Watching and Listening - An Empires SMP AU

Not right

            Grian's breathing caught in his throat. Jimena wasn't going to die, was she? Not after he'd found out she could be trusted. Not before he apologized to her. Not because of his fight with Qiron in her mind, right? Surely her fate wasn't because of him, was it? This was not right. This should not be happening.

           Then Jimena blinked and sat up, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief and started to crowd around her. "Jimena, are you okay?!" Timmy asked anxiously. "Yes, why?" Jimena asked, like she hadn't just scared the living daylights out of everyone. "You just looked dead for an hour!" Scar said. "It wasn't an hour, Scar," Grian said. 

           Jimena blinked. "What?" "After I searched through your memory I went back to my own body but you didn't wake up and we got worried," Grian recapped. "Oh." Jimena said. "You scared the living daylights out of us and you just say 'oh'?!" Timmy shouted hysterically. Jimena looked alarmed. "Sheriff, calm down!" She said, and Grian felt the hysteria drain away from Tim. Jimena was eating it. 

           Then Grian remembered something very important he should do. "Jimena, I am so, so sorry," He started, but the girl put her hand over his mouth. "You don't have to say it," She said. "I understand, Grian. I don't remember everything about my time with the Watchers, but I remember how much you wanted to leave us." She paused, and then added, "And thanks to you, I can remember leaving them too. I understand why you wouldn't want to trust me." 

           Grian managed a wan smile. "Thanks," He said. The two of them just smiled at each other for a little bit. "So..." Scar started, "What exactly happened? Like in Jimena's head." "Yeah, I would like to know that as well," Timmy said. So Grian explained everything that had happened, because Jimena didn't experience all of it. 

           "Wow." Tim and Scar said at the same time when he finished. "That was a lot," The hermit said. "You guys almost died!" Timmy said quaveringly. "But they didn't," Scar pointed out. Tim shot him an odd look and Grian sighed. Scar never did have a very good awareness of danger. It was a thing that had cost him a lot in the life games several times. 

           Jimena touched her head. "How damaged do you think my psyche is?" She asked Grian. He thought for a moment. "I'm not sure," He said slowly. "But Qiron's magic seems to be helping." "You sound surprised," Jimena said observantly. "I just don't know why he's going to the trouble of protecting you," Grian said. "Since you ran from him and are a rogue Watcher like me."

            Jimena acquired an odd look on her face. "I feel like he cares about me, somehow. I just don't know why." She said. "I remember that there's this important reason, but I just don't remember what." Grian and Jimena didn't say anything after that, pondering what Qiron's reason could be.

            Then Scar said, "Grian, where's your hat?" "My hat-" Grian glanced up at his hatless head. "Oh!" He exclaimed, remembering. "I left the tag hat at Hermitopia!" "Tag hat?" Jimena asked, confused, so the others explained to her Grian's new tag game.

           "I took it off to try on my fishbowl- I mean astronaut helmet when I bought my Halloween costume, and I forgot to put it back on," Grian groaned. "Scar, it took you this long to remind me?" "It's not my job to remind you; it's your job to wear the tag hat," Scar said, and Timmy giggled.

           Jimena had a frown on her face. "This tag game feels a lot like the boogeyman curse  from Last Life," She said. Grian stopped and thought about what she said. "Yeah, well, this time you can respawn practically infinitely and you always have the option of not playing the game," Grian justified.

           Jimena thought it over for a moment. "Well, can I help?" She asked. "Since I'm not a hermit or an empress I can't play, but there's nothing in the rules that says I can't help the it." Grian paused and considered for moment. "Okay, you can help me dig the pit trap to make someone fall into the void!" He said.