and gather an expedition, then surely he could too.

Instead Lizbert and another grumpus were missing. Bugsnax were real and most likely a deeper mystery than he had thought at first, needing him to find out as much as possible for the article. He had been convinced to help gather a fractured community back. An individual of a completely different sentient species resided here, providing once another mystery he had to deal with...

...how did things get to this point?

Well, regardless, this was his life now. Dagbert Sourcake would handle this the best he could.

Chapter Text

The ocean. She could hear the ocean. At first Rise thought maybe it was the sound of that endless-looking expanse of shallow sea she had been walking in for a while, but no...it was nearby. Waves crashing against the rocks and the beach.

She couldn’t see the ocean, though...all around her there was darkness. She was sure she crossed the doorway, behind her she felt the stone door opened just enough for her to pass through. The door was positioned in such a way once she passed through the slab of stone slid, locking itself again. “H-Hey!” she blindly touched the door, trying to pull it open again.

Nothing. She couldn’t open it again; the stone was too heavy. How did she even open this in the first place? She did it before, how couldn’t she do it again? Yet no matter how many times he tried it just didn’t work. She didn’t have enough strength to force the doorway open. Then what...?

No point in trying again, she figured after a good length of time pushing. Rubbing her arms to try to bring some relief to her aching muscles, Rise looked around, taking deep breaths to avoid panicking. This place...it was so claustrophobic!

There was darkness. The sandy ground had water up to her ankles – salty water, if that really was the ocean. She felt rocks, she felt sand, roots, she was in a space where she could barely take two steps in any direction! Thankfully there was a bit of light filtering through a wide crack between some rocks, but it wasn’t enough to see much. “Okay, I’ll be fine. I have to stay calm...!” Rise said to herself, looking through the crack.

It was already past dawn. From where Rise was standing she could see a beach and little more. “Guys!” she called through the rocks.

No response.

This was looking worse and worse, she realized. What if later the tide came and flooded this little alcove? She’d drown, she’d die, she’d—

--no way she could let that happen! Covering her head with one arm just in case anything fell, Rise raised the other high to try to dislodge enough rocks to widen the crack. As it was right now all she could do was pass an arm through it, and that was all. If she wanted to get out she had to break through this!

It’d be easier to try to empty a lake with just a cup! The rocks were firmly stuck together from her side. Rise tried to dig into the rocks, trying to make them crumble. Nothing! It didn’t dislodge anything at all! The rocks in the inside of this space were slippery and wet, she couldn’t get a grip on anything.

Why couldn’t anything go well right now?! Rise bit her lower lip, forcing herself to calm down. Her shoulders were trembling but she didn’t know if it was from fear or from the cold – as if she needed more reasons to worry, this space was freezing cold!

“Help! Someone!” Rise shouted through the crack and got her arm out, waving around. “Senpai? Guys! Anyone?!” she adjusted her position to not make her arm all tired. “Somebody, please!”

...

Nothing. There just was no response.

“I’m trapped...! Guys! You have to get me out of here! Help me!”

She kept shouting as loudly as she could. If someone could hear her...! It didn’t matter who! All that mattered was that someone helped her get unstuck from this place! Before anything happened, before...water flowed in, or before the rocks fell and injured her, or...so many things could go wrong!

Time passed. Rise didn’t stop shouting, she kept waving with her arm fully extended through the crack. Her arm was tired and sore, she had been waving for so long she had cramps – and given how she had a lot of endurance that could only mean she had been at this for a long time! Her throat, still fresh as the first minute, kept shouting, her competence as an idol allowing her to do it for longer than most, but...

...it seemed useless. She heard nothing but the waves from the beach. Rise’s voice wavered for a moment while she took a breather, her arm laid limp on the sand at an awkward angle. This was...no, this couldn’t be it. There had to be something she could do. But what...?!

‘Razzby!’

Rise gasped and turned around, alarmed. That had been a voice right where she was at! Something was behind her! A chirping voice, coming from somewhere in the darkness. She couldn’t see anything! “Who...?”

‘Razzby!’ ‘Razzby!’ ‘Razzby!’

Several voices, all of them almost identical, all of them saying the same thing. They weren’t even coming from the floor, it was like they were coming from the walls themselves – something brushed against her shoulder, there was something here with her! Many things! She gasped when she saw something through the light, just for a fleeting moment a reddish shape near her arm—

“What’s this?”

Rise heard someone outside, a female voice. Oh, this was her chance! Just knowing there was somebody out there gave her hope! “Please help me!” Rise pleaded, waving her hand. She brushed against something with fur out there. Teddie?

The voices in the dark were gone. All Rise could hear was someone outside. She felt something prod at her hand. “So strange? So...unusual!” Rise had to fight the urge to grab onto whatever that was. Instead, she decided to appeal to their empathy.

Unleashing a very practiced sob, Rise scratched at the rocks. “I can’t get out!”

“Oh dear, there’s something trapped here!” she heard. That woman didn’t sound too alarmed, just mildly concerned. What was wrong with her?! Rise didn’t really understand, but she could tell from the tone of her voice. whoever it was wasn’t really in a hurry to get her out!

But she did. Rise covered her head with one arm while she watched the rocks above her get loosened up, the rocks being pulled from the place, widening the crack until she could climb out! Rise got out of the crevice, stepping onto the sand with shaky legs. “I’m...thanks! Thank you so much!” she said, grateful, and turned around to see who had saved her.

Needless to say, she didn’t expect it to be a grumpus. Tall, orange, and decidedly with a presence she wouldn’t forget. The grumpus – Wiggle – was staring at her, surprised at seeing something just pop out of the rocks like that.

“Oh...oh! I’m sorry!” Rise gave her best beaming smile. “My name is Rise Kujikawa. Nice to meet you!”

.......

Rise Kujikawa had great social skills. Her charisma was second to none – only Yu Narukami had social skills and the charisma to curry some of the favor she usually got effortlessly, but he couldn’t charm people like she did. Her status as an idol was a big part of how it made people want to ingratiate themselves with her, but here? On this island in another world where absolutely nobody had ever heard of Risette? Her skills were all hers.

That she managed to form a quick friendship with Wiggle proved she had genuine social skills. They didn’t understand each other that well but they befriended each other anyway!

It was that friendship why Rise was hunting for a Pineantula not too long afterwards. Rise pursued one, trying to catch it, not having realized the optimal way to succeed at hunting it...but despite that, she managed to get her hands on it. Hefting the pineapple up and managing to get its tiny little leafy legs away from her, Rise carried the weird creature back to Wiggle. “I got it...!” she shouted when Wiggle was in sight. That was enough to get her attention, Rise heard her coo with delight.

“You did it! You have brought the ambrosia to solve my woeful~ inspiration problem!” she praised, taking the pineapple. “So prickly, and it will be so sour, but that zest is what will make my head finally crank out a good single!”

Rise understood Wiggle was looking forward to biting into the pineapple. Feeling proud of having captured it, she grinned, feeling praised, and followed Wiggle back to her beach chairs. Getting invited to sit on one of them, she watched Wiggle prepare for consuming the Snak, the grumpus turning it in her paws. “How delightful...! I don’t know how you have lived here without eating Bugsnax before...or maybe you have and you just don’t get transformed...?” she wondered, looking at Rise.

Rise could only look back, but she asked anyway: “Are you really going to eat that?”

“...oh! You want some? Of course, let’s share~” she decided. It wasn’t usual for anyone to share Bugsnax, but...she was willing to share this pineapple out of gratitude towards the odd being that had gotten this for her. Could you even split this in half...?

Worth a try, anyway, but how...? While she was pondering how to split it without making a total mess, the Bugsnak just...split open in half all by itself. One moment it was whole, the next there it was divided into two clean halves, displaying the yellow inside of the pineapple to the air. The eyes of the Snak fell to the sand, disappearing into it.

Rise stared horrified at the now completely inert Pineantula. Now that was a completely normal pineapple...or at least it looked completely normal. Still, the sight of it opening like that without Wiggle doing anything, and the eyes falling from its rind...it unnerved her so much!

“Oh. I didn’t know this could happen” Wiggle passed Rise a half while the human still was trying to figure out how to communicate that this was kind of freaky. Cornered by the expectations to eat as well, Rise frowned, looking at the...the admittedly very tasty looking pulp...the incredibly delicious-looking pineapple...the fibers holding all that juice...

...you know...maybe it was fine to try. Rise grabbed the pineapple half and turned it around, trying to figure where to even bite.

“...thank you for the food!” Rise said while Wiggle was already chomping on her portion. Alright! Whoever these fuzzy creatures were they probably knew that they were doing, Rise thought, starting to eat her half.

If she had waited just a little bit longer she would have gotten to see the transformation on Wiggle’s body. Only when Rise’s own arm started changing she realized that maybe, just maybe, she had made a mistake.

Wiggle turned her head around once Rise started screaming to the top of her lungs.

-ooooo-

Yu had his eyes closed, holding his head, distraught. Seriously? He was so thankful Yukiko and Kanji hadn’t eaten Bugsnax at all, but that was of little consolation while he was listening to those who had ingested them! It probably was all pretty harmless, but still, the thought of his friends having their bodies modified by Bugsnax was something he seriously didn’t want to imagine at all!

It didn’t help that Rise’s voice trembled while she recounted that moment. “I was...I was so scared! My hand was gone, and I almost thought my forearm would fall off...! I didn’t know what to do, and I just started crying, and...”

“Rise-chan...” Chie said, pitying her. “What did Wiggle do?”

“She was so sorry about it all. I was freaking out so badly Wiggle hugged me; she held me until I stopped shaking. I was so embarrassed, but she understood, and she said I didn’t have to eat more Bugsnax if I didn’t want to. She said she knew someone who could help me live without eating them. I felt so bad for worrying her so much...”

So that was why Rise had said Wiggle was a really understanding grumpus. Yu looked up, talking into the microphone. “I’m so sorry you went through that, Rise”

“It’s fine. You know, once you get past the first impression I think it’s not so bad! I can see why these people keep eating them”

“But you haven’t, right?”

“Weeeeell...about that...” oh. She totally kept eating Bugsnax. “I have eaten some more. It’s the only decent food around, guys, I think we have no option” she said. Yu made a spectacular effort to block from his head all attempts to try to imagine how she looked right now. He didn’t even want to ask! Ignorance is bliss! “But I don’t get why Wiggle says they’re full of inspiration and ideas. They taste like...flour or something”

“Yeah, Bugsnax aren’t nearly as good as they all say those are” Yosuke agreed. “Right, guys?” Those who had tried them before agreed. There wasn’t a single human there who said they tasted good. “In that case then we should probably think it’s because we’re different species. Bugsnax taste good to grumpuses but humans hate them”

“But what about Pluckbert-san?” Rise asked. Oh. That must be the journalist’s pseudonym in her world. “He can’t eat them”

“That’s an allergy, not him disliking Bugsnax” Yukiko pointed out. “If we knew of a grumpus that didn’t like the taste of Bugsnax...”

“All of ‘em love the buggers. There’s nobody in the town who doesn’t like eating Bugsnax!” Kanji asserted. At first glance that sounded largely accurate – everybody had heard for a week and half how good Bugsnax were, they had seen everybody try to make their lives revolve around them. There wasn’t any grumpus who didn’t like them.

Or was there? Yu opened his eyes, remembering something:

‘I don’t really like eating them either. They’re so good, and everyone loves them, but I just feel bad about it.’

Filbo. Filbo had said he didn’t like eating Bugsnax. He had said it was because he felt that, but what if it was also that they didn’t taste that good to him? But he couldn’t ask Filbo, what with...him being missing...

Still, when he informed everyone what Filbo had told him so many days ago, Yosuke jumped on the opportunity: “I’ll ask him. You can leave that to me, I’ll get him to tell me about their taste”

“Thanks, partner” Yu said. Good! Each member of the team being in separate worlds was already doing wonders. What would it mean if it turned out there was a grumpus who didn’t like their taste, though? Would that be useful or not?

Well, they’d know for sure once they got that potential clue. In an investigation when it was about gathering information you couldn’t play it safe!

“Regardless, there’s something else that alarms me” Naoto said. “The way the Pineantula reacted to Wiggle simply wondering if she could share it...that seems unnatural”

“Oh yeah, that was odd. It’s as if that Snak understood what she said” Yukiko mentioned.

“But Bugsnax aren’t supposed to have any intelligence. They’re just like insects”, Yosuke said. “So what’s up with that...?”

None of them had any idea. It was incredibly strange – and almost plain wrong that this Pineantula had reacted with the solution to Wiggle’s pondering. Could Bugsnax understand spoken language? And if they could what did that mean?

“I dunno, guys, it doesn’t feel like they’re all that smart. Trust me, I have seen Gramble train ‘em around” Kanji said.

“Kanji-kun, you’re close with Gramble-kun. Could you keep an eye on the Snax and see if they’re secretly intelligent?” Chie suggested, hoping someone in the Investigation Team would be able to solve that little enigma.

“Sure, I don’t mind” Kanji had been given a task to do.

“Anywayyyyy!” Rise said “Even though I didn’t like them I kept eating because that’s the only food around. We didn’t go to Snaxburg right away, the journalist found us first”

-ooooo-

Having charisma and social skills mean nothing if the grumpus doesn’t want to talk to you. Even though Wiggle tried to introduce her to Gramble he refused to see her, instead hurrying to go keep an eye on the Bugsnax in his ranch. That Rise currently had transformed body parts didn’t make him trust her, no matter how many times Wiggle said she had offered Rise some of those for survival’s sake. “I get it, and I’m not thinkin’ less of her for eatin’ ‘em. I’m just nervous” he had said to Wiggle.

“Darling, you can trust her. Everything will be okay”

“It’s not that I don’t trust your judgment! I’m just really nervous. Gimme time, okay?”

Rise didn’t really mind – Wiggle being so warm towards her had been surprising, Gramble’s distrust was more like what she had expected. It did sting a little, though...

Besides, she had more important things to think of. For example, helping Wiggle with her problems.  Music was Rise’s life; she probably would be able to help one way or another! But how...? Well, she had time to think about that – Rise knew she wasn’t going home anytime soon. She had tried, that was for sure, but even though Wiggle and her tried to open the door, they weren’t strong enough.

It really made her wonder how she had managed to open it in the TV World, though...

Since she had no other choice but to wait for a while longer Rise stayed with Wiggle, thinking as hard as possible for a way to help her. Maybe a collaboration? She probably wouldn’t be able to perform alongside Wiggle – as soon as she found her friends and there was a chance to go home she’d take it, no argument there – but it’d be nice for the grumpus anyway. Rise was still working on it, sitting aside and watching the sea and humming notes to herself, when a journalist with black fur arrived to the Simmering Springs.

Pluckbert Jellyjam was almost vibrating with excitement when he found Rise after talking to Wiggle. She was reminded of a dog itching to play with someone, the same repressed energy. Even through his facial features were pretty neutral, the way he talked betrayed all the curious excitement he felt once he noticed the human. “Amazing...that a musician found a musician from another species! What are the odds of that?” he had said.

Rise found he liked him a lot. Frankly, anyone who was willing to react positively to her was welcome and she was pretty sure he was completely earnest about it. “I know! I wish I could talk with her, though...there’s so much we could talk about”

“You worry too much. You don’t need to speak the same language to get along with someone”

“I know, but...” Rise sighed. “It feels lonely to not be able to talk with someone. It just...makes me realize I’m so far away from everything and everyone I know” Here she was, in an island in another world. Humans probably didn’t even exist at all, without even mentions of legends about them or something like that. She was a big question mark, and to her everything around her was a mystery as well.

So far she was coping well, but how long could she endure this without getting depressed? Everybody must be so worried for her and her friends...oh no, her manager must be losing sleep over this. What would she tell her once she went back somehow?

Pluckbert sat beside her, staring out at the sea. He seemed to sympathize with what she was saying. “I can’t say I know how it feels, but there’s something I’d like to tell you”

“Hm? What’s it?”

“Have you heard about Grumpfoot?” Such a thing meant nothing to Rise. She knew nothing about legends or cryptids, much less those from an entirely different world. “It’s a legend, although some would say it’s more like gossip. People say it’s some sort of variant of grumpus with simian traits. Nobody knows where they came from, nobody knows if they even exist. If other grumpuses saw you maybe they’d even think you’re Grumpfoot”

“Where are you going with this?” she was confused. That seemed completely unrelated to what they were talking about!

Pluckbert continued as if Rise hadn’t asked such a question. She wanted to think he had cut the story short because of her confusion. “So one day I wrote an article about Grumpfoot; I even went and saw it myself. It was a great article! Grumpfoot sighted downtown in New Grump City, read it all here as written by yours truly. Grumps flocked to the alleys I mentioned.

Most of them were curious. A few already had some memorabilia and stuff. There were so many grumpuses. Then it turned out the Grumpfoot I saw was a lost football mascot. My boss had to give a very awkward apology. Right now my entire career is in danger” Pluckbert smiled. It was a sad smile, the sort someone who is aware things may not go great for them but tries to appear flippant about it. “Do you get my point?”

“I’m not sure I do” It had been somewhat of a meandering anecdote. What was this guy trying to say?

“My point is that more people than you think will give you a chance” he said. Rise played with her hair, examining the journalist’s tale now that he had been straightforward with what he meant. Had he noticed Rise’s concerns...? “Many of them will be curious about you. Others will think you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread. But in the end all of those onlookers will leave, pursuing something else, and you’ll be around grumpuses like you have always been there – and those you tried to befriend during that time are the ones that will stay with you”

“Is it really that simple?”

“For the most part, yeah. Even if you can’t speak the same language than all of them you will do well as long as you try to interact with people” Pluckbert said, moving around sand with a paw. “There’ll always be a few who will want nothing to do with you. You know, grumps who will fear you and think badly of you because you’re not a grumpus. They’re not worth your time. The majority, though, they’ll be willing to give you a chance as long as you reach out and let them reach out to you”

So that was what he meant! He had listened to how she had been worried about the language barrier alienating her from everyone. “I’m trying to talk with Wiggle but I never bothered to learn English”

“English...?” Pluckbert narrowed his eyes, confused, and shook his paw to try to get rid of the sand that clung to his fur. “Well, if it makes you feel better Wiggle said so many good things about you. She likes you even if you haven’t been able to talk with her. If you want me to say something on your behalf, I will”

This was her chance. Through Pluckbert she would be able to say something to Wiggle! Getting an idea, Rise stood up, facing the journalist with determination. “Then let’s not waste any time! There’s something I want to do for her”

...........

It took three days for her to be done. Pluckbert mentioned Wiggle refused to go back to town until she got a new single because she lacked inspiration, so Rise decided to help her on that regard. Whenever the journalist had a moment he’d return to the Simmering Springs to help her, providing translation for her project. He wasn’t creative in the slightest, but he did a good enough job, she thought. Or more like she hoped he did.

“Can you read this? I don’t know if banjos can handle it but I say we should try anyway” she asked to Wiggle, writing musical notes on the beach. So many musical notes, spanning a good stretch of the sandy beach. With some luck Razzbies wouldn’t come and ruin it! Wiggle didn’t reply to that; she simply took out her banjo and walked up to the top of the notes. “Wait, not yet!” Rise gestured.

“I’m ready to make my banjo sing~!” Wiggle proclaimed, and indeed, she already had her paws on the strings. Rise had to hurry or else Wiggle would start before the right time!

Once Rise was in position she signaled Wiggle she could start playing now. Then she started dancing and singing. It was a somewhat plain dance routine, relying a lot on muscle memory of an old routine instead of making a new one for the song. It didn’t matter, anyway! What she had worked hard for were the lyrics! They were an adaptation of a whole song she had helped compose, inspired by the events of the serial murder investigation, but somehow felt appropriate for all she was going through right now.

Nothing like music to communicate!

You are standing in the middle of another world

It's hard to feel your real emotions

You are smiling in a shirt wet with bitter tears

Let me help you find a place to call it home

We're all trapped in a maze of relationships

Life goes on with or without you

I swim in the sea of the unconscious

I search for your heart, pursuing my true self

Dancing on sand was difficult, the grains sliding under her with every move, yet Rise, with her extensive experience, managed to keep her footing and make all the graceful movements she could. The banjo providing the music didn’t entirely fit the song she was singing, but she liked it anyway – it felt like Wiggle was providing her best work to accompany her efforts.

Grumpuses and humans could get along, she thought while she turned on her heel. Pluckbert had been right...she could trust Wiggle was a friend despite everything! That was why when she finished her dance and song, breathing heavily, she had an excited grin on her face, beaming with pride at Wiggle.

“That was positively fantastic~! Such a heartfelt song! Your pronunciation may not have been perfect but that added to your charm!”

Praise didn’t have to be in Japanese for Rise to understand it. Proud, she sought the shade of a nearby palm, hoping her efforts were of some use for Wiggle. She didn’t mean to do this musician’s work or anything like that. All she wanted was to provide some inspiration that didn’t rely on Bugsnax!

Wiggle, tuning her banjo, observed the musical notes Rise had scribbled on the sand. It wasn’t as cheerful as her usual music, but there was energy about it that got her attention anyway. For the first time since she had arrived to Snaktooth she felt a bit of a spark of a potential idea, a possibility that maybe she wasn’t as creatively barren as she had thought!

...

...nope, it was gone. It had been there for just a brief moment, then it was gone. That was worse than never having an idea in the first place...! Turning her back to the notes with a huff, she decided to take a break. Still, that she managed to get an idea even if it was for a brief moment was very encouraging! Encouraging and at the same time vexing that although she had been closer than before, now it was as if the tide of her creativity had pulled her back, leaving her again with nothing. Why?!

“I’m so lucky to have come across you. I feel like I’m a step closer to creating something truly great! But I just can’t seem to grasp it...! Why?”

Rise’s grin vanished. She didn’t understand what Wiggle said, but the conflicted, almost pained expression on her face was alarming enough. Not knowing what to say or do, she just put a hand on Wiggle’s shoulder. The musician sighed, looking up to the sky through the leaves of the palm tree.

“...if I don’t create something I don’t know what I’ll do. What am I doing with myself...?”

Silence.

Wiggle left the banjo on the sand and looked at Rise with gratitude. “I know why you did all this. You’re trying to help me, I know. Thanks, Rise”

Funny how things go. There in an island in the middle of the ocean she came to seek inspiration from lifeforms resembling food, and ended finding a different sentient lifeform giving her support and encouragement. Life really takes its turns.

Before the day ended Wiggle Wigglebottom decided to return to Snaxburg, with Rise Kujikawa accompanying her.

.........

Pluckbert probably was wrong. It’s not that Rise expected grumpuses to flock to her when she arrived to Snaxburg, but it was disappointing anyway the level of interest on her was almost inexistent. True, everyone was cordial and pleasant, but it was nowhere on the level of curiosity the journalist had predicted.

Well, maybe it was better that way.

Beffica seemed eager to associate with her, though! The moment Beffica found out this fabled human was also a celebrity she wasted no time in cozying up to her, trying to curry favor so she’d gain insight into any skeletons she may have in her closet. Rise, knowing exactly what kind of person Beffica was, kept her at an arm’s distance, but always invited her to talk with her, insisting on never leaving her alone every time they met. It was a tense yet friendly relationship, one Rise hoped to turn into something a little more genuine.

Still, keeping Beffica’s attention almost fully focused on her seemed to make the town a little more peaceful and open. Wambus and Filbo seemed relieved Beffica wasn’t snooping around them all day and night, and Wiggle tended to stay in her cottage, working with her banjo most of the time. Encouraged by the peace, Wambus removed some of the cactuses from the path leading to the Scorching Gorge. Not all of them, just enough for Pluckbert to pass through and go seek grumpuses in those arid areas.

Triffany’s return was a breath of fresh air! It brought a much needed cheerier atmosphere to the town, especially once she reconciled with her husband – and since Gramble wasn’t around, the farmer was more relaxed than usual, focused only on his garden and on trying to mend his relationship.

There was someone else that had his sights on Snaxburg, though. Pluckbert didn’t limit himself to bringing Triffany back, he searched for other grumpuses in the canyon who would be interested in coming back. There on the top of the canyon he found a store, and at the store was a red grumpus he hadn’t seen before.

Cromdo Face.

Getting sold a bridge was a necessary evil, thought Pluckbert. He could tolerate that much. Getting asked for Bugsnax, though...well, solving that wouldn’t be anything new, but he would prefer not doing that. Crossing the hot canyon was such a torture, especially when you had black fur. Even if it was dyed it didn’t change the fact it captured the heat of the sun like a magnet!  Seriously dreading having to walk around this area of the island for much longer, Pluckbert decided to show his ace in the hole:

“Cromdo, have you heard the news?”

-.......

The night of the party was far more festive than Filbo expected and it was thanks to Rise Kujikawa milling around. Having gotten invited she decided to pitch in and help liven it up as much as she could – and indeed, before long she had gathered Wiggle, Beffica and Pluckbert around her, talking animatedly. Wambus and Triffany spent their time aside, having decided to step away from the party so they could have a calm, intimate conversation. That all left Filbo alone, trying to get people onto the dance floor.

The party wasn’t exactly a failure, but as far as making people socialize with each other it wasn’t working too well. In Filbo’s opinion that made it not be that good of a party. Not that he said anything while he was dancing by his lonesome.

Rise, wearing Wiggle’s sunglasses and feather boa, sat around, talking with Wiggle through Pluckbert about her choice of career, also giving examples of the human entertainment industry. The journalist seemed incredibly bored about it but complied with the translation anyway, while Beffica found delight in all the gossip and knowledge with the enthusiasm of someone who didn’t have interesting news in ages. None of the names Rise mentioned meant anything to her, but every word Rise said painted such scenarios she wondered what secrets there could be to find out!

“OMG, I should have known wherever you came from could be so cutthroat too” she said once Rise narrated the stressful lives idols had. “This is a vacay for you too”

“It is. Being here is going to hurt my career but there’s no point in stressing about it” Rise was glad she had Wiggle’s sunglasses on. If she didn’t it’d have been much easier for everyone to see the way she had her eyes closed tightly when she said that. Honestly she was far more worried about it than she cared to admit.

“If you return with a smashing song your manager will forgive you, darling, you can be sure of that~” Wiggle encouraged. She looked so different without her sunglasses, somehow! Rise really doubted her manager would look to the other side after disappearing for at least a week and half – she had given him so much trouble already. He very clearly liked managing her career, but surely his patience had limits -- but nothing she could do about it. That was a problem for the future.

...if she ever was able to return...that is.

Rise’s dazzling smile went tense for a moment thinking of the possibility she’ll never be able to return to her world. “...h-heeeeeeey, Fiddlepie-san!” Rise suddenly stood up and waved at him, hurrying towards the dancing grumpus. “Join us over here! You can’t spend the night dancing all by yourself”

“Oh—Rice!” Filbo pronounced the name completely wrong. He had been saying it like that ever since she got to the town. “I-I’m fine over here. I don’t wanna intrude, and, well, I gotta keep the party going!”

His tone was a little nervous yet Rise felt bad when he said that. Was she...getting in the way of the party? She hadn’t intended to keep all of them surrounding her. Well in that case better try to correct her mistakes! Turning around, she gestured at her friends. “Let’s dance! Don’t be shy and come here, we have to shake the dance floor!”

Beffica turned her head to Filbo. “Not interested”

“Don’t be like that! This is a party, we can all—“

Rise’s encouragement was interrupted by a rather loud yelp of pain coming from not too far away – in direction of the path to the canyon – followed by complaining: “Who left all these cactuses here?! What’s wrong with these people?!” that was a male voice, one Rise hadn’t heard before.

“Oh dear. I better check what happened” Wiggle hurried to take the sunglasses off Rise’s face and left the group to find out who had shouted that, followed by Filbo. In the meantime Beffica tried to look into the darkness, towards where that voice had come from.

“...wait a minute...that voice. I’d recognize that slimy voice anywhere” Beffica murmured and turned to Rise, pushing her towards the nearest hut. “You have to hide right now!”

“What? What’s going on?”

“No time to talk! Just go! Go!”

“There she is! The newest celebrity on the island!” Too late. The newcomer saw her! Rise, feeling a sudden sense of urgency, ran into Wiggle’s hut, but that didn’t deter the stranger in the slightest, walking in and not even giving an apology! “Hohohoh! Oh! Glad to meet you. Don’t look at me like that, I’m on your side!”

“What do you want, Cromdo?” Beffica stomped into the hut, standing between Rise and this Cromdo. Red fur, tusks from the bottom of the mouth, a tie, and a constant air of untrustworthiness that wasn’t helped by his rough features; he gave an air of someone Rise really should be careful with.

“What do you—don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, Beffica. I have decided to return to town! The Cromdo Mart will be back in business!”

“You came here because you heard about the human!” Beffica accused. Cromdo, giving a very practiced gesture of affected indifference, scoffed and waved a paw.

“Oh please -- I left Filbo to drag my stuff to my hut. If you doubt I’m here to live in Snaxburg then I won’t waste my time convincin’ you”

Clearly she wasn’t going to get anywhere talking to Cromdo. Talking to Rise maybe would have better results. Pluckbert was finally near enough to provide translation to Rise. Curtly telling the journalist to make sure Rise heard loud and clear, she said to her: “Listen, don’t get involved with this crook. You’ll regret it”

Not that Cromdo would stand around and let his not-so-good name be not-really-slandered! “Hey hey hey hey HEY! Don’t believe her, she’s just a troublemaker”

“I am the troublemaker?”

“I have to agree, Rise. Cromdo is bad news” Wiggle said.

Incensed, Cromdo glared at all of them. “In case you all haven’t noticed this is a private conversation! Get lost!”

“This is myyyyy~ cabin!”

“And—And I’ll give it back later! Oh whatever” Cromdo gave Rise a smile that probably was meant to be cajoling, but to her it was like a shark trying to look like he wasn’t about to bite your leg off. “You want to talk to me, right? Come on, you’re not gonna meet a more trustworthy guy than me on this entire island!”

The nerve of this guy! Rise could already read him: anyone who had to insist he was trustworthy and wanted a private conversation like this was anything but reliable and trustworthy. Still...she could tell already that if she refused to talk he’d insist later. Listening to him now, while everyone else was around, seemed like the best idea. “It’s alright, we can talk” Rise said without much enthusiasm.

“Yes! That’s right! See, now the rest of you scra—“

“I’m not talking with you if they’re not here”

“..hmph. Fine” he didn’t look pleased in the slightest but gave up on that, deciding to go straight to what he wanted to say: “Listen here, you’re the only one of your species over here, right? And you can sing and dance, you can get people to want to see you! In the entire world you’re the only...! The only...! Well you get the point” clearly he didn’t remember what they had called Rise’s species “Rise, right? You’re gonna need someone to show you the ropes of living with grumpuses. So how about you let me do it?”

“Wiggle already is—“ Pluckbert started saying as soon as he finished translating that part.

“In fact, how about I am your manager? Doesn’t that sound absolutely fantastic? It’s like a wish come true!”

“You can’t be serious” Beffica seemed to be a bit at a loss for words at such an offer to the human. Cromdo really had no shame!

“Hoho! Pros don’t joke around, Beff. I’m offering a friendly paw to our new friend here, a show of support from me, from a social savant. With me by her side she’s gonna find herself climbin’ the stairway to success!”

He sounded so confident it was almost impressive. Feeling a bit of a headache starting to come in, Rise tried to keep the same moderately bored intonation she used in interviews she wasn’t enjoying very much. “I’m not sure about this”

“Wait—no—wait a second, you’re making a mistake by even thinkin’ about saying no! I’m extremely dedicated, yeah, and extremely reliable. I’d do anything to make sure you’ll be loved by every grump in the world! The money would come as if it’s raining from the skies, ehehehe!”

Absolutely nobody was fooled by his good intentions. Beffica and Wiggle could only stare, and Pluckbert gave Rise a bemused look that could only mean that yes, he agreed: Cromdo Face was bad news.

“I’m not interested” Rise said bluntly.

Apparently a complete refusal wasn’t at all something Cromdo had expected, because as soon as she said that Cromdo looked absolutely surprised. “You didn’t even think about it! And—And—You--Think about the benefits! And think about how dedicated I will be!”

“Ugh, this is stupid” Beffica murmured and left the hut, but she seemed satisfied! That Rise had said no probably was enough for her to think everything would be alright.

Undeterred, Cromdo continued, speaking with enthusiasm, trying hard to make himself sound energetic and ready to take on the world on Rise’s behalf! “As your manager I’d do anything for you! I’d walk over hot coals for you! I’d—hey, I walked through cactuses to come see you; I got cactus spines in places I’m not gonna mention! You’re not gonna find anyone else ready to take these risks!”

He probably had thought Rise would leap at the chance of getting a manager so she could show her talents to everyone. An entertainer from another species suddenly appearing? It could only mean an attempt to reach out through the power of music and dance! So that she was rejecting it and didn’t seem interested in the slightest must have been so puzzling to him. His wily grin hadn’t faltered, but it wasn’t hard to guess that was taking him considerable effort!

Rise could see that, she knew this guy couldn’t be trusted, that he probably was making these offers because he would have a lot to gain from it if he played his cards correctly. Apparently that she wouldn’t want to stay in this world and instead would want to go back home didn’t seem to cross his mind at all. Wiggle and Pluckbert knew that’s what she wanted the most, they expected her to once again say that she had no interest in being represented by Cromdo of all people!

“...fine” Rise said.

Her friends’ immediate reactions of disbelief were drowned out by Cromdo’s triumphant laughter. “Ahahahaha! Perfect! You’re not gonna regret it! You’ll see, together we’re gonna do great! Good thing your name is Rise because you’re gonna rise straight to the top, eeeh!” Pluckbert spared Rise the pun when he translated that. “Let’s have a talk tomorrow. We gotta plan ahead—“

“Uuuuuh Cromdo?” oh, Filbo! Filbo had ran into sight, sheepishly calling for the salesman.

Absolutely unhappy with the interruption, Cromdo snapped at him: “What? Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“So, uh, I was pushing your cart to your hut, and there was this small rock in the way. I didn’t see it and one of the wheels hit the rock, and the cart tipped over and fell on one of the lamps I had for lighting for the party and now the cart is on fire”

Cromdo’s mouth slowly opened in shock.

“...sorry...haha...ha...” Filbo mumbled.

“Crud I should have kept my big mouth shut about the hot coals--” Cromdo flashed Rise a smile. “This is the part where I walk on hot coals, so I’m gonna leave now. We’ll talk tomorrow!” he shouted while he ran out of Wiggle’s cabin, running to try to extinguish the fire that was by now engulfing his Cromdo Mart cart. In the distance Rise could hear him berating Filbo and telling him to bring all the water he could. What a mess. This party was as good as ruined, and she was partly to blame for having unwittingly hogged so many grumpuses’ attention.

She’d apologize to Filbo later, she decided.

Pluckbert, Wiggle and Rise were left in the musician’s cottage. Rise sat on the bed, cupping her chin in her hands, exhausted. Uf, talking to Cromdo was enough to make anyone want to not socialize for a while.

“...Rise, what have you done?” Wiggle asked her. “Are you serious about having Cromdo as your manager?”

“Of course not!” Rise replied.

Pluckbert frowned. “He’s going to take it seriously. I think you have gotten yourself into a lot of trouble”

“Cromdo is a scammer, Rise. Don’t believe aaaaanything~ he says” Wiggle advised. “Why did you say yes? What were you thinking?”

“It’s not the first time I meet people like him. My agency has a few people like Cromdo” Rise admitted. Luckily her manager was a great person, but other idols and groups weren’t so lucky. “I can handle it. Besides, I’m going back to where I’m from as soon as I can, so...”

So it wasn’t like Cromdo could do anything about it. She would be fine. True, she did feel a little bit bad she was going to shatter his hopes and dreams if he somehow was sincere about wanting to be her manager out of the goodness of his heart. She was convinced it wasn’t so, though. From the way everyone talked of Cromdo he really had to be a crook.

Rise was really confident on her ability to handle the situation. It’d all go well; she’d make it so.

“If I had say no that guy would have kept insisting and plotting some other way to get me to play along, right? By accepting right now I made sure his first and most half-baked scheme would be put into action. I can handle it!” Rise said with confidence. While she didn’t feel as confident as she was making herself sound, she did think she could keep it all under control!

Cromdo Face wasn’t some seasoned conman, she thought. Well, more like she hoped. She could handle this!

.........

Rise finished her story. As it had happened in other worlds, Snorpy had set the radio device but hadn’t moved back to Snaxburg, having heard about the human’s existence and placed the radio in the town at Naoto’s behest. Nearby there was a single piece of paper with a handwritten contract: Cromdo’s brilliant proposal to make himself Rise’s official manager. The most notable parts were those related to how any earnings would be divided. The percentages were outrageous! And not outrageous on her favor, that was for sure. Just as she suspected: Cromdo really was out for riches.

Talking to him about this later would be a headache and half, but...she made her bed, now she has to sleep on it. Rise made sure not to rest her head on the hand that currently was a piece of pineapple, and tried to ignore the state of her legs. The less she thought about the Bugsnax, the better.

Regardless, Rise Kujikawa was thriving.

-ooooo-

Yu Narukami had his arms crossed, listening to everything Rise had told them about. This Cromdo Face...he hadn’t encountered such a grumpus yet. Red fur, sharp teeth from the bottom jaw, and a tie, that shouldn’t be too hard to see. If there was one thing that was undeniable about grumpuses was that each one had a lot of distinctive features. What was more, Cromdo came from the canyon. If he ever stumbled upon such a grumpus in the gorge recognizing would be easy enough!

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” he asked. Rise talking to someone she knew was trying to scam her didn’t seem like a great idea.

“Geez! Why does everyone think I don’t know how to handle somebody like him? I’m not some novice idol, guys!” she complained. That was true, Rise probably would be fine. She was socially graceful; she had her ways of making the deal with Cromdo end favorably for her.

“We just worry, Rise-san. We have no reason to believe Mr. Face is dangerous, but from what my acquaintance told me, they’re not mistaken when they inform he’s a crook. Don’t agree to anything he tells you”

“I know. I’ll be careful, I promise”

Still, Rise’s story had some useful information too. Not only it made sure everyone was aware about Cromdo – who probably would come up with some scheme once he met a human, even if they weren’t idols – but she also informed about the Bugsnax’ strange behavior when Wiggle said that about splitting it. Alright!

“Isn’t it odd, guys?” Yukiko wondered.

“What’s odd?”

“We all have gone through different events but in general you could say Yu-kun, Kanji-kun and me are dealing with some tough conflicts, right?”

“Oh...right! With Filbo going missing in Yu’s world, you fighting with Beffica and the tension in Kanji’s world you three are having a lot of trouble, huh” Chie summarized. When put it like that it really was a curious coincidence! If it could be called that.

“Exactly! But then I thought and I realized there’s something us three haven’t done, but everyone else who isn’t really going through this much trouble did do”

It didn’t take long for someone to notice what Yukiko meant. Yosuke answered it, revealing the truth she had noticed: “Wait, you three didn’t eat any Bugsnax”

“That’s what I mean! Isn’t it odd us three are the ones who are going through the most trouble?”

“I guess but it ain’t like anything’s causing our trouble. It’s all crap outta our control” Kanji said.

“It really could be just a coincidence...” Chie said.

“I’d say it’s likely it is, but perhaps we would do well in keeping it in mind...” Naoto said. “As for me, I mentioned I have consumed Bugsnax. I also cannot say I have gone through the same difficulties some of you have gone through, despite my...acquaintance. It was a productive week, albeit devoid of any of the amicable socialization you all talked about”

“You mean the grumpus you met first?” Kanji asked. “Who is it?”

“From what I heard in your retellings none of you are familiar with Floofty Fizzlebean”

-ooooo-

Catching a couple Charmallows wasn’t too difficult for a hunter as good as Dagbert. True, he may have been set on fire once while doing that but it wasn’t his first time getting enveloped with flames. Nothing rolling on snow hadn’t solved! His fur looked like an absolute disaster, though...maybe he should dye it. That’d help disguise its sorry state.

Oh, wait, he didn’t bring any fur dye. Perhaps it was for the best. He didn’t even bring much luggage in the first place other than some notepads and recorders, there wasn’t any space for things like dye bottles. He could already imagine it, after some time on Snaktooth his orange color peeking through any dye he used once he shed some and new fur grew...he’d look horrible!

Well it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he had gotten just what he needed to bribe Snorpy. Perfect.

...

...he...was a little afraid of what he could find out. Dagbert didn’t want to think Yu Narukami had anything to do with the disappearance – or disappearances, if it turned out he had something to do with Lizbert’s and Eggabell’s too.

No. No way he did.

“He didn’t do it!” Dagbert shouted with frustration, stopping his walking down the main pathway in Sugarpine Forest. Yu Narukami had to be innocent! ...but what if he wasn’t...?

Full of doubts, Dagbert continued his way. It was time to go talk to Snorpy.

Chapter Text

Naoto Shirogane hadn’t seen lava ever before, nor she had ever wanted to. Now, after crossing the doorway, she found herself in a cave where it was abundant. A wave of heat assaulted her, already coaxing sweat. “What?” she breathed, the sudden change in temperature making her dizzy. Wisps of flames floated around in the air, she saw – and they weren’t small at all! They were considerably large!

No time to admire, though. Judging by the way her heart started beating and given her clothes were on the warmer side, she didn’t have that long before the heat would get to her head and possibly knock her out. She had to find a way out, and fast!

The stone door was the closest exit. Naoto touched it and withdrew her hands immediately. It was so hot she couldn’t even grasp it! Trying to keep her distance without touching the walls or the door – everything probably was scalding hot -- Naoto looked around, evaluating her situation. This was...this was bad, very bad. An exit wasn’t seen nearby, she had to walk or else she was toast. Kind of literally. Better to start walking, right now. She got moving, picking a direction.

What should be her pace? Should she walk quickly? Would that spend too much energy? Her head was already trying to figure out how she should tackle the situation, making sure to look at the ground to avoid tripping on any stray rocks that could make her fall to the lava, frantically trying to find a tunnel that could take her outside! She had no idea how deep she was in the earth!

...now that she thought about it...why wasn’t she dead yet? Lava wasn’t something you could just stand nearby of. Well, whatever. All she had to do was get away from the heat and then maybe she’d be okay. Ah, a tunnel leading somewhere else! Naoto, wiping her face with her sleeve, ran into the tunnel, inhaling air so warm it was almost painful. The air itself seemed to distort due to the steam emanating from the strange substance filling so much of the cavern!

Her guess was that she was deep into the earth. What else would explain the lava? But no, as soon as she entered the tunnel she saw in the distance a blue color she didn’t expect: the sky! An exit! She was almost out! Hurrying and almost tumbling, Naoto ran towards the opening, pretty much jumping into the exterior, eager to get away from the oppressive heat.

...it was...well, technically it was colder outside by virtue of not being in the middle of lava, but it was a warm coast anyway. The sun wasn’t even up yet it was so warm already! Naoto shakily walked to the edge of the ocean, kneeling and washing her face. Ten minutes in wherever this was and she was already exhausted. Once she took off the jacket of her uniform, letting herself fall on the sand.

Okay, she was in trouble. First of all, her friends were nowhere to be seen. There was no way she wouldn’t have heard them in that cave, meaning they had to be far away from her. Alright, first priority is finding them. The second problem was that she had no idea where she was right now. While there’s a beach some distance away from Inaba, it was...unlikely the TV world would throw her out there. Small chance, not impossible.

Naoto closed her eyes, exhaustion taking hold over her for a while. She could only lie down, try to recover her strength. It’d be a while before she felt strong enough to investigate her surroundings. Lying there, with the sea right there, listening to the sounds of nature around her.

...

...it was...so quiet...

You’d think there’d be seagulls. There were none. That was unusual...

She still was pondering the lack of noise when she felt something prodding the side of her ribs. She’d have protested, but that she heard a voice made her listen.

“An unknown lifeform has washed up. Snaktooth truly continues surprising me. It doesn’t seem related to the Bugsnax, nor shows signs of snakification. Perhaps I shall preserve its corpse for further study at a later date”

As if this day couldn’t get any stranger, thought Naoto, and that was before she opened her eyes. Once she did she sure didn’t know what to think. The purple pill-shaped creature nudging her with their foot wasn’t a Shadow, nor seemed...ready to kill her. Just curious.

Floofty, seeing the thing they were investigating was alive, sighed with something startlingly close to disappointment. “Oh. It’s still alive. Regardless, it holds no relation to Bugsnax” they stared at Naoto for a bit longer before seemingly making a decision and walking away, paws clasped behind their back.

Seriously? This person had considered dissecting her or something and then lost all interest a moment later? This had to be a joke! Naoto scrambled up to her feet, trying to reach Floofty. They looked back at her, not even stopping their strolling down the coast. Even though she saw a spark of interest Naoto couldn’t get them to slow down!

“Wait! I need information!”

Not even that got Floofty to stop. They continued their walking in direction of a ship not too far away. “I didn’t expect communication from you, but I have no time for distractions”

It wasn’t the first time Naoto encountered someone unwilling to talk. A lot of people tend to be reluctant to talk to detectives, after all. “I’ll take a minute of your time and then I will leave”

“No. Unless you have information related to the field of gastroentomology I will ask you to leave me alone”

“Gastroentomology? Do you mean insects in nutrition?”

That got Floofty to stop. For a brief moment they considered walking away, that much was obvious. Apparently having decided it was worthwhile to talk to Naoto, they turned around, cautious: “Consider me pleasantly surprised. You actually figured out what the term meant”

“...is that something to praise?” To Naoto it seemed common sense as long as you knew a smattering of English. She was seriously overestimating any regular person’s understanding of prefixes, especially as a second language!

“You’d be surprised. Hmph. This creature of unknown origin can figure it out yet the average grumpus can’t” Grumpus...was that this person’s species? Once Naoto asked for confirmation about that, Floofty looked quite pleased! “And you used basic logic to infer that one out without needing me to spell it out. What a pleasant turn of events! Perhaps I can allow myself to talk to you for a while longer”

And so Naoto Shirogane met Floofty Fizzlebean.

.......

There’s a certain resourcefulness in turning everything and anything into an opportunity for research. That seemed to be something Floofty was able to do well. Even though there was a specimen of a completely different sapient species their focus was on how they could use her in their research of Bugsnax.

Naoto quickly noticed that and decided to take advantage of it. This was her chance! What followed was an exchange of questions and answers, both of them gaining information they needed. The detective focused on questions about the world she was in now, the scientist on general knowledge about the human’s health. It was a mutual understanding that, unbeknown to them at the time, set a solid base for mutual respect.

Floofty quickly reread their notes, approving their own findings. “Alright, that’s enough. I believe I have a good idea of your general health state. Your cooperation is...valuable”

“I should thank you as well, Fizzlebean. Your answers have been quite enlightening” Naoto said pleasantly, yet she couldn’t keep her expression from clouding over when she added the next part. “I cannot believe I find myself trapped here...but there’s no time for feeling sorry. I must find solutions”

“Fair attitude to have. I have no time for anyone wallowing in their own self-pity” Floofty dragged closer a chest that was presumably full of Bugsnax. At the sight of it Naoto turned away, pretty unsure of how she felt about the weird food insects that were all over the island. It seemed so unnatural, but then again...this was a whole other world. Perhaps things aren’t as unnatural as she thought at first.

“...what are you planning?”

“I have plenty of data about the effect of Bugsnax on grumpuses, but I have none about their effect on other lifeforms, and since you’re the only wildlife I have seen around here let us begin”

So that was it, they wanted her to eat Bugsnax. Naoto wasn’t against the idea – the effects were weird but she believed Floofty would have noticed something if Bugsnax were dangerous – but she wasn’t eager to cooperate. Adjusting her hat, she tried to bargain. The less she had to transform into food, the better!

“I’m not saying I won’t cooperate with your research, but it won’t come for free”

“You can’t be serious” they immediately got annoyed at Naoto’s demand.

“I ask for your assistance. I must find my friends and return home”

“I have no time to waste working on a situation that may prove unsolvable”

Naoto stubbornly refused to think it was unsolvable. No way it was! “I will be willing to trade a day of my time for an hour of yours. That’s all I ask for”

It was a ridiculous request! No way they could accept it! Yet Floofty found themselves unable to say no immediately. They didn’t want to admit that testing snakification on the human could give valuable data they wouldn’t get any other way. That Naoto tried to limit things to one hour in exchange for one day of cooperation was...appreciated, yet annoying somehow. This human was trying to take control, that was it. “...fine. I accept your terms as long as you offer your complete cooperation”

“I won’t disappoint”

“Good! Now that we have reached an agreement we shall get started with the experiment. Some time ago I prepared a menu in case I captured a potential test subject that wasn’t a grumpus, you see”

Captured...? It made it sound like Floofty had been waiting the chance for some animal to fall into a trap or something. Uf, this scientist really was eager to do anything to advance in their testing. That was a little scary. Floofty opened the chest, taking out a Red Banopper.

These were going to be interesting days, thought Naoto.

-oooooo-

“Naoto. How many Snax did Floofty make you eat?” Yu asked harshly. This Floofty person had filled his friend with Bugsnax. While he understood Naoto accepted because she believed it was her best chance to gather information and force Floofty to help her, it just didn’t sit right with him!

“Seven in total. I believe you can imagine how much of my body has changed” Naoto admitted.

“...seven...” This was like with Wiggle all over again. Naoto’s limbs probably had almost nothing left by now! Thankfully the detective was taking it all rather calmly, but if Floofty decided to try to do the same thing to him then he was going to refuse right away!

“Are you okay? That’s way too many Bugsnax!” apparently Kanji thought the same, because he sounded about ready to go and break into Boiling Bay to tell Floofty what was what!

Which was why Naoto hurried to calm them down, conciliatory: “It’s fine. I know I’m making Fizzlebean sound ruthless, but they’re more careful than you’d think. Wouldn’t it make sense to be careful with a valuable test subject?”

“I guess you’re not wrong...” Yukiko accepted.

“Fizzlebean won’t risk losing me”

“Ain’t you being too kind to her?” Kanji really didn’t seem to be convinced at all!

“Fizzlebean said it themselves. I think they truly believe it” Perhaps Naoto intended to use the fact she was an extremely rare and unknown lifeform to ensure her safety. Clever! But also something that relied on she being right. If Floofty was being dishonest then she was just getting herself in danger by cooperating in those experiments! “Just like we’re giving Rise the benefit of doubt by believing she can deal with Cromdo Face; believe I know what I’m doing!”

“Naoto-kun, we’re just worried” Chie said.

“Thank you. I mean it, thank you, but I will be fine”

“Did you at least get what you wanted?”

“In fact, I did. It’s thanks to them that I managed to get in contact with you all”

-ooooo-

Truthfully, Naoto hated she told Floofty so much about the circumstances, especially because they sounded so fantastical! Even though she modified it to hide the most unbelievable facts what remained continued to be hard to swallow, especially to someone as logical as Floofty. Naoto’s tale was that she came from another world, one populated by humans where grumpuses didn’t exist at all, and that during an exploration she had encountered the stone door. That upon crossing it she found herself here.

As Floofty put it: ‘It sounds like you’re regurgitating a cheap fictional story to me’. Naoto couldn’t blame them for thinking that. There was only one thing someone like Floofty would believe: hard proof.

And hard proof is what detectives present.

The agreement was that Floofty would give an hour of their time. Taking advantage of that was easy enough – all she had to do is make Floofty accompany her to the stone door she mentioned. Making sure to keep herself hydrated and to not have a suffocating jacket on, Naoto guided Floofty through the cave, down to the doorway attached to the rocky wall. “Here it is. This is what I mentioned”

“Intriguing! Looks like you weren’t delirious from the heat”

“Were you considering that?”

“My thought is that you weren’t used to the heat emanating from the fondue, meaning it was making you hallucinate. Clearly such a thought wasn’t accurate” they extended a paw, touching the rough carvings, regretting it immediately, the sensitive pad on the center of the palm feeling the brunt of the heat. “I cannot deny the existence of this door. Shall we open it?”

“No!” Naoto shouted. “You can’t!”

“Why not?”

Because it was incredibly dangerous! She had no idea if someone without a Persona would get attacked in the TV World nowadays, but there was no reason to risk it at all. No way she could say that, though! So instead she came up with a new excuse: “It’s heavy. We may not be able to open it”

“Nonsense. You have here the way to return home and you’re not taking it?”

“I won’t go back without my friends”

Okay, Floofty couldn’t really criticize that part. They looked at their paws, slowly closing them into fists, thinking. “You fool; you should at least find out if it will be possible in the future to go back. If we can make it open at all you know you have this option”

“...I suppose you have a point there” Naoto acknowledged. Besides, having it open even a little bit could prove pivotal in the future once she tried to return with the rest. The less time they spent struggling to open the door, the better!

“Now soak my paws”

Soak the...oh! Right, so the moisture will provide some protection against the heat on the stone. “It’s not going to last long”

“You underestimate how this fur traps moisture. Grumpuses sink in water” Oh. So their fur traps the water and makes them sink, alright. Satisfied, Naoto made sure to soak her own hands and did the same to Floofty. The scientist seemed quite pleased Naoto obeyed without question – and even more pleased she understood why they made such a request. Once they gained some protection against the high temperature they tried to worm their fingers between the frame and the slab of stone, Naoto having far more success.

Between the two of them they pushed, trying to dislodge it even a little bit until, with a sound like the earth itself creaked and threatened to fall apart, the stone door moved just an inch. Water trickled through the gap, forming a river that evaporated almost instantly once it moved down the rock, but it was enough to give Naoto some hope! She’d be able to go back if in the future they managed to open the door enough! “Water...?” Floofty looked through the gap.

They couldn’t see much, just blackness.

“We should leave” Naoto said, seeing no more reason to stay and risk Floofty stepping foot into the TV World. Apparently understanding there was no point in trying to sneak in there given Naoto wouldn’t let her, Floofty nodded, rubbing her paws together. Water dripped from her fur.

“Well then. Let’s leave before I spontaneously combust”

“...tell me you’re not being literal with that” Naoto hoped. If she were talking to anyone else she’d say that was a joke, but Floofty didn’t seem the sort of person that’d be telling jokes!

“Heheheh...” Floofty actually laughed. Huh. Maybe they weren’t as humorless as Naoto had thought. “Grumpus fur is flammable. It will catch fire if in contact with sources of extreme heat or with fire. The oils covering every strand of our coats are what gives it flammability, but it also means we have protection as the oils burn up, giving valuable time to correct the situation. It’s the same reason why we soak up water – the oils trap water and...”

Naoto listened to every word, actually very interested in finding out more. Grumpuses were interesting creatures! And, somehow, despite having no similarities to humans their society seemed to be similar to human society. Naoto couldn’t help it: she found herself more and more interested in this world, and Floofty in turn didn’t mind answering Naoto’s inquiries, most likely because the detective tried not to ask stupid questions.

They were getting along well. Far better than either of them expected, truthfully.

It was thanks to that budding friendship that Floofty decided to take the leap and make contact with Snorpy just a day later.

........

Making the trip to Snorpy’s cabin in Sugarpine Woods to take him to Boiling Bay took far more than just one hour. It also didn’t help that, along on the way back, Floofty encountered someone they hadn’t seen before, a purple grumpus they would have remembered seeing at any point of their lives. Just what she needed, someone seeing them and Snorpy. Fortunately their brother wasn’t really willing to talk to the journalist, both of them just giving a borderline hostile glance while they crossed the town.

“...not looking forward to talking to those two” Camembert Pricklyrind muttered to himself while the Fizzlebean siblings hurried to get onto the pathway to the beach. A third grumpus he hadn’t met before – Chandlo – walked by, keeping his distance from them.

“Sorry, bro, they’re in a hurry. It’s nothing personal” he apologized on their behalf. All Camembert could do was accept the apology, really.

Floofty had been largely quiet, refusing to tell Snorpy why they’d make the trip all the way to the base of the mountain to get him. He knew they wouldn’t do that for any banal reason! Floofty Fizzlebean, making social visits? Yeah, right. Which was why, after some prodding from Chandlo and an offer to go with them – offer Snorpy accepted immediately, much to Floofty’s chagrin – he went with his sibling. By the time they all got to the wooden barricade dividing the coastline he just had to ask. “Alright, now that we have gotten this far I must insist: what are you scheming?”

“I’m not scheming anything, brother. I’m not playing along with your spying games; I have told you that before”

“And as usual I respond with your track record. Need I remind you who got me blacklisted from my line of work?”

Floofty bit back the response they could have given to that about how Snorpy got himself blacklisted for accusing the head dean of being part of a grand conspiracy in the university all because they financed one of Floofty’s more...dubious research projects. While Chandlo comfortingly patted Snorpy’s back, Floofty opened the barricade, hoping Naoto had obeyed and stayed in the shipwreck.

There she was! The human waited, writing notes about Bugsnax. Floofty, seeing fit not to say anything, just turned to Snorpy and Chandlo, who stared at Naoto with horror and pleasant surprise, respectively.

Turns out they really should have said something! “Floofty, science has gone too far! I don’t know what sort of horrendous crime against grumpkind you have here, but you must stop right now!” That got a wince from Chandlo, who mumbled ‘oh, bro’ under his breath.

And of course, Snorpy’s accusation didn’t go unnoticed to Naoto. “Who are you calling a crime against grumpkind?!” she shouted, greatly offended!

Floofty sighed. “As usual you jump to the worst conclusion possible, Snorpington! Shirogane, I’m leaving the explanation to you. Clearly my obtuse brother will refuse to listen to me”

“Let’s just get this over with...” this was going to go either really badly, or really well. She couldn’t tell.

Despite being a good detective, Naoto sometimes had trouble getting others to listen to her and take her seriously. Usually it was due to her age, sometimes because she was a woman. This time, though, she suspected it was more because of Snorpy’s paranoid nature. Even though Naoto explained her situation, the inventor kept looking down his nose at her, clearly waiting for the chance to pick at any weak points, or even at anything that looked remotely suspicious.

Truthfully, if Chandlo hadn’t been there, trying to convince Snorpy would have gone nowhere. “We gotta help her!” Chandlo proposed. “Snorpdawg, we can’t do nothing!”

“Thank you” Naoto was glad someone was willing to listen to her without any presumptions!

“Let’s check out that door!”

“Chandlo, are you sure? We don’t know what may happen” Snorpy argued.

“Bro, I dunno what’s gonna happen but I wanna help if I can. Wouldn’t be right if we did nothing!”

Snorpy seemed quite torn. Chandlo asking him was pretty much the best way to get through the dense mire of distrust. He was capable of saying no to Chandlo, but it took effort to do such a thing! Which was why, after some consideration, he nodded. “Alright. I accept. So you say you want to get in contact with your peers beyond the door?”

“Would you be able to help?” Naoto asked.

“I may be able to. Allow me to examine this...door you mentioned”

Truly, it was really lucky Chandlo had decided to tag along. He managed to open the stone door enough for more water to come out, showing darkness in the distance. For a moment all three grumpuses and Naoto stared at the endless expanse beyond until, feeling a shudder, Naoto requested the door to be closed. “I have a very bad feeling about leaving this open. I fear for our safety”

“That’s where you come from?” Snorpy asked.

“...it’s a long story”

Story that couldn’t be told in the middle of a cavern full of red hot fondue! The stone door was closed until it was just a sliver – enough for Snorpy’s radio transmitter to work. He had suggested creating such a device to get in contact with other humans beyond that door. It was the only potential way to maybe get in touch with the rest of the Investigation Team, she thought!

Her theory was that Rise Kujikawa would detect the transmission with her Persona. Once Rise detected it she could reach out to everyone else and that’d be all. The team would be back together in no time! That was why the message Naoto and Snorpy sent two days later was so simple and in Japanese:

‘Rise-san, this is Naoto Shirogane. Can you send a message back if you can hear me?’

Simple, straightforward, and it left no room for confusion.

That was why it was surprising to her the response, obtained a couple days later wasn’t one she expected at all!

‘Who are you?’

The contents of the response weren’t what surprised Naoto the most. It was the voice. That was, undeniably, Snorpy’s voice! Then there was the fact that simple message was accompanied with others, less defined words, like Snorpy had changed his mind about what to say and closed communications without even saying more than a couple syllables. Some of them even had a murmur in the background that sounded like Chandlo! Countless transmissions, one after another, so many Naoto had to stop listening after a few minutes because it was getting overwhelming!

Overwhelming and useless. None of them so far had sounded like her friends at all.

.....

“It’s impossible this is Snorpy playing a practical joke on you”. That was what Floofty had said and Naoto was inclined to believe them. It had been just a few hours since they heard that smorgasbord of random sounds, yet there was no doubt: those had been Chandlo and Snorpy’s voices.

The tip of the pencil crumbled slowly the more they tapped it against their notes. Floofty just couldn’t focus, their mind kept wandering towards everything that involved the human. They seriously underestimated the oddities the human’s circumstances would have. Even though they had sat down to continue planning the specifications of the procedure to cut their leg off for testing, instead they kept thinking about the human’s mysteries.

If they didn’t know better they’d think they were concerned for Naoto!

In twenty minutes they hadn’t written not even a single word related to the procedure. Behind them, Floofty could hear Naoto slowly pacing around in silence. The only sounds were the sounds of Naoto’s steps and the pencil tapping against the notepad.

Meanwhile, Naoto was deep in thought. Those messages just made no logical sense.  Either there was something she had neglected to notice, or...maybe...something completely outlandish was happening right now. After the serial murder case that involved a culprit throwing people inside TVs she was willing to entertain the possibility that unexplainable and potentially supernatural happenings were involved. The problem was that it was hard to know where to even begin thinking about it!

“Am I interrupting something?” an unknown voice asked from outside the shipwreck.

Floofty stood up so quickly from their seat, hiding their surprise behind indignation. The journalist! That accused journalist had gotten there somehow! “What are you doing here?!” they demanded to know, walking to Camembert as if that’d hide Naoto at all. Too late! Camembert was staring right at Naoto, who hadn’t even given any reaction. She didn’t even look up from her pacing around!

“The...the door was open” Camembert said, eyes locked onto Naoto. Floofty groaned, an almost animalistic frustrated growl erupting from them.

“Those two! They must have left the door ajar!”

“...hello?” Camember ignored Floofty and tried to step towards Naoto; the scientist blocking the way and trying to push the journalist away.

Naoto kept seeing only sand and her own feet, immersed in so many outlandish theories she couldn’t take seriously no matter how hard s. Okay, supposing those really were Snorpy and Chandlo then what did it mean...? What if those had been their Shadows?

...no, probably not. People’s other selves tended to be far more direct. That was what the rest of the Investigation Team said about Shadow Selves, including Naoto’s own. She only saw her own, so she doesn’t have that much reference. In that case...did that mean it wasn’t that? Could it really be Snorpy and Chandlo themselves, pranking them?

“There’s nothing to be seen here! Now leave!” Floofty pushed Camembert away so noisily it was impressive Naoto wasn’t reacting at all to that!

“You really expect me to leave when you have an unknown creature here?” Camembert’s curiosity was flaring! He couldn’t even say it was professionally motivated, he just wanted to find out about the strange lifeform he had seen!

Naoto frowned. It had been those two’s voices, Floofty had confirmed it as well. If they asked those two about these transmissions they most likely would say they hadn’t made them, whether it was because they truly knew nothing or because they were messing around. In that case, what would explain...

...

From the corner of her eye she could see Floofty and some other grumpus talking. Their fur tones were so similar...it brought a possibility to mind. Outlandish, ridiculous, and completely wrong in virtually all contexts, but in this case...

“...alternate...worlds...?”

There were so many transmissions. That meant countless alternate worlds out there – but that was impossible! Such a possibility was beyond impossible! Yet she couldn’t just ignore it.

Floofty heard Naoto mutter that and turned around, not understanding what Naoto meant with that, but the expression of befuddlement was enough to make them wonder what had happened.

