I DO NOT OWN GORILLAZ, OR ANY OF THE BAND MEMBERS FEATURED IN THIS STORY!

Turquoise Must Mean Something, Right?

"Something nice?" Murdoc hoped she was joking. Why go through all this trouble if that was all she needed? "Seriously? You brought me all the way here just for that?"

"Yup," if Eva could make expressions, she would have been smiling. "It's a little more complicated than that, though."

Always is... Murdoc frowned, pretty unamused. "In what way?"

"You are friends with your bandmates, yes?"

"I guess so, yeah."

"And, you care for them, do you not?"

"Maybe," he replied, beginning to feel uneasy. He wondered if she really wanted him, or if she was just using him to get to Noodle, Russel, and 2D. "Why?"

"Well, you've caused a lot of trouble for the people you supposedly care about; So, it makes me wonder how you all always find your way back to each other." Eva thought aloud, recollecting the time she spent observing them through Murdoc. "I'd like to test your ability to form strong bonds with others. I want to see if you really have any ounce of good in you that comes from the heart. The kind of good that is neither selfish, nor masked by ulterior motives. If you can show me that, then I'll believe you have the ability to genuinely care for your friends. And, only then will I let you return home."

"If you've been watching me all this time, then you should know that I literally saved them all from sinking with the lighthouse back on Plastic Beach. And, 2D saved me! What more do you need? They know I care about their lives at least!"

"Yes, but do they know if it's because without them Gorillaz can't go on? Or, if it's because you'd actually miss them if they were destroyed along with Plastic Beach?"

Murdoc let out an exasperated sigh, "Of course, I'd miss them." This was true, however he honestly didn't know how to answer her question. Did they really just tolerate him in order to keep the band together? "...Do they really think I don't care?"

"I think they know you do to an extent, but not the reason why. Maybe they're afraid of getting too close? You have hurt them in the past. And, just when they find it in themselves to forgive you, you fall right back into patterns of harmful behavior."

"Wait a minute, you said you'd let me go home after I do 'something nice,' right?"

"Correct."

"Then where am I going to be if I'm not going home? And, who am I even supposed to 'bond' with?"

"I'm so glad you asked," Eva stood and signaled for Murdoc to follow as she began walking towards the fog. "This way."

Leading him away from the chairs and through the dimension, they traveled for what felt like half an hour. Along the way, Murdoc would occasionally ask about where they were going, but was unable to receive a direct answer and left to simply follow after her in silence. He did try to stray away once or twice, but had been pulled back to Eva each time by an invisible force. Most likely, an underwater current she controlled. He soon gave up and sulked quietly, knowing that there was no escape.

When they finally reached their destination, it was a space that looked no different from where Murdoc had first arrived. Eva began to draw a large circle in the glowing sand that soon shone even brighter as its surface was disturbed. She paused to think once it was complete, which Murdoc found somewhat strange.

He could tell that she was preparing some kind of ritual. To open a portal, maybe? He thought. After a while, the inner portion of the shape began to glow and bathe the two in pale, white light. Murdoc waited patiently for something to happen, but was met with nothing. "Hm... Is that it?"

"Well, yes, but no... You see, I had plenty of realms set out for this day, but now I'm not sure which to send you to." Eva admitted, ignoring the judgemental glare Murdoc sent her way. "Ooh, I know! How do you feel about drawing straws?"

Murdoc shrugged. It's not like he had anything to lose. He was pretty much screwed either way. "Fine."

"Alright," she said. Eva grabbed a cup of colorful straws seemingly out of nowhere, which was packed to the brim. Some of them were actually coffee stirrers. "You'd be surprised how many of these end up here. Choose carefully, now. There's one for each realm."

The moment she presented the cup, Murdoc felt an immense amount of stress wash over him. The bassist raised his arm to take one, but it hovered in place for a while. He felt like a chess player deciding their next move. One that could win or lose it all. There was no way of knowing what would happen to him, nor where he would end up once he picked a straw; And, the thought of that alone made him nervous.

Murdoc felt some form of relief though, when his eyes fell upon a turquoise straw amongst the bunch. His favorite color. There are a lot of blue and green straws, but only one turquoise straw. He even looked over the entire assortment one final time to make sure of it. It truly was the only one, so it must be meaningful in some way.

"I'll take this one." Murdoc pulled the straw and held it out for Eva to take. "Now, which realm do I get?"

"Let's see," She took the straw and tossed it into the center of the circle. The object caused the white light to turn turquoise as well. Gazing into the shape, Eva chuckled to herself. "Good choice, though I'm not sure how you'll handle it."

What does she mean by that? Murdoc thought, unable to read her face. It sucked being stuck with someone who didn't have a face. "Hm, do I get a redraw?"

"Nope, sorry." Eva replied, positioning herself behind Murdoc as he stared into the light. "Don't worry, though. You picked a good one."

"I hope so..."

"Be on your best behavior, okay? Oh, and no bad words. You got that?"

"What-?"

"Good!"

Before he knew it, Murdoc was sent falling into the portal. Eva had bumped him with her hip, causing him to stumble forward.

Everything afterwards was a blur, he didn't even remember falling asleep.

So, that's what happened. A sudden headache helped Murdoc finally recall his current situation. Oh, this is the realm I was sent to... Why are they all kids? Holding his head, he looked over to find that Noodle had returned to Russel and 2D. All three of them were playing London Bridge with the youngest in the center. He watched for a while, or until they noticed that he was looking.

"Do you wanna play, too?" Russel asked, pausing their game to speak. "You can be the bridge."

"Yeah," 2D added, "You're too big to catch and lock up, but that's okay. Being the bridge is fun!"

"No, I don't want to play." Murdoc managed to turn them down without hurting their feelings, but they still looked up at him expectantly. It was kind of freaking him out. "What?"

"I'm hungry," 2D said, pouting a little. "Can we eat now?"

He would've told him to find something himself had Murdoc not remembered 2D's age. They were all too young to cook anything for themselves, and he was the only one old enough to operate the stove. It was Murdoc's turn to pout as his new reality truly began to settle in. He was going to have to parent these three until Eva let him go back home.

I'm going to be here for the rest of my life.