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Now wherever the Hermits are there's sure to be trouble. Whether it’s a nice comfortable beach or the swarming port of a busy city they bring trouble and trades. Holding tightly onto their status as a free for all explain away ticket to just barely escape ‘real’ trouble and the hardship that comes with.
They don't try to intentionally mess with the locals and even the hermits knew not to go too far. There are boundaries you shouldn’t push and everyone for the most part understood it.
Of course some things are unavoidable.. run-ins with stubborn and unfair rulers, accidental battles with pirates. Those interactions come with the trade and life they have given themselves too. Every hermit knows that and every hermit mostly understands that.
“Pearl come on, we’ll be outta here in no time at all!” Gem quips from beside her, shoving her shoulder like she isn’t responsible for this mess. Still she’s smiling too, light hearted as if they aren’t in the worst possible place right now.
Sure, did she deserve the silent treatment? No, and was Pearl’s angry pouting going to fix the situation? No, but it did make her feel slightly better so she didn’t intend to stop.
Gem huffed, she sat there arms crossed kicking at an imaginary pebble that didn’t exist on pure concrete floor. “Come on, how was I supposed to know this was going to happen?” She ‘reasoned’ although it was entirely unconvincing and illogical to Pearl so why did she bother? Who knows! Pearl has long given up on trying to figure out the wonders of what goes on in Gems brain.
“You set a fire!” She said finally, turning to the other while waving her hands around for emphasis. Pearl had been in many, many odd places and weird situations, but never had she been in a jail cell.
Gem gasped, “It was an accident!” She defended, but any weight that could have held was immediately worth nothing in Pearl's mind.
Sure yeah an accident, like she didn’t drop a lit firecracker onto the floor.. ok maybe accidental but that didn’t make up for it. No way!
Pearl groaned, frustrated and tired and mainly stressed! She dropped her head into her hands.
Gem frowned and reached forward just to pat the other on the shoulder. “It’s not that bad Pearl!” She attempted to assure maybe even.. comfort. However nothing at all was working in her favour.
Instead she received a glare in return and a rather distraught exclamation of: “We’re in jail Gem!”
Gem just looked around again like she hadn’t seen where they were, “Like I didn’t know that! We’ll be out of here soon ok? No need to worry.” Logically Gem was being the reasonable one here despite being the guilty one. Hermitcraft was filled with excellent people who were capable of getting them out without breaking a sweat and if they really couldn’t. Then at least they had a bunch of friends that might be able to.
However. Pearl didn’t have to be happy about it. “Soon?! Soon.. Oh.. my poor Tilly.. my poor baby, what's she going to do without me?” Pearl rambled, into her hands. As if for the 5 hours she’d been gone her dog would perish from heart break.
“Tilly’s fine, Wels is watching her!” Gem comforted again, an effort in vain and that only got her another nasty glare from Pearl. Which said all that needed to be said.
Pearl could remember at least one time where that hadn't gone well.
—
Wels loved dogs of all kinds really and sure he might not have one himself but he’d take any chance possible to dog sit for a while and that included watching over Tilly. The big bright white fluff ball that was Pearl's dog. And she was a gem of a dog really!
He’d decided to play some good ol’ fetch with her, get out some pent up energy while they were docked in a sea port. Of course the issue with this is in fact that Wels had taught her how to dive off the ship when ported on water and that his aim was poor. So his simple words of “Go get it!” Coupled with a throw straight into the ocean ended with him diving into the water after she had.
Both the ball and Tilly had been retrieved that day. However the arachnid lost just a little bit of his pride, sat on the deck air drying with a small white towel draped over his shoulders. “I should have never taught you that.” He mused to the earlier noted big white fluff ball who shook out her fur while wagging her tail, still holding the ball in her mouth.
—
“Right yeah…” Gem nodded, turning away from her again. Not to say that either of them didn’t trust Wels with her but maybe that… he wasn’t the best aspect of comfort.
So Gem settled for a different method of attack. Problem solving all on her lonesome. Waiting for the hermits to fix this wasn’t doing them any good. Not of course consulting Pearl on this would have been a fantastic idea because Pearl could enlighten her with the reality of how stupid her method was before she did it.
