You can tell I'm tired because I have nothing to say in this bit.

WC: ~650 (sorry haha)

Enjoy!

"Bdubs and Keralis!" Grian had blurted the words before he knew what was happening. The world cleared around him, only for him to spot Doc and Xisuma looking directly at him. Xisuma was unreadable as always, but Doc...

Galaxies of hope danced in his eyes, casting the creeper into a new light for Grian. He looked as if he had just witnessed a miracle. Grian had never pictured Doc like this, and it was oddly enlightening to see him so hopeful. 

"W-what?" Xisuma stammered. Doc didn't say anything, just stared at Grian. 

"I saw them," Grian explained. "They're like... trapped in my head or something. I don't know how to explain it, and I'm not a hundred percent sure what happened either. All I know is that I saw them, and they're alive." Doc gasped, finally reacting.

"D-does that mean we can get hi- them back?" he breathed. Grian hesitated. 

"Maybe," he admitted. "I'm honestly not sure. A non-Watcher in mindspace, I've never seen anything like it. Wait... are they Watchers?" Xisuma shook his head. 

"Just normal people," Xisuma confirmed, earning a barely audible huff from Doc. Grian wasn't sure why he was acting so strange, it was-

Oh.

Bdubs wanted me to tell Doc...

Doc's face lit up when I mentioned Bdubs...

OH.

They must be best friends.

"So... what are they doing in your head?" Doc asked. 

"I have no clue," Grian grumbled. "But I have an idea, of some sort." He then explained to the two how his magic had managed to get them into a human-like form.

"If I pooled enough magic and energy, maybe I'd be able to break them out?" he suggested. 

"Anything to save him," Doc murmured. "I'd do anything..." 

"Wait, I thought we cut off your magic?" Xisuma pointed out. Grian glanced back to his wrists subconsciously. 

"Only outer magic," he told the Admin. "Not inner. Which is the magic used in mindspace." Xisuma nodded along. 

"Okay, fair enough," he agreed. 

"Erm... you all know I need outer magic in order to bring them back, right?" Grian pointed out. Doc and Xisuma froze. 

"Oh..." Xisuma mumbled.

"Do it," Doc's voice was emotionless. "Free him, X."

"Doc, listen," Xisuma started carefully. "We can't, for everyone's safety-"

"I have to choose between him and everyone," Doc realized, although he wasn't really talking to anyone. 

"We can't free him," Xisuma said. "It's not safe."

"I'm not a rabid animal," Grian lashed out. "Stop acting like I can't hear you! I'm perfectly aware of you discussing whether or not it's a good idea to chain someone to a tree and bleed out their wrists because of something that they couldn't control." Doc flinched at this, and Xisuma looked guilty (or at least, from what Grian could tell). 

"It's only so you don't hurt anyone else," Xisuma muttered. It was Grian's turn to flinch. 

"Who says I will?" he pointed out defensively, although he already knew where this conversation was going.

Zena could still invade his mind.

He could still get possessed.

It was all still possible.

It wasn't too crazy to imagine.

Grian hated it. 

"You know it's possible," Xisuma echoed Grian's thoughts. Grian sighed.

I don't want to hurt Mumbo.

I don't want to hurt anyone.

"Alright, fine," he complied. "I guess that makes sense."

"Maybe it won't happen again, though," Doc said, staring at Grian's bonds. "Maybe the Watchers will have learned their lesson." 

He wants me to be free...

To use me.

I'm just a tool to him.

To all of them.

Typical.

"That's not true and you know it," Xisuma replied, referring to what Doc had said. "Doc, please look at the bigger picture here."

"There's only one picture in my mind," Doc muttered softly, quiet enough for Grian to guess no one was supposed to hear. Suddenly, a new voice interrupted their conversation.

"What's going on here?"

Mumbo.

Still tired. Nothing to say. 

*shrugs*

-Storm