Watching and Listening - An Empires SMP AU

Close friends

           Gem knew False had done some wrong, misguided things when she tried to fix her own mistakes. But she could empathize and understand where she was coming from. It wasn't like Gem didn't do pretty much the same thing. So she went and hugged her fellow incredibly good pvper to reassure her and show that despite whatever she did the two of them would still be friends.

           False stared blankly without reacting for a few seconds, processing what Gem had done, and then she squeezed her back. Then Joe came and awkwardly patted her on the shoulder before working up the courage to hug her too. And then someone else joined in and all the hermits were soon caught up in an enormous group hug.

           "Okay, you guys are cute, but can you just let go now? I'm getting strangled from in here," False said from the middle of the pile, her voice sounding slightly muffled. Everyone soon distangled.

           "How much have you been keeping secrets from us, False?" Cleo suddenly asked, drenching the once warm and wholesome mood into something more serious. False sighed and Gem glared at the zombie, who noticed her looking but didn't care, because even if looks could kill and Gem's would, Cleo was already dead.

           "What I keep secret it none of your business. I had a good reason for everything." False said. "What, you didn't trust us? Is that what this is?" Jevin asked. False said nothing. "Look, False keeps secrets, but so do the rest of us," Gem said, defending her. "Some of us just have more serious secrets than others." Like me and Grian.

           "Gem's got a point," Grian said. Cleo crossed her arms. "For the record, False, you still broke my trust. I thought we were close enough friends that something like this wouldn't happen, but I was apparently wrong."

           "Cleo-" False began, reaching out to her, but the zombie stubbornly and rudely turned around and walked downstairs, where everyone could clearly hear her unlocking the door. Slowly, one by one the hermits began to file out of the tower.

            Gem stayed by False's side, though, sitting down next to her. "You are obviously not okay so I'm not going to bother to ask." She said. Fallse let out a wry chuckle. "Yeah, I'm definitely not fine." She paused. "Gem, you can go now. Everyone else has gone and I'm just going to deal with this problem like I do all my other problems. By myself."

          False is stubborn, Gem reflected. Just like Cleo. Sometimes she just won't accept help even if it kills her. But everyone needs a close friend by their side. I know I would need one if everyone found out what I was and all my darkest secrets were out. So False, prepare to try and stop me from leaving. Because I'm not going to anytime soon.

---

            Jimena felt her head. There was something strange going on in it. She wasn't sure what or who to trust anymore. Grian? Maybe, but why were his words and her memories so contradicting? Qiron? Probably not, he never answered her questions with a straight answer and he definitely had something to hide.

           False? Of course Jimena could trust False. She had trusted her from the very beginning when they first met. But False... had something going on in her head too. And how was she supposed to talk the architect about her problames when she couldn't tell her about the Watchers? Jimena just wasn't sure what to do anymore.

          And then she remembered. Jimmy. Yes, she could trust the sheriff. And he knew about the Watchers already. Yes, he was perfect. And he knew Grian well enough that Jimena could ask him if he thought that the red-sweatered hermit was lying. Smiling at her well thought-out plan, Jimena went to tell False that she was going to visit the sheriff.