Light washed over Bdubs face in a flash, half-starling him awake, like someone had thrown open the curtains or shined a light in his face to get him up. There was lots of movement and talking outside, getting him to wake up a little better, and very quickly, he realized one thing.

Keralis and he were cuddling.

And someone was opening the tent slowly.

In a panic, he shot up, pushing Keralis off of himself which woke him up too. His heart was pounding a little bit from the sudden rush, and his eyes still felt heavy, but he was more focused on who was opening their tent to pay much attention to those things.

"Bubbles wha's..."

"Oh, you two are awake!" Tin said in surprise. "Sounded dead asleep in there. Everything alright?"

"Yep-" Bdubs said, voice raspy and cracked. He needed some water. "Just woke up."

"Oh how long were we asleep for?" Keralis asked softly, voice not having caught up to him yet. Bdubs's mouth went dry hearing it. Now he really needed some water.

"Give or take 5 hours I'd recon." TFC said. "I didn't quite look at my watch when you two retired for the night- well, early morning, but it's time to pack up now. We gotta get back to the school before midnight and we're already running a little behind the school's schedule.."

"Mkay." Keralis said for both of them while Bdubs just nodded, finally finding his water bottle in the mess of stuff they had spread around.

Drinking it like a dying man in the desert had him spilling droplets down his chin and onto his sleeping bag and his chest, but he didn't really care. They had to clean up and get up, but it was just him and Keralis in the tent, and Bdubs wanted to try talking. The night had been hectic, and it felt like they had so much to talk about, but his words weren't working, and Keralis was already moving to get up.

In a panic, he reached forwards and grabbed Keralis's wrist, stopping him from opening the tent again to leave.

"Bubbles?" Keralis whispered, "Are you ok?"

"Yes just uhm-" Bdubs sucked in a breath. The water had helped, but it was too early to find all of his voice yet. "We're- I mean- like with last night-"

"Ooh what did we do last night~, Bubbles?"

"No, not like that!" Bdubs said quickly, going red in the face.

"I tease! I tease!" Keralis giggled. "I think the others are waiting on us, so let's get ready, and then we can talk, yes?"

"Yeah, ok." Bdubs breathed out, letting go of Keralis's hand, a little embarrassed.

"Sweetface, I'm not sure what you are thinking. Right now that is." Keralis started slowly, gulping a little. He reached out to where Bdubs hand was still hovering, and grabbed it gently, threading their fingers together and squeezing softly. "But uh- it was nice. Other than you getting hurt of course. How is that by the way?"

"It's better." Bdubs said, blush spreading down when he looked at their hands. "Almost ignorable." He smiled shyly and looked back up at Keralis. "And uh, really? We're all good?"

"Better than, from my perspective."

"Me too, ok, yeah." Bdubs laughed, and Keralis only smiled at him, pulling his hand away, before unzipping the tent and leaving with his clothes to get changed. They were ok.

Bdubs watched him go and sighed contently, something warm and fuzzy in his chest as he soaked in the feeling of everything being ok. Everything being better than ok.

Unfortunately, he still had to get up too. With how he was feeling- warm, but still kinda fuzzy and groggy too- he was tempted to just wear his pjs on the bus.

----

Loading supplies into the bus was a little bittersweet. Lots of hermits were ready to go, whether from homesickness or exhaustion, but the time spent here was still mostly all good times. Scar agreed. It was time to say goodbye to the camp, and loading up tents and bags into the side panels only solidified that, being another step closer to home, and another step away from a place of fun memories.

False and Ren got the cooler, balancing boxes of unused food supplies on top of it before they each grabbed one side of it to carry it over near the bus. They set it down carefully so neither of them would squish their fingers, and then fistbumped, smirking at some other hermits struggling to carry packed up tents together or other small boxes by themselves.

With everyone working together, and with most of everything already packed neatly from the punished hermits task, everything was packed up fairly quickly. TFC was triple checking the sight, and Xisuma was doing a very thorough head count, and there were only a few more things that needed to be finished before they could get on the road.

It was all relatively peaceful in these last moments, and hermits were just trying to take in their surroundings for the last time. Bdubs was sitting on the park bench, and was taking the last of his photos of hermits running around or posing in front of him so he could be sure he got at least 1 photo of everyone.

And then, out of nowhere, there were unknown kids running through camp, screaming and laughing as they chased each other through the forest. One of them had a green hoodie, half-blending in with the vibrant forest and was the quietest as he sprinted forwards through camp, narrowly avoiding stray personal bags and snack boxes meant for the trip back. He jumped over a small pile of bags all clumped together with incredible slow-motion-in-an action-movie speed. Bdubs accidentally clicked his camera button, and then did it on purpose so he could catch the whole scene and look back on it to make sure he wasn't dreaming all of this.

"OH DREAAAMMM~!" One of them yelled manically, and even though their clout goggles hid their eyes, their wide smile gave their expression away easily. Ok cool. There was a psychopath running through the woods. That seemed fitting.

"DREAMY BOY~!" Another added, a fire to his eyes as he leapt ahead of the first boy, a wooden stick sword in his hands that he raised to the air. Neither cared about the scene they were making to the people they were running past- nearly knocking over people as they bounded through groups of hermits, until the 4th person ran through as well.

"We're so so sorry!" One in a black hoodie called out to the Hermits who were staring in shock. "Sorry!" He ran through where the fire once was with bare feet and skipped over the rocks around the pit, trying to catch up with the other 3 that had ran.

TFC's eyes went wide. He hadn't yet poured water on the fire, letting it die out on its own first, and so it was incredibly hot still with ashes holding in the heat of the final embers... Being barefoot and wearing shorts, the kid didn't seem to mind the fire in the slightest even though it looked like it should've burned him instantly stepping on it like that.

"Come'on Bad! Keep up!" A kid in a blue hoodie with a camera yelled. "It's hard enough to record everyone as is, stop separating yourselves!"

"I'm trying Geppy!" The kid protested, nearly on the other side of the camp. The first 3 people were already long gone into the forest, on the same trail the hermits had previously explored.

"You too Ant!" The blue one yelled, motioning to the last one holding a stick-sword as they ran.

A boy with a mocha colored hoodie and cat ears was catching up too. "I'm trying!"

The Blue one- Geppy was it?- ran past the cat boy to keep up with the only polite one, but there seemed to be another following soon after anyhow.

"Yeah! You got this babe!" What was hopefully the last one of them in a red, cake patterned hoodie cheered, also holding a camera up on his shoulder.

​​

The hermits stared in shock and wonder until the cake-kid had disappeared into the forest. The whole thing had only lasted a minute, but everyone had stopped to watch in confusion (and mild horror with the fire) and now it was silent.

Xisuma sighed, and turned around like he didn't care. "Not even the weirdest thing on this trip. Jevin?" He continued to roll-call for at least the 3rd time.

"Here!" Jevin called out from somewhere. "Again."

Laughing broke out among a few, and others nodded in agreement and continued on with what they were doing.

----

"Ok," TFC clicked his tongue. "Bdubs, you're going to get on the bus first so it's not chaotic and you don't knock your foot at all. Is there anyone willing to help him?"

