Chapter Text
[COMM RECORD: P#003]
[COMM: SCANNING FOR PLAYERS.
[WARNING: DO NOT SWITCH OFF COMM WHILE SCAN IS IN PROGRESS]
[SCANNING 500 BLOCK RADIUS…
SCAN COMPLETE]
[SCAN DETAILS:
>> PLAYERS FOUND: 1]
[COMM: SYSTEM SETTINGS
>> AUDIO RECORDS
>> AUTOMATIC RECORDING
>> TURN ON AUTOMATIC RECORDING: YES
>> RECORDING ACTIVATION: WHEN VOICES HEARD]
[COMM: POWERING DOWN]
[COMM: POWERING UP]
[COMM: AUDIO DETECTION ON, SYSTEM RECORDING, RECORDING START]
UNKNOWN USER: Pearl?
PEARL: Gem! Over here!
[COMM: AUTOMATIC VOICE MATCHING…
PLAYER FOUND: GEMINITAY ]
GEM: Oh my goodness, I thought I was the only one here!
PEARL: No, no! There’s loads of folks.
GEM: Really? Who?
PEARL: Uhhh… I have no clue.
GEM: Where are we? I was trying to get into Hermitcraft and…
PEARL: Again, no idea.
GEM: Oh!
PEARL: Sorry. There’s, like, five other people ‘round the place, apparently.
GEM: Other hermits?
PEARL: I hope so.
GEM: You’re a mess.
PEARL: Ah, am I? I haven’t exactly looked in a mirror for a while.
GEM: You’re all muddy and exhausted!
PEARL: So no difference, then, right?
[laughter]
GEM: I’m glad I found you!
PEARL: I’ll have you know I found you.
GEM: Sure, sure, believe that.
[footsteps] [leaves crunching]
PEARL: Has anyone called you?
GEM: Wh—no? My comm’s all dead.
PEARL: Huh.
GEM: Have—did someone call you?
PEARL: What? Oh, uh, no, no.
GEM: Okay, then.
PEARL: Oh yeah, my comm’s totally—
[screeching]
GEM: Oh goodness! What was that?
PEARL: Maybe a parrot? We’re near a jungle, I think?
GEM: There’s no way that’s what you think a parrot sounds like.
PEARL: Spend enough time around ‘em, don’t I?
GEM: That doesn’t really count.
[screeching] [leaves rustling]
PEARL: Y’know. We should get outta here.
GEM: Uhuh.
[footsteps] [gravel crunching]
[breathing]
PEARL: Have y’seen anything weird so far? Like, aside from whatever that was?
GEM: Nope—
[screeching]
PEARL: Oh, gosh!
GEM: What is that?
PEARL: I don’t wanna find out!
[footsteps running]
[leaves crunching]
[heavy thud]
PEARL: My comm!
GEM: Leave it, leave it! Let’s go!
PEARL: But—
[screeching]
GEM: Come on!
[footsteps fade]
[soft thud]
[gravel crunching]
[tapping]
[trill] [chirp]
[wind blows] [soft thud]
[silence]
[COMM: AUDIO DETECTION OFF, RECORDING END]
[COMM: POWERING DOWN]
---
[COMM RECORD: J#001]
[COMM: SYSTEM RECORDING, RECORDING START]
ETHO: This… is kind of dumb.
CLEO: I’ll agree with you, there.
SCAR: No, come on, it’s nice!
JOE: Wow, y’all really are like a family.
CLEO: Shut up.
ETHO: Shu—what she said.
BDUBS: We may not be a real family, but it was fun.
ETHO: I’ll be happy if you never call me ‘dad’ again.
CLEO: Uhuh. Yeah.
BDUBS: Don’t worry, I’m not into tha—
JOE: I’m recordin’!
BDUBS: SERIOUSLY?
CLEO: Oh, give me strength.
SCAR: Oho! A Joe Hills recording, and I get to be in it?
