When the Dawn Breaks [TBAU]

☆ Chapter 34 ☆

It was a surprisingly beautiful day, considering the circumstances.

The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, like a canvas splattered in the richest paints. Clouds danced across the painting in streaks of white, and the sun cast playful shadows through them. Impulse loved the overworld sky. He took a deep breath in, focusing on his lungs inflating slowly, slowly, slowly, until it started to hurt a little. When he breathed back out, he imagined his fear leaving him. His dread leaving him.

But it was the last day of his last month and oh void, it was starting to set in just how fucked he was.

He hadn't found any solutions while at Joe's library. He hadn't even found a way to get his restricted magic back. But now Joe wanted to help him, even though there wasn't going to be anything left to help soon. Impulse never should've roped Joe into all of his nonsense, but it was too late now, he supposed. Too late.

Actually, to be fair, it was early, the sun not yet very high in the sky. But, early as it may be, he started to get a move on, headed towards the town hall for the weekly meeting that happened to be today. The good thing about that, he supposed, would be that he at least got to see all of the hermits one more time.

There wasn't much left to do anymore, except wait for the end. He hadn't done much after visiting the library. He'd only gone flying with Bdubs for a little while, just a day prior to today. Well, it was more gliding than flying, considering his primaries were in awful shape and he hadn't really flown in who knows how long. Maybe he should've taken better care of his wings; Scar and Zed were always telling him how pretty they thought they were. Impulse pulled the offending appendages closer to his back. They reminded him too much of himself.

It was too quiet, Impulse thought. But his head was too loud because there was too much room for his thoughts to swim around. He picked up his pace. If he got to town hall faster, then he'd be surrounded by noise and if he was surrounded by noise, then he wouldn't be able to hear his own head.

Startled by his change in pace, Fuzzy shifted her perch on his head. He'd almost forgotten the little moth was up there, though her movement reminded him.

Gods, he needed to talk to Pearl about everything. It was just... everytime he caught the watcher's eye watching him, he couldn't seem to say it. He couldn't even write it down like he had before. Maybe she already knew. Pearl was always good at puzzling out these sorts of things. Impulse held up a hand, letting Fuzzy climb on. She did a little spin on his palm and planted herself there. Her eyes were a solid ebony black. Not watching.

He tended not to notice when Pearl was watching, the moth's eyes underwent such a subtle change when she did, after all. He wasn't sure how much she'd seen. Though, for some reason, Impulse wanted to be seen now. He wanted to be under her safe gaze one more time.

He walked, and stared at the moth in his hands. Fuzzy's eyes didn't spark indigo.

It's fine. His teeth grit together, jaw clenched tight.

He let the moth clamber up his arm to his shoulder, and suppressed the urge to scream at the top of his lungs. The frustration was growing inside of him, a desperate, growling monster that he was beating back as best he could. The pot could continue to simmer, and simmer, and simmer, each little thing making the heat tick upwards. Gods, he was so angry.

Impulse sucked in a quick breath, swallowing back tears that pricked his eyes. He didn't want to be angry on his last day with the hermits. Really, he didn't want to feel anything anymore. It was all so much already.