Keralis was tired, and also half way across camp, so he didn't hear anything or volunteer. Etho was closest to Bdubs, and Bdubs looked up at him with a half smile, silently asking for help.

"Uh- I can?" Etho offered meekly.

"Good choice! You get to pick your seat first now." TFC laughed. "You kids and your hierarchy about seats. Everyone knows the front is the best so you can get off first."

A few people protested lightly, and others just laughed. Etho stepped closer to Bdubs's side, and helped him stand up, supporting his weak side where his bad foot was hovering above the ground. Bdubs had to limp and hobble over, even with Etho's help, and most of the hermits were kind enough not to stare as he finally got to the bus doors. It felt like a marathon in itself, and he was very ready to not have to stand for another few hours.

"And Keralis, you can head on next." TFC said.

Keralis, hearing his name, grabbed up his stuff and went over to the bus next, standing by the entrance to wait his turn.

Etho went on first, so he could walk backward and help Bdubs if he needed help hopping up the stairs, and Bdubs used the railing on one side, and Etho's hand in front of him to get up it.

"So uh- I'll just sit..." Etho started, looking around the seats to pick one.

"Sit next to me." Bdubs said with a smile.

"I thought you were going to sit next to Keralis?" Etho asked.

"You're my friend too." Bdubs said, titling his head. "Keralis won't mind, and we've been hanging out the whole time anyways."

"If you're sure..." Etho said, unsure himself.

Bdubs grabbed his wrist and tugged him down and next to him. Etho startled, but fell into his seat easily, and Bdubs only smiled at him. It was obvious Etho still felt a little guilty, and Bdubs was having none of it. He had more than made up for any mistakes, and it was group stupidity that led to everything, it wasn't just Etho's fault!

Keralis got on next, and waved to Bdubs before choosing to sit in the front, so he could sit next to Xisuma who had to sit near the front as Student Leader of the trip.

Bdubs waved back enthusiastically, unable to hide the smile that almost had him giggling like a kid with a crush. Oh right, he kinda was a kid with a crush! But it was secret, so he only smiled wide, and then looked to Etho to prove 'See! Keralis doesn't mind!' silently, before he sat fully back down. Etho shook his head fondly, waving off the silent gesture, but it was clear he was more relaxed about it too.

TFC sat in the driver's seat, looking back at Bdubs in the back, who shot a thumbs up to say he was all ready. Keralis did the same, and TFC gestured to someone outside of the bus.

Then Xisuma sat next to Keralis, taking a clipboard out of his bag before putting it at his feet, and the flood of hermits began. When Joe got on, he took the clipboard from X with a nod, preparing to take roll call instead so the exhausted leader could take a break. Joe sat a few seats down, where Cleo was by the window, waving him over.

Mumbo walked onto the bus, looking frankly like a complete mess. There were small pieces of moss in his hair, his eye bags were deep and dark, and his clothes were stained and wrinkled, buttons undone.

But his stance, however droopy, had an air of confidence to it that TFC knew wasn't there before. He had a small smile, and a glint in his eyes that showed a new sense of liveliness. Mumbo was happy.

"I think I'm tired now." Mumbo told TFC, blinking slowly.

"Rest well kid. I'll try to drive steadily." TFC nodded to him.

Mumbo hummed a sleepy thanks, so informal, and TFC felt a little proud about it. Yeah, this trip had changed Mumbo a little, in a good way. He sat across the aisle from Scar and Grian, put his bag against the window as padding for the metal, leaned against it, and closed his eyes. It wasn't the most comfortable, but he was tired, really tired, and it was enough. The other hermits gave him space so he could rest.

Hermits filed in, and a few of them made an effort to sit with someone they hadn't before, or someone they hadn't talked much with on the trip so they could spend the ride talking about what they did. Everyone was friendly, and plenty of hermits who were curious about the rumors of the night trip encouraged those who got in trouble for it to sit next to them so they could hear all of the details.

Doc and Ren stayed together, partly because they both wanted to sit in the back and sleep, and partly because they maybe wanted to hold hands with their new feelings coming to the light. They slid behind Bdubs's seat once again, and Beef and Zed were across the aisle, next to them.

It was loud as everyone got onto the bus, but Bdubs had been weirdly quiet next to Etho, simply staring out of the window. Etho couldn't tell what he was looking at, especially when everyone had gotten into the bus. Normally Bdubs would start conversation between them, but he wasn't now, and Etho felt incredibly awkward, not sure how to phrase the words on the tip of his tongue. He just had to spit it out.

"Are you sure," Etho started, and Bdubs looked at him, and the words nearly died in his throat. "....that you aren't mad at us?" He asked in a whisper, half-pleading with Bdubs for a sincere answer.

"I am sure." Bdubs said like he had already made it so clear. "It was all of our faults, together." He laughed. "The nHo's idiocy!"

"With Etho, Beef and Double-o." Doc recited like clockwork. They were all in close enough proximity to hear the joke and laugh about it.

"Yeah, the nHo forever." Beef agreed. "My bet is on Doc getting the next major injury between us four."

"Why's that?" Bdubs chuckled.

"He's alway testing the limits of what he can do." Beef explained. "It's gonna get him killed!"

"I think it's gonna be Bdubs again." Etho said. And Bdubs smiled, knowing Etho had finally really relaxed. But then frowned over dramatically for the show of it.

"hEY! Why's that!?" He exclaimed.

"You're gonna try to reach something too high and it's gonna backfire."

"I'm average height for our age!" Bdubs pouted. "It's all of you guys who are too tall!"

They all laughed, and everything felt normal again. They were just 4 dumb highschoolers, best friends, who were gonna be the deaths' of each other.

It only took a few minutes for everyone to be seated and for TFC to get out again and check that the storage systems were secure, and then Joe took roll call, standing up so he could see nearly everyone.

"Scar?" Joe called out.

Scar raised his hand quickly, and shot it back down before Joe could even see it.

"Here!" He croaked out.

Joe had to look behind himself to see Scar. "Ah, a little behind me, didn't see you there." He didn't comment on how weird it was that Scar was clutching his bag like it was a liferaft, or that even though most larger bags were put in the side of the bus, Scar was being extra sure he kept his with him. Some hermits were just weird like that.

After Joe had taken roll call, Grian looked at Scar and his bag with a close eye.

"Why are you being so weird about your bag?" He asked. "You've been weird this whole trip. Are you sick?"

"Weird? I'm not being weird." Scar said, shifting a little so it was even close to him. "I'm not sick either."

"You're hugging it. Why don't you put it at your feet or in the storage compartment?"

"I just have a snack here I want for the trip." Scar lied poorly, and Grian knew it.

"Scar, show me what you have."

"Its nothing-"

"Did you smuggle a plant?"

"Not uh- exactly."

"Are you pranking someone?"

"No-"

"Is it a surprise for someone?"

"Uh-"

Grian was getting closer and closer, and Scar was hugging his bag tighter and tighter, until..

"Meow."

"Scar.....what was that sound?"

"M-my uh- stuffed animal!" Scar lied more. "It- uh- meows when squeezed. I can't sleep without it! Yeah. I was embarrassed so I hid it."

