"Too...many..i-ideas...."

POV: Grian/Iskall/Xisuma and Mumbo

Grian smiled. Him and Stress had done a pretty good job of pranking. But still. The thought that he hadn't seen Iskall nor Mumbo all day nagged at him from the depths of his mind. That and the odd feeling of him missing something... His thoughts were interrupted.

Stress looked to Grian. "Ok! I think that's it! We've got it all!"

He smiled. "Agreed.... I just feel like I'm forgetting something though...."

She looked at him. "Well I think we got everything..... so I dunno what your forgettin'..."

After a moment of silent debate, Grian decided he could ask Stress about his Iskall/Mumbo issue. He looked to her. "Have you seen Iskall or Mumbo lately....?"

It took her a second to respond. "Uhhh no... why?"

"Huh." Grian responded, slightly suspicious, not of Stress, just in general. This was all just so...odd..."I haven't seen them either..... I'll call the-" He stopped mid-sentence, winning an odd look from Stress. "What?" She spoke curiously.

"That's what I forgot. My phone. I keep getting distracted with well....... everything...?" Grian half smiled and laughed at his stupidity, Stress laughing along.

"Well where is it then?" She asked.

After thinking for a second, he remembered. "Uhhhh.. oh yeah! I was pranking Mumbo when it fell outta my pocket when I fell from the pantry!"

She looked at him and let out one of those exasperated yet humored sighs and shook her head. "Grian. Did you just say you fell from the pantry...?"

Smiling sheepishly, he replied with a childish "Yep!" They both laughed.

Stress looked at him. "Kay! Ok! You go retrieve your phone ok? And say hi to Mumbo for me ok?"

Grian smiled. "Ok! Will do! I'll cya later Stress!"

She smiled back. "Ok! See you 'round!" He smiled and took off.

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Stress.

He had missed a call. From Stress.

Immediately, he called her back. Glancing at the fox, he silently prayed that she'd pick up. She did.

"Iskall??" She sounded slightly worried...

Iskall looked to the fox in relief."Yeah, it's Iskall."

"Oh thank gosh! Nobody has seen you all day! Where were you- no where ARE you??"

"Yeah ummm about that....." He paused for a second, trying to figure out how to explain. "I'm well......I'm kinda lost in the woods.....and nobody has been answering me....at all...." A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, despite nobody actually being there, it was still nice to talk to someone.

"ISKALL! Why didn't you call me?!"

He looked at the fox, which tilted its' head. He smiled at the creature. It licked its red-stained lips."Well uh....I found a fox and this place and well I got distracted eating berries...?"

"Ooh! What color?? Was it tasty??"

He smiled, knowing that his friends reaction would be along the lines of this."Uhhhh it was red and they're amazing. And they're in this cool place and— " He stopped, almost losing track of thought. Almost "--that's right. I'm lost."

"Oh yeah!! Sorry! Ok, so why are you still lost?"

"Well I was sneaking around trying to avoid Grian because it's April First right? So this fox scares me and it's small so I try and help it find it's family but I get lost and....."

He spent the next few minuets explaining to Stress what had happened, grateful for her patience and her not interrupting every other word.

"Ok....... well I was just with Grian....he said something about.....nevermind..." She paused for a second, triggering some suspicion in Iskall. Quickly, she resumed in her speaking. "Well uhm he said he hadn't heard from you all day.. so I mean that's kinda odd.."

"I called him tho...."

"Yeah  yeah I know.... umm just trust me when I say he wasn't able to answer ok..?"

"Uh ok...?" It was starting to get a little suspicious to eeee-skall by now.. (sry i couldnt help it i watch to much grian!!)

Stress quickly recovered. "Ok, I'll call X ok?"

"Ok, thanks!"

"Of course! Anytime! I'll see ya later mkay?"

"Ok! Bye Stress!"

"Bye Iskall!"

After Stress hung up, Iskall looked to the fox. "Yep because everything about that wasn't odd.." He smiled. "At least we'll be escaping this place soon though!" He smiled and laughed, earning a fox kiss on the cheek.

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The phone rang. Xisuma didn't even bother to look, assuming it was Iskall. Again.

He had had it by now with Iskall and went straight to a mad, pointed tone. "Really Iskall?! We get it ok? Just leave us alo-" Mumbo came over, and interrupted.

