Carnelian stood there, mouth hanging open. It was the Spinel who had spoken to her earlier, holding the now-poofed Jasper's gem. "I. Thank you." She didn't know what else to say, and wasn't sure she could manage any other words with the terrified energy surging through her.
Citrine managed to kick the Chrysoprase's leg out from under her, destabilizing her long enough for a blow to the head that sent her gem skittering away across the floor. The remaining recruit was a parti-coloured Ametrine, who snarled at Citrine and swung a whip at her. "Traitor! You're in big trouble when Agate finds out!" "I know, I'm sorry!" the word came out half-garbled as the tip of the whip caught her across the mouth, leaving a mark. She had sparred with whips before, and knew better than to block with her mace. Instead she curled into a ball and rolled hard at the Ametrine, who had no choice but to dismiss her weapon to brace against the yellow comet. As soon as she felt the other Gem's hands on her, she summoned her mace once more and swung it hard with one hand at the Ametrine's torso. Once that gem clattered safely to the floor, she turned to look at the two unexpected allies who had taken out the Jasper while she was busy. A Spinel, and a... musician? She gave them a sheepish grin. "Thanks for that! I'm Citrine, cut 256 facet 760. I reallly hope you weren't just taking out Jasper so you could catch that Pearl for yourselves!" She honestly did hope that, as well. She could use some actual friends here.
All of her pursuers (But the flying one, but since that one had offered her directions, Lavender didn't count her as an enemy) were poofed. But now she was confronted with the Citrine and the Carnelian and a... Spinel? Maybe? Ad she was still unarmed and Citrine had raised a fairly reasonable point... She wished Rose had already regenerated. Or never disintegrated in the first place. Fusing would have been great just now. Nothing she could do. She tried to find her voice but all that came out was the tiniest whisper. "I-i'm sorry for causing so much trouble..."
She heard the Pearl speak all the same, and turned back to give her a reassuring smile. "Man, don't be! What you did was really brave, saving your friend like that. Is she okay? She's not cracked or anything?" She'd heard that bravery wasn't changing fearlessly into things like Quartzes often did, but being terrified and doing something anyway because it was the right thing to do, whether or not you were scared chipless. If that was the case, this little Lavender had it in spades. She thought for a moment, then added, a bit gentler, "Are you okay? Uninjured, just a bit shaken?"
Spinel gives Carnelian a slight smile before turning her attention towards the Quartz. Not entirely without sense, this batch. "Hardly, but it wouldn't do for the Diamonds to know of my involvement. Though knowing my luck, we won't manage to make it out of here without making my allegiances clear." She dismisses the rapier in a swift gesture and folds her arms, turning her attention from the Citrine to the Pearl. "And I suppose you don't have any plans on where to go from here, do you?" It didn't seem like any of this had been planned at all, after all. Just the desperation of gems who didn't want to be broken.
Lavender quickly inspected Rose's gem, running her fingers over it carefully. "N-no she seems fine. And p-please don't worry about me, I-i have no idea w-what I'm d-doing M-ma'am." She quickly glanced at Spinel, before lowering her eyes again. "The flying Gem said something about a rooftop garden, Ma'am. I-i'm sure it will be a more than adequate escape route." She felt faint, but mostly because of being directly adressed by Gems far outraking her. Was the Citrine actually concerned for her? And what about Rita and the other Pearl that accompanied her seafoam colored friend? And Smoke and Gray! She could only hope that they were all okay.
"Pfft, just call me Citrine, please." she grinned at the Pearl, relieved that she was okay. "Ma'am makes me feel like I don't still have dirt under my nails. And yeah, I think I know where you mean. It might be a bit exposed for those of us who haven't mastered at least floating yet, though." She thought, then looked back at Spinel and Carnelian. "Miss Renegade, do you know of any secret places in this building we can hide until things settled down? Also, flute gem - sorry I can't recognise your type - the musicians usually come in by the servant's entrance, right? Did you see any disused rooms down there?"
Miss Renegade? Well, she could get used to that, she supposed. It wasn't entirely untrue. "And after that?" she said, to both the Pearl and the Quartz. "You can't hide from homeworld forces in a garden forever. There's only one place that even has the potential to be safe in the long term." The Quartz is young enough that she might not recognize the implication, but the Pearl and the Carnelian ought to. Word of the rebellion wasn't that hard to find. "As long as the Diamonds don't find out about my involvement here, I can most likely get you off planet in a few days."
"But what if we don't want to fight?" Rita shook her head, "We can't stay here but I don't want to be part of that." That renegade Pearl was amazing but she didn't want to be part of that, not at all. She just wanted to get away. Maybe it wasn't right to say but who could really blame her. "I mean me and Maggi couldn't fight if we wanted to and just." She wanted to cry but she made herself keep on talking. "Maybe there's a moon or something we could get to."
Lavender takes a step over to Rita and places a gentle hand on her arm. "I'll go where these two go, just p-please. Help us." She looked at the other Gems with huge eyes.
"Well, the first thing to do now is get out of here," Celestica said. "We can look again maps to figure out where we'll go later."