"That didn't sound like a toy." Grian pressed, squinting at Scar. "Show me what's in your bag."

"It's really not a big deal!" Scar protested.

"Scar."

They were at a standoff, with Scar still looking incredibly suspicious as he held his bag, and Grian trying to push him to confess with only a look.

"....Ok, fine." Scar gave in with a breath, loosening his grip on his backpack slightly. "But you have to keep quiet! And tell no one. Especially not Xisuma." He stressed.

Grian nodded once, slightly more serious because of Scar's tone. Scar wasn't the most subtle guy, and he strained to look over the seats, and then behind Grian to make sure Mumbo was closing his eyes as he tried to fall asleep still, before he was sure no attention was on them. It only piqued Grian's interest as Scar shifted towards the window a little more to move his bag in a way where he didn't have to hold it as much and could undo the zipper with one hand. Scar opened his bag very slowly, just enough so Grian could see her sweet little face. Jellie looked up at them with adorable dilated reflective eyes.

"You didn't..." Grian gasped in awe.

"I did." Scar confirmed, his voice low.

"This whole time?" Grian whispered quickly. "How?!"

"I have no freaking clue dude." Scar laughed nervously. "I have no idea how I kept her a secret. So many hermits have nearly caught me."

"Dumb luck." Grian answered. "Nothing but sheer, dumb luck. Does anyone else know?"

"Cub." Scar admitted. "He's the only one."

"You are the luckiest man in the world. You may also be in the running for the most idiodic."

"I know."

"And X-I-suma never found out?" Grian questioned.

"I think he's too frazzled to notice G." Scar chuckled. "Poor man workin' to the bone. Don't you dare tell him though!"

"You have to show her off when we leave the bus. Just walk out like she hasn't been a secret this whole time." Grian grinned. "It'll be so funny."

 "But I'll get in trouble!"

"Who's gonna tell huh? Xisuma? Tin?" Grian reasoned. "Mr. Chef will find it funny, and Xisuma will be too surprised to do anything!"

Scar thought it over. "If I get in trouble- if he tries to write me up or tell my parents- it's your fault too then! You have to take some of the blame."

"Deal." Grian smiled. "I'll convince him to let it slide. It'll be so funny, Scar."

Jellie looked up at them, seemingly uninterested, and curled back up at the bottom to sleep. Grian and Scar both cooed quietly, and Scar reached in to scratch behind her ear. Yeah, seeing her walk off the bus with him and freaking out Xisuma would be pretty funny.

---

After a full all nighter and swimming in the lake, it was a miracle Ren and Doc were even awake enough to get onto the bus before they passed out. They stayed awake long enough for Joe to call for them in attendance, and looked at each other, smiled, and leaned back, ready to sleep.

Ren was out first, softly snoring with his arms softly draped over himself in peace. He could have chosen to lean against the window he was next to, but he just stayed leaning back, like he didn't mind how he swayed.

Doc blinked an eye to look at him, and breathed out contently. They were hip to hip on the small seat, even though there was enough room to have space between them, and when the bus bumped on the gravel roads, Ren fell onto Doc's shoulder, still asleep.

Doc was too tired to have his usual gay panic about it, so he just smiled slightly, closing his eyes again and letting sleep take him away to dreamland as well. He leaned slightly towards Ren so they would balance better, and everything finally felt calm between them.

---

"Well," Etho sighed contently and leaned back into the seat. "That was probably the best and worst camping trip of my life." He said, leaning back into the seat as they finally got off the rocky gravel path they had been on for some time.

"Yeah," Bdubs chuckled, slightly avoiding eye contact. He looked out of the window wistfully, and parted his lips to breathe through them carefully. Normally, Etho would normally notice a subtlety like that, but his eyes were drawn forwards, trying to catch any shenanigans of anyone ahead of them.

Weirdly, Grian was being quiet from wherever he was and not causing any chaos, and the whole bus felt a little calmer than the ride out had been. Probably because everyone was exhausted in a good way and ready to go home, and not excited going into the trip like they were before.

Etho did, however, notice the odd silence after, where he had expected Bdubs to continue talking.

"Your foot still hurting?" Etho asked, wondering if that was the reason for the quietness.

"Huh? Oh not badly anymore, the brace is a little itchy though." Bdubs shrugged. "I'll probably have to get it checked at home though."

Etho hummed, not really getting the answer to the real question he wanted to know.

"Did you get photos of everyone?" Etho asked to break the silence again. This time it worked better.

"Uh yeah! You can see them, but you have to promise not to delete any. Not even the ones of you." Bdubs ordered.

"Hey don't I get to choose for those?" Etho countered. "They're of me."

"Ok then you don't have to see." Bdubs said stubbornly.

Etho rolled his eyes. "Fine, I wont delete the ugly photos of me that you took without my permission."

"Great!" Bdubs smiled, ignoring Etho's tone. He got the camera out from the bag at his feet and took it out of the protective case, handing it to Etho gently, and clicked the power button for him.

"Rotate this thingy-" He twisted the dial at the top. "-to move between photos." Bdubs instructed. Etho probably knew how to use this camera, or could probably figure it out quickly if he didn't, but Bdubs still wanted to be sure he didn't screw anything up or delete any of his wonderful pictures.

After a few seconds of Etho getting the hang of it and shuffling through the first few, Bdubs leaned back to stare back out the window. So many thoughts were running through his head, especially about Keralis, and he just wanted some time to let them sort themselves out while he relaxed for a while. It was uncharacteristic of him, but the silence was nice every once in a while, and the author could blame it on not getting enough sleep.

"Wow, you're good at this Bdubs." Etho said quietly as he looked through the impressive variety of photos. They were all high quality, or had high quality ones buried in bursts of photos to be sorted through later.

"I know." Bdubs smiled.

---

Stress yawned, and took a very slow blink. Now that she was finally sitting down on something more comfortable than the old wooden benches of the Camp or the logs by the fire, she was starting to relax in a way that made it really hard to stay awake.

"What was I.." She mumbled, trying to keep her eyes open as she slightly swayed. The hum of the bus felt like a lullaby. "What was I doin' all this for again?"

"You only told me bets were on the line." Iskall reminded her. "And that you wanted me to help you stay awake."

"Uh huh..." Stress said, letting her eyes close a little more before Iskall-MAN nudged her awake and she clumsily shot back up. "What bets?" She asked him.

"Just an IOU, for both me and False." Cleo chided, leaning over Joe to smile at Stress from across the row. "And by the way, we have at least two more hours on the bus. Two long, slow hours of you staying awake to win little more than bragging rights."

Stress frowned, and thought it over. The way that Cleo described it sounded awfully manipulative, but she also couldn't argue that it was tempting to give in. "Ok, not worth it, I give in."

Iskall looked at her, "You sure? I can distract you if that helps?"

"I think I'd rather call it a day, luv. Fanks though." Stress yawned again. "Probably healthier ta, too."

"Good choice, good choice." False said from the seat in front of them. She looked a little confident and cocky, but Stress didn't care anymore, and let her eyes fall shut as she sunk more comfortably into her seat. It wasn't an ideal napping place, but even just closing her eyes felt so much better, and she knew she was making the right decision. Iskall let her lean on their shoulder to be more comfortable, and they just enjoyed each other's presence in silence. She fell asleep very quickly. False handed Iskall her jacket to drape over Stress as a pseudo-blanket.

