Work Text:
Cool, early morning spring air bit through the fabric of Clown's outfit, warm rays of sunlight peeking through the leaves and branches of the trees. The assassin breathed in the scent of flowers just starting to blossom, enjoying the peace and quiet while he could. Early morning was probably his favorite time of day, the time before anything and after everything happened. It was a moment to breathe, usually. A nice calm before the storm, if you will. A time to rest, a time to prepare.
The same could not be said about his beloved partner, who stumbled out of their shared base still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Clown looked over as he watched the redstoner yawn, stretching his arms above his head and looking absolutely adorable while doing so. Then Branzy's head turned to look at him, and he immediately flinched, bringing a hand to block out the rays of sunlight shining directly in his eyes. And, coincidentally, his view of Clown.
"Wow, I make you get up early one morning and you already can't stand the sight of me?" Clown joked, casually walking over to the shorter man.
"Oh, no, of course not, Clown. It's just far too early for me to handle such a gorgeous view," Branzy said, lowering his hand when Clown was in front of him and stopping the sun from blinding him. He smiled up at Clown with that expression that made the assassin just want to squeeze him. Clown hummed, a smile tugging at his lips underneath his mask.
"Yeah, I guess the sunrise is rather pretty," Clown remarked. Branzy narrowed his eyes at him in a way that told Clown he knew exactly what he was doing but was going to let him get away with it anyway. Clown grinned.
"Well if we're talking about the sunrise, then yeah, sure, I guess," Branzy huffed. "I was more talking about how I didn't think it was possible for anything to make you more beautiful than you already were," he paused, then smiled again. "You know, the light behind you really makes you look like an angel."
Clown felt that familiar spark of warmth he always got anytime Branzy complimented him like that, but tilted his head curiously at his last comment. "You think I look like an angel?"
"Of course I do, Clown. You look like the most handsome, wonderful, bloody and gruesome angel to ever grace the world," Branzy replied easily, and with so much affection it made Clown feel all giddy and fuzzy inside. He couldn't help but giggle, finally reaching out and grabbing Branzy's hand and beginning to lead them away from their base. Branzy followed easily.
"Aw, Branzy! You handsome devil, you!" he gushed. "You really know how to charm someone, don't you?"
"Considering it's probably one of the main things that's kept me alive this long? Yeah, I'd say I'm pretty good at it," Branzy smiled. "Not that I have to even think that hard when it's you, though. I just sorta say whatever's on my mind and it works out. Guess you really are just that handsome by default."
"Keep talking like that, Branzy, and I'll have to pull out my scythe on you."
Branzy opened his mouth, before promptly closing it and nodding, and to his credit, only looked mildly scared. Clown smirked. The two continued their walk in a comfortable silence, hand in hand, for a couple minutes before Branzy spoke up again.
"Oh- we do have to stop by my workshop first. I couldn't find the schematic I was looking for so I'll have to look there," he said. Clown furrowed his brow and frowned, thinking.
"Is your workshop not the one in our base?" he asked. Branzy chuckled.
"Oh, no, not at all. That one's like, a mini-workshop for current projects and ideas. I'm talking about my real workshop, where I keep everything," he said, then paused and frowned. Nervousness crept onto his face and he glanced at Clown a couple times before speaking up again. "Um, I guess this'll be your first time there."
"I guess it will be," Clown replied, watching the redstoner curiously. It didn't surprise him that Branzy had another place to work outside of the base he lived in, but he couldn't help but wonder where his nervousness was coming from. Branzy nodded, clearly thinking about something.
"Right, yeah, okay," he muttered under his breath, before starting again more clearly. "Clown, I'm gonna bring you there, but you have to promise me you're not gonna tell anyone about it, alright? Don't even mention it or hint that it exists. I don't- I mean, it's secret for a reason. I don't want people to go out looking for it or anything. So this stays between us, okay?"
Oh. Well, Clown wasn't quite expecting that, but he was suddenly a lot more excited to see this place than before. He nodded.
"Of course, Branzy. I won't tell a soul," Clown said. When Branzy still looked uneasy, Clown smiled. "I swear on my scythe I won't say a word about this to anyone."
Branzy shot him a surprised look before chuckling. "I'm holding you to that."
Clown nodded, before his mind started wandering. It didn't take long for curiosity to get the better of him.
"So... when you say 'anyone'... does that mean not even Rek knows about this place?"
