Mumbo spent nearly half an hour deciding on what suit to wear, unable to choose between one with golden accents and the other with red accents. He groaned and sent a quick message to Gem for her professional opinion on the matter. He trusted her fashion judgment on the matter. Quickly she replied and said the golden one so he went with that one and got dressed. Since it was a royal event he slicked his hair back slightly but made sure his ears were well hidden away.
He double-checked that his tail was hidden away before heading out the door. Grian had messaged him to meet him on the bridge that connected their bases. Heading out to the bridge he didn't have to wait long until the avian flew over. Grian donned an eloquent black suit vest with a dark red paisley pattern that blended in with the base color. It shimmered in the light and contrasted with his bright colorful wings.
"Wow! You look much fancier than usual. I don't think I've ever seen you wear this suit before," Grian beamed as his eyes followed the golden swirls that accented Mumbo's suit.
"Thought I should wear something more than just my normal suit. You look pretty fancy yourself too," Mumbo said with a smile, it was such a rare occasion to see Grian in anything else but his red jumper, "Still need help with your tie?" He noticed a matching tie in the avian hand.
"Yes, thanks," Giran said a bit sheepishly before offering his tie.
"No worries mate, it took me a couple of seasons before I could tie my own. XB spent a whole season teaching me before I finally got it," Mumbo rambled slightly as he looped the tie around the avian's neck and pulled it into a pristine-looking tie. Grian tried to watch as Mumbo expertly looped and pulled at parts, adjusting it so it wasn't too tight around his neck. "Do you think I could fly over with you?" Mumbo asked as smoothed out some creases on the front of the tie, "I don't want to show up by myself," He added nervously, he'd feel better having Grian at his side if everyone started asking questions when they show up.
"Of course! And thanks again," Grian's wings puffed up in excitement, "Maybe you could teach me how to tie a tie sometime?"
"Sure! In exchange, you can teach me how to fly better. Or at least land better," Mumbo chuckled, it sounded like an even trade to him.
"Deal!" Grian was quick to answer and held out his hand to shake on it.
"Deal." Mumbo nodded and shook the avian's hand before equipping his elytra to get ready for the flight over.
"Ready to go?" Grian asked, flaring his wings out to take off. Mumbo nodded and pulled out some rockets before they took off towards the Crastle. They flew over other hermit's bases and over the shopping district until the tall building came into view. Grian landed near the entrance and opened his arms to catch Mumbo, who tried his best to slow down, but sort of crashed into the avian anyways. The pair laughed as Grian was nearly thrown off balance, but with a couple of wing beats the two kept upright. "We definitely need to work on your landing skills," The avian laughed.
"Yeah yeah, I know," Mumbo huffed jokingly as he got his footing and put away his elytra. Grian reached out and snatched up Mumbo's hand before leading the way inside, pulling them towards loud chatter and clinks of cups from inside. They soon found the main throne room following said sounds. A majority of the hermits were already there and filled up the room, clumping together in handfuls of groups. Mumbo squeezed Grian's hand for some courage as they entered the eloquently decorated room. You could tell at a glance that it was the work of Bdubs, simply by the gradients the mossy hermit was known for. The walls had varying shades of stone that helped accent the red tapestries that decorated the walls and hung from balconies above.
The pair stood in awe as they took in the red and golden decorations that covered the high ceilings and walls. The towering windows let in the outside dying light cast in shades of pink, orange, and yellows blanketing the room in color. They were too busy taking in the details and nuances of the throne room to notice Ren approaching them, dressed in a similarly decorated outfit.
"Sir Mumbo of the Jumbo and Sir Grian! Welcome! I'm glad you could join us for such an exciting occasion," Ren beamed with a big smile as he welcomed the pair. Mumbo couldn't help but flinch slightly at the sudden noise, but relaxed as soon as he realized it was just Ren. The dog hybrid's outfit was just as extravagant as the room was, a typical red king-like robe with diamonds sporadically placed on the fabric. A pair of diamond earrings adorned his dog ears and sparkled occasionally as it caught some fading light. The soon-to-be king looked like a royal from a fairy tale.
"Hi Ren, the Crastle looks absolutely beautiful!" Grian said, looking around the room again.
"Why thank you! I had loads of help from Doc and Bdubs, so be sure to talk to them if you find them. I'm sure Bdubs will talk your ear off about his process if you let him," Ren's tail started to swish back and forth as he spoke, pure excitement radiating off him.
"I'll have to find Bdubs then. It's nice listening to him talk about his building process." The mossy hermit always spoke so passionately that Mumbo enjoyed listening.