False and Cleo were both happy they won, but silently agreed with a look that they wouldn't rub in their victory until after Stress had gotten a full night's rest in a real bed. Then the teasing could begin.

---

"Hey Bdubs?" Etho started, scrolling back and forth between a few photos. It looked like he got to the end of the roll.

"Yeah?"

"Do you really only have one picture of Keralis? And it's a group photo too, with them all holding ferns and plants. You guys were stuck together the whole time." Etho said, confused. "Did I scroll through them wrong, or do you really not have any others?"

Obviously, Etho didn't scroll through the camera wrong, and Bdubs was actually surprised he had kept track of something like that at all. Etho was Bdubs's friend, and as much as he wanted to maybe keep it all a secret, he knew it wouldn't stay a secret forever, and he'd rather tell Etho than have him find out later some other way. So Bdubs made a decision.

"Uh, I actually got a few more of him." He laughed nervously, still unsure if he should wait longer before telling Etho. He avoided eye contact, but he could tell Etho was staring intently now, very curious as Bdubs slowly pulled out his phone. He opened it up with the password Etho already knew, because it really wasn't a use to hide things that like from him, the more you tried to hide it, the more he would find out on his own. Bdubs trusted him- to an extent anyways- with his password.

Without looking at the screen too much, he handed over the phone, letting Etho curiously look at it, and then back up at Bdubs, before he clicked the photos icon.

This was it.

There was a photo of Keralis and Bdubs laughing on the beach of the lake at night, grinning madly with glowing green flora lighting up their faces, and the dark forest behind them almost pitch black.

Another photo, a different angle, with horrid lighting as they looked more like silowets than anything, but the shine in their eyes was still clear.

Another, an angle half way, so you could see their faces and the sight behind them.

And another, with the waterfall and the glowing lake, dotted with glowing moss and flowers galore.

Etho gasped, swapping through the photos quickly to make sure it was real. It didn't look photoshopped, and Bdubs wasn't that good at photoshop anyways.

Bdubs looked up at Etho with wide eyes. Etho looked down at him in a mix of surprise and awe, and his mask moved, showing he was about to speak. Bdubs quickly shot his finger to hip lips silently, begging Etho to keep quiet about it.

"You saw it?" Etho asked in an awed whisper, referencing the glowing lake. That was the reason they had adventured out in the first place, but they never actually made it that far in their panic to find Bdubs and Keralis.

"The pictures don't even compare." Bdubs answered with a low voice.

Etho looked behind him subtly to make sure no one was listening. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Bdubs shrugged. "Don't know."

"Are you gonna tell them eventually?" He pressed.

"Maybe?"

Etho furrowed his brow, not getting very good answers. He smiled under his mask as a good question came up. He hadn't looked through all of the photos himself yet, but he wanted the answer to this first.

"Which photo is your favorite?"

Bdubs barely had to think about it, taking the phone gently and quickly swiping to the right one. He knew exactly where it was in his camera roll, even though none of the photos were stored or marked how he usually liked them yet, because he had basically memorized it last night when he kept coming back to it in his sleepy scrolling.

He stopped on it and took an intentional breath before handing it back to Etho.

"This one."

Etho took it carefully, trying to read Bdubs's face before he looked at it. His expression was more steeled off than normal, like he was trying to hide his feelings... something he never did. Etho was intrigued more than anything.

It was a picture of Keralis absolutely glowing with a smile. He was glancing to the side, completely unaware of the photo that was being taken. By pure magic, the photo wasn't blurry and the glowing flora didn't make Keralis look like a pitch black silhouette, and it instead illuminated the area around him.

Clearly, Bdubs didn't just like the photo for the quality though. Or even the magical scenery for that matter. Keralis looked so purely happy, with his face lit up literally and figuratively from the sight in front of him. His eyes were wide, in awe, completely mesmerized and oblivious to the photo being taken.

Etho looked back at Bdubs, who's hardened expression was crumbling as he looked to the side in anticipated embarrassment. Etho saved him from the internal struggle, handing his phone back with a casual smile. He knew.

"Cool."

---

"I never had a chance to ask," Beef started, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't wake Doc sleeping soundly only a few feet away. "Why did you and Tango and Impulse go out in the forest in the first place? You said something about vials? What was that about?"

Zed looked up at him and grinned. "I wanted a sample from the lake at night." Zed said. "I got one during the hike, but I wanted to know if night and day had any differences!"

"What kind of differences would there be?" Beef questioned. "It's just water."

"It's what's in the water, Beef!" Zed said, bending down to start digging through his bag. He pulled out a vial filled up with water. "In the ocean, zooplankton, basically super tiny animals, swim to the surface at night to eat, and I want to know if there's anything like that around here. Maybe not, but it can't hurt to check!"

"Woah," Beef marveled. "That's like- so cool! That sounds like a college level assignment!"

"Gotta get an early start on my PhD." Zed winked. "I want the title of mad scientist as soon as I can get it!"

Beef smiled along with him. "Well good luck on that." He nudged him with his elbow. "Here you are researching zoo-whatever-you-said, and I'm just little 'ol me, making playing cards in my free time."

"You are anything but little." Zed laughed, punching him in the arm lightly and looking up to emphasize his height. "And trading cards are like- so cool! My art skills could never compete!"

"Aw thank you." Beef blushed.

"Too bad my experiment was a dud." Zed sighed. "Didn't get many samples during the day, nothing at night, and the water didn't even glow like the rumor said it would, so I can't observe anything really interesting."

"Can I see?" Beef asked, looking at the vial.

"Go ahead." Zed handed it over gently, as it was still glass (it was honestly a miracle it hadn't broken so far) and Beef peered through the water. It looked pretty normal, save some random particles and some weird fuzzy looking stuff in clumps floating at the top, but that was probably just because it was gross (or interesting, in Zedaph's opinion) lake water.

"See? Nothing cool." Zed said.

"Mind if I..." Beef started, trailing off as he more firmly gripped the vial. Zed did say things could glow right? It was hard to see glowing if it was light out. Before Zed could say anything, he shook it as hard as he could and then cupped what he could in his hands.

"Help me make it dark." He said, and Zed finally understood, smiling in excitement as he used his hands over Beef's to cover the rest of it thoroughly. Beef looked through it first and smiled in excitement.

"What?" Zed asked hopefully. "What's that face?"

"See for yourself Mr. PhD-in-highschool."

"That would be Dr. PhD to you!" Zed quipped, before he looked through it next, and gasped in awe. It was subtle, but the floating things in the water were glowing.

"Oh my void." Zedaph whispered.

"Can I tag along with your PhD and get one too?" Beef joked. "Tag along for discovering this?"

"How did you know that would work?" Zed marveled. "And if that's allowed then yes, absolutely. If not, I'll write you into my book when I'm famous."

"I dunno! I just saw it on a documentary I think!" Beef answered. "And I better be famous too if this ends up curing cancer or something!"