Instead all Pearl got was the dread as Gem stood and walked up to the bars that made up the front wall of their concrete box. “Sir, Mr. Dude Guy, I know what I did was super uncool but if you could let us out now that’d be great!” She called out through the bar’s to know one in particular but maybe the warden that had put them in here.
Almost instantly Pearl dug herself out of the pity party she had thrown for herself. She sprung forward grabbing the faun by the wrist and pulling her back. “What! Are you crazy, those are Illagers!" She whisper yelled, letting go of the other's wrist who looked completely unfazed by Pearl's concern.
“Have you considered maybe talking to them instead of making unfair judgments?” She joked laughing part way into her sentence because sure maybe some of them would be up to talk but not these guys with their crossbows and barely contained violent rage against them would most definitely not. “It’s their lunch break, no one's actually there..” she teased gesturing with her hand to the desk they could just barely see from this angle.
“How’d you know that?” She asked glancing between her and the barely insight desk which didn’t 100% guarantee they were all gone.
Gem cleared her throat, “Well besides from my eyes, I speak plains Oaker remember?” It was a reminder moment because it was something Pearl so often forgot. Maybe Pearl herself was too over reliant on her com and therefore the ability to translate from any language. With the Hermits you just never know the true extent of their knowledge, most of them being from different regions. They shared only a common language that was spoken globally and by most players worldwide. Common. The home language of most hermits was completely scattered.
“Ah.. right” she backed away sheepishly. She was totally not embarrassed at all by the silly little lapse in her memory. Totally. She turned her gaze out to the bars. For a moment she stared silently at the boring gray wall across from them but as one could imagine, that’s boring. “So.. they left us alone..?” She asked already knowing the answer and already having a spark of an idea forming in her head.
Gem stepped closer to her, wrapped her arm around her shoulders in that familiar friendly way she did.. only when she was plotting something or trying to win her over. “Uh huh! You know what that means?” She didn’t give Pearl the opportunity to answer her, she didn’t have to. Pearl already had an inkling or two about what she was thinking. “Time to get out of here!”
Pearl, like many others hermits, was not a stranger to the sometimes crazy, normally chaotic ideas or plans that popped into Gem’s head. A lot of hermits were similarly mischievous.. although she’d never name names on Gem’s biggest accomplices.. cough cough Grian. “Hold, pause.. how are we doing that?” Pearl questioned, she would much rather know the craziness the other was going to forcefully put her into then go in blind.
“Well… some birdy told me they once picked a lock with a feather and…” Her eyes drifted to the feather that hung on a metal rope like chain connected to her ear. Almost instantly her hand shot up to guard it.
She gasped, offended and very ready to adamantly say no. “What! No way, there’s gotta be a better option than my earring!” Pearl stared, glanced at the other head to toe in vain looking for something that could work better. In spite of her claim, she knew there really wasn’t anything more efficient.
The two hadn’t exactly walked off the ship this morning thinking they were going to need to break out of jail nor had Pearl had any plans of going out to the city until Gem suggested it. As evidenced by Pearl’s comfortable everyday clothes and Gem’s slightly more extravagant but still casual wear.
Even though Gem was decorated in more jewelry than pearl, none of what she wore was comparable to the reinforced feather she had.
“You can get another one from Jimmy the next time you see him and I’ll replace the frame if it gets damaged!” She reasoned begging and offering a replacement before Pearl even got the chance to take back her original disagreement. Not that she minded, she’d wanted a better earring for a long time. “Plus you can just wear G’s in the meantime.” She continued as if Pearl wasn’t already taking the earring off.
She held it gently in her hand, as much as it was necessary and she understood, she did feel bad for using the feather in such a way. “As long as you keep your end on that offer.. I guess you can have it,” she extended her hand to the already waiting one of Gem.
Gem instantly took it with a warm smile and grateful “Thanks! And for the record I never fall out on my end of deals.” That much is for the most part true. She may be chaotic and mischievous and a menace and a conniving little son of a bi- but she is at least true to her word and she has never let Pearl down. In the end of this whole thing Pearl imagines many-a make up gifts from the other as she thinks she finds that part as much fun in that as the chaos.