JOE: You certainly do, my friend.
ETHO: What are we even doing out here?
JOE: Stargazin’.
ETHO: You—this is worse than I thought.
[footsteps]
MUMBO: Hello? Sorry I’m late, it is genuinely impossible to navigate like this.
SCAR: Well good evening, my good sir—
CLEO: Don’t do that.
JOE: Howdy!
MUMBO: Why are we here, exactly?
ETHO: Stargazing.
MUMBO: Wh—I—What?
CLEO: Yep.
JOE: It’s a nice night! As I’m led to believe.
MUMBO: Okay, sure.
SCAR: B, you okay, man?
BDUBS: Huh? Oh, yeah.
SCAR: You’re weirdly quiet.
BDUBS: I can be quiet when I want to.
CLEO: I think we’ll agree to disagree on that one.
BDUBS: HEY.
CLEO: Case in point.
BDUBS: I’m just not used to staying up so late, is all.
ETHO: You can’t see what time it is.
BDUBS: I can feel it, in my MIND’S EYE.
ETHO: Do you have a mind?
JOE: Y’all, you’re kinda defeatin’ the purpose of the stargazin’ thing.
MUMBO: I still don’t think I understand.
CLEO: Let’s all be quiet for five minutes, okay?
ETHO: Sure. Is this meant to be relaxing?
JOE: Yes indeed.
[silence]
[insects chirping, distant]
ETHO: Oh, jeez.
BDUBS: ETHO! You ruined the moment!
ETHO: Ah, that’s not good.
CLEO: What is it?
ETHO: Um, moon weird, two. Moon… weirder?
BDUBS: Oh no. No.
ETHO: The, uh, line’s got bigger.
MUMBO: Bigger?
ETHO: Wider? There’s more.
CLEO: Why couldn’t somebody helpful get the gift of sight?
ETHO: Hey, I’d like to see you try.
CLEO: So would I.
ETHO: I’ll have you know it’s very difficult to describe things.
CLEO: That is the worst excuse I’ve ever heard.
BDUBS: Hey, can we stop—
JOE: Okayyy, alright, hah, seems like things aren’t goin’ great right now.
SCAR: Oh, are you signing off?
JOE: Uhuh.
ETHO: Why’d you even start recording?
CLEO: Focus on the moon, oh my god.
JOE: Hah, sorry about them.
MUMBO: I’ve always wondered. Who are you talking to?
CLEO: Himself—no, seriously, Etho, can you be more specific?
BDUBS: Or don’t. Please don’t—
JOE: Yeah, this was Joe Hills, um, from Nashville, Tennessee... keep adventuring… unless the moon gets weird! Bye.
[COMM: RECORDING END]
[COMM: POWERING DOWN]
---
[COMM RECORD: X#005]
[COMM: RECORDING IN PROGRESS, DO NOT SWITCH COMM OFF]
[COMM: THIS RECORDING IS PROTECTED BY THE ATSC. THE CONTENTS OF THIS RECORD ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND CLASSIFIED. DO NOT SHARE THE CONTENTS OF THIS RECORD]
[COMM: RECORD TAKEN AT 7.24 AM, DATE GIVEN, WEATHER CONDITIONS: SUN, HUMIDITY: NORMAL, AIR PRESSURE: NORMAL, TEMPERATURE: 16 CELSIUS, STATE OF CAPTIVE: HEART RATE ACCELERATED]
[COMM: PROCEED WITH CAUTION]
MUMBO: You wanted to see me?
[silence]
MUMBO: Alright, I don’t have time for this.
[silence]
GRIAN: I shouldn’t have told you.
MUMBO: You’re speaking today, then.
GRIAN: They said it had to be a secret. They were right.
[silence]
GRIAN: They’re never right.
MUMBO: Are you going to talk in riddles all day, or can we have a conversation?
GRIAN: I just want some company.
MUMBO: You don’t really seem like you want me here.
