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"Let it be known, I think this is a terrible idea," Mumbo says, using one hand to balance himself as he sits on the floor. Pearl shrugs, flicking through the heavy book in her lap.
"What's the worst that can happen? You're going to miss your deadlines anyway." She traces down the page, tapping a paragraph and turning to check their supplies.
"Jeez, don't remind me," Impulse sighs.
The lights in their common room are low, artificial candlelight (because Impulse wouldn't let them use real ones) flickering shadows across their faces. A circle of salt has been spread across the floor, triple-checked to ensure there are no breaks in it. Scar is careful as he wheels forward, stopping a centimetre away. A pentagram of chalk is drawn in the circle, with the only actual candles Impulse will let them light set on each point.
It's everything they should need to summon a demon.
"Did somebody get the chocolates off the counter?" Pearl asks. Impulse waves the box. "Good. We need to get this done before Gem gets back and kills me for stealing her book."
"What would Gem do?" Scar asks, leaning on his armrest. "She's studying magical crystals."
"She owns a book on summoning demons, Scar!" Mumbo cries, pointing at the book in Pearl's lap as if they aren't all very aware of it. "She could do plenty!"
"It's like one chapter," Pearl corrects. "And I don't think her summoning a demon is what we'd need to be afraid of."
"Oh, no," Impulse agrees. "Gem is terrifying by herself."
"Great," Mumbo sighs. "We're triply doomed. Should I write a list for who gets to kill me first?"
"Psh, nobody's going to kill you!" Scar waves his hand. Mumbo stares at him.
"We are quite literally summoning a demon."
"We'll be fine!" Pearl tells him, without a hint of stress in her voice. She reaches for the lighter, feeling the weight in her hand. "As long as we've made this circle correctly, of course. Impulse, did you turn off the smoke detector?"
"It's currently sitting on the counter," Impulse replies. He rubs his forehead, watching closely as Pearl starts lighting the candles. The wicks catch easily, sending a scent of something strawberry into the air. Maybe they should've bought proper candles for this, not the Christmas gifts that somehow ended up in Pearl's boxes.
"Are we ready?" Pearl asks, sitting back in place.
"No!"
"As ready as I can be!"
Pearl rolls her eyes, fingers tracing until she finds the paragraph written in fancy, swirling script. She'd run the incantation through a text-to-speech program a few times, but she still fumbles some words as she reads. The candles brighten as she grows closer to the end, until-
"So what happens next?" Mumbo whispers. Pearl squints at the book.
"We're supposed to chant the name of the demon we want to summon."
"Well, which one is that?" Scar asks.
Pearl's laugh is a little too high in pitch, "I, uh, forgot to look it up?"
"Pearl!"
"Wait, so what-"
The chalk crackles, light running through the lines like a bolt. Pearl gasps, leaning towards the circle until Mumbo drags her back and clings to her arm. Scar's hand hovers over his brakes even as he leans so far forward that his head nearly hangs over the salt.
"Is this supposed to happen?" Impulse asks, but his question goes unheard as something snaps through the air, sending them all jumping upwards. The room blinks white and patches of light remain dancing behind their eyelids as they blink, trying to refocus on the darkened room.
Sitting in the centre of the pentagram is a demon.
The candles around it blaze like suns, the flames flicking into the empty room. Mumbo stares in amazement, his grip on Pearl's arm not loosening at all. The demon is unassuming in stature – not much taller than Pearl, to make a guess. Instead of the stereotypical bulky horns or pointed tail there sits a purple eye on his forehead and dark, jet-black wings. He does have a tail; but the end is simply fluffy, almost feathered, instead. The demon blinks, turns his head, and proceeds to jump himself.
"Oh, jeez, there's a lot of you! They didn't warn me about that." The demon twists around, scrutinising each of them as if trying to figure out who he should be focusing on.
Pearl takes pity on him, holding her hand out as she speaks, "Demon, we have summoned you here today to… uh." She looks hopelessly at Impulse, who shrugs.
"To make us not fail our courses and fall into a pit of despair?" He tries.
"Yes! We need you to help us gradiate."
"Scar, that isn't how you pronounce-"
"And we have chocolates to offer you!" Pearl interrupts Mumbo. Impulse holds the box out. The demon spins in place as if on an invisible pivot. He blinks at the offering, slit pupils expanding.
"You know, the handbook did say one of the most common summonings was students, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon." He rests his chin on his fist. "I was expecting like… world domination, or all the world's riches… or something a bit more exciting first."
"I mean we'll take those too-" Impulse kicks Scar's wheel.
"We will not take those," he says. "We'd just like to not fail our courses, please."
"Are you sure? It'd make my job a bit more fun."
"Yes!" The three of them interject before Scar gets the chance to open his mouth. He slumps back in his chair, grumbling.
"You guys are no fun."
"I like him," the demon decides.
"So, do we have a deal?" Pearl asks. "A box of chocolate in exchange for you helping us pass all our courses."
