Red Topaz drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair. She couldn't fault Black Opal for the route she had taken - it was certainly a careful one - but part of her longed to hurry it up. The Tourmaline was the biggest threat. If there truly was a Quartz with them, it wouldn't do to write them off either. But Diamonds, did she ever want to get there and have at them! Or, at least, watch Black Opal tear them to shreds. "I'm so glad you're actually useful," she said, breaking the silence. "Not like a Pearl. It's just sad that so many Gems are so ineffective that they can't even control a Pearl. They're organic, for shards' sake, they barely have any cerebral capacity! It's a shame, really, that society has gotten so soft. Pearls used to come, as a rule, without the capacity to talk - and before that, they even came without any concept of free will! But then some Gems decided that even slaves needed rights, and, well, the things got voices and brains, and look where we are now. Disgusting. I'm looking forward to the execution. I hope they broadcast it far and wide. In my opinion, the Diamond Authority needs to crack down on this pathetic excuse for a rebellion, and reminding the lower castes where the belong will certainly help with that." She huffed again, and looked out the window. "Is this where they've holed up? They want to try to get off planet? Diamonds above, what do they think they're going to do with themselves? Look pretty for a pirate instead of a reputable aristocrat?"
She looked at the other Pearls, and joined Rita in giving Gold a sympathetic pat. She was extremely glad when Carnelian's music started up. Maybe it would soothe Gold, a bit at least. Carnelian was a very good musician, in Smoke's opinion. She almost wanted to dance, again, but that would be highly inappropriate, considering the setting, and timing, and... Oh, stars, what could it hurt. Smoke gave a small twirl, and was very happy with how her new skirt flared out.
Carnelian tried not to giggle, since that would mean interrupting the music, but watching a Pearl dance of her own volition--not because she was being ordered or compelled, but just because she wanted to--was nothing short of amazing. Maybe we are doing something right.
"Carnelian, a moment? I think I hear something overhead, and I don't want it to hear us." Melon knew this particular wreck rather well; she'd raided it a few times since arriving, and her shuttle wasn't far; but it wouldn't do to take off and be seen.
Carnelian should have thought about that, really. She lowered her flute and put it away, smiling sheepishly. She looked up at the ceiling, straining to hear.
Smoke stopped when the music stopped, and blushed. Really, before today, she'd never had this much fun dancing, and she couldn't believe it. It was nice, to just be able to spin around with no one ordering her to, and no threat hanging over her head if she did badly. The idea that someone could be nearby worried her. The idea of this escape failing made her want to join Gold Pearl curling up in a ball. But that wasn't the solution, and she knew it. Carefully, she listened for anything at all.
"Pearl. I'm...Pearl. Think no?" Baroque struggled to get the words out, completely certain that her syntax was terrible, and oh shards, Coral would be so mad if she heard her talking. She was supposed to be an ornament, not...whatever she was being now. Most Pearls are preprogrammed to speak the common Gem language. Baroque was not like most Pearls in many respects, and that was one of them, by design. She was not to speak. She was to behave as though she were a statue, or a doll. Why would she need to speak? And yet she'd acquired some basic command of speech regardless. It felt wrong, but it was her only option, she was pretty sure. She turned her head towards Gray. "Also Pearl. Yes?" ((headcanon: baroque's speech sounds almost synthesized rather than natural))
"I am happy to fulfill your expectations," Black Opal said, the phrase familiar in her mouth. "It's as you say. The Pearls and their allies have likely not thought far ahead, as there was no word of Pearls planning anything." She took the shuttle in for a landing.
Lavender usually reformed almost exactly the same way each time. Amethyst's rules for her form were very precise: she was to use cool toned colors and not be entirely wrapped in ribbons like that first time she formed after being made. Amethyst wasn't here though and she... well she changed her outfit around a bit. Her skirt a bit longer, her stockings a bit shorter. Sturdy slouchy boots instead of the chiffon leg warmers from before. Instead of sleeves there were lengths of ribbon wrapped around her arms. And most importantly... her beaded belt and underclothes were rose colored. and her shoes were a soft apricot. Warm colors. Not-Amethyst's-colors. And... she liked Smoke she had loved being fused so... see-through loops of gray ribbon encircling her upper arms. She stopped adjusting her new look and concentrated, projecting her form outwards. When she materialized again she looked around, spotted Smoke, the strange golden pearl and Rita! she threw herself against the seafoam Pearl, hugging her. "I'm back, I'm back and you're okay! I'm so glad!"
