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The world of Empires was decidedly very strange. It housed all sorts of species and hybrids, all sorts of professions, and any fantastical being imaginable.
And while, on some level it stayed at a semblance of normal (Impulse had seen weird things and little could faze him), it was still strange by all means. It was outlandish.
But when he realized Gem was also in this world, not as a hermit entering, but as a ruler of an Empire, those overwhelmed nerves took a backseat. Things could slow down and he could learn about this world from people he did know, instead of having to learn a new face with a new otherworldly empire.
Yet again, he found himself stumped, as the newly called “Princess Gem” was very different from the Gem he knew.
She was… stiff.
“Welcome to my empire, Dawn.” Everything was formal. Introductions, rules, the ways of the land. Bland. Structured.
It felt so wrong.
And then there was the whole “Don’t talk about Hermitcraft,” that she quietly shot to him. It was the weird awareness that Gem herself knew she belonged both here and there, but she was sweeping it under the rug anyway.
That “normal” he hoped to find was nowhere in sight.
She continued to show the group around Dawn, showing off her particular trade items and her kingdom’s ideals and goals. There were no pranks in sight, no silly shops or builds, nothing like Hermitcraft.
Even still, Impulse stuck around longer than the rest of them, still trying to wrap his mind around everything. It was easier to stay here, with someone he thought he knew, than to explore brand new areas and add even more work to processing this universe. Maybe the rest of the crew could do it, but not him.
Maybe it was just a need for stability, and there was a prior friendship here that was stable.
Maybe it was just his need to control circumstances, and he couldn’t control anything just yet.
Maybe it was just that subtle knowledge that something was off here, and he needed to figure out what it was.
Because if there was one thing that did stay the same about Gem, it was the fact that she looked worn out and quite frankly in pain sometimes, which wasn’t the rarest sight even back home. And if there was one thing that would always stay the same about Impulse, it was that he’d always be there to help, no matter the issue.
Maybe nobody else was aware, too enamored with the world around them, but Impulse watched Gem like a hawk. He watched and he saw the small winces, the deep breaths, the lack of bubbly smile that reassured everything was alright.
But again, Gem was different here, Impulse was learning.
“You don’t have other places to check out?” Gem “led” the way to her main house, Impulse more following uninvited but following nonetheless.
“Well, I guess I could, but I just. Wanted to stick around I guess.”
Gem just hummed in response, every step she took was stiff… prim and proper. “You may want to check out all the other empires, see which one you like the best.” The words didn’t have the carefree air they should, a tone so bland and almost biting back some exasperated remark.
And maybe that was the last straw. Seeing Gem so un-Gem made him ask a question that was… probably improper as far as things went. “Are you okay? You’re acting all different.”
She sighed, keeping her back turned as she opened the door of the small house, continuing on to lead to a small living space. “This is normal for here, Impulse. We’re not on Hermitcraft.” Again. Firm.
“But you’re just… not yourself.”
She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine. I’m just much more responsible here because I actually have a kingdom. Impressions are important. Ruling is important.” The wince she gave as she said those words didn’t go past him.
Even if “Princess” Gem was different, this behavior was similar to one’s shown when she wanted to be left alone.
“Again, it’s alright for you to head on to other empires. I’ll be fine.”
It felt like the dismissal, back at home. Something was wrong, but there was some sense of pride that kept Gem from letting Impulse help — and helping was his strong suit. And to prove that, no matter the fact that she knew it already, he tried for a more direct approach.
“You don’t look fine.”
“Princesses are always fine.” The words sounded a bit more like Gem.
“You look like you’re hurting.”
She frowned back, at first looking more of a silent denial of the statement, seconds later turning into something of obvious visible pain. She took a deep breath, about to speak to prove her point.
“Just put down the act. I’ll stop being a dwarf and you with your royaltyness. No more roleplay and none of this “I’m above all help” nonsense.”
He saw the smallest bit of her moral breaking. She looked down at the floor.
“We’re still friends even if we’re not home.” He wrapped an arm around her, and while earlier she might’ve bolted or protested, she started to relent. A victory, in some way.
“But I’m not supposed to need help. I’m a ruler.”
“Yeah?” He forced her to lean against him, it not taking much force if any.
“I can handle pain. It’s not a big deal.” As she said the words though, he could still hear the pain in her voice, the almost whine of something being wrong. It was only confirmed further by her tensing up, something that she fought against earlier.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
He felt her nod, only slightly. “Tea, please.”
A simple enough request, making the difficulty only finding all the supplies for it. As he got up from the couch, Gem took up the entire area, curling up against a pillow. A form of misery at its finest.
“Anything in particular?”
She shook her head. If she was feeling up to it, she most definitely would’ve made a decision on the flavor of tea.
The good news was this wasn’t Impulse’s first time fixing tea upon Gem’s request. He had an idea of what she liked, knowing the amount of sweeter depending on the kind of tea. Knowing how long to steep the tea. What temperature the water needed to boil to.
And while there were many specifics to getting it right (at least, right in Gem’s opinion), the job wasn’t bothersome. It was just one more way he could help.
In about five minutes the tea was finished, and he was back to checking on Gem, who somehow managed to look worse than before.
“Do you feel sick?” He stooped down to the floor, matching her height, as there wasn’t any more space on the couch.
“Terrible, but it’s not sickness. And thank you.” She sat up, wincing a bit as she did so, and took the mug gratefully.
“No problem. So, what is it then?”
Gem took a sip of the tea, regretting her actions for a second. “Just… cramps and stuff. Nothing huge. Like I said before, I can manage. But, it makes me not want to exist for a while, if that makes sense.”
He nodded. It wasn’t a new situation to him, by all means. Throughout the past few months of Soup Group, he did get the title of Emotional Support Buddy (which Gem and Pearl had trademarked at this point). It appeared he would have to be that again, which he never really did mind.
He moved back up to the couch, it not taking a minute before he was a human pillow.
It wasn’t many more minutes after that Gem started to doze off and carefully he took the unfinished tea out of her hands. He followed suit soon after, tired from the chaos of a new server. All the outside world was forgotten for a sense of normalcy.
And from this experience alone, he knew this “Princess” Gem wasn’t really different from the Gem at home, much to his relief.