A Grim Bond 7 (Patreon)

A Grim Bond 7 - or ‘The Grim Adventures turns into Broken Tales’ (Grim Tales from Below, OC!Brother to Mandy)

I didn’t expect this sort of invitation. I expected Mandy to draw us to her castle to play the ‘home card’ advantage, but being invited to a family gathering in Halloween Town. The place was recognized as one of the safest zones in the Underworld but…

I wasn’t truly feeling safe in being in the Underworld to begin with.

It was far too close to where HIM’s lair was, and I didn’t plan to poke the nest like this unless necessary. And considering the little slight of ‘stealing his daughter’, this may entice some retaliation the moment he realized we were there.

Common sense dictated rejecting this invite, but Mandy had personally penned the letter as I could attest that some sentences were dry but somewhat subtle threats to the eventuality of me saying no. I think she had predicted this to be the most likely outcome and had created ramifications to prevent me from refusing her ‘kind invitation’.

I wasn’t that fazed by the chance of pissing her off- I had told her ‘no’ many times in the past, even before the one breaking point that split us for good, but I was less worried about my relationship with her and… extremely concerned for the kids. Mimi, Minnie and also Grim Jr. as the boy seems to have had it rough for coming to be seen as a bit of a ‘runt’ by others.

He was the awkward kid and someone that didn’t find any mercy in his own home. I was curious to see how he was faring, plus I had to check on Minnie’s condition now that she was back home after… well, running away from home with someone like Mandy as her mother.

I expected a punishment, I knew it was going to be harsh or… maybe not. Maybe Mandy was going to keep a tense approach around me. She knows I can be trouble to her if I wanted and within the circumstance of me being in the right… this would end poorly for her.

It was a tedious game of chess. And I don’t like chess at all!

Still, I had some clothes readied for the occasion. Mimi understood that we weren’t going to find anything too fancy and that it would have been the kind of ‘sober formality’ needed for that sort of gathering.

Despite that, I took some time to shave some of my beard off. It was a bit unkempt and it looked bad on me. Considering how swift that would grow back up, I didn’t worry about it taking too long to fill up if I needed to be back to being a simple bearded uncle of the jovial kind.

Once the day came, we were given instructions to wait outside the flat, by the street, and wait for a carriage to pick us up. If the plan was for it to appear inconspicuous, then it failed massively. It was one of those old-styled carriages with skulls and other grim elements that really drew to a gothic style mixed with pure cemetery energy.

It had AC turned on inside much to my surprise and the trip was brief as the carriage was fueled by magic. It opened a wormhole and safely took us through to the underworld and into the main road leading to Halloween Town.

I remember Grim bringing that one up in the past. His brother was something of a ‘Pumpkin King’ that had been trying to reach out for Christmas and Santa to learn more of those two elements.

And Santa was… a subject I had the unfortunate chance of meeting in the past. Odd big guy with a strange speech pattern that revolved around his standard ‘Ho Ho Ho’ as his main method of communication.

Odd digression, but it was kind of a way to distract myself while Mimi sat on my lap. It was less about distrusting the vehicle and more about trying to keep around me the most and… the fact she wanted Jeff to have a proper seat rather than be crawling on the upper section of the carriage during the ride.

Smart cookie, but I told her that she didn’t have to socialize if she didn’t want to. I preferred that she kept around me for this first visit considering the outreaching circumstances that made us both nervous so… yeah, I wasn’t planning to do much for this visit actually.

I wasn’t really sure of what Mandy may be plotting- it’s been ages since I had been facing her mindset and my habit of deciphering her intentions had long faded between detachment and her growing to be far more vicious than anything I had been predicting for her growth.

Still, the carriage soon stopped as it reached its destination and parked on a spot for as long as we needed to get out. Once we stepped out of it, the carriage rushed away from sight and-

“Uncle dearest!”

Curious politeness, but I smiled at the approaching blonde. Minnie looked quite happy with her unique gray mantle over a dark shirt and red legwear which ended with a pair of black shoes.

“Hello Minnie. You look quite pretty.”

“Thank you truly, Uncle Arthur.”

I raised a confused brow. “It’s Uncle Artie.”

She looked a bit flustered.

“I-it would be improper for me to-”

“I am not a stranger, kid. It’s alright to be a bit loose on the politeness around me. Got it?”

