Author's Notes: Extra scenes I couldn't include for flow reasons, deleted scenes, bonus scenes that I found were too - WAY TOO - short, and MORE! I imagined this chapter kind of like a credits sequence while writing. Oh, and by the way, the non-deleted scenes are in chronological order.
Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Camp, that belongs to Rooster Teeth.
—
Harrison and the Eternal Custodian
BONUS: A Round of Applause
*Deleted Scene* What if Nerris caught Harrison coming back from one of his jobs?
Harrison yawned as he trudged back toward the tents. How did grocery shopping take longer than saving the world? Although, it definitely would have gone faster had Quartermaster decided not to… do certain things he was not thinking about. Nonetheless, the magician was more than happy to forget and collapse into blissful sleep-
"AHA!" Someone shouted, causing him to yelp and fall onto his bum.
"Wha…?" He went, scanning the forests and around the different tents for people. Yet found no one. "Oh no. Have I started to go crazy?" Harrison fretted, grabbing his own head in fear.
"Well, you're not crazy. But, you are dumb." The voice returned, and the boy finally turned his gaze upwards to find… Nerris. Ugh. The girl stood atop a tree - how did she even get up there - while looking smug. In response to his annoyed expression, Nerris leaped down to his position on the ground. "So, what were you doing in the forest this late? Trying to impress the trees with your party tricks since no one else is?"
He scrambled to his feet with a glare. "I…" Harrison was quick to retort and just as quick to come short. "I…" The magician stalled, racing for a dignified response. "I… What are you doing out this late?" He replied very maturely.
It was Nerris' turn to hurry for the right words. "I-I was on a noble quest! Something someone like you couldn't possibly understand!" She finally answered, cheeks totally not flushing the teensiest of tads.
So it was utterly irrelevant for her and pointedly not a good thing that Harrison was the most oblivious person on the planet when he wanted to be! "I understand… that you go on stupid quests since you cannot do real magic… which I was doing, practising real magic!" The boy confidently countered, albeit a slight drop of sweat.
"Hmph, I'm going to bed. Looking at your dumb face is sapping all of my spell points…" Nerris grumbled before shuffling away.
"Whatever! I am also going to sleep too! Because doing real magic actually takes work!" Harrison angrily shot back, conveniently forgetting the card pack hidden in his pocket.
*End Scene*
—
Nerris stood on an overturned rock, with a gaggle of campers surrounding her. She cleared her throat before speaking in a Preston-like voice. "Okay! So, in the first ever finals of the first ever official Camp of Campbell Arcane: The Gathering Tournament of Wizards-"
"That name is still very unnecessarily long." Harrison neutrally commented, cutting her off.
"Shut up, Harrison!" Nerris barked back before continuing. "As I way saying, the two combatants in the finals are… drumroll please!" She ordered a nearby Quartermaster, who halfheartedly kicked a damaged, cheap toy drum. "Nerris the Cute…! And Neil." The girl smugly unveiled, hands on her lips as she smirked at the competitor in question.
In turn, Neil hardened his gaze like a warrior preparing for battle. But, the effect was ruined when Max sauntered beside him. "What are you nerds even playing for? Money? Favours? An overblown sense of self-worth or gratification that is ultimately meaningless in our society?" The cynical camper deadpanned.
"Asserting my superiority as the supreme sorceress!" Nerris shouted.
Neil rolled his eyes."You're missing a self-aware cloak and an elder wand for that." He retorted. "I, on the other hand… have nothing else to do. I'm bored, man." The science camper shrugged.
"Enough talking. Start the match already!" Harrison complained before Max could speak. The magician had summoned a lawn chair for himself while the others quarrelled. He'd also somehow retrieved a yogourt drink from without anyone noticing.
Preston side-eyed him oddly. "HMMM, I was under the impression you were rather narked by this turn of events! After all, you were QUITE displeased when Nerris defeated you!" His friend remarked. However, Harrison simply lifted his drink as if toasting. Actually, the boy appeared rather content with his tournament standings. Except his eye twitched a smidge. Details.
"Either Neil or Nerris will lose. No matter who wins, I can make fun of the loser's stupid face." Harrison explained didactically. He snapped his fingers and a megaphone appeared in his hand with a flourish. "Tada!" A pleased hum escaped him.
"Screw you, Harrison!" Two voices angrily yelled back.