Gray was driving. This was usually a calm time for her: she loved piloting, it gave her a purpose. Watching the skies, weaving through traffic, executing perfectly-formed stunt rolls - this was what she lived for. This evening, though, she was far less calm. She had memories that were not her own flitting through her head - a pale Pearl, nearly white leaping forward, with the grace of a Pearl's dancing cleaving two Quartzes in half as if they were air with a sword a sword she had summoned herself - and memories that were indeed her own - Lavender coaxing Rita forward Rose Pearl throwing herself into the dance Blue Pearl catching her smoothly the incredible feeling of being six times herself the anger and fear in Almandine's eyes she'd never felt a Gem disincorporate before - and it was all she could do to keep her attention on her driving. It didn't help that Onyx had noticed her reticence, and (though Gray would never say this aloud) it seemed like Onyx was ... afraid. "Step on it you piece of dirt! I didn't have you built to drive the speed limit!" Gray worried the tip of her tongue with her teeth and pushed a little faster. She was already going too fast for how distracted she was, she knew that. If Onyx hadn't been yelling at her, it would have been fine. Rose Pearl begging for their lives. Blue Pearl walking to her demise. Lavender Pearl stealing Rose from under Yellow Diamond's nose. She couldn't do this any more. She was done. She shoved the shuttle into overdrive and veered off sharply, swooping down off the skyway and towards the high-class residential area. "What the shards are you doing?!" Onyx shouted. There was no mistaking it - that was definitely fear in her voice. "Giving you a show," Gray replied, levelly. Onyx lunged for her from her fancy seat in the back, but Gray was faster, pivoting the little ship into a corkscrew turn that threw Onyx roughly around the interior. Pulling out, Gray brought the ship up sharply, tossing Onyx into the back, and then she cut the engine and let them go into an uncontrolled fall, tumbling ever faster towards the ground. If she was lucky, this might crack Onyx. It would almost certainly disincorporate the bigger Quartz. Gray wasn't under any illusions that she would survive the fall, but she was coming to terms with that. She'd prefer to die by her own hand than by being crushed under someone else's. The ship was heading straight for some big aristocrat's house. Good, Gray thought, shard you too. Then everything went black.
Citrine started a little when the seafoam pearl spoke - she hadn't noticed her behind her friend - and waited for everyone to voice their opinions before speaking again. She nodded at the floating blue gem, then looked to Rita and Lavender. "Yeah, definitely. I have a friend who can hide us for a time if needed, I think, but we need to get out of this place unseen first - she's a few facets from here." She bit her lip, considering. "I know it's an awful thing to suggest, and you're free to say no - but would you Pearls be okay poofing for a time so we can carry you in our gems? They're not looking for non-pearls yet, so it might be less conspicuous that way."
That made sense. Plus if these gems had wanted them hurt they would have already done it. It still wasn't nice to hear though. Rita tightened her grip on Maggi and thought it over, it was a plan at least, that was better than standing on a roof. Plus even if they bubbled the gems and kept the pearls from reforming at least they wouldn't be cracked or crushed...or at least if the other gems took them to be executed she wouldn't be fully there when she was broken. "Make it quick, and I swear if you hurt them." She couldn't think of a way to end the sentance so she didn't, favoring putting a finger to her throat in a way she'd seen her master make before. "Being popped by a Pearl must be embarrassing," Maggi chimed. Yeah, that was a perfect way to end it. Rita looked at the floor and steadied herself. She'd never been popped before and wondered what it would be like, "Whenever you're ready."
"There's more to do in a rebellion than fight," Spinel said, looking the seafoam Pearl over. "I'm sure that Rose Quartz could find a place for you that wouldn't make you uncomfortable." Saying the name out loud was a brush with the forbidden. Still, Spinel thought this Pearl underestimated her own tenacity - if she was so ready to be poofed now, she would make a decent fighter when the time came. Any gem, but perhaps especially a Pearl, who could do that was made of more than stern enough stuff to fight. With a motion of her head towards the doors where the chaos of the dispersing party could be heard, Spinel pulled the enhancer from her belt and pressed it to Citrine's mace. "Here. A gentle tap should discorporate them without too much damage. It will be faster than the usual method." She would say that it would hurt less, but she didn't honestly know, not having experienced the device herself (and not having any intention to do so).
"Have you been poofed before?" Rita asked still looking downward. "My master was once. She was furious when she reformed but I wasn't sure if it hurt or if she was just angry." Probably angry, most definitely angry. She could say that if she wanted, it wasn't like her situation could get worse right now. "She was angry. I told her that her plan was risky but she didn't care because well," Rita gestured towards her gem, "Pearl. Oh, and thank you for everything, if this isn't a trick we all owe you our lives." If it was a trick they would take their lives, but that was beside the point."
Citrine listened with round eyes to Pink Spinel and the Pearl speaking about rebellion. She didn't - she hadn't - she supposed that there was no going back, after poofing so many of her fellow recruits and going against direct orders from the Diamond Authority. But talking about this far-flung planet and this - "Wait, Rose Quartz? But they don't make those! I remember one of the Milkies asked, first day of training. Our CO said Quartzes were special because we came in nearly every colour, and all of us were strong, and she asked why their weren't any pinks. She got this funny look and told us all Rose Quartzes were intrinsically flawed, and none of them ever came out right." It was a puzzle and a half, but one she supposed she couldn't dwell on for long. She looked at the disruptor on her mace, then to Rita. "I've been poofed, during training. It sort of - you get like a flash of hurt, then you don't really know anything until you feel safe enough to be you again." Gems didn't sleep, so she couldn't compare the experience, but she supposed she at least owed the Pearl the truth of the matter. She gave her another smile, hopefully reassuring. "Sorry if that doesn't make a lot of sense."
They had been moving for a while now, Smoke pointing out directions. She heard voices, and when she saw Lavender with the others, she made a split second decision. She scrambled down from the taller gem and ran towards them.