"Is that Iskall?! Tell him to go away!" He grabbed the phone, interrupting the admin. Taking a breath, he continued, "ISKALL I SWEAR IF THAT'S YOU! YOU'VE ALREADY CAUSED ENOUGH TROUBLE-" Someone interrupted him. But it wasn't who he'd think it was..

A sweet, patient, female voice rang over the phone. "Look who you're calling Mumbo."

Mumbo looked down at the phone. It said 'Stress.' "Uhhh....... Stress...?" He barely squeaked out.

"Yep."

"oh..."

Xisumas eyes went wide. "Wait?! Stress?! UHHHHH..!"

Stresses voice rang through the phone."Uh yeah. I am Stress... not Iskall..." She paused for a moment. "Uhm I actually called concerning hi-"

Both Mumbo and Xisuma jumped at the mention of Iskall. They exchanged looks and exclaimed in perfect sync, "Did he kill you too?!"

"Uh WHAT?! No!! He didn't- what? He wouldn't-! Explain..?"

X looked at Mumbo. Mumbo looked at him. X covered the phone and whispered "Did you hear that?" Mumbo quickly nodded. "I heard it too.."

They exchanged looks. They both heard the confusion in Stresses voice. That meant Stress didn't know anything. Didn't. Past tense.

Xisuma quickly recovered and uncovered the phone. "Uhm never mind!! Uhh ignore that note ok? Heh..."

"Uhm ok....?" Stresses voice flourished with confusion and a little curiosity.

They could hear Stresses sigh of relief. "I uh just wanted t-"

Xisuma quickly cut her off with his first thought."Uhm sorry Stress uhh the cows need shearing! I'll call ya later! Ok Bye!"

The moment he hung up Mumbo looked at him. "Do you know what you just said?.." X thought for a moment. "Uhm I'm going to go with a no...?" Mumbo facepalmed. "Does the following make sense? 'I need to shear the cows.'?" X looked at him. "No. No it does not. For the matter it isn't even pos-"

He stopped and looked at Mumbo. "I said that didn't I?" Mumbo looked at him. "Yes. Yes you did." X laughed nervously and gave him a nervous half grin. "Maybe she won't notice.....?" Mumbo laughed. "Yeah ok..!?" He and X both laughed.

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Grian looked around. It was only 3, 3:15 at best, but he was really tired. He had woken up pretty early too.. Yawning, he decided he'd take a quick nap before grabbing his phone. Plus, his base was closer than Mumbo's....

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Iskall sat there playing with the fox. It was getting kinda late.. Not concerningly late, but later than he'd like to be lost. He looked at the fox. "Whatcha thinking little guy..?" It looked at him and tilted its' head. Iskall laughed. The fox sat on Iskall's shin. Iskall smiled and placed his hands behind him, supporting himself so he doesn't fall. He nodded, pretending to understand the tiny creature. "Oh yes, I am amazing!"

The fox looked at him and dropped into a pouncing position. Iskall laughed a little more. The fox ran down his leg, jumped up, landed front paws first on Iskall's chest, catching him off-guard and throwing him back onto the ground.

"Oh really? Is that how we're playing now?" He jokingly asked, lifting the fox off him and suspending it in the air. He laughed as the precious creature squirmed around in his grasp. "Ok! Ok! I'll set cha down little one!"

Setting the baby ball of fluff down, he smiled and stayed sitting on the ground. The fox looked at him, and smiled. Then the unpredictable thing walked up Iskall, stood with it's face looming over his, did circles and went to sleep with it's paws on Iskall's neck and the rest of it on his chest. Iskall glanced at the paws. "uhhh just don't kill me....?"

The fox did nothing, already asleep, also pinning Iskall down because it was the un-said law that you DONT disturb a sleeping fluffy, no matter the species or breed.

Iskall's phone went off. Immediately he answered it, not wanting to wake to child. He already knew it was Stress, she was the only one bothering to answer anyways.

"So? What'd he say?" He spoke with a subtly quiet tone, trying not to wake the fox.

"Uh well I'm not sure how to explain this..." Iskall could hear the slight nervousness and even a little concern in her voice.

"Stress? Whaddya mean....?"

"Well uhm... have you done anything or been anywhere besides your unknown location by any chance....?" Her tone switched to one of curiosity.

