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Pearl had learned over her many years on Hermit Heroes that losing her temper rarely led to anything good. It would scare her allies and make her a reckless fighter against any villains she faced. It could make her snappy with members of the public, who were often already going through the worst day of their lives.
In addition, when she was angry less often, it meant that when she showed her anger, people got out of her way. Exactly what was happening now.
Grian simply gave her an understanding nod, having been on the mission Pearl wanted to… talk… to Blackthorn about. Being Pearl’s brother, he had often been the subject of her wrath when they were younger. He was, however, still smart enough to move over to the wall when Pearl waved him off as she stalked up the hallway. He may have been on the mission, but Pearl needed to have this confrontation alone.
Gem, on the other hand, followed her. Scott trailed behind looking very concerned. Gem hadn’t been on the mission, she didn’t even have the needed context “Eclipse! Eclipse, what’s going on?”
Pearl tried to ignore her for a moment, but she didn’t seem to get the hint. She turned around, “Fae, it’s not for you to worry about.”
Gem crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes, “What’s going on?”
“I’ll explain later, you don’t need to know now.”
“But I want to know now, if you’re this upset over it.” Gem caught Pearl’s wrist as she turned.
Pearl pulled away, “Don’t touch me. And stay out of my way.”
She didn’t wait to see if Gem listened to her. She stormed further down the hall to President Blackthorn’s office and slammed the door open without knocking.
Blackthorn blinked seeming startled, “Eclipse. What is this?”
Pearl allowed the doors to slam shut behind her as she stalked into the room, “What is the purpose of the mission we were sent on yesterday?”
Blackthorn blinked, “You are meant to enforce the law. You were sent to arrest several people for failing to register themselves with the government.”
“They’re families. Most of them were children. Would you just separate families as if it means nothing? And for that matter, why are we only requiring hybrids to register themselves!? Humans can come and go as they please!”
“They’re dangerous. All we wanted to do was catalogue what lives in our city, and they resisted. Why would they resist if not to hurt people?”
“Because the three of them had five kids between them and barely scraped by as it was? When exactly did they have time to go register everyone?” Another flash of fury scorched Pearl’s chest, “And they’re a ‘who,’ by the way. They’re not a ‘what.’ They’re people, no different from you. And you didn’t answer my question about targeting hybrids.”
They’re better than you, maybe. Despite her fury, Pearl was smart enough not to voice that thought aloud.
Blackthorn stood, giving Pearl a stern glare. The effect was somewhat diminished by the fact that Pearl towered over him by about a head, “You’re being hysterical. Stop putting words in my mouth. The exact language is unimportant. They do not belong here. We have a common goal of keeping the people of Hermitville safe,” he turned his gaze on Pearl, ice-cold and unwavering, “Don’t we?”
Pearl was so full of fire and rage that she couldn’t speak. How dare he imply that she had anything but the highest regard for the safety of Hermitville and its citizens? How dare he speak of hybrids as if they weren’t even there? How dare he go after Pearl’s kin, whether or not they were actually related by blood, and expect her to support him? And hysterical?
She couldn’t speak. She was about to explode. Her hands shook, clenched into fists, and her wings trembled, shedding feathers onto the floor.
Pearl did the only thing she could think of in that situation. She reeled back and punched Blackthorn in the face.
The crunch of bone under her fist was satisfying, and the blood that began to pour from his nose almost as much so. He doubled over, a hand to his face.
Pearl didn’t wait for a response. She whipped around and stormed out of the room, shaking out her hand.
Pearl just about crashed into Gem as she turned the corner, her antlers just about clocking Pearl in the face. Gem’s eyes were wide and concerned.
A flicker of anxiety flashed through Pearl’s chest: How much did she hear?
But Gem didn’t act as if she heard anything at all. She reached out to take Pearl’s arm, but held back, remembering their interaction earlier, “Eclipse? What happened in there?”
Pearl had to bite her lip to stop herself from yelling, lashing out, taking her anger out on Gem. She took a deep, slow breath, “I would…” Pearl’s voice was shaking so bad that she wasn’t sure she was understandable. She cleared her throat and tried again, “I would make myself scarce in this area, if I were you. Blackthorn’s in a mood. And so am I, so I will make myself scarce as well.”
Gem nodded, but didn’t look satisfied. She followed Pearl as she travelled back to the main hub, which almost made Pearl snap until she remembered there wasn’t really anywhere to go from here but the main hub. The two arrived just as the morning patrol began streaming in. She looked around until she locked eyes with just the person she was looking for. Cleo, Tango, and Falcon were stood together, deep in conversation. After a moment, Cleo’s eyes met her’s, and they flicked a hand, dismissing the others. Pearl turned to Gem, “I have to talk to Captain now. You’re dismissed. And Fae?”
Gem turned around, eyes questioning, but Pearl didn’t have much more to say, “Be careful.”
Gem took a step back, looking uncertain, but as Cleo began to head towards Pearl, she seemed to accept that this conversation did not involve her, slipping away to talk to Impulse, who was also arriving from morning patrol.
Cleo didn’t even bother stopping, directing the two of them into a nearby corridor, “Okay, Eclipse. You don’t have that look often. What happened?”
Pearl sighed. Right to the point, she supposed, “Blackthorn and I had a… spirited discussion on his treatment of hybrids.”
Cleo sighed, “You were supposed to wait for me, Eclipse. What did you do? What could have possibly been accomplished? We keep each other in check, talking to him alone could only be a disaster?”
Pearl felt herself shrink a little bit. Cleo was right. They might overall have a fiercer temper than Pearl, but when they were together it somehow made them both more mellow, “You were on patrol. I couldn’t wait any longer. And someone needed to have that conversation with him, or he’d keep doing what he’s been doing, attacking hybrids, making it more difficult for us to just live our lives.”
“You organize the patrols, Eclipse.”
Pearl turned away, “Fine, here’s the truth. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind without you there to stop me.”
“And did that help our situation? Is he more likely to agree with us now that you’ve… given him a piece of your mind? Or have you just made him angrier, and less willing to listen?”
“He called me hysterical, Captain. He didn’t even address my concerns, he treated me like nothing! He was going to keep doing what he was doing, and there was nothing I could do to stop him. No, shush!” Pearl talked over Cleo’s newly wide eyes and open mouth, “I’m not going to stand there, I’m not helpless, and I’m certainly not hysterical!”
Pearl inhaled sharply, tears pricking her eyes. She turned away so Cleo wouldn’t see, refusing to answer their questions, “I might go check on him if I were you, regardless of what he’s said. I assume he doesn’t want to see me right now. Personally, I would bring Angel. It’s a bit of a mess.”
“Bring Angel! That sounds like a bit more than talking! What the hell happened? Are you okay?”
Pearl turned and walked away, unable to continue the conversation. Cleo called after her but didn’t follow. She could not keep having this talk anymore. She’d told Cleo what she had to.
She collapsed into a chair in a neighboring lounge. Scott glanced towards her, concerned, but Pearl didn’t bother reassuring him. Skizz got up and began moving towards her from across the room, but he stopped and checked his communicator. With a worried glance at Pearl, he headed back the way she had come.
Pearl felt cold. Had she made things worse? Had she just proved Blackthorn’s point? She felt so angry, all the time, at the state of the city she’d grown to love. Had that clouded her judgement?
Had she ruined her chance of making any difference with the attack? Blackthorn was sure to retaliate, whether it would be public or private might make further changes, depending on how the public felt.
What would happen to her now?