"I'm hiding and crying because I don't want to lose any more than this

All that is sad, all that is painful, let's make them disappear."

"For hundreds of years, even thousands of years, I want to be with you forever

Just quietly like this, it'd be nice if the sun would never rise again

No matter how much we're laughed at or scorned, I want to live with you forever."

-The Everlasting Boy

Honestly, this song reminds me so much of Grian and Miesall. It follows a boy who wants to live forever with his sick love. The world has been cruel to him, watching so much pain and (possibly) death, and immortality would cure him of all the pain, so he thinks. And as for Grian... after losing his Evo friends, he is in pain and he does kind of cling to Miesall and only left the Watchers after Miesall's death. 

... Tell me if you want me to add more lyrics in the ANs. I have many songs I relate to TLO.

✧⃫⃥⃞ ✰⃫⃥⃞ ✧⃫⃥⃞ 

"Ahh, Mumbo... Be gentle... You know I'm sensitive there..." Grian whimpered as his wings instinctively opened all the way and then gave a large flap. He was laying on his stomach in a nest of blankets, his wings spread out. Mumbo had been sat beside him, long legs crossed rather awkwardly as he weeded through his friend's feathers with his fingers. As he found old, loose feathers he would gently pull at them, taking them out to make room for new ones.

"Sorry, G." The suited man apologized as he pulled his hand away from the small of Grian's back. "I'm just not as good at this as Scar... or False... or the doctors are." The later two made sense, given False was an avian, and the physicians were trained for all sorts of situations. Scar was just a natural at it, Grian supposed.

"It's alright, Mumbo." He assured, giving his wings one more flex before letting them relax again. That was cue enough for the other to continue pruning. "Anyway... I just... I'm just a little worried about him is all."

"How come?" he asked. He hesitated before his eyes widened. "W-wait, is Scar sick? Oh gosh, not again! Whenever he gets sick-"

"It's not that..." Grian only sighed, shaking his head, making an end of his friend's spiral. He stared up at the ceiling of the bunker. They had made it as part of the game they were playing, to protect themselves. A game... When Grian thought of Scar, he couldn't help but feel almost as though this was the Civil War all over again. Maybe it was just anxiety, but... "I mean, he-- and the other dead members are... just acting.... hostile."

It was just then that a part of the wall retracted, opening up a secret passageway. The third and final Sahara member walked in. "Yeah, but that's kind of their job, Grian. It's part of the game." He explained, though his words were immediately discredited as soon as the other two got a glimpse of the giant dragon head that was now stuck on his head. The best friends couldn't hold back their fit of laughter as their friend sat beside them. "Okay, ha ha. It's so funny I got this stupid dragon head stuck on my head. But seriously, they're just playing around."

Grian hadn't noticed how he had tensed up his wings again, forcing Mumbo to stop pruning him again. "I... I'm not so sure of that..." he admitted, letting his wings not only release all the tension, but lay limply as well. "Ever since Scar died, he hasn't been acting like himself. He hasn't even been at his base..."

"I hear that the dead team have all set up a base in the old Halloween district." Mumbo recalled. "Are you sure that they just haven't gotten too excited over it all?" Admittedly, it wasn't uncommon for inspiration to strike a Hermit so great that they lost track of time. It would capture them so greatly that they would only rest when their bodies gave out and as soon as they woke up, they were back at it again. That was true of the builders, redstoners, and everyone in between. (This, of course, was put an end to by concerned friends, but it had happened to everyone from time to time.)

"I... it just feels different this time..." Grian explained, unable to put into words his this was different. It was a bad feeling that was growing in him.

Iskall kneeled on the opposite side of Mumbo, placing a hand on Grian's shoulder. "It'll be alright, G... I think they're just getting into character is all."

"I don't know..." Grian only hummed, laying his head down in the nest of blankets instead of looking at his friends again.

"How about this then," Iskall began, shifting his position into sitting cross-legged. "After you're all nice and pruned we go pay them all a visit. We'll ask them directly."

"If they don't kill us first." Mumbo smiled. Such a suggestion made Grian flinch, and Iskall's giant dragon head to quickly look over at him. The spoon may have not been able to see his glare, but sure could feel it. "Er-- hug! Hug us first!" He tried to repair the situation. 

Iskall immediately facepalmed. Grian only sighed, giving a soft (but very clearly nervous) laugh. "Right..." He tried to force an awkward smile to try and prevent his friend from spiraling. The thought of confronting them made him feel incredibly nervous, but he tried to breathe through it. When his friends told him that he was overreacting, they were nearly always right. But although he tried to tell himself that, it didn't help dispel the anxiety that had taken root within him. 

✧⃫⃥⃞ ✰⃫⃥⃞ ✧⃫⃥⃞ 

With freshly groomed feathers and the softest of sweaters for emotional support, Grian slipped through the portal and into the Halloween District. The portal hissed behind him as he got his bearings, spitting out the two other Architects behind him. The angel hadn't been to the swamp in nearly a year, but the floating grey mansion that stood before them definitely had not been there before. "There it is..." He mumbled, looking up at it. He could tell that it wasn't fully constructed by the lack of detail and missing east side, but it was enough to even further make him feel sick. 

"Just think of it like a clubhouse." Mumbo gave him a grin, gently taking his hand. "Nothing more."

"Right." Iskall assured, patting his back between the space of his wings. "They're just are a bit over excited is all." And so, taking a deep breath, Grian let his friends lead him to to the floating, haunted building even though each flap of his wings brought more fear in his heart. 

