Chapter Text
Eurus was perched atop the roof of the building, peering down at the city below.
Today was the annual carnival, meaning the streets were lined with colors and lights, and the skyline was framed by the shapes of tents and other attractions. And in the center of it all, was the Ferris wheel, casting it's enormous shadow across the rest of the harbor.
It was the perfect night for the hunt.
Their metal claws clasped at the roof's parapet, as their eyes scanned thoroughly across the moonlit marina, like a hawk searching for its prey.
And find their prey they did. A familiar head of hair, recognizable amidst a crowd of hundreds.
With their eyes locked firmly on the prize, they stood up, taking a second to stretch their limbs in preparation. With a deep, metallic breath, they unfurled their wings, spreading out into a dark cloak of feathers.
Now, all that was left was to sit and wait. For the perfect moment to strike...
Pearl slumped down against the metal bench, huffing out an exasperated breath. She held her hand up to her face, wiping her hair away and staring up at the moon.
"Are you alright?"
Pearl jumped a bit in surprise at the sudden voice. "Huh-?" Somehow, the ache in her legs and the tiredness behind her eyes had also blocked out the sight of the woman sat directly beside her. It was a girl, with curly ginger hair and a kindly smile.
The girl giggled a bit. "Sorry, didn't mean to spook you! It just looked like you were about to pass out there for a second or something."
Pearl gave a small laugh of her own, but still groggily rubbed her eyes. "I'm fine, thanks. Guess I'm just not used to the carnival atmosphere, huh?"
The girl shrugged. "Fair enough. This is like my seventh year here and I'm still not completely used to it! -Mainly because my brother always drags me out here, but that's besides the point!- Uhm, anyways.. " She looked up to Pearl's face, studying her appearance. "..Is that a sunflower?"
"Huh? -Oh, right." Pearl slid her hand up behind her ear, reminded of the flower tucked in her hair. "Yeah, It was a gift from a friend. Well- not a friend exactly. Or, well-?" She shrugged. "Something like that."
"Well, they have a good taste in flowers!" She piped with a grin.
Pearl chuckled a bit. "I'll tell her you said that."
"Mmm, does she grow them herself?"
"She sells them too, yeah." Pearl replied, curious as to the girl's intrigue of the topic.
"Ooh! Maybe I'll go buy some from her someday!"
Pearl shrugged. "Maybe you can tell her yourself then."
She grinned snugly. "Maybe." Then, she turned back to the carnival scenery, gazing up at the whirling lights for a good moment. "...Did you want to try out the Ferris wheel with me?"
Pearl twirled her head towards her. "..What?"
The girl hummed, still looking up at the lights. "I dunno. Just an offer."
"I mean-" Pearl gave a small laugh, still a bit confused by the girl's demeanor. "That sounds lovely, but- ...I don't even know your name yet."
She finally looked back down to Pearl, giving her a warm smile. "It's Gem."
"So, how's Pearl been?" Joel asked, whilst simultaneously shoving a few more fries into his mouth.
Grian looked out from the restaurant balcony, as if he was somehow gonna be able to spot her among the crowd. "She's been doing fine, as far as I know. And what about you?" He turned back to Joel and the others. "How's your 'hero-ing' business been going?"
Joel shrugged. "Pretty good, I guess. Caught a few criminals. Y'know, the norm."
"What, so you're just completely brushing off our fight with Boreas??" Fwhip exclaimed with a scoff from across the table.
Joel just took another bite of his chicken sandwich. "Eh, that guy's a pushover."
"Since when was freezing over an entire building being a pushover?" Fwhip continued.
"Since I learnt how to melt it~" Joel snapped a finger, creating a small spark of fire as he did.
"Boreas is powerful, but he cares more about spectacle than causing any lasting damage." Grian added in. Both of the heroes turned to him, staring at him for a moment. Grian just shrugged in response. "...Just an observation."
"You know.." Fwhip scooted closer in his seat, eyes locked on Grian. "The invitation still stands, for if you ever want to become a hero for real."
Grian was quick to shake his head no. "Respectfully, I think what you guys do for the city is great, ..but it isn't the life for me." He was half expecting acceptance from them, half expecting disappointment. But a simple nod from Fwhip would do.
"That's.. understandable." Fwhip responded. "But just know that you're always welcome, if you ever do change your mind."
'Unlikely, but sure,' Grian thought. "..Anyways, I think I should probably go find Pearl now. Before she passes out from too much sugar intake." He said with a snicker, before looking out past the railing of the restaurant patio, into the seemingly endless sea of people. "..Neither of you two would happen to know where she is, would you?"