“Yeah.. I know” she responded, as the other turned to the bars. It wouldn’t be the first time any of the hermits picked a lock and she’d argue this wouldn’t even be Gem’s tenth time doing so. Like Gem had earlier mentioned, someone in their group has actually managed to pick a lock with a feather and although Pearl at the time was skeptical she guessed they were finally putting that to the test.
She stuck her hands around, pulling the feather from the metal so they could act separately. “I never actually believed that Grian had actually done this” Gem remarked as she fiddled with Jimmy’s feather.
Pearl hummed, a chuckle escaping her mouth as she walked closer attempting to maybe get a good view of Gem on what she was doing. “Neither did I.. I guess we’ll finally get to see if it’s possible.” While sure its not like Pearl could genuinely say whether this could work or not it was worth a shot.
“We both know if I can’t do this he’ll say it's a skill issue,” She drawled back, and yes she could hear those very words exiting the avian’s mouth. Pearl can’t imagine that picking a lock without being able to see it and with a feather is very easy though.
She sighed as she leaned against the bars. “Yeah.. yeah.. he would,” and yes even with that exasperated expression, she still in her heart and head looked back fondly on those moments. Those little priceless pieces of Grian’s character.
“You think he practices that sort of thing in his free time? Just in his room picking locks with feathers.” She responds in an equally exasperated and fond tone.
As much as she is joking Pearl can picture it in her mind. Combined with all the other weird habits and hobbies he’d picked up that fit quite nicely into it. “Maybe.. I’m not sure how he’d fit that into his schedule of.. trimming bushes in the garden with scissors or peeling fruit or breaking Doc’s redstone..” she listed and really she could go on.
The list of mundane tasks Grian finds and chooses to succumb himself to will never not be funny. “Probably doing something like that right now!” Gem exclaimed and she had no doubt the both of them could picture it very very well in their heads.
—
And somewhere there’s a particular red sweater wearing avian sat on a bed folding and pairing socks together peacefully.
“Huh.. my ears are ringing” Grian would note as he tossed another pair into the pile on his bed of laundry.
A tall and lanky avian which sat on a desk chair across from Grian desperately trying to unscrew the back of a remote would pause and glance up. “That's odd.” He’d reply with a tilt of his head.
“Weird” Grian would mumble as he folded another pair.
“Weird” the other would agree as he looked back at the stubborn screw. Which he’d not realize for 5 more minutes that he was using the wrong screwdriver for.
—
Pearl snorted a sorta laugh as she nodded her head, “Probably.” Or maybe he’d be out looking for them. Wondering why they haven’t returned his calls or answered his messages. Realistically it hasn’t been long enough to care. Although it certainly wouldn’t take them ages to find out where they are, it would be a while before anyone realized they weren’t fine.
Sometimes this was a thought that crossed Pearl's head in worry. What if something was actually wrong and no one found out until all that could happen had happened. She tries in those tricky moments to remember that there is no use worrying about what could be. There’s only action, and hope.. and the hermits are good at that.
Plus, no hermit goes out into danger alone. So like their current situation.. she can distract herself with the thought there’s another person.
“Think I’m getting somewhere” Gem dragged her from her thoughts. The other had her concentrated face on. The one serious expression Gem wore most often. Pearl didn’t think it was a waste of time to try to pick the lock.. but she could admit she didn’t think it’d work.
Pearl stepped closer, craning her head to try to get a better angle, "Really? No way," she said in disbelief just as the lock clicked open.
Gem practically jumped, pulling the door to the side with a wicked smile and slight expression on disbelief. "Yes!" She yelled, turning to Pearl as she pulled the mangled feather and metal earring from the lock.
Pearl was caught between emotions, on one hand, they'd gotten free at the expense of a highly replaceable earring. On the other they'd proved Grian's unrealistic feat of picking a lock with a feather real and that was truly disappointing. "You- You actually did it wow!" She copied Gem's excitement to a tea. With a side of, 'Oh voids we can't let Grian find out about this.'
"I know- I guess G was always telling the truth.." she trailed off side stepping out into the hallway beyond their jail cell. "I'm not sure we can ever tell him that.." Gem spoke, doing a dramatic little shiver as if to show how terrifying it'd be to have Grian's tale be proven.
