Lavender put a finger to her lips and winked at Rose Pearl. "Don't worry, I'll never talk. The first time my Mistress will be satisfied with my level of talking."
Rose breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I'm sorry, I...I don't really know what to expect, I've never been allowed to interact with other Pearls that much."
"You're lucky to be able to do so," Spinel said, with a glance at where the Pearls were starting to gather and prepare for the dance. "Not everyone gets the chance." But that's a thought that was dangerously close to treason to voice aloud, so she shuts the conversation down at that point. "It looks like you should prepare for the performance. Better to give it your full attention." Spinel could easily slip off just before the end, if it seemed like the Carnelian or another of the musicians was going to corner her for her thoughts.
"We are all in the same situation. Anything that compromises one of us could compromise another." Smoke sighed and then added, "We have to work together, when we can."
"Ah...yes, that makes sense," Rose said thoughtfully. After all, Pearls were the lowest of the low--if one messed up, all were likely to be blamed. "Well...thank you, all the same." She offered a smile to the other Pearls. Even if they were only trying to protect themselves, they were still protecting her, and that was something that mattered to Rose. It was nice, to trust that there was some solidarity here. She couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to fuse with them, to be...a part of something. But those thoughts didn't matter...she'd never be allowed.
"Yes! Pearls should stick together!" Lavender grinned while she testily sunk into a split. Well, as good as it would get, probably, she thought. "How long do you think, until we'll start?"
Carnelian nodded. "Right on both counts. It-it was nice to meet you." She returned to her fellow musicians and began warming up.
"We're starting shortly, I hope you're all ready." Smoke finished stretching, then got into a more formal position.
Gray looked over to the main circle, scanning the crowd. "Blue Diamond is here, she's on the dais already. But I believe Yellow Diamond is supposed to be in attendance, as well. I expect we will wait for her. This is a Quartz commissioning, after all, and she's the leader of the military branch of the Diamond Authority."
"Oh!" Rose glanced around, realizing that the musicians were getting into place. "I'd better back off a bit, then, hmmm? Yellow Diamond will probably arrive shortly. Good luck to all of you!" She smiled, a bit sadly, and scooched away from the other Pearls a few steps, giving them room to start their dance, and ensuring that Almandine didn't see her talking.
Smoke politely waved as Rose left. "I think I'm fine, thank you for offering," she said to the new arrival.
"How come so many of White Diamond's court are here if she isn't?" Lavender wonders out loud. It doesn't matter too much to her, her diamond is here after all. Lavender gave Rose a wistful look. She really would've liked to dance with her, especially after hearing how much the pink one wanted to...
"She's probably busy. There is a lot of work to do, and not all schedules allow for things like commissioning parties." Smoke couldn't say she was exactly unhappy that White Diamond wasn't there. Smoky Quartz would have been in even more of a fuss if she was.
"Work? You mean telling her underlings to figure things out so she can take credit?" Maggi said rolling her eyes. "Please forgive my friend", Rita said. Her big mouth would be the death of both of them one of these days. "And please don't tell my master. And are you sure you don't need anything? I can't dance because of," she shook her hands slightly, "Well I'm a bit defective. Are there any duties you all had to leave to do the dance?" This was the first time Rita had ever interacted with proper pearls before and half of her wanted to help her own kind, but half of her also wanted to prove she might not be graceful but she could do just as much if not more work than any other pearl out there.
"Hush, we had this conversation with someone else earlier. Nothing you say to us will go anywhere else." Smoke wondered how these two had avoided being crushed, but she didn't really want to ask that. It would just be impolite. "I've had this all planned out for months, I'm absolutely fine. Maybe Lavender?" She turned to the other Pearl.
Lavender giggled a bit but quickly clasped hands over her mouth. "I'm fine, too! The only job I have here is dance and stand around! Can I see your hands?" she looked at the other Pearl curious.
"It's really nice of you to offer to help, though. Thank you." She looked uncomfortably at Lavender. That...was probably going to make the other Pearl incredibly uncomfortable.
Interesting. Spinel couldn't be sure which 'both counts' the other Gem meant, but... She shook her head slightly to herself. There was no point looking for allies here. Even those that thought other thoughts were more likely to be loyal to the Diamonds than to have considered any other options. She was alone. Turning her talents for infiltration to better use, Spinel slipped closer to the Pearls before taking a seat against the edge of the stand where the musicians were set up. Still a good view, and you could never be sure what you would hear from the gossip of servants.
Rose Pearl glanced at Spinel as she slipped closer to the other Pearls. Oh dear. That could be trouble...you never knew what the other Pearls might say, especially if they didn't notice her standing there, and you never knew who was willing to report back to the Diamonds about treasonous thoughts. She glanced at the other Pearls, trying to catch one of their gazes so she could point out Spinel as surreptitiously as possible and ensure they wouldn't say anything too outspoken.
A hush fell over the crowd of Gems, and they parted like grass on the wind. A tall, imposing, bright yellow figure strode through their midst: Yellow Diamond, the military branch of the Diamond Authority. Ramrod-straight, yet with the grace of a lioness stalking her kill, she approached, walked through the circle, and stepped up onto the dais, where her comrade, Blue Diamond, sat silently in her blue-tinted throne. Yellow Diamond's Pearl, a wiry yellow pearl with frills on her shoulders, followed in her wake, her nose tilted up, her eyes showing far too much arrogance than would normally be suffered of a Pearl ... but this was of course Yellow Diamond's Pearl. Blue Diamond's Pearl, as usual, stood in graceful formation at the left hand of her mistress's chair. Yellow Diamond turned, and faced the crowd of Gems. She looked them over imperiously, then settled into an easy stance, hands clasped behind her back, feet set apart at shoulder width. Suddenly, in the complete silence that had fallen, her sharp voice barked. "Quartzes to be commissioned, fall in!" The Quartzes, eighty-five in all, filed into neat rows within the circle. They truly were in all the colours of the rainbow - new Jaspers, Chrysoprases, Citrines, Aventurines, even a few Amethysts stood among the soldiers. Each was clearly a force to be reckoned with: most of them were brawny, whether tall or short, and each had the keen eyes of a well-trained warrior. Yellow Diamond nodded, almost imperceptibly. "Gems," she began, her voice ringing in the hall, "we are here today to commission this new legion of Quartzes. Seeded in ideal conditions and grown by top cultivators, this is a batch of Quartzes boasting a ninety-eight percent success rate." Pausing to let this sink in, she continued, training her gaze on several of the most promising new Gems. "These are warriors worthy of upholding the Homeworld's glorious colonization campaign! These mighty Gems will look upon our weak and naive foes and they will crush them into dust! These are the best of the best - these are an honour to Gem society! These are the Gems that we work for, strive for, live for - every stratum of Gem society works together so that these Gems may do us proud!" The crowd applauded loudly, as Yellow Diamond paused again. When the applause had died down, she continued. "In honour of this great achievement, we will witness a Dance of the Pearls, the numbers of which have never before been attempted. And furthermore, as a mark of the Diamond Authority's approval and support of these new Quartzes, Blue Diamond has consented to add her very own Pearl to tonight's entertainment - a gesture the gravitas of which you will all, no doubt, understand." Murmurs ran through the crowd, though the lithe Blue Pearl did not so much as twitch. "Quartzes, genuflect!" The Quartzes fell to one knee, head bowed in deference. Many of the other Gems present touched a hand to their Gem in salute. "I, Yellow Diamond, member of the Diamond Authority, do hereby commission all new Quartzes present into the service and glory of the Diamond Authority Military Forces. May your victories be swift and your campaigns reach ever further into the galaxy, for the glory of Homeworld!"