"Ask Jim, he was the last person who she was with." Joel suggested, as he finally finished up his meal.
Grian nodded in understanding. "Bother Timmy, got it." And with that, he slid out from the booth, and made his way inside the main restaurant building. The scent of food lingered heavily in the air, and the inharmonious clatter of plates and utensils acted as the backing track to his trip through the restaurant, dodging several tables and chairs along the way.
It didn't take him long to spot Jimmy, leaning against the entrance wall, sipping on a drink. "Hey Tim," Grian called as he approached him, wrapping his arm around the man's shoulders.
"What the-" Jimmy was caught of guard by the surprise arrival, nearly choking on his drink in the process. "Grian? What do you-?"
"Have you seen Pearl recently?" He asked.
"Oh, uhm.. yeah," Jimmy looked around, as if he'd somehow be able to spot her from here. "She was just- ..I'm not sure, actually."
Grian heaved out a sigh. "Oh screw it, I'll go look for her myself.." He said as he turned to the door, pushing it halfway open.
"Wait! I think she said she was just gonna explore around for a bit?"
"Wow, that narrows it down a ton." Grian replied in an almost-genuine voice, before closing the door behind him. Now came the real challenge. "Now, where are you..."
Grian was never particularly bad with crowds, ..but that didn't mean he liked them either. Was it all the bodies? Or all the eyes? Not that he even attracted any eyes of course, at least not without his win- ..never mind.
Either way, it didn't take him that long to spot Pearl anyways. Amongst the flashy light and loud sounds, was a familiar head of hair crowned in a singular, bright yellow sunflower. "Pearl!" He called out to her as he pulled her aside.
Pearl whipped her head around to greet him. "-Grian? Oh, hey! What's up?"
"Just checking up on you." Grian said, followed with a gentle pat to her shoulder. "Were you ready to head home yet?"
"N- I, uh-.." Pearl looked around for a bit, as if searching for something. 'where did she go..'. "Uhm, I was actually just about to... go on the Ferris wheel?"
"Oh," Grian looked up, at the towering wheel ahead of them. "..Are you sure?"
"Yeah?" She shrugged. "..Just thought it might be fun. Why? Did you want to join?"
Grian politely shook his head. "N-no, but thanks for the offer. I'm just a bit concerned, that's all."
Pearl couldn't help but give a chuckle. "Of what? That I'm gonna trip on my laces and fall off? That's what the railing's for, silly!"
Grian even laughed a bit himself. "..You know what I meant. Just stay safe."
"I'll be fine!" Pearl gave a playful punch to his shoulder. "And tell you what, if I see you, I'll wave at you from up top."
"Ow!" Grian rubbed his shoulder in pain, but kept a smile on his face. "Alright, go on then.."
Pearl gave him a peace sign, before turning around and walking away.
Pearl eventually found Gem again, waiting by the line to the Ferris wheel.
"There you are! Thought I lost you!" The girl said with a giggle.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Just got pulled aside by a friend.."
Gem nodded in understanding. "It's all good, don't worry!"
It wasn't too long before they were next in line, handing in their tickets to the vendor, and hopping into one of the carts. They were seated parallel to each other, Gem idly fiddling with her thumbs, whilst Pearl stared silently into black beyond above. Soon the wheel began to move, lifting them up into the air.
"Soo.." Gem spoke first, trying to break the silence. "Have you heard any of the.. news, as of late?"
Pearl looked down from the sky to her. "..No? I don't think so?"
"-Sorry, it's just that my brother never really shuts up about, so-" She gave an awkward chuckle. "It's been a bit hard to not think about it."
Pearl raised an eyebrow. "There seems to be a lot of mentions of your brother lately."
"Yeah, he's just... a busy guy. -But anyways," She cleared her throat. "There's.. been a significant increase of villain sightings all across the city. No one really knows why, -if there's any motive behind it, or if it's purely by coincidence."
"..Villains, huh?" Pearl never cared much about the whole 'superhero and supervillain' thing, but she still knew well what harm trailed behind them—Both of them. "Which ones."
"All of them." Gem replied, perhaps a bit too eager considering the topic. "Boreas and Artemis as their usual pair, and Demeter's always been seen crawling around the outskirts. Interestingly, the only one who hasn't been seen around all that much, is-"
Suddenly, there was a loud swoosh, followed by a loud clank as something landed against the cart. Both of them jumped back in shock, with Gem practically shrieking in fear. Almost as if nothing had happened, there was a figure seated directly next to Pearl. And as a single black feather billowed past her vision, it confirmed to her exactly who this was.