Hematite was alone with herself for a very long time. That was their punishment, to be left down here and forgotten until both gems broke inside and begged to return to the light. Away from gemkind, they began to forget what it was like to feel lifesigns, to core-deep just know when someone needed help. They had failed in her original purpose. She supposed that it was fortunate they were not simply crushed. Then a bright ray of sunlight had pierced the gloom of their life, in the form of a newly-mined Quartz who had run down into their prison, seeking a place to hide. The sense of her, so new and so wondering, had been a shock like eletricity to their stagnated form. For the first time in years, they had had someone else's company, and it was water in the desert of their heart. Now Citrine had returned with more gems, bright with their lives and need to be helped, and Hematite was grateful she had not forced her to get used to so many people at once. This Amber, however, who came on their trail, did not need help. She was here to harm, and Hematite could feel the resonance of hurt between her in particular and one of the many Pearls behind her in the junkyard. That made things easy. Before the Amber even registered that Hematite was not in fact a statue, her lower pair of hands locked together in a mallet and brought them down hard on the little tech gem, poofing her before she could react. Then there was a flash of light as for the first time in months, she unfused. They staggered a little, identical as Rubies except for the placement of their gems, and both Head and Wrist looked coldly down at the little yellow pebble on the floor. Then Head Gem stepped on it hard, and crushed it just as carelessly as the Amber had crushed Maggi's pearl before. A look passed between the Hematites, and Wrist Gem summoned her spade to help brace the doors open while Head Gem made a beeline for where there had been music and laughter not a moment before. "Hematite!" Citrine's face lit up at the sight of her, then fell a little when she registered this was only part of her friend. "Where's...?" "Guarding. There are others coming." her voice was gravelly and hoarse with disuse, and the small smile at Citrine's delight hurt her face. "We crushed an Amber trying to gain access for the wrong reasons. Two others coming down the tunnel. The light of one of them is red and arrogant."
At the mention of an Amber, Gold squeaked in shock. "Y-you...you...you....you crushed her?" she cried. "But--but what am I supposed to do now? I need her!"
Lavender let go of Rita to take Gold's hand. "I'm so so so sorry, it must be hrd to be thrown into this without any warning!" She looked at the other Pearl with huge eyes. "But you can have us, if you want to. You don't need to be told what to do anymore." She turned slightly and concentrated, projecting the memory of the renegade Pearl with her two swords, standing tall and proud from her gem. "We can be like this. They can't crush us anymore!" Lavender is smiling.
Gold's eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly in shock as she looked at the renegade Pearl with two swords. Several thoughts flashed through her mind, including 'Wow', and 'I want to be like her' alongside thoughts like 'That looks terrifying' but what came out of her mouth was, "But--but I'm just a Pearl! I'm not...good at anything, or for anything, except maybe looking nice...I can't do that, we can't fight...I mean...that's just...that's not what Pearls are made for, and I'm not...I mean, I can't...besides, I don't know what to do without Amber telling me what to do, I need to be told what to do, that's what Pearls are supposed to do! We're just--we're not--I mean, we can't..." Gold Pearl trailed off, struggling to work out what she was even trying to say.
"Take the just out. We're Pearls, not just Pearls, we're Pearls." Rita patted Gold Pearl's back, "Look at us. We're pretty, that renegade Pearl was pretty too, she was pretty while kicking butt!" Rita smiled to herself, "Think about it. There are so many of us they don't want us knowing about her. They want us thinking we're just Pearls. We could wreck them in a second if we all knew. They don't want us to! Because guess what? We have power."
"Pearls can be... Pearls can be this though." Lavender didn't know how to explain it. "I-i don't know how either, but... We can figure it out together? Maybe?" To Rita she grinned. "Yeah. We are Pearls and we'll kick the gems owning us! Shard them!" She blushed, giddy with excitement. Amethyst never let her curse.
"But....that's not what Pearls are supposed to do..." Gold repeated weakly, struggling to comprehend this idea that Pearls had power. She wanted to believe it was true, some part of her did, but Amber always said that Pearls were 'just Pearls, nothing but useless, dumb, ridiculous things that weren't good for anything. And even the rest of Homeworld thought Pearls weren't good for much. How--how could Pearls be able to do that? She sat, mildly in shock, so much so that she barely even registered Lavender's cursing, which Gold would have regarded as highly Pearl-inappropriate behavior.
"Who cares! I think that's the thing. We shouldn't be told what to do. Maybe Pearls can fight better than Rubies." Rita grinned, "And maybe we need to get that hologram out where more gems can see it! Not just for us, for every gem who was told their place."
"Yes! We should!" Lavender beamed at Rita. But then she deflated somewhat. "I-i don't know how though..."
"Maybe one of the Pearls that are poofed will have ideas." Rita smiled, "Also, you know, we were pretty awesome." She patted Lavender on the shoulder, "You in particular. We were all our own versions of her. Plenty of Pearls saw that, even the ones that aren't with us now."