"Hold on one minute…" the demon trails off as he reaches out. His hand vanishes into nothing, as if it's simply been cut off at the forearm, and he rummages through the air with a focused frown. There's a crash or two, and Scar thinks he gets a glimpse of another dimension when the demon uses his other hand to open up the tear; a bright swirl of colour, or maybe it was black with stars, was there a table-? It gives him a headache to think about, so he promptly forgets he ever saw it.
Eventually, the demon's hand reappears with a bundle of papers in tow. They glide through the candles' flames without so much as a spark. He flicks his fingers and a feathered pen appears between them, nestled perfectly for him to start writing. It could be mistaken for a quill if the ballpoint at the end wasn't so obvious.
"Okay, so we want one standard contract between me and… there's four of you, right?"
"I don't know, should we perform a seance to check there aren't any ghosts getting in on the deal?" Pearl asks, her voice heavy with sarcasm.
"I don't want the ghosts getting free stuff!" Scar replies.
"If a ghost is still failing their university courses then I think they should search for new priorities," Mumbo adds.
"But what if that's what's stopping them from moving on-"
"Guys!" Pearl interrupts, holding her hand up. "It'll be just the four of us, please. We all paid for the chocolates." Well, Pearl paid for the chocolates and they all paid her for their share, so that's pretty much the same thing. The demon tilts his head far further than any normal person should be able to do.
"Ooo, this is the expensive stuff!" He stops just short of the circle to look at the box. "Do you know how much I could sell this for back home? Could, I'll have eaten it by then." He's still writing even as he talks, pen scribbling across the paper. The flames wrap around the black plastic like an embrace. "So, I just need each of you to sign along the dotted lines." The paper floats through the air when he lets it go, landing with the pen in Pearl's lap.
This contract binds the demon Grian, of lower watcher rank, to fulfill the demand of 'ensuring we do not fail our courses and fall into a pit of despair' for all those who sign it. The price of this service is a box of chocolates.
"Wait, that's…it?" She asks, looking at the demon – Grian, she presumes – in confusion.
"What did you think it would be?" He asks in return. Pearl skims the contract again, trying to find anything out of place. It all seems reasonable, though. This is not what she prepared for.
"I mean, I assumed that there'd be some kind of catch here," she admits. Impulse holds his hand out, so Pearl passes it to him around the circle. Grian watches, looking mildly offended.
"Why would I do that?" Grian says, watching as Impulse reads through the contract. "We run an honest business here! You've given me payment, I give you a service. That's the basics of a transaction!" Pearl leans backwards, holding up Gem's book.
"Two paragraphs of this are dedicated to how not to get scammed by demons." She points out the sections that she's studied more than any of her textbooks.
Grian huffs, "Well, that's a little judgemental."
"It's a known fact!" Scar objects. "And I was all ready to show off my prowess with words, too!" Mumbo makes a face at that, but it goes thankfully unnoticed. At this point, Impulse finishes reading, giving a small shrug.
"I don't see anything wrong with it," he decides and signs his name without further thought.
"See!" Grian exclaims, at the same time Mumbo murmurs, "So we're really doing this, are we?" Impulse passes the contract around to Scar, who leans down and quietly asks where he's supposed to sign it.
In the focused silence, it's easy to hear the sound of the pen scratching the paper. Impulse watches as the contract makes its way around, gaining a name for each person until it totals four. Mumbo holds it in his hands, looking across the group.
"What do I do with it now?" He asks. Grian holds his hand out, and Mumbo is about to give it to him but Pearl holds her arm out.
"We want a copy of the contract," she says. "One for each of us, otherwise it's void." Grian looks at the paper, shrugging.
"Sure, I can do that." He takes it from Pearl's hand. The papers balance on the end of his fingertip as he twirls them around. They spark, and an identical set of papers drops into each of their laps. "Can I have the chocolates now?" Scar snorts. Impulse just hands the box over.
"So what next?" He questions. "Because I've got a schematic I need to have finished by midnight."
Grian grins, sitting cross-legged, "Oh yeah, the web server just started some routine maintenance! I don't think it's going to be finished until you're done."
"What?" Impulse pulls his phone out, tapping frantically. "Oh! Oh, I need to go work on this." Impulse shoves onto his feet, rushing back to the kitchen table. It's still covered with designs and hastily scribbled notes, a circuit board pushed to the side. The contract joins the mess, swiftly lost in the piles of paper. Grian watches, turning back to the group.
"Can I like… leave the summoning circle, now?" He asks.
"How would we do that?" Scar replies. Grian sighs.
"You break the salt ring," Pearl tells him, dragging herself onto her feet. She holds a hand out for Mumbo.
"Can you do that?" Scar whines. "I don't want to get salt in my wheels. It makes an annoying noise." Pearl simply scrubs one of her feet through it.
"Aren't demons supposed to leave after making a contract?" Pearl asks. She picks Gem's book off the floor now Mumbo is on his feet, looking at the contract in her other hand.
