Chapter Text
“We do have two new hermits down in this crevice…”
Crouching on the stone floor, Gem peered up at the sea of players that loomed over the grass above. She tuned out the bouncy voice to rather opt for scanning through the array of faces it introduced her to, curious eyes of every kind. The voice seemed to belong to a rather tall and pale humanoid with a handlebar mustache. Beside them stood a white knight, a huntress, a werewolf, and even a robot with glaring ruby eyes.
A shiver slowly creeped up Gem’s vertebrae. With stuttering footsteps she backed away, anxiety bubbling in her throat as she bumped into Pearl’s body.
“Gem,” Pearl cooed quietly, “don’t be afraid. They’re all friendly here, trust me.” A slow hand rose to Gem’s, and with her silent consent, took hers in its grasp. Assisted by the familiar touch, Gem allowed herself to be led up onto level land. The crowd appeared much less intimidating standing at the same height. A deep breath swam into Gem’s chest and, though she stayed following close behind her escort, a significant amount of tension dissipated from her muscles as she left the safety of the hole.
“I think I’d feel better with some tools,” she suggested, cautious eyes still scanning the sea of players, and Pearl nodded. The two advanced toward a nearby tree as the others continued talking, their voices fading out of proximity and being lost to the distance between. Without hesitation Gem took to breaking the bottom oak log, Pearl focusing on the one above. Between them, they created one crafting table and one wooden pickaxe, which Pearl used to create two stone pickaxes. Just beyond the village was a stone opening into the earth, offering iron that soon equipped the girls with protective shields. Gem felt herself slowly ease into the world, more grounded and secure at Pearl’s side.
Bdouble011 was slain by ZombieCleo
Immediately Gem deployed her shield. She backed further against her partner as a young man with styled brown hair approached her. He lifted his palms to show defenselessness, allowing a safe distance between the two.
“You must come from somewhere with war, huh?” He smiled warmly with understanding. “I’m Impulse. You know, it sounds funny, but here, this is actually how we show trust. We all respawn and there’s no harm in consensual killing. No war, no hard feelings, no danger. Actually, sometimes we do it to train. It’s called PVP.”
“Here, I’ve got your axe,” Cleo spoke before tossing the item to her latest moss-covered victim. Gem slowly stood up and lowered her shield as she watched the exchange, noting how close the two stood and without any defence.
“The new people should be initiated,” the moss declared. Gem looked ahead in curiosity, though staying slightly behind Pearl and Impulse.
“Consensual,” Impulse reminded. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. He won’t hurt you. None of us will.”
Slowly Gem raised her axe. For a brief moment, she looked to Pearl, eyes wide, as if searching for permission. “When in Rome…?”
Pearl patted her back with a soft smile. “Go ahead. It’s your choice.”
Your choice. A wide grin stretched across Gem’s face as she came barrelling out of the hole, weapon barred and sight locked on Bdubs. The crowd scattered as Gem chased after the man with a sinister giggle; “Come here, Bdubs!”
“Gem,” Pearl chuckled, stepping out of the hole to watch the scene unfold. “Since when do you have murderous intent?”
Gem leapt into the air, bringing her axe down with a sharp crunch. The whack threw Bdubs into the air. As he landed on the ground, a red overtook his body, bringing him back to the earth to dissipate into a cloud of white particles. Almost immediately a heavy object slammed into the back of Gem’s head and the same baleful hue crept across her vision.
Bdouble0100 was slain by GeminiTay
GeminiTay was slain by iJevin
The two respawned at the side of a warmly coloured home, crouching a few feet away from one another. It was now that Gem had a better sight of the player, a broad and welcoming smile etched across his tan face. Rather than a bundle of moss, he looked to simply be wearing a verdant cloak.
“Aha! I guess we both died!” he declared. “I’m Bdubs. Friends?”
Before Gem could respond, a friendly American voice spoke from behind her. The owner ejected forward a stone axe and a few plump fruits, smiling as Gem accepted the gifts. She turned, reading the nametag above the green-haired player: joehillssays.
“Welcome to Hermitcraft.”
PearlescentMoon was slain by ZombieCleo
“Hi.”
Gem stifled a giggle behind dainty fingers as the familiar face appeared at her side again, now empty-handed once again. Accepting starter tools from Joe, Pearl kept her eyes to Gem with a hopeful expression.
“How do you like the SMP so far?”
Eyeing the vermillion apple in her palm, Gem turned it over a few times with a nod. “I like it.” No other words needed to be spoken. Though still new and still adjusting, Gem felt as safe as she was settling into this welcoming community.
Pearl tossed her axe hand to hand and swivelled back toward spawn. “I’m going to stay and build a spawn camp. Do you want to go set up a base with Bdubs?”
Another voice chimed in, this one belonging to a blonde pilot. FalseSymmetry. “Stress and I are going caving for more gear if you’d like to join us! Up to you.”
Despite the growing sense of safety and security in this new area, Gem couldn’t ignore her instincts. The need to create allies and avoid war bubbled in the base of her skull. She peered through the sillily large bubbles of glass resting on the woman’s face in an attempt to read her blue eyes. They seemed genuine, devoid of any malice.
Gem nodded. “I’ll catch up with you later, B. It’d be nice to get geared up and make some new friends!”
“False. FalseSymmetry,” the woman introduced herself, thrusting her hand toward Gem. Gem tilted her head in confusion at the gesture. StressMonster101, or presumably Stress, raised her hands in the air, grasping onto them, and shaking gently. Mouth forming an o in understanding, Gem chuckled softly and accepted False’s hand in her own. Immediately she noticed how strong False’s grasp was as she received a firm and reassuring shake.
“Handshake,” Stress clarified. “It’s a peace gesture where we come from. It symbolises a bond and shows that you’re not holding a weapon.”
“Lots of different cultures,” Gem hummed, looking at her palm as False released it. “Where I’m from, we bow. It shows vulnerability. Like this.” Closing her eyes, Gem bowed her head, apricot hair falling around her shoulders. The two women did the same.
After a moment, False rose and swivelled back toward the distant crowd. Grabbing Stress’s hand in her own, she gestured forward toward the opening in the earth, where an abundance of hermits still gathered. “Believe I saw a surface cave. Shall we explore?”
A pickaxe found its way into Gem’s right hand. “I would love to.”