She pursued her lips into a tiny smile. “Okay, Uncle Artie.”

“Good and… I think an introduction or two are needed here. Mimi, this is Minnie. She is my niece through my sister, Mandy.”

The devil girl nodded silently and waved her right claw at the blonde.

“Nice to meet you, Minnie and… Uncle?”

“Yes?” I replied curiously.

“Is Mimi… our cousin?” The girl inquired. “I don’t wish to sound too disrespectful but-”

“Yes,” Mimi calmly cut on the questioning, drawing our attention. She had her claw carefully grasping my left hand and she nodded. “Dad.”

“Oh, that’s nice to know. Then, I shall make sure you and I will be the best of cousins, Mimi.”

The horned girl tilted her head to the side in a display of perplexity, but slowly nodded as Jeff used this chance to introduce himself. As the trio chatted, I turned my attention to the one individual that had skirted away from approaching us.

The boy noticed instantly my attention as his eyeless glance was one of ‘awkwardness’. I walked towards him and I saw his posture tense up. Wearing a blue hoodie and black pants as a single brown lock of hair manifested from his skeletal scalp, Grim Junior appeared to be a mere kid of the grim reaper kind.

He didn’t step away or anything, but he didn’t speak as I carefully knelt before him.

“And you are Junior. I heard a few things about you.”

“B-Bad things?” He asked shyly, deflating even more.

“No. I was told you like… skateboards?”

He raised a confused look and then appeared surprised when I shifted a school bag I had been carrying with me and gave it to him. Junior kept a frown on his face as he accepted the bag, noticing the weight from its content and, as he checked on it, he gasped in surprise at what he fished out.

“This board- it’s so cool!”

“Well, when Minnie ended up in my care, I bought her some new clothes as a gift and… something to help her since she forgot her luggage. So, rather than favor my niece, I decided to give you, my nephew, a gift too.”

Hugging the board, the little reaper appeared less nervous and more curious.

“Are-Are you real my uncle?” He asked bluntly, then jumping and shaking his head. “I-I mean, you don’t look like mom, sir.”

“Trust me, kid. Your mother is unique in the family. Heck our parents were utter morons.”

“Oh. Really?”

“Let’s just say that your mother was quite bossy around them and they were spineless on all occasions.”

“A-Ah.”

“Still, I can tell you are holding yourself well. You play the trumpet, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s been a while since I used it so…”

“It’s alright,” I assured kindly. “I was just trying to make some conversation. There’s no need to worry for some test from me.”

“O-Oh, I… Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, you are doing fine.”

He offered a tense smile. “Understood, sir.”

“Uncle Artie, please.”

He nodded. “Uncle Artie, then.”

After those brief introductions, we made it to the large manor which was owned by the ‘King’ himself. Jack Skellington was not the same individual as Grim. Jovial, less-driven by a need to be a Grim Reaper and more of a prankster in the light shade of the term.

He was busy talking with Grim and Mandy when we approached, and after the kids were given directions on what was being served by ‘Uncle Jack’, it was just me, Grim and Mandy. Again.

“I am surprised that you tamed the bastard’s daughter.”

“More like sperm-donor,” I replied to Mandy’s comment.

“She… seems stable. Her energy is calmer to the way she manifested it last time I looked at her,” Grim noticed and brought up.

“I am not sure why myself. I only know she is able to have a clearer mind and better control over her instincts,” I remarked curtly, keeping back my own assumptions on the topic as…

I really had no reason to be so chatty with these two.

“And HIM did not make any attempt to retrieve her?” Mandy pressed on and I shook my head.

“He did not. But I doubt he will, considering what happened last time he got a bit too close to my comfort.”

No push from there. Mandy appeared quite ‘controlled’ around me. She merely nodded and dropped the topic. I had a feeling this was the beginning of something serious- I knew she wasn’t trying to fish for forgiveness, so I restrained from offering any opening for her to exploit.

That brief chat had me quite vigilant for the duration of the event, and I found myself sitting by my ‘prepared seat’ together with Mimi. The girl had a plate filled with various snacks that were common in the underworld, while I focused on some breadsticks and water.

I wasn’t there to get drunk- not when I had to keep an eye on kids. And while some may think that Jeff was a good substitute, I still didn’t trust the safety of this place due to Mandy.