"I think I saw him talking to a group where the thrones are. I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding him," Ren gestured to the back of the room, where three gold chairs stood on a stepped platform, before being called away by another hermit and walking off with a small wave goodbye.
"Will you be okay hanging with Bdubs? I was going to find Pearl but I don't want to leave you if you're uncomfortable," Grian kept his voice down so Mumbo could only hear him.
"I'll be alright," Mumbo tried to give a reassuring smile but a light bubble of anxiety sat low in his stomach.
"Come find me if you need me," Grian said and patted Mumbo's hand before letting go. The pair exchanged a wave before the avian disappeared into the sea of other hermits. Mumbo had to take a breath to steady himself before he headed where Ren had gestured to find Bdubs. He kept an eye out for the mossy hermit and eventually found him exactly where the future King had said. Bdubs was already talking with a handful of other hermits about the details and block palate he put into the Crastle. Mumbo couldn't help but smile at the twinkle in the builder's eyes as he passionately explained, getting slightly caught off guard as Bdubs noticed he had joined the group.
"Mumbo! I'm glad you could join us!" Bdubs beamed with his signature giant smile.
"I'm glad I came, this place is stunning!"
"Thank you! Doc helped a lot with the redstone too. I was just telling everyone how I decided on a block pallet," Bdubs started before he got back into explaining all the nuances and colors that went into the build's palette. He explained how he planned it all out with blueprints before getting sidetracked, saying about how mad Scar was with some bone blocks that faced the wrong way. He was very insistent on explaining that he fixed the orientation just for Scar.
The fading sunlight finally fizzled out enough for the redstone lamps to switch on, hidden behind tapestries and some tucked into the ceiling. The lamps paled in comparison to the sun's glow, but the redstone system still brought light back into the grand room. The switch in lighting made Bdubs pause his rambling and pull out his clock to check the time.
"Oh! It's almost time for the coronation!" He hastily put his clock in his pocket, "Thank you all for listening to me. But I have to go find the soon-to-be King," He added quickly before dashing off to the center throne and placing a bell next to it. With a swift hit from the hermit, the bell rang out through the room catching all the hermit's attention. "Welcome hermits! Thank you for joining us for this marvelous occasion!" Bdubs announced catching the room's attention as Ren quickly rushed over to the mossy hermit. "On this fine day in Hermitcraft, I'm honored to crown thee, Ren the dog, King of Hermitcraftia. Do you swear to protect, listen, and care for your fellow subjects until your last dying breath?"
"I swear." Determination covered Ren's face as Bdubs stared at him with a fond look and pride sparkling in his eyes.
"Then I crown you King Ren of Hermitcraftia." Bdubs pulled a small crown, an emerald inlaid on the front. Ren got down on one knee, bowed his head, and dropped his ears so Bdubs could place the crown on Ren's head. "Now, stand and greet your loyal subjects, your highness." Bdubs took a step back and couldn't conceal the small smile on his face as Ren stood and faced the crowd. A beaming grin on his face as hermits erupted into cheers and applause, welcoming their new king and congratulating him.
"Thank you, thank you! Now as my first act of king, I want to direct everyone to the dining hall for a celebratory feast! Please follow me!" Ren motioned for the crowd to follow as Bdubs rushed to push a pair of double doors open. Bdubs held one door open while Ren held the other, smiling and shaking hands with a couple of hermits, as everyone all filtered into the dining room. The dining hall was just as magnificent as the throne room but a big oval table filled the middle of the room, with enough chairs to seat all the hermits. Every seat had its own plate, a set of cutlery, and a glass cup for each hermit. A minecart rail trailed the inside of the oval-shaped table, the track within reach of each plate.
"Please everyone, take a seat and once we're all seated Doc will explain what the minecart track on the table is for," Bdubs directed as Mumbo felt his anxiety spike. He wanted to sit next to a herd mate but it was hard to spot any of them in the dense crowd.
"Mumbo! Over here!" A familiar voice called out, making him jolt and frantically look around to see who called him. Finally, he noticed X was waving at him with an open seat next to the admin who was motioning him over. Mumbo tried his best to traverse the crowd quickly and took the open spot next to X. Internally Mumbo sighed in relief, thankful he was able to sit next to a herd mate.
"Hey X," His voice was tight with nerves as he held his own hand trying to calm himself.
"Are you doing okay?" X leaned in and asked softly, taking one of Mumbo's hands and holding it snugly under the table. Mumbo could only muster a quick nod and squeezed the other's hands, extremely thankful for the admin's support.