"Eurus?!" Gem whisper-cried.
The villain's eyes laser focused onto Gem. "Make another sound, and I'll rip your throat from your body." They muttered with a metallic and clearly altered growl, likely due to a voice modifier integrated into their bird-like mask.
The silence that followed was deafening, only being broken by the rhythmic tapping of the villain's metal claws against the cart's railing. Although their eyes weren't completely visible through their clouded goggles, they were clearly locked on Gem. "You know, I have to commend you. You're quite difficult to track down.."
Gem failed to form a response.
Pearl was frozen. What should she do? She was sat right next to the most dangerous person in the city, someone who could probably end her in an instant if they wanted to. Should she scream? Would Eurus kill her if she did so? Was there a some who could save-
"Hello birdie birdie~ Where did you go?~" A voice echoed out.
"Oh you've got to be-" Eurus groaned in annoyance, before craning their neck around to scout for where the voice came from. It wasn't long before the source made itself very, very apparent—It was a hero, with gilded armor and large, argent white wings.
"Sausage?" Gem whispered, as she looked out to the airborne hero in awe.
"There you are, little birdie!" The hero chimed as he landed onto the side of the cart, in a voice that was way too dandy considering the situation.
Eurus scoffed in disgust. Then, in one swift motion, she launched herself up into the air, one of her dark wings smacking into Pearl's face.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going!" The hero cried out.
"Hey Saus- I mean- Azrael, I'm here!" Gem cried out to the hero.
The hero—Azrael according to Gem, focused his attention on her, his eyes going wide. Apparently, he was too distracted by Eurus, that he failed to even notice her. "Gem?! What in the world are you doing here?"
Before she could reply, Eurus swooped back down and rammed into Azrael, knocking him back with an 'Oomph' sound as he fell back off the cart, but quickly caught the wind and flew back up. Eurus was now stood where the hero was, looming over Gem with a predatory gaze. They studied her for a moment, before briefly turning to look at the hero. "...You two know each other?"
Pearl felt Gem's gut drop with hers.
Even with a mask on, they could see a smile form on their face. "You're definitely the one I'm looking for, then~"
"You stay away from her!" Azrael cried, and slashed his sword against Eurus' back, harmlessly sliding off her cloak.
Eurus turned to face him. "Alright, how about this? You leave me be, let me fly into the night without a hero on my trail," They raked two of their metal claws together as a threat, creating a shrill 'shing' sound. "-and she doesn't get hurt."
At first Azrael seemed shocked, but he quickly maintained his cool and brought his fingers to his chin. "Hmm, let me think about it... How about neither!-" He suddenly tackled into Eurus, knocking them down against the floor of the cart.
Eurus grunted and kicked him off of them. "For an angel, you certainly lack grace-" They thrusted themselves off from the cart, diving into the abyss below. Then, they looped back around the cart, this time pulling Azrael along with them.
"Gah!!" Azrael cried out, his voice fading in and out as they twirled around in the air. "Let go of me! You're just an insignificant child, who's no match for the might of AN ANG-"
Eurus threw Azrael straight into one of the spokes of the wheel, the impact sending vibrations throughout the entirety of the wheel.—Of which, said wheel had stopped moving some time ago. And it just so happened that their cart was near the top.
"And you're just an inconvenience." The villain spat back, as they stepped back onto the cart. "Just another little stump along the way to achieving my goals."
Despite having the air knocked out of him, Azrael refused to go down to easily. He caught himself even as he fell, wind beneath his wings, and determination in his eyes.
Eurus raised an eyebrow. "Not done yet? ..Alright, have it your way." They bared their claws once more, before leaping straight for him.
Azrael managed to dodge out of the way just in time, hoping for Eurus to crash into the spoke behind. But instead, they simply caught themself against the metal beam, claws clasped around it, before using it to boost them straight into Azrael.
This time they crashed straight into him, knocking them both against the cart, rocking the two women inside. Pearl was nearly knocked out of her seat, barely catching herself on the railing. She practically crawled forwards, closer to Gem.
"Uhm, hey, Gem?" Pearl rasped out, her mouth dry from her panicked breathing. "..I'm gonna need you stay behind me, okay?"
Even through her fright, Gem seemed confused by her suggestion. "What? I don't- I don't need-"
Pearl grasped her hands around the other woman's shoulders, staring directly at her. "L-Look, Eurus is clearly out for you, and I'm not just gonna sit here and watch to see what that means."