-ooooo-

“I was almost ashamed of having thought of alternate worlds as an answer. I cannot deny it any longer, though, our testimonies confirm we are all in different versions of the same world” Naoto concluded. Yu had to admit that seemed to be the case, indeed. It was the only explanation!

Yosuke still sounded unsure about it all when he argued: “You said there were a lot of messages. Does that mean there are countless worlds out there?”

“But there’s only one human world. It’s not like leaving the TV World throws you into a different version of the same world...” Rise agreed with those who weren’t convinced yet.

Yukiko hummed thoughtfully. “Unless we all always arrived to a version identical to the one we left”

“Wait, no! There’d be a ton of Shadow Selves, right? But there’s only one, guys” Chie pointed out.

There just were too many problems and issues with the parallel worlds theory. Even worse: no matter what theory they crafted with this the odds they’d be wrong in some way were incredibly overwhelming. They’d be lucky if they figured out anything about this. Not that it stopped them from trying, though!

Naoto, having been the one to bring up this, already had a more solidified idea of how it all worked. “My theory is that there’s only one single Shadow Self per person. Given your Shadow dies as well if you die, it wouldn’t make sense if there were countless worlds and Shadow Selves out there”

“But we’re all in different worlds. We already kinda decided that” Yosuke said.

“Indeed – which is why I believe something very wrong is happening here in this grumpus-filled world’s collective unconscious”

“You mean something happened that broke this grumpus world into many iterations?” Yu asked. Did that even make sense? He had no way to know – this was unprecedented in every way, at least to him!

“Yes. There are two facts that are even more alarming, though”

“Could it be that we’re all separated?” Chie asked.

“...no, although that is indeed a matter of concern. I’m talking of two facts that should make us wonder how much trouble we’re in” Naoto said. She sounded like she was giving a presentation, presumably in front of a group of police officers. Calm, clever, and trying to focus on facts. It was easy to want to believe in every word she said, certain everything she was saying was the product of a lot of thinking and investigating. “Some of you mentioned you tried to open the doorway and found it was almost impossible alone”

“Yeah, what the hell was up with that?” Kanji inquired. He hadn’t tried to open his door because it was underwater but he had a feeling it’d be useless anyway.

“The second point is that Rise-san sensed something in the area around the stone door, back in the TV World. At first I thought perhaps what she had sensed was the door, but now...”

“Yeah, about that, I dunno what was that” Rise said. “I sensed something ginormous! Something really big, way bigger than a silly little door”

They could all hear Yosuke shift uncomfortably wherever he was seating, unsure if he should ask, but there was little point in not doing so: “You guys think all this is happening because of something or...someone?”

“Like another god?”

“Not another one!” Kanji groaned. “Are we really gonna have to fight one every few months?”

“We don’t know yet what it is!” Yu tried to calm them down. “It’s too early to jump to conclusions, but it doesn’t matter what it is. We’ll overcome this together, like we always do”

Naoto was so glad Yu intervened before everyone could start grouching about how there was a good chance once another god was causing havoc. True, this time they stumbled upon it instead of it causing trouble in Inaba for whatever reason, but still... “Thank you, senpai. Regardless, if these problems are caused by something in this world’s collective unconscious then it must be immensely powerful. We’re talking of something that divided a world into countless iterations, for unknown purposes. There’s no way to know with certainty when exactly that happened, but it probably was around three days before our arrival”

“Why three days?”

“Because all the worlds are identical. Everyone is already on Snaktooth, and any differences before we got here are so minor they’re inconsequential. Also, Mr. Pricklyrind told me he chose what color to dye his fur two days before he got here” And seeing how he was of a different color in every world...Naoto was probably right.

“Guys! Isn’t that bad? Because that means we got trapped here by something in the TV World!” Rise said. Right! If something opened the door and separated them all into different worlds that meant they were all right where whatever did it wanted them. Still, there was one big enigma, one Yu wasn’t too sure had an answer yet:

Did any of that have anything to do with the feeling something was going to happen on Snaktooth Island at some point?

There simply were no easy answers to be found – the silence spoke volumes. Nobody had any idea how to proceed, or what their immediate plan should be. All they knew was that there was a good chance the cause behind all of these problems was far more daunting than any of them had imagined at first.

Naoto was the one to break the silence, ready to continue her story: “Anyway! We need more information. For now let’s focus on investigating the Bugsnax. We have to both solve that mystery and once Senpai and Kanji-kun can enter their doors we will solve the issue in the TV World. I have some more information you’ll want to hear”

-ooooo-

It was pointless to try to hide Naoto’s existence from the journalist even though Floofty would have loved to. Naoto could imagine that somewhere on their forehead a vein pulsed every time Camembert asked questions about the human, and even more when he asked if they’d be willing to return to town. There had been no stupider question than that one! No, no, and a thousand times no – not only they had more research to make, they couldn’t just skulk into Snaxburg with a cryptid in tow!

Which was why it was even more disappointing when Naoto readily said that yes, she’d like to go to Snaxburg. “Are you insane? Why would you want to go be seen by everyone and be gawked at?”

“I’m used to being under scrutiny. I don’t care what they will think”

“While I can respect your indifference I must insist. You will only hinder your own investigations and, more importantly, mine. We’re not returning to Snaxburg”

“Mr. Pricklyrind will be disappointed”

“That obnoxious journalist can bemoan his luck all he wants. We cannot afford to step foot into town just yet. Not until I exhaust all avenues of research here”

Naoto certainly didn’t want to get in the middle of Floofty’s research, which was why she took a decision: if Floofty didn’t want to return to Snaxburg then that was fine. She wouldn’t force the scientist to come along. However, her decision was clear: thanks to Camembert she had a way of joining the population of the town without much hubbub. True, his suggestion was to be guided at midnight when nobody else would be around and be taken to his airship, where she could lodge in while he investigated on her behalf. The airship was on the way out of town, being seen there was unlikely and would give her enough space to make her own boards and writing. Not too bad of an arrangement, if a little lonely.

“Alright then. Thank you for your hospitality, Fizzlebean. I’ll leave now”

“Don’t be foolish! You cannot leave just like that!”

Naoto put her hands on her hips and sighed. Truthfully, she didn’t feel all that sure this was the right move, but as she saw it, this was her only choice. “I know I’m taking a gamble here. The issue is leaving the bay is the only way I can see to make progress. If I stay, I believe I won’t get any closer to getting home or solving any mysteries”

That was a perfectly respectable reason, Floofty knew it. Why were they protesting this much? They should just let Naoto go and get themselves into a whole world of trouble. It was none of their business.

...were they concerned? Why would they be concerned? Why would they have to care about what Naoto Shirogane does or doesn’t do?

It didn’t matter. Naoto was already making her way towards the barricade. Camembert would presumably be on the other side of that wall, waiting for her to hear her decision. It was too late for any objections.

That night Naoto Shirogane left Boling Bay, prepared to face Snaxburg. Floofty was left behind, alone with their experiments. Fine, perhaps this is fine! Perhaps now they could focus on writing the parameters for their snakified leg amputation project! They still had a lot of testing to do regarding the nature of snakification. There was no time for doubts!

It was past midnight when Camembert guided Naoto into Snaxburg, hurrying her through the side of the village, as far away from sight as possible. He couldn’t risk someone being awake and looking out of their huts! Silently, Naoto ran behind Camembert, led down the fence and towards the rock wall and behind the latrine and gazebo, until they reached Wambus’ garden. Naoto’s heart was hammering in her chest, it felt like she was trying to sneak past a lot of Shadows! There was absolutely no danger, yet she still acted like at any moment something would kill her! As usual, Naoto was taking everything very seriously.

“...sorry for asking but are you okay?” Camembert whispered while Naoto crouched and ran by the garden. Naoto simply gave him a bemused stare, index finger pointing upwards at the airship. The unsaid question was clear: ‘do we move now?’ “Alright. Come on”

Only when she was safely in the airship she allowed herself to relax. Naoto sat on the bed, taking off her cap and shaking her head. “I almost cannot believe I managed to get here without being noticed. Is it really feasible for me to hide here, unseen?”

Camembert stood at the rudder, spinning it with carefree abandon. “Long-term it probably won’t work – which is why I think we should show you to everyone. We better not mention Floofty, though. I understand they don’t have the best reputation around here, so...”

“If Mr. Fizzlebean’s reaction is any indication they’ll think my existence violates some sort of major ethical treaty”

“Exactly! That’s part of why I offered to house you here for a while. This way we can make sure everyone links your presence to me instead of Floofty”

Oh, that made sense. It seemed this journalist was cleverer than she gave him credit for. In a way he reminded her of Yosuke – comparison that felt stronger when Camembert said that he didn’t mind giving the airship residence to her. That sort of generosity really was like him sometimes.

Lying down on the bed Naoto closed her eyes, thinking about her next moves: first of all she’d have to compose a new message to send with Snorpy. He’d be able to tell best how to both get another Snorpy’s attention and stop him from snooping a little too much. What mattered was that she had to find her friends one way or another.

After that the near future was simple: Naoto would continue her investigations on the state of the world, using Camembert as her proxy. Nothing complicated about it all.

Which was why Floofty Fizzlebean moving back into the town two days later derailed such a plan.

........

Even with Snorpy, Chandlo, and Floofty in the town in addition to everyone else the town wasn’t getting along too well. Wambus and Gramble were once again yelling at each other while Chandlo and Filbo tried to calm them down. Success was debatable. Naoto and Floofty were the only ones who weren’t there and...frankly, after seeing how much of a social dumpster fire that was turning out to be, Naoto was very glad she didn’t accept the invitation. That had been born out of her disinterest in frivolous celebrations with strangers, but still...this didn’t make her very eager to join any future parties.

If she had to choose between not attending the parties and attending just to watch these grumpuses verbally tear each other apart then she’d rather stay away, she thought while she took the tray in direction of the research tents. Two piping hot mugs of coffee were there, held in the usual wooden mugs that seemed to be so common on this island. Ignoring the shouting and pleading going on some distance away from her, Naoto placed the tray on a table near Floofty, the scientist not looking up from their work.

“Here. I found a bag of instant coffee in the mill. It’s going to last a couple days at most” Naoto said.

“Oh. Quite considerate of you. Tonight is another all-nighter for me” they nodded, reading with attention a bunch of notes. “It’s surprising your species drink coffee as well. Its components aren’t agreeable with a wide variety of creatures”

“I’m glad my assumption grumpuses can metabolize coffee was accurate” Not that it was too hard to assume that. Who would pack into the food supplies something that’d harm you? “I noticed the supplies were dwindling, though. They won’t last for more than a couple months”

“You underestimate how much Bugsnax sate us all. I thought by now you’d have noticed” Floofty looked at her for a moment, glancing at all of Naoto’s transformed limbs. There was just one shoulder left, the rest of them turned into food. “But I’ll concede that in the span of the next months we may find ourselves short of some supplies. That’s not as bad of a situation as you may be imagining”

“I thought Snaktooth was in the middle of a major ocean...?”

“All we have to do is reach the mainland. Our ship has been lost, but thanks to the ignoble journalist there is an option available for us. Two or three of our number should go along with him and bring a vessel. Perhaps that singing orange beanpole would be willing to donate some funds to acquiring an airship for our use?” Floofty turned around in their seat, waving a pen around. “Although I imagine the island’s reputation will make it difficult”

“The island’s...reputation?” This sounded like valuable information. The more Naoto knew about this world and its people, the better!

“That’s right. Snaktooth Island is rife with tales about disappearing ships and missing airships. Of course the actual number has been dramatically inflated by the ridiculous gossiping of rags such as the ones Camembert wastes his talents on – but there’s no denying some truth in the disappearances”

“The shipwreck you were living in...that must have come from somewhere” Naoto held a hand to her chin, thoughtful. “The deterioration of the planks proved its age”

Floofty hummed approvingly. This was exactly why they liked Naoto – half of the time they didn’t have to explain things because Naoto caught onto it all with ease. “Well observed, Shirogane. You’re correct, that shipwreck is only one of many I have seen around the island. I also have seen the remains of airships of all sorts of models, both commercial and personal. Still, there’s something very curious about all of them.”

“What is it?”

“The cause of their destruction. I cannot tell what happened with the airships given a fall from the sky would obliterate it all, but the ships...they’re a cite from another thesis, so to say” they chuckled at their comparison. Naoto was pretty sure it was something of Floofty’s own making. “With very few exceptions I couldn’t see any rocks or structures that could break through the hulls of those ships, yet I always found large holes and widespread destruction on the structure of the vessels. Do you understand my point?”

“The cause behind the shipwrecks is unknown!”

“Exactly. It’s irrelevant, though. This mystery has nothing to do with Bugsnax, so I haven’t given it any thought. Regardless, it doesn’t mean anything. There’s proof one can return from Snaktooth Island!”

“Have you gone back to the mainland yet?”

“No. Elizabert Megafig did. She went around talking about Bugsnax – that’s how I found out about them in the first place. I observed in one of her arms the signs of snakification, even if she tried to hide it. See? That’s proof she was here on this island and ate Bugsnax, and it’s proof you can return. I’m not worried at all”

That was undeniable proof, indeed. Naoto sat down nearby, holding her cup of coffee, lost in thought. Okay then, leaving the island seemed possible. Still...she found herself very uneasy thinking about all that. This was information she had to inform the rest about, that was for sure! Tuning out the shouting matches happening some distance away, Naoto took a sip of the coffee, frowning at the taste.

Ugh, this was some deplorable coffee. No wonder it still was left there in the supplies.

......

Naoto took a moment to pause, turning her head around to see the three grumpuses nearby. Camembert was right by her side, translating her every word, although by the look of his face it was pretty clear he was extremely confused. Floofty was leaning their head – or...a third of their entire being, given the way grumpus bodies worked – on their paw, elbow against the surface of the table. They had closed their eyes, obviously listening to everything and most likely forming all sorts of conclusions. Snorpy had stood and walked away, a bit of a thousand-yard stare in his eyes, most likely trying to come to terms with the knowledge parallel worlds existed and there was one human in a few of them.  Oh well. He’d have a lot of time to think about it later. For now the detective turned back to the device, nodding like she was talking to her friends face to face.

“I have nothing else to tell. I hope my experiences will be of value in some way to our investigation”

Because that’s what she intended to do: she intended to try to get to the bottom of the mysteries of Snaktooth. Floofty’s words about the bizarre state of the ships had gotten her attention, and now other pieces from her friends’ experiences only confirmed it: something odd was going on. It wasn’t only her curiosity; it was also concern that this something odd could be impending danger in some way. It was in her nature to not leave any stone unturned. The truth awaited, and if there was one thing the events of the serial murder case in Inaba reinforced in her was her drive to see through the fog of mystery.

She had already told Floofty about her resolve. The scientist had agreed – with the condition she shared with Floofty any findings.

Naoto Shirogane was thriving.

-ooooo-

Naoto’s tale ended there. She hadn’t been kidding, that was valuable information! Yu was feeling chills down his spine, thinking about the implications of what he had heard. One very important fact floated around, waiting to be said aloud – something he did, making sure everyone would realize the same thing:

“The grumpuses are stranded on this island”

With no vehicle to get off the place – the ship having been lost, according to Floofty – everybody here was effectively isolated from the rest of the world. Not only that: communication with the mainland probably was impossible. Yu hadn’t seen anything about telephone lines, or TVs, or anything else like that. Literally the only contact he had heard about was the delivery to the journalist, and that could be explained by Lizbert sending it when she had returned to assemble her expedition.

“Man, that can’t be good” Kanji said. “Can they all even fit on that tiny airship?”

“Yeah, now I’m worried. Guess this means if there’s any disasters coming getting off the island isn’t an option”

“That’ll be fine as long as it’s not the volcano exploding!” Chie cheered.

“That’s right!” Rise agreed. “Let’s throw the pessimism away and do all we can!”

Pretty much anything that was a natural disaster would spell doom – the Investigation Team would be unable to stop it and leaving Snaktooth wasn’t an option unless everyone ran into the TV World, and that was absolutely, definitely not an option. It’d be like jumping off the frying pan and into the fire!

“There’s something else I wanted to comment on” Rise said. Yu could hear the mischievousness in her tone. “Hey, Naoto, are you sure you didn’t socialize with anyone in a friendly manner?”

“I’m afraid I refrained from mingling with the grumpuses. I was nervous” Naoto admitted, much to her shame.

“Then what do you call Floofty? It seems to me you two are friends!”

“What?”

“She’s right! You two are friends. I’m sure you can see that too, right, Naoto?” Yu encouraged. He could imagine her, reluctant to say it like that. Whether it was because she doubted Floofty saw her the same way or because she didn’t want to get attached to anyone on Snaktooth Island wasn’t clear, but it wasn’t hard for them to see Naoto did see Floofty as more than a mere acquaintance.

The detective, not wanting everyone to dwell on that, tried to change topics. “A-Anyway, I think we have gathered a lot of information. What will be our next move?”

Everyone had informed of their situation and brought new information to the table. Even if everyone being in different worlds was something’s way of trying to disrupt them and ensure they’d fall, they were already taking it to their advantage by finding out information separately. All of them were ready to continue their investigation, taking advantage of it all in every way they could.

Now they had a plan of attack, a plan to try to solve the mysteries of Snaktooth Island. Bit by bit they’d tackle what right now seemed like a thick fog enveloping the place and find the truth behind it all. Failure was not an option. The deadline was unclear, adding more urgency.

Yu stood up from his seat, hands onto the edge of the table. Time to remind everyone of their immediate roles in the investigation. “We should hurry as much as we can. Yosuke, talk to Filbo about the taste of Bugsnax”

“I’m on it, partner”

“Chie, try to get Triffany to tell you about the effects of Bugsnax on grave injuries. We need to figure out how much these bugs affect their bodies”

“Sure. I’m gonna have to convince Marbert to help me because Triffany and I can’t talk to each other too well, but I think I can handle it”

“Yukiko, try to find that skeleton you saw. We need its location”

“That’s...very unpleasant, but alright. We must do what we must do”

“Kanji, figure out with Gramble how smart Bugsnax are”

“That ain’t gonna be fast but we’ll get on it right away”

“Rise, try to find out what happened to Lizbert’s ship. Someone must know something. See if you can figure that out”

“Leave that to me, senpai!”

“Naoto, try to figure out a way to get in contact with Teddie. We can’t let him stay missing. He must be in another world; try to get in touch with him”

“Gladly. I already am working on that”

Yes! Everyone was ready to face head on every task given to them. It probably all wouldn’t be solved that same day, though...how long would it be before they got answers? And once they did, how would the investigation proceed?

Well that was something to deal with later.

“I’ll look for Filbo. Making sure he’s okay will be my priority” Yu stated. Now that he knew the rest of the Investigation Team was okay – well, Teddie was still yet to be found but Naoto would look for him – he had to do what he could to try to locate his missing friend. The problem was that what he could do was quite limited. Dagbert and other grumpuses would make sure he wouldn’t go out there by himself, meaning unless someone accompanied him he probably wouldn’t be able to go around and search.

...anything but doing nothing. He wasn’t going to sit aside and do nothing, that much he wouldn’t allow himself to do.

“Someone missin’...that’s giving me a very bad feeling” Kanji said. “You guys think someone threw Filbo into the TV World?”

“No! That’s absolutely impossible!” Chie shouted. They all heard sounds that could only mean she had stood up in a hurry. “Right? Guys, right?”

“...I think it’s unlikely” Yu said. “I haven’t seen any TVs and the only door is the one we came through” He had been at the location where Yosuke and Chie’s doors had been at. No doors had been over there. So unless Filbo decided to go climb the snowy mountain the middle of the night for some harebrained reason he couldn’t be in the TV World!

He...he can’t be there thought Yu although his head betrayed him. Images flashed, one after another: the worst case scenario. The possibility Filbo may have found a way into the TV World one way or another. Him getting attacked by his Shadow. Someone coming across Filbo’s dead body, somehow having appeared amidst tree branches—

“He’s not in the TV World!” Yu whispered, trying to reassure himself. It was simply impossible, but now worry was wringing his heart. He truly wouldn’t be able to rest well until he was sure Filbo Fiddlepie was safe and sound!

“I hope you find him, Yu. Poor guy must be so scared...” Chie said solemnly. Nothing they could do, though. Only Yu could do anything about that disappearance. “Anyway...how will we tell everyone about what we find? Are we gonna have another meeting soon?” Chie inquired. Right, they already had a way to contact each other but it was going to be

“I don’t think we need more for the time being. In fact, I have an idea” Naoto replied. For a moment Yu heard her turn and say something to somebody else – all he managed to catch was ‘snap out of it— ‘. A whole, endless-seeming minute of silence ensued while she discussed the matter with someone else, until she finally returned. “Mr. Fizzlebean informs me the radio devices have recording functions. Ask him to set it up so the device will make a recording whenever one of us speaks into the microphone”

“Woah, do you really trust that guy with that? He’s gonna get all the wrong ideas” Yosuke objected.

“Despite his...proclivities I believe he’s trustworthy. Unless you angered him he should agree with this simple request”

Alright! Last Yu checked, Snorpy didn’t dislike him. He just suspected him heavily, insisted in giving a hug, and avoided him like Yu was going to jump and try to knock him out the moment he turned his back. There he was going – from the corner of his eye Yu could see Snorpy and Chandlo talking and someone knocking the door downstairs. Chandlo left first, Snorpy following after giving Yu a glance he hurried to disguise with his hat the moment Yu turned his head to meet his eyes.

“...I’ll...get back to you on that one” Yu said into the microphone. With some luck Snorpy would be so paranoid he’d accept to record them because he’d want proof of Yu’s activities. Not the best case scenario, though!

“Alright! I think it’s about time we return to our daily lives. I’m so glad to have talked to you all. I was...not gonna lie, I was freaking out about maybe not hearing from any of you ever again” Yosuke confessed. That was a sentiment most of the Team could agree with!

“Same. It’s so scary to be the only human around here...” Chie murmured.

“But we got in touch! And no matter how far away we’re from each other, we’re friends” Yukiko reminded them.

“Even If we’re worlds apart!” Rise agreed.

“Come on, guys, you can’t go around getting mopey all of a sudden. It’s scary but it ain’t anything that’s gonna beat us” Kanji said. He sounded like he didn’t doubt that in the slightest! That confidence was very welcome, that was for sure! So welcome Yosuke had to try to laugh it off, disguising that momentary confession with forced cheer:

“Yeah, you’re not wrong! Compared to the things we have dealt with the distance isn’t that big of a deal!”

Naoto seemed approving: “That’s right. Let’s trust in each other and work separately. I’m sure we’ll all be looking forward to any information each of us will get”

That was it. The meeting was over. One by one the members of the Investigation Team left, until Yu was left alone. Slowly and deliberately he pushed the microphone away, to the other edge of the table. Yu exhaled, trying to get comfortable in his chair, and draped an arm over the chair. This was a very productive meeting, one full of all sorts of information. He’d have to make notes; this was starting to be too much at once.

The thing was...when he put all that information together he seriously didn’t like how things looked – especially because right now it seemed there was one thing most of it revolved around:

Bugsnax.

He hadn’t been planning to eat them, but after that meeting any desire to give them a try were completely gone. True, not every clue his friends found was related to them, but maybe, just maybe, it was matter of time before he found some sort of connection.

Well, no proof yet Bugsnax were harmful or dangerous. They were sort of sketchy now, but nobody was in danger, he thought.

For now.

Standing up, Yu decided to get started. First of all he had to ask Snorpy to record any messages, and then...!

...

He had no idea what else to do.

Yu Narukami had to figure that out.

-ooooo-

Snorpy observed the Charmallow the journalist was holding towards him. Beside him, Chandlo observed it with some interest – he wasn’t that fond of marshmallows but he did like sweet stuff well enough! His cinnamon dough arms and the honey dippers forming his legs proved it – although, to this marshmallow insect’s credit, eating it probably wouldn’t make you drip honey everywhere you walked by. Cleaning the floorboards from all this sticky honey the dippers were coated with was hard work! At this rate he’d gain even more muscles just by leaving the floors spotless!

“I see your covert espionage has given you valuable information” Snorpy admitted, taking the Charmallow. Dagbert held back a sigh.

“I just took a guess. It’s nothing”

“Calm down. I don’t trust you, but I won’t be rude and reject your gift! And it’s absolutely not because my sweet tooth keeps betraying me, nope, not at all!” It totally was that. How transparent! “But good things don’t come for free. What do you want?”

Dagbert looked upwards, towards where Yu presumably was at. These floorboards weren’t soundproof in the slightest, were they? Better lower his voice. “I want information about the human. Do you know what he has been doing? And what the whole thing with the other humans is?”

Snorpy held the Charmallow like he thought it’d try to fly away. It didn’t, though! In fact, it was so docile anyone would think it had given up completely. “I-I admit I have been keeping tabs on Narukami, but I’m afraid he will be tough to crack. For starters, he speaks a language I don’t know at all”

“Really now?”

“Indeed! I think it’s from another area of the world, but his secrets will be unreachable unless we find an interpreter”

Right. Considering the human’s name Dagbert had a bit of a feeling what it could be. Rubbing the back of his head like he was going to admit something embarrassing, Dagbert whispered: “I think I can speak it. I know four, maybe five languages if I stretch things a bit”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, of course I am! I thought being fluent in other languages would help me as a journalist, you know, for when I have to travel around the world chasing a scoop!” If he was right about what language Narukami speaks, then it would all be fine. “I guess all the time spent on that wasn’t wasted, if only for this moment”

“Perfect! New possibilities have opened!” Snorpy leaned forward to whisper as well. “I have recorded everything they said today. I’ll pass the tapes to you if you promise to inform me about the contents. What do you say, chum?”

As if he was going to say no! Chandlo intervened first, though. “You don’t have to treat Narukami like that! He’s so chill I’m sure if you asked he’d tell you”

“...I know. I want to, but I just...” Dagbert couldn’t even bring himself to say an excuse that wouldn’t make Chandlo – perhaps rightly – criticize his decisions. From above they heard steps going in direction of the stairs: Narukami was done with his conversation. “You got a deal, Snorpy”

“Good to reach an agreement with you!” Snorpy said, a tad louder than needed. For someone trying to disguise the more secretive conversations it seemed he did a terrible job being subtle! “I look forward to cooperating with you in daily mundane matters!”

Dagbert only got to nod before Yu descended the stairs.

Chapter Text

It was unlikely the entirety of this collective unconscious was all flooded and barren like this. It’d be depressing if a world’s other side was so...empty. No, this had to represent some area, Teddie determined.

Mulling things like these were the only thing he could do. Absolutely no way he’d leave the area! Not when his friends had vanished through that strange door!

Teddie had no idea how much time had passed. He was pretty sure it had been several days by now, but it was very hard to track time when there was no sun or no moon or no clocks! Looking upwards, all there was visible to the eye was blackness. That and bubbles suspended in the air.

...those bubbles...they were starting to make him so nervous. Teddie extended an arm like he’d be able to grasp bubbles that were so far from the ground.

Perhaps it was because he was getting used to this place, but he had started to perceive more and more things. For example! This definitely was another world’s TV World. It probably was a very remote place, startlingly close to the human world’s TV World. Quite nice that there was no fog at all, though. Perhaps the people populating this world were more willing to face the truth and avoid nice, comforting lies?

Maybe!

Well, it didn’t matter to him right now. As selfish as it may be, the only thing he cared about right now was that his friends were nowhere to be seen. Teddie had forgotten how it was like to be so...alone. With nobody to talk with, with nobody to share jokes with, or talk about the day, or even see near you. He had gotten so used to the presence of his friends – even to the presence of people! – the absolute absence of people made him feel extraordinarily lonely. It was even worse than when he was just a lonely bear in the TV World, this was beyond painful.

It was...it made him feel like pretty hollow.

“Guys! If you can hear me say something!”

He had shouted that countless times by now, always facing the door, always opening it just a little bit to get his voice through.

While everyone had passed through the door he had stopped, invaded by dread. Then he saw the door closing right in front of his face, sealing everybody else beyond it, away from him! Teddie would never admit how long he spent there, shouting and trying to wrench it open!

Well, no. He’d admit it to them. They’d understand.

.......

Only a few days later Teddie had realized he wasn’t alone. He felt lonely, but there was something else there, something large, something malicious. Something he still couldn’t perceive quite yet, even if he focused and opened his nostrils as much as possible and tried to grasp anything in the air! His train of thought was that if he could catch whatever was here maybe he could get his friends back! Because, obviously, this mystery thing was keeping them imprisoned beyond that stone door. Like, duh!

...easier said than done, though. Still, after much trying, he had started to see something. As expected, it was large. Perhaps larger than Inaba! What he didn’t expect, though, was its form.

Teddie was pretty sure he had seen something like it ever before. It reminded him of mold. That was it! Slime mold! Tendrils of slime mold – hundreds of them, sprawled all over the area, growing in the watery environment, forming hollow hills and mountains so tall he’d never be able to climb them. Veins that looked like they’d stick to his fur if he touched them were wrapped all over the stone door, making it look like it was getting swallowed by a yellowish slime. If he focused he could even see the mold tendrils reaching towards the bubbles in the air!

The problem was that he still couldn’t perceive this thing very well yet. The mold looked blurry, almost static-y, like a TV with bad signal. He could see the colors! He could see its sickly yellow tone, the way it trembled, the...

...

...he...wasn’t very sure, but he thought he had seen eyes on it all sometimes. Googly eyes so big if he extended his arms sideways he’d barely be able to grab the edges.

So many eyes.

......

The mold was getting clearer. Teddie was adapting, his senses attuned to the strange thing that filled this part of this world’s collective unconscious. He still wasn’t sure there were eyes all over the mold, but who knew, maybe there really was.

It was so odd, though...even though he had been here for a while the mold hadn’t tried to do anything about him. Teddie could see the tendrils slithering around; he knew the thing knew he was there, but it was like it didn’t care! Funny that! Not even this weird abomination cared he was here!

That meant nothing would stop him if he wanted to walk away. He’d never do that! But something about that made him feel plain ignored. A few times he thought that maybe if he attacked this weird mold his friends would be back, but if he was wrong and made it upset, well...he probably would be done for. This must be a Shadow of some sort, and you shouldn’t go around angering the Shadows if you could avoid it!

“Now what should I do...?” force the door open? Get into...whatever lies beyond – probably a world? Teddie clapped his paws, psyching himself up. “I’ll make my own way into the world!” since this many-eyed mold didn’t want him to cross that door then he’d make it himself!

With a tap of his foot on the ground Teddie waited to see what happened. Usually that’d open a way into the world, in the form of a TV. And indeed! A red TV appeared, falling into the water. The good news was that it had worked, he had received the entryway into the world he had wanted so badly. The bad news was that it was so small it fit in the palm of his paw.

Well, he tried! Nobody could blame him. Teddie picked up the TV, turning it over and over, and held it to his eye like he thought he’d see someone’s house or something on the other side of the screen. Nothing! It was completely black. Was this even working?

“Hello?!” he shouted at the TV and waited.

...

Nothing. Well, that was a bust.

-ooooo-

Even though the TV does nothing of help Teddie kept it with him at all times. He could carry it around easily, so why not to keep it? It kind of made him feel less alone. Who else would he talk with, the mold?

Speaking of the mold! He could see more of it. The tendrils, thin, spindly and forming webs, indeed reached up to the bubbles, wrapping them so tightly Teddie was sure if he climbed and tried to pry it all away it wouldn’t work! If he tried his hardest to look he’d even see how the tendrils pierced through the surface of the bubbles, reaching towards the center of them. In most bubbles the tendrils were hanging limply inside, but in a few of them...

...the tendrils were imprisoning something. It was vague, he couldn’t perceive it all yet, but there were some dark, blurry shapes inside the bubbles.

“It’s sooooo creepy!” Teddie complained to the tiny TV. “And all the eyes keep looking at me!”

They really did. No matter where he moved, the nearest googly eyes all over the mold kept staring at him, those wide pupils as big as his head following his every move. Teddie waved at one of the eyes, the pupil moving very slightly.

“It’s creeping me out so much!”

The mold tendrils shifted in the flooded space, disgusting slimy sounds bubbling up from the salty water. Teddie slowly moved to avoid being touched by them, as if a single touch would be enough to get him trapped like all the bubbles and the door. It wasn’t even trying to catch him; it was more as if it was shifting positions to get comfortable again! A wide network of mold, all of it trembling and moving a bit! Mountains and plains of it, moving above Teddie, like a spider web trying to get into the best position to catch prey!

“Aw, yuck!”

...as if it was in response, an odd, burbling vocalization reverberated through the TV World. Teddie froze, waiting to see if the mold would do something else, but it didn’t. It resumed its constant staring.

Other than that, it really didn’t seem to even care he was there.

“...what am I even supposed to do...?”

-ooooo-

Unbeknown to Teddie, several days since the Investigation Team’s meeting had passed. Teddie still hadn’t been contacted.

Teddie gazed into the distance. He had walked a bit further away from the stone door, exploring the surroundings a little, making sure not to fall into any of the thick rivulets of slimy mold criss-crossing this part of the TV World. May as well try to figure out how long this thing extended!

Apparently the answer was ‘quite a bit’. Miles, many miles of mold, in the water and high above, clinging to everything, holding onto bubbles both empty and with vague shapes inside. Of course, the extent of the collective unconscious of this world – so close to the human unconscious – had to be so vast he wouldn’t ever be able to return home if he went too deep in there. In the grand scheme of things this mold was taking a tiny, almost insignificant portion of it all.

Not that it made any less true this yellowish monstrosity was way larger than it had any right to be.

Teddie held the tiny TV up, as if he expected to catch signal from it. His thought was that maybe he could get in touch with the Team if he got lucky and managed to talk through a TV near of where they were. What were the odds he’d talk at the right time, exactly when they were walking near a TV? He couldn’t even see into the real world! He couldn’t even hear anything!

“Sensei? Yosuke? Anyone?”

There weren’t even any buttons on the TV, he could do nothing – not that he could have pressed anything so small with his paws! Teddie closed his paws into a fist, making sure not to lose that small trinket-like TV, and looked around, trying to pinpoint where exactly he had come from. No way he could go and lose the stone door!

...

...wait...there was someone else. Someone else was standing there in the middle of the TV World! After who knew how long without seeing anyone...!

The only reason why Teddie didn’t run towards this person was because it probably was someone’s Shadow Self. Unless something really wrong was happening it couldn’t be somebody from the real world. Caution was important right now. Teddie moved forward, towards the silhouette, trying to see the details before getting too close.

...so strange. This wasn’t human, but at the same time Teddie could immediately tell this wasn’t just a Shadow formed from random thoughts and emotions. “Oh, wait...!” What if this was a Shadow who, like him, changed itself until it got a more palatable look for humans? Maybe this even was a Teddie from another world! Yeah!

It was such a nice appearance. Light blue color, a tuft of hair right at the top of the head, and a face that pretty much disarmed you the moment you saw it...huh! This one was just as good as Teddie had been when he changed himself, he thought. Impressive! Now that he was taking a good look at the face, though, he noticed the eyes: the irises were golden. This thing was looking around with a look of confusion, apparently not really understanding how it had gotten there.

No two ways about it: this was someone’s Shadow Self. Alright then.

Teddie decided to back down, not wanting to mess with someone else’s other self. Better go away unseen! Two, three, four steps, splashing water and trying to be as stealthy as possible – not an easy task for a roundish bear like him, but he was trying.

The mold moved first.

Whipping through the air, drops of water splashing around, smattering Teddie’s fur with salty water, forcing him to protect his eyes while the mold slithered and grabbed onto that creature’s Shadow Self. It only got to gasp before the tendrils lifted it up in the air, whisking it out of sight! Vanishing far into the darkness above! Teddie didn’t even want to watch anymore – it was the first reaction the mold had since the Investigation Team had arrived here...and he didn’t like it in the slightest!

He couldn’t stop himself from scrambling and running away from where he had seen that Shadow Self be captured. Eyes followed him while he ran back to the stone door, trembling and struggling to hold onto the diminutive TV.

What was that? What was going to happen to that other self?! He could already picture it: the mold tendrils grabbing him as well and dragging him far into the emptiness above, never to be seen again. What an end for Teddie that’d be!

“Guys! Someone!” he shouted, turning around slowly to make sure the mold wasn’t creeping around him, but no, it still was gripping the stone door like a wax seal. “I dunno what to do anymore!” This was it, he was so lost! Terrified, alone, on the brink of despair, without even knowing what he had just seen—

“...Teddie?”

That voice! A familiar voice! Finally! Teddie located it quickly: it was coming from the TV between his paws. Holding the inch-wide machine up to his ear he waited to see if anything else would be said, but there was nothing.

...may as well shout for help! “Nao-chan! Where are you?”

“It really is you...!” Naoto sounded very relieved.

Everything would be okay now, he thought. With her and everyone else they’d solve any problem that got in their way.

Finally, Teddie saw some hope in the horizon.

-oooooo-

Dagbert watched Yu step out of the mill. Through the window he could see the human going out there and encountering Beffica who, like agreed, waited for Yu to come out. The journalist didn’t really want to think about it, but his mind kept wandering to the human. He kept thinking about how it’s indeed possible he had something to do with the mayor’s disappearance, he kept thinking about the friendship he had been cultivating with the human, he thought about how guilty he felt of even thinking ill of a friend.

“...I feel like the grumpin’ scum of the earth” he muttered, hitting the glass of the window once with his forehead. He just...felt afraid of what he could find out. He never would stop searching for answers, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried.

“Careful with the glass, chum! You’ll scratch it with your teeth” Snorpy had opened the cover of the radio transmitter, revealing the inner workings of the device. A dozen tapes were docked inside. “It’s even worse when you have an underbite like I do”

Dagbert frowned. “How am I even supposed to reply to that?” The less said, the better. Stepping away from the window he turned to the inventor. “Have you heard about what happened today?”

“Chandlo told me all. Filbo disappeared and the town is divided on what to do with Narukami. Quite the rough situation preying on our already fractured society”

“And...what do you think?”

Snorpy’s jaws tensed. “Do you really want to know what I think?”

“Your opinion is as valuable as everyone else’s” Granted, he probably would take Snorpy’s...thoughts with a grain of salt, but may as well ask him.

Snorpy started to eject the tapes. “I trust him as far as I can throw him – which, given how spindly and physically weak I am, is about an inch or two” So that was one person more for the not trusting the human camp. It didn’t really make Dagbert very happy to hear. “I believe you think the same?”

“...yes” Dagbert admitted.

“It’s good to see you have a good head on your shoulders, chum!” Snorpy approached, carrying the tapes full of the humans’ conversation. “Yu Narukami is a walking mystery, and I recommend we don’t let our guard down until that mystery is solved. We have to find out the relation between Narukami and Bugsnax, and take measures to counter any espionage plans he may have”

“Uh-huh?” Dagbert took out his tape recorder, inserting one of them inside and making the tape play. It was working perfectly! Listening to that meeting was going to be a walk in the park!

“My current running theory is that the human receives orders via waves coming from a structure under the surface of this island. To counter it, I—“

“Thanks, Snorpy. I’ll keep an eye out for any rogue waves” Dagbert hurried to say. Right now he was in no mood to entertain one of Snorpy’s outlandish theories. “I’ll keep you posted about what these tapes say”

“Of course you will! I’m looking forward to investigating with you” for someone who had been profoundly distrustful of the journalist not that long ago now he was treating him pretty warmly! And genuinely, too, Snorpy didn’t have not even one deceitful bone in his body—and even if he, he was really bad at being convincing. “Now move along! It’s time for me to make some modifications to the device over here”

Nothing to do, then. Alright. What mattered was that he had gathered some useful tapes. Nowall he had to do was taken the time to listen to it carefully; try to figure out if maybe other humans had kidnapped Filbo or something.

Dagbert had no idea how long it’d take, but it was better than nothing.

Chapter Text

If the growling of his stomach was any indication, it was already past noon by the time he left the mill. His throat felt a little sore from all the talking, but his heart felt lighter – a very heavy worry was taken off his shoulders. Everyone except Teddie had been found and they were all okay. Things should be fine. Now he could focus on the very worrisome issues of Filbo going missing, and of the mystery hanging over the island. Even though it was starting to get late he wanted to do something about it. Before exiting the mill, he had asked Dagbert if he could take him around to search for the mayor, but Dagbert had said he had to interview Snorpy.

After all the kindness Filbo had shown him trying to find him was the least he could do. Truthfully, Yu did have all the intentions to listen to his elders and not go get himself in danger. There were reasonable concerns and although he was used to dangerous places here he didn’t have his Persona, therefore he was vulnerable. However, with Filbo out there and possibly in mortal danger he couldn’t just sit around in the town and do nothing.

He had to go out of Snaxburg. Even if all the island’s Bugsnax swarmed him he still wouldn’t back down, he decided. Now, what was a good place to start searching in...?

“Heeeey Narukami~!”

Oh. Beffica saw him. Yu had already decided he’d start by searching Flavor Falls in case Filbo had fallen into another pit, stepping onto the main path that’d led out of the town. All plans derailed when a certain grumpus had decided this was a great time to hassle him, apparently. Hoping he could finish this interaction quickly so he could go search for a while before sunset, Yu turned towards her, aloof.

Not that it deterred Beffica one bit! “Sooo~! How did it go? You were in there for so long! Did Snorpy really find other humans?”

“...yes” he said cautiously. To be honest he had been kind of surprised Beffica hadn’t tried to snoop on that...as far as he knew. Perhaps she had been spying through the window somehow, or hid under Chandlo’s bed or something. He didn’t put that past her!

“That’s great! I’m so glad for you~. Now that you managed to get in touch with your loved ones...can I listen next time you talk to them?”

How brazen! Yu wasn’t sure if it’d be worse to just ask that so shamelessly or to sneak around to spy on you anyway. “Of course not!”

The blunt no certainly didn’t dissuade her. She just scoffed and rolled her eyes, most likely having already expected Yu to take offense. “I figured. Narukami, it’s okay. I can keep secrets. I haven’t told anyone about your little escapade into Triffany’s tent to mess with the skeletons, have I?”

He’d be more willing to give credit for that if it wasn’t for Beffica saying that line right there, in public, without bothering to lower her voice, and in the vicinity of Wambus’ farm. Real subtle! No, this was definitely intentional, Beffica wasn’t so dense she wouldn’t realize she was pretty much giving away Yu’s more dubious actions. Right...! She was trying to pressure him! This was a subtle threat!

No option here: he had to discourage her. Glad he had a face that didn’t betray his thoughts too easily, he shook his head. “Most of us don’t speak the same language as you. You wouldn’t understand anything”

“Wait, seriously? Then what are you speaking now?” Beffica managed to lie a hand on Yu’s shoulder, pulling him downwards so he’d bend towards her. Even though he was a feet taller than her she still managed to make it seem like she was the one taking control of the conversation. “Are you serious?”

Yu nodded. If Beffica had eyebrows she’d be raising them right now, because her grin was as devious as it could get.

“Does that mean you have been, like, spying on us to learn our language or something?” Oh. Oh, she had jumped to the wrong conclusion. “You can’t expect us all to think you knowing it is a coincidence, right?”

...to be fair it really was a truly extraordinary, astronomically unlikely coincidence that, worlds apart, they had the same languages. Yu blinked, trying to figure out how to respond to that. He didn’t get to say anything in response, Beffica let go of him, talking sunnily, as if she hadn’t just brushed against a confusing topic.

“But that’s fine! As long as you guys aren’t planning some sort of, I dunno, alien invasion to take over the world I don’t care!”

“Have you been talking to Snorpy about his theory I’m a superpowerful soldier?” he just had to ask.

Beffica grunted, annoyed. “Can everyone stop comparing me to Snorpy! All I want is to figure out what’s going on with you. So let’s be friends!”

No complaints from Yu, but he said anyway: “I thought you were wary of me”

“Who, me? That’s, like, probably your imagination” There was something amazing in how shamelessly Beffica could say such things to other people’s faces. Still, she seemed to soften: “I have seen how you get along with everyone. Even Wambus likes you! I thought all he liked was dirt and cactuses! So I said to myself ‘Beffie, you need to get some of that friendship’. Who knows...maybe we can make it work”

“I feel bad for Dagbert. I’ll take his spot as your BFF” Yu joked. Truthfully, he still didn’t like Beffica all that much, but if she wanted to try then he was willing to attempt to befriend her. What could go wrong?

Joking with her seemed to be a decent first step, because Beffica chuckled, amused. “That’s the spirit! We so gotta compare notes. I know a peer when I see one – we’re like two peas in a pod, committing B&E and doing whatever we can to get our paws on the scoop”

...he couldn’t deny that. Uncle Dojima would be so disappointed if he knew. “Thank you for not telling everyone about that”

“I won’t tell if you don’t tell! These are international waters – laws don’t apply” she said and winked. Just...just how much invasion of property did Beffica routinely commit?! Despite that, Yu felt a little optimistic. It seemed that Beffica was ready to let her walls down somewhat. She was the last Snaxburg resident he hadn’t formed a social link with yet, and apparently the time was now! Inside him, Yu felt the faint telltale warmth of a new relationship, one he had to make sure to nurture and help grow.

It probably was going to be challenging, but it was worth a try. Beffica extended a creamy paw, dripping thick dollops of cream on the grass. “In case you forgot, I’m Beffica Winklesnoot and I’m the kween~ of this town. Never forget that!”

Yu grasped it, feeling the strangely awkward sensation of getting sweet cream over his hand. “I’m—“

“Oh, I already know plenty of who you are. I just thought it’d be fun to introduce myself again” she said. By now it was pretty clear Beffica was always going to be the one leading the conversation – nothing like a quiet person for her to be able to talk as much as she wanted! “Soooo! Now that we’re friends, let’s share the good stuff: Bugsnax”

As if ‘the good stuff’ could be anything else. As soon as she mentioned Bugsnax Yu’s eyes once again went to the paw oozing cream while Beffica took out a cute-looking Snak the human had never seen before. It didn’t move at all while Beffica showed it to the human, if it wasn’t for the very soft, almost imperceptible murmuring of its name every once in a while Yu would think it was dead. “Look at this beauty: Charmallows are so crispy and sweet. If I were a Snak I’d be one of these”

“I thought you were the one doing the roasting, not the one getting roasted” Yu quipped. Apparently not having expected him to say anything like that, Beffica stared at him, surprised, until she laughed. It was a genuine laugh, one that seemed to surprise even her!

“Okay, you got me! We have been friends for a hot minute and you already know me so well” she said. “Now let’s see...how do we divide this? The toasty parts are soooo good”

It was just as Rise had described: as soon as Beffica made her intent clear, the Snak pretty much fell apart in her paws. The cracker wings and the marshmallows almost fell to the ground while Beffica struggled to catch onto them – tragedy Yu avoided when he caught the bits of chocolate that fell from the Snak. The eyes were the only thing that fell, falling onto the dirt path. Beffica regarded the pieces of Charmallow with interest.

“That solves it”

“...you’re not even wondering what happened?” Yu seriously couldn’t believe how chill Beffica was about it! Had she seen it before?

Apparently not, because she shrugged and pushed some of the marshmallow and crackers onto Yu’s hands. “Hey, there’s a lot we dunno about Bugsnax! But it doesn’t matter as long as they’re tasty! You have to try this one, it’s amazing!” She definitely wasn’t interested in trying to figure out anything, all she cared was how delicious the food insects were. It was that sort of single-minded determination what bothered Yu the most, truthfully!

Yu tried hard not to react badly at getting pieces of Bugsnak in his hands. “I’m not hungry right now” he said, only getting an absent-minded ‘hm?’ in response. He looked up to see Beffica was already devouring her half of the Charmallow, eating it like it’s her first meal in a week! Okay! Maybe while she’s distracted ingesting that thing he could just get away and—

“Give it a try!” Beffica encouraged. She hadn’t heard him just a moment ago. Yu repeated it, hoping Beffica wouldn’t pressure him. She did seem pretty disappointed he wasn’t joining her in enjoying the Charmallow. One of her legs had already transformed, a square bar of chocolate having sprouted from her knee.

Was...was there a grumpus other than Gramble that still had all their limbs intact...? Filbo had said these mutations disappeared after a couple weeks – and that had to be true, that Yu had seen them without a trace of Bugsnax proved it – but it still bothered him.

Sighing and giving up, Beffica gave him a haughty look of pity, as if she was so incredibly disappointed the human still refused to join almost everybody else. “Fine. Let’s talk again when you have some time. And...Narukami, something else”

“What’s it?”

“If you know anything about Filbo going missing please tell us” she looked away. “I don’t like him at all, but...not even him should go missing like Eggabell and Lizbert. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone”

Even Beffica had standards. Having said that – and, unknowingly to Yu, having set the lures to try to dig further into the mystery that was his existence – she left, wobbling a little due to not being used to the shape of her newly-gained leg.

Maybe getting along with her wasn’t so bad, he thought. Dagbert was onto something after all. Even though Yu had felt reluctant about it, perhaps he hadn’t giving her a fair shake, he thought. Oh well. He had stuff to do, and now he had a bunch of pieces of Charmallow to deal with. Yu hurried towards the research tents, intending to hide, away from sight from any grumpuses that’d disapprove the wastefulness of not consuming it.

...one of the tents was open. Not really considering why it was, Yu ran inside, going towards the archaeologist’s half and leaving the pieces on one of the empty tables, a small cloud of dust erupting from the surface. Alright!  Even though he wasn’t grabbing them anymore, his hands felt pretty gross, like a thin layer of slime had settled on his palm.

That was...precisely what had happened: small globs of a weird mush had gotten onto his skin. In the dim lighting of the tent he couldn’t see the details too well, yet he could tell it was viscous and dense. “This can only have come from...!” Yu deduced., taking a good look at the pieces of Charmallow.

At first glance it all looked like common food. The chocolate bars, the large toasted marshmallow, the graham crackers...in the half-light of the tent despite the very large size – that marshmallow was almost as big as his head! -- they all looked normal enough. Fearless, Yu touched the cracker and the illusion was dispelled, so to say:

It wasn’t solid anymore. Instead of a crispy texture Yu felt it was mushy, starting to turn disgustingly wet, bits of mush disintegrating from the pieces of Bugsnax. It wouldn’t have been surprising to feel this on the chocolate bars, but the graham crackers shouldn’t feel anywhere close to this! Disgusted, Yu stepped back, feeling the urge to wipe his hands against something, anything! Anything that could get the disgusting mush off his hand! “Oh, true...” Yu muttered, wiping his hand against the inside of his jacket:

“Apparently if you cook them they turn into flavorless mush, which is really odd. I’m not sure what that means, but it’s strange”

Dagbert had said that. Still...he hadn’t cooked them at all. Was that how Bugsnax decomposed? Was this just rot and decay, or did it mean something else...?

Whatever it was, it happened way too quickly. Yu watched the Charmallow pieces melt, overflowing the table and dripping on the ground, chunky blobs congealing on the dirt. Brown, cream and orange mixed together into a disgusting mixture that would make anyone’s hunger disappear the moment they saw it. Gross... thought Yu. He didn’t even dare touching it, that all looked like it’d never come out of the surface of the table! Spreading, dripping, forming an increasingly viscous puddle, strands hanging from the surface—

“When you’re done staring at that you better clean it”

An excuse to look away! Yu turned his head, ready to ignore the cascading goop. There was a grumpus he hadn’t ever seen before, purple, with glasses, a peg leg, and a bowtie. Good thing about this species was that each one was so distinctive it was almost impossible for any grumpus to go unnoticed – he knew this was one hadn’t been around at all. Yu approached, stepping out of Triffany’s research tent and onto Floofty’s.

“I’m sorry for that. I’m Yu Narukami—“

“I see Fiddlepie wasn’t delirious. What a surprise!” undoubtedly Filbo had told them about him. Floofty didn’t introduce themselves, instead they looked up and down, committing to memory everything they could see about the weird lifeform that was now living in the town. Yu shifted awkwardly, not sure he liked the way the scientist was staring at him. Naoto had mentioned they wouldn’t risk an extremely rare specimen such as him, but still...he was a bit nervous anyway! “Yes...a sapient lifeform nothing alike to a grumpus. You’ll be useful”

“Useful in what way, exactly?” better know for sure what’s coming.

“Ehehehe...oh, don’t worry about that. Come back tomorrow, I have preparations to make”

They didn’t even bother to introduce themselves; they didn’t even say please or ask if Yu was willing to help. Floofty was pretty much demanding him to come back the next day, taking that for granted. Yu knew it, yet he nodded anyway. He had to at least try to befriend this scientist, even at the risk of some awful experiments performed on him. Worth a try!

That had to be done tomorrow. Nodding, Yu stepped out of the tents, ready to get going. With some luck he still had some time before sundown, enough to search as much as he could Flavor Falls and Garden Grove. Maybe—

“You haven’t cleaned this mess!” Floofty shouted, but Yu didn’t hear them, too focused in his plans.

--maybe he could even go into that cave those Sandopedes had attacked him at. That was a possibility...although he couldn’t really imagine Filbo going into dark caves in the middle of the night, especially one that was some distance away from Snaxburg.

Without further delay and having grabbed the trusty stick to defend himself in case some food creature tried to attack him again, Yu went into the wilderness alone, ready to face as many Bugsnax as necessary to find Filbo!

-ooooo-

Three hours later he had found absolutely nothing. The only thing he had to show for his excursion into Flavor Falls and Garden Grove was the knowledge of how a Banopper getting smacked with a stick sounds like. In his defense, it jumped right to his head. He felt bad for the banana insect – seeing it fly over the trees when he batted it away was kind of pitiful. Poor thing, he thought briefly, before running into the creeks to avoid the burgers chasing him.

He had avoided confrontations with the bugs as much as he could. He was there to search for Filbo, after all, not to have fights with six dozen Bugsnax. He was absolutely unsurprised everything continued being aggressive towards him. By now the human was pretty much used to it.

No sign of the grumpus anywhere, though. Yu checked every single pit he found, he called Filbo’s name, he tried to hear any sounds that could indicate Filbo was nearby. Nothing! There was nothing! He even got to the cave, peering inside and faintly hearing the noise of Bugsnax further inside. For a moment he considered entering, but he wasn’t prepared yet. It could be more dangerous than walking around on the surface of the island, he figured. He had to make some preparations first. Also, it was sunset. If he wanted to explore there, he probably should get there early in the day.

By the time he returned to Snaxburg it already was nighttime. The moon was high in the sky, the campfire in the center of the town...well, no, there simply was no fire. Without Filbo to light it up nobody had bothered to do it. Yu sat down by the extinguished firepit, feeling the chill of the nighttime breeze.

Perhaps he should light it up...did Filbo have a lighter in his hut? Searching in there for a lighter seemed so rude, he preferred not to do that. Yu looked around, hoping to see someone who could lend him anything to make a fire with, but there was nobody else around. Everyone presumably were in their cottages, already deciding to stay indoors. Even though he knew they were all around, the town seemed so empty, so cold. Yu rubbed his hands together, for a moment wishing he had fur like everyone else.

For a while, not really knowing for how long, Yu sat there. It was as if he was trying to soak on how different things were now that Filbo was gone. It was so...

...

...so lonely without him trying to help everyone.

Yu’s gaze wandered around. Usually at this time he’d be talking to Dagbert, trading tidbits that could help each other progress in their investigations. Filbo didn’t tend to butt in, instead sitting nearby, satisfied with keeping the campfire lit and welcoming anyone who decided to come along. Most times it was Wambus, although he seemed to be more interested in relaxing by the fire than socializing with anyone. Didn’t stop Filbo from inviting him to talk, though.

Right now? There was none of that. It was just him sitting in the dark. You really don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Where was that journalist, anyway? He was late—oh, speak of the devil! Good thing Dagbert had such a vivid orange fur, it was easy to see him in the dark.

“...Narukami” Dagbert waved at him once he was closer. Yu smiled, glad at least someone was coming, but the journalist didn’t move to sit down. Instead he kept his distance. If Yu didn’t know better he’d think Dagbert was trying to avoid him!

“I was waiting for you!” Yu said.

“Did you leave Snaxburg at all today?”

Oh. Dagbert had found that out? Yu had hoped his excursion out there would go unnoticed, but apparently not much happened in the town without the journalist finding out. Maybe it was a journalistic sixth sense or something, he thought. Still, Yu denied it right away, with surprising ease: “Of course not. I was hanging out in that tent over there” Yu lied, hoping that plausibly being out of sight due to staying in Triffany’s research tent would be enough to fool Dagbert. Right now he didn’t want to disappoint Dagbert by revealing he had disobeyed him. Dagbert probably would remind him it was too dangerous to leave the town.

...this felt a lot like lying to his uncle, Yu realized. Was he repeating history once again...?

Dagbert gave him a look that made Yu fear he already knew quite well Yu had sneaked out of town, but he didn’t say anything about that. He just uttered an ‘aha’ in acknowledgement. Trying to change the topic, Yu invited Dagbert to sit down, pointing at the usual spot on the log behind him.

“Sorry, Narukami. Tonight I can’t. Some Snax only pop up at night, so it’s going to be an all-night hunt”

Oh. Well, not too surprising, but Yu was pretty disappointed anyway. He’d have thought Dagbert could take the time to talk a bit before going out there to hunt – it was ‘an all-night hunt’, after all. Yu nodded. “It’s fine. We can talk tomorrow”

“Yeah, we can...” Dagbert trailed off. He cleared his throat, surprisingly at a loss of something to say. Truthfully, he was having a harder time not letting his emotions take the best of him – he wanted to believe in Yu. It was taking a lot of conscious effort to remind him he couldn’t just refuse to entertain the possibility he had a hand in the disappearance just because he liked the human. Truths can hurt. Friends or not, he had to remember there was that possibility.

Uf, the sooner he managed to prove Yu had nothing to do with it, the better.

Still, no matter how hard he tried he really couldn’t separate his friendship with the human from his suspicion. He wanted to help him: “By the way, I’ll take you to Triffany tomorrow. I already briefed her about you, so she’s ready”

“Thanks, Dagbert” Yu nodded, relieved. Finally! After several days of trying he finally was going to talk with that green archaeologist! And you know what, now that Dagbert was offering to help him...perhaps he could push his luck and remind him of another promise the journalist had made: “We also still have to help Wiggle tomorrow. I don’t think she has dropped her idea of staying awake for five days” Truthfully, the sooner they did that the better:

Yu had a plan to keep Dagbert busy and take advantage of everyone thinking he’d be at the beach for a few days to go around the island and explore as much as he could. He knew it was dangerous, he knew it was a bad decision, but it wouldn’t be the first time he did something reckless for someone else’s sake.

He expected Dagbert to start arguing, to once again complain about something along the lines of ‘I didn’t come to the island to watch someone lose their minds due to lack of sleep’, or something no less acerbic than that. He didn’t expect Dagbert to accept without any objections. He didn’t expect Dagbert to raise a paw to his tusks, tapping them while he obviously mulled something, and then say:

“You know what, yeah. Let’s do that” he said before leaving towards the canyon.

He accepted a little too quickly, thought Yu, but it wasn’t like he could ask Dagbert why he didn’t fight it at all. It could make him change his mind, he thought. Better to just take it and be grateful. Yu thanked him and watched him go, absolutely sure the journalist was scheming something. What exactly, though?

Probably nothing shady, anyway. Dagbert was a good person, Yu believed that wholeheartedly. Just with a selfish streak and an odd personality, nothing bad.

No point in sitting there any longer. Yu stood up, planning to return to the airship and go to bed early. The human barely managed to step away from the firepit – a balled up piece of paper rolled in front of him, pushed by the wind. Usually there was no litter in this town! Other than wooden cups, for some reason, but still, this was unusual. Yu picked it up and opened the ball, reading its contents:

‘Narukami, come to the mill. Act natural, don’t let anyone see where you’re going, and eat this note after reading it.’

There was a scribbled out signature, but Yu was pretty sure it said ‘Snorpington’ under all the scribbles.

‘P.S. Pick up the other notes. I have bad aim, sorry’

Other notes...? Yu looked around, seeing at least a dozen other notes strewn on the grass. Oh. Well then.

Once he made sure to pick up all the notes Yu entered the mill, going up the stairs to the living area on the second floor. Chandlo was already in bed, probably a believer of going to sleep early and waking up early being the key for a strong body and mind, while Snorpy, probably a believer of not going to sleep if you could avoid it, waited for Yu at the desk, reading a book. He had looked up once he heard the steps coming up the stairs, leaving aside the book once the human revealed himself.

“Ah, chum! Thank you for coming with so little notice!”

“Anytime, Snorpy. Need help with anything?”

“I believe I don’t, dear friend from another species! I wanted to give you this” Snorpy took from the desk a tape. “One of your peers left a message a while ago. I have configured the radio to record messages once they come, so here you go!”

A message! That was quick! Not even twelve hours had passed and someone in the Investigation Team already had something to say! Snorpy indicated he could use the radio to play the tape, so Yu sat down to the desk, looking for the right spot to put the tape in.

“By the way, did you eat the notes?” the inventor asked.

Did he really expect him to eat a baker’s dozen of notes that were lying on the grass and the dirt? “I don’t think it’s healthy to eat paper”

“Oh, I think I get it. I’m sorry to hear about your species’ weak gastric acids” Implying grumpuses regularly ate paper with no problems at all. Or maybe it was just Snorpy. “If you give them to me I can, ahem, dispose of the notes. We don’t want anyone to be privy to our friendship”

Yu took out the notes from his pocket. “Suit yourself.” Snorpy probably knew more than Yu did about what he could and couldn’t eat, he guessed. While Snorpy devoured the notes one by one Yu pressed the button to play the tape, hoping it was good news.

It was a message from Yosuke.

‘Hey guys, I talked with Filbo about eating Bugsnax. He says they taste great; he just doesn’t like to eat them because he feels bad for them’

Oh, right. Filbo had mentioned something like that, now that Yu thought about it. Well, good to know it was the same everywhere.

‘He doesn’t ask for more, though, so even if they taste good he’s the only one who can resist eating them. Do you guys think that means something?’

So it wasn’t like with the humans...how odd. One grumpus is allergic to them, humans find them edible but don’t find them tasty at all, and everyone else thinks they’re the most delicious thing ever. Now that he thought about it, maybe they should be asking the journalist, not Filbo. Did Dagbert even get to taste the Snak before throwing up? Well, worth asking him how they taste, anyway.

That seemed to the whole message. Still, just knowing his friends could send messages anytime was good for his peace of mind. Yu took the tape. “Thank you, Snorpy”

“Shure, ahnyt—“ Snorpy swallowed the last wad of paper. “Uuugh, this was a mistake” he said. Yu made a mental note to inform Chandlo his boyfriend was eating paper. “Anyway, how about you come back at this time every night? I’ll give you any messages they send you” Fine then, another addition to the routine. It seemed the evenings were for getting information, both from Dagbert and now from Snorpy giving him the Team’s messages.

“I owe you one”

“Don’t mention it, Narukami. Consider it a favor, from me to you” ...as much as Yu hated to admit, he wasn’t entirely sure Snorpy would be doing this without a reason other than from the goodness of his heart. He wasn’t very sure what the inventor could get from this, though.

Yu bid his farewell and left, intending to go straight to the airship. It was starting to get quite late. The huts in Snaxburg were all dark, everybody was turning in for the night. Yu looked around, for a fleeting moment wondering if, the next morning, everyone else would still be there or if someone else would go missing as well. Now that something had happened, he couldn’t take for granted everybody would still be around once he woke up.

That feeling of impending doom, that feeling something was very wrong with the island, it invaded him once again, it was gone as soon as it started. With some luck everyone’s efforts combined would be enough to solve any mystery and then return home. It’d work, he believed it’d work! Feeling a bit better, Yu walked up the main path, towards the airship.

“Kid”

Startled, Yu turned around. It was Wambus, standing right on the doorway of his cabin. Even though Yu couldn’t see too well in the dark, he thought the farmer seemed a tad melancholic right now. “Yes?”

