Pearl almost laughed at Cliff's claim. Lately, other than feeling helpless at the slow pace of her progress, she'd also been feeling somewhat empty. Previously, she'd felt numb. Once that numbness had gone, she felt rage. She wanted revenge on those that killed her family and tried to hunt her down.
Then, apparently, all those responsible were killed in public executions. Pearl saw them herself. Even so, she felt empty and unfulfilled. The enemy was gone, but her family had not returned. River and her were together, but it seemed like she had nothing to look forward to anymore.
What was she working hard for? Why did she want to get stronger? These were questions she had no answer to.
In truth, Lex could easily see through her mental barriers, and even understand why they existed. He could have given her a pep talk of some kind, but he'd avoided it. Even now, he wanted to witness how they worked through this problem themselves.
