"I was up there too, that sand weighed a ton. You can't stretch your muscles like I can, that's why it's good we're a team." He glanced up at their third brother, still staring miserably at Finn. "And, uh, Jermaine came in with the clutch rune biz! All Joshua's boys got a hand on the ball, he'd be stoked! Loop closed!"

Jake's voice had a declarative note to it, as if he was announcing the matter over. Jermaine, still watching how Finn seemed to be avoiding everyone's gaze, wasn't so sure.

"Did something happen?" He finally asks, tone as apologetic as it was curious. "You can tell us. I promise I won't be a jerk, it just... Freaked me out, that's all. Seeing the kind of stuff you two do up close. I'm not mad."

Jake looked irritated at first, flashing Jermaine a look (one he didn't even see, thanks to his laser focus on Finn). But as he continued, Jake felt his expression soften. It was a different approach from Jake's typical one, direct as opposed to distract.

A large part of him was pretty sure picking at the wound was a bad idea, but... Well, he'd been coming up empty with Finn more and more lately. Maybe a change of tactic wouldn't be so bad.