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The moons ever increasing size has come with a number of ill effects: Gravity fluctuation, floating blocks, earthquakes, and, most surprisingly, fog.
All of these things make building incredibly difficult, but the fog is probably the most annoying, especially when navigating darker areas of the server. Darker areas like Grian’s alley, which Grian is currently trapped in.
He’d given up on getting any work done about an hour ago, leaving him wandering aimlessly through the twists and turns to try and find his way out of here. The fog had only gotten thicker since it began, making it so he could see at most maybe one block in front of him. He thinks he’s near the bank but everything is so vague and disorienting it’s hard to even tell what color the buildings are.
After about five more minutes of wandering, Grian decides to just save his energy and plops himself down on the ground below him. The best course of action now is to wait until the fog dissipates, but there’s really no telling when that will be. Sometimes it will last minutes, sometimes hours, sometimes a whole day. He scrapes the walls of his brain, trying to come up with some other solution. Then he remembers that one of his fellow Boatem members is known for her particularly amazing eyesight.
Pearl. Oh, how could he have forgotten about Pearl?
Grian pulls his com out, making sure to turn the brightness all the way up so he can see what he’s doing, and pulls up Pearl’s contact.
[Grian]: hey pearl
[Grian]: mind lending me your eyes?
He stares at the screen, waiting as patiently as he’s able to for a response. It’s not like he has much else going on at the moment. Maybe thirty seconds later, he hears the tell tale beep.
[PearlescentMoon]: of course g! where are you?
Grian lets out a breath he had no idea he’d been holding, quickly typing his response.
[Grian]: somewhere in the megabase
[Grian]: not entirely sure where
[PearlescentMoon]: omw :)
He repockets his communicator, sitting pack and just waiting for the moth hybrid to show up. He picks aimlessly at the deepslate under him, definitely not thinking about how much time he’s wasting by sitting here. Or how the moon is sure to destroy them, meaning any work he does will ultimately mean nothing in the long run. He’s definitely not thinking about either of those things as he waits, that’s for sure.
He doesn’t have to not-think for long, though, because soon enough the sound of wings fluttering fills the air. The fog clears slightly from the commotion and Pearl’s blue eyes show brightly through the clouds. “Grian, hey!” she calls, landing right in front of the avian.
“Pearl!” Grian chirps, “You have no idea how happy I am to see you right now.”
“I’m sure you are. What were you thinking? Working out here in this fog, in the dark,” Pearl scolds, wagging her finger at him like a disappointed mother. “And with your weak little bird eyes as well? Not a smart move.”
“My eyes are not weak,” Grian protests, “Yours are just freakishly good.”
“You can’t even see glass, G.”
“Okay, that is not true.”
“I’ve seen you fly into windows thinking they were open gaps.”
“That was one time!” Grian cries, “And that glass was remarkably clear, I’ll have you know.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Pearl responds, rolling her eyes at him.
“I don’t have to stand here and take this slander.”
“You do, actually,” Pearl states, smirking, “I’m your only way out of here.”
“Right.” Grian looks around, remembering just how hopelessly lost he is. He turns his gaze to Pearl, then to the space behind her, “We should probably get going.”
“Yes, yes.” Pearl turns and kneels down, gesturing to her back, "Hop on."
Grian blinks. "You. Want me. To ride on your back?"
"Well, yeah," Pearl responds, shrugging. "Would be a lot easier than trying to guide you back on foot."
“Will you even be able to hold me?”
“Grian, please,” she groans, “you hardly weigh anything at all. Now hurry up, I don’t want to stand around in your little alley all night. I have stuff to do as well.”
“Alright, fine.” Grian begrudgingly wraps his arms around Pearl’s neck. The moth hybrid hooks her arms under his legs and stands, lifting Grian up as she does so. Pearl adjusts him so that her wings are free and takes off, effortlessly navigating her way through the fog. Grian can’t help the yelp that falls out of him, holding on just the slightest bit tighter. Pearl laughs.
“What’s the matter, aren’t you used to flying?”
“Not on someone else’s back, no,” Grian snaps.
They soar out of the alley into the cool night air, things getting significantly easier to see the further away they get from the dimly lit cavern. Grian takes a moment to look around at Boatem. It’s hard to really take anything in with the fog covering most things, but it’s beautiful in a way. Eerie yet peaceful. A sight that would be welcome if the cause wasn’t their untimely demise.
The fly over to Grian’s starter base is fairly short and before he knows it they’re landing right outside his door. He drops down as gracefully as possible, trying his best to avoid Pearl’s wings.
“Thanks,” he says, smiling, “I probably would have been stuck down there for hours if you hadn’t come along.”
Pearl smiles back. “It’s no problem, really. I was just working on some things over at the lighthouse, so it wasn’t all that much out of my way to come rescue the maiden in distress.”
“My hero,” Grian mocks, dramatically batting his eyelashes. “How shall I ever repay this true act of bravery?”
“Five diamonds,” Pearl responds with no hesitation.
“Absolutely not.”