"Now that we're all seated!" Ren interrupted with a beaming smile from his seat at the head of the table, "I want to give the floor to Doc to explain why there's a minecart track on the table," The King continued before he paused and looked around the room, "Doc where are you at buddy?" He added searching for the horned hybrid.
"I'm here," Doc chuckled and raised his hand to help Ren find him, "It's simple actually, a couple of plates with wheels on them will be rolling around, with a variety of food for everyone to enjoy. They'll move slowly around the track so feel free to grab and plate whichever food you'd like," The creeper hybrid explained with a soft smile before standing from his seat, Ren and Bdubs following after him. The trio disappeared for a moment and came back with the modified minecarts in arms, each filled with various foods.
It took a couple of trips back and forth to bring the mass amount of food for the hermits and loaded the plates onto the track. They each gave a little push to get the plate rolling and encouraged the hermits to start eating. Mumbo found it fascinating to watch as the plates on wheels traveled around the table, Hermits reaching out to stop the various plates of food to dish onto their own plates.
Mumbo was too nervous to eat and was a bit food shy so he decided people watched instead or in this case hermit watch. He watched the other hermits chat and noticed who was sitting next to who, while also looking out for his other herd mates. X never let his hand go and would occasionally squeeze it as the voidwalker listened to Keralis, who sat on the other side of X. Across the table, Grian and Pearl seemed to be enraptured talking to Gem about who knows what. Scar had set aside a chair to slot his wheelchair up to the table, today must be a wheelchair day as usually he got around with an elegantly made cane.
Doc was sitting next to Bdubs and Etho, the trio's animated hands seemed to be drawing invisible plans for something in the air. The creeper hybrid had noticed Mumbo staring and said something to Bdubs and Ethos before quickly signing to Mumbo. He asked the bovine if he was doing okay and Mumbo was quick to smile at him and nod. He signed back that the minecart food system was genius and Doc thanked him before turning back to his group. He continued talking either about redstone or his own base as the goat's eyes lit up as he spoke.
It was nice to see his herd mates enjoying the party and having a chance to talk with the hermits in a group setting like this. It wasn't often they go together like this, besides the annual server meetings Xisuma held. They were mainly used to address any concerns or conflicts the server was having. Those meetings were actually very beneficial during the season 6 prank wars. It helped make sure everyone was on the same page as well as any upcoming updates and changes to the server. X always ran it very eloquently and always made sure he got to everyone's concerns.
Then after all the business was finished they would chat and hang out afterward. They hadn't had a meeting yet since he decided to grow his horns out. It would be an opportunity to tell the rest of the hermits at once. His breath got caught in his throat for a split second at the idea. Would he even be up to doing that? X seemed to pick up on this nervousness and squeezed Mumbo's hand, running a thumb back and forth. The simple act had calmed his nerves for the moment, opting to shelve that idea for the moment and think about it more later.
Now that he was thinking about his hybridness, the itch to move his ears and twitch his tail was starting to become irritating. Internally cursing his herd at how much weaker he was at resisting these urges. He'd have to ask X how much longer he planned on staying. Maybe he could hang out with the voidwalker for the rest of the evening. He'd be sure to stay quiet and see if he could borrow a book to read. Xisuma always had a plethora of books at his base that Mumbo had borrowed from before.
"Sir Mumbo of the Jumbo!" Ren suddenly called out making Mumbo jolt, a smile covering the King's face, "Your horns would make a magnificent addition to my crown! Could you hand them over?" Ren asked and held his hand out expectantly to Mumbo as if he could just pop off his horns and hand them over. Mumbo couldn't help but freeze and stared in shock at such a demand. Did Ren think his horns were fake?
"Um uh..." Mumbo couldn't find the words so he opted to shake his head instead. He hoped X couldn't feel how hard he was starting to tremble now, all the hermit's eyes on him made his chest tight.
"No? You dare say no to the King!" Ren raised his voice as he sat up making his chair scrape harshly behind him. Mumbo flinched and trembled harder, his breath caught in his throat as the room turned tense. He faintly heard Bdubs babble something to try and calm the King. An audible growling echoed throughout the room as Ren pushed the mossy hermit aside before he began to make his way over to Mumbo. Who now was fully frozen in place, his mind raced with painful scenarios of what Ren was going to do to him. The closer Ren got the more convinced he was that Ren was going to rip his horns straight off his head. It had happened to him before and he wasn't looking forward to it happening again.
