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As Scott moved through a night that was too quiet and too lonely, he couldn't help but get increasingly stressed at the sense of doom that had begun to rapidly pool in his stomach. The world felt darker than it should, where the absence of light contrasted with the distant glow of torches on the horizon.
He didn't want to be out here, per-se. However, he wasn't able to sleep with the constant, sharp-edged pain that jolted him out of any semblance of unconsciousness whenever he closed his eyes. It wasn't like random and continuous pains were uncommon, not with the type of soulmate he'd been unfortunate enough to be cursed with, but it had gotten to the point where it was genuinely becoming completely unbearable. Worst part? There wasn't really much he could do about it.
When he had woken under pale moonlight to yet another jabbing ache in his shoulder, he had absolutely come to his wit's end. He had messaged Pearl through his communicator, spamming her over and over again until he was confident that there was no way in the Void that she hadn't noticed. She hadn't responded, which meant she had been ignoring him. Typical.
With no other choice, he had decided to go confront her in person. He had woken Cleo leaving the base, and when she found out exactly what was going on, she had been expectedly furious. It was clear they wanted to go out and do something about it, but there was nothing they could do to his soulmate that wouldn't affect him. So, rather unhappily, they had just warned him to stay safe and let him go.
He didn't know exactly what he'd do when he found her. Scold her, probably. She was just being childish at this point. When is enough considered enough? Like, maybe he didn't have to be quite so reckless all the time, and sure, he had indulged in the old powdered snow trick once or twice, but this was absolutely ridiculous.
He staggered again as another bolt of pain stabbed through his palm this time, eliciting a hiss through gritted teeth as he yanked it up to his chest, as if that could somehow ease the phantom aches. What the hell was she even doing?
Luckily, he expected he'd get answers soon- her tower had just rose into sight, as uneven and looming as it had always been. Rough-textured stone pockmarked a gray surface that shifted from side to side until its top, capped with a red roof ending in a point. However, the top wasn't lit with the familiar red lantern light he normally saw when he passed. It was completely dark.
Odd. Scott frowned, and the sense of foreboding in his chest grew just a bit stronger. As he approached, he lifted his voice to call out loud enough towards the top.
"Pearl!" he yelled, his voice ringing out through an indigo night sky. "Are you there?"
There wasn't a response. The tower remained silent, and the full moon stared down at him without acknowledgement.
Either she wasn't home, or she was being petty. Scott wouldn't put the latter past her, so he inevitably decided it would be best to check, just in case.
As he stepped into the base, dirt gave in slightly under his feet. Rafters hung above him. Swatches of light draped over Scott's face through the open entryway, side-by-side with blue shadows that felt darker than they were by contrast.
"I'm coming up!" Scott yelled. His own voice sounded too loud against the deafening silence. There wasn't a single sound from the top, not even a creak of floorboards or the shuffle of footsteps. Scott frowned, eyes narrowed. His hand had drifted to the familiar hilt of his sword. It was unlikely he would have to defend himself; after all, it's pointless fighting with a soulmate. But Pearl being… herself… it was hard to really apply logic to her motives.
He started climbing up the unnecessarily long and ominous ladder that was pinned to the wall. Every time it shifted under his weight, he froze, knuckles clutching hard enough to make his hands ache.
He kept climbing, and wondered, not for the first time, what the point was of having a base so high up. Surely it was a hassle to get up and down all the time?
Maybe that was the point.
Scott didn't really like the thought of that, so he made the executive decision to ignore it.
As he approached the top, he almost let himself breathe a small exhale of relief. And just as he was about to pull himself up over the edge-
He cried out as the strongest pain yet tore through every nerve of his right arm. He lost his grip immediately, and his vision spun as he nearly slipped. Desperately, he clung to the rungs, the tips of his left fingers barely curled around the uneven surface. He swung his legs forward in a risky maneuver, but thankfully kept his balance, hooking his feet on the ladder for extra support.
His right arm felt like it was burning. The strain of the nerves took their toll, and even though he knew that it wasn't real, he didn't know if he had the pain tolerance to use it while it felt like this. Internally hissing curses on Pearl's name, his eyes flicked upwards to where the darkened room was just out of reach.
This was a bad idea. It was obvious now that she wasn't home. There was no way she could have possibly gone through that much pain and not made a sound, right?
But he couldn't just climb back down, because he felt like his arm was on fire. He took a sharp breath in, before dragging himself the rest of the way up the ladder one-handed. Every movement felt unsteady as he tried to focus on not falling, but eventually, and with much difficulty, he made it to the top.