Gem looked back out to the chaos unfurling in front of them, tuning out every noise but the clashing of metal and her own heartbeat in her ears.
Eurus landed a powerful slash against one of Azrael's wings, causing his flight to falter just long enough to follow up with a powerful strike to his torso, knocking him straight out of the air. He landed flat into the cart next by, which thankfully happened to be vacant. The thud of Eurus landing in front of him reverberated through his body.
"How about now?" Eurus said, clearly enjoying themselves. "Ready to give up yet?"
Azrael's vision blurred, as he looked up at the figure above, their wings encircling around them like a dark halo. He quickly shot up to a seated position. Even in his exhaustion, he wasn't done fighting. "The rest of the heroes are waiting just down below! You won't escape from us this time!!"
Eurus chuckled at his attempt at a threat. "Yeah, but last time I checked, none of the other heroes had wings!" They leered down at him with a tilt of their head, examining him like mouse who keeps trying to scurry away. "Alright, you've distracted me for long enough. Let's finish this." Then, they raised one hand up over their head, claws gleaming under the moonlight.
As the villain slashed down, Azrael instinctively shot out his sword to parry the attack. But instead of reflecting the attack, Eurus simply grabbed the sword mid-swing.
Eurus bent down to look him dead in the eyes, as they grasped their claws around the blade. "Cute." Then, they squeezed their hand down in a crushing motion, vibrating vigorously from exertion, until the steel snapped clean in half.
Azrael's eyes widened, as his only weapon crumbled in front of him. A chill ran up his spine, rendering him unable to stop Eurus from prying the sword out from his hands. His heartbeat picked up, as he stared at the dark mask above him, at the blank stare that was rid of any emotion at all. Though he doubted there were any in the first place.
Without a word, Eurus reached down, their hand clamping firmly around Azrael's throat. He sputtered and kicked in protest, but they ignored his thrashing as they lifted him by the neck, kicking the door open and holding him out over the edge.
Azrael gasped and grunted, as he felt the villain's claws constrict around his throat. "You- haven't- seen... anything yet.." He growled out in short breaths.
"Oh shut it." Eurus remarked listlessly. "I've seen quite enough from you already. So here's a little word of advice, I recommend you take it—" They leaned in closer, their bird-like mask mere centimeters away from his face. "I want you out of my sight." They leaned back, loosening the grip on his neck slightly. "Sound good?"
Azrael couldn't even respond. He wanted to respond. He wanted to fight back.
Eurus chuckled in amusement at his struggling. "Fly away, little fledgling." Then, they tossed him down into the night sky below.
He didn't come back up.
Eurus heaved out a relieved sigh, slacking back their shoulders and stretching their wings. "Okay, enough distractions.." Then, turned they turned back to look at the other cart. The ginger girl looked down at him in horror.
"Sausage!-" Gem shouted, looking down into the black abyss to see if she could spot any trace of silver metal or white wings.
Pearl pulled her back immediately, prying her away from the edge and looking her dead in the eyes. Her stare said enough on it's own. Eurus suddenly landed beside them, and Pearl instantly stood in front of her with no hesitation.
Eurus stared at the two of them, and gave a displeased scoff. "Please, don't make this more difficult than it already has been."
"I won't let you hurt her.." Pearl muttered. She knew full well what danger she was putting herself in, but she found the less she thought about it the better.
"Hm," Eurus looked Pearl up and down. "Curious. But alright," Then suddenly, they struck a hand out, slashing across Pearl's arm.
Pearl yelled out in pain, as metal claws sliced through her flesh, leaving behind a deep gash in their wake and spraying her face in her own blood. She fell to her knees, clutching her injured arm in agony. She looked up at Eurus, into their unfeeling gaze. 'Why?' she thought to herself, even though she knew they didn't need a reason for this cruelty.
Gem watched in horror, as the other woman's blood trickled down onto the floor.
Eurus met Gem's eyes dead on, then nodded down to Pearl. "Go on, help her."
Gem was still frozen with fear, but quickly got the message as the villain bared their claws, which were dripping with Pearl's blood. She quickly bent down beside Pearl, and and lightly gripped the girl's injured arm, earning a pained hiss in response. There was something deep inside her mind, something telling her that what she was doing was wrong, but she pushed it aside. She couldn't think of anything else she could do right now. So, she closed her eyes, and focused.
..Here goes nothing.