"Uhm no. I got up, crept out, got lost, and have been here all day. Why?"

"Well uhm.....no reason...." Iskall could her the lie in her voice, plain as day.

"Stress.."

"Hmm?"

"What's happening......? What happened....?"

"UHHHh"

"Stress..." Iskall's tone got a little more pushy, trying to get information.

"Uhm I uh have to go...?"

Speaking flatly, he said, "Why."

Stress hesitated. Iskall silently counted the seconds.

"1.....2...3..4.-"

"The cows need shearing!"

"Really. Cows. Shearing." Iskall smirked, slightly amused by whatever excuse that was.

"Yep! Mhm! Tooootalllyyy! New trend! Call ya later!" She hung up without another word, leaving a clueless Iskall.

Iskall looked at the fox. It's eyes peeked open as it looked to him, it's paws a silent threat to not make it get up too. Iskall looked at it. "Did she just say 'Shearing. Cows'...?" The fox went back to sleep and Iskall smiled, laid his head back, and stared intently at the clouds, waiting for their deepest, darkest, secrets. He stared with such force that they explo- JKJK! The guy just laid his head back and looked up at the sky. It was so peaceful and quiet..... nobody would mind if he shut his eyes right...?

Soon enough, everything went black as he fell asleep.

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"No but really X, what are we going to do if she asks....?" Xisuma paused. "Uhhh.... say it was a joke....?" Mumbo looked at him. "And who's gonna believe that?" Silence reigned as Xisuma thought. "Uhhh..." Mumbo looked at him flatly. "Exactly. Nobody. That's who."

"Can you just hope? Maybe she'll ignore it...?"

"Ok. I AM hoping. But what if she doesn't?"

Slowly, the nice, calm, friendly mood was steadily dissolving. The tension between them was building. Slowly, but steadily, carefully but reckless, thick and fragile, ready to explode tension.

"Well maybe she forgot."

"Maybe. Not a yes, not a no. A maybe."

They made eye contact, and put on forced smiles.

X looked at Mumbo. "Well maaaybe she did forget."

Mumbo scoffed. "Yeah ok! Because she wasn't asking what happened because she didn't hear anything!"

Phone still in hand, X threw his hands up, not noticing a caller page, and practically spat out, "Ok so she did! I understand that!" They both noticed each-others expressions, and could practically see the tension, what they didn't see though, was that a call had been answered.

"Ok so now what? She clearly heard you!" Mumbo angrily retorted back.

"Do you think I know Mumbo?!" Xisuma snapped back at him.

Mumbo glared at Xisuma."No! I don't!"

X opened his mouth to say something, then stopped, knowing fighting wouldn't help.

He sighed and looked at Mumbo.

"Whatever. Maybe she'll just forget and ignore it?" His tone calmed.

"Yeah ok. Lets hope.." Mumbo's voice calmed too.

"Sorry for yelling.." X offered up a half smile.

"Your fine. What Iskall did messed with me to. I'm sorry bout yellin' to.." he returned the look.

"Again. Why though...why would Iskall kill you?"

Mumbo began to say something when a voice rang out. A girls voice. Stresses voice. "WHAT?!"

Xisuma and Mumbo shared a look and went dead silent. X was first to break the tension.

"Uhm... how much of that did you hear exactly....?" He nervously glanced at Mumbo.

Using a "you're-explaining-and-I-am-not-taking-no-for-an-answer" tone, the girl responded. "Enough. I heard enough."

Xisuma sighed and looked at Mumbo. Mumbo looked at him and covered the phone, muffling any sound that Stress would hear.

"What do you suppose....?"

"I don't know Mumbo.... tell her may-"

"No. There'd be too many questions and it wouldn't make any sense."

"Soooo... bring her over then...?"

"I guess.... she already heard what she's heard. Why not try and help it make sense. She may know something too.."

"Ok, good point."

Mumbo nodded and uncovered the phone. X took the chance to speak.

"Just....come over to Mumbo's ok?"

Responding with no hesitation, she said "On my way."

A double beeping sound rang out, signifying Stress had hung up.

(Word Count: 2250)

(I think I got the facts right...idk.. Also sorry about these delays, teachers have practically quadrupled the work and my schedules been gettin' cramped. Trying to find free time tho!)