Branzy laughed. "Oh, absolutely not. You think I'm gonna show Rek the place where I keep all my notes and schemes on him? He would burn them all the moment he found them. I can't be having that."
"No, you can't," Clown chuckled. "So I'm gonna be the first ever person to see this workshop of yours?"
"Yes, you are," Branzy responded, that nervousness that never quite left making itself more known again. Clown couldn't help but grin widely under his mask. Oh, this was exciting. A place not even Branzy's closest friend knew about, but Clown was getting to see? He absolutely was not expecting this. He could barely contain his excitement.
"Oh my god, I feel so special," he giggled. "What makes this place so secret, anyway? How's it that different from the one at our place?"
Branzy huffed. "How about we save the questions for when we get there?"
Clown pouted but conceded, nodding. He was content to continue the rest of their walk in silence until he glanced over and saw the familiar look of fear in Branzy's eyes. He glanced ahead, towards where Branzy was looking, but didn't see anything. Considering Branzy hadn't paused his walking, he was probably just thinking about something. Clown was about to ask about it before Branzy beat him to it.
"Um, actually, now that I think about it..." the shorter man mumbled. Clown gave a questioning hum, urging him to continue. Branzy glanced at him with a nervous smile. "There may or may not be some- older schemes there that were... kinda plans against you, in case I ever had to... oppose you, or anything."
Clown blinked.
"You were planning to betray me?!"
"No!" Branzy hastily answered, his grip on Clown's hand tightening. "No- never, I never wanted to betray you, Clown! I just- I don't know! I had to be safe! You were absolutely terrifying- are absolutely terrifying! I didn't know what you were gonna do to me once we were done working together, or if I ever upset you, or anything like that! I had to make sure I had some sort of plan in case you ever decided you wanted to kill me! N-not that many of them would've worked anyway, b-but I felt better if I came up with at least something."
Clown could do nothing but stare down at the redstoner, something akin to amusement building up in his chest. Well, wasn't that interesting. Not only had Branzy just admitted that, but Clown was also going to get to actually see the plans? Today was going to be quite a fun day, indeed. Branzy seemed to be uncomfortable with his silence, his free hand coming up to fidget with the strap of the bag on his shoulder.
"I- If they bother you, I can always get rid of them, I just- I have a habit of keeping things, even when I'm pretty sure I won't need them anymore," Branzy rambled on. Clown hummed.
"How about I see these plans first and then tell you how I feel about them."
"Y-yeah! Yeah, of- of course," Branzy nodded. Clown couldn't help but smirk as he watched the emotions dancing on the shorter man's face. God, Branzy really was adorable when he was scared or nervous. But he was also cute when he was surprised or startled, so after a few moments of silence, Clown decided to say something.
"You know, I feel a lot better about constantly checking the casino for unexpected traps now," he said simply. Branzy snapped his head over, blinking up towards him in surprised confusion. Clown's smirk widened.
"You- you what?"
"I used to check the casino for unexpected traps," Clown repeated with a casual shrug. "We both knew you couldn't beat me in combat, and traps are kinda your specialty, so I always kept an eye out just in case you wanted to try something."
Branzy stared up at him, opening and closing his mouth a couple of times as if struggling with what to say, before finally laughing. "Yeah, you know what, that's fair."
"It is fair, because you were trying to trap me."
"I-I was not! They were just precautionary plans! That I was completely justified to have because you are absolutely terrifying and I didn't want to die!"
"Were all of them really just precautionary?" Clown asked coolly. Branzy tensed, the fear in his eyes become a bit more prevalent before he forced himself to relax again.
"Yes! They were! I was never gonna betray you, Clown!" Branzy urged. Clown hummed.
"I'll be the judge of that myself pretty soon."
Branzy opened and closed his mouth, before letting out a heavy sigh and seeming to give up. "Yeah, you will, and you'll see I'm not lying."
Clown smiled under his mask, and the two continued their walk in relative silence. It wasn't long before Branzy started guiding them in a new direction, Clown following as they began walking through trees and overgrown foliage. Even with no obvious path, it was clear Branzy knew where he was going.
Eventually, Branzy stopped them in front of the entrance of a cave. It was completely dark and unmarked, looking as if no one had ever stepped foot in it before. The redstoner rummaged around in his bag before pulling out a potion, a dark blue liquid. Clown tilted his head curiously at it as Branzy held the bottle up with a smile, clearly showing it to Clown before throwing it on the ground between them.
