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A terrible sneeze echoes through the mostly empty, square building. It has been hastily put together, with any materials they could find, pulling together any remaining wood and a blanket for a simple bed in the corner. In it, sits a poorly Gem, head in her hands as she sniffles and tries to block the bright light of the sun, from giving her a worse headache.
The three had only arrived at this new land a few days ago, and she really hadn’t meant to come down with an illness - especially when it should be the busiest time for her. Every now and again, she lifts her head just enough to see the gentle smiles of Grian or Pearl, as they run in, opening the nearby chests as quietly as possible. They hold all sorts of interesting items in their hands, bags full to bursting with ores, or wheat, or yet another saddle, which is very welcome in Gem’s eyes, after Bdubs convinced her to put the one she crafted on a pig.
(The pig had begun to run away with Gem’s saddle, so she had used her sword to stop the pig in its path… well, forever. In doing so, however, the sword had caught the delicate stitching she had taken so painfully long to do, and ripped the leather in multiple places. They had been short of supplies and needed something to burn on their campfire, so she had sacrificed it, ultimately deciding it would take far longer to repair, than craft new. She still hasn’t forgiven Bdubs.)
Thinking back, Gem wasn’t sure if she had heard Bdubs sniffing, but if she had, that’s just yet another thing to add to her villain origin story. After all, Grian really wanted them to cement themselves in this new society as villains - or, at least, people who could stand up for themselves, steal items they needed, and be pot-stirrers. Someone has to bring a little chaos, so why couldn’t it be them?
Gem wiped her nose on a rag, as Pearl came in, softly speaking, but caring as ever.
“Hey, how are you doing?”
“Worse.” Gem croaks out, before frowning, “And my voice is going now too.”
Pearl holds out a bottle of water to her, brushing her fringe back as she drinks. Her hand rests on Gem’s forehead.
“You are running a bit warm.”
Pearl grabs a clean rag, dipping it into a cauldron of water they’d set down earlier. She squeezes it out a little, and walks back over to the bed.
“You shouldn’t get too close.” Grian says, as he walks in, closing the door.
He moves to empty his finds from the day into the chests and tossing ores into the furnace.
“You know I’m the strongest out of both of you.” Pearl says, patting the cloth on Gem’s forehead. “Someone has to get Gem better again.”
Gem stretches out a hand. She can’t see, with the rag starting to cover her eyes, even under Pearl’s caring watch. A warm hand slips into hers, squeezing. It’s Grian. He usually has the most reassurance to give - always knowing if there’s much to expect in the next few days, somehow. It’s him that gathers all their friends around to travel to the next place. There’s no other two people who Gem would feel more protected around.
Grian eventually moves away, not without Gem whining, but Pearl strokes her hair and whispers,
“He’s just making food, he’ll be back.”
Gem hates when she gets like this, overly clingy, even when her skin prickles from illness. She leans into Pearl’s touch anyway, lifting the rag away from her eyes to see Grian at the table, stirring a pot. They hadn’t found much on the way to their new patch of land, but they had the beginnings of a wheat farm, a few mushrooms, and some vegetables, perfect for bread and warmed up leftover stew.
She begins to feel frustrated. She could’ve helped with their farm today, or maybe started their next house that they had been planning, less than a chunk away. Etho had already made a whole cottage that he was showing off, with wooden fences lining the outside. She sniffles again, but not from her cold, her eyes welling up and threatening to spill over. Of course, they both notice immediately, Pearl wipes her cheeks when the tears fall, and Grian repeats a comforting “It’s okay,” while stirring the stew.
“I’m sorry.”
“What for?” Pearl asks, offering Gem the water bottle again.
She drinks, the cold water soothing her throat a little. “I haven’t been very helpful these past few days.”
“You haven’t needed to be.” Pearl says, “Focusing on getting better is far more important to any of us.”
Grian grabs some bowls from the chest and portions out the food. “You wouldn’t have let either of us work in your state either.”
Gem hums.
“Nurse Gem would keep us locked in the house, locked to the bed even! Neither of us would’ve been let out of your sight.” Pearl says, dramatically. It cracks a smile out of Gem, finally.
Pearl pulls up a couple of upright logs nearby the bed, for makeshift chairs. Gem thanks Grian for handing her a bowl of warm stew and a bread roll.
“Are you going to be okay to eat that?” Grian asks.
“By myself? Yeah, I’m not that weak right now.”
“It would be absolutely fine if you were though, just let us know.”
Grian passes another bowl to Pearl, before retrieving his own.
The three eat with quiet chatter, Grian telling Gem animatedly about catching Joel staring at their base earlier in the day, an ogre-like head cutting through the mist, before Pearl cuts in asking if anyone had heard what seemed to be ghostly voices.
Before they clean up, Grian wraps an arm around Gem, resting his head atop hers and Pearl gently kisses the side of her head, commenting on how she feels less warm than before.
She’ll still be sick for at least the next few days, but at least she’s surrounded with wonderful, strong, and caring family like Grian and Pearl. They can go back to being villainous later.