He practically fell off the accursed ladder, panting in heavy breaths as he collapsed to the ground. He lay sprawled on the floor for a moment, one hand clasped on the offending arm. Every inch of him was weighted with exhaustion.
This uppermost room was well-lit. Open windows on all sides introduced moonlight to stream in at full force, pooling across the floor and illuminating everything for clear view. It was… nice, he supposed. On one wall, a row of wheat rippled softly in a chilly night breeze. Vines heavy with leaves draped from the ceiling, with chests and furnaces stacked on shelves close to the ceiling. Everything was draped in the same pale shine, giving it a ghostly appearance in contrast to the more homey atmosphere he might imagine these kinds of decorations to have.
As the pain in his arm slowly subsided into a dull, throbbing ache, he pulled himself to his feet. He stirred up a thin layer of dust with his feet as he moved- she had clearly been neglecting to care for the place or otherwise just hadn't been around lately. As he moved cautiously towards one of the windows, he realized for the first time just how high he was. Forests and grassy plains stretched out beneath him like a tapestry, dotted with builds and golden torchlight. It was almost… peaceful. The moon felt larger than life in his view, its glowing circumference accompanied by a scattering of glittering stars.
They illuminated the night sky together.
Scott felt his stomach twist. He turned away.
Right. He had to get back down. He forcibly wrenched his attention back to the issue at hand. As his attention moved back to his arm, he guessed that he might be able to make it back down. Probably. As long as he moved carefully, that is. It was still risky, though. Especially if Pearl took any more damage while he was trying to not get himself killed on the ladder.
The buzzing of his communicator in his pocket momentarily derailed his thoughts. He tore it from the fabric so quickly he thought he might rip the pocket, hand shaking slightly in apprehension as he opened it.
Unfortunately, it was not a response from Pearl. Instead, it was from Cleo.
< ZombieCleo> Scott are you okay
<ZombieCleo> Have you found Pearl yet
Scott blinked at the glowing surface, taking a small breath. He awkwardly sat down against a wall that's splintered surface itched against his back as he typed out his response slowly one-handed.
<Smajor> Fine
<Smajor> She hurt her arm, hard 2 type
<Smajor> In her tower, she's not here
It was a few moments after the messages went through when Cleo responded again.
<ZombieCleo> Are you okay? I can come get you if you need help getting down
Scott sighed. It was a nice offer and he knew that Cleo meant well, but the idea of getting help like that when he could really just suck it up and do it himself injured his pride too much.
<Smajor> No
That was a bit harsh.
<Smajor> But ty
He waited, eyes fixed on the white pixels hovering on his screen as Cleo presumably typed.
<ZombieCleo> Okay, just stay safe, okay? Don't get yourself hurt please
<Smajor> I won't
<Smajor> Promise
<ZombieCleo> I'll be here. I'm not sleeping until you get back
Scott's exasperation engaged in brief but vicious warfare with his appreciation from the gesture. He wanted to tell her that she was sacrificing her own rest for nothing, but there was no shot that she would listen to him if he tried. Cleo could be stubborn like that sometimes.
Instead, he rose to his feet. He slowly moved back over to the ladder, and as he stared down at the long drop, he felt his breath get a little bit unsteady.
There will be no death messages in chat tonight , he assured himself. Besides, if he died, Cleo would be furious, and Scott was in no way eager to face their wrath.
Slowly, one careful movement at a time, he eased himself back onto the ladder. He found that as long as he kept most of his weight on his other limbs, he was able to maintain a loose grip with his right arm, and at the very least it made him feel more steady.
He climbed down at a slower pace than he would like. He hated the feeling of being so exposed, but merifully, Pearl didn't take any damage while he was suspended in the air. He almost slipped again anyways in a close call that flung him against the stone the ladder was attached to painfully, but he didn't lose his grip.
Scott had never been more relieved to feel his feet touch the ground. He staggered forward but didn't fall, waiting for his rampaging heartbeat to settle.
<Smajor> Out of the tower, didn't fall
<ZombieCleo> Thank the void
Scott paused one more moment before stowing the communicator safely away again and stepping out of the tower. Now came the tricky part- actually finding Pearl. As far as he knew, she could be anywhere.
He leaned against the outer walls of the tower as he thought, brows creasing slightly. Pearl was generally unpredictable, and seemed to have made an enemy out of everybody on the server.