"Why would I do that?" Grian replies. He's nearly skipping out of the circle, bouncing excitedly around the room. "This is my first in-person job! Usually I just watch and make things happen behind the scenes." He darts to the nearest window, gasping at the… dark street outside? There's nothing interesting out there. "This is so cool."
Scar discards his contract on the coffee table, scooping up the art book he's been studying for his project. Mumbo heads into the corridor with his contract, likely towards his room.
"So you're just going to stay here?" She calls, trying to decide where's safest to put her copy.
"Of course, what else would I do?" Grian waves his hand, trailing after her. "Go back to The End? It's so boring there! Just these big, black office buildings. It's dire. You can feel your soul being sucked out of you."
"You're in the right place, then!" Scar says. "Welcome to the Boatem Arts and Technology campus."
Grian is in front of Scar in seconds, pressing his palms flat on the table, "You guys study art?"
"And technology!" Impulse calls.
"And technology," Scar agrees, nodding. "But I study landscape architecture." He rolls forward, pulling a heavy sketchbook over. "I'm hoping to design theme parks! Mr…Grian, is it?"
"Just Grian!" He plonks himself on the ground. "I'm only a Watcher, we don't get fancy titles. You need at least two more promotions for that."
"Well, I'm Scar!" Scar holds his hand out and Grian leans up to shake it. "Over there is Pearl–" she waves from where she's putting away the candles, "–she's studying interior design, but she likes drawing as well." Scar turns his wheelchair so he can point at Impulse. "Impulse. He does… Impulse what do you do again?"
"Computing with Electronic Engineering," Impulse replies.
"Yes! Computer stuff," Scar agrees, nodding. "And our other computer boy is Mumbo, he's the one who just disappeared into his room. He does security or something-"
"Cyber security!"
"Thank you, Impulse!" Scar shifts the sketchbook around until it's facing Grian. He opens the pages with the triumph of somebody who's just gained an audience. "I, on the other hand, get to draw lots of stuff! So, this one is-"
When Pearl wakes in the morning, Impulse is only just going to bed. He's standing in the kitchen, scrubbing a mug in the sink. He keeps going for at least a minute until Pearl decides to interrupt, gently taking the mug from his hands.
"You need to go to sleep," she tells him. "You look worse than me getting up for my early morning lectures." It's no secret that Pearl tends to be a bit nocturnal. She just prefers the quiet of the night to work, is all. Impulse sighs, resting his forehead against a cupboard. "How did your design go?" She dares to ask.
"Got an email half an hour ago–" around eight, then, "–that 'due to an unprecedented outage of our submissions website, students will be given a twenty-four hour extension on assignments due yesterday and today'."
"I guess summoning Grian worked," Pearl replies, unable to hide her surprise. "Where is he, by the way?" Their shared area is void of any life besides the two of them – despite Pearl knowing Mumbo's lecture is the same time as hers today.
"I think he's asleep on Scar's floor," Impulse says. "He got Scar talking about Disney and you know how that ends." Pearl laughs, nodding. They've all lost a late night or two to that.
"What are we going to," she pauses, trying to figure out the best words to use about the literal demon apparently sleeping on their floor, "do about this situation?"
"I have no idea," Impulse replies, "and I'm too tired to think about it."
"Isn't it your job to welcome new students?" Impulse gives her a dark stare, sending Pearl into giggles. "Alright, big guy." She slaps his shoulder. "Have you at least submitted your thing before you pass out for the day?"
Impulse yawns, "Yeah, yeah. I'm going to sleep for a few hours and then do one final read-through."
"Tell Grian to do it!" Pearl tells him cheerfully. She opens her mouth to continue, but a phone ringing interrupts her. "Oh, shoot, that'll be Sausage. We're meeting up for breakfast." She heads to the door, giving Impulse a wave. "See you, Impy!"
"See you, Pearl," Impulse calls back, trying to convince himself very hard not to fall asleep against the cupboards.
"Wake up time!" Mumbo screams, rolling backwards and banging his head against the wall. He's drawn to the bright purple eye watching him before he sees the two darker ones squinted in a grin. "You've got thirty minutes to get up before your lecture, I've got breakfast and clothes ready and-"
"Oh my goodness I'm going to be late." Mumbo pushes past Grian to his tiny ensuite, snatching the comb from his dresser. Grian huffs, stretching and heading back into the common space. Scar and Impulse are asleep, and he's bored.
Which is why he's quick to press himself against Mumbo's back once he leaves the room. Mumbo turns to him, eyebrows pinched and toast still halfway in his mouth. He swallows before speaking.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm coming to your lecture with you!"
"You're what."
"Coming to your lecture with you, I thought I was perfectly clear the first time." Grian skips around him, wings fluttering. "I can't make sure you pass your courses if I don't know what you're studying, can I?" Mumbo sighs, already feeling a headache forming. It's too early and he's had far too little sleep for this.
"Fine," he says. "But you need to look slightly more human than… this."
