#alright me sleepy now this was horrendously awkward to write

[dunmanticarchivistsmain]

istg one more beautiful piece of writing inspired by my self indulgent doodling and im gonna explode into one million pieces on fire <3

Round 3 fired and away! For your latest art, I'm sure we will have a perfectly normal conversation about this (and secret life tomorrow once I've watched it). Not sure if I need to put warnings on this, somewhat heavy on the selfwhump in the first bit

When Scarlet Pearl rose from the crater of Scott's sacrifice, she was untouched by the violence, as though the carnage of the previous day had not occured. Mindlessly she set about collecting the detrius of the casualties, a half-remembered habit of tidying up. A battered diamond chestplate, a bloody sword, a splintered bow. All with no body to bury. Nonetheless, she piled it into individual chests and heaped a mound of dirt over each. Sticking a sign over these graves, she left an epitaph for their ending.

"Scott, the star that went off with a bang"

"Martyn & Cleo, divided in life and death"

"Impulse & Bdubs, something wicked their way came"

"Etho & Joel, the boat burned, everything burned"

At last, with Jimmy and Tango's death already marked, she made her way back to her tower, a single leftover sign tucked away. One with her name on it. One last ending.

The lonely perches of her tower loomed out of her exhausted reach. It didn't seem worth the effort, to climb all the way up, to where pain had made its home in her heart. Scarlet Pearl wondered aloud, to no one but Tilly, if she should just dig her own grave and wait for death to claim her.

A reply unexpected came from the rustling in the brush.

"Who's there?" Scarlet Pearl called out, gripping her axe, then thought better of it. She did after all, call for the end. And Tilly didn't seem to mind whoever was out there, tail wagging and head tilted in confusion. A state of mind shared by Scarlet Pearl, for she was sure of being alone. She was cursed to be; victory had ensured it. She fell to her knees, letting the happy, silly look on Tilly fill the imminent void.

"You", whispered a voice that was at once familiar and foreign to her ears.

"That's not an answer mate", her head turned to the source of the voice.

Stepping out was an impossible figure. A worn blue hoodie, flowing brown hair and piercing grey eyes. Scarlet Pearl had to look away, she could not meet her mirror's gaze. Was it one of pity? Was it contempt? She could barely guess from a glimpse; would Death be so cruel to use herself in its image?

The question of who was an instinctive one, but the thought made her shudder, jumbling her words "who- why are you here?"

"You. I'm here for you."

"Get away from me!"

Shaking her head reflexively in denial, Scarlet Pearl fumbled for a weapon, finding the sign with her name on it and raised it in one shaking hand. In the depths of despair, her instincts found she would not let Death take her without a fight yet. She was Scarlet Pearl, undefeated and unscarred, survivor of the death games-

The apparition, as she was fully revealed in the moonlight, was no perfect replica of her. Patched up scrapes, bandaged wounds littering her unarmored skin. They looked to be in a real rough state, Scarlet Pearl could easily take on this version of her. But there was something about how her mirror carried themself, the gentleness in their voice, that paralyzed Scarlet Pearl. Not from fear or resignation. But an ugly, painful envy of the affection in her mirror's eyes.

How could she love or be loved ever again?

This Pearl sank to her knees in front of Scarlet Pearl, interlocking one of their hands. Scarlet Pearl was torn, her touch starved self cried out for the first human contact in days? Weeks-, wait human? That hand fit in hers so smoothly, they were undeniably her own.

"You're not Death" Scarlet Pearl said, feeling exceptionally foolish for being unable to recognise herself. Tilly clearly did, nuzzling between the two happily.

"I am no more Death than you are," the other Pearl agreed, gently prising the sign from her other hand, leaning it against the base of the tower then capturing her limp fingers with their own warm ones.

"I'm just the you, who you'd let lead you home."

The last gasp of adrenaline faded; oh Void she was so tired, so bone-deep tired of being alone. All Scarlet Pearl could do is clutch those hands, as though they'd fade away if she didn't.

But they were already were, the Pearl-that-was-her slowly becoming less substantial as their warmth lingered and spread.

"Don't leave me! How will I get home? Where even is a home for me?" she cried plaintively, the numbness wearing off, the pain sweeping in.

"Hold me in your heart. Hold your hurts; and hold closer the hope of their healing."

She could already feel her grasp slipping, her mauled mending mirror of a self, fading, no, melding into her. Gashes opened where swords have left their mark, bruises bloomed with a fresh vengeance and her heart felt like it was torn from her chest anew.

"Home is where they are waiting for you."

The last wisps of their fingers parted and Pearl collapsed, falling forwards-

Pearlescentmoon fell out of this world Pearlescentmoon joined the game

Into loving arms.