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The night air is cool and the green grass collapses damp under their feet. Pearl can sense the droplets sliding down the stems into the dark dirt beneath. Together, she and Scott walk under the canopy of oak tree leaves bathed in the light of the full moon. It’s a peaceful night and, yet, something feels off. Like something or, more probably, some one is watching them. Scott doesn’t appear outwardly concerned with his relaxed movements, but Pearl can see his fingers twitch towards his waterskin periodically.
Pearl places her hand on the hilt of her sword, prepared to draw it the instant an enemy makes themself known. With the end of the game nearing and only a handful of greens and yellows left, they can’t let their guards down for even a second. It may not have been the smartest of ideas for Pearl and Scott to leave the safety of the Shadow Fort, but neither of them enjoy being cooped up for long.
To the side of the path, the soft sound, nearly undetectable, of bushes rustling breaks through the crickets chirping. Both Scott and Pearl freeze, her hand tightening around her sword and Scott’s flipping open the cap of his waterskin.
“Did you hear that?” Pearl murmurs under her breath, river blue eyes darting to the right side of the path where the noise had come from and then back at Scott.
Scott gives a slight nod before fully turning to face the bush the rustling had emanated from. “Hey,” he greets calmly. “You can come out; we heard you.” Pearl facepalms.
Slowly, Joel rises from the bush, light red eyes glinting in the darkness. The dried blood sticks to his crown with the reminder of the lives he’s taken, and the lives he has yet to destroy. His black robes blend into the shadows perfectly with only the red accents calling out in violence. An iron sword hanging from his hip catches the light from the moon dangerously. He’s changed so much since turning red. Not just in bloodthirsty attitude, but physically. Joel isn’t the same person he was before.
“Hey, guys,” Joel says with a sinister smile. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“What do you want, Joel?” Pearl snarls, gripping her sword fiercely.
Joel steps out of the bush and shrugs, that terrifying grin still plastered across his face. “Oh, you know. Just catching up with some friends of mine.”
“Is there anything we can help you with?” Scott asks, a friendly smile hiding the apprehension behind his eyes.
Joel steps out of the shadows and into a beam of light from the bright moon. “I can think of something.”
Before Scott has a chance to react, Joel lunges at him, grabs him by the shoulders, pulls him so his back is pressed against Joel’s chest, and summons a dagger of flame to press against Scott’s pale neck. Pearl barely has a chance to call out to her friend before the fire is slightly singing his skin.
Pearl pops open the cap of the pouch at her hip and holds her hands out before her. “Let him go,” she demands in a strong tone.
Joel cackles madly. “No, I don’t think I will.”
Pearl growls and glances at her open waterskin, fully prepared to pull the water out to attack Joel with no mercy. The full moon will power her enough to win this battle without any problem. Water can put out fire easily.
Joel tuts and shakes his head. “If that water comes out of that waterskin a single centimetre, Scott here won’t have a head anymore.” Pearl freezes, glancing at Scott’s fearful ice blue eyes. Joel gestures to her pouch with his head. “Close it.”
Pearl locks eyes with Scott and he nods ever-so-slightly, wincing as the flaming dagger burns his skin. “Do it, Pearl.” His voice is calm and collected, but Pearl can feel the tension in his muscles and hear the sound of his heart sending out rushing blood.
Pearl growls and reaches down to push the cap back on, sealing the liquid inside. She can’t let Scott die. He’s supposed to be the last one alive. She’d promised to protect him the first day when she gave him one of her lives. The full moon calls to Pearl. She can feel it filling her with power and she knows what she has to do. Maybe this will ruin everything between them, but if it’ll keep him alive…
The moon fills the bloodbending player with unthinkable power. Its light brings a rush to each waterbender and even more to one as powerful as Pearl. She knows Scott feels it too despite not being in a position to use it.
Joel’s impossibly wide, wicked smile brings a snarl to Pearl’s lips. “Why don’t you head on home, Pearl? Scott and I have some murderous business to attend to.”
The silence between them is tense to the point not even the sharpest of knives could cut through it. Pearl doesn’t move a single muscle, both arms still held out in front of her. Scott’s heart pounds viciously in his chest; Joel can probably feel it from where his hand is pressed against Scott’s neck. And Joel… Joel stands there grinning like a man who has lost his mind with his dagger made of fire leaving burns across Pearl’s best friend’s throat. Burns that’ll stay there long after he’s lost this life. Some wounds carry.
With a final deep breath, Pearl tenses her fingers and, suddenly, Joel’s muscles turn rigid and tremble under her nonconsensual guidance. Her hands shake as she lowers the arm mirroring Joel’s dagger of flame. Void of his will, it drops in time with her movements. She draws her other arm back and Joel’s hand, which had been latched around Scott’s chest, pulls away. Now released, Scott runs forward towards Pearl, eyes wide and somehow even more fearful than before.
“Pearl,” Scott breathes. “You- you’re a-”
“Bloodbender,” Joel’s strained voice finishes, pure terror seeping from his skin like an illness.
Pearl swallows, lowers her arms to hang by her side, and watches with an emotionless expression when Joel instantly turns tail and retreats, tripping over his own feet. Scott stares at her the entire time, petrified and disgusted by what she is. She can’t blame him. She doesn’t look at him. There’s no way she can meet his eyes, so she instead looks to the side, hands balled into trembling fists.
“I didn’t- I didn’t know.” Scott’s voice wavers where he stands before her.
“I didn’t tell anyone,” Pearl explains, tears piling in her eyes. “I didn’t want anyone to know. I’m sorry.”
“Pearl, I-” Scott reaches out to her, but she takes off into the night, blanketed in stars and the glowing moon.
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Pearlescentmoon and Smajor1995 chat:
Smajor1995: pearl, can we talk?
Smajor1995: i don’t hate you, i was just startled
Smajor1995: where are you? let’s meet up
Smajor1995: pearl, please
Smajor1995: i miss you. please can we talk about this?
Smajor1995: i don’t care that you’re a bloodbender, you’re my friend!
Smajor1995: please, pearl
Pearlescentmoon and ZombieCleo chat:
ZombieCleo: talk to scott
ZombieCleo: pearl, you’re best friends and he’s terrified that you’re hurt out there
ZombieCleo: pearl, if you don’t message him back I’m going to kill you and you know I will
ZombieCleo: answer him!