Pearl's Death
In which the Villies anger, mourn, and grieve
[Written on 8/26/2025]
Grian
Grian formed a team of weapons, a force to be reckoned with, feared. Perhaps he did believe them to be unstoppable.
"We just lost our cannon." He declared, one of his weapons had fallen, that is all he cared for. That is the image he gave Scott.
He thought she had it under control, he has always seen Pearl as a living myth, even in double life, the witch in red, something powerful to fear. he thought if he aimed her at their- his -enemies they would crumple. Who could stand up to the unbreakable force of the Scarlet Pearl, a winner that forged her victory with a wild unstoppable rampage.
He'd aimed that weapon in Jimmy's direction and assumed it would just, work out. Pearl can handle herself.
And then she died. There was no "full moon" as he so passionately declared to encourage her, it was a new moon that rose in the background, anyway.
"Did we do this wrong? Should we have protected her?"
Its then, in a way, he realizes that they didn't send an unstoppable force to kill their enemies. It is then that he realizes that they sent their friend, their ally, who so loyally defended them without question, alone and undefended into war. It is then that he thinks about what kind of death she died, it is then when it sinks in that he did not lose an asset, nor a weapon. He lost a teammate, a friend.
It it then that he calls to have a funeral.
He laughs a bit at the funeral, with everyone around, yet he takes over when Etho excruciatingly reminds them, that they could of prevented this. Yet when they're home, back at the lighthouse, it is clear it hurts, and he turns his mind to revenge.
"We miss you Pearl."
-
Gem
Gem treats the Life Series as a game, encourages the murder- even towards herself if she feels it's in the spirit of the game -encourages the chaos, the drama, the fighting. She for the most part follows the rules, yet she's not afraid to use others to bend them. She's not afraid to use others for the game. She's has a soft spot for Pearl though, even if she doesn't always want to admit it, maybe that's why she involves her in her games so often.
Gem killed her in Secret Life, right before the two of them went on a murder spree together on camel back. Then, despite it being the name of the game, it hurt when they were divided by their separate teams. In wild life, she refused to forge that connection, turning Pearl away again and again blaming a 2v1 she didn't really care about. Yet when offered to team with her in Past Life, she just couldn't help herself
"Pearl will always team with me if I ask" a given, expected. Pearl will do anything Gem asks.
She sends Pearl on missions, she uses Pearl's blind loyalty to protect her from king of the ladder, she later does the same thing to try to get revenge on Etho. All went well anyway! Pearl didn't even die, she was going into session 7 with five lives. Everything was great!
And well, then it wasn't.
She begged Pearl to come home after she died a 3rd time that day. She tracked her down, and even then could do nothing to prevent the 4th. But certainly, certainly, her Pearl, the survivor, who has outlived her in every series, would be perfectly okay. Yet still, the 5th death came.
Gem's first reaction is denial, she cries Grian's name as if she's asking for confirmation, did that really just happen?
"We're alone. There's literally no reason for us to do this anymore, she's gone."
They'd failed, Grian said as much.
"Well the villain's normally lose, that's how the stories go and stuff."
It sounds like acceptance, it sounds like dismissal. Of course this happened, we're the bad guys. It's how the game works, the bad guys are supposed to lose. But really? It's an admission of fault.
They chose to be the bad guys, they set their own fates in this game, they chose to lose. They chose to be the bad guys, and now Pearl is suffering for it.
She couldn't find a rose for Pearl's grave, a poppy would have to be enough. The lava destroyed the rose garden, she clears it out, invisible, just like how they sent Pearl away.
They're alone now, they lost really, all that's left to do is to take as many people down with them as they can.
-
Pearl
Pearl was never the myth she was made out to be. The Scarlet Pearl was a creature brought out from Isolation and abandonment. Even then, her victory was forged from heartache, revenge for her dogs- the only ones who cared for her -and a sacrifice she never asked for. Her victory came while she cried in fear, "Scott, what are you doing?"
Pearl spent every game after that doing whatever she could to be wanted. Despite her hesitancy to trust in limited life, she sacrificed herself for Bigb, yet it wasn't quite enough. In secret life she dedicated herself to the Mounders, and was left alone again. In wild life, her and Cleo wandered aimlessly together, everyone they were fighting for gone. It was the first time she didn't really die alone.
In Past Life, her team asked for her, wanted her specifically. She knew, without a doubt, that they cared for her and wanted her there, even as they were reckless with her lives. So she followed them blindly, acting on every request, putting herself in danger. She held no real anger towards Grian's accidental kill, she held more anger towards herself and the lives she "embarrassingly" lost to pitfall traps.
Pearl survives acting on her own instinct, that is why the Scarlet Pearl was so dangerous. That is why she can leave a bloodbath in her wake.
She doesn't drink that potion on instinct, she does not pull off her armor on instinct, she doesn't go after Jimmy on instinct or even desire for revenge, there's no instinctual pressure pushing her forward. Maybe she plays it up for the sake of her allies, or perhaps even some part of herself, but really? She just wants to please her allies, to prove "I am worth it"
She watches the funeral, watches as Etho tears down the alliance and rubs salt in the wounds of her allies. He never wanted her really, he just wanted her to weaken the people she cared about.
"This is a horrible funeral."
Grian takes over. He apologizes for getting her killed, for accidentally curing Gem's boogey curse on her.
"I sacrificed myself for Gem, at least I did something w-"
She types it, never sends it. It was enough.
Last Updated 11/6/2025 | Posted 11/3/2025