Well. Almost everybody. To his knowledge, her and Scar were on good terms. There was a chance he might know something about her whereabouts. It was a slim chance, admittedly, but he didn't have much to go off.
Unsheathing his sword, he set back out into the night.
As he approached the Red Velvet Keep, he was once again warned by his gut impulses that this might not be the best of ideas. While he and Cleo weren't necessarily enemies of Scar and his soulbound, people just tended to be generally unpredictable during the course of the Life Games. There was a chance either Grian or Scar might not take kindly to his waking them up in the middle of the night.
Oh, well. Hopefully they'd understand. As he approached the wooden doors that blocked entrance to their base, he gave them three firm knocks. Then, he leaned back, waiting. Inside there was the sound of footsteps and disgruntled mutterings before the door swung open.
Grian glared at him with bleary eyes from the torchlit doorway. The avian's feathers were messy where they sat in disarray around his head, and it was obvious he had just woken up.
"What do you want?" he said flatly to Scott, voice heavy with the remnants of sleep.
Scott tried to glance around him at the interior of the Keep, but Grian blocked his view, narrowing his dark eyes. Scott let out a breath.
"Look," he said. "I just need a word with Scar."
"We're sleeping," Grian stated firmly, and moved to shut the door. At the last second, Scott stuck his foot out, and the door rattled on its hinges as he wedged it open.
"Wait," Scott breathed quickly, and there was a brief hesitation before Grian reluctantly pulled the door open a bit further, allowing Scott to see his face in full. Scott stared him in the eyes, making sure he was paying attention. "I know it's late, and trust me, I don't want to be awake right now either. But Pearl keeps taking damage. I can't sleep and I need to find her, and if anyone knows where she is, it'll be Scar."
He watched the unobstructed view of the emotions that played across Grian's features. The man frowned slightly, glancing away from Scott, seeming to fall deep into thought before fully opening the door.
"He's asleep," Grian grumbled. "But I can wake him."
Scott let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Grian."
Grian crossed his arms and leaned against the door. "Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled as Scott stepped over the threshold. "Just make it quick. I'm tired."
"Promise," Scott said.
He took a seat in a low-backed wooden chair that rested opposite from another across a square-shaped table as Grian swept up a spiral of wooden stairs. Scott drummed his fingers against the wooden tabletop as he tried to be patient. It was too long of a moment before the sounds of footsteps came from the top of the stairs, and Scott perked up to see Grian leading Scar back down.
The man in question had his mouth stretched wide in a yawn, looking mildly disheveled. But upon seeing Scott, he grinned and strided over to him, all signs of tiredness apparently vanished.
"Scott!" he exclaimed. "And to what do we owe the pleasure?"
He took the seat across from Scott, leaning forward with his chin rested in his hands. Scott's knee bumped up and down under the table.
"It's Pearl," he admitted. "She won't stop taking damage and she won't respond to my messages. Do you know where she could possibly be?"
Scar blinked, briefly looking caught off-guard before abruptly switching back to a jaunty grin.
"Well, I do have some idea, but, y'know, I can't just give information like that out for free, can I?"
Scott groaned. "Come on Scar, please! This is important!"
He seemed to consider it, making a show of scrunching his face up in thought. Behind him, Scott saw Grian roll his eyes.
"Well," Scar relented at last. "Just this one, I suppose I could let you off with an IOU. But you'd better follow through, mister!"
"Sure, sure," Scott said quickly, intensely relieved. "Just tell me where she is."
"Well," Scar hummed pleasantly. "I don't know for sure , but she has been spending a lot of time in the mountains lately. The highest peaks! I dunno why she goes up there, but Pearl does as Pearl does!"
"Yeah," muttered Scott. "She does."
Top of the mountains. Come on. Could Pearl have picked a worse place? But at the very least he knew where she was. Or where she might be. He didn't know what he would do if she ended up not being there.
As if on cue, a sudden pang of pain shot through the base of his neck, causing him to flinch and bite down on his tongue. Scar tilted his head, and from the view Scott caught, his green eyes took on a briefly concerned look. Scott glanced back up and rose from his chair, Scar doing the same. Behind him, Grian was still staring at Scott, though he could have sworn his expression was just a little bit softer.
"Thanks," Scott said simply, already turning towards the entrance.
"Of course!" Scar called cheerfully from behind him. "Good luck, Scott!"
