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Gem wanted to win.
Everyone knew that. Scott knew that from the moment he found one of his friends in this twisted game.
Everyone knew that you have to have that list for victory, for blood. That or you have to have pissed off the watcher, or Grian or Jimmy, alot.
While Gem never seemed to tell which of the three it was, it was most likely the first.
Gem was calm and sweet. She had grown up in the wilderness and still lives in the wilderness. (Or with the hermits. But that is practically the wilderness. Or absent of "proper" civilization. She would've never interacted with the watchers.
Along with that Grian doesn't hold grudges. As far as anyone knew, he had never dragged anyone in the games without permission. And the permission requires the first.
A need to win.
(Jimmy doesn't hold grudges. Everyone knows if someone did something worthy of one to him his sister would destroy them. But that's another story.)
The hermits knew Gem had a bit of a competitive edge. The heads lining her walls, nearly as many as Cleo, said enough. (Perhaps it was a bit scary that each of those heads were won through bloody battles with blunt wooden blades, instead of the clean immediate kills of diamond or netherite.)
Scott didn't know yet. He didn't know that his band leader, his alliance head, the woman he would trust his life with, his friend could do this.
*his friend*
His friend had just agreed to the murder.
He didn't mean it.
It was supposed to be like before.
Like a fair fight between two closer then salt and pepper in a ring of fire.
Or a battle on a compass face.
A shared victory of two bathed in blood.
Or even just timers counting down that simply defined the end.
Not this.
Please not this.
He didn't want to win. Scott had no intention to win. He had twice and that was enough of a weight on his shoulders. He was going to let Gem win. That's why his death seemed to be another route to her victory.
A deserved victory.
Gem deserved to win.
It was her game. Her game board. Her band. Gem and the Scotts.
Gem doesn't win.
He didn't want to die by her hands. He was going to die by Pearl's. Preferably. Or at least Scar.
Gem didn't notice his tears when she delivers the final blow.
Or perhaps she just doesn't care.