"What's wrong with this?" Grian complains.
"The wings?" Mumbo points out. And the glowing purple eye, and Mumbo's pretty sure he's got some black feathers sprouting down his arms.
"Only you'll be able to see me!" He protests. Mumbo stares at him until Grian sighs, crossing his arms. "Fine. But turn away, it's embarrassing if you watch."
"Fine, fine!" He holds his hands up, facing the wall. It's a long few seconds of waiting. Mumbo notices the off-colour patch of paint where it looks like a poster was stuck, the tiny chips in the ceiling and a black mark around hip level. He sure hopes none of them made that.
"Right! All finished." Mumbo turns, finding Grian behind him. The wings have vanished, replaced with a well-knitted red sweater. A white collar pokes out the top, along with the untucked bottom. His eyes are still dark, but Mumbo can see brown in them where they catch the light. Even his complexion looks healthier; Mumbo didn't realise how much missing a bit of redness makes somebody look less uncanny until seeing the change on Grian. He looks so much more human. "This good enough? Do I look like I'm suffering under the weight of all my exams yet?"
"I'm pretty sure it's only me who has exams." Mumbo pats his pocket. He's got his keys, student card, phone, and wallet… he'll pick that up for lunch if he needs it. "Pearl and Scar only do practical stuff, and Impulse is in his last year so it's all coursework and industry things."
"So I'm going to bring you coffee for your late night revision sessions?" Grian follows Mumbo through the door into the stairwell.
"Is that really all you can do?" Mumbo asks. "I thought you'd sit invisibly behind me and tell me all the answers."
Grian shrugs, "If that's what I have to do to make sure you pass! I thought you'd want to do it with a bit of your own merit first."
Mumbo pushes the button, waiting for the door to open enough he can force it the rest of the way himself. He's about to reply, but hesitates when Grian's eyes widen.
"It's so green," Grian whispers, darting towards the hedge bordering the path. Mumbo raises his eyebrows at the display but keeps his mouth shut. He can let the demon have his moment. Mostly.
"Can you admire the greenery and move?" Mumbo calls, already continuing towards the IT block. "We're on a time limit here."
"Can I look around more later?" Grian asks, bouncing along beside him. "Oh, maybe one of you can give me a tour! Very important, so I know where all the student things are that you need to succeed."
"Ask Scar," Mumbo tells him. "He doesn't have a lecture today."
Grian grins, "Perfect!"
Mumbo thinks that was the strangest lecture he's ever had.
"He was making fun of my classmates," Mumbo explains, sitting across from Impulse. "But at the same time, he was taking the entire thing surprisingly seriously? He even helped me answer some of the questions on our end-of-class quiz. Badly, but he helped." Impulse hums, taking another sip of coffee.
"So you set him in front of the TV?" They both glance across the room at where the demon is sitting, watching an antiques program, of all things. He's leaning towards the screen, captivated.
"He seems fascinated by everything," Mumbo replies, bafflement in his voice. "He was staring at the bushes! It took me forever to get back because he sat in the grass and held a daisy. I think he was about to start crying." Impulse looks at the demon, with his sandy hair and what Impulse swears are freckles on his cheeks.
"Should we be worried about him?" Impulse asks.
"I feel like that's your job."
"It's not in my RA contract to deal with demons." Unless they added a clause recently about the supernatural, but he's fairly sure it still only applies if they're students.
"Do you think they'd pay extra if you did?"
"I still need to put the fire alarm back up before they fire me."
"Do you want to do that now?" Mumbo asks. Impulse sighs, but nods. Mumbo squeezes his shoulder, standing with him.
Scar rolls into the room, sketchbooks tucked in the bag hanging on the back of his chair. Mumbo has fallen asleep on the sofa, arm thrown over his eyes to block out the sun. It looks like somebody's put a blanket over him, at least. Grian is on the floor in front of the television, but he jumps up when Scar enters.
"Mumbo told me you'd take me on a tour!" Grian says, quickly getting into Scar's face. He looks… different. It's like he could be any other student around campus, instead of a literal demon. He wasn't expecting that request, either! He's sure if he checked his phone he'd find somebody text him about it. Thankfully, he's very adaptable!
"I can do that!" Scar wheels to the kitchen, grabbing his water bottle from the lower cabinet. He fills it in the sink, holding it out for Grian. "Can you put this in my bag, please?"
"On it!"
Grian follows by Scar's side as they exit the halls, though he waits whilst Scar goes down the ramp. Scar takes a deep breath of fresh air, smiling at the late afternoon sky. He trundles along for a little while before turning to Grian.
"Is there anywhere you'd want to go?" He asks. Grian hums, and Scar can almost imagine the way his tail would flick. He wonders if it would be more like a dog or a cat.
"Can we go somewhere green?" Grian replies. "We don't have much plant life in The End." Scar nods, turning down a path. The ramp is thankfully next to the stairs. There's another one across the campus where it's almost an extra minute detour to get to it. Typically, it leads to the building for most of his lectures. A problem for another day, though!
