Not My Pyre (A Pearl-Centric Double Life FanFic)

Chapter Seven: Funeral Pyre

Pearl was trying again. She was going to try and get Scott and Cleo to ally with her, or just bother them for the entire Game. She was walking towards Scott's home when she saw it.

It was... She couldn't tell. Floating in the sky, through the messed-up logic of the Games, was an odd red building with tendrils of Nether plants dripping from it. Pearl was a very curious person, and had to investigate. But how did one get in?

"Admiring my wonderful Bleeding Heart? I'm told it brings down the property values for miles," a voice from behind her said.

She turned around. "Martyn."

"Hi, Pearl. I'm sorry about abandoning you like that, but I had no choice."

"No choice?" Pearl cried incredulously. "You could've stuck with me if you wanted."

"I had to get Cleo on my side, and neither she nor Scott - who she trusts more than anyone else - like you very much!"

"Why are you so loyal to her? She ditched you as much as Scott did me."

"I'm trying to be loyal. It didn't work out in Third Life, but disloyalty and turning my back on my friends didn't work in Last Life, so I'm trying again."

"What about loyalty to me and the sort of day one alliance from our Nether adventure?" Pearl protested.

"That's a form of loyalty where I could end up killing you once I go Red. If I team up with Cleo, there's no chance of me killing her because it would kill me."

"What if you're the final two? Then you'll have to kill each other, no matter what."

"Do you honestly think I could get to the end of this? I don't. I just want to be friends with someone who can't really betray me for as long as I can."

"I want to win, and I'm going to work for it. Now then, I'm going to go bother Scott." As Pearl walked away, she couldn't get their conversation out of her head. He just wanted to befriend someone who wouldn't betray him for as long as possible. Why were the contestants thinking like that? Thinking that the only way to get a friend who would never kill them was if that friend would die along with them?

No one was going to leave these Games fully okay, were they?

Pearl shook off her thoughts and continued on her way to Scott's house.

Cleo was already there when she reached the door.

"Hi," Pearl said, slightly surprised. "I'm looking for Scott. Is he home?"

"No. Why were you looking for him?"

"I wanted to see what I could do to convince you guys that an alliance isn't a terrible idea. Y'know, bring back Gatekeep, Gaslight, Girlboss."

"Scott's not likely going to agree to that. He's pretty firm about avoiding old partnerships when possible. I don't know why. I could be convinced, though. What does an alliance with you have in it for me?"

"Well, I have a bunch of dogs." Pearl wasn't going to mention that Tilly had no origins in the Game and would behave differently. "I also have more supplies, and another person to help out with resource gathering and such is always good. It would also be good to not be enemies with the Scarlet Pearl, don't you think?"

"Ha! That's a good point. Scarlet Pearl's scary. I'll think about it."

"Okay. Find me if you make a decision." Pearl was about to leave when she thought of a question that she wanted to ask. "Cleo... Why did you come to the Games? If you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind, but why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious, as usual."

"I... I wanted to do something, to be important in this world, and I didn't really have anywhere else to go. Everyone who's won has gotten to talk to some pretty important people - I'm not entirely sure, but I think they got to talk to one of the Lords? If I manage to win, maybe I can talk to one of them, and get them to fix some of the problems of this world." Cleo sighed. "But now... I'm seeing some of the desperation driving people to the Games, and I just... Waiting to win, something that might not even happen, doesn't feel right anymore. I want to do something, to fix it, but... I'm just one person. There's not much I can do."

"All it takes is a single spark to light an inferno." Pearl got up and turned to leave - it was getting dark, and dark was dangerous.

"Or a funeral pyre."