“Saw you talking to that journalist, and to Beffica earlier” he said. True, that was no secret at all. Wambus approached, laying a paw on Yu’s shoulder. For a brief moment he seemed to be having trouble getting the words out, but after a pause he said them: “Yer a good kid. Don’t let ‘em get to you”

“Thank...you?” it wasn’t that Yu wasn’t grateful for the kind words, but it seemed a little out of the blue! Especially coming from Wambus, who didn’t tend to go around saying platitudes.

“That’s all. Keep goin’” having said his piece, Wambus patted his shoulder, encouraging, and retired to his cabin, leaving Yu alone once again.

Something happened in Snaxburg. He’d have chalked it up to everyone being on edge due to Filbo disappearing, but what Wambus said didn’t seem to fit that too well. The farmer wasn’t someone to go out of his way to say anything for no reason.

What’s going on? Yu wondered. Now that he thought about it, Dagbert had been behaving a little strangely. Maybe something had happened while he had been talking to the team.

Was it something he should know?

Chapter Text

The Scorched Gorge had an accurate name, that was for sure. It was so hot! And the air at the bottom of the canyon felt exactly like air wafting out of a stove. What if the canyon trapped all the hot air there at the bottom? How did grumpuses manage to walk all over this place without overheating or something?

“Don’t ask me, biology was my weakest subject in school. If you want a real answer, ask Floofty” he had said when Yu asked him about that. Well, it wasn’t that important. There were other things to be worried about, such as the Bugsnax.

It was just as Gramble’s handmade bestiary had warned: there were Bugsnax that could set you on fire! Seeing them was difficult, though. The green Scorpenyos blended a little too well on the rocky walls thanks to their fire, threatening Yu and Dagbert every time they moved closer than they’d like, shooting firey projectiles, impacting against the dusty floor. The aridness of the gorge meant any fire wouldn’t spread, but that didn’t matter at all if the fire hit you. Yu didn’t want to find out how it was like to be on fire! Dagbert would be fine, a human probably wouldn’t be!

Dagbert dealt with those spicy scorpions, anyway. He guided Yu away from them. “Let me handle it” he said, taking out a slingshot and pods of cheese sauce.

“Cheese?”

“Scorpenyos love cheese sauce. You really should start taking some sauce with you whenever you’re out there. It could save your life” Not a bad idea. Maybe with some sauce he could keep them away from himself, Yu thought. Sooner or later the Bugsnax would wise up to the swings of that stick...or maybe the stick would break, that could happen too. He was a bit surprised it had lasted so far!

The journalist was right. Somehow, that scorpion made of jalapeños really liked cheese. A Scorpenyo, crawling on the underside of a natural rock bridge connecting the sides of the top of the canyon, glared at them threateningly when Dagbert stepped closer, with the slingshot and cheese sauce pod in his paws. The scorpion’s tail flared, the fire intensifying while it prepared to shoot.

This must be a really aggressive sort of Snak thought Yu. Bugsnax generally seemed to be tamer towards anyone who wasn’t Yu, so that they were reacting like this to Dagbert seemed to prove how dangerous Scorpenyos were.

Slowly, with careful movements, the journalist raised the slingshot, aiming at the base of the rocky bridge. There was only one try! Getting too close would mean being set on fire – again! Few things were more unpleasant than being on fire! His arms trembled while he tried to hold steady, feeling the scorpion’s hostile stare, one single wrong move would mean quite a bit of pain, of serious injury—

Dagbert launched the sauce pod at the wall. The pod burst, coating the rocks with cheese sauce, right where the Scorpenyo could see it, tempting it to crawl down the rock wall to roll around on the cheese. All the fire on it got doused off, all the cheese sticking to the rind of the scorpion. “How did you...?” Yu tried to ask.

“A lot of Bugsnax are attracted to sauce. Most of the time it’s logic. You’ll grasp it soon enough”

The journalist grabbed the Scorpenyo, lifting it high, watching it squirm for a moment before seemingly giving up. Covering the tip of the tail with a paw, just in case, he approached Yu, being careful not to give the scorpion any chances to try to attack the human. He’d feel pretty stupid if this led to the human being set on fire. “It’s cute when it’s not trying to murder you”

Yu didn’t really think so. The Scorpenyo looked so angry Yu was very glad it didn’t have any teeth to bite anyone with! Well, regardless, it was time. He fired the question, wondering if it’d be as incendiary as the Scorpenyo’s attacks:

“Dagbert, did something happen yesterday?”

No warning. No leading the conversation there, no giving a chance for Dagbert to realize what he wanted to ask before it was time to do so. Dagbert blinked, still holding the jalapeño scorpion to show it to Yu, truly caught off-guard. “Aaaah...what?”

“Yesterday, while I was talking to my friends. Did something happen in the town?”

“Not really. Some of us went to search for Filbo. Me to the beach, Chandlo to the forests...” Dagbert got the backpack down, ready to get the captured Snak in there. Yu was pretty sure he was taking his sweet time doing that to not look at him. “We all gathered and talked about that. That was all”

Really? That had been all? It made sense, but Wambus’ reaction still didn’t fit that. Perhaps he could use this to dig deeper? “Wambus seemed worried I was talking to Beffica and to you”

“Really?” Dagbert shoved the Snorpenyo into the backpack, ignoring its angry protests.

“So I wanted to figure out if I had missed something. If there’s something wrong I can help”

“Leaving the town isn’t helpful, just so you know”

Oh, he really did know about that! And he wasn’t very happy about it, given how bemused he sounded. “Filbo is my friend. If there’s anything I can do—“

“You shouldn’t have left the town yesterday” he insisted, putting on the backpack again. Perhaps if he had looked at Yu at all the human would have been scolded, yet the refusal to even look at him made Yu feel far more stubborn than he’d have been otherwise. No, he wasn’t going to let this go like that.

Yu grabbed the backpack, stopping Dagbert from walking away. “I know something’s wrong. You’re not good at hiding anything, you’re too honest for that” Dagbert was many things, but a seasoned liar he wasn’t. That same honest demeanor that led to him admitting to Yu’s face all of his grievances and worries was also what made him so bad at hiding there was something bothering him.

That he refused to talk...it could only mean whatever happened was related to Yu somehow, wasn’t it?

Dagbert tensed and grabbed Yu’s wrist, forcing him to open his hand and let go of the backpack. “Triffany is around the corner” he said, letting go of Yu’s wrist and walking away. He wasn’t even lying; he was avoiding the topic altogether! Talking to the journalist wasn’t getting anywhere. Didn’t make Yu feel any better, though. He couldn’t tell if Dagbert’s reticence was out of consideration or because he didn’t trust Yu at all.

Yu really hoped it was the former, rubbing his wrist. That grumpus seriously had a strong grip. Impressive for a species with no thumbs!

The canyon’s narrow paths opened up to a much wider area, where there even were platforms you could use to go upwards to the top of the canyon. It almost seemed like a hub of sorts, a place from where you could reach any place you wanted in the Scorching Gorge. No wonder Triffany had chosen it as her base of operations!

A large hole in the center of the area got Yu’s attention immediately. Getting closer showed there were many grumpus skeletons inside, half-buried in the earth, obviously having been excavated recently. “What’s...?” Yu didn’t dare to get in there to take a closer look.

“Oh! Careful! Don’t go trippin’ on a femur!”

Pretty cheerful for a warning! There she was, the grumpus Yu had wanted to talk with for a while already. Triffany Lottablog was taller than Yu expected. Dark green fur and a warm attitude proved this was the wife he had seen in that picture Wambus showed him – although the Triffany in that picture definitely didn’t have a blunt rib bone coated with roasted meat instead of a forearm. Somehow, that sight disturbed Yu more than any other Bugsnax mutation so far! The human stepped back from the hole, greeting the archaeologist. “Sorry, I’ll step away—“

“Oh, no, it’s fine!” Triffany extended the unchanged paw. Alright, a handshake, Yu reciprocated. As others did before, though, she grabbed Yu’s hand and looked at it carefully. “I haven’t found any remains other than grumpuses...perhaps I’ll find the remains of your species as well!”

Yu seriously hoped Triffany would never find one. That’d be troubling and puzzling for so many reasons. “I don’t think so”

“I can already guess your bone structure is different. That will stand out like a diamond in the rough!” Triffany let go of Yu’s hand with a gasp. “Aw, where are my manners? I’m Triffany Lottablog. Charmed!”

“My name is Yu Narukami”

“I know it must be rough to be talking to grumpuses, so if there’s anythin’ I can do to help tell me anytime, ya?”

“He’s doing better than you’d think” Dagbert said, interrupting their introductions. “Triffany, have you seen Filbo?”

Triffany looked down. “Oh, no. Still no sight of him. A bright blue color like his would stand out in this canyon, no? But there’s been nothing”

“What about Cromdo? How is he?”

So Cromdo was somewhere in this canyon, realized Yu. Rise hadn’t sounded very appreciative of him, but he was a resident of Snaxburg. Dagbert had to bring him back; it was the right thing to do. Triffany sighed tiredly, clearly not too happy with that guy. “He’s still up toppa the canyon. Tried to sell me stolen goods just yesterday”

“So he’s okay” If Cromdo was still trying to get profit, then he still was alive and healthy. Dagbert took out the bug net out of his backpack. “Ribblepedes, right?”

“That’s right! I’m not done studying them” she waved the mutated arm. Somehow, a thought floated into Yu’s head: would that arm smell like barbecue?

He hurried to stamp that thought out of his head, with full prejudice.

Dagbert nodded, eyeing that arm with concern. “Fine. Narukami, I’ll be back in half an hour. You talk whatever you have to talk with her”

There. He had been left with Triffany to talk. That wasn’t too much time, so may as well get straight to the point. Given Chie was going to ask the Triffany in her world about her leg perhaps focusing on other matters be more important.

“There’s something I need you to take a look at” said Yu.

“Me? Sure!” she said, probably expecting Yu to show her something he brought.

“There’s a doorframe at Flavor Falls...” Yu started, describing everything he remembered about the stone frame and the statues he and Dagbert had stumbled upon. The location, how the stone looked, the carvings, anything he remembered. Triffany had started to listen with cheery interest; turning more and more pensive with every word. It was clear pretty soon that she was listening with professional interest, trying to determine what to think from all Yu was telling her.

“I see...how odd! I hadn’t heard of those ruins ever before. I have to take a look at them myself”

“There also are some in a cave in Garden Grove and all the way up on the mountaintop” Although perhaps a stone platform didn’t qualify as a ruin? He wasn’t sure.

“Fascinating!” Triffany’s eyes were shining with admiration. “We’d be speakin’ of something that covers the entire island! The civilizations I have researched on this island have been largely insular – limited to their areas on the island, such as this canyon and the desert beyond!”

“I see...” Yu said, not very sure he was following. He had not even an inkling of grumpus history or dead societies.

“If, for example, the desert grumps built these ruins you’re talkin’ about it could mean they may have tried to settle in another area before arrivin’ to the desert! Oh! Or a splinter community may have formed!”

She definitely was in her element, already forming theories about the potential significance of those stone ruins Yu had found. Triffany didn’t even expect any input from Yu, she seemed happy just musing aloud, coming up with all sorts of thoughts that may not even be accurate. She really knew what she was talking about, Yu decided. With some luck it meant she would be able to deduce useful stuff from the ruins and bring some answers to light.

When asked if she was coming to take a look, though, she didn’t accept right away like Yu expected. All that enthusiasm didn’t mean she was willing to drop everything and go somewhere else, even if it was only for a while. Triffany eyed the hole on the ground. “Oh dear, what do I do...? I have barely gotten started here. I can’t go getting distracted...yet!”

“Right, about that...what is this?” now that she mentioned the hole, what was up with it? Why were so many skeletons together in one place? Had the canyon caved in at some point or something?

“Good thing you asked! This here is a mass grave!”

That had to be the most enthusiastic way anybody had ever announced they had found a mass grave. Yu definitely didn’t share that enthusiasm when he looked at her all wide-eyed!

Seemingly used to that sort of reaction to the things she said, Triffany took from the pit an arm, waving it around as if it was a pointer. She really should be a little less nonchalant about old corpses, thought Yu! “And it’s not the byproduct of a slide or a cave in, that’s for certain. I believe this is where the grumpuses livin’ in this canyon many thousand years ago used to bury those who suffered some kind of death. You know, all seems to indicate they performed different death rites according to some sort of standard I haven’t quite figured out”

“...what do you mean?” Yu asked, unsure if he’d regret asking or not.

Triffany sure was glad to answer: “I found corpses sealed in caves! Clearly they were burial chambers of some sort, but...” she frowned. “...it’s puzzling. Something’s off about all this, yet I can’t put my finger on what it is”

Snaktooth Island really was full of mysteries, it seemed. Good thing Yu and Dagbert weren’t the only ones trying to solve it all. Should he insist in that Triffany should come with him and help him with the ruins? Should he say there was no hurry and that it was okay if she focused on this first? Yu didn’t get to decide that, Triffany was the one who settled in her course of action:

“I must continue here! I already began my current research; I won’t stop!”

Oh. Fine then. Still, he had to insist: “I really need your help, Triffany”

“Right...I also can’t leave you hangin’, especially since you came all the way here to see me. That journalist said you’re lookin’ for your friends, ya? I’ll help all I can!”

Leaving aside that she hadn’t been told yet he had found them already, Yu had to admit Wambus was right: Triffany really had the sort of presence that endeared you to her, yet at the same time she had such strength of will you couldn’t help feeling a little bit daunted. This archaeologist wasn’t afraid of expressing interest in her job and in what she liked. Yu seriously had to respect it. In a way, he could see how Wambus and Triffany made a good couple.

Quite a shame things were rocky between them.

“Give me one week. Just one! With the time I’ll find some answers and then I’ll focus on what you have to show me. How ‘bout it?”

A week...? Okay. He had the next five days already full, anyway. He could wait one week – hopefully. He really hoped nothing would go pear-shaped all of a sudden during the next week, but given how it took less than two for something really bad to happen, it wasn’t out of the question something unexpected and very negative would occur.

What option did he have, though? Triffany wouldn’t accept coming with him sooner than that. “That’s fine” he accepted, giving her a reassuring smile. “There was something else—“ he had intended to ask about what Triffany knew about tooth marks on bones. After all, she clearly was very familiar with skeletons, what with her enthusiasm in finding burial chambers and mass graves. Yu didn’t get to, though, because from high above them fell an orange shape, landing on his feet with ease. Through the faint clouds of dust Yu saw Dagbert, shaking a little to try to get dust off his fur.

“Great, I still stick the landing!” he seemed really satisfied!

Yu looked up. The top of the canyon was quite high! “How did you do that...?” those thin legs grumpuses had sure didn’t look like they’d endure this sort of drop!

Dagbert preened himself on his achievement. “It’s all in the landing technique. Anyway, now that I have made my dramatic entrance...!” the journalist left the backpack on the ground, taking out a couple Bugsnax Yu couldn’t see too well. “Here you go”

“Oh! You work fast!” she complimented.

“I do what I can. So, about Filbo...”

“Yes...” Triffany took off her hat, holding it to her chest. “I still can’t believe Lizbert is gone. I hate bein’ pessimistic, but if Lizbert Megafig probably lost her life, that poor dear doesn’t stand a chance out there” Her words could be interpreted as callous, but fortunately her tone proved she truly was sorry for Filbo. Despite thinking it was unlikely the mayor was still alive, at least she had the decency to be genuinely worried.

That made Dagbert’s good mood disappear right away. “Aha. That’s why you should come back to Snaxburg”

“Oh, I dunno...”

“Triffany, someone went missing not that long ago. It’s not safe to be all by yourself out there, you get it?”

“I get your point, I do, but...” she gestured at the mass grave. “I have work to do! I can’t return just yet...!” She had her priorities in a somewhat odd order, that was for sure.

“Your life is important. Cromdo already accepted to return, why won’t you?”

“It’s not just because of the pit, I have...other reasons” Reasons related to her marriage, most likely. “Anyway, if I were to return would I...be right to assume you wouldn’t want me to leave the town again? Even to come here?”

“He wouldn’t do that” Yu said before Dagbert could reply because, truthfully, the human was pretty sure Dagbert would have said that yes, he did have in mind to ask her to not go gallivanting out of town. Too bad it was pretty obvious what Dagbert’s thoughts were – Triffany wasn’t fooled not even for a second.

Sighing, she put her hat on again. “Oh dear. You have your heart in the right place, but you can’t turn Snaxburg into some sorta jail for us all. I know you’re worried, but restrictin’ our movements ain’t gonna help”

“I-I know. I’m just really stressed and don’t know what to do. I don’t want anyone else to disappear”

“And that’s really sweet of you, honest! But that’s just not the way. I’ll think about goin’ back if you promise not to be like that” she said, not really upset about Dagbert’s insistence. She couldn’t help it, she added: “Besides, it’s more likely I’ll fall down a crevice or a hole than for somethin’ to feast on my osseous structure, if that’s what’s worryin’ you”

“That’s not really helping, Triffany” Dagbert replied, deadpan.

“Heck, maybe that’s what happened to Filbo. An earthquake happening at the wrong time, pushing him into a deep gouge on the ground...” That sounded way too plausible, especially because Filbo did fall into a pit less than two weeks ago. Yu tuned out of their conversation, deep in thought.

He really doubted Filbo had gone too far away from Snaxburg in the middle of the night, especially since he still had the party stuff to clean up. Now that he thought about it, he did feel somewhat of an earthquake that night...could it really be the earthquake opened the ground, swallowing Filbo? Because if that’s what happened then he already may have spent a day and half stuck in a crevice.

He'd be shouting for help, right? But nobody had heard anything, So maybe that wasn’t what happened? Unless...when he fell he died—

“—nice to meet you” Triffany said, snapping Yu out of those thoughts. Yu murmured the same, realizing it was time to leave. That half an hour sure had gone by quickly. “Before you go, do you want a Snak? The journalist got me two, but perhaps I can make do with one”

Yu looked down at what Triffany had in her paws, extending it towards him: a set of cooked, meaty ribs. Ribblepede, he could hear it say. That was definitely what had caused the change in one of Triffany’s paws, no doubt about it. The tips of the ribs twitched, the creature itching to be let go so it could crawl away. It even seemed to be covered with gravy, as if that oozed from its surface, giving it quite the delectable appearance...!

But to Yu the sight of the Ribblepede made him pretty uneasy. Perhaps because, no matter how appetizing it looked, it still was a set of ribs moving around. Seemed like a concept out of a horror game! He was pretty sure he saw something like that about ribcages crawling around in some sort of midnight movie. No, he wasn’t going to touch that at all! “No, thank you”

“Aw, alright. I understand. Well, no skin off my nose!”

Good to know next time he saw Triffany she probably would have bones instead of legs.

-ooooo-

Since he and Dagbert were going to leave the town for the next five days they both had to make preparations...and also probably make sure everyone knows they’d be at the Simmering Springs. If they left without warning people would think they had disappeared, and panic would ensue.

First things first: fulfill any promises he had made. Floofty in particular – they had asked him to come back the next day. To Yu it seemed like that grumpus would be absolutely annoyed if he departed without seeing them at all. Dragging with him a backpack full of sauce pods that’d come really useful for his plans, Yu went to the research tents, unsure what would happen.

From what Naoto said, Floofty was...pretty dedicated to science, so to say, and he was a walking oddity they may want to cram full of Bugsnax. He knew he’d outright say no to that! But how would they react?

“You actually came? I was beginning to think I had scared you yesterday” Floofty said. They had been working on taking notes about samples, only looking up when he stepped into the tent.

“You were trying to scare me?”

“Not at all – but everyone around here treat me like I’m going to attach electrodes to their heads if they get careless. Hmph” they said and muttered softly: “You do that one time and it follows you for the rest of your life”

“Don’t attach electrodes to me”

“Your preferences regarding invasive procedures involving electricity has been noted” that definitely wasn’t an ‘I won’t’, noticed Yu. He really couldn’t let his guard down around Floofty! “I presume you’re here to cooperate?”

Yu didn’t nod. Instead he looked behind him, checking nobody else in town was spying on him, and stage-whispered: “I’d like this to be discreet, if that’s okay?”

“...fine. If that makes it easier for you...” Floofty took a clipboard, making sure it had plenty of paper to write on. It was time! Yu knew what to more or less expect from Floofty’s questions, but Naoto probably hadn’t gone into full detail about the questions they’d ask. After all, it was just a very minor part of her story; she’d want to brush that away so she could focus on the important data. How bad could this be, though?

Not too bad, it turned out! But Floofty was remarkably thorough. First they asked for his medical history.

“Allergies?”

“None”

“Dietary requirements?”

Anything that wasn’t Bugsnax or toxic. When Floofty asked if he had eaten anything particularly unusual at any point of his life, Yu tilted his head. “Lately?”

“Anytime within the past two years that isn’t normal for your species”

Surprisingly vague specification, but fine. Yu started counting with his fingers, reciting with such a nonchalant tone Floofty actually had to stop to listen, eyes widening a little bit with every thing:

“I once ate a bowl full of grass. There also was some expired milk, wasabi straight out from the bag, a mushroom I don’t even know where it came from, some brown lumpy thing I think used to be a pear, red miso so far past the expiration date I thought it was white miso, a crusty dried up pickle, and...other...miscellaneous stuff”

Floofty tapped the pen against the paper, eyes flickering between Yu and the clipboard. Probably was trying to figure out if he was pulling their leg.

“And a pod of ketchup” Yu added. How to forget that one?

“...I’ll put you down as ‘omnivore’” they decided, not wanting to know more about everything Yu was willing to put into his system.

The topic of all Yu could eat was mercifully left behind. Instead Floofty asked more difficult questions, making Yu go in-depth about the biological quirks of humanity.

“Evolving from primates...yes, I can see how that’s possible” Floofty had no compulsions in looking at Yu all over, probably making mental comparisons based on what Yu had said. “Fascinating...to think a species would diverge so much somewhere in the world with grumpuskind being none the wiser – especially one with grumpmorphic qualities such as a biped stance”

Naoto may have told the Floofty in her world that humans came from another world, but Yu had no plans to ever do that. He simply nodded. “Pretty much”

“It’s especially remarkable because grumpuses and humans most likely don’t have common ancestors at any point after the primordial soup” Floofty seemed truly delighted. “To think two different species evolved at the same time, reaching sapience...”

“Can I ask something?”

“If it’s not a waste of time”

“What did grumpuses evolve from?”

Apparently that met Floofty’s standards for questions and conversations, because they didn’t mind answering. “As of today that’s a matter of fierce debate in the scientific community” they said. “What’s your guess?”

“...I don’t have idea at all” Yu admitted. What was he supposed to say? Yu simply had no idea what sort of evolution process led to a species with such a large variety of fur colors, bizarrely large eyes and mouths, and pill-shaped bodies of variable sizes? Did grumpuses evolve from...frogs? Sheep? Some sort of...creature that never came into existence in the human world?

“Exactly. But anyone with more observation skills than a rock can make an educated guess or two about this matter” Clearly Floofty didn’t intend to let Yu just say ‘I don’t know’!

Fortunately, Yu already had a thought that maybe would get Floofty off his back. Pointing at the corner of his mouth, he commented about something he had noticed: “Some of you have these big pointy teeth. That means maybe you have carnivore roots?”

Floofty’s face was completely neutral – even though their eyes were narrowed it was really hard to figure out if Floofty was as annoyed as they seemed at first glance. “Do my protruding teeth look to you like the jaws of a predator, Narukami?”

“To Bugsnax they probably do”

“...fair point.” Good! It seemed so far he hadn’t made himself look like a blathering idiot.

The amount of questions Floofty asked was truly staggering, keeping Yu on his toes about what to answer and how to answer. They were always in the line between interest in humans as a species and Yu’s personal life, bouncing back and forth from time to time. Page after page got filled, piling up on the clipboard to the point the clip on the top seemed about to burst!

“Good. I have figured out everything I can without strapping you down to a table and performing exploratory surgery”

Yu felt shivers down his spine, but he did his best to not let that show. “Let’s avoid that step”

“Eheheheh...you should trust my operation skills a little more! Do you know how difficult it is to amputate your own leg on a beach without infection setting in?” Floofty seemed to be in pretty good mood after that long interrogation! “Now that I know you well enough let us begin. I have organized a Bugsnax menu that will allow me too—“

“I’m not eating any Bugsnax, Floofty”

The good mood vanished immediately Floofty’s surprisingly pleasant attitude evaporated in the face of Yu’s refusal, scowling with annoyance. “...I believe I heard wrong. I did not just hear you say the last hour and half was pointless, did I?”

“I’m not here to eat any Bugsnax” Yu insisted.

Floofty left the clipboard aside. “Alright. As much as I’d relish in mashing Snax into your mouth right now for the sake of science and personal satisfaction I won’t. Now leave”

“Listen, I—“

“I have no use for you. What point is there in tolerating your presence any longer?”

Okay, maybe he could have worded things a little better, thought Yu. Floofty clearly had been very offended about it! And Yu had a feeling there was a good chance Floofty would try to find a way to make him eat Bugsnax one way or another. Naoto had made pretty clear they didn’t really believe in things like ethics or certain personal boundaries! He had to smooth things over or else this burgeoning relationship was going to crash and burn so hard it’d make a crater on the ground! “I could help you! I want to get to the bottom of this mystery, and you want to figure out everything you can about Bugsnax. Wouldn’t some help be useful?”

“I don’t have the time nor the will to take apprentices – much less one unwilling to cooperate with the most basic experiments”

Clearly he wasn’t going to get anywhere appealing to any assistance Floofty could need. Changing gears, Yu tried a different approach, hoping it’d make the scientist a little more amiable: “I’m trying to figure them out. I need any information you have gotten your hands on” Pause. “Paws. Your paws on”

“No.”

Well that went badly. Yu managed to keep calm – it was far from the first time he dealt with someone difficult. It was all a matter of finding the right approach! Adapting to different social situations was a skill he had gained during the murder investigation, managing to form bonds with all sorts of people in Inaba. He just had to find the right way to befriend Floofty and make that friendship grow somehow! Not giving up, he gave it another try, making sweeping motions with his arms towards the opening of the tent: “Nobody else knows anything! You’re the one who has researched them more than anybody else. If you can’t help then I’m stuck with nothing!”

The appeal based on Floofty’s work – and everyone else’s lack of capacity to get anywhere with Bugsnax – seemed to be a little more effective, judging by how Floofty didn’t actively start pushing him out of the tent. The scientist groaned, probably trying to think of a way to get the human to scram. “Next you’re going to get on your knees and beg, aren’t you? How droll”

“If I have to!” Yu said. He would! He really would, if he had to!

“Spare yourself the indignity” Floofty closed their eyes, taking their time, letting Yu sweat instead of replying right away. That they weren’t kicking them out was a win by itself, thought Yu. A favorable sign! “You’re more insistent than I thought you’d be. Tell me, what have you found out?”

Ah, they wanted to see how serious Yu Narukami was about researching Bugsnax! This was his chance, the moment where his efforts could either ruin him or bring him to success. Yu leaned on a table and told everything he had found out about Bugsnax so far. Every little detail, every quirk, everything he had seen or heard about. Floofty listened attentively, waiting for him to be done.

Once he finished retelling everything he had found out, Floofty adjusted their glasses and bowtie, not even giving Yu any indication what they thought, until finally they decided they had left the human wait enough. “...I see” they said. “You found out more in eleven days than most of the grumps in this town have in four months. That’s less a compliment for you and more a condemnation of the pitiable lack of intellectualism in Snaxburg” Yu really was starting to see why Floofty had almost no social relationships. “Fine then. I’ll cooperate with your requests for knowledge...with one condition”

“What is it?”

“Gramble and Wambus are trying to breed Bugsnax, each one with their own methods. I have been trying to keep tabs on their progress – for obvious reasons, I hope. However, I’m fairly limited when it’s about getting data from their work. I want you to keep me updated of any new developments”

Simple enough! Yu could do that with ease. He had no reasons to refuse, especially if it’ll mean a step forward in his investigation. He accepted right away.

“Glad we have reached an agreement. I look forward to any information you’ll provide me”

He had done it! He had managed to convince Floofty to help him, and at the same time he had managed to establish the foundation of a bond, he could feel it! This was something he could work on from time to time – he had a feeling the more often he bothered Floofty, the less cooperative they’d be. Better to be cautious and take it slow.

“Now that we have established our cooperation there’s something you must do right now. I won’t accept a no for an answer”

As long as it wasn’t eating Bugsnax! “I’m ready. Name it and I’ll get it done”

“Clean that up already” he pointed with the pen at a table on Triffany’s side – a table with quite the mess on it. Slime and goop had congealed into a disgusting mélange, clinging to the surface of the table. Strands of it hung from the edge, not even reaching the ground, as if they had gotten frozen in time. Most likely the viscosity kept it in the air like that. Yu involuntarily brought his arm to his nose to plug it, immediately expecting that thing to smell awful. “You dared to run and leave that behind. Well, now you can deal with the consequences of your actions!”

“...sorry, I’ll clean it up right now”

“Good luck. I believe you’ll need it”

How bad could it be?

-ooooo-

Pretty bad, turns out.

Having failed to make the mess unstick from the wooden table after twenty minutes, Yu dragged it to the creek, holding the table from its legs and hoping wetting the goop would make it easier to remove. Results were mixed – instead this was just making things worse, flakes of wood peeling from the surface while he took a rock and tried to scrape off the mess. No way Triffany wouldn’t notice the sorry state of this table whenever she was back, Yu thought. How to explain this...?

“Narubro, why are you ruining a table by the stream?”

Ruining he said: confirmation this was useless. Yu really regretted having forgotten to clean it up the day before, when maybe it still was salvageable. He left it with the soiled surface into the water while he spoke with Chandlo, who had approached with two tapes in his paws. “It’s an embarrassing story” Yu said.

“Alright, bro, I won’t ask” Good, he didn’t have to explain. Chandlo held the tapes at Yu, shaking them, before thinking it better and lying it on the grass. “Snorpy asked to bring you this message from your friends. They called a while ago!”

Oh, someone had an update! Yu had to pass by the mill later, or maybe ask Dagbert to lend him his tape recorder. “Thank you”

“No sweat!” Chandlo briefly gave him the grumpus equivalent of a thumbs up. “Can we talk for a bit? If you want I can try to clean your table”

Maybe that wasn’t too bad of an idea. If Chandlo, with his remarkable strength, couldn’t get rid of that horrible goop then nobody could. Once Chandlo started trying to scrub the filth off the table, he brought the topic of conversation he had in mind: “What do you think about Snorpy?”

Not a topic Yu expected, truthfully! “He seems like a nice person.” Kind of willing to help, but a bit too paranoid for his own good, thought Yu. But in general Snorpy seemed like a decent person, and that was what was important.

“So true. Snorpy is the best! But he doesn’t trust you at all” Chandlo scrubbed harder. Yu was pretty sure he heard the wood of the table creak! “Don’t take it personal, he doesn’t trust many people”

“I think you said something like that when we met”

“But don’t worry about it! He’ll...” Chandlo trailed off. Yu frowned, this grumpus was behaving a little off. Less welcoming, warier, for some reason. “You know, Snorpy is really smart. Smarter than I’ll ever be!”

“I don’t think you’re dumb, Chandlo”

“I know I’m not – but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong! Snorpy is really smart. But I think sometimes that’s bad for him, because he overthinks stuff. I know, I have seen that stuff he has on his boards? I don’t get any of it”

Yu got comfortable on the grass. Chandlo obviously was going somewhere with this, he could tell. “Are you trying to say he doesn’t trust me because he’s overthinking something?”

“That may be it, right? I like things straightforward, so...” Chandlo stopped scrubbing, facing Yu. “Narubro, are you dangerous?”

That wasn’t at all the sort of question he expected Chandlo to ask. “What do you mean?”

“Just tell me, are you dangerous?”

To Shadows and godly entities trying to mess with the world, yes, he was dangerous, very dangerous. Other than that, no, not at all. “I’m not” he said. Was this why Chandlo had been acting off? He thought Yu could be dangerous? Why?

“Good. If you say so I’ll believe it” he patted Yu on the back, almost making him roll headfirst into the stream. “Thanks for the honesty, bro! I’ll back you up if anything happens!”

Implying he was, at least, thinking something could happen. Okay, now Yu was sure: something was definitely happening in Snaxburg. Whatever it was, Dagbert hadn’t wanted to tell. It really made him uncomfortable – like everybody was keeping a secret from him. What was it, what did everyone try to hide from him?!

...it was starting to make him feel kind of alienated. Just when he was starting to feel comfortable living among grumpuses now everyone had some sort of secret about the human he wasn’t privy to. Yu was about to ask Chandlo what he was talking about, but the athlete left the table aside – table that had lost a lot of its surface, flaking and cracking --  looking at Yu with bright eyes. “I got it!”

“What’s in your mind?”

“A very wise grumpus once said adversity forms character, and that’s how you truly get to know someone. So let’s have some adversity!” Chandlo said, pretty happy for someone talking about getting ‘adversity’ in Yu’s way “You know what’s the adversity I have to deal with all the time?”

“...Snorpy?”

“No! Pushing my physical limits! All the time I try to get stronger, buffer, faster! So how about you do the same thing? Let’s get you swole, bro!”

A bizarre mental image crossed Yu’s mind: himself with as much muscle mass as Chandlo. No way he could achieve such heights! Especially given he wasn’t all that interested in ‘getting swole’, as Chandlo so eagerly put it! Yet perhaps accepting could be good? Some physical improvement would be nice, after all. Just enough to be on good shape on this island, and then stop. Yu smiled, although not nearly with as much eagerness as Chandlo, who was grinning widely.

“How?”

“...I dunno yet...but I’ll figure something out. We’re gonna be best pals!”

He sounded so genuine, so eager, but Yu hadn’t forgotten Chandlo had behaved strangely just a moment ago. Hopefully, through whatever Chandlo was going to put him through, he’d manage to understand what was happening...

...hopefully. He could sense Chandlo had no ill intentions towards him. It was all born from kindness. Yu grabbed the table, passing a hand over its surface, feeling just how wrecked it was.

Yep. This table wasn’t good not even as firewood.

-ooooo-

It was time! Five days at Simmering Springs, starting that night! It was sunset, it was time to go get Dagbert and walk down to the beach and fulfill that promise with Wiggle. Whether that’d bring her the inspiration she wanted was...still unknown, but at least he was doing his part in helping.

Note to himself: don’t tell Rise he was enabling Wiggle like this. She probably wouldn’t be happy at all.

How had he lived until now on Snaktooth without a backpack all for himself, wondered Yu. Dagbert had one too – he was walking ahead of Yu, leading him down the path to the beach. Dagbert was silent, eyes locked onto the sandy pathway. He seemed to be very deep in thought. Not that Yu was any better right now; he also was completely silent, listening to the crunching of his shoes against the sand and the nearby sound of waves hitting the beach.

“...Dagbert?”

Silence. Dagbert kept his head down. He probably hadn’t heard him.

“Dagbert? Are you okay?”

“Eh? Huh?” the journalist finally looked up. “Sorry, did you say something?”

“You seem pretty deep in thought. Can I help?”

“No, not...not really” Dagbert mumbled. “I have just been thinking about a lot of things”

“I know how that feels” Yu said. “Sometimes it helps to talk about it” That was how it went for pretty much all his teammates, really. They talked to him about their worries, their problems, their introspection, and although Yu didn’t say all that much in response, they all managed to find their way through the mazes of their own trouble. A good listener is helpful in times of plight; he knew that so well by now.

“Ever thought something about yourself and then it turns out you’re wrong about it?”

“I’m not sure what you mean by that”

Dagbert resumed walking. “My job as a journalist involves digging to find out the truth. That goes both for cryptozoology and for the more normal journalism, obviously. So far I had been able to do that with no issues at all, but lately I’m...” he sighed “...I’m struggling more about that. I think it’s because of it’s getting a little too personal for me. I’m biased”

“That’s tough” Yu could see where Dagbert was coming from.

“Part of me wants to go on ahead, yet another part fears what I may find out. I’m hesitating about finding out the truth. That makes me a disgrace of a journalist” he said. His voice trembled during those last few words, full of anger and shame. “I should be able to leave my bias aside and go on”

“It’s not so simple, Dagbert”

“It is! It’s that simple!” Dagbert shouted. “I shouldn’t have gotten grumpin’ attached...guess I’m more softhearted than I thought” He sounded bitter.

Yu hurried his step, reaching Dagbert and walking alongside him. Right, he could see what Dagbert was talking about. Facing truths wasn’t easy, he knew that so well! And now Dagbert was finding that out by himself. The right thing to do now was give him support, as someone who had been in that same position in the past. “Do you remember what I told you? About my friends and I investigating a serial murder case?”

“Believe it or not that’s the sort of thing you can’t forget” Dagbert said.

“The culprit was someone I knew”

Dagbert looked surprised. “You kidding?”

“At first I hadn’t wanted to believe it. I even considered not telling my friends about it, as if trying to hide the truth was going to be of any help” Yu said. “But we faced the truth. Even if we weren’t all that sure, we looked into that possibility and reached the truth, all of it”

“Narukami...”

“Sometimes the truth isn’t one you’d want to hear, but I believe there’s no choice but to face it and go on. It’s for the best”

“Easier said than done and you know it”

Well, yes. That was undeniable. Sometimes trying to accept the truth is far more difficult than one would expect, and whatever Dagbert was dealing with had him pretty conflicted. It all depended on the strength of his heart. Not everyone had enough strength to face it unfazed. Yu doubted he himself could.

The coast wasn’t that far away from Snaxburg. By the time it was in sight the sun was already halfway into the horizon. Yu, watching his step to not make any sudden jostles that could burst the sauce pods and leave him with a bag full of loose sauce, ruining it forever.

“Narukami”

“Yes?” Yu replied, watching his steps.

“Look at me” he requested. Yu did so, focusing on Dagbert’s face. He was very serious. “Do you know anything about what happened to Filbo?”

“Sorry, what?” That wasn’t the question Yu had expected!

“Just answer the question”

“I don’t know anything”

“Why did you leave Snaxburg yesterday?”

“To look for him. I couldn’t—“

“Then why did you leave in secret?”

Yu furrowed his brow. Dagbert wasn’t giving not even time to breathe, as soon as Yu answered a question another one came right away. When did this turn into an interrogation? “Because if I had told anyone they’d stop me – including you”

Not untrue, Dagbert knew it. Didn’t stop him from demanding: “Promise me you’re not going to go search for Filbo like that again”

Uf, that was a promise he’d break, Yu knew it. After all, that was why he brought to Dagbert the promise made to Wiggle: so he’d have a chance to go and sneak away to search for the missing mayor without anyone being none the wiser. They wanted to keep him in the town, safe from danger, but there was absolutely no way he’d sit around and do nothing! Especially when time was of the essence! It wasn’t that Yu didn’t understand that the residents of Snaxburg would want him to stay safe, but he simply wasn’t the sort to sit on his hands and wait for others to bring results!

Trying not to promise something he knew he’d break, Yu tried to find an alternative: “Then come with me when I want to look for Filbo”

“I—when?”

Okay, that wasn’t a no. “Do you have any time during the next five days?”

Dagbert was silent for a moment too long. “...I can’t”

“Why not?”

“I just...got plans. Wiggle, you know”

Yu was invaded by a sudden feeling. Face clouded by how much saying it hurt – the thought someone could think this – he voiced his suspicion: “You think I attacked Filbo”

“No! That’s not what I—“

“You fear if we go together out there I’ll attack you”

“I said that’s not it, Narukami! Don’t you dare turn this on me!”

“Then what is it?!” Yu couldn’t help it, he made that question sound more accusatory than he would have otherwise. That Dagbert possibly thought he had done anything to Filbo reminded him too much of when his uncle briefly considered him a potential suspect in the Inaba murder case – and unlike Dojima, Dagbert wasn’t his uncle nor the person he depended on. Yu had less reasons to not let his frustration show.

“I told you, I have plans!”

“Okay, okay, calm down. Let’s...let’s both calm down” Yu inhaled and exhaled. It had been a long while since the last time something got under his skin like this. “Dagbert, I have done nothing. That I can promise”

“...thanks for telling me that, Narukami” the journalist sighed. “I’m sorry about all that. I’m trying to make this whole thing make sense, but at the same time I’m afraid of finding out something I don’t want to know”

“Why?”

“Because you’re my friend” he said. Yu adjusted his backpack while he listened to Dagbert talk. “I’m not meant to live on this island. Once I was done with the interview and checked out how Bugsnax were like I was supposed to leave. I didn’t come here to spend more than a few days. Instead I got embroiled in all these messes. I was so frustrated, Narukami. But you were there. Someone else who was just as lost as I was – or maybe even more lost”

Ah. Birds of a feather flock together. Dagbert wistfully stared at the sea.

“I felt pretty bad for you, being a kid who wasn’t even a grumpus, stuck here. But turned out you weren’t a pitiable kid. You gathered grumps around you. You gave me a good verbal kick in the ass when I deserved it, but you also have been pretty supportive.

I don’t want to think someone who helped me this much has been kidnapping grumpuses or something”

“I had no idea you valued me this much”

Dagbert shrugged. “When you don’t have friendships you get attached to the ones you do get; I guess”

“You don’t have friends?”

“Not really” he admitted. “I don’t stay for long in one place. Problems of being a journalist, you know. I don’t know where I’ll live at next”

So that was what was going on. Dagbert formed strong attachments to the first two people who were willing to befriend him: the lonely grumpus who eagerly wanted to form connections to others and the patient human with nobody in the world. That perhaps one of those two had attacked and made the other disappear must be a really horrible scenario for him.

“I know how that feels” Yu said. “I haven’t done anything wrong. Keep digging all you want – you’ll find no wrongdoing from me”

“I better not find anything, Narukami. I better not” he walked ahead. “We made Wiggle wait long enough. Let’s go already”

This wasn’t finished, not at all. Despite Dagbert’s increasingly painful situation, he wasn’t backing down from searching for the truth. Yu had nothing to do with Filbo’s disappearance – or with anyone’s disappearance – so he didn’t mind if Dagbert looked into that. Better if he did! The journalist maybe would find Filbo!

The Simmering Springs seemed pretty peaceful, so relaxing! Not too bad of a place to be at for five days! Crapples and Pineantulas filled the place, the former carrying the latter around. Peelbugs hid in the crevices of the rocks all over the place, the odd Razzby scuttled from place to another. Yu stopped, looking at the peaceful scene, taking it all in. Five days...perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad.

“You’re here! I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me” was Wiggle’s way of greeting him. Yu had missed her, he had to admit, even though it had been just a few days since the last time they had talked.

Dagbert chuckled. “I was here two days ago”

“And this morning too! But you had no time to have a nice chat”

Apparently she wasn’t aware of what happened! Dagbert asked: “Have you seen Filbo?”

“I haven’t seen him since I left Snaxburg. Why do you ask?”

Perhaps it’s for the best to not tell her about that. Dagbert shook his head, disappointed, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t known already Filbo most likely wasn’t in the beach.

Yu left his backpack near Wiggle’s hammock. “We’re here to keep you awake for five days!”

“Just what I was waiting for! These are going to be five days that’ll go down in the history of music~!”

“I have all the soda Bugsnax you asked for. Are you sure they have caffeine?” Dagbert shook his backpack.

Yu tuned out their conversation, focused on trying to make sure his cache of sauce wouldn’t explode all over the place. He hadn’t thought of how he’d excuse himself everyday to leave the place, but he had to think of something, no? Wiggle didn’t seem all that nosy, anyway. She was a little too self-centered to worry about what other people were doing, especially since she had something else to be concerned with.

Would five days of not sleeping make her so inspired she’d crank out a new hit? Pretty doubtful, if you asked him! But it was worth a try.

“Narukami, you listening?” Dagbert’s voice got him back to reality. Yu shook his head, returning to them.

“Sorry, I was busy”

“I was saying during daytime you’d accompany Wiggle and I’d sleep, and then during the night I’d be the Wiggle Watch while you rest. I have done so many all-nighters I’m an expert at it by now”

“Who better than an expert to do the job?” Wiggle agreed. Yu had no reason to say no, truthfully – and walking all over the island would be far easier during daytime, anyway. Even if it made likely someone would see him, it was better than bumbling around in the dark, risking his safety more than he already would. “Looks like we have reached an agreement! Our wavelengths are the same”

“I’ll go get Gramble’s hammock ready for Narukami. I’ll have the first turn, you know!” Dagbert grinned, departing towards where Gramble used to have his provisional Bugsnax ranch, leaving Yu and Wiggle alone. The musician seemed quite pleased, looking forward to being awake and possibly gain the inspiration she was so eager to get!

“It’s been ages since I had guests for so long! This will be like an extended meet and greet, with both of you in the place of honor!” Wiggle really seemed so excited, so eager to get her plan undergoing! Yu couldn’t help it; he was starting to get kind of eager too. Her enthusiasm was infectious!

“We should practice more banjo!”

“We should! We will! Wiggle Wigglebottom will bestow upon you all of her musical knowledge, from me to you!” she grabbed his hands, making him sway with her. “You’re a natural with the strings, dear!”

It probably was easier to play banjos when you had fingers instead of paws, really, but Yu refrained from saying that. Perhaps that said a lot about Wiggle’s skill with that sort of instruments. “I can’t wait, Wiggle!”

“Music sings through us! The muses find their voices in our splendid, maaaaarvelous melodies~!” she let go of Yu’s hands. “But speaking a little more frankly, Narukami, there’s something I’d like to say”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I just wanted to thank you” she said. “I’m not so oblivious I wouldn’t know indulging me in my idea is a lot of trouble for you and that journalist. To me it means a lot you’re both here, by my side, supporting me through these hard times”

She sounded like she truly meant it. Yu felt a little bad – even though he did offer to do this because of a desire to help Wiggle, that he also came because it’d be convenient for a completely unrelated thing made him feel like he was being a little manipulative. He didn’t feel proud of that in the slightest. “Of course! We wouldn’t leave you alone”

“Such kindness! And from sources I hadn’t expected. Perhaps it’s because you both are new additions to our expedition that you haven’t gotten tired of my woes and pains. Everyone else don’t have nearly as much interest in lending me a helping paw” she sighed. “The path of the struggling artist is lonely”

“It won’t be a struggle for much longer” Yu encouraged.

“That’s true! By the end of these days I’ll have something new! And you’ll be getting credit as well. I’ll have to come up with a convincing name for you. ‘Grump Doe’ is so generic, and I refuse to use Jellyjam. It’s the most common last name around!”

“...let’s think about that after you have a new single”

“True, I’m getting ahead of myself. We’ll discuss this once I have something to show my producers. We’ll celebrate! We’ll bring the house down!”

She was so grateful! She was going to try her hardest to make it work, that Yu was certain about! Hopefully there’d be results. Wiggle would do all in her power to make everything move in her head, even if it involved...eating way too many Bugsnax. Yu didn’t think he could stop her from doing that, but it was worth a try anyway.

Dagbert approached, having finished making sure everything was okay near Gramble’s beach ranch. “It’s comfy! Still holding my weight – and if it can handle mine, it can handle yours” he nudged Yu with his elbow.

“I napped there once” Yu reminded him.

“True! Then we’re all ready. Night one begins now!”

Wiggle, having gotten her banjo while they were talking, played an ascending scale. “These will be memorable days!”

One way or another perhaps they’d be, thought Yu. Hopefully it’d be because of something positive.

-ooooo-

Peaceful days, peaceful nights. Close to midnight right now, by Dagbert’s calculations. Wiggle was nearby, having ingested the first soda Bugsnax he had brought for her. “Maybe this will make my banjo playing easier” commented Wiggle, observing the straw that had replaced her forearm.

“I’m not sure it looks good on you”

“It doesn’t! But sacrifices are necessary for the sake of music”

Fine! That’s how it goes. More power to Wiggle, he guessed! Truthfully, Dagbert was fond of her, despite how she made him run up and down hunting for Bugsnax. He could count in one paw the number of people he didn’t like!

“Are you ready? It’s going to be a long night” Dagbert said, getting comfortable on a beach chair generously provided by the musician.

“I’m prepared! I have my ways to keep myself entertained for long hours” said Wiggle, settling nearby. What about you?”

“I have stuff to work on” he said, dragging closer to himself the backpack he brought. Yu was already asleep – Dagbert made sure the human was deeply asleep. He didn’t want him to catch him in the act. The journalist opened the backpack, taking from there a blank journal, different to the one he used so far. He thought it’d be better to have a new one for everything involving Yu Narukami. After all, it seemed it was very complicated. He needed a lot of space for all he’d have to write about it. So many tapes to listen, so much to try to understand. Dagbert had already tried to make it make sense, but after listening to one tape it was clear he’d need at least a couple days to put his thoughts in order.

Yu had asked to borrow his tape recorder, listening to a couple takes Snorpy had passed along. Dagbert had surreptitiously followed him, keeping a good eye where Yu kept the tapes. In his backpack, turned out. Once Yu was asleep, Dagbert took the tapes out, also noticing the notable number of sauce pods stashed in there. Huh. Whatever for...?

Well, didn’t matter right now. The contents of the tapes were more important.

“I found it! The skeleton with the bite marks! I’m sorry for how long it took to find it”

That was a female voice Dagbert hadn’t ever heard before, speaking in their mother language. One of Yu’s friends, presumably – another human, perhaps living somewhere else on the island. If he had to guess, it was someone as young as Yu. Yu did mention he was on the island with people of his same age and slightly younger. Was this girl the Kanji Yu had mentioned...?

What followed such a statement were a series of instructions of how to find the skeleton. Dagbert wrote down the instructions, deciding to go check that once he was done with the tapes in a couple nights.

That was the reason why he had agreed so quickly when Yu suggested to him this was a good time to help Wiggle: because it’s give him the time to listen to all of these tapes to his heart’s content. If he had stayed in Snaxburg, he probably would find his time sapped by everyone else asked him for favors or requesting him to hunt Bugsnax. At least here on the beach, watching over Wiggle and her...frankly a bit insane insomnia project, was the right chance to make headway into his investigation on Yu Narukami.

He still fearing it’d lead to a truth he’d hate with all his heart. Still had to do it, though.

Having written the instructions to whatever this girl had been talking about, Dagbert took the second tape, placing it in. More instructions, perhaps?

“I’ll take a look. Although...I haven’t ever checked a corpse, I believe my insight will be more conclusive than anyone else’s. My forensic skills probably leave a lot to be desired, though...”

That was a boy, thought Dagbert, and this boy would go and examine the skeleton. True, Dagbert had seen a few before – not even five minutes had passed after he fell from his airship before he stumbled upon one – but he wondered how old the one they were looking for was. At least he had the instructions to find it. Perhaps he could go and stake out that one, and see if he could make contact with this human?

“What are you listening to?” Wiggle asked him. Dagbert waved nonchalantly, not really wanting to get Wiggle involved in what could be a pretty murky matter.

“Stuff from work, reports from the mainland”

“Anything interesting?”

Oh, plenty! But nothing he wanted to tell Wiggle about. “It’s so tedious” he lied, getting that tape out. Returning to Yu’s bag, he placed those two tapes in there again and returned to his own backpack, staring at the dozen tapes inside.

“...I should have marked which one was the first one”

Well, he had all the time in the world to figure that out, anyway. Dagbert dragged his full backpack to his seat, made sure the empty journal was well positioned on his legs so it wouldn’t fall down by accident, and placed a random tape into his recorder, ready to start listening to Yu’s meeting with the other humans.

Dagbert had no idea what he’d find out, but he was going to. No backing down now.

This was the point of no return for him.

Chapter Text

Yu ran, trying to ignore the swarm of Spuddies at the bottom of the gorge. It was quite fortunate he had a lot of practice at running around with a lot of stuff, or else the backpack full of sauce would hinder him a lot! And right now the last thing he needed was to lose his footing.

One by one, in a chaotic manner devoid of any planning, the potato stag beetles crashed against the base of the shaky series of pillars Yu was standing on, attempting to make it all crash down and bring the human to the bottom of the gorge. Yu Narukami, experienced at facing enemies and always able to keep his wits even in the toughest situations, felt unnerved by how insistent the Bugsnax were in attacking him. Spuddies were aggressive, he knew that! But this was a little too much! They were literally attacking the canyon itself! Yu could feel little rocks falling from the pillar with every time they battered the base!

Better move! He jumped to the next, and to the next pillar, trying to reach the other side – firmer terrain they wouldn’t be able to do anything to. There was a very flimsy looking bridge made with an arch, so thin it’d be hard to run on it without falling, the rocks at its base so weak-looking one single Spuddy probably could destroy them.

The ground rocked – not due to an earthquake. The potatoes hit the pillar he was on, making it tremble! Yu was forced to put his hand on the ground to steady himself, the heat of the canyon almost burning his hand. It moved again, he could feel it all tilting to a side just a bit, a warning of what will happen—

Behind him! The flapping of wings! He turned his head around, seeing Cheepoofs fluttering in the wind. Looking for him? It had been hard enough to swat them away, if those saw him they’d try to push him off, surely! No time to waste! Extending a hand to the backpack, he grabbed a pod, hoping it was the ketchup one. It was great they generally had different shapes!

Aiming was just a formality. Yu tossed the pod of ketchup on the ground, some distance away from the swarm of Spuddies. The scent of ketchup was too subtle for Yu, but for the Bugsnax it was as if it was a magnet, all of the beetles crawling away in that direction, eager to coat themselves with it. This was his chance! Yu ran, leaping onto the rocky bridge. Without even stopping to catch his breath he walked quickly on it, trying to keep his balance.

“D-Damn it!” Tilting too much to the right, Yu stumbled, immediately trying to correct course. The backpack slid to the wrong direction, adding more weight to him, pushing him further towards falling down! Perhaps he’d survive the fall, but he still was too close to the Spuddies. Scared, Yu stepped back, soles scraping on the rocks, managing to stay on the bridge despite the stumble. No respite, no resting, he walked to the end of the bridge, to safety.

With a groan, Yu sat down. He was on top of the Scorching Gorge. Not too far away he could see trees, lusher places. All he had to do was go in there and reach the coast once again, and it’d be like nothing happened. Breathing shallowly, he touched his chest, feeling his beating heart. It beat so hard! And he didn’t know if it was due to the physical exhaustion or due to the close calls he suffered. “Too close...that was too close...!” he murmured. The thought he may have fallen and gotten attacked by Snax he knew could toss him around like a ragdoll...it terrified him!

It took several minutes for Yu to feel recovered enough to continue his way. He had spent explored the canyon the whole morning, avoiding Triffany. Along the way he found more indications a civilization once inhabited this area, he found where Cromdo used to be at not that long ago, he saw Chandlo starting to fix a bridge nearby, he found all sorts of tough-looking Bugsnax.

What he didn’t find was a clue of Filbo’s location. It meant all the danger, all the potentially deadly situations...they were all for naught. Of course. Perhaps he should known it. Someone else would have found something by now, if it was so easy.

Not that it’d stop him from trying, anyway.

How long had he been searching...? A couple hours already? Wiggle probably was getting worried for him already. He had told her he was going to hunt for Bugsnax, and she had asked him to be careful, of course. Now it was time to return and hope Dagbert was still asleep. Yu smirked while he stood up, thinking how much good it’d do the journalist to rest for once.

Taking the long road through the wilderness – avoiding Snaxburg – was a really risky endeavor, but if he wanted to keep his flagrant rule breaking a secret he had to. Yu managed to quickly run through the increasingly greener surroundings until the beach was on sight. The human leaped, ran, descended down the short cliffs lining the beach, until he landed on the wooden structures forming some sort of obstacle course.

-ooooo-

Dagbert seemed more and more distant. Or perhaps...addlepated was a more appropriate word. It wasn’t the first time Yu found him sitting at the edge of the water, staring into the distance with confused expression. The first time, he hadn’t said much. All Dagbert did was nod, vacantly looking up at the sky. The second day, though, he seemed a little bit more willing to talk.

“Are you okay?” Yu asked, sitting to his side. Dagbert scooted away – just a little bit, but it was noticeable enough for Yu to feel hurt.

Dagbert nodded, morose. “I’m starting to have a headache, that’s all”

“Grumpuses get headaches?”

“Obviously” Dagbert turned towards Yu. “It must be nice to have a head that isn’t 30% of your body. I’m starting to think you humans got lucky with evolution”

Things Yu never thought anyone would ever say to him, yet here he was, hearing praises about humanity’s evolutionary process. Well, strangest things have happened, he thought. “You should go sleep. I’ll watch over Wiggle” he said, looking towards the beach chairs. There was Wiggle, finetuning her banjo – although instead it was loosening the strings, from what Yu could see. Uf, Wiggle was already starting to feel the effects of her extended insomnia.

“I’m fine” Dagbert said, not very convincingly. “I just have a lot to think about”

Well, at times like these self-reflection is important, Yu guessed. Still...after that talk he had with Dagbert, he wasn’t very sure he believed Dagbert when he said he was fine. It didn’t take a genius to realize something was wrong.

-ooooo-

Okay, Dagbert knew he had been sneaking around. That had to be it, thought Yu. Why else would the journalist seem so confused and a bit wary whenever he was around? They didn’t really see each other too often, what with one sleeping while the other was awake. At best there were only an hour or two they could talk to each other. He always seemed so...taciturn, and every time Yu asked if he was okay, he always gave the same evasive answer:

“I just have a lot to think about”

Wiggle wasn’t doing much better either. The good moods from the first couple days slowly faded away, replaced by glassy-eyed stares at the sea and a miserable atmosphere that made the coast feel so heavy and foreboding. Conversations, learning to play the banjo, even just hanging out, it had all degraded into something that reassured Yu that doing this was a good thing:

After all, if he hadn’t, Wiggle would have tried to do it by herself. At least here he was to help her if anything happened.

Soda had been slowly taking over her body. Cans, as thick as Yu’s head, had appeared to replace her thighs and arms. Nothing particularly horrible yet, but she still wasn’t deterred yet, always willing to eat more and more even if it changed her!

“Darling, it’s all for the sake of my career~!”

That was all she said every time he raised his concerns!

Yu, a bit fed up with that eternal response, just nodded. “I have to go to the bathroom” he mumbled. Wiggle simply nodded, playing with seashells in her odd can paws, trying to get used to not even having fingers.

While Yu walked up the pathway to Snaxburg, he mentally counted the places still yet to be checked. The desert and the mountaintop...why would Filbo even go to those places at all in the middle of the night? True, grumpuses had a lot of fur, but that didn’t mean they could go traipsing around in freezing places at midnight! Had he missed something? Had he not thought of something?

Having arrived to the edge of the town, Yu checked out if there were any grumpuses around. He couldn’t see anyone! But Snorpy probably could see him, he surely must have been seeing him come and go in secret. Well, whatever. That one would be suspicious of him anyway. Other than that it seemed everyone was in their huts, away from sight—

A silhouette watched over Snaxburg from afar. Yu gasped, recognizing it: the Snaxquatch! It was at the agreed spot! Hurrying, Yu crossed the town and climbed the rocky wall to the top, meeting the Snaxquatch face to face. It didn’t seem like there was any messages or anything, it just...waited for him there.

“Do you need something?” Yu asked slowly, not sure what to expect. A response? A nod?

Nothing. Just staring.

“Sorry, I’m going to be away for a couple days more. If you need help with anything I don’t think I can—“

The abominable mixture of Bugsnax stepped forward, grabbing Yu by the shoulders and looking back and forth between the town and him. It was really hard to try to decipher what something completely silent was trying to indicate. It’d be far easier if it at least could make gestures!

“...you want to go into the town?” Yu asked.

The head of the thing turned almost 180°, looking straight at a specific hut, one Yu knew very well: Filbo’s. “Have you seen him?!” Yu asked, hopeful. If of all people, the Snaxquatch had information...!

No answer, though. It just let go of him.

Well, may as well try to convince it to help. If it can’t speak, then maybe he could get it to aid with looking for Filbo? It could understand him, that much Yu was sure about! But that didn’t guarantee it’d help.

“Someone from the town has gone missing” Yu said. “Male, light blue fur, this tall—“

Yu didn’t expect the Snaxquatch to fall apart right then and there, all of the things that formed it scattering away, panicked, leaving Yu alone. It had been a very brief encounter! Just a few minutes long! Did he say something he shouldn’t have? Did it get bored with him or something?

No point in wondering standing there, he supposed.

When he returned to the beach after more unsuccessful searching, all Wiggle had to say was ‘You took a while in the bathroom! Are you feeling well?’ as if he had been away for twenty minutes instead of three hours. She was starting to lose the track of time, it seemed.

-ooooo-

Five days pass slower than expected!

By the fourth day, Wiggle really wasn’t looking too good. When Yu floated the idea of stopping this harebrained attempt to gain inspiration, Wiggle was completely against it. “No! I can’t...! Not after coming this far! I can feel it...” she lifted a can paw towards the skies, waving it back and forth. “I’m on the cusp of a breakthrough! Passing through the veil of this horrible, awful block!”

Yu decided to be honest: “I’m really worried, Wiggle”

“You have such a sweet heart, Narukami – and so does that journalist. He said the same thing to me right before he went to sleep!” she sighed. “I envy both of you so much...but I will also channel this...” she blinked, apparently losing her train of thought, staring emptily at the sand. After a few seconds she looked up and smiled sweetly. “Sorry, what were we talking about? I got distracted”

Confirmed: this wasn’t good for her. He wasn’t worried only for her head. Lately, looking at her always made Yu wince! Unwieldy straws popped on her face, replacing some of her teeth to the point straws could be seen poking from her mouth. They even had replaced her nose! Formerly endearing, now her face looked so...so...

...horrible. That was the only word that came to mind to him. To think she’d keep changing more and more if she ate more Bugsnax...

Yu put a hand on Wiggle’s arm; the unsettling sensation of aluminum making his skin crawl. “Take it easy. Lie back for a while”

“Marvelous idea, dear. Some cloud-watching will do wonders for my creativity. I will see dreams of grumps high in the firmament...” her words trailed off right before she fell asleep, head against the back of her beach chair. Yu could hear soft snoring coming from her.

“Good” Yu murmured. This wasn’t the first time she fell asleep. More like the fourth, and every time Yu let her sleep for a couple hours before waking her up. Given how unhealthy her plan was and how she refused to stop, he had decided to cheat and not say a word whenever she fell asleep, then later say she had been unconscious for just a minute or so. So far it had worked like a charm!

It was for the best, really.

Yu had settled to wait for enough time to pass, when Dagbert approached, awake. “Dagbert? It’s still long before sunset” Yu said.

Dagbert glanced at the asleep Wiggle before sitting on the sand right beside Yu. “I know. I wanted to have a talk with you. It can’t wait”

Sounded pretty urgent! Yu nodded.

The journalist scratched the back of his head, uncertain. “Listen, I have been treating you like something the Snak dragged into the house. I have suspected you of some really bad stuff. I know I was trying to find the truth, but it’s not like that’s an excuse to be rude to you, is it?”

Nice of him to apologize. “I didn’t mind” Yu lied.

“Even if you didn’t an apology is in order, so here I am. I’m very, very sorry. I had a lot of time to think” he brandished a journal. “A lot, indeed. More than enough to mull everything that has happened, and...other things”

“Other things?”

“Nevermind that. The point is what I decided is that you didn’t have anything to do with Filbo being missing” Dagbert moved the sand around with a paw. “I know you have your secrets. Big ones, I can tell. But maybe they’re none of my business”

Did I make it that obvious? Thought Yu. Either Dagbert was really sharp, or Yu was shady enough to make him think there were secrets under wraps! He couldn’t let the rest of the Team know about this incredible failure! Smiling tensely, Yu decided to assuage the journalist’s concerns. “It’s alright!”

“Is it?” Dagbert sure didn’t seem convinced at all just stopping here was the right thing to do! “If you say so. But I’d like to interview you at some point”

“Me? But I’m not even from around here” What use would his words have for anything?

“I know. It’s more of a personal thing. Don’t worry, everything will be strictly off the record” he nudged Yu with his elbow. “You won’t see a single word printed on the newspaper!”

