The Grey
Author's Note: Continuing from Off White, Lars and Steven resume their journey through Homeworld. I didn't expect Off White to get as much praise as it did. So I decided to continue this in another episode-like fic. Maybe I'll make another? I dunno. You guys gave more support for the previous fic than what I expected, so I was immensely inspired. LOL.
This is obviously still an AU.
"War's not black and white; it's gray. If you don't fight in the gray area, you're going to lose."
- Marcus Luttrell
"Life is about the gray areas. Things are seldom black and white, even when we wish they were and think they should be, and I like exploring this nuanced terrain."
- Emily Giffin
By: VampireQueenAkasha
~O~
Steven and Lars remained hidden in the alley.
"Did we lose her?" Lars asked, unsettled and still shaken.
Steven nodded his head, glancing out from the alley once to make sure. "I think so. She didn't seem interested in chasing us."
"Are you sure about that, Steven?" Lars said, skeptical. "She seemed pretty interested in killing you back there! The other two ladies were at least talking! This one's crazy!"
Steven thought about it. Lars was right. White Diamond was definitely a little different from the other two diamonds. Something was off about her. She was actually terrifying compared to Yellow and Blue, and those two diamonds were frightening on their own.
"Okay, so what do we do?" Lars asked, looking down at him, "Because they're not just gonna just let us leave. We need a plan!"
Steven nodded in agreement. He glanced out from the alleyway and watched a few passing gems; Homeworld was beautiful, in its way and had they not been running for their lives, he would have liked to enjoy the scenery a bit more. After all, this was part of his culture, in a sense.
Maybe some other time.
Just then, a familiar humming sound caught his attention and he noticed two robonoids flying through the air, scanning alleys and dark corners. They were obviously looking for him and Lars.
"Oh no, those things are back!" Lars whispered, "Steven, we gotta move!"
Steven looked up and noticed a gem beckoning to them from the other end of the alley from an enormous cathedral. She was small, maybe slightly taller than a ruby. She had short green hair, a green dress and bright green eyes.
"Hurry!" she called, "In here!"
Steven and Lars hesitated. They didn't know if they could trust her.
"Who is she, Steven?" Lars asked, frightened.
"I don't know, but we can't wait here!" Steven told him. "Hurry!"
The two quickly hurried into the cathedral and the gem immediately shut the door. The two robonoids drifted passed the building, humming loudly the entire time. Steven and Lars watched the door and the gem in bated silence before she finally turned, shaking her head.
"First time on Homeworld, I take it?" she quipped, with a chuckle.
"Sorta." Steven said, "It's...a long story."
The gem nodded, smiling a little. There was a kindness to her gestures and expressions that Steven immediately felt at ease with. Whoever she was, she couldn't have been out to betray their location. Lars seemed to doubt that, however.
"So, are you gonna rat us out?" Lars asked her.
The gem laughed a little. "If I wanted to, you'd have been found already." she told them. "But that's not what I want. I only want to help you."
She started walking away and the two followed her. They couldn't help but look around and the expansive chamber they were in; it resembled a church of some kind, with painted walls, lit candles littering every table and shelf and stained windows.
It seemed like a safe enough place.
Steven walked over a design of the Diamond Authority painted on the floor. This one bore only the symbols of White, Blue and Yellow Diamond. It made him think about what he'd seen in White Diamond's tower, how she'd seemed adamant that Pink was still alive somehow.
He had so many questions but first, he thought it would be good to understand the gem who'd helped them.
"So, uh...who are you, anyway?" he asked.
The gem stopped in front of a rug laid out on the floor. "I'm a jade." she told him. "We are keepers of enlightenment and truth. We help gems who can't help themselves."
Lars made a face. "Pretty vague, if you ask me." he quipped.
Jade bent down, removing the rug that revealed a small, trap door. "The two of you can hide here for now. When it's time, I'll take you to the warp beyond the city, through the dead wood. It's been unused for a long time, but it'll take you back to Earth."
Steven frowned, confused. "How do you know it still works?"
"It belonged to...Her." Jade told him, her voice suddenly grave. She seemed uneasy about something, but didn't say.
Steven's mind immediately went to Pink Diamond. He didn't know why.
"Why are you helping us, anyway?" Lars asked.