"The End?" Scar questions. He thinks he's heard Grian mention it before. It's a good distraction to stop him getting too heated about the ramp situation.
"It's where us demons live," Grian explains, walking down the stairs out of Scar's way. "The end of all things, you know? Death and everything." Grian shrugs. "It's about as dreary as it sounds."
"So you're enjoying your stay here?"
"Why do you think I was so eager to make a deal!" Grian replies, turning to look at Scar. "I mean, just look at this place!" Scar does. He sees slightly tired buildings that get way too hot in the summer, uneven paving and plants that set off his hayfever. "There's grass and flowers everywhere, there's glass in the buildings and they're not just square! And the sky!" Grian jumps up, waving at it. "The sky."
"What colour is your sky?"
"Black," Grian says, sighing. "Nothing but black, just like our buildings. If you're lucky, you see a bit of purple." It sounds curious, but not somewhere Scar would want to stay long-term.
"Maybe they could hire one of us to do some designs!" Scar jokes. "My friend Bdubs – he's in his final year – you should see his blueprints! He's got such an incredible grasp on different styles of architecture."
They finally stroll up to the open, grassy area in front of the student buildings. It's always well-kept, and Scar applauds the groundskeepers. He's spent many a day out here, sketching the scenery or students passing by. The paths are easy to wheel across, even if the grass can be difficult when it's wet. Grian doesn't seem to mind the state of the grass, though, flopping straight into it. Scar cringes, imagining the stains that must be on his front.
"Are you alive?" Scar asks, cautiously wheeling closer. Grian rolls onto his back, letting out a deep sigh.
"It's so soft," he whispers.
Scar laughs, parking his chair next to him. He reaches for his bag, pulling it into his lap. There's a small fold-out lap tray and his books are tucked alongside it. He opens the pages to his latest designs. They've been looking at various case studies in preparation for a field trip; and if that isn't stressful enough already, this one is a corporate, soulless shopping centre. He's been trying to replicate it, but it's difficult when there's no whimsy.
They sit in the quiet, only interrupted by students walking through. Some are chatting in groups, some are alone and rushing to unknown locations. But Scar draws another artificial feeling design, and Grian breathes deeply in the grass.
"What are you drawing?" Grian asks. Scar sighs, holding it out for him to see.
"It's for an assessment, I'm trying to recreate the style of a shopping centre." There are several attempts across the spread now, none looking any better than the last. "There's just no personality in it! I've seen shopping centres that are far more fun than this, why do we have to study such a boring one?"
"I mean, have you tried giving it a boring personality?" Grian suggests, holding his hands up. "Like… try and imagine the most boring person possible and design for that." Scar taps his pen against his chin.
"That…could work," Scar replies, before sitting up straighter. "That could work, yes! You keep lying in the grass and giving me good ideas, Grian."
Grian laughs, "That's my job!"
They make a place for Grian on their floor. He has a pile of blankets and pillows next to the sofa, he joins them for meals and he follows them to lectures. It's like an extra roommate, just one that occasionally has wings and a tail and an extra eye.
And in that time, there was a sudden power cut that cancelled lectures when Pearl drank slightly too much the night before, an office door got stuck with important papers Impulse was late to submit inside, and a convenient software glitch cancelled a test Mumbo was nervous about.
Today, Grian's perched behind Pearl in the library, watching her work. She's currently designing a minimalist living room for an athletic young woman with a dog. He's got an art book open for some fantasy movie Pearl thinks she might've watched at some point. He's been flicking through the pages at a pace that suggests he's actually reading them.
"Grian?" Pearl calls, turning to him. She saves her program, fingers gliding across the shortcut. "Can you watch my stuff, I'm going to grab a drink."
"Yeah, I've got it!"
"Do you want anything?" She checks, grabbing her purse from her bag.
"Uh, what's the really chocolatey one again?"
"I'll get you a mocha."
The library isn't too far from the cafeteria, but it must be a break in lectures because the queue is massive. She sighs as she gets stuck in it, playing a game on her phone to pass the time. There's a student and their friends at a table trying to turn the flower pot into… she thinks a frog, maybe? She can't tell. She just makes sure to give them a wide berth.
Eventually, she gets to the front of the line. It's a shorter wait until she's able to scoop up their drinks, carrying them back to the library with her. She's mildly surprised to find Grian at the computer she was working on, but she's even more surprised when she sees there's an entirely new project on the screen. It's basic, but it looks decent for what must be about ten or fifteen minutes of work.
"Did you do that?" Pearl asks, leaning over his shoulder.
"I was bored," Grian replies. "I don't get to be creative that often! And when I do it's usually helping Scar."
"Scar does seem to like using you for that, doesn’t he?" She agrees. "This is really good though, G! Maybe you are learning something from all the lectures you sit in." Grian huffs at her, but she can see his tell-tale smile. He’s proud of this. And, really, with the amount of time he spends running around after all of them, she thinks he deserves to have some fun on his own too.