A flurry of feathers dashed across the table and filled his vision as suddenly Grian moved to stand in front of Mumbo. The avian's wings puffed up in anger and blocked Mumbo from the King. "Ren, you're scaring him, tone it down," He growled, breaking the immersion of the event to call Ren out and making the dog hybrid pause. The two actively stared each other down challengingly, Ren still trying to stay in character while Grian had stepped out of the narrative. Mumbo felt a hand touch his shoulder and flinched at the contact, only to turn to find it was X. He could see the worry under the admin's helmet but the kindness in his eyes help ease Mumbo
"Let's step out for a moment, okay?" X offered and slowly stood, encouraging Mumbo to do the same by slowly pulling on their still-clasped hands. X hadn't let go of Mumbo's hand since they had sat down, squeezing it reassuringly as he encouraged Mumbo to move. Hastily Mumbo stood out and let X lead him out into a quiet hallway.
He tried his best to ignore Grian and Ren who had started to bicker as Mumbo and X left. "Take a breath Mumbo, you're safe with me," X soothed and tapped on Mumbo's chest, making him realize he was holding his breath and he let it out shakily. "Just breathe. I don't think Ren realized they're real," He added softly as Mumbo focused on controlling his breathing, taking some shaky deep breaths.
He had finally got his breathing under control as feathers brushed against his back, the colorful feathers signaling that Grian joined them. The scent of Scar wafted just behind him as Scar wheeled over to join the group, the elf's eyes crinkled in worry. "Doing okay?" Grian asked softly, the anger from a moment ago long gone as he glanced between Mumbo and X.
"Yeah, X rescued me," Mumbo said with a nod and a soft smile, trying to ease everyone's worries.
"That's good," Grian sighed in relief before glancing back, "Doc is having a talk with Ren."
"He didn't need to be so aggressive about that," Scar grumbled with a frown.
Mumbo sighed and a wave of exhaustion washed over him, making him feel light-headed. He let go of X's hand and moved to sit on the floor, he didn't want to fall on anyone if he fainted. Scar moved next to him and locked his wheelchair in place before encouraging him to lean on it. The elf carded his hand through Mumbo's hair, who happily leaned into the touch, and X settled on the other side of Mumbo.
At some point his eyes had slipped closed, his anxiety the lowest it had been all day, being content to have his herd mates surrounding him. The hallway was quiet but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't dozed off for who knows how long. Scar's hand never left his hair and X's warmth never left his other side. He stirred awake by familiar hoof steps echoing the hallway and making their way toward him. He opened his eyes to find Doc and Ren walking over to them, Ren's ears flat against his head with a meek look on his face.
"Are you up to talking Mumbo?" Doc asked softly as Ren seemed to cower behind him. Mumbo rubbed the sleep from his eyes and nodded at the pair. "Go ahead Ren," Doc added and pulled Ren from his hiding spot.
The once proud king slumped in on himself and glanced back at Doc nervously. "I'm really sorry Mumbo. I thought your horns were a headband or something." Ren said, staring at the ground and occasionally glancing up at Mumbo with sorrowful eyes. Anyone could hear in Ren's voice how upset the dog hybrid was with himself.
"It's alright Ren, you didn't know," Mumbo sleepily smiled up at the new king, whose ears perked up a little as the hermit accepted his apology.
"Can I make it up to you? Please?" Ren asked and Mumbo couldn't resist the puppy dog eyes the hybrid was giving him.
Mumbo hesitated before answering, the eyes finally made him cave and sigh, "Alright..."
"Thank you. Come back to the dining room whenever you're ready." Ren's tail wagged rapidly as his eyes gleamed, quickly dashing off presumably back to the dining room. Mumbo chuckled at the King's enthusiasm as Doc rolled his eyes but a smile still cracked his face. He let out a yawn before he was ready to stand and head back to see what Ren had in store for him.
Xisuma reassured Grian and Scar that he would stay close to Mumbo before the group split up and went back to their seats. Ren's ears perked up as he noticed the group had come back and picked up his glass, tapping his fork against it to gain all the hermit's attention.
"Fellow subjects of Hermcraftia, I have a quick announcement to make." Ren called out as the room quieted down, "I'd like to make a formal apology to Sir Mumbo of the Jumbo. My demands put forth onto ye were unbecoming of King. While my reign has just begun you have shown me I have much to learn. A toast to Sir Mumbo of the Jumbo!" Ren held his glass up to Mumbo, his speech making the bovine go red in the face at all the attention put on him.
Every hermit raised their glass to him and echoed a huzza before Ren spoke up again, "I also wanted to thank you all for coming and joining in the festivities, please eat up to your heart's content, but this concludes my coronation and I can't wait to see what the future of my reign holds!" A round of applause echoed the room before the hermits resumed their normal conversations and chatter. Mumbo let out a sigh now that the attention was off him, his pinned ears started to itch even worse now and he was trying his best not to reach up and scratch.