Jade exhaled quietly. "Because that's what a jade does, little human. We help others. It doesn't matter to me what you are. The point is you must get off of this planet before she finds you."
Steven and Lars couldn't have agreed more with that.
"Well, thanks..." Lars said, managing a smile. He figured she was owed that much.
"White Diamond will not stop looking for you," Jade continued, "Yes, I know she's searching. You don't hear a Diamond Scream and assume the best."
"Why is she..." Steven began. He wasn't sure how to finish that question.
Jade arched a thin eyebrow. "Why is she the way she is?"
Steven nodded.
"Well, many rumors of Pink Diamond's demise were woven through the years," Jade explained, "Many gems say she hasn't been the same since. Other believe she's unhinged, unlawful and out of her mind."
Lars scoffed. "Can't imagine what would give them that idea." he quipped.
Jade looked over her shoulder for a moment before she gestured to the trap door. "You'll be safe here for the night and then we can travel to the warp. But should something happen, there's a door that will lead you through the drain tunnels that empty into the wood."
Steven looked at her worriedly. "What do you mean 'should something happen'?"
Jade didn't answer and opened the trap door. "Don't ask too many questions. It's best not to. Now go. Stay quiet and don't make any noises. Gems come and go later in the day for solace, so I don't want to have to explain your presence to them."
Steven looked at Lars. "We don't have much choice. We should listen to her."
Lars nodded hesitantly. "Anything's better than being out there." he agreed.
They started to travel down a path of metal stairs, but Lars paused and looked at Jade hopefully. He held his stomach.
"I...uh...don't suppose you have any food?" he asked.
Jade shook her head. "I'm sorry, but no."
Lars groaned quietly and joined Steven below. Jade shut the trap door, covered it with a rug and departed, leaving Lars and Steven alone.
O
It was a small space.
Steven and Lars were forced to sit back-to-back in the cramped spot near a small grate. As true to what Jade said, they could hear the sounds of passing gems above them; Jade talking and praying with them. So far, no one seemed to suspect anything out of sorts.
Lars' rumbling stomach got Steven's attention. He grimaced sheepishly. "Sorry." he said.
"It's okay." Steven replied, leaning his cheek against his knees. "I'm hungry too. Try not to think about it."
Lars was quiet again. He frowned thoughtfully before glancing back at Steven.
"So why are they after you, anyway?" he asked.
"My mom." Steven answered, with a sigh, "She did something bad and now the Diamonds want me because of it. I mean, I THINK she did. I don't know. This is all confusing for me too."
"That sucks." Lars replied, looking at him with concern.
"Yeah..." Steven didn't know what else to say.
He couldn't stop thinking of White Diamond and what she'd said to them. Whatever had happened, the truth would come out eventually. He hoped so, anyway.
He shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Hours went by and both Steven and Lars awoke. Lars wiped a sliver of drool from his mouth and looked back at Steven.
"Hey, are you awake?" he asked.
Steven nodded his head. "Yeah." He looked up at the trap door cautiously. "I wonder where Jade is. I think it's been a while now."
Lars looked worried. "You think she ratted us out?"
"No. I don't think so."
"How can you be so sure, Steven?"
"I just can, okay?"
Lars didn't see a point in arguing with him. "Okay, okay. I didn't mean..."
Steven realized he had snapped at him unecessarily. "Sorry. I'm just scared."
"Yeah, me too."
He was cut off by the sound of a door opening and immediately, the two paled when the familiar sound of heels against metal filled the air.
Clack, clack, clack...
Steven and Lars watched the ceiling above them groan from the weight as they followed the noise. It made them shiver with fear when they realized who had just walked into the cathedral.
"Jade." White Diamond's eerie, flat computer-like voice filled the air as the clacking of heels stopped. "It's good to speak with you."
Jade's calm voice filled the air now. "My Diamond. I am honored to see you arrive."
"Your honor pleases me." White continued.
"Have you come seeking solace?" Jade questioned, still surprisingly serene in her words. "As you know, my purpose is to help all those in need."
Steven and Lars kept quiet, listening to this incredibly tense and unsettling exchange between the diamond and Jade. Whatever was going on, Jade hadn't ratted them out just yet. Perhaps she wasn't even going to do so.
