"I... I don't know if I can do this"
"Well certainly not like that, you aren't even holding it right" Grian said with an eye roll. "Like this"
He pulled the string of his bow taught in demonstration.
"Grian I've-I've never used a bow and arrow before. Do we really need to hunt?"
"Do you want to eat?"
"Well... well yes, but-"
"Then we have to hunt" Grian stated matter of factly. "Besides, you were the one who said and I quote: um, uh, Grian, c-can you please, uh, I mean, um, I would love t-to, uh, see how you, um-"
"I-I do not stutter that much!" Mumbo exclaimed, fighting the urge to shove the smirking God.
"Uh huh, yeah sure. Anyways, if you're too scared, then you don't have to"
Don't take the bait, don't take the bait, don't take the super incredibly obvious bait...
"I'll do it"
Grian grinned mischievously.
"Perfect. Follow me"
He slung a quiver filled with arrows over his shoulder and began to move quickly between the trees, forcing Mumbo to jog to catch up.
They fell into a comfortable silence, strolling side by side while the early morning sun reflected across the snow, making the forest seem as though it were glittering.
Something about the natural beauty of the ground always settled Mumbo's nerves a bit, or at least as much as they could when in Grian's presence.
Why does he make me nervous? I don't think he's dangerous, and he doesn't seem to have any intention of hurting me, so... why?
He glanced sideways at the small God, his dark green cloak and black mask contrasting starkly with the white blanketed trees.
He wished that Grian would take his hood down. Mumbo wanted to see his hair in the full light of day. What he really wanted was for Grian to take off his mask, but the chances of such a miracle were most likely slim to none.
"Enjoying the view Mumbo Jumbo?"
Oh Gods
"S-sorry" he mumbled, quickly looking away.
"Oh it's fine, I know I'm beautiful" Grian said in a way too serious voice, pretending to flip imaginary hair over his shoulder.
Mumbo doubled over in laughter, his previous embarrassment instantly forgotten as Grian cracked a smile and chuckled quietly under his breath.
I wonder what it sounds like when he actually laughs...
Grian hardly smiled as is, and when he did, it was usually a smirk coupled with a chiding remark.
But those few times when he did truly smile, when he thought Mumbo wasn't looking, the rough exterior the small God had built would crumble, if only just a little bit, and Mumbo got a slightly clearer view of the mysterious person inside that did its best to stay hidden.
"Mumbo! Look"
Grian's harsh whisper cut through Mumbo's thoughts as his gaze was directed towards a reindeer a couple yards away. Grian tugged his sleeve so they were kneeling behind a bush together.
"Go on"
"Wha- me??" Mumbo gasped, clutching the bow in his hand so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Uh, yeah, duh" Grian said, handing Mumbo an arrow. "Just try your best ok? Aim for the eyes"
Okokokokok I can do this... don't embarrass yourself
~~~
"Wow. I can't believe you missed every shot" Grian muttered.
"You don't have to rub it in" Mumbo groaned, massaging his blistered hands. "And this hurts! No wonder mortals pay others to do their dirty work, I can't imagine having to live like this"
Grian huffed softly to himself, shrugging his skinned rabbits higher up on his shoulder.
"Hey, look, don't get upset. I'm just giving you a hard time. It takes a while to get used to this stuff"
"Yeah I'm pretty useless on the ground. Thank Gods I live in the heavens" Mumbo chuckled, missing the clench in the small God's jaw at his senseless words.
"Yeah... bless the primaries" Grian said with a sigh.
"What?"
"For our lives, for our health, for our happiness, and for our wealth, bless the primaries, one through six. When in doubt, be devout"
He glanced up to meet Mumbo's wide eyes.
"It's an old blessing. I doubt anyone uses it anymore... I mean I understand why, it's absolutely ridiculous"
"...why?"
"Why what?"
"Why is it... ridiculous?"
Grian snorted and rolled his eyes.
"The primaries aren't special. At least... not anymore. W- they used to be when its was only the primaries, but that was only at the very beginning. There are hundreds of Gods now, each with their own skills and purposes. To keep around a blessing just for primaries? How self centered can you get"
"Well I mean... there are blessings for each individual God, so I mean, it kind of makes sense" Mumbo argued. "Mortals pray to Wealth when they want success, they pray to Life to bless them with a child, they pray to Laughter for happiness..."
"They pray to you for progress" Grian put in with a small smile.
Mumbo chuckled softly.
"That's true. And they pray to you for..."
An awkward silence fell over the two as he trailed off.
What would one pray to the God of chaos for? Revenge? A curse?
He desperately wanted to ask, but it was too late now to tell Grian that he knew what he was.
When he trusts me, he'll tell me himself.
"Um, c-can you tell me the blessing again?"
Grian's lips twisted in confusion, but shrugged and repeated it.
Mumbo snapped his fingers.
"I knew something bothered me about that"
"I know, pretentious right?"
"No no no" Mumbo shook his head. "I mean yes, but, one through six. There are only five primaries"
"Mn" Grian grunted in a slightly strained voice. "My mistake. It's been a while"
"How long?"
"A while" he snapped, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Mumbo bit his tongue and sighed.
He'll tell me when he's ready. I just need to be patient.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know it's kind of short and not very good, and I'm sorry about that. I'm in the middle of midterms right now and I haven't had a lot of time to write so please bare with me. If you did enjoy the chapter, please consider leaving a like and a comment to let me know what you think!