"Think I’d be able to rock a degree of my own?" Grian asks, grinning cheekily. Pearl ruffles his hair, swapping seats with him. She makes sure to save the project Grian was working on.
"Don’t know, could you manage it without a friendly demon helping out when you need it?" Grian plonks his chin on her head, watching as Pearl reopens her files. She clicks back into the mood board she made as a quick refresher.
"Mm, maybe I’ll have to summon one of my own to make sure." She looks up, catching Grian’s eyes. The two of them burst into laughter. Grian flops back onto his seat, picking up his discarded book to continue reading and sipping on his drink.
Pearl continues working, but her mind can’t help but drift to the future. They’re about halfway through the school year now. Impulse is graduating, she and Mumbo will probably move out of halls next year (Sausage is trying to get somewhere with fWhip and Gem and they’ve invited her to join them) and Scar is holding out hope to get a student house he can access this year. So what happens with Grian then? She presses her lips together, looking through colours for a rug instead of thinking about it. She doesn’t want to consider the idea of Grian leaving. Rug colours are far easier.
"Mumbo!" Mumbo and Grian turn at the call. A blond man is running up to them, hair slicked back into a beanie that matches his bright orange scarf. Mumbo smiles, waving as the man skids to a stop.
"Martyn," Mumbo greets. Grian looks at him, trying to figure out if this is someone he should know. Only for them both to be caught off guard when Martyn gestures at Grian specifically.
"Who’s your friend here? Don’t think I’ve seen him around campus before." Grian’s mouth drops open, whilst Mumbo stammers for several seconds.
"This is, uh, this is Grian," he says. "He’s one of Scar’s friends." Martyn gives him an appraising look, nodding slightly.
"You aren’t planning to scam me, are you?" Martyn asks. "Last time I saw Scar, he made off with one of my favourite pens."
"Um-" Grian tries to answer, but Martyn just laughs, holding his hand out.
"I’m joking with you, it’s a pleasure, dude!" Grian shakes his hand (which is weird enough when there are no deals to be made.) "We were planning to host a games night tonight — me, Jimmy, Joel, Lizzie, the usual crowd. We were going to text you, but hey, guess I can pass the message on in person!"
"I’ll let the others know," Mumbo replies. "I don’t think we were doing anything tonight." Martyn grins at them, scooping his phone from his pocket.
"Great, if you can let us know numbers by five? Just so I know how much food to order. Get Joel to order, same thing." Martyn finishes typing, glancing at the pair. "Oh, and Grian’s totally invited too! I’m sure the squad would be happy to meet you."
"We’ll see what we can do." Mumbo gives him a strained smile. Martyn, thankfully, doesn’t seem to notice.
"Alright, be seeing you, mate!" Martyn waves. Mumbo waves back, watching Martyn vanish across campus. Mumbo turns to Grian, eyes wide. He gently tugs at Grian’s arm, the pair walking silently back to the hall.
They’ve barely made it through their door before Mumbo is hissing, "I thought nobody could see you!" Grian’s hands wave, wings bursting out of the glamour to curl around him.
"That’s what I thought!" Grian replies, running his hands through his feathers. "I don’t understand! Am I doing something wrong, have I made a mistake somewhere?" Grian paces in a circle, feathers growing ruffled. "Mumbo, what if they send me back!"
Mumbo takes a deep breath, taking Grian’s hands into his, "It’s going to be fine, G. We’ll figure this out."
"Figure what out? Impulse calls, walking to the kitchen with a bowl in hand. Mumbo tugs them further into the common room, pushing Grian to sit on the sofa.
"Martyn could see him."
"What?"
"That’s what we’re thinking right now!" Grian cries. Impulse drops his bowl in the sink, sitting down beside them. He’s the calmest presence out of the three, and even he twitches nervously.
"Pearl’s at the Cliffs campus right now, okay?" He says. "I’ll shoot her a text, I’m sure they’ll have some information in the libraries there." Grian nods, flopping back onto the sofa and pressing his hands against his eyes.
"I don’t know what I’ll do if they send me back," he admits. "Especially for something like this! I’ll probably be fired, and I’ll have to go back to fighting, and I don’t want that! I like it here, I want to stay here!" Mumbo squeezes his shoulder, looking at Impulse worriedly. Impulse’s own expression is pinched in concern, but he keeps his voice carefully soothing.
"Pearl said she’s going to look," he assures them. He keeps his phone in his hand, resting it on his knee. "I’m sure she’ll let us know once she finds something."
It’s around half an hour until Pearl gets back.
"Alright!" She drops a stack of books on the nearest kitchen counter. "These are all the books we found that I think might be relevant."
"Jeez, Pearl!" Impulse calls. The stack is about half as tall as she is. Scar wheels over, having to peer around the stack to see her. He arrived back from his lecture to find the group in crisis mode. It wasn’t the destresser he was hoping for, he has to say.