Above them, the diamond walked around the cathedral. Her eyes wandered a bit, studying everything in the room before falling to the gem watching her.
"I haven't been here in so long," White said, looking up at the many statues in the great hall. She smiled. "I've always admired the symmetry of your belief; the idea that every gem can be equally close to one another through spiritual enlightenment. Perhaps that is why I made you. To connect with what was stolen from me."
Steven and Lars looked at one another, concerned.
"Tell me, Jade; do you still sing those lovely songs every evening?" White asked, glancing back at her with a thin, unsettling smile, "I did adore them once."
Jade nodded. "I do, My Diamond. They are still loved, even after all of these years. We always vow to uphold the traditions of Our Most Radiance."
White Diamond's pleased voice was softer now, a little eerie. "That's lovely to hear."
Steven felt like going up to help. The entire conversation felt like a bait. A trap. Even worse. He didn't know what else to do. If Lars hadn't been here with him, he could easily keep Jade from being cornered like this. But since Lars was a victim in his mother's problems, he had to keep himself scarce for his sake.
"What's...different in here?" White questioned.
"Nothing, Your Radiance. I've maintained the same cleaning routine, the same songs, the same prayers. I've changed nothing."
"You're a very clever gem, Jade." White told her. "That is why you're one of mine. But I know the two that I'm looking for passed through here not too long ago; sometime earlier, I believe. You wouldn't have happened to see them, have you?"
Jade calmly shook her head. "I have not seen anything strange, My Diamond."
"No?" White gave a soft, synthesized chuckle. "Are you sure, Jade?"
"Yes, I am sure, My Diamond."
White Diamond turned to face her and every lit candle in the cathedral was immediately snuffed out, bathing the room in darkness. Jade still stood strong, but the fear glinting in her eyes was enough for White Diamond to see the truth.
Steven and Lars couldn't see anything through the metal, only listen to the tense silence that followed.
Then, Jade gave a sharp grunt of pain, as if she'd been brutally seized and Steven could hear White Diamond's soft, synthetic chuckle follow.
"Shhh. Shhh. It's all right. Be still. I know, Jade. I know you've seen them," she said, as if soothing a petulant child, "I know you've helped them."
"I don't! I haven't!" Jade grunted.
"But you do. And I have wasted enough time here... Oh, don't be afraid. It's okay. It'll be all over soon."
"Please, I... Oh no, My Diamond, please don't!"
There was a blinding light that filled the room. The light was so bright, it nearly filtered through the cracks in the floor. Steven and Lars covered their eyes; even the small, thin rays nearly blinded them. When the light faded, Steven and Lars couldn't move. They couldn't breathe.
A small thump, like something heavy being dropped to the floor.
"Oh dear..." White Diamond said, quietly. She sounded piteous, but even that carried an emotionlessness to it. "Well, that's what happens to those who keep the things I desire from me. Still, it matters not. I have other ways of getting what I want."
Lars and Steven held their breath, struggling to keep the horrified whimpers from being heard behind their hands. The sounds of White Diamond's departing heels vanished after a moment. The doors of the cathedral closed and finally, Steven rushed out from the trap door.
Jade was lying on the floor, facedown.
"Jade!" Steven cried, rushing toward her.
"Steven, be careful!" Lars insisted, warily watching the door. "She might be back!"
Steven gently picked up Jade, turning her around. Her eyes were closed and her gem looked fully intact. She wasn't moving.
Then, after a few moments, her eyes opened and she sat up, smiling brightly; the action startled the two sitting there near her.
"Good evening, little ones!" she greeted, in a bizarre voice that sounded like someone reading from a script. "I am Jade-2G4 Cut-7HD. But you may just call me Jade, if you'd like!"
Lars looked at Steven worriedly. "Is she alright?"
Steven looked at Jade. "Hey, you talked to us earlier, remember?" he said. "You were going to help us find the warp to Earth?"
Jade chuckled, as if she'd never heard of it before. "Find a warp? Well, that's not the function I was made for! I was made to serve gems in emotional distress! If you are in emotional distress, please direct all complaints to me!"
Steven looked haunted. "You don't remember anything?"
Jade laughed. "I was just made, of course! All I know it my purpose!"
"She... She wiped her memories." Steven couldn't believe it.