Yu said, deadpan: “My debut in grumpus society will have to wait” and, after a pause, nudged Dagbert back, getting a chuckle from him.

“I know, it’s a tragedy! Everyone would be so eager to hear words from a human!”

“The TV show contracts would be worth a fortune”

“I could quit my job as a journalist and be your manager. We’d be grumpin’ rich!”

“Please don’t say that near Cromdo”

Dagbert couldn’t hold it back; he guffawed so loudly Yu turned his head to check if Wiggle had woken up. “He’d sell his granny’s pelt if that got him a quick buck, true! Your stardom will have to wait until we’re very far away from him”

It was so nice to be able to warmly talk to Dagbert again. Yu was very relieved to see him back to normal; the cloud of suspicion that was hanging over Yu’s head possibly dispelled. It didn’t seem to him like the journalist was faking it for any reason! It had to be genuine.

The journalist stood up. “I’ll go back to sleep. Also, if you don’t mind...” he gave Wiggle quite the pitying look. “Let her sleep for a while. I have been doing that during the nights”

Good to know Yu hadn’t been the only one who was cheating in Wiggle’s crazy plan. Approving, Yu rested against the beach chair Wiggle was at, head resting against the side of her body. Her fur was rather soft, like resting against a bundle of plush blankets.

To think someday it all would be replaced by some food or another. Maybe by soda cans.

Yu hurried to stop thinking about that.

-ooooo-

Five days and nights! Finally over! The sun set in the horizon, disappearing behind the waves of the ocean. All Yu could hear was the noise of the apple crabs skittering all over the beach – noises he had long gotten used to to the point it was almost imperceptible. That, and the melodious sound of the banjo. At this point he could easily associate beaches to banjos!

“Aaaah...” Wiggle exhaled. Now that the time was over, she seemed to be somewhat more energetic than before! Or maybe the spontaneous naps had done the trick. Or she was delirious after so many hours of sleep deprivation. “Feel that breeze! It’s the winds of change, bringiiiiing~ new life to me and my muse!”

“Did it work?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out now, dear!” she extended her arms to the sides. “How do I look? Do I look like the brightest star in the sky?”

...not...exactly the description that came to mind given her current looks, truthfully. “Not really” he answered honestly, perhaps a little too much, judging from Wiggle being taken aback.

“Your bluntness burns me! But that’s not important right now. What matters...” she got the banjo ready for what she expected to be a marvelous single. “...is the result of my efforts!”

Silence.

Wiggle’s face slowly fell into a look of bewilderment. She obviously had expected something to pop up right away, yet nothing had happened. Not even one single note! Yu waited patiently, unsure what would happen now. She wouldn’t just stop here, would she?

The musician closed her eyes, making frustrated noises while she waited for the music to come, but...it just wasn’t working. “...huh...odd. My head is swimming just like back then, but the songs aren’t floating to the surface! Isn’t that...isn’t it...” she opened her eyes. “I can’t even think of what word to use. I’m kind of dizzy”

“You really should lie down” Yu recommended, ready to take Wiggle to her hammock in case she had trouble walking, but of course she refused to do so! She stepped back, clutching the banjo as if Yu had tried to take it off her can paws!

“Not yet! I must not waste the chance! But there’s something I’m not—“ she jumped a bit, suddenly excited. “I got it! This isn’t yet identical to the moment Do the Wiggle dawned onto me! Narukami, do you remember what I told you?”

The general lines, for the most part. Yu nodded.

“I stumbled into the studio, having obtained a banjo from somewhere, and got in there to record. I remember my producer was wondering where I had been all the time! That’s what I need right now” she pointed at Yu. “Be my producer!”

“Me?” Yu pointed at himself as if she could have ever been referring to someone else!

“Yes! You must!” Wiggle threw her head back, swooning dramatically. “The one wrangling the beast that’s the music industry! The one who is very upset with me! Look at yourself, you already have the face of someone on the verge of losing patience with me!”

“This is my face of concern” not a lie, he was pretty sure that’s the face he had.

“Stay there. We’ll begin right now – and remember, dear: you’re an upset producer who will get me into the recording cabin to make a song.” Without even waiting to see if he was ready, or even bothering to give him further instructions, Wiggle ran some distance away from the beach, the banjo carelessly scraping against the sand in a manner she wouldn’t if she was more lucid. “Make the first move!”

Yu shuffled around awkwardly, not really too sure how he was supposed to do this, but alright! Here he was, now roleplaying a music producer upset with one of his artists. Well, odder things had happened to him before. “Wiggle Wigglebottom! Where have you been?!” he shouted, raising a fist in the air.

Wiggle, dragging her feet, approached, yawning in a manner Yu was pretty sure was authentic. “I’m so...so...sorryyyy~! I have been working day and night on a new single!”

“You won’t think of one if you don’t rest!”

The musician gave Yu a look that pretty much spelled out that wasn’t what she heard back then, but at least she didn’t break kayfabe. “No time to rest when I need to make the magic work! Now, how about you let me go forth and create music, hm?”

Not a very subtle way of nudging him along, but Yu nodded, getting behind her and pushing her forward. “No time for arguing. Get in there and sing something!”

“Yes, sir! At once!” clutching the banjo, she moved further down the coast, into a recording booth, pretended to get in front of a microphone, and got into position, prepared to unleash the result of five days and night of insomnia!

Yet nothing came.

Unsure if he should say something, Yu did so anyway: “Is everything okay? Sing, Wigglebottom”

“I’m...I...” Wiggle swallowed, looking pained and murmured. “I’m...how......why...?”

Nothing else got said. Having murmured that, Wiggle, swaying in a manner completely unlike her usual idle swaying, she tilted backwards, then forward, losing her footing, falling onto her face, on the sand, banjo under her. Yu tried to catch her but he couldn’t reach her in time, Wiggle crashed down onto the sand, cans clacking together in a cacophony of metal against metal, sprawled and immobile!

“Wiggle! Wiggle, hey!” Yu rolled her over so she was on her back. No injuries, good! But that she had collapsed was very concerning! How do you check a grumpus’ pulse? Wiggle was too large and heavy to carry, so Yu had to drag her towards the towels under the hammock, slowly and carefully taking her from where she had fallen all the way to the shade. She was snoring softly – a good sign?

Not taking risks, though! Yu ran to Dagbert, waking him up and telling him the situation right away. Dagbert snapped into attention immediately, rushing to Wiggle. After several tense minutes of him checking her over, he placed a pillow under Wiggle’s head. “Seems to me like she’s okay. I’m no doctor, but she doesn’t seem to be in danger right now?”

“Are you sure?” Yu asked.

Dagbert shrugged. “Not at all. If Eggabell wasn’t missing she could tell for sure, but...” he stood from where he had been kneeling. “You could bring Floofty here when you go back to town. They probably know enough to help”

“I will”

“Good. She probably will be okay” Dagbert made sure she was comfortable. “I’m used to chaining all-nighters so much it’s a second nature for me now. Wiggle wasn’t prepared for something like that”

“I’m worried for your health”

“I’m fine! I have been doing it since I was your age!” he said. “My university days were rough”

Then perhaps Dagbert was the one who could tell best if Wiggle would be okay or not? Well, getting Floofty anyway was a good idea. “So now what?”

“She probably is going to sleep the entire night. It’ll do her some good—“

As soon as Dagbert said that, Wiggle mumbled something and sat up, groggily looking around.

“Or she could wake up now, much to her detriment. Figures” Dagbert finished. “I’ll go get Floofty now. You keep an eye on her for now, Narukami”

Left alone with Wiggle while Dagbert left in direction to Snaxburg, Yu waited for Wiggle to say something. If she decided to lie down and fall asleep again, then good! The human wasn’t going to try to keep her awake, really. Still, it seemed she was intent in not sleeping just yet, because she stood up, a little shaky. Yu hurried to be right with her, holding her so she wouldn’t fall again. “Don’t overexert yourself” Yu said.

Wiggle smiled weakly. “Thank you, Narukami” she slowly sat onto the hammock. “...why am I full of sand?” Indeed, sand dusted her fur.

“That doesn’t matter right now”

“You’re so right!” Wiggle said. “What matters right now is that my plan didn’t work. I must—“

“That’s not what matters right now either!” Yu shouted, making Wiggle stop. For a moment she stared at him in silence, surprised.

“...you really don’t get it. That’s right, you don’t have the heart of an artist. Not at all”

“Then explain so I can understand”

“How do I put it...?” Wiggle leaned back. She really seemed to have a bit of trouble trying to put her feelings in a way someone who knew nothing about the world of music could understand. Still, she seemed to think of some things to say, because she began, sorrowfully recounting:

“Narukami, before Do the Wiggle I didn’t stand out. Of course I still had songs, and...I guess it was a bit of a cult following, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted more, and I worked day and night to do it...! I knew someday I would create something big, and my name would be in the mouths of every grump out there!”

“Then came Do the Wiggle?”

“I don’t even remember what I was thinking! Why, the one time I got a single beyond my wildest dreams, it’s a vapid mess of a song? Do the Wiggle got me straight to the top, and I don’t even know how I did that!”

“Wiggle...”

The musician sighed, making the hammock rock back and forth. “I already had fans, but after Do the Wiggle I had more than I could have ever dreamed. Concerts were sold out! I got my platinum record! I had the success a lot of other singers don’t get to even taste!”

She shook her head.

“And I have no idea how I did it”

It definitely wasn’t the sort of issue he had ever heard from Rise, or seen with his own eyes. He already knew the world of entertainment was rough and unforgiving, yet somehow he always managed to underestimate how demoralizing it could be. There always seemed to be some new, ugly side he hadn’t known yet.

“Perhaps you’re overthinking it” Yu tried to be encouraging, but judging by Wiggle’s extremely annoyed expression, he said the wrong thing.

“Overthinking it?! You really don’t know what you’re talking about!” she didn’t seem to realize she was yelling at him, but at least after that she lowered her voice, holding a can to her head to try to steady herself. “Oooh, my head feels like it’s full of buzzing Snax, and not in the good way”

Is there even a good way? “You overdid it with this plan of yours”

“It was nothing new! I would do anything if it meant finally breaking through this block!” she laid down on her hammock again, at least having admitted she was running on fumes. “But no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to hit the right notes! Do you have any idea how painful it is to know you got to the top because of a fluke?!”

“...no” Yu admitted.

“I refuse to let it stay like that. I don’t...” Wiggle closed her eyes, can over her eyes as if to shield her from the dying sun. “I don’t really care about the money. I want an audience. I need something new and great or else they’lll...they’ll all be gone someday. Do the Wiggle and its million remixes only carry me so far, dear.

Someday that well will run dry, won’t it? And when it does, I’ll be done for”

Surprisingly hopeless for someone who Yu had seen as an energetic and dauntless person – and he doubted it was because of the lack of sleep that right now Wiggle seemed very lacking in pizzazz. Wiggle had pretty much shown him the extent of the hopelessness growing inside her, the hopelessness she was trying to fight by eating Bugsnax without restraint and behaving recklessly to the point it was harmful for her. Yu couldn’t help it; he was really worried for her.

Wiggle closed her eyes. Yu took off the star-shaped sunglasses off her, leaving them on the towel. The more comfortable she can get for what’d hopefully a good night of sleep, the better. “You’ll overcome this” Yu quietly encouraged. Wiggle sighed.

“I hope so. I truly, dearly hope so” she murmured.

It wasn’t long before Wiggle started snoring. Yu waited for Dagbert to return, watching the sun disappear until the stars came out above in the sky, and calmness descended on the beach. He really hoped Wiggle would come up with a new single soon. For her sake.

Took another half an hour for the other two grumpuses to arrive. Floofty didn’t seem happy at all, but they went straight to Wiggle without any complaints. Dagbert let the scientist check Wiggle, and instead approached Yu.

“I’ll stay here tonight. Probably tomorrow too”

“To watch over here?” Yu asked.

“Exactly. Someone has to make sure this didn’t leave any ill effects on her” he said. “You should return to Snaxburg. I’ll escort you there and then I’ll return to handle everything here”

Wiggle probably was in good hands. Or...good paws, thought Yu. Yu took his backpack, now depleted of most of the sauce pods he brought with him, and got ready to make the trek back to the town. Giving Dagbert some words of thanks, the human and the journalist returned to Snaxburg. It was nighttime already, the nocturnal Bugsnax were out there.

At least there was nothing attacking them. During the trip back they didn’t talk, both a bit too tired to have conversations, except for one question:

“...Narukami, did you find any clues about what happened to Filbo?” he asked.

“I got nothing”

Dagbert momentarily brought his paws to his mouth, as if he was about to chew on it, only stopping because he didn’t want to do such an ugly habit in front of Yu.

Snaxburg was as silent as usual. It seemed all grumpuses were in their huts, including Cromdo, who had returned not too long ago. Seeing the town brought Yu some warm feelings, somehow. He hadn’t realized how used he had gotten to this place until now. “How has everyone been?” he asked Dagbert.

“Probably the same as usual. Why don’t you pay them a visit?”

It wasn’t a bad idea. Yu bid farewell to Dagbert, letting the journalist start the journey back to the beach. Left alone, Yu adjusted his backpack and took a quick decision on who to talk with. Gramble and Wambus’ homes were near the airship he lived in. Why not to say hi to those two? Wambus first, perhaps?

At this point it’d have been surprising to see Wambus anywhere that wasn’t the farm. Even though it was already nighttime, Wambus was there, working amidst the sauce plants. They were growing wonderfully! They were starting to have a surplus of sauce, getting more than they could eat and use against Bugsnax! In contrast, the part of the garden dedicated to growing Bugsnax was almost barren. The googly eyes embedded into the soil stared at Yu when he jumped over the fence.

At the noise of someone entering the farm, Wambus turned around. He looked kind of disheartened, thought Yu. Something about Wambus’ expression really made him worry. “Hmph. You finally come back to the town, huh” he sounded exhausted.

“I was with Wiggle”

“So I heard. How’s the singer? She holdin’ up?”

Yu’s momentary pause perhaps said more than his words did: “I think she is,” he said and hurried to change the topic, although it wasn’t going to be a good one either. “The Bugsnax still aren’t growing. Shouldn’t there be a few sprouts by now?”

At such a question Wambus really seemed like he had been about to yell something, but thankfully he refrained from doing so. “They’re just stubborn. Somethin’ must have gone wrong when I planted them Bugsnax. I’m figuring that out”

“I don’t think you’d have made a mistake” Yu said, trying to gently guide him towards the conclusion that maybe trying to grow Bugsnax as plants wasn’t the way to do this.

Wambus stood up from where he was hunched amidst the sauce plants, his back creaking loudly. “Nice sentiment, kid, but I’m not some sorta farmin’ prodigy” he shook his head and mumbled: “Mistakes happen”

Yu opened his mouth to reply to that but didn’t come up in time with something that would help.

“Anyhoo, I’m not gonna sit back and watch the darned things wilt. I was checkin’ the soil here, on this end. The sauce’s growin’ wonderfully, no?” he sounded a bit proud even though the sauce plants weren’t what he’d have liked to focus on. “So that’s gotta mean this part here is more...nutritious than the rest”

“Didn’t you fill the end with the Bugsnax with fertilizer?”

Wambus made a face of vague disgust. “Don’t remind me of that one, kid. Point is, I wanna swap the sauce and the Snax. You get it? Move the sauce over there, bring the Snax to the good soil”

Logically that made sense, Yu couldn’t deny that. Would it work? Probably not – Bugsnax really seemed to not work by logic. “A plan is a plan”

“It is. I’m not down for the count just yet” he said. He knelt again, once again his back creaking loudly; apparently this time the ache was intense enough to make him freeze for a bit.

“Wambus, you should go rest”

“It’s not time for restin’. The Snax ain’t gonna grow by themselves”

“I had enough of you guys not resting well!” Seriously, it seemed like overexerting themselves was a species trait for these grumpuses! If only he could grab Wambus and pull him away from the farm, but no, he probably wouldn’t be able to do such a thing. Still, thankfully, the vehemence in his voice seemed to convince Wambus to stop for the day.

The farmer stood up with some effort and followed Yu to the hut. The human walked inside, turning on the lanterns on the walls, illuminating the bedroom of the house while Wambus waited on the doorway, having taken off the hat and left it near the bed.

“You didn’t have to come and take me to my own home” he said awkwardly.

“I spent days watching Wiggle working herself to the brink of exhaustion.” Therefore he was taking no chances, in case Wambus would go and get working on his farm until 4 AM.

Wambus sat on the bed, hanging his head. He really looked pretty drained, slowly being pushed to the end of his rope. Yu, leaning on the wall, decided to see if maybe he could give him some nice news. “I went to see Triffany. She’s doing well!”

“That so?”

“She’s considering to come back”

That got Wambus to look up, asking with obvious hope: “When?”

“Next week”

“And here I am with nothing to show” he groused. “I refused to go with her because nothin’ would grow in the desert. Look at that patch of soil and tell me if anythin’ worthwhile grew”

Sauce. That was of use, but apparently in Wambus’ eyes it was as good as nothing.

The farmer shrugged. “Not that she’s gonna be surprised. I don’t expect you to get it, kid, but she doesn’t believe I can do this”

That definitely didn’t sound like Triffany at all! She was upset with Wambus but there was no way she thought so little of him! “You’re probably wrong”

“I have been a lousy husband to her” he admitted. “Not even goin’ to see her at her dig site. She’d have loved that” Perhaps true, perhaps not true, Yu wasn’t sure if that really made Wambus ‘a lousy husband’. “Did she say anythin’ about me?”

Somehow it felt like being completely honest with Wambus would only make him feel ever worse than he already did. How else would he feel if he heard one of the reasons why she didn’t return sooner was because of her husband being in the town? But if he said she hadn’t said anything, that was pretty bad too. Wambus probably would ask for details if he tried to be vague. All in all, it seemed to him there was just no way to make this sound nice.

May as well be honest, then.

Once Wambus heard the truth, he sighed, nodding like it was something he expected. “Thought so. Thank you for the honesty” Was telling him the right thing to do? Maybe? “One week for her to come back...if I can have something to show her, it’d prove I was right in stayin’!”

Yu winced a little. “...I went to see her five days ago”

“Fi—why didn’t you mention that before?!” Not one week, he had only two days to make something grow in that barren garden corner! A potentially impossible task! “Gonna rise early to make preparations”

“Calm down. You’re going to overexert yourself”

“Listen, are you gonna help or not?”

The sudden, bitter question got Yu a little taken aback. One moment they were having a civil conversation, the next the farmer spat a question that made it sound like Yu had offended him greatly. “What?”

“I’m gonna need you to help me with this one” he said. It seemed even saying that was a bit of a trial for him. “I cannot ask anybody else. They haven’t ever touched a plant’s roots in their entire lives. Chandlo is hardworking, but I doubt he can handle them without breaking the stems in half” he waves a skewer arm. “...and I should have thought twice before eating Shishkabugs. Working with these is...hard”

Fair point. If grumpuses have to make their tools with certain qualities to be able to grasp them with their paws, he’s sure using them while having much thinner appendages than usual must be a huge challenge.

Still, Yu was shocked. Wambus asking for help like this, so pleading, so...cornered, it wasn’t something he had expected. In the face of something like that, Yu simply nodded.

“Come to the farm tomorrow. Anytime. It’s not like I’m gonna be anywhere else” Wambus stood up. “Get goin’”

“I’ll be there”

“You better. You’re the only one I can rely on, kid. Don’t leave me in the lurch”

Wambus really was relying on Yu’s help. Not even that long ago he had merely tolerated Yu’s presence in his farm, and now he was pretty much pleading for his help. He trusted Yu and wasn’t afraid of confiding how much the failure was starting to damage his confidence and make him dig his heels further.

It was good their friendship was getting stronger. It was very bad Wambus was starting to get affected this badly over the Bugsnax’s refusal to grow like plants. Feeling isolated among everyone else, even thinking Triffany wasn’t going to support him...

...well, there probably was a real reason to think that! Not everything could be blamed on Bugsnax or on the farm. But Yu really didn’t like the catalyst that led to an existing problem getting worse involved Bugsnax.

“I’ll turn off the lights. You go” the farmer said.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“You should worry more for yourself than for me. Look at the bright side, kid: anybody new comin’ ain’t gonna think bad of you”

“...should anyone be thinking bad of me?” Once again him with that odd concern. There definitely was something afoot in Snaxburg, and Yu was already starting to have a pretty good guess what it was. If one suspected he did anything to Filbo, perhaps others do as well. To know there were grumpuses who think he did anything wrong...it hurt. It really did.

“Well, at least you’re taking it well” Wambus said, scrutinizing Yu’s expression.

More like his face tended to be stoic more often than not, but fine. Yu wasn’t interested in clarifying that bit.

-ooooo-

Pretty sure it was already past 10PM. It was a bit amazing how dark it could get out there when there’s no moon. Clouds were hiding the moon and the stars, blanketing everything with a deep cloak of shade. Yu’s gaze directed up to the spot the Snaxquatch usually settled in, but it was too dark to take a good look. So dark in this place, and the silence was so...oppressive! Still didn’t get used to the lack of the sound of animals! And still no campfire. It didn’t help most of the residents of Snaxburg were already asleep, their homes somehow even darker than the outside, making it all seem kind of like a ghost town.

With one exception: the barn’s lights were still on. Yu stared at the barn. It was too late for a social visit, wasn’t it? It’d be far politer to come back in the morning! Who goes pestering people late at night?

Yu does. Past 10PM wasn’t even that late, he thought, and the side door of the barn was still open anyway. The pen outside was empty, whatever Bugsnax that used to be there already having escaped at some point during the last five days.

“Gramble?” Yu entered the barn, looking around. Well, at least the little compartments holding Bugsnax still were populated! And there was someone tending to them! It was such a relief to see someone other than the journalist without any of those mutations on their body! Hearing his name, Gramble turned around, eyes widening when he saw who it was.

“You’re back!” Gramble shouted, elated, running to Yu as if the human had been away for years instead of just a few days! He looked so sincerely happy! “The lil’ ones missed you so much!”

More like Gramble was the one who missed him! Yu doubted the little ones really cared who would come to the barn to see them! Still, Gramble’s joy was very welcome after the thought of how others in Snaxburg may think he’s some grumpus kidnapper. “Good to see you again, Gramble”

“Come on, let me give you a welcome back hug!”

No complaints there! Yu spread his arms and kneeled somewhat, letting Gramble wrap his arms around him, and reciprocated. It’d have been a nice moment, one of reprieve after a long, stressful day, but as soon as he got a grip on Gramble something odd reared its head. There was some strange tactile sensation over Gramble’s fur and sweater, something kind of different to the usual fluffiness he had gotten used to when touching a grumpus’ fur. A tad grossed out, Yu patted the back of Gramble’s head, trying to confirm what he felt.

The fur had a pretty unpleasant feel to it. Sticky yet oily at the same time. Up close to Gramble, he also noticed there was a sour note to him, a smell that’d be unnoticeable if he had been further away. It was pretty hard to describe. Yu let go of Gramble, stepping back and rubbing his noise. Had he imagined it?

“Is...are you okay? You look kind of...disgusted”

Gramble had noticed his expression. Well, this was awkward. “It’s nothing” Yu lied.

“Oh. Wait, do I smell like sauce?” he seemed apologetic “I know it’s not too great. Ketchup and chocolate and ranch don’t mix together well. Don’t try it”

So these were the residual scents of some unholy sauce concoction?! “Why would you?”

Gramble pressed his paws together nervously. “W-Well, you know what the lil’ ones like. They love sauce! But they don’t...um...show me that much appreciation?”

“Even though you give them a home?”

“They’re shy! That’s all!” he said, defensive. “But they need some encouragement sometimes, so I cover myself in sauce so they’ll pay attention to me. Sorry, I thought I had washed it all off already”

“How often do you do that?” Yu asked, dreading the answer.

“All the time! They’re...they’re shy all the time”

The thought of sauce caked all over one of these fuzzy creatures’ fur was kind of sickening, to be frank. That Gramble had to go such lengths all the time to get his Bugsnax to interact with him was pretty sad, really. “How’s the training going?” Yu asked, hoping to change the topic.

Apparently asking that wasn’t great, because Gramble looked away. “It’s going well? Since I started to use sauce on myself at least they look at me! They still aren’t listening to my instructions but...baby steps, right?”

No, not right!

Gramble passed a paw over the back of his head like he expected to find remains of sauce there. “I just have to keep trying until they realize how much love I have for my family!”

“You’re worrying me” Yu said, pretty bluntly.

“Me? Why?”

“Is it really safe to cover yourself with sauce?” That wasn’t at all why Yu was worried, really, but he had a feeling if he outright told Gramble it worried him he was so fixated on trying to convince a bunch of Bugsnax to be his new family the rancher probably would take that as a huge offense. May as well try to gently guide Gramble towards a conclusion that leads to not obsessing over this.

“’course it is! If you don’t mind a Bugsnak throwing you against the wall of the barn!”

That was a tad too cheerful for someone describing bodily harm like that.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Gramble scolded. “You need to make sacrifices for love! That’s what family is for. You make sacrifices, you watch out for each other, and when you need them the most you’re there for them. I’m never turnin’ my back on my family!”

“I guess you’re not wrong” Yu conceded.

“Yes! I...” Gramble observed his paw, looking for any globs of sauce he may have. “My family, they...they kinda...” he murmured something Yu didn’t really understand. “...anyway, it doesn’t matter. I know I’m not doin’ the same things they did to me”

It was a nice sentiment, but that it was directed at Bugsnax was a little bit iffy. Quite curious how his opinion of them was nosediving, Yu thought. They had degraded from a bunch of quirky food-shaped animals into a strange source of obsession he really should stay away of.

It probably was because he heard about his friends eating them. Whatever Bugsnax do, it now involved his friends. Yu couldn’t turn his back on it.

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re back, but we probably should leave the trainin’ and raising’ Snax for later. I gotta ask that journalist to bring more, so let’s wait until they’re here. In the meantime how about you say hi to—“

“Maybe tomorrow” Yu hurried to say. Not only it was too late in the night to dilly-dally around in the barn, now that he greeted Gramble and saw how much this grumpus was invested in getting Bugsnax to cooperate in his new family Yu really preferred to have less contact with Bugsnax.

Thankfully, Gramble didn’t seem to notice Yu’s reticence. “Of course! We’ll still be here when you’re ready to work on this a little more!”

Although Gramble seemed to be in high spirits and clearly he trusted the human, Yu didn’t feel very comfortable right now. Better to leave right now. Once he closed the barn and made the trek upwards to the airship, he just looked back, towards everything he could see of Snaxburg.

He hadn’t really realized it before: Snaxburg was a pretty unhappy town. Grumpuses so centered in their issues and problems to realize how much they were hurting themselves and others. People who devoted themselves one way or another to Bugsnax as the solution of their problems, with no results at all. Everyone else who currently wasn’t in the town probably was just as unhappy, too.

...pretty depressing town, this one, he thought, entering the airship. Yu threw his jacket aside, tired. Tomorrow was going to be once another long day, wasn’t it? He had his promise to Wambus, but other than that, he didn’t have anything urgent to do. Still...it had been six days since Filbo disappeared.

The odds he was okay and alive are lower and lower with every day, he knew that.

Yu laid down on the bed, trying to ignore the foreboding feeling that currently was filling him. Ugh...he really hated this. It felt like he was in stasis, an outsider watching everything crumble around him. The grumpuses weren’t fighting each other, but their personal lives were falling apart despite how the journalist and Yu had managed to get so many to return already. Could he do nothing? Was there some sort of threshold where it’d be too late, some sort of point of no return?

No. He couldn’t let such pessimistic thoughts take a hold of him. Yu exhaled and got comfortable in the bed. Tomorrow would be a new day. He could start figuring out what to do once it was dawn. He had closed his eyes when he heard a clattering noise right beside the bed. Oh. Did something fall from the bed when he moved? Yu blearily looked at the floor, seeing a tape right there. Ah!

One minute later he already was up, having placed the tape into the recorder, listening to the message. It probably was a few days old, left while Yu had been absent. Thankfully, the information wasn’t something he could act upon, but still...

Frowning, Yu stood in front of his cork board. He had already marked the location of the skeleton Yukiko had found. Once he pinned a blank note right beside it, Yu made the tape play again, writing down the important information:

‘I found the skeleton Yukiko-senpai talked about. Keep in mind I’m not a forensic expert. That said, the following are my findings.

All soft tissues have decomposed already. From the appearance of the remains I believe it has been left exposed to the elements for a long time. The right arm was separated from the body, I found it some distance away. As expected, there were bite marks on...most of the length of the bones’

No surprise there, really. Grumpus mouths were very wide.

‘I cannot ascertain the cause of death of this grumpus. However, I found a crack on the skull, on the occipital area – or its equivalent on grumpus anatomy...? I’m not sure what caused it, and I cannot tell if it injured them in any way.

Despite all this, given the head injury and the way the arm is separated from the rest of the skeleton, I believe there’s a chance this individual didn’t have a natural death...or even a peaceful death’

Yu wasn’t sure how to feel about them stumbling upon a potential crime scene. Thankfully, it wasn’t something they had to solve, but it was starting to indicate something Yu didn’t like very much. Naoto voiced those same concerns almost right away:

‘Given the findings, I believe we may find ourselves with a case of cannibalism committed by one or more grumpuses. What’s strange, though, is that only one arm was eaten. The rest of the skeleton shows no damage or bite marks, and although some bones are disconnected from the rest of the frame, their general location hints they weren’t moved or taken. It’s like only that arm was eaten...

I recommend you get an expert to look at these bones, though. May I recommend that archaeologist? I don’t think she’ll be coming back to my Snaxburg anytime soon’

That’s where the recording ended. Yu stepped back, reading what he wrote on the note. This really was something to remember. Still, Naoto wasn’t a forensic expert. If nobody else did, he should go and take Triffany to take a look at that skeleton. Still...that was going to take a while. Triffany would return in a couple days, but first he had to show her the ruins.

Regardless, something kept coming to mind while he read the note, something he seriously didn’t like the implications of when paired with the possibility someone cannibalized that dead grumpus’ arm -- only one arm.

In his head, Yu pictured Filbo a few days ago, showing him his strawberry arm:

“Everything is still in there! The muscles, the bones, the—this here is like an outer shell to everything.”

It really was an unnerving thing to be thinking about when almost nobody in town had their limbs intact.

Yu shuddered.

Chapter Text

Yu pressed the button to make the microphone work.

“Does anyone else think there are too many mass graves on this island?”

How many mass graves are ‘too many’? One was already too many, in Yu’s opinion. The ideal number of mass graves near of where you live should be zero.

Having left that message for the rest of the team, Yu stepped away from the table. “Thanks, Snorpy”

“Don’t mention it, chum! My radio is available for you anytime” Snorpy was currently working on something on his desk, using alarming amounts of aluminum foil. Yu wisely avoided to comment about it. “May I ask what exactly was so urgent you had to come at dawn?”

That was a bit of a rude question, for someone who had just said he could come anytime. There was no way Yu could divulge what he said; it’d raise too many questions. “I hadn’t talked to them in five days. I just wanted to say hi”

“Hmmmm...how courteous of you, but also how nice. Somehow I can believe it” he said. Good! “Now that you’re done, perhaps you should leave. Go ahead”

Polite enough of a way to tell him to scram, really. Either Yu coming early in the morning had really annoyed him, or he didn’t want the human to stick around while he kept working on whatever all that aluminum foil was for. Seeing no point in insisting, Yu decided to leave.

Now what? He didn’t have anything in particular to do that could push the investigation forward. The case was on stand-by until the next day, when Triffany would come with him to the ruins. Until then, may as well deepen his bonds with the grumpuses around here. This time it wasn’t really bringing him power or better Personas. He wanted to deepen connections with them because it felt like the right thing to do. Yu worried for the residents of Snaxburg, so many of them sinking further and further into the pits of their own problems and worries.

Well, at least he knew where to get started. Yu existed the mill, looking up at the sun. This was going to be a nice day, he could tell! The sort of day one would love to use to work on the farm.

As expected, Wambus was at the garden. To a side Yu could see several tools that would be of use. Shovels, spades, mattocks, bags for the soil. The farmer himself was already there, without getting started just yet. Upon seeing Yu, he tipped his hat at the human. “Was wonderin’ if you were gonna come. You ready to get your hands dirty?”

“Anytime”

“Then take the shovel and get here. We’re gonna move all these Snax to the good soil. I’ll get started with getting the sauce out of the way”

Out of...? Wait a second. “Won’t that ruin the sauce plants?”

“Could ruin ‘em. It’s a risk worth takin’, ain’t it?” he said. Not really, thought Yu! It already was difficult to get anything growing on Snaktooth Island, if Wambus ruined the one thing that had grown here, all in the pursuit of trying to appease the Bugsnax he had planted...there was no way the farmer wouldn’t regret it later. Yu decided to try to stop him.

“You should get the Snax out of there first” he suggested, trying to delay the moment Wambus would ruin the sauce plants. “They could be on the verge of falling apart after all these days underground”

Wambus considered Yu’s words. He didn’t seem convinced, but Yu did bring up a valid enough point he couldn’t just brush aside and hide behind his experience. He had never grown Bugsnax before, after all. He couldn’t say they wouldn’t fall apart. “Fine. Let’s get those buggers out of their cozy homes”

The farmer insisted in being more careful with these than with the actual growing plants. Taking a spade, Yu crouched, digging his fingers into the soil. The googly eyes almost by the surface were staring at him all the time, unblinking, unmoving. Yu felt with his fingertips the outer rind of whatever food insect was buried there. It...didn’t feel different or noteworthy in any way, really. “I got one”

“Yeah? We’re gonna take ‘em out one by one. Start with that one”

Yu dug with the spade, careful not to injure the Snak. Bit by bit a carrot emerged from the ground, slithering a little bit to make it easier. Catching it before it could get away, Yu held it up, examining the Rootle while it crooned softly at him.

It looked pretty much intact. No change at all. The rind still was as firm as ever. Other than the dirt clinging to its surface nothing really hinted it had spent several days buried. It didn’t even seem upset about that, or glad it had been taken out of the earth. It just...existed.

No roots that could indicate Wambus’ efforts were working. No little stems or sprouts or leaves. Nothing that made it look like anything other than a carrot of considerable size. There was absolutely nothing that showed farming Bugsnax as if they were plants was doing anything at all.

“Wambus, I don’t see any changes”

“What do you mean?”

“It looks normal. I don’t think burying did a thing”

“You can’t draw that conclusion from looking at one single Snak!”

True enough, although in Yu’s opinion Wambus was nitpicking. Without missing a beat, Yu slammed the Rootle back into the hole he had drawn it from, leaving it unable to move, and started digging onto the nearest Snak. Before long he had extracted a Strabby, active and lively as ever.

Still no difference compared to literally any other Strabby he had seen. Not even a softer part that may indicate something was growing there, or any spots of a color other than bright red. Yu was pretty sure if he were to leave it on the ground, it’d scurry away, spry as usual.

Yu turned his head towards Wambus. “This isn’t working”

“Out of everyone in town I expected you’d understand plants don’t grow quickly”

“But at this point there should be a sprout, or roots! Look, all the seeds are intact--”

Wambus narrowed his eyes. “Those ain’t seeds, kid. You cannot expect ‘em to grow like normal plants do”

Wasn’t he contradicting himself right now? Yu frowned. “I really don’t think these are going to grow at all” he decided to say once and for all. If Wambus got offended because of this, then so be it.

For a long, long minute, human and grumpus stared at each other, waiting for the other to concede terrain. Neither was willing to, convinced they were right, and although they glared and glowered at each other, both were hoping the other would surrender and accept their opinion.

It didn’t happen. Wambus was the one to break the silence, but it wasn’t to accept Yu’s judgment of the futility of trying to grow Bugsnax like plants.

“So this is it. I truly am alone in tryin’ to get this done”

“You’re not alone, Wambus”

“None of you believe I can make it happen. That’s fine!” he spat “I believe I can. That’s gonna be enough”

“Calm down. There has got to be another way”

“Kid, there isn’t. If this doesn’t work then what? What other choice is there? Starve to death?!” he demanded to know. At times like these he really made it obvious he wasn’t doing too well. Yu crouched, holding the little Strabby. It nudged his face. Affectionately? Mockingly? ...by accident? No way to know for sure.

The farmer, cross, seemed to be on the verge of telling Yu to leave. Slowly, Yu left the Strabby back in the hole it was unearthed from, starting to cover it back. “Wambus, my opinion is that you should leave them here. Don’t move them”

Wambus didn’t reply.

No point in staying. He could see the longer he stayed here, the more upset Wambus would get simply because he disagreed with what he was doing. Yu wasn’t going to just let him go on with this just because he wanted to befriend Wambus further. Yu made sure the Snax were snug in their holes and stood up, shaking the dirt off his hands.

“I should leave” he said.

“You should” the farmer didn’t mince words at all!

“Before I do, there’s something I want to say” Yu stuck his hands in his pockets, looking at Wambus, concerned. “I’m not trying to get you to give up, or anything like that. I’m just concerned. Don’t lose sight of everything else while you’re trying to make this work”

No response. Wambus averted his eyes. Yu waited, almost fearful he had said something he shouldn’t, waiting to see if his relationship with Wambus would take a turn for the worse. Someone as stubborn and approaching more and more to the end of his rope could burn all bridges and not even look back. If necessary, Yu would apologize and try to mend it all, but still...

“This little piece of land is all I have. After all these years all I have left is a garden on some island away from everythin’ else. Don’t even got Triffy to be there for me” he scratched the back of his head. “Even if you all don’t believe in me, I will”

Good for him, having self-confidence? Although...his tone really didn’t sound like the tone of a man who was ready to face the world and everyone else on it.

It was the tone of someone who really saw no other option. Either he believed in himself...

...or he really would have nothing at all.

Yu could see that, plain as day. He wanted to say he believed in Wambus, but doing so, reaffirming something that was starting to seem impossible – if the lack of growth on the Bugsnax was any indication – just...it seemed cruel. It’d be false hope, hope that would only give temporary comfort and make reality hit harder if it turned out this was all as difficult as trying to extract water from a rock.

“...I’ll be coming back” he decided to say. “I want to see what you can do”

“That’s not nearly as flattering as you think it is”

“I know, but I mean it”

Hopefully Wambus wouldn’t ruin his garden. When Yu left, Wambus was left at his farm, covering with soil the hole from where they had gotten the Strabby. Was that a sign he had changed his mind about moving the sauce plants?

With some luck, that was it.

-ooooo-

By now the journalist had returned to Snaxburg. Of course, Yu had hurried to greet him, asking about Wiggle’s health. Good news! Wiggle was okay. Exhausted, probably going to spend a couple days lazing around to recover, but okay. In no time the days she spent in her quest for inspiration would be just a thing of the past.

Until she came up with a new plan that would once again unwittingly push her to the limit, that is. It was very likely she would come up with something else.

“There’s no way she’s giving up” Dagbert said. Hard not to agree with that! “Either way, life goes on. We should be glad the town’s still up even though we were away for five days”

“Dagbert, no”

“What? I’m just saying we should get credit for holding this place together!” he grinned sardonically. Yu hadn’t thought a grumpus’ face could have such an expression! “I’m joking. Sorta”

Even if he was joking right now Yu was pretty sure Dagbert did want some credit. The journalist said he had to go out there to hunt, and although it went unsaid, to look for Filbo. It had been around a week since he had gone missing, and almost everyone had moved on. It wasn’t they forgot Filbo, or they decided he wasn’t worth the effort.

It was that after a week of searching, they had no idea where else to search. It really was as if he had vanished into thin air, just like Lizbert and Eggabell. The general opinion, from what Yu had overheard, was that Filbo, well...that he was dead. Unlike the first two grumpuses to go missing, Filbo had zero survival skills.

Nobody wanted Filbo to be dead, but everyone thought he was. Dagbert was the only one who still went out there to look for him.

Yu sat to the firepit, still empty. It was completely clean. Nobody had lighted it up for a week already. Perhaps he should start lighting it up, thought Yu. But still, something about taking over that task felt like accepting Filbo was gone.

“Narubro, you alright?”

Hard not to recognize that voice, or that moniker. Yu made sure to smile when he faced Chandlo. “I’m doing well”

“You don’t gotta hide it, bro. Embrace those feelings instead of bottling them in” he encouraged. Not bad advice, thought Yu. “Whenever I’m antsy you know what gets my blood pumping? Exercising”

“You want me to exercise with you?”

“Sure! No offense, but you look like you’re in need of a good training routine!”

“If you think my feeble and non-cylindrical body can keep up, sure”

To be fair, compared to Chandlo literally everyone needed a training routine, but Yu didn’t say that. Instead he agreed, knowing if he refused, it’d only make Chandlo more concerned.

“Alright! Let’s get going! Ever played basketball?”

“I was the captain of the basketball team in my second year in high school” Well, not really thanks to his efforts or anything. He was given the role pretty much once he joined that club!

“Awesome! Then come on! I’m looking forward to seeing your mad skills!”

Definitely not mentioning he didn’t have that position thanks to ‘mad skills’. Still, Yu accepted. Now that he thought about it, Chandlo had a hoop there near the mill! They could play there.

Instead of accepting, Chandlo directed a not so subtle look at the mill. “Right...about that, um...it’s a nice day. The mountain air’s gonna give you strength, bro. Let’s go to the woods!”

Yu nodded, but inwardly he knew very well why Chandlo was going to take him far away from the town: he didn’t want to use the hoop here in Snaxburg. The reason definitely was because of Snorpy. Chandlo didn’t want Yu to be near Snorpy.

Even though Chandlo had claimed he wouldn’t suspect Yu, he still was very cautious. It hurt. Still, Yu didn’t comment about it; he simply followed his friend out of the town. Even if he were to say anything, Chandlo probably would say a trip into the woods was good for your health and to enjoy the fresh air.

Two hours later, they had arrived to the basketball court: a space up onto the top of a cliff. The pathway to the mountain was there, showing snow and an observation tower in the distance. If one of the balls fell over the railing it probably would be lost forever. Chandlo stood by the basket under the hoop, taking deep breaths and exhaling, pleased. “Doesn’t it feel great? You can feel the energy coursing through you!”

“It does feel nice” Yu admitted. It wasn’t a lie.

Chandlo took a ball and passed it to Yu, the human catching it with ease. “Show me what you’re made of!”

Obviously Chandlo was no novice at the sport! Yu could tell! He probably wasn’t anywhere near professional level, but he obviously played with some frequency! And despite that Yu had a lot more advantage, and it wasn’t because of his skills. It was because of his longer legs.

Chandlo had strength and a pretty good defense strategy! But his jumping wasn’t even decent, and although he waddled as fast as he could, which was even harder given he was walking on dippers, Yu could easily outpace him! Throwing the balls at the hoop, scoring around half of the time. However, every time Chandlo had the ball, it was impossible for Yu to steal it.

Yu extended his arms, trying to knock it off Chandlo’s paws, but it was hard to even get a grip on the fried coating on his biceps. The cinnamon dough felt rough, crispy, full of grains of salt, and easy to dig your fingers into! But there was absolutely no way he’d risk breaching through that crust. All the honey seeping from Chandlo’s legs made it more difficult to reach him, too. Yu had to dodge puddles and streams of honey all over the place, turning the ground into some bizarre quicksand his shoes kept getting stuck onto!

Still, Yu won that match by several points. Chandlo leaned against the wall, spinning a ball on the twisted tip of his dough paw. “Dude, you’re awesome! You’d be ace in any b-ball team!”

“You’re exaggerating” Yu said. Really, it was just a difference in body shapes.

“I’m not! It was the best match I had since arriving here!” he dribbled the ball. “I was training with Eggabell, but we never played together. She had...some stamina problems”

“Were you close to the doctor?”

“We were tight! She confided some stuff in me, and I tried to help her overcome her problems” he smiled. “Under that shell of hers she’s strong! So much I bet she’s still alive, no matter where she is right now”

“I hope she is”

“She must be!” he insisted, sitting down. “I hope my help was useful to her. But it just scares me, bro”

“What scares you?”

“First Lizbert and Eggabell are gone. Now Filbo is gone too. Filbo did nothing wrong! We weren’t close friends, but we were friends anyway” he admitted. “I should have been more supportive. He was having such a hard time”

“There’s no point in having regrets at this point” It’d only distract you, thought Yu.

“Yeah, but we’re all together on this island! Grumps gotta stick together!” he said. “We can’t let anyone else disappear! And if I can do something about that...then I will!”

Yu nodded. It was a nice attitude, but depending on what exactly had made those three disappear, it could be a tad above his paygrade.

“But I worry about Snorpy so much. If anything were to happen to him I dunno what I’d do. It’s not that I think he’s defenseless, but...” It seemed for a moment Chandlo tried to find the right words to use, without much success. “Nevermind. It’s my responsibility to help him and keep him safe, but I’m not limiting it to only him! I gotta lend a paw wherever I can”

So he didn’t feel responsible only for Snorpy, but to some extent he also felt responsible for everyone else’s safety. Still, Snorpy had priority over everything else, that much was undeniable. Yu stood up, taking the ball in his hands, ready to leave. “We should be going back” he suggested.

“Yeah, we should. Thanks for the match, Narubro”

“Anytime” besides, Chandlo also had confided in him. After all this, Yu felt he understood Chandlo a little better.

It was going to take a while to return to Snaxburg. Better to get started now, perhaps go sleep early to begin the day by taking Triffany to the ruins. When he said he’d like to return home, Chandlo smiled. “Of course! We gotta hit the showers once we’re back. This was sweaty work!”

“...do grumpuses sweat?”

“Not really! But you just know when you’re in need of a bath”

So it was more of a metaphorical thing...? Yu wasn’t sure he understood, but he nodded anyway. A shower sounded nice right now, anyway.

-ooooo-

Snaktooth was a pretty small island, all things considered. You could cross it from end to end in less than a day. Still, when going from Snaxburg to somewhere else took hours, part of Yu wished it was all even smaller than it already was. Walking back when you felt your legs were all wobbly and tired from playing sports was torture!

“You sure you don’t want me to carry you? It’d be easy!”

“Please don’t” Yu said. He didn’t doubt at all Chandlo would be capable of carrying him all the way to the town, but he didn’t want to let that happen. Making it back on his own two feet was his personal challenge! Letting Chandlo carry him would be admitting defeat!

Well, no, he also didn’t want to bother Chandlo with such a thing. Still, he had said something else once Yu refused his offer:

“I said grumps gotta stick together, but that doesn’t mean humans can’t stick together with us too. You’re one of us, you know that?”

Those words probably would mean more if Chandlo still didn’t show distrust towards him. It may not have been enough distrust to alienate him from the rest, but it sure was enough to be noticeable.

While Chandlo went to the showers, Yu took a detour to the mill, trying to ignore how gross he felt. Ugh, he knew very well what that guy meant when he said you just knew you needed a bath. It was such an unpleasant sensation, to feel sticky and grimy. Still, before going, it’d be better to make sure there were no unanswered messages. There were! But once he listened to the few tapes Snorpy gave him, Yu shook his head, a bit disappointed.

None of the responses had anything useful. Nobody had any ideas or clues as to why there were mass graves besides the expected ‘well they couldn’t just leave corpses lying around’. Someone even wondered if perhaps cemeteries hadn’t been invented yet. No theories yet about why there were grumpuses sealed in caves and the such.

Well, he had raised the question just that morning. Even though he didn’t know how much time they all had left before disaster struck, he hoped it’d be enough to come to an answer to it before long. Yu furrowed his brow when he stuck the tape recorder in his pocket. Just how much time did they have left? At least with the Midnight Channel he knew once it rained a few days in a row then the fog would come and fill Inaba. Here in Snaxburg he didn’t have a convenient way of knowing when it all would go to hell.

Yu took the last tape, intending to listen to it, only to get interrupted:

“Myyyy, I didn’t expect you to hang out with someone else out of town~!”

Not the voice he’d have wanted to hear, but now that he had a link with Beffica, he wasn’t going to walk away. Instead he turned to her, finding her smiling at him like she had just caught him doing something he shouldn’t. “He wanted to play basketball”

“How odd he wanted to play somewhere else when he has space and a hoop here”

As expected, Beffica had noticed that. It was to be expected someone as observant as her would notice. Whether she knew the right reason or not didn’t really matter, she probably would just jump to the conclusion that painted Yu in the wrong light. Such thought was proven when she commented:

“Good thing he’s back and unharmed. If he had disappeared, all suspicion would fall on you”

Yu’s eyebrow twitched for a moment. It was one thing for suspicion to fall on him and others to act like he was out to drag grumpuses to their dooms or something; getting told this to his face was another thing. “That was unnecessary, Beffica”

“Was it?” she nonchalantly waved a paw. “Whatever. I wanted to talk to you, fellow investigator. Did Chandlo tell you anything interesting?”

“Interesting like what?”

“Secrets? Dirt? Gossip?”

Did she think Chandlo loved to gossip? “Of course not”

“Oh, too bad” she grabbed him by the arm and led him away, to the stream bordering the town. It wasn’t a very private place to talk at, but it was something! Along the way she seemed to want to avoid the Cromdo Mart and the grumpus standing right there. It was someone Yu hadn’t seen ever before, but from the description...that had to be Cromdo, he thought.

He was staring right at them. The mere sight of Beffica and what he probably thought was Beffica’s accomplice seemed to irk him.

Once Yu and Beffica were out of everyone else’s sight, she began to talk about the reason why she approached him this time. “Listen, you’re, like...very good at approaching people, aren’t you?”

“I guess I am”

“Even though they’re wary of you, they still spend time with you. That’s soooo reckless? But also sweet of them. So how about we take advantage of that?”

Yu didn’t like at all the sound of this. “It depends on what you mean”

“Use your way of getting people to approach you to find out more about them!”

So far, no objections. Beffica fiddled with her camera, talking all the while.

“You’re, like, not the only interesting person around here. Others have their own secrets and stuff. I want to drag all those little skeletons in their closest to the light”

“And what are you going to do with that information?”

“Nothing! I just want to figure these guys out. You know, see what’s under the surface?”

...still no objections, thought Yu. He couldn’t deny he was interested in that too. Whether he’d share anything with Beffica was something else altogether, though. So far, he saw no reason to.

“Why not the journalist? He gets along with others better than I do”

“You’re not wrong, but he’s so busy now. You know, looking for Filbo” she shrugged. “I don’t wanna get in his way”

“So instead, you ask me. You don’t even know if I would share anything with you”

“I know, I know. But nobody in our line of work gets somewhere by working alone. You know what that means~?” she winks. “You’ll have to rely on me too. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. So how about it?”

Not...a bad point. If there was someone who could provide him information it was Beffica. Having her as a backup plan if Dagbert was busy or away. Still...something about gossiping with Beffica of all people seemed like a bad idea. “What’d I have to do?”

“Oh, not much. Just...hang out with people...get them to talk...be there for them...break into their cottages at midnight...” she giggles. “The usual little friendship things”

“I was unaware invasion of property was part of a good friendship”

“That’s, like, advanced friendship levels. Besties invade each other’s homes all the time”

Note to himself, thought Yu: check the airship for signs Beffica has been rooting around in it.

“I’m not invading anybody’s hut, Beffica”

She sighs like she didn’t understand the objections at all. “I caught you searching around in Triffany’s tent the other day, but you do you. What matters is that you tell me what you find! How you do it doesn’t matter!”

“And what are you going to do with the information?”

“If it’s anything everyone should know, such as for example that Cromdo is stealing everybody’s stuff and selling them for a quick buck – that’s fact, by the way – then I’ll tell everybody” she said. “But if it’s not that, I’ll just...keep it to myself”

“Why?”

“I told you, right? I just like to know what everybody’s up to. Beneath all the fluffiness and harmlessness, there can be some strangely dark stuff waiting~” she said, “Or just funny stuff, you never know. What you must remember...” Beffica lowered her voice, turning serious, and continued:

“...is that people hide who they really are. What you see? That’s what they want you to see. And they hide their secrets, like...you know? Like bubblegum in a lollipop?”

“That’s a cynical way of looking at people” Yu pointed out.

Beffica shrugged. “It is, but that’s just how it goes. Welcome to the real world, Narukami! Population: you and me~”

Yu couldn’t deny she was right: people did hide their real selves; they hide who they are and try to show around what people want to see, languishing under the weight of their own secrets and desires. He knew that so well. Himself and his friends had seen it happen. They all had their own stuff and emotions to hide, until the events of the Midnight Channel happened and it all was brought to light. Even though after all that they all were happier, the revelations and people seeing their inner feelings and secrets was painful nonetheless.

It didn’t seem he’d get into a fight with any of these grumpuses’ other selves and almost die from their insecurities and issues throwing lightning and trying to curse him out of existence, but...somehow, that meant he had to do all this the hard way. No shortcut by meeting their Shadow Selves. If he wanted to help them, he had to the good old way of bonding and slowly chip away their walls.

Still, Beffica’s cynicism about relationships was really enlightening. Yu was glad to have seen a bit more of her feelings and thoughts.

Yu nodded. “Alright, I accept”

“I knew you would! We’re gonna turn this village upside down” she seemed so pleased Yu had agreed to join her in snooping shenanigans. “Your first assignment will come someday. Be ready”

Assignment? This was starting to sound a tad more organized than he expected. Still, too late to back down! Even though he wasn’t all that eager to go gossip and dig people’s dirt, well, he wasn’t going to do anything half-assed.

“Now you should get going. I don’t mean this to offend you, but you kinda stink” Beffica said in a tone that made pretty clear she wasn’t trying to be tactful in the slightest. Yu gave her a flat look she completely ignored. “I should get going. A certain journalist was going to get me some Snakpods~”

Yu watched her leave. Once he was sure she was far away, he took out the last tape. He didn’t really have much hope it’d contain anything noteworthy, but Yu was a thorough person. He had to listen to everything, even if it had nothing of use. Yu inserted the tape into the recorder and made it play.

The contents weren’t related at all to the question from that morning. Instead, it raised another topic, one that got Yu worried right away. At first glance it didn’t stand out that much, but only when he thought about it, he realized perhaps it was more important than he thought at first:

It was Rise’s voice. She sounded like she didn’t know if she should be saying this, but she decided to do so – a sign of her trust towards the rest of the Investigation Team. Yu frowned, playing the tape again.

‘Guys, I dunno how to say this, but...is Fiddlepie-san acting strangely in any of your worlds too?’

It must have been something pretty unusual for Rise to feel the need to contact everyone, he thought. Rise seemed to disagree, though.

‘It’s not like I know him too well so maybe this is all normal, but he’s...he’s sorta antsy? And worried? And he’s asking Jellyjam-san for a lot of Bugsnax. It’s all so sudden I didn’t know what to think’

It sounded like she wasn’t too sure if this was something she should be talking about, but Yu already was taking her message pretty seriously. In the Investigation Team Rise was definitely the savviest one in everything social. If she thought something was off about Filbo’s behavior, she probably was right.

Yu hoped this sudden change of behavior in Filbo wasn’t a sign things were taking a turn for the worse.

Chapter Text

Finally, the day had arrived: it was time for Triffany to accompany him to take a look at the ruins in Flavor Falls. Yu wasn’t going to take a no for an answer, not after Triffany had been so stubborn about staying at the digsite instead of coming back home. While it wasn’t like he could force her to return, she was one of the last three still yet to return...and also wasn’t missing. At this rate she’d be the only one who refused to come back to Snaxburg, and given how dangerous the island seemed to be getting that was simply unacceptable.

At least getting her away from her digsite for just a few hours went smoothly. Yu arrived accompanied by Dagbert, finding her about to get started with her day. She had gotten ready to break through what seemed to be a weak section of the wall of the canyon, prepared to unveil the secrets that were there, before the human arrived and reminded her what she had promised.

“Oh, right...I said we should go today” she said, looking between him and the wall. Weighing her priorities, perhaps?

“I really need your help” Yu insisted.

Dagbert had decided he’d let Yu take the lead in everything, but he still chimed in: “You wouldn’t break that promise, would you?”

Sighing, Triffany left aside the tools she had taken for carefully chipping away the stone. “A promise is a promise...” She had definitely forgotten about it, he could tell.

Passing through Snaxburg seemed to bring Triffany pause, though! Once they had gotten to the edge of the village, she stopped, looking around, trying to find an alternate route that wouldn’t take her by her husband’s garden. There was no choice, though! Having realized that, she followed Yu, always staring to the front.

As expected, Wambus was at the farm. When Yu, Dagbert, and Triffany passed by, Wambus looked up from his work, perhaps expecting Triffany to say something – but she didn’t. She did turn her head, though. She looked at him, opened her mouth, seemed to think it better, and shook her head, deciding to not say anything.

Leading her through the less known pathways in Garden Grove went easily. Triffany navigated the rocks in the dry riverbed. Over their heads the clouds looked pretty gray, a warning rain was coming. “It’s time to be getting’ out of this here path, yeah?” she said a bit morosely.

“Narukami goes up first” Dagbert said. Just like the last time, Narukami went up first, but this time he didn’t have the stick – it had gotten burnt a few days ago, courtesy of a Scorpenyo. Getting Dagbert up despite that was far harder than before. Thankfully, after that, the journalist helped him lift Triffany up between the two of them. Yu grimaced when he touched the bare rib bones forming her paw. After he once again checked if his shoulder had gotten dislocated this time, he looked around, pinpointing the right direction to go. “Over here”. It wouldn’t be long before they reached the cliffs in Flavor Falls, he thought.

“I’m right behind you” she said, giving him a very fake smile. Yu’s lips formed a thin line while he considered saying something, finally deciding just staying silent probably would just leave Triffany stewing in her doubts.

“You don’t look very happy”

“Well...it’s nothing”

“You can trust Narukami with anything you want, just so you know” Dagbert vouched for him, taking the lead. “I’ll just go to the front,” and, just as he said he would, he walked ahead, whispering to Yu he still remembered where to go and that he should stay with Triffany.

Well, it was nice he was vouching for him, but if Triffany didn’t want to talk about it, then he had no choice but to accept that, Yu thought. Still, Yu waited, giving Triffany the chance to let some steam out if she needed to. He was willing to listen, after all.

It took just a minute for her to begin speaking: “...Wamby seems to be doing well! He has a new garden”

It had been a while since Yu had heard something so patently false it took him a moment to figure out how to respond. “Do you really think so?”

“He seems to be in good health, and the sauce’s growin’ beautifully. What else could he want?” That question definitely was a self-deprecating comment. Did she really think Wambus didn’t want her anymore? That was a little dramatic.

Telling things as it is probably would work better than beating around the bush, he decided. “He misses you. Wambus is doing pretty badly”

“He is...?”

“You coming back would help a lot. I’m not saying you should go and return just to make him happy – if you keep going without any sort of resolution you’ll be hurting yourself too.” Even if this resolution was that this couple parted ways, at least it was a resolution of some sort. Yu had no doubt they longed for each other, but that didn’t guarantee there’d be a reconciliation once they finally talked.

“...I’m still mad...and I also don’t want to find out our goals are irreconcilable. I don’t think my heart could take it” Triffany thought about it for a moment, finally acquiescing. “I’ll consider returning...at least to see if we can begin again. Civilizations don’t fall apart in one day, so...who says our marriage has to?”

Yu wasn’t sure he understood the logic, but if it meant she was coming back, then good!

“Besides, it’d be nice to see more greenery in a daily basis. Almost all the green I see in that canyon is my own fur!” she said cheerfully, trying to divert the conversation somewhere else. Talking it with a kid probably wasn’t something she’d like to do, Yu thought. Fine then! Change of topic, it’d be.

Leading Triffany through the vegetation and the rocks was far easier than Yu expected, and it helped she was talking amicably about all sorts of things, eager to make conversation. She really had experience passing through the foliage and bushes as if they weren’t there! How many times had she done this sort of thing before? Countless times, probably! Once they got to the top of the cliffs in Flavor Falls Yu looked around, trying to see through the rain. Where was Dagbert..?

Ah! Right there! Yu saw the orange fur of his friend through the trees and guided Triffany through them, finding Dagbert hunting for Inchwraps and Cobhoppers all over the place. Acknowledging their arrival, Dagbert picked up the trap, still full with a captured Snak, and pointed towards the east. “Right there”

There they were! The bunch of Bugsnax statues he had found, the ones with the carvings similar to the stone door he had crossed three weeks ago!

Triffany’s eyes widened at the sight of these authentic ruins. Snaktooth truly was full of the remains of all sorts of past civilizations! “How swell...! To think there’s this so far away from everything else...!”

“Could you tell me more about these?”

“Sure! Give me a few minutes!” now she understood why Yu had been so insistent in bringing her along! This truly was her forte!

It took around twenty minutes of careful examination for Triffany to gather enough information to at least give Yu a general idea of what was going on. The human waited patiently for her to finish, watching her brush dirt and dust away as carefully as she could with her transformed paws, leaning to take a closer look at the carvings on the statues, kneeling and scratching the grass below her with contemplative expression, looking upwards at the raining sky, puzzled. It really felt like she was trying her hardest to organize her thoughts.

“Ooooh...how intriguing! To think such a bewildering remain would be hidden up here in Flavor Falls...!” she said, amazed, once she judged she had examined everything enough.

“What’s this place, Triffany?” Dagbert asked.

“My guess is that it’s some sort of ceremonial altar to Bugsnax! These statues...” she patted one of the stone Strabby statues. “...resemble a lot the statues I have found around altars all over the island. Did you know many of the civilizations that took root here on Snaktooth treated Bugsnax—“

“Triffany?” She was about to digress, Yu saw that. Better to get her back on track.

“Right, right. Here, look at the ground” she beckoned Yu closed and showed him some of what she had been scratching. Under the grass there was polished stone, blocks gathered together to form a solid surface. “Isn’t it nifty? All this grass is covering a platform! If I had to guess the size right away I’d say this platform is as big as my tent back in Snaxburg!”

“There are caves in this area, and I have seen some status depicting grumpuses. I guess there was a settlement here in Flavor Falls” Dagbert commented.

“Oh, quite right you are! The proximity to fresh water is a boon to any community”

 “How long has this been here?” Yu asked.

“A very long time. The stone has been exposed to the elements for a while. You only need to examine the erosion to know”

Okay, so the doors that brought him and the rest of the Investigation Team weren’t recent. Still...how is it possible they were in different locations? That was the one mistake Yu could see in Naoto’s reasoning that the worlds got separated just a few days ago. Couldn’t it be that there were separate worlds all along, from the beginning of time? Maybe there just were countless worlds and they had only very small differences, so minor they didn’t change anything at all.

...

No, that couldn’t be it. If there were countless worlds with only minor, irrelevant differences – and supposing the human world worked exactly the same – then countless Investigation Teams would have entered the TV World at the exact same time. Infinite worlds would require infinite collective unconscious all separate from each other. Did that even make sense? At this point he couldn’t tell.

Perhaps the doors themselves were...the work of whatever strange thing was in this world’s collective unconscious right now. The supernatural could do so much weird stuff. In the year and half or so since he knew of the existence of Personas he had seen people going inside TVs, a tower appearing at his high school, and cursed videos online dragging you into the collective unconscious. Doors popping into existence all of a sudden almost seemed low-effort...but the part of dividing the world into many timelines sure didn’t.

Yu asked her to check if maybe some part of the ruins was taken from this spot, just in case the door was always supposed to be here and somehow it got to the Frosted Peak, but there was nothing. It was unlikely she was mistaken about that. Once Triffany inquired why he asked such a thing, Yu told her about the stone door he had come through.

“At the mountaintop...? Does that mean humans live up there?” she wondered aloud, apparently having misunderstood, but that was okay. Yu didn’t want to tell her about coming from another world.

“I’d like to return home but I don’t have the clothes to withstand the cold”

“If you live up there why wouldn’t you have that sort of clothing with you all the time...?” she mused. Oh. She was right. Thankfully, Triffany didn’t really think much about such contradiction. “How about you ask Gramble to make some warm clothes for you?”

