Pearla was silent for a moment, her face frozen as she looked at TO, letting their words sink in. At first, TO was worried that she didn’t understand what they had said.
Or worse, that maybe she knew. Maybe she had known about it all along and just didn’t know that Tham had triggered it since she was hiding away with GiDi. Judging Tham’s horrified expression they’d guess she knew nothing. At least, TO hoped she hadn’t known.
Finally, after staring at TO in silence for moments that felt like hours, she gave a short, confused laugh.
“I… what?” She said, looking from TO to Tham. “A… A failsafe.” She chucked again, but this time her eyes furrowed in confusion as she looked back to TO. “A failsafe… to knock you out?” The laughter faded. “What?”
“Pearla, it’s not that bad-” Tham started, but as soon as he spoke TO felt their ears pin back once more. Before they knew it they were up to their feet, their eyes narrowed to slits as they took a step towards the Tham. TO didn’t miss how he backed away suddenly, how their hand went to the inside of the sling their injured arm hung in.
TO was glad that they had their chip off their hand, glad that Tham wouldn’t be able to do that to them again… even so, somehow, seeing Tham back up like that, seeing their hand go to where TO thought the remote hid made TO felt like they were being squeezed on the inside, and their ears fell just a little.
“It’s not that bad?” TO hissed. “You set us up. You messed with our chips-”
“VIk messed with them!: Tham said, “And you knew they did something to it! You knew they changed the tracking on it, rerouted the communications-”
“I didn’t know that they put an experimental bit of medical tech into our chips to temporarily paralyze us and knock us out for nearly an hour!” TO took another step forward. They wondered if Tham had pressed the button already, if they already tried to knock TO out or not. “That was experimental tech tested on civilians! You don’t know what it could have done to us! And even aside from that, what if one of us got hurt really badly when we fell? What if someone saw us unconscious and hurt us?”
“You were in disguise!” Tham insisted, “Nobody knew you were synths-”
“No, they didn’t, but even if I were just a civilian, something could have happened to me!”
“...is that true, Tham?”
For a moment, TO had forgotten about Pearla. They had gotten so angry with Tham in that moment that Pearla, the cavern, and everyone else inside had faded away. In those moments it was just TO and Tham, and the anger that TO had been managing.
Now, as they turned to look at Pearla, they saw something surprising. They saw that while they themself were truly angry. Pearla looked furious. She had looked angry before, of course, but never like this. Now, It was as though every feature was pointed and narrowed. Her tail lashed behind her, shaking the stones.
“… Brother.” She said firmly. “Did you really do that?”
There was a way she said the word ‘brother’ that was so cold that it made TO shiver.
“I… I didn’t DO it.” Tham said “I just… knew about it? And agreed with it at the time?” He glanced at TO apologetically. “I… I didn’t know TO back then.”
Pearla suddenly smiled, but her smile was too wide for comfort. She looked at Tham.
“I’m going to tell GiDi.” She said in an almost giddy tone.
TO and Tham exchanged a glance, then TO looked away. Had Vik told Tham that TO knew that GiDi had a hand in this? That Gidi had suggested this?
Pearla caught their gaze, the awkward glance, and the sudden panic on Tham’s face. “What?” She asked as she looked between TO and Tham.
“Look… can we talk somewhere else?” Tham asked.
“No, we cannot!” Pearla snapped. She turned to TO, “You’re at least telling the truth, what happened?”
TO shook their head, “It.. it’s not important.” they said. They wanted to tell Pearla, wanted to tell her that GiDi knew, just so they could see her righteous anger… But they didn’t want to mess things up for GiDi right now.
“TO.” Pearla said, her voice sounding so oddly commanding in that moment. TO froze as they worked, their hands hovering in the air.
“....yes?”
“I would very much like to know what’s going on.” Her voice was sweet, but commanding, and TO could feel the vibrations of her tail slapping the ground.
“... I don’t think that’s a good idea.” TO said, their ears flushing.
“And why not?” Pearla demanded. Once more, TO could feel her tail slap the ground.
“... I just think now isn’t the best time to talk about this.” TO said, their ears burning.
“And why not?”
“It.. it’s just not.”
Pearla huffed and looked between TO and Tham. “Well.” She said, “I’m not leaving until I get an answer.” She said as she crossed her arms. After a moment of silence, she went over to TO.
“TO.” She said, her voice a little softer now. “What happened?”
TO fully intended to say that nothing happened, that everything was fine, and she didn’t have to worry, but as soon as they were about to, they remembered Pearla could, to a certain extent, read their ears.
“... GiDi knew.” TO whispered.
Pearla’s tail stopped slapping the ground. “What.” She said in a voice far sharper and more fierce than TO expected. When TO didn’t respond, Pearla looked to Tham.
“GiDi knew?”
“Pearla,” Tham said, “It’s complicated, it’s-”
“It’s not complicated! It’s simple!” She snapped as she got up and headed to the tunnel. “GiDi fucked up!”
TO wondered if they had heard Pearla swear before. If they had, it was absolutely not with the same viciousness that she just had in her voice. Tham chased her, trying to talk her down, to convince her from going to see GiDi.
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“Pearla.. Pearla, wait!” TO said as they scrambled to their feet. Amazing how fast Pearla was when she wasn’t waiting on someone: She and Tham were already halfway down the tunnel by the time TO caught up, and their words were already growing louder and louder. Well, at least Pearla’s words were. Tham was doing his best to soothe her and calm her down.
“Look, it's not that bad-” Tham was saying as TO approached. Even TO could tell that this was the wrong thing to say, and the slam of Pearla’s tail against the ground confirmed it.