Clown blinked, then kept blinking and squinting his eyes as they tingled and stung, before finally he could see again. Except this time when he looked into the cave, he could see its interior as clear as day. Clown glanced back over at Branzy, who still had that adorable small smile on his face.
"What? Can't leave a trail of torches behind, now, can I?" Branzy asked. Clown smirked.
"No, you can't," he replied, letting Branzy guide him into the cave.
The cave really did look average, ores left untouched and the stone looking entirely natural. There were no markings, no patterns to follow, nothing to signify anyone had ever been here at all. It was clear Branzy knew his way, though, not even hesitating at any of the branching paths or winding tunnels they walked down. At some point, Clown was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to find this place again without Branzy to guide him, because even though he was trying to pay attention, he had already forgotten half the pathways they've taken. Very hidden workshop, indeed.
Finally, they came up on a wall. The wall... well, it looked like a wall. Entirely unassuming and normal. But Branzy stopped, rummaging through his bag again, this time pulling out a lever. He let go of Clown's hand and walked over, placing the lever down and flipping it.
The sound of redstone and pistons suddenly filled the silent cave, and for not the first time Clown wondered if this was all an elaborate trap he had just willingly walked into. Luckily, it wasn't TNT or an arrow cannon or anything equally deadly that greeted him, but rather the wall opening up to reveal a stairway leading down. Branzy took the lever off the wall and shoved it back in his bag, Clown wondering how the door stayed open without it. Then, the white haired man stepped closer to the entrance, bowing and waving his hand towards it with a grin.
"After you," he said. Clown couldn't help but chuckle as he stepped forward. His hand gravitated towards his belt, confirming he had an ender pearl on hand. Just in case.
"This isn't a trap, is it?" he asked, only partially joking as he started down the first couple steps. Branzy chuckled, walking in behind him.
"Of course not, Clown. It'd be kinda a waste to trap you all the way down here where I couldn't even brag about it afterwards, right?" Branzy responded with a grin, walking over to a lever already on the wall and flipping it. Clown blinked at the redstoner, glancing over to make sure the redstone door closed and nothing else unexpectedly moved with it.
"I don't think that's the reassurance you want it to be, Branzy."
Branzy laughed, smiling at him before continuing down the stairs. "No, Clown, this is not a trap. If anything, I'm giving you the ability to trap me with this. So... um, please don't."
"As long as you don't try to trap me first, I think we'll be fine," Clown said, following the shorter man down the stairs. Branzy shot him another smile, though the nervousness from before was back, and Clown was reminded, once again, how big of a deal this place was for Branzy. Excitement swelled through his chest as they made it to the bottom of the stairs, the room opening up into something much larger.
Clown's first thought about the place was that it looked kind of like a library. There were several long rows of bookshelves, filled with folders and rolled up papers, some shelves holding rows of what looked to be journals. It was, honestly, a lot larger than Clown originally thought it would be. Just how many schematics and notes did Branzy have?!
Past the bookshelves, the space opened up with a couple desks and tables, Clown peeking his head around to see a few crates and barrels and loose redstone components near or on top of them. It was like the workshop in their own base, just on a much larger scale. The size of the place was honestly extremely impressive. Branzy cleared his throat next to him.
"Welcome to my true workshop, where I keep a copy of every single redstone machine and contraption I have ever built or thought of, as well as every single plan I've worked on and all my notes on everyone I could possibly need to trap or work with," he stated. Clown looked over and saw him fidgeting with his hands as he talked. He seemed to struggle with keeping his eyes on Clown, constantly looking down or away before looking back at him. Clown honestly can't remember a time he's seen Branzy this nervous without it being because Clown was threatening him.
"Every single one?" he asked, a bit amazed. Branzy chuckled, seemingly more from nerves than anything, and nodded.
"Every single one," he confirmed. "Even the old and outdated ones, and ones that aren't even that great of ideas in the first place."
Clown snickered. "What, you like hoarding them or something?"
"Hey, sometimes it comes in handy!" Branzy defended. "Sometimes the bad ideas inspire good ideas, and sometimes they help me realize why my current ideas kinda suck! They're all worth keeping!"
"It sounds like you just have a hoarding problem, Branzy."
"I do not have a hoarding problem!"
Clown glanced around the room again, taking in the sheer size of it. He looked back to Branzy.
"I'm pretty sure this room is larger than our entire base."
"Well I am a man with many ideas and lots of past projects! I can't help it!"