Zed smiled, and looked at the water again, with a whole new perspective.

He held out his hand to shake on it. "Deal." Beef shook it with an equally large smile.

"You better get started on your thesis."

---

"I'm just saying! The vibes of the camp were pretty cottagecore!" Impulse argued. "That's Gem's whole thing!"

"Her thing is also slaying. And murder." Pearl said. "She's not one dimensional, Impulse."

"I wasn't saying she was!" Impulse defended. "I was just saying cottagecore is her thing! Why didn't she get up to any wacky things in her element? I was so sure you were hinting something when you told me about the flowers." He muttered the last part.

"Well we got an IOU from you." Gem reminded him. "I'd say that's pretty wacky, those things are rare."

"They're rare because he doesn't need an IOU to help someone." Pearl said.

"Which just means the IOU can be taken even further than normal tasks!" Gem smiled. "Isn't that right, Impulse?"

"Awe, I was hoping you'd forget about that." Impulse frowned.

"A special IOU from our dear friend Impulse?" Pearl teased, "We'd never forget such a thing!"

"I'm surprised we didn't get up to anything either actually. It felt like a normal school camping trip to me." Gem said. "It was fun though."

"Probably better that you didn't join us-" Impulse chuckled. "All kinda a hassle, and we didn't even see the lake or the glowing flowers."

"Well you sure gave me a scare when I saw you at whatever in the morning and had to run to grab Xisuma."

"Sorry about that." Impulse said. "Thanks for running though. We were all so exhausted we couldn't run anymore."

Gem hummed and smiled.

"I'm just glad it all turned out alright." Pearl said. "Poor Bdubs and Keralis- it would've sucked more if it took a long time to find them somewhere."

"Yeah." Impulse breathed. "Yeah it was scary enough as it was."

"Well we've all learned our lesson about hiking in the woods at night." Gem giggled. "Whether first hand or secondhand experience needed."

They all laughed a bit, and the conversation felt a little lighter.

"Do you know what you're gonna use the IOU for yet?" Impulse asked to change the conversation. He tried to say it like his tone was miserable. (He wasn't miserable. As murderous as Gem was, she was also merciful. Neither her nor Pearl wouldn't cross his boundaries for any task she wanted done.)

Pearl and Gem looked at each from across the aisle just a beat too long, and Impulse was sure they were having a conversation with just their eyes.

"Nope!" Gem finally said.

"Not a clue." Pearl agreed after, just a little too happy about the statement.

Impulse didn't believe them for a second.

---

"Hey Bdubs- psst."

Bdubs lifted his head up, looking at Scar who was turned around on the seat in front of him. "What?"

"Can Grian borrow your camera?" He asked in a very loud whisper.

"Huh? Why?" Bdubs looked toward where Grian was and saw him very carefully hunched over Mumbo with 2 markers in his left hand and supposedly another he was using to draw in his right.

"We drew a moustache on Mumbo!" Scar giggled. "He's out like a light. Your photos are getting printed right? We want this moment solidified forever in ink."

"Yeah they are-...... fine." Bdubs agreed. "But be careful with it." He warned, handing it over. "If you break it you buy it."

Scar nodded, carefully grabbing the camera and looping the strap around their neck as a safety precaution. Bdubs just handed his prized camera to Scar, one of the known clumsiest people in the class. He instantly started to regret it.

"Hmmm. The mustache looks really fitting actually." Grian whispered when he was a safe distance away to talk again. He had been half holding his breath so the noise wouldn't wake Mumbo, and now he had to catch it again, breathing deeply to do so.

"You're right. He should let it grow out and style it like that."

"Ooh he should make it really long so he can pet it like a villain!" Scar said as the thought popped up.

"Pet it?" Grian cackled, failing a little at trying to keep quiet. "Like a villain??"

"You know!" Scar lifted his arms to defend his point. "Like how they do in the movies! The villains have swirly mustaches and they twirl them all evil-like!"

"Oh my void, Scar you're calling Mumbo a villain?" Cleo asked from the seat in front, having overheard the conversation.

"No I'm- you guys know what I'm saying!" Scar whined. "You know what I mean!"

"Actually Mumbo might be a villain. He wears a suit like one." Etho added with a nod.

"But don't villains have wacky costumes?" Bdubs asked. "Like the joker and stuff. Bright evil colors."

"He hasn't leveled up that much yet." Etho explained helpfully. "Gotta be an advanced villain for those."

"Maybe he's just a henchman then?" Joe said for a few seats up. He was now also turned around the same way Cleo was.

"So Mumbo's a low tier villain?" Cleo cackled. "That's what we've decided?"

"Well that's a bit rude!" Grian said. "Our Mumbo is smart enough to be a high tier villain if we just gave him the right costume!"

"And the right mustache," Scar added with a smile. "Just like we said."

"And maybe some confidence." Grian thought aloud. "He needs a bit of flair to be a super villain or no one will take him seriously."

"Awh now you guys are just making fun of him." Joe stifled a giggle. "Be nice to poor Mumbo, he's trying his best in the career path of villainy."

When the giggling died down, and Scar finally gave Grian the camera while he stayed seated with his bag, everyone went quiet so Grian could take the picture steadily before Mumbo woke up.

He snapped one photo, and the shutter was quiet enough that Mumbo didn't wake up, so he got another closer one, and one from a different angle, as he tested his luck. Everyone was waiting for him to slip up and wake Mumbo up, but he was surprisingly out like a light.

Well. Only for so long.

Grian clicked a button on the top, curious as to if it focused the image like some digital cameras did, and clicked the photo button before he could tell if it did anything. And it did something alright.

The flash went off brightly, and the shutter was louder, and Mumbo startled awake. Everyone froze.

"whA-" Mumbo woke up, dazed and confused. "What's going on-"

Grian dropped the camera lower so Mumbo wouldn't see as he rapidly blinked his eyes, trying to gain awareness.

"Oh shhh shhh Mumbo everything's fine you can go back to sleep." Grian cooed. "Nothing happened, someone just turned on a flashlight, you can keep sleeping."

Mumbo eased at the words, immediately calmer with the soft tone. He seemed pretty out of it, and still very exhausted, so he closed his eyes without a fight, hummed a little, and drifted off to sleep again pretty quickly.

Grian stepped back and sat back down before he breathed again. Everyone else was also holding their breaths in anticipation,- and so they wouldn't wake Mumbo again,- and when Grian breathed in before he spoke, everyone's attention was on him.

"I got it."

He lifted up the camera with the screen showing the last photo he took, a horrible photo of Mumbo half awake with drawings all over his face looking startled beyond his own comprehension. The flash made it brighter too, only adding to the comedy, and everyone snickered as quietly as they could (not that quietly) when they saw it.

It was perfect.

---

"You sleep alright my friend?" Xisuma asked, leaning back into the seat with an exhausted but content sigh. "I tried to keep the noise down around your tent, but I'm not sure if you still woke up."

"Oh I slept fabulously, Shashwam. I think Bdubs even cuddled me, but I can't really remember. Maybe it was just a sweet dream."

Xisuma hummed as if to say 'that's nice', but Keralis wasn't sure he was catching the subtle hints behind the words.