Pearl hummed, walking in front of the still faun who's eyebrows with pinched together and face sitting in mild horror. "For all we know he already knows," and that's just as true as the possibility Grian already knows where they are. It all depends on if he was looking or not and that they won't know until they get back to the ship and are greeted by their crewmates.
"Voids.. I hope not! He'll brag about it for days!" She complained, unfreezing herself to follow Pearl who'd started wondering down the hall.
She spoke from experience, and even through she was over dramatizing the prospect of Grian finding this out, she was right in saying it would be a bit of a nightmare. "Yeah, yeah he would.." she responded fondly. They were having such great conversation she could almost forget they were in a jail.. almost.
Pearl turned the corner into the room where she could have sworn they took their stuff. She was right. Bin's with labels lined the wall. "I sure hope you can read this too.." she mused, stepping aside for Gem.
"Ah.. yeah," she replied as she glanced around the room, "little rusty." Which is by far the worst thing for Pearl to hear.
She walked up to a shelf, pulled out bins just to check their contents, "If we lose those coms-" she starts another anxious ramble. This time Gem is smart enough to quickly interrupt that train when it starts.
"Yes we'll get lectured until our ears fall off but we will find it so there's no point conjuring up Tango and Doc's grumbling before you have to experience it." It was unbelievably easy to just listen to her reason like this. Gem was right, she was pre firing the moping as she typically did.
So she took a deep breath, shook out the insectile wings on his back and with a glare said, "if we don't find them I might not speak to you for a day."
A calm meaningless threat Gem laughed at rather then took offence to. "Right.. a whole day.." she remarked poking fun as she began to look through bins.
"That's a serious amount of time!" She defended, banter came so easy between the two it may be it's own language.
Gem scoffed, "Yeah, I know, that's why you'd never make it through."
Pearl walked further down the line, sliding in and out bins as she passed checking them briefly. "Oh really! It'd be me, more like you! Half a day before your running up to me all like 'Pearl, do you know where the stained glass is?!'" She mocked doing a dramatic gesture just to nail it in the coffin, "or.. or better yet 'Pearl, Tango told me to go get a comparator but they look like repeaters!'" She did her very best Gem voice with the common complaints the other came to her with.
She could barely restrain her giggles to which Gem was definitely absolutely 'furious' at. Laughing and with an faux angry expression, "Oh yeah! As if it wouldn't be you, 'Gem! One of the sails has a micro tear!" She attempted to copy Pearl's accent unsuccessfully.
Pearl gasped 'offended,' fully stoping her search just to glare at the other. "No, no, that's unfair! That was an actually important instance-" technically it was, even if the solution was remarkably simple.
Gem cut her off sharp look, "And the stained glass?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
She, shook her head, "You lose it like every week!" She replied still dramatic. Maybe that was a overstatement but she did lose the glass frequently enough you'd think eventually she'd find a place to consistently store it.
Gem set a bin down particularly harsh, "Say that to Scar!" She had a point, if anyone were to be called out on their ability to lose things or be disorganized it'd be Scar.
"We're in a jail Gem! He's not exactly here to scold!" She replied opening another bin.
Gem paused for a second and sighed in resignation, "Right.." she looked down at the bin she had pulled. She furrowed her eyebrows, digging through it with a puzzled expression, "I found our stuff?"
She walked around to the other side of the shelf, excitement held back for just one reason, "Why the confusion then?" She questioned with a tilt of her head.
"Think they put it with another person's stuff.." she muttered talking out what was obviously Pearl's com and handing it over, "There's only one of my knives!" She complained, putting her com in her pocket.
"Thats weird, it's gotta be in another bin." She responded pulling another bin down.
Gem did the thing when she's annoyed, the one where she scrapes one of the hoofs against the floor. "Yeah.." she picked up the one she had found, and carried along the line.
Pearls eyes traced her movements, she knew that Gem wouldn't be happy to lose those. The faun was rather fond of the set she'd gotten from Fwip and they were pretty much impossible to replace. A com? They face a lecture. They lose this, and they face a way worse fate, an upset Gem.
"We'll find it," she assured because with Gem it was often hard to tell if she needed it. So she offered it anyway.