“Gramble?” It wasn’t a bad idea. Gramble seemed to be the only one who knew anything about making clothes. Perhaps with his help Yu could be one step closer to returning home!

“He’ll help. Gramble is so sweet I’m sure he’ll lend a helpin’ paw if you ask him nicely” she said, stepping under a tree. No point in talking in the middle of the rain! Her hat was already dripping with rainwater.

Yu and Dagbert followed her. “Anyway, about the ruins. There are more places...” he said, informing Triffany of every other location the rest of the Investigation Team had entered through. So far he had only seen this one and the cave in Garden Grove, but he suspected there probably were more structures in the rest of the locations.

Triffany seemed to find the locations themselves far more interesting than the ruins: “So we’re talkin’ about a group that wasn’t limited to one single area of the island! Even us, in our modern era, decided to have our community in one single location. We could learn something from the grumpuses of the past!”

“I think we shouldn’t try to imitate civilizations that are long dead. They’re dead for a reason” Dagbert said. Someone really didn’t care about history, it seemed.

“Have there been many civilizations on Snaktooth?” Yu asked.

As if a switch was flipped, Triffany’s mood got so sunny it was as if the rain was gone momentarily. “You betcha! There have been so many insular communities of grumpuses throughout the history of the island, all of them with different origins. That’s without taking into account the many colonizers who tried to...”

What followed was a long and, in Triffany’s own words, “very general and not too in-depth” dissertation about the many tribes and groups of grumpuses who ever lived on Snaktooth Island. By the time Triffany finished her spiel it had already stopped raining and the sun was high in the sky. Yu had spaced out a while ago, staring upwards at the clouds, the droning of Bugsnax both nearby and some distance away making the right background noise for just...disconnecting the brain for a while.

“...tools to carve the statues stored in little alcoves there in the canyon” Triffany finished. “Wasn’t that an interesting introduction?”

It was an interesting introduction, yes! But it was hard to follow it all when Triffany piled tidbit upon tidbit, heap upon heap of information describing so many things Yu wouldn’t be able to say what exactly Triffany had talked about. Still, he nodded. “Fascinating”

“I knew you’d appreciate it” she really liked the answer. “Why don’t you come by the ol’ tent if I’m there? I can tell you a lot about the history of Snaktooth Island and Bugsnax. A lot of it isn’t one hundred percent proven, but that’s science for ya!”

It wasn’t a bad idea, now that he thought about it. The Investigation Team had to delve as much as they could into Bugsnax and this island to understand what was going on. The history of those things and what grumpuses did in the past could help shed a light on the mystery of Bugsnax and try to figure out the right course of action. Besides, she had given him a nice suggestion on what to do. Listening to her talk about archaeology and ancient grumpuses was a good way to repay for her help. Yu said he’d love to listen to her whenever she wanted.

Delighted, Triffany stood up, brushing little blades of grass off her clothes. “How nice! I’ll be looking forward to talking with you. Floofty is nice, but they don’t like to take a break and gab about stuff...and Wamby loves listening to me talk, but...well...” But things weren’t too great right now, so she was hesitant about talking to him. “I should come up with some nice facts for you! Maybe I could even unearth an artifact or two, or perhaps show you some of the documents and photos of art I have gathered. Won’t that be nifty?”

She sounded so eager Yu felt his heartstrings being pulled. Even though he had accepted because he had been interested in talking about the history of Bugsnax, he didn’t have the heart to have that as the only reason anymore. If Triffany wanted to have a friendly chat, then he certainly would agree to it as well.

The bond between him and Triffany had been formed, he could sense it.

Still...although he had gotten some varied information thanks to Triffany’s analysis of the ruins, none of it was going to help the Investigation Team as much as he expected. Perhaps he should actually listen to her and go see if Gramble would be able to make winter clothes for him. Getting to the mountaintop was important, after all.

-ooooo-

Contrary to what Triffany had hoped, Gramble wasn’t exactly happy Yu approached him with that request. He stopped stockpiling sauce pods, frowning. “Well...it’s not that I don’t want to, but I’m no tailor. I knit as a hobby”

“Nobody else can make clothes, as far as I know”

“You’re probably right? But...what if I do something wrong and you freeze to death?”

A very plausible possibility. Yu definitely wasn’t going to go alone once he had clothes, that was for sure. “If it means returning home it’s worth trying”

“You’re not wrong about that...you, uhm, must have family waiting for you and all...” he mumbled. The thought of Yu returning home seemed to give him some resolve, because he nodded a little more assertively. “You know what? I’m gonna try! Just...please don’t die, okay?”

All sorts of measurements got taken...mostly by eyeballing. Even though Gramble still didn’t seem very sure about what he was doing, he tried anyway. Yu watched Gramble try to get a good idea of how long his arms were.

“Oh, wait! I have an idea!” he said. “Winter clothes have all this stuff inside. I just have to make clothes full of stuff. That’ll get you mighty warm!”

“Like wool?” Wool filled with more wool?

“No! How about fur?” Gramble stepped away, as if he wanted to show Yu what he meant. “We can survive in the cold for a while because we have all this fur, so if you had some of it...!”

“Don’t shave yourself so I can live” Yu never thought he’d ever say such a sentence to anybody, yet here he was now. How did things get to this point?

“No!” Gramble shouted. “Shed fur! I know it’ll take a while to gather enough fur to fill a coat and some pants, but it’s not like you’re in any hurry, right?”

Yu stared at him.

Gramble, undaunted, added: “Wait, if I ask other grumpuses to help, I’m sure I can get enough fur quick-like!”

“...let’s put this aside as our plan B” Yu said. He wasn’t sure he liked very much the thought of wearing shed fur, much less from a dozen different grumpuses. There was something weird about it! Even if it was for survival he really didn’t want to have that as his first option! Seemingly accepting Yu’s request, Gramble nodded.

No promises on how long it’d take for the clothes to be finished. Yu hoped that, by the time they had some good clues and had made headway into this investigation, he’d have the winter clothes. Yu left the barn, walking outside and looking around. The sky looked leaden. Right in that moment, the ground below him shook briefly, just long enough for him to notice it happened. There was no sign of the Snaxquatch either.

-ooooo-

Snorpy seemed to finally be ready to interact with the human despite the many concerns and fears he had. Once Yu approached to try to find out if the rest of the team had left any messages, Snorpy distracted him, leading him towards the workshop table. It was time! And there it was, the project Snorpy had been working on for a while!

There also was a corkboard on the wall. All sorts of clippings, notes, and diagrams filled the board in a way the brown surface behind them wasn’t visible. Yu could see a lot of conspiracies he didn’t really understand but he was pretty sure he had heard in his world at some point, with additions that involved the human. Scribbles of what was presumably Yu’s face, placed under a mountain, under the sea, out in space, with...an antenna on his head. All sorts of ludicrous statements and theories involving him dotted everything. ‘augmented genetically engineered lifeform?’ ‘a new kind of bugsnax?’ ‘cryptid released from its seal due to archaeological excavation blame triffany?’ ‘outer space?’ It was so unlikely he’d ever guess the very surreal and incredible truth, but he sure was going to get close enough to it at this rate.

“Impressed? During the course of my research into what this island has to bring, I have cooked a few theories to explain your existence” Snorpy said. He seemed so pleased about the board of conspiracy.

“I have no idea what I’m looking at, Snorpy”

“Good! The less you can understand, the better” he said, presumably because that meant a potential spy or counteragent would be unable to figure out his theories. Having said that, Snorpy brought forth a dome-shaped object made of tinfoil, with little antennae. “Now, I have allowed you use of my radio device without any objections. That said, I have to make you undergo a test or two to ensure you’re...trustworthy”

Fine. Accepting was going to be much faster than trying to argue, so Yu simply nodded. Yu tried to put on his head the object, finding it was so big it covered down to his eyes, forcing him to constantly reposition the helmet because otherwise it’d fall down to the floor. Pushing it upwards so he could see, Yu saw Snorpy had donned his own, leaving aside his hat and looking at the human with attention. “Hmmm...! You didn’t deactivate or suddenly go slack due to a lack of instructions. I guess this confirms there aren’t any transmissions feeding you actions or commands”

Yu adjusted the hat, keeping it from falling. From aside they could hear steps coming up the stairs. Chandlo, most likely. Only once the visiting grumpus got to the second floor they both realized the steps were far lighter than they’d be if it was Chandlo.

They both turned their heads, seeing it was Floofty. The scientist looked at them, profoundly bemused. “...Narukami, once you’re done playing spies with my brother come see me.” That was all they said before descending the stairs again. For a long, awkward moment, nobody knew what to say.

“Are you sure this works?” Yu asked, finally. “I can’t even hold it right onto my head!”

“Oh, right. I had to guess the measurements of your cranium” And missed by a mile, clearly! Yu made a move to take off the hat, only to be stopped. “Wait, not yet! There’s another possibility I must consider. Have you ever had cavities?”

“Cavities...?” What? Yu shook his head.

“Some small transmitters can be inserted into your molars. If you open your mouth—“

“You’re not checking my teeth”

Snorpy sighed. “I guess I should have seen your refusal coming. It doesn’t hurt, I’d know – I have checked my own before!”

“Grumpuses have molars?”

“All of our teeth are molars!”

Yu shuddered a little. For some reason he didn’t like that tidbit. Eager to change topics, he asked what was next in Snorpy’s plans.

“Well...it’s not a test per se. It’s a few questions to make sure the information I have about you is accurate” he said, taking a notepad from his work table. “I have heard a lot of information, and I want to figure out what’s true and what’s hearsay. Let’s begin”

What followed were two dozens of questions about everything Yu had done so far, and what he had told other people. Surprisingly enough, all of them were true, and every time he made unexpectedly accurate inferences! Snorpy had done his homework, after all. Despite his demeanor and everything he focused on, the inventor was perfectly capable of gathering the right information. Curiously enough, this all reminded Yu of Floofty. They really were siblings.

“Last question: did you come from the top of the Frozen Peak?” he asked, Yu replying affirmatively. It wasn’t like it was untrue! “I see. So humans live in the cold, inhospitable climates of that mountain...”

This was the first theory that wasn’t entirely accurate. “We can live in the cold, yes”

“Alright. So, how many humans could exist in such a small place? Two? Three hundred?”

Yu smirked a little. He couldn’t help it: “There are almost seven billion, actually”

“Seven bil—“ Snorpy’s eyes bugged out. “How do you all even fit...! Where—how—what?!”

“And counting”

For a moment Snorpy didn’t know what to say! The thought there were almost seven billion humans was just mindboggling! “The current world population isn’t even two billion...! Humans could overtake grumpuskind with ease...! The order of the world could be turned on its head in a moment. If you’re all truly not aligned with the dark overlords of the world then...!”

Then yes, grumpuses didn’t have good odds. Yu smiled. “We come in peace”

“Oh. Good to know! The thought of complete societal upheaval by humans coming out of wherever they are will keep me awake at night, though” he left the notepad on the table, his chocolate paw trembling a little. “Th-That was all. You may leave now...”

“Wait, Snorpy, does it really keep up at night?” Something about that made Yu feel he wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest. The inventor had said once he was a bit of a night owl, but so far Yu had thought it was because this was what he liked, not because he was so worried about things he couldn’t sleep.

Snorpy didn’t seem to give it much importance, though! “Pretty much. There’s a lot to be worried about”

“Is it really that bad?”

“Of course it’s that bad! There’s a lot of bad faith out there in the world” Snorpy said, but somehow, Yu had a feeling this wasn’t only about conspiracies. It may have involved them, but it went deeper than that. “People creating nasty machinations to get whatever they want from the world, and they all know I’m a threat to them”

“You’re...a threat to them?”

“Since a while ago I have been faced with obstacle after obstacle, many of them getting in the way of my plans, others designed to demoralize me. It’s...” he makes a pained face. “...it’s only matter of time before they begin targeting those I hold dear, isn’t it?”

“Snorpy...”

“Floofty is safe. Sinister as the Grumpinati may be, I doubt they’d harm a potential agent with such proximity to me. But...Chandlo, harmless and hopeful Chandlo...”

“Unaware of the deceit of the world?”

“Well, no, not really!” Snorpy said emphatically. “He’s not so naïve he doesn’t know the world is harsh! But he’s not that good of a judge of character. He’s trying to befriend you”

Snorpy may be nicer than Floofty but he sure lacked as much tact as them. Once again Yu thought that yes, Snorpy and Floofty truly were siblings.

“But...” Snorpy took off the tinfoil hat and gestured Yu could do the same. “...it’s odd. Part of me hopes he’s right about you after all. Someone reliable as you would be a great confidant, ready to accompany me in my delving into the turpitude of the world”

“I’d like to do that” Yu didn’t really dislike Snorpy despite the way he had treated him before.

“I’m glad we share the same sentiment” he said. He sounded quite sincere, really. “If you ever find proof you had nothing to do with the many disappearances, I would like to try befriending you – but there’s that condition before I agree to do so”

Easier said than done. Where was he even supposed to get started with that? But despite that, he was glad Snorpy was willing to befriend him if he ever managed to prove he didn’t do anything to anybody. It was a starting point, really. Things could only go upwards from here.

Probably.

Well, regardless, there were no new messages from the rest of the Investigation Team. No updates from Rise about Filbo’s supposed strange behavior, nor anybody else having found anything recently. While everything Triffany had said was useful information to some extent, none of it stood out enough to warrant sending an update to everybody else. May as well go and talk to Floofty, just in the off-chance they had something he could use.

It was raining once again. Yu hurried to the tent, seeking shelter under it. As expected, Floofty didn’t let the late hour or the weather stop them from their work. They didn’t even look at the human who had just entered.

“Don’t drip water onto the samples.” That was their greeting.

“You called?” Yu asked. It seemed to him being direct to the point and not waste any time in pleasantries was the best way to talk with Floofty.

His social tactic was accurate after all! Floofty faced him, having taken a few documents. “Professor Lottablog informed me you took her to analyze some ruins. It’s pleasing you have continued your investigation beyond the limits of the town, even if you have been informed it’s frowned upon”

Were they praising how they didn’t listen to people’s concerns and just did whatever he wanted? Fine then. “I couldn’t let that stop me”

“Good. Perhaps you do have a future in research despite your obvious lack in knowledge in any of these disciplines” they said, giving him a backhanded compliment. Backpawed compliment? They extended the documents at Yu. “These papers contain the most basic information you’ll need. You must memorize this information – or else you won’t be able to follow my explanations once it’s time. I won’t be repeating myself or directing my lecture to pointless digressions about basic concepts”

“Of course”

“Now, go. I’m currently in the middle of an experiment” and indeed, behind them on the table Yu could see a Peelbug currently pinned onto a tray, cruelly divided, already half-melted. Did Floofty get inspired upon seeing the horrible mess Yu had left with that half Charmallow from a few days ago?

Still, there was something that had gotten Yu’s attention. Even though Floofty had told him to leave, he chose to ask it instead: “You knew someone told me not to leave the town?”

“Was that a secret?”

“No, not really. I just didn’t expect you to be aware of that”

Floofty frowned. “Oh, please. This so-called village is little more than a primitive settlement. We all know each other, and we live in close enough vicinity from here you could hear someone having a loud conversation on the other side of Snaxburg”

“Do you really know that much?”

“Are you attempting to test me?” oh, they didn’t sound happy at all, and their way of dealing with this, was to get petty. Nothing like a personal attack as due punishment for the impertinence: “I could tell you exactly what I know everyone is thinking about you”

“About...me” Yu saw this was not a good thing to talk about, but...he didn’t stop them, drawn towards finally getting told once and for all what was going on. So far he suspected things, but he didn’t have certainty. Even if it came from Floofty, he wanted to know.

“Are you going to say you haven’t realized the air turns sour whenever you’re nearby?”

Of course he had noticed! Yu nodded.

Like this was the most mundane topic, Floofty continued. “They all believe you may have done something to Filbo. It’s not a completely illogical thought, as I’m sure you have to admit. We have known you for three weeks at most – who says you wouldn’t kidnap one of us for a reason? Sustenance, protecting your territory, or even a misguided attempt to help” As if he was some feral animal who invaded the village. Yu’s breath hitched for a moment, offended, but he nodded once again.

“I know. They think I made him disappear”

“Oh, not all of them do. Wambus and Gramble, they’re steadfast in their support for you. To get those two to agree about something without any complaints is surprising. You’d do well in wondering if it is because they can get something from you”

What did Yu have for them? Support? Help? No, it couldn’t be just because of that. It’d make no sense to throw their loyalty behind him for those reasons. They probably meant it wholeheartedly.

“Unfortunately, the rest of Snaxburg are against you. Snorpington fears you, Beffica looks at you with contempt. Cromdo doesn’t trust you one iota. That journalist is disloyal and probably holds no opinions, just as expected from someone in that line of work. Chandlo, even though he tries to be friendly with you, will always look at you with doubt, wondering if he’s wrong and it will turn out you will attack at any moment. Hmph. If I thought that brute had the capacity to be malicious I’d even say he’s the most condescending of them all”

Perhaps Floofty being the one to pull the veil of politeness and societal order was a mistake. Yu had to accept it: the scientist was far more perceptive about all that was going on in the town than he thought. Yu’s fists curled while he processed everything Floofty had said. Just as he suspected...no wonder everything felt so off since a while ago. He had allies, he did! And so far, even though according to Floofty he was feared and suspected, nobody had treated him rudely or attempted to harm or insult him. But somehow, it felt more insulting things continued as usual while inwardly many of these grumpuses feared him.

“You should consider yourself lucky nobody has tried to get pitchforks out and enact a witch hunt against you. Such is what the ignorant masses do”

“What about you?” Yu asked. His voice remained steady despite his conflicted feelings. Floofty saw his tightened fists, but they didn’t seem worried at all about that.

“It’s none of my concern. I hold no ill will towards you, but I also have no reason to think well of you. Surely you understand”

...it was better than being despised, at least. “I see. Thank you”

“You seem nonplussed. Think of it this way: if I wanted you away from me you wouldn’t have those papers in your hands right now”

That was a very good point. Floofty wasn’t one to play nice. If they wanted him away then they wouldn’t have pretty much invited him to return in the future. “Of course. I should have known...”

“The petty disagreements of people around me don’t deserve my attention. I have far more important work to do” so, they were perceptive or attentive enough to notice everything that was going on in Snaxburg, but they were apathetic enough about it all they just refused to acknowledge it. As far as everyone was concerned, Floofty lived in their own world of science. To see there was more to them at that...it was a nice glimpse, thought Yu, one he felt brought him a little closer to Floofty despite everything.

“That’s kind of admirable”

“Of course it is. I work for the benefit of grumpuskind, after all” they held their paws behind their back. “That doesn’t include you. However, perhaps you will have use as a test subject, if you have changed your mind about that. Care to stay for an experiment?”

Yu looked over Floofty’s shoulder, at the poor Peelbug, torn into many sections, currently melting into goop, with pins all over it, and then back at Floofty’s knowing smile.

“I have to leave now”

“Pity. I was already prepared to sharpen my tools if you had accepted” the smile broadened. They definitely were trying to get under his skin – not because they were malicious, it was just them messing around.

Getting the papers under his jacket so they wouldn’t get wet from the rain, Yu walked outside. The night was cold, there was no moon. Better to get going to the airship as soon as possible. Yu avoided the firepit, not really wanting to see it – it was starting to be a bit of a grim reminder of who was gone. Yu jogged up the slope to the airship, jumping onto the deck.

He didn’t expect to see Dagbert standing by the rudder. “Dagbert?” Had something happened?

The journalist greeted him with a scoff. “About time, Narukami. I’m completely waterlogged”

“You could have come into the airship. It’s yours” he reminded Dagbert.

“I thought you wouldn’t be okay with lifting the tarp and suddenly finding a grumpus standing around in your room waiting for you like you’re some teenager sneaking into the house long after curfew”

Okay, fair enough. Yu invited him to come in, judging that, if he was waiting around, then it had to be for a reason. Dagbert stayed near the entrance to avoid dripping water onto the stuff. Yu sat on the bed.

“How can I help you?”

Dagbert shook the water off like a dog, but that didn’t do much – and pretty much undid his efforts to not drip water on everything. “Oof, drying up is going to take ages...anyway, really, Narukami? Did you forget what we agreed?”

“What...we agreed...?” He did, truthfully.

“You know, talk and share our information with each other. It has been a while since last time”

Oh, right! It indeed had been a while – the last time had been the night before the party. Yu had already forgotten their agreement. Yu’s surprised expression said it all.

“You did forget, didn’t you?” he chuckled. “Okay, no problem. I just thought we could collaborate with each other again”

It wasn’t a bad idea. And besides, this was a good sign: a sign Dagbert truly was beginning to be back on Yu’s side. No matter what Floofty said about this journalist’s disloyalty, right now Dagbert was trying to help him again.

Any past disagreements were water under the bridge, as far as Yu was concerned. An ally you could talk with during hard times was invaluable.

Yu nodded. “Gladly”

Chapter Text

Past midnight. If Yu had to guess, it was almost two in the morning. He turned on the bed, faintly hearing the steps of paws on wood. Without thinking, he took the pillow and smushed it against his ears. Western beds were so inconvenient – the one he was lying on really made him miss his futon. It didn’t help that Dagbert’s bed in the airship was way too soft for his tastes, making him feel like he was on a marshmallow. Perhaps he could fashion an improvised futon somehow?

...

Well, even if he had the best sort of futon he wouldn’t be able to sleep with all that creaking anyway! Yu lifted his head, opening his eyes and focusing. There was Dagbert. The journalist had decided to sleep in the airship for once. Yu had insisted he should sleep in the bed and let him sleep on the floor, but Dagbert had refused, saying ‘Narukami, what kind of person would I be if I let a child sleep on the floor?’ Which, alright, was a fine point.

“What’s wrong?” Yu asked.

“I don’t know. I saw someone cross the town just now” he said. He was standing at the other side of the tarp, it having been pushed aside. His orange fur was like a beacon in the middle of the moonlight.

Yu frowned. “There can be no strangers, so it must be someone from the town?”

“I think so”

Wait, the Snaxquatch...what if it was...?!

Dagbert seemed to have sharp eyes, because he said to the human: “Too tall to be Beffica. I think they have orange fur. It can only be Wiggle”

“Wiggle?”

“Come on”

Without saying another word, Dagbert jumped off the airship and onto the ground. There was no time to waste! Yu hurried to dress up enough to withstand the coldness of the night and left the airship. The journalist was nowhere to be seen, but it wasn’t too hard to guess where he had gone:

The big doors of the barn were open. There was absolutely no way Gramble would leave them open and risk his ‘family’ to leave. Right when he was thinking that, a couple Bugsnax crossed the doors – a Chillinilly fluttered upwards, alight with fire despite being mostly made of ice cream and chocolate, and a Caramel Poptick bounced quickly up the path to Flavor Falls. Those were Snax harder to find and capture than most, and therefore probably were even more special for Gramble.

Yu passed through the doors and made sure to close them behind himself...although he did it absent-mindedly, focused on the scene developing in front of him.

Dagbert and Wiggle were there, indeed, talking to each other in low voices. Dagbert looked extremely upset, and Wiggle...

...she had a wedge of lime sprouting from the side of her head, like an ear of some sort, on an almost perfect forty-five degrees position on the curve of her head, beside the pineapple leaves. That was not a Snak native to the beach she was living in, Yu knew. Figuring out where she found the Snak she ate and caused that new addition was easy.

“—expected from Beffica, but not from you!”

“Don’t you dare chide me!”

“What’s wrong with you—do you even realize what you’re doing?!”

Yu hurried to the stairs and climbed up to the second floor, trying not to make much noise, and looked at the bed. There was Gramble, asleep and most likely not having a good dream at all, judging by how he was twitching. Perhaps he’d be sleepwalking soon. “Guys, we have to leave now” Yu whispered, returning to the first floor and interrupting them.

“Right” Dagbert looks at the empty kennels. No Snax were left at all. “Oh grump, he’s going to flip his lid in the morning, isn’t he?”

“That’s not going to be his reaction” Yu was pretty sure it was going to be a lot of despair instead of anger. At least Wiggle had the decency to look guilty when the topic of Gramble’s reaction was touched.

“Whatever, it won’t be pretty. Let’s get going already”

They decided to leave through the side door. Yu was going to close it, but Dagbert instead stopped him, examined it for a bit, held the door and, with surprising strength, slammed a foot right onto the wood half a meter over floor level, making a very visible scuff on the woodgrain. “Dagbert...?” Yu asked.

“Just trying to make it look like something banged the door from inside. With some luck he’ll think one of the Snax slammed it open”

“Why?”

“Because finding out someone came in the middle of the night to eat his pets probably will hurt him more”

It probably wasn’t a good idea to hide what happened, thought Yu, but he understood why Dagbert took that decision. Fine.

Nobody said a word while they escorted Wiggle back to the beach. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust her – it wasn’t like there was anything left in the barn – but they didn’t want to leave her alone right now. Maybe by being with her she would say something; indicate if she needed to talk, or something! But she didn’t. Wiggle simply followed them, head down with shame.

“Alright, we’re here” Dagbert said once they stepped onto Simmering Springs. The beach looked so peaceful during the night. The noise of the ocean waves and the cries of Bugsnax filled the air, giving it an idyllic atmosphere. “You must be exhausted, Wiggle”

No response. She just plodded towards her abode at the beach, sitting on the hammock and refusing to look at him. Whether it was out of defiance or out of shame wasn’t clear.

Dagbert growled with frustration, sounding surprisingly animalistic. “If you ever want Bugsnax I can hunt them for you. You just tell me what you want”

Still nothing.

“You gotta be kidding...” Vexed, Dagbert returned to Yu, who had been standing around watching them. “You give it a try. At this rate I’ll say something we’ll all regret” he whispered to Yu and pretty much pushed him towards Wiggle.

What was he even supposed to do? He didn’t have very clear what exactly the journalist was trying to do. Dagbert walked away, leaving them alone. Nothing to do but try, anyway. Yu approached the hammock and sat near it, cross-legged, hoping his presence would help Wiggle feel a little less cowed and begin talking.

It took a couple minutes of him staring at her. After a moment she turned her head away, uncomfortable, until she finally opened her mouth: “You both must think I’m some sort of addict or similar, don’t you?”

“That’d be a lot of judgment to make” Truthfully, Yu did think something was wrong with her. You don’t go ransack someone else’s barn, much less someone you say you care about a lot, without something being deeply wrong. Still, he had to say: “But if you’re not there yet, you will be at some point”

Wiggle barked a laugh. “Oh, darling, you have no consideration towards someone else’s feelings if you think you’re right!” Meaning she didn’t think she was such a thing. Was that denial? “I won’t deny I was doing something wrong, but I hardly am the only one who has done this”

“Really?”

“It was routine for most of the residents of Snaxburg to get any Snax they wanted from dear Gramble’s barn while he sleeps. He even used to give Lizbert and others any Snak we asked for” Was that last part true? Yu couldn’t imagine the rancher doing such a thing, with how attached he was to his Bugsnax. Was his protectiveness over them...a recent development?

Still, he had to ask: “Does that make right what you did?”

It was a flimsy justification, and Wiggle knew it. Finally dawning on her how she looked right now to Yu, she took off her sunglasses, staring at them just to have something to focus her eyes on.

“If the rumors mills heard about this I’d never live it down...”

“Most likely not”

“Do you think I’d deserve it?”

Well, nobody deserves to have their life ruined, he thought. Yu decided to not touch such a delicate question, instead going for a different one: “Did doing this help you at all with your problem?”

“Of course it didn’t. I hardly can say that’s why I did it”

“Then why...?”

“Because I wanted Bugsnax. That’s...that’s it”

Okay, Bugsnax were a bad idea. Yu was absolutely certain now, there was no way they weren’t.

“Dagbert won’t tell Gramble about this. Would it help if I said I won’t either?” Yu asked.

“Do you mean that?”

“I don’t want to keep it secret, but keeping quiet will be necessary to keep the town together” He really didn’t like the thought of keeping this under wraps just out of the goodness of his heart, which is why he adds: “I want you to come back to Snaxburg”

“But I haven’t come up with a masterpiece yet!”

“Wiggle, you’re getting out of control. This can’t go on like this”

“There’s nothing to be worried about! I’m fully—“

“I’m worried!” Yu shouted, his voice cracking for a moment. He had to take a pause to recover and continue without letting his concern get the best of him. “Wiggle, you’re hurting yourself, and now your actions are hurting others. This can’t go on!”

She winced. She was listening, Yu could tell, so he continued:

“Surely you can see if you continue this path nothing good will happen, right? Please, come back to Snaxburg. Maybe being back with the rest will help you get some of the inspiration you need”

It wasn’t a very good argument, he knew that. It was no more than an appeal to her emotions, hoping she felt bad enough about her actions to accept to return to Snaxburg. Would she being there really help her as much as he said it would? He didn’t know for sure...

...and Wiggle figured that out.

“Oh...darling. At times like these it’s plainly obvious you and I will never be on the same wavelength. There’s a wide chasm between us. You, an onlooker at the spectacle that’s I...you, the sole spectator in the venue. Just you, in the emptiness in front of my stage” she said. Yu had a feeling that wasn’t entirely a metaphor. She must have seen it happen at least once before. “I don’t think you will ever understand my feelings, but...” she sighs. “...that doesn’t mean you’re wrong. I did something bad tonight”

“...was it that obvious?” Yu smiled pitifully. “I wish Rise was here. She’d understand you completely” From what Rise said while she talked about the world she was in; she had gotten Wiggle to return to the town. She truly had managed to talk with Wiggle as a peer, proving to be the right one to handle her fellow entertainer. Yu was ill-equipped to even try.

“A friend of yours?”

“And a great person” he said. For a long while, Yu talked about Rise to Wiggle, painting quite the detailed picture of her with his words. He told her everything that showed she was a compassionate, charismatic, talented idol, knowledgeable of everything Wiggle could need help with. The sort of person he wished he could introduce to her, so they could work together. Wiggle listened, enjoying every word.

It was a peaceful time, despite the circumstances. Even though they had caught her that night doing something reprehensible, Yu was talking to her amicably, as if nothing had happened. She relaxed, grateful for his understanding and tact. Despite the circumstances, it was an enjoyable time, until Dagbert interrupted it:

“I don’t mean to be a buzzkill but I doubt you should be talking here at three thirty in the morning. Narukami, we’re outta here.” He really was in a bad mood. Yu nodded, standing up.

No point in arguing against that. Standing up, Yu said goodbye, just to be stopped by her, a large can getting in front of him. “Wait...” she asked him. “I’m so grateful you chose to keep this between us, but could you check around and figure out if anyone else found out? We both know there are several grumps in Snaxburg who want to sink their teeth in a scandal featuring Wiggle Wigglebottom”

Oh. So it was going to be a day of damage control. Not exactly how he expected to spend his day. He could already think of a few he had to talk with, then...but, more importantly, he should go and check on Gramble in the morning.

Yu nodded.

-ooooo-

The human didn’t even have to talk to Gramble to know he was having a rough time. The way the barn stayed closed in the morning even when Yu called to the rancher said it all. Yu spent a good ten minutes trying to talk to him, shouting through the doors and attempting to hear any response coming from within. Yu could hear someone inside, that much was for sure, but no words ever came from there.

Talking to him would be impossible. As much as it pained him, Yu had to walk away.

Regardless, it was time to begin a long day of undoing the potential damage Wiggle caused. There were a few grumpuses Yu was pretty sure could have found out about her actions. While he couldn’t appeal to them to keep it under wraps, maybe he could convince them it wouldn’t happen again? If necessary, he could even bring up Wiggle hardly had been the first one to invade Gramble’s barn to have a feast.

The thought of even mentioning that was enough to make him sick. Such a thing would be a last resort action, he decided.

Beffica, Snorpy, and...Floofty, maybe? The first two seemed likely to know something – one because, well, it was Beffica, the other because the mill is near the barn. True, Wambus’ hut was nearby as well, but Yu couldn’t imagine Wambus or Chandlo sticking their noses into anybody else’s business in the middle of the night.

“Ah, Narukami. Did you bring forth proof of your innocence?” was his greeting, already hinting he was unwilling to talk, even though he was giving him access to the radio device. Were it any other situation, perhaps he’d have kept his mouth shut and refused to say a word, but once Yu brought up why he had come to visit, his mood changed.

“Well?” Yu prompted, confused.

“I’m...baffled as to why you bring up Wiggle Wigglebottom all of a sudden” he admitted. Yu scrutinized his face, trying to figure out if he was hiding his thoughts or anything similar, but no, he seemed genuinely confused. It probably meant he knew nothing about the events of last night.

“No, I was just wondering if you had noticed anything”

“Why are you...?” he narrowed his eyes, bending forward until his face was a few inches from Yu’s, definitely scrutinizing him back. “There’s something going on, isn’t there...?”

“No”

“Hmmmm...” for a while Snorpy simply gazed at him, turning this over and over in his head. He probably was considering if Wiggle and Yu were ‘on the same side’, so to say. If they are, why would Yu bring her up? If they’re not, is someone trying to turn against the other? Knowing Snorpy, he was considering everything thoroughly, perhaps even seeing it all constantly under the same paranoid, conspiracy-inclined light. Still...after a bit, he seemed to reach a decision, because he said, talking slowly like he expected to change his mind right while he was saying it:

“It would be foolish of you to call attention to her if you were both trying to get to me”

“Is she part of the...” Yu¿’s eyes flickered to the big ball of paranoid rambling that was that pin board. “...grumpinati?”

“With capital G, chum!” he nodded. “I believe she’s an agent, brazenly sent to infiltrate this expedition to get closer to me. Isn’t that laughable? That I would let my guard down because Wiggle Wigglebottom is with us?”

...say...now that Yu looked at that board a little closer... “Isn’t that an autographed photo of her?” Yes, right on that board, there was a photo of Wiggle, signed by her! Yu knew it well – he had an identical one as well.

“W-W-Well, yes...yes it is! I had to pin a photo of her to tie string—“

“But the pin is barely holding it” Indeed, the pin was placed so close to the edge of the photo it’d take only one strong shake for it to fall off the board. Yu could tell the intention behind that: Snorpy didn’t want to damage the photo!

“Hey, bro, why don’t you tell him?” from behind them, Chandlo was about to descend the stairs. He had been fine hanging out to a side with his barbells until he decided it was time to continue his morning exercise routine outside.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Snorpy protested too late, Chandlo was already going downstairs. Only Yu remained, staring at him expectantly, silently prodding him with his attitude to tell what was up with that! Knowing outright denying anything would only make suspicions grow, he sighed.

“I won’t tell anybody” Yu encouraged.

“...somehow I can believe you mean that” Snorpy said. “It’s not...too complicated. I suspect Wiggle is an agent out to sabotage my efforts, but I...”

“Yes?” Yu grinned slightly.

“...I...maybe, perhaps, and it’s purely hypothetical...may like her music”

“Only maybe?”

“Yes! Maybe!” he insisted, grabbing the sides of his face. “Nobody can prove otherwise! Besides, well...you know, I can’t go and ask her for another autograph. I cannot ask her to sign my special edition of her commemorative—I mean, the special edition I acquired for research any subliminal methods of mass manipulation in her music!”

It was really funny, thought Yu. Snorpy said stuff that was plausible, given who he was and how he was like, yet managed to make it sound completely false. It was clear as day he liked Wiggle’s music and that was it! No big mystery here!

“Snorpy, she’d love to sign anything. You should go”

“What? No! Narukami, what would I even say?!”

“Something along the lines of ‘I admire you, could you write ‘for Snorpy’?’”

“Are you daft?! I cannot go giving my name around so freely!”

Yu patiently pressed on: “Everyone on Snaktooth knows your name already”

“That’s...ah...” Snorpy swallowed loudly, nervous. “L-Look, that’s not the point! I mean—what I mean is—oh, forget it”

“I could go with you, if you want”

Snorpy shook his head. He seemed far more morose now, perhaps having realized he couldn’t just pretend none of this had happened. Yu now knew a secret he had kept for quite some time! Still, that the human was now aware of it led to him asking...

“...Narukami, do you ever wish you were wrong about something huge and terrible?”

“Not really” Everything Yu had faced was about not being afraid to look away from the truth, but there wasn’t anything in particular who made him want to look away and bury his head in self-deception. Still...he didn’t feel completely comfortable telling Snorpy to keep pursuing his theories and conspiracies.

“Oh. I see” he shrugged. “Consider yourself lucky. Sometimes I think if perhaps I’d be better to just look away and not worry, but I remember what’s at stake and how pervasive into my life these schemes have gotten. The Grumpinati are vindictive, Narukami”

“Vindictive...?” Yu repeated. That implied things were a little personal.

“I made the mistake of getting in their way by accident. Just a couple years ago”

Ah. So it wasn’t some conspiracy he picked up. It’s something he feels is personal, and now, he sees it everywhere. That wasn’t great, but...did that make it better? Or worse? Yu had no idea, but still, knowing what sort of burden Snorpy felt was carrying was good. Besides, he had also found out he still had interested outside of...all that.

Perhaps Snorpy wasn’t as deep into the mire of his own paranoia as Yu thought.

-ooooo-

It seemed Snorpy hadn’t noticed anything about Wiggle, nor had anything to give Yu. Still no messages from the rest. After sending them a question just to make sure they were all okay, Yu went to the next person he judged probably would be snooping around.

That she was right there, spying on them with her camera from the first floor of the mill and taking a picture of Yu right after he appeared on top of the stairs, made such possibility a little likelier. No point in leaving this for later, thought Yu, descending to meet Beffica. “Could you delete that one?”

“Oh? Are you attempting to hide your interest in Snorpy’s strange mind~?”

There had to be better ways to word that. “I’m just trying to be friends with him”

“Weeeell, you haven’t been driven away by him scowling at you and telling you to ‘stop peering into danger’, so maybe you’re doing well at that” she conceded. “Besides, this is good. If you can have a conversation with that guy, you probably can have it with anyone. You know what that means?” she smiled at him expectantly.

“It’s snooping time?”

“It’s snooping time! Here, follow me, I have a plan!”

Yu wasn’t sure how to feel about how Beffica knew right away where he was and spied on him once again. She probably was trying to catch him doing something he shouldn’t, justify her distrust of him. He followed her to her hut, going inside and immediately looking at the pictures now hanging from the back of the cabin. Anything new and juicy would probably be there.

Most of the photos were of Yu talking to other grumpuses – as if he needed the confirmation she was following him closely whenever she had the chance. Yu had a feeling that if he asked her to not do that anymore, she wouldn’t listen.

A paw made of cream waved in front of his face. “Stop looking at those and look at me~!” she requested. “I already have your first target for you” she said, plucking a photo from the hanger and passing it to Yu.

In that blurry picture there was a red grumpus with a tie, reaching towards the camera. He was unmistakable. “Cromdo?”

“You know him already?”

Hardly. All interactions Yu had with Cromdo so far was being glared from a distance. “No, but I have heard of him”

“All you have to know is, like, he’s a total crook. He is exactly as scummy as he looks”

Pretty strong words from Beffica, really. “So what sort of dirt do you want me to dig?”

“Look, before I say anything, I just wanna say that I’m, like, okay with him sticking around? The island is getting dangerous. It’s better he’s here” she said. “But I want him to know if he ever does anything I’m gonna expose him”

Despite everything, it seemed Beffica had a bit of a sense of justice, somehow...at least when it came to other people’s actions. “And how am I supposed to do that”

“Talk to him. See if he has been gathering new merch. Tell me if he has anything that looks like belongs to any of us!”

So basically she was telling him to go pretend to be a client and take a look at what he had to sell. Right, Filbo had said Cromdo had the bad habit of going into people’s huts and stealing stuff to sell it. Very frowned upon, leaving aside that...there wasn’t really any economy to take advantage of. “I don’t think he’s going to let me just buy something from him”

Beffica’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? Do you really think he’d refuse if you offered to pay? Look, just get the bestie to give you a few Bugsnax. Wave them in that slimy guy’s face, and then give them even if you don’t buy anything. It can’t fail!”

“I don’t think he trusts me”

“He doesn’t trust anyone! Don’t think you’re anything special because he gives you the evil eye. I get it every time I walk by” Beffica was a little too proud about that. “Look, all I wanna is to make him behave. People who think they can get away with their shady shenanigans...they’re the worst, you know?”

Hard not to agree with that, although many would also point out Beffica’s own actions are shady. “Is that why you’re following me around?”

She didn’t seem bothered at all Yu had called her out to her face. She just...winked and gave him a knowing smile. “Is that bad?”

“You’re doing to me the same thing you’re doing to Cromdo”

“I sure am! So don’t do anything bad or else I’m exposing you to everyone, mkay?” she said. Yu was absolutely certain she meant it. Apparently satisfied and not giving him any chance to even try to argue his assignment, she pushed him out of the hut. “Now go and remember: get Snax before talking to him~!”

“I’m on it!” Yu stepped away from her just so she wouldn’t be pushing him anymore. He had enough of this already. Whatever he was going to say now, though, was forgotten when Beffica added, with thoughtful expression:

“...y’ know, I’m gonna ask him to get me some too. I have cravings for some good ones right now”

“All of a sudden?”

“A girl’s gotta eat, Narukami”

Perhaps it was because he was starting to get really distrustful of the effect Bugsnax had on these grumpuses, but he really didn’t like those cravings she was having right now. Better to ask directly and see what answer he’d get: “Beffica, why do you like Bugsnax?”

“What do you mean why? They’re delish. What other reason does one need?”

...maybe it was that simple? “Is that the only reason?”

The pause that followed that question said it all. There was another reason after all. Beffica, unsure why he was asking, answered, although with some reluctance. “Obvs that’s not the only reason? Look, when you see Bugsnax, what you see is what you get. The worst that can happen is that they don’t taste like you expect them. I like there’s nothing they can hide”

Yu frowned. “Are you sure about that?”

“They don’t have the brains to try to fool anyone! Literally, Floofty said so” Beffica smiled candidly. “When you think about it, doesn’t that mean Bugsnax are, like, the only ones you can trust?”

That answer said far more than Yu expected. Feeling chills all of a sudden, he excused himself. True, he had forgotten to ask Beffica if she had known anything about Wiggle recently, but right now he didn’t trust himself to continue talking to her without saying something that probably would break their relationship. Right now, that answer revealed both the core of Beffica’s issues and hinted that yes, something was very wrong.

As if he hadn’t noticed already. Yu was pretty sure he didn’t have to hear anything else. He had to talk to the rest of the Investigation Team.

-ooooo-

Beffica may have told him to go talk to Cromdo and get information out of him, but Yu had other things to be worried about. If what he suspected about Bugsnax was true, he had to find out more immediately. Anything that indicated he was right was immediately getting added to his compilation of proof Bugsnax were nothing but bad news.

...well, his current plan also would allow him to find if Floofty had noticed a certain singer’s invasion of the barn, but truthfully, that was not his main concern right now. Wiggle’s problems would have to wait.

“Behaving strangely? In what way?” Floofty asked back once Yu inquired about the possibility Bugsnax were making everyone’s issues worse to get them to depend on the food insects.

How to explain this to someone who doesn’t even mind how other people act? Yu considered his words carefully. “It feels to me like everyone is relying on Bugsnax to solve their problems”

“That’s nonsense, Narukami. A bunch of wild bugs won’t be a solution to anyone’s emotional struggles” they said, tapping their clipboard against a Snak resembling a fried egg, currently trapped inside an ice cube. “These revolutionary findings are versatile, but they’re not some sort of magical answer to their ridiculous issues. Bugsnax’s uses are far more important than their interpersonal conflicts”

...that Floofty immediately mentioned Bugsnax as the solution to anything gave Yu a very bad feeling. Floofty most likely had fallen into that same influence too. “How?”

“Bugsnax hold the secret for grumpuskind’s wellbeing and progress. Look at my leg” they pointed at it. “Even though I cut my leg off, by eating one single Snak now I have it back. Don’t you comprehend the meaning of that, you narrow-minded fool?”

The scientist was so defensive they had immediately snapped at Yu, probably knowing he was going to have objections about it. It didn’t stop him, though: “Wouldn’t it be better not to grow limbs made of food?”

“Hm? Mind telling that to anyone lacking function on an arm or a leg?”

It did seem cruel to deny someone the restoration of a damaged body part, but using Bugsnax was starting to seem counterproductive. Now that he thought about it...in the world Chie was in, Filbo’s broken bone was fixed with Bugsnax.

That couldn’t be good.

“If your question is if Bugsnax have some sort of quality that influences you so you eat more of them, then I must inform you that’s simply impossible” they sounded pretty certain about that.

“How can be so sure?”

“Because the behavior you’re seeing simply is sunk cost fallacy”

It was...? Yu knew what sunk cost fallacy was, but he failed to see how that fit here. Saying he didn’t understand probably would only make Floofty dig their heels and refuse to explain, so instead he took another direction: “Do you have proof?”

“You have been among them far more than I have. How can’t you realize it?” they said, but they did explain, proving Yu had once again managed to find the best way to get them to talk. “We all came here for different motives and reasons. I hardly know what reasons they have, but I doubt anybody is any closer to achieving them than they were at the time of our arrival a few months ago”

“Then according to you the reason why they’re so invested in Bugsnax—“

“It’s because they thought from the start it’d help them. After all this time, do you really think they’d just change their minds and try something else?”

Ah. So that was Floofty’s theory, tinged by their dismissive opinion of almost everyone else. They thought everyone else was a bunch of fools that couldn’t reach success, so of course, any negative feelings probably were rooted in their own failures, they judged. Yu couldn’t say he agreed with that at all! As he saw it, Floofty wasn’t unbiased – they had consumed Bugsnax as well. Any opinion about the matter probably would be corrupted by any influence Bugsnax could have on them.

Yu couldn’t rely on them to figure out if anything was wrong with those food creatures. He and the rest of the Investigation Team had to cooperate together, because clearly they couldn’t rely on the residents of Snaxburg to aid them in reaching the very core of the mystery. Oh, wait! There was one single exception: Dagbert Sourcake! In none of the worlds the journalist hadn’t consumed even a single Snak and probably never would be able to! Together perhaps they could get to the bottom of this, farther than they would relying on anybody else!

Still, given that reasoning, Yu just had to ask: “Are you sure you’re not doing that too?”

“Surely you’re not asking that seriously” they said. “I have been getting results. My goals and my ideas are possible. All sacrifices are worth it in the name of science” they said, showing their Bugsnax leg. Right, they had cut it off, just to test this.

...

Okay, no, Floofty wasn’t alright, Yu decided.

“Just out of...curiosity...” Yu asked, avoiding to say it was definitely out of concern “...what will be the next stages of your investigation?”

In response, Floofty chuckled, looking at him with the knowing stare of someone who absolutely had plans and planned to reenact them in the near future. “Would you like to know? In that case, you can wait until I announce the results”

“Don’t do anything reckless”

“Right there is why taking you as an assistant in any way would be a bad idea. You would let your ideas of what’s right and what’s wrong color your judgment, instead of looking beyond them to what’s to be gained” they said. “Out of respect for your efforts at investigating Bugsnax I will continue giving you information and guidance, but don’t expect me to include you any further. Clearly you and I won’t ever see anything the same way”

They weren’t wrong. Yu would never understand Floofty to the point he’d share their way of seeing the world or their relaxed ethics. Still, he was beginning to have a pretty good idea what sort of person this grumpus was.

“...maybe you should look into that anyway”

They nodded, turning their attention at the encased Snak in ice. “I’ll keep your suggestion in mind” they said, but Yu was pretty sure his suggestion already had gone into the metaphorical trashcan. “Do we have any more business?”

“I don’t think so”

“Good. Come back when I’m not in the middle of analyzing the cellular integrity of Bugsnax.”

Still...despite all that, maybe Floofty had a bit of a point. Maybe there was a bit of a sunk cost fallacy cause to everybody’s growing obsession with Bugsnax and with trying to use them to solve their problems. Regardless, it happening to absolutely everybody was very worrying.

This couldn’t end well.

-oooooo-

“Snorpy, I need that radio urgently”

Even if he was wrong about this, he couldn’t just not say something, Yu decided. Snorpy, seeing the human wasn’t willing to take no for an answer, let him in, turning on the device. “All of you, we need to talk as soon as possible. Meeting tonight, 10 PM” Were they even going to hear his request? It was possible some wouldn’t, but as he saw it, there was no time to waste. Truthfully, this was relying on every other Snorpy having the same arrangement the one he knew had, or else they wouldn’t ever know about this. He had chosen that time because it was past the hour the inventor had given him the messages of the day.

Well, convincing Snorpy immediately about letting him talk to everyone else at such a late hour had to be done immediately after sending that message.

Talking to Dagbert that night was a priority, too. At nine, they gathered in Lizbert’s hut, not wanting to sit around in the dark without a campfire. With the journalist sitting on the bed and Yu on the staircase, they shared with each other the events of the day, Dagbert commenting he had finally finished his interviews with everyone in the town and also Wiggle and Triffany.

Oh. The interviews! That’d help. “Did you ask them any questions about Bugsnax?”

“I asked them what they thought about those” Dagbert said.

“What did they say?”

The journalist took out of his backpack a journal, and from there, a tape recorder, waving it in the air. “It’s all in here. I have yet to make a transcript, but they all had nothing but good things to say about Bugsnax”

That was to be expected. “Did you think anything about that was weird?”

“It makes sense they like those so much. Apparently they’re good eating, and those are what they came to this island for. Nobody would talk ill of them”

“I know, but listen, you have been giving people Bugsnax, right?”

“When they ask for those, yeah”

“Do you think they’re obsessed?”

Dagbert nodded right away. “No doubt, they’re obsessed. I hardly can go a conversation without them getting Bugsnax involved one way or another”

That sounded a lot like what Yu had experienced, but at the same time it was a bit of an understatement. To Yu, it seemed like they were more than just obsessed. At least the journalist shared his concerns to some extent, so Yu told him what he thought was going on, talking about many of the residents of Snaxburg’s behavior and deeply worrying attitudes, and finishing it with:

“I’m starting to think eating Bugsnax is starting to influence their heads. I have heard some changes from how these grumpuses behaved some time ago to how they’re acting now, and it’s always their issues getting worse. I don’t have concrete proof, but I’m starting to think Bugsnax make you eat more and more of them”

Dagbert listened, tapping a paw against a leg, considering every word Yu said, carefully pondering them. “Isn’t that brainwashing?” he asked once Yu was over.

“Pretty much. Do you think it’s possible?”

“How do you expect me to know? These Bugsnax are a complete mystery. For all we know anything could happen” he said “after what happened last night I think you may not be wrong. I don’t want to think Wiggle would have done such a stunt if there wasn’t that sort of factor involved”

“I don’t know what to do. It’s not like I can just tell anyone to stop eating Bugsnax, it’s the only food around here”

“They could eat sauce. I have been eating sauce for three weeks and I’m not doing too badly”

That didn’t sound like a long-term solution at all. Who would want to live by consuming sauce? Well, anybody would, if necessary, but that sounded like a miserable time. “...Dagbert, eat some of the trail mix I have. I’m the only one eating from those”

“Anyway, there’s something that doesn’t fit your theory very well” Dagbert said, writing down Yu’s theory, just in case. “Why would Bugsnax want to make them all want to eat them?”

“What do you mean?”

“Snak gets eaten, grumpus wants Snax, more Snax get eaten, grumpus wants more Snax...it’s just repeating this over and over. What’s the purpose?”

“The...purpose?”

“If these grumps are getting influenced to eat more and more there has to be a reason. I know we’re speaking about a bunch of mindless insects, but there still has to be some sort of biological purpose”

“What about parasitism?” Yu suggested. “Like tapeworms?”

“Tapew--oh. Oh, gross” Dagbert made a face of complete disgust. “Narukami, they must have eaten several dozen Bugsnax by now. Have you seen the size of these things? We grumpuses are large but I really doubt anybody has a bunch of Bugsnax inside them”

True enough. A Strabby was the size of a human’s head, at the very least, just to give an example. Many of these grumpuses were taller and wider than Yu – with few exceptions – but not even if they were completely hollow inside there could be all those Snax inside them right now. “I have another idea”

“Is it as gross as the last one?”

“Yes” Yu answered honestly. Frankly, there was nothing about parasites that wouldn’t be gross. “Bugsnax could be carriers”

“Carriers? What do you mean?”

Yu grabbed the pillow from Lizbert’s bed, gesturing at it to illustrate his point. “Imagine this is...a Snakpod”, he said, bringing up the Snak he could think closest to the shape of the pillow. “A grumpus hunts for it and eats it, but inside...” he dramatically pulled the pillowcase off, tossing it aside “...there’s a parasite. That’s why they look like food, so the parasite inside can get into their system”

Dagbert put his elbows on his knees so he could lean his forehead onto his paws, closing his eyes. A ton of quite nasty mental images must be crossing his mind, thought Yu. This was definitely an unpleasant discussion to be having. “...so those little parasites influence the host to eat more Bugsnax?”

“To get more of them into the host”

“Eugh...” he shut his eyes tighter. “I hate this so much. Part of me is really hoping you’re wrong”

For a minute they stayed silent, waiting for the horrible scenarios to lose some of their strength. Dagbert, taking a deep breath, put a hand on his stomach, uncomfortable, probably imagining how close he was to having some horrible stuff inside him if Yu was right. “...listen, I’m not saying you’re wrong, but keep this theory of yours to yourself. Don’t go telling it to anyone”

“I won’t” Yu understood where Dagbert was coming from.

“By the way, wouldn’t Floofty have realized by now if there was something inside Bugsnax? I have seen the kind of stuff they have done in that tent”

That was a fair point, now that Yu thought about it. Floofty didn’t do anything half-assed when it was about science. They probably would have noticed something. “I’ll have to ask them”

“And another thing. Gramble doesn’t eat Bugsnax, but you brought him up anyway. He asks for them all the time but he doesn’t eat the grumpin’ bugs, does he?”

Also a fair point. Yu was pretty sure Gramble was affected by something, but he sure wasn’t compelled to eat Bugsnax over and over. Had he ever eaten one, now that he thought about it? Oh, he had.

Dagbert pressed on: “How do you explain that one?”

“I don’t know, but he has eaten them at least once before” Still, that was a weak point in his argument, he realized.

“Maybe you’re onto something, I’m not saying you’re not, but if you’ll try to convince anybody here to stop eating their only source of sustenance then you’ll need your argument to be flawless. Keep it up, kid” he pressed a paw against his belly and walked out of the hut. “Ugh, I’m going to have nightmares with this one...”

The journalist was right; this was going to be hard to prove. Yu didn’t even know if he was right! For all he knew, he had come up with some harebrained explanation to try to explain the way everybody was behaving! He was no scientist; he was merely about to graduate from high school. How do you prove this sort of thing with no room for doubt when you don’t even know if you’re right in the first place?

Yu left the pillow back on the bed and walked outside, towards the mill, glancing at the barn. The lights were off; the doors were closed. Had Gramble even stepped outside of the barn at any point today...?

-ooooo-

Waiting almost one hour outside the mill hanging out with Chandlo, in the cold and listening to the distant cries of Bugsnax wasn’t a very enjoyable time. It didn’t help that, during it, the ground trembled once again, noticeable enough for Yu to wonder if maybe he should look an open space, just to be safe.

Now that he thought about it...lately there were many earth tremors. Were they increasing in quantity?

“Narubro, you okay?”

“...I am. Chandlo, are there usually so many earth tremors?”

“All the time, bro. It’s the one bad thing of living on Snaktooth”

He sounded like he was used to that. Well, as long as it didn’t make anything crash down, perhaps it wasn’t so bad.

“I’m turning in for the night. You coming in to chat with Snorp-dawg?”

“I have something urgent to tell my friends” Yu said, gaze falling down to Chandlo’s limbs. He really couldn’t see these grumpuses’ transformed limbs without thinking of his own theory. Despite it being unproven and perhaps even wrong, he just couldn’t stop mulling it over and over, and how until he could prove without a shadow of doubt that something was wrong with Bugsnax, he couldn’t stop anybody from eating them.

Or how if he wanted others to listen to him he had to continue giving them Bugsnax and helping them handle those. They kept requesting them to both Dagbert and him to keep bringing them more food, and that was unlikely to stop.

This was a total nightmare, Yu thought.

“Is everyone here?” Yu didn’t even waste time with greetings once he sat down and began the meeting.

“I think Yosuke-kun is the only one absent” Yukiko said.

“Where’s he?” Rise wondered.

“I don’t know. I haven’t heard of him for a while. He must be really busy”

“What about Teddie? Naoto, did he get in touch yet?” Chie inquired.

“Not yet. I sent a modified message, but I haven’t gotten any replies yet. I’m strongly considering changing it” Naoto informed. So far, there had been no sign of Teddie yet, it seemed.

“Damn it, where the hell is that bear?” Kanji could be heard muttering. It had been three weeks since the last time anybody had known anything about Teddie, and there were absolutely no leads right now about where he was.

“Do you guys think...something could have happened to him?” Rise couldn’t bring herself to say that aloud, as if asking it with a normal tone of voice would make it likelier Teddie could be injured or worse.

“We have no reason to believe there are force majeure reasons involved here. He probably just hasn’t been informed of our message” Naoto reassured her. She concealed her worry about Teddie behind her usual calm, professional demeanor. “Regardless, senpai, you wanted to talk to us urgently. Is something the matter?”

“I have a theory about what’s going on with Bugsnax here on Snaktooth”

“Are they dangerous?” Chie asked, but the detective, who apparently was alone right now, hurried to interrupt.

“I don’t mean to undermine senpai’s position as our leader, but we shouldn’t be discussing this right now”

“Why not? It sounded urgent” Yukiko argued.

“There’s a situation afoot over here. It’s about Filbo. I’m spearheading a search party”

Yu felt his mouth go dry. Rise had mentioned Filbo was behaving strangely, but this...this was completely new. “He went missing on your side too?”

“He departed to hunt Bugsnax around an hour ago, even though it’s nighttime. If he’s not capable of hunting at broad daylight, we all doubt leaving him to hunt during the night is a good idea”

“I hope you find him quickly, Naoto-chan” Rise said, sounding particularly serious.

“I do as well. Senpai, I’m aware it’s a selfish request, but I’d rather not miss an important discussion. Could we leave it for another day?”

“Go and find him. It’s alright” Naoto’s input was extremely valuable. Even though it was urgent to discuss this all, lacking both Yosuke and Naoto was a pretty good reason not to talk about it right then and there. Besides, no way he could insist in she staying and allow Filbo to be in danger somewhere else as well – although even if he had said she should stay, she’d have left anyway, although not without some scathing words for Yu.

“Thank you. Have a good night, everyone.” Yu heard the faint sound of steps going away until someone, presumably the Snorpy from Naoto’s world, turned off the radio device, leaving everybody else in their meeting.

A strange whine emerged from the speakers of the device. “I told you guys he was acting weird! Something’s wrong with Filbo!”

“Yeah, I’m worried too. I heard Wambus mention Filbo and he seemed concerned. We’re still taking care of him and his arm, but...he has eaten a lot of Bugsnax lately” Chie said. She must have been feeling particularly guilty, given how she was the cause of his injury in the first place – injury they had tried to heal with Bugsnax.

“I have been talking to Filbo. He’s really nice, but I think he cares a lot about what people think of him. He mentioned it a while ago”

“Is he?” Yu frowned. “To me he seemed more worried about feeling useless and about not living up to the role of mayor. I never got the impression he was too worried about what others thought until...” Until that disastrous party. Until Yu and others unintentionally made him feel like they were all cleaning up his mistakes. Before that he was more worried with connecting with everyone else and helping around, not with what they thought of him.

Something was off about all this, he thought.

“Yeah, something’s eating him” Kanji said, making Yu blink at his choice of words. He had to make a conscious effort to block them from his mind. “I asked that journalist to talk with him and then tell me what was wrong. Filbo said something about not doing anything right and that he wanted to improve himself and be...what was it he said...”

“Oh, he said he wanted to do what his friend Lizbert did, hunt for the town because he’s the mayor!” Yukiko agreed, having remembered that part.

“So what he’s doing is...try to use Bugsnax to cover up for his anxieties?” Rise said. “Poor guy...”

“He’s not the only one. Pretty much everybody except the journalist has been doing that” Yu noted.

“But I just don’t get it. He wasn’t like this from the start” Chie said. “He was always a meek guy, but this all just...came out of the blue!”

Kanji probably nodded. “I gotta agree, it was a sudden change. I know he always had this sorta mess inside him but it’s like it all burst outta his chest”

Yu once again blocked from his head that particular choice his friend used. Still, they were all right. Filbo did always have issues locked inside his heart, but from what he was hearing it was as if it had all just...worsened. He’d have understood it happening after that party, given everything Filbo had said back then, but as far as he knew nothing as disastrous as that failure had happened in any of the other worlds.

“...isn’t it strange how in every single world Filbo started being like this at roughly the same time?” Yukiko wondered.

“So you noticed that too, Yukiko?”

“Yeah, nobody here has said he’s always been like this, and Rise-chan mentioned it first just the other day. It feels significant, even though I wouldn’t be able to say how”

Yu crossed his arms, thinking about what Yukiko said. Yes, it was an unnatural coincidence such a thing started happening in all the worlds at once – at least the ones everybody present lived at right now. One thing more to discuss once Yosuke and Naoto had a moment, then.

...maybe Yosuke was absent because he was dealing with a Filbo-related crisis too. Out of everyone, Yosuke seemed to be the one closest to the mayor, even heavily relating to him. It’d make sense he was busy with that.

Oh well. This all would have to be discussed at some point in the future.

“It’s gotta be bad news, guys. I dunno, call it a gut feeling” Kanji said.

“...Kanji, could you watch your wording already? It’s driving me crazy”

“What? What did I say, senpai?!”

Chapter Text

Yu hadn’t been able to tell everyone in the Investigation Team his concerns. Naoto and Yosuke hadn’t returned even though Yu waited a couple hours, so to make sure everyone was up to speed, Yu decided to bring it up another day, when everybody would be available to listen to his thoughts. Hopefully...waiting wouldn’t make any tragedies happen.

Not that he intended to waste his time. If he had to wait before being able to inform everybody of his theory, then he was going to try to get proof. Problem was, it wasn’t easy at all. All he could think right now was to get information from Floofty, who probably had vivisected enough Bugsnax to have an idea of what was inside them. Dagbert had a point, though: the scientist probably would have seen something long ago.

Speaking of Dagbert! The journalist approached Yu while the human was making paper cranes in his airship. Dagbert stepped around the cranes on the floor, looking at them with idle curiosity. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Not really. I’m just thinking” Letting the mind wander while folding cranes was very relaxing. There was a nice breeze coming into the airship, the balloon hanging from the ruined chimney swaying a little, adding to the calm atmosphere. If it wasn’t for the unknown potential threat hanging over Snaktooth this really would be a nice place to be at, he thought.

Dagbert extended a journal towards Yu. “I finished the transcription of my interviews. I thought you’d like to take a look” Perfect! Maybe he’d be able to see something to support his argument. Yu eagerly took the journal, quickly finding the transcript on the last few pages. It seemed the journalist had managed to interview most of the residents of Snaxburg, with only one exception who hadn’t been seen at all yet – a grumpus called Shelda, it seemed. Well, there was no reason to think that one was any different to the rest in terms of...a fixation.

Upon reading it...Yu didn’t find it as useful as he hoped. Of course, he realized. These opinions were recent. If he hoped to find out if the grumpuses’ behavior had worsened or formed some sort of Bugsnax fixation he wasn’t going to find it in this journal. Still, the words he saw certainly proved Bugsnax were universally loved.

‘Oh, they're great! I mean, they taste good and they make everyone happy, so what's not to love?’

‘They're SO cute I could literally eat them up! AND I DO!’

‘Bugsnax are worth whatever price I have to pay, darling’

‘Well they're just the cutest lil' things aren't they?’