"Do you want to hear about the woods, sweetface?" Kerlais asked. "I know you are curious. You are just too polite to ask about it."

Xisuma chuckled, "You caught me. I am curious. Don't share more than you want to of course, and I won't tell the others if you cried."

"Cried?" Keralis gasped. "No no no, Shashwam! I was the knight in shining armor for Bubbles! Not a tear was shed!"

"Was it scary though?" Xisuma asked.

"Yes." Keralis admitted. "Our flashlight lost battery, and Bubbles was hurt, and the woods were very scary. Not at all like the nature hike."

"Your flashlight died? How did you get out of there?" Xisuma turned towards Keralis, paying even more attention.

"Blindly going forwards, only traces of the moon to guide us. Very romantic if you ask me~"

Xisuma laughed. "Of course you can find the beauty of something like that."

Keralis beamed. "Only beautiful as I look back on it. Less beautiful in the moment."

"How did Bdubs get hurt anyways? I haven't had a chance to speak to him yet."

"We fell off the trail." Keralis started. "And I was very dizzy, and we dropped the flashlight and had to find it, and I can't exactly remember how he was hurt, but he couldn't move his foot. Ouchy was there. I had to help him limp. Carry him as much as I could."

"That sounds both thrilling and terrifying."

"Oh it was." Keralis nodded quickly. "My heart was beating so fast, and it was in sync with Bdubs as I held him. An adrenaline rush for many reasons." Keralis explained, trying to hint at things even more.

"Being scared and tired and exercise will all do that to you." Xisuma nodded, still not getting it. It seemed like the only way for Keralis to be clear about what he was subtly saying was to scream "I am gay and in love with Bubbles" from the rooftops. And Xisuma might still call that 'friendship'. The oblivious derp.

"How did you get out?" Xisuma asked next since Keralis had given him permission to be curious.

"Well we found the trail again, and used the moonlight to see where we were going enough. We went very slow, and Bdubs leaned on my side the whole time. It was warmer that way also. Although my face didn't need any warming."

"Ah yes, I remember that being an uphill climb." Xisuma said confidently, agreeing like there was no hidden conversation Keralis was trying to get him to understand.

"Oh Shashwam," Keralis shook his head fondly, "Never change Shashwam. Never change."

Xisuma was confused.

---

"Ok ok ok, broadsword or rapier?" Gem asked excitedly to her seat partner.

"I gotta go with the broadsword." Wels decided. "It's more traditional, and in general I like flatter blades; they have more power behind each swing, and are easier to block attacks with," He explained his reasoning. "You?"

"I prefer the rapier, or just thin swords in general." She said. It's easier to move the rest of your body with them, and the battle is more of a game of stamina and movement than heavy hitting hits. You have to make more hits, but it doesn't matter as much when you miss one or two."

"That's a good point." Wels agreed. "I was fighting my brother- he thinks he's so cool because he dyed his blade and his hair black-" He rolled his eyes. "And I missed 1 hit and he took a cheap swing at my shoulder! The asshole."

"You should try to fight him with a thinner sword and see how he does." Gem said. "I can give you a few tips before you fight. See how he fights with one of those."

"Yeah that could be fun!" Wels smiled. "I know there's a fencing event soon, you in that?"

"Yep!" Gem grinned. "I've already won most of my matches, and I have enough points to enter in the tournament. You gonna join?"

"Ha, I've been slacking a little with initiating duals." Wels chuckled nervously. "The heavier swords freak people out more, even though they're dulled and we have rules and armor, so I haven't found many.... Any people to spare with."

"I can't say I'll be much of a challenge with a broadsword, but I'd be willing to spar!" Gem offered. "But then I got a match with a fencing sword in return. I'll teach you after you teach me."

"Sounds like an-" Wels laughed. "Like an honorable deal, uh- fair lady!" He tried a little awkwardly, but they were both laughing from it.

Gem giggled. "Deal, peculiar knight." She held out her hand, trying not to laugh too much. "We will spar at midnight in the courtyard."

"We can't take the big swords of the room, and it closes at 8pm.

"We shall fight after class in the fencing room!" She declared again, and they shook on it honorably, both laughing and smiling.

---

"Honestly the adventure gave me so many ideas for my video game." Tango rambled to his seat partner, someone he had barely gotten to talk to the whole trip. "I mean like, the color scheme? The vibes? It's so perfect."

"Yeah?" Hypno encouraged. They had chosen to sit together because they were both curious about the other group of hermits during the trip, and most of their other friends had paired up already. After talking about the midnight adventure and the lake respectively, they had gotten into a conversation about a shared interest: video games.

"You're working on a video game, right?" Hypno asked

"Uh huh!" Tango grinned "It's a treasure hunter dungeon sort of game. You can try it out if you want!"

"Yeah that'd be sick dude!" Hypno agreed. "You should make it a competition for our class." He suggested. "People would go nuts; You know how competitive they are."

"Huh- actually yeah!" Tango agreed enthusiastically after a moment. "That could be really fun! The winner would only get bragging rights, but like, personal bets could be made if people wanted to amp up the competition."

"You know they would!"

"I won't give you any hints for coming up with that." Tango chuckled. "But I'll let you test run it first if you want?"

"Deal!" Hypno grinned. He held out his hand, and Tango shook it like he was selling his soul. Or maybe Hypno was. He was selling his soul to the dungeon, and to countless hours lost to Tango's passion project. "This sounds so cool."

"Thanks!" Tango beamed proudly. "It's taken me forever, but I think it'll turn out pretty cool."

"For sure."

---

"The birch trees we saw were so pretty." Gem said. "The part of the forest with them on the trail was probably my favorite hike."

"Ooh I agree!" Xisuma said, turning around in his seat so he could talk with them. "I got some lovely photos of them while we were there. I'm thinking about painting any of the photos that look nice enough."

"Oh you'll have to show me the photo's back at the school!" Gem grinned, "I didn't take enough; Kept forgetting to. Show me any paintings you make too!"

"I can't promise they'll be any good, but I'll show you." Xisuma smiled sheepishly. "Iskall got mad at me for loving the birch." Xisuma chuckled. "They said it looks too much like diorite, which looks too much like bird poop."

"Well they have no taste!" Gem said. "We might be the only birch lovers here."

"The birch buddies!" Xisuma smiled.

"The birch buddies! Yes! That's such a cute name!"

"We should make a secret birch loving club." Xisuma joked. "Iskall can't know about it."

"Oh for sure!" Gem smiled. The birch appreciation club that Iskall can't go to unless they change their ways. Name is a work in progress."

They giggled together, making plans to paint together someday after school. They were tempted to keep putting pictures of birch and diorite in the classroom until Iskall noticed and decided they would ask the teacher if they could when they got back. It could be a whole class prank on the diorite-despising Swede, and the only issue would be getting everyone to keep a good secret! Maybe they would leave the gossipy hermits out of it.

"Our own secret Club." Xisuma beamed. "I'm sure Bdubs would join too. He seems to like diorite and marble buildings, he'd probably like birch too?"

"Oh for sure." Gem nodded. "We'd just have to make sure he could keep his mouth shut, or that everyone he blabs to can at least. Just enough to keep the secret away from Iskall."