As Scott eased the door shut behind him, he could faintly hear Grian's voice to Scar, saying, "You shouldn't have made him bargain like that."
Scar's response was muffled, but Scott heard it before he walked away.
"Oh, I won't make him pay that anyways. I feel bad."
Scott scowled. Great. Now he was getting pity. Whatever. If it kept him from getting roped into some atrocious deal in the future, he'd welcome it with open arms.
As he entered the darkness of the full night once more, the rise of distant peaks greeted his vision, and he sighed. It was not going to be a fun climb, was it?
He had been more right than he realized. Although his arm, luckily, was usable again, the pains had returned at a higher frequency. Just little things for the most part, luckily, but they were extremely uncomfortable.
Scott grit his teeth as he pulled himself at an awkward angle up to the next ledge. He would have some very strong words from Pearl when he found her. This far exceeded any other crazy ex activities she had done in the past.
The air was cold enough to bite up here, and he wished for probably the hundredth time that he had worn something warmer. In his defense, the night was reasonably warm when he was not at extreme altitudes, constantly battered by freezing wind that threatened to force him to lose his grip.
And while he was already high enough to be at risk to fall damage, the actual peaks were still a ways away. They were capped with snow, glistening white over gray stone layered into black, and Scott inwardly groaned at the thought of just how cold it would be at the very top.
As he reached a flatter outcropping that was more reasonably sheltered than the rest, he figured it was about time he texted Cleo back. He had been neglecting his communicator for long enough.
<Smajor> I'm still alive
<Smajor> My arm's pretty much better. I visited Scar and he told me that he thought Pearl was on top of a mountain.
<ZombieCleo> Wait what
<ZombieCleo> You're not climbing a mountain, right?
<ZombieCleo> Scott answer me
<Smajor> I'm being careful
<ZombieCleo> SCOTT
Scott hastily shoved his communicator back in his pocket, feeling the buzzing vibrations ring out. Cleo would be fine, but they would definitely try to talk him out of what he was doing, and he really was not in the mood to be scolded.
Firmly ignoring the continuous pinging, he hooked his fingertips over the nearest crevice. He was hit again by the numbness of his fingertips, and he exhaled vapor in his exertion. As he rose higher, it felt like he was surrounded by the clouds, curling around him in thin white wisps. The moon felt like it rose alongside him, climbing at the same jerky and unsteady pace. Flakes of snow drifted down from somewhere high above, where the stars were partially obscured by the dark shapes of the uppermost clouds.
When he reached the top, his foot sunk into at least an inch of snow. Scott groaned under his breath at the immediate wet chill that crept into his lower leg, and then swore sharply as another phantom pain sliced across his wrist. Wind whistled in his ears, burning the tips and bringing an icy cold to his bones.
As he trekked over the unsteady rock terrain, he was hit, for the first time tonight, with a sudden rush of concern. Not only was Pearl taking constant damage, but every time it felt like something different. Sometimes the pain was more severe, and sometimes less, always somewhere different on his body from last time- Scott wondered how damaged she had to be after that many constant injuries.
Whatever. That was just one more reason to find her as soon as possible.
He hesitated when a distant glow of gold caught the edge of his vision. Scott turned his head, squinting through the snow-ridden dark at what he assumed to be the distant flicker of lamplight. Right. That must be Pearl. The light was a distant haze, pulsing outward from a distant stone wall. She was probably in a cave, or something. Cautiously, Scott started quickly towards it.
As he walked, his pace quickened the closer he got to the light. He had his arms tucked close to his chest, constantly shivering as he moved as he felt like his skin was turning to ice. As he approached, he grew close enough to hear the faint sounds of Pearl's telltale Australian accent as she muttered to herself.
"-come on! How did that not- Well… Maybe I just…"
Scott stumbled as another sharp pain pinch just below his knee, and simultaneously, what sounded like a hiss through gritted teeth.
His fists clenched, and he grabbed onto the exterior of the cave, the stone digging into the tips of his fingers. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself, before turning the corner and facing the full interior of the open cave.
The majority of the cave was open outwards, where the moon hung in the sky in clear view. Scott was met with a messy outlay of barrels stacked on top of each other, furnaces housing flickering red flames, and lanterns either hung from the ceiling or perched on top of whatever ledge or crevice was available. Tilly lay at the entrance, the massive hound seeming completely unperturbed by Scott's presence, and right there in the middle was-
"Pearl," Scott snarled, storming forward.