"You don’t want to know how I got all these back," she says, taking the top book from the pile. She scans the contents page. "The librarian looked so concerned." Impulse and Mumbo grab books of their own, sitting around the dining table. Grian pokes his head over the edge of the sofa, wings raised slightly above him.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Scar asks, sliding a book into his lap.
"Any reasons that somebody could see through a glamour," Pearl says. "Gem told me that’s the closest thing."
"And what did you tell Gem?" Impulse asks, skipping through pages to a section on basic glamours.
"That my weird hallmates wanted to know how to see somebody who could be invisible." None of them can argue. The fact Gem bought into the argument says everything it needs to.
It’s Scar who finally stumbles across a paragraph that seems promising. He reads through it twice, as carefully as he can as he tries to force the words to stay still on the page.
"I think I might have something, guys," he says. Mumbo looks up, whilst Pearl and Impulse continue reading. "It says here that in order to see through a glamour, the seer must have some kind of innate magic themselves."
"But, would an ordinary human be able to see through a glamour?" Pearl asks. "Sausage has innate magic, but he’s not seen Grian."
"Demonic magic is pretty strong," Grian says, voice muffled by the arms folded in front of his face. "Humans shouldn’t be able to see through it. At all."
They sit in silence, parsing this fact.
"Guys," Mumbo says, voice soft. "I think we need to consider-"
"Once you eliminate the impossible…" Impulse murmurs. They exchange looks.
"Martyn’s not human."
Scar wheels around Grian, checking his jacket fits properly.
"Let me just—" he pulls it free from Grian’s jeans, patting it until the jacket lies flat, "—there you go! You look perfect." Grian sighs, running his hand through his hair again. Pearl is still in the bathroom, but Mumbo and Impulse are collecting their controllers. No matter how hard they try, the things always end up scattered around the room.
"Do you really think this will work?" Grian asks.
"I don’t see why not!" Scar replies. "If he saw through your glamour and didn’t rat you out then I don’t think he’s malicious." Grian forces his hands by his side, even though they thrum with magic vibrating with his nerves. He’s only glamoured his non-human features. It’s been a long time since he’s been out where new people can see him.
"But asking for-"
"If we didn’t do anything risky then we wouldn’t have met you!" Scar reminds him. "You need to stop worrying so much, G. We’re experts at this point."
Grian huffs a nervous laugh, "Your deal was terrible. I was only so lenient ‘cause I wanted to get out of The End." Scar gasps in offence.
"How rude! We spent a lot of money on those chocolates!" Grian manages a snicker, but it doesn’t unwind the tight coil around where he should have lungs.
"Everyone ready to go?" Impulse asks, holding up his car keys. Upon learning he was living with Scar, he and a few friends managed to DIY an old van to take Scar’s wheelchair. He’s been their go-to driver ever since, and it’s easier than trying to catch a bus Scar can get on this late in the evening (and far cheaper than a taxi.)
"Yep," Pearl agrees, throwing her bag over her shoulder as she joins them. She’s pulled the front of her hair back, leaving her fringe there. Plus a bit of eyeliner, of course. "We’re heading to Lizzie and Joel’s, right?"
"That’ll be the one!" Impulse agrees. "I’ve got the money for when Joel complains about buying food again ready." They share a laugh at that, heading out of their hall and towards the car park. Mumbo takes the time to fill Grian in.
"Lizzie and Joel are dating," he explains. "They’re second years and Joel’s parents are pretty rich so they got a decent house close to the centre." Meanwhile, the rest of them are left fighting for whatever else they can find. "Jimmy’s Lizzie’s brother. He’s only a first year but he’s living with them because it’s cheaper. Martyn’s just a friend of theirs." Grian nods. Martyn not being directly related to any of them is a relief. Hopefully, it’s only one person they have to deal with.
It’s a short drive. By some miracle, none of them murder each other on the way there. They all might have gained some new bruises in the cramped space, though. Impulse gets the ramp out for Scar, whilst Pearl and Mumbo grab the bags and coats. The winter chill is present in the air, and it’ll only get colder now the darkness has set in for the night. LED streetlights paint their strange, pixelated patterns on the pavements as the group walk down the street. The lights are still on in the windows at Lizzie and Joel's. Impulse walks ahead and knocks on the door.
"Hey, guys!" Joel swings the door open, ushering them inside. "You’re just in time, Lizzie’s sharing out the pizza!" They head through into the entrance hall, though Pearl pokes her head in to see the pizza boxes stacked at the end of the kitchen counter.
"We can always trust in you to treat us," she teases. Usually, they just buy frozen pizza for themselves. It’s far cheaper, storage is just a problem.
"Yeah, yeah, don’t get used to the charity." Joel then turns to Grian, holding his hand out. "Grian, was it?" Grian nods. "Nice to meet you, mate. Name’s Joel."
"It’s a pleasure!"
"Have you brought him to make you all feel better about your lack of gaming skills?" Joel asks. Mumbo rolls his eyes, tucking his shoes on the rack.