"If Bubbles blabs to me, I'll keep it a secret." Keralis promised, butting into the conversation a little.

"And if he tells Etho, I can handle him." Gem said proudly.

Xisuma chuckled nervously. "Please no bloodshed in the classroom! I don't want to be responsible as the class leader."

"All murder and threats will be made off campus." Gem agreed. "Loopholes."

"Loopholes." Xisuma agreed. "The birch buddies bending rules!"

They both giggled, and lighty high-fived over the seats. Keralis and Wels, the two who had watched it all, laughed along at the silly idea. Everything was good, and just because one adventure was over, it didn't mean the fun had to end.

---

"Y'know, this trip kinda reminds me of this game I've been playing a lot lately." xB hummed, starting out of the window where trees were rushing by.

Jevin and xB weren't the most talkative hermits, and neither knew much about the hike more than rumors yet, so it had been mostly a peaceful ride between them so far. Neither minded, because the slightly quieter tone of the bus ride compared to the first one was nice, and the lofi beats TFC had put on were enough to keep them entertained or help them space out comfortably.

"Yeah?" Jevin asked. "Which one."

"Animal crossing."

"You can speedrun that game right?" Jevin thought aloud. "I might have to try it soon."

"What?" xB turned towards Jevin with a worried expression. "No you're supposed to enjoy it! It's a slow game!"

"Well then it'll be easy to get a world record." Jevin shrugged, trying to hide his smile that would give away the fact he was teasing xB. "It's like- getting you island to 5 stars has to be a speedrun right? Or getting to a certain task? That's how the game works right?"

"Well yeah you can get it to 5 stars-" xB started. "But that would take forever! You can't speedrun that."

"Well we all know you take your games one slow step at a time." Jevin teased, and he couldn't hold back a smile anymore. "Of course you'd say that."

"I can play games fast!"

Jevin just gave him a look that said "really?" and xB rolled his eyes.

"How about you take animal crossing slowly, like you're supposed to.." xB started. "And I'll speedrun a game with you. One of those two player ones. To prove I can speedrun, and you can actually enjoy animal crossing."

"Fine by me." Jevin said. "If you're all that you say you are, getting a record for fireboy and watergirl should be a breeze."

"This is the most cooperative competition I've been a part of." xB laughed. "But yeah. Deal."

"Awesome."

---

"You said Ren's gonna join us, right?" Cub asked, typing a list on his phone. "I want to make sure we have enough teammates to compete or if we still need to find two others. The pairing system is hit or miss."

"He said he would. He wants to compete, but only if he's on our team." False said. She looked out of the window where the forest had shifted into long grasslands, and watched the cows in the distance. It was quite a pretty view for such a long drive.

"We could use the optimism from him." Cub chuckled. "I don't know who they'll pair us with if we can't find someone, but it's always more fun with someone charismatic."

"Yeah, some of the teams are just so intense." False agreed. "I've won a few times, but I think winning doesn't matter as much as how fun it is. As competitive as I am."

"You and me both." Cub said. "I'll see if I can get that Hbomb guy to be our fourth person. He's a pretty good athlete and brings good vibes."

"And if we play the sand themed maze game, he can lead us through that easy peasy." False said. "This is gonna be so much fun."

"Should we call this trip a training session?" Cub joked. "I mean you took that extra hike at night. I think that counts as training."

"If I get extra credit in PE for blindly following Ren into the woods, I'll take it!" False said. "What a whole thing that was."

"As if you need extra credit." Cub punched her arm lightly. "You're literally the best in the class. I was hoping I would get extra credit."

"Oh you get plenty of that from the tournament." False said.

"How was the night hike anyhow?" Cub asked. "I was hoping the gossip would get to me eventually."

"It wasn't all that fun, because when we finally caught up with the group who had gone in ahead of us, they told us Keralis and Bdubs were lost, and everyone was sorta panic-y."

"Ah, yeah." Cub hummed. "Makes sense."

"I got to climb a tree though. It kinda sucked that it didn't help, and I chipped a nail, but for a few moments the thrill of it was cool."

"That's pretty impressive though, the tree's around here aren't made for climbing."

"Why thank you." False smiled. "Only proves we can win this tournament even more!"

"Yeah." Cub grinned. "You, me, Ren, and hopefully Hbomb. We'll be unstoppable."

They fistbumped and nodded, and continued talking about strategies and other events during the trip. They had nothing else to do for a few hours so it was a good time to plan for the MCC, (the Major Challenge Competition. Such a cool and creative name I know), and Cub wrote any extra details down so they could be efficient with their time when they had to talk about it with Ren. They still had to get matching jackets too, per usual. It wasn't even worth it to win if they didn't look the part.

---

"So there I was, running between trails alone, screaming for Bdubs and Keralis and waving the flashlight around. I knew I should've taken a partner, but I knew we were running out of time to find them before sunrise, and they could've hurt wherever they were. Well- more hurt than Bdubs was, when they were found."

"That was valiant of you," Joe said, taking notes. "And also idiotic."

"I know, but you know them, Joe."

"I do in fact."

"I'm glad they held their own, but if they were in a more dangerous situation it would've been bad."

"That is true." Joe agreed. He looked towards Cleo, and noticed a stick still in her hair. "You got a little-.."

Cleo frowned. "I thought I got them all out earlier." She sighed.

Joe leaned out and pulled the stick out. "If you don't mind, could I write a tale from your adventures?" He twisted the stick between his fingers. "I think I'd get an A on the next short story assignment if I could project your emotion and courage onto paper."

"Joe, you already have the highest grade in the class." Cleo roller her eyes. "But yeah, use it." She smiled. "Show me when it's done."

"Of course!" Joe beamed. "I feel like we could put something from this in the Hermiton herald!"

"And get in trouble when the teacher asks if it's true?" Cleo raised an eyebrow.

"Hm... how about a secret edition! We'll write the normal one with the normal activities, and then a secret edition with all of the intricate details of this chaotic camping trip for just our class. We pass them out during lunch so the teacher never sees, and if she does, we say we made it up."

"I can do that." Cleo said with a nod. "I might have to sneak around to get them printed without suspicion, but if we're only printing them for our class that should be fine."

"Well then, if we're writing a secret newspaper about this trip, it better be interesting." Joe said. "So about the hike through the woods, tell me what was most thrilling. For the emotion."

"I yelled at Doc."

"Ooh do tell."

---

"Soooooo....How are you gonna explain how you broke your foot- or sprained it or whatever- to your parents?" Etho asked Bdubs as they neared the school. The grasslands had turned into sparse houses, into closer houses, and now they were starting to recognize streets and buildings as they got closer to the end of the ride. To the end of the trip.

Bdubs moved his mouth to answer, before he actually processed the question and stopped. "...I haven't thought about that-"

Etho cackled. "Seriously! Your parents are sooo overprotective, Bdubs! If they heard you got lost in the woods and got hurt they'd never let you leave the house again!"

"Oh shit." Bdubs muttered. He whipped towards Etho. "What am I gonna tell them?!"

"Just lie."

"Etho, I'm so bad at lying!"