Lars looked frantic. "She can DO THAT?"
Jade brightened and stood up, making her way to the door. "Now, if any gems need spiritual guidance, I will be happy to help them!"
Steven and Lars watched her, stunned by this revelation. So not only did White Diamond possess a destructive scream, she could wipe gem's memories. Much like Yellow and Blue Diamond, it seemed as if every matriarch of the Authority had abilities meant to control and destroy.
"We need to go." Steven told Lars.
"That's what I said twenty pages ago!" Lars said, making his way down the trap door again.
O
The pipe led them out into a dead forest, just as Jade had described.
Lars was holding himself, shivering. Steven had been so distracted by what White Diamond had done to Jade that he didn't notice until Lars spoke.
"This is so messed up!" Lars groaned. "We're never getting home! I don't know what to do! This sucks! This sucks so much!"
Steven shook his head. "Lars, it's okay to be afraid."
Lars groaned, glancing upwards. "No, it's not! I'm ALWAYS afraid! All the time! Even before all of this, I was afraid!"
"What do you mean?" Steven asked.
Lars stopped walking and looked down at him. "Steven, I was afraid to meet those guys at the Big Donut. I was afraid to make Baklava because it looked hard..." he groaned. "I'm just so tired of being scared all the time!"
Steven smiled and shook his head. "Lars, everyone's afraid of something." he assured him. "That's okay. I'm scared of a lot of things too."
Lars sighed. Well, that didn't make him feel any better, but it did make him feel less alone. Steven looked beyond him and his eyes widened.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed.
Lars turned, expecting the worst. But instead, he saw the warp pad that Jade had described. Steven brightened and rushed up to it.
"Jade was right! It's still here!" he said.
"So, how does it work?" Lars asked.
A small control box was nearby and Steven made his way to it. Sure enough, after pushing a few buttons, it began to light up with energy. Lars looked at Steven anxiously.
"I don't know what's going on. Is this thing gonna take us home?" he asked.
Steven nodded happily. "Yeah! It should!"
Lars heaved a sigh of relief. "Finally! I wasn't sure how long I could last on this crazy planet!"
Something changed in the air.
Steven and Lars looked over their shoulders, mere seconds as an explosion of white fire struck the warp pad, narrowly taking them out with it. Lars was thrown to the side and Steven tumbled across the ground from the force.
The two managed to regain their senses long enough to look back at the now destroyed warp pad. Lars made a pitiful sound of anguish and Steven looked horrified.
They looked up now and in the distance, spotted White Diamond standing with her hand raised, still smoking from the fire she'd shot out. She slowly lowered her hand and tilted her head, like a fascinated animal.
"Leaving so soon?" she said.
She leaned forward and launched herself at them at unnaturally fast speeds. Steven's eyes widened in horror and Lars gave a yelp, seeking cover behind a dead tree. The look that White Diamond gave him was nothing short of wild, manic and delighted.
"Steven, run!" Lars shouted.
Steven turned, quickly fleeing into the wood with Lars.
O
White pursued them.
"How much worse do you want this to get, Rose?" she called, in a contented voice not matching the malice in her words, "What you can imagine? I can do much, much worse. Pink is gone and this time, you won't get close enough. NO ONE will help you. And now all of Homeworld will know why."
Lars whimpered with fright and Steven tried to comfort him by putting a hand on his chest. He looked up at him, giving him a look that seemed to help. Lars nodded, determination on his face.
"We can do this, Lars." Steven assured him.
Lars didn't seem sure, but they had no other choice. "Okay."
White Diamond looked around briefly before she ignited the palm of her hand with white fire and scorched the trees around her. Lars and Steven coughed, covering their mouths against the smoke. White watched the scene of the forest burning, smiling that disturbing smile.
"Soon, it will be you who comes begging to me, Rose." she said.
Steven and Lars struggled to make their way through the burning forest. Steven could see White Diamond patiently waiting on the other side. There was nowhere to go. They were trapped and had no other choice but to go through to her.
"Lars!" he coughed, "We have to!"
Lars nodded his head, groaning and hacking.
"Smoke..." White Diamond said, coughing so suddenly, "Choking... Can't...breathe..." She coughed a few more times before a horrible stream of synthetic, trilling laughter echoed from her.
Something's wrong with you.