‘Heh, what do I think'a-bug-heh? Delicious! Irresistible! Marketable! They're gonna catapult me straight to the top of money town, baby!’

Wambus’ and Snorpy’s responses -- ‘They're pesky, tasty, and confusing’ and ‘I surmise they are some sort of synthetic lifeform designed to beguile our taste buds’ – were pretty much the only ones that were somewhat ambivalent, and that they still focused on the food insects so much made it far less likely any negative opinions, if they existed, made any difference at all.

This town just...was diving headfirst into the Bugsnax’s beguiling existence.

“Thank you” Yu said, passing the notebook back to Dagbert. The journalist noticed right away Yu wasn’t too happy.

“Was it of any use? Just give it straight, Narukami. There’s thick skin under this fur”

“It wasn’t as useful as I hoped”

Dagbert made a wry face. “I thought so. It wasn’t hard to guess what you needed it for. Still can’t get your theory out of your head?”

“If I’m right about any part of it then we’re all in trouble”

“True” he glanced at the cranes again. “Sometimes you just have a theory or two you don’t want to be true. At times like those, finding out you’re wrong is a huge relief”

“Are you saying that from experience?”

“Very much so. In fact, there’s something...” Dagbert took out the tape recorder. “I want to interview you!”

“Me? But I arrived here only like three weeks ago. I know nothing about anything going on here”

“I know! But it wouldn’t be fair I interview absolutely everyone on this grumpforsaken island except you, right? And besides...” his eyes sparkled a little with interest. “I had hoped to interview you sooner or later. It’d be really interesting!”

It had been a while since Yu saw Dagbert genuinely excited about anything. The last couple weeks really must have been a huge weight on his back. Not wanting to ruin the joy he seemed to have found recently, Yu decided to indulge him on this one. “Of course”

Before long Dagbert had dragged Yu outside, to the shade of the rock wall beside the airship, saying that doing the interview inside a cramped space such as the cabin of the airship would cause some undesirable effects on the acoustics. Taking out a journal different to the one Yu had seen, Dagbert turned on the tape recorder, saying the time and date.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Yu Narukami. I’m a third year student, so I guess that makes me a senior, in western standards?” he recited, a bit tense. Dagbert held back some laughter.

“Relax, this interview is completely off the record. I’m not publishing any of it” he said, although that was a given. True, writing about Yu would be like writing about once another cryptid, but something about writing an article about Yu seemed out of line...without his authorization, at least. “I don’t know how humans define such things, but under grumpus standards you’re still a child. Minors and journalism are a tricky combination”

“My guardian will have to sign a release before you write about me” Yu smirked.

“Sure. I got to an island to write about Bugsnax, going to wherever humans come from to get a bigger human than you sign a waiver will be a walk in the park” he looked down at his journal. “Why come to Snaktooth Island?”

How to even explain that? Yu decided to take the easy way out: lie. “It’s not like I wanted to come here. I don’t even know how it happened.”

Dagbert asked the next question: “Thoughts on Bugsnax? Just to have it recorded”

“Bugsnax are just trouble. I want nothing to do with them” Yu said. “I’m not interested in eating them at all and you should stay away from them”

“Can you even eat Bugsnax?”

“I haven’t tried” He still remembered Filbo and Dagbert had offered to be there for Yu’s first experience devouring Bugsnax, but after everything that had happened, such an offer had been thrown into the trash.

“Any info on Lizbert?”

Certainly not! He hadn’t even seen Lizbert in person. “All I know is what others have told me about her. She seems like a natural leader and someone you would respect no matter what”

“But you have no idea where she might be”

“Of course not. I haven’t seen any hints of what happened to her” If he couldn’t find clues of what happened to a grumpus who disappeared just a week ago, finding clues about one who had disappeared even more time ago was going to be an impossible task for him. “I’m sorry”

“Don’t be. It was a long shot anyway” So far, it wasn’t anything Yu hadn’t expected. He had seen these were all the questions Dagbert had asked everybody, after all. It simply was Yu’s turn to answer them, and so he had done, giving some pretty normal, perhaps even bland answers. Nothing worth writing about anyway. But the interview didn’t end there. The next question made it pretty clear to Yu this wasn’t going to be so simple:

“How is it like to come from an entirely different world?” Yu didn’t answer. Dagbert, who apparently saw that coming, wasted no time in firing another: “Are you looking for a bear?”

“I decline to comment”

“Have you taken Triffany to take a look at that skeleton your friend found?”

“How can you know all that?” Yu looked around, making sure nobody else was listening nearby. Thankfully, it seemed they were alone.

“I have my sources”

“You can’t just say that and pretend it answers anything”

Dagbert turned off the tape recorder and smiled apologetically. “It doesn’t. I guess either way you can guess why I brought all this up, right?”

It wasn’t too hard to guess. Clearly Dagbert had managed to find out things he shouldn’t have, and he could have very easily kept it all hush-hush and continue getting some very sensitive information. By telling Yu all this so directly, he was pretty much shining the spotlight on his actions and making it more difficult for himself to continue. There was only one conclusion to reach: “You wanted to admit you have been spying on me”

“Pretty much”

“It’s Snorpy. Snorpy has been showing you the tapes with the messages I receive”

“More than that, actually! His device records the meetings with the other humans”

Oh. That part Yu certainly hadn’t suspected. So Snorpy had recorded everything and, apparently, passed all those tapes to Dagbert. They had colluded behind his back. Was he really that untrustworthy?

“Are you serious?”

“Completely. I’m sorry, Narukami”

Yu took a deep breath, trying to stamp down the immediate feelings of betrayal. It was one thing to be told a couple days ago that he had thought ill of Yu and that he hadn’t trusted him. It was another thing to have proof of that – that Dagbert had actively and surreptitiously done stuff that betrayed his trust. “What do you even want me to say to that?”

“Nothing. I know I’m in the wrong here, so I wanted to confess that”

So this all was supposed to be an apology. Yu crossed his arms and nodded. “Go on”

“I really have been a lousy friend to you. Filbo and I were supposed to be your friends and guides in a world different to yours, but--” his voice wavered for a moment. “I turned my back on you when Filbo disappeared. Pretty two-faced of me to just pretend nothing happened. Even now that we were getting along again I felt we couldn’t truly leave that behind unless I came clean with this”

“How long have you been listening?”

“Since your first meeting, until we left to help Wiggle”

Okay, it was a relief he wasn’t listening to his conversations anymore, but it didn’t make Yu feel much better. Yu’s grip on his own arms tightened, very tempted to walk away and leave Dagbert with his apologies. “Then why did you change your mind?”

 Dagbert knew very well his apology wasn’t going very well, but at least Yu was willing to listen for a bit longer. Truthfully, he knew everything sounded more like an excuse than a real apology. It wasn’t intentional; it was a bit of a side-effect of someone who isn’t used to such things. “From what I understood there’s one human in a bunch of different worlds, right? Somehow they’re parallel worlds, and they all have the same people in them. I still don’t know how to feel about that, by the way”

“Right”

“I listened to how all of your friends talked about them. I was so...surprised everyone was bonding and getting along with grumpuses, just like you have done here. I was hearing all that and I thought it was so unlikely people who were so worried about all of us would just turn around and kidnap someone”

“It could have been a lie”

“Why’d you all lie around when you had no reason to think someone was listening? And also you were all talking in a language almost nobody here knows, anyway. I just figured out it had to be the truth” he said. Okay, Yu had to admit the reasoning was sound. Dagbert continued: “So I gave it some thought and realized how wrong I was”

“Is that all?”

Dagbert nodded. Yu uncrossed his arms, trying very hard to stay calm. “Listen, like before, I don’t hold against you that you suspected me. What I don’t like is that you and Snorpy were spying on me like that. I really thought at least you were better than that”

“I guess that means we’re once again in bad terms” And not without reason, they both had to admit!

But it wasn’t like Yu wanted them to be in bad terms. Even though he felt betrayed, he wanted to give Dagbert a chance. The human clenched and unclenched his fists, deciding to settle things for now and just...take some time to ruminate his feelings. “Just give me some time. We’ll talk again tonight”

“Sure thing. I’ll get out of your hair now”

Much appreciated – although Yu was the one to move away. Instead of going towards the town, Yu moved towards Garden Grove, just far enough to not be seen by anybody in the village, but not so far the Bugsnax would start noticing the human they apparently hated so much was alone out there. Once he made sure he was alone, Yu stopped, grabbing his head with both hands, and inhaled, opening his mouth to yell.

No words came out. He wasn’t sure if they’d have, he just wanted to let out some steam, but instead he felt like he had a knot on hi throat! Walking from side to side of the path, Yu quickened his pace, as if the faster he walked, the faster he’d stop feeling so upset. It wasn’t like Dagbert had bad intentions, he knew that! But he couldn’t help feeling like he had been betrayed. Surely it wasn’t unreasonable!

It took a long while for Yu to feel calm enough to return to Snaxburg. By then, the journalist was gone to parts unknown. Another grumpus had taken his place, though: when Yu returned he caught Beffica jumping off the airship, holding a pair of paper cranes.

Seeing the current owner of the airship catch her right when she was invading the ship didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest! Instead, she just waved at him, as if she wasn’t currently holding some of his stuff. “Oh, you been well?”

“Beffica, don’t go into the ship without permission” Yu really wasn’t in the mood to be patient right now.

“Got it, got it~ ” she didn’t take him seriously at all! “Soooooo did you check with Cromdo yet?”

Oh, right, he was supposed to be doing that. “I don’t have time right now” he said, suddenly remembering he had been supposed to ask Dagbert for a Snak he could use to bribe Cromdo just in case. After their talk, he really didn’t want to see the journalist, not until that night.

“Oh, someone’s in a bad mood today” she shrugged. “Suit yourself, but I reeeeeally would love if you did it as soon as possible. It’s not like I’m, like, trying to alarm you? But I saw him peek in here”

“Really” he said flatly.

“Really! I was all, ‘OMG, Cromdo, stop snooping in the human’s ship!’ And he ran away, as usual. You should check if he took your stuff”

Unfortunately, that sounded plausible. Even though Yu wanted to tell her to leave him alone for a while, he couldn’t afford to ignore that Cromdo maybe did come to root around in the airship. Yu held back a sigh and gestured Beffica to step away from the airship. “Fine. Just leave that ship alone already”

“I’ll be hanging out at home! Come see me once you got the dirt~ !” she said with a wink. Yu watched her leave, wondering if perhaps he should get more used to telling people to scram so his good will wouldn’t get abused like this again.

Somehow, one good thing came from he once again having a strained relationship with Dagbert: he didn’t have Bugsnax in hand. Yu reached the Cromdo Mart, shoving down his soured mood to have a civil talk with Cromdo. This was going to be the first interaction; with some luck it wasn’t going to go...too badly.

There he was! The target, so to speak! Red, surly, and decidedly with an attitude that spelled ‘don’t talk to me unless you’re gonna buy something’, waiting at his stall, staring forward with a bored expression. Given the town had less than a dozen people, business probably was very slow. Seeing someone approaching the stall should have made his mood change right away in order to make a sale, but the sight of Yu didn’t seem to please him at all.

“Well! Look what came crawlin’ over here” he said, voice full of poison. “Beffica’s little toadie!”

“I’m not here to pick a fight” Yu said, really not very eager to try to play social savant with Cromdo right now.

“’course not. Listen, pal, if I were to fight you I’d kick your scrawny ass all the way to the Sizzlin’ Sands”

Apparently he interpreted that as Yu meaning a physical fight. This guy really wasn’t willing to play nice right now! “I just said I’m not here to fight! There’s no need for violence!”

“Whatever. What do you want?”

Yu really had a feeling no matter what he said Cromdo would take it as a confession he had come in Beffica’s behalf to cause trouble – which, alright, was truer than Yu would have liked, but still! “I want to take a look at the merchandise”

“You plannin’ to buy?” that question was obviously demanding an affirmative answer. Yu nodded. Cromdo’s dismissive attitude changing, but the cloud of suspicion didn’t fade. The human could tell this salesman didn’t believe him, but didn’t want to turn him down in case it was true after all. “Fine. Come over here and take a gander at these quality articles!”

“How much do they cost?”

“Eheheh, take your pick and then we bargain!”

Asking directly where he got his ‘quality articles’ probably would get his guard up right away, so Yu refrained from doing so and instead let Cromdo guide him inside his hut. Lined up on the drawer and on the floor near it was a small collection of trinkets and objects which no doubt didn’t originally belong to him.

Beffica hadn’t been lying after all – there were a couple origami cranes there. Among other things there also were journals, decorative objects, a small potted plant, a typewriter. How did grumpuses use a typewriter when they had those big paws? Yu observed them, having figured out already that yes, Cromdo was stealing stuff from other people to sell.

Well, no point in buying the origami cranes.

Cromdo noticed the human staring at the cranes. “Interested? These decorative artifacts were crafted skillfully by yours truly. They represent a kind of animal from the mainland! Take a piece of this planet’s life with you for just—“

“I made them” he didn’t even let him finish his spiel. Cromdo didn’t even blink at that, probably having kind of expected Yu to realize these were his. As if there ever was a chance he wouldn’t!

“I’m not gonna charge you commission for sellin’ them on the mart” he said. Yu picked up a large brush from the drawer, turning it over in his hands. “That’s a common brush, but on this island it’s an essential belonging. Personal hygiene is no joke, kid! You can’t go around lookin’ like you tumbled down the hill over there! And that’s without mentioning the shedding, ohoho, no brushing makes your coat go--”

Yu took a strand off the blunt bristles. “Is this blue fur?” It was hard to say when he held it against the light, but it was one of many strands of bright, cyan fur – the ones still on the brush made that pretty obvious.

“Buy that and I’m throwin’ in a toothbrush for the ol’ tusks! You don’t wanna get cavities when there are no dentists around here, do ya?”

“Cromdo, you took this from Filbo’s cottage” Yu didn’t even make it a question, it was plain obvious that was what happened! The scammer’s willingness to play along vanished immediately, his unctuous grin disappearing.

“So what? Ain’t like he’s gonna notice it’s gone”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, come on. That guy disappearing? Yeah, right. Lizbert probably came to pick him up. You really think it’s a coincidence Lizbert’s sidekick wannabe was the one who disappeared? Only Lizbert likes that guy enough to—“

“Filbo could be dead!” Yu shouted, upset. How could Cromdo be so callous?!

Cromdo got his paws on his hips.” Look, kid, it’s not like I want that guy to be dead, for the love of grump. You gotta understand nothing is hunky-dory ‘round here. Lizbert and Eggabell went back to the mainland and left us all to rot here, and they must have realized they forgot Filbo so they came back to get ‘im. That’s all that happened”

It was such an intensely cynical and, hopefully, baseless theory Yu was silent for a moment, surprised, but at least it wasn’t him saying the former mayor was now dead and buried and therefore all his belongings were fair game. Apparently, in Cromdo’s eyes, all he was doing was take his pick of the stuff Filbo left behind. Was that truly much better?

Yu’s fingers drummed against the back of the brush while he glared at Cromdo. Usually he’d try to understand where he was coming from, but it was hard to focus right now. All he wanted to do was step away. There was a strange sensation behind his eyes, Yu blinked rapidly, realizing if he didn’t go away now before long he’d be crying tears of frustration.

“So, you gonna buy somethin’ or not?” Cromdo pressed on.

“Some other day” Yu at least managed to end the conversation before walking away, brush in hand.

“Hey hey hey! You can’t take the merch without payin’!” he heard Cromdo shout behind him, but Yu didn’t turn around, nor gave any indication he had heard him. Right now he was done with Cromdo. Yu got into the airship, tossing the brush into a random corner.

He didn’t really care about the brush itself. What got under his skin was how that salesman treated someone missing’s possessions. No wonder that guy was so distrusted! Yu exhaled loudly, shaking his head.

You know what, today wasn’t a good day to talk to anybody. Any social duties would have to be left for the next day, or else he may make serious missteps. Last thing he wanted right now was to ruin his relationships with everybody. Yu, seeking for a distraction, stood in front of his board to read the many notes and the map he had pinned there, trying to dive into the many problems and enigmas to solve, but it felt like his head was floating in petrol; he couldn’t focus.

This truly was going to be a wasted day. Yu lightly laid his forehead on the board and closed his eyes. He had no idea for how long he stood there, taking deep breaths, trying to make his mind blank. Breathe in, breathe out...breathe in...breathe out...

...in...out...in...

“Wow, that was a mess”

Startled, the exhalation came out so quickly he felt his spit almost go down the wrong pipe. Yu coughed, bringing a hand to his throat while he stepped away from the board. Beffica. He hadn’t heard her approach.

Yu did a truly herculean effort to draw his inner strength so he could continue being civil. Passing a hand through his hair, he took a moment before replying. “Beffica, I don’t mean to be rude, but could you leave me alone?”

“Oh?”

“I don’t want to talk right now”

He didn’t even have the intention to try to say something witty or come up with an excuse, she noticed. It was a completely straightforward, maybe even tired request to leave him alone. For a moment she stared at him, for once not having something cheeky to say.

Yu waited for her to do him the favor of leaving him alone for once. Surely even Beffica could tell he was in no mood to indulge her in anything! Not even she could ignore how she felt just to impose her presence on him, right?

“You really care about Filbo”

Yu frowned. While Beffica didn’t leave him alone, what she said wasn’t what he expected either. It was such a matter-of-fact statement he wasn’t sure how to react to that. “Did you doubt that?” he finally asked.

“Duh? Why’d you have any reason to care about anybody here?” she said. Beffica really had a way of seeing the worst in people, apparently. Yu certainly could think a bunch of reasons to care about people here! “But the way you’re reacting really says you care about that guy. Who’d have thought...?”

Yu shrugged. “I don’t think that warrants a reply”

“Maybe he’s okay. If I’m being optimistic, maybe Eggabell and Lizbert found and took him along? Like an awkward third wheel. Lizbert would do something like that, even if he, like, probably would ruin any kind of romantic atmosphere”

Surprisingly optimistic, to be honest. Very unlikely, but optimistic nonetheless. “I didn’t think you’d be saying something like that”

“Me neither” Much less to the suspicious human. Still, she added: “It’s hard to believe someone like Lizbert Megafig could truly be dead, but you know what? Even though it’d be, like, super bad if she’s hanging out with Eggabell somewhere else on the island right now, it’s better than she being dead”

True enough. Well, Yu still had to ask, because that still was too generous for Beffica: “Did you like Lizbert and Eggabell?”

“Eggabell was harmless. Prolly a good doctor, but I’m not a big fan. But Liz...!” she shrugged. “Lizbert had a way of making you want to listen to her. She’s smart, and always had a plan. One of the few people out there I think don’t have any secret plans”

For Beffica of all people to be able to say that...she really had to admire Lizbert! “You probably dug to see what you could find about her”

“Who do you take me for? Obvs I did! Lizbert has a list of scandals a mile long. We talked about it many times, and she never tried to hide it. That’s what I liked of her, she never tried to hide her dirty laundry. And alsooooo...”

“Alsoooooo?”

“She allowed me to come along. Why’d she let some random former celeb journalist to tag along? I needed a place to run to and she didn’t care I wouldn’t, like, bring anything great to her team. But she let me be here, and I liked her way of leading us all around”

Yu waited for her to continue. That Beffica for once had something good to say of someone had really surprised him!

“It’s too bad she disappeared. She was gone and all we had left was Filbo. Can you believe the kinda downgrade that was?” she said, laughing softly when she saw Yu’s face of exasperation. “You know what, though? Now that we don’t even have Filbo...I wish he was here. You really never know what you got until you lose it”

That had to be the most charitable thing Beffica had ever said about Filbo, and it was damning with faint praise. Figures. Still...Yu stared at her for a moment, trying to decipher why she had come to talk to him. It couldn’t be, right? She wouldn’t... “Beffica, are you trying to cheer me up?”

She clicked her tongue, dismissive. “Me? Oh, get real”

“You came out of your way to talk to me about this”

“I noticed you were having a bad time with Cromdo, that’s all!”

Despite everything, Yu smiled. He felt touched that, although they weren’t in the best of terms and he hadn’t exactly been as welcoming and patient as usual, she had talked to him and tried to help, no matter how much she tried to deny it. “Fine. You weren’t trying to do that”

“You know it!” she shook her head. “I don’t get you. It’s obvious you’re hiding stuff, big stuff...but at the same time it’s as if you really care. I just...don’t get you at all”

Understanding someone wasn’t a necessary step to be kind towards someone, was it? Even though Yu still was an enigma of some sort to Beffica; he could see his behavior and secretive inclination was a source of frustration to her, but she still had come to have a word with him.

“Well, whatevs. I’m gonna take a nap” Beffica yawned. “See you whenever I see you, Narukami. Don’t devour anybody, okay?”

“I’m not devou—“ well, didn’t matter. Beffica maybe didn’t mean that. Funny, contrary to what he had expected, Beffica had actually managed to cheer him up. No matter how much she denied it, he was pretty sure she talked to him because she saw he was having a hard time.

Still...she seemed a bit baffled. Maybe he should try a new approach with her. With some luck none of it would involve playing spy towards other grumpuses.

...

...he wasn’t going to hold high hopes it wouldn’t. It was Beffica, after all.

-ooooo-

Well he ran out of paper to fold.

By the time sundown came, the airship was full of paper cranes. Yu placed the twentieth one in a row beside the remains of the ruined chimney, having made a dozen spokes around it. It was going to be hard to walk around without stepping in some of the cranes. It felt satisfying! Like he had completed some sort of project, even if it was largely inconsequential. Sometimes you just had to take a break and focus on something else!

Yu stepped back, observing his handiwork. Turning off his brain and doing something mechanically was such a relief. He felt far calmer than he did that morning. Hadn’t really reached a decision of any sort, but at least he felt the immediate emotional reaction was gone, like he could finally take things in a more level-headed way. Good! It was what he needed, to have a talk with Dagbert now. It wasn’t time for their nighttime meeting, but Yu went into town anyway.

The grumpuses with new additions to their bodies pretty much indicated the journalist’s location. It seemed he had been busy that day, bringing more Bugsnax to the residents of the town! Yu, told by Wambus and his new, fully transformed curly fry arm, Dagbert was at the rocky arch on the path to the canyon, reached the indicated spot, finding the journalist organizing the contents of his backpack. Yu bit the tip of his tongue for a moment, a sudden, cold feeling of not being fully prepared for this gripping his heart for a hot second, but it wasn’t like he could back down.

When things get painful, dive forward and face the truth. Never turn your head away. That’s how Yu Narukami does things.

This wasn’t going to be any different.

“Dagbert”

The journalist looked up, a paw going up to his tusks – probably had been about to fall into his mannerisms when he’s nervous. Biting your paw truly is an unseemly habit among grumpuses, Yu could see. “Hi there. Are you feeling alright? I heard people hadn’t seen you around much today”

“I kept to myself for the most part” Well, at least nobody except Beffica saw him talk to Cromdo. Given how that conversation went it was a bit of a relief. Yu really didn’t like the thought he had made that guy and him be in pretty bad terms, but...what was done, was done.

“Did you at least eat well today? Gotten tired of the trail mix by now?”

“I bit into a cheese sauce pod today, but I don’t want to ever feel again like I drank right from a bowl of fondue”

Dagbert laughed at that, relieved. If the human was making dry quips, then that was a good sign! He couldn’t stop the happiness show on his face when he replied. “It goes down easier when you try it with leaves and grass”

“You’re eating horribly, Dagbert. You’re no livestock to be eating grass off the ground”

“My wild ancestors are rolling in their graves” he said lightly, his laughter dying off after a moment. The banter was really a good sign too, but it was useless to leave the tough conversations for later. Sighing, he decided to just go ahead. “Okay, enough about how I’m dishonoring my carnivore roots. You didn’t come see me just to trade jokes, did you?”

“No. I wanted to clear the air between us two” Yu said, determined. “I’m upset with you and Snorpy for spying on me” Problem was, telling Snorpy off probably would bring more trouble than it was worth. There always was a risk he’d take it so badly he wouldn’t allow any access to the radio device anymore.

Dagbert nodded.

“I appreciate you came clean to me. It doesn’t make me feel any less betrayed, but I appreciate it. But despite that, I should tell you about everything you heard”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to”

“I want to. Come over here” Filbo’s cottage was the one closest to their current location, so Yu guided Dagbert in there. It was going to be a very long story; one the journalist should listen comfortably. Once he was seated, Yu began talking.

He told everything.

Began with an introduction of himself, telling how he was just a high school student. He talked about arriving to Inaba, he talked about his uncle and his cousin. He talked about the Midnight Channel, he talked about coming from a completely different world, he talked about the TV World. He talked about his friends, about facing the inner selves of his friends, about solving a serial murder case.

He talked about how important the Investigation Team was  for him. He talked about how they had gone into the TV World again, and how they found themselves in front of a stone door. How it all had led to him being the only human in a world of grumpuses.

Dagbert listened to everything without asking any questions. Once the story was over, the journalist was in silence for a while, eyes narrowed. Yu could imagine all the proverbial cogs and pistons in Dagbert’s brain, working overtime to try to understand everything he had just been told. No wonder he was having a hard time! Not only he had been told about a whole world, separate from his by a strange middle space you could enter through TVs; he also found out the human had strange powers that couldn’t be used on this world, the sort of fantasy thing that’s hard to believe.

“...wow” Dagbert finally said. “Just wow”

“Are you having a hard time believing it?”

“No, that’s not it! I just am pretty...worried” he shrugged, ambivalent. “You have gone through a lot in just a year and half, and you’re not even out of high school yet. That’s a lot of baggage for a kid to have”

“Maybe you focus too much on my age”

“I can’t help it, Narukami. What kind of person wouldn’t worry about you?” Well, some of the residents of Snaxburg had shown concern over ‘a kid’ being stranded on Snaktooth. Maybe some grumpuses were more parental than others. “I guess all that explained a few things I heard in those tapes”

“Isn’t it a lot to understand at once?”

“Way too much. I’m sure if I tried to write things down right now I would forget about half of it!” he said. “Don’t be surprised if tomorrow I have a dozen questions for you”

“Thanks for listening, Dagbert”

But instead of standing up and leaving, Dagbert raised a paw, beckoning Yu to wait. “The best way to thank you will be to share about myself, right? It’s not going to be nearly as interesting as yours, but if you want to listen I’ll tell you”

Yu nodded immediately. Of course he’d like to find out more about Dagbert!

And so he listened. The only thing Dagbert never said was his real name. Everything else was told.

Dagbert spoke of his upbringing, an only child in a rich family. He talked about his comfortable life. He told how unsatisfied with it he felt, so he went to pursue a career in journalism. He mentioned how he learned languages. He mentioned how self-conscious he was about his orange fur, how he felt his teeth and his overbite were too big, how he didn’t really like himself very much.

He spoke of how unfulfilling journalism was. He spoke of how his family pushed him aside, disapproving his side career of cryptids and mysteries. He talked about how he didn’t really have friends, or anyone to talk with, because he was too busy with his job. He talked about all the articles and interviews he thought would be his big hit and ended in disasters his boss had to clean up. He talked about the jealousy and frustration he felt all the time towards everyone else, perceiving them as happier, friendlier, more fulfilled, than he was.

“...even now I’m jealous of you” he confessed. “You came from another world, and got plunged into a place where you probably won’t see someone of your same species ever again. By all means you should feel scared, or lost, or something along those lines...but instead you’re flourishing. Even when you hadn’t heard about your friends, you kept your head up. People grew fond of you. And I looked at you, and thought...how amazing that was. And how jealous I felt”

“Dagbert...”

“Maybe part of the reason why I didn’t support you like I should have is because I wanted to find out you weren’t as great and admirable as you seemed. That you were this evil creature out to kill us all, or something. I don’t know if that’s what I felt or not, but still...” he shook his head. “I’m a pretty bad friend, eh?”

Yu crossed his arms. As he saw it, Dagbert was...kind of pitiful. Maybe even pathetic. He probably shouldn’t say that, it would make him feel even worse. He was as flawed as a lot of people Yu had known in his world, as flawed as his friends were, as flawed as he himself was. Dagbert probably didn’t suspect the sort of being Yu’s Shadow Self was like. The fear of being alone, the hesitation of tackling the truth, how tempted he was to succumb to the fog of deceit if it meant staying with his friends. There was nothing admirable or levelheaded about that. Even though that had happened some time ago...who said it wouldn’t happen again?

“I think that all just means you’re human”

“I’m not, I’m a grumpus”

Yu blinked. “...right. Sorry, it’s a way of speaking”

The journalist abruptly chuckled. “I know; I’m just messing with you. I think I get what you’re trying to say” he extended a paw. “You’re trying to get to the bottom of whatever’s going on with Bugsnax. I’ll help you as much as I can. Don’t hesitate to come to me whenever you think I can help, okay?”

“I promise I will” Yu said, gripping that paw. Dagbert’s paw was larger than his hand, enveloping it under a thick layer of fur and stubby fingers. This day had put their friendship to the test, but somehow they had overcome it all.

This was going to be the last time the two of them would have doubts about each other. From there on, they’d stick together until the end.

Chapter Text

“...and that’s about it”

Chie’s voice cut off once the recording finished. She had left a message saying she had finally managed to communicate with Triffany enough to find out what had happened to her leg. Apparently Floofty really was onto something: the Bugsnax had helped fix her bones. While it was impossible the scientist wasn’t aware of that already, Yu decided to never mention that to them.

Speaking of Triffany! According to Dagbert, today was the day! The day the archeologist finally would return to Snaxburg! That’d mean only Wiggle and Shelda would be out of the town. The last one was a complete enigma for Yu, not even knowing where on the island she was at.

Yu took the tape out of the player, intending to pass it to Dagbert later. Now that they had mended their relationship, the human was willing to go and give him tapes from time to time. No reason not to – two heads were better than one! Once he was sure the tape was safe and sound in his pocket, Yu decided to begin with the plans for the day. Since Triffany was returning, making sure everything was ready for that was a good idea. Wambus was the one to check on!

Given how much he missed Triffany, telling him his wife was returning to the town that day probably was going to brighten his day! And Yu knew so well Wambus was, well...in dire need of something to cheer him up. What better than the return of his beloved?

There he was, at the garden. His frustration certainly hadn’t diminished recently – he was glaring at the empty soil like it had insulted him, digging into it over and over, trying to make it a bit more fertile for the Bugsnax. Several of the sauce plants were skewed, his actions partially unearthing the plants, but Wambus didn’t seem to care at all. He didn’t even glance at one of the peanut butter plants when he, in his hurry to plough the soil, made it fall, crashing against the fence.

“...is this a good time?” Yu asked, although he was pretty sure what the answer would be.

Indeed, what he got was a glare capable of making plants wither. “What do you think?!” it had been a while since the last time Yu had helped with the farm, Wambus not welcoming him. As long as the farmer continued this bad mood, there was no way Yu could help him at all.

Even though Wambus said it wasn’t a good time at all, it wasn’t like he could leave, could he? Better to inform him now. “I have good news for you”

“I’m not interested” he said, looking down at the tracks on the soil again.

“Triffany will be coming back today”

There were a lot of good reactions Wambus could have to such news. Happiness, pleased surprise, maybe just a smile. Instead, Wambus looked at Yu with...it certainly was surprise, but it didn’t seem born from happiness. “What...? You serious, kid?”

“It’s pretty much confirmed!”

“No way...” he really didn’t seem as happy as Yu thought he’d be.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Something wro—what isn’t wrong, kid? Triffy is comin’ back and I got nothin’ to show”

Yu frowned. “Does that matter?”

“What do you mean ‘does that matter’?! Of course it matters!” Wambus tossed aside his harrow. “I stayed because I was goin’ to grow Bugsnax until they covered the land! Kid, how many Bugsnax do you see growin’ here?!”

Ah, right. Wambus had stubbornly insisted in growing a farm, and although in the end he had left for Garden Grove, it wasn’t like over there he had managed to make anything grow either. The spirit of his disagreement with Triffany still hung in the air, and now she was going to come back and see he hadn’t achieved a thing.

...or at least that’d be if Triffany hadn’t seen the state of this farm just two days ago. She was already aware sauce plants had grown. In fact...what was it she had said?

“...Wamby seems to be doing well! He has a new garden. He seems to be in good health, and the sauce’s growin’ beautifully.”

Right, she had liked what she saw and thought Wambus had been doing well...but it wasn’t like Wambus had heard that. There hadn’t been a word of reproach, but the farmer didn’t know that. All he had seen was Triffany stopping, standing there about to say something before leaving, having changed her mind. He had no way of knowing she wasn’t judging or thinking ill of his efforts; he didn’t know she approved.

“Wambus, it’s not as bad as it looks” Yu began. “Triffany isn’t going to think badly of you”

“All Triffany is going to see is that I still am failin’!”

“That’s not—“

Wambus threw his hat to the ground, eyes wide open and gesturing with his paws at the barren field. “Look at that! Look at the result of all my efforts! I have been breakin’ my back over a big bunch of nothin’!”

“Wambus, wait”

“I’ve been breakin’ my back for almost fifty years! I worked hard, and I did my darn best, and I worked all year round, meltin’ under the heat and shiverin’ in the cold, and all I got out of all that was...was a grumpin’ barren piece of land on some island far away from everythin’!”

Oh. That frustration had its roots far deeper than just not being able to grow a bunch of food insects, that was for sure. Yu winced when Wambus turned around, grabbing the human by the shoulders.

“Ain’t fair, kid, it ain’t fair! This is what all my hard work has led to?! I can’t anymore. I’m at the darn end of my rope right now”

That was plenty obvious, that was for sure. Yu’s eyes flickered to the buried Bugsnax, took a deep breath, and took Wambus’ by his wrists. The fries were almost malleable under his fingers. “It’s not fair, that’s true. You’re not wrong”

“What am I supposed to do, kid?”

“Calm down” Yu pushed Wambus further away “Let’s go drink something”

“What? Right now?”

“I think you need a drink urgently. Let’s go” Yu looked in direction of the Cromdo Mart. Snakwater was kind of alcoholic, right? Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad for Wambus to have some right now. Wambus followed him to the stand.

As expected, Cromdo didn’t exactly jump with joy when Yu approached. Cromdo scowled. “Great, it’s you. Are you here to pay for your thievery?”

“Thievery?” Wambus glanced at Yu. “Am I here to bail you out, kid?”

“No. Cromdo, we just want one Snakwater, no fizz” Yu said.

“...I’ll be payin’” Wambus said after a pause. With that settled, and once Wambus had a wooden mug full of Snakwater with him, Yu and him sat to the empty firepit, staring forward.

This was far from the first time Yu had to talk like this with someone of Wambus’ age. Still, despite that, it wasn’t easy to have a heart-to-heart talk with them. The age difference would always be a problem. Many adults wouldn’t feel like sharing that much with someone his age, and he had no reason to think Wambus would be any different.

“I wish I had something to drink”

Wambus drank pretty much the entire contents of the mug in one gulp, sighing, a little more relaxed, wiping his mouth brusquely with a fries arm, leaving the fur on his face all matted from the oil the fries have. “You coulda try it. It’s not Bugsnax, but it’s close enough. Could ease you up into eatin’ them for real”

“No thanks” Yu really would like to direct the conversation way from Bugsnax at all, or at least about eating them. “Anyway, Wambus, you probably should take a break for today”

“Why would I? The farm won’t improve unless I try”

“Let me do it in your place. I’ll tend to the farm today”

Wambus shook his head. “It’s not that I don’t think you’d be capable, but that garden’s mine. You think I won’t be able to make it work?” he said that, defiant.

Better defuse that before it turned worse! “Of course not, but this isn’t about believing in you or not. Sometimes things don’t work”

 “Then what am I doing wrong? I have left blood and sweat all over that soil” he mumbled.

Well, trying to grow those bugs was his mistake, in Yu’s opinion, but saying that probably wouldn’t fly well. Instead he shrugged. “I don’t know, but they’re not going to grow in the next two hours, Wambus”

“Kid, what are you—“

“Let me speak” Yu said boldly. “Your wife will be arriving today. She’s coming back, and you miss her. Today you should focus all on her, and leave the farm in my hands”

“You won’t take a no, will you, kid?” Of course he could just say no. What would Yu do, ban him from the farm? If Wambus decided this nonsense wouldn’t fly, then this was it. Fortunately, Wambus didn’t seem all that upset, just annoyed.

Maybe he was taking it relatively well because, deep inside, he knew Yu was worried about him. The human was a caring soul, he knew that much, and it didn’t feel like he was doing it out of obligation, or because he had nothing better to do. To him, it felt like Yu was going out of his way because he really cared.

The human most likely didn’t believe in him, was what his head kept saying. The human definitely didn’t believe in his efforts, was what his heart kept saying. But regardless of what he believed, the human had come to talk to him, had taken him to have a drink despite his obvious distaste for anything Bugsnax-related, and now was sitting with him, some distance away from the farm, looking at him with that wide-eyed, bright stare Yu tended to have. It was earnest.

No way saying no was an option.

“Do whatever you want” Wambus finally said. “You’re as stubborn as Triffy is”

“I’ll take that as a compliment”

“Probably is” Wambus admitted, and stood up. “I’ll go get ready. How long before she’s here?”

...Yu realized he didn’t know. Well, whatever.

Before long the human was ankles-deep in soil and knees-deep in sauce plants. Wambus had gone to get ready, leaving Yu to work on the farm and its plants. Slowly, he straightened up the sauce plants, moving them carefully so the sauce pods wouldn’t fall and splatter everywhere. It seemed Wambus’ actions hadn’t ruined them. Some stems were bent and a couple of the flowers had lost petals, but it was nothing the plants wouldn’t heal sooner or later.

It really had been a while since he had been able to work on this without Wambus hovering all stressed and upset over his shoulder. Yu dug into the earth with his fingers, watering the roots of the plants and enjoying the sensation of soft soil on his skin. It was easy to feel happy when you were tending to plants! Leaving the watering can aside, Yu stood up, stretching and bending to get rid of the cramps from being hunched over for too long.

How does one figure out if these plants were getting enough nutrients? A bit puzzled, Yu took a pod of ranch sauce, turning it over in his hands. Would these...look different if these plants weren’t healthy? Would the sauce taste different? Absolutely no way he’d bite into a pod of freaking ranch sauce.

A couple hours passed. Yu looked up, satisfied with how the plants looked, and picked up Wambus’ hat from the ground. Wambus had finally made himself presentable, coming out of the hut, freshened up and still a little damp. It was a little funny – pretty much all the time Yu had known him there was always a slightly unkempt ruggedness, probably because it was as if he always had a layer of soil on his fur, ever present. It wasn’t even that he was a slob, it was more that as soon as he was cleaned up, he’d dive among the plants once again and three minutes later it’d be as if there hadn’t been any change at all.

Right now, though, Wambus looked far fluffier than Yu had ever seen him. It was so strange to see the tallest grumpus in town, the guy who everybody knew for his quiet, almost perennial capacity to look at you all impassively, now was standing around like some teen who was waiting to be taken to prom. “Looking good, Wambus” Yu encouraged.

“That so?”

“But you’re missing this” Yu passed him the hat, Wambus putting it on. It wasn’t guaranteed Triffany would be arriving very soon; maybe she’d arrive in ten minutes or in five hours. Still, he was already got ready and willing to wait. “It’s not you without the hat”

“Triffy says that too. You’re like her, kid”

That definitely was a compliment. If Wambus compared you to his beloved wife, then he must be think pretty highly of you! Yu watched him go and sit by the empty firepit, still willing to let Yu handle everything at the farm.

No time to waste! Yu decided to circle the garden and see what else could be done, see if there was anything else to fix. He stepped away, just two steps...and then he saw the eyes of the buried Bugsnax staring up to them.

Ah.

Yu approached, keeping his stare right onto a pair of googly eyes. The buried Snak didn’t blink, or didn’t even have much of a reaction, indifferent to the approaching human, not caring he was now crouching in front of it.

“What’s going on with these ones...?” Were these Snax comfortable in there? After all these days they hadn’t even tried to get out. Yu slowly extended a finger and moved it forward, the finger trembling a little while it got closer to the surface of the eyes. He had gotten just half an inch away, before Yu’s hand curled. He didn’t want to provoke them.

Well, whatever. Not wanting to completely back down, he reached over the eyes and dug two fingers into the soil, looking for the insect. It still was there, wasn’t it? Indeed, there it was, just as firm and probably unaffected as Yu thought they would be. Once he took his fingers out of the soil, he made sure whatever food bug was in there would stay inside, and stood up.

No signs they were growing at all. Perhaps...he should...

...it was so tempting to dig them out. To get rid of them, and make Wambus think they had escaped. But that was such a deceitful thing to do, even if there were good intentions behind it. It’d be far from the first time Yu does something others shouldn’t ever know about, but that was investigating a serial murder case and fighting against figments of humanity’s collective unconscious. This would be outright deceiving Wambus, and even then, it wouldn’t guarantee that would change anything.

No need to resort to such dirty, desperate measures.

...right?

-ooooo-

Three hours later, Triffany still hadn’t arrived.

Wambus had moved from the firepit and onto other places, walking around town as if he was a first-time father with a wife in labor right now. Thankfully, Yu managed to convince him not to go into the farm, even though the human wasn’t working on it anymore.

“You certain she will be here today?” Wambus asked for the tenth time in one hour.

“Completely sure. Dagbert went to get her. You haven’t seen him at all today, have you?”

“Course not. Haven’t seen a hint of orange at all today”

“Triffany probably is always trying to do ‘one last thing’ before coming back” Yu suggested. Somehow, Wambus nodded immediately, agreeing with him.

“That’d be just like her” Triffany is so passionate she would want to do one thing more before having to walk away from the digsite. She probably would be here before the day ended, but her return could be from now to just before midnight. Seemingly calmer now, Wambus decided to wait longer, although he always kept his eyes right onto the path towards the canyon.

Perhaps saying she’d be back today wasn’t the greatest idea. What if it didn’t happen? He’d have gotten Wambus’ hopes up for nothing. It was a little past noon already. Well, Dagbert probably would handle that, things would be fine. Since he was already busy with all this, then may as well help make things even more entrancing for Triffany. Playing wingman for this married creature so he’d make amends a little easier with his wife was a new experience, but as usual, he was going to try his hardest. Yu entered the mill, going up to the second floor. “Snorpy, I need a minute of you”

“Did you bring—“

“No, I didn’t bring any proof of anything” every single time Snorpy saw him, he asked that. It was less of a hassle than it sounded given the inventor didn’t leave the mill all that often, but him beginning every conversation with that was starting to wear on Yu. “Do you have lights?”

“Lights? What?”

Yu pointed from wall to opposite wall. “Lights to hang all over the place. I thought you’d have some” Mostly because Yu remembered seeing on the storage in the first floor of the mill that sort of thing. Asking for permission was a good idea.

“Oh, right, those lights. Sure. Go ahead”

Alright, that was it. Yu bowed his head and started to descend the stairs. He got barely halfway down when he heard Snorpy behind him. “Wait, is that all? Seriously?”

“...yes. Sorry”

“You can’t take the lights I modified and just go by yourself like that! How are you going to install them properly?”

Oh. He modified the lights somehow. Fine, let’s go. “Sorry. Will you come along?”

“I’ll lead the way, chum!” pushing Yu aside, Snorpy descended to the first floor, digging into one of the boxes, taking out several long strings of electrical lights. When Yu asked where they were even going to plug these, Snorpy laughed. “Ahahaha-ha, Narukami. I thought of everything. I have a generator specifically made to provide the electricity these need. The voltage is key here”

Yu took some of the lights, looking at them with attention. They really didn’t look like anything other than common lights – lightbulbs strung together, probably giving a simple white light. ”What did you do to these?”

“You wish you could know” he tapped Yu’s chest with the popsicle stick replacing his arm. Now that Yu noticed...not only all his limbs had been mutated already. Some of Snorpy’s teeth had changed into round chocolate cookies.

Yu averted his eyes from that.

“You don’t have to tell me. I simply don’t want to get Snaxburg in trouble”

“In trouble? These lights do the exact opposite to that! Once they’re up, they could protect Snaxburg!” he extended some of the lights, showing off the lightbulbs. “To not go into too much detail, so nothing leaks and is used to counter my measures, I can tell only the broad details...”

Said broad details lasted at least fifteen minutes. Snorpy truly liked the sound of his voice when it was about how much he was outsmarting evil influences and organizations. Everything was carefully curated so it wouldn’t be truly useful, yet at the same time it was all highly technical and far more complicated than it had any right to be.

Radio waves, electrical fields, signals, it all flew right over Yu’s head. Perhaps making it all sound so complex also was a defensive measure. There was something he noticed, though! “You use radio waves a lot, Snorpy” With this, with the device allowing him to communicate with the rest of the humans, and who knows what else!

“Of course! Radio is my specialty. It even was my magnum opus, my best project back when...” he sighed. “Back when I was in the university”

“A graduation project?”

“Ahaha, far more than that. Anyway, I made this whole project to revolutionize long distance communications. It would have turned some of the current technology obsolete!”

That sounded extraordinary! And given what Snorpy had made – a radio device that was crossing into another world! Well, perhaps that was mostly because the stone doors were open, but still! – it was believable. Yu, encouraging, nodded. “How did it go?”

“Well, that’s...” Snorpy fiddled with his glasses, a little troubled. “It was stopped”

“Stopped?”

“Making this big revolution would damage the interests of some influential grumps. My invention got scrapped and the documentation confiscated. It probably is sitting in some dusty room in some basement somewhere” he sounded more resigned than bitter. Maybe this problem was already water under bridge, having happened long ago for any anger to turn into resignation. His eyes were...

...they were sorrowful. Getting your efforts spat on like that must hurt.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Snorpy” he said with sympathy. He’d have patted Snorpy’s shoulder but he probably wouldn’t accept that.

“Nothing to be sorry about, Narukami. It was thanks to this I realized how deep the turpitude of the world goes” Oh. Oh, Yu was pretty sure where this was going. Snorpy bundled the lights, pressing them into Yu’s hands. “They got careless for just one, fleeting moment”

“Who?”

“The Grumpinati”

Figures. Of course. Truthfully, Yu was starting to be kind of fed up of Snorpy bringing them up. Yu smiled tightly.

That didn’t deter Snorpy at all, because he continued: “They’re good at what they do, but someone made a mistake. A document falling in the wrong paws, covert money transfers, patents that disappear...little signs of something sinister afoot”

Yu leaned forward, conspiratorial. “Are you serious?”

“Very serious. I saw the proof myself. A little loose string, leading to something bigger. I couldn’t believe it at first, but then I realized what they had done. Their...their grip on the world and everything behind scenes”

“How can they stay hidden?”

“That’s the thing. They’re good at that. I wouldn’t have ever known if they hadn’t made one single mistake” Snorpy suddenly threw his head back, raising his voice with vehemence. “And since then they have engaged in a battle of attrition against me! To force me to give up, but I haven’t stopped searching, I haven’t stopped looking for their mistakes and anyything they do wrong!”

Leading to that whole big ball of conspiracies...Yu was starting to see what was going on. “So you say they have been harassing you”

“Exactly! That’s what they do! They know I’m onto them, so now they’re trying to wear me down” he said emphatically. “They kick me out of my engineering networking groups, they blacklist me from universities, they cancel my favorite shows, my own sibling doesn’t realize they’re sinking their claws on them...”

“What about this island?”

“I didn’t want to come here!” Snorpy confessed, immediately looking towards the doors of the mill. It didn’t take long for Yu to realize why he had looked to see if someone else was nearby “I’m following Chandlo. I just can’t say no to him, even if it means coming to this island and leaving myself vulnerable to the Grumpinati’s machinations”

Well, good to know Snorpy wasn’t completely sealed off from the rest of the world, if only because of Chandlo’s influence.

He kept going: “Now I’m here, with Wiggle, very obviously, functioning as their agent on the field, and the Bugsnax, wily creations meant to beguile all of our stomachs. Were I to lose my focus they would probably overrun the town with their plans. Watch out for ceremonial daggers, Narukami”

...maybe he had thought about all this the wrong way, thought Yu. Truthfully, this didn’t seem like all delusions. Something about the way Snorpy had talked about his project got rejected gave him that feeling. Perhaps it wasn’t that the Grumpinati didn’t exist, maybe there really was a shady organization out there that controlled things and caused trouble.

Maybe what actually was going on was that Snorpy saw them everywhere. Anything that seemed even remotely off was immediately blamed on them. It was very possible Snorpy did have reasons to be paranoid, but it seemed so unlikely they’d focus so many efforts and resources on tormenting just one single grumpus.

If that was what was going on here...maybe he hadn’t been taking Snorpy seriously enough, having dismissed everything, instead of trying to understand better.

Yu made sure he was holding the string of lightbulbs correctly. “I see. I think I understand all that a little better”

“I’d hope so, Narukami. There’s more to the world than you think” he patted Yu’s arm encouragingly. “Now come on. I’ll do you a favor and set these up for you. You tell me where you want them and I will set it all!”

For someone who didn’t like to be outside he sure seemed willing to go out there right now to set the lights! He really must be believing his light fixtures were a helpful measure against malicious machinations. Well, fine! Time to allow that to happen.

Wambus didn’t seem to know what to think when Yu went around town, pointing at places for Snorpy to place the lights at, like garlands for a party. “What do you think you’re doin’ now, kid?”

“Setting the atmosphere” was Yu’s straightforward reply.

To that, all Wambus could do was shake his head, confused.

-ooooo-

Hours later Wambus still wasn’t sure exactly what sort of atmosphere Yu was aiming for. The farmer just didn’t have not even a single romantic bone in his body, that was for sure.

Lights had been tied to the pillars of the stone arch marking the entryway to the path to the canyon, enveloping them with a string of lights that’d shine like bright stars. The cable extended in direction of the firepit, held by small stakes Yu and Snorpy had placed around. Garlands of light separated from the end of that short hallway delineated with lights, extending towards the nearby cottages, tied to the roofs. It wasn’t the dreamiest setting, but there was effort and a somewhat pleasing aesthetic! Yu thought he had done a good job!

Many grumpuses had expressed curiosity for what was going on. Beffica seemed to catch on immediately, nodding with satisfaction and winking at Yu “You got this in the bag”, she said. Gramble still was nowhere to be seen. Floofty was exasperated, remarking they better not try to tie any of these garlands onto their tent. Chandlo didn’t understand at all what was up with this, but encouraged Yu once he was informed. Cromdo took the chance to try to sell more Snakwater to the farmer, ‘for the wait’, he had said, and then told him he knew a good divorce lawyer. Yu didn’t think he’d see a grumpus be tossed so far, yet here Wambus managed to throw Cromdo all the way to the mill with ease.

Wambus...his opinion was a mystery to Yu. It was so hard to read that stony, unimpressed face. The human would think this was a negative response if it wasn’t because his reactions typically were like this. “I’m asking again, kid: what sorta atmosphere is this?”

“A romantic one. It’ll be good for a reconciliation”

Well, that all probably would depend on Triffany returning when it was a little darker. If she returned during daytime, all this would be little more than a waste of electricity. Wambus tapped one of the lightbulbs, making it bounce. “I don’t get it”

“You don’t have to get it. It’s just not easy to explain” Yu said, hiding with those words that he also didn’t really know what he was doing. He just did what felt right! Well, this was a safe bet anyway. Triffany had no reason to get upset about a few lights, and if she said anything, they could just say it’s to make the village a little brighter.

Sunset arrived. The lights all over the village actually gave it all quite the dreamy appearance! Shining beacons in the darkness, like fireflies in the air! Or Charmallows, if you will.

Wambus was seriously starting to regret not working on his farm the whole day, Yu could see that. By now, the human also was beginning to feel bad about it – poor Wambus was beginning to feel awkward and antsy, and it was only matter of time before he retreated and this whole plan would be completely ruined.

...there! Finally! “Someone is coming!” Yu said to Wambus, Wambus immediately gaining a dumbfounded deer-in-the-headlights expression Yu was sure happened once in a lifetime.

Two grumpuses were approaching, passing over the stream surrounding Snaxburg. Before long Yu noticed that yes, they were Dagbert and Triffany, the journalist going ahead, the archaeologist trailing behind.

Dagbert stopped by the entrance, noticing how well lit Snaxburg was tonight. “What...?”

“Oh! What’s goin’ on here?” Triffany looked up at the lights, saw how it all formed a path she was supposed to follow. “Didya set all this up?”

“I didn’t. I know nothing about this”

“Seriously?” Triffany advanced forward, a little confused, until she saw Wambus standing on the other side of the empty firepit, waiting. “Wambus...! Wait, did you do all this, Wambus?”

If the farmer had any idea of what to say it all sure went out of the window as soon as Triffany appeared in scene. He opened his mouth once, twice, thought it better, cleared his throat, and repeated the whole cycle again. Yu nudged him with an elbow while Triffany looked around at the lights, her eyes starting to sparkle with tender admiration.

“...welcome home, Triffy” he finally managed to say.

Just those three words were enough to make Triffany delighted. She approached, eyes watery and, without further delay, went and embraced Wambus tightly. “...I was worried you wouldn’t care”

“What? I’d never! You’re a treasure, Triffany”

“You seemed to be doing so well yesterday”

That turned out to be very far from the truth, certainly. Triffany took the lead and didn’t hesitate, she pulled him closer and kissed him. Funny thing, to her right now it was as if nobody else existed in the world except Wambus. She completely ignored Yu and Dagbert, focused only on the one she loved.

“...Wambus, we need to talk”

“We do?”

“Yah, ‘course we do” she said, very serious. “We both have our goals. It’s about time we tell each other what’s what”

“You make it sound like this big issue, Triffy”

“It is a big issue! But it’s not as bad as it sounds” she sighed. “We both have said some things we don’t mean, haven’t we? I mean it, both of us” Even though she was willing to have a reconciliation she still wasn’t budging. These two truly were equally stubborn.

It was as if she insisting deflated Wambus’ hopes a little bit, because he nodded gravely. “If you say we gotta then we gotta”

“That’s right. Come on. Let’s sit down” she took Wambus’ paw, leading him towards their cabin. Neither of them even said a word to the other people in the area, having forgotten all about them.

Dagbert scratched his head, a bit unsure of what to say about all that. Mentioning it at all would feel like intruding, so he decided to sidestep it all, and waved vaguely at the lights. “So...all this...was it your doing?”

Yu nodded.

“And you let Wambus take the credit?”

Yu nodded again. What did Dagbert think? That Yu would interject during their reconciliation to say ‘oh by the way the lights was all me’ and ruin it all?

“I didn’t take you for the romantic type. Narukami the heartbreaker, what a twist”

“I did literally the opposite of breaking hearts today” Yu said.

Dagbert guffawed. “True that! Let’s just leave the lights up. Snaxburg looks nice with them” Dagbert sat to the firepit. “I’m sorry it took so long for us to arrive. Triffany was very nervous about coming here”

Yu sat as well. “Did she say that?”

“She didn’t admit it but it was pretty obvious. There was always one thing more to do, and she insisted in completing it before coming here” So Yu had been right, just not for the right reasons. “But I could see she was very nervous. I’m just glad it ended well”

“Wambus was antsy the whole day”

“I can imagine! But I think these two will be fine. They won’t concede any terrain but they probably will make it work somehow” he said, surprisingly optimistic.

Yu grinned. “I didn’t think I’d hear you say something so positive”

The journalist passed a paw over his face, suppressing a yawn. “I just sympathize with them a lot. I...I didn’t think I’d sympathize like I do now”

“Why?”

“I dunno” he shrugged. “But after we talked yesterday I have been thinking, and I know I have been a pain to deal with. I guess I let my bitterness color things around, so I was trying to stop that”

It probably would be a while before he did, though. Bad habits are hard to change. Yu encouraged him immediately.

“I will try” Dagbert said. “I’ll try to leave all these feelings aside and see everyone I talk with as...as people in as much trouble as me, I guess. I guess if there’s someone here who can tell it’s me! I have all these interviews, after all!”

Dagbert seemed surprisingly positive, seriously. Had their talk really helped him so much? Well, whatever, thought Yu. The important part was that he was willing to try.

Sometimes that first step is the hardest part, and Dagbert already seemed past it. Only time would tell how well it’d go.

-ooooo-

“I don’t think Yu is here” said Yosuke. “Damn it, I wanted to hear his opinion about this”

“It’s only us two” said Rise.

Indeed. Yosuke had picked up the radio and announced he wanted a meeting with everyone else, having thought of something he judged worth talking about. Unfortunately, his lack of good fortune played against him once again: only one other person heard his message about gathering a few hours later. That was life as usual for Yosuke, really.

Not that it’d stop him from discussing what he had in mind. “Alright, let’s do this, us two”

“Sure, but...if it’s as important as you say maybe we should do it some other day? When we’re all here”

“Just listen to me and tell me if that’s worth it. It’s a thought I had earlier today and I’m not sure what to make of it”

No reason not to, Rise decided. Yosuke’s ideas were generally worth listening to. He may not have Yu’s decisive personality, or Naoto’s detective skills, but Yosuke was Yu’s right hand for a reason.

And indeed, when Yosuke talked, he proved once again he was a very capable young man:

“How do all these Bugsnax get their names?”

Rise didn’t reply to that for a moment. She was a bit sure what he meant, but he asked anyway: “What do you mean?”

“All these bugs have these silly names. I think they’re puns in English or whatever the language is called in this world. How did these grumpuses give Bugsnax the names? Did they name the things and then Bugsnax heard them and adopted the name themselves? Or did they find Bugsnax repeating these names over and over, and decided to use those because they were fitting?”

That was a really good point. It seemed a bit like a chicken and egg situation, with no way to know with certainty what came first. “That’s...Yosuke-kun, I’m not sure what to think about it”

“It’s like both have very weird implications. If grumpuses took the names from what Bugsnax were saying does that mean the bugs named themselves? Because then they have enough of a grip on language to make puns. But if grumpuses coined the names, then Bugsnax heard them and adopted the names and started repeating them”

The one thing both scenarios had in common was that they made Bugsnax seem far more intelligent than anyone gave them credit for. They don’t have brains, but...it really felt like there was a little more than just instinct going on here.

“You should...mention it next time we gather. You’re right, it’s weird”

“Thanks for your opinion. I have been asking around and nobody can give me a straight answer” Yosuke said, relieved. “I dunno if I agree with Yu about them being parasites but there’s something going on with these things. I can’t believe I ate some”

“You haven’t eaten more, right?” Rise hadn’t. These were hard days for her, trying to find a reliable food source that wasn’t Bugsnax or a metric ton of sauce.

“Not really...I have my hands full with Filbo. He’s under a lot of pressure these days, and he is asking for a lot of Bugsnax. I’m starting to feel unnerved about that” He didn’t tell if he had indulged him, what with Yosuke being the one in charge of hunting food for the village

“Yeah, over here he’s the same. We have been talking, but it doesn’t seem to me like even he knows too well why he wants Bugsnax so much”

“You think Yu is right?”

Rise was silent for a few seconds before answering. “Maybe. Maybe he’s right”

Chapter Text

When the day started, Yu never suspected it'd be the day his stay on Snaktooth Island would change so drastically he would look back at the three weeks before this day and long for a return to those simpler times. Or, even better, to the first ten days, before Filbo's disappearance.

Even though he listened to Yosuke's observations, left in a tape on his bed, courtesy of Snorpy, that still didn't give him any idea of the events that would change everything.

After making a note about Yosuke's very good point about Bugsnax's names and pinning it on the corkboard, he left the airship, looking for Dagbert. Now this was information the journalist want to listen! Answers probably wouldn't come, but it was a mystery big enough to warrant getting shared right away! And indeed, as soon as Yu explained what the tape contained, Dagbert left everything he was doing so he could sit down and give it a listen.

"That's a smart kid. I hadn't thought of this"

"Yosuke may be a mess but he's perceptive" Yu said. Perhaps he could have spared the part about how his best friend was a mess, but it was never a bad time to say such things about him. It was always true, after all!

"I can tell. I hope the journalist in his world still gets along with him." It was so strange to hear someone talk like that about somebody who was, in the strictest sense, another version of themselves. At least Dagbert was taking it really well, without seeming too bothered by the concept of alternate worlds. "Either way, this is good. Our course of action has been decided"

"What will we do?"

"We have to talk with Floofty, of course"

Apparently every other time he had suggested to do that, Dagbert had gone and done it by himself, getting absolutely no results. This time he suggested they should both go and see what answer they could get, if any. It didn't seem like too bad of a plan to consult with the local scientist about how Bugsnax know their own names at all. Yu said they should go right now, yet Dagbert shook his head immediately.

"Not right now"

"Are you busy?"

"Chandlo finished fixing this bridge that leads to the desert. I'm going to take a look and see if I can find this Shelda person. Want to come along?"

As much as Yu liked to spend time with Dagbert and help him, right now going to dry himself up in the desert sounded like a really bad time. Before long Dagbert left, walking under the rocky arch to the canyon, leaving the human to do whatever he felt like doing.

Or not. He didn't get a choice. "Heeeeey, Narukami, stop staring at the air and, like, look at my beautiful face~" he heard Beffica call to him not even five minutes later. First thing Yu noticed is that she talking to him didn't bring any dread anymore. Second thing he noticed was that she was once again getting glared at by Cromdo -- and therefore Yu received the brunt of that as well.

Beffica noticed what he was looking at, glancing behind her at Cromdo. "Ignore him. He couldn't bear to see me happy and thought he could ruin my day. He's sooooo immature!"

'Immature' wasn't the word that came to mind when discussing Cromdo, really. Yu looked at him once again, finding the salesman still was staring daggers at them, eyes narrowed and a profound scowl of disgust on his face. That was some hard animosity! Yu was taken away by Beffica, who saw the human insisted in having a staring contest with Cromdo, taking Yu to her cottage.

It was pretty obvious she was trying to get him out of sight of Cromdo, but he hadn't expected her to drag him all the way to her cottage. From there, she took out a couple Snakpods, offering one to Yu, who, of course, rejected it. "Sooner or later you should give it a try. You don't live until you have tried Bugsnax!"

In that case he'd to stay not-alive, thanks. "Not interested"

"More for me, then!" without further hesitation she messily ate both Snakpods, little bits of jerky and nuts falling onto the floor amidst pieces of the Snax's wrappers. It was a little disgusting to see with how much gusto she devoured them, especially once her face began getting warped due to the mutations taking place, her nose turning into a mass of assorted nuts and grain, and some of her teeth taking the appearance of jerky. This really didn't stop looking very strange, no matter how many times he saw it happening.

Beffica didn't seem to notice Yu's discomfort, because she sighed contentedly. "Snakpods always hit the spot. It's almost like magic! You don't know what you're missing, Narukami"

"Let's talk about something else" Yu replied. No way he was going to spend any time listening to someone praise the food insects for several minutes. "What was going on with Cromdo?"

"Ugh, you're still thinking about that? It's no big deal! He just can't see me happy without wanting me to be as sour grapes as he is" she shrugged. "He didn't say anything I didn't know already"

"Such as what?"

"You know...things like how I'm gonna end up all alone once everybody is fed up of me"

Harsh. Very harsh, but ultimately not an unrealistic thought, as much as Yu hated to admit that. Beffica had quite the controversial personality and methods. Still, something she said was kind of alarming: "Didn't you say it was stuff you already knew?" Was Beffica thinking she was careening into such a fate?

Apparently she did, because she made a face of indifference that didn't really convince Yu, and said: "I'm not dumb! I know very well what everyone thinks, and oh, what you think as well. Don't think I haven't noticed the way you get all tense when I talk to you"

So she had noticed that...Yu couldn't help it, he felt a tad guilty and sheepish over it. "Sorry about that one"

"Don't worry all that much over it. But, now that I'm telling you this? I want you to know it's really insulting to pretend all is so swell when you actually wanna run away from me"

Was it a two-faced thing to do? Hopefully not! "What are you going to do about what Cromdo said?"

"Do I need to do something? I have done nothing wrong. It's not my fault"

"Are you serious?"

