Pov: Skizz

Over the next few days, my worry for Cub stops me focusing on anything else. Quick projects take ages. Sleep becomes hours awake, thinking. Hermits start getting worried about me.

'Is something up, Skizz?' Tango asks after watching me place a whopping 5 blocks of future shop in 10 minutes. 'Because you've been staring at that piece of dirt for about 5 minutes.'

'What? Oh... yeah,' I admit, blinking away from my thoughts. 'I'm worried about Cub. And I don't feel like I can talk about why because it's really not my information to share.'

'Oh. Sculk or vex?'

I blink back, unable to answer and wondering if Tango can read my mind until he explains.

'We older hermits just... default to those options with Cubby.'

'Oh... oh, ok.'

'If you're really worried, talk to Scar.'

'What if Scar's the reason I'm worried in the first place?' I question. And then fall silent at the sight of Cub flying towards us. Tango glances over.

'Oh! Hey Cubby!'

'Hey-hey!' Cub replies, handing next to us. 'I see some good shop-month progress over here. Just what I like to see... Tango, have you been working on your shops too?'

'Oh, yeah, yeah. Full permitification. How are you doing, though?'

'I'm good, I'm good.' With all my poker-playing skills, I try and fail to spot any sign of him lying, even any of the tells Scar's shared: hands in pockets, changing the subject. 'Just working on my base, thinking about the design of my amethyst shop.'

'What have you been doing in your base?' Grian's question about the sculk rises in my mind. Cub pauses, just a little too long, before speaking.

'General landscaping stuff.'

'I've been meaning to ask you about that... you've been using a lot of sculk in your base, Cubby,' Tango's already straight on point. 'And after last season...'

'Hmm?' Cub frowns. 'What?' Tango sighs.

'Sculk. Base. Everywhere.'

Cub's hands slip into his pockets, a flicker of blue in his eyes.

'I'm just decorating a little. Nothing serious.'

'Except... 5 ancient cities worth of sculk all over your base.'

'Anyway, about my landscaping, I've been fascinated with geology recently.' Cub continues, turning to me. My suspicions are proven correct. 'And how, on some geologically active sites, there are these volcanic dykes that are basically walls of stone... hey maybe I could continue my idea of using amethyst as these dykes into my shop...'

'Uhh... Cubby? Hello?' I mouth that 'I'll try' before turning to Cub.

'Hey, I've got an idea for your shop,' I say, an idea to get information in mind. 'Maybe you could make it fully in the style of your base. Include some of those cool crystal structures, make the ground into sculk. You could put it near Ren's sculk shop, work it into the lore that it's spreading from there. I think that would look really cool. That sculk-lore stuff.'

'Ooh, yes, yes. You mean, like create geological formations out of the diamonds I earn?'

'That sounds like a great idea man!' and then, me and my stupid big mouth continue speaking. 'What about the Sculk idea though? Like... if you cover the diamonds in sculk, they'd look extra awesome, like they do on your main base. Hey, question, where did you get that idea from? Putting sculk over diamonds? Using sculk on your base in general. And speaking of your base, Rubba-dub Cub, can we have a tour? I've been running out of ideas for my base, and looking around other bases would really help. And yours is really good. With the buildings, the landscape, all the sculk.'

'Maybe in a bit.' Cub replies. Defensive. Hiding something. In his base. 'Sorry.'

'Ok, why not now?'

Why did I say that?

Cub pauses, narrowing his eyes. Just a little. Enough for me to know he's onto me. He can't be onto me. A step back.

'It's just... uhh...' I catch the movement of his right hand, searching for fireworks. 'It's just not a good time, ok?'

'That's fine. We can look another time, can't we Skizz?'

'Yeah.' I say, far too slowly to hide my annoyance that Cub's onto me already.

'And, talking about not a good time, I need to go.'

'Already?' My chance for further information disappears. 'Why?!'

'You're asking a lot of questions, Skizz,' Cub says, eyes narrow.

'Is that illegal now?'

'I've got to go,' Cub searches for fireworks. I panic, snatching his wrist.

And spot something.

Beneath his collar.

'Let go,' Cub demands, shaking voice betraying his fear. I lose sight of what I saw, left wondering if it was just a shadow. 'Skizz. Let go. Now.'

'Listen, listen, Rubba-dub Cub. I... well Impulse...' The jerk side of my mind takes over. I have to distract him. I have to give myself time to see that thing again. Whatever it was. I need to know if my first glance was correct. 'Impulse and I had a dare to see who could build more on their base in a week,' Cub pulls against me, trying to prise my fingers away. I grab him by the shoulder. His fight only grows.

'Skizz, let go of him!'

'Skizz. Get off me. Please. Now. Get off.'

Cub twists his arm in attempt to free it, breathing fast. My grip, on instinct, only tightens. I'm not letting him get away. I can't. He's moving too much for me to find what I saw before. I need to stop him moving. There's a shop next to us. I drag Cub towards it. His protests turn to screams, feet digging into the ground, free arm clawing at me to let him go. I ignore, too deep into the act, shoving Cub against the wall and pinning him there.

'I'm not losing this dare, Cub! I betted more diamonds than I had so I need to build, but I have no clue what to build.' Tango starts trying to pull me away, shouting. I spot it again. On his neck. Undeniable. But I can't stop the act now. 'You're going to show me your FUCKING base, whether you like it or not!'

'Let me go. Just LET ME GO!'

A flash of blue.

I yell, thrown backwards until I hit the ground. Cub flees.

'What the hell, Skizz?!' Tango snaps. 'Why would you do that?!'

I don't reply.

I got the proof I needed.

I saw what that dark patch on Cub's neck was.

Sculk.