Steven's mind went to how deranged White Diamond was before he grabbed Lars' hand and formed a bubble around them both. They charged through the flames and in that moment, White Diamond's hand closed around the bubble, popping it with ease.
Lars fell to the ground with a grunt of pain and Steven was left clutched in White Diamond's hand. He looked up with a horrified gasp of Steven's name. White Diamond didn't seem interested in Lars at all and simply grinned down at Steven, delighted.
"Your mine, Rose," she whispered, a greedy smile touching her face, "It would be wrong of me to deny Blue and Yellow this victory as well, but...well...I cannot help myself."
Steven squirmed in White Diamond's grip, grunting with effort. Lars looked down, struggling to find some way to help Steven. He noticed a portion of a broken statue before he picked up the pieces and began tossing them in White's direction.
One of them struck the diamond in the back of the head, just as she was departing. White Diamond paused, turned and looked down at Lars. He panicked, stepping back as she advanced.
"You fight rather bravely for nothing more than a talking animal." she remarked, smiling thinly. "But if you're determined to die, perhaps I could oblige, for the moment."
Steven shook his head desperately. "No! White Diamond, it's just me you want! Leave him out of this!"
White glanced from him to Lars. Then, a grin touched her cheeks. "Ah, yes. I remember that you have such a love for these creatures and surely you remember how creative I can be in these little...matters. Perhaps the human would serve a function after all."
She reached for him and Lars yelped, quickly rushing away moments before she could grab him. He ducked out of reach, narrowly missing being singed by the white flames still burning around them. White's frightening, wide-eyed smile looked even ten-times scarier to Lars in the glow of the fire.
"This human must be incredibly important to you, Rose; you want me to spare his life, though there isn't much life worth sparing," White said, looking down at Steven. "You've fallen from grace, but you of all gems know more about treachery of the soul than any diamond could. I remember you accused us of such things, yes?"
Steven squirmed several more times before he managed to free his left arm.
"This form you've taken. This...blasphemous shape of flesh and bone is a testament to your corruption. To stand as equal to these...talking mammals..." White rumbled, watching Lars like he was a fly that needed crushed beneath her foot.
She reached for him and he screeched, attempting to flee. Steven managed to get his arm free, produce his shield and smack White Diamond across the face with it. She shouted out, a series of synthetic shrieks before opening her hand. Steven stumbled to the ground and Lars quickly rushed to his aid.
They fled, leaving White to regain her senses and charge up a blast of fire from her hand. The two were almost to the edge of a quarry, mere moments as the flame struck Lars.
It all seemed to go in slow motion; Steven watching in horror and a slow, wicked grin spreading across White Diamond's face.
Steven immediately grabbed Lars, formed a bubble around them moments as they plummeted into the quarry below.
"Once, the universe looked up to me and saw beauty, hope and order. Now...because of you, all they will see is horror." White promised, watching them fall into the darkness below.
O
The quarry seemed to have no ending.
Steven and Lars continued to fall deeper and deeper into darkness. Steven looked at Lars, realizing he hadn't been moving. His body was covered in burns and his eyes were closed. Steven quickly gathered him into his arms and tried to hear for a heartbeat.
His eyes widened in horror.
"Oh no..." he whispered, tears falling freely from his eyes now.
He held Lars close, sobbing as they continued to fall. "I'm sorry..." he moaned. "I didn't mean for this to happen! It's all my fault!"
The tears fell onto Lars' cheeks and in that moment, his body began to glow.
Steven watched in muted shock as a wash of pink light blanketed over Lars' body. The wounds he'd suffered from White Diamond began to fade away. His hair even changed from light brown to bright pink.
After a few seconds, Lars groaned and opened his eyes.
They were pink.
O
Note - Jade is a stone of serenity thought to alleviate anxiety, fear and to promote good luck. Jade not only brings prosperity, but encourages its wearer to hold on to money. A traditional charm for gardeners, jade is said to ensure bountiful harvests. I thought she could be voiced by Nicolette McKenzie, who voices the character Teersa from Horizon Zero Dawn.
Also, I wanted White to be entirely different in this fic from both of the other two diamonds. Sorry I ended it like that, LOL. I changed only a little while still following up with the general idea. I may do another one. Not sure yet.