"Everything okay?" X said as he tapped Mumbo's leg to get his attention.
"My ears itch..." He grumbled.
"Well, I was thinking of heading back to my base here soon. Did you want to join me?" Xisuma's eyes crinkled in a smile behind his helmet as Mumbo quickly nodded. "Message the group chat that we're heading out and then we can go," He added as Mumbo was quick to pull out his communicator and sent out the message. The admin said goodbye to Keralis before he led the way out of the Crastle. The pair headed outside and pulled on their elytras before heading towards X's starter base. The admin landed with much more grace than Mumbo could muster, but he still managed a half-decent landing.
Putting their elytras away the pair headed inside and to X's reading room. As soon as the door closed behind them Mumbo quickly unpinned his ears, finally able to scratch them, and wiggled them wildly. He soothed the fur in the right direction before sighing happily. After keeping them still for so long it felt amazing to let them free. Now that his ears no longer itched he was able to look around X's room. An array of shelves filled to the brim with books lined the walls, a couch and two recliners taking up the only space the shelves hadn't touched. Each seat had a small coffee table adjacent with some coasters and books sat on them.
"Feel better?" X asked and couldn't help but smile at the other, motioning for Mumbo to get comfortable.
"Yeah. Having my features out when hanging out with you and the herd hasn't really helped. Now I can only go so long having them pinned," Mumbo gave his ears one last rub before picking out a book at random and taking a seat. The book cover read 'Radio Silence' by Alice Osemen, which looked like a good read.
X pulled a couple of books from the shelf too and sat them on the nearest recliner. "Would you like some tea?" X asked, waiting in the doorway for Mumbo to answer.
"Yes please," Mumbo nodded before his stomach rumbled and internally sighed, he hadn't eaten anything since before the royal event.
"You didn't eat anything at the banquet did you?" X brought up gently.
"I was too nervous to..." Mumbo looked at the ground sheepishly. The voidwalker left for a moment only to come back with a plate of some watermelon slices, the rind included, and a simple sandwich. It wasn't an overwhelming amount like the banquet had, which helped, and Mumbo gratefully accepted the dish, "Thanks X."
"No worries," X said before disappearing again, leaving Mumbo to eat in peace. The quiet of Xisuma's base compared to the busyness of the Crastle was music to his ears. Finally able to fully relax in the company of his herd leader. He didn't have to worry about other hermits or Ren possibly wanting to take his horns again. He knew the newly appointed King wouldn't physically hurt anyone, but that didn't mean he didn't immediately think of the worst earlier.
A faint kettle whistled from somewhere in the base before X returned with two steaming tea cups in each hand. Mumbo had finished most of his plate when the voidwalker handed over a cup before setting the other down on a table. He made sure to thank the voidwalker again before the room fell into a comfortable silence, each of them sipping their cup and digging into each of their books. Xisuma took his helmet off to take sips from his cup, a soft hiss echoing throughout the room each time he had to put it back on.
By sheer luck, Mumbo had chosen an interesting book with a captivating story and dynamic characters. But he couldn't help but glance up at X occasionally to check up on the herd leader. Enjoying the quiet presence of just reading together was more relaxing than he thought, and quickly lost track of time.
X seemed to be a faster reader than Mumbo as the admin was halfway through his book while Mumbo was only a quarter of the way through his. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, placing a finger where he left off to investigate. Mumbo tensed as he noticed EX who was poking his head in the doorway. He didn't even hear the other's footsteps!
"Hey X? Quick question, what's that filter called in our helmet's main vent system?" EX spoke up as they leaned on the doorframe and took a glance at Mumbo.
"Uhh..." X put his book down in thought before gesturing in a certain direction, to another part of the house, "Check the notebook that's in the top drawer of my work desk. The name should be on the parts breakdown page."
"Thanks," EX nodded and gave their twin a pointed look, but was ignored as he resumed reading his book. Mumbo couldn't help but stare at the doorway as EX left, their faint footsteps fading away. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the threshold, paralyzed in fear at the sudden appearance of the other resident voidwalker.
EX didn't seem to have an extreme reaction to seeing his ears out. Had they noticed them in the first place? Or did they just not care to say anything about it? Mumbo tried to conceal the tremble in his hands by holding his book tighter, not wanting to ruin the peace or disturb X. He had bothered his herd enough with his panicking earlier. He didn't need to burden X any more than he already had.