Hello! It's been such a long time since I've been here, but now I've returned for a fresh start. I deleted all my previous stories because they're nonsense, and because my writing has drastically improved. So if you're still subscribed to me and got an alert about this, thank you for sticking around so long!

This story means the world to me. It started as a roleplay, and it's how I met my girlfriend. So obviously, every bit of my heart is going in to each chapter. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Rrrring!

A delicate dark blue Pearl peeked her head in from the dimly lit hall when she heard her bell. Her face was enshrouded by waves of aqua hair, but her master could still hear her when she whispered, "Yes, Sapphire?"

"Hello Pearl. Will you bring me a footrest?" Sapphire asked, perched atop an ornate blue velvet throne. "Something thicker than last time. My feet kept slipping off of it."

"Yes, Sapphire." The little Pearl turned around, and on her back were two Sapphire sized footprints.

"I told Pearl to take a bath, or at least reform. She looks silly, yes?"

A Tiger's Eye, silent from the fear of execution should she say something wrong, simply nodded. She continued filing the princess' nails, never daring to make eye contact.

The silence bothered Sapphire. Her eye twitched and she pursed her lips, searching around the room to find something else to talk about. "So that painting… It's an original Moonstone. Yes, the Moonstone."

Tiger looked up from her mistress' nails and gazed upon the painting of Blue Diamond and the aristocrat. How narcissistic. "You must be her favorite," She said politely. Sapphire was nobody's favorite, however.

The rare gem had done nothing to earn her luxurious treatment. She was just rare- in fact, she was the last of her kind. In order to make more and recover for the ones they lost in the war, they'd have to harvest some of the elite. This wouldn't go over well, obviously, so until they could make synthetic gems, Sapphire would always be the only one.

To make up for her eons of isolation, Blue Diamond gifted her with servants and stylists and lavish mansions- even her own colony. It made for a very cushy and safe lifestyle. Guards were everywhere around the palace as well; and for a while, the blue gem didn't feel so alone. But as time went on, she found that gems liked her less and less. Maybe her servants were tired, or maybe there was an overwhelming urge to rebel or deflect to Earth.

"Sapphire, I found a volunteer. A Ruby expressed a desire to do anything as long as it got her away from her fleet for a while."

The Pearl's voice was a welcomed intrusion to Sapphire's depressing thoughts, and she smiled. "Bring her in. And Pearl? Please use my private bath. I'm tired of looking at my footprints on you, and I'm beginning to suspect that Topaz didn't install a plumbing system in your quarters like I insisted."

Though she didn't need it, Sapphire enjoyed the hobbies and mannerisms of other alien species. Anything that took up her time, be it bathing or exercise, she enjoyed. The blue gem was also a linguist, which came in handy when shopping for goods on other planets.

As the lithe blue Pearl scurried down the hall to the bathroom, Ruby approached her silently and kneeled at her feet.

"Quiet, are we?" Sapphire asked. Nobody talked to her anymore, and that made her a little more on edge. "Why did you wish to escape your group?"

After what seemed like an eon of white noise from the bathtub and the scraping of the nail file, Ruby answered, "They're all hyped over Earth. We met that Garnet everyone's been whispering about. Now all my team can focus on is going back to tear her apart and bring the two home."

"Serves her right. A Ruby and A Sapphire locked together like that? Unheard of," the aristocrat commented. She slipped her foot under one of Ruby's suspenders, playing with it out of boredom. "They should. I heard they stay fused all the time, like common war machines. How filthy! I say we destroy their abilities to fuse. How painful would that be? Forced to be near the object of your obsession, but unable to display that misplaced affection. Must be worse than death."

Ruby swallowed. Truth be told she's done it too- the average gem has already discovered the joys of fusion. They have to be careful, though, to avoid being seen. Fusion is punishable by death or life in a Pearl's role, depending on your place in the caste. Still, this wasn't something she wanted to tell Sapphire. "I know. They deserve to be executed."

An awkward silence ensued until Pearl returned in a silk robe her master bought from China hundreds of years ago. "Sapphire? I've finished with my bath. What should I do now?"

"Come here," Sapphire waved her over. "I'd like you to pick out a color for my nails."

Ruby quirked a brow. "Isn't that a human thing? And can't you just reform with the color nails you like?"

Her mistress batted her cheek with her foot gently. "Where's the fun in that? I like the way filing feels, and it's fun to watch the paint fade."

"I say you go with the dull orange, since it's the complimentary color to your gorgeous hue, my Clarity."

Ruby couldn't handle all the hypocrisy. She sat up, swinging the princess' feet off her back. "What's with you, going along with this craziness?" She snapped at Pearl. "Here you are in a house of novelties from other galaxies, and yet she despises those who created all of this for her. Is this where my tax money is going? In to Sapphire's plumbing and polish and television? You can't possibly get Earth channels from here! Why do you even need the screen?"

Sapphire simply tilted her head in amusement. "What else don't you like?"

"You're using me as a foot stool! Just get an actual ottoman!" The red gem screeched, throwing her hands in the air. "You're unbelievable."

At that point, Tiger was halfway down the hall, and Pearl wasn't too far behind. Someone was getting blamed for this, and Sapphire would personally rip out their gem and grind it in to dust. Sapphire picked the gem up by her suspenders, staring her down.

"You're amusing. I like you. You're going to come back tomorrow when the eighth star sets over this meteor. Isn't that about a quarter until daybreak on the mainland?"

Ruby squirmed, trying to free herself from Sapphire's grip. "In all due respect, I find being your footstool extremely uncomfortable and I'd rather not do it again."

A chuckle escaped those plump blue lips. "Then I'll get an ottoman, and a chair for you to sit on. Your official job is to be my company, do you understand? Fail, and you'll be fired… Out of a canon, in to the third star, which will probably melt your gem."

Seeing that she had no choice, Ruby sighed. "Yes, my Clarity."

"Yay! Now go back to work and quit your old job." Sapphire clapped in glee after letting poor Ruby go.

Ruby scuttled out as fast as she could, sweating the whole way. Well, that was a disaster.