—
*Deleted Scene* A random conversation between Harrison and Neil…
"Hey, Neil?" Harrison opted, ducking under a low branch as they hiked through the forest. He really shouldn't investigate the matter himself. But, Neil was Jewish. And the boy's curiosity was killing him! "Do you know anything about magic rituals?" The magician casually questioned, arms behind his back.
Predictably, the science camper scowled. "Obviously not. Why would I waste any of my precious time learning about something as flimsy as magic?!"
"Oh, okay." Harrison nodded along to placate him. "Just wondering."
*End Scene*
—
"Remember, do not tell Mom or Dad." The magician repeated for the hundredth time that day as they entered the aquarium.
Next to him, Erich rolled his eyes before impatiently jogging ahead. "I know, Harry! Now, let's go! Let's go!" The boy beckoned him forward, making wide, bombastic movements that caught the attention of those around him. Many traces of his time in the octopus' realm remained. Some were more useful than others. His brother had somehow learned to swim while he was away. His brother had also forgot what personal boundaries meant.
"I am coming, I am coming!" Harrison chuckled nonetheless, eyes never leaving his brother's position as he sprinted from here to there. Erich had certainly gained a fantastical love with the ocean after returning. Perhaps… too much so.
"Harry, look!" Erich practically squealed, incessantly pointing at one of the large open tanks with octopus inside. "Do you think they know Mr. Octopus?! I want to ask-" The younger boy babbled, leaning over the railing.
"No! Do not jump into the tank!" He shot down, dragging him back by the torso. Taking a breath to steady his racing heart, Harrison shook his head. "Working with Quartermaster was less stressful than this…" The magician realized with a wince.
Meanwhile, Erich was already pouting. "Why not? You said today was all about me, Harry!"
"That does not mean you can just jump into tanks with octopus…" Harrison tiredly explained. It was not something he had expected to become the norm with his brother. Yet here they were...
"Why not?!" The boy repeated, tilting his head.
"You could get hurt, Erich." He stated, regaining a modicum of his composure.
His brother gave him a dumb look. "But, if I was in trouble, you would help me. So, I would not get hurt." Erich said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. And he wasn't wrong. Harrison would absolutely be there to help his brother out of whatever trouble he somehow found himself in. Well, the magician would prefer avoiding the whole 'getting into trouble' part of that statement. But, he digressed. Anyways, things were getting off topic.
"This was now. I just helped you, by stopping you." Harrison sagely nodded, crossing his arms to signal his decision was final. "We can still have fun without jumping into octopus tanks. After all, I got us inside." The magician smirked, tapping the large backpack which was slung over his shoulder. Inside, the sound of clicking coins could be heard.
If the town mayor was freaking out over one of the city hall's nickel statues disappearing… Well, that was not Harrison's problem!
Erich huffed. "Fine… Can we get food? I'm hungry!" As if on cue, his stomach loudly grumbled.
Harrison grinned, leading his brother off toward a nearby cafe. "Of course! You can get whatever you want, Erich." The magician brightly noted. His spirits rose as the younger boy visibly perked up. "I have to make up for those birthdays…"
—
Erich sadistically giggled, holding a flamethrower comically larger than his body. He sneaked under his neighbour's white picket fence and raised the weapon to her house. Oh boy, he couldn't wait to see what it looked like on fire! "Hehe, this is what you get for making fun of Mom, you rotten-"
"Erich!" Harrison popped out of nowhere. The older brother proceeded to freeze the flamethrower and smash it. Afterwards, Harrison quickly steered them back under the fence whilst shushing Erich's protests. "No! Fire bad!" He scolded, exasperated. "Where did you even find a flamethrower?!"
"You use fire in your shows, though." His little brother argued, tilting his head.
The magician rolled his eyes. "Fine. Flamethrowers are bad."
"Harry, Mrs Thompson made fun of Mom!" The boy protested with a huff. "And Mr. Octopus always said-"
"Mr. Octopus said a lot of things. And I am not saying Mrs Thompson is not a mean idiot. And I am also not saying she kind of deserves it. But, that does not mean you can just burn her house down! You would get in trouble!" Harrison explained, keeping a lookout for any pesky neighbours who just happened to be 'enjoying the fresh air and got concerned about your boys' activities'.
"But, Harry!" Erich looked distressed, waving his arms around as if it made his point any clearer.