"What? It's true! It's everybody else who is in the wrong, not me. I have done nothing wrong" she insisted. "All I have done is tell everyone else stuff they don't want to hear! All I have done is try to uncover what lurks under the surface! Is that really all so wrong?!"

Was she expecting him to answer? As Yu saw it, he was thrusted into a lose-lose situation. If he said that yes, it was wrong, Beffica probably would see it as an affront, a rebuke to what she does -- which perhaps it wasn't all so bad if it wasn't because she clearly was baring more of her heart than she had done so before. A show of trust, if you will. She could take that as a response that shows she can't trust Yu. But if he said that it was all fine and that she was in the right, there also was a chance she may think of it as an insincere statement, one made just to calm her down, and given what she had said a moment ago, clearly she wasn't willing to tolerate something that could be interpreted as deceptive. How was he supposed to respond?

So he chose to not say anything at all. Silence.

Which, apparently, wasn't something Beffica liked either. He really had no way to respond in a way she wouldn't be offended by. "Really? Nothing? Sometimes I can't tell if you're the most manipulative person ever or if you're so eager for approval you'd say what others want to hear." Once again, a harsh assessment...and one that wasn't entirely unfair. Yu himself had to admit that was how keeping his relationships going with all these people felt like. Grumpuses, humans, they sure were similar in how maze-like they could be sometimes! "I guess...you either are like Filbo, or you're like myself. Aren't those, like, the saddest options ever?!"

"Filbo isn't like either of those"

"Oh, you have to be kidding me. I thought you were friends with him but you don't know him at all!" she said, apparently not considering not even for a moment maybe she was the one who didn't know him well, because she went onwards anyway: "Filbo makes himself seem like such a people pleaser? He'd throw himself over a puddle so you'd walk over him. But that's his trap. Everything he does is to get others to like him. Everything is so he can feed his ego. Guys like him are all like that"

Problem was that Filbo didn't have an ego at all, Yu knew. Or any trace of self-esteem in the slightest. Beffica had the wrong idea about Filbo and apparently she hadn't considered at all she may be wrong. "That's not how he's like"

"Seriously? You really think you--"

"If you had talked to him for more than just to berate him you'd have been able to tell" he told her, very bluntly.

Beffica stared at him for a bit, seemingly changing her mind about what she had said: "Wow. Maybe you're not as much of a spineless people pleaser as I thought. That really wasn't what I wanted to hear, at all" Was that any better? Who knew, really. "Anyway, as I was saying, Filbo is the sort of person that'll kiss everyone's fuzzy as--"

"That's enough. You don't know Filbo at all, so stop pretending you know how he's like!"

"Yeah? Okay, how's he like, if you're suuuuch a Filbo expert?"

"Filbo is..." Yu didn't hesitate, all the words coming quickly. "He's a kind person. He was a little wary at first but after just a few minutes he was willing to give me a place to live. There was absolutely nothing he could have gained from me, he did that because he wanted and because that's the sort of person he is. Filbo took the time to make sure I was comfortable in this town even though I'm not a grumpus. Filbo's probably the only one I could have counted wouldn't turn against me no matter what, and I miss him. I miss him a lot"

There was a long silence, with Yu glaring at Beffica with defiance and she looking like she wasn't entirely sure how to react. It took a while for her to say something, and when she did, her tone was strange, almost longing. "I...can't believe Filbo has someone like you to back him up. Outcasts band together, I guess" she hurried up to add, placating with her mutated paws. "I don't mean that in a snarky way, FYI. I was just saying"

"Does it really surprise you?"

"I guess not that much? But it makes me wish someone had defended me so strongly when I needed it, and to hear someone say this stuff about Filbo of all grumps just...it makes me wanna scream. Loudly."

"You mean to say you're jealous"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm jealous. And miserable. I admit it, I hate everything about where I am" she said. "Look at us all, Narukami: here on Snaktooth we're all miserable. We came here to get better lives or to run away or whatever, and none of us got any improvement. We're all so miserable it hurts. And that includes myself! And...Filbo, I guess" Beffica sighed. "Here I am, running away and hiding on an island away from all and any courts except the court of public opinion. Surrounded by people who don't like me at all"

"It sounds pretty bad"

"It's awful. And Filbo is no different, I'm sure of that. And despite that he managed to get someone who likes him enough to stand up for him...it makes me wonder if anyone ever would do the same for me. And you know what?

Nobody would. Ever"

Most likely true, and admitting that had to be very painful. Yu looked at her with sympathy.

Beffica laughed softly, shaking her head. "Isn't that so hilarious? I guess Cromdo isn't the only one who tries to drag everybody else to his same level of horribleness. I'm doing the same thing. Agh, saying that felt like swallowing bile, gross"

"The first step to get better is to admit the issue"

"You sound like a self-esteem book turned into a grumpus. Or a human, I guess. But thanks for the words," Beffica said, waving Yu off. "This conversation didn't go at all like I thought it would. Get moving, please! I have some stuff to think about"

"Did I hurt your feelings?" That had never been his intention, of course.

Beffica shrugged. "Meh. Not really. I guess it was more like getting slapped in the face with things I already know. It sucked, that's all"

No point in staying, then. Yu turned to leave, deciding to leave Beffica alone for as long as she needed. Before leaving, though, he turned his head to give her a few words he hoped would be encouraging. "I don't think you're as bad as maybe you think you are. You haven't been as bad company as I thought at first. I'd like to talk to you more, if that's okay with you"

"If I didn't know better I'd think you're trying to backpedal everything you said today" she mumbled. "But thanks. I'll remember that"

For the first time Yu thought he saw the depths of Beffica's feelings. It was stuff he suspected, but something about how she felt right now bared it all far more than he ever thought. Despite everything, she had decided to speak from the heart, and he had glimpsed the sort of things she carried inside. It felt so...tragic, and Yu was pretty sure in a way she already knew a lot of this pain was self-inflicted thanks to her own actions, even if she refused to admit it.

Maybe someday she would. He was willing to help, if she let him, at least to lend his support whenever she needed it. It was the least he could do.

-ooooo-

Judging by how Dagbert returned alone, he wasn't able to convince Shelda to come back with him -- supposing he had found her, of course! Dagbert didn't seem too eager to talk about the topic, just mumbling something about metaphors and yolks. Sounded like Shelda was an interesting one!

"Besides we have other things to discuss. I'm here, so let's go see Floofty already"

"Won’t you rest first?"

"Narukami, I'm a journalist. My version of resting is crashing my face against my desk for three minutes" he said, receiving an unamused look from Yu. "Fine. If I tell you after we're done I'll go take a nap on the first bed I find will that make you happy?"

"Not entirely" If he said it was going to be on the first bed he found, he probably would go into Wiggle's hut and sleep there, no doubt. Yu had lost count of how many times the journalist deprived other grumpuses of their beds, claiming them as his -- at least until the rightful owners of said beds pushed him out. Yu wasn't the only one who had ever rolled him off the bed and onto the floor, fact Dagbert sometimes complained about.

"It's called a compromise. Now that we reached a compromise, let's go and talk with Floofty"

The nice thing about Floofty's passion for science is that, if you needed them, you probably could find them at their tent. Where else would they be at? And indeed, there they were, apparently taking a breather from their latest investigation, reading a thick book with a title so full of jargon for a moment Yu wondered if it was in English, because he had no idea what that said. "Floofty!" Dagbert greeted cheerfully. The scientist barely looked up, finding who had come to see them.

"You two. What do you want?"

"We have a scientific question about Bugsnax to ask you" Yu stated. That seemed to get their attention a little better.

"Right now I'm analyzing a fascinating theory. If what you have to ask isn't at least a quarter as fascinating as this, I have the right to say no"

That had to count as permission to speak! Being the one who had heard the theory first, Yu launched onto a short diatribe, borrowing the excellent points Yosuke had made the day before. That turned out to be a good idea! Because with every word, Floofty's look of barely concealed annoyance was gradually replaced with a thoughtful face, Yu's question actually catching their attention.

When he was finished, Dagbert added: "We thought you'd be the right grumpus to ask. It could change how we look at Bugsnax"

Floofty left the book aside. "Indeed, it's worth inquiring about, I'll grant you two that much. I suppose I can give you some thoughts about what's going on...but to do that, I require a Snak to vivisect. You, the peddler of fabrications. Do you have a Strabby?"

Dagbert looked at Yu, then back at Floofty, pointing at himself, clearly wondering if that was meant to address him. "A Strabby? No, I don't--"

"Then go and get one! Get going!"

Yes, it was addressed at him. Dagbert briefly wished he had the foresight to bring a Strabby with himself at all times, and departed to get one as soon as possible, leaving the human with Floofty. It didn't stop them from talking to him, of course! Floofty adjusted their goggles, looking at Yu with attention. "Was coming here your idea?"

"Would that change anything?"

"No. Not at all. But seeing you speak while that journalist didn't say all that much made me wonder if he was putting you up to this." Once Yu confirmed very emphatically that yes, this had been all his idea, Floofty nodded. "I see. A solid observation, Narukami. I'm actually impressed"

"You probably had this thought already, haven't you?"

"I hadn't. I focused on the benefits of Bugsnax, with nary a thought for the other details. As hard as it may be for you to believe, I'm intrigued. Perhaps I'll...evaluate the situation some more, once I show you two something"

"What kind of something?"

"Something that perhaps will give you a better idea how Bugsnax work. Consider it a token of my appreciation" they said. This sounded like the rarest sort of interaction Floofty Fizzlebean could give! Yu definitely had to thank Yosuke for making this possible, that was for sure!

It took a few more minutes for Dagbert to return, carrying a Strabby. "Here's your little test subject" he said, passing the Snak to the scientist. The Strabby, not suspecting what was going on, simply kept repeating its name over and over, blissfully unaware it wasn't getting eaten -- probably!

Floofty made sure the insect was fastened to a disposable tray. "This here is the most known Bugsnak, as you two know"

"I dunno, I think Bungers are more popular" Dagbert commented.

"Shut up and observe," they said, looking into a box of large tools that reminded Yu a little too much of what he imagined torture instruments looked like. That Floofty took out of it a disquietingly large saw did nothing to dispel such a thought. "Narukami, bring that device on that table over here. I have my paws full right now" they indicated, looking at a table on the far side of the tent. It looked a lot like a projector of some sort.

Yu set the projector near the disposable tray while Floofty made some markings on the Strabby, who was now looking at the saw with what probably would be deep concern if it had feelings. "Done"

"Well done. Now, once I make the cut I will hurry to set it on the projector. We won't have long before it all begins melting into the protean components" they chuckled. "In baby talk, for you two, that means the slime all Bugsnax seem to come from. No matter the species, once it has regressed to its base components the similarities are...well, I digress"

"Shouldn't you be wearing gloves?" Dagbert asked while Floofty revved up the saw.

"Bugsnax have no fluids that could prove a biohazard. Your concern is baseless" they said and, without any mercy, moved the saw onto the Strabby, right onto the top of it, while the Strabby apparently finally understood the urgency of the situation and struggled against the restraints.

Even though Floofty had said no fluids worth worrying about existed inside Bugsnax, all the juice that splattered all over the place sure would make anyone think otherwise! It all coated the table, the wall of the tent, and on everyone presently nearby. Yu stoically received the splatters, simply wiping off his face with a sleeve, while Dagbert groaned, the front of his body all full of juice, he hurrying to wipe away anything that was close to his mouth. In the meantime, even though Floofty was the one most soaked, they seemed to be having a fun time, their fur matted from the slime, giving them an appearance that wouldn't be out of place in a horror movie!

Despite all that, the operation went...smoothly enough. The Strabby got bisected, its eyes dropping from the tray and onto the ground, where they were left abandoned. Wasting no time at all, Floofty sliced a very thin portion of the strawberry, grabbing it with trongs and leaving it on the projector, hurrying to turn it on, leaving traces of Bugsnak juice everywhere they moved. "Observe" they said, stepping back so Yu and Dagbert could look at what the projector showed.

Looking at the portion of Strabby on the projector was very unpleasant. Still fresh, it was thin enough for the light under it to shine through, the device showing the cross-section of it against the white fabric of the tent. Many thin, vein-looking tunnels filled the surface, reminding Yu of the tunnels you'd see in an ant colony. "Fascinating, isn't it? What you're looking at right now is the mechanism behind the sound Bugsnax emit"

"I'm not sure I understand," Dagbert said, eyes narrowed in concentration. Yu didn't understand either, but he was sure Floofty would have something disparaging to say and explain anyway, so he didn't comment.

They spared the comment, though, instead sighing. "Right. Listen, Bugsnax have a rudimentary mechanism to inhale air. It doesn't serve any respiratory purpose; all the bugs do is pass it through their bodies at high speed. When the air escapes these ducts, they produce a series of noises that resemble the names we all know them by. Since these are as thin as a strand of fur, they're spread all over the Snak's body"

"I get it" Yu said, understanding. Alright, so it was like when air passed through a wind instrument! Just that instead of fingers covering holes to modify the sound, it was the shape of the ducts doing that.

"I still don't. Could we see it in action...?" Dagbert asked. This time the scientist couldn't hold back a derisive snort.

"Sure. Go ahead, grab a random Bugsnak, apply your mouth to it and blow as hard as you can. Make sure to tell me how that goes; I could use a laugh today"

"It's like a flute" Yu explained. Somehow, those few words were enough to satisfy Floofty, because they nodded, eyes actually shining with appreciation.

"A tad simplistic, if I may say so, but yes. That's close enough"

"Okay, but how did Bugsnax evolve to have all these tunnels inside them to produce these very specific sounds?"

"That I can't tell yet. What I do can tell, though, is that it probably wasn't the species' conscious choice" Floofty turned off the projector, taking the slice of Strabby and tossing it where the rest was at, already starting to fall apart into goop. "As you two are aware, they don't have brains. I believe instead they're a hivemind of some sort, and any sensorial information they receive is redirected through mechanisms still yet to be understood to some sort of...collective unconscious the Bugsnax have"

The words 'collective unconscious' greatly alarmed Yu. As soon as he heard that, the TV World came to mind. No, it was impossible that was what Floofty meant, he reassured himself. They must have meant something like instinct they developed throughout the years or something.

"So there's no answer to that question yet"

"I can think of a few experiments that could bring a solid hypothesis, but it will take a few months before I have any meaningful results"

Did they even have 'a few months' of time? Probably not. "That won't be necessary. Thank you for your time, Floofty"

"If we're done then I'll go take a bath. I don't want to reek like a strawberry for the rest of the day" Dagbert held a paw in the air, looking at the sticky fur with disgust, and shambled away, clearly not happy at all. Nobody could blame him! Between the shower of goop, Floofty's condescending remarks, and the failure to get any clear answer, of course the journalist would be in a bad mood now! That left the human alone with the scientist while the latter began to clean up the mess, pouring the dissolving Strabby into a bin, probably meant to be disposed of later.

Yu smiled gratefully. "That was useful. Thank you once again"

"That was a surprisingly pleasant time. I suppose I should give you a word of praise for bringing up such a topic to my attention. Well done, Narukami"

"It was nothing. It's just something I wondered about"

"Yes, but it proves you're not some simpleton who is satisfied with looking at the surface of things. More grumpuses should be like you. If all humans are just as inquisitive and intelligent as you are, your species must be truly a wonder to behold"

Good to know that Yu was making a great impression on behalf of humanity. Yu shrugged. "I try my best"

"Which is, once again, far more than most grumpuses would be able to say," they said. It was so unusual to hear Floofty say so many compliments in a row! They must have been very impressed! Or very nostalgic, because right after that they added, back turned to Yu. "Now I'm getting all sentimental. Hmph. It's useless to think about times long gone"

"What times?" Yu asked.

"The times my brother was someone I could work with, Narukami" they said. Yu couldn't see their face, maybe that was part of the reason why Floofty felt comfortable talking right now. "Snorpington has a brilliant mind. It must be a family trait, I'm sure. He always had an interesting question to respond with every time I brought up a theory or told him ideas for experiments. I could ask for no one better to read my papers before submitting them. Make sure to keep this to yourself, but sometimes I was glad he didn't go fully into the same line of science I did, or else he could have eclipsed me with ease"

"...honestly I wouldn't have ever guessed any of that" Yu said, very straightforward. Better to not soften things up when talking to Floofty!

The scientist laughed. "Indeed. Times long gone, as I said. That brilliant mind is now submerged in those ridiculous delusions. Nobody with more than three braincells would believe a thing of what Snorpy pursues now. I dare say even Chandlo wouldn't believe him, and that's mostly because Chandlo isn't a drooling idiot. Being of simple thinking doesn't mean the same as being stupid" That had been the nicest thing Floofty would ever say about Snorpy's boyfriend, Yu figured. "Regardless, showing you and that journalist how Bugsnax vocalize was...more pleasant than I expected it to be"

"I don't think Dagbert likes you" Yu commented. Judging by the scoff he got in response, Floofty didn't care at all what the journalist thought about them.

"Hardly anyone does, Narukami. They're all more worried about things like how easily bruised their feelings are to think about what truly matters. I don't understand these people, I simply don't"

"Do you want to understand them?"

"I don't see why that's necessary. My results shall speak for themselves. Anything else is, at best, mere tangents that have little to none relation to my research" Floofty turned around. They had wiped from their face most of the Bugsnak matter. "Your mind seems to work similarly to any common grumpus' mind. A strange oddity. So let me ask something: do you like me?"

"Yes" Yu hardly had to think about that. Despite Floofty's lack of patience and very unwelcoming demeanor, they didn't seem all that bad. Just very misanthropic. Migrumpic? What was that word like in this world?

If Floofty had eyebrows they probably would have raised them by now. Instead they patted Yu on the shoulder, with something he thought was very close to pity. "Ah, a straightforward response! One I don't really understand, but you do you. Next time you come I hope you bring another interesting topic to discuss. I will be looking forward to that"

Somehow, Yu felt the distance between Floofty and him had shrunk considerably. They seemed far less cold now -- perhaps not warm yet, just less cold. Besides, he was gaining some insight into their feelings. Even though they disregarded other people's emotions and probably their own to some extent, it was obvious their own feelings were still present. Good to know, really. Yu had been about to say that yes, next time he'd come he'd try to bring something else to discuss, when he felt the impact of something against the back of his head, followed by a thud on the ground.

Turning around, he found a Sweetiefly, crashed into the dirt, its wings moving weakly.

"Floofty?" Yu heard them approach, finding the Snak on the ground.

"How unusual. Perhaps it escaped from that rancher's barn" they said. Unlikely, remembered Yu. Apparently all of his Bugsnax had escaped days ago, and it didn't seem like Dagbert had brought him more. This had to come from somewhere else.

"It hit me"

"Aggression from a harmless species? Make sure to inform me all about it once you have more data" without further comment, Floofty picked up the Sweetiefly off the ground and just...ate it. They shoved it into their mouth, swallowing and letting the expected mutation take place, their paw turning into a lollipop plastic stick. Upon noticing Yu was staring quizzically at them, they huffed. "Don't you dare judge me, Narukami. I enjoy sweet ones"

"I'm not judging!" Yu said, seeing from the corner of his eye another Sweetiefly, this time far before it could come crash against his head. Yu ran out of the tent, following the Snak with his eyes. It was as if Yu seeing it had been what it wanted, because, after hovering in place for a bit, the Snak flew to the rocky outcropping not far from the airship, where four or five Sweetieflies more awaited, hovering in circles right there. That meeting spot! That's where the Snaxquatch tended to be at! Was...this meant to be a summoning of some sort?

Five minutes later, Yu was climbing the rocks all the way to the outcropping. Above his head he could hear the buzzing of several Sweetieflies, none of them attacking him. This really had to mean that weird creature was here, he thought. Otherwise right now he'd be getting attacked! Yu hauled himself onto the rocks, expecting to find that shambling abomination.

It wasn't there. Instead, there was something on the rocky surface.

It was as if someone had smeared a goopy something over the rock. It wasn't haphazard, though. This was carefully made, almost soaking into the surface of the rock, clearly meant to have a purpose. Why else would it be a clearly readable word?

T  R  A  C  K  E  R

Tracker? A tracker? Yu looked at the word. It seemed to be made of the same goop Bugsnax were generally made of. The Sweetieflies hovering over his head circled around him for a few seconds, making sure he would be looking at them – which he was already doing, although it was more because he was wary they’d start attacking him at any moment. He really needed to look for a new weapon at some point!

One of the Sweetieflies separated from the group, swooping through the air – not towards Yu, towards Snaxburg. It flew at full speed, passing over the huts until it crashed against a specific building: against the mill. The Snak pretty much shattered upon impact, falling into pieces, the candy breaking. “...a tracker over there?”

The only response was another Sweetiefly doing the exact same thing. Okay, that made it pretty clear: he had to go check whatever was going on in the mill. Yu nodded, hesitated if he should thank these...bugs for this, and hurried to descend the rock, getting to the ground and running back into the town.

Yu knocked on the doors of the mill to announce his presence. “Guys!” he called, unsure what he even should be saying. All he had was a single, vague word! It didn’t take long for him to hear the heavy steps of someone descending the stairs, making the wooden stairs creak. The dripping of honey made clear who it was before Yu saw even a hint of lime green: Chandlo was here.

“Hey, it’s Narubro! You here to see Snorpy again?”

‘I don’t know’, is what Yu would have said, but that probably wouldn’t fly too well. Instead, he shrugged, deciding to not beat around the bush for too much. “Chandlo, I was wondering if you knew something about a tracker”

“A tracker...?” Chandlo thought for a moment. “Will a fitness tracker work?”

Probably not, unless for some reason a bunch of Bugsnax got really concerned over Yu’s physical form and wanted Chandlo to pulverize him with a workout routine. If that’s what’s going on here then Yu was going to be extremely disappointed – and baffled, because so far most Bugsnax except for the Snaxquatch had been interested in murdering him, or at least that was his guess.

“Let’s set that aside as an option. Any other ideas?”

“Sorry, bro, I got nothing else. Ask Snorpy!”

Having thanked Chandlo, Yu ascended the stairs up to the second floor, where as usual he found Snorpy working on some sort of device. Without really leaving any room for the inventor to refuse to talk, Yu got his hands on the worktable, and asked the same question to Snorpy.

If he was going to tell the human to scram, that sure was forgotten after that question was asked. “W-Well, yes, that indeed does ring a bell. How did you hear about them?”

“About what?”

“The trackers, of course. It’s true I didn’t make a secret of them, but—“

Yu had a feeling that if he ever said Bugsnax told him this particular tidbit Snorpy would really take it as proof they were a biological machination by shady actors. Better to avoid that! “Beffica told me” Yu lied. Blaming it on Beffica was the most believable lie, right?

Apparently it was, because Snorpy grunted with annoyance. “Of course, I should have known. Why did I bother asking?”

“Snorpy, what’s up with the tracker?”

“In plural, Narukami. Trackers” Snorpy left aside the screwdriver he was holding, standing up and going to a drawer on another table. “I planted trackers on a few people to keep track of their movements – you know, on...persons of interest, and on friends”

Yu’s hand went to the back of his neck, a little bit unnerved by that confession. There were no strange things implanted against his neck, but that didn’t mean anything. “Snorpy, did you place one on me?”

“Well, of course I did. You fit squarely onto the ‘person of interest’ category”

Yu made a mental note to check his clothes all over and try to figure out if getting a tracker implanted onto his skin would be painless. Snorpy probably had an easier time getting those things on fellow grumpuses. Still...Snorpy was getting trackers on other residents of Snaxburg? Then maybe...!

“Wait, did you place one on Filbo?”

“Sorry, I didn’t. Filbo and I don’t talk much, what with him being painfully sociable and me being a reclusive and spindly individual, so I cannot say we’re friends”

“But he’s the mayor”

“He’s the mayor deputy, and used to be an ineffective one. He’s not a person of interest, although to his credit I will say he’s one of the few I could say would never have ill intent towards anybody”

Oh. It was too much to hope things would be so simple. Snorpy was an intelligent grumpus, if he had a tracker on Filbo, then first thing he’d do is check his location once the mayor went missing. Yu hid his disappointment. Still...then why was he told to come here and ask for a tracker?

...

Person of interest, person of interest...

“Lizbert”

“Did you say something, Narukami?”

“What about Lizbert? Are you tracking her?”

“I’d have been surprised if you hadn’t asked that! Indeed, Lizbert has one on her”

Yu’s breath hitched for a moment. He couldn’t let his hopes get up. Again, Snorpy would have checked the trackers right away. If there had been anything useful, he’d have known long ago. Still, he had to ask: “Could you check where she is right now?”

Snorpy laughed, greatly amused. “I knew you’d ask that” he said, opening the drawer and taking out a large device with a screen and several dials, starting to adjust them to get onto the frequency of Lizbert’s tracker. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Lizbert’s location is a mystery”

“How?”

“She disappeared completely. There isn’t even a signal or a sign the tracker got damaged. It’s as if Lizbert vanished from the face of earth”

“So what could have happened to her?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps she’s out of range. These trackers are attuned to the surface of the Snaktooth area. If she left it, or if the tracker fell underground, the device wouldn’t send a signal anymore”

There were caves on this island, Yu knew that very well, but he hadn’t checked them too in-depth. Did they go so far into the bedrock of the island a tracker wouldn’t work anymore? Knowing how hostile Bugsnax existed there Yu really didn’t want to go take a look.

“Please check anyway. Just in case” Yu said, although in his head he already was perusing the list of people he knew on this island. Was he supposed to check someone...? Eggabell, maybe? Or—

“Wait”

Snorpy’s confused single word made Yu stop thinking about that for a moment. On the screen of the device now there was a green dot near the edge of the screen. “Is that a signal?”

“It is. There’s a signal from Lizbert’s tracker...” Snorpy clearly couldn’t believe it! “That’s impossible!”

“Where is it coming from?” This could be it! Maybe this was what he was supposed to come here for! Yu pressed on, eager to get going immediately. He didn’t care if this was some sort of false result or if there was little chance it’d go well, he had to go check right now!

Snorpy tapped the screen as if that would make the signal get clearer. “It’s coming from the Sizzlin’ Sands. Let me print this for you—“ without wasting any time Snorpy pressed a button, making a piece of paper pop up from the back of the machine. The printout had what Yu assumed was a map of the desert biome on Snaktooth, showing the topography. It didn’t show objects or anything similar, all it showed was the surface. Right amidst it all there was a thick blot, indicating where the signal had come from.

This was it. Lizbert had been found! Somehow Lizbert’s location had been pinpointed! Yu took the map, hurriedly said a thank you to Snorpy, and reached the stairs. “Wait, where do you think you’re going?!”

“I have to find out what’s at this spot!” Yu said, a foot already on the stairs.

“You can’t go alone! Have you forgotten that a professional adventurer almost as strong as Chandlo is in trouble? What do you expect to achieve by yourself?”

That was...a good point, Yu had to admit. He couldn’t go by himself, especially given how Bugsnax hated his guts. “You’re right. I’ll get Dagbert to come with me”

“Ask Chandlo to go as well. With him by your side your safety is guaranteed”

Not a bad idea! With Chandlo and Dagbert coming along nothing would get in the way. Yu gave Snorpy one last look of gratitude before pretty much jumping the staircase down in three big leaps, running out of the mill at full speed.

Chapter Text

“You know, Lizbert isn’t going to be happy in the slightest Filbo is gone”

That reminder from Dagbert was completely unwelcome, but Yu kept his mouth shut. He already knew Lizbert would be upset about it and, most likely, would leave Snaxburg immediately to go look for him. The only way she wouldn’t was if she was restrained by Chandlo 24/7, and even then that wasn’t a guarantee.

Three people were walking through the canyon towards the Sizzlin Sands, Dagbert holding the map, Chandlo walking in the lead, and Yu looking around constantly, expecting a walking burger or a flying butterfly made of chips to come harass them. As usual there was nothing like that, though. Even the Scorpenyos had stayed away!

Back in Snaxburg Yu had found Dagbert quickly. It took just a few words for the journalist to listen to him, taking the map and giving it a good look. “So you said a bunch of Bugsnax – Bugsnax who hate you -- led you to asking Snorpy about this?”

“Yes” Yu nodded confidently.

“And you believe these Bugsnax who hate you are not leading you into a trap to chew the meat off your bones because...?”

“Because Bugsnax don’t have teeth in the first place”

Dagbert folded the map in half. “Okay, I walked into that one. The point is, are you sure about this?”

Even if Yu wasn’t sure about this it wasn’t like doing nothing was an option! This was the one and only hint about Lizbert’s location anybody had gotten ever since she disappeared. Following it was the only choice! In the end Dagbert agreed with that, grabbing his backpack and telling Yu to hurry and get Chandlo quick-like.

Chandlo asked no questions at all. “Chandlo, do you want to go find Lizbert?” Yu asked.

“I’m right behind you, dawg!”

Simple as that.

He was definitely the one most upbeat about this trip, having gotten his hopes sky-high. That was part of the reason why he was ahead of them right now. “Eggabell could be with her!” he was saying. Of course he cared about Lizbert, but he was far closer to the doctor than to Lizbert. Anything that could lead to also finding her was very appealing to him!

It took a while for them to find the bridge to the sands, long enough the sun was starting to set in the distance. “No need to watch your step! I fixed it just this morning!” Chandlo said eagerly, pretty much running across the bridge. Dagbert certainly didn’t share his enthusiasm!

“...Narukami. Don’t quote me on this one, but isn’t it a very big coincidence you got given this information just a few hours after Chandlo fixed the only way into the desert?”

“I’m starting to get worried” Yu admitted. It was a big coincidence, that was for sure. There was something going on, he could tell that much.

“Be ready to run if anything happens. Chandlo and I will be okay”

“I’m not leaving you guys behind”

Dagbert shook his head, but he was smiling fondly. “I figured you’d say that. Whatever, let’s do it”

Chandlo awaited at the entrance of the Sizzlin’ Sands. Sand adhered to his legs, the bottom of the dippers looking like instead of honey they had been submerged into quicksand. His forearms weren’t doing much better; the crystals of salt soon would be indistinguishable from the grains of sand the wind would blow on them. “Hey, where to now?” he asked. While Dagbert consulted the map and tried to orientate himself, Yu stepped forward, observing everything he could see from the entrance to the biome.

The gorge they had left was arid, but this desert truly was something else! Although nighttime was approaching, there was still enough sun to make the place have an uncomfortably warm temperature, coaxing sweat right away. There were almost no dunes, most of the terrain flat. That didn’t mean there were no features to look at, though.

Several mounds, formed by large boulders, littered the landscape, rising above the sand. Yu was pretty sure in the distance he could see a few palms near a glittering expanse he guessed was water. That was definitely not the most interesting feature around, though. The man-made ruins were far more intriguing – or should he say grumpus-made? Gigantic stone statues, carved until it resembled the telltale features of a grumpus’ head, were placed on top of thick rock spires, so large and so ancient they had plants growing on the cracks and inside the maw of the heads. Erosion had made pieces of the statues fall, proving these had existed since immemorial times. Triffany would love this all! Or perhaps her eye would be caught by the pyramid to a side of the desert. Yu could see a pyramid with a flat top, surrounded by what seemed to be pillars.

All in all, the whole area had a strange mystical air that made Yu wonder if perhaps this once meant a lot more to some ancient civilization.

Of course, Bugsnax filled the area. With how vast and flat the desert was, the voices of Bugsnax reached him easily; a cacophony of nonsense he didn’t try to decipher. Yu could see some things moving – things that probably weren’t tumbleweeds, they must be some species that didn’t exist on any other place of the island. There even was a flying Snak, enveloped with fire. Was that...a chicken drumstick? It was. A chicken drumstick flapped...wings? Flapped something, fluttering through the air.

“Got it” Dagbert snapped Yu’s reverie, making him look towards the distance. “It’s over there” he indicated, Chandlo not wasting any time before once again taking the lead, looking around as if he expected to see a gray grumpus lying somewhere on the sand. Yu and Dagbert followed him, quiet and trying not to waste any energy.

Before long Yu had taken off his school jacket, dropping it on his shoulder, feeling sweat stick his clothes to his body. This was just as bad as the mountaintop, even if the temperature was the complete opposite! Trying to stop sweat from getting into his eyes, he glanced at Dagbert, who seemed to be taking this far better than Yu did, strolling on the sand as if nothing was happening. How do grumpuses manage to handle these high temperatures despite having a coat of fur and no way to sweat? Maybe whatever they do could be of help to him, thought Yu.

Soon the journalist looked at him. “You don’t look too good” he said, concerned.

“I’m on the verge of death” Yu replied, tone as dry as the sand around him.

“I’d believe that! You probably are overheating. Why don’t you release heat?”

Oh! Was Dagbert going to reveal the secret now? “I’m not sure what you mean”

“Seriously? How do humans deal with this weather? Anyway, just follow my lead”

Having said that, Dagbert stopped, inhaled until his lungs were full to the brim, looked upwards, opened his mouth towards the skies, as wide as possible, and exhaled, releasing hot air like a chimney, radiating heat through the mouth until he ran out of breath.

Yeah that wasn’t going to work for humans, Yu thought. Not even worth trying.

If it wasn’t for how the features strewn around the desert were getting closer Yu would think they weren’t advancing. Chandlo awaited at the shade of one of the sculpted stone grumpuses. “You said it was over here?” he asked as soon as Dagbert and Yu arrived.

Dagbert extended the map and folded it so only the area around them would be visible. “Okay. Narukami, keep an ear out if you hear anything. Chandlo, it seems the signal was coming from behind this object here. If we figure out what are these things over here...”

Given all the map showed was a bunch of lines and vague shapes, it was difficult to know what was what. Yu waited aside while Dagbert and Chandlo solved the map, trying to focus in listening. He wasn’t sure if he would hear Lizbert calling out, but it was worth a try. Closing his eyes, he tried to sharpen his hearing. He heard the wind, dragging sand. He heard the desert Bugsnax move around, many cries he hadn’t heard before. Scorpeppers, Buffalocusts, Flapjackarak, Praying Picantis...why was there so much fire? He could hear their fire!

Yu took the decision to never come here alone. It seemed like a guaranteed way to die incinerated. There was nothing that hinted where the grumpus they came looking for was at, though.

Steps sounded right beside him. He expected it to be one of the two he arrived with, but Yu heard a voice he didn’t know, female and aged.

“One sees you have returned, bringing fellow questers to assist you. Mother Naturae looks upon your work, and sees it’s good!”

Yu opened his eyes. So this was the last grumpus he had yet to meet, the fabled Shelda. Yu wasn’t sure what he expected, but it wasn’t this at all. There was an old grumpus, with brown fur and a flower crown, with enough jewelry to make pretty obvious her hippie inclinations. Her tone fit it pretty well, too, attempting to be mystical-sounding. Still, she seemed to be a little bit...malnourished. All the other grumpuses Yu had met were pill-shaped. Even the thinnest ones had a certain width to them. Shelda, though, was more hourglass-shaped, her ribs and hips doing what they could to hold the body’s frame together.

Dagbert turned his head towards Shelda while she passed by Yu and towards him. “Oh. Hi Shelda. I haven’t broken a Picantis yet, if that’s what you want to ask”

“There is no need for apologies! The path to illumination, is not to be taken as a sprint. The path to illumination is a trek, ascending mountains of obstacles, and descending into valleys of doubt! And so, you must pace yourself!”

That was a pretty wordy and mystical way of saying ‘take your time’, thought Yu. He was beginning to see what was up with this Shelda. Dagbert’s face was completely neutral, but behind him, Chandlo cheered, deeply impressed.

“Grump yeah! You should listen to Shelda, dawg! She’s mad wise; you can’t go wrong listening to her!”

“If it’s Chandlo! Have you been following the teachings?” She asked him.

“Of course! I always—“

“Guys, focus” Dagbert batted the map with a paw. “I got it. Follow me”

“We’re right after you” Chandlo reassured him, waving Shelda to come along with them. Well, it probably wouldn’t hurt to have someone else as well, Yu guessed. Apparently she had been living in the Sizzlin’ Sands for a long while, meaning she probably knew how to handle things over here. It wasn’t a bad idea to take her along.

Shelda waved back, smiling kindly. “One will be accompanying you on your sojourn through the sandscape. Have no concern” she sighed once Dagbert and Chandlo had gone ahead, her face falling for a moment into a far more natural expression, and then she looked at Yu, looking at him up and down, and started walking. “Huh. The grumping sun is messing with my head” he heard her mutter, completely devoid of mysticism.

Dagbert led the group along towards one of the largest mounds of rock, with a gigantic grumpus head sculpted right on top. “This one. The dot on this reading is right behind this thing” he indicated.

“Let’s get started!” Chandlo really was pumped up! Without wasting any time, he ran, intending to check behind it. His voice could be heard. “She’s not here!”

“It took us more than an hour to get here but Lizbert can’t be too far away” Dagbert said and called for her, shouting as loudly as he could. No response from the person they were looking for.

It was useless, though. Even with four people searching, no matter how much they called for Lizbert they couldn’t hear her. It didn’t help that, once the sun started to set in the distance, the desert began darkening. Soon the night would cloak everything with so much shade the Bugsnax’s fire soon would be visible in the distance, making it impossible to search for anybody. They were running out of time.

“We can’t have come here in vain!” Dagbert exclaimed, a bit hoarse from constantly shouting Lizbert’s name.

“I haven’t seen prints or anything like that” Yu informed. He had walked around looking at the ground, and before long any footprints or pawprints around the place could only be by everybody present. There also seemed to be no objects or anything that could have been left by Lizbert. It felt like nobody had been around recently.

“So what, did Lizbert vanish in the air?”

“Relax, dawg. This won’t be the last chance” Chandlo tried to encourage, although it didn’t work too well. Whatever the journalist was going to say in response to that was forgotten when they heard the voice of someone who wasn’t with them.

“I agree with Chandlo!”

“Snorpy?” Yu looked around, almost expecting the reclusive grumpus to appear from atop a dune. He wasn’t anywhere, though. Shelda was the one who realized where his voice was coming from, pointing at Dagbert’s head.

“It’s coming from theeeere”

“From...” Dagbert raised a paw to a side of his head, stopped in the nick of time by Snorpy.

“Wait, be careful! If you break it, I won’t be able to communicate anymore with you”

 “How many things did you hook on me, Snorpy?!” Dagbert shouted.

“We have more important things to focus on right now, chum. I have been following your movements via the tracker on you, and I can confirm Lizbert’s signal moved three meters towards the southeast”

“So she’s still around here...” Yu advanced towards the rock spire, thick like a building.

“The human’s signal is getting closer to Lizbert’s!”

And yet she was nowhere to be seen. Still, three meters...that’d place her squarely inside this rock spire. Yu looked upwards, at the grumpus head looming above. That head’s mouth was partly open, meaning someone could feasibly be there, resting in the alcove formed by it. True, he had no idea why Lizbert would have climbed all the way up there, but it was a possibility.

Saying it got Chandlo to immediately offer to check out, he telling everyone else climbing all the way up was going to be easy as pie. Indeed, this strong grumpus had no issue climbing all the way up, hauling himself upwards with such deceptive ease for a brief moment Yu thought if he could have done the same. Obviously not! Soon Chandlo got to the mouth, crawling in there and standing up. Nobody else could see him, but everybody heard him when he shouted:

“There’s nobody here!”

“Are there any tunnels or something?” Dagbert asked.

“Nothing! There’s only cheese sauce here! Catch!” as if to prove it, a pod of cheese sauce fell from the head, Yu catching it. Indeed, it definitely was the same kind Wambus grew in his garden.

“Oooh, hand it over. One desires nourishment, untainted by the toxin of Bugsnax” Shelda requested, extending a paw. Yu quietly gave her the sauce, filing away the fact she referred to Bugsnax in a manner that suggested she didn’t like them at all.

“Snorpy, is the signal still there?” Yu shouted at Dagbert’s head, the journalist wincing a little. It was ridiculous they had to yell at his ear for them to talk to Snorpy.

“That’s right, she hasn’t moved at all” he informed.

Shelda, mid-bite of her cheese sauce meal, intervened: “To find what you seek, you must observe. Every angle must be examined, before the path forward, becomes clear”

Once again a little wordy for what she meant to say, but the message was received. “Chandlo, could you check the top of that head?” Yu requested.

“I’m on it!” Chandlo shouted. Soon they’d see a lime green form begin climbing to the top.

“Couldn’t the tracker have fallen a while back or something?” Dagbert wondered.

That seemed unlikely, Yu thought. “It wouldn’t have moved if it was just lying somewhere around here”

“True, but I wouldn’t rule it out, because I really don’t think she’s all the way on the top of this thing”

Now that Yu had to agree with. It was unlikely, but it was worth checking anyway, even if it was to have a good view of this part of the desert. This area was like a basin full of sand, an especially arid part of the canyon, so having a vantage point could cover far more of it than everyone imagined.

Or perhaps...Yu walked to the base of the rock, slowly putting his ear against it. “Could she be inside this?”

“Do you think it’s hollow?”

“I don’t have any idea” How would someone get in there in the first place? From what Yu could see walking around this crag there was no way in. It looked very solid! But it was the only option left, wasn’t it? “But it’s worth a try”

“There’s nothing!” they heard Chandlo. As expected, Lizbert wasn’t on top of the sculpted grumpus head. Looking up, Dagbert scratched the back of his head, shrugging.

“Worth a try. How are we going to do this?”

There was only one way to do it: Chandlo would have to handle it. Once Yu explained to him what they wanted to do, Chandlo immediately said he knew exactly what to do, but also pointed out something the rest hadn’t thought of. “If it’s hollow isn’t everything else gonna fall down if I break the wall too much?”

“You should try it anyway” Shelda said, having just finished her meal. Dagbert looked at her for a moment and nodded.

“She’s right. Think you can be careful, Chandlo?”

“I’ll try. Wait here!” he requested, leaving to parts unseen. Clearly he had a plan, whatever it could be. For the time being Yu approached the crag, lying his hands against it and shouting as loudly as he could.

“Lizbert! Move as far away from this wall as you can!” There wasn’t even any guarantee she was in there, or that she could hear her, but the caution was a good idea anyway. Just in case it wasn’t as solid as it looked, he pushed against the rock wall. Solid as...well, rock.

It took around ten minutes for Chandlo to return. When he did he was carrying a square stone column, obtained from one of the ruins, bringing it along as if it was made of paper. Only this guy was strong enough to do something like this, no doubt.

“A battering ram...” Dagbert sounded a bit unsure. “Isn’t that overkill?”

“It is, especially if you hit the right spot! That rock’s gonna crumble like a saltine! Just watch!” he boasted. This probably was the only way they would breach the crag. As unsafe as it seemed to be, this was the only choice.

Chandlo examined the crag, looking at it with a concentration Yu hadn’t seen him have ever before. Nobody dared to say anything, waiting for him to finish, until, all of a sudden, Chandlo’s eyes widened, he stretching his arms vigorously. “Ready to rumble, bros! Step back!”

“Be careful, Chandlo!” they heard Snorpy say

“Exercise caution or else you risk everything” Shelda advised, retreating with the other two. Chandlo nodded, taking his improvised battering ram, and aimed at the spot he had decided was the best to strike it.

“Come on!” he psyched himself up and started running, holding the column ahead until, with a thunderous crash, the column hit the crag, making him bounce back. Chandlo hit the sand, ending on his back, the column shattered in half, debris spreading.

“Chandlo!” Yu ran towards him, hurrying to check if he was alright.

“Woah...that was...a tough one...” Chandlo mumbled, raising a paw to his head. “I’m fine, I gotta wait until my head stops feeling, like...I dunno...”

“I think he’s okay” the human informed. Dagbert was looking at something else, though. There, on the wall, a hole had formed. It was only three feet wide, but the black hole proved the crag was hollow – or at least had a pocket of empty space in there.

“Well I’ll be...it actually worked!” he helped Chandlo stand up. “That was great, Chandlo”

Chandlo simply gave a gesture Yu was pretty sure was meant to be the equivalent of a thumbs up. Now that they opened a hole into the crag, it was time to proceed. Yu left Chandlo, giving him one last worried look, and approached the crag, trying to look inside.

Darkness. He couldn’t see anything.

“Lizbert!” Yu shouted into the hole. How odd! There was echo! Didn’t that indicate there was a lot of room in here? Yu got his ear as close as possible to the hole, not liking there was no response from Lizbert. She could be unconscious, or she could be—

A groan. He heard a groan. Yu heard a groan, indecipherable, guttural and weak-sounding. It had been so subtle for a moment he thought he imagined it.

“We have to make this hole bigger” Yu said immediately, getting his hands onto the edge of the hole, pulling chunks of rock off. Even though his hands got cut by the sharp edges of the rocks, he didn’t stop, feverishly trying to make a hole bigger so they could get in and reach what very well could be an injured grumpus, if not in a worse state than that. There was no time to waste!

Dagbert, Yu, and Chandlo once he recovered, began making the hole bigger. The more they broke, the more light entered the inside of the crag. Once they had a hole big enough for Dagbert – tallest and widest one in the group – to walk in without even having to duck, they stopped. There had been no further sound from anyone in there, although Snorpy once again confirmed the location of the signal hadn’t changed at all. It still was coming from there.

“We should have brought some light” Yu said. Outside, nighttime was almost there, too. The sun had almost set. It wouldn’t be long before the desert began getting really cold, and Yu didn’t want to be there once that happened.

Dagbert stood in front of the hole, trying to look deep inside. “It seems...like some sort of cavity. I can’t see the far wall” he said, getting a leg into the crag. “I’m going in”

“Careful, dawg” Chandlo told him, looking more than ready to go in as well the moment anything threatened the journalist’s life. Nodding, the journalist got into the hole, walking in slowly, arms extended in front of himself. There still was no sign of life from Lizbert. He’d have to drag her out, if he found her collapsed or anything like that.

Yu watched the orange form disappear into the darkness. He could hear his careful steps on the sand. Dagbert was taking his time, not taking a step before being sure the ground was stable.

“It’s deep in here” they heard his voice. “It feels like a downwards slope. I think this goes deep into the ground” that was punctuated by a soft thump, followed by a curse as colorful as his fur.

“Are you okay?” Yu inquired.

“I’m fine! I hit my head against the ceiling”

 Well that answered how Lizbert got into the crag: a tunnel led there. Didn’t this mean until today Lizbert had been deep in the earth? No wonder nobody could find her.

Then it came: the gasp Yu had hoped for. “She’s here!” Dagbert shouted. Delighted, Yu looked at Shelda and Chandlo, who were listening as well. The relief he felt vanished quickly when he heard an astonished comment: “Oh, grump...!”

“Dagbert?” Yu called.

“We’re coming out of here” was the curt reply. Something was wrong, Yu could tell something was definitely wrong. That reply had been full of alarm, concealed with the urgency reserved to those times when taking action was far more important than panicking.

It took a couple minutes for Dagbert to appear – and it wasn’t only Dagbert. He was helping a second grumpus walk, having an arm over his shoulders. This grumpus’ shape was all wrong, proving a heavy consumption of Bugsnax had happened. Soon Dagbert stepped out, aiding the other one.

“Careful with your head” he said gently. The second grumpus ducked to come out into the desert. Yu couldn’t believe it.

This wasn’t Lizbert, no mistake about that. There was no gray fur at all, or anything else Yu remembered had been used to describe her. No, this was a different grumpus, one Yu knew very well.

It was Filbo.

Yu froze. This definitely was him. Despite the heavy Bugsnax mutations many of his features were recognizable, and his body still had the usual blue color, even if parts of him didn’t.

He still had the same changes Yu knew from the start – strawberry forearms and one leg under the knee, the other a carrot. He still had an arm wrapped in tinfoil, digging into his torso. There were several new additions now. Half a red banana formed his other shoulder, connecting to the strawberries with fibrous pulp. A wedge of blood orange as one thigh, a soda can the other. There was a slab of butter right on top of his head, somehow always solid, and a wedge of lime extended from the top left of his head outwards, like a long horn. His face wasn’t spared: a sushi roll replaced his nose, of rice surrounded with seaweed, and there were more strawberries in his mouth.

Yu could only stare, horrified.

Dagbert supported Filbo’s weight, helping him walk. The former mayor could still move, but he looked pretty weak, dragging his feet. “Well?! Stop staring and come help me!” Dagbert shouted.

The human didn’t move. His face had turned into a blank expression, staring ahead at where Filbo had been at once the journalist took him away and Chandlo joined to help him take Filbo along. For several long moments Yu just stood there, a bit shellshocked.

Seeing the grumpuses change in realtime had done a lot to diminish how unpleasant the mutations were. Seeing them happen one by one, with every Bugsnax eaten, made it seem less horrible. With Filbo right now, though...it was almost hard to accept. It was almost like he was seeing a whole different person. Yu had a clear idea of how Filbo had looked like the night before he had gone missing, and now he looked almost completely different to how he looked like back then.

The immense changes consuming the food insects hit so much harder when you saw so many new ones at once.

Only when he felt a paw on his shoulder he snapped out of it. Yu turned his head, finding Shelda staring at him with some confusion, perhaps only now starting to take in she was looking at a living being that wasn’t a grumpus. “We’re leaving. Let’s get moving already”

“...right...” Yu replied.

The trip back to Snaxburg was done in absolute silence.

-ooooo-

Floofty had once again been called to serve as the local medic.

Now that Filbo had been found, he had been taken back to his hut, where he was allowed to lie down. He seemed really tired, Yu had noticed, barely keeping his eyes open and moving sluggishly. He looked so weakened for a while the human feared Filbo was going to need to stay on that bed for several days, at the very least. Did this mean Filbo was in bad health? It had been almost two weeks since he disappeared! Plenty of time to be on the brink of starvation!

Trying to feel a pulse through the changed limbs was a foolish task, one Floofty gave up on right away. Instead, they went and took a stethoscope from Lizbert and Eggabell’s cottage, presumably taken from Eggabell’s stuff. “Why do I have to be the doctor here?” they complained once they returned. They knew very well it was because they were the only one in the entire town with knowledge about biology, even if medicine wasn’t their field per se.

Dagbert and Yu were there, waiting for Floofty to finish that examination. Yu seemed calm, almost stoic, hiding very well how uneasy he felt. Dagbert was far more open about his nervousness, watching intently every move.

Floofty put away the stethoscope and shrugged. “You two are worrying too much. Filbo is weakened, but from what I can tell it’s because he’s not athletic at all”

“What do you mean?” Dagbert asked.

“It’s exhaustion. All the Bugsnax he has eaten kept him nourished, and I have found nothing that could indicate he is suffering any ill effects from his prolonged disappearance. All that’s happening is that he’s tired from walking or some similar physical activity”

Alright, good to know Filbo wasn’t in bad health. Yu let out a sigh of relief.

The journalist nodded. “Okay, okay, okay. Something else, did you find a tracker on him?”

Quietly, the scientist showed something in their paw: a tiny device, not even half an inch long. Ugly-looking hooks covered the edges of that device, presumably to make sure it’d stick to fabric...or to a grumpus’ fur. “Snorpington must stop putting these on random people” Well, at least it was confirmed it was his. Still...apparently Floofty was unaware Snorpy had said he hadn’t placed a tracker on Filbo, and Yu saw no reason for him to be lying about that.

This meant the tracker had to be Lizbert’s. For some reason, Filbo had it on him. Didn’t that mean...didn’t it mean that Filbo had met Lizbert recently? Snorpy had said there had been no signal since Lizbert was missing, meaning that if Filbo had that tracker on him all along, the inventor would have seen the signal meandering around in Snaxburg. No, Filbo had to be in close enough contact with Lizbert recently to get that device on himself.

Filbo found Lizbert.

Still, there was another mystery going on with this: the way Yu was informed about the tracker. Dagbert was right, it was really strange he was told about this once the only way into the desert was fixed. It was even stranger he was told by Bugsnax, and that the word was written on the exact spot he met the Snaxquatch several times. Didn’t that mean the Snaxquatch had been the one to leave that message? That didn’t explain the hovering Sweetieflies, though...

...or maybe it did? Maybe the Snaxquatch had control over the Bugsnax, and that was how it kept its body together? Maybe it had managed to tap into the hivemind Floofty theorized about, and used it to give Yu a message? It was obvious he was meant to see it, that it wasn’t something meant for him to casually find one day. The way a Sweetiefly had gotten his attention all of a sudden proved that.

Lastly, equally as important as all this: how did Filbo get all the way to the Sizzlin’ Sands? Dagbert mentioned there was a tunnel inside that crag, but...Filbo apparently had gone missing at some location between Snaxburg and the Simmering Springs. That was quite far away from where he was found. Obviously Filbo had reached a subterranean passageway of some sort, at some point. Still, there was a possibility there was a mystery going on here too.

Incredible. In such a short span of time so many mysteries had sprouted. Still, that Filbo was alive and well – seemingly – was something to be glad about.

Once Floofty left, Dagbert and Yu waited several minutes before talking. “You looked like you had a lot in your head, Narukami”

“I have so many questions” Yu admitted.

“Thought so. Look at the bright side: Filbo is here” Dagbert smiled. He seemed so glad his friend was safe and sound. “He should be able to shed some light on a few things, no?”

Hopefully yes! Yu approached the bed, checking on Filbo. It seemed he hadn’t been able to sleep yet, because Filbo opened his eyes immediately and grinned as if he wasn’t lying on his bed after two weeks of absence. “I’m so glad to see you again, Yu” he said.

“Same, Filbo. How are you feeling?” Yu replied.

“I’m...pretty tired. My legs feel like they’re made of jello, haha...ha...”

That metaphor was a little unnerving given how there could be some Snak that could actually turn your legs into jello. Yu made a face, showing he was uncomfortable, but left it aside to focus on more important matters.

Dagbert stood on the other side of the bed, crossing his arms. “We have a few questions. Do you feel like you can answer them?”

“I-I guess I can? This feels like an interrogation already...”

It really did. Yu took a deep breath, steeling himself for the rest of this night. This wasn’t the first time he had needed to do anything like this. In his head, for a brief moment, he remembered the last time he had to ask questions like this, to someone on a hospital bed. The situation was not the same, but this could be a night just as important as that one turned out to be.

The time for answers had come. Yu had no idea what kind of information he’d be told, but he trusted it’d be useful in some way. Once he made sure Dagbert was recording the conversation, they began asking questions.

“Let’s start from the top” Yu suggested. “Filbo, what happened? You disappeared all of a sudden”

“I sure did...” Filbo got comfortable, rubbed his eyes in an attempt to remove the urge to go sleep, and began talking.

-ooooo-

That party had been one of the worst ones Filbo had ever hosted. He hosted parties relatively often, even though his finances weren’t all that great and the parties always sapped his funds something fierce. There was always a reason to celebrate, after all, and this time had been no different. People were starting to return to Snaxburg, a party should help make them feel like coming back had been worth it. Even when things don’t go according to plan, as long as the guests are good sports even a bad party can be a nice time.

But if the host is bad, then the party is bad, and Filbo’s opinion is that he had been an absolutely disastrous host. Therefore, this party had been awful.

He hated so much that Yu and Chandlo had picked up the slack. Of course he didn’t hate them! He hated himself, for doing things so badly they had to do something to keep everything from crashing and burning. Well, if he had to be completely honest...he also hated a little that they intervened. It was an ugly feeling, and one he felt very ashamed for, but he couldn’t help it, because it kept bringing a question to mind:

Did he seem that helpless?

Filbo would never voice that thought because it was unfair towards them. Yu and Chandlo had the best of intentions, and it did help. But it made Filbo want to try even harder, and take this party to a successful end. When Yu left to talk with the other humans Filbo had been kind of relieved because it meant Yu wasn’t going to intervene for a while. The mayor took a decision: by the time Yu returned, the party would be even better!

It didn’t go as planned. Instead, Filbo ruined everything.

While Filbo washed the tablecloth, he kept replaying in his head everything he did wrong, and the conversation with Yu. He couldn’t avoid wondering if maybe he had been a little rash, throwing away his sash. That had proven he quit his role as the mayor, but now that he was starting to calm down he was starting to realize maybe that was a move done in the heat of the moment. Filbo had been so deep in his self-loathing, but now that he had a somewhat clearer head maybe that...hadn’t been the right thing to do.

Well, he’d sleep on it. Probably would decide tomorrow, he thought, leaving the tablecloth aside. He had remembered pretty much all of his sashes were on the clothesline behind his hut, he should make some space there. Filbo walked behind his hut, finding that yes, there were—

Any thoughts about the clothesline stopped when the earth tremor started. Filbo steadied his stance, already used to the tremors that happened every once in a while, but this one was far stronger than any other. What usually would last just a few seconds continued for a couple minutes. Filbo fell on his knees, the intensity of the earthquake being far more than he thought it’d be. He could feel the vibrations on his forepaws and knees, he could hear what sounded like the earth itself tearing apart, an earthquake this strong could make buildings fall, this brought bad memories, of that earthquake shortly after they realized Lizbert was missing, an earthquake this strong could cause panic and make everybody in town feel coming back was a mistake that journalist’s efforts would have been in vain and theywouldbebacktosquareone—

The earthquake stopped.

Filbo swallowed nervously and, slowly, raised his head to look at what he could see of Snaxburg from the spot he was at. It didn’t seem like any buildings had collapsed, and it didn’t seem like anyone had woken up. Great! This earthquake had passed without any problems. Filbo pressed on the ground with his strawberry forepaws to push himself up.

His paws sank into the ground. It wasn’t like quicksand, it was as if he had shoved them through wet cardboard, up to where his wrists would usually be. There were barely visible cracks on the ground, hidden by the grass, cracks that spread around where his forepaws were. Filbo frowned and pulled, attempting to dislodge his paws, but the strange shape of the strawberries made it impossible, snagging into the ground itself, the soil holding him far tighter than he expected.

Instead his forepaws sank further, passing through air pockets. Filbo yelped when his arms sank up to half up his arms. Oh, this wasn’t good, this wasn’t good at all!

“H...help? Help? Someone?” he said, but it probably wasn’t above a whisper. Starting to feel chills down his spine and a weight in his gut, Filbo steeled his nerves and attempt to get himself out of the predicament.

Inch by inch he sank more, until the ground was just two inches from his face. The cracks on the ground were far more visible now, pieces of the earth jutting up like splinters, the ground weakened by the earthquake.

“Ahahaha... help me! Please wake up, somebody!”

One of his forepaws breached into emptiness. That seemed to be enough: parts of the terrain started to crumble, falling into the subterranean darkness. Filbo’s eyes widened, he raised his head and shouted, desperate:

“Guys! Someone! Someone help! S-S-Someone, someone--!”

The sudden sensation of weightlessness got noticed first. The hole that opened, second.

Filbo toppled forward, his weight dragging him down into the hole, as if he was getting devoured by the island itself. His scream disappeared into the night, and when his face hit some dirt he closed his mouth out of reflex, raising an arm to try to protect his face from any further assault. It didn’t help at all when he hit a slope, bouncing and sliding down, unable to see anything until, with a decisive blow to the back of his head, Filbo blacked out.

When Filbo woke up he found himself trapped. Filbo groaned and moved an arm to his head, feeling how it throbbed. Ugh...that really hurt! No chipped teeth, right? A quick check proved he didn’t have any chipped teeth. Good! Not having an overbite or an underbite came handy. Filbo blinked, trying to figure out where he was now. Even though his entire body was sore and he felt like he had been shaken inside a washing machine, he knew he had to move.

Even though he was deep within Snaktooth, there was enough light for him to see. Grumpuses had a surprisingly good ability to see in the dark, their large eyes catching as much light as possible, but with how far he had fallen into the earth this place should have been completely dark. Filbo quickly noticed he was inside some sort of bubble in the soil, large enough to hold him. How didn’t he suffocate? A space this small couldn’t have that much air!

Also, and far more importantly: how was he going to get out of here?! He couldn’t see any way out! At least from his current position. Maybe there was a way out behind him. Filbo started trying to reverse his position, his awkward body shape making it much harder than expected. Digging his elbows into the soft soil, Filbo tried to move his weight around.

The ground below him crumbled away for the second time in...how long had it been since the earthquake? He had no idea and he wasn’t going to find out while he tumbled down. Thankfully, it lasted just a second, Filbo rolling until he reached flatter terrain. Facedown, the former mayor groaned, rolling over.

“...this is the worst night ever” he mumbled. Maybe it wasn’t even the same night anymore.

Filbo sat up, once again examining his surroundings. This was some sort of tunnel, that much he could see right away. It was impossible to see in the distance – ahead of him there was darkness, behind him there was a curve. Which was the way out? What if both ways didn’t lead outside?

Standing up, Filbo tried to dust himself off, barely managing so. “Well...I’m not gonna get anywhere by sitting here, am I?” What he had to do right now was pick a direction and start walking. Filbo decided to follow the path behind him, walking down the curve.

He was going to return to the surface soon, he was sure of it!

-ooooo-

After Filbo mentioned the hole that opened and swallowed him into the earth, Dagbert left to take a look. Of course, Yu told him to be careful and not to take unnecessary risks. At this point the journalist returned, shaking his head.

“I found nothing. The ground is solid” he informed.

“Wait, I’m not lying! I-I didn’t imagine or—“

“Filbo, I don’t doubt at all what you said! I’m just saying it’s like nothing happened. It’s weird; you’d think that if a sinkhole ever opened it’d still be there”

He was right about that. There was no reason for the hole to disappear. Yu frowned. “Are you sure?”

“100% sure. I looked around from the road all the way to Lizbert’s cottage, I stomped all over the place, I got on my knees and punched the ground...there just was nothing”

It did sound like Dagbert was thorough enough. How could it be there was no trace at all of a sinkhole? True, it was nighttime already, but it seemed the journalist had tried his hardest to find it, and Yu was willing to believe this wasn’t simply that he had missed the hole. How exactly did that hole disappear?

“Couldn’t...the island had shifted?” Filbo suggested.

“What do you mean?”

“Lizbert once said the island’s geography kept changing because of the tremors. It isn’t like...pieces of it get taken somewhere else or something? But she said when going out there you should be careful because cracks could open. Maybe the hole filled up”

That explorer probably didn’t mean it as literal as Filbo made it sound, but Yu decided he couldn’t just ignore this possibility. Nodding, he asked Filbo to continue telling what happened after he fell into that hole.

-ooooo-

The thing about being in a place where you can’t see the outside is that the flow of time is defined only by your internal clock, at least at first. Your body tells you when to go sleep, when to wake up, when it’s time for meals...until you inevitably wake up too early or eat something at the wrong time or take a nap in the middle of the day, and everything is thrown into disarray.

Filbo’s circadian rhythm was disturbed when he had to endure hunger for more than one mealtime. As expected, there wasn’t much food to be found inside a cave system at a deserted island. Not even Bugsnax seemed to be around here – no surprise! All of the Bugsnax seemed to be within reach of the population of Snaktooth, why would there be some in the middle of nowhere, deep within Snaktooth?

Knowing that didn’t help at all, though. Filbo tried to ignore the hunger pangs and kept walking, aware it was very likely the only way he’d eat was to get out of this place. It was hard to focus when you could hear your stomach growling with reverb due to the fact he was inside a cave, though. “Come on...stop thinking about food...!” Filbo whispered to himself. That also didn’t help.

Sleeping was hard when he was so hungry, too. He felt he should conserve his strength, yet it was as if his body kept rebelling and telling him to go on. Filbo had never been an explorer, or an adventurer. Despite being on the island, he was as much of a homebody as someone could be. He had absolutely no idea what he should do, how he should make sure not to tire himself out too quickly, or even what was the right speed to walk on this uneven terrain, full of holes and small hills. This was a little above his paygrade, he knew.

...Lizbert would know what to do, he thought. It was an intrusive thought, but it was the truth, he knew that.

