It’s the night before the final day of the server, and Pearl can’t sleep.
Earlier in the evening, she, Gem, and Impulse had gathered in Gem’s dining hall for one last shared meal of stew—not poisoned, though Pearl thinks it could’ve done with a pinch for that extra punch—before biding their farewells and heading off to their own bases for a night of rest before the big day. Pearl has plenty to do before she can leave her base in good conscience, not to mention her plans with some of the other hermits for a few rounds of Bin-Go.
Still, as she lays in her usual bed in an empty hospital wing, owing to the fact she never built herself a proper bedroom, Pearl can’t sleep. She can’t quite quiet her mind enough to lose consciousness. It’s after a couple hours of trying with no luck that she gives up entirely.
Wandering down the partially finished main tunnel, Pearl grips a mug of tea and debates what to do. She’s restless, full of too many jitters to settle down and build, though Pearl knows a good project might calm her racing thoughts. Instead Pearl unfurls her wings and takes off in flight, following the gentle curve of the river that divides the Soup Group’s bases before shooting upwards and closing her eyes, savoring the cool night breeze.
It isn’t long before Grian’s base comes into view, a castle built into an impressively large boulder, framed by several floating rocks. It was an impulsive decision to come here—Grian was always Pearl’s insomniac buddy back in Boatem, along with Scar, but Pearl doesn’t see Grian out and about. She chooses to land upon the highest floating boulder, settling down and sinking her fingers into the soft moss beneath her. It’s a good thinking spot, and Pearl’s favorite place to stargaze.
The stars are a comfort in their familiarity, in the constellations Pearl knows like the back of her hand. The moon, too, is beautiful tonight, almost full. Tomorrow’s moon will be full. Pearl can’t help but continually check its size.
Though she didn’t initially see him, Pearl soon hears the beat of Grian’s feathery wings, and his head pops up over the ridge of the rock as he rises to meet Pearl, coming to sit next to her.
“Didn’t feel like saying hello?” Grian teases, nudging Pearl in the ribs.
Pearl shakes him off with a snort. “Nah, I just didn’t want to wake you. Pretty big today tomorrow, you need your sleep.”
“I wasn’t asleep yet, which is how I heard you. Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“Couldn’t,” Pearl says with a shrug, taking a sip of the tea still clasped between her hands. “Figured I’d come stargaze for a bit instead.”
“Hm.” Grian’s never understood Pearl’s love for stargazing; too much sitting still, in his opinion. He still sometimes joins her. “It’s a nice clear night for it.”
“Yeah, it is.” Pearl leans back on her hands and glances at the moon again.
Grian must’ve caught the movement- he’s surprisingly observant when he wants to be. “Nervous for tomorrow?”
Pearl shrugs again. She’s not sure it comes across with the same casualness as before. “You can’t blame me, with how last season ended, for being a little antsy.”
“That’s true,” Grian concedes. “Though, I think you’ll find tomorrow much more pleasant than the moon crashing into the server. Generally we, like, play mini-games and stuff. Season eight’s doomsday was a special case.”
“I guess you’re right,” Pearl says with a chuckle. “Thanks for the reminder. I think I needed it.”
Grian flashes her the thumbs up of someone allergic to sentimentality, but his eyes are sincere. “With no doomsday to prepare for, what are your plans for tomorrow?”
“I’ve got quite a bit of base tidying up to do, and we’ve got Bin-Go to play.” The to-do list grows behind Pearl’s eyes. “What about you? What’re you getting up to?”
“Eh, not much. Thought I’d tour around the server a bit. I’ve resigned to my shulker monster staying where it is, there’s really no point in cleaning it up so late.”
Pearl scoffs in dismay. Clutching her chest, she dramatically cries, “How could you do this to my cleaning lady's heart?”
Grian grins. “A season change is like going on vacation, but better! I don’t have to pack, and don’t have to worry about any of my stuff back at home. I can just leave it all and forget about it.”
With flashbacks to the April Fool’s prank Grian played on her the year before, Pearl punches Grian in the arm. It isn’t hard enough to hurt, but Grian falls over as if he’s been fatally wounded, cradling his arm.
“Oh, when will the suffering end?” Grian flops back a bit further for extra effect.
“Oi, go play on someone else’s sympathies with that acting. That’s what you get for leaving chest monsters on the last day!”
Grian giggles despite his performance, and Pearl can’t help but start laughing herself. Flopping down beside Grian, Pearl tucks an arm behind her head and uses the other to point at the night sky, tracing constellations and relaying their names. After Grian runs out of constellations to reply with, he turns to coming up with new ones on the spot, and it morphs into a game of out-doing each other’s ridiculous made-up constellations.
As dawn creeps over the horizon, their game ends in a draw, though Pearl owes Grian a soda from Scarland after a lost bet. When it’s light enough to reasonably dub it the new day, Grian gives Pearl a rare embrace and they wave goodbye as Pearl takes off, heading back to her own base.
It’s the final day of the server. The moon watches over the land from where it always has, and Pearl will be okay.
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cowboy rewatches 911 lone star: season one episode six: friends like these
- fuck, this episode. this has to be my favourtie episode of season one. they really feel like more than colleages in this episode, this is when they became a family. the way they all came together for mateo so he can become a firefighter.
- fucking billy, hate the guy. slimy geezer.
- HE GOT A 92% WAY TO GO!🎆🎉🎇🎆🎉
- firstly, what owen said he would do cause its fucking crazy but billy really had no right doing that. he didn't do it for the right reason it was "nothing personal" my arse. im backing owen on this one, billy at every chance he took tried to tear down that place, which i can imagine is not what his orignal team would have wanted. owen really should have listened to michelle.
- im coming back to mateo's storyline. i love seeing storylines on characters who aren't the main focus, espically this early. it shows a side of mateo's characther that sets us up for the future but also shows us his past. shows his fears and anxity and possibly a glimsp into his family life (how he didn't know he didn't have an american birth certificate cause his parents never told him). makes him feel more real. shows why he's so nervous for this exam but also the stakes of it for him. he has always been determined about this job, which you see before in the first five episodes. he kept trying, and we know with future knowledge that he is an amazing firefighter. what's different this time is that he has a team for the first time truly rally behind him and take time to help him. which is why this is my favourite episode of season one because its an amazing example of how amazing of a team they are. as much as they have a moan about doing the recordings (cough judd cough) they do it none the less. and they're proud of him too.
- marjan not knowing anything about star wars and yet trying to a make a reference of it cause she knows mateo would understand it
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