Clown stared down at him. Branzy stared back. Clown couldn't get rid of the smirk under his mask even if he wanted to. Eventually, Branzy huffed and turned away, walking deeper into the workshop.
"Whatever, you're not making me get rid of any of these. I need all of them. You'll just have to deal with it," he muttered, turning down one of the rows of shelves and scanning them for something. Clown laughed, trailing behind him.
"How do you even find what you're looking for in here?" he asked, a bit overwhelmed by just how much was on the shelves he was now standing in front of. Branzy's eyes were focused on one specific shelf, studying the folders and papers on it.
"They're all organized, obviously. I don't just shove things in random places, what kind of person do you take me for?" he responded, hand reaching out and grabbing a folder. He opened it, flipping through the loose papers of schematics and blueprints before finally stopping as his eyes lit up. He pulled the paper out and put the folder back in its place on the shelf.
"Okay- uh, do you mind waiting for a bit while I copy this? And probably also make a few adjustments to it?" Branzy asked, looking back up at Clown. Clown hummed.
"Can I look around while you do that?"
"Yeah, feel free," Branzy shrugged, which seemed like an attempt to hide his unease, before turning and walking down the row, towards where the desks and tables were. "Just please, for the love of god, put everything back where you found them or so help me I will take and hide your scythe above active TNT or something."
That surprised a laugh out of Clown. "Wow, getting a bit bold there, aren't we?"
Branzy glanced back, sending him a nervous but determined glare, before disappearing past the corner. Clown grinned, turning and looking at the shelves in front of him. Branzy said they were all organized, but Clown didn't see any markers or labels on any of the shelves. Did he have the organization all memorized?! God, that was terrifying. And amazing.
He decided to just take something off the shelf, hesitating as he remembered Branzy's threat, and left the folder half pulled out as he paused to take off his gloves. He carefully shoved one of them in between the folders to mark its place before fully pulling the folder out and opening it. He stared blankly at the redstone schematic that greeted him.
Okay, maybe he should look down another row. He doesn't think he'll gather much from this one. He put the folder back in its place and retrieved his glove, before walking out of the aisle and glancing over at Branzy. Branzy was already sitting at a desk and writing something, seeming to pay Clown no mind as he walked by. Clown looked down the rows of shelves as he walked, and finally paused in front of one that held more journals than folders.
He approached the journals, all of their spines of course unlabeled, and picked one at random. He saved its place on the shelf with his glove and opened it, relieved to be greeted with words rather than more redstone drawings. He began reading.
It was a written out plan of how to trap a group of people with some sort of goat trap, apparently. Clown hadn't heard of this one, so it was probably one Branzy made before the two met, backed up by the fact that Clown didn't recognize any of the names of the apparent victims of the trap. In fact, he was surprised he didn't recognize any of the names at all. Branzy tended to talk a lot about his other friends, even visits them sometimes, and also wasn't shy about talking about his past enemies. Maybe this group just wasn't worth mentioning.
Clown flipped through the book, recognizing some of the traps and schemes, and others being entirely unfamiliar to him. Branzy sure did like to trap people a lot, didn't he? Though, Clown was still surprised that he didn't know any of the names mentioned in any of the plans. It wasn't until he got to one he knew for a fact Branzy told him about in detail that he realized why. He stepped out of the aisle and looked at the redstoner, who was still concentrating on whatever he was writing.
"Are all of your notes written with codenames?" he asked, startling the other man. Branzy blinked up at him, his face twitching to confusion before he tilted his head at him, bemused.
"Uh, yeah?" he replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Why?" Clown questioned. "Didn't you say this place was like, super secret?"
"Well, yeah, it is, but that doesn't mean people still can't find it."
Clown hummed in acknowledgement. It made sense, he guessed, considering he himself was pretty skilled at finding hidden bases. Still, that seemed a bit extra, especially if-
"You wouldn't happen to have, like, a key to whose who, do you?" he asked. Branzy laughed.
"What's the point in giving everyone codenames if I'm just gonna write down their real names somewhere anyway?" he responded. "I can just tell you who's who, unless you wanna try and guess yourself."
Clown tilted his head in thought.
"I wanna see how many I can guess until I get bored," he decided. Branzy smiled at him and nodded.
"You have fun with that," he said as he looked back down and continued his work. Clown wandered back into the aisle, looking down at the journal in his hands.