Pearl whirled around. Her face was framed by a red hood that partially concealed her eyes. A mess of curly brown hair hung out of the shadows, draped over her shoulders, and her scarlet cloak swished outward at her sudden motion.
"Scott?" Pearl said in a sharp voice. She took a tiny step back, and from what Scott could see of her face, the corners of her lips were tight. "What- What are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Her voice was accusing enough to snap Scott abruptly out of his sudden shock, and cause his fury to seep back in.
"I can't sleep!" he exclaimed, stepping further in. Behind him, he felt the eyes of Tilly fixed on his back. "What the hell are you even doing? All night I've been going through these constant phantom pains, then you ignore all of my messages, and then, when I go out looking for you, I find out you're on a goddamn mountain?" Scott threw his hands in the air. "What are you even doing that you're taking that much constant damage? You almost got me killed!"
Pearl was silent for a moment, and though he couldn't see her face, he could see her lips part slightly, as if trying to reach for a response. Then, without a word, she swept past him out of the cave, Tilly following right behind.
Scott's eyes widened. "Where- Where are you going?"
He chased after her as she pressed forward, back into the frozen silence of the night. "Pearl!" he yelled. " Pearl ! Stop ignoring me!"
"Oh," Pearl said, finally turning her head slightly. She lifted her chin, and Scott froze when he saw her eyes, as bright and red as blood. "So you get to ignore me, but when I do the same, I'm the bad guy. Okay, Scott! I see how it is!"
Scott stiffened. "What are you even talking about?" He approached Pearl again, and she watched him with a steely glare. "The only reason I'm even here is because you keep taking damage, and-"
"Exactly!" Pearl hissed back at him, taking a step forward of her own. For the first time, Scott noticed the ax she carried in her hands, clutching it so tightly her hands visibly shook from the effort. "The only time you can even be bothered to wonder where I am is when it directly affects you!"
"I-" Scott tried, but his voice stuttered off. He didn't… have a retort for that. Pearl just stared at him, eyes burning with hate. After a moment, she scoffed, turning her back on him.
"Typical," she growled. "Go home, Scott."
"I can't do that until I'm sure you'll stop taking damage," he retorted icily, desperately clinging onto his composure. He watched Pearl, but she said nothing for a long moment. The silence dragged out, cold and full of a bitterness that made Scott's insides feel nauseous.
Then Pearl laughed. It was a tiny thing at first, little more than a small chuckle. Then it grew, doubling intensity, and it was bitter and broken.
"Oh, Scott," she said, and her voice wavered as she turned to stare at him, with a smile that wasn't even close to genuine. "I'm so close- I can't stop now."
She whisked past Scott yet again, leaving him in stunned silence.
"W-what-" He cautiously followed behind his soulmate, feeling like he was choking on nothing. "Pearl, what are you doing?"
Pearl laughed again, and her breath hitched. Her voice shook when she next spoke. "I- It's going to work, just- listen! Maybe if we do it together, it'll- I dunno, overload or something, and-"
She thrust her hand into a barrel, and Scott winced at the sudden pain that stabbed through his palm. Pearl didn't even flinch, and when she turned around, she barely looked at him, eyes glancing over him as if he was a ghost.
"Come on, Scott!" she exclaimed as she swept out of the cave again. "We don't have forever, and- This is probably the last chance! You're wasting time!"
Scott felt his heart pounding in his chest as he pursued her. "Pearl! Just stop, and talk to m-"
"There's no time for talking," Pearl begged, whirling on him again, and he was met with the full force of her stare. Her pupils were a deep crimson shade, but the rims of her eyes were red and her whites were bloodshot. They glittered in the moonlight, and her breath was shaking slightly. As Scott watched, she shoved what looked like a sword into his hands, gleaming with enchantments. "Here, just take this, and maybe we can-"
"Pearl!" Scott threw the sword to the snowy ground, and Pearl froze mid sentence. Scott's eyes flicked over her, staring at every inch of the woman who was standing in front of him. Her hood had flown off her head in her frenzied state, and her hair was loose and unkempt, tangled where the wind had wound it into itself. Scott reached out to grab her arm, to try and steady her, but she pulled back so sharply that she stumbled.
"No," she hissed, eyes widening. "You don't get to touch me, Scott!" She took a long, shaky breath, and abruptly laughed again. "Just go with it, okay? Please! It'll be good for both of us!"
She moved to grab the sword off the ground, but Scott swiftly sidestepped to block his path.