GRIAN: Of course I do, you—we’re best friends.
MUMBO: Right.
GRIAN: Aren’t we?
MUMBO: Yes.
[silence]
MUMBO: What do you want to talk about?
GRIAN: Is it a nice day outside?
MUMBO: Perfectly sunny.
GRIAN: Good, good.
MUMBO: You… called me here to talk about the weather?
GRIAN: How is everyone? Are they okay?
MUMBO: Uh… mostly.
GRIAN: How’s Pearl? I haven’t heard from her in ages.
MUMBO: She still won’t talk to me.
GRIAN: Neither would I. But how is she? Is she good?
MUMBO: She seems fine.
GRIAN: Great!
[silence]
MUMBO: Um, most of them don’t… want to visit. You can’t hold it against them—please don’t. They’re actually—they’re trying their best.
GRIAN: Seeing makes it real. I get it.
MUMBO: If there was another way—
GRIAN: I don’t wanna talk about that. Boring stuff, I mean.
MUMBO: Oh. Okay.
GRIAN: Is—how’s Cub?
MUMBO: Fine.
GRIAN: Does he want any—
MUMBO: He found some feathers. He’s fine.
GRIAN: Any new builds I should know about? Come on, I love this stuff. You know me.
MUMBO: Everyone’s… stopped.
GRIAN: Oh well isn’t that a shame! Tell ‘em to buck their ideas up and get on with it.
MUMBO: Um.
GRIAN: No point keeping the server alive if no one’s gonna use it. Buncha ungrateful—sorry, that’s so rude. I don’t mean it.
MUMBO: I’ll suggest it to the others.
GRIAN: Oh, mind you, you better keep me updated. Maybe you can take pictures. I wanna see everything they’re doing. Is my—is my base still out there?
[silence]
GRIAN: Ah, no, you didn’t take it down, did you? It wasn’t finished!
MUMBO: NO! No, it’s still there.
GRIAN: That’s nice. And how’s X? Living, I hope?
MUMBO: He’s… taking a bit longer to come ‘round to all of this.
GRIAN: Aw, he cares!
[silence] [crackling]
MUMBO: Scar informed me about what happened, yesterday.
GRIAN: I don’t wanna talk about it.
MUMBO: He’s very upset.
GRIAN: Hey, I have an itch, could you—
MUMBO: Stop it. You know I can’t touch.
GRIAN: Worth a try.
MUMBO: I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to get me killed.
GRIAN: You’d respawn.
MUMBO: Not the point!
[laughter]
GRIAN: I missed you.
MUMBO: I know.
[silence] [crackling]
MUMBO: Earlier, when you said it… ‘had to be a secret’. What did you mean?
GRIAN: Well, I mean, y’know, if I hadn’t told you what I am, we wouldn’t be here.
MUMBO: No, we wouldn’t.
GRIAN: Kinda one of life’s regrets, right?
MUMBO: I’m glad you did tell me. Not—not because of this. I’m just really glad you trusted me with that information.
GRIAN: Yeah, my mistake.
[silence]
MUMBO: I should get going.
GRIAN: I’ll be here. Don’t forget to visit. Please.
MUMBO: I’ll try.
[footsteps]
GRIAN: Wait!
MUMBO: Yes?
GRIAN: Tell Scar I—I’m sorry for being mean. But I’m not sorry for what I said.
MUMBO: That’s not really an apology.
GRIAN: Neither of you deserve one, so…
MUMBO: I’ll let him know.
[footsteps]
[COMM: LIFE SIGNALS UNDETECTED]
[COMM: WEATHER CONDITIONS: SUN, HUMIDITY: NORMAL, AIR PRESSURE: NORMAL, TEMPERATURE: 29 CELSIUS, STATE OF CAPTIVE: DOCILE]
[COMM: RECORDING COMPLETE, RECORDING END]
[COMM: POWERING DOWN]