Geez, Branzy even had codenames for everyone? It was honestly impressive just how much effort Branzy put into making sure no one could find this place or use it against him. Hiding it deep underground in a seemingly unexplored cave, using night vision potions to get to it, with a hidden redstone door, and keeping the shelves unmarked and the folders and journals left unlabeled and untitled-
This place really was special to him, wasn't it? And here he was, letting Clown know about it and even look around as he pleased. He really- he really trusted Clown a lot, didn't he?
Clown froze, and looked up. He looked around, once again, at all the shelves around him, holding tons of information and projects and everything Branzy has ever worked on over the years. All of his work, accumulated in one single place-
And something finally clicked. A lot of things clicked at once, actually, a bit belatedly.
The two have very different definitions of trust, don't they?
It's not that Clown wasn't aware they led two pretty different lives. He was well aware that he was far better at combat than Branzy was, just like Branzy was far better at traps and reading people than he was. Clown could intimidate a room just by walking in, while Branzy would remain ignored and unnoticed unless he wanted to be seen. Both of them had very different strengths and weaknesses, and therefore went about life in significantly different ways. He knew that, logically, but... he doesn't think he's ever truly processed what that meant until right now.
For Clown, trust was physical closeness. It was letting people near him when he was repairing or putting on his armor, sharpening his weapons, restocking and gearing up. Trust was letting his back be exposed to people who could very well use the situation to their advantage and get the jump on him.
He was used to being around other fighters who saw trust the same way, other people who knew the risks of letting someone else get too close to you. He was constantly around people who knew better than to let just anyone see them defenseless and open, without weapons or armor to defend themselves with. He was always with people who knew better than to casually let their guard down like that.
But that wasn't the world Branzy came from. Branzy could barely hold his own in any fight, usually quick to stumble or have his sword taken out of his grasp. He was weak, incapable of defending himself, and he was also very aware of that fact. Branzy knew how easy of a target he was for basically anyone that wanted to hurt him, and how little of a chance he stood in any sort of fight. And even above all that, he knew just how dangerous Clown was.
So for Branzy, it didn't matter if Clown saw him without armor. It didn't matter if Clown saw him open and vulnerable, because realistically, Clown could kill him either way. If Clown had ever wanted Branzy dead, then there was no armor, no weapons, no potions or other gear Branzy could have that would save him. If Clown truly and honestly wanted to kill Branzy, then Branzy stood absolutely no chance against him. If anything, taking his armor off was a mercy for himself, letting Clown get the job done easily and without anything getting in the way.
Clown knew that. He knew the skill gap between the two of them, knew how weak and easy to kill Branzy was. He had always known that, even before the two started working together. But he's never fully internalized that fact the same way Branzy apparently had.
Trust, for Branzy, wasn't letting Clown close to him. It wasn't letting Clown see him without armor or protection. It wasn't letting Clown follow him to his base, to his home. It wasn't any of that, because for someone like Branzy, none of that mattered against someone of Clown's skill level.
No, Branzy's true sense of safety came from a place like this; a hidden place that held all of his notes and work. Branzy's biggest strength came from his redstone machines, from his plans, from his observations on other people and how they work. Which meant a place like this was his biggest asset, a very valuable and convenient thing to have. But because of that, it was also his biggest weakness and vulnerability, a very direct way to hurt and hinder him should someone find it.
Trust, for Branzy, was leading Clown here, to the place that held everything important to him. It was opening up and showing this place to Clown, and hoping- trusting that Clown wouldn't use it against him.
For Branzy, taking off his armor wasn't a huge deal, but this was. And Clown honestly isn't sure how he's never considered that before.
This was Branzy's equivalent of exposing his bare back to Clown; of letting Clown hold his most prized weapon; of letting Clown see behind his mask, to his truest and most vulnerable self. This was Branzy completely exposing himself to Clown, of showing Clown just how much he trusts him.
And that-
Clown isn't sure how to handle that, honestly.
Clown stared back down at the journal in his hands, now seeing it in a new light; seeing it for the weapon that it was. Information was power, and Branzy sure did have a lot of it here. Information that he was now trusting Clown with, too.
Emotions swelled in his chest, almost overwhelming him. It was a lot to realize, all at once, and Clown could only think of one way to handle it. He looked back at the shelf he got the journal from, carefully placing it back in its rightful spot and retrieving his glove, shoving it in his pocket. He walked out of the aisle and made his way over to Branzy. Branzy, who was still hunched over the table and writing things down, a couple papers on the desk in front of him. He glanced up as Clown drew closer, furrowing his brow in confusion.
