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Jimmy gently tied the bundles of wheat together, careful as to not wake the blazeborn sleeping in the next room. Tango was never easy to wake, but still. He knew how much his soulmate valued his beauty sleep.
He yawned quietly. It was the middle of the night, the moon high in the sky. He hadn’t been able to sleep, and had decided to get some chores done instead of tossing and turning all night. He had gathered the wheat from the field, and was tying it into bundles for easier storage.
As he was working, he heard a soft knocking on the door. Seriously? He thought, annoyed. Who on earth would be there in the middle of the night?
He crossed to the door and pulled it open, ready to give whoever it was a peace of his mind (quietly, of course). His anger melted when he saw who was on the other side.
Pearl stood there, shivering. Her red cloak was pulled tightly around her, and her lips were tinged blue.
“S-sorry to b-bother you,” she said softly, rocking slightly on the balls of her feet.
“Oh, Pearl,” he sighed, ushering her inside.
He sat her down at the kitchen table. She sank onto the chair gratefully, her blueish fingers playing at the edges of her cloak.
“Do you need bandages?” He asked her, moving to the furnace to bake one of the potatoes they had gotten. “Or was it just the snow?”
“N-no cuts. J-just a b-bruised knee, b-but that’s just c-cause I t-tripped.”
Footsteps sounded from the other room. They both whipped their heads towards the doorway to see Tango yawning and rubbing his eyes sleepily, wrapped in a thin blanket.
“Hey, rancher,” he called softly, “sorry to wake you.”
“Nah. Was havin’ trouble sleeping anyways.” He glanced at Pearl and gave her a grin, but Jimmy could feel his worry. “Would have been rude of me not to wake up when we’ve got a guest.”
He sat down in the chair next to Pearl’s. She leaned in, grateful for the warmth. “T-thanks. ‘M sorry to wake you.”
“No biggie.” He unwound the blanket from around himself and gently set it on her shoulders. It was nothing like the thick, soft blankets she had on Hermitcraft, but it was all any of them could really afford to make, what with the limited resources and time they had. It was much better than nothing, and she appreciated it more than she could say.
Jimmy came back to them and set down the baked potato in front of Pearl. She dug into it eagerly, the warmth quickly filling her. Her cloak moved off her arms, her pale scars visible.
It always broke Tango’s heart to see her arms. The scars stood out like beacons; the little hearts and stars and moons and smiley faces like something a child might doodle in the corners of their school notes. The words, however, were much more heartbreaking-
hi scott!!
ouch, that one hurt :(
night scott!
r u ok???
whoops, sorry!
morning!!
scottyyy
i miss u :(
what’s up?
love you!
Sometimes Jimmy really disliked Scott. He had thought, back in the valley, that Scott was so incredible and kind and wonderful- and now this was what he did to Pearl. Pearl, who he had teamed up with last game. Sure, Pearl had definitely not been the best of soulmates, but still.
Suddenly, Pearl yelped. “Ow!”
Tango winced in sympathy. “Scott?”
“Yeah! I think he…” she trailed off, frowning. She quickly moved the waistband of her pants down, despite the ranchers’ protests. Seemingly entranced, she stared down at her thigh.
She gasped, sounding almost delighted, as marks slowly carved onto her skin. “He’s talking to me! He’s actually writing back!”
Tango and Jimmy looked over curiously, the cuts appearing slowly but surely. “I… hate…?” Pearl said aloud, still sounding happy, but slightly unsure. Jimmy had an awful feeling.
Pearl’s excited face fell as the message stopped. “I… hate you?” She whispered, sounding heartbroken.
“Oh, Pearl…” Tango murmured, wrapping her in a hug. Jimmy rushed to a chest, and quickly came back with first aid supplies. He swiftly wrapped the wounds in bandages.
Pearl stared at her thigh. “At least he’s talking to me, right? This is a good thing, right?” Her voice was so small, and Jimmy made a silent vow to punch Scott in the face once they were back on Empires.
A drop of water fell down and soaked into the bandages. Pearl reached a hand up to her face, and felt a wetness. Oh. She was crying.
She wasn’t entirely sure how long she sat there. By the time the sun rose, she was lying in the bed in her tower, unsure how she had gotten there. She curled up further in her thin blanket, warm, fresh bread filling her stomach. She wished she could be there, in that cottage, eating that bread herself, with him. She could go there herself, try and steal some… but that wouldn’t be the same, and she was so tired…
The last thing she felt, right before she fell asleep, was the sharp pain of an axe in her back.