“Not that bad? It is that bad! It’s awful! Everything those synths have been though-”
“You didn't like them at first either!” Tham said, “You would have suggested the same-”
“No, I wouldn’t have! They’re GiDi’s family and GiDi loves TO, DH, and Avery! How could they do that to them!”
“Pearla…” TO said, slowing as they approached her, “Just… please… say nothing to GiDi yet.”
Pearla’s glare made TO take a step back, their ears dropping and their wings tightening around their arms. A moment later, Pearla took a deep breath. “And why not.” She said as she pinched the bridge of her nose, her eyes closed as she tried to focus.
“B-because you’re busy?” TO said, their ears burning. “You… and GiDi have things going on-”
“Yes, we do.” Pearla said, her own face flushing, “but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to talk to them about this!” She looked at TO, her brows furrowed in worry, “How can you be so calm about this!?”
“I’m not!” TO protested. “I just-...” They stopped, their ears dropping. “I… I’m just trying not to think about it…”
Pearla turned her head to Tham, “Trying not to think about it.” She said, “That doesn’t sound like it’s ‘not a big deal’ to me!”
Tham gave a frustrated sigh, “Well… it worked, didn’t it?” He said, “I felt better about the whole thing, so did Vik-”
“Oh, and your feelings are all that matter-”
“And thanks to the failsafe, we could stop Kei from actually hurting DH!” Tham glared at TO, “You didn’t tell her that!”
“You leave him alone!” Pearla said, suddenly stepping between Tham and TO. She pointed a finger into Tham’s chest, “How would you like it if I put an off switch in your head!?”
Despite everything, despite how awful this had all felt, and how worried they were about Pearla going to see GiDi about this now, they had to press their lips together to keep from laughing at the way she said, ‘off switch’
“This is different!” Tham said.
“Because they’re synths!?” Pearla snapped.
“Yes!” Tham said, their eyes big, their hands clutching into fists, “You’re ok with them now, sure, but you were scared of them at first. You wanted nothing to do with them at first!”
“I’m very aware.” Pearla said, her eyes narrowing, “And I feel horrible about that-”
But you wouldn’t if it was Kei, right?”
“That’s not the point. TO should have known about this. TO should have known you were doing this. You shouldn’t have kept it a secret! You should have told them!”
“... You really didn’t know.” TO said as they watched her. They knew that, of course, they knew she didn’t know the moment that she got angry about it, but somehow her indignation in this moment really solidified that fact. That she thought they should at least have been told, even if they didn’t have the choice in the matter meant a surprising amount to TO.
“Of course I didn’t!” Pearla said, “TO, you’re family. If I knew I’d tell you!” She glared at Tham, “And you should have done the same! You should know better.” Her eyes narrowed, “What would mom and dad-”
“No idea.” Tham snapped, “They’re not here.” He turned around and stalked back to the cavern, “Go on, yell at GiDi. I don’t care. If everything we’re working for falls apart because of a lovers spat-”
“I will!” Pearla shouted after him, “And I’ll tell you this: GiDi is a LOT more mature than you are! At least he could tell his crush he liked them!”
TO watched Tham disappear down the tunnel and back to the cavern. The hall was silent then, save for Pearla’s heavy breathing, and the sound of water dripping somewhere in the distance.
“... Did you mean it?” TO whispered after a moment.
“Of course I did.” Pearla snapped as she turned to leave. “Tham’s an idiot. He had this big crush and…” She stopped, frowning. After a moment she looked at TO. “Sorry… I'm angry at him.. But it’s maybe not something I should share…”
TO shook their head, “Not about that.” TO said, “The other thing.”
“Other thing?” Pearla raised a brow at TO, “What other thing?”
TO felt their ears dip slightly, and flush. Somehow, it felt so stupid to as her this. “B-before, you said I was practically family… just then you said I was family…”
Pearla’s eyes widened, “Of course you’re family!” She said, “You’re GiDi’s sibling. GiDi.. is my mate.” She lowered her eyes, “I know I’m no Chilacian.. And I can’t do the proper bonding thing.”
Was she talking about the pack bond? TO wasn’t sure about that, they half thought that maybe Vik and DH developed that pack bond before everything happened.
“But.. but despite that!” she looked to TO, “GiDi… is my mate.” Her face flushed, “And… you’re their sibling.”
To’s ears dropped. “Blood relations don’t really… mean much for that in Chilacian culture, apparently.” TO said.
“I know.” Pearla said, sighing as she looked at where Tham had disappeared, “But even aside from that, GiDi loves you, DH, and Avery.” Her eyes flashed for a moment, Narrowing, “Even if they were an idiot in this case. But they still love you both, and if they love you, you’re their family… and so you’re my family.” She sighed, and shook her head, “And family takes care of one another… So I will take care of you. And Tham should take care of you too, if he wasn’t being…” She groaned. “A paranoid jerk!”
After another moment of silent, she turned to TO, “I.. am sorry about him for what it’s worth-”
She couldn’t finish her sentence. TO ran up to her and embraced her in a hug, their arms around her shoulders, their wings wrapping around her.
Family. Even if they and GiDi had been apart, apparently GiDi still loved TO and DH, and apparently that was enough for Pearla to consider them family, and to work to keep them together.
“Thank you.” TO whispered, holding her close. It was odd to hug someone that wasn’t DH or Avery or GiDi, odd to hug someone so much shorter than they were, and so much softer.
After a moment, Pearla returned the hug, but her arms could only reach about halfway around TO’s broad chest. “It’s nothing.” She says. “... and.. I am sorry I didn’t trust you or really like you at first, you know. But I didn’t know you.”
TO nodded. “Well..” They said, “You do now. At least a little bit.”