"Be nice to the guests, Joel!" Lizzie calls, appearing from the kitchen seconds later with plates in her hands. "Take a seat, I’ll bring the food out." Impulse heads into the kitchen to help her regardless.
Jimmy is curled up on his usual beanbag in the middle of an intense competition with Martyn. They sit and eat, watching the events unfold. Jimmy loses; inevitably, as Martyn and Joel say. Grian keeps his knees together, hands in his lap as he watches around the room. Martyn doesn’t acknowledge him, and Lizzie and Jimmy only introduce themselves politely.
It’s like they’re an ordinary group of university students.
Grian isn’t as terrible at the games as they expect. It seems like the occasional game nights he's joined have paid off. He may not be winning, but he’s not coming last every game either. That award goes to Jimmy ﹘ usually through no fault of his own. It’s not hard to pick up on the dynamic between them, and bullying Jimmy seems to be part of it. They go through more games than Grian thinks he’s heard of before, playing late into the night. In the end, Impulse yawns as they finish another round of Mario Kart.
"Is it time to head back?" Pearl asks, giving Impulse a knowing look.
"Struggling to keep up, old man?" Joel taunts. Jimmy, Grian and Scar snicker, before looking suitably scolded at the look Impulse gives them.
"I’m not even that much older than you guys!" He complains. "You’re just too young." He finishes the bottle of beer on the table. None of them have had much to drink. Only Mumbo is slightly tipsy, never managing to hold his liquor as well as the others.
"I do have coursework to do tomorrow," Scar says, stretching his arms high into the air.
"You guys are being responsible adults for once?" Jimmy teases, but he has a fond smile on his face. Martyn reaches over to pat his head.
"Maybe one day you’ll grow up too, Tim!"
"Hey!" Lizzie laughs, exiting the game out to the menu.
"Come be responsible and help me take the plates out real quick, would you?" She requests (more like an order), gesturing for Jimmy to get up. He groans but grabs a few on his way out of the room. Joel yawns himself moments later, standing up as well.
"I’m heading to the bathroom, Martyn’s in charge."
"On it boss!" Martyn calls. They can hear Jimmy laugh from the kitchen.
Which leaves them alone with Martyn. The console whirs in the silence, each of them exchanging awkward looks. Impulse is the one who finally draws the short straw, taking a deep breath.
"You’re not human, are you?" He asks. To their surprise (and maybe their relief), Martyn just laughs.
"Nah, ‘course not. I don’t really hide it, surprised you guys didn’t know I was Fae already." He shrugs, crossing his legs. It’s easier to see the distinction now; like putting a pair of glasses on. Martyn’s perfect skin, the point to his teeth and the sharp curve of his eyes. "Especially since you lot are hanging out with a demon now. When did that happen?"
"Grian’s a friend," Scar tells him.
"Which, speaking of–" Pearl looks around the group, "–Martyn, we want to make a deal with you." Martyn’s brows do shoot up at that.
"Oh? Now that’s something I’ve not heard in a long time." He sits up a little straighter. "I’d ask if you guys understand what you’re asking, but considering you’ve got a demon sat over there I’d say probably not."
"Trust us," Scar says. "You’ll like this one."
"Trusting you has historically been a terrible idea," Martyn replies. "But sure. Hit me with it."
"The email came through!" Grian cheers, running into the kitchen. Pearl and Scar rush to the table beside Mumbo, whilst Impulse turns away from the washing up. "I’ve successfully transferred onto the BA Architecture course!" He scrolls down the phone they pooled together to get him. "I’ve got my account details, and the timetable’s attached, this is so exciting!"
"You deserve it!" Pearl tells him, reading over his shoulder. "You’re gonna absolutely ace this course."
"And it gives us an excuse for a much-needed celebration tonight," Impulse agrees. "As long as nobody has any deadlines tomorrow?" They laugh. Mumbo wraps his arm around Grian’s shoulders, giving him a tight squeeze.
"Do you know which societies you’re going to join yet?" Scar asks, "Because the Disney society is pretty fun…"
Mumbo shakes his head, "The guy’s only just got enrolled, Scar! Give him a while to get settled in."
"Yeah, we all know he should join the laser tag society instead," Pearl says with a cheeky grin. Mumbo reaches over to shove her and she squeals, jumping away.
"I’m still going to miss that pen, though," Scar detours with a wistful tinge. "Do you think I could steal it back anyway? Martyn will still have his name on the contract, I'm sure that'll count!"
"Scar, please don’t tempt fate like that," Impulse says, sighing as he places bowls of pasta on the table. Scar and Grian snatch them before Mumbo and Pearl can even move.
"Why should I worry about it?" Scar replies. "It’s worked out great for us so far!"
"I can’t wait until we all have to band together to save Scar’s soul from whoever he sold it to," Pearl says, taking a bowl directly from Impulse.
"Ah, see, I’ve already sold it to prevent such a thing from happening!"
Grian nods, "Can confirm, no soul there."
"Scar!"