Interestingly, Pearl & Gem have nearly opposite reactions to getting sick/injured.
Pearl will try to push through just about anything she can; she always wants to be out there doing something or getting some work done, even when she obviously needs to rest. Getting her to lie down for a while and take care of herself/let herself be taken care of is inevitably a fight.
Thus, it's well-known that if Pearl doesn't argue when you try to get her to rest, that's actually a cause for concern; she must be exhausted, delirious, or in a lot of pain if she acquiesces that easily.
Gem, on the other hand, will get a little sick or a little injured and be an absolute drama queen about it. She likes to milk these kinds of things for attention and free soup, and besides, if you're not feeling well, isn't that the best occasion to pamper oneself a bit?
If Gem gets seriously ill or injured, though, she has a tendency to clam up as a point of pride. It's not funny to her any more, and in the absence of levity there's space for her to get anxious about looking weak. All the Hermits know that if Gem is obviously not well and hiding/refusing to acknowledge it, something is really wrong.
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