Upon landing on the front steps, the mansion seemed so much monstrous both in terms of size and features. The front doors had been left wide open, leading to a eerily-lit hallway. With a red carpet having been rolled right down the center and some forced perspective, Grian couldn't help but feel as though it was a gaping open mouth waiting to swallow the three of them whole. It sent a little more than a shiver down the angel's back.

"Woah, that's pretty cool." Iskall said despite this. Grian could tell that he was just trying to stir Grian's builder side. He walked up to the door, placing a hand on the stone directly behind it on the interior wall. "I wonder which one of them built this." 

"It... is pretty cool," Grian swallowed, trying to appreciate the way they used darker blocks as they got deeper into the tunnel. That was giving the illusion of much more depth. He wished that he could say his friend's comment worked more than it actually had. He waited until his two friends progressed inwards before he could manage to follow behind them. He found himself looking around at the hall, trying to study the design to try and distract himself. It was awfully quiet, adding to the spooky atmosphere. 

"Is anyone home?" Mumbo called. He was met with no response as they got to the end of the hall. The other two glanced at him before looking away again. It sure would have been nice to get a response, but it seemed as though it wouldn't be that easy. Now, they were met with a choice: go left or right. 

"Which way do you think we should we go?" Grian asked, looking both ways. 

The left way seemed much shorter than the other, so Iskall took a tentative step towards the right. "This way." He decided, the other two nodding in agreement. He began to lead the group ahead, but that was when his foot sunk deeper than it should have in the mixed cobblestone flooring, sounding a click. "Trap!" he yelled, his body already in the process of leaping off of the pressure plate. Adrenaline taking over, all three of them flung themselves at the ground into a barrel roll to get as much distance between them and the growing hissing sound. Covering his head, Grian may not have seen the massive chain of explosions, but he sure felt it. In the initial blast, he felt the totem wrapped around his neck fracture and break, fading from existence. In the following seconds, Iskall's body collided with both him and Mumbo's, pushing them back in the midst of the blast. The force was so rough that they nearly had been thrown at the end of this new hall. 

It was a few more moments before Grian could get his bearings. Now his entire body was covered in bruises and a light stinging feeling coursed through him. His head was spinning as he sat himself up. "Ow..." He mumbled, rubbing his head. 

"Is everyone alright?" Mumbo asked, sitting upright a few moments following. With a nod from his bestie, he looked over at Iskall. "You took the brunt of the blast, Iskall..."

"You're telling me..." The man mumbled jokingly, slowly sitting upright as he grasped his shoulder. "Honestly, I'm not really sure how I didn't die. I'm not even wearing a helmet!"

"Well, you kind of are." Mumbo chuckled to himself as he took out a healing potion from his inventory and popped the cork. "Just... you know, a giant dragon head." He took a swig before offering it to Iskall, who did the same.

"Oh, ha ha." Was the reply after the swallow, the sound of an eye roll evident. 

"But what about you, G?" Mumbo asked. The blonde hadn't responded to his question, and that made him frown in worry. One look at the man would confirm his suspicion, Grian staring at the ground. 

"Are... you guys really sure about this?" He mumbled, slowly looking up at his two friends. "What if we just end up dying before we even see any of them? And-- and what if they really are... you know... infected, or--" But that's when Mumbo gently grabbed his hands, moving them so that Grian held the potion in both hands, Mumbo encasing those hands in his own. 

"It's going to be okay, G." His voice was ever so gentle, ever so caring. "We'll find them soon and clear this all up. You'll see." 

"R...right..." Grian nodded slightly, looking down at the potion. He was still unsure, but he knew that he needed to trust in his friends. He squeezed the bottle, prompting Mumbo to let go and let him drink the rest. He tossed the empty bottle to the side as he felt the bruises vanish from his skin as if they were a dream. 

"We'll be more careful from here on out." Iskall assured as he got to his feet. And so, the trio began their walk in the way opposite to the explosion. At the end of that hall was a ladder. Iskall looked at his two friends before going up first, followed by Mumbo and finally Grian. "Hey, this reminds me of that golfing expedition we had! You made me go up first then too." He laughed, making light of the heavy atmosphere. 

"I was just in formal golfing attire is all. And it only happened one time!" Mumbo playfully rolled his eyes. Why did this have to keep coming up, anyway? But regardless, as his friends were distracted by laughing, he decided to divert the conversation by calling out for the Grey Skins again. 

When Iskall got to the top of the ladder, he was greeted with yet more hallways, this time with a few doors about every ten blocks. "This place really is a maze..." he sighed as he moved to the side, allowing the other two to get up. 

"It sure is, isn't it?" A voice asked behind them all. Standing there with his arms behind his back was an older man with a pale blue skin with blue eyes that glowed in the dimly lit hall.

"Cub!" Grian exclaimed, recognizing the partially Vexified man. He hadn't seen him like that since his watching days. That alone put an even more sinking feeling in his chest and  subconsciously his breath grew shallow. "What-- why do you look like that?"

"Look like what?" He asked, tilting his head as a smirk slowly bloomed on his pale lips. He seemed to discard the thought, choosing to let out a soft chuckle. "Don't you know that it's dangerous around these parts? One small step and--" He twirled his pointer finger around in a circle, causing a swirl of blue magic to form around it like a mini tornado. He stopped, quickly snapping his fingers so that it made a small explosion like a firework. "Get it?"