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“Remind me again who designed this thing?” Lance grumbles, a blanket wrapped tight around him and Aaron, Hamletta asleep on the couch next to them.

“Arthur Nexo,” Clay answers, not looking up from the Knight’s Code as he sits on the floor, resting his head against Macy’s legs as she sits on the couch. “He designed it to use the heat that results from the internal mechanics to help heat the main rooms rather then use more energy to heat.”

“For the last time, this thing is a glorified RV,” Macy says, gesturing around at the currently dark Fortex, “It’s not meant to have that many extension cords plugged in.”

Lance works on applying a face mask as he says, “Blame Ava for her Merlok 2.0 set up, I keep tripping over those cords…”

“I think your streaming setup did it,” Aaron teases, glancing up from his game at him, “Pretty sure Monstrox could see all those lights.”

“Still cold,” Axl counters, reaching over to pet Hamletta as Macy stole a piece of popcorn from the bowl in his lap, tossing it into her mouth with surprising accuracy. 

Clay glances up as he turns the page. “The system needs time to reset, hopefully we’ll be back online by tomorrow.”

“This is fun though,” Macy admits, “Seriously, when’s the last time we did something like this?”

“Probably when we got hit with that crazy snowstorm a few years ago,” Aaron says with a laugh and a grin

Lance huffs and rolls his eyes. “I still can’t believe you had the gall to bring those snowballs inside!”

“Hey, I was just spreading winter cheer!” Aaron teases, grabbing a cucumber and taking a bite before Lance can put it on his eyes. 

“More like the flu,” Axl grumbles, tossing a bit of popcorn at him and making the ginger laugh. 

Macy groans. “Ugh, I swear I was sick for a week after! I got my dad’s crappy immune system.”

“Fight like your mother, get sick like your dad,” Aaron says with a grin as Lance leans back against him. “That checks out.”

“Language,” Clay warns Macy, smiling slightly in the dim emergency lights

Macy nudges him with her foot, just enough to get his attention. “Booooo,” she groans

He glances up at her. “Someone has to keep order around here.”

“Sounds like someone needs to get in on this blanket action,” Aaron counters with a smirk, loosening the blanket wrapped around him and Lance, making the blonde groan and try to pull it back into place.

“Quit stealing it!” Lance protests, “I’m freezing!”

Aaron laughs and struggles harder. “It’s called sharing, Richmond! Besides, this is my blanket!”

“Oh yeah?” Lance counters, “Then why am I wrapped in it?”

“You’re warm,” Axl points out simply

Aaron steals another of Lance’s cucumbers and smirks at the disgruntled look on his face. “He’s not wrong.”

Lance just huffs and dramatically crosses his arms. “I hate you all.”

“You really don’t,” Macy promises as she pulls Clay up onto the couch with the rest of them.

“Guys, I run cold,” Clay points out, careful to maneuver his stone arm away since it tend to suck out the warmth of anything it touches. Useful in the summer, not so useful on an unreasonably cold night.

Axl just shrugs as he adjusts slightly, careful not to spill the popcorn, letting Macy pull the blanket so it covers a bit more of Clay.

“That’s not an excuse,” Macy points out with a grin, “You’re team leader, and this is team bonding.”

Clay rolls his eyes but smiles slightly. “Says who?”

“Says me,” Macy counters

The brunette sighs as Aaron tosses some popcorn at him. “No being a downer during team cuddles!” he says with a grin

“And you people wonder why your fans are crazy,” Lance says, then yelps as Clay reaches over and grazes the skin of his neck with his stone hand.

Aaron bursts out laughing as Lance lets loose a string of swears that would make Macy seem tame as Axl tries to stabilize the popcorn bowl. 

Grindstead really should’ve been an easy fight. With the Nexo Knights busy with some PR event in Waterton, Monstrox assumed it would be an easy in and out afternoon. Cause some chaos, scare some villagers, get some loot, and leave before the Nexo Knights could show up. That would be some good (bad?) PR for the Lava Army and reinvigorate the troops.

Unfortunately, there are sixteen members of the Fox family living in Grindstead.

Which is exactly how Monstrox ended up watching from a safe distance as his troops got absolutely annihilated by more gingers then he thought should be allowed in Knighton. 

“Sir,” General Magmar says, slowly turning to face him, “I do not have a speech prepared for this instance.”

Monstrox just glared at him. “Well, get one you loud mouthed-!”

He was cut off by several goblins bouncing by, chased by what looked to be a six year old leading several large dogs.

“...Merlin’s beard,” Jestro mutters, watching as one of the dogs’ jaws snap shut on a goblin, which lets out a high pitched shriek as it the dog shakes it until it disappears in a puff of smoke and ash, leaving a very confused pup. 

“Stop starin’ and make more monsters, joke boy!” Monstrox demands, glaring at Jestro. “We’re not losin’ this one!”

Jestro sighs and does so, but the scurriers and goblins don’t seem keen on going back into the town.

Especially not as Burnie is tripped by a clothesline and has several buckets of water dumped on him from a couple gingers on the roof, causing him to let out a roar of shock as steam rose up from his body.

“Hey, uh, boss…?” Jestro says slowly

“Shut. Up,” Monstrox warns and glares at the monsters, “Get out there and make us look good or else I will send you to Snottingham!”

The monsters seem to consider it, weighing their options between being beat by a large family of gingers with no survival instinct or dealing with a city that is somehow always sick and cold enough to freeze even a lava monster.

Monstrox doesn’t let them choose as he shouts, “Go!”

Hesitantly, the monsters start to enter Grindstead again as Monstrox mutters, “Useless hunks of lava…”

Maybe the lava monsters are useless, or maybe they’re just not used to dealing with a group like the Foxes. 

Monstrox makes a mental note to write a bad review of Grindstead to have the Bookkeeper post online later. Probably something along the lines of ‘0 Stars, too many gingers, not enough fire’.

Before he can ponder a truly nefarious review, water balloons start raining from the sky, causing steam to rise up from the monsters and hisses and shrieks to fill the air.

“Should we-?” Jestro starts nervously

“No!” Monstrox growls, but is then hit by a water ballon. Gasping as the Bookkeeper tries to dry his leather cover, he finally relents. “Fine.”

“Retreat!” General Magmar calls out, and you don’t have to tell the Lava army twice. This is probably one of the fastest retreats they had ever had, and Monstrox really doesn’t want to think too hard about it. The Nexo Knights didn’t even have time to show up!

At least he didn’t have to deal with Mer-loser.

Monstrox tries to take solace in that as the Bookkeeper tries to figure out how to use a hairdryer to dry his pages.

By the time the Nexo Knights get there, Grindstead is a party. “Well, well, well, look who finally showed up!” one of Aaron’s brothers jeers as he slaps Aaron on the shoulder

“...What happened here?” Clay asks slowly, glancing around

“Seems Monstrox forgot about the fact that we Foxes aren’t half bad with fiery beasts,” a girl with red hair says with a slight smirk as she walks by with a basket of water balloons

Aaron playfully shoves his brother. “Hey, maybe you guys should start comin’ with us to deal with him.”

“Not that stupid, A-man,” his brother replies, crossing his arms, “Just because you’re the only one reckless enough for mom and dad to send to the Knight’s Academy…”

“That was one time!” Aaron protests

One of his other brothers rolls her eyes. “And I have purple hair. Besides, who else is going to deal with the dragons?”

Clay shoots a questioning look to Macy who just shrugs. “What? It’d be kinda weird if my crest was the only one with a mythical animal on it.”