Awaken (Hermitcraft Fanfiction)

XVI. Pranks and Danger

TW: fight scene

"So, you and Evil Xisuma, yeah?" Impulse asked teasingly.

"No!" Pearl said, rolling her eyes. "He's too old for me."

Impulse laughed. "You're over a century old! He can't be. According to Xisuma, they're both roughly the same age. I'd be more worried about him being too young."

Pearl groaned. "Like I said, there's nothing between us." She grimaced. "He's old enough to be my dad, Impulse."

"Whoa, old. Are you sure, though?"

"Impy, if you keep this up I will keep your redstone box forever." She buried her head in her hands. "He's like a father to me, that's all. And given the fact that I never knew my father, that means a lot. Just... stop."

Impulse froze. "I'm sorry," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder in sympathy. "I was just teasing. I'll stop." He heaved a sigh, pulling her into a hug. The tears threatened to fall again as he offered his friendship and support.

She pulled away, picking up the pickaxe she had leaned against the wall. "You didn't come here just to tease me about my relationships. Right?"

Impulse nodded. "I want my redstone box back."

Pearl opened her enderchest and pulled out the bright red shulker box. "This redstone box?" she asked, holding it out. "Or the other one? I have both."

"Pearl! I've been looking everywhere! Geez," he yelled, playfully snatching the box. "You've no idea how difficult it is to set up pranks without stacks of supplies on hand." He reached around her, grabbing the matching shulker box from her opposite hand.

Pearl giggled. "Who are you pranking?"

"I dunno." Impulse shrugged innocently, flashing a nervous smile. "I mean, maybe I was gonna try and get you back for stealing my redstone box. Or get Grian with an end crystal. Or Tango for the tree costume. You never know," he whispered mysteriously, slipping outside.

Pearl groaned and followed him, tailing him cheerfully as he attempted every evasive maneuver he knew. He gave up, soaring over the continent toward Big Eye town. She followed him, chuckling mischievously as she sought to unravel the prank forming within Impulse's head.

He landed at the entrance to Tango's cave and peered nervously around the opening. Satisfied that nobody was in sight, he began to build a quartz hut a short distance away. Pearl watched, intrigued, as he dug out a space beneath the building. She heard him rummaging in a shulker box before the unmistakable noise of redstoning filled the air.

Finally, he resurfaced, shaking his head and causing dirt to fly out of his hair. He quickly replaced the earth he had removed, counted several meters from the door to the hut, and placed a stone pressure plate beneath his feet. Pearl barely heard the click as it connected to the wiring below.

"What are you doing?" she asked, unable to contain her curiosity. Impulse beckoned her closer, showing her a shulker of valuable items. He put it in the center of the vault and backed out, withdrawing an iron door, and sealed the opening with it.

"Try it," he suggested, pointing at the pressure plate. Pearl stood on it, and the door opened. She walked forward a few steps, and it closed after a few seconds. She furrowed her brow as she picked apart the meaning of the prank. Again, she stepped on the plate. Two seconds after she got off, the door closed.

Impulse was grinning broadly. "No matter how hard he tries to run, he won't be able to get through the door before it closes," he explained. "I tested it using Mumbo's redstone for a while. It's foolproof unless you have magic, and Xisuma's the only one who does."