"Well you were keeping your whole lake thing a secret pretty well. Just make up a story and repeat it enough to yourself that you believe it!"

"Uh... what do I say? How does someone get hurt on a camping trip?" Bdubs asked frantically.

"Ok ok how about this." Etho said. "We were fishing with buckets on strings-because they might be weird about fish hooks-, and you got too close to the edge and the old part of the dock broke and you sprained your ankle. You were around people who helped you quickly, teachers were there or whatever will make them happy, and the dock was closed off. No rules were broken, nothing serious. Nothing exciting."

"Yeah- yeah that's a good story." Bdubs said.

"Ok, now repeat it again so you remember. You gotta believe it if you want them to believe it."

---

When the school was in sight, Xisuma nodded to Joe, non-verbally telling him he would take track of everyone. Joe stepped into the aisle to reach over and give Xisuma the clipboard back, and Xisuma started going down the list to familiarize himself with the order of hermits again. The bus ride had been a fairly peaceful one, and he was ready to take over again and make sure everyone was safe and accounted for before he got to go home himself and sleep in a real bed.

Tin rolled into the school bus parking lot, and the hermits cheered, all ready to go home in varying amounts. Many hermits started to wake their friends up, everyone silently nodding not to tell Mumbo about the marker on his face until he noticed for himself, and drowsy hermits seemed only half aware of the situation, but at least they had some time to wake up before they had to get off.

TFC parked, and as hermits started to move to get their belongings back into their arms or on their backs to move, Xisuma stood up at the front with a clipboard.

"Everyone will get off one at a time, and I will check you off at the entrance of the bus. Don't forget your backs, snacks, or any trash you have. Once I check you off, you're free to get your stuff from the side after we open it and go home.

Everyone listened to his instructions, getting off mostly in the order they were seated. Bdubs wanted to wait until everyone was off to get off himself, and Etho waited with him in case he needed help on the stairs again.

Xisuma stood outside of the bus, quickly checking off his hermits as he saw them leave the bus. He was staring at the clipboard, looking for Iskall's name off the list, before Grian came jumping out, looking suspiciously happy. Maybe he was just glad he could finally stretch his legs, or maybe it was something more mischievous. Xisuma tried not to worry about it, it was probably a prank on Mumbo or Doc (Both being sleeping hermits, also frequent victims of Grian's pranks) and went to check off his name. He felt grian standing there for an extra moment, but again, maybe he was just waiting for another hermit to get off.

Xisuma looked up just enough to see that Scar was next, and went to check off his name.. But something felt wrong.

"Xisuma, you have to check Jellie off too!" Scar said, holding up his precious kitty so he could she her from out of the bag. Xisuma paused, blinking rapidly as he whipped his head up to see the cat again, but Scar was already running away, and Grian was cackling next to him.

"Scar? SCAR? DID YOU BRING JELLIE ON THE TRIP?" Xisuma yelled in a panic. How had he not noticed? Was the entire class in on the secret? Grian cackled in the distance, and a few other hermits who noticed the commotion started to laugh or watch it go down with surprised looks, so Xisuma wasn't sure how many hermits were in on it. He was very confused, and was definitely going to talk to Scar about it later, but right now, he needed to check off more people leaving the bus because they had not even stopped walking out even in his panic. He needed to catch up with the list and keep track of the hermits now, and he would deal with Scar and Grian and their crazy antics later.

Xisuma was not caffeinated enough for this.

The rest of the hermits left the bus without anything crazier than Jellie being revealed, and when False and Cub had opened the side of the bus earlier it had been a little more organized with the slower flow of hermits leaving the bus.

Many hermits said bye to him before leaving, and he fondly watched others hug or high five each other goodbye. Keralis hugged Bdubs very tightly for a very long time, and Xisuma was almost worried that Bdubs would suffocate. He was very glad they were both safe now though, and didn't seem any more affected by the fright of being lost other than Bdubs's injury. One that TFC had assured both of them would heal pretty quickly given his assessment.

When the parking lot was nearly cleared out, and Xisuma had his own bags next to him, ready to drive himself home once he remembered where he parked his car, he turned to TFC for one final goodbye.

"Get some rest, kid. You've more than earned it." Tin chuckled, watching as the last of the hermits met up with parents or carpooled with friends to go home.

Xisuma looked at him, and then leaped forwards, hugging TFC tightly.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"For what?" Tin chuckled.

"For everything. Bdubs's injury, cooking food, insomniac Mumbo, being in charge, driving. For being there. Thank you."

"Anytime kiddo." Tin said, hugging him back tighter because Xisuma still hadn't let go yet. "Anytime."

---

Tinfoilchef smiled to himself, rolling his shoulders back and popping something in his spine before he stepped into the now-empty bus. He hummed to himself while he started up his my little pony soundtrack once again, and tapped on the wheel to the music.

He looked behind himself when the light turned red to make sure the seats were empty, and that he hadn't missed any sleeping hermit who had forgotten to get off. Mumbo had gotten off with some sort of drawn on moustache, and the kiddo's in the back had all gotten off right after Bdubs's shouting plans to hang out and sign his cast if he had to get one, or just draw on his leg if he didn't. Xisuma had nearly stumbled as he got off first, running his hands through his hair in fond exhaustion to calm himself down, before all of that calmness went out of the window when Grian and Scar had run past him with a cat in their arms and screaming giggles and shock from the masses. Stress had gotten off sleepily with Iskall's help, with Cleo and False high fiving in triumph behind her, still helping her carry her bags and unload her stuff anyways as she tiredly cursed vengeance on them. Everyone was tired, happy, and ready to go home and sleep in real beds again. This would be an adventure they wouldn't forget.

With a deep chuckle from his chest, TFC nodded his head to the beat of the music- another my little pony song that played automatically-, and smiled.

"That was the most chaotic camping trip I've ever witnessed."

--

Made with love and respect to TinFoilChef and Jellie. May they both rest in peace, and may their memories live on forever in the hearts of all those who cared about them. They won't be forgotten. <3

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(11325 words above the line!)

I had like- a whole speech in my head when I was editing the last bits of this yesterday. And I'm about to post it, and it's all gone! I guess I'll keep it short and sweet. 

Thank you.

 For the comments, for the patience of this long overdue chapter, and for the motivation you guys gave me so I could finish this. I'm kinda proud of myself for not giving it up, even if i put it off for months and wasn't able to draw all of the photos mentioned in the story like I planned to. Maybe I will someday, but I'm not gonna pressure myself to do it now. The last chapter of this book will have any fan art that anyone makes and wants to be included. I might include some redraws of my own, or those photos if I ever get to them. I'm listening to Equestria girls: Legend of Everfree, right now. and it feels fitting for the end of this. 

Explore nature, make friends, get some sleep, take care of yourself, and enjoy life. love you all to pieces, and I hope you have a lovely day or night. (BUT IF ITS NIGHT! GO TO SLEEP!! NO HIKING IN THE WOODS AT NIGHT!)

Also! We have a discord server if you wanna join! The link will be in the comments, and it expires in a week, so comment and ask for a new one or DM me if you're reading this after a week and want a link!

Bye! <3