Holly Blue Agate was standing with her back against the white walls of Emerald's office, her blue eyes glittering in the light. Her arms were crossed, though Emerald knew her well enough to know that the agate wasn't mad. At her anyway, she thought with a grimace, her thoughts drifting to the rogue Rose Quartz and the off-color crew. That pink one, named Lars, was the bane of her security system, able to pass through undetected. It - Lars - must be gemless then, she concluded. The agate beside her was assigned to capture the human pet Rose Quartz brought.
Only, the two of them knew each other from a long time ago.
"Her human pet is probably already dead," the agate muttered, shaking her head. She combed her hair with fingers carefully, gazing over at the information collected about the human before.
"Well, she did have healing abilities," Emerald reminded her possible friend. "So there's that."
Holly Blue looked thoughtful, glancing over the files. It was rare that two gems from different Diamonds work together, but this was definitely important. Holly Blue's Diamond knew of the human's importance to the rebel leader. For the Paragon's sake, she even specifically mentioned it in her little guilty plea.
"Emerald?"
Sighing, she asked, "What?" They had a mission, an assignment.
Holly Blue blushed a dark navy color, and she shook her head.
"I need to catch those defective pebbles, and you need to catch Rose's human pet." Emerald didn't bother hiding her rage for the off-color gems. She adjusted her fluffy suit collar, her one eye staring at the agate, making her nervous. Or was it something else? The agate's electric blue gaze watched her carefully, her every move recorded. Emerald stood straighter. "Those off-colors!" she snapped, her gem glittering.
"Well, I can relate," the agate said with a sigh. "What in the star's name do you think I deal with at the Zoo?" She paused, seeming embarrassed. "I mean, my glittering Diamond needed someone as perfect as me to deal with them."
Emerald stared at her.
Holly Blue continued, "With me working with Pink Diamond's off-color gems, it makes sense I was assigned to this job, right?"
"Right!" she said, clapping her hands. She walked towards her desk, picking up a hologram screen and looked at the report one of the guards sent her. "Oh, a defective sapphire..."
"A sapphire?" Holly Blue echoed, glancing over at the screen, sounding mildly surprised. It was odd how a defective sapphire could have escaped. Though it explained how they got so close. Her companion looked thoughtful. "Was the sapphire blue? With a gem on the palm of its hand?"
What? Emerald shook her head, confused. Did she know of another off-color sapphire? "No, why?"
Holly Blue blushed slightly, staring at the wall, examining the patterns carefully. "I meet one like that. I... failed to realize until it fused with a ruby - on purpose."
Emerald winced. "Must have looked gross. The fusion, I mean."
"By the stars! It had three eyes!"
"Vile," she commented, walking towards the door, remembering the ruby and pearl fusion she saw for a second. It had four eyes and extra arms. The six gem fusion...
"Hey!"
Emerald turned around, puzzled to find the agate following her nervously. The agate's eyes stared straight at her locking onto her like she was prey. Emerald didn't look away, watching her. Emerald recognized the look in the gem's eyes, though she never had said anything about it. And, sure she slightly enjoyed working with the agate, even if she needed to be reminded of her place every once and awhile.
Holly Blue joined her beside the door. "Aren't we supposed to be working together?" Before she could reply, she walked out the door, leaving Emerald to growl in annoyance and follow her. That damned quartz!
But she could deal with it.
Emerald quickly followed Holly Blue, her cape trailing behind her, and she glanced down at her uniform, brushing off a speck of soil carefully. Her boots made her steps echo as she stalked down the multicolored hallways.
Diamonds and parallelograms were carved carefully into the grey tinted roof. Blue rectangles were alined on the walls, though if she looked closely, she could see that the blue paint covered the pink rectangles almost perfectly. Almost. She thought about Holly Blue.
Speak of the devil - Emerald didn't fully understand that human phrase - she thought as the agate slowed down enough to walk side by side her. She scowled.
"Do you know about love?"
"What would an agate know about love?" she asked, rolling her eye.
"I know a bit about... you," Holly Blue replied, flexing her fingers slowly.
"Pardon?"
"Maybe I like you." Holly Blue's gem began to glow a pale blue light.
"You're not even one of my Diamond's gems," Emerald sneered, more aware of the quartz's eyes and their blue color. "You're an agate!"
Holly Blue replied, "Maybe so, but I know better than to pursuit a relationship with someone of a higher rank then me." She laughed mirthlessly, covering her mouth with her hand. "Unless a particular duo of a pearl and a quartz."
Emerald rolled her eye, turning to face Holly Blue as they walked silently, arriving at a large white door.
"Can you... kiss me? Just once? I'll never ask again, but curious to know what it's like."
"I'm not even nice to you."
"You're nice-er than most emeralds."
"Never ask again, and I'll keep silent about this."
"Do you like me? Do you love me?"
"Maybe."
"Now..."
Inhaling a breath, Emerald muttered, "Fine. Let's..." She looked at the agate, watching her carefully with her one eye, and she leaned towards her slowly, waiting. When the gem nodded to inform her she was ready, Emerald put one of her gloved hands on the back of Holly Blue's head. She felt the smooth gemstone on the back of her head heat up slightly. She leaned forward, her heart racing just a bit, but, Emerald told herself, that was just the fear of someone finding out.
It was over quickly, a brush of their lips, but it counted. Emerald felt like she had been hit with electricity, and she shivered. To Emerald, the kiss lasted a long time as their lips had met. Her face burned, remembering that moment, that second.
"W-we have a mission to complete," she choked out, but her eye was watching the agate more carefully. She tried to scowl but failed. She didn't have time to care about a weird, useless, dumb, bossy, annoying agate. But, she did when it was Holly Blue. She probably loved her.
Holly Blue nodded, looking stunned. Emerald couldn't really hate her.
Yeah, Emerald was probably falling in love. Just a bit though.
She sighed, shaking her head.
Just a bit.