Pearl looked to her in pain and confusion, but was then greeted with a strange.. soothing sensation through her arm. And then- was she hallucinating? Or- No—her arm was healing. The cuts closed themselves, as if being stitched back together with invisible string. It was as if there were was never any wound at all, save for a few thin scars. She looked back up at Gem in awe.
She just smiled.
"Good." Eurus spoke, redirecting their attention to her, and snuffing out their smiles. "Just wanted a last little bit of confirmation, that's all."
Pearl instinctively crawled back in front of Gem. "Don't.. touch.. her.."
Eurus scoffed in amusement, before shoving Pearl to the side with their leg. Gem crawled as far back as she could, but she knew she was already pinned. Eurus bent down, looking her right in the eyes. They chuckled at her frightened expression, before reaching one hand up to their face, and pulling up their goggles. "Hello there. It's been a little while."
The villain's metallic voice echoed in her ears, as she stared up into their blue eyes. Her blue eyes.
"No words for me?" Eurus spoke, still with a twisted enjoyment in her voice. "That's a shame, I prefer when they fight back. But it's fine," In an instant, she violently grasped her claws around the girl's throat. "Watching the life slowly drain from your eyes will do just fine as a replacement."
Gem gasped and sputtered, desperately clutching at the villains hand, praying for her to let go.
Pearl watched in silent horror, hardly feeling capable of moving her limbs. She felt frozen. But she couldn't just.. leave her there. She couldn't just do nothing- She couldn't just let her-
Before she could think any further, she was caught off guard by the heavy woosh of wings, and a streak of white flashing across her vision. Slowly, she stood up.
"Did you miss me?!-" Azrael shouted, as he plunged the broken edge of his sword into Eurus' back.
Eurus gasped in shock, her grip loosening around Gem's neck, as pain begin to spread through her body. And as quickly as the ice cold feeling made itself present, it was ripped right out from her. She clutched her chest, and stumbled backwards awkwardly, unable to catch her balance.
Pearl was unable to react in time, as the villain's hefty wing slammed into her, knocking her off balance, back over the cart's edge and-
Grian didn't know what to do.
Police had surrounded the wheel and evacuated who they could from it, but Pearl was still up there, he knew she was. The heroes had gone up to save her right? Then where were Fwhip or Joel?- He couldn't see what was happening, there was too much people and loud sounds and-
His eyes widened.
Pearl was falling. Fast.
Instantly, Grian conjured his lavender wings, and prepared to leap for her-
But he was too late.
Azrael was too late as well.
But Pearl didn't hit the ground alone.
As he ran over as fast as he could, he recognized the dark black feathers that encompassed her. The sight made his heart skip a beat, but he didn't stop running.
The winged figure stood up, her blonde hair contrasting her black cloak, one of her dark wings freshly tattered from impact, and her eyes were just as shocked as his. But Grian focused on Pearl. She was unconscious, but she was still breathing. He'll take it, as long as she's alive.
The villain appeared to be in shock as well, but she fled up into the air as soon as police began to surround her.
Grian dropped to his knees, curling his wings around Pearl and pressing his face into her shoulder. His head was still spinning, trying to process all the thoughts in his head. Then, his heart sank.
He slowly brought one of his hands from behind her head, and to his horror, there was blood.
"No no no, hey, Pearl. Pearl!" He practically shook her.
The next few seconds felt like hours, his thoughts pulsating in his ears. Pearl's bleeding. Pearl could die, right here, right in front of him.
But then, he sensed a pair of footsteps getting particularly close, and he heard a voice speak—one that he didn't recognize.
"Hey, hey, I can help her." A gentle hand wrapped around his.
He looked up, his eyes meeting with an unfamiliar girl, ginger hair hanging down above him from her head. "...What?"
The girl bent down and took hold of Pearl, Grian just barely letting her. She held the back of Pearl's head, where she was bleeding most, and looked into his eyes. "She saved me up there, it's only fair I return the favor."
Grian was still very confused as to what she meant, but he didn't speak, he let her continue. After a moment of waiting, nothing appeared to be happening, and he was about to ask her to leave, so he could take her to a hospital or something- somewhere safe. But before he could, she spoke. "Alright, she should be fine now, but she might still be in pain for a few days."
He was about to scold her, having still not noticed any change. But as he felt where she was injured, it... well, wasn't. He looked up to the girl, and she gave him a simple smile.
It didn't take long before Pearl's eyes fluttered open.
"Pearl?" Grian whispered. "Pearl are you there?"
Pearl gave a soft groan. "...My head hurts."
He gleefully laughed, and hugged her tightly. He looked up to thank the girl, but she was already gone, without a trace.
...They should probably go home.