Things started to get complicated when the ‘dancing’ started. I am not sure who started this tradition, but Halloween Town was a bit of a ‘Musical-tier environment’ which included some singing and dancing. Mostly dancing much to my growing chagrin.

Jack took Minnie for a dance and they both showed off incredible skills despite the height’s difference. Jack’s zombie wife, Sally, tried to do the same with Junior but… Junior was clearly not in the mood and definitely unfit for classic dancing.

What he pulled next, much to Mimi’s surprise and instant applause was him going through a series of elaborate twisting and turning that would have made him the ‘GOAT’ at some disco floors, but definitely not there where the music was not compatible with the style.

The worst part was his attempt to overshoot it, and it got bad when Junior’s last flip ended up being a mess that led him twirling towards a bowl with some pink brew in it. I couldn’t exactly rush him in time on my own but… I could spare the kid some trouble by one of my abilities.

Holding a hand over my mouth, I whispered quietly. “｢Grave Mistake: The World｣.”

Time froze instantly, the noise of a clock slowing down to pure stillness reaching my ears as ｢Grave Mistake｣ rushed to the panicking reaper as he looked ready to slip and fall mere moments after the time stop. Ten seconds was all I could use without straining my heart, and while I couldn’t personally move, my Stand sure could.

Carefully altering the boy’s posture, the momentum carrying him back to the table was ended and, as the time stop ended, Junior blinked in surprise as he found his feet had actually stopped his close encounter with some brunch.

He got some meek applauses that, while not as strong as those Minnie got, were still enough to soothe his brief bout of jealousy. His sister had told me that the boy had grown a bit resentful towards her due to how much care she was getting due to her status as a ‘prodigy’.

The sad reality of things was that she actually cared for her brother and didn’t want this to be a competition. But it was easier to say and think than showing, especially with how many eyes were purposely aimed at Minnie to keep up with the expectations.

Despite that, however, the event had a major development I would have loved to live without.

“Can I have this dance… brother?”

Mandy’s request was a bit out of the blue. After all, one thing that I know of Mandy is that she didn’t like to dance. She once tried to learn, but it always got to her nerves and she never truly learned.

A joke? Was she trying to do something to cause a fight?

I still was put in a position to not refuse. So… I sighed.

“Sure, Mandy.”

Despite my early expectation, Mandy proved to be far more agile than I had predicted. The pacing was even perfect considering her previous hatred for the topic and… it was a rather tense situation despite how pleasant it all may sound to the minds of the many around.

Those that knew our history as siblings knew this was not a reconciliation- far from it.

There was no word spared, only dancing. It’s been a while since I really danced with someone and… It took me a lot out of me to just keep my guard up. It’s my sister after all, and Mandy is not someone that offers dances out of the blue to apologize.

Nope.

But, as the silence grew a bit too loud for the two of us… I felt her head lean and press against my chest, the dance continuing despite that and-

“I missed you.”

Quiet, subtly so, Mandy’s whisper left me with a flat frown.

It was a genuine response, this much I could tell, but it was nothing of what I wanted to hear from her. It was saddening, really, but she didn’t get it. And I doubted she was going to get it after so many decades of nothing done on that front.

As the dance ended, I felt Mandy expecting something from me. Words. But I was mute through what ensued until it was time to leave. By the time we were leaving, she had this odd look on her face. Upset, but holding back- barely. It was an odd ‘upset’ at that. It wasn’t the vicious and angry Mandy that sought to demolish those that scorned her.

I wasn’t sure what it was all about but… then that thought vanished for the day as I would learn that Mandy wasn’t around the other guests to leave just yet as she had learned that one of the ‘troublemakers’ in town had tried to kidnap Junior, failing as Minnie had been around him when that happened, and had decided to pay a beating to the bastard.

The explosion coming from one of the most distant places in Halloween Town confirmed her target had been brutally neutralized.

We left in a hurry to make it back home, with Mimi ready to fall asleep as Jeff told me she had fun playing with the other kids in town, Junior and Minnie. But, for now, it was time for the little girl to catch a nice good nap before it was time for dinner.

Days of peace for us were, after all, still far.

—--------d-d-d-d—-----

AN

Next time… Minnie and Junior try to learn more about what happened to split their uncle from their mother and what sort of ‘wacky’ adventure their Uncle Artie went through.

And no, no dismemberment happened to poor Minnie.