"Scott," Pearl said in a desperate voice, and it was as grating and raw as the cry of an animal. "Please, we just-"
"Tell me what you're trying to do," Scott responded, trying to keep his own tone level. "If I don't know, then I can't help you."
"I'm trying to sever our connection!" Pearl yelled. Her voice completely splintered at the end, like an icicle shattering into a million tiny pieces that were as deadly as they were broken.
A shocked quiet hit Scott hard, and he froze completely, every inch of his body stiffening. Pearl was breathing heavily. Her eyes searched his face, and her fists were clenching hard enough for Scott to feel the effects.
Pearl, after receiving no answer, made a sound that was somewhere between another laugh and a sob. "God, Scott! The moon- I'm so sure that if I just try hard enough, everything will- It'll-"
Another sob bubbled up between her words, cutting her short as she staggered back away from Scott, pulling her hood sharply up around her head. "I need this," she managed unsteadily. She was shaking, and Tilly bumped up against her legs with a whine. Pearl didn't even look. "I need for us to be apart."
Scott was staring at her. He was frozen in time, as flakes of snow pinwheeled across the time between them. " Pearl ," he finally said, not daring to move. "Why didn't you say anything?"
Pearl was still clutching the edges of her hood, breath shaky. "I didn't know what to say." She wasn't looking at Scott- her red eyes stared right past him. "I can handle this on my own."
"I could have helped you-" Scott started, and Pearl's face immediately twisted furiously.
"No you wouldn't've," she hissed venomously. "You have made it clear that you don't care about me, Scott. I know that you're still only here because I'm hurting you. If we weren't soulbound, you would have abandoned me a long time ago!" She was yelling now, and even though she was shaking, the ferocity prevalent in her every movement was enough to make Scott step back. "You would have left me-" she seemed to choke on air, before managing to say, "again."
Pearl stared at Scott for another moment longer, before storming past him and grabbing the discarded sword out of the snow. Snow fell free from its blade, revealing its wavering violet glow into the night. She stared at it for a moment through frost-speckled eyelashes, her grip on its handle tight. Then, she turned to stare at Scott, and her face no longer had any real sign of emotion.
"Are you going to help me?" she asked, her voice tight, "or not?"
Scott paused. His eyes flickered to the sword, and the edge lit by moonlight. Then he looked at Pearl, who stood as still as stone, despite the glossy shine to her eyes that suggested repressed tears.
"I'll help you," he said, and she immediately moved to shove the sword in his hands, but he stepped back. "But not like this."
Pearl's breath caught, and she glared at Scott. "Fine then," she snapped. "Then you're no use to me." She turned and started back towards the cave, which glowed with red firelight, but Scott stopped her with his hand on her shoulder.
"What are you going to do?" he said flatly. She didn't turn to look at him.
"I'm not sure," she eventually responded, and the blank tone of honesty was almost unsettling. "I'll find something."
"It won't work," he said. "And I think you know that."
It was too silent between them. His words hung in the air, suspended by all the tension that slowly withered into nothing but an icy vein of the distance that separated them. The line woven between them was unwavering, and Scott knew Pearl hadn't even frayed it. She never would, and he suspected she knew that too.
Her shoulders hunched upwards slightly, shaking slightly. "Yeah," she said in a small voice. "Yeah."
She slowly sunk down into the powdery drift of snow, curled over in on herself, her back to Scott. Tilly pressed up against her, and Pearl took the furry white dog in her arms, burying her face in the space by Tilly's yellow collar.
Scott let his hands drop to his side, before he too lowered himself to the ground, sitting and staring in the opposite direction, towards the sky.
The moon was big and bright in the view he had of the sky, pockmarked with the shadows of craters. Little imperfections that did nothing to disrupt its pale glow. Stars were scattered across the sky like ashes, flickering in and out of view from the ink-stained horizon.
"How long has it been this way?" Scott finally said, voice quieter than he was expecting it to be. He didn't turn to look at Pearl, and he didn't hear anything from her save her quiet breathing for a moment.
"I dunno," came her voice eventually. "A while. I've been planning for tonight. When the moon was full, I-"
She cut herself off, and the silence barely had time to sink down again before she seemed to force herself to continue. "I was hoping that it would be... I don't know, powerful, somehow. Stupid, isn't it?"
Her tone quivered at the end, and Scott sighed.
"I'm sorry, Pearl," he said.
She didn't respond.