Immediately, Harrison coughed, standing up a tad straighter. "We are still getting her back… because she is mean and stupid. Just not doing something that would make her call the police." He whispered with a mischievous wink.
"Ohhhh…" His little brother realized, nodding vigorously. "We need to kill her stereotypically ugly cat-"
"No!" The magician shot down.
Later - as Mrs Thompson wailed about devil children and evil curses and all that was sinful in the world - the brothers sat in the living room watching Erich's favourite television show. Mindlessly, Harrison wiped some dirt on his pants. Who knew cursing an entire garden to wilt was so much work?
—
"I only have enough money to buy one. And you know a lot more about this than me." Harrison awkwardly explained to the camera, which Erich was happily holding for him. In his hands were two ties: one white and one red. On the screen were a contemplative Preston and an amused Nerris. The magician was directing his question to the former.
"HMMM, well, both would blend in quite succinctly with a standard black suit. However, the red tie would stand out." Preston taught with a high tone, moving his finger in front of his face. And wait, were those reading glasses?
"Okay. So, I will get the red tie then. Thanks-" Harrison was rudely cut off by the theatre kid.
"NO! Do not purchase the tie of rubies!" Preston made clear, slamming a table. Fortunately, Erich had 'accidentally' dropped in on enough of their meetings to have the foresight to lower his volume. "You cannot make such a bold choice so hastily, HARRISON! Clothes are an-no, THE essential component of presentation, of IDENTITY! They are what an audience first sees…" The theatre kid droned on and on.
"Maybe it was not the best idea to ask Preston." The magician quietly pondered as Erich silently cackled behind the screen.
Eventually, Nerris grew impatient. "Just roll a dice and get it over with!" She snapped, leaning into her camera.
"I don't have any dice!" Harrison glumly protested.
"What happened to the enchanted dice I traded you last Christmas?!" Nerris shrieked, as if he'd committed the most gravest of sins possible. If she wasn't a plethora of cities away, the girl would definitely be shaking the lights out of him.
The magician winced. "I may have… lost them…?" It came out as more of a question.
His ears were bombarded with the shrieks of a crazy banshee. "Wow, Harry." Erich shook his head, disappointed. As if the younger boy hadn't stolen those same dice weeks ago and then lost them himself. At least, Mr. Octopus would enjoy them. They were shiny.
—
"Tada! So, what do you think?" The thirteen-year-old magician asked, rising from his finishing pose. He wore a star-dazzling smile on his face as Preston and Nerris hummed in thought. "I am not sure if I made that last trick, exciting enough."
"WELL, I for one do say-" Preston was interrupted by a ear-shattering screech.
Nerris cupped her fake elf-ears and squinted. "That came from the lake!" She soon exclaimed, dramatically pointing toward said landmark.
In turn, Harrison dragged a palm down his face. "Not again…" He tiredly stated, already marching toward the lake with his friends in tow. They arrived to see a frantic David fishing a sheepish Erich from the waters. Truly, the magician loved him. Yet why, just why was his brother such an idiot sometimes? Personally, Harrison blamed the octopus.
"Hi, Harry!" Erich half-grinned upon spotting him amongst the campers. "Can you… not tell Mom or Dad I jumped in the lake to see the octopus…?" The younger boy requested, twiddlling his thumbs hopefully.
You could have stacked cards on Harrison's face at that moment. It was that flat. Of course, Erich would not be able to decipher his stare. "I won't." The magician wearily reassured, crossing his arms. "They would blame me over you anyway." He added in his head.
—
"Why am I driving?" Harrison deadpanned, staring at the bus wheel in front of him after having been shoved in the seat. It was supposed to be their weekly grocery trip. And the magician had been looking forward to getting Erich something. His brother had quickly deciphered the camp's… lacking qualities and complained non-stop to Harrison.
Hey, he'd tried to warn him! The boy could only blame himself for not listening for literal years!
"Put that damn driver's licence to good use and hit it, boy!" Quartermaster ordered.
The magician sighed, grabbing the wheel. "Okay…" He relented. "At least I can buy Erich something this time around…"
—
Author's Notes: Some nice fluff as a bonus, :) Not much to say here that wasn't already said last week otherwise, folks. But, thank you all again for reading Harrison and the Eternal Custodian! Tada!