Gem glanced her direction with a hum, then a a quicker glance. "Pearl!" She yelled out, lunging for her. For a second she asked herself why.. and then she was very harshly pulled to the side. So harsh she fell.
Her arm exploded in pain she barely registered it, almost instantly pushing herself back up to her feet. "What the-" a curse hung on her tongue before she proper looked. Gem stood over a Illager, now laying on the floor crossbow in Gem's hand.
"I guess we spent to long here huh?" She joked, dusting herself off like Gem hadn't saved her this life.
Gem spun around, "You! Almost died there!" She half scolded, "And you're bleeding." She muttered walking forward just to grab her arm.. which she had briefly forgotten hurts quite a bit.
She hummed, glancing at the slightly inconvenient graze wound of a crossbow bolt. She hadn't even heard it fire! "Wouldn't be the first time" she replied pulling her arm out of the concerned other's grip.
"You're crazy.." she sighed, no malice in her words, it was fond. "We better get out of here there, clearly lunch breaks over." That she could firmly agree with.
She wanted to be home, with Tilly and the hermits worrying over the other's tasks. She scoffed, "And you're not?" She retorted with a wince when she moved her arm wrong. She turned to the other, "You're going to leave you knives behind?" She asked, because she couldn't imagine a world where Gem would willingly leave them behind without sulking.
Gem just shrugged already walking forward like she was trying to leave before she changed her mind. "I never said I wasn't," she responded with a sly little smile, that's about what she should have expected. "I can get a new set, I don't plan on sticking around longer, come on," she gestured forward. Stepping over the Illager as she walked into the hall.
Carefully Pearl followed behind like a much taller shadow half hiding behind the other. Wings pressed tightly against her back, "I can't believe you're actually leaving them behind," she whispered.
Gem didn't seem amused clicking her tongue in a way that said shut up before she even said, "Shut it!" Which of course was anticipated by the moth.
They walked 'sneakily' down the hall, Gem poked her head around the corner just for a second before turning around, relaxed. "Idiots asleep!" She whispered a cheer! Pumping the air with her fist like she'd won something. She had in theory, the less they fought the better their odds of making it out without a scratch.
"Yes!" She replied also in a whisper as she lightly pushed the other forwards. She winced at the movement aggravating her wound. Crossbows.. why do bolts have to hurt so much?
Gem stepping forward glaring back to Pearl, "I'm going, I'm going." She grumbled semi crouching down in hopes of staying out of line of sight if the Illager awoke. Pearl admired the effort even when she knew very well she was far to tall to efficiently do the same thing.
She still tried as she followed the other across the room. Light snores from just a few feet away. How he had fallen asleep so fast and without being alerted by the other was beyond her and Gem's knowledge. Part of her even felt bad for the fact he would likely face a rather rude awakening.
She was of course abruptly pulled forward, she was daydreaming it seemed and Gem got impatient. She stumbled into standing at the open door way. "Come on lets get out of here already!" Gem whisper yelled, probably forgetting the outpost the were in and the guards bound to be around. Pearl didn't remind her.
Like she thought there turned out to be many Illagers patrolling the exterior.. and they were of course swiftly spotted. They stuck out like a sore thumb, so that part was extremely expected.
The alarm bells rang sharp in their ears as Gem more or less dragged Pearl through the chaos. Near misses of crossbow bolts and grabby hands they both barely avoided. She was impressed they managed to at all and maybe the years of experience of having to be able to evade had taught them well. (They had awful aim really it was nothing Pearl or Gem did.)
Eventually to ran through the gates and then further, until their assailants gave up and left them be. In the crowded haze of the market the collapsed together in the only quiet space there was. An alleyway, panting for air as distant tired shouts could be heard.
Then, after all that running they laughed, "I am never doing that again," Pearl announced like she had any choice. Gem just laughed harder.
"Have some fun.. some whimsy!"Gem spoke through giggles.
"I am so whimsical," she defended back, complete with a huff of air and a pout.
—
When they get back she's only slightly surprised to see that hermits had recognized their absence.
Skizz fretted over her and the tiniest wound she had acquired despite the fact they both understood it meant nothing in this group.
Grian laughed at them, "I told you I'd done it!" No, he didn't shut up about it, not for the day and especially not during Gem's and Pearl's dramatic retellings. He just waved around a mangled feather Gem had begrudgingly given him after finding out he already knew.