The thoughts were interrupted when he saw the ground in front of him move. It wasn’t an earthquake or even a tremor, it was as if something was trying to make its way out of the earth. Filbo stopped, heart racing. Was this good, was this bad, what was—

From the small molehill that formed, a Bugsnak popped up. Wings, orange body, googly eyes, and what was unmistakably cheese dust. The Snak unfurled its wings and fluttered upwards. A Cheepoof, its body glistening with slime, but it was a Snak and therefore it was very edible! The sight of it made Filbo start to drool. “Oh, good!” He may not like eating Bugsnax but when you’re starving this sort of opinion is to be left aside, that was for sure! Hard times require decisive measures! Although to him Bugsnax always tasted stale, and he felt bad eating something that was looking at him, he needed to survive! So he tried to catch it.

The moth Snak always fluttered out of reach, going deeper into the caves. Filbo tried to catch it, jumped and attempted to grab it in the air, climbed on a rock to have a bit more of height, but nothing worked. That Snak always was just out of reach, just far away enough to make him try again, the tip of the leaves of the strawberries that were his paws brushing against its body. He even tried to throw rocks to knock the Cheepoof down, but his aim was pretty bad, every single rock flew by without any danger! For several minutes, for a good three dozen attempts to catch the Cheepoof, he attempted to capture it to get some much-needed food!

Until the Cheepoof flew away through a hole on the ceiling. Horrified, Filbo stood there, listening to the sound of the Snak repeating its species’ name over and over, until it was gone.

...he wasn’t sure, but for a moment he could swear the Cheepoof’s tone was...

...taunting.

...

No, it couldn’t be, he decided.

Filbo sighed and slumped over. “Darn it...I was so close...!” he lamented, already feeling pangs as if his own body was scolding him for his failure. Sitting down against the wall, Filbo decided to rest for a while, at least until he was strong enough to keep going. While he did, he saw orange out of the corner of his eye. Oh. There was cheese dust all over the strawberries, and a little more scattered on the rest of his arms

Hating he had to resort to this, Filbo brought his arm to his mouth so he could lick off the cheese dust.

Hard times require decisive measures, indeed.

...........

Filbo was pretty sure he was getting deeper into these caverns. The terrain was going downwards for a while already. Knowing his luck, it’d turn out he had picked the wrong direction to walk, but going back seemed like such a waste of energy.

At some point he was too tired and hungry to continue. Lying down and making sure he wouldn’t roll down the slope in his sleep, Filbo tried to get comfortable and hope he was exhausted enough to fall asleep despite everything. Filbo closed his eyes, shivering a little, and tried to clear his mind.

Days had to have passed by now, right? People must have noticed he was gone. Maybe someone would find him! Even though he wasn’t liked and nobody really cared about him, they’d look for him, right? Wait, no, that wasn’t true, there were a couple people who didn’t hate him. That human and that journalist seemed to be okay with him. Still...Filbo wasn’t sure he wanted those two to go search for him – or at least he didn’t want Yu to try. That kid was dealing with a lot of trouble already searching for his human friends, Filbo didn’t want him to have to look for one person more.

Filbo fell asleep at some point. He had no idea how long he fell asleep – or...unconscious, perhaps would be the right word – but he woke up when he felt something trying to crawl into his mouth. Filbo sleepily rolled over, not having realized yet what was happening. A minute later he was feeling it again, pressing against his teeth and trying to get through. Snapping awake, Filbo opened his eyes and sat up, seeing several Peelbugs roll away, disappearing into the darkness.

Those things—those Peelbugs had been trying to crawl into his mouth! Aghast and surprised, he stood up—

-ooooo-

“I can’t take this anymore” Yu said and stepped outside without saying another word. What Filbo had just said was absolutely monstrous. As he saw it, it was a confirmation something was deeply wrong with Bugsnax; there was something incredibly twisted about them. That Bugsnax were trying to force someone to eat them, ambushing Filbo in his sleep and literally getting into his mouth and most likely then crawl into his throat was deeply alarming.

That was it. He had no doubts now: eating Bugsnax was a terrible idea.

Ten minutes later Yu felt a paw on his shoulder. Turning around, he found Dagbert. The journalist seemed shaken up as well. “Are you okay?”

“I’m upset” Yu admitted.

“Can’t blame you. That was a doozy” Dagbert nodded. “Filbo finished telling that part. Long story short, after that night Bugsnax were easier to capture and he managed to eat some. Willingly”

That didn’t make Yu feel any better, but it was somewhat of an improvement.

Yu returned inside, catching the way Filbo glanced at him, worried. “I’m really sorry, Yu! I-I didn’t mean to make you upset”

“Filbo, it’s not your fault” Yu said. Hard to blame the guy when he was just recounting everything that happened. “Continue, I’m fine”

“You don’t seem fine”

“I said I’m fine, Filbo. Just keep going”

Unsure but accepting that Yu probably wasn’t going to admit anything to him – and a little bit hurt by that, it seemed – the former mayor continued his tale. As Dagbert had mentioned, it seemed during the time Yu had been away Filbo had eaten most of the Bugsnax that caused his current changes. Good.

-ooooo-

Filbo definitely didn’t know how long he had been down here, but he was getting somewhere. It would have been impossible not to notice when the walls changed into food. Well, actually, it took a while before he noticed it. Only when he crashed against a wall while he was deep in thought he realized he hadn’t hit rock, he hit an incredibly large papaya. “What the...?” Filbo stepped back, rubbing his face, and looked around.

Indeed, the tunnel wasn’t rock at all. Instead, the passageway was formed by food. All sorts of fruits, vegetable, processed foods, cooked foods, it all was clumped together, forming uneven walls and bumpy floors. To think deep within Snaktooth the base of the island itself was also made of food! Looking at it closely, though, there were no eyes at all.

...maybe...if this was edible...he wouldn’t have to hunt Bugsnax anymore...? Even though lately he had been able to catch some, he didn’t want to spend that much energy while he still didn’t even know where the exit was at.

Curious, though: Bugsnax tasted better now. In fact, they were really good!

Filbo extended a paw towards a big fried egg and took a large portion of white, shoving it into his mouth without any hesitation. Oh, good! It tasted really good, like the real deal! But at the same time...it felt so obvious it wasn’t the real deal. It was like a very good imitation, made of some sort of unknown material. Swallowing, Filbo looked at himself all over. He didn’t seem to have any changes, confirming this wasn’t Bugsnax. Well, food was food, anyway! And he didn’t have to waste energy trying to hunt anything, as long as these walls existed.

A few hours later there was another change in the caves: a deluge of liquid. Pink liquid, dense and slimy, reaching up to his calves. Wading through it was necessary to continue, so Filbo sighed, prepared himself for this, and stepped into the endless pool, ready to continue traversing the tunnels.

It was so cold! And there was a constant strange scent in the air. Filbo continued walking, looking downwards. This was...it reminded him a lot of Snakwater, but it wasn’t Snakwater. It was too slimy to be that. In fact, it really felt like everything in these depths had a noticeable amount of some unidentified slime in it.

Gross.

Tunnels had begun to branch out since a while ago. What used to be a single path was beginning to turn into a complex network of tunnels, like a spiderweb deep inside Snaktooth. Filbo was choosing random tunnels to pass through, starting to find dead ends, and having to backtrack every time.

He had gone into one of those dead ends. Filbo tiredly had decided to return and try a different path, when he saw something in the distance. Filbo froze, unable to believe his eyes: it was someone! Two arms, two legs...but the shape wasn’t like a grumpus’ body. It reminded him more of the human. It was too far away for him to have a good look. “Yu...?” Filbo dared to ask, hopeful.

No response. For a while he stared, unsure if he should approach. Something about this all really unnerved him. He had a bad feeling about coming closer. After a couple minutes, the form stepped back, away, until it was gone.

“What...was that...?”

................

When you have nothing to do other than walking your mind begins to wander. That’s not an issue...unless what you have in your head is heavy and depressing, in which case focusing on it only makes things worse. That was exactly what was happening to Filbo now.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the party and everything that had happened afterwards. All these people who had to constantly pick up the slack because he screwed up, because he wasn’t good enough, because he was Filbo Fiddlepie and therefore never did anything right.

Filbo smiled weakly. Not so helpless anymore, was he? Even though he had spent...uh, however long it had been so far, he still was alive, he hadn’t puked his guts out after eating something poisonous, he wasn’t blind, he wasn’t on risk of death...anymore! Against all odds he had managed to hunt Bugsnax when he came across them! Sure, it wasn’t easy, and he had no tools he could use, but he always managed to get his paws on those Snax. He wasn’t helpless, he wasn’t useless! He was able to do things by himself!

And it was all thanks to Bugsnax, he thought.

Hunting Bugsnax, even if it was just for his own survival, proved he didn’t need others to do everything in his place. He was a capable, self-sufficient grumpus. Things were improving for Filbo Fiddlepie, he thought! And once he got out of here and returned to town, he’d show everyone. He’d show them he was changing for the better, he would hunt, he’d bring Bugsnax like Lizbert did, he’d provide for the town and everyone in it.

He’d finally stop being looked down upon as a useless grumpus. He’d...he’d finally be more than that. Filbo didn’t ask for respect, or for adoration. All he wanted was acknowledgement, and now...he was going to get it, all thanks to Bugsnax.

Speaking of that! Bugsnax sure tasted positively scrumptious. Everyone else was right: Bugsnax really were the best thing since sliced bread.

Upbeat and feeling better about his situation, Filbo hastened his pace, eager to find the exit and return to Snaxburg.

................

It was ridiculous these tunnels were so, so, so grumping long, Filbo thought. He was starting to get more annoyed than afraid, and it wasn’t often Filbo got this annoyed. Now that his food situation was good, now that he had a newfound drive to be better than before, being in these catacomb-like place was starting to grate on him. A man could wade through slimy Snak-water like substance for so long!

Somehow, despite being surrounded by food, Bugsnax were scarce. It had been...he had no idea how long it had been since last time he saw one. So far he had survived by eating from the walls as if it was a buffet, and there seemed to be no secondary effects other than the somewhat disconcerting slimy consistency. Sometimes it all tasted exactly the same, too. It still filled his belly and there was no doubt it had nutritional value; so he couldn’t complain.

Filbo was starting to feel tired once again. Until now he had always searched a dry spot to sleep at, but it had been a long while since he had been seen any. Good thing his footpaws were produce! If there had been any fur on them by now it’d all be matted nightmare!

“Welp. I’ll have to make my own bed!” he decided, going to the wall of the cave. Nothing like hard work before sleeping! Digging as much as he could, Filbo threw food onto the ground, letting it splash amidst the goopy water. Fresh fruits, almost glowing with color and vitamins, crunchy vegetables, cakes and pastries, it all was thrown aside while Filbo dug an alcove he could sleep at. He wasn’t too concerned about things such as how stable the hole would be, or about things like it caving on itself and burying him. Well, actually, he hadn’t even thought of it at all.

Despite not doing a thing for the structure of the alcove he was digging, the food all seemed to hold together quite tightly, to the point an avalanche was of no concern. Soon Filbo had a hole big enough for him to lie at, so he crawled in and rested in it, lying down. Ack, this was terrible! The bumpiest surface ever! Sleeping on bare rock was better than this, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, he supposed. Before long, he fell asleep, not looking forward to how sore he’d be in the morning.

He had no idea how long he slept. All he knew was that the sound of splashing woke him up. Filbo blearily opened his eyes, wondering if that had been his half-asleep mind conjuring something, but no! There was splashing very close to him! Like a grumpus wading through the water! “I’m here!” Filbo shouted immediately, crawling out of the alcove and falling face-first into the water. Gasping, he got on his feet, looking around, hoping to see someone approach. Had someone found him?!

Only when he had made his location loud and clear he thought that maybe it wouldn’t be a friendly face. Indeed, what he saw once he located where the splashing was coming from, was the Snaxquatch.

That definitely had been the thing he had seen earlier, he realized. He had seen this before up in the surface, too, far away. Yu had also told him about this. It was...was it bad? No matter what it was unnerving to look at, always staring, always shambling, making him concerned it was going to fall apart at any moment. “H...hi...?” he said tentatively, hoping it was friendly.

The roar it replied with indicated it was not friendly!

“Eeeaaaagh!” Filbo screamed and turned around. He ran two, three steps before he tripped and fell, crashing on his front, Snakwater splashing around. Behind him he heard the frenzied running of the Snaxquatch, running up to him! “No, wait, no, stay away!” Filbo pleaded, crawling forward, trying to get back on his feet, but it was so hard to stand on the uneven floor when he was in such a hurry!

It didn’t take for the Snaxquatch to catch up to him, pouncing on him! Filbo was pushed down onto the water, his face breaching the surface of the liquid. Filbo attempted to push himself upwards, desperately needing air, but the Snaxquatch pressed down on him savagely. It was so strong! Even though it looked like a good punch would make it crumble apart, it had remarkable strength! Filbo moved sideways, managing to get out of its grasp for long enough to gasp for air.

The terrifying visage of the Snaxquatch, all of the Snax’s eyes wide open and staring at him, chilled him to the bone. He barely got half a second to see that before it resumed its attack, grabbing him, behaving as if it was trying to lift him in the air! “A-ow!” Filbo cried, feeling a strange sting on the back of his head, like the sting of a bee.

Suddenly, the Snaxquatch seemed to lose its grip on him. Filbo took the chance to crawl away and this time he managed to get his footing – mostly because that thing wasn’t trying to grab him again! Curious thing, given how roughly it had been manhandling him a moment ago, now he had managed to slip away. Filbo ran as fast as he could, without looking back, focused entirely on running away. It didn’t matter how tired he was or how much he wanted to lie down; he had to run away, fast!

Only after a while he noticed the only splashing he could hear now was his own. Filbo coughed, leaning against a wall, trying to recover from running so much. That had been...one of the scariest moments of his life, no doubt!

-ooooo-

Days passed in the labyrinth of the Undersnax, but this time he wasn’t alone.

It was around now that he noticed something else: it wasn’t that there were no Bugsnax in this area. It was that they always ran away. Nowadays he could see some Snax in the tunnels, but then they left as if suddenly they remembered there was a place they needed to be at, every single time. Filbo doubted it was because of his presence, they were always far from him.

If he didn’t know better he’d think they were running away from him, but that couldn’t be it. Even the aggressive species, even the large ones that had nothing to fear from a defenseless grumpus, fled. What...was going on with those?

Maybe it was the Snaxquatch’s constant presence.

He had seen it so many times before. The labyrinthine tunnels seem endless and convoluted beyond reasonable measure, so as usual, he’d choose a random one and walk down it until he got to the next fork in the road. This game plan had changed. Now at times, while he was walking, the Snaxquatch would appear. Sometimes Bugsnax would pop from the walls and floor, crawling and forming the Snaxquatch. Sometimes it’d appear from the dark, running at him.

It didn’t really matter how it arrived, anyway. The result was always the same: it’d run at Filbo, roaring and making noises that sounded a lot like the names of all the Bugsnax forming it said at once! A cacophony that both confused and terrified him! Filbo would yelp and run back, not wanting to get into a physical fight with it since it proved to be far stronger than he was, until he reached the last fork again and chose another road.

This didn’t stop when he left the Undersnax. At some point, the path turned from food back to rock, and started going upwards, so inclined he was sure if he lost his balance he’d roll for a mile! Bugsnax were more common now, although all of them were covered with the yucky goop that signaled it was very fresh...but it kept fleeing from him. Hunting them for eating wasn’t possible anymore.

Going back didn’t seem like an option either: from time to time he could hear that abomination somewhere behind him. It stayed unseen, but he could hear it. No way he’d risk getting closer to it again! Why was it following him so far?! He was out of that weird food tunnel place! Yet it still stayed nearby, cornering him! “C-Could you go away? Please?!” he begged once.

There was no response. It didn’t even appear, but he was sure it heard him.

Filbo didn’t even dare to sleep knowing that thing was nearby. He forced himself to stay awake no matter how tired he felt, and the physical effort wasn’t helping at all. He walked all the time, once again beginning to feel hungry like at the start. He couldn’t believe that, after all this time, he had returned to the same situation than at the very beginning! Or worse, since he had a strange creature following him, probably waiting for him to lower his guard.

Once another dead end, but this time going back wasn’t an option. Filbo, almost doubled over and literally huffing for air, reached a more even section of the tunnel. Stalactites and stalagmites peppered the path, but they weren’t the only thing. He also could see rocks having crumbled from the walls and the ceiling. He also could see skeletons, most likely belonging to grumpuses who in the past explored the area and found themselves caught in a cave-in. Despite being a generally sturdy species, rocks falling on you was a little too much for a grumpus to survive.

Further ahead there was once another dead end. Filbo advanced to the rocky wall, hoping maybe there was a small duct or a place he could go at now, but there was nothing! It was a solid, craggy wall, with nowhere else to go! “I came all this way...!” For this, he was going to say, but instead he started coughing. Okay, okay, he needs a break, he thought, sitting against the wall, staring at the deep darkness he had come from.

That monster was somewhere down there, he knew. He was easy pickings. Feeling his throat dry up, Filbo stared all the time at that tunnel, fearing that at any moment he’d see the shambling form of that thing coming to get him! Filbo waited, stared, expecting his hours to be numbered.

Nothing happened. Even when hours passed, the Snaxquatch didn’t come to kill him. It didn’t even appear! Filbo sat there, knees held against his body, behaving as if every time he blinked that creature would appear in front of him.

There comes a point when he’s too hungry to stay put, though. There were no Bugsnax in sight where he is, so walking down that slope he came from is the only choice. Even though he still feared facing the Snaxquatch, at least there was a chance of survival by going. Starving to death otherwise was a far worse alternative! Filbo stood up and began walking down the incline, always staring forward to see if that thing would appear.

What he found was not what he expected at all. After some walking he found, in the middle of the tunnel, a bunch of food. “...ah...?” Filbo crouched to take a look at it. There was no doubt this food came from the walls of those tunnels he left a while ago. He saw no eyes in any of it, and it wasn’t melting like Bugsnax did. At first Filbo considered not touching this food at all, but a growl from his stomach cut any discussion short. Taking it, Filbo ran up the incline again, to the dead end, and devoured everything.

After a while it was clear there were no harmful effects. It really was good food.

-ooooo-

“More food kept appearing from time to time. It was as if...that thing was keeping me fed?” But I don’t know why” Filbo said.

Yu had a pretty good suspicion the Snaxquatch was a pretty compassionate thing. First it saved the human from freezing to death in the mountaintop, now it presumably kept Filbo alive, bringing him food and keeping its distance from him. Then why did it seem so hostile before? Attacking and roaring at him? Maybe the tunnels made of food were its territory and all that was territorial behavior?

Dagbert had been touching the spot on his own head where Snorpy’s own communication and tracking device was at, circling it with a paw, with thoughtful expression. He seemed to be deep in thought. “Filbo, did you ever notice you had that tracker on you?”

“That...oh, the thing Floofty found? N-No, I had no idea!”

Yu had an inkling where Dagbert was going with this. “Wait, do you think that attack was for...?”

“It sounded to me like it was. I don’t see when else he could get that thing on him.” Unless Filbo fell and the tracker was coincidentally on the spot he fell at, and instead of getting crushed it adhered to him. That was kind of farfetched! “How long were you at this last spot?”

“I...I dunno! If it was three meals a day then...three days?” It could have been more time than that, it could have been less time. No way to know for sure. “Anyway, earlier today I heard weird noises coming from down there? It didn’t sound like the Snaxquatch walking around. Instead it was like...something big moving around? Big and heavy. I didn’t dare approach. After a while it stopped, and instead that thing came to grab me!”

“The Snaxquatch attacked you again?” Yu asked. Filbo nodded.

“Yeah, it did! And it—it grabbed me and yanked my fur, and started dragging me back! Towards the slope, away from the dead end! I couldn’t do anything about it. I dunno how it can be so strong! I tried to stop it, but, uh...” he grinned sheepishly. “It’s hard to grab onto the ground when you have strawberry hands.

I was dragged down for a while until suddenly I heard a loud noise up there, where I used to be? And everything trembled, and I thought it was a cave-in! But the Snaxquatch let go and ran deep into the earth and I could just lie there, and...”

“Filbo, is that when I found you?”

“Yeah! You found me right after that. So that’s the end of my adventure” Filbo looked a bit afraid to ask, but did so anyway: “How long was I gone...?”

“It was almost two weeks, Filbo”

Filbo grimaced at that. “Two weeks...I’m so sorry for worrying you guys...”

“We’re glad you’re okay” Yu said, approaching and patting Filbo on the head. “We missed you”

“I missed you guys too” he sat up a little bit. “And you don’t have to worry anymore. I mean, I think I can handle things myself now!”

“Does that mean you’ll be the mayor again?”

Filbo’s grin faltered for a moment. “W-Well I wouldn’t say that! I think first I should—I need to prove I can do things. Look!” he poked the lemon wedge growing from his head. “I can hunt Bugsnax? Well I bet once I have the tools I can do better, but I think with some practice I could bring Bugsnax to everyone in town!”

Yu felt his blood run cold. “Filbo, wait—“

“A-And I can catch for myself, too. Guess Bugsnax are a bit of an acquired taste? I think I’m starting to like snacking on them, hyehahaha!”

“Hey, Filbo—“ Dagbert started.

“I’m gonna make Lizbert proud. She was...she really was the one who could keep us all together. I know I’m never gonna be at her level, but I could begin to improve by hunting Snax, and—“

Dagbert grabbed Filbo by his shoulders. “Shut up already!” he shouted. Yu forced Dagbert to let go, pulling him back.

“Calm down” he whispered to Dagbert. Not that he didn’t understand that reaction! The journalist had voiced Yu’s thoughts quite well, right there! But Filbo was stunned, even looked hurt by that reaction.

“...did I say something I shouldn’t have?” he asked. He had been declaring his newfound determination to be better and instead he got told to shut up! Of course he’d be hurt. Yu shook his head.

“Filbo, enough about Bugsnax for a while. You have to rest. Let us handle everything”

“Then after I have rested...”

“There’s stuff we need to tell you about. Put that Bugsnax plan aside for the time being”

Filbo didn’t seem very placated by that request, but he nodded anyway. “Alright...I guess? Uh, is he okay?”

The journalist seemed positively furious, teeth gnashing. “...it’s good to have you back” he said before leaving, exiting the cabin in a hurry. Yu exhaled through his teeth, a tad upset this was how things went.

“I’ll come see you tomorrow. I’m happy you’re here”

“Same, Yu. Could you tell him I’m sorry, by the way?”

Yu informed he would. Once he made sure Filbo was comfortable, he stepped out of the cabin, finding Dagbert waiting outside. The journalist was leaning against the fence, staring at the creek with contemplative expression. Yu joined him, leaning on the fence as well, waiting for Dagbert to be the one to break the silence.

It took a couple minutes, but he did. “...Narukami, I don’t know if you’re right about Bugsnax being parasites but something’s rotten with them”

Yu nodded.

“Filbo is acting strange. That fixation came out of nowhere. It’s not like he ever was against those, but he never was some sort of Bugsnax fan” During Filbo’s tale Dagbert had seemed distressed while listening to the former mayor talk about how he didn’t feel helpless while managing to capture Bugsnax, but kept his mouth shut.

“I think we see the difference like night and day because it’s so different to last time we talked to Filbo” Yu pointed out.

“I guess...” Dagbert seemed ill when he added: “I can’t believe he seems so eager about Bugsnax. Those things tried to force themselves down his throat...!”

There was something a little comforting about Dagbert sharing Yu’s revulsion. That impression he had of the journalist being shaken up hadn’t been his imagination, after all.

“He’s not the only one, is he? Is everyone else in town the same?” But from the way the journalist asked that, it seemed rhetorical, like he knew the answer so well already.

“Kind of”

“Good grump...” he exhaled. “Then that’d mean we’re the only two who still have a clear head about all this. What are we going to do, Narukami? What can we even do?!”

“I don’t know yet” It was a rough, almost hopeless situation. Bugsnax hadn’t turned anyone into a zombie or anything like that, but it was clear they had some sort of effect in everyone’s heads. How else could they dismiss the red flags? How else could they be so certain Bugsnax were the way to solve their problems?

Still, Yu tried to find a positive facet to the situation right now: “Once we tell Filbo I think we can count on him”

“Are you sure?”

“Filbo is well-meaning and wants us all to be united. That’s the right attitude”

Dagbert turned around, leaning his back on the fence. “If you say so then I guess we can do it. What’s the plan?”

“I’ll talk with the Investigation Team. I must discuss all this with them”

Dagbert nodded. “Can I be there? I’d like to hear it all firstpaw” Well, also he had promised not to get recordings from Snorpy anymore. Once Yu replied that was okay, the journalist stretched, swiveling his arms to make his strained muscles relax, and smiled a little. “Sounds like the beginning of a plan. We’ll figure out what to do”

“You should rest tonight”

“After carefully considering your suggestion I have discarded it, too bad” he smirked. “I’ll sleep in Filbo’s hut tonight, on the floor or something. He probably will be fine but better safe than sorry, no?”

Agreed! It was starting to be late at night, the moon was high in the sky. It wouldn’t be long before Yu had to retire to the airship, but before that, he had to contact the rest of the team. Asking Snorpy to let him send a message now wasn’t too difficult once Yu made clear he wasn’t taking a no for an answer. Yu sat to the radio device, turned it on, and said, calm as usual:

“We need to talk tomorrow in the late afternoon. There are some important developments and new information to share. We can’t leave this for later”

He hoped this would convey the urgency of the situation. This should be more than enough time for everyone in the Team to hear his demand for a meeting. Having said that, Yu stood up and moved to turn the radio off.

“Senpai?”

Yu’s finger stopped an inch from the button. That was Naoto’s voice! “I didn’t expect someone to still be around at this time”

“I’m working with Mr. Fizzlebean on something right now. We made no progress” she said. It sounded like whatever this project was didn’t lead anywhere and therefore wasn’t worth talking about. “Is everything okay, Senpai?”

“No. Nothing is okay at all”

“I see. Everything is fine over here. Better than I expected, given the situation” Good to know at least one person in the Investigation Team was having an easier time than Yu was. “I’ll make sure everyone else comes to the meeting with no objections”

“Thank you, Naoto”

“Besides, I should inform you I found Teddie”

Yu wasted no time in replying to that. “Is he okay? What happened to him?”

“Teddie is alright, but... there’s a situation going on with him. I think you all should hear it tomorrow. In fact, I was going to summon you all tomorrow, but you did it before I could”

Oh, good! Teddie was found! The Team was all back together. Good – they’d need to have everyone together to discuss how to proceed now.

The situation on Snaktooth had gotten very worrying, after all.

Chapter Text

It was such a relief Filbo didn’t try to sneak out to catch Bugsnax or anything like that. The next morning Yu kind of expected to hear from Dagbert that Filbo had tried to go outside. “Everything is fine” Dagbert said, looking far better than most people would after sleeping on the floor.

“No issues during the night?”

“Not at all! I explained that trying to bring more Bugsnax to town probably would cause more harm than good, and that was it. Looks like you were right, Narukami”

It was such a relief Filbo was a trustworthy person in general. It was a good idea not to take things for granted, but it seemed unlikely he would go and worsen everything despite his good intentions. Talking to Filbo confirmed such thoughts, the former mayor apologizing and saying he wouldn’t go hunt for Bugsnax. He still was in bed, but it probably wouldn’t be long before he had enough energy to return to his normal life.

The wait for the time of his meeting with the Investigation Team was excruciating! Yu felt so nervous about it – and everything else that was happening – he didn’t feel like talking to anyone, avoiding them as much as he could. Of course some grumpuses tried to strike conversation with him, so after disengaging politely he returned to the airship to practice everything he was going to say.

Once the time came, Yu got Dagbert to come along and walked into the mill, turning the radio device on right away. Telling Dagbert to sit nearby, Yu tried to find out if everybody was there. “Hello? Are we all gathered today?”

“Senseeeeeiiiii!” a warbled cry came from the speakers, followed by actual crying. Yu turned his head to see if Snorpy had noticed – he had, looking at them with inquisitive expression.

“Is that Gramble?” he asked. Yu shook his head, gesturing to him that it wasn’t.

That voice was unmistakable: Teddie. Yu could picture him so well, eager to go and cling onto his sensei, bawling all the time. He always was an affectionate person, if he could he’d tackle Yu to the ground with a hug. Yu smiled. “I hope you’re okay, Teddie”

“I missed you and everyone else so muuuuch!”

“Some things never change!” Yosuke commented. “Where are you right now, Teddie?”

Naoto was the one to answer for that, because Teddie’s response didn’t come immediately. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m afraid Teddie’s situation is complicated” Not even small talk, not even an attempt to soften things up with some inane conversation before bringing up the troublesome matters. Naoto always was straightforward to a fault.

“Complicated? In what way?” Kanji asked.

“Teddie can’t enter the world”

“W-Wait, what’s that supposed to mean?” Chie sounded pretty worried for Teddie there. “Where is he right now?”

“That’s what he will talk about. Are you ready, Teddie?” the detective checked with him. Teddie didn’t seem all that comfortable with the spotlight, if his hesitation was any indication, but after a moment he began talking, explaining as much as he could.

He told he was stuck in the TV World, always in the middle of that endless shallow sea. He mentioned there was a stone door, but something barred the entrance. He described how that something was like, and that he was pretty sure it was some sort of gigantic Shadow, and reassured them so far it hadn’t shown any hostility to him despite the unmistakable feeling it wasn’t good news at all.

He talked about how lonely it was to spend so long with no company at all, reminding him of those long, barren times before meeting the Investigation Team. Teddie also mentioned finding Naoto despite astronomical odds.

Beside Yu, Dagbert looked like he didn’t understand anything at all. He was staring at Yu with so much confusion it was almost hilarious, but at least he took notes, especially about the moldy thing that apparently resided in the TV World.

“Okay, but...are you sure you can’t come in through the TV? You talked to Naoto” Rise seemed to want to make sure she wasn’t misunderstanding something.

“I can’t!” Teddie said. “I tried to make TVs and nothing happened! All I got was a tiny little one!”

“Yeah, and Teddie isn’t getting through anything tiny” Yosuke said. It was true and undeniable, but Yosuke probably could have chosen his wording better, thought Yu. No way Teddie would just say nothing.

And indeed, almost immediately there was a frustrated growl. “How rude! If I took off the costume...! Wait...no, I still wouldn’t fit”

“Have any of you seen a TV anywhere on Snaktooth?” Naoto asked. Oh. So that was the issue. They didn’t need a TV to have electricity or to be in use for Teddie to pass through, all they needed was for the TV to exist. Problem was, there just wasn’t any TVs!

“I guess it’d make sense for them not to take their TVs to the deserted island” Yukiko commented.

“Beffica brought all of her furniture” Kanji said.

“Kanji-kun, Beffica isn’t a good example of anything”

“Wait, if there are no TVs then how did he talk to you, Naoto?” Yosuke asked.

The detective saw no problem in answering to that: “Mr. Fizzlebean has a very old and almost useless TV set stashed away. It’s so small the screen is just a couple inches wide. He said he brought it along for an invention”

“Is that how he’s talking to us right now?” Yu asked.

“Yes. I placed that TV in front of the microphone. As far as solutions go it’s simple, but it also is ineffective. Problem is, I’m not certain if Teddie could talk with all of us, or if he can only reach me” Whatever. As long as they could talk to Teddie anything was fine. “Mr. Fizzlebean and I tried to make a larger TV. I think it doesn’t need to be said all attempts have been a dismal failure. We lack the right materials”

In other words, Teddie was stuck, probably until everyone else managed to get back into the TV World – and that wasn’t happening until Yu solved all the issues that prevented him from getting back to the stone door at the summit of that cold mountain. So far there had been no progress on that regard, and once Yu had a chance to speak, he said exactly that.

“Stay close to the door, Teddie. We’ll be coming through someday” Yukiko advised.

“Someday...it could be some time before we do” Chie lamented. “Everyone must be so worried at home. It’s been almost a month”

“Dojima-san isn’t going to stop searching” Naoto said. “We’re not going to be able to get out of this conundrum without telling him what happened. We will need his help to sort out the repercussions of our absence”

Kanji groaned loudly, stopping everyone before they could mention their loved ones. “Okay, enough, guys. We didn’t gather to mope about how worried Mom must be” he said. His voice shook a moment when he mentioned his mother. “We gotta solve whatever’s going on before we can return”

“Right. Partner, you said you had urgent stuff to talk about?” Yosuke prompted.

It was time. “I have alarming news” he began.

“Is the Filbo in your world dead?”

“No, we found him yesterday” he said. The reactions of relief were immediate and sincere. Even though everyone else had a version of Filbo, they knew very well every single one out there was just as real. Yu had to cut them short, though: “What he said about where he was is part of what I wanted to talk about. Listen, about Bugsnax...”

Communicating he was sure the Bugsnax were affecting the grumpuses’ behavior was a long endeavor. Using everybody as examples was not easy! Everyone else had to take him by his word – Yu had been the one who knew them best, more aware of their general personalities. He was pretty sure from the start they all were under the Bugsnax’s influence to some measure, but it was lately that things had started to spiral further.

Filbo’s situation was the one that made sure everyone understood what he meant. Even if nobody was as close to Filbo as Yosuke and Yu were, they all had a good grasp of the mayor’s personality. What Yu had said about Filbo’s situation was enough to show that maybe Yu was right after all.

“Partner, I don’t think you need me to say this, but something’s very wrong” Yosuke said.

“I agree. Filbo has always been kind of a goober, but it almost feels like...like he’s getting brainwashed” Rise said. “You guys haven’t felt any different, right? I don’t think the Bugsnax are influencing me”

“I told you, I feel the same” Chie said.

“Hey, guys, who is this Feel-boh you’re talking about?” Teddie asked. Ah, right. If he couldn’t even enter the world, then he probably had no idea who the grumpuses were. An awkward silence fell on the conversation, nobody very sure how to even begin explaining. Naoto was the one to speak, sighing like she was going to say something she’d regret:

“...I’ll explain everything to Teddie, but it will have to wait after we’re done talking here. Senpai, do you have any plans?”

“We have to stop them from eating Bugsnax, of course!” Yukiko interrupted, very vehement about that point. It was one Yu fully agreed with, that was for sure!

“If those things are harmful then that’s the only choice” Rise agreed.

“I agree. I see no other choice” Yu said. “We have to get them to stop eating these, at least until we manage to figure out what exactly is going on with them”

“Dunno about you guys, but I won’t be able to look at the bugs the same way” Yosuke said. “Teddie, are you sure there are no Bugsnax in the TV World? Like their Shadows, or something?”

“Wouldn’t they need to be sentient to have Shadows? Animals don’t have them...I think” Chie pointed out.

“Chie-chan is right! You need to have an ego to have a Shadow...or something like that. I dunno the details” Teddie said.

“Dude, shouldn’t you know this stuff like the back of your hand by now?!” Yosuke scolded.

“I have been living in the human world! I’m leaving behind my past and embracing the future!”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with—oh, whatever” he knew it was pointless to argue with Teddie. “Just tells us this: have you seen any Shadow Selves?”

“Not really. I know the big, moldy, wriggly thing over here is a Shadow, but it’s not someone’s. I saw another Shadow, too, but it wasn’t human”

“How was it like?” Yu inquired.

“It was strange! At first I thought it was a Shadow who created a new appearance like I did, but it didn’t react at all when I approached” Teddie explained. “It was light blue, and had these big eyes, and a mouth as wide as—“

“That’s a grumpus!” Kanji exclaimed. “It’s Filbo!”

“Filbo’s Shadow...” Rise murmured. “Maybe it didn’t notice you, Teddie?”

“I dunno if it was a grumpy Shadow or not; it didn’t react even when I got closer!” he continued. “Then the moldy thing took it away, upwards towards the sky. I haven’t seen it since then”

So in the TV World, that malevolent entity Teddie encountered took Filbo’s Shadow away...hearing that was very alarming – after all, it couldn’t mean anything good at all. Yu glanced once again at Dagbert, who was staring at the speaker, wide-eyed. Even though he wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, even with Yu’s explanation a couple days ago, he could tell this was nothing good.

Chie was the one who perhaps solved it, though: “What if the reason Filbo is acting weird is because that moldy creature attacked his Shadow?”

Silence. Yu gasped – and he was pretty sure everyone else also must have been very surprised to hear what Chie just proposed.

“Guys? Wait, do you think that’s right? I thought we’d dismiss it as me being random again!”

“No, wait, maybe that’s what’s happening. Even though there are many worlds, it’s only one Shadow Self for every grumpus” Yosuke said. “Filbo is acting weird in all the worlds...hey, Teddie, when did this happen?”

“I wouldn’t know. It’s hard to tell how much time has passed...” he explained.

“Was it after you talked with Naoto?” Yukiko asked.

“No, it was before. Just not too long before...”

“My conclusion is that it’s likely that viscous entity may be related to the grumpuses’ behavior after all” the detective said.

Kanji grunted. “So...did that monster kidnap a bunch of grumpus Shadow selves and now is messing with their heads?”

“More like with their hearts” Yu weighed in.

“Okay, whatever, but why? It can’t be for shits and giggles”

“The goal is to get them to eat Bugsnax, right?” Rise theorized. “I mean, that’s what all this has been about. They have these big gaping holes in their lives and they’re trying to fill them with Bugsnax”

Yosuke seemed to find that interesting, because he chained a thought to that: “And since Shadow selves are the repressed side of your heart, capturing those selves probably makes it easier to poke at those holes”

“Alright, I get it, but...why would that thing want to make everyone eat more of the bugs?” Chie wondered.

That indeed seemed to be the crux of it all. If it was turning out to be true that the slimy entity Teddie saw in the TV World was the one who caused the changes in behavior, then there had to be a reason. Why? Why did this thing need everyone to eat Bugsnax so much? That was the problem Yu had encountered and still had no idea how to answer yet. He laid his forehead onto his hands, thinking as hard as he could. It felt like he was missing some important pieces.

What was most important to remember, though, was that even though such a thing was happening in the TV World, there probably had to be some sort of result or influence on the real world as well. Maybe if he managed to find out why consuming Bugsnax was the goal? Would everyone turn into zombies or something? What would happen if they keep eating those?

There was one thing he was sure about, though. There was one thought that kept bouncing over and over in his head:

“As you two are aware, they don't have brains. I believe instead they're a hivemind of some sort, and any sensorial information they receive is redirected through mechanisms still yet to be understood to some sort of...collective unconscious the Bugsnax have”

Grabbing the microphone, Yu pressed the button and said that he thought. “I think that entity is the Bugsnax themselves”

“But it’s only one. It can’t be the Bugsnax” Yukiko said.

“Floofty told me they think Bugsnax may share a hivemind. Maybe what Teddie saw is so big because it’s countless insects forming one single entity in the TV World”

“Teddie, what do you think?” If there was anyone who would be able to shed a light on that, it’s Teddie, Rise seemed to think.

The bear thought, clearly not very certain about anything, but at least he tried to answer. “I dunno...! That didn’t feel like someone’s Shadow. It was like any common one, just a bunch of stray feelings and thoughts glued together. But at the same time I...don’t think it was normal”

“So you don’t know. Okay, we’re going to have to leave this aside for the time being”

“Okay, but what are we gonna do with the Bugsnax here in reality?” Chie reminded them of what was the more immediate, urgent issue. Everyone had already agreed Bugsnax were dangerous, the problem was what to do about it. “Shouldn’t we stop everyone from eating them?”

“We should”

“The problem, guys, is that it’s not as simple as just telling them to stop eating Bugsnax” Naoto said. She sounded worried. “We all are well aware there’s only one source of food on this island. Telling everyone else to stop eating the only food available is tantamount to telling them to starve to death”

“Then we need to find an alternative” Yosuke proposed.

“There’s sauce” Rise said. “But nobody will want to live by eating sauce”

“If it’s the only option they will have to”

“They won’t” Yu turned his head sharply. That had been Dagbert, intervening for the first time. Yu could already imagine all of his friends getting closer to their radio devices in surprise.

“Marbert?!” Chie shouted. “Or...wait, who is he with?”

“I’m with Narukami. Just think of me as the journalist of this world” For someone who heard not too long ago how there were other versions of himself in other worlds, he was talking as if it was no big deal. If it wasn’t for the way he tensed when he said that Yu would have thought he had his feelings under control! Hoping to cut short any questioning to Yu about why he had brought the journalist to their meeting, he insisted: “Nobody will want to eat sauce forever. If we’re going to have an alternative it can’t be that”

“It’s like every option has a problem attached...”

“Yeah, no kidding! I’m starting to be afraid they’ll get so desperate they’ll go for *that* horrible, horrible option” Yosuke lamented. There was no doubt he was trying his hardest to come up with something but hadn’t succeeded at that yet!

Teddie sounded almost too cheerful when he said: “You mean you think they’ll eat you guys?”

“I was thinking of the grumpuses eating each other but thank you for that new and horrifying possibility, Teddie” even through the radio the sarcasm was crystal clear.

Dagbert had something to say about it. “Don’t worry, guys. You humans probably have too little meat on the bones to be worth eating”

“Couldn’t you have said something like ‘we wouldn’t eat humans because it’s wrong?!’”

“What about growing something in the farm? Wambus could grow something!” Yukiko sounded like she was pretty willing to go and start a vegetable garden immediately.

“Nothing except sauce plants grow on Snaktooth. Growing an alternative to Bugsnax is impossible” Naoto delivered the bad news in such a matter-of-fact manner nobody had any desire to try to argue against it. “Grumpuses can eat plants, but finding enough edible plants for everyone to have filling meals at least twice a day is an impossible endeavor”

“There’s trail mix in the mill” Yu said. “The problem is that it won’t be enough for everyone to survive for a long time” Even though the human was surviving by eating mostly trail mix, someday he’d run out of it. A dozen grumpuses in addition to him eating from that crate would make it all vanish in no time!

...and once the humans had no more food, once Bugsnax were the only choice, what would they do...? In a way it seemed like not only they had to do something before a nebulous deadline Yu didn’t even know how to define – a gut feeling is not a reliable way to know that, after all. Running out of food that isn’t Bugsnax, though, was far more impending. Yu wasn’t really eating that much trail mix at once, but from there on he’d have to be more careful about how much he’d take each time.

Kanji was the one who brought a different option they perhaps could pursue. “Guys, maybe you’re focusing on the wrong thing here”

“Then what should we do?” Yukiko inquired, curious what Kanji may have come up with.

“If this island is some sorta bug hell then get everyone out of here. What about convincing the grumpuses to leave?”

That was...that wasn’t a bad idea! This was an expedition, after all. Them returning to the mainland was a possibility, one that perhaps would be far easier than finding a food alternative that would last for the rest of their lives. It’d mean the expedition failed – especially since two grumpuses had been lost – but right now leaving felt like a far more sensible possibility. Yu slowly nodded, liking more and more the thought of them leaving!

Dagbert saw Yu probably getting his hopes up, because he lightly pushed him aside, grabbed the microphone, and dragged it closer to him, planting a paw on the button to speak. “Not a bad idea, but that’s just as difficult as coming up with a different source of food”

“Why? Wouldn’t it be easier?” Yosuke asked.

“No matter what you want to do, you’ll need to convince everyone to stop eating them. The only one willing to listen about the not eating part are Gramble and Shelda, and they’re not exempt of...whatever’s going on”

“If we tell them Bugsnax are this bad for you they should stop eating those!” Rise argued.

“You need proof”

Proof. This really was the big problem here: they just had no proof at all. Convincing everybody to leave aside their food source was not going to be fulfilled merely with words.

Naoto sighed. “It’d be easier to have proof if the consequences of ingesting Bugsnax were not so...reliant on their behavior. Pointing out at someone else and saying they’re acting strangely is not a solid argument given they all could easily say we don’t really know anyone well enough to tell”

“Also I doubt even Gramble and Shelda would want to leave. Everyone came here for a reason”

“That’s true...I kinda can’t imagine Wambus leaving his farm. Or Triffany abandoning the island without digging every inch of the gorge” Chie said.

“Fizzlebean won’t consider departing without finishing their research first. It seems leaving Snaktooth isn’t as feasible of an option as it seemed at first” Naoto agreed.

“Anyway, guys, is it okay if we return to something Yu-kun said?” Yukiko suggested. She didn’t sound entirely sure if she should bring this up again. “It’s about the hivemind. Something about that just...sounds familiar to me”

“Familiar how?” Yu asked.

“It’s like I heard something like that before! Just a few days ago. I just can’t seem to remember where...”

“Oh, wait! Wiggle mentioned something about a Queen of Bugsnax!” Rise exclaimed.

“Oh, right! It was her!”

“What did she say?” Yu asked.

“She kept telling me she once saw a Snak as large as the moon! Or...something like that? It sounded more like a wild tale instead of something that really happened”

“There are species of insects with a hierarchy that includes a queen. Ants, for example” Naoto recited. “It wouldn’t be a stretch to think Bugsnax work the same way”

The thought maybe there was a gigantic Snak that maybe was controlling every smaller bug was strangely alluring in some macabre way. How would such a thing would look like? Yu almost wanted to find out. Almost! Just out of curiosity.

Yu took the microphone back. “What if this Queen is in the tunnels deep within the island?”

“The ones Filbo fell in?” Rise attempted to confirm.

“If this Queen exists and it was anywhere on the island’s surface someone would have confirmed her existence – other than Wiggle talking about it. Besides, the Snaxquatch seemed to be reacting territorially while Filbo was there”

Not a bad point! Deep within the island probably was the only place for something like that to reside in. In that case, what should they do? The tunnels are labyrinthine, and it took Filbo several days to leave. Walking into those tunnels could be the height of folly.

Or it could be something Yu Narukami would do without much hesitation. “I’ll explore those tunnels”

“Senpai, no!” Rise shouted immediately.

“You can’t be serious, right? We’re talking about a Queen” Chie remarked as well. True – if Bugsnax already hated Yu and attacked him without any hesitation, the one in charge probably would be able to destroy him.

“It’s not confirmed the Queen of Bugsnax is in those tunnels, or that it even exists!” Naoto exclaimed. “You shouldn’t go in there!”

“Besides it’s made of food and could be a nesting area for the Bugsnax” Yu added. “I should at least see what I can find”

“Going alone is—“

“I’ll go with him!” Dagbert piped up.

“Mr. Pricklyrind, indulging Senpai in this foolish action...”

The grumpus planted his paws on the table, Yu keeping the microphone button pressed. “Listen, guys, I don’t know what’s all this about a TV World, Personas, Shadows and all that stuff. What I do know is that something bad is going on here, on this island I’m standing on right now – and it’s going to hurt grumps. Time is of the essence. At this point I think taking risks is the only option we have”

“I agree, but there’s nothing manly about forgoing safety, you know?” Kanji said. “You gotta be ready for whatever is in there”

“Promise you’re not gonna fight anything you find in there, partner” Yosuke pleaded. Getting that promise from Yu was easy enough – the problem was fulfilling it. There was no guarantee a fight wouldn’t be necessary.

Or maybe they would find nothing and these worries would be all for nothing. That was likely, too.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t go overboard exploring” Dagbert promised. “Besides, I too want to look at these tunnels myself”

“Guys, what should I do?” Teddie asked. Oh, right. Teddie couldn’t even enter the world, the entry barred by what may or may not be the Bugsnax hivemind’s Shadow. He was all alone in the other side of reality, and the only time they would meet him again was once everything was over.

Yu had an idea, though: “You saw Filbo’s Shadow. Try to see if you can find him again, or anyone else’s Shadow”

“Don’t get into a fight, Teddie” Yukiko added.

“Yeah. What’s important is to locate them and figure out what’s going on with them. If this moldy entity you mentioned is manipulating everyone’s Shadows...” Yosuke said.

“I don’t think releasing them will solve all of the problems, though. Figuring out what to do here in reality will be necessary too” Yu said. To Dagbert it seemed the human truly was a natural leader. There was no hesitation in his words, giving requests to others with ease. “Rise, please get more details from Wiggle about this Queen of Bugsnax”

“I’ll see what I can get. It’s okay if Jellyjam-san hears about it, right? I’ll need him to translate” she asked.

“...I still can’t believe I used such a generic name...” Dagbert seemed disappointed of himself. “Anyway, I’d love to find out about it. It should be okay”

Yu continued: “Yosuke, while you’re out there try to find other food sources. Anything that isn’t Bugsnax, each other, or us. If it will last for a while then even better”

“You got it, partner” he accepted the request.

“Naoto, talk to Floofty. Figure out a way to get out of the island” Yu remembered Naoto had mentioned ships and airships had crashed and gotten destroyed in the past. Was something destroying them? That was what Naoto had to find out.

“You all should be ready for bad news. I doubt there will be good news about that” she said, pessimist.

“Everyone else try to reduce the grumpuses’ exposure to Bugsnax. I don’t know if that will be of any use or not, but doing nothing will be worse. Any questions?”

“I have a million questions” Dagbert said. Figures.

Nobody else seemed to have any. That was it. Their current goals had been defined, all of them revolving around two goals that seemed impossible to achieve, much less in the limited time they probably had.

Once everyone said their farewells and reminded each other to be careful, Yu turned off the radio, swiveling in his seat to face the journalist. He had turned off the tape recorder as well, having a very funny expression of confusion in his face. “I know I told you this ages ago, but nothing on this island makes any sense at all. That includes you and your friends”

“Confused?”

“Very much so! I’m getting a headache just from trying to make any sense of this Investigation Team” he smirked for a moment. “At least you all have a plan – but are you sure you want to go explore the tunnels?”

“There could be clues about Lizbert, too”

“You didn’t tell them about that”

Yu shook his head. “I thought getting their hopes up would be bad” Nothing guaranteed there were any clues of what happened to her, after all. If it wasn’t for that tracker getting attached to Filbo, he wouldn’t ever have thought there may be clues of the adventurer’s whereabouts.

“You’re probably right” Dagbert took out the tape where he had recorded the meeting and extended it to Yu. “Here. You should listen to it again later. You could come up with something new or notice something you didn’t before”

Not a bad idea. Dagbert and Yu descended to the first floor, the human going straight to the box that had the trail mix he had as his main source of food. There still was plenty, but as he thought, if he were to share it with others he’d run out much faster. If he was careful with his rations, maybe they’d last...two months?

...

Truthfully, being two months more on Snaktooth sounded like a terrible time. Not because of the company – he liked the grumpuses. The problem was the place itself. There also was the issue of staying there for a long time: everyone at home would get more and more worried.

But everyone in the Investigation Team would be willing to stay as long as needed to ensure this threat was dealt with, Yu thought, closing the box again.

“Let’s go into the tunnels the day after tomorrow” Dagbert proposed. “Take today and tomorrow to prepare yourself”

“We should leave from here at dawn and return before sunset. Let’s not be there at night”

“Agreed” They probably wouldn’t be able to enter too deep into the tunnels, given they didn’t want to stay for a day or more.

Yu stepped out of the mill. “I’m going to see Filbo. He should hear what’s wrong with Bugsnax”

“You know, if everyone listened to him we could have him tell the rest to stop eating those, but gives him not even the time of day”

True. Well, thinking about announcing Bugsnax are dangerous would need proof, anyway. No point in thinking about it for the time being, especially since they had no proof yet. That’d have to come at a later point.

And, hopefully, it wouldn’t be when it’s too late to do anything about it.

Chapter Text

Taking a whole day to prepare was the right thing to do and Yu knew it. Despite knowing that, the wait made him a little antsy.

It didn’t help that the number of preparations to make was pretty low, given they had to travel light. He probably wouldn’t need anything more than food and a weapon. By Filbo’s description it seemed the Undersnax was convoluted and hard to navigate. Making a map would be a waste of time. What was more worrying – and unfortunately what they could prepare for the least -- was getting out.

Leaving marks wherever they walked would depend on them remembering to leave them in the first place. That plan would fall apart as soon as they forgot to leave a mark, or as soon as they got chased or turned unable to leave them. Another possibility would be to drag with them a rope connected to the entrance, but that’d require an extremely long rope. It was very likely they’d run out of rope before they were anywhere close to the areas made of food.

This was a conundrum with no easy solution. The one certain thing was that failure wasn’t an option, or else they risked a very long stay down in those tunnels.

Asking Gramble for all of his wool and string seemed like an obvious way to try to solve this. It probably was not going to work, though. Unless Gramble had a few hundred balls of yarn and wool stocked somewhere, anything he could give would last less than a mile. It’d be foolish to rely on that. Problem, though, was that other than that there was no other option that came to mind! Snaxburg wasn’t known for being full of threads and ropes!

“I-I could do something!” Filbo said when Yu asked him if there were any secret rope supplies. The answer was negative to that question. Filbo was standing up, looking better than he did two days ago. “I’m pretty good with my paws. Braiding a rope with plants and stuff wouldn’t be too hard!”

“I’d need it for tomorrow, though” No way Filbo could make a rope longer than a couple meters before tomorrow morning.

The news extinguished Filbo’s enthusiasm for the most part. “Oh. That’s so soon. What is it for?”

“I can’t tell”

“So it’s a secret? Then I didn’t ask!” he was overflowing with trust, that was for sure, but Yu was certain if he said Dagbert and him planned to explore the Undersnax there’d be objections – or worse, an attempt to accompany them!

“Pretty much”

“Well it doesn’t matter. If it helps even a little bit then I’ll do what I can”

Yu frowned. “You don’t have to”

“I insist! Just come here by sunset and I’ll show you what I can do!”

He seemed very determined. Better just take it, Yu supposed.

Hopefully Dagbert would come up with something about that. For now, there was another matter to deal with: nourishment! It was going to be a long and tiring trek through potentially hostile territory, he’d have to guarantee they’d be able to go on with minimum resting! Who better to ask about that than the guy who was, without a doubt, in best shape in this entire island?

“Bugsnax” was Chandlo’s immediate reply. Ignoring Yu’s sigh, he explained: “There are plenty of Snax full of the right nutrients. All you gotta do is eat the right one and—“

“No Bugsnax” Yu said. No ifs or buts, he just wasn’t eating one. A tad taken aback, Chandlo’s next suggestion was better but not entirely satisfactory:

“Trail mix, Narubro! There’s a big box in the mill!”

...well, even though he probably was right, Yu wanted to avoid eating from his own food supplies. After the meeting with the Investigation Team he really didn’t want to make his food disappear quicker! “Is there nothing else?”

Chandlo led Yu into the mill and up to the second floor. He had mentioned he was a little disappointed Yu still hadn’t gotten ready to begin the intensive strength and fitness routines Chandlo had prepared for him, but once the human mentioned he was going to undergo an exhausting trip all that disappointment vanished. Of course he’d help a pal get ready for that.

Snorpy looked up for a moment and continued his work once he saw Chandlo took Yu to his side of the floor. Right beside the rack of dumbbells, near the countless scuffles and cracks from the heavy objects scraping against the wooden planks, was a box full of bags. Chandlo took a few of the box, shoving them into Yu’s arms.

“...beef jerky?” he asked, unsure he understood. Was beef jerky good for hiking?

“That’s right, dude! I brought a lot of beef jerky because it’s got a lot of...uh...” he thought for a moment. “...Eggabell said it had a lot of something. The point Is that you need to take some!”

Fine. If Chandlo said he had to, then he would. “What else?”

“You gotta take liquids, bro. Gotta stay hydrated or else you’ll collapse at the worst time ever. Just water won’t be enough. You need something that will lit a fire inside you!” Metaphorically, it turned out. There was nothing fiery about what Chandlo suggested: a mixture of lemons, sugar and salt.

...were there even any lemons anywhere on the island, though?

“Don’t worry! I’ll handle it” Chandlo said pretty confidently. Well, if there was anyone who could figure this out it was him. All Yu had to do was trust. Besides, now he had several packages of beef jerky. No matter how you look at it this was a good thing!

The mention of Eggabell was noteworthy, though... “Eggabell taught you this?”

“She sure did! We were tight, Narubro!”

Eggabell and Lizbert were complete strangers to Yu. The only things he knew of them as a person was through the reels Dagbert had shown him, and it was hard to know a person just from four reels. He couldn’t judge anything from a few videos showing rocky times in those two’s relationship. “I didn’t think you would get along with her” Yu said, even though he knew very well they trusted each other enough for her to tell him about the problems with Lizbert.

“The first time I talked with her was because I kinda overdid it building the mill. She treated it so well I felt like a new grump!” Chandlo said. “We talked about my limits and she said she’d monitor me while I finished building”

Well, Chandlo was the only grumpus other than Lizbert capable of lifting entire tree logs. He probably had to do a lot of physical work during Snaxburg’s early life. Yu nodded, encouraging Chandlo to continue talking.

“She once said it’s as if the ones she talks with like getting hurt around her. Things went on from there, and before I knew it she was teaching me all sorta things. Surprised the grump outta me!”

“Dagbert once said you and her talked about hard times”

Chandlo frowned. “Yeah, we did. Eggabell was never a hardboiled sorta grump. She worried a lot about Lizbert. We used to talk about that because I worried about Snorpy, and she understood that.

She wanted to be stronger so she could keep up with Lizbert. I want to be stronger so I can protect Snorpy against anything. It was like we were training for the same race, bro. We helped each other, and even right now I do everything she taught me”

Such a close friendship! Yu nodded once again. “Where do you think she is at right now?”

“Narubro, I dunno. I wanna think she’s alive and okay” he said. “But you know what I think? I think if something happened to Liz, Egg isn’t gonna return”

Every single way such words could be interpreted was absolutely alarming. “Why?”

“Egg got worried all the time about what Lizbert does, so...if something happened to Liz she’s gonna feel very guilty about it. If Snorpy was out there and he died or something, I wouldn’t be able to take it at all”

“What would you do?”

“...I dunno. I dunno what I’d do, but I would feel so guilty I...” Chandlo seemed very distraught just from thinking about the hypothetical possibility something could ever happen to Snorpy, needing a few seconds before he could finish that sentence. “...I wouldn’t wanna return here, or to the mainland. This place is full of our life together. It’d be painful”

After what happened in the Snaxquatch there was a chance Lizbert was alive, or at least had been down in those tunnels. If Filbo was able to survive, someone far more experienced such as Lizbert would last for much, much longer! And someone capable and with knowledge of medicine should be able to last for a long time too. What if...

...what if Eggabell was down in the Undersnax too, looking for Lizbert? The depths of the island were a maze of countless tunnels! They could be walking around, looking for each other. What if they were both alive and the reason why neither had returned was because they both refused to return to Snaxburg without the other?

It was very optimistic thinking, but it didn’t seem all that impossible to Yu.

There was something else this strong grumpus wanted to ask, though. Coming to him with questions about the right supplies to go into a taxing, tiring trip would get his attention. How didn’t Yu realize that? He asked if he could come along.

“If you’re gonna do something extreme then I want in!”

Of course he couldn’t come along! “I’m sorry, Chandlo. You can’t”

“Oh...major bummer” he sighed, not surprised at all. “That’s fine. But if you see Bell, could you tell her we all miss her?”

Yu, stunned, stared at him. “What do you mean?”

“You’re gonna go search for Lizbert, right? And if you can find Lizbert then Bell should be nearby!”

Chandlo smiled, giving Yu a smile that had no deviousness or abundant cleverness – the smile of someone who made nothing more than a guess. Chandlo wasn’t stupid in the slightest, but his manner of thinking was always simple and straightforward, contributing to his earnest nature. What he said was no more than a hunch, and Yu knew it. Staying quiet probably would have been the best move, but instead Yu dropped a question before he could stop himself: “...why do you think I’m going to look for her?”

“We found Filbo two days ago when you asked me to come along to find Lizbert. I thought you could have wanted to try again somewhere else”

Oh. Right, he had told Chandlo they were going to find Lizbert. Of course he’d think the human maybe had decided to search somewhere else. For a brief moment Yu wished he could ask Chandlo to come along with them once again. No way he could, though – not only that’d risk Chandlo getting lost in the Undersnax, they’d have to gather more supplies, enough to provide for a third person.

Yu looked away. Chandlo patted the human’s back, forcing him to bend forward. “Relax, Narubro. I’m not gonna follow you from a distance or something. That journalist and you will take care of yourselves”

Having gained Chandlo’s cooperation, Yu decided to leave. With Filbo working on...something that may or may not help ensure they won’t get lost, and Chandlo providing food and doing...something to aid with hydration, it seemed the preparations were going well! Far vaguer than he expected but he was getting stuff done and that was what mattered.

Next in the list of preparations was...

Click

The shutter of a camera distracted him right away. There was only one person such a thing could come from. “Beffica” Yu called, stopping on the road. “Are you taking pictures of me?”

“What’d give you that idea?” Beffica asked, taking another picture. Even though she still had the camera up in front of her face she had no shame at all. “I have seen my ex-BFF and you going all over town today. Are you planning something?”

Oh, great. Beffica was sniffing around for information. As if things weren’t rough already, now she was taking a look into their activities. Yu gave her an inquisitive stare.

Beffica lowered her camera. “Aw, don’t look at me like I caught you with your paws in the cookie jar! I know the journalist and you brought Filbo back. Yoooooou have an idea of what’s going on~!”

“So?”

“And now you’re doing something else! I’m itching to figure out what it will be~!” Even though she said that, she didn’t seem to mean it in a ‘I will expose your evil deeds’ way. It was more like a sincere hope to see the result of whatever ordeal they had in their hands now!

Yu stared at her quietly for a moment. That was...not what he expected at all! And it didn’t seem like a negative change either. A tad stunned, he nodded. “I’ll keep you updated if anything happens” he promised and tried to walk away, only to get stopped when Beffica grabbed him by the wrist.

“Wait, where are you going?!”

“...I have more preparations to make”

“Are you gonna leave me talking alone? That’s cruel, Narukami~” she winked and let go of his arm. “And here I wanted to give you something to help you. I suppose I’m gonna, like, have to reconsider~?”

Hardly could refuse to come along with her now that she had said that. Given how daunting the task ahead was they needed every bit of help they could get. That was how before long Yu found himself in Beffica’s hut once again, waiting to hear out what she had in mind this time.

Curiously enough there were no new photos this time. Instead the back wall of the cottage was empty, nothing hanging from the cords there. Yu waited there, expecting Beffica to mention what exactly she had in mind right now.

“Here. I thought you could use this” she said, extending her camera towards him. Yu took it with hesitation, as if he almost expected there to be a catch.

“Are you sure?”

“Tooootally sure. You’re, like, gonna defend it with your life, it’s my only camera”

Yu actually smiled! He didn’t think Beffica would lend him her camera. Now that he thought about it, this was very good – he could get evidence about how the Undersnax was like. It’d be far easier to make arguments if he had photographic evidence to accompany it all. “Thanks. I will give it good use”

“You better~”

“I didn’t think you’d lend it to me at all” Yu made sure to grab it so he wouldn’t drop it. If any damage got to that camera she would murder him, he was sure of that! “Why are you doing this?”

“Do I need a reason?” Yu’s deadpan stare was all the response Beffica needed, because she laughed and shook her head. “Okay, I get it! You’re so high-maintenance sometimes, Narukami. I thought I should give you a chance, that’s all”

“What kind of chance?”

“Just a chance to prove I can trust you” she said. “JSYK I have been thinking about the stuff I told you last time. You sent me down memory lane, did you know that?”

Yu’s expression softened. “Did you figure something out?”

“Like, I wouldn’t say I have anything to figure out? But I did think about some stuff” Beffica sat on her bed, lowering her voice. “You can’t tell anybody any of this. Cross your heart and hope to die or, like, whatever you’re supposed to say”

“Want a pinky promise?” Yu joked.

“What’s that?”

Oh. Right, grumpuses didn’t really have pinkies, did they. The teasing was for naught. Yu sat on the other end of the bed. “It means I agree. I won’t tell anybody anything”

Perhaps it was a sign that Beffica trusted him more than she did just a couple weeks ago that she began talking about her past. Every word she said tried to sound like it was all behind her, like she was taking about someone else instead of her own experiences, but under all that Yu could tell: there was sadness there. There was regret, frustration, disbelief, and most of all, so much bitterness, the sort of bitterness that comes from getting deeply hurt in the past. Still, from what Yu could tell, it wasn’t like everything stemmed from one single incident.

Instead it felt like what she was saying simply was the straw that broke the camel’s back.