He looked like he was about to say something before Clown reached out and cupped his cheek, pulling up his mask with his other hand and crashing their lips together. Branzy squeaked in surprise but didn't pull away, instead relaxing into it after a couple moments. Clown lingered in the kiss, feeling Branzy's hand come up to gently hold the hand still cupping his face, before he finally pulled away. When he did, he leaned down and buried his face in between Branzy's shoulder and neck, hands coming around the redstoner's middle and holding him tightly. Branzy laughed.
"What's this about?" he asked as he brought his arms up around Clown's upper back. Clown hummed.
"Felt like it," he murmured. Branzy chuckled.
"Any particular reason?"
"Does there have to be one?"
"I-" Branzy started, before letting out an amused sigh. "I guess not."
Clown nuzzled into Branzy's neck, breathing in his scent and appreciating the warmth of his skin. He stayed there as the emotions in his chest began to settle, turning into something more manageable. Finally, he took one last deep breath, before straightening up and letting go of the shorter man, one hand lingering on the back of Branzy's chair. Branzy watched him curiously, and Clown pointedly looked away, down at the redstone drawing Branzy was working on. He didn't know what expression he was making, and he sincerely hoped Branzy wouldn't draw any attention to whatever it was.
"So-" Clown started, before stopping himself and reconsidering. He was suddenly a lot more aware of the weight his questions about this place had. Branzy never took advantage of his own vulnerabilities, and Clown wanted to return the favor. "Can I see these plans you had against me, or are you gonna make me find them myself?"
"Oh- yeah, I can show you," Branzy said, Clown stepping back as he moved to get up. The redstoner led him to another row of journals and slowly walked down, staring at one shelf in particular before he reached out and grabbed one. He flipped through a few pages, scanning them before handing the open journal to Clown.
"I'd tell you what your codename is, but, uh, I think you'll be able to figure it out pretty quickly," Branzy said as Clown took the journal from him and began reading. Clown furrowed his brow as he read, blinking. He looked back up at Branzy, who was biting his tongue and looking away from him.
"Is your codename for me fucking Potato?"
"One of the first real conversations we had was about what you liked on your potatoes and it stuck with me, alright?! I couldn't go for something obvious like Scythe or Cat, cause that would just defeat the whole purpose of writing everything in code in the first place!"
"Okay, I understand Scythe, but how would Cat be an obvious choice?"
Branzy looked at him with an expression somewhere between exasperated and 'are you serious right now'.
"Clown, you are the most cat-like person I have ever met. I swear, sometimes I think you're a cat given human form."
"Alright, fine, fair enough," Clown chuckled. Branzy was far from the first person to compare him to a cat, so he guessed it made sense Branzy would find that to be "too obvious". He looked back down at the journal and kept reading, noting the way Branzy was still in front of him, fidgeting with his hands.
And wow, yeah, it was actually downright chilling to read Branzy's observations and plans against him. He knew Branzy was skilled in knowing people's weaknesses and using them to his advantage, but holy shit, was it different to actually have proof of that right in front of him; about himself, no less. He suddenly felt a lot more justified in how much effort he put into making sure he kept Branzy in check when they first started working together.
"God, I'm glad I always kept an eye out for TNT minecarts all the time," Clown commented after reading a specific section. Branzy chuckled.
"Well, yeah, that's why I never ended up using them against you. It's like you have some sort of sixth sense for them or something, it never would've worked on you," he said casually. Clown stopped, before slowly looking up at him. The shorter man was still fidgeting with his hands, but his expression was more relaxed. Casual. Calm.
"...Branzy, I thought you said you were never planning to actually trap me."
"I-I wasn't!" Branzy quickly defended, nervousness and panic seeping into his expression. "I-I told you, Clown, they were all just- just precautionary plans! N-nothing I wouldn't do without reason."
"I don't know, Branzy, the way you phrased that made it sound an awful lot like you were planning to trap me at one point."
"I-" Branzy started, before shutting his mouth and pointedly looking away. Clown waited for him to start talking again, before slowly realizing he wasn't going to. Something akin to unease started to stir in his chest.
"Branzy."
"..."
"Branzy Craft."
"......"
Needless to say, Clown made it a high priority to learn his way to Branzy's workshop on his own, so he could stop by and see what new plans the redstoner was working on even without Branzy around to know. Just in case.