Scott became distantly aware that he was still aching, particularly in the previously injured arm. He turned his head slightly.
"How's the arm?" he said simply, and he almost swore he could feel Pearl stiffen behind him.
"It's fine," she said in a voice that was closer to cold than neutral.
"Mhm," Scott said, letting all the dryness he could manage seep into his own. "It feels great. What did you even do?"
Pearl didn't answer, and Scott finally turned. She was sitting in a bent over position, Tilly leaning against her chest. Pearl was rubbing small circle's into the canine's fur, completely silent.
Scott moved to sit next to her, and she didn't acknowledge him. "Can I see it?" He knew what the answer would be.
"No," Pearl said. Expected.
"I'd like to know what the injury that almost made me fall off your ladder to my death looks like," Scott hummed, a fake attempt at lightheartedness. Pearl turned her head slightly to stare at him, half her face covered by shadow.
"It's fine, Scott," she insisted firmly. "Leave it."
He didn't budge. She didn't budge. Tilly bumped Pearl's chin with the top of her head, causing Pearl to pull her in a bit closer.
"How about you come down from the mountain? It's cold up here." Scott drummed his fingers against his leg. "You can sleep in your own bed."
Pearl narrowed her eyes. "I'm fine."
"I thought you liked your tower."
"It's better up here."
"Damn it, Pearl," Scott couldn't stop himself from snapping. "Can't you tell that I'm trying to help you? Why are you being so difficult?"
Pearl just rolled her eyes, and Scott clenched his fists. He took a long breath to calm himself down.
"Please," he said finally. "Just let me see your arm. I'm a better healer than you are."
Pearl continued to look at him for a long moment, red gaze looking distinctly unimpressed, until at last, finally , she sighed with defeat and pulled down the sleeve of her right arm.
It was difficult to tell the severity of the wound. Pearl had wrapped it several times with bandages, but Scott assumed it was pretty bad. The plaster stretched from somewhere around Pearl's elbow all the way up to just under her wrist, and Scott didn't know Pearl to be an overly cautious person. The white of the wrap was severely stained red on the top.
"I'm going to unwrap this," he said. "Just so I can see."
Pearl was tense, but she didn't show any outward signs of it besides stiffening slightly. "Fine," she said, and Tilly whined.
Scott took a deep breath before carefully taking the end of the bandage in his hands and pulling it around in circular motions to uncover the wound. He felt his own start to sting with a miniature stabbing pain, but he gritted his teeth. If Pearl could deal with it, he could as well.
The wound was as long as he had feared, opening into a shade of deep scarlet. It didn't seem to be openly bleeding anymore- not very much, at least- but the skin around it was pink and raw, and it was big. Scott studied it for a moment before letting go of Pearl's arm, where she immediately retracted it in towards her chest.
"I'm going to grab some medical supplies," he said simply. "You brought some up here, right?"
Pearl scoffed, "Of course I did. I'm not an idiot, Scott."
"Right." Scott stood. "I'll be right back."
Turning away from Pearl, he headed back in towards her cave. She had definitely accumulated a chest monster (barrel monster?), and as he dug through the first barrel he quickly discovered nothing was organized. Scott sighed.
Luckily, it wasn't long before he had managed to dig up some fresh bandages, as well as a few bottles of pink healing potion. It bubbled up in its glass container as he stashed it in his inventory.
Unfortunately, she didn't seem to have brought up anything he could clean up any stray blood with it. She did, however, bring several totems of undying, and Scott wasn't particularly interested in finding out what she had planned to use those for.
Making due with what he had, he headed back towards Pearl, where the cold hit his skin in immediate contrast to the warmth that sat thick inside. She was exactly as he had left her, and as he kneeled down in the snow next to her, she immediately was completely focused on him. He felt something inside him squeeze at the wariness of her gaze, and the way she pulled away when he moved.
"Arm," he ordered, and she looked annoyed but held it back out to him. Scott tore off a piece from the edge of one of his sleeves, as they weren't doing much for him anyway, to dab away the dark blood that had trickled from Pearl's wound in his absence. Then, he took out the healing potions.
"This will sting," he warned, and she gave him an exasperated look.
"I know that."
"Just checking." Holding her arm steady with one hand, he uncorked the bottle with his teeth, before gently pouring the glittering pink liquid directly over the wound. He felt it in his own arm too, as the pain seeped through him, fresher than before. Both soulbounds paused, neither daring to move away from the other, until the sensation was chased away by a gentle numbness. Pearl visibly relaxed, and Scott couldn't help the way the tension bled out of him as well.