Scar had excitedly asked what it was like, why they were there and capped it all off with a, "I wish I was there!"
Cleo winced, gently grabbing onto Scar's shoulder as she replied, "Don't get ideas." In that stern tone she used when wrangling the hermits in. In that same breath they turned to Pearl, "Sound's like you had a fun day." Pearl just took a sip of the health potion Cub gave her at that. Although beneath the exterior embarrassment and annoyance. She.. didn't mind a break from routine.
Just this once.
Xisuma got his hands on their mugshots, she's not sure how. She'd stopped asking or interrogating the oddities within the group, it just is that way. She laughs as he sticks the photos and the feather to it at Grian's request.
They change their trade route slightly, in the direction of flower fields and familiar farm lands. Tango practically buzzes at the news. Celebrating through the ship as do a few others. It's been a while since they'd given their beloved friend Jimmy a visit and with the very mourned loss of Pearl's earring, that's more then enough to push a visit to the rolling hills of poppies and wheat and most importantly their golden feathered farmer.
Maybe just maybe it's more then that too, they have a certain blue haired man they need to visit. So why not make an slight detour on the way!
And it is a good time, she gets a replacement earring from Gem using one of Jimmy's feathers. She feels a little safer that way. A feather hanging from her ear. She couldn't explain why.. maybe she could. Not in words.
Overall it's a good time.. better then the last time they had to visit. They leave, hundreds of flowers delicately preserved in the garden. It is never.. enjoyed leaving places they've grown fond of, or places with people they've grown find of.
Almost all of the group aside from the people who stood at the wheel and the ones ensuring they left safely, glued themselves to the side railings. She waved as they lifted into the air.
Tango yelled out over the edge, "I'll miss you!!" With the smile always got on these visits. Despite the fact Pearl was almost positive flower fields is his least favourite plant to be.
Almost immediately followed the rebuttal of Joel, "I won't!" A lie everyone could recognize without much thought.
Jimmy tipped his cowboy hat to the departing ship. A dramatic gesture to complete the goodbyes and well wishes.
And then slowly, they moved back to their station's, because you can't stay at a railing forever.
—
It's early morning, she should be fussing over the route they had planned or doing her rounds for when they next made port..
That could wait.
She took a deep breath, nothing felt better then the wind in her hair, a light breeze as she leaned fully against a railing that could by every means fall out at any moment.
She spread out her wings, smooth and waxy, just for a moment and thought. She fidgeted with her earring as she stared out at open skies. Her dog sat next to her. Happy just to be by her, she shoved her face into her leg tail wagging behind her.
"It's going to be fine" a voice from behind her spoke gently and firm. She folded her wings again.
She didn't respond right away, she just waited for the person to settle next to her in a mirror of her position. "I know," She said, voice strained.
He sighed beside her, out of the corner of her eye she could see his expression. A little tense like everyone was. "Then stop being here, go play cards with Zed.. or anxiously garden. Stop dreading it." It was her turn to sigh or more like groan into her palms at how right he was.. "Go have a good time.. hell.. launch fireworks off the ship.
She reached down to her side. Pet Tilly on the head.. willed a slight smile on to her face. "Are you sure about that last one.." She turned her head to the Imp beside her. A gleam in her eyes of a test.
He laughed, shook is head and finally said, "If it helps you I'll just.. not look."
She smiled but shook her head, "And suddenly.. I understand how people get away with things around here!" Pearl was normally the one to shy away from the dangers. To the chaotic adventures some of the others loved to embark on.
"If it's not hurting anyone.." Impulse replied with the smile of someone who'd watched people light TNT and launch it into the air and let it happen. Pearl had to admit, she understood it.
"I'll go check up on stock Scar told me he lost.." she changed the subject because she is not going into the nitty gritty of hermits doing dangerous things iceberg. That's best set for the next time Gem.. or Scar or any of the usual suspects sets a fire on deck or worse in some random city they are in.
Impulse cleared his throat, "Right yes, go do that and if you get stuck on Sc-"
She cut him off, politely but firmly, "I will.. Don't worry about me Impulse." As much as the concern was appreciated. She.. didn't want it.