Grabbing the second potion, he repeated the process, although this one didn't sting. Once he was finished, the injury was already looking marginally better.
"Why didn't you do this from the start?" he asked Pearl calmly as he pulled out the bandages and found a secure place to start wrapping from. She shrugged a shoulder, avoiding his eyes.
"Didn't feel like it," she muttered, and he suspected that was the most honest answer he was going to get out of her. She was more relaxed as he finished cleaning and wrapping her wound, and once he was done, she wasted no time in yanking her sleeve over her arm again and pulling it back in towards her.
"So," Scott pressed, "do you want to go back down from here now?"
Pearl scowled. "Not particularly."
Scott leaned back on his palms, which burned from the cold of the snow under him. "Why not?" he asked casually, since force didn't really work with Pearl.
She crossed her arms, causing Tilly to nudge her elbow with her nose. "I like it up here," Pearl answered simply. "Just me and the moon. Alone."
"But you're not alone now, are you?" Scott said quietly, studying Pearl's face. Moonlight etched out the curve in her jawline, each curl of her brown hair, the cool glint in her gleaming eyes. He could see the snow that sat on the back of her hood, woven in between the strands of her hair and lashes, speckling her cheeks like stars. "I'm here."
"Hm," Pearl said, which wasn't really a response. She turned, shifting her position until she was facing the sky again. Scott followed her. "I never really was alone, was I?"
Scott didn't respond, not entirely sure what she was trying to imply. She sighed before continuing. "I wasn't alone because… Well, the moon is never truly without the stars, is it? They're always there, even when clouds hide them."
Her and Scott's shoulders were touching, just barely, and Scott didn't want to do anything that would make Pearl flinch away again.
"That didn't stop me from feeling lonely, though," Pearl added in a lower tone, glancing sidelong at Scott.
"I know," he said. "I'm sorry."
"I know you are."
Wind whistled across the peaks, and if Scott squinted, he could see the world far below through the hazy snow. Everything looked so small, and for a moment, it felt as if they truly were in the sky together, high above the world, where nothing mattered but the distance between them.
"So," said Scott in a quiet voice. "What now?"
Pearl didn't respond, merely giving a small shrug. "You can go home now, Scott. I won't take any more damage." Scott believed her this time, as he stared at her expression. Her mouth was pressed in a firm line, and her eyes were heavy-lidded as she stared outwards at the moon. Her hands wrung together, only disrupted when Tilly rested her head on Pearl's lap, causing Pearl to stroke through Tilly's thick fur instead.
"Are you going to sleep up here?" Scott rubbed a hand along his arm- it was freezing cold. "It's not the most comfortable of spots, is it?"
"I don't mind," Pearl muttered.
Scott was silent for a moment. "You should come down," he said eventually. "I'll walk with you."
Pearl was quiet. Her face was hard to read, buried in the shadows her hood cast along herself. He could only really see the bridge of her nose, and the curve of her lips, and the faint glitter of her dark red eyes, all glowing as pale as the snow.
"Okay," she finally said, and Scott felt a sense of relief sink deep into his chest. Without another word, he lifted to his feet, opening a palm and offering it to her. She just stared for a moment, before, finally, she took it, allowing Scott to pull her to her feet.
The two stood there for a moment, the moon behind them, and neither let go of the other's hand. Not yet. The bond they shared glowed bright under the combined light of the moon and stars, constellations that streaked across the sky intricately, as if woven there by experienced hands. The moon almost seemed clunky in comparison, but it was beautiful too, when it was on full display like this and nothing was hidden in shadow, rendering it completely visible to anyone who might see it.
Pearl pulled down her hood, and Scott stared at her face for a moment, his chest feeling tight. Without the wreath of red, she almost looked vulnerable, despite the hue of her eyes that was usually associated with danger. They lacked the vicious shine that he had become too used to seeing them with lately, and instead just looked… Tired.
Her grip on Scott's hand tightened into a slight squeeze. She took in a too-sharp breath, and wordlessly, Scott let her fall into him. With her cheek pressed into his chest, he pulled his arms around her, holding her steady. Her hands clasped around him as well, and that's how they stood, as snow continued to fall like stars out of the sky.
There the stars and the moon stood together, in a tight embrace, at the top of the world. Despite the inky blackness of the shadows that